Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
And what, pray tell, is wrong with Kaleido-Ruby? Other than the inevitable destruction of Rin's dignity, of course... but Ishtar would have seen to that anyway.
I'm Not a Regular Mom (FGO OC)
- Thread starter Blinktwice13
- Start date
And what, pray tell, is wrong with Kaleido-Ruby? Other than the inevitable destruction of Rin's dignity, of course... but Ishtar would have seen to that anyway.
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
Actually my post was referring more to the design of Rin's 'magical girl' outfit with the cat ears and tail in comparison to your suggested servant outfit.
As for the stick, I imagine that she would have kept Ruby locked in a box+as far away from her children as possible. Bedcause that thing wants to make magical girls/cause trauma and has the prana to do it along with templates from unlimited alternate realities.
Asako: An older sister would be fun to have for a little while. He'll turn back after the transformation ends right?
Ruby: Of course, he's return to normal the moment it ends. Trust me.
Ritsuka:......-NOPEs out of there so damn fast he redshifts-
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In Which Breaks Aren't Allowed
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
A/N: No content warnings off the top of my head. There's a bit of romance near the end, but the worst that happens is a bit of hugging and a quick kiss so I'm not going to do much besides a heads up.
_______________________________________________________________
"What do you mean, no explosives!?"
Ritsuka was tired. He'd managed to get surprisingly good sleep the night prior, despite the initial nightmare which ended with Mash sitting at his bedside and Matthew dropping Fou into his arms. While he was awake, that is. Apparently the distress went down the Servant bond because he woke to Mash covering his body with hers and her shield, while Matthew peered under his bed with a dagger drawn and crackling with black lightning.
...which really said it all about his relationship with his primary Servants.
Regardless.
"Nobunaga, the people working here survived a tactical bomb assault. We need them working at their best, and triggering their newly acquired Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders won't help with that," Ritsuka said smoothly, keeping the barb he wanted to slip out of his tone despite the words. ...Matthew was a poor influence.
"Well how was I supposed to know?" The girl in the red-and-black military outfit with long dark hair and red eyes crossed her arms with a scowl. Ritsuka didn't know the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven was a woman, but with King Arthur as she was he really shouldn't be surprised.
The other girl, with pale pink hair and a pink-and-purple Taisho-style kimono, bowed deeply. "All apologies, Master. I'll do better to keep her in line."
"Ehh, if Ritsuka was mad, well… you'd know. This is a warning, because you guys are new." Matthew leaned back in his chair, ankles crossed in front of him. "Well, mostly for El Capitan over there," he amended with a nod at Nobunaga. "You seem like a real stickler for the rules, Okita."
"Okita Souji was the captain of the first division of the Shinsengumi," Mash recited in a tired tone.
"Hm… wasn't that a police force?" Matthew tilted his head. "Ohhh! Okitan's a cop!"
The Saber collapsed with a wheeze, blood spattering the ground.
Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Okita!?"
"Eh, this happens. It's not fatal- unless it's in a fight," Nobunaga finished with a mutter.
"Captain Okita suffered from tuberculosis in life, which carries over to her status as a Servant as a skill known as 'Weak Constitution'," Mash explained, reading from a tablet.
Nobunaga snorted. "Yeah, yeah. I'm one of the great reformers of Japan! Demon King Nobunaga!" She grinned evilly. "So get ready for me to shake things up!"
Matthew narrowed his eyes. "Sooo… I'm all for some chaos, but I'd advise against anything that would cause lasting harm. Just as a tip."
"Uh-huh. And you are?" Nobunaga tipped her cap down.
"Matthew Kyrielight, Prince of Avalon."
"Pfft! Gods, fairies, doesn't matter. I can tear 'em all down!" Nobunaga stood, pointing a cavalry saber at Matthew.
Ritsuka paled. This had just escalated rapidly-!
Matthew tilted his head. "...alright, I'll bite. How?"
"I'm the Great King of Innovation, the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven! The more mystery my enemy has, the greater their divinity, the stronger I become until I eradicate them completely!" Nobunaga put her sword over her shoulder, grinning wildly.
"...yeah, that sure sounds impressive." Matthew shrugged. "Still doesn't change the fact that humanity is dying as we speak, and we need to work together to save it."
Nobonaga's smile twitched.
"So again. As a request. No explosives. Unless you know how to administer medical aid? Or cook? Or clean? Or maintain our tech? Or Rayshift?" Matthew smiled politely.
Slowly, she put the sword away.
Ritsuka stared.
"...fine," Nobunaga grit out. "You made your point."
Ritsuka stood. "Thank you, Nobunaga. Okita, sorry for dragging you into this." He bowed slightly.
Okita wheezed again.
Matthew's wand came out, and letters floated through the air. Slowly, Okita sat up, her breathing smoother and the area devoid of blood.
"Geez. That curse is a doozy. Well, at least now I know that I can cut the attacks short." Matthew shrugged.
Nobunaga placed her fists on her hips. "Very well! It cannot be helped! It seems I will need to be more inventive in how I liven up this dull place. NOBU!"
Ritsuka watched, exhaustion clinging to his bones, as the miniature and adorably deformed versions of the Archer followed her while she marched out of the lounge and down the hall.
Mash exhaled. "Thank you for not attacking her," she whispered.
Okita sat upright. "Eh?"
"Well, Gil made a good point about picking my battles," Matthew mused. "Also, I'd never take her in a straight fight, not with her abilities. Good thing I know about them now."
Ritsuka furrowed his brow. "Why?"
"Because when she answered, I also found out she has to activate those powers." Matthew gave an unholy grin. "If she does turn on us, then all I have to do is catch her off-guard. One prick of the knife, and suddenly she's vulnerable." His relaxed smile returned. "But! For now, she's useful so I'll sit and wait."
Okita stared, mouth open.
"Seriously. I'm not stupid. Why would I attack someone stronger than me directly?"
"Ah. And here I was, worried you'd matured a bit," Ritsuka said with a sigh.
"Pfft. I mean, I'm annoyed, but I'm not going to go 'enemy!' at her either. I'm trying." Matthew pouted.
Ritsuka turned to Okita. "Believe it or not, this is an improvement."
Mash nodded solemnly. "He wasn't exactly house-trained."
"Hey, I stayed a science experiment for six years longer than you did," Matthew bit out with an ugly gleam in his eye. "Not everyone got Archaman to dote on them."
Mash ducked her head.
Matthew bumped her with his shoulder. "Real talk, though. It sucked. I'm glad you got out."
She raised her head back up and leaned on him.
"Well… I should go find something to do, then?" Okita stood, an unsure look on her face.
"Go find Musashi or Sasaki. They'll probably spar with you," Ritsuka offered. He glanced at his Servants again.
"Ah! Keeping my skills sharp will definitely be a good use of my time. Thank you, Master." Okita gave a deep bow and left.
Ritsuka collapsed onto the chair. "Alright. You two good?"
"I'm fine." Matthew fiddled with his hands. "...Gilgamesh hasn't, you know, come after me so I count that as a good thing."
"How did Musashi settle in?" Ritsuka asked.
Matthew raised an eyebrow.
"Ew." Mash sat up with an accusing look.
"I mean, nothing's happened there yet, but I think we're on the same page of mutual interest," Matthew drawled. "Medusa seems to have taken a real shine to her, though. Musashi said she was going to go spar with Sasaki so I think that's good."
Ritsuka nodded. "Mash?"
"I'm well." She smiled. "I was wondering how you slept after I left."
"Saw him off to sleep, huh?" Matthew mused. He held up his hands. "Not in like, a sex way, but-"
Mash's expression soured. "You didn't need to clarify."
"I slept fine," Ritsuka cut in.
"Right. Though…" Mash fiddled with her tablet. "We have two more arrivals that came in when we did, and…"
Ritsuka frowned. "More? But where?"
"Caster Geppetto, and Alter-Ego Kagutsuchi." Mash frowned. "And there's a new Master. Their name is black-boxed for now, so I can't-"
"Wait. How did they use the Shroud without me? And who's up and about?" Matthew wore an aggrieved expression.
"That's the thing: the Shroud is still in the charging area." Mash set her tablet down.
"And we don't know who it is?" Ritsuka dropped his head in his hands. "...why wouldn't they tell us?"
"Dunno, but I intend to find out." Matthew got up and moved to lean on Ritsuka's shoulder. "Wanna come with? I'm gonna put the screws to Archaman until he talks." An undercurrent of malice flickered in Matthew's voice. "There's not a lot of places a new Master could come from, and I want answers."
"Doctor Roman will probably tell us when we ask," Mash offered soothingly. "It's likely something that none of us were in shape to deal with after completing the last mission."
"Mm. Though stabilizing a supply route to the pseudo-Singularity was a coup," Matthew noted, cheering up. "Now we can get a steady supply of food and drink, as well as other stuff."
"We had that with the link to France," Mash replied.
"Yeah, but this is modern!"
Ritsuka sat up. "Alright. Let's go talk to the Doctor. I'm sure he has answers." He straightened his shoulders.
Damn, but he was tired.
"We've got your back, Ritsuka." Matthew pat his back.
"Yes. So leave everything to us, Senpai." Mash walked around and touched his other shoulder gently.
He smiled. "Thanks, you two."
____________________________________________________________________________
Chaldea was at least twenty percent livelier with the arrival of Nobunaga and her Nobus. Given their manifestation was passive and they were semi-autonomous, that meant Medea got more time with her beau and less directing her skeleton warriors.
Dragon teeth, dear.
Yeah, those. Nobunaga doesn't seem a bad sort, but that kind of power makes me twitchy.
There are those such as Gilgamesh and Karna who can deal with her outright, even with the powers she has. But between her innovation and her Noble Phantasms, she's a mighty ally. This incarnation is more an inveterate prankster, if I recall, so I wouldn't be too worried if I were you.
Got it. I wasn't too rude, was I? I really am working on it.
Compared to how you were before Peperoncino, you were a saint. Even compared to how you've been, it was a marked improvement. I'm very proud.
Uh huh. So what've you been up to?
Recruiting! Oh, and while you talk to Roman, can you just… relax the wards around the front? One of my allies wants to take a more active role. You've met her in passing; Scathach, the Witch of Dun Scaith. She's Cu Chulainn's mentor.
Sure, sure.
The three of us - Mash, Ritsuka, and I - made it to Archaman's office without incident. Once we were there, though…
Someone's angry.
No kidding.
Mash and I exchanged a look across Ritsuka, who just looked like he wanted to die. The shouting inside continued.
"Want me to take point, boss?" I gently nudged his shoulder with mine.
"...just don't kill anyone," he replied in an exhausted tone.
Mash took his hand in hers and gently pat it while I gave the door a sharp knock.
The door opened slightly, and Da Vinci gave us a strained smile. "Hello! Can I help you?" The shouting within continued, and I could make out the voices.
"Why are Gilgamesh and Archaman having a shouting match?" I asked slowly. "And since when does the doctor yell?" Some spell or something was blocking me from hearing the words, but I could identify the voices.
Ritsuka straightened up. "What happened?" he asked curtly.
Da Vinci sweat a little. "Well, it's nothing too terribly major. We've managed to contain the situation, even if it has… spiraled a little. There's no immediate threat to Chaldea or the people in it."
"They still going at it?"
We turned, and Joan appeared. She leaned against the wall. "Ever since I let the Doc know about the mess in the coffin chamber, they've been discussing things."
"Enthusiastically," Da Vinci agreed with a ragged sigh.
"What mess?" Ritsuka asked. "Did Gilgamesh do something?"
"Guess he did. Either he took his time taking his weapons out one by one, or the wards lifted so he could torpedo a fuckin' coffin. Thing is, it was empty." Joan shrugged.
I froze.
"Huh. You know the guy? It was one of the Team A coffins, name-"
"Beryl Gut," I whispered.
Ritsuka narrowed his eyes. "Da Vinci. Can you confirm he's not at large in Chaldea?" He took one of my shaking hands in his free one, and Mash reached across to tug both of us into a tight hug.
"Gilgamesh actually used his Clairvoyance to ensure that," Da Vinci responded. "...he felt it was sufficient concern to do so. He is… venting his displeasure at Roman for leaving him alive, and Roman is responding to both his destruction of property and failure to report this before Joan did." A flash of regret crossed her face. "With things as they are, we have a lot of mixed news. Sorry, kids."
Joan stood up from the wall. "So this guy's a traitor?" she asked.
"He's a serial killer and targeted Matthew when he was younger," Ritsuka said succinctly. "Kill on sight."
"Huh. I'd ask about you guys' hiring process, but considering what I was supposed to be I don't have a lot of room to talk." Joan shrugged. "I'll burn him if I see him."
"Thank you, Joan." Ritsuka nodded at her.
She smirked. "Anytime. I get why you left me last time, with the whole reuniting Medea with her man bit - she's loosened up a lot - but next time, bring me along, alright?"
I finally blinked, my breathing easing out. "I'm glad she's happy," I forced myself to say.
Damn. Damn, damn, damn-
He isn't in Chaldea. He's out there, but you have people who will stand by you and fight him with you. And you are far stronger now than you were then.
How?
The mastermind of the singularities is small potatoes; his master has Beryl on her leash. And others. I'll inform you as they become relevant. One thing at a time. I swear to you, your next meeting will not be like the last.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
"There's no point in casting blame at this juncture," Ritsuka said calmly. "We came to ask about the new Master and their Servants. Considering one is a secondary figure from a fairy tale and the other is a Divine Spirit, I would have thought an introduction would be in order. Not to mention: where did the Master come from?"
"Is it one of the others on A-Team?" Mash asked quietly. "Neither sound like the Servants they hoped to contract…"
Da Vinci began to visibly sweat, which was the first clue that the answer was something major.
"Oh, those three. Head Chef and the Holy Roman Emperor decided to look after them until you felt up to it." Joan nodded at Ritsuka.
"Ahahaha! Well, that'll do for now! Thanks, Joan!" Da Vinci chirped in a strained tone.
"Eh, fine. I'll leave you to the family reunion." The Dragon Witch gave a perfunctory wave and wandered off.
Well, she's calmed down at least. Wonder what happened…?
Mash has the mother's blessing, so she established a pecking order last night. It was adorable. Joan thought so too, so she's giving her a chance. Though it's probably likely all three-
Wait. 'Family reunion'?
My, my! How rude!
...Morgan.
...yes?
Ritsuka blinked. "Family reunion?" he asked aloud, frowning.
What did you DO?
I helped!
...oh boy.
Da Vinci coughed as the sound of something breaking came from Roman's office, Roman's voice going deep and loud. "Well, if that's all-"
"Oh! Can you tell Roman that the writing binding the big sea-thing was some sort of Hebrew derivative? It said something about a King of Magic." Yeah, better get that out. "Also, if it's the same guy, Amakusa said he was a 'king chosen by God'. Big 'G'. And apparently he's not the biggest problem we have either, according to Morgan - Gut is working for his boss, who's a woman."
Ritsuka gave me a flat look as he, Mash, and I finally broke apart. "And you didn't bring this up earlier because…?"
"Well, first I was spiraling because of Gilgamesh-" and the crashing stopped, "and then we had our magical field trip to the land of rapeworms and evil priests."
Ritsuka's face twitched. "...yes. Well put."
Oh right. "Sorry." I cringed apologetically.
He sighed. "Well, you handled it… appropriately. I'll give you some leeway for that."
"I think that's the one time I was glad you could replicate the Fisher King curse entirely," Mash said with a dark glint in her eye.
"What?" Da Vinci's smile froze.
"Oh, I nailed a critical familiar of Zouken Matou, formerly Zolgen Makiri. All of his spells went dead, his Crest corroded, his bugs withered and rot, his last remaining descendant went infertile, and the Command Spell system he designed turned into a glorified tether rather than a compulsion spell." I smiled brightly. "I helped!"
Ritsuka pat my head. "That you did," he acknowledged serenely.
Da Vinci wore her 'internal screaming' look. A person would only recognize it if they knew her very well.
"You failed to mention that during our little chat," Gilgamesh said gleefully as he poked his head out over Da Vinci's. His eyes glimmered with joyful malice as well as… pride? "Your first judgement on both perpetrator and line. I'm so proud."
"You talked to Gilgamesh?" Mash asked with a glint in her eye.
"Please don't encourage him!" Archaman shoved Gilgamesh aside with a look of deep exasperation. "In this particular case, I will agree that it was deserved. Though I don't know about the desc-"
"He raped his adopted sister on a regular basis. I also used the Universal Language to geas him in particular into behaving like a decent human being without taking away his ability to defend himself." I smiled widely. "Like I said! I helped!"
Ritsuka let out a long, low sigh, rubbing his forehead.
Da Vinci made a noise like a failing tea kettle through her teeth.
"Oh! Did you know I can affect normal humans without any backlash now? With the Language."
"You don't say," Gilgamesh purred. He seemed to be taking Archaman's disrespect in stride, oddly enough.
Archaman took a deep breath, and exhaled.
"Don't worry, I won't use it on the staff. I'm not stupid." I gave him an aggrieved look.
"No, but you can be vindictive. Regardless, that's a relief to hear." Archaman relaxed.
As if on a cue, a loud growl echoed through the hallway.
Ritsuka looked to me.
"Not it!" I crossed my arms with a frown.
Mash shifted. "...I may have missed breakfast on our way to meet with Nobunaga and Okita."
"Well, I've said my piece." Gilgamesh forced the door open, Da Vinci stepping out of his way. He glanced at me for a moment, then kept walking.
"...I expected him to…" Mash frowned.
"We, uh, talked. I don't think he's going to push the issue anymore…? But I doubt he's giving up either." I shrugged.
"I'm glad. Tell me, what family reunion was Joan talking about?" Ritsuka looked at Archaman and Da Vinci.
Archaman went pale and didn't say anything for a long moment.
Then Da Vinci shut the door.
"..." Ritsuka wore a look of deep consternation.
"Lunch?" I offered.
Mash slapped her forehead.
____________________________________________________________________________
"Well, that was fun." Da Vinci crossed her arms. "Though I think telling them would have been a better idea."
"You're the one who shut the door."
"Oh. Oops." She shrugged.
Roman collapsed into his chair. "That's a time bomb waiting to go off, now. Have they gone?"
Da Vinci closed her eyes. "Yes, they're on the way down the hall and just left earshot."
"Urgh. Too late to call them back, then. Damn it all." He leaned his neck back. "And then there's this." His hand dropped on the paper next to his laptop as he took a deep breath.
"Oh, he's going to be pissed," Da Vinci trilled. She smiled brightly.
"Because we have a forty-signature document petitioning for the next revival to be Kirschtaria Wodime?" Roman opened one eye. "Say it isn't so."
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Romani." Da Vinci pouted.
"Regardless, we need some way to get him to do it or we'll have a minor revolt on our hands. They'll go along if we push it, but morale will plummet." Roman groaned. "And Ritsuka's sure to run into Asako first."
"That twee act rubs me the wrong way. 'Miss Morgan'? 'Papa'? Seriously? She's twelve, not two." Da Vinci rubbed her forehead.
"We all use masks to make potential opponents underestimate us." Roman dropped his head and folded his hands in his lap. "I'm sure whatever she's hiding is much different from what we got."
"You think she'll be more on the level with Ritsuka?" Da Vinci wondered aloud.
"Most likely." Roman looked at the papers on his desk. "We have something like a location for the next Singularity, but the timeframe is still in flux. What's your best guess?"
"I'd give it a week at the least before we have a strong candidate. It's European, that much I can confirm."
"Hrm. Western, Eastern?"
"More towards the middle. I'd say it's Greece or Italy, to be honest."
"Most Greek situations would involve the Age of Gods."
"This is only the second; I doubt it's that far back," Da Vinci said dismissively.
"Please let it be something we need Pepe or Hinako for," Roman whispered, almost as a prayer. "Hell, I'd take Ophelia over Kirschtaria. He's a good man, and flexible enough that working with Matthew isn't out of the question. But the reverse…"
"Oh, my naughty apprentice would eat him alive as he is now." Da Vinci gave a wistful sigh. "He's growing up, but he's not there yet."
Roman groaned. "I just hope that whatever he knows about Ritsuka's family doesn't make him predisposed against them. Mash I know Ritsuka spoke with, but whatever he has…"
"Ah, the joys of knowing just enough to make a mess." Da Vinci hummed pleasantly. "I'm sure struggling with the Universal Language drip-feeding him information won't be an issue at all."
"...I've never truly hit the bottle before, but by God I am tempted," Roman murmured.
"Oh, he also has hard confirmation that the culprit is masquerading as Solomon, but has no context," Da Vinci added.
"Whiskey, please."
"It is your fault, you know," Da Vinci pointed out helpfully.
"Isn't everything?" Roman grumbled.
____________________________________________________________________________
"So from what I know, the 'King of Magic' is a king of ancient Jerusalem named Solomon. He's hailed as a wise judge who heard the voice of God, and created most modern systems of magecraft." Ritsuka walked between us, hands in his pockets.
"Judge, huh? Well, Lainur said we 'lost the King's favor' or something. Maybe he got pissy at humanity and decided to scrap history." Even as I said it, the words tasted funny on my tongue. "No, that's not it. Solomon…"
"Your role will be to watch over human history and correct its course. This I entrust to you."
"I dunno. I feel like there's stuff we're not seeing." I shook my head.
Mash tapped her chin. "And there's another person behind the mastermind…"
"My guess is 'she' is making use of his plan for her own ends," I proposed.
Ritsuka nodded. "With what little information we have, it's as much as we can reasonably assume." He stretched his back with a grunt.
"Yo!"
I looked behind us.
Kadoc strode forward, Anastasia following at a sedate pace. "I heard your conversation with the new recruits went well." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry for leaving that to you; I was pretty done with Nobunaga. Okita's not too bad, though I worry for her health."
"How long…?" Mash began.
"We were stuck in that odd place for five days. We got back shortly before you." Anastasia's tone was clipped.
"Ehehe…" Kadoc grinned sheepishly. "Some fireworks went off near the end, and-"
"I got soot all over my dress." Anastasia's frown was severe. "If I wasn't a Servant, do you have any idea how hard it would be to clean?"
Viy's eyes gleamed.
"Well, I got to meet alternate timeline versions of my parents who will probably never get together because my father got with my aunt, and killed a man." Ritsuka scratched his cheek. "...Matthew does good work."
I preened. "I sure do!"
Mash sighed. "I should have done more…" she murmured.
"You kept everyone from dying, which is what matters most," Ritsuka said pointedly.
"Wait, you killed a guy?" Kadoc's eyes went wide.
"An evil priest trying to bring about the advent of the Third Magic and do something to humanity at large," Ritsuka explained.
"Remove all the evil from the collective human soul, which is less transhumanism than spiritual mutilation. Transforming it into something useful is one thing, enacting a surgical purge is another." I gestured to the doorway leading to the cafeteria. "On that note, let's get lunch!"
We went inside, only for Ritsuka to jerk to a stop.
I looked from him to around the room as Kadoc bumped into him from behind. "Ritsuka? You okay, buddy?" Kadoc asked with a frown.
The room was empty as normal, save for a table near the kitchen. Charlie sat with a perplexed look as a redheaded woman in an orange coat leaned forward with an amused smirk.
The woman wore suspenders over a white blouse, and wore a pair of glasses. A briefcase sat to her side, and a small golden cat lay on the table, tail switching in irritation.
Next to her was a young girl with orange hair and light brown eyes. She wore a similar uniform to the rank-and-file Masters who were currently on ice, and what Ritsuka tended to use for field work. A few hairpins held her hair back.
"Senpai…?" Mash lightly touched Ritsuka's shoulder.
He took a shallow, shuddering breath. "F-fine. I'm fine."
"She's new." Kadoc peered over Ritsuka's shoulder with narrowed eyes. "You know them?"
Surprise!
Oh goddamn it.
"Morgan," I whined, "what did you do?"
I helped!
Ritsuka turned his pale face to me.
"She helped," I repeated tiredly. "I don't know the entire story, but chances are good that whoever you think they are, they're them."
Mash stiffened. "Matthew."
"I know."
Ritsuka made a beeline for the table, and with a helpless look at each other, Mash and I followed.
Kadoc was close behind. "Okay, why is there a kid? Even if she's some kind of prodigy, she is way too young to be here," he hissed.
"Morgan," I replied flatly.
"The same one stuck in your head?"
"It appears she's not as stuck as we've been lead to believe." Anastasia's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"No. She's not. I don't even know what I am at this point, but she's definitely doing more than Mash's spirit," I whispered as Ritsuka made contact.
"Finally up to seeing us?" the woman asked with a light smirk.
"Aunt Touko…" Ritsuka looked down. "Asako?"
The girl had been staring back at-
"Ritsuka!"
She launched herself like a tiny projectile right into his middle, latching her arms around him with a dry sob.
Ritsuka returned the embrace, holding her tightly.
"So they're relatives?" Charlie asked, sitting up. "I've been asking, but-"
"I don't think you're getting any answers right now, Chuck," I crossed my arms.
'Aunt Touko' turned her smirk to me. "And you must be Matthew and Mash. Which makes the young man behind you Kadoc, and the girl his Servant."
"Anastasia, Grand Duchess." Anastasia's eyes narrowed.
"Touko Aozaki, Pseudoservant Geppetto." The redheaded woman sighed. "I'd kill for a cigarette right now."
The little golden cat hissed, sitting upright.
Ritsuka turned his gaze on it. "...Lugh?" he asked in an appalled voice. "What did they do to you?"
The little familiar collapsed onto its belly with a pathetic mewl.
"As he draws from my own mana, I felt it simpler to leave him like this," Touko explained.
Asako finally let go and started patting Ritsuka's ribs. "You aren't injured, are you?" she asked, eyes wide. "I heard you went home, but not ours? And that the old worm was still there! I told Mom we should have killed him years ago when we had the chance, but-"
"Oh, I handled him. Fisher King curse, never leave home without it!" I held up my dagger as it crackled with dark energy. Kadoc and Charlie both leaned back as Ritsuka slumped in exhaustion.
Asako pointed at me. "We're keeping him."
"Mash also helped keep him breathing while he took out Kotomine Kirei, a-"
"A top-level Executor who gave Mom and Aunt Sakura trouble back in our war," Asako noted. "She stays too." Her gaze grew calculating. "Is she single? She looks like your age."
Touko leaned her chin on her palm, eyes glimmering in amusement.
"She's a little older, actually," Ritsuka began.
"Perfect. As the family heir, I'll be sure to sit her down later and discuss her intentions." Asako folded her hands behind her back, standing as tall as she could - which was shorter than me, and mid-chest on Ritsuka.
"We're not even dating," Ritsuka groaned plaintively.
"Yet!" I added helpfully.
Both of them shot me a betrayed look.
Ritsuka took a deep breath. "Asako. What happened?"
"Well, Mom used her training under the Wizard Marshal to create a bubble in the flames, and we hijacked a plane to get us here from Japan," Asako explained. "Because of course we weren't going to just abandon you. Even Dad was starting to improve from normal."
Ritsuka blinked, then nodded. "I remember."
A sunny smile appeared on Asako's face. "Then the Jeweled Sword acted up, and we were in a tower. Mom made a deal with a Faerie Queen, she and Aunt Sakura stayed behind to help, Gramps got sent somewhere else, and she sent me here with Dad and Aunt Touko as Pseudoservants." She began to jitter in place. "Ritsuka, Dad's… he's lucid. Whatever happened, it's done." Her smile widened.
Ritsuka took a deep breath. "So it's not… it wasn't him?"
"No. Einzbern messed him up during the war, because otherwise they couldn't contain him." Asako dropped her arms. "Apparently he had such a strong Fire affinity it manifested as pyrokinesis strong enough to threaten a team of trained magi."
"What changed?" Ritsuka sat, and Asako took her seat next to Touko again.
"I…" Mash glanced at me.
"Go get food, I'll keep an eye out here." I nodded at her.
She nodded back gratefully.
Kadoc and Anastasia took their own seat while I dropped next to Ritsuka.
"Well, having a triad of gods crammed in his skull did wonders for his mental resilience." Asako planted her hands on the bench to either side of her.
...no, that wasn't sarcasm. Hm.
"Which three?" Ritsuka asked. He leaned in toward Asako. I was kind of surprised; I'd assumed he'd be clingier given his sister had shown up… though it could be a culture thing, or just a 'them' thing.
"Kagutsuchi, Hephaestus, and Wayland the Smith," Touko rattled off.
I knew… one of those.
Charlie, meanwhile, went white as a sheet. "Ah."
I blinked at him. "What?"
"The last one… well…"
"He's referred to as 'the weird and malicious smith' for a reason," Kadoc cut in. "Hephaestus is one of the nicer Olympians, but Kagutsuchi was killed shortly after his birth. Two out of three of those are incredibly violent, all three involve forging, and at least the first two are bound to fire."
Ritsuka put his hands on the table. "...how's he handling it?"
"He's morose. That Archer was pretty quiet and kept watching him for a little while, but he's started taking him under his wing, kind of." Asako gave a mischievous smile. "If I didn't know Dad better, I'd be worried."
Ritsuka choked.
"Kinky. Given they're alternate timeline incarnations of each other, near as I can tell," I mused.
Kadoc gave a shocked laugh as Charlie wheezed.
Touko's smirk turned to a vicious little grin. "Well then."
"Matthew, no," Ritsuka scolded.
I shrugged. "I mean, I doubt it'd happen even if they weren't. Emiya's pretty into Artoria."
"Is he?" Said King of Knights leaned over my shoulder. "I heard rumor of a new Master and felt the need to investigate." She paused. "Why are we discussing Shirou?"
"Because it turns out his alternate from this timeline is Ritsuka's father, and unless I miss my mark, in the kitchen." I looked at her.
"Ah." Artoria tilted her head. "Has Gilgamesh troubled you further?"
"Not yet," I muttered, slumping to the table. Lugh prowled over and made to bat at my nose, only for a white blur to tackle him sideways.
He growled, only for Fou to place a paw at his throat and stare down with violet eyes, soundless.
Lugh went limp.
Fou trot over to me and curled up against my cheek, eyes fixed on Lugh as he slunk back to Touko.
Ritsuka rubbed his face. "Honestly. I didn't think I'd see you guys until I got home. It even caught me off guard," he admitted. He took a deep breath, and smiled. "Though I'm glad to see you."
"Naturally," Asako replied with a proud smile.
Touko chuckled as Lugh sulked in front of her, stroking his back with a long fingernail. "I do wonder what your familiar is, such that it could cow mine. It's fortunate that he can't be devalued as part of my Saint Graph."
"Fou's not my familiar. He's my friend." I leaned my head against him, and he gave a soft chirp as he nudged me back.
"Aww." Charlie reached out to pet Fou, only to draw his hand back quickly at a silent glare. "Geez. How scary…"
"Yeah, Fou's been… like that… since he showed up." Kadoc smirked. "If it's not Mash or Matthew, he gets ornery sometimes. On occasion he'll deign to bless us lesser mortals with his fluffy presence, but for the most part? He'll perch on one of them."
Ritsuka reached over and gave Fou a few soft pats.
"And now we can add Ritsuka to that list," Kadoc noted in an amused tone.
Artoria leaned her elbow on my back. "Cath Palug, hm. I'm surprised he'd tolerate Galahad's chosen so well."
The table was quiet.
"What?" Confusion was audible in her voice.
"Mash's spirit… is Galahad?" Ritsuka asked slowly.
"Yes? Who else would be one of my knights with such a shield?" Artoria was politely baffled. "Didn't he tell her?"
"No? Why do you think she calls it 'Lord Chaldeas'?" I retorted.
"...ah." Artoria sighed. "I really should have suspected as much."
"Why?" Anastasia asked.
"Galahad… well…" Artoria trailed off guiltily.
"He is what Morgan has repeatedly referred to as 'the fun police'," I drawled.
"That sounds accurate from what she told me long ago," Charlie agreed.
"Which means what, exactly?" Ritsuka gave me a sharp look.
"It means he has a lot of high-minded ideals that he'll hold no matter what. Something about proving one's self, earning strength, and so on. Thing is… Mash doesn't have a mentor to teach her this stuff, or about knighthood or any of it. She's already on the back foot." I frowned. "In Fuyuki, that was one thing. The burning one, not the other one. If Orleans was any indication, she needs more power and soon to keep pace. The game's changed."
Asako hummed. "Can we convince Galahad to mentor her like you were taught?"
"Not it. Nope. Nuh-uh." I held my hands up.
Fou squeaked.
"Ah." Ritsuka grimaced.
"Why not?" Artoria asked with a frown.
"Ask your precious 'God's Perfect Knight' why he would attack an unarmed twelve-year-old," I grit out. "I have no desire to contend with that asshole ever again outside of working with Mash."
Artoria paused, and stood up. "I see. Excuse me." She wandered off.
Touko's neck craned. "Ah, she comes-" She paused. "Oh. Oh dear."
"GALAHAD! ARE YOU IN THERE!?"
"Y-your highness!?" Mash squeaked.
"GALAHAD! STAND AND ANSWER FOR YOURSELF!"
I bolted upright and turned, catching a look of Ritsuka's aggrieved face.
Artoria had Mash by the shoulders, deftly avoiding my sister's tray as she shouted into her ear. "GALAHAD, SON OF LANCELOT, YOU WILL ATTEND YOUR KING! RESPOND!"
"...if I remember my Arthurian briefings, that might not be the best way to get him to answer," Kadoc mused.
Anastasia tilted her head.
"Oh yeah. They didn't get along well, did they?" Charlie noted. "I hope he shows up before Mash's hearing gets hurt."
Touko raised an eyebrow. "Is this par for the course?"
Ritsuka nodded.
Asako grinned. "Awesome."
"GALAHAD!"
____________________________________________________________________________
Galahad did not, in fact, show himself. To that end, Artoria had sat Mash down to eat, then immediately dragged her off to train her in what she knew of Galahad's fighting style.
May some kind god protect my sister and bless her soul.
After that, Kadoc had offered his apologies and gone to be anywhere but near the incoming awkwardness radiated by the redhead in the hakama, Anastasia following in his wake.
Which left me to observe the remainder of the Tohsaka family reunion.
...maybe Mash got the better end of the deal after all.
I shot Emiya a befuddled look as 'Shotaro' cradled Ritsuka in his arms, head tucked under his chin.
"He's working through a lot of emotions," Emiya replied to my unasked question. "Having practically half of your memory missing and becoming aware of that will have that effect."
Given Ritsuka was looking awkward but not uncomfortable, I supposed that the 'having emotions' went both ways.
"So what side of the family is Charlie on?" Asako wondered.
"Rin's?" I shrugged. "They look the most similar."
"I think my family is mostly Japanese," Shotaro said softly, finally letting Ritsuka go. He left a hand on his son's shoulder.
Ritsuka, meanwhile, had a small smile on his face.
"Guess so. Do Japanese people normally have red hair?"
Shotaro paused.
"That would be a 'no'," Emiya noted with a smirk.
Touko coughed.
"Japanese humans, as a rule, do not have red hair. It tends to be a sign of mystic lineage," Emiya allowed.
"So why's your hair white?" Asako asked accusingly.
"Overuse of my branch of magecraft." Emiya crossed his arms.
"Oh, the sword thing, right?" Charlie perked up. "Man, that's so cool… a whole Reality Marble full of swords." He jolted. "Hey, is Joyeuse in there!?"
Emiya smirked. "I may have added it since your arrival."
"You better do something awesome with it!" Charlie scolded. "Like, blow up a mountain or something!"
"...I'll take it into consideration," Emiya murmured, folding his hands before him.
"Death upon death upon death. All that boy wanted was to not see anyone cry. In the pursuit of that dream, he found himself in a hell of blood and tears, cleaning the refuse that humanity produced so it would not pollute mankind as a whole."
I rubbed my ear with a grimace.
"Hm?" Touko's eyes narrowed.
"I can hear things. Universal Language, basically."
Touko's eyes gleamed. "So like Satsuki Kurogiri. That talent alone granted him the title of 'Grand', much like myself. And you have it as one of your abilities?"
"Yes?" I blinked.
Shotaro tilted his head. "What else can you do?"
"He made these." Ritsuka palmed the inside of his pocket, and pulled out the Gandr-rings I'd made during my week-long forging binge after Gilgamesh set me off.
Shotaro picked one up and looked it over. "The mana needed to activate this must be immense."
"I managed to do it a few times, but I ended up kind of worn out after," Ritsuka admitted.
"You did?" Shotaro was visibly startled.
"I want to see them!" Asako made grabby hands until Shotaro passed them over. "...uh."
"They're easily B rank Mystic Codes. Possibly a low A." Shotaro crossed his arms. "Add in the fact they're of faerie make, and it's a surprise Ritsuka managed to activate them."
Ritsuka glanced downward.
"Sorry, I was lead to believe that your training was mostly in combat and practical applications," Shotaro said hurriedly. "I didn't mean-"
"It's fine." Ritsuka smiled, his features softening. "I'm mostly a spellcaster, so you're not wrong."
"Hey, my stuff is all made for ease of use. Assuming I don't make it for me," I amended.
"So, what? Wear them and point?" Asako asked.
"And channel mana," Ritsuka agreed. He held his hand out, and Asako returned them. "I mixed them with my hand-to-hand. They work."
"Mm. Well enough that you took down Kotomine Kirei with assistance," Emiya noted with pride in his eyes.
"He was kind of brainwashed, but yeah." Ritsuka ducked his head.
"That would explain it. During the fight against Gilgamesh, Sakura had Sigurd fight alongside Solomon. That left her and Rin to fight Kirei, and they were nearly killed before they lured him back to the Church," Touko mused.
"What was at the Church?" Charlie asked.
Touko adjusted her glasses. "Me."
Shotaro winced. "Poor man. What did he get?"
"Lugh strung him along into the rafters, where I set up a trap or three and my Sealed Box." Touko gave a placid smile. "And that was that."
Lugh gave a purring trill.
Fou flipped his tail with a squeak.
"Of course, it took a little more than that. I was fortunate enough to have the Magus Killer as backup." Touko sighed. "Overkill? Perhaps, but…"
"If you let a fight be fair, you're delusional," I finished bluntly, earning a smirk of agreement.
Emiya tilted his head but nodded.
Charlie…
"A knight fights according to the chivalric code," he said with a frown.
I shrugged. "I'm not a knight, and I doubt Aozaki is either. My concern isn't a fair fight, it's minimizing harm to the people I care about. And making my enemy regret being born, if I can afford the luxury."
"Like what you pulled with Amakusa?"
I perked up. "Oh, Musashi."
She sighed and shoved me over into Emiya as she sat. I may have been slightly squished. "Using those 'whispers' of yours to hammer his trauma in his face was definitely something."
Charlie's frown deepened. "What?"
"Oh, I just pointed out how self-centered his goal was and how he didn't really want to save people, but redeem himself for his perceived failure." I shrugged. "Seriously? Like one guy, even a spellcaster, could put a stop to an entire army. At that point, loss is inevitable. Either fight until your last or accept the inevitable with grace, but don't fool yourself into thinking the fault's on you. Sometimes you just get a shit hand."
Emiya sighed. "You won't make many friends doing that."
"I wasn't trying to make friends, I was trying to kill him," I retorted, offended.
The table went quiet.
"Well, no one can accuse you of not knowing what you want," Asako said with a shaky smile.
"Though him flinging a black hole at me was a bit much," I added with a sniff.
"What." Ritsuka glared at me.
"I handled it, it's fine!" Musashi squeaked, flailing her arms.
"...how does one handle an event horizon?" Emiya asked, a glint in his eye.
"Cutting it," Musashi replied simply.
"...so cool!" Charlie's eyes shone.
Shotaro sighed through his nose. He looked tired and a little downcast, but better than he had when he got to the table. He kept looking at Ritsuka and Asako and giving this small smile.
It's the first time he's been able to be around his children in years without losing cognizance. It must be relieving.
Yeah.
My eyes widened as I was plucked out of my seat by hands under my arms.
"Sorry folks, but I'm borrowing this one," Cu said cheerfully. I was lifted over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, thankfully avoiding a pauldron to the gut.
Musashi rolled her eyes with a small smirk.
"H-hey!" I squawked. "Someone- Fou! Get me down!"
The fluffball gave me a long look before licking his paw once and jumping down into Ritsuka's lap.
"Traitor! Fluffy traitor!"
"Fou!"
Asako cackled as Cu hauled me off, waving while Touko shook her head. Shotaro gave a worried look, only for Ritsuka to put a hand on his arm and visibly reassure him.
I drooped. "Seriously…"
____________________________________________________________________________
I rolled onto my stomach, my shirt riding up as I burrowed into the mattress. Cu laid down in my vacated spot, clad in sweatpants only at my request.
"So… last night I kind of get, but I would like to hang out with Musashi sometime soon." I met his eyes.
"Maybe I want you to myself again for a little bit. The other times you were on business, but-"
"Have you been stalking me?" I asked, leaning up with an affronted look.
"No…?" Cu frowned.
I flopped back down. "Oh."
"Well, when you went to talk to Gilgamesh I did. Might've gone with him to tear the bastard's coffin up too," he admitted.
"..." I shuffled over under his lifted arm. "That was one way to learn about it today."
"I heard about that. Joan was shooting the breeze with Jeanne while Sieg and Astolfo broke into the video games you squirreled away in the lounge. Kadoc showed up with Anastasia and told us you guys had met Asako and her two." Cu let out a rumbling sigh. "And now there's a second version of that guy. Though, he's a total puppy in comparison."
"I was ready to be mad at him, but he's so happy to be with his kids," I muttered. "I only knew he neglected Ritsuka, but knowing what I do now…"
Cu turned on his side and began to rub the back of my neck with one hand while propping up his head with his other arm.
"I guess it's just more of what Gil and Pepe tried to teach me. Hold back until I have the bigger picture." I glanced at Cu. "Speaking of."
He smiled pleasantly, eyes closed as he ran his nails back and forth through the short hairs on the back of my neck.
"You're being particularly clingy. If it wasn't for the fact I knew Musashi and Medusa had hit it off like, really well, I'd be irritated." I paused. "Not that clingy's bad, you know."
"You seem to be enjoying this," Cu Chulainn noted.
"I am. Still… concerned." I scooted closer until my arm bumped into his bare chest.
"I…" Cu broke eye contact. "I could have killed you."
"It-"
"It was 'me'. Whether I had the memories of 'us' at the time, it was still 'me'." Cu's eyes burned as he looked at me. "In life, I used my spear twice. Both were to kill someone dear to me. Because of pride, because of circumstance. I don't want a third time."
"Ferdiad," I murmured.
Cu nodded, then exhaled. "And Connla."
My brows knit together. "Connla?"
Cu turned over and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees.
I rolled upright, placing my hands on my ankles after crossing my legs. "Cu?"
"I've done things. Even if I am a man without regrets, I'll admit to having committed deeds I don't take pride in. Things I won't repeat." He looked me in the eye. "Will you let me tell the story?"
I nodded slowly. "Okay."
"While I trained under Scathach, I was… frankly, an idiot. Teenagers are not bastions of rational thought in any era."
Which, true.
"I joined in on a feud of hers despite her request. She went to war against her sister, a warrior queen named Aife. I ended up fighting her directly." Cu smirked. "I won."
I snorted. "Duh."
He grinned for a moment, then turned somber. "Aife was… beautiful. So I made a deal. If she bore me a son and left her sister alone, I'd let her live."
...wait, what?
I squinted at him.
"I was fifteen." Cu was blunt. "I can make excuses until my face matches my hair, but what I did was…"
"Unethical? Coercive?" I frowned. "Honestly, I would have killed her and been done with it."
Cu grimaced.
"Right, sorry." I leaned against him.
"So, I gave her a ring after… after. Told her to give it to any son she bore, and send him to me with three geasa."
...this sounds bad.
Because it is. Now hush.
H-
I'm only here to keep you from flying off the handle.
"Once he was old enough to wear the thumb-ring, he was to come to me. Once he left, he could not turn back on his journey. He could not give his name to any who asked. And lastly, he had to accept any challenge offered." Cu's eyes dimmed. "The pledges to make a warrior of mystery, a man among men."
I sat up, staring at Cu.
"A youth came to the shores of Ireland, and performed feats of strength that established him as mightier than our own. I was called upon by the king to put him in his place. I asked his name and he refused. Even so, he asked that I not challenge him, for he loved my face." Cu kept his head up. "That day, Emer had asked me to stay, to not fight. She only did that twice - the day I went off to die, and the day I killed that boy with Gae Bolg. The day I slew my own child."
My stomach clenched, and I shifted back from Cu Chulainn.
"So you see, the idea of repeating those actions…" Cu shook his head. "I just want to hold onto you a little longer. I'm not trying to get in your way, I just…"
Asking something like 'would you change it if you could' seemed banal. It would only be natural to say 'yes' to that. Regret or not, it's something as simple as correcting a mistake, even one that couldn't be taken back. Much like with Amakusa.
...how many heroes have those kinds of desires, I wonder?
Cu Chulainn was silent.
"You-" I cut myself off.
"I?" Cu met my gaze unflinchingly.
I huffed. "It's going to be rude. And probably painful."
He gave a slight smirk. "Can't say I wouldn't deserve it. Alright, let's hear it."
"You mourned him, right?"
Cu's eyes narrowed. "Of course I did. He was my boy, for all we met on the battlefield. If I had known, I'd have acted differently, but I didn't so I didn't. I grieved, buried him, and buried a part of myself with him."
It's nothing to do with regret. That's just loss, self-inflicted or otherwise.
I exhaled. "That… I don't know what you want me to say. I don't know what to say."
It'd be like… I didn't have a child. It'd be like… Archaman killing Mash, I guess. Unthinkable. But the way things turned out, I could see it. Especially if Connla was anywhere near as skilled as Cu Chulainn.
"I could say the king ordered it of me, but I won't. I made my choice, and Connla paid for it. If I encountered him as a Servant, somehow, I would do my utmost to be a better father. But as things stand, I don't see that happening." Cu looked away. "And that's why I'm holding you so close right now. Because that spear's devoured two men I loved. I don't want a third."
"I would have won."
He looked back at me.
"My magic covers too wide an area, and is too strong for you to resist. If I really fought, I would have killed you."
"And in doing so, killed a part of yourself that you wouldn't get back." Cu shook his head. "You're not a man of Ulster, or a knight, or a warrior. You're a free spirit, an artist. You'll fight to protect those you care for, but your workshop and your leisure are where you're happiest, aren't you?"
I blushed, but ducked my head in a nod.
"And your love is fiercer, more tender. It opens you to a deeper hurt. You got tired of holding people away, and now you're overcompensating for lost time." Cu moved closer to me. "You're so different from Ferdiad and I. Even different from my Emer." His voice was soft. "From the start, I saw how you were marked by everything here. How sensitive you were, for all you covered it with bluster and barbs. I also saw your determination to keep going. And the more I watched, the more I saw. The joy you take in making things, in providing for those you care about. In following your whim to help those you saw, just because you could." He smiled. "Like Sieg. And it was the same for the young ladies in the last bout, wasn't it? When you're not bearing the burdens of your past, you help people because you can. There's no altruism or deeper reason. You're not looking for a moral high ground. It's something I admire."
"I love you," I blurted out. "Being with you makes me happy."
Cu laughed softly. "I love you too." He pulled me into his arms, seating me in his lap and wrapping me in his limbs as I drew my legs closer.
"Watching you fight, and laugh. I want to know more about you, see you doing the things you love. And I'm not- I'm not a peaceful person. I like hurting people. More than I should," I admitted.
"Never claimed you were perfect. Just that I loved you." Cu pressed his lips to my neck gently. "But it's never the first strike, is it? Just the last. Learn to lean off that hair trigger of yours, and you'll change the world. You and your sister, and our Master. You three are alike in that fundamentally, you're good people."
"I feel like I still need work," I grumbled.
"Congratulations. That's already more of a start than most people make." Cu Chulainn rested his chin on my shoulder, leaning his temple against mine.
"And I… I care about Medusa. I want to know more about her. And Musashi. They're both good people, and I want to be close to them."
I felt Cu's smile grow as he nuzzled my cheek. "But you love me."
"Yeah," I whispered. "I do."
____________________________________________________________________________
Scathach scowled at the outside of Chaldea as she stood in the howling snowstorm. "Blast it… I could have sworn Morgan told that punk to let me in!"
Down below her sight line, there was movement that drew her eye.
A small ball of fluff poked out of the snowdrift. "Fou!" It made an about-face, and plowed a path forward, displaying a small shimmer in the golden barrier.
Scathach stared. "You must be joking."
"Kyau!"
There was a moment of pure silence.
Scathach dropped to all fours. "I am taking this out of Setanta's hide. His and his little boyfriend's." She crawled through the small opening, sensing it close behind her.
"Fou, kyuu!"
"Fine. Just Setanta." She didn't need to speak animal to know the little hellion was defending his master.
"Fou." The little trench in the snow continued towards Chaldea proper.
Scathach decided to stop wasting time and merely astralized through the walls.
There was a knight to train and a mage to teach, not to mention a Master to educate.
Her work truly never ended.
"Fou!"
...and now the thing could teleport.
_______________________________________________________________
"What do you mean, no explosives!?"
Ritsuka was tired. He'd managed to get surprisingly good sleep the night prior, despite the initial nightmare which ended with Mash sitting at his bedside and Matthew dropping Fou into his arms. While he was awake, that is. Apparently the distress went down the Servant bond because he woke to Mash covering his body with hers and her shield, while Matthew peered under his bed with a dagger drawn and crackling with black lightning.
...which really said it all about his relationship with his primary Servants.
Regardless.
"Nobunaga, the people working here survived a tactical bomb assault. We need them working at their best, and triggering their newly acquired Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders won't help with that," Ritsuka said smoothly, keeping the barb he wanted to slip out of his tone despite the words. ...Matthew was a poor influence.
"Well how was I supposed to know?" The girl in the red-and-black military outfit with long dark hair and red eyes crossed her arms with a scowl. Ritsuka didn't know the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven was a woman, but with King Arthur as she was he really shouldn't be surprised.
The other girl, with pale pink hair and a pink-and-purple Taisho-style kimono, bowed deeply. "All apologies, Master. I'll do better to keep her in line."
"Ehh, if Ritsuka was mad, well… you'd know. This is a warning, because you guys are new." Matthew leaned back in his chair, ankles crossed in front of him. "Well, mostly for El Capitan over there," he amended with a nod at Nobunaga. "You seem like a real stickler for the rules, Okita."
"Okita Souji was the captain of the first division of the Shinsengumi," Mash recited in a tired tone.
"Hm… wasn't that a police force?" Matthew tilted his head. "Ohhh! Okitan's a cop!"
The Saber collapsed with a wheeze, blood spattering the ground.
Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Okita!?"
"Eh, this happens. It's not fatal- unless it's in a fight," Nobunaga finished with a mutter.
"Captain Okita suffered from tuberculosis in life, which carries over to her status as a Servant as a skill known as 'Weak Constitution'," Mash explained, reading from a tablet.
Nobunaga snorted. "Yeah, yeah. I'm one of the great reformers of Japan! Demon King Nobunaga!" She grinned evilly. "So get ready for me to shake things up!"
Matthew narrowed his eyes. "Sooo… I'm all for some chaos, but I'd advise against anything that would cause lasting harm. Just as a tip."
"Uh-huh. And you are?" Nobunaga tipped her cap down.
"Matthew Kyrielight, Prince of Avalon."
"Pfft! Gods, fairies, doesn't matter. I can tear 'em all down!" Nobunaga stood, pointing a cavalry saber at Matthew.
Ritsuka paled. This had just escalated rapidly-!
Matthew tilted his head. "...alright, I'll bite. How?"
"I'm the Great King of Innovation, the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven! The more mystery my enemy has, the greater their divinity, the stronger I become until I eradicate them completely!" Nobunaga put her sword over her shoulder, grinning wildly.
"...yeah, that sure sounds impressive." Matthew shrugged. "Still doesn't change the fact that humanity is dying as we speak, and we need to work together to save it."
Nobonaga's smile twitched.
"So again. As a request. No explosives. Unless you know how to administer medical aid? Or cook? Or clean? Or maintain our tech? Or Rayshift?" Matthew smiled politely.
Slowly, she put the sword away.
Ritsuka stared.
"...fine," Nobunaga grit out. "You made your point."
Ritsuka stood. "Thank you, Nobunaga. Okita, sorry for dragging you into this." He bowed slightly.
Okita wheezed again.
Matthew's wand came out, and letters floated through the air. Slowly, Okita sat up, her breathing smoother and the area devoid of blood.
"Geez. That curse is a doozy. Well, at least now I know that I can cut the attacks short." Matthew shrugged.
Nobunaga placed her fists on her hips. "Very well! It cannot be helped! It seems I will need to be more inventive in how I liven up this dull place. NOBU!"
Ritsuka watched, exhaustion clinging to his bones, as the miniature and adorably deformed versions of the Archer followed her while she marched out of the lounge and down the hall.
Mash exhaled. "Thank you for not attacking her," she whispered.
Okita sat upright. "Eh?"
"Well, Gil made a good point about picking my battles," Matthew mused. "Also, I'd never take her in a straight fight, not with her abilities. Good thing I know about them now."
Ritsuka furrowed his brow. "Why?"
"Because when she answered, I also found out she has to activate those powers." Matthew gave an unholy grin. "If she does turn on us, then all I have to do is catch her off-guard. One prick of the knife, and suddenly she's vulnerable." His relaxed smile returned. "But! For now, she's useful so I'll sit and wait."
Okita stared, mouth open.
"Seriously. I'm not stupid. Why would I attack someone stronger than me directly?"
"Ah. And here I was, worried you'd matured a bit," Ritsuka said with a sigh.
"Pfft. I mean, I'm annoyed, but I'm not going to go 'enemy!' at her either. I'm trying." Matthew pouted.
Ritsuka turned to Okita. "Believe it or not, this is an improvement."
Mash nodded solemnly. "He wasn't exactly house-trained."
"Hey, I stayed a science experiment for six years longer than you did," Matthew bit out with an ugly gleam in his eye. "Not everyone got Archaman to dote on them."
Mash ducked her head.
Matthew bumped her with his shoulder. "Real talk, though. It sucked. I'm glad you got out."
She raised her head back up and leaned on him.
"Well… I should go find something to do, then?" Okita stood, an unsure look on her face.
"Go find Musashi or Sasaki. They'll probably spar with you," Ritsuka offered. He glanced at his Servants again.
"Ah! Keeping my skills sharp will definitely be a good use of my time. Thank you, Master." Okita gave a deep bow and left.
Ritsuka collapsed onto the chair. "Alright. You two good?"
"I'm fine." Matthew fiddled with his hands. "...Gilgamesh hasn't, you know, come after me so I count that as a good thing."
"How did Musashi settle in?" Ritsuka asked.
Matthew raised an eyebrow.
"Ew." Mash sat up with an accusing look.
"I mean, nothing's happened there yet, but I think we're on the same page of mutual interest," Matthew drawled. "Medusa seems to have taken a real shine to her, though. Musashi said she was going to go spar with Sasaki so I think that's good."
Ritsuka nodded. "Mash?"
"I'm well." She smiled. "I was wondering how you slept after I left."
"Saw him off to sleep, huh?" Matthew mused. He held up his hands. "Not in like, a sex way, but-"
Mash's expression soured. "You didn't need to clarify."
"I slept fine," Ritsuka cut in.
"Right. Though…" Mash fiddled with her tablet. "We have two more arrivals that came in when we did, and…"
Ritsuka frowned. "More? But where?"
"Caster Geppetto, and Alter-Ego Kagutsuchi." Mash frowned. "And there's a new Master. Their name is black-boxed for now, so I can't-"
"Wait. How did they use the Shroud without me? And who's up and about?" Matthew wore an aggrieved expression.
"That's the thing: the Shroud is still in the charging area." Mash set her tablet down.
"And we don't know who it is?" Ritsuka dropped his head in his hands. "...why wouldn't they tell us?"
"Dunno, but I intend to find out." Matthew got up and moved to lean on Ritsuka's shoulder. "Wanna come with? I'm gonna put the screws to Archaman until he talks." An undercurrent of malice flickered in Matthew's voice. "There's not a lot of places a new Master could come from, and I want answers."
"Doctor Roman will probably tell us when we ask," Mash offered soothingly. "It's likely something that none of us were in shape to deal with after completing the last mission."
"Mm. Though stabilizing a supply route to the pseudo-Singularity was a coup," Matthew noted, cheering up. "Now we can get a steady supply of food and drink, as well as other stuff."
"We had that with the link to France," Mash replied.
"Yeah, but this is modern!"
Ritsuka sat up. "Alright. Let's go talk to the Doctor. I'm sure he has answers." He straightened his shoulders.
Damn, but he was tired.
"We've got your back, Ritsuka." Matthew pat his back.
"Yes. So leave everything to us, Senpai." Mash walked around and touched his other shoulder gently.
He smiled. "Thanks, you two."
____________________________________________________________________________
Chaldea was at least twenty percent livelier with the arrival of Nobunaga and her Nobus. Given their manifestation was passive and they were semi-autonomous, that meant Medea got more time with her beau and less directing her skeleton warriors.
Dragon teeth, dear.
Yeah, those. Nobunaga doesn't seem a bad sort, but that kind of power makes me twitchy.
There are those such as Gilgamesh and Karna who can deal with her outright, even with the powers she has. But between her innovation and her Noble Phantasms, she's a mighty ally. This incarnation is more an inveterate prankster, if I recall, so I wouldn't be too worried if I were you.
Got it. I wasn't too rude, was I? I really am working on it.
Compared to how you were before Peperoncino, you were a saint. Even compared to how you've been, it was a marked improvement. I'm very proud.
Uh huh. So what've you been up to?
Recruiting! Oh, and while you talk to Roman, can you just… relax the wards around the front? One of my allies wants to take a more active role. You've met her in passing; Scathach, the Witch of Dun Scaith. She's Cu Chulainn's mentor.
Sure, sure.
The three of us - Mash, Ritsuka, and I - made it to Archaman's office without incident. Once we were there, though…
Someone's angry.
No kidding.
Mash and I exchanged a look across Ritsuka, who just looked like he wanted to die. The shouting inside continued.
"Want me to take point, boss?" I gently nudged his shoulder with mine.
"...just don't kill anyone," he replied in an exhausted tone.
Mash took his hand in hers and gently pat it while I gave the door a sharp knock.
The door opened slightly, and Da Vinci gave us a strained smile. "Hello! Can I help you?" The shouting within continued, and I could make out the voices.
"Why are Gilgamesh and Archaman having a shouting match?" I asked slowly. "And since when does the doctor yell?" Some spell or something was blocking me from hearing the words, but I could identify the voices.
Ritsuka straightened up. "What happened?" he asked curtly.
Da Vinci sweat a little. "Well, it's nothing too terribly major. We've managed to contain the situation, even if it has… spiraled a little. There's no immediate threat to Chaldea or the people in it."
"They still going at it?"
We turned, and Joan appeared. She leaned against the wall. "Ever since I let the Doc know about the mess in the coffin chamber, they've been discussing things."
"Enthusiastically," Da Vinci agreed with a ragged sigh.
"What mess?" Ritsuka asked. "Did Gilgamesh do something?"
"Guess he did. Either he took his time taking his weapons out one by one, or the wards lifted so he could torpedo a fuckin' coffin. Thing is, it was empty." Joan shrugged.
I froze.
"Huh. You know the guy? It was one of the Team A coffins, name-"
"Beryl Gut," I whispered.
Ritsuka narrowed his eyes. "Da Vinci. Can you confirm he's not at large in Chaldea?" He took one of my shaking hands in his free one, and Mash reached across to tug both of us into a tight hug.
"Gilgamesh actually used his Clairvoyance to ensure that," Da Vinci responded. "...he felt it was sufficient concern to do so. He is… venting his displeasure at Roman for leaving him alive, and Roman is responding to both his destruction of property and failure to report this before Joan did." A flash of regret crossed her face. "With things as they are, we have a lot of mixed news. Sorry, kids."
Joan stood up from the wall. "So this guy's a traitor?" she asked.
"He's a serial killer and targeted Matthew when he was younger," Ritsuka said succinctly. "Kill on sight."
"Huh. I'd ask about you guys' hiring process, but considering what I was supposed to be I don't have a lot of room to talk." Joan shrugged. "I'll burn him if I see him."
"Thank you, Joan." Ritsuka nodded at her.
She smirked. "Anytime. I get why you left me last time, with the whole reuniting Medea with her man bit - she's loosened up a lot - but next time, bring me along, alright?"
I finally blinked, my breathing easing out. "I'm glad she's happy," I forced myself to say.
Damn. Damn, damn, damn-
He isn't in Chaldea. He's out there, but you have people who will stand by you and fight him with you. And you are far stronger now than you were then.
How?
The mastermind of the singularities is small potatoes; his master has Beryl on her leash. And others. I'll inform you as they become relevant. One thing at a time. I swear to you, your next meeting will not be like the last.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
"There's no point in casting blame at this juncture," Ritsuka said calmly. "We came to ask about the new Master and their Servants. Considering one is a secondary figure from a fairy tale and the other is a Divine Spirit, I would have thought an introduction would be in order. Not to mention: where did the Master come from?"
"Is it one of the others on A-Team?" Mash asked quietly. "Neither sound like the Servants they hoped to contract…"
Da Vinci began to visibly sweat, which was the first clue that the answer was something major.
"Oh, those three. Head Chef and the Holy Roman Emperor decided to look after them until you felt up to it." Joan nodded at Ritsuka.
"Ahahaha! Well, that'll do for now! Thanks, Joan!" Da Vinci chirped in a strained tone.
"Eh, fine. I'll leave you to the family reunion." The Dragon Witch gave a perfunctory wave and wandered off.
Well, she's calmed down at least. Wonder what happened…?
Mash has the mother's blessing, so she established a pecking order last night. It was adorable. Joan thought so too, so she's giving her a chance. Though it's probably likely all three-
Wait. 'Family reunion'?
My, my! How rude!
...Morgan.
...yes?
Ritsuka blinked. "Family reunion?" he asked aloud, frowning.
What did you DO?
I helped!
...oh boy.
Da Vinci coughed as the sound of something breaking came from Roman's office, Roman's voice going deep and loud. "Well, if that's all-"
"Oh! Can you tell Roman that the writing binding the big sea-thing was some sort of Hebrew derivative? It said something about a King of Magic." Yeah, better get that out. "Also, if it's the same guy, Amakusa said he was a 'king chosen by God'. Big 'G'. And apparently he's not the biggest problem we have either, according to Morgan - Gut is working for his boss, who's a woman."
Ritsuka gave me a flat look as he, Mash, and I finally broke apart. "And you didn't bring this up earlier because…?"
"Well, first I was spiraling because of Gilgamesh-" and the crashing stopped, "and then we had our magical field trip to the land of rapeworms and evil priests."
Ritsuka's face twitched. "...yes. Well put."
Oh right. "Sorry." I cringed apologetically.
He sighed. "Well, you handled it… appropriately. I'll give you some leeway for that."
"I think that's the one time I was glad you could replicate the Fisher King curse entirely," Mash said with a dark glint in her eye.
"What?" Da Vinci's smile froze.
"Oh, I nailed a critical familiar of Zouken Matou, formerly Zolgen Makiri. All of his spells went dead, his Crest corroded, his bugs withered and rot, his last remaining descendant went infertile, and the Command Spell system he designed turned into a glorified tether rather than a compulsion spell." I smiled brightly. "I helped!"
Ritsuka pat my head. "That you did," he acknowledged serenely.
Da Vinci wore her 'internal screaming' look. A person would only recognize it if they knew her very well.
"You failed to mention that during our little chat," Gilgamesh said gleefully as he poked his head out over Da Vinci's. His eyes glimmered with joyful malice as well as… pride? "Your first judgement on both perpetrator and line. I'm so proud."
"You talked to Gilgamesh?" Mash asked with a glint in her eye.
"Please don't encourage him!" Archaman shoved Gilgamesh aside with a look of deep exasperation. "In this particular case, I will agree that it was deserved. Though I don't know about the desc-"
"He raped his adopted sister on a regular basis. I also used the Universal Language to geas him in particular into behaving like a decent human being without taking away his ability to defend himself." I smiled widely. "Like I said! I helped!"
Ritsuka let out a long, low sigh, rubbing his forehead.
Da Vinci made a noise like a failing tea kettle through her teeth.
"Oh! Did you know I can affect normal humans without any backlash now? With the Language."
"You don't say," Gilgamesh purred. He seemed to be taking Archaman's disrespect in stride, oddly enough.
Archaman took a deep breath, and exhaled.
"Don't worry, I won't use it on the staff. I'm not stupid." I gave him an aggrieved look.
"No, but you can be vindictive. Regardless, that's a relief to hear." Archaman relaxed.
As if on a cue, a loud growl echoed through the hallway.
Ritsuka looked to me.
"Not it!" I crossed my arms with a frown.
Mash shifted. "...I may have missed breakfast on our way to meet with Nobunaga and Okita."
"Well, I've said my piece." Gilgamesh forced the door open, Da Vinci stepping out of his way. He glanced at me for a moment, then kept walking.
"...I expected him to…" Mash frowned.
"We, uh, talked. I don't think he's going to push the issue anymore…? But I doubt he's giving up either." I shrugged.
"I'm glad. Tell me, what family reunion was Joan talking about?" Ritsuka looked at Archaman and Da Vinci.
Archaman went pale and didn't say anything for a long moment.
Then Da Vinci shut the door.
"..." Ritsuka wore a look of deep consternation.
"Lunch?" I offered.
Mash slapped her forehead.
____________________________________________________________________________
"Well, that was fun." Da Vinci crossed her arms. "Though I think telling them would have been a better idea."
"You're the one who shut the door."
"Oh. Oops." She shrugged.
Roman collapsed into his chair. "That's a time bomb waiting to go off, now. Have they gone?"
Da Vinci closed her eyes. "Yes, they're on the way down the hall and just left earshot."
"Urgh. Too late to call them back, then. Damn it all." He leaned his neck back. "And then there's this." His hand dropped on the paper next to his laptop as he took a deep breath.
"Oh, he's going to be pissed," Da Vinci trilled. She smiled brightly.
"Because we have a forty-signature document petitioning for the next revival to be Kirschtaria Wodime?" Roman opened one eye. "Say it isn't so."
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Romani." Da Vinci pouted.
"Regardless, we need some way to get him to do it or we'll have a minor revolt on our hands. They'll go along if we push it, but morale will plummet." Roman groaned. "And Ritsuka's sure to run into Asako first."
"That twee act rubs me the wrong way. 'Miss Morgan'? 'Papa'? Seriously? She's twelve, not two." Da Vinci rubbed her forehead.
"We all use masks to make potential opponents underestimate us." Roman dropped his head and folded his hands in his lap. "I'm sure whatever she's hiding is much different from what we got."
"You think she'll be more on the level with Ritsuka?" Da Vinci wondered aloud.
"Most likely." Roman looked at the papers on his desk. "We have something like a location for the next Singularity, but the timeframe is still in flux. What's your best guess?"
"I'd give it a week at the least before we have a strong candidate. It's European, that much I can confirm."
"Hrm. Western, Eastern?"
"More towards the middle. I'd say it's Greece or Italy, to be honest."
"Most Greek situations would involve the Age of Gods."
"This is only the second; I doubt it's that far back," Da Vinci said dismissively.
"Please let it be something we need Pepe or Hinako for," Roman whispered, almost as a prayer. "Hell, I'd take Ophelia over Kirschtaria. He's a good man, and flexible enough that working with Matthew isn't out of the question. But the reverse…"
"Oh, my naughty apprentice would eat him alive as he is now." Da Vinci gave a wistful sigh. "He's growing up, but he's not there yet."
Roman groaned. "I just hope that whatever he knows about Ritsuka's family doesn't make him predisposed against them. Mash I know Ritsuka spoke with, but whatever he has…"
"Ah, the joys of knowing just enough to make a mess." Da Vinci hummed pleasantly. "I'm sure struggling with the Universal Language drip-feeding him information won't be an issue at all."
"...I've never truly hit the bottle before, but by God I am tempted," Roman murmured.
"Oh, he also has hard confirmation that the culprit is masquerading as Solomon, but has no context," Da Vinci added.
"Whiskey, please."
"It is your fault, you know," Da Vinci pointed out helpfully.
"Isn't everything?" Roman grumbled.
____________________________________________________________________________
"So from what I know, the 'King of Magic' is a king of ancient Jerusalem named Solomon. He's hailed as a wise judge who heard the voice of God, and created most modern systems of magecraft." Ritsuka walked between us, hands in his pockets.
"Judge, huh? Well, Lainur said we 'lost the King's favor' or something. Maybe he got pissy at humanity and decided to scrap history." Even as I said it, the words tasted funny on my tongue. "No, that's not it. Solomon…"
"Your role will be to watch over human history and correct its course. This I entrust to you."
"I dunno. I feel like there's stuff we're not seeing." I shook my head.
Mash tapped her chin. "And there's another person behind the mastermind…"
"My guess is 'she' is making use of his plan for her own ends," I proposed.
Ritsuka nodded. "With what little information we have, it's as much as we can reasonably assume." He stretched his back with a grunt.
"Yo!"
I looked behind us.
Kadoc strode forward, Anastasia following at a sedate pace. "I heard your conversation with the new recruits went well." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry for leaving that to you; I was pretty done with Nobunaga. Okita's not too bad, though I worry for her health."
"How long…?" Mash began.
"We were stuck in that odd place for five days. We got back shortly before you." Anastasia's tone was clipped.
"Ehehe…" Kadoc grinned sheepishly. "Some fireworks went off near the end, and-"
"I got soot all over my dress." Anastasia's frown was severe. "If I wasn't a Servant, do you have any idea how hard it would be to clean?"
Viy's eyes gleamed.
"Well, I got to meet alternate timeline versions of my parents who will probably never get together because my father got with my aunt, and killed a man." Ritsuka scratched his cheek. "...Matthew does good work."
I preened. "I sure do!"
Mash sighed. "I should have done more…" she murmured.
"You kept everyone from dying, which is what matters most," Ritsuka said pointedly.
"Wait, you killed a guy?" Kadoc's eyes went wide.
"An evil priest trying to bring about the advent of the Third Magic and do something to humanity at large," Ritsuka explained.
"Remove all the evil from the collective human soul, which is less transhumanism than spiritual mutilation. Transforming it into something useful is one thing, enacting a surgical purge is another." I gestured to the doorway leading to the cafeteria. "On that note, let's get lunch!"
We went inside, only for Ritsuka to jerk to a stop.
I looked from him to around the room as Kadoc bumped into him from behind. "Ritsuka? You okay, buddy?" Kadoc asked with a frown.
The room was empty as normal, save for a table near the kitchen. Charlie sat with a perplexed look as a redheaded woman in an orange coat leaned forward with an amused smirk.
The woman wore suspenders over a white blouse, and wore a pair of glasses. A briefcase sat to her side, and a small golden cat lay on the table, tail switching in irritation.
Next to her was a young girl with orange hair and light brown eyes. She wore a similar uniform to the rank-and-file Masters who were currently on ice, and what Ritsuka tended to use for field work. A few hairpins held her hair back.
"Senpai…?" Mash lightly touched Ritsuka's shoulder.
He took a shallow, shuddering breath. "F-fine. I'm fine."
"She's new." Kadoc peered over Ritsuka's shoulder with narrowed eyes. "You know them?"
Surprise!
Oh goddamn it.
"Morgan," I whined, "what did you do?"
I helped!
Ritsuka turned his pale face to me.
"She helped," I repeated tiredly. "I don't know the entire story, but chances are good that whoever you think they are, they're them."
Mash stiffened. "Matthew."
"I know."
Ritsuka made a beeline for the table, and with a helpless look at each other, Mash and I followed.
Kadoc was close behind. "Okay, why is there a kid? Even if she's some kind of prodigy, she is way too young to be here," he hissed.
"Morgan," I replied flatly.
"The same one stuck in your head?"
"It appears she's not as stuck as we've been lead to believe." Anastasia's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"No. She's not. I don't even know what I am at this point, but she's definitely doing more than Mash's spirit," I whispered as Ritsuka made contact.
"Finally up to seeing us?" the woman asked with a light smirk.
"Aunt Touko…" Ritsuka looked down. "Asako?"
The girl had been staring back at-
"Ritsuka!"
She launched herself like a tiny projectile right into his middle, latching her arms around him with a dry sob.
Ritsuka returned the embrace, holding her tightly.
"So they're relatives?" Charlie asked, sitting up. "I've been asking, but-"
"I don't think you're getting any answers right now, Chuck," I crossed my arms.
'Aunt Touko' turned her smirk to me. "And you must be Matthew and Mash. Which makes the young man behind you Kadoc, and the girl his Servant."
"Anastasia, Grand Duchess." Anastasia's eyes narrowed.
"Touko Aozaki, Pseudoservant Geppetto." The redheaded woman sighed. "I'd kill for a cigarette right now."
The little golden cat hissed, sitting upright.
Ritsuka turned his gaze on it. "...Lugh?" he asked in an appalled voice. "What did they do to you?"
The little familiar collapsed onto its belly with a pathetic mewl.
"As he draws from my own mana, I felt it simpler to leave him like this," Touko explained.
Asako finally let go and started patting Ritsuka's ribs. "You aren't injured, are you?" she asked, eyes wide. "I heard you went home, but not ours? And that the old worm was still there! I told Mom we should have killed him years ago when we had the chance, but-"
"Oh, I handled him. Fisher King curse, never leave home without it!" I held up my dagger as it crackled with dark energy. Kadoc and Charlie both leaned back as Ritsuka slumped in exhaustion.
Asako pointed at me. "We're keeping him."
"Mash also helped keep him breathing while he took out Kotomine Kirei, a-"
"A top-level Executor who gave Mom and Aunt Sakura trouble back in our war," Asako noted. "She stays too." Her gaze grew calculating. "Is she single? She looks like your age."
Touko leaned her chin on her palm, eyes glimmering in amusement.
"She's a little older, actually," Ritsuka began.
"Perfect. As the family heir, I'll be sure to sit her down later and discuss her intentions." Asako folded her hands behind her back, standing as tall as she could - which was shorter than me, and mid-chest on Ritsuka.
"We're not even dating," Ritsuka groaned plaintively.
"Yet!" I added helpfully.
Both of them shot me a betrayed look.
Ritsuka took a deep breath. "Asako. What happened?"
"Well, Mom used her training under the Wizard Marshal to create a bubble in the flames, and we hijacked a plane to get us here from Japan," Asako explained. "Because of course we weren't going to just abandon you. Even Dad was starting to improve from normal."
Ritsuka blinked, then nodded. "I remember."
A sunny smile appeared on Asako's face. "Then the Jeweled Sword acted up, and we were in a tower. Mom made a deal with a Faerie Queen, she and Aunt Sakura stayed behind to help, Gramps got sent somewhere else, and she sent me here with Dad and Aunt Touko as Pseudoservants." She began to jitter in place. "Ritsuka, Dad's… he's lucid. Whatever happened, it's done." Her smile widened.
Ritsuka took a deep breath. "So it's not… it wasn't him?"
"No. Einzbern messed him up during the war, because otherwise they couldn't contain him." Asako dropped her arms. "Apparently he had such a strong Fire affinity it manifested as pyrokinesis strong enough to threaten a team of trained magi."
"What changed?" Ritsuka sat, and Asako took her seat next to Touko again.
"I…" Mash glanced at me.
"Go get food, I'll keep an eye out here." I nodded at her.
She nodded back gratefully.
Kadoc and Anastasia took their own seat while I dropped next to Ritsuka.
"Well, having a triad of gods crammed in his skull did wonders for his mental resilience." Asako planted her hands on the bench to either side of her.
...no, that wasn't sarcasm. Hm.
"Which three?" Ritsuka asked. He leaned in toward Asako. I was kind of surprised; I'd assumed he'd be clingier given his sister had shown up… though it could be a culture thing, or just a 'them' thing.
"Kagutsuchi, Hephaestus, and Wayland the Smith," Touko rattled off.
I knew… one of those.
Charlie, meanwhile, went white as a sheet. "Ah."
I blinked at him. "What?"
"The last one… well…"
"He's referred to as 'the weird and malicious smith' for a reason," Kadoc cut in. "Hephaestus is one of the nicer Olympians, but Kagutsuchi was killed shortly after his birth. Two out of three of those are incredibly violent, all three involve forging, and at least the first two are bound to fire."
Ritsuka put his hands on the table. "...how's he handling it?"
"He's morose. That Archer was pretty quiet and kept watching him for a little while, but he's started taking him under his wing, kind of." Asako gave a mischievous smile. "If I didn't know Dad better, I'd be worried."
Ritsuka choked.
"Kinky. Given they're alternate timeline incarnations of each other, near as I can tell," I mused.
Kadoc gave a shocked laugh as Charlie wheezed.
Touko's smirk turned to a vicious little grin. "Well then."
"Matthew, no," Ritsuka scolded.
I shrugged. "I mean, I doubt it'd happen even if they weren't. Emiya's pretty into Artoria."
"Is he?" Said King of Knights leaned over my shoulder. "I heard rumor of a new Master and felt the need to investigate." She paused. "Why are we discussing Shirou?"
"Because it turns out his alternate from this timeline is Ritsuka's father, and unless I miss my mark, in the kitchen." I looked at her.
"Ah." Artoria tilted her head. "Has Gilgamesh troubled you further?"
"Not yet," I muttered, slumping to the table. Lugh prowled over and made to bat at my nose, only for a white blur to tackle him sideways.
He growled, only for Fou to place a paw at his throat and stare down with violet eyes, soundless.
Lugh went limp.
Fou trot over to me and curled up against my cheek, eyes fixed on Lugh as he slunk back to Touko.
Ritsuka rubbed his face. "Honestly. I didn't think I'd see you guys until I got home. It even caught me off guard," he admitted. He took a deep breath, and smiled. "Though I'm glad to see you."
"Naturally," Asako replied with a proud smile.
Touko chuckled as Lugh sulked in front of her, stroking his back with a long fingernail. "I do wonder what your familiar is, such that it could cow mine. It's fortunate that he can't be devalued as part of my Saint Graph."
"Fou's not my familiar. He's my friend." I leaned my head against him, and he gave a soft chirp as he nudged me back.
"Aww." Charlie reached out to pet Fou, only to draw his hand back quickly at a silent glare. "Geez. How scary…"
"Yeah, Fou's been… like that… since he showed up." Kadoc smirked. "If it's not Mash or Matthew, he gets ornery sometimes. On occasion he'll deign to bless us lesser mortals with his fluffy presence, but for the most part? He'll perch on one of them."
Ritsuka reached over and gave Fou a few soft pats.
"And now we can add Ritsuka to that list," Kadoc noted in an amused tone.
Artoria leaned her elbow on my back. "Cath Palug, hm. I'm surprised he'd tolerate Galahad's chosen so well."
The table was quiet.
"What?" Confusion was audible in her voice.
"Mash's spirit… is Galahad?" Ritsuka asked slowly.
"Yes? Who else would be one of my knights with such a shield?" Artoria was politely baffled. "Didn't he tell her?"
"No? Why do you think she calls it 'Lord Chaldeas'?" I retorted.
"...ah." Artoria sighed. "I really should have suspected as much."
"Why?" Anastasia asked.
"Galahad… well…" Artoria trailed off guiltily.
"He is what Morgan has repeatedly referred to as 'the fun police'," I drawled.
"That sounds accurate from what she told me long ago," Charlie agreed.
"Which means what, exactly?" Ritsuka gave me a sharp look.
"It means he has a lot of high-minded ideals that he'll hold no matter what. Something about proving one's self, earning strength, and so on. Thing is… Mash doesn't have a mentor to teach her this stuff, or about knighthood or any of it. She's already on the back foot." I frowned. "In Fuyuki, that was one thing. The burning one, not the other one. If Orleans was any indication, she needs more power and soon to keep pace. The game's changed."
Asako hummed. "Can we convince Galahad to mentor her like you were taught?"
"Not it. Nope. Nuh-uh." I held my hands up.
Fou squeaked.
"Ah." Ritsuka grimaced.
"Why not?" Artoria asked with a frown.
"Ask your precious 'God's Perfect Knight' why he would attack an unarmed twelve-year-old," I grit out. "I have no desire to contend with that asshole ever again outside of working with Mash."
Artoria paused, and stood up. "I see. Excuse me." She wandered off.
Touko's neck craned. "Ah, she comes-" She paused. "Oh. Oh dear."
"GALAHAD! ARE YOU IN THERE!?"
"Y-your highness!?" Mash squeaked.
"GALAHAD! STAND AND ANSWER FOR YOURSELF!"
I bolted upright and turned, catching a look of Ritsuka's aggrieved face.
Artoria had Mash by the shoulders, deftly avoiding my sister's tray as she shouted into her ear. "GALAHAD, SON OF LANCELOT, YOU WILL ATTEND YOUR KING! RESPOND!"
"...if I remember my Arthurian briefings, that might not be the best way to get him to answer," Kadoc mused.
Anastasia tilted her head.
"Oh yeah. They didn't get along well, did they?" Charlie noted. "I hope he shows up before Mash's hearing gets hurt."
Touko raised an eyebrow. "Is this par for the course?"
Ritsuka nodded.
Asako grinned. "Awesome."
"GALAHAD!"
____________________________________________________________________________
Galahad did not, in fact, show himself. To that end, Artoria had sat Mash down to eat, then immediately dragged her off to train her in what she knew of Galahad's fighting style.
May some kind god protect my sister and bless her soul.
After that, Kadoc had offered his apologies and gone to be anywhere but near the incoming awkwardness radiated by the redhead in the hakama, Anastasia following in his wake.
Which left me to observe the remainder of the Tohsaka family reunion.
...maybe Mash got the better end of the deal after all.
I shot Emiya a befuddled look as 'Shotaro' cradled Ritsuka in his arms, head tucked under his chin.
"He's working through a lot of emotions," Emiya replied to my unasked question. "Having practically half of your memory missing and becoming aware of that will have that effect."
Given Ritsuka was looking awkward but not uncomfortable, I supposed that the 'having emotions' went both ways.
"So what side of the family is Charlie on?" Asako wondered.
"Rin's?" I shrugged. "They look the most similar."
"I think my family is mostly Japanese," Shotaro said softly, finally letting Ritsuka go. He left a hand on his son's shoulder.
Ritsuka, meanwhile, had a small smile on his face.
"Guess so. Do Japanese people normally have red hair?"
Shotaro paused.
"That would be a 'no'," Emiya noted with a smirk.
Touko coughed.
"Japanese humans, as a rule, do not have red hair. It tends to be a sign of mystic lineage," Emiya allowed.
"So why's your hair white?" Asako asked accusingly.
"Overuse of my branch of magecraft." Emiya crossed his arms.
"Oh, the sword thing, right?" Charlie perked up. "Man, that's so cool… a whole Reality Marble full of swords." He jolted. "Hey, is Joyeuse in there!?"
Emiya smirked. "I may have added it since your arrival."
"You better do something awesome with it!" Charlie scolded. "Like, blow up a mountain or something!"
"...I'll take it into consideration," Emiya murmured, folding his hands before him.
"Death upon death upon death. All that boy wanted was to not see anyone cry. In the pursuit of that dream, he found himself in a hell of blood and tears, cleaning the refuse that humanity produced so it would not pollute mankind as a whole."
I rubbed my ear with a grimace.
"Hm?" Touko's eyes narrowed.
"I can hear things. Universal Language, basically."
Touko's eyes gleamed. "So like Satsuki Kurogiri. That talent alone granted him the title of 'Grand', much like myself. And you have it as one of your abilities?"
"Yes?" I blinked.
Shotaro tilted his head. "What else can you do?"
"He made these." Ritsuka palmed the inside of his pocket, and pulled out the Gandr-rings I'd made during my week-long forging binge after Gilgamesh set me off.
Shotaro picked one up and looked it over. "The mana needed to activate this must be immense."
"I managed to do it a few times, but I ended up kind of worn out after," Ritsuka admitted.
"You did?" Shotaro was visibly startled.
"I want to see them!" Asako made grabby hands until Shotaro passed them over. "...uh."
"They're easily B rank Mystic Codes. Possibly a low A." Shotaro crossed his arms. "Add in the fact they're of faerie make, and it's a surprise Ritsuka managed to activate them."
Ritsuka glanced downward.
"Sorry, I was lead to believe that your training was mostly in combat and practical applications," Shotaro said hurriedly. "I didn't mean-"
"It's fine." Ritsuka smiled, his features softening. "I'm mostly a spellcaster, so you're not wrong."
"Hey, my stuff is all made for ease of use. Assuming I don't make it for me," I amended.
"So, what? Wear them and point?" Asako asked.
"And channel mana," Ritsuka agreed. He held his hand out, and Asako returned them. "I mixed them with my hand-to-hand. They work."
"Mm. Well enough that you took down Kotomine Kirei with assistance," Emiya noted with pride in his eyes.
"He was kind of brainwashed, but yeah." Ritsuka ducked his head.
"That would explain it. During the fight against Gilgamesh, Sakura had Sigurd fight alongside Solomon. That left her and Rin to fight Kirei, and they were nearly killed before they lured him back to the Church," Touko mused.
"What was at the Church?" Charlie asked.
Touko adjusted her glasses. "Me."
Shotaro winced. "Poor man. What did he get?"
"Lugh strung him along into the rafters, where I set up a trap or three and my Sealed Box." Touko gave a placid smile. "And that was that."
Lugh gave a purring trill.
Fou flipped his tail with a squeak.
"Of course, it took a little more than that. I was fortunate enough to have the Magus Killer as backup." Touko sighed. "Overkill? Perhaps, but…"
"If you let a fight be fair, you're delusional," I finished bluntly, earning a smirk of agreement.
Emiya tilted his head but nodded.
Charlie…
"A knight fights according to the chivalric code," he said with a frown.
I shrugged. "I'm not a knight, and I doubt Aozaki is either. My concern isn't a fair fight, it's minimizing harm to the people I care about. And making my enemy regret being born, if I can afford the luxury."
"Like what you pulled with Amakusa?"
I perked up. "Oh, Musashi."
She sighed and shoved me over into Emiya as she sat. I may have been slightly squished. "Using those 'whispers' of yours to hammer his trauma in his face was definitely something."
Charlie's frown deepened. "What?"
"Oh, I just pointed out how self-centered his goal was and how he didn't really want to save people, but redeem himself for his perceived failure." I shrugged. "Seriously? Like one guy, even a spellcaster, could put a stop to an entire army. At that point, loss is inevitable. Either fight until your last or accept the inevitable with grace, but don't fool yourself into thinking the fault's on you. Sometimes you just get a shit hand."
Emiya sighed. "You won't make many friends doing that."
"I wasn't trying to make friends, I was trying to kill him," I retorted, offended.
The table went quiet.
"Well, no one can accuse you of not knowing what you want," Asako said with a shaky smile.
"Though him flinging a black hole at me was a bit much," I added with a sniff.
"What." Ritsuka glared at me.
"I handled it, it's fine!" Musashi squeaked, flailing her arms.
"...how does one handle an event horizon?" Emiya asked, a glint in his eye.
"Cutting it," Musashi replied simply.
"...so cool!" Charlie's eyes shone.
Shotaro sighed through his nose. He looked tired and a little downcast, but better than he had when he got to the table. He kept looking at Ritsuka and Asako and giving this small smile.
It's the first time he's been able to be around his children in years without losing cognizance. It must be relieving.
Yeah.
My eyes widened as I was plucked out of my seat by hands under my arms.
"Sorry folks, but I'm borrowing this one," Cu said cheerfully. I was lifted over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, thankfully avoiding a pauldron to the gut.
Musashi rolled her eyes with a small smirk.
"H-hey!" I squawked. "Someone- Fou! Get me down!"
The fluffball gave me a long look before licking his paw once and jumping down into Ritsuka's lap.
"Traitor! Fluffy traitor!"
"Fou!"
Asako cackled as Cu hauled me off, waving while Touko shook her head. Shotaro gave a worried look, only for Ritsuka to put a hand on his arm and visibly reassure him.
I drooped. "Seriously…"
____________________________________________________________________________
I rolled onto my stomach, my shirt riding up as I burrowed into the mattress. Cu laid down in my vacated spot, clad in sweatpants only at my request.
"So… last night I kind of get, but I would like to hang out with Musashi sometime soon." I met his eyes.
"Maybe I want you to myself again for a little bit. The other times you were on business, but-"
"Have you been stalking me?" I asked, leaning up with an affronted look.
"No…?" Cu frowned.
I flopped back down. "Oh."
"Well, when you went to talk to Gilgamesh I did. Might've gone with him to tear the bastard's coffin up too," he admitted.
"..." I shuffled over under his lifted arm. "That was one way to learn about it today."
"I heard about that. Joan was shooting the breeze with Jeanne while Sieg and Astolfo broke into the video games you squirreled away in the lounge. Kadoc showed up with Anastasia and told us you guys had met Asako and her two." Cu let out a rumbling sigh. "And now there's a second version of that guy. Though, he's a total puppy in comparison."
"I was ready to be mad at him, but he's so happy to be with his kids," I muttered. "I only knew he neglected Ritsuka, but knowing what I do now…"
Cu turned on his side and began to rub the back of my neck with one hand while propping up his head with his other arm.
"I guess it's just more of what Gil and Pepe tried to teach me. Hold back until I have the bigger picture." I glanced at Cu. "Speaking of."
He smiled pleasantly, eyes closed as he ran his nails back and forth through the short hairs on the back of my neck.
"You're being particularly clingy. If it wasn't for the fact I knew Musashi and Medusa had hit it off like, really well, I'd be irritated." I paused. "Not that clingy's bad, you know."
"You seem to be enjoying this," Cu Chulainn noted.
"I am. Still… concerned." I scooted closer until my arm bumped into his bare chest.
"I…" Cu broke eye contact. "I could have killed you."
"It-"
"It was 'me'. Whether I had the memories of 'us' at the time, it was still 'me'." Cu's eyes burned as he looked at me. "In life, I used my spear twice. Both were to kill someone dear to me. Because of pride, because of circumstance. I don't want a third time."
"Ferdiad," I murmured.
Cu nodded, then exhaled. "And Connla."
My brows knit together. "Connla?"
Cu turned over and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees.
I rolled upright, placing my hands on my ankles after crossing my legs. "Cu?"
"I've done things. Even if I am a man without regrets, I'll admit to having committed deeds I don't take pride in. Things I won't repeat." He looked me in the eye. "Will you let me tell the story?"
I nodded slowly. "Okay."
"While I trained under Scathach, I was… frankly, an idiot. Teenagers are not bastions of rational thought in any era."
Which, true.
"I joined in on a feud of hers despite her request. She went to war against her sister, a warrior queen named Aife. I ended up fighting her directly." Cu smirked. "I won."
I snorted. "Duh."
He grinned for a moment, then turned somber. "Aife was… beautiful. So I made a deal. If she bore me a son and left her sister alone, I'd let her live."
...wait, what?
I squinted at him.
"I was fifteen." Cu was blunt. "I can make excuses until my face matches my hair, but what I did was…"
"Unethical? Coercive?" I frowned. "Honestly, I would have killed her and been done with it."
Cu grimaced.
"Right, sorry." I leaned against him.
"So, I gave her a ring after… after. Told her to give it to any son she bore, and send him to me with three geasa."
...this sounds bad.
Because it is. Now hush.
H-
I'm only here to keep you from flying off the handle.
"Once he was old enough to wear the thumb-ring, he was to come to me. Once he left, he could not turn back on his journey. He could not give his name to any who asked. And lastly, he had to accept any challenge offered." Cu's eyes dimmed. "The pledges to make a warrior of mystery, a man among men."
I sat up, staring at Cu.
"A youth came to the shores of Ireland, and performed feats of strength that established him as mightier than our own. I was called upon by the king to put him in his place. I asked his name and he refused. Even so, he asked that I not challenge him, for he loved my face." Cu kept his head up. "That day, Emer had asked me to stay, to not fight. She only did that twice - the day I went off to die, and the day I killed that boy with Gae Bolg. The day I slew my own child."
My stomach clenched, and I shifted back from Cu Chulainn.
"So you see, the idea of repeating those actions…" Cu shook his head. "I just want to hold onto you a little longer. I'm not trying to get in your way, I just…"
Asking something like 'would you change it if you could' seemed banal. It would only be natural to say 'yes' to that. Regret or not, it's something as simple as correcting a mistake, even one that couldn't be taken back. Much like with Amakusa.
...how many heroes have those kinds of desires, I wonder?
Cu Chulainn was silent.
"You-" I cut myself off.
"I?" Cu met my gaze unflinchingly.
I huffed. "It's going to be rude. And probably painful."
He gave a slight smirk. "Can't say I wouldn't deserve it. Alright, let's hear it."
"You mourned him, right?"
Cu's eyes narrowed. "Of course I did. He was my boy, for all we met on the battlefield. If I had known, I'd have acted differently, but I didn't so I didn't. I grieved, buried him, and buried a part of myself with him."
It's nothing to do with regret. That's just loss, self-inflicted or otherwise.
I exhaled. "That… I don't know what you want me to say. I don't know what to say."
It'd be like… I didn't have a child. It'd be like… Archaman killing Mash, I guess. Unthinkable. But the way things turned out, I could see it. Especially if Connla was anywhere near as skilled as Cu Chulainn.
"I could say the king ordered it of me, but I won't. I made my choice, and Connla paid for it. If I encountered him as a Servant, somehow, I would do my utmost to be a better father. But as things stand, I don't see that happening." Cu looked away. "And that's why I'm holding you so close right now. Because that spear's devoured two men I loved. I don't want a third."
"I would have won."
He looked back at me.
"My magic covers too wide an area, and is too strong for you to resist. If I really fought, I would have killed you."
"And in doing so, killed a part of yourself that you wouldn't get back." Cu shook his head. "You're not a man of Ulster, or a knight, or a warrior. You're a free spirit, an artist. You'll fight to protect those you care for, but your workshop and your leisure are where you're happiest, aren't you?"
I blushed, but ducked my head in a nod.
"And your love is fiercer, more tender. It opens you to a deeper hurt. You got tired of holding people away, and now you're overcompensating for lost time." Cu moved closer to me. "You're so different from Ferdiad and I. Even different from my Emer." His voice was soft. "From the start, I saw how you were marked by everything here. How sensitive you were, for all you covered it with bluster and barbs. I also saw your determination to keep going. And the more I watched, the more I saw. The joy you take in making things, in providing for those you care about. In following your whim to help those you saw, just because you could." He smiled. "Like Sieg. And it was the same for the young ladies in the last bout, wasn't it? When you're not bearing the burdens of your past, you help people because you can. There's no altruism or deeper reason. You're not looking for a moral high ground. It's something I admire."
"I love you," I blurted out. "Being with you makes me happy."
Cu laughed softly. "I love you too." He pulled me into his arms, seating me in his lap and wrapping me in his limbs as I drew my legs closer.
"Watching you fight, and laugh. I want to know more about you, see you doing the things you love. And I'm not- I'm not a peaceful person. I like hurting people. More than I should," I admitted.
"Never claimed you were perfect. Just that I loved you." Cu pressed his lips to my neck gently. "But it's never the first strike, is it? Just the last. Learn to lean off that hair trigger of yours, and you'll change the world. You and your sister, and our Master. You three are alike in that fundamentally, you're good people."
"I feel like I still need work," I grumbled.
"Congratulations. That's already more of a start than most people make." Cu Chulainn rested his chin on my shoulder, leaning his temple against mine.
"And I… I care about Medusa. I want to know more about her. And Musashi. They're both good people, and I want to be close to them."
I felt Cu's smile grow as he nuzzled my cheek. "But you love me."
"Yeah," I whispered. "I do."
____________________________________________________________________________
Scathach scowled at the outside of Chaldea as she stood in the howling snowstorm. "Blast it… I could have sworn Morgan told that punk to let me in!"
Down below her sight line, there was movement that drew her eye.
A small ball of fluff poked out of the snowdrift. "Fou!" It made an about-face, and plowed a path forward, displaying a small shimmer in the golden barrier.
Scathach stared. "You must be joking."
"Kyau!"
There was a moment of pure silence.
Scathach dropped to all fours. "I am taking this out of Setanta's hide. His and his little boyfriend's." She crawled through the small opening, sensing it close behind her.
"Fou, kyuu!"
"Fine. Just Setanta." She didn't need to speak animal to know the little hellion was defending his master.
"Fou." The little trench in the snow continued towards Chaldea proper.
Scathach decided to stop wasting time and merely astralized through the walls.
There was a knight to train and a mage to teach, not to mention a Master to educate.
Her work truly never ended.
"Fou!"
...and now the thing could teleport.
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Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
And thus Best Teacher arrives, and scares Cu absolutely shitless in the process. How long before she and Artoria team up to teach both Kyrielight siblings a lesson or twelve?
RIP Cu, have fun!
Did he forget about it, or did Morgan not tell him for the lulz?
Did he forget about it, or did Morgan not tell him for the lulz?
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
That's going to be at least a part of the next chapter. Mash needs training more than Matthew, because Galahad is a little bitch and is relying totally on possession inheritance to do his job.
Meanwhile Morgan spent eight years teaching Matthew a whole-ass language, the arts of illusion, and the basics of crafting. She designed the Shroud because that's easily an EX code, but the rest is all him.
Get on her level, 'God's Perfect Knight'.
Matthew forgot because there was a lot happening at once. Fou had to go do it for him. I mean, he found out Gut was alive and free, discovered the identity of his sister's possessor, got to meet Ritsuka's family, and found out more of his bf's dark past all in one day!
Morgan just told him to let down the front door wards a bit for a friend to do a thing.
In other words, yes. Lulz.
Edit: So apparently the answer is just "yes"
Too bad she's going to take it out of Cu hide instead!
Also just out of curiosity because apparently I can't stop thinking about these type of things, would Scathach beat Matthew in a fight?
Edit: any bets it was Manaka who swiped Gut?
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Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yes. Just, yes. Faerie Runes trump most others, but she can fling hers quicker. She has a dedicated powerful weapon, her body is stronger and faster, and she has centuries of experience. In a fair fight against most knights, Matthew loses, which is why he will never fight fairly unless absolutely forced. He can trump powerful Berserkers because he's sane and can find ways to apply his power to make up for the gap, or has workarounds already in place that aren't directly tied to his combat skill.
Scathach wins in an unfair fight nine and a half times out of ten, scaled towards Matthew's favor. She's just that good.
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
Morgan: I like her, she's spunky. And she has the correct priorities.
Asako: You. I like you. We should plot together about our respective siblings.
Merlin: (pops in) Here now, that's cheating! I'm the one that that canonically suggests that they date.
Cath Palug: (draws switchblade) D́i̘̙e̥̝͉̦̞͖ ͔͓͜M̱͔e̷̥ͅͅṛ͕l̴͖̭̟͕̳i̟̠̮̰̭̬̮n̝͕̬̠̱̫̩͜ FOOOOOOUUUUU!
Merlin: Yipe!
I see Fou is wasting no time in establishing the pecking order among the highly-deadly-yet-currently-adorable-critters.
Never let it be said that Artoria is ever anything but direct in these sorts of matters.
Fou can do whatever Fou wants, whenever Fou wants.
"Let's get down to business, to defeat the Singularities."
He'd probably make a comment about never lowering himself to Morgan's level to train someone allied with Chaldea. At which point multiple people would gibbs-slap him. Artoria would probably use Excalibur to do so in order to really hammer the point home.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Really, what did you expect of a Beast? Independent Manifestation, yo.
Yeah, we need the evil version of Kiara here like right now. Her Ten Thousand Colored Stagnation is the only way to beat some sense into Galahad.
Yeah, Kirei wouldn't stand any chance at all against the Sealed Box. That thing holds a Demon from the Age of Gods, for those who forgot.
Perfect! Those things are so adorable! And with a bit of power, they can fight too!
Da Vinci - and Paracelsus - knew Zolgen when she was alive. They were friends. To find out what he turned into... she'd be utterly horrified. Paracelsus would break down into a sobbing mess.
zane
not so tiny, fiery death
- Location
- in you base, burning your d00dz
also worth noting about that previous statement?
this is a lady who got so powerful she basically forgot how to die. the ONLY servant who could go against her and stand a chance is Gil, if he pulled Ea out.
Beztezt teacher is still ALIVE. She is not s servant, Psudo-servant, or demi-servant. she is not restricted by a class container, nor mana restrictions.
ConfusedCanuck
Where did it all go wrong?
- Location
- Neverland
Ah Scathach is here and Chaldea was never the same. Poor Cu he's going to have to keep one eye open now won't he? Well great chapter as usual loved the artoria scene laughed at it keep it up!
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Not quite. Lolidusa could take her; her scythe has the same anti-immortality properties as Harpe, the sword Perseus used to kill Gorgon. Perseus himself could also kill Scáthach, using Harpe. Gilgamesh could do it, but Ea is overkill; he has Harpe as well as other anti-immortal weaponry. The Black Barrel could do it, if she could be prevented from dodging or defending herself. Fou and Surtr could also manage.
- Pronouns
- Kay
Hey blink, can you give us some insight into how roman is taking the whole 'I screwed up in making Goetia and now its running around using my corpse as a prom suit' thing?
Does anyone even think they can force him to do that? At most he'll say fine, end up targeting Pepe then say he got it wrong.
Even so, it may not be such a bad thing, as Kirsch not too bad of a guy after all, but like Mash said, Matthew is still not fully house-broken.
- Location
- Southern California
Praise! The sexy red haired magus bride is here!
Bitch thats Fou favorite human. You ain't getting anywhere near him or his head pats.
You know I really wish we saw this more often with Artoria. This side of her is hilarious and if we saw this more often instead of her stone cold king/knight face then way more people would call her best girl.
- Location
- Hungrary
Well... She does have God slayer, idk how applicable it is here.
Medusa Lily and Perseus though.... You are bold to assume they can hit someone who spent the last 1000 years (probably literally) fighting demonic beasts on the reverse side of the world. Since Cu Alter almost managed to kill her in E pluribus Unum with Currid Coichenn because she never expected him to have a move like that shows that it is not necessarily killing her that is hard, but hitting her with something.
zane
not so tiny, fiery death
- Location
- in you base, burning your d00dz
Immortality ISNT the problem with taking scaha on in a fight. the problem stems from the sheer breadth of skills and talents she has, immortality was an unintended side effect of how she lived her life.
she is to put none to fine a point on it... a raging blood knight. she LOVES the fight, her currently dearest held wish? to die at the hands of her student, on the spear she gifted to him. she WANTS to be surpassed, but nobody can. (not that people haven't tried...) the level of skill in combat she has is literally un-surpassed, she is a mortal woman (born on earth to a mortal mother) who through skill and willpower alone, gained enough strength and skill to take the throne of the realm of the dead for herself. the reason i listed Gil using Ea as the only hard counter? its ANTI-WORLD, everything dies to Ea, skill is take out of the equation. I'm not saying nobody else has the capacity to kill her, I'm saying NOBODY has the skills.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Don't worry Ritsuka they gonna protect you from the scary monsters.
Garreon
Paldean Top Champion
- Location
- Mesagoza, Paldea
Ok, i normally dont do this, but im going to beg here. Seeing as you are introducing new servants, there is a version of Connla that made it to the Throne thanks to a Grail War/Singularity in which Berseker Cu participated. In it he tricked the counter force into summoning Connla and through her acts during the singularity she earned a spot in the Throne. It was in Fate - Laoch Gan Finsceal. Soooo can we have the FATE System summon her so Cu can have some closure? It always tears my heart how pained he is about it and he really deserves a chance to be a dad to her. Also it would be hilarious to see her react to her father's new beloved and to watch Matthew go Papa Fae as in "I have only known her for an hour but if anything happened to her, i would kill everyone who harmed her and curse their family lines and those related to said family lines". With how delightfully bullshit your characters and settings are this should not be an issue. Its only an idea, you do you.
I mean, would it have killed him to at least train her in dreams slowly and observe her progress giving her power steadily as she grew and proved worthy of earning more power through the Singularities until she showed the virtues of Knighthood during Camelot? And then we get the fucking Galahad is not willing to help her during lostbelts anymore...well guess what Mr "Perfect Knight" she doesnt need you holding her hand anymore, now Lord Chaldeas (Camelot) can Go Brrrr and kill gods!
Mmmmmmmm ok? I fear for your mental sanity, because this is Thothzilla we are talking about. Never, ever, ever, ever trust her with yours or anyone else's grey matter.
Pity that some can be defeated by being mean to them, this is canon. It happens during Chacha's event.
Wait, no shit? They knew him while they were alive? Zolgen was already alive during the Renaissance? I wonder why Da Vinci didn't try to talk to him during the Singularity in london.
*Cough cough*Azrael*cough cough*
After understanding Kirsch's backstory its not difficult to sympathize with the guy. Kadoc and Pepe should really sit those two down and have them talk to clear the air.
- Location
- A beach
SHE'S IN!
Also, Fou makes me laugh every time he does something new. I love it.
Also, Fou makes me laugh every time he does something new. I love it.
Lagoon12002
How far have I fell down into this deep deep sea
Azrael can only kill things that are going to die anyway, so Scathach... probably wouldn't be affected?