"This level of power is magecraft? But that's not something a modern magus can ever hope to reproduce! Then that must mean... He's a member of that Class! Heroic Spirit... Caster!"
As Romani's voice echoed from Dante's communicator, his expression dimmed as his grip on his Mystic Code tightened.
Shortly after the smoke dissipated from the grand ritual the Caster had just unleashed, the blue haired man walked forward casually.
"..."
Only to stop as the edge of a blade was raised towards him, as Dante placed himself between the servant and his comrades.
Ritsuka and Olga Marie were standing behind Mash, who had raised her own shield in a guarded stance.
"Aah.. You all don't seem to trust me, and even after I saved all of your lives." the man put on a sad expression as if the thought actually wounded him.
Dante's blade didn't waver at all in the face of such an act, and neither did Mash's shield.
Seeing this, the Caster dropped the act and instead let out a sigh.
"Although you have been getting attacked repeatedly, so I can't really fault you for it. Hmm... That is quite the dilemma isn't it?"
The servant paused, before a fanged grin appeared on his face.
"Since ya don't trust me, lets loosen ya up with an introduction!"
Jabbing a thumb at himself, and tapping his staff on the ground, the man struck a pose.
"My name is Cu Chullain! And Unlike the other servants, your words will actually get through to me."
Turning his gaze towards Ritsuka, that smile widened.
"Nice to meet you... Castaway in a different time."
.
...
....
Singularity F - ACT V
-
Dante
"..."
"Caster Class... Cu Chullain?"
The servant nodded in response to the query.
"Yup. What? Shocked? I didn't save yall out of the kindness of my heart. Cause in truth? I need all the help I can get. So, won't ya team up with me?"
Dante had to give it to the guy, Cu took the bar for shamelessness. At least if it was actually him.
Therein lies the issue. Dante sincerely hoped it wasn't actually him.
Cu Chullain.
One of the greatest heroes of the Ulster cycle (or the Red Branch Cycle) in Irish mythos.
Demigod child of Lugh, the god of Warfare, Hunting, and leadership, as well as child of Deichtine, sister of King Conchobar mac Nessa.
So technically he could be argued as a member of nobility.
Wielder of the Gae Bolg, a cursed demonic spear said to be made from the remains of a sea monster, the Curruid, and was said to have its barbed tip split into various branches, almost impossible to remove once they entered an opponent.
Practitioner of Runic Magecraft and student of Lady Scathach.
To be fair, his most suitable class is actually Lancer, and he is a nigh unstoppable foe for many.
But that's the good part that most Masters fixate on.
There's always more.
"We decline, Caster."
"Dante?!"
"Captain?!"
"Eh?!"
Olga, Mash, and Ritsuka Fujimaru turned to the dark skinned man in shock, who was now staring down the servant whose expression was now unreadable.
"May I ask why you don't want to cooperate?"
"Of course. To be frank, I don't trust you. If you are truly Cu Chullain as you say, then you are far from trustworthy. After all, that's not your true name is it, Setanta?"
Ritsuka's expression turned complicated upon hearing that name.
"Setanta?"
"Let me explain Senpai. Setanta was the name the Hero Cu Chullain was born with. He later changed his name after killing the guard dog of a man named Culann in self defense. Cu Chullain, translating to Hound of Culann."
"That so...?"
Ritsuka quickly thanked Mash for the explanation, while Dante and Cu continued their little stand off.
"But aside from killing the dog, that's not all you did is it? No, that's the least of it arguably. You are always described as hard headed and headstrong. Not an issue in itself, but you're also needlessly cruel. History has expounded on in great detail how you would often hang the bodies of defeated foes from pikes, and then parade them around. Not to mention how you murdered not only your son but your best friend as well.
You've murdered someone for waking you up before if I remember correctly as well no? Punched the boys face clean through the back of his head without a thought and went back to sleep like nothing happened. And then don't get me started on your battle frenzy. What was it...
Right. Your Riastrad state. A state where you become indistinguishable from a monster and your common sense is said to leave you.
Acknowledging all these facts, why should I trust you? If we get in another fight, which we probably will, then there's no guarantee you don't fall in that state and harm us.
You're a liability. One we can't afford. So, we decline your help."
Finishing his spiel, Dante took deep breaths as he tried to catch his breath.
Saying that much had left his lungs near empty.
"..."
Cu was meanwhile staring at the man across from him in a calculating light.
"Say, you seem to know a lot about me, and you seem to believe I'm some sort of untrustworthy monster. So why say all of this? Aren't you afraid I may kill you? After all,"
Cu vanished, before reappearing holding Dante aloft in the air by his neck.
Dante began gagging almost immediately, while the Caster servant slowly tightened his grip.
Mash made to move forward to help, only for Olga to stop her with a palm and a shake of her head.
Gritting her teeth, Mash nonetheless waited.
"I don't really like my own black history being spouted as a weapon ya know. It tends to bring up unpleasant memories for me. So... What makes you think I won't kill you here and now?"
"Two... Cough... Reasons. Cu Chullain... Was said to be... Cough a man of honor. He wouldn't... Do such actions.... And two... You'd just be proving me... right ya know?"
"...."
The grip tightened on Dante's neck, and his vision started to dim...
Before he was dropped to the ground with a thud, and the tense atmosphere was gone immediately when the Caster servant slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Man, you are a crazy bastard aren't ya? I can tell we're going to get along just fine!"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"What."
----
A short 15 minutes later and the group was now walking through the burning rubble, with the addition of a blue haired guide.
Contrary to expectations, Cu didn't seem to be holding a grudge at all.
In fact he seemed delighted that someone had the guts to stand up to him despite knowing of his history.
Which led to him now insisting on traveling with the Chaldeans even more, mostly so Dante didn't get someone killed by being too honest.
Cu's words, not Dante's.
Regardless, Dante couldn't exactly stop the servant, and with both Ritsuka and Mash playing Devil's advocate for the guy, Cu was now along for the trip.
Doubly so because the Caster had snagged a temporary contract with Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Joy.
He made for a decent informant if anything at least.
"Our holy grail war suddenly went off the rails. See, one night the city went up in flames, and all the humans disappeared. Only servants remained. Well at least until that blackened Saber showed up. She defeated all the servants besides me and well, here we are."
"Isn't that strange? The ones we just fought were alive right?"
Cu nodded in response to Ritsuka's query.
"An astute observation Master. See that's the odd thing. I can't quite figure it out but... Somehow, all those servants that Saber defeated became her underlings."
"!"
"Yes you get it don't you now? As long as Saber is still kicking, this Holy Grail War will never end. Oh and speaking of Saber, she's over there."
The Caster pointed a ways ahead of them, to a rather imposing forest.
Surrounded on all sides by flame and debris, while somehow also being walled off from the back by a chasm cliff face.
"You're kidding... She chose the mountain?"
"Yup. She's holed up in there, right inside a limestone cave. And in there, she's protecting the holy grail."
"What is she? Some sort of final boss fight?"
"Ahaha! You could see it like that, but in a sense thats true. And that's why I need your help."
"Because the holy grail is also your target?"
Cu nodded, and Ritsuka fell silent once more. While Olga brow furrowed as she began connecting the dots.
"You want to defeat Saber and put an end to the Grail War, while we want to collect the grail and return to our time. That means our goals aligned. Which means for now we can trust you."
Cu turned an amused stare at the one person drilling a hole into his back with a glare.
"Ya sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure. Right Dante?"
"..."
"..."
*Bonk*
"GAH?!"
"Right. DANTE?"
"Yes Ma'am.... Sheesh."
...
It testifies to the fact that this was a daily occurence that Mash didn't even blink when Olga slammed Dante's face into the ground, leaving a crater from the impact.
"Should.... Should I check on him? I think there's blood leaking out..."
"Its fine. Captain always does stuff like this, and usually its the Doctor who knocks him out."
"Eh? Doctor Roman does that?"
"I know right? He looks so frail and average that you wouldn't expect it right? But he's surprisingly strong."
"I can hear you ya know?! And who taught you such a backhanded way of complimenting people?! I don't know whether to cry or laugh!" Romani's tear filled voice blared from the communicator, and Ritsuka could only laugh sheepishly.
Pausing for a bit, a sigh could be heard from Romani, before he directed his attention back to the Servant Caster.
"So do you know the identity of the Saber? There aren't many servants stronger than the Cu Chullain after all."
"First of all, you can quit it with the unnecessary flattery. It will get ya no where and you sound like a loser when doing it."
"Guh..."
"And to answer your question...." Caster's voice trailed off as his expression became troubled, "It's Artoria Pendragon."
"!"
"Yeah. The protagonist of the famous Arthurian Legends, King Arthur herself. With the holy sword Excalibur in hand, she's one of the strongest Heroic Spirits."
...
"Our opponent? That's simple. The King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon."
____
A bit more time passed, and the group was now making their way up the temple leading to Saber's lair.
Caster was humming to himself as he marched in the front.
Ritsuka and Mash were bringing up the rear of the pack.
And Dante?
"Yo. Director, you alive? We're only halfway up the stairs and you're already slumping forward."
Olga: "*Incoherent screeching*"
"Thought as much... Up you go lass..."
Dante was now carrying Olga on his back, seeing as she was wheezing from the physical exertion of walking this far.
Quite ironic in Ritsuka's view, considering he was doing better than her and he was the odd one out here.
Shaking his head, Ritsuka turned his attention to the girl who was now eerily quiet while walking at his side.
"Mash? What's the matter? You feeling ill?"
"...Huh? Ah... No I'm fine..."
...
A pause.
"Actually, I'm feeling a bit lackluster honestly. Our opponent is King Arthur, one of the strongest Heroic Spirits ever... In comparison, I don't feel like a Half Baked Heroic Spirit like me will be any match for her at all."
"...I mean yeah, King Arthur is famous and super well known, so it makes sense she's uber strong, but.... Mash, what do you mean by Half Baked? Are you undercooked? Should we put you back in the oven for a bit longer?"
"Senpai...."
Pouting a bit, Mash swatted Ritsuka's arm, causing him to chuckle a bit.
Letting him off after she was satisfied, Mash continued talking, now with a noticeably lighter mood.
"Half baked is just because I'm a Demi Servant."
"Oh right, I remember the director saying that earlier. What exactly does it means? The Demi part?"
"It means, I've fused with a Heroic Spirit."
"You fused with one?"
"In order to investigate and fix singularity F, Chaldea summoned several servants beforehand. There were only two successful cases, one is currently back at Chaldea, and the other is me.
The Heroic Spirit that fused with me was doomed to disappear. But just before that, he approached as I was dying and formed a contract with me. In exchange for saving my life, to had to destroy the cause for this singularity in his place."
"I see." Ritsuka took a bit to digest that information, before realizing something else.
"Wait.... So that means you can use the power of of that Heroic Spirit right?"
"Not all of it,' Mash shook her head, "He disappeared without giving me his name. That's why I don't even know what kind of Hero I am. The symbol of a Heroic Spirit, a Noble Phantasm is something I still can't wield."
"You can't use your Noble Phantasm huh? Makes sense. A Heroic Spirit that can't deploy a core part of their legend is definitely half assed."
At some point, Caster had come back to these two, and was now standing there with arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
Turning to him, Ritsuka was irate.
"That's rude to say! Mash fought well-"
"Sheesh! Listen to me for a sec kid."
Ritsuka was cut off abruptly as Caster raised a hand to signify to hold on.
"Look. A Noble Phantasm is a weapon or skill that every Heroic Spirit is Bound to Have. It's a symbol of the legends or deeds that make ya a Heroic Spirit. Every one of em has a Power that exceeds modern science or magecraft."
"Far Exceeds? Are they that great?"
"Pretty Great? Try extremely overboard. We're talking about things like a sword that can shatter a mountain. Or something like a Spear that can nuke a country leaving nothing but craters and sadness. It's not rare to hear of something like that."
"Thats... Pretty Wild."
For same reason, Ritsuka had the feeling that he was in over his head.
Caster meanwhile bared that fanged grin again while nodding at Ritsuka.
"Pretty wild is right. Noble Phantasms are that absurd."
"And that's why I'm worried Senpai. I'm fundamentally different from Mr. Cu Chullain or King Arthur. I may be a servant but I'm not a Hero."
"That's why-" Mash paused, before continuing with much sadness, "That's why I can't imagine myself facing King Arthur like this. I haven't earned that right..."
The group fell silent as Ritsuka watched Mash's shoulders shake and heave.
His hand rose, only to fall shortly afterward.
What could he say?
'Don't worry, I'm sure it'll get easier.'?
That didn't seem like it would work here.
...
"If it makes you feel better, I can tell you the guy who fused with you. I was there for his summoning after all. But... I don't think you need to know it if I'm being honest. Not now at least."
Pat
A warm hand landed on Mash's head, gently rubbing it.
Mash looked up, just to see Dante standing before her with a complicated expression.
Olga was a ways off, looking every bit out of place as she obviously felt if the looks she were shooting back were a given.
But Mash didn't focus on any of that, instead turning her attention to the words spoken seconds prior.
"You know... The servant I fused with?"
"I do."
The reply was short and concise.
But it opened many myriad feelings in Mash's heart.
At last a small amount of hope bloomed.
"Then will you tell me who-"
"I won't. Not yet."
And the hope was smothered immediately.
Instead frustration blossomed in its place.
Swatting his hand off her head, Mash turned her attention fully to Dante.
"Why?"
"Because... Well you honestly don't need it at the moment. From what I heard, you don't think you're worthy of standing amongst Heroes like Cu and Artoria right? And I bet you think learning your Heroic Spirit donors name would change that? That you could use their name as a means to stand behind?"
"..."
"Mash, sweetie. You don't need that guy to be able to be called a Hero. You already are one. From what I've seen, you definitely qualify as a Hero. Right Fujimaru?"
It was here that Dante elbowed Ritsuka, who despite flinching, got the message.
"Uh? Yeah! After all, you saved my life and went out of your way time and time again to save everyone despite not having to. You did it without hesitation and without seeking reward. If that isn't Heroic, I don't know what is."
"And besides, it doesn't matter if you are a half assed Heroic Spirit. Me? The me right here? I'm a good 1 and a half times more half assed than you are. We won't lose!"
"...."
"....T-thanks everyone! I understand it a bit more now, and I'm sorry for making you all worry. Let's move on!"
"RIGHT!"
_
-------
Cave of the Greater Grail
"We're here. In the deepest parts of that cave, Saber and the Holy Grail are waiting."
"You don't need to tell us that twice... The Density of the Magical Energy leaking out here isn't Normal...."
Olga had to repress a shiver as the Mana from the cave entrance crawled over her skin.
"How strange. 'He' hasn't appeared..."
Meanwhile Cu was in thought.
The number of servants Saber crushed and made her underlings was Four.
Of those, himself and Mash had crushed 3.
Namely Lancer, Rider, and Assassin.
Berserker was running around for a while near the Einzbern castle, but he was taken out shortly before Cu had met up with the Chaldeans.
He himself had the seat of Caster, and Artoria was obviously Saber.
That just left him.
The one holding the seat of Archer!
"[Sword Barrel; Full Open. Continuous Projection Loading]"
"!"
The attack came without warning.
Several weapons, spears, swords, pikes, axes, you name it, all of them took shape in the air.
Then with a sound like whistling air, they came down with a crash, causing a large dust cloud to form.
When it cleared, Cu was left there missing an arm, and Dante was missing his glasses as a gash hung over his brow.
As for Mash, Ritsuka, and Olga?
Cu had shielded Mash and Ritsuka, albeit losing an arm despite his use of defensive runes.
And Dante had layered multiple barriers on top of each other in a bid to stop Olga from getting shish kebabed.
Luckily no one was seriously harmed.
"Tsk. You guys go on ahead. After this, I'll catch up."
*Whoosh*
Another layer of blade bombing happened, further dividing the group.
When it cleared, the cave entrance was sealed off, and there was only one person left outside with the Archer.
Sliding down the wall, the man could only be disappointed.
"Man... I knew it was happening, and I still almost got hit regardless."
"Consider yourself fortunate. I fired off that many swords, and you were able to block about 30% of em with Displacement Magecraft. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I managed to accomplish my goal of weakening your combat power before facing Saber."
"You know most people would pretend to have felt some sorrow about harming their fellow man. But I don't know if I can really call you a man, huh Archer? How's that life of justice treating ya?"
CORRUPTED ARCHER 'EMIYA'
Jumping down, the Servant landed with a crouch in front of the man before him.
"I'm just doing what I always do and going for the easiest path to victory. So stand up. From now on, I'll be using Melee combat to make things a bit more fair for you. Though... Considering you're not a servant, I wonder how long you can hold out?"
Dante merely scoffed before standing up as he braced himself for a fight to the death.
~fin