How I Saved History (Fate/Grand Order SI)

[Reality_Impact]

I completely forgot that was a thing, does this mean Mash is going to be having issues once Galahad's calmed down?

Click to shrink...

"Do not speak to me, worm."

Click to shrink...

Well, that answers that question.

 

[Charles Flynn]

"So. What brings you to my humble bar?" Cu asks, polishing a glass. The kegs of beer we stole from the brewery at Dover rest on the shelves behind him.

I look up at him. I'd been a bit surprised when he offered to tend the bar, but, with the original barkeep dead in one of the explosions, there was no one else who volunteered.

"I fucked up."

"Do tell."

"After we got back, I tried to talk to her."

"Didn't pan out?"

"No. In fact, she slammed the door on my foot. And then she told me what happened."

"And?"

"Mash is... she wasn't supposed to be told his name. Apparently, he kept his name and full power from her so she wouldn't be subsumed by his personality."

"And 'he' is?"

"Galahad. The Servant that fused with her."

"Huh."

"He's a bit of an ass, not gonna lie, but I did kill his father in front of him a few hours ago."

"Fair reason to hate someone, I suppose."

"Yeah. Anyways, now they're all tangled up together. No one identity really holding dominance. When she's in Servant form, she's mostly Galahad. When she's not, she's mostly Mash."

"Sounds awkward."

"It is. According to Roman, they'll eventually merge, with Galahad as the dominant personality." I slump down. "So now, Mash is basically a dead woman walking. Roman's with her now. She doesn't want to see me, mostly because Galahad despises me with a fiery passion."

Cu regards me for a moment, and then pours me a glass.

"Thanks."

"It's my job."

"So. Is this my fault? I can't think of anything I specifically did, but-"

"Nah."

"Nah?"

"You made the best shots you could with what you knew. It's all anyone can do, really. Sometimes it pans out alright, sometimes it doesn't. Only real bad call you made was bringing Mash when she was clearly uncomfortable with it."

"Thanks, Cu."

"It's what I do. So, you paying for that drink or what?"

"Since when do you need money?"

"Touché."

 

[TodaBruh]

Poor, poor Mash.

 

[Ryven Razgriz]

Can't you just have Da Vinci transmute cold goins?

 

[Velk]

I will lay the blame of us eventually losing Best Eggpanat to the MC, but...

GOD! I had Galahad's 'Holier than thou' attitude.

 

[Reality_Impact]

I will lay the blame of us eventually losing Best Eggpanat to the MC, but...

GOD! I had Galahad's 'Holier than thou' attitude.

Click to shrink...

As the only person to have touched the ACTUAL Holy Grail, I'd say he IS holier than anyone in Chaldea with the exemption of Jeanne. That said, his attitude could use a stimulus check.

 

[Velk]

As the only person to have touched the ACTUAL Holy Grail, I'd say he IS holier than anyone in Chaldea with the exemption of Jeanne. That said, his attitude could use a stimulus check.

Click to shrink...

...The guy reads like a God-Damn Specula Snowflake OC who can do no fucking wrong.

I'm sorry but... I've dealt with people who have that prick's attitude. There is no arguing or reasoning with them, you are either wrong or they weren't aware of all the details. They never admit fault.

 

[LEGENDARYNOT]

Can we have a moment of silence for Mash

 

[Charles Flynn]

"Hey, Doc." I greet Roman as I walk into the Command Room. "How's she doing?"

He sighs. "Da Vinci's working on a way to keep her from being subsumed by Galahad. But for now, any use of her Demi-Servant abilities will just speed things up. You'll have to go through the next Singularity without her."

"Fine. I just hope she gets better soon." I look up at Chaldeas. "So. Has the second Singularity finally been located?"

"Yes. France, 1431. Not sure what's going on inside it. It actually takes up some of the same area as another singularity."

"How?"

"They occupy different times. The Third Singularity stretches all over Europe. We haven't pinpointed its era, yet, but we think it has something to do with Ancient Rome."

"Really?" Don't squee, don't squee, don't squee. "Guess I'll have to polish up my Latin, then."

"Yyyeah. So, are you able to deploy tomorrow?"

"I'll assemble my team."

"Good. Swing by the Summoning Chamber. They used the wyvern corpses Kojirou brought back to upgrade the mana generators."

"Oh. Yeah. Did he manage to replace his katana?"

"Turns out that you summoned a few Monohoshizao copies and chucked them in the broom closet. You should really put up a sign, by the way. The janitor nearly died when he tried opening it."

"Will do."

---​

Right then. One last round of summoning before I brief my team and pick who's coming with me.

"Caster Servant Xuanzang Sanzang! Let's save the world together, Master!"

"From Journey to the West, right?" Goddammit, I summoned the kidnaping magnet. Couldn't get Sun Wukong, no, instead I got Captain Useless, over here. Her stats are actually pretty good, though. "No offense, but I thought you were, well, male."

"Nope!" She smiles, and... I'm not getting any more explanation than that, am I?

"Right then. Marjani! Fire it up!"

She complies, and-

Another servant! Capital! They materialize from the whirling rings, and then promptly dissolve. "Marjani, intercom."

"On it."

A single buzz later, and Da Vinci's on the line."We got another repeat summon. Could you figure out who it was?"

"Sure!"

"Is that the worm? Tell him to go fuck himself!"

"Sorry, I was doing a checkup on Galahad. Looks like you summoned Xuanzang Sanzang twice in a row! Congratulations!"

"Right. Thanks." I turn to regard the Buddhist monk- Or, nun, I suppose. No appreciable change I can see.

"You don't have to stick around for this."

"I think I'm going to make you my disciple!"

"That's nice Now, shoo."

She pouts at me, but eventually complies. Probably shouldn't have been so rude, but being reminded of Galahad ticked me off something fierce.

"Right." Deep breath. "Marjani. Fire it up."

---​

"Tawara Touta. Archer. I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise. Alright, that's the last one today. Time to head to the briefing room. Marjani, hunt down Caster and tell her where to go." Hopefully she hasn't gotten herself kidnapped yet.

Time to prep for our next mission. Hopefully we'll have less casualties on this one than we did on... all of the others, now that I think of it.

Welp. We're boned.

 

[Charles Flynn]

I look out at the six servants who'll be joining me for the Singularity: Vlad, Kojirou, Xuanzang, Geogios, Tamamo, and Cursed Arm.

"Alright, most of you are aware of the unholy clusterfuck our last deployment turned into. Incidentally, that is the reason Mash will not be joining us on this one."

Xuanzang looks confused, but the others nod.

"We're deploying in the second of the seven observed Singularities: Centered on France in the Year of Our Lord 1431, it will be the first great trial of the Chaldea organization. It's time to definitively prove that we can save history, and all of humanity. Your roles will be varied. Tamamo, Vlad, you're our primary attackers. Kojirou, you're more of an irregular. Xuanzang, you'll be using your Territory Creation to set up and defend a home base from which we can operate. Cursed Arm, you're our scout. Lastly, Georgios, in Mash's absence, you will be serving as my bodyguard."

Each of them acknowledges their roles.

"Good. Today, our mission is just. We do the work this organization was founded to do. We will not fail."

That gets a few grins. Good.

"Meet in the Rayshift Room tomorrow at 0900. Dismissed."

More than enough time for me to pay Cu another visit. I have no idea how Ireland's greatest hero became my go-to sympathetic ear, but he's damn good at it.

 

[Charles Flynn]

I spend the rest of the day reading up on the era we're heading into, and discussing it with Cu. It's not really his cup of tea, but he's a good sport about it all the same, and he actually does enjoy my descriptions of the various battles. His only complaint is that I'm not bringing him, but I promise to bring him on the next deployment I go on.

But at last, with my eyes exhausted and my voice sore, I return to my room and fall asleep.

The morning is a blur of showering (Da Vinci still hasn't fixed the hot water, so that leaves me considerably more awake,) brushing my teeth, and grabbing a quick breakfast before I'm off to the Rayshift Room.

"Morning, all." I call in greeting as I stroll in, mostly awake.

The Servants are all there, looking bright and peppy as ever. Consequence of legendary heroism, or healthy sleep habits? Hell if I know. The Rayshift staff are all present to see us off, each bristling with the characteristic pep and vigor of morning people, for which I hate them instantly, and Roman's come to see us off, flanked by Da Vinci and... Mash.

"Charlie." Roman calls out, looking at me with bleary eyes as he sips at a mug of coffee. "Take care, all right?"

"Will do, Doc. See you once the mission's done."

"Don't forget to bring back plenty of samples!" Da Vinci demands cheerily, fiddling with the controls.

"Will do."

"Senpai." Mash interrupts. I mostly contain my wince as I turn around to face her.

"Hey, Mash." I force myself to look her in the eye. She doesn't deserve to be hurt by my guilt. "Thought you were keeping your distance from me?" Shit, probably not the best thing to say.

She looks down. "I was, but... I wanted to see you off, Senpai. And..." she hesitates, but soldiers on. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry I can't be there to look after you."

"It's fine. I'll just have to manage." I give her a grin. A patently false one, but I always was a good liar. "You just focus on getting better, okay?"

"It is most certainly not fine, worm. My shield and the added durability our contract granted you were the only thing that kept you alive in our past engagements in spite of your woeful incompetence." she snarls out, her every word dripping with vitriol. After a moment, she seems to realize what she said. "Oh. Senpai, I'm sorry-"

"It's fine. Just... Get well soon, alright? I don't think I can make it through more than one of these without you."

She smiles in response to that, and I manfully resist the urge to pat her on the head. Not just because of propriety, but also because Galahad might break my arm if I tried.

We part, with her going up to the command deck, and me going down to my Klein Coffin. The techs are avoiding my gaze. Roman just looks sad, and while I can't read most of the Servants' expressions, Xuanzang, Georgios, and Tamamo are all looking at me with outright sympathy. To be honest, I think that just makes me feel worse.

"Initializing Rayshift."

No time for hurting. It's showtime. Gravitas, Charlie, gravitas.

And as the light consumes me, I set aside my pain.

 

[steamrick]

Quick question - is Arturia putting individual villages to the sword to fund military campaigns fate canon, or is this something I'm just remembering from fanfics?

 

[elif]

Quick question - is Arturia putting individual villages to the sword to fund military campaigns fate canon, or is this something I'm just remembering from fanfics?

Click to shrink...

That's canon. Very canon.

 

[steamrick]

In that case, why is Galahad being such a bitch?

 

[Mr.Wizzard]

In that case, why is Galahad being such a bitch?

Click to shrink...

It's not stealing it's government sanctioned appropriation.

 

[Exist Error]

In that case, why is Galahad being such a bitch?

Click to shrink...

for the same reason that the other knights are following Lancer Artoria in her singularity, blinded by loyalty to the point of turn the blind eye to the amoral stuff and Galahad doesn't have said loyalty towards the MC

 

[Pipeman]

In that case, why is Galahad being such a bitch?

Click to shrink...

Galahad has always been the extra pure mary sue addition to outdo even the mary sueness of his dad.
He probably wouldn't have agreed even when Artoria did it and on top of that they kinda made him complicit in the dishonorable murder of his dad in the whole thing, which isn't nothing, even when they have a difficult relationship.

 

[steamrick]

In short, they need to summon one of the more pragmatic knights of the table (or even better yet Arturia herself) and have them beat the snot out of Galahad.

Poor Mash, she'll be feeling it come the morning.

 

[elif]

In that case, why is Galahad being such a bitch?

Click to shrink...

FATE lore is huge and dense and the author might not know how Camelot operates under Artoria.

Also, Galahad is canonically the most Purity Sue of the knights of the round table (achieved the grail in his lifetime). Also he's canonically a little bitch who abandoned Chaldea to deal with the Lost Belts without him because he thought it was an impossible fight. So, like. Hypocrisy and cowardice are accurate to his FATE depiction.

 

[Exist Error]

FATE lore is huge and dense and the author might not know how Camelot operates under Artoria.

Also, Galahad is canonically the most Purity Sue of the knights of the round table (achieved the grail in his lifetime). Also he's canonically a little bitch who abandoned Chaldea to deal with the Lost Belts without him because he thought it was an impossible fight. So, like. Hypocrisy and cowardice are accurate to his FATE depiction.

Click to shrink...

the whole point of Galahad is to shit on Lancelot, not only he is supposed to be better than Lancelot in everything both fighing and morality, when the search for the Holy Grail was happening (Btw the whole finding the Grail story belong to Knight Percival before Galahad become a thing and took it from him, therefore the story that makes Galahad famous is not even his), Lancelot actual finds the Grail before Galahad but the Grail knock him down for him not being "worthy" and he is left unconscious for the rest of the search until Galahad finds the damm cup

shout out for Knight Dinadan, the canonically jokester of the knights of King Arthur

 

[Charles Flynn]

We arrive upon a grassy hill.

"Roman. Location?" He appears in his glowing, holographic form.

"You've arrived in the Singularity safely, alright. Looks like you're in Jeanne D'Arc's hometown, the village of Domremy."

"Alright. How do we set up a link to Chaldea?"

It was covered in the briefing. If we wanted a way to potentially summon Servants, and guaranteed, stable communications, we'd need to set up on a leyline. Unfortunately, our previous method of doing so was dependent on Mash's presence.

"Caster has the focus. Da Vinci assures me that she is capable of setting up the link on her own." I look at Caster, who nods in confirmation. Actually, now that I think about it...

I look around at all my Servants. I don't really know any of them as well as I should. I summoned Caster yesterday, and I don't think I've said more than five sentences to her in all that time. I know their stats, and I know their legends, but I don't really know them as people. I need to take the time to fix that on this deployment. Not knowing my coworkers that well makes me look like an asshole. Not knowing my Servants that well can get me killed.

"Understood." I look around more seriously. Tactics time. "All right. First things first, operational security. No casual use of your true names. I will be referring to you by your class titles. The same applies to any allies we meet. Servants of the same Class will be differentiated through the use of situationally appropriate adjectives. Please note that the no-true-names rule does not apply to our enemies. If you find out their True Names, use 'em as much as you want."

Cursed Arm and Kojirou both raise their hands.

"Hassan-I-Sabbah will be referred to by his title. His distinguishing cognomen will be, of course, omitted." I turn to look at Cursed Arm. "Your order is well known, but the obscurity of your individual abilities and accomplishments means they won't be getting any more out of hearing me call you 'Hassan' than they would out of hearing me call you 'Assassin.' At least so far as I understand it. Is this acceptable?"

He lowers his hand, then nods.

"Good. Is everyone satisfied? Any objections? Any clarifications needed?"

"Why are we doing this?" Tamamo asks, tilting her head. "I mean, you're kind of sifting grain with a thimble hear."

Pausing to try and decipher that metaphor, (great effort for small gain,) I answer her as best I can. "Because, setting aside the tactical advantage they would gain if they knew your capabilities, all Servants, by their very nature, died. Knowing how that happened can allow them to increase their chances of successfully killing you, or identify your weaknesses, or even allow them to manipulate you with what they know from your legends. The greatest heroes can easily be brought down by trickery and betrayal, just look at Hercules. I'd rather avoid giving my enemies your weaknesses, if I can avoid it."

Nods all around. Admittedly, they're mostly anti-hero types, who were beaten by plain old-fashioned bad luck and people turning against them, but the risks are still there, and it's a good habit to get into.

"With that resolved, Hassan, head out and scout. The rest of you, get ready to move once he's done with that. Rider, you'll be summoning Bayard. I can't move as fast as the rest of you, and I'd rather not slow you all down."

Hassan vanishes. Alright, what else. Oh!

"Rider, you'll be my go-to translator for this mission. I can't speak French, although Roman will be translating what the locals say while I'm here, and my English is quite literally centuries ahead of its time."

"I will endeavor to fulfill this duty to the best of my abilities," he pronounces solemnly. Excellent. My main translator is the Lawful Good, chivalrous knight who's also a Catholic Saint. Honestly, he was flat-out the best option in the entire team. Tamamo's crazy, Vlad's almost as crazy, Hassan looks like he eats babies, Kojirou's obviously a foreigner, and Xuanzang is both a foreigner and a scantily dressed woman. None of them would really have much in the way of social cachet with the locals.

We spend a few more moments in silence, before Hassan contacts me.

'Master. I have found a squad of French soldiers. They appear to almost all be sporting minor wounds, and are all highly fatigued.'

'Do you believe they'd be open to parley?'

'Perhaps.'

'Remain hidden. We will approach to negotiate.'

"Rider. Hassan found a small division of French soldiers. We're going to negotiate, and try to figure out what the Hell's going on. I'll play your foreign squire that doesn't speak the language, and feed you lines through the mental link if need be."

"Alright, then."

I look back.

"The rest of you, hang back. We'll pass you of as his entourage. When I call you in, join us. Don't say much, try to act foreign. Lancer, you're an evil knight he defeated and spared, serving him as a squire." I forestall his protests with a look. "I know, I know, but your armor is too sinister-looking for anything else to be believable. Berserker, Caster, you're princesses from some foreign land, put on some actual clothes, you're probably not getting any lines. Assassin, you're their bodyguard. Look stern and mysterious." Our cover stories sorted out, I turn to Georgios, who's looking at me with barely-concealed amusement. "Alright, let's go."

Actually... I pause. "Roman? Any objections? Ready to feed me translations?"

"No objections. And um... translator program's up and running."

"Everything all right?"

"It's fine. Something you said must have set Da Vinci off, because she's laughing like crazy. And Mash is grumbling about something."

"Good for them. Rider. Summon Bayard. Let's get this show on the road."

He grins. "To me! BAYARD!"

The legendary horse materializes from the aether. And he's beautiful. His chest is almost as broad as my arm is long, his coat is a rich chestnut shade, and his great eyes have both an overbearing nobility and piercing intelligence in their gaze. Georgios hops on, and then gives me a hand up. I take it, and we're off.

---​

"Hold, good men! I come to ask thy intent and the name of thy liege!" Georgios delivers the line with great gusto. I think he might be having as much fun as I am right now.

"We're soldiers in the army of France!" one of them, presumably their commanding officer, calls back after a brief pause to process the sight. I dismounted to walk besides Bayard before we came into view. Wouldn't do to have the ignorant foreign squire riding up besides his knightly master, now would it? "What flag do you fly, Sir Knight? We apologize if we have offended you, Sir. In the recent turmoil, we have had little chance to remember which lord we served. Indeed, our command structure has been left decimated. We know not our king's name, for the last was slain and his heir's unknown. In truth, we know but one monarch these days, and her name is France!" The last draws a great cheer from his men. Nationalism may be half-born at best, but it's starting to get there, apparently.

"Alas, I am forbidden to name my homeland," Georgios announces, and my respect for him rises exponentially. He's actually saying the lines I'm feeding him with a straight face! "For I am banished, cast out and denied both my name and that of my homeland until I have atoned for my great crime with a thousand deeds of knightly merit! Though I would have endured a hundred times that dishonor had I been permitted to stay within the sight of my dearest lady love! But hark! What dire peril assails your country-queen, that kings should perish, and good armsmen not know their lords?"

This confuses them enough that the soldiers drop into a brief huddle.

'We didn't actually talk like that, you know,' George sends mentally. 'And I was a Roman equestrian. Not a knight.'

'True. But thanks to all the chivalric romances, they think that heroic knights talk like that. Not one lick of historical fidelity in those things, either. Besides, if crazy stuff is really going down, they'll be most comforted and accepting of somebody who ticks off alltheir boxes of what a hero should look and act like, even if they logically know it makes no sense.' I look at him askance. 'And don't tell me you're not enjoying this.'

'Fair enough.'

"Indeed, Sir Knight. Our country is in dire peril. Our greatest hero and savior, Jeanne D'Arc, has risen from the dead, filled with the dark arts of the Devil. Her sorceries have filled the skies with foul dragons, and she has slain the king and the clergy alike to slake her bloodlust. We have resisted her forces, but she calls forth demons to strike us down, and dragons to rend our flesh. Perhaps, with your help, we may yet prevail, and save our dearest homeland. Will you join us at our fort?" He's confused, not quite believing what he's seeing, but hopeful. I feed Georgios his lines as I begin to process this.

"Gadzooks!" he exclaims, face alight with not-entirely feigned shock. "Truly, the Enemy of All Godly Men has worked a great evil against you! My heart weeps for the suffering of your people, but still my soul rejoices! For by my strong sword-arm, and Holy Lord on High, when I have finished my business in this domain, there shall be one less wickedness in the world, and I shall see my lady all the sooner!" The soldiers begin to cheer, and their captain cracks a smile.

"Are there any others in your entourage?" the captain asks.

"Yes! Beyond my fool of a squire Charles," he raps me on the head. "English, you know, can hardly blame him for being a lackwit," this gets an appreciative chuckle or two from the audience. "I have gathered a rather odd collection as I went."

I give the signal, and they come out of the brush. Tamamo's manage to scrounge together a pair of pants, and a shirt which actually covers her chest. Xuanzang, on the other hand, scraped together a dress. Vlad and Kojirou, for their part, remain much as they are.

And for names... fuck it, ripping off Orlando Furioso. Pretty sure it hasn't been published yet.

"First is the dread tyrant, Rodomonte, a wicked sorcerer king! I toppled him from his throne, and in exchange for his life, he swore to serve me." Vlad only looks slightly irritated. "In like manner stands Lady Marfisa. She is sworn to wed any man who has bested her in combat, but though I overcame her in a great clash of arms, I could not be wed to her, for my heart shall now and forevermore belong to my truest lady love, fairest Melissa, whose eyes gleam bright as stars!" Tamamo looks like she trying her hardest not to laugh. "And to round out our noble group, the final two are Lady Angelica and her bother, Sir Argalia, on whose errand I was travelling." Kojirou and Xuanzang look at each other in silent bafflement. "For their wicked uncle, Mandricardo, has, by his foul sorceries, cast them out from their home, and most grievously bewitched their father. It was to right this great wrong that I passed through your fair country, but seeing the great peril which afflicts thee, what knight worth his spurs could turn his back upon thy plight?"

The commander looks somewhat skeptical, but the men lap it up. And so, with the soldiers swarming about us to ask questions and marvel at the extraordinary foreigners, we are escorted back to the fort.

'Told you it would work.'

'Indeed, Master. I shall never again underestimate your propensity for tale-telling.'

'And I will never again underestimate your acting skills. That was legitimately impressive.'

The celebratory air vanished, of course, when we saw the wyverns.

 

[Charles Flynn]

Galahad has always been the extra pure mary sue addition to outdo even the mary sueness of his dad.
He probably wouldn't have agreed even when Artoria did it and on top of that they kinda made him complicit in the dishonorable murder of his dad in the whole thing, which isn't nothing, even when they have a difficult relationship.

Click to shrink...

Exactly. Galahad has always used his morality as his way of proving his superiority. Further, he wasn't actually there for the wars King Arthur fought. He showed up in a time of peace, (which immediately ended with him starting the Grail quest) and never was there for any of Arthur's hard choices. He despises his current master for making him violate his code of ethics, making him violate his code of ethics in front of his father, killing his father in front of him, and nearly erasing Mash's personality by telling her his True Name.

 

[Charles Flynn]

the whole point of Galahad is to shit on Lancelot, not only he is supposed to be better than Lancelot in everything both fighing and morality, when the search for the Holy Grail was happening (Btw the whole finding the Grail story belong to Knight Percival before Galahad become a thing and took it from him, therefore the story that makes Galahad famous is not even his), Lancelot actual finds the Grail before Galahad but the Grail knock him down for him not being "worthy" and he is left unconscious for the rest of the search until Galahad finds the damm cup

shout out for Knight Dinadan, the canonically jokester of the knights of King Arthur

Click to shrink...

I am well aware of Galahad's shortcomings. Honestly, I hope to give him more characterization than his home epic does. Allow him to grow past serving as the Gallant to Lancelot's Goofus. We'll see how well it works.

Beyond that, I honestly thought it would be interesting to force Charlie to go through the Singularities with a partner who hates him, and whom he hates in turn. They will be like unto anthromorphic personifications of teeth-clenched teamwork.

 

[steamrick]

"With that resolved, Hassan, head out and scout. The rest of you, get ready to move once he's done with that. Georgios, you'll be summoning Bayard. I can't move as fast as the rest of you, and I'd rather not slow you all down."

Click to shrink...

He probably meant to say Rider here, rather than Georgios. Though it'd also be an easy in-character mistake to make.

 

[Par Tzu]

"Do not speak to me, worm." And suddenly, violet eyes stare into mine with complete and utter loathing. Mash. Mash is the one choking me right now, With one hand, even. Didn't think she had it in her. She has very small hands. And I have a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge throat. I think the oxygen deprivation might be getting to me.

And then, with a casual toss, she casts me aside, stalking away without even acknowledging the stakes and daggers both Assassin and Lancer are pointing her way.

"Finish your little excursion in banditry on your own. Doctor, Rayshift me out."

Click to shrink...

good Mash, fight against the stupid tyranny of your stupid master!


I mean he acted like a villain when he could have done good guy thing and asked and explained the situation.
the ending of this chapter was very satisfying!

now I hope the MC learned from this.


still, I refuse to like this because you made Mash mad.

EDIT:

"It is. According to Roman, they'll eventually merge, with Galahad as the dominant personality." I slump down. "So now, Mash is basically a dead woman walking. Roman's with her now. She doesn't want to see me, mostly because Galahad despises me with a fiery passion."

Click to shrink...

WHAT!?!?!
You absolute fucking MONSTER

"You made the best shots you could with what you knew. It's all anyone can do, really. Sometimes it pans out alright, sometimes it doesn't. Only real bad call you made was bringing Mash when she was clearly uncomfortable with it."

Click to shrink...

BS
the bad call was in how big of a jerk you were.


goodbye.

 

[Charles Flynn]

good Mash, fight against the stupid tyranny of your stupid master!


I mean he acted like a villain when he could have done good guy thing and asked and explained the situation.
the ending of this chapter was very satisfying!

now I hope the MC learned from this.


still, I refuse to like this because you made Mash mad.

Click to shrink...

That wasn't Mash.

 

[Reality_Impact]

...The guy reads like a God-Damn Specula Snowflake OC who can do no fucking wrong.

I'm sorry but... I've dealt with people who have that prick's attitude. There is no arguing or reasoning with them, you are either wrong or they weren't aware of all the details. They never admit fault.

Click to shrink...

Too true. That's what seperates Galahad from his father IMO. Lancelot is the Gary Stu for the average nobleman from France, Galahad is Gary Stu for the Catholic Brit.
Lancelot, at least, was someone you could empathize with cause he actually acted human and, you know, fell in love. I still prefer the pre-Galahad version of the Arthurian myths where Guenevere and Lancelot were more like pining star crossed lovers but both too loyal to hapless Arthure who did not realize that his best knight and his queen were making moon eyes at each other.

 

[Charles Flynn]

Okay, army of wyverns attacking our destination. That's bad, but not unmanageable.

'Keep up your cover stories, but do your best to defend the fort. I'm pretty sure that there were exactly zero wyverns in the real Hundred Years War, and we need to- '

The wind shifts, and feel it ruffle my hair as it blows against my back, carrying our scent on to the fort.

And as one, every single Wyvern turns its head our way, nostrils flaring and jagged jaws wide and drooling.

'Oh, what the actual fuck.'

They abandon their assault on the fort in order to launch themselves at us in black-winged droves, their hungry roars melding into an ungodly cacophony.

How? Why? Wait- 'Xuanzang.'

'What?'

'This is your Captivating Rosy Cheeks Skill in action, isn't it? You're monster catnip. I can work with this.'

Rider smirks just a little as he gets the line I feed him. But he recites it anyways, keeping his face straight through it all. "They have smelled the fair princess Angelica!" Xuanzang looks blankly at him for a second before remembering that's supposed to be her. "No dragon, no matter how small and lowly, can ever truly turn away from the chance to eat a princess! Make ready! They shall be upon us within moments! Hide, squire, this is no fight for the likes of you!"

I comply posthaste, hiding in the brush, as the soldiers make ready to repel their aerial adversaries, and the Servants make their own preparations. Vlad merely crosses his arms and grins like a madman, crimson energy pooling about him like blood. Tamamo grins, and bares her claws. Kojirou draws his blade while Xuanzang hides behind him, and, unseen in the brush, Hassan readies himself to feed me intel on the enemy's movements.

And then they are upon us.

The waves come quickly, and all swiftly becomes a blur. For all my nominal status as commander, in truth I only catch the occasional glimpse of the fight through the brush. I simply bear witness, occasionally relaying messages from Hassan, while my Servants do what they do best, and fight.

The soldiers do their best, and even bring down one or two, but for all their labors, they are little more than cannon fodder compared to the Servants. Of my servants, I see only brief flashes: Vlad laughing as he turns another wyvern into giblets, pinning it down with his stakes before wade in to rip it apart with his taloned gauntlets. Tamamo using one wyvern as a meat shield against one of its attacking brethren, before ripping through her shield's body in order to take her attacker by surprise and disembowl him. Georgios riding through the panicked troops on Bayard, his very face calming them and bringing them to order and his every stroke of the sword killing a wyvern or saving a soldier's life. Kojirou, never moving an inch, yet somehow never even scratched as the wyvern corpses begin to pile up around him. And Xuanzang, screaming like a lunatic as she franticly bats away one of the wyverns with her staff.

At last, however, the battle is over. I ignore the burning of my circuits as I make my way back to Georgios' side.

The field is now glutted with wyvern corpses. I make a mental note to double back and have Xuanzang mass-Rayshift them up to Chaldea once we get the chance. They could be useful for something, after all. The blood of the huge beasts has flooded out from their wounds in great, bubbling streams, and seeped into the ground, leaving a thick, boiling black mud that his choked out the grass and left the once-temperate meadow feeling as absurdly hot and humid as a tropical rainforest. I can smell flesh cooking as the corpses of fallen soldiers begin to sink into the boiling, blood-soaked mud. I do my level best to avoid the bogs, and ignore the dying screams of mortally injured soldiers, left amidst the monster corpses by their comrades, to die alone.

I don't think I'll be sleeping all that well tonight.

Picking my way through the field of corpses, I find my Servants, along with the surviving few soldiers, all injured, arguing with a blonde woman in armor. Actually, before I rejoin them, I should probably take the opportunity to page Chaldea.

"Roman. Sitrep. How many dead soldiers, how did we do, who are they arguing with?"

"All but ten of the soldiers are either dead or irretrievable, and the site of the battle has been rendered uninhabitable by the wyverns, even in death."

"I noticed. Who are they arguing with?"

"Jeanne d'Arc."

Huh. Well at least something good happened today. I get to meet another saint!

 

[Charles Flynn]

"I am aware that you feel slandered, fair lady, but, all the same, these men have informed me that they hold you as their enemy, and as such I cannot rightly allow you near them in their current injured state. To do so would be to betray my word as a knight, and my honor as a man of God." Georgios informs the Saint of Orleans, as behind him Xuanzang chants sutras of healing over the wounded.

"I understand. But I am not the Dragon Witch." the surprisingly blonde saint calmly replies, her eyes sad as she surveys the carnage.

'Georgios, I have an idea.' I interject through the mental link as I make my way into the gathering of Servants and soldiers.

My loyal dragonslayer turns to look at me as I approach. "Charles? Fool of a squire, I half thought you dead! Next time you flee a fight, be prompter in thy return!" 'I'm listening, Master.'

I relay my plan to him, and he approves it. Honestly, I'm glad that I got the chance to work with him this Singularity. He and I get along extremely well, when we aren't at moral cross-purposes.

"Good soldiers of France! Now that the sacred prayers granted to Angelica by Our Savior have mended all thy wounds, we must part ways!"

The soldiers all go from eyeing Jeanne fearfully to begging Georgios not to go. He smiles gently at their pleas, but continues.

"You must return to your fort, but I am ever bound by no higher purpose than righteousness! You have identified this woman before me as the Dragon Witch, the cause of all thy county's misfortunes, though she denies it most fiercely! And so, I shall leave in her company, to watch her manner and her destination! If she be innocent, I shall spare her, and offer my most gracious apologies. If she be guilty, then my blade shall cleave her head from her shoulders, though I am loath to harm a woman!"

The soldiers, though despondent at their hero leaving them, cheer up immensely at the prospect of Jeanne d'Arc being decapitated. The woman herself just looks crestfallen.

With that decided, we part ways, the soldiers leaving for the fort, and the remainder of our group heading off, Jeanne d'Arc in tow, only to double back to the field of corpses.

'Xuanzang. Set up the Bounded Field.'

She complies, and, in a flash, the world around us turns grey.

What makes Xuanzang such an excellent Caster is her frankly absurd Territory Creation skill. She can set up a Bounded Field at the drop of a hat, and while I know jack shit about Magecraft, Roman has assured me that it's pretty impressive. And so, we turn to our reluctant companion, who stares back with a properly Stoic mien. While she did follow us here, it was quite apparent that she wasn't all that enthusiastic about the prospect.

"So. Jeanne d'Arc. Servant Ruler." I begin, setting aside the façade of the mute squire. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

 

[EVA-Saiyajin]

He looks dumbstruck, then his face slowly shifts into a sort of dawning horror to match mine. Behind us, the rubble shifts.

"Well done, Chaldea." The black knight calls, pulling her torso up out the rubble, Grail in hand and Excalibur Morgan nowhere to be seen. "Perhaps-"

"OHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKILLHERKILLHERNOW!"

A barrage of magical blasts and thrown daggers slam into the corrupted King Arthur, who, still buried up to her waist in unstable rubble, is in no position to dodge them. She survives, but three more volleys finish the job.

"Is she dead? Cu, poke her with a stick."

"You poke her with a stick."

She dissolves into golden light.

"Oh thank God."

Click to shrink...

This freaking killed me.

"First is the dread tyrant, Rodomonte, a wicked sorcerer king! I toppled him from his throne, and in exchange for his life, he swore to serve me." Vlad only looks slightly irritated. "In like manner stands Lady Marfisa. She is sworn to wed any man who has bested her in combat, but though I overcame her in a great clash of arms, I could not be wed to her, for my heart shall now and forevermore belong to my truest lady love, fairest Melissa, whose eyes gleam bright as stars!" Tamamo looks like she trying her hardest not to laugh. "And to round out our noble group, the final two are Lady Angelica and her bother, Sir Argalia, on whose errand I was travelling." Kojirou and Xuanzang look at each other in silent bafflement. "For their wicked uncle, Mandricardo, has, by his foul sorceries, cast them out from their home, and most grievously bewitched their father. It was to right this great wrong that I passed through your fair country, but seeing the great peril which afflicts thee, what knight worth his spurs could turn his back upon thy plight?"

Click to shrink...

As did this.