A/N WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Dead animal warning. It's not too descriptive, but uhhh…I'll give a heads-up—just in case anyone is uncomfortable with that. Be careful!

…

…

Roman can only dig his fingernails into his scalp as he waits impatiently for either Mash or Noa to answer his call. A part of him regrets not giving a bracelet to El-Melloi when he had the chance, if only to raise his chances of receiving a response.

It's bad enough that Siegfried went rogue at such a crucial moment. He can't even begin to fathom what was going on in his mind, risking his Master's life like that. Roman's only solace is the report he has on Noa's vitals, confirming that she is very much alive.

"We could've lost her." It's such a scary thought, considering that she's all that they have.

"But we didn't." Da Vinci, as usual, providing enough comfort when necessary—a welcome break from her usual teasing.

"Just…why did he do that?" Roman exhales shakily. "Does he not understand?!"

"Calm yourself, Roman—you need to set a good example for the others." Da Vinci gestures at the other staff members in the room. More specifically, she is referring to Lumaria, who should not be here.

"Go bother Corvin, Lumaria!" Roman isn't his babysitter.

"Hell no—the old man's asleep for once!" Lumaria scowls at him. "Besides, now I want to know what the fuck just happened!"

"We don't know, okay?!" Roman is on the verge of hyperventilating if he doesn't receive an answer within the next five minutes. "Any news from Echo, Gwen?"

Roman grateful that Gwen showed up when she did, because Alicia is currently passed out in her chair.

"We need to stabilize her narcolepsy fast." They should not have to rely on Gwen for everything. Not when Alicia is just as capable.

"I have a video recording of what happened," Gwen responds as she looks up from her tablet. "Would you like me to show it to you?"

"Why would I—actually, just hand it over." It might help him kill some time while he waits for a response. "Let's see the damage…"

Before Roman could even hit play, Grim stumbles into the room, nearly collapsing onto the floor. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face, his chest heaving with every breath he struggled to inhale.

"W-Wh-Wh-W…wha…what…" Grim can barely gasp out a word.

"Grim, leave this room this instant!" Roman remembers telling Grim to remain in his room during times of emotional duress. "This is a bad time for you to be here! If you have something to say to me, call Da Vinci! Now go—you're making it worse for yourself."

"I'll take him to his room." Roman nearly drops the tablet in his hands when Emiya reveals himself.

"Why were you here?" Roman can see Gwen looking for something to throw at Emiya. "Gwen—not in here!"

"You need to stop following me!" Gwen points an accusatory finger at Emiya.

"I assure you, I am here under orders from Echo." Emiya unflinchingly catches the mug that's thrown at him. "I'll be taking this with me to the kitchen—would you like a refill on your coffee?"

"Just stop being weird!" Gwen huffs out, her attention soon focusing on Alicia to keep her from slipping out of her seat. "Geez…"

Emiya lifts Grim into his arms, carrying him out of the Command Room without any issues.

Roman drags his hand across his face in frustration. "Can't we just…have a normal moment for once? Where everyone actually adheres to advice that I've given to them as a doctor?"

As an empath, Grim should not be anywhere near sites of strong, emotional duress while he is in such a state…though, that does raise the question…

"Just what happened to have gotten him like that to begin with?" A small bead of sweat rolls down Roman's face. This is certainly something worth talking about…later, that is. For now… "Ohh!"

A response!

"Finally, we're connected!" Roman almost cries tears of relief when he sees Mash's face. "Maaaaaaaaaashhhh! I'm so glaaaaaaaad!"

Never mind—he does actually cry. And right in front of everyone else.

"How embarrassing…" And yet, that only brings out even more tears—not that he really cares much about it. After all, he's just relieved to see Mash again…though, she does look rather distressed. "What's wrong?"

"Doctor, we can't find Noa anywhere!" Ohhhh, that is not good. "Is she—?!"

"She's alive, if that's what you're worried about." Roman wipes his eyes using the back of his sleeve. "Beyond that, is everyone else with you?"

"Everyone else is present and accounted for, except for…" Mash makes a face.

"What's wrong?" Roman frowns.

"Siegfried isn't here either," El-Melloi jumps in after lighting the cigarette in his mouth. "Whatever words you have to say to him will have to wait until later."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Roman scratches the back of his head. "Geez, this is troublesome."

"We are incredibly lucky that things turned out the way they did." Da Vinci takes the tablet from Roman, quickly hitting play. "Let us consider this a learning experience."

"A learning experience." It feels a lot more than that to Roman, though he doesn't say anything else, choosing to instead turn his attention to the footage being played back on the tablet.

"Yes—a learning experience." Da Vinci points at a certain scene that has caught her eye. "There is still a lot we don't know, especially when it involves Noa, regardless of her change in soul."

"Noa…" Roman frowns at the scene that plays before him. It's of the freak-out she had within her coffin. "I should have sedated her…"

"We should have let you." Da Vinci smiles wryly. "We were being too cautious."

"Senpai…" Mash bites her lip. "Senpai…"

"I'm so sorry." Roman buries his face in the palm of his hand.

"Hey, hey!" Astolfo pops up on the screen, looking rather anxious. "Please don't be too mad at Siegfried… He just…wanted to help Master."

"Help as in…how?" Roman removes his hand. He fixates a questioning look on Astolfo, who shifts nervously under his gaze.

"Ummm…" Astolfo lets out a yelp when El-Melloi's hand lands roughly on top of his head. "Oww!"

"What Astolfo means to say is that Siegfried answered to his Master's call for help." El-Melloi's fingers dig into Astolfo's scalp, causing the Rider to whine in annoyance.

"H-Hey—what's the big deal!" Astolfo's hands grab onto El-Melloi's wrist, but El-Melloi's hand remains on top of his head.

"We still don't know much about Noa." El-Melloi uses his free hand to remove the cigarette from his mouth. A long stream of smoke leaves his mouth as he exhales slowly. He shakes his head, looking far too exhausted for comfort. "But it seems that we have made a misstep in not learning about who she originally was. Because from the looks of things, the two have now become one."

Roman's eyes widen. "Their memories…!"

"I suggest that you look into Noa's file one more time—there has to be something else that we're missing." El-Melloi removes his hand from Astolfo, an annoyed whine leaving the Rider's mouth.

"I can kick your butt, you know!" Astolfo glares at El-Melloi, who only takes a long drag from his cigarette.

"Please don't fight." Jekyll steps in to mediate. "It wouldn't do us any good."

"Senpai wouldn't want it." Mash frowns.

"Hmmmm…!" Astolfo crosses his arms over his chest. "Then I guess I won't fight you…for now."

"Brat." El-Melloi reaches out to flick Astolfo on the forehead. "You're just like your Master."

"Yeowch!" Astolfo slaps away El-Melloi's hand. "Hey!"

Roman can only laugh as he watches Jekyll get in between Astolfo and El-Melloi. Beads of sweat roll down his face as he exhales shakily in exasperation. Every moment that passes without Noa around to maintain balance amongst her Servants only makes him anxious.

"We need to find Noa fast." Roman doesn't know what he'll do if a fight does break out amongst these Servants… "Hmm?"

Roman blinks a few times, having sworn he'd seen a flash of white around Mash's neck. Seconds pass and a very familiar creature makes its presence known as it settles comfortably on Mash's shoulder.

"Fou!" Fou cries out, his paws tapping down on Mash's shoulder to get her attention. "Kyuu, kyao…!"

That gets everyone's attention.

"Did Fou sneak into your Coffin, Mash?" That's something worth noticing. "I didn't think he had the potential to Rayshift…never mind. Have you confirmed the time axis coordinates?"

"I have indeed," Mash replies. "The year is 1431."

"Correct you are!" Pride swells in Roman's chest. "More specifically, you're in France, in the middle of the Hundred Years' War—make sure to tell Noa about it as soon as you find her."

"When…can we find her?" Mash furrows her brow.

"I'll…try to locate her." Roman can't make any promises. He can only hope he can establish a connection with Noa's communication device soon. "This is getting out of hand…"

"Medea-san's been pretty quiet, no?" Da Vinci brings attention over to the Witch of Betrayal, who pays no mind to the conversation going on around her.

"Is something the matter?" Mash asks her.

"Look at the sky." Medea points upwards, having decided that she's stayed silent long enough.

And just like that, Roman and Da Vinci watches as the other Servants stare up at the sky. Less than a minute later, Mash sends back a visual. There was a ring of light in the sky, maybe some form of magecraft?

"Romani—I don't recall any records of this occurring in 1431." Da Vinci turns to him.

"This could be one of the reasons for the disappearance of our future." Roman grimaces. "We'll have to analyze it on our end—Lumaria, are you up for the task?"

"I'm down." Lumaria has nothing better to do, and if he wants to stay, then he might as well do something.

"Gwen, teach him the ropes." Roman turns his attention back on the screen as Mash enters his view once more. "Just concentrate on surveying onsite. Start by searching for leylines. I'll connect with you the instant we track down Noa. Do you understand?"

"I…understand." Mash nodded her head. "Everyone—let's first move towards a city."

"I'll lead the way!" Astolfo pipes up all too eagerly. "I am from France, after all! Hmm-hmm~!"

"Very well…good luck out there." The transmission ends not long after that, leaving Roman alone with Da Vinci, Lumaria, Gwen, and recently awakened Alicia, who is far too out of it to make any sense of the situation.

"Did we find her?" At the very least, she is aware of the situation at hand.

"Not yet…hopefully, that changes." It's back to the drawing board for Roman. "Da Vinci, can you—"

"I'll look for her file," Da Vinci says. "Just focus on contacting Noa."

"Alright…" Roman swallows hard. "Let's try this again…"

…

…

You know, it's a lot harder to get anywhere when you're supporting someone else's weight. Not helping is the injury on my left arm, which makes moving it a complete pain in the ass. Not to mention, the blood that's caked over my wound is just…ick, disgusting.

Hooo, this is gonna suck if it gets infected.

I need to get it cleaned up as soon as I can. Pretty sure that's going to scar, so…cool, I guess.

…

Wait—not cool!

This isn't my body!

"Ahh, shit!" I have a lot of explaining to do when Ritsuka wakes up—why am I thinking about that now?!

I thought we left that train of thought back in Chaldea!

"Are you alright, Noa?" Jeanne, sweetie, I love you, but…

"No…" I'm having some issues right now, and I honestly don't know how to deal with this. Okay…deep breaths. Deep. Breaths. "Haaaaa…"

"Would you like to take a break?" You know what—sure. I'm down with that.

Jeanne has almost regained full mobility, and we've finally made it out of the forest. As long as Lancelot keeps his fucking distances (I think he's still trapped underneath those trees), then we're fucking Gucci for the next…ten minutes? Ehhh? How long is this break going to be?

"We can leave as soon as my legs stop locking up." Jeanne moves her arms around with ease, very much satisfied to at least have her mobility back in that area. She ends up falling flat on her ass while trying to sit down on the grass.

Thud!

"Oww…" Jeanne winces as she rubs her backside, letting out another yelp when her flag bonks her right on the head.

"You'll live!" I huffed out a laugh, earning a somewhat stern look from Jeanne. She doesn't stay mad for too long, soon laughing along.

"I guess you're right." Gosh, she's so pretty when she smiles.

"Soooo…" I looked ahead, taking in the large, empty fields of grass. There are a few trees standing tall in the distance, though not to the same extent of those that make up the forest. "Where are we?"

I feel like I've seen this before, but I can't exactly confirm where, and it certainly doesn't help that my memory is failing me pretty badly when it comes to remembering anything about Fate/Grand Order. All I can remember, without any context whatsoever, is Ozymandias. That's it.

Mmm, Ozymandias.

"Hehehe…" I wonder if I'll ever meet him again? Who knows, but that's something worth looking forward to!

"We're in France if you must know." Ahhh, France…I never thought I'd be here again. Although, my circumstances are a lot different than that trip to Europe I took during my senior year of high school. For one thing, I can actually enjoy Jeanne's presence. She's actually nice, and not at all an asshole, like some of the people in my travel group were when I visited Europe in my senior year of high school. Even the tour guide was done with them, which said a lot about just how bad they were.

It's part of the reason why I had so many positive memories of the French countryside, since I had the least amount of interactions with them there. I mean, I also didn't have to worry about being left behind on the metro there like in Paris, but whatever.

And that's why I took French during my first year in college.

Too bad I ain't that much of a speaker, which might prove to be a problem here… "Jeanne, can you like…cover for me? My French absolutely sucks."

But that's mostly because I keep wanting to switch over to Spanish.

"But Noa—you're speaking French right now!" Excuse me?!

What the fuck?!

"Well, then…" I guess that solves the issue—how in the hell?!

I have so many questions.

And there's not anyone around who could possibly answer them…

Beep! Beep!

Scratch that—I might actually get some answers! I immediately pressed a button on my bracelet and, very loudly, said, "Hello?!"

Holy hell, my heart is racing!

Please be Roman, please be Roman, please be Roman— "Noa!"

Hot damn!

"Romaaaaaaaaaaannnn!" Oh man, it's so good to see you again!

"Thank goodness you're there!" Roman looked so relieved. "Where are you right now?!"

"Uhhhhh…France?" I'm not sure if that's what he meant, but…hey! "Look who I made a contract with!"

I pulled Jeanne closer to myself, smiling widely as I watched Roman slowly come to terms with what I had just said. Poor Jeanne was just as confused as Roman, though not nowhere near concerned as he was.

"I thought I told you to—never mind that!" Roman pinched the bridge of his nose. "What's important is that you need to get to Mash and the others—where's Siegfried?"

"You mean he isn't with Mash?" Yo, what the hell?!

"Ohhh, this isn't good." Roman clutched his head in his hands. "This really isn't good—wait, who is she?"

"Jeanne d'Arc!" I replied with a smile on my face. "She's a Ruler!"

Still don't know much about Rulers, but hey—we get along pretty well.

"Jeanne d'Arc—she's supposed to be dead!" Hey, that's not a nice thing to say…wait…

"What year is it?" Maybe that'll answer some of my questions.

"The year is 1431—you're in the middle of a respite during the Hundred Years' War." Roman was trying his hardest to remain calm. "Not only are you separated from the others, but you somehow managed to make a contract with the Maid of Orleans."

"Your point?" I don't mean to be rude, but I lost you.

"This has to be the work of the Grail." Someone give Roman a break, he looks like he's about ready to break down… "Noa…I don't mean to alarm you, but what happened to your arm?"

Ooh, oof—uhhh, how do I explain this without him freaking out? "I got…attacked?"

Yeah, there's no way out of this.

"Why are you so uncertain?!" I really need to stop stressing Roman out—he doesn't deserve this.

"I'll take over from here." Thankfully, Da Vinci decided to step in after gently pushing Roman out of the way.

Thud!

Okay, maybe not that gently.

"Did you have to do that?"Come on, Roman deserves some respect.

"Maybe not—but we're pressed for time." Da Vinci smiled sweetly. "I'll make it up to him if you want."

"Please do." I'll feel guilty otherwise.

"Anyways, tell me what exactly happened—in as much detail as you can." Da Vinci reached out to pat Roman on the head as soon as he entered her field of vision. "Be sure to include everything about your new friend."

Da Vinci gave Jeanne a little wave, to which Jeanne responded by waving back in a similar manner, though…she was a lot more uncertain about it.

"It's fine, you can trust her." I gave Jeanne a reassuring pat on the back. "So it all started when I landed in a forest—yes, landed. Because I was falling…and I crashed into some branches. As you can see, my clothes are a…Jeanne, what are you doing?"

"You had some leaves stuck in your hair. Do you mind if I remove them?" Aww, how can I say no to that?

"I don't mind at all!" Gosh, she's so precious. "Back to the topic at hand, my clothes are a mess from the trees and Jeanne caught me before I even hit the ground. That's how we met….and then we ran into a Berserker."

"A Berserker?!" Roman exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. "Noa!"

"I apologize for that." Jeanne frowned. "I was the one who that Berserker was going after. I don't know why, but he just…refused to leave me alone. And because of that, Noa got caught in the crossfire between us."

Yeah, Lancelot ain't exactly lucid enough to understand the concept of Saberfaces, so, uhhh…no escaping that encounter.

"I mean my arm still hurts…but the bleeding stopped!" As gross as it now is, due to how the blood has dried up. Ick.

"I'll have Romani prepare a medical kit to send over with a Servant as soon as you find a leyline with Mash and the others." Da Vinci ran her fingers through Roman's hair, seemingly content with how soft his hair was. "Roman, just what do you put in your hair?"

"Is this really the time for that?" Roman made a face.

"I suppose not, but it would do you some good to unwind." Da Vinci smiled. "You wouldn't want to worry Noa, would you?"

Roman blinked a few times, his gaze shifting over to me. "Ummm…sorry, Noa."

"It's fine!" I reassured him. "Honestly, I'm touched that you care about me to this extent!"

I also understand that I'm all they have left, so it only makes sense that just about anyone would care about my wellbeing. If I go down, then that's it—world ends and there's no coming back from that.

Let's not think about that.

Regardless of the reason, I'll still appreciate any concern held towards me. It makes me feel little more…appreciated.

It feels nice.

"Now, where was I?" I paused for a moment to recollect my thoughts. "Hmm…after the attack, I made a contract with Jeanne, which let her use her Noble Phantasm—by the way, it fucking stuns her!"

"Regret not taking the maid outfit with you?" Da Vinci had such a smug smile on her face.

"A little—but it's fine!" I reached into my pocket to pull out the pouch of runestones I had on me. "Got these bad boys here helping out! I used one and…and…"

How do I say this without saying too much?

"It…exploded." Yeah, that sounds vague enough!

"Noa…how strong was that explosion?" Beads of sweat were rolling down Roman's face.

"Uuuuuhhhhhh…enough?" This is looking really bad. "I honestly don't know how to explain it. I just think CasCú might've helped with these runestones, since they're more of his specialty."

Lol, I could've died!

That is not a fun thought—I should not be laughing at that. "Moving on, the explosion sent the Berserker flying, and the last I saw of him, he was buried under a bunch of trees."

Let's not mention the helmet I played with. I know I said I wouldn't put it on, but I miiiiight've caved in…just a tad bit!

That shit stank. Eeeugh.

Someone needs to give Lancelot a bath, because it is not okay for armor to be smelling like that.

Focus!

"Anyways, I found Jeanne after that, and helped her out!" I pushed all thoughts regarding Lancelot out of my head. "This is as far as we've gotten, since she's still recovering from her stun…by the way, any reason why I'm speaking French?"

Roman heaved out a sigh. "Is that really all you have to say?"

"Listen—I'm curious to know why I'm suddenly fluent in French." There's not a damn flick of Spanish in sight to get in the way of my speech, so I know that's not normal.

"It's a safeguard instated to aide each Master whenever they Rayshift into a Singularity." Thank you, Da Vinci, for answering my question. "It'd be foolish to expect everyone to have a fluent understanding of every language under the sun, especially with how dialects differ over time."

"Is that so?" That's pretty neat! Though, now I have even more questions to ask, but uhhh…I'll leave that for later. I just remembered one very important detail that I've left out… "We need to get going—like right now, because Berserker is still alive, and I don't know how much longer he'll stay under those trees."

There was still some fight left in his eyes, and I'd rather not take my chances with that.

"I think…I've fully recovered." Jeanne's timing could not have been any better. She stood up on her own without any assistance. She stretched out her limbs, paying close attention to how effortlessly she was able to move. She was even able to get right back up as soon as she knelt down to pick up her flag. "Yes! I have!"

"I guess that this is a good sign as any to get moving." For the time being, we should focus on getting as far away from here as possible, if only to avoid another encounter with Lancelot…

"Then we'll save this conversation for later!" Da Vinci smiled sweetly at me. "After all, there's still so much to talk about."

Yeah, like where the hell is Siegfried.

I'm trying not to think too much about it, because I feel like it's only going to upset me.

Is this separation anxiety?

Jesus fuck, I have issues.

"Do try to stay out of trouble while we contact the others." I'll try, Roman…I'll try. "We'll give you an update on their whereabouts."

"I'll do my best to keep her safe!" Jeanne had a look of determination in her eyes as she spoke. "I know my way around here, so feel free to ask me if you have any questions. We're just on the outskirts of Jura, so if you can give me a name of a location or even description of where the others are at, then I can try to find a meeting point for all of us to converge."

"That would be great!" You ever see a man so beautiful that you almost cried? That was Roman right now, when he smiled at us.

"Good luck!" Da Vinci ended the call after that.

"Welp…I guess we should get going." I reached out to grab Jeanne's outstretched hand and let her pull me up. "Lead the way!"

Jeanne nodded her head and did just that, her hand still clasped over mine. She didn't talk much, though as soon as we were far enough away from the forest, she said, "We need to do something about your arm."

"Ahhh…right." We should definitely do something about that. "Any ideas?"

"There should be a river around here…" Jeanne was taking the utmost care to scan her surroundings before pulling me in a certain direction. "This way."

By the time Roman called to check back in with us, Jeanne was in the middle of cleaning my wound, using water from a nearby river. She had ripped off a strip of her clothing to wrap the wound.

"How's it looking?" Roman asked, his gaze focused intently on Jeanne as she continued with her task.

"I mean, it's going to scar if that's what you're asking." Meaning I have a lot to fucking explain when Ritsuka wakes up—but let's not think about that.

Nope, nope, nope, nope!

"Otherwise, I'm fine!" For the time being at least, since we don't have a medical kit. As I said before, it could be worse…but it's not! "So what's the status on everyone else?"

"They're currently in Vaucouleurs," Roman replied. "Any ideas, Jeanne?"

Jeanne paused for a moment. "Tell them to meet us at Domremy. We'll meet them there in…two days' time."

"Two days'…is that how long it'll take us to get there?" Oh man, that's gonna be a lot of walking.

"That's if we continue uninterrupted," Jeanne explained. "If we're not there in three days, look for us."

"I'll be sure to tell the others, for now…" Roman trailed off, his gaze drifting downwards. "It's about Siegfried."

Ahh, fuck—I knew this was coming. "Have you found him?"

Roman shook his head. "Neither of us could locate his signal, which is quite concerning. We should consider ourselves lucky that you met with Jeanne when you did."

"Yeah…" Very fortunate…even if I did get caught in the crossfire between Jeanne and Lancelot.

I wonder how he's doing…

Hopefully, he's nowhere near us. It'd be too fucking soon if I'd ever have to see him again.

Even if his armor is pretty badass.

"I'll be sending you on your way." Roman's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "From here on out, if you have any questions, feel free to call us. If anything comes up, then we'll contact you on our end."

"Gotcha!" I flashed Roman a bright smile. "Take care! Don't push yourself, or else I'll get Da Vinci on your ass!"

Roman only laughed as he ended the call.

"That man needs a fucking break." I exhaled loudly, soon turning my attention to Jeanne. "Well, then…shall we go?"

Jeanne nodded her head. "If you're hungry, let me know so I can try to find you something to eat."

"Okay, just don't worry too much if you can't find anything." If it helps, I had a lot to eat before Rayshifting. It'll likely be a while before I start feeling hungry…I hope. "Let's get going."

This is gonna be a loooong day, so I might as well get comfy with walking a lot.

Good thing these boots are made for walking.

"I hope Mash is okay." I know she can take care of herself, but I'm more worried about how she's handling my absence.

"Who is…Mash?" Ohh, Jeanne—you just opened the floodgates.

"Prepare yourself—I have a LOT to say about her!" Because I need a distraction and talking about my friend should function as a good one!

…

…

Mash sneezes without any warning, startling El-Melloi as he was ready to light a new cigarette.

"You okay, Mashu?" Astolfo looks over his shoulder.

"I'm fine," Mash reassures him, taking a moment to rub her nose. "Just…"

"Hmm…Master, huh?" Astolfo frowns. "She's okay—we'll see her soon! She's got Jeanne at her side!"

"Speaking of Jeanne…" Jekyll began, trailing off only when Astolfo fixated his gaze on him.

"If this is about what those soldiers said, then it has to be someone else!" Astolfo tightens his hands into fists, his carefree expression turning serious for once. "Jeanne is not a witch!"

"Could it be that you know her?" Medea smiles in amusement.

"Hmm-hmm! Not telling!" Astolfo smiles deviously as he places a finger to his lips. "Maybe later?"

El-Melloi sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "You…are infuriating."

"And you have a stick up your butt!" Astolfo puffs up his cheeks. "Don't know why Master likes you…"

"Are you jealous?" Medea places a hand on her cheek. "Hmm…yes, he does have some charm—though he's not anywhere near my strike zone."

"Will you two stop messing around?!" A visible blush covered El-Melloi's face.

"Ahh, I see!" Medea giggles. "It's because you two are alike!"

El-Melloi grits his teeth, a low growl almost rumbling in the back of his throat. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a long drag from his cigarette. "This is a fucking mess."

Not helping was Astolfo getting them lost for a good hour on their way to Vaucouleurs. While familiar with the area, Astolfo was absolutely terrible with directions…which is why Mash is now leading the group to Domremy.

"To think that there are actual dragons terrorizing people." Jekyll frowns, his thoughts drifting over the monsters they had to fight.

"Speaking of dragons!" Astolfo looks ahead, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "Here they come! Jekyll—get your knife ready!"

Jekyll holds out his hand, a knife soon materializing itself in his hand. "Do be warned, if things get start getting out of hand, I may be forced to bring him out."

"I'll keep that in mind." El-Melloi presses his finger against his forehead, his eyes closing in concentration. "Stay still—I'm reinforcing your strength and defense."

"Fou!" Fou cries out in shock as Mash rushes to El-Melloi's side to shield him from an incoming wyvern that singles him out.

The wyvern roars, gnashing its teeth at Mash as she tries her hardest to push it back. Medea immediately readies up a spell, sending a barrage of ice to deter the wyvern. Her magic barely has any effect on the wyverns, though her intent was never to harm it. After all, she was merely a distraction.

"Hahhh!"

The wyvern screeches loudly in pain at the blade that had been plunged into its back. Jekyll holds the knife tightly in his grip, blood soon staining his gloves. Medea laughs as the wyvern struggles to throw Jekyll of its back.

"Shall I make you suffer?!" Medea prepares another spell, her comment functioning as a cue for Jekyll to pull out. He barely dodges the blast of fire that sets the wyvern ablaze.

It screeches out in pain as it backs away from Mash's shield, unable to put out the fire. It gives out one last cry as Astolfo runs his lance through its chest, hitting its heart dead-on. He pulls out and jumps out of the way, barely avoiding the splash of blood that soon covers Jekyll's clothes.

"Are you okay, Jekyll?" Mash tries not to gag over the stench of blood.

"I'm perfectly fine!" Jekyll smiles warmly at her, not at all bothered by the blood that trickles down his face.

"Standby, everyone!" Astolfo dismisses his lance and reaches for the black horn that he has hanging from his hip. "Get behind Mash—this is gonna be loud!"

Astolfo faces the remaining wyverns that are heading their way. They might've taken one wyvern down, but there are still at least five more to go. Without Siegfried around, it takes a lot more effort for the group to dispatch any dragons. Jekyll is their only source of heavy damage, though he is limited by his range and the wyverns' numbers.

The damage that Astolfo deals himself is neutral, as he and the wyverns are of the same class. Of course, damage is damage, and a little goes a long way when they're all working together. As soon as he activates his horn, it transforms into a massive instrument of sorts with various pipes. He inhales deeply as he places his lips over the mouthpiece. Once the wyverns have gotten closer, he blows, sending out a cacophonous blast of sound waves at them.

It hits them head-on, slowing them down as the noise puts them in a daze. El-Melloi takes advantage of the situation and summons his feather fan into his hand.

"This is the ultimate formation of the Great Tactician, Unreturning Formation." El-Melloi fixates his gaze on the wyverns as the sky above them darkens. Stone pillars fall from the sky, landing around the wyverns and trapping them in a circular formation. The ground beneath them lights up and soon, Chinese characters form in the gaps between the pillars. Each character glows once as a massive Bagua Mirror appears over the top of the stone pillars. "Break it if you can."

It's a taunt that comes all to easily to El-Melloi—likely a remnant of Zhuge Liang showing through as he admires the work of his Noble Phantasm. It leaves the wyverns immobile, allowing Jekyll to attack them without any issues. Astolfo helps out, laughing wildly as he charges through with his lance. He pauses momentarily, his eyes widening as an idea pops up in his head.

"Show them your true power!" Astolfo cries out, pumping his fist into the air. "Hippogriff!"

His voice echoes loudly, a bird-like screech soon calling out in response.

Astolfo leaps into the air and lands on the back of winged creature—a hippogriff—that appeared out of the sky. The hippogriff is mostly brown in coloration, with a white head and a white tail. It's far larger than any of the wyverns in the vicinity, which is why it charges fiercely towards them when Astolfo commands it.

Jekyll jumps out of the way, evading Astolfo as he ran through the wyverns with his lance. He averts his gaze, not wanting to see the carnage that ensues. He grits his teeth when something inside of himself just urges him to look for the wrong reasons. He ignores it, only turning when he hears Mash crying out that one of the wyverns had survived.

Jekyll throws his knife at the wyvern, stopping it immediately in its track as the blade embeds itself in its chest. The wyvern gives one last screech, blood soon coming out of its mouth before collapsing onto the ground in a lifeless heap.

"That should be all of them!" Astolfo exclaims with a bright smile on his face. He pets his hippogriff's feathers, congratulating it on a job well done. He stops for a moment and then looks over his shoulder at Mash. "Do you wanna pet him?"

"Ummm…!" Mash bites her lip.

Medea smiles. "Go on—don't be shy. You deserve it."

With a gentle shove from Medea, Mash soon makes her way over to Astolfo and his hippogriff. It takes her some time to open up to the hippogriff, even with Astolfo encouraging her. Though once she brings herself to pet its soft feathers, Mash finds that she cannot stop.

"Soft, isn't it?" Astolfo laughs.

"Yes! Soft!" If only Noa was here…that's what Mash finds herself thinking as she continues to pet the hippogriff.

Watching the two interact from afar is Jekyll as he collects his knife from the wyvern's corpse. He wipes the sweat off his brow, his nose wrinkling in disgust over the blood that still covers his hands and clothes. It's the same as before, when he first fought those wyverns…

And just like before, a torrent of water is used on him to wash out the blood.

"Sorry, sorry!" Medea apologizes for not giving Jekyll a heads-up. "You seemed like you didn't want to wait!"

As soon as he can respond, Jekyll smiles at Medea and says, "It's fine. I appreciate the thought behind your actions."

Medea stares at him for a moment, a smile soon forming on her lips. "You are quite the gentleman, no?"

"I try." Jekyll laughs.

El-Melloi takes one last drag of his cigarette before dropping it and crushing it under his heel. He turns to Medea, who gives him an almost knowing look before floating herself over to the wyvern corpses. She goes about collecting the fangs after extracting them from the mouth of each corpse.

They weren't able to collect any of the fangs from the wyverns they fought at Vaucouleurs. Too many witnesses and panic over the Dragon Witch made it especially difficult for the Witch of Betrayal to do anything that would raise suspicion. Without Noa around, it's far too soon to take any chances.

Which…brings El-Melloi's attention their current issue at hand. "Listen up! From here on out, we cannot use our Noble Phantasms."

It was an issue that they've discussed after defending Vaucouleurs. Due to the distance between them and their Master, they expend far more mana than usual when using their Noble Phantasms. It's not efficient, and it only puts their Master at risk of overloading her circuits.

"Until we reunite with Noa, we have to make the most of what we can do." El-Melloi turns his attention to Mash, having heard Fou's cries as he tapped his paws on her head. "We'll leave as soon as we're ready…understand?"

"Yes!" Astolfo pipes up in a chipper tune. "Say, sayyy…since my hippogriff's out for the time being, we can use him for transportation to shorten the distance!"

"Will…he be able to fit us all?" Jekyll asks as he wrings out the water in his clothes. He stays still when El-Melloi sends a powerful gust of wind his way to blow his clothes dry.

"It's fine, it's fine!" Astolfo places his hand on his hips and puffs out his chest. "He's a lot stronger than he looks!"

"He is pretty big…" Mash remarks, her hands still stroking the hippogriff's feathers. Fou hops off her head, landing right on the hippogriff's back.

"Fouuuu!" A low growl rumbles in the back of Fou's throat as he furiously taps his paws against the hippogriff's back.

"Hoo, someone's jealous!" Astolfo laughs, his laughter only growing louder when Fou pounced his face. "Hey, hey! You're so tiny!"

"Foouuu!"

El-Melloi sighs in exasperation, taking a moment to run his fingers through his hair. "Well, then…when everyone's ready."

It takes less than ten minutes to arrive at their destination, thanks to Astolfo's hippogriff. They land outside the outskirts of a hamlet, deciding to keep their distance for the time being while they adjust to their new surroundings. Astolfo's hippogriff disappears shortly after, earning a few content cries from Fou as he nuzzled Mash's cheek.

El-Melloi takes in their surroundings, soon choosing a spot to settle down while they wait for Noa and Jeanne. Unsurprisingly, Astolfo runs off to gather information, with Jekyll going after him to ensure that he doesn't get into any trouble. Medea hums to herself in thought, contemplating her options to kill some time. She chooses to go to Mash's side, having noticed her gloomy expression.

"Mash—would you like to help me with a task?" Medea asks, a smile soon forming on her lips as an idea pops into her head. "It's for Noa."

"Umm…sure!" Mash nods her head.

Medea laughs, her gaze drifting towards El-Melloi. "There's room for one more if you'd like to join."

Not having anything better to do, El-Melloi decides to join the two in making bracelets out of thread.

…

…

It's sometime in the evening, not long after the sun had set, when Jeanne and I picked a place to settle down for the night. My legs were absolutely sore from all that walking, which only meant that tomorrow was going to be a pain in the ass.

I hate walking.

"Uuuugh…" I heaved out a sigh.

Jeanne only laughed to herself as she collected fallen branches. We were near a couple of trees, just by a small river that was to be our source of water for the night. Normally, I'd worry about drinking any water that isn't properly purified, but uhhh…I'll take my chances. I don't have the luxury to be too picky.

It's real survival hours.

And I'm here, taking risks. "Two days, huh?"

"That is how far Domremy is from Jura." Jeanne adds another stick to the bundle she carries in her arms.

"Why Domremy?" Like…any specific reason, or…?

"Well…it is the closest location where we can converge, but also…it's where I was born." Jeanne smiles as she picks up another stick.

"Ohh!" I see. "Feeling a little homesick?"

"Maybe." Jeanne grabbed one last stick before returning to my side. It doesn't take her too long to make a fire, even going as far as to teach me how to make one myself.

"You sure know a lot!" A lot more than me, that's for sure.

"It's nothing, really." Jeanne laughed. "It's just something I picked up…are you hungry?"

"Uhhh…" I wanna say yes, but…I don't want to be left alone.

Beep! Beep!

Thankfully, Roman picked the best time to call.

"Just calling to check in on you for the night," he explained. "The others have arrived at their destination and are now waiting for you two. Make sure to rest up for tomorrow—it's going to be a long day."

"Yeah, yeah." Don't rub it in. Geez, my feet hurt. "Hhhh…"

I kicked off my boots, setting them to the side as I contemplated the pros and cons of removing my tights. On one hand, I can let my feet actually breathe. On the other hand, I'm not sure I'll be able to put them back on without ripping them anymore than they already were.

Hmmmmmm.

I thought about it, but I stopped myself when I realized that I was still talking to Roman. "So…anything else?"

"Just keep your guard up for any monsters." Surprisingly, Jeanne and I haven't run into any, unlike Mash and the others.

Let's not a look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Is your arm feeling better?" Roman looked expectantly at me.

"Ehh, it's a little bruised, but the bleeding's stopped at least!" I'm looking on the bright side. After all those near-death experiences, the pain, while annoying, is welcomed because it's a sign that I'm still alive.

Growl.

That, too, is also a sign that I am still alive…I just wish it wasn't that loud.

"Would you like me to investigate the local flora and fauna to find you something to eat?" Roman offered, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You'll need the energy."

"Not right now—let's continue our conversation from earlier." We have all the time to do so. "Any luck on tracking down Siegfried?"

"Unfortunately, no…but we can at least confirm that he is still within this Singularity!" Roman turned to accept a mug of coffee from Da Vinci. "Thank you…any other questions?"

THWAP!

Uhhhh, yeah—BITCH, WHAT THE FUCK?! "Hhyeeek!"

"Holy—!" Jeanne covered her mouth as she stared at the dead rabbit that was thrown at us. Its corpse landed on the ground, just inches away from the fire.

"Aaaah…" Oh god, why?!

From out of the darkness, was a glimmer of red that belonged to the gaze of a certain Berserker. He stared at us unflinchingly, with blood covering his gauntlets. It was like something out of a horror movie…one that I wanted out of right now.

Get me out of here!

"How did he…!" Roman almost spilled his coffee. "Jeanne, get ready to fight!"

Jeanne scrambled to get to her flag, but it was already too late.

"Aaaaaah…" Lancelot was already at my side, staring me down as he literally got in my face.

Oh gooooodddd…

"Noa…don't make any sudden movements." Roman, I'm trying…do not test me.

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry…!

Lancelot tilted his head to the side. There was a low rumble coming from his throat as he inched closer, his helmet almost bumping into my nose.

Sniff, sniff.

What.

Sniff, sniff, sniff.

Whatwhatwhaaaaaaaaaaat.

"Ahh!" A shriek left my mouth when Lancelot suddenly placed his hands on my head, pressing his helmet into my forehead.

Sniffsniffsniffsniffsniiiiffff.

Tears slid down my cheeks, my heart about ready to burst out of my chest. I was just so damn scared.

"Ggggggg!" A strange sound leaves Lancelot's mouth, one that sounds exceedingly different from all the other sounds he's made. "GGGggggaaaaaaa…!"

Unlike most of the sounds he's made before, this one sounds oddly…content. He released my head, his fingers gently tousling my hair before leaving to go fetch the dead rabbit.

I stared at him, too dumbfounded to say anything. Even Jeanne was at a loss for words from the way she just stared, her flag still in her hand.

"Uhhhh…" Roman was at least trying to find his voice. "Ahhh!"

I choked back a scream when Lancelot threw the dead rabbit at me. He didn't give me any warning, just fucking threw it. It bounced off my chest and landed in my lap, doing a good job at staining my clothes with blood.

With much reluctance, I grabbed the rabbit so that its blood wouldn't seep too deeply into my clothes. I held it away from myself, sticking my tongue out like some sort of disgusted little kid…because seriously, this is gross.

It's just a dead rabbit, it's just a dead rabbit, it's just a dead rabbit.

"Hrrrgggh." Not helping at all in this situation is Lancelot. The bastard got in my personal bubble yet again, letting out a warning growl when he caught Jeanne moving towards us. He looked like he legitimately wanted to fight her, but he was keeping his distance.

What even.

"Noa…what did you do?" Roman, I have no idea why you're asking me this.

"How am I supposed to know?" I hissed at him, almost biting my tongue when Lancelot suddenly turned to me. "Uhhh…hi?"

"Shuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu…" The sound that comes out of Lancelot's mouth is far different from any of the guttural noises he's made before. He sat down in the empty space right next to me, his gaze still fixated on me and the rabbit I held up.

Seconds passed, and neither of us said anything. After about a minute, Roman finally spoke. "I…I think…he wants you to eat it."

"What." I wasn't expecting that, though when my stomach let out another growl, Lancelot responded by grabbing the rabbit out of my hand. I stared at him for a few seconds before averting my gaze, not wanting to watch him skin a rabbit. "Okay, what the fuck?"

"Noa, are you okay?" No, Jeanne…I'm not. There's a fucking Berserker at my side, doing random shit for me that I can barely fathom.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked Lancelot, knowing damn well that my chances of receiving a proper answer from him was at an all-time low.

And yet…that didn't stop Lancelot from trying. "MMMmmmmm…!"

It was a struggle for him to say anything without his voice dying in his throat, as though there was some sort of strain on his vocal cords. He tried again, managing to get something out that sounded semi-comprehensible.

"MMMMaaaaaaaaaaaaassssstt!" That's as much as he can get out before his voice dies out. Afterwards, his body heaved for air, as though he'd been choked. "Haahh…haaahhh…haaahh!"

He remained calm despite it all, still working his way around the dead rabbit. I didn't want to see this, but I just couldn't look away—I was just too stunned by Lancelot's abnormal behavior.

"Noa, I'll ask again…just what did you do?" Roman looked as though he had aged another ten years in the span of a few minutes.

"I don't…I don't…I don't!" I have issues giving Roman an answer, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Don't…don't!"

"Alright, let's calm down…" Roman rubbed his temples, likely in an attempt to soothe whatever headache was coming on. "Okay, breathe in…and out—look away from the dead rabbit."

I did as I was told and was somewhat surprised to find out how lightheaded I felt. Thoughts were swimming around my head, making it very difficult to stay focused.

"Just keep at it until you can breathe easily." Roman's voice kept me grounded.

It took a few minutes for me to regulate my breathing, my head no longer feeling so dizzy. "I don't…knooowww."

"There we go!" Roman gave me a reassuring smile.

"Th-Thanks…" I don't know what I would've done without him.

"Are you…eeek!" Jeanne choked back a shriek when Lancelot suddenly growled at her. "Wh-What…?!"

"Well…this is interesting." Da Vinci chose to enter the picture at that exact moment, her eyes somewhat wide from shock.

"How so?" Roman heaved out a sigh. "This is too tense for my liking…"

"From the looks of it, this Berserker doesn't mean any harm…" Da Vinci crossed her arms under her chest. "In fact…hmmm."

"What's wrong?" Roman turned to Da Vinci.

"I have a slight theory, though it's more a guess than anything." Da Vinci pursed her lips. "Hmm…Noa—did you, by any chance, form a contract with him?"

"Excuse me?" Did I hear that right?

"A contract—Noa! Not again!" Roman was quick to react, looking as though he wanted to reach through the screen to shake me. "Why do you keep doing this?!"

"I don't know!" I'm still trying to process what Da Vinci just said. "C-Contract…? Seriously?"

What kind of bullcrap is this?

"H-Heeyyy." I guess there's only one way to find out… "B-Berserker…?"

"Aaaah!" Lancelot let out a soft cry.

Oh god, he's actually responding to me, what the hellll. "A-A-Are you…my Servant?"

There was a small pause…and then a pleased grumble came out of Lancelot's mouth.

"Oh, what the fuuuucckkk." I can't believe—how am I supposed to react to that?! "Hyeek!"

Oh goodie—just what I wanted to see. A skinned rabbit…oh god, that's so gross.

Gross, gross, gross!

I think I wanna hurl… "Uuuuuugh…"

"Huuuuu…?" Lancelot removed the rabbit from my sight, tilting his head curiously at me.

"G-Geez…" My body wouldn't stop shaking. This was just so unsettling…

"I think it's safe to assume that this Berserker is on your side." Da Vinci laughs all too nervously, being just as unsettled as I was. "Though, he does seem to be wary of Jeanne…"

"Better than him attacking her." I don't think I'd be able to survive another fight like that—not without the others around, at least. "Hey—stop growling at her!"

Jeanne couldn't make any sudden movements without Lancelot growling at her like some sort of dog. Feeling annoyed that Lancelot wasn't listening to me, I whapped my hand against Lancelot's helmet. It happened all too suddenly, and by the time I could even process what I was about to do, I had already done it.

Clang!

Unsurprisingly, Lancelot let out an ungodly screech that made me and Jeanne cringe. I was expecting the worse after that, so I closed my eyes, preparing myself for whatever attack Lancelot had in mind.

This is it…this is how we die.

Except we're still alive, because Lancelot doesn't attack. Instead, he just steps aside, letting Jeanne move closer when she tries one last time. As soon as her hand lands on my shoulder, I sighed loudly in relief.

"Holy fuck…" I think I just lost a few years…

"Grrr…" Lancelot still growled at Jeanne, though it was a lot quieter now.

"Ummm…" Beads of sweat rolled down Jeanne's face. "Are you sure this is fine?"

"He hasn't attacked us…" Yet, I wanted to add, but didn't because I don't want anyone's anxiety to spike up from that.

"Do keep your guard up." Roman buried his face in the palms of his hand. "We'll…try to learn more about Berserker."

"You do that, I'm just gonna…clean up." There's blood staining my clothes, and I think I just heard a few bones breaking—was that Lancelot with the rabbit?

"Let me help." Jeanne started to remove her gauntlets. "Noa, if you don't wish to see this…just look away."

"Will do!" I ain't about to watch this…not now, at least. I don't think I'm in any state for any more of this survival crap. Maybe next time, when I don't have to worry about almost getting killed again.

This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder…

At least Lancelot and Jeanne are getting along…in their own way. The two are still so reluctant to interact, but it's better than Lancelot attacking Jeanne for being a Saberface.

How many of them are there?

I honestly forget, though a part of me just knows that there are a lot more out there. I sincerely hope we don't run into any more of those…not with Lancelot around.

Incoming doggo, ready to attack.

Heh, a dog…I guess that does fit Lancelot to an extent…

…

…

…

A/N LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR DAY SIX OF QUARANTINE, MAKING ME CRANK OUT ANOTHER CHAPTER!

Yeah, my state got put under quarantine due to COVID-19, on the day Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out, so now I'm out of school for the rest of the semester, just stuck at home. I've been spending the last few days, just playing Animal Crossing with my friends, while also finding the time to write out this chapter.

It's been quite the experience, so I hope everyone else is doing okay. In the meantime, I hope this chapter helps pass the time!

And yes, Lancelot joins the fray—no details yet on why, but I'll explain it within the next few chapters. In any case, this is the official appearance of the infamous doggo I've been bringing up from time to time, who helped me through a majority of Part One. I made use of Necromancy, and because of my RNG luck, Lancelot would often rise back from the dead and save my ass.

He's half-way through to Bond Level 9 on my main account, and to this day, still takes up the Berserker slot on my supports. He's a good dog, okay? Okay.

In other news, praise be to FGO Arcade and Extella Link helping me the fuck out with visualizing how certain Servants fight. Side note, I am appalled that Astolfo has not been added to Arcade, and I feel like me bitching about it in my server only brought forth another copy of Saber Astolfo on my alt JP account. So now I have NP2 of him…not sure how to feel about that, because I was aiming for Chiron, but whatever. I honestly was just expecting a copy of Siegfried when that Saber card turned gold…

Speaking of Siegfried—he's missing! Yeahhhh…this is not a good thing, because we're in Orleans…and there are a lot of dragons here. And Siegfried is good at taking down dragons, but without him around, it's a lot harder for Mash and the others to fight any wyverns. Like…it takes a lot more effort than it should, because all they have are two Casters, a Rider, an Assassin, and a Shielder.

Also not helping is how much more mana they're using, due to the distance between them and Noa, so shit just got pretty risky.

So this chapter basically slapped the fuck out of me with a wake-up call that THIS IS GONNA BE A FUCKING LONG-ASS STORY. Like, I was already aware of that, but this really nailed it home.

Let's get some shout-outs out of the way!

Reviewer #77: Zam138

Honorable mentions: Belphy (YO I'M SHOOK OVER THE UPCOMING CAMELOT MOVIES BECAUSE OF OZY!), Blaze2121

Not a lot of feedback this time around, but to those who left a review…thank you very much! I appreciate the time you put into leaving behind a review after reading this story! It really means a lot after all the hard work I put into a chapter. So here's to hoping you guys continue reviewing, because it really does keep me motivated.

Feel free to point out any mistakes I've made. I've been juggling this chapter, and Animal Crossing with friends these past few days, so I tend to miss things from time to time.

Anyways, that's about it for now. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Stay safe, everyone! And wash your hands!

Until next time! KD out! XD