FATE/END LAYER
(An official hard reboot of the blog's existing lore; part 1/gods know how many.)
Alarms. Blood-red lights. Screams and tremors and the sound of bodies being ripped to shreds.
Ritsuka Fujimaru ran as fast as she could to the command room, finding Roman and Da Vinci overseeing several surveillance cameras.
"What's going on?"
"It's..." Da Vinci gestured for Ritsuka to get closer. "...you're going to want to see this for yourself."
On one of the cameras, through the smoke and embers, an imposing silhouette was visible, picking up a smaller silhouette and—
The camera was spattered in blood. An inhuman roar shook all of Chaldea. Ritsuka's eyes widened. She knew that voice.
"M...Medusa...!?"
"It looks like she finally snapped." Roman rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what her sisters must have done, but... let's just say they were the first to go."
"Basically, she's not Medusa anymore." Da Vinci added. "You remember Babylonia, don't you?"
Ritsuka looked at the remaining cameras. Walls spattered in blood, entire floors set ablaze, vaguely humanoid-shaped piles of golden dust.
"...Where's Mash?"
"She's already en-route. Do you need us to call the Alters?"
"To tell them about a party like this?" Ritsuka managed a smirk. "...Bet they're already on their way."
—————
"LORD... CAMELOT!!"
The full force of the monster's Noble Phantasm splayed against Mash's shield. The floor, the walls, everything around her cracked and began to turn to ash and dust, but she held her ground. Any moment now, Senpai would arrive.
Any moment now.
Any moment now.
Any—
"Hey, sorry we're late."
"Senpai!"
Ritsuka dropped beside her as if from the sky (or ceiling at least), wearing a strange new Mystic Code. Jeanne (Alter) and Artoria (also Alter, both in their Shinjuku outfits) followed suit.
"You been managing okay on your own?"
Mash nodded. "You know me. Even if I can't do anything to stop her... she'll never put me down. ...Though... what are you wearing?"
It looked like a modified version of the True Ether Mystic Code, painted black and red, armor plated at certain points, and with a small, vermilion shawl in place of the orange scarf.
What's more, she had a dark flowing cape behind her, and almost none of her skin was exposed.
"Oh, this? I had Da Vinci whip this up a while ago, but I never got a chance to test it out! What do you think? Don't I look cool~?"
"Stopping her is what we're for, anyway." Artoria suddenly spoke up, as if Ritsuka never did. Her sword, Excalibur Morgan, materialized and rested on her shoulder. "Just be sure you have our backs. Like you always have."
The light faded, and Ritsuka looked across the room. There stood Medusa, her hands and feet twisted into monstrous claws, golden scales spattered across her skin, a long flowing tail coiled beneath her.
Ritsuka took a deep breath in, and closed her eyes. Her hand reached out to her side, and she could feel what waited there for her.
Five cards.
"Begin."
—————
"Umu, Praetor?"
Aya looked away from her vanity. She sat in nothing but her underwear, her fingers combed up through her hair, holding it together in its usual ponytail. Nero sat in bed, covered only by a blanket.
"Yes, Your Grace?" She spoke through her teeth, her hair tie held between them.
"I was simply wondering... have you ever considered wearing your hair down for a day?"
Aya blinked. She had no words in response. It was as if the very concept was so foreign to her, it crashed her brain.
"I just..." Nero continued. "...oftentimes, when I catch you like that, I... I find myself somewhat breathless."
Aya's jaw dropped, her hair tie falling into her lap. "Y...You mean it?"
"Umu! I think it suits you, even! There is just something so... graceful about the way your hair flows behind you, I..."
Nero suddenly pulled the ribbon out of her hair, letting it all hang at her shoulders.
"...I-I would even be willing to forgo my own Imperial hairstyle for you, if it would help you feel more comfortable."
"I..."
Aya looked back at her vanity. At the ribbon hanging over the top of it. Her hands slowly released the ponytail she had been holding, and she gently fluffed her hair as it draped down her back.
In the mirror, she was unrecognizable. Without her usual outfit, no trace remained of the girl she was. Even still, she took a deep breath in.
"...I... guess I could spend a day like this." She looked down at herself. "...well, after putting something on, at least."
Nero giggled. "And here you had me hoping~"
"What is that supposed to mean??"
They laughed together. It was a good day.
—————
<Arts Chain>
"Mash!"
"On it." Mash ran toward Medusa, deflecting multiple hair-snakes with her shield. She landed a direct blow to Medusa's side, sending her a fair distance away.
Artoria dashed after her, and slashed straight across the newfound Avenger's torso. ...Twice.
"...Jeanne."
A shadow rushed toward the two fighters, and ran Medusa straight through with a banner-bearing spear. Jeanne tore it out with enough force to spatter Medusa's cursed ichor across the floor, and summoning her sword to her other hand, she spun around and slashed Medusa across the throat.
Medusa staggered back until she hit a wall. She tried to shriek, but could only croak. Ritsuka pointed her hand toward Jeanne as the Dragon Witch fired off every skill she had.
<+50% critical strength>
<+800% Critical Star gather rate>
<+20% ATK>
<+20% ATK>
<+50% Buster Card effectiveness>
Ritsuka snapped her fingers, and a golden glow began to envelop Jeanne.
<+25 Critical Stars>
<+30% NP gauge>
Jeanne planted her spear into the floor, letting the banner unravel. Black flames began to swirl around her as she slowly raised her sword.
<Buster Brave Chain>
"This is the howl of a soul filled with hatred."
Jeanne did not shout. She did not even raise her voice. She spoke as a wolf that cornered her prey, knowing well that there was only one thing left to do.
Ritsuka looked at Medusa. At the blood seeping from her wounds. At the severed snakes that littered the floor around her. At the fear in her eyes—
"LE GRONDEMENT DE LA—"
"WAIT!!"
Ritsuka reached out again, her Command Seal suddenly burning as bright as the sun.
Jeanne stood frozen for a moment. The flames died down. All three— four Servants turned to stare at Ritsuka.
She shook herself as if snapping out of a trance, and ran toward Medusa.
The Gorgon flinched as she approached, but she stopped and got down on a knee.
There was a silence then. Even the remaining flaming rubble seemed to be holding its inanimate breath. Ritsuka stared directly into Medusa's eyes.
"...M...Medusa?"
A raspy half-gagging breath. A single tear. But she never looked away. She never looked away.
"M... Mas...ter...?"
Ritsuka suddenly pulled Medusa into a tight hug. Her entire body glowed with a pale, emerald light. Slowly, Medusa's wounds began to close.
<+4000 HP>
They sat there. Together. In silence for a while.
"...You idiot."
Medusa's voice was deeper. Colder. And yet... it was still hers.
"I could murder you. Right here and now. None of your other Servants would be fast enough to save you."
"But you won't."
Medusa's eyes briefly narrowed. "...And what makes you so sure of that? I've slaughtered several people before you showed up. What makes you so different?"
"Well, they'll all respawn eventually." Ritsuka pulled away to look at Medusa. "So what if you tore 'em open and strung 'em up like Christmas lights? This is Chaldea, we've all seen worse~"
Medusa stared at her. Then at the others. They all looked just as confused as she did.
"...Then... why spare me? If I'm going to 'respawn' anyway—"
"'Dusa, I'm not stupid." Ritsuka smiled. She beamed. "And I know you aren't either. Your core is so messed up it makes Jeanne look like another Tuesday. You're unstable. You're falling apart. If we killed you now, there's a chance you'd never come back. And..."
Medusa was pulled into another hug.
"...I like you too much to risk that happening."
"I—" Medusa stared down at the girl who held her. "...But I'm a monster. If you spare me, all I will do is kill. If anything, I deserve to be—"
"'Dusa, if you're a monster, then I'm a dead thing made by a dead power in the shape of the dead." Ritsuka squeezed her, drawing out a tiny, barely-audible squeak that the others didn't dare to take note of. "And besides, even if you do have this insatiable urge to gorge on people's entrails or something, that's... still not a problem Emiya can't solve~"
Ritsuka released Medusa and slowly got up... but her hand was around Medusa's.
"Come on, let's head to the cafeteria while everyone puts out all the fires. I've got a feeling I know exactly what'll keep those snakes of yours occupied~"
Medusa looked to the other Servants.
Mash's visible confusion was replaced with slightly begrudging resignation. Artoria looked like she heard the word "cafeteria" and blocked out everything else. Jeanne just shrugged.
Medusa sighed, and squeezing Ritsuka's hand... she rose.
And she rose.
And she rose.
High enough to graze the ceiling.
"...Fine. I guess I'll humor you for now. ...On... one condition."
"Yeah~?"
She looked away.
"...Just... don't... stop calling me Medusa."
"Wasn't planning on it~"
—————
Nero strutted her usual strut. Aya walked casually at her side. Neither of them paid any mind to the doused floors or ash-covered walls.
It was Tuesday, after all.
They made their way to the cafeteria, finding it mostly empty, save for a few scattered Servants.
"Umu, I will go speak to the Archer in red. Sit wherever you will~"
Aya made her way over to the first table that caught her eye; a table that had an unnervingly cheery Gorgon and an absolutely silly amount of food on it.
"Heya, Rinny." She took a seat next to Ritsuka— or rather, Carina.
The Hero of Chaldea took her eyes off of Medusa. "Oh, you're up late."
"Hush, you." Aya playfully bopped Carina's shoulder. "You know how I get with Nero sometimes."
"Honestly, you put more love into your Saberface than Ritsuka puts into hers." Artoria spoke flatly and tossed a cheeseburger into the air, ignoring Carina's immediate objections. One of Medusa's snakes caught the burger and scarfed it down. Another snake stared at the first, looking almost crestfallen. Artoria threw a pizza slice at it, and it seemed to cheer up.
"...Do they have minds of their own?" Aya reached over and started to steal a french fry from the pile.
"Not likely. They probably just share the same base desires as Medusa." Carina slapped Aya's hand, knocking the fry out of it. A snake immediately rushed over and snatched it before it could even hit the table.
"...Then she's a pretty hungry girl."
"Yeah, her sisters being assholes were definitely the catalyst for her rampage, but she probably wouldn't have gone on for so long if she wasn't so hangry. ...Speaking of, we're probably going to have to feed her like this every single time from now on."
"That shouldn't be a problem, right?" Mata Hari suddenly spoke up, in her usual sunny tone. "She's an old friend of Emiya's, after all. I'm sure he'd be glad to do this for her~"
Aya blinked. "...When did you even get here? Shouldn't you be off with—"
"Oh, she's off making hot sweet love in Nobunaga's room~"
"Anyway," Carina's voice suddenly raised, "we need to figure out what we're going to do about 'Dusa. Her core is all wibbly-wobbly, and if we don't find a way to stabilize her, we won't be able to afford to send her out with us any longer."
"...Did we really need to send her out to begin with, though?"
"While she might not be one of the main three members, she's still an incredibly valued member of Blacknight!" Carina pounded the table to emphasize her point. A donut fell off the pile as a result. Two snakes grabbed it and tore it in half, scarfing it down together.
"...'Blacknight'?" Mata tilted her head.
"A name for Senpai's main Servant team." Mash explained. "She came up with it a long time ago, though... back before even Jeanne was here."
"We're like the Team ACT of Chaldea." Mordred spoke proudly. "No biggie. Just the residential cool kids, that's all."
"...'Team ACT'?"
Mordred's eyes widened. "...Someone get this girl Blue Rescue Team."
"You guys sure can't keep to one topic, can you?" Aya reached over to steal a chicken nugget, when a snake chomped down on several of them. "...And I'm not eating lunch today, am I?"
"Not ours." Artoria half-glared. "Go get your own."
"Umu, she will not have to!" Nero approached the table with an ornate platter of presumably Roman food, which looked a lot like normal food, save for its presentation.
She also had a comically large bowl of spicy ramen.
It was always ramen.
—————
The balcony outside of the rec room wasn't a real balcony.
It was an expertly-crafted simulation, if anything; overlooking a seaside cliff, somewhere that definitely wasn't Antarctica.
It was also always nighttime there.
Carina leaned against the rail, her eyes closed, listening only to the waves far below her.
The door slid open and closed behind her.
"Da Vinci figure anything out yet?" She asked, expecting Aya to respond.
"Still working on it. She thinks she might 'need' me or some shit for... whatever fucking reason."
Carina's eyes shot open, and she quickly turned around. "J-Jeanne?"
Jeanne went up to the rail and leaned beside Carina— or rather, Ritsuka. She said nothing else. Only closed her eyes... and listened.
Ritsuka slowly turned back to the rail. And did the same.
Only... she couldn't focus anymore.
Jeanne tended to have that effect on her.
Finally, Jeanne's voice cut through the silent turmoil.
"...I love you."
"What?" Ritsuka's eyes opened again, and she looked at Jeanne. Her eyes were still closed. She hadn't moved at all. And yet—
"I said I love you."
Ritsuka froze. So Jeanne continued.
"I just... didn't want you to forget that, or... start thinking my feelings were still undecided, or something."
Her eyes opened. Embers crackled and sparked around them for a moment. They flickered and flitted like candlelights as they fell upon Ritsuka.
"I love you, Ritsuka."
Ritsuka stared into Jeanne's eyes for a moment, completely and utterly lost in them.
"I..." She had to take a moment to catch her breath, and Jeanne suddenly laughed at her. That high and mighty witch's cackle.
"W-What's so funny?"
"Oh, I knew saying it was going to do something to you, but you're a mess right now, aren't you?"
"I-I am not!!"
Jeanne only laughed louder. Ritsuka quietly pouted... but deep down, she was just happy to see Jeanne smile.
"...At least you mean it."
"Oh? Do I, though? Is that what you think?" Jeanne had her signature shit-eating grin. "Or have your delusions finally taken hold of you entirely? You really think someone like me—"
Ritsuka pulled Jeanne into a hug. An incredibly tight hug. A hug that would have done some actual damage to a normal human body.
"Jeanne..."
She leaned against the Dragon Witch, putting all of her weight into the hug, having faith that Jeanne would hold her up, paying no mind to the sudden lack of words from her.
"...whether you mean it or not..." Her voice was a dreamy whisper in Jeanne's ear. "...I love you too."
There was a shiver. It wasn't coming from Ritsuka, but she could feel it. Soon Jeanne's own weight pushed back, and her arms slowly wrapped around Ritsuka.
"...You... better love me too."
Ritsuka smiled. Part of her hoped that this moment would—
The door slid open. Jeanne squeaked like a kicked puppy and shoved Ritsuka away.
"Hey, lovebirds." Artoria leaned against the doorframe, "Da Vinci needs to talk. To... both of you. C'mon."
"W-We are not—"
Artoria didn't even give Jeanne time to respond. She was already gone.
Jeanne simply growled, but then looked back to Ritsuka.
"...My room after all this?"
"Oh, just say the word and I'm there."
Jeanne smiled.
