Watching the others stand up, I unlatch myself from Alistair's side, and move to follow the others' actions, standing up while giving a satisfying stretch.
"Then we shall reconvene together in the Shopping District in four hours' time," Rider said happily, before patting his Master on the back. "Go on Boy, show some manners."
Waver only shot his Servant a slightly disappointed scowl before sighing. Turning to look at Rosalind, he performs a slight bow. "Thank you for hosting this meeting, and thank you for all the help," he said politely, causing Rosalind to give a small smile to Waver.
Giving a slightly dismissive wave, she gives the boy a relaxed shrug. "I appreciate the sentiment, but there is no need for you to be thankful yet. I'd rather hear them once we complete today's mission," she said nonchalantly.
At that, Waver straightened up, and gave Rosalind a resolute nod. "Then I'll see you in a few hours," he said in utmost seriousness, only for Rider to slam a hand on his back, causing him to keel over.
"A fine farewell," he comments, before wrapping an arm around Waver's waist and hoisting him up, much like how one would carry luggage.
Instantly, Waver started to struggle and protest, which Rider ignored, as he raised his free arm in a gesture of farewell. "Then we shall be off! We shall later meet by the 'Arcade', and I invite you all to come sooner, as I plan to partake in the festivities before we ride into battle," he said with a wide grin.
Raising a hand, I gave him a wave. "As fun as it sounds, Al and I will probably be stuck with calculating and tweaking a few Mysteries for the next few hours," I explained, causing the large man to sigh.
"Very well," he said with mild disappointment before moving out. "Then I shall see you all on the battlefield!" He said before closing the door behind himself.
Watching the door, Artoria gave a slight sigh before turning to look at Rosalind. "I should be informing my Master of these developments as well," she remarked with a hint of bitterness.
She clearly wanted to stay, but her loyalty, paper-thin as it may be, was forcing her to put Kiritsugu's interests first.
Rosalind gave a 'it is what it is' expression while shrugging. "A pity, I was hoping you'd stay for dinner," she said in a tone of understanding, but she was clearly a bit disappointed.
Rosalind's words caused Artoria to visibly deflate. Seeing the two being so disappointed, I gave a low sigh.
Alistair was making me soft.
"Then I shall be off—" "Actually," I cut off Artoria, causing her to give me a slightly perplexed look.
"I've already ordered some food, so how about you give me an objective critique of the set of armor I made for Alistair while we wait for the food to arrive?" I proposed, causing her to look a lot more attentive than a moment ago.
I'd need to send a familiar to go and steal some food, but if it kept them happy, then it was a small sacrifice.
Rosalind turned to look at me as well at my suggestion. "I thought your speciality lay within firearms creation?" She said questioningly, causing me to cross my arms and flash her a smirk full of superiority. "I dabble," I said with a raised brow, while buffing my nails on my dress.
"Though, I will say that the gun I created for Alistair was my first attempt at creating a pistol, as I am far more acquainted at creating armor and cold weapons," I explained, causing Rosalind to give an approving nod while humming to herself.
Stepping closer, Artoria gave me an appraising look. "As this is a matter regarding Alistair's safety, and therefore affects his combat readiness for the mission, I can confidently say that my Master would not oppose my decision regarding this matter," she said in a professional tone.
"Of course, if dinner is delivered during my stay, it would be most rude of me to reject your hospitality and leave," she continued, causing me to internally scoff.
{Glutton.} Alistair's voice chimed through our mental link, nearly causing me to give a very unladylike smirk.
Smiling at her, I gave her an amused nod. "It would indeed be such a shame if you rejected our hospitality," I said with clear mirth in my voice.
Artoria merely nodded in agreement, apparently not noticing, or caring about my teasing. "Alright, come along then, I can't wait to have my ego stroked," I said while uncrossing my arms, and moving towards the door. "After this, I could market my Mystic Codes by saying that they were given a seal of approval by King Arthur 'himself'," I added on with clear amusement.
As I passed Artoria, I could hear her give a slight scoff at my statement. "Do know that my standards are high, and I will not dishonor your work by showing leniency in my critique," she proclaimed.
Uhuh, prepare to have your mind blown.
"Come along, you three," I said while turning my head, glancing at Alistair, Rosalind and Sakura, who had yet to follow.
Rosalind merely shook her head. "I'll wait in here and play with Sakura while you show-off," she said pleasantly, before scooping up Sakura, who quickly adjusted herself while clinging to Rosalind.
Smiling slightly, I raised a hand and curled a finger towards her, gesturing for her to follow. "I may or may not have made you a gift, and I am sure that Artoria would love to give another critique once seeing it," I explained smugly.
Raising a brow, she gave a slight shrug. Which seemed to indicate her agreement, as she started following me.
The five of us quickly put on our shoes, and made our way to Alistair's house. As we entered, I grabbed Alistair, and gave the other three a sly look. "A moment please, I need to dress our mannequin here," I said while tugging Alistair.
Before I could see their reaction, I practically dragged Alistair away, and quickly entered our Workshop. Slamming the door behind us, I let go of Alistair who looked mildly amused.
"I guess this is where I strip?" He commented with mirth lacing his tone, before loosening his tie, and pulling it off.
Raising a brow, I gave him a slight smile. "I won't say no to a good time," I said while taking a large step back, so as to get a better view.
Seeing my actions, Alistair only slightly rolled his eyes, before sliding off his blazer and throwing it and his tie onto a chair.
Unfortunately for me, that was as much as he took off.
A pity.
Moving to the 'mannequin', he started sliding off the armor, and equipping it onto himself.
Seeing as the 'show' was over before it had even started, I decided to tackle my other problem, the food I had 'ordered'.
Opening a shadow in the Shopping District, I sent one of my backup homunculi through it with express orders to buy twelve main dishes, no seventeen main dishes and a dozen starters, or so.
Five main dishes for each of the three gluttons, or more realistically seven for Artoria and four for Rosalind and Alistair, and a main dish for Sakura and I.
A disturbing amount of food, but any less would have the three stay hungry.
Cutting my connection with the Homunculus, I was just in time to witness Alistair donned the helmet.
Giving him a quick once over, I gave a satisfied nod. "How does it feel?" I probed.
Alistair didn't answer immediately, as he slowly moved his limbs to get a feel for the maneuverability and overall flexibility of the armor.
"It's surprisingly light, and my range of motion doesn't seem to have been impacted," he commented in a pleased tone. "I can't speak for its strength, but I can only say that it feels great!"
Smiling, I walked up to him, and started adjusting some of the straps, hiding them and overall 'cleaning' up his appearance.
"With this, we'll blow their expectations out of the water," I proclaimed, before letting go of his armor.
Feeling content, I moved towards the door. I could hear the sound of his metallic heels clacking against the wood behind me, as I opened the door.
Stepping out, I didn't see Artoria or Rosalind, meaning that they were probably inside the living room.
Quickly walking towards their location, I opened the door, and stuck my head inside. There I found an impatient looking Artoria, while the other two sat calmly on the couch.
"Prepare yourselves," I said to the three, before fully opening the door, revealing the armored Alistair beside me.
The look on their faces was a pleasant sight. Artoria looked surprised, as her eyebrows shot up her forehead, while Rosalind looked startled, quickly scrambling to her feet. Sakura was unsurprisingly the least impressed, as she merely tilted her head upon seeing Alistair.
Stepping into the room, Alistair didn't have the chance to go further into the room, as he was swarmed by Artoria and his mother.
Artoria firmly grabbed a gauntlet, and started tapping it while scrutinizing its structure. Rosalind was more respectful, as she gave the armor an appreciative once over, observing it as one would appreciate a piece of art.
Turning to look at me, she gave a wide smile. "When did you make this? It looks remarkable, the design is immaculate," she expressed in a happy tone of voice.
Ignoring Artoria, who was shaking parts of the armor to check its resilience, I gave a slight smile. "Thank you, but I only finished it recently," I explained, causing her to nod.
She glanced at Artoria, before turning to look back at me. "Does it have any features worth noting?" She probed, causing me to nod.
"If you run some Od through it, a weak illusion will camouflage him to look like a normal person, so he can wear it wherever he wants. And of course, I have added a hidden feature," I explained, before looking at Alistair.
"Be a dear and reinforce your armor," I said to Alistair, causing both Artoria and Alistair to turn and look at me.
Not seeing any reaction, I slightly rolled my eyes. "Did I stutter?" I asked in an unimpressed tone.
Deciding to humor my request, Alistair must have followed through with my instructions, as his armor started to morph. The once smooth metal became uneven and bumpy, causing the surface to resemble shiny scales.
There was a sharp intake of breath from the three upon noticing the changes
Waving a hand towards the armor, I gave an incredibly self-satisfied smile. "Using a fair amount of Alistair's blood, I managed to infuse some of his dragon traits to the material, making it far more resistant to all types of physical damage," I explained with a wave.
"With this, I can estimate that most Superior Apostles would have issues with damaging him while wearing this," I boasted.
Tapping the breastplate, I gave a somewhat dubious smile. "Of course, the armor will experience a lot more wear and tear in this form, as the steel is simply not capable of withstanding the draconic traits. So it is for the best that this form is only used in dire situations," I said with a hint of annoyance.
Alistair's Dragon Element was quite the boon, as it was technically the glue that bound the draconic elements to the armor, and what allowed for it to morph into its active state.
It was truly regrettable that I hadn't cared enough for Alistair, to try and help him with his unique element. An Element like Dragon clearly had a lot of potential, but he only used it as a makeshift 'Average One', only using the base five elements, rather than enhancing his mysteries with the concept of Dragon.
Admittedly, it was very finicky, so I can understand that it would be difficult to research when there was so little to off on. So his amateur use of it was to be expected, and it was something I'd correct once we got back to Britain.
My little pitch had finally drawn some reaction from Artoria, as she looked at me. "Can I test its durability?" She asked, causing me to nod. "Do it now, as I don't think it can withstand your might in its dormant state."
"Do I get a say in th–" Before Alistair could properly interject, Artoria had already cocked her arm back, before slamming a fist onto the breastplate.
Alistair was sent flying, as he was launched a few meters through the air, causing him to slam into a wall. "Fuck!" He grunted as he fell to his knees.
Looking at Artoria, I could see her staring at her fist, who's glove had been shredded by the strike, revealing a set of bruised knuckles. Shaking her hand, she turned to look at Alistair, who had managed to get on his feet while I was looking at Artoria.
His breastplate looked as good as new, not even revealing a scratch or dent from Artoria's strike.
Before anyone could test the armor's durability again, Alistair quickly stopped reinforcing it, causing it to return to its pristine look from before.
"Impressive," Artoria said absentmindedly, before turning to look at me. "If you can create something so resilient with mere steel, then I shudder to think what you could have made during my time. Had you lived in Britain back then, I'd have tried to recruit you to create armor for my knights," she praised with a clear look of approval.
Of course it was impressive. By my estimation, the durability can be considered worthy enough to count as a 'C++' Ranked Noble Phantasm when it is in its draconic form.
Unfathomably amazing for an armor made in this day in age, but it simply fell short of the ones I made for Mordred, Gareth, Gawain, Gaheris and Agravain. Be it in material or make, this one was simply lesser.
It was a bit of a pity that I couldn't give him something better, but this was already far above modern magi's capabilities. The only reason I dared to make something like this, was due to Alistair's dragon blood being an excellent excuse to why it was so powerful.
Giving her a look full of superiority, I gave a slight smirk. "Do I have your seal of approval?"
Artoria didn't seem put off by my boasting, and merely nodded. "I would be honored to be associated with such fine work," she said pleasantly.
"Flatterer," I responded with amusement, before turning to look at Rosalind. "What's your assessment?"
She gave me a serious look, before a smile spread across her face. "Do you take commissions?"
Smiling back, I pointed a finger at the only closet in the living room. "Funny you should mention that," I said before snapping my fingers, causing the doors to burst open.
Inside stood an armor stand, wearing an ornamental breastplate, shoulder pauldrons, gauntlets and leggings. On the wall, a matching sword and small shield.
"I thought it prudent to make something for you since you came to Japan, but it's a bit of a rushed job, though it is still rather decent," I said with an undertone of smugness.
Before I could continue, Rosalind had dashed over to the closet, and was studying her gift with stars in her eyes.
Gifts were truly the way to someone's heart.
Artoria and I quietly moved to Rosalind, who looked eager to try on the armor. "When did you find the time to make this?" She asked absentmindedly, while studying the sword.
Shrugging, I lied smoothly. "I started the same day Alistair informed me of your arrival, as I thought it would be a good way to prove my worth."
At that, Rosalind turned to look at me, and gave me a slight frown. "You don't need to 'prove your worth'," she expressed with a hint of disapproval, causing me to shrug.
"I was nervous, don't blame me for being cautious. I was half expecting to get the shovel talk from you," I explained, causing her to sigh, and look over at Alistair.
"What have you been telling her about me?" She asked with a pout, causing Alistiar to shrug. "Nothing but slander, I assure you," he said smoothly.
A slight smile spread across Rosalind's face, before she turned to look at me. "I'll get you something nice when we return to Britain."
Hearing her words, I could only wave my hand. "I didn't give you this in hopes of getting something in return," I explained, causing Rosalind to roll her own eyes.
"That's all well and good, but that doesn't mean that I can't give you something nice to show appreciation," she said matter of factly, before grabbing one of my hands. "So be a good girl, and let me pamper you for a while."
Smiling, I only gave a dubious nod. "Sure, I won't say no to such a heartfelt request."
Before I could continue, Rosalind pulled me into a hug. "Thank you for all the help," she whispered into my ear, while giving my body a tight squeeze. "And thank you for looking out for Alistair," she continued, causing me to gingerly wrap my own arms around her.
"No need to thank me, this was the least I could do," I deflected, causing Rosalind to sigh. "Don't act so obtuse, just take the compliment, you deserve that much," she retorted, causing me to smile a bit more genuinely.
"Thank you," I said, causing her to slightly squint her eyes, while lowering an arm, which proceeded to pinch my side. "What did I just say," she said with a hint of exasperation.
Rolling my eyes, I gave her an amused look. "Fine, I am indeed awesome, and the best girlfriend Alistair could ever pull," I said with some haughtiness, causing Rosalind to smile and let go of me.
{Hey…} Alistair grumbled, causing me to internally roll my eyes.
{Shut up, you love me.} I bit back playfully.
I took the fact that he didn't deny my statement as a step forward, as I was expecting a 'Uh-huh, sure' as his response.
Patting my arm, Rosalind gave a thumbs up. "Good, that confidence fits you far better."
Feeling that the mood was about as good as it would get, I decided to lock onto my 'delivery boy'. Seeing that he had picked up the food, and was making his way over, I pulled him into his shadow and teleported him in front of our house.
Almost instantly, the doorbell rang.
Clapping my hands together, I looked at Artoria. "It looks like the food is here, could you lend me a hand?"
Artoria quickly nodded, and stepped closer to me.
"I will happily assist you."
~~Fate/False Order~~
Tucking Sakura into bed, I gave out a slight sigh.
Walking away from Sakura's bed, I turned to look at her, and flashed a smile. "Good night," I whispered loudly, causing the little girl under the covers to give me a slight nod. "Good night," she answered back in a sleepy tone.
Feeling my smile slightly widen, I turned off the lights and left the room while closing the door to Rosalind's room behind me.
Walking into the living room, I could see Rosalind comfortably wearing my gift, while lounging on the sofa.
Making my way over to her, I sat myself down next to her. "Did she seem fine with sleeping alone?" She asked with a hint of worry.
"She's fine, or at least she was too tired to kick up a fuss," I explained, causing her to nod. "Good," she said in a relaxed tone.
Closing my eyes, I leaned into the couch, as we had a few more minutes before we were going to leave, so I thought it best to use to relax. After all, a lot was riding on my success.
Even the slightest of screwups on my end could lead to the Grail being blown up, or at worst, Alistair dying. So I needed to be at my best.
Before I could think of more things that could go wrong, I felt a cold tap on my hand. Turning to look, I saw Rosalind tapping my hand with her gauntlett.
"You seem wound up, anything on your mind?" She asked with a hint of worry.
Internally grimacing, I was starting to regret tying my actual expressions to the Vivian illusion.
"I'm just worried," I said with a sigh. Not a lie, but it was rather imprecise and misleading.
The look on Rosalind's face softened, and she gently patted my hand with her gauntlet. "Try not to worry too much," she retorted. "We've planned and set up enough contingency plans, we'll do just fine."
I could only give a wry smile to her statement.
I knew that she was not referencing my own plans, but her words still rang true. I had set up a dozen contingency plans, it would take a lot to go wrong for me to fail.
And even then, Alistair's 'winning conditions' was simply to 'cleanse' the Grail, meaning that as long as we killed Avenger, then this could be considered a win.
The only problem would be that I'd likely die in that scenario, as without the Third True Magic, I'd deteriorate thanks to the stunt I plan on pulling…
And I'm fairly sure that he won't be able to summon me the next time around, unless he tries to go for me in one of the normal classes, which I truly hope he isn't stupid enough to do.
I could only pray that he won't forget me, and summon me once he wins the next war. Which I feel is incredibly likely, so I don't have much to worry about on that end.
Turning to look away from Rosalind, I let out a sigh. "You're right, I just need to relax. I've done the best that I can, working myself up with 'what if's' is not healthy," I affirmed.
Closing my eyes, I looked through our memories of our time together during the Grail War, as if I looked through our time before that, I would only be filled with shame and self loathing.
It had been nice, surprisingly nice.
Before this, I would say that I had never truly been lonely during my lifetime, other than when my mother had just died, but after spending so much time with others, I found that notion more and more difficult to continue to believe.
I'll admit that I had not factored spending so much time together with Rosalind and Artoria, and I'd have to begrudgingly admit that it was a miscalculation I was happy to have made.
Rosalind always made for pleasant company, Sakura was just precious and Artoria's presence was surprisingly stomachable, pleasant even.
It hadn't gotten to the point where I was having second thoughts about killing her myself, but it was getting close.
Though, ideally Lancelot would still kill her, though I was uncertain if his Master would survive long enough for him to win.
I'd need to strengthen his body, as I'd rather not deal with Artoria myself if the situation allowed it. After all, I was probably going to live with her in the not so distant future, so I'd rather not have her blood on my hands, even if it changed very little, as I was still the one orchestrating her death.
…
It would seem that I am still a rather terrible sister… Hopefully that would change in the future, but if I had to be an evil sibling for Alistair's benefit, then I'd gladly do it all over again.
Was it cruel, yes. But Artoria could easily be extracted from Avalon with me in the picture, so her short term suffering was worthless in comparison to Alistair's long term wellbeing.
I'd probably just get her a restaurant chain as a gift to make up for killing her, as I assume she'd appreciate it.
Before I could continue that train of thought, I felt a metallic tap on my shoulder.
Opening my eyes, and looking up, I was met with Alistair, wearing the armor I made him, with his helmet held firmly under his armpit. "Were you asleep? I called your name a few times."
Frowning slightly, I shrugged. "I was deep in thought," I explained before continuing. "What can I help you with?"
Shaking his head, he tilted his head towards the door. "We're leaving now," he said seriously.
Nodding, I pushed myself off the couch and stood up.
Seeing my actions, Alistair nodded and moved towards the exit. "We'll be outside, come out when you're ready," he said offhandedly, causing me to look to the side, allowing me to see that Rosalind was gone.
Apparently I was more out of it than I had thought.
Looking back to the door, I saw Alistair leave, causing me to quickly check my stuff.
I had everything I needed for this to work, meaning one thing.
It was time.
I had a bit more than eight hours to kill four Servants, obliterate Angra Mainyu and hand the Grail to Alistair.
The mere thought caused a smirk to find its way onto my face.
It was time to show my worth.
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8 Hours, 22 Minutes And 2 Seconds Until Zero
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A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Meh, I am four hours late, or at least I was hoping to post earlier. It turns out that taking two weed gummies and drinking a third of a Jägermeister bottle made for a terrible combo for writing. Or a really good one, I'm still a bit on the fence regarding that one, as I got some good ideas, the only problem being that my writing tanked.
So sorry for that...
Anyways, from the next chapter out, there is basically only pure action until the end of the volume, so stay tuned.
Anything you want to see in the next chapter? If so, spill, I might use some interesting ideas, so share, and I'll inform you if your idea will be added.
https://discord.gg/HAPhryp5M2
Now I'm tired as I'm hung over and feel a bit loopy due to weed! So have a nice day, or at least one better than mine, and send me some stones or some shit (Not literal shit), as I need motivation!