Chat POV after getting exposed to Mystic Eyes of Petrification
[Guys… What the hell was that?! ]
[I… don't know, one moment I was watching Medusa's eye… the next…. I couldn't feel my legs… ]
[StevenLieksMinerals: When that woman stared into the screen, I was mesmerized by her eye. It's unique shape and color was truly breathtaking. It was only when I tried to look away that I realized how terrifying it was. ]
[I am going to be honest guys, when I first joined Gudao's stream, I never expected things would ever spiral into this mess.]
[ I don't think anyone signed up to be attacked while in the comfort of their own home when they clicked that follow or sub button. ]
[Damn, we lost 55k people right now. ]
[Well, I can't blame them. That was a scary experience. ]
[I am just glad that GudakoBot was kind enough to undo whatever the hell that Medusa did to us. At least on a physical level. Mentally? I am going to need to go book an appointment with my therapist. One does not simply get over being turned to stone by themselves. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Well, I'm not going ANYWHERE. I don't care if I almost turned to stone!! As his first wife, I am here to provide Gudao support during his journey in this hellhole!! ]
[I agree with Hex, not the wife stuff but about supporting Gudao. The guy looked ragged and stressed, he needs us to be there for him! Besides, how can we call ourselves pokemon enthusiasts if we all run away with our tails between our legs after getting hit with an attack?! ]
[Yeah. He's right. I'll stick around, too. ]
[So will I!!]
[Junior_Researcher: Humph, the experience was something that caught me off guard but its effects have not deterred me. I will stay!!]
[TheIcePryce: Oh please, it wasn't that bad. I've been stared down worse. You kids are just too soft these days. ]
[Kohga: you don't have to stay if you don't wish @NinJanine. There is no shame in a shinobi making a strategic retreat. ]
[NinJanine: I am alright. It caught me off guard, but I'm over it. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): Well, everyone seems to be in agreement. I will add a warning to the stream. That way any newcomers who arrive will be aware of just what kind of mess they are signing up for when they arrive!!]
[Agreed] x 4,891
[Frisky1ntheFlowers: You guys truly are something. If it was people of my world, everyone except a few handfuls of people would have turned away and never touched Twitch again after taking a Mystic Eyes of petrification to the face. To see so many of you display such bravery in the face of mortal danger for the sake of someone you only know through a screen… many would call that foolishness, but not I. I am glad to see so many of you lend your aid to Gudao. ]
[Don'tTouchMyBuns!: Humph, like you're one to talk, Mr. I-Abandoned-Gudao-for-3-Years-For-No-Reason. We in the Pokémon world won't abandon a friend in need. Those people that left were people who didn't know him for long. If they were, then more would have stuck around.]
[Yeah!! Don't underestimate the power of our parasocial bond with Gudao!! ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers: Hmmm… my. I didn't mean to upset you. I merely meant it as a compliment. ]
[Can you blame us, Frisk? You've been nothing but a troll since you got here. How can you expect us to take you seriously?! ]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers: heh, you're right, messing with you guys is too much fun. But in all seriousness, thank you. And I hope that resolve will remain firm. Things will only get tougher from here on out. ]
[And there he goes being a cryptic little shit again. Are you ever going to tell us who you are?]
[Frisky1ntheFlowers: In time, I will, but for now, just enjoy the show. There's still much to see before the grand reveal. ]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): He's probably just some loser who spends all day shut inside his room instead of going outside and touching grass. ]
[Lol. Wouldn't surprise me if it was true. ]
✦✧✦
Fuyuki 2004, Singularity F
The assembled party looked at the blue caster with suspicion, their weapons aimed at the newcomer.
"Who are you?!" Olga Marie was glaring at the servant; though she showed a tough act, she was still shaken up by the close brush with death she just had.
[Another one?!! But we just defeated two of them!!]
[Where's a repel when you need one?]
[Fyre&Flamez: THAT GIANT WOOD MAN WAS SO LIT!! My condolences to that woman, but her sacrifice was well worth it BECAUSE THE HEAT AND FLAMES WERE SO INTENSE!!!! I LOVE IT!! ]
[Of course our local pyromaniac would love the fire show; meanwhile, the rest of us are worried there's another rogue servant about to attack the group.]
Cu looked at the incensed Director and gave her a grin. "Normally giving away one's name in a grail war is dumb and a good way to end your bid for the grail early… But since this holy grail war went to shit, I guess I can offer it up as a peace offering."
He pointed a thumb to his chest. "The name is Cu Chulain, the Hound of Ulster, and I am the last uncorrupted servant in this grail war… aside from you sexy and gorgeous ladies." He gave the quadruplet a wink, but none of them looked taken by his suave act.
"Geez, tough crowd," Cu lamented but his playful tone suggested he was unbothered by their responses.
[Ouch, getting rejected by four girls at one time. ]
[Nice try, guy, but these ladies have already become part of the harem. ]
[Well, he certainly isn't letting rejection get to him. ]
[The guy is a shameless flirt, but man, did he choose the wrong girls to hit on. ]
[Emphasis on ""girls"—does that bastard not know he is hitting on someone who looks like she is still in Trainer's school?!!]
[Oh give it a rest already! Chiyome doesn't look THAT young. She has a petite frame, yes, but she looks more like a small woman with a baby face than a literal child. ]
[Ugh. I still don't like it. ]
""Cuchulain, the Irish child of light and considered by many as the Heracles of the Celts?!""
[Gible_Archeologist: The Celts, huh? Shame we didn't go over them much. All we know is that they were part of the British Isles.]
[SoniaYampers: No wonder his clothes looked familiar. They remind me of some traditional clothes some of the older clans of Galar wear. I need to go grab my notes!! I need to start writing some questions we can ask!! ]
[Heracles? That sounds eerily similar to Heracross. Any connection?]
[Bugsy_Buzz: Yeah, I remember the stream going over Bulbapedia. Heracross was names after hercules beetles, which in turn were named after a demigod that goes by Hercules. The name is fitting, because the god is known for his feats of strength. ]
[Oh. I see. ]
"Yup. That I am," his confident grin returned.
"But, Cu Chullain was famous for being a wielder of the spear, Gáe Bolg. Which you don't have!! "
At that, Cu's smile dropped into a frown. "Yeah, unfortunately, my doll of a former master was a bit late in summoning the Lancer servant for the war. Shame too, because the chick who got summoned in that class was nowhere near my level."
He turned to the ninja of the group, his frown gone and replaced with a genuine look of excitement when he looked at Chiyome, but not with lust, rather respect. "I saw your fight with Lancer; you've got some great moves! Man, you have no idea how hilarious it was to see her get beat at her own game with those giant snakes of yours."
The woman seemed surprised by the praise, enough for her hard gaze to soften slightly, but not enough to let her guard down completely as her blade remained unsheathed, its sharp edge reflecting the dim glow of the flames around them and aimed straight at the man in front of her.
"I appreciate the compliment, but I do not think you should mock that Lancer servant."
"Hmmm, why do you say that?"
"That woman… she was under a curse… A similar curse to m—" Chiyome stopped herself before she could say more. The ninja took a breath to calm herself before she spoke again, "She was an enemy and hurt my comrades and my lord, but she doesn't deserve to get mocked."
The Hound of Ulster took a moment to stare at Chiyome in the eyes, like he was trying to search for something in her soul before his mocking grin softened to a placid smile.
"Very well, my apologies. Lancer might have been batshit crazy, but you are right, she wasn't at fault due to her curse. "
[They were?! ]
[Now I feel bad that Gudao and the girls had to kill them. ]
[It can't be helped; we didn't know. Plus, it's not like Chaldea has the ability to uncurse them if they were. ]
[Junior_Researcher: Curses are not real. The Lancer woman was just deranged, and Chiyome feels pity for her. ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Ah. There he is. And here I thought his silence was him admitting he was wrong about magic. ]
[Junior_Researcher: @malasadamayhem, and my opinion stands. I just got tired of arguing with nincompoops like yourself over topics we don't know much about. So I decided to keep my thoughts to myself as more information trickles in. Do not worry; if you wish to know my thoughts on all these phenomena, I will be writing and posting my thoughts on the subject later. ]
[MalasadaMayhem: Then why break your silence then? ]
[Junior_Researcher: The idea of curses, aside from the actual move curse, sounds absurd enough for me to break my silence. But like I said, I will write a post detailing my thoughts at a later time. ]
[MalasadaMayhem; great. I look forward to reading it. ]
[@Junior_Researcher it could also be possible that corruption and curses they are referring to is a similar phenomenon that many Pokémon in Orre suffer from. The Shadow Affliction. ]
[Junior_Researcher: ah!! I can't believe I overlooked thatl! Excellent point my good man! I will add that topic to my essay! ]
Cu Chullain coughed, "In any case," he raised both his arms in the universal gesture of surrender, "I'm not here to fight. I came here with a proposal of an alliance."
Olga crossed her arms in defiance, "And why should we? I don't know if you've noticed, but we took down those two servants with ease. Why should we risk having an unknown enter our group?"
"And it was an impressive feat, but lending my muscle alone is not why I am here. I need your help in putting an end to this Grail war."
This caught the group's attention, and Cu seized the moment. "You've all seen the condition this place is in—it's a total disaster. I can't do this alone, but I've got intel and can guide you if you're willing to help. It makes more sense to stick together than to fight solo. And let's be honest—you won't find anyone else as sane as me. I'm the only one left."
The final part of Cu's statement made Ritsuka pause.
"Is everyone really gone?" He asked with concern laced in his words.
The Caster's smile turned into a solemn expression, "Yeah. The humans that didn't vanish were turned to stone by that Lancer chick, while everyone but me was corrupted into crazed psychopaths who kill anything on sight."
Ritsuka, alongside the rest of the group, didn't have a response to that. What could they say after hearing that an entire city was killed off by some unknown force? Nothing.
Even the excitable chat could not say anything beyond emoting with sadness and horror related emotes.
Olga Marie, however, recovered from the shock of the news she had just heard, "it's a tragedy, yes, but that doesn't mean it is enough for us to trust you."
The Caster raised a brow, "If truly were your enemy, I would have let that assassin kidnap you, and I would have used my wicker man to grab that master of yours and incinerate him."
The group tensed at his answer, but they couldn't help but agree that Cu made a great point.
Olga leaned in closer, "What do you think, Fujimaru?" Olga asked.
[Wow. Olga is actually calling him by his actual name instead of "number 48" or "amateur." ]
[Progress!! ]
[The Olga x Gudao ship has not sunk yet!! ]
[Lev x Olga is still a thing; even with his passing, I don't think Olga would jump on the Gudao ship even if it meant that she gets dragged down to the icy depths of the ocean floor. ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): Such a shame. Poor girl deserves better taste in men. ]
Ritsuka looked back to Cu, who caught him staring and gave him a wave, which he returned.
"Hey! Focus you idiot! I am asking for your opinion!" The Director chided him.
"Well, he might be a bit of an old pervert, but he seems rather genuine."
The white haired woman gave him a flat look, "He nearly burned me with that attack of his."
Ritsuka pointed a finger at her, "But he didn't; sure his fire attack got really close to you but it worked out in the end didn't it? If it didn't you would have been kidnapped or dead at the hands of that other woman."
Olga grunted hearing his sound logic then she started to make weirdly cute grumbling noises for a moment before she turned back to Caster, "Fine. You can join us, but just know that if you step out of line, we'll gang up on you."
"Hoh, to be surrounded by beauties on all sides. Not a bad way to die. You have yourself a deal!"
[Heart0f6old: Ah, I see he is a man of culture as well.:Man of Culture Emote:]
[Krystal: (◔_◔) ]
Cu walked up to Ritsuka and offered a hand; Ritsuka looked at the hand with curiosity.
"Shake my hand boy, once you do our contract will be sealed, and I will be your temporary servant."
Ritsuka looked to his left, Olga felt his gaze and motioned at him with her hand to get a move on. He shrugged and firmly clasped the servant's hand, who looked genuinely surprised at him.
"Nice grip you have there, master. Much more than I can say for the softies of your world. You work out?"
"Yeah. I do, but I haven't today because of this,"Ritsuka moves his hands to show he is referring to the smoldering ruins of Fuyuki.
"Ah, I see, well, our contract has been finalized." Cu and Ritsuka let go of their handshake and immediately, Ritsuka got a notification on his stream.
[GudakoBot: "First alliance with Free Servant" complete!!
New servant emotes added to the stream as a reward!!
Note:
Due to the nature of temporary contracts, temporary servants will be allowed to see the chat box and camera, but all conversations outside TTS will be obscured from them regardless of their powers or legends that would otherwise allow them to see what the chat is saying.
This is not foolproof. However, as some Heroic Spirits and beings are so exceptional, they can defy the impossible.]
[Nice.:Excited Mash Emote: ]
[DragoonRuleZ:So many Gareth emotes…. I love it!! :Happy Gareth Emote:]
[IliekQThings: Fou emotes!! Huzzah!!]
[Man, we've been complaining about how we only get emotes from Gudao's stream, but I still love getting new ones!! ]
The moment the connection formed, the Caster of Ulster's expression immediately went to surprise.
"Uh, what is that?" The man politely asked as he pointed a finger at Ritsuka's chatbox.
The group was already used to repeating the information, so the response came out of Olga's mouth.
"Oh. That. Well, it's some dumb power this idiot has." She pointed a thumb at Ritsuka. "Thousands of pokeymans are currently watching our pain and suffering for their sick entertainment. If you want details, ask him."
["Pokeymans" (·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ ) ]
[You know, we all knew that there are people in Gudao's world that didn't know that Pokémon existed, but I think this is the first time we've seen someone like that. And I hate it. ]
[Ok. The first part of that statement is technically true, but we aren't doing it because we enjoy it!! Give us a break woman! ]
A sudden ping noise startles Cu where he stands, but he quickly recovers.
["Hi. We are chat. We'd like to clarify that it's not pronounced "pokeyman" but "Pokémon"; please don't call us that. Have a nice day. " ]
Olga crosses her arms and scoffs, "Whatever."
Caster Cu watched the exchange and barked out a laugh, "Looks like I've allied myself with quite the amusing party."
He looks at the camera, a keen twinkle in his eye, "So that's how that lass with the lance survived getting hit by those Mystic eyes. This thing got in the way."
"What?" Ritsuka looked to Cu with confusion.
"What do you mean 'what'? Weren't you paying attention? That wolf knight of yours almost became a statue if it hadn't been for that orb taking the hit."
Ritsuka looked mortified, and glancing back at the chat his pupils shrank when he saw that he was down 55k viewers.
"No way… You guys actually got hurt from that?!" he exclaimed, guilt clawing at his heart, "Are you all okay?!"
[" It's ok. We are fine. We appreciate your concern, but don't beat yourself up for it. The camera just decided to put us in harm's way. GudakoBot stopped us from turning, though. "]
At hearing this news, Ritsuka let a sigh of relief escape through his lips.
"Umm." The Last Master turned to Gareth, who was giving the white orb a knightly bow of appreciation, "Thank you for protecting me… I am truly sorry you had to endure such hardship for my sake. As a knight of the Round, I am in your debt."
["Don't sweat it, Gareth. Just seeing you happy and healthy is enough for us."]
"Huh, neat. If that is the case, then that means we have a hidden shield that can protect Ritsuka from deadly attacks!! Our enemies will never see it coming!! "
[Hey!(ಠ ⌓ ಠ) ]
Everyone just shot Romani a flat look.
"What? Was it something I said? "
"Doctor Roman, please do not encourage senpai to commit war crimes. As endangering the people in chat by using them as shields could violate Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions." Mash chided Roman.
"Uhmm… right… Sorry." The doctor rubbed the back of his head in shame.
"And even if the boy wanted to, if what 'Chat' said is any indication, neither he nor they have any control over it." Cu said with a nonchalant attitude.
"No use stressing your heads over it, kiddies; Chat will be a shield regardless of what anyone wants because they are at the complete mercy of whatever is controlling their movements. So if the camera decides to drift into the path of a flashy Noble Phantasm, they're as good as dead."
[*gulp* ]
[I mean… he's not wrong… but I'm sure GudakoBot will handle it… right GudakoBot? ]
[...GudakoBot?]
"Well, unlike us, they have a choice in the matter of whether they have to be here." Olga chimed in, "If they are concerned about getting hit in the face with a Gandr while lounging comfortably in their rooms, then they should just leave."
["No. We know the risks. We are staying. "]
"Humph, suit yourselves. Just don't get in our way more than you already have."
[Olga is being Olga again. ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: She thinks we are getting in the way, but she forgets it was because of us taking a hit that Gareth is around. She really does grate my nerves. ]
[Let it go, girl, let it go. She isn't worth getting upset over. You don't want to get banned again. Do you?]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: … no. ]
"Heh. That's the spirit!! Now that we have introductions out of the way, we should get a move on. That master of ours is looking quite a bit drained." He pointed at Ritsuka, who looked like he had been cramming for a final exam the night prior.
"Ah right, sorry about that, Ritsuka. We got caught up in everything else; we forgot to check up on you. It's rather impressive you managed to withstand a good chunk of the cost of Gareth using her Noble Phantasm without Command Seals."
Gareth looked mortified. "I am so sorry, master!! I got carried away, and I used it without thinking about your health!"
"It's ok; I'm fine." He tried to wave off her concern, completely underestimating just how stubborn a worried servant could get for their master's well-being.
"No, it is not. I must pay penance for hurting you. Which is why… I will carry you. "
"Huh?" Ritsuka looked taken aback by Gareth's insistent offer.
"It's only fair that I carry you on our way towards a rest spot so that you can focus on recovering your magical energy!"
"Gareth, I am fine; I can definitely walk—eh?" Suddenly, Ritsuka's vision swam, and he felt his body fall as soon as he took a step.
Gareth caught him before he face-planted.
"Fine." Ritsuka said, resignation and exhaustion finally managing to convince him to once again be manhandled by a cute girl.
Before he could even blink, Gareth had already lifted his entire body on her back and firmly clasped his thighs with her delicate hands. Ritsuka was so close to Gareth that he could smell the aroma of freshly cooked bread, meats and the sweet scent of fresh hay.
[Lol. Gudao may have a harem, but he sure as hell isn't the one wearing the pants in the relationship. ]
[Poor Gudao, the life of a Harem Protagonist is suffering. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Calm down, you weirdos; it's just a piggyback ride. Nothing romantic about it. ]
[Heart0f6old: @PerfectlySaneHex Copium. ]
He felt a blush on his face as he saw everyone look at the scene with amusement, well, everyone but Mash, who had a dry look on hers.
But none looked more amused than Cu, who stared at the spectacle with a shit-eating grin. He then turned to look at the Director, "I can give you a ride too if you want."
Olga just gave him a look of disgust, "Hell no! You might have saved my life, but don't expect me to swoon over you like some fairy tale maiden!"
The Caster shrugged, "Well, can't blame a guy for trying. Either way, it would be for the best if you hitched a ride with one of us; we can cover more ground without either you or the master slowing us down."
She harrumphed, then she looked at Mash before she grumbled something under her breath.
✦✧✦
After the two squishy humans were secured, the servants made their way towards their next destination. Which was located in the opposite direction from where they came, towards the mountains.
Cu was informed of the situation by Olga, who was being princess carried by Mash, as the group ran through the streets, occasionally killing the skeletons that got in their way.
"Ah, I see. Then I see that our goals align."
"What do you mean?" Olga asked the Hound of Ulster.
"What I mean is that you guys need to resolve this singularity, while I need to get the grail. If I get caught and turned, the Grail War ends, but it won't be in your favor. Essentially game over."
"Oh."
"The treasure you seek is known as the Greater Grail, and it's located in that mountain over there." He pointed at a mountain. "That is where it's kept, and if you reach it, then you should be able to resolve this singularity. Ah, we're here."
The group slowed down their jog to a full stop in a normal suburban Japanese neighborhood.
They had arrived in front of a two-story house, fenced in by a tall concrete wall and protected by a metal gate.
"Hang on a moment; I'll set up a bounded field. Gotta make sure those skeletons don't come knocking while we are resting." Cu said, as he walked to the front of the gate, which had been left open.
"I'll help," Olga said as Mash let her down on the ground.
"Finally coming around to me, girlie?" Cu asked the Director with a small wiggle of his eyebrows.
"Ugh, no. I just want to ensure you aren't going to trap us inside and do something messed up to us." She said with a bit of edge in her tone.
Cu merely rolled his eyes, "Please, I may be a caster, but I am not underhanded. I am someone who takes opponents head-on." Cu walked past her and got to work; meanwhile, Olga and Mash walked with him to observe his work.
[Aw, the camera isn't following them. I wanted to see what they were gonna do. ]
[Well, like Cu said earlier, we are at the mercy of who controls the camera. ]
[Who could be controlling it?]
[GudakoBot maybe? ]
[Maybe, she has been showing signs of intelligence as of late, so perhaps she may have her reasons for what she will or won't show us. ]
After a few minutes, the door to the home opened, and Cu ushered them inside.
As Gareth took a step inside, Ritsuka immediately felt a wave of something wash over him. The anxiety and stress he had been feeling prior was replaced with a calm sense of safety and security.
The inside of the house was dark. The power had long been cut off due to the disaster that happened outside; however, everything inside didn't look out of place in a normal setting. He could smell the lingering scent of smoke that had accumulated inside its walls from the outside, but it was still a normal home.
Mash helpfully took out a lamp from her shield's inventory, turned it on and placed it on the dining room table.
Gareth gently sat him down on a chair. Despite the embarrassing position he had been put in, he still thanked her for carrying him for such a long distance.
Olga clapped her hands, causing everyone to turn their attention in her direction.
"So. Now that we have a safe place to talk, let's talk." she pointed a finger at Cu.
"So demanding. Well, I did ask for this, so I will uphold my end of the contract. The Fifth Holy Grail war started out pretty normal-"
"What?! Fifth?! How is that possible?!" Olga interrupted Cu, much to his annoyance.
"Girl, you asked me to talk and I did. Would it kill you to wait before I finish my sentence?!"
The Director looked sheepish at the reprimand, "sorry. It's just that, my father participated and won the ONLY grail war back in 2004! How can there be four before it?!"
Cu shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you, but that's always been the case up until you brought yours up. The first holy grail war in ours was really nothing that special. Not much of a war and more like a normal battle with boring results, or so my former master told me."
"Hmm, what a dilemma. Well, it's a singularity for a reason, so it's possible the discrepancy is due to that. "
"Perhaps, but if that were the case, then you should have arrived during the 1800s rather than now. But you didn't."
"Well, yes that much is true but, still, such a large discrepancy in history is-"
The group paused their speculation when they saw Ritsuka raise his hand. "Is it really that big of a deal which Holy Grail War is the correct one?"
Everyone stared at him.
"Um, well, if your Grail War was the first," Ritsuka said while pointing at Olga, then he pointed it at Cu, "and yours was the fifth, then that just means this version of Fuyuki is from a different universe with its own timeline. So, according to Multiverse theory, they can exist independently of each other. Whether it's the fifth or the thirty-first Holy Grail War doesn't really matter. What does matter is putting an end to it, right?"
Ritsuka shrank a bit under everyone's continued stare.
"Well, color me surprised, the master has a brain in that skull of his." Cu said, a hint of surprise in his tone.
"Senpai is no slouch to science, as expected." Mash said, a hint of awe in her voice.
[First time travel now different dimensions? Life just keeps getting crazier for Gudao.]
[Prof.Burnet: Crazy, yes, but also so refreshing!! This is the first time we've had anything related to my field directly addressed in years!]
"For the record, Fujimaru." Ritsuka turned to look at Olga, who was looking at him with just a bit less tsun than normal, "the multiverse isn't a theory. It's a fact. The existence of the Kaleidoscope, which you may or may not have limited access to, proves that alternate worlds do exist. But don't get the wrong idea. This is a singularity, not a true parallel world or adjacent dimension like Imaginary Number Space or wherever your 'Chat' originates."
[Prof.Burnet: singularity? Imaginary Number Space?! Can you tell us more?!! ]
[Uh, professor, you have to donate money to ask a question to them. ]
[Prof.Burnet: Oh, right. Let me do that. ]
"Singularity?" Ritsuka asked Olga.
[Prof.Burnet: nvm. It looks like Gudao did the honors.]
"Right, let me explain." She raised a finger. "Singularities are spaces that are not part of the regular temporal axis."
Ritsuka nods, somewhat understanding what she is telling him.
"These spaces are distortions that, if left alone without being resolved, will cause major issues for human history, ultimately overriding it."
"Oh." Ritsuka had seen enough sci-fi films to understand how grave such a scenario would be.
"Yeah, Oh would be right. That is why it's crucial for us to resolve this singularity and bring everything to normal." Olga said.
[Prof.Burnet: Ah, so they are similar to the spacetime distortions that occasionally spring up in Sinnoh and ancient Hisui. Fascinating. ]
[Junior_Researcher: Dimensional sciences are not something I major in, but I find them nonetheless interesting to study. That said, I can see why they would be a cause for concern. Those anomalies nearly ripped Hisui apart in the past, so it would make sense that a massive one like this one could do the same. ]
[How come you seem so accepting of this stuff rather than magic?]
[Junior_Researcher: Simple. Professor Burnet's findings are peer-reviewed and we have a lot of solid historical and scientific evidence and analysis on the spacetime distortions that have sprung up in our world. Do you not keep up with the sciences? ]
[No. ]
[Junior_Researcher: Figures. ]
"That's my cue. I don't know much about your grail, but ours was tainted by some powerful evil and flooded the city with a nasty mud that corrupted everything it touched."
"" Wait tainted?! By what?!" "
Cu shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is, whatever this thing is, it's the reason the Servants you've seen before me were acting like total lunatics. That's not how they'd normally behave." the Caster let his shoulders fall, a more serious expression on his face.
"On the topic of servants, we might as well talk about the ones who were summoned. You already know me. But for those of you watching, know that I am one of the biggest badasses this world has known!"
[If he is, then how come Gudao hasn't heard of him before?]
"Well, he's not wrong about the badass part. The guy's a legend for single-handedly holding off Queen Medb of Connacht's entire army by himself when no one else could in a series of single combat duels."
[Ok. I take it back; that IS pretty badass.]
[TheIcePryce: That is impressive. Fighting an entire army's worth of opponents one-on-one and prevailing is truly a feat worthy of being a myth. Though after seeing his display of magic, it wouldn't surprise me if he could take down a small army of weak, Pokémonless humans too. ]
"And I would have won too, if that clingy bitch The Mórrígan hadn't interfered with her trickery and lies. Heh, they might have killed me, but at least I got to choose how I died."
[Oh boy. I have a feeling what he says next is not gonna be pretty. ]
[Come on, it can't be that bad. Can it? ]
"I can tell by the look on your faces that you are curious about it. Well, it's simple really; after I took a fatal blow to the stomach, I vowed I would not die laying down so I pulled out my guts and tied myself to a stone so I could die on my feet." Cu said, his tone looking prideful at that fact.
[Urk. ]
[Wow. That is hardcore. ]
[Ms.Roxanne: ah, it wouldn't be a proper myth of old without some gruesome details. ]
[TheIcePryce: Dying on one's two feet instead of kneeling to the invading Queen or to the goddess who tricked him. Heh. I wonder what that woman's reaction was to seeing him in that state of defiance. ]
Cu saw everyone look uncomfortable, so he decided to move on.
"Alright, enough about me. I should move on onto the next one, and since we are talking about Herculean tasks… might as well come out with it. Heracles was summoned as a Berserker."
This information causes shock and horror to be seen on everyone.
"H-H-Heracles?!! He's here?!! " Romani sputtered, complete disbelief in his eyes.
"Yeah, the big man is here, but we don't really need to worry much about him. The guy never bothers to leave the castle in the outskirts of Fuyuki. So long as we don't mess with him, everything will be fine."
["Is this Heracles truly that formidable? He is only one man, what could he do against Four servants?"]
Cu looked at the white orb like he would the village idiot, "Wow, are you guys serious?"
"Yeah, they are. They are from another world after all; they aren't familiar with the history and myths of our world, even less than me." Ritsuka chipped in, his own face also looking curious.
"Oh wow. " Cu looked surprised at the ignorance Chat was showing.
"Yeah."
["Hey! Don't make fun of us! We're not stupid we just don't know!!"]
At that, Cu just tilted his head before he shrugged, "Well, to put it simply, if you want to know just how powerful the guy is, he was a stubborn bastard who refused to die due to how monstrous he was. For reference, even if every servant in this grail war teamed up on him, we would all have struggled to put him down completely. The guy is a monster who has a lot of speed, power, and endurance."
Cu paused, taking in the audience's reactions for a moment, then he continued, "And to make matters worse, the guy had a noble phantasm that ensured that even if we did manage to kill him, he would instantly get revived and become immune to what killed him earlier."
[Damn. ]
[Talk about overpowered. That guy sounds like a menace! ]
[Thank Arceus this guy isn't out and about prowling the streets, or else Gudao and the gang wouldn't have made it this far. ]
Seeing the group's collective wince, the Caster decided to reassure them, "Relax. Like I said, we don't have to take them on at all. We can easily make our way to the mountain without drawing the big guy's attention."
At that, the group let out a sigh of relief.
["What about those Duskull men that were trying to kill Gudao?"]
"Duskull men?" Then it clicked, "Oh, you mean Hassan of the Hundred Faces? Yeah, I wouldn't worry about those weaklings anymore. We got rid of them all."
The group didn't seem to look relieved at his words.
"How do you know for sure?" Ritsuka asked him, still a bit skeptical that it was the case considering he has first hand experience on how sneaky they could be.
"How do I know? Simple, once the grail mud made them reckless. The madness they had made it easier for me to pick them off and thin their numbers to what they were when you got here. Trust me, if I hadn't done that, you'd be staring down 80 or 100 of them at once—on top of dealing with Medusa and Boudica."
[Yeah, I like Gareth and Chiyome but I doubt they'd be able to take on so many enemies all at once. ]
[Ditto. ]
[Wow, Gudao really lucked out. Despite how bad things were at the start. They could have been so. Much. Worse. ]
Ritsuka gulped before giving a weak chuckle, "Thanks for that."
"No problem, and speaking of which, you already know the two ladies personally, so I will skip them, as they are not that important for our goals." Cu's face turned serious.
"Well, it's about time I got to the last two servants. Be sure to listen up because they are who we will have to confront."
"I'll start with the Red Archer. He's a guy who wears all red, has an edgy white hair color, and is a snarky bastard as they come." He scratches his head. "Can't tell much about that guy; I couldn't figure out his true name, not for a lack of trying."
"Ah, so he was real." Ritsuka said, which prompted everyone to stare at him again.
"When Mash first found me, we got attacked by a rain of arrows that acted like missiles. Chat's camera had apparently chosen to take them to that archer's location. When they came back, they kept saying something about a 'Red Boner Guy'"
The group collectively did a double take at Ritsuka's words.
"S-S-Senpai!! You shouldn't say such dirty things!!" Mash told him, a red blush on her cheeks.
"What? That's what they called him! They said he was talking about being 'the bone of his sword'!"
"I mean, if the boot fits. " Romani tried to say, but Mash glared at him, "we are not calling the Archer by that! "
"Sorry. " Romani was not sorry, in fact, he looked like he was holding back a laugh.
["Red boner Guy is Real. Vindication!!"]
"Hey!! You guys stay out of this!" Ritsuka pointed a finger at the camera.
Olga rubbed her forehead in frustration, "you people are going to be the death of me I swear."
"Hahahahahaha!! Red Boner Guy! oh gods above, my sides, they hurt." Cu was laughing like a madman, "oh man, that is the funniest thing I've ever heard. I'm definitely going to use that against him next time we meet. "
His cackles died down, and once again, serious Cu had returned, "Which will happen soon considering the fact that he is guarding the entrance that leads to the Greater grail."
The shift in Cu's tone caused the group to refocus their attention back to the topic at hand.
The Caster looked to Gareth, who looked puzzled by the sudden attention she was getting from her fellow canine servant.
"It must be fate that you are here, lass, because the final boss of the singularity is a corrupted version of your king, Arthur Pendragon."
________________________________________________________________________________________
New Chatters:
Prof.Burnet: Prof. Kukui's wife from Sun and Moon.
Bugsy_Buzz: The femboy Bug type gym leader form Johto.