On a dark country road, a single pickup truck rolled along, carrying two people: its driver and a teenaged blonde in the back of the trunk. She was dressed in a school uniform and had a suitcase next to her as she stared into the distance, contemplating her circumstances.
Jeanne d'Arc, Servant Class Ruler, was heading towards Trifas to mediate the Great Holy Grail War between the Yggdmillenias and the Mages's Association.
Her summoning circumstances were quite odd, though. Unable to manifest a physical form of her own, she had found a human host, Laeticia Delacroix, who was willing to let her possess her body. However, her skills were unchanged, so she didn't mind too much.
But… what is this uncertainty I feel? This Holy Grail War… is not normal.
Jeanne blinked as she felt a deep sense of danger settle on her. Reaching out with her senses, she felt a Servant a few hundred metres down the road. She quickly tapped the window in front of her. "Please go back. It's dangerous. I can walk the rest of the way."
The driver stopped the truck and stared at Jeanne. "Are you serious, young lady? I can't let a young girl like you go alone in this dark place. We're almost at Trifas, I'll drive the rest of the way."
"Please," Jeanne said firmly. "I'll be fine by myself."
"If you say so…" The driver was clearly hesitant, but he got out of the truck and helped Jeanne get her—Laeticia's—suitcase out of the back. "Please be careful, miss."
"I will. Please, go back. It'll be safer for you."
"You get to a safe place as well, miss." The male got back into his truck and sped off in the direction that they had just come from.
Taking a deep breath, Jeanne picked up the suitcase's handle and began walking down the road, tensing as the Servant's signature got closer and closer…
***
Karna and Ritsuka landed near a light post on an empty country road. "It was here, right?" Ritsuka asked as Karna set her on her feet.
"Yes," Karna replied. "Ruler is already heading in our direction."
"Well, do your thing then," Ritsuka said. "I'll just hide over there until Siegfried and his Master shows up." She pointed at a random area far, far away from Karna.
"Be safe, Master."
"I will. Don't worry about me."
"Do not be afraid to use your Command Seals, then."
"Yeah, yeah." Ritsuka pulled out a golden apple from her phone and quickly consumed it (in reality, the apples were quite, quite small), grinning as she felt the rush of mana. "Feel free to go all out." Giving her Servant one final smile, Ritsuka used the switching spell on her battlesuit to switch the locations of herself and a small rock in the far distance. She had recently found out that the spell could switch other things besides Servants, and she used it to her full advantage. She ended up around 100 metres away from Karna.
Karna leaped onto the light post, waiting for Ruler to show up. Ritsuka snapped a few photos of him, grinning at the almost uncaring expression on Karna's face. She briefly wondered if she could get Dr. Roman to dedicate a room in Chaldea for her photos of previous Singularities and Servants in general. Since her phone only held FGO and a few other mandatory apps, she had plenty of space for photos.
Soon enough, Ritsuka saw Jeanne walking in their direction, and shielded her eyes as Karna stood up, sending a blast of flame from his lance towards the blond Ruler. The resulting explosion blew up the road, and Ritsuka saw Jeanne jump back, now in her armour.
While they exchanged words, Ritsuka saw a limo approaching them. "There's Siegfried's Master… I suppose I should head over?" She quickly snapped some more photos of Karna and Jeanne before she quickly jogged over. Maybe she was lucky or didn't notice it earlier, but there was a rather large bush next to the road. Hiding behind the bush, she waited for the car to stop.
A man quickly got out and yelled for Saber. Siegfried materialized and his sword clashed with Karna's spear, allowing Jeanne to quickly move out of range.
Ritsuka snickered as she watched Gordes try to get Jeanne to fight Karna with Siegfried. Pressing the film button on her phone, she aimed her camera at Karna.
"You want to make this a two-on-one fight? Not that I mind." Karna shifted back into his battle stance. "Come then… Ruler and Saber of Black."
Master, I will try to stay as far away from you as possible.
Go ahead.
Karna leapt backwards as Siegfried lunged at him, and their clash began. Jeanne stood off to the side, explaining her neutrality in the affair to Siegfried's agitated Master.
"Whoa, cool," Ritsuka breathed as she continued to film them. While she had seen much more on the battlefield with her Servants back at Chaldea, she had also been busy issuing orders and making sure no one got incapacitated too quickly, hence missing out on most of the battles. Some of the more protective Servants also insisted on keeping her farther away from battles to keep her safe, so she couldn't see much. This was the first time in a while that she had seen a battle between two Servants up close.
Ritsuka heard a shuffling in front of her, and peeked out from behind the bush to see Siegfried's Master start yelling. "Come out, Lancer of Red's Master! I know you're out there! Come out and let us battle as befitting our status as proud magi!"
Ritsuka sighed. "Feeling useless, aren't you." However, she did want some action of her own. Standing up, she called out. "I'm right behind you, so you can stop yelling."
The pudgy blond man started and turned around, meeting Ritsuka's eyes. They widened in shock. " You're Lancer of Red's Master? You're just a girl!"
Ruler turned to observe their exchange, saying nothing as Ritsuka replied.
"Would these prove that I'm a Master at least?" Ritsuka asked as she held up her hand, displaying her Command Seals.
The man sputtered. "You are a dishonourable person then, girl! Sending your Servant to attack the mediator of this war!"
"You should have anticipated my actions if you came here with Siegfried, then, Gordes Musik Yggdmillenia." Grinning at Gordes' shocked face, Ritsuka continued. "Disregarding my age, I believe you wanted a fight with another magus?"
"You—how much do you know about us?!"
"Let's just say I'm well-informed about the Black Faction." Actually, I know a lot about you guys. Vlad and Astolfo told me a lot. "Prepare yourself."
In truth, Ritsuka would probably never match up to Gordes in terms of magical potential. She was a second-generation mage with very low potential, her only specialty being her high compatibility to Rayshift. However, after summoning multiple Servants and battling with them, she had sought out the friendlier ones and asked for their help to train her. The Casters mainly helped her with magecraft, while others gave her training in hand-to-hand combat and some instruction with a few weapons. No one really questioned her ambitions to grow stronger, and many of the Servants encouraged it, although they insisted on keeping her guarded in the battlefields.
Medea, her younger counterpart, and Lord El-Melloi II were the main ones to aid in her magecraft training. Since she had no elemental affinities or Sorcery Traits, they taught her advanced versions of spells she knew already. Emiya dropped in occasionally to help her hone her skills at projection and reinforcement (basic skills come in handy later, he said), and sometimes even Ishtar popped in a few of Ritsuka's training sessions to give her a few tips and gems, all knowledge from Tohsaka Rin's memories. Whether Emiya had asked her to or whether the goddess had decided to be kind to her Master, Ritsuka didn't know, but thanked her regardless.
Medea had also taught Ritsuka a useful spell that modern humans could use to store things in alternate spaces. While Ritsuka didn't really use it actively, it was nice to use as a secret weapon… but for what, she told no one. Ko-Gil knew since he had seen her use it, but the young king simply laughed and told her not to tell any of his older counterparts.
Amakusa was the one who taught Ritsuka how to actually use Black Keys. Usually when a summoning spree went wrong, Ritsuka would march over to Amakusa's room with a disgruntled look on her face and fling them all at his head. After the fifth incident, Amakusa finally told Ritsuka that she should learn to use Black Keys instead of just tossing them at him, and proceeded to teach her how. She still gave the majority of them to him, though, and stored the rest in her alternate space.
Strangely, Kiritsugu always gave her apprehensive looks whenever he saw her tossing around Black Keys during their combat lessons, but he quickly changed the subject whenever she asked.
Drawing 6 Black Keys with glowing green auras, Ritsuka reinforced her body and lunged at Gordes.
Gordes only had enough time to shout a one-count aria, reinforcing his arms so that Ritsuka's blades shattered upon contact. Ritsuka tched and jumped back. "Alchemist… transmuting your own body. I'll make up for my lack of magical potential with bigger guns, then!" She summoned 6 blue Black Keys, her eyes keeping careful watch on Gordes's actions.
Lord El-Melloi II's voice echoed through her head. Never take your eyes off your opponent. One look away and it can be fatal.
Gordes, however, didn't attack, staring at Ritsuka in shock. "You can't be one of the Church's exorcists, so how are you wielding Black Keys?!"
"Now why would I tell you anything?" Ritsuka asked honestly. "I make up for my low magical potential as a second-generation mage with weapons. You're a first-class mage, aren't you? We are enemy Masters in the war, our Servants are fighting, and Ruler is watching us right now. Didn't you want a fight?"
Gordes's expression filled with even more shock and hints of admiration. "Only a second-generation magus and you summoned a powerful Servant… I will fight you seriously, then."
"Come at me then!"
***
Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia observed the fight between Gordes and the mysterious red-haired girl on a screen in the Millennium Castle, courtesy of one of Caster's golems who had been brought along with Gordes. She was very surprising.
"A second-generation magus who summoned one of the world's most powerful heroes… she does not wear the clothing of the church but she wields their weapons… interesting."
"She appears to know a lot about us," Lancer of Black, also known as Vlad III, said as he sipped on a goblet of fine red wine. "Darnic, what will you do with her? She may jeopardize your plans. Even from here, I can sense great potential in her."
"I will observe her for now, my liege," Darnic replied. "She has not shown her full skillset yet, and if she cannot hold her own against Gordes while providing mana for her Servant, then we have completely overestimated her and she would not be of any danger to us."
Lancer watched silently as the girl flung three red Black Keys at Gordes, two shattering against his reinforced arms but the third managing to pierce his hardened flesh. The blond shouted in pain, and countered with a spell that caused the ground to rise up and attempt to trap the girl, who reinforced her legs and backflipped out of the way, flinging 3 more Black Keys at her opponent. "How fares Saber?"
Darnic motioned with his hand, and the scene changed to the image of two Servants battling with their all. "Lancer of Red is matching Saber blow for blow. Unsurprising, considering Karna is a demigod and has a divine spear."
"It will be interesting to cross blades with him in the near future," Lancer stated, taking another sip of his wine. "Have them retreat when dawn comes. If Karna truly is descended from the sun, I do not think Saber will be able to defeat him then."
"Yes, my liege."
***
A few months before the current events…
Ritsuka's frustrated scream could be heard throughout Chaldea.
In the summoning chamber, Tesla and Edison had stopped arguing for once, instead laughing together at the pile of conceptual weapons that had appeared in the middle of the summoning circle. Realizing what they had done mere seconds later, they resumed their catfight. With Helena nowhere to be seen, no one stopped them.
Ritsuka was busy raging.
"10 SUMMONS AND ALL BLACK KEYS?! THIS IS INSANITY, I TELL YOU!" She turned to Tesla and Edison, eyes blazing. "TESLA! EDISON! STOP FIGHTING AND FIND A WAY TO CHANGE THE RATIOS OR WHATEVER! AMAKUSA SHIROU TOKISADA! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!"
"Senpai…" Mashu called gently, but Ritsuka was beyond comfort at this point.
"THIS IS EVEN WORSE THAN THE MOBILE GAME! AT LEAST SOMETHING THAT WASN'T A BLACK KEY WAS GUARANTEED WITH EVERY MULTI SUMMON!"
Unfortunately, Amakusa chose that time to pop his head into the summoning chamber. "Master Ritsuka, did you call me—" He was rewarded with Ritsuka picking up a Black Key and hurling it at his head. He tilted his head to the side and saw the pile of Black Keys on the ground. "My, my, a whole pile of them this time? Shall I take them off your hands?"
Ritsuka had an angry glare on her face. "Did you steal Gilles's spellbook or something and curse the summoning circle? You're the only one who uses Black Keys!"
"I assure you, I did nothing of the sort," Amakusa raised his hands in a placating manner. "I still haven't gone through the 5 buckets of Black Keys you gave me, so why would I need more?"
Medea materialized at this moment, shaking her head. "Your luck appears to have fallen to E-rank, Ritsuka."
"Don't remind me," Ritsuka moaned. "I knew I was spending too much time around Cu and Siegfried, no offense to their E-rank luck."
Medea snapped her fingers and the Black Keys disappeared.
Ritsuka stared at the elfin beauty. "How…?"
"A simple spell to store objects in alternate spaces," Medea explained. "I don't need an incantation, but you do, and I can teach it to you. With this spell, you can store your extra Black Keys and any other things you don't need, and…" Making a gesture, a portal opened up behind her and fired a Black Key at Amakusa, who dodged it again with a sigh. "Fire them as weapons. The least you can do is use them against enemies."
Ritsuka had a strangely blank expression on her face. "You're right…" She said dreamily. "Just like how Gilgamesh fires his weapons…"
Amakusa suddenly sensed immediate danger at the serene expression on Ritsuka's face. He hurriedly dematerialized.
A few days later, Ritsuka was testing her limits in the training area. There were separate rooms sectioned off from the general area for private training, and she was busy perfecting her Black Key firing.
Muttering the aria, Ritsuka thrust her hand forward and 12 portals opened behind her, firing Black Keys into the opposite, reinforced wall. They shattered, but the wall was strong and remained unmarked. She had observed a while ago that the green Black Keys flew the quickest, the blue ones were the most accurate, and the red ones were extremely powerful. Working with different combinations, she could destroy weaker enemies and get rid of the things she hated the most at the same time.
Before she could fire again, a child's disembodied voice was heard. "Heh, so that's what you're working on, Master?"
Ritsuka stopped and smiled at the child Servant, who materialized in a burst of golden sparks. "Hello there, Gilgamesh."
Ko-Gil giggled slightly. "Copying me, aren't you? I don't care what my older counterparts say, I approve. Although your spell will never compare to the Gate of Babylon, it is sufficient for you. I suppose this is a secret from the majority of Chaldea, then?"
Ritsuka nodded. A thought then struck her mind. "I shouldn't tell your older counterparts about this, should I?"
Ko-Gil scratched his head, and then shook it. "Don't. They're annoyed enough with the faker copying our treasures. Caster might be more amused, but Archer will probably be very angered."
"Then I'll have to give it a name, then, to differentiate," Ritsuka mused. "I know… how about Black Key Hell?"
Ko-Gil grinned. "Good idea, Master."
Ritsuka let another barrage fly into the wall. "If I ever reach the Throne of Heroes, this is definitely going to be one of my Noble Phantasms. Sad."
"Black Key Hell… an almost-infinite stream of Black Keys. You're getting more interesting by the day, Master."
"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you."