Koga's username is now Kohga, not much of a difference but meh, its better than just having him give his name.
Olga chewed on her nail, her anxiety spiking her blood pressure to the point she could hear her blood rushing in her ears.
She knew this singularity was messed up from the start. The roaming servants without masters were something that was apparently obvious to everyone who had a beating heart, but isn't this too much?
Olga took a deep breath, slowing down her racing blood.
Calm down, calm down. It's not so bad.
If it was only Mash, then she would be crying like a newborn right now, but Olga reminded herself that they still have a numerical advantage.
Despite her misgivings and headaches that came with the amateur that goes by Ritsuka Fujimaru, she will admit that he has been rather competent thus far.
Summoning a knight of the Round Table and a famous Japanese servant in Japan?
The odds were truly in their favor.
But her heart still felt uneasy. Seeing those two psychotic women licking their lips in anticipation of the coming battle.
Olga flicked her gaze at the last master of Chaldea, who was looking a bit more composed than she would have expected from a public applicant, but still shaken from the near-death experience.
She can't rely solely on luck, she needs to take charge and help tip the scales more in their favor.
"Roman!! Do we have any information on who she might be?!"
"No, we don't. She might be the chatty type, but Rome made far too many enemies for us to identify her true identity."
On hearing this news, Olga just bit her nail harder and winced as it split in two.
[Was this Rome really that bad? ]
[SoniaYampers: based on what Gudao has shown us, yes, they were. The Roman Empire conquered a lot of countries in Gudao's world and trampled over many cultures to get to where they were at their peak. For context, it conquered most of the land that would one day become France and the British Isles (the parallels of Kalos and Galar respectively) ]
[I mean, that's only two regions. It doesn't sound that big. ]
[Gible_Archeologist: I posted the map of the Roman Empire on Twitter. I even circled the portions that would be Kalos and Galar on the map. MODs, can I post a link? ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): sure. You may. ]
[Gible_Archeologist:
[(ﾟoﾟ) That… is a lot of land… ]
[SoniaYampers: Yup. ]
[TheIcePryce: Hmph, the only reason these Romans got so far was due to the lack of Pokémon keeping human expansionism in check. ]
[Kohga: indeed. I would bet that if Earth had Pokémon like in our world, the Romans would have struggled to keep even HALF of what their empire had been in normal history. ]
Medusa's seductive giggle caressed everyone's ears, causing their spines to tingle in fear as she made the first move.
She put her hands behind her neck, then she whipped her hair outwards. Silky smooth purple hair flowed like a river, but it soon started to change shape into deadly metallic chains.
"Hey! Whoa! " Rider jumped backwards to avoid the chains from hitting her as they wrapped themselves around the lampposts, forming a cage that cut off the Chaldean's escape.
"Watch where you throw those things, you almost hit me!"
Medusa just responded with a sweet smile, "Don't you remember what I told you? No, you don't. Seeing as how all your size went to your fat lumps instead of your head, I will be clear. I will tolerate you butting into my hunt, but do not be surprised if you get stabbed in the back when you let your guard down."
[Ah, friendly fire from the get-go, huh?]
[Those two have absolutely ZERO synergy as a team.]
[Junior_Researcher: These servants act less like people and more like wild pokemon. ]
[I mean, Olga did tell Gudao that the duskull men were free roaming servants without masters, so in a way, you aren't wrong.]
Rider expressed her annoyance with a scoff, "Fine. Be that way." she raised her blackened sword to the sky, "well the same goes for me. Don't get in my way unless you want to get trampled under my chariot."
As soon as the word, 'chariot' left her lips, the sounds of horse whinnies filled the air, followed by the emergence of a black scythed chariot pulled by two black horses inside the cage of chains.
[I<3HorsePKMN: Whoah! Horseys!! <3<3<3]
[I<3HorsePKMN: Magical horses!! <3<3<3]
[Do these count as pokemon?]
[Those are some mean looking horses. And that chariot is so pointy… and Cool!]
[MalasadaMayhem: Wow, this woman is leaning really hard on the edge there. Sexy black bikini armor, a black sword and buckler and now a black chariot pulled by two black horses? If she leans any further on that edge, she's gonna cut herself. ]
̶[̶H̶e̶a̶r̶t̶0̶f̶6̶o̶l̶d̶:̶ ̶S̶̶̶h̶̶̶e̶̶̶'̶̶̶s̶̶̶ ̶̶̶c̶̶̶e̶̶̶r̶̶̶t̶̶̶a̶̶̶i̶̶̶n̶̶̶l̶̶̶y̶̶̶ ̶̶̶m̶̶̶a̶̶̶k̶̶̶i̶̶̶n̶̶̶g̶̶̶ ̶̶̶m̶̶̶e̶̶̶ ̶̶̶e̶̶̶d̶̶̶g̶̶̶e̶̶̶.̶̶̶]̶
[Message deleted by moderator.]
The scandalously dressed redhead jumped inside the box of chains and landed on the chariot, then she raised both her sword and shield hand to the sky.
A surprised gasp escaped Romani's lips as he recognized the pose the Rider servant was making. "No way…that pose and that chariot!! That's the Chariot of Boudica!!"
[Boudica who? ]
[@SoniaYampers @Gible_Archeologist we need exposition please! ]
[SoniaYampers: Umm… I know we have been sharing a lot of information about Gudao's historical figures but, you guys do know we haven't gone through everything, right?]
[Gible_Archeologist: Yeah, unfortunately, history is Gudao's weakest subject, and he only gave us a summarized overview of his world's history from those wikipedia articles and a bunch of youtube videos, but he's been mostly focused on science in recent months, so… sorry?]
[Welp. Maybe we can have someone from Chaldea shed some light?]
As if answering chat's question, Mash stepped up and provided context for who Boudica was.
"Boudica? As in the Celtic Iceni Warrior queen who rebelled against the Roman Empire?"
"Well, that certainly explains the disdain of Romans." The Director added, her teeth still hard at work, splitting the rest of her nails like an axe does to firewood.
[This lewd, crass woman? A queen?! How?! ]
[Heart0f6old: Warrior queen. ]
[IliekQTthings: @Heart0f6old whatever!! queens are supposed to be graceful, dignified and kind!!! Even the evil stepmother ones have dignity and shame! Nothing like this woman who flaunts her body for everyone to see?!! ]
[Junior_Researcher: You are aware that "Queen" is just a job title correct? Taking the title doesn't make them any more or less humans than the rest of us.]
[Heart-of6old: And who are we to judge what a Queen decides to wear or not? She's a queen, she can wear whatever revealing outfit she wants! ]
[Krystal: @Heart-of6old You're just saying that because she's hot, aren't you? (≖_≖ ) ]
Rider, or rather Boudica, had heard their talks and took a moment to address the crowd of wanderers.
"So, the Romans finally recognized me." Boudica's face went from crazed to normal, like she had flipped a switch. She gave the Chaldeans a warm, motherly smile, but her soft facial expressions betrayed the savagery of what came out of her mouth next, "Good. Now they'll know whose name they'll be screaming mercy from as I hack them into pieces and burn them into ash!"
Her sadistic grin returned in full force, and she pointed her corrupted blade towards them.
[Fyre&Flamez: Woah! Chill Lady, CHILL. ]
[TheIcePryce: how barbaric. Someone needs to put a muzzle on her. ]
[Dunno why, but she seems like the type who would enjoy that.]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN has been allowed back into chat]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Fuck you Frisk!! ┌∩┐(◣_◢) ]
[Frisky1inFlowers(MOD): I appreciate your tantalizing offer, Hilda, but I must refuse. My heart already belongs to Iono. ]
[Electrical Streamer Iono(MOD): Leave me out of this!! ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Grrr… I didn't mean it that way you sick perv, and how do you know my real name?!! ]
[Frisky1inFlowers(MOD): a true magician never reveals his secrets~ ]
[Wb @ShortShorts_QUEEN, You came back just in time to see Gudao's first double battle. ]
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Frisk aside, I am pretty excited to see what a servant vs servant battle will look like.]
[Welp, looks like we won't have to wait long. It's starting! ]
The black horses whinnied and charged forward, their intention to ram the shield wall obvious to everyone.
"Get out of the way!" Ritsuka managed to say before Chiyome grabbed him and the Director and jumped out of the chariot's path.
Gareth and Mash dodged to their respective sides, avoiding the attack, but also getting split up in the process. The chains snapped and lost tension when the chariot rammed through them, much to Medusa's annoyance.
When Gareth got on her feet, she saw the now named Boudica had abandoned her chariot and jumped straight at her.
The Iceni Queen raised her blade and aimed it at the doggo knight's head, using all her strength.
Gareth's shield tanked the attack, and the girl knight responded with a kick to the woman's midsection.
Boudica was launched backwards, but she recovered her balance and landed on her feet rather than tumbling on the asphalt like a mannequin after being blasted by an air cannon.
[WhismurAnnouncer: And the first strike goes to Gareth!!]
[Woooo!!]
[KicksYouIntheFace193: Nice Kick. (･ω･)b ]
[Go Gareth!!]
[Lol. She was talking big game but she got punted like a pokedoll real quick. ]
Boudica's eye twitched as she ran her fingers over her stomach. The once silky smooth, pink skin was now marred by a purple bruise. Her once playful attitude was gone, and now she was only staring at Gareth with utter disdain.
[WhismurAnnouncer: Ouch. That bruise looks like it stings! Will Boudica be able to continue?!]
[Lol. Betch is salty. ]
[SerWikstromE4: and THAT is what happens when a person who wears stereotypical fantasy bikini armor fights someone with proper armor. ]
[Junior_Researcher: as much as it pains me to say this, you are right, Ser. Despite its appeal, bikini armor in real life is highly impractical and, as we saw, leaves one exposed to attacks that they could have shrugged off had they worn normal armor. ]
Putting two fingers on her mouth, the rider servant let out a loud whistle, and her trusty steeds responded with a neigh, their hooves clopping echoing on the asphalt as they trotted toward her.
Unfortunately for the horses, they would not make it far.
A shadow emerged directly in front of them. Were they normal mounts, they would have fallen into the void, but the chariot's magical nature allowed it to float over the gap harmlessly.
However, this was the mistake that cost them their lives.
With a loud hiss, a giant snake head popped out of the darkness, its massive jaw unhinged far enough to fit both horses inside its maw. Bones snapped, and muffled whinnies soon followed as the snake snapped its mouth shut.
[(⚆ᗝ⚆) ] x1088
[WhismurAnnouncer: Wah!! W-where did that Gyarados sized, freaky looking Ekans come from?!! ∑(; °Д°)]
[Oh Arc, that was brutal. Those poor horses did not deserve such a horrible death!! ]
[RIP Boudica's horseys]
[RIP]x1710
[Damn nature, you scary! ]
Boudica clicked her tongue as she remembered that the wanderers had a third servant.
✦✧✦
Medusa took a moment to give a hard stare at the summoner of the snake.
Her smile was gone and instead was now a neutral expression, her focus on the assassin did not go unnoticed as the petite woman used her uncovered eye to stare into Medusa's soul.
[… no… it couldn't be… Chiyome? Was that her ekans? ]
[Yes. It was. ]
[NinJanine: ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ]
[Kohga: huh, neat trick. ]
[Is that all you have to say Kohga?]
[Kohga: Yes. ]
[He's still salty Gudao summoned such a competent ninja using Naruto techniques lol. ]
Medusa scoffed, seeing Boudica get so easily trounced by a little girl. When she focused back on her enemy, she noticed the young girl was still gaping where the snake had come from.
Her grin returned, and she took advantage of the distraction, by going into her spirit form.
"Kyrielight-san!! Eyes on the enemy!!" Chiyome shouted a command toward Mash, who startled at the normally stoic servant suddenly yelling at her.
She looked back to where her opponent once was and gulped when she saw an empty sidewalk.
Mash frantically looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the enemy that had just disappeared.
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: Dammit, Mash, taking your eyes off your opponent is the worst mistake you can make during a battle! ]
[I have to say, spirit form is a very versitile, but overpowered ability.]
[Yeah. Can you imagine how annoying it would be if all Pokémon had the ability to become invisible, like Kecleon?]
[WhismurAnnouncer: It wouldn't make for good TV if it was, that is for sure. ]
Then, her hairs at the back of her neck stood up and on instinct, Mash avoided getting pierced in the spine by Medusa's lance. She quickly fixed her stance and faced the monster of myth, and immediately raised her shield to cover her body as the woman swung at her again.
Noble phantasm met Noble Phantasm.
Both these items held a lot of mystery and were durable enough to clash without receiving a scratch; but that resilience did nothing to shield Mash from the kinetic force transferred into her body.
Her arms cried in protest when the first slash came; by the fifth, they began to panic at how rapid the lancer kept attacking, but by the 15th attack, the tips of her fingers started to get numb from the vibrations generated by the barrage of attacks.
Mash retaliated despite how much her elbow joints creaked from the strain;however, the snake woman merely twirled away from her attack and landed with the grace of a ballerina just a few feet away.
[Gah!]
[So fast!!]
[I am anxious for Mash, but my heart also feels excited to see such a high tempo battle!!]
[Same] x1829
[This woman truly lives up to her legend as a snake monster. They speed and frequency she struck her opponent and her stylish retreat, it reminded me of that one Seviper from a few conferences ago who relentlessly swatted a Golem into submission with her Iron Tail ]
[Oh, I remember that fight. Everyone thought the golem was going to win because of the type advantage and because of how bulky Golems are, but no one expected the seviper to cancel out the Golem's earthquakes with her own!! It was so cool!! ]
[It was bullshit!! That's what it was!! Lost me 72,000 poke that day. ]
[Gambling addictions aside, I really hope this battle doesn't end like the seviper one did. I don't think this medusa lady is going to stop attacking even if Mash is defeated]
[All the more reason to cheer her on!! Go Mash Go!!]
[Go Mash Go] x682
"So weak. I can tell just by the way you use that shield, those pretty little fingers of yours haven't held a real weapon for long." Medusa taunted her, then smirked, "As your senpai in fighting servants, it's my duty to share some pointers with you. "
Lancer sped up her attacks, each strike landing with more weight than previous strikes.
Mash stopped blocking every attack and switched to deflect or dodge every strike she could get away with in an effort to mitigate the amount of force she had to endure head on.
[...I'm starting to have doubts about Mash's chances of winning. ]
[Quiet you! The battle just got started!! Mash has got this!! ]
Unfortunately for Mash and Chat, her exhaustion caught up to her and made her slip up.
Mash swung her shield a bit too widely, which allowed Medusa to capitalize and push her shield even further away using her lance.
Then, Medusa tensed her thick thigh muscles and delivered a swift kick to Mash's side, who instinctively raised her hand to block the attack.
The dull sound of bones cracking echoed in the battlefield as Mash's fingers, hand and arm bones broke under the monstrous strength of the kick.
"Gah!!" Mash let out a painful wail as she was launched directly into one of Medusa's hastily made net of chains.
[AAHHH]
[__Red__:scared ash and Pikachu emote: ]
[SHIT]
[NOOO!!]
[SHE DON'T GOT THIS, SHE DON'T GOT THIS!!]
[0ffDoodyJoy: So many fractures (｡>﹏<) ]
"Gal-Mash!!" Gareth cried out and attempted to intervene, but Rider did not let her.
"SWORD OF BOUDICA!!" A hail of black energy beams forced Gareth to raise her shield to defend herself.
[Are those sword beams?!! ]
[Boudica was actually fem!Dark Link all along?!]
[But she's not wearing a silly hat! ]
The camera shifted away from the scene, focusing back to Mash and Medusa. Any protests from chat were silenced when they saw Mash trapped in chains.
Mash's good arm somehow still wielded her shield, however, when she tried to move, new chains materialized on her arm and crushed her second arm, reducing its bones to fragments.
Her arm could not bear the pain and released her shield, which fell to the ground with a loud klang.
Tears fell down her cheeks due to the sheer agony of the pain from her broken bones ,but she still grit her teeth and made the attempt to get away, to no avail.
[Mash no!! ]
[She's cooked. ]
[Ah, I forgot I was watching Gudao's stream for a moment there. ]
[TheIcePryce: That poor girl is going to have all her limbs ripped from her body]
Medusa calmly landed next to Mash's side and giggled seductively, "My, my, looks like the cute little butterfly has gotten caught up in my web."
Mash felt completely helpless as Medusa got behind her and invaded her personal space.
[Wait… what is she doing?]
A shiver ran down Mash's spine as she felt the woman's breath on her neck.
Then, the crazed servant caressed her face, her clawed hands gently raking over her soft cheek.
[No… she wouldn't dare…]
[Hey!! Get your hands off Gudao's girl you psycho!!]
[BAD TOUCH!! BAD TOUCH!! ]
Mash let out a loud whimper of pain and discomfort when one of Medusa's claws cut a little too deep.
Mash's heartbeat started to pound in her chest as she felt a warm, wet tongue lick the blood from her wound.
[ (づ_ど) ]x879
[ (⸝⸝·•᷄ࡇ•᷅⸝⸝) ]x574
[(•́₋₍•̀ ) ] x1765
"~Ah. How fresh… how sweet and salty! I think I've fallen in love."
Mash looked to the side and her pupils shrank in fear.
For a moment, the visage of Medusa was gone and instead, she saw the face of a wretched, pointy-eared man looking at her with crazed affection in his eyes. His wicked, open mouth grin revealling a set of elongated fangs.
This image caused Mash to struggle more wildly in her restrains, in an attempt to get away from the danger but like her previous attempts, it only made Medusa more excited.
[0ffDoodyJoy: Hopefully I don't need to remind you guys that drinking blood is not sanitary or safe towards one's health. ]
[Yeah, we know. Ugh. ]
[Umm… I think I'm gonna log off for a moment. I can't watch this. ]
[I took a second to get my food delivery and this was what I came back to. WTF]
[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): @Heart0f6old if you finish typing what I think you are typing, then stop or else it will be your last.
[Heart0f6old: I may be a degenerate, but I'm not sick in the head! Who do you take me for, Hex!?]
Unbeknownst to the rest of chat, Hex was currently in the process of writing a bit donation message to help Mash and could not bother to respond to Heart0f6old's insult, however, her efforts were unnecessary.
"Guh!" Medusa grunted as she felt something sharp embed itself in one of her eyes with a wet thunk.
Blood spurted from her wound, and she stumbled back and away from Mash.
"Gaaaah!!" She let out a wail of agony as she held her injured face.
[NinJanine: Nice aim!! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ ]
[Kohga: Hmm… dead center in the pupil. And at such depth… truly a masterful shuriken throw. ]
Then, a huge snake of shadows emerged and slammed Medusa into the nearby river.
Mash looked at the snake in surprise, then the chains holding her body snapped—no, rather, they were cut by a sharp blade. The blade that belonged to Chiyome.
Mash felt her body fall, but before she could hit the ground, the aforementioned ninja caught her with the gentleness of a mother would with her daughter.
"I apologize for the delay, Kyrielight-san. I needed time to properly find an opening to get her away from you without causing you harm."
[WhismurAnnouncer: And Chiyome comes in with the last minute save!! Medusa is down one eye and Mash is now free fom her bindings!!]
[IliekQTthings: CHIYOME!!! I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I SAID ABOUT YOUR LEWD, TACKY AND UNCUTE TASTE IN FASHION!! .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·.]
[@IliekQTthings not much of an apology if you still call her out for it. -_- ]
[Thank every legendary out there!! Mash has been saved!! ]
[Yeah, she might be safe but she's still in rough shape. She needs one of those scrolls pronto!!]
Then, her body started to feel light again. The pain that was once present was now completely gone.
Her arms, which had been broken, mended themselves completely; it was as if she had never fought Medusa at all.
She looked in the direction of the Director and her Senpai. Her senpai had used up one of his command seals to heal her.
[Wow. Magecraft sure is amazing!! ]
[I never thought I'd say this, but command seals FTW!!]
[Hear hear!]
Mash felt her body be gently placed on her feet with care.
"Kyrielight-san."
Mash turned to the petite ninja woman," I applaud your efforts in holding the line, but I'm afraid this opponent is too much for you. Now that you are healed, I entrust you to guard our Lord while I dispose of this rabid garter snake."
Suddenly, the river exploded, and a pillar of water rose high into the sky. Chiyome's eyes were focused on the black silhouette that emerged from the top and fell before them with a crash.
Lancer stood before them again, except this time, she was completely drenched.
The ninja star was still embedded in her face.
Her other eye held nothing but pure hate, aimed directly at Chiyome.
"You tainted harlot! You destroyed one of my mystic eyes!!"
[NinJanine: wow, she can still make those ugly expressions with a shuriken in her eye? ]
[Kohga: this is the power of adrenaline and rage. In life or death battles, it allows the human body to ignore pain that would normally be debilitating. ]
[Are we just going to ignore her "mystic eyes" comment? ]
[At this point, I've just gotten used to not knowing what these terms mean. So I just write em down for reference. ]
[Well, if they survive this, we can always ask via bit donation. ]
Chiyome just ignored her statement and gave Mash a stern look, the one a mother gave her disobedient child.
"Go." Chiyome ordered, causing Mash to jump in surprise.
"Yes, ma'am!" Mash picked up her fallen shield and ran to guard the Director and her senpai.
"Oh no, you don't!!" Medusa exclaimed as she willed her chains to turn into snakes, their eyes laser-focused on Mash and her delectable blood. However, all of her hair snakes, much like Boudica's chariot, were intercepted and torn to shreds by a much larger evil-looking snake.
"Tsk." Medusa clicked her tongue, then she refocused her one-eyed glare at the eye patched assassin.
✦✧✦
Unfortunately for chat, the camera switched away from Chiyome and Medusa to focus on Boudica and Gareth.
[NUUUUU!! I WANTED TO SEE THE SNEK LADIES FIGHT!!]
[DragoonRuleZ: Shaddap! You will watch Gareth fight and you will like it!! ]
[Well, don't mind if I do. I've been itching to see more of Gareth after her earlier bout with that Boudica lady.]
Projectiles of purple light sang as they moved through the air. Their tunes came together to form a sonata of death as they peppered Gareth's shield like hail on a steel laminate roof.
Despite the aggressive attack from Boudica, Gareth showed no signs of discomfort as she slowly marched her way towards the Queen.
"Wow. You have a lot of endurance, don't you little girl? Well, bad news for you, so do I! Let's see how long you last before you submit beneath my foot."
[Wow, I hate to compliment the enemy, but those energy attacks sound really cool.]
[They may look cool, but they ain't doing much. ]
[It's like watching a Rhyperior getting peppered by swift attack. It's barely doing much!! ]
After a minute of ineffectual firing, Boudica grew bored.
"Hmm…. I might have underestimated your endurance a tad. So let's kick it up a notch, shall we?!" The rain of projectiles ended and instead, Boudica's blade hummed as it gathered more energy for her next attack.
[(˚0˚)!! ] x4415
She pointed the blade at Gareth again and fired.
The attack screamed as it burned through the gas molecules in the air. In less than a second, it had already arrived near its destination.
[Wah!! ]
[That's so fucking COOL!! ]
[DragoonRuleZ: Gareth dodge it!! ]
With the athleticism of a Belgian Malinois, Gareth dodged bybleaping into the air, avoiding the sword beam, her momemtum powering her lance as she aimed it at the Iceni Queen. Said Queen had already thrown herself to the side to avoid the projectile of cuteness coming for her.
Gareth's lance embedded itself in the ground by a few feet. Gareth grumbled in annoyance for missing her attack.
[Damn! That was close! ]
[Argh!!]
[Oh shit, her lance is stuck!!]
Boudica seized the opportunity and pounced on Gareth who had taken a momeny to pull out her lance, but what she didn't expect was the explosion of blue light, rubble and dirt to erupt from where the lance had pierced the ground.
Boudica was forced to cover her face with her buckler, limiting her vision but she decided to follow her instincts and swung her sword in hopes of damaging the lancer servant.
The attack was blocked by Gareth's shield.
Boudica avoided another kick to her sore gut and she adjusted her buckler for a head strike.
But, her attack was once again stopped by Gareth's shield.
The two shields clashed, the metallic clang reminiscent of two mountain goats ramming their horns together in a show of dominance.
Both warriors were now locked in a test of strength. Both Gareth and Boudica had their feet planted firmly on the ground and were not willing to give up.
[Go Gareth] x5865
Boudica pointed the tip of her sword to stab Gareth's face, but she ducked.
Gareth responded with a sweep of her legs, but the Iceni Queen rolled away before she was tripped.
[KicksYouIntheFace193: PUNISH HER WITH A FORWARD SMASH!!! (๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭ ]
With a grin, Gareth crouched and charged after the woman as soon as she stood on her feet.
Boudica tried to block using her buckler, but she had no way of stopping the momentum of the doggo from smacking her in the face with the side of her shield.
Metal met flesh.
A wet crack and a spurt of from Boudica's nostrils showed that the blow had managed to damage the delicate cartilage in her nose. Boudica gasped as the momentum caused her to be launched backwards, her body rolling ungracefully on the asphalt, earning dozens of scrapes along her exposed body.
[KicksYouIntheFace193:YEAAAAAAHHH!!! (੭ ≧ᗜ≦)੭ ]
Boudica finally stopped rolling when she landed on Medusa's garden of statues.The rider servant grunted as she got back up, her nose now no longer symmetrical and instead looked like a flower that got stomped under the hoof of a workhorse.
[Yikes. ]
[In a normal pokemon battle, this injury would have forced the ref to call the match off and give victory towards Gareth, but since this is life or death, seeing this is just the prelude of what's to come.]
Gareth saw her handiwork, smirked, then tapped her shield with her lance, "Mine shield is bigger than yours."
Rider tries to snort, but the condition of her nose prevents her from emoting that expression.
"Bigger isn't always better, girl. It's how you use it."
"Well duh, what kind of idiot would think they are better than someone just because their shield was bigger?!" Gareth retorted, a cute pout on her face, the lewd joke completely going over her head.
Boudica just responded with a deadpan expression on her face.
[Whooosh]
[DragoonRuleZ: Corruption attempt failed. Try again never. ]
Boudica responded to the unexpected innocence by grabbing her nose and setting it back into place with a dull but audible crack, then she inhaled through her nose with a loud, wet snort and spit a wad of bloodied mucus on the ground.
[:cringing emoticon: ]x9487
[Ew. ]x4413
[Gross. ]x4593
[True to all the statements above, but you gotta admit that was still pretty badass. ]
"You're right girl, you are pretty good at using your shield, much better than I." Boudica's eyes flicked to her left and grinned and put away her sword.
The look of confusion Gareth shot her when the Iceni Queen unarmed herself quickly turned to shock when she saw her grab the nearby statue of a seaweed-haired boy and violently snap it free from its chains. Blood squirted everywhere as the crazed woman split the statue in two.
[Oh crap!! ]
[The people inside those statues were alive?!! ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): That poor boy…To be a victim, trapped inside his own body, forced to become some monster's toy against their own will, and later killed in such a brutal manner. He did not deserve such a fate. ]
The woman then focused her maniacal gaze upon Gareth, who started to realize what the servant's intentions were.
Rider threw the pieces directly at Gareth, who was forced to dodge to avoid the corpse being chucked at her. She peeked through the gaps in her helm, and saw that Rider was grabbing all the innocent people in Medusa's garden and using them as projectiles against her.
[Kohga: A distasteful but resourceful use of her environment against her opponent. Smart. ]
[HippityHoppip650: @kohga Hey! That's fucked up! Don't compliment her!! She's using innocent people as projectiles!! (◣_◢) ]
[TheIcePryce: @HippityHoppip650 as abhorrent as you might find these atrocities, you must remember that all is fair in love and war, especially to madmen and women like Boudica. This is a war, child. If you can't stomach what you see, then I suggest you log off this channel now and go elsewhere. ]
[Ugh, this woman just gets more and more despicable the longer she stays on screen. KICK HER ASS GARETH!! ]
"No!! My beautiful garden!!"
Chains manifested and flew at Rider, who avoided the attack with ease. More chains began to manifest to continue the barrage, but they quickly disappeared when Medusa was forced to evade a strike from Chiyome's blade.
Boudica, seeing Medusa stop attacking her, continued to breaking her statues with glee.
With her agility, Gareth easily sidestepped and weaved through the petrified bodies, unfortunately, she was not perfect as a few corpses had managed to hit and splatter over her shield.
Her shield; however, could not prevent a spray of gore from splashing into her eyes.
[( ⚆ _ ⚆ )] x5000
[She's been blinded!! ]
Gareth looked away with her eyes shut and tried her best to wipe the blood from her eyes. By the time she finally got her vision, however, it was already too late.
Boudica's blade was already mid-swing, aimed directly over her head.
Seeing no other way to avoid the attack, Gareth did the unthinkable. She dismissed her shield, opened her arms, and welcomed the hit like it was an old friend.
The blade struck, but due in part to Gareth's speed, she avoided a head strike and allowed the blade to only attack her armor.
[What is she doing?!! ]
[DragoonRuleZ: Gareth! Why didn't you DODGE?!! ]
[Man, her armor ate that attack like a poffin. ]
Gareth grunted as the blade scraped her armor, thankfully, the blade did not pierce through, but it definitely left her bruised underneath. The sadistic queen smirked when she saw the young girl in pain, but the grin fell when the girl's pained expression turn into a mischievous smile.
Suddenly, an explosion of magical energy erupted from Gareth's body.
"You're going down!!" Gareth's proclamation caused the air to vibrate, and her lance began to emit a bright blue light.
[What the heck?!! ]
[Gareth is glowing!!]
[El_Kukui: No way… is this what I think it is?!! O: ]
Boudica felt a chill run up her spine, but not due to a cold breeze, but rather fear as she realized what was about to happen. She jumped back in an effort to retreat, but it was too late.
Gareth rematerialized her shield and brought it together with her lance, her focus aimed squarely on the retreating rider. Asphalt cracked under her armored feet and kicked up a dust storm behind her as she charged toward the woman.
Before Rider could defend herself, Gareth was already upon her, the tip of her lance covered by a hemisphere of pure energy hit her squarely on her exposed, bruised stomach.
Boudica felt bile forcefully expel itself from her stomach and into her mouth, but even when the liquid hit Gareth in the face, it did not deter her from continuing her attack.
"I am a wolf!" She unleashed a second strike, "And my lance is like a deadly fang!" Boudica cried out as Gareth's attacks kept launching her forward, refusing to allow her feet to touch the ground.
Gareth unleashed a final slash, which launched Boudica further away. The rider, despite the insane amount of punishment, still managed to land on the ground with a shaky, unbalanced step.
However, Gareth was far from done as she was already upon Boudica once more, but this time, her lance was now glowing brighter than before.
[WHOOOOO!!!]
[THAT IS SO FUCKING COOL!! ]
[OHBOY OHBOY OHBOY!! ]
"IRA LUPUS!!"
Rider's breath escaped her lips as the tip of the lance pierced her midsection, through her intestines, spine and exploded in a shower of blood and gore out the other side.
Boudica's pupils trembled in horror, realizing that she had just been dealt a fatal wound.
Gareth pulled out her lance, which caused Boudica to let out a gargled gasp before she fell to the ground, defeated.
Gareth looked down to the woman and let out a sigh, before she turned her back to go to her master.
[That was brutal… but man that attack was still so cool! What was that?!!]
[El_Kukui: The way she just recited that verse, especially at the end, the power that came from her being, and the way it got my blood pumping—if that wasn't a noble phantasm, then I'll give up my doctorate and professor license for failing to recognize a signature, ultimate power attack!]
[Ngl, she had me fooled in the first half, what with letting herself get hit by that sword slash! ]
[Kohga: that was her intention, and she executed the delivery well enough to baffle all of us. She truly lives up to her title of 7th seat of the Round Table. ]
"n-Not ye…t"
"Com..e… Back… I can… still… fight."
Gareth turns back to see Boudica was now propping herself on one arm while the other pointed a shaky blade toward Gareth.
[Wha?! She's still alive?!! ]
[TheIcePryce: Despite my misgivings about this woman's attitude, morals, and fashion tastes, I will admit that her perseverance and will to keep fighting are unlike any I have seen before in my life. And I have seen grown men with less serious wounds reduced to nothing but crying children when they saw how badly injured they were. For that, she has gained a modicum of respect from me. ]
Gareth looked at the scene with pursed lips. "Battle continuation, huh? And a high-level one at that." Her eyes were tinged with sadness. "My fellow knights always told me I was too soft when it came to dealing punishments. But I just can't bring myself to make anyone suffer unnecessarily, even if they might deserve it."
[DragoonRuleZ: Gareth… You don't have to force yourself to do it if you don't have to… ]
[Unfortunately, despite how despicable she is, it's inhumane if she left her to die like this. ]
[Kohga: It's better to just put her out of her misery. She can't just ask one of the others to handle it, she dealt the fatal blow, she must end it. ]
Gareth steeled her resolve and glared at the woman.
"I will make this quick." Before Boudica could let out a retort, Gareth blitzed her and this time skewered her head with the finesse and precision akin to a toothpick piercing an olive.
The dead servant's arms lost all their strength, her sword clanged on the ground, its owner no longer able to wield it.
Boudica's body dematerialized in yellow motes of light until she disappeared completely.
Gareth had won.
✦✧✦
Nuvema Town, Unova Region
Hilda was casually sitting in front of her computer, her face a light shade of green after what she had just seen.
She had made the mistake of analyzing the battle between servants like she would a normal elite-tier Pokémon battle.
In many ways it was the same. The split second decisions, the flashy attacks, the strategy and information war, and even the decisive blow were something integral to a normal pokemon battle.
These thoughts had changed when she saw how the fights didn't stop when they started to get ugly and brutal.
Hilda was no stranger to violence.
She had encountered plenty of it years ago when she fought Team Plasma.
For people who cried about pokemon liberation, they sure knew all the most painful, and brutal ways to abuse pokemon.
She's seen pokemon bleed before, with broken appendages, burns, everything. Seeing injured pokemon came with the job of being a trainer.
She thought she had seen everything, but this was honestly the very first time she had seen a dying woman prop herself up using her arms and still want to keep fighting!!
She's heard horror stories from her ranger friends, how they occasionally find dead trainers in various states of decay while they do their patrols in the wilds, but she herself has not seen such violence.
Until now.
Even when the woman had long dissapeared and the camera switched to Chiyome's fight, she couldn't stop seeing the woman's head pierced by Gareth's lance.
"Damn!!"
Hilda was finally shaken from her thoughts as she saw the Medusa lady dodging the snake that ate Boudica's magical horses.
The two women were both unbelievably fast, but it was easy to see who was the faster of the two.
Medusa was battered, her hooded cloak torn in multiple areas and she had been on the defensive the whole time.
Chiyome, meanwhile, was calm and collected on top of being unscathed.
Hilda had to admit, Chiyome had turned into the textbook example of "never judge a book by its cover."
Despite her lewd attire and looking like she was a young teen, she was a full grown woman who kicked ass and took names.
["Give up. You stand no chance against me. The longer you struggle, the more painful your death will be."
"Fuck you!! And your foul smelling blood!!" Medusa hissed, anger dripping from her lips like venom.
"Ah, so you know huh?"
The purple haired woman pinched her nose with her fingers, "it's difficult not to. Your blood reeks of curses, it's honestly a miracle I haven't puked from the stench." ]
Hilda raised a her brow, "what are these two talking about?"
["Ah, my apologies. I can't control it. So you'll have to bear with it until I cut off that head of yours."
As if I'd let you!!"]
Medusa, much like Boudica, talked big game but to Hilda, she looked like a cornered rattata. And she knew that a cornered rattata often got desperate.
[Let's see how well those snakes of yours withstand my mystic eye of petrification!!
Chiyome suddenly looked surprised and for the first time, she was running away from Medusa.
Medusa laughed, "you think staying away from my gaze will save you? You are more naive than what you like to present yourself as, girl.
A bunch of circles hovered over her good eye, and she released a black beam of energy toward Chiyome's cover. The woman managed to get away before she was blasted by the attack.
]
"Hyper beam? But, why is it so… thin?"
The battle between Chiyome and Medusa continued like this for a while. Hilda could tell by the frequence of the shots that Medusa's patience was starting to wear thin and she was proven right when the snake woman started to let out a string of curses for every missed attempt.
The woman looked absolutely furious, her eyes scanning everywhere she could. Suddenly her eyes landed on something off screen.
The camera changed angles and showed Gareth jogging towards Mash to help her protect Olga and a slightly pale and exhausted looking Gudao.
Hilda did not like the evil, sadistic grin that split the woman's face in half. Much to Hilda's dismay, Medusa charged up an attack once more, but this time, it was aimed not at Chiyome but rather at Gareth, who looked a bit distracted after the previous battle.
Gareth, as if feeling something had gone wrong, looked to her side and saw the metaphysical attack come for her.
The beam had already reached a point where even if Gareth dodged, she would still suffer a graze to her body. And unbeknownst to Hilda, that would be enough for Medusa to turn Gareth to stone.
The camera angle shifted, showing Gareth's point of view.
Hilda saw a square pupil staring directly at her.
Despite how savage and wretched this woman was, her lone eye looked like a jewel.
"So this is what she meant by a 'Mystic eye.' Well, it certainly does look mystical."
A square pupil is something she never thought she would ever see on a person before and … guh!!
Hilda felt her heart beat start to speed up.
As if it was an engine trying to pump crude oil through her veins.
She felt her feet getting numb.
She wanted to look down, but her eyes were locked in place. She couldn't look away.
Hilda felt a foreboding feeling of impending doom, like her life was coming to an end.
Images of Medusa's stone garden came flashing through her mind.
Was… was she going to end up like them?
Was she about to die?
Suddenly, a notification appeared in front of the screen, blocking the woman's face.
[GudakoBot: Mystic eye filter added to stream for Chat's safety. All viewers have been purged of any ill effects caused by exposure to Mystic Eyes of Petrification.
The effects of mystic eyes on the "Jewel" rank have been rendered safe to experience; however, the filter is still susceptible to higher-ranked or more potent mystic eyes. The more exposure to mystic eyes, the less of an effect they will have on the rest of Chat. ]
Hilda released a breath she didn't know she had. Her heart was beating at a rapid pace.
What was that?!!
WHAT WAS THAT?!!
That feeling… she's never felt such a thing before in her life.
Even when she stared down Ghetsis's monster of a Hydregion did she ever feel what she just did.
Hilda looked back at the screen and saw Medusa still glaring at her, and shivered.
For the first time, Hilda, as well as everyone in the Pokémon world, realized just how dangerous Gudao's stream and world as a whole actually was.
✦✧✦
Medusa had fired her shot, confident the laser would petrify its target.
But the beam halted midway, as if intercepted by an unseen force, leaving everyone stunned, but none more so than Lancer, who watched in disbelief as her attack failed.
"What?! My mystic eyes didn't work?!"
Lancer had no way of knowing her attack actually did hit something; it had hit Chat's camera and spread the effects of her mystic eyes across thousands of people all at once before it was nullified by the forces that be.
Before Medusa could properly recover from the unexpected turn of events, her vision went completely black.
"Aaaahhh!!" Medusa cried out, clutching her face as she had been stabbed in her last remaining eye, this time by a kunai.
She had been blinded.
A slash of the tanto and her neck, alongside her hands that had been clutching her face, her luscious purple hair and her hood all fell to the ground.
Blood sprayed from the open cuts, drenching Chiyome's body red.
Medusa's head rolled like a die on the ground until it stopped on its side.
Like a snake that had its head cut off, Medusa continued to move her mouth in an attempt to speak, but due to lacking lungs, all it could do was silently mouth off words.
"̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶s̶o̶r̶r̶y̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶S̶a̶k̶u̶r̶a̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶"̶
The head stopped moving, having used up all its remaining energy to say her muted last words before disappearing into an ethereal flurry of lights.
Chiyome stared at the empty spot where Medusa's head was and let out a silent prayer, then sheathed her weapon and calmly walked back to her Lord's side.
✦✧✦
"Great job everyone. You did well surviving your first servant battle."
The Director, for the first time, had decided to show her dere side and vocally praised them.
"That being said, it could have been better; however, since none of us have been killed I'd say you should use this battle as a learning experience for the future."
Mash was rubbing her newly healed arm, clearly aware that the criticism was aimed solely at her for her poor performance during her fight with Medusa.
"Alright, we can analyze the battle another time. Let's go seek some shelter so that Number 48 can sleep off the mana exhaustion and we can review our future strategies in pea-"
Olga turned around and her words died in her mouth when she saw a purple ponytailed female assasin servant, but this time, her intent to kidnap her made evident by her outstretched hand aimed at her neck, but before they could grab the Dirextor, a large wooden hand emerged from the ground and grabbed the would-be assassin, saving her life.
"Guh!" The giant's hand had a firm grip on the woman as the rest of its wooden body climbed out of the ground.
The Chaldeans could only gape as the wood man stuffed the assassin inside its cage and took burned itself and the assassin inside into ash.
The Chaldeans snapped out of when a blue hooded servant emerged from the ether.
The man pulled down his hood, and showed a handsome man with hair that that matched his hood. gave the group a toothy, confident smile, "Yo! Is it too late for me to join the party?"
New Usernames:
WhismurAnnouncer: A person who aspires to be pokemon tournament announcer someday.
Krystal: Ethan Gold's cousin. She got to pick the last of the three starters between her, Silver, and Ethan.
SerWikstromE4: One of the Kalos Elite Four. He is a steel type specialist who comes from a long line of knights that have served Kalos's royalty for centuries.