In League with Dragons (OPEN)

[tempingforatlas]

Who: Gudako and you!
When: 3/28
Warnings: Spooky magic.

One morning, a few days before Spring "break" ends, a note is taped to the front of the class 2-A classroom.

Magic ritual in progress. Please be careful!
-Ritsuka

While on the face of it this may seem ridiculous, peering in through the windows sees all of the desks inside the classroom shoved into the corners while Ritsuka kneels on the floor, having laid the chalkboard on the floor to sketch some kind of elaborate magic circle on it.

Ritsuka frequently pauses, looks at her work, narrows her eyes, erases, resketches, repeats this process, and-

Flops back on her back and lets out a loud groan, just... laying there. Staring up at the ceiling blankly.

It doesn't look like she's going to move for a while.

Maybe someone should go and check up on her.

Comments

[closewithnewintown]

Well, what will happen if you don't mess it up? [focusing on the bright side should help!]

[tempingforatlas]

Well, if I somehow manage to pull this off without Mash's shield or the FATE system... we should be able to get a pretty powerful ally, maybe someone who can figure out how to bust through the Bounded Field around the school.

[Hopefully. Maybe.

...she should probably disclose the actual chances of that happening, huh.]

There's around a one-in-seven chance of us actually getting a Servant who can do that, but hey, it's worth a shot.

[closewithnewintown]

[her eyes just glaze over at the third word she just straight-up does not recognize. just nodding along like she absolutely knows all of these words.]

... So, you're trying to get a butler to get us out of here?

[tempingforatlas]

[Ritsuka can't help but giggle at Stephanie's question. She remembers when she asked exactly that sort of thing way back when, back before she even knew what a Demon God Pillar was.]

Not really, though a few Servants I know can be pretty competent maids when they put their minds to it. [Looking at you, Artoria Alter.] It's like... a way to summon historical figures and myths. People like Heracles and Thomas Edison. It's hard to summon their entire being, so instead you put them in containers called Servants that are one specific part of their legend. Like, if you wanted to summon Heracles but specifically the part of his legend where he's good at using swords, you'd summon him as a Saber. Sorta like classes in a RPG. Does that make at least a little more sense?

[closewithnewintown]

A little! [which isn't a total lie, she tells herself.] They're like... superheroes? But based on famous people and famous stories.

Who are you trying to summon?

[tempingforatlas]

Yeah, that's exactly it! You're picking it up faster than I did when I first started at Chaldea.

[Gudako may or may not be a total dunce sometimes.]

The thing is, without a catalyst—some object related to the hero—it's basically impossible to summon anyone specific. It's kind of like rolling the gachapon at an arcade.

And who knows if this place even has the right conditions to summon one, really. [Ritsuka grimaces.] Normally, places this weird have a Holy Grail at the center of them that's making the weirdness, and the magic from the grail makes it a lot easier to summon Servants... but I have no idea whether there's one here or not.

...man, it's kinda weird being at the other end of a long-winded explanation like this. [Ritsuka laughs, rubbing the back of her neck.] Normally Da Vinci or Sion is the one who spoon-feeds me this information.

[Or Roman, back at the old Chaldea, but she doesn't like to think about that.]

[closewithnewintown]

Any hero would be good, right? Or are some not as good as the other ones? [grins sheepishly] I'm sorry about all the questions. Magic like this doesn't exist where I'm from.

[tempingforatlas]

Some of them are a bit harder to communicate with than others—Spartacus can at least talk but it's hard to tell what he's actually saying, and the ones like Lu Bu, Darius, and Heracles can't even make words—but once you get to know them, they all have their strengths and weaknesses.

[Even the Avengers, beings powered by fake stories and raw, unbridled hate, have a tendency to be tsundere sweeties at heart.]

And it's fine! Really, I should've gotten in the habit of asking as many follow-up questions as you have way back during my first Rayshift.

1/2

[closewithnewintown]

[wait WHAT]

[closewithnewintown]

[... wait, no, that name isn't quite right. even if "can at least talk but it's hard to tell what he's actually saying" is also weirdly applicable.

sorry, she just went on an extended face journey for a second there. it's fine. she's back.]

If there's any way I can help, I'd really like to!

EXACTLY the reaction i wanted thank you

[tempingforatlas]

Honestly, just talking it out with someone else already helped a lot. [Ritsuka takes another look at the circle, scratches out a few more symbols, adds some in, and-]

I think this is as close as I'm gonna get it.

...you might want to stand back some. I have no clue what's going to happen if this fails, but if it succeeds, there's at least going to be some sparks.

[closewithnewintown]

Ooh! [YES, FINALLY, COOL MAGIC!] I'll go watch from the hallway!

[which she does, heading back to her previous snooping spot, giving a thumbs up.]

[tempingforatlas]

Alright. Deep breaths. [Ritsuka indeed takes some deep breaths, then holds her right arm out over the circle, her command seal tattoo (and the scarring around it) prominently visible from Stephanie's perspective. Bracing her right arm with her left, she begins chanting.]

Let silver and steel be the origin.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let my will be dedicated to the Grand Order.

Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom spin.

Shut.
Shut.
Shut.
Shut.
Shut.

Let it repeat it five times.
Let it shatter once filled.

Let it be declared now; your flesh shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword.
Submit to the form of human order.
Answer, if you would submit to this will and this truth.

An oath shall be sworn here.
I shall learn all virtues of all of Heaven;
I shall shelter all evils of all of Hell.

From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power,
Come forth from the ring of restraint, protector of the holy balance!

[closewithnewintown]

[expectant look]

[tempingforatlas]

[...and nothing happens.

But if Stephanie pokes her head inside, something is different about the air. Like it's harder to breathe, somehow.

Ritsuka also notices the difference, and while she's not always the most perceptive of people, it's still enough to unnerve her. And enough for her to glance at Stephanie and say, sternly,] Stay out of the room. I don't know what just happened, but I'm pretty sure it's not good.

[Grimacing, she walks up to the chalkboard and begins frantically washing the magic circle off. Note to self: do not try this again.]

[closewithnewintown]

... Wait, if something not good happened, shouldn't you get out of the room? [LIKE CAN'T THE CIRCLE WAIT]

[tempingforatlas]

I'm pretty sure that the circle being screwed up is the cause of the badness so I'm just going to take the initiative and get rid of it before it gets worse!

[Because it always, always gets worse.]

[closewithnewintown]

Be careful! [just. anxiously bouncing in the hall until she's sure she's safe.]

[tempingforatlas]

[Ritsuka hurries out of the classroom as soon as the circle is erased, skedaddling back to Stephanie's side.]

Well, at least it was worth a shot. And it did something, even though I'm not sure what. That means magic does work here. Probably. I just need to figure out how.

...which is a problem because I'm not a Caster and I don't even know how magic works on my own world. [She groans. Ah, the problems of being the designated everyman protagonist.]

[closewithnewintown]

[she nods, giving her a sympathetic pat on the arm.]

You did your best! Sportacus says that the only way you fail is if you give up. You just keep trying!

not a gagtag

[tempingforatlas]

...you know Spartacus?

[closewithnewintown]

... Oh, no, see, I actually got a little confused before? But, my friend's name is Sportacus. With an "O." It's a little weird that your friend is named after my friend, but he is a superhero.

[she is convinced of this and will not be dissuaded]

[tempingforatlas]

[Ritsuka is pretty sure that it's the other way around, but also, she's ten, so she's not going to argue the point.]

Your friend's an actual superhero? Wow, the closest I've got to someone in the whole spandex getup is Edison, and honestly I'm pretty sure he's disqualified because of all the unethical capitalism he does.

[Please change, Edison. You don't get a pass because you're a furry.]

Nuts, I don't think I have your name. I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru! Some of my friends call me Gudako, though.

[closewithnewintown]

[NODS EAGERLY she is just visibly excited to talk about her Best Friend Forever.]

Yeah, he's my town's hero! He rescues us when we're in trouble, and he teaches us how to play games, and he foils bad guys!

[well. bad guy, singular, but that sounds more impressive.]

I'm Stephanie! One of my friends calls me Pinky, but only when she's teasing.

[tempingforatlas]

Sounds like somebody I could've used on my side during the Grand Order. [Even if he wasn't a great fighter, having somebody to wrangle kids would've been helpful to have around thanks to Jack, Nursery Rhyme, and Santa Lily. There weren't exactly many servants that are well equipped for that sort of thing.

Except EMIYA, but as the world's greatest housewife (bless your soul, Tamamo, you come a close second), that was a given.)]

What was your hometown like? It sounds like it was a lot more exciting than mine, ha. Nothing ever really happened there.