An arrow whistled through the air before impaling itself through the center of another shaft three hundred meters away. A target fifty meters closer was briefly illuminated before it was hit by a fireball, then quickly frozen by a secondary strike. It was just the usual business at the Chaldea shooting range, an outdoor area in the north wing where servants could freely practice their ranged abilities on easily produced targets without worry of damaging the facility. Its entrance point was renovated from a section of the storage garage where cargo supplies formerly arrived. Rebuilt with a large awning, benches, and several lockers, the garage now served to shelter servants from the elements when the targets are being replaced or the snowfall increased dramatically.
The crack of a matchlock precedes a round tearing clear through three moving targets that lined up at the precise moment. With a grin, black-clad wielder readjusted her peaked cap that sat atop ebony hair, and wiped the snow off its large golden emblem. A red-banded accent on the headwear matched the flowing, crimson cape that waved in the wind to her left, held on with a golden badge. With a chuckle, she eyed new targets in her port's range.
She shifted her golden armored boots back into a balanced position before adjusting the katana on her left. A new musket materialized in the air before her and she grasped it with one of her white-gloved hands, swiftly pointing it at a new target before squeezing the trigger with practiced grace. The weapon released its payload with a crack, tearing through the throat of the silhouette forged by projection magecraft.
Glancing to her right she sees her future new Master holding onto her bow and arrow clumsily. Her black hair is now tied back in a short ponytail which matched her black leotard and green shorts. Her green fingerless gloves repositioned her bow as a new arrow is given to her. Tapping her green shoes on the ground, she positioned the arrow back on the bow and began to shoot again.
Oda Nobunaga smirked once again. It had been a day since Nursery Rhyme got grounded for ruining Belle's debut and the demon archer now had a reason to train her master for her debut. Emiya has to do something today so she, being the "kind" person as she is, decided to train her for the Archer class. She isn't all half bad, in fact when she trains a bit then maybe she will be capable of holding a rifle one day. She is the best master. Well, second best compared to Bliss.
"Your doing better than usual! Did you practice without my notice?" Nobunaga teased as she summoned another musket and pulling the trigger. In a chorus of orchestrated fire, all muskets fired as one and blew apart the visible targets.
Buttercup shrugged as Nobunaga stopped to turn towards her new Master. "I don't really want to call it practice. But for some reason it feels like I had always held onto a bow and arrow."
The archer raised her eyebrow at the sudden chill running down her spine. Turning to Buttercup she watched how the girl once again hit another target with her clumsy archery skills, which didn't surprise the Japanese Warlord much. "I wouldn't be so surprised if you had a demon in you," Nobunaga mumbled.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Buttercup asked a bit offended.
Nobunaga laughed as her muskets let out fire. "Not at all, Master! I'm just saying that even children have a very dark side to them," she said with a grin.
Buttercup frowned at those words but did turn to her blankly, "Just because I'm contracted to you that doesn't mean that I'm the same like you, Oda Nobunaga."
The archer chuckled. "Glad to know! There is no one that is as powerful as the demon archer, Oda Nobunaga, Big Fool of Owari—!"
"And the Demon king of the Sixth Heaven," someone interrupted. The two turn to see the offending the person and their eyes widen.
«•••=[ΞΞΞ[ φ ]ΞΞΞ]=•••»
Chapter XI: Some Friendly Competition.
«•••=[ΞΞΞ[ φ ]ΞΞΞ]=•••»
Nobunaga watched how the young girl landed down on the ground. She is of average height for her age and has peach skin. She wears long white stockings with Mary Jane shoes, and a white dress with a big black stripe on it. Her eyes are soft white, but sometimes tend to be light purple. Despite this color, she isn't blind. She also has long white hair with antenna-like bangs and a black headband.
"What are you doing here, Brianna?" Buttercup asked with an arc of her eyebrow.
"Isn't it obvious? I heard there was a shooting range so I decided to check it out!" Brianna answered with a smile.
Nobunaga looked behind her to see Shirou standing with Emiya right next to him. Both wear their own respective black shirts with white pants, black shoes and grey vests. Their glares did not help the animosity that are coming from the two archers, it kinda creeped Nobunaga out of this is how her future self acts like. Having her red eyes go down to the two young girls she smiled knowing that their conversation is going a bit better.
"Do you also do archery?" Buttercup asked as she walked towards the bench.
Brianna nodded. "A bit. My mom told me a bit about archery, it is Uncle Shirou that told me how to hold it perfectly while finding a great positioning."
The two sit down on the bench with a sigh. Nobunaga followed along with a tiny smile as the two girls sit down, she herself only leaning on the bench from next to her master. Buttercup takes a sip of her bottle when Brianna takes out a tiny lunch box with rice balls; handing one to the two individuals they thanked her as Brianna takes the other rice ball. "I saw how you held that bow, looked pretty bad from an outsider perspective."
"I know. For some reason I can't change it correctly, even though Emiya helps me and Nobu it just can't change," Buttercup groaned with a roll of her eye. Taking a bite she smiled at the taste.
Giving a tiny smile, Nobunaga snorted at the words. "Yeah, she always rotates her leg to the side as if she is going to run, her arms always stretch a bit to much and not to forget she always has this look as if she having seizure," the archer laughed.
The green puff pouted as Brianna laughed at that. The two take another bite.
"Is it something that you always had a problem with then?" Brianna asked to her cousin.
Buttercup shrugged. "I don't know, I never held a bow in my whole entire life and despite that I always hit with great accuracy."
Nobunaga grinned, taking one last bite; the rice ball is gone in her mouth. "She is really weird," gulping down the demon warlord grinned, "But she is fun to hang out with!"
Brianna finishes her rice ball as well. "Really? What about Blissy?"
"She is also fun! Don't get me wrong, she is amazing! But I have a new amazing master now!" Nobunaga cackled.
Buttercup blushed as she finished her rice ball. "At any rate, I'm going to try and practice hard enough to easily get my stance right. Currently now, it doesn't matter or I hit the target or not but my stance still stands."
Brianna smiled to her, her second rice ball is in her hand. "Didn't Emiya help you or something?"
"Everytime I ask him he always monologues, so Nobunaga is the only person I'm asking for," Buttercup smiled lightly as Nobunaga ruffled her black hair.
Brianna watched the interaction before looking away towards her rice ball. "Is it really that awesome?"
"Hmm?" Buttercup turned to her.
"In around eight months I will become a seven year old. In another year or two I will become a master here in Chaldea, something that happened for only the best. I'm a third rate X-Homunculi at best and I doubt that whoever I summon will not be as great as my uncle or the Hound of Ireland," she takes another bite of her rice ball, "It is, how should I say it? Frustrating?"
"There is really not much to get all worked up about," Nobunaga interrupted having Brianna to turn to her. "Whoever you summon mostly comes from what the Fate system has given you. I mean, look at me; I never suspected to be summoned by someone as young as an eleven year old Bliss but she got me! Nice right!?"
Brianna turned away with a smile. "I guess so. Are you going to miss Blissy?"
"Course I am! But I knew that she wasn't that good for me. She knows this and it doesn't faze her that much, if anything she is happy that I let her go," Nobunaga grinned, "I know for a fact that you can be able to summon a servant that is on your caliber. In my case, I just got two amazing masters!"
As she said that, the archer grabbed Buttercup and ruffled her head again. The young girl giggled as the warlord tickled her. Brianna watched before taking another bite of her rice ball.
"Then, I need to train to get my own servant!" Brianna declared as she stood up. Buttercup blinked at her sudden words as did Nobunaga with her halting in the tickling.
"What?" Nobunaga asked after a pause.
Brianna closed her lunch box and wrapped it up. "I'm going to train to! I'm going to become a master too one day and uncle John told me that if I can then I can summon a servant on my birthday in eight months."
Buttercup smiled. "Which means that the two of us will be fighting together. Since we are getting our debut in another few months. So, let's be good, okay!"
Brianna smiled as she extended her arm to shake her hand, which got shaken.
|XXXXXXX[Chapter XI|XXXXXXX|
'Buttercup really is a tomboy, just my type,' Nobunaga grinned as she opened her bag of chips.
Noticing that her bag is empty Nobunaga groaned in frustration as she sat in the middle of her room. She soon yelled loudly in frustration before falling back onto the tatami mats that covered her floor; They had to actually get them from a supply sortie instead of having them made. She kept the room otherwise bare since she didn't like having guests besides Okita or occasionally Benkei. It was the reason she only had two sitting cushions, one of which she threw across her room to nearly topple the traditional, four-paneled room divider. The item wobbled briefly, but remained standing thanks to a supporting chest on its opposite side.
"Shit, now I have to go to the cafeteria and buy some more," Nobunaga grumbled as she let her body hit the tatami mats again. Scratching her back for a second, the warlord stood up and stalked towards her door.
Just as she was about the open them, a second person did it for her. "Nobu! We need to talk!"
"Wha..?" The warlord could barely muster something or she got flicked towards the wall by the strength of her master. Bliss quickly closed the doors behind her and zoomed towards the table and banged her head.
"Ow!! Bliss, what the fuck?!" Nobunaga shouted in frustration.
"I need help okay!! You are the only one who accepted my sexuality so help me with it!" Bliss shouted back to her Servant.
Nobunaga grinned as she stood up and sat down in front of her. Bliss picked up a pillow from the pile, placing it down on the tatami mats. "So what is now the reason for your sudden visit?" Nobunaga asked with a small grin as the master played with her aquatic hair.
"This girl in my class, her name is Eva," Bliss begins as she adjusted the tie around her collar. Showing bits of her neck, the warlord immediately sees the problem.
"She have you a hickey?" Nobunaga questioned.
Bliss turned red as she slammed her fist on the reinforced table. "Yes! She and her friends were drinking and me and Bonnie saw it and she gave me a hickey and I have no idea how my lesbian heart can handle this!!!!!!" Bliss shouted as tears began to form in her eyes.
Even though all servants knew this, only Nobunaga figured out about Bliss's sexuality. The way how she always blushed when Kiyohime showcased her underwear in front of her, how she got a nosebleed when Nero once shamelessly took off her dress to showcase her dominance compared to Tamamo No Mae, or that time where she walked into a naked Boudica, Drake, Anne and Mary on the way over to the showers to stop Blackbeard's peeping raid.
So when the revelation came, not many servants were thrilled hearing it but Nobunaga stood up for her. The same as Drake saying how "Her Master is one rascal that has no difference with her sexuality," it was a tearful moment. That also started Osabekihime's GL manga's having a incest Bliss and Bonnie relationship, which Nobunaga has a copy off.
Now however, the situation is becoming complicated since...."Wait, when you say Eva do you mean Eva Violet? The one that bullied you when you said that you are a Homunculus?"
"Yes."
The Violet family were copied in a Singularity which only fueled the anger in Eva. However, this didn't really stop the little crush that Bliss had for the young girl. Nobunaga understood it very well; it didn't help that Raikou,the most busted woman, began to pamper her in that moment. Like a mother would, this only added the embarrassment. Nobunaga honestly felt bad for the girl since the girl in question is part of the Violet family. They are in charge for liquor and other things that are against the law, hiding as part of the mafia.
They are sorta in an accomplice with Chaldea since Eva and Bonnie are friends. That and Harriet Violet was in Luvia's debt for losing in a wrestling match.
"Ooooohhh! This is going to be interesting," Nobunaga stood up and moved her pillow next to her master. "So, does she know?"
"Someone videotaped it. We convinced her to not post it online," Bliss answered.
Nobunaga grinned. "Did you tell Tamamo? Karna? Or did you tell Luvia?"
Bliss let out a giggle. "Maybe Drake? No, I'm kidding! You are always the first person I talk too Nobu!"
The warlord smirked as she ruffled her head. "That's what I wanna hear! When you get into college in London then tell me all about the girls you will bang!"
Bliss' face became red. "I'm not going to bang any women pretty soon!! I'm not a virgin!"
"I doubt that anyone here has Mystic Eyes," Bliss giggled.
The video intercom soon began beeping, drawing her attention with a raised eyebrow. Nobunaga grumbled as she walked over to the display and pushed the largest button with irritated force; Thankfully the machine was beyond durable. Solomon's face appeared on the screen with the summoning chamber clearly in the back.
"Good afternoon, Nobunaga and Bliss!"
"Good afternoon, Solomon!" Bliss responded with a smile as she adjusted her skirt.
"What's so good about it?" the warlord responded glumly. The doctor scratched the back of his head awkwardly, which matched his uneasy chuckle.
"Well... your second ascension, if you want it. I don't recall a servant not wanting one of those."
The archer's spirits rose quickly at the great news. Ascension was just the term used for a process to increase a servant's magical energy limits. Every heroic spirit had a maximum defined by their saint graph, but this could be increased slightly with a finite number of boosts. Using rare, magical materials as catalysts, quantum pieces can be absorbed by their saint graph to increase their capacity, which boosted a servant's abilities and skills. It was a way to attune a servant closer to their strongest possible existence, made possible with Scathach's knowledge that allowed Da Vinci to adapt it to the Fate system.
Of course no servant would say no to becoming more powerful. "About time! I was starting to wonder if you forgot about me!"
"Finally! Nobu can change into a new outfit!" Bliss cheered with a smile. "This one is becoming way to boring."
Nobunaga grabbed a pillow and threw it at the master which hit her square on the face. She gives out a tiny Yelp as she has her face gotten impacted by the soft object.
Solomon chuckled again. "Yes, well... your materials are a little unique compared to others. After Billy received his second yesterday, we wound up finding an extra, hidden piece that was unlogged. It's one that corresponded best to your saint graph."
While the caster spoke, the warlord mapped her mouth; imitating someone chatting way too much. Bliss giggled at the motion, her hand hiding her mouth.
"Well, I'll leave then. Have fun Nobu," Bliss waved with a smile as the warlord waved back. The master walked out the room.
"Have fun with your Violet girlfriend!"
A coughing sound is heard. "SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!!!"
|XXXXXXX[Chapter XI|XXXXXXX|
"Seriously? Brianna and Buttercup are going to practice now?" Billy asked as he stretched his arm.
"Yup! You should have seen it. Emiya and Shirou were fighting for no reason and she had free food with her! Man what an experience!"
"You're only saying that because you like rice balls in generals," Billy countered that claim.
Nobunaga groaned at the archer as the two are now at the shooting range. Not far from them are the two said girls floating in the air. Brianna wears a white sports bra that is black by one breast and matching black shorts with one part white. Her knee and elbow protects are secured and her black running shoes are now hovering few feet from the ground. Her long white hair is held up in a high ponytail by a red ribbon.
The outlaw frowned a bit at the two girls. "I don't know Nobu. We could get in trouble with Bonnie if—."
The warlord glared at him, shutting him up. "Oi, are you moping around once again about the fact that our Masters will move on and have an amazing life as adults? You were the one that told her she could do it."
Billy scratched the back of his head. "I know, I know! But, how should I put it, it was normal back then! Now however I feel like I just committed a crime."
Nobunaga crosses her arms. "Isn't that what outlaws do?"
Billy opened his mouth but then closed it, knowing that the archer was right. Giving a sheepish smile, he chuckled. "Well, shucks. Guess I almost forgot my position as an outlaw! How scandalous."
"Hell yeah it is! You, Billy The Kid, should learn when to shut up!" Nobunaga scolded.
Billy the Kid. His real name is William Henry McCarty Jr. A representative outlaw from the American Wild West, even in modern times his popularity is extremely high. From the fact that one of his few remaining pictures was put for a price of two hundred million yen in an auction, one can perceive said popularity. His father is unknown, but it seems that he received a higher education from his mother and, considering he was a Western outlaw, he left behind some skillfully written letters.
When he was 12-years old, the curtain raised for his life as an outlaw when he stabbed to death a man who insulted his mother. Since then, he accumulated crimes of cattle theft and robbery, at the same time he took jobs of the escort of goods and the likes. He was the type who would pick quarrels at random with the other outlaws whenever he was in town, but, before anyone knew, he started to have a smile plastered on his face and tried to avoid trouble.
Although he was accepted by the citizens thanks to his tactful attitude, but maybe due to his fate as an outlaw, he ended up being dragged into the cartel-war of John Tunstall, the farm owner who employed him. As a result of this conflict, which is commonly called the Lincoln County War, Kid ended up being arrested by his one-time friend - Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Still, he escaped in less than a year. Sheriff Pat Garrett vindictively attempted a pursuit, finding him in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Maybe he thought that he couldn't win even in an open gunfight, or maybe there was some other reason--. When Billy left his room to seek some food, Pat Garrett performed a sneak attack on him.
The Juvenile Rascal King, said to have killed 21 people by the time he was 21 years old. Some ten years or so after his death, the Wild West age met its de facto end. The outlaws were treated as mere criminals and the frontier was taken into the framework of the state. Or maybe, the very existence known as Billy the Kid itself was the symbol of the Wild West, and his death indicated the demise of the age when outlaws could willfully live as they pleased.
In short; Outlaw-Type Servant. One of the heroes representing the western pioneer era, known as a master of guns. Make a headshot with a cute face and mercilessly.
"Well, shall we have the little rascals be taught something?" Billy teases to his friend.
Nobunaga grinned. "Seems like we aren't the only one."
Billy followed Oda's gaze towards the third person standing by the two girls. She adjusted her captain's hat and lightly tugged on the collar of her red long coat before approaching the duo. A leather band around her chest kept the coat partially closed, which only made her bust appear larger than it already was. The noticeable scar across her face usually drew attention, if she didn't have that gleaming fire of competition in her blue eyes. Her hands rested on two, twin flintlock pistols as her leather boots clicked against the pavement.
"What is Drake doing here?" Billy questioned a bit confused.
Nobunaga shrugged but the two walked towards the trio anyway. Just in time to hear Drake laugh.
"Haha! I heard that you two are going for a shooting competition. How can you do that without me around?" The pirate boasted loudly as she finished her approach with a proud grin.
Buttercup scratched her arm. "Sorry Drake but it isn't a shooting competition. I'm just trying to see if I can do my stance right while shooting. Bree over here knows everything about shooting."
Brianna blushed. "Not everything. I just know the basics, my uncle did taught me how to use a sword properly when long range isn't an answer."
Drake laughed at that. "There is nothing to worry about, little rascals. Shooting with a bow or swords is what made the Archer class so unique. Name one Servant from the archer class that shoots with a bow."
The two stayed silent. Billy and Nobunaga stopped in the tracks also as the two young girls pondered. Now that they thought about it, not many shoot with a bow and arrow. The two of them use guns, Emiya and Gilgamesh swords and Robin uses poison. Only a select few use a bow and arrow and those are from Greek mythology. The irony.
"Arash," the two girls answered finally after some thinking.
The two gunslingers fall down on their back. That is right!! How could Nobunaga forget that bastard that dies right after using his Noble Phantasm?! Is it because he barely used it? Is it that why?!!!
"Correct! I don't think you can ask that many archers for help save for a few," Drake explained with a grin as she flicked her pistols to the side. "And one of those is me."
"Now hold on just a second!" Oda shouted in clear jealousy. The three turn to her the same Billy. "Since when are you buddy buddy with my new Master?"
"Ever since I figured out that she can ride on my Golden Ships," Drake boasted as she grabbed Buttercup and pressed her under her cannons. Brianna blushed at the giant things of the pirate before looking at her own.
Billy waved his hands while Nobunaga is growling a bit. "Come now, we can all teach the little ladies some of our gun skills, right?" He turned towards the two girls for some help.
They didn't catch on as their innocent words rang in his ears. "But Drake is right! Only a handful of the archers use and bow and arrow, so we need to have help from someone who uses a bow and arrow."
"That and all of you use guns, so," Buttercups words stabbed the outlaw and warlord further in their chest.
It is true. A shame to all archers. "Your words hurt us," Billy whispered as his feet is twitching.
Drake laughed before crossing her arms. "I do think that we have to judge our skills to prove who is going to teach these rascals how to pull the trigger."
Billy looked to Nobunaga, slightly concerned she would not take the new addition lightly. To his surprise, the warlord didn't seem phased at the prospect of more competitors. The smirk on her face as she stared at the famous pirate was more than enough evidence for that.
"You want me to show you up too, huh, Drake?" Oda shot back confidently. Beside her, Billy sighed.
"I guess it's no longer just a duel, but anything went in the Wild West. Sure, Francis, you can join," he shrugged. "Still doesn't solve our problem about a proper judge."
Drake shrugged. "We'll just grab the first servant who comes through the door. Big deal."
"And if they don't want to?" Billy asked curiously.
The pirate only laughed. "Not our problem! They should be happy they get front row seat to a spectacular Chaldean gun show!"
"You're always fun to fight beside, Drake!" Nobunaga complimented with a grin as she turned to look at the robots finishing range setup. She wasn't lying, and it was rare for her to give out flattering comments like that. But it was certainly true.
Nobunaga and Drake had fought together on several singularities. Though it had always been in close range, they found their own combat styles rather similar. It was all about showing off for the two of them, and they did their best to be as blinding as possible in those moments. Though she never actually paid close attention to her marksmanship skills, it was simply the act of showcasing proudly who they were that made them mutually respect each other. But that respect would be left in check when the competition started; Nobunaga had no intention of losing after receiving her ascen-
"So this is the shooting range? It looks very beautiful Lukas. You have seen to spend your money good."
"Thank you Medusa. Your sisters actually asked me to make this for their own skills. I hope you like it."
Brianna and Buttercup turned to see the newest Servant standing there with their father/uncle. A woman with purple hair reaching to her ankles, her eyes concealed by a violet cover, a short black dress with pink edges, long black sleeves with hot pink edges is cut off under a handful of her shoulders, and reaching down to her wrist and over her knuckles. High black boots with small pinkish-purple armor over the feet, and pink at its edge as well.
"Found our judge," Drake commented as walks towards the tall woman.
"Oi!! Medusa, we need you here!!" Nobunaga shouted.
"You know Medusa right?" Buttercup turned Brianna.
"Yeah I know her. My aunt always tells me about her. Apparently people said that she has snakes for hair."
Billy overheard this and turned to the young girls. "What in tarnation..?"
"Is there something you need from me?" Medusa asked.
"We are trying to see which one of us three can show these little girls how to properly shoot," Billy answered with a smile.
Medusa turned to the two girls before looking at the gunslinger. Or that is what Nobunaga thought since her eyepatch is in the way. "Excuse me but who are you again?"
"Don't worry, there are lots of people here so I don't blame you for not knowing my name," Billy smiled kindly as he played with his gun. "My name is Billy The Kid, an archer. The one with red eyes and cape is my fellow archer Oda Nobunaga and the pirate is Francis Drake, a Rider class."
Medusa nodded. "I am Medusa. A Rider class Servant."
"Short and simple, just my type!" Drake boasted loudly.
Medusa blushed from inside the mask. "I'm sorry to say but you're not my type."
Drake chuckled. "Well, that doesn't matter right now. Are you going to judge yes or not?"
Medusa takes her glasses from her the Professor as he walks to her. "I don't mind. Let's see who wins."
The two girls however are sweat dropping.
"What about my training?"
"Let's just watch how they do and judge later."
|XXXXXXX[Chapter XI|XXXXXXX|
The trio were lined up, a port separating each from the others. Drake looked to her left to see Nobunaga priming her hand-held matchlocks, then to her right as Billy calmly stood with a hand hovering above his revolver. To the side, Medusa stood watch with an employee from the magecraft division who would help with the competition. Brianna and Buttercup are floating from up the ground near Medusa but both look very confused what is going on; Fou is on Professor's shoulder.
In the crowd are Atalanta and her daughter Jack, Bubbles sitting on Fergus' shoulders with Cu and Fionn next to her him, Marie and Mata Hari are watching with the surprising appearance of Belle standing behind but she is floating a bit up, Medea is sitting on Asterios' right shoulder while Stheno is on his left shoulder. Anne and Mary are cheering Drake on while Robin is whistling for Billy and Okita cheering for Nobunaga.
Nobunaga grinned to herself as Drake spun her twin flintlocks in anticipation; This was going to be fun!
"Remember the deal! I'll be teaching Buttercup how to shoot!" Drake proclaimed proudly as Nobunaga laughed next to her.
"Losers forfeit a portion of recovered currency from their next mission to the winner. I can't wait to get a piece of your next haul," Nobunaga smirked. It had been a condition they added last minute to increase the pressure, in addition to craft coin and noble phantasm limits. The competitive flame was in full blaze among the trio as Drake laughed in response. The pirate was really glad she included the bet to spice things up, because it definitely worked as Nobunaga smirked towards them. "I've stolen victory from many overconfident enemies. Prepare to join their ranks!"
"Reckon I got no other choice then... Prepare to fork your winnings over to a true dead eye," Billy chuckled as he got himself immersed. This was going to get loud, and while he was secretly not a fan of that, it's not like he had much of a say at this point. With all the boisterous servants and their fighting styles, he needed to get used to it sooner or later.
From the crowd, Bubbles turned to Scatcach who had just come from Vlad and Elizabeth. "Are you guys also going to fight who is going to teach me?"
"I think this became more of a competition who can shoot better then who can teacher but," Fionn trailed off as he turned to his master. Giving her a smile, he patted her leg. "But we will all teach you even if Scatcach is clearly stronger."
Those who heard it gave quick chuckles. Above the crowd Bonnie and Bliss are rooting for their servants which only added fuel to the fire.
Belle turned away from the fight with a sigh. "Why did you drag me here, Astolfo?"
"Because you have come out of your room at all! This looks exciting so it's only natural for you to come!" Astolfo explained with clear excitement on his face.
Martha giggles at her fellow rider as he gets a whack on the head from Jeanne. "Be silent, Astolfo. It's starting."
"Are you all ready?" Medusa asked after a homunculus told her that everything will be fine. "Nightingale is at the side line to aid me. Please make this quick."
The three each smirked which Medusa took as a yes. "On the mark of fire, weapons are free to be discharged."
Nobunaga nodded, and quietly psyched herself up further. This small achievement was nothing compared to what she did in her real life, but there was only so much to do in Chaldea. The thought of more bragging rights, especially to use against Okita, were always a nice addition so things didn't get old. There was also that pride to keep against Billy, and her second ascension was sure to guarantee her edge over him. There was still the matter of Drake, who was a wild card, but she silently figured she could topple her too. She wasn't a famous warlord of Japan for nothing.
"Five!"
Oda grinned eagerly, and gripped the two matchlocks in her hands. Two more rifles floated above her shoulders.
"Four!"
Billy blinked, but when his eyelids lifted, his gaze was sharper than newly forged blades.
"Three!"
Drake spun her pistols by the trigger guards before gripping the handles, stopping their rotation. She held them at an angle in front of her.
"Two!"
Medusa glanced down the line as if she could see the newly formed tension before turning towards the target gallery. She raised her hand high.
"One!"
Medusa turned to Nightingale who gave her thumbs up. A sign that they may assault the targets.
"FIR-"
Leather shifted. Before she finished yelling the word, Billy had flipped the revolver out of his holster, drawn back the hammer, and let loose a round down range with a crack. A single target fell with a hole clear through the center torso within a fraction of a second after the competition started. Billy smirked and brought his opposing hand over to begin fanning the hammer. Another target swiftly fell to his quick target acquisition before the sounds of Oda's firearms burst from the barrels of her matchlocks, striking two targets for her count.
'No cutting corners this time,' Nobunaga reminded herself. Two of her floating rifles opened fire to hit only one target since the accuracy of her hovering armaments regrettably lacking. She had let them fire at separate targets before, sometimes causing both shots to miss. She would not allow that to happen with two opponents.
Drake broke out of her momentary shock to fire two rounds simultaneously into two separate targets; Billy may have a legendary quick-draw, but she had her own tricks up her sleeve. Ordinary flintlocks would never keep up with the rapid pace of the more recent Colt 1783. Pirates increased rate of fire by carrying several loaded pistols around their neck to fire and discard when boarding hostile ships. Drake had no need for such waste as new rounds, charges, and flints materialized instantly for her pistols, resetting them near instantaneously. She fired a new volley and took down one more target while the oth-
"Damnit!" She frowned as the second round lost the race to the next target to a shot fired from her left.
Oda might not have the precise ability to reload her arquebuses in the same manner as Drake, but who needed to specialize in that when you could just call a new, loaded rifle from thin air? As swiftly as she squeezed the trigger on her rifle and the round flew out of the barrel, she threw it backwards with one motion and summoned a new one into her grip. Two floating rifles fired, only to disappear to be replaced by new ones. As she was bringing the new one down on another target, she simultaneously fired a round from the one in her other hand-
She cursed loudly as the round made its way down range to a now falling target, hit by one of Billy's shots barely milliseconds after her discharge. She redoubled her efforts and increased her rate of fire; She decided to fire at as many targets as possible indiscriminately instead of wasting time acquiring "safe" targets. The warlord would not be defeated again.
"Like hell you're winning!" Nobunaga yelled as her volume of fire increased.
"Not on my watch, Oda!" Drake countered as she also stepped up her game. Billy aimed at a new tar- it began its descent.
He grit his teeth at Nobunaga and Drake's sudden barrage of rounds down range that changed the situation, but he quickly formed a plan. The revolver couldn't compete with their rate of fire in its entirety due to the maximum capacity of the cylinder and lack of magical reload, but he could certainly deal with targets in a smarter fashion. Thanks to the shootouts and duels he had during his life, he was able to glimpse a rough trajectory for rounds, but not a precise one. He just needed to- there!
With a smile, he squeezed the trigger and let a round hunt its prey. The round impacted a target before one of Drake's rounds could strike first, much to her displeasure. It seemed all Billy needed was the general path of the round to guess which was the intended target. The gunslinger then let loose one of his own rounds to counter it since his projectiles flew through the air at a much higher velocity. Every successful attempt meant an opponent's shot was wasted, and Odaa worried his newfound, legal sabotage could- His sudden smirk confirmed her suspicions.
Nobunaga saw Billy glance towards her as a round left the barrel of a matchlock. His eyes gouged the flight path. He then fired his round at an intersecting target with the results as good as he imagined. The shot glanced off of her projectile, sending it on a diverted path, but also corrected his round's flight to strike a target before Drake's shot could impact. It was a stunning maneuver even Nobunaga had to bitterly give praise to. If he kept pulling off trick shots like that than he could still pull a victory, and that concerned the warlord greatly.
"Quality over quantity, girls." He chuckled as he kept firing. He'd have to thank Annie for showing him trick shots.
Drake caught on to Billy's schemes and decided to throw one of her own into play. Her superior fire rate was being matched by Oda's absurd technique, but she could still improve the quality of the barrage. Strengthening her projectiles, she smirked and placed her high luck parameter into play. She fired a round while moving her pistol. The round's trajectory shifted, throwing off Billy's interception calculations, only for the round to strike through the targe- It flew on its curved path through another! Drake smirked at her play and mentally confirmed to throw in those specialized shots when the shot opportunity presented itself.
"You gotta do better than that to keep up with El Draque!" Drake boasted proudly.
Nobunaga was now growling. This was supposed to be her victory, yet her opponent's skills were making this a serious challenge. But still, as she growled, she found herself smirking. The better the challenge, the greater the reward tasted afterwards. She would win this and prove the supremacy of the great Oda Nobunaga!
They needed to be countered at the same time. She now summoned rifles six at a time, which made it harder to spot which one aimed where. All of them quickly kept firing, though it was difficult managing this many rifles at once. Her accuracy was certainly dropping, but the sheer volume had countered Billy's attempts of sabotage. In addition, her sporadic shots were now sometimes deflecting off her opponent's rounds. It was a chaotic strategy, but it was almost akin to the early days of using arquebuses in his campaigns. They were never as reliable as their later counterparts, so they had to be made up in volume.
She did win several major battles with these prized weapons, after all. "Do not think for a second you will defeat me here!"
The audience watched the trio fire off enough rounds to give modern suppression fire a run for its money. Some of the audience was torn from who to root for and who to pay attention to, with non-servants having a much more difficult time figuring out what was going on with their average eyesight. There was a small group whose amusement was solely on a janitor Homunculus to clean up Nobunaga's discarded rifles.
Nightingale mentally kept track of the targets to each competitor. To most it would have seemed a crazy task, but to a heroic spirit who had to keep track of several patients' conditions that changed almost unnoticeably, it was just another task. She watched with precise eyes as round after round impacted targets, finding some amusement in Billy's interesting method to stay in the race. Nobunaga's was simply another reminder of the chaotic battlefields and sanitation conditions she often saw in her early career.
Medusa only stared at the fight with newfound amesuent. Their original fight was to see who can shoot better in comparison to another to teach their new Master but now it is them showing off who can shoot amazing. The rider had once again been smiling ever since her summoning today became rather fun seeing her old love interest.
Her eyes trail towards where the two girls are only for them to walk away towards a separate range where they can actually practice. Nightingale noticed her distraction and decided to look after the battle while Medusa glanced at the two girls. For some reason, she feels some nostalgia.
After only another minute of continuous barrage fire, the shots halted as targets ceased to appear. The nurse looked towards her helper who nodded in confirmation. She let out a sigh as the three competitors turned their attention towards her, each with a mental count of their targets in case there was a dispute.
Nobunaga was grinning. If it was similar to the previous day, then by her count she had already won. There were a hundred twenty targets last time, so if they kept the hidden number the same, she already had half of the targets to her name. That would mean sixty points would need to go to another competitor solely for them to even tie with her, yet both were clearly hitting targets. She was about to prematurely yell in triumph, had a final thought not crossed her mind and braced her for the coming news.
The thought that the number of targets increased since there were more competitors. Battle reports often told a different story.
"It appears we have a dilemma," Nightingale announced, raising several eyebrows. "I was not expecting a three way tie between our gunners at sixty targets each."
The trio's eyes widened as one as they looked at each other, mentally confirming that the nurse was correct. There was a round of applause as the audience clearly thought that was a more interesting outcome than one of them winning. As their gazes turned to glares, Nightingale cleared her throat regaining their attention. "The mages have begun projecting new targets so we can break the tie. After a twenty-minute intermission, we will start a new round to determine a victor."
Nobunaga grumbled to herself as she dematerialized her rifles. The warlord began her trudge to the garage as Drake and Billy followed behind her, clearly as disappointed as the demon archer. She silently decided she would go to the cafeteria to grab a breakfast snack before heading back. Twenty minutes was plenty of time to do that, especially if she started over now in spirit form.
"My apologies but I will let Nightingale look over. I'm going to take a tiny walk," Medusa bowed her head.
Drake chuckled. "No need to apologize for, if you can't then you can't follow. We will let the nurse handle this."
Medusa nodded and turned away towards the crowd.
|XXXXXXX[Chapter XI|XXXXXXX|
Nobunaga finished chewing on a rice crispy cereal bar as she walked up to the line. Drake and Billy were already in position waiting, but she wasn't late. The warlord had been sitting on one of the crates, eating her chosen breakfast in peaceful solitude while fuming over the situation. As she took her spot, she shot a glance towards the other two were clearly as eager to claim victory.
"Sure those snacks aren't going to slow you down?" Drake quipped with a smirk.
"You're going to need all the handicaps you can get this time!" Nobunaga retorted.
A male homunculus jogged towards Nightingale with the scores. "Everyone is in position, Miss Florence. We are ready for the competition."
Nightingale nodded and turned towards the three servants again. "Round two ready!"
The trio retook their stances. Drake mentally prepared to double her reloading speed. Billy flipped the flaps on his pouches to speed up his loading process. Nobunaga now had eight rifles floating over her shoulders, as many as she could feasibly fit in her port without going over the boundaries or slowing her handheld reload. This was borderline absurd on her part, but she did not want to lose. If this was going to be an all-out war, she would gladly unleash shotgun volleys down range to claim her supremacy.
She didn't even bother responding to Drake's incredulous stare at the comical number of floating rifles.
Nightingale took this as the cue to begin the countdown anew, and she did so. Her countdown was the same and ended with Billy once more quick-drawing and blasting a round into a target down range to take the initial lead.
Drake and Nobunaga began their own signature barrages. Billy began his round interception plays. More cleverly placed, new tricks appeared from the trio in an attempt to confuse the other competitors. Drake double shot at a target to prevent a satisfactory interception by the kid. The warlord fired a single volley at a trio of newly popped targets to secure the points. Billy fired a round and took down two targets before they properly lined up from movement paths.
They had changed everything in their personal strategies. Nobunaga even dematerialized rifles at different times to create a slight mist of dematerializing prana around her, making it harder to read her shots. Her mind raced to keep up with the other two, and she found her strategic mind was still being matched by them. It irritated her, but at the same time made her content. She was among competent heroes of different ages, and only they could provide her a real challenge in this situation. In any other situation, she would be silently glad they had her back.
Right now, she was just angry they weren't letting her win easily.
The barrage continued for sixty seconds only to end in the silence that followed the first round as they awaited the results. To their dismay, the tally was rather quick and the surprised look from Nightingale did not help. After Daryl scratched his head, the nurse sighed and looked towards them while shaking her head. At that point, they already knew the answer before she spoke. Collectively, they began their own forms of complaining.
"Another three-way tie."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Nobunaga yelled. The other two thought the same, but didn't voice it, as they glared at each other in discontent.
"This is getting ridiculous," Billy groaned. "How had a simple rematch turn into this mess?"
"What was even the point of this then?" Belle commented dryly from the crowd.
"The Mages are ready for the next round. If that one also becomes a tie then it ends there," Nightingale announced as she got a thumbs up from the same male Homunculus. "We have one final round of targets, with this one having an odd number to ensure no further ties. A winner will be determined this round."
"Heh, I'm glad you can keep up with me. I don't like the idea of almost losing to servants not on my level," Drake boasted through grit teeth.
"The great warlord commends your abilities to wage this war on equal footing," Oda admitted begrudgingly.
"Reckon I haven't had a duel this intense in a long while," Billy stated. "But it ends here, ladies..."
Three gazes grew colder than the surrounding atmosphere as Nightingale prepared to make the countdown. The three competitors prepared for the final round, with Billy even resting his hand on his revolver to state his dead serious intent. Nobunaga and Drake had their weapons aimed in preparation to blast the first targets down. The warlord's gaze narrowed, fully determined to take home the grand prize.
Nightingale began her countdown as the crowd looked to the line enthusiastically. With word having spread to the cafeteria, the audience had grown by two dozen as those with no previous interest suddenly found an intriguing show being performed by the noisy gunslingers. The tense atmosphere could be cut with a knife, as Nightingale reached the end of her countdown as several murmurs erupted from the audience. The trio paid the disturbance no attention, especially Nobunaga as she gripped her matchlocks harder.
In hindsight, she should have. The final round did not start with Nightingale's opening call. It didn't begin with the solid report from Billy's revolver. Not even the barrage of Oda or Drake's guns cued the last act.
In fact, the final round didn't even begin at all.
But, as the trio realized with eyes wide in complete surprise, the revving of a Gatling gun did.
|XXXXXXX[Chapter XI|XXXXXXX|
"Guess you finally got the stance correctly," Brianna smiled as she adjusted her arrow on the bow. Buttercup giggled next to her with a smile as she did the same. The two are currently outside where they can't get distracted by the multiple gun shots, after all they themselves can't be distracted by a competition.
The two shoot once again both hitting their target at the same time. Letting go of the string, Buttercup walked towards her bag and opened it, grabbing two bottles of water. Throwing the bottle in her left towards the girl Buttercup takes a sip of her water. Brianna held onto the thrown bottle but it fidgeted in her hand and slides of from her fingers.
Someone, luckily, caught the bottle before it hit the ground. Brianna looked to see Medusa standing there with a smile.
"My apologies for scaring you but I got a bit bored from the gunfight," Medusa smiles at her as she handed it to her. Her smile made the white haired blush a bit.
"N,no! You didn't scare me! I was just surprised...and well...I am surprised and um, you look um, uh," Brianna stuttered looking around with a crimson blush on her face.
Medusa giggles before turning to Buttercup who only held her laughter. Brianna pouted at her as she accepted the bottle of water. "Um, thank you miss Medusa."
"Just call me Medusa, Master," Medusa smiled.
Brianna has decided to drink her water but when it was said the water spilled over her sports bra. Buttercup noticed this and slowly grabbed the now empty water bottle from her cousin, still she didn't move.
Medusa tipped her head to the side in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
Brianna blinked before gasping a bit. "Um! Nothing! I, uh, didn't expect a Servant already. But you are given to me and not that I summoned you....NOT THAT IT IS A BAD THING!"
Medusa giggles as she patted her head. "I don't know why but I feel a bit happy knowing you are here."
Brianna's eyes closed as she remembered how her hands once did the same.
"I need to introduce myself, my new Master," Medusa smiled as she knelt to one knee and bowed. "You have strange preferences. If you require a sacrifice, do feel free to treat me as you wish."
Brianna glanced to Buttercup who only shrugged her shoulders.
"My name is Brianna Utonium Tohsaka, the niece of Shirou Emiya and Rin Emiya. I'm happy to become your Master, Rider."
And here is Nobu's chapter. This chapter was inspired by The Fragments of Chaldea chapter. I had written something already but it was ultimately scrapped since it didn't fit our dear warlord. I actually liked writing the shooting competition.
About Bliss' sexuality for people who are wondering why? Because I'm bisexual and I really dislike stories where the main character is straight, naive and stupid.
Anyway, Nobu's stats!
Active skills:
Strategy B
Tenka Fubu A
Demon King A
Passive skills:
Magic Resistance B
Independent Action B
Her Noble Phantasm:
Sanzen Sekai: Sandan Uchi
Three Thousand Worlds: Three Line Formation