The Search for the Dragon Slayer

Mordred flopped onto their back for a moment to relax. "Damn, I was almost a goner..." They patted Darius's heel in appreciation.

"That went pretty well, all things considered. Jeanne's down to only two Servants now."

Mashu caught up with them soon afterward, with the Masters and Phillipus in tow, and the French army just behind them.

Darius picked Mordred up and alighted them on his shoulders as he led the charge to Jeanne, grinning the whole way. Aaron ran to catch up. Avalon glared as she stomped forward. Her hair had been ruined and she was NOT happy about that.

Before they ran off, Phillipus saw Mordred on the ground and gasped sharply, eyes wide. They groaned, closing their eyes. "Oh no..."

"I should've been here to help. Are you all right? How deeply can you breathe?" The Caster was gentle as he helped a surprised Saber sit up and drink a potion. After he felt their back as they breathed in and out, he helped them onto their feet.

"I took a hard hit early on and turned into a weak link. He burned out his own mana, though." Mordred was still a little embarrassed for being so slow. "Darius stepped in at the right time and saved me." Phillipus smiled up at Darius as Aaron clasped the bracer back on.

"That was noble of you. Here, you should heal up, too." He held up a flask large enough to fill both hands, but only the right size for Darius to hold it between his thumb and forefinger.

((We'll say Darius drinks the potion and then runs off with Mordred lol))

It was another couple hours to Orleans, and the sun was almost touching the horizon by the time they arrived.

The whole city was in ruined, most of the fires having long died out by now. It was lifeless, all except for the King's castle in the center of the city. Hundreds of smaller and larger drakes circled the castle, a dark funnel of winged beasts reaching up into the sky. They almost perfectly framed the mysterious ring of light high above the clouds.

Far off, at the castle gates, they could barely make out a figure in black armor.

Gilles motioned to his troops. "We'll fan out and draw the attention of the dragons. That should free you up to take on the castle."

Prelati winked and followed Gilles away. "See you in the castle later!"

The French fanned out across the city, taking up positions across the city. There was no point in making a stealthy approach, but even though they were fully visible, the knight at the gates didn't leave his post.

A volley of explosions signaled Gilles' attack, and cannonballs soared through the air overhead, taking several dragons out of the sky. Immediately, they began to peel off of their patrol, streaking out toward the cannons and crossbowmen.

They made their way down the main avenue of the city and up to the castle gates, where the black knight waited for them.



Artoria got a good look at him up close, and her face went pale. The enemy Saber just turned its helmet calmly toward her.

In a panic, Artoria raised her blade, light gathering around it. "Ex--!!"

The Saber raised its hand and snuffed the light from Excalibur with a gesture. The golden light dispersed, leaving behind a sword drained of nearly all its power. Artoria gasped and fell to her knees.

White light shone from the creases in Saber's armor as he absorbed Excalibur's power.

"I thought you'd have learned from our last meeting, that that sword is useless against me. My niece."

Turn 1

Servant Initiative

A:
B: Mordred, Darius, Saber, Siegfried
C: Paracelsus, Artoria
D: Mashu

And then Darius shock and awed this motherfucker:

Kittenboxxing carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

[[Note: the party will NOT have the benefit of Artoria's Charisma for now]]

Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Mordred turned to Artoria in shock, then steadied their feet, holding Clarent with both hands. "You--!!" They jumped forward, swinging.

fuyumin carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Vortigern raised his shield in one hand, and to Darius' surprise, swatted his axe aside with incredible strength.

"Darius of Persia. Jeanne told me about you. Ah, and of course the bastard child of my dear niece."

He moved to duck out of the way of Mordred's strike.

Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

[[Skill: Dragon Scale]]

Saber winced, but though the sword made solid contact, it didn't do nearly as much damage as Mordred expected.

Saber
HP: 385/400
MP: 300/300

He turned back toward Darius, gripping his sword tight. "You made a mistake facing me. I specialize in killing Kings."

Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Darius laughed, not bothered by the threat:

Kittenboxxing carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Saber's sword cut deep into his side.

Darius III
HP: 940/1,000
MP: 100/100

As soon as he pulled back, Siegfried leaped forward to attack, landing a solid hit on the Saber's back. Artoria came next, but with the light drained from her sword, Saber easily swatted it aside.

Saber
HP: 345/400
MP: 300/300

Turn 1

Servant Initiative

A:
B: Mordred, Darius, Saber, Siegfried
C: Paracelsus, Artoria
D: Mashu

Phillipus began chanting, golden light forming a circle around the party. [ENABLING AURA: STRENGTH INCREASE RANK A]

Mashu landed a solid hit on Saber, but once again, his thick armor seemed to take most of the damage.

Saber
HP: 335/400
MP: 300/300

Turn 2

Servant Initiative

A:
B: Mordred, Darius, Saber, Siegfried
C: Paracelsus, Artoria
D: Mashu

Darius:

Kittenboxxing carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

"There's more than two of us this time, Vortigern," Mordred began, shifting their foot and bringing Clarent parallel to their eyes, "and this time we got a real dragonslayer!"

fuyumin carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

For Darius:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

For Mordred:
Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

Mordred barely made a scratch on him, and though Darius landed a solid hit, he still seemed not much worse for wear.

Vortigern chuckled. "Is that so? Let's see how that goes."

Light shone from the creases in his armor, and in a flash of light, the armor exploded from his body and grew into a blinding pillar of light. The wind blew back Servants and Masters alike, and even a few buildings nearby crumbled back.

When the light finally cleared, a massive white dragon stood before them.



It was the size of a mountain, easily dwarfing the fortress below them, and making Fafnir look like an infant. They heard the startled cries of the French soldiers all over the city at the appearance of the dragon.

The dragon bellowed a roar, then bent down and swiped at Mordred with its front claw.

Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

The claw hit Mordred hard.

Mordred
HP: 350/500
MP: 400/400

Just that simple attack had nearly the strength of a Noble Phantasm, and it slammed her back against the nearest building.

"Mordred!" Artoria called out. She rushed to attack the dragon with Siegfried. Excalibur merely bounced off of its hide, but it swooped to the side to avoid Balmung.

[[Phillipus: chanting line 2/2 for his spell]]

Mashu came in last, and once again, her shield just bounced off the dragon's hide without doing any damage.

Turn 3

Servant Initiative

A:
B: Mordred, Darius, Saber, Siegfried
C: Paracelsus, Artoria
D: Mashu

Darius attack!

Kittenboxxing carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

"Since you already know who I am... I guess there's no reason to hide..." Mordred's helmet fell to one side, red runes lighting up on Clarent's blade.

"Clarent Blood Arthur!!"

fuyumin carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

The dragon didn't bother to avoid Darius' attack; his axes clattered harmlessly off his adamantine scales. When he saw Clarent light up, however, he tried to get out of the way.

Damascus carried out 1 launched of one (CLASH.) :

The dragon couldn't move in time, and the red beam of light slammed into its chest, and washed over its shoulders and wings. Vortigern roared in pain. But...

Vortigern
HP: 310/400
MP: 300/300
(Dragon) HP: 1,100/1,500

Servants

Mordred
HP: 350/500
MP: 200/400

The dragon was still up.

Siegfried couldn't waste another moment. This was what his Noble Phantasm was meant for. He charged up power in his sword and leapt into the air.

"Bal-...mung!!!"

Siegfried v Vortigern:
Damascus carried out 2 launched of one (CLASH.) :

,