Trystan1295
Elder Member
As soon as they stepped foot into Rocky Reels, a wave of dry, hot air buffeted Kent, Claude, and Mirror-chan. "Geez... how did it get so hot all of a sudden?" asked Kent. He brushed the side of his hand against his brow to wipe away the budding beads of sweat. He turned to his Servant and asked him, "Archer, how far until we reach Shuffled Shrines?"
"Couple minutes tops, assuming we don't run into any interference," he said. Claude pointed in the direction of an urban area far off into the distance. "We just have to keep going straight ahead, and—"
Claude was cut off by the deafening noise of some huge structure being demolished.
"What the!?" Kent exclaimed. His head swiveled to his left, where a massive cloud of dust and debris had been kicked up from the direction of Tilted Towers. "Is that a sandstorm or something?"
A mortified Claude shook his head. "There used to be a building over there."
Kent's jaw dropped. He took a step back and mumbled. Turning to his Servant, he asked Claude, "Shit... you think we should check that out instead?"
Claude rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure," he said. "On one hand, we have those beams of ice coming from Shuffled Shrines and the ominous dark lettering coming from The Joneses, but going north towards a potential enemy whose threat level we have no idea of sounds like a recipe for disaster. Maybe we should lay low for a little longer and assess our condition. I'm not the kind of Servant that can just rush headfirst into a battlefield, after all."
"Yeah, maybe you have a point," said Kent. "But I'm not sure if sitting around and waiting while actual people are out there murdering each other is the right idea." He also rubbed his chin, then turned his head so that it faced east. He wanted to consult the other member of his party. "What do you think, Mirror-chan?"
Mirror-chan was nowhere to be seen.
"Archer..." muttered Kent. In a barely-audible voice that sounded more like a whimper, he asked his Servant, "Where's Mirror-chan?"
"Miss Mirror?" asked Claude. "Come to think of it, I stopped sensing her presence shortly after the explosion just now."
"You don't think..."
Claude nodded. "Its language implied it was a familiar acting under the command of another Servant," he explained. "Its ability to manifest as a tangible being would depend on the prana of the Servant who made a pact with it. So, hypothetically speaking, if Miss Mirror's owner was no longer able to provide the energy necessary to keep Miss Mirror active, Miss Mirror would immediately return to its owner's side in Spirit Form. To us, however, it'd be like it vanished."
Kent's hands balled into tight fists. "So Mirror-chan's owner is dead?"
Claude shook his head. "Her death would have been reported in the HUD immediately after the explosion. I think she's in immediate danger, definitely, but I don't think she's dead."
"Then I'm sure you know where we're headed next."
"Hold on, Kent," said Claude. "This is way more likely to be a trap than anything else. Are you really willing to put your life on the line to save someone who probably won't reciprocate the way you want them to?"
Kent chuckled. "Saw right through me, didn't you?" he asked. "It's true, I'm taking this decision partially because I'm..." He blushed a red that matched his armor. "I've grown fond of Mirror-chan... but I also owe it a favor. It saved my life when Vox Akuma was gonna pump a cartridge in me, so I can't pass up a chance to help it out now that I can."
"Hm..." Claude smiled. "While I don’t exactly agree with your logic, I'd be lying if I said I didn't find your bravery and loyalty inspiring. You reminded me of a certain someone I know for a second there."
"Byleth?"
"No. Edelgard."
With renewed determination, the two changed direction and headed towards Tilted Towers. Little did they know, they'd be getting what they wanted sooner than they expected, as a group of Masters approached on the other end of the horizon...
! You deserve to fucking die!" 
