Fragment (I)

I sealed off the entire engine compartment! There's currently no danger of an explosion or a chain reaction!

Just so you know, I'm keeping four Marines here to help! You should come too when you get a chance, Da Vinci!

Thanks, Engineer! Keep checking on things in the meantime!

Nurse, did you check for casualties? Is anyone seriously injured?

Don't worry. Thanks to the director's quick orders, everyone's fine.

You see? This is exactly why seat belts take top priority!

I'm also picking up Fujimaru's vital signs. Looks like he fell out of a damaged corridor while we were airborne...

...and I'm picking up Mash. Looks like she went to Fujimaru's rescue.

They're both a ways off from us, but they're healthy at least.

Phew. What a relief.

If you can tell they're okay, that means transmissions work in this Lostbelt, which is great.

Now we can put together a rescue team and rendezvous in no ti

Not so fast! The computer room doesn't have nearly enough power for that! The Triton Engines are all shut down, and our reserve power is almost drained, too!

We can only contact Mash's Ortinax for another six minutes!

What!? So you're saying that in six minutes, we'll be stuck here without electricity!?

And in the middle of this lost worldish jungle!? How did this happen!?

Yes, I agree with Kadoc. Just because we survived our crash doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet.

Never mind the comms. Soon, we won't have enough power for defensive barriers, either. If any hostile creatures find us, we'll be in real trouble.

C-come now, surely we can deal with a little danger! Remember, we still have Nitocris and Kadoc on our side!

You hear that, Zemlupus? I'm granting special authorization for you to use your Master abilities!

That's fine with me, but when are we getting power back? The best Nitocris and I can do on our own is guard the ship.

For that matter, where's Captain?

I see a number of the Nemo Series around here, but I don't see Captain Nemo himself.

...

Guys? What's wrong? Did something happen to Nemo?

Hey! Somebody give me a hand! Something's wrong with the Captain!

He's not moving! He's gone all rigid, like some kind of statue!

But he's also dripping with sweat! He's in pain, I can tell!

What!? But, Captain was fine the last time I saw him in the Command Room!

Do not worry. He is protecting himself by voluntarily entering a catatonic state.

His Spirit Origin is severely damaged, but he is in no danger of disappearing anytime soon.

After he completely synchronized with the ship to stop it from coming apart in midair...

...he shifted his primary focus to maintaining his Spirit Origin.

Though it might sound like putting the cart before the horse, as long as Nemo's Spirit Origin remains intact, the Storm Border will as well.

It is a desperate, last-ditch measure, but it was his choice. His decision is what allowed the Border to make such a miraculous crash-landing.

O-oh, yes, that's sympathetic magic magecraft theory, where an effect resembles its cause, or "like produces like."

So then, when the Storm Border was about to be damaged...

Yes. He took that damage himself instead. That damage is still ongoing.

Under most circumstances, his Spirit Origin would have shattered when he synced up to the Border...

...but he was absolutely determined not to let that happen until the Border had landed safely.

So he froze himself to maintain the Border's integrity.

He remains frozen because he is no longer conscious.

And he is still experiencing the damage to the Border, even though he is not currently aware of it.

...

Are you kidding me? That's just...just...

...

Sion. You said Nemo's still synced up with the Storm Border, right?

Then he should heal and regain consciousness once we've made repairs.

Captain's Spirit Origin has shattered.

The only reason it still exists, in form if not substance, is because he froze himself right before it fell apart.

Even were you to piece together the body of a human who had been blown to bits in an explosion, they would still be dead.

It is no different for a Heroic Spirit.

So no, repairing the Border will not heal the wounds his soul sustained.

Which means

Come on, everyone, cheer up! It's going to be okay!

Captain will always come back, no matter how injured he gets! That's why he's our indomitable captain!

Once we repair the Storm Border, he'll wake right up and put his cap back on!

Besides, we're still in the middle of our journey! And I still have some secret parfaits I haven't served yet!

So let's just do everything we can right now, okay?

The more we slack off here, the more Captain's going to chew us out later.

Baker...

...Yeah. You're right. Captain's made of way sterner stuff than most people.

So let's focus on fixing the Border ASAP! I mean, if you think about it, it's not that big a deal!

It's not like Fujimaru and Mash are the only reckless ones here.

We're all crazy reckless sometimes! That's part of what makes us Chaldea!

Oh, but first, we've gotta contact Fujimaru and Mash!

How much time do we have left!? About a minute!?

I already had Sion contact them. I figured telling them about our current situation would just make them panic.

So I asked her to tell them that our comms equipment is malfunctioning, and we won't be able to communicate until we fix it.

But as long as we tell them where we are, I'm sure they'll come find us in no time.

...Heh. Didn't realize you'd grown up so much, Meunière.

All right, now that's decided, we need to focus on surviving!

First order of business: I need a damage assessment! Once that's done, we'll begin procuring the materials we need to make repairs!

Let's start by looking for a water source! Buckle up, everyone! We've got a lot of work ahead of us!

Um... May I say something?

I've been doing my best to gauge the atmosphere and see how things unfold.

...So, you're going to mummify Nemo and then bring him back to life? Is that it?

Geez, that's a horrifying thought! Why would we want to bring him back as a mummy!?

A ship falling out of the sky, huh? I'll be damned. I guess that kind of crazy stuff is normal in a Lostbelt.

Man, this thing's huge. Gotta be at least as big as that Noah guy's ark. Though a ship like that would never have crashed.

Hold up. Not another step closer. Who are you?

What, can't you tell? I'm the local arms dealer.

Anyone would take an interest in something like this falling from the sky. All the more so if it's a weapon.

All that aside...

This was definitely worth the trip. How much do you want for it? Name your price.

Sorry, but this ship's not for sale. Now go away, and leave us alone.

Yeah? Even better.

If it's not for sale, then I'll just take it from you. It landed in my territory anyway.

...Huh? No...way...

Meunière...! Help him, Nurse! Dammit, he's been shot through the heart!

Damn. I was aiming for his head. That's harder than you'd think, though.

This is what I love about guns.

Another miss. Damn. I was actually aiming for his heart that time, too.

You son of a

Izcalli.

(When did they surround us!? Sheba didn't have anything like this in its future observations!)

They're surrounded. O God, what are your orders?

Fight. As the king of the ocelomeh, show me the fruits of this last year.

Ha... Haha, hahahahaha!

Of course! I've been waiting for a moment like this!

Soldiers! Remove your safeties!

The time has come to show the great Tezcatlipoca what we can do!

Kadoc Zemlupus! You're aware we're the only two here who can fight, yes!?

Yeah, I know! Let's do this, Nitocris! There's too many to let this drag out! We'll settle it all at once with a Noble Phantasm!

Tch. So this is the power of a Servant... An insolent ghoul clinging to Proper Human History!

Now do you see? Your modern weapons are no match for my phantoms!

All right! We're still in this thing!

I wasn't sure how well I'd do with a Servant I have no knowledge of or connection to, but you came through in a big way, Pharaoh Nitorcis!

I should've known a pharaoh from ancient Egypt would be way better at magecraft than modern Servants!

(Hm? Why do I feel cold all of a sudden?)

You fools can't possibly win! Now surrender and beg for forgiveness!

...Forgiveness? You want ME to beg for forgiveness!?

Looks like we've got a tough foreign mage and phantom tamer on our hands here. How're you gonna handle her, Izcalli?

It won't be a problem. This was my first battle against a Servant, so I was just gauging what she could do. Now that I know, she's dead.

...

How monumentally foolish. Almost as if you thought to swim the flooded Nile just because you know how to float.

It does seem that the voices of the underworld do not reach you, but neither do your weapons to me.

If I can't carry your soul away, then I'll simply hit you with magecraft. I have a perfect jar for your remains after I've wrung the life from you.

Shut up. How dare a mere human Heroic Spirit talk to me like that!

I am Izcalli. I am the king of the ocelomeh, and one day, I will become the god Tezcatlipoca himself. Remember that!

And here I was about to say something similar. You say you're the king of the ocelomeh, hm?

Well, I'm pharaoh of all Egypt, incarnation of the sky god. No mere human king can hold a candle to me.

What a joke. Are you really using your positions in the divine and human realms to claim strength?

Then I wonder if a mere avatar has any chance of matching me, an actual god.

...Let's find out, shall we?

This divine aura... Who are you!?

I'm Tlāloc. The rain god.

Remember that, for however much longer you're alive. I do enjoy being feared and respected, even if only briefly.

Tlāloc!

(Tlāloc the rain god... As in, one of the pillars of Aztec creation mythology!?)

(But, I can tell from her aura that she's a Servant! Are you telling me such a powerful Divine Spirit was summoned as a Servant!?)

Anyway, it's time for you to die. You weren't much of a queen, were you?

Ah... Khh...

What a joke. I knew countries that make mummies were worthless.

...You're not...going to...finish me...off? You would...humiliate me...?

Those wounds will do the job for me. Enjoy your final, excruciating moments.

What, not gonna take her heart? What a waste. Well, if you don't want it, I'll

Brother, I think it would be better to avoid contact with blood from other mythologies as much as possible.

...Huh?

Did you just talk back to me?

You, a minor urban god? You, the Servant I summoned myself?

...I wasn't talking back, Brother. Unlike myself, your body is made of human.

Even though you're the great Tezcatlipoca, if you take too many risks...

Oh, yeah. I DID feel kind of sick after tasting those dead people in India.

You're right, Tlāloc. I should be more careful about what I eat. You're a good little sister.

Tezcatlipoca!? Why did you shoot her!?

I thought Tlāloc was your precious little sister!

That doesn't matter. Even in families, there's a hierarchy. No exceptions.

Anyone who tries to stop a king's actions, even for the noblest of intentions, must forfeit their life.

This is how a king's rule is maintained. Kings are not meant to be beholden to the typical notions of good and evil.

Remember that well, Izcalli, since you will one day be both a king and a god.

Yes... Yes, great Tezcatlipoca! I swear I will not let you down!

Let's get out of here. Leave Tlāloc alone. It'll take more than a bullet to keep her down.

...As you wish. What about the humans inside the ship? What shall we do with them?

We'll need engineers if we're going to operate this ship.

We'll take those three with us, along with the Servant that makes up this ship... There, that one lying on the ground.

Kill the rest. They're of no use to us; there's no sense keeping them alive.