Shot 40: The Feet of Those Who Charge Through the Skies

Um, Da Vinci, are you sure this is the right way?

I understand your confusion, but it's the only way left to go.

If this is the only path left to find shoes we have yet to see, then we have no choice but to see where it leads.

True. I don't see any sense in stopping now when we are so close to being done. Come on, let's go.

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Our scans show that reentering the ship from the maintenance hatch up ahead is the only way to move forward.

All thanks to the spatial distortions, needless to say.

As I thought, the wind is very strong out here. Please be careAh!

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Watch it. You're just a normal human. You should know the winds out here could blow you away, easily. And you won't always have someone there to catch you.

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...It's nothing. Any other Servant would do the same.

Please feel free to use me as an anchor, Master! I'm very confident in my stability!

Look! Fou is already taking shelter in my pocket!

Fou!

Hmm. Well, at least it's nice to be outside again. The wind feels wonderful.

As a crane, part of me would like nothing more than to spread my wings and ride the breeze.

...True. This wind isn't bad.

I guess the wind is one thing that stays the same no matter how many millennia go by.

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Hometown... The only home I remember is a shapeless island. The wind there was...

No, never mind. I can't remember what my life was like there.

(Yeah. The only part I remember is)

Wait. Something's here.

Keeheehee. It's about time you showed up.

Vritra!

This aura... You're one hell of a demon, aren't you? And a serpent demon at that.

Relax, Western serpent. I'm not here to eat you.

Okay then, so why ARE you here?

I know what it is you seek.

You wish to photograph Servants' feet in order to get rid of the forest growing all throughout this ship.

Which includes my feet as well, no?

Of course! I'm just dying to see what kind of shoes an infamous evil dragon like yourself wears!

Hehehe. Is that so?

Well forget it!

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You're going to be done with this trial soon, right? And it's been going fairly smoothly up to this point, hasn't it?

So how could I not stand in your way?

I mean, how can you feel any sense of accomplishment if you didn't have to really dig deep to find the strength to push your way past a truly difficult obstacle?

Besides, it's just not fun for me otherwise.

That's Vritra logic, all right. This is going to be a problem...

I can tell she's pretty damn strong. What if we just ignored her and kept going?

I'm sure we don't need to photograph EVERY Servant's feet to pass.

Do you really think I'll let you do that?

I won't. In fact, I already put an impenetrable wall around the hatch you need to pass through to move forward.

The only way to remove it is to photograph my feet. Nothing else will work.

So...you want us to fight you to see if we can manage to take a picture of your shoes?

No, an ordinary battle would not be fun enough. I decided you need an obstacle better suited to this environment.

And that is...

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The Chitty Chitty Fang Fang Wacky Dragon Race Extravaganza!

Now that we have access to the deck once again, why not take this opportunity to see who can perform the quickest and most precise midair maneuvers?

I'll put some floating rings in the sky. Whoever passes through them all and reaches the goal first wins.

I got the idea while watching Ganesha and her friends playing in the rec room.

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(Sigh) Must we?

Seems like it'd be a lot simpler to just fight her.

Sure, you might be a demon with the strength of a god, but I still like my chances.

Keeheehee. I like that look in your eyes. They may seem lazy and indifferent at first, but they are filled with fire and rebellious spirit.

No, wait... Is that rebellion aimed only at the gods? It seems like something happened to make you really hate them.

If you like, I would be willing to give you some tips for the next time you fight a god.

They are weaker in spirit than you would think, so the trick to enjoying them to the end is to

That does sound interesting, but you still haven't answered my question. Do we really need to run this race?

Yes, you do. You see, I've placed special barriers around my feet as well.

They're designed to create interference that will make it impossible to get a clean shot of my feet.

And racing me is the only way to disable them.

If you win, only then will you be able to photograph my feet without interference.

I have arranged things so the winner is given a celebratory buff that neutralizes the barriers.

Man, you really thought through every angle of how to be the biggest pain in the ass possible, didn't you?

But don't worry. I'm still a Chaldean Servant, so I also made sure to implement safety measures.

I put up what is effectively a safety net all around this airspace.

So even if you should fall to the ground or lose speed, you will never have to worry about falling off the Border itself.

I do appreciate that you took our safety into account.

However, that doesn't change the fact that if we don't race you and win...

...we won't be able to take your picture, or move on to the area past the deck.

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D-don't look at me. I know I said I wanted to stretch my wings, but that doesn't mean I'm a fast flier.

Cranes have never been able to compete with hawks or black kites. I'm great at making my loom's shuttle fly fast, but that's all.

Come now, don't be shy. Why not just give it a shot and see how you do? I'm willing to be your opponent for as long as you like.

In fact, I'm counting on you to try your luck, lose, and persevere anyway!

I absolutely LIVE for that kind of thing... (Quivering in excitement)

Okay guys, Vritra might be a dragonkin, but we don't actually know just how good she is at flying.

This could be a good chance to see our opponent's top speed and maneuverability.

Would you mind being her first challenger just so we can see what we're up against, Miss Boot Line?

(Sigh) I only came along to chaperone...but, I guess getting stuck here won't do anyone any good.

Very well then. I'll show you just how beautifully a crane can fly when she wants to!

That went even worse than I expected!

How did you go so fast, Vritra!?

Your cornering seemed impossibly smooth, too. How in the world did you pull that off!?

Keeheehee. Well, I did make the course myself, you know.

Analysis complete! I see how she did it now: she's cheating like crazy!

She made her own barrier into a tube and laid it out like a giant waterslide.

Then, she activated Mana Burst inside it and used the pressure that created to propel herself forward.

She wasn't actually flying at all. She was just shooting herself down the course like an air rifle pellet!

No wonder she was zipping around so fast and turning on a dime!

Don't make it sound like I'm the only one being unfair here.

I never said you had to use wings to fly. You can use whatever means you like as well.

Use your heads. Get creative. Do everything in your power to overcome this seemingly impossible obstacle... Keeheehee!

You're a really twisted demon, aren't you?

(...At least she's a good example of what NOT to do. Hopefully my own demons can take that lesson from her.)

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I can do this, I can do this... I can't do thiiis!

I've run the numbers. Vritra's flying much faster than a magical girl's top speed.

Beating her is going to be tough.

Hmm. I guess this sheep just isn't fast enough.

All these presents might be slowing me down. I'll try giving them out to children first.

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It's not over yet, Master.

We also have Servants who are much faster than your average fliers!

I'm not sure what this is all about, but let me take a crack at it!

Okay, that should disable the mobile lab's speed limiter and anti- mechanism's safety... And I'll also turn on the feature while I'm at it!

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M-maybe it's better that we didn't hear those parts clearly!

Don't worry! This'll beat her! Probably!

Yay! Did I win? I must've won, right?

Well, you did reach the goal before me.

But you also skipped over half the rings.

I went through them in a separate plane of existence while I was warping. Does that count?

Of course not.

Hey, I know! Maybe this is a job for my hippogriff, since he's so quick AND nimble!

All I have to do is make him phase in when we go through the rings, right? This'll be easy-peasy!

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Aaand...GOOOAAAL!

Yay, I did it! I totally won!

Keeheehee. You certainly did your best. But aren't you forgetting something? Time is running out...

Hm? Uh... Was there something else I was supposed to do?

...Time's up. Too bad. You missed your chance to photograph my feet.

Remember? You only get a buff that disables the interference the moment you win.

Wait, really!?

Oh man, you're right! I can't get a good pic now! And after I won and everything!

...Uh-oh. Between the race and the photo, I'm running low on magical energy...

So, how long does this neutralizing buff last?

Three seconds.

That's it!? Damn, and since they've got to put all their energy into winning the race, this pretty much means each challenger only gets one shot.

This is going to be even harder than we thought.

I see. Not only does the challenger have to reach the goal before her...

...they also have to be quick and precise enough to take her photo as soon as they cross the finish line.

That's...going to be a problem.

We at least know there are Servants who can beat her in the race...

...but if they also need to be ready with their photography skills the instant they cross the finish line...

This is a job for a jetpack! Jetpacks are the solution to every problem!

Um, except when you have to stop quickly!

Do you think you could lay down a cushion, or install a brake cable or something?

I might also be able to stop with my Sandanzuki's recoil if you give me a target that's safe to attack...oh, like Okada!

Sorry. I won the race, but I wasn't able to snap a pic.

Turns out if you get to the goal TOO fast, she'll still be too far away to photograph clearly.

This is really tough.

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So we need quick photography skills and expert racing skills...

How can we achieve both at the same time? Nnn...

Khh, it's no use!

The phrase "Mr. Jetpack Georgios" popped into my head, and now it's all I can think about!

Fou, fo fou fooou.

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R-really, Master!? You know where we can find Mr. Jetpack Georgios!?

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Hmm, what's wrong? You're not giving up already, are you?

I think I see where you're going too.

But who could we get? I can handle the photography.

Then I can be the one to give you a ride.

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...What do you mean by that?

Exactly what I said.

Pegasus and I can run the race, and you can take the picture.

As long as we're both on Pegasus's back from start to finish, that should meet the criteria for this race. Right?

That's probably just what Fujimaru was thinking.

If we need quick flying AND quick photo snapping, we can just divide those tasks between two different Servants.

Especially since Vritra never specified that the race had to be one-on-one. Did you, Vritra?

Keeheehee. No, I didn't.

You understand, right? We don't want you stuck here any more than you do.

Exactly.

I definitely wasn't expecting Vritra's hobby to prove this much of an obstacle.

Speaking both personally and as a chaperone, I'd like you to work with whoever you have to in order to get past her.

...Fine. If we're doing this, let's just hurry and get it over with.

All right, here goes. ...Bellerophon.

...Is it okay if I touch him?

Of course. How else would you ride him?

...Good boy. I'm counting on you, okay?

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Yes! And just like Saber Medusa's Chrysaor...

...Pegasus is born from Rider Medusa's blood.

So this is kind of like a family of two mothers and two kids all working together.

There's no way they won't be able to pull this off!

Since I won't have anything to do until we reach the goal, I'll give Pegasus some of my magical energy as thanks.

I appreciate that. I have a feeling he's going to fly even faster than usual.

All right...let's go, me. Make sure you don't fall off.

Are you kidding? Pegasus would never throw me off.

Keeheehee! That's it! Use every bit of wisdom and power at your command to overcome a seemingly impossible obstacle! That's the good stuff right there!

All right, let's get to it! Show me what you've got!

They did it! They got the picture!

Which means we now have a clear path to the area beyond the deck.

Damn, I lost hard. But how could I not, when you two were such a perfect team?

Were we? ...I didn't think it was anything special.

It's time I send him back.

Wait.

(Stroking Pegasus's neck)

(Rubbing her cheek against Pegasus's face)

Khh. So cute... I don't want to send him back... I could pet him all day...

Um... Are you done yet...?

Ahem. ...Yeah, I'm done.

Bye, Pegasus.

...Your brothers say they were happy to see you, too.

Goodbye. You're almost at the end now. Hang in there.

... ...

You know...

I get the impression Rider Medusa isn't working with Baobhan Sith because she wants to.

I'm pretty sure she's just going along with her because she thinks it's the quickest way to resolve this.

Which makes me think what happened in the forest was probably just because of some kind of deal they struck.

Oh, yes, I suppose so.

But I don't think you need to worry about that too much.

The important thing is, giving Baobhan Sith what she wants will bring this situation to an end.

That much is certain.

Man, this last trial sure was a pain in the ass, though.

It would've been so much easier if we could have just fought her or had a normal race.

What would be the point of putting an obstacle in front of you if it was easy to overcome?

I saw that dragon faerie flying around here when I first arrived.

She was so fast and strong that I knew this trial had to be one she couldn't easily pass.

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Well, we did get through it in the end, but I think we deserve a little more help after what you put us through!

Huh? Well, I suppose I can help out as a sort of bonus reward. I did really enjoy watching you struggle so much.

Since this place is so open and spacious... Yeah, let's put up some benches, patios, and such to make a proper rest spot.

As for you, I'd like you to stay here and maintain those safety barriers to keep people from falling off the edge.

Ugh, what a hassle.

But, since I'm in such a good mood, I suppose I can at least do that much.

Okay, now that we can access the deck's hatch...

...we can go back to exploring the Border and looking for more Servants.

Once we photograph about thirty more, we should have enough data on footwear to satisfy Baobhan Sith's requirements.

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