They Call me Vox

Singularity F: Act 7-8

"Algiz!" I shout after tracing the rune ᛉ with Solas Dawn.

The volley of arrows shatters against the semi-transparent barrier. I quickly dismiss it with a wave and trace three runes in rapid succession ᚲ ᚷ ᚺ, "Kenaz, Gebo, Hagalaz!"

'Fire, Spear, Storm.'

Several small spears, made of flames, appear above my head. I wave my staff in a wide arc and the volley descends on the squad of skeleton archers, cutting them down.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a skeleton lancer charging me. I turn to face it, only to stop halfway when it's struck down by a fireball.

"Pretty good, kid," Oide says as he walks up to stand beside me, and proceeds to cast the same fire spear spell with only a wave of his staff, "But not as good as me."

I watch, dismayed, as twice the number of fire spears decimate the rest of the skeletons. After a few seconds, I turn to glare at Caster.

Oide only grins as the rest of my Servants and the Director walk over to us. Idly, I notice that Mash seems a little down. The Director walks up to me.

"Vox, it's pretty obvious that Kyrielight's looking depressed," the Director observes.

"I think we're all a little depressed," I counter.

"Still, you should do something to cheer her up," the Director argues.

I raise an eyebrow, "Am I hearing things, Director, or are you concerned? Especially about Mash."

"Are you implying something, Amethyst?" the Director growls.

"No, but you're reaction proves that you have some higher level of concern for Mash. I wonder why," I tease.

"Why you-!" the Director exclaims, causing me to laugh.

"Senpai, please don't tease the Director. It is only natural for her to be concerned for her employees," Mash intervenes.

I stare at Mash, analyzing her for a good minute, "Alright what's wrong, Mash?"

"I don't know what you mean, Senpai," Mash says.

"Ushiwakamaru, back me up here," I glance at my Rider, who nods.

"Master Vox is right. Clearly, something is bothering you," Ushiwakamaru observes.

"It's just that... I feel like I should've unlocked my Noble Phantasm by now," Mash explains, "I feel as though I've become a defective Servant."

I sigh, "Caster, blunt talk her."

"Aye, Master," Oide says, and I resist the urge to tell him not to call me that, "Alright, young lady, here's the deal. The moment you could fight like a Servant is the moment you became capable of using your Noble Phantasm. The reason you can't is probably because your magical energy isn't circulating right. Let's see, it can't be lack of enthusiasm or a reservation. Hell, it might just be because you don't shout during practice."

"Really?" Mash asks, before taking a deep breath, "REALLY!?"

"Lugh dammit, Mash!" I scold Mash, slapping a hand over her mouth, "Caster was using a metaphor. Shouting like that is going to attract unwanted attention!"

"S-sorry, Senpai," Mash says after I remove my hand.

"Well, we should probably fix this problem anyway," Caster says, "Hey, Vox, you mind if we take a detour?"

I chuckle, "As if I could stop you."

Caster grins before tracing a rune that I don't recognize on the Director's coat, "This here's a misfortune rune. Now, all we have to do is wait and the training dummies will come."