FGO Specter of Glass

Russia Ch2

"Are you going to save us?" A child wearing a thick winter coat asked.

"We're going to try," Carmen responded.

"Yay! We don't have to be afraid of the King anymore!"

"What happened to Russia?" Carmen asked Marzanna, "why is the King so feared?"

"You don't know?" Marzanna wondered. "Well, the King killed her family and summoned monsters to hide her crimes in the snow."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't, that's why we're fighting against her. If you are who you say you are, then we should be careful. The King has a reach throughout Russia, and if we don't play our cards right, we will all be killed. For now, rest a bit, we'll be leaving for the next camp soon."

Carmen took in the sights of Finland; it was cold but the air wasn't as suppressing as Russia's atmosphere. There were small houses covered in snow and campfires scattered near them, in the center of the town was a fountain. It was frozen over with the water turned to ice and the stone covered in a thin layer of frost. Beyond on the horizon was a pure white scene, with only a blue beam shooting into the sky. Carmen asked what it was, and Marzanna explained that it was mana.

From what she knew, it appeared after the King took the throne and was supposedly the source of the cold weather. Only those who were close to the King or were from the castle knew about it and what it was for. Other than that, it was a mystery. There were also rumors other kingdoms had the same beam of mana coming from the castle. Anyone who went near it disappeared and was found dead days later. Some people theorized it was the life force of the people, others thought it was light, which was why Russia was so dark.

Marzanna stopped when she was approached by some of the townsfolk, they were worried about a group of monsters to the east of their camp. With her hands tied trying to contact the other rebellions, she asked Carmen to help. Mitra whispered to Carmen that helping the people would be the fastest way to gain their trust, and they needed to have trust in their allies. Carmen agreed to help and Marzanna gave her a small map of the outer area to search for monsters. Helena and Simo also offered to help, they were a team and it was safer for the four of them to fight together. After Carmen passed out when Mitra used his flame, they were worried she wouldn't make it if he fought a real battle.

The snowy winds of Finland and the thick layers of frost made it hard to see. There were traces of monster footprints but they were lost quickly. The map didn't help either, not with the storm covering any visible landmarks. Suddenly, a loud banging was heard and the team went to investigate. Corpses of monsters were scattered with large claw marks cutting deep into their skin. A fire was seen as it burned down what little greenery was left of the area. And footprints were leading to a path as it was cleared.

Helena looked at the monster closer, from how the marks were laid out, they were done from a weapon. Someone else was there and the chance they were friendly was slim. Carmen wanted to go further, ignoring both Simo and Mitra's attempts to discourage her. She pushed aside bushes to see it was an abandoned town. All that was left of the buildings were walls, the farmlands looked burned, and the fountain was cut in half. Simo recognized the damage; it was the base of a rebellion that was reduced to nothing by the king. Carmen touched the wall of a burned-down church. Just the sight of it made her queasy, they were up against a force that could wipe a town off the map.

"So, you want to free Russia?" A woman said, stopping Carmen's thoughts. She was wearing a black hooded cape and held a longsword. "You're a bunch of kids, you'll never stop the King with your power. How about you leave this to the professionals?"

"Wait, are you the one who's been killing the monsters in this area?" Carmen asked.

"I don't need to answer your questions, just shut up and go home. We'll take on the King while you keep yourself from freezing to death."