Third Singularity, Part 3: The Queen Anne's Revenge
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"Uugghhh…" golden eyes fluttered open, as a listless body stirred awake through the ache. A hand reached for her eyes, her own, rubbing it tiredly. She saw two shapes, blurred through her dreariness. "What time is it?"
"It's around three o'clock." Koleen's voice came from one of the shapes, as it slowly got clearer and clearer. "You've been out for eight hours."
"Fuck… Seriously?" she groaned, sinking her head deeper into the pillow. "This body really is running its course."
"Would it not be preferable to change into a new body?" a deeper voice asked, one belonging to the Berserker that she was contracted too. He sat on a chair in the corner of the room, his helmet placed on the wardrobe he was beside to.
"It probably is, but it feels like I'm wasting this body if I do that." She replied, feeling glued to the bed, her golden eyes looking up to the wooden ceiling.
"So you're just waiting for death." Lancelot commented, his voice lacking any judgement.
"Sounds really macabre when you put it that way, doesn't it?" the Puppeteer chuckled, combing her fingers through her hair. Her brows furrowed, when she noticed something off at the corner of her eyes. Her hand pulled the hair above her eyes, trying to get a clearer view of it. "What the hell?"
"Yeah, you're still blonde." Koleen said, sitting beside her on the bed. She leaned closer, pulling a few strands herself. "Has that ever happened before?"
She sighed, the frown worming its way on her face. "Once, way long ago, when I was still a kid. My first ever six rune spell. I was out for like, two weeks."
Her blonde friend grimaced in sympathetic pain. "It wasn't Mjölnir, was it?"
"No, it wasn't. It was Strykr Jötunn. There was a group of wannabe Dead Apostles that were after my mom, for one reason or another. And, I figured it would be wise to have a spell to at least survive a hit, if they came after me." She explained, trying to push herself up.
"That sounded rather dangerous, Master." The Berserker commented from his side of the room.
"Oh, it was." She chuckled darkly at the memory, what little of it that she could remember. "I was out like a light, but they couldn't touch me." She struggled with her tired body, falling back onto the bed. "Kalls, can you help sit me up?"
Wordlessly, the Blonde Witch scooted closer, helping Ayako up and pushing her back to the headboard of the bed. "Thank you." Ayako said with a smile, her hand pulling a single runestone out of her pocket. It lit up with contained power, floating upwards until it was at her eye level. She slowed her breathing, eyes locked on the runestone.
ᛏ
"Tiwaz, of the God Tyr." The runestone shattered like glass, the energy absorb into her very being. "Tær." Her hair, dirty blonde from her earlier excursion, weaved through a multitude of colors, before it settled back to her original red. She sighed tiredly, her body swaying lethargically, falling towards Koleen.
She heard the blonde sigh, slowly adjusting her body back onto the bed. "I'm curious, Ayako."
"Hm? About?"
"Why, have you not increased your Circuits?" Koleen asked, the pink eyes meeting her gold.
Huh… She wondered when someone would ask this question. Was this, sooner, or later, than she anticipated? "I don't know." She answered, without the usual gusto she often used. "When I was younger, I was… apprehensive with tampering with my soul. It was unknown territory then."
"How about now, though?" Koleen continued asking, placing a hand on Ayako's shoulder, her grip light and comforting.
"Now… I don't know." her own hand grasped the blonde's, holding it subconsciously. "I'm obviously not averse to modifying my own body. Hell, my backups right now are three times stronger than my current body, in more way than one. And it's not really out of the question. There were other people who added more to their Circuits. Even my mom once grafted many temporary Circuits to bolster her, since she's almost like me. But, I guess there's this irrational fear…"
"You fear that tampering with your soul would make you no longer who you are." Lancelot said, listening on the conversation.
"Something like that." A dejected sigh left her lips, her entire mood brought down into a somber tone. "Like, if I do something wrong, then who I am is gone."
"Gone? What do you mean?" Koleen asked her friend, a worried look etched on her face.
"That if I screw up, then I just disappear, like that. If I mess up with a body, I can easily fix that. A soul is something else entirely." She replied with a shake of her head, though the frown had yet to leave her face. "I don't have the Third Magic, that's why I'm being overly cautious, you can say."
"Third Magic…" she repeated, brows furrowing slightly. "Materialization of the Soul?"
"Yeah. You've been reading." Ayako commented with a small smile.
"There's a lot that I don't know about, beyond the things I read in my family's journals." She said with a smile of her own. "Like apparently, how important the distinction between magecraft and True Magic." Her pink eyes narrowed slightly, centering on Ayako's laid body. "So, if you had the Third Magic, or at least access to it, then you would entertain the idea?"
"Ugh, I don't know." She shook her head with a deep sigh. "I told you, there's this irrational fear…"
"I don't think it's irrational at all." The Witch interjected, her expression lightening with a comforting smile. "You're trying to keep your humanity… honestly, hearing your reasons, I would probably be as apprehensive about it myself if I were in your shoes."
"Yeah, that's it. I guess that's really it." For a reason she that she couldn't fully understand, the weight on her chest lightened. As if she could breathe easier now.
"Speaking of True Magic… your aunt has the Fifth?" Koleen asked with a curious glint to her eyes. "Isn't that, like, real crazy?"
Ayako chuckled amusedly, her thoughts brought to a more uplifting memory, of her haphazard aunt, with her neon red hair. "Yeah, in theory. But it's not like anyone puts her on a pedestal because of it. Hell, she has more detractors because of her personality more than anything."
"Is she a horrible person?"
"Back then, no different from any other magus. No, she's just an act first, ask questions later kind of person." She explained with a humored chuckled. "Compared to my mom, and myself too I guess, she holds a lot of unrefined power. And that ruffled quite a lot of feathers."
"The more I hear about your family, the more I wonder what happened…" Koleen idly commented, tilting her head in thought.
"Yeah, like everyone else that knows us." She sighed tiredly, adjusting her head on the pillow she was sleeping on. She was getting tired again already. "Can you wake me up for dinner?"
"Don't worry, you won't miss it." The blonde's face shifted into a grimace slightly. "You're not gonna ask what our course of action is right now?"
Ayako shook her head, smiling back at her friend. "I trust you guys." Her eyes closed, blocking the waking world as she descended into slumber once more.
"You know, if you're scared, you don't have to come with us?" Ayako said with an amused smirk, glancing behind her to the woman that shielded herself behind Mash.
"No-nonsense! This is nothing to me! I'm Francis Drake!" said Privateer declared, though she could see the telltale signs of a quiver on her shoulders and the shaking in her knees.
It made this incredible person from history a lot more relatable to them. "Don't worry, Captain. If any ghost pops up, we can deal with them easily." She said, her smirk widening just slightly.
"I ain't afraid of no bleedin' ghost!" Drake's proclamations were not believed by any other person inside the cave they had entered.
"All that screaming won't help one bit, Captain." Kagiso said, trailing behind them all the while holding one of his fetishes in his hand, a dried husk of a tooth. He too was finding amusement in Francis Drake's reactions.
"Yeah, nothing entices a ghost more than the frightened screams of people." Ritsuka said, shifting his eyes away from the Captain who turned to glare at him. Mash sighed behind her shield.
"Senpai…" the small white creature that is Fou popped out from her shield, planting its gaze on the male Master.
"Don't worry. Nothing a little exorcism won't fix." Martha said with a light smile on her face.
"Great, even the nun is mocking me…"
"Medea, how is it?" Koleen asked, standing deeper inside the cave with the two Casters, ignoring the exchange that was happening behind her.
"There definitely were Servants here. A few, lingering for a while." The hooded Caster replied, her array alight below her feet. "They were probably here, before Circe arrived."
"That lines up, for sure." The shorter Caster agreed, her jovial expression replaced by a more serious one. "There's a stronger signature, deeper inside. It's a bit fuzzy on what it actually is."
"It's not a Servant?" Koleen asked, turning her pink eyes to the pink haired Caster.
"I'm not sure. It's fading, by the second." Circe turned back to the rest of the group, who had slowly made their way closer to them. "Shall we head deeper."
"Let's." Ayako replied, joining the three and wrapping her arms around Koleen and Medea. "So, what do you guys think it is?"
"Something that was left behind." Medea replied, as she once again looked around the cave, her purple eyes narrowing. "There are telltale signs of a scuffle here."
"A scuffle is putting it lightly." Circe said with a scoff. "There was a battle here, and it seems like the ones who were in the cave were on the losing side."
"You can tell that much?" Kagiso asked, stepping up to them. "I realized there was a battle, but not to that detail."
"They made an attempt to cover it up, but either they were in a hurry, or they were sloppy." The Enchantress said in a side comment.
"Or maybe it was both?" Ritsuka added, Fou now riding on his shoulder.
"A very likely possibility." The Chaldean Caster agreed, floating ahead of them, lighting the cave with her staff. "Let us investigate further."
And so the Ground Team, minus the Archers and Berserker, who were at the mouth of the cave looking out in the horizon, went further inside, deeper into the ever colder abyss of the earth. And the deeper they got, the more pronounced the signs of battle became, until even the sight of dried blood began staining the walls. Despite this, there wasn't a single corpse throughout the cave.
"I cannot sense death here." Kagiso commented, his closed fist vibrating slightly, the one holding onto the tooth. "Either something's still here, or they were taken, alive."
"That signature is still feint, although it is becoming slightly clearer. It is close to a Servant." Medea confirmed, glancing to them briefly.
"Prepare for either confrontation, or to heal, Medea." Koleen said with an affirmed nod.
"Will do, Master."
"Ritsu-chan, call EMIYA here, just in case." Ayako ordered her friend.
He nodded his answer, looking to his side slightly. "He's on his way."
"Good. Let's go."
Their steps echoed inside the walls, silence converging around them like a constricting snake, or a strait jacket. Droplets of water also carried itself within the cave, unending in the rocky corridor that felt like it was getting tighter and tighter, smaller and smaller. Drake had all but glued herself to Mash, one hand gripping her pistol so tightly that she would have broken the handle if it was just a little bit tighter. Ritsuka took out the crossbow he got from Da Vinci, with EMIYA following behind him in Spirit Form. Kagiso only had his fetish, now floating just above his palm, the root of the tooth pointing down their path. Martha, in contrast with most of them, was the very picture of calm, using her own staff as another source of light. Ayako and Koleen stood side by side, one had her hand on the rifle on her back, while the other had hers in her satchel. The two Casters lead the group, an unusual sight for a Grail War.
But this was no Grail War.
"There, I see it." Circe called out, finally drawing upon her own staff.
The Casters parted ways, giving them a view of what they found. Something large, and red, lodged into the earth. A double headed axe, with red like veins running through its surface.
"EMIYA-san, what is that?" Ritsuka asked as the Archer materialized behind him.
The Counter Guardian's grey eyes narrowed onto the weapon, a blink of a second passing by before he turned back to Ritsuka. "It is the weapon of Eric Bloodaxe, a Norwegian King."
"You really are like an encyclopedia, for weapons." Medea commented with an amused scoff.
"So this is what you both were detecting?" Koleen asked, taking the step first with Ayako following behind.
"It appears so." Circe replied.
"How about you, Kags?"
"It's connected, but there's something else." He said to Ayako.
"Then, let's see what it's about." The Puppeteer said as both she and the Witch arrived at the weapon. The both of them glanced at one another, nodding together, as they both reached for the axe.
A bloodied hand appeared from the shadows, gripping Koleen's wrist. Bringing the Witch down to her knees.
A brief alarmed act made the Servants draw and aim their weapons at the figure, but they stopped. The figure fell with a thud onto the ground, still holding onto Koleen's wrist. There wasn't much of him left, nothing below his waist but blood and viscera. He had horns protruding from his long brown hair, though one of them was cracked and broken. He coughed in visible pain, spitting blood out. His eyes, lifeless, locked onto Koleen's. He smiled.
"Finally…" he said, his other hand grasping for Koleen's, holding it tightly, before going lax. His form began dissipating, slowly.
"Martha." Kagiso turned to the Ruler, though she shook her head.
"It is too late. He must have been like this since however long this battle was over with." She said, glancing to the Casters for confirmation.
"He must have some form of Battle Continuation, to last this long." Circe commented, holding a hand to her chin. "His days as a Servant were numbered." She glanced to the axe, as it too began disappearing.
"Empowered by a Command Spell, I would have been able to save him." Medea said with a grimace. "Though I understand if we wished to hold onto our resources."
"You lot are real clinical about this." Drake commented with a shiver running down her spine. "Frakkin' mages."
"Koleen, what's wrong?" Mash asked, seeing the blonde Master still on her knees.
Ayako approached her friend, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Kalls?"
"Ayako, do you know what this is?" Koleen stood up, making sure her back was to the rest as she showed the Puppeteer what was in her hand. A golden coin, bloodied beyond measure, with an image of a ship engraved upon it.
"No, what is it?" she asked with confusion.
"Do you remember her Skill?" she gestured with her eyes, as difficult as it was with their back turned.
Ayako turned back to the group, seeing them eye the two of them suspiciously. When her eyes landed on Medea, the Witch narrowed her eyes in return. Oh. She turned back to Koleen. "Isn't that supposed to be a coat?"
"Yes. This isn't it, it's a message. Medea's right." Finally, she turned back to them, eyeing the Grecian Caster and flipping the coin towards her. "Medea, what do you think this means?"
The Caster caught it with her gloved hand, inspecting the coin carefully. "It's a golden coin? What is it supposed to mean… You said coat, are you trying to say this is supposed to be the Argon Coin?" she asked with a glare, though the rising anger wasn't aimed at them.
"No, I'm saying that it's implying something else, Medea." Koleen responded, unfazed.
"What is it implying?" Ritsuka asked, not following the conversation.
"That our enemies are linked to the Argonauts." Circe answered with a heavy sigh. "If that is the case, then that sure explains quite a few things."
"Argonauts? Ain't that the group of Greek Heroes, led by Jason, of the Argo?" the Captain asked back.
"One and the same." Kagiso turned to the Privateer, putting his fetish back into his pocket. "This might be a very personal confrontation for one of ours."
Medea, who had been still since, finally turned and made her way out of the cave, placing the coin in the Captain's hand. "If this is true, then there are many things I need to prepare."
"What about this though?"
"It's just a coin. Keep it." She left without another word, leaving the rest of them behind.
"Let's get out of here." Ayako said to the rest, with an echoing clap of her hands. "We've got what we wanted here. We can prepare, and see what else we can find in this haphazard archipelago."
"Good, finally we can get out of this hell." The Captain shivered as she placed the coin in her pocket.
"How far is the next island?" Saint Martha asked.
"You can see it from here. We can get there by sundown, and also rest there for the night. The next island will be a few days away."
"Then we should get moving, right?" Mash asked them.
"Yeah." Ayako said with a nod to them. "Let's."
Ten days had elapsed since they arrived in the Singularity, and despite their slow start, it was fortunate that they had a good idea on what they might encounter. Once again, on the seas, the Masters and Mash sat around a single table in the dead of the night, with most of the crew already asleep. Even in the middle of the ocean, their tradition was still practiced as they ate their midnight dinner. A simple stew a grilled leg of a turkey on the side, this time it was courtesy of EMIYA, who along with Atalante had procured the ingredients in one of the islands they had passed by.
And this time, they also had a guest, in the form of the ship's own Captain.
"Is Medea-san fine?" Ritsuka asked the two female Masters of the group, the ones who were able to enter the Caster's temporary workshop.
"As fine as she can be." Koleen replied, covering a burp with her hand. "She's, really focused on making anything and everything in our supposed fight with the Argo."
The Privateer scoffed in amusement. "Didn't think I'd ever be a part of this kind of conversation." She commented idly as she bit into the turkey leg.
"Is she afraid we might face off against Jason?" Kagiso asked them with a concerned face.
"No, I don't think so." Ayako replied with furrowed brows. "I think, she's afraid of something else."
"Afraid of what?" Mash asked, as her hand stroked the white fur of Fou.
"She's afraid that we might face against her, Masters."
They all turned at the sudden voice that approached them, muffled behind a white featureless mask. Behind the Huntress was Circe, looking more annoyed than anything.
"Really? You think so?" Ayako asked with genuine curiosity.
Atalante nodded, her ears flicking slightly. "As nice as she appears to be to you, there is a reason why her legend is as it is."
"The Witch of Betrayal, without boundaries and unhinged." Koleen commented idly. "That does seem like a frightening thought."
"It sounds like she's afraid that we might see her differently, because of this." Ritsuka commented with a downward curve to his mouth.
"Yeah, that sounds like her alright." Circe said with a tired sigh. "Really, from what I've seen of you kids, there's really nothing she should be worried about."
"Then we need to reassure her again, Senpai." Mash said to Ritsuka with determination burning in her eyes. "We need to remind her that there's nothing to be afraid of."
"What about Jason?" Kagiso asked. "I feel like if the Argonauts are involved, then he must be as well."
"Jason is a fool, but a charismatic one." Circe replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "He is like a cornered snake, he becomes truly dangerous when he thinks he is losing."
"So we fight him as if we're fighting Spartacus." Ayako said, remembering Saber's duel back in the Massilia.
"Cut off the snake's head. Got it." Kagiso nodded in understanding. "Let's hope he's not a hydra of some kind." A few amused chuckles were shared among them.
"You lot really have been around history, haven't you?" Drake asked them with a smile on her face. "And I thought I was the explorer."
"You still are, Captain." Koleen said, glancing to her friends. "We're not explorers, we're… investigators. And you yourself are still remembered as the first person to circumnavigate the globe."
"Oh, this expedition was a success?" she asked with delight shining on her face. "Haha, Lizzie must've been so happy."
"You keep on referring to Queen Elizabeth with such familiarity, Captain. Who is she to you?" Koleen asked back, hoping to finally sate her curiosity. She had also noticed that Drake had spoken with a more refined accent when she wasn't around her crew.
"What? She's my sister, of course." Drake replied with a casual shrug of her shoulders.
"What." The proverbial pin dropped, as they all looked to her with gob smacked wide eyes.
"Did your historians miss that?"
"Our historians thought you were a man. Clearly they've missed a lot of things." Ayako said, turning to her friend, seeing Koleen frozen in place with her mouth agape.
Drake laughed heartily, tapping the table with her mug of ale. "Yeah, well, she's my sister. She wanted the crown. I didn't. So she christened the Golden Hind and set me off in a sanctioned voyage around the world. A win/win situation."
"Yeah, I bet." Kagiso said with a laugh, before glancing to his side, noticing the approaching tanned Archer. "EMIYA?"
The Counter Guardian met each of their eyes one by one, getting a nod back from his fellow Archer. "There is a ship approaching, stern side. It is gaining speed."
"What's her flag?" Drake asked, standing up from her seat.
"Black, with a single white skull."
"Huh, that again." Drake said with a frown.
"You've come across this ship before?" Ayako asked as she too stood up, along with the rest of them.
"Yeah, they've chased after us ever since we came to this archipelago. Though, about a week before we sailed into the storm, they stopped just suddenly." The Captain met the eyes of EMIYA. "What else did you see?"
He met her gaze steadily. "They were waving a white flag."
The Privateer's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hm, this will be interesting." She said, as she walked up back to the upper deck.
"Koleen, we have company." Mash said, shaking the Witch out of her stupor.
"Huh? What? I'm sorry, Francis Drake just told us that she and Queen Elizabeth were sisters."
"Yes she did."
"Oh my god. That, that's huge…"
"Kalls, let's go. There's a ship sighted approaching us." Ayako said, snapping her fingers in front of Koleen's face.
"What? Really? Were there any flags sighted?" she asked, standing up to join them.
"Yes. A white skull on a black background." EMIYA reiterated.
"What?" the American Witch had somehow looked both paled and flushed, to their amusements.
"You know that flag, Koleen-san?" Ritsuka asked the question they were all thinking.
"Yeah, I do." She said with a nod, breathing herself steady. "It's the flag of the Queen Anne's Revenge." She said, as her mouth curved upwards. "The flag used by Blackbeard."
"Holy shit." Both the Puppeteer and the Shaman muttered under their breaths.
The group rushed out of the mess, joining the Captain up top with her ship slowing down to await the arrival of the other ship. Her First Mate stood by her side, and so did they, standing on the top deck as they all overlooked the ship in the distance. One that was close to rival the Golden Hind itself. Medea was left in her temporary workshop, but both Lancelot and Martha were left to stay below deck, as both Archers now moved to the crow's nest. Circe herself moved to stand near the wheel. The Masters spread out across the deck, with Mash staying beside the Captain, a private conversation exchanged between them.
It took longer than half an hour, before the ship would slow down and stop right beside them. There were only three people on board, as a plank lowered itself onto their deck.
On one side, was a short person, feminine, judging by what they could see of her head, with most of her face covered by her coat, zipped all the way until it covered her nose. As if this person was a child, but they all knew that looks could be deceiving. Her face was scarred, not unlike Captain Drake herself, and her blue eyes were striking in the night, further amplified by her white hair. Behind her was a large cutlass, wrapped in a bright red bow and wrapper, as if it was a present.
On the other side, was almost the polar opposite of the first woman. She wore a bright red coat open, not unlike Ayako, though beneath it she wore what looked like a more modern ensemble; a black bikini set with short jeans, with actual cuffs on her wrists and ankles. Her voluptuous blonde hair held a black pirate hat atop it, with reddish eyes looking back at them with a smile on her face. In her hands was one of the largest old fashioned rifles that Ayako had ever seen.
And finally, the man of the hour, wearing a dark purple overcoat that hung behind him. Besides that, he was topless, though around his neck was an elaborate necklace. Around his left arm were bangles and bracelets, all gold and adorned with various kinds of jewelry. On his right, was nothing. Nothing, but a bleeding stump that was ruining his purple coat with constantly seeping blood. A scar ran down his forehead and nose, though it wasn't as large as either Drake or the shorter woman. His beard, black just like his namesake. His eyes, black and slathered with eyeliner, making them standout even more.
He smiled at them.
"Permission to board!" he called out with a chuckle.
"Permission granted." Drake replied, though she kept her voice steady, her hand holding her pistol.
He showed his teeth, a few of them crooked and golden. "Awesome, let's get this started ladies!"
Both women beside him sighed, but they followed him as he traversed the plank. He stopped before Drake, his hand moving to clap, but found nothing. He looked down, and sighed. He looked back up, keeping the smile on his face. "Sir Francis Drake! Edward Teach, huge fan." He said with what sounded like genuine admiration, as he bowed before her.
"Is that so?" she asked with a raised brow.
"Yup." He stood back up, straightening his coat as much as he could. "And we, are here, to parley."
"You are?" there was surprise in her voice.
"Yup. Especially since you allied yourself with these Chaldeans." He nodded to the Masters, all still spread apart. Mash herself was still beside the Captain.
"Is that so?"
"Then why did you attack the ship?" Koleen asked, without accusation in her voice. "Captain Drake here said you fired upon her weeks ago."
"Of course I did." He said with a scoff, unrepentant of his actions. "I'm a pirate. It's what we do, lass."
"And now you're here, at my doorstep." The Privateer said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Hells yeah, 'cause now we're all on the same side." He gestured with his one arm to the empty space on his other side. "So… why not make it official?" he said with a smirk.
The Captain turned to glance at Ayako, nodding to the Puppeteer. She got the message, walking towards to join the conversation. She loosened her coat, leaving her hands in her pockets. She noticed the renowned and notorious pirate eye her up and down. He nodded in approval.
"If he's here 'cause of you lot, then you have as much right to be part of this, since right now you're our client and all." The Captain said as Ayako stopped beside Mash. Throughout this, the Demi Servant had her shield at the ready. Now, she was making sure that the Pirate kept his eyes off of her.
"Seems like it." Ayako said in reply, before turning to Blackbeard. "Done eyeing the candy?" she asked with an amused smirk. There weren't that many people that blatantly eyed her like this, unless they were a magus and eyed her with the lens of a magus.
"Not yet." He eyed her some more, before nodding again. "Now I'm done." The two women behind him groaned.
"What do you mean when you said we're on the same side now?" she asked him.
"It means what it means." He held up his bloodied stump. "One of theirs joined mah crew, and was helping us in trying to get to the esteemed Captain Drake here." He gestured with a nod to the scarred Captain. "I knew he was holdin' himself back, but all of a sudden, he just attacked me, before some witch pulled him out." An almost terrifying scowl was on his face briefly, before his smile took its place again. "I'll teach 'em what it means to double-cross me."
She digested the information as much as she could. Her understanding of people was meeting its match here, with a person like Blackbeard who was known for his theatrics. "How could we trust you?"
"Lass, you shouldn't trust me. I'm a pirate. Expect me to stab you in the back." He said without shame.
"That's true for most pirates, but you're Blackbeard." His eyes widened briefly, minutely. She caught it. "Ain't that right, Kalls?"
"You're a man who spurns violence, Teach." The Blonde Witch took a few steps closer. "So much so, that you cultivated this image of yourself to be feared by people, to a point where they would be afraid to fight you at all. You might steal from us, you might cheat us, and you might even betray us, but to actually stab us in the back? That's highly unlikely, given your character."
His smile was gone, replaced by bewilderment, his mouth hanging open as his eyes seemed to be glued to Koleen. The two women behind him seemed to be finding some amusement at his reaction. Captain Drake turned to Ayako with furrowed brows. "He's that famous?"
"Definitely." Ayako said with a smile herself.
"There are many more pirates that died more successful than him." Kagiso spoke up, as he and Ritsuka joined the circle. "But, none of them are as memorable, as renowned as the man standing before us here. When the modern person thinks of the word pirate, they all think of him."
"That's true." Ritsuka confirmed with a nod. "I don't know much about Mister Blackbeard, but if I think of pirates, his name comes to mind."
"Well I'll be damned." The Privateer turned back to Blackbeard, this time with respect in her eyes.
"Hahahahahaha!" the renowned Pirate bellowed a laughter filled with mirth, clutching his stomach with his one hand. "I've known of my legacy, and how it's perceived, but to see it in action? That is remarkable."
"It's the one and only good thing about you, Cap'n." the shorter woman remarked with a scoff.
"What? I've treated you both with respect ever since you came aboard mah ship!" he said, scandalized as he turned to them.
"Eh, that's debatable." The taller woman said with a shrug.
"Bah, I get no respect from 'em." He turned back to the Golden Hind, scratching his chin with his hand. "Hm, with you knowing my tricks, can't really rely on 'em no more. Have to think of something else that'll work as a good replacement."
"About this alliance." Ayako reminded him, stopping his musings.
"Right! That. How about it?"
Ayako turned to the Privateer, slightly concerned showing in her own eyes. Drake herself smiled. "We'll follow you, you're the client now."
"Alright." Ayako held her hand out, smiling at the admittedly tall man. "Then let's seal the deal, Teach. Lead us towards our enemy."
Drake also held her hand out, placing it above Ayako's. "And if we die, we die in a blaze o' glory."
"Yeah!" her First Mate roared beside her.
The esteemed Pirate looked between them carefully, his eyes moving from Ayako to Drake, and back again. He smiled confidently, as his one hand reached for theirs. "With this, we seal our alliance."
"Aye." Drake said simply with a nod.
"That we did." Ayako said, copying the gesture.
"Awesome." His confident smile shifted ever so slightly to an almost dark scowl. When he next spoke, his voice was that of a low timbre. "Let's teach these Argonauts, who the seas truly belong to."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
it took this long, but finally, the Pandemic is really getting to me. all this time, cooped up in our homes, i'm losing my mind. so yeah, sorry for another late chapter.
well, regardless, aside from a few rough edges, i'm am extremely happy with this result. and, we'll be seeing more of serious Blackbeard, wish we could see just a bit more of it in the game. and, to whoever it was that have Bloodaxe as a favorite Servant, sorry. i myself only realized that he was actually part of this Singularity. so, that's that.
also, decided to take a different spin with that old "Drake is actually Elizabeth" thing that came from the Extra-verse but completely forgotten elsewhere. that was always a weird thing to me. i mean, if Drake was actually Elizabeth, and they switched places, then that meant that the "OG Drake" was still a woman. so, might as well have a bit of fun with it.
also, some people have asked me on which Servants i have personally summoned already (since i said i was only going to use the Servants i personally summoned in the story), so, here: meganz (put a dot between A and N) (slash) folder (slash) geoRjLCK#JTuK47X5TF9pLKxDKGlTRA
now, onto the reviews!
King0fP0wers: i'm debating myself on whether using tomorrow's free 10 tickets as a last chance for Skadi.
trexboy164: she has normal runes, since Aoko destroyed Touko's Primordial runes.
MirageSPL: we kinda already got a spooky Shuten, for Halloween, though not yet for Global.
Addicted2fanfics: Altera has a welfare version, so although i missed out on her event (i was feeling real lazy at the time) and i'll need to bumrush the rerun, you can sorta almost guarantee that she'll be here.
amerdism: i hope that answers your question up top! short answer, she's just scared.
Naruto Sakura Uzumaki: ow. there's a reason why i'm F2P man, i'd rather just rely on my luck rather than spend money and not get her. i'm curious though if you need to Skadis to make her work. if not, i can still at least use her from the Supports.
Daemon of Wrath: thanks dude!
Talon Scythe: yeah, definitely. although they're powered up, a human v human fight brings the fight into a more grounded level, compared to that of Servant v Servant, not that i hate it.
Guest (i'm assuming this is all the same one): thank you for your reviews!
once again everyone, thank you for stopping by, these reviews are all awesome!
hope you don't mind dropping another one, and i'll see you all next time!