Third Singularity, Part 4: The Argo
2017
"You wanna play, Little Roman? Don't worry, we'll find somewhere you can play! And you can play as much as you want!" Elizabeth said, cooing over the month old kitten in her hands, clawing at her pink claws like they were prey. The Servant giggled at the sight, finding the actions of the small cat amusing.
She walked down the halls of Chaldea, humming a tune with her tail swishing behind her, letting the kitten play with her claws. There was a cadence to her steps, as she followed along the rhythm and beat of the song she was humming. She was just having a good day. Unlike a certain someone.
Who looked every bit as miserable ever since the Ground Team had left for the Singularity.
Elizabeth stopped before the Berserker, eyes closed and head downcast, standing in-between Ayako's room and workshop. She raised an eyebrow, though she kept her mouth shut and refrained from commenting. Eventually, Kiyohime's face looked up, eyes flaring and glaring at her.
"What do you want?" she asked irritably, her hands hidden inside her kimono sleeves.
"You look miserable." Elizabeth commented, her brows furrowing at the sight.
"What's it to you?" Kiyohime said dismissively.
"I thought you were getting better." She said with a sigh. "Birdie's helping you right?"
"Well she's not here is she!?" Elizabeth took a step back, her hand covering the kitten instinctively. The Berserker fumed in her outbursts, light trails of flame blowing out of her nostrils. The Berserker turned her face away, hiding the shame from the Lancer.
Elizabeth sighed a disappointed sigh, shaking her head at the Berserker. "You are utterly miserable." She reiterated, as her hand shot out to grab Kiyohime's, dragging the Berserker along, ignoring the protests that came with it.
"Unhand me, this instant!" she cried out, trying to free herself from Elizabeth.
"If you can get out, you're free to go." She said, glancing behind her with a challenging gaze.
Kiyohime returned it with an angered glare. "That is unfair. Your parameters are higher than mine."
"Well then it seems like you'll just have to follow me without question then." She said smugly, pulling Kiyohime along with her.
"Oh, there will be questions, even if I cannot free myself from you!" the Berserker said, still struggling under the Lancer's grip.
Any further protest was drowned out by Elizabeth's humming, as she lead Kiyohime down the corridors of Chaldea, notably getting odd looks from the members of the crew. She had a single mind on where to go. Whether it would work out or not, remains to be seen.
The door of their destination opened, signaling their arrival. "Sanson, you in here?!"
The aforementioned Assassin, with his massive coat hanging on a coatrack behind him, sitting on the desk that had once belonged to the Doctor, looked up, with a cup of coffee in hand. "Elizabeth? And Kiyohime? What's wrong?"
"She's miserable." The Lancer gestured with a nod to the Servant behind her. "Do you have anything that can help her?"
"Don't bring any more people into my problems, you damned lizard!"
The Assassin cringed at the outburst, placing his mug on the desk as he stood up, towering over the two Servants. He sighed, rubbing the side of his face. "I don't think there's any drug here that can affect a Servant, Elizabeth."
"But can't you help her like how Birdie helps her?" the young Servant asked, the smile slowly fading on her face.
He shook his head again. "I'm not a psychologist, Elizabeth. That's not my specialty." He turned his eyes to Kiyohime, the Berserker looking away from him. "Did Ayako give you anything to do?"
She kept her eyes away from him, though the both of them could see a frown forming on her face. "She told me to socialize." She whispered beneath her breath, though to a Servant it might as well have not been.
"I see. And it seemed to me that you have not been doing that." He said observationally. "Why don't you take a seat? I might not be skilled, but one thing that helps a lot is to simply talk about it."
She finally looked up, her golden eyes meeting his. "Talk? That's it?"
"Sometimes speaking about it will help lighten the weight on your shoulders." He said to her, turning around to step back behind the desk.
Elizabeth took one of the chairs and moved it towards the beds, where she laid the kitten atop it. Kiyohime, finally free from the Lancer's grip, instead turning away from them, she took a step closer inside, sitting herself on the chair in front of the desk. She sat there in silence, her hands on her lap holding her folded fan. Sanson waited in silence, the work he was doing put on hold for the Berserker, while Elizabeth was content in playing with the kitten.
"Do you think…" she spoke, her voice was soft, though not too quiet. "Servants… can change?"
"Change?" he repeated.
She nodded. "I don't… want to be me. Master doesn't like it."
"Master? You mean Ayako?" he asked her with furrowed brows.
"Hey, you stopped calling her Anchin. That's good!" Elizabeth commented with a smile.
"That is not good!" Kiyohime responded with a shout. "I still… see him. When I look at her. And I don't want that. She hates it."
"That's why you want to change." Sanson said with an understanding nod, his grimace hiding his thoughts.
"Yes." The Berserker nodded slowly. "Can we change?"
He didn't answer. He couldn't answer, for he already knew the answer. And he was certain, that Kiyohime already knew it too. It was a question set up for her own disappointment.
"Sanson…" he looked to his side, almost surprised by the sudden tone of the Lancer, looking at the both of them with a flat expression. "When we return to the Throne of Heroes, we… take our experiences back, right? And it gets recorded in our Saint Graph?"
That was an extremely rough estimation, but… "In essence."
Elizabeth's mouth curled upward, showing a hint of a smile. "I have no memory of any previous summonings I took part in. But… I do know that I was summoned. And, whatever it was, wherever, whenever it was… I was… vile."
Kiyohime finally turned to face the Lancer as well, and even Sanson was surprised by the tone Elizabeth used. It was, very reminiscent of his "fellow" Assassin back in France. "Maybe, not exactly like her." By coincidence, it appears she was thinking the same thing. "Not even close, since she is such a more exaggerated part of my legend. But… I was the very picture of a villainess. Someone that even Puppy would have trouble befriending, I'm sure."
"Where are you going with this?" Kiyohime asked, her voice slight quaking, while Sanson kept his mouth shut. He, was following along her train of thought, understanding where exactly she was going.
Her smile grew wider, though it also become far more crooked. "Something happened to me there, Kiyo. Something, that made me stop. That, made me change. That… made me want to be something else. Someone else."
"Are you saying…" there was disbelief written on Kiyohime's face, with a hint of hope.
"Everyone here keeps on saying, how I'm not like how they thought I would be. And they're right!" at this, her smile softened, becoming more genuine. "I also wanted to change."
Sanson smiled, a sense of pride welling up inside him, even though he had no relation with the Hungarian noble. He glanced to the Berserker, seeing Kiyohime agape, speechless.
Elizabeth took this as a sign to finish. "It's, not going to be something quick. We might not even see the results here. But, I truly believe, that we can change." She moved closer, grasping Kiyohime's hands with her own. "And I will be here for you, just like Birdie is."
A sniffle came from the Berserker, taking her hand from Elizabeth to wipe her face. "That's why you're so nice to me."
"Eeehhh, I'm nice 'cause you're a Berserker."
"How could you be so rude so quickly!" laughter followed her cry, Kiyohime's own as Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at her.
Sanson smiled, taking a sip of his coffee, glad that everything was working out for the Berserker. He could only pray for a guaranteed recovery for her, since there was nothing else he could do.
1573
"Kags, can you have Ruler heal Blackbeard?" Ayako said, as they all entered the Captain's Quarters, barring Medea and EMIYA.
"She is on her way." The Shaman replied as he sat himself beside the tall pirate.
"Kalls, get Atalante. With Medea preoccupied as she is, we'd need someone else to be our Argo expert."
"I am already here." The door opened again, revealing the masked Servant, and Martha trailing behind her.
"Alright, so who are the rest of your crew?" Captain Drake asked as she sat behind her desk, the rest of them also sitting themselves around the room. Including the two female pirates that came with Blackbeard.
"Ya heard her ladies, introduce yerselves." The aforementioned Pirate said, glancing towards them. "Well?"
The shorter one sighed, while the taller blonde giggled, winking at them. "The name's Anne Bonny. Pleased to meet'ya."
"Mary Read." The shorter woman said, her voice slightly muffled by the coat that hung over her mouth.
"Now we can get started." Blackbeard said with a chuckle, as the Privateer pulled out a scrolled weathered piece of papyrus.
"First thing's first, show me which islands you've been to then." Drake said with a nod, unfurling the map on her desk.
"Hmmmm…" he looked over the contents as Martha uttered a prayer beneath her breath, bathing him in holy light. Slowly, the stump that was his right arm began healing. "We cover'd the northern lands, and 'en we came across the Argonaut right 'ere." He pointed to the farthest island from their current position. "We chased after the Golden Hind since."
"Argonaut?" Atalante commented, turning to the Masters inquisitively.
The Captain's eyes narrowed to slits. "So it was because of them, huh?" she sighed through her nose, her nostrils flaring slightly. "What're they after?"
"Your chalice." He said, gesturing a nod to her.
"The cup?" Drake looked to the Grail that hung on her belt, eyeing it carefully.
"Why? Wouldn't they already have their own?" Mash asked, her shield now dematerialized.
Blackbeard shrugged noncommittally. "I'unno. That's what the Argonaut suggested."
"Its presence is probably in conflict with the one in actual history, Mash." Koleen suggested, her eyes focused elsewhere in thought.
"You keep on referring to this Argonaut." Atalante spoke up, taking a step closer to the captains. "Who are they?"
"Hektor, of Troy."
Behind the mask, Atalante's brows furrowed. "He is no Argonaut."
"No, yer right, but he did hang out with the rest of 'em." He turned on his seat to face Atalante, before a look of surprise briefly flashed on his face. "Yer alive? No, wait. You're Chaldean."
The hairs on the back of Atalante's neck bristled at the chosen words. "I died?" her own words left her without resistance.
"Yea, snapped into two, by a 'uge slab o' rock, wielded by a mountain of a man." He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Saw it with ma own eyes."
"Herakles." The Archer staggered backwards, looking a lot paler than usual. Ayako took a step forward to brace the Huntress.
"So I guess that's outright confirmation that we're facing against the Argonauts then." She said aloud, bringing everyone to the same page.
"And if they're trying to get the Grail in Captain Drake's possession, then she has become the VVIP of our mission." Kagiso added from the corner of the room.
"So the safety of her and her crew have become one of our top priorities?" Ritsuka asked, turning to them, light sweat damping his forehead.
"Definitely." Ayako responded, sitting the Archer down on a chair, still in apparent shock. She turned her attention back to the renowned Pirate, her eyes focusing on him. "Did they ever share any plans, in some form or fashion?"
"Nothin' elaborate. Although, when the Golden Hind breached the storm, we got suggestions to focus elsewhere." He nodded to his fellow Pirates who were standing off to the side.
"That old man wanted us to go to this island." The taller woman, Anne, took a single step forward as she answered his urgings. "He said there was someone that would annihilate us, if given the chance."
"And he wanted you guys to deal with it?" Ayako asked with a raised brow.
"That's what he said." Mary added, joining the taller woman beside her. "I don't know what happened. He seemed content in doing the least amount of effort, the Captain sure noticed."
"Hells yeah I did." He chuckled without amusement. "Bastard showed a lazy air, but he could'a ended it right then and there, if'e wan'ed to."
"And he almost did." Anne continued, tapping her foot on the wood floor. "But the moment he got serious, so did the Captain."
"Ya don' get to where I am without anticipatin' a few backstabs." He said as he brought his arm up, now fully healed. He flexed his fingers, smiling at them. "Disappeared like 'e was called with a Command Spell."
"So, if they're still trying to kill this person, then our next objective is to recruit this person, right?" Ritsuka asked to the room.
"Sounds like the most sensible option." Captain Drake commented, leaning back into her chair, with a knee over the other. "And we might even face off against them on the way."
"Anything else?" Ayako asked, earning three shaking heads.
"That's it." The Pirate said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Then chart us a path towards that island." Ayako said, stepping towards the desk, placing her hand atop it. "From here on out, we'll have one Master on watch for two hours, each of us taking turn to be up with the Servants. A few of the Servants will also need to be on Blackbeard's ship." She turned to her fellow Masters nodding to them. "The night's almost done, but I can take the first watch."
"I'll take second." Koleen said, standing up from her seat. "Mash, you should only be up whenever it's Ritsuka's turn, alright? You still need to get a full rest, like the rest of us."
"Right, Koleen." The Demi Servant replied with a nod.
"We should also touch base with Chaldea, tomorrow." Ritsuka said from where he sat. "Keep them up to date with our plans."
"We can do that. We'd just need to find the closest leyline, also to drop off the materials we got on the way." Ayako said with a single nod.
"If that is all, I think we should call it a night then." Kagiso closed off, covering a yawn with his metallic hand. "We should reconvene after breakfast."
"Then with that…" Ayako clapped her hands once, smiling at the assembled group. "we will close this meeting, for the evening."
2017
"So, Ten days in, and we are finally making progress." Olga said aloud with a smile on her face, looking far more colored, far fresher than she had been in months. "More so than we are, by a large stretch."
"Have you not found anything of the ring, Director?" Fujimaru asked, kneeling beside Mash as the both of them attended to the meeting.
"Other than it might be related to King Solomon." She replied, turning to the man beside her.
"We think that the ring, might be somehow connected to him, by virtue of his legend, and his Ten Rings." He said with a growing grimace and audible hesitation.
"We really have nothing on record about him." Lord El-Melloi II said with an irritated sigh. "How is it, that we have a detailed history of Eric fucking Bloodaxe, and yet we have next to nothing of King Solomon?!"
"Well, we did lose a quite a bit of our library, both digital and physical." Da Vinci added with a sympathetic smile.
"Ugh, that we did." Romani said with a long sigh, as his shoulders slumped. "Flauros even made sure to destroy our backups too."
"Do you not have cloud storage?" El-Melloi asked incredulously.
"No, that would require Chaldea to be connected to the internet, and we do not have our own satellite." He rebutted with his own rare annoyance.
"And besides, in case you have forgotten, the rest of the world is on fire right now." Olga spoke up, silencing the two from arguing any further. She turned back to the monitor. "How is Medea doing? She won't be a problem, would she?"
"She's coping." Fujimaru replied with a grimace and a shrug. "She's fully focused on preparing us for the inevitable encounter, so I guess that's good."
"And we also have Atalante and Circe here as well, and they've been giving us a few tips on how we should face the Argo." Mash further added.
"Good. Good." Olga nodded, sighing with relief at the news. "Where are the other Masters, Fujimaru?"
"Kagiso-san is on Blackbeard's ship, along with Martha. The both of them are keeping him and the other two pirate Servants company. Ayako-san and Koleen-san are still resting, from the night watch." He replied as detailed as he could.
"I think that's it, Senpai." Mash said with a smile on her face.
"Mash, how far is the island you're heading towards?" Olga asked the Demi Servant.
"The island that Captain Blackbeard indicated is, four days' worth of travel on the ships, including the enhancements and reinforcements done to the Golden Hind by the Casters." She looked around the deck, briefly observing the crew as they went about their duties. "But we're also planning on stopping by a few islands on the way, so it might be a little over a five days in total."
"The Golden Hind is still filled with human crew, so they still need to rest and find food as well." Fujimaru further added.
A frown formed on Olga's face, holding back a sigh from escaping. "That would solidify this Singularity to being the longest one so far."
"And it will only get longer from here on out." Romani said with a tired sigh, his hand reaching nervously for the back of his neck.
"We'll just have to shoulder through it all then." Da Vinci commented with a light tilt to her voice. "Ritsuka-kun, are you doing alright?"
The male Master looked confused at the question. "Yes? I'm fine."
"I meant if you're having trouble. These Singularities are getting harder, after all."
"Oh. I'm fine." He leaned back slightly, pondering on his answer. "Things aren't, easier… but I find myself able to handle it better now."
"That's good. And Mash, how about you?" Da Vinci turned to ask.
"I'm doing fine, Da Vinci. I'm getting more used to this." Mash said with a more confident smile on her face, one that was relieving to Olga.
"Then we will leave you to your mission." Olga said with a finality. "Contact us if there's any significant change that needs to be updated."
"Yes, Director." The both of them responded with a salute.
"Don't forget guys, just because we're focusing our efforts on the ring, doesn't mean we don't have an eye on you all." Romani added with a comforting smile. "If you are in need of any emergencies, do not hesitate."
"Will do, Doctor."
"Ground Team, signing out."
She looked around the Control Room, shaking her head as she settled on a decision. "Put our current research on hold, we'll go back to observing the Ground Team."
"Director?" Romani turned to her with a confused expression on his face, as the operators began changing course.
"Lord El-Melloi II is right. We have spent the last couple of weeks chasing our own tail. It is better if we focus our efforts on something more productive." She reasoned, giving him a quick glance.
The main monitor flared out, slowly replaced by screens that focused on each member of the Ground Team, including the Servants. Inside one of the Guest Quarters, both Aozaki and Bertrand were asleep, as reported by Fujimaru. The Berserker, Sir Lancelot, was sitting silently with his helmet put aside, reading a book he acquired from the room. The room beside theirs was taken by their Caster, Medea, the outside of it covered by the tent they had brought along. They couldn't get any eyes inside of it, courtesy of the Caster's bounded field, though they could see Circe standing outside, peeking inside the room.
Back outside on the upper deck, Fujimaru and Mash had moved to stand beside the renowned Privateer, as she ordered her men to raise the anchor, intent on getting back on the move. The three of them chatted amicably in between her orders. On the crow's nest, along with one of Captain Drake's men, were both Archers, their eyes out and focused on the horizon. They noticed that the Huntress, Atalante, had her feline ears drooping.
On the deck of the other ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, had Kagiso standing beside Blackbeard, with the Pirate regaling his stories to the Shaman. Ruler, Martha, was sitting beside the shorter pirate, Mary Read, silently taking in the frustrations the pirate had accumulated under Blackbeard's leadership. At its crow's nest was Anne Bonny, presumably an Archer herself, with her large rifle in hand as she served as the ship's eyes. She briefly waved to the Chaldean Archers, getting only a response from EMIYA.
Olga breathed a long sigh as she felt her shoulders relax. "Now we'll just have to rely fully on them."
"That we do, Director." Romani said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Simple trust for the Ground Team."
"Trust." Olga repeated, slowly nodding. "Right, trust."
1573
"Masters! Someone sighted, stern side of the ship!"
Three days had passed, just as they approached the last island that stood between their target destination, with nothing noteworthy occurring in the span of days. Five days, until this very moment, with EMIYA's voice reaching them from atop the crow's nest.
"Someone!?" Ayako asked back, as she and her fellow Masters made their way towards the back of the ship.
"Riding a plank of wood. They don't seem to be conscious." Atalante added, landing beside them, leaving EMIYA up top.
"We got bigger problems here!" Anne Bonny called out, aiming her rifle at the horizon. "Further south!"
"I see it!" EMIYA confirmed, drawing back the string of his black bow. "And I see one Servant on the deck!"
"Just one!?" Ayako asked back.
"Yes! It seems to be Herakles!"
"Of course he'd be hiding." A voice of contempt reached their ears, one they haven't heard of in the past couple of days, aside from succinct replies through their telepathic connection. Medea, for the first time in days, had exited her tent/room. And, unsurprisingly, her hood was drawn over her head. "Relying on Herakles to handle his fights."
"What should we do, Chaldea!?" Anne asked from her perch. "That ship's gaining speed, like a leviathan!"
Ayako scoffed amusedly. "We'll show 'em Leviathan. Captain!" she turned to the Privateer. "We should speed up to the island, helped out by the Casters!"
"A'ight, if you say so! Men! Raised the sails!" Captain Drake turned on her heel, returning to her post.
"Medea, Circe. If you would."
"I'll take the Golden Hind." Medea quickly said, floating upwards as she went to work.
"Ah! You sly child!" the Enchantress' wings furled bitterly
"Kags! You know what to do!" she called out to the Shaman that was standing within the Queen Anne's Revenge.
He nodded with a smile. "Martha! Send Tarrasque out there, and save the person!"
"As ordered, Master!" Martha stood on the wooden railing, her staff in hand, pointed at the person in the middle of the ocean. "Go, in the name of God, Tarrasque!"
The Child of Leviathan broke the surface magnificently, bellying his awkward appearance. With a loud, piercing roar that could rival a Berserker's, he charged forward with a speed in the seas that would put Lancers to shame.
"Archers! Slow that ship down!" Ayako finally ordered, pointing at the target with her finger. "I want an endless barrage on them!"
"Yes Master!" and like fireworks on New Year's Eve, the sky was alit with the endless barrage the Puppeteer had directed. Projectiles of green, blue, steel, and fire, flying faster than a bullet as it homed in on the Argo.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly, they were all deflected by the greatest Greek hero that ever existed. It would have been a miracle to make a dent on the hero, but that wasn't the intention either way. They needed to create as much distance as they could, with the Casters pushing the ships with their spell-created winds. They didn't need to focus on the person anymore, with Tarrasque being sent out to rescue them. The Masters and Mash all reconvened in the Quest Quarters, along with Lancelot, who was the only one without an order.
"Berserker, take my rifle, I want you to also take potshots at the ship." Ayako said, handing the Knight her rifle.
"Yes, Master." He took the weapon, and reequipped his helmet, before rushing out in a burst.
"Mash, I think you need to stand at the back of the ship." Ritsuka said to the Demi Servant. "The ship still has actual people here, we need to make sure that they won't get hit."
"Yes, Senpai." Mash replied with a single nod, chasing after the Berserker with her shield drawn.
"What'll the rest of us do?" Koleen asked, flexing her hands somewhat nervously.
"Be on standby." Ayako said to them. "This'll be a battle between Servants. Standing in between them is a guaranteed death."
"It will be best if we stay back and support our Servants." Kagiso further added with a seriousness to his voice. "The fact that the Golden Hind has the only group of humans here makes it rather easy for us."
"Don't say that, Kagiso-san." Ritsuka said with a light shake of his head. "Remember, Medea-san can summon an endless army of her own. There's no telling what the Argonauts have."
"That is very true." Koleen sighed, brushing her hand through her blonde hair, the braid of it unravelling slightly. "At least, we should be able to handle them."
"Hopefully." Ayako finished.
"Hopefully." They all repeated, before moving back out of the room, joining everyone else as the seas picked up in momentum.
"Ruler, how is Tarrasque?" Kagiso asked the Saint, still standing on Blackbeard's ship.
"He's on his way back! She's definitely a Servant!" Martha replied.
"She?"
"Yes, she! We can see her clearly!" EMIYA added in between his shots. "She's rather small, like Miss Read there!"
"I'll gut you, Archer!" the pirate threatened from where she stood.
"Aozaki!" Ayako looked up upon being called, facing the Captain as she looked down on them. "We're nearin' the island, few minutes tops!"
"Beach the Ship, Captain!"
"Excuse me?!"
"We can push it back out, easily!" Ayako said back, pointing back at the Argo. "And we can also repair any damages! We can't waste any more time slowing down!"
"Ahh! You heard her, men! Full sail ahead! We're beaching the Hind!"
"Aye, Cap'n!" a chorus of replies echoed as much as it could on the upper deck.
The seas rained down upon them, with the massive ship speeding through the ocean like a speed boat, and as long as they stood outside with the crew, there was no shelter for the salty waters that covered them. And unfortunately, as fast as they could get with the Casters' help, it seemed that the Argo was still gaining on them. Even Tarrasque had no trouble returning back to the ships, the Servant he carried taken by Martha's hands, as he dived back under.
The Ruler Class Servant returned to the Masters, placing the unconscious Servant beside them. The Servant, was far shorter than Mary Read, far shorter than even Elizabeth and Arturia. She wore an incredibly wet and torn white dress, with purple hair that most likely have been done in twintails, considering the fact that it laid in a mess.
"I've healed as much as I could, but she is still weak." Martha said, with the Servant in her arms.
"Then put her in the Guest Quarters, we've got other things to focus on." Ayako said, earning a nod from the Ruler, as she stepped inside. "How far is the island?"
Her answer was as sudden as her question, by way of Blackbeard's sudden shout. "Brace for impact, gents!"
They were sent off their feet by the impact of the ship hitting land, breaching the sands with its reinforced wood that held the ship together. When the ship finally stopped moving, Ayako got back on her feet as quickly as possible. "Is everyone alright!?" she called out, both to her team, and the ship's crew.
"As alright as we can be." The Privateer responded, irritation clearly drawn out on her face. "But if we can kick this bastard's ass, then it'll be worth it."
"Masters, we're getting surrounded." Medea said to them, as she floated down to their level.
"What? With what?" Ayako asked incredulously, already pulling out six runestones in her hands.
The Caster's eyes narrowed, turning back into the seas. "Monsters."
She caught sight of the first of them, walking out of the seas, an amalgamation of different kinds of sea creatures. The main body was that of a large shark, most likely a great white. It had feet that belonged to a sea turtle, and an assortment of tentacles where its right arm should be. Its left was nondescript, aside from having large claws that could cleave a car in two. It roared, as more of its kind joined it on the beach.
Ugh. She inwardly groaned, turning to the Caster. "Is this your doing?"
"It has to be." She grimaced without obvious disgust. "Although I don't have a recollection of ever creating such monstrosities."
"As it should be." Circe commented, joining them with a harsh frown on her face. "I would have disowned you as a student if you ever made these things."
"Then we are wasting time here." Koleen said, pulling out one of her earlier concoctions. She gave it a quick shake, before throwing it out to them. The small yellow-red concoction shattered on contact, its corrosive essence splashing to more of the creatures around it.
"Archers, focus on the Argo! Everyone else, we'll deal with the sea monsters!" Ayako began running to the stern side, her runestones lighting up around her, six of them, shattering into dust.
ᚦ ᛇ ᛉ
ᛗ ᛁ ᚦ
"Thurisaz, of the God Thor. Laguz, of Water. Algiz, of Protection. Mannaz, of Man. Isaz, of Ice. And Thurisaz, of the Giants." The runes sunk into her skin, turning them into a sickly blue, as her beautiful red hair turned snow white. "Strykr Jötunn!"
She leapt off of the ship, her feet crushing the first of them with her landing. She took the intact claw arm, using it as a makeshift weapon, swinging it at another one of them that converged on her. Mash, with the crew still in the ship, stayed where she was, ready to deploy her Noble Phantasm if needed. Ritsuka, using the automatic crossbow that was given to him by Da Vinci, began firing upon the creatures, hesitation clear on his face. Captain Drake was by his side, shooting with her pistol, her other hand inside her coat, holding the Grail that was powering her. The rest of the Servants spread through the beach, focusing on a single side of it.
Ayako herself pushed through the creatures with some difficulty, the claw she was using was shattered after repeated use, constantly taking from the corpses she leaving behind. Her entire body was slowly coated by the viscera of the sea, its smell intensified by the current spell she was using. Somehow, it was worse than whatever hell Bluebeard pulled out in France.
"Incoming!" she heard, a shout coming from the ship, causing her to face the seas once more.
The Argo had slowed down, though this time even she could see people atop its deck. Her brows furrowed upon noticing the lack of Herakles. She looked up, seeing a giant slab of rock flying in the air, heading somewhat towards her exact location. Before she could even move herself out of the way, it landed. Just right in front of her, the tremor it created almost dropping her to her feet. The stone slab had another piece of stone protruding out of it.
Wait, that wasn't stone. This wasn't stone. Her breath stopped, as her eyes widened.
▂▂▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅!
She tightened her red coat, slowly turning to orange.
ᚾ ᛉ
Naudiz, of Need. Alg- her spell didn't complete, her mind drawing to a blank, as the stone weapon was swung sideways to her. Her body was flung deeper into the island, the last thing she heard, was the raging cry of their own Berserker.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
When Ayako finally stopped moving, Strykr Jötunn's effects on her body had stopped, and the pain coursed through her body without resistance. She screamed, wailing as loud as she had ever did before in her life. Most of her torso was crushed, and she couldn't feel anything below what was left of her waist. Everything felt like very hot, very painful liquid.
"Ayako, it'll be fine." The calming voice of Kagiso spoke to her, breaching her screams, enough to stop her pained wails.
"Kags…" that was all she could say, before she grunt and groaned in pain. "How…?"
"It's a sight to see, but don't worry." He kneeled beside her, placing something on her chest, and perhaps somewhere below. She couldn't exactly tell. "Eyes on me, Ayako."
She grunted in pain, most of her body calmed by the sight of her friend. "Okay…" she turned her head, as much as she could, to face him.
He was holding one of his fetishes; the cracked glass eye that looked the most out of place; close to his chest, and began chanting. "Wazazi, ninatafuta msaada wako."
Light, white smoke flowed from his fist, from the fetish, slowly encasing his body. Slowly reaching towards her. "Ili kusaidia, rafiki anayehitaji."
His eyes opened, normally brown, now milky white. The smoke thickened, around him, around his head. "Sisi. Simama. Na. Wewe." A voice spoke, somewhere around the both of them. It was not her, it was not him.
He placed his hand on her, and immediately the pain lessened, almost dramatically under a warmth that reminded her of home. Slowly, but surely, the pain left her. The adrenaline was no longer coursing through her, causing her to lay limply on the sand. Without the pain, she could still move her arms, but now she was certain that she couldn't feel anything below her chest.
"How bad is it?" she asked the Shaman, as the smoke dissipated, returning the color to his eyes.
"Well, everything's still there." He said with a pained, sympathetic shrug. "It's just not how it should look like. Medea will have to finish the rest, but I at least stopped the pain."
"That you did, Kags." She sighed, exhaustion creeping through her body.
"Ayako!" steps grew louder, as a couple of people joined them. Koleen and Ritsuka, looking as every bit worried as they would be for a friend. "Medea!"
"I am here." And just like that, the Grecian Caster appeared, kneeling beside the Shaman. A spell was already on her lips, weaved through it to her.
"How is everything?" she asked them.
"Sir Lancelot and Martha are keeping Herakles occupied." Koleen answered, holding her friend's hand gently. "Sir Lancelot is a powerful Servant, so is Martha who also has an advantage against a Servant with such high Divinity."
"How about the Argo?" at this question, Ritsuka grimaced.
"It's here." He said, turning back to the see, looking at something that she couldn't at the moment.
"Rejoice! For Greece's greatest hero has arrived!" she heard from where she laid, a voice that sounded even more smug that the most assholeish magus she's ever met. "And I, have come to ask for your surrender!"
"Prop me up, please." The people around her looked visibly hesitant, but the complied. Ritsuka moved behind her, carefully allowing her to see. The Argo, in all its majesty, with two people atop its deck. She could hear screams coming from inside the ship. One man, holding a magnificent lance, a scowl on his face, though mostly targeted aimed at the man that helmed the ship. A blonde hero, with almost bright green eyes, smiling proudly at them. "Hey, Jason!" she coughed in pain, using up what's left of her energy to speak.
The hero focused his green eyes on her, the pride on his face briefly shifting to confusion. Ayako smiled, matching the smug that he displayed. "Here's our answer." She held out one hand, pointing it towards him, raising her middle finger. "Fuck you, asshole!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE
a very cold ending, but i think it's fitting, with how deep things got for everyone here. also, didn't want this chapter to be any more bloated than it already somewhat is.
we saw a bit of a glimpse of the Argo, and a few more changes, i wonder if any of you will realize what it is. it's pretty easy, with what we saw here.
we also got a glimpse of Kagiso's shamanism, and hopefully we can see more of it soon. i also didn't want to use Koleen's new concoction yet. hope you guys also liked that little bit in the beginning.
now, the translations:
"Ancestors, I seek your aid."
"To help, a friend in need."
"We. Stand. With. You."
onto the reviews!
C2M1: wannabes gonna wannabe.
Addicted2fanfics: i didn't try for the GSSR, mostly 'cause FGO isn't officially in my country, so i can't put any money into it.
King0fP0wers: yeah, definitely! Super Orion, and Avenger Nobu, the top two ones i wanna get.
MirageSPL: the anniversary is coming soon, so there's something to anticipate here.
omegadragonmon2: we're seeing the beginnings of it here!
Guest1: thank you!
Zakara: and i like that theory, which is why i'd like to show off more of his serious side to everyone.
Evowizard25: thank you! and yeah, i'm hoping i can at least do Artemis and Orion justice here, since i don't have them in my own roster.
Guest2: eh, i'll see about that.
TalonScythe: yeah, Drake's a bit of a scaredy cat, from what we see in the game. something that's quite funny, given her demeanor. and we'll be seeing more of that, soon.
well, thanks again everyone for reading! hope ya'll enjoyed all of this!
drop a review if you don't mind, and i'll see you all next time!