So, I originally wasn't gonna post this since people tend to complain about the interludes… but I figured I might as well do it while I was updating Sinners... in other news, we have a TV Tropes page now
Medusa watched Izuku scratch at the corner of his jawline, before glancing over at Roman. The doctor looked like he needed a doctor himself, his hair a mess, a patchy beard growing on his yellowing skin, eyes jumping erratically.
It almost made her wish that Solomon would hurry up and attack them so Roman could get some rest and stop whatever cocktail of drugs he was using to pull triple shifts. At this rate, he would keel over dead and destroy the morale of the humans.
Medusa got the feeling this was Roman's fault somehow, but she didn't want him dead.
"Can she do it?" Izuku asked, the long stiletto bladed knife of the Spiritfuge whirling around one finger by the ring pommel. Roman blinked owlishly, like he hadn't really been paying attention to the conversation.
"It goes against protocol," he finally said, "Servant removal is supposed to be impersonal-"
"So no?" Izuku finished.
"Uh, well, no, actually," Roman said, "we're already way past the point where fudging that rule would be a thing we should worry about. We've already broken the "seven Servants" protocol, like, twelve or more times over… do you think it's a good idea?"
"Me?" Izuku asked, returning the owlish blink with one of his own. Remove the hair color from the equation and you could honestly believe they were brothers.
"I'm not gonna puff up my chest and try and act like I'm important," Roman said, "Heroes are your thing Izuku, it's who you are. If you think Medusa being the one to take down Gorgon is the best way to do this, it's the best way."
"Yeah," Izuku said, standing up, "C'mon, Medusa, let's do this."
Medusa nodded, standing up and adjusting her Mystic Eye Killers. Roman nodded and waved at them, turning back to the files he was reading.
"Thank you," she said as they walked through the halls of Chaldea. Servants and employees turned to watch them pass, some stopping them for brief conversations before noticing the uncharacteristically grim look on Izuku's face.
"I don't like this," Izuku said, "that we have to do this or that you have to be-"
"I asked to do this," Medusa cut him off, "don't put blame where it doesn't belong, Master. If someone has to do this, I want it to be me."
"And I wish it were me," Izuku said, hand gravitating towards the Command Spells in the shape of Lord Camelot.
"Why?" Medusa said, turning her head to see Izuku through the Mystic Eye Killers.
"It doesn't sit right with me," Izuku said, "it's my choice that gets them executed, I wish I was the one to do it. They deserve that much."
"Sometimes," Izuku and Medusa jumped as Sanson spoke up from behind them, deastralizing. Nail and Knife stopped millimeters from the headsman's throat, a chain and line of energy holding them in place, "it's better for the judge to wash their hands and leave the rest to the executioner, Maître. We are trained to make this process as quick and painless as we can."
"Did Roman tell you-?" Izuku started, lowering the blade of the Spiritfuge.
"Doctor Archaman informed me, yes," Sanson nodded, "I thought I might offer my assistance, as always, Maître, Mademoiselle Medusa. It is best to have an executioner at an execution, I find."
"I'm going to do it myself," Medusa said, meeting his eyes.
"I didn't mean to imply you wouldn't," Sanson said, "I fully expect you to. But it was standard of operation to have an executioner on hand just in case. I would offer my services as that role. Your… second, as it were. Gorgon will not go gently, we both know, and I wouldn't want her to risk her escaping and endangering Chaldea's staff. Even if she wouldn't get far, someone else would put her down, and I do not wish to see you robbed of putting your demons to rest."
"I… yes, thank you, Sanson."
"I'm going to talk to her, fir-" Izuku started.
"No!" Medusa snapped.
"I have to give her a chance-"
"She won't take it," Medusa said.
"How can we know that if we don't give her a chance-" Izuku started.
"Because I know myself," Medusa said, "I had the chance to stop before I became what I became. If she, if I, didn't listen to my sisters we won't listen to you," then she switched to greek, "Be a good boy so I don't need to tie you up, Master."
Izuku feel silent, gaping and blushing before returning, "I thought you hated when your sisters teased us?"
"I like teasing when it's on my own terms, Master," Medusa reached out and squeezed his hand, "and you are far, far too easy to tease."
- X Gorgon X -
Gorgon looked over as the room's door swung open, staring at the woman and man standing inside… but more the woman, "Get out…"
"I'm sorry," the woman said, stepping into the room, carefully taking off a pair of glasses and putting them in a case. She put that in the pocket of her riding jacket before shrugging it off and handing it to someone outside the door. The minute her hand returned to their side of the door, the dark clad executioner slammed the door shut.
"GET!" Snakes hissed as Gorgon rose up, towering over her younger self and pouring out enough killing intent to give an elephant a heart attack, "OUT!"
"We're here to kill you," Medusa said, snapping open her eyes and flaring her hair with her hands. Chains whipped out towards her, and the battle began.
- X Medusa X-
If there was anyone who understood how Gorgon fought, it was Medusa. It was a simple fact, they were one in the same.
It was for this reason, Medusa had opted to confront her here, in her room. She couldn't grow to her full height, things were too cramped.
Her chains struck the walls and ricocheted towards Gorgon, only for her snakes to release beams of magical energy. Each one that hit the chains turned them to stone, before they crumbled away.
One of Medusa's chained nails lashed out, driving into Gorgon's side and out the other end in a spray of blood. Wrapping her hand around it tight, Medusa pulled herself in and landed feet first on her older, monstrous self.
"Killing me won't erase the past," Gorgon hissed, her snakes lunging at Medusa with dripping venom. Stabbing the other nail in, the purple haired Servant dove off Gorgon and activated her Monstrous Strength to smash her into the ground before ripping the nails from her skin. Two snakes immediately released another burst of magical energy, only for Sanson to lunge in the way and catch both blasts on the flat of his executioner's sword, which became chipped and weathered before her eyes.
"YOU!" Gorgon howled.
"You'll forgive me for stepping in for a moment, Rider," Sanson said, stepping to the side.
Medusa quietly nodded, ripping her nails from Gorgon and rushing forwards. Claws tore into her side even as she landed a heavy kick on Gorgon's jaw, using the momentum to spin away and land.
It was a simple equation. Gorgon was stronger and tougher than her. She'd also go on a rampage if she managed to kill Medusa and Sanson now that she knew her threat level had outweighed her usefulness. And since there were only two people who could have ordered this, Roman and Izuku would be at the top of her hitlist.
Even with all the Servants in Chaldea, Medusa wasn't going to risk that. So she was going to use the one thing she definitely had on Gorgon.
Her speed and her trump card.
Rushing behind Gorgon, Medusa stabbed with her nails, before dodging the tail strike by leaping over it and landing on the blades. Kicking off, and tearing through the flesh Medusa landed on the ceiling and kicked off again.
The pull of the nails sent Gorgon crashing into the ground, only for dozens of snakes to shift from her hair and firing beam after beam of red-black magical energy at Medusa, who bobbed and weaved around them as fast as she could, becoming little more than a purple blur.
Then, behind them, muffled by a door that was scarred with blasts of magical energy, a thud came across. And Medusa's heart stopped.
Gorgon wasn't drawing energy from the Grails, she was drawing energy from Izuku.
Her twin nails lashed out light lightning as her hair became more chains. Gorgon's eyes were put out before she had time to react, and Medusa's chain wrapped around her.
"Breaker Gorgon," Medusa breathed, a familiar mask appearing over Gorgon's empty eye sockets to stop her from using her Noble Phantasm before she turned to Sanson, "finish her. I need to go check on Izuku."
"Are you sure?" Sanson asked, "this was you closure-"
"I fought her," Medusa said. And abandoning her revenge on herself to help Izuku felt… right.
"Very well," Sanson said, walking towards Gorgon. Around her, ghostly hands bound her tighter as she thrashed. Medusa turned, rushing from the room as Sanson intoned, "Death is the Hope for Tomorrow, La Mort Espoir!"
Grabbing her jacket and sliding on the Mystic Eye Killers, Medusa turned Izuku onto his back. Piercing eyes stared up at her, slightly blue lips quivering as the fractals of his Magic Circuits burned across his body and up his wan face.
"It's done?"
"It should be," Medusa said, scooping up the young man, "We need to get you to the medical ward. You look like you're about to suffer necrosis."
"Should have cut the connection," Izuku said, "They don't normally fight that hard."
"Well, I'm not most people, Izuku," She said, hurrying along with long strides, few occasions making her happier for her long leg span.
"I know," Izuku said, "No one at Chaldea is most people, I guess."
"And we wouldn't trade it for the world," She said, "Now, keep talking, I want to make sure you don't black out on me. About anything. What's that school you want to go to?"