Pre-AN: Hey, Due to how long it took me to create this chapter (My fault) and the timing of IRL stuff for my Beta, This chapter will be un-beta'd. It just felt way too long since I released a chapter and you guys waited long enough IMO. So that will explain the grammar difference's from previous chapters Beta'd by Darklord331. Future chapters will continue to be Beta'd. Don't worry. I hope this doesn't bug you guys too much and feedback is always appreciated!

Chapter 17

Half a day goes by as the Golden Hind reaches a new landfall in this mysterious sea. Chaldea and Drake leave the ship to explore the Island and look for clues on the whereabouts of the Holy Grail that they were after.

"Bloodwater! You are in charge until we get back." Drake said as she decided to join in the land exploration.

"Aye-Aye Captain! You heard her welps, get to work! This ain't a port visit!" Silva said as she took command of the pirates.

"Are you sure there isn't going to be an issue with you men and Silva? Both of your command styles are different. " Mashu asked Drake, slightly worried.

"Nah, She maybe Military but they respect her. If anyone tries to betray her I'll send them to Davy Jones Locker." Drake said before firing a round into the forest out of blue.

"Eeek!" Ritsuka and Gudao said while Fou was running around startled.

"Ack! Drake? Is that an enemy? Ahh! Fou, stop running around!" Mashu said as Fou was climbing her up and down in panic.

"No. But I felt a vague presence, so I took a shot." Drake answered as Mashu looked over to Doomguy who had his rifle in hand and was aiming at the forest.

"Do you sense something as well, Doomguy?" Ritsuka asked and he nodded. He wasn't adept with Magic but his instincts were sharp as an argent blade. Something was in those woods…

"Told ya, If you get a bad feeling, fire first, ask leather. That's the key to survival, you know?" Drake explained her actions. Mashu was about to comment on how violent that thinking was but then she thought about all the times Doomguy used violence outside of combat.

"...I don't understand it...Maybe it's for the best?" She thought to herself as Doomguy approached the woods with his plasma rifle in hand.

"Find anything?" Drake asked and Doomguy shook his head.

"Well, Let's get going! We got a whole damn Island to explore!" Drake said as she entered the woods followed by Ritusuka and Doomguy. Gudao was about to follow them but noticed his servant appeared to be deep in thought.

"Something wrong, Mashu?" He asked kindly.

"Oh, um...It's just that Drake is very different from Jeanne or Nero...I thought being around Doomguy-san would get me used to more...Drastic actions, But…" she answered unsure of herself.

"I doubt that is what the Slayer wants of you Mashu." VEGA said while allowing Fou to hop onto the top of his drone body.

"Really?" She asked curiously.

"From what I can tell, he feels rather guilty for getting you three involved with his quest against the dark realm. It's the reason why he made the C.E.S for the Masters. Regardless of how stoic he is around you three, I think your personalities are having a positive influence on him." VEGA said as they followed the others into the woods.

"Well I appreciate having him around. If he didn't save ritsuka back in fuyuki…" Gudao's face turned grim at the thought of trying to save humanity as its last master.

"You would still try your best. Right Senpai?" Mashu said with kindness to the man that stood beside her all this time. The noir hair teen blushed a bit at her words and nodded, he would still give it his all to save humanity. Hours goes by as the team walks deep into the tropical forest searching for any clues of the Holy Grail or Hell. They did find a Stone tablet with runes carved into it, VEGA did a quick scan to translate what was inscribed.

"Bloodaxe King Once laid to rest, shall awaken once more"

"I will begin a data search on the term 'Bloodaxe king'" Romani said

Doomguy was leading with Drake right beside him, sniffing the air for some reason.

"Mmm...Sniff, sniff. Treasure, Will I get a whiff of that treasure?" She said

"Captain Drake, Treasure has no scent." Mashu said, shaking her head.

"Haha! You think so, Mashu? Treasure does indeed have a scent." The

Captain replied confidently while getting a deadpanned look from Mashu. Seeing the look on the shielder's face, She then decides to make a bet with Mashu. If there was treasure up ahead, Drake would take her on her

ship for a trip around the world.

"Around the world you say?" Mashu said. The thought of travelling around the world was really inviting to Mashu as she has never seen the world beyond Chaldea, The singularities and pictures.

"When I flee these waters and return to england-I'm going to sail around the world on the Golden Hind. What do you say? If you help me out, I bet I'll be the luckiest pirate ever!" She said. Mashu was intrigued by the idea but she knew that wouldn't be possible for them due to the singularity collapsing after completing the mission.

"Of course you can bring your friends along. Especially Mr Badass over there, He'd become a terror on the high seas with those guns of his." Drake said as she stared at the man's arms. "Have to agree. He is well 'Armed'." Da-Vinci said, jutting into the conversation before Romani yelled at her to get back to work.

The youngsters thought she was referring to his firearms, but VEGA and Romani knew she was actually talking about his massive exposed biceps.

"Now, If I lose-If I lose...Hmmm, is there anything else you want?" Drake asked and Both masters shook their heads.

"Your assistance is all we need." Ritsuka said with Gudao and Mashu nodding in agreement.

"Really? That's really greedy, you got me there! That's gonna cost you-" Drake was then interrupted with the sound of a crazed beast followed by the skies turning blood red…

"Guys! I'd hate to interrupt, but a massive Hell energy spike in your area! I can't pinpoint it's exact location." Romani warned and everyone got battle-ready.

"This is most likely a Gore nest! Expect heavy resistance. Ritsuka, Gudao. Prep your C.E.S units." VEGA said and both masters pressed a button in the chest plate triggering combat mode for the CES. If there was any time for a real-world test, it was now.

"Great more of these bastards…" Drake said as she pulled out her cutlass.

"Captain, I suggest you fall back, we can't risk losing you." VEGA suggested.

"Don't worry about me. Thanks to my grail, I am able to hold my own against these scallywags." She said as a Dreadknight followed by imps and zombies approached from the woodwork around them. The Dreadknight roars as the cybernetic implants cause it to go into a constant blood rage that puts them above the typical hell knights. Doomguy quickly swaps to his chaingun and blasts the beast in mobile turret mode. The Chaingun proved to be a great counter to the hulking flesh tanks like them and Barons. It falters to the hailstorm of bullets and Doomguy takes the opening to dash forward and body slams it to the ground. It tries to shake him off but it's halted after getting a quick stab through its cyber-skull. More heavies spawn and target the slayer much to his plans to keep them off of the Masters.

Drake and Mashu were putting in work dealing with the smaller demons that slip by doomguy. The shielder class servant was crushing and bashing imps while drake was slicing up the zombies.

"Senpai! Watch out!" Mashu said as a Cyber-Zombie blasts Gudao with its flame thrower. A bright blue barrier surrounded his body as the flames were dispersed around him. The C.E.S shielding system took the hit and he was left unharmed, the shield held to the weak flamethrower. Gudao takes this moment and fires a gandr shot at it. The spell rips right through undead creatures violently, much to Gudaos surprise.

"The C.E.S is capable of increasing the energy output of the onboard mystic code abilities. I have set the Gandr module to lethal out-put for demonic encounters." VEGA said as he zapped an imp with his own installed combat module. Gudao nods and resumes combat while Ritsuka was focused on helping Doomguy with various supportive Mystic codes. Trying to help him clear up this horde faster before something else shows up.

"I can do this, I can do this…" She repeated to herself as she jumped up into a nearby tree to keep away from the Demons. Her guardian was cutting up to three hell knights with his chainsaw sending guts and blood splattering everywhere. The sight might've caused the redhead to nearly lose her lunch but she kept it down. All seemed to be going well until She heard a growl from below from here. Looking down the colour drain from her face as she saw what could be best described as a Hell-hound, an undead canine engulfed in flames.

Before she could react it leapt at her with murderous strength. It missed her but took the branch that was supporting her. Ritsuka fell but landed on her feet without injury thanks to the C.E.S and was about to fire at it with a gandr shot but another one knocked her down.

"Gah!" She tried to get back up but noticed that a pack of them were surrounding her. She quickly fires a Gandr round, taking out one of them, however, the other bites down on her arm. This was too much for her and she instantly screamed in fear as she tried to free her arm.

Within seconds Doomguy appeared and ripped the clamped canine off of her and shot the others with the Plasma rifle. The last one jumping at him, fangs out only to be grabbed by the muzzle and ripped in half started at the jaw.

After turning the long-dead beasts unto ashes, he quickly checks on her arm. The shields did their job and negated all of the bite force avoiding all injury. He helps her get back on her feet and she repeats the breathing technique he taught her.

"...Inhale...count to 4...exhale." She said pulling herself together and she looks up to her servant and gives him a smile. A few moments after that the sky returns to its blue colour as the last of the Demons were taken out by Mashu and Drake. The two regrouped with the others who were worried about Ritsuka.

"Ritsuka, Senpai! Are you alright? We heard a scream and-" Her words were stopped by the reliving sight of Doomguy standing right behind her.

"I am good, A little shaken up though." She said, Honestly.

"Well, what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger!" Drake added confidently.

"RAAAAAAHHHHHH!" A manic scream echoed throughout the forest.

"Guys! It's not over yet! A mixture of a servant and hell energy signature was headed right towards you!" Romani warned as something was crashing through the trees. What was revealed was as a hulking, twisted, horned humanoid wielding a flaming battleaxe.

"ARRRRRRRGGGGH!" The monstrosity roared.

"I am afraid, the entity in front of us is similar to what we experienced back in Rome. A possessed servant. Prepare for combat." VEGA stated the sad state of the servant they were facing.

"Not again…" Ritsuka said as she can't imagine the torture that the servant is facing right now.

"Damn, this guy looks tough. Stand your ground Lads and lasses. We gotta do a final push!" Drake said as the monstrosity swung its axe about with no rhyme or reason. Without wasting a single moment Doomguy dashes at him and lands a Blood Punch square in the jaw. He follows up with a blast from his super-shotgun and two frag grenades, causing the servant to falter.

"Take this!" Mashu comes up from behind and bashes its flank followed by Doomguy drop-kicking the possessed. It gets knocked down only to shorty get back up and screams in agony as its axe glows in blood-red flames.

"AARRRRRRRGGH!" It swings its axe rapidly at Doomguy who dodges with ease and waits for an opening. He parries a strike with his Doom Blade and fires his shotgun in full auto. Buckshot rips into corrupted flesh as the corrupted shell of a servant continues to attack regardless of his injuries. The fight reaches a climax as the possessed servant's body bursts into flames as he pulses with energy.

"Alert. The enemy is preparing a noble phantasm!" VEGA said.

"Then let's do the same! Mashu!" Gudao said

"Yes Master!" Mashu uses her skills to make herself the primary target. It was just in time as the enemy then started spinning into a vortex of an uncontrollable rampage that was barreling towards them.

"LORD CHALDEAS!" She yelled, casting her shielding noble phantasm against the monster's tremendous attack. The Demi-servant holds her ground like trees, rocks and even chunks of the earth get caught in the cyclone she is pushing back.

"Doomguy! Now's your chance!" Ritsuka said as she cast Instant enhancement on her servant. Doomguy nods, welcoming the increase in power as he equips the Unmakyr as he didn't want to hit Mashu. However, there is no such thing as overkill to him so he triggers a Quad Damage as he jumps into the air with his super-human strength. He then pulls the trigger sending a Bulletstorm of Pure Argent rounds into the enemy. The vortex gets interrupted as the twisted monstrosity was demolished by the rapid-fire Makyr weapon.

"GAAAAHHHHHH!" It howled until its body was reduced to nothing as Doomguy's feet touched the ground.

Once the dust settled all that remained was a faint golden light…

"...My...Name...Eric...Made...terrible mistake...Thank you...for...making..it...stop…" the freed heroic spirit whispered before returning to the Throne of Heroes. Another victory, but it's a reminder that the Hellish nightmares can appear anywhere at any time.

"Damn, That was worse than Caligula. But at least you guys got through it alive.I am not detecting anymore servant signals nor hell signals. However, that attack came out of nowhere so stay on your toes.." Romani said as everyone took a moment to catch their breath.

"This Island might be infested with Gore Nests. I recommend Me and The Slayer search deeper into the Island while the remainder of the group look for clues on our objective." VEGA suggested.

"Sounds like a plan, How about we all go on a treasure hunt then?" Drake said, not letting the threat of hell beast ruin her quest for hidden loot.

"Do you think there's treasure here, Senpai?" Mashu asked while walking off with drake.

"I don't." Gudao said rationally as they followed The Captain to the shoreline. Ritsuka herself was still standing with Doomguy as something was still on her mind.

"Master Ritsuka, Is something wrong?" VEGA asked.

"I-I just wondering if you needed me to tag along…" Ritsuka said while rubbing the arm that was bitten by a hellhound. There were a few scratches on the armour plating but no breaches. Doomguy could tell she was still a little spooked after getting jumped on those hellhounds. He wanted her to take some time and rest before facing Demons again.

"That won't be necessary. Reducing the Demonic Corruption of an area is of little difficulty for The Slayer. We should be back by sundown" VEGA stated and Ritsuka knew that the AI had the data to back his claim.

"Alright, I'll be waiting with the others then. Goodluck." Ritsuka said before catching up with Gudao and Mashu. Doomguy and VEGA then begin their search of the Island for more Demonic threats.

Chains of Revelations...

A few hours go by for both groups to work on their Objectives. On the Shoreline, Drake has spotted the wreckage of a ship.

"See this ship? It's probably the one that the king was on." Drake said happily with her findings.

"Doctor, can you find out?" Mashu asked and Romani was way ahead of them.

"Yeah, but I don't think there's any need. It's a larger version of the ships the vikings , It should be like something out of the 9th century...but it looks as good as new...well half of it looks like it." Romani pointed out that half of the ship appeared to be heavily damaged.

"Doesn't look like any cannonfire damage I have seen. So that leaves…" Drake pondered.

"Demons...Is there a chance that the servant we were fighting was the king mentioned in the stone tablet?" Ritsuka said putting the puzzle pieces together which caused Romani to come up with a name.

"Ah! Got a possible Identity of our mysterious king. Eric Haraldsson, The Bloodaxe King of Norway during the 10th century. He must've been summoned along with his ship as a rogue servant. If the damage of the ship means anything, he would have been attacked while at sea." Romani added as Drake climbed the charred hull of wreckage

"W-wait! Captain, please be careful." Mashu said, walking up to the shipwreck.

"Don't worry, the thing is abandoned and I know my way around a mess like this. Wait here, I'll come out with some treasure!" Drake said before disappearing into the wreckage.

"Hey, How are you holding Ristuka?" Gudao asked as wanted to check up with his fellow master.

"I um... " She couldn't really come up with an answer.

"Yeah me too, " Gudao said, getting a curious look from her.

"It's just crazy. Two of the backup masters for Chaldea out here to save the world. It's overwhelming for me sometimes, but here I am. Saving humanity and fighting Demons." Gudao said.

"How do you deal with it?" Ristuka asked, finally understanding what Gudao meant as It has been both physically and emotionally taxing for her.

"Well…This may sound a bit weird, but when I was at my worst. I went to mashu and talked about it. Seems pretty minor but having someone close to listen really helps a lot." He said sincerely as he too was dealing with the weight of the world on their shoulders.

"Talking…" Ristuka said. She thought about how she offered Doomguy a chance to talk about what was on his mind but he rejected it. Maybe if she opened up to him about her problems he might do the same?

Doomguy and VEGA were scouring the island for any Gore Nests or Corruption. So far they did find a few zombies trying to create a single nest and a few swings of a chainsaw was enough to solve that issue.

"With our search concluding, I can safely assume that this island was not an entry point for Hell's forces. We should return to the ship and see if the others have found anything." VEGA stated that his wide area scanners didn't pick up any other Hell energy signatures. Doomguy agrees and follows the AI home as the sky turns orange singly the coming evening. The sounds of wildlife filled the air as they passed through the forest. Seeing sights like these was becoming a more common sight for him due to the nature of his current quest. It brought back memories of peaceful times when he was still with Daisy and…

Doomguy stopped dead in his tracks which caught VEGA's attention.

"Slayer?" He called out as he noticed the man's distress.

It has been itching at him ever since he was summoned to this world. A feeling of something was missing, forgetting something that he held close to his scarred heart. He pulls out Daisy's paw as he tries to remember what was missing; nothing came up other than the feeling that there had to be something else other than his bunny…People he cared about…People he lost… He felt his anger swell as his heart began to ache for what was lost.

"Whoever did this to me is going to pay…Taking away a man's memories of those he has lost…is unforgivable…"

"Slayer? Is something wrong?" VEGA asked again but Doomguy just walked past him without any response. The AI blinked his optics in bewilderment as he wasn't sure why The Slayer would be angry right now…

As Doomguy and VEGA returned to the Ship, The others found a map that led to another Island nearby within the wreckage of the Norse Ship. With such news, they were already back out at sea following the footsteps of Eric Bloodaxe. Doomguy was taking Nightwatch as it was now the dead of night as they sailed on surprisingly calm waters. He was still steaming about losing his memories as his anger hadn't subsided at all.

Unknown to him, Ritsuka poked her head from below deck as she wanted to talk to him. When he returned from searching the Island he just walked past her and ignored her words. VEGA mentioned to her that something seemed to have upset him and recommended that she give him some space. It has been hours since then and she really wanted to see what was troubling him. The young master walked over to her servant as they looked out to the sea.

"Doomguy?" She called him but didn't get a response.

"...ummm…Doomguy?" She asked again, but once more he didn't answer.

"Hey what's wrong? You've been quiet since we-"

"WHAT!" Doomguy shouted at her which scared Ritsuka causing her to back away as she started to tear up.

"S-sorry I just…" Ritsuka whimpered as tears ran down her cheeks. She just wanted to talk to him but was now crying because of Doomguy snapping at her. The girl then ran away sobbing which caused her servant to realise what he had just done…

He just made a little girl cry…

"Slayer." VEGA said, appearing behind him with a very disappointed look in his optic.

"I do not know what is causing you distress but you must not forget your duty as a servant. She needs you for not only Physical protection but also for emotional support as well." VEGA stated. Doomguy couldn't understand she had all the other servants to talk to if she had emotional issues. Many were better suited for this rather than some soldier like him.

" would like to speak with you." VEGA then routed the comms to Doomguy's helmet.

"Alright, first off. You are going to get your gun-toting hide over to Ritsuka and apologize to her. And when I say apologize, I mean .WORDS! Are we clear!" Romani shouted at him over comms.

Doomguy immediately nodded.

"Ok, Good. Now, Professional Doctor time. Like VEGA said, A servants duty doesn't stop at physical protection. You have to keep tabs on your master's emotional state as they are incharge of deploying supporting mystics and Command Seals. You already excelled in the physical department, so now it's time to work on the emotional situation. Now, before I say anything else, do you know anything about Ritsuka's past?" Romani asked.

Doomguy shook his head. Not even during the rare moments, he was knocked out for a few minutes or when he rarely slept.

"...I see. Well, I won't go into detail as I believe Ritsuka should be telling you this. Ritsuka is an orphan, lost her father when she was six and then her mother when she was ten. She had no family left to take her in so she was put into an orphanage…" Romani explained as Doomguy looked at the moon with feelings of regret burning into his mind.

"...She remained in the orphanage while going to a nearby public school for her education. However…She was never adopted…No family would take her in until Chaldea found her through our screening processes." The Doctor said.

Learning the truth about his master's past, caused something in his heart to scream words of shame at him.

"William…"

That woman's voice echoed in his head as he realized what he had become in the eyes of the girl. More than just a guardian, But a father figure for someone that had lost everything.

Now she is humanity's last chance at survival against impossible odds.

And he just fucking yelled at her…

"So do you understand the situation, Slayer?" VEGA asked and he nodded.

His own issues were secondary, he needed to make sure that Ritsuka was not only unharmed physically, but still keeping it together emotionally. It might be hard for him to help her emotionally, however, that didn't matter.

He has to do it.

"Good. And listen, We appreciate you doing this and helping us out with our mission." Romani said before Doomguy went to find his master.

It didn't take long as he found her at the bow of the ship, now with Gudao and Master who went looking for her. Silva was also present as she was on Nightwatch for the ship.

"Doomguy-san…" Mashu was first to notice him and the others turned their attention to him. Ritsuka was still wiping away tears from her eyes while looking away from him.

"Doomguy, why is she crying?" Gudao asked as she didn't say anything when he and Mashu found her. Now with all eyes on him, it was his time to speak for himself.

"Because I wasn't there for her." Doomguy spoke, a very rare moment for the man of action.

"I…was stupid, I was so caught up with my own problems that I forgot my duty, my promise." He said, referring to the promise he made with Olga Marie. Ritsuka raises her head to look at him at the mention of said promise

"Ritsuka, I'm sorry. There is no excuse for yelling at you and I understand if you don't want to-" His words were then interrupted with a tackle hug from Ritsuka. Again, he froze from the form of affection but he recovered faster than last time.

"I forgive you." She said. Once more she accepted his apology after screwing up again. He felt that didn't deserve a master like her, a pure soul uncorrupted by the evils of the world. Doomguy was hesitant, but he patted her on the back which she accepted fully.

"Senpai, are they ok now?" Mashu asked.

"Yeah. They are good now. Let's give them some time to talk," Gudao said as he could tell that everything was alright now. If Ritsuka forgave him then there was no more concern to be worried about.

"I will take my leave as well, My Lord." Silva said as she was only there to make sure the children were alright. Honestly, she was amazed to actually hear her king's voice as his legend was known for him becoming silent during the civil war.

Now that they are alone, Ritsuka and Doomguy sit at the bow of the ship as she talks to Doomguy about what was on her mind. The young master expressed her worries that she wasn't up to the task of being his master, worried that her inexperience would get in the way.

"...Am I doing good as a Master, Doomguy?" Ritsuka asked. Doomguy raised an eyebrow as he never had an issue with her. She has been doing well working with a guy like him. Sure, she may not be the best of the best but that didn't matter to him. Ritsuka was brave, kind and caring for a person that is facing an impossible mission.

But he wanted to make sure he got his point across.

"You're doing good." His words caused a big smile to grow on her face and let out a happy giggle.

"Thanks, I really needed that. Don't worry I won't force you to talk anymore." She said ensuring he doesn't have to turn into a chatterbox like her. Doomguy might still not have much belief in words but he'll speak if Ritsuka needs assurance. The girl then decides to turn in for the night as Drake predicted they would reach landfall by morning. Hopefully, this next island will bring them closer to their goals rather than spit some demons out at them.

Wretched Labyrinth

"Fucking Pits. Where did I wind up this time?" The Wretch said while roaming a labyrinth. He transported himself to this singularity to scout out the demonic activity for The Slayer. The demon didn't have details but something big forced itself to this place.

"Dammit, this place is messing up my magic." The Wretch tried to teleport out but the local area seemed to be affecting his abilities. With no other options, he decides to explore and perhaps find his way out. After a few turns, he found one dead-end of many within this maze.

"Another one to add to the auto map." He said while inputting data into a wrist-mounted device. His thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of footsteps rushing in behind him. Quickly turning around he finds a young woman with purple hair and wearing a white dress rushing around the corner.

"Eeek!" She shrieked at the sight of the shrouded figure in front of her and readied her bow.

"Whoa-Whoa! I ain't looking for a fight! I'm just trying to find my way out!" The Wretch put his hands up.

"Wait, so you're not with that monster?" The woman asked.

"What monster?" His words were stopped by the sound of roaring echoing throughout the labyrinth.

"Shit."

Chaldea has reached the new Island that was mentioned in the Norse ship manifest. It was much bigger compared to the other islands and contained the location of a leyline.

"Coordinates received, we can proceed to the leyline." VEGA said

"Roger that. Drake, we'd like to head this way. Would that be all right with you?" Mashu asked

"It's fine. I was thinking of going in this direction as well." She said excitedly to explore some more.

"Then we'll depart. Let's go Senpai's" Mashu said as Doomguy took the lead with Fou on his Shoulder and Ritsuka right beside him.

"Wait, give me a second. Bloodwater! Get down here!" Drake ordered. Within barely a second, Silva jumped from the ship and landed right in front of her.

"Yes, Captain!" She said standing at attention.

"Damn that has to be a new record. Ok, I want you to join us for once instead of being cooped up on my ship." Drake asked.

"Aye, Captain." Silva said without question. A rifle then appeared in her hands and she slung it onto her back. Doomguy eyed the Firearm, it looked like a lever-action repeater of some sort. It caused him to raise an eyebrow that wasn't a standard issue even after they introduced the concept of guns to the Sentinels. He pushed the question away for later after they secured the leyline to resupply and gather data. They pushed forward into the island and found themselves reaching a large open field that covered most of the land. It

"This place is huge…Hard to imagine it's an island. This wind is amazing." Drake said as she took off her hat to let her pink hair flow in the blowing winds.

"...All true. Master, Doesn't this feel like the time were in-"

"Rome?" Gudao said and Mashu nodded.

"Yeah. It's almost night and day compared to the other Islands. Eh Doomguy?" Ritsuka said and Doomguy nodded.

"We are reaching the Designated coordinates. I have detected hostile enemies near the leyline. Dragon-Tooth warriors to be exact." VEGA stated as a small horde of dark-coloured skeletons were roaming about. Only to become immediately hostile after sensing their presence.

"Never seen anything like that before. Get ready!" Drake said while both Doomguy and Silva opened fire upon the magical undead. The encounter was dealt with swiftly by the two sentinel warriors thus allowing free access to the leyline. As Mashu and Gudao got to work on the Leyline, Doomguy approached Silva as she was reloading her rifle.

"Yes, My lord?" She noticed him. He gestured to her weapon as he was curious about it.

"Oh this rifle. I am assuming you guessed that it's not of sentinel origin." She then offers him the gun for him to inspect. Which he accepts and examines the familiar design of the firearm. He pushed on the lever to cycle the action as he eyed the internal workings. There were some modifications no doubt done by silva herself but he could tell it was a Winchester 1892 lever action rifle at its core. A good gun as even during his time with the UAC, they reissued the gun using newer materials and high tech sights. Some would call that sacrilege but they didn't tamper with the core design created by Gun God: John Moses Browning.

"What's going on over here?" Ristuka asked, popping into the conversation Gudao and Mashu were handling the resupply.

Doomguy pushed his gun-nut thoughts away as he questioned how did such a gun wind up on another planet.

"My lord was just wondering the origin of my weapon. It would appear he knows more than I do." Silva answered.

"Because he's not from your planet, right?" Ristuka guessed, Silva, paused to look at her king who nodded.

"Yes, He was an outsider. He was the one to introduce such weapon concepts to our peoples arsenal. However, my rifle has a different history. I received it when I was rescued by Stranger." She said.

"A stranger?" Ristuka said while tilting her head.

"Yes, After the fall of argent d'Nur…And learning the truth behind the Maykr's, I exiled myself as punishment for my crimes. For a while I survived in the outer wilds of our homeworld until I was corned by Demons. I thought it was the end for me until I heard gunfire and all that remained was a man surrounded by dead hellspawn." Silva said as Doomguy handed back the repeater.

"Who was it that saved you?" Ritsuka asked.

"I do not know, he was wearing forigen clothing and his face was shrouded. The only thing recognizable was that he had a whip holstered on him. He approached me and said 'Sitting around in a forest won't right the wrongs. The other guy is still out there killing them and you are here doing nothing.' He then just tossed this rifle into my lap" Silva then explained how this stranger taught her how to shoot it and told her that The Slayer was still out there fighting against the Demons that caused her people to become fractured.

"When I asked for his name he just laughed and said: 'I am just a drifter. The real question is what are you going to do now?' Then he just tipped his hat and disappeared. It was at that moment I made the choice, if I was going to die, I will do it fighting the beasts that continue to terrorize other worlds. It was shortly after I was contacted by King Novik about your quest in this world-" Her words were interrupted by a sudden earthquake raging through the local area.

"Get down. It's a big one!" Drake yelled and everyone braced through the tremor. Ritsuka nearly fell down due to the sheer force, but Doomguy caught her... It subsided quickly and nobody has hurt thanks to it occurring in an open field.

"Is everyone ok?" Mashu called out.

"Yep! We are ok!" Ritsuka said as Doomguy let her go.

"Where did that come from?" Ritsuka asked.

"We don't know. After we established the summoning circle we lost communications to Chaldea. " Gudao answered.

"I too cannot reach Chaldea. Something is interfering with the signal. I am currently scanning for the cause as we speak." VEGA stated as he extends the antenna from his drone body to boost the signal.

"How about you, Drake?" Mashu asked.

"Thank was a breeze compared to a raging ocean. But I'm worried about my ship and crew. Can we go back for a bit." Drake requested and everyone agree to retreat back to the ship. Once they returned The Captain did a check on everything and nothing was damaged nor any crew harmed in the quake. But there was one major problem…

"Boss…The ship won't move." A crewman told The Captain and Silva.

"Huh?" Drake said, unbelieving of what he said.

"Are you sure?" Silva asked.

"I am not lying, the anchor is raised and everything was triple checked. The ship won't budge, not even an inch!" The crewman restated as Drake shook her head.

"Bloodwater, have you seen anything like this?" Drake asks her First Mate.

"Only when dark forces are in play. Something on this island must be keeping us here." She said calling upon her past as a naval commander.

"Gah, it's never simple. Let's go check in with our stargazers." Drake said and both go tell them the situation of the ship

"So…we are stuck here then?" Ristuka asked.

"Unfortunately yes, I am afraid we will need your group's expertise on magecraft as we can only assume that is what is keeping us anchored here." Silva said.

"Agreed, we are anchored here tight. Got any ideas?" Drake asked.

Ritsuka and Gudao pondered for a bit, going back and forth on their novice level understandings of magecraft.

"Sounds like a bounded field if you ask me. That kind of magecraft is usually used to seal off an area or entrap a target." Ritsuka guessed and Gudao agreed.

"Mashu, Doomguy. Have either of you felt anything odd within the past hour?" Gudao asked as servants heightened senses to magical disturbances. Doomguy nods as he sensed something invisible to the naked eye changed in the environment, it was very minor so he did not see it as a threat.

"Yes, It looks like a Bounded Field has been drawn all around. It's rank is low enough for Demi-servants like me to escape…But I can't say the same for the ship." Mashus said.

"I believe that is the most sound theory. We should dispatch the caster of the barrier ASAP so we can continue our mission." VEGA confirmed and Ritsuka received ahead from Doomguy which caused her to smile.

"Agreed, Search and destroy. There is no other means of escape." Mashu concluded, followed by the sound of Doomguy cracking his knuckles.

"Do you always look forward to breaking stuff?" The redhead said, raising an eyebrow at her servant while crossing her arms. Doomguy just shrugged, but to be honest with himself. A lot of problems can be solved with the practical solution of applying force to the source of the issue. Either by punching, kicking, ripping or the application of various munitions.

In other words, Yes. He likes breaking stuff…

With no other option available, the team decides to return inland in search of the source of their entrapment. As they searched, VEGA flew into the air to get a wide area scan.

"That little fellow is one heck of a navigator. `Think I could borrow him for a few journey's?" Drake asked as they followed VEGA.

"I am afraid he's too busy for seafaring adventures. He is too busy helping Doomguy-san hunt the Demons." Mashu answered.

"Ah, had to ask. Looks like our eye in the sky has found something anyways." Drake said, noticing VEGA descending towards them.

"Spot anything?" Gudao asked.

"I have located a few artificial structures to the west, however those didn't house anything worth mentioning. I have located a cave entrance over by the nearby mountains where I did receive a faint servant signature." VEGA reported.

"Well, we got no other leads at the moment. Let's go!" Gudao said and the group marched their way up the mountainside. After an hour's worth of walking they find themselves at the mentioned cave entrance.

"This cave is not a natural formation…" VEGA said as after they entered the cave, the rock turned into what was to be believed a dungeon of some sort. Such sights got Drake excited as that meant the possibility of Loot.

"Oh boy, the pirate blood in me is heating up!" Drake said as she took the lead much to Mashu's dismay.

"Wait! We have no idea what the scope of this place is. I suggest we retreat at once and-"

"The way I see it, retreating is not gonna change things. That's what it means to stay on my ship. Leave behind that goodie-goodie old self, Mash! Now, Onwards! Treasure awaits!" Drake continued on with his instincts that went against Mashu's wish to be cautious.

"VEGA, are you keeping track of our current position?" Silva asked the AI.

"Yes, Both mine and The Slayer's Auto-Maps are still functioning. We should have little issue backtracking in case we need it." VEGA said while nodding his optic. One of the many things he introduced to Chaldea was the Auto-map program that was much more efficient than what Chaldea had already. Even then that was considered top of the line until Doomguy came along.

"As long as we stick together we should be fine then. Oh I know. Master lets hold hands. It'd be a disaster if we got separated here. Holding hands would prevent that from happening." Mashu suggested, which caused the noir haired teen's face to turn red.

"What a great Idea, Mashu." Ritsuka said while giving Gudao a very mischievous look.

"R-Ritsuka-senpai! This is a serious matter even if it is embarrassing…It's still a necessary action we should do to avoid getting lost." Mashu then grabs Gudao's hand and moves forward with him. Ritsuka just looks at them with a proud, smug smile then she notices VEGA and Doomguy staring at her.

"What? Both of you know it's going to happen eventually." Ritsuka said.

The crew continued on with the reassurance of VEGA that they wouldn't get lost. They continued through the halls of the dungeon only to find a whole load of nothing along their path.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH"

Well, almost nothing. Everyone got into a battle-ready stance as the sounds of stomping echoed throughout the labyrinth. It got louder and louder until a towering monster wielding a battleaxe in each hand revealed itself. It screamed through its horned metal masked as it stomped towards them.

"Captain Get back! Lord Slayer, I'll cover you!" Silva said taking the initiative. Doomguy cocks his shotgun as he leaps over Mushu's defensive position. He doubles dashes and kicks the enemy in the head which causes the helmet to shatter to pieces.

"RAAAAH" The shadows were still hiding its face as he swung his twin axes at Doomguy who readied his rocket launcher.

"WAIT!" A familiar voice called out causing both warriors to cease their assault. A massive surprise was that the wretch himself appeared between them.

"Asterios! These guys are friends!" He said and the enemy paused and stepped forward near one of the torch-bearing wall sconces. The face revealed under the mask was a much friendlier looking human face surrounded by white hairs.

"They are…Friends?"

AN: The Wretch is back for another round of adventures with Chaldea! Sorry, it took so long, I just got distracted with games and stuff so I got carried away. IF it's any consolation I was playing some of the FGO Lostbelts and got ideas for that section of the story. But Regardless, I think I will keep major story chapters about 5-6k words as that seem to keep my updates not too long from each other.

So, Now about Ritsuka and Doomguy

As you can guess this is my own OC interpretation of her past and hopefully you guys can understand the direction of her bond with Doomguy which will lead to more wholesomeness. However, it is now apparent that Doomguy has lost some of his memories about his past but nothing can stay forgotten forever...How did that happen? Wait and hope to see the truth!

Alright! Now, yes that Drifter was in fact the man from the famous DOOM mod High Noon Drifter made by TerminusEst13(I own nothing of the character for this story). He won't be making another appearance for a while but I think you guys can guess when. *Tumbleweed rolls by*

Thanks again for reading and Have a nice day!