FATE/LÚNASA FÓMHAR

"August Harvest"

Chapter 12: Faction Games

The following morning, all of Chaldea's Servants were gathered around at the beach. Gilgamesh had summoned them to announce what Connla had told him during the night. The reactions he garnered were rather mixed, but all agreed that they needed to prioritize finding the girls and making sure that the claims of a gigantic sea Phantasmal were true. If it was, then they had to think about defeating it so that it wouldn't cause any further damage to human history, especially since the Third Singularity had been a source of enough trouble for the mid-1500s.

"Good grief. What a vacation this is turning out to be," Emiya groaned. "If Aspidochelone really is as large as Connla says, I dread to think what would have happened had it attacked while we were helping Master correct the Third Singularity."

Cuchulainn Prototype winced, "Let's not go there, man. I already have enough chills in my spine worrying about the kids."

"So how should we go about with the search?" Boudica asked Gilgamesh.

He replied, "If the youngsters truly are within the bowels of a Phantasmal, then there must be a way to essentially 'fish' it back to the surface. Regardless of its size, one shot from Ea is all I needed to wipe it from the face of the Earth. Unfortunately, I simply cannot do that while it remains hidden beneath the ocean's depths."

"You seem rather motivated, considering that you never use your ultimate weapon unless Master gives you a command. Are you really that worried about the children?"

"Don't be absurd. The runt said that Aspidochelone is hoarding a fantastic amount of treasure. As a collector, I simply must see for myself if it is true or not."

"Hah hah!" Ozymandias chuckled. "Only kings of our caliber know how to turn a dire situation around so that it benefits us! Although these isles are a sight to behold, one can only enjoy them for so long before the senses are dulled to their splendor. Partaking in this investigation would be a suitable distraction from the constant threat of boredom, though with my plentiful luck, I fear I may find results faster than anticipated."

"Of course, I will be the one doing the actual work for my liege," Nitocris added with a broad smile.

"Then let us not waste time," Mata Hari said. "I have spoken with Da Vinci, and she is going to deliver some sailing vessels for us to explore the other islands. As such, we will have to divide our party into suitable groups. The trouble is, what exactly are we supposed to be searching for, and what do we do when we find it?"

Jing Ke then said, "I don't know if this will help much, but while I was hunting for game yesterday, I happened to spot some kind of statue out in the middle of the jungle. It was rather old and eroded from years of exposure to the elements. What bothered me was that it hardly matched with Okeanos' tropical culture. It seemed to be derived out of some European culture, though I couldn't really tell which one."

"Where exactly did you see it?" Nightingale asked.

"I would have to show you."

Gilgamesh declared, "Then you will guide me to this out-of-place artifact, assassin. I have no intentions of going with any of you mongrels, so my time will be best spent getting to know this island like the back of my hand. Besides, I am the only one who can make contact with the runt's party, and the signal seems to be strongest on this particular strip of land. The rest of you will commence the search for any clues about Aspidochelone. Do not make me waste my time waiting for results."

As Gilgamesh followed Jing Ke into the wetlands, Kintoki looked over at Cuchulainn Alter as he approached the water. The Celtic warrior was now clad in black swimming trunks with red spike designs on the sides, and he clearly looked intent on diving into the water. Kintoki asked, "Hey, hey, are you seriously thinking about taking a dip now?"

"Are you an idiot?" Alter snapped. "If there really is a sea monster out there, then I'm gonna go slaughter it myself."

"You shitting me, man? You heard what the Golden King said about Aspidochelone's size! There's no way you could take it on by yourself!"

"Who said I planned on fighting it from the outside? I'll just let myself be swallowed so I can destroy its innards. I'm basically borrowing a page out of the kid's strategy book by butchering a much larger opponent from the inside."

"Can you really find it though? It must be hundreds of meters deep beneath the ocean by now. If you aren't careful, you could find yourself suffering a serious case of the bends. I think it's safer to find a way to lure it back to the surface."

"Don't underestimate me, blondie. Since I'm fused with the bones of the sea monster Curruid, my free-diving skills are now nothing to scoff at. I'll make that gluttonous behemoth go belly-up if it's the last thing I do."

"Well yeah, but-"

Cuchulainn Prototype muttered, "Give it up, dude. Whenever Connla's in danger, all common sense goes out the window with that guy. Just let him do his own thing – it's way easier than trying to argue with someone as irrational as him."

"Hm," Kintoki murmured as they watched Alter dive underwater. A moment later, he smirked, "Oh well. The guy might be violent, but at least his heart's in the right place. Let's do our part and start searching for golden clues to solve this mystery!"

Meanwhile, Jack, Nursery and Connla left the treasure-laden stomach region behind and ventured down the tunnels that Wu directed them to. The cavern continued winding about, which took them about 15 minutes to traverse before they finally spotted some mystical azure light shining at the end of the road. They rounded the bend and stopped to admire the breathtaking scenery.

A massive lake about 2500 miles in diameter stretched as far as the eye could see, and the radiant wall glowing caused the perfectly still water to sparkle like gemstones. Countless lotus pads dotted the water's surface, decorating the ultramarine lake with numerous pink flowers. A long stone bridge guided visitors to the city situated in the center of the water, and a large Indian-styled castle stood tall over the many houses and facilities. The location was absolutely marvelous, definitely worth taking hundreds of photos for if the girls had a camera on hand.

"So this is the Uma Faction's stronghold? It's amazing," Connla murmured.

"Incredible! It's like we're in a Hindu fairy tale!" Nursery beamed.

Jack ran up to the lake's edge and dabbed her toe into the water, causing it to ripple. She exclaimed, "Hey, I wanna swim here!"

Connla frowned and replied, "Let's not do anything that would upset the locals. It'd be best to ask their permission first."

"Aww. Then after we finish our important job?"

"Yes, we can ask Lady Parvati afterwards. Just be patient until then."

Jack giggled with anticipation as she squealed, "Yay, swimming! I love swimming in warm water! It's like being back in Mommy's womb!"

Just then, an unfamiliar man's voice barked over them, "HEY! What do you think you're doing!? Our prized lake is not for frolicking around in!"

"Whoa! Who was that just now!?" Nursery yelped, and the trio glanced around to see who was speaking to them. They found a rather tall man storming towards them with a fierce expression on his face. His skin tone was very dark, which contrasted with his flaming red hair and bright yellow eyes. He wore lower body armor and greaves, gold-and-red gauntlets, and had nothing covering his toned chest and backside. One could easily think that he was the personification of a roaring fire blazing over a pile of smoldering charcoal, and his loud personality only served to heighten that imagery.

Connla winced and thought, This must be the ill-tempered bodyguard that Lady Wu was talking about.

"Huh? I thought you were invaders trying to poison our water supply, but you're just a bunch of kids," the man remarked after taking a closer look at them. "Don't think I've seen your faces before, and I've met every possible Servant there is in this land."

"Good day, mister. We're new here, so we were just doing some exploring," Nursery told him. "Sorry if Jack was causing any trouble."

"Hmm… Well, if you're newcomers, then it can't be helped. So long as you didn't dive into the water carelessly, I'll overlook it. So, are you girls planning on staying here? Uma's a little crowded as it is, but Lady Parvati would be happy to let you in. It's certainly a lot safer here than Zhou or Roma, that's for sure."

"Oh no, we were just passing by," Connla told him. "Speaking of Lady Parvati, and I know this is sudden, but is there any chance we could meet with her?"

"What!?" the man yelped in abject surprise. "Are you out of your mind!? Even if you're just a bunch of pipsqueaks, I can't let you guys waltz into the palace and meet the queen without a good reason!"

"Oh boy. I knew it wasn't going to be that easy…"

Jack ran up to him and shouted, "Don't be so mean, you big jerk! If your queen is as nice as we've heard, then it shouldn't be a problem!"

The man's eyes narrowed for a moment, then flared up so much that the whites of his eyes turned red. He retorted in a booming voice, "First of all, who are you calling a jerk!? It's not my fault I have to be strict with visitors! Lady Parvati's relying on me to keep any assassins away from her, and I'm going to do exactly that!"

"There's a difference between guarding your queen and being plain rude to guests!"

"God, you're a whiny one, aren't you!? This is why I can't stand being around children!"

Connla pulled Jack away and implored, "Calm down. He's just doing his job of protecting his country. There's no need to be so upset with him."

"Geez! How can a nice queen have such a mean guy as her bodyguard!? There's no way we'll get to meet her at this rate!"

"So long as you keep talking to him like that, then yes, it will be impossible."

"But-!"

"Just be quiet and let me negotiate with him."

Jack stepped behind Connla and pouted in annoyance. The young Saber bowed to the man and said, "Pardon my friend's rudeness. She's not used to delicate conversations like this."

"Damn straight," he replied, but his anger subsided once he realized he was dealing with someone who possessed enough decency to not argue with him. "So, why exactly do you kids want to meet Lady Parvati? You know about the tense political strife between Uma, Zhou and Roma, don't you? It's for that reason that I can't just allow anyone to meet with this nation's queen."

"It's kind of hard to explain, but-"

"Oh my! What do we have here!?" a woman's voice cheerfully exclaimed over them. The group looked over to the bridge and discovered two ladies strolling across on what looked to be a casual walk. The one who spoke had medium-length purple hair that flowed over her upper back, and dawned a golden wreath-like crown with a large lotus flower attached to the left side of her head. She wore a taut blue shirt and skirt with Indian-style patterns etched on them, and sported several bracelets, necklaces and earrings. She truly looked like a goddess given human form, and her beauty was as spectacular as the city she ruled over.

Connla inhaled sharply and thought, Matou Sakura!? What is she doing here!?

The red-haired man suddenly became shocked as he barked, "Lady Parvati!? Why are you out here at this time!?"

"Just thought I'd go for a little stroll."

"You know you can't do that! What if there are assassins lying in wait!?"

"Settle down, Ashwatthama. I've brought Medusa with me in case anything happens. Besides, it's not like we're going very far."

"I-I know it's been difficult for you to be confined to the palace walls… but can't you just be patient a little longer? You're giving me a heart attack with your carefree gallivanting, you know."

"Oh, don't be silly. Nero's busy with her festival, and Wu is still reeling from Roma's latest attack against her citadel. This is as good a chance as any to take a break from playing war and just enjoy the scenery."

Behind Parvati, the Rider-class version of Medusa said to the man, "You may or may not believe this, but Lady Parvati actually wanted to go see the festival."

"GAAAAH!?" Ashwatthama roared in dismay, looking like he was ready to fall to the ground out of sheer agitation. "No, NO, and NO! Not happening! No way, no how, not on my watch! If you go traipsing into Roma territory like that, they'll have your head on a pike!"

"Relax, I told her the same thing. In fact, I convinced her that if she wanted to see a festival, she should host one herself."

"Oh, really?"

Parvati interjected, "I thought it was a wonderful idea, so I wanted to go for a walk and brainstorm some ideas."

"Is that right? Phew! Had me scared there for a second!"

"I'm so sorry, Ashwatthama. I know you're taking your job very seriously, and I appreciate it very much. It's just that I can be such a klutz sometimes, so I often need people to look after me."

"I do not deserve such praise. It's the least I can do with these powers that Lord Shiva blessed me with. In all honesty, I should have purified myself of this blight that I carry within my soul a long time ago, but I feared that I wouldn't be able to keep you safe if I did."

"Don't worry so much about it. So long as you don't use Shiva's strength for evil, then you are free to do as you please."

"Of course…"

While Parvati and Ashwatthama were talking, Jack leaned in close and whispered to her friends, "Who are these people supposed to be? I've seen that Medusa lady at Chaldea before, but I don't know anything about the pretty lady and that Ashbatt… Ashyhat… Abishag… What was his name again?"

"Ashwatthama," Nursery corrected her. "He's a hero from the Mahabharata, said to have avenged his country's demise by going berserk and massacring thousands of enemy soldiers in a single night. Supposedly, he's a cursed immortal being who can never communicate with anyone, and lives in agonizing pain all the time."

"Whoa! Someone that scary is protecting such a nice lady!?"

"It makes sense though," Connla said, "considering that he's been blessed with the strength of Lady Parvati's husband, Lord Shiva. He's supposed to be as powerful as Karna or Arjuna, so we better be careful with what we say, or he could destroy us immediately."

"Uuuh…" Jack whimpered. "Why is everyone we meet so crazy and violent?"

"I'm more concerned about Lady Parvati herself. She looks exactly like a female Master I saw in one of my dreams, yet she's acting like the goddess herself."

Nursery murmured, "She must be a Pseudo-Servant then, like how Mr. Zhuge is inhabiting the body of that sharp-eyed Mage guy."

"You're probably right. She's even with the very same Rider-class Servant she summoned in that Holy Grail War. I don't think that's a coincidence."

As the girls were conversing with each other, Parvati leaned over them and chirped, "Ooh, is this that 'girl talk' I've heard so much about? Let me join in too!"

"Wha-!?" the trio cried out and backed away in surprise.

"Lady Parvati! Please, be careful around people you've never met!" Ashwatthama desperately implored. "I was just about to get their story out of the purple-haired kid when you and Medusa showed up. Apparently, they wanted to meet with you before continuing on their exploration journey, or something like that."

"Really? My, how lucky you girls are that I came here on my walk!" Parvati beamed. "As you might already know by now, I'm the ruler of the Uma Faction, and wife of the Hindu god Shiva, Parvati. Normally I'm not one who condones violence, but due to the turbulent nature of this oh-so dreadful territory war, I have been summoned to do battle as a Lancer and to bring a swift end to this pointless struggle between countries. Oh, but I digress. You're not here to listen to me prattle on about myself. Now then, is there something you children wish to ask of me?"

"Mm," Connla nodded, then showed her the package. "We met with the queen of Zhou, Wu Zetian, and she wanted us to deliver this gift as a symbol of goodwill between your countries."

"Goodwill? Between Uma and Zhou?"

"That's what she said."

Ashwatthama's face contorted with mirth, and he bellowed, "Geh hah hah hah hah hah! A present from that pretentious harlot!? Don't make me laugh!"

"My, how unusual," Parvati murmured. "I never thought that Wu would try to make contact with me like this."

Nursery widened her eyes and asked, "You mean you weren't expecting to see her?"

"Not at all. But then again, perhaps she is growing desperate after the damage that Roma caused to her territory recently."

"Hmph. This whole thing is putting the word 'suspicious' to shame," Medusa muttered. "Everyone knows that Wu Zetian puts herself above all others. Even if she really wants to forge an alliance with us, she will only think about how it's going to benefit herself, and how she is going to betray us should Roma be knocked down a peg or two."

Ashwatthama stormed up to Connla and exclaimed, "Medusa's right! How the hell could you not know anything about Zhou's queen!? Are you stupid or something!?"

"B-But she said we could-"

"I'm not interested in what she says! Get that thing out of my sight NOW!" he raged as he slammed the package out of her hands, sending it flying several meters off to the side. "Screw that wench and her empty promises! Zhou can go to hell for all I ca-!"

KABOOO~OOOM!

Before anyone realized it, the box exploded. Everyone silently stared at the ground as smoke billowed around the blast site. The child Servants all shared the same flabbergasted look of surprise. Parvati covered her mouth in mild shock, while Medusa was indifferent as usual. Ashwatthama was obviously the most furious of the bunch, clenching his teeth and trembling with anger as he glared at where the package exploded.

"… I'm not sure what's going on here," Connla murmured in a flat tone, "but I do know what we have to do next."

"And that is?" Jack and Nursery uttered together.

"Run for it!"

The three girls stumbled and fled from the scene as fast as they could.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SHITS!" Ashwatthama shrieked lividly and took chase, summoning a massive human-sized chakram and flailing it about to try and pummel them.

As the group vanished into the darkness, Medusa just stood there and folded her arms before asking Parvati, "You're not going to try and stop them? They just made an assassination attempt on you."

The goddess giggled. "Come now. Do you really think such sweet little things are capable of something so insidious?"

"They certainly looked like it to me."

"If anything, I think Wu took advantage of those poor children while they were lost. I'm sure Ashwatthama will figure things out once he apprehends them."

"I think he'll kill them before he can extract any useful information."

The three girls fled out of Uma's territory and headed down the confusing labyrinth of caves, branching pathways and winding roads that comprised Aspidochelone's small intestine. Ashwatthama maintained an impressive pursuit, never allowing the kids to escape his sight as he barreled after them like a plummeting meteorite. There was one time when the girls had to bunny hop over a large bump of squishy material, and he slammed his chakram on the protuberance in an attempt to crush them, causing bodily fluids to splash all over the place. He narrowly missed them, but they lost their footing and tumbled along the ground.

"Ungh! This is bad!" Connla gasped as she glanced back at the livid man.

"Got you now, brats! Don't resist, and I won't make this painful!" Ashwatthama threatened them.

Jack vaulted to her feet and brandished her daggers as she shouted, "As if! That huge ring will make pancakes out of us, no matter how gentle you are with it!"

"Guess you're right. I'm not exactly fond of holding back, after all!"

"No worries! Berserkers might be strong, but at least they're easy to mess with!" Nursery grinned as she opened her large book.

His expression contorted as he snapped, "Huh!? Who are you calling a Berserker!? I might look like this, but I'm actually an Archer!"

"Whaa~aat!? You can't just flail a giant donut around and call yourself an Archer, stupid!"

Connla raised an eyebrow and murmured, "Are you sure about that?"

"Looks like we're getting off-topic here," Ashwatthama declared as he got into his combat stance and flashed a wicked grin. "You kids did something very naughty, and I have to punish you for it. So then, let's just get to it already!"

Upon hearing that threat, Jack immediately conjured a thick mist to try and obscure his vision. She then hurled dozens of black scalpels at him, but he simply swiped his chakram in a clean horizontal motion to deflect the miniature projectiles. He charged into the mist towards where he believed Jack was hiding and slammed his weapon onto the ground. She had just barely cartwheeled out of the way, which totally stunned her. His hair, eyes and body glowed like a raging fire, lighting his way through the darkness as he gave chase upon the surprised Assassin.

"What's going on here!? Why can you see so well in the dark!?" Jack shouted as she tried to parry Ashwatthama's attack. Her small frame was no match against his massive weapon, and she was sent flying backwards against the wall.

"Isn't it obvious!? I'm the guy who murdered thousands in a single night! Of course the dark isn't going to affect me!" he replied angrily before rushing at her.

Before he could crush Jack beneath his chakram, Connla leapt into the fray and used a platform Rune in midair to propel herself headfirst at his torso, thrusting her daggers out for extra damage. She managed to knock him away and cut into his skin, but he was barely fazed as he glared at her. Without saying a word, he swiped at her. She hopped directly over the attack and flung some Ansuz Runes at his face, pummeling him further back. As he skidded on his feet, Nursery dashed in behind him and thrust her palms at his back, slamming him so hard that he folded like a jackknife.

"GAH! You…!" Ashwatthama roared and regained his balance before throwing a punch at Nursery's face. Even though she was a Caster, she was surprisingly adept at martial arts, and she managed to block his large fist with both arms crossed in front of her head. By now, Jack had dispelled her mist after realizing it was going to be useless, and she joined Nursery in a choreographed dual attack against him. Whatever Nursery did on his right side, Jack did the same on his left. When Jack swiped upward, Nursery likewise performed an uppercut. They knocked him off balance by smashing their feet against his heel, but his chakram helped him stay upright, and he knocked both girls aside in one fell swoop.

Ashwatthama attempted to charge in and pummel them to death. Before he realized it though, Connla had jumped in from behind and grabbed his raised fist while she was in midair, and she used the momentum to hurl him away from her friends. He got to his feet and laughed, "Geh hah hah hah hah! You kids aren't half bad! Looks like I have to stop messing around on account of your ages and actually get serious!"

Connla gasped in terror as she felt her very soul shake from his exploding battle aura. He rushed at her with more fervor than before, and she was dangerously hard-pressed to either dodge or block his vicious strikes. Just the mere size of his chakram was throwing her off-kilter, and his raw strength was far greater than hers. Add to the fact that Sabers possessed a natural disadvantage against Archers, and she knew she was going to be in serious trouble if this kept up for too long. The only things that kept Connla going were her fast reflexes and Protection From Arrows, and she knew that wouldn't last forever.

After parrying another powerful blow, Connla lost her footing and tripped onto her buttocks. Ashwatthama stood tall over her and prepared to stomp his chakram over her head as he shouted, "This is for trying to kill Lady Parvati!"

"Connla!" Jack and Nursery cried out.

She clenched her teeth out of pure horror, then squeezed her eyes shut and threw her hands forth in surrender while screaming, "YAAA~AAA~AAAH!"

Suddenly, there was a rush of searing heat. A loud clanging sound reverberated throughout the caverns. Ashwatthama gasped as he noticed that his weapon had made contact with another one that had appeared literally out of nowhere. The moment Connla screamed for dear life, a wheel of flames as large as his weapon had materialized in a fiery burst and countered him. She stared at this mysterious wheel in abject shock, having no idea what was going on.

"Wh-What the hell!?" Ashwatthama barked and stepped back.

The flaming halo fizzled out of existence, allowing Jack to grab the trembling Connla's wrist. She forced her friend to run with her as she exclaimed, "We're getting out of here!"

"But what about Nursery!?"

As Connla asked this, the Caster was already fighting the livid Archer in another duel. Ashwatthama noticed her coming and threw a punch at her, but she sidestepped it and twirled on her toes before grabbing his arm and tossing him away in pure Aikido style. She then looked back at the others and exclaimed, "Leave this to me! Jack, go to the meeting place and keep her safe!"

"I will!"

"That's insane!" Connla objected. "Nursery can't fight him by herself! We need to work together and-!"

"I know you're scared to death! Even as we're running, you can't stop shaking!"

"Ah… Uh… Y-You're right…"

"Let's go back and see if we can meet up with Miss X! She could help us fight that crazy bastard!"

The two girls soon ran out of Ashwatthama's sight, and he snarled in frustration at losing two of his opponents. He returned his attention to Nursery as she ran toward him and leapt. She pointed her foot outward and dove at torpedo-like speeds, intent on smashing his head. He raised his chakram and had to use every ounce of strength to block it – his toes even scraped against the ground. He batted her off and flailed the massive weapon everywhere. She performed some agile flips, ducks, and rolls to get out of the way before kicking at his back, sending him flying straight upward.

Nursery leapt after him, intent on pummeling him with numerous blows while he was stunned. To her astonishment though, Ashwatthama twisted his body back so he was facing her, and he sported a smug grin that she wasn't expecting. He held his chakram back like a hammer, then swung down hard and threw it at her. Unable to get out of the way, Nursery was smashed beneath the weapon's weight and incapacitated. He landed nearby and scowled at the unconscious Servant.

"Could've made this easier if you had just given up," he snarled, then approached her. He raised his foot and was about to pulverize her head beneath it.

"Wait, Ashwatthama!" he suddenly heard Parvati's voice cry out in the distance. He looked back in surprise and found the young queen running for him.

"Lady Parvati!? Why are you here!?" he wondered.

"Please, don't kill her! I know that Wu was just using those children for her plot! There's no need to punish them for being tricked!"

"How would you know that with absolute certainty!? They really could be in cahoots with Zhou!"

"I would like to interrogate this one, if I may. I'm sure she would be willing to tell me what is going on," Parvati said as she pushed the chakram off Nursery's body and held her upright. "Besides, if those children really are lost, I would like to welcome them into Uma and offer them protection from Zhou."

"You're too lenient, you know that?"

She glanced up at him with a particularly fierce look in her eye as she murmured, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Gah… N-No, not at all! Your will is my command!" Ashwatthama yelped, much too frightened to incur his liege's wrath. "I simply implore you to be careful. They might be kids, but they're still Servants."

"I know that. If this one starts causing trouble, Medusa will know what to do."

"The interrogation specialist, huh? That's all well and good, but the other two brats got away."

"Oh, how perplexing," Parvati grew increasingly worried. "I really wish they hadn't run away. Although considering the circumstances, I can't blame them."

"What would you have me do, m'lady? Should I look for them?"

"I'm afraid we can't afford to lighten our defenses, now that we know that Zhou intends to make a move against us. A lot of residents will be preoccupied with Roma's festival, so Wu is using that as a cover to eliminate our faction. If the citizens hear that Uma falls, I dread to think of the pandemonium that would follow – I sincerely doubt even Nero would be able to keep them under control."

"Very well. Let's go back then."

Meanwhile, Jack and Connla continued rushing down the winding pathways and grottos for at least ten minutes. Neither of them had wanted to leave Nursery behind, but they had to accept that there was no other choice and escape for her sake. There was simply too much they didn't know about the conflict between the three factions, and Connla would definitely want to focus on gathering information before attempting to reunite with Nursery. Unfortunately, they would already hit a major hurdle when the path suddenly split into two completely different directions.

"Oh no… What do we do?" Connla murmured. "We've been running around so frantically that I have no idea which way we came from."

"We'll have to split up," Jack suggested. "One of these has to be the right way, so let's explore both of them, then come back here and figure out which path we take."

"I suppose we have no choice. I'll take the left one."

"Okay. Be careful!"

They parted ways and hurried through the tunnels. Jack continued down her path for several minutes. After a while though, she started to feel sick to her stomach, and she had to cover her mouth and cough. The area smelled so horrendously pungent that it crippled her.

"Ungh… No, this can't be the right way," she murmured to herself. "I better go back and-"

"Oh ho ho ho! We're not going to let you go so easily!" a familiar high-pitched girl's voice rung in the air, and Jack looked up to discover a cloud of violet poison cloaking her immediate vicinity. A silhouette passed through the haze, and a haughty Wu Zetian emerged tapping her wand against her hand.

Jack grew increasingly furious as she snarled, "You! You totally tricked us!"

"Goodness. You only noticed just now? How we pity you for being so naïve to our true intentions. Truly, in what universe would we want any sort of affiliation with Parvati? That woman is much too magnanimous and clueless to be fit as a ruler – hardly a worthy partner for a genius climber of the ranks such as ourselves. Fortunately for us, she's already done the tedious part of rounding up people and gathering them all in one place. All we need to do is put the blade to her throat and steal the throne for ourselves. Mighty convenient, wouldn't you agree?"

"Like I care about your stupid plans, you cackling bitch! I won't let you get away with using us like that!"

Wu narrowed her eyes and murmured, "We would watch our tongue, if we were you."

Then several footsteps approached Jack, and she looked up in dismay. Surrounding Wu was a crowd of purple-dressed women who covered their faces behind steel helmets. They brandished spiked clubs, which were dripping with the blood of victims they tortured. Jack wanted to retaliate, but her lungs screamed for mercy each time she inhaled the noxious gas, which was coming from an urn that Wu held.

The empress smiled and taunted, "Give it up, little Assassin. You belong to Zhou now."

Back in the other pathway, Connla momentarily lost her grip on reason as she commanded her feet to keep carrying her forward. Having to leave Nursery behind was hard enough, but to part ways with Jack as well especially terrified her. Her heart was racing so fast that she thought it would burst. While her body was preoccupied with running, her mind wandered elsewhere as she thought about the flaming wheel she unintentionally summoned.

That halo just now… There's only one thing in Celtic mythology that matches it, but I don't want to believe it…

As she pondered on this dilemma, she soon approached the end of this particular cavern and emerged upon the edge of another open field. There weren't any sand dunes here, so she knew she hadn't returned to the stomach region. Although terrified and alone, she needed to calm down and think about where she was and what to do next. She got down on her knees to catch her breath and did some quick strategizing.

I know we've been running around in Aspidochelone's small intestine for a while, and I'm sure that the Uma Faction was stationed somewhere at the base of the liver. My path has been taking me upward for the last while, so…

Connla had to remember how a turtle's anatomy was structured. She imagined Aspidochelone as a turtle on a chart with its viscera visible. The esophagus ran horizontally to the stomach, which was the central-most organ in the body. From the stomach, the small intestine dominated the majority of its lower body. The heart and liver were below the stomach and intestine, while the lungs and kidney were above. Ever since she parted ways with Jack, she had been steadily climbing up the intestines, so she had to be in Aspidochelone's upper regions by now. Her hunch was confirmed when she saw the fleshy ceiling contract in and expand out in a familiar breathing rhythm.

I knew it. I must be near the lungs right now. I've come quite a ways from the liver then.

Now that Connla had her bearings, she needed to figure out how to get back to the stomach from here. She figured that there had to be another entrance she could use that would take her back down, so she got up and started searching the barren area. With her task secured, she could focus on what was really bothering her; the strange flaming halo that repelled Ashwatthama's attack.

There's no two ways about it. That has to be the same wheel of sunlight that Father used to burn the swamp that led to the Land of Shadows – Lugh's Halo. It was supposed to be a gift from Grandfather so that Father could meet Scathach and learn the skills that made him a hero.

Lugh's Halo was supposed to represent the Wheel of the Year, the concept that Pagans used to describe how eight particular festivals, along with solstices and equinoxes, were equally divided among a 12-month period. Each festival, or what Wiccans called a sabbat, was ordered the following way; Yule in late December, Imbolic in early February, Ostara in mid-March, Beltane in early May, Litha in mid-June, Lughnasadh in early August, Mabon in mid-September, and Samhain in early November. Connla was most interested in Lughnasadh since that was the next-closest sabbat, and she had recounted Lugh's tale to Jack and Nursery earlier. The fact that she had been mysteriously transformed into a Saber-class Servant also bothered her. She couldn't believe it was a mere coincidence - something highly unusual was going on, and she was somehow connected to it.

Connla closed her eyes and somberly thought, Grandfather…

A loud booming sound snapped her back to attention, and she looked over to see what had happened. To her astonishment, she discovered that a large Demon Boar had smashed its way through the nearby wall, emerging in a feral display of exploding guts and blood. It looked to be rather injured though, but that didn't seem to slow it down as it turned its beady red eyes upon the girl, snorted loudly, and clapped its hoof on the ground several times.

"W-What in the world-!?" she uttered.

She was so caught off guard that she didn't have time to take out her daggers before the boar charged at her and slammed its mighty snout against her small body. It then scooped her off her feet and hurled her directly above. She yelped in horror as it opened its mouth in eager anticipation of its next meal falling squarely into its gullet. Before she knew it, total darkness overcame her.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Apologies for the delay in uploading this chapter. I'm basically in the phase of the story where I need to improvise a lot of stuff, plus I was grinding like crazy in the GudaGuda Imperial Capital event. I managed to snag Majin Okita plus get Izo's NP to level 5, so I'm happy with that. I'm really waiting for the Sigurd/Brynhildr/Valkyrie banner though – that's when I'll go crazy with the summoning and hopefully get the Norse OTP. But don't worry, I'll make progress with the story one way or another. Look forward to more twists and turns in this 'summer event' story!