FATE/LÚNASA FÓMHAR

"August Harvest"

Chapter 15: A Budding Nation

Gilgamesh took a deep breath, then folded his arms in contemplation. After a moment, he murmured, "Fomorians, you say?"

"No mistaking it," Cuchulainn Prototype affirmed.

By now, the majority of Chaldea's Servants had returned to the primary island and reconvened within the makeshift cottage. Cuchulainn had finally started to reveal what he didn't want to say to Emiya earlier, and Gilgamesh was letting this news sink in.

Ozymandias grinned and said, "How fascinating. So a god from the Celts' accursed Formorian pantheon has taken root within Okeanos and is directing the world's mana to deep below the sea. No doubt, it is to provide nourishment for this Phantasmal that has claimed three of our own. What say you, Golden King?"

"What is there to say? You simply seek my agreement, do you not, Sun King?" Gilgamesh replied curtly.

Kintoki huffed, "Man, what a fine mess this is turning out to be. Who would've thought that a Celtic god was behind all of this? Furthermore, we have nothing to go on with their identity or what they're after. I mean, what's the point of keeping such a gigantic monster alive? Why is it swallowing people, Servants, and treasures left and right? Does the perp just want to feed their pet, or do they need it for some villainous purpose that we can't comprehend?"

"Well, we are dealing with a god," Emiya grumbled sardonically. "We lowly humans cannot hope to comprehend the thinking of higher beings, and it's better that we don't try."

"Heh heh, got me there, Red. Why bother understanding what this guy wants when he can just be pounded into the ground Golden-style?"

Boudica's mood turned sour as she said, "Much as I'd like to agree with you, I'm still worried about the children running around inside a Phantasmal. Are our efforts to destroy the statues really going to force it back up so we can retrieve them?"

Cuchulainn told her, "Don't worry, we're doing the right thing. The only reason Aspidochelone can remain hidden within the deep ocean is because it's being provided with enough mana to ensure its survival. Without them, you're basically cutting off its oxygen supply, and it will have to come up for air."

"I see. Despite its size, we technically still are dealing with a turtle by nature."

Mata Hari then said, "The question is whether or not there are more statues for us to get rid of. Most of us can't keep track of the flow of mana like the two kings can due to their high Divinity."

"Hey, hey, don't forget about me!" Cuchulainn exclaimed. "I might not be a king, but I'm still a demigod! I can sense them just as well as they can!"

"Oh, goodness. My apologies, Cu. It's kind of easy to forget since you don't espouse yourself like Gil and Ozy do."

"Ozy? Ozy!?" Nitocris widened her eyes in shock. "Did you just refer to my liege by such an appallingly casual name!?"

"Why not? We're all friends, aren't we?"

"Now you look here-!"

Just as the lady Pharaoh was about to get into a heated argument with the dancer, the group heard the front door slam open. In stepped an extremely annoyed, agitated, and sopping wet Cuchulainn Alter, who snatched a nearby towel and dried himself off while grumbling, "Quibbling again? Don't you people have better things to do, like finding the kids?"

"Believe me, we're working out a plan," Nightingale assured. "How did things work out on your end?"

"Not much, other than finding one of those blasphemous Fomorian idols. Its guardian was one hell of a piece of work, let me tell you."

The other Cuchulainn yelped, "Y-You found one underwater!?"

"Yep. I reckon that wasn't the only one too – judging from the mana trails, there has to be at least one or two more that I'd have to investigate."

"Holy shit. We got rid of four across the islands."

"Hmph. What a pain in the ass. Us lot, reduced to partaking in a ridiculous scavenger hunt just to fish up a monster. If that Aspid-thingamalone didn't take shelter in the ocean's abyss where I can't reach it, I would have eaten it for breakfast already."

"Heh. You always were the type to get things done ASAP. This kind of tedious cherry-picking must be getting on your nerves."

Alter scoffed at his younger counterpart, then asked Gilgamesh, "Any word from the kids?"

"The runt has not spoken to me since last time. I reckon that exploring something as monolithically huge as Aspidochelone is taking up a lot of her time and energy."

"Damn it…"

"Pace yourself, Mad King. We know that the little ones are alive, at least. Furthermore, if my theory is correct, the runt should wind up finding one of these Fomorian idols herself. The moment she does, I trust that she would know what to do by virtue of her Celtic heritage."

"What do you mean? Why would there be any inside the Phantasmal?"

"Why else? If the ones we're hunting down are 'suppliers' of mana, then it stands to reason that there should be ones that act as 'receivers'. In other words, Aspidochelone is being kept alive through a complex network of stone idols, which have been established by someone from the Fomorian pantheon. Their identity and motives may elude us for now, but so long as the pressure is maintained, they will soon be forced to show themselves."

Alter paused, carefully thinking about Gilgamesh's advice. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander for a moment. The Uruk king noticed how quiet he had become, so he demanded, "Are you questioning my logic, mongrel?"

"No. I don't have a problem with it at all."

"Then why do you furrow your brow so?"

"I was just thinking about the season we're in."

"The season? What does such an obvious concept have to do with this?"

Cuchulainn Prototype suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! It's just a day or two away from Lughnasadh!"

Alter grinned. "I think you're catching on."

"Well we certainly aren't," Jing Ke muttered.

"It's not concrete proof of anything, but I was curious about how this incident is happening at the same time as Lughnasadh, or the sabbat that takes place either July 30 or August 1, depending on your belief. If you aren't aware, Lughnasadh is the harvest festival named after my old man, Lugh. It's really just a celebration of summer, but there is some folklore attached to it."

"Such as?"

"… The story of Lugh defeating the powers of blight, and seizing the stolen harvest for mankind."

Uuuh… I can barely breathe…

Jack was hopelessly weak to the knees. She could barely walk upright, so two of Wu Zetain's Kuli had to grab her arms and make her stand properly. She had no idea where Wu was taking her, but the searing pain in her lungs refused to let her concentrate on anything other than her agonizing breathing. Soon though, Jack could make out a colorful and luminous city tucked in a dark corner. The primary sources of light were rows upon rows of ornate Chinese lanterns, as if the town was always in the midst of a lively festival. A traditional yet spectacular pagoda stood tall over the city, with an effigy of a Chinese dragon coiled around the tilted roof like it was the castle's guardian.

However, even Jack could tell that the atmosphere was not jovial. There seemed to be a crowd of people gathered around the central plaza, where a fountain provided the townspeople with drinking water. Atop the fountain was another one of the Fomorian idols, lit up by vibrant lanterns that routinely changed color. However, next to this flamboyant setup was the grim sight of a platform with a row of poles that had nooses dangling on the end. The lanterns surrounding this were all blood-red, and the congregation of people seemed more concentrated around here than the fountain.

"Oh ho? What ever is this ruckus, we wonder?" Wu murmured, then approached the crowd and declared, "Stand aside!"

"Empress Wu," one civilian moaned, then bowed as humbly as possible. Everyone else followed suit, then edged out of the way to make a path for her. Jack stayed behind to watch what was about to unfold.

Wu purposefully stomped her shoes on the wooden steps, then approached the criminals who were about to be executed. Three were ordinary men, but the fourth was particularly interesting. He was a black-haired man who had tattoos of a Chinese dragon wrapping around his exposed torso, and he wore black pants and bulky blue armored gloves. He glanced at Wu for a moment, then snorted to himself and glared away.

Wu looked up at the executioner in charge of this event. He was none other than Li Shuwen, the red-haired martial arts expert who could defeat his foes in one strike. Wu said to him, "We do not recall arranging for an execution such as this. Explain to us what has transpired, Head Guard."

"It's nothing much, really," Li explained. "As I was busy with my patrols, I noticed that you had returned from your solo expedition. The trouble was that the timing seemed a little off to me, so I decided to put my theory to the test."

"Test?"

"As in combat."

"Ah ha ha. Of course. What else would a simian such as yourself obsess over?"

"If my hide were not as strong as steel, your words would have wounded me, Empress Regnant. At any rate, the short story is that I exposed this fellow attempting to impersonate as you."

Wu glared at the black-haired man again. "Who is this ruffian, and why is he accompanied by three of Zhou's own?"

Li smirked, then replied, "It's simple, really. This is one of Roma's top-secret agents; Yan Qing, the prodigal outlaw from the Water Margin. After I apprehended him, the Kuli did the rest of the work, thereby forcing him to confess that he had three of Roma's spies assist him in the infiltration."

"Goodness! Loathe as we are to admit it, we have severely underestimated Nero's determination to overthrow this nation! As we believed she was preoccupied with her silly festival, we did not think she would have the foresight to send spies our way. We commend you for your timely foresight, Li Shuwen. Your dedication to Zhou will no doubt go down in legend!"

"It's nothing as grandiose as that. I thought I smelled a worthy opponent, so I sniffed him out. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Your humility brings a smile to our face," Wu grinned, but soon that expression faded as she approached Yan Qing. "So, you are the dog that attempted to take on our form and sabotage Zhou, hm?"

"So what if I am?" he retorted.

"We assume that either Nero or one of the other Triumvirate paid you quite a handsome sum for your sordid services. We cannot imagine those narcissists wanting to be publicly associated with a known villain such as yourself, yet we know they are willing to get their hands dirty in order to expand their empire."

"You're a real hypocrite, you know that?"

"Hee hee. Your blasphemous words ring hollow in our ears, boy. Besides, we do not need to listen to the words of dead men. In fact, you should be rejoicing. Now that Roma has truly and thoroughly abandoned you, you should be happy that through your death, you will be providing a wonderful bounty for your native countrymen."

"So we're gonna be the next sacrifices, huh? I hope the food our deaths provide gives everyone the runs."

As this conversation went on, Jack could only wonder, Sacrifices? What is the scary man talking about?

Satisfied with taunting Yan Qing, Wu Zetian turned on her heel and stepped toward the lever that would drop the victims to their deaths. Without hesitation, and with a sugary yet sinister smile plastered all over her face, she pulled it. Before anyone knew it, four now-dead bodies dangled from the nooses. The Fomorian statue started to glow deep green, and tendrils of mana extended toward the corpses. Bit by bit, they were dissolved into raw mana particles, then absorbed back into the figurine.

Jack could only watch in horror as the mana materialized into a huge pile of fruit, bread, corn, sugar, milk, stone, wood, and other necessities for daily living. Even pigs, cows and chickens were given life here. Without any concern for the four people that died just now, the entire crowd rushed in to hoard whatever food and resources they could get their hands on.

No way…

As this phenomenon transpired, a young woman in an odd baseball cap watched quietly from her hiding spot beneath an unoccupied food stand. She munched on some chicken skewers she stole and took in the spectacle. She noticed that Jack was with the Kuli, and narrowed her eyes in concern. Without making any noise, she edged back out and hurried through the dark alleys out of Zhou.

Meanwhile. Wu watched her citizens' clamoring while quietly praising herself for what a good job she did. Then she returned to Jack's side and brought her prisoner to the pagoda while saying, "Our apologies for the late introduction, but welcome to the Zhou Empire, Jack the Ripper."

"I, uh… I… D-Do you… always do those kinds of things…?"

"What things? Like giving up worthless criminals to the guardian deity? Think nothing of it. So long as you do not disobey us, you will be able to live a fulfilling life here."

"Why did you… take me away… from my friends?"

"Believe us, we would have liked to keep you three together. However, it seems the other white-haired girl has been captured by Uma, and we do not know the whereabouts of the purple-haired one. Alas, you are the only one we can reward for performing the mission of assassinating Parvati in our stead."

"Don't be ridiculous. We never wanted… to kill anyone. We just want to… get out of here…"

"Get out of here?" Wu raised an eyebrow. "Your blathering makes no sense to us. Best not to elaborate though, or else you shall only bamboozle us further."

"Ungh…"

"Relax. We have no intention of harming you. Come in, come in. Make yourself at home. You will be familiarizing yourself with Zhou's locales soon enough, now that we have appointed you as one of our trustworthy bodyguards."

In one of the pagoda's empty rooms, the Kuli that forced Jack to walk with them made her lie down on the bed, and Wu approached with a small bottle of fluid. She made her drink the substance. A few minutes later, the searing pain in Jack's lungs seemed to subside, and she could actually take deep breaths now. Once she recovered, she sat up and immediately brandished one of her daggers while fiercely glaring at Wu.

The empress looked genuinely surprised as she asked, "What is this? You wish not to be a citizen of Zhou?"

"Of course not!" Jack angrily retorted. "I have to find Nursery and Connla so we can reunite with our friends!"

"Oh, goodness. What a problem… for you, at least."

"What?"

"That antidote only lasts for 24 hours, and only we know the formula. If you were to leave without so much as a proper good-bye, you will wind up dying from severe bronchitis. The only cure is ingesting that medicine at the same time every day."

Jack's eyes flared with hatred, and she screamed, "You coward!"

"Come now, there's no need to be so upset. It is simply procedure for a nation that abides by the laws written in the Manual of Accusation. That antidote is your reward for assisting us with our job, after all."

"…"

Wu was pleased that Jack started to realize her situation, and she chuckled, "Are we in agreement then? As of this moment, you are now our third bodyguard, and one of Zhou's guardian Servants. Once you have rested up, feel free to explore the city to your heart's content."

With that, Wu and the Kuli left Jack alone. The child Assassin just sat there and bit her lip for the longest while. What was she supposed to do to get out of this predicament? She felt hopelessly lost, believing she would never be allowed to return to Chaldea and see her Master and friends again. The despair rapidly ate away at her soul, and no matter what she did to stay calm, she couldn't fight back the tears.

Nursery… Connla… Mommy…

Soon though, she heard the ornate shoji door slide open. She looked over to discover a Servant she had never seen before. The magenta-haired teenager pranced inside and asked, "So you're the latest addition, huh?"

"Who are you?" Jack asked.

"Me? I'd go for the grand introduction, but if I wind up making too much noise, that pint-sized bitch might be inclined to skip my dose of the antidote tomorrow. Who knows what would happen if the world was robbed of my divine singing voice because of Wu's horrible toxins wreaking havoc on my delicate lungs?"

"Y-You're poisoned too?"

"Yep. We're in this rocky boat together, so let's just get along, okay?"

"Sure…" the Assassin's morose mood lightened once she found out someone else was in the same position as her.

"Anyway, I digress. The short and sweet of it is that my name is Elizabeth Bathory."

Several hours passed since Ashwatthama defeated Nursery in battle. At Parvati's insistence, he brought the young Caster back to Uma and deposited her in a jail cell. However, the accommodations included fresh food, a high-quality bed, and plenty of books to read. Parvati always believed that a dungeon would leave an impression on a prisoner's mind as far as the character of a country, its ruler and the citizens were concerned, so the better the holding cell, the better negotiations could go.

This was what Nursery woke up to. She was lying on her side atop a nice, freshly-cleaned set of blankets that covered a plush mattress and pillow. She got up and looked around quietly, wondering where she was. The room's scent eased her nerves, but it didn't help much if she was in a place she had never seen before. She got up and tried to open the door, yet discovered that it was tightly locked.

Nursery wasn't exactly the patient type though, so she took a few steps back and raised her hand while chanting, "Round and round, the door never stops, right into the bubbling pot!"

A fireball shot out of her hand and detonated against the door. However, it wasn't affected by the attack at all. She grew irate and kept trying again and again. Eventually, the room choked up with so much smoke that she had to give up trying. She sat on the bed and coughed until the acrid stench subsided. Once recovered, she stared at the door and sighed despondently.

I guess I really was captured by the scary guy with the steel donut. I wonder what's going to happen to me now that I'm an enemy of this country… They'll probably toss me in a witch's cauldron and brew me into candy, or stick me in a pen full of hungry wolves, or-

Nursery's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a large padlock on the opposite side of the door audibly click open. The entrance cracked open, and to the girl's surprise, Parvati was the one who stepped through.

"Ah, looks like you're finally awake," the Pseudo-Servant said. "I feared that Ashwatthama was too rough with you, so I'm glad you're fine."

"Where am I?" Nursery asked the inevitable question.

"You're inside one of Uma Palace's holding cells, though I have made it a temporary arrangement. I have no intention of crudely interrogating you like how Wu Zetian would, but Ashwatthama insisted that I keep you under lock and key for everyone's safety. Even so, I still would like to ask you some questions, particularly about what happened when you and your friends met Wu."

The young girl looked down at the floor in shame. "Oh. I'm so sorry, miss. We had no idea that package was actually a bad tick-tock device."

"I understand. You three are simply lost, and were maliciously preyed upon. I am not fool enough to fall for Wu's attempt at deflecting blame onto the shoulders of innocent Servants."

"Gosh, you're a really, really nice goddess, you know that? Are you sure you want to be near me after what happened?"

"I know the truth. There is nothing for me to worry about… unless you actually want me to be concerned, that is."

"No, no, no, of course not! I don't wanna cause you any trouble! I just wanna get out of here and meet up with Jack and Connla so we can go home!"

Parvati frowned. "I can empathize with how you feel. It's just that I believe it is far too dangerous for you to be running around so carelessly anymore. I would like to help you reunite with your friends, but I am remiss to admit that I have absolutely no information regarding their whereabouts. Ashwatthama and Medusa are doing what they can with the search, yet they cannot abandon their posts as Uma's guardians either."

"Oh no…" Nursery began to tear up.

Parvati sat next to her and assured, "It's going to be fine, honey. It's because of Uma and Zhou's feud that you are in this mess in the first place. In fact, I should be apologizing to you instead of the other way around. As recompense, I will do everything in my power to make sure your reunion happens."

"R-Really?"

"Really. Dry those tears and straighten up now. You want to greet your friends with a smile, don't you?"

"… Yeah. Yeah, you're right! I'm gonna see Jack and Connla again, no matter what!"

"That's the spirit. Now, would you like to go on a walk with me? We can get caught up on what has happened, and plan for the retaliation at the same time."

"Retaliation?" Nursery wondered as she followed the somber Parvati out into the palace halls.

"Naturally. Zhou is responsible for making an assassination attempt on Uma's leader. I may be fair, but I must also be firm. I must make it known to Wu Zetian that she cannot pull such dastardly pranks anymore, and will swiftly punish her for her mistakes."

"Does that mean you're going to fight Wu and her faction? What if either Jack or Connla are there? What if we wind up having to fight as enemies?"

"That's what we need to plan for. If we're lucky, you three could meet up during the confusion and make your escape that way. Of course, if Wu winds up getting her hands on either of them, it won't be as simple as that. She has a habit of forcing others to submit to her will, and she is fond of utilizing underhanded tactics such as what you experienced."

Nursery grunted in agitation, not wanting to remember Wu's face. They reached the throne room, where they found Ashwatthama and Medusa speaking with an Oriental man dressed in traditional Chinese garb. They faced the pair, and the stranger said, "Welcome back, Lady Parvati."

"I can say the same for you, Ling. How did your mission fare?"

"I was just informing Lord Ashwatthama and Lady Medusa about what transpired in Zhou several hours ago. I bore witness to a 'ceremony', and also happened to see the Kuli dragging an unfamiliar Servant along with them."

Nursery became excited, and she yelled, "An unfamiliar Servant!? What did they look like, mister!?"

"Pipe down, you little runt!" Ashwatthama scolded her. "Don't forget that you're our prisoner! You have no position to be talking to one of my men like that!"

"She is not a prisoner," Parvati retorted. "She is a collaborator. I demand that you treat her with the same respect as you would for one of Uma's own people."

"Uh… I mean… Haven't you forgotten that she-?"

"Is that an excuse I hear?"

"No, ma'am! My apologies for offending you! Ling, could you tell the young lady about this unknown Servant?"

"Of course," the Chinese fellow replied coolly. "She looked to be a girl around your age, with short messy white hair, green eyes, and wearing a peculiarly revealing black bikini."

Nursery grabbed her hair and gasped, "That's Jack! Oh, no, no, no! What's going to happen now!? I don't wanna have to fight against Jack!"

Parvati snatched her shoulder and said, "I already told you not to worry about it. You're not going to fight your friend. I promise you that."

"Uuuh…"

While Parvati and Nursery spoke with each other, Ashwatthama asked Ling, "By the way, you didn't happen to see another child Servant in Zhou? One with short purple hair done in a bun, wearing a white leotard and wielding twin daggers?"

"I cannot say I have. The Kuli only captured that one girl."

"So the third one got away. I suppose it should be considered good fortune that she won't be embroiled in this conflict. Hard to say if Roma got to her though, since we haven't heard word about what's going on there."

"We'd best not ponder the what-ifs regarding the third Servant," Medusa suggested. "We must stick to facts, and all we know is that Zhou has both captured a new Servant as well as executed a Roma spy."

"Executed?" Nursery asked. "The fancy-dressed man said that there was some kind of 'ceremony' he saw. Is that just another word for execution?"

"That's just part of the story. After people are sent to the gallows, their bodies are converted into raw mana, offered to each faction's guardian deity, and transformed into food and resources for the people to live off of."

"What!? That's horrible! How could Wu do such a thing!?"

Parvati sullenly closed her eyes. Ashwatthama and Medusa glanced away as well, looking similarly guilty of something. After a moment, Parvati admitted, "I think it is best that you don't rush to conclusions, Nursery. After all, I am equally as responsible for utilizing the powers of our own guardian deity."

"Eh? Y-You mean… You couldn't have…"

"Let me show you."

Medusa got in front of her liege and wondered, "Are you sure about this? She isn't loyal to Uma, so letting her see it would be potentially dangerous."

"After all the trouble she has gone through on our account, I believe it is fair for her to know. If anything bad happens as a result, I will take full responsibility for it."

"… I understand."

The Rider stepped aside, and Parvati guided Nursery to the altar where a Fomorian idol was placed. Judging by how closed off this place was from the outside world, Nursery could easily assume that this was some holy sanctuary that Parvati only allowed a select few to visit. The young Caster gazed in both surprise and disgust at the carving, while the goddess said, "In here, I have made the heart-wrenching decision to give up the lives of Servants in order to provide for my people."

"But… why?"

"Don't you understand? This entire world is barren. There is no way to grow crops or raise livestock without the assistance of these guardian deities. In order for us to survive though, the guardians need to be appeased with sacrifices. Citizens may provide some resources, but Servants give far more. Do you know of the lake that surrounds this city? In truth, it is the result of one of my Servants giving himself up for Uma's sake."

"Ah!" Nursery gasped as she thought about the beautiful crystal-blue lake with lily pads and lotus flowers blooming everywhere. Suddenly, that image took on a far more sinister undertone now that she knew where it actually came from.

Parvati rested a hand on her chest and moaned, "Oh, Sir Lancelot… He was driven to madness with guilt over what his actions did to Camelot. I believe he allowed me to sacrifice him as a small penance for his perceived sin. So foolish… so, so foolish… and yet, it was necessary for Uma's rapidly growing population. So many people are fleeing from Roma and Zhou's brutal dictatorships and seeking shelter here. I'm sure that Lancelot, as the Lord of the Lake, would have seen this as an opportunity to atone for himself and to give the people as much water as they desired."

Nursery's anger subsided upon hearing that tale. She wasn't sure if Wu Zetian felt the same way as Parvati, but at least she could rest easy knowing that the Hindu goddess was performing these sacrifices with a heavy heart. Parvati glared at the stone statue, then glowered, "I'd do anything to be rid of this foul abomination immediately. Yet, it is no different than tearing the heart out of a living creature. Uma has become an entity of its own, and it is my duty to nurture its growth, not to kill it out of personal distaste."

In that moment, Nursery had an epiphany. She asked, "If there was something you could do to escape it though, would you want to do it?"

"Of course I would."

"Then I might know something that could help you."

"Hm?" Parvati glanced at Nursery. "What ever are you talking about?"

"It's a little complicated, but it's like this…"

As Nursery began talking, neither of them noticed a slim figure wearing a baseball cap slip back into the shadows and escape from the palace. She stopped at a food stand along the way to grab a bowl of butter chicken, then left Uma without saying a word.

"Uwah!?"

Connla was slammed against a flailing club and fiercely hurtled sideways. Beowulf charged in from behind and caught her, causing them to tumble across the sand for a few meters. Before the monster could strike again though, Lucius swept in low and carved his sword through its belly. It dropped dead, but two more grotesque humanoids marched in to replace their fallen comrade.

"You dare challenge the Roman Procurator himself!?" Lucius shouted furiously. "Know the summit of your folly, cretins!"

He effortlessly swung Florent downward to bifurcate the nearest enemy, then jumped back to avoid a falling broadsword. He didn't notice that another ghoul had snuck in from behind, and he was in line to be skewered through with a crudely-crafted rusty lance. Suddenly, one of Beowulf's thrown swords pierced through the monster's torso, destroying its vitals in an instant. He retrieved his bloody weapon while Connla ran past, ready to rejoin the battle.

I need to remember my training with Jack. Just stay calm and keep on the move, she thought while approaching three humanoids.

She deftly hopped over a stabbing sword, used the blunt edge as a platform to jump higher, then landed on her foe's head and stabbed her knives into its spinal cord. Then she vaulted backwards onto the next ghoul and did the same thing. With the third one barging for her, she borrowed Beowulf's idea and threw both daggers like darts square at its eyes, violently blinding it. She jumped toward it, then carved the blades upward so she could simultaneously reclaim her weapons and destroy its brain.

Meanwhile, Beowulf encountered one of the largest monsters in the horde and used all of his might to struggle against it in a sort of sumo wrestling match. He thought he was going to be overpowered, but then the creature lost its footing against the slippery sand, giving him a chance to tackle it onto its back. He balled his hand into a tight fist, grinned, and glowered, "Say night-night."

Splurt!

Pieces of skull and brain matter splattered everywhere. Beowulf got back on his feet and glared at the other enemies, who had witnessed their comrade's brutal death and decided to maintain their distance. While they were busy being stunned by the Berserker's violent display though, Lucius darted in from behind and sliced through their backs in a W-shaped slashing pattern. The monsters fell, but the Roman wasn't enjoying the victory at all.

"Son of a bitch," he snarled as he saw more enemies burrow out of the sand. "Just how many of these reprehensible things are there?"

"Kind of makes you wonder why there's a guardian deity way out here that's being protected so fiercely, even when there's no one around to make sacrifices to it," Beowulf muttered.

Connla heard him and became quiet. As much as she wanted to ask him what he meant, she had to stay focused on the battle. It was difficult to say whether or not they were actually making progress with thinning the herd, or if they would eventually be overwhelmed by numbers they couldn't possibly fathom. She shifted her eyes over to the glowing Fomorian idol. She knew she had to get rid of it somehow. The trouble was, what could she do to break through this endless blockade?

That was when Connla thought she noticed a blue flash from above, and she looked up at it. It was a pair of energized sword slashes shaped like an X, and the attack rained down upon the unsuspecting horde of ghouls. Those who were directly in its path were carved into chunks, while those who were nearby were scattered apart by the rushing winds. To Connla's relief, a familiar young woman in a blue jacket leapt down from her vantage point and landed next to her.

"I see you have not neglected in your training as a Saber, little one," the lady said.

Connla cried out, "Miss X!"

Beowulf snorted, "You again, huh?"

"As much as I would like to enjoy this reunion, our mission has not been completed yet. Allow me to carve a path through these imperfect Sabers so that you may end this swiftly. Of course, if you use a beam-like Noble Phantasm, I might wind up being rather peeved!" X declared, then summoned a black-and-red version of her blue-and-white sword before charging at the oncoming creatures.

"Now, gaze upon the fellowship of light and dark! Cataphract Shift! Know the power of the Royal Road! Sword of Unwritten Victory!"

X blasted through the crowd like a meteor while flailing her twin blades about in a crazed dance. The ghouls fell to the ground in literal bloody pieces one after the other. Once her Noble Phantasm was expended, she leapt backwards high in the air and stared at Connla while shouting, "Do it now, Saber!"

"Okay!" the child Servant cried out, then raised her arms. She thought about the strange fiery wheel that she conjured before. She wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a regular attack or her actual Noble Phantasm, but in this moment, she wanted to rely on its powers.

Please help me, Grandfather!

Just like before, Lugh's Halo appeared over her head, spinning wildly and throwing stray embers everywhere. She thrust her arms forth as if tossing an imaginary heavy ball with all her might, and she screamed, "Hwaaaah!"

The wheel barreled through the path that X created and made its way straight for the statue. With a mighty thud, it smashed the stone effigy into pieces and detonated in a sweltering blaze, incinerating any nearby ghouls. Now that the idol was gone, the surviving creatures howled in agony and disintegrated into billowy puffs of ash that dotted the pearly sands with grayish bits.

The Servants remained still for a moment. Once they were sure the threat was eliminated, X patted Connla on the back and exclaimed, "Well done, little Saber! Looks like your Noble Phantasm is an AoE version of Brahmastra, rather than yet another generic Saberface beam attack! I approve!"

"Uh, well, I'm not sure…"

The Assassin looked at the others and asked, "How fares everyone?"

"I am rather irate that I could not deliver the decisive blow, but being irate is better than being dead, I suppose," Lucius admitted as he sheathed Florent.

"Same here," Beowulf added.

"I'm fine," Connla replied, then asked the swordswoman, "What are you doing here, Miss X? Weren't you out hunting for Artorium or whatever?"

"It's Altrium! Do not get the two mixed up!"

"Oh…"

"Anyway, to answer your question, I am actually still in the middle of my scavenger hunt. It's just that I waited at the rendezvous point for you and your partners for quite some time. Concerned that you may have crossed paths with any of the factions, I decided to rely on my top-secret stealth abilities to investigate."

"So you used Presence Concealment to check things out with each group?"

"How absurd! Sabers do not have Presence Concealment! I simply snuck around using nothing more than my wits and talents!"

"Fine, whatever you say," Connla moaned, not wanting to argue with the hard-headed Assassin. "So, what did you find out?"

"As I feared, Jack has been abducted by Zhou, while Nursery is being confined in Uma's palace walls."

"You're kidding! I kind of suspected it with Nursery, but how did Jack get captured by Lady Wu!?"

"She was ruthlessly ambushed and poisoned with toxic gas. Jack's servitude to Zhou has been coerced – she must obey Wu Zetian if she wishes to be given the antidote for the poison that is eating her alive."

"Oh, god… This is just going from bad to worse…"

"Well, the good news is that Parvati has taken a liking to Nursery, and has pardoned her crime. Parvati may be more lenient than Wu, but I sincerely doubt that her minions will allow Nursery to leave. If anything, they might expect her to partake in the upcoming battle."

Connla widened her eyes. "Battle?"

"Yeah," X nodded. "Uma plans on launching an attack against Zhou."

The young Saber's throat choked up. What was she supposed to say to such devastating news? Both of her friends were prisoners for opposing sides of an impending war. Since Jack and Nursery were Servants, no doubt they would wind up having to fight this battle, if not each other. What in the world could Connla do to diffuse this situation? Was it simply beyond her scope to rectify?

"Keh hah hah hah!" Lucius laughed boldly. "Sounds like quite the party! It's just a crying shame that I wasn't invited!"

Beowulf glared at him. "Knowing you, you'd just invite yourself."

"Damn straight! Now that I know those ass-ugly statues are nothing more than a sham, I will happily take advantage of this confusion to ruin Zhou and Uma's guardian deities while they're busy playing war!"

Connla looked over at Lucius, surprised that he would make such a ridiculous assertion. She then asked, "You're just going to march in and destroy the lifelines that these factions rely on?"

"Of course I would! My goal isn't to forge an empire inside a godforsaken monster! Anything that gets in the way of my real ambitions will be eliminated without a second thought! If the people are afraid that they will die of starvation in this hellhole, then they'll have no choice but to follow me to the mythical realm of sky and sunlight, where we will not be reliant upon sacrifices any longer!"

"…"

Beowulf smirked, "Heeh! For a pampered rich boy, you sure know how to talk the talk. The thing is, do you have a plan?"

"Of course I do!" Lucius retorted. "I'm not an Emperor in title alone! Now that the woman with the suspicious-looking sword has given me some crucial information, I can thus formulate a strategy based on the members of this budding nation!"

"Budding nation?"

The Roman raised Florent high and made his declaration:

"Here and now, I christen this legendary vault as the home base for the Lugh Faction! With Yours Truly as the leader, of course!"