"DIE!"
The twin fists were swinging down, and my life began flashing before my eyes for a moment as the instinct to ensure survival took over. My body moved on its own as the two fists slammed into the sand at my feet, missing me by just a hair.
"Fuck!" I exclaimed, using the swear word that I rarely say aloud while jumping backwards as Caligula shook the remnants of water off of his body. The Emperor of Madness somehow managed to look even more insane as he stared murderously at me, before his gaze flicker past me.
"Where…is….she?" The Berserker demanded, advancing menacingly towards me. I immediately begin backpedaling, trying to move as fast as I can back the way I came without taking my eyes off of Caligula. I couldn't fight him. Fighting on your own against something as powerful as a Servant is risky, almost suicidally so, at best. Against a Berserker?
I would have better odds at catching a bullet safely with my teeth while it was in midflight. By now, I could hear a trio of familiar voices calling out from behind.
"Master!" Mordred roared, charging towards me from behind even as I continued stepping backwards
"Jacob!" Ritsuka added.
"Praetor!" Nero finished, and it was her voice that cause Caligula to have a most violent reaction,
"MY! My! My…actions…are…fate!" Caligula roared, and he sounded more deranged somehow than in our last encounter. "Sacrifice your lives! Sacrifice your flesh!" The hostile Berserker demanded, taking one thunderous step forward, the impact kicking up a small cloud of sand.
"U-Uncle?" Nero rasped, sounding horrified as Mordred finally finished closing the gap between the two of us. The knight grabbed the back of my uniform, roughly hauling be behind her and Jeanne as the latter planted the butt of her weapon into the beach. I took a split second to re-observe my surroundings, and to my mild surprise Tamamo Cat, Stheno, and Elisabeth had tagged along with the others.
"What? Who? Nero's uncle?" Elisabeth asked.
"He seems to be pretty 'tangled up'," Stheno added vaguely, eyeing Caligula with a dismissive glint in her eyes. "That's how one deals…" I quickly tune her out, realizing that once again the Divine Spirit is going to be useless.
Caligula's crazed eyes sweep over us. "Beautiful…You're beautiful," he grunts. Who is he speaking about?
"You popped out of nowhere, and now you're hitting on girl? W-What's with you? I know I am an attractive idol and all, but acting like a lowly beast is the worst! What kind of royalty are you?" Elisabeth said, her cheeks tinted a light pink as she shifted her stance in discomfort.
"Beautiful…Really beautiful! You are beautiful!" Caligula roars, jabbing a trembling finger at his niece. "I want to take it, lust over it, and tear it apart. Your purity, your divine beauty, everything! I want to trample all over you with my entire body!" Almost as one, we recoiled in horror at the implications of the Roman Berserker's words.
"Disgusting…" Amadeus muttered.
"I…love…you, my beloved sister's child—NEROOOOO!" The Emperor of Madness howled, causing my ears to start ringing even after he falls silent, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly.
"…That's right. You are a beast," Nero finally said, sounding forlorn but determined nevertheless. "You are no longer my uncle! My uncle is dead. I still can't stop thinking about his regrettable death. But still, if you appear before me after being lost in death, then I shall sing a requiem for you! Know it's my duty as both your niece and as a proper emperor!" Nero said, adapting her own battle stance, before Caligula charged forward, commencing the start of yet another fight to the death.
Things were not going well.
In fact, they were going quite poorly.
With a pained grunt, Gilles landed on his back, struggling to get up. His breastplate was partially caved in, and he coughed up a small amount of blood, indicating that the blow from Caligula had wrecked some manner of internal injury to the French Servant.
"Gilles!" Jeanne cried out, dashing in to put herself between the prone Saber and the advancing Berserker. Caligula smirked sadistically before suddenly reaching out and grabbing the Ruler by her long, thick ponytail, twisting his body slightly and sending the French blonde flying into Medea and Chiron, knocking the two off of their feet. In a single action, the Roman Berserker had knocked out three Servants.
"Jeanne!" Marie called out, charging down astride her glass horse with a surprisingly-fearsome glare on her cherubic face. Caligula tilted his head for the briefest of moments, as if taking in the sight of the Rider's mount, before suddenly tensing his upper body. My eyes widen as I realized that he was chambering up for a strike, but by the time I manage to open my mouth it was too late.
"Yah!" The Berserker roared, slamming a fist into the 'chest' of the horse, a wave of sand flying out from under him. Instantly the horse began to display rapidly-widening cracks all over, and with a cry of alarm and dismay, Marie fell onto the sand, surrounded by the shattered remains of her mount.
While she could re-summon it after having time to recover, she was still vulnerable. Crying out her name, Amadeus rushed over and, with a surprising display of strength, began dragging her away. To my initial confusion, the Emperor of Madness merely watched with yet another cruel smirk.
"What is he doing?" Ritsuka asked aloud, voicing the very question I was thinking. Then it hit me.
"He's savoring the pain he's inflicting…" I said in a mixture of horror and disgust. Surprisingly, despite his reputation in the present-day of being a cruel, insane sadist, very little first-hand accounts were currently known to exist. Those that had been made were lost in the centuries after Caligula's assassination, and what we do know came from essentially second-hand sources. Still, it was one thing to read about the supposed actions and behavior of a man from long ago, another thing entirely to witness it first-hand as he tore his way through the ranks of the Heroic Spirits Ritsuka and I both proudly called friends.
"Let me fight," Nero pleaded, even as a reluctant Mash politely yet firmly gripped her shoulder, keeping the brave, if self-centered, Emperor of Roses still. "This isn't right!" Unbidden, at the start of the encounter, the defensive-oriented Demi-Servant had held Nero back as our own Servants had surged forth in their own charge.
"Your Majesty, your survival is of the utmost importance. Furthermore, as a praetor courtesy of your good-will, there is a duty to ensure your safety," I said, gritting my teeth as I watched the two remaining Servants circle the Berserker. My anger towards Stheno's antics, who along with Elisabeth and that Tamamo Cat Servant were staying back, was further fanned. Sasaki watched from the sidelines as Chulainn charged in with an angry glare, lips curled back in a feral sneer. Though the Assassin was no longer poisoned, neither had he recovered enough to fight, which left yet another Servant out of the fight.
If it wasn't for that thing with the cave, our Servants wouldn't be struggling against a single Berserker. Instead, with the majority of them still exhausted to various degrees, the fight was more even against the relatively fresh Caligula, thus making it surprisingly even despite the disparity in numbers.
Caligula cackled widely as he sidestepped Gàe Bolg. His right hand grabs the shaft of the cursed weapon right below the last set of barbs, and yanks a startled Chulainn closer to him as the Emperor of Madness's left hand curled into a fist. Delivering a bone-shattering upper cut, the Berserker sent Ritsuka's Lancer flying back over the beach, and the Irish Servant landed with a dull, sickening thud. While the blue-garbed Lancer wasn't dead, he too was out of the fight
Now all that stood between Caligula and us was a very pissed-off Mordred.
Under normal circumstances, I would have barely been worried about the outcome. But this was anything but, and as it turns out, not even my powerful partner held the upper hand, as she surged forward.
A wave of energy flowed over Caligula as he groaned slightly. I saw his muscles somehow managing to bulge even further, almost ridiculously so. A special ability perhaps? Then my eyes widen as I realize the possible danger.
"Mordred! Fall back!" I cried out frantically, drawing my sword out, the naked steel ringing as the dying rays of sunlight danced off of the blade. "Get back here right now!" It's another goddamn trap!
Mordred didn't respond, but I could see her slowing down, trying to shift her angle of attack when suddenly Caligula sprang forward and was upon her.
One arm grabbed her wrist, while the other grabbed the throat of a startled Mordred. "Die now!" Caligula snarled, a cruel sneer on his face as he began to squeeze my Servant's throat while lifting the lightweight Saber off of her feet.
Mordred's feet kicked frantically as she gagged for air, trying to score a hit on her foe. The Emperor of Madness didn't even react to the blows that did manage to connect, instead staring sadistically into her eyes. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I saw that none of the other Servants were able to help.
If nothing is done….
Mordred could die….
My vision turned red, as a wave of anger and desperation overwhelmed my senses. My Magic Circuits flicked on, and my body began pumping prana throughout my body, unbidden as a sense of pure rage washed over me, drowning out any thoughts other than to attack and assist. I feel my lips curl and I bare my teeth, a rumbling sound building in my teeth.
"LET MY PARTNER GO YOU BASTARD!" I roared, holding my sword aloft as I charged forward. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nero sprinting besides me, her lips sealed in a determined frown as she readied her own sword.
The Emperor of Madness didn't notice the approach of either of us, engrossed as he was in playing with his victim. The word felt vile. This needed to stop. My fingers squeezed the leather-bound hilt of my sword, my knuckles snow-white as I closed the distance, and with a mighty howl of anger, swung the sword at the Berserker.
To my mild surprise, my blade managed to sink itself partially through the muscles of the arm choking my blonde partner. Whatever he did seems to have increased his strength, but at the apparent cost of weakening his body's resilience. A wave of hysterical triumph ran over my body as my brain kicked itself into overdrive, I first try to push the blade down, seeing if I could perhaps temporary sever any nerve connections. The blade barely budges, and I then try pulling it out when I feel the body next to me shifting slightly.
"Huh?" Caligula grunted, looking at me, then my sword, then back at me in a mixture of surprise and confusion
"…the…hell…Master?" Mordred groaned, somehow managing to shoot me a fearsome glare that threatened a haranguing tirade after this. As long as there is an after, I can live with that.
"I said drop her," I said, forcing myself to sound braver than I felt as I gazed up at the Emperor of Madness. Caligula didn't comply, shockingly enough. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed. His laughter was cut short, however, when a slash from Nero left a gash over his right cheek. A follow-up kick of her right sabaton-stiletto combination footwear to the back of his knee brought the Berserker down to one knee, and I saw his grip loosen.
Sensing my chance as Caligula swung his head to glare at his defiant niece, and I tried to pull Mordred out of his hands. After a few hurried tugs, I managed to do so, and began dragging the cursing and coughing Saber back from the battle as Nero spun out of the way of a hammer strike from her uncle.
"Jacob!" Ritsuka called up, his feet skidding in the sand, Mash close behind him. I stared at the Demi-Servant with hardened eyes.
"Mash, on me! Ritsuka, get Mordred back with the others. No time to argue, just do it!" I said, trying to sound as much like an officer as I could in this moment. Mash nods reflectively.
"Understood, Jacob Senpai!"
"Don't die," Ritsuka grunted, as he tried to pull a protesting Mordred back. She was probably going to challenge me to a spar and utterly demolish me, but at least she is alive.
Now to keep everyone else alive. I could see that some of the less injured Servants, like Jeanne, were starting to come too, but there wasn't enough time to wait, as Nero was slowly forced back towards the ocean's edge. A few more steps, and she won't have anywhere to move….
Oh….that could work."
"Mash, engage the Berserker. Keep him towards the ocean while I fill Nero in our plan. Use your shield to tank his blows, and keep your guard up," I hurriedly instructed the pink-haired girl. Though she looks at me in mild confusion, no doubt regarding the 'plan' that I haven't really told her about, she nods dutifully.
"Understood. Engaging the enemy!" She said as she jumped forward with a loud grunt. Having heard her, the Emperor of Madness turned away from a tired-looking Emperor of Roses, his red eyes widening at the rapidly-approaching mass of steel that was Mash's weapon.
His angry roar was thankfully silenced as I barely managed to hear the sound of bone breaking as the boss of Mash's shield smashes Caligula's nose. The Berserker stumbles backward, and I rush over to Nero, who was taking a moment to catch her breath.
"Praetor. Do you have a plan?"
"A long-shot, but I think that this is a case of 'desperate times call for desperate measures'," I said. Mash grunts loudly as Caligula slams both of his fists into her shield, but despite the amount of sand kicked up by the impact, the Shielder holds firm, forcing her bodyweight against her weapon. "Mash and I are going to try to pin him down, and keep him in one spot. When that happens, you swoop in for the kill. Are you in agreement with this?"
"Not like we have any alternatives, do we?" Nero replied with a surprising display of sarcasm. If it weren't for the circumstances we were in, I would probably be laughing at her retort. Instead, I nod grimly.
"Very well. Stand by, then," I said, extending a hand as another shove from Mash's shield sent the Berserker stumbling closer and closer to the water's edge. "Come on, Mash, just a little more," I mutter, readying myself to use my magecraft.
Sure enough, the dependable Demi-Servant gave a mighty heave, and Caligula stumbled back slightly, splashing some sea water into the air as the water reached his ankles. I quickly closed my eyes, and imagined the water around his ankles turning into solid ices.
I open them when I hear a loud yelp of alarm, which was cut short as Mash clumsily backhanded Caligula with her shield, disorienting the trapped Servant.
"Now, Your Majesty!" Mash urged as she leapt back from a dazed Caligula. Nero didn't respond, readying her sword before charging forward, her legs moving almost supernaturally fast as she let forth a mighty battle cry. Shaking his head, her uncle appeared to have noticed the oncoming attack, but to my surprise, Caligula didn't react. Instead, he spread out his arms, almost as if he was accepting the (hopefully) mortal blow Nero was about to deliver.
I braced myself, readying a trembling hand to summon a large spike of ice to burst forth from the water's edge to try and impale the weakened Berserker, but apparently the Emperor of Madness had no tricks up his sleeves this time, as the all-too-familiar sound of metal tearing into flesh echoed over the beach.
"Forgive me, my uncle," Nero said sadly, her sword buried in the chest of the Berserker. Instead of a furious look, Caligula almost looked happy. The redness that had obscured his eyes, a sign of the burning madness that each Berserker Servant bore, was gone. Instead, I could see green eyes filled with love and warmth, a shade almost identical to Nero's as he opened his mouth.
"Nero…Nero…my beautiful niece," Caligula said, reaching out a shaky hand as the madness faded from his eyes. I tensed, preparing to run over and push Nero out of his grasp, but the defeated Berserker merely cupped one of the tear-stained cheeks of the Emperor of Roses, using his thumb to gently wipe away her tears. "You are so…very beautiful….burn brightly….my beloved Nero," Caligula said as he closed his eyes, his body dissolving at last.
We all tensed, prepared for some sort of ambush, but none came. The only one who was at ease of any sort, and I used the phrase very loosely, was Nero, who was staring rather blankly into he space that had just been occupied by the Berserker.
"Uncle…" Nero whispered aloud, her voice choked with various emotions before she stiffened, spinning around on the back of her heels to face us. Her eyes were dry, though the vague traces of her tears could still be seen as she addressed us in a surprisingly steady tone. "I've defeated the enemy commander, Caligula. I 've slaughtered yet another pretender to my throne! What a splendid job. Thank you, everyone."
I grunted in acknowledgement of the Emperor of Roses' thanks, my mind preoccupied with a more personal matter as I could faintly hear Ritsuka inquiring about the emotional state of the blonde Roman. Paying no heed to the conversation, I whirled around on my heels to look at the one person whose health I was most concerned about at that moment.
"Mordred, are you okay?" I asked frantically, as the blonde knight wheezed, having dismissed her armor for once in order to better massage her throat. I could see bright red marks where Caligula's fingernails had dug into her skin as he tried to throttle my Saber.
"I…I've taken worse," she managed to say, her voice sounding raspy as she tried to stand up. Seeing her stumble slightly, I stepped forward with the intent of pressing down on her shoulder, bare though it may be, to keep her sitting, but the stubborn blonde pushed herself up onto her feet, suddenly glaring up at me.
She had a frustrated expression on her face. I could tell that her pride was injured. Mordred wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed having to be rescued, and she seemed to be feeling somewhat humiliated. "It's not your fault, what happened towards the end," I said softly. The knight glared at me, but I didn't shrink. "You had just defeated a freaking chimera. If it wasn't for the fact that he had the advantage of being fresh, you would have kicked that Berserker's ass."
"Well, yeah," Mordred blustered, rolling her eyes slightly before glaring at me again. "But don't you dare do something stupid like that again! What were you thinking, trying to fight an enemy Servant who would have had no hesitation to crush you like an insect?" She hissed angrily.
"I was thinking that I didn't want to let my partner die."
"As much as I appreciate the sentiment, if you and Ritsuka die, we all die. Permanently."
"You don't think I realize that fact? I have my family to save, but damn it, an Aronson doesn't let those he or she cares about die as long as they can do something!" I said, glaring down at the shorter blonde.
"Jacob. Mordred."
"Yes?" I asked, sounding a bit irritable, but still trying to be polite, while Mordred merely scoffed, her scowl growing.
"Are you guys okay?" Jeanne d'Arc asked nervously. Finally Mordred growled, spinning around and scoffing loudly.
"I need some space from this idiot. You can deal with him, Ruler," Mordred said angrily, stomping off and enveloping her head once more as she moved over to the nearby forest. I wanted to call out her name and ask her to stay, but despite my open mouth, no words came out until she was too far.
"That was stupid of me," I groaned once I saw that Knight of Rebellion was out of hearing range. I slump to the ground, the anger and adrenaline that had long become the sole source of strength in my limbs fading away. I saw that Jeanne was crouching down, adjusting herself to sit opposite of me. She stared at me with her turquoise eyes filled with concern and understanding.
"Perhaps," the Maid of Orléans agreed with a soft smile. "I don't think, however, that you were in the wrong. Nor was she. How much has she told you about the Greater Holy Grail War?"
I shrugged. "Bits and pieces, but nothing much beyond the identities and roles of a few Servants," Is aid, remembering the cagey look the blonde knight had when I had asked her about the topic. Jeanne hummed softly, staying silent for a long minute before speaking.
"From what I gathered, it seemed that Mordred and her Master at the time were very close. Not unlike how she is with you, in a way. I never saw him in action, or really even met him in person, but he also was a fighter, like you." I could tell that this wasn't about to have a happy ending, the story I was hearing.
"He didn't make it, did he?" I asked softly. Jeanne shook her head sadly.
"He was mortally wounded helping Mordred defeat Assassin of Red."
Another moment of silence stretched on at that point, and I hadn't failed to notice how everyone was keeping away from Jeanne and I, an action I appreciated deeply. I planted my head into my hand, frustration and self-disgust warring for dominance inside my gut.
"Now I feel like I really fucked up," I groaned into my palm. To my confusion, Jeanne's response was a controlled giggle that had me looking up at her with a quirked eyebrow. "I thought you would be reprimanding me for my language, Little Miss Saint," I said dryly, quirking an eyebrow at a clearly-amused Jeanne. "Mind filling me in on whatever it is that you find funny?"
"Marie must be rubbing off on me in some ways, I suppose," the ponytailed Servant said breezily, before a slightly more serious expression graced her features. "Again, maybe you did mess up some, but I think that it's not as bad as you are thinking. Just give Mordred some space tonight, and apologize to her in the morning," the Ruler suggested.
"You think that would actually work?" I asked cautiously, and Jeanne smiled at me rather mischievously. She was right, Marie was rubbing off on her.
"Oh, I have a feeling that she won't be quite so mad come morning. If needs be, I can be there, ready to assist," Jeanne offered. I nodded, feeling some strength returning to my tired body.
"I'll hold you to that," I grunted, pushing myself back up onto my feet. Jeanne gave me another soft smile, and gently gripped my shoulder. I felt glad to have the Ruler as one of my Servants. She was, in some ways, a foil to some of Mordred's more…wild tendencies, and for some reason she felt like an older sister. Perhaps a side-effect from having to grow up pre-maturely?
Whatever the cause, I was grateful for being aided by her once again, and I forced my concerns and anxiety about the Servant who I felt closest too for the moment. The matter was between me and Mordred, and Ritsuka and the others shouldn't be dragged into it.
"You can stop looking at me like I'm going to rip someone's head off," I said dryly, and Ritsuka laughed nervously even as I saw him relax. "Your Majesty, are you ok?" I asked, swinging my head to look at a somewhat-distraught Nero. Despite her words, I had little doubt that the simple fact that she had to fight, and ultimately kill, her uncle must weight heavily on her mind. Plus, I needed to distract myself from my argument with Mordred.
"Just like Ritsuka, you are very kind. As I told your comrade, however, there is no need to worry. After all, I am the emperor of Rome. The two of you, along with your own companions, have saved my life so many times in such a little amount of time since we first met," Nero said, looking bashful for once. Though this was another one of those moments where I would never dare comment on it aloud, it made the petite yet busty blonde Roman look adorable. "I can assure you both that the reward for the defeat of the United Empire shall be grand. I won't send a monster and say, 'Here, it's your reward'," Nero said, glaring subtly at Stheno, who blinked in confusion.
"Are you talking to me?" She said, actually sounding taken aback as he rested a palm against her chest. "You, not a Servant, but a mere human?" The air grew tense, as Mash readied her shield nervously. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, Stheno giggled softly, an amused smile present as she stared at Nero with keen interest. "The queen of this era seems to be brave. You might actually be a proper hero. Oh, how I wish you were a man."
"No, I am not a queen or a hero. Listen well, I am the Fifth Emperor of the Roman Empire!"
"Yes, of course, that's what I shall call you. The Fifth Emperor of the Roman Empire. As a special gift, I'll give you a real goddess' blessing. Be at ease, for this time it won't be a monster, but something of actual value. Consider it also my thanks for taking out a Servant who wasn't a hero. Your enemy, this so-called 'United Empire', and the gathering ground for their 'emperors', their capital. I shall tell you its exact location. But that can wait until morning. You may spend the night here in safety, to rest and recover," Stheno finished with a grand sweep of her delicate arms.
Ritsuka turned to Nero and I. "What do you guys think?"
"Having the chance to rest sooner, rather than later, would be most ideal," Nero admitted, still eyeing the smiling gorgon with a healthy dose of suspicion. "What do you say, praetor? Your judgment on the cave earlier turned out to have been accurate, but we paid the price for not truly considering it. I won't make that mistake twice."
"I say we stay the night here," I said, albeit a bit reluctantly. I would love nothing more than to put as much distance between Stheno and us, but our vessel isn't designed to be anchored in the ocean overnight. Furthermore, almost all of our Servants were either injured, exhausted, or both.
To push on to Rome would be foolhardy. "I concur," Ritsuka said softly.
"As much as I would love to be back in my beloved city, it would be a better idea to wait until morning to resume," Nero added reluctantly, finally looking away from the Divine Spirit.
The decision made, I turned around to notice Jeanne walking off in the direction that Mordred had stormed off to. What are you planning, Jeanne?' I asked silently, before shrugging reluctantly while Mash and Doctor Roman discussed this latest turn of events, and I checked on our Servants as Marie began to use her Noble Phantasm to begin healing. Ritsuka and I had a lot to do tonight, it seems.
Endnotes: And done! What do you guys think? I felt that a lot of the Servant battles had ended with there being very little overall difficulty for the ones from Chaldea, so I wanted to write one where they struggled, and this was it. Also, the skill used by Caligula was Sadistic Nature, which in game strengths Caligula's attack but lowers his defense, hence why Nero was able to kill him and Jacob injure him. Did you enjoy the fight? Ugh I feel bad for writing Mordred losing...Also, I figured that this was a moment where I could write some more about Jacob and Mordred's views on each other, and also have Big Sister Jeanne do her 'shenanigans'. Let me know what you think, and also what you think is going to happen next chapter, if ya don't mind :)
Now, I mentioned my eardrum being ruptured. It isn't too bad, but it is still an annoyance that I am getting looked at properly on Tuesday. Therefore, the next chapter instead of being on Monday will probably be Tuesday, or at the latest Wednesday.
Now, with all that stuff out of the way, time for the question(s) of the day: Who is your favorite Christmas-themed Servant? Mine is (though I have yet to get her) Jeanne d'Arc Alter Santa Lily.
As always, thanks for the love you have all shown, and feel free to leave your thoguhts and reviews down below, or a kudo! Eagerly awaiting to read y'alls receptions, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you in three to five days!
Endnotes 08-15-21: Hope you enjoyed, and if you want to read the fully-updated story on AO3 go on ahead