"Well, shit," I drawled with a sigh of exasperation. I rested one hand on the hilt of my sword, lightly gripping it but not unsheathing the blade. Yet. Some of the pirates surrounding our party seemed to have started recovering from the shock of our unannounced arrival, but the majority did seem to still be distracted. At the current rate, however, we probably only had a few minutes.
First, I quickly took note of the location we were in.
We were standing on the top deck of what appeared to be an ocean-going sailing ship. It wasn't a huge ship, but it was fairly decent. A number of cannons were off to either side, and undoubtedly more the muzzle-loaded weapons were below deck. Thankfully, we didn't have to worry about them being turned against us, seeing as how we were behind the barrels and all.
That didn't mean that we were in the clear by any measure, however.
A quick look behind me had me sighing softly in relief. Unless my eyes were playing tricks, it looks like we all arrived together and in one piece. I'd have liked to also have tacked on the word 'safely', but our 'hosts' had ensured I couldn't do so. Then, I noticed how Mash was glaring at her wrist-mounted commlink, as if communicating her displeasure through the open-line to Doctor Roman.
"Hey, Mash…" Ritsuka said nervously, eyes darting around frantically, while also breaking the silence. Mash looked at him with a sympathetic frown.
"True, we never did do a Rayshift to the ocean before."
"Well, yes, but Mash…" my fellow Master tried again, but again his kouhai interrupted the lad.
"Yes, Senpai," she said with a heavy sigh. "I know exactly what you're trying to say. Doctor Roman, if you have any excuses, let's hear them." Realizing that was his cue to try and save his own skin, the doctor gulped nervously.
"Well…uh," he stammered, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. "Murphy's law, wasn't it? When there's a chance for failure, you're sure to be guided towards that failure?"
"I thought it was, 'whatever can go wrong, will'," I muttered to myself as Doctor Roman valiantly pushed on with his efforts of defending himself.
"Also, when you think about it, it's completely possibly to be Rayshifted onto a deserted island and wait a full twenty-eight years before help arrives, right? Then, wouldn't you say that it's rather beneficial to have transport immediately available?" While he had raised some fair arguments, they still felt kinda weak to me. And, judging from the number of skeptical faces amongst the Servants accompanying us, I wasn't the only one who felt so.
"Fou…" Damn, even Fou, too?
"Not sure what's going on, but get 'em fellas!" One of the pirates, possibly the captain, called out. Crude and vicious jeers and shouts erupted from all around us. If I had to guess, somewhere between fifty to seventy-five or so male pirates of various ages were surrounding us. Apparently, our grace period was over.
"Seems like Doctor Roman needs to be disciplined after all!" Mash said pointedly.
"Sorry, I promise I meant well!"
"Well, looks like this is another fine mess we're in, huh?" Mordred quipped dryly, my partner casually resting Clarent against her right pauldron. I shot the blonde knight a sidelong stare.
"Couldn't help but make that comment, now, could you?" I said with mock exasperation, to which the Knight of Rebellion merely chortled at.
"Non-lethal?" Ritsuka asked, looking a bit hopefully. I could tell that he preferred if we resorted to killing only as a last resort when it came to fighting human opponents. Only a half dozen or so of the crowd had guns, and they were all single-shot flintlocks.
"Loser has to take second watch tonight!" I shouted in response before suddenly darting forward. The pirate I was charging took a half-step backwards as he recoiled in shock. Behind me, I heard a bark of wild laughter from Mordred.
"You're on! Hope you enjoy the taste of defeat!" The blonde knight says tauntingly, closely followed by several loud cries of shock and pain. I don't look behind me, however, as I slam my knee into the crotch of my present opponent. I winced as a shrill yelp of pain slipped past the ruffian's pursed lips, his eyes crossing slightly as he fell down onto his knees.
"Sorry about that," I mutter apologetically, before following up with a (somewhat) gentler knee strike to his chin, sending the disabled man sprawled out on his backside.
"Henry! You'll pay for that!" Another pirate roared angrily, waving his cutlass menacingly over his head as he charged towards me. My right hand curls up into a fist, while the other grips the hilt of the pugio Nero had gifted to me. The heavy blade slid free from its protective sheathe as the pirate's sword swung downwards.
I felt a familiar jarring sensation shoot up my left arm as my dagger intercepted the blow. Not giving my foe a moment to recover, I swung my free hand upwards, catching his chin in an upper cut that sent the brigand flying. Not having a moment to relax, I thrusted the same arm backwards, catching a not-so-silent pirate in the gut with my elbow as he crept up behind me.
Spinning around, I 'gently' slam the pommel of my dagger into the side of his head. The blow was dampened somewhat thanks to his green bandana he had wrapped around his head, but it was still enough to knock him out.
I then had to lean backwards as a screaming pirate flew past him, crashing into a small pile of barrels as Lu Bu roared ferociously. Taking a moment to re-observe my surroundings, I saw that, to my satisfaction, that we were more than holding our own.
However, if we wanted to make actual progress, we had to go onto the offensive. My eyes shot over to the one who had called for the start of the brawl. He was very recognizable, seeing as how he was missing his left eye, either from disease or injury, and had an eye patch covering said eye.
I looked around, seeing Mash being the closest Servant, hugging close to Ritsuka protectively, even as he finished knocking out his own opponent with a solid right hook. I felt my lips quirk up slightly as I felt a wave of pride wash through me, but I quickly tempered it down.
"Mash! We gotta reach the leader! You ready?" I called out. Mash looked over at me with wide eyes before nodding.
"Senpai, stay close to us!" She instructed her Master. My next course of action already decided, I charged forward, ducking and weaving through the mob, and only lashing out in self-defense or if I could avoid anyone. From what I could tell, Mash and Ritsuka were doing something similar.
Soon, we managed to break through the crowd, to confront a wide-eyed pirate captain as we all charged him. Fumbling slightly, I saw him cock his flintlock, aiming it towards us. "Mash, block that shot!" I roared, even though she wasn't one of my Servants.
"Understood!" The Shielder called back, slamming her shield down in front of us as I rolled over towards her. Just in time, too, as I heard a loud crack, followed up with a high-pitched ping as the lead ball was deflected by the solid mass of metal that was Mash's weapon.
The captain cursed loudly, and I heard him drop his now-useless gun. "Now, before he can get another weapon!" I shouted, putting a hand on Mash's right shoulder and vaulting over her. Landing on my feet, I shot forward, but Mash shot by me in turn.
Positioning her cross-shaped shield directly in front of her, she slammed into the captain, hitting him dead center and pinning him against the wooden cabin wall he had been standing in front of. I quickly followed up, and pressed the blade of my dagger threateningly against his throat, though taking care to not cut anything by accident.
"Tell your crew to stand down," Ritsuka said, joining up with us once again, and our captive swallowed nervously, as I pressed the blade a little harder to his throat. To his credit, the captain still somehow managed to glare with his one good eye at us for a few seconds before slumping slightly.
"Drop your weapons, boys. We've been beaten," he said angrily. Our prisoner had barely finished his sentence before several of his crewmates began voicing their objections.
"We can still take them, Bombe!"
"I gave an order, William!"
Another few tense seconds passed by, neither side backing down. I was starting to consider pricking the skin with my knife, to show that I was willing to slit his throat, when finally I heard the sound of various objects clattering onto the deck. I stepped backwards, sheathing my knife in one fluid motion, though not letting go of the hilt.
"Mash, would you like to do the honors?" Ritsuka asked the pink-haired girl. Said Demi-Servant nodded and stepped forward, staring up into the eyes of the tall pirate.
"We have some questions to ask. Please answer them truthfully, unless you want to go for round two," Mash offered. I almost flinched as Mordred walked up and slammed one fist into the other, and out of the corner of my eye I saw one of her trademark feral smirks showing.
"Please, go with option two. That wasn't enough of a warmup for me." I tapped Mordred on the shoulder, shaking my head slightly. The blonde knight huffed, rolling her eyes, but she took a step back.
"Christ, I said I give, didn't I? Just ask your questions missy, and keep that blonde demon away from me!" The captain said, and Mordred snickered, taking the insult in stride. Mash and I both sighed, before the former looked back at the man.
"Who are you? Where are we? What's going on?" She said, listing each question in a crisp and rapid succession. The pirate sighed loudly, a faint smile that looked more as a grimace showing.
"We haven't a faintest clue, see. Before we knew it, we were afloat around here. Quickly found out that our compasses and maps are useless here. Then a few days later, you show up, while we still have no clue, we followed our instincts: attack the prey in front of you. It's the pirate's way, ya know?" He finished with a weak chuckle. Mash stared at him, wide-eyed.
"What?" She asked in disbelief. "So, you had no idea who we were, and yet you attacked us anyways?"
"That's right, yo ho! Because we're pirates!" The pirate in question said in an off-tune, sing-song voice. Mash stared at the grinning man, stunned, before looking at us in despair.
"What should we do, Senpai?" Mash said, pinching the bridge of her nose gently as she shook her head. "He's starting to sing like he's in a musical…"
"Is he an idiot?" I said, exhaling sharply.
"If he doesn't shut up, I'm going to knock his teeth in," Mordred growled.
"I'll help," Amadeus said, cringing at every off-key note.
"Umu, I like this! What he lacks in skill, he makes up for passion!" Nero said defensively, her hands on her hips.
"Course you would," Mordred muttered. It seemed that my partner still held a bit of a distaste, to say the least, for the Emperor of Roses. At least it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the relationship between her and Artoria.
"So, in other words, we have no leads?" Ritsuka chimed in, before the Servants ended up bickering amongst one another or something.
"I may be an idiot, but I do have some leads," the captain said, thankfully instead of singing, too! "Our boss and the rest of our crew are at a nearby island. Our own Pirate Island. We're running low on food and water, you see, and were making our way back when you lot appeared. Maybe the boss'll have some of the answers to your questions by now," he offered.
"Pirate…Island? Meaning a lot of pirates?" Mash asked nervously.
"Well, yeah! Wouldn't be much of a hangout for us pirates otherwise, would it?" I opened my mouth to ask my own question when I was almost bowled other by the energetic Rider that is known as Astolfo.
"A Pirate Island? That sounds like fun! Masters, can we please go visit it?" Pleaded the eccentric paladin. I could have sworn that I heard Jeanne sighing softly in the background.
"What do you think, Doc?" I said instead, speaking into my commlink. The acting-director hummed softly at first, before answering.
"Well, seeing as how we have a dearth of leads at the moment, we might as well try our luck with this one."
"Understood," Mash responded, before looking towards the captain with an intense gleam in her purple eyes. "Well, everyone, I hereby exercise my right as victor. Please, man the wheel, and head towards this 'Pirate island'," the Demi-Servant said. I expected the captain to protest, as well as his crew, but to my shock, the man nodded rapidly.
"Aye, aye, sir!"
"That would be, 'Aye, Aye, ma'am!'" Mash corrected sternly. I felt my eyelid twitch slightly as Ritsuka and I stared at the unusually assertive Demi-Servant. I would never describe my friend as a pushover or anything like that, but seven times out of ten, the quiet girl was usually just that: quiet.
"Look at her. Look at her. She's the captain now," I said in disbelief. Unfortunately, my parody of a certain meme went unappreciated. Between Ritsuka and I, Marie failed at hiding the wide smile behind her hand. Was it just me, or did she seem to be looking at Mash in the same way that a teacher gaze at their protégé?
"Ah, they grow up so fast!"
"Huh?" Ritsuka asked, looking at his Rider with his usual display of confusion. The Flower of Versailles turned to him with a wink in her eyes.
"Let's just say that I've been helping Mash out in being more assertive~" Well, that definitely sounded interesting. And perhaps a bit ominous, as well.
"Oh? Anything in particular, or just being a good friend?" I inquired, rubbing my chin slightly.
"A little of column A, a little of Column B," she said impishly. "Let's just say that there's a certain goal she has in mind, and I've a vested interest in making sure one of my friends achieves it." Wait a second….My eyes narrowed slightly as I began to suspect just what the female Rider was referring too, while Ritsuka smiled happily.
"Aw, that's nice to hear! Thanks Marie!" He said, being rewarded with a beautiful smile, unaware that he was related to Mash's little 'goal'. I had to suppress the urge to release a long sigh.
….What an oblivious idiot. A good friend, but a dense one, too, it seems...
I watched as the distant speck that an eager Astolfo (and a much-harassed lookout) had pointed out from the crow's nest grow larger and larger. Sure enough, it was a decent-sized island, alright. We would be disembarking soon. The captain, his name Bombe, had offered to personally take us to his boss, and we had agreed, though with plenty of reservations. After all, he was a pirate, and only a few hours ago, an enemy.
During the voyage, Astolfo, Nero, and Marie seemed to have had the most fun, while Medea, Amadeus, and Mordred the least. I couldn't speak for the first two, but in regard to my partner, I suspected that it had something to do with being surrounded by the ocean.
Finally, we reached a small cove. It was both sheltered and well-hidden, surrounded for the most part by tall rock walls, with a narrow gap leading into the forest. Bombe grinned wickedly before instructing his crew to wait here while he took us to visit this boss of his he constantly harped about.
I wasn't sure why, but the one-eyed man seemed to have grown more confidant by the passing minute. The instant our feet reached dry land, the man we were 'depending on' raced ahead of us. I bit back a curse, getting ready to draw my sword, when Bombe came to a stop, spinning around to face us as he planted his hands on his hips.
"I'll take you to our boss now," he said, before cackling for a few seconds. I felt my eyebrow twitching violently, while Mordred was gritting her teeth. "Heh, heh, heh, listen and be amazed…Francis Drake, the greatest, most glorious pirate on the high seas!"
"The hell's up with this bravado?" Mordred asked irritably. Behind us, I heard Lu Bu give out a low roar of apparent agreement. Unfortunately, it seemed that our guide wasn't done speaking. And I thought that Nero loved to talk!
"After we get through the forest, you'll find the Great Pirate Francis Drake's secret hideout!" Our 'guide' exclaimed. I raised an eyebrow.
"Not going to be much of a secret if we find out," I muttered under my breath, but the one-eyed man didn't pay attention, as he started cackling. It was intimidating…if you were scared of Saturday morning cartoon-style villains, that is.
"You guys are done for," he said gleefully. "When Boss gets a hold of ya, you'll be—"
"Why does this person keep talking like a grunt?" Roman asked, sighing in exasperation. I heard some shuffling, as well as spluttering as a different voice came over the line.
"Setting up one's character is important in any era," Da Vinci replied, apparently having pushed Roman out of his chair or something. "It's even normal to recreate your body into a beautiful idol." Almost in unison, including Bombe of all people, sighed at Da Vinci, though it was (mostly) in good humor.
"Sorry, Da Vinci, but can you just go back to your workshop? Please?" Roman politely asked his co-worker, who released an audible sigh before apparently departing, though not without grumbling darkly under her breath. Bombe looked towards us with a cocked head, a befuddled look temporary replacing his earlier 'villainy'.
"What's with all the ruckus? Is it witchcraft? Magic or something?" He demanded. At that moment, Fou, who had opted to keep himself hidden on Mash's person, popped out, chirping softly. Bombe's one good eye focused on the critter. I found myself disliking the gleam that appeared in the green orb as the pirate licked his chops.
"Oh, my, what is this adorable little creature?" He asked. "It looks delicious."
"Fou?!" Mash's animal companion cried out in alarm.
"Try to eat him, and I'll crush you like a pimple," I said sternly, glaring at the man as I rested both of my palms on the pommels of my weapons. Thankfully, the bonehead seemed to have realized that I wasn't making an idle threat.
"Yeas, sorry!" He stammered nervously, before spinning around. "Well, time's a wasting! Ha, ha, follow me!" He said, tromping into the forest. We followed close behind, and I listened in as Mash spoke up behind me as the Demi-Servant walked step-by-step next to her (not-quite-so-secret) crush.
"Master, do you recognize the significance of what Bombe has just revealed?"
"That he's lost his marbles?" Mash paused, while I couldn't help but snicker softly.
"Well, yes, but that wasn't what I was referring to. Francis Drake. One of the great heroes that pioneered this world. We are in the midst of the Age of Exploration. If he's the real Drake, he's probably a living being," Mash said, sounding once more like a teacher.
"Like Nero when we first met her?" Ritsuka inquired.
"Yes. He's the first voyager in history to sail around the world and live to tell the tale."
"There were other attempts before him, then, I assume?"
"Yes. The first recorded circumnavigation around the world was led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, about thirty years ago from the date of this era. However, Magellan was killed in the Philippines before completing the expedition. About three years later, Spain launched the Loaísa Expedition. Again, the leader died, along with all but twenty-five of his comrades," I quickly explained over my shoulder.
"Jacob Senpai is correct. As a result of his actions, England received great fortunes. They bested Spain, who had been dominating the world seas, especially after conquering the New World. Because of this, Spain was touted as the Sun that Never Sets. But even they came to fear him, calling him 'El Draque', the 'Hero Who Brought Down the Sun'. Without him, the prosperous British Empire would never be achieved."
"My, what a fascinating, and perhaps dashing character!" Marie said, with Nero quick to agree.
"However," Mash said a bit loudly, silencing the two Servants, "while Drake was officially sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth as a privateer…a pirate's still a pirate. Judging from the behavior of the pirates thus far encountered, I suspect that the odds are high that Drake will turn out to be a good-for-nothing thug."
"In other words, don't let our guard down," I summed up grimly. Also, in other words, the usual routine. Still, pirate or not, I wouldn't deny that I felt the thrill of meeting yet another famous and influential figure. One of the few consistent upsides of my current occupation, one might observe.
"Yes, that's correct. Most likely a gluttonous giant, a nefarious character able to grab a barrel in one hand and chug its contents. The possibility is quite disturbing, but there is no doubt that he is a key person of this era. We must find a way to enlist the aid of Francis Drake."
The last time few times we had traveled through a forest, it had always been interrupted by a fight, whether it was Servants, Roman legionaries, the undead, or monstrosities. This time, however, it appeared that Lady Luck was smiling upon us, for we weren't accosted for the entire hour and a half or so it took to traverse the woods.
By the time we had finally reached the end of the forest, my knuckles were white from gripping the hilt of my sword tightly and consistently. Was it because I felt we were walking into a trap? No. Was is because we were being stalked? Again, no.
Did it have anything to do with the incessant noise coming from Bombe? Unfortunately, yes.
"Bet you're really happy about not slitting his throat now, huh?" Mordred groaned loudly as we pushed through the last few yards of forest. I could see a relatively large meadow. A small wooden palisade surrounded the edge, though I highly doubt it would keep out any serious attackers. Especially seeing as how there weren't any guards near the entrance Bombe was leading us too.
"Yeah, happy like a truss," I grumbled. Still, Rits had wanted to avoid lethal methods when we dealt with Bombe and his band, and I highly doubt my friend would just be easy-going if I attacked our guide, especially since he was both unarmed and not attacking us. Or at least, not attacking us yet.
When we entered, I noticed rows upon rows of hastily erected tents, each one made of white canvas, though quite a far number had been patched up. More and more pirates began to appear, either drawn by Bombe's boasts or the urging of their comrades to check out the newcomers, no doubt.
"There sure is a lot of pirates here," Ritsuka said, a slight tremble of anxiety in his voice. I shot my fellow Master a reassuring smirk.
"The only thing they got over us is numbers. Just keep cool, and we'll be fine," I said confidently, even if I didn't fully feel as such. Still, it was better to have shaky confidence than none. I saw Mordred give me one of her smirks, and I myself felt reassured, knowing that she had my back.
Finally, we reached a slightly larger tent towards the center of the camp. Considering how Bombe came to a stop a few yards away from the entrance, I felt reasonably confidant in assuming that this was where Francis Drake had set up his spot.
"Boss! BOSS!" Bombe hollered, perhaps a bit louder than was necessary. "We've got enem…er, guests, I mean!" The one-eyed pirate quickly corrected himself, sweating slightly as Mordred and the others glared at him. At first there was no response from inside the tent. Perhaps Drake was asleep? Then, finally, we heard the faint sound of movement within the canvas structure. "They wish to talk with you, Boss!"
"The hell?" Rang out a surprisingly feminine sounding voice. "Christ, right when I'm in a good mood, from this good rum—Wait. Guests? Are they pirates?"
"Umm, I don't think so!" Our guide called back. "They seem a bit classier than us. A bit more violent, too!"
"A bit?" Mash asked indignantly. I saw Ritsuka sympathetically patting her shoulder, and the Bristling Demi-Servant visibly relaxed slightly.
"The hell does that mean?" By this point I heard the sound of fabric, perhaps a blanket, rustling, as Drake began moving about. "Well then, are they government? Or army, perhaps?" Bombe looked over his shoulder, his brow creased as he stared at us for a few seconds before answering.
"Uh, I don't think they're any of those." A loud sound that appeared to have been a mixture of a growl and a groan slipped past tent entrance.
"So, in other words, you don't know, then. Fine, I'm coming out to have a look." Ritsuka, Mash, and I braced ourselves slightly, while Mordred crossed her arms with a bored expression on her face. A few seconds later, and the occupant of the tent stepped out into the sunlight, and we got our first look at Sir Francis Drake.
The first thing I saw was an extravagant-looking tricorn hat laced with gold, though if it was actual gold or the more common false gold used in the style, I couldn't tell. It was nestled on a head with wild pink hair, though it looked relatively well-kept compared to Mordred's…style. Then Drake straightened upright, and I got a full view of 'the Dragon'.
It wasn't a giant of a man. Nor was a barrel clutched in their hand. Nor where they covered with tattoos, though there was a scar across their face. Ice blue eyes swept over us with a shrewd sense in them. There wasn't any obvious sign of slovenliness to them, and in fact wore what seemed to be a uniform of sorts. A sleeveless coat that revealed two very distinctive mounds of flesh not typically found on a male. I blinked in surprise as I realized what I was seeing.
"Well now," the woman said, an intrigued look in her eyes, resting her hands on her hips. "You certainly brought me some strange ones, Bombe."
Original Endnotes: *Le Gasp!* Drake's not a guy? JK
So, what did you guys think? I had to do a bit of reworking from how the game portrays this section, but did I do a decent job? Also, yay, Ritsuka took down his first opponent in a fight, and non-lethally too! Also, tried a fight scene that was almost solely focused on non-Servants as the focus, so to speak, to spice things up. Totally not because I was avoiding making it feel like filler material considering that the crew Jacob and Rits brought along could have probably slaughtered the entire pirate mob...*laughs nervously*
I know I am super-psyched to write the next chapter or two, with Jacob and crew getting to experience the antics of Drake and her little band, but who else is? :)
Now, for the questions of the chapter: First up, who do you think is a better character overall, Ereshkigal or Ishtar? Second question: what's been your favorite singularity that I've written so far? (i.e which did you enjoy in terms of my writing style and all, as opposed to personal favorites of the seven singularities?)
As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave comments, reviews, and short story idea suggestions (I swear I'll get to them eventually!). I hope you enjoyed, and I can't wait to read what y'all thought of this chapter! Have a lovely day, and see ya in the next chapter!
Endnotes: As always, the full-length and regularly updated version of this story can be found on Archive of our own. Hope you've enjoyed and have a good day