Mordred roiled to the side as the massive axe slammed into the ground where she had just been standing on. A few small pellets of rock pinged off of her armor, and she lashed out even as she came to a stop.

The Bloodaxe guy certainly had strength, alright. Wouldn't be a Berserker class Servant otherwise. However, it seemed that strength was all he had, even with the whole 'Mad Enhancement' trait a Berserker carried. He didn't try to defend himself in any way, nor did he display any degree of tactics in his fighting style. Well, other than just swinging that axe of his around.

Another blow was blocked by Mash, the pink-haired Demi-Servant grunting loudly as she against her shield. Further back, Jeanne and Jing Ke were circling the raging Berserker, waiting for their own moments to attack, while a loud crack indicated that Drake had taken another potshot not at the Berserker but one of his now-rapidly dwindling followers, most of them having been felled by Vlad.

She had heard tales about the skill and power displayed by Lancer of Black during the Greater Holy Grail War, but unfortunately for her, had never gotten the chance to fight against him in person during that event. While she did get to fight him back in Orléans, it wasn't quite the same in a way. Even though Vlad was apparently weaker now due to not being in Romania, he would have still made for a rather impressive opponent, truth be told. In the opening seconds of the battle, Mordred blinked in shock at seeing three of Bloodaxe's followers being impaled by stakes from below.

Close to Jacob's side, a stony-faced Amadeus unleashed wave after wave of spells that seemed to affect the hearing of some more of the enemy pirates. Those affected grasped their ears and were helpless to defend themselves against Chulainn, as the Irish Lancer threw himself into the fray with great zeal.

However, she couldn't afford to focus too much on the others, as once more Bloodaxe decided to focus his attention on her.

Cursing silently, Mordred rolled to the side as the axe whooshed through the air. A loud, wooden thud, followed by a creaking sound as the tree that had been behind her hit the ground. She let out a low whistle. Then, a smirk appeared on her lips, and she darted forward.

The Bloodaxe fellow released another one of those aggravating bleating roars of his, but Mordred quickly tuned him out, ducking or blocking the flurry of axe strokes he unleashed. She bit back a dismissive scoff.

For all that the other knights had called her a berserker, back in Camelot and when they thought she was neither around nor listening, Mordred felt pretty damn confidant in stating that she was more refined in her fighting style compared to the actual Berserker before her.

Ducking and rolling under a horizontal slice that could have sheered through her breastplate, the Knight of Rebellion darted around the enemy Servant, lashing out at Clarent at his exposed back. A line of crimson quickly followed the path that Clarent had gone, and Bloodaxe roared again, this time in pain.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the drunk Assassin darting forward. Materializing a knife, she stabbed the Berserker in the thigh and twisted the blade. Two loud cracks followed, and Bloodaxe stumbled away as Drake began reloading her flintlock pistols.

Somehow, he had managed to block one of the shots with the flat of his axe, but the other appeared to have lodged itself into his right shoulder. While not debilitating by Servant standards, Mordred had little doubt that it was still a pain in the ass for the Berserker.

Unfortunately for her teammates, (not for the challenge and battle-loving knight, of course!), the pain seemed to have given Bloodaxe more energy. Mash darted in, spinning slightly to build up momentum with her shield before slamming it into the Berserker. Said Servant skidded back slightly, before grabbing Jeanne's weapon as Mordred's fellow blonde tried to skewer the Berserker from the side.

Having experienced a Berserker grabbing her weapon and throwing her around before, the Maid of Orléans released her grip and leapt backwards. At the same time, the flagpole disappeared, having been dismissed by its owner, and then reappearing in Jeanne's hands.

Jing Ke tried her luck again, the Assassin lunging for Bloodaxe's back. He must have sensed her, however, as Mordred watched him spin around and backhand her at the last second. A small spray of blood escaped from Jing's mouth as the allied Servant was sent flying onto her back. The knight winced, glad once again to have a full-length helmet to protect her face.

"Oi, dumbass, over here!" Mordred said mockingly, waving Clarent around for extra emphasis. Sure enough, the shouting gained the attention of Bloodaxe, who once more released a horrid-sounding roar, and charged at her. Jeanne quickly helped up the battered Jing Ke in the meantime, but Mordred didn't pay them any further attention. Instead, she focused on the enemy bearing down on her.

The blonde knight kept still as best she could. Move a moment too early, and the ploy would fall apart. Move too late, and she would take an unknown, but probably large, amount of damage. Her right fists tightly gripped Clarent's hilt as she slowly lowered her sword to chest level.

Only a half-dozen yards now separated the two Servants. Bloodaxe had a massive, bloodthirsty sneer on his lips. He raised that axe of his over his head, the muscles of his arms bulging. Not yet. Bloodaxe swung the hammer downwards. She faintly heard her partner call out her name, but she didn't reply.

Finally, she leapt backwards, and the axe didn't hit any of the resistance its owner had been expecting, therefore burying itself deep into the ground, and temporary trapping the weapon.

Perfect!

As the shirtless Berserker struggled to free his axe from the ground, Mordred saw her chance. Activating Mana Burst again, she darted forward, jumping onto the half-buried head of the demonic-looking axe, just as its owner finally freed it. She tensed her legs before using the upward motion to launch her forwards through the air.

Now with even more increased momentum, the Knight of Rebellion hurtled forward, Clarent outstretched and in front of her like some sort of metal horn, aimed for the unprotected chest of the startled-looking Berserker. She braced herself for the imminent impact of metal against flesh.

With how rapidly she was closing the gap between her and her foe, the Berserker wouldn't be able to dodge her sword. She heard the ever-familiar sound of metal piercing skin, and forced her arms forward, not wanting to let a single iota of the momentum she had built up dissipate.

The Berserker roared loudly, coughing up blood as her broadsword plunged deeper and deeper into the left side of his chest.

"Gi, gi, gi….Gia, ga, ga…Not giving it to you! It's mine! It is…mine…but…" the bleeding Berserker rumbled, before suddenly vanishing. Mordred dropped to the ground, landing on her feet gracefully and flicking Clarent down to the side, shaking off the blood from her sword. Heh, another enemy Servant dealt with. It also felt a bit satisfying, considering what had happened last time she fought an enemy Berserker Servant.

Mordred turned around, smirking as she looked at Jacob after dismissing Secret of Pedigree. "Well, looks like that's that!"

"Well, looks like that's that!" Mordred said, her ponytail falling down her back as her helmet split apart and retracted into her armor. I didn't immediately comment on it, other than a quick congratulations and compliment on the victory my partner had helped given us. My attention was mainly focused on a different matter.

I stared at the spot where Eric Bloodaxe had been standing. The blow Mordred had landed should have been fatal, no doubt about that. However, it felt that there was something wrong. Where had been the typical golden cloud of dust?

It reminded me all too much of the first time we thought against Caligula…

"Eric Bloodaxe has been defeated," Mash said, reporting in to Roman. The man in question hummed softly, and from the sounds of it, I could imagine he was frowning somewhat.

"Wait, that's odd. He vanished, but there's still a Servant response…" Mash blinked in a mixture of alarm and confusion, her body starting to tense up.

"What's the matter?" She inquired.

"Huh? It's gone. Hmmm, since coming to this era, I've been off my game," Doctor Roman said sadly. "Sorry, the equipment's still not in the best shape. I fear it's going to be a little hard to track you in the short-term. I just did another scan, and there are no more Servant signatures on the island. You guys are the only ones on it now," reported the ginger-haired man.

"I see," Drake said with a lopsided smile, holstering once more her pistols. "Then how about we go on a treasure hunt?" Without waiting for any kind of response from us, the pirate began walking in the direction that Eric Bloodaxe and his followers had come from. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that Ritsuka was staring at me with an inquisitive look in his eyes. I shrugged.

"Can't speak for you guys, but personally, I got nothing else," I said frankly, before looking back and walking rapidly after the retreating form of Drake, my Servants right at my heels. If there was one thing useful Eric Bloodaxe had done for us, it was to carve a relatively clear path to wherever he had been before. The felled trees helped mark the way to whatever he and his followers had been using as their basecamp, too.

"Do you think there is treasure, Jacob Senpai?" Mash inquired politely. I shrugged lazily.

"I don't."

"Really?" Mash asked, and I shrugged again. "It would be interesting if there was one."

"Just as long as it's not another freaking Chimera," Rits grumbled, and I snickered in amusement. Then, just as we approached the end of the tree line, Drake called out.

"Hey! Over here! I found something!" Drake's voice rang out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mash perk up slightly.

"Huh? You did?" She called back, before turning to Rits. "Let's go, Master!" The Demi-Servant declared, darting past me, Ritsuka close on her heels.

"Shieldy's quite lively today, huh?" Mordred said dryly, and Jeanne giggled.

"I think it's kinda cute," I heard the Ruler say a bit impishly. I sighed dramatically, even as I smiled slightly.

"Marie's corrupted you," I said to a now-beaming Jeanne. Mordred scoffed, but she didn't disagree. Whether she liked it or not, I hadn't failed to notice that Mordred had been spending more time with the French Servants, in particular Jeanne. Of course, whether it was by choice or because the saint and Marie were dragging her along, I couldn't tell.

When we reached Drake, I immediately noticed the ship beached. It was a long one, with a single mast in the middle. The sail was furled. One either side was a bank of oars stretching for what appeared to be roughly three-quarters of the hull. Unless my eyes were deceiving me, it looked like the stereotypical depiction of a Viking longship. If this wasn't the one that Eric had been using, I would eat my hat!

"See this ship? I bet you a barrel of my best rum that king was using it!" Drake proclaimed confidently.

"Doctor?" Mash asked, speaking into her commlink as she eyed the ship in question.

"Miss Drake is correct. It's a larger version of the ships Vikings used. Therefore, it should look like something out of the 9th century. Yet, it's as good as new," Roman finished, sounding bewildered by that fact. So, it must have been built recently. But how and where? Sadly, I doubt that I could hope for the answers to just fall out of the sky at any minute.

"It does not seem to be…a treasure.," Mash said cautiously, eyeing a still-exuberant Drake. She merely shook her head and laughed.

"Sure it is," she retorted with a smirk. "You guys wait here. If this is a Viking ship…" Whatever the rest of her sentence was, we didn't hear, as she sprinted towards the beached ship and vaulted over the side. I tensed my body, ready to come to her assistance with our Servants, but there wasn't any shouts or cries.

"Those pirates that were with Eric must have been the last of the crew," Rits said. I grunted softly.

"So it would seem," I said idly as I watched Drake jump off of the ship, waving some sort of thick, leather-bound journal of some sort. She sprinted back over to us, skidding to a halt in the sand and thankfully not kicking up a huge cloud of it into our eyes or something.

"Found it. Treasure!" Mash blinked.

"A book?"

"While I am sure that there is truth to the saying about the power of books, I presume that you are referring to its contents?" Vlad added, looking unamused. Drake nodded, opening up her find and flipping through the pages rather rapidly. Just like the ship, the pages appeared to have been new.

"Hm. When sailing, Vikings recorded everything, from starting point to destination. They did it using pictures and glyphs. Coast shapes, shoal spots, current traits, paths, things like that. If they appeared out of the blue, that's one thing. But if they sailed here..." Drake paused in her explanation, no longer flipping through the pages, and instead studying the two pages she had stopped at. "Yes, I smell fresh ink! This must be the chart for this island and its surroundings."

"A rather priceless find," Amadeus quipped, and Drake's smirk took a bit of a feral edge to it as she nodded approvingly towards my Caster.

"Bingo. There's no better treasure for us since we're about to set sail into the seas again, right?" Drake said, and based off her body language, it looked like she was specifically focusing on Mash. Whether the pink-haired girl realized it yet or not, it seems that Drake had picked up quite the interest in Mash.

"…You have a good point," Mash admitted rather grudgingly. Drake smirked, looking quite like the cat that had caught the canary. "Captain Drake, well…you seem violent, but you're actually pretty pragmatic."

"Impressed? Now, how about that trip around the world?" She asked, looking intently at Mash, Ritsuka, and I.

"I'll think about it," I said, opting for a vague answer that wouldn't back me into a corner. Truth be told, I found the idea exciting, but sadly, there were several problems that prevented me from accepting Drake's surprisingly generous offer.

"After this battle is over, perhaps," Ritsuka said. Drake smiled warmly, not at all phased by a lack of committed answers. I couldn't help but feel admiration for her apparent optimism and easy-going nature.

"I see, I see! With you guys, our strength would be a hundredfold! We'll depart after restocking on food and water. It's time to return to the ship in the meantime," Drake said.

"Agreed. Not that I don't trust Astolfo or any of the others, but I fear what we might come across if we dally any longer here," I said, adding a tint of mock-horror to my voice and expression for a comedic effect. Mordred, Jeanne, Drake, and Chulainn busted out laughing, and the pink-haired pirate once more led the way back through the jungle, towards the Golden Hind. I placed a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder, keeping him towards the rear with me. Mash looked like she wanted to have some words with us.

Turns out, my call was the right one, for we had barely started walking back when Mash walked over between us.

"Senpai, are you sure about this?" Mash asked in concern, staring at her (not so secret) subject of affection. "By correcting this era, the memories of us—" Ritsuka interrupted her with a low groan, face palming with a pained expression on his face. I bit back my sigh as I registered his response.

"I forgot about that," my fellow Master admitted softly. Mash blinked in disbelief, before frowning sternly.

"Wait, Senpai…were you really planning on sailing around the world? Please stop teasing me!" She whined. I coughed slightly, both to quiet Mash before Drake made her way over here to see what was going on, and get my turn to speak.

"If that is the case, then what is the harm in it?" I added blithely. Mash hummed, before tilting her head slightly towards me in acknowledgement of my statement.

"True…I suppose as her memories disappear, the problem itself will be gone, but…" Mash trailed off.

"But it still feels wrong?" Ritsuka supplied.

"Yes."

"Not much can be done, though. At least when we leave, it won't be like with Nero, left all on her own," I said gently, remembering about Rits telling me how bothered she had been by our abrupt departure from the Second Singularity. Mash nodded silently, and I nudged both her and Ritsuka forward. "You guys go catch up with Drake. I wouldn't put it past her to take the rowboat back and leave us on the beach for a few hours as a joke," I said, my tone quite serious despite the joking nature of my words.

Rits and Mash nodded, and ran ahead, leaving me in the back with Mordred. I turned to my partner. "Good work back there, by the way. Sorry for not commenting about it sooner," I said apologetically. Mordred grunted, giving me a scrutinizing look.

"Something's bothering you," she said bluntly, and I couldn't help but laugh softly. Finally bringing it back under control, I nodded towards the knight.

"Yes. That battle, it felt almost…too easy. This is not an insult to your abilities, I'm sure you know that," I said a bit hurriedly, not failing to notice the arched eyebrow Mordred had. My words appeased her, though, thankfully, and she relaxed.

"This isn't the first Berserker I have ever fought, as you know, but I will admit, something about the way he disappeared felt off," the blonde knight admitted. "The doc said that the signature was still there for a moment, right?"

"Yes. That's one of two things bothering me. That, and the fact that the normal sights I've come to associate a Servant's death with weren't witnessed. Namely, the whole dissolving into a cloud of bright golden dust ."

"Do you think he wasn't killed, then?" Mordred growled when I slowly nodded my head. "Damn it, I hate it when bastards I run through don't understand the meaning of the word 'death'. Well, I defeated him once. I can do so again, easily," my partner said, sounding like her typical cocksure self. I shook my head with a small grin, enjoying getting to spend some time chatting with Mordred as we headed back towards the area we had landed. Soon, the incident with the Berserker known as Eric Bloodaxe faded to the back of my mind, as the beach appeared once more.

About two hours had passed since we returned to the Golden Hind. Thankfully, the ship was completely fine and in one piece, as was the crew. Even more gratifying, at least for me, was seeing how none of them were inebriated.

Drake definitely knew how to run a tight ship, it seems. It was certainly a relief to also see that the Servants had been left behind to help protect the ship seemed fine for the most part. Medea seemed kinda irritated, but to be fair, that is kinda a default expression for her.

Now, we were gathered on the poop deck, looking over a spread-out map from the journal Drake had retrieved, plotting our next course of action.

"Now, according to the map we've acquired, there's a large island to the northwest. Considering our speed, it will take about ten hours. If we can catch the wind, maybe even less." I bit back the urge to groan at that. Then again, we are in the age of sail, not the age of steam.

"Will we be stopping offshore for the night?" I asked instead, noticing how it was early afternoon right now. Drake nodded.

"Yeah. At least, that's what I was hoping to do. Glad to see we're of the same mind there."

"In the meantime," Mash said, raising her wrist-mounted commlink, "we can have the glyphs analyzed. Doctor, I'm transferring the data."

"Very well," Roman replied. "One book shouldn't be an issue over here. That said, I'd like to have a summoning point established soon. I'll keep an eye out for any suitable location."

"Let's hope that there's a Leyline on the next island," Mash said, and I grunted in agreement. Drake smirked, and turned to Bombe and the rest of her crew.

"All right, you scallywags! Time to set sail!"

Original Endnotes: And done! Sorry if the chapter is short, but the important question is, what were your thoughts on the fight scene? Was it bland, exciting, or just average? Personally, I really enjoy writing Mordred fighting, both because of her personality and because of her own, ahem, fighting-style. Also, methinks that Mordred is starting to make friends! This can only go well, right? :P Also, poor Eric, he came and went with the wind. Too bad he won't return or anything...

Also, silly Vlad. You guys looking forward to seeing our favorite Minotaur Servant?

Now, for the question(s) of the day: For FGO players, who are your top three favorite welfare Servants and why? What's the most messed up/intense anime that you have ever watched that you enjoyed?

As always, thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave feedback in any form! I hope you enjoyed it, and I can't wait to read what y'all thought! Have a wonderful rest of the day, and see y'all in the next chapter!

Updated Endnotes 10/17/21: As always, full-length story can be found on AO3, with Chapter 128 having been posted yesterday. Have a wonderful day, and see you all in the next chapter.