I swung my curled-up and empty fist forward, catching the jaw of a Greek-styled sailor in a mean left hook. The blow sent the burly foe spinning onto his back. One of Drake's own pirates sprang onto the prone opponent, and I paid them no further attention.
The fighting, like always, was fierce, bloody, and without quarter. Portions of the wooden deck were already soaked in puddles of crimson blood as Greek and English seafarers fought, killed, and died in droves. Thankfully, it was more of the former than the latter who contributed to this sorry state of affairs, but our faithful allies were still taking losses of their own.
Up ahead, another of Drake's pirates gurgled a wail, a bloody froth erupting from his lips as a Dragon Tooth Warrior extracted its cleaver-like sword from his throat. Scowling angrily, I gripped the hilt of my trusty sword with both hands as one of Medea Lily's constructs threw itself at me. Even as tired muscles ached dully, I cleaved cleanly the mindless construct.
The battle continued to swirl past me. One minute impaling an enemy sailor, the next moment I find myself parrying the attacks of two Dragon Tooth Warriors before a furious Mordred demolished them. I felt numb to the fighting and the death, and it was only the sound of someone shouting at me that brought cleared my mind.
"Hey, future boy! Your name is Jacob, right?" I stiffened, spinning around and adopting a hasty defensive stance even as Mordred leapt in front of me. I recognized that damn voice. Hector stood in his normal, relaxed manner. I could hear Mordred's teeth gritting as she let out a low growl under her helmet.
As usual, though, the seemingly lackadaisical Lancer waved it off, literally in this case. "Now, now, knight. This old man just has something he'd like to ask, before we begin our final duel." Funnily enough, his words didn't put us at any degree of ease. Fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice, shame on us. I didn't plan on there wasn't going to be a twice. I did nod in the affirmative towards Hector's earlier question, however.
The Trojan prince broke out into a toothy and sincere grin, his head bobbing up and down several times. "I'm impressed that both you and the other have managed to come this far. It's truly amazing. Fuyuki, France, Rome, and now here." Mordred and I both stilled at the implications of his words, while Hector continued speaking. "I appreciate you lot coming all this way. I value that kind of perseverance."
"So, you know about Chaldea, then?" I asked cautiously. If Hector was interested in talking first, maybe I can see if I can acquire more information. Other than Lev, we hadn't encountered anyone that displayed any awareness of there being multiple singularities. Even for a Servant, only those summoned by Ritsuka and I had displayed pre-knowledge about them.
So, just how the hell did Hector know about this. Hector chuckled, a sly look in his eyes as his smile shrunk slightly. Leaning forward against his spear, the Lancer shrugged.
"Oh, my hunch was right, that's all. Really, I'm just a warrior who couldn't pick a Master to serve," he said. Hector then kicked the base of his weapon with his foot, causing it to twist in the air upwards for a few seconds before his arms reached out and snatched the long lance. I heard Mordred's grip on the hilt of Clarent audibly tightening in preparation to take down her nemesis of this singularity. "Now, let's see who can hold out longer. This old man is pretty confident in defensive battles."
"Damn, seems like negotiations have broken down," I whispered wryly to Mordred. The Knight of Rebellion snorted in dry amusement.
"What a pity," she snarked back. "Stay back, okay Jacob?" I briefly clasped her shoulder reassuringly as I nodded. Meanwhile, Hector watched with a more serious expression now.
"Now, Sir Mordred, come at me with everything you've got, brat." Both Mordred and I bristled at the insult. I had a feeling it was directed at both of us, but even so, I was more upset at hearing my knight being insulted than I. "I'll show you how experience triumphs youth."
"And I'll show you how you talk too much, Hector!" Mordred roared back. Well, she certainly was fired up. Hector had prodded a fearsome and protective lion. Now, he was about to see why that may have been a really bad idea, via the medium of a world of pain. Beating my retreat as per Mordred's request, I called out one last time before the duel began.
"I'm counting on you, Mordred."
"I haven't let you down yet, Master!" Mordred shot back eagerly, crouching down and readying to charge as I took a few more steps back. I didn't sheath me sword, however, though I would not be partaking in fighting Hector. Not directly, at least. There were still lesser enemies to be dealt with, however.
As I dealt with the occasional Dragon Tooth Warrior or Greek sailor that tried challenging me, I periodically glanced anxiously as my lover and Hector began their deadly dance.
Mordred snarled angrily as she bent backwards, Hector's spear cutting through the air where her throat had been moments earlier. Finally, she was going to be able show the world why it should stop messing with anything and anyone that belonged to her!
The main problem was landing blows on the bastard. As much as his laziness rubbed her the wrong way, he was skilled. He reminded Mordred of Galahad in a way. If that shield-wearing bugger was older and even more of an ass.
Mordred paused her reminiscing as she side-stepped a thrust from that ridiculous-looking spear of his. Her retaliatory blow was blocked by the lower half of the metal shaft, once more putting the two Servants into a state of deadlock.
Still, as much as she despised his guts, Mordred couldn't, wouldn't, deny that her blood was certainly running at the anticipation of fighting, and more importantly winning, what was sure to be one hell of a fight, as once more she swung Clarent around ferociously.
Their weapons once more locked against one another, she gritted her teeth. Compared to Heracles, this fucker was damn annoying! The complete opposite of the Berserker. Letting go of the hilt of Clarent with her left hand, Mordred's hand curled up into a tight, metal-clad fist that she shot forward.
The blow caught Hector on his right jaw, causing Mordred's lips to curl up in a feral and bloodthirsty smirk. Hector grunted, more in shock than pain, but he still gave ground. Perfect!
Not wanting to give the male Servant even the briefest of moments to recover, the Knight of Rebellion pressed her attack. Even though the close distance between the two reduced the angles of attack she could wield Clarent, she could fight with more than just her sword. A punch here, a kick there, shove and push. Mordred landed more than a few good follow-up hits as she brawled in such a manner that the other knights would have been appalled at. Maybe it did make her a brute. But better a brute who wins and lives, than to die fighting honorably.
As the fight approached the one-minute mark in duration, the Knight of Rebellion noticed Hector suddenly smirking. Even as she threw up her guard, the bastard of a Lancer leapt backwards, simultaneously lashing out towards her feet with the shaft of Durandal.
Mordred experienced a brief moment of lightness as the world titled to the side. When she landed on her side, the air was knocked out of her lungs. That dirty, sneaky, son of a bitch…
"Mordred!" Jacob's voice was sharp and filled with fear. Struggling still to regain her breath, Mordred hurled her body to the side, and the stab from Durandal pierced only thick oaken planks. Mordred didn't stay still however. Instead, she continued rolling until her sabatons made contact with the icy barrier her Master had thrown up.
Her leg muscles coiling up like an adder, the Knight of Rebellion propelled herself forward, flying just inches above the ground as she swung Clarent in a wide arc.
Sparks showered between her and Hector as her stolen sword slammed into the sword-like blade of Hector's lance. "Not bad, not bad. This old man's impressed," Hector said breezily. His lax attitude was really pissing Mordred the hell off, however.
"Can you knock it off with referring to yourself in the third person?!" She gritted her teeth some more when Hector only laughed rather loudly. "Guess I'll have to take care of that myself!" She snarled, activating her Mana Burst ability once more and shooting forward. Hector raised his spear overhead as she feinted an overhead strike. With his guard focused on any attacks aimed at his upper body, he wasn't prepared for the heavy kick she dealt to his sternum.
Spittle splashed against her breastplate as the attack nearly bent the Lancer in half. Mordred then swung Clarent downwards, the tip of her broadsword carving a trail across the planks serving as the battlefield before it sliced vertically from the ground.
Her stolen sword cleaved through fabric and armor, and more liquids splashed against her proactive iron shell. This time, crimson blood was the material in question.
Hector staggered backwards, groaning in pain. To his credit, the Lancer darted forward, aiming Durandal at the one point most vulnerable in her armor. The eye slits of Secret of Pedigree. Mordred raised her free hand at the last second, the palm facing the point of the spear. She gritted her teeth as a familiar stabbing sensation of pain erupted as the sword-like tip pierced the leather glove covering her hand. Her heart twisted slightly at hearing Jacob shouting her name in a rather agonized-sounding tone, but quickly and ruthlessly smothered the feeling.
Better to take an injury like this as she just did, if it meant a quicker victory. "Checkmate, old man," Mordred taunted, and Hector had only a brief moment of confusion, before his eyes widened. At that moment, Mordred felt the satisfying thud of Clarent piercing Hector's chest as she thrusted the sword all the way through his body, until the hilt was pressing against him. As she pulled her hand off of his spear, she leaned forward slightly, whispering harshly into the ear of the now fatally-injured enemy.
"Next time you're summoned, think twicer about fucking with someone's Master!"
"Oh, damn," Hector groaned, as Mordred yanked out Clarent with a single brutal tug. She leapt backwards a few feet, making sure once again to block Hector's view of me with her armored form. "Looks like this is it for this old man. Well, at least I did all that I could."
Then, Hector turned to Euryale, and in a blink of an eye, that dangerous lance of his was pointed towards her. "But at least I'll leave a parting gift! Euryale, offer your life to the Ark!" With that being said, the dying Lancer started to charge forward. Mordred and I remained calm, however.
He managed to make it a few steps forward, before stumbling as a soft but meaty thunk was heard. Hector stumbled backwards, a small arrow shaft sticking out of his heart. Euryale smirked smugly at the Trojan prince. "Wha…"
"That's what I, we, expected you would do," the Archer said, drawing back her bowstring and fitting another arrow as Hector took a half-step forward. The small but vicious gorgon aimed at his chest, but Euryale didn't release the taut bowstring just yet.
"This old man's scheme," Hector wheezed, falling down to one knee. Durandal slipped out of his fingers, rolling away from him across the deck for a few yards. Then, to my grim satisfaction, the weapon that had almost killed me vanished after glowing a soft golden hue. "How did you see through it?" Hector managed.
"Are you a dumbass?" Mordred scoffed, raising Clarent into the air once more. "You already tried a similar trick on my Master. Why the hell would we lower our guard around you for even a moment?" My knight demanded haughtily. Euryale nodded as she moved beside me.
"Besides, you killed Asterios. As Mordred did the same for your assassination attempt, that was reason enough for me to pay close attention to you, old man," the gorgon said, mockingly emphasizing Hector's peculiar verbal quirk.
Hector sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. "I guess I'm just not cut out to be a villain. I thought I'd at least go big at the end of the world. But, your hands are tied when the 'top' is terrible…"
With those final words, Hector leaned forward as Mordred stood by his side, exposing the back of his neck to her. I exhaled quickly and instinctively shut my eyes as I heard Mordred's sword whistling through the air, a sickening squelching sound, and then two heavy objects hitting the wooden planks of the Argos's deck.
Opening them back up, I saw the last of Hector's body vanishing. Well, at least it was a more dignified end for the Lancer compared to what happened to his body in life. Some might have expected Mordred to be more vicious right then and there, driven by the fury of remembering the near-miss, but I knew my lover was better than that.
She had anger, yes, but she wasn't cruel or sadistic, like some Servants could be. My knight in shining armor turned towards me, her helmet splitting apart and melding into her upper body armor. "The enemy Servant has been destroyed, Master," Mordred reported, a feral smirk on her lips as her eyes glowed in satisfaction.
I nodded, smiling back at her. "Well done, as always. You too, Euryale." While Mordred did her normal preening, walking over and slapping the back of my own armor affectionately, the gorgon merely shrugged.
"Like I said, I didn't do it for you. I did it for Asterios," she said, dainty sniffing dismissively. Mordred and I looked at one another before rolling our eyes. I opened my mouth to deliver a witty comeback, when the Argos started shuddering slightly. Turning to look at the ice wall I had created, I could see glowing lights of an unnatural tone flying about.
"Looks like Shieldy and the others are still fighting," Mordred quipped, re-summoning her helmet as I walked closer to the makeshift barrier of mine.
"Come on, let's see if Ritsuka needs any assistance," I said, placing my right hand to the ice wall next to me. While I was running on empty, I still had enough mana in my tank to manipulate some of my ice pillar. Closing my eyes, I imagined a gateway being formed right in front of me. Nothing elaborate, just a tall enough archway to allow for us to reach the stern of the ship.
Opening my eyes, I found myself panting slightly. Damn, that took almost the rest of my reserves out of me. I was going to be sore in the morning. But for victory, and to help one of my dearest friends and comrades, I considered that to be a price I was more than willing to pay.
"Let's go!" I roared, seeing that the last of Jason's lackeys, as well as Atalante, fall to the combined strength of Drake, her crew, and the other Servants. Mordred nodded, and the others quickly followed. Flanked by Mordred on one side and Drake on the other, I readied myself to either aid my friend and fellow Master, or witness proudly his own victory.
"So," Jason drawled, sounding utterly unimpressed by Ritsuka and the two who were accompanying him. "This is what they send against me? A washed out, bitter hag, a wannabe Servant, and that Master's errand boy? I'd feel very insulted if it weren't for how sad a sight this makes for!"
Ritsuka couldn't help but bristle instinctively. Yes, maybe Jacob was the more commanding of the two, but he had never, ever relegated Ritsuka to a lowly roll. Maybe, if this was at Orléans, those words would have had a greater effect on him, but Rits felt only anger and distaste at Jason's cheap tricks.
On his left side, Medea was making a visible effort to keep her composure, and not shoot forward and begin throttling her ex-husband. The tail of her cloak fluttered menacingly.
Mash, on the other hand, seemed to have been the least affected by Jason's taunt. Ritsuka's dependable friend was always like that, shrugging off insults directed towards her for the sake of the greater good and all.
"Big talk from someone whose success in life came mostly from riding on the laurels of others," Ritsuka said. His words earned a bemused scoff from Medea, a fierce scowl from Jason, and to Ritsuka's surprise, what looked like amusement in Medea Lily's eyes.
"Lord Jason," Medea Lily said, looking towards her 'Master'. "Atalante and Hector are busy fighting the others. What should we do? It's impossible to surrender or retreat, and I'm a mage who can only heal and defend." Ritsuka watched as Jason's face turned a deep, ugly purple, the Saber's veins on his forehead bulging slightly.
"Silence, woman! If you're my wife, act like one and think about protecting your husband!" Jason roared, raising up a hand as if to strike his companion. Ritsuka and Mash stiffened simultaneously, while he noticed that Medea's jaw jutted out, and what little he could see of her face looked like thunder.
Medea Lily, however, merely giggled, adopting a 'tee hee, my bad' type posture. She gave an elegant curtsy. "Yes. Of course, Master. After all, that's what a Servant does," she said the words breezily, as if she hadn't just been insulted and demeaned in a rather vile manner. Ritsuka couldn't shake off the suspicion that the smaller Servant was planning something. He noted, a bit nervously too, the slightest of smiles on the enemy.
Ritsuka wasn't the only one to do so, either. "What's that look? Why are you smiling?" Jason demanded, his hand lowering down to instead clutch the gilded hilt of the leaf-bladed sword at his side. The Greek Saber didn't draw his weapon yet, however. "Don't you understand what this situation means?!"
"Of course, my Lord Husband," Medea Lily said, curtsying in his direction with a more serene, almost detached, smile on her lips. "Leave that 'me' to myself. Though you are not yet invincible, my Master, I know that you will be more than a match for that Master and a mere Demi-Servant."
To Ritsuka, the words sounded just a bit too simpering for his tastes. Jason, however, merely nodded, relaxing some as he slowly drew his sword. It was a short blade, about two-feet long, with a single-hand grip. The arrogant blonde made a few lazy slashing motions as he stared at his 'wife', still a bit leery of her.
"Ah, now that's more like the faithful wife I kne-know and love," Jason said, clumsily correcting himself. Ritsuka scowled, as his Medea scoffed derisively.
"And that's more like my wishy-washy excuse of a husband. Fate truly was cruel to us, I see," Medea murmured to herself softly. Ritsuka didn't respond, not knowing whether he was suppose to have heard the words she had just uttered so bitterly. A few seconds later, Medea turned around towards him, dismissing her dagger in a cloud of purple mist. Her staff took its place in her hands.
"Master, I will deal with my younger self. If anyone is to pop that bubble of naivety once more, I rather it be done by my own hand," she requested smoothly. Ritsuka tilted his head forward slightly.
"I have no problem with that, Medea. Mash and I will keep Jason occupied. Haven't forgotten about my promise I made with you, after all," Ritsuka added softly. To his pleasure, he saw the lips of his Caster twitch upwards in a faint ghost of a smile for a moment, before they flattened out.
"If he beats the two of you, I'll never let you live it down, my young Master," she said impishly before hovering a few feet into the air. She started floating towards Medea Lily, who also moved off to the side. Ritsuka and Mash were now left alone with Jason.
"Ah, that's much better," the blonde Greek said, completely relaxed now. "A word of advice, wannabes. Never trust a witch. You make one mistake, one teensy, tiny mistake, and they will do everything they can to ruin your life. Especially her."
"From what I've heard, you're not exactly blameless, Jason," Ritsuka shot back. Mash readied her shield as Jason jabbed his sword at them from a distance. His free hand was on his hip as he shook his head, laughing wildly.
"Ha! What would you know? I was born to be a king, but all of it was stolen from me when I was but a babe. It, and life in general, taught me that to gain what's yours, you must use strength and manipulation of friends and foes."
"Talk about a petty hero," Ritsuka shot back as he saw flashes of bright, mystical lights going off to the side as the two female Casters began a magic duel. "I doubt you could even use that sword of yours," the young Master added, trying out a page from Jason's book.
To his grim satisfaction, the smug look on Jason's face suffered an ugly death. His (unfortunately) handsome features warped as he scowled fearsomely. "Impudent brat! I was taught by one of the most renown centaurs of all time! Prepare to experience what I learned!"
"Mash!" Ritsuka called out, recognizing that the time of talk had ended. Hopefully, he hadn't overplayed his hand. His left hand snaked down to his belt, gripping the hilt of the pugio Nero had gifted him. While he wouldn't deny that he was but an amateur in using it, Jacob had taken some time to teach him the basics, saying that since Ritsuka didn't have a sword of his own yet, he'd 'damn well' make sure that he could defend himself with a dagger in the meantime.
While he knew that Mash, Jacob, and virtually everyone else at Chaldea would throttle Ritsuka should he try to intervene by trying to stab Jason, the near-miss Jacob sustained yesterday had been memorable enough that Ritsuka would never let his guard down near enemy Servants like he might have before. However, there was one thing he could do in the meantime…
As Jason continued giving a mocking and belittling speech that both he and Mash ignored, he leaned over to his partner. "Get ready. I'm going to give you an opening to keep Jason off-balance," Ritsuka whispered to Mash. His kouhai eyed him as best she could without looking fully away from Jason.
"Senpai?" She whispered back. He gave her a reassuring wink.
"Don't worry. Remember, your objective here is to just keep Jason distracted. Medea'll deliver the finishing blow once she's finished off Medea Lily, so just hold firm, okay?"
"Understood, Master," Mash said dutifully, relaxing after being reassured that Ritsuka wasn't about to pull a…what was it that Jacob called it? Ah, a Leroy Jenkins. He'd rather leave that tactic to Jacob, personally.
He whipped up his right arm, making a familiar finger-gun gesture as Ritsuka fired up his Magic Circuits. Channeling mana, he fired off a single bolt of Gandr. To his satisfaction, the attack caught Jason completely off-guard, eyes closed and mouth hanging open. The words the blonde Saber had been uttering were murdered as the curse nailed Jason between the eyes.
While Jason wasn't killed or injured, unfortunately, the leader of the Argonauts stumbled backwards a few feet, crying out in a mixture of shock and pain as a faint whisp of smoke drifted upwards.
"You piece of shit!" Jason snarled, removing his hand and glaring at Ritsuka murderously. "You'll pay for that with your life!"
"Not while I still stand!" Mash declared, and Ritsuka felt his cheeks flush with color at the thought and statement. Jason scoffed, before darting forward. "Get back, Master!" Ritsuka reluctantly complied as he watched Mash's shield slam into the deck as the Demi-Servant braced her body against it. A split-second later, she gave off a soft grunt as Jason's sword scraped harmlessly against the boss of her shield.
Ritsuka quickly managed to relax as the skirmish between Jason and Mash continued. Contrary to his fears, Jason really was all bark, little bite. He had expected more from an apparent student of Chiron (for who else was a centaur who raised and taught Greece's most famous heroes?). While Jason did have some skill, compared to Artoria Alter, D'Eon, Caesar, or Altera, he might as well have been a mortal master instead of a Servant. Maybe it was due to the period of life that Jason had been summoned from, where he no longer depended on the skills taught by Ritsuka's Archer. Maybe he had just always been a mediocre student, but regardless of the reason, he was unable to break through Mash's guard.
Whereas Jason apparently never improved, Ritsuka was quite proud to say that was the opposite for Mash. The pink-haired girl always strived to improve herself. To, as she once said, prove herself a 'dependable kouhai'. In Ritsuka's eyes, she had proven herself to be exactly that a hundredfold, but Mash didn't let up.
The 'duel', if one was generous in describing what he was witnessing, lasted for a few more minutes. A part of him longed to observe instead the magic duel between the two Greek Casters, typically in time with orbs or beams of light appearing momentarily out of the corner of his eyes. He didn't, though, because Ritsuka had a duty to stand by his first partner, as Jacob did with Mordred. A task he was more than happy to accept.
Suddenly, he heard a series of cracking and crunching noises from the wall of ice separating him from his fellow Master. Looking over, he saw that a crude tunnel had been formed in the base of the projection. At the opposite end, he could see Jacob, Mordred, Drake, and the others running towards them.
Then, he realized that Medea and Medea Lily were no longer casting spells at one another. Medea must have one, as by her own admission Medea Lily was the weaker of the two. Course, that might not be saying much considering how the legends made clear that even as a young princess, Medea had been extremely skilled in utilizing magic.
Looking over his shoulder in the desire to confirm his suspicions, Ritsuka watched Medea twirl around on her heels to face Jason as the Saber once more tried vainly to strike down Mash. Grinning wickedly, Ritsuka's Caster moved forward. She wasn't running so much as speedily gliding, nary making a sound. She had dismissed her staff, and now Ruler Breaker was being held in a grip most suited for a downward stab.
At first, he thought that his Caster had finished dealing with her younger self. Then he saw that the smaller Caster, while rather battered, burnt, and bleeding rather heavily from above her right eye and left arm, and her dress scorched in places, was very much in one piece. She was damaged, perhaps critically so, but wasn't on the verge of returning to the Throne of Heroes like he would have expected. At least, so far as he could tell.
So, why was she letting her opponent attack her clearly preoccupied Master? Especially since her main objective was to keep the adult Medea away from Jason. The question occupied his mind as he watched Medea glide forward, right up behind Jason. At the last minute, the Saber seemed to have sensed the danger, but it was too late.
"This is for my little brother," Medea hissed, and Ritsuka briefly saw her pretty eyes filled with the venoms of anger and bitterness, before Rule Breaker stabbed downwards.
The sound of the jagged dagger tearing through his armor and then flesh was one that almost caused Ritsuka to flinch violently. While it wasn't being used in its Noble Phantasm means, Ruler Breaker was itself an extremely dangerous dagger. Not because it was cursed, or eternally covered in venom.
It was because of its ability to render null and void any magical contracts or bindings. Sasaki and Chulainn had once mentioned how it was possible for her dagger to seal another Servant's ability to wield their Noble Phantasms, or even steal the Command Seals of their Master.
That little tidbit had briefly excited Ritsuka when Jacob was laying out his idea for how they would deal with Heracles. Sadly, Medea had informed the two that it was an almost-impossible task to perform, especially with the time constraints forced onto them.
However, this wasn't the case here, and Ritsuka watched as Jason's expression of confusion morphed into one of pain and horror. He coughed up a glob of blood as Medea continued speaking.
"For my brother, and for me."
Original Endnotes: Go Medea! Best Caster for the win! Also, Mordred being a badass once again. Always fun to write! So, did y'all enjoy the fights in this chapter? Sorry if I wasn't in depth with Mash versus Jason, but like I wrote in the story, I highly doubt that this form of the hero would have put up much of a spirited fight. That's not to say that Jason can't be skilled, mind you, just not in the form here. Also, Medea Lily, what are you planning?
Now, time for the question(s) of the chapter! First up, in the spirit of looking back over this arc of the Will to Fight, excluding chapter 79, which chapter would you say was your most favorite of the Third Singularity events? The second question, in light of the amount of SQ FGO players have been getting, what's the most amount of SQ did you have at any singular sitting? The record for me is currently 93.
As always, thanks for sticking around and reading yet another chapter of my work, and please feel free to drop a like or a comment! I hope you enjoyed it, and I can't wait to see how y'all react to 78! Have a wonderful rest of the day, and see you wonderful guys and gals in Chapter 79!