Chapter 70: Old wounds

Dead silence permeated throughout the ship as the stories were recounted to Ash and Oscar, the two undead remained silent for the entire explanation. From the point Rendal had activated his Noble Phantasm to the point the pair had gone on a rampage.

By the end of the story, Ash's expression was blank while Oscar's was hidden behind his helmet – not that it hid away his personal feelings. That much was apparent the moment he turned around and slowly paced over to the edge of the ship and leaned over the railings.

"From your...description." Ash spoke slowly, looking away from Ritsuka and towards the deck of the ship "Myself and Oscar…"

"We Hollowed." Oscar supplied with a noticeable crack in his voice "...If only briefly. Once again...I was but a burden to others."

"Do not blame yourself for it." Ash reassured the Knight with a troubled expression of his own "I was also caught under the effects of the attack and...was less restrained than you were."

"Yes." Oscar gave an ugly snort "I suppose we should be thankful of my weakness in this instant that I was so easily dealt with."

"Oscar-"

"I know." He sighed, nodding his head slowly "I know what you meant."

"Ash-san." The Unkindled turned towards Mash as she looked between him and Oscar "What's Hollowing?"

"The fate that inevitably awaits all undead...and unkindled." Ash replied "What you saw was what we become, courtesy of the undead curse." he turned to Drake and flattened his expression "It is what I would have become had I followed her lifestyle. Without a sense of duty to chain me to a goal, I would eventually lose sight of my own sanity."

"That's…" Ritsuka frowned "Is that what happens?" he looked between Ash and then to the Servants of the other world, all of whom remained silent.

"It is unfortunately, the only way undead like myself can ever truly die." Oscar replied in a cold voice, turning away from the edge of the ship and facing Ritsuka "Hollowing is a gradual process, the first thing you lose are distant memories. Almost unnoticeable things that even the sane would have trouble recalling." he paused, looking down at his feet "Then you begin to lose more recent memories, names and faces of loved ones become difficult to place together...knowledge you've know all your life lies just at the tip of your tongue but never passes beyond your lips."

"It is the death of a person." Ash carried on "I've seen it occur before, your mind literally Hollows out and leaves but the husk of your body remains. A beast which knows only to kill anything in front of it for no other reason than that is what a beast does."

"The presence of duty was always a fundamental part of culture in Lordran and Astora." Oscar shrugged "With the undead curse...it became a fundamental part of staying alive. Lose whatever sense of duty that propels you forwards and you'll run the risk of becoming Hollow...where your corpse will forever wander the world until someone puts you down."

Ritsuka stared at Oscar, then trailed over to Havel and Sanura "Does...is that how all of you die?"

Sanura looked down "I did not contract the Undead curse before I died, I was fortunate in that regard...but the majority of the Kingdom did. The despair of becoming an undead often drives some to hollow quickly."

Oscar's voice became sombre. "At that point it does not matter if you are in the presence of friends or family...you'll tear them apart with your bare hands all the same."

"...How long has this been around?" Ritsuka asked with a disturbed expression, he'd heard of the Curse before but this was far more in-depth than they had previously gone.

"Since the first Age of Fire." Ash replied "It's...its how humans live." he shook his head at their disturbed expressions "It is not always present but the Curse of Undead always occurs as the flame begins to fade...but the damage it can do in that short period of time is far reaching and many a Kingdom have collapsed because of it."

"Knight King Rendal who is our enemy." Oscar shrugged "His Kingdom of Balder virtually hollowed overnight...they ripped each other to pieces. It is the Undead curse."

"There is a point where Hollowing can no longer become irreversible and we become...what you saw." He frowned looking down "I'd like to offer my apologies for that display, to be caught by an attack like that was-"

"Don't worry about it." Ritsuka waved his hand, dismissing the apology "We all got caught by that, I forgot where I was or who I was for a few moments as well."

"I don't get it." Drake scratched the back of her neck "You have to follow a strict life or you got batshit?"

Oscar looked over to Drake "Has there ever been a moment when you despaired over losing treasure?"

"Well…" Drake shrugged "Yeah but…" she trailed off, widening her eyes in understanding "Really? That's it?"

"That is how it would start." Oscar replied with a tired voice "You'd begin to notice the symptoms and if you were unable to offer enough humanity to a bonfire...you'd eventually go Hollow."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow "Humanity?"

"The...souls...of...humans...with...no...curse." Havel answered, turning the attention of the ship to him, the Berserker remained standing with his arms crossed at the looks he received "Kill...them...offer...humanity...to...bonfire…"

"You have to kill people to stay sane?" David frowned "And offer their souls as sacrifices?"

"Humans are not the only things to contain humanity." Oscar hastily added, trying to stem the new reactions "Humanity is found from other sources...mostly rats."

"Rats?" Romani's confused voice came over the communicator "Why rats?"

"Because they eat human corpses." Oscar replied with a shrug "That is simply how it works. They gorge themselves on those left behind and make for good pickings. Or if you become desperate enough...humans will suffice."

"And if you don't...you've either got to have a crazy will or you just go insane and die?" Drake scowled "Is that really it?" her eyes eventually trailed over to Ash "What about you? I thought you said you were unkindled?"

Ash frowned "My mental state is different from Oscar's as I have a goal I was instructed to work towards from the moment I was raised." he sighed "Not that I couldn't Hollow but it was far more challenging for myself to...or rather it was simply that we never had a choice. 'Return the Lords of Cinder to their thrones or Hollow' is effectively the directive I was raised with."

"Is there a cure?" Mash asked, looking between the two of them "For the Curse? You surely can't have a civilisation last long like that."

Ash's expression tightened slightly "...The Linking of the Fire removes the evidence of the undead curse and restores humanity...But it is – like I said – temporary. The flame will begin to fade again and the curse appears with it."

"...Who did you piss off to get that?" Orion bluntly asked, tilting his head "That's some Prometheus shit right there."

"Darling." Artemis frowned at him, Orion shrugged in response.

"Come on, we both know he probably didn't deserve that." He argued before looking back towards the group "So? Spill? Who did it?"

"Wasn't...supposed...to...do...that." Havel spoke quietly, his helmet turned and looked off to the side "Dark...sign...meant...to...conta..in….Dark...Soul…." he paused, crossing his arms in front of his chest "...Didn't...work...that...well…"

"Dark Sou-"

"We can worry about that later." Olga interrupted through the communicator "The more pressing concern is how we can counter his Noble Phantasm." the Director cupped her chin in thought "We would need to prioritise him, if he were to set it off again then we'd have both Ash and Oscar as little more than Berserkers."

"It did not last as long on myself than Oscar." Ash pointed out before looking to the other Servants "I am not sure if I can see a pattern, however-"

"Was everyone else affected by the Noble Phantasm?" Olga inquired, looking around the crew complement, most of the Servants present nodded their heads in affirmation. "What about you, Master Fujimaru?"

"I...yeah." He nodded his head "I kinda forgot where I was for a few moments." turning to his left, he stared at Mash "What about you?"

"I did for a little bit, Senpai." Mash admitted with a frown "But I think I recovered quite quickly."

"Magic Resistance perhaps?" Romani hypothesised, scratching his cheek "Mash and David have the highest Magic Resistance present with Ash as a close second. That might be why it didn't affect those two for as long." he paused, then frowned "Although that doesn't account for the way in which they acted."

"Myself and Oscar not being alive might account for it." Ash offered as way of an answer "As we are both still undead it might have induced a state of Hollowness."

"Considering that King Rendal's force of undead was never heard from again, it would seem likely that they Hollowed at some point." Oscar pointed out, slowly nodding his head "It would seem that myself and Ash are doubly vulnerable to his power, not least of which he was a well-known King."

"He was?" Ritsuka blinked "How well known?"

"As the last King of Balder, his name was famous for that alone." Oscar shrugged "Aside from his exploits as a King as well, he was said to have cut apart a Hellkite Wyvern in single combat."

Ritsuka remained silent for a few moments before he spoke up "I assume those are different from the wyverns we normally encounter?"

"Yes." Oscar nodded his head "Usually…" he bobbed his head from side to side in thought "Considerably larger from the stories I have heard...although I have never seen one myself."

"They're much larger than the whelps." Sanura supplied "I actually believed those to be hatchlings of a larger wyvern."

"Ah, so he's a powerful Servant?"

"A King Servant and a Knight in the Saber class on top of being a dragon slayer to boot?" Archer repeated before frowning "Yes, he is likely a powerful servant, I can at least attest to his skill in combat that he was able to fight off multiple opponents at any one time."

"But...he's all alone now, right?" Ritsuka asked "He doesn't have Blackbeard-"

"But he does have the Grail." Romani frowned "And as much as I would like to think otherwise, I suspect he did not steal it without a plan in mind. Adding onto the fact that with the Grail in his possession, he is naturally going to be receiving a boost to his Servant container."

"A troublesome foe already made worse by external factors." Sanura nodded sagely, looking around the ship "But surely we can overcome his advantage with numbers?"

"Not if he were to employ his Noble Phantasm again." Ash shook his head "As has already been demonstrated, there is little that myself and Oscar can do to prevent being affected by it, not to mention that the confusion it would cause to all of you would be long enough for him to take out at least one of the Servants closest to him."

"He's right." Ritsuka hesitantly admitted "I completely forgot everything that was around me." looking up and around at the other Servants, he pursed his lips "What about you?"

"...For a few moments I was completely lost as well." Boudica admitted with a troubled frown "I had no idea who or where I was, next thing I knew…" she trailed off, pointing towards Ash "It activated my flight or fight response and it just so happened that everyone else joined in."

"Saw...Hollow…" Havel answered, giving a small shrug "Figured...needed...to...die."

"So perhaps we take Rendal out at a distance, or at least rush him before he can set off his Noble Phantasm?" Ritsuka suggested, Archer frowned.

"I should be able to take him out at a distance easily enough...But that would also involve killing Euryale-"

Asterios snapped his head towards the Servants, shooting to his feet and soon started growling.

"-which I assume no one would be comfortable with." He finished, directing his attention to Ritsuka and Mash.

"No." Shaking his head, the Master rejected the idea entirely "I'm not going to sacrifice her life like that just because it's the easiest option." he turned to Asterios and gave the Berserker a determined look "We're going to get her back, alright?"

"...Alright." Asterios slowly nodded his head, giving Archer a tiny glare before he sat himself back down.

"I should like to point out that our current planning does little if we cannot actually catch up to them." David commented, raising his hand and looking around the ship "As it turns out, the enemy Servant is actually quite the impressive rower, it seems."

"Yeah." Drake nodded her head, then snapped her fingers at Ash "Get that funky sword of yours out and start blowing air into the sails. We'll move a lot faster, I'm sure you can multi-task with planning and all that as well."

Ash gave a single nod in silence, returning Galvatyne to his Bottomless Box and extracting Storm Ruler, moving across the ship to stand on the upper deck, he levelled the sword towards the sails and began to release a powerful gust of wind from the blade. The ship began to noticeably pick up speed with the increased airflow.

"Back to the plan." Drake turned back to the crew "So...What do we do?"

"If he uses the Noble Phantasm again, both Ash and Oscar will Hollow." Ritsuka frowned, cupping his chin "But accurately getting shots at him from a distance is difficult with Euryale on the boat with him." he paused, frowning "He's got to be heading somewhere, surely?"

"You mean to follow him, Senpai?" Mash quizzed, tilting her head "Isn't that risky?"

Ritsuka nodded his head "Yeah, considering we don't know what he stole Euryale for to begin with." he let out a dry snort "He doesn't strike me as having the same kind of tastes as Blackbeard."

Mash shivered at the thought of the pirate. "No…"

"He also didn't kill me." Ritsuka realised, frowning "He just asked me to move out of the way for him."

"Why?" Romani blinked in surprise "You'd think that a Servant would take full advantage of such a state and just kill you."

"Doctor!" Mash frowned at him "Don't sound so disappointed!"

"H-huh?" Romani blanched "N-no! That's not what I meant!" he hastily argued, waving his hands back and forth "I mean it doesn't make sense, a Master is the prime target on the battlefield and it sounds as though he had the perfect chance to kill Fujimaru-kun." he pointed out "I'm glad that he didn't but doesn't that bother anyone else?"

"I would have killed him, in his position." Ash shrugged, then noticed the looks he received "What?"

"Most Knight's don't make a habit of killing the unarmed and helpless." Sanura drawled out at him with an edge to her voice "It is what separates us from simple killers." crossing her arms, the woman looked towards Ritsuka "It seems as though he spared you out of a sense of chivalry."

"That was foolish of him." Archer grunted, ignoring the way in which Sanura looked at him with an aura of irritation.

"Thanks guys." Ritsuka gave a thumbs up "Really loving this care for my well-being."

"What I mean, is that it is exploitable." Archer went on "He didn't immediately activate his Noble Phantasm first, did he?" then raised an eyebrow "Nor did Blackbeard have him activate it when we first boarded the ship. That would have been the most opportune time."

"Maybe it's indiscriminate?" Olga hummed to herself "The area of effect seemed to cover the entire ship, perhaps it only became available to him once his temporary allies were all dead."

"So that means he would be restricted to being a regular Servant." Ritsuka realised, nodding his head "Did he mention anything else?

"Said he was...er…" Scratching her chin, Drake squinted her eyes in thought "Summoned by someone other than Teach, or something."

"Then he has another Master." Ritsuka nodded to himself "Or at least someone he answers to, right?"

"That means they ordered him to take Euryale-san." Mash realised "If we can catch up to him when they arrive, we might be able to rescue her as well as defeat them and reclaim the Grail before they achieve their plans."

"Exactly." Ritsuka gave the Shielder a thumbs up, then turned to the Archer "Head up to the crows nest, keep an eye out and let us know how far Rendal is from us and if you can see where he's heading."

"Very well." Archer nodded his head, moving towards the mast of the ship to begin climbing up.

"We'll keep our distance so as to not be caught in his Noble Phantasm again but not too far that we can't close the distance quickly." Ritsuka affirmed, looking at Drake "Is that possible?"

"I mean, sure." Drake shrugged, throwing a thumb over her shoulder and gesturing to Ash "I can tell him when we need more and less wind."

"Alright." Ritsuka nodded to himself "Everyone else can prepare for combat, considering we don't know who Rendal is heading for and how many Servants they might have. It's best to be prepared just in case."

"Should I head to the front of the ship, Senpai?" Mash asked, hefting her shield up for reference "If we get attacked, I can activate Lord Chaldeas to shield us."

"Smart move." Ritsuka smiled at her, causing the Shielder to give a beaming smile at the praise "Just be careful, alright?"

"Yes, Senpai!" Mash darted past him, quickly moving to the front of the ship and standing to attention.

Ritsuka looked towards the starboard side, Asterios still sat down leaning against the railings. Pursing his lips, Ritsuka moved towards the Berserker "Asterios."

The Minotaur looked up at him "Yes?"

"I know you want to rescue Euryale-'' He gestured to himself and then sent a sweeping arm across the ship "We all want to as well. But you're going to have to be patient. If we try to rescue her now, then Rendal will use his Noble Phantasm to escape. Which means that we'll have to wait until he can't." he paused, his lips pulled themselves into a tight frown "It means we'll have to wait until we encounter whoever it is that wants Euryale. While it is more dangerous, if we pull it off we'll be able to reclaim the Grail and take out the people who want Euryale."

Asterios stared at him in silence, his face troubled before he eventually spoke in a slow and somewhat unsure tone "If we...wait. We can...get...all...people who...want...Euryale?"

"Yes." Ritsuka nodded "We can take out all the people who want to capture Euryale at once." he sighed "I'm asking a lot from you, as her protector...but I want you to know that I'm going to do everything I can to help you get her back. Alright?"

"…Alright." Asterios nodded his head, giving a tiny smile "Thank you."

Ritsuka smiled back, "Don't mention it." straightening himself back up, he turned away and managed to get a few feet before Oscar appeared in the corner of his eye. The Saber staring at him. "Did you need something, Oscar?"

"Perhaps not so much need as…" Oscar trailed off, shaking his head "No. It is something I must say." he exhaled, stepping closer to Ritsuka and bowing his head low "I have shamed myself into falling to Hollowness once again. However, I swear to you that I shall reward this faith you have placed in me."

"R-right." Ritsuka blinked stepping back slightly "I'm appreciative, but you don't have to go that-"

"I do." Oscar cut him off sharply "It is my great shame. You placed your faith in me and not moments later did I Hollow and attempt to claim your life."

"That wasn't your fault." Ritsuka argued "You couldn't have known, none of us could have known."

Oscar remained silent "...Nevertheless." he spoke out "For this faith...this trust you have placed in me. I shall see to it I live up to it. In the name of my status as a Knight of Astora and the one who gave me this chance to begin with." he slammed his fist into his chest "I ask...nay, I beg you. Please...give me the chance to right this wrong I have dealt you."

Staring at the Knight with a pensive expression, Ritsuka eventually nodded his head slowly "I don't think there's anything to forgive...but alright. If that's how you feel, I can't exactly say no to that." he then twitched his lip upwards "Besides, you're already helping us. I can't imagine what more I could possibly need from you. But I accept your pledge." he held out his hand towards the Knight "We'll see this through together, right?"

Oscar stared at the hand, his own slowly removed itself from his chest and reached out to clasp it in a handshake "...Yes. I will ensure you see-"

"We." Ritsuka corrected him "We're going to see this Singularity through."

"...We." Oscar quietly muttered to himself, then nodded his head "...Very well, we shall." he remained silent for a few moments then let out a shaky breath "Thank you...truly."

"Anytime." The Master smiled back at him.

Drake remained silent as she steered the ship for a few moments, the only sound to be heard was the howl of wind rushing out from Ash's sword as he powered the sails. The Saber remained silent the entire way there.

"...So." Drake eventually got out "...I would have gone crazy, huh?"

"Most likely." Ash replied "Or mutated into a creature." he added on not long after, Drake paused and looked over her shoulder towards the Saber.

"Huh?"

"The soul has a great impact over how the person is reflected." Ash replied "Hollow Souls are often pure white because there is nothing noteworthy about them. Those who lost themselves to desires...I suppose Aldrich was a glutton." he shrugged "That is how Hawkwood made him sound, one driven by sheer insatiable hunger for...well...anything. At first it was men-"

"What kind of hunger are we talking about here?" Drake inquired, giving a slightly raised eyebrow and a mildly suspicious look "Like physical or...you know...lust."

Ash's eyes turned to give her a dull look "He was a cannibal."

"Charming." Scoffing, she turned back to the ship "Nice to know I'm held in such high regard."

"...He ate so much that his body bloated and then softened into sludge."

"Again, thanks for the compliment."

"And his Soul reflected that. It was a twisted, poisonous little thing." Ash went on, ignoring the running commentary "As for how greatly your own sense of greed would have affected your appearance...I cannot say. Oceiros was driven by obsession and became a blind, scaleless Dragon."

"And here I am, doing all I like without having to worry about such terrible consequences, huh?" Drake nodded her head "...Well. I imagine that pisses you off quite a bit."

"It does." Ash answered immediately "You abuse the complete lack of consequences to do whatever pleases you in the moment."

"I wouldn't say lack of consequences." Drake wryly spoke "I can still die."

"You think I regard death as a consequence?" Ash scoffed "People wish they could die. They avoid living the types of life you lead so that they don't lose themselves to hollowing in the desperate hope they live long enough for the curse to fade."

"...Alright." Drake shrugged "And when they aren't afflicted by the curse?"

"The consequences of mutation remain." Ash replied, completely stone faced "Your way of life will never make sense to me. It is one bound by neither duty nor purpose and somehow you seem to achieve grander things than those with better sense. It is a life of avarice – which would drive anyone with the curse insane – and it is rewarded time and time again."

He looked at her back "It is not something I will ever accept. I can tolerate you." he added with a slight edge to his voice "But I will never accept you."

"Don't bite it till you try it." Drake chuckled "Come on, what were you going to do when you got cured? There's gotta be somethin-"

"Die."

"...Hah?"

"I was going to die." Ash replied in a cold voice. "I was raised from my grave for a specific purpose. The notion of a second life from the very beginning was impossible for me to obtain. All I could do was fulfil my objective or Hollow."

"...That's shit." Drake scowled, turning around to face Ash fully "You get brought back to...what was it again?"

"Link the fire."

"Which cures the curse? Right?" Drake's scowl deepened "You get brought back for that and the moment it's done you get to enjoy none of the benefits of it? That's cruel."

"It is what it is." Ash shrugged "Link the Fire and propagate the Age, Hollow or...let the Flame fade."

"What happens if it Fades?"

"Who knows." Ash shrugged "I was told that either the world would be consumed with the Abyss and be destroyed, humans would find themselves free of the influence of the Gods and prosper...or nothing would happen but losing the last possible method of curing the undead curse."

"What a choice." Drake frowned, "The second one sounds better."

"The second one was also what Aldrich strove for in his lust for power. It is what Sulyvahn the butcher strove for and it is what Yuria strove for." He frowned "None of them would be what I considered decent folk."

"Does it make it bad?"

"I would never experience it, so it doesn't matter what I would make of it." Ash's lips thinned "From the beginning, that line of thinking was not meant for me. I was raised for a specific purpose and nothing more."

"That's just sad." Drake shook her head "Are you still affected by the curse or whatever?"

Ash pointedly ignored the 'whatever' part of the sentence "The physical aspects of the Curse still affect me, however I do not believe I am capable of Hollowing."

"So...I don't know...Enjoy yourself!" Drake exclaimed "Do whatever you want! Why are you still like…" she gestured to him up and down "Like that!"

"...Because this is all I am." Ash offered the only answer he could think of "There is nothing more I can be."

"No ambition." Drake shook her head, turning around and grasping the wheel once again "That's your problem. No ambition at all. Don't know if it's your fault or not...but I hope you get something to fight for. You ever swung that sword of yours because you wanted to?"

"Want?" Ash raised an eyebrow "What would my own desire have to do with the outcome? Personal attachment leads to issues."

"Fuck it." Drake sighed "Have you ever done something you didn't need to do?"

Ash remained silent for a few moments "...Yes. There have been instances where I acted when it wasn't necessary." he spoke in a slightly guilty tone "Times where I...performed acts which could be argued to be for my own personal greed, if you would."

"Hope for you yet then, eh-"

"It got my only friend killed."

"...Oh." Drake went silent "...What happened?"

"He was a thief." Ash replied "I found him while exploring the High Wall of Lothric. He was trapped in a cell. I freed him and he returned to Firelink Shrine."

Drake listened to him in silence, still focusing on steering the ship.

"He considered it a debt he needed to be repaid and therefore offered me his services as a scavenger. He would explore places I had been and collect goods which could be of use to me." Ash remained silent "At first it was purely an agreement between us, he would pick clean from the deceased and I would offer him payment for the goods he provided."

"...Didn't stay like that though, did it?"

"...No." Ash shook his head "Eventually I...looked forwards to see what trinkets he had uncovered, in turn he would look forward to speaking with me. He took purpose in thieving."

"Huh." Drake released a good natured huff "Didn't think you'd be the type to make friends with a thief."

"He never once stole for himself." Ash explained "Even before he was imprisoned, he would steal for the citizens of his town from the more surplus areas of the Kingdom."

"Thief with a heart of gold, eh?" Drake laughed a little louder that time, "He seemed like a good man."

"In spite of his occupation, he was." Ash nodded his head "We quickly became friends soon after. Each time he would go out on a raid I would perhaps anticipate what he would find. I always found some use for it."

"What changed?"

"...Irithyll." Ash's tone turned frozen "Had it not been for the intervention of a passing Knight, he would have died. In truth, I had long since found better sources of acquiring materials, but-"

"You didn't want to ditch your pal." Drake nodded her head "That's fair."

"Well...I eventually made my way to Lothric Castle. Greirat once again offered to loot the place clean for me and…" He trailed off "In truth...I should have told him no...but when I thought of what he might find there and what I might do with it...I allowed my own self-interest to guide me. Greirat went to Lothric Castle." He went silent for a few moments. "When he failed to return after several days, I went in search of him. I happened upon his broken corpse."

He looked to Drake "He died alone and for my sake when it wasn't necessary and all because I couldn't contain my own self-interest. My first friend, who regarded me as such as well...and I got him killed." his eyes narrowed. "So no...I won't 'do what I want' as you ask." looking away from her and straight ahead, his expression turned blank "Because I won't let anyone else die for my own desires, because they aren't worth dying for...and Greirat shouldn't have died for my sake. He was a thief, he was a lowborn...and he was a better man than I could ever be."

"...That's rough." Drake quietly replied "First time you ever decide to do something for yourself and your pal gets killed." she sighed "With a history like that...I suppose I can see why you would be hesitant." she paused "Did he have to help you?"

"What?"

"Your friend." Drake inquired further "Did he have to help you? Was he like you?"

"He offered me his services as a thief." Ash replied "But he wasn't bound to my whims...So I suppose he didn't have to help me."

"So he did it for his own desire then." She nodded her head.

"Don't." Ash frowned "Don't use that line of reasoning. He did follow his own desire to help me and he did seem to enjoy it. It also got him killed." he looked straight ahead "It would have been better for the both of us if we had restrained ourselves."

"But then you never would have been friends with him."

"He'd still be alive." Ash scoffed, "My friendship isn't equal to his life."

"Don't disrespect his bond like that." Drake frowned "Maybe it didn't mean that much to you, but if this guy was willing to brave all these horrific places just for one guy...I'd say your friendship meant a lot to him." she shrugged "But I haven't met the guy, so I'm just guessing."

"Hmph." Ash grunted noncommittally, the two fell back into complete silence, neither noticing Boudica stood not far from them. Her eyes resting up Ash with a frown on her face before she turned away and moved back down the stairs and onto the main deck.

"You're looking a little skipper than last time." David remarked the moment he was in earshot, Oscar jolted from his spot as he cleaned the cannons, looking towards David and giving a single nod. "Something good happen?" he asked, giving a conspiratorial smile as he did so.

"Perhaps." Oscar admitted with a good natured chuckle "It is simply that...I suppose someone saying to my face they had faith in me was quite the surprise."

"Having people rely on you is both a blessing and a curse." David sagely nodded his head "For them to state they have trust in your judgement and abilities is testament to their skill and your own character. It can be an endless source of joy to know people can rely on your strength." he sighed "Although there are also the expectations that come with such reliance. The fear of failure is quite a nasty shadow indeed."

Oscar stared at him before slowly nodding his head. "Failure is something I am all too familiar with...but I will not allow it this time." he affirmed to David "Perhaps because I am not just fighting for myself."

"That's the spirit!" The Archer enthusiastically beamed, reaching over and patting the man on the back "Just don't drive yourself crazy trying to do everything yourself, living up to other people's expectations rather than your own is a sure-fire way of always being disappointed, no matter what."

"...Sometimes, I forget that you are also a King." Oscar pointed out, resting his left arm on his knee "You can go from unaware to gifting sage advice at the turn of the sun and it is both amazing and somewhat jarring to witness."

"I like to think this is just another way of being Kingly." David replied with a shrug "Not everyone really needs big crowns and fancy castles...although those are also nice as well...I suppose what I really wanted out of my Kingship was-"

"Your temple to God?" Oscar finished "I've heard. Build a great Temple for worship because that is your role as a follower of his." nodding his head, the Knight smiled behind his helm "It is both a lofty and admirable goal for you."

"You think so too?" David smiled "Well...also because it will be quite popular with women-"

"And there goes the image of Royalty." Oscar sighed, causing David to pout at him "As fleeting as it is welcome, however."

"So you would rather I act like a King more often than not?"

"I would not say that." Oscar shook his head "The you that is the humble Shepherd is just as gratifying to see as the you that was the King of a Great nation...If only because it convinces me that not all those in legends might not be quite so grandiose as the stories make them seem to be...and yet you still act as is expected of you."

"I like to think I act as is expected of a Servant of God." David crossed his arms, leaning on the railings of the ship and staring down at Oscar with a thoughtful expression "I am aware this is not 'myself' as I appeared when I was alive, yet I am still a Servant of God regardless so that is how I am manifested."

"You believe your current self to be a Servant of God?" Oscar tilted his head "How can you be sure nothing is by chance?"

"Because that is what it means to be a servant of God." David answered "Everything that occurs does so within his plan. Acts of evil bring about the capacity for good, greed brings about the capacity for charity and cowardice brings about the capacity for heroics." his lips thinned "I will not make the claim that God is Good or Evil because that is not what he is about. God is God. That is simply how he is and it's not for me to understand his motives."

He smiled and spread his arms wide "Because I am just a humble messenger of his will. Nothing more, nothing less. Just because I was a King did not make me any more or less important in his eyes. Just as you are not less important than anyone else on this ship." he nodded to the crew "Those 'Legends' you see around you, true they are people who did extraordinary things...but you missed the most important aspect about them."

Oscar tilted his head "That being?"

"They are still people. Just like you and me." He paused, blinking several times "I completely forget what brought about that to begin with."

Oscar laughed, shaking his head and standing up "You were speaking of nothing being by chance."

"Ah, yes." David nodded "Summoning themselves are a miracle. They occur and we never know if they might occur again. So." he stepped forwards and placed a hand on his shoulder "You have some role to play. Remember that. Perhaps it is a mere chance as you say, but that just makes your being here all the more miraculous."

"Miraculous, you say?" Oscar hummed in thought "I once thought so of my affliction. Having known of the prophecy, I truly believed I would have a chance to complete it...but I failed."

David raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down "Servants are only summoned because they are typically well-known." he pointed out.

"It was because I freed the one who would become the Legend." Oscar explained away "I owe my very being here because of them and...well. The rest, is as they say, history."

"But without you, they never would have been able to achieve that." David remarked "That tiny little act by Oscar of Astora was so profound that you apparently birthed a whole legend. That is something to take pride in, no?"

"...Perhaps." Oscar admitted with a quiet tone "But this time I will not be a burden to others. This faith that has been placed in me that I might achieve something, I will be certain to reward it with my entire being."

"Very well." David nodded his head "But don't get careless now, it would be quite unfortunate if you were to die...who would take my fishing advice?"

"Advice?" Oscar blinked at the man "You just yelled encouragement at me the entire time, I do not believe you supplied me with advice once."

"Ah, but without my encouragement, you might not have had the will to catch the fish!" David pointed out with a self-satisfied smile "That is what matters most, is it not?"

"I...I do not believe that is how it works in the least." Oscar frowned "It sounds more as if you are trying to take credit for-"

"Hahahah!" David let out a boisterous laugh, turning around and walking away from Oscar without hearing the rest of the sentence.

Ritsuka turned around at the sound of laughter, raising an eyebrow as he watched David wander away from a rather confused Oscar and further into the ship as he did so. The Master frowned in bewilderment at the situation before turning to his left, seeing Mash with a similarly puzzled look on her face.

"What do you think David-san was laughing about, Senpai?" She asked, a hint of interest in her voice. Ritsuka shrugged in response.

"Who knows." His lip twitched as he looked at his communicator "Roman, what do you think he was laugh-"

"Something ridiculous no doubt." Romani answered almost immediately in a tired voice "I don't see why you'd ask me either."

"Because I was curious as to what you would say." Ritsuka replied unashamedly, a long sigh came from the other end of the communicator.

"Are you really using my reactions to King David as ways to alleviate your boredom?"

"…I mean...maybe?"

"Senpai…" Mash stared at him with a slightly disappointed look "Please don't encourage the Doctor's reactions for humour. He might get the wrong idea and try to lighten our mood more often."

"Et tu, Mash?" Romani dramatically gasped before giving a dry chuckle "But you really should be more focused on your mission."

"He's right." Olga commented, a pause followed after her before the woman made a disturbed noise "I can't believe I just said that."

"Am I just everyone's stress relief or something?"

"Depends on what kind of stress Da Vinci uses you to relieve." Kerry called across, a sputtered sound followed as Romani sounded as though he was dying. Ritsuka bit his lip to avoid laughing while Mash stared at the communicator and then towards him.

"Senpai? What's wrong? I know Da Vinci sometimes makes comments about Doctor Roman, but-"

"What are we, children?" Olga's annoyed voice cut her off "I see you laughing over there, Maxwell Duston. Stop."

"...Yes, Director." The man's voice sounded out soon after.

"Good. Perhaps we can get some professionalism back in Chaldea." She grunted disapprovingly "Now then, your plan...It is risky but it has merit. Allowing Saber to lead us to his allies saves us a great deal of time in having to search for them instead. However, how certain are you that you will be able to save the Archer before she is taken captive and used for whatever the Servants intend."

"Pretty confident." Ritsuka replied "We're sure that once he's around his allies, Rendal won't be able to use his Noble Phantasm without affecting them as well."

"Very well...but remain on the side of caution." She insisted "I will not have you taking pointless risks, understood? You are too vital for this mission for you to throw your life away on an unnecessary and potentially dangerous manoeuvre."

"Yes, Director." Ritsuka nodded his head in understanding.

"Good. Mash, keep him safe."

"Yes, Director." Mash nodded her head as well, then looked to Ritsuka as he turned the communicator off "...I think she's really getting better, Senpai. She even said your plan was good!"

"...She did, didn't she?" Ritsuka smiled slightly, "I wonder if we're growing on her?"

"Maybe." Mash pondered aloud "I wonder if-"

"I can see them." Archer's voice in Ritsuka's head cut off whatever Mash said, the Master turned away from the Shielder and looked up "They're making good speed but we should catch up to them swiftly."

"Good. Any sign of where they're going?"

"Not as of yet." Archer replied with an audible frown – Ritsuka was beginning to notice that Archer didn't do a lot of smiling – before he continued on "I will inform you if that changes."

"Thanks for the heads up." Ritsuka earnestly replied back before turning around to face the rest of the ship "Archer said he can see them, we should catch up with them soon but he can't see where they're headed yet!"

"Good." Drake called back from the other end of the ship "Keep him in sight! Wait until we can see his pals!"

It had been easier said than done, Ritsuka idly tapped the railings of the ship as he stared out across the ocean. They had long since managed to get close enough that even he could see Rendal's row boat in the distance as a faint speck and yet they had seen no sign of anything even remotely resembling another enemy presence.

"How long is it now Mash?"

"One hour and two minutes, Senpai." Mash dutifully answered him as she held her own slightly bored expression "Do you think he is almost there?"

"I hope so." Ritsuka sighed, then frowned "Do you think he's leading us into a trap?"

"It's a possibility." Ritsuka and Mash jolted, spinning around to find Sanura stood behind them with her arms crossed and a thoughtful expression on her face. "From what I have heard from the crew of this ship, these waters are treacherous." she paused, moving her left hand up and cupping her chin "And yet it might place his prize in too great a danger if he were to lead them to a chance encounter with a sea-monster."

"So it would have to be a trap of his own allies." Ritsuka suggested "Which is sort of what we want to begin with?"

"There is a marked difference between catching an adversary by surprise and being caught by surprise." Sanura corrected before her lips pursed "...But yes, that is what we want."

"Well...Is it really an ambush if we're expecting it?"

"I do not think that the ambush ceases to be an ambush." Sanura replied, then frowned "Unless...is it really being taken by surprise anymore?"

"Exactly...so what does it become?"

"An act of self-harm?" Sanura shrugged "If we knowingly wander into a trap, that is how I would describe it...or bravado...or stupidity."

"Which would you say we classify as?" Ritsuka asked with a sense of curiosity.

"Perhaps a little bit of both?" Sanura answered with a strained expression "Even if our complement of crewmembers is rather large, powerful and extremely skilled…" she trailed off, her expression freezing on her face "...I am struggling to see what manner of ambush could fell not just Havel the Rock but also Milady Artemis."

"Milady?" Ritsuka raised an eyebrow at her.

"Y-yes." Sanura replied, looking between Mash and Ritsuka with a slight shakiness in her voice "I-I'm not being to forceful, am I?" she asked, her expression now worried "Because I'm a Servant of the Gods and then I just found a Goddess so I thought it would be best if I offered her my services but I don't want to come off as being a bother to her or that I am accusing her of being helpless and needing my aid. I know she chooses her own hunters because that's what her consort said but I feel as though I might have just barged in and taken a spot all on my own." she hastily explained, looking at the two of them with a distraught expression "I wasn't too arrogant in doing that, was I?"

Mash and Ritsuka stared at her with wide eyes, then shared a glance with each other before looking back at her.

"...I'm sure it's fine." Ritsuka assured her with a faint smile, then directed his attention over her shoulder and towards the Goddess in question "She can be very straight forward when she wants to be, so I'd imagine she doesn't dislike having you around."

"Really?" Sanura let out a sigh of relief, composing herself "That's good, I'd been worried so I thought I should check but I didn't want to try and bother her with my own issues." shaking her head, she steeled her expression "Regardless, as I was saying, I believe we are more than equipped to handle anything we should come across."

"...And she just jinxed it." Romani helpfully supplied through the communicator "Although maybe...oh."

"Oh?" Ritsuka looked at his communicator "What do you mean 'oh'? Is that a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh'?" he inquired with a gradually deteriorating look of calm.

"Well it's an 'oh, that's a little strange' type of 'oh'." Romani replied "You've got a faint magical disturbance ahead of you but it's weird. A bit faint, like a weather disturbance."

"Weather disturbance?" Ritsuka frowned "Like a storm?"

"No, nothing that powerful but it isn't natural." Romani explained further, "You should be able to see it soon, it's about two miles out ahead of you."

"Archer? Roman says that he can detect a magical disturbance about two mile ahead of us, can you see anything?" Ritsuka asked as he looked up towards the crow's nest.

"I can see a fog upon the surface of the water." Archer replied back "That is likely the disturbance he detected, Rendal is sailing towards it."

"He's sailing towards the disturbance." Ritsuka explained to the others present "Archer says he can see a fog on the surface of the water."

"It's not a powerful spell, but as a form of concealment..." Romani trailed off meaningfully.

"It would stop anyone from seeing them at a distance." Ritsuka surmised "So that might be where his allies are hiding."

"But, doesn't he know we're still following him?" Mash frowned "Why would he continue to sail towards his allies if he knows we're following him?"

Sanura frowned. "He either has no alternative remaining to him, or he's confident that he might be able to lose us in the fog." she paused, then nodded her head "Which would be possible for him if he sails through it."

"So we'll need to keep close." Ritsuka surmised, turning away from the Lancer and quickly moving through the ship towards Drake and Ash. Bounding up the stairs, Ritsuka came to a halt on the top step and faced the Captain.

"We got something else?" Drake asked, looking down at him. Ash also looked slightly down from his own position towards her.

"Rendal's heading for a smokescreen on the water, Roman says its magical." He explained quickly, the Captain frowned.

"He could be trying to lose us in the mist." The woman admitted "But if it ain't a natural fog…" she paused, tilting her head and staring at Ritsuka with slight confusion "I thought nothing in this ocean was all that natural?"

Ritsuka shrugged, "Even if it isn't where his allies are hiding, we don't want to risk losing him in the fog."

"Try and catch him before he enters then?" Drake asked, Ritsuka nodded in affirmation.

"Alright then." Turning to Ash, she gave him a single nod.

"Very well." Ash nodded his head in return, pulling his sword arm back as far as he could, the winds around the blade began to intensify and howl to the point they started to buffet at Drake's hair and even Ritsuka could feel the intensity to them.

Releasing a grunt, he thrust the sword forwards and released a veritable storm of wind like a cannon from the sword. The vortex slammed into the sails and caused the entire ship to jerk forwards at the sudden increase in speeds. Ritsuka stumbled forwards, catching himself on the stair railings to avoid face planting the upper deck while Drake clamped her hands onto the steering wheel to avoid falling backwards.

Frowning, the Captain looked over her shoulder at the Saber and gave him an annoyed expression "A little warning would have been nice, you know?"

Ash shrugged unapologetically "I don't know what you were expecting would happen."

Rolling her eyes, Drake turned away from the unkindled and looked to Ritsuka before giving him a lopsided smile and a half-shrug as if to say 'what can you do?'. Ritsuka snorted and shook his head.

"Okay, that's really weird now." Romani's voice came back over the communicator, looking down at it, Ritsuka raised an eyebrow.

"What is?"

"The fog...if these instruments are correct its-"

"It's changed course." Olga's voice came through with a noticeable edge to it "The magical disturbance has started headed in your direction at impressive speeds. At your current rate of acceleration, taking into account the speed the fog moves in." there was a silence as the Director looked over the instruments "...You'll both intercept the Saber at the same time. We can assume this fog is the work of a Caster, and a skilled one at that." the woman admitted with a nervous tinge to her voice "It missed earlier because we weren't fully examining it, but that fog is more akin to a mobile bounded field."

"...A what?"

A loud sigh followed "Think of a bounded field as a sphere of influence that a Magus has control over, usually limited to a specific area of effect. The results can be wildly differing but the basic principle remains the same. Once they are set around a certain location it shouldn't be possible for them to move."

"But you just said-"

"I know." She cut him off sharply "It means this particular Caster is likely extraordinarily skilled at their craft to construct one capable of movement. Unless it was constructed around a specific area – such as a ship – but even then it shouldn't normally be this powerful as to prevent us from scanning it directly."

"So they're hiding themselves from us?" Ritsuka frowned "And if Rendal reaches there before us?"

"A bounded field exists to protect the Caster." Olga explained further "...It means charging into another Magus territory of that calibre would be a near suicidal idea, regardless of how many Servants you have. With no way of knowing what's inside of it…"

"It would be very bad." Ritsuka bit his lip "Alright, we'll try and catch Rendal first then."

"You don't seem that worried." Euryale commented as she checked her nails, giving a bored look as she stared up and looked over Rendal's shoulder at the gradually growing shape of the Golden Hind closing in on them.

"I have no reason to be." Rendal replied back as he continued to row "We shall be with my allies soon, and this affair will be put swiftly behind us."

"Aren't you confident?" Euryale snarked with a smug expression "But it seems a little early to count your blessings yet." she paused, leaning back and gesturing to herself "I realise that my beauty might fool you into believing you are blessed with luck, but as it stands now-"

Rendal tuned her out, his eyes still set upon the growing wall of fog that he was approaching.

They'd at least make it there around the same time, by his own estimations and if half the things that man had said about his friend were true, then it might even the playing field just a little.

If half of the information provided to him upon his summoning were true as well. The other one wasn't that bad but she certainly was more crass. He was steeling himself for whatever vulgar display of language she would hurl at him the moment they arrived. It was tiresome to say the least.

Not that he could do much, anything he'd say would likely spur some manner of reaction from her. He noticed that the Goddess was still speaking as well, his features remained a perfect mask as he rowed. It really was quite a tiresome affair he was involved in.

"They're slowing down." Ritsuka leaned over the railings as he stared ahead of the ship, turning around just in time to see Ash lower his sword. The fog wall also had slowed as they approached it. Rendal's row boat now only a hundred metres away from the ship as they closed in on it.

"Does everyone have sight on Rendal?"

"I do." Artemis helpfully called out, waving to Ritsuka jubilantly while holding her bow in one hand "Should I shoot them now?"

"No you…" Orion grumbled "Wait until he tells you to shoot them, alright?"

"Okay!"

"Right." Ritsuka nodded his head and turned to Mash "Be ready in case anyone tries to attack us with range."

"Yes, Senpai."

"...Should we try and ask him to surrender?" Ritsuka wondered, looking around "Is that a thing we should do? Because I sort of want to at least give them the opportunity to end this peacefully."

"It can't hurt, Senpai." Mash pointed out, smiling "It would be nice if we were able to finish this Singularity like that."

"It would, wouldn't it?" Ritsuka mumbled, then turned back to face the ship "Now…" he trailed off, staring at the fog with squinted eyes "Is it me or is that fog thinning?"

"I...I believe it is, Senpai." Mash supported him as she looked at the fog as well. "I wonder if they're dispelling the Bounded Field."

"Well, I suppose that answers our ques-" Ritsuka sharply cut himself off, his eyes fixing upon something and then bulging "Captain!" he suddenly exclaimed, stepping backwards "Captain!"

"Y-yeah!?" Drake called back, slightly shocked at the sudden tonal shift.

"Look!" Ritsuka pointed out across the bow of the ship into the fog, Drake followed his finger and instantly found what had him so concerned.

"Oh fuck!" The woman exclaimed in equal levels of shock as she began to turn the wheel of the ship, steering it starboard as the dissipating fog began to reveal a shape.

Emerging from the mist in a disturbingly graceful manner was a ship far larger than the Golden Hind, the galley seemingly manifested as the fog faded away into the winds. The larger ship eventually came to a stop directly in front of Rendal's rowboat.

The Golden Hind was also halted behind the ship, with barely thirty metres distance between the two vessels.

"Fujimaru-kun!" Romani's panicked voice came through the communicator "I'm detecting multiple Spirit Origins in front of you, they came out of nowhere and these readings they give off…"

"How much trouble are we in?" Ritsuka anxiously whispered to the Doctor.

A rather shrill and arrogant voice cut him off before the Doctor could answer "I suppose it's best to meet one's adversaries at the climax." Ritsuka's head snapped towards the ship, a mop of blonde hair moved across the deck until its owner revealed himself in full, the man wearing a well decorated white tunic and deep emerald eyes scanned the Golden Hind with a dismissive glance.

"Quite the rabble I see before me as well." The man scoffed, resting his hands on the edge of the ship and staring down at them "I'm almost insulted that such a group dares to think themselves worthy of standing against a King." he paused then laughed "But I suppose you wouldn't be villains worthy of facing me if you didn't have some outrageous confidence about you."

Ritsuka blinked, exchanging a glance with Mash and then looking back at the man.

"Well…" He looked down at the row boat and smiled "I see you managed to get the Goddess, Rendal. Not bad, although I suppose it is expected of a former King to be competent...still…" he trailed off, shaking his head and giving a carefree smile "Did you really have to let the rabble follow you so closely behind?"

"It was unavoidable." Rendal called back "But it is better to wipe them out now and be done with it than have to go searching for them, at least this way we can remove any opposition."

"True, but that's lacking in drama." The man frowned "Where would be the sense of occasion, this is to be the birth of my nation. I want glorious songs sung of this moment."

"You can always exaggerate the tales, Lord Jason." Ritsuka followed the direction of the new voice, soon seeing a small girl with violet coloured hair dressed in a rather intricate dress of the same colour wielding a staff. He paused, looking over his shoulder as he heard heavy thuds.

Sure enough, Havel stood directly behind them with his gaze fixed solely upon the girl.

"I suppose that's true." The man – Jason – sighed "They don't look like they'd be worthy of so much as a footnote but we have to make do with what we have available to us, don't we Medea."

"W-wait a moment here!" Olga exclaimed, dread in her voice "Jason and Medea? But if that's them, then that ship is-"

"The Argo…" Mash breathed out, her own eyes going wide. "Then those are the Argonauts."

"Oh." Ritsuka blinked, suddenly paling "Y-you don't think they have-"

"Hmm?" Jason looked over at the group and smiled, seemingly pleased with their reactions "Those are some nice faces you have there, finally realising the error of your ways when faced with true Heroes? I suppose I shouldn't blame you – lowly peons that you are – for feeling that way. I suppose facing down the Argonauts isn't something one would look forward to." giving a laugh, he snapped his fingers "Or is it my friend who scares you so."

Heavy footsteps followed. Ritsuka's eyes trailed up behind Jason and Medea towards the third figure who loomed over them. He heard Mash do a sharp intake of breath as the giant made his presence known. To call them a man wouldn't be to do their appearance justice. They dwarfed over both Jason and Medea, Ritsuka was even sure they were taller than Havel. His physique was nothing shy of monstrous with the shear presence he had with his arm muscles being as thick as Ritsuka's torso.

Dark scraggly hair drifted down the back of the Servants head as their eyes locked onto Ritsuka and the others, the dark skinned giant stared deeply at them and narrowed their eyes. In his right hand was tightly gripped a weapon which had more in common with a sharpened piece of slab than a sword and was most certainly taller than Ritsuka was.

"Don't feel too bad, Heracles does have that effect on villains." Jason boasted "That's just how he is."

"Why the fuck do you keep boasting about him?" A rather rough third voice joined in, another figure moved to the front of the ship. A tanned woman with a white bodysuit and similarly covered hair, a long red pole spear with a black blade at the top on her shoulder with an annoyed scowl present on her face "He's literally the only reason your dumbass actually achieved anything. We could have gotten a fucking monkey to steer this ship and nothing would have changed."

Ritsuka snorted, quickly covering it with a cough.

Jason scowled at the tanned woman. "I don't see what you have to complain about, seeing as how we could have ditched you entirely and just had Heracles."

The woman's features darkened considerably "Listen here you little shit-"

"Lord Caeneus." Medea interrupted politely "Perhaps it would be best to save your complaints until after we have dealt with our foes."

"Huh?" Caeneus scowled at the witch and then peered over at the Golden Hind, her lip curled as she stared at the crew complement "What, these fucking losers?" she gestured to them before releasing a dismissive scoff "I may as well make my complaints now considering its going to take us all of five seconds to kill them."

"That seems a little overconfident on your part, no?" Oscar commented back as he moved to stand next to Ritsuka and Mash "From my count, we still outnumber you a good deal."

"Yeah? And fish outnumber sharks, ain't never heard of a fucking minnow taking out one of them!" Caeneus hollered back. "Way I see it your a colourful batch of clowns...what is that, a fucking statue?" she pointed at Havel "Looks like someone's fucking garden ornament."

"...Bitch…" Havel grunted back.

"Ha!" Caeneus grinned maliciously "See if you're still so confident when I come over there and rip that stupid looking helmet off your head and crush your dumbass skull like a grape."

"Will you be quiet." Jason snapped at her "I will not have my image damaged by your brutish mannerisms. I am trying to appear like the great hero-"

"You." Havel cut him off, pointing at Medea. The witch blinked at the sudden addresses and tilted her head.

"Yes?"

"You...sorc..erer?"

She frowned "I am a Magus, but if you simply referred to as spell crafter-"

"Good." Havel grunted, shouldering his large club "Haven't...killed….sorcerer...in...while." A deep rumbling chuckle emerged from the helmet "Been...too...long."

"...I take it back, I like this guy." Caeneus snorted, shaking her head and grinning at Medea's lack of reaction "Come on, this guy just said he's gunning for your hide, you ain't got anything to say?"

"...He would have to get past Heracles first." Medea pointed out, smiling coldly "I doubt he can manage that."

"You sure?" She raised an eyebrow and shrugged "Hey, your funeral."

"Enough of this." Jason cut them off "Rendal." he looked down at the King "You have the Grail as well?"

"Indeed." Rendal answered, Jason grinned.

"Good. Bring it and the Goddess over to us, then we can do away with these nuisances and begin."

"I think not you brat." Drake shouted out as she pushed her way to the front. "You-"

"Hello brother!" Artemis' voice cut her off, the attention of all three ships fell onto the Goddess floating up and waving towards the Argonauts, specifically Heracles "It's me, Artemis! Remember me? I even brought Darling!" she exclaimed, hoisting up Orion "See Darling! It's Heracles!"

"...What possessed you to do this to me…" Orion whimpered out as the Argonauts squinted at her.

"Lady...Artemis?" Jason blinked "And...Orion?" he turned around and stared at Heracles, the Berserker remained silent although his shoulders faintly moved as if to simulate a shrug. Caeneus began to laugh in the background at the sight of the hunter turned stuffed animal.

"Never mind." Jason shook his head, turning around "If you have the Blessings of the Goddess of the Hunt on your side, I suppose you might be fitting foes yet." he exclaimed victoriously, still glancing between them and Artemis.

"Ash." Ritsuka called through the mental link "When I give the signal, I want you to shoot wind at the water."

"The water?" Ash's confused voice came back "Why?"

"Hopefully the whirlpool will provide enough of a distraction. Everyone else, lay down some artillery on the Argo while we try to rescue Euryale. With luck, Rendal will be forced to flee."

"What of the Grail?" Boudica asked through the link "Surely we can't lose that?"

"Whatever they want, they need both the Grail and Euryale for it. If we rescue Euryale, we should at least be able to put a stop to whatever they plan for a little bit."

Ash slowly began to move to the front of the ship, his hand resting upon Storm Ruler and occasionally darting towards the water as he approached the front.

"This entire affair just might be worth my time now." Jason smirked, causing Drake's scowl to worsen.

"You saying I wasn't worth your time before you little brat?"

"My, you certainly lack courtesy when speaking to a King." Jason shook his head "Haven't you ever been taught to speak better to your betters, woman?"

"Lessons from arrogant pricks don't stick that well with me." Drake shot back just as quickly "Although if you come over, I'd be sure to pay closer attention." she smirked, cracking her knuckles as she did so.

"Ha!" Jason scoffed "As if I'd ever lower myself to step foot on that filthy hovel you call a ship, you should at least be ready to receive one of my stature in a more suitable-"

"Now!" Ritsuka shouted out, Jason blinked and then let out a shout as he ducked behind Heracles instantly. The second he did so, both Archer and Artemis opened fire on the Argo with dozens of Arrows while Ash leapt into the air, cocking his sword back and building up a tornado of wind.

"Haaaa!" Thrusting the blade downwards, Ash slammed the vortex into the surface of the water, instantly jarring the boat and causing the formation of a whirlpool to occur just next to it. Both Euryale and Rendal let out startled shouts of alarm as they stumbled about inside the row boat.

Asterios released a roar as he jumped off the Golden Hind, flying over the heads of Ritsuka and the others before crashing down into the water, kicking up an explosion almost as large as Ash's attack. Waves rocked the ship as Euryale clung onto the raft for dear life while Rendal steadied his footing.

A large hand burst from beneath the waves, grasping around Euryale while the other one clasped around the side of the boat and hoisted itself up. Asterios emerged from the waves with a monstrous snarl aimed at Rendal. The Knight widened his eyes as Asterios pushed the boat, capsizing it and sending the King splashing into the water while hoisting Euryale out of the boat and onto his shoulder.

"Whaaaa!" Euryale continued to release a panicked scream as Asterios swam against the dying whirlpool, quickly clearing the distance and grasping onto the side of the ship, heaving himself up while the Goddess tightly clung to the back of his neck.

The moment Asterios reached the railings, several hands rushed over the side and grabbed onto him, pulling the Servant back on board.

"Euryale-san retrieved, Senpai!" Mash cheered out.

"Retrieved!?" Euryale screamed, affronted "This is the worst rescue I've ever seen in my life! Splashing filthy sea water all over me, what is wrong with all of you!"

"I believe it to be a better alternative to what was planned." Oscar tried to argue, turning around to face the Argo as the dust settled.

Heracles stood undamaged and despite several cracks in the Argo itself, the ship had sustained minimal damage as well. The translucent barrier in front of Medea slowly dissipated while Caeneus looked marginally amused at the display. The woman moved to the side and peered over the railings as Rendal surfaced.

"Nice work there." She called down to him "You look like a fucking idiot."

"I'm not getting into a shouting match over this." Rendal scowled back at her as he swam to the side of the ship, clasping onto the ores and using them to pull himself up as he scaled the side of the ship and jumped back onto the deck. Soaking wet "I still have the Grail and we can easily reclaim the Goddess."

Caeneus scowled "Tch, whatever." turning away from the Knight and looking at the Golden Hind.

"You barbarians!" Jason shouted out from behind Heracles before he soon began laughing "But as expected of villains. Indeed, you are proving to be the most infuriating foes."

Clicking his tongue, he moved out from behind Heracles.

"But fine." He pointed at them "Heracles. Go kill them."

The Berserker opened his mouth "▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!" Ritsuka and Mash instantly covered their ears at the volume of the roar.

Heracles took a single step forwards, tensing himself and then kicking off the deck of the Argo with enough force to shunt the ship backwards in his wake. Instantly clearing the distance between the two ships fast enough that Ritsuka couldn't even track him.

Time seemed to slow down for Ritsuka as Heracles virtually appeared in front of him, slab sword already in mid swing towards his head.

AN: Next Chapter is Havel and Heracles fight.

All that needs to be said. Okay, Caeneus or rather Caenis is here as well.

But this is Heroic Spirit Caenis not Divine Spirit Caenis as from my understanding, she only became a Divine Spirit due to lostbelt shenanigans.

So we have Caeneus. As to why she's here.

...Why not?

No, she won't appear again after Okeanos. Her next return after this Singularity is when she is meant to officially be summoned by Wodime in Arc 2.

But I couldn't help it.