Chapter 72: Raiders of the not so much lost as it was currently misplaced Ark.

The ship progressed at a steady pace, despite the horrific damage it had suffered the vessel was still able to sail without much in the way of visible problems. The one benefit being that the damage had been limited to being above deck.

Ritsuka stepped over one of the small holes as he moved across the deck of the ship, his expression was blank as he did so. Slowly closing in on the area where Sanura was currently resting alongside the other injured Servants, the glowing orb of light above them signalled Ash already having deployed a healing spell although even then, he doubted results would be fast going for the Lancer.

"How is she?" He asked as soon as he was close enough, Sanura craned her head up to give Ritsuka a decent look at her bruised and bloodied face, her left eye had swelled shut and her bottom lip had been split open. To say nothing of the fragments of armour which had split off from her suit only to bury themselves in her body.

"I-I'll be in fighting condition in…" She trailed off, coughing heavily and falling back onto her side "In...an hour...wounds like this are...nothing…" she murmured out.

Ritsuka stared at her with an obvious note of disbelief before he turned his attention to Ash, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"She won't be moving for some time." The Saber replied, his own face had bruises and cuts present upon it although they were already showing signs of healing "Warmth is gradual restoration for low wounds but it doesn't last long." he nodded to the Lancer "She is in need of an actual practitioner of miracles."

"N-nonsen-" Sanura heaved "J-just a-"

"Alright, you can stop moving for a start." Ritsuka pointed at her "We've already got enough-" he cut himself off, biting his lip and exhaling "...Just rest for the moment. We've managed to gain some distance." he turned his attention to his communicator "Right?"

"Yeah." Romani's face flashed up, the man nodding his head "We're looking at the readings now and it looks like the Argonauts aren't in your location, nor are we detecting any magical disturbances." the man's lip morphed into a strained smile "It looks like Asterios and Oscar were able to buy you enough time for a clean getaway."

Ritsuka stared at him, "Clean."

"That's not what I-"

"I know…" Ritsuka sighed, moving his left hand up to cradle his forehead "I know…what about Mash?" he shifted the subject, trying to distract himself from the obvious elephant in the room "How are the readings looking on her?" turning his head across the ship, he saw the Shielder currently helping to hammer in wooden boards to cover up the holes "She says she's fine but-"

"Yeah, I was a little worried too." Romani admitted "The readings of her stats jumped suddenly and I was worried if you used a command spell to empower her or something."

"That aside, we've managed to determine the link." Olga interrupted, Romani wheeled his chair to the side as the Director leaned forwards "The drain on your person from the Saber-"

"Oscar." Ritsuka gently corrected, then noticed the blank stare from the Director at the interruption "Just...to avoid confusion."

"From Oscar." The Director corrected, still staring at Ritsuka with a pensive expression "His drain on your magical reserves flatlined at the same time that Mash's parameters were suddenly increased, adding onto this was the sudden release of magical energy consistent with the triggering of a Noble Phantasm but not the complete activation of one when he boarded the Argo."

"So…" Ritsuka wet his lips, placing one hand on his hip. "What does that mean?"

"It was likely a support based suicide type Noble Phantasm." Romani delicately put "We were able to see some of Oscar's parameters and they were...not very good for a Saber Servant. Or any Servant."

"His parameters aside, it is not out of the realm of disbelief that Sa-Oscar marked Mash as a target and then, at the moment of his death, supported her in much the same way a talented Caster could." She frowned "As for how long it lasts...we cannot determine that at this time. These readings could be anywhere from a few hours to a day."

"So...She's powered up." Ritsuka surmised "How is she looking then?"

"Very good!" Romani scooted back into view, smiling "All her physical parameters have received a plus onto them."

"...Which means?"

"Hm? Ah, right." Romani looked through the findings "She'll be stronger, more durable and a bit faster than she was before…"

"Oscar died." Ritsuka finished "Hope in my Heart, huh." shaking his head, he looked over to the Shielder "What else can you tell us about the Argonauts? We already know about Heracles."

"They're top class Servants." Romani bluntly put "The Argonauts are naturally famous heroes and while they all aren't the same as Heracles, that doesn't mean they are slouches either. The only Servant I can see not posing too great a threat in terms of combat would be Jason."

"Really?" Ritsuka blinked "Wasn't he the captain?"

"He was." Romani agreed "However, considering many of the tales of the Argonauts feature him using his intelligence rather than his combat prowess, it's safe to assume that he is likely the weakest Servant in terms of power and with how he seemed to view you."

"Like trash." Ritsuka huffed "...And the other two?"

"Caenis or Caeneus." Olga sighed "They are a Servant whose history is directly related to the Olympian Gods, or more accurately Poseidon."

"How?" Ritsuka titled his head "She immediately went for Orion and Artemis, so I assume she doesn't like them?"

"No, she doesn't. Suffice to say that her legend is not a pleasant one. After being raped by Poseidon, she asked him to turn her into an invincible man."

"Invincible?" Ritsuka blinked "Ash hurt her, so she can't be that invincible."

"Fujimaru-kun, Ash has personally killed five Gods by his own admission." Romani pointed out "Suffice to say his ability to slay Gods likely means that wielding divine blessings against him isn't going to provide an enemy Servant with that great an advantage. Artemis herself struck her several times with her bow and wasn't able to break her skin at all."

"Alright, so the only one who can hurt her is Ash." Rituska nodded her head "And Heracles has...he had twelve lives." he raised his hand "He was killed by Artemis-" he raised a single finger "-by Caeneus-" another finger "-and by Havel?" he paused mid-finger raising and turned to the Berserker with a questioning expression "You killed him as well, right?"

Havel nodded "Smashed...skull."

"Right, so Havel killed him as well." Ritsuka nodded his head, raising the final finger "So Heracles has nine lives left and his resistance to attacks seems to be really weird. Sanura couldn't hurt him but Havel, Asterios, Caeneus and Artemis could." he looked to the communicator "Any ideas?"

Romani and Olga grimaced.

"Well?"

"We...don't have much of an answer for that." Romani replied "You were able to kill him twice, once with Artemis and the second time with Havel's club, while other weapons seemed to pose him no threat at all."

"Okay...so what did those attacks have in common?"

"...Rank." Olga realised "Berserker's club is recorded as being an A rank Noble Phantasm. Artemis Tri-Star is also A rank which means that Caeneus Noble Phantasm would also have been A rank." she explained, slowly nodding her head "It would explain a great deal...I assume those of you without an A ranked Noble Phantasm couldn't harm him?"

She got shakes of the head in response.

"Alright, so he needs really top grade attacks to even wound him." Ritsuka grimaced, then frowned. "But Havel hit him again after he revived and he didn't hurt him at all."

"True…" Romani realised, humming and cupping his chin "...Perhaps he gains resistance against what had previously killed him?" he shrugged "It would fall in line with his Noble Phantasm relating to his twelve labours, he overcame every single one of them so maybe he overcomes the same attack?"

"...That is a surprisingly intelligent guess." Olga commented, staring at Romani with a mildly impressed expression "Perhaps there is hope for you-...Is that a private texting channel I see open there?" she squinted her eyes at a screen next to Romani, the man nodded his head.

"...This is a direct line to Da Vinci's workshop." Romani explained, Olga sighed.

"Da Vinci came up with it, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"Well...I'm not surprised in the least." She turned back to the Master "That aside we are placed in an unfortunate set of circumstances. According to this deduction, we would need another nine A rank Noble Phantasms to use against Heracles to kill him." her expression soured "And that is without having to worry ourselves about the other Argonauts and the enemy Saber attacking you at the same time."

Ritsuka sighed, nodding his head "...Yeah." he then blinked, looking towards Ash "Hey...Ash?"

"Hm?" The Saber looked up and towards them "Yes?"

"Your Bottomless Box has a couple powerful weapons, right?"

"Yes." Ash nodded his head "It does."

"How many are A rank?" He asked with a slightly hopeful expression, Ash frowned in thought and then moved his hand over to his Bottomless Box, flipping the lid open and holding his hand above the exposed box.

His expression cycled through several emotions before he nodded to himself, looking back to Ritsuka and nodding "I have ten offensive Noble Phantasms of A rank. I believe that is sufficient."

Dead silence spread across the ship, all the present Servants paused and slowly stared in his direction, their expressions blank. The only one who barely showed any reaction was Archer, who seemed more surprised that the Saber had revealed that fact.

Because he was.

Ritsuka released a heavy sigh of relief "Thank goodness for that. So we're not entirely hopeless yet." he paused and then frowned "But the issue is providing a window for you to use your Noble Phantasms."

"You have that many high rank Noble Phantasms?" Romani gaped at Ash "And those are only of A rank? How many Noble Phantasms do you actually have in there?"

"Technically the Box is one of my Noble Phantasms." Ash corrected before he frowned "But in total, in terms of weapons, I have more."

"I'd imagine." Olga nodded her head "For the time being, you are our weapon against Heracles." she then paused, realising something "However, you are also our only individual capable of harming Caeneus as well…"

"Perhaps not." Romani pointed out "Looking at their skills, both Ash and Havel have the 'Mystic Slayer' skill at A rank. So that could mean that Havel could also harm Caenis-"

"Yes, but Havel is also our physically strongest Servant." Ritsuka pointed out "We need him to try and fight Heracles on even ground, might not be able to kill him but he would at least be able to match him and provide Ash with the windows to change his weapons to kill him."

"Ah...right." Romani hummed, nodding his head "Yeah...and if its A rank attacks which can only harm Heracles, Havel should technically be able to kill him another time."

"Really?" Ritsuka blinked "How do you figure?"

"He's got A+ rank strength." Romani pointed out "I'm sure if he hit someone hard enough or used his strength to kill him rather than his club it would be able to take another life."

Ritsuka looked towards Havel, the Berserker stared back at him through the grills in his helmet "...Do you think you'd be able to kill Heracles with your bare hands?"

Havel remained silent for a few moments, then nodded his head once "Can...manage." he replied back, then fell into another silence.

"Alright then." Ritsuka nodded his head "We have Havel to attack Heracles and try and block him until Ash can defeat Caenis..but they'll probably attack at the same time." he realised with a grimace "Which would be a mess." pausing, he moved his left hand to cup his chin "Perhaps we would have to split them up, try and isolate them so we could defeat them all individually...but there is Rendal and Medea to worry about as well."

"To begin with, we are aware of their objective." Archer spoke up from his spot leaning against the mast "And also aware of personal hatred." he looked between Artemis and Euryale.

Ritsuka understood his meaning, the boy frowned "You mean use Artemis and Euryale as bait?"

"There was no point where Heracles did not attempt to grab Euryale." Archer pointed out, tilting his head "And given Caeneus legend – and from what we have seen – she would not miss the opportunity to slay a scion of Poseidon and a Goddess of Olympus to boot."

Ritsuka nodded his head, looking over to Euryale and Artemis "So we split them up, have them charge off in opposite directions and hope that they take the bait. We can try and at least delay Heracles for as long as possible and once Ash kills Caeneus, I can summon him with a command seal and we can take out Heracles."

"That seems like a risky plan, Fujimaru-kun." Romani pointed out "How can you be sure they would even take the bait?"

"Simple." Ritsuka exhaled "...We'll have to provide them with a target too tempting to resist." he then paused "Before that, what does Jason even want Euryale for? He already has the Grail, so why would he need her?"

Romani frowned in thought while Olga hummed.

"That is strange." Romani pointed out "I'm not seeing why he would need Euryale, as a Servant she's not the best at being a combat oriented Servant and I don't think his interests fall in line with Blackbeards."

"So their motives remain a mystery, huh." Drake grunted from behind the steering wheel "Can't say it matters though, all we need to do is stop them first."

David coughed loudly, bringing the attention over to him "That...isn't exactly true."

"...What is it?" Romani narrowed his eyes at the man "Do you know what they're after?"

"I heard Jason shouting something about a sacrifice but I hoped I was mistaken." He frowned "But as it stands, I cannot think of anything else it could be as for why he would require both the Holy Grail and a Goddess." The King walked towards the group, his expression unusually serious "Captain." he called out to Drake "There's an island we need to sail towards, I'll point you in the right direction."

"David?" Ritsuka looked at the man with a concerned frown "What is it? What are we looking for?"

"Simple." David turned to him with a smile, although this one was noticeably more anxious than his usual ones "We're looking for my Noble Phantasm."

"Your Noble Phantasm?" Romani blinked at the man "Did you drop your special stone in the water or some-" he paused, his eyes went wide and snapped to David in horror "...It's not."

"If you're thinking about what I think you are." David nodded his head grimly "And I believe you are...then yes. It is."

"What is?" Olga looked between the two of them "What is it? What's got you so worried?"

"King David of Israel is famous for slaying Goliath." Romani explained slowly "So much so that he qualifies for the Archer class...However, there is another legend he has ascribed to him. After the capture of Jerusalem from the Philistines and the designation of the city as the capital. King David had a box containing the original commandments from God within the city. It's famous enough that it is linked to him and as such would count as a part of his legend."

David solemnly nodded his head.

"But t-that's just crazy!" Romani exclaimed "There's no way something that powerful could be summoned!"

"It's not like I can summon it to my side." David replied "It exists independent of me but I decided that it would be best if I placed it somewhere for safekeeping...I was even able to assign a guardian to it!" he smiled "So it wouldn't be left undefended...I mean, she never told me her true name but I'm sure she's trustworthy." he nodded his head "Even if she didn't want to hold my hand."

"This is no time for your ramblings!" Romani shouted in annoyance, turning his attention to Ritsuka "Fujimaru-kun, you have to get to that island and keep it safe and whatever you do, don't touch it. Don't let anyone touch it!"

""Touch what!?"" Ritsuka and Olga shouted at the same time in equal parts impatience.

"...The Ark of the Covenant."

Caeneus scowled as she sat at the far corner of the Argo, staring out across the ocean.

"I can tend your-"

"Piss off." She shut down Medea after barely half a second thought, she wasn't going to accept healing from that bootlicker. She frowned, she only ever remembered Medea being like that because of Aphrodite. The lancer internally shrugged. It probably didn't matter all that much anyway.

"Perhaps it would allow me to determine how they harmed yo-"

"Again. Piss. Off." Caeneus repeated, looking over her shoulder and staring down at the Caster Servant, her lip slowly twisted itself into a snarl "Now."

"...Very well." Medea bowed her head, taking a step away from her "But I'll be here if you change your mind. We're all Servants working for a common cause."

"Ha." She barked out an ugly laugh and gave the Caster a knowing smirk "Sure." Medea's smile froze for a split second before it faded away into a cordial expression.

"Of course. I seek to realize Lord Jason's dream as best I can interpret." She replied "Although I confess to being puzzled as to your appearance here, perhaps-"

"That's my business." She waved her hand in a shooing motion "Go back to that dumbass or something. He's probably got more patience for your hollow praise anyway."

Medea wordlessly left Caeneus alone, turning around and moving back across the ship in the direction of Jason, who still stood at the opposite end of the Argo and was currently shouting to Heracles about trying to better control himself. The Lancer scoffed, it was a lost cause if ever she'd seen one.

Quite how that big bastard ever found the patience to put up with that useless dumbasses weight was beyond her ability to understand. She'd have dumped his worthless hide in a shallow grave by now.

Or no grave at all and just chucked his ass into the ocean.

She smirked at the thought of his panicked face as she turned back across to stare at the ocean. She hated this view so much too. Nothing but ocean and the blessings which seemed to be worthless if any common loser could hurt her. She got scratched by some pushover, which told her how worthless Poseidon's favour was.

"You seem stressed."

She jolted as the voice reverberated through her skull, she found it disgusting how pleasant it was as well. The way he spoke was as if he was greeting an old friend or something. "Fuck do you want now?" she called back through the link.

"I had thought it would be best if I at the very least 'checked up on you', I believe the expression is." The voice chuckled as if they had told a mildly amusing joke "Besides, it is customary for Masters and their Servants to speak frequently, or so I have been told."

"You've checked up on me. Now piss off."

"Now, now Caenis. No need for such harsh words." The voice gently chided her, she felt a slight pinch through the link in the back of her head, not entirely painful but not pleasant either. "I allowed you free reign to do as you wished in that Singularity provided you did my favour in return."

"Do as I wish?" She loudly scoffed through the link "That blonde dumbass and his ass-kissing wife are going to blow it up. What am I supposed to do?"

"So the presence of Artemis and Orion isn't of interest to you?" They replied in a knowing, and slightly amused, tone of voice "Truly?"

She stilled, slowly straightening herself out "You knew they'd be here."

"Naturally."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Would it truly have changed anything? I required your aid in retrieving a certain object and an individual who would be easily accepted by the Argonauts and you were the prime candidate." Their reply was dismissive "Your personal feelings barely factored into the decision at all."

"Yeah, yeah. You're an asshole. We all know." Caeneus growled back, her hands tightening around the edge of the ship "So why now? You haven't spoken since you summoned me."

"Because that was before I had cause to doubt your abilities." The voice turned cold, the pinching sensation in the back of her mind began to steadily increase until it was a mildly uncomfortable headache "The Servant who held the Lord Vessel was barely a fraction of your strength and I had believed you could easily have slain them."

"And they are dead."

"Yes...what was their name, out of curiosity?"

"Why the fuck would I know or care?"

"...Shame." The voice gave a disappointed sigh "Regardless, the Lord Vessel had managed to slip through your fingers and now finds itself in the hands of the one individual in the Chaldean roster who can kill you."

Caeneus scoffed "Yeah rig-" she was cut off, her body hunched forwards as the sensation in her mind burned for a split second. Agonising pain shot through her head and caused her to clench her hands against the deck of the ship, cracking the wood slightly before it stopped and she hissed through her teeth.

"I haven't finished speaking yet." The voice informed her "For a single moment, I want you to banish the arrogant thoughts from your mind about how other Servants are inferior to you. He has already demonstrated a capacity to harm you. Not because he was blessed or managed to become the object of interest for a passing Lord, but because he slew them."

"..."

"Gods. Not the Divine Spirits you understand them as, but true Gods. Although the Lords of Cinder are raised to Godhood, that does not remove their status as Divine." The voice explained with a hint of irritation "Do you understand how low you truly factor in when compared to his previous prey?"

"So?" Caeneus scoffed "I can hurt him just the same. In fact – if he's so powerful – why don't you bring your lazy ass down here yourself?"

"Because contrary to whatever you seem to believe about me, I do have much more important agenda's to concern myself with. While the capture of the Lord Vessel would certainly benefit me, it is not of vital importance." The voice chided as if speaking to an unruly child "I summoned you because given your history, I believed that you would be amenable to a deal and would jump at the opportunity to enact retribution against anything of the Sea God's ilk. It was a choice made in the spur of the moment and remains an act of charity I can rescind at any time."

"Yeah, yeah." Caeneus scoffed "So you just came to have a go at me for not being able to tell he passed off your precious bowl?"

"I came to affirm that my faith in your abilities was not misplaced."

"You summoned me!" She seethed through the link "I'll get your fancy fucking bowl, just let me work."

"...Very well. However, I should remind you of the need to be intelligent. They will likely attempt to split you up when you encounter them again, therefore-"

"You think I'm some kind of dumbass?" Caeneus snarled through the link, her hands clenching into fists "I know how fucking strategy works."

"...Clearly." Her master remarked disbelievingly "Very well then. You may do as you please, I will await either news of your victory or the disappearance of our link."

"Mark my words. I'm going to beat your ass one day." She growled back, her voice tinged with indignation and savage anticipation.

What pissed her off more was the fact that her Master had the nerve to laugh at her "I'm sure." he spoke out between chuckles "We've already fought once but you may challenge me as many times as you feel the need to sate those self-harming desires of yours."

"You son of a-" She paused when she felt the link cut off, the presence which had flooded her mind just as quickly departed. Scowling, Caeneus turned away from the ocean view and made her way towards the staircase leading to the lower deck. She needed to let off steam and if she saw too much of that pompous ass, she'd take his head off.

"The Ark of the Covenant!?" Mash choked out in surprise as Ritsuka informed her of what had been discussed, the Master nodded his head in grim resignation "But that sort of thing…" she then paused, frowning "What manner of Noble Phantasm would it be?"

"….Probably not great." Ritsuka shook his head "But I'm working off movie logic here, nothing involving the Ark of the Covenant ever ends well in films. As for legends concerning it...Roman made it pretty clear that touching it was a bad idea and David wholeheartedly agreed with him."

"Why would touching it be bad?" Mash asked, tilting her head in mild confusion.

"Apparently the last person who did so just died." Ritsuka snapped his fingers to punctuate the sentence "Just got struck down. David says it will do the same to anyone who touches it without proper authorisation from God."

Mash's confusion didn't lift "But...why would the Argonauts be looking for it?"

"That...is less clear." Ritsuka admitted "David said he would explain what he thought better once we arrived on the island where he was keeping it, but admitted that he himself doesn't understand why anyone would do it."

"Ah, I see." Mash nodded her head in understanding, then falling into a silence where she stared at her feet.

Ritsuka continued to look at her, soon reaching up and scratching the back of his neck "Listen...Mash...we think we understand where this new power-"

"It's from Oscar-san." Mash gently cut him off, slowly nodding her head and flashing Ritsuka an understanding smile as he jolted in surprise.

"How did-"

"I...just knew." she quietly admitted "For a little while now. That is two Heroic Spirits who have entrusted me with their power and...I'm not sure what I've done to deserve it-"

"You don't need to do anything to deserve it." Ritsuka politely reprimanded "They made their choice to give it to you...and Oscar." he exhaled, reaching up and scratching his forehead "He...he died believing in us. That we would succeed...and I for one would like to live up to his expectations." he nodded his head, lowering his hand from his face "Because it would mean we wasted his sacrifice otherwise. His and Asterios."

"It…" Mash bit her lip "We have lost allied Servants before but-"

"We weren't actually there when they…" Ritsuka finished quietly, his sentence trailing off as his eyes darted away. "Marie said how Mozart sacrificed himself for her and we got luck in Rome by not losing anyone but...this is the first time…"

"We lost an allied Servant and saw it happen." Mash completed the sentence, taking a deep breath, she looked up "I'm worried that we might not-"

"Let's not get too down about that." Ritsuka gently cut her off "We're going to do this. For Oscar and Asterios." he reached out, placing a comforting hand on Mash's shoulder "That much I am certain of. We're going to beat Heracles and the other Argonauts and save this era."

Mash stared at him in silence before her face split into a confident smile and her head bobbed in a fierce nod of determination "Yes, Senpai!"

"Ritsuka."

The pair stopped, turning around to see Ash staring at them, his expression somewhat troubled.

"Ash-san?" Mash blinked at him "What's wrong?"

"There is something that I must reveal to you." He spoke slowly, moving his hand to his Bottomless Box "It was in Oscar's possession before he passed it along to me, knowing he would be unable to protect it for much longer." the unkindled looked between the pair of them "It might be best if you also inform the Doctor."

"We're listening." Romani's voice came through the communicator "The Director feels that constant communication is a must for the time being, especially with something like the Ark of the Covenant in play."

"Understandable." Ash nodded "Objects of Godly construction are usually powerful...which brings me to what Oscar was carrying on his person. It took me some time to properly understand what I held, at least in part." he finished "All I can garner from it is that it is also a construct of Lords."

"A Divine Construct?" Olga's voice came through, sounding more curious than anything else "And the Saber had it in their possession? I can only assume it was not something which could be used offensively, else they would have used it."

"It's use eludes me." Ash replied "I would have ignored its existence entirely until we returned to Chaldea, or I became mortally wounded-"

"We're not gonna entertain that last one right now." Ritsuka politely cut him off "But go on."

"...Indeed." The unkindled nodded his head, flipping open the lid of his Bottomless Box "I would have ignored it to avoid adding onto our concerns, however with recent information being made available and with talk of Divine Constructs, I believed it would be best that I informed you of what had recently come into my possession."

"What is-What the hell!?" Olga exclaimed, several alarms went off in the background as the shape slowly took form in Ash's hands, both his arms spread shoulder width apart to accommodate for the diameter of the shape while Ritsuka and Mash widened their eyes at the sudden reveal. "What are these...what is this!?"

"These readings are similar to-" Romani went on, the shape solidified into a great golden basin which Ash held out in front of him in full view of the other two. The sheer power the object radiated had Ritsuka and Mash take a single step back while earning the attention of all the other Servants on the deck of the ship.

"The heck is that?" Ritsuka gaped at it "A giant golden bowl?"

"Bowl!?" Olga sputtered "Th-that's a Holy Grail!"

"A wha-!?" Ritsuka recoiled from it, eyes wide with surprise while Mash demonstrated a similar expression of shock "A holy Grail? But that-"

"Hang on there!" Romani interrupted him, the Doctor's voice strained but still holding a hint of composure. "Its readings are very, very similar to that of the Holy Grail, however I can already see some mild differences on my end. Look at these numbers, Director."

There was a pause and a hum from the woman "It seems...drained?" she muttered "No, its still holds a tremendous amount of magical energy but it's much less than what a Grail should be capable of holding. Suffice to say that its weaker than the one in the Argonauts and in Francis Drake's possession. So it cannot cause that great an issue with the Singularity you are in."

"Oh, that's good." Ritsuka breathed out a sigh of relief before staring at the bowl "Still...you got this from Oscar?"

"There was a brief flash of magical energy from your location over an hour ago." Romani informed "But at the time I assumed that it was related to the Argonauts, that must have been when Oscar handed it to you, right Ash?"

"My ability to accurately document the passage of time is still poor." Ash replied, then nodded his head "But yet, Oscar passed it off to me before he boarded the opposing ship with Asterios with the express wish that I keep this safe."

"That's smart thinking." Romani admitted "With one Grail already in their possession, they're dangerous enough. Adding on another one, even if it isn't as powerful, is still a tremendous disadvantage. Still...to think he was carrying around a Holy Grail this entire time…"

"But...why didn't he tell us?" Mash asked, her expression troubled "Surely-"

"Probably for the same reason I didn't immediately inform you of the Ark first." David commented as he ventured closer "It is our own duty to see them protected...and while I might have handed guarding the Ark off to someone else for the time being, I am still aware of it at all times without wanting to burden another. I was trusted to keep it safe and that is what I intended to do."

The King paused next to Ash, nodding to the bowl "There is safety in ignorance. If you were not aware of it, then our enemies wouldn't have been either." David crossed his arms "Had you known he had it, it would have made more sense to try and protect his life. Pride as a Knight aside, our opponents would have doubtless noticed our efforts to protect a singular servant above others."

"And they would have gone for him…" Ritsuka surmised, looking back at the basin "Still...to think he had to protect this the whole time."

"Hm." David nodded "Considering he was able to allow our escape and ensure it didn't fall into less trustworthy hands, I would say he did his role as protector admirably."

"He asked me to tell you that your words on faith were correct." Ash spoke to David, the man briefly looked surprised and his expression settled into a sad smile.

"...I see." He slowly nodded his head "I'm glad he was able to find his strength of spirit at the very end." taking a deep breath, the man exhaled slowly "However, we now have two items we need to keep safe." he paused, then looked to Ash "Although the Argonauts seem ignorant of its existence at the moment."

"Focus on one thing at a time." Ritsuka nodded his head, looking to Ash "For the time being put the Divine Basin-"

"Divine Basin?"

"Well...it's not really a Grail, is it?" Ritsuka scratched the back of his neck "And calling it the Holy Bowl feels a little insulting. So...Divine Basin. It works, right?"

"...I suppose it does." David nodded his head, looking towards it "It was definitely forged by the hands of the Divine, but it is not my area of expertise, and considering that Oscar was carrying it."

"The Gods of Ash's world." Ritsuka surmised "We can worry about its origins later though." the master affirmed once again "For now Ash, you should keep it in your box for safekeeping, that's fine, right?"

"That had been my intention from the beginning." Ash nodded his head, moving the golden basin back into his Bottomless Box "I only wished to keep you informed of the situation so as to avoid causing undue alarm when we returned to Chaldea."

David gave him a raised eyebrow "When, is it? That's a very positive outlook you have there."

"Most matters in my experience are simply a matter of when rather than if." Ash replied "Given enough tries, there is little that cannot be eventually overcome."

"You had the benefit of dying repeatedly and coming back to life." Ritsuka pointed out, gesturing to himself and Mash "We don't have that." the shielder shook her head in the background.

"That's probably for the best." Romani replied "As of now, Ash's bottomless box is likely the safest place for it."

"As long as he doesn't drop it again." Olga dryly remarked.

"…"

"Snrk." Ritsuka covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his laugh and giving a sage nod to disguise his obvious mirth. Mash remained silent, although the subtle biting of her lip indicated her own effort to avoid laughing.

Ash remained stone faced, for all of a few moments. Then his eyes shifted downwards "...I believe I have apologised enough-"

"That was before I found out that you could have lost us ten A rank Noble Phantasm!" The woman shouted, Ash flinched slightly "What is-...Fujimaru. Keep that box attached to him, I don't care if you have to nail it to his body."

"Yes Director." Ritsuka nodded his head "I'll make sure he doesn't lose it."

"There really isn't a need for this Ol-"

"Not a word from you, butter fingers." She cut him off "Make sure you don't drop that and remain alert. You are currently our best hope at defeating both Caenis and Heracles."

"Well...I wouldn't say best, but definitely the easiest." David pointed out "Definitely more plausible than having one or both of those two touch the Ark."

"Wouldn't you have to lure them to the Ark to do that?" Romani pointed out "And wouldn't that be incredibly risky to begin with, also we're talking about Heracles and Caenis here. Were we planning on just tripping them up onto the box?"

"That's why I said 'more plausible' than my plan." David waved his hand "Much easier to just use whatever assembly of weapons our friend here got on his no doubt extraordinary travels through the world than to try and trick a couple of high tier Servants into walking into the Ark."

"That aside, how far are we from your island?" Ritsuka asked the Israeli King, the man gave a gentle hum in response as he looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"At the moment...no clue." David shrugged. He raised his hands placatingly at the flat stared he got in response. "Hey now, it's not like I did much in the way of sailing in life. I can have a general sense as to how close I am to my Noble Phantasm but that doesn't translate into accurate distance. It's more like a compass."

"So we could be weeks away and never know?"

"...Well, that seems a bit on the cynical end of estimations, but yes." The man admitted "Although personally I am hoping for no more than a day."

"Oh, well if you're hoping our journey doesn't take that long it's fine then." Romani muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the speaker in front of him to carry the words through the communicator.

"Would you rather I not be here?" David wryly pointed out.

"If you were not here, then the Ark wouldn't be here either." Romani flatly replied "In this situation, yes. It would have been better if you hadn't been summoned."

"Just because you're technically correct-"

Ritsuka rolled his eyes in amusement and sent an exasperated smile towards Mash, the Shielder glanced at him and offered a helpless shrug at the same time. The pair looked towards Ash who was standing in-between David and Romani – currently speaking through Ritsuka's wrist – with a curious expression on his face as he looked between the two of them.

The Saber frowned and looked towards Ritsuka. "These two spend a great deal of time in conflict, yet I cannot sense any true hostility in their words...is this manner of conversation normal?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Ritsuka nodded his head "Depends but sometimes you just get people like that. It's called playful banter."

"Openly questioning someone and insulting them is seen as a sign of friendship?" Ash's face scrunched up in confusion "...You have not misinterpreted my approach to Francis Dra-"

"No, Ash." Ritsuka sighed, shaking his head "You have left little to the imagination with how you view Drake. I don't think there's anything in your relationship that could be described as friendly at all." he paused "Although you have seemed a little more cordial as of late."

"We have since come to an understanding." Ash replied "My own feelings would jeopardize the situation, so I am working to simply bury them. However, I have made it clear to Drake that I tolerate her because of our mutual goals and she…" he paused "I do not know how she views me, and I cannot find it within myself to care."

"...That seems a bit cold."

"It is the best I can manage." Ash admitted "I have never encountered a person such as her...I have explained my personal grievances to her already, they are simply incompatible with my way of life and I cannot understand how she can ascribe to such a doctrine."

"Well…" Ritsuka blinked, then slowly nodded his head "As long as you don't start another fight with her...also try not to start a fight with any other Servants we encounter who might be like Drake."

Ash's expression became troubled "You think we might encounter more of them?"

"Maybe? I don't know." Ritsuka shrugged, "You get all sorts of different people, so you can never tell."

"...I see." Ash looked down, his troubled expression only intensifying as he thought more of the topic. He had imagined that Drake was at the extreme end, given how David, Boudica and Archer had been. Despite Boudica's own admittance of her enjoyment of savagery, she did show some regret over the manner in which she had displayed herself. Drake showed no such repentance for her own behaviour.

The idea there could be others who maintained a similar line of thinking and lived only for their own desires was not something he could fully understand.

"...I will attempt to be cordial with them." He eventually voiced out, his features ironing out and giving a single nod to the Master "Those who we might encounter in the future, should our goals align I will try to overlook them for the sake of the mission at hand." turning around, the Saber looked over his shoulder towards Drake "If you will excuse me, I believe I will need to provide power for the ship."

"I'll come with you." David broke away from his conversation with Romani to speak with Ash, then cracked a mischievous smirk "I need to be a very useful compass."

"That doesn't change the fact it's technically your fault we're in this mess!" Romani shouted out to the man as he walked away "It's your Noble Phantasm that you summoned!"

"Or did the Noble Phantasm summon me?" David wryly retorted, looking over his shoulder and giving a smug smile before he turned away and continued to walk alongside Ash.

"That isn't how it works...I think…" Romani trailed off, the man sounding more unsure of himself "Unless it worked as a Catalyst summon...but that would mean the Ark was brought here by the Grail?"

"It's here now." Olga interrupted "Discussions as to its origins can wait until we are not in dire straits. For now, focus on locating the Ark of the Covenant and ensuring it is protected, anything else relating to how to defend it can wait until we actually arrive at its location." the woman paused for a few moments "It is also safe to assume that the Argonauts also have a way of tracking you."

"Wait, really?" Ritsuka jolted "How?"

"Because the Caster is Medea, who was taught Magecraft by Circe." Olga replied as if that explained everything "The Magecraft that those from the Age of Gods practised outclasses modern magi exponentially, she likely has ways of tracking you that we cannot account for. Not to mention that you are a boat full of Servants, two Goddesses and a holder of the Holy Grail. Tracking down your location would be almost child's play for one of her calibre."

Ritsuka's mouth snapped shut, his attention turned towards Mash. The Shielder nodded her head in support of the Director "Unfortunately, that is most likely true Senpai and if they apparently already aware of the Ark of the Covenant to begin with-"

"Then they were probably looking for it anyway." Ritsuka realised with a nod "Fair enough, so its a race against the clock then is it?" he paused, cupping his chin "We could probably do with defending it…" he snapped his fingers and looked at his communicator "Romani, can you contact the Servants and find out who has the best knowledge of defensible tactics, we'll try and set up some kind of barricade when the Argonauts arrive."

"I'll ask around." Romani replied back "Considering who you're fighting, it probably won't amount to much though, but it is better than nothing."

"I'm not exactly expecting to stop Heracles in his tracks." Ritsuka replied with a wry expression, the boy scratched his cheek "It's more for the other Servants that aren't...you know...Heracles."

"Fair enough." Romani admitted "I'll get on that." the line went dead, Ritsuka exhaled and placed his hands on his hips.

He remained silent for a few moments before he blinked and looked to Mash "How come we've been calling him Heracles instead of Hercules?"

"Hercules is the name the Romans call him, Senpai." Mash dutifully explained "Heracles is the name he was granted in an attempt to pacify the Goddess Hera because she disliked his birth and how Zeus had been unfaithful to her. His birth name was actually Alcides."

"Really?" Ritsuka blinked "I didn't know that…"

"It is not that well known, Senpai." Mash attempted to console him "The Hercules version of his name was the one used by the Romans and with the Roman Empire spreading across much of Europe-"

"Hercules as the spelling was the one most used." Ritsuka nodded his head "Huh, more you know."

Ash paused as he continued to walk towards the upper deck, the Saber remained stationary for a few moments before he turned and looked down to the right and stared at the figure daintily sitting against the railings.

Euryale stared back with a blank expression for several moments before she raised an eyebrow "Is there something you need?" she paused before a coy smile came to her lips "Or have you finally come to recognise my true beauty-"

"You have my condolences for the loss of Asterios." Ash cut her off, her expression froze before it flattened out "However, he died in defence of you. I am certain he was content at the end."

"...Hmph." Euryale huffed, shaking her head "He wasn't content or happy because he was protecting me...it was because I didn't treat him like a monster. Anyone could have done that, it just so happened to be me at the time." she leaned back "But he certainly made his exit memorable...crying out his love for me like that and I don't even get the opportunity to tease him for it...That really was unfair of him."

"...That was all I had to say." Ash nodded back, turning away from her and moving towards the stairs.

"And how does his death make you feel?" She asked, Ash paused in his movements and looked back "I noticed, you seemed surprised as to how he looked and even made a rather bold comment to his face about it."

"I was surprised he looked so human."

"Because he was monstrous?" She pressured "If he had tusks and fangs, would you have been less surprised?"

"Yes." Ash nodded his head "Most things I encountered with a similar appearance to him were less human-like in shape. I had never encountered someone like him."

"Did that bother you?" Euryale squinted her eyes "How human he looked?"

"Why should I be concerned? I might look human as well, but that does not mean I am human."

The girl frowned, "You're undead, surely that does not change your origins."

"I am unkindled." Ash shook his head "The ashes of a human who was risen into their original shape. That does not change that I am nothing more than ash in the shape of a person."

"Really?" Euryale raised an eyebrow "I suppose someone could argue you were as monstrous as Asterios then."

"They could call me whatever pleased them." Ash shrugged, "It does not matter." exhaling, he turned away "As for how Asterios death makes me feel...we have lost an ally, however he died defending his purpose. There is nothing to mourn."

"Rather cold of you, isn't it?" She wondered aloud "Would you rather he be here?"

"Would you?" He turned back to her "He was your guardian, not mine. He found purpose in devoting himself to your protection-"

"He found acceptance in protecting me." She corrected "Just as he found acceptance in everyone else. A monster spurned by humans and suddenly they speak to him so casually? He got what he wanted all his life...and it barely lasted a few days before he died." she gave a bitter smile "But that is life, is it not? Always giving you something just to take it away."

"...Is that-"

"Does Gwyndolin know you effectively killed his sister?"

"What?"

"Gwyndolin, you know him, don't you?" She asked, tilting her head "I mean Filianore. His older sister, when you awoke her. You can shift the sentence all you wish, but you still killed her at the end of the day."

"...He is not aware of the events of the Ringed city."

"I see." She nodded her head, then looked away. "Just curious is all...we spoke and he told me about her."

Ash stared at her in silence.

"But I suppose you don't care all that much, do you?" Euryale realised "You're terrible for conversation and terrible to try and pick on. You have no reaction to anything I do or say but Drake is different, isn't she?"

"You're a God." Ash bluntly replied "Your race is not beholden to the same ideals as humans."

Euryale shifted her expression to a pleasant smile "So you write off my behaviour as that of a Goddess and can accept it?"

"Yes." He nodded his head "It might not mean I like it, but I accept that your way of thinking and my way of thinking are different. It is part of why I hate Gwyndolin but will not attempt to correct him. He is what he is just as I am what I am."

"Well...that got boring fast." Euryale sighed, waving her hand "You can go do whatever you want to do...But thank you for recognising Asterios' efforts. I'm sure he would have appreciated it. I know he liked you and your friends."

"Friends?" Ash blinked at her, then stared at the others on the ship before frowning "We aren't friends."

Euryale's bored expression made a complete one-eighty into intrigued "Oh~?" she leaned forwards "Surely your friends. I've seen how much you speak with your Master and the other Servants."

"That puts me on cordial terms with them, that does not make us friends." He shook his head, looking past her "...There has been only one I called a friend and I would prefer none end up as him."

"Oh, so you feel like being friends with someone will get them killed?"

"It will distract me from seeing my own duty clearly." Ash stoically replied "If I were friends with them, I would-" he cut himself off, tightening his expression and turning away "It does not matter." he abruptly turned away while Euryale continued to stare at his departing form.

"Not friends with anyone, hmm?" She leaned back and chuckled "I wonder Asterios...we're we really the most inhuman ones on the ship?"

Ritsuka heard the thumping footsteps close in behind him and he could already tell who it was who was closing in on him. He wasn't entirely sure what it was about, but he could tell this was going to be a tense conversation.

He turned around and found himself staring up at the familiar stone visage of the Bishop.

"Havel." Ritsuka nodded to him, doing his best to keep his expression composed "Is there something I can help you with?"

Havel stared at him in silence, then looked above his head and walked past him to the railings of the ship, eventually coming to a halt next to the Master and staring out across the sea.

The two remained silent before Havel eventually spoke out.

"I'm...going...to...kill...sorcerer…"

"Medea?"

"Hmm." Havel nodded once, turning to Ritsuka "Prob...lem?"

"...No." He shook his head "No problem, we need to beat them and that unfortunately means we'll likely have to kill them. Just…" he exhaled "Do it quick?"

Havel stared down at him "...Quick?"

"Yeah...don't try and...and drag it out or something." Ritsuka sighed, leaning against the railings and exhaling "I'm having to try and tell someone to not torture people...what is my life anymore?" the Master gave an empty chuckle "It's weird...I saw her. She looked like a little girl around my age or maybe younger and I'm just asking you to kill her quickly…"

Havel stared at him in silence, then looked away "Is...a...sorcerer." he replied as if it was the only justification he needed "She...will...try...and...kill...us...all." raising a hand, Havel gestured behind him in the direction of David "Doing...something….with...Divine...box."

"Ark of the Covenant." Ritsuka corrected "And yes...I know they're going to do something with it and it won't be good but I can't help but wonder if we really have to kill these people. I know we're going to but it just...nevermind." he dismissed, waving his hand "Forget it."

"...You're...child."

"If this is about to be some 'man up' speech-"

"No…" Havel turned to him "Still...child...never...trained...for...this." the helmet stared down at Ritsuka "Never...trained...for...killing...never...killed…" the Berserker shook his head "Make...for...bad...warr..ior."

"...Yeah." Ritsuka nodded "Probably."

"But...you're...good...boy." He gave him a nod "...Would...make...terrible...sorcerer."

Ritsuka snorted, shaking his head "I think the Director would agree with you on that one. She keeps going on about how third rate I am."

"Good." Havel grunted "...Girl...is...enemy…Will...consider...quick...death." he shrugged "Best...I...will...manage."

"Right…" Ritsuka sighed, nodding his head "At least you will consider it."

"But...will...kill...her." Havel grunted "Bad...feeling...she's...good...sorcerer."

"And a Good sorcerer isn't a good person?" Ritsuka guessed, getting a blank stare in response "Sorry. So...you have a bad instinct about Medea then?"

"Yes." Havel grunted, nodding his head "Need...to...kill...her...fast...not...just...because...of her...nature...as...sorcerer."

"…Alright." Ritsuka nodded his head "We'll keep an eye on her, but Heracles, Caenis and Rendal are our priority to defeat first."

"Hmm." Havel nodded his head "Fine."

Ritsuka figured that was as close as he was going to get so decided to leave it at that, instead turning to stare back across the water.

Ash continued to point Storm Ruler towards he sails as David stood just behind him while Drake steered the ship. The one which puzzled him the most was the presence of the Rider.

"So." Boudica coughed into her hand, earning her the attention of three sets of eyes "...What do you normally do to pass the time."

""Drink/Nothing/Pray."" The three answered at the same time, the other two stared at Ash with equally unsurprised looks.

"Nothing?" Drake sighed "So you just, what, sit in silence?"

"Yes." He nodded his head in affirmation, then looked to Boudica "Why do you ask?"

"I was curious, I figured that with recent events-" Her expression became more downcast "-and the loss of some of our allies, it might be best to try and distract our minds from the situation at hand."

"I don't see the need." Ash shrugged "But as long as it does not interfere, I will make no attempt to object."

"That's...good." Boudica replied in a strained tone "...What about stories?" she looked around "They're always good ways to pass the time, right?"

"I have spoken of my exploits in passing but usually as a way to explain how to defeat an opponent or how a weapon came into my possession." Ash tilted his head "You mean to tell one...for no reason other than to avoid thinking about the journey to the location of the Ark?"

"...Yes." The Rider nodded her head "Siegward speaks about the time he lost his armour."

"Ah, yes." Ash nodded his head, his lip twitching "Most amusing. I use that as an example as to why sleep is a poor idea for unkindled. Our kind does not need rest so he could easily have been mistaken for a corpse."

Drake blinked "Does he like sleep?"

"I believe he enjoys it, yes." Ash nodded his head "I would have issues, but he was able to complete his duty with his peculiarities, so I have no problems with it….except for the theft of his armour. That was unfortunate and somewhat careless of him."

"Sounds like it." Drake shrugged, still steering the ship "Picked a poor place to make camp and take it off then."

"What?" Ash looked at her "No, he sleeps in his armour."

David snorted "He got robbed of his armour while he slept?" the King shook his head "Dear, dear me. He must be quite the heavy sleeper then."

"Was he drunk or something?"

"I do not believe so…" Ash frowned "However, that might be an attempt to further save face. Although his supply of Siegbräu seemed short and he only drank it in my presence after a particularly challenging foe." he then paused "Alternatively, he once served it when he invited me to consume Estus soup with him once."

"Sounds nice." David nodded his head "A good friend then."

"We are on friendly terms, but I would not consider myself his friend." Ash dismissed "But he is a good man in any event."

"Alright then…" Boudica frowned "But he seemed to consider you his friend."

Ash stared at her with a blank expression "...I know. He called me his friend before he died."

Drake craned her head to stare at the back of Ash's head with a frown, then peered over his shoulder towards Boudica before giving a shrug and going back to steering the ship.

"And you don't consider him a friend because…"

"...His death would affect me more." Ash replied "And-"

"Fucking Hell." Drake grumbled under her breath, shaking her head "You'd feel bad that he died, wouldn't you?"

"…"

"Fucking-" The woman scowled "Nevermind."

"That...isn't right." Boudica pointed out "You can't deny friendship with people because you will be sad when they pass, that would deny you friendship with anyone." she pointed to him "How do you think Ritsuka would feel if you were to die?"

"When."

Boudica blinked at him "Excuse me?"

"When I die." Ash corrected her "I will die inevitably. I cannot stop him from viewing me as a friend, but I would prefer he did not...if only to spare himself pain." he frowned "Besides, there is no reason to view me as a friend to begin with. I am only here to fulfill my duty as a Servant."

"...That's wrong." Boudica replied with a stern voice "That's just wrong."

"But-"

"Wrong." She cut him off, shaking her head and placing her hands on her hips "Is that what you're like? You get hurt once and decide no more? When you got stabbed, did you decide to just give up?"

"That is different."

"How?"

"Because I can heal stab wounds." Ash looked away, staring straight ahead "It did not matter how many times I died or was crippled. I could heal myself or kill myself to restore my body at the nearest bonfire. I would always be whole but…"

"Oh." Boudica stared at him, her hands lowering from her hips "Never figured out how to heal a broken heart, did you?"

"...Can you?" He looked towards her with a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes "Is there a way to-"

"No." Boudica shook her head "It won't stop and it doesn't matter what you do."

Ash's expression flattened and the glimmer faded "...Then I will not do so again. It was a...I did not like that pain." his left hand tightened into a fist "And I do not want to feel it again."

"Denying yourself the opportunity that friendships bring is only going to hurt you more." Boudica sighed "You can't do that to yourself forever-"

"I only need to do it for so long as my duty lasts." Ash pointed out.

Boudica's expression only seemed to worsen into one mixed between sombreness and annoyance. The woman opened her mouth to reply before David cut her off politely.

"You shouldn't try to exist like that." The man shrugged "Have a little fun but I suppose if that's how you want to live, then that's how you want to live." he leaned back "Living your whole life being told what to do and just doing it...isn't really something that should be." he looked back at Ash "...You have no freedom."

Ash remained silent "...No freedom?" he parroted back with a puzzled voice "I…" then paused, he lowered his sword and squinted his eyes ahead of him. Moving his left hand to his bottomless box, he flipped the lid open and then retrieved a pair of small metallic binoculars.

Boudica blinked at the sudden revelation "How long have you had those?"

"Since I first stepped foot on the High Wall of Lothric. I found them on a corpse." Ash replied, leaning his sword against the wooden railing in front of him and holding the binoculars to his eyes. "...I can see an island ahead."

"The fuck are binoculars?" Drake blinked, then Ash handed them to her "What am I supposed to do with- oh shit!" the woman exclaimed, lowering them from her eyes and then looking back through them "Everything is so big now! Whoa!"

Ash stared at her with a blank expression while Boudica and David giggled at her sudden childish impression.

Reaching out, the Unkindled grabbed her arms and steadied her hands before he turned her towards the direction he'd seen the island in. "What are-oh wait...yeah, I see it now." she lowered them from her eyes and turned to Ash with a wide smile "Hey...can I keep these?"

"No." Ash denied instantly, taking them from her hands – also ignoring her pouting expression – and turning to David, holding them out to him "Is that the island we seek?"

David took the binoculars and then looked through them, Ash rested his left arm on the railings and leaned on them as the King stared out across the horizon.

"Hmm." David hummed "Could be...I'm sensing the link in that direction, but these waters change so swiftly, it might not be the right island." he lowered the binoculars and bobbed his head from side to side in thought "She would have already contacted us if that were the-"

He was cut off by a thud as an arrow buried itself into the wood just barely an inch from Ash's hand. The Unkindled stared at it, and then looked towards the small note attached on the end of it. He reached out and took the note.

"You know you were like...an inch from that going through you, right?" Drake pointed out "You not that worried?"

"I've been shot with arrows three times that size." Ash dismissed as he unfurled the note "It would not have been that painful. Besides, they missed." he commented as he looked at the note for a few moments.

"What does it say?"

"…" Ash wordlessly handed it off to David.

"That bad?" Drake frowned.

"No." Ash shook his head "I remembered that I cannot read."

"So why did you pick up the note?" Drake stared at him in confusion "Nevermind." she turned to David "What does it say?"

"...Well." David coughed into his hand, lowering the note and smiling "Good news. It's the right island."

"Hey, we heard a thunk so I was wondering what…" A voice came from below, the Servants looked over the balcony to see Ritsuka staring up at them with a perturbed expression directed at the arrow buried in the wood next to Ash "...Did someone shoot at us?"

"It was my friend passing along a message." David held up the note, smiling widely "We've spotted the island up ahead."

"So we're close to the Ark then?" Ritsuka gave a relieved smile, "Good news." The smile turned more humorous. "Then let's get ready to raid this lost Ark."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"...You know theft is a Sin, right?"

Romani's laughter echoed through the communicator.

AN: Humour is under appreciated. Anyway, a little reveal chapter. Couple more conversations and what not and Ash casually reveals he has ten Noble Phantasms of A rank.

And yes…

The Dragon Tablet is one of them.

Although it is obviously less impressive than Sieg...but it's the thought that counts.

Anyway!

Means next chapter is likely going to be another fighting Chapter. Which means we're into the final few Chapters of this Singularity.

If I were to hazard a guess...I'd say four maximum left but don't quote me on that.