104: Four Day Deluge: Okeanos
I have a brief moment of concern as I peer around through the driving sheets of rain - but I quickly confirm three silhouettes beside me - we all arrived in one place, which is a step up from last time!
My brief scan also reveals a bit about our location - ahead of us, there's only a rocky shoreline battered by the furious tide, but behind I can make out steep crags of white stone, lined with withered brush. To the right, those same rocks rise to a steep plateau, but to the left, they descend slightly to what looks like a section of sand, along with -
"There's light… there! I think… fire!" Some of Mash's shout is lost in the howling wind.
"Fire means shelter, in this weather!" I shout back - and so we begin forcing our way towards that flickering light.
The rain continues to pound down. Somehow, I find it's not soaking through my clothing - Da Vinci really is a genius - but that doesn't stop my hair from getting completely drenched, nor does it do anything to keep the water out of my eyes. The somewhat tropical ambient heat is the only reason I'm not fearing hypothermia at this-
My foot slips.
I fall to the left, and I see the edge of this rocky trail just as I begin to tumble over it towards the merciless stones below. Immediately, my mind maps out the coming disaster. A headfirst plunge I can do nothing to prevent. A death caused by nothing except my own bad luck.
(At least it's a short drop this time.)
-A hand catches me. "Watch your step!" Georgios shouts, and I all but collapse in relief.
"Th-thanks for the save…" I mutter - before shouting the same as my mumbling is lost in the rain.
The storm shows no sign of relenting by the time we reach the fire further along the shore, and greeting us as we arrive is-
"...A boat?" I ask no one in particular.
It's a wooden construction with oars and two masts, probably Greek or Roman based on the designs Sensei had me look at. The rain already makes the view unflattering, but beyond just that, it's clear that this boat is old - the paint is chipped and peeled, and the face carved into the prow is chipped, even looking rotted in some places.
The fire seems to have been lit on the shore below the boat, using said prow as a shelter from the rain - I can see a couple of fish on skewers roasting on the fire. They can't have been here for long, judging by how fresh they are - and yet whoever set them roasting is nowhere to be seen.
"Think it's some kind of trap!?" Cu shouts over the wind.
"No! It seems safe to my instincts!" Georgios says - and so we draw closer.
No attack follows. There's no sound save the howling of the storm, the creaking of timbers, and the crackling of the fire.
…Well, whatever, I guess. I take a seat at the fireside. The wind is a little less bad from this position, so I start to speak. "What do you guys make of this?"
"Whoever was here must have run away. He probably heard us shouting, or something," Cu says, drawing a rune in the air. "See, there's his tracks, all around the edge of the fire - looks like he never once even rested near the actual fire."
"...But why, though?" I mutter, gazing up at the boat once more. "In any case, I guess we can just take shelter here? Maybe whoever it was will come back and we can get some answers."
"I guess so…" Mash says. "Should I go ahead and deploy the tents, Senpai?"
"There's probably no need for that just yet," I reply. "It's still pretty early in the day, even though this rain makes it feel like nighttime. It's just, until the rain dies down, I can't imagine us making much progress exploring - oops, the fish is burning."
Even an hour later, the downpour shows no signs of stopping. Worse still, something about this storm is interfering with communications - in other words, Da Vinci was totally correct to give me a navigation spell. Jeez, if it wasn't for the Director's memorization course and Mash-tan's encyclopedic knowledge, I'd be seriously worried about running into Heroic Spirits we don't recognize.
As for the storm… there's no two ways about it, it's gotta be Dagon's curse, right? I had hoped it was empty talk since we couldn't pick anything up with scans at Chaldea, but clearly I'm not gonna be that lucky, huh?
I gaze across the rain-shrouded ocean. Every so often, it's lit by a bolt of lightning or two, and so I can make out a few islands in the distance - and also that.
A swirling column of water - I guess you'd call it a waterspout? It's writhing there, in what looks like the center of this massive storm, if the cloud patterns are anything to go by. Is it this singularity's Demon Pillar, maybe? Whatever the cause, I can see a seemingly unending series of coruscations playing out at the peak of the cyclone. Just what…
"...There might be no helping it, we're gonna have to go find the guy," Cu finally says with a sigh. "Dammit, I hate hunting in the rain…"
"I guess that's our best bet, here," I say. "We could try the levitation mystic codes, but…"
"Nah, those things are only really good in thirty minute bursts," He says. "We might be able to make it to the next island, but that still leaves us just as clueless."
"Okay - commencing operation: find the mysterious stranger!" Mash says.
"Fou!" A soggy hairball pokes his head out of her shield to give assent.
"-Ah, he came along, huh?" I chuckle. "Bet he's regretting that right now…"
He glares back at me and-
A purple-pink butterfly flutters between us, from the direction of the sea-
-Georgios's sword slices it in half in the next instant. "Enemy attack!" He shouts.
In the next moment, the whole space is flooded by similar creatures.
Mash raises her shield, Cu's staff glows with runes, and I… I…
-I'm… so tired.
For just a moment, I close my eyes.
And just like that, I find myself standing once more on the stony shoreline, freezing rain beating against my face.
"...This is gonna be a confusing one again, isn't it," I groan.
At least this time, the question 'what do I know' is answered easily enough.
"Not only am I clueless, I'm also drenched beyond belief - or something like that." Alright, with that handled let's go catch that guy at the campfire before he can hide! But how to approach without alerting- oh, am I an idiot? No, I know I'm an idiot…
{Alright, there's a campfire over there, let's go catch the guy sitting near it before he can hide,} I say telepathically. This is obviously better in this weather in the first place!
-A moment later, after a blink-and-you'd-miss-it scuffle, we have a captive firmly bound by runed ropes.
"Oh come on! How did you even find me here!? That's so unfair!" A middle-aged man with a long, unkempt, blond beard and similar looking hair struggles valiantly. He's wearing a ratty-looking old toga… actually he kind of just looks homeless, now that I think about it.
"Somehow, I was expecting this to be harder…" I mumble.
"Why would you think that!? I'm weak, you know! Super weak! So weak you might as well just let me go, since I'm definitely not worth finishing off-!" He babbles, looking frantically at each of us in turn. "Come on, you've already got- wait, who even are these guys?"
"Um, sir, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Mash Kyrielight, and this is my Master, Natsuki Subaru, and our fellow Servants Cu Chulainn and Saint George," Mash explains. "We're from the Chaldea Security Organization, sent here to resolve this singularity…"
"Ah, Medea mentioned something like that…" He mutters.
"Huh?" I blurt out. "Wait, Medea? As in, from the Argo? Then would that boat happen to be-?"
"...Yeah. That's my boat. Servant, Rider… Argos. That's me," he says. Ah, I was hoping for Jason… but I guess a hero like that wouldn't be this lame, right? "Now let me go! I swear I'm totally useless so just leave me alone!"
"Well, some kind of pink butterfly attack is going to hit here soon, so…" I start to say.
"Eeeek, that's Medea! I take it back, bring me with you, anywhere but here, please!" Argos shrieks.
"Alright! Then let's take your boat, and-!" I start.
"Ah, no can do. My boat's totally useless unless I can get a crew." He shoots me down. "We'll just sink."
"Okay, let's walk inland and hide for now, I guess…" I mumble.
Class: Rider
Alternate Classes: Saber, Lancer
True Name: "Argos"
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Armaments: Sword
Manifestation Cost: Medium-Low
Bio:
The builder of the famous Argo, from which the Argonauts take their name. Or so he claims. A whiny middle-aged man with a tendency towards cowardice and defeatism. Although some of his stats are decent, he has no combat ability to speak of. He can summon his boat, but it's in a pitiful state and he's unable to even provide it with a crew. Hey, just what is this useless guy doing here, anyway…?
…By the way, the odds of a relatively insignificant figure like Argos making it to the throne are astronomically low, even if he did build a famous ship. Hey, Jason, just what was your plan with that paper-thin bluff?
Parameters
Strength: C+
Endurance: B
Agility: B+
Mana: D
Luck: E
NP: A
Class Skills:
Riding: A
Magic Resistance: D
Personal Skills:
Infidel's Curse: A+
A curse laid upon Rider by Hera after he broke his oaths to his wife. This isn't a part of Argos's legend, but that's because this guy is clearly just Jason. His Luck stat is drastically reduced, and he is promised a miserable death tinged with despair.
Gazing Alone at the Unconquerable Sea: B++
A skill with no noticeable effect. The world was too big, the challenges too great.
In the depths of his miserable heart, some part of him still hopes that one day he may find a new crew. And on that day, this skill…
Inspiration at Death's Door: A
Innocent Monster: E
For some reason, "Argos" has manifested with minor draconic traits that give him a minor boost to his Strength.
Noble Phantasms:
Empty Ship, Faded and Gray: Argo
Rank: E
Type: Anti-Army
Range: 1~10
Maximum number of targets: 50 people
"It was beautiful, once. Together, we conquered the seas. Nothing was impossible when we were together. But one by one, everyone left me behind, and even when we reunited here…
I thought I could do it right, this time. I really thought that! And yet…
And yet, here I am, staring at the end of my dream. I can't even face it properly this time. Dying hurts, after all.
…Goddammit."
…
"What's that? 'That's tragic and all, but what does it do?' It's a boat, dumbass."
?
Rank: A
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1~20
Maximum number of targets: 10 people