Arjuna Trial Quest: I

"France?"

He glanced towards Mash and then back towards the Director with a raised brow, just to make sure that he had actually heard her correctly the first time around.

The nod of the head he got from her all but confirmed it. "There has been an occurrence of a minute Singularity in the region. Though hardly of the scale that could threaten human history, nothing more than a small space-time disturbance in the region, likely caused by the presence of some small grade phantasmal."

Ritsuka would give it to the Director, she had a habit of making things that would have otherwise sounded impressive or dangerous instead sound very trivial. He was actually rather happy with that sort of thing, it made him rather pleased.

A puff of smoke in the corner of the room, someone coughed twice.

Ritsuka turned his eyes to the direction of the noise, watching as Professor El-Melloi the second puffed away at his cigar, watching the proceedings with a critical gaze.

…Or they were just watching normally, it was hard to say.

They always looked as though they were judging everything that everyone was saying.

"I suppose there is no way to determine this until after you have a team on the ground." The Professor inquired, taking the cigar away from their lips and raising a brow in the direction of Olga, the pale haired woman froze for a brief moment and then shook her head from side to side.

With a low hum, the Professor turned his eyes to the screens and hummed to himself. "...Yes, that does seem to be the most logical answer, though that would depend on the nature of the phantasmal itself. You do not need me to tell you of the dangers they pose, Olga Marie."

"N-no, of course not." Quickly standing to attention, the Director's voice cracked only for a little bit before she thinned her lips, Ritsuka glanced in the direction of her line of sight. Specifically upon the still lit cigar in the hands of the man. He could quickly figure out what the problem was.

"Uhm…Are you really sure you're allowed to smoke in here?"

He asked, spotting Olga whip her head onto him with an affronted gaze though the full focus of his attention remained on the professor instead. Watching as the man stepped away from the screen and turned about face to look at him, levelling a rather pointed look for a few moments, then they gave a light hum as they flicked their hand to the side.

The cigar was dismissed.

"I would be rather surprised if I was, though there was a lack of 'no smoking' signs hanging up."

"We didn't really recruit smokers." Romani piped up from where he was sitting, the doctor scratched the side of his head. "Health code problems and trying to keep supplies limited to essentials. We didn't really want Chaldea's budget to go towards feeding addictions…well, I argued for the potential problems that would arise if we lost a shipment and people went into withdrawal-"

"I was satisfied with the first answer." The Professor replied with a rather blunt tone of voice, raising a brow at Romani for a half second, slotting their hands into their pockets and giving another short hum. "But my health is beside the point, ignoring the fact that as a Servant I am now immune to such things. I assume you have brought this Singularity to our attention for more than this trivial matter, it would resolve itself inside a week."

A beat, the man nodded his head up and down.

"You mean to form a team and venture down for supplies."

Olga opened and closed her mouth twice, then nodded once, swiftly turning back to Ritsuka as he watched on in silence. "That is correct, you will be heading down to secure supplies for us. Namely whatever food produce you might acquire, but vegetables, meats and milk are the priority."

So he was basically going shopping.

"I take it that it's still pretty close to the time period of the first Singularity?"

"Within the same year, unfortunately. Towards the latter part…so taking Saint Jeanne down there would probably end up proving to be more trouble than it would be worth." Romani explained with a slow shake of the head, then shifted their posture. "But, that being said, you could probably find a way to keep her out of line of sight-"

Ritsuka glanced at the silent Professor. "What do you think, Professor?"

A moment of silence from the man, then a hum. "Keeping Saint Jeanne on standby would be my first call. There is no need to play our hand immediately if there is something more severe than a phantasmal. If the worst comes, then the option of calling on her remains. This limits the possibility of causing a greater ruckus by unveiling the apparent living Jeanne d'Arc to the people of France all over again."

That made a lot of sense to him, but he was sure that Jeanne might be a little put off about the whole thing.

Well, he was sure she would probably understand the concept behind not trying to freak everyone out again and if push came to shove, he would call her right down to help them.

"Alright then. I'll assemble a team."

"You want to come along?"

They wouldn't have been his first pick for it, but that wasn't because there was anything particularly wrong with them. It was just that he wouldn't have really picked them first for this sort of thing.

"Is that too much trouble?" Nudd asked with a tilt of the head and a raised brow, their expression shifted into a slightly troubled one. "Because I'd rather not have to force you into an uncomfortable position-"

"Oh no, it's not that." He hastily waved his hand from side to side, dismissing any idea that the Saber was a nuisance or along those lines. "Rather, I'm just a little surprised that you would want to come along on this. It is probably not going to amount to all that much and-"

"Tally ho!"

A loud shout from the entrance, Ritsuka turned his head as both Siegward and Astolfo came barrelling into the room with rather wide grins on their faces, swiftly flanked by Ash who was a natural counter in complete stoicism.

Ritsuka felt a touch of a smile come upon his face as he turned back to Nudd, seeing the blonde look upon the group with a rising smile of their own. "And it's probably going to get a little loud. Astolfo and the others wanted to come along to try the local pastries…well, Siegward wanted to and Astolfo just realised that there was something going on with France and volunteered immediately."

"Absolutely!" The pink Paladin called across the room, clearly having heard him and swiftly drawing their sword, pointing it up to the ceiling. "Through wind and rain, sleet and snow, ice and mud or even madness and sanity, nothing will stop this Paladin from protecting his homeland."

That remark managed to earn a brief crinkle of the brow from Ash, the blonde turned on the Rider with a pointed look at them, as though somehow confused by what they had said. He opened his mouth, only for Astolfo to immediately rush towards them, poking a finger into his lips and shushing them.

"I'm French. It doesn't matter where I was born. I am French."

Ash lightly pushed the hand away, turning his head and glancing off into the distance once again, clearly letting go of whatever they were going to say.

Nudd chuckled quietly, bringing a hand up and cupping his chin. "Well, in that case, I see all the more reasons for me to come with. There is never going to be a poor time to get to know my fellows than out in the countryside. I am something of an experienced camper, wouldn't you know?"

Ritsuka gave them a flat look. "The God of fishing and hunting is a good camper. Whatever shall I be regaled with next."

"There are some who make the bold claim that water is, in fact, wet."

"..."

"..."

"...Pfft." With a snort, he covered his mouth and shook his head from side to side, waving a hand above his head and gesturing forwards. "Alright people, let's get down to France and see what's going on."

Nudd hummed behind them. "I suppose we shall finally learn what the matter with France is."

Ritsuka pinched his brows, then turned about when Astolfo abruptly burst into a fit of giggles, hunching over and slapping his knee while pointing towards Nudd, who now sported a look as though they were very proud of the comment they had just made.

A faint noise of mirth to his right turned his head about.

Mash had rolled her lips inwards, nodding her head up and down while clearly finding something funny about the comment as well. She met his gaze and then opened her mouth, presumably to explain, only to let out a small chortle and shake her head from side to side, moving a hand up to cover her mouth. "I'll-hehehehe-I'm sorry Senpai-heheahaha-I'll explain in a moment-"

Was this what it was like to be on the other side of a reference?

Yikes.

Ritsuka adjusted himself, rolling over onto his side and doing his best to get comfortable, though this was far from the most ideal spot he had been in.

Why did his bed feel so rough and uninviting? Had he forgotten to put the pillows down again or something?

"Excuse me, good fellow?"

A distant rumble had him pull his body closer, ignoring the polite words from right in front of him. Though it was soon followed by a pattering sound and a noise like fingertips drumming on a window, a flash of light as though someone quickly turned a torch on and off in his face.

Ritsuka groaned with a touch of annoyance, rolling away from the brightness and to the opposite side, his hand wandered out to search for his blankets. Patting along the surface of his bed and quickly finding nothing-

His mind ground to a halt.

His eyes popped open.

He was not staring at his bed, rather he was staring at some very rough floorboards, and beyond that he was staring out across a rather long expanse of dark grey and murky blue.

"What the…?"

"You're awake?" He jerked at the quiet voice, whipping his head in the direction of the speaker and furrowing his brows. "I'm impressed, to sleep through such a storm without much of a reaction, you must have nerves of steel."

The compliment flew right over his head, namely because there were other things he was trying to focus on.

Primarily was the fact he was sitting on a ship, his head whipped all around him as he tried and failed to come to terms with the fact he was on a boat. His eyes flickered shut as rain lapped against his face, swiftly shooting up to his feet and flicking his hands across his face to wipe away the water falling on him.

"What in the-? Am I in the middle of a storm?"

"...Forgive me, but did you truly not know that?"

He turned once more to the speaker, furrowing his brows and staring at the man.

A bleached white outfit fully covering from their neck down to their feet, the only defining feature was the intricate blue pattern embroidered into the base of the outfit and travelling up towards the waist.

Even wearing gloves which were a shade equal to the sleeves they jutted out from beneath, all of which clashed with dark skin of the wearer and the similarly dark coloured hair, the man - not that much taller than him - took a step forwards and looked him over with a frown.

"I do not see any signs of visible injuries, but you were unconscious and have been for at least a minute."

Ritsuka stared at the dark skinned man for a good couple seconds, then shook his head to break himself from his reverie and focus on them completely. "Right, sorry…who exactly are you and where am I?"

A brief flash of guilt passed across the face of the man, his expression swiftly cooled. "I am afraid that those questions will be rather difficult for me to answer. I hope that is not too much of a concern for you."

They were difficult for them to answer?

With a shake of the head, he continued on. "Why? Are we in some sort of special dimensional plane of existence or something?"

"..."

The blank stare he got in response made him feel more than a little embarrassed about what he had just asked.

"...We are on a boat." The man replied slowly, even going so far as to gesture down towards his feet just to make absolutely certain that he was aware they were, indeed, on a boat. "And I have little knowledge of how I came to be on this boat beyond the fact you summoned me forth."

Ritsuka opened his mouth, then paused and closed it again.

He did what?

"I did what now?" Bringing up his right hand, he pointed to himself. "You're telling me that I summoned you?"

A nod of the head.

"There is undoubtedly a link between us, you are my Master. I feel the flow of magical energy from you, just as you hold the command seals that denote your existence as that of a Master." The man simply explained, then turned his head about, his gaze sweeping over the location and the frown returning to his face. "I…had hoped that when you awoke you would clarify some things for me, but it seems as though we are both the victims of some manner of scheme."

Yeah.

No kidding.

"Sorry to tell you that I don't have an idea either." Ritsuka replied slowly, bringing the frown down and replacing it instead with a rather bemused look, one that the Servant in front of him soon matched when they heard his next words. "And I really don't remember summoning you in the first place either…sorry if that's a little…"

The Servant raised a brow at him, leaning back slightly. "That is…peculiar for me to hear. You do not seem surprised at my presence as a Servant, but you claim to have never made an effort to call me forth…Are you familiar with Servants then?"

He gave a slow nod of the head. "Something along those lines, you're not really the first Servant I've been contracted to…or the only Servant I am currently contracted to either."

As expected, that seemed to elicit the biggest reaction from the individual in front of him, a look of surprise flashed over their face, soon changing into something more along the lines of intrigue and a touch of appraisal. "Do you mean to suggest that you are contracted to multiple Servants at the same time? That is…rather difficult for me to comprehend, not that I am accusing you of lying, Master-"

Ritsuka quickly brought his hands up, waving them down. "Oh no, I realise that it would probably sound pretty absurd to you or anyone else who knows about Servants. From what I know, it's usually expected to have only a single Servant contracted to you during…uhm…Holy Grail Wars."

He nodded at his words. "One of the Seven Knight classes for each of the Seven Masters. I am sorry to say that I do not have a definitive answer for how many Holy Grail Wars I have personally fought within-"

"Yeah, memory problems."

A beat, the Servant froze midway through their sentence, their brows pinched and their eyes squinted slightly. "You…are aware of my memory troubles?"

"Uhhhh…yeah? Trouble remembering past summonings, right?" Ritsuka ventured with a tilt of the head, not quite understanding why the Servant was tiptoeing around the matter and looking so surprised that he knew. It was from the Servants he had summoned personally that told him that even remembering their past summonings was a massive question mark for something happening. "I know that in normal circumstances, you aren't meant to remember those. Fresh start per summoning, right?"

"Ah, yes. That is what you meant." Closing his eyes, the Servant relaxed and nodded his head up and down. "Yes, that is quite true. Though I feel as if there should be something more for my situation in that matter…perhaps an inkling into my past exploits? No, that is not correct."

His expression twitched, strain coloured his face.

"A definitive answer, there should be something in my mind that tells me whether or not I have been summoned before and whether or not I was victorious. That is most certainly what I should be aware of and yet…the specifics around this summoning are concerning to me."

Ritsuka watched them with a raised brow, feeling an inkling of doubt start to needle its way into his mind. From the way they were speaking and acting, he was left with the rather strong impression that there was something more going on than them not being able to remember past Holy Grail Wars.

Combined with his reaction about him bringing up memory troubles…

"If…If I were to ask you for your true name." His head snapped to him the moment he started to speak, a troubled look already present from the very first words he uttered. "Would I be correct in assuming that you don't know it?"

"...I admit that I made a rather poor attempt to conceal my confusion, but you are correct. My true name is currently…lost to me right now." Raising a hand, they pressed it against his temples and exhaled rather loudly. "It feels shameful for whatever reason, as though it is something I should know and more than because it is my name. I feel as though my identity is one of great weight."

He was…a little on edge about that.

The Servant did seem very earnest about it, but he had gone through something similar not that long ago.

Still, at least they weren't asking to climb into his head, he would have needed to say no to that sort of deal until he could be absolutely sure about them.

"But…I apologise for this failure, Master." Lowering the hand, the tone of the Servant shifted and turned flatter. "It would seem as though the unusual nature of this summoning has caused a distinct problem with my Spirit Origin. Though I do not feel weaker, it seems as though my memories have become muddled."

"...Anything that can be done?" He brought up his right hand, gesturing to the symbols on the back. "Think a command seal for you to remember would bring anything back?"

"I do not believe that such things should be used so carelessly." He warned immediately with a shake of the head, pausing and then rolling his lips. "But it is true that without my true name, then I shan't be able to call upon my Noble Phantasm, ultimately that would hamper my capabilities if we were to be attacked…"

His arms came up, folding them and closing his eyes in thought.

Ritsuka watched, seconds ticked by as he turned his gaze out towards the storm and grimaced as the ship rocked lightly.

Though something else occurred to him rather swiftly, beyond the peculiar Servant and his location.

"Say…was there anyone else with me when you arrived?"

"Hm?" He turned back to the man as his eyes opened, a tilt of the head and a flash of confusion. "I am afraid not. Were you expecting others to be here…I admit, I was rather puzzled by the lack of a crew on this vessel, though when I noticed the damage, I assumed you might have been attacked by some manner of sea monster, combined with the storm."

He made the declaration rather casually, at least confirming in his mind that they considered that to be a genuine possibility. So they had experienced the really freaky stuff in the world then.

Ritsuka shrugged. "I'm as confused about the boat as you are…and yes, there were others that I was supposed to be here with…"

His feet carried him to the railings of the ship, pausing as he noticed that the man hadn't been exaggerating the damage. Only just registering the fact the mast had been snapped clean in half, several holes had been punched through the bow and the railings on the port and starboard had been torn asunder, like something large had pushed through them.

Rather concerning.

Moving to the less damaged seconds, he gripped the railings tight as the ship rocked once again, a flash of light in the distance and a streak of lighting slammed into the ocean with a crack, the rumble of thunder followed not long after. Given that he was directly beneath the storm, he grimaced.

His eyes turned to the mast once again, narrowing as he took notice of the scorch marks along the length of the breakage. The pieces of what happened fell into place rather quickly once he noticed that.

The boat had been caught in the middle of a storm and clearly taken a pounding, but that didn't answer where the crew was supposed to be or why he ended up here in the first place with this mystery Servant who claimed he had summoned them. There was a lot here that was a little troubling for him.

Stepping away from the railings, he paced back towards the centre of the boat and in front of the Servant, frowning to himself before speaking again. "Do you at least know what your class is?"

"That much, I can answer." Even the Servant looked relieved with the words they spoke, inclining his head slightly as light shimmered around his left hand. "I am an Archer Servant, though I believe that it is possible for me to be summoned in other classes."

Sure enough, a pristine white bow formed in the grasp of the man, curling up at the top and bottom.

But what most caught Ritsuka's eye was the coiling extension that grew from the centre of the bow and moved outwards, a spring-like growth that ended with twin spikes jutting forth like a bident. It was certainly an unusual bow, that much was for sure.

"At least you have a bow." He muttered, rubbing his chin.

His comment earned a frown from the Archer. "Are you suggesting that it would be unusual for an Archer to have a bow?"

"I know an Archer who uses swords." Ritsuka replied, pulling his lips into a faint smirk. "And I know another Archer who would much rather use spells than anything else. Trust me, meeting an Archer who actually uses a bow and arrow is something I'm going to consider a novelty before long…you don't actually fire swords from your bow, do you?"

Archer stared at him as though he'd grown a second head. "...Is this some manner of elaborate joke, Master? Because if it is, then I am afraid I do not quite understand."

"To be honest, it's one of those things that you need to really be there to really appreciate." The admittance was accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders.

Archer seemingly debated it for a moment, then dismissed it entirely before focusing on something else. "That aside, if you came to this place with allies, then would it not make more sense for us to locate them? Given the nature of our situation here and the lack of information either of us possess-"

The rumble of thunder and flash of lighting briefly cut the Servant off, the two of them swerved his heads towards the noise, Ritsuka winced as he watched the splash of water from the bolt of electricity, feeling the zap through the air. The hairs on the top of his head standing on end.

"...This is far from a safe location for you and there is no telling what manner of situation your allies are in…" With a brief moment of hesitation, Archer stepped forwards and placed his free hand over his heart, lowering his head into a short bow. "I would like to ask permission if it would be acceptable for me to accompany you until this mystery is revealed. Something has brought about my summoning and interfered with it…I believe it relates to you, given that we are linked now. If that is not too much trouble?"

Ritsuka hesitated before answering.

It wasn't the first time that someone had done something like this to him, giving the whole spiel about not remembering much about his past and keeping his true name secret through amnesia. He did not believe that Archer was lying, but much the same was true about Seath at the time.

And that didn't…

Dismissing the thoughts from his mind, he centred himself and took in a short breath.

"We can do that." His response earned a single hum from the Archer, difficult to tell whether they were pleased in any way with his words. "Though, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to really do. This boat is trashed and none of my allies are nearby…hang on."

Turning away from the Archer, he moved his hand to his head and concentrated. "I'll see if I can get anything from them."

With a mental click, the link switched on and he was immediately bombarded by half a dozen voices at the same time, the chorus of words had him wince and turned his eyes to Archer, who now looked as though they were similarly nursing a headache, bracing a hand against his forehead.

'One at a time, please!' He all but begged through the link, thankfully enough it worked. The voices swiftly fell silent, he glanced towards Archer and saw his pointed look in his direction. "Sorry about that, I probably should have warned you beforehand. Mental link is a bit much when you have this many Servants."

"No…I should have expected that." Archer cooly responded, straightening his posture out. "Continue, Master. If you can make contact with your allies, then it is all the better."

"Right." Smiling to the man, he turned his focus back to the link. 'Alright so, everything has clearly gone wrong once again. I am currently on a ship in the middle of a thunderstorm and am now soaking wet. Where is everyone else? Mash, you first.'

Just to avoid any sort of jumbled mess of Servants speaking over one another.

'I'm sorry that I'm not currently by your side, Senpai.' Came the swift and rather rapid apology from Mash.

Archer raised a silent brow at him but said nothing.

'I materialised in the air and then fell into the ocean, fortunately I have been carrying around Da Vinci-san's floaty inside my shield for occasions such as this! But I am very pleased to hear you were not dropped into the ocean…w-were you? You're not injured, are you?'

He briefly dismissed the mental image of Mash alone in a storm sitting on a rubber duck and went about answering her. 'Fine, for the most part. Just a little confused as to how I've ended up on the French coast rather than in France. Though I believe something might have interfered with the Rayshift.'

'Rayshift?' Came the rather puzzled tone of Archer.

'Yes, the Rayshift Senpai.' Mash replied without missing a beat, though Ritsuka pinched his brows and glanced up at the Archer. 'Are you…did you forget? You didn't hit your head or anything, Senpai? Doctor Romani assured me that everything had been fixed and was working properly!'

Both he and Archer stared at one another in bemusement. 'Uhhh…Mash? I'm fine.'

'Eh? But you just asked what a Rayshift was…'

'Yeah, I heard that too.' Astolfo elected to make matters worse, though they probably didn't know. At least he hoped they didn't. 'You said 'Rayshift?' in this really confused tone of voice. Did you forget? Yikes…Maybe you really did hit your head pretty hard…'

'I-what? No. I didn't say anything of the sort.'

'You mean you weren't talking about Rayshifts a moment ago?'

'No.' A beat, he closed his eyes and fought back a groan. 'I mean yes, I was. But I know what a Rayshift is.'

'I am afraid I don't.' Archer spoke once again, sounding rather bemused about the whole situation.

'Ah! He just did it again! I'm not the only one hearing this, am I?'

'No, I can hear it as well.' For whatever reason, Siegward opted to chime into the conversation. 'Are you certain you're alright, my lad? Head injuries can be rather nasty at times. I think it would be best that you tell us where you are so that we can give you a good check up.'

His hands slapped over his face, groaning into his palms. 'I am telling you. I am perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with my head.'

'Are you just trying not to worry us, son?'

Ritsuka pinched the bridge of his nose when Nudd joined in the conversation.

'Because I appreciate the thought of trying not to worry us, but it's better to let us know now whether you're hurt. I know a bit or two about healing.'

"Master, what is happening?"

Ritsuka could only give a helpless sigh at the question from Archer, one that he wasn't sure how to answer himself. "I really do not know."

'Senpai! I have a first aid kit as well! If you just bare with me, I shall be there as fast as I can to see to your injuries-'

'I'm not injured though!' He exclaimed through the link. 'I just said something might have interfered with the Rayshift.'

'Indeed. I heard it as well, at which point I inquired about the nature of this Rayshift.' Archer spoke up once again, then continued on with an audible frown. 'Though I seem to have confused matters somewhat. I am currently with Master.'

Dead silence permeated through the link.

Then came the voice of Ash.

'...Ritsuka…is there someone else in your body again?'

Archer turned his head towards him and pinched his brows together. "Again?"

Ritsuka waved a hand, setting the matter aside for another time. Namely because he didn't want to go through having to explain that in the first place, better to not think about it at all. If he was being honest with himself.

'There is no one else in my body.' He patiently explained, then took in a short breath. 'That is just Archer talking. He's a Servant who appeared next to me…we're sort of trying to figure out what's going on, but he thinks that someone messed around with him. He can't remember much.'

There were several seconds of silence, then Astolfo spoke up again.

'...Really? Huh…so that's not you just putting on a different voice?'

Ritsuka frowned, 'What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that me and Archer sound alike to you?'

'Yeah.'

He didn't even hesitate.

'I am afraid I do not understand what you are implying.' Archer responded quickly, 'Though I feel inclined to point out that this conversation has departed from the original topic. I can confirm, with my own eyes, that Master appears physically uninjured. So there is no need for concern.'

'Ah…I see.' Mash's response was rather slow coming, a touch of apprehension coloured her words before they settled in relief. 'But as long as you're alright, Senpai…though it is just me out here. I do not know where Astolfo-san or Siegward-san are, nor Ash-san and Nudd-san.'

So they did not appear around the same place? He supposed that made sense.

'Myself and Astolfo are currently sitting upon his mount and moving through the skies.' Siegward replied swiftly, 'I shall keep my eyes peeled until either you or Ritsuka are revealed to us, though this weather is rather treacherous.'

Something else struck him.

'...Ash? You're not in the water, are you?'

Namely because he recalled they could not swim, his last encounter with the ocean being both sudden and violent.

'No. I am not in the water.'

Ritsuka let out a sigh of relief at his words.

'I am on the water.'

His expression blanked.

'...You're what now?'

'I'm on the water.'

He replied again through the link, turning his eyes down and staring at the 'floor' that shifted underneath his boots. It was an entirely new experience for him to be standing upon the water. It eerily reminded him of walking through the old swamp or the smouldering lake, but that might have been because it was a liquid ground.

'...How?'

Ash turned his eyes onto the one who had manifested beside him, Nudd appeared to be much more comfortable as they were crouched down, placing his hand upon the surface of the water and then closing his eyes.

Within a split second, the water they were standing upon evened out entirely, a smooth radius formed around them for a metre either side, the waves crashed against a barrier of nothing and fizzled out of existence, rolling around his safe haven.

'That would be me.' Nudd responded, rising back to his feet and wiping his hands down, smiling lightly and giving him a nod of the head. 'I know a bit or two about calming the waters and wanted to take no chances. A little bit of a blessing and then strolling across the ocean becomes rather simple…Incredibly useful for fishing, now that I think about it. Maybe I should try that again.'

Standing in the middle of the ocean and fishing?

It…sounded like the sort of action that Cu would make an attempt at, he supposed.

…Did that mean he should similarly try it? There was nothing to lose in the attempt.

He filed it away for a future endeavour.

'Ah! Does that mean that you really are connected with Nodens, Nudd-san?' Mash picked up on something from that line of thinking, more so than he did given that she brought up another name, it sounded as though it belonged to a God. One related to the ocean or to water. 'It was said that Fionn had the ability to turn any water he touched into healing water as well, and they are related to you.'

Ash raised a brow in the direction of Nudd, who was visibly caught off guard by the tirade that Mash launched into, though quickly collected themselves and smiled.

'You're a well read young girl.' With a chuckle, the blonde shook his head. 'But yes, I do have something of a connection with Nodens…Given that I am also them. Or they are also me? No, there are differences when Gods move to another region, our personalities are shaped by worshippers…but that doesn't matter as much as saying that yes, I am connected…and bringing up Fionn's healing waters, of all things?'

He sounded rather impressed about that, the description of healing waters reminded him of his Mothers own capacity for blessing water into such potent concoctions.

'I thought most would have remembered him making Lough Neagh rather than his healing hands.'

'O-oh! I know about that as well.'

He heard a hum from Ritsuka. 'Is this about that time he threw an island at someone?'

'E-eh? You know as well, Senpai?'

'Yeah, you got me curious so I read a little about the guy…I see what you mean about him being a strong Servant if he was summoned. Heck, from the sounds of half the stuff he did, I figure he would probably be right up there with King Arthur.'

That was a…rather bold claim.

Ash frowned, then cycled through his combined memories.

Shifting through all the information he had on Fionn.

…

…

'...I am inclined to agree with that assessment.' He responded after a moment, giving his own thoughts on the matter. His words drew the eyes of Nudd, looking rather proud about the sudden praise his grandson was receiving. 'But setting aside the prowess of Fionn aside, as well as how useful he would be, it is better to think of the situation at hand.'

'I agree with this one.' The Archer - still unnamed and sounding bizarrely similar to Ritsuka - spoke up once again. 'Given that, at present, we are still a broken group with little idea of what caused this in the first place. If I might make a suggestion, I believe our first priority should be to link up.'

They were correct.

Ash glanced at Nudd and raised a brow. "They spoke of a ship, are you able to use the water to sense them?"

Nudd paused, then cupped his chin with his silver arm. Giving a single hum before nodding once. "I should be able to manage something like that. The link with Ritsuka makes things much easier when it comes to locating him…there does not appear to be any sort of magical ploy at work here, given nothing obscurs my senses."

So this was a mundane storm?

How odd.

'Nudd can sense you. We will make our way to you.'

Ritsuka gave an affirmation, then spoke up once again. 'Wait, Ash? Can't you just teleport to me?'

Ash fought a wince.

He figured this would come up.

'I did not realise it at the time but using my teleportation is…not something I can freely do. It is a costly magical spell, one not native to me. I am drawing upon the power of one who could use it…that it to say, I must deploy my Reality Marble each time I utilise it.'

A brief pause, then Ritsuka spoke again. 'You didn't know this before?'

'I did not know what a Reality Marble was until I was told I had one.' Another pause, then he continued on. 'The cost of magical energy was not something I truly paid much heed to, I am afraid…though I have since become more aware of trying to conserve myself for the moments that truly require it.'

Ritsuka wasn't long in replying. 'You don't need to explain all that to me, Ash. I understand. If you and Nudd can sense where I am, then make your way to me…and keep an eye out for Mash and the others.'

'Should we do the same then?' Astolfo asked through the link. 'Because I get the feeling that we should. I don't know if Hippo-kun could carry everyone though but-hey, wait! Hippo-kun has thumbs! He can just pick them up!'

Ash was struck with the mental image of being grabbed in the talons of the hippogriff and carried into the air.

It was not a mental image that he found particularly attractive to him.

'I will walk.'

He sensed Astolfo zero in on him.

'I promise that they can grab things really gen-'

'I. Will. Walk.'

'You'll change your mind when I come and pick you up.'

Archer stared at the boy standing opposite, trying his best to keep his confusion from showing.

The entire situation was rather bewildering for him, not to mention somewhat alarming as well. The notion that something had affected his Spirit Origin and altered his memories to hide his true name spoke of sabotage to make him an easier target.

Even if his physical parameters remained unchanged, without a true name he would be unable to use his trump card.

It was a small relief to hear he was not alone, but that gave way to another feeling.

Something slightly more bitter, the notion that he would need to be supported in such a way because he was simply too weak. Even if he did not feel weak in the least, it was just the belief that he alone was not enough. A strong feeling as though his strength had always been enough for battles.

No, it was that.

A self-assurance in his own capabilities as a Heroic Spirit, he knew in his very soul that his strength was great, the singular knowledge that his legend was powerful. There was a great weight behind his name, even beyond his ability to know.

Though that alone was not what lingered on his mind.

It was the behaviour of his Master.

His response to this nature was casual, alarmingly so.

He did not appear old, but there was a doubtless feeling to them as though they had been through many battles. The sort that were not easily won, there was an experience in his eyes behind his blase attitude to things. A smile on the outside but a wariness beneath, it was somewhat comforting that his Master had not taken his words at face value.

Polite enough to avoid calling him a liar to his face, but cautious enough to remain on guard.

A welcome combination, if ever there was one.

It was a concern he shared, neither of them were in favourable situations. His Master was far from his allies and in the presence of an unknown Servant, and he himself had been the victim of some manner of tampering with his mind. It was something that must have occurred during his summoning, he could not foresee himself falling victim to such an attack after he had been called forth.

Perhaps some manner of third party had caused this-?

No, that should be a given.

This was too well planned to have been a simple accident-

His senses flared.

Archer turned, his bow twisted in his hand as his free limb moved to nock an arrow, he felt the alarm of his master through the link, his combined attention fell to the bow of the ship, Archer squinted at the sudden magical presence he detected, much too weak to be that of a Servant but this malicious feeling they exuded.

Space shimmered, hands broke through the planks of wood, skin rotting and decayed. The rest of his bodies were dragged forth from the depths of the ship.

Had he failed to sense them before? How-

He dragged themselves up.

This aura, his nature…

Could it be possible they were Vetala?

…A concerning feeling and yet they felt too…weak.

…Much too weak.

He stared at them, hand still on his bow string.

The corpses pulled themselves from the ship, shambling forwards and grunting in wet gurgling sounds. Perhaps his Master was saying something, but there wasn't anything that he heard, his eyes remained focused upon them.

He was hesitating?

Why?

There wasn't an ounce of fear in his body, these things would perish with but a single string of his bow. In fact, he was certain that he needn't even nock and arrow to bring about the end of these corpses.

So why was it that he was hesitating?

…Ah.

…Yes.

There wasn't meaning behind it.

Whether he defeated these creatures or not, whether they managed to defeat him or not, what meaning was there in this battle?

There was none.

It was a single meaningless conflict that would be washed away in the span of time, it would be without notice even after his summoning came to an end.

He sensed no indication that he had ever been defeated in life.

So what would this change? He was but a Servant, his life had been and gone.

This would change nothing in regards to his legend.

So then…what was the value of it?

"Archer!"

The shout of his Master.

It was not one of reprimand, it had been less than a few seconds since the monsters emerged.

It was a shout of concern.

Perhaps they had misunderstood his hesitation when it came to the battle? It was possible, if a touch offensive.

No, it was humiliating for him.

But again, there was little meaning in this battle, the result changed nothing.

…No, if he did nothing then his Master might perish.

Not before he had his answers.

Light sparkled, orbs of blue formed in the air, shimmering into the space between himself and the corpses.

His aim turned, not onto the bodies but onto the first orb, a single arrow was flung from his bow as a streak of blue.

It struck the orb, then ricocheted without losing speed.

The arrow passed through the first corpse, tearing it apart and then struck another orb, reflecting from that and then onto the next body, and the process repeated itself. In the span of a single second, the bodies dropped to the ground as little more than mangled lumps of rotting flesh.

His senses remained tuned, yet nothing else emerged.

Archer loosened his posture ever so slightly, regarding the bodies with an unblinking stare, then dismissed them entirely.

As he suspected.

He felt nothing from that victory.

What value was there in such an easy task?

…Was this who he was?

How…empty.

Archer turned himself about, facing his Master and giving a single nod of the head. "The enemies have been eliminated, Master. Though I would remain on guard, they eluded me once before so there is a chance they might appear."

His Master blinked at him, then looked at the bodies with a touch of awe, then back to him and nodded once. "Well…you're definitely an Archer. That was…pretty quick. I don't think I even saw the arrow."

Not even his genuine praise turned his heart, it was as though he had heard such things before.

"If you say so, Master. Though I do not believe I did anything worthy of such a compliment."

With a shrug, they made a noise as though they seemingly didn't believe his words. "If you say so, but I'm just saying that it looked impressive to me…then again, I'm sure that you do that often enough that it sort of becomes second nature to you, right?"

"That…is correct, or is how I feel at least."

A hum and a nod. "Makes sense…You know, I don't believe I've actually introduced myself yet."

He had not, but he picked up on his name through conversations with his Servants.

It was either Senpai Ritsuka, or Ritsuka Senpai.

"Ritsuka Fujimaru." He introduced himself, stepping forwards and giving a short bow of the head. "Nice to meet you, and I'll be in your care, Archer."

He watched the move with a blank stare, privately wondering where the title of Senpai came into effect. Though he was sure it wasn't any of his business, if that was his name then that was his name.

"I am afraid I do not have a name to give you back, Archer."

His Master merely hummed. "Then we'll do this again once you remember it, does that sound alright?"

"It is…acceptable." It would certainly be more polite for one thing, the notion of being unable to give his true name was rather problematic and not simply because it restricted him. This was another angle of it, he would be unable to give his name when it mattered for other reasons.

Master looked pleased with the response, then another flicker of understanding flashed over his face as they brought up his left arm, glancing down at his wrist for some reason.

"Hang on, just need to check something…though it probably isn't going to work." A mutter, he touched his sleeve several times.

Archer was left somewhat at a loss for words as he watched his assault against his clothes, as though they were expecting them to react.

"Romani? Director? Anyone? I'm…and they clearly can't hear me." With a shrug of the shoulders, Master dismissed whatever had pulled his attention and clapped his hands together, offering a thin smile in his direction. "So, until everyone else gets here…do you have any idea what we should do?"

He gave a slow blink towards the boy.

"I was just going to stand here."

"...Fair enough."