I'm Not a Regular Mom (FGO OC)
- Thread starter Blinktwice13
- Start date
- Location
- The Hub
I'm not sure she can exist, since PHH!Albion tried to dig his way to either Avalon or the Reverse Side of the World, but wasn't able to get deep enough before dying.
I don't think his hand is in a position to fall off and become Melusine.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Something occurred to me just now; there was an opportunity in Septem that got totally missed. The island of Monte Cristo, containing the Monte Cristo Mythologie. The 14 relics in the treasure there that granted Edmond Dantès his trademark soul-burning black flames. Dantès was a bog-standard human with no magic circuits before he got his hands on the Mythologie, and it gave him a Magic Crest and circuits at Age of Gods-level. If they hadn't been totally busy dealing with the False Beast, they would have had a golden opportunity to empower one of their masters (cough Ritsuka cough) with that powerful NP, and since Septem is a Singularity, it'd still be there for Dantès to claim in the 18th century.
In Which Waves Rise
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This comes to you despite me getting a COVID booster yesterday and general malaise. I think it came out okay. Not my best work, but not my worst either. I have about... two to three more chapters before the ending of Okeanos. So somewhere between three and four total. I will try to pick my pace up, but given Saber Wars II is around the corner, uh... no promises?
Content notes: Some violence, some fluff. Some funny. I actually have an action piece here, surprise surprise.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
"Fouport!"
The gathered stared at the small animal perched on Matthew's head, still struck dumb by the utterly awe-inspiring specimen that had just sunk beneath the waves.
Caeneus hadn't even snapped at Orion or Artemis yet, for a metric of how stunned they all were.
Kirschtaria chanced a look at Ritsuka.
Seeing as the other Master was staring blankly into the air immediately before him while strangling it, he decided it was his turn to take point for the time being. Ritsuka had done quite well to this point, and a break was well-earned.
"Very well. What news, then?" Kirschtaria planted both hands on his cane and leaned his weight upon it out of habit.
And thus everyone else, like a menagerie of string-cut puppets, collapsed - rocking the boat sufficiently that it turned out to be a wise course of action after all.
Ship. The Hind was a ship. Thank whatever gods were favoring him that he had no contract with Drake to hear his thoughts.
...Kirschtaria might need to go back to bed after all this hysteria was resolved.
"Fou, fou-fou mruuu fou fou! Kyau! Foufofu, fufumrrrrfou. Mrmrmrmrmrmrfou! Foufoufou. Kyukyu, foufou, kyu."
Nodding seriously, Kirschtaria looked to Matthew. "Meaning?"
Matthew blinked a few times, putting the very suspicious book under his arm.
(Every color Kirschtaria could imagine, and yet the pages didn't shine? That was something to keep an eye on.)
"So, uh. Fou found Astolfo, Sieg, and Illyasviel."
Ritsuka visibly relaxed at the news, slowly coming out of shock. Mash remained a curious cross of terrified and livid, her familiar cowering behind her. (It said much that an Archangel considered their… guest? cower-worthy.)
"And they've joined up with some guy they call Blackbeard." Ah yes, one of the most iconic pirates in human history. "Apparently he's taken a shine to them and is looking after them." Well that was decent news. "There's also a goddess named Kunapipi there - oh, she's working with Mom?" Better? Perhaps? The information about Morgan and her alliances was limited, but the name didn't trip any alarms for Kirschtaria… "And H- Wait, Herc's there? In a non-Berserker Class?"
Kirschtaria had to blink at that one.
"Well, that's decent news that the lug's on our side," Caeneus muttered darkly. "The alternative would be a headache, even for me."
"Foufufu!"
"Wait, they went to find Patroclus?"
Kirschtaria braced himself as a gust of wind burst past him, nearly sending him flying if not for Caeneus' last-minute grab.
"What."
When Kirschtaria's vision cleared, he saw Achilles gripping Matthew by the shoulders, Fou dangling off the back of the smaller man's head by his forepaws. The green-haired man loomed, eyes intense.
"I said that someone Fou thinks is Patroclus joined up with the majority of our stray Servants. He gave your name on introduction, and had armor that Fou clocked as made by divine hands." Matthew frowned. "From what I know, that tracks with you guys' legend."
Surprisingly, Achilles set Matthew down gently rather than drop him. And to Kirschtaria's observing eye, Matthew's cheeks went slightly pink.
He glanced at Ritsuka, who still seemed to be coming down from being in the presence of the titan of the sea. Coherent now, at least.
"Did he see Medusa?" Musashi asked, stepping forward. The swordswoman shot Matthew a pleading look.
Matthew slowly blinked, hand coming up to the side of his head. "She's… one of the islands that was drawn into this ring was her home. She's there, with her family. Waiting for us."
The relief that painted her expression was almost painful to see. Almost like the ripples fading from a pond, it was buried beneath the surface. "Okay. That's good to know," Musashi said with a bright smile.
Achilles, meanwhile, looked more contemplative than anything. He held his chin in one hand, visibly turning over the information he received.
"Right, wonderful, glad we've got this glut of good news. NOW WHAT THE HELL JUST PAID A VISIT TO MY SHIP!?" Drake reminded them all of her presence with great bombast, jerking her pants up the last centimeter or so and securing her belt.
Caeneus had the temerity to slide his gaze away with a twitch of his lips.
"Oh, that was Miss Moby!" Matthew's demeanor fully shifted to chirpy enthusiasm. "She was really nice, gave me and Orion a lift up from the seafloor!"
"You went how far down."
Kirschtaria not-so-subtly placed Caeneus between him and the younger Kyrielight.
"Right. Of course. 'Miss Moby'. WHO THE FLYING FUCK IS SHE!?" Drake advanced, flintlock in hand and aimed at the sky. "And more importantly-!"
"Moby Dick."
The gathered humans and Servants fell quiet.
Flowing like water, Raphael's form distended from behind Mash to float into the air. The pink sphere stained blue, colors shifting and deepening. "The Divine Beast's name, given by humans of the later ages, is Moby Dick. She has existed since the Age of Gods, living in the depths of the sea. Her might is such that she was considered a match for any power in the water. In the very war of Heaven, she was equal to Leviathan itself. The great whale which my Father sent to chastise the prophet Jonah when he refused to deliver the Lord's words."
The Archangel's voice deepened as their body shifted, elongating. Dark blue with ripples of paler light, as though observing the rays of the sun from beneath the waves of a crystalline sea. Their form was humanoid, though six wings hung behind their body. In the form that could be called a 'head', save the lack of feature, two points of a pink so deep it was just to the side of red burned.
"We only survived that encounter because, as Matthew so eloquently put it, 'Fou speaks Cetacean'. That is not a being formed by human perception. That is a weapon of the planet, held in trust until such a time as Man damages the sea itself to near-disrepair. A final option beyond even the 'Counter Guardians' the will of humanity employs. It is on par with the beast of land itself." Raphael's lights flickered, and an odd pressure filled the air. "It is only thanks to her isolation that she is not a candidate to be something more threatening to us than what we face. She acts out of kindness to other children of nature, but make no mistake: were we divested of their presence, she would not hesitate to send us plummeting to the depths."
The silence was palpable. Ritsuka's skin was pale, but he still stood tall as Mash slowly inched forward towards Matthew.
"...so you lot will be riding alongside us for the foreseeable future. Right, mark that." Drake leveled a finger at a random crew member.
"Aye! No flinging landlubbers overboard, mark!" said pirate replied.
"AYE!" the rest roared.
"Which leaves two questions," Kirschtaria continued before Mash could get her hands on her brother. (Goodness, but she was determined to extract sisterly justice.) "Firstly, how did this Servant enter your company?"
"Ah, I saw him going down, keep going down, and uh. I might have panicked a bit. My blessings might make me the only one able to follow him and live." Orion scratched the back of his head. "Though we didn't exactly find trouble down there, I think."
Artemis gave him a long look, uncharacteristically stern. "Somehow, a whale that could one-vee-one my 'uncle' and a book that frightens me more than my 'sister' ever did don't strike you as 'trouble'?"
Kirschtaria glanced at Caeneus, but given the 'P-word' wasn't used, he seemed quiescent if somewhat perturbed.
"Book?" Ritsuka asked, finally capable of speech once more.
"It's why I went down there. It called me."
Oh that sounded like an issue. Definitely out loud.
Matthew held up the pale tome, and the etching on its cover defied comprehension. If Kirschtaria focused, it bore a faint resemblance to tomes he'd seen in the Archaeology and Lore departments when he'd had to visit, but otherwise his brain refused to register it as a language.
Water erupted around the sides of the ship, reaching for the skies high above. Spiraling vortices screamed upward, somehow not touching the wood of their vessel but violently rending the air around it.
A curtain of maelstrom wrapped around the Hind, and its source was easily spotted.
Looming above, the Archangel of Healing, Guardian of Sailors, Holder of the Last Trumpet gazed down upon them. Their body, interposed between heaven and earth, gleamed as moonlight shone through with rippling waves. Their crimson gaze pierced Kirschtaria's very soul, and the pressure of the air reminded him of a time he had fallen underwater, if only to the bottom of a pool.
And he wasn't the source of the being's focus.
____________________________________________________________________________
Ritsuka forced himself to take a step forward under the immense pressure, the weight of the ocean beating down on his shoulders.
Mash stood between Matthew and Raphael, a confused but determined look on her face.
...once, he had wondered why every time an angel appeared in the Christian texts they seemed to preface whatever messages they bore with 'be not afraid'.
His question was well answered.
"HOW DID YOU FIND IT."
The voice scraped along his very bones like a saltwater jet, scouring them clean. Detritus and weight disappeared beneath the force, clearing away imperfection without a hint of the gentleness or mirth Ritsuka had come to associate with Raphael.
"It wanted me to find it," Matthew said, utterly immune to the effect. It reminded Ritsuka of watching him alongside Artoria, what felt now to be so long ago. The Sword of Promised Victory touched something in the hearts of all who saw it - but Matthew considered it no more than another weapon, if a powerful one. "And the voice said it was secret. That it was written in a code based on angel language - Enochian."
There was not a single reassuring word in any of those sentences.
Musashi and Cu Chulainn joined Mash in standing between Matthew and Raphael. Medea hung back, a darkly considering look in her eye as she observed the Archangel. Kuzuki, stonefaced as ever, placed a hand inside the top of his gi.
It was telling that Orion and Artemis stood to the side, utterly neutral. Drake and Achilles wouldn't have the reference, but even so Achilles stood a little closer to the group of Servants. Close enough for a rescue.
But there was still one.
Caeneus levelled his trident at Raphael's face, eyes slowly burning red. "How about you put all of that away," he growled, canines seeming to lengthen when the air began to whip around him. "And maybe this conversation can continue in a somewhat civilized manner."
The tension present in every line of his body indicated that he very much hoped that Raphael would not, in fact, 'put all of that away'. An excuse for violence.
Raphael hovered for one moment more. "...could it be?" The whisper, a sea-breeze after the storm, rushed through Ritsuka's heart with a wave of melancholy. "Could it?"
The massive form dripped upwards, water-like light fading away. The closer it got to the head, the lighter the form grew. Ultimately, it turned to a pale blue - then back to pink, obscuring the eyes with the symbol Ritsuka had come to associate with Raphael.
And the curtain of ocean fell, revealing the endless night and burning halo that scarred the heavens.
Ritsuka opened his mouth to ask the significance of what had happened - but he was too slow.
With a flicker of their entire body, Raphael retreated to the shield.
Within a heartbeat, Mash whirled on Matthew.
"What was that."
Matthew found himself unable to answer due to the ferocity with which she shook his shoulders.
"Fooooooou!" the tiny animal cried as he hung onto Matthew's head for dear life. To no avail, as he was pitched ferociously into the air.
"Ah! Fou!" Mash gasped, following his trajectory with wide eyes.
Ritsuka stepped forward and easily caught the falling animal. "There. You alright?" he asked, feeling a little more settled in his skin despite the not one, but two otherworldly encounters he'd had in the span of minutes.
"FoOuuuuu…" Ritsuka swore Fou's eyes rolled in his sockets like a cartoon. It was far more disturbing without the medium of animation to soften the impact.
Caeneus stared at the siblings for a long moment. With a snort and shake of his head, he strode back towards Drake's cabin. "Whatever the rest of you decide, if comedy hour's resumed I'm calling it a night. I'll deal with Divine Beasts and whatever the fuck was up with that 'familiar' long before this."
Drake sighed. "Sailing with you lot's bound to be interesting, then." She grinned. "Long as I live with a story to tell and treasure to spend, though, can't complain too much." She followed Caeneus back into the cabin, still in a state of half-dress.
That seemed to break whatever spell Moby Dick's arrival cast. The crew trickled back down belowdecks, living Kirschtaria, Ritsuka, and the remainder of the Chaldean Servants.
Orion edged slowly towards the side of the ship, glancing furtively at the sea.
"Not joining us?" Kirschtaria asked. "Romulus did so in Rome, to my knowledge."
"It was more that he allowed us to shelter in his city than join us directly," Ritsuka corrected absently. "Is there a rule that Servants of your station can't directly assist us?"
"Eh... Our role is to terminate the Evils of Humanity. We can work with you, but taking orders and pledging allegiance are lines we can't cross." Orion's gaze sharpened. "Easier to avoid falling into those pitfalls if I keep my distance. Romulus is a special case - he's a great ancestor and can pass it off as looking after his children. I don't have that benefit."
"But Darling and I can look out for you from a little ways away! That's fine!" The goddess folded her hands in front of her.
"And apparently undersea rescues aren't out of the question," Kirschtaria noted with a pleasant smile.
Matthew bristled just long enough for Mash to begin shaking him like one of those odd American dolls with the long necks from when Ritsuka's father was young. He even made the same jabbering noise!
____________________________________________________________________________
Thankfully at that point, the Masters remembered they were humans - and therefore required some amount of sleep to function.
Sometime between Mash scrambling my egg and Kirschtaria and Rits going to bed, Orion dipped out without any fanfare.
Medea gave me a meaningful look, but didn't say anything as she and Kuzuki went for the back of the ship. Which was weird, because normally I could see her being among the number to chew me out for being reck-
The world tilted and blurred, and a solid weight around my waist hauled me upwards. The slow-moving night breeze engulfed me in a torrent of air, and in the span of a heartbeat I hung above the rest of the ship with a waist-high barrier of wood between myself and the fall.
Somehow I had ended up in the crow's nest. Which meant… uh oh.
I peered down, and barely made out Musashi giving me a two-fingered salute and shit-eating grin. Achilles seemed to go about his business, but not before giving me what looked like a critical side-eye. Maybe. It was no Orleans, but it was still dark and I wasn't reinforcing my eyes to see that far at the time.
"Everyone's down there and accounted for. Even Fou got dragged off for a nap while you were busy getting your just desserts."
Yup. Uh oh.
I slowly turned, sinking down into a crouch.
Cu Chulainn sat with his back to the part of the mast that pushed through the crow's nest, one leg bunched up so his knee was raised and the other stretched out (as much as it could) with them spread apart. He rested one arm on the raised leg, and his other hand was in his lap.
Despite his relaxed posture, his eyes gleamed in the quiet dark.
"So. I've been pretty quiet about all this," he said, gesturing at me with the hand in his lap. "But I think it's time we hashed it out."
I sat down fully, knees to my chest. My feet still touched his thighs, if only a little. The crow's nest could comfortably hold one adult; two was pushing it.
"Mind nixing the boots?" Cu raised an eyebrow.
With an effort of will, metal flowed from my feet up my legs. After a moment's thought, my armor shimmered and turned to the familiar sweatshirt and sweatpants I wore around Chaldea.
Nothing is coming for you as of yet, but Raphael's little display is sure to have finally alerted the powers that be in this Singularity. Tomorrow is when things will truly begin.
The voice sounded almost… melancholy when talking about Raphael. 'Something' had colored his voice on that topic before, but this was the first time it had really shown.
Cu cleared his throat, and I looked at him again.
"So. This running ahead thing. And throwing yourself into fights with things that can crush you easily." Cu tilted his head. "Any reason you keep leaving me behind?"
I bit my lip.
"I won't lie, I'm well and truly pissed. And were you Ferd, that's where I'd leave it," he muttered to himself. "But I'm mad because I'm worried. We all are, to some degree." Cu's eyelids lowered. "It doesn't matter how much harm that armor keeps off your back. It doesn't matter that the sheath inside you heals whatever you take and won't let you die. It doesn't matter how well you're protected. There's a lot of ways to be hurt, and if we, if I'm not at your side I can't know you're safe from them."
"...in all fairness, if things were more normal it'd be enough."
Cu Chulainn raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Setting aside you tried to use the word 'normal' to describe the incineration of human history, our starting point was a land of endless night populated by creatures beyond the ken of man. I'll be level with you: your inexperience shows a startling amount, and it's those defenses that let you get away with it." He leaned forward, and we were close enough that he was less than a foot from my face. "So tell me. What possessed you to go to the bottom of the sea?"
Well, if the 'you're in trouble' voice wasn't on before, it definitely was now.
"I heard the echoes from this." I put the book in my lap, and squirmed to try and get a little more comfortable.
Cu picked up my ankles and draped my legs on either side of him, letting me stretch out more.
"We could have this discussion belowdecks," I muttered.
"Eh. I wanted privacy. Also, this way however this pans out, you can tell Mash and Master I gave you a piece of my mind." Cu smirked a little.
Which… wasn't untrue. But Mash would have been a lot louder, and Ritsuka would have given me the 'sad, disappointed' look. Yeah, I preferred this.
"So. Seems to me that you've gotten a bit more chummy with the 'voice' in your head." Cu lightly kneaded my shin, eyes fixed on me. "Want to explain why you haven't tried to get Morgan to write up an eviction notice?"
"At first, I was just relieved it wasn't the unconscious will of humankind. Not that it doesn't have a backdoor into my skull, but it isn't always there like I feared." I shivered. "Back in Septem, it punched through every defense I had. I…"
His hand wrapped around my ankle, grounding me.
"It echoed in while we were in Seraphix, but it didn't hurt me like it had before. I think… I think the 'voice' protected me. Where Morgan and her armor couldn't. And he hasn't given me bad information, or mislead me. Morgan's busy in Avalon - she has a body of her own and stuff." I set the book to my side. "And he did say that picking this up would change my fate. Not how, but he said to be sure if I chose it. But he wanted me to get it." I laid my hand on the cover. "Ultimately, he wanted me to be the one to choose. Yeah, he's a jerk. But I am too, and we kind of poke each other a lot. It's different than with Morgan."
Cu's eyes narrowed. "You say Morgan has her own existence outside your body."
"Yeah?" I tilted my head.
Oh-ho.
"Right. So, layman's terms. A Demi-Servant gets their power via direct possession, yeah?" Cu placed his other hand on my other ankle, and started massaging both of them.
"Yes?" I squinted.
"Right. So if Morgan isn't possessing you directly, but funneling power into you via a conduit, that makes you less of a Demi-Servant than something else. Teacher didn't let any of us out into the world without proper training - she taught warriors, not idiots or naifs." Cu Chulainn pursed his lips in thought. "Sounds like what the gods would do to interact with humans. Create divided aspects to shield them from the brunt of their Divinity."
"So I'm like an Avatar of Morgan?" I blinked rapidly. "That's. A lot."
"Hm. Though, that leaves things unanswered. Assuming your body was made to contain a Servant, however briefly, being without one leaves a space for something to step in." Cu's eyes narrowed. "And since the will of man doesn't invest that heavily outside of contracts, your 'voice' was able to step into that space."
Warmer. How did that poet frame it? 'Tell the truth but tell it slant' indeed.
"Not exactly?" I frowned.
What are you doing, exactly?
Something akin to Morgan. You have her power flowing in you, and now to a much smaller degree - mine. That's my book you have. His voice was almost giddy. I didn't think it would call to you like it would to me. Once I can teach you the words within its pages, the breadth of knowledge will be the greatest windfall Chaldea will ever know.
"So this is his." I tapped my fingers on the book's cover. "...and he's someone Raphael knew."
Cu Chulainn's eyes narrowed. "Hard to think of any demons of that rank that held a book like that," he muttered. "I'm not too fond of Christendom to begin with, after what it put my homeland through."
The gates of Sheol are long shut, and all within save one have faded away. Any demons left alive walk the world's surface, and the names and memories are carried by divided functions of a single spell.
I swallowed. "I guess the point is… neither he or Morgan occupy that spot in my soul. He's keeping it shielded, but it's… empty."
Mostly.
"...mostly?" I whispered.
Cu's stare sharpened. "The black mana." He tilted his head. "...something was there, but now it's not. It left that mana behind."
"I. I should be dead. Not like I want to be," I amended hurriedly, "but it's not even a miracle for me to survive in that case. It's flat-out impossible. Why-?"
Cu's glare sharpened. "Because someone didn't want you to notice. As a Demi-Servant, you were a human designed to hold a facet of a Heroic Spirit, or that's my understanding. Here? You're a full fairy built off of a human framework."
"Which explains the hybridization. It's not that I'm becoming more fae and less human, it's just…" I stared at Cu.
"You were always that way and it was suppressed," he agreed. He grit his teeth and let out a sigh. "Damn it. Times like this I wish Teacher had been a little less thorough in her academics with me."
I flinched.
"Because I'd rather someone with more learning could have figured it out and talked you through it," he elaborated, squeezing my ankles gently. "Then they could put your mind at ease or at least tell you what's what."
Oh.
And because I didn't give this information, you aren't experiencing the headache to end all headaches. To his credit, he wasn't smug. And before you call foul, Morgan misunderstood your origins herself, even as she worked to preserve and raise you. She only had the best of intentions, and when the path ahead clears she will correct her course.
"I get it." Kind of. Mostly. I shook my head with a bitter laugh. "I guess this circles back around to why I'm so reckless. Why you brought me up here."
Cu looked up sharply.
"Because I don't have any fucking control over my life. Everything, from how I was born to where I'd die, was planned out. So when I tasted freedom, it was addicting. I wanted to make all the choices. Good, bad, so long as they were mine. But even now, I'm still tied down. Still scared, unable-" I cut myself off. "I hate it."
I sat there for several moments in silence, letting Cu gently knead my shins with his thumbs as he kept me grounded. Almost keeping me sane, it felt like.
"When I found out I had the sheath, I had a new lease on life. If Aunt Artoria had it, she would have lived forever with her dragon's heart empowering it. I'm connected to its namesake, so unless I'm killed I won't die. Mash has that shield, and a part of me knows it does much the same for her." I looked up. "There's a future after, if there is an after. But I have no idea what it'll look like. If I can stand against all the things that want to chain me down and use me. And that terrifies me."
"So you throw yourself in headfirst to burn the fear away with adrenaline. To experience all you can, while you can." Understanding trickled into Cu's voice.
"This freedom could just be transient. I want to savor everything while it lasts. My relationships, my friendships, my family. I know that Servants aren't meant to be forever." I lowered my eyes. "I know that this isn't forever."
"It's not. Servants have their own desires, dreams, agendas, but they aren't a part of the world anymore." Cu gave me a small smile. "We're ghosts, given life for one more night. Our stories ended a long time ago. The Age of Man wouldn't allow such a thing even for those who sought it."
"...if after all this, I went to Avalon. The ambient mana there would be enough, if you lived like a human. Would you?"
I immediately regretted asking. This was a man who lived life without regret, dashing forward without caution, of course he wouldn't-
"I'll think about it." Cu hummed. "I've never seen such a place. And that part of the World's been closed off. Could be interesting. It'll depend on what all happens, but playing prince-consort to the next ruler could be fun. And with you I could always poke my head out to see what happens, back to the world of Man." He grinned. "It's not living on the surface, after all. Cute loophole you've found there, Mischief."
I stared at him, barely daring to breathe.
"I'm not going to make you love me just to leave you. Not like that. I'm no saint, but I'm not willingly cruel to those I care for." Cu smiled, tilting his head to the side in a silent offer.
I pulled my legs in, tilted myself onto my knees, and pitched forward into his open arms as he wrapped me in a tight (if awkward) embrace.
He held me for a moment, then shifted me around so my back was to his chest. "There. A little less cramped." He paused. "So… you rejected learning at Chaldea in a lot of ways. What about astronomy?"
I wrinkled my nose. "What do you think?" I shot back in a poisonous mutter. I glanced at him, wondering what would make him spoil the mood like that.
"Good." Something warm, almost excited entered his voice. "So tonight, I'm gonna teach you constellations. At least, the ones the FATE system gave me." Cu Chulainn chuckled. "I think I gave you all the other kind of lecturing you can internalize for one night."
I leaned back, the top of my head cresting Cu's collarbone. I felt his cheek against my temple.
Well. If it was from him, I wouldn't refuse it. And the stars were beautiful tonight.
The stars twinkled up above us silently. My partner's arm stretched out, and my eyes followed his pointing finger.
"So see those? They make up your buddy Orion."
"Bullshit."
"No, really! So the story goes…"
____________________________________________________________________________
He stirred slowly. His head was startlingly clear, though his thoughts were still sluggish. Slowly, Jason opened his eyes.
It seemed he was alone for once.
Gingerly, he sat up. He glared in a squint at his surroundings. Out of the corner of his eye, he detected movement. Not alone.
"So you're awake." Forneus floated into view. "And coherent. Goodness me."
Jason watched her warily. He remembered the titles she claimed, and even if she was no Poseidon she could still make his day short and painful.
"Now I'm certain you're wondering why I'm not calling for Celenike. Well, that's simple: she has more important things to worry about at the moment." The demon smiled. "Chaldea has arrived, and every scout in their wake has perished in a manner so bloody it's left no way to recover any true data on their forces."
"So they've struck down ships?" Jason asked, voice raspy from disuse.
"Mm, no. To her - minimal - credit, Celenike is adept at leveraging her advantages in some cases. Seafaring dragonkin are what she's used, and most unfortunately they've been no match." Forneus fluttered her 'wings'. "At worst, we may be forced to deploy their source."
"Seafaring… you mean serpents." Jason scowled. If Heracles were there, they'd be slaughtered. Even the creature that devoured so many of his Argonauts.
Even…
"Ah, ah. Attention on me, 'Captain'." Forneus' lilt grew a dangerous edge. "Your girl-bride is long gone. Though according to Flauros her adult form is associated with Chaldea as early as the burning city." The last part was said in a darkly musing tone, no doubt envisioning what their reunion could entail.
Nothing good for Jason, surely. But, say what one would about Medea, the woman was a ruthless pragmatist. She'd bide her time for the opportune moment to avenge herself on him - at least until after their mutual enemies were destroyed.
And if this were her adult self… then…
"Plotting already? Goodness, and the captive just barely managed to let you slip her control." Forneus sounded inordinately pleased. "Underestimating you will be someone's end, certainly."
"And yet you haven't killed or disabled me," Jason observed in a mild tone.
"One might almost assume my stake in this is as low as yours is high." Forneus gave a too-sweet smile. "I'll do my best to slaughter whoever Chaldea sent, surely. But beyond ensuring the Grail my king planted remains in this time and place, whoever holds it is immaterial." The thin tip of her tail snaked up, tapping her chin like a finger. With a coy smile, the demon lowered her eyes at Jason. "And as it so happens, the King and I both have sufficient dislike for our compatriots that so long as the initial plan is accomplished, they are well beyond disposable."
"So…" Jason pondered the creature before him. "An armistice, until Celenike is out of the way."
"And her repugnant toadies, yes." Forneus bared her teeth in a literally sharklike grin.
"You seem to regard them as expendables." Jason sat up fully and crossed his legs.
"My dear, they're all humans past and future - you're all expendable to me." Forneus floated upwards slightly. "Now, if I'd gotten the likes of Mara himself - well, we'd be having a very different conversation. Likely with you half-buried beneath pleasurable mounds of flesh as you drowned in vice whenever you weren't gleefully pillaging on the demon king's behalf." She shook her head. "That would have been a true embodiment of Desire. Celenike loves no one but herself. The battery holds the love and power, and she holds the malice."
Which told Jason enough. "So she's unwilling." He cupped his chin and leaned his elbow on his knee.
"You mean the phantasmal chains weren't a tip-off?" Forneus sneered.
They were, but it could have been simply part of how the pact operated. Jason wasn't Medea who could read the intent and purpose of a spell with a glance.
"Point taken," was all he said. Letting Forneus have the upper hand cost him nothing and gave him space to work.
Assets: Chaldea. At least one Master with multiple Servants. One of them possibly Medea, but not necessarily. Atalanta was still out there, so she could well make contact. Something that could dispose of the monster's spawn.
Opponents: Celenike. She wielded the Authority of the captive goddess, and used it to cloud minds and all but cripple those below a certain threshold of Magic Resistance. Said captive was unwilling and able to withhold her full power and subvert where she could. That aside, the woman was skilled enough in curses that without requisite defenses she was capable of being a threat.
The Dioscuri were enthralled because they were too useful to kill. The rest had been fed to the creature to try and break Jason. Atalanta managed to escape due to partly her own oaths to her patron and partly due to the goddess pulling back just enough.
The captains. One was maimed, but still seemed spry. Thinner and older, but with a wicked gleam in his eye. The other was more muscular, had what foreign knowledge supplied was a 'cutlass' and a 'flintlock'. His smile sparked with greed.
Jason knew more about his opponents than his assets. That wouldn't do.
"So… Celenike hasn't been able to find Chaldea," he said in a hesitant tone.
Forneus. Had an ego, and loved to hear herself talk. Much like himself if he were forced to be honest.
That… could be useful.
"She has not. After all, it isn't as though she has access to some sort of airborne emotion-detecting oh wait." Forneus' face went utterly deadpan.
"Interesting. Sounds as though she isn't as good at leveraging her assets as she thinks."
"Not hardly. She sends out these pirates on their little ships, and sends out the serpents on their own, and not once does she do the expedient thing," Forneus opined. "Honestly, it's disgusting! There was an entire conflict in the enemy camp that could have been exacerbated, and she completely ignored it!" Forneus rolled her eyes. "She has a suite of powers right there that can be used for subversion and misdirection and she chooses to use them like a hand-held brick soaked in ambrosia."
"Conflicts? Sounds entertaining." Jason gave a small half-smile, keeping it subdued.
Forneus giggled to herself. "Oh, you wouldn't know the half of it. That fairy prince, skilled as he is at making weapons of murder, just… jumped off the ship. Straight to the bottom of the sea! The Archer of the Crown himself followed him down, leaving his beloved moon goddess to flounder overhead," she whispered conspiratorially.
Yes.
"Impulsive, isn't he?" Jason mused.
"Painfully so. All that power, and he's nearly as bad as Celenike. He has that shield-bearing sister of his and their Master to reign him in a bit, so that makes him borderline tolerable. Not to mention the 'Hound of Ulster' has him on a leash for a change." Forneus sneered. "Though that swordswoman's been all but distraught. Capable of cleaving through a gravitational field, but she loses sight of Hero-Killer Gorgon and her composure goes down the toilet. Then we have the borderline drama with the other Master. His lancer despises the Archangel watching over the shield-girl because of association - one of yours, by the way. And your ex-wife seems to have a new paramour in some sort of ninja."
...it would seem that Forneus was a huge gossip.
"Though at least it looks like the Greatest of the Greeks is onboard, and that pirate captain is ferrying him towards his lover and a handful of other heroes. A serpent-slayer from the far east, a Paladin of Charlemagne, an incarnated dragon of all things, and the very son of Zeus himself. And coherent at that!" Forneus shook her head. "Honestly, if Celenike leveraged half of what she had she could have a chance at least. As it stands? I would much rather be at home, watching your pitiful history immolate."
Jason nodded slowly, forcing his face into an expression of hesitant sympathy. "That sounds… difficult."
Forneus scoffed. "Oh please. You don't know the half of it." She narrowed her eyes. "Though, weren't you attached to the big lug in particular? I'm surprised you're so… unenthused."
"If he knew I was here, Heracles would have saved me already," Jason replied with complete honesty. "I have no intention of holding out hope on that front."
Which was true. Hope was for when one had nothing else.
Forneus gave a sharp trilling laugh, throwing her head back. She didn't see Jason's sharp smirk, there for a flash of indulgence before vanishing under a mask of polite interest.
Yes, hope was for when nothing else was left. Jason had a view of the board now.
Time to line up how best to use the pieces in play.
____________________________________________________________________________
The waves rolled past the ship, marking their passage. Now that she looked, Mash could see the faint traces of blood in the water - signs of their self-appointed guardian doing her grisly work.
Raphael remained silent. That, more than anything, filled her with anxiety. For the weeks since Seraphix, Raphael had been a near-constant presence at her side. With them back in the shield, the difference was palpable.
Mash looked up from the sea to watch her crewmates (and wasn't that a term she'd never expected to use).
Medea stood to the back of the sails, fingers twisting in the air while keeping half an eye on the skies above. Kuzuki stood to her back, eyes shut but body tensed for action at the slightest impetus.
Ritsuka sat next to Kirschtaria, leaning against a bannister by the wheel. The two magi were in quiet conversation. Ritsuka's expression was serious, eyes glinting beautifully in the light of day. Kirschtaria's noble mask lowered a little to reveal traces of indulgence and affection as he seemed to field whatever questions the younger man had.
Drake stood at the wheel. Mash felt a small sense of wonder at the older woman as she expertly directed every pirate in view, keeping the Hind running like a well-oiled machine. Caeneus watched her through lidded eyes, lips curled with amusement. If Mash thought about it, there was also a level of grudging admiration there as well.
Well. Given what she'd put together of the night prior's events, she hoped they at least liked each other.
"Urgh."
Mash tore herself from her observations to look at the swordswoman to her side. "Overindulged?" she asked without sympathy.
Musashi waved a hand at her negligently. "Nope. Just bored out of my skull again. I won't argue that having a giant divine whale policing the boat makes for a safer voyage, but right now…" She sighed. "At least we're heading to Medusa. That makes it better."
"You really care about her, don't you?"
Musashi's eyes gazed out over the water. "Have you ever lost everything? Just, gone in a flash? And then find something new, only to feel like you were losing it all again?"
Taken aback by the questioning, Mash stared in silence. Slowly, she shook her head.
"Good. I don't recommend it." Musashi lowered her eyes. "I'm usually better about this sort of thing, but… I'm tired, I guess. As much as I love to roam, th- Chaldea is..."
Mash nodded. "It feels a lot more like a home now, I think." She flushed. "Not that- I mean-"
"Sometimes bad things can lead to windfalls for people, even if they wouldn't have wished for them. And unlike your brother, you still hold some guilt for those who died." Musashi stretched her arms overhead, standing up. "Well! Nothing I care about too much. It happened before I wandered in, and as a swordmaster who killed enough warriors to paint the earth red I don't really have room to comment anyways."
"Weh!"
A small, honest smile crossed Musashi's face upon Matthew impacting her back in a bear hug. "I guess Cu didn't tear too many strips off of your hide last night, then?"
"I wouldn't say that," Matthew grumbled. "I mean, he gave me an existential crisis and all, but."
Mash squinted at her older brother. "Dare I ask how?"
Matthew… hesitated. "Theories, mostly. I'll… when I have something more concrete, you and Rits will be the first to know."
Given her brother's propensity to run his mouth in some form or fashion, that was cause for concern.
"You two have an odd dynamic," Musashi mused. "Mash mostly acts like a sweet and naive greenhorn, but put her with you and she turns into a severe 'my brother is so embarrassing' type. You go between casual kindness and focused cruelty like a pendulum, but with her it turns into big brother teasing or just childishness."
"Excuse you! I'm plenty childish with other people!" Matthew protested.
"Unfortunately," Mash muttered.
"Like that." Musashi pointed her index fingers at Mash and Matthew respectively.
Mash absentmindedly raised a hand and began to scratch Fou's head when he made his presence known by landing on her shoulder.
It was easier than acknowledging that Matthew had a book the size of his torso adhered to his back by some sort of magecraft.
Said book gave off an unsettling aura she couldn't put words to. It was neither alien nor foreign. It was not that it was incomprehensible, but that it was on the edge of comprehension. As a relic of ages past, but one that tied all things together. It felt… like home. It felt like home in a way nothing ever had. Not any iteration of Chaldea, not when she first met Senpai, not her friends or family. It felt like a part of the world that had to exist. No matter what path time took, no matter what Age - that book belonged.
Raphael recognized it, and the simple manifestation of it caused them to panic. And now they're in a depressive spiral. Galahad's tone was pensive. If you like, I can attempt to divest some answers from them.
That would be helpful, Mash thought in return. But don't push too hard. They seemed really upset.
"So Cu Chulainn had a chat with you about…?" Mash waved a hand at Matthew in general, book included.
"Yeah…" Matthew had the grace to look sheepish. "Let's say there were some uncomfortable revelations there. At least he taught me some constellations after. That was nice." Matthew stood up straight with a little smile.
"A mage that doesn't know constellations? That's novel."
Mash twitched at the arrival of Achilles. She cast her gaze around, but the Masters were still locked in conversation, Medea was busy keeping the ship moving, and Cu Chulainn was nowhere to be seen.
This could go very well or very badly based on the last conversation she was party to involving the Greatest of the Greeks.
Matthew crossed his arms and glared upward at the taller man. "I didn't grow up seeing the stars, so there wasn't much point."
...partially true.
Mash caught Matthew's eyes flick towards where Kirschtaria continued to build rapport with Ritsuka, then back to Achilles.
Achilles didn't, given he was visibly caught off-guard by the admission. "What, did you go in before sundown every day?" he asked with a raised brow.
"No, I was pretty much a prisoner until…" Matthew trailed off then looked at Mash. "Three months?"
"Give or take," she agreed.
"Three months ago." Matthew nodded.
Achilles blinked, then looked at Musashi.
The swordswoman shrugged. "They grew up in a research outpost in Antartica. Run by mages."
The hero visibly processed that. "Well. Damn."
There was a prolonged silence. The sound of hustle and bustle rolled around the rest of the ship, but in their little corner there was an absence of words.
Mash turned slightly, ensuring that both the sea and her 'conversational partners' were in view. A pair of islands crested the horizon, white sand and greenery breaking the blue-green waves. There was a spot between them where the sea remained dark, but the water paled when traced in either direction towards the landmass.
"So I hear I've got something of a fan." Achilles finally spoke up. "Know anything about that?" he asked, looming slightly over Matthew.
Mash's cheek twitched.
Matthew, for once in his life, remained quiet. The rapidly spreading blush spoke for itself - from his face down to his shoulders.
Achilles smirked.
"...you and Patroclus both, actually," Matthew admitted in a low tone.
To Mash's surprise, Achilles' demeanor softened. "Pat, hm?" The warrior scratched the back of his head, averting his eyes. "...not a lot of people give him his due. He was able to turn the war around on his own. The army rallied behind him, and was able to push forward. At least until Hektor got a hold of him."
"From the… account… I read, he was kind. Kinder than other people."
Musashi perked up at that, eyes sparkling with interest.
"Eh. He was different from the other boys under Chiron's care. If I had to say…" Achilles crossed his arms. "It wasn't so much that he was 'kinder' than he was unafraid to show 'care'. Patroclus is my favorite person, but even I wouldn't call him a saint or paragon. He's no sadist or monster, but."
"He's a human all the same." Matthew nodded. "That sounds right."
"Right. I could have done worse for a suitor."
Mash's eyes widened when a faint tinge of pink crossed Achilles' cheeks.
The warrior chuckled sheepishly. "Even though I was the stronger one in that case, he'd often take me aside like Cu Chulainn does for you." Achilles' smile turned wry. "I'll admit to impulsiveness."
The silence that time was more comfortable, though Mash wasn't sure how she felt about the speculative look Achilles started giving her brother. Musashi didn't seem bothered, so she didn't say anything. Though if Cu Chulainn was there, she wondered how it would pan out.
Her train of thought was sharply interrupted by the sharp whistle of a projectile piercing the wind, a nigh-inaudible shriek that stirred the hair on top of her head.
She saw the others immediately go tense as she turned to follow the sound.
The arrow flew. The air parted before it, shimmering and twisting the horizon in its wake. In the span of a heartbeat, it struck the water below, illuminating it with a faint verdant light. It was not magecraft which gave this light, but the friction of the missile against the air itself. Not quite flame, but the speed of the shot was unparalleled.
And so Mash saw the arrow impale the skull of 'something'. A dark form, like a triangle with rounded points. The base of the shape trailed backwards, easily the length of a grown human. But with the arrow gouging through the bone of its forehead, a faint trickle of blood and paler fluid trickled out.
That was what she saw before the force of the shot carried the target down into the depths.
"Fou Fou!" The small animal launched itself onto the bannister, perching at her side. His fur had changed once more, now a solid gold. His eyes were now a matching green, his heterochromia gone.
For now. My experience tells me this bodes more ill than well - but we have more pressing concerns.
"She can't follow us," Matthew breathed. "The strait is too narrow, and the shallows would trap her. She's taking the long way around so-"
Another arrow flew, and another, and another- the speed with which they rained down was faster than sound and far more than Mash's untrained eye could track. In the span of Matthew's words, Mash could see at least four more bodies driven down into the sea.
It appears our guardian is separated from us.
Mash clenched her fist, and felt the newly familiar weight of Black Keys materialize between her fingers. In her other hand, Evalach dropped into her grip.
From the spray of water rapidly approaching the boat, it seemed the rational decision to make.
____________________________________________________________________________
"So you see, the best way to describe Peperoncino is-" Kirschtaria cut himself off as something twinged at the boundary of his awareness.
To his credit, Ritsuka picked up on it as well. The younger Master turned to look at the strait they were approaching on their current course. "Incoming?" he asked.
The answer came nigh-instantaneously.
It wasn't Moby Dick. The scope and size of the Divine Beast would have broken their minds if it were in a rage, and this creature was nowhere near the scale of its majesty.
Scales that shimmered between black and green devoured the light of day, soaking it in without reflection. Eyes of amber gleamed with bestial intelligence, the slit pupils roving with restless energy. When the forked tongue slid out, a dark vapor trailed along the split. Clouds drifted downward, and when Kirshtaria cast his gaze he saw the carnage its mere existence wrought.
Corpses upon corpses. Man, fish. Dolphin, whale, octopi. All manner of life from the sea, floating and bloating with rot and decay. Not from bite, not from blood, but from breath alone.
This creature was incompatible with any form of nature. It was a threat to be respected. It was a threat to be destroyed.
It was not alone.
"All hands, to arms!" Drake bellowed, raising a pistol in one hand. "You know the routine! Medea, keep us going towards the strait! Our best chance is to make landfall! Don't hit the water!"
Kirschtaria raised his staff, suddenly aware of the rain of projectiles that fell from on high. With a glance over his shoulder, he spotted their source.
Atalanta stood atop the mast, even over the crow's nest. Her feet planted side by side, she rhythmically drew, launched, and drew again. Each arrow vanished from Tauropalos' heart and into the sea, and Kirschtaria knew that none missed their mark. The eddies of air blended into the whipping sea breeze, but their force was undeniable.
Even so, they merely lodged into the giant serpent's neck - it showed no sign of slowing its languid approach.
Ritsuka clenched his fist and drew a deep breath. "It's toying with us." There was a grim satisfaction to his tone.
The first of its smaller kin wriggled up over the banisters.
Kirschtaria was suddenly aware of the abnormal stillness of the sea, especially with the movement ahead of them.
"I shall be radiant, and light a path," he murmured. The near-alien burn of his circuits began, and power flooded the system. "Polaris." With their connection to Chaldea yet to be stabilized, he would have to supplement his Servants with his own mana.
"Step one."
Kirschtaria raised an eyebrow at Ritsuka, who merely offered a sharp grin. The shake in his limbs belied the boy's nerves, but Kirschtaria could respect his resolve.
Blood and viscera clouded the air, and the wind whipped around the ship. Kirschtaria couldn't see it, but something blasted the encroaching serpents back out to sea.
"Don't let the guts hit anyone!" Drake cautioned, hand on the wheel. With negligent grace, she released a shot over the mages' heads. Kirschtaria saw the triangular head peeking over the side of the ship whip back, down an eye and dripping ichor from the socket. "We lost our last quartermaster that way!"
Achilles appeared - or that is to say, he stopped moving for a moment. "Looks like we hit a pocket of them," he said grimly. "My chariot would be of use on land, but-" He cut himself off, vanishing again.
Seven more heads went flying into the sea, and the echoing splashes indicated the bodies followed.
Musashi flowed like water, blades whipping through the air and cleaving anything that made it over the sides with ease. Her feet stepped in a dance only she knew the movements to. Both swords angled perfectly, each cut an execution, not a drop of poisoned effluvia made contact.
Mash called a stream of the Church's favored weapons, blades sprouting as quickly as she flung them. With a roar, she swung her shield forward and slammed one of the smaller serpents away.
But neither of them were the focus of Kirschtaria's gaze.
Matthew hovered in midair, hands clasped in front of his mystic code. His wand drifted around him, trailing words in a language the mage never knew and would never know. The book he claimed turned slowly behind his back, light finally reflecting off its multicolored pages.
And his target was the largest serpent.
It froze, eyes stilling in the massive skull. It halted its movement, mouth slightly agape and dark clouds dribbling down its maw. Visibly its muscles strained, but the too-still sea offered it no purchase.
"Shall I, Master?"
Caeneus grinned viciously, golden trident slung over his shoulders. His eyes gleamed crimson even as azure mana spiraled around his body, visible from sheer concentration. It was like an aura bearing the might of the raging ocean.
Ritsuka's eyes snapped open. "Now!" he cried out.
A blur of blue dashed off the side of the ship, crossing the eerily still water.
Kirschtaria jerked his head, and Caeneus followed suit in a flicker of gold.
As the two Lancers approached the target - pelted by arrows that could not pierce its hide - the serpent opened its jaws. A black haze rolled forth for barely a second, only to be dispersed by an errant gale. The great beast's throat convulsed but nothing came out.
Spray kicked up in the wake of the charging Lancers. The water, still as a mirror's surface, cast trails of mist along their path.
"Sometime… this… year…!" Matthew yelled above the din of battle.
The spears plunged forth, up into the roof of the serpent's mouth. To Kirschtaria's surprise, no blood poured out even as the blades pierced up and through - exiting through the top of the giant snake's head.
The two weapons gleamed in the sun, unmarred by blood or brain matter. The serpent was still, floating in the water.
As one, Cu Chulainn and Caeneus withdrew, leaping back onto the water's surface.
The sounds of battle had ceased.
Slowly, the creature sank. Down, down into the depths it fell, fouling the water in its wake.
Kirschtaria drummed his fingers on his walking stick, narrowing his eyes.
"The one time we ran into one of those, we needed to open fire to- look out!"
Drake moved with all the speed of a Servant, grabbing the two mages under her arms and dashing out of the way.
Kirschtaria turned his head, just in time to see one last serpent.
It was smaller, easily half his own size. Still the same black-green as the rest. Still the same amber eyes. The key difference, however, was clear.
The neck split, branching for a foot from the stem of its body. At the end of each limb was another head. Five mouths, open wide with fangs dripping venom.
Kirschtaria burned the shape into his mind before a kunai neatly slid through each neck, letting the heads drop to the floor.
The creature writhed, its necks bubbling like boiling water. The stumps bulged, twisting grotesquely as though something was trying to burst out.
He knew enough.
"O' stars, grant your light. Let fly the hunter's arrow." A single verse would be enough, he hoped.
Motes of light and heat burst from Kirschtaria's staff, the mystic code accepting the verse and amplifying it to accomplish his desires. Minute stars flickered into being, cauterizing the wounds on the creature before the new heads could sprout.
The headless being flailed once more, then slowly curled in on itself as rigor mortis set in.
Drake set him and Ritsuka down. "What in the name of…" she grumbled, eyes glinting darkly.
Souichirou Kuzuki stepped out of thin air, sliding another kunai back into his sleeve. "I was preparing to utilize a firework, but it seems you managed on your own." His expressionless face gave away no indication to his thoughts. "That one seemed unique in comparison to the others."
"What was it?" Ritsuka asked, brows furrowed.
Kirschtaria opened his mouth, then closed it as the ship began to bob in the water once more. The waves had returned.
He turned his head to see Musashi holding Matthew in a bridal carry. The Caster was unconscious, chest slowly rising and falling.
____________________________________________________________________________
"With how many there were, I was surprised more didn't make it onto the ship." Atalanta made her presence known. "After a few moments, the water turned opaque. I could make out the largest one, but not the rest."
Ritsuka cleared his throat. "So… I coordinated with Matthew, Mash, Musashi, and Cu Chulainn. Cu's spear would ensure the giant one died, Musashi could keep the deck clear, and Mash could help protect the crew." He scratched his cheek. "Matthew… uh. He delved into the power of water using his mystic code. The serpents are aquatic phantasmals, so it's easier to hold them in place. He kept the big one from secreting poison and venom and held it still."
"And the water?" Medea strode forward. "Caeneus might be capable of such a thing, but I cannot see him doing so willingly."
"Damn right," the Lancer growled. His eyes flickered red once more.
"That too. He… how do I put this…" Ritsuka folded his arms. "Pressure inversion? He was inspired by the water pressure further down in the sea."
Atalanta turned her head to look at Matthew with newfound respect. "To unleash a spell like that while binding a greater spawn is no small feat."
"Small wonder he wore himself out," Medea murmured with a narrowed gaze. She palmed a phial from the inside of her robe. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure my new favorite model hasn't permanently damaged himself." She looked to Kuzuki. "I leave our Masters in your capable hands."
He nodded solemnly, and with that the master mage stalked off.
"Not to be ungrateful," Drake cut in, "given that we had no fatalities after an attack for a change. But I need to repeat the little man's question: what in the seas was that?" She pointed her gun at the beheaded corpse that had menaced Ritsuka and Kirschtaria not minutes before.
"Curious, I must say." Kirschtaria caught Ritsuka's attention as the older man crossed his arms. "Given the beast it resembles was supposedly an inhabitant of fresh water."
Atalanta took a sharp breath. "You cannot be serious."
Kirschtaria nodded. "It appeared to be a Hydra. To a degree, the serpents all resembled its description - poisonous blood, lethal venom. The only outlier was the five-headed snake and how it appeared ready to spawn new heads. The remainder died easily enough, barring the giant."
Ritsuka frowned. "Was that the parent?" he asked.
Atalanta shook her head. "No." Her eyes were narrow. "But that creature cannot have been what this would suggest."
"Meaning the Hydra killed by Heracles and his nephew?" Drake pulled a face at the startled looks her insight garnered. "Excuse you. I have some education, for your knowledge."
"Yes," Atalanta agreed. "If it were such a creature we would have an uphill battle. Even in cooperation I'm uncertain Medea and Matthew could keep us safe." The ears atop her head lowered. "And that aside, it was a plague of rivers and lakes. The sea is not the habitat such a creature was meant to inhabit."
Ritsuka sighed. "So we're in the dark. There's something that's bringing sea snakes into being that have poison that can kill tons of people. It could be some kind of sea serpent, but we're not sure."
He looked over the deck. The sailors seemed to have recovered from the suddenness of the attack, and the ship itself was clear of any poisonous material.
Musashi held onto Matthew while Medea administered her medicine by pouring it down his throat.
Cu Chulainn and Mash exchanged looks of concern as the woman massaged Matthew's throat, coaxing him into swallowing.
With a choke and splutter, Matthew bolted upright and began to flail.
His flying hand caught Musashi on top of her head, and with a grimace she dropped him on the ground.
Ritsuka swallowed his laughter at the scene, turning away. Kirschtaria met his eyes with a knowing look and small smile.
____________________________________________________________________________
Ugh. Blugh. Erg.
I can go without ever drinking that stuff again.
Ingrate. It's good for what ails you, which in this case is burning what magical energy you were able to produce.
Shaddup!
I crossed my arms and laid flat on my back, pouting upwards.
"Maybe don't swat me on waking up," Musashi said wryly.
Fou padded on top of my stomach and curled into a ball.
"And what did you do?" I accused.
"Fou."
"Moral support!?"
Mash hid her smile behind her fist. "I felt very supported. Well done, Fou."
The furry little monster trilled before licking his paw and brushing his ears. Cu snickered at the entire scene.
At least Medea had the good grace not to mock me verbally. ...aaaand she's smirking.
I blinked when Ritsuka and Kirschtaria came into view.
"We have a dilemma." Ritsuka bit his lip. "Can you ask your passenger if we're up against…?" He looked to Kirschtaria.
"The Lernean Hydra." Kirschtaria's frown was harsh.
Well if it was, it wouldn't explain the spawn. What we're seeing is likely some sort of hybrid. Though given they tried to empower the remnants of Mara with a Dead Apostle and the Buddha's leftovers, I wouldn't be surprised if they made some horrific hybrid.
"We have a maybe, with a side of 'bad guys like playing mix-and-match'," I communicated. I sat up, putting my arms under Fou to keep him from falling. "So nothing conclusive."
I know a great many things. However, what you should be primarily concerned about is making landfall on the island to our immediate left.
I squinted, then stood up. "Excuse me." I wandered to the side of the ship the voice indicated, peering towards the island.
A huge ship was anchored off the side, and on the shore were a series of figures I could barely make out.
"Hm."
I looked up, and Atalanta stood at my side with narrowed eyes.
"I don't recognize the old woman or the men, but it appears Rider of Black and his former Master are there."
Huh?
My confusion must have shown, because the huntress blinked at my expression. "Astolfo and Sieg."
Wait WHAT?
Ritsuka slammed into the bannister next to me, halting his run. "Atalanta-" he started.
"There is a small girl with white hair, a pirate, an elderly woman in unremarkable clothes with a golden substance on her arms and a rainbow scarf, Astolfo, Sieg, and why is Heracles playing with that child."
We stared at Atalanta. Then we looked at the island. Then back to her.
At that point, a gust of wind flowed past us, and I saw green sparks tracing the path of one particular Servant.
"So… time to make a fleet?" I gave a helpless grin.
"Two ships don't… urgh." Drake pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's go."
Ritsuka cleared his throat.
"Right, getting us there." I looked around. "I uh, probably got the majority of the snakes with that last spell."
The water swirled darkly beneath the ship.
"But let's not take chances," I said hastily, scooping Ritsuka into my arms.
His arms locked around my neck. "Please don't fly too high," he begged.
Mash stood at my side with a 'happy' smile. "I wouldn't drop him if I were you."
I bristled. "Like I would!" I crouched, then launched myself into the air. "You guys can take the landing boat over!"
Fou clung to my head. "Fouuuuu!"
I shot over the black waves, the wind tearing at my face. Ritsuka clung to me as I tried to make way for the island.
I wondered… what would await us there?
____________________________________________________________________________
Illyasviel crossed her arms. "So why aren't we leaving yet?"
"Because I have been informed that the course our soon-to-be allies will take to the Shapeless Isle is through here," Kunapipi replied breezily.
Shiro the bear tilted his head at Illyasviel, who sighed in frustration.
Heracles looked up, hand shielding his eyes from the light of the sun. "There's a ship. It's far better outfitted than the rank-and-file we encountered."
"We?" Astolfo echoed.
"Meaning him, the boss, and I," Blackbeard explained, stroking his chin with a smug look. "Plenty of small fry. We haven't had to deal with the three flagships, but the little ones tend to have a good amount of loot."
Sieg looked at Illyasviel and gave a confused shrug.
"The three flagships: Santa Maria, Pequod, and the Argo itself." Kunapipi gave a small, secret smile. "I assume this is none of them?"
Heracles shook his head. "No. However… ah. It seems one of my former crewmates has spotted us."
The air rushed around them, scattering sand beneath their feet.
And the one observing from the back, Patroclus, felt the breath catch in his lungs. It was like a dream from the past. The body that carved through battlefields, the hands that held his as they tended each others' wounds, he could almost see that rakish smile-
A powerful body pressed against him, chest to chest. Strong arms wrapped around his torso and locked him in place. A familiar smooth cheek pressed against his own, and breath warmed his ear.
A riot of emotion filled Patroclus. Faint resentment, for the lives they lost. Wry amusement, for the sheer drama of his reappearance. A deep and abiding affection that would never fade. But above all…
He wrapped his arms around the 'younger' man. "I missed you too, my Achilles." His voice was a hoarse whisper, emotion nearly silencing him.
Achilles gave a choked laugh and only tightened his hold. Not painfully, never that. But he wasn't letting go anytime soon.
Patroclus looked at the group over Achilles' shoulder.
Heracles smiled with patient amusement, one hand resting on Ilyasviel's head and the other on her bear's. Astolfo scratched the back of his head, grinning. Sieg seemed relaxed, with a pleasant expression. Kunapipi's eyes glittered in amusement.
Blackbeard… well. Was as expected.
"Eeeee!"
The short blond who stood next to him nodded sagely, a dark-haired boy and tiny animal clinging to him for dear life. "Honestly? Same. Big same."
"Fouuuu…"
...that was a concern for a few minutes later.
Last edited:
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
Yeah of all beings, Raphael would be the one to reconigize that book.
Welcome to having conversations with the fae, Ritsuka.
Well. that's going to be a interesting conversation. Because as far as I know, Mash should still be under the impression her lifespan is the same as in canon.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Jörmungandr. Has to be. Just like they were able to salvage part of Fenrir to empower Remus in Septem, they've salvaged parts of Jörmungandr and the Lernean Hydra to create hybrid serpents. Hopefully this won't necessitate reviving Jörmungandr - even temporarily - as Ophelia did his elder brother.
First time I've seen Behemoth referenced in a Fate fic. Everyone knows about Tarasque being Leviathan's son, and Meltryllis being made from Leviathan's data, but Behemoth is never mentioned in canon.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
How can you not feel supported with Fou on your side?
Did I miss something? Where on earth were those arrows shot at Moby coming from?
And I liked the hyped up Nasuverse explanation of what she was from Raphael.
Did I miss something? Where on earth were those arrows shot at Moby coming from?
And I liked the hyped up Nasuverse explanation of what she was from Raphael.
- Location
- Mt. Holly, North Carolina
Atlanta was present. That is what she was known for. It's why the one cruiser with her name was literally all the AA.
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The arrows were not shot at Moby, but at sea serpents. I should have made that more clear. At that point, they were heading into the strait and Moby was well behind them so the serpents became a threat.
The arrows came from Atalanta, because her eyesight is canonically that good that she could pick them out through several feet of choppy waves.
Fou is very supportive, but the rest of the ship was in very real danger. If there had been more than a scouting force they would have had to deal with a lot more snakes crawling up, and as Drake pointed out even killing them doesn't remove their threat all the way.
She is. It's been a couple weeks since Seraphix so there's not as much data from her medical exams to draw that conclusion yet, so at this point only Matthew (and now Cu) know. Well, outside of Avalon.
Last edited:
- Location
- A never ending hell of Myoukous
I don't know why, but the description of the big Sea serpent conjured up some Dark Souls esque imagery in my mind.
So 10/10, would boss fight again.
So 10/10, would boss fight again.
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So the base of the big one is the Lernean Hydra, and I'm cribbing from Siegfried's first Interlude for how it's spawning all the smaller ones. (Dragons reproduce asexually because mana core etc etc.)
As noted, there are, ah, other aspects.
And regarding @Numbers7o5, I might have taken Frampt and given him a bit of a bath/scale polish/beard trim for the inspiration of the big spawn.
Next chapter we'll have the lieutenants finally make moves and show up. I wanted to this chapter, but I hit almost 11k and decided I wasn't getting any further at 11pm before a work-day and wrapped it up.
As noted, there are, ah, other aspects.
And regarding @Numbers7o5, I might have taken Frampt and given him a bit of a bath/scale polish/beard trim for the inspiration of the big spawn.
Next chapter we'll have the lieutenants finally make moves and show up. I wanted to this chapter, but I hit almost 11k and decided I wasn't getting any further at 11pm before a work-day and wrapped it up.
Oh, matthew, the greeks did that with ALLLL the big legends~
BAHAHAHAHA! THAT WAS HILARIOUS! I need to see more Mash doing stuff like that to her brother when he does the stupid.
Better grasp on our enemies; always good to have
oh, Jason has many faults, but he does want to to better by Medea in spite of them, and he is a MASTERFUL tactician when the chips are down.
oh crap, that's not good. I think Even mash's poison immunity she gives the others would have problems with Hydra Venom.
also assuming A hydra as opposed to The Hydra.
Fou is best moral support. this is fact.
also, what was he drinking? Blood? if so, whose?
EDIT: one of medea's potions, got it
...oh my god, it took me THIS LONG to put together it was COLUMBUS!? facepalms
Great chapter, by the way
Last edited:
ThatOtherSatori
Lover of Spicy Food
- Location
- Indiana, USA
Not just that pal, take a closer look at the second ship listed there. And then understand why Ms. Moby of all beings is present.
oh no, i remember reading ahab was there in an earlier post, and Moby made perfect sense then. i just never figured out the Rider was Columbus.
not a big fan of what they did with him, tbh (I mean GO, not Blink)
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Agartha did very few characters any favors. I know people are out there who like it, but I am not one of them.
That said, I'm not a fan of either Columbus (the historical figure or the Servant) but I have neither the space nor inclination to focus on his more problematic aspects. He's an enemy Servant for Okeanos, no more and no less.
Not to say I won't delve into social commentary when and where I so desire in this fic, but I have more than enough planned for Okeanos and it's enough for him to engage in general awfulness rather than the specialized brands he's known for.
That said, I'm not a fan of either Columbus (the historical figure or the Servant) but I have neither the space nor inclination to focus on his more problematic aspects. He's an enemy Servant for Okeanos, no more and no less.
Not to say I won't delve into social commentary when and where I so desire in this fic, but I have more than enough planned for Okeanos and it's enough for him to engage in general awfulness rather than the specialized brands he's known for.
Mind if I ask something? We learned what happened to Barghest, Baobhan Sith, even Cernunnos in this new continuity through the interlude, but what about Melusine? What happened to her given how Baba Yaga is making sausage out of Aurora and countless other Fairies?
Or does she not exist since Albion died in one piece?
Or does she not exist since Albion died in one piece?
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
There might be a Melusine, but she isn't Albion. She'd just be a river spirit in this history.
Even odds are that she will end up a part of Vivian/Olga's courtiers with Baobhan.
speculating on the future
Definitely combined with Shinjuku for the Phanom spirits, possible Shimosa (story) and SIN (Hinako's prescence) mixed in.
the number of potential phantoms is quite high... any chances of Adding additional authors like Dumas or independent ones like Verne to the mix?
Ultimate battler
The one who witnesses the finale
- Location
- Indiana / Foundation Site 13 (moved to Site 7)
You know morgan probably salavaged the monte cristo mythology for a later sate after sensing something heavily warded by aog era wards or simply extremely powerful. Also things like monte cristos treasure tend to make minute singularities of their own so it probably isn't gone for good and we could retreive it later.
Edit: we could have maxwells demon from guda guda honnoji show up and be used as a phanton to power up some other servant. *Cough* Babbage *cough*
Edit: we could have maxwells demon from guda guda honnoji show up and be used as a phanton to power up some other servant. *Cough* Babbage *cough*
Last edited:
This was a great chapter.
First things first, congratulation on being (probably) the first writer to get this far in a (non crack)FGO fanfic. Too many good fgo fanfics have collapsed under their own weight, but you've been trucking along! Really look forward to all your chapters.
Second, I love how you've been expanding Matthew's character over time. He really wouldn't have opened up like this in Orleans or maybe even septem.
His relationship with Cu is also a treat to watch.
First things first, congratulation on being (probably) the first writer to get this far in a (non crack)FGO fanfic. Too many good fgo fanfics have collapsed under their own weight, but you've been trucking along! Really look forward to all your chapters.
Second, I love how you've been expanding Matthew's character over time. He really wouldn't have opened up like this in Orleans or maybe even septem.
His relationship with Cu is also a treat to watch.
This part is just chefs kiss
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Thank you! My goal (distant as it may be) is to provide development for all three protagonists from start to finish.
Matthew letting his guard down, Mash being more assertive, Ritsuka gaining confidence being among them.
That said, there will be at least one major bump coming for the story's midpoint starting in F/Zero.
I'm very excited for it because it starts answering a lot of questions I've been setting up. Zero, Camelot, and the Time Temple are the ones I'm most excited for character-wise for Matthew. (Now if only I could get enough backstory for Daybit…!)
indeed, we can hope to see something as we close in on december. I'm also looking forward to London (because i like Yu and Mordered) and interested to see what happens with E plurubus unum.
We probably aren't gonna see anything other than 6.5. Which is, at worse, gonna be Koyanska getting kicked off the villain roster. And at best, gonna sprinkle some hints about the future with next to no plot resolution.
Seriously, the lostbelts started off so strong, but it's fallen off pretty hard at this point.
-Still no specific reason WHY Mash was weakened
-Still no explanation on what's going on with DVR
-Sherlock still sus?
-Kotomine, what the fuck are you even doing?
Olympus not syncing well with Atlantis and the abomination/waste of space that was Heiyan kyo hurt Part 2 hard. Avalon le fae being so good(aside from Oberon being way to obvious) has been the only saving grace for me, and even then, these long dead weeks test my patience
Servant of Evil
Verified Evil Minion
- Location
- America
- Pronouns
- He/Him
If i could react with confusion, i would. Mash was weakened because Galahad blamed Chaldea for the Alien God being able to do what it did and stripped his power. It took a command seal to force what cooperation from him we're getting in part 2. DVR was a spare body, though she considers herself a separate existence from DVC. Sherlock is indeed sus sure, but given my current theory is pretender it explains why they've waited so long. Kotomine is still Rasputining, he's an existence that just needs to *be*. He's currently looking for a stronger vessel for You Know Who.
Olympus stuck well with Atlantis IMO. Atlantis was a theme of "succeeding in failure" and "succeeding through loss". Olympus meanwhile flips that into "Failure despite Success", while maintaining "succeeding through loss". Heiyan Kyo was... Admittedly a pacing killer, but it tied up Douman's arc well enough i feel.
Avalon was a huge success no question, and while there's been dead weeks sure, the summer event was a nice break from all the seriousness.
EDIT: Pride. Pride, and/or the lack of Pride, are a huge central theme in Lostbelt 5 as a whole too.
Last edited: