132 Fight Caster With Caster

The summoning had been a success, proven by the Servant in front of them. That much David knew to be true. Then, why is it that the other two had those expressions on their faces? Atalanta looked very uncomfortable, rubbing her forearm while turning her head away. As for the Pagan God, his face alternated between amusement and surprise. The black-haired man seemed to be thinking about something, though. However, Archer didn't know what it was about.

The Shepherd watched as the new incorporation to their team looked around, trying to identify where they had been summoned. It didn't take to long for them to set their gaze on the three individuals, something that provoked a quiet and almost unnoticeable gasp from the said person.

Their facial features were hidden by the hood of her robes, but even that wasn't capable of hiding the figure of a busty woman beneath. David had to admit, she was right in his striking zone. On normal occasions, he would have already asked her to marry him, but not this time. She gave him a dangerous feeling, one that he would trust as to not end being shark food.

Eventually, the woman recollected herself and bowed slightly to the only one who she felt the connection in their contract. Despite that, it was clear to see that it was not out of respect, but more of a customary thing.

"This is an odd place to be summoned but nonetheless, I shall introduce myself. I am a Caster class Servant. As for my True Name, I will only reveal it when we are alone. Though, one of you already knows who I am." She said, obviously hinting at Atalanta. The way she spoke was regal, but without the air of aloofness often found in their kind. In addition to that, her tone contained a bit of mischief in it. More importantly, though, was the subtle edge in her voice, one that told others that she didn't trust anyone, not even herself. However, that edge was hard to find for the common folk. The only ones that noticed it were Atalanta due to having met her before, and Seth due to his vast experience and long life.

"There is no need for that; I already know who you are. Although I must say, It is a surprise to see you of all the Heroic Spirits to be summoned here. Destiny still has a way with things, it seems." In the end, Seth went with randomness instead of deliberately searching for a particular group of Heroic Spirits. What he didn't expect was for... this. The Egyptian God sometimes wondered if the World sought some amusement and that's why situations similar to this one happened with more frequency than they should.

As soon as Seth's words left his mouth, Caster visibly tensed. Knowing her True Name meant knowing her story, and knowing her story meant being scorned by her actions regardless if they were intentional or not.

Setting her gaze on her new Master, this time observing him more detailedly instead of just a passing glance, Caster noticed something that she had overlooked before, something that made her want to curse herself for not discerning it earlier.

"My, you are quite the sight Master. An oddity if I speak kindly and an abomination if I don't. What use would you have for someone like me in the first place? There are only a few things your kind can't do by themselves, after all." She tried to mask her rampaging emotions through a calm facade. He was one of THEM. Those detestable beings that messed with her life as if she were just a puppet for their amusement. There was only a single one being among them that demanded her respect and only one; the rest were as worth as the dirt on the ground to her.

Seth tilted his head slightly, wondering if the stories about her cunning and intelligence were as fake as EMIYA's projections. "You do realize I can feel all your negative emotions, do you not? You can't hide your disdain, anger, fear, resentment, blame, disgust, and hate from me."

Caster flinched at being found out, only to calm herself a second after. Her posture was now relaxed as if she had given up all sort of pretense, or perhaps she had given up to whatever fate awaited her. "Very well, how can I be of use to you? You can use me as a tool or whatever, just get this over with if you will."

"MEDEA!" Atalanta's shout resonated across the island, revealing her True Name to the world. She couldn't stand it. Hearing the little girl, now woman, that she had talked to aboard the Argo speaking in such manner as if she was nothing but a pawn, it was... horrible. However, what was more horrible was the fact that there was some truth to it. Still, she couldn't and wouldn't allow her to see herself like that, not now, not ever.

The Witch of Betrayal was a little surprised at her ex companion's outburst. She always took her for someone collected, if a little tomboyish. To see her react in such a way was bewildering, to say the least. Nevertheless, the green-haired woman had now her whole attention.

"You can't... You can't think like that, Medea. Your spirit mustn't be broken so easily!" There as so much more that she wanted to say, so many things that could convey her worries for her, but in the end, only that came out. She hoped... She truly hoped that would be enough.

Caster raising her eyebrows was covered by her hood. However, her bemusement could clearly be felt. "And what do you suggest I do? My life was dictated by them, so what is the point of trying to escape the same fate in death?"

Atalanta wanted to protest, but she found her mouth was unable to voice even the simplest of words somehow. She couldn't help but interpose the woman in front of her to her younger version, and even then it was not possible to find the courage to speak again, to deny her words, to... save her from that cruel fate the Gods imposed upon her.

"I can answer that for her. The reason why I called you here was that we are sort of short in manpower. Being honest with myself, I was expecting a famous hero of Greece, but I suppose I naturally tend to gather people of questionable origins around me. Leaving that aside, here is what you are going to do: First of all, tell me the abilities you have as a Servant, and then we can later go to your magic. Second of all, you are going to use said magic to heal me as much as you can. As you can see, my body is not in perfect condition. Lastly, I will allow you to have your revenge, seeing as our enemy is none other than the man you so loathe, who, ironically enough, is being helped by a younger version of you." Seth spoke in a leveled tone, not faltering even once. He could see how her Magical Energy was starting to fluctuate and run rampant at his words, but he paid it no mind. He summoned her here to do a job, and she would HAVE to do it. Let Atalanta play the psychologist if she wanted; that was not what he intended to do. That said, he especially mentioned Jason as to motivate her more.

People like Medea were easy to manipulate as long as you knew what buttons to push. On normal occasions, he wouldn't do it simply because he saw it as something disgusting and beneath him — the fact he was manipulated in the past also played a great part in this — but now he didn't have the time to be nit-picky in the way he did things.

"You... Are you sure of that? Is my younger self truly aiding Ja...that man?" Her calm tone betrayed the fluttering of her robes and the numerous Magic Circles floating around her, trying to intimidate him.

"Oh, yes. Like a good puppy, following his every order without complaining." Atalanta's eyes widened in horror at what Seth was saying. Was he insane?! Did he plan to make her go berserk?!

Fortunately, her fears didn't come true. After a few seconds of staring at the black-haired man and wanting, REALLY wanting to blast him off to pieces, Medea calmed down, if only slightly.

Unaware to her, the sand that was slowly shifting beneath her feet suddenly stopped. Had she gone forward with her assault, her end would have been a pretty gruesome one. After all, in here, it was faster to kill than to issue a command to stop her actions.

To say that both David and Atalanta were relieved would be an understatement. Though, each one of them had a different reason for it. Still, now that everything has calmed down, it was time to comply with the orders, but first...

"Who are our enemies? I shall make preparations depending on who we are about to face." Naturally, she was excluding her younger version and that man when she spoke about enemies. Medea had no doubt that if they were the only ones then there would have been no reason to summon her in the first place.

Seth nodded, pleased that it all had gone well. "Herakles, an unknown woman who I theorize has an Anti-Mystery Noble Phantasm, and another individual whose identity or existence we cannot confirm."

Medea's legs might as well have been of jelly with how much they were shaking at the mention of the strongest Greek hero. Similar to the Huntress of Artemis, Caster has witnessed first-hand the power of the son of Zeus. To top it off, as if that was not despairing enough, they had the bane of Servants of old in their ranks. What separated modern Servants from ancient ones was the level of Mystery held within them, like a mist that shrouded their existence. It was like a secret, as long as it remained as such, then they owned the advantage, but if that was revealed, then they were nothing more than any other Servant of modern times, maybe worse.

Naturally, there were exceptions to that rule. However, Mystery made their abilities stronger like alcohol made a fire burn brighter. To lose that edge could prove—no. It WAS problematic.

Medea was not the only one surprised, though. Both Archers shared the same trait with little to no difference. Now it all made sense to Atalanta, the reason why she had felt an unparalleled sense of danger coming from that woman. It was not at the level of Herakles, but it wasn't so far either.

"...We are in trouble, something like that is enough to throw everything in disarray. I suggest we strike her down before even facing them." It was cold, he knew. It was the opposite of what his faith demanded of him, he knew. It was something that went against his morals, he knew. However, David also knew when it was time to push everything aside for the greater good.

"I'm not that well-versed in how most of Noble Phantasms work, do you have any idea how could she possibly come to activate it?" Although Seth spoke to the green-haired man, his question was also directed to the other two women as well.

The answer he was looking for came from the mouth of Medea, who at least had receded her animosity toward him. Usually, she would not be bothered by Divine Spirits at all. She would hold a certain hatred, yes, but as long as their path didn't cross then she wouldn't mind it. It was the fact that one of them was her Master, one capable of deciding her fate that made her feel such powerlessness and hatred. Again, her fate was in the hands of his kin.

Pushing such thoughts away, Caster gave them the information they so much needed. "I cannot say with certainty, but my guess is that she needs to peer into our core. It can be an instant observation or a periodical one. Anyhow, she would need to make eye contact with one of us."

"Going by what you said, it would be easier if she uses it on me first," Seth responded after adjusting his glasses. Were Medea's theory to be proven correct, they could take down one of their enemies without fighting.

"Isn't that kind of the opposite? Once you recover, you may as well be our greatest fighting force. If that woman can erase your Mystery then you would be the same as a sitting duck." David's concerns were not unfounded, and he wasn't the only one to have them.

"Don't worry about it. While it's true my Noble Phantasm and Skills will go down the drain if she uses that troublesome ability, I still have other things to defend myself. Not to mention, peering into me would make her go mad, no question asked. Although I have to admit, it would be fun to see someone lost their minds by knowing my name." Naturally, he didn't say that the loss of Mystery only affected the powers he obtained from THIS world. Different from his fellow Gods in this place, his Authorities and the like would not be harmed in the slightest.

"But isn't thy name simply Seth? What about it can assure madness?" Atalanta asked, a bit confused. This would be also the first time Medea heard the name of her Master. Heh... To be summoned by a God of Betrayal. As he said before, destiny had a way with things.

"My name is Seth, my True Name is not. Whoever learns it will have control over me and I will be their little slave for eternity. If they don't go insane from its sheer bizarreness, that is." His tone had a little mirth concealed within. How could it not? The only fool to have revealed his name was Seth's most hated enemy. To see the caution the chicken exerts when he is around Isis is something that never gets old.

"...That was certainly eerie. How can you be sure that she is going to use it on you, though?" He had little knowledge about him despite knowing his identity, but as far as the King knew, Seth was not someone who could predict the future. And now he had spoken as if it was a thing that was bound to happen eventually.

The Egyptian God just shrugged at his inquiry. "Call it a gut feeling. Anyway, enough about me. Medea, you still haven't told me what you are capable of as a Servant. Well, I am listening. Oh, and don't worry about the sheep boy—"

"Oi!"

"—He is not going to be a problem at all." He finished, ignoring the grumbling of the green-haired man at the new nickname.

"...Very well, then I shall speak without reservations and straight to the point. Most of my Skills augment my Witchcraft, so I will not mention those. However, I have in my possession the ability to summon the Golden Fleece of Chrysomallos. Throwing it onto the ground will summon the Dragon of Colchis. Though, I don't have the power to control the beast." Medea paused to see if everyone was following what she was saying, something that was indeed the case. Nevertheless, the small trace of disappointment in her Master's face didn't go unnoticed by her. She was not that surprised, though. The Dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece surely appeared like a small worm in his eyes compared to the world-devouring serpent he fought every day.

Not minding that, she continued. "As for my Noble Phantasm..." Again, she paused. This time because of the bad memories and the things it represented. Sighing, Medea resigned herself and materialized a strange and jagged dagger. "This is Rule Breaker, it allows me to dispel any kind of Magic, Curse, Contracts, among other things. To be more precise, I can return whatever or whoever into a state where those things hadn't applied to them yet."

"Perfect, most certainly perfect." It was a mutter, but Caster was able to hear it. It seems she had finally impressed her Master, not that it brought her that much joy to be honest.

However, what she didn't know, or didn't notice, was the small twitch in Seth's arms. It was taking his whole willpower not to kill Medea right here and now. His ugly nature, one that he had adopted after his demonization, was screaming at him to get his hands on that dagger.

He wasn't the only one. 'Chaos' was stirring in his sleep, his insatiable greed calling out to him. His counterpart saw an opportunity in that Noble Phantasm, one to finally free himself from the shackles of insanity that continued to plague his mind every second.

And then there was that... thing. Another one that wanted to break its shackles, but this one wanted to consume him, to become one with him, and lay waste to the earth as those above cower in fear.

They would have to wait their turn, though. Nobody steals from the Usurper King, NOBODY. Not even himself. The opportunity to break a curse as old as his age... he would die before giving that up.

Oh, yes... What a wonderful world. In here, all favorable circumstances were given to those associated with Evil. Truly wonderful, indeed...