chpater 15

1

Chapter Text

"Good day, heroes. Welcome to my humble temporary home for this era, the 'Shaped' Isle," the young-looking Servant said cheerfully, an innocent smile on her lips. Unlike her eyes, which I felt were cold and calculating, sizing each and every one of us up. Finally, she kept her gaze on Ritsuka and I, and her smile widened, as her pale cheeks flushed slightly with color.

"My, oh my. I was wonder what kinds of magnificent heroes were here," the unnamed Servant purred, and to my surprise, Mordred took a step closer to me, almost protectively despite the lack of hostility in either words or actions being displayed by the newcomer. "Alas, to my surprise, it seems that there are Servants in your group. Unfortunately, I was waiting for human heroes," she added with a dramatic sigh.

"This presence—" Mash muttered, seeming troubled.

"What in the world…can this even be possible?" Doctor Roman asked, sounding dumbfounded. "Her reading is definitely like a Servant, but yet it is still different."

"Could she be the 'ancient god' we heard tell of?" Ritsuka asked, as the girl continued smiling at us with a predatory glint in her eyes.

"An immeasurable divinity level!" Roman suddenly exclaimed, sounding alarmed. "Without a doubt, she's definitely a god. No, a goddess!"

"Well, there goes your whole confidence on Divine Spirits and their ability to appear," I said sarcastically, and the Divine Spirit posing as a pre-teen tittered in amusement.

"That's right. I am a goddess. My name is Stheno. One of the three Gorgon Sisters," she said proudly, before a slight frown appeared. "Though, I do rather dislike being called an ancient god, but it's fine. It is true, after all, that where you're from, I am a past god. You may call me whatever you wish, though. After all, time is irrelevant when it comes to my beauty."

And I had thought that Nero had excessive self-confidence on her looks. While I wouldn't say it aloud, Stheno could be at beast considered cute in terms of look. Goddess or not, she still looked like a pre-teen to me, and that was more than enough to make me feel uncomfortable. And a gorgon? Shouldn't she be having, I don't know, snake hair?!?

"Servant of a Divine Spirit, not a Heroic Spirit?" Mash said, feeling just as confused as the rest of us about this situation. Then again, this was kinda a normal day working for Chaldea, wasn't it? "Doctor, this is different from what we talked about."

"Y-Yeah, I guess everything has an exception. O-Oh, this is unheard of, a Divine Spirit Servant. Furthermore, one of the ancient Greek gods! That's an authentic god!" Doctor Roman responded to the Demi-Servant. There was a brief pause before he resumed speaking. "Is that possible? I mean, she is actually standing before you guys…even so, there's no way she can remain a god. I mean, it's the same for Heroic Spirits. Her power must have been downsized. Gods no longer have 'Authority' on this land, and if that's the case—"

Stheno released another polite chirp of laughter, a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes for once. "Aren't you a knowledgeable one, Mage? That's right, you are not mistaken there. However," the Divine Spirit said, elegantly raising a single finger upwards. "There's one thing you should remember, pure one."

"W-What is it? To think a goddess would personally instruct me," Roman said, awe-struck and in disbelief. Her words only continued to raise my guard, however. Something about this apparent goddess was sending me the shivers. Though she was yet to prove herself a foe, I wouldn't call her an ally just yet.

"Oh, what a wonderful voice. It has a nice sound to it. I would love to see your face, but…" Stheno sighed loudly, looking disappointed. "Such a shame. You're in a place where even my 'eyes' can't reach. If you were in my embrace, I'd have done something nice to you in the blink of an eye." And doesn't that sound like the first steps of a law suit!

"Whoa…I just had shivers down my entire body…this presence, it's completely different than the one of Dark Jeanne!"

"Oh, that's just your imagination," Stheno said breezily. "Allow me to inform all of you clueless people," she added smugly, and I could see the first hints of what I presumed to be her true personality. "Not all gods are powerful. 'Myself' and I are quite 'feeble' beings."

"Huh?" Mash said, cocking her head slightly.

"Based on the readings, you're quite an individual," Doctor Roman remarked, finally sounding more professional once more. Maybe Da Vinci had swung by or something? "So, does that mean you're not hostile because your combat abilities are low?" Stheno nodded her head slightly.

"There are goddesses who are never asked to fight. For instance, you over there," she said, waving a dainty hand towards Mash.

"You mean me?"

"Though you're not a goddess, you are still similar enough to prove my point. Your power is not to kill, but to protect, no?"

"…It is."

"Hehe," Stheno giggled, and this time the laughter felt more…sincere. "I do like honest girls. I'd like to pamper you like I do to my little sisters," she said mischievously, and I swore that I could have seen Mash shiver slightly, as did Nero as well. However, the latter quickly recovered, pouting slightly as she stomped over.

"Anyway! Stop leaving me out of the conversation!" She demanded childishly. "I get the gist of what you're saying. That goddess isn't another enemy, right?"

"Right," mash said, before hesitating. "At least, I'm assuming that's the case."

"Then, in that case, isn't it simple? Ancient Goddess Stheno, come to Rome! I am the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire, Nero Claudius. I shall accept you as a new god. Let us defeat the United Empire together!" Nero boldly offered.

Stheno's face had a pleased expression. The ego of a Greek deity, perhaps? I would never claim to be an expert or anything on the various and often convoluted tales, but the impression I had gotten from them was that the Greek deities could be quite vain and petty.

"Well now, how dazzling you are, almost as much as Apollo," Stheno said sweetly, before giving the Emperor of Roses and apologetic smile. "But I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I am not suitable for combat. Now that I've taken on the form of a Servant, I do have some skills, as well as basic functions, but I don't possess the power to fight valiantly like my youngest sister, Medusa."

"What?" Doctor Roman asked in disappointment, and the gorgon chuckled mischievously.

"I said I don't have the power. You'll get stabbed in the back if you don't stop being insensitive~

 Stheno said, almost teasingly. So, it seems that my paranoia has just proven to be founded. I can almost feel Mordred's tension as she tensed her body, but I shook my head subtly at her.

"No, or at least, not yet," I whispered, and the Knight of Rebellion reluctantly nodded, forcing her body to relax.

"…Sorry, I get it. She's more of the type of goddess who hunts her prey, I guess," Roman said nervously.

"You two, however," Stheno resumed, ignoring the acting-director's words to instead point at Ritsuka and I, "are heroes who came all the way here. I should give you a reward. Though, back in the day, I would've incited Medusa…" Stheno idly said, speaking aloud rather than to us with hat last part, I presume. I narrowed my eyes, trying not to glare at the Divine Spirit.

"Incited?" Ritsuka nervously asked.

"Incited?" Nero echoed cautiously.

"Did you say incited?" Mash asked in a polite, yet nervous manner of her own. Stheno's eyes widened slightly, and she released a soft, nervous giggle. By this point, I had a feeling that it was more due to having her words be heard unintentionally, rather than the idea they suggested.

"Ahem, hehe, never mind!" Stheno said quickly, before having an 'ah-ha' expression, snapping her left fingers together. "I know, I'll give you a goddess's blessing. As you walk along the coast, you'll find an entrance to the cave. All the way in the back is a treasure I've prepared. It doesn't exist in nature. It's something special," she said. Was it my imagination, or had she put some extra emphasis on that last part. "I'll give it to you two because you're fun. I don't usually reward people like this," Stheno finished with an amused laugh.

Nero's eyes gleamed excitedly, like a child being given their birthday presents. "Well, a goddess's blessing…That's really…" She seemed to be at a loss for words, shivering excitedly as Doctor Roman's voice was heard.

"It's interesting. It could be the Holy Grail," he suggested. I was only half-paying attention, noticing how Stheno was walking off to a cluster of rocks, daintily brushing the top of a rather large one, before sitting down and smiling like a model. I had a bad feeling about this.

"It doesn't match up with Caesar's information," Mash pointed out. Before I could jump in, however, the pink-haired Demi-Servant continued speaking. "That said, I think there's still a chance—"

"I don't care what kind of treasure it is," Nero interjected, sounding rather childish. "I try to love everything."

"I don't like this," I finally said, and Ritsuka, Mash, and Nero all looked at me with varying looks of inquiry. "Something about Stheno has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. And the way that she talked about this supposed 'treasure'? Yeah, I think that there's something off, there. I say we go back to Rome and focus on finding the location of the Holy Grail, and therefore the capital of the United Empire.

"Jacob, what if this is something useful though?" Ritsuka said slowly, with Mash nodding in agreement. "Why don't we put it up to a vote?" He suggested, and I shrugged, having a bad feeling that I wasn't going to be winning any such event.

"All opposed?" Nero asked imperiously, and only Mordred and I raised our hands, the other Servants staying out of the debate.

"And those in favor?" Nero asked, holding her own hand in the air, along with an apologetic Mash and Ritsuka. "Umu, then we have our next destination!" The Emperor of Roses said cheerfully.

"Alright then," Doctor Roman finally said, trying to sound upbeat, but I tuned him out as I spoke a bit harsher than I intended to.

"Fine, I see that I am outvoted. Let's just find this cave and see what's the big deal. The sooner we get back to Rome, the better," I muttered the last part to Mordred, who grunted in agreement as I began marching in the direction the Divine Spirit had gestured at earlier, the Knight of Rebellion right next to me.

Ritsuka gazed at the back of his fellow Master, a guilty feeling in his stomach still from Jacob's reaction. The older boy wasn't acting all that sulky, thankfully, but he had made clear his displeasure already, and had kept relatively silent, having taken the lead of the group along with Mordred.

Ritsuka had noticed Jeanne's soft smile at the sight of the two, and once more he felt the urge to ask the pleasant blonde what she found to be so amusing. It hadn't been the first time, either, and both Mash and he were getting tired of being left in the dark.

Speaking about the Demi-Servant, his kouhai was right next to him as always. Though she acted naïve at times, she was a remarkably intelligent girl, perhaps even brighter than he, but yet she never acted superior in any way, not even as a Demi-Servant, which essentially did make her superior to him, in a way. Honestly, he felt grateful for that aspect of her. He enjoyed spending time with Mash, and the idea of her becoming haughty and arrogant just felt unnatural.

He felt a slight smile grace his lips briefly. If his twin was hear, Gudako would have probably been teasing him about being Mash's Senpai or something. Honestly, he loved his sister, but sometimes the redhead was a pain in the butt.

If she was here right now, his twin would probably make some sort of quip about asking if he was going to get Mash to call him 'daddy' or something, then laughing heartily at Mash's inevitable full blush and Ritsuka's protests. She was mischievous in that way, annoying though it might be. And yet, he missed even that aspect of his twin so dearly now.

A faint wave of sadness washed over his body, and the smile faded. It was hard to believe that as of this moment, his family technically no longer existed. He would have too, if it wasn't for Gudako's instance that he accepted the offer from Chaldea. When he had found out that only he had been accepted, Ritsuka had said to his twin sister that he was going to decline the offer if it was only for him.

Gudako had flicked his forehead, rolling her eyes dramatically as she berated him for being an idiot to even think about passing up such an opportunity for such a silly reason. When he had started to protest her response, Gudako had merely said that Ritsuka would just have to tell her everything that he would go through, and maybe even see if sometime he could get a chance to bring her over to Chaldea.

If it wasn't for her, he would probably be gone, erased from existence like the rest of his family, along with over 99% of humanity.

If they failed, if he failed, to restore the world to what is was? Well, it had kept Ritsuka awake late at night on more than one occasion. Each time, he spent the morning reminding himself that not only was it that they couldn't fail, but that they wouldn't fail. He would see his family again.

Hopefully, he could introduce both Jacob and Mash to her and their parents after everything was restored to the way that it should be.

He was shaken from his thoughts by a gentle shaking of his shoulder by his own first Servant. "Senpai, we're here," Mash reported dutifully. Ritsuka nodded, looking towards his fellow Master, who had a neutral expression on his face as he stared at the cave opening. The faintest sounds of water droplets hitting the floor of the cave was the only noise they could hear coming from inside, and the inside glowed slightly. Algae or something along the lines of that, if his memories of the biology lessons in high school were correct.

"Well, the last time we were in a cave, we almost got squashed by a cave-in, and then had our boss brutally murdered, again. Let's hope this time goes better," Jacob said gruffly, though none of his ire was aimed at Ritsuka.

Indeed, he felt his own level of anxiety about going into another cave himself. However, he had supported the idea of exploring this cavern, and so they could go forward. "Maybe this time will be better," he suggested, and Jacob shot him a wary, though not dismissive, look.

"Well, only one way to find out," his fellow Master grunted, fidgeting with the sheath, his sword still resting inside, before detaching it from his belt.

"What are you doing, Jacob Senpai?" Mash asked.

"We have no idea if anything in there might be venomous, or if there are any snakes or whatnot hiding behind rocks. I'll use my sheath to probe around corners and all," Jacob said with a shrug, lightly resting the tip of his scabbard against the sand.

"I've never gone cave exploring before!" The ever-excitable Marie said, jumping in place briefly.

"Hmph, you haven't missed out on much, then," Chulainn said, perhaps also thinking about the cave in Fuyuki, perhaps? He still needed to ask the laid-back Lancer about his Holy Grail War experience sometime. Maybe after the Grail is retrieved.

"Just mind your heads," Jacob said, before entering the cave. Taking a deep breath, Ritsuka followed his quasi-mentor of sorts.

"Ugh," Nero groaned in displeasure. "It's so dark, and clammy…"

"It's not exactly comfortable in here, is it?" Mash added sympathetically, looking ahead. Ritsuka strained his own eyes in an effort to see what lay ahead.

The algae lining the cave walls was barely providing enough light to make out general outlines of what lay ahead, but just enough to barely manage, as a still-scowling Chulainn could attest to after having knocked his forehead against a low-lying stalactite. "It's so hard to see ahead," Mash said with a soft sigh.

"At least we haven't run into any actual trouble," he said, trying to maintain a cheerful atmosphere. Fate, apparently, was not willing to be so cooperative today, it turns out.

"Oh…"

"Doctor, is something wrong?" Mash asked, pausing with everyone else. Jacob quietly pulled out his sword, while Mordred and some of the other Servants summoned their own. "Your face…I mean your voice sounds funny."

"We've been deceived. No, I've been deceived. Forgive me, but there are multiple magical energy signals up ahead," Roman said sadly, and Ritsuka winced, unwilling to make eye contact with Jacob.

"What?" Mash asked, summoning her shield and bracing it against her free arm, eyes wide in alarm.

"They're not Servants, but it is a type of monster," the acting-director reported. "Does this mean…that goddess…set us up?"

"Is this the time where I get to say that I told you so?" Jacob said dryly, gripping his sword as the first few skeletal warriors charged forward. Ritsuka only laughed sheepishly as he watched the American mage charge forward, Mordred right next to him.

Called it. Absolutely called it!

That line about having been right might have been rather petty of me, but I didn't focus on that. It wasn't like I meant any actual ill by it, and in a strange way, my actions felt a bit cathartic, truth be told.

I growled in satisfaction as the hilt of my sword smashed through the aged bone between the empty eye-sockets of a skeletal warrior. The reanimated body crumbled apart, the various bones clattering around my feet as I took a half-step forward,

Next to me, Mordred threw her armored body into a cluster of three skeletons, instantly destroying one while knocking the remaining duo off of their feet. Not relenting, the Knight of Rebellion slammed first one foot, then the other at the skulls of the prone foes. Her metal sabatons easily crunched through aged bone, and the knight darted forth to decimate another cluster of the walking dead.

It honestly felt good to be dealing with non-Servant foes who weren't fellow humans, even if that meant dealing with yet another horde of irksome skeletons. All we needed now were zombies, and it would truly be like France and Fuyuki all over again.

I leaned backwards as a rusty short sword swung past me. Quickly adjusting my posture, I glared at the skeleton missing both an arm and its lower jaw that had snuck up on me while I had been distracted by my musings. Serves me right for forgetting one of the tenets of fencing: Always keep a clear mind in a match.

I quickly made short work of the lifeless grunt when I hear an angry grunt from nearby.

"What is going on here?" Nero demanded angrily, slicing her sword through the spine of her own skeletal attacker, and the unliving body crumbling to the ground. "This cave is full of skeletons!"

"Well, let's hope there's just skeletons here," Mash said nervously.

"More skeletons inbound!" Gilles roared, cleaving open the skull of a spear-wielding skeleton as more clattering footsteps grew louder and louder. Soon, dozens more of the weak but numerous foes appeared, weapons raised and those whose lower mandibles weren't damaged or missing hanging open, as if to bellow forth a battle cry.

"Sword-wielding skeletons aren't a treasure by a long shot!" Nero exclaimed before throwing herself towards another skeleton. With a single flick of her wrist, the risqué-dressed blonde disarmed both figuratively and literally the animated skeleton, with a second flick severing the spinal column just underneath the foramen magnum.

A quick incantation from Medea, and a half-dozen of her rarely-used enhanced skeletal warriors emerged from the ground before charging forth, the more resilient products of superior magecraft decimating their lesser forms. Amadeus and Marie held back, their attacks more of a hinderance for us in the relatively limited area we had to move around in.

It was tiring work, but after what felt like an hour had passed, we had pushed deeper into the cave, until we reached both the end of the subterrain area and the last of the irritating skeletons. While not exhausted, or at least, in regards to Mash and our Servants, they were certainly winded.

I looked around to observe our surroundings. It was certainly a tad darker here, but that's to be expected by this point. It was a huge cavern, reminiscent of the one where Mordred had confronted the corrupted version of her father, which of course didn't do anything to ease the anxiety I'd been dealing with since first entering this blasted labyrinth of sorts.

"Phew," Nero sighed wearily, planting the tip of her sword into the stony floor and leaning heavily against her weapon, being careful to not injure herself all the while. "I'm getting a bit exhausted…I want to go back and rest…"

I rolled my eyes, though whether it was at the blonde who was kvetching or the blonde who was grumbling about how much she wanted to slap the Roman, not even I was sure.

"But what do you know?" Roman said rather excitedly, apparently having recovered from his bout of self-disappointment. "Looks like we reached the back of the cave while fighting. I'm getting a unique signature here. This amount of energy—" Roman released a strangled gasp, and my eyes narrowed.

"Doctor? Doctor, what is it?" I barked, activating my Magic Circuits while tensing my body. Mordred resumed her typical combat stance, and we all started to instinctively group up together, Servants, Demi-Servant, and humans alike.

"No, that's not possible," Roman said numbly.

"Is it the Holy Grail?" Mash asked hopefully.

"No, no, it's not the Holy Grail at all! It's a Phantasmal Beast. Not a dragon, but still a powerful mystical beast!" Ah, goodie, still par for the course then, I see. Before I could ask what kind of 'mythical' creature we were about to deal with, a horrific roar shook the cavern.

The best way the roar could have been described was like a lion's roar mixed with the bleating bellows of a sheep, with a sibilant hiss of a viper added in just a pinch. It sounded like no living creature that walked the earth, and a set of heavy footsteps that shook the ground slightly drew closer.

"Get back!" Jeanne said in alarm, grabbing the back of my uniform and forcibly dragging me towards Mash, Ritsuka, Nero, and the other less combat-oriented Servants as the Maid of Orléans started to twirl her flagstaff a bit nervously before me as a dark shape stepped into the faint light we had.

It had the face and mane of a large lion, along with most of the body of one. The back legs, however, were goat-like, cloven hoofed and taut with muscles. A single kick from them would be no less dangerous than a swipe of the clawed front limbs of the beast. About halfway down it's back was the head of a goat, glaring at us balefully. The rump of the creature was scaly, and to complete the bizarre and monstrous appearance was the head and upper portion of a viper, it's black, forked tongue flicking in and out as it bared long fangs dripping with venom.

"This is—" Mash started to say before another voice cut her off.

"It's so huge!" Nero gasped, though sounding somehow more excited than horrified. "Oh, but that lion has a cute face!" To my numb amusement, the chimera (for what other mythical creatures from ancient Greece bore such a wide variety of unusual body parts), actually fell silent, all three heads tilting to the side as if dumbfounded, six eyes staring at the Emperor of Roses.

"It's a chimera, a legendary beast of ancient Greece. This is not a product of magecraft, but a true mystical beast!" Roman exclaimed in alarm, sounding frantic. Perhaps he was searching for answers, perhaps? "Why would a thing like this be he—Oh, I know why. That goddess," the good doctor growled, sounding angry for once. "It's powerful and has considerable toughness, so be careful!"

"Roger. Master, commencing combat!" Mash said dutifully to Ritsuka, and I turned to my own partner. To my utter lack of surprise, Mordred had one of her feral smirks on her face as her entrancing emerald eyes sized up her newest opponent almost gleefully. Yep, her lust for battle had kicked in.

"Well, that brat wasn't wrong when she said that it wasn't something you wouldn't find in nature and was special," Mordred quipped dryly, her helmet slamming into place around her face as I released a sigh filled with my pent-up frustration at the cumulation of this side trip.

"Mordred, kill it."

"Always know just what to say to me, Master," Mordred said teasingly, crouching somewhat and readying her first attack. An action mirrored by Chulainn, Sasaki, and Gilles, who were the primary combat tanks of the team along with Mordred.

With a bleating roar, the chimera began charging forward, just as Mordred did the same with a roar of her own, as the massive and sturdy cavern began to quiver slightly as the battle began.

Chapter Text

Mordred skidded backwards, slamming Clarent into the ground and using the broad blade to slow her down as she tears a gauge out of the ground. Her helmet was retracted, having been damaged by an unexpected blast of energy from the goat head of the chimera. The warm, sticky sensation of blood dripping down the corner of her forehead was barely noticeable as she shook her head, a feral sneer on her lips.

Even after his fall and betrayal, Mordred had been envious of Lancelot's slaying of the Questing Beast, or of the other knights who had fought similar 'mythical' creatures. Now, though, she had the chance to add another title to her name, in addition to Dragon-Slayer. Monster-Slayer had quite a ring to it, didn't it?

It was a tad aggravating that she couldn't use her ultimate weapon, her Noble Phantasm, without possibly causing a cave-in, but that didn't matter in the end. She was a knight! The heir of King Arthur wasn't some pushover. The knight was not the kind of person to shirk away from any kind of challenge.

And this was definitely turning out to be a challenging fight, but hey, those were the best ones, if you asked Mordred at least. About half of her fellow Servants were of little to no use in this fight as was, and the chimera was proving to have more than a few tricks up its mane, so to speak. At least the most important members of the group were safe.

Jeanne and Mash were doing their job of preventing any attacks from reaching the two Masters from Chaldea, while her old Archer opponent had an arrow notched against his bowstring, silently watching for an opportunity to attack.

Pushing herself back up onto her feet, the Knight of Rebellion activated her Mana Burst ability before sprinting forward, enjoying the sensation of air whistling against her exposed face as the chimera slammed its right paw against Assassin's sword. The Japanese Servant grunted slightly, but didn't stumble, and once more the Saber found herself disappointed that he wasn't a fellow Saber.

The beast suddenly spun around, slamming the trunk of its snake head tail unexpectedly into the sword-wielder, sending the purple-haired Servant skidding backwards, temporary out of the fight. Seeing that its flank was exposed, Mordred swung Clarent in a slashing motion, feeling a wave of primal satisfaction within her veins as a streak of crimson was left behind.

It wasn't a fatal blow by itself, but it was a damn good start! She tried to swing again, but the blade was suddenly pinned by the front right paw of an extremely pissed of Chimera. "Shit…" Mordred cursed, bracing herself to take a hit even as she tried to pull her sword free.

The goat head opened its mouth, preparing to fire another energy attack when the Archer of the group sent a carefully-aimed arrow into the right eye, partially blinding the beast. The built-up energy dissipated as its channeler's concentration was disrupted.

Instead, the goat head began flailing around, bleating aggressively as it was apparently trying, and failing, to dislodged the arrow wedged into its right eye socket. In its distraction, Mordred saw a flash of blue and red, and the bleating stopped as Ritsuka's Lancer thrusted his fancy-looking crimson toothpick through the throat. The Irish Servant grinned wolfishly before yanking out his spear, the barbed tip sending a thin arc of crimson splattering against the nearby cave wall.

Another roar of anger from the wounded creature shook the cavern as the main head stared balefully at Mordred and the others, while its snake head looked towards the slumped middle head in what vaguely seemed to be a mixture of shock and horror…if a serpent could show or even feel such emotions, that is.

Sensing an opportunity to further reduce the number of heads on the chimera, Mordred viciously nodded her head towards Sasaki, who had been circling around the creature, keeping to the outskirts of the fight after regaining his sense of balance. Readying his sword, he sprinted forward, his robes fluttering softly as the eyes of the Japanese Servant remained fixated on his target.

At the last moment, the snake head whipped around, baring long venomous fangs as its throat bulged slightly, before with a hiss a purple cloud of gas billowed out towards the oncoming Assassin.

Mordred watched as Sasaki tried to veer away from the ominous-looking cloud of vapors, but the Knight of Rebellion could tell that it was too late, and sure enough the Assassin stumbled into the cloud, and she could hear him coughing. Hacking, really, as he stumbled backward, dropping his sword as he placed one hand against his chest.

"Ha!" Gilles grunted, his longsword slicing through the scaley trunk of the viper-tail. The almost-glowing yellow eyes began to turn dull as the severed head landed on the cave floor with a dull thud, blood flying through the air as the injured chimera flung the rest of its tail around wildly. "Jeanne, get Sasaki out of here!" The French Saber said. Ruler nodded and gently began pulling the faint-looking Assassin away, now out of the fight.

"Damn it," Mordred growled, her gauntlet-clad hands tightly gripping the hilt of her sword. "Let's finish this bastard off!"

"Do you have a plan of some sort?" Chulainn called out, sounding just as irritated as she felt. He probably meant that as a playful jab, but he wasn't exactly wrong.

"Actually, yes. You and Gilles attack the flanks, I will focus on the front. Push it backwards and pin it in a corner!"

"This better work," Chulainn retorted, twirling his spear around as Gilles nodded solemnly in agreement. Mordred knows that a lot of people think that she isn't one for strategy. That wasn't exactly true. One needed strategy after all to plan a coup, but as a Servant, brute strength provided a hell of a lot of answers to most problems now.

Slowly but surely, the next half minute saw her two fellow Servants land around a score or so of light injuries against the chimera, which was forced to give ground each time, the sole remaining lion head snarling defiantly. Finally, Mordred felt the time was right. She readied Clarent, adjusting her grip, before charging forward.

"Take this!" Mordred shouted as she swung Clarent with all her strength. The blade of the sword that she had used to slay her father cut its way through first the tough hide, then the muscle, and eventually splintering the bone core of both of the chimera's forepaws. The grievously-injured monstrosity howled, rearing back on its hindquarters while it flailed its bleeding stumps around in helpless rage, unintentionally exposing its underside.

Quickly adjusting her grip, Mordred thrusted forward with all of her might, sending the tip of the broadsword deep into the chest of the chimera, all the way to the hilt. As the monster's remaining head shrieked in agony, blood trickled down Clarent's guard, and down her gauntlets as she twisted her blade, widening the wound and causing further damage, before tugging out her sword and jumping backwards as the mortally-wounded monster collapsed onto the ground.

"And stay dead," she spat, stabbing the base of the lion skull for good measure. The former Saber of Red still remembered the mistake she made against Berserker of Black in not ensuring her foe was truly dead and defeated. Well, that wasn't going to happen this time.

The Chimera released a soft whimper, body thrashing weakly, before it went limp, and began dissolving. The cave fell silent as everyone watched the massive corpse fade away. Finally, the other Master of Chaldea broke the silence once the last remnants were gone.

"Medea, Amadeus, Chiron, can you guys take a look, see if there's anything of worth in here?" Ritsuka asked. The former Archer of Black bowed his head slightly.

"As you wish, Master."

"Marie, can you use your Noble Phantasm to stabilize Sasaki?" Jacob asked, noticing how pale his Assassin Servant was as he leaned against his sword. Huh, she thought he was looking a bit unwell after that attack by the snake-tail.

More importantly, at least she didn't have to be the one to experience it. She could still remember the horrific taste of bile in her throat as it foamed and choked her while that damn witch bitch watched on in amusement.

Rider nodded and began her incantation, and Mordred felt her own light injuries being healed as her Master began channeling Mana into the links between him and his various Servants. She still felt a bit winded from all the fighting, but it wasn't like she hadn't been in this position before. Certainty was also a plus that it was in a cave and not underneath a scorching sun or something.

Thankfully, the blonde who called herself a ruler was silent. Good lord, she was itching to deck the loudmouth, and consequences be damned! The fact that her appearance was vaguely reminiscent of that of her father only further irked the blonde.

"I fear we've been had yet again," the Greek Archer suddenly called out, and Mordred gritted her teeth in a mixture of disappointment and displeasure, before looking to her Master.

"Nothing?" Jacob said, his voice sounding dangerously calm even as the knight noticed the slight shaking of his clenched hands at his side. Mordred watched her Master carefully. She had only seen him get angry a few times, and right now, he looked livid.

"Not a damn thing," Chulainn said this time, the Lancer sounding as irritated by this as the others.

"That…that….brat!" Jacob suddenly snarled, causing Shieldy, Ruler, and Ritsuka to all jump slightly as her Master's angry words rang throughout the cavern. "Let's go. I want some answers," he said, scowling. No one argued with him as he began walking briskly back the way they had entered, his boots occasionally crunching on the odd piece of bone lying here and there from the earlier skirmish.

The Knight of Rebellion quickly caught up to her Master, and she leaned over to him, eyes narrowed.

"You look furious, Jacob," she muttered to her Master, who inclined his head subtly in acknowledgment of the statement. "What're you planning to do?"

"I'm gonna rip that goddess a new one."

I stomped across the sandy beach, viciously pleased to see that the one responsible for this whole mess hadn't apparently left her spot. I could see her smug smile, and a rather cruel glint in her eyes. Despite my earlier suspicions, I had tried to give Stheno the benefit of the doubt, just as I had done with Mordred. Unlike with Mordred, however, her actions have caused me to regret that choice.

I glared at the gorgon, stomping other rapidly, my blood boiling at her actions.

"Surprised to see us still alive?" I snarled at the wide-eyed Stheno, her cheer dissipating, if only for a moment. She giggled at my ire, and the aggravated glares of the others, looking utterly unrepentant.

"Hehe, welcome back. Did you enjoy your special reward to the fullest?"

"I'm tired…so exhausted…" Nero moaned, and Mash gingerly clasped her shoulder in a sign of solidarity, looking drained herself.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said, taking a deep breath before continuing to speak. "Consecutive battles in an enclosed space will wear you out beyond belief."

"That was nothing," I growled. My feet felt sore, but it was amazing how energizing anger can be at times. Mash looked at me with wide-eyes, startled.

"Are you sure? Jacob Senpai, at times you display extraordinary endurance.."

"More like brute strength," Chulainn grumbled as another voice joined, one that had both Mordred and Amadeus stiffen slightly. The latter in particular looked like he had just been told by a doctor that an unusual growth on the back of his hand was going to be fatal to the Caster, and that he had then been handed the medical bill.

"Really, you're so lame! I could have taken on a big cat like that without breaking a sweat!" A familiar popstar-looking young teen said smugly, arms crossed, while next to her a girl dressed up in what I could only best described as a cosplayer of some sort cackled. They had apparently been in Spirit Form, and only now were jumping into the conversation.

"What in the name of…?" Ritsuka asked slowly.

"Master, I'm sensing two enemies. Either lizards, dragons, or maybe idols…" My, my, Mash, you do have a sense of humor there, don't you? "At any rate, we're going to take them out!"

"No, that's Elisabeth!" Ritsuka said hurriedly, his eyes wide in a mild panic as he gripped his Demi-Servant's shoulders.

"I know, I know!" Mash hissed. "But she's dangerous, Ritsuka Senpai," the Shielder added, nodding her head towards an indignant Elisabeth. "I have a feeling that she might screw everything up!"

"I agree," Doctor Roman suddenly interjected, speaking hurriedly yet softly. "let's pretend we don't notice her, so we can get away with it, you guys!"

"Gah! What, that reaction again?!? You ugly, weird deerlet!" The dragon-girl sneered, glaring at Mash. Elisabeth's new 'friend' cackled once again, who was holding some sort of tray bearing food of some sort. Well, at least someone was having fun with this situation, apparently. Mash looked at Ritsuka, looking rather distraught.

"Senpai, a weird person told me I'm weird!" Oh, was this the first time she's ever been bullied? Before I could say anything, Ritsuka took action, gently rubbing a hand up and down her back.

"There, there," he said, trying to channel some of his inner Boudica. "She's the weird one."

"Whatever," Elisabeth said with a scoff, rolling her ice-blue eyes. "I guess that cave was really tough. Welp, it can't be helped with the Puppies' abilities." I could hear Mordred's teeth grinding slightly. Not a good sign, though even in her slightly exhausted state, I had no doubt that the blonde knight could kick the Lancer's ass again.

"…Just who the hell are you, appearing all of a sudden and talking nonsense?" Nero demanded, jabbing a finger aggressively at the Lancer's direction, having finally caught her second wind. Elisabeth blinked, before narrowing her eyes and jabbing a long, manicured nail/claw at the Emperor of Roses.

"Who the hell are YOU?" Elisabeth retorted, before a look of confusion replaced her haughtiness. "Oh, I'm not sensing any magical energy…wait, a human? You?" Now it was Nero's turn to blink, cocking her head slightly at the now-confused Servant.

"Not sure why you're so surprised. You are rude and incentive. I would have slashed you already, if it wasn't for the fact that I find you to look quite cute. I'm Nero Claudius, the true emperor of this era," the blonde said proudly. "Um, why are you looking at me like that?" She added, having noticed that Elisabeth was now staring with a rather alarming intensity at her.

"Are you kidding me? The real Nero?!?"

"The real…" Mash muttered, before an alarmed yet confused expression appeared.

"What do you mean by 'real'? " Nero demanded, sounding offended whilst the cat-looking girl cackled even louder. Did she even stop to breath?!?

"This is worse than France! I'm even more confused about what's going on!" Doctor Roman moaned, and I could imagine the ginger man cupping his face with both hands. A wry grin appeared, the ridiculousness of this situation having tempered my ire at Stheno.

"Tell me why this is a land of confusion," I quoted a line from the song by the group Genesis. To my slight disappointment, neither Ritsuka nor Roman acknowledged the admittedly-weak reference. Perhaps they hadn't heard the song before?

"Anyways," Stheno said a bit loudly, having apparently grown bored of watching the vaudeville performance she was getting. "When I materialized in this world, I dragged these two with me. I didn't feel like I'd be able to complete the Heroes' Cave on my own. So, I had these two serve as my…testers…for the cave," Stheno explained. Elisabeth crossed her arms, huffing in annoyance.

"Hmph, it was a totally boring dungeon. Oh, but a live show in an underground cave would be a new concept, right?" We ignored her as Stheno shrugged.

"So, it seems that you know Elisabeth. What about this one?" The treacherous and deceitful Divine Spirit asked, nodding her head at the wannabe-Joker.

"Nope," I said simply, popping the 'p' to add extra emphasis to my response.

"Uh, no…we've never met. Although, I know she's a Servant—" Mash's trepid reply was abruptly hijacked by yet another wave of laughter from the cat-girl(?).

"Ahahaha! Alright, let's introduce ourselves! I am Tamamo Cat, one of the Tamamo Nine!" The Servant exclaimed proudly.

"So, you can speak," I muttered, earning a chuff of laughter from both Mordred and Chulainn. Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, Tamamo Cat continued speaking.

"I tag 'woof' at the end of my sentences. My hobby is café management, and my favorite food is carrots!" She paused, tapping her empty claw-mitten cladded hand to her chin lightly, a puzzled look on her face. "Hmmm, that's pretty incontinent even for me. Woof, woof."

"Huh?" Nero and Mordred said in unison, the somewhat look-alikes staring at the bizarre Servant. And that was saying something!

"She did that on purpose, too. Woof!" Mash said, before blushing as she realized what the hell she just did.

"Well then," Roman said slowly, having decided to just roll along with this convoluted madness. "I'm glad she's not a hostile Servant. Or, maybe I should say I'm glad she's not our ally?"

"I was laughing because it was fun," Tamamo Cat continued rambling in the meantime. I was starting to suspect that maybe, just maybe, she was of the Berserker class. "I'm a laughing drunk," she said, shrugging at Mash.

"Oh, s-sure," Mash said nervously, the poor girl/Demi-Servant looking out of her depth in dealing with the vocative Servant. Said Servant smiled brightly and nodded enthusiastically, all the while managing to somehow not sending the platter of food she was holding flying off to who-knows-where.

"I'm Tamamo Cat, one of the Tamamo Nine! Can I speak in cat language?" The Berserker asked. I threw my hands up in the air in frustration at that point.

"Okay, I need to take a break from this…this thing," I said in exasperation, somewhat at a loss for words suitable to describe this whole mess. "I'm going to check on the boat by myself. Rits, if anything important happens, give me a shout," I added, before stomping off in the direction of the still-beached boat.

The crew must be worried sick about our long absence. It would probably be a good idea to let them know that both we and, more importantly for them, the Emperor of Roses were okay. It was also a good excuse that would allow me to have some time to myself, and let my temper completely cool off. Last thing I wanted was to lash out at my friends, or say something stupid to Mordred and set our partnership back to day zero or something.

I was rather angry, yes, but none of my comrades deserved to deal with it. It would be better for me to have the others give me some space so I can cool off, than to snap at any well-intentioned actions being done with he goal of trying to put me back into good spirits.

"Damn, looks like we won't have a chance to get back to Rome before nightfall. Just great… can anything else go wrong today?" I muttered, noticing just how low in the sky the sun was. Even in my disgruntled state of mind, I was able to admire just how beautiful the evening sky was, with the calm waters of the Mediterranean sea looking almost golden.

Shaking my head, I look back to see that I was about halfway to the ship, and continued walking. It will be nice at least to finally get the chance to get rid of the sand that was clinging to my boots, and for a moment, I had the foolish desire to have brought flipflops along, so as to avoid the risk of getting sand in my socks.

"LOOK OUT!"

At the same time that I heard the warning (though from whom I couldn't tell), I felt someone standing close to me. No, rather, towering over me with an oppressive and malevolent aura being emitted that caused a shiver to run down my spine. Wide-eyed, I turned around to see a familiar-looking figured leering down at me even as water lapped at his feet.

Two massive fists, each of which could squash my head like a ripe peach, began their downwards descent as a single word filled my ears.

"DIE!"