“Hey, Heracles.”

“Illya? What’s up? Are you uncomfortable?”

He moves his shoulder and tries to see whether there’s something wrong with the position of the pelt. A small smile appears on Illya’s face.

“No. No, his pelt is nice no matter how I sit. I was just wondering; I don’t mind it but, why are you waiting?”

Heracles opens his mouth, closes it unused, looks at Crew Heracles, turns back to Illya, and then answers.

“Well, he asked me to. It’s only respect to his request.

“It’s the law he goes by.”

They hear Atalanta’s words as she separates from the others and moves some meters to the side. Crew Heracles is also looking their way. Medea and Jason on the other hand, are still talking, or whatever. Atalanta continues.

“By right or skill. A lot of people gauge worthiness by that law. Worthiness for respect, for alliance, for thrones. Herc is among them. Anyone he shows respect has to be worthy by either right or skill.”

Heracles is not looking at Illya. Since the opponents have started to move, he is focused on them again. But, he still continues Atalanta’s words.

“Younglings are pure. They deserve respect. They deserve kindness.”

He glances at Illya, who is intently listening.

“Once they grow up however, they become corrupt, one way or the other. Greed, arrogance, pure bastardness... They lose their right. Once they grow up, only way to deserve respect and kindness is by skill.”

Two Heracles’s share gazes. Atalanta mockingly smiles.

“So he only shows kindness to youngsters. And now himself. I’d call that arrogance, but damn if I’ve ever even heard of anyone more skilled than Herc, much less met one.”

Two Heracleses raise their hands and, while grinning, send each other a double thumbs-up. Then, Crew Heracles objects.

“Saying only youngsters is wrong. I was quite a respectful little student to Chiron.”

“Little? Right. Anyway, Chiron is an exception. It is very hard to not be respectful to him.”

“Are you done? If so, I’ll be starting now.”

Medea has her cape on. Her face is now mostly in the dark and cannot be seen. Atalanta grins, but doesn’t say anything. To her eyes that know neither dark nor obstacle, her blush is clear as day.

Jason walks forward and stands right next to Crew Heracles.

Everyone is silent for a few seconds, no one moves.

Then, at the same moment, Medea takes off, Crew Heracles pulls out a giant club and rushes forward, Jason, moves right behind him with his shield and sword at the ready, and Heracles gets ready for defence with the same club in one hand and a part of the lion pelt in the other.

Just like they moved, they stop at the same time. Because Atalanta fired three arrows at the same time, and all three found their marks.

She shot down three arrows that were fired at Medea.

“Come out now. Did you think you could hide from me? Me? Behind a tree, no less?”

All others turn toward where she is looking. Now that they know where he is, noticing him is not that hard. A man in dark blue robes, with shiny armour visible on his arms and feet comes out from behind a tree.

Then they are all startled by a sudden bang sound. Little, colourful things come out of a cone-shaped device the man is holding, and fall around him like rain. He comes closer, while throwing more of those things all around him. They make a nice spectacle.

“Confetti! I love those!” Illya exclaims with an exited tone, while clapping her hands.

None of the others react.

“Confetti? You know, in parties?”

They look at Illya, unknowing. Illya pouts with her cheeks blushing. Her voice is now small.

“I like those.”

The newcomer finishes making the place more colourful.

“Greetings. My master said confetti was an absolute must for parties of this age. So…”

He opens his arms wide and looks around him.

“So I went and grabbed some before rushing here. Mind if I join your party?”

“You know him?”

Jason opens his mouth to answer, but he realizes that all three of his crew are looking at Heracles. He shuts up as veins appear on his temples.

Heracles tilts his head.

Only Illya recognizes him.

“Heracles, he is one of the ones you shot down before you fought that blue guy.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Heracles. I was even the one that prepared that field. That wasn’t nice; we were just looking.”

Heracles laughs.

“Hahahah! I thought cowards, who didn’t even have the courage to join had no business watching us. But, now I feel bad about it. You must actually have guts to come out here now. Although, you were once again watching from the sides.”

“Make no mistake. This time, I came with every intent to join.”

He swiftly raises a hand, and a few arrows fly toward Medea. Even though he is closer to his target now, they are still shot down by Atalanta. Medea acts like nothing happened. As if Atalanta covering her is as natural as it gets. Atalanta frowns.

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“Hey now. Even we are waiting. Don’t go interrupting your own introduction.”

“Wow. Nice reflexes. The Renown Huntress Atalanta, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You have a very well trained and very nice looking body. I apologize for trying to hide from you and making you go out of your way to shoot down my arrows. Would you mind joining my side?”

Atalanta just frowns. The newcomer fires some more arrows, this time at Jason. They are also shot down. Like Medea, Jason acts like this is normal. Neither Atalanta’s nor the newcomer’s expression changes.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, sorry. I just wondered whether you also covered the others.”

He bows to everyone present, one by one.

“King Jason. Heracles. Medea. Atalanta.”

He then turns to Heracles and Illya.

“Heracles. Young miss, do you mind a temporary alliance? To balance the numbers, if nothing else.”

“You are Rin’s servant?”

Medea raises her hand toward them, but Crew Heracles raises a hand to stop her and the others.

“They waited for us, we should wait for them.”

The newcomer’s brows rise temporarily before he smiles.

“I’m surprised you know, but yes. I am.”

“There is no need. My Heracles is the strongest. A few more enemies won’t be a danger.”

“I’m afraid I’ll be helping you, whether you like it or not. I doubt there is anyone here that would want to gang up on me five on one?”

Nobody objects.

“I would have my adversary introduce himself before killing him. Who are you, servant?”

“You may call me Sten. The servant Archer, Sten.”

He answers Jason. Then he turns to Atalanta and Medea.

“But I’m actually no one important. Don’t mind me. You gentlemen just continue as you would. I’ll be over here…”

He smiles.

“…entertaining the ladies.”

Then it starts.

Sten fires a few more arrows at Medea as he starts his dash forward. Atalanta shoots down his arrows almost effortlessly and even fires some of her own. Purple balls of energy appear behind Medea and aim at Sten. Crew Heracles dashes toward the one more similar to him than a twin. Jason dashes right behind him to give him support.

Heracles doesn’t mind this. Fighting himself should be a lot of fun, and the less obstacles, the better. Besides, the only enemy that can get past the pelt and attack Illya directly is Medea. So someone else keeping her busy is fine by him.

Two Heracles’s clubs strike each other, and that first blow shakes the whole area. Jason, closest one to the point of impact, barely manages not to stumble. Atalanta and Sten, both in the middle of their dash, each has to skip a step. Medea, being above the ground, is least effected, but the resulting air wave is enough to shortly delay her spell.

The Crew Heracles is pushed back. He lacks some of his skills and all his Noble Phantasms because he was summoned as part of Jason’s Noble Phantasm rather than as an original servant. Even so, he is receiving sufficient magical energy, so his stats shouldn’t be inferior to the original.

But he is still pushed back as his strength falls short of matching the original. Jason arrives just after their clash and swings toward Illya. With a slight move of Heracles’s arm, his sword hits the pelt, and bounces off without any effect. Jason’s strength and weapon may be unable to get through Heracles’s skin or the famous pelt he is wearing, but he still hopes to be able to make up for the difference between two Heracles’s.

Although, to finish the fight, he knows that he must kill Heracles a total of twelve times.  And every time with a different method. Neither he nor Atalanta can even hurt him, so it’s up to Heracles and Medea. Even if his Heracles gets the better of the other one once, Medea is their only chance for the other eleven times. Originally, they had a fair chance. He and Heracles would keep him busy, Atalanta would be the group’s cover against his arrows, and Medea would prepare and fire one big spell after the other to decrease his spare lives.

Medea is key to their victory. No matter what, they must keep her safe. He wants to go to her help now, but if left alone, enemy Heracles with his Noble Phantasms is bound to overwhelm the other. If they lose him, Atalanta and Jason by themselves cannot keep Heracles away from Medea. It would mark their defeat.

This newcomer may ruin everything.

Even so, Jason is hopeful. Atalanta’s skill with the bow and Medea’s spellcraft are unmatched. Neither rely on their Noble Phantasms and they are used to battling together. They will surely get rid of this nuisance called Sten.

For now, Jason does what he can and activates his other Noble Phantasm.

“Heracles, The king now declares his next quest. This time, the goal of The King’s Journey is that girl on your shoulder! No obstacle shall remain in my way!”

“Come, Jason. Let us see you try.”