Once upon a time, there were three girls.

They were not born to mortal parents or even a mortal coil. Humanity desired beings they could worship. Perfection and beauty unattainable by humanity. From such desires, they came to be. Identical for perfection had only one form, they were ideal for idolizing and worshipping, collecting love and tribute like flowers attracting bees. They radiated with beauty and pride, and they collected. It was a peaceful system, and they were happy.

But one of the girls was not perfect. No one knew whether it was some sort of corrupted wish or simply a defect of creation. Thus, she was not a subject of perfection and grew. Her form became ungainly unlike the delicate, perfected forms of her sisters. She fretted over her ugliness, but that mattered little, for her sisters loved her all the same. Thus, they collected their tribute and worship, and they were happy.

Jealousy, however, always stalked closely the path of perfection. Athena saw the deformed sister and envied her. In her envy, she cursed the sister. All respect turned to disdain, all love to hatred. Unable to stay for fear for her life, she fled across the seas to an unknown, barren island. The rough shape of it made it difficult if not impossible to chart, and thus it was called the Shapeless Isle. There, the deformed sister can be away from the newfound hatred of humanity. And despite the worship they enjoyed, the two other sisters joined her in exile. All they needed was each other’s company, and they were happy.

Thus they resided, delighting in one another’s company. However, humanity desired to worship, and sought out the two perfect sisters. Yet they did not forget their hatred of the deformed sister and brought sharp blades to slay her. The sister gained great strength and power with her deformity, with eyes that could turn any man to stone. Those who came to harm were dealt with, and those who came solely to worship were left alone. And they were happy.

And yet, more and more came. As association of the perfect sisters with the deformed sister spread, adoration once more turned to hatred. Those who came to the isle no longer brought tribute but only blades. The isle became a place of death, littered with statues. The deformed sister kept fighting and kept killing. The perfect sisters were upset with the lack of tribute, but they made do, and they were happy.

With each kill, the scent of blood became more and more disgusting to the deformed sister. Eventually, the scent became so disgusting that it became alluring, then intoxicating. She began drinking the blood and devouring the flesh, becoming even more deformed, yet stronger. Her sisters’ love soon turned to fear, but it did not matter so long as they were safe. Eventually, they complained to the deformed sister. In the deformed sister’s blood-drunk mind, they had become nuisances and annoying. And so, to better protect them and silence them, she opened her maw, and they became one.

And they were happy.

----------

Medusa gulped as her sister’s eyes bore down on her. The delicate figure and purple hair, the proud gaze in her bearing… all of them were unmistakable. “Sister,” she stammered. “I did not expect to see you here. But I am glad to see you nevertheless.”

The sister scoffed. “Well, that should be a given, Meduseless,” she snapped with a smirk. “You have been hopeless overall. You haven’t even explained to me the meaning of all these intruders on my island.”

The Rider drew herself up and turned to the others, who were staring at her in askance. “This is one of my sisters, Stheno,” she explained. “She had been with me during my time as a goddess and as a monster. Dear sister, this is my fellow Servant, Archer.” The red-mantled hero nodded in acknowledgement, crossing his arms. Despite his more relaxed stance, his grey eyes were sharp and observant, glancing between the petite goddess, Tamamo Cat, and Astolfo.

“And this is one of my Masters, Morgana,” she added, indicating the catlike being who glared suspiciously up at Stheno.

Stheno blinked in surprise as she stared at Morgana. Then she smirked once more. “Truly a most amusing joke you have brought me, dear sister,” she commented. “This… furball over here is a Master? How adorably amusing! Ah, it seems you have grown a sense of humor since we were last together. I do approve.”

The rather insulting comment caught him by surprise as he felt his irritation stir. Already, dislike for the goddess broiled within him and left him questioning already if this detour was worth it. At least the other two seemed less troublesome. Shoving that aside, he decided to just get to business. “Right,” he said. “How much do you guys know of the singularity – or just what’s happening right now?”

Stheno scoffed. “Why would I have any interest in the lowly affairs of mortals?” she asked haughtily. Morgana had to fight off retorting with a biting remark and just nodded. His already low opinion of Stheno sunk yet even lower. She had better be worth it.

Tamamo Cat shook her head. “I’ve been stuck here since I dunno how long, woof!” she replied. “The salt water is gross on my ears and tail so I can’t swim. I tried running across the water but no go. Ah, what a hard life, woof!” Morgana blinked before nodding again. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve questioned the ‘running across water’ part but given how Servants are and all the weird stuff he had seen, it honestly wouldn’t have been the strangest thing at this point.

Oh great. He was actually getting used to the craziness around him. That should end well.

“Ugh, I tried,” Astolfo lamented. “But it was too far to get anywhere without completely burning out all my prana. I wouldn’t be able to maintain Hippy here without him poofing and me landing smack dab in the middle of the sea.”

Again, the catlike being could only blink. “’Hippy?’” he echoed incredulously.

“Yep!” Astolfo replied cheerfully. “Hippy the Hippogriff! Oh, speaking of which!” She turned to the hippogriff and patted its feathers. “Thanks for coming out!” she said cheerfully. The hippogriff in turn knickered in response before turning away and dissolving into golden dust.

Morgana could only stare until he heard deep sighs from Archer, Rider, and even Stheno. “What, what’s the big deal?” he asked.

Archer glanced back at Morgana, looking distinctly unamused. “Astolfo had essentially used an A-rank Noble Phantasm just for a flashy entrance,” he replied bluntly. “While using a Noble Phantasm like that at the beginning has merit in case we were intruders, to pull it out frivolously like that is another matter entirely.”

“Hey, you’re the first guests we’ve had in literally ever here!” Astolfo snapped. “I needed to make a good impression! It wouldn’t do for a Paladin of Charlemagne to show anything but my best, after all!”

“Okay, knock it off, all of you,” Morgana interjected. His already frayed patience was a hair away from snapping as is yet again – they were running out of time. “I’ll explain what’s going on here.” With that, he launched into a quick summary of precisely what was going on: Who they were, the singularity, the situation with the United Roman Empire, and (part of) their counterattack. “We heard there were goddesses here so we were looking to recruit them,” he concluded. “Or failing that, at least make sure it won’t be something that will bite us in the butt later. So that’s why we’re here.”

Stheno looked deep in thought throughout the entire explanation. “It would appear that you are laboring under some misunderstandings – unsurprising given the nature of the people here,” she sighed. She held up a finger. “First of all, there is only one goddess here – myself. The other two are not goddesses in the slightest.”

That sounded about right – Astolfo had declared herself a Paladin of Charlemagne, which Morgana vaguely remembered from Ren’s studies. With how she treated her hippogriff, it was more likely she was some kind of knight as opposed to a goddess. And if Tamamo Cat was anything like Tamamo, then she was definitely something else – not human, but certainly not a goddess either. She did declare herself as one out of nine though. He’d have to ask her about that later on, assuming he could get a straight answer.

“Second, if you come to seek help from me, you are wasting your time,” Stheno continued. “Despite my status as a goddess, as a martial force, I’m quite weak. So much so that being summoned here as a Servant actually upgrades my capabilities – though not enough to be of any assistance in fighting.” That… was a new one. Morgana certainly didn’t expect that kind of explanation. He looked over in askance over at Archer and Rider.

“Normally, gods cannot be summoned as Servants,” Archer informed the Phantom Thief. “And when they do, their abilities are drastically reduced to accommodate their Servant containers. The fact that her abilities are elevated when she’s summoned as a Servant despite being a goddess… it speaks volumes.”

Morgana blinked, but then came to a chilling realization. “Wait,” he slowly said. “Does that mean Loki could be worse?”

Archer responded with a humorless smile. “Much,” he confirmed simply.

The catlike Master frowned in concern before glancing over at Medusa. “Rider,” he called out, softening his tone a bit. It was rare to see her so shaken up like this. It was best he didn’t push her too hard and just get what info he needed. “Can Stheno not really help us?”

Medusa glanced up for a second before giving the slightest of nods. “That is correct, Master,” she murmured, a sense of her usual decorum returning. “My sisters are not capable of combat. As such it… it fell to me to protect them.” Well, Morgana could understand that. However, he knew there was something there she wasn’t telling them. He wasn’t going to push her on it though – he could only hope it wasn’t something that would screw them over in the long run.

A soft giggle once more grabbed his attention. He turned to see Stheno smirking still. “Indeed, truly amusing that you answer to this cat as a Master,” she commented. “It seems I will need you to put you in your proper place, Meduseless.”

That was when Morgana had all he could stomach of Stheno. He marched up and held up his paw, where his Command Seals were embedded. “Yeah, I’m a Master,” he snarled. “And my name is Morgana! I thought we’d be dealing with someone more reasonable, but I should’ve known this would happen from the moment I heard the word ‘goddess’! What the hell’s your deal anyway? You’re just on this island doing nothing!”

He pointed to Medusa. “And what was that nickname for Rider anyway?!” he demanded. “Did you actually call her ‘Meduseless’?! She’s been nothing but beyond awesome countless times just in this singularity alone! I don’t know where you get off calling her that and disrespecting her but frankly, you need to learn your manners and get your eyes checked, you-“

“Perhaps we should get to the point of why we’re here, Master,” Archer interrupted quietly with a small smirk. “Before our Rider explodes.”

“Silence, Archer,” Medusa grumbled.

Morgana turned to look and saw that although Rider was trying to stand stoically as always, her face had taken a surprising shade of red he hadn’t seen before. As for the other two Servants, they were literally just looking between all of them like it was a particularly interesting tennis match. The four Romans were right beside the boat, hands still close to their gladii, ready to draw as necessary while warily eyeing everyone.

The catlike being let out a deep sigh, trying to rein in his temper. While he could easily continue his tirade, it would be useless. This goddess most likely wouldn’t bother listening anyway. Huffing a breath, he glanced over at Astolfo and Tamamo Cat. “What about you guys?” he asked. “Can you help out?”

Tamamo Cat thought about it for a second, then grinned. “Sure! It was getting boring here anyway, woof!” she chirped.

Astolfo beamed. “I’ve always been curious about the Roman Empire!” she remarked cheerfully. “I’ll gladly come along! And I can even hold my own in a fight! Everyone wins!”

With that, a wave of relief surged over Morgana. Their trip hadn’t been fruitless after all. They had recruited two more Servants including a Paladin. Morgana would have to read up on what actual Paladins are but if they were anything like what he saw from Futaba’s games, Astolfo was most likely going to be a very powerful ally. He wasn’t too sure about Tamamo Cat. However, if she was anything like Tamamo, then she would be valuable too. She seemed a touch unreliable though.

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Meanwhile, Tamamo Cat sneezed. “Someone’s thinking something rude about me, woof,” she grumbled.

Morgana blinked in surprise. Brushing off the odd coincidence, he glared at Stheno. “So, is there anything else?” he snapped. “Otherwise, we need to get going.”

Stheno looked down at Morgana, seemingly pondering something. “Hm, well, you do seem capable enough,” she murmured. “In that case, as my way of apology for my rudeness, allow me to tell you something.” The girl lifted a slender arm and pointed down the coast. “There is a cave down the shore there,” she said. “The treasure within is quite useless for a goddess like me, but perhaps you would be able to make use of it. I give it to you freely.”

The Master blinked in surprise as he looked in the direction she pointed. However, something about this seemed off. “Just like that?” he asked skeptically. “There’s just a treasure sitting in a cave for the taking?”

“Just like that,” Stheno confirmed. “Do not doubt the word of a goddess, cat. It ill becomes you.”

“I told you, my name is Morgana,” he growled. He stared down the coast again, contemplating. While he had little reason to trust Stheno’s word, she didn’t seem to be lying about there being a treasure. Alright, he could feel the all too familiar shivers of excitement through his body at the mere thought of it, but he held himself in check. At the very least, he couldn’t let this goddess see he was eager for the treasure.

He glanced back at Stheno, who was eyeing him with detached curiosity. Still, that didn’t mean he trusted her whatsoever. And there were the four Roman soldiers standing there around the boat, looking increasingly uncomfortable being surrounded by so many inhuman beings. He doubted they would try to leave without the rest of them – they were being monitored by the legate’s ship off the coast – but he wouldn’t exactly blame them if they did.

“Archer,” he called out. “Can you stay here for now and keep an eye on the boat and the soldiers?”

The red-mantled hero nodded. “Of course, Master,” he replied easily. He stepped closer to the boat as he fixed a sharp stare at the goddess, who didn’t seem to particularly care much. Still, judging from how they sagged in relief, his presence lifted a weight off the soldiers’ minds. Morgana nodded in satisfaction. Archer wouldn’t tolerate it if Stheno so much as put a toe out of line – it was a good choice.

“Rider, Tamamo Cat, Astolfo,” he continued, glancing at each of the other Servants. “Do you mind coming with for this treasure?”

All three nodded. “By your will,” Rider accepted once more.

“Sure! Treasure hunt time!” Astolfo cheered.

“Treasure hunt, woof!” Tamamo Cat echoed happily.

… Suddenly, Morgana felt far less sure about his choices. But he could at least talk to the other two and gain a better measure of them, despite how weird they were. With that done, he began walking down the beach towards the cave. “Wait,” Stheno called out, once more attracting Morgana’s attention – and his ire once more. “One more misunderstanding you labor under, if you hadn’t noticed already.” A smirk spread across Stheno’s face. “Astolfo is male.”

The catlike being could only blink multiple times as he turned to look at the very pretty, very effeminate looking Astolfo. “…. What,” he commented flatly.

Astolfo cheerfully nodded. “It’s true!” she – or rather he - confirmed. “I can even show I’m a guy to you if you like!”

Morgana blinked multiple times again before turning to Rider and Archer. “What,” he repeated.

“Astolfo is recorded in history as a male,” Archer pointed out. “Cases like Artoria tend to be exceptions rather than the norm. And in this case, it is accurate – he’s indeed a man.”

“My sister normally has no love for men,” Rider noted. “However, Astolfo’s mannerisms may have rendered him tolerable enough for her. Your confusion is understandable, Master.”

The catlike being stared at the two Servants. Then looked at Astolfo. Then looked over at Stheno. Then looked over at the Romans, who were evidently as confused and shocked as he was by this revelation. Then he finally looked at Astolfo again. In the end, there was only one thing he could possibly say.

“What.”

----------

The trek to the cave didn’t take all too long. It wasn’t too far down the shore nor was it hard to find: a cave sitting at the foot of a small hill. Morgana took point as a scout, keeping a close eye for any signs of ambushes, tracks, or anything of the sort. He also kept an eye on the Servants that came with him. Neither Tamamo Cat and Astolfo seem to have any particular malicious designs or plots (in fact, Morgana wasn’t sure they had enough brain cells to do so). They were friendly and straightforward enough despite everything. All he needed to do was see how they handled themselves on the field.

Glancing past them, he saw Rider bringing up the rear. Although he trusted Rider, she was definitely on edge ever since meeting with Stheno. They never really asked about their Servants’ backstories for the most part – it just felt like they were intruding. Sure, they could read up on it in the library or in Chaldea’s databases, but just the fact that the legendary King Arthur was female already told them not to rely too heavily on them for information. It was clear that to get to the bottom of things, he would have to talk to Rider.

But how was he going to address it with her…?

He shook his head. It was a discussion he’d have to bring up when they were in a safer area. For now, they needed to secure the treasure and get out of here. Frankly, being in a cramped cave like this gave him the heebie jeebies, like a shadow was going to pop out any second. His catlike eyes thankfully barely required any illumination to function, allowing him to see in the dark. Judging by how the Servants were moving, they didn’t need lights either, meaning they could easily move around without alerting anyone-

A sudden crash from right behind him caused him to whirl around, drawing out his slingshot to aim at the offending noise – only to find that it was Astolfo who had faceplanted right into the ground. “Sorry, tripped!” he cheerfully admitted from the ground before bouncing back up.

“It’s not a good fighting place for a knight,” Tamamo Cat cheerily observed. “But it’s no match for the brave Tamamo Cat, woof!” So she declared before taking a step forward into a puddle, and proceeded to faceplant herself into said puddle splashing water. The sounds of their crashing echoed down the cavern, to Morgana’s horror. He could only look over at Rider in pure shock as Rider looked up with a similar expression on her face.

“Could you two be quiet for one second?!” Morgana hissed as he pulled out his slingshot, aiming it down the cave. Nobody moved an inch, waiting to see if anything was approaching. A few seconds passed, and all they could hear was the dripping of water from the ceiling. The catlike being breathed a sigh of relief as he lowered his slingshot.

“Either we got really lucky or there’s an ambush being set up ahead of us now,” he grumbled. “We’re continuing forward. But this time we’re gonna do it quietly.” At the last word, he glared at both Astolfo and Tamamo Cat who both at least had the decency to look slightly ashamed as they nodded. With that, they proceeded onward. To the two’s credit, they could be surprisingly quiet when they wanted to be – a boon as Morgana’s and Tamamo Cat’s ears twitched, trying to pick up any more sound. So far, nothing.

Before long, the cave opened up into a large corridor. Stalactites and stalagmites littered throughout the cave, some so long that they had fused together in the middle – a testament to countless years gone by without disturbance. Even with Morgana’s catlike eyes, it was hard to peer into farther edges and shadows. For all he knew, the cave opened up even further into side corridors. It was impossible to see without getting closer, something Morgana wasn’t about to do whatsoever. There was an old musty smell throughout the cave, though it was impossible to tell where it was coming from. It must have been here some time.

And sitting innocuously in the middle was a non-descript treasure chest.

While Morgana normally would be a sucker for treasure, this kind of setup couldn’t scream ‘trap’ any louder than if it had gigantic neon signs all around it declaring such. “Keep an eye out, guys,” he murmured. “Something doesn’t feel right.” The Servants all nodded as they immediately spread out, weapons out (or in Tamamo Cat’s, case, claws bared). They slowly approached the chest, looking out for any traps: any trip wires, pressure platforms, or loose rocks that would fall on their heads.

After an agonizing amount of time, they reached the chest. Morgana didn’t take any chances – transforming his slingshot back into a scimitar, he tapped the chest at multiple points, listening for any signs of machinery. He checked for any extraneous hinges, any weight traps underneath the chest, or anything that felt like it shouldn’t be. Finally, he got to opening the chest. It was unlocked, allowing Morgana to slide the blade underneath the lid and slowly open it, checking for strings that would trigger traps or even teeth and saliva.

The one time he played Dark Souls over at Futaba’s house would never leave his mind.

Finally, he opened it. As Morgana hopped into the chest to retrieve the treasure, the Servants closed in to protect him, with Astolfo and Tamamo Cat taking none-too-subtle glances over to see what it was. The catlike being looked around and found… a singular, small bag. Frowning, he picked it up, loosening the cord that kept it closed. And inside he found no gold, artifacts, relics, or anything that seemed remotely valuable.

Just… seeds.

Morgana frowned in consternation as he began sifting through the seeds, seeing if there was anything buried underneath. He even shook it to try and see if there was anything else. But no, it was just seeds. “Are… are you kidding me?” he muttered in sheer disbelief. “That’s it? Just seeds? Nothing else?” Setting aside the little sack, he immediately began checking and feeling around the chest, seeing if there were any hidden compartments or holes he might have missed. However, there were none. The chest only held the small bag of seeds.

“Well, that was… anticlimactic,” Astolfo commented with a pout. “I thought it would be heaps of gold or a weapon or something. Oh well.”

“Maybe the treasure is the friends we made along the way, woof?” Tamamo Cat suggested.

Morgana shot Tamamo Cat a glare before sighing despondently. “Well, we can give this to some farmers or something,” he muttered in resignation, picking up the little bag of seeds before hopping out of the chest. He glanced over at Rider. “Did you have any idea this would happen?” he asked out of curiosity.

Rider paused for a second before sighing, looking slightly exasperated. “My sisters are known for their pranks,” she admitted. “The treasure could’ve just as easily been something valuable as it is useless. My apologies for not informing you sooner. My thoughts were… preoccupied.”

The catlike being felt his anger drain away at Rider’s excuse. He waved it off. “Ah, don’t worry about it, I get it,” he accepted easily enough. Even he could tell the normally unflappable Rider was shaken up by seeing her sister once more and as much as he wanted answers, it wasn’t the time for it. “Well, we got what we came for, so let’s get out of-“

Suddenly, Rider rushed forward and kicked Morgana off to the side, sending him flying. His light body bounced roughly off the stone ground as he crashed. He looked up and was about to yell what the big idea was when he saw what was going on – and the words died in his throat as his indignation turned to horror.

A giant beast had lunged from the shadows, smashing the old chest to splinters. It had the head and claws of a lion, the body of a goat with a goat head sticking out, and instead of a tail, there was a black snake. It only took a glance for Morgana to figure out what the creature was: A chimera, one of Greek mythology’s most infamous monsters. But that wasn’t important right now.

What was important was the fact that the chimera’s maw had closed on Rider, one of its fangs piercing through her arm and into body, just barely missing the belly. Rider herself desperately held her ground and pushed hard against the creature’s jaw, preventing it from biting any further – a feat she would’ve failed in had Astolfo and Tamamo Cat not charged in an instant later, shoving the chimera off her with hard blows and luring it away.

“Rider!” Morgana cried in a panic as he raced forward to the Rider’s side, who struggled to stay standing. “Zorro!” The musketeer persona burst into form once more behind him – and distracted the other two Servants who stared wide-eyed before nearly being bowled over by the chimera, forcing their attention back into the fight.

The persona rapidly drew a pattern with his rapier. A green glow surrounded Rider as her wounds rapidly closed up. However, she still looked incredibly pale and haggard. “P-poison,” Rider rasped out.

Morgana cursed quietly. Right, he recalled in Ren’s studies of mythology that the chimera was venomous as well, combined with its fiery breath – a fact that was also proven by how it breathed out a plume of flames, lighting up the cave. Thankfully, both Astolfo and Tamamo Cat were doing an admirable job of keeping the chimera and its fire away from the two of them.

With a quick mental command, Zorro drew another pattern and another green light surrounded Rider, curing her of the chimera’s venom. Morgana took a shaky breath. Both the healing and the curing took more out of him than he expected but he was still ready to go. Besides, watching Rider carefully stand back up, he knew it was worth it. “You alright, Rider?” he concernedly asked.

Rider nodded shortly. “Better, thanks to you, Master,” she replied before summoning her spikes once more. “Orders?”

Morgana glanced back at the cave entrance as he thought furiously. They could just simply escape that way, maybe even bring the cave down on the chimera on their way out. The Servants would most likely be fast enough to escape with Rider carrying him on the way out. Perhaps if they even got far enough, the chimera would simply give up and head back to its lair so they wouldn’t have to fight altogether.

Another plume of flames, however, quickly invaded his thoughts. Right – they still had the four Roman soldiers with them right now. They would stand absolutely no chance against such a monster and would be killed. Its fiery breath would also burn their boat into ashes. No doubt Evander could send another boat to get them off the island if necessary, but it would still take time either way and it was extremely risky.

Then he thought back to Stheno and remembered something that turned his blood turn to ice. Evander had told them that one of locals never returned. If he made it here, what had Stheno done to him? Did she also send him here as well, where he was killed by the chimera? Or possibly subject him to a worse fate? Did Tamamo Cat or Astolfo know about the missing local?

One thing was for sure though: There was almost no way Stheno couldn’t have known about the chimera. She had to have sent them here deliberately.

He gritted his teeth as rage filled his diminutive body. He was beyond done with Stheno and frankly, he was more than happy to deprive her of such a beast. Besides, if left alone, who knows how much more damage it would cause before someone could – if someone ever did – bring it to heel? No, they were currently here, and they had the ability to deal with this situation. He knew what they had to do.

“We can’t let this thing live,” Morgana ground out. “Rider, work with Astolfo and Tamamo Cat! We’re taking this thing out!”

Rider gave a short nod before pouncing in. The chimera was just about to claw at Tamamo Cat before Rider’s spikes shot forward, piercing its paw and dragging it off course. The fox girl didn’t miss the opportunity – with a loud ‘Nya!’, she jumped in and bashed the chimera’s head with her large paw, knocking it aside as it roared in pain. Astolfo ran around and swung at the snake tail – and had to beat a hasty retreat as it lashed out, barely missing him. All the while, Morgana observed, watching for an opening.

This wouldn’t be easy.