Wall 10: A Snake Basking by the Forest Fountain

So far so good.

The enemies we've been seeing have all been pretty standard, so I'm hopeful we can keep this pace up.

By the way, now that we have a moment to spare, can I ask you a question out of pure intellectual curiosity?

What is it?

You summon a giant with multiple heads and arms whenever you release your Noble Phantasm's True Name, right?

Well, maybe less summon it than your golden sword sort of becomes it.

Anyway, I was just curious what that giant's deal is.

It's Geryon.

...Well, I can't prove it's them. I've never seen them before, and no one told me that's who they are.

I just know.

Ooh, Geryon!

Geryon is from Greek mythology and is said to either have three bodies or be divided into three beings!

I think they were Chrysaor's kid, right?

... ...

It's fine. I don't mind answering innocent questions.

I don't like being compared to my other selves, but I don't love being misunderstood, either.

Besides, it's important for a Master to know their Servant's unique traits, right?

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Then I would be honored to join in the discussion.

First, is this the same Geryon that shows up in the Twelve Labors of Heracles?

Yup, that's the one.

Heracles fought him when King Eurystheus ordered him to steal his cattle, which ended up with him...um...

Getting killed, right? I both do and don't know what happened.

Hmph, Heracles. The version of him here is completely mad, right?

I bet there are plenty of Servants who'd love to give him a piece of their mind, but he can't even understand normal language, let alone biting remarks.

Maybe Chaldea's actually lucky he ended up as a Berserker.

In my case, there's Geryon, the Hydra, and... Never mind. We'd be here all day if I listed every one of them.

I know what you mean. You're said to be the source of a ton of monsters from Greek mythology, after all.

When Perseus cut off your head, two more creatures were born from your blood.

The first was the winged horse Pegasus, and the second was Chrysaor, the monster with the golden sword.

I don't actually know much about either of them. I suppose that's no surprise, since I was already dead.

But, even so...I can still tell.

This being I possess now is Chrysaora being destined to create countless other monsters.

(She couldn't possibly know about the real Chrysaor with a physical form she "created"...)

(...so maybe her concept of him merged with the golden sword, since it represents his essence and all.)

(Either way, I think I'll just keep my speculation to myself, since she seems kind of sensitive about it.)

True, there are a great many monsters said to be descended from Chrysaor.

Accounts of who comes from who vary depending on which historical source you're reading, but Echidna is usually included alongside Geryon.

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I'd have to think the ones who show up in Singularities and other histories are entirely different creatures that just happen to have the same name and significance.

At least for the me here and now.

So don't worry about me getting on your case for fighting or killing them. Not that I'd be thrilled about either outcome.

That kind of thing does tend to happen with Servants...often.

So honestly, I appreciate that it doesn't bother you.

Anyway, getting back on track, Echidna is said to have created so many descendants it's hard to keep track of them all.

Off the top of my head, there's Cerberus, Orthrus, the Hydra, and Scylla, but that's still leaving out a ton of others.

Yes. I can still remember how hard his attacks smashed into my shield.

As for Scylla, I think Odysseus ran into her during his odyssey?

Sure did.

I'm oversimplifying in a big way, but Scylla was a sea monster.

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There are numerous accounts of Scylla too, but the oldest known one says she looked human...

...until Glaucus the sea-god asked Circe to transform her into a monster.

She then took up residence in the ocean, and later went on to attack Odysseus's ship when it passed by her.

Circe's here in Chaldea too, right? I swear, she's never done anything genuinely helpful in her life.

The fact that they didn't just kill her only makes it worse.

If I ever run into her, I'm going to tell her exactly what I think of her.

What? Maybe I messed with a completely different Scylla who just happened to have the same name. You don't know.

I demand to be treated as innocent until proven otherwise!

Anyway, in this form, I possess the power of that monster lineage in the form of my golden sword...

...including all those indistinct possibilities.

I see... I think that helps me understand you so much better now, Saber Medusa.

Thank you so much!

You don't need to thank me for that.

...Anyway, that's enough talking for now.

I don't know if we have another wall coming up or not, but something smells funny up ahead. Be careful.

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...Water, and...

...snakes.

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Yes, it is. I can't yet tell if it's suitable for drinking, but it's very clear and beautiful.

Oases like these are important to local wildlife too.

You were right, Medusa. There are several serpentine monsters here.

We'll need to eliminate them before weHuh?

They just ran away. Why did they do that?

Probably because a much bigger snake showed up.

Hey, that's Gorgon! What's she doing there?

Hmph. Is it wrong for a serpent to be near water?

For that matter, what is wrong with a serpent being in the woods?

If the choice is between a neat little steel ship and a creepy chaotic forest, it should be obvious which better suits monsters.

...(Sigh) I guess the rumors were true then. There really are all sorts of mes out there.

You're clearly not like me; Pegasus would have nothing to do with you. You're what would happen to me if I followed my cursed demonic nature to its conclusion.

You took a completely different route than me, turning yourself into a queen of monsters and a wellspring of evil...

Oh, it's you. The one who is so close, yet very far from me.

A version of me who still goes by my long-forgotten name. One who possesses what I could one day birth into the world.

Answer me this: Why are you here?

Why are you doing this? Isn't there only one thing you need to be doing?

I don't know what you're talking about. The only thing I can think of that I need to be doing...

...is getting rid of the monster right here who happens to share my face.

Medusa, please! There's no need to be hostile!

That's the Gorgon who was summoned to Chaldea. She's not our enemy!

We should be working with her to resolve this situation, not picking fights unnecessarily.

Not our enemy? Doesn't seem like she agrees with you.

... ...

...Hmph. Looks like I do not have the luxury of just keeping quiet and letting you pass.

Especially since it seems like we still need more time.

More time? Hang on. Do you know something about this forest?

Good question. But would you really expect a straight answer from a monster?

A monster's mouth isn't made for speaking truth. It is for devouring prey. And a monster doesn't stop until it's bitten the head from its prey's shoulders.

Lucky for you, I'm going to remind you of that myself, in exactly the hands-on way you humans love so much.

See?

Gorgon has assumed a combat stance!

Dammit, looks like you'll just have to fight her off then!

But go easy on her! Especially you, Medusa!

I'll try. But don't get your hopes up.

...Revolting. If I have to look in an old mirror, I'd much rather it be my irritating child self than you.

Well, no matter. I've fulfilled my obligations. Continue your expedition. You still have a long road ahead of you.

Gorgon has left. I don't think her heart was really in that fight.

... ...

I have no idea why she was here, or what it is she wanted to do...

...but at least she's not standing in our way anymore.

There's another one of those walls up ahead. Come on. Let's get back to the job we came to do.

Actually, I was hoping you could take a look at that spring first.

If we can verify that the water's safe, then we can put up a simple Bounded Field and use it as a rest spot.

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Right. Once we've confirmed it's safe here, why don't we take a rest as well?

There's no telling when we might get another chance!

...All right. Fine with me.

(This golden sword, Chrysaor, is kind of like my offspring, in a way.)

(That's how I could tell it didn't want to cut down anything it didn't consider a challenge. But...)

I guess using it to fight another version of myself wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be...