Section 1: A Chained Maiden

So you know who she is, too.

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Andromeda is a figure from Greek mythology.

She was going to be sacrificed to a monster in order to appease divine wrath...

...but was saved by the great hero Perseus.

Oh, so you already know about me? And him?

Ehehe, gosh, this is kind of embarrassing.

However...

Yeah. In the myth we know, you're pretty solidly on the rescued side, not the rescuer side.

So from that, it wouldn't seem like you'd be much help on a battlefield.

But now, you're a fully-fledged Servant. Let's see, your class is...

I know, right? Usually, when you hear "maiden sacrifice," you imagine a lady who's all dainty and soft-spoken, yeah?

I totally get it.

But, well, let's just say a lot happened!

Anyway, my class is Rider.

And don't worry too much about fighting, 'cause I can definitely do that! I think!

There's a lot I'd like to ask you about, like those watertop moves and what looked like chains...

But I think I'll save those questions for later.

For now, I believe it's our turn to tell you what our side is about.

Great! Please, tell me all about you guys!

You all seem pretty cool, but I still don't know the first thing about you!

...And that's our deal.

Chaldea... An organization of heroes coming together to save the world...

That sounds great! No, awesome!

I-I'm not quite sure what to say in response to such glowing praise, so, I guess I'll just say "thank you."

I especially like knowing there's so many heroes there. Really makes you feel safe, you know?

So hey, if you need some help, please, let me help you!

I, uh, might not be strong enough to take on anyone, like Perseus...

...but, I think I can at least hold my own in combat.

And if there's something I can do to put the world back to how it should be...

...or help someone in trouble, then, I should do it. No... I want to do it.

I really mean that.

That's great to hear. We can always use help from a local Servant. It's one of the key ways to ensure a mission goes smoothly.

Oh, right, we still have to introduce ourselves, don't we? I'm Leonardo da Vinci.

The ones there are...

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I'm Mash Kyrielight! And this is...

Semiramis, empress of Assyria.

I may be accompanying these people as a Servant, but my status and import are clearly different from yours.

So know your place when you speak to me, girl.

G-girl?

Um, technically, I'm royalty too, actually. I'm the princess of Aethiopia.

Hmph. Yes, I have heard of that nation before, but I am still clearly your better. "Girl" will suffice.

Oh, right. I'm still in my downtime outfit, so I could surf the chocolate better.

Now that I'm on the team, I should probably dress the part a bit, huh?

Okay, hang on a sec.

There, how's that?

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Oh, these? I'd actually appreciate it if you just pretended they weren't there.

They were actually part of my other outfit, too. You just couldn't see them.

They're kind of, well, inextricably tied to me?

Hmm, makes sense. Your name is almost synonymous with the image of a damsel in distress chained to a rock.

Exactly.

Anyway, that aside, what do you think?

Do I seem a little more like proper Princess Andromeda now?

Personally, I fail to see much difference.

Aww.

Well, I guess it's okay for different people to address me differently. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time people said I don't act like a princess!

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Well, I figured out pretty quickly that the problem was all this stagnant air, right?

And I figured THAT was probably coming from this river.

See how it's practically standing still? You can tell the smell's coming from it, too.

So then I thought, if the river not flowing's the problem, maybe I can improve it by getting it moving again.

So I got on my Noble Phantasm and was trying to stir it up when you guys got here!

I see. So that's why you appeared to be surfing on the water

Uh, chocolate's, surface.

By the way, um, is that your Noble Phantasm?

Oh, yeah, this is Cetus! He's already bound to my chains, so I just give him a little tug and off I go!

Huh, interesting. That's the sea monster Poseidon sent after Aethiopia.

The same sea monster you were nearly sacrificed to, in fact.

It's said to have been both part whale and part dragon, and it was the base for the constellation of the same name.

I can see how your fates would be tied together, but I have no idea how it ended up as your Noble Phantasm.

Hmm, now I'm really curious.

I know, right? Especially after Perseus killed him and everything.

Who cares about that?

Pressingly, regardless of how much stirring you did with your Noble Phantasm...

...the situation did not change one bit, did it?

No, it didn't, unfortunately. I really stirred as hard as I could, too.

But no, nothing changed. The river's still just as stagnant as before.

I see...

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Don't worry. That's how it always goes at first.

Oh, right. I'll have to make you a good, safe, temporary magical energy supply line.

You must be pretty low on resources after using your Noble Phantasm.

You're even thinking about my energy supply!?

Now I'm even more sorry I couldn't help. I'll do everything I can to improve on that!

You guys have done this kind of thing before, right? So, at times like this, what should we do next?

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Okay!

Now that you mention it, I think I saw a local over by the riverbank.

They'd probably know more about this world and this river than me.

Let's go talk to them!

I can't even imagine what the locals here must be like...

...but as long as we can communicate with them, that does seem like a good place to start.

Great! I'll show you where they are. C'mon, this way!

She's certainly bright and cheerful, isn't she? Even though we only just met, I already feel like we're friends.

You call that a princess? She seems like no more than your average happy-go-lucky farm girl.

Hmph. She seems like no more than your average happy-go-lucky farm girl.

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For me, a palace is a place where poisoned chalices are exchanged daily.

Perhaps someone like Wu Zetian, who sees things the same way I do, could hold her own against me for a bit...

...but that girl would last for no more than a day.

If she is in fact an enemy attempting to deceive us, then we have nothing to fear.

I see no need to be wary of her. Go on now, after her.

Left to her own devices, there is no telling how far she may run off on her own.

Oh yeah, this whole chocolate miasma's been a big problem for us.

It's hard to breathe, and it's making a lot of people sick.

Th-this isn't the kind of local I was expecting, but fortunately, it seems we can communicate, and they don't mean us harm.

Could you keep asking them for more information?

Sure thing! So, like, do you know what's causing this chocolate miasma?

Well yeah, it's 'cause the river stopped flowing. You can just kinda tell.

For that matter, what IS this bizarre river, anyway?

What do you mean? It's the chocolate river, of course.

It's been here as long as we have.

That's all we know.

I mean, c'mon, if you lived near a river, would you automatically know how old it was or why it was there?

I... No, I guess not.

Oh, but there is one thing.

Nobody knows for sure, but rumor has it that this chocolate river...

...lets you see people you miss.

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It's probably like, if you follow this river where it leads, you'll find the person you wanna see the most.

I've never seen it myself, but that's what people say. I can't tell you any more than that.

Hmph. This is getting us nowhere.

Hmm... Does anyone else you know who can talk happen to have any more accurate information?

Nah, I'd say nobody else knows any more than I do.

Especially when this chocolate miasma's messing with everyone's heads.

And not just those of us who walk around on two legs.

It's affecting beasts, too, and I don't think you can talk to them at all. So be carecrap, there's some now!

Hostiles! Preparing to intercept the enemy now!

Good grief.

You there, girl. If all you are good for is making noise, then you may as well be just another farm girl.

So if you truly are a Servant, then show us you can handle riffraff like these.

You got it! I'm happy to show that I'm no damsel just waiting to be sacrificed!

These chains are my chains of destiny.

If I can't lose them, then I'm going to use them!

Let's do this, Oracle's Chains Nereids! Pull in something heavy and painful for me!

All right! How do you like that!?

All hostiles have been defeated. Great job, everyone!

That was some great fighting, Andromeda. You didn't need any backup from us at all.

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Ehehe, I've always liked being active. It's like they say, simple is best.

You make it sound easy, but that looked like a very interesting combat style to me.

A combination of your chains and the boulders they're tied to.

Though if anything, it's less that you're purposefully deciding to fight that way, and more like a natural progression.

Wow, you're sharp.

Yeah, when I was inscribed on the Throne, it was as a sacrificial maiden tied to a boulder with chains.

I can't do anything about that, but looking at it from a different angle...

...it also means that there's always gonna be boulders on the other end of these chains, right?

So I figured I could fight too if I just used those boulders myself!

I see. In mythology, you were chained to a boulder by the ocean so you could be sacrificed to a sea monster.

Now that you're a Heroic Spirit, that story has taken on physical form.

So you're taking the ties that physically and conceptually bind you, and turning them to your own ends.

I don't know whether to call that "remarkably resilient" or "an incredible feat of brute strength."

So, what'd you think, Empress? Were you impressed? Is that why your mouth's hanging open?

You colossal fool. I am still in shock at the crude, boorish way in which you fight.

Hang on. Is Cetus with you, too?

Since Perseus used Medusa's head to petrify it...

...which could be said to have turned Cetus itself into a boulder that then sank into the sea...

...then does that mean it's also considered a boulder that's bound to you?

Mmm, I'm not totally sure, but probably? I never gave it too much thought.

(I guess that just goes to show how strong the conceptual link between her, chains, and boulders really is then.)

(Since Poseidon is mixed up in this too, it could be as strong as a curse straight from a god.)

Anyway, fighting stuff aside, the important thing is that we won!

Wow, thanks for saving us. Creatures that've lost their minds like that attack us sometimes.

I wish I could give you something in thanks, but I already told you everything I know about the river.

No, actually, wait. I just remembered something.

What is it?

Do you guys have any other friends?

'Cause I saw someone else who had the same air about them as you guys not too long ago.

They were investigating the river too, so I thought they might be with you.

Someone who has the same air as us... That probably means they were a Servant.

Can you tell us where you saw this person?

It couldn't be just another friend of yours?

It couldn't.

For this mission, Semiramis and I were the only Chaldean Servants who Rayshifted here with Master.

So if there are any other Servants around here

Either they were summoned by the land, like you were, or they have something to do with this anomaly.

Regardless, it shouldn't hurt to try and make contact with them.

Hm? Does the river look a little different to you now?

It looks like...that's where the chocolate river comes to an end.

It's not only that it isn't flowing. There's no river beyond that point.

AndWait. Is that a person?

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Wow. What a crazy beard.

Oh hey, you guys are here too, huh?

Great timing. Seems like there's only so much I can do here on my own.

Yeah, it's me. Why're you looking at me like that?

Uhh... Hmm...

Well, his basic Spirit Origin data does check out. It looks like he really is Chaldea's Columbus.

The reason he looks different now is because of a slight change in the data's outer shell, for lack of a better term.

As for what that change consists of... Hmm, it's more of a black box than I thought.

I don't think I'll be able to dig in any deeper from here.

So, you really are Chaldea's Columbus? What are you doing here then?

Honestly, I got no idea, either.

All I know is, one moment I was there, the next, I was here, looking different.

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Hey, c'mon, why're you looking at me like that? I'm telling the truth.

So, um, he IS part of your team, right?

Because it feels like something's slightly off here, and I don't know why.

Who knows? Perhaps you are remembering an occasion where you bit into a piece of fruit that may or may not have been poisoned.

Sheesh. I'll have you know I've been doing some honest work out here.

I've been investigating this worldwell, this river, really, and I found some stuff out.

Oh yeah? That sounds perfect. Please, tell us.

Sure. As you might've guessed, this miasma's being caused by the river not flowing.

You can see for yourselves it stops right here. That's why it went stagnant and started producing this weird unnatural miasma.

That lines up with what we thought. Do you have any ideas for how we can fix it?

Well, the best and surest way'd be to get the river flowing again.

If stagnancy's causing the miasma, then no stagnancy means no miasma. It just makes sense.

But I already tried mixing it up, and it didn't work.

Hm? Don't think I've seen you before, missy.

I'm Andromeda!

I'm helping Chaldea resolve this situation. Nice to meet you, Beard Guy!

Well, you seem like you'll be a big help. ...No, really, I mean that.

But anyway, as you found out, just stirring the river up isn't enough to get it flowing again.

What we need to do is give it directionality.

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That's right. Long story short, we've gotta get a ship on this river.

Boats on a river always follow the flow of the water, right? In this case, that same principle can actually reverse the usual cause and effect and get this river moving again.

Of course, just putting a boat on it won't be enough. It'll also need a crew that's actually trying to go downriver.

Hmm. I guess it's possible that putting a boat on an unnatural chocolate river like this...

...might be enough of a conceptual shot in the arm to get it moving again.

But how did you figure that out?

C'mon, I'm a sailor, remember? I've always been good at reading currents and water properties.

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A poisoned fruit gets more flavorful with every bite. It also becomes more painful.

So, if we put a boat on this river and get it a proper crew, that'll be enough to get the river flowing again?

Nah, that's just the first requirement. There's still two others we'll need to meet.

First, we're gonna need more chocolate.

You know how rivers slow to a crawl when they dry up in the hot sun, yeah? Same kind of story here.

You can't physically move what's not there, after all. So we're gonna have to scrounge up all the chocolate we can and add it to this river.

Yeah, makes sense. So what's the last condition?

Well, just adding more chocolate to the river isn't gonna be enough to cut it, either.

Just like the figurehead on a boat, or a compass needle that always points in the same direction...

...it's also gonna need something meaningful to base that direction on.

You know how with restaurants, you get more business if you specialize in a certain dish?

Instead of a generic diner that just serves food, you'll get more customers if they know you're all about, say, pasta.

It's a lot like that.

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Hmm... Okay, so, this chocolate river can't move forward because it's made of, well, chocolate.

So we've gotta add some other kind of distinctive color, or trait, or property to it to make it more riverlike.

What that means is, we need to pick someone to represent the rivera river captain, basically.

A boat with a river captain's the only way we're gonna get this river moving.

No, I can't. And neither can you.

'Cause to give the river a new trait or color, you'll need to be constantly using as much magical energy as it takes to release a Noble Phantasm's True Name.

Although... I just checked it again a little while ago, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

Nope. It can't be a human.

'Cause to give the river a new trait or color, you'll need to be constantly using as much magical energy as it takes to release a Noble Phantasm's True Name.

And I can't do it, either.

See, I just checked it again a little while ago, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

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It looks like the river's already got a new trait.

Any idea how that might've happened? Did someone toss their Noble Phantasm in there for a while or something?

Uh... I think...that was probably...me.

I was just surfing the river on my Noble Phantasm, Cetus, earlier, so...

I-is this my fault? Did I screw it all up?

Oh man, I'm so sorry! I was just trying to help, I promise!

Haha, it's okay. It surprised me, sure, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

We can't change the river again easily once its properties are set, so we'll have to be careful there, but...

...there's a condition that needs to be met for someone to be able to change the river's properties.

And lucky for us, apparently, we've already got someone that meets it.

What's the condition?

They have to be missing someone.

Oh, yeah. That...chocolate oni we talked to said this river lets you see people you miss.

So, the idea is to use that fundamental property to guide a boat down it, thereby getting it flowing again?

More or less. So, how about it, missy? Any idea who it is?

...Uh-huh.

Ehehe, it's a little embarrassing to admit, but, there's someone I miss all the time.

The love of my life. The hero who rescued me. The boy who married me.

...Perseus.

Haha, that so? Ain't young love grand?

Oh, hey. It looks like the new properties are starting to manifest visually, too.

You're right. I'm now seeing large boulders popping up throughout the river.

Although, the current is still as stagnant as before...

Looks like missy here gave this river boulders.

I see. So the girl's unique traits altered the river via her magical energy.

All right, I think we've got enough data to make an informed decision here, so let's go over everything quickly.

To repair this Singularity, we'll need to get rid of this miasma. To do that, we'll need to get the chocolate river flowing.

And to do that, we'll need to give the river unique properties, then follow it downstream on a boat.

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Well, yeah, sure. My Santa María the only ship we'll need.

We also acquired some chocolate when we defeated those chocolate monsters earlier.

I think we can add that chocolate to the river.

Great. Then that just leaves one last problem.

Andromeda, it looks like we're going to need your help for this whole ordeal. Can we count on it?

(Well, I'm also a little worried about why Columbus knows so much about this situation...)

(...but I can let that go for now.)

(Besides, it's not like he ALWAYS betrays us every chance he gets... Most of the time, anyway.)

(...I'd better keep an eye on him.)

Of course! I'm not about to get off this ship now, literally OR figuratively!

In fact, I feel like I should be asking you to please let me stay and help till the end!

I think that's probably the whole reason I'm here!

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All right, let's get this ship on the roauh, river, then.

Just so you know, I won't be able to help out in battle while I'm doing this. It takes a lot out of me to keep my ship manifested all the time.

Here goes!

Good, everyone made it on board.

Um... Is this chocolate going to be enough to make it to the end?

I doubt it.

Sooo, when we run out, we'll have to run back to shore to collect more or something?

Basically, yeah. But that ain't the only way.

This is just a guess, but I bet this river will also start flowing when we throw in stuff related to you, missy.

Meanin' we can probably also use boulders on top of the chocolate.

'Suppose it'd be more accurate to say the river's now treating big ol' stones like they were the same as chocolate.

Oh, so boulders are kind of like filler now. Makes sense.

Does that mean I can just pull some out with my chains and toss them into the river?

As long as you've got magical energy to spare, sure, but that'll probably use too much to be worth it.

The best way to get more will probably be to defeat monsters that look like boulders...

...or to break apart any good boulders we happen to find and collect their pieces.

Assuming we've got someone who's better at that sort of thing than they are at fighting, that is.

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Ah.

Ah. Is THAT why she was chosen to come along...?

...?

Must you stare at me with such expressions? You'll attract flies.

...Oh no. You had better not be thinking what I think you are thinking.

Fine. It seems time once and for all to set the record straight.

I am not a civil engineer Servant!

You made a flying garden!? That's awesome!

Stop that! You should not find that convincing!

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Ugh, I swear...

Well, fine. The best thing to do with a job like this is to get it over with quickly.

So if breaking boulders is the best way I can do that, then I will, loathe though I may be to do so.

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Looks like everything's in place then.

As this ship's captain, I'll be the one steering it. As my patron, Andromeda'll be the one deciding where it goes.

And as the head engineer, the empress here'll be in charge of collecting the "fuel" we need to make progress.

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Right! We'll gather chocolate and boulders, and handle any other jobs that need doing.

Hey, I'm not the type of patron to just kick back with her nose in the air as everyone else does all the work.

I'll help out around the ship however I can, too!

Thank you, Andromeda. That'll be a big help!

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Of course! Thanks again for having me!

Okay, everyone ready to go? Then I'm gonna raise the anchor...

...and set sail!