Greece (13): Moonlit stroll. (FTHD - 28)

POV: Medusa. I took a deep breath and ignored the look from the idiot in front of me. I needed to control myself here; even with my powers s

POV: Medusa.

I took a deep breath and ignored the look from the idiot in front of me. I needed to control myself here; even with my powers sealed, I was much stronger than an ordinary human.

I wasn't foolish enough not to realize why Hunter and Chiron wanted me to fight. It would be good to absorb all the techniques Chiron taught me yesterday... Or so the centaur said.

"Why do you stand in my way, beautiful woman?" The armored man in front of me asked, removing his helmet. Maybe he thought I wanted to see his face. Foolish.

I didn't respond; I didn't think it would be useful. The more this guy talked, the more I wondered if I should kill him or not.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward. The man clearly wasn't expecting an attack from me and widened his eyes, raising the shield strapped to his left arm quickly, dropping the helmet on the ground in the process.

"Uh?!" The man grunted from the impact of my sword. His knees buckled and his shield was dented. My sword had also taken damage but remained intact.

Well, it seemed I held back enough.

I kept my knees slightly apart as Chiron insisted on shouting yesterday and bent them slightly, striking with my shield towards the man's face. The sickening sound of "Crack!" from his nose was unpleasant to hear.

I twisted the sword in my hand along with my wrist and cut upwards towards the man's dominant arm. I wouldn't kill him, but severing a muscle in the arm holding the sword would make him give up the battle, I hoped. If not, losing an arm would be my mercy.

I stopped my blow midway when I noticed the man's knees giving out and his body falling backward onto the beach sand, his eyes rolling back and his twisted nose gushing blood. I hesitated to move; my sisters had told me about the 'cunning' of men, and I had read many books about it.

Could it be a trap? I hesitated and poked the man with the sword, slightly piercing his thigh. He didn't move beyond a slight rise and fall of his chest.

"He... fainted? Just from that? Did I hit something important with that shield bash, or was the man so intolerant to pain?"

"Yes. Good job hitting his face. Part of your shield struck his jaw, causing his brain to shake, making him faint." Hunter approached now that the battle seemed over. "Even if that wasn't your intention."

For some reason, I felt disappointed... And how did he know that?!

"Was that it? I was used to defending the island, but it was with my eyes and my strength and speed. My eyes were completely sealed and the other two largely so, but still, was that all?"

How would I test what I had learned like this?!

"Mortals are more fragile than they seem, Medusa." Chiron's steps sounded along with his voice. "Few of them truly stand out. Most won't be a real challenge."

"But you did well." He continued. "Even holding back, you assessed the situation before taking any action and ended the fight quickly. Good job."

I was praised twice, once by a being who, judging by how Chiron acted, was as great and strong as the gods. The second time, by the trainer of heroes himself. Part of my frustration dissipated, but I still felt deceived.

I hadn't aimed for the man's face to end the fight quickly. I just wanted to hit him in the face...

"The next 'hero' should arrive in four hours. You can train with Chiron during that time." Hunter walked over to the unconscious man and grabbed him by the back of his armor. "I'll take this one back to where he came from."

Without another word, Hunter took the man to the small boat and threw him into it before pushing the small boat with his foot, sending it away from the island as the waves guided it somewhere with an unnatural movement.

"Let's go, we have no time to lose." Chiron's voice pulled my attention from the sea. "I noticed many flaws in your posture. For one day of training, it's good, but if you want to claim to be my student, you will need to be much better than that!"

Before I could speak, I was dragged to our training area and Chiron started barking orders, but this time he also attacked me, with a wooden sword.

I raised my shield when I saw the blow coming. My knees buckled from the force.

"Keep your feet angled out. Do you want to be knocked down as easily as that idiot?"

"Keep your mouth shut. Biting your tongue in a fight is common if this happens."

"Don't take the force of the blow with your body. Use the shield first!"

Hunter stood aside watching in silence. I thought he would start throwing his 'Madness Aura' at me again, but no, he just watched.

"Eyes on your opponent! Don't get distracted in a fight!"

The training ended a few minutes before the second 'hero' arrived, the sky already beginning to darken. It was like before, only Hunter and I stayed on the beach while Chiron disappeared somewhere and, to my dismay, the battle was as short as before.

Why did these guys insist on removing their helmets when they saw me?

I didn't have to try hard. The second 'hero,' although more skilled than the first and able to defend himself, was still knocked out with a few blows and sent back to the sea, wherever Hunter sent the waves to take them.

When I asked, he said it was to the nearest beach, near Athens, where they would wake up safely in the morning.

As the moon began to rise in the sky, Hunter decided it was time to head back, Chiron didn't disagree.

"A good night's sleep is important. Your mind, as well as your body, needs rest." Hunter explained. "We'll start at the same time tomorrow. There will be three 'heroes' tomorrow; the first will come earlier than today's."

I nodded and followed the two back to the house, where I could already smell Lady Doll's divine food. I just needed to wash my body before that. Besides helping my sore muscles, I didn't want to be rude by sitting at the table with my body dirty with sweat, sand, and dirt.

                                                            ~ Fate/The Hunter and His Doll ~

POV: Doll.

"How was the training, Medusa?" I placed the plate of food on the table in front of her. It was just the four of us in the house: Medusa, Stheno, Euryale, and me.

The Good Hunter and Chiron had gone fishing, a hobby the Good Hunter had taken up since we came to Shapeless Isle.

I was happy that he had found something he enjoyed doing; it had been a while since that happened, not since Babylon when the Good Hunter and Gilgamesh played chess.

It felt like it was only a few days ago, but it had been centuries. Time really flies with good company, doesn't it?...

"Weren't you watching, Lady Doll?" Medusa tilted her head to the side, confused.

"I was. But I want to know what you think, to hear your opinion in your own words." I sat next to her, facing Stheno, who was beside Euryale.

I didn't eat; I had already done so earlier with the Good Hunter. I was here just to talk with the sisters.

"It's called conversation, Meduseless. I'm sure you know that." Stheno pointed out. Euryale nodded without saying anything.

Medusa was silent for a few seconds, then replied after chewing and swallowing her food.

"It was normal, I guess?" She spoke more like a question than a statement. "I don't really know what normal training would be like. I've never seen anyone train, even though I've read about it, so I can't say for sure."

"Did you like it? Do you think you're improving?" I had seen Medusa being trained; she was talented. Chiron himself had said so while the sisters were bathing. The Good Hunter also praised her, saying she had a strong mind.

The Good Hunter didn't give many compliments, and when he did, they were never empty. Being praised by the Good Hunter with those words said a lot about Medusa's mentality.

"It's exhausting. I won't lie, especially since I feel weak." Medusa explained. I noticed she didn't complain about the seal on her powers, only that she felt weaker. "But it's good to feel improvement. I feel that even with my previous madness, I would be able to control myself much more easily."

"And your technique?" I asked. "It's only been two days since you started training, but how do you think you compare to before?"

"Better, much better." She said with a more animated voice. "I had read some books about it, but having someone to teach me is different. Chiron and Hunter have taught me much more than the books."

"Hunter? Wasn't it the centaur who was teaching you?" Euryale tilted her head to the right, with Stheno mirroring her movements.

"It's mainly Chiron, but Hunter comments on things when he wants to, especially on how I move and walk." Medusa placed her fingers on the table as if they were a little figure.

It was cute.

"It's still strange to use a sword and shield, but it's not bad, just different." She continued. "Hunter said I could try other weapons tomorrow, I'll see if any other is better."

The dinner continued normally. At the end, Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale bid goodnight and went to their rooms to sleep. I got up when the three closed their doors and went outside, heading towards the small pier where the Good Hunter and Chiron were.

"I sense something coming. I don't know what, but it's big." I heard Chiron's voice in the distance. "It's been a while since these lands have had a true hero."

I approached calmly and sat next to the Good Hunter in silence. The two had already detected my presence long ago and were not surprised.

"You have good instincts, Chiron." The Good Hunter responded calmly, his eyes shining like the moon, full of Insight. "Just one question: Are you a good navigator?"

Chiron opened his mouth but seemed to find no words and sighed.

"I won't ask, nor do I want to know." He seemed to be talking to himself. "Let the future stay in the future. But yes, I am a good navigator... I can already feel the headache coming..."

I could sense the amusement emanating from the Good Hunter and smiled cheerfully. It was good to see him happy.

The Good Hunter and Chiron continued their night fishing for some time, with conversations happening here and there. I participated in some, remained silent in others. After a while, Chiron bid goodnight to sleep, leaving just me and the Good Hunter on the pier.

The silence around us was not tense but calm and serene. I was as used to the Good Hunter's presence as he was to mine.

After a few minutes, perhaps hours — time passed confusingly and quickly, with the moon still in the sky — the Good Hunter was the first to speak.

"What do you think of our days here, Doll?" The Good Hunter asked, looking at the sea. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes. It's different from the places we've stayed before, especially from Uruk, but it's not bad." I liked Medusa's company; she was a kind young woman, and although Stheno and Euryale were prickly, they weren't bad people.

Even Chiron, with whom I had interacted little, was good company.

"I'm glad then." The Good Hunter nodded calmly and fell silent, letting the sound of the waves be the only noise. "Would you like to take a walk?"

The Good Hunter stood and extended his hand, which I took.

"Of course, O Good Hunter." I would never refuse such an invitation.

We walked slowly along the beach in silence, circling the island until we returned to the small pier, where our footprints were still fresh in the sand, as if the sea didn't want to erase them with its waves.

"And you, Good Hunter? What do you think of our days here?" I asked, our arms still intertwined, repeating the question he had asked me earlier. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

The Good Hunter took a few seconds to respond, his blue eyes shining softly under the moonlight.

"Yes, in a way, yes." The Good Hunter responded serenely. "It's peaceful, but not bad."

"I'm glad then." I copied his words with a small laugh. The Good Hunter didn't laugh, but I could see and feel the amusement in his eyes.

Shortly before we returned to our house to sleep, even though neither of us needed to, the Good Hunter looked at the sea and then the sky one last time, at the moon.

"Thank you, Doll... For everything."

I didn't ask the reason for this gratitude and why now; it wasn't necessary and never would be.

"Thank you, O Good Hunter."

The moon was beautiful that night, just as it always had been and always would be...

[...]---[...]

Regarding the chapter, well... Something more laid-back with a few small fights at the beginning and then some interaction between the Hunter and the Doll. I enjoyed writing that part.

Well, a small time skip in the next chapter. This Medusa arc should last just a few more chapters before we move on to the next one. Any ideas on what it will be? It’s pretty obvious actually, given the hints I’ve left.

That said, as always, have a good night everyone and happy reading!