Arjuna answered his summons with an intrigued feeling.
This was not a Grail War. He could tell that immediately from the feeling of the summons. He was also not being given the option of refusal, which was interesting. This power was strong enough to compel. Curious and interested, Arjuna did not try to resist and descended from the Throne of Heroes. He materialized into a beautifully appointed great room, with a large summoning circle permanently inscribed into the floor.
"I see," Arjuna said aloud as knowledge filled his mind. Imparted not by the Grail, but by the unusual object, a mystical computer? That was behind all of this. "Are you my Master?" Despite the incredible system that had summoned him, the Master-Servant bond was still necessary to anchor him in the world. The young woman in front of him beamed.
"I am! Do you accept my contract?" she asked and Arjuna nodded, even as he examined her. A very short redhead, she was cute as a button and looked lively, with warm brown eyes. "My name is Martine Nichero. May I have yours?"
"Heroic Spirit Arjuna," Arjuna said immediately, understanding that with this system that she would not know his name. Her eyes widened and she suddenly looked taken aback.
"…Oh. That's not good," his Master coughed, reaching up and tugging on her collar. "That's… really bad actually. I don't know…" Arjuna could easily guess what was going on.
"Master, I will assume that Karna has already been summoned," he said cooly and saw his Master bite her bottom lip. "While having us in the same camp is asking for trouble, I will endure it." This place was devoted to preserving the human race. Arjuna would not jeopardize that for an old grudge, no matter how profound.
"No, you don't understand…" Martine muttered and Arjuna frowned at her. "It's not like that, he's not… Karna isn't really here but… oh man. I hate to do this I really hate it but the Grand Master will kill me if there's an incident so I just have to." What? "Arjuna!" She lifted her hand and Arjuna's eyes widened as the Command Seals flared. "You will not, under any circumstances, take action against the Master of Heroic Spirit Karna!" What?! Arjuna gasped as he felt the command hit him, like an iron bar around his soul.
"Master?!" Arjuna said, aghast, as he considered what this command meant. Karna's Master was… abusing him? Holding him under duress? It had to be but how could that be true? Karna would never accept such a thing! "Explain this!" Really, this was absolutely unacceptable. His Master looked at her burned out command seal for a moment before meeting his eyes. Her expression was regretful but firm.
"Karna isn't a real Heroic Spirit. He's something new, a form of demi-Servant. My cousin managed to summon him and bind his essence into a sentient doll," Martine explained and Arjuna struggled with the concept even as knowledge was given to him. In this context 'doll' meant a body of porcelain and wood? Animated with magic and given a semblance of life? "A Servant is a tool, a means to an end." That might be true but was not appreciated. "A doll, though, is merely an object." …Was this some kind of sick joke? Karna, his brother, was considered an object in this place?
"You are telling me that my brother is a slave here," Arjuna said, an edge to his voice as he stared at his Master. She winced but did not deny it. "And you are telling me that he has accepted this?" That was absurd. Karna had always been determined not to accept the limits of his caste.
"He's a doll. He doesn't have a choice," Martine said gently and Arjuna ground his teeth together as he understood. A doll would be implanted with mystical compulsions that precluded disobedience. "And you shouldn't think of it as your brother at all. It's just a doll that looks a bit like him." Arjuna was certain he was being lied to. "You'll be seeing it soon enough. Let me introduce you to everyone." Which would likely include his brother. Lovely.
As Martine showed him around, Arjuna took in his surroundings. This was a great manor house, but built on the scale of a castle. There was no cold stone, only warm wood and everything was extremely comfortable, with a wide variety of décor. Some of the rooms were, in his opinion, in very poor taste. A particular dining room that had a golden ceiling made him wince and look away. The rest of the décor carried the theme with more excessive gilding and Arjuna was reminded of several palaces he'd seen when he was alive. He'd disliked them as well…
Ruefully acknowledging that his minimalistic tastes were not shared by many, Arjuna followed his Master into large meeting area. Arjuna immediately noticed that the furnishings were oddly cheap here, and heavily scarred. Trestle tables with benches and chairs, mostly, and as he walked two… people… were gathering up mugs and plates.
So these are dolls, Arjuna thought as he examined them. Both white as snow with very short hair, they were slender and graceful, weaving through the Servants in the room easily as they completed their tasks. Arjuna knew he would likely have dismissed them if he hadn't been aware his brother was one of them. They looked quite human, despite the odd coloring. There were many Servants in the room, drinking and socializing. Arjuna didn't recognize any of them.
Then a new Servant entered the room and Arjuna suddenly realized why the furnishings were so cheap.
Berserker. The man who walked into the room with a heavy tread was easily seven feet tall and grinning widely. Along with the strange mask on his face, he was incredibly imposing. And slung over his shoulder was… what?!
"We have practiced hard for our future battles against the oppressors!" The stranger boomed before dropping the person on his shoulder on to the table, on his back. Arjuna stared as the whole table shook and several people lost their drinks. "Sustenance! We require sustenance! Yes, yes, you must eat, do not shake your head!" A white head was shaking and Arjuna swallowed as the person on the table sat up, his red cloak billowing around him. "Keep up your strength!"
"Just humor him, it's easier," someone behind them said and Arjuna blinked, realizing he'd completely missed the third Servant bringing up the rear. He was a tall, strong man but his companion made him look almost slight. His chest had a beautiful pattern of light, like nothing Arjuna had seen before. Karna heaved a sigh before nodding. Then he turned his head and Arjuna was able to see his face.
He wasn't exactly Karna. The facial structure was subtly different. His lips were fuller, his eyes a bit larger. Up close, Arjuna would always have known this wasn't his brother. However, he would have assumed the doll was Karna's son, one that had taken after him more fully than his real sons. The resemblance was pronounced.
"Uh, right, that's the doll," his Master said quietly and seemed very nervous. Arjuna wondered why. "You can hang out here and if there's anything you want to know, the others can tell you. Mind if I…?" Arjuna frowned but nodded.
"I will be fine Master," he said, still wondering why she wanted to get away so quickly. Was she afraid of something? But that made little sense. Martine quickly made her exit and Arjuna stared after her thoughtfully for a moment. That was strange…
Looking back at the table he was treated to an even stranger sight as the two dolls brought out more food, including a fully cooked chicken. Karna opened his mouth to say something and Arjuna quickly moved closer – he wanted to see if his brother's voice was different – but then the hulking berserker shoved a drumstick in his mouth. Arjuna blinked at the comical surprise on Karna's face.
"Eat little one, you are too thin!" The berserker bellowed and the other man with them was laughing silently, his shoulders shaking. Karna took the piece of chicken out of his mouth with a smile and began to eat it, quick and dainty bites. Arjuna had actually seen his brother eat before and while he'd been neat, this was not quite like him. He drifted closer as the third man – a Saber, from the great sword on his back – took a seat and began dishing himself some roasted potatoes. The berserker shared more of the chicken before claiming what was left.
The three of them chatted a bit as they ate and the berserker… sort of made sense. It was possible to follow his general line of thought, at least, if you ignored the overblown language. He seemed to be obsessed with oppressors and Arjuna thought perhaps that was why his Master had almost run away. Did the berserker think of most Masters as 'oppressors'?
"Who are you and why are you skulking around?" A voice spoke in his ear and Arjuna almost jumped out of his skin. Turning sharply he beheld a man in black and grey camouflage, with tanned skin and strikingly white hair. There was a bandanna around his forehead, in more nighttime camouflage.
"I am Heroic Spirit Arjuna," Arjuna said frigidly and saw a flash of surprise, followed by a small quirk of the lips. "And I am not skulking." Really, he was just standing here. The other man's smile became more pronounced as he glanced at the table.
"I suppose it's not spying when you have to stand back to avoid being deafened," the stranger said before gesturing towards the group. "Do you want to say hello to your brother? But don't expect too much. He's mentioned that the memories are clear but disconnected, as though they belong to someone else." …Interesting.
"Then who is he?" Arjuna asked and the stranger's eyes flicked towards him. He noticed they were a beautiful shade of honey-brown. Hmm, this man had to be an assassin. The Servant stared at him for a moment before giving him a small, hard smile.
"His Master calls him kurva and I'm told that was the doll's name before it was merged with a heroic spirit. However, since that means 'bitch' I would not suggest using it." …What? "I really don't know more than that and frankly, I don't want to. But you should go say hello." The assassin suggested firmly and Arjuna considered it for a moment before nodding.
"Very well." It would be rude not to at least exchange a few words with his 'brother'.
Arjuna walked confidently to the table, on the side of the saber. All three of them looked up and Arjuna saw the moment Karna recognized him and his eyes became glacial, his expression closed off. Arjuna sorted through his memories of his brother and tried to decide if that was a remotely normal expression for him. …It might have been, when he was younger and confronted with someone he hated. Arjuna wasn't entirely sure, he'd never been that close to Karna.
"Oho, a new warrior to fight against the oppressors!" The berserker was already giving him a headache. The Saber turned around in his seat to look at him, a curious expression on his face. "Unless you are an oppressor? Are you a tyrant?" The berserker demanded and Arjuna blinked.
"No," he said simply. Arjuna could safely say that one thing he'd never been was a tyrant. The berserker seemed dissatisfied by his response.
"Then are you a rebel against the tyranny or a sycophant, licking the boots of our tyrannous masters?" …Uh… Arjuna looked at the two sane people at the table. The Saber was shaking his head and Karna was examining his hand as though it was fascinating.
"Spartacus, you can figure that out later. I'm sorry, he's a bit difficult. I'm the Wandering Swordsman, Siegfried. This is the Laughing Rebel, Spartacus, and this is the Hero of Charity, Karna," Siegfried introduced them and Arjuna reflected on the oddity of being introduced so to his own brother.
"I am the Awarded Hero, Arjuna," he replied, since they were being formal. Siegfried stared for a moment before abruptly looking at Karna. Their eyes met and Karna gave his companion a one-shoulder shrug before looking away. Arjuna frowned. That gesture made Karna look almost like a petulant child, refusing to speak. Siegfried turned back before giving him an insincere smile.
"We are pleased to meet you," he said politely before turning back to his companions. Arjuna knew he'd been dismissed. This was… rude… but he had no choice but to accept it. The assassin brushed past him and was immediately welcomed at the table, to his irritation. Arjuna frowned as he walked away.
He'd only said hello to his brother out of obligation. If Karna wished to snub him, it should not bother him in any way.