Arjuna despised class limitations.
Arjuna recognized it made sense. They were all expensive enough, mana wise, already. Trying to summon a complete hero with all his abilities would be taking that mana drain to another level. Still, it was beyond annoying. As an Archer, Arjuna only had one sad little melee weapon, a knife he used for general tasks and trimming his arrows. He was disgustingly vulnerable to melee attacks and Lancers were his bane, which had a particular tinge of irony considering Karna's class.
They were engaged in a campaign now, that had lasted nearly a week. This was a temporal disturbance in medieval Britain and they were fighting twisted knights, uncorrupted but clueless knights, and dragons. Well, wyverns. Those wretched things seemed to be everywhere.
Right now, they were in a pitched battle with corrupted knights and dragons. Arjuna narrowed his eyes before sending out carefully aimed arrows. The melee was close now and he had to be careful not to hit any allies. Only his skill with a bow made it possible. Vaguely, Arjuna saw a Lancer spotting him and taking aim. Hooves thundered as the blackened knight made his charge but Arjuna didn't move from his spot or even aim at the knight, just concentrating on his task. He was confident that very soon, his cover would arrive.
And it did, in the form of golden birds carrying ribbons of beautiful gold. One darted in front of the horses' legs, acting like a tripwire and sending the horse tumbling. The second was a noose that caught the knight and he couldn't stop or do anything to avoid it. Arjuna could hear the brutal snap of a neck and then the bird vanished, letting the corpse go tumbling. The horse had a broken leg and started to scream. Arjuna silenced it with a single arrow. It was a waste of his time but he hated the pain of animals.
"Thank you," Arjuna murmured although he knew Karna couldn't hear. He was engaging wyverns near Siegfried and Spartacus, tearing them to pieces with consummate skill. In particular, Karna was shadowing Spartacus, who had no survival instinct and didn't understand the word 'retreat'. Arjuna had observed that Karna often used his birds to 'leash' the Berserker, keeping him from running after the enemy when they went into retreat.
That was needed today. The enemy finally gave up the fight, fleeing the battlefield. Spartacus would have followed, to his own detriment, but Karna used the birds to gently but firmly reign him in. When the enemy was out of sight, he completed the job by jumping into Spartacus' arms. That redirected the Berserker wonderfully and he laughed as he carried Karna off, back to their camp.
They had made camp in a very good spot, beside a river. The Masters had created bounded fields and mystical warnings, to keep them safe while they slept. Arjuna paused at the bank of the river to wash his face and then looked up as he heard a high-pitched yelp. Then his eyes widened in shock as Karna landed in the water on his back, with a resounding splash.
"Spartacus…!" Arjuna turned his head to see both Siegfried and Astolfo double teaming the Berserker. Between the two of them, they got him off balance and pitched him into the water after Karna. But on the way down, Spartacus caught a bit of Astolfo's cloak and he couldn't free himself in time. Arjuna watched with wonder as two more Heroic Spirits hit the water. The only one left dry was Siegfried, which immediately changed as he jumped in to fish out Astolfo, who couldn't seem to swim. Karna paddled over to Spartacus to jump on his shoulders, making the Berserker grin.
"My little one is cool!" Ah, he'd thought that Karna needed to cool off? That would be fairly typical of Spartacus. When he got an idea in his head, it couldn't be dislodged. "I shall teach my little one to swim!" Arjuna saw Karna's shoulders shaking with amusement. He couldn't hear what Karna said to Spartacus, but then a very loud swimming lesson began in earnest.
Bemused by the whole thing – Arjuna was sure Karna didn't need help with his swimming technique – Arjuna abandoned them to go see what was cooking.
It turned out to be interesting and a little appalling.
"Okay, this is looking good. Normally this wouldn't be done for hours," Siegfried's Master said, working with a very odd looking pot. Arjuna frowned as he looked it over. It had odd mechanisms, some kind of valve? "But this is a pressure cooker so we're going to have it done in thirty minutes!" Wait, what? "Okay, the trick is to seal this up properly…" He began working with the lid and Arjuna was fascinated to watch as he slid everything in place. "You see?"
"Interesting. It does make it impossible to add extra ingredients," the nameless Assassin said and Arjuna realized he'd stumbled over an impromptu cooking class. "There's no chance of explosion?" …Wait, what?
"Oh, not really, not with these nice modern ones. They used to be trickier, it's true," David said and Arjuna drifted closer. He really wasn't much of a cook but this was interesting. How did it work?
"How does it work?" Arjuna asked, unable to restrain his curiosity.
"Oh hey, Arjuna! Do you know if there's such a thing as mental earplugs? Astolfo's screaming at me and I'm ignoring him." HAH! "Anyway, this works by harnessing the power of steam. If you can increase the pressure inside the cooking vessel, you can cook things way, way faster. We have some horse meat in here. Oh, don't tell Siegfried, he doesn't like eating horses." Really? That seemed odd. They were lovely creatures but after they were dead, it was a shame to waste the meat. And a battle like the one they'd just had had generated plenty of dead horses.
Putting aside that odd foible, Arjuna accepted a cup of wine and took a place at the fire. The stew was done with preternatural speed and was soon being portioned out. As soon as the food was done, the group of Heroic Spirits in the water came back, sopping wet and pleased with themselves. Well, mostly.
"UGH! I do NOT need swimming lessons! And Master, where were you?! I needed you to save me!" Astolfo complained as he wrung out his hair, then his cloak. Fortunately far from the fire. David didn't look up from the stew.
"You're a big boy, you can take care of yourself. Here, have some wine and stew," he said which neatly distracted the Knight of Charlemagne. Arjuna thought they were lucky someone as levelheaded as David had gotten the volatile yet charming Astolfo. He handled the spirit well.
Soon they were all settled by the fire, enjoying the heavy stew. It was full of dried mushrooms, now plump and flavorful, as well as onions, garlic and barley. It wasn't very similar to the curries Arjuna had enjoyed when alive – the spices were completely different, rosemary and thyme – but still delicious. The meat was particularly tender and Arjuna made a mental note of the pressure cooker. That seemed like a fascinating invention.
There was quiet conversation as they ate and Arjuna saw Karna nestled between Siegfried and Spartacus. He looked very comfortable there and Arjuna vaguely wished it could always be like this. They were extremely lucky that Karna's Master had decided not to come. If he had, the atmosphere in the camp would be very different.
As the sun began to set, though, something marvelous happened.
"Arjuna hasn't heard it. Karna, sing for us," Siegfried gently coaxed Karna, who seemed slightly reluctant. Then Spartacus added his voice.
"Yes little one! Praise the sun as it sets upon another glorious day of victory against the oppressors!" Eh? Arjuna's interest sharpened. He happened to know that the real Karna, his brother, was a poor singer at best. He typically didn't sing at all, just mouthing the words. Karna was finally urged to his feet and Arjuna blinked as his brother gave him an almost guilty glance, reaching up to fiddle with his earring. Then Karna turned towards the setting sun and squared his shoulders, seeming to fall into a trance.
When he opened his mouth, what came out was beautiful. Arjuna was spellbound as he heard the hymn, an ancient liturgical piece dedicated to Surya. Karna's voice soared like birdsong, making the common music into something light and ethereal. The odd, androgynous qualify of his voice seemed to make the music more beautiful and even as he watched, Karna began to dance. That dancing was entirely his brother and fit the music perfectly.
When it ended, Arjuna shook himself out of his trance and joined everyone in giving Karna applause. His brother blushed, a light flush of red on his cheeks, and bowed before taking his place at the fire again.
"Now it's my turn!" Astolfo jumped up and there were a few groans and laughter. "Sing for me while I dance!" Karna's soft laughter rang out and he sang, this time a modern song with semi-obscene lyrics. It worked well with Astolfo's style of dancing and the result was humorous. It got even better when Siegfried got involved, sweeping Astolfo into his arms and dancing with the other Knight as if he was a maiden. Something Astolfo was more than willing to cooperate with, amusingly.
Soon the sun had fully set and they all retired to their tents, except Arjuna. He'd pulled first watch – they didn't completely trust the magical safeguards – and he found a good place to sit, gazing up at the moon. It was full and cast a gentle light, illuminating the campsite and the fading remains of the fire. As he sat, Arjuna's thoughts ranged to the past and his memories of Karna. It was… almost painful to think, but he liked the doll infinitely more than his real brother. Closing his eyes for a moment, Arjuna tried to make peace with that fact. It made him feel guilty and yet, it was not wrong.
In this time and place, it was just how things were.
Several weeks later.
Arjuna hovered over his Master's shoulder, watching over her at the meeting.
Many Servants were there, hovering over their Master's shoulders. Arjuna could sense them all and knew if they all suddenly materialized, the room would be full to the brim. That was why they were all dematerialized, save one. Arjuna silently turned his gaze towards Karna. He was standing against the wall behind his Master, still as a statue, holding his spear as he gazed away calmly. Karna's physical presence had nothing to do with grandstanding, although Arjuna was sure his Master enjoyed showing off the power he commanded. But the doll body meant that Karna was the one spirit in the manor who couldn't dematerialize.
Arjuna happened to still be looking at Karna when the discussion turned to an issue in a place called Las Vegas. Apparently, in one particular timeline the Grail had been won and it was having the effect on the reality there. More subtle than simple destruction, everyone within the area was changing to fit a mold taken from the past, not even realizing it. From what the computer said, a rogue Servant had seized the Grail for himself and was using the energies to re-establish his pre-eminence. The Masters were just discussing what Servants to send and Arjuna's name had come up when Karna stiffened.
"You mustn't," Karna's voice was shockingly loud and Arjuna blinked as all the Master's fell silent and looked at him. "If you send Arjuna, no one will return." …!? "Send the nameless Assassin and your victory shall be assured." Arjuna felt a bit of shock. Why would that Assassin be more suited to this mission than himself? He was a vastly more powerful spirit! Quickly turning his attention to Karna's Master, he saw the man's lips were tight and he seemed most displeased with Karna's interruption. Karna suddenly shrank back on himself and looked down as he realized he'd become the centre of attention.
"Hmph. Is this a prophecy?" The Grand Master asked acerbically and Karna just kept looking away. Arjuna's Master quickly spoke.
"We shouldn't chance that it is. Send the nameless Assassin, but with someone powerful for backup. Achilles?" Is this alright with you Arjuna? Martine silently asked him.
It is fine Master. I only wonder what challenge I am unsuited for, Arjuna said calmly. He could not imagine why his presence could bring about a complete failure. He was the Awarded Hero, after all. Well, he could find out when this team returned. Better yet, he could ask Karna. But if this was true prophecy, and Arjuna had a feeling it was, Karna likely wouldn't know. Hn, another power Karna shouldn't have.
As the meeting continued, Arjuna pondered it. Female, with magical birds that seemed to be related to music and the sun. A gift for prophecy and the ability to see just a little into the future when placed in danger. This sounded like some kind of priestess to him, deeply touched by her chosen god. A child of that god? Perhaps, it would explain how the Master had managed to bind Karna to it. Arjuna wondered if he could find any record of this person in history, then glumly reflected that the nameless Assassin, in particular, had probably already done this. Arjuna should ask the man before he went about re-inventing the wheel.
When they were leaving Arjuna did not follow his Master. Instead he trailed after Karna and his Master, noticing that the man was moving quickly, leaving the other Master's behind. The Master was difficult to read but Karna's posture was another matter. He was both fearful and diffident, silently trying to apologize with his every move even as he hurried to keep up. So Arjuna was expecting some kind of explosion. Likely the Master would turn and yell at his Servant.
He wasn't expecting the Master to turn around and punch Karna in the face.
Arjuna felt paralyzed, as he saw his brother go flying and hit the wall with a clatter of armor. Karna slid down, a grimace of pain on his face and Arjuna could see a thin trickle of blood sliding down his face from a gash in his forehead. Then the Master gripped his hair and pulled him up.
"You know what happens to bitches who speak out of turn, kurva," he said in a quiet but deadly tone before slapping Karna. It was a vicious blow and Arjuna saw blood spray in a fine film from Karna's mouth, little droplets dewing the wall.
Arjuna couldn't take it. He didn't even realize he'd materialized until he had Gandiva pointing at the magus, a blue arrow fully nocked and ready to be fired. Arjuna wanted to fire it, more than anything in the world, but the Command Seal locked him in place. The magus was startled by his sudden appearance but quickly recovered, just looking at his bow for a moment. Then blue eyes moved to him, cold and calculating. The magus smiled before slapping Karna again!
Arjuna's arms shook. His vision blurred as he felt like there was an iron bar on his chest, strangling him. He fought, with all his strength, to take that simple action and release his arrow. He could vaguely feel sweat trickling down his face as the bar constricted more and more and Arjuna vaguely realized it was a physical sensation, he was in fact suffocating but it didn't matter, all that mattered was his arrow –
Arjuna, come to me right now! In the midst of fighting one Command Seal, Arjuna had no hope. He was swept away from the confrontation to his Master's side. The first Command Seal released him and Arjuna reeled, suddenly dematerialized. Then, as he regained his senses, Arjuna was utterly outraged.
Master…! Arjuna started and saw her wince at his tone. How could you?! He needed to kill that man. Arjuna had already known that Karna suffered physical abuse but seeing it that way… and the way the man had slapped Karna as he stood there… Arjuna had rarely confronted such evil.
"Arjuna, calm down." Calm down?! How was he supposed to calm down after seeing THAT? "I know it's pretty terrible but we can't do anything about it. The Grand Master would have a fit and you know why." …Actually he didn't know why, not really.
Why does she care so much about that man? Arjuna asked sharply and Martine looked surprised.
"Oh, right, you're not a magus… the doll Arjuna. He built the doll, fused it with Karna, and bound it to him as a Master." Yes, he knew all this – "It stops the moment he dies." Wait, what?! "The doll isn't like the other Heroic Spirits here, the computer can't just assign it a new Master, it will come apart if he dies. Karna could still be summoned but not like this and be honest Arjuna. Isn't he stronger as he is now?" …
I see, Arjuna said coldly, finally understanding how Karna's Master had made himself so indispensable. It was true, Karna was more powerful in this incarnation than he'd been when he was alive. The ability to see a very short distance into the future was simply too powerful. And even worse. If they succeeded in killing the magus, what would happen to the female spirit inhabiting the doll? If it was another Heroic Spirit or some kind of wraith, it would likely vanish and never be seen again. If he'd been materialized, Arjuna would have ground his teeth together. This is utterly vile, he finally said. And I swear that I will do my utmost to end it. Arjuna saw his Master wince again.
"I know, I know… look, why don't you go keep an eye on Siegfried or something? Karna wouldn't want him to get into trouble." That was… not a bad idea. Arjuna understood much better why the other Heroic Spirit drank, now.
For those who had been so powerful in life, helplessness was a bitter pill to swallow.
