FATE/DOWN THE CRIMSON PATH
DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN FATE. FATE BELONGS TO TYPE-MOON AND NASU KINOKO. I OWN ONLY MY OC. ANY RESEMBLENCE TO REAL PERSON OR PEOPLE ARE MERE COINCIDENCE. NO FINANCIAL PROFIT IS MADE FROM THIS. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.
A/N Hi guys, I'm finally back with an update after a long one month. Thank you for staying patient with me. Thank you for all your support as well. So, this is not the only update I'm doing. About the same time, my other fic, Altered Kaleidoscope will be updated as well, by my beloved friend and publisher, SPR.
Enough rambling from my part, on with the story.
Chapter 12
"Back already? How did things go?" Asked the Master of Assassin as she watched Waver and Lorelei stepped into the room. Her tone carried some amusement in it, which meant she might have seen some parts of the fight, but decided to just sit back and enjoy the show, instead of helping them.
Lorelei sat down on the couch without another word. "Is that how you greet people? Your manners are certainly lacking if that's the case." She said in her usual monotone but didn't reprimand her. Although she was annoyed by her attitude, she knew better than to force her to act polite.
The Magus brushed the comment aside, clearly not minding it, and smiled. A woman in her early thirties, skilled in weaponry, as in modern weaponry, but her skills as a Magus remained unknown, even to the Association. Much like the Magus Killer, she preferred the use of modern weaponry when compared to thaumaturgy, but the Queen decided to ignore that for now. Long blond hair with olive green eyes and slightly dark skin, clad in simple black attire, and a coat over it with reinforcement magic working the whole time. It even had a pocket which connects to a space she created to store her weapons and Mystic Codes, not that she would let anyone know of course.
"Now, now no use getting so worked up now, Barthomeloi..." She said calmly, while the Lord looked on at the exchange with a choking expression. She kind of enjoys the sight but decided not to show it, least she anger the Queen even further.
"You did finish what I want you to do, right?" Lorelei got straight to the point.
Miranda Slovov nodded. "Indeed, with the help from Assassin and Rider, things went on quite smoothly, especially when the fight caught the attention of all the participants present. None of them paid any extra attention to what I had been doing, not with all the fighting happening."
"Good, and?"
She frowned. "It's just like what you said. For the past two centuries, the system remained dormant, though its inner energy continued to peak. I am sure that the energy will soon burst through whatever barrier or container they had set up to contain it. When that happens, things would turn catastrophic. Given what the young Emiya had told you, and my own findings, I have to say that Zelretch might be speaking the truth for once."
Lorelei too frowned at what she told her. Waver was getting more confused by the moment. Silence descended on the group, but Waver decided to break it first. He cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention, before asking his question.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Remember what the old vampire had told me? That the Holy Grail is corrupted?" A nod from the Lord. "Well, it seems that for once, he isn't lying about things. The great fire at the end of the war was caused by the Holy Grail when its contents were spilled."
"How the hell did you even find out about this?" Waver demanded, eyes boring into Miranda.
She shrugged, not intimidated by him. "I have my own methods, and I prefer to keep them a secret. A secret makes a woman, woman. Don't you keep yours as well, Lord El-Melloi?" She asked as a matter of factly.
The lord coughed, not wanting to answer her question because he knew how right she was, even if she was just a Spellcaster instead of a full-fledged Magus. After all, he had no rights to say things about others, and how they view the world of magic. He just had to make sure the Archibalds had a solid reason not to kill him, and Reines had no reason to divorce him or put him under a permanent geis.
"What do you wish to do next?" The mercenary asked.
Loreloi contemplated her choices, running simulations in her mind before leaning forward in her seat to let the two know. After they heard what she had in mind, the two were so shocked that her words left them with open mouths.
So even the great Barthomeloi has her own weak moments... The other two thought in their minds, as they share a look.
A beautiful park, with the greenery covering the place, and the birds chirping merrily in the trees, bees, and butterflies dancing over the flowerbeds, and children running over the place, playing while their parents sat under the shades, watching over them.
I was trapped in the body of a little girl. No matter how much I tried to move, my body refused to obey my command. It was as if, this was a memory, and I was the tourist, taking a stroll through it.
A little girl, with short, dark hair and sea blue eyes tugged at my hand, urging me to follow her. Her smile was so beautiful, I remember telling myself that it was something I had to protect with my life, no matter what. I laughed, running after her, and up to a woman with long hair, her smile gentle. She ran up to the woman, throwing herself into her arms, and smiled as she nuzzled up to the warmth.
"Nee-san, come." The little girl said to me.
I smiled, and walked up to them, sitting beside them. The woman, our mother, draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against her.
The feeling of being able to be with my family, it was something I had not felt in years, not even with them. No matter how much they had cared for me, it could never beat the love of a mother to her child. To her, I was special, and so was my sister. Nothing in the world could change that.
A man with dark brown hair walked up to us, and both Sakura and I shared a gaze before nodding in agreement. The two of us jumped up and tackled Kariya-ojisan to the ground. The man laughed, trying to sit up, and the both of us weighed him down. Mother tried to help him, but we tickled him till he gave up, and handed little presents to us.
Sakura and I would laugh happily, and hug the man till he couldn't breathe, and mother would watch with her soft smile, and told us not to do it again, of course, we did it again and again, not that they had actually minded. They loved our playfulness, just like how we love them, just the way we were.
The scene changed.
In front of a manor, a black car parked, waiting. The back window gave sight to an old man grinning maliciously. My sister was being taken away. A man in black was holding her away from our home, taking her away from me. She turned back to me, her sea-blue eyes teary. I stood there, not even taking a step forward, not even saying a word to her.
A tear, as beautiful as a precious stone, slid down her cheek, and I knew I lost her forever.
I ran back to my room once the car left my sight, closing and locking the door behind me. The tears rolled down my cheeks, fat ugly droplets of liquid, which reminded me over and over again on how useless I was. How insignificant I was in the world. I let the tears come. I didn't try to hold it back, I didn't even try to wipe them away.
With my back to the door, I sat down on the cold floor, hugging my knees, burying my face in them, and continued to cry. I didn't know how long did I cry, or why did I pass out, but when I woke up again, my mother was right beside me, her face worried. Tears were forming in her eyes, as she pulled me into a hug.
I wanted to cry, but I couldn't feel the tears coming. I felt so empty as if there was no emotion in me. As if the little girl named Tohsaka Rin had died when she lost her sister. All that was left was an empty husk, dragging forward, always moving forward with no aim in life.
Once again, the scene changed.
A room, the same room as before. The only difference was the time. Before, it was during the day, but now, a moon was clearly seen in the sky, its soft rays gently illuminating the world. I sat in front of my table, with a pen in hand, and several papers on the table in front of me.
My mind wandered, to all my memories, digging them back up again, laughing at my own idiocy over the years, at how small I truly was in the vast world. But I also saw things more clearly then. To me at that time, everything was as clear as the day.
I smiled at myself, wishing that the letter would reach your hands, hoping that I would have a chance to call you my little sister again.
The memories stopped abruptly, and I jolted awake from the darkness. Slowly, my eyes adjusted to my surroundings, and my senses returned to me. Arcueid, being the worrywart she was, sat right beside my bed, and was already staring into my eyes when she realized that I was awake. Worry was etched on her features, and guiltiness clawed at me.
"You alright?" She asked.
It was a dumb question actually. Considering I just got knocked out by a mere mortal, I was pissed. I didn't answer her and just sat up in bed despite she telling me to lie down. Of course, the old man was nowhere to be seen, probably busy with his research or whatever he was working on in his workshop.
Ruler was standing in a corner, her amethyst eyes regarding me with a gentle, worried glint. When she saw me, she smiled and made her way to the side of my bed.
"It's good to see you awake, milady. Are you feeling better now?"
I nodded and noticed Arcueid pouting. Probably a little crestfallen as I didn't answer her question. Ruler smiled again at my answer and took her leave. The White Princess was glad for the silence, as she wasn't prepared to face her wrath. And surprisingly, the young Magus didn't bring the topic up at all. She just sat there, lying back against the headboard, her eyes staring into space. Complete silence.
So she too just sat there and waited for her to at least say something, anything to her to break the silence. But Daphne seemed to be lost in thought, her finger tapping on her arm, her pupils dilating and contracting. Then she realized what was happening, and stood up, grabbing her by the arms and shouting.
"Hey, Daphne, wake up! Daphne! Daphne!" She called, but the girl was too absorbed in her own thoughts to pay any real attention to her.
The door opened with a bang, and Zelretch rushed into the room, pushing something down her throat. For a moment, they thought she choked on it, as her facial expression was one filled with agony. She doubled over, clutching at her heart before snapping her eyes open, which flashed crimson before turning back to sea-blue. But the ruby glint in them was clearer than before. The two Dead Apostle Ancestors exchanged a glance and agreed not to say anything for now.
Daphne blinked for several times before her gaze finally focused on the two of them. Her voice was a little hoarse, but they sensed no abnormality from her words.
"What happened?" She asked, still a little bleary.
"Nothing," Arcuied said with a poker face. "You seemed to be zooming out, so we just shook you back to reality. Where were you?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose, a little annoyed at being woken up. "Somewhere dark..." The elder woman looked surprised. She didn't expect her to actually go anywhere. But perhaps her mind did wander off to a place neither she or her grandfather could reach.
"And? What did you see? What were you doing there?" She pressed on, not wanting to leave any stone unturned.
"Well, for starters, I was just a bystander. I didn't do anything. There was nothing there except me, and these two strange orbs. One of them was so beautiful, rainbow color flickering over its surface. And the power of it radiated was so pure, like a new born baby, innocent to the ways of the world. There was another orb there too. The other one was pulsating with darkness, with red veins spiraling from it, reaching out towards me, coaxing me to reach out for it, wanting me to touch it. I was so close, but you two snapped me out from it." She ended with a roll of her eyes.
Zelretch took a seat on the couch and closed his eyes in thoughts. "So you're basically saying that between the two, you chose the black one?"
The Magus cocked her head in mild surprise. "What's wrong with choosing that one? I mean, the power it radiated was so strong, so unbeatable, anyone would've chosen that one too. Not just me. The rainbow one was powerful, but it had gone weaker over the years. It only solidifies my choice." She finished with a shrug.
The old vampire leaned over in his chair, placing his hands on his thighs and opened his blood red eyes. "I suppose that I should tell you something. It's time that you know what are the powers contained within you."
The Masters of the Red Faction filed into the spacious room with confused expressions. They had just been woken up, rather roughly by the familiars Medea had sent. Their Servants were not around, as Medea and their Masters had assigned them to different locations on the mountain on guard duty. No matter how good the naturally bounded field around the place was, it was always a good thing to put in extra precautions. She formed an artificial link with them all, so she could be updated on the situation the whole time. She had also given out some trinkets, so they could summon some Dragon Tooth warriors to help in the defense should the enemy decided to strike.
"Anything happened?" Bazett asked. She was the most alert among them all, as her experience as an Enforcer trained her to be alert at all times.
The princess nodded and channeled mana into an orb, which lighted up and displayed images of the Ruler class Servant, and those summoned with her Command Seals. Immediately, all the Masters jolted up, very much awake by the images which were shown by the princess.
"Is that... Lancer? And Saber?" Asked the red head.
"But how?" Sakura asked.
The princess let the images hover in front of them, then proceeded to explain the situation. One of her familiars came into the room with tea and snacks, then took its leave again. Medea pulled back her hood and gazed around her audience.
"Well, as all of you know, the Throne of Heroes exist of the time axis. Hence it is possible to summon Heroic Spirits from the future. However, due to the corruption of the Grail in the third war, it caused unorthodox spirits such as Bluebeard to be summoned. That issue is not what I want to bring to your attention today."
"Then what?" Asked a lazy voice from the door.
Medea turned to see her Master, Shinichi standing at the door, his eyes glued to the Gameboy he held in his hands, a lollipop dangling from between his lips. She was momentary surprised, and quickly stood up, regaining her composure. She walked over to the boy.
"Master, I thought I told you to stay in your rooms?" She said, her voice much gentler than what Shirou could remember.
He paused his game and looked up at her with a sour look. "No, you didn't. You told me not to leave the temple grounds."
She sighed in resignation. "Do you want to join us?"
"Whatever..." The boy mumbled, plopping down beside Karma. Once seated, he didn't even bother to greet the others, or just a simple act of looking up from his game.
Medea sat down again and took a sip of her tea to calm her nerves down. Shirou was staring at her with a weird expression, and the princess frowned at his action.
"Something on my face?" She asked, a little irritated.
He quickly shook his head. "No, that's not it. ... How should I put it? ... Err...you act differently from what I could remember..." He trailed off lamely.
Medea smiled but didn't comment on it. "You have a point there. Indeed, now that you mentioned it, that's what I want to bring up now. We are legends, myths, passed down from generation to generation, era to era. However, even though we survived the corrosion of time, but it doesn't mean we are able to remain who we truly were in life. Not to mention that the Medea sitting here is a mere copy of the true Medea in the Throne, as True Heroic Spirits can never be summoned. As you all know, the legend of Medea had two stages, one, when I was a Princess, and two..."
"You were remembered as a witch..." Luvia said, light dawning on her. "Different aspects of a Heroic Spirit..."
Medea nodded in affirmative. "It's possible to summon the different aspects of a Spirit. Due to the nature of my Master, my alignment is more to the Princess Medea part, instead of the part of the cold-blooded witch. Lancer as well. He was a fierce fighter in his days, hence I'm not surprised he actually qualify for the Berserker class."
"Wait up..." Shirou interrupted. "But Saber's a special case right? She's not even a true Heroic Spirit, to begin with. So how was she summoned as a Lancer?"
Medea thought about the question, then cleared her throat before giving an answer. "I suppose you can think of it in this way. The one who pledged her service to Alaya was the Arthuria wielding the Holy Sword, not the one wielding the Holy Spear. So I suppose some part of her could have ascended to the Throne of Heroes. And just like what I said earlier, we who are summoned, are not the true form of our true selves."
"Will things spiral out of control here?" Luvia asked.
"Things like this is bound to happen. In a war, or just a mission, there's no guarantee that things would go in the way you want them to go. Things always go south, no matter how good your plan may seem in the first place. That is something I must stress on. No matter what kind of strategy that we are coming up with in this war, use them as a guide only." The Enforcer stated.
Medea nodded. "Indeed. Such is the norm in the world. In my time, I thought that I could have a happy life after marrying Jason, but alas. After meeting him, my life changed drastically. Enough about me, shall we move back to the strategizing part?"
"Who's the Master of Ruler?" Shirou asked.
"Good question. It's someone you all know." With a sweep of one hand, another image appeared, and everyone gasped in shock.
"Nee-san?" Sakura croaked, her voice betraying herself. "But I thought..."
"... She doesn't have Command Seals." Luvia finished.
Bazett eyed the girls. "Perhaps not at the time you met her. Or she had simply concealed them with magic. Have you all not consider that possibility?"
The three of them looked momentarily dumbfounded. They felt stupid for not thinking about that. She was a Magus herself, of course she would have thought to do that. Just because they thought they had known the girl ten years ago, it didn't mean that she wouldn't change over the years, especially when they had not seen her in this one decade, only to have her reappearing, and more powerful that ever,
Luvia frowned. "Wait up...just how did she manage to maintain her Servants? Her Ruler Servant and herself didn't seem to be affected by the mana drain from supporting so many Servants. How did she manage to pull that off?"
"Eh? What?" Shinichi asked, finally looking up from his game and paying attention to what they were discussing. "Mana drain?"
Medea turned to the young Magus. "Let me explain this to you. When a Servant is being summoned, the ritual opened a gate into the Throne of Heroes, while the Grail pull the Hero into the modern world. However, after we have been summoned, the Grail no longer supply us with mana. This is taken over by a Master, which is a Magus. In other words, the Masters are the one keeping us in the world. However, a Master requires mana to cast spells as well. Hence, with the draw of mana on both side, it might cause a Master to collapse."
The boy made a face. "In simple words?"
Medea gave him a soft smile. "Well, it means that a Master is unable to support more than one Servant at most times."
"Can't you just say that to me in the first place?" He countered with a pout.
Ferdinand leaned his elbows on the low table. "Allow me to interrupt. In this Apocrypha, things might not be as simple as a usual Apocrypha. As you all know, due to the foolishness of the Einzberns in the third war, and our obsession to attain the Third Magic, Avenger was summoned, causing the Grail to be corrupted. Aside from being the Einzbern champion in this war, I also hold the responsibility to end the War once and for all."
"That's a first, the Einzberns actually admitted their folly..." Bazett mumbled under her breath.
The homunculus didn't miss it, though. However, he decided to brush the comment off. "Hence I am asking for your help. I don't care what the old man Acht would react to this, I need help if I were to achieved what I have come here for in the first place."
The rest of the party looked at each other. It was clear what their decision was. Shirou was the one to voice their decision. "We will help you as well, Ferdinand. I've seen what the Holy Grail is truly like, Sakura had lost a lot due to the Grail. Though Bazett and Luvia had yet to know the true nature of the Grail, they will help as well."
"And I shall assist you all as well," Medea remarked. "I've been to the cavern which houses the Greater Grail. What I felt when I was there was not the wish granting omnipotent tool. Instead, its presence was so malevolent it could drive anyone insane with the power, the pure darkness it's holding back. You can practically feel the curses bubbling beneath the surface of the container."
Ferdinand nodded. "Indeed. When we sent a team to Fuyuki a few years ago, they returned to Germany with the same results. Hence, the old man had wanted us to shut down the system."
"Still, he should at least inform the rest of the Founding Families. Not to mention the Matou, as they're defunct, but a letter to the Tohsaka wouldn't hurt." Sakura said in his face.
"My deepest apologies, lady Tohsaka. The old man was stubborn on how things should be done. Some of the elders did bring the topic up but were dismissed. I myself feel obliged to let you know, as your ancestor did offer his land as the place to conduct the ritual in the first place."
Luvia decided to step in before things went haywire. "Let's calm down and move back to our topic, shall we? Caster, what do you propose we do now that the third force had shown up?"
The Magus from the Age of Gods smiled. "Nothing. We hole up in Ryuudou temple for the time being and gather as much information as we could before we attack. Even better, let them take out each other first, then we just swoop in for the final kill."
"I disagree." Said Sakura adamantly. "My goal in this war is clear. My sister is alive, and she's my top priority. I will save her, I will bring her back to her true family."
Medea narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Child, you do know what are the stakes if you wish to go on with your childish whims? It may be true that she's your sister. But this is a war, and you have no idea what would happen. Not to mention the fact that you have not seen her in a decade. Who knows how much she has changed? With eight Heroic Spirits under her command, she can easily tip the war in her favor."
Luvia turned to Medea. "I disagree with your point. You may be true that she has the control over the biggest force in the war. However, in order to take out her force, all we need to do is to kill her, and we are all back to zero."
"Edelfelt-san!" Shirou exclaimed. "Not you too..."
Bazett sighed. "I'm afraid I agree with Edelfelt. We're trying to keep ourselves alive here. That's our top priority. Everything other than that can wait."
"About the Ruler faction..." Ferdinand interrupted, focusing on an image. "I believe we have bigger problems than we originally expected."
Beowulf was not pleased with how things had turned out so far. Whatever plans he had made had been flushed down the drain without even having the chance to be executed. Not to mention the assault on the Emiya compound. He was planning to take out the entire faction in one go, but all they did was to take out a Servant. And even that wasn't done by him or Mordred. Instead, the Lord had been the one to complete the feat.
He slammed a fist into the armrest of the armchair he was seated and gulped down his wine in one go. "I will make them all pay for this. Especially the enemy faction. Then, I will kill the three of them myself. I will not tolerate such insult to my family. The Rozenwalt will be the new rulers of the world we shall create."
"Calm down, Beowulf," Francis said to the man. "We still have a lot of chances to get back at them. Besides, the war is just warming up. Let's take our time to enjoy the show for now."
"He's right, wolfie. Keep your fangs in check..." Said Charlotte, a little drunk.
The man glared at her but say no more. It was clear he was angry and was in no mood to entertain them. He turned to the empty seat and wondered how Yvonne was doing at the moment. Even at times like this, she still refuses to fully follow through with his plans. She was too obsessed with killing the Emiya Magus.
"Modred..." He called, and the swordswoman appeared in a shower of red. She remained knelt before her Master, with her head hung low. "How are you guys faring?"
She raised her head. "Well, my Master. The mana supplied is enough for us to heal ourselves. We shall fully recover in two days."
"Then we will raid the temple the night after tomorrow," Beowulf said decisively.
Francis sat up straight. "Wait, Beowulf. It's better for us to gather more information before making any more attacks on the enemy. You know fully well how we had suffered from the lack of information."
"I don't care." He stated as a matter of fact.
Charlotte sighed, and turned to Francis, shaking his head. She knew there was no way of getting to him once he made up his mind. It's to follow his plan or leave.
"Then what's the plan?" He asked in resignation.
Beowulf's eyes glinted. "No plans this time. We'll just rush in, and do as much damage as we can."
The two of them blinked in surprise. But that didn't mean that they didn't love the plan. In fact, that was what they had wanted in the first place. In the Holy Grail war, there was no need for plans. All that they needed was the skill on how to survive it.
"Hmm, wolfie, I think that you forgot something just now..." Charlotte mumbled, taking another swig from her bottle. "The mountain has its own natural bounded fields to repel our Servants. We need to charge into the place announced. There's only one narrow path up the hill, and both forces will be concentrated in one area."
"Your point?"
Francis connected the dots first. "Wait, do you mean..." The woman nodded, and his expression turned grave. Beowulf urged the man to continue. "...no matter what happens in the end, no matter which faction falls, all the remaining forces might be taken out by the Ruler class and her allies. We cannot overlook such a possibility. After the fight, we are at our most vulnerable."
The leader nodded in agreement. "You're both right. However, we should avoid any other problems which might arise from this conflict between the three forces. If we can, take one out to avoid an alliance between them."
"Then why not we ally ourselves to one of the faction first?" Charlotte suggested.
Beowulf sprang from his chair in pure anger, throwing his wine glass at her feet. The woman immediately woke up from her drunken state and blinked at the man before her. Francis sweatdropped, but said nothing to avoid himself being caught in the crossfire.
I guess I can understand why Lord Waver rather follow the Queen. Maybe I made the wrong choice... Francis thought to himself bitterly.
He watched on as Beowulf sat back shakily onto his chair, while Charlotte looked at him with a fearful expression. The man sat back, closed his eyes and sighed a few times, before opening them and looking at her.
"Never suggest such an idea again. It's outrageous. I am Beowulf Rozenwalt. I do not need help from them. All that I need are Magus with exceptional skills. Those brats are not even worth my blade. More ever, I refuse to lower myself to such a low level."
Francis allowed himself a small smile. "They may be brats in your eyes, my good leader, but don't you think that you might be underestimating them? One of them is a Freelancer with unknown powers. All that we know about him is that he has aligned Affinity and Origin. It's not a far stretched supposition that he has skills near the borders of true magic. Tohsaka may be young and new to the branch of magic she's using, but she has a crest to compensate for it. Edelfelt, the elegant hyenas, with skills on par with the Tohsaka for centuries, and people even said that they might be better that the Tohsakas. Fraga, she has a Noble Phantasm of her own."
Beowulf said nothing. He didn't even seem to be paying any attention to him at all. Charlotte was looking at the both of them with a worried expression. Francis forced himself not to yell at the man, and instead try to make him listen to him, by putting as much information as he can into his speech.
"Listen, Beowulf. The Karma boy might be out of the run, but he can still be a Master if he decides to take any of ours. And he can. The Master of Caster remains unknown, and the Einzberns have come up with a homunculus none had ever seen. Surely you can't mean that none of them pose any threat?"
"They don't." He answered coldly. "That doesn't mean anything. We will win in the end. I, as a Rozenwalt vow on my family name on this. I will crush them with my power, and all of us shall rise to become the new rulers of the new world that I will create."
Francis and Charlotte exchanged a glance and sighed in unison. Once again, Beowulf had sunk into his obsession of creating a new world, with him at the top of the pyramid. As for them, they were somewhere between the ordinary Magus and him. No matter what he might have said to them, he never did consider them as equal.
Charlotte took another swig, and sank back into her drunken state, while Francis eyed the other man warily.
Daphne strode purposefully to her temporary workshop to gather up some things before leaving the place. Her Servants had begun to quarrel the moment they got back, with Lancer screaming at Ruler for being a traitor and all. She had dismissed them with a wave of her hand. She was in no mood to deal with them or any other ruckus. With the Blue Faction temporarily out of commission, it was time for her to settle some things before things heat up again
Her Servant, Ruler was right behind her, silently following her steps, not even asking a single question on what they were going to do next. It didn't matter to her anyway. All that she had on her mind was to protect her and serve the end of her pact. And of course, her true responsibilities as a Ruler.
She watched the woman who summoned her with an unreadable expression. It was strange for someone of her age to possess such powers, even for an Average One. She had seen how capable she was with her Mystic Code, developed to enhance her skills to its fullest. Joan d Arc had never seen such monstrous power. Not even in the enemies which raided her homeland. Not even those who executed her.
What she saw in the woman was something she could never understand. She knew that she was in a league she could never reach. Even without such powers, they were from different worlds. She was a woman of God and believed in God with her everything. Her Master, however, was someone who practiced the arts and seeks the Origin of everything, unlike her who was content to know God was the one who created everything.
She stole a glance to the man walking beside her, Sir Tristan of the Round Table. He was a man better known for his skills in archery instead of his swordsmanship. But still, his skills as a swordsman wasn't hindered in the slightest bit. He walked with a melancholy air about him. To her, whatever that he did was sad but beautiful at the same time. Even with his eyes close, he could follow their Master's pace without fault.
"Ruler, Archer..." Daphne called, coming to a halt. They had reached her workshop, and she gathered up some scrolls, stuffing them into her cloak before turning to face them. "Do any of you have the slightest idea what are we going to do next?"
The both of them shook their heads. She had decided to let the rest of the team move ahead, leaving only the two of them as her escorts. Tristan opened his eyes, and placed a hand over his heart, bowing.
"No matter what you wish us to do, milady, I will do it. I failed my king once. I will not fail you." He said solemnly.
"And I as well. I am your sword, and our destiny is tied." Ruler said
She nodded slowly, and her eyes flashed crimson. "Good, because it's time to settle some old debts."
R&R plz~