Chapter 11: Expedition (2)

"...Who are you?"

The absurdly attractive man face-faulted, Nanashi's bland inquiry seeming to inflict him with a wound no mere weapon could ever hope to achieve.

"You know not of me, yet bothered to break into this fortress?!"

Sounding flabbergasted beyond belief Nanashi ignored the stranger in favor of staring at Manaka in hopes of receiving an explanation, the girl providing one as she clapped her hands in excitement, exclaiming, "Oh, that makes a great deal of sense~! The fields and other enchantments around this tower carried within them Fae elements and other such bits of magecraft."

At the boy's expectant look the pale-blonde adopted a lecturer's pose, stating, "Merlin was a member of King Arthur's court, a magus known for both his ingenuity and meddling. He was one of the last - allegedly - magi to approach those that existed during the Age of the Gods."

Nanashi nodded, remarking, "Oh, right, I remember now. You were mentioned in passing one of those books Ayaka gave me to read."

The man puffed out a cheek in a decidedly childish display, giving off an unimpressed sniff as Nanashi asked, "Wait, so if you're one of those hyped up guys from the Age of the Gods how did you get stuck in this place? It sounds and looks like you can't leave."

Losing some of his indignation the man instead airily waved a hand, stating, "Ah, well...that is quite the long story. And it would be more accurate to state I am a magus from the waning days of the God's Age, rather than rather than one who broke the boundaries to reach it."

"...There's a difference?"

The now named Merlin clapped his hands, cheerfully ignoring Nanashi's inquiry while stating, "So would either of you care for some tea? Visitors are rare in these parts, especially two children as...unusual as yourselves."

Sharing a glance with Manaka - who merely smiled at him, clearly waiting for him to make the call - Nanashi warily replied, "Well that sounds nice, but-"

"You need not keep your defenses up in my residence, the bounded fields that lock me away also do a rather admirable job of leeching away a majority of the mana that would otherwise cause you to combust."

Slowly doing just that Nanashi sighed in relief, willing to accept the momentary weakness in his body if it allowed him a reprieve from the strain of keeping his modified reinforcement active for so long.

"Well, in that case sure, tea doesn't sound too bad."

And then he promptly collapsed into a chair, wiping away a sheen of sweat with a trembling hand and heaving for breath, Manaka instantly at his side and staring at him with narrowed eyes as she ensured he wasn't about to pass out or anything along those lines.

"I'm fine...just tired."

Merlin merely stared at the interplay between the two with idle curiosity, the boy showcasing clear exhaustion and frustration while the girl seemed torn between worry and vexation, as if being unable to solve problems was anathema to her.

"Well, if my suspicions about who these two are correct that is not too far off the mark…"

"Do not fret overmuch, I have an herbal blend that will go a long way in restoring your vitality, young man. Allow me a moment to prepare it."

Smoothly strolling off into the depths of his prison the pair of youths were left in each other's company, Manaka hiding her anxiety as she instead mockingly asked, "Was such a little walk too much for you, Nanashi?"

Recognizing the attempt at levity for what it was the boy was still in too foul a mood at his weakness to do anything other than growl out, "Apparently it was. Dammit…"

Heaving out a sigh silence fell between the pair, Manaka gazing around the magus of flower's home with an air of professional curiosity while Nanashi closed his eyes, ensuring that he rested as much as humanly possible.

Silky and controlled footsteps again approached them as Merlin appeared, carrying an ornate tray with steaming teacups on it that brought a heavenly aroma to the boy's nostrils, the man amicably asking, "So what brings two young and beautiful children such as yourselves to such an inhospitable - at least for those not of phantasmal origins - and dangerous land?"

Nanashi raised an eyebrow at the 'beautiful' comment, knowing that was true of Manaka but not so much for his ragged and worn self.

"That doesn't seem like all that truthful of a statement when you take into consideration my own looks, Merlin."

Winking at the boy's dour tone the magus merely responded, "There is more to beauty than the surface bits, young man."

"That sounds rather disingenuous coming from one such as you, magus of flowers~."

Manaka's rebuttal merely caused the man to smile, commenting, "The same could be said of you, young lady. But enough sniping at each other, my social life is not so busy that I would aggravate and alienate the first two visitors to pass through my home mere minutes into our first conversation~!"

Accepting the tea and lightly blowing on it Nanashi couldn't help but smile, the scent of fresh apples and some kind of mint creating a rather potent mixture that he approved of. And a drink of the thing actually proved to be a greater windfall than the flavor itself, refreshing strength suffusing his tired and sore muscles as the ragged homunculus sighed out a breath of relief.

"Thanks, that really hit the spot. What's in this stuff?"

"My own special blend, naturally."

Merlin offered a wink at Nanashi's wry expression.

"A magician never reveals his secrets, correct~?"

"Sure makes conversation a whole lot more difficult."

Humming noncommittally the magus inquired, "Now we have danced around the issue a fair bit I still cannot help but wonder what brought a pair such as you to a land like the Reverse. You exhibit powers and talents that allow you to walk this realm with little difficulty - if not longevity - and do not seem to do so for any particular reason. How about a trade? The tea recipe for your story, is that fair?"

Manaka made to reply in the absolute negative-

-and Nanashi shrugged, stating, "We're here to see if we can find any Phantasmal Beasts or the like, trade or hunt them for mystic materials that can be used in the creation of a brand spanking new body-OW!"

The pale-blonde harshly pulled on Nanashi's ear, puffing out a cheek in vexation as she reprimanded him with, "Now what did I tell you in regards to spilling out our secrets to strangers? Hmm?"

"It's hardly a secret, we're going to be going around doing exactly what we said, the whole damn place is going to know eventually!"

"And until that 'eventually' happens it is better not to advertise one's intentions to meddling old men, now is it?"

"Old men?"

Merlin's dejected words accompanied Nanashi ineffectually slapping at Manaka's hands in a bid to free his skin from her less than tender touch, the boy eventually managing to get away with a scowl to match his friend's.

Regaining some of his cheer after reeling from the unexpected blow to his pride the magus of flowers quickly stated, "Well you have certainly come to the right place, young ones. The Reverse has phantasmal beasts and other denizens of a similar nature aplenty...although I would warn you that not many have positive views on humans, most would rather eat or enslave you as a matter of course."

Manaka offered a slightly unhinged smile, trilling, "I would very much like to see them try~!"

Rolling his eyes Nanashi sighed out, "Manaka, we - or maybe I should say you - can't fight to the best of your ability here, remember?"

The slow, measured look a pair of cerulean eyes sent the boy's way were met with an equally stoic glare, Nanashi replying, "You know I'm telling the truth, you don't have to be all that upset about it."

Sniffing haughtily the girl nonetheless turned to Merlin, stating, "As the fool so blithely stated earlier, we are attempting to track down and locate a collection of mystic materials and other such artifacts that we may make use of to construct for him a proper new body. He is not long for this world."

The pale-haired magus nodded, staring at the boy with a contemplative look as he mused, "So I gather. I've seen signs of homunculus degradation before and he is a perfect summation of all the onset symptoms."

His head tilted, tone taking on a far more curious lilt.

"Although I cannot help but wonder what manner of body was meant to carry so many various magic circuits alongside a set of mystic eyes...or perhaps it would be more accurate to say your body was not meant to do so in the first place, given its degraded condition."

Nanashi grunted, mumbling out, "Don't worry, I've wondered that more than a few times myself…"

Taking a sip from his tea Merlin posed, "There truly exist no means of constructing a proper body in the human world? It would be expensive, yes. But without a doubt much safer and less risky than traversing the Reverse and hoping you shall find what you seek."

Offering a languid shrug Manaka responded, "Given the unique nature of his body, circuits and eyes I'm quite certain any normal vessel would be no better than his current one, if not outright inadequate for our purposes."

The pale-blonde promptly grabbed Nanashi's arm in a hug, playfully stating, "Besides, he's a boy~!"

At Merlin's amused eyebrow raising the youth sighed, explaining, "I'm tired of being weak, short, scrawny and practically helpless. Of being picked on and needing a cane just to walk."

The words were fairly bitter, dull red eyes blazing with desire as he finished with, "I want to be strong. To be able to be as tough and powerful as Manaka so that I don't have to always rely on her...I want a body that's powerful, that can let me make full use of these strange circuits and unnaturally large mana pool that I was gifted for whatever reason."

Merlin listened to the boy's impassioned words, expression neutral...and eventually smiled, stating, "That is very much a male power fantasy and testosterone fueled desire...but it is a genuinely beautiful one as well, as well as perfectly relatable. No one likes being helpless, much less for reasons outside their control."

The magus of flowers rose from his chair, approaching a door that looked like it lead to a closet as he said, "To the north of this tower resides the home of the Fae, explain to them your request and I shall send word of your approach with my patronage, they should be quite amenable to your wishes that way."

He gave them a serious look, albeit meant more for Manaka than Nanashi.

"Do not attempt to fight them or force concessions under any circumstances, your stay in this world will swiftly become one of trial and tribulation should you make an enemy of the Fae."

Manaka gave a huff of indignation as if she knew all of this already while Nanashi simply nodded in acceptance, Merlin smiling as he unlocked the door and swung it open.

"And here is my messenger that shall accompany you-GAH?!"

The two youths blinked as the man began to hop on one leg, frantically trying to shake off a growling ball of white fluff that was doing its honest best to chew through his femur.

"This is why I never let you sleep on my bed you know!"

"Fou, FOU!"

"S-such language! What would our distant host of Galahad think of such behavior?!"

"FOU, FOU?!"

"Because the last time I let one of your iterations wander around without a proper purpose and set of directives the entirety of the Counter Force collared your mangy neck and then Altrouge made use of you as a weapon that kicked off a three way war that had the Kaleidoscope and Blue hitting the proverbial reset button!"

"...Fou."

"Yes, of course that's a good point! Now let me-OW!"

Nanashi immediately felt some of his admiration and appreciation for the purportedly accomplished magus slip away as he got mauled by some fluffy dog-squirrel thing, Manaka staring at the tiny critter with something halfway between wariness and a strong desire to pet and cuddle.

"So...the Fae will let us in because that thing is cute and fluffy?"

"No, it is Merlin's familiar. One of the Beast's of Gaia, Nanashi."

Glancing at Manaka the youth sighed, asking, "And that's a big deal because…"

"Because it is a being that has at its disposal all of the power of the planet."

"Oh. That sounds impressive?"

Tearing her gaze away from the arguing pair of magus and mutt the girl affixed the boy with a wry expression, commenting, "Your education is showing its gaps, Nanashi."

"Yeah, well, some of us are just born stupid, I guess."

Giggling at his words the duo turned their attention to Merlin as he dragged the critter over by its fluffy neck, rubbing his leg as the admittedly cute being haughtily avoided his gaze.

"This garbage scrounger is known as Cath Palug, you two. Despite his nasty attitude and ungrateful demeanor he will prove to be an excellent guide and ticket to the lands of the Fae. Now say hello, you mangy cur."

Grudgingly staring at the two youths the dog-like beast met their gazes...and every hair on its body stood on end, thrashing in Merlin's grip as Nanashi immediately felt his spirits sag along with the frenzied barks of the creature.

"I...guess not even animal's like me."

"More like he senses something ominous about the two of you. Give him time, the rat is such a little drama queen sometimes."

True to his words Cath Palug eventually calmed down slightly, giving them a closer look as Nanashi gingerly held out a hand, softly stating, "Hey, little guy. We're not going to hurt you...actually, in all reality I should probably be asking you not to hurt me."

The critter gave an amused snort at his words, slowly extending his muzzle before sniffing the boy's hand, eventually licking it as his tail began to wag slightly, apparently put at ease as Nanashi breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, that's a lucky break. Not sure how I would have handled it if even the dog hated me."

"It's not a dog, Nanashi."

"So why does it look like one?"

A dull glare was sent his way that he ignored, instead scratching Cath Palug under his chin as purrs of contentment left the beast.

"Would you show the young lady outside? I wish to speak with the young man for a moment."

Manaka instantly had a suspicious look adorn her doll-like features, Nanashi passing off the fluffy quadruped in her direction as they both stiffened at the close contact, girl and dog alike staring the other down...before, with infinitely careful motions, Manaka scratched behind one of his ears, motions suggesting that she was handling some kind of unknown explosive.

The homunculus couldn't help but smirk at the sight, Manaka clearly unsure of what to do with the small creature despite her breadth of knowledge and recognition of what it was. Palug seemed to feel the same way, tail cautiously wagging at the scratch before Merlin clapped his hands, happily stating, "There~! Aren't we all such good friends now? A moment with young Nanashi, if you would please."

"Go on, Manaka. I should be out before long."

Grudgingly accepting his request - mostly because she wanted to keep exploring the wonderful softness that was Palug's ears - the magus strolled out the main doors, holding the dog-creature tight as both males turned to face each other.

Silence built between the two for a few seconds, Merlin eventually stating, "There is more to you than just your mystic eyes and magic circuits, correct?"

Nodding after a moment of hesitation the boy replied, "It's always felt like my eyes are just an accessory to whatever it is I can do. Manaka tried to figure out whatever that 'more' is and it...well it didn't go so well and both of us are unsure of what it even is. Hell, we don't even know what kind of mystic eyes I have to begin with, never mind why I'm packed full of various magic circuits and some kind of additional strength I can barely even remember."

Merlin raised an eyebrow, curiously inquiring, "She could not discern that power's origin? Even though she has a connection to the Akashic Records?"

Narrowing his eyes the youth asked, "And how did you figure that out?"

"I have been around for quite some time, young man. And just as my grumpy familiar has his own means of discerning the threat and mystic weight of an individual so do I...but we do not speak of miss Sajyou, we speak of you and what I suspect is a rather dangerous and hitherto unknown ability."

Becoming excited at the magus of flower's words Nanashi eagerly asked, "Wait, you might know what it is!?"

"I strongly suspect. Because if my hunch is correct then any uncertainty, no matter how small, must be eliminated. And how did miss Manaka react to this alternate power of yours, if you do not mind my asking?"

Thinking back and trying to remember the exact details the boy slowly replied, "She began to bleed from her eyes and nose, seemed pretty disoriented and passed out for awhile...I think she said that I was like her or something like that."

Merlin blinked.

"Oh my."

Heaving a sigh and running a hand through his hair with an apologetic smile the magus elaborated with, "Unfortunately, I am more certain of my prognosis than ever before...and if I am correct this is something you must discover for yourself, Nanashi. Were I to tell you of my suspicions I suspect it would be more detrimental than helpful."

Holding up a hand to forestall the protest that was about to be voiced the man explained, "Great power must be earned, not handed out. Especially in circumstances such as yours, where you are learning about the very world where such abilities would have far-reaching consequences and effects. And on that note, make no mention of this to the Fae. I doubt they would respond positively to it until they are more certain of the quality of your character and intentions."

Disappointed at the lackluster and ultimately fruitless conversation Nanashi nonetheless nodded, knowing that it would be worse than pointless to aggravate the man when he had helped more than hindered.

"Okay...I'll bear that in mind. Do you think you would, uh...mind if we dropped by again sometime?"

Smiling beatifically at the hesitant words as they rose to their feet the magus of flowers replied, "But of course~! Company is a scarce thing in these parts and I would be most gratified to have such interesting guests spend time among these lonely halls. You shall always have a place in this tower...provided you don't make an enemy of the entire Reverse, granted."

Wryly grinning at that additional comment Nanashi accepted the man's outstretched hand.

"Noted."

Just recently I posted an SAO/Overlord crossover and it's easily one of the most hyped I am to continue writing, give it a look if you're interested!

Also for those that were expecting prototype Merlin...

More on that later, lol.