These people were surprisingly cheerful for living in an apocalypse. Somehow, they were still singing and laughing despite, well, everything. Mash assumed it was due to the servant sitting right next to her who was rather enthusiastically scarfing down a roasted chicken.
"Umph, umph this is really good- sure you don't want any of this?" Mash shook her head in slight shock at the offering of the half-eaten poultry, and only somewhat due to slight distaste
"Ahh well more for me!" Louis Mandrin the Robinhood of France, the Prince of Smugglers, to be honest she really didn't know all that much about him, her connection to the throne was unstable at best and the usual information didn't quite pass through to her. As if the rest of her wasn't defective enough
"So, what's your story Shielder?" She looked at him from the side of her eye, ignoring the part that wanted to answer even as little as it was, there was just no point.
"I don't have much of one, just here to reverse the singularity" She focused on her own bowl, it was rather nutritional for being made out of rats and stone.
"Bah, that's no fun, make something up!" She saw his shoulders fall in almost a pout at her lack of reaction and hoped that would be enough to make him go away but that hope quickly died as his face twisted into a devilish smile
"I am the great princess of the shield, forsaking my very name to travel through time and space to defend the innocent! Though my journey has only just begun I have already found a stunningly handsome rogue to help me along the way!" He lifted his hand like an opera singer and raised his voice to an obvious (even to her) caricature of her own, it was obvious that it was mean to goad her but still…
"What…" That was about all that managed to escape from her mouth before she found herself glaring slightly at the shamelessly chuckling man.
"See more interesting!" She pointedly sat a further distance away from him. She did not survive Roman's weirdness only to be brought down now by this weird stranger of a servant. Thankfully he didn't chase after her instead choosing to grin at her while finishing off his chicken.
'Weirdo'
Mash tried to focus on her soup but despite herself found her eyes inching toward Louis, despite his weird behavior when compared to the divinely beautiful Medusa, the druidic demigod Cu Chulainn, the melancholic air of EMIYA, the sickly vile presence of Angra Mainyu, and the terrifying and deathly presence of Arcturus, Mandrin was oddly normal, there was no great air to him, no mystic nature, just a guy with a dagger and pistol. It was comforting.
She looked away for a moment only to sense Louis shifting towards something approaching fast she almost reached for her shield before realizing that Louis didn't seem concerned at all… Instead, he gave that easy laugh of his and outstretched his arms.
"Mr. Mandrin! Mr. Mandrin!" A group of children ran up to him and clambered all over, using the highwayman like a jungle gym. She expected him to throw them off or complain but- he didn't he just laughed and twirled them about beaming all the while.
Why?
Wasn't this demeaning or disrespectful or so many other things that should have grated on him? She didn't… she knew that she herself would hate if they tried to do that with her. She caught Louis's eye and saw him mouth to her
"You take what happiness you can" She felt herself draw back.
Was that really all it was? Calamity occurred so they did there best to be happy despite that?
Mash looked at the people around her with something like pity entering her mind. This was what life is like isn't it. Misery being thrown at you constantly but you can do nothing but try to continue on with a smile.
She hated it, even with how little she placed a value on her own opinion she hated that it might just be this. No point, no rhyme or reason. Just living until something tragic inevitably comes along. It seemed stupid to try and smile then.
Made her wonder why people even bothered, why would they want to live through such hardship for only a chance of happiness before even if you did claim a piece, it will inevitably be taken away for good.
Why would anyone choose this?
…And why was she choosing this, she had such little time and here she is abandoned by the person that she should have been able to trust and sitting amidst a caravan of people that she couldn't understand
Why?
Was it because it was all she knew or was there something else unknown even to her?
Should she try to find out?
She shook her head and embraced the emptiness; it was easier this way.
"Are you an Angel as well deary?" An old voice croaked out beside her. An old woman well into her twilight years sat down right where Louis had been moments earlier. The question though…
"Wh- I- no I'm not an Angel, where did you get that idea?" Bewilderment slipped into her voice; she had never been called an Angel before…
"Mr Mandrin said he died before but now he walks on the world once more to protect the innocent, stronger than any man I've seen… does that not sound like an Angel?" The old woman smiled at her, but she didn't smile back.
"I- suppose it does, but um-" Mash went silent, the woman was wrong for multiple reasons but beyond the obvious Mash knew that in scripture it was said that men cannot become angels. How many knights had she looked through different religions trying to find something that could give her peace of mind but nothing… she couldn't understand why nothing felt right was there that little humanity in her?
Noting the expression on her face the old woman placed a hand on her cheek with a look Mash couldn't understand.
"What is wrong deary?"
"There's nothing- "
"Oh, don't bother denying it, the look on your face is as clear as day" Mash cringed and shifted slightly away, away from the hand offered.
"It's none of your business, old woman" The woman sighed and looked to the sky
"Ah the Stubbornness of the young…" Mash grimaced.
"You don't know me"
"No, but I could" Mash paused. She wasn't stupid, she could recognize the statement for what it was, and part of her wanted to retake that outstretched hand, feel the warmth and care of another person but then…
'Tsk, tsk the puppet or the legend?'
She scowled at that knowing smirking image of him and quickly walked away. Why could she hear him laughing? She walked faster trying to outrun his accursed laughter, but it seemed to follow her without fail, no matter what twist or turn she might make.
Eventually she started running as it grew even louder and she could feel something begin to corrode within her, she couldn't tell what, she didn't know how to tell.
She ran on and on but the more she ran the louder it grew building and building until…
"Stop laughing!" Her desperate shout rang through the air and oddly it seemed to work. She curled up in a ball on the ground a tear slipping past her eye
"Please someone just make it stop" Why? Why of all people did the one master who remained had to be the one who couldn't give a single fuck if she lived or died. A hidden thought so buried that it didn't even reach the forefront of her mind.
'Why couldn't I have got someone who cared about me'
"So, you're not the type that enjoys jokes then" Mash quickly leapt up shield at the ready, ignoring the new weakness in her limbs. Her eyes met her foe and… Mash sighed, and the air of tension left her. It was just Louis. Just Louis.
Louis walked over and sat on a log. Pulling out a knife a block of wood he began to whittle without a word letting the silence extend for awhile before seeming to settle on the words he wanted to say
"So, mind telling me why you decided to run around like a chicken that lost its head?" Mash wasn't quite sure to respond to that, she had never seen a living chicken before.
"…" He shrugged at her silence.
"Nothing to say?"
"Nothing to be said" He gave her a crooked smile.
"There's always something to be said, frankly it's just a matter of wanting to say something" She stayed silent looking at the ground, unwilling to look at him. She didn't want to face him, face it because that would mean she would have to face the fact that she was in fact something instead of the comfortable nothing that she had been trying to embrace, after all this nothingness was all that was letting her stand, this pitiful short life filled with pain and hollowness. If she admitted she was something than she'd have to stare into that twisted spiteful flame, and she didn't want to, she didn't want it to burn her as she knew it would. She didn't want to deal with all the pain and hardships that came with that flame of humanity.
She already seen the slightest glimpse of it within its last champion and she hates him with all the humanity remaining in her heart.
So why should she want to be like him?
Why should she bear that accursed flame as well?
There was no point.
No meaning.
A tiny candle that flickered and faded.
How can anyone go on with that knowledge?
How can anyone try to live if they know that one day it will forever be lost?
"I see… so that's who you are" Louis scratched the side of his face, his voice soft and his eyes staring into the horizon. For one small moment she could see the same presence that the other servants had until… He shrugged and the moment was gone. He jumped up and tossed his lump of wood to the side his sense of whimsey returning.
"Welp if you feel the need to run and scream again, I'll kindly ask you to try and not knock anyone over in your flight from whatever" She stared at him confused.
"You're not going to push?" He laughed and twirled his finger in her face before finally poking her in the forehead
"Nah, no point. I already got you figured out and the only one that's going to be able to untangle that mess in your head is the one who tied it up in the first place" he stuffed his hand into the pockets of his raggedy and patched white coat. He looked back at her with a kind eye and smiled
"You won't let it be any other way" He- was he right? Was she choosing to be tormented? No, who would choose to torment themself? A fool still clinging to life, that's who. Still, she felt a pull to do something- anything in response.
"Wait- I- can I ask you a question" He turned around with a curious look
"Shoot"
"Why did you take me in?" She could have been a threat, a danger to this caravan and all that he was trying to protect. He had no reason to trust her or even care so why-?
"You know, had a bunch of siblings growing up, plenty of personalities clashing there, and you just seemed to remind me of one of them, he was never sure if he wanted to just be either" His gaze was distant and foggy as he spoke, the memories of a time long past (or was it time to come?) giving him a sense of bittersweet nostalgia.
He smiled softly at her and waved his hand back towards the caravan
"If this is where you'd like to jump off, I won't stop you, but these people still need you" She shook her head
"They have you, don't they?" He laughed ruefully
"Aye I'll do what I can, but I'm just a bandit and in the end the only fate for a bandit is a noose" He breathed deep scratching at his neck before he looked back up at her
"We can't save anybody. But you could, even if you don't want to be a protector or anything else you can do it Shielder, you can be their hero" and then he walked off back to the caravan.
A hero…
Could she?
No.
Not her.
He didn't know what he was talking about, she was just Mash. A walking experiment that was only semi-successful, no one would sing tales of her. No one should.
But still…
They needed help and she needed a guide especially since the connection to Chaldea was still down.
So, she'd follow. For that was all she knew how to do
The bandit just couldn't cut this puppets strings
(Three and a bit more years ago)
Well, this was familiar.
"I'm really sorry about this…" He didn't look at his fellow entrapped, instead he just stared up into the sky expressionless and vapid.
A bit rude he had to admit but come on! He was stuck at the bottom of a pit. Again.
'At least this time I don't have earth borers coming to eat me. Damn giant termite worms'
That had certainly been a heck of a day…
"You two alright down there?" Mari's head poked out from the top of the pit to look down at the two. Harker just glared at her from between the wheel stokes of the bike that was currently on top of him.
"I'm a bit beat up, but I think your friend here is hurt! He hasn't responded at all" Mari laughed awkwardly.
"Nah, he's fine… just contemplating his life choices… probably" She was purposefully ignoring his glaring eyes, after all, she was the one who pushed him into this boy's path, sure she didn't know he was coming but still.
'Rude'
And all this because she wanted him to 'smell the flowers', he didn't like the smell of flowers (oddly enough that had nothing to do with the numerous deaths that had occurred in the family garden, he still found it slightly amusing that one of his father's wedding gifts to his mother was a "weakening" of the barriers right next to the garden; she was always so happy for the next few days when some idiot came in to try and steal some of the knowledge and relics they allegedly had) and didn't see the point of such things.
He understood the metaphor alright, but flowers just weren't his thing but no…
"I'll go find some rope!" Mari disappeared out of sight and then a somewhat awkward silence fell over the two.
"So, um… I'm Louis" he didn't turn his head
"Harker" He heard Louis breathe a sigh of relief.
"Oh, good you can talk… um sorry about hitting you with my bike"
"You've already said that"
"Well, it's important!"
"Hmph"
"What, do you not consider it important?"
"Not really, I'm more concerned about how there was such a big hole near a public space"
"Well true but- !" Louis gagged as the end of the rope hit the back of his throat.
"Whoops" Harker rolled his eyes, pushed the bike off him and hit Louis' back, making him cough up the rope.
"Nice throw Mari" He could hear her laugh awkwardly from the top and then began to climb up the pit.
A few minutes later the both of them were at the top and laying on the ground breathing as deeply as they could, partly due to the strain of climbing a steep pit but mostly due to the fact that Louis wanted to bring up his bike.
'Damn am I out of shape…'
He looked up to Mari who seemed to stare rather intently to the side, not out of avoidance but like her eyes were focused on something. Just trees though, nothing else there to see…
He flexed his fingers and cast a small cantrip to see if there was anything more… magical there but nothing…
'Bah, doesn't matter… probably vapor lock or something'
He turned his head to his side where Louis was fiddling with his bike to make sure it was okay and where the rope lay right next to him.
'On closer examination this is a jump rope…'
An uncomfortable feeling went down his spine and he turned back to her
"Mari, where exactly did you get this?" She seemed to break out of her trance and look back at him nonchalantly. It did not make him feel any better.
"Hmm? Oh, I just stole it from some group of kids, why?" Louis stared at her in shock while Harker just groaned and started sprinting into the woods.
"Harker?" They barely head his distant cry
"I choose life!" Louis and Mari both stared into the woods in confusion. Silence reigned for a while before Mari broke it
"Uhh, alright what the fu-" A group of moms stormed into their little area pissed to the high heavens. The culprit put two and two together with a silent 'ohh..'
"There she is!"
"Let's fuck her up!" Mari smiled and closed her eyes.
"Oh shit" After that quick summation she ran after Harker cackling all the while. Louis stared after him before realizing that he was indeed the last one left and the approaching mob of murderous moms wouldn't give a single damn that he wasn't the one who stole the jump rope. So brave man that he was he decided his course of action.
"Wait for me!" It took the trio three hours to fully escape the mob and to this very day they have yet to step foot into that very park again.
-(Back to the present)
Cadmus hopped across the river stones with a wide smile on her face. The city's construction was going along quite well and with no problems in the foreseeable future Cadmus finally had time to do what she liked best, exploring.
Jumping she grabbed onto a tree branch and swung upwards, she leapt from rocks and branches not even touching the ground. She was not such a fool to ignore prophecy, but this was what she lived for, the freedom, the exploration, the sheer joy of these weightless moments.
She had to admit she was a bit sad to hear that her sister either couldn't or didn't want to come back home but that didn't truly dull the wonder of the world around her.
She landed on a cliff edge and looked on towards the sunset, sitting down she picked up an odd rock she had found, something about it was… odd. Sharp, pale, heavy, and rough all traits that could be found in stones but something about it tugged at the edge of her mind…
She put it out of mind and jumped down into the lagoon below, it was one of her few free times off lately, she should try to relax instead of worrying all the time.
And then she touched the water, and everything seemed to fracture
An earth-shattering roar thundered through her skull. Her reality seemed to fray apart as she found herself standing at the edge of a pit of magma. A terrible figure of scales and madness suddenly lunged from the molten lava and pulled her in, agony coursing through her as the fire of the earth began to melt her away, she found her head being forced to look directly into that demon's face and shrieked in terror
With a silent jerk Cadmus was awake, her eyes wild and unfocused before reality asserted itself. She let her head drop against the warm and solid surface in front of her, her breath slowing down until her body was no longer in a state of panic.
'Just a nightmare, just a…'
Experience and training reasserted itself and She lifted her head to actually check her surroundings; she was on a horse made of glass? A noble Phantasm, had to be.
'What kind of phantasm…'
"Ah, you're finally awake"
She turned her head to where she had seemingly rested her head this entire time. Who was this?! Where was she?! Why was she? - He turned around looking concerned.
"I was worried there for a moment" Muddy eyes, short black tousled hair. These features… familiar. She knew him… short flashes raced through her mind disjointed until-
'Harker, my Master…'
"Oh, don't worry master! She should be as bright as a sunflower!" A cheery voice came from before him, she looked over his shoulder and saw A pale haired woman wearing a rather massive red hat, she was… absolutely stunning, a beautiful treasure. Cadmus closed her eyes and focused on the bond with her master, the flow of mana between. She noticed an odd grounding effect the moment they forged their contract, a chilling snow to her fire… it was nice. It was a bit odd, the avarice in her had rarely focused on the person, maybe it was due to the servant's nature? Nonetheless the draconic avarice slinked away and she opened her eyes to the wider world once more.
They dipped down to where he held onto her waist, his grip tensed each time they had to leap over some obstacle or go through some tough terrain. Did he not like horses?
"We're currently on our way to Orleans but most of the usual paths are well…" he scratched head awkwardly
"Well just look ahead, says everything about the situation" She looked.
And it did.
Corpses littered the road both human and otherwise. Fallen towers, fallen cliff faces, rockslides, burnt husks of trees. Risen hills, sharp mountains where rivers should be.
The world before her was in ruins. Why was it- more memories waxed and waned, filling and opening gaps. Her grip on Harker increased as she hugged herself closer, focusing on the grounding effect, focusing on what little that could not slip away while he was right there before her.
She was Cadmus and he needed her to protect him, that was enough.
"I'm alright Cadmus, you didn't hurt me" She looked up in shock, that was not- oh merciful divines she remembered… the pain, the strain of trying to hold onto the tatters of Cadmus. Her hold tightened subconsciously.
The fury.
Di immortals
The fury…
She just wanted to make everything hurt in that moment
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Her body shook with sobs, she could see them… broken bodies on a thousand fields. She didn't recognize even one, but she knew- they trusted her- they believed that she would protect them, and she betrayed that…
"Cadmus" The pale woman looked back at her, but she didn't respond, she was too focused on saying the names of people that she knew she once knew but no longer. if she could register the outside world, she would have seen Harker's eyes glint with familiarity, yet he didn't do anything to draw her out beyond placing his hand upon hers.
This continued on for a period before her trance was broken and the dragon within roiled at the presence of something it disliked.
She felt a patter of liquid on her skin and looked up. Somehow it was raining, she didn't like the rain… she didn't feel like there was a big reason she just… didn't like it, her distaste didn't seem to be shared however as Harker was looking up as well, the crook of his mouth twisting ever so slightly upward, it felt… genuine, yes genuine was the word she was looking for. He seemed to bask in the sensation of the growing torrent upon his skin. But then her slight whimpering drew his attention and he turned back to witness the terrifying warrior doing her best to hide under his shawl. He looked to Marie and gestured with his head to some cover from the deluge
The white-haired woman smiled back at Harker and nodded. He turned about and picked her off the horse and carried her into a fallen tower where the woman- no the servant soon followed after dismissing the horse.
She heard Harker sigh in relief.
She found herself placed against a wall and he sat down right next to her. He exhaled in exhaustion but froze when she slumped against his shoulder, slowly his body relaxed, and he let her be.
"It's going to be alright Cadmus…" The woman's blue eyes shined with compassion, but Harker simply shook his head.
"Marie…" Her name was Marie? Harker paused before continuing on seemingly uncertain on what to say.
"That isn't going to help, kind words never do when…" He let his head drop back, eyes closed in remembrance. He sighed
"She just needs time to process this, she just… needs to know we are still here… that something is real" It- she wasn't entirely- Cadmus didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. Right now, she felt like her memory was working just enough to torment her endlessly with the faces of everyone… of everyone… she closed her eyes tighter behind her mask. Somehow it was worse that she knew that eventually- eventually she would forget again and those faces… those people… the people who had cared about her would be gone for good or until whim struck the universe once more. As if it were nothing more than a slightly lucid dream that she would forget upon awakening.
Even this moment… this memory… this feeling of warmth… it would soon fade away… like tears… in rain.
Was it wrong for her to be afraid?
She was a warrior, a general, a king, and yet something as simple loss terrified her to no end. Loss of memory, loss of self.
And perhaps most terrifying of all the possibility that one day the loss of the ability to recognize that there was anything wrong at all
"I don't know, maybe I'm wrong and your approach was right but the last time…" His voice trailed off and he closed his eyes
Marie tilted her head then nodded and sat down next to him
"You have experience then" He nodded
"I- not exactly but yeah… had a friend she- she was going insane from the voices in her skull- and the things she was seeing- they made her feel- worthless" He had a bitter smile on his face. Marie held his hand and squeezed it trying to give him some comfort.
"Tried talking to her, tried saying it wasn't real… I did check… even told her what I was but…" the rain outside grew harder and thunder started to fall.
"It was real for her… even if it didn't make sense… even if no one could see or hear what she did… it was real for her"
"Being there… holding her… it was the only thing that seemed to help so…"
"What happened to her?" He opened his mouth before closing it again.
"…due to an incident in her youth, she grew up distrusting any form of authority, so she refused to get any real help… eventually I… it was starting to get worse… a lot worse… I called a mental hospital and… tricked her… betrayed her trust… got her there and…" He didn't finish just looking at his intertwined hand, Marie looked up at him with a knowing sadness.
"You shouldn't feel guilty… it was the right thing to do, you got her help, you got her to a place where she could get real help" He smiled sadly.
"I know… and it doesn't help… never does… the look of betrayal… (sigh)… you can say the truth to yourself a million times but… until you finally process it… it's just empty words on the wind" He stared out into the rain
"Did it end well?" The first time she had talked since… since they entered the tower and it was as croaky as ever, somehow it just added to the melancholy of the atmosphere around them.
"Hmm?"
"Does she get better?" The hope in her voice fell along with his face.
"… she never got the chance… I hope that it was quick…" She closed her eyes. The incineration. There was nothing to be said for many minutes just three people huddling together as the rain raged on outside
"What is your name?"
"Quoi?"
"I never got your name…" Marie smiled ruefully in apology
"How inconsiderate of me. Marie Antoinette… the last queen of France" She found herself wondering how a smile that sad could have that much light in it. She tried smiling back, it was small and hidden behind her mask
"Cadmus hero king of Thebes, sister of… of…" Her name… the one thing that brought her to Greece… Why couldn't she remember her name?
"Are… we all that's here?" Mercifully the other two didn't prod at her pause.
"No, there are three others currently scouting ahead while we do our best to avoid attention… I don't think we're ready for that sort of thing just yet" He chuckled a little
"Who…?"
"A pair of musicians and an executioner, don't worry they're quite loyal to Marie" the woman in question simply smiled brightly. After taking a deep breath he slipped out of the servant's grasp. Cadmus looked up
"Harker?" He scratched his neck awkwardly and then walked into the rain
"Need to pee" Maire raised her brow but shrugged. When he was out of sight she spoke again.
"A strange man to be sure but I don't think that he is a bad one" Cadmus stared at her in obvious confusion. She laughed a little but waved it off.
"Oh, don't mind my idle musings, it's just that he was the first person I came across once I was summoned, you have to wonder if modern humanity is like that as well?"
"It's not just me whose info is spotty?" Marie shook her head.
"No, I was still given the details of modern humanity but knowing through an information download is a rather different for seeing it for yourself and so far, he's it"
"…What was it like in your time?"
"Humans?" Cadmus nodded. For a moment Marie thought and hummed and then-
"They stood at the precipice of a new age, new ideas and dreams mixed and stained with old horrors and brutality, ''twas horridly paradoxical" Her smile didn't fade… why didn't her smile fade?
Marie laughed a little.
"It matters little, even should I have the grail I wouldn't wish misfortune upon any of them… even Robespierre"
"Why? I- would have gladly cursed- Ares if I could- if the grail was even capable of cursing a god…"
"Because-" Marie paused trying to find the words
"I was not a good queen- I tried to be- I did try to help them but- My plans fell through, my attempts to understand the people failed and I fell" She looked out into the rain
A shining smile, a radiant jewel. She was this but was she more?
"I'd like to say I met my end with no fear but that would be a lie, I wept, I shivered, I trembled, and by the hand of an old friend… tah… the only words I could manage were an apology for accidentally stepping on his foot…"
"I died in so much fear… and the last thing my eyes could see was the thousands baying for my blood…" Cadmus couldn't understand, all of that… all of that would be more than enough to…
"I know that by all right I should be burning with rage but I- just can't, no matter how hard I try I just can't find it within me to hate them" She breathed deep.
"It would help no one, all it would do is bring more pain and my France has suffered enough" Cadmus glanced at her shaking head and turned away
"We've all suffered enough"
"We'll still suffer more"
"Perhaps but we still have a choice to limit the harm we bring into this world" There was wisdom in that, Cadmus couldn't deny but the burning core within her would not allow a grievance to go unpunished. It simply wasn't in her nature. Not anymore.
But right now…
Right now, she didn't have to follow the whims of the dragon.
"Marie?"
"Yes, Cadmus?"
"Would you sing me a song?" She felt Marie reach over and squeeze her shoulder and draw her close.
"A la claire fontaine m'en allant promener…"
—
Harker had always loved the rain, not so much the sticking sensation that his clothes would make him feel later but the cool sensation on his skin and the sound all around him. It helped him forget… It helped wash away the pain.
He didn't like thinking about Mari, he hadn't really gone to visit her since… Louis did, he always told him how she was doing but Harker was too afraid to show his face and now…
He let out a sigh as the rain showered upon him.
"A strange time to be out and about…" A smooth voice cut through the rain making him freeze.
"Probably" He couldn't make the individual out amidst the rain or where they were, still his hand slowly crept towards his blade.
"I do believe that's enough" A pale hand with lines of magma like energy running through it, grabbed his wrist slowly and softly moving his hand away from his blade. It lifted his hand and ran their fingers over his command seal. He focused his eyes through the heavy rain. Still nothing… no he could make out two golden eyes staring at him. He took a deep breath, this servant was more than likely part of the witch's army.
"So, who do I have the pleasure to be speaking to?" A smooth bitter laugh entered his ears
"Assassin" He cursed his own stupidity in his head, there was very little he could do right now. He opened his mouth and a cracked pale finger placed itself on his lips.
"Relax, I'm not here to kill you… no I'm here for an alliance" He quirked his brow. There's only one alliance they'd know he would accept.
"Alright, wasn't expecting that… mind telling me why?" Those eyes of molten gold bored into his own muddy brown with an admittedly frightening intensity
"Because as much as I hate humans, I hate the one who holds my chains more" the voice once bitter turned venomous and wrothful. Harker pffted.
"Alright, I guess I'll just have to put some faith in that"
'Not like I have any other options at the moment'
"Good" The servant sighed in annoyance before continuing.
"I am unable to directly fight against my master, but I can offer you information. Most pertinent at the moment is that within hours a battle will occur to the southwest of you. Bradamante and that blasted Draugr will engage each other along with their respective armies, I do believe it would be in your best interests to turn that into a victory" This could definitely be a trap, but Harker wasn't sure if this was a gamble he could afford to not take.
"Thank you" They let go and those golden eyes tilted somewhat confused before they disappeared entirely.
Assassin was gone.
The rain continued to pour.
Harker laid back onto a puddle, staring up at the rainy sky.
What now? He needed to take this opportunity, but he also couldn't go in with only blind faith. He also lacked any real back up that could drag them out of a bad situation. Maybe Hanson could hang back? Three servant plus Bradamante should be more than enough to take on whoever the Draugr was
"…Harker come in, Harker" Harker quirked his brow.
"Jingol?" He heard a groan and looked towards it.
Yep.
"Jingol what are you doing on the comms?"
"Well, there's a bit of a situation going on right now so beyond all that's necessary most of the focus is on the gate" He swore he could hear a massive boom from the hologram as well as a tiny "You call that a testicle kick you bastard!"
"A high class phantasmal intrusion is currently occurring"
"Yeah, what she said"
"… Hello to you to Mnemosyne" He found that he couldn't say much else when he finally managed to bring himself out of his shock and amusement
"Greetings Aldain" Harker scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry it took so long but I haven't ever used this function and Da Vinci's Manuel's are purposefully frustrating!" His voice rose from a calm and apologetic tone to the usual status of an IT worker.
"Caster 127# apparently finds it to be an amusing pastime" The murderous fury within Jingol faded to a sigh of exasperation
"Of course she does"
"Anyways could we get an update on the situation down there?" Harker winced
"Well, I've linked up with several servants, fought a horde of dead people, learned that an army of dragons is on the loose as well as two Jeanne d'Arcs warring with each other and well- I might have split up with Mash in the first hour" Silence reigned for a moment.
"Cadmus Berserker and Marie Antoinette rider registered for summoning upon return to Chaldea" The two humans didn't acknowledge the Ai.
"… Harker this is where you fucked up"
"Yeah, I know…"
"Roman is going to attack you once he finds out you know that right?"
"I'd like to see that wimpy noodle try"
"Aldain I am quite confused; from the implications it seems like you and Romani Archaman are going to have a physical altercation" Harker lifted his hands and shrugged.
"Ehh… yeah, we're probably going to end up hitting each other" Menuire pinched his nose bridge and began to talk in a rather strained tone
"Why are you always so confrontational!"
"Why is your head so round?"
"MOTHER-!"
(Linebreak)
"Anyways so that's what happened so far" Menuire grumbled under his breath and opened his mouth-
"Report compiled" Only to shut it with a click
"Thank you for that valuable input, Mnemosyne"
"Of course, Aldain" Harker groaned in annoyance and slight pain as he forced his circuit into action to dry himself, he had decided to take cover under an outcropping a little while ago. Marie and Cadmus were having a little moment it appeared.
"Harker, what are you going to do? Sure, that info might be valuable, but you have no idea if it's even true and without a very key defensive asset you're ridiculously vulnerable"
"I'm not stupid Menuire-"
"Are you sure about that? You have actively and passionately worked on antagonizing one of the most important allies you are ever going to have" Harker sighed and rolled his eyes.
"If that's your only argument than you are sorely lacking in anything to convince me"
"So that's it then just march to your doom with a smirk?"
"I don't plan on dying anytime soon- "
"NOBODY ever plans on dying!"
"Well then I'll just have to die slow enough that we get through this then" While his annoyance was clear Harker's voice didn't raise above his usual drawl. Somehow that pissed Jingol off more.
"Let me be clear, I am fully aware that this could be a trap, I am fully aware about who exactly is responsible for driving a wedge between me and an important defensive asset that would lower the risk to my person severely but guess what Jingol- nothing ventured, nothing gained and frankly your bitching is not going to change my mind"
"Bitching? Bitching?! Harker if you die, we're done! There are no do-overs or second chances, if you fail humanity is dead! This is bigger than your stupid ego, the fucking world is at stake!"
"Oh my, I would never have guessed" Jingol clenched his jaw.
"You son of a bitch, do you know what it's like to put your life in the hands of one person! Do you?"
"…"
"Every single life in this mountain, every single person who ever lived! All of our existences are dangling on a fraying thread and the one holding it is you and you're gambling with it I-" Jingol's scowl broke away and at last Harker could see the fear and stress that had been festering beneath. He listened to his shaky voice and could do naught but look away.
"Everything that happens now is in your hands, please Harker, please" Harker looked back onto this world covered in ash, what was this place? This collection of towers and walls? What were their final thoughts as the heavens were lit aflame?
"I'm begging you Harker"
Would taking the safer path lead to a better result? Or would trying to take it slow only end in the deaths of everyone?
And what of the reverse, would it have the result that he was looking for?
No… logic wasn't why he was doing this was he? Deep within, why he made the most important decision of his life…
He was no hero, he knew in his heart that there was to much of a shaman in him to be what he thought of as a hero, a true hero.
But he didn't want to weigh lives on a scale anymore, he didn't want to sacrifice people for some ever distant greater good anymore.
Wasn't that why he left? Why he sacrificed every single relationship he ever had?
He was not a hero, he didn't give a damn about being some ally of justice, he just… didn't want to see any more people die just because he thought it was safer that way.
"Mnemosyne cut the connection"
"Harker-!"
Harker sighed and rested his head back against the stone wall and rubbed his eyes.
He turned to the distance and nodded at the three figures approaching
"I've got some work to do"
Nemo always said he was more obstinate than an ox when he wanted to be, right now he was just hoping he wasn't as stupid as one.
Because if he was wrong, well it wouldn't just be him who would pay the price for his selfish actions.
Well, this one took forever, part of it was due to a break and getting sick (not Covid) but the rest… Hope you all enjoyed this
Lexicon
No matter how ephemeral time is for them, the boar king was the first. He was always the first.