Al the World's Evils
The Royal Council Hall was adjacent to the throne. King Eadwyre sat there under the banners of Menevia, in a high chair facing the entrance. The other lords were seated along two tables, leaving the centre of the room empty.
When the two halberds opened the door, Saber entered with a quick step, without looking to the right or left. When she arrived, there was silence. The royal councilors had already had the opportunity to see her several times. Nevertheless, she was so pretty that everyone lost their breath to look at her, men out of admiration, women too... but not without jealousy. It was, however, difficult for them to accept that she killed ogres and wyvern, at least until they noticed her lack of nervousness at the thought of appearing before the king's counsel. Clothed in iron meshes, wearing the tabard adorned with the three roses of Menevia, Saber put one knee to the ground, her hand resting on the pommel of her sword, her helmet in the hollow of his arm:
- I, Artoria Pendragon, Knight of the Rose, answer your summons, my king.
The old king made a simple gesture of the hand:
- Stand up, Lady Artoria.
With a regal grace, the young woman obeys to face the sovereign of Menevia. Behind her, the guards of the gate announced: "Rin Tohsaka, invocator of the Guild of the Magi of Torrent". Still dressed in her beautiful red and black dress, the Magus slipped on the long purple carpet and bowed with just what needed of humility... Rin was full of pride.
- The magic of the guild is in the service of Your Majesty.
- Damsel Rin, you can stand up.
- Thank you, Your Majesty.
The astonishing turquoise eyes of the reincarnated young Japanese swept the audience: high-ranking courtesans, captains of the royal army, the high priest of Zenithar.
She nodded slightly to greet them, and then turned to her royal host:
- Your Majesty, when we enter the royal mansion we are warned that draw a weapon or using magic is a serious offence. Nevertheless, if I may, I'd like to give a little... privacy to our meeting. Well, we certainly wouldn't want a bunch of dudes with crystal balls to bring back what we're about to say, would we?
King Eadwyre squished his eyes and turned to his wife, Queen Barenziah. The beautiful black elf nodded her head and the sovereign in turn nodded. Rin smiled and then half closed her eyes before whispering an incantation, one hand reaching out towards the door, the other resting on her heart:
- Das Schließen Vogelkäfig Echo.
The stone walls lined with tapestries, the double door, were covered with a sort of light-filled violet membrane, pierced by sparks. A Bounded Field. As the king's advisors looked around with a little bit of worry, Rin smiled:
- Don't worry, this spell is not permanent. It just prevents us from spying... and getting out of the room. I hope...
She abruptly paused and turned to Saber - sighing with exasperation- while rubbing her arm... where she had just been pinched. The young knight girl knew her too well and had just prevented her from finishing her sentence "I hope no one will need to satisfy a pressing desire". Rin still had to learn how to behave in front of a king.
The monarch had gathered his council to listen to Artoria ask for a ship to join Balfiera, in search of the tomb of Corvus Direnni... and Excalibur. Rin intervened first:
- Angra Mainyu, also called Ahriman, would be a god from Aetherius, beyond the Outer Realms. He is said to be the father of illusion and error, of cosmic falsehood, the deceitful spirit, and the spirit of Darkness, Evil and Death. His name comes from Ahra Manyu who means "aggressive fury"(1). However...
Rin stopped and glanced at the councilors and the king, who gave him anxious glances.
- However... this Angra Mainyu would be a falsification made of human hands. Artoria?
Saber acquiesced and resumed the word:
- Gentlemen, I urge you to consider carefully what will follow. I spoke with Angra Mainyu and he told me his story. I should not have to insist on the title of "Prince of Lies" given to this spirit of darkness.
The councilors and the king went in, and the sovereign nodded, signaling to Artoria to proceed. The young woman narrated that on a distant world (Earth) a sect of fanatics chooses a teenager to make him the scapegoat of all sins. Believing that evil existed in limited quantities, they alleged that burying it with six billion curses (2) would spare the rest of the world. Instead, they condemned an innocent soul to feed on evil. Where there were wives deceived their husbands more often, deceived husbands killed lovers, judges condemned murderous cocus to death, judges were killed in blood feuds, and blood feuds degenerated into war. Even death did not deliver him and he became Avenger, the spirit of revenge invoked in a war between magi for the possession of a magic cup fulfilling all wishes. The cursed one, too weak compared to the real heroes called by the other participants, was defeated and absorbed by the magic cup... which took him as humanity's vow: to create a god incarnating All the World's Evils.
- He would have finally arrived at Nirn to complete his transformation. In the dream sent to me by Mara, I learned that the Aedras would be powerless against Angra Mainyu because they would have tied themselves to Nirn at the time of its creation and that Avenger would come from the outside.
Rin answered after Saber:
- The rest is a mere deduction, but we can take it for granted that the purpose of the present war is simply to feed Angra Mainyu. Murder, torture, rape, looting, destruction for the sake of destruction, grief, terror, theft, crying of abandoned children... it's a river of curses pouring out on Nirn. In a vicious circle, it makes Avenger more powerful. And the more Angra Mainyu grows in strength, the more he sows the hatred, the envy, the desire for revenge that are the leaven of wars... conflicts that nourish him in turn.
Old King Eadwyre was pale as death and his hands trembled:
- You...
He inspired to regain his calm:
- You said that this sword... this Excalibur can defeat him.
Saber replied:
- When Angra Mainyu has gained enough power to materialize in a tangible form, he will be vulnerable.
A hand passed on her belly, a finger raised, Tohsaka continued:
- Most weapons and spells, however, would be ineffective in destroying a being on the verge of becoming the Supreme Principle of Evil. However, Excalibur is a weapon as foreign to Nirn as Avenger is. More, it is a blade forged from a meteoritic iron - a fragment of Aetherius- by creatures called "fairies". Which are the equivalent, on their original world, of the Ehlnofeys the "Bones of the Earth" that formed Nirn as it is now. Excalibur is therefore a fragment of the "All" forged by the incarnation of the "World". What is called a Last Phantasm. Excalibur reveals its true power when used to combat a danger that threatens the world. If Angra Mainyu - All the World's Evils- is a poison, Excalibur is the antidote. But only... only Artoria Pendragon can use Excalibur.
- Why, asked a fat-bellied adviser.
Rin shrugged her shoulders:
- Because Artoria was born for this... Yes, I know it doesn't mean much. Consider the powers she revealed and the fact that Mara gave her the task of finding Excalibur. This is more than enough evidence. In any case, only Artoria can carry Excalibur and only this sacred blade can destroy Avenger.
Until then, Barenziah had listened silently, but she suddenly spoke:
- You can't say more, or you don't want to, Damsel Tohsaka?
Rin hesitated, glancing at Saber, who did not escape the dunmer queen, and then sighed:
- You are right, Your Majesty, I do not want to.
Barenziah remained pensive for a short moment:
- When Jagar Tharn betrayed the Emperor and exiled him to Oblivion to take his place during the Imperial Simulacrum, the gods sent a hero, the Champion of Tamriel. At that time also the designation of this hero rested in the hands of one person, the ghost of the witch Ria Silmane. It is not for us to question the wisdom of the Aedras.
The queen rose up:
- Oblivion's jaws must be closed!
The old king left his chair, taking his wife's hand:
- Oblivion's jaws must be closed.
One after the other, the councillors imitated their sovereigns to confirm their agreement.
Princess Morgiah came from an illustrious lineage. Her mother, Barenziah, was queen of Morrowind (the land of the black elves) and of Menevia by her marriage to King Eadwyre. Her older brother, Helseth, would one day be king of Morrowind. As for her father, General Symmachus, he had served Tiber Septim and several generations of Emperor of Tamriel until his death from the hands of peasants in revolt at the time of the Imperial Simulacrum.
From her parents, Morgiah had inherited the ash-grey skin, red eyes and pointed ears characteristic of the Dunmer. She got her beauty from her mother, and her father's determination. Nevertheless, her character was not embarrassed by the shyness and innocence which had made the charm of his mother in his youth. On the contrary, she was a manipulative, cunning and selfish person with an unusually vast ambition.
Wrapped in a long red dress, undressing her shoulders, her ebony hair sweeping half her face, Morgiah walked followed by her black cat, her familiar.
No one could enter the manor of Refuge without this spider reaching out to her wires in the hope of grasping the newcomer in the web of her intrigues. Of course, the princess had taken an interest in Artoria.
As her mother came out of the meeting room, she gave her best smile and inquired about the holding of the conference. But she drew only a few generalities. Morgiah was hardly surprised. Her mother was no longer as naive as in her youth. On the contrary, the Dunmer were born intriguers and unfortunate experiences had enabled Barenziah to excel in this field.
- Oh, come to think of it, I discovered Lady Pendragon's date of birth and took the opportunity to make her astral theme.
Barenziah turned to her daughter:
- Have you learned anything important?
- Oh yes! She was born on the day King Lysandus died. The signs surrounding his birth say "The day of the death of a great king will be born a great king".
Morgiah was smiling in secret about her mother's reaction... Lady Pendragon could already be useful to her by strengthening the queen's confidence in her daughter. As for Barenziah, she remembered Tiber Septim and Symmachus, her first husband. Both, though of humble extraction, had held the destiny of the continent in their hands. At least that partly answered the questions the Queen was asking. The weapons of legend were supposed to be held by great kings.
A coach pulled by four horses had left the royal manor under cover of the night. It was shaped like a barrel mounted on four-spoke wheels. The passengers were seated on a padded bench and - normally- could look out through a wide opening. However, the curtains were drawn preventing residents from distinguishing passengers. They could only see the coachman on the first horse and the Wayrest guards escorting the vehicle.
Inside, Rin Tohsaka and Artoria Pendragon made a strange contrast. If the former babbled, visibly happy with the adventure she was experiencing, the latter had frozen features. Usual attitude when she "took over" hiding her true emotions. Often this meant that Saber took on difficult choices, leaving others in the dark to protect them, an attitude that was often mistaken for coldness or disinterest... wrongly.
In a usual tic, Rin threw one of her pigtail behind her back, considering her friend carefully. She was no longer wearing her dress but a red turtleneck sweater with a white cross, a black mini skirt and stockings of the same color, the usual attire of the Magus during the Fifth Grail War.
- So what's wrong?
Saber opened her eyes wide, surprised by the question. Even after all these years, she still wasn't used to people poking her up to date... or at least daring to question her. The knight sighed:
- I am worried. Believe me, I do not wish to be indispensable to the defense of this city, but is it. My actions have saved Wayrest several times. Will they be able to resist during our absence?
- Oh? My sister and Archer should be here soon to replace us.
Artoria leaned her head to the side:
- Your sister?
- Sakura Tohsaka.
With her eyes wrinkled and her patented evil smile, the Magus seemed to enjoy her friend's reaction.
- Sakura? You mean Shirou's friend? Are you sisters in this life?
Rin's attitude changed, replaced by discomfort and sadness. She rubbed her arm in a mechanical gesture, turning her eyes away:
- In the previous one too. My father had Sakura adopted by the Matou. He thought he was offering her a life of Magus instead of ignorance... in fact; she had a journey to hell. Sakura was the real Master of Rider during the Grail War. Her adoptive brother, Shinji, did not have Magic Circuits allowing him to provide Prana to a Servant, so he was not chosen by the Grail to be a Master. Sakura summoned Rider and then used one of his Command Seals to create the Book of False Attendant that allowed Shinji to control Sakura's Servant.
Saber remembered the book that Shinji held during her first confrontation with Rider. He was not just tying the Servant. The fake Master also used it to project somes kind of guillotine blades made of prana. Fortunately, Shiro had easily defeated Shinji, forcing Rider to use her Noble Phantasm to save him and flee. However, this did not explain Sakura's "journey to hell" mentioned by her... sister. Artoria observed Rin who always avoids her gaze and decided not to insist. The subject seemed sensitive.
- I see.
The coachman jumped to the ground to open the rear door of the coachman, stopped in a side of the harbor. Bowing one hand over the heart: "Lady Pendragon, Lady Tohsaka, this is your ship: The Phynaster's stride".
The coachman designated a vessel moored at the jetty between two fat carracks. It was a caravel well recognizable by its rigging: a square sail in the main mast, a Latin sail on antenna at the rear, allowing it to turn tight. A small ship, but it was obviously well maintained. "Its captain's name is Kelmen and he can be counted on. However, you must board secretly. You have an appointment with his second in this tavern; hurry in before we realize our stop."
Without question the two young women headed for the harbor inn. In the darkness of the night, no light was discernible. The shutters were closed. This was not surprising. The harbour was outside the walls, built between the walls and the shore. Most of the inhabitants had fled to hide behind the walls of Refuge. Nevertheless, the orcs had not tried to attack there, since they could not deploy.
With her hand on the pommel of her sword, Artoria pushed the door without resistance. Inside the harbor inn, the shadows seem to have solidified. The only source of light was the open door, allowing just to discern tables surrounded by chairs and the reflections of bottles abandoned here and there.
- Lady Pendragon, Lady Tohsaka, close the door. I am Rodoryan, I was waiting for you.
As the Knight comply, positioning herself all the same between the sailor and Rin, one hears beating a percussion lighter. The shock between steel and flint creates a spark that ignites the wick of an oil lamp. A man with a sweaty face stands nervously in the light:
- I am Rodoryan, the second of The Phynaster's stride. I have orders to take you aboard in complete secrecy, but first, I must make sure that you are indeed the Knight of the Rose called Artoria Pendragon and the Guild Summoner Rin Tohsaka. Can you give me proof of your identities?
The Magus grimaced, little amused at the idea of making a demonstration. She stretched a finger towards a bottle and murmured "Gandr". A black projectile hemmed in red smashed it. She approached and recovered a shard before nicking her finger: "Minuten vor Schweiben" the glass fragments gathered together and reformed the bottle as if it had never been broken.
- Is that enough?
Rodoryan nodded before turning to Saber. However, the latter showed a marble face and had just turned, sword in hand, to a door leading to the back shop:
- Are the people in the next room your friends, master Rondoryan?
The man retreated a few steps as the lock-up opened by squeaking to let pass a party of strong men dressed in buff but dirty and eliminated clothes. Redguards, boarding cutlass in hand, wearing bandanas and earrings... they would have carried a sign "pirate", that they would not have displayed their profession more clearly.
Rodoryan smiles nervously:
- Your fighting instinct is not... not to be underestimated; I'll take that as proof of your identity.
He reached out to her, pointing them out to his accomplices:
- Kill them!
The Redguards claim to be the best warriors of Tamriel (the Orcs and the Nords too... but we will say that they are jealous). In any case, these black-skinned humans form the most enduring of the mortal races. This allows them to fight longer than their opponents.
Nevertheless, they looked pale in the face of the two women who stood up to them:
- Gandr!
Several black projectiles surrounded by a red aura passed over the tables to hit two pirates who were rushing on Rin. The runic curse materialized by Rin's magecraft tore them from the ground, throwing them several meters further.
Artoria had jumped forward. A grave cry similar to the "kiai" of a martial art master was heard as she handled her bastard sword with two hands. The first filibuster managed to fend off but his blade shattered and he collapsed in a sheaf of blood. Saber swirled like a dervish; her blade described a parable and opened the chest of a second opponent.
A handful of seconds had passed since the beginning of the fight and four men were lying dead or dying. Rodoryan and the last two pirates did not hesitate to jump forward. But Rin had drawn a vaguely luminous crystal from the case hanging under her skirt Whispering a few words in German she threw it... the crystal disintegrated into a rain of sparkling glitter that fell upon the men who immobilized each caught in a cube of solidified air.
- I will inform Sakura of the presence of these men.
Artoria agreed with Rin's remark:
- How long will their prison be?
- Several hours, my magecraft is more effective on Nirn.
The knight woman examined the pirates lying on the ground, and frowned, raising their sleeves.
- Each of them has a snake tattooed on his right wrist.
- Probably the brand of their band...
Rin was going to say something more but stopped behind the counter. She had just discovered an elongated shape covered with a cloth stained with a dark and damp stain. Magus lifted up the textile and winced:
- I found a dead man in a sailor's uniform... I'll bet you a meal in the best inn in town it's the real Rodoryan.
An expression of disappointed greed crossed Artoria's usually serene face:
- I am not taking the bet, you are probably right.
It was necessary to be bandied about to board The Phynaster's stride. But Captain Kelmen finally gave them permission after they told their story. The Breton sailor had a bitter expression, nervously caressing his thick brown beard:
- The man you found dead looks just like Rodoryan. I am afraid we are embarking on a difficult journey. Enemies want to keep you from getting to port and before we even left Wayrest, I lost an excellent mate... and a friend.
After climbing the bridge to watch the towers of Wayrest move away, Artoria and Rin were discussing the rear castle. The knight was particularly intrigued by the spell her friend had used:
- You no longer use jewels? You threw a crystal in the tavern, not a jewel.
Tohsaka smiles at her:
- The false Rodoryan was right; your perceptions are extraordinarily sharp.
She drew several twin crystals from her purse and showed them to Saber:
- They are Soul Gems. Do you know what they are?
- Yes, they are used for weapons and armor enchantments. I believe they contain souls of captured animals and monsters.
Rin nodded her head:
- Exactly. Why would I exhaust myself to infuse my prana in priceless gems, when there are more convenient energy sources? I have developed a ritual which, with only a few drops of my blood, allows me to modify charged Soul Gems to use them as precious stones so typical of the magecraft of my master Zelretch.
The ship sailed all day and the next night. Awakened by the gulls, Artoria dressed but could not get her friend to leave her bed. Even when she shook her, Rin just whispered something that looked like "five minutes".
Amused, the Knight left her friend, her pillow clamped her, and came to have breakfast with Captain Kelmen.
As he watched her with fright swallow up enough to feed four crew members - all with perfectly elegant gestures - the sailor assured her that the ship was making good wind and would be before tomorrow in sight of Upvale, the port of the island of Balfiera.
When she had finished her "little snack", Kelmen handed her a spyglass so that she could observe the "Point of the shipwrecked", the southwest end of the island. As Saber watched with shivering attention the reefs and cliffs littered with wrecks thrown to her shores by the storms, she could not help but imagine the terrifying scenes that occurred there.
Seeing a movement in the sky, Saber discovered a strange cloud that she observed a few moments before understanding its true nature:
- Wyvern!
A whole flock of these monsters had just taken the air from the top of the cliffs where they were nesting. And they were flying in their direction!
Captain Kelmen shouted : " to arms."
Drawing her sword, Artoria positioned herself on the deck, waiting for the attack. While Rin - finally torn from sleep- whispered an incantation beside her. She threw a Soul Gem at the group of Wyvern that plunged towards Phynaster's stride. Several monsters held a net full of fighters between their claws, which they were preparing to release... except that the crystal launched by the Magus turned into a swarm of silver darts that made a massacre among the winged monsters.
Many goblins were also killed or fell into the water. There were so many of them that the survivors were enough to put the crew in trouble... except that a real human tornado hit them. Artoria Pendragon was incredibly sharp and fast. She flipped, dancing with her blade. A magnificent spectacle... had it not been for the cries of pain and terror of the humanoids who collapsed around her, spraying her with blood.
Within moments, the Knight had emptied among its attackers and the humanoids were retreating. She pursued them. Her blade pierced bellies, blew heads off, and cut bodies in half, as she flew to the aid of the sailors. Terrified, the surviving monsters dropped their weapons and jumped into the water, far preferring to swim in armor to the coast than face her!
Nevertheless, the goblins were led by a terrible master. A warrior in leather armor, wearing a war mask, advanced towards Artoria. He wielded a terrible black sword and used it to mow down everything that stood between him and his prey, the sailors of Phynaster's stride but also the humanoids.
Disgusted by the enemy's behavior, Saber let her anger speak. However, the masked savage block by her impetuous attack and repelled her with a force equal to her own. The barbarian warrior shouted and gave her a terrible blow, making her stumble. His blood-soaked blade, the mad killer burst out laughing as Artoria jumped aside, one hand on her hip, bringing her fingers fished with scarlet.
He ran back, raising the terrible blade above his head. Artoria squished her eyes under her helmet and... Prana Burst... she leaps, before wielding her sword like a scythe.
This time, it was the savage's turn to back. A deep cut marked his chest. He had no time to pull himself together. Saber gave him a dazzling lesson of fencing. Blocking the man's sword with one hand, she struck him in the face with the pommel. Then, swiveling, she gave him a violent kick before impaling him.
Vomiting blood flowing through the cracks of his mask, the barbarian collapsed on his knees before spreading his entire length and immobilizing himself forever.
With the death of their master, the goblins lost all courage and in the face of the counter-attack led by Kelmen did not delay to get rid of themselves. Even the Wyvern withdrew, unwilling to continue a now lost battle.
Impressed, the captain joined Artoria who was treated by Rin. The Magus was holding a radiant gem in her palm. With her eyes closed, she murmured: "Pflegen".
- Lady Pendragon, we are proud to have you aboard. Without you, and without Lady Tohsaka, our ship would be another wreck, ripped apart on the "Point of the shipwrecked".
(1) -asrá means "aggressive" in Sanskrit.
(2) Gilgamesh says 5.6 billion curses.