Nero-Fest: VII
"Begin!"
The words only just left Nero's mouth before Ash instantly stabbed Galvatyne into the ground, flipping his bottomless box open he swiftly withdrew the swordspear he had acquired through his defeat of the Nameless King. Spinning the weapon around, he rested both hands on the polearm and pointed the tip towards the two Servants.
Bedric was the first to realise what was going on, his purple eyes widened as he threw himself into a roll as Ash unleashed a beam of lighting from the weapon towards the pair. Artoria merely pursed her lips as the attack skidded off an invisible barrier as Ash swung the attack towards the Lord of Cinder.
Throwing himself into a backflip, Bedric launched himself over the beam as it cut through the air underneath him before dying out. Ash slowly started to walk forwards, releasing blasts from the spear like a cannon towards the Lord. Landing back on his feet, Bedric held his two swords out in front of him in a cross-guard as the next beam slammed into him and washed over the blades, lightning sparked across his body and earned a grimace from the undead but nothing more.
Nero charged forwards as Ash continually fired blast after blast at Bedric, the Emperor rushing towards Artoria as her British counterpart locked eyes onto her and tensed herself. Rocketing forwards to meet the Emperor head on and swinging her invisible sword through the air. The overhead blow smashed into Nero's guard before pushing downwards and working into an uppercut attack. Nero backpedaled as Artoria chased her down, the invisible sword making it more than a little challenging for her to actually engage in swordplay.
Bedric grit his teeth before he spread his swords wide, breaking off the beam of lighting before his hands deftly went to the Bottomless Box on his own him, flipping the lid open he soon pulled out a long spear like weapon, the spear had two prongs which curled around each other upwards into a twin shaped point. Bedric lowered the spear and pointed it towards Ash, the twin prongs glowed with brilliant aqua coloured light before unleashing a beam of their own towards the Saber.
Ash rolled to the side as the beam sailed over his head, getting into a crouching position and leveling the Swordspear back towards Bedric, the blade charged up and projected forth another beam of lightning towards the undead. The lord threw his body forwards into a roll, the beam sailing underneath him as it passed away before he rolled back to his feet and fired another blast.
The pair continued this trade off as they closed the distance with each other, neither able to land a solid hit with their projectile weapons as they moved closer and closer. The moment they got to within a few metres of each other, Ash dissipated the swordspear, pulling free his Moonlight greatsword from his box and hoisting the greatsword above his head before sweeping it forwards, the weapon releasing a small wave of glowing light towards Bedric.
Bedric dismissed his own weapon as the wave approached, reaching into his Bottomless Box and hoisting high a greatsword with a bright blue blade, the metal looking ethereal in nature before it glowed brightly as he swung it down and into the opposing attack. The weapon released a burst of light which split the wave in half and sent it either side of him.
The Undead stared at Ash's Moonlight Greatsword and then directed his attention to his own weapon. The two being identical in shape and design before raising an eyebrow and giving Ash a challenging smile.
"It seems that perhaps we are more evenly matched than we thought." He joked, pointing the greatsword towards Ash "Perhaps you were also one to come across a great many weapons in your time, more so if you too wield the sword of the Paledrake."
"I have fought many battles in my time." Ash replied as he narrowed his eyes, his left hand falling onto the handle of the greatsword and tightening around it. "It is only natural that I have acquired something from such feats."
"Indeed." Bedric nodded his head, his expression steeling itself "Then let us see which of us has the greater armoury!" he charged forwards, bounding towards Ash while dragging the tip of the Moonlight greatsword through the sand, carving a trail behind him as Ash rushed towards him with the sword pulled back in ready for a wide slash.
Swinging the Moonlight greatsword forwards, Ash unleashed another wave of power towards Bedric, the man swung his own blade up as the arc of light approached, cleaving through the attack with a single swing before he spun on his heel and unleashed his own wave towards Ash.
The Unkindled rushed onwards, leaping over the attack and pressing on without losing step as the attack flew off behind him. This time he slashed upwards, unleashing a vertical arc towards Bedric. The undead fired off his own wave of light towards Ash's, the two attacks collided with each other in an explosion of light, burning the sand beneath them. The two Sabers rushed into the cloud and disappeared from view for a few moments.
The cloud was dispersed with the accompanying sound of metal clashing with metal, the two Sabers were locked against each other with each greatsword grinding against its mirror match. The weapons unleashing a torrent of light which seemed to hum around the two servants in a rippling distortion effect, neither looked too perturbed by the fact as they continued to shove against their opposites strength.
Their swords released a burst of light, causing the pair to skate away from each other before they slid to a halt. Wasting no time, they charged forwards again, swords colliding with heavy strikes against each other, each time the weapons clashed the air around the pair was absorbed in a subtle hue of blue light and caused a rippling effect to surround them. Ash swung his sword into Bedric's guard, the Saber was sent skating away by the blow before he halted, looking back towards Ash and charging forwards, leaping up into the air and bringing the sword down in an overhead slam. Ash staggered as the strike made contact with his guard, then lashed out with his left hand and punched Bedric in the side of the head.
Bedric's head snapped to the side from the blow, the man looking more surprised than anything else before he retaliated with a punch of his own, the right handed thrust caught Ash dead in the face and caused him to take a step back.
Ash grunted before he advanced again, thrusting the greatsword towards Bedric, the Lord parried the attack to the side and swung his body into Ash's guard, shoulder barging him backwards before slashing upwards towards him. Ash leaned backwards to avoid the attack, the tip of the greatsword only just cutting a thin line through his leather armour before he retaliated with a headbutt.
The blow to the head dazed Bedric for a few moments before Ash swung his left hand forwards and released an explosion directly into the Saber's chest. The fire seemingly washed over him doing no damage and causing the Saber to blink in surprise before he understood with a thinning of his lips.
"Magic Resistance-" He made to click his tongue before Bedric recovered himself, smashing the pommel of his greatsword into Ash's nose and causing the Servant to recoil away from him. Bedric followed the attack by bringing the sword above his head and swinging downwards.
Ash raised the flat of his greatsword up and blocked the attack, his form remained upright despite the power before he pushed the attack to the side and lashed out with his left arm, smashing the back of his forearm into Bedric's face and sending him stumbling away from him.
The Unkindled attempted a sniffle, however all that emerged was a low wheeze as his nose had been broken in the earlier attack. The Saber reached up and clasped his nose, loudly snapping it back into place and turning his attention to Bedric as the Saber was hunched over, seemingly nursing his own wounds.
Ash turned his body towards him and started to approach, bringing his sword up as he moved towards the Lord of Cinder.
Bedric suddenly spun around, his Moonlight Greatsword glowing a brilliant blue as he slashed upwards towards the Unkindled. Ash's eyes widened as the sword released another arc of light through the air at virtually point blank range. The wave of light smashed into his chest and sent him flipping through the air and away from Bedric as it carried him through the sky before it dissipated and left him to drop back to the ground.
Ash groaned as he lay on his back, raising his head up he stared down at his chest with a slight frown as he beheld the large scorch mark across the front of his armour. It was getting somewhat annoying at this point that every time he changed his armour something would end up damaging it again. This hardly ever happened to him in Lothric now that he thought about it.
Hoisting himself back to his feet, Ash noted his hands now empty with his Moonlight greatsword embedded in the ground several metres from him. His eyes darted from the weapon to Bedric as the Saber closed in on him.
Ash's hand fell back to his Bottomless Box, withdrawing his next weapon. His hand clasped around the familiar grip of Galvatyne as he pulled the weapon free and levelled it towards Bedric, igniting the blade with chaos flames in the process. The Lord paused for a few moments, giving a critical eye before he slowly nodded his head.
"Those flames…Chaos, I presume." He pursed his lips "Formidable weaponry you have access to, it seems." his lips then curled into a faint smile "It is invigorating to test my strength against one such as yourself."
"I do not claim to find enjoyment within battle." Ash replied back with a frown "It is a duty to be fulfilled and nothing more."
"Then perhaps you are missing out." Bedric offered "There is something to be found in the clashing of wills but perhaps it is indeed not for everyone." he acquiesced "Indeed, there are many I personally disliked fighting as well but I still fought them. Perhaps it is because the reason we swing our sword matters more."
"I swing my sword because it is required of me." Ash lowered his blade and stalked forwards "Nothing more."
"Then you live a dull life indeed." Bedric replied with a shrug, not looking at all put off by the dour words of his opponent "Certainly not like Solaire but then again, the Knightess was very little like myself so I cannot think to compare one warrior to another."
"Might I ask something?" Cecilia spoke up suddenly, looking at Ritsuka with her mouth drawn in a thin line, although the aura of confusion was rather obvious "If it is not a burden to thee."
"Sure." Ritsuka shrugged in response, looking away from the fight and towards Cecilia "What is it?"
"What…" She pursed her lips, looking down for a few moments before returning her attention to Ritsuka "What relation doth thou believe I have with Milord?"
"Relation?" Ritsuka blinked, tilting his head and then looked towards the others present. He got varying looks of confusion in response before turning back to her "What do you mean?"
"Thee believes me to be some form of paternal figure to Milord, doth thee not?" She elaborated, her visor moving from person to person and then onto Romani. The Doctor reached up and scratched his cheek as his eyes looked away briefly.
"Well…from what we could gather, kind of?" Romani answered before tilting his head and refocusing on Cecilia with a puzzled expression "Was that not it?"
Shaking her head, her lips drew themselves into a thin line "That was not our relation…with Milord being granted this second life I would not wish him to think my role was equivalent to that of a mother. There are few children who would wish for a parent to behave such as I."
"...Huh?" Romani blinked "You don't seem that bad."
"As Firekeeper, I was charged with aiding all unkindled who resided within the Shrine." She replied "However, there is no difference to me between them. Ash is Milord because he is the only one to remain."
"Ummm…" Mash furrowed her brows "What does that mean, Cecilia-san?"
"It means that he was expendable." Olga replied in an explanatory tone, looking out of the corner of her eye to Cecilia "Is that not right? He just so happened to be the one who lasted the longest?"
"Thou speaketh truly." Cecilia nodded "Milord is Milord because he remained. Just as the title of Milord would have fallen to any other Unkindled who remained to take the journey to the Kiln."
"And what happens in the Kiln?"
"All Unkindled are shepherded to reseat the Lords and claim their strength." Cecilia replied "This was a purpose that they all knew, Milord was no different nor was my role hidden from him. I would ensure the most suitable unkindled would have the strength to light the flame and they would devote themselves to this purpose."
"So…basically?"
"Basically Ash was just the best candidate." Romani explained, nodding his head "Like how mother birds will only feed their strongest offspring in the wild and leave the weak ones to die." he frowned slightly "And Ash knew about this?"
"Milord was aware of what the end result would be." Cecilia nodded her head "I shepherded him to be kindling for the first flame-"
"Kindling?" Ritsuka blinked "You mean…" he made a noise like a fire being lit "That sort of kindling?"
"Indeed." Cecilia nodded her head "That was his role from the very beginning and I aided him as best-"
"She groomed him to be a sacrifice is what she's saying." Olga sighed, waving her hand although being unable to hide her frown "...And he still treats you like that?" she looked at Cecilia in confusion "There isn't any resentment?"
"Why should there be?" Cecilia asked in an innocent voice as she tilted her head "Tis the purpose of all Unkindled."
"Is…is that how Ash-san died?" Mash asked, furrowing her brows and not noticing Romani freeze for a few moments and direct his attention elsewhere.
"No." Cecilia shook her head "I…am not certain how Milord perished." she replied with some confusion before turning her head to stare down "And Milord seems…slightly different to how I recall."
"Different how?"
"Milord was…more expressive." Cecilia replied "Prone to anger at injustice…but it is fleeting and within the past now."
"Guess Chaldea has changed him." Da Vinci muttered in response as she cupped her chin "Still…I can see why you don't want him to think of that as normal motherly behavior. Within most cultures you pretty much groomed a willing sacrifice and that sort of thing would tend to be looked down upon-"
"Really looked down upon." Ritsuka grimaced, looking at Ash "...Did he ever complain?"
"No. Milord viewed it as a duty to fulfil and naught else."
Ritsuka blew air out between his teeth as he stared at Ash fight "...You know…Ash being a little different suddenly makes a lot of sense to me."
Olga gave a dry snort "What was your first clue?" she shook her head, giving a brief look towards Mash with a slightly pensive expression before looking at Cecilia and shaking her head. It didn't make sense to her in the least how Ash wasn't the least bit angry that he was groomed to be a sacrifice? Wasn't it natural that he would seek revenge?
Then again, nothing about his life sounded natural to start with.
Ash merely grunted in response as he dashed forwards, swinging his sword upwards while releasing a jet of fire from the blade. Bedric swung his own greatsword towards the Saber and unleashed a wave of light which slammed into the fire, smothering it and dying out in the process of canceling the attack out.
Bedric jumped high, gripping his sword in both hands and swinging down as the Unkindled closed in. The weapon collided with the burnt sword in a shower of sparks and fire as tricklings of fire were splashed away from Galvatyne as it made contact with the Moonlight greatsword. Ash then shoved backwards while swinging upwards at an angle, Bedric leaned his body to the side and barely flinched as the sound of scraping metal reached his ears as the greatswords just managed to clip his left shoulder armour.
Swinging his own sword out in response, Ash raised his left arm as the sword closed in. The edge of the weapon buried itself slightly into his armguards and earned nary a wince from the Unkindled as it handily cut through his armour and touched upon his skin. Bedric raised his left hand and caught Ash's wrist as he attempted to counter with the pommel of the sword, halting the attack and locking the Saber in place as he applied more force with his greatsword.
Ash remained stone faced as his armour let out a subtle groan as the Moonlight greatsword seemed to inch deeper into the gauntlet. Eventually, he opened his left hand from being a fist and twisted his arm so the flat of his palm was facing Bedric. The Undead had barely a moment to consider what was occurring before an explosion of black fire went off in his face.
Bedric let out a startled gasp and recoiled, managing to avoid the flames but looking no less shocked by their sudden existence. Ash wrenched his wrist free of the Saber's grasp and continued his swipe dowards. Bedric retaliated by punching him in the face, his body suddenly coating itself in traces of fire. Ash recognised it is something he had witnessed the other Lords do.
Either way, the punch sent him into a sprawl and rolled away from the Lord before he stabbed his greatsword into the ground to support himself. His head snapped up as he watched Bedric withdraw his arm from its outstretched position and fall back to his side, his purple eyes narrowed into slits as he virtually glared at the Saber, all sense of previous goodwill having since vanished.
"...Abyss?" He growled out "You dabble in the Dark so freely?"
"Dabble?" Ash frowned as he stood up "I use it as a tool just like any other. That is all."
"That is all?" Bedric parroted incredulously "There is no 'that is all' when dealing with the Abyss. All who have attempted to use it have fallen victim to madness and your willingness to deal in such foul craft is proof of your stupidity." his lip curled into a scowl "Or proof of your wickedness."
"My wickedness?" Ash's eyes narrowed in turn "That should be my statement to you, Lord of Cinder." Bedric blinked at the sudden intensity behind the Unkindled's words "Your existence in itself is proof of your own blindness…or perhaps you are a tool of the Gods." his eyes swept across the stands "A Knight of the Darkmoon and a slave to Gwyndolin."
"I do not consider my knighthood as slavery." Bedric growled back "Nor will I tolerate insults against my Lord." his body straightened out as his dissipated the Moonlight greatsword and allowed his hands to fall onto his hips and his twin swords "And for you to speak so resentfully of the Gods and demonstrate a willingness to employ black flames like a common Darkwraith speaks volumes of your own character."
"Then I shall determine your own character." Ash narrowed his eyes "If you had been raised like the Lords of Cinder I knew, would you have relit the Flame?"
"Without hesitation." Bedric answered "I have seen the Dark and all who dwell within it and only a fool or a madman would claim it is a life superior to a world in the warmth of Fire."
"Then you would sacrifice yourself for nothing." Ash dissipated Galvatyne and withdrew the Onyx Greatsword from his Bottomless Box "The Flame was destined to die from the very beginning. You would burn away your soul for nothing more than a delay of the inevitable."
"Inevitable it might be, but that is what life is." Bedric frowned heavily, glowing spots of orange light started to rise off his body, the aura of divinity emanating from the Servant intensifying to match his embering state. "And it provided certainty of life that cannot be claimed in a Dark world."
"It is meaningless." Ash argued back, tightening his grip around his greatsword "The continuation of the flame only served to propagate the suffering of man. An endless cycle of undeath for all who lived in its shadow. Even if they found purpose within such a life it is a shallow existence and one which should not be allowed to continue."
"And what would you do?" Bedric shouted back, pointing his Sunlight straightsword at the Unkindled as the blade started to crackle with golden lightning "Rob them of this duty they devote their lives to even if it is one you deem to be shallow? They find meaning and happiness in these lives and it is not for you nor I to decide it is inherently wrong."
"I decided it was wrong the day I was risen from my grave." Ash coldly argued back, slamming a burning fist into his chest and allowing Power Within to enhance his body "I was brought back for the sole purpose of ending the suffering of man. How I perform that task matters not so long as it has been completed." he lowered the hand and held out the black sword in front of him, placing his palm upon the blade "And if their only peace can be found in death. Then I shall perform that duty as well and grant them Mercy."
Bedric's arm faltered slightly as he stared at the Saber with newfound disgust "Your mercy upon them? If they suffer so greatly you will simply kill them?"
"I will free them from what causes them pain." Ash argued back, running his palm across the greatsword and bathing it in black fire "Whatever causes their suffering, I shall root out and destroy. Be it their own lives or something else entirely."
Bedric furrowed his brows before his eyes widened "...What have you done?"
"I brought mercy as was decided of me." He answered back "The moment I understood the suffering of man was propagated by the flame I worked to cut out that suffering. Regardless of whether or not it leads to their death, they are free. That is my mercy upon them."
"Madness!" Bedric cried out, throwing himself forwards and swinging his two blades towards Ash, the Unkindled swung his own sword up and locked swords with the Undead "All those people…without the Flame, Dark will flood the world!"
"And it might very well kill them." Ash coldly answered back, pushing back at the Saber as their blades grinded against one another "But even if they die, I will have ensured they suffer no longer. That is a better existence than what they had before." he shoved back, Bedric stumbled with the push "Besides. The existence of the Painted world has already ensured one version of humanity will exist and will be free of suffering."
"And those left behind!?"
"What few remain?" Ash tilted his head "They will succumb to the Dark without discrimination. Whether they die or live is no longer my concern. I freed them from the greatest architect of their suffering."
"Even if you speak truly-!" Bedric rushed forwards, parrying the greatsword up with his right sword before thrusting with his left "-there is no cure for the undead curse without the flame-" Ash sidestepped the blow, not quite avoiding the edge as it cut into his side "-and without a cure they will eventually hollow into nothing-" Bedric stepped in, shoulder barging the Saber and forcing him into a stagger "-what you have done is ensure that humanity will go extinct save what few survivors can hold onto their scraps of sanity within that cursed world!"
Ash stepped backwards as Bedric slashed up, the Saber leaned back as the straightsword narrowly avoided cutting open his face. Raising his left hand, Ash unleashed an explosion of black flames in front of him which forced Bedric to retreat away from him.
"But the race known as Humanity will have survived elsewhere." Ash countered "I consider the death of one world for the birth of another a perfectly even trade."
"You cannot trade lives as if they have no value." Bedric spat back "And what of all those who sacrificed themselves to keep the Dark at bay? You have rendered all their struggles as worthless!"
"Their struggles were worthless from the very beginning." Ash scoffed "The fading of the Flame was inevitable. All I did was ensure no one else would take part in a meaningless ritual. Even the other Lords of Cinder abandoned their roles when they understood how worthless it truly was."
Bedrich charged forwards, Ash thrust his greatsword towards him the Lord ducked down and allowed the blade to fly over the top of his head as he closed in. Ash twisted the weapon at an angle and turned the thrust into a slice. Bedric swung his right sword up, locking the hilt of the sunlight straightsword against the Onyx blade and halting it while pulling Ash forwards.
His Astoran sword glowed a brilliant purple as it was ignited with Darkmoon power. Bedric thrust upwards as he moved around Ash's back, the straightsword puncturing through his armour and erupting out of his front. Ash staggered forwards in surprise as he stared down at the glowing blade jutting from his chest.
"I will not claim to understand their motives." Bedric coldly replied as Ash raised his left hand to grab at the sword "But I now understand yours. Just because you do not understand their sacrifice does not give you the right to diminish their achievement. What you saw as pointless, I see as a desire to survive against the greatest of hardships and the human spirit to endure even in the face of inevitability. You are but a fiend if you believe life is worthless in the face of an inevitable end."
"I am but a tool to bring mercy." Ash replied back, spitting out a glob of blood as he looked over his shoulder at the Undead "And you are a prisoner of your own misguided belief in life!" he jerked his sword arm back, slamming his elbow into Bedric's temple and causing the man to stumble back. Freeing the sword from his body with a wet popping sound, although lacking in the amount of blood a normal human would have.
Ash turned around, swinging the black sword down towards Bedric, the Saber raised his swords in a cross shape and caught the attack inbetween the two blades.
"Whether life is immortal or mortal makes no difference to me." Ash stated as he pressed his left hand onto the blade and pushed harder, Bedric scrunching his face up with effort as he continued to lock blades with the Saber "What matters is purpose. An existence without such a thing is no existence worth allowing."
"And you decide which existence is worthwhile or not?" Bedric's eyes flared with rage "What right have you?"
"The right of kindling." Ash pushed "It was decided from the moment that I was risen from my grave that I would facilitate the end of suffering." Ash pressured, pushing harder "The thing you call Humanity was destined for nothing but inevitable suffering under the flame. An End which would have brought about more sacrifice and death for such a pointless reason? What value could you see in such an end?"
"Because I see more than the end!" Bedric countered, shoving back and pushing Ash backwards several steps "What you see as the inevitable fall of Kingdoms I see as the prospering of people! Their lives and their history had value even if they fell to ruin! What they strove for-!" he slid out his sunlight sword, still holding the greatsword back his darkmoon blade "-and what they achieved!" he thrust towards Ash's head, the Saber tilted his neck as the sword cut across his cheek and earned an involuntary wince from him.
Scraping the greatsword across the smaller weapon, Ash swung out and smacked the sunlight straightsword away from his head.
"These brief lives mattered!" Bedric punctuated it with a kick to the gut, the attack staggering Ash away from him as he lowered his leg. "They mattered…and even if no one remembers them. They mattered from the very beginning to the very end."
"No." Ash shook his head, straightening himself out "...No they did not. Countless Kingdoms rose and fell and so many were born and died, so many more succumbed to a curse of their soul because of the flame. If the perpetuation of suffering is what you believe matters, then your grasp of what life truly is disgusts me."
"And these people?" Bedric gestured to the stadium "Do they also disgust you? Their lives are the exact same."
"They are not cursed." Ash countered swiftly "That is the difference. They still hold the potential for an end which is not confirmed for suffering. A chance to fulfil a duty to give their lives meaning beyond 'simple existence.'"
"And if they do not match what you consider duty?" Bedric narrowed his eyes "What then? Will you show mercy to them as well?"
"I must believe they all serve some purpose." Ash frowned "Even…those who live in a manner which is beyond my understanding must serve some purpose even if it is only for a brief moment in time. Until I see such a life devoid of purpose, I will remain as a Servant for the benefit of the restoration of humanity."
"...No. You won't." Bedric shook his head "Even if you claim to be an ally to them, I cannot overlook what you have done." He threw his twin swords into the ground "Nor can I overlook the lives you have taken, directly or otherwise." he reached for his Bottomless Box and flipped the lid open "Even if you claim that some remnant of humanity survived, that is not justification for mass butchery justified that you enacted a mercy kill."
His hand slowly withdrew a long dark coloured sword, he held the weapon aloft before he lowered it to his side. Ash stared at the weapon with a frown before looking back at Bedric.
"For this Knight was still of the belief that humanity was more than Dark." Bedric claimed as he pointed the greatsword of Artorias towards Ash "Even as a member of the Lordkin and even as he was succumbing to the Abyss, he held true to his faith that not all of humanity were of the ilk of the Darkwraiths."
Ash stabbed his own greatsword into the ground as he flipped open his Bottomless box, then withdrew an identical weapon to Bedric. The Lord did not look perturbed as the copy of his sword was extracted out.
"I obtained this from the Abyss Watchers." Ash elaborated "Who strove to combat the Abyss and inevitably fell to it. Lords of the Cinder who abandoned their throne when they understood the futility of the task set before them." his eyes drifted from the greatsword and onto Bedric "A sacrifice without meaning is a waste of life and to combat the inevitable rise of the Dark for so long was such a waste of life."
Nero was not having a good time. Imperial privilege was a very handy thing to have when it came to obtaining swordsmanship. All she really needed to do was just believe she had it and she did. That and she was within Rome so a fame boost was also to be expected.
All in all, she had quite a few advantages stacked in her favour. Was it all paying off?
As she watched the invisible blade parry away another strike with frightening ease she could confidently answer that no. It was not paying off. Artoria stepped forwards and swung down towards the Emperor as she stepped in close.
Nero let out a slightly nervous squeal as she rolled away from the King and heard the clunk of metal striking sand and watched at it upturned a small mark in the ground where she had been. The Emperor thrust the burning sword towards Artoria soon after, the King merely raised the sword up and pushed the strike to go above her head before advancing forwards.
The two continued to trade blows with Nero very much finding herself on the backfoot from the rather impressive display of physical prowess from Artoria. Suffice to say that it wasn't a good time for her. The fact that she couldn't actually see the weapon was further hampering her ability to fight very well.
Artoria slashed in an overhead strike downwards, catching Nero's guard and causing her legs to buckle under the strike. Nero tilted her weapon to the side, causing the blade to slide down the length of Astus with a loud scraping noise, she watched as sparks and flames alike flew off as the weapons grinded against each other as Artoria's own strength caused her to slide off Nero's guard.
Not that it afforded her much leeway. The moment the weapon was away Artoria reversed her grip and slashed upwards. The powerful uppercut caused Nero's sword to violently jerk upwards as a result and make her stumble away as she attempted to recover her footing. Artoria allowed none of it as she spun on her heel and swung out with a charged up horizontal slash across her midsection. Nero was only just able to raise the flat of her sword as a shield before the attack slammed into her.
The power behind the attack caused her sword to bounce off her own forehead as she was sent skating backwards, her feet dragging along the sand and leaving twin indentations in the ground about five metres in length. Nero shook her head and refocused herself as Artoria turned towards her with her ever present stoic expression.
"Your swordsmanship is better than I would have believed." Artoria eventually commented, her tone sounding a little bit surprised but not at all condescending. "There are few tales of you personally wielding a weapon, therefore I was not sure what to expect."
"Hmhmhm!" Nero let out a muffled laugh as she puffed out her chest, inwardly relieved at the break in combat "It is only natural for an Emperor of Rome to be capable in all Classes, I need only believe in myself to achieve such a result, that is the power of Imperial Privilege."
"Ho?" Artoria let out an intrigued hum as she narrowed her eyes slightly "Imperial Privilege is it? I see. You merely gifted yourself the skills of a swordsman without receiving the training of one."
Nero inwardly winced at the way in which she just outed her own skill.
"However, to give to this much skill…" Artoria levelled her invisible blade towards Nero "It must be quite high in rank. I wonder just how much skill it affords you." her lip twitched in what could be considered amusement for a brief second before it thinned out "Then perhaps I shall simply test how much that skill can gift you." she remarked, lowering her other hand to fall back onto the handle and inclining her body forwards while the sword was angled to point behind her.
"U-um…" Nero struggled for a few moments as she considered how best to answer "...Enough to qualify me for the Saber class?"
"Indeed." Artoria affirmed as she tensed her body "But we shall see how skilled a Saber you are. If our shared face is any indication, you may indeed be an ancestor of mine." her eyes seemed to gleam with anticipation while her face remained stoic "Therefore I would consider it an honour to test my strength against one such as you."
"T-there is really no need to-" Nero made to argue back, however the sight of Ash rocketing past her managed to cut both her - and whatever action Artoria was about to make - off as the Saber stabbed his greatsword into the sand to halt his movement, the weapon carving a line in the sand as he slid to a halt before his head snapped up.
Bedric rushed in wielding an identical sword and swinging it towards him while looking as though his body had just stepped out of a bonfire. Ash ripped his sword from the and and held it in a blocking strike as Bedric collided with him, the strength behind his attack carried them both onwards as they skated across the ground.
Nero blinked and turned away from the sudden interruption and back to Artoria.
Who was already rocketing towards her as if propelled by a cannon. Nero gaped as the King closed the distance between the two of them within a single step, already sweeping her sword upwards towards the woman. Nero swung her own weapon downwards towards the attack.
Excalibur smashed into Astus Estus like a hammer, the force behind the attack let out a 'boom' as it visibly displaced the air in a shockwave and sent Nero into the air. Tensing her legs, Artoria kicked off the ground with an explosion of sand as she rocketed into the air in pursuit of Nero, the blonde Emperor blinking frantically as she tried to right herself.
The shadow of Artoria passed over her, the Servant spinning around and building up momentum before she crashed into Nero and sent her shooting back to the ground like a torpedo. Nero gasped out as her body cracked against the floor, shattering the arena base in spider web like cracks and displacing the sand around her for a several metre radius.
As she slowly attempted to pull herself back, her green eyes widened into saucers as she watched Artoria descending through the air towards her with her sword held above her head in preparation to swing downwards. Thinking quickly - or as fast as she possibly could - Nero rolled out of her pit and away from the landing site just as Artoria crashed into the ground behind her, the impact kicking up a blast powerful enough to knock her off her feet and send her into a small tumble through the air before landing flat on her face.
Her head snapped out of the sand, covered in the ganuels of the arena floor before she spat out a mouthful of the substance with an ugly grimace on her face and pushed herself back to her feet.
"...That is most unpleasant." Nero whined as she turned around to face Artoria, the dust cloud slowly fading away to reveal the form of the King pulled her sword out of the ground without much in the way of effort and turned to face the Emperor. "Isn't that rather brutish for a ruler?"
Artoria raised a lone eyebrow in response.
Once again before she could speak, Bedric rocketed past her this time. Skating along the ground with the flat of his sword held up and supported with both hands on either end of the weapon as a shield as wisps of black fire faded away. The Saber lowered the weapon before unclasping the talisman from his hip and drawing it back. Lighting crackled and solidified into the shape of a spear before he hurled it forwards.
Ash swung out with his sword upwards, crashing it against the lightning and dissipating it before he pulled his left hand upwards and slammed it into the ground. A trail of black fire erupted from the glove and rushed out along the ground in a serpentine fashion as it seemingly chased down the undead. Bedric clicked his tongue, flexing his arms at his side and puffing his chest outwards, unleashing a wave of light from his body which snuffed the flames out as they closed in on him.
The Undead charged forwards, Ash already meeting him midway with a thrust towards. Bedric swung down and pushed both weapons into the ground, his right arm came free of his handle and smashed against Ash's jaw in a backhanded motion. The Unkindled head snapped to the side before his eyes narrowed and he retaliated with a punch to the kidney.
Bedric staggered with the blow, his body hunched over slightly before he snapped his head upwards and caught Ash in the chin with the back of his head as he rose upwards. Ash stumbled away before he raised his left hand and thrust it towards Bedric's chest, the black flame in his hand already glowing brightly with clear intentions as it rushed towards his heart.
Bedric jumped back, kicking off the sand and out of Ash's reach while throwing up a cloud in his face as a distraction. Ash flexed his body, unleashing a small wave of magical energy from his being and dissipating the cloud. His eyes narrowed at Bedric as he charged forwards once again.
Nero raised an eyebrow at the pair "They seem to be…getting in the spirit of the duel?"
Artoria was watching them with a frown "No…they are trying to kill each other." she realised, her lips pursing "Every move is aimed to kill rather than debilitate."
Nero did a double take at Artoria "W-wait a moment-!? Does that mean you weren't trying to kill me all this time!?"
"No." Artoria shook her head, turning back to the Emperor and giving a blank expression "I have been trying to force you into submission with brute force. I have yet to attempt a killing move." she paused before tilting her head and giving what could almost be considered a teasing smile. Almost anyway. "I could rectify that if you believe I am looking down upon you-"
"N-no, no!" Nero hastily cut her off, rapidly shaking her head in the process "You're doing very well at the moment! The crowd is very entertained!" she gestured towards the stadium "See? No need to go further-"
"Are you sure?" Artoria pushed further "Because it would be considered dishonourable if I did not employ my full might against an opponent who holds a similar station to myself." she reasoned. The air around her sword seemed to still before it was dispelled. Revealing Excalibur in its entirety "And given how I need not concern myself with concealing my identity…"
She trailed off meaningfully.
Nero couldn't quite hide her nervous gulp, nor conceal the stray beads of sweat running down her forehead as her eyes danced between Excalibur and Artoria rapidly.
"U-um…"
A thunderous crash went off behind them, soon followed by a blastwave of sand which had the pair raise their arms to protect their eyes. As the dust settled down, they both turned to see Ash and Bedric once again locking blades, although this time their clash had ripped apart the ground beneath their feet as they both struggled against each other.
Bedric glowed a brilliant white before the same explosion of light from earlier ripped itself free of his body and collided with Ash, the impact sent him into a roll before he righted himself and slammed his palm into the ground as he sailed backwards. Purple eyes widened in alarm and directed themselves downwards as the area around Bedric started to glow and sizzle, tensing his legs he kicked upwards just as pillars of burning fire erupted from the ground indiscriminately, bathing the entire area in molten lava.
Ash burst through the pillars, leaping up into the sky after Bedric and swinging downwards. The sword smashed into his guard and rocketed him towards the ground like a missile, the impact causing another explosion of dirt which had debris flying in all directions. Ash was still in the air when the heat around Bedric's location suddenly skyrocketed. The sand burning away into glass as the aura of Divinity suddenly intensified to a point where he was on par with a high class Divine Spirit.
Bedric glared up at Ash as his body was coated in wisps of fire before shooting off the ground towards the Saber. Slamming into him and sending them both tumbling through the air in a rough grappling match before they both struck the ground, glassing the sand beneath their bodies as they rolled across the arena floor. Ash tucked in his legs and kicked upwards, throwing Bedric off his body and to the far end of the arena as he climbed back to his feet.
Bedric roughly landed on the ground, clawing his hand into the dirt to halt his momentum before his head snapped up. Throwing himself forwards, Bedric closed the distance between himself and Ash, slashing upwards towards the Saber as he swung down. The collision produced another explosion of fire and dust.
Nero gaped at the display before she turned to Artoria, the King now also staring at the duel with a degree of concern.
"If they continue at this rate then they will endanger all those within the stadium." Artoria realised, looking around with a concerned eye before it fell onto Nero. "If I attempt to stop them, can you try and mitigate the damage?"
"Umu!" Nero nodded her head "I shall do more than that!" she exclaimed, spinning her sword in her hand and stabbing it into the ground.
Another boom was accompanied by Ash being knocked away from Bedric with a heavy strike to his guard, the Saber skated away from Bedric and to the other side of the arena before his body hunched over, levelling a hefty glare towards the Saber.
Ash's hands fell onto the handle of the greatsword, taking a deep breath he started to channel magical energy into the blade. The weapon slowly started to glow with a bright hue which brightened by the moment.
Bedric copied the gesture after a moment's hesitation, his sword glowing a similar colour as Ash's.
"A Noble Phantasm activation!?" Artoria realised with alarm.
"You intend to argue that such an existence of pain is worthwhile?" Ash called out the arena with palpable disgust "Very well! Then I shall recognise you as a threat and deal with you accordingly!"
"Those are my words to you!" Bedric called back "That you believe that an end negates the meaning of everything before is wrong on a fundamental level! That you allowed this to drive you to make such a horrific decision more so!"
The two pulled their swords back, both glowing as if they were miniature suns, the pair tensed their bodies before both their swords unleashed a jet of magical energy from the blades, the power behind the sudden burst rocketed the two Servants towards each other.
"Fujimaru-kun! You have to stop this, they're going to use their Noble-!"
"Oh crap!" Ritsuka's eyes widened as he realised what was about to happen "Nero!" he cried out "Protect the people!"
Nero closed her eyes as time seemed to slow down for her, Artoria already in motion as she rushed towards the two Sabers. The pair on a collision course with each other in a gesture which was clearly going to end badly.
"Behold my glory!" Nero called out as her sword burst into flame and light rippled around her "Hear the thunderous applause!" the shape of a theatre started to construct itself around Nero and all other servants within the arena, the shapes and designs of the antiquated Roman architecture plain as day "Sit down and praise... My Golden Theatre!" The shape solidified as Ash and Bedric came within striking distance of each other.
Both immediately fell under the influence of the theatre and felt their bodies weaken slightly, although were too invested to allow it to deter them from the act of striking their opponent.
"Farewell Unkindled!"
"Return to cinders, Lord!"
Artoria slid to a halt, pulling her sword back and allowing the wind to funnel itself around the blade. "Howl!" she cried out before thrusting it forwards as the two sabers swung their glowing swords at each other.
"Tomhaltóir-" Ash shouted out as his sword closed in on Bedric's in a wide slash from his side.
"Glantóir-" Bedric exclaimed, his sword swinging in from the opposite side.
""-Dorcha!""
"Strike Air!"
The two swords collided with each other at the same time Artoria unleashed a hurricane of wind directly into the two undead, their glowing swords let out a thunderous crash as they struck against the glowing light of their opposite before Artoria's attack violently pushed them both to the side.
Then the blast from the two Noble Phantasms hit. A blinding light exploded from the epicentre of the attack, the power of which instantly caused Artoria to look away before the detonation nearly blasted her off her feet. Both Ash and Bedric - by virtue of being the ones at the centre of the blast - were the most affected as their bodies were both consumed by the blinding light.
Nero's features tensed and her body stood firm as the explosion tore apart her Golden Theatre, obliterating the marble pillars and scorching the flooring as it ripped its way towards them. The Emperor let out a final determined cry as she ripped her sword free and leapt towards the attack.
"Laus Saint Claudius!"
Ritsuka watched with wide eyes at the sudden construction of the theatre in the middle of the stadium, although he couldn't actually see anything that was occurring within it. At least until a bright white explosion seemingly tore its way free of the northern side and glassed the ground for nearly five metres before it fizzled out into nothing.
He could tell the others were all staring wide eyed at the display. Dead silence spread across the stadium, even the Servants present were floored by the sudden shift from innocent spar to death match within the span of a few minutes.
"Senpai?" Mash tersely asked "I-is everyone-"
"I…" Ritsuka swallowed "I don't…um…" closing his eyes, he concentrated deeply before they snapped open in relief "I…I can feel Ash and Nero! They're still alive!"
"That's a relief…" Romani exhaled loudly, wiping the back of his hand over his forehead. "I got worried there for a moment…no, wait a second! I'm still worried! What the heck was that Fujimaru-kun!?"
"I don't know!" Ritsuka snapped back, looking equally shocked by the display "It's like they both just snapped half way through!"
"Well find out what that was!" Olga snapped, now standing up and looking confused between glaring at Ritsuka and the stadium "They just…" she let out another growl before she levelled a finger at Fujimaru "Find out what led to-to-this!" she widely gestured at the gradually fading theatre before she realised what was happening.
Her eyes snapped back down, watching for any sign of movement.
Eventually, the haggard form of Nero came into being, the woman leaning over her sword as she used it to stand upright. Blearily, she looked around and noticed that all the other Servants were either passed out or on their knee's with their own injuries.
Blinking twice, Nero gave a disbelieving snort before she shakily raised her sword into the air and shouted "I won!"
"Wha-!?"
"What manner of stunt was that!?" Olga was screaming loudly enough that it sounded as though she was going to lose her voice at any moment "What possessed the pair of you to fly off the rails and think it a smart idea to deploy such devastating Noble Phantasms in a populated area!?"
Neither Ash nor Bedric met her eyes. Both covered in burn marks and cuts from being so close to the explosion.
"Well!?" She snapped again, her eyes furiously darting between the two of them "What!? Did you just lose all form of common sense and decide that a spar translated into a death match!?"
Bedric winced "That is not…" Olga's eyes fell upon him with untold fury within them "...exactly wrong." he finished, giving a side eyed glare to Ash out of the corner of his eye "It was a difference in opinion which I…allowed to get the better of me."
"A difference of opinion?" Ritsuka was the one to speak this time, raising an incredulous eyebrow and moving towards the pair and standing next to Olga with his hands on his hips "That was a little more than a 'difference of opinion'." he narrowed his eyes, looking between the pair of them. "What happened?"
Bedric looked at Ritsuka before he pursed his lips "Without the…entire story the full ramifications of what he happened are difficult to explain-"
"Then explain it to me." Ritsuka ordered, looking at Bedric with a steeled expression before he looked at Ash and raised a finger "Don't think you're off the hook. He might not be my Servant-" he nodded to Bedric "-but you are. I trusted that you wouldn't go off the rails and you almost killed both yourself and damn near everyone else in the stadium."
"...I understand." Ash nodded his head, still looking at the ground. "That was…I became too invested."
"It was an innocent competition." Ritsuka sighed heavily, reaching up and rubbing his brows "How…?"
"I am…still unused to fighting without the threat of death." Ash admitted, looking up for the first time "To fight without killing my opponent is not something I am familiar with."
"I…" Bedric made an ugly expression "Concur with the mad-" he cut himself off midway through, scrunching his face up "I myself am not used to fighting for the purpose of inflicting wounds rather than death…I…lost myself in the heat of the moment."
Ritsuka stared at him with a befuddled frown at the word change before shaking his head "Alright…so you two just…what? Defaulted to your basic instincts then?"
Ash and Bedric shared a glance, a single thought passed between them before they both looked at Ritsuka and nodded their heads.
Romani's face popped up behind Ritsuka, the Doctor frowning as he examined Ash "Well…the readings here are saying that he's not in that bad a shape actually."
"It would be thanks to King Pendragon." Bedric explained "They diverted the blast at the last moment, instead of being reflected onto each of us it was directed to the ground some distance…not to mention whatever the Lady Nero did with her sudden construction of her fortress sapping away my strength."
"And mine." Ash affirmed alongside him.
"Still…" Romani sighed "I guess we should have seen this coming, asking him to fight all of a sudden. From what he's said, Ash has never really engaged in a spar before most of his fights were life or death…well, um I suppose deaths is the better word in his case." he tried to joke, rubbing the back of his neck.
All he got was a disapproving stare from everyone present - including Ash who looked more depressed than anything else - which caused him to look away from them with a wince.
"...That aside." Olga huffed, her voice slightly hoarse before she pointed at Ash "There will be a course of behaviour appropriate for a time and place and when it best to deploy such a devastating Noble Phantasm." she leaned forwards and growled at him "And it isn't here."
Ash remained silent as he slowly nodded his head.
"And you!" She whirled on Bedric, glaring at him "So help me, if you come to Chaldea and act in such a reckless manner I swear I will have Fujimaru use his command seals and have you both scrubbing toilets!"
Bedric blinked at her once "...I…understand?"
"Good." Olga huffed, looking at Ritsuka before turning away from the pair and marching off "Lets get this over with…I seriously doubt we're going to win anyway because they have Heracles…" her voice trailed off as she moved further away from them.
Ritsuka spared the two one final glance before he walked off as well.
Bedric and Ash remained silent for a few moments before the former spoke up.
"She seems…spirited." He said after a few moments.
"She is." Ash agreed with a toneless voice "...Although I am unsure if her death has changed her greatly."
"...Her death?" Bedric raised an eyebrow "She is an undead as well?"
Ash frowned "I am unsure if she would count…I do not know if an unkindled bringing a soul back to life makes them undead or not."
"...You brought her back to life?"
"I prevented her soul from being destroyed." Ash admitted with a shrug "It was Da Vinci who crafted her a new body."
"...Why did you save her?"
Ash remained silent "It…seemed the best way to avoid her suffering." he admitted after a few moments "And with the option to have her being saved available…I saw no reason to refuse."
Bedric remained silent for a few moments before speaking again "I am not ignorant as to the state of the land of Lothric." he announced "The 'throne' informed me of what became of our home."
"Then you should understand-"
"I understand that you prevented the future of whatever Kingdom might have come after had you kindled the Flame." Bedric cut him off sternly "And neither you nor I have the authority to decide when a life has gone on for too long."
"I will not allow future suffering." Ash remarked back "No matter what you claim. I believe that my choice was the correct one. Even if the Age of Dark does bring about the death of the humans from the Age of Fire, the painted world will ensure the survival of the race as a whole. Free of curse which plagued humanity for so long." he turned away and slowly walked off "I consider that a greater mercy than lighting the flame once again."
"And I am left to wonder why you could not do both." Bedric called out after him.
"...Because I too believe my purpose has meaning." Ash turned around "If I am to die…it will be for a purpose I can say mattered in the end. An existence with meaning like all others…sacrificing myself to the flame does nothing but grant pain."
"How can either of us truly understand what the life of a human is?" Bedric asked as he tilted his head "When neither of us are truly human anymore?"
Ash didn't have an answer for him as he walked off, choosing instead to ignore the words presented to him.
Bedric pursed his lips. The unkindled was neither a madman nor a fool. He was both.
AN: The definition of 'That escalated quickly' indeed. Some of you might also be wondering why I included Bedric so soon after Okeanos.
The answer is simple.
He's not going to be summoned until after Singularity 4 is the answer. Also Bedric has no idea what happened in Okeanos. He's got no memories of the event nor of who killed him. Why? PLOT.
Was this also a jarring tonal shift? Maybe. But the next Chapter is going back to the original amusing intention. Besides, any fight between Soulsborne Protags was hardly going to remain civil for long lets face it.
The Chosen Undead
'Bedric of Lordran'
Servant: Saber
Strength: B+
Endurance: B+
Agility: B+
Mana: B+
Luck: D
Noble Phantasm: C-EX
Oscarius: B (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 1-2
Passive to deal extra damage to wraiths and undead. A Straight Sword of Astora blessed with great power. It is named after an individual close to Bedric's origins.
Solaris: B+ (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 1-2
A Straight Sword wielded by a Warrior of Sunlight. Bedric would often claim that the original owner was better than he. Perhaps that is where the legend of the strength of the Sunlight blade originated. During the brightness of the day, the sword might call upon the strength of the sun and be charged with the power of lightning.
Linker of Fire - 'I shall become Kindling for the World': C-EX (Suicide), Max Target:?, Max Range:?
Re-enacts the continuation of Age of Fire. The more desperate the situation is, the brighter the inferno. It is a conceptual event. The linking of the fire was seen as a way to purge away the dark and heal the world. Therefore, the flames heal allies while burning away enemies and all those that threaten man. (Even if it is not entirely accurate to the reality of the First Flame.)
Bottomless Box: E-A++ (Can be used independent of owner)
Draw forth weapons acquired through travels.
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance: B
Degraded to Rank C against Dark Spells.
His new Lordship has left him slightly vulnerable to Dark but not as much as true Lordkin.
Riding: C
Lord of Cinder: A
Can ignite his Divinity and rapidly grow in intensity until it reaches equal rank to a Divine Core of Rank A
As the Divinity ranks higher, the physical parameters increase as well. He is the Second Lord of Cinder, ranking him as superior to his counterparts.
Personal Skills:
Knight of the Darkmoon(True): B
Under the moon, he receives a boost to his physical stats.
Unlike a false knight, he needs only a sliver of moonlight to receive the buff.
Miracles: B+
Battle Continuation: A+
Mystic Slayer: A+
Protection of the Faith: A
The singular belief in that he was the chosen undead to succeed Gwyn.
Despite the sacrificial nature of the succession, he still would have done so again.
For he truly believes it is better to live in light than in Dark.
Unsung Hero: EX
He performed a great deed which was attributed to another, but that is fine with him.
However, he can still perform feats of brilliance far above what his container suggests
in moments where one would not expect him to. He can call upon whatever skill he truly needs at that moment. As if it is like Imperial Privilege.
Utility of Weapons: B
Dark Moon Talisman: B
Strengthen the power of Miracles for a brief time.
Summoning.
"Servant, Saber. I bid thee greetings. I am Bedric of Lordran, Lord of Cinder and Blade of the Darkmoon. I am ready to follow your commands as a humble Knight."
Dialogue 1
"Free time you say? I suppose I had plenty of that within the Undead Asylum for…um…I confess, I am not quite sure. It was many, many days indeed though. As for free time? I have nothing to offer you."
Dialogue 2
"There are many Servants about…I admit to feeling a little out of place with so many around me but I can adjust."
Dialogue 3
"Master and Servant? I might be considered a Lord of Cinder but I am a Knight first and foremost…although I would ask you not to make me choose between my service to Gwyndolin and to yourself."
Dialogue 4 (If you have Ashen One)
"...A life with a fixed end is not one without meaning. Hm? Why did I say that all of a sudden? Ah…no reason just…the Unkindled who wanders the halls - your friend - he and I…do not exactly agree with each other. Worry not, I will not allow it to jeopardize your safety at all, Master. Just…try to avoid putting us within the same team."
Dialogue 5 (If you have Siegward)
"Siegmeyer? Eh? I'm wrong? Sieg…ward you say? How strange…maybe a distant descendant of his then. Rather intriguing although hardly surprising given how he was…friends with a giant you say!?"
Dialogue 6 (If you have Solaire of Astora)
"Solaire…ah…nevermind. I probably should not approach him so candidly…especially when I was the one who…Forgive me, I was speaking to myself there for a moment. Solaire is a proud warrior and a good comrade to have at your side. You are most fortunate to have him."
Dialogue 7 (If you have Gilgamesh)
"That he has more respect for the Unkindled than myself is telling but I did not do it solely for the purpose of continuing the Age of Fire for the Gods. I saw the Dark first hand and what it could do…I understand what it meant to allow it. Maybe he would be willing to take a chance with the Abyss…but I was not."
Dialogue 8 (If you have Patches)
"Of course he's here…Don't try and sneak away Patches, I've already spotted you. Good heavens man, I'm not here for your head. Just control those clumsy limbs of yours when around Master…it would be unfortunate if you happened to lose one."
Dialogue 9 (If you have Gwyndolin)
"Ah, Lord Gwyndolin is present. As expected to see him here. Although…he seems to shy away from my presence for the most part."
Dialogue 10 (If you have Bearer of the Curse)
"To think she would pick such a choice as the Unkindled…perhaps we are all the more fortunate that another was able to correct her mistake. Still…I suppose she accomplished her goal of finding a cure but…still…to remain alive for that long? I cannot help but wonder if it was worth it…or if the long time in isolation drove her mad as she agrees with the Unkindled."
Dialogue 11 (If you have Arthur [Prototype])
"I had the strangest encounter the other day. The blonde Saber - Arthur - he seemingly jolted at my presence and looked just about ready to cut me down before he realised what was going on and profusely apologised. I do not claim to understand all that occurred but…perhaps I look like an old foe?"
Dialogue 12 (If you have Fire Keeper)
"A Firekeeper…but she? Wait…she guided him along the path of….I see. Then she groomed him into what he became. Perhaps the blame lies in both of them being desperate or perhaps they are both naive. I do not know which is which."
Dialogue 13 (If you have Oscar)
"I see a Knight of Astora present…and it is Oscar. I have seen the way he acts…he treats himself much too harshly. I believe what he requires is a supporter of some kind…what do you call it? A cheerleader?"
Dialogue 14 (If you have Musashi)
"Well…I confess I do not know many dual wielders but it is a strange thing to meet another who outclasses me as heavily as she does…if only she would stop challenging me to a duel though."
Dialogue 15 (If you have Artorias)
"Hm? Ah, Ser Artorias! You look much better than when last we spoke an-eh? No, there is no need to bow to me! You shouldn't…I was more than willing to allow you the credit! You're not a failure of a Knight, stop speaking nonsense!"
Likes
"What I like? How…odd. I…suppose I enjoyed my service but then again, I also enjoyed a few other things. I believe I might have had some form of hobby before I was sent to the Asylum but that was long, long ago."
Hates
"What I hate? Those who make light of the deeds of others and those who claim that a life without duty is meaningless. Perhaps hate is a strong word…but I believe them to be very wrong in their statements."
Wish for the Holy Grail
"A wish you say? I…do not have one. No…perhaps a flame that would never have gone out. Does that place us under the yoke of the Gods? Perhaps, but the cycles demonstrated that humanity could achieve greatness within the fire just as easily as the Gods could. Maybe what I am told about the Dark Sign and Gwyn is true…but if the Flame did not end then there would not be a curse of undeath to affect us."
Bond Level 1
"We have made much progress, I am glad to be with such noble company."
Bond Level 2
"My fighting style is odd? I suppose that is correct. Although as undead, we are taught to make use of all we have at our disposal. Therefore I treat my opponents all equally and with my full might."
Bond Level 3
"Our fight continues on. A battle for the sake of the future…It is very nostalgic although perhaps that is quite telling. Hmmm…I would prefer such a battle to be unnecessary but we cannot choose when we are called upon. We need only act."
Bond Level 4
"Your commands are most deftly improving. That is a welcome trait indeed…yes, my fighting style might be considered very similar to some of the other Servants. Especially the Archer who makes swords. Not to mention he is also a dual wielder."
Bond Level 5
"I am proud to be your Servant. The knowledge you walk down a righteous path invigorates me to no end. I will pledge myself here and now to the Covenant of Chaldea. Eh? I'm already a Knight of the Darkmoon? Did I not say you could be a member of multiple Covenants?"
Birthday
"A birthday you say? That is something I have not thought of in many a season. I congratulate you wholeheartedly."
During an Event
"Do you hear that commotion? It sounds as though there is merriment afoot. I would ask your leave to take part…I do not remember much of the social gatherings before the Curse."
1st Ascension
"It seems I am stronger than before. I thank you for this gift."
2nd Ascension
"Another gift of strength? This is most generous of you, I shall use it to the best of my abilities."
3rd Ascension
"I am surprised there is yet more strength that I can be given. I know that as a Servant I am weaker than when I was alive yet this feeling is…almost fulfilling. As though I am being restored to my full self."
4th Ascension
"I have noticed that you continue to grant me strength in much the same way a bonfire does…yet I have heard the Firekeepers took on that role. Hmmm…you are not a Firekeeper and that role seems better suited to the Physician. How strange."
4th Ascension [After Solomon]
"I have noticed that you continue to grant me strength in much the same way a bonfire does…yet I have heard the Firekeepers took on that role. Hmmm…you are not a Firekeeper and there is none else in Chaldea who could be called a Firekeeper. Perhaps Sir Mash? No, no…How strange indeed."