Trial Quest - Scathach: II
The sword slashed through the torso of the darkwraith as Gael ducked underneath the opening attack, the darkwraith let out a wailing cry as it fell backwards and vanished into dust. Gael leaned back and gave a silent nod to himself before he turned around to face Mash and Ritsuka who were keeping pace with him.
"Where are these guys coming from anyway?" Ritsuka asked, staring down at the spot where Gael had cut down the next fighter "Ash said they were Darkwraiths and invaders but it doesn't make sense why they'd keep coming here."
"...They are not Darkwraiths." Gael spoke in a gravelled tone, shaking his hooded head at the pair and earning surprised reactions from them "They are poor and wretched souls, we do them a favour ending them." he made no further comments as he turned around and resumed walking forwards.
Ritsuka and Mash exchanged glances with each other before they turned back to face the retreating figure and followed after him, Ritsuka furrowing his brows and confusion "They aren't? But Ash said that-"
"Few know what they truly are." Gael replied in a stern but not insulting tone of voice, his words sounded as though they held some deeper meaning to them "And in truth…even this will provide them no rest. Beings without beginning nor end. Forlorn."
"Forlorn?" Mash raised an eyebrow at him and tilted her head "You know them, Gael-san?"
"...I know of them, yes. I fought them on occasion but they have distanced themselves from the world I knew of." He replied with an uncaring tone of voice "Pulled from their bodies and granted neither rest nor respite, they wander between worlds in search of a home. However, they shall never know such rest…forced to drift without end." he turned back around to face the pair of them, the two stopped and leaned back as Gael loomed over them ever so slightly "...They are deserving of your pity, but do not let it stay your blade. Hollows they remain and shall kill you if you let them."
"...That sounds horrible." Ritsuka said after a moment silence, his brows creasing and his lips drawing themselves into a frown "Can anything-"
"No." Gael turned back around before he paused. "Only the one who made them might cure them, if they were so inclined."
Ritsuka blanched "S-someone did that to them?"
"Naturally." Gael responded with a grunt as he continued onwards, not losing step despite the rather horrific news he exposed to them "With poor souls such as these, it is obvious to assume one made them as they are now. As for why? I know not, nor do I care for it. It simply is and it is for the rest of us to suffer for."
Ritsuka frowned, "That seems a bit cold."
"...Cold?" Gael looked over his shoulder and stared at him, Ritsuka felt the distinct impression he was under intense scrutiny and found himself - once again - rooted in place by the old man. "When you live as long as I…there comes a point where the suffering of others becomes naught but a fact of life to you. Whether it is dealt out by you or by another changes little, there is still suffering." there was a beat as Gael turned back around "Whether you do anything about it…that is your own choice. Hence why we search for your comrade." he scoffed "Ash…a strange name indeed."
"He said he knew you in life."
"I knew many in life." Gael replied with a curt tone of voice, although the old man lacked any sort of aggression within it. Simply stating it as though it was a fact of life. However, Ritsuka got the distinct impression that Gael didn't mean that he was a social butterfly. "There would need to be specifics."
"...He said he killed you."
That got Gael to stop "...Ah. He is here too then? I suppose it makes sense." he quietly spoke before taking in a long and shaky breath and straightening out ever so slightly "All the more reason for me to make haste, I suppose. There is something I find myself eager to know." he waved his left hand forwards "Come children."
The pair followed after him, Mash looking around the still burning ruins of Fuyuki with a grim expression before returning her attention to Gael's back "Do you know what's happening here, Gael-san?"
"Yes." Gael replied almost as quickly "Those who have yet to find death have drifted to this place, seeped within it. Perhaps hoping to find some peace in life…" a sigh emerged from the old man, accompanied by a shake of the head "Those poor fools. All manner of spirits have found themselves here, Forlorn, undead, there was a Goddess here."
Ritsuka blinked "...Was?"
"Was."
"...And now?"
"There is not."
Ritsuka and Mash shared another glance, the simple manner in which he spoke left little to the imagination about what exactly happened to the Goddess that was here. However, that didn't tell them much about how strong the Saber was in front of them. From what they had seen of Divine Spirits, you either got the likes of Euryale and Stheno who were - by their own admission - useless when it came to combat or you ended up with the other end of the extreme and with someone like Faraam.
Who managed to fight against half a dozen Servants at once and was winning. While they could both tell that Gael was good, the ease at which he dispatched of the Forlorn indicating as such, they weren't quite sure how good he was. It was always valuable to understand the strengths of your allies when in a combat situation, although from what Ash had spoken of them if they had been sane, Gael was apparently very good.
"So…you know Ash then?"
"Is that what he calls himself?" Gael asked before nodding "But yes, I know him. We spoke for a short time and travelled together as well. He seemed simple enough."
"You aren't mad about him killing you?"
"Not at all." Gael replied with a shake of the head, the old man looking down at Ritsuka and tilting his hood in a questioning manner "Might this old man make an inquiry?"
"Huh? O-oh, sure." Ritsuka nodded in affirmation, Mash mirroring the gesture behind him.
"Thank you." Gael rumbled before he straightened himself out, pointing to the city with his left hand in a wide sweeping gesture "What brings such young children to such a dreadful place?" he asked in a curious tone of voice "It is a rather poor spot to visit, even for the likes of myself." leaning forwards, Gael inspected the pair of them "And you were not drawn here like I was…there is not a sense of undeath about either of you."
"A-ah…well…" Ritsuka scratched the back of his neck "We're…um…Well the city here is strange. Like you said." he pointed between him and Mash "We came here to see what was wrong with it and try and fix it if possible." he paused "Well, actually we were here to see if there was a problem we could fix first."
Gael turned to Mash and saw her nod "Ah…I see." Turning away from the pair he stared back across the ruins of the burning city in silence, the old man let out a long hum before it trailed off "Best of luck."
"So, what are you doing here, Gael-san?" Mash asked as they continued to walk alongside him, staring up at the taller Knight with a curious expression "Were you summoned here as well?"
"I was." Gael admitted "Without a Master to anchor me but that matters little, there are many wandering spirits and restless dead who stumble through these ruins." the old man continued on with a shrug of the shoulders "When I saw their sorry state I simply did what little I could. I have been here…perhaps two hours."
"And you were just fighting whatever you came across?"
"Yes."
"...Huh." Ritsuka blinked at him once "Alright then…why?" He asked "Not that I'm complaining for the help but I'm just a little curious is all."
"It is an honest question." Gael admitted with a nod of the head, pausing to look left and right across the street in search of any sign of movement before he continued onwards "The Forlorn - cursed as they are - mean nothing to me, nor do the spirits of the dead who have yet to meet an end. By all rights, I should not even give them a second glance, let alone remain in this flame cursed city to grant them respite." a weary sigh came from his mouth "But I do so anyway…" there was another pause "As for why? There's no reason."
Ritsuka blinked at him once "...Huh?"
"I stayed and slew the undead here because…there was little reason not to. I had no cause to offer my aid and no cause to turn a blind eye." He paused, staring out across the sea of flames "It is a strange thing to be without purpose once again but I sought some simple task. Therefore I remain and slay undead and will do so until my Magical energy runs dry."
"...Do you want to-"
"No…not today, I should think." Gael cut him off gently "Again…I have no cause to serve you. Perhaps I was summoned here to simply slay undead, in which case that is what I shall do." he turned to Ritsuka "And should you summon me…I will do all I can to aid you. Not before then, however."
"...Alright then." Ritsuka nodded once, placing his hands on his hips and looking around. "I suppose for now we should continue our search then." he turned to Mash and spoke before she could make a suggestion "I've already called Ash on the mental link, he isn't responding right now."
Mash frowned "Should you use a command seal to bring him back?"
"...Probably." Ritsuka looked at the seals on his left hand, then lowered them back to his side "Actually, yeah. I'll call him back with them." he raised his left hand and closed his eyes "By the power of my command spell, Ash-"
A thunderous crash cut him off, his eyes flying wide and Mash diving in front of him with her shield raised. There was a snapping sound of wood as Gael stepped before Mash, one hand on his greatsword in preparation for a strike and his left hand outstretched with a crossbow pointed towards the street, a wheel rested atop the main body of the weapon with dozens of bolts lining it.
The smoke in the street started to clear, the shape of a figure became visible to them. The features of Ash cleared up, the Saber hunched over in the middle of the street with a greatshield raised up in a protective manner and facing upwards. Ritsuka frowned, his eyes moving from Ash towards the direction he had come flying from, he found himself staring at one of the burnt out apartment buildings as it started to crumble, a noticeable hole in the wall aiming downwards towards the street.
He opened up his mouth to call out to the Saber-
Crimson light streaked through the air, flashing out of the apartment building and clearing the distance of around a hundred metres between it and the street in scant but a second. The light collided with Ash not a moment later, not even slowing down as it carried him away and further across the streets into the building just opposite. The blur crashed into the building and exploded, dust and debris flying out of the bottom floor and covering the street.
Ritsuka raised his arms in front of his face as the shockwave of the attack hit a moment later, followed by the dust cloud washing over them. He swept his arms down and gaped as the floor above where Ash and whatever had attacked him crashed into suddenly exploded in a similar fashion to the ground floor. The windows and walls flying out as the crimson light moved higher.
"What the heck!?" Ritsuka blurted out in shock, he watched as the third floor then exploded outwards, he could vaguely make out Ash's body ragdolling through the air with no true control before the red blur crashed into him again and carried them off out of sight.
He shared a wordless glance with Mash before they turned back in the direction of the chaos and then rushed forwards, Gael already ahead of them and sprinting down the street like a man possessed, greatsword already drawn and crossbow ready. The old man kicked off the ground and into the air, leaping atop one of the lower buildings and landing atop the roof before rushing forwards.
"Being a Servant is really something, huh?" Ritsuka couldn't help but comment as he and Mash sprinted through the streets, following the distant echoing clangs of metal followed by the thundering crashing sounds.
It wasn't a battle of skill. That would be to give him too much credit. It wasn't even a fair fight or a battle with a marginal advantage.
Its best comparison was wholesale slaughter.
Ash thought as much as he found himself flying through the air once again. Despite his body no longer having the greatest sense of feeling to it, even he had been placed into a position where he could feel nothing but abject pain, barely even a minute into the battle he had already found himself so thoroughly on the back foot that he couldn't even comprehend the time needed to form a counter attack.
He looked up, seeing the woman spinning through the air towards him before she swung her leg down like an axe. The back of her heel collided with his jaw and he felt the momentum of his body shift downwards, his blurred vision didn't do much to aid his sense of direction either as he rocketed downwards, then felt his body jerk to a halt and the bones in his back crunched as he hit the pavement, his body crushing cement inwards as he cratered the ground.
Blurred vision swiftly cleared when he noticed the flash of red light dance through the sky before hovering above him and then racing downwards. Forcing power into his body, he pulled himself up as fast as he could and rolled to the side out of the pit. Not even close to being past enough to get back to his feet, the woman smashed into the ground with such force that Ash once again felt his body lifted off the ground and rolling across the ground, sliding to a halt he rested his hands on the pavement and attempted to stop himself.
The flat end of a spear smashed into his face in an upwards motion and sent him flipping through the air before he even realised what had happened, he was middair when another blow followed up the initial strike and slammed into the back of his head and sent him back into the street.
He rolled over and swung his left arm upwards, unleashing a burst of fire - because he could think of little else to do - in the general direction of where he believed his attacker was. He panted heavily, blinking dazedly as he fumbled back to his feet, shaking his head and staring at the burning patch of black fire in front of him. His breathing halted when he felt a presence behind him once again.
"Rather sloppy." The voice chided him in a disappointed tone. Ash swung around, the flame in his left hand extended and solidified, his palms grasping around the handle of the newly formed curved blade as it slashed towards the direction of the voice.
His attack collided with the pole of the crimson spear, the woman having raised the spear up pointed at the sky. The pair stared at each other in silence, the woman's face showing little in the way of emotion as her eyes moved away from Ash's face and towards the burning sword which she had blocked. "...That's interesting." was all she said before her leg snapped out and struck him in the gut.
Ash found himself launched away from her, crashing into the street and bouncing half a dozen times before he crashed into the remains of a struck with a screech of metal.
She was faster than him, that much was obvious in their first encounter. She was equal to or perhaps slightly faster than Cu, their styles were also similar enough that Ash - for the few moments he had seen her - had been able to pick up when being beaten rather severely by her. However, whereas Cu focused more on savagery her fighting was more polished, even with what little he knew of spear play he could tell that much easily enough.
She was still standing there, lowering her leg back to the ground and idly twirling the spear in her hands as she stalked towards him, her face showing not a hint of emotion as she approached, the earlier aggression gone and replaced with disinterest. Ash stared back at her with his own blank expression as he rested his hands on either side of the ruined chassis and pushed himself out of it, crumpling the metal beneath his hands.
Rising to his feet, Ash reached for the bottomless box at his side and watched the purple haired woman as she continued to merely stare at him. They both knew that she could easily clear the distance between the two of them before he could even arm himself, she had showcased her superiority in speed easily enough. He grasped the weapon of choice and pulled it free of the box, twirling it in his hands before resting both palms on it and pulling it back, leaning his body forwards and resting the long weapon across his shoulders.
The woman paused, delicately raising a lone eyebrow as she stared at the weapon of choice before looking back at him. Ash moved his hand off the weapon and back to the box, this time taking out a pole with a carved out section at the top around half the length of his current weapon, brandishing the two and narrowing his eyes.
Ash swung out the pole in his left hand, the tip of the weapon rushed outwards and formed an ethereal blue blade along the top, curving downwards and forming a short scythe to match its longer counterpart in Ash's other hand. Sliding his foot back, he dragged the tip of the long scythe along the ground and left behind a thin trail of frost. He swung the shorter scythe forwards, frost rushed along the street towards the woman, undaunted by the flames.
The woman leapt off the ground into the air, Ash following suit and leaping at her as well as the ice exploded beneath the pair of them, shards launching out in all directions as the two clashed. What little skill he got from Friede's former weapons did little to close the gap between them, even as he swung and slashed at the woman she showed little problem with blocking or avoiding his blows entirely.
Leaning back to allow the long scythe to pass over her head, the expression on her face remained dull as she swiped the back of her spear out and struck Ash in the side, the Saber winced with the blow and staggered with the impact. She straightened herself out and rushed forwards, the spear in her hands dancing around her body as little more blur as she effortlessly turned his frantic offensive into a catastrophic defensive.
Ash staggered back as a spinning downwards strike had him struggling to maintain his balance, the woman flipped the spear around and thrust it upwards into his guard, throwing his arms wide as the tip of her spear collided with his weapons. He kicked back when she slashed back down, a grunt erupting from his lips as the bladed section of her spear carved through the front of his armour and into his chest, spilling dark liquid onto the ground.
Stepping forwards, Ash swung the shorter weapon at the woman's neck, she ducked down, then rolled to the side when he swung the longer scythe at her. He rushed forwards, swinging the twin weapons with as much force as he could manage in a spinning pattern, utilising jumping attacks, slashes and spins as he charged her down. Once again, she did very little to try and stop him, content to merely dodge with practised ease or parry the blows aside and return with fast jabs aimed at his body.
Sweeping the spear to the side, the short scythe was blasted out of his gasp, the spear swung back and slashed across his ribs and forced him to retreat from her once again. Both hands gripping the scythe and slashing forwards. The Lancer raised the spear and locked it against the icy weapon and halted it in its tracks, the Saber visibly straining to push the woman back.
Giving a single grunt, she shoved him backwards and twirled the spear upwards, crashing it against the middle of the scythe and jerking it out of Ash's hands and flipping through the air. Ash raised his arms in preparation for the kick, crossing them in front of his chest.
She kicked him in the knee instead, his leg jerked downwards and he lost all sense of balance. The woman swung the spear upwards and struck him in the chin with the base of the weapon, snapping his head backwards and almost onto his back. Pushing off the ground, he reached for his bottomless box a second time and withdrew the Dragon slaying spear and spun it around. He thrust the spear down, pushing against the ground and using it to flip himself back through the air before landing down on his feet and spinning the weapon around before levelling it at her.
She vanished, Ash's eyes widened as he saw her thrusting towards his chest, he swung the spear to the side in an attempt to parry the blow, managing to knock it off course before the spear struck his side, punching through his armour and out the back of his torso. Ash stumbled backwards as she carried him away with the thrust before his left hand reached down and clamped around her wrist. Drawing the spear back, Ash stabbed the cross spear towards her body.
He found it parried by a second spear, blinking; he saw a copy of the crimson spear stuck in his gut form in the woman's hand and knocked his strike aside before it even got close to reaching her.
"Naive." She scoffed, ripping her hand free of his grip - and the spear from his gut - before she jumped back and hurled the second spear towards his head. Ash ducked his head down, raising his left arm and wincing as the spear skated off him and above his head before vanishing into the distance. The force of the throw still caused him to stagger, still dizzy from all the damage he had taken thus far.
"You never answered how you knew Setanta." The woman commented as if realising it for the first time, tilting her head "I wonder…by all rights you should seem to be a Servant and yet there is something different about you." she murmured, eyes narrowing in intrigue "Something…more real than a Servant should usually be."
Ash stabbed backwards, slipping the spear back into the bottomless box and withdrawing the wolf knight greatsword. That managed to earn a surprised look for a brief moment before her eyes flashed.
"Now that is an odd weapon." She stated, tilting her head and pointing at him "A Divine construct in the hands of a simple undead?" she surged forwards again, Ash swinging the sword upwards and locking against her, feeling the ground beneath his feet crack as she forced him to dig his boots in to avoid being knocked over. "How did you come upon such a treasure, I wonder?"
The greatsword glowed with mana, releasing an explosion from the blade which had the woman jump back to be outside of the range of the detonation. Releasing a grunt, Ash swung the blade up - cleaving a line through the road - and unleashing a wave of light from the blade which passed through the air, the woman leaned to the side and effortlessly avoided the blade of light, before crashing into a building just behind her.
She didn't even make an effort to look at the explosion going off behind her as she rushed forwards again, this time moving faster as she traded blows with him. At first Ash was able to at least keep track of most of them as swung left and right, then she continued to move faster and faster to a point where even the memories of the swordsmen who owned the weapon were struggling to keep up with her. Ash's left eye twitched as she cut across his cheek just beneath it in a barely parried thrust.
He swung out, charging forwards and slashing towards her with a series of blows. She merely stared at him as she turned the spear left, right, up and down to block all of them. Making marginal adjustments to her body to avoid some of the strikes as well. Stomping down, Ash raised the greatsword above his head and swung down towards her.
She took a light hop back as the sword crashed into the road, shattering the cement and releasing a shockwave of dust.
"...How odd." She frowned "You wield those weapons with such skill and yet none of it is your own." There was a pause before the tilt of the head "Save the one which caught fire." she realised "Why is that?"
Ash didn't answer, throwing himself forwards and into a spin while slashing towards the woman. The second spear formed in her left hand and locked against the first in a cross shape, catching the sword in between the two of them and halting it. She pushed him away, spinning the second spear around and driving it down through Ash's knee, puncturing through it and stabbing him into the ground.
She stepped back, drawing her spear backwards and aiming towards his chest.
She turned on her heel, spinning the spear around like a blur. Ash watched as dozens of sparks against the spear were accompanied by the clanging of metal and the bolts from a crossbow were deflected from her before the spear halted. The purple haired woman narrowed her yes in the direction of the attack, watching as a figure garbed in old armour and wearing a red hood atop his head jumped down from one of the nearby buildings
Brandishing an old flat topped greatsword in one hand and a crossbow in the other.
"Hoh?" The woman called out with intrigue, tilting her head at the new arrival "Another undead coming to face me? I should compliment you on your boldness."
The old man didn't say a word, merely advanced towards her with his sword still in hand, dismissing the crossbow in his hand. Ash watched with wide eyes as Gael marched on the woman without even a glimmer of fear in his entire person, caution perhaps but not fear.
Scathach narrowed her eyes as she watched the next undead approach her, the exact opposite of her previous opponent in every single way imaginable. His armour was old, his weapons were simple, his experience worn on his sleeves like medals. More than that was his presence when compared to the Servant lying on the ground behind her.
He was a rather fresh faced young looking man with passing skill with a weapon but none of it was his. She could tell that much at a glance with the gaps in his styles as he changed from weapon to weapon. Glaring faults that any self respecting warrior with an ounce of self-evaluation would have noticed and corrected immediately. Which either made him a student of many different styles or one who just copied the fighting of those he saw.
Her battle with him using the first weapon was proof enough that his swordplay was passing grade at best. He'd managed to avoid dying to her even after this long, although most of that was likely down to his undead nature rather than simple skill. He could afford to take hits that living creatures could not.
Returning to the original point, the old man with the wispy beard oozed experience. If there was one thing that Scathach had learned never to underestimate, it was an old warrior. Especially one as a Servant. Young men lived fast and died young, reaching their peak too early before they fell. Her own students were examples of this. Either that or they were a poor Heroic Spirit who only achieved fame in their later years, although her instincts were telling her that was not the case.
A simple test would answer the question.
She rushed forwards, moving as fast as she could and vanishing to the naked eye, not even slowing down as she charged down the Servant still advancing towards her. When she got to the midway point, the old man moved, raising the flat of his sword up at the last possible moment and angling it to the side, the tip of her spear struck the guard and grazed just past the old man. He pushed the sword forwards, sliding the blade up the length of the shaft and towards her hands.
Turning the spear away, she swung it down towards his upper left shoulder with the back end of the spear. The old man raised his forearm and blocked the attack. The two paused once again, the old man didn't even attempt to make a move, content to watch her from behind his cloaked head. Long grey beard billowing in the wind. The faint tremor in the blocking limb told her that he was - at the very least - physically weaker than her.
She swung the pointed section of the spear back up from the opposite side, the old man swung his sword down the very moment she removed it from his limb, the sword and spear clashed once and then halted again. The pair resumed their staring contest before they both stepped back, assessing their opponent once again.
She charged again, clashing against his greatsword at the lower side near his ribs and rushing past him in a grazing blow, the man was still turning when she slid to a halt behind him and spun on her heel, thrusting her spear towards his back. The old man turned towards her, sweeping his sword upwards and sending the thrust skywards. His left hand flashed again and she brought out the second spear.
She deflected dozens of bolts within the span of a second that shot out from the repeating crossbow before it clicked and vanished again. This time the old man moved into the offensive. She narrowed her eyes at the first few attacks against her, they were easily blocked or parried and yet there was something more to them. All were aimed at key sections of her guard and other vital areas. Neck, arms and legs were targets for the old man.
Probing attacks then, trying to get the measure of her before fully committing to an offensive.
It wasn't a bad strategy, although she was still only using a single spear and had yet to unveil the full extent of her abilities.
When the next strike came, she blocked the attack and then pushed the greatsword downwards into the ground, pulling her left hand back she formed a second spear in it and thrust it forwards at the old man. He was already dodging her before she had even committed to the attack, his head moving just enough to the left that the spear sailed past his face. He stomped forwards and crouched down, twisting the sword in his hands and spinning it out from beneath her spear and turning on his heel with a wide swing. She was fast enough to block the blow but found herself rather surprised when his neck leaned back the other way and his shoulder rose up, trapping her spear in the crook of his neck and twisting his body as well.
She allowed the spear to vanish, the old man no longer having something to pull on and thrust forwards once again. The old man raised the flat of his sword and supported the other hand with his hand, sliding backwards as the spear made contact with the guard. He lowered the sword once again, staring at her.
Scathach - meanwhile - was starting to get a good understanding of this type of fighter. A utilitarian, no flashy moves just whatever was necessary to win at the time. The fighting style of a survivor rather than a warrior. She felt her lip twitch upwards ever so slightly at the subtle challenge.
Just how good was this old man's style of survival fighting against her when she wasn't holding back?
She walked forwards, once again bringing out her second spear and this time allowing another six to manifest behind her shoulders, floating menacingly with their tips pointed squarely at the old man.
In response to the clear threat, the old man merely squared his shoulders and leaned forwards. Both hands tightly gripping the handle of his sword and looking rather uncowed by the offensive display.
This was originally just supposed to be her cleaning away another undead remnant in this place but now she found herself with someone who just might prove to be half a challenge and it had been a rather long time before she had been entertained by one such individual.
"I shall say this only once, young lady."
She raised an eyebrow at him "Young lady?" she repeated with a hint of surprise but with a certain degree of satisfaction "It has been long since anyone called me that." there was a pause "But speak, as warriors we should at least be able to trade words before we battle."
The old man continued on "Lower your spears and let us resolve this without bloodshed."
"For what purpose would I do that?" She asked, tilting her head "Two more undead - in a city full of the remnants - is reason enough for me to act, as is my duty as master of the Land of Shadows."
"I see." The old man merely grumbled, looking past her and no doubt towards the still trapped Saber with her spear lodged in his thigh. "Then the time of words is passed us then." he continued to look at the Saber "I shall hold her here, your comrades await you further behind me. Go to them and depart this place."
"Oh?" Scathach felt the grin on her face widen ever so slightly at the confidence in the man's voice "What makes you so certain you can delay me long enough for your fellow undead to regroup with his allies?"
The old man turned back towards her "Nothing is certain in life. Regardless, I have made this pledge and will fulfil it to one I owe a great debt to."
"Is that so?" She inquired, tilting her head and sending a passing glance over her shoulder towards the downed undead, watching as they grabbed the spear and ripped it free from them without making a noise and tossing it away, grabbing the large black sword and stabbing it in the ground, using it to rise to their feet.
Fighting to fulfil a debt? That was something she could understand at the very least.
"Perhaps you are more than a simple undead then." She remarked idly as she returned her attention to the old man "But a remnant you remain."
The two tensed themselves, ready to charge at a moment's notice.
"Hang on Gael! Wait for u-holy-!?" Scathach raised an eyebrow at the loud shout, looking just past the old man as a dark haired boy wearing a white shirt and black trousers rushed onto the battlefield, the manner in which his eyes went wide the second he saw her and he ended up slipping on his own feet and landing on his backside brought about a raised eyebrow.
Panicking in the face of adversity? A rather poor first impression.
"What's wrong Sen-" Then came the lilac haired girl with only one visible eye - the other hidden behind her bangs - and kitted out with light metal armour and wielding a large tower shield. The girl locked eyes with her and snapped her jaw shut before narrowing her eyes when she saw the state of the undead behind her, then rushed in front of the young man in a protective fashion.
'Ah, the girl understood quickly then.' Scathach mused to herself with an internal smile, that was a much better display.
"Your friend lies beyond the young lady." The old man - Gael, it seemed was his name - spoke again to the pair without taking his eyes off her "Retrieve him while I engage."
"But leaving you alone to fight her would be-" The boy spoke up with a hesitant tone before he noticed something, Scathach narrowed her eyes curiously as his gaze fell upon her with a sudden intensity to it "Wait…isn't that Cu's spear?"
"Ho?" She released an amused noise, jolting the pair of new arrivals "So you recognise the weapon do you?"
"I believe her to be Cu's mentor." The undead called out from behind her, she could hear rustling about as he returned to his feet fully.
The boy - obviously the Master - looked surprised before he furrowed his brow "W-wait, really? But Cu was always talking about…" he looked at her again before his eyes turned skywards "She seems a lot…erm…" she raised a mental eyebrow at the state he was in, suddenly looking usure and with a hint of redness to his cheeks "I didn't think she'd be so pretty." he whispered behind the girl, obviously not knowing that she could hear him.
She would have to revise her previous statement, if only just a little. It would seem he could be bold if he really wanted to be.
"I know what you mean, Senpai." The shield girl gave a resolute nod as she continued to stare at her "And if Ash-san is correct, then this woman is Scathach. The famous Celtic trainer of heroes, like Cu-san."
"Then I need not bother with introductions." Scathach replied in a casual tone "As I already know of you, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight."
The pair jolted in surprise "Wait, you do?" Ritsuka blurted out with a rather dumbfounded expression of innocent shock. It was somewhat endearing, if only because of the novelty of finding such an expression in a place like this.
"Indeed. I divined your arrival some time ago…" She trailed off, giving Gael a pointed look before she spared a glance over her shoulder at Ash "However, I was not expecting the presence of undead here as well…and associates of yours?"
"Well…yeah." Ritsuka nodded his head, picking himself up and dusting himself off, still giving her a wary look before staring over her shoulder with concern at the Saber, "...He's my Servant."
"...I see." Scathach merely replied, relaxing herself and nodding to Gael "And yourself?"
"A recent arrival, nothing more." The old man replied, not losing his posture for a single moment. "And what of you? Will you continue this fight?"
She stared at them in silence before she let out a faint noise of disappointment "For the moment, it seems I shall have to stay my arm. As neither of you are truly a part of this city of cursed dead."
Ritsuka was still giving her a cautious look "...You aren't going to try and kill us?"
"...No." She paused before looking pointedly at Gael "...Although I would most certainly like to finish our battle."
Gael stared at her in silence.
"Ash? Can you heal yourself?" Ritsuka called out to the Saber.
"Yes." The Saber replied back in an unconcerned voice.
"Alright, get on that then." The Master grumbled, then looked back to Scathach "So…what happens now?"
"Now?" Scathach twirled the spear in her hands before planting it in the ground, crossing her arms she leaned back and flashed the group a faint smile "...We speak."
"This land is a remnant for the dead who have yet to meet an end to gather." Scathach bluntly stated as she stared at the group in front of her, expression calm while Ritsuka and Mash looked somewhat uneasy but not unsurprised. Scathach noted the reactions, tilting her head ever so slightly "You know of this?"
"Gael said much the same thing." Ritsuka nodded with a frown, casting a look over his shoulder towards the burning street when he heard a crack in the distance before he turned back. "Said it was related to the…erm, Forlorn that were coming here."
"Is that what they were called?" Scathach mused, her eyes briefly flickering towards the old man sitting atop the ruins of a car on a lookout. She closed her eyes "That aside, this city is overflowing with death, skeletons and spirits alike have drifted here as a result of the incineration of humanity."
Ritsuka and Mash blinked at her in surprise "You…" the master paused before he closed his mouth into a thin line "...Did you divine it as well?"
"Ah, you're learning." Scathach idly commented in a simple tone before she shook her head "But no. The incineration is too grand an event to be merely discovered through divination. Even the Land of Shadows was affected by its burning of the world. It has not merely incinerated life, but death as well." she gestured around with a wide sweeping hand around the city "Therefore, those who cannot find death are being drawn here to a land seeped in death."
Mash tilted her head "Is that why you are here, Ms Scathach?"
Scathach tilted her head "As I have said, the Land of Shadows has also been burned away. There is nothing left for me to rule over there, so I continue my task. I followed what few spirits managed to escape here and dealt with them, while also awaiting your arrival."
Ritsuka stared at her, then looked down at Ash, sitting against the ruins of a car with cuts lining his body and several puncture marks in him, the Saber stared back at him with a blank expression. Ritsuka's eyes returned to Scathach, the Master giving a light frown "N-no offence but I think your hello's could do with a bit of work."
He flinched when Scathach's eyes fell upon him and narrowed "...This is standard by Celtic greetings."
Ritsuka clenched his eyes shut and raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose "Somehow that makes sense given Cu's personality." his eyes opened again before he looked at the woman, the frown lessening "And I suppose you said you were hunting undead…" he looked down at Ash and furrowed his brows "...Not me you tried to kill though, what do you think?"
"Your early attempts at my life make remarkable sense now." Ash stated as he sat near the healing light of the warmth, looking towards the Lancer with a faint frown "Cu mentioned repeatedly that your role was some manner of slayer of undead within another land."
Scathach hummed in response, giving the Saber a curious look "Are you not concerned by my presence?"
Ash stared at her blankly "Being hunted is merely a fact of life for undead. From what Cu spoke of, it was your duty to do so. I will not begrudge you that." he turned back to Ritsuka "If she makes no further attempts to kill either myself or you then I have no complaints about her presence."
"...And there we have it." Ritsuka shrugged his shoulders, looking towards Scathach once again before he sighed "Maybe its just an undead thing to be casual with someone who was trying to kill you moment ago?"
"It is quite a Celtic 'thing' as well." Scathach mused with a chuckle "Fighting, dying and celebrations went hand in hand with one another. I assume that my pupil has also exemplified this?"
Ritsuka opened his mouth to reply before he closed it again "...Yeah." he admitted with a nod of the head, then looked around "So the cause of the disruption in the Singularity was all the undead arriving here?"
"In part." Scathach admitted "But there is more to it than such a simple statement. Remnants alone are not enough to birth this chaos…there are more dangerous things here than simple undead." she paused, eyes briefly flickering to Gael "For the most part." she added on with a hint of challenge to them.
Gael's hood twitched ever so slightly.
"So there's something else here apart from the undead?" Ritsuka inquired with a hint of worry to him, straightening out "Which is causing the spike in the Singularity?"
"It would be quite the powerful remnant indeed." Scathach replied with a wide smile "Certainly something more fitting to be hunted than the skeletons and ghosts which have been prowling around this place as of late, they are all much too weak to be considered any manner of suitable opponent for anyone." The smile disappeared as she looked between the group "Especially for you…Should you wish to undo the incineration, you will need better training."
Her eyes fell upon Ash "...That was a shameful display on your part."
Ash merely thinned his lips and looked away, then saw Ritsuka's look of confusion before he elaborated "I was unable to land a single hit on her."
Ritsuka stared at him in surprise, both his brows rising up his forehead before his eyes drifted back to Scathach "...Oh."
"Really, Ash-san?" Mash inquired with a hint of surprise of her own before she gave an understanding nod of the head "I suppose it would make sense, Scathach is regarded as the ruler of the Land of Shadows and tutor of Cu Chulainn, being an undead you were probably at a serious conceptual disadvantage."
"As well as a skill based one." Scathach rebuked, still staring at the Saber "How do you kill anything with such clumsy tactics?"
Ash stared at her blankly "...I die enough times that their patterns become ingrained in my mind and work around them."
Scathach narrowed her eyes ever so slightly "Ho? So you are unable to die?"
"As of now? Most likely." Ash admitted with a shrug of his shoulders as he pushed himself back to his feet, the wounds on his body having disappeared from the healing pyromancy "Therefore that manner of tactic is…no longer available to me."
"You could have fooled me with half the stunts you pulled." Ritsuka critiqued with a raised eyebrow, giving the Saber a shake of the head "You're terrible when it comes to personal safety."
Ash shrugged.
"Regardless." Scathach stared at him more intently, looking him up and down before shaking her head "You've been using the tools of better warriors than you and copying their styles. Rather pitifully as well."
"It is merely the influence of their souls on their weapons affecting me." Ash elaborated "There was little time to make any effort to train and there were few opponents who fought with a greater degree of skill…" he trailed off, then looked away "That said…those who did were those who killed me more frequently than others."
"Maybe you should get some sword lessons then?" Ritsuka advised with a shrug of the shoulders, Ash paused before furrowing his brows.
"...That would not be a poor idea. At the very least it would allow me to better control my engagements."
"In that case, you will only use the sword that burns." Scathach stated, Ash turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"I beg your pardon?"
"It is the only weapon you own that bears a manner of fighting unique to you, is it not?" At his nod, she continued on "Then you will only use it. Relying on the strength of others rather than your own is a poor crutch and will get you and your allies killed when it fails you." she narrowed her eyes "So you will only use it for the duration of our time here."
Ash furrowed his brows "Tha-"
"Unless you would like to fight me again."
He snapped his mouth shut. Looking over to Ritsuka in a questioning fashion, the Master blinked at him before shrugging his shoulders.
Mash looked at her own shield meaningfully, her expression falling ever so slightly.
"I would not lose heart so swiftly, shield girl." Scathach chided without even looking at her "The manner in which you carry yourself is most certainly different from the Heroic Spirit who lended you their aid." her eyes moved towards her "And you have aimed at making their power your own, have you not?"
Mash blinked "I-I have been trying to better myself-"
"That is the same. The moment you attempted to improve of your own accord was the moment you grew beyond the Heroic Spirit in you." Scathach continued on "There is growth in skill…" her eyes darted back to Ash "Rather than doing all that is enough and nothing more."
Ash merely stared at her "It kept me alive."
"Would it keep you alive against me?"
"...No."
She raised an eyebrow at him "At least you admit that much." she turned to face him fully "This is a learning opportunity, you will either better yourself with your sword or you will die. Your differing styles mean nothing if they are inferior to the original."
Ash stared down at the ground for a few moments before closing his eyes, flipping open his bottomless box he withdrew Galvatyne from it and implanted it in the ground, his hand resting upon the pommel of the weapon. He opened his eyes again, staring at the woman with a blank look.
"A sword with Holy energy and Demonic flames?" Scathach mused with a hint of intrigue "A rather contradictory weapon…perhaps suited for an undead who fights on behalf of the living."
Ash looked past her towards Gael, thinning his lips "...What do you believe?"
Gael turned towards him for the first time in the conversation "...She speaks sense. Skill through experience is more valuable than skill through mimicry." he turned away "The pigment?"
"In her hands."
A weary breath emerged from the old man, as if some great weight had been lifted from his shoulders "...Thank you."
Ash hummed in response, nodding once to the elderly man.
Ritsuka watched the interaction with a curious look in his eye before he dismissed it, he would ask at a later time. When Ash referred to the pigment, the only other time he said such a thing was when he was talking about the Ringed City.
The Master turned towards Gael "So…are you still going to help us?"
Gael stared down at him "I was summoned here for some purpose. I believe it relates to these remnants that have been spoken of. I will aid you in slaying them." he replied as he stood up, jumping off the ruins of the car and turning towards Scathach "Provided you can cease sending such challenging looks my way, young lady."
Scathach merely curled her lip into another smile "A rather elegant form of address, I approve of it."
Gael just stared at her in silence before crossing his arms and looking towards Ritsuka "If you are to lead this venture, you will need to give instructions."
Ritsuka blinked "Right." he slammed his fist into his palm "Instructions." a cough followed "Of course…" he stood in silence, Mash sending him a questioning glance out of the corner of her eye. Eventually, the Master looked at the purple haired Lancer "...Do you know where we're going or do we just wander around aimlessly?"
Scathach chuckled lightly at the inquiry, grabbing the spear embedded in the ground and yanking it free before using it to point further away from them and into the streets "The first of the remnants lies this way. Come then…" Scathach's eyes gleamed with veiled excitement "I am interested to see what type of individual can stand against a 'grand deed' such as the Incineration."
AN: I saw a quick question in one of the reviews so I'll answer it now.
I'm sure some of you picked up on the statement in the last chapter where Ash drew upon the memories of the previous wielders of the weapon and are asking how he can do such a thing because he doesn't have a skill like EMIYA.
It's nowhere near as good as Emiya's skill. It's like in game where you can get Gael's greatsword, Friede's scythes or the Abyss Watchers greatsword and do a pale imitation of their moves. Undead and Unkindled are creatures of memory, seen with touching blood to discover how the individual died, or gazing into the souls and being granted a brief insight into their past, so he can receive the basic instructions of how to wield a weapon from those who did before him. Doesn't mean he's any good at it though.
He gets bits and pieces, like how with the Abyss Greatsword moveset and Friede's scythes you get a small fraction of their moveset with the Weapons. Ash only gets an inkling of the original owners skills.
It would be better to say its a worse version of EMIYA's skill that requires physical interaction with the weapon rather than reading it from the history.