By the Bonfire: Family (Part II)
Even before he asked anything he knew that there was something different with this 'Chaldea' from the last time they had met one another and it was not simply that the boy had a matured aura around him. It came as expected, however, that something would have changed the longer this campaign of theirs progressed. Yet that look in his eyes, there was an edge to it that was only forged through the most painful of battles.
His eyes lingered on the back of he boy's head, then slowly moved towards the small procession that now accompanied them as they wandered through the halls. It was certainly a far cry from the spacious land of Archdragon peak, but they never had much in the way of an interior if at all. It did remind him of some of the snake-men homes, the small hallways and doors that he couldn't fit through then and was barely capable of managing now.
Ducking down was rather awkward, for lack of a better word, but so long as he did not mention it, no one else seemed to be in a rush to do so. More to the point, drawing attention to it would only serve to be a fool's errand given that nothing could be done about it even if they did make an idle comment to his large height.
Returning to the topic of the young warrior in front of him, they had not spoken much of a word since he first arrived and offered the tour. He could not conclude a single reason as to why that might have been, but he could conclude of several. As he mentioned, his summoning had been something he forced upon them, merely taking advantage of the call across the Throne of Heroes and latching onto it, he had sensed someone else following him which evidently turned out to be another God and judging by the power they exuded, a rather potent one at that.
Speaking of the blonde God, there was something rather jarring about them, apparently they had been a King of the Gods for their own pantheon and yet they did not carry themselves in anything even resembling the same manner of dominance as his own father. In fact, were it not for their attire, he might well have thought they held a similar role to that of his mother, where their role was less direct. Possible but still unusual, their mannerisms and their speech…they were all rather simple. As though he was speaking as a common man and not as a King and a God.
He privately noted to keep an eye on the curious individual that was Nuada, or Nudd as they asked to be called. It did not sound as though it was much of a difference in names to him but if that was what they preferred, he was not going to make a pointless argument out of something like that. Besides, he had assumed different names in the past so it was hardly as though he was one to speak of it.
A faint feeling brought his eyes to his left side, briefly making eye contact with the blonde cleric who rapidly averted her gaze from him. He knew enough about those manner of looks, she had been sizing him up as innocently as she could. She had also been rather decent at it, but that was expected for one of the Clerics, besides he recalled her in battle against her alternate self. That had been a rather brutal affair and she had shown her own skill. If they were still dubious as to his nature because of their previous battles, he could understand that much.
He had been their enemy and now appeared to them under the guise of an ally, expecting them to immediately take him at his word would be rather foolish and it was hardly as though he could be expected to honour his words. Especially not since they knew his identity. If he could betray his own family, then he could certainly end up betraying them over his own morals but he wasn't going to apologise for that.
Though there was something that had piqued his interest. "You spoke of visiting another human, your superior?"
He briefly frowned at the sudden echo of his voice bouncing around the walls, the volume was loud enough that those around him reacted to it. He privately noted to lower his tone for the next time he spoke, it had been quite a while since he had been in halls to speak, most dialogue he conducted was in the open and at high altitudes. Shouting was really the only way to get one's words across.
"Ah, right, yes…" The boy nodded his head up and down, letting out a faint breath as he did so and gesturing with his hand. "It…you're summoning was a surprise so I've got to let her know first, just because I am supposed to be recovering from…uhm…" the boy trailed off, something off about his tone of voice as he stopped himself speaking.
Faraam would be the first to admit that he was something of an amateur in regards to the nuances of court and social encounters, but even he could tell that the young human in front of him was hiding something and by the silence of those around him, it was something that everyone save him was aware of. He wasn't sure whether it was just distrust or something more confidential. Either way, he played the part and nodded his head in understanding. "A warrior is only as dangerous as his body, if it is in poor shape, then the whole shall suffer as a result. Take your time in recovering."
The other human, the older man with the pinkish red hair turned on him with a clear look of surprise, as though he hadn't been expecting him to say something like that. It might have been the look on his face or it might have been the fact he made a blatant show of doubting his words, but Faraam found his eyes hardening as he looked at the man, frowning deeply behind his scarf. With the instincts expected of a cornered animal, the man clearly caught on to the look he was receiving and promptly turned himself back around without saying a word.
"Hmmm." A quiet hum to himself and he reverted his eyes back to the young human, only to pause when he caught Nudd giving him the side-eye from over his shoulder, an indecipherable expression on his face but if he had to guess, it was disapproving. He stared right back, matching the blank look on the face of the smaller God with one of his own, he wasn't going to apologise for doing nothing wrong. The humans were free to doubt his words but he would prefer they not do so to his face in such a disrespectful manner as though he was incapable of providing sound advice.
"Though on another topic, I cannot help but notice that she did not encounter me during your battle in France." That was something rather unusual for him, bringing his hand up, he clasped the underside of his chin and hummed to himself as his mind recalled the events of the battle. He was aware of the encounter with the Master and the battle during between Storm and the Servants but he did not know of a second human master present at the time or any other human who was affiliated with Chaldea. Unless she had been with the army. "Was she elsewhere, fighting the wyvern forces?"
"Ah…No, the Director wasn't in France."
He stopped walking, something that quickly spread across the group as they similarly halted their momentum and turned to him, each of them wearing slightly puzzled expressions, perhaps he had made a show of his surprise but he couldn't quite help it. From what the boy had just told him, they were following someone who didn't even appear on the battlefield alongside them?
No, it was too soon for him to start making such rash accusations without more evidence and there could have been other factors involved. After all, what good was a leader who did not command with example? How could anyone actually respect someone who would not enter the battlefield but command others to do so in their stead? That would be downright shameful for any leader of a force like this. His eyes swept over the assembled faces before he nodded his head up and down. "Was she…injured?"
To his great relief, the young girl with pink hair - the shielder if he recalled her face correctly - nodded her head up and down with a moderately troubled expression. Clearly the memory of the incident was concerning for her or had left an impression in her mind. It must have been exceedingly brutal for her to be so visibly troubled by it. "The Director had only recently awoken from an injury, yes. She was commanding us throughout the Singularity after she awoke, though."
"Hmmm, that is good." He resumed walking once more, the others were still for but a moment before they followed after him. The young human boy jolted into movement as well and carried on in his leading throughout the halls. A slightly puzzled look on his face but he didn't appear to be speaking aloud. "Though, there is another matter…Gwyndolin is still here, isn't he?"
"...Yeah." Ritsuka replied to him with a visible wince, Faraam could understand the reaction, it was hardly as though his brother made it a secret that he held some distaste for him. He had made a public enough show of it during their first reunion after so very many long years. "He's…he's very withdrawn."
Faraam nearly stopped walking a second time, of all the jokes the human could have told, that was certainly one of the most out there he had ever heard of in his life. Gwyndolin, withdrawn? He very nearly burst into laughter then and there. Sure, Gwyndolin might not have been as extroverted as Gwynevere or Filianore but he was certainly not withdrawn, he couldn't count the number of times he had caught his youngest sibling following him around and trying to loudly demand to be taught in the art of combat or using his illusions to make himself a little trickster.
The pranks his younger brother got up to, he and Filianore were truly a disastrous pair when it came to that manner of thing. Of course Gwynevere would encourage them but that was just so they wouldn't target her. She was rather clever like that, it didn't always work but it worked enough times for them to make him their favourite target.
Chuckling to himself quietly, he shook his head from side to side. "He's been that great of a nuisance, has he?" he paused, then swept his eyes over the assembled Servants "I don't suppose he has made one of you his new target for practical jokes? He was always rather skilled at those."
Dead silence.
Then the human with pink hair gave him a look as though he just told him the sky was actually an ocean. "Are we talking about Linny here? Because I feel like we might be talking about two different people who have the same sort of name. I mean…he doesn't feel like the sort of guy who would play pranks to me." he paused for a moment, then put on a thoughtful face. "But now that I think about it, he would probably be really good at it with those illusions of his. Making you walk into doors that aren't actually there or hiding wet floor signs and causing you to slip over."
Faraam just blinked at the Paladin, then gradually furrowed his brows, an unease settling into his heart. "You jest, surely…Gwyndolin was something of an attention seeker in all manner of ways…he would never be withdrawn." he turned his head towards the young human and saw the exact same look of confusion and downright surprise on his face. Faraam felt his lips pull themselves down as he stared at the expression. They genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.
And that meant that…
"...Withdrawn, you say?" He muttered to himself, glancing away from the young human and exhaling. "I see…I suppose he would have lost that pranking streak of his eventually, wouldn't he? One of those things he would grow out of but still…a shame. I think I might have grown to miss his pranks."
Ritsuka and the Shielder exchanged a glance between one another before the former spoke up. "I'm not quite sure about that…" Faraam felt his ears perk up. "I do recall he once made Ash think that someone called Artorias was actually a shameless womaniser who spent all his time getting drunk and sleeping with everyone in the city."
Faraam scoffed mirthfully, caught between shock that Gwyndolin would actually say something like that and amusement at the mental image that brought to him. The Artorias he knew would barely have gotten to within a foot of a woman and even if he did, he suspected the wolf knight would have tripped over his own tongue long before he even saw the entrance to her bed chambers. Yet it was that little thing, perhaps there was something left of Gwyndolin after all, the thought was rather relieving to him.
The worries his sudden betrayal might have truly damaged Gwyndolin seemed to be unsubstantiated.
"I do not suppose we are the first Gods to have arrived?" He opted to change the subject away from Gwyndolin specifically, whether or not he was concerned for his younger brother was something he didn't have much of a right to trouble himself over. He had taken the choice to leave his family as a whole, trying to make contact with them after so long would only bring more pain to the situation.
Ritsuka paused for a brief instance, but only for an instant, Faraam caught the sudden jolt and the apprehension that flooded his face. One that was shared by the young girl standing to his side. The confusion returned followed by a frown behind his mask, sparing a look towards Nudd, he watched his fellow Divine similarly catch the move with a troubled expression on his face. Though he was quicker to recover.
"If the topic troubles you that deeply, son." Nudd began with a shake of the head "We can shelve it for another time. You seem to have more than enough ails on your mind without us adding more to them, yes?" The latter was directed towards him personally, Faraam was silent for a moment then nodded his head. His fellow God spoke sense, yet phrasing it as a suggestion was rather novel.
The boy let out a breath. "No, it's…you'll find out sooner or later and you did ask so I might as well." scratching the back of his neck, he answered them. "We've got Caffrey, she's a Goddess of luck-"
"My niece. I remember." The boy blinked at the interruption, then gave him a questioning look. "We met briefly during your little tournament, though she is not aware of my relation to her and I would…prefer it be kept that way." The look on his face gradually shifted into a touch of understanding.
"Yeah…Well, you know about Gwyndolin as well but recently we…well, Gwynevere and Velka arrived."
His mind ground to a halt as the names registered within him, then he found his thoughts trying and failing to restart themselves several times. Unsure of how much time outside had passed, all he was aware of was that he had stopped moving. Swallowing thickly, he eventually mustered up the strength to speak up. "...My mother is here?"
"Yeah…"
"I…I see…" Clearing his throat, he bit his lower lip and glanced to the side. Facing her again after so long was something he was not looking forward to. If only because he was unsure how he would be able to look her in the eyes after what happened. Facing Gwyn during the betrayal had been hard enough but he had never seen his mothers reaction to his actions and that had been a blessing. Though, he should have known that it was something he could not outrun forever.
"...Gwynevere does not surprise me though." He mused with a twitch of his lip and a shake of his head. "She's the sort that cannot leave well enough alone. Always willing to throw herself into problems in order to make sure everyone comes out alright." he couldn't say for certain why he was being so open with all of this but it just felt natural to him.
The chance to actually see his siblings again, at least from a distance. Even if they did hate him, that was fine so long as they were alright. "Careful about her, though. I would pass along a warning in regards to her personality. She can be rather attached to those she cares about to the point of…well…mothering, for lack of a better word. I don't suppose she's tried that on any of you yet?"
Silence once again.
"...This is becoming a concerning pattern."
Someone cleared their throat, his eyes turned to the Cleric as she stared up at him with a difficult expression, though there was something in his eyes that looked sympathetic. "Forgive me if this might sound rude but…you have not been in contact with your family for many long years, have you?"
"...No, I have not." It was hardly as though it was much of a secret, but at the same time he did not see what that had to do with anything. From what he heard from having his ear to the ground, Gwyndolin was still governing Anor Londo - which was impressive and he was rather proud of his brother for achieving that - and Gwynevere was moving from Kingdom to Kingdom and ensuring they were prospering. "Though I suppose some growth is to be expected, after all."
Waving his hand, he let out a breath and placed it on his hips. "Gwynevere was always a bit smarter than I was, acting as though she was the eldest so…hmmm." he paused, frowning for a moment as he considered their reactions. He studied them closely and watched as each of them seemed to wince at the mention of his younger sister. A concerning reaction, at least from those who seemed to know her. That being the blonde cleric and the two humans, everyone else looked just as confused as he did. "...My mother used to be rather intrusive and a touch demanding, has Gwynevere inherited that from her?"
"...She's still rather…" Ritsuka's expression turned complicated as he brought his hands up and rubbed the front of his face. Breathing in and then exhaling through his nose in a clear sign of helplessness. Faraam felt his brows furrow deeply at the move which was now playing upon his mind even more. The reaction was deeply concerning, surely Gwynevere had not changed that much since their time away from one another?
Had the humour and good will been bled from her in his absence? His stomach started to twist itself into knots while his face remained blank. Everything he heard in regards to his siblings had seemed to be moderately acceptable to his ears. He at least kept an awareness of their activities and nothing had sounded concerning to him, though he never did catch any mentions of Filianore, not even from travellers across the world. That…that always troubled him.
"...She's lost her humour, hasn't she? Far too serious…" That was the worst case scenario, she always had a grin that could brighten the room. Even when he was still the heir they called her sunlight purely for her nature. A radiance as brilliant and soothing as their father, he did not want to imagine what she looked like without her humour. Yet if she had been raised as the successor in his absence, then it was a very real possibility. Their father rarely smiled on the outside, he could see Gwynevere inheriting that.
"...It's not…" Ritsuka tried and failed to reply to him, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Perhaps it would be best that this discussion is continued elsewhere." His eyes turned to Nudd once more, expression stony as he first stared at Ritsuka and then towards him. "It would seem as though the answer is complicated."
"Yes, yes…of course." He rumbled a reply, waving his hand to the young master. "I got far too ahead of myself at the mention of my siblings. It has been many long cycles since we last had the chance to meet one another and…" he fell silent, closing his eyes and nodding his head up and down. "And if I am to fight with them once more I would be curious to hear of what became of them and how their lives were."
Someone made a noise, a tanned man in green steel looked up at him with a furrowed brow. "I'd ask why you couldn't speak to them yourself, but I've got a feeling that if such a thing were possible, you would not be in such a state…" he trailed off for a moment, then winced and offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry if that seems a little blunt."
Bringing up the flat of his hand, he cut the warrior off. "No, the fault lies with me in being too transparent." lowering the hand, he carried on. "And on the topic of your statement, you are quite correct. I doubt any of them would give me the time of day to discuss the past, even if they did I suspect it would only be centred around my betrayal of them. I have likely wounded them in my desertion…to come before them now and speak so warmly, it would be insulting."
Worse than that, it would be…he could not express it with words. It would be a betrayal all over again, to come before them after so many long years and pretend as though nothing had ever happened. Worse, he wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to look at his siblings and even speak to them. He could avoid them, that was his talent, after all.
"Just…" Ritsuka finally was able to muster up the ability to speak. "Just don't expect Gwynevere to be the same as you remember her, alright?"
It felt as though he was getting half a conversation with the implications being none too pleasing, yet he could accept that he wasn't going to get all the answers he wanted at the moment. Getting this many answers from his new comrades already felt as though they had been rather placating to his demands.
She did not look angry, but there was clear concern in her eyes. That was the conclusion that Nudd had reached within seconds of meeting the woman by the name of Olga Marie Animusphere, the experience of Nuada came with knowing the signs of stress upon a face and this woman was practically cloaking herself in them to anyone who had the sense to see them.
Her amber eyes moved between himself and God just behind him, then gradually returned to his new Master. Again, she had been silent while Ritsuka had explained the situation to her, though he knew that she was physically holding herself back from a reaction. Once Ritsuka had finished speaking, she took in a long breath through her nose and slowly leaned back into her chair, wood creaking as she put more weight into it.
Hands rested on the arms of the chair, her lips remained taut into a line, the faint inclinations of her jaw gradually clenching and unclenching. She opened her mouth with a click, then turned her head in the direction of the strawberry haired man by the name of Romani Archaman, the healer visibly grimaced at falling under her line of sight and turned his eyes away from her much like a scolded child. That Nudd could tell she was his younger by at least ten years spoke volumes.
"...A similar instance to what occurred with Berserker earlier?" The tone of Olga was bereft of emotion, a detached nature to it which worked well to disguise the concern she was feeling. The woman was quite the open book, whether she realised it or not. At the nod of the healer, she continued on. "In which case, there is little for me to be frustrated over…especially given the impossibility of…That word is no longer applicable." she muttered with a trace of irritation. "The implausibility of events, I shall correct myself. That aside, what is the state of Ri-Fujimaru's well-being?"
"I feel fi-" Ritsuka attempted to speak on his own behalf, though was promptly silenced by the sharp look being aimed at him. Nudd felt his lips pull up into a miniscule smile as a pang of amusement shot through him. Either she did not trust the opinion of Ritsuka when it came to his own health or she wished to defer to an actual professional in the arts of healing.
Romani cleared his throat "Physically, he is fine. Though summoning two powerful Divine Spirits in a row will probably have him feeling a little bit tired than he would have." The healer was quiet for a moment before adding on. "Though he won't have any medical worries to speak of, the retrieval of the casualties went without problems…incident of the new arrivals aside, that is."
"Hmmm." Seemingly mollified by the answer she received, the woman gave a single nod of the head but Nudd quickly caught the flash of relief through her eyes before it disappeared, replaced by the serious expression once more as her eyes returned to Rituska. The boy remained silent as she looked him up and down, then fell onto the other Servant he had been summoned with. "I am going to assume you are aware of the presence of your siblings. I am hoping that discord between you will be kept at a minimum, the very last thing Chaldea needs is a squabble between Divine Spirits."
Nudd blinked twice, then gradually raised an eyebrow at her manner of speaking. While he was in no mood for reverence, he wasn't quite expecting the woman to approach them with such a casual attitude. Though her concerns were quite valid in some sense, he supposed. All the same, calling it a squabble would be to down play it. Perhaps it was just him getting worked up over nothing. "While you are quite within your rights to be worried over fallout between the siblings, I would not degrade a complex issue between them to being a mere 'squabble' as you put it."
Her eyes moved onto him instantly, she clearly had a response waiting but held it back at the last second. Lips straining before she nodded her head up and down. "...Yes, I suppose squabble would be the wrong word to use. I will rephrase, I would prefer that you try and avoid causing harm to Chaldea as a whole."
The God in question was quick to respond. "I have little intention of causing havoc within this place. If there comes an exchange of blows, it will not be because I have thrown the first." Nudd glanced at the taller God out of the corner of his eye, keeping his focus on the top half of the face and watching his dull golden eyes closely. Clearly their mind still dwelled on their siblings, given the nature of his replies as information was revealed about them, he would not be surprised if the mind of his fellow was still lingering upon them.
Olga's grunt of affirmation brought his attention back to her. "In which case, there is little else I can foresee us having to discuss for the time being." she paused for a moment, then narrowed her eyes slightly. A complicated expression crossed over her as she adjusted herself in her seat and then leaned forwards. "On another topic…have you had breakfast yet, Fujimaru?"
He disguised his snort with a cough, rather poorly if the glare he received from the woman was any indication. Though it was not quite as bad as the superheated glare she shot towards the direction of Faraam when he did not even make an attempt to his humour at her not so subtle request. Nudd had to admit, it was a good thing the woman did not have the eyes of Balor, else Faraam might have been in very real danger of death.
Ritsuka, meanwhile, shook his head from side to side. "Not yet…it all seemed to get away from me but before that…" he visibly grimaced. "There…there is something else that I was going to ask you."
The woman frowned, doubtlessly sensing the unease in the words of the young man. "...What are you going to ask me?"
Something was amiss.
He could feel it in his bones, the silence he once enjoyed in the library was now a deafening scream, the static before the storm if he was to make a comparison. The book that had once held his interest lay forgotten on the table beside him, having not even made an effort to save the page he was on.
His hands rested on his lap, fingers drumming along his legs as he tried and failed to keep his discomfort from showing. His eyes flickered around behind his helmet, eventually his head turned left and right, scanning the surroundings just in case the swine Sulyvahn had slipped in without him noticing. That would have explained it, yet all that greeted him was the empty library and his reading companion, nothing else was here.
That made it all the more troubling for him.
"Is something the matter?" The words from Medusa came with a trace amount of concern in her tone, he briefly shot her a look to see that she was staring at him, though the concern appeared to be purely curious in nature rather overly worried about him. Still, it was a pleasant reaction all the same.
"I am unsure at the moment." He responded after a second, frowning to himself and turning away from her, his hands resting atop one another as he put more thought into the unease he was feeling. Like something deep within his gut was warning him about something happening elsewhere. As though he was going to be sick. "It is…difficult for me to put into words, merely a feeling of unease has nestled itself within my chest and will not depart. Not a pressing illness but…enough to be of note to me."
She did not speak to him immediately, but he could feel her looking towards him with the same degree of curiosity. They did not exchange much in the way of words, but he found her company pleasing and he liked to think she felt the same, she didn't make an effort of sitting elsewhere in the library so at least she didn't hate him. Or find him repulsive.
"...Hmmm. It has been some time since I had the same manner of senses as a true God." She mused aloud to herself, a flicker of some sort of emotion in her voice that was short lived, whatever it was. "I assume you do not have any idea as to what the cause would be?"
He hummed in affirmation, the feeling had only gotten worse, what had begun as a prickle on the back of his neck had grown into a dull nausea. "It is a feeling I am far from comfortable with and would rather do without, yet…I do not believe I have been poisoned, it is a different weakness that assails me now."
One that troubled him because he could not even begin to guess what was wrong, he had no reason to feel like this in the first place, nothing had happened. Yet…it had first cropped up for a moment when the human sorcerer had mentioned Ve-the traitor to him. The mere thought of her shot a wave of distaste through his being once more. Dedicating any semblance of attention to that witch was attention she did not deserve.
As though a puzzle, the pieces slid into place, he was aware of the nature of the discomfort, it made a great deal of sense. Pulling his lips down, he parted them slightly and exhaled, the knowledge of what was causing his discomfort brought him very little in the way of relief, however, purely because she had been mentioned and that she had been encountered. He would rather not meet with her or even be forced to look upon that woman ever again.
"...I believe I have deduced the source of the turmoil within my gut, though the knowledge does not provide the relief I seek." He commented aloud, Medusa thankfully did not opt to pursue the topic further. That was the greatest kindness she could have done, not dwelling upon the witch was the best option. He could only hope that with enough time, the feelings towards the traitor would leave him.
Until then, perhaps something else to occupy his attention, his eyes drifted back to the book and took it into his hands. Frowning to himself for a moment before he resolved to flick through the pages once more. He would need to find where he had left himself.
"...I was unaware you were interested in that topic." The comment came from Medusa, he paused for a moment and turned his head to her once more, halting his search and inclining his head at an angle. Her expression was rather blank, save for the single raised eyebrow as her eyes focused on the title of the book. He turned on it and paused, thinning his lips.
"It is content that I have opted to read, merely a whim brought the title to my attention." He answered as simply as he could, turning back through the pages. "Though I shall confess that I have found some enjoyment in the themes the book brings forth. Ariel's pursuit of her heart ended in tragedy…not just for herself but for the family she left behind. It is a…compelling message."
Medusa hummed to her. "I am only familiar with what the Grail provides…something related to a film."
"...Film?" He muttered to himself before understanding came to him. "Ah, yes. The modern theatre. I…never had much of an interest in that, books tend to express the vision of the author more accurately than the living. Besides…my illusions can provide such a performance if I truly intended to bear witness to such a thing."
"Hmm. If you say s-"
Something flickered through his mind for a brief moment, soon followed by a voice in the back of his head which drowned out whatever was going to be said next by Medusa. His confusion only lasted until he realised that it was his summoner who was speaking to him through the mental link. "Gwyndolin, I'm sorry if you're in the middle of something right now. But could you please come to my room? There's something that we need to talk about."
"At least you have the sense to apologise for the interruption." He replied back through the mental link, though he narrowed his eyes at the tone of voice. He hadn't paid that much attention to his summoner, but they never quite sounded that apprehensive before. A curious thing, unless he was merely concerned as to the correct manner in which one summoned a God.
There wasn't one, but this world lived without Gods for some time, so he could excuse some lapses in proper decorum being shown to him.
"It would seem as though the summoner as need of me." Declaring aloud, he rose up from his seated position and bowed his head in apology to Medusa. "It would seem as though our conversation is to be cut short. Though if you wish to continue it at a later date, I would be amenable to the request."
Medusa hummed in reply, then turned her attention back onto the book. "That would be fine, if Master has need of you then it cannot be helped."
Gwyndolin felt a pang of distaste at the mention of the word, quite frankly the idea that any human could look him in the eye and ask him with a straight face to call them 'Master' was quite frankly an idiot of the highest order. Whomever was the arrogant fool who developed such titles must have been quite the upstart to believe themselves above the likes of whatever Spirit they had summoned. He cared not whether the other Spirits suffered this indignation, though he was privately curious as to why they would, but he would never debase himself by calling a human whose lifespan would pass him by in a single blink his 'Master' at anything.
Outwardly, he hummed at Medusa and nodded his head to her once, closing his eyes and feeling the rush of magical energy around him before he let his body be consumed by it. The teleportation dragging him across the length of Chaldea and to his destination, when he opened his eyes again he was directly situated in front of the door to the human summoner's chambers.
He paused instantly.
He could feel it from beyond the door.
Divinity.
No, not just divinity. It was pure, an intensity to it that surpassed the likes of the Silver Knight and Medusa. No, this was not just one of the Lordkin, this was a God. Though which God remained a mystery, he did not recognise the sensation but there was a brightness to it that was almost familiar, a subtle air of power within the feeling that only came from those who commanded others. His eyes narrowed behind his helmet as he reached out and pressed the small mechanism to open the door.
He moved inside, eyes instantly seeking out the direction of the God and finding them firmly placed upon the rather…disappointing appearance of the being inside. Blonde hair, dull red eyes yet a gentleness to their face. Though the air of a God was around them, there was precious little else to separate their existence from any other mortal. The plain chain link armour they wore and the patternless trousers and simple leather boots, for all intents and purposes they looked like some common human from a militia.
The only thing of note was the left arm made of silver…no, not silver. It did indeed look like the polished metal but the radiance was far beyond human materials. He was certain it surpassed even the quality produced by the twinkling titanite. It was doubtless a great treasure and yet looked so completely out of place with the rest of the attire of the Divine. Either they were incredibly humble or the land of this God was rich in materials that even the lowest of their number could be granted such treasures. The thought briefly bubbled in his mind that they were perhaps some manner of knight from a failing land, a potent child of Gwynevere's.
Yet there was the sensation of intense divinity that could not come from a spawn of his sister or any God, and he could feel the aura of the sword around their hip. It was something he had only ever felt when around the likes of the works of the Smith God, the craftsmanship and base power was something that could not be denied and the sword had yet to be drawn.
"Shall I assume you are Prince Gwyndolin, Regent of Anor Londo?" It took him a moment to realise that the God had spoken to him, his attention moving away from the hip and to the face, the man having taken a small bow of reverence to him. Not to mention the usage of his correct title. "I greet you in good health, I am Nuada, God of the Hunt."
"...A hunter who wielded a sword as opposed to a bow?" Gwyndolin inclined an eyebrow behind his helmet, even with his limited experience he was aware that most would use ranged weaponry for their great hunts. Failing that, they would use a spear of sorts. He knew of no hunters who wielded swords, unless they were after a different game.
The twitch of the lip from this 'Nuada' showed that he was clearly aware of the inconsistency. "It is a broad authority, broader than one might be aware of at first. Though I am skilled with the bow, it is merely that my class is Saber and with it comes the weapon I am most known for. '' he patted the hilt of the straight sword twice, then paused as his eyes narrowed, lingering on his arms. "And I can see that you are no stranger to the bow."
"You can tell so easily?" That had been a rather sudden deduction and it was hardly as though his usage of the bow was a well known fact. Unless stories had been told about him already, yet he could not imagine a reason for the topic to be brought up.
Nuada hummed and nodded his head once. "Indeed. The arms of bowmen are quite easily noticed." gesturing slightly higher, around his shoulders, he continued on. "And your posture is another sign, not quite as broad as one would expect for a longbow, thus I am left to suspect you favoured the shorter one…hmmm, a respectable weapon all the same. An Archer Class?"
"...Yes." Evidently he would need to revise his earlier assessment, they were a rather cunning figure. Lowering his expectations of them and then revealing they were quite observant to deduce such things within moments of meeting them. Humming quietly to himself, he looked over the God once more and found himself internally frowning that nothing had changed since his first assessment, they looked much too relaxed. "Though I am curious as to how you knew of me, I am not familiar with any God by your name…which leads me to the conclusion that you are a Divine of these lands, as opposed to the one I know."
The expression Nuada gave him was only slightly approving, just enough to be noticeable but not nearly enough for Gwyndolin to suspect he was being mocking. It felt somewhat genuine, he supposed. It had been a very long time since he met with a God as opposed to a Goddess. "You are correct. I was a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, which was the name of our own pantheon of Gods."
Gwyndolin caught the expression his summoner made when the God spoke, the brief flicker of surprise and the way his eyes darted towards him. The boy had been respectful enough to remain silent during the initial introduction, yet that reaction was both telling and rather puzzling. For one thing, he truly needed a better control over his emotions, and for another Gwyndolin now suspected that there was more to this than simply being a 'member' of said court.
A high position, they might have held, yet they did not greet them with it. Bringing him to two conclusions, either his initial assessment was correct and they did not openly flaunt their title or they had been banished from their pantheon and their status rescinded. The latter was unlikely, they still greeted him as a God of the Hunt as a present rather than a past tense.
"Intriguing an encounter as I might find this…" His attention returned to the lone human in the room, they jolted for a split second before their expression hardened at finding themselves under his gaze. Perhaps they weren't as terrible at reading the mood as he imagined them to be. "I doubt you would do something as arrogant as summoning me here just so that I could meet with the God of another land." waving a hand to Nuada, the blonde didn't make much of a reaction before a twitch of the lip.
The summoner did not reply immediately, beyond thinning their lips and shaking their head from side to side. Gradually lowering their head, the human was eventually staring at the floor with their hands placed upon their hips. "That's not why I called you here, no. It's just that this is a topic that…it's probably not going to be the sort of thing that you want to be around others when I bring it up."
"Concern for my emotions?" Gwyndolin mused, seeing through the effort for what it was. Keeping him isolated while he delivered news that was doubtless going to be troubling for him. Though he very much doubted that they could give him any news that would actually affect him at this point. Between the knowledge the flame had been snuffed out and the fact Sulyvahn now stalked the halls of Chaldea, much like a cancer stalked the body, he was hard pressed for anger. "A novel trait, but ultimately wasted. Still, if you wish to do so for your own benefit, then I can at least oblige you, this once."
Bringing their lips together, the summoner brought his head back up and looked towards him, gradually nodding their head up and down but Gwyndolin could see it in their eye. The flicker of doubt. He fought back responding to that the moment he saw it, to so blatantly doubt his words right to his face, the only saving grace was that they did not openly tell him they found his words incredulous.
"I'm going to ask you something that you'll probably find a stupid thing to ask but for the sake of me hearing the words, I would like an answer…alright? Just, grant me that if you are able."
He remained silent, watching the expression of the human with great interest as they spoke the words, after a moment longer of nothing he eventually granted them a single nod of the head and awaited the next sentence. The relief was blatantly visible but did not last especially long.
"Thank you." The summoner rolled their lips. "You don't have a good relationship with Faraam and Gwynevere, do you?"
He wasn't stupid, there was only one reason he would ask this.
"They're here, aren't they." He was surprised by how toneless his voice was, yet suddenly more of the puzzle started to fall into place. Shifting his attention away from the summoner and towards the side, his mind falling back to the conversation between himself and the scholar. Her questions on the Goddess Velka and his opinions on her. They were vague enough he thought nothing of them, but now he had another suspicion. "...Velka is here as well, isn't she?"
His head drifted back to the young human, once more he surprised himself with how little he felt about the news.
They nodded once. "Faraam arrived this morning, yes." the confirmation was little more than a courtesy to him. This was something he had been preparing himself for quite some time yet there was nothing left. What needed to be said had been said when they met on that excursion for the stolen foods, everything else that came after it was more thought than the unspoken deserved. More than he was entitled to, so he forced everything down. Leaving only a hollow void in his gut where he imagined anger would have been. "Gwynevere and Velka…I didn't know this until earlier but they have been here since I got back."
"Ah. I see." The comment was full of nothing, his mind honed into a sharp edge yet the crackles filtered through. The questions on Velka made greater sense, they were concerned about her and perhaps were concerned he would not hold himself back. Yet there was nothing. Nothing that mattered. "...Kept isolated, were they?"
The human winced for a moment, then slowly nodded his head. "Something like that, yes."
They had to have known he was here.
Gwynevere and Velka.
There was no way they didn't know he was here.
They knew.
And did nothing.
He wasn't even sure why the thought was anything approaching a surprise for him, they had never shown even the slightest hint of truly caring about him before so why would either of them make an effort to show care for him now. For what reason would either of them have the decency to stand before him and provide explanations.
Clearly he wasn't even worth those.
How foolish of him to think otherwise.
Twitches went through his face as he forced his emotions down, the sweeping anger replaced by the nothing that lay inside him. It wasn't until he saw the eyes of the human directed downwards that he noticed his hands were trembling. He clenched them into fists and dragged them behind his back a moment later, pulling his lips as tight as they could go and biting the inside of his cheek.
All he gave was a hum as he nodded his head.
"If that is all…" He turned away, no longer wishing to stand in this room with the human. He would not embarrass himself further by letting his emotions slip after so many long years. "I…appreciate that you delivered this information to me in as private a setting as you would allow."
Even as he said that, a moment of confusion moved through him as he took account of the presence of this Nuada. There was no logical reason for them to be there, he could have been introduced to him at any point and yet he was standing there for some reason. What manner of reaction was he expecting? If he let Sulyvahn live and breathe then it would be fine so long as he never lay eyes on anyone in his family again.
"Gwyndolin th-there's more." He noticed the tremble in the voice immediately, the atmosphere shifted to accompany it. An invisible pressure rested on his shoulders that had not been there before. Freezing on the spot, his body gradually shifted until he was facing the human once more. Their face awash with apprehension. "There's more." they repeated again.
"...More." Gwyndolin's words were flat.
"I wanted to tell you this in private before I told anyone else." His summoner replied, taking in a deep breath before they spoke further. "Because it is going to affect you and I wasn't going to put that on display for anyone you…you deserve more respect than that."
He said nothing, letting the human continue on.
"The Singularity in London...it wasn't Ash who killed all of the Servants." He brought up the flat of his hand. "He did…there was an incident with him that I'm taking care of but he wasn't the one who caused the damage. That was a mixture of…Seath and Gwyn."
Something shattered in his mind, like a cracking of glass.
"Seath…and…Gwyn?" Even as he parroted the words back so slowly to make certain he was not mistaken, that did not account for anything in the words. What the human was speaking of didn't make sense. If they met with both Seath and Gwyn, then why was this not being brought up public-
…
The unkindled wasn't the one who killed the Servants.
The unkindled wasn't the one who killed the Servants.
"You…you fought Lord Gwyn." The implication pounded through his skull, his attention fixed firmly upon the human swine who was stood directly in front of him. Everything else fell to the wayside, nothing in the room mattered, only the human in front of him. "You."
"We did, yes."
At least they admitted it to him.
For what little that amounted to, there wasn't an ounce of shame in their tone nor on their face, rather there was bitterness there. Bitterness, as though they had been the ones to suffer instead of being the criminals they actually were. His jaw clenched tightly, his hands balled into fists and fell back to side side. He knew the difference between him and the human, the ease he could reach out to them and just pull their skull from their body.
"Give me one single reason why I should not-" His words fell silent, understanding blossomed in his mind. Attention shifting from the human criminal to the God now stood directly to the left of him, the reasoning for their being here suddenly made a great deal of sense. His eyes darted down to the hand which he had so innocently assumed was merely proud of the weapon, but now he noticed one crucial detail.
They had never taken their hand off the sword.
"Pfft." The dry snort escaped him with a bitter taste, he leaned back and turned his attention to the face of the God, clearly not a fool as they wore an expression of discomfort but said nothing. What could be said? They had been prepared to kill him from the moment he stepped into this room, why else was he the only one here. The human was rather more cunning than he first assumed.
"Greeting me in good health." Parroting the words back with a strong degree of sarcasm, Nuada grimaced but still kept his silence, that was fine. "A foreboding sentence now, is it not? Was it greeting me before my good health came to an end or was it much like a butcher greets their slaughter in good health before they are put to the blade?"
Nuada kept his grimace, "I was not here to play executioner. It was my insistence that allowed for my coming, Ritsuka had intended to break the news to you himself-"
"But you rightfully assumed that I would now allow him to draw breath from this world much longer after he confessed so blatantly to his crimes?" Gwyndolin sneered back at him, dropping all pretence of being polite with his soon to be killer. Really, that was the only way this was going to end up. Both Gwyn and Seath, the latter could have made some excuses for, given their research earned more than a few naysayers within the court but the former? Nothing.
"How long before that sword is drawn free and made slick with my blood?" His head whipped to Ritsuka "And a complete stranger? Was my brother so lacking in spine that he could not even arrive for my execution? More than that, what of the others?" he waved his hands around, noticing the slight flinch from Nuada at the sudden movements. "Where is Velka? Is she hiding so-are you in here mother!? Are you skulking like a rat somewhere!? Come on out! At least look me in the eye before I'm killed!"
"For goodness-he tried to kill Gwynevere!"
"No he didn't." Gwyndolin turned back to him in an instant, frowning openly at the fool for making such an outlandish statement, the only thing that kept him from actively killing the boy for his slander was the fact that he would be long dead before he even so much as moved a muscle. "Gwynevere might well have abandoned Anor Londo in company of every other God, but that alone would not earn her the wrath of Lord Gwyn. If you are to concoct falsehoods then have the decency to make them-"
"Because she was summoned as a Servant." The boy continued on, blurting out the words with the confidence only afforded to one speaking with the condemned, yet there was a fire in his eyes, a steel that came from those who spoke what they believed was the truth. More to the point, the statement itself was flawed. For what reason would being summoned in this world earn her a death? "Because…because this is a world without the Gods. We've long since moved past them and Gwynevere accepted being summoned in such a world and-"
"...and being subservient to a human…" He finished quietly, narrowing his eyes behind his helmet. That wasn't…that couldn't have been the only reason.
And yet…
Yet…
No…that couldn't be it.
"What….what more?" He commented aloud, bringing his head back and gritting his teeth. "That alone…no, Lord Gwyn would not kill her for that alone she-she was Gwynevere, the Princess of Sunlight and his heiress! Killing her for matters beyond her control is absurd? What influence would she have over this world?" he waved a hand to Nuada "It is the fault of Gods like these that the humans of this land slipped from their hands. What other reason would Gwyn have to-"
"Ash is her son."
…
…
"...The unkindled…they are…" The unkindled was her spawn? No, he would have sensed it. He would certainly have seen the signs, felt the familiar burn of her soul within his body. There was no way he would have overlooked something like that. More to the point, for what…how in the name of all that was created would one of Gwynevere's children find themselves in a position where they despise the Gods and acted against the flame? What sort of madness seeped into their mind to bring this about.
His lips thinned. "...Gwynevere and Velka are here."
The boy nodded once, then carried on. "Gwyn…He made it very clear he didn't tolerate Servants being summoned to humans because he…" he looked to the side "Well…his opinion on humans was rather apparent and he…he attacked us the second he appeared, really…because of Kiyohime and-"
"The dragon." He felt sick, Gwyn attacked them on sight because of the dragon, that much he could believe. That much fell perfectly in line with what happened, the dam cracked. The bile rose in his throat.
Yorshka.
He placed a crossbreed in the halls of Anor Londo.
His heart stopped.
He had pledged himself to help this human history purely to spite Sulyvahn, but he pledged himself to saving it all the same. A humanity that had abandoned the Gods long ago, he was working with them, much like Velka worked with the occultists during the rebellions.
If…if he was willing to kill Gwynevere for birthing the unkindled one even if he doubted she had much to do with what came next, whatever else he had to say about her, she was loyal to the flame at least…
But if he would sentence even Gwynevere to death then…
Oh.
…He would never stand a chance…
…He was already dead, there wasn't a chance that Lord Gwyn would ever wish to hear his side of the story, or even explain anything to himself. There was nothing to truly explain either. Anor Londo had fallen under his watch and been taken over by the likes of Aldrich. Sulyvahn had arisen from his own Covenant and turned it against him and worst of all, he had taken a crossbreed and adopted her into the family of Gwyn and made her the face of the Church in his absence.
Gwynevere's spawn might have put the final nail in the proverbial coffin.
But he…
…He had butchered the reputation of Gwyn.
Anger flooded from him, horror left him soon after, then shame, then disgust and then…nothing.
He felt empty.
"...I see." The human might have been making a face but he didn't care to pay attention to it, he gradually turned himself around and brought his hands up, clasping the sides of his helmet and slowly lifting it off the top of his head, exposing his head to the world and turning the helm around, looking directly into his reflection in the surface.
"...It would seem I am already a traitor to Anor Londo and to Lo-...and to Gwyn." He flatly replied as he stared at his warped reflection, he didn't feel much of anything at the moment. He wasn't even sure he was alive at this point, everything felt cold. So terribly, terribly cold. As though any moment now, he was going to coat his body in ice. His grip on the helmet loosened, it slipped from his hands and dropped to the floor with a loud clang, his fingers trembled, soon followed by his limbs shaking. "What…what did you hope to gain by…by telling me this…?"
He wasn't sure why he was asking.
A breath behind him, then a soft tone. "Because he is your father and if you didn't want to fight him…then I was going to offer you the option of stepping back. No hard feelings, no cursing, just…just letting you desummon yourself if you had problems with it." a brief pause "I would ask that you not fight Chaldea because I really do not want to come to blows with you but…I am offering you the chance to not let it get to that point."
How sad.
Mere moments ago he had been genuinely considering killing the human for his actions, how like Yorshka they were.
"And…Gwynevere's reaction to this?"
"...She's agreed to stay."
Had she? He would have thought she would have jumped at the possibility of avoiding the wrath of Gwyn a second time. She was one for avoiding difficult situations, that was something she was rather skilled in. Fleeing when times were dire, if she was staying then it meant there was nowhere for her to run to. Which meant that there was nothing he would be capable of either.
If Gwynevere faced the possibility of execution.
Then his own death was assured.
And he could not even lay blame to Chaldea for summoning him, he had brought it on himself.
"...I'm returning to my chambers." He announced, pressing his hand on the door and stepping out of the room. He did not turn around at the shuffling of clothes. "You can stay your blade, I am not going to fight you or any other Servant in Chaldea, right now I am…I am going to return to my chambers and do nothing. Yes…nothing."
"Gwyndo-"
"Do not…" He closed his eyes as he cut off his summoner, thinning his lips as he did so. "I will emerge when the time is right. Not before. Until we encounter one another again…and when we do, you will have your answer." he channelled the magical energy through him, and with a flash he was gone.
