Being accosted by a flying human with golden wings, Patxi thought, was strange even by the standards of the last couple days, and so the only thing his brain was able to come up with was to turn to the human, grab his knife, and ask her who the hell she was.
She impassively looked down at the knife before her eyes flicked back to Patxi. "Valkyrie. Individual designation: Ortlinde. As stated earlier, I have come on behalf of our mistress as she desires to speak with you."
"And she can't come herself because…"
"My mistress is busy attending to the preservation of this world and its population. However, she has instructed me to extend an invitation to visit her at her castle."
"What about Chaldea?"
"The invitation is for you, and you alone. The individuals from the world known as 'Proper Human History' are not to be received at this time. The mistress's words for you are intended for none other." Ortlinde finally descended to the ground and walked over to Patxi; unconsciously he took a step backwards, sensing the power the Valkyrie held.
"Should you accept her request for a meeting," Ortlinde continued, "the mistress has informed me that she wishes for you to join her ranks and fight alongside us for the preservation of this history."
Hang on, what? Why? The request completely through Patxi for a loop. Why would they want him? If he'd understood da Vinci right every Lostbelt Monarch was attended by one of the Crypters and that Crypter's servant, not to mention the fact that the Lostbelt Monarchs were themselves the most powerful beings in their own worlds, so why would they want a nobody like him?
"The look on your face is one of confusion, am I correct? Doubtless, then, you are wondering the reason for this offer. It is quite simple - you have spent enough time with Chaldea to have observed their capabilities, their strengths and weaknesses, and their strategies, all of which is information that my mistress wishes to have."
Oh. I get it - it's not ME they want, just what they think I know. "Well, hate to break it to you, but I more or less know jack about how Chaldea does things. Hell, before I met them, I barely even knew magic existed."
"Irrelevant. The mistress can interpret what you cannot, in addition to the fact that your psychological insights are also of great value to her."
"My psycho-what? What in the blazes are you talking about?"
"My mistress was very impressed by the ease with which you temporarily derailed Sigurd's attempt at reclaiming the Paper Moon. Information that the Crypter had gleaned from the visitor regarding the psychological profiles of Chaldea's staff indicated that their first response would have been to immediately attempt an escape, and would thus have been easy prey for Sigurd. Failure on the part of Chaldea to act as predicted can most likely be traced to the addition of an unknown variable, which in this case can only refer to you."
"But that was just luck, though!" Patxi protested. "That and the fact that I know what it looks like when someone's hunting something else. I don't have any idea what you mean by 'psychological insights', honest."
"Perhaps, and yet my mistress is convinced that you would be a potent ally. And she is never wrong. So I ask you, Yaga Patxi: will you consent to join us?" Ortlinde extended a hand.
The entire conversation was still far beyond Patxi's ability to understand: somehow the Crypter and Lostbelt Monarch had gotten it into their heads that he was some kind of genius when it came to understanding other people, based off a single interaction that had still ultimately gone terribly , and thus wanted him to join up with them.
Patxi looked Ortlinde over, thinking. "You said you're a 'Valkyrie', right? Are you what Gerda and the others really mean when they talk about 'Envoys of the Goddess'?"
"That is correct." Ortlinde nodded. "I was merely the one chosen to speak to you because I was already assigned to visit this village tomorrow."
"I see." Patxi's grip on his knife tightened, and subconsciously the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up. "So then that means that you're going to escort all the 25 year-olds out to the giants, right?"
"That is also correct, but if you are concerned that you will suffer the same fate, you needn't be worried. I have been given orders to see you safely to my mistress."
"That's not the point." Patxi growled. "Let me ask you one more question: why do you let the giants kill the humans?"
"Because it is the will of the Goddess, and because -"
"Stop right there." Patxi held up his other hand. "Right, that's all I needed to know. I've lived in a world where people used that same justification, and I have to say I wasn't a fan."
Ortlinde frowned. "But it is necessary, and my mistress only does it for the good of both the Lostbelt and the human species as a whole. Nevertheless, I can see that this information is not to your liking. Do you need time to consider your answer, then? Perhaps after the ceremony has concluded?"
"No need." Patxi glared at Ortlinde, knife held straight at the Valkyrie. "I've already got my answer: Fuck. Off. And tell your mistress that I don't appreciate her errand girl trying to shove the same shit I was fed back in Russia while you're at it, will you?"
For the first time in the entire conversation, Ortlinde actually showed emotion. A look of shock spread across the Valkyrie's face, her grip on her spear tightened, and she raised her shield. "Need I remind you that Chaldea is fighting to erase every single Lostbelt and restore their own timeline?" Her voice had similarly gained emotion for the first time. "What do you expect will happen to you once that happens? You will die and be erased, just as every other Lostbelt was - along with, almost assuredly, any afterlife that a Lostbelt may have created. You will be left with nothing , left to drift in the void for all eternity, you and everything you've ever known forced into nonexistence. Is that truly what you want?"
Ortlinde's words rung home, and Patxi grit his teeth. It was the same thing he'd had nightmares about, over and over, and the worst part was, it was probably true - if the world wouldn't abide the mere existence of a Lostbelt, then he doubted that it would let anyone from them into the afterlife. All of a sudden, the ground beneath Patxi started swimming and it was getting hard to breathe again.
No. Keep it down. Don't show weakness, especially in front of an enemy. "I know all that," he replied in as strong a voice as he could muster, "but it doesn't change my answer. I won't side with someone who throws innocents to their deaths and can't even be bothered to feel anything."
"Very well, then. It is clear your mind is made up." Ortlinde stood back a few steps. "I will report this to my mistress following the ceremony tomorrow."
With a burst of speed she took to the air, the action blowing dust into Patxi's eyes. He watched her fly for a bit before turning and running back to Gerda's house.
Patxi knew that his discussion with Ortlinde was the sort of thing that Chaldea really, really needed to know about, and so his first thought upon entering back into Gerda's house was to wake Fujimaru and Mash up.
"Hey, Fujimaru!" Patxi started off by whispering in the human's ear and gently poking him. "Wake up! We need to talk!" Instead of waking up the human just snored and rolled over, and so Patxi moved on to Mash. "Mash! I met with something called a Valkyrie and I need to-"
"Nnn…Senpai…" Mash was equally oblivious, lost in a dream of some kind. Patxi shoved her in the shoulder, exasperated, but that failed to produce any reaction stronger than a vague flailing of her arm. "Stop it…Goetia…"
Who's Goetia? Patxi wondered. He gave Mash a final kick before returning to Fujimaru, who was still snoring away. Repeated pushes and shoves failed to rouse him either, and neither did Patxi all but shouting in his ear; the human simply snored even louder.
Ugh. Patxi looked down at the two Chaldeans with a mixed look of annoyance, envy, and incredulity, wondering how in the blazes the two of them were still fast asleep. Wish I could sleep this soundly. Be nice to get a full night's sleep without waking up in a panic.
Looking at the sleeping Chaldeans, Patxi's gaze drifted downwards towards Fujimaru's communicator, and all of a sudden he had an idea: maybe someone back on the Border was still awake? It's worth a try, he supposed. Reaching downwards he grabbed the communicator, and then turned to leave.
Patxi was outside the door when he realized he had no idea how to work the thing. Uh…I need to hit one of these buttons, right? Fujimaru had hit the one next to the blinking light, so Patxi pressed it.
No incoming calls, the communicator said, to pull up the call log, say 'access history'.
"Damn it." Patxi cursed. "No, stop, home, or whatever."
The communicator beeped and went silent.
Okay, maybe the button on the opposite side? Patxi pressed it.
Error, replied the communicator, cannot access local time. Please recalibrate connection to the International Space Station and enter longitudinal coordinates.
"What the hell is the International Space Station? No, go home again."
Patxi pressed the large, soft button on the underside.
Power off?
"No!"
Next was the one to the left of the incoming call button.
Local calls to the Shadow Border permitted. All else inaccessible. Please recalibrate connection to the International Space Station.
"Aha! Finally!" Patxi smiled. "Call the Shadow Border ."
Calling Shadow Border.
The communicator immediately projected a blue light, which gradually formed into the shape of a very sleepy-looking Meuniѐre.
"Wha? Pa-Patxi?" He yawned. "How on earth did you get that thing working?"
"With a lot of swearing, but that's besides the point. Is anyone else awake?"
"Just da Vinci." Meuniѐre stifled another yawn. "Why? Did something happen?"
"Sort of." Patxi explained his encounter with Ortlinde, taking care to emphasize he'd rejected the offer.
Meuniѐre blinked and shook his head. "Yeesh. That's just…damn. I'm relieved you didn't go for it, though."
"Good. Think anything she said was important?"
"Maybe. I'll go grab da Vinci and see what she thinks." Meuniѐre's figure vanished, and with nothing else to do Patxi looked up at the stars again.
God, those are beautiful. The idea that all the tiny pinpricks of light could be coming from giant balls of gas and fire countless miles away was still almost too much of him to wrap his head around, but apparently that's what they were. Wonder if any of those stars have planets inhabited by Yagas. Or Yaga-like things, I guess.
Patxi heard the communicator beep, and tore his view away from the stars in time to see da Vinci pop into focus.
"I don't know which is more unbelievable," she began, "the fact that you ran into a Valkyrie or the fact that you got a piece of 21st-century magitech working on your own."
"Look, I'm from a primitive time period. I'm not stupid. "
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry. An-ny-ways, what that Valkyrie told you is actually really interesting. Particularly the bit about the sacrifice being 'for the good of humanity'."
"Why? I assumed it was like what I had to deal with - all 'glory to the Tsar, death to anything that threatens his order', that stuff."
"Kind of, but…" da Vinci rubbed her temple. "It's hard to explain. Basically, from what you were told it seems like the Goddess only began sacrificing adults out of necessity, and that in turn implies that she's not omnipotent."
"So then we can kill her?"
"Theoretically?" da Vinci shrugged. "Not sure - this whole area's not really my expertise. I'll have to ask Holmes his opinion in the morning."
Ah, the morning. Right. When Gerda and the rest of the kids are going to stand back and celebrate while the adults get crushed by a bunch of angry giants. "And what about the other thing that's going to happen tomorrow morning? Any way we can stop the ceremony."
"I'm sorry Patxi, but I honestly can't say one way or the other. If the Valkyrie you talked to is the same thing that gave off the reading we detected earlier - something that seems likely, considering - then they're as powerful as a Servant. Interfering with them is probably gonna be difficult."
"It's probably up to Mash and Fujimaru then."
"Definitely. I've been trying to cobble together something that'll give your rifle a bit more oomph to help with situations like this, but I haven't had the time to finish. Sorry about that."
"It's fine. Not like there's much I'd be able to do anyways."
Da Vinci paused a moment before answering, giving Patxi a strange look. "You need to stop selling yourself short, Patxi. You're capable of more than you think you are."
"Yeah, right."
"I mean it. You're a valued member of Chaldea." She sighed. "But this isn't really something we should probably get into at oh dark thirty. Try and get some sleep, Patxi." She gave him that look again, and seemed about to say something, but instead da Vinci merely bent down and pressed something. Her image winked away a second later, once again leaving Patxi alone.
Come on, da Vinci, you really expected me to buy that? 'Valued member of Chaldea' my foot. He knew that he still ranked just about the bottom of the barrel, and would probably stay that way until he figured out a way to actually do something.
At least, if his nerves didn't keep failing him the second he came across something taller than he was.
Taking one last look at the sky, Patxi opened the door to Gerda's house and crept back towards Fujimaru to deposit the communicator before returning to his own little corner of the floor. As he sat down his eyes flicked over to Gerda, who was sleeping quietly in her bed and snoring tiny, delicate snores. She really does have an innocent air about her, doesn't she. Like how I was before…I called her Tolya back there, didn't I? Patxi was surprised she hadn't asked him about it. Maybe she will tomorrow, after the ceremony.
Unless they managed to derail it.