Arturia spent most of the night learning the intricacies of the "status" ability that vague resembled the sheet a Master would have of their Servant. Vaguely. There wasn't much to be understood as much of the accessibility was blocked. Something to do with "Missing certain requirements".
It didn't matter much to her since she favored her own ability to fight over what some screen claims. Perhaps that's what the king was muttering about. Missing a Holy Sword that allows full power over one's ability to grow. Without that, it's basically crippled. Her ability to grow may be hampered due to the missing blade.
The chance was small, but perhaps Excalibur has taken its place as this world's Holy Sword. But that's impossible. This blade hasn't left her side… at least it did when her life ended. How it returned to her was beyond her. That was neither here nor there and this is now. What comes next is unknown to her, and she would face it regardless of situation.
The ability to adapt to any scenario is the staple of any competent king. Aultcray gave off the aura of one so far, but it could always be a ruse. Never put off the chance of the presence of corruption. It was a better idea to stay with the image of a knight.
Returning to the status screen, she delved through what sections that were still allowed to look through, mainly skills and intrinsic abilities. All of the abilities that she had learned in her life were still accessible, but it was to be expected due to said abilities being ones of physical and magical achievements. Something not simply given to make use of right away.
The library held useful bits of information about past wielders of the Holy Weapons of this world, though most of it involved the abilities of said weapons. From what she could gather, some abilities are universal between the four weapons. The only difference is that said abilities' methods were different, but the outcome was mostly the same. Say a beam that was projected from the Bow, could also be, if used correctly, used by the Sword and Spear. The Sword being a wave of energy emitted in a horizontal arc, and the Spear staying closer to the Bow's outcome.
All of it was simply interesting, but this sort of thing was better handled by her court wizard, Merlin. Unfortunately, the incubus was locked away in Avalon by her sister, Morgan. Ultimately, she had forgiven her sister in her final moments in silence, daring not to utter a single word out loud.
She picked up another book, skimmed through it, and put it down. Many of the books that seemed like they would provide the proper information were not, however it didn't stop her from looking for more. She gained enough information to overlook the more intricate lines in the status screen.
The moon's light shone through one of the nearby windows, casting a soothing light on her. It made it easier to read the books, despite having a candle beside her. Arturia sighed, closing her eyes before opening them once more. It hasn't even been a full day, and she felt that she wanted to sleep forever.
The Battle of Camlann was still fresh in her mind. In the span of minutes, she went through both the Fourth and Fifth Grail War on that hill. Returning to a wounded body, dead soldiers and knights alike all around her. The body of her… son, Mordred, laid on the ground in front of her.
She had accepted her past, let go of the possibility that she could have changed things and let herself die along with the rest. But the memories remained, as she sat at the table in the middle of the night. They will never leave her, but they will no longer haunt her.
After all, she had one person to thank for that.
Arturia sighed before returning the books and left the library to go sleep the rest of the night until morning.
"I appreciate you allowing me an audience with you in here. I understand the wariness your guards held, but my honor as a fellow knight still stands." She stood on the opposite end of the table from Aultcray, who smiled and nodded.
"Of course, Lady Arturia."
He looked to the map in the center, putting his finger along what looked like the border to his country. He moved his hand along, tracing the border before stopping at the mountain range.
"This is the border to Melromarc, neighboring Faubrey. It's king is name Takt Alsaholn Faubrey. Faubrey still remains the most powerful country on the continent, along with Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden on either side of us. While they stay to themselves, political tensions are always at the forefront of most of our minds. My wife is currently on a political journey to Faubrey due to their increasing demands for rights to summon the rest of the heroes." He paused to gauge Arturia's expression.
She was focused on the map, more importantly on Faubrey itself. Her time as King Arthur prompter her to keep tabs on kingdoms stronger than her own in terms of manpower and political edge and hold over the people. She looked to the king and nodded for him to continue.
"I will start with Faubrey's king. I must warn you, the previous king was recently killed by his son who then took the throne for himself. Rumors have spread over the years that he is a sadistic man, but thankfully still better than his pig of a father who derived pleasure from the pain of his consorts." He sighed, shaking his head at the mention of that man.
"His son is of course a handful himself, he at least keeps his wives in good health. But his mind is more focused on charging, rather than sitting back and planning. He acts before he thinks, so it's best you avoid him, lest he chooses you as one of his own consorts." She narrowed her eyes at that, before shaking her head.
"I do not intend for a man to lay claim to me… I am already spoken for." She spoke softly, but it was still heard. Aultcray gained a look of sympathy, for he knew that the situation in her arrival was already known in the books. Heroes summoned have passed on in their worlds before coming here.
"I will make sure that it will never happen. So long as you are in my borders, no harm, physical or mental, will come to you. My word as king demands it." It's a comforting thought for the king to say such things, despite barely knowing who he really is.
"You have my thanks, your majesty."
Arturia returned her gaze to the maps before pointing to a forested region not far from the kingdom.
"I understand from the books that I must kill monsters to gain… power. Is that correct?"
"Yes. In this world, power is governed by your level. The higher it is, the more powerful you are. Though there is a maximum level one can reach. But it can be circumvented by the Dragon Hourglass in the Three Heroes Church."
"Three Heroes Church?"
"Yes, it's where you can find the hourglass to receive a counter that will tell you how much time is left before the next wave. I hope you have enough time to prepare." It should be. Her power alone is enough to hold off armies.
"It will suffice. I was one of the most powerful knights of my kingdom. I should be able to handle things well enough." Aultcray nodded in agreement before crossing his arms.
"Hmm. Now, onto the next country. Siltvelt is a land governed by the demi-humans, and their views are just as radical as the people here. I've no reason to hate them, despite how even turned out long ago. I strive to be a just and fair king. But I do not hold the power here. I am second to my queen."
Arturia blinked before tilting her head.
"Pardon?" He chuckled a bit.
"Yes, the queen, my wife, holds more power than I. I handle the affairs while she is away."
"Interesting. The world I came from didn't favor women in positions of power."
"Truly? Then that place must not have lasted long for any kingdom. I've learned long ago that men become corrupted much easier than women. It's why I trust my wife completely, after all, this is her home, I simply married into the family."
"So backwards… but not an unwelcome feeling." It was an interesting thing to hear, but it still made her wince a little inside. Her time as king lasted for more than a decade, not as long as others, and pretending to be a man was hard, yet easy.
"I suppose I could tell you more about the world, but I'm sure you'll find out on your own." She nodded in agreement. She needed to go to the church to know how much time was remaining.
"Before you go out into the world, I intend to have adventurers accompany you on your journey."
"I have no need for freelancers and mercenaries. But if you will allow it, I would prefer to have a fellow knight at my side." Having another that shared her views on the world would prove to be more beneficial than an easygoing person who didn't always take things seriously.
"Of course. There is a knight that has made her place here as a fine knight. But due to recent events, her status had been tarnished by the church. The deed had been done before I was even notified. Fortunately, I managed to keep her from a cell but there wasn't much more I could do. The church has done many things that I cannot condone and it's nearly time to put them in their place. Be wary of the Pope however, for he is pressing his boundaries."
A knight who found herself in trouble. She needs more than just the aftermath.
"Tell me more, please."
"Her name is Éclair Seaetto, a lord's daughter who was training here to become a knight. Discrimination still runs high in this city, even before I became king. The roots run deep unfortunately. An assassination was placed on Éclair's father for unknown reasons, nor do I know who sent them. She survived but chose to retaliate to defend the small village. The church, for some odd reason, decided to claim that she was brainwashed by an unknown man. Knowing them, they would no doubt blame the shield hero, but that shouldn't be possible due to the shield hero most likely already summoned in Siltvelt."
"That is understandable. Blame can carry over borders for the most mundane or outrageous reasons."
He smiled again, nodding all the same at her words.
"You are very aware of these sorts of things. You were quite the knight of your kingdom, weren't you?"
"There were others that had more skill, more strength, but I led them all the same, following behind our king." It was almost entirely true, aside from the obvious.
"What were their names? If you don't mind my asking."
"The strongest of us was named Sir Lancelot Du Loc, knight of the Lake."
"The Lake?"
"Yes, a water spirit raised him from a young age, teaching him the ways of the sword, honor and chivalry. He was the greatest of the knights but fell into a forbidden love with the queen. When word reached the ears of the people, they demanded his life, along with the queen."
"Was he executed?"
"No, the king married the queen out of political effort over love. Necessity in place of want. The burdens of the king became apparent to both the queen and Lancelot and the two confided in each other to find a solution to the king's hardships."
She sighed.
"Soon enough they fell in love, and when found out, he slew many of the top knights to protect her. They fled the kingdom and that was the last they were seen. Not long after, the kingdom fell to rebellion, the king's illegitimate son took over the castle in the king's absence at that time."
Her memories became clear as day right then and there.
"When the king returned to a kingdom that turned against him, he and his army fought against his own men that turned on him. The battle was long, tragic and bloody, ending on top of a hill where the king killed his son, with his son dealing a fatal blow. In the end, the king perished, and his kingdom fell."
"Where were you when all this was happening?"
"Alongside the king, fighting until I could no longer stand. His son killed me in my exhaustion." Her fists clenched, the armored digits grinding against each other. She grew quiet, staring at the map, lost in thought. Aultcray watched as her expression darkened and frowned.
"Your hardships have left their mark on you. I pray that your king is resting in peace."
"I hope."
He sighed, before looking around the room, choosing not to focus too much on Arturia. Her memories are fresh, it's only natural that one would still be in shock over what has happened only recently.
"There's no more use in dwelling on these memories of yours. It's time you get started on your journey. I apologize for the suddenness, but I still have my duties as king to carry out for the day." She nodded, clearing her head in the process. She stood up straight before nodding her head.
"I understand. Please, carry on with your duties, your majesty. Where might I find this Éclair?"
"She's no doubt in the courtyard training. Due to her inability to become a knight, she has thrown herself even moreso into her training." Arturia nodded before turning around and left the war room.
The sounds of shouts and grunts of exertion were easily heard from her position as she approached the courtyard. This particular one is the training grounds for the knights and soldiers. The area was easily as large as Camelot's. Sir Percival would have a wonderful time training the men. He always was the gentle giant of the Round.
Arturia rounded a corner to find the one named Éclair in the middle of a small training spot, multiple training dummies already in pieces from her blows. The grace in her movements reminded Arturia of her own. The only difference was the power of her swings.
Her heightened senses caught the sounds of murmuring among the other knights in the area nearby.
"She should leave while she still has a chance. Can't believe she still protects those animals."
"She doesn't belong here."
It was obvious to Arturia that Éclair's presence is barely tolerated by the rest of the men.
As she walked up to the still training woman, she watched as her movements had gotten slower out of exhaustion. Arturia stopped only ten feet away before clearing her throat.
"Ahem."
Éclair stopped her movements before turning her head to the direction of the interruption. Her eyed landed on the blonde haired, armored woman. Her sword was nowhere to be seen, not even a scabbard was hooked to her hip. What?
"Can I help you?" The woman smiled lightly; her emerald eyes shone in the sun.
"Yes. I believe you can."
Please note that I'm only updating this often due to a gap in my work schedule. I'm transitioning to another job and the process is slowgoing and becoming a hassle.
To those that play FGO, I hope you've had good luck with Castoria, for I have not. But I will not give up.