Chapter 137: Why couldn't they be a weirdo?

Sigurd stepped forwards, his hands by his side and his posture straight. His eyes were focused, his lips drawn into a line and he head pivoting from side to side as he overlooked the crowd in front of him.

"I thank you all for gathering so swiftly." He announced loudly "As I am sure you have all been made aware with each other through conversation with the group of your countrymen we encountered earlier." he gestured a hand to the side where the Chaldean's were residing "They are currently heading North to battle the dragons and - with luck - rid this land of their presence."

He lowered the hand "It is also where myself and my allies shall part with you." murmurs went through the crowd almost instantly, heads turning to their neighbours and engaging in muttered dialogues. "Peace." Sigurd raised his hand, the voices quieting down "Our journey with you was always bound to end when we were confident you were in relative safety. The goal of me and my allies was always to head north to battle the dragons in their home."

His features schooled themselves "Though I had personally hoped we would have gained more ground, it would seem this is as far as we can travel. Now I have been assured by our newfound allies that the way south is more or less devoid of wyverns and dragons, making this the current edge of their territory." he pointed down, looking around at the faces "Therefore, you may continue further south without running the risk of harm. More to the point, the dragons will be facing us which will keep their attention from you."

Turning his head behind him, he shared a look with Gordin before he nodded once and returned his attention to the crowd "You have also, no doubt, noticed that the recent arrivals are comprised of not just powerful warriors like myself but also the likes of ordinary men and women such as yourselves." he waved a hand over them "They are there of their own accord and are willing combatants. As such…It would be remiss of me if I did not offer you all the same option."

He raised a single finger "Make no mistake. There is no shame in turning from this fight, if you come with us…There is every likelihood you will die. Our foes are numerous and powerful, to do battle with a dragon is to put your entire being on the line…to put every ounce of your spirit into each and every blow. A split second of fear will spell death." Sigurd's expression turned grim "Which means that if you do not believe you can accept that the moment you accompany us, you will be struck dead at any moment then you should not accompany us."

Turning his body, he pointed behind him while keeping his focus upon the crowd "You can continue to head south with no judgement from my part. It takes just as much courage to walk from a battle as it does to walk into one and there is a victory in survival. Especially in these trying times."

Sigurd returned to his original posture and focused his eyes "However, any who wish to follow us…who wish to fight for the sake of their homes, their families and for the All Father himself…We will welcome your aid with open arms. This remains your choice as much as it was the choice of the warriors standing over there. It goes without saying that the children will need protection as they head south along with any who know not how to fight. This is not a demand from me, or an order from the Gods. This is the moment where you pit your own will against the strength of one who seeks to claim your home. Who seeks to wipe away our culture and build their own atop it. I will ask in one hour, who will stand with me."

That said, he turned around and walked towards the Servants who had been stood behind him.

Gordin had his arms by his side and his helmet under the crook of his left arm, an eyebrow was raised "...I didn't think you would give that good a speech." he admitted.

Sigurd chuckled "Well, I might have been a King but I was always a warrior first and foremost. I am simply more comfortable in that role…" with a shrug, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned backwards "That does not mean I cannot play the part of King as well."

His words attracted the attention of Alsanna, the woman suddenly looking to Sigurd in blatant surprise "...You were a King?"

"Of this land, once." He responded, looking at the woman "Though as I said, I much prefer being a warrior. I suppose you could say that gives me a vested interest in the wellbeing of these people and of this place."

Alsanna continued to regard him in a curious manner before she hummed and looked to the side "Skilled a King you might have been, I have no doubt that my King was superior in every manner possible." she waved her hand dismissively, not even looking at the Saber in question "It is simply a difference in scope, much how a mere candle can never hope to match the light of the sun, you can never hope to match the brilliance of the Ivory King." she was silent for a moment then nodded once "Do not let your ineptitude weigh you down, there are none whom can compete with him in the first place."

Sigurd looked to her somewhat bizarrely for a few moments, then turned his attention to Brynhildr and saw that she was also giving the Caster an odd stare. When the two locked eyes with one another, both Sigurd and Brynhildr slowly nodded their heads while looking very close to laughing out loud.

"I am…sure your husband would be beyond thrilled to hear you sing his praises." Sigurd instead responded with, in as neutral a voice as he could manage, hoping to hide away his clear amusement at the situation.

"Hmph." Alsanna merely grunted, sending an almost smug expression towards the Saber "They are mere statements of fact, not embellishments."

"Naturally." Sigurd nodded, all the while he was looking at Brynhildr and conveying that he could see where this was coming from. In truth, he was somewhat touched that Alsanna showed such devotion to her husband even though they were separated. To witness true love blossom such as that was something he was always grateful to see. "In truth, I am now eager to meet him."

"It is only natural you would be." Alsanna's voice shifted to now sound more boastful "After all, at the greatest of all Kings it would only be natural that others would seek to witness what true majesty looks like. One who could inspire his people and was their first defence, who could protect them from the power of Chaos itself…" her voice trailed off, turning slightly sombre as her enthusiasm started to dwindle "...For as long as he could manage. Until the very end, he was a King who fought for his people first and foremost."

Sigurd's expression turned softer, the amusement slowly vanishing from him "I can see that he truly meant a great deal to you."

"...More than mere words can ever extoll."

"I understand." He gave a single nod of the head "The euphoria of being in their presence, the bliss of seeing their smile and the warmth of their body when you hold them tight. You can describe these sensations but they will always remain little more than mere words that cannot capture the true feeling of the moment."

Alsanna was silent for a few moments, then glanced at Sigurd from the corner of her eye "...He was a King who taught me what love was. Uncaring to all else about me." she smiled lightly "How else would you describe him if not the greatest King?"

"...To you? I doubt another will ever reach his level." Sigurd responded with, then looked to the side when he saw the other Servants milling about in a somewhat awkward manner.

Alsanna sharply turned her head towards them, narrowing her eyes "Do you not have other matters to attend? Are there no supplies to be inventoried and allies to speak with?" She leaned her head back so that her eyes were staring down at the Servants "My King would regularly change the formation of Knights to ensure all members could work efficiently with one another. Build upon that notion and go to the Chaldeans to form some manner of cohesion. I will not be party to a ragged mob."

She swept her eyes across until they paused on a figure who looked almost tacked on at the end, her brows creased "What are you doing here?"

Tarkus waved "Hello." then pointed at Erik by his side "I was told to make friends with him." his voice turned more emotional "Then you started speaking about your husband and I thought it was really pretty…um…Your Highness." he added on at the end, doing a rather clumsy bow but it was obvious his heart was in the movement.

Erik offered a shrug as if to say he didn't understand it either, the man then crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at the knight from the corner of his eye.

Alsanna stared at him blankly for several seconds before she pointed to him "Behave as this one does."

Gordin raised his brows in a mystified manner, leaning forwards and looking at Tarkus before he frowned and gave Alsanna the same odd stare.

The woman's expression did not so much as change as she continued to stare at the knight, making it perfectly obvious she wasn't going to respond to his unasked question at all.

With a sigh, Gordin brought his helmet back around and lowered it back onto his head "Very well then. I will go to the…'Chaldeans', I believe they are called?" at Sigurd's nod he continued "And see whom I might be asked to work alongside."

Brynhildr stepped forwards "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"Ah, no." Gordin replied quickly, turning to face her and raising both his hands as if worried she was about to charge him. "No…that is…" he lowered his hands, the discomfort in his voice somewhat apparent as he looked at Sigurd for a moment. "I would…not wish to take away your time with your husband. You two seem as though you would dislike being separated."

Brynhildr frowned ever so slightly at the words, sending a look Sigurd's way and saw him nod his head. "Very well."

"I do not mean offence it is merely that…" Gordin made to explain, then stopped and exhaled "I was an only child and being called a sibling by strangers is…" he turned away "Nevermind, do not mind me all that much."

He walked off without waiting for a response, moving at a brisk pace without appearing as though he was trying to run away as swiftly as possible.

Sigurd approached Brynhildr, sighing ever so slightly "He found my familiarity with him jarring as well. I suppose I can understand it as much, given as how we are practically strangers save for the blessing of Lord Tyr upon him."

"Ah, I see." Brynhildr nodded her head in understanding "That makes sense. I would be uncomfortable if someone were to show sudden familiarity with myself as well without knowing who they were."

"Gordin prefers to be approached for who he is rather than whatever else he might have, judged by his own deeds." Sigurd explained "A viewpoint I can understand, given how he is merely a vessel for Lord Tyr's power, I suppose that makes him similar enough to myself being a descendant of the All-Father."

Brynhildr gave a small hum of affirmation, she could see the point of view.


Olga rubbed her brows, trying and failing on repeated occasions to understand the words that were being said to her. "...And when was this?"

The unasked question of why she was learning about it only now hung in the air for a few moments before Da Vinci actually responded, the woman not at all losing her casual attitude as she replied "In the middle of your talk with the newly allied Servants." she explained, inclining her head to the side "But if you wanted me to interrupt you and say that the enemy was calling me…"

"Don't…" Olga exhaled, lowering her hand to her side and regarding the woman with a flat expression. "Just. Don't. Did you at least get any useful information out of them this time?"

"Well, of a sort." She admitted, leaning forwards and drumming her fingers on the desk "He actually wants to talk with you." she then raised her finger "But he's fine if you don't want to talk with him. He's content with telling us where he's actually located either way."

That caused the Director to blink several times "No." she stated after a few moments, earning a raised eyebrow from the Caster.

"No as in you won't talk to him, or…"

"No, as in I don't believe him." Olga responded back sharply, her brows creasing and her lip curling down. "I most certainly don't believe that all he wishes to do is talk and I don't believe that he will tell us where he is. It's-it's beyond stupid!" she threw her hand up "It's ridiculous! You're telling me that in one breath he's ranting about some nonsensical dream and then in the next moment he's actively talking with the people out to kill him and virtually inviting them into his home to do just that?"

Da Vinci opened her mouth to respond before the Director pointed at her "Not one word from one. Romani was present as well, wasn't he?" Olga frowned "Get him up here now. I don't trust another word from your mouth on this topic at the moment."

Rather than looking offended, Da Vinci simply shrugged her shoulders and leaned away. Her face was confident as if she was going to be vindicated at any moment. Then Romani slid into frame, the man wearing a bemused expression as he looked in between the two of them before shaking his head and returning his attention to Olga.

"You, tell me what happened." She ordered, Romani looked startled for a moment before he fidgeted and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well…It's pretty much as Da Vinci said." He explained, not knowing what else to say "He said he wanted to talk with you and wanted to tell us where he was." scratching his cheek, he didn't look anymore understanding of the situation than the Director "His reasoning was a little weird…Then again, it…well, I looked back on the conversation because they're all recorded and…well…" he offered another shrug "He's…odd."

"Odd?"

"Sincere." Romani corrected "Like, to a fault. I don't think he even has a concept of lying. He really does want to tell us where he is, although it's more so he doesn't have to spend time chasing us down as well." he added on "In that regard, he pretty much wants all of his enemies to come to him rather than having to go out. After which, if he wins, then his job becomes much easier with his whole 'Kingdom of Dragons' idea because he doesn't have to worry about individual pockets of resistance…yeah." he chuckled "He was actually a little considerate of us saying that it gets easier to remove the threat to history if they're all in one place so…it sort of makes sense?"

"To a child!" Olga exclaimed, looking dumbfounded "That's the logic of a child! Th-that's not even-he has to be lying!" she declared "He has to be, no one is that simple."

Romani stared at her for a few moments, then shrugged once more "If you say so Director." his lips thinned "But he really does sound simple enough."

Olga thought back to the words of Sigurd detailing his own encounter, how the dragon had apparently seemed more than comfortable with communication right up until the point someone said something that caused them to become angered. If that was the case then was she actually dealing with someone who adhered to such simple logic?

Was it literally a case of brute forcing the world in such a way?

With an annoyed sigh, she looked back at the screen "What do they even want to talk about in the first place?"

"I think it's just a case of getting to know who you are." Romani responded with, running a hand through his hair and flinching as Olga looked ready to try and melt him with her eyes "I'm not joking here!" he raised his hands in surrender "I seriously think that's what he wants! All the recorded conversations with Da Vinci say as much…You can listen to them if you really want to."

Olga was silent for a few moments as she debated the idea in her head, on the one hand it seemed far too good to be true that such a person was their foe. Then again, when seeing the motivations of the others in the previous Singularities it did not seem that far fetched but humans were not that simple.

Then again, this was a dragon rather than a human.

"Fine." She stated after a moment "There is time before we move out once again. I will listen to these conversations and come to a conclusion." her eyes narrowed "This time tell Da Vinci she is forbidden from communicating with anyone without my express permission first. We have no idea if they have some method of charming magecraft that works through communication as well."

Romani looked at her strangely "Well, if that was the case then wouldn't it make sense to just delete the recordings?" he blinked in confusion "Hang on, do you think that Da Vinci could even be charmed with that? The first conversation happened inside her workshop of all places." then pointed at himself "I'm not feeling all that charmed, if anything his words are still pretty weird to me. I mean, they make sense but in a really weird way that's super simple."

Olga exhaled, running a hand over her face "Just get me the recordings. I'll have Cu Chulainn grant me some runes to protect my mind from outside interference or at least alert me to the possibility of mental tampering." she frowned "I will judge for myself what manner of individual this is before I even consider speaking with them."


Gordin watched the people mingle with one another from a short distance, his arms crossed over his chest and exhaling before resuming his walk towards one of the figures in the distance. The blue haired man already engaged in conversation with a younger white haired girl.

The man noticed his arrival but didn't seem surprised by it, an odd look flashed through his face before raising his hand and waving to him. The girl looked over her shoulder to see who he waved to, then smiled somewhat warmly as she took notice of him approaching.

"Yo." The blue haired man greeted with a wave, raising an eyebrow and inclining his head "You need something?"

Gordin was silent for a moment before he responded "Not as such, merely that if we are to be travelling companions as well as allies in combat, it would be sensible if I were to actively speak with you beforehand." he gestured between the three of them "To build some manner of repertoire. I'm certain that Ledo will be aiming for something similar and Erik is engaged in discussion with the simpleton."

"Tarkus." Cu corrected although he didn't look particularly bothered by the remark about his ally "Yeah, he's a bit of a dull blade but as long as he can kill shit, it doesn't really matter too much to me. You can be nice and you can be good at your job at the same time."

"Hmmm. I suppose that much is true." Gordin admitted with a shrug "Then again, I have never met one who was…quite as cordial as him."

Marie giggled at the remark "That's just Tarkus being Tarkus. It's quite refreshing at times that he can be so innocent despite being so strong. Apparently he's also a Pioneer of the Stars which means he can literally do the impossible." she raised a hand up to her mouth "Although I doubt he would really understand what he was doing at the time." the hand was lowered "He means well, though."

"If you are confident of his ability then I will rescind judgement." Gordin acquiesced, then gestured to himself "As I am certain you have heard by now…I am Gordin, knight of Forossa. I am also a vessel for the power of the War God Tyr but I would ask that you not treat me as a Divine or any differently than you would a common Knight."

Cu hummed in affirmation "Want to get treated based on yourself, eh? Not one for all those lofty titles and decorations? I can respect that." he cracked a smirk, pointing at himself "Cu Chulainn, Caster. Probably never heard of-"

"Child of Light from Ireland, son of Lugh." Gordin responded in an odd tone of voice, then pointed to his helmet "The War God grants me information on this world through their own presence, though they are not…active as such. For me it is merely as though I have inherited his Soul and now act as the latest bearer. That is at least how it works for my people."

"So…Gods just hand down their powers?"

"They normally die first." Gordin bluntly responded "To kill and take strength is the manner in which the world operates."

"Ahhh. Like nature, huh?" The smile became more predatory. "Makes enough sense and is simple to live by."

Gordin frowned behind his helmet "I said it was how the world operated, I did not say I practised it as such. I am still a Knight."

"Never said I was."

"...No, you look more like a pyromancer to me." Gordin responded oddly, then looked at the staff "And you wield a Catalyst as well? An odd combination, most either preferred one manner of magical art over the other. I always heard that Sorcerers held Pyromancers in low regard."

"Heh, I'm more of a druid." Cu corrected "Means I'm a sage of the forest. Spiritual guidance and all that." he saw Marie give him a dubious stare and rolled his eyes at her "I never said I was a good druid. I worked hard for that damn spear."

She raised her hands "I didn't say anything." then composed herself and did a light bow to the knight "I am Marie Antionette. You can call me Marie, if you like." she looked up, smiling at him for her bow "I would prefer it if you did as well."

"...Aren't you a Queen?" Gordin responded awkwardly.

"Well, I haven't been born yet and we aren't in France." She pointed out as she straightened herself out once more, giving the knight a teasing smile "What the court will never find out won't hurt them in the least. I'd much rather have some friends than some subjects at the moment anyway." the Queen's expression turned ponderous as she reached up and tapped her chin, tilting her head in an almost cute manner "I suppose I'm a bit like you. Wanting to be judged for me rather than my titles and all that."

After a few moments, she gave an almost self-derisive chuckle "Although I don't think that would paint me in a very good light either…"

"...I can judge you on your quality as a warrior if nothing else." Gordin offered with a shrug "My own opinion on the matter, if it truly concerns you. Though I myself am no true expert on the subject. My skill is…" he exhaled, reaching up and pulling the greatsword off his back before planting it point first in the snow. "...Somewhat lacking when compared with the sword I wield."

Cu whistled as he looked over the weapon "Hell of a sword you got there." he leaned down slightly, cupping his chin and examining it. "First class Divine Construct, I can tell that much being close to it…very powerful and all." he leaned back and looked at the knight "So how did you get it?"

Gordin was silent.

"...Meh." Cu shrugged, sensing the awkward story "I'm not that interested."

"No, it is not as though I am planning on making it a secret and you did ask." Gordin responded with, looking down at the weapon "After the collapse of Forossa I wondered the world for a time…Eventually stumbling into the Land of Drangleic where I explored an old ruin and came upon this sword. I could tell its value at a glance and it…felt right in my hand. Like no other sword had ever done and yet…it was too perfect."

Marie looked at him oddly "Then why do you sound so sad?" she asked after a moment "Isn't finding the perfect sword a good thing?"

"Nah, nah…I see what the issue is." Cu held up a hand to her, looking at the knight with a new understanding "You found it, but you didn't earn it."

Gordin hummed and nodded once. "...The perfect sword for a man who isn't at the level to wield it. Even now when I swing it, I can feel as if the sword is guiding my hand at times. As if it is merely wielding me instead of the other way around. A sword such as this in my hands is…I am not quite worthy of it. A great treasure and I stumbled across it like a common scavenger."

Cu saw the odd look in Marie's eyes "Don't try to understand it. Warriors pride and all that." he explained to her, looking at Gordin and nodding his head sagely "I'd have felt pretty shitty if I'd just been given my spear rather than earning the damn thing." he snorted "Hell, I put so much effort into my skill because of it…Would be damn near insulting to hand off a weapon like that without any trial."

"Yes…you understand my issue." Gordin looked down at the blade "Yet it is now a part of my legend. I will always be summoned with the sword I feel unworthy of." he tightened his grip around the handle, his gauntlets creaking with the force he exerted upon them. "Yet I will press on. I shall endeavour to make myself a warrior truly worthy of this blade and all who wielded it before me."

"Heh, fair enough."

"...I feel somewhat strange, speaking so candidly with this in front of you." Gordin remarked after a few moments, looking up to Cu and humming behind his helmet "It's…odd. I know I have never met you before, nor has Tyr, and yet there is a strange sense as though I am…" he paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No, it is just my imagination."

"...Yeah, I'm an easy guy to get along with." Cu nodded his head understandingly, his lip curling upwards "It's why I was so popular back home."

"Especially with women?" Marie cheekily asked from the side, Cu sent her a wry grin back as his only response.

Gordin, despite himself, somewhat laughed at the pair of them. After so long of stress it felt somewhat relieving to be around those who had no prior experience with Gods before. He supposed Cu Chulainn didn't count but there was just something about the man that screamed familiarity, he couldn't quite put his finger on it though.

It wasn't at all like Sigurd or Brynhildr though, more reserved than anything else.

"Hmmm?" Cu abruptly looked to the side, raising an eyebrow and giving a curious hum "Seems Master wants me for something."

Gordin tilted his head slightly "Ah, the mental link yes?" he grunted once "If it is not too great a concern, might I accompany you?"

"Don't see why not." Cu shrugged his shoulders, already moving in the direction that he sensed Olga being in, not before sending a quick glance towards Marie "You coming as well or are you gonna find others to mill about with?"

Marie seemingly debated it for a few moments before she nodded once "I can do." she smiled, skipping towards the Caster and Saber as they resumed their walk. "It's all about building up teamwork, right? Besides…It might be something important!"

Cu snorted "Might be, I guess. She didn't say and I didn't ask so there's that."

"Not all that different from how it worked back home, then." Gordin responded with somewhat tonelessly "You were ordered to do something and more often than not, expected to carry it out." a shrug "Although that did change for me after I turned wanderer."

"Speaking of which…" Marie skipped around to his left side, crossing her hands behind her back and leaning forwards slightly "Did you ever see anything interesting on your journeys?" she asked with a hint of intrigue "Exploring the world must have been very exciting!"

Gordin stared into her enthusiastic face before he released a small chuckle "Perhaps not as many stories that would truly be fitting for royalty such as yourself." he waved his hand dismissively "But I have one or two that could be of slight interest. In truth, most of my tales usually involved me fighting an ogre that happened to have wandered into the region of some small village and it was easier to ask myself than inform the local guard."

Cu raised an eyebrow "Wandering sellsword?"

"Sometimes." Gordin admitted "I would have done so regardless but the added benefit of staying inside an inn rather than camping out near a stream was not something I was going to turn down." he added on with a touch of mirth "We Forossan's were renowned for our skill as warriors so it is no surprise…some did offer their skills as sellswords when our kingdom collapsed however." his hands clenched "Or turned to banditry…I spent some weeks hunting down stragglers who turned their blades to such affairs."

Marie blinked "Really?"

"Hmmm." Gordin exhaled "Forossa might have been a kingdom of warriors and honing our skill, we may have even engaged in more than a few wars with our neighbours but I believe us better than mere thugs." his right hand tapped against his breastplate "I found it somewhat offensive. I suppose that was why I turned wanderer, an effort to keep up the good name of Forossa. A time when our knights were regarded as the most stalwart and fiercest in the lands."

"Meh, not a bad cause I guess." Cu remarked with a shrug "To each his own…at least you had some pride in your kingdom though, even after it fell, eh?" He jabbed the man in the right side with his elbow as he sent him a smile, "More than could be said for some of your countrymen."

"Ha…yes, well…" Gordin sighed, shaking his head "While that much is true, it does not ease the burden."

"People do desperate shit in desperate times." He announced with a grunt "Way I see it, if you turn to that sort of life then you should accept the idea that someone, somewhere, is one day gonna cut you down." he pointed at the knight "If it wasn't you, it was gonna be someone else. It being you probably showed a few naysayers that you weren't all bandit thugs, eh?"

"I suppose that much is true…" Gordin replied dubiously, only to flinch his left arm when Marie gently slapped it.

"None of that now!" She stated, looking up at him with a disapproving frown "You went about helping people in need and upholding your own creed. That's nothing to be ashamed of." with a smile, she turned back ahead and looked to where Olga was stood off to the side, still speaking with the communicator "With all the stories I know about, if a Knight isn't saving people from bandits or slaying some nasty monster then something is going wrong."

She was silent for a moment before she realised something "Not that d'Eon isn't a knight! They're just a different type of knight! They still protected people so it's all good in the end!"

Gordin stared down at her as she mumbled to herself, waving her arms about animatedly, then turned to Cu to see if he had any sort of idea. The blue haired man was staring at her with just as much an expression of bewilderment before he looked to the Saber and shrugged his shoulders almost uncaringly.

The Caster raised his hand in greeting, calling out to the person in question "Oi, lass!"

Olga looked over her shoulder "Excellent, you're here-" she paused as she saw the other two who were with him. Her eyes lingered on Marie for a few seconds longer than the other two before she swiftly looked away and returned them to Gordin, raising her brow "And what are you doing here?"

"Lady Alsanna believed it wise to form some manner of bond with our allies before we go out to battle." Gordin responded casually "That way, teamwork is less stilted and we are not as caught off guard."

"...Hmph." Olga grunted once, nodding her head "A smart move." she looked at Cu expectantly "They were with you at the time?"

"They asked to come, I said sure." The man grunted with a shrug, crossing his arms over his chest "So, what can I help you with?"

"I need you to place a series of runes on me that will prevent mental tampering or alert you to any." She announced "I would do it myself but it is undeniable that your craft is more powerful than my own. Considering the strength of primordial runes."

Cu raised an eyebrow, reaching up and scratching his chin "I can probably work something up to make it a bit harder to break into your mind. At the very least it will let me know if something has…" he frowned "Any particular reason, though?"

Olga exhaled, sending a quick glance at the communicator "The recordings of conversations between members of my staff and the dragon behind the Singularity." she stated "I need to be aware in the event that he has used some manner of magecraft to influence their minds."

The Caster whistled "He'd have to be one hell of a Caster in order to do that over such a big distance…but I guess it could be done." he nodded, then approached her "Alright. Hold still so I don't mess this up." he leaned down, the tips of his fingers glowing as he started to mark the woman's clothing with a series of runes, then pressed his fingers on her cheek and drew the final one before stepping back. "That should do it in a jiffy."

"You have transcribed accounts of conversation with the dragon Kalameet?" Gordin asked as he tilted his head, reaching up and cupping his chin "...I would say it is impossible to imagine, but my previous encounter with the dragon was…surprising to say the least."

Olga sighed "Almost everyone is saying that at this point." she moved her hand to touch her marked cheek, pausing slightly before retracting it and looking at the Caster "These will work?"

Cu shrugged "You're the one who asked me to do them. If you don't have faith in my abilities-"

"Fine, fine." She cut him off with a sigh, then looked back at the screen "...You can start playing the recordings now."

Romani nodded his head on the other side of the screen, moving to press several buttons before the telltale voice of Da Vinci emerged.

"Ciao, chiamante! You've reached the workshop of the resident genius, how can she help you on this fine day~"

"..."

"Hey! I put my soul into that greeting, the least you could do was say…"

"..."

"Well. Who might you be?"

"...Kalameet. Hmmm. I was not expecting this…"


There was a clang of steel followed by a distant rumbling thud, the noise itself sounded like a cannon going off. The fact it was then followed by an annoyed grunt attracted the attention of Akal. Not least of all because it had been going on for a little longer than she had actually been expecting.

It was also the case that she recognised the voice, it worked out well for her because she had something she knew Kalameet would be pleased by in the first place. Also Artoria seemed to be in a slightly better mood than before but when questioned about it all she got was a silent stare and then nothing else.

As she moved around to the direction of the noise, Akal found herself raising an eyebrow as she saw Kalameet standing in the middle of the snow with his posture somewhat tense.

His hand flashed with brilliant yellow flames as an elongated black sword that looked as though it had been crookedly carved from obsidian formed in his hand. For a human it would have had more in common with a greatsword, for Kalameet himself it was a one handed weapon at best.

Raising her eyebrow, she watched as he tossed the black sword into the air and cocked back his right fist, as the sword flew back down he hurled the fist forwards. His knuckles smashed into the edge of the sword and sent the blade spinning off into the distance before impacting the snow with a thunderous roar.

Kalameet let out an annoyed sigh, bringing an exact copy of the weapon into existence once again.

"What are you doing?" Akal asked after a few moments, raising an eyebrow at him and crossing her arms over her chest.

Briefly pausing, Kalameet spared her a glance before returning to his task at hand "I was thinking back to how the Dragon Slayer fought me." he explained, tossing the sword up and punching it once again. This time the sword was hit on the flat side of the blade as it came down, shattering with the force of the punch and sending shards of metal into the snow at high speeds.

The dragon sighed "He fought by punching his daggers at me…" he explained "I do not know the first thing about swinging a sword so I thought it would be easier." the weapon flashed into his hand again "I can make these copies…" waving the black sword in his hand so Akal could see it "I believe it is the weapon made from my tail so that is how I can create them." he shrugged "So I decided to see if I could do the exact same as the dragon slayer."

"Punching swords?" Akal surmised, uncrossing her arms and approaching him, sending a fleeting glance in the direction he had been attacking and holding back a laugh at the state of it. Craters were dotted about in random intervals, sections of the ground upturned and large swathes of snow displaced. "I see it is going well?"

Kalameet paused midway through throwing up the sword, turning his head and looking at Akal "...You are making a joke at my expense?"

"I am."

"Hmph." With a grunt, he looked away "Yes. It is going very well." he answered dryly, tossing the sword up with his left hand and pulling back his right fist. The sword flipped through the air as it fell back to earth, Kalameet swung his fist forwards and smashed it into the weapon, this time catching it on the sharpened section and sending it spinning off at an angle into the distance.

Shaking his hand, Kalameet stared at the cut on his knuckles "...I am determined to get this right, at least. Though I do not know how long I will have."

"Oh? Expecting company?"

"Naturally." Kalameet responded with, another sword flashed into his left hand "I am expecting a call from the Chaldeans shortly. From either Olga Marie or Vinci." he paused for a moment "Olga Marie is the name of White Flower."

"Ohhh." Akal made a noise of understanding "So it was a…"

"Nickname, a term of endearment." Kalameet informed her "Vinci says they are used for people you build relationships with." he tilted his head "...I suppose I should give you and Artoria one as well, shouldn't I?"

Akal blinked "You don't need to-"

"Aka?" Kalameet muttered to himself, his left arm limp at his side with the sword still in his palm, his right hand going to cup his snout "No, no…Al?" he hummed and tilted his head from side to side "No, not that either…I'll work on these suggestions for you." he remarked "As for Artoria…Art?" he paused "...Hmmm. Arty? Arta?"

"Perhaps…" Akal raised her hands "It would be best to think on this later." she lowered her hands, smiling somewhat fondly at him "That being said, I'm glad you're starting to think so deeply upon this subject."

"...Nicknames?"

She rolled her eyes "Bonds. Endearment." she explained "That manner of thing. I was dubious about you speaking with the Chaldeans but this 'Vinci' appears to have had quite the effect on you.'' Though her words were pleasant enough, she couldn't quite keep out the jealousy in her voice. Not that Kalameet noticed it, or the fact her smile was a little brittle.

"Hmmm." Kalameet hummed, not even registering her glum mood as he looked at the sword in his hand somewhat questioningly, then looked back up "Do you think it's a problem with my stance?" he asked after a moment, seemingly out of the blue. Soon adjusting himself to be turned side on to the sword "Because this way I can put more of my body behind the punch…"

Without waiting for a response, he tossed the sword upwards and watched as the blade rotated through the air before gravity took hold of it and it came back down. Pulling his right arm back, this time Kalameet rotated his entire body with the punch as he slung his fist forwards and crashed it into the handle of the sword.

He at least hit the handle that time.

The problem was that he caught the weapon while it was still pointed skywards, the unfortunate result being the sword being spun clockwise and hurtling through the air, and vanishing into the distance. A faint rumbling sound echoed out as a distant cloud of snow and dirt was hurled into the air.

"...That seemed more powerful." Kalameet didn't seem put off by the result in the least, wasting no time in bringing out another sword. However, this time he paused and looked at it, tilting his head from side to side and then sliding his hand from the handle to around the midpoint of the entire weapon.

Then held it out in front of him, the tip of the sword pointed away from his body and the handle facing him.

"Maybe like this?" He muttered, then released the sword and swung his fist forwards. The knuckles collided with the pommel of the weapon and it positively rocketed forwards like a missile, a crack of air struck him as the sword continued on at high speeds and well in advance out of his side, soon trailing downwards and crashing into the snow with a much larger explosion that time.

"Ha!" Kalameet straightened himself out, smiling somewhat "It worked!" he then looked down at Akal "...You were saying something about Vinci?"

"...Nothing." Akal responded with dryness, shaking her head from side to side and reaching up with her right hand to palm at her temples. "Nothing all that important anyway…" she then paused and exhaled once, snapping her fingers "Before I forget, there was something that I wanted to show you." with a faint smile aimed at the dragon, she turned on her heel and walked back the way she had come, heading for the direction of the Archtree, raising her hand and flickering her fingers forwards to beckon the Dragon behind her.

Kalameet followed her, briefly forgetting his recent curiosity in mimicking the projectile habits of the Servant he fought, instead moving with Akal through the entrance of the Archtree and into the clearing within.

He stopped walking, his eyes widening and his hands coming up in surprise "These are…"

The nearest of the figures turned to face him, by all accounts it shared the same properties of the wyverns that circled above the tree as of this moment. Save for one key difference, this figure stood upon its legs, three clawed toes splayed out on each foot at the front with a single claw at the back for balancing.

The feet dug into the ground beneath them, the wyvern with a faint reddish colouration to its scales tilted their head from side to side as if surprised by Kalameet's sudden appearance, looking to Akal for reassurance.

"It's fine, daughter." Akal reassured her, moving forwards and extending her hand towards the individual. Running her fingers along the top of the armoured skull and around the back of the horns that jutted from the back of the head, the individual preened at the affection, their eyes rolling backwards as an almost purring noise emanated from them.

Kalameet was less focused upon that and more focused on the extra limbs the individual possessed; they had two legs, two wings and a tail. All the ordinary traits of the wyverns except for one additional feature. Those being the two arms they now had, one jutting from either side around the shoulders with four digits on each hand.

Moving towards them, the individual briefly jolted in surprise as they suddenly found Kalameet crouched down in front of them, moving his own arms and hands to grasp the smaller wyverns in his palms. Gently as he could, he ran his claws across the right arm of his smaller brethren from the top of their hand all the way up to their shoulder.

"...It's magnificent." Kalameet muttered out in awe "...Exactly as I imagined." he looked up from the limb and directly into the eyes of the wyvern-no, they couldn't be called a wyvern anymore. They deserved a new name, neither dragon nor wyvern. A new race entirely.

"Dracons." He blurted out without thinking, looking up to Akal "Dracons are what they are called, or what I shall call them." He stood back up, reaching out and placing his hand atop the head of the red scaled girl, "...It sounds nice to me."

Akal stared at him in silence for a few moments "...Why not just stick with dragons?"

"...I just think 'Dracons' is more unique, is all." Kalameet shrugged his shoulders, reaching up and scratching his chin with his free hand as his eyes darted to the side. "...I have also never named something before, so I believed I could make the attempt."

"Well…I suppose it sounds like 'dragons'." Akal mumbled to herself, looking around to the others who were dotted about the interior of the cavern and staring towards the three in the centre with no small amount of curiosity. "Their intelligence isn't as good as it could be…but they will grow smarter with each generation, bit by bit at least." she exhaled "...I suppose it was only possible with the Holy Grail, though."

"Hmmm." Kalameet hummed at her, more than a little content to be just petting the Dracon in front of him, not that the female seemed to mind in the least.

Akal looked between the two of them for several seconds in silence, then stepped forwards and pulled Kalameets head off the top of the girl. "Enough of that." She exhaled, looking at him with a raised eyebrow "Don't you have to be practising your sword punching?"

"...Ah, yes." Kalameet nodded his head, turning around and walking towards the exit once again "I should…I also need to work on placing those logs I recovered." he stopped just shy of the entrance, turning around and sending one final glance to Akal "...They're beautiful, Akal." he spoke earnestly "...Truly, they are beautiful."

Akal nodded once, looking back down to the red one at her side "I suppose they are." she looked at the one by her side for a few moments more "...I'm going to call you…Hamra."

Hamra stared at Akal for a few moments curiously, then gave a small puzzled groan.

"Ah, you probably don't understand names, do you?" Akal realised to herself, rubbing her chin "I'm sure you will get the hang of it, Hamra."

Hamra maintained the questioning gaze.


"...I should most likely return to my own matters. She was right not to ignore my own people. In any event, I hope Olga will agree to speak with me before we battle, if we don't then that is fine in its own way. Clashing our wills together will be all the exchange that is needed."

The recording cut off, the group left staring at the screen for a few moments.

Olga was silent as she gazed at the frozen image of Kalameet's face, staring into the dragon whom she had spent listening to for sometime. She wasn't sure what she should have been expecting, some manner of spell that had enraptured the mind of Da Vinci and Romani just by listening to his words, some ancient art woven into his speech to alter the minds of his audience.

Instead what she got was someone who wanted a better future for their people.

What the heck was she supposed to do with this information, it really shouldn't have affected her in the least when it came to all that. Perhaps it was the mannerisms or the way in which he didn't seem malicious in the least.

He might have been a dragon but he acted as though he was nothing more than a human.

With a sigh, she looked to the side and paused as she noticed the expressions on the Servants next to her. Both Cu and Gordin, whom had removed his helmet to reveal his silver hair and amber coloured eyes, stared at the screen with indiscernible expressions.

Marie was the most reactive though, looking genuinely uncomfortable and fidgeting from side to side.

"What?" Olga grunted as she looked down at the Rider, the woman jolted and tapped her fingers together.

"Nothing, it's just that…" Marie began, then closed her eyes and sighed "He really doesn't seem all that bad, does he?"

"...His personality does not change our end goal." Olga responded with a monotone voice, looking back at the screen and staring at the image of the dragon "As long as he remains in this Singularity, he is a threat to Human History as a whole. He will not abandon his cause nor will he accept anything less than complete defeat…"

Cu nodded his head up and down in affirmation "I know the type. Trust me, coming at this guy with anything less than your all is gonna piss him off more than anything else." he pointed at the screen "You heard the guy. He wants a clash of wills, not someone half-arsing their way into battle because they feel sorry for them."

Marie looked at the Caster "That isn't what I meant-"

"Understanding the importance of his goal is fine." Gordin allowed, nodding once towards the Queen before his lips thinned "But our own goal is the same as his. He is willing to go so far to protect his people and safeguard their future, so why should you not do the same?" he pointed at her "You said you have not even been born yet, the country you rule does not exist. If he wins, then it never shall."

The woman didn't respond to that immediately, instead looking down at her feet for a few moments in silence. "When you put it like that it all seems so simple." she mumbled "I remember the Jeanne d'Arc in France who wanted to burn it all away in vengeance, it was a bit easier to find the will to fight her but…"

"You have heard his resolve, you have seen his passion and you understand him as an individual now." Gordin acknowledged her point "His goal is not entirely malicious, but the ramifications of his actions must be accounted for." he raised a single finger "If you cannot truly find it within your heart to do battle with him…Then it would be wise for you to withdraw entirely."

Marie looked up sharply "That isn't…" she bit her lower lip, then sneaked a glance at Olga. The Director wasn't even looking in the direction of the group, her entire focus was still on the picture of Kalameet himself, his frozen image staring back at her almost challenging. "That isn't what I mean but it's just…"

"It's a warrior thing, lass." Cu waved his hand, not sounding judgemental to her in the least "I hear this guy speak and I just think 'I wanna make him work for his victory' because anything less than that is going to piss him off." he pointed at her "Imagine putting all your effort into a competition and then your opponent is just wandering up and doing this for fun or some shit. That would piss me off…I mean yeah, you can enjoy it if you want - I know I love a good fight - but that doesn't mean I play around when the going gets serious."

Marie fidgeted on the spot "So what you mean is-"

"Fighting this guy at full strength is exactly what he wants and what he deserves." Cu smirked "You can show your understanding of his wish that way."

The Rider clenched her hands by her side "...I suppose that makes sense in its own way." she muttered quietly, rubbing her hands together "I'm just…a little surprised you both don't seem too affected."

Cu raised an eyebrow, then looked at Gordin "I mean…I don't know about him." he nodded to the knight, then looked back at the girl "But I've heard that sort of preaching before."

"Hmmm." Gordin nodded his head "I know of similar individuals as well, I have never heard such words from a dragon, but fighting for the sake of your people is a given when you're a knight." his lip twitched upwards "In truth, after hearing his words, I am more than a little…anxious at the possibility of crossing blades with him once more. When we last fought, he appeared to be little more than a crazed beast but after hearing him speak of his ideals…" he nodded once "He is an individual worth fighting."

Marie looked at him oddly "...Is that really how warriors think about things?"

"...I can't speak for all warriors." Gordin backpedalled so quickly that it was almost comical "I speak for myself alone in this case." he shook his head "The point I am making is that if you cannot fight Kalameet with all your strength and nothing held back, then you should not fight him at all. Sympathy for your enemy will only slow your blade."

Cu nodded sagely "Yeah. I was pals with Ferdiad, I still killed him when the time came."

"Exac-" Gordin cut himself off, pivoting his body and swivelling his neck to face the Caster "...Was that truly the best example you could give?"

"It was the only one I had on me." Cu admitted with an uncaring shrug of the shoulders, then looked towards Olga "So…What are you gonna do now, lass?" even as he made to speak, he looked over his shoulder as movement caught his eye and he promptly ducked back around and his face.

The movement brought a raised eyebrow from Gordin, who promptly looked over his shoulder and noticed that Sigurd was approaching. He then made the exact same expression as Cu, ducking back around and turning his back on the approaching man. "Wait…why are you hiding from them?"

"Reasons. What about you?"

"Reasons."

Marie herself was temporarily drawn from her thoughts as she noticed the look on Sigurd's face, that being on of amusement as he approached with a knowing smile upon his face as his eyes darted between both Cu and Gordin, adjusting the glasses on his face as he did so.

"I see you getting well acquainted with our allies." Sigurd greeted, directing his words to Gordin and earning a nod from the knight in question. "I am glad."

Cu chanced a look over his shoulder, Sigurd's eyes instantly darted towards him. "...Hey, can you not stare at me so intently, pal?" the Caster asked with a touch strained voice, leaning back slightly "It's a little weird, you know?"

Sigurd chuckled in response "Ah, of course." he pushed his glasses up "I would not wish to make you uncomfortable." he added on, then looked to Olga "I felt it best to inform you that the decisions have been made and the numbers are decided, we travel north with one hundred and seventy. The rest are heading south as far as they can. Chieftain Torin is currently with them as I speak…Though he appears disturbed by the number in question."

Olga made a small noise of affirmation "...I will be there shortly. We can begin our movements and then compile what we know about our enemies." she then looked around, "...I would prefer to be alone right now."

Sigurd glanced at the communicator, then nodded once "Of course." turning back around, he walked back the way he had come without any sort of argument at all.

The trio of Gordin, Cu and Marie remained stationary for a few moments before they similarly followed suit after the Saber. Leaving Olga alone with the communicator on her wrist and the screen currently activated.

When she was confident they were far enough, she spoke again "...Romani. You still have contact with the communicator in possession of the dragon?"

Romani's face flashed up, replacing the frozen image of Kalameet "We do." he confirmed "...Does this mean-?"

"Send out a signal." Olga spoke up before he had a chance to complete his sentence "I am going to speak with him."


AN: Next chapter will be the talk and then the journey north.

With the chapter after that most likely being when the final battle takes place.

As for Kalameet's new people…

The 'Dracons' are only something that can exist in these unique circumstances brought about by the presence of the Holy Grail granting Akal the necessary magical energy to do this sort of thing.

She wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise but they are effectively just wyverns with arms, the process that went into creating them didn't change so much for her.