Chapter 138: The Long Walk

Torin drummed his fingers along the wood, using his magics to call upon the ground to present him with something he could sit upon, in this instance the end result being a formation of roots twisting upon one another and into an arc, emerging from one side of the ground and burying itself in another with a metre or so difference between the two of them.

It was a simple enough bench, he supposed though it was not something he would usually have found himself doing.

His eyes flickered to the side, landing upon the sight of Tarkus still animatedly in the middle of a conversation with one of their more recent allies. That being the man he had come to learn was known as 'Erik Bloodaxe' and with a name such as that, the inclinations of such a person were blatant for all to see. Though his choice in allies was easier said to have been no choice at all.

He didn't even want to be here in the first place.

It would not be a lie to say that Torin would have much rather been anywhere but here at the moment, he would have thought that line of reason would be one that all with sense would follow when it came to the discussion of fighting dragons. Yet watching as the second group prepared themselves to pull away and continue further south, leaving their current numbers well over double what they had previously been, he wondered if perhaps he was the one who was insane.

His fingers continued to drum upon the bark, producing a gentle tapping sound that drowned out all other noise around him. Brynjar had been quick to welcome the new warriors, hardly a surprise, and was already well on the way to having them meet and speak with one another. He wasn't going to stop them, in that regard.

You might as well get to know the person you were most likely going to be dying with at least.

"-ey."

But was he perhaps the only one whose mind bore ripe fruit amidst a sea of rotten bushels? Cruel as the analogy might have been, he felt it suitable for discussing the current situation. There were few words that could go into describing an attack by a dragon beyond ranting about how devastating a storm was.

By all accounts, the dragon they had fought some days prior was little more than a runt amongst its own kind and even that held its own against their number right up until the arrival of a warrior of the calibre of Brynhildr. A person who was a daughter of an actual God and now the arrival of a true dragon slayer, two dragon slayers if the presence of the Silver Knight was any indication.

"Hello?"

Yet Torin could do nothing to stem the tide of doubts that washed against his mind, a mere handful of skilled warriors did not make this a victory already. Tarkus being handily bested by the black armoured knight and the woman who could switch between mortal and dragon had already proven that.

His nose still stung a bit from where she had punched him with enough force to knock him out.

The images of him burying his axe in her side and her just smiling at him with an unchanging expression flashed before his eyes. She'd treated the entire affair as a joke from beginning to end, their desperate efforts to survive as little more than a 'test' in her own words. What were you supposed to do against people who flaunted the basic rules of combat in such a way?

"Am I speaking a different tongue to humans now? Wait…no, you're a Lordkin-no, a God…am I speaking in a different dialect then?"

His people did not engage in violence routinely, the Spirit Tree was not one who demanded sacrifices. His people took what was required of them for survival and little else, they respected the basic tenets of the world. To treat all battles as though they were life and death, for that was how nature operates, and to make use of everything they kill.

They did not kill for honour or glory, nor did they do so for sport.

Most certainly not for 'Tests' at least not in that circumstance. There was training in part to ensure that all warriors and hunters could meet the basic requirements but that was a matter of necessity more than anything else. Above all else, they worshipped and respected life in whatever form it-

"Have I lost my voice and not realis-"

"What do you want?" Torin snapped with a bit more sharpness than he intended, whirling on the voice and then pausing as he closed his eyes and snapped his jaw shut. "...That was uncalled for, I was deep in thought."

The Silver Knight just stared at him in silence before they nodded their head up and down "No, that was my fault. It was simply that I had not spoken with a God in many years and when I sensed you…" he trailed off meaningfully, then waved his hands "It is fine that you would not wish to speak with me."

"I'm not a God." Torin scoffed, sensing the confusion as he pointed to his own chest, just above his heart "Though I carry the strength of one, it was lent to me by the original wielder."

"Oooooh." The Silver Knight made a noise of understanding "An inheritor then, I suppose that explains why you didn't feel like the Gods of Anor Londo." he reasoned, placing his hands on his hips "I just assumed it might have been a difference between worlds…" he paused for a moment before he sighed "Marginally disappointing, if I am being honest."

Torin just raised an eyebrow behind his helmet at the knight "In that case, I am sorry for falling short of your expectations." he huffed "Though the God who granted me their strength did not come from the flame."

"Truly?" The Knight's personality did a complete turn around from repressed disappointment to palpable excitement "I've never met a foreign God before!" He paused for a moment as he considered something "Well, I have but Gordin never really wanted to speak with me about the divine aspect of his existence all that much and I could tell it was a matter of honour for him so I didn't push the issue. I thought because you looked a bit like some of the locals you might have been a God of this land so you might have behaved differently."

Torin struggled to follow through with the words as the knight continued to rattle off sentences at high speed, leaving the druid behind as they ploughed on with the one sided conversation.

"Though I suppose that would bring up the question of whether or not I would have to be subservient to you, considering we were made to obey the Gods but at the same time if you're from this world then you're not really the same type of God I was made to obey because you didn't come from the flame." Another pause and a faint intake of breath before more words streamed out "But now I'm thinking about how a world can even exist without the Flame and how Gods can exist without the Great Souls that make them unique, are they the same or are they different? Do you feel different?"

It was only when no more words emerged for a few seconds of precious silence, and Torin realised the knight was now expecting an answer, that he finally managed to process the torrent of words in full. Rather than answering the knight's question, he instead went with "What in the name of the Great Oak are you talking about?"

"...Ah." The Knight made a noise of understanding, reaching up and scratching the side of his head with his right hand. "My mistake, I'm a bit of a traveller so I like to make notes of all my findings. I even kept a little journal when I was alive of all the places I visited and all the people I met. Including all the different types of creatures and the like through the ages."

"A-ah." Torin nodded once "A wanderer of sorts?"

"An adventurer." The Lordkin corrected with a raised finger, sounding rather pleased about the title "Though you could probably also call me a wandering adventurer. Or an adventuring wanderer." he made a noise of surprise "Or a Wanderturer." with a pleased laugh, he nodded his head fiercely "That is what I am! Ledo, The Wanderturer!"

"...So your name is Ledo?"

"Hm? Yes." Another nod of the head "I am Ledo, Silver Knight of Anor Londo." he thumped a fist on his chest "Friend of the giants, ally to Havel the Rock and occasional killer of dragons."

"A…extensive repertoire." Torin responded with after a few moments of silence, then gestured to himself "Torin of the Millwood Forests, Chieftain of the Druids."

"Millwood…" Ledo whispered to himself "Millwood…I know that name from somewhere." He opened up his left hand as if to grasp something, then a bound tome appeared in his hand. Leather sheets held together with cord around the size of a small book fell into the palm of his hand.

"What on…" Torin whispered "What is that?"

"This?" Ledo held up the book "This is my adventuring book. It's part of my 'Call to Adventure' personal skill." He flipped the book open and cycled through the pages "It's made in the style of the first journal I ever kept, so it looks a little bit…rough. I didn't have a lot of materials to make it with at the time but it didn't matter so much. I like it, makes it seem more rustic and all that." he chuckled then dragged his finger along the lines of writing "It actually has all the information I need from my journeys and the like, it's a bit more convenient that pulling around an entire satchel full of ten or so journals, I'll tell you that."

Torin was silent for a moment before shaking his head "Interesting as that might be, for what purpose would you-"

"Aha!" Ledo cut him off with a sharp cry "I knew I'd heard of you." he snapped the journal closed and looked at the Millwood knight again "Met a few Spirit worshippers before, even met a few Spirits as well." he added on "Never met the Ethereal Oak though which was a shame…I heard they were a rather pleasant one. At least all the Spirits I met had nothing but praise for them."

That brought a silence upon Torin "...You know of my people?"

Ledo made a so-so gesture "Bit's and pieces from the different Spirits I met and those who visited your forest after the whole…" he trailed off, coughing meaningfully and looking to the side "The whole incident and all that."

"...Hmph." Torin offered a meagre grunt "At the very least we are remembered in some way…"

"Better than not at all, right?" Ledo jested, at least Torin imagined it was supposed to be a jest with the light tone of the man opposite him. Though he couldn't find it in himself to be amused by the comment. Or uplifted by it in the least.

"You fought Dragons."

Ledo was still before he nodded at the statement, he didn't need to do so but did it anyway. "I did. Though that is something that I imagine the Silver Knights as a whole are known for, battling the Everlasting Dragons." he shrugged "Though I am no Arkon, nor am I anywhere near the skill of Ser Ornstein." he praised "But I fought the dragons, yes."

Torin looked to him fully, his hands gripping the root bench beneath him with enough force to crack the bark, the creaking of the wood briefly occupied Ledo's attention, the knight looking down at the cracks spreading out from Torin's hands before back to the Druid.

"And know the devastation they can unleash…You are perfectly willing to allow ordinary men to charge off and face them?" He kept his voice measured, avoiding raising it to attract undue attention. Spirits knew that he was in no mood to have this conversation with Brynjar once again. His left hand came off the bench, pointing at the Silver Knight "Surely you understand the danger that they pose!"

Ledo was silent for a few moments, then shrugged his shoulders "If they want to go out and fight dragons, I'm not going to warn them off it. It's what they want to do, so it's what I'll let them do."

As if like that, Torin felt the emotion in his body all but evaporate in the wake of the simple comment. The Druid blinked repeatedly behind his helmet at the tried and failed to come up with a response to that. At least for a few moments, then he couldn't help but blurt out "For such a reason?"

Ledo tilted his head "What? What is the matter with it?"

"They'll die!"

"I mean…" Ledo pointed at himself "There is a good chance I am going to die fighting dragons, the same as you and everyone else who got summoned here." he spread his arms wide "I'm alive again! There's no real reason for me to running around the country fighting for the sake of humans when I could be heading south for as long as my summoning lasts and exploring this world." he paused for a moment, as if sensing Torin's abject horror at his words "I mean, I wouldn't do that because it's disgusting but you know…we could all die. Who is to say that I have any right to decide how someone here dies?"

"They haven't died yet." Torin countered easily, rising up from his bench and standing just slightly taller than the Silver Knight "And they are the people of this era. They still have many, many years of history ahead of them. Their actions with create the future-"

Ledo gave a snort "Every action we take creates the future. As long as you're alive you can create the future with the choices you make. It seems like a runabout argument to talk about changing the past when we're currently living in it." he paused for a moment as if to consider something "I forgot where I was going with that…Anyway, if you want to complain about people fighting you can, but don't try and force them out of it when their choice has already been made."

This time, it was Ledo's turn to point "That is just disrespecting their freedom to choose."

That gave Torin pause, the taller Servant didn't respond to the statement, instead turning his head in the direction of the gathered Norse, staring out at them. In the end, it was their choice whether they wanted to do so or not. That was the crux of the matter.

He could advise them, he could warn them and he could shout until his throat went ragged. But he could do nothing about their choice once it had been made. Short of tying them up and sending them South, Torin had been left with nothing but to allow them to have their way. At the very least they had sent all those who couldn't fight to safety, but that didn't change the inevitable outcome.

If it had just been him and the other Chaldeans, he could have accepted that.

What he could not accept was the likelihood that he was going to preside over yet another massacre, once again at the hand of dragons as well. Fate was a cruel mistress, it seemed, and it was content with beating him with the same stick over and over again. Perhaps to punish him for his failure to protect his people or perhaps to offer him another chance to save them from the wrath of a dragon.

He didn't know which it was and he wasn't interested in debating it.

"Well…If nothing else, you can at least work on getting them to avoid dying…" Ledo offered a sliver of a lifeline though he himself didn't sound too invested in it, almost as if he was saying it more for the benefit of Torin rather than because he actually believed in it.

"You do not need to offer me sympathy as though I am a child." Torin rebuked quickly, frowning at the Silver Knight "I am - was - a leader. I know well enough the responsibility of-"

"Ah, so you frequently rushed out and ranted about your subordinates getting into dangerous situations then, did you?" Ledo tilted his head "Because that sounds like a lot of doubt to me."

Torin started, his eyes narrowed "I believe it best for a leader to ward his people away from suicide." he ground out through gritted teeth. "They are walking off to fight dragons-"

"And mere wyverns." Ledo gave a dismissive wave of the hand, not at all concerned with them in the least. "Mere babes compared to their larger brethren. Do you think that those humans are so weak they cannot even contend with the power of infants?" His voice was remarkably neutral, but that didn't stop the hint of annoyance entering his words "You can care for your people all you wish, but now you're just insulting their ability to care for themselves. They are warriors, not children armed with toy swords."

"It doesn't matter what they have-"

"The battle has not even begun and you are all but shouting of defeat at the top of your lungs." Ledo accused "This extends far beyond care and into arrogance now, do you truly think so lowly of the warriors you commanded?" he stabbed a finger at himself "Lord Gwyn could rely upon each and every Silver Knight in his army. When the time came for us to fight, he might have led from the front but he did not baby us. We took pride in our duties and the idea that my King thought me an incompetent would have wrought my heart with grief."

He pointed at the crowd "Every time you speak to them of defeat, you are telling them you have no confidence in them as warriors. For people who pride themselves on that trait, you might as well call them pathetic failures unfit to even sharpen spears."

Torin rolled his jaw "...That is not what I said-"

"I've spoken with some of these people at length." Ledo remarked, crossing his arms over his chest with a frown audible in his tone of voice. "I've lived amongst them for some time and gotten to learn all about their culture. This type of opportunity is perhaps a true miracle for them to have the chance to prove their skill as Warriors under the eyes of their Gods and you would seek to deny them this based upon, what? A fear of dying?"

A scoff before Ledo continued "They are warriors. Every battle they go into comes with the risk of death, whether it be at the flames of a dragon or at the hands of another human, the end result remains the same. They are warriors who died in a proud battle. That is the culture that gives them meaning…If you are not from this land or if you have not inherited the soul of one of their Gods, then you have no right to enforce your beliefs upon them."

Torin glared at Ledo in silence, then turned on his heel and stomped away not even responding to the Silver Knight as he slinked off to wherever he was going to sulk.

Ledo made a cringing expression behind his helmet.

"Mmmmm." The feminine hum made him jump and turn around, looking around for a few moments before his eyes trailed downwards, staring at the blonde woman adorned in a bright red dress. He would not deny that his eyes lingered upon her chest - first and foremost - then to the front of her dress before finally landing upon her face.

He was fortunate that his helmet hid his expression.

"Do not be so bashful." The woman stated in a rather joyous voice, making an effort to pose as if to show off as much of her body as possible. "You may look upon me to your heart's content, if I stood in your shoes I would be enraptured by this beautiful body."

"Ah…" Ledo made a small noise "So you knew…?"

"Umu!" The woman beamed, rather than looking offended "I can sense when someone gazes upon me with such passion." she noticed the posture of the knight, quickly waving her hand permissively "This is not a complaint, rather I am pleased! Umu, very pleased!" she paused, however, the joyous expression wilting slightly as she looked past him towards the retreating form of Torin "Although, I do find myself curious, was there some disagreement between you?"

Ledo hummed in affirmation "There was. I had not intended to get too incensed by the argument but…I believe I allowed my emotions to get the better of me." he awkwardly admitted, placing his hands on his hips and giving a weary sigh "Perhaps it was merely the Druid not respecting the choice of his people?" he shook his head "Either way, it was quite silly of me to get emotional over it."

"Hmmm. I am not so certain." The girl shook her head at him "The time for doubts has long since passed, now is the time to be inspiring allies to fight heartily for the battle ahead, not to proclaim their certain deaths." her expression turned slightly disapproving. "In truth, I have some of my own doubts about the motives of Torin in such things…I believe him to be projecting his fear onto others."

Ledo blinked "How do you know?"

"It is a matter of reading people." The girl stated "If one is to partake in theatre, they must understand the emotions of humans to embrace the role perfectly. Therefore, you can often guess them when they are displayed." her expression turned into a smug smile "As you can no doubt guess, I am a perfect actress!"

"So then…he is afraid?"

"Umu!" Another nod "But of what? I do not know. It cannot be dragons, the people he protected said he fought them rather fiercely, nor can it be death because he agreed to accompany us in the first place."

"...Loss?" Ledo hazarded a guess "The Millwood Knights were ravaged in battles against the Abyss Dragon." he paused as if to consider something "Oooooh." then made a point of pointing over his shoulder in the direction Torin had marched off in, all without saying a word. The odd movement brought a puzzled face onto the blonde girl as she watched the knight make a series of gestures. "Is…Does he know that the dragon we're fighting is Kalameet?"

The girl responded with a confused face "Does the name of the dragon matter?"

Ledo coughed awkwardly "Well, the dragon who fought with the Millwood knights, according to the stories I came across, was the Black Dragon Kalameet…So…"

The girl didn't quite understand for a few moments, then a flash of understanding crossed her face as her eyes widened and she made a similarly surprised expression, then it slowly started to cave inwards into a mildly uncomfortable grimace. "Ah, yes…I can see how that might cause some issues in the future." she idly commented, placing her hands on her hips and looking around. "...Should someone break it to them?"

Ledo shrugged his shoulders "Well…I'm sure he'll find out soon enough at least." he waved his hand somewhat dismissively "Do you do big talks about tactics and stuff around here?" he looked at the girl curiously "Because he'll probably get told then."

The blonde haired woman opened her mouth before she closed it again, creasing her brows and putting on a thoughtful expression "Will he not make a scene when he is told about it?"

"He's probably going to make a scene anyway." Ledo reasoned, gesturing to the girl "It's whether or not either of us can do anything about it." he jerked a thumb back over his shoulder "I just had an argument with him, so I doubt I'm the sort of person who will be able to keep him calm if he gets agitated." a beat "I'm also very bad at that sort of thing in the first place so it's probably best he doesn't talk to me right now."

"Umu." The girl nodded once "That is a valid point…" she then realised something, snapping her fingers "I have not yet introduced myself!" she exclaimed, cradling her temples with her right hand and dramatically shaking her head "Such an oversight from me, to grant you the privilege of seeing my radiant beauty but without even giving you my name as well?" she let out a loud sigh "Such cruelty." spreading her arms wide, she grinned at the Silver Knight "I am Emperor Nero Claudius of Rome!"

Ledo merely stared at her in silence "Oh, you're a…An Emperor?" he voiced in surprise, looking her up and down very pointedly with his eyes remaining fixed on her chest for a few seconds long than was normal, then he leaned down slightly and stared at the window in the front of her dress as if looking for something.

Nero looked at him oddly "...What are you doing?" she asked, then flapped her skirt from side to side. "I realise I am showing off, but not many make such a show of admiring me." she paused before smiling "Not that I mind though, a shy glance is just as meaningful as a passionate gaze."

Ledo wasn't saying anything to her, still staring through the dress, then looked up at the Emperor's face "Well…You're certainly the most attractive boy I've ever met in my life."

"...I'm a woman."

"...You are?" The knight's voice was drenched in surprise, the man actually staggering backwards "That is-wait, shouldn't you be an Empress then?"

"Emperor, Empress, what does it matter? I am still a ruler of an Empire." She waved her hand dismissively "The title is mere semantics."

"I believe it is for much more than that…"

Nero raised an eyebrow at him "Surely you do not draw a distinction between beauty between men and women?" she exclaimed, giving him a slightly disapproving look "Beauty is beauty, regardless of gender!"

"That wasn't what I was saying either." Ledo raised a single finger to cut her off "What I said was that you were undoubtedly the prettiest boy I had ever met. Now that I know you're a woman, you're still pretty…It is more of a case of surprise for me." he pointed at her chest "You can understand my confusion. You used a title commonly associated with me and yet you have breasts."

Nero looked down at her chest "Umu. Indeed I do." she looked back up and beamed, "I am very proud of them."

"Well, taking pride in one's appearance is a given." Ledo offhandedly remarked as he moved his hands towards his helmet, twisting it to the side and slowly pulling it from his head, all the while continuing his speech "Much the same with us Silver Knights." pulling the helmet from himself completely, he unveiled his face to the world.

Nero widened her eyes slightly, watching as the pale silver hair fell down to his shoulders, brilliant amber eyes stared back at her and somewhat effeminate features graced his appearance. He chuckled, pointing at himself "Although all of us had more or less the same appearance. It was only the Four Knights and the Lords Blades who really looked any different…" he paused for a moment "Though that didn't make too much of a difference to us."

Nero made a small noise of understanding, moving forwards and extending her right hand out towards the knight's face. Ledo raised an eyebrow but didn't do anything as she ran the back of her fingers over the knight's cheeks. Giving a thoughtful hum as she did so "Umu, very silky skin." she paused "Not as perfect as my own but still, very, very impressive. Completely natural as well?"

Ledo nodded once "Yep, as we were all constructed by Lord Gwyn and Lady Izalith, it would be remiss if our forms were anything less than perfect." as he spoke, he reached down to his own right hand with his left and started to undo the clasps around his gauntlet, "Can I feel your skin as well?"

"Umu! It is rare for one to have the opportunity to lay hands upon the beauty that surpasses even the Goddess Venus!"

Ledo gave her an indulgent smile, much the same way one would smile at a boasting child to humour then, as he pulled his gauntlet off and reached down towards her face "Surpassing a Goddess? I knew humans could be proud but I never thought-by the Flame, these are soft…" he whispered out in a hushed voice as he ran his pale fingers along the Emperor's cheeks, his eyes widening slightly "How are they so soft?"

Nero laughter was smug "Hmhmhm! You might think it boastful, but I state only facts!" she exclaimed, not removing her hand from the knight's face at all as he mirrored her actions.

The pair continued to pet the other, even as they soon garnered more and more attention in the form of bewildered stares. Eventually attracting the attention of Tarkus and Erik, both of whom turned in the direction of the commotion and looked equally puzzled by the actions.


"...Is that some sort of greeting?" Tarkus asked, looking at Ledo and Nero for a few moments before he turned towards Erik "Because I didn't know that a greeting like that existed-"

"It doesn't." Erik responded curtly, looking no less dumbfounded than Tarkus at the actions although it soon gave way to a hint of irritation. "And they should leave such displays for their private time. They are distracting the other warriors…" he waved his hand in the direction of the Norse, then paused for a moment as his eyes darted left and right before he leaned towards the Black Iron Saber "Also, Gunhild is starting to get a little jealous as well."

Tarkus made a small noise of understanding "Does she also want to touch Miss Nero's cheeks?" he dumbly asked, though before Erik could actually correct him, the knight nodded to himself as if sure of his own answer. "I suppose that makes sense, they are very soft…Well, they look soft." he corrected. "I haven't actually tried to touch her cheeks because that seems like a strange thing to do."

"It is." Erik remarked, raising an eyebrow at Tarkus questioningly "...You actually think that some form of greeting?" he couldn't help but ask, privately wondering if this was some sort of display meant to lull the enemy into a false sense of security by assuming the Saber to be some manner of imbecile. If that was the case, it was working flawlessly.

"You mean it isn't?" Tarkus tilted his head, pointing at the pair almost innocently "But Miss Nero and Mr Silver Knight walked up to each other and started talking and now they're touching each other's cheeks." he lowered the hand, turning to face the Berserker fully "Does that mean they're really good friends then?"

Erik opened and closed his mouth, crossing his arms over his chest and cycling through several sentence openers. Then opted to just speak his mind "No. I don't think they are friends…I just believe they are the same sort of fool."

"Supercilious fools." A feminine voice whispered out in between the two men, Erik smiled lightly at the familiar voice while Tarkus jolted in surprise and then looked around.

"The wind is speaking to me again, Mr Bloodaxe." Tarkus declared as if unveiling a grand secret, still wildly looking around "Does the wind normally speak? Because it's happened twice in the last day…Unless it's Mrs Alsanna again!" he reasoned, slapping his right fist into the waiting palm of his left hand. "That must be it-"

"It's Gunhild." Erik corrected him "My wife."

"Oh." Tarkus nodded his head "...You're married to the wind?"

"No, you idiot!" Erik snapped "She just communicates this way!" he paused, exhaling and making a small noise of surprise "Although she doesn't actually do it all that often. Usually she speaks within my own mind…" he cupped his chin, looking at Tarkus oddly "I wonder why she speaks around you…?"

"The foolish innocence of a child." Gunhild's voice whispered out again, Tarkus didn't jump this time and instead looked up towards the sky.

"So Mrs Gunhild likes me?" Tarkus asked somewhat strangely.

Erik actually made a strained face at that "I believe it is less a form of 'like' and more a form of tolerance brought about by your slowness." he reasoned, placing his hands on his hips and shrugging his shoulders "Likely because you have no malicious intentions in the least and I doubt you are even capable of them…" he then frowned "In fact, I am dubious as to your capability in combat."

That brought a silence upon Tarkus, the knight straightened his body and Erik felt an odd pressure from the now silent man. "...That's a rude thing to say." The tone of the knight had also shifted, though it still maintained a somewhat childlike nature to it, the pressure of the words had increased exponentially along with the posture of the knight.

Now he felt like an actual warrior, though the twist between childish buffoon and warrior who looked ready to punch a man out for a presumed insult against his skill was jarring. Not that Erik minded in the least, quite the contrary.

A sharp smile came upon his features "Hmmm." a pleased hum emanated from his throat as well "Or perhaps I shouldn't be…It was merely that your appearance is rather unorthodox."

Tarkus slumped as if nothing had happened. "Oh, so that's all it was." he let out a sigh of relief, making a show of rubbing the back of his arm over the front of his helm as if to wipe away sweat. "I used to get that a fair bit when I served under Sir Berenike. He used to say that I wasn't a very scary knight…until I was." He added on "He said it creeped him out and I should just stick to acting like everyone was rude to me."

Erik snorted "It would make you more fiercer."

Tarkus shook his head "I didn't want to do that though…What if I gave someone the wrong impression." he raised his hand and pointed up "I don't want to make people think I'm rude to everyone. Mother always said that it was best to be polite to people whenever possible."

Scratching his cheek, Erik regarded the man in front of him with a touch more puzzlement than before. At the very least he had proven himself to be someone who could put on the air of a warrior.

At least when the fancy struck him, though whenever that happened was something that he himself couldn't be sure of. Not that he cared too much, as long as the Knight did what he was supposed to and killed things then all would be well. That's all that really needed to be done and that's all that Erik himself really needed to do as well.


The pair of them stared at one another, Olga doing her best to maintain her composed expression all the while the dragon stared at her through the screen with an unreadable face. Unreadable for the simple fact it was the fact of a dragon, rather than anything humanoid.

The head was tilted slightly to the right side, allowing the beady crimson eye to focus on her although the posture of the dragon on the other end of the screen was more relaxed. He didn't appear to be overwhelming or angered, in fact he looked remarkably calm all things considered. Then again, he had reason to be, she supposed.

Except they had been staring at each other in silence for a good minute, neither one of them had spoken first to the opposite. Merely stared into the eyes of their silent partner.

Eventually, Olga could no longer stand the silence and found the inner strength to utter the first words. "After so many requests to speak with me, are you now going to fall into silence when I finally accept your invitation for a conversation?" she asked, her lip tilting down ever so slightly.

It was actually a little bit rude, now that she thought about it. She'd been expecting something but the moment the screen had turned on he'd just stared at her as though she was some sort of bug on a wall. Being examined like that was a little discomforting, almost like he was judging her. She had experienced such things in the past, judgement before they ever saw her actual skill.

She didn't want to be judged by this person.

Kalameet looked startled that she had actually spoken, eventually a breath escaped him "Yes, I suppose that is strange of me…" he admitted, sounding more awkward right now than anything else "It was merely that the moment I saw you, I could not think of what to say."

Olga raised a curious eyebrow at him.

"I feel as though I have waited my whole life for this moment…as though every action I have been taking has been building up to this inevitable encounter." Kalameet explained "Though my goal was different at first my motives were strange and my own person…perhaps, incomplete."

Olga didn't actually respond to that, instead continuing to stare at him in silence, waiting for something further. Then he fell silent again. She bristled slightly, she wasn't going to let this conversation descend into another awkward silence. "I assume this changed at some point?"

Kalameet nodded his head "Yes, yes…Until right now." He seemed to struggle for a few moments, looking for the correct words to use. "It's like…hmmm. I can't explain it well, up until this moment I had only my own perspective to call upon when speaking about fighting for the future…Then I heard about Chaldea and about you."

"And now you have someone to compare to?"

"Yes." Kalameet nodded his head repeatedly, pleased that she had caught on "Now, I have you. I have Chaldea…I know I'm not that only one, that there are others who think like me." a hand appeared up, a clawed finger pointing to himself "That even if the land is now filled with disparity, there are still those who think like me…that have the same sort of wish as me."

"Hmmm." Olga merely hummed in response, tilting her head and frowning ever so slightly "Is that not presumptuous of you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow "Why do you assume that my line of thinking is the same as yours?"

Kalameet looked at her oddly, a scaled brow was raised in her direction as though he himself didn't believe her words at all. "Do you not also want what is best for your own people?" he lowered the clawed hand "I believe that every action I take is for the betterment of my people, that is why I take them…If you do not work for the betterment of your people, then why work for a Kingdom like Chaldea?"

Olga huffed at having been seen through "Fine, that is what I work to see the betterment of." she narrowed her eyes "But you keep speaking about the future as though you have a clear vision, you speak of human history but why do you think they struggled so hard? Why do you think that amidst every other race it was humanity that endured while all others departed?"

Kalameet was silent "Vinci made implications and I could infer the end result. The world chose you because you could think, right? You had dreams for the future…always changing in a way that my people never did." he laughed, although he didn't sound very amused "Weakness inspiring betterment, yes?"

"Not wrong." Olga admitted, then frowned "So you keep remarking on the future, what future do you aim towards? What dream motivates you onwards?"

"I don't know…" Kalameet replied honestly, shrugging his shoulders "...You know, my sister showed me the first of my new people earlier today and when I saw her I thought it was beautiful…That she was beautiful. I thought about all the things that she could do and I realised. I had no idea what she was going to do." he looked upwards, away from Olga "I could speak for hours about my determination to battle for the future but…I don't actually know what the future I am fighting for will look like. When the dust settles and if I win…I don't know where to start with that. I said I would save my people from the incineration of history and I don't know how."

He looked to her "So, in part, I wanted to ask you…What future do you see?" He looked remarkably small at this point. "When you and Chaldea fight me, what future do you see with humanity? What will they do with this chance you have given them…What will it all amount to?"

"You…" Olga opened her mouth, then closed it again "Ah, I see." she realised almost dumbly "You don't have the answer for yourself."

"I've never been here. I've never seen this before, never had this role." He pointed at her "You do. You lead Chaldea, Vinci said as much, you fight for the future of humanity. You are me with more experience. So…I ask you, truly I ask you, what is the future that humanity fights for? I…I want to know if there is such a thing."

Olga was silent as she stared at him, then closed her eyes and gave a mirthful huff. "Ha…So that is why Da Vinci became enamoured with you." she reached up, rubbing her brow with her free hand while also hiding away her expression. It was such a simple thing, now that she realised it.

He wasn't evil.

His goal was incompatible with the world because of the degradation of mystery and the primacy of Mankind, but at the end of the day.

His goal wasn't evil.

That was all there was to it, he was little more than a person fighting for the best chance of his people. She'd thought it some manner of lie or trick to lower their guard but there was just something that couldn't be faked, no matter how hard one tried. Determination such as that, the will to keep pushing forwards in spite of everything.

The world rejected him? What did he care, he would push on.

He would be stopped by the greatest heroes in history? He would just have to defeat them.

All the while he didn't truly know what his goal would look like in the end but that didn't stop him at all, it didn't dissuade him in the least.

Fighting for the future was both a worthy goal and one without a clear objective.

Such a vague statement.

"The future I'm fighting for…" She lowered her hand to her side, she hadn't considered it at all. She didn't think about why she was fighting beyond it being the responsibility of Chaldea. Her responsibility as Director but perhaps it did go more than this.

Maybe…

"Romani, stop recording this conversation." She ordered, her voice monotone "And turn off all communication from me to Chaldea until I respond to you."

"Eh?" Romani's voice came through "Surely you can't-"

"Now."

"...Alright then." Romani's voice was still a touch surprised but he relented, the fact his voice vanished left her with the impression he had done as he was ordered. That was good, at the very least Romani would always do what he was told. Perhaps not as hastily as she liked, but he would do it.

Kalameet was still staring at her oddly "Recording…is that not what Vinci did with our conversations?"

"Yes." Olga confirmed "But that will not matter right now. This conversation will only exist in our memories from this moment onwards. Considering the next time we meet, one of us will be dead, then it is fine."

"...I see." Kalameet's voice was odd "Then this conversation will remain private with me as well."

"You will not even speak with your allies about it? Or your 'sister' as you called them?"

"No. If you will not speak of it with your allies after this moment, then I will not do so either. I would disrespect you to do so otherwise and, having already recognised you as an equal, I shall not spit upon your wishes in such a way. None will learn of this from me. That I assure you."

Olga huffed "You're stupidly honest, aren't you?"

"I have no reason to lie." Kalameet bluntly stated in response "Besides, even if I did…I would not do so anyway. I do not understand why one would conceal the truth, thus far I have found that blunt statements have put me along the path I find most comfortable."

"Hmmm. I assume you would also not be so willing to give out false praise?"

"My statements are genuine. False praise would be as grievous as any insult in my own eyes."

"...That is a good mentality to have." Olga grunted in response, giving him a begrudging nod of the head "You're earnest nature aside…perhaps I shall answer that question of yours. Hardly as though it shall be brought up again."

"As you say, when next we meet, one of us will die."

"The future…" Olga pondered aloud "I always wondered what manner of future I myself was striving towards. Perhaps that is what every human has ever asked themselves when they are concerned with building the future or changing it for the better…What sort of future are they making and who is it going to be better for?"

She raised her finger "Human history is full of stories and examples of pioneer's who have made the impossible possible, those who have expanded the reaches of human comprehension or made the greatest discoveries in the arts or the sciences and they are all, without a doubt, beneficial to mankind but I wonder…why did they want to reach for that future in the first place? What motivated them?"

Pressing a hand against her chest, she continued on "Chaldea is for my duty, my responsibility to safeguard the future but…what future am I trying to protect? You say you do not understand the future you're trying to find? Neither do I." she replied, her expression turning troubled "For what purpose is all my hard work for, all the hard work of everyone who contributes, if they do not even understand what they are reaching for in the first place?"

"...I wonder, then why bother?"

"I thought the same." She admitted, then her lip twitched upwards "To change the future like the Pioneers would take talent and skill, but if you could change that future to shine a little brighter, that the people who exist within it could benefit as a whole…to bring a touch more goodness into the world. Perhaps that is the sort of future that should be aimed towards. The future in which you can make the world a touch more fulfilling for people."

Olga blinked as if she'd come out of a daze, then shook her head from side to side "That was, perhaps, an odd tangent for me to go upon." she looked at Kalameet from the corner of her eye "...Fortunate that only you heard that, I suppose. I doubt my own subordinates need to learn of me saying how little I truly understand what it means to protect the future."

Kalameet hadn't replied to her, instead continuing to stare at her "I see…The future is something never to be obtained." he stated after a few moments "But something we keep reaching towards, not because of benefits or power…but because it will make the people happy, to believe there is a future for them in the first place?" he chuckled "How strange…such a vague answer and yet it makes sense, doesn't it?"

A hum followed "How odd. The mere belief that you have a future at all…Perhaps you don't need a clear vision, so long as you know the future exists and that, one day, your work will make the present a better place to be in…"

Olga made a face "When you repeat those words back to me, they sound almost childish…then I realise they are my own words made simpler."

"You speak of them as though they are something to be mocked." Kalameet sounded offended at her remark towards her own words, something which earned a blink from her "On the contrary, I believe I am complete at last. Everything has fallen into place for me. I don't need grand visions of perfect kingdoms…just the belief my hard work will make this land just a bit more bearable to my people and then, bit by bit, they will build upon that belief with the same drive as me."

He shrugged "Perhaps it will take years…perhaps I will be dead, but the thought that those who take after me will keep building upon that dream of making the world a better place to live in. Ensuring that each generation has a future they can strive towards…It's a remarkably clear goal, isn't it?"

Olga didn't say anything, merely staring at the dragon before she hummed "...Yes, I suppose it is. Going forth with the belief that all your hard work will amount to something in the future. That is something to take pride in."

"...I'm happy you're my opponent." Kalameet responded with "Truly, I am."

"...I'm not sure that is as comforting as you imagine it being."

"It is the best compliment I can grant you. I see you as a true equal to me. Though we stand on opposite sides, you are just as powerful as any other 'Servant' in my eyes. Perhaps…I believe the word is 'figuratively' rather than literally."

"Obviously." Olga scoffed, frowning amusedly at the dragon "I'm clearly not on par with the likes of Cu Chulainn or Ash."

"I do not know who those people are, but if you speak of them highly then I will assume them to be powerful individuals." Kalameet responded with "Though you have answered the question I held. This talk had been…more rewarding than I had imagined. My path has never been more clear than right now, I can face you and accept either outcome without regret."

"How?"

"Hmm?"

"How would you be able to accept it if you died?" Olga asked, looking at the dragon strangely. She hadn't meant to blurt it out but there was just something about his casual resignation that struck her oddly. "If you perish here, then so too does your dream. If you are summoned again, you will likely have no recollection of this growth you claim to have experienced."

"You describe death." Kalameet bluntly responded "That is how this world operates. You either win or you lose. I do not beget your actions against me, they are just as mine are. We are both fighting for the future of our people. If you win…then that simply means your will was stronger than my own. There is no regret in losing out to someone more determined than yourself." he made a small noise "Perhaps I would be…sad? Yes, sad, that my dream would never be realised but…But I had made the effort. I had done all that I could and there is nothing left to say. Is there shame in trying your hardest and failing?"

"...There is shame in how others think you would fall short."

"Their opinions mean nothing to me. Not unless I wish them to. It is my will, my desire and my ideal. The only one I shall shame is myself, that would be if I did not try hard enough. What of you…if you die, will you feel shame?"

"Disappointment." She bluntly replied, not knowing what else to say "...Shame that I couldn't do it."

Kalameet made a face, one of sorrow or as close as he could manage "I see. That is disheartening to hear…but we are different despite our similarities. I think that if you hold nothing back but still lose, then there is no shame in that. You tried your hardest, it cannot be helped that it was not good enough. The same extends to me…Perhaps I would feel differently if you regarded me as mere filth and hoped to kill me for existing and nothing else. Mocking my dream openly…I would dislike dying to someone such as that."

"I doubt there is anyone who would like dying at the hands of someone like that."

"Hmmm. If you say so." Kalameet exhaled "I think I would regret it more if we never spoke but that doesn't matter now, at the very least. I suppose all that is left is for me to tell you where I am."

"You do realise I could just have Chaldea track the communicator?"

Kalameet blinked once before he answered "I would prefer to tell you, all things considered. I suppose you might call it my own pride in extending an invitation rather than you just finding me some other way."

"Hmph. As you wish."

"You are currently heading north, yes?" Kalameet asked, at her nod he grunted "Keep going North. You will eventually see the Archtree, it stretches high into the sky. Difficult to miss, admittedly."

"...So you're just telling me to keep heading north and look out for a big tree?" Her eye twitched slightly "You do understand that we were heading North regardless and were going to be on the lookout for anything that was out of place. That means we would have moved towards the tree."

"...I just wanted to tell you. It felt more natural to me."

With a sigh, Olga closed her eyes and shook her head from side to side "Whatever…I suppose it hardly matters now. At the very least we are now one hundred percent sure that is where you are residing." she opened her eyes, staring at the dragon "...This is most likely the end of our conversation."

"Hmmm. I suppose it is." Kalameet idly commented "How strange, I thought it would last longer. Though it would be unlikely to last forever." he paused to consider something. "Vinci posed me a question, she asked me what I thought she would paint. When we next meet, I will have an answer for her. If she can listen to these conversations, that is."

Olga raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth to reply before she paused "Hmph, you really don't know her, do you?" she sighed "Then again, she spent most of her conversations with you just showing off. She always seems to enjoy an engaging audience, as they say." she pointed at him "You were her perfect target, considering you were amazed by every little detail she practically had you in the palm of her hands!"

"Does she have big hands?"

"Does she-it's an expression!" Olga exclaimed with a wave of her hand "It means you were basically talking about whatever she wanted."

"I wanted to talk about that as well, though." Kalameet offered his own innocent rebuttal "I thought it was very interesting."

"Well…I suppose it might be, if you'd never heard of it before." She accepted easily, nodding up and down repeatedly. "That aside though…She isn't listening, so do you have any guesses right now?"

"...Hmmm. Vinci was always talking about what she believed to be the most beautiful. Then I realised she talks about herself a lot…So I think she painted herself."

It was amazing how someone could have an answer that was both correct and incorrect at the exact same time. Technically Kalameet was correct in that Da Vinci had painted her current appearance, although that wasn't actually what Da Vinci looked like or was at least supposed to look like.

"Hmmm. Well, it would certainly fit." She replied vaguely, she could at least allow him that manner of investment in their future encounter.

"I'll give her the answer next time I speak with her…Hopefully before the end, that is." He paused, "Don't tell her, though."

Olga rolled her eyes "I'm not going to actively gossip with her." she frowned "Besides, there is still the issue of her speaking with you without telling anyone at the time. That is behaviour that I cannot allow."

"Really? Why not? Is speaking with enemies truly strange?"

"It's not that it's strange." Olga corrected, raising her finger "It's that she didn't even think to inform anyone until you two had already spoken at length. A quick message to inform us that you had gained possession of our communication equipment would have been preferred." she then lowered the finger slightly and fixed Kalameet with a pointed look "I will want that communicator back."

"The ACD? Alright. I suppose once you are here, I will have no need for it." Kalameet nodded his head in confirmation "I can return it to you. Vinci said it could withstand some punishment, so I can just throw it at you from across the battlefield."

"...That would kill me."

"Would it?" Kalameet sounded genuinely surprised at the notion "Hmmmm. Maybe if I throw it weaker than I normally do?"

Olga rubbed her temples "Nevermind…I'll just…Just forget it. I'll get it back somehow."

"...I'll put it out of the way in case a stray punch hits it or something." Kalameet offered. "How do conversations like this usually end? See you soon?"

Despite herself, Olga snorted at him before she quickly coughed to hide she had done that "Y-yes." she confirmed with a nod "We shall see one another soon enough. For the final time."

"...Yes."

"Indeed."

"Farwell."

"Bye." She clicked the communicator off, then placed her hands on her hips. That went much better than she was expecting it to go, beyond that it was…

Well, at the very least she didn't say she hated them. They were an obstacle to be sure, but it was more of a rival competitor than a true enemy. Though this would still end with someone dead but that was just the end result of Holy Grail Wars. You didn't go into them with the expectation that all sides would be coming out with no casualties.

Her father had won his Grail War…

She just had to win this one.


"This is everyone?" Olga asked, looking to the side and seeing Sigurd nod his head at her once. Closing her eyes, she nodded once and turned her attention to the hundred and seventy odd people who were now standing in front of her.

They were all of varying ages, men and women alike and armed with all manner of different weapons. Some had spears, some had swords, some had axes and some had bows. All in all, it didn't look like much of a well organised group as much as it looked like a mere rabble.

Then again, that was probably exactly what it was.

"I shall assume you are aware of who we are by this point." She simply stated, her voice echoing with the aid of several runes written upon her. "We are of Chaldea and are here to aid you in the recovery of your land from the dragons. As you are here, you have volunteered to join us on this task. Therefore, I will be honest. Most of you will most likely die."

She was expecting something from them, a reaction or a flinch.

She got blank looks instead, people who already knew what they were in for and simply didn't care about it. Or perhaps they did and just weren't expressing it openly. It didn't change the fact they were just staring at her.

"As you are also aware, we have identified three individuals that you shall keep away from." Olga made a show of raising her hand into the sky, splaying out three fingers "These individuals will be different in that they are more human looking. You will stay as far from them as possible and instead leave it to the likes of…Us emissaries to deal with."

The words came out slightly strained but she continued on regardless.

"You will die if you fight them. That is a certainty, you have no chance. There will also be larger dragons, fighting them will also be fruitless. If you instead fight the wyverns then your chances will be present. That will also allow us to slay the leaders with much more ease."

Olga lowered her hand "If you are still present, know that you can no longer turn back. Those who departed south were your final option. So if there is any doubt left in you. Tough."

That actually got a few laughs.

"We move out at once." She announced, turning around and pointing forwards "Our enemy lies to the North. We shall defeat them and secure this land once more." she lowered her hand "Let's go."


Olga, despite having said that to sound confident, was herself desperately trying not to panic at the moment. Not least of all because of the first words of warning out of Sigurds mouth the moment she had brought the Servants together for a strategy meeting.

"A mystic eye!?" She all but screeched out, gaping openly at the Servant and looking much paler than she had been normally. Her skin would have been cold to the touch if anyone had placed their hands upon it. "Are you certain?"

Sigurd gravely nodded his head "I am afraid I am…" he continued on, reaching up and pointing on his forehead "It bares the appearance of an orange gem upon his head. I could tell what it was at a glance but the effects weren't known until he used it upon me."

Romani popped up "A mystic eye…This is some serious magecraft here." he muttered, cupping his chin "I've never even seen one-well…I have but that's besides the point." he waved his hand "You said he hit you with it? What happened?"

Sigurd frowned "The result was…problematic to say the least. Suffice to say that it is perfectly suited for him. When he used it, my entire body felt as though it had become trapped in ice, or I had been grasped by a thousand small hands. Every effort I made to move was rewarded with the feeling of something pulling me back to where I was." he shook his head "That alone is dangerous enough, but it is the other effect that concerns me-"

"Other effect?" Olga frowned "That isn't possible. Mystic Eyes should only have a singular effect on someone. From what you described it was akin to Mystic Eyes of Binding or something else. What other effect would there be?"

"I believe that perhaps the binding is just something that is coincidental." Sigurd responded with "The level of magical energy being focused on me…Or perhaps it is two spells working at the same time. Mystic Eyes operate with their own Magical circuits, do they not?"

"Well…They do but the idea of implanting another spell into them…" Olga responded, then rubbed her brow "Alright, what was the other effect?"

"His damage upon me was magnified significantly." He informed her, then pointed to Gordin standing next to Cu and Marie with his arms crossed, the man looked to the side at being gestured to before nodding his head. "Gordin received a similar attack, so he can attest, but the damage I suffered was far greater than it should have been. My high endurance stat and my battle continuation were likely what saved me though that direct punch of his…I still feel as though it came close to pulverising my organs on impact."

"Yikes." Romani didn't even make an effort to his wince "Nearly killing someone like you in a single punch?"

"I fear if he had struck my head, he might very well have done so. The damage appeared to work like a curse, even with my runes healing me it took longer than it should have to get me back into prime fighting shape." He thumped a fist upon his chest "As such, direct combat with him is inadvisable unless with a group. Dividing his attention between multiple opponents is how we were able to keep him from doing too much damage."

Gordin made a small noise "Yes…What of you?" he looked to the others "You encountered other Servants?"

"Two. One by the name of Akal and one whom we suspect to be King Arthur."

Sigurd took in a sharp breath "I see…That is troubling to hear, for personal reasons as well as for the danger they represent." he frowned "What can you tell me of them?"

Marie stepped up "Akal was a dragon. She fought without a weapon but was rather skilled in hand to hand combat. Though we were able to get the better of her towards the end, though there are some things we noticed about her."

"She does not feel pain." Nero stated "Or if she does, it is rather muted to the point of being non-existent. After suffering so many painful blows, her smile faded not even an inch nor did her expression alter at all. She could also generate great bursts of fire from her hands and summon giant spectral dragon limbs."

"Path of the Dragon?" Ledo asked with a tilt of the head "I suppose that makes sense…They were a bunch of cultists obsessed with dragons though. That sounds like the stony ghost arms."

"...She also turned into a one hundred and fifty metre tall dragon made of stone."

"Ah, Everlasting Dragon." Ledo waved his hand "We just need some miracles to strip away her scales and we shall be fine."

Cu nodded "Yeah, suggested using my lightning runes considering she made a big song and dance about avoiding them."

"Really? I suppose you are divine enough that they might work." He muttered before shrugging "Worth a shot. What about the other one?"

All eyes from the Chaldean side turned on Tarkus, the black knight awkwardly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well. I fought them and they were strong. They rode on a horse and had a large black spear with red spikes. Also they could launch big red magic lights from the spear as well." He added on "...They're also better at fighting than me."

"Hmmm. Not surprising." Sigurd grunted, crossing his arms then raised his hand to Tarkus "Nothing against your own skill but King Arthur is regarded as the King of Knights for a very good reason." he looked back to Olga "You had suggestions?"

Olga frowned, drumming her hands over her upper arms as she crossed them in front of herself. "We had solutions for both Akal and King Arthur, however Kalameet and his Mystic Eye are an entirely new problem." she stated "The entire plan was to drain the magical energy but as a Dragon his magical energy would be top class. Easily able to support two Servants with plenty to spare."

"The plan still works, divide and conquer and all that." Cu offered from the side, waving his hand in an uncaring fashion.

Olga shot him a quick glance, then thought upon his words "...Hmmm. That is true enough, I suppose." she then turned to Sigurd, not before noticing that Torin hadn't even so much as moved since the meeting began. She looked at the Druid and frowned "Torin? Have you nothing to say?"

"...Hm?" Torin himself made a small noise, turning to face Olga and staring down at her "I was lost in thought…You said something?"

"What is the matter with you?"

"...Nothing." Torin responded without a shred of emotion in his voice. "I am perfectly fine."

She gave him an incredulous look before shaking her head and returning her focus onto Sigurd as she went about explaining what they had concocted in dealing with Arthur and Akal. The method of draining their magical energy and weakening them to prevent usage of a Noble Phantasm and taking them out quickly.

Through the entire explanation, something kept nagging at the back of her mind.

Torin was very much not fine.


AN: Talk over, next chapter…

The walk and the fight!

And yes…

Torin is very much, not okay.