Chapter 160: Grove of supposed peace
Jeanne looked around with no small amount of awe, compared with the outside world they had been stumbling through a short while ago this was positively unlike anything she had ever experienced before. There was a subtle feeling in the air that could not easily be described but she imagined that the closest words that could come to it would be tranquillity.
It was something akin to an oasis within a desert, a single bastion of good will that stood strong in a storm of uncertainty and turmoil. She had never expected a place such as this to exist within the Singularity nor had she ever imagined stepping food inside a place like this in her life, she could not even claim that the peace she felt was an effect of whatever this place held because her Magic Resistance would have accounted for that, or at the very least alerted her to any lingering effects on her mind.
That she could sense nothing was telling of their situation.
A single glance in the direction of the others told her that she was not alone in this sense of wonder, to say nothing of the young children who had a rather dumbfounded set of expressions on their faces as though they had never seen anything like this before in their lives. A rather sombre part of Jeanne's mind commented to her that it was probably for that very reason the children were so enamoured by their surroundings.
"Sully…" Rose pulled on the red head's robe, a slightly timid gesture while her expression remained unchanged from its sense of wonder, her vibrant blue eyes scanning every single inch of their surroundings and virtually drinking them all in rather greedily, perhaps she was simply afraid that if she blinked her eyes would open once more and they would be back into the tundra. Or perhaps Jeanne was merely projecting her own fears onto the younger girl, it could be very possible but she imagined her fear was not uncommon. "Everything is green…"
Sully let out a noise a mixture between a laugh and a huff of mirth, though he looked equally amazed as he turned his head away from the grass that surrounded them and towards the path they had travelled upon, the faint dirt outline showing the way to the wall of trees that separated them from the outside world, the white birch trunked locked together so tightly that no gaps save that of the arch entrance could be seen, stretching on for a good distance around them and carrying on for what felt like an entire corner of a city for the distance that was covered.
The grasslands continued on with speckles of flowers of differing colours dotted around to break up the solid green dye beneath their feet, rising upwards in a slight incline towards a hill atop which stood a large white tree, though bereft of leaves Jeanne did not sense that it was dead. Rather, the tree itself seemed to exude some manner of calming aura from it, as though the very act of staring at the tree - standing nearly twenty metres tall - was more than enough to cool the nerves.
"Yes…very green…" Sully muttered back to the child, his voice sounding no louder than a whisper, showing that he was similarly shocked. Jeanne did not trust herself to speak in that moment, but she was more than happy to allow a smile to creep onto her features as she looked down towards the ground, a slight flutter of movement caught her eyes and she found them widening ever so slightly as she saw some manner of butterfly that she could not say she ever saw before.
This one with neon green wings and trailing a faint dusting of light behind it as it flapped its wings. Carrying itself upwards from flower to flower as it continued its pilgrimage to wherever it was designed to go.
"I admit, it is rather impressive." She turned to the voice and saw the blonde boy from earlier - Gilgamesh, her class skills had informed her - was standing not far from her with his hands in his pockets and a rather lazy look upon his face. His crimson red eyes swept across the scenery for a few moments before they fell upon her without any true urgency. His left arm came out, gesturing around himself. "I wouldn't normally be one to allow this sort of thing taking place in my garden but I can appreciate its effects, so long as it doesn't overstay its welcome."
Jeanne raised an eyebrow at him, she could easily imagine what he was referring to given what the Epic of Gilgamesh entailed about the prideful King who looked upon all the world as though it was his own personal back garden. This was clearly a more literal example and yet his words and his nature were almost amused, like this situation was little more than a game to him. Not like she would ever understand the whims of a Demi-God King such as him though, she could only speak to what she saw.
"That and the comparison between these two invading gardens is rather interesting for me to see." Gilgamesh continued on, the young boy skipped across the grasslands but paused before taking another step, turning his foot to the side and raising an eyebrow as he noticed he very nearly stood on another of the strange butterflies, lowering his foot to the side and avoiding it before the smile came back to his features. He rose up and the smile turned into something a little sharper. "Especially when one considers the purpose they're meant to serve."
"Is that supposed to mean something?"
"I wonder." Gilgamesh sang, Jeanne flattened her features when it became clear that she wasn't going to receive a straight answer from him. Something the boy picked up on easily and offered a carefree shrug of his shoulders accompanied by an almost teasing smile. "Don't be like that, big sis-" something twitched in her heart at those words, keeping her expression still became rather challenging "-there's a personal reward in finding out the answers for yourself, after all. Besides, I think that I've helped out enough recently, don't you?"
She could not deny that his assistance was rather instrumental in their rescue and their coming to this place. Especially since they had only been working on the vague instructions supplied by Sully before the arrival of Gilgamesh.
Though she hardly considered it appropriate for them to be working off little more than joking remarks that could be taken in any number of directions. Regardless, until such a time as it actually proved necessary for them to consider, she would not try to interrogate the Servant for his own insight into the situation. Aside from the fact that she was not certain she could win in a fight with the Oldest King in human history, there was no real need for it. Considering what she had been told on several occasions and what those she had encountered had spoken of briefly, she could gather what the meaning of the world outside was supposed to be and what this world they were standing in was.
Jeanne was not so ignorant as to be unaware of the connections between the two of them and she supposed Gilgamesh was correct on that account, there was certainly a comparison to be made in how each world presented itself and acted. That was not to say she would spend a great deal of time thinking about it, what she needed to do right now was focus on their current situation.
"You claimed there were others?" She spoke up after a few moments of silence, right now what she needed was information and the Servant had spoken of others.
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow at her, then gave a single slow blink as his hand returned to his pocket. The boy teetered from one side to the other, clearly mulling something over in his head before he let out a slightly disappointed sigh. "I was sort of thinking you were gonna try and interrogate me a little further." He paused, hip lip curling upwards. "Don't get me wrong, it's good that you're keeping your mind focused, but I was a little interested to hear about how you compared the two worlds."
"There is no need for me to make a comparison. I am certain there is an appeal in each of them, else those outside would not fight so resiliently to defend it, even a tundra of frozen ice and biting winds has something of value for them." While she might not understand or accept half of what they had said about it, she could see it meant a lot to them. Perhaps that was all that really mattered, it did mean that dialogue was no option but that had been a stretch from the very beginning.
"But it's not appealing to you." Gilgamesh pointed out, leaning forwards and tilting his head to the side, the knowing look still in his eyes. Quite why he was asking such an obvious question wasn't something she could grasp, but there was little chance of understanding the whims and such of Gilgamesh, she might not have met him before but she felt as though she could infer that much from his legend. "But you're right, I'm sure that they believe there is some appeal. I suppose even fools, when properly motivated, can be a little bit of a nuisance."
"I would not refer to our present condition as a nuisance."
"I would." The blonde boy answered in a flippant tone of voice as he started walking again, moving at a casual pace as though on an early morning stroll. Closing his eyes and humming to himself as he walked, briefly interrupted whenever he spoke. "But There are a couple of others, yes. Considering we weren't greeted when we arrived, we're probably the first ones back here, though they will be along shortly."
"You seem very confident in that declaration of yours."
Gilgamesh stopped walking, turning around and pulling his lips upwards into a knowing smirk while his crimson eyes twinkled. "I'm always confident whenever I say something. Such is the burden of being a King, you know? It's much the same way for a general…or a Saint." the smile widened ever so slightly, she felt her own features sour just a little. "At the very least, if you're going to speak about something in front of a large crowd of people, you should at least believe in it yourself, else no one else is going to believe it either."
"Lectures on leadership aside, shall I assume that these others you mentioned went off to find our - as of yet - undiscovered teammates?"
Gilgamesh blinked, his shoulders dropping and a somewhat surprised look flashing across his features, "I would have thought that was fairly obvious. Was I not being clear enough for you to follow along with me?" shaking his head from side to side, he pulled his hands from his pockets and placed hand on his hips, giving her a look that looked almost admonishing. "Geez, Big sis-"
"Refrain from calling me that." Whether or not her voice cracked when she spoke the words was not up for debate, she would deny to anyone that she was feeling a rapid beat in her heart at the title that was being given to her. "It is rather…personal, especially for someone you have met and not even introduced yourself to."
Gilgamesh raised his brows "Do I need to? With two Ruler Servants in front of me, I am certain that you have already deduced my true name by now." he pouted "Besides, if you can't recognise me at a glance, then I would be a little irritated." turning to the side, he pointed at Sully "Especially you! Shouldn't you at least know the name of the person whose garden you're currently breaking into without permission and vandalising? That's the very least you can do, isn't it?"
Sully froze on the spot, his head turning in her direction and clearly awash with confusion. Jeanne fought back a sigh as she spoke up. "In that case, I might offer my apologies, King Gilgamesh, for this act of 'vandalism' as you call it. However, it was not through either of our doing that such a state has befallen London."
Snorting, the blonde boy looked very close to bursting out into laughter "I know that!" he mirthfully cried out, something flashing through his eyes "Why do you think the two of you are even still alive in the first place?" exhaling, he dropped his shoulders "Honestly, you're lucky it's this me who you two met. The other guy would have been a whole lot angrier at the pair of you and that would be quite unfair for something that neither of you really had much of a choice in…well, no one ever said that the other guy was reasonable so there's that."
Jeanne imagined that he was speaking about another variation of himself, presumably from when he was older and within the Epic that was legendary for his arrogance and hedonism. Yes, she could imagine that such a figure would be far from reasonable when dealing with them, something she was in no rush to do. By comparison, this blonde boy with a bit of a snarky attitude was almost preferable. No, it was preferable.
"But I suppose if it means so much to you, we can all trade names." The boy shrugged his shoulders, then puffed out his chest and grew a large and confident smile. "I am Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, the oldest King of Human History!" He paused, letting the words hang in the air before he dropped the aura and allowed a more tame smile upon his face "But you can call me Gil, if you want."
"...Gil?"
"Gil." The self proclaimed 'Gil' nodded his head with a chuckle, "As long as you remember not to call the other me that, though." despite his light tone, there was genuine warning in his words as he glanced between the two of them. "Really, that wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. Now then, I believe it would be customary to introduce yourselves?"
"Jeanne d'Arc."
"...Sulyvahn." The red head spoke after a moment of hesitation, then let out a breath "But I would prefer if you call me Sully. Just to…differentiate myself, I suppose."
"Hmmm. Being disgusted with your older self seems to be a bit of a constant for you lot, doesn't it?" Gil remarked with a strange look on his face, his right hand cupping his chin and his head tilted to the side ever so slightly. Jeanne felt her confusion rise at his words and Sully matched her confusion with an expression of his own. Gil just chuckled after a second. "Don't worry about it."
She was a little worried but that was neither here nor there right now-
"What about everyone else?" Gil spoke up after a second, turning his head away from the pair of them and towards the small group of eight children who were all clustered together of varying ages, looking between all of them with a raised eyebrow before his expression turned gentler. "That was an invitation for everyone, you know? It's normally right for people to introduce themselves when they all meet. Especially if we're all going to be spending some time together."
The children froze up for a few moments, all of them turning their heads towards Sully and silently asking for guidance on the matter. Sully didn't show an emotion on his face for a few moments, then he eventually nodded his head to the ground once, giving them silent permission to introduce themselves. Gil looking around their own age probably helped matters.
"Tom." The oldest introduced himself first, the boy still using his body to keep Timmy upright, though the boy in the crutch was still looking as though he was elsewhere at the time, still mostly absorbed in his surroundings. Tom then jerked his head towards one of the younger girls. "That's Rose."
Gil looked between the two of them with a pleased expression "I can see a strong resemblance between the two of you, is she your little sister?" while the boy didn't answer, it was clear that the Servant already had his own "That's good. Make sure that you keep her safe, you know? Family is quite important."
"I know." Tom curtly responded, then glanced to the side at the amused look he received from Gilgamesh.
"Nancy." The second oldest introduced herself, the red haired girl had her arms awkwardly crossed in front of her chest and was making half an attempt to shield the others behind her, though as the conversation had progressed, Jeanne had noticed her posture loosen ever so slightly as he became more at ease.
"Timmy." The crippled boy spoke up, raising his free arm as best he could and giving a wave. Gil looked to him and then stared down at the leg with a faint frown, the crippled boy coughed once and then shook his head from side to side. "I'm fine."
"Well, as long as you're confident." Gil absently commented, turning to the younger of the groups.
"Maggie." The girl with brown hair and a few scratches on her face spoke up next, her stature was the thinnest out of all of them, even when compared to the younger children.
"Emily."
"Clara."
"Jake." The final one answered, doing a near perfect copy of Sully's posture and having his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Something that wasn't lost on Jeanne which meant it almost certainly wasn't lost on Gil either.
Something that was clearly amusing to him if the mirthful smirk he sent in the direction of Sully was any indication, Jeanne herself fought back a slight chuckle as she watched similar understanding come upon the face of Sully as well, the red haired youth looked very close to flushing in embarrassment at the obvious mimicry of his posture, reaching up and coughing into his fist before shaking his head, managing to get himself under control.
"Still, I should show my thanks, King Gilgamesh." He bowed his head lightly to the King, it wasn't a very graceful bow of the head but Jeanne could tell it was at least earnest, it just occurred to her that this was somehow the exact same person as the Caster who had come with them to this Singularity. Perhaps she just hadn't remembered until the name but there was so little in common with them that it just slipped past her. "For coming to our rescue."
"Oh, it would be remiss of me to leave some of my subjects alone in the hands of a trespasser, you know?" Gil responded after a moment, then chuckled "And call me Gil. We're all close acquaintances now, aren't we? Being casual should be something we're all capable of. Though, if you do want to call me King Gilgamesh, I wouldn't be adverse to it…"
Sully opened his mouth for a few seconds and then closed it again.
"Well, I suppose it should be interesting enough when the others return. We'll have all sorts of conversations when that happens." Gil dismissed with a wave of his hand, darting his eyes between Sully and herself several times with some little gleam in those crimson orbs of his. "Aside from the fact that there are quite a few little reunions to be had, I'm also rather interested in meeting this Master of yours."
A second later, Gilgamesh's expression locked up and his posture tightened. Jeanne instantly saw it for what it was, it might not have been intentional but she could recognise the signs for what they were.
Panic.
His head snapped in the direction of the entrance a split second later, soon followed by the rest of his body as he assumed a stance that was far less casual than it had been a moment ago, she saw the creasing of his brows and the sudden level of focus that now burned in those eyes of his. Whatever he had sensed was clearly something that put him on edge, though she couldn't really feel anything she would not dismiss the abilities of the oldest King.
Her grip tightened on her standard and she whirled around, facing the entrance they had come through and lowering her body ever so slightly to prepare for a charge. At the distance they were at, it would be necessary for her to get in close before whomever was attacking could put the children and the wounded in danger. Sully was still recovering from his battle with Vilhelm so forcing him into further combat would only end with him being a liability, cold as it might have been to say.
The veil of fog parted, she very nearly charged forwards except for what stepped through the fog.
Looking barely any older than Tom was a boy with long sky blue hair and sapphire eyes that burned brightly, cloaked in a full covering fur robe. He practically waddled through the fog wall with an expression of pure bliss, soon changing into rather obvious delight as his eyes fell upon herself and those behind her, raising his hand up and waving at them from side to side in greeting, his voice being carried over with a gentleness to it. "You all made it! Nice work Gil!"
Gil?
She didn't immediately turn around, instead keeping her eyes on the group and her guard up as the boy continued his casual stroll towards them. The wall of fog fading once again as another figure stepped through, this time a tall man with white armour with a touch of gold accents on it, his bulky shoulder pauldrons and angular breastplate were imposing enough, fitted with his strong features and rustled white hair.
In his right hand he held a spear that was…
That was…
Her eyes widened immediately as she looked to the spear in his hand, there was something about it that was so grounding and so consuming of her senses that she very nearly missed the red skinned child that came through alongside the knight, though it didn't last long as she took in the appearance of that one.
Another young boy around the age of Gil, physically at least, though with an appearance that was rather grizzly. Covering in no small amount of cuts and scratches, dark rags that served as his clothes with a texture more like burnt skin than anything decent, combined with his expression that was strained with pain, it looked very ill.
Then the final two came through the wall.
She loosened her posture instantly, relief flashing through her body and even going so far as to ignore the odd position they were in with the Demon King Archer riding atop the shoulders of the Saber. Though his appearance had changed - or at least, his armour had - to now look a touch more menacing than she recollected seeing him last, his aura was unmistakable and given the proximity of the pair, there was only one person that the Saber could possibly be.
"Saber, Archer!"
"Hey, Ruler!" Nobunaga called back to her with a tone so casual that it was almost as though they had not been separated for around a day at this point in time, the dark haired woman offering an almost lazy wave of the hand as they approached. A pair of binoculars in her hand that she passed down towards Ash, who did not immediately take them. Jeanne creased her brows as she watched Nobunaga tap the side of the Saber's helmet twice with the goggles before he even reacted to the presence of them in his line of sight.
When he did, he jolted ever so slightly and took them from the Archer, then apparently noticed her as the diamond shaped helmet of his shifted started and his voice came out with a touch of greeting, though sounding more than a little distant. "Ruler…"
"We have already introduced ourselves with our true names." Jeanne informed the pair, keeping her eyes on Ash for a little bit longer just to see his reaction. Nothing more was spoken by him, then she turned in the direction of the newly arrived trio with a cordial expression, attracting the attention of the knight first and foremost who froze as the second he caught sight of her face. "Greetings, I am Jeanne d'Arc. Ruler-Class Servant."
"...R-right." The knight coughed, clearly looking surprised by something before regaining his composure, offering a polite smile. "In that case, I find myself in good company, Saint of Orleans. I am Sir Percival, Knight of Camelot. Lancer-Class Servant."
Ah. That would explain the odd look she got.
She did share more than a passing similarity to King Arthur, after all.
"If we are to be allies, I would prefer you call me Jeanne." She assured him with a gesture to try and relieve whatever tension there was, although after a split second she noticed that the atmosphere had not lessened in the slightest. She felt a frown come upon her features as she turned her head to glance over her shoulder, freezing a second later as she saw the look that was on Gilgamesh's face.
Rather, it was not just his look but his entire posture that was completely at odds with the calm and collected persona he had been putting on just a moment ago, now he looked more like a cornered animal whose fight or flight instinct was very much leaning towards the former of the two options. She felt herself tense, turning herself around fully and briefly opting to ignore how the others were faring as she focused on the King directly.
With a few steps, she moved into his line of sight while keeping her expression schooled, hiding away the trepidation she felt about having to face someone of his calibre in combat. Though she was personally doubtful - or perhaps, hopeful was the better term - that it would not come to blows, she could not entirely dismiss the possibility. "Is there something the matter, King Gilgamesh?"
Perhaps it was the stern nature to her words or the fact she had used his full title, but the crimson eyes of the King severed away from the direction of her allies behind her and directly onto her face. She gripped her standard just a bit tighter from the intensity of the stare she was now receiving, narrowing her own gaze at the King as she awaited an answer.
"That depends." Gil spoke in a strained tone of voice, clearly making an effort to still appear polite despite the fact he looked very close to fighting. Now looking deep into her own eyes. "Is that thing behind you one of yours?"
Resisting the urge to bristle at the blatant insult was rather difficult, but she managed it all the same and kept her face bereft of emotion. Instead regarding him with an indifferent look as she put her complete confidence in the words. "I don't know what you're referring to. Everyone behind me is one I shall assume to be an ally. If you have any grievances with them, then I would suggest that you air them now and in a more polite manner."
Silence reigned for a good few seconds.
Gilgamesh blinked a single time at her, then let out a low whistle as he rocked back and forth on his heels.
"It has been quite a long time since someone spoke like that to me…especially when they actually knew my true identity." There was an edge in his words, the smile on his lips was now much sharper and less hospitable than it had been a moment ago, there was almost a taunting nature to his expression. "Is that really how you want to phrase that?"
If this was a challenge against her, then he would have to be far more fearsome than his current visage suggested. "I could very easily say the same thing to you. I can accept you holding your own judgement of my allies, but I will not accept blatant insults towards them when they have done you no wrong."
"I'd say he does everyone a wrong just by existing." Gilgamesh dryly retorted with a half lidded expression, then glanced over her shoulder and towards those behind her with a raised brow. "How many did they put into making you, then? A few thousand? Perhaps more? Can you hear them all squirming inside you?"
"Have you some point to make, Lordkin?"
That was Ash's voice, leaving no further doubts in her mind who he was referring to in the first place. It also sparked her interest at how tired the Saber sounded now, as though he was just asking because it was expected of him rather than actually caring at all.
"I'm just curious if your allies are even aware as to the little Beast they have in their-"
"If you are referring to his undead nature." Jeanne cut him off before he could finish his sentence, bringing his attention back to her. "Then we are fully aware of it. If that alone is enough to earn your ire, then I would point out the hypocrisy of one who has already died and returned to life taking issue with another. If that is your criteria for-"
Gilgamesh cut her off with a laugh, outright throwing his head back and bringing his left hand up to cover his face as he did so. Her brows furrowed as she watched him, feeling her own irritation start to build up within her the longer he cackled to himself at whatever hidden joke he had somehow managed to discern from her words.
"T-that isn't quite what I'm referring to! But if you have no idea then I can't really blame you for so staunchly defending your ally!" He managed to speak amidst chuckles, lowering his head back down and removing his hand from his forehead, keeping the mirthful look on his face all the while. "Still, though, would you really voice out your support even against me? I guess that is to be expected from someone who walked into the fires with nothing but acceptance in her heart…"
Letting out a long breath, he shook his head from side to side before turning away from them, waving his hand as though to dismiss them entirely. "Alright then, I'll let this little pantomime play out for now. Besides, it's not like I'm supposed to be the one to deal with his ilk anyway."
He strode away without another word, Jeanne opened her mouth in order to say something, but held herself back at the last moment. For the time being, it looked as though the King of Heroes wasn't going to push the matter further and that was probably the best they were going to get out of the situation, shaking her head from side to side, she turned back around and faced the group with a relieved smile aimed towards Ash and Nobunaga, lowering her standard and dismissing it as she advanced towards the pair.
"Unpleasantness aside, I am thankful that the two of you are still well enough." She voiced her honest thoughts aloud, watching as the Saber lowered Nobunaga back to the ground and the Archer stepped away from him, Jeanne briefly raised an eyebrow at the thick fur cloak that Nobunaga was wearing atop her uniform, it didn't take a genius to figure out where she had gotten it. "And that you were able to find some allies in your predicament."
Nobunaga made a noise "It was more like they found us." She grunted, sending a look that was rather sharp towards the direction of the blue haired boy, Jeanne raised an eyebrow at that and looked between the two of them, the boy in question didn't so much as blink at the blatant suspicion aimed his way, a brief glance at him revealed his true name and stats.
Quella, Spirit of Dreams.
Not a name that she was familiar with in the least, the same could be said for the boy. Quelan.
"Is something the matter?"
"He's neutral." Nobunaga grimaced at the word while turning her head away, Jeanne noticed the faint pinching of Percivals brows but elected to focus on the Archer for the time being. "We got attacked before we came here, had them on the ropes and then sky hair over there showed up and had us let them go so they could heal their injuries."
"I don't like humans dying in front of me." A young voice brought her attention to Quella, the blue haired one turning his head in her direction but didn't shift his expression away from the polite smile, nor did their tone sound indignant or defensive. Merely casual. "I'm sorry if that gets in the way of your victory but it's just how I am. If I start breaking on my values now then it will really spell bad news down the line for a lot of us."
To his credit, he did sound apologetic but it was difficult to tell.
Time to switch topics.
"What of Master?" She glanced towards Ash, furrowing her brows at the slight jolt as she addressed him. The helmet of the Saber turned in her direction and blankly stared towards her, his arms being drawn back underneath the black cape around his shoulders and hiding away from sight, his posture going straight. She grimaced "I shall assume that you have heard nothing either?"
"...Not as of yet." Ash responded after a second of silence, then gradually turned his head towards Quella. "The Spirit spoke of others moving to different groups though."
She exhaled "Then I shall pray that the Master is safe for the time being, unless you tell us the direction they are in?" she aimed that part of the sentence towards Quella personally. The spirit blinked and then tilted his head in a perfect display of innocent confusion.
"But you just got here? Do you really want to leave so soon?" The confused frown on his face only grew "Besides, they will be along shortly so isn't it better for you to get some rest while you can?" Quella nodded behind her "I am certain they could do with some stability. Besides, I like to think this is a relaxing place."
She was going to reply that it was the duty of a Servant to ensure their Masters safety, though a comment from Nobunaga cut her off.
"You got more kids here?" The Archer sounded exasperated, Jeanne glanced at her and saw her turn to Percival with a bewildered expression. "This really is a daycare isn't it? Who is the red haired Servant anyway?"
"I do not know, he was not present when I was last here." He blinked, now focusing on Sully with a curious expression on his face.
"He is…" Jeanne glanced meaningfully to Ash for a few seconds before she spoke up "An allied Servant-"
"You don't need to cover for me, Jeanne." Sully grit out with considerable strain in his voice, Jeanne turned to see the bruised and bloodied teen bring himself back to his feet with his left arm supporting his ribs, a slightly pained expression on his face as he fixed his eyes upon a certain Saber with an unreadable expression. "I…suppose this is our first meeting, Unkindled one but for me it's…well…certainly a strange experience, to say the least."
"...Do I know you?" Ash asked, turning his head onto Sully.
"I suppose so…well…you know what I ended up as." Sully let out a dry wheeze, though his heart clearly wasn't in it. "I'm Sulyvahn of the Painted World."
Jeanne glanced at the Saber, watching as his posture went stiff and he went silent. Not a single word passed through him, though Nobunaga was less silent as she turned in the direction of the teenager and raised her brows halfway up her forehead.
"Did you shrink or something? I could have sworn you were taller the last time I saw you-"
"He is not the same one." Jeanne hastily cut in, gesturing to Sully "This is his younger self. He is a Ruler-Class Servant, like me."
Ash was still silent, then he turned his head from the direction of Sully and started to walk forwards, moving briskly across the grass and past her. Showing no real sign of stopping as he did so. The reaction was more than a little odd, she followed his movements and raised an eyebrow at him before turning around and looking at Nobunaga. The two of them shared a rather curious friendship and they had been out of communication for some time, therefore she would assume that if anyone was aware of what happened, she would be.
Something the Archer clearly recognised, making a face and then pointing towards her forehead. "Encountered a Servant during our last battle, they did some weird magic nonsense and screwed with his head. He's recovering but I don't think he's still all that aware right now."
That certainly accounted for his strange behaviour, especially if he was suffering from the ill effects of some manner of spell. She nodded her head up and down and then turned around, following after the Saber. She might not be the most aware when it came to magecraft and its workings, but she could at least do something to ease the effects of spells upon the mind, especially with sermons and the like. They tended to work on curses and negative spellcraft.
Quella watched the teenager by the name of Jeanne depart, following after the troubled unkindled warrior with a clear determination burning inside her. It filled him with no small amount of joy to see that sort of behaviour amongst humans but that was for another time, right now came something more important. Turning his attention towards a certain Ruler Servant he had been sending hints to for the last couple days.
He strode towards them, Sully took notice of him instantly and moved to straighten himself out as if to show some sort of reverence. Quella didn't get that but he didn't feel as though he'd done anything to deserve it, hastily bringing up his hands to wave the boy down before he ended up hurting himself more than he already had. The bruises on him looked quite nasty and would take some time to heal.
"I'm glad you made it, Sully." He voiced his thoughts first and foremost, the boy blinked in surprise for a moment, opening and closing his mouth several times before he spoke up.
"You…know my name?"
"Of course I do, silly." He snickered at the remark, considering he had been inviting him here it would have been a little embarrassing if he hadn't put in the effort to learn his name. Even if he hadn't, there was still the matter of how similar he felt to the other one. Though he was much less open for conversation but it was still something present, he could see the passion within the boy of them as clear as the sun on a cloudless day. "You should take your time to have a good rest though."
Reaching up, he placed a hand on his shoulder and applied just enough force to send the teenager back to the ground as gently as he could, crouching down along with him and giving him a single pat on the shoulder. "You've done magnificently, and I think that all of these little ones-"
He looked around at the faces of the children, his own smile widening even further and the familiar warmth burning in his heart as he stared at them. "-would all agree with me. Not to mention, I'm sure I have a friend who would love to meet with you."
He saw the looks of confusion, then glanced down at his robe and reached towards his collar, pulling it out and smiling at the hint of movement from within it. A moment later, a small furry head popped out underneath his chin and glanced around before it's eyes fell upon the collection of children.
"Fou!"
"Awwww!" The younger blonde one pointed at it immediately, her eyes burning brightly with excitement "Cat!"
"Kyu!"
Sully let out a breath at their antics, Quella sent him another comforting smile, he figured that this was a rest that was well deserved for the young spirit. Well, half spirit at least. It was his human side that made him truly beautiful.
Ritsuka found himself glancing around the control room once again, he could already tell where he was. Especially given the familiar numbness that assailed his body such as the last time he was here and the contents of the screens being flashes of things he had experienced before.
While he wasn't sure when he had gotten here, he at least knew how he had gotten here. He glanced down at his right arm and brought the limb up, rolling back his sleeve and staring at the limb expectantly. He wasn't sure what he was even supposed to be looking for in the first place, it was hardly as though he was going to see the effects of what had happened to him in the dream world.
Fighting back the urge to click his tongue, he sharply brought the sleeve back down and then raised both hands towards his head, nursing his temples and fighting back the exasperation he was currently feeling. It was rather difficult and he wasn't in the best of moods, though whether those were his own emotions or the lingering effects of Caster…that was something that he wasn't sure he could tell right now, and he was more than a little worried about something like that.
He could still remember the sensation of his arm feeling like he'd dunked it in red hot fire, the burning had been overwhelming to the point where he had felt himself unable to do anything else, even the attempt at a scream had been little more than a deep groan that originated for the very core of his body, that was the type of pain that hurt the most.
Lowering his hands, he brought them down to his side and then glanced to his right, sitting in on of the seats and staring at the screen as it replayed the events of the last few moments of consciousness he had been aware of, Ritsuka watched the white haired duplicate of himself stare at it in silence.
"...I'm gonna be very patient and give you the chance to explain what happened." He figured there was a reasonable explanation for what had occurred, or at least, he hoped there was a reasonable explanation. Because of the pain he had just been put through and the fact that Caster had outright commandeered his body, those were things that he was having a very hard time overlooking at the moment. "Because I believe I deserve that much."
Caster didn't say anything for a few seconds, watching the screen repeat again and again as the right hand was brought up and unleashed the burst of light towards the zombie dragon before the screen went static and the memory repeated from his point of view once again. He went to open his mouth to pressure the Caster further before the Servant let out a deep sigh, the exhaustion in his voice coupled with the fact his left hand came up and nursed at his brows briefly threw Ritsuka off admonishing him.
"You are right." It took him a second to realise that not only had Caster spoken, but they had agreed with him in a manner that didn't sound forced. Swivelling in the chair, his white haired duplicate turned to face him while waving his right hand towards the screen. "As for your answer…Whether or not you accept it is something that I have no control over."
"Just…tell me." He replied sternly, furrowing his brows "Because what I think is that you got angry…because I felt that anger a split second before I lost control of everything."
Caster grimaced, pushing himself out of the seat and rising up to eye height. "I did feel angry." there was a pause, then he shook his head. "No, what I felt was far beyond anger. It would be more accurate to say that I…became fury itself. Though it hardly remains an excuse, losing oneself to anger is a shameful display and I had thought it beneath me but it would seem I was…not quite as free of my vices yet."
That was a more reasonable explanation than he had been expecting, raising an eyebrow and gesturing for the Caster to continue onwards.
"I could have prepared an entire explanation for you and justified why my actions were the best course of action." He gestured to himself "Given the danger the undead dragon posed, and my own affinity for Dragon Slaying being very comparable to the Siegfried you met in France-"
Ritsuka blinked twice at that rather baffling statement, something that would have been nice to know beforehand.
"There weren't any dragons nor was I aware there were any present." Caster replied quickly and with a hint of irritation. "I had no reason to suspect that dragons would be present and therefore saw no need to speak of it. Would you expect a man to openly boast of his talent for fishing in the middle of a desert?"
"Well no but all the same-"
"All the same, yes…I should have enlightened you." Caster agreed with a nod of the head, bringing his hand up to cut Ritsuka off before slowly lowering it again. "As I was saying, with my own dragon slaying abilities being rather formidable, any attack I launched against the beast would have been devastating to it. Therefore, using the most powerful attack I could muster at the time would have - and did - cripple its ability to combat us."
"And mine."
"...And yours, yes. Considering that the power I channelled through you was far beyond what you were ever designed to handle. Your 'magic circuits' as they are called very nearly burnt themselves to you and it was only me cutting off the attack at the last moment that prevented that." Ritsuka watched the expression go from indifferent to almost apologetic. "...An avoidable casualty."
"Hmmm. But that isn't what happened."
Caster pursed his lips. "No. That isn't what happened, instead I…saw a dragon and was obsessed with the idea of slaying it there and then regardless of what the cost was." the lips pulled back into a snarl. "The fact it existed was so repulsive to me that I was unable to rationalise any thought and was focused on its complete destruction."
Ritsuka crossed his arms over his chest, leaning backwards and giving a small hum as he looked the Caster up and down. "Which led to you possessing my body just to attack it."
"It was the first thought that came to mind at the time." Caster admitted with a shrug of his shoulders "I knew I needed a body to generate the spells to kill the dragon and I was currently in yours."
Ritsuka could put the pieces of that little puzzle together easily enough, it was something that went without saying but all the same, it needed to be said. "You just got angry enough to take control of my body." there was something else that stuck out in that which he paid attention to. "Which means you could have done that from the start."
"I recall saying that I was capable of such a thing, that I did not do so from the very beginning is something I feel to be telling." Caster remarked, raising his hand and frowning. "That should have been obvious by now. I am smart enough to understand that taking command of your body immediately after encountering you would have made me a clear enemy of Chaldea, regardless of our shared goal of removing this tundra, I would have become a top priority for the Servants who accompanied you and it has already been proven that my capabilities in your form are limited."
…Alright, he did remember that much of it, but right now he needed to know something else.
"And what is my current state?"
You collapsed from exhaustion and shock." The reply was as blunt as it was swift, Caster's face never once shifting as he delivered the news. "Though you remain alive, your right arm suffered quite a considerable degree of damage and I suspect that necrosis might have already set in with the arm-"
"Necrosis!?"
"Which would be a larger concern were it not for the fact you are allies with a mage capable of healing far on par with the Miracles of old." Caster continued on, undaunted by the shout of alarm that Ritsuka had just let out and his horrified expression. Though he did stop speaking a moment later, his expression became slightly strained. "And there is…another who has since arrived, I sensed her presence and came here."
"Forget about that right now, necrosis!? You killed the nerves in my arm!"
"I said might." Caster growled at him in annoyance as though he was the one who was inconvenienced. "And this is just as much an oversight on my part. I am more comfortable with sturdier vessels who could withstand my power-"
"Sorry for being weak then!"
The pair of them fell into a silence, Ritsuka breathing in and out regardless of how hollow the gesture was, as he continued to give the Caster a hard look, the Servant weathered the expression rather well, not looking at all as though he was affected by the shout in the least.
It was a good ten or so seconds later that Caster finally moved, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. "Your anger is justified. The strain of one of my smaller spells before we even saw combat should have been further proof for your limited range as a vessel for me and encouraged greater caution. It did not and now we are both paying the price for such a failure. I failed to kill the undead dragon, though it was wounded with the attack, it was still pursuing you last I checked. Or, it was, something happened on the outside that has rendered the chase void."
"What happened?"
"...The arrival of Queen Gwynevere, most likely. Her Miracles are of those that Gwyn wielded. Which makes them just as suited for dragon slaying as my own skill, perhaps lesser but not by much." The compliment appeared begrudging, but barely even so. Ritsuka narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as the name finally registered in his mind.
His brows pinched in thought, Ritsuka glanced to the side briefly and brought his right hand to face and placed his fist over his mouth, sorting through past conversations to recall where he had heard the name before. Then he recalled it, pulling his fist away and staring at Caster with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't that Gwyndolin's sister?"
"The older one, yes." Caster affirmed with a nod of the head, the strained expression returning. "As for my own experiences with her…they were…are…the type that do not need to be spoken of. Suffice to say, I know her character and if you do not trust me, then trust that I do have our shared interest of survival in my mind. Gwynevere is the sort you cannot underestimate, she is akin to an addiction, one that you do not know you suffer from until she no longer looks at you."
"An…addiction?"
"No, that would be to underestimate her effects." Caster let out a mirthless chuckle, his hands flexing in and out of being fists. "She is invasive to the mind and soul. At first, you become enamoured with her words and her appearance, innocent at first as expected of her beauty. She has an appealing voice that hits the right notes for one's interests regardless of how she is speaking with, then her appearance is designed to turn the eye. It would not be incorrect to call her physically perfect."
Ritsuka raised his eyebrows "Oh."
Caster made a face "But that is how it starts, over time these looks become more compelling. Her compliments become to you as oxygen is to your lungs, something that you cannot live without. Then you find yourself hanging on her every word, an encompassing feeling as though you exist solely for her sake." bringing his left hand up, he pressed his index finger into the side of his temple "It burrows deep within before you even realise what has happened, then you are in too deep to escape. Even if you realise what is going on, you cannot step away from her clutches…to even have her look at you is something that will fill you with a sense of completion that cannot be explained with words."
Rolling his jaw, Ritsuka crossed his arms over his chest "So she's dangerous then, is what you're saying?"
"Dangerous? She might well be the single most dangerous individual you have ever encountered." Caster took a step forward, his expression one of unbreaking seriousness. "Do not underestimate her abilities. If nothing else, even if you oust me from your body after this conversation, do not lower your guard around Gwynevere."
"...I'll remember your words." He nodded to Caster, then bit his lower lip as a breath escaped from his nose. Ousting Caster from his body, by all accounts it was something that had happened in the heat of the moment, Caster had just gotten angry enough that he'd lost focus on everything else. While he had never experienced anger like that, he wasn't going to reject the possibility of it.
More than that, Caster had been honest and showed regret in his own strange way.
There was one thing that he needed to know.
"If you saw a dragon…would it happen again?"
"Most likely, Yes."
The instant declaration was all the answer Ritsuka needed, nodding his head up and down before he glanced towards his right hand and the bare skin that stared back at him.
"...If I used a command seal, would it stop you?" His eyes flickered from his hand to the Caster, watching his expression for any sign of movement. The first thing he noticed was surprise coming across his face as though he hadn't been expecting the question.
Caster did not say anything for a moment, then slowly nodded his head up and down while the surprise did not fade. "You would need to be rather specific in the command…though if you are asking this, then shall I assume that-"
"You have been helpful, yes." Ritsuka nodded his head once, cutting the Caster off before he could finish but making sure to keep his tone polite. "And I'm not about to throw you out of my body to die over an honest mistake and - as you said - it is something that can be healed." lowering the hand to his side, he offered the Servant a half smile. "Besides, I did see you had enough sense to tell Mash to get out of the way so…if you'd fired immediately and taken her out as well, then I would have been much less inclined to work with you."
"...Hmph." Caster made a curious noise, then gradually crossed his arms over his chest. "Very well then…If you're willing to overlook this oversight, then I can at least show my gratitude for not ending our partnership here and now. On that note, I have put consideration into a name you might know me by."
Ritsuka couldn't quite help the surprise that came across his face, the sheer absurdity of what he just heard threw aside everything else that had been present until a moment ago. "I-I'm sorry, did you just say you came up with a name for yourself?"
"Until such a time as my True Name returns to me, it would be best to have something to refer to me aside from my class." His lip curled "If only so that it is not so debasing as to call me by a mere title."
"Yeah but…it still isn't your name, is it?"
"I have the feeling my name has been interchangeable for some time." Caster dryly responded as he glanced down to his arms "Especially if my ability to so easily change between bodies is to be examined, I would imagine I have been party to many names over however long my life was. This can be seen as no different."
Ritsuka opened his mouth to speak, then closed it at the last moment. "Well, if you're sure. I'm not going to have any complaints either way, just that I was getting used to calling you Caster was all."
"This is based upon my own preferences, not yours." Caster retorted before taking a breath "Haku."
"...Excuse me?"
"That is my name. Haku. Or rather, it is the name I have chosen for myself." There was a brief pause "I did look to your mind for inspiration and that felt oddly suitable."
"Uh-huh…"
Ritsuka looked him up and down, placing his hands on his hips and keeping his face as free of judgement as he could. He certainly wasn't expecting them to select a Japanese name but it was strangely endearing how he chose one after his own homeland rather than something else. Though he was sure they could have brainstormed an idea that wasn't quite so on the nose.
He took a long hard look towards the white mop of hair atop Caster's head.
Why not just call himself Shiro if he was going to be really obvious about it?
Haku blinked, then glanced around the 'room' for a moment before he made a noise. "It would seem you are awakening. I will warn you before you leave of the dull pain in your right arm and…I am grateful for this chance you have given me, Fujimaru." the golden eyes of the Servant locked onto his own, the lips twitching upwards into a rather genuine smile. "Truly. You cannot begin to understand quite how fortunate I am that we met one another."
Ritsuka couldn't help but snort at the words "Try saying that to me again when I wake up and can't feel any lingering pain in my arm." he chortled, then shook his head and glanced at the limb. "But you said to watch out for Gwynevere, right? I'll keep an eye on her if that's the case but if I'm going to trust you to remain in my body, the least you can do is trust her a touch. She did answer a summoning after all and apparently came to help us…"
The Servant made a face at him before shaking his head "I cannot say to whatever history we had with one another, but I am certain it was marred with troubles of their own. Regardless, I shall be there for when you inevitably bungle the situation in one of the most chaotic ways imaginable."
"...Shouldn't that be 'if' and not 'when'?"
"...No."
"Oi. Where did all that gratitude go a moment ago?"
Haku raised an eyebrow "Such things are only temporary Fujimaru, you should know this. Be sure to warn your companions of me as well, if they do not already know of my existence. Just so they do not seek to excise me from your body at the earliest opportunity."
"I'll be sure to pass along the message that you're perfectly harmless." Ritsuka remarked with a wave of his hand, watching as the room started to blur around him, becoming fuzzy and unfocused. He supposed that meant he was waking up. "It might be a tough sell…considering the whole arm deal."
"I'm confident in your ability to placate them. That is, after all, the role of a Master. To keep their Servants content."
"You're much more approachable like this, you know?"
"Do not push it."
