Chapter Five: Meeting Mom's Killer's
The room went silent, and everyone, aware of Nathanie's connection with the newly arrived servant, could only stare with shocked expressions and wide eyes. They glanced back and forth between the two Pendragons in stunned silence. Nathaniel wasn't doing any better as he stood in place with his own surprised expression. For once, he seemed utterly at a loss for words. Not that anyone could blame him.
The newly summoned saber, sensing the palpable tension, broke the silence with a voice tinged with confusion. Her words, a question in disguise, added to the enigma of the situation. "Well, this is quite the reception. Did you perhaps have someone else in mind?" Her raised eyebrow, a sign of her curiosity, only deepened the mystery.
"In a manner of speaking, you could say." Nathaniel managed to choke out, shaking off a mixture of emotions momentarily. Frankly, he figured he had summoned his mother when he noticed the blond hair and green eyes. Hell, he had pretty much anticipated her being his first servant to be summoned by his hand. Instead, it was his grandfather, which was all sorts of awkward. Not as awkward as summoning the corrupt version of them would've been considering recent events. Still incredibly awkward all the same.
"I see?" Artoria looked a bit confused as she left the summoning circle and approached her new master. She paused a few feet in front of him. Her brows furrowed slightly as she examined the young man who summoned her. She wasn't sure why, but something about him felt oddly familiar. Though she couldn't understand why, she knew she had never seen him before. "Just what is your name, master?"
"Hey, Nathaniel! How about you summon that second servant before proper introductions are given?" Romani suddenly cut in; he felt things would halt once his proper identity was announced. And Nathaniel needed to summon another servant before the first singularity in the good doctor's opinion.
"Oh, right. That's a good point," Nathaniel replied absent-mindedly as he moved to pull the summoning lever. He noticed the king of knights looked at him curiously but seemed content to keep quiet for the moment. As he stepped forward and pulled the lever, the band of light appeared again and spun, splitting into three momentarily before slamming together in a bright flash, revealing the new servant once it faded.
"Now I know the throne is fucking with me." He thought to himself.
Before him stood a woman of average height. She wore a black dress trimmed with gold and some red at the waist. Her long black stretched to the floor with two long strands framing her face reached her ankles. The ends are wrapped in gold covers. A ring of black feathers wrapped around her shoulders and upper back. A strand of black and gold cloth connected from one hand to the other via spikes in her palms. Her skin was pale, and her ears were pointed. Her eyes were a golden color with slitted pupils.
"Servant, Assassin-class. My name is Semiramis." Semiramis spoke with a slight smirk. You are my new master, I would assume?" She walked over, her heels, clacking against the floor. She stopped right before him as she looked the blond young man over. She couldn't help but feel a strange familiarity with him. "Just who might you be master?"
Nathaniel took a deep breath to calm himself. It was odd when he gave it a thought. In most situations, he could handle things perfectly well; this, however, was causing him to barely keep his shit together. Still, there was no avoiding the situation for what it was. He knew he needed to do this quickly, like taking off a band-aid.
"This may sound unbelievable to the two of you. Regardless, allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Nathaniel Hawke Pendragon, Son of Mordred." He announced clearly and watched their reaction. Both had brief expressions of surprise before those expressions shifted. Semiramis studied him with far more scrutiny to her gaze. Artoria's brows furrowed, and a frown appeared on her face.
"This is a poor jest on your part, master," Artoria said, her tone clear with her un-amusement to his proclamation.
"This is no jest, I assure you. To prove my point, did you not tell my mother that you did not accept her as your heir? Because you felt she lacked the capacity to be king right before you ran her through with Rhongomynaid?" Artoria looked utterly shocked.
"You shouldn't know what was spoken at the end of Camlann unless..." Her voice trailed off as the realization sunk in. "You are telling the truth." She said almost in a whisper.
Nathaniel looked to Semiramis. "Do you think me a liar, assassin of red?"
Semiramis's brows rose in amusement at the question. "Now that I inspect you with more care. I see that you speak the truth; the similarities between you and Mordred are unmistakable."
"Do I need to worry about anything spilling over from Trifas into here?" Nathaniel asked the once-queen of Babylon.
The former queen smiled in amusement at his inquiry. "Fret not, my master. All that happened in another world. That battle and those feelings are hers. They belong to one who fought in that other world, even if that were not the case. Any issues I may have had once with Mordred are strictly between the two of us."
Nathaniel stared at the raven-haired woman before cracking a smile of his own. "Glad to hear that, Semiramis; my mother told me of your strength and skill in the greater grail war. I'm happy to have you here at Chaldea to assist us in our task." He then turned back towards Artoria, his expression becoming neutral. "What of you, king of knights? Do you take any issue with me because of who my mother is?"
The saber still looked at those she was for once wholly bewildered by the situation she was in. Though Nathaniel's words seemed to snap her out of whatever thoughts she was lost in. She managed to pull her expression into one that was calm and impassive. "I am of the same notion of assassin," she said evenly but politely. "What Issues I may have with Mordred is between the two of us. Her…child you may be, but whatever her sins and crimes are, they are not yours to shoulder."
Nathaniel stared down at his grandfather with an impassive look like Artoria's. Seconds felt like they were minutes until he nodded his head in understanding. "That works for me, but I cannot say I necessarily like you at the moment. I do not hate you, either. Nor would I be opposed to eventually building a proper relationship as family members. I understand there was far more to Camelot's fall than what happened between you and my mother. Despite what the tales these days try to spin things."
Artoria was silent as she contemplated that, a look of deep thought gracing her visage before she spoke. "I…would like to try that as well. Perhaps we may meet one-on-one to discuss things properly at some point in the future?"
"Certainly," came his reply as he turned to the others, who had remained silent, completely enthralled by the sight before them. "Ritsuka, Mash, please take everyone and get them settled in."
His words seemed to snap the two out of their trance. Ritsuka was quick to act on the suggestion. "Of course!" the redhead cried out. "Please follow me, and I'll give you the grand tour."
Once they had all left, leaving only Nathaniel, Romani, and Leonardo in the summoning room, the blond slumped against the summoning machine, sighed deeply, and rubbed his face with his palms. The summons had not gone at all in the way he had thought they would.
"You doing all right there, all things considered?" Romani politely asked.
Nathaniel huffed indignantly. "Considering I just summoned the two people responsible for killing my mother. Once in life and once in a grail war, I suppose so."
"One of them being your grandfather too, no less." Da Vinci tossed in.
"Let it be known we Pendragons are never short when it comes to family drama," Nathaniel replied unamused. "I'll see you later. I need some time to think about this development." He didn't bother waiting for any responses before leaving the summoning chamber and heading to his room.
Mash approached the door to Nathaniel's room. She had finished things with Ritsuka, who was currently getting to know Saito better. She'd be with them but felt compelled to check in on him and keep a promise to herself. The development that came with the servants he had summoned was certainly unexpected. She had felt a stir from within upon laying eyes upon the king of knights. The heroic spirit fused with her, having instinctively reacted in a sense to her summoning. She had been able to tell, despite the mask, he had been able to keep up, mostly anyway. Nathaniel had been shaken by just who he had managed to summon. So, she knocked on the door. "Nathaniel, it's me."
"Come on in," Came the reply from behind the door.
Mash opened the door and stepped inside. Despite all the time Nathaniel had been at Chaldea. She had never actually been inside his room. She couldn't help but take a quick inspection of it. She was somewhat surprised by what she saw. The rooms for masters in Chaldea were rather large. Nathaniel had put it all to good use.
There were three large bookcases, one lined top to bottom with all sorts of books that revolved around magecraft. The second bookcase was lined fully with all kinds of books that revolved around history, mythology, and various languages, current and old. The third bookcase was the most peculiar to her. The top shelf was lined with books for different sorts of games. The next four shelves were fully covered by plastic figures on their respective shelf. One shelf had a bunch of green orcs with blue models that looked like they came from some post-apocalypse movie. Another was filled with various bug, like monsters big and small. Painted in a shiny black color with green and bone gray. The next shelf had two completely different sets of models on it. One half had a bunch of sci-fi soldiers in spikey armor painted pink and black. The other half had a bunch of purple-skinned, feminine-looking demonic creatures. The final shelf held more sci-fi-like soldiers, though their armor lacked spikes. They were painted in an icy blue and were adorned in wolf pelts.
Not far from the shelves was a large table with a mat on top and a bunch of miniature buildings in the design of ruins. A rather comfy black reclining chair was in one corner of the room. A silver and red colored guitar, along with an amp, sat close to it. Along one wall was a large oak dresser that came with the room. Along another was a large oak desk with a laptop on top of it. A nice leather chair also came with the room in front of said desk.
Finally, there was the queen-sized bed that Nathaniel was currently lying on. The young man sat up and looked at Mash as the door closed behind the violet-eyed woman. "What's up, Mash?"
"I came up to check up and discuss something with you." She explained, "I have to say I never realized you had so much stuff in your room."
"When my parents sent me off here, the luggage bag they gave me was effectively a mystic code. That acts like a bag of holding from D&D but supercharged. Combined with my family's specific style of magecraft, they were basically able to send me here with practically all my stuff. Not that I'm complaining. Helps make the place feel like home to some degree. Though I imagine you're not here to discuss my living arrangements." The blond mused to Mash.
"You would be correct," she replied as she approached and sat beside him. "Things went in a rather unexpected way back in the summoning chamber. "
"That's putting it mildly, but it's not all that bad in hindsight now that I've had time to let most of the shock wear off," the blond said.
"Really?" The shielder wondered
"It's not like we're in a grail war and out to kill each other. We're all on the same side and working towards the same goal. I hope to build a good relationship with Semiramis over time."
"And the king of knights?" Mash pushed, knowing that was the real issue at hand.
"I meant what I said back in the summoning chamber," Nathaniel retorted. I want to build a proper familial relationship. It won't happen right away; it will take some time. Things are going to be awkward for some time. What happened back in the chamber caught us completely off guard for our own reasons. Getting along would be best, considering she is my servant."
"This's true, and I think you'll get there eventually. After all, while she was shocked, Artoria was honest when she said she held no animosity towards you because of who your mother is." Mash spoke up before she decided to ask her other question. "May I ask a favor from you?"
Nathaniel raised a brow but nodded his head for her to continue.
Mash turned so her violet eyes were staring directly into Nathaniel's emerald. A look of fierce determination was evident in her eyes as she spoke. "I wish for you to help train me. I was useless in Fuyuki except for that moment with my noble phantasm. While I have a sense of natural instincts to fight since becoming demi-servant. These come from the heroic spirit fused with me and are not entirely my own. Thus, my talents aren't as skilled as they should be compared to a regular servant. As you said before, you clashed with that alter of the king of knights. I'm not experienced enough yet for such significant fights. But I need to be! Our first deployment will be soon. I must be ready by then, so I want you to train me."
Nathaniel, for his part, was surprised, but pleasantly so, by Mash's declaration. He was still determining what decision to make, but then he remembered years ago. Practically begging his mother to train him to fight once he was of proper age. He smiled and laid a hand gently on Mash's shoulder. "Alright, I'll do it."
The shielder smiled along with a blush at that.
"All right, let's hit the training room."
Ten minutes later, they were in the training room's sparring grounds. Mash stood on one side, already geared up, and Nathaniel stood at the other end, also geared up and ready.
"Alright, Mash, you ready?" Nathaniel called out as he took a stance.
Mash raised her shield up in preparation. "Ready, Nathaniel!"
Nathaniel blitzed forward and swung his blade in a horizontal slash. Mash intercepted with her shield as sparks appeared from the clash. Mash felt her arms strain and shake from the sheer force. She reacted by swinging her shield in an arc toward Nathaniel. He quickly side-stepped, allowing the strike to harmlessly pass him, before quickly moving in and swinging an armored fist. It connected firmly into Mash's jaw, forcing the shielder to stagger backward slightly.
"Don't overextend yourself with your strikes. It makes for an easy opening that a skilled enough opponent can and will take full advantage of." The blond chastised as his helm disassembled into his armor. He then charged forward once more. Bringing his blade down in an overhead strike.
Mash raised her shield and met the attack head-on. Her arm shook once from the strain put upon it as the weapons collided. She pushed off, charged, and tried attacking again, keeping her attack movements tighter to avoid any easily exploitable openings.
Nathaniel blocked her strikes with Carnwennan, and then, when a good enough chance presented itself, he stepped into her guard. While Mash could counter adequately, he did something she didn't expect.
He straight up spat on her face.
Mash recoiled in disgust and closed her eyes in response, a horrible mistake Nathaniel would make her pay for. He grabbed Mash by the collar and, brought her forward and slammed his armored knee into her gut. The shielder gasped as the air was driven out of her. Then, she was thrown across the sparing grounds and tumbled to a stop.
"Next lesson: While you may subscribe to fighting fairly and honorably, never assume that your enemy does as well. Always be aware of things around you for any potential tricky. Your enemy or enemies in a fight may try to pull on you," Nathaniel barked out.
Mash pulled herself up to her feet and nodded as she ready herself once more. The fire of determination was still clearly burning within her violet gaze. Nathaniel smirked as he charged again, and the two continued to clash.
Unbeknownst to the two in the observation level above the sparring grounds. Their training had brought in an audience to watch it play out.
"He's being awfully harsh with her, don't you think?" Ritsuka mused as she watched her friends train.
"A bit, but real combat is harsh and uncaring," Saito replied to his master. "It's better to learn these lessons now in training than in the field. Besides, I can tell he is holding back a fair bit as it is. If he was going full-throttle, he'd steamroll her with little difficulty at her current level. He's going at her as hard as he can get away with."
"Agreed," Semramis spoke as she had come to watch, intrigued to see some of her master's capabilities. "Tough as he's being with her, such tactics are needed, given the situation. He fights like his mother, but she fights more instinctively, like some beast. He fights viciously but keeps enough control and technique to keep it from being wild."
"It reminds me a lot of Hijikata in that way," Saito said amusedly. "I should ask for a spar myself; he seems like he'd be fun to test my skills against. What do you think, Artoria?"
The king of knights had been still absorbing the news that she had a grandchild. Though she was curious to see Nathaniel and Mash spar. The demi-servant had explained just what she was during the tour. Artoria had been taken by surprise when she saw the shield Mash carried. "I wonder what compelled you to fuse with her Galahad?" She had thought to herself. She had become even more surprised when seeing Carnwennan in Nathaniel's hands. Never mind that he was somehow keeping up with and decisively knocking her around.
"His skills are impressive," Artoria answered, Saito's question had brought her out of her thoughts. "While his actions may seem wild to the untrained eye, Semiramis is correct in her analysis. A fight between us would be a closely contested affair."
"Well, he did fight and defeat a dark alter version of you back in Singularity F," Ritsuka added in
This surprised the other servants, especially Artoria, who noticeably stiffened at the mention of her dark counterpart.
"Yep, he fought the alter straight up one on one. Clashed noble phantasms against each other and everything. Ultimately, he overcame and defeated alter purely on his own."
Artoria's eyes widened in surprise as thoughts raced through her mind. "To fight and defeat my darker self on his own... that speaks volumes to his strength and skill. But how?"
Semramis's own eyes narrowed in deep thought. "Just what are you master, and what are you fully capable of?"
"Okay, so I'm just gonna ask the obvious question here. How can he do all that?" Saito tossed out.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to explain everything Nathaniel told us when we asked him that same question. It's not like you won't learn all about it anyway," Ritsuka retorted. She then explained Nathaniel's status as a quasi-servant, his unique biology, and how it came to be.
Unsurprisingly, it left the others rather stunned, none more than Artoria herself.
"If that's the case, he no doubt possesses a dragon core that is at least on par with my own!" Artoria said, not caring to hide her surprise. "Combined with what he received from my sister due to the wish..." "Mordred, I wonder if you truly understand what you've done by making your son as he is?" She thought, seeing how this added another layer of complexity to things.
"I've been summoned by a truly unique master; I find myself looking rather forward to what you can bring to bear in time, Nathaniel." Semiramis thought with interest as a playful expression graced her face.
Mash stood back up, panting heavily. At this point, her arms and legs felt like jelly, and she was soaked with sweat. Nathaniel had been drilling and sparing with her relentlessly. They had been at it for what seemed like hours. Despite the exhaustion, she refused to stop until Nathaniel told her it was time. So she readied her shield once more, waiting to continue.
Nathaniel looked at Mash from his position and lowered his blade after a moment. "Alright, Mash, that's enough for today." He saw the Violet-eyed woman exhale deeply and relax. Honestly, he was impressed with her performance. She learned quickly and never made the same mistake twice. "Go get cleaned up and grab some food. We can continue tomorrow."
"I shall," the shielder said as she walked up and stopped before him. "thanks for doing this for me, Nathaniel." She smiled in gratitude towards the blond.
"It's no problem at all, Mash. You made excellent progress today, and you'll be up to speed with the rest of us in no time." He said with a smirk back to the lilac-haired woman.
Nathaniel was in the cafeteria after returning to his room and cleaning up himself. He wore his usual attire, though he had switched out his previous shirt for a yellow one, with the album art of Screaming for Vengence by Judas Preist on it. He was eating a fully loaded double bacon cheeseburger, a plate loaded with fries, a soda, and a chocolate milkshake.
When he had been waiting for his food, he inspected the command seal on his hand. It was designed like a staff with a pair of stylized flames on each side. The design felt oddly fitting in a way.
Then he heard someone approach him; he was musing to himself about the day's events. He looked and raised a brow in surprise at who it was.
It was the king of knights carrying a tray with a burger meal just as large as his own. The most noticeable change was that she had changed out the outfit she was summoned in for something more modern. She now wore a blue, knee-length skirt (with tights), white shirt (with a blue string tie), and brown boots.
Artoria looked at him and seemed shy and perhaps even a tad nervous. "Master...would you allow me to dine with you?" She asked a bit hesitantly, from the awkwardness she was feeling.
Nathaniel looked at the king of knights as he thought about the request. After a few seconds, he nodded in agreement with her request. He did want to work on building his relationship with his grandfather. If his fellow blond felt the need to take her own initiative on the matter. Who was he to say no to that?
Artoria smiled in gratitude, sat down across from him, and began to eat herself. The two ate their respective meals in awkward silence, as neither knew how to engage the other in conversation. Surprisingly, it was Artoria who broke the silence. "The others and I watched you train Mash from the observation area for a while. She took to your lessons well, master."
"Mash is a quick learner and dedicated at that...also, don't call me master. It feels too weird and even wrong hearing you refer to me as such." Nathaniel retorted, "Just call me Nathaniel, or call me by my middle name, Hawke, for the time being."
"I see, Nathaniel," Artoria replied. "Ritsuka also explained your battle with my darker self and your uniqueness, as it were."
Nathaniel looked at his grandfather with a curious expression. "You know, doubt. Have your own thoughts on all that."
"If I may ask for clarification, do you possess a dragon core within you?" The king of knights asked.
"I do," the younger blond answered, "It's at least as potent as your own, if not more so due to the rule-breaking nature of the holy grail."
"I figured as much," Artoria's expression took a more serious tone. "am I also correct in assuming you also possess the primeval curse that lurks in the British Isles in the form of blackened magical energy like Morgan?"
Nathaniel gave a simple nod, and Artoria frowned in response. "Be wary of it, Nathaniel. While potent in its power, it can also be quite corruptive to its user should one use it too extensively, too quickly."
"Trust me. It's a side of me I'm wary of using," Nathaniel replied dryly. When I was younger, I tried a simple black magic spell to see if I could draw out that side of me. To put it simply, I most certainly did. When that power came out of me, it felt powerful in a way that words can't adequately describe. At the same time...it also felt intoxicating in a dangerous and unsettling way. Since that day, I have kept up studying black magic via text. However, I've refrained from any practical application of it and of that power. While on this quest, I can't promise I won't use it at any point. If I must use it, I will keep it as limited as possible depending on the situation."
The former king was silent for a few moments as she considered that. "That is sufficient as long as you understand the danger." After that, the two continued eating silently until both had cleaned their trays of food. "By the way, Nathaniel, I have something else I wish to ask you..." She seemed uneasy about what she wished to ask. "If it's okay, of course..."
The younger swordsman sighed. "This is about my mother. I kind of figured you wouldn't waste time asking about that."
"Yes..." Artoria answered as she shifted a little bit in her seat. "I imagine with you here as a master. It's only a matter of time before she arrives here and... I'm uncertain on how to approach her. Despite what some may think, I do not hate Mordred. I failed her in my own ways, which ultimately put her on the path she took. In my time as a heroic spirit, my experiences have granted me new insights into various things. I wish to make amends how I can for my various failures back in Camelot."
Nathaniel was silent for minutes as he processed the king of knight's wishes. Finally, he sighed profoundly and locked his emerald gaze onto Artoria's own. "I'm gonna be blunt with you on this. Whenever my mother shows up here. If she wants to make amends with you as well, I have no issue acting as the metaphorical bridge to help resolve things between the two of you. Personally, I'm all for the notion of you two hashing things out and letting the past be water under the bridge. However, before any of that can happen, you have to figure out and decide on something of your own."
"That being?" Artoria questioned
Nathaniel leaned forward and spoke: "What is my mother to you? Do you see her as simply one of your knights of the round? Or do you see and accept her as your child? You can only decide on one over the other; until you do, you won't be able to properly repair things. And you, and only you, can make this decision, no one else." With that said, Nathaniel stood up and headed back to his room. Leaving the king of knights to reflect upon his words.
Making his way towards his room, thinking about the talk he just had. He found himself running into Romani.
"Nathaniel! I'm glad I ran into you; we know where the first singularity is." The doctor explained.
"Really now?" Nathaniel replied, intrigued by this development. "Where at and how soon till we leave?"
"1431 AD, France, during the Hundred Years War," Romani answered. We'll be sending you and Ritsuka out in two days. Leonardo and I figured it out and wanted to tell the two of you immediately. Speaking of which, I still need to find and tell Ritsuka if you'll excuse me."
Nathaniel leaned against the hallway wall as he thought about that. "France, eh? I wonder if we'll run into Ruler while there or that pink-haired paladin mom talked about from her time in Trifas?"
The next few days passed quickly as everyone prepared for the deployment to France. Nathaniel continued drilling Mash to get her as ready as possible. Semiramis had spent her time modifying her room and using it for poison and potion crafting. Ritsuka had surprisingly spent time with Saito learning the basics of sword fighting. Apparently, seeing her friend's trains had inspired her. Artoria, meanwhile, mainly had kept to herself, Nathaniel's words seemingly weighing heavy upon her.
Now, though, everyone was gathered in the rayshift chamber and ready to go. As Romani and Da Vinci went over the final system checks.
"Final checks are complete; all systems are green." Da Vinci announced from behind her work console.
Ritsuka turned to the blond next to her. "So, it all begins."
"Time for the real work," Nathaniel mused towards the redhead before smirking. "Let's do this." The assembled group went to the coffin systems that would transport them to the singularity.
"Beginning deployment in three, two, one!" Romani declared and activated the system.
The time had come to strike back and begin saving humanity.
A/N: This is another fluffy chapter, but like last time, it was needed before diving into France. However, the first deployment is on, and the fun begins earnestly. Hope you enjoyed it, till next time.