Chapter 130: The worst answer to the world's oldest question
Dead silence followed the utterance of the words. The tension between the two groups was thick enough that it could have passed as fog, made worse by the fact that neither side was rushing to attack the other.
The quiet stretched on for seconds, but for Kalameet, Sigurd and Gordin it might as well have been for hours or days. Each group ready in the event that the other made the first move. Their limbs were primed, like springs ready to leap into action. Sigurd was already looking the human looking dragon over carefully and considering his chances.
They were large, much larger than him and the feeling that they gave off meant they were likely able to generate more magical energy than he could. However, they were still a dragon. Gram was going to be his key instrument if it came to blows, he would have to go for the joints and limbs, the body looked heavily armoured and he presumed the enemy Servant could produce quite insane feats of strength.
Either rivalling him or perhaps exceeding him.
Loathe as he was to admit it, Gordin was the weak link in this situation. Through no fault of his own, but in terms of raw power they were both exceeded. At least individually, as a team they could split the attention of this Servant between the two of them and try to prevent one or the other from being overwhelmed. His daggers were going to have to come into play.
Another thing to consider.
Flight.
Their appearance was heavily influenced by their dragon blood but whether that meant they could bodily transform themselves and fly was something he needed to consider. If they could, then he would have to worry about them gaining distance and height.
Sigurd could assume nothing about the capabilities of this Servant - a dragon looking being as a Servant, that still surprised him - and couldn't afford to rush in blindly on the belief that because they were a dragon he could win. He wasn't certain of that, he barely recalled his own battle with Fafnir and this Servant would be just as bad but for different reasons.
Not least of all because they might be more than capable of matching him in hand to hand combat. Their smaller size would make them faster than Fafnir, perhaps not as fast as him but definitely more so than the dragon he had slain.
Then there was the central eye upon its head.
That gave him the greatest pause, his crystalised wisdom allowed him to see it for what it truly was and it was something that concerned him deeply. A mystic eye, a genuine mystic eye upon a dragon-kind and one that wasn't low in rank either. A dragon was dangerous enough, a dragon with the form of a human even more so because of their adaptability.
A dragon with a mystic eye with an unknown effect thrown into the mix? This was already proving to be a challenging battle and he hadn't so much as made a single move. There was no way of knowing if the Mystic eye had already come into effect or not, the sheer quantity of the magical energy the Servant exuded by just standing in front of him made it impossible to discern if it was doing much more than existing.
If it came to blows, he'd have to aim for that eye immediately before it could activate.
His magic resistance would do nothing to stop it from affecting him.
That brought about another problem, he didn't turn around but he could feel the eyes of the norse standing not too far from him upon the back of his head.
If he was fighting in an open battle he could use his abilities to a far greater extent. He couldn't afford to be too destructive though, one wrong move and he could end up killing the very people he was trying to protect. That handicap likely didn't extend to this being, they could afford to go all out and between trying to fight them and protect the people, it could very quickly turn into an uphill battle.
After the seconds dragged on, Sigurd started to feel something creep into his mind. Apprehension. The longer he looked at the draconic Servant, the more he could understand. There was something within it that was more than dragon blood, he could see that same wisp of divinity that was hostile to all other types. It was grafted onto them, not something they were born with but something that had filled a gap.
There had been a hole where a soul would have resided, and that divinity was filling it in.
It might very well be what was allowing this dragon to manifest as a Servant, not that dragons didn't have souls but they were more akin to walking concepts. Fafnir being the Sin of Avarice made manifest, so this divinity was doing something to change this dragon from their original self.
That was likely what Alsanna had sensed, they'd wandered too close to this one while she had been exerting herself and tapping into her own divinity. The two had called out to each other subconsciously, the pull of their souls. He could see it, just barely through his wisdom. The flicker and flutter of the essence that was aiming past him and further up the line.
Through all of this, Sigurd couldn't help but come up with a single thought.
'Why haven't they attacked yet?'
Unbeknownst to him, the words were echoed within the dragon's head as well. At the very least, buried beyond all the other emotions swirling through his head right now.
Kalameet could barely restrain himself from throwing his fists at the two before him, the second the scent of flame-kin had filtered into his nose he nearly lost himself to rage. Images of burning Archtree's and his brethren's corpses flooded his mind before he quenched them down.
He needed to be better than that, he needed to act out of a more level-headed mind than out of pure anger. He'd lived enough of his life with just rage, burning everything before him without any further regard for what he was doing. He needed to be better this time around, he needed to do more than just destroy and kill.
His hands clenched themselves into fists, his sharpened claw like fingers puncturing into his palms and drawing dark sickly blood from them. The sharp pain brought him out of his focus as he reassessed the two before him.
They hadn't struck him yet.
Why hadn't they done that?
In the past there had been no hesitation before any of the Flame-kin would lash out and attack him. Yet these two remained still as statues. Even as the seconds dragged on, he could feel that their existences were similar enough to his own and Artoria's. They could have charged him the second he walked through the cloud of snow.
They hadn't.
And he wasn't sure what to make of that.
Were they waiting for him to make the first move?
His eyes flickered between the two in front of him once again.
The one on the right was wearing dark coloured armour, a pale violet coloured cape was draped over his shoulders and a series of metal spikes ran across the top of the fabric. His face was stern, a flash of recognition shifted through those eyes before they narrowed again. Something that struck him as odd as he didn't recognise this flame-kin.
Dark grey hair and strange objects on his eyes. He would call them 'Grey hair' until he knew their name.
What drew his attention most of all was the sword, his eyes drifting down from the man's face and to the sword in his hands. Crystalline, pale green in colouration and almost glowing. Then he noticed the smaller blades around the man's hip, made of a similar material to the sword.
"Crystal knives…" He muttered out in understanding, then looked back at the man. Clarity dawned upon him. The news that Akal had given him and the words of Artoria as she relayed the fate of some of their southern siblings. "The Dragon Slayer."
The flame-kin tensed himself, grip tightening on his sword "...You know me?"
"...Only through seeing the aftermath of your battles." Kalameet admitted, then gave a single nod towards him "You did that by yourself?" then looked to the flame-kin companion, around the same height and wearing a more simple set of armour. Blue fabric draped over a steel set of armour, white fur across the shoulders and a fully concealing metal helmet.
They would be Steelheads.
His eyes swept over them in case he missed anything else, then he saw the blade.
He almost threw himself at them then and there, just for the blade they held. Once again holding himself back, they hadn't attacked him yet. Beyond that, though he held the same blade as the Knight who slaughtered his people, they clearly were not him. The smell and taste was all wrong.
They hadn't attacked him, at least not directly, so he would show them the same courtesy and not attack them. Though the dragon-slayer had killed some of his siblings, his goal at the time had been radically different, he was setting the country ablaze and destroying rather than creating. He didn't know if they truly opposed him or were acting out of self-preservation when his siblings had come. There was every chance they would accept his argument and leave when he presented it to them.
Though Akal and Artoria had made it clear to him the dragon-slayer would oppose him regardless, he still needed to know why they would do that.
His aim wasn't malicious or evil, so why would they oppose it in the first place?
"...That is not yours." He growled out instead of attacking, shifting his posture ever so slightly to bring his full attention upon the Flame-kin(?). The response from the two before him was almost immediate, their bodies shifted and their legs repositioned themselves.
Kalameet halted his movements, eyes flickering back to the pair and watching as they ceased their own moves. The standoff resumed.
Steelhead stilled, appearing more alarmed by the words than by the shifting of the dragon. His hands tightened their grip on the sword but they didn't respond.
"The confidence in your words suggests you know whom the blade originally belonged to." The first flame-kin spoke up, Kalameet's attention returned to him and noticed a more contemplative look in his eyes this time around, but no less wary of his being here. "And I know of no dragon that has taken an appearance such as that. Perhaps in relation to the essence of your being?"
Kalameet shifted.
They knew about that?
How did the Flame-kin know that? He could sense no true link between the two of them beyond the stench of dragon blood clinging to that sword of his. Kalameet knew for a fact that neither Grey hair nor Steelhead were the ones who had called out to him.
"...How do you…" He trailed off "No…you weren't the one I sensed." he stated a second later, taking another sniff of the air. The two of them were flame-kin but at the same time they were not. The one in blue and steel smelt more familiar to him, the presence of the light-ones permeated through their body and yet it wasn't at all like the smell that he knew of. More than that, it wasn't completely overwhelming like the knights of metal.
It was as if they had been exposed to the light as he had been exposed to the dark.
The first one, holder of the crystal sword, smelt different to anything he had encountered before. The scent of light was an entirely different texture, the taste was wrong. Not a light-kin he was familiar with then, perhaps one of those from this world?
It did not matter either way.
"...You're both human." Kalameet declared, eyes flashing between the two of them "Or close enough…holders of the light-kin but still beings of dark…"
Silence stretched on again.
"You have not yet attacked me." Kalameet declared, looking between them.
"The same could be said for us." Grey hair spoke slowly, not moving but focusing completely upon him. "You tracked us down and then seemed surprised to see us…given what your brethren are currently doing, I am more surprised you have yet to strike at us."
Kalameet pondered the statement for a moment "I wasn't tracking you…" he replied "Not you personally. I was…expecting something else. I haven't attacked because you haven't attacked."
Grey hair briefly flicked his eyes over to Steelhead and then back to him "...And if we are to remain cordial, keeping our weapons to ourselves while we speak?"
"...Then I will not do battle with you." He responded to the pair "And shall reciprocate your talks with my own. How long that remains the case is up to you."
It was a clear declaration of intent. If they didn't try to fight him, he wasn't going to fight them. More of a non-aggression pact than anything else, although it was something subject to change.
"You came here." The man with the crystal sword broke him from his musings, stepping forwards and narrowing his eyes "And are allied with the wyverns burning this country."
Kalameet nodded.
"...You command them?"
"I am the one who guides my brothers and sisters." Kalameet corrected quickly, his voice tensing at the mention of commanding them once again. They were not slaves who bent to his will, he refused to believe that about them. He would not hear of it. "I show and they follow."
"...I see." The expression of the knight darkened, his eyes briefly flickering behind him for a moment - towards the crowd of humans - and then back to Kalameet before they narrowed suspiciously "In that case, where is your family?" he quizzed, slowly pulling his sword from the ground.
"...I came alone." Kalameet declared, seeing no reason to lie to them. "I sensed something familiar…something that called out to me…" his clawed hand rose up, pressing the flat of his palm over his heart. "I can still hear its call now. A gentle pull towards peace…" he lowered the hand "It called and I followed."
"For what purpose?" The blue knight spoke for the first time, his tone clipped and demanding.
Kalameet bristled slightly at the tone before he noticed something, slowly shifting his head to look behind him and then back at the humans once again. Their position was all wrong, they were heading away from him, the tracks he had spotted all but confirmed it.
"For what purpose do you leave?" Kalameet asked, tilting his head ever so slightly "My home lies that way." he turned his body side on, pointing to the border of the blizzard and then looked between the two smaller Servants "Yet you are…not heading that way, you instead travel away…" he paused for a moment, considering the motives behind such an action before his tone shifted to become more puzzled.
The words of Artoria and Akal drifted back through his mind.
"Do you…not intend to oppose me?"
That prompted looks of utter bafflement from the pair of them, Grey hair jolted in surprise before he frowned heavily and Steelhead recoiled as if struck before his stance tightened.
The human(?) then pointed his right arm at him "Are you…do you truly feel the need to ask such an absurd question as you burn the lands of the humans here and set your brethren upon them like savage beasts?" he all but snarled "It is only natural that we would oppose you."
"But you don't…do you not want to know why?" Kalameet pressured further, looking between the two of them "Will you not ask me why?"
Grey hair gave a tight frown, his eyes sharply glanced in the direction of Steelhead before they fell back upon him. "You would answer truthfully?"
"I do not lie." Kalameet denied instantly "If you ask, I shall explain…but I would ask you to explain why you do not travel to face me? Were you not aware where I was?"
"No…" Grey hair shook his head "Once this task was completed, we fully intend to oppose you. It was merely a case of leading those less capable to safety."
Kalameet frowned "Less capable?" he muttered to himself in confusion, released a slight growl "What does capability matter in this situation?" he paused before he grunted and shook his head to dismiss the thought for a moment, something else intrigued him "So…you flee from me to…lead those who will not fight from the battle?"
"...Yes."
The dragon shifted on one foot, looking over the top of Grey hair towards the humans behind him and narrowed his eyes. They did not look any less capable than the humans he had seen before, there looked to be no real difference at all. So why weren't they allowed to partake in the battle? Did they not want to?
So some would oppose him and some wouldn't?
His eyes landed on the distant shape, behind all the humans or in the midst of them. Black smoke surrounded its form, glowing red eyes focused upon him and something sat atop it. He felt the pull grow stronger the longer he stared.
Before he could take a single step, Grey hair spoke again "You said you would speak truthfully? Then I shall ask again. What is your purpose?"
His attention was dragged away from the shape and to the pair of them. He allowed it because there was something wrong with this pull, it was familiar but at the same time it was subdued. His feeling was much, much weaker than when he last experienced it. The shape and size was all wrong as well.
More than that, the sensation did not even draw him to the giant beast of dark smoke but to something else.
"I'm building a Kingdom of dragons." Kalameet spoke casually, the words delivered so suddenly and so calmly that neither of the two Servants registered the sentence for a few moments before they found themselves staring at the dragon in silence for a few moments.
Steelhead spoke first "Are you…is that truly your intention?"
"Yes." Kalameet nodded once "If you are removing humans from this land, then I have no cause to oppose you." he added on, shifting his posture back to its original one and looking between the two of them. "It makes my role much simpler."
Grey hair narrowed his eyes "You wish to claim this entire land for your…Kingdom, you say?"
"Yes. It's more convenient, as it was the land I was summoned in." Kalameet replied simply, he turned side on and started to pace back and forth in front of the pair. His posture was still tense, ready in the event of an altercation between the two groups. "But if you will not oppose me…" he trailed off "No. You will oppose me but you are leading those who won't from this land first? Why?"
Grey hair paused. "What do you mean?"
"Why…" Kalameet hummed to himself for a few moments as he worked to compose his words "I'm not understanding why you would oppose me to begin with?"
Steelhead bristled "You ask why we would stand against you after the slaughter you have been conducting for the past weeks?"
That was reason enough, he supposed. From their perspective, he was working to kill their race systematically.
"If I were to allow you to lead those who won't oppose me from this land without fear of harm befalling them. Would you still oppose me?" He asked after a moment of thought, looking between the two of them for an answer.
"Yes." Grey hair responded first, his expression remaining stern faced "Even if you had not killed a single human here, we would have opposed you."
"...Why?"
"Because it is simply that your existence - your actions - pose a threat to humanity as a whole."
"We won't expand beyond this country-"
"That alone is more than enough to jeopardise human history." Grey hair cut him off, closing his eyes and shaking his head "Although for the simple reason that to achieve this goal you will kill all who stand against you - though that in itself is not strange - it is just that we have been called forth to oppose you." he responded simply "My personal feelings on the matter aside."
"And what are your personal feelings on the matter?"
Grey hair frowned "...The act of creating a kingdom for your people to live is not something that I would consider evil or malicious." he responded with after a moment "And if you truly do not intend to kill those who don't oppose you, then I have little quarrel with you on that front. However…would you allow them to remain?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because it needs to be a Kingdom for dragons, the presence of humans would only serve to…alter the end result." Kalameet explained "It needs to be something that just dragons have created. Could it really be called a Kingdom of dragon if humans have influenced it from beginning to end? I do not believe so."
"All the same, you would force these people from homes they have lived in all their lives." Grey hair countered "From the realm of their ancestors, the land of their Gods. There is history here that predates your arrival by millennium and much more than will develop from these roots. Even if your end goal is something that is hardly evil, the methods by which you are trying to accomplish it are doing harm to humanity. That is simply the way it is."
Kalameet remained silent, his head turning down slightly. "So…you oppose me because I will cause harm to humans through my mere existence, rather than anything else?"
"That would be if you hadn't killed thousands." Grey hair added on, his features hardening "However, as you have indeed killed many in pursuit of this goal, then it stands to me to be someone who can protect those who remain and ensure they do not lose their home. You have killed many and forced even more into exile, these are not crimes I can ignore. Especially as this is also my home."
That made much more sense to him, opposing him because this was his home. He could understand that much, their reasoning was without fault. Attacking someone's home and not expecting to be attacked back because of it would be foolish. He knew as much when he attacked the forests that those humans lived within and their spirit. Even if they had struck first, it was folly for them to believe he would not strike back though he had been intending to do so.
It was besides the point though.
He was the aggressor in this situation and these humans were those who would oppose him but they were also surrounded by those who wouldn't oppose him.
"...Why have you not yet attacked me, in that case?"
Steelhead shifted slightly "Excuse me?"
"I am the one who leads the dragons. If you oppose me, then you should kill me here and now." He explained to both of them, stopping his walk and gesturing at his chest "You will not get another opportunity for some time. The longer I live, the more of my Kingdom I shall build. If you want to stop that, then it is best to kill me now…but you don't because it would…" He trailed off, eyes narrowed and looked beyond them once again "It would endanger the humans behind you, right?"
Neither responded, but the way in which both their bodies suddenly shifted indicated that his words had gotten through to them.
"I'm just saying but if you oppose me it's easier to fight me now but I'm trying to understand why you won't. Is it because of bonds? But then that doesn't make sense to me." Kalameet frowned heavily "If you are fighting to protect them, then shouldn't they fight to protect you as well? Is that not an equivalent exchange? You oppose me but they don't yet you all travel in the same group even though you have different goals?" he resumed walking "But that's…disparity, isn't it? Even if they won't do the same as you, you'll still fight to protect them from me even if they won't protect themselves."
Kalameet gave a low hum of understanding "If I fight you…they won't fight me, but you know that. If I fight you, then they might die and you don't want that to happen, protecting them when they can't protect themselves.
Steelhead grunted "Naturally. That is what-"
"It means to be a Knight." Kalameet finished his sentence, giving a long and thoughtful hum "It is one thing to hear it described but to see it is another thing. I hadn't expected to but witnessing it firsthand is…hmmmm." red eyes closed "No. This is interesting but not what I came for…the call. I heard it within my person and I won't leave until I see them. I need to see them."
Steelhead and Grey hair adjusted themselves, levelling their swords at him.
"Though your intentions do not appear hostile at this moment, that does not mean they are benign." Grey hair warned "Your admission of being behind this current slaughter is proof of that. No…this conquering of yours is proof of that. You are an enemy to humanity, are you not? A Kingdom of Dragons and dragons alone."
"Naturally." Kalameet admitted without a moment of hesitation "It will be a Kingdom of Dragons and for Dragons." he waved his hand at them "Do not mistake this, I don't hate humans it is just I want this land and therefore I want the humans gone. However that occurs is no concern of mine, it's just easier to kill them than remove them. Besides, I don't believe the humans will willingly flee their lands without pressure, the early ones fought to the end."
He paused, then once again examined the humans "At least…I thought as much but humans are not all the same. They are born of disparity…so some will leave and some won't but I can't know that until I arrive." another long and curious hum "This is more challenging than I thought. I believed all humans would oppose me but clearly they won't…"
How many had he killed who would have otherwise left without the need for bloodshed?
"This is irrelevant." Steelhead curtly responded "You will not get further than this point. If you came not to start violence, then you may leave for now. If you pressure this further, then we shall come to blows."
Kalameet looked to Steelhead and then to Grey hair "...Hmmm." he turned his body to face the pair fully, rolling his shoulders. "That is unfortunate. I came to find the one who called out and shall not leave before that time, there is something I must understand. Something within me that must be answered…" red eyes narrowed and the glowing gem-like shape upon their forehead started to thrum with power "...And I will not leave until I have those answers."
Alsanna could feel it pulsating within her very soul, her spirit was crying out as whatever had arrived was virtually upon them. Whatever it was, it wasn't one of her sisters. She could tell as much by now, even if she hadn't witnessed its arrival, she would be able to tell as much from the feel.
The Dark that the creature possessed wasn't something it was born with like her, it was something grafted onto them. Forced into their body, whether willingly or not was something she didn't know. It changed nothing though, she watched as the dark creature - her kindred - would occasionally shift its head and gaze in her direction.
She felt her hairs stand on end when those glowing red eyes locked onto her own from a distance, her soul flickered and pulled almost compelling her to be drawn closer. That was the nature of the Dark Soul, it sought to be whole once more.
But if she did that, she would lose something precious.
She would lose something that meant more to her than whatever peace the Dark Soul would bring.
"You should smile more, Alsanna. Though this Kingdom is frozen, there is no reason for your features to be just the same. Besides…I feel as though you would be quite the beauty if you were to smile."
She would lose him.
She couldn't do that.
Her eyes narrowed, watching as the creature squared off with the two knights. It was no longer something that she could put off. This being had called out to her and she had called out to it. If this being of Dark wanted to meet her then that was that. She would meet them as well.
"Lud." She whispered out her gifted companion's name, the large cat flickered a single ear in response. "Stay with the humans, I shall return shortly." The companion remained stationary for a moment, then gave a hesitant growl before it slowly lowered itself to the ground for her.
Alsanna shifted her position upon its back, dropping down into the snow with her bare feet. Not that she noticed, this cold was nothing compared to the chill of her home. It was almost akin to a warm summer's day. Turning her body towards the direction of the confrontation, she started to walk towards them.
"Pygmy Alsanna?" She paused at the voice, looking over her shoulder and seeing the Silver Knight approaching her, his tone awash with confusion. "Is there some trouble? The humans would not tell me."
"I know nothing of fact." Alsanna responded "Only that a being of Dark has arrived, drawn to my soul."
Ledo shifted his position "Of Dark, you say?" his tone was now more wary "What manner of being are they?"
"That is something I know not." She confessed with some hint of shame, she was a Child of the Abyss father and could not tell what type of being this was. Her sisters would have laughed at this failure, or at least she suspected they would. At least before they then killed her to absorb into themselves.
The Silver Knight gave a single grunt of understanding as he shifted the giant hammer upon his shoulders, turning his head towards the direction that Alsanna had been preparing to head in before nodding once. "Very well, let's go…Be sure to stay behind me, Pygmy Alsanna." Ledo warned as he stepped around her "Should it come to combat, I fear that you might be in for a rather terrible time of it."
Alsanna wasn't going to argue against that, she was better suited for more magical attacks anyway. Most of the physical combat could be left to Lud or Zallen, in this case it would be Zallen.
"You have already come this far without warning of battle." Grey hair spoke in a stern tone as his eyes narrowed. "And have expressed no intention of killing those who do not strictly oppose you, do not break this trend now."
Kalameet gave a low growl "This is more important than that…I need to know the answer to this question. To what it is that makes me different from my kin." he hunched himself forwards "And if you stand in my way, if those humans behind you stand in my way, then they oppose me and shall be dealt with accordingly."
Steelhead and Grey hair shifted their positions, ready to launch themselves forwards.
"What have you come here for, my dark kindred?"
A voice from behind Steelhead and Grey hair called, prompting the three of them to turn in the direction of the voice.
Kalameet stiffened as the sensation grew in intensity, that pull grew stronger and stronger.
A dark haired woman stepped out from behind the pair, staring at him with no small amount of shock. It was difficult to tell which of the two of them was more surprised. Suffice to say that neither of them had been expecting the other to look like that, primarily due to experience in dealing with those of the dark before.
But that wasn't the complete reason, Kalameet was focused on the individual who stood in front of the woman in a protective manner.
The screams of his dying brethren.
Bolts of lightning tear through scale.
Fire swallows the great trees.
A doom sweeps the land, his race is slaughtered.
The Flame-kin of metal with horned helms butcher without hesitation.
Kalameets attention was no longer upon the woman, instead fixated upon the Silver Knight.
The knight was similarly staring at Kalameet with no small amount of shock, his body tensed up and the hammer was removed from his shoulders and swung around in an instant, being threateningly levelled at the dragon.
"I dare say…That armour of yours is in poor taste." The Silver Knight spoke with a clear edge in his tone.
"Armour…" Kalameet growled out, red eyes narrowed instantly "You are…you…you…you!"
Both parties looked ready to hurl themselves forwards, at least until the woman stepped around the Silver Knight and back into Kalameet's line of sight, looking towards him with an expression of apprehension.
The black dragon's eyes darted away from the knight for a split second and onto her.
"Caster, this is no place for-" Grey hair attempted to speak, adjusting his footing to move closer before the dark haired woman raised her hand to cut him off, not once taking her eyes off the dragon.
"You forget, I am a Queen." The woman's tone was cold, it reminded him of Artoria. That steel of authority which seemed to draw one's attention. "If one comes to me, seeking an audience, then I can oblige that request should I so wish to." she lowered her hand "And you have come seeking audience with me, have you not?"
Kalameet nodded his head once, ever so slightly, and looked the woman over more closely. She wasn't what he had been expecting, she was shorter than Akal and wasn't as physically impressive either. Despite that, she seemed to hold some difference to her. Something that made her feel as close to him as Akal, which meant she was indeed the one he was searching for.
This bond.
Their connection.
It wasn't something that could be faked, so they were family in some capacity.
"You're…not who I was expecting."
"Nor are you." The woman responded quickly but not in a rush "I had expected one of pure Dark to have reached for my soul, but you are not pure being are you…you were something different before the essence latched itself upon your being."
"I was something…" Kalameet paused, debating his words as he turned his head skywards "I was something different. I couldn't see as much, I couldn't understand as much. I didn't know as much. It is…I no longer feel as though I walk through water, as though the world turns and I am left behind…My legs are cemented in the planet, I can see the sun rise and fall…I was everlasting and now I am not."
The Silver Knight had a sharp intake of breath as he adjusted himself "...That is no armour you adorn yourself with."
"...I am Kalameet." He stated after a moment, lowering his head and staring at the humans, Lordkin and brethren before him. "I am the Last of our Everlasting race, the final Dragon who takes to the skies. I am the Dragon touched by the Abyss, the one who shall strike fear into the hearts of the Flame-kin…" his eyes narrowed "I am ruler of this Kingdom, leader of my brothers and sisters, I will guide my people into this new world of hope…"
"I know what you are, Flame-kin in metal skin." He growled at the knight "I know what you have done. What you all did…I know why you are here, to oppose me as your race opposed us in the past." his attention quickly shifted back to the woman "But I need to know…" reaching up, he placed a clawed hand on the centre of his chest "Are we…am I…Am I like this because of the influence of the Dark One?" he asked in an almost childlike voice "This vision of mine…this dream that I hold, is it my dream or is it the dream of this blackness that took my body?"
He took a single step forwards, inclining himself down and staring at the woman "I must know. Can I…is what I am the soul or does it come from the me who existed before the Dark?"
The woman remained silent as she stared at him, eventually closing her eyes. "If that is all you came for, then I shall answer that question of yours with honesty from one ruler to another." the eyes opened "We are more than what we are born as. I, one born of fear and destined for grief, was seen as someone who could become more. My nature is not what I am…" her head inclined itself ever so slightly "Your nature, is what you wish it to be. Whether it comes from the Dark or whether it comes from another source, it is what you are. That which you were born as…is not what you must always exist as."
Kalameet remained silent, listening to her words and lowering the hand to his side "Then…it does not matter where my dream comes from, only that I have it?"
"If that is what you take from my words, then that is what you take from them." The woman responded for a moment.
"...I see. Thank you…Sister."
"Y-excuse me?" The woman jolted for the first time during the conversation, her expression shifting from cool and composed to one of genuine surprise for the first time. "What did you just call me?"
"We are both beings of the blackness." Kalameet responded as though the answer was obvious "So we are family. As I am undoubtedly older than you, you are my sister."
"T-that is most certainly not how families are arranged!"
Ignoring her, Kalameet shifted his attention to the knight behind her "One final question before I depart." he announced, his wings already jutting forth from his back at a slow rate so as not to alarm anyone. "It is for you…Little light-kin." Red eyes narrowed "Why?"
The Silver Knight was thrown for a loop for a few seconds "Why?
"Why did you kill us?"
"..."
"I have debated it for years…decades, centuries…and I never arrived at an answer." Kalameet explained his voice shifting to confusion "It is not something I understand, we knew nothing of you before you came to the surface. There was no hint of dialogue or anything before you fell upon us in the thousands…every flame-kin. Across the entire world we fought you and I don't know why?"
"..."
"I believe in an equal exchange. If I am to speak, I would expect someone to speak back to me. If I am to fight someone, I would expect them to fight back…so I must know, what did we do that the equivalent response was the complete extinction of my people?"
"..."
"What act was so horrific that the only way to respond to it was to kill us? Why did we have to die?"
"I don't know."
"...Huh?" The response from Kalameet was so silent that it was barely heard amongst the winds, despite that it didn't stop the dragon from shuddering and stepping backwards as if he had been slapped. "You…you what?"
"I do not know." The Silver Knight responded after a silence, shrugging once "I didn't ask. None of us did, we didn't need to."
Kalameet stared at him in silence "You…didn't ask?"
"No. The Gods - our Gods - gave life to us. We exist for them, we live for them, we fight for them. So when Lord Gwyn commanded us to take to the surface and slay every Dragon we could, not a single one of us hesitated or questioned it." The Silver Knight said in a completely toneless voice, as if his words weren't the least bit disturbing to the dragon. "There was never any need to."
"You…did not hate us?"
"Hate you? We didn't care much about you." The knight replied with a shrug "At least in the beginning. Sure, some of us started to hate you. Havel hated you for killing his friends, Sir Gough loved killing you because of the thrill of the fight, Sir Ornstein enjoyed honing his skills and that was that. When we first started…we didn't think about you at all, beyond completing our mission."
"...You…it was all…" Kalameet staggered backwards, his right hand came up to cradle his head "N-no…you just…wait…those…we never did anything?"
"Nothing that I knew of." The Knight admitted "We just…Were merely obeying orders, there was no personal incentive for any of us in the beginning. We just did what was commanded of us."
"No personal incentive?" Kalameet quietly replied, lowering the hand from his head "No…we never did anything? We died…we all died…because you were just told to kill us for reasons you don't know? There was never an ideal or-or an objective…we were killed…for the sake of being killed?"
The Knight remained silent for a few moments before nodding his head "I'm not sure what you expect me to tell you. That was all there was to it."
Kalameet's arms fell down to his side, blankly staring at the Silver Knight without an essence of emotion within his body. "...That was all there was to it."
His people burn.
Lighting peels the scales from their body, screams pierce the air.
Kalameet heard a ringing in his ears, no longer hearing anything else as he stared at the Silver Knight, at everyone who stood in front of him. His head turned in slow motions as though on a rotor, shifting his gaze across everyone who stood in front of him.
He could vaguely see the Flame-kin making gestures and muffled noises but nothing else.
Bodies are piled high.
Mountains of those he knew forever and for mere days.
They die and lie there, rotting away as the black miasma sweeps through the land.
He gave a single, slow, blink as he comprehended the words.
His people didn't die for any reason at all.
They were killed, slaughtered and butchered…because they could be.
That was it.
The people who killed them never asked for a reason and never cared to receive one, they just killed because they could kill.
Pillars of fire turn the Archtrees to ash, the homes shatter and collapse.
Dragons scream as they are crushed beneath the falling weights, trapped and left as the knights descend upon them.
They hack and slash, breaking away scales with their bare hands to get to the flesh beneath.
It's death by a thousand cuts.
The screams go on for hours.
There wasn't any reason.
It wasn't that they didn't think of Dragons as equals, they just didn't think of them as even being on the same ground to begin with.
When treating another, there was something to be expected.
You fight, they fight back.
You talk, they speak.
That was how it was.
That was how it should be between equals.
He killed for the sake of making something better, he fought for the future of his people and all his brethren knew that.
They fought for…
They didn't even know.
They fought and killed and didn't know why.
They killed all his people - his family - and didn't even know why.
The screams fall silent, the land is blackened.
The trees are stumps, corpses cover the land.
There's nothing left.
They're all gone.
They're all gone.
What is gone?
Where have they gone?
Where is everyone?
Why am I alone?
What is alone?
I don't like this…
I don't like this…
I don't like this…
It's horrible.
It's lonely.
I hate this.
I want to go back.
I want it to be like how it was before.
Where is everyone?
Why have they gone and left me behind?
Why can't they take me as well?
Just take me…
Let me be with them again.
I don't like this…
Kalameet was in the midst of the Servants before he even registered what he was doing, he couldn't hear anything else beyond the ringing. His hand blazed with yellow flames as it swung towards Grey hair.
The man widened his eyes and raised the back of the green sword like a shield, his burning fist slammed into it and exploded, sending the man skating across the ground and away from him.
The shock coursed through his body, the ringing vanished and he could hear everything once again. Cries of alarm went off, followed by incoherent shouts.
"Get lady Alsanna back to the cam-" Steelhead shouted out, jumping away from him to get some distance. Kalameet whirled around, his leg swung up like a hammer and smashed into his gut, the knight bent over the limb and released a single wheezing gasp before he was rocketed away, punching through the snow cloud and out of sight.
The impact released a shockwave at the epicentre of the strike, a boom filled his ears as snow flew off in a sphere around his body.
He couldn't concentrate on anything, it felt like his chest was burning up. He knew this feeling, this anger.
He felt it every time he saw human cities, but this was different. It wasn't envy, it was that hideous feeling he got whenever he had seen things.
Anger.
He was angry, he didn't care if they opposed him right now. He was going to release all this anger.
He staggered back, something punched into his shoulder and caused his body to protest against it. Red eyes snapped down and locked onto it, a small metal handle from one of the glowing knives was stuck in his shoulder, between the plates of armour.
Kalameet felt it tug and then wrench itself free of his body as it flew back through the air and into the waiting hands of Grey hair. The man stared at him with tension as he held two knives in a reverse grip. The sword was nowhere to be seen but he didn't care right now.
Cold winds crashed into his side, nails of ice hammered against his body and forced him to raise his left arm up to shield his face. He didn't care about anything. He was angry and he was going to let go.
The left arm burst into flames, yellow fire poisoned with blackness lashed out as he swung the limb through the air. A tsunami of heat rolled off his body and swept through the snow, lashing out at anything that was in front of him. A wall of ice rocketed up from the ground, halting the flames before they could burn anything more.
Kalameet roared as he hurled himself forwards, his right arm cocked itself back and then was hurled forwards like a battering ram the moment he was close enough, his knuckles crashed into the icy wall and his efforts were rewarded with a deep shuddering crack as the surface of the wall splintered instantly. With another shunt, he unleashed an explosion from his hand, the detonation ripped through the wall of ice and allowed him to break through.
Focusing down on the Silver Knight that was stood by the Dark girl.
Grey hair's boot crashed against the side of his head, snapping it to the side and staggering him. The human crouched down on the ground in front of him the moment he landed, Kalameed snarled and swung his claws out towards the smaller target. Grey hair ducked down, avoiding the blow and rushing forwards into his space, his arms blurred and Kalameet felt his body erupt with pain as the knives slashed through his armour and into his flesh.
He staggered backwards, drawing both his arms back on either side and then swinging them forwards. His palms cracked against one another, producing a shockwave that knocked Grey hair off his feet and into a roll. The blast of wind rushed outwards, crashing into the blizzard that surrounded them and ripping through it.
The runes fizzled out and dissipated as the thunderous clap tore through the barrier, with Alsanna no longer focused on maintaining it, there was little that could be done to preserve its stability from the super charged clap.
Sigurd rolled backwards, his ears still ringing from being right next to the dragon when they clapped. He'd recognized the signs before anyone else had. The moment the dragon - Kalameet - all but snapped and was no longer the same individual they had been speaking with earlier.
In truth, Sigurd could hardly say it was a surprise.
While Ledo had most likely told the truth, he couldn't help but feel that was the worst possible thing he could have done at that moment. Hearing that all your people were killed simply because someone else said they had to die and gave no elaboration was never going to sit well with anyone.
Personal feelings on the matter aside, it was clear that this was going to become a fight to the death if nothing changed. He cast a quick glance over his shoulders to the people behind him before returning his attention to Kalameet, the dragon swung their left arm once again and shattered the remains of the ice barrier that had separated the two, pulling himself through entirely.
"Caster!" Sigurd shouted out as he threw the two daggers in the air, soon followed by the remaining two. "Get the people to safety!" his arms blurred as the daggers dropped down, at just the right angle as his fists cracked against the base of the weapons and rocketed them forwards like missiles.
The daggers struck Kalameet along his right leg and upper body, the dragon roared and stumbled forwards before glaring down at the protrusions and then towards him. Sigurd schooled his features and flicked his hand back. The daggers wrenched themselves free of the dragon and returned to himself swiftly, Kalameet hurling themselves after them and in his direction.
Sigurd ducked down and rolled to the side, a punch aimed at his head swung over the top of where he had been. His eyes widened and he spun himself backwards, Kalameet's tail lashing out and crashing into the snow in another effort to catch him off guard.
"Haaaaaa!" Ledo charged in with a roar, dragging his hammer through the snow and attracting the attention of the dragon once again. With a quick grunt, the Silver Knight spun on his heel and pulled the hammer from the ground and swung it around his body, using his own momentum to give it additional speed before he locked his legs in place and swung up at the dragon.
Kalameet raised his forearms, the flat of the hammer crashed against his defence and buckled his knees. Sigurd rushed forwards, unclasping the shortsword on his belt and slashing along the back of the leftmost leg as he moved past.
While remaining on his feet, Kalameet pushed the hammer away from his body. His right arm was brought up and swung down like an axe, crashing into Ledo's shoulder and eliciting a pained grunt from the knight as they staggered backwards. The dragon charged forwards, pulling his left arm back and swinging it up towards the chest of the retreating Servant.
Sigurd's knife slashed the wrist upwards, Kalameet staggered backwards only for Sigurd to turn in and bury his left knife in the spot beneath the Berserker's ribs. Kalameet responded by locking on Sigurd and swinging downwards, the knight once again ducked back and avoided the blow, back pedalling still as Kalameet gave chase with wild swings and slashes that were designed to do maximum damage.
With a roar, Kalameet launched himself into the air with a single beat of his wings.
Sigurd's head snapped up, watching the dragon arc through the air before their right leg caught fire and they dropped down, their intention clear as they aimed for him. With a quick boost, Sigurd jumped to the side and tackled Ledo to get the pair of them out of the way.
Kalameet smashed into the ground, the leg released an explosion of fire which washed over the pair and made Sigurd wince from the heat and the nature of the flames themselves.
"You almost convinced me!" Kalameet howled, whirling himself around to face Sigurd and slinging his left arm forwards, a jet of fire streamed forth from his palm in the direction of the knight. Gram manifested in his arms and he rapidly traced runes along the surface of the weapon. A pale barrier extended around both himself and Ledo as the flames hit, arcing around the shield and scorching the grounds around them.
The dragon advanced on them, snarling all the while "You had me believing we could be viewed as equals!" As he got close enough, he cut the flames out and brought his hands above his head, clasping them together and then swinging them down into the shield, the first strike cracking barrier like glass and straining Sigurd's face. "But it just isn't good enough is-"
His head whirled around, Gordin charged in with and swung his large greatsword up at the last second. The weapon slashed along Kalameet's side, spilling black blood onto the snow and staining it. With a snarl, the dragon spun around and attempted to land a back hand onto the knight. Gordin ducked down, dragging his hand through the snow and rapidly muttering under his breath as he did so before kicking off and into a roll to avoid a downwards punch.
The snow erupted with spears of ice, the primordial runes responding to the command of the chanter and spearing thin icicles into the gaps between the armour joints. Kalameet growled and ripped his legs free of the trap without even registering the pain. As he turned to face Gordin, something crashed into the back of his head.
Eyes widened as pain coursed through his body, he felt his balance go and was soon toppling over and landing face first in the snow. Dragging his head up, he managed to catch a glimpse of the Silver Knight landing in front of him and spinning back around with the giant hammer, the weapon heading straight towards his head.
Too slow to reach, Kalameet could do nothing but tank it. The blow snapped his head back and launched him from the ground and into the air, as he span through the sky he spread his wings wide in an attempt to control his flight, that plan quickly fell through as Sigurd leapt into the sky after him, positioning himself just above the dragon and rapidly punching the daggers down into his body.
Kalameet curled inwards as the knives buried themselves in his chest, snarling at them and then tracing his vision back up just in time to see Sigurd bring out the larger crystal greatsword. Every instinct in Kalameet screamed at him to not let that weapon so much as touch him. His hands exploded with fire, the momentum of the sudden propulsion hurled him away just as Sigurd punched the sword down.
The Berserker crashed into the snow a few metres away and rolled along the ground before righting himself, seeing the greatsword bury itself in the snow where he had originally been set to land. The daggers in his chest ripped themselves free and were drawn back to their owner, Sigurd felt the weapons clip onto his belt as he dropped to the ground and swiftly yanked his sword from its resting place.
"No more talk." Kalameet snarled as he flexed his arms, fire danced along his body as he advanced forwards, making sure to keep the others in his line of sight. "Oppose me, don't oppose me, it doesn't matter…I'm going to kill all of you!"
The eye on his forehead glowed, the air screamed.
Sigurd felt his entire body lock up, something taking hold of him as if grasped by phantom limbs. Then he felt his body shift and fatigue overwhelm him, the moment the pressure released him he staggered backwards.
Kalameet rocketed forwards much faster than he had been previously, his left arm pulled back in preparation for a downwards haymaker. Sigurd stared up at the approaching fist and willed his body to move, channelling power through his limbs and angling his body backwards. He pushed off the ground, watching as the fist just scraped past the tip of his nose and missed him.
He jerked Gram in his hands, pulling it upwards and aiming to slice through the over extended arm. Midway through the slash, he felt the sword suddenly lock in place, his eyes darted down to see the right hand tightly gripped around the blade of the sword, black blood already streaming down the surface where the sword had slashed into the palm.
Kalameet yanked Sigurd forwards with all his might, then swung his knee upwards into the knight's chest. Sigurd felt his body fold over the knee and his ribs break on impact, air was forced from his lungs in a single wheezing gasp soon followed by a stream of blood as he was launched away from the dragon and Gram ripped from his hands.
Even as he flew through the air, he called out with his senses. Gram pulled itself free from Kalameet's grasp, slashing open the hand and spilling more blood into the snow. The enemy Servant hissed and brought the hand up to stare at it before shifting their attention to the charging duo of Gordin and Ledo.
All the while he failed to notice the giant sabre tooth tiger shrouded in Darkness bounding towards him at full pelt.
AN: Yep.
Kalameet freaked the fuck out.
As you would imagine him to.
Also our second proper fight of the Singularity!
Anyway…
Ledo!
Ledo, Silver Knight
Servant: Berserker
Strength: A+
Endurance: B+
Agility: D
Mana: D
Luck: C
Noble Phantasm: B
Call to Stone: B (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 5
Hammer draws in stones and debris from its surroundings, strengthening the weapon before it is slammed into their opponent.
Class Skills:
Mad Enhancement: D
His reasoning and higher thinking remain very much intact. Were it not for the presence of the skill, he would very easily be mistaken for not being a
Berserker at all.
Except in combat, where he will become single mindedly focused on destroying his opponent, regardless of personal cost.
Magic Resistance: C
Divinity: D
Race of Lords, Although not as well known as Gwyn's Knights, he was still remarkably well known for a Silver Knight. His higher level of Divinity is proof of his more powerful Soul.
Personal Skills:
Miracles: D
Has the ability to use Low level lightning based miracles. However he has rarely used the skill due to preferring physical combat.
Mystic Slayer: C
Acquired through roaming distant lands and slaying many creatures of all walks of life.
Call to Adventure: A
Undaunted by new locations, he can quickly adapt to his surroundings.
Traversing across the lands he visits is simple. As long as it is recognised as a mode of Transport, he can use it.
Friend of the Giants: B+
A good friend to many giants throughout the lands, can briefly enhance his endurance as proof of this bond.
Eccentricity in spades: C++
Ledo is one for eccentricity, therefore he will occasionally get flashes of ideas that are nothing short of horrifyingly insane. However, if something is stupid but it works can it really be called stupid?
Summoning
"I am Ledo, Wandering Silver Knight and Berserker Class Servant…Wait…Berserker? I'm not crazy."
Dialogue 1
"I've been to a few human cities in my time but they weren't like this. Hm? It's not a human city? Oh…That makes sense. This is a village, isn't it!"
Dialogue 2
"Master and Servant? I guess…I just went around and did my own thing whenever I wanted to do it. The other Silver Knights kind of thought I was a weirdo though. Where was I? Ah, right…um…Yeah. I'll be there to help you out."
Dialogue 3
"I have to be a little delicate sometimes, some of the stuff around here breaks easily. Really easily actually…maybe you should work on getting it made more sturdy?"
Dialogue 4 (If you have Arkon)
"Arkon? Arkon! It's me! It's Ledo! You remember me, right? I know you do-...Did you just spit on me? Huh? 'A false knight and a filthy traitor'? That's a little harsh, isn't it?"
Dialogue 5 (If you have Arkon [ After completing Arkon Interlude]
"...I guess it makes sense why he doesn't like me all that much. I did sort of wander off before the war against the Demons but I was never called up for it anyway. I would have come back if I had been but…no one really stopped me from leaving. It's too late to think about what would and could have been…I think a bit of him died in Izalith and he's just going through the motions now…After Lord Gwyn died, I still had my adventures to go on…I'm not sure what everyone else had…"
Dialogue 6 (If you have Siefer)
"Yeah, I know about Captain Siefer. He was in command of the New Londo patrol…at least before it…well…Actually, I think he was the one who set fire to the lower quarters of the city. Huh…well, he was an alright kind of guy. Less uptight than Captain Arkon but still a bit tense. Maybe I should invite him out for a drink?"
Dialogue 7 (If you have Astolfo)
"It's like having a like minded soul about. We both just do whatever we feel like and go on adventures! Huh? What's with that horrified face you have on?"
Dialogue 8 (If you have Roland)
"I mean…I like doing whatever I want but that seems a little much, doesn't it? Well…I guess if he wants to go butt naked-no, no way. There's got to be a limit!"
Dialogue 9 (If you have Havel)
"Havel? It's me, Ledo! Hahaha! You can tell he's happy because he only gave a single grunt before he turned away! Don't worry, he's always like this. Still. Havel never liked mages and you're a mage…He must really like you if you aren't dead yet!"
Dialogue 10 (If you have Nameless King)
"...I mean, there's doing your own thing and then there's that. I don't get it but maybe I'm not supposed to get it? I might have walked out of Anor Londo, but I never once betrayed my oath as a Silver Knight."
Dialogue 11 (If you have Quetzalcoatl)
"She's really cheerful, isn't she? A Goddess of the Sun…I like her!"
Dialogue 12 (If you have Kalameet)
"...We didn't really think about anything when we got told to kill the Dragons. It's like a reflex when the Gods tell you to do something. You just do it and don't think about it. In the first place, they were the Gods and I was me…How am I supposed to say what should and shouldn't be done? He can hate me if he wants though…I think he's allowed that much."
Dialogue 13 (If you have Any of the Four Knights)
"Wow! The Four Knights of Lord Gwyn! They're really famous, I mean, I'm famous too but that's just because I was a Silver Knight that walked around the world! They're really famous."
Likes
"Things I like? I mean, I just like doing whatever I want. Well…I like things not being too complicated, if you get what I mean. I went on adventures, saw new things, did some little quests and then left. It was exciting!"
Hates
"I'm not like Arkon and Siefer so I can't do complicated stuff…Being tied down to one spot for too long is also…I mean, don't get me wrong! I'm not about to leave Chaldea because you're not expecting me to stand guard here for the next five hundred years, right?"
Wish for the Holy Grail
"A wish? I'd like to go on a really long adventure, one with loads of twists and turns and a bunch of exciting stuff! Which…huh…actually, I don't think I need a Wish granter for that right now, do I?"
Bond Level 1
"This is pretty exciting stuff isn't it? Well…It's definitely not boring!"
Bond Level 2
"Hey, are you having fun? That's one of the most important parts of a quest. If only one person is having fun, then it's not a good quest. You are? That's great!"
Bond Level 3
"There are some times in quests where you have to take a little break and relax, I love excitement but don't forget to go easy on yourself. You're only human."
Bond Level 4
"I've had loads of different types of friends before, Lordkin, human, giant…I actually made friends with a Demon once. That was…um…really weird, now that I remember it. Anyway, point is that I'm happy to call you a friend."
Bond Level 5
"Hey…when this adventure is over? I think we're both due a nice long rest. That sound good to you? It sounds good to me…Heh. I'm always the eccentric silver knight…but I can take some time out of my day for a little rest."
Birthday
"I know this one! I've helped celebrate loads of birthdays before! Easy! It involved a sword and-wait, wrong Kingdom, no wait! I need a horse, a jar of honey and a spear! We're also going to need to find an old shirt and a torch."
During an Event
"This has all the makings of being a very good adventure!"
1st Ascension
"...Was something supposed to happen? You're giving me this expectant look?"
2nd Ascension
"Hey, is my cape a little cleaner than it was before? Huh…I think so. I think my armour is shinier as wel-you're still giving me this disappointed look!"
3rd Ascension
"I'm supposed to change my outfit? Oh…ooooh! I think I did that once but I didn't really stick all that well. I sort of chucked it…I wonder what happened to that anyway?"
4th Ascension
"Tell you what, If I ever have the time I'll see about making up the set of armour for you. Just so I can change into it, altering my outfit seems to be something I can do every now and again, right?"