Chapter 148: That which the past buries.
Steel screamed as it struck steel, flames flowed like water and bodies raged like storms.
Sulyvahn fought with furious precision, every strike spoke of his long experience with a sword and more than matched the calm nature of his two opponents with his rage. His body twisted and turned between the two combatants in front of him, a parry turned into a thrust, a block turned to a shove.
Every move Sulyvahn threw brought with it the long held anger of a man who had long since buried his feelings of the land. Whether either of his attackers could tell his true feelings did not matter in the least. All he cared for was killing them both and leaving their bodies here to rot with the filth they so fervently protected.
A blur flew in from his right side, he swung his burning sword up and crashed the hilt of the weapon into the visor of Vilhelm. The knight staggered back, Sulyvahn turned his attention onto his next attacker and swung down, forcing the rapier to ground as he brought his longsword forwards, he jerked his arm back and stuck the Corvian in the gut with the pommel.
A pained grunt flew from the beak, turning to a wheeze as Sulyvahn brought his body around and shoulder barged the thinner knight to the side. Despite their superior size, Sulyvahn more than matched them in sheer weight and power. The Corvians had always prided themselves on their speed rather than their endurance after all. A lesson Sulyvahn knew very well.
He turned once more, the black sword fell upon his orange one and grinded against it. Fire raged against fire for dominance in the clash. Sulyvahn pulled his arm to the side, dragging with it both swords, thrusting the glowing weapon forwards and towards the head of Vilhelm. The left hand was brought up, the tip of the sword angled away as it struck the luminescent crimson barrier of the knight.
Vilhelm swung the sword back around, forcing Sulyvahn into a sidestep to avoid being caught with the return swing. He advanced forwards and brought the sword up, the tip of the weapon just catching against the snow and melting a thin line through the pristine surface from the heat, the weapon steamed before it parted from the floor and rose up to the Pontiff.
Sulyvahn reversed his grip on the burning sword, angling it down and catching the uppercut with his blade. The longsword came up on his left side with the flat facing upwards, the rapier of Dolion struck it with a clang. The knight already thrusting the daggers towards his gut. The birch wings on his back creaked, his body willed them to move as he shot away from the pair like an arrow, kicking up a cloud of ice and snow as he gained distance.
With a snarl he swung his glowing sword down as he retreated, light rushed forth from the blade in an arc of violet light, the projectile rushed towards the pair who parted from one another and let the light fly by them without impact. Dolion reacted first, throwing forth four knives towards the Pontiff as he hit the snow, the flat of the larger sword was brought up as a shield, the knives struck the surface and bounced off with a ting.
Vilhelm charged him, closing the distance and thrusting towards him, Sulyvahn lashed out in return. Their weapons crashed into each other once more with enough force to render the storm silent around them, the air parted and allowed them to see one another without the blizzard consuming their sight. Time froze, the moment of the clash hung in the air like a picture for a split second.
The air rushed back, they moved like lightning.
Each clash brought with it another thunderous roar of steel, another crack of air and another parting of the storm in their wake. Even through the blizzard or perhaps in spite of the blizzard, their battle reigned supreme in that very moment.
Sulyvahn twisted his body, sweeping his burning sword up and forcing Vilhelm to backstep in order to avoid the attack. The rising slash turned to a thrust aimed at the sky, flames screamed as they flew from the sword towards the outline of Dolion leaping through the skies towards the Pontiff.
In a display of acrobatics that put him well above his peers, the Corvian twisted his body like a corkscrew and allowed the stream of fire to pass right beneath him. As he moved, his left hand flew out and hurled forth another barrage of knives towards the Caster.
The flames from Sulyvahn's sword died, he would have retreated once more if Vilhelm hadn't rushed in at the exact moment the knives had been thrown. The reaction of the Caster was quick, the thrust aimed at his gut was parried to the side but the grunt of pain had already left his throat as the two of the four quill daggers struck home, one in his left shoulder and the other in his hip.
Dolion's feet touched the ground with nary a sound to be heard, the body of the Corvian tightened up as though like a spring. The sword brought up and aimed directly towards the Caster.
A beat.
Dolion launched his body forwards, his sword arm spearing towards the Caster.
Sulyvahn pushed Vilhelm aside, bringing his left blade down in a wide reaching swing to cut the Corvian in half. The bird man instantly ducked his body before the swing had even come to within a foot of him, the sword came to the midpoint of the swing as the knight leaned their body back at an impossible angle.
Too late, Sulyvahn realised the trap as the legs of the Corvian flew upwards, the knight performing a backflip and kicking him in the wrist with their taloned feet. Sulyvahn was forced into a step backwards, tightening his grip on his sword to avoid losing hold of it even as his arm was forcefully raised into the sky.
As Dolion flipped, his left hand flew forth once more, the knives rocketed towards his body at impossible speeds at near point blank range.
Vilhelm came up behind him, already swinging down towards his body.
Sulyvahn willed his mana to act, the indigo shade flew from his front, the knives slammed into its ethereal body and forced a ghostly wail from its mouth. He turned aboutface, sweeping the burning sword up in a reverse motion, catching Vilhelm off guard by the suddenness of the attack and forcing him to turn his attack into a hasty defence.
The strike met black steel, the weapons ground against one another for less than a second before Sulyvahn forced Vilhelm skywards. The knight moved through the air like a brick, his body remaining upright as though he still stood upon the ground even as he fell back to the ground some distance from them.
Dolion parried aside the slower shade, though he had Sulyvahn's skill he lacked both the speed and the power of the Servant. Though it was to be expected from a mere fake crafted from magics.
A grunt left the beak of the Corvian, twisting their body to avoid a thrust and responding with a spearing strike of their own, the shade stumbled as he forced the blade of his sword through their side, around the location of their ribs and twisted it. A burning sword speared through the back of the shade, dissipating it, and moving directly towards the head of the Corvian.
Dolion widened his eyes as Sulyvahn's body followed through, destroying his own construct the moment he saw the chance to land a blow on the knight. Dolion turned his body as fast as he could, though he remained too close to avoid it completely he remained fast enough that he did not lose his head. A pained hiss flew from his throat, turning his body further still as pain lanced through his left shoulder, the burning sword piercing through his thin armour and slicing across the ragged fabric cape he wore.
The knight fell into a roll, moving through the snow and kicking off the ground to gain more distance, the attack had occurred in less than a second and Sulyvahn was upon him just as swiftly, the Pontiff using his wings to accelerate his movements as he did so, both swords coming in from opposite sides to the arms in a scissor like motion.
Dolion threw his right arm forwards in a punch, a grinding noise met his ears as the handle of his sword struck the point where both blades met and stopped their momentum just before they could split him in half. Sulyvahn took a half step forwards and forced his knees into a low crouch, bringing the two of them to eye height as the weapons of the Caster brightened with their colours.
The Corvian became acutely aware of the burning heat of the huge greatsword on one side and the oncoming chill from the glowing sword on the opposite side. His confusion only grew, surely the Sapling was aware that he was immune to such things as the cold, his talent for cryomancy would avail him very little in an engagement such as this-
The swords hissed, ice covered the glowing sword instantly while the fire of the burning sword intensified ten fold. The point at which they connected - the point at which Dolion's fist was located - suddenly shifted and screeched as the air around it wobbled for a split second.
The ice of the sword shattered, Dolion felt as though his entire body had just been set on fire as a wave of steam rushed over his body, the Corvian fell backwards as pain lanced through his face, his eyes shut themselves tight in an effort to keep the burning from his eyes.
Sulyvahn looked down at the screeching Corvian, he himself only feeling mild discomfort at the result. A very curious thing that happened when the extreme heat of the profaned flame met the soul chilling cold of Ariandel. Who would have imagined steam being turned to a weapon?
Not that the effects could be argued with.
He took a step forwards, raising his burning sword up in preparation to deliver the killing blow.
A crunch of snow met his ears, he whirled around expecting to see Vilhelm rushing him. His attack stopped dead in its tracks as suspicion overtook his mind, he could see no trace of anyone behind him. Yet it had been the unmistakable sound of someone moving through the snow that had met his ears.
Unless…
His sword ignited with brighter flames, swinging the weapon around himself in an arc. The circle of fire rolled away from his body, sweeping over the snow to pinpoint any foe that might have rendered themselves invisible. They might well have hidden their bodies from senses, but they could not hide themselves from the effects of battle.
Invisibility wasn't all it was truly worth at the end of the way if the most observant warriors could work around it.
He saw it, the moment the flames parted as they struck something standing in the snow. He turned his body and thrust towards the silhouette. The flames moved as the now burning individual turned their body, yet not a cry of pain rang through the air. As though the flames had little effect on them. Though he very much doubted they could withstand the kiss of steel.
The snow parted, something not quite visible dragged through the layer with far more weight than he was expecting. His sword was parried to the side, his arms shook as they were thrown wide and he was forced into a step backwards, his brows rose up his forehead as he watched the shape slowly turn opaque.
Sure enough, a long scythe manifested in the grasp of his latest attacker, the figure taking half a step forwards to chase down the falling Caster and poised to strike him down. The eyes of the attacker locked onto him.
Then they glowed a brilliant shade of blue, Sulyvahn felt as though he would die in the very next moment, the scythe already moving towards his body.
All that he could think of-
All he could say-
"You're not Friede-"
It was an almost stupid thing for him to speak aloud, but he couldn't help it. After all, how could he have expected anyone else to exist in this world aside from her?
A single figure walks through the ruins of a city, through the decay of the world.
He kills…
He kills…
He kills…
Everyone and everything that stands before him is cut down without hesitation, it is all for the good of the world…
Or is it?
His mind remains full of turmoil, the land of ice and snow haunts him still.
The words of those who lived in the world of rot.
"When the world rots, we set it afire. For the sake of the next world. It's the one thing we do right, unlike those fools on the outside."
Those fools on the outside?
He doesn't know if they refer to anyone specific, but they resonate with him.
The fire that is linked time and time again, the world which burns again and again, the world he will die for…
How many times has this been done before?
How many more times will it be done?
This path he has walked, of blood and death, for how many others will this path be placed at their feet?
A world of repetition, again and again…
Why am I doing this?
Why am I fighting for this?
It's a land of rot, just as the painted world?
A land of the listless and forgotten…
They walk the land still, searching for something…he doesn't know what it is.
He doesn't know much of anything, he realises to himself.
All those souls he has slain, all those lives he has cut short.
Is this what the fate of the world is to remain forever?
"So, please, grant us one wish. Make the tales true, and burn this world away. My Lady must see flame, and you have only to show her."
Flame? But it is a fire that will consume this world. You will all die if such a thing comes to pass…so then why do you do that? Is it not life you desire instead?
Why would you subject yourself to death?
What is the reason you do this?
"Surely you've seen the rot that afflicts this world. But that witch fooled the good Father, and buried the flame. After we had all made up our minds, too."
You know what this will do and you accept it?
For the sake of people who you will never meet?
How then is that different for the land I shall create with my death?
But…it sounds different…
The world on the outside…Is it so wrong?
I've seen it, the rot…
Why is the world like this? Why does this happen again and again?
Is there something else that can be done?
Have we really…gone so far astray?
I don't understand.
I just…don't understand.
But this world wants to die, they claim it their duty to die. I can see peace in their eyes, I see determination.
He knows what he says, but he's fine with it because it is his duty.
Ah…So that's how it is.
Duty can really give such clarity?
…I'm jealous of that.
He's free of doubt.
The more I see the world…
The more I wonder…
…Why am I bothering to save it in the first place?
The house was warm as they entered it, though neither himself nor Nobunaga had spoken a word as they made the journey. There would have been time enough for questions at a late date. That aside, Lancer had mentioned that he had other allies to speak of that would also likely wish to meet with them.
"You've done well enough, haven't you?" Nobunaga asked as she entered the home, glancing around with a raised eyebrow before returning her focus towards the back of the tall knight. The man didn't respond for a moment, something with puzzled Ash for a brief second before he recalled that there wasn't much that could really be a response to the question.
"I confess that it has not been my doing in warming this house." Lancer replied after a moment, turning back around to face the two of them, a troubled frown coming upon his features as he spoke. Ash tilted his head to the side ever so slightly to demonstrate his confusion, the white haired man - while not seeing his face - clearly noted it judging by the small crack in his features. "It is a situation that is not easily explained and-"
Ash sensed something, he hadn't felt it when he had been outside but when he walked into the room it might as well have spat in his face. The heat of these flames was something that he could not easily forget, nor could he ever mistake the familiarity of this sensation for anything else. "...A Chaos Demon?"
Lancer stilled, now giving Ash his full attention and his lips curling down for a few moment. "Though you might well have some experience with his kind, I would ask that you refrain from doing anything rash." the expression shifted into something more pleading "I do not ask for much, we are all allies in this situation and it would not do to sow discord amongst our already thin ranks."
Nobunaga glanced between the two of them for a few moments, then shrugged her shoulders uncaringly. "I don't care if he's Satan himself, as long as he's keeping this house warm and has no interest in killing me, then I will have no concerns to raise." She paused for a moment. "Though if they are a Servant, the question of their use beyond a radiator now springs to my mind."
Lancer briefly glared at her "...I shall ignore that remark as you are not familiar with their circumstances, though I would ask you refrain from making such comments after you meet with them." his eyes returned to Ash "I would insist most heavily upon it."
Ash merely shrugged his shoulders "I am not one to so casually trade insults with those who have not earned them." Lancer gave him an odd look for a moment before quickly shaking his head from side to side and turning back towards the house, moving across the empty living room towards the far corner of the back room and around the corner.
The duo waited for a moment before following after him, Ash noted that the temperature rose with each step he took in the direction of the heat. Beyond it, he could almost hear a hissing sound of water growing louder and louder, he briefly looked down to Nobunaga and saw a look of intrigue upon her face, something that indicated he was not alone in hearing these new sounds.
Stepping around the corner, Ash moved through to what he assumed would have been a bedroom, then paused as he stared at the figure sat in the corner of the room. In an old rusted basin - a metre in diameter and at least half a metre in depth - was a child. Reddish skinned to show that they had been exposed to high degrees of head, a faint tinge of amber to his eyes and messy white hair. Though what took up most of Ash's attention was the restrained look of agony upon the young boy's face.
"What the heck?" Nobunaga was less restrained with her commentary, doing a double take at what looked like a ten year old child sitting in burning water if the steam pouring out of the bowl was any indication. The Archer whirled her head in the direction of Lancer and raised her brows at him, watching as he tipped in another bowl full of snow into the bath with a restrained expression.
"I am sorry for leaving you." Lancer apologised to the young child, sighing quietly to himself and thudding his spear into the ground for a moment. Closing his eyes, both Ash and Nobunaga felt a brief wave of something wash over their bodies, the spear twinkling with faint traces of golden light as the effect spread through the whole room.
The face of the young boy visibly soothed, he fell back with a thud and coughed out twice. "Thank you…"
Lancer paused for a moment, his brows tightening ever so slightly "My actions are only a stopgap measure, each time I leave-"
"And each time you return…the pain leaves me." The boy assured him with his eyes closed, a smile playing upon his lips that was nothing short of euphoric. "For those brief moments, that is more than enough for me to be thankful. Lancer." the amber eyes opened once more and flickered in the direction of both Ash and Nobunaga, confusion flashed through them. "Are these the ones you went out to find?"
"In part." Lancer responded with a nod of the head to the young man, then turned his body to face both Ash and Nobunaga once more. "Though there are fewer than I expected." he paused for a moment, a thoughtful look coming upon his face as he considered something. "I shall assume that you did arrive here with a greater force and have since been separated on account of the storm?"
Neither Ash nor Nobunaga replied to him, though the man had come to their aid Ash was still somewhat dubious as to whether he could consider the man an ally. The nature of that spear was flooding his senses with all manner of warnings, it felt as though it was a divine weapon but at the same time there was something about it that was wrong.
Though he couldn't comment upon the reasons of Nobunaga, he suspected it was because she was similarly dubious about the true allegiance of the man.
Lancer glanced between the two of them before he thinned his lips. "Ah, yes. I suppose it would not make much sense to reveal such information to a recently encountered stranger." he reasoned with a nod of the head "Though I did come to your aid, good will can only take one so far." With that said, he looked between the two of them. "If I were to reveal my true name to you, would that encourage a greater degree of trust within me?"
Nobunaga crossed her arms over her chest, the cloak of the Millwood parted slightly as she made the movement. Red eyes narrowed before glancing up at him for a moment, then returning to the white haired Lancer. "It would most certainly be something to encourage a discussion. The young boy?"
"That is to his own discretion." Lancer responded with "I cannot force-"
"It's fine, Lancer…" The boy sighed out, hissing quietly under his breath as he adjusted himself and faced both Ash and Nobunaga, fighting back a pained grimace upon his face and each word sounding as though it was being pulled from his lungs with no small amount of roughness. "I can…" A cough sounded out from the boy, bright red flakes of light fell from his mouth and into the water below, almost immediately the steam coming from beneath the boy intensified with a violent hiss of boiling water sounding out through the room.
"...Did you just cough up lava?" Nobunaga asked with a mixture of shock and amazement.
Lancer sent her a look that let her know just what he thought about that comment.
"P-probably…" The coughing of the young boy died down, now breathing heavily as he pulled air into his body. "Don't worry, it's usually worse than…than this."
"Right…if you say so." Nobunaga voiced back with an odd tone, looking the boy up and down before she glanced up towards Ash in a questioning manner, he responded the only way he really knew how to in this situation.
He just shrugged at her.
"My name is…Quelan." He forced the words from his lips, hoping to appear as cordial as possible and it certainly looked an improvement from his previous attempts. Although the name did not register to him for a few moments, beyond being similar enough to the Goddess Quelana and the Chaos Witch Quelaag he had met in Rome. Perhaps there was some sort of connection? It seemed rather obvious when he considered the boy in front of him had the same feeling as a Chaos Demon.
"Son of the witch Izalith." He finished the sentence, all but confirming in Ash's mind who he was and instantly putting him on alert. His eyes narrowed behind his helmet on the boy as he looked him over. He was a far cry from what Quelaag had been, looking as though he was in constant pain and with the continued pouring of what seemed to be burning liquid from his mouth.
As if on cue, a small boil on his right shoulder split and more of the glowing ooze slid down his body and dropped into the water, producing another hiss.
"...Son?" Ash voiced instead, frowning now at the boy. "I know of no children. To my knowledge Izalith was home of the Witches."
The child let out a huff, leaning back and closing his eyes. Not at all looking surprised by the answer he received from the Saber. Evidently the boy was aware of his own lack of a legend surrounding him, all the same the presence of a Chaos Demon was not something to be ignored in any capacity. Even if he bore the appearance of a child, any spawn of the original Witch of Izalith was not someone who could be underestimated, especially with the heat that radiated off his body in droves.
And that was with Lancer actively attempting to stifle it, one could only imagine how hot the boy would burn if the efforts to smother him ceased.
"Don't worry…about it…" Quelan swallowed and bit back a sardonic chuckle "I'm not that impressive…compared to my sisters."
Lancer stared at the boy for a moment longer, then drifted his eyes towards both Ash and Nobunaga. "I shall follow suit then, it would not do for a knight to remain silent while a boy displays more bravery than him." He smiled at his own comment, bowing his head slightly. "I am Sir Percival, Knight of the Round Table."
The Round Table?
"Like Gareth?"
That brought a blink from the man "Well, certainly. Though I am surprised you brought her up first and without the formalities behind it…" He frowned in thought, glancing between the two of them "Unless…Your tone belies a sense of familiarity with her. Mayhaps she has also been summoned as a Servant?"
"...Yes."
Percival smiled "That is wonderful news to hear, I'm eager to see how much she has improved…Ah, well…I suppose I wasn't there when…" He closed his eyes, shaking his head from side to side. "Nevermind about that right now. Is she here with you?"
"No. She remained in Chaldea." Percival made an effort to not let his disappointment show, though the effort failed judging by the discouragement in his face.
"Is that so? That is regrettable to hear. A friendly face would have been something most welcome, but I can settle for new allies." He replied, quickly finding his momentum once more. "Has that offered you some manner of trust in me?"
"I suppose I can offer you a token of respect for so willingly revealing your true names to me." Nobunaga declared with a confident tone of voice, crossing her arms over her chest and puffing it out, a smug aura projecting from the shorter woman. "Behold-!" she spread her arms wide "I am The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Oda Nobunaga!"
Quelan bit back a laugh, Percival just blinked at her.
"Oi." Nobunaga frowned "What is with those lacklustre reactions of yours? Don't you know why is standing right in front of you?" she almost glared at the two Servants opposite her, for one Percivals expression didn't change much beyond raising a curious eyebrow at her. A far cry from the reaction of Quelan who held a hand over his mouth and started to cough, either a result of holding back his laughter or because he was trying to laugh. "You think me a jester of sorts?"
"I-it's not that." Quelan raised his other hand to assure her, still coughing into his right palm, flakes of glowing light rushed out from between his lips and blew through the gap where his hand did not quite meet his lips. "It's just that…I wasn't expecting a human to call themselves a Demon King…I was a little…" he heaved "A little surprised is all…"
"Hmph. I do not need something as foolish as horns or a mangled face to inspire fear into my enemies." She announced with a frown "My actions speak for themselves in combat, as I am sure the Knight can attest to, if he is now as familiar with my legend as I am now with his."
Percival just sighed and shook his head "I can attest to her claims at being competent at the very least, if her history as a commander is any indication." he then narrowed his eyes slightly "And some of her acts might well have earned her the moniker of 'Demon' for their brutality."
"Everyone deserved what I did to them, both good and bad."
"Hmmm. I suppose I am in no position to judge, having seen several such actions in the past…though I cannot claim to support them any more now than I did then." Shaking his head, he continued on with his sentence "Though that does not take precedence of this moment. Right now we should be working on linking up with the other allies you speak of…if there are any others?
"There are." Ash confirmed with a nod of the head, evidently they had found some manner of ground with the Servants in order to facilitate good relations with them. That was fortunate enough, he didn't know the capabilities of the knight in front of him but he could tell that both Percival and his spear were rather powerful. "I am Ash of Lothric."
Neither looked as though they recognised the name.
Perhaps they needed more information.
"It came after the fall of Lordran."
"I know…what Lothric is." Quelan explained with a wave of his hand "But I do not know anyone…by the name of Ash…"
"I am recent."
"Alright…"
"Very well then." Percival nodded to Ash, flashing him a brief smile before his lips straightened out once more. "Now that is dealt with, we can continue on with our earlier conversation. I assume you to be split apart from your allies, yes?"
"We are." Ash nodded his head in response "Seven arrived total, including our Master. It has been some time since we have last heard from him and there has been no attempt to make contact via the link, though our anchor in this world remains stable still. At the very least it confirms he is still alive, though I am unsure why he has not used his command seals to summon either of us."
Percival thinned his lips "So I see." his left hand moved to his chin, pinching it between his fingers "The situation is far more grim than I had been expecting, though I can at least inform you as to what I have been able to deduce as of yet." he looked between the pair "I shall assume that you have seen some of the people that slumber in this land?"
Nobunaga nodded her head, "Yeah. Most likely an effect of the Reality Marble we're in." her tone was casual, as though there was no real importance in her words and she was merely stating what she thought was already known.
Ash didn't know this, she hadn't so much as mentioned it to him so far. Judging by the looks of surprise on the faces of both Percival and Quelan, they didn't know it either. The three of them turned their full attention onto the Archer as she glanced around the room in what appeared to be boredom. She paused, likely feeling their stares weighted upon her, and soon turned her attention to the room and jolted.
"What?"
"A Reality Marble?" Percival frowned "Are you certain of this?"
"Considering I own one." Nobunaga scoffed, shaking her head from side to side "I would imagine I could inform you as to the existence of one. This one bears all the signs of having someone else influence the environment. Not like my own, this is far more subtle tactics." the Archer narrowed her eyes. "We're dealing with quite the schemer, it seems. Someone who appears to prefer to wait and hunt rather than crush their foes with overwhelming force."
A thought came to Ash "The knight we fought earlier?"
"Him?" Nobunaga raised an eyebrow, frowning up at Ash as though he had said something stupid. "What manner of fool Servant would perform such a pitiful battle inside their own domain? Consider the fact the moment he was outnumbered he turned and ran. Not to mention that you fought him on equal footing." she pointed down "A Reality Marble is the very world that you lay bare, within it you are the ultimate force. If you're fighting someone and need to call in an oversized sparrow to try and win a fight, then you're not doing it right."
She turned from him "Besides, the style of confrontation was all wrong. Though the knight did ambush us, his armour denoted him as being someone who can just as easily fight in frontal engagements." she paused for a moment "Though we cannot dismiss anything just yet, though the Servant was still far too weak - in my assessment - to be the owner of this Reality Marble."
"I have had several dealings with them." Percival announced "Most encounters were benign, I would hail him from a short distance and he would ignore me." He frowned "That was our first encounter, at first I believed him to be a Servant who had been brought here along with me and was merely being cautious. I did not see him again for some time after that. Since that point, I would occasionally see their shadow moving above the city through the storm. Our second encounter was when we came to blows. I asked if he was friend or foe and he responded with an attack."
"If it was anything like how you encountered us, it must have been a short duel." Nobunaga grunted with a hint of mirth to her face.
Percival responded with a blank stare "...Yes, quite." he looked back to Ash "Our most recent encounter…well, you can attest to that one. I heard the sound of battle and rushed to investigate, where I found both you and Nobunaga here engaged in battle with the Servant and his mount. I assume them to be a Rider of some variety, judging by the eagle."
"That would be my own guess." Nobunaga responded, then a bloodthirsty grin came upon her lips. "It works well enough to my advantage."
Ash noticed the slight hint of confusion upon Quelan's face and the glimmer of intrigue upon Percival. "She has an advantage over Rider class Servants. Something related to her Noble Phantasm."
"Ah." Percival made a face of understanding "Then again, when one considers her legend that makes more than enough sense. I suppose you would require a clear shot in order to deal with them?"
Nobunaga waved her hand as an answer.
"I shall take that for a yes." Percival announced "We can continue on our way to our destination."
Ash blinked "You were travelling somewhere?"
"Yes." Percival nodded his head "I have spent my time here performing regular scouting expeditions to certain places. Though the layout has changed overtime, the size of the city has been steadily decreasing and some of the architecture has been changing." That sounded rather concerning to Ash, then Percival looked to Nobunaga. "Though that mystery has now been answered thanks to your revelation. If this is a Reality Marble as you claim…"
He sighed "Merlin would have been a better source of information to explain such things, as it stands my knowledge is truly limited to the point of being non-existent. All I have been instructed with is a simple definition provided by the summoning, everything else remains blank for me." A troubled look came upon his face, then shifting into something a touch more hopeful. "I do not suppose you have more information on them beyond what you have already provided?"
"Everyone's Reality Marble operates differently." Nobunaga dismissed quickly "What applies to me would most certainly not apply here. Though the generation of a city is perhaps where our similarities begin and end, suffice to say this land is pretty much the exact opposite to mine." she paused as she took note of something else, "You mentioned that the structures and layout of the city was changing."
"Landscape as well." Percival replied with a frown "Crevices have been forming where none existed in the past, some so rapidly that I very nearly fell into one had I not jumped back. Parts of the city have split apart and risen higher as though mountains now grow like flowers. The terrain remains much the same though, the strange cold that permeates the city…but at its current rate, I fear that it won't be long before the entire city is torn apart and replaced with these ruined plains."
"Hmmm. It would appear the owner is exerting their influence upon this world." Nobunaga hummed with a curious voice. "Yet it is a slow process, as you say, which is a rather curious thing to describe. More than that…why go through the trouble of constructing a copy of a city. A conundrum, it seems." she stated, lowering her hands to her side and turning to Percival with a stern face "You claimed to be going somewhere?"
"You are not the first Servants I have encountered here. There are other groups that were dotted around the city…though it has been a full day since I last saw them and considering the rate at which this city changes, there are any number of disasters that could have befallen them in that time frame."
Quelan gave a pained wheeze "And here I thought to be…the cynical one."
"I believe it is the responsibility of a knight to take up the burdens of the masses, is it not?" Percival replied without missing a beat, his lip tilted up in a show of amusement. Something which brought another snort to the red skinned boy.
"Heh…I suppose."
"I shall assume you were taking the boy to your allies?" Ash asked as he stared down at the child, he was still dubious about them but the longer he stared, the more he found their existence to be something pitiable. That wasn't to truly say he cared about the wellbeing of the Chaos Demon. In truth, he didn't think much about seeing their condition in the least, though that was just him. He couldn't imagine them making much in the way of speed with their body like that.
"I was, yes." Percival nodded his head "There were several already gathered there when I had last visited, one of which was a healing Servant who could provide more aid than even I am capable of with this spear." he made a show of thudding the weapon against the floorboards as he spoke. "The protection of the Spirit has also enabled them to maintain a stronghold there…I had been coming back to grab Quelan and take him there for sanctuary but the storm picked up before I could make the journey."
Ash frowned "There was a time where the storm was not as bad as this?"
"These storms normally last for at least a half day." Percival replied "From what I have seen, they are accompanied by the shrinking of the city and the encroaching of the ruined landscape. I have noticed that they are slowly becoming more frequent, though the cause remains unknown to me at the moment, I am afraid."
"Whatever the case, we have learned something important in regard to the storm's nature." Nobunaga declared with a stern tone of voice, her hands resting on her hips as she looked back through the hallway to the way they had come. Ash watched as she thinned her lips, brows furrowing slightly in thought for a moment before her expression tapered out into a mask. "You claim these are temporary, yes?"
"For the most part, by my reckoning there is not much time left on this one." Percival informed her "I had been looking for a safe path to carry Berserker through when I happened upon the two of you. Taking the main roads is often dangerous and while I can certainly handle myself in regards to the bird men that stalk the street-"
"Corvians." Ash corrected, his lips being drawn into a frown behind his helmet. His speaking earned him the attention of those in the room and - for whatever reason - a grimace from Quelan as though he knew what he was talking about. Something that Ash quickly dismissed, there was little reason for one of the Chaos ilk to know anything about the Corvian people. "That is their race, the crow men who served Friede and Ariandel as their enforcers."
"At the very least, I know what to call them now." Percival commented with an idle curiosity before shaking his head. "Though I am unsure if you have encountered them yourself yet, I would assume that you have given as though you are familiar with their names…and Friede?" his brows furrowed as he spoke the latter part of the sentence. "Was she their leader?"
Ash paused, thinking about how best to explain it. By his own reckoning, the Corvains regarded Friede to be as much some manner of divine messenger or Goddess rather than simply a Sister of the Sable Church, former or otherwise. As for Ariandel…that was a different matter entirely, all Corvians had spoken to him with grace and reverence but he remained a priest of sorts.
"They acted on her behalf." Was the answer he decided upon "Therefore it would not be wrong to call her their leader, though she herself was certainly an opponent to be concerned about if she entered combat." a grimace came upon his face at the memory of her. The many times he had died by virtue of those twin scythes tearing his throat asunder. "If the Corvians are here, then it might well be safe to assume that Friede is here as well. Which would explain our current predicament quite well."
"Hmmm. I see." The knight nodded his head up and down in understanding "It is fortunate enough that you are with us then, else we might never have come to a conclusion as to the identity of our foe." That said, he continued on "The Corvian's themselves are not especially challenging opponents when fought individually, I assume them to be a summons of sorts, but they rarely attack alone. Fighting groups is something I can do easily enough by myself but travelling with Berserker in tow and with his current inability to fight…"
"So he's just dead weight?" Nobunaga made a noise of displeasure as she glanced down at the Berserker currently sitting in a bathtub. "Can you actually do anything beyond heating a room?"
Quelan huffed "I'm a child of Izalith…I might not be an equal of my sisters, but I can still cast flame Sorceries."
"So you're not totally worthless then, excellent." She nodded her head in satisfaction and ignored the look she garnered from Percival at her words. "Berserker as well? You seem rather sane for one who inhabits the class of the exact opposite?"
"...It's linked to my Noble Phantasm." Quelan explained with a moment of hesitation "It's…not something that should be used." a pause "For any reason other than the most dire. If it were to be used, I would become a foe to all…even my allies."
"One of those types, eh?" Nobunaga reached up and rubbed her chin, giving the young boy a critical look before she shrugged and seemingly dismissed him from her mind. "Are the Corvians active outside of the storm as well?"
"Yes." Percival nodded his head "Though it remains safer to travel outside the storm for the most part as well. Though I might be visible to them, they are just as visible to me and there is something about the storm that cloaks their presence entirely. Either the nature of the environment or just because of their abilities. I do not know."
"Hmmm. So we'll have to wait for the storm to pass regardless." Nobunaga hummed in response, then exhaled and shook her head from side to side. "Whatever the case, you can regale us of these allies you claim to be heading towards. I will not so blindly walk into a meeting with strangers before I know who I am speaking with."
"The Fairy is simply known as Shielder, he has not given me his true name yet-"
Nobunaga made a noise "A fae? Here?"
"Quite the surprise for me as well." Percival admitted with complete honesty "And he…she…they, were a rather polite young looking child. Certainly a far cry from the attitude of Merlin though it did seem a touch…overbearing?" he squinted his eyes in thought, then nodded once. "Yes, overbearing. As though I was some manner of trinket he did not want to get damaged or a child he didn't want to see getting injured. It was a rather tough time convincing him to allow me to depart."
The Demon King made a noise between disbelief and amusement "You got strong armed by a child?"
"It might sound odd but they are a child in face only." A serious look overcame him "And I would not so easily make light of his abilities. The power he displayed has created the only safe sanctuary in this Reality Marble, as you call it. He is…quite powerful, certainly as tough as Gawain in body alone."
That wiped the smile from the face of the Demon King "...I see."
"The other one is a young boy with red eyes and golden hair-"
"Are you a knight or a babysitter!?"
"Hmf!" A grunt from the person in front of her - Sulyvahn - heralded him forcing a door open with a shoulder barge, the person who was around her height stumbled into the room, stepping aside and allowing her entry. As she moved in, she frowned as she looked around the spartan room. All the furniture had been removed, leaving only an empty clearing.
The house itself had been a bungalow aside two other bungalows, while she hadn't been expecting all that much by the way he dragged her in such a rush, this certainly wasn't what she had been expecting in the least. But she supposed she was going to get answers at the end of the day, then heard another grunt followed by a click as the door closed behind her.
Turning around, she watched as Sulyvahn(?) placed the top of his staff that looked as though it had been carved from a scrap of pale white birch wood against the door and tilted his head forwards slightly as if in prayer. "O'Chill of the Mother. Close your Arms and Welcome me in your embrace." Jeanne could tell it was a spell, it would seem that Sulyvahn's penchant for sorcery remained.
There was silence, then a faint luminescent light washed over the door as though someone had thrown a bucket of paint directly towards it, all rushing out from the point where the staff touched wood. The light glowed an ethereal blue before fading away, leaving behind the impression of frost growing on top of it. He stepped away from it, exhaling and turning to face her. "That should keep them out."
His head was hidden behind a hood, a scrap of cloth wrapped over his face and furs covering his body that looked as though they had been sewn together from several different items of clothing. Some manner of diamond shaped metal cape was draped over his right side, parts of it jagged and crooked which told a tale of repeated use. His undershirt was a mix of blue and black fabric, his left side patched up from what seemed to be a fur cape.
His sleeves were far too large for his arms, dropping down as though he was wearing an oversized coat, at least that was the case for his left side. His right side was just his arm jutting out from underneath the scaly shoulder pad. Jeanne glanced at his skin and frowned, parts of it were cut and frosted over, pale scars lining his body that looked as though parts of him had - quite literally - been chipped away.
His left hand came up, reaching towards the hood and pulling down the mask over his face, letting his features spill out, then moving to the ragged hood and pulling it back. Auburn coloured hair greeted her, amber eyes stared into her own with a degree of apprehension and his lips pulled themselves into an uncertain frown. "...I suppose I should start with an introduction, shouldn't I?"
He muttered to himself, Jeanne blinked and tilted her head ever so slightly. There was a nervousness in his voice, coupled with his appearance as a teenager no older than herself when she died, it was something rather baffling compared to what she was used to.
Not so shocked that she couldn't respond to him, however. "If you would be so kind."
The red haired teen reached up, scratching the back of his head. "Well…My name is Sulyvahn…My Class is Ruler, but I suppose you already knew that, right?" he asked with a touch of a smile and a knowing expression. "You're a Ruler as well so you probably used discernment on me, right?"
"I did." She admitted it "...Though I am not so rude as to refrain from introducing myself." she added with a light smile "My name is Jeanne d'Arc."
"It's nice to meet you, Jeanne." Sulyvahn (?) greeted her with a sigh of relief "In truth, finding someone to help me at the moment is something that…I hadn't lost hope but seeing someone like you here is just…I couldn't ask for more."
"What do you mean?"
Sulyvahn paused for a moment, then turned around and pointed his staff to the far corner of the room where - Jeanne only just noticed - there was a slight shimmer as though she was staring at the surface of water. Made all the more strange by the fact it looked to be the wooden floorboards that were rippling. It was so imperceptible that she might not have noticed it had it not been pointed out to her. "It would be easier to show you what I mean."
Walking across the room towards the light, Sulyvahn raised up the staff with his left hand and then thudded it into the surface of the distorted flooring. Jeanne watched as the surface cracked and faded away, revealing in its place a trap door. Leaning down, the Ruler Servant grabbed hold of the old iron handle and pulled the door upwards with a grunt. "Chameleon spell to keep it hidden whenever I leave."
He stepped down into it, then paused as he looked over his shoulder "Come on. Just…they might be a little surprised at first but if you're with me, they should be fine."
Jeanne frowned in slight confusion, then watched as the boy descended down the steps, his footsteps retreating. After a moment of silence, she followed after him and soon took to stepping down, raising an eyebrow at the warmth she felt radiating from the cellar and the faint glimmer of light that illuminated the passage and whatever room she was heading down towards.
"Sully!" She paused at the voice, widening her eyes at it. "Sully's back! Everyone!"
It was the voice of a child, perhaps no older than six or seven.
Soon joined by a cacophony of other pleased voices, rising in volume and joy. All of them sounding very, very young.
At the bottom of the short stone passage, Jeanne glimpsed Sulyvahn standing in the doorway, raising his hand up in greeting to whomever was speaking and then looking back up towards her. "It's not just me, I was able to find…someone who can help."
She didn't take long to move down the stairs after he said that, all but leaping down and into the small room. Her eyes widened as she beheld the sight in front of her. The room was fairly cramped, around half the size of the room it resided above, the walls were black and covered in what looked like a thin layer of fungus, a lantern hung above her head with a small flame sitting in the centre of it, lighting up the room and providing a trace amount of heat.
That wasn't what caught her attention, what caught her attention was what was inside the room itself.
Eight children.
Three boys and five girls of varying ages, the youngest looking to be around four while the oldest looked to be ten. They were dressed in ragged clothes, grime and muck covering their faces and some of them looking rather skinny, and all now looking at her with no small sense of awe.
It didn't take a genius for her to determine that these were beggar children.
"Jeanne." Sulyvahn's voice broke her out of her shocked stupor, turning to him in surprise and seeing him with an uneasy smile as he gestured to the group. "They…are the reason I need help."
Jeanne stared at him with wide eyes, then turned towards the group of children standing in front of her, bundled together in a cramped cellar that was barely large enough to fit them all in. "What is…?"
"Like I said." Sulyvahn sighed "It would be easier to show you, though I suppose I can now explain it, can't I…but first." he leaned his staff on the wall in the corner of the basement, then reached across to his right side and unlatched something from under that ragged black cape and pulled it out, a small leather back with a drawstring pull, something he quickly undid and revealed the contents. "I managed to find what I could, Tom?"
He looked at one of the children, the oldest one with black hair and a rough looking face, a couple bruises upon his skin. The ten year old perked up ever so slightly, a serious expression on his face. "I got it."
"Alright." Sulyvahn nodded to him in relief, pulling out several rolls of hardened bread and handing them towards the children. "Please share them out, I need to speak with Jeanne about something, alright?" he asked with a smile, getting nods of affirmation from the children who stared at him with wide eyes and some with missing toothed grins.
He turned to Jeanne, the smile dissipating from his face slightly as he gestured back to the stairwell. "I'm sure you've got questions."
"...Quite so."
AN: Sulyvahn lily with those amber eyes and auburn hair?
Hmmmmmmm.
And the son of Izliath who is in constant pain?
How odd…
Welcome to the madhouse!
Ceaseless Discharge
'Quelan'
Servant: Berserker
Strength: D-EX
Endurance: D-EX
Agility: D
Mana: C-A+
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: EX
Endless Mutation - The Eternal Agony That never stops burning: EX (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 0
The continuous mutation of the Ceaseless Discharge, once this Noble Phantasm has been activated there is no stopping it.
The Discharge will continuously grow in size and mutate - all the while suffering tremendous agony - until he reaches the point where he stops.
However, all the while he will experience a significant boost to his physical parameters and his madness enhancement.
Class Skills:
Madness Enhancement: E-A
Scales with NP
Demon of Izalith: E-A+
In their base form, the rank is negligible. However, at A+ rank then the Discharge will receive equal benefits to divinity. As well as a boost to their mana stat. Scales with NP growth.
Personal Skills:
First of the Demons: A++
He is the first Demon, warped by Chaos rather than born by it but a Demon he remains. His outer skin is very resilient to flames, his inners are a different story though.
Ceaseless Discharge: D-
He will continually generate burning chaos from his body, this generation causes him tremendous agony that will never cease. Horrific that he can often maintain a straight face while experiencing such visceral body horror. However, if he were provided with his ring then such agony could be averted, or another ring that provided the same effect.
Chaos Touched: C-A+
He is touched by Chaos and thus can expel it from his body in great bursts of fire.
The rank of the attack scales with his mana stat and NP.
Sage of the Witch: C
Minor understanding of the Flame Sorceries but it is limited. Exceedingly so, his mother never taught him much but he has enough knowledge to fight with.
Summoning
"H-hello. Servant, Berserker. I'm Quelan of Izalith-grrgh! Sorry…It's nothing to worry about. I'm not much of a fighter but…I can help you out if you need it.""
Dialogue 1
"My coughing…ah, I just had that since I was born but it…it wasn't always this bad…Don't worry about…about it."
Dialogue 2
"Sorry if I'm a bother…Putting up with my Chaos must be a drag."
Dialogue 3
"I don't know about Master or Servant but…helping someone sounds good."
Dialogue 4 (If you have Child Servants)
"A lot of children around here…aren't there? Well…I suppose if I can be here, it would make sense they can."
Dialogue 5 (If you have Quelaag)
"Ah…Hello, big sister…You're looking well. Me? I'm fin-ack! Sor-ry…I'm used to it so you don't need to worry about me like you used to."
Dialogue 6 (If you have Quelana)
"Sometimes I feel this comforting presence around me but when I turn around…It's strange but it feels like my big sister…I know she's here and she might not want to face me but…I'm happy that I know she's around."
Dialogue 7 (If you have Atalanta)
"I feel bad for the woman with cat ears…she always gets this troubled look when she sees me and knows there isn't anything she can do. She shouldn't worry about it though…I'm used to the pain."
Dialogue 8 (If you have Okita Souji)
"Ah…you have one of those as well, right? A bad cough…I suppose mine is worse but…we can be cough buddies or something, right?"
Dialogue 9 (If you have Chosen Undead)
"I have a dream sometimes, of a person who walks through my home when I'm not there. They fight a monster in a lot of pain and with a lot of anger…I don't know what the monster felt towards the end but I think there was relief…I think they missed someone and were happy they wouldn't miss them anymore."
Likes
"What do I like? Well…I wasn't like my sister with their pyromancy but…I'm good with making clay, aren't I?"
Hates
"I don't like my Noble Phantasm…it's just…sorry. I hate it."
Wish for the Holy Grail
"Wish? I just don't want to be a burden on my sisters."
Bond Level 1
"I'm not being a burden, right? Sorry…I'm just not all that good in fights is all…"
Bond Level 2
"You're taking me out to fight better? I…thanks for taking a chance on me, I don't want to be a burden."
Bond Level 3
"My Noble Phantasm…Ah…I don't really want to talk about it, it's not very…pleasant to think of. Sorry."
Bond Level 4
"I think I'm getting the hang of-ack! Hrgh!...sorry…Forgot myself for a moment there."
Bond Level 5
"...I am grateful you gave me a chance. I think that if the time came I would…nevermind. I think that's something to worry about later. I just…I don't think I'm much of a burden anymore…"
Birthday
"Your birthday? Ah…congratulations. That's something mortals celebrate, right?"
During an Event
"An event…Hmmm. Want to check it out?"
1st Ascension
"This power…this tingling burn…Ah…I see."
2nd Ascension
"Don't worry about me…I'm fine. As long as I'm not a burden it's all fine."
3rd Ascension
"My skin looks bad…don't worry about it, it always looks like that."
4th Ascension
"...I lied, sorry. It burns worse than ever before but I can power through it. I can fight through this pain to help you."