Chapter 151: A root cause.
A smile worked its way onto his lips as he stared at the scribbles on the paper, crude drawings that would have looked more suitable on the cave wall of an ancient dig site than anywhere else. A complete lack of care taken with the artistic interpretation of everything here.
In spite of all that, his smile was true and genuine as he beheld the item in his hands. Holding onto it as though it was the most precious of jewels. "This is very impressive, Rose." It might have been pandering to some, but he was being truly honest when he spoke to the girl, lowering the old parchment of paper and looking towards the smiling face of the little blonde haired girl.
His right hand came away, moving towards her head and ruffling her hair slightly, eliciting a pleased giggle from the girl. "This alone has made that little trip to find supplies well worth it." He looked back at the drawing, ten figures all sketched out of varying sizes. The tallest both had some manner of staff to them, a scraggly hair style and puffy cloak for himself and a thinner looking body for Jeanne, her poorly drawn flag in her right hand.
Next to the scribbles, there were eight others, naturally they were easily shown with the varying heights surrounding all of them. No names, poor Rose couldn't read or write and he hadn't had the chance to teach her. He would have taught all of them if he could but he figured that keeping them alive took priority. All the same, perhaps if they finally found a more permanent refuge he would take the time to sit them all down and teach them…
…That would have been a nice thing to do.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jeanne's clear amusement aimed towards him as he patted the young girl's head, soon removing his hand from her and straightening himself out. Holding up the drawing so the Saint could see it "I believe it captures our likeness quite well, don't you?"
The Saint stared at the drawing for a brief moment, then her lip curled up in a pleasant show of enjoyment as she nodded her head up and down in affirmation. Playing along with his little show or perhaps she genuinely meant it. He would prefer to consider it the latter rather than the former, he did think it was quite the drawing for a five year old child to make. Especially given her lack of tools beforehand.
"I'm certain she will only improve if she continues on with this." The blonde woman continued on, nodding to Rose with a half smile "Work on this talent of yours, Rose. You'll make for a fine artist, some day."
"Okay, Ms Jeanne!" The little girl cheered, turning around and waddling back to the small pad and pencils he had brought them. It had been something he had taken to keep the children entertained. He knew that while their survival took priority, it would also serve to keep them amused and lively. Whatever he could get his hands on that they might have derived enjoyment from was something he considered whenever he had left.
His musings distracted him long enough for Jeanne to approach him without taking notice of her, at least at first. "You got them a paper and pencils?"
"I saw no harm in feeding their creativity." He responded evenly, looking down at the parchment and maintaining his soft smile. Soon rolling it up and sliding it into a small gap in his cloak. Raising his head, he shrugged his shoulders at the Saint "Besides, I believe it would all do us some good to have some small distractions now and again. The children like it well enough…If we had more time, I would have taught them to read and write."
The woman blinked "Truly?"
"But of course. They will not be here forever and there is no reason to return them to the world as they were when they arrived here." Dropping his voice into a whisper, he turned side on to the children and directly towards Jeanne "Perhaps when the Singularity fades, they would have forgotten…but I would prefer to put my faith in the chance that they would remember. I suspect in this day and age, to be literate is a rare and valued trait."
"Are you not concerned with influencing the future?"
Sully blinked at her, raising an eyebrow "A strange thing to say. Every action a person takes influences the future."
"True, though we are not the same as them. Transient beings such as we are, our influence on this world is only for a limited time." Jeanne remarked in a quiet and almost sombre tone "Our time has been and gone, would you not consider it strange for us to try and use our own knowledge and skills to grant an advantage when our chance to influence the world has ended already? There is a reason we Rulers exist, to ensure the dead do not govern the living."
A sigh escaped Sully "From a time period far flung in the future?" he remarked "This is merely a case of the dead influencing the dead." he glanced towards the staircase leading to the upper floor. "Besides, I would much rather influence the living and give them the chance to better their lives, then to leave them alone and listless in such a state…perhaps it is just myself…" a smile came upon his face "But having been influenced to make a real change to the world by a 'dead man' so to speak, my own view on what we should do might be different than yours."
He exhaled, looking back to Jeanne "Hope is hope…from where I stand, it's origin does not matter. Only the effect it has on the people of the era. Perhaps what I am doing might have profound repercussions that will make things worse, or perhaps they will inspire a greater generation. Or perhaps they won't matter at all…However, that is merely what hope is. People look to the past for inspiration, this figure from the past just so happens to look back."
Jeanne sorted at him, raising an eyebrow "A rather bold statement to make. Though it remains your choice. I can see no harm in trying to better their lives only slightly. But they are individuals and-"
"I am not foolish, Jeanne." Sully felt weary, though he knew what she meant. "Whatever true influence I could have been was long ago…and I was a different person. Though if only in this short transient time, I can bring the same light to a person that was brought to me? To show them that they can take hold of their future with their own hands and continue onwards? I would not consider that a sin."
"...In truth? Nor would I."
"I'm glad." He glanced back at the children in the basement "Tom?" he called out to the oldest boy, the dirty dark haired child perked up from looking at his sister's latest drawing, what looked like a triangle? Unless she was drawing a tower of sorts. He was sure she'd show him later. "Can you see to Timmy? We're going to have to move soon. Have Nancy help you with him if it's troublesome…and tell Maggie to get the blankets."
The boy nodded his head, walking towards the other collection of children and ducking down to speak with them - a boy with ratty brown hair and a girl with matted wheat coloured locks - perked up as he whispered to them, then scurried about the floor. The girl in the direction of the corner and the two boys towards the sickly visage of Timmy slumped against the wall, his right leg looking much shorter than his left.
Moving Timmy was always the most treacherous part, he had little experience in healing anyone. Perhaps his older self might have been able to do something about the injuries and the sickness but it wasn't a sure fire thing. Nor would he believe for a split second that his older self would have lifted so much as a finger on behalf of the children here. That was simply how he worked in the end.
He could feel the pressure of the world ease up, it had been a lightening weight upon his shoulders for some time now, but it only recently shifted. He could feel the burden pull away and the air become thinner than it was, the cold felt less oppressive to him and the sensation of being watched had gradually retreated.
It was still present and the dark thought still lingered in his mind, but they were now lesser compared to what they had been earlier. As expected, the children had not noticed in the least. Something he was pleased with, he'd kept them happy enough to remain unconcerned with their current situation and instead focused on the simple things he'd offered them. Food, shelter and warmth. Tragic that such a thing was all it took to renew their hope in the world.
But he had experienced the chill of the cold before, so he would not scoff at the effects of the warmth. Whether Jeanne was aware of any of these recent developments was not something he could figure out, the woman kept a very composed face even when the children approached her. Though he could see cracks in the mask, moments when her eyes would soften and she would be taken with the youngsters.
That was good.
They'd need someone to look out for them in case something happened, he could rely on her to lead them to safety.
The back of his neck itched, he pointedly avoided drawing attention to it but it remained an uncomfortable sensation all the same. Like something cold and sharp pressing down on his nape, but enough to draw blood or any of the like but just enough force to ensure he never forgot it's existence. He knew what it was and what it meant, he'd known it ever since he first felt it after rescuing Jeanne.
The shadow of a reaper had loomed over him since then, he had no doubts they would come to collect their due.
With a shake of his head, he dismissed it for the time being and instead focused on Jeanne and turned his attention from the children once more. "I have navigated the surface without the storms before." He whispered to her, shooting glances at the children as the Ruler pulled her attention from them "It is easier to move but the snow remains, I have carved out a path ahead with my magic to create a tunnel…I would ask that you take up the rear guard to keep any others at back."
Jeanne nodded her head silently, the stern expression on her face told him that she was now determined to see this through. It was a weight less off his shoulders, "The children huddle together in blankets, Tim was always closest to me but for the time being…I think it would be best if he were closer to you."
Her eyes narrowed in questioning. "He might fall and if I put a halt to the group to pick him up, it increases our time on the surface more than I would be comfortable with. I would not have asked this of you otherwise, but with the promises of my dreams so close I…I would not like to lose any children here."
"...I understand."
"Thank you." He thinned his lips "Another thing, I would like your word that whatever happens…you lead the children to safety. I should be able to clear the path for your escape in the event we are ambushed, my Noble Phantasm allows as such."
"...You believe you will-"
"I told you…she was coming to kill me. She will be here soon and I cannot risk their lives." It was the honest truth, it wasn't death that scared him. It was the idea of failing to save the children here from a fate he considered to be far worse. Acceptance of this horrible world before they even had a chance to achieve anything. "Perhaps she shall strike at me first, or perhaps she will strike at you…if it is the second, I shall do what I can to draw her attention to me and create your opening."
"...Sully-"
"We both know their lives are more important than a transient being."
"That was not what I meant when I said-"
"I know, but it is the truth." It was a simple response and one he believed in wholeheartedly "Those children are the future of the world…I am a mere ghost from the past. You know this as well as I, do you not?"
Jeanne was hesitant for a moment, though she relented and nodded her head. "However, I ask you not to so willingly throw yourself into a sacrifice. You can still achieve a great deal more alive than you can accomplish dead. Especially for the benefit of the world at large…at least in the sense of what awaits all humanity."
"I know…but I think saving a few children should be something I can focus on for now. Though I am in no rush to kill myself, you understand. If the moment were to present itself, I would escape without hesitation." That being said, he was under no illusions about his chances. Furthermore, he could tell this conversation was starting to put a damper on the mood, it likely wasn't a good idea to go into plans of survival while already telling others what to do in the event of your death.
The Ruler looked as though she wanted to argue further, though clearly thought better of it and bit back her initial remark. Her expression cooled, "How far do you think we might be walking?"
"Impossible to say." All he was running on was vague notions of if he was leading the children in the right direction and precious little else. "We have made decent enough time in our travels thus far, but the scraps of bread and shortening rest have only afforded the children so much rest…Maggie is starting to wear thin and I've caught Tom sneaking his rations to Rose on more than one occasion."
"...This is-"
"Problematic to say the least. I've divided them up as best I could, though I won't fault him for caring for his only living family." A sigh escaped him, once more casting his sight to the staircase. "The storm will have left by now, though our vision will no doubt remain partly obscured. The snow does not stop falling…I would say within the next ten or so minutes would be the best time to depart."
A nod of the head from the woman "Very well then, I shall help the children prepare themselves and make ready for our departure."
"Hmmm. My thanks. There is a small bag of extra rations I held back for journeys such as these, it will be enough for a final trip but…I can sense we are close to our destination. I would prefer to arrive there before another storm sets in but-"
"But, you would like to remain cautiously optimistic?"
"Quite so…" What he wanted to happen and what often happened were often mutually exclusive to one another, though there were times when the world had gone as he wished it to. Those moments were sadly few and far between. Regardless, it did not change his opinion for the moment. "I would advise further caution when dealing with Servants, I do not know how they will react to us now that I am an enemy to them…before, they might well have ignored me."
"I shall do what I can to keep the children from harm's way."
"Hmmm." He turned his body fully to the children and walked towards them "Let us get ourselves ready to depart everyone." he called out, crouching down low enough to bring himself to eye height with a good deal of them. Certainly the smaller once such as Rose, Emily and Eve. "We're going to have to be quick for another walk. This is very important…" he raised his finger, cracking a faint smile "So much so that these are tasks I can only entrust to each and every one of you, understand?"
The children nodded their heads up and down. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder "Jeanne and myself will be leading you through the cold once more, make sure you huddle together in your blankets to keep warm and remember what I told you."
""Stay quiet so the bad men don't find us."" The children chorused back to him as one, it was at least something to keep them all unified.
"Remember to keep your eyes on swivel, if you see anything that doesn't look right, make sure to tell either myself or Jeanne…okay?"
"O'kay." Eve nodded her head, her little face scrunched up in as much effort as she could manage to look as serious as she could. Sully personally found the end result rather amusing but he couldn't fault her for trying, he supposed. He couldn't really fault any of them for trying, he'd asked for them to be mature and this was the best they could manage.
With a nod of the head, he rose back to his feet and made the very short journey to where Timmy was, balanced around Tom and with a makeshift crutch fashioned from a table leg under his left arm to support his crippled leg. "How are you feeling, Timmy? You gotten enough rest?"
"I'm fine, Mister Sully…" The boy responded back with his chipped tooth grin and slight lisp, he stared at the boy for a brief moment, then smiled and pulled the cap on his head down slightly to cover his eyes in a somewhat playful manner. "H-hey!"
"Good. It was silly of me to ask, no storm will keep Timmy down, after all." He sent a brief glance towards Tom, the dark haired boy stared back at him for a moment then nodded his head once in a silent understanding. That was good, he'd asked Tom to be the unofficial guardian of Timmy. The boy had assumed the role without arguing against it once, babying the cripple almost as much as he did his little sister.
Rising back to his feet, he turned towards Jeanne and advanced on her, noticing her slightly amused expression, likely from watching his interactions with the children.
Percival wasn't sure what to make of his new allies, when he first stumbled upon them it was difficult to make early assessments. The smaller dark haired woman was dressed like that of an officer of a later era to the one he lived in, the way she carried herself at times was almost like that of a carefree jester with dismissive remarks and an odd joke. Though that was the initial assessment of her, which made sense when he learned of her identity as Oda Nobunaga or the 'Fool of Owari' as they were known. A surprise to learn that a previously well documented male figure was actually a woman but then again…Gareth was a girl as well so that was neither here nor there.
Regardless, at first he had imagined Nobunaga to be something of a straightforward individual, perhaps a little carefree at times but not at all that serious. Perhaps lacking in a sense of urgency? That would have been more appropriate. Then at the drop of the hat, the illusion of foolery would all but vanish and a sharp mind would spring forwards, showcasing just how she was able to unite Japan.
There was a cold ruthlessness behind her eyes when she actually put her mind to something, he'd glimpsed such things before when he saw Agravain preparing for one of his less noble goals. A subtle shift that would make it perfectly clear nothing was off the table when it came to completing a goal, weeding out weaknesses where it could be found and purging it for the good of the mission.
He'd picked up on that immediately when she asked if Quelan was useful beyond heating a room. She was asking if he was any use to even have around in the first place or if he was little more than dead weight. Percival was not a fool, he knew that if Quelan had not been able to offer something of value - even as a Servant - he would have likely been abandoned by the pair. Or certainly by Nobunaga, at least.
Fool of Owari indeed, he wondered if her jokes were little more than a ruse to lull the enemy into believing something different about her and then striking when their guard was lowered. Not a tactic he would personally employ but he supposed that it might have earned her some meagre compliment from the Knight of Iron. Only insofar as him going 'It works, I have no complaints' because Agravain did not do compliments.
It was easy to forget that Nobunaga was a ruler of a country as well, the disparity between the militaristic woman and his King could not have been more apparent though they both seemed to have a mind for tactics…He would have to spend more time around her to be sure of it.
Then there was the second figure, Ash.
When he had met the Servant in the midst of a battle, he'd seen the armour and the cloak and assumed him to be a fellow knight. Though as time went on, he noticed there was something about the way he carried himself that wasn't so much a knight and perhaps more of a warrior in armour. There was also the forging of his gear being mismatched, very quickly leading him to the conclusion that he was wearing several different pieces of armour.
The end result of the rolled black plated chest piece, full covering diamond shaped helm and long black cloak was a rather intimidating visage. Though when the Saber spoke there was an odd note about his voice, as though he had heard it somewhere before but couldn't quite place it. He sounded young, younger than Percival had been expecting.
He deferred to Nobunaga on most things but that wasn't to say he didn't offer his own comments at times, they were short and to the point. Not one to stand on fanfare or idle conversations. Perhaps because he didn't much care for them or perhaps because he thought their current situation was one that needed an approach without levity.
It was a rather peculiar thing to see the man - Ash - interact with Nobunaga, as if she carried more than enough cheer for the both of them. Well, he could think of worse comrades to have. Apparently Ash also knew Gareth as well, though he hadn't asked about their relationship just yet, he got the feeling that the Saber was someone who was at least trustable to an extent. At least, anyone that Sir Gareth would work with would have to be…or so he would imagine.
Which was why he was slightly perturbed by the tingle than was running through his back whenever he spoke with Ash. Worse still, Longinus felt like it was hummining in his presence, not as if it was pleased to see him…rather the opposite. It was almost as though the spear was commanding him to run the Saber through there and then, he'd almost done so when they first met had it not been for his sense taking hold at the last moment.
He couldn't shake that feeling and it had only gotten worse the longer he'd been around the Servant, like a subtle tension building in the air. It had gotten to the point where he had dismissed the Longinus back to astral form just to stop his spear arm from rattling, which was why he was now stood cross armed against the doorframe, shooting glances between the door Ash had left from and the room where Quelan was currently sitting in.
Nobunaga not far from him, leaning against a wall and performing maintenance on one of her summoned weapons. It was a pointless exercise considering Servants didn't need to do such things but he supposed she might want to keep herself busy while they waited, not something he would bemoan her for. It was like a routine for knights.
That being said…
"Might I ask you something?"
"Hmmm?" The Archer paused, raising her head and shooting him a curious glance for a moment. The pair stared at one another in silence before the woman nodded once in affirmation and returned her attention to her weapon.
"I would like to get to know my allies a touch more, your legend is known to me through the Grail…yet when I think of your companion…" He trailed off, frowning ever so slightly. It wasn't a 'fake name' per-say, he could tell that much. At the same time, it was as though something was missing entirely, like the name wasn't the entire truth of the matter. "I am not attempting to be nosy, mind you." he raised his hand to ward away concerns "I am simply curious."
"What? My Retainer?" Nobunaga now looked up, weapon seemingly forgotten as she pursed her lips "You know what? I haven't actually asked him all that much of his past."
"Retainer?"
"Just what I call him. He's useful to have around and he makes for decent enough company." She explained as though that was all that needed to be said, Percival was still wrapping his head around what manner of Servant would become a Retainer to a completely different figure from another world but he wouldn't judge. He just found it a little surprising. "He doesn't ask too many pointless questions and gets right to the heart of the matter. Not so much the one giving orders as the one you want carrying them out, if you get what I mean? I'm sure you knights know about that."
"Ah, I see." He could understand that point, an effective fighter but not so much an effective leader. That was fair, many of the Knights were like that as well. That wasn't to say they couldn't command at all, Gawain was a rather capable leader in times of crisis, but they would always defer to their King on such matters of leadership, especially since they had a habit of leading from the front. "I was more venturing towards him personally? He did not allude too much."
"He's not an open guy. I had to convince him to keep drinking after he realised what he was doing." A sigh escaped her, shaking her head from side to side. "Very literal, not all that geared towards doing stuff like hobbies but I've managed to gear him towards a few things…Like bomb making."
"...Excuse me?"
"You'd be surprised how easily he accepts something if you phrase it in a manner that is logical for him to follow. I think that's his main gripe with stuff like hobbies, not much logical sense in why people do what they do." A shrug of the shoulders "All that aside…Hmmm. You know he's a zombie, right?"
He was a what? "Pardon?"
"Ah, undead or unkindled or something." She tapped the side of her head "Forget the difference, if there is one, just know that he doesn't feel pain all that much, can't feel much of anything really, and he'll sometimes talk about how much he's died in the past. It's a little bleak but some of them are pretty interesting to hear." she noted with some morbid sense of curiosity.
Percival blinked at her and tilted his head, not quite sure how he was supposed to react. By all accounts, he wasn't aware that undead ghouls could become Servants in the first place, then again…He knew that Kundry wasn't like most individuals and she could similarly be summoned as a Servant as well. So basing things off what he believed rather than what actually was did not get him far. Magic and the like was always the expertise of Merlin.
"If you say so, though, I might personally disagree." He said in response instead, opting for a more diplomatic reply rather than anything else. "Though I must ask, does he always wear the helmet?"
"Huh? No, I put that on him myself."
"Oh?"
"Pretty much designed his entire outfit." She puffed out her chest rather pridefully, a smirk plastered upon her lips. "He had a couple sets of armour so I just decided on the most fitting apparel to him." she waved her hand slightly "Intimidation is a rather important factor in how one approaches, sure you can look 'approachable' and all that…but you'll still be less inclined to mess with a guy who dresses in full plate armour and brandishes a sword that can be set on fire."
"I…suppose that might be one method of looking at it." He replied after a moment of thought to consider her argument. Again, not an approach he would have considered but there might have been some merit to it. Then again, if you were a humble farmer, anyone with full plate armour and brandishing a greatsword would be quite the intimidating sight to behold.
His head turned to the direction of the front door, listening to it creak as the topic of conversation stepped back into the room. Diamond shaped helmet swivelling around, first in the direction of Nobunaga and then in his direction, there was a brief silence before Ash spoke up. "The storm has started to break, if we are to begin our trek, I would advise that we do so now."
There was something strange about the voice, as if he wasn't putting his full thought into the matter at hand and was instead focused on something else. Percival could relate, he'd had moments such as those as well. The important part was keeping your head in the field to avoid losing it.
"I would suggest bringing the Chaos Demon to the front, his natural heat should pave the way for us to follow." Ash continued onwards, Percival noted the fact he didn't use Quelan's name and the slight inflection in his voice towards the young man was troubling to him as well. Though he suspected there might be some past history, he would have argued that such a thing had very little place in a fight for the future. "Though I doubt the Corvians will be stupid enough to engage us in a frontal assault."
"Never underestimate human stupidity." Nobunaga spoke, nodding her head up and down in a sage manner before she paused, her lips thinned "Or birdman stupidity in this case…whatever, they're probably capable of being fools all the same. Regardless, if they had any sense they would try and overwhelm us with sheer numbers…you're the ones who have fought them, is that something to expect?"
"Their numbers were too thin when I encountered them to surge me with brute force." Ash shook his head from side to side, pausing to consider something else "Though their skill and determination more than accounted for that, especially in their ambush tactics. The knights of the Corvians were especially skilled at catching one by surprise if their wits were not about them."
"They attacked me during the storm, one or two at a time were easily dispatched, though if they were to face me with greater numbers…" Percival trailed off meaningfully. It was not that he couldn't beat such odds, it was simply that he would have to fight more seriously and that would likely earn him the attention of something more serious than a mere summon. If this was indeed a Reality Marble, then facing down the owner of such a thing would prove to be quite the issue. Then again, such a thing was inevitable so it might have been better to deal with them sooner rather than later.
He would have to consult the others on the best course of action on that front, the blonde Archer seemed wise enough when it came to such things. He suspected they might have been a prince, or perhaps the younger version of a King. The boy carried himself as such whenever he spoke.
Ash glanced over his shoulder, staring back towards the now opened door and out into the street for a brief moment. Silence swiftly fell upon them, supported by the Saber's seemingly endless glare directed over his back in the direction of the storm, after nearly several seconds he turned back around to face the other two in the room. "...I believe I spotted something for a moment."
"Really?" Nobunaga frowned "Judging by your lack of a reaction, I shall assume you did not spot a Corvian or whatever you call them?"
"No…Though it was bird related." There was a note of incredulity in the voice of the Saber as he continued onwards "Perhaps it is merely a trick of the mind from my last experience in a land such as this. Especially since I have heard no calls and that remains the only crow I have seen thus far."
"You saw a crow outside?" Percival blinked, then frowned "It could be some manner of Familiar, it would fit well within the theme of an avian race, would it not?"
"...Perhaps." Ash said after a moment of consideration, turning to look over his shoulder once more "Though I cannot see it now. Which leaves open the possibilities that it has either fled into the wilderness after being spotted, or my mind conjured it up due to my remembrance of Ariandel and the expectation of what should live within this world…" he exhaled after a moment "Though I shall not dismiss either claim, now that you have made me aware of the second possibility."
"All the more reason to get moving then." Nobunaga declared, stepping away from the wall and bringing her arms back under the large cloak supplied to her by the Saber Servant, or so he had said. It was a ragged cloak made from wool and animal fur and most certainly designed for the cold climates, it made sense to supply her with such a thing.
It also told Percival that this Ash did indeed care for his allies in some capacity, at least to the extent that he wanted to give them the best standards. The cold should not affect a Servant as greatly as it would a human, but that did not make the outside world any less unpleasant.
"I shall inform Quelan and then we might depart." Percival spoke out once more, making sure to pay close attention to the body language of the Saber, especially more so that his helmet obscured his facial features. There wasn't any sort of reaction given from his fellow Servant, he just remained standing in the doorway with the long greatsword in his right hand planted against the ground. A faint glowing light from the hilt of the weapon that looked as though it pulsated every few seconds.
Turning away from his prospective allies, Percival returned to the room where Quelan lay, already catching sight of the red-skinned boy sitting up in the tub with his head tilted to one side. "I assume you heard?"
"You want me-" A wet cough sounded out, the Knight frowned at the display and fought back a grimace. The rapid understanding that the child was in constant pain was grim to say the least, it was downright horrifying. Especially when one considered that Servants were summoned at the peak of their life. If this display of unending agony was Quelan at his peak, then Percival dreaded what the rest of his life was like. "T-to…lead the way…mel-melt the snow, yes?"
Percival nodded his head "It would also do to lower your temperature, I would assume…Though I do not want you to believe that we keep your around for this singular purpose."
Quelan cracked a half smirk "I'm not stupid…Percival…I'm not all that use-" another cough, this time with luminescent orange liquid dripping down his chin and dropping into the basin with a hiss "-useful…except in burning things…out here? That makes me…less of a burden."
"...If that is how you feel about the matter, then I shall accept this logic of yours." He responded with in an even tone of voice "Would you like some aid in standing?"
"If I cannot stand on my own…I can hardly act as vanguard…can I?"
"Hmph." A good natured grunt from him "You make quite the point, though you should not overtax yourself."
"Don't worry about that…I'm used to ignoring the complaints of my body…"
Though Quelan had likely made it in light hearted jest, Percival was anything but amused at the remark. Namely because he was aware of the location that it came from, pain was clearly something that the Servant was used to and he had long since passed by the point where he might have overtaxed himself. A grim situation indeed.
Opting out of an answer, he turned back around and ventured through to the main room once more. Noticing that both Nobunaga and Ash were standing closer to each other now, though both in a position where they would be ready to depart at a moment's notice. The former glanced at him briefly "Shall I assume our final ally is preparing himself?"
"Yes."
"Hmph. So long as he does not slow us down in linking up with your daycare…" An amusing title but not one that Percival could have argued against. Especially considering all the Servants he had allied with thus far were all children or looked like children. He himself found it more than a little strange to be the only grown man in the room, and even Nobunaga looked no older than a teenager at this point. At least there was Ash, which didn't provide him as much comfort as he first thought.
"On another topic." The sudden words of the Saber brought his attention back onto his new ally, the helmet of the Servant turned so that it was facing his direction once more. The posture of the man slightly tensed, as though he wasn't sure how to phrase this next question. All the same, Percival raised an eyebrow and awaited what he would say. "There is something I would ask you as we travel."
"Oh?"
"I wish to learn of Camelot."
He blinked, clearly not the only one surprised as Nobunaga stared up her fellow with a flash of puzzlement as well, though it didn't last so long and soon melted down into something akin to intrigue or perhaps a touch of annoyance?
"Camelot?" Pursing his lips, he tilted his head slightly "While I would not be adverse to the topic of conversation, might I ask why you would wish to learn about it?" By all rights, the Throne should have updated him on every legend and every kingdom provided the identity of a Servant was revealed to them, though he supposed it wouldn't be much of an account beyond the barest details.
Second hand tellings did not compare to first hand experience after all.
Unless he was experiencing a similar problem to Percival, in the sense that he received next to no information about the figure and was just genuinely curious? It was a possibility, though he was surprised that he hadn't asked Gareth about it. Unless the opportunity just never arose or he did not feel the need to ask until this moment.
Or perhaps he just wanted another opinion on the matter.
"...I merely wish to learn how the humans of this world lived." Ash replied after a moment of silence "To do that, I would ask that you speak of the Kingdom you served under."
"It would break up the monotony of the journey, I suppose." He replied slowly after a moment of silence "Was there anything in particular you wished to learn about?"
There wasn't even an ounce of hesitation before the Saber gave his answer. "Everything."
Ritsuka waded through the snow with a lot less effort than he remembered doing the last time around, it might have been because he was more prepared for it this time but it could also have been a result of the link with Caster now strengthening his body. That wasn't to say that effort wasn't involved but he imagined it could have been much worse.
"You handle yourself well." He glanced up, Llew had spoken without even turning around to face him, quite how he knew Ritsuka's status without doing so was a bit strange but he supposed it might have been one of those Servant things. Heck, Arash had been a little perceptive at times so it could also be one of those warrior things instead.
"Thanks." Ritsuka voiced back with genuine gratitude "I guess all that training is paying off…"
"Training?" Llew made a small noise of intrigue, not that Ritsuka was all that surprised. The tall man struck him as being a bit like Verndari when it came to that sort of thing. Hopefully not like Leonidas though…nothing against the Spartan king, but he certainly lived up to the reputation of their training being both gruelling and tough.
And he hadn't even had Scathach drop in on one of their sessions yet, thankfully keeping herself occupied with Ash to get him beyond the basics of swordsmanship. A nice gesture from her…is what he would have said if the Servant wasn't coming back with holes punched through his gut or being disembowelled on the regular.
"Most undead are unconcerned with physical harm or death. Your Servant ally does not view life in the same way that you do."
Ritsuka blinked at Caster's sudden interjection in his mind, raising an eyebrow briefly before shaking his head and returning his focus onto Llew. "Yeah, couple of knights back at Chaldea that wanted me to get fit enough for long winded travel…" he gave a wry smile "I learned my lesson after that issue in Roman territory…this job involves a lot of walking so I figured it would be best to get in shape for all of it."
"Hmmm." A hum from the knight was the initial response he received, neither sounding impressed nor concerned. A simple hum. Ritsuka supposed that was as good a spot as any. "How much progress have you made thus far in this pursuit of yours?"
"I mean…I can run for over an hour now? I guess that's pretty good…better than it used to be."
"An hour…" A pause from the knight "I shall assume this training of yours is recent. Therefore I will commend you for making progress. For one who has not received the training of a knight beforehand, it is adequate progress…though you would likely be relegated to the lower end of fitness among the ranks of the Lothric Knights."
Ritsuka snorted and looked over his shoulder at the small girl currently riding on his back "You hear that Nursery? I'm now a bottom level knight in terms of fitness!" the white haired girl just giggled in response to that, despite how it sounded he did feel quite a bit proud of that achievement. While it wasn't anything close to the levels of Mash's insane levels of endurance…he was just a regular old human so any progress he made felt pretty good. So long as he remembered not to compete with them.
"I shall assume this is why you opted to carry the young girl? Do the purpose of training." Llew continued on as he waded through the snow, he found himself blinking after the question was posed.
He hadn't considered that. "...I just thought it would be pretty mean to make Nursery walk through the snow. It would be up to her waist if I did and sending her into Spirit form…" he shrugged "I don't know…just not used to it with Servants, I guess. I like to be around people."
"That's very considerate of you, Mister Ritsuka." Nursery shifted behind him, he could feel her nodding her head up and down at his words. "A very story book response." There was a touch of a teasing remark in her words, though it wasn't born of malicious intention.
Ritsuka just rolled his eyes at her, then glanced to the side "How are you holding up, Fran?"
"Unnh." The girl grunted back to him, not at all looking as though she was affected by the near shin deep snow as she marched forwards, though she did occasionally pause to sort out her dress as it accumulated snow in the slight creases forming in the fabric. Ritsuka imagined those clothes held some sentimental value, so he could understand why she might be a little annoyed at the idea of them getting ruined.
"So…Llew…or do you prefer Sir Llew?"
"You may refer to me however you wish…Though if you were to prefer a preference from me…Llew will suffice." Ritsuka frowned lightly to himself, he liked to think he was good at picking things up. Whereas Gareth let everyone drop the 'Sir' part of her title to form closer bonds with her allies, this didn't feel like that. It was almost as though there was a sense of…shame about him when asked about it.
"That likely stems from his death."
Ritsuka paused at the interruption from Caster once more, this time the voice of the Servant was a touch more distant. As though there was something there that the Caster knew about that Ritsuka didn't and it was more than his death. "Did you know Llew in life, Caster? You two don't seem to get on."
"I knew of him, I did not know him personally…he died shortly before I would have been granted the opportunity to know him. As for the latter query you pose, I feel nothing towards the knight. He pursued his own passions in life, I pursued mine. Nothing more, nothing less."
Ritsuka blinked momentarily, slightly caught off guard by the dispassionate response "Wait…then what was all that argument before?"
"Just because I feel nothing towards him does not mean I shall shy away from a response. Would you so willingly let a fly buzz around your ears without batting it aside? You do not act because you feel strongly towards the fly, it is merely a reflex."
"...Not quite sure how I'm supposed to respond to that. I mean…at least you don't hate him, I guess. Though how come he doesn't like you?"
"Lothric was built upon the three pillars. The Church, the Knights and the Scholars. The fourth pillar would be the unofficial faith of the Angels, though that was disregarded and worship of it was branded as heresy. Quite the conundrum when the Queen's daughter was born of the Heavens…though lacking sight and a tongue lent credence to the idea she was cursed by them."
"But she wasn't?"
"Hardly, Princess Gertrude founded the Faith of the Angels. Obviously such an admission would be met with a swift end to prevent embarrassment." Caster explained easily enough, sounding a touch less tense than he had done previously. Perhaps more comfortable when it came to informing others of things he actually wanted to discuss. "Returning to my original point. The Scholars kept to the archives of the city, previously governed by the High Archivist Sulyvahn, whom you know well enough."
Indeed he did, Sulyvahn being a scholar didn't strike him as all that odd. He seemed the type but it was still a surprise to hear about all these people being so close to meeting one another.
"Did you know Sulyvahn?"
"No, he departed before my time. Gaining the Queen's favour for the education of her children and then being transferred to Anor Londo to serve with the Darkmoon Knights. He was still but a squire of the order by the time of my arrival in Lothric…though I am saddened I did not have the opportunity to meet with him prior. Speaking with a fellow practitioner of the mystic arts is always educational."
"Hmmm. You remind me a little of him."
"You mean in the sense of my words and not my high intelligence." A scoff followed the statement, dismissive in nature. "That aside, the Scholars would all have come from high ranking positions elsewhere in the world or otherwise proven themselves worthy of serving the Kingdom from the Archives. That is the place in which one would become a Sorcerer. Others could come from the Schools in Vinheim though they were famed for their arrogance…the final source would be the witches of the wilds."
"You didn't come from the Scholars."
"No. Which makes me either an arrogant sorcerer from some far flung school that means nothing to him, or I am a wild sorcerer from the wildlands." There was a brief pause before the Caster chuckled quietly in his head, a deeply amused sound which echoed like beating drums "I would not call it arrogance, more certainty in my abilities."
"Hmmm. Do you remember much about your past, Caster?" He sometimes got glimpses that the Servant hadn't lost everything in the attack he suffered, but he was vague enough at times that he alluded to such things. It didn't make sense for him to lie about it, he could have just as easily said he didn't want to talk about it and Ritsuka would have accepted it.
"Mere fragments and images. I am no common amnesiac. I know enough to formulate a basic story of my life, though my name eludes me. To my knowledge, I was affiliated with the Vinheim schools…very likely a teacher there, at one point."
"Really? A Teacher…Huh, I can actually see that."
"Your approval of my profession is hardly gratifying, it merely informs me that you are sensible enough to recognise the abilities of your betters."
Ritsuka snorted out loud, something that attracted the attention of both Fran and Nursery, realising he might have looked odd, he thought it best to explain to them. "I'm talking with Caster, he said something that I found a little funny."
"Good humour from him?" Llew's voice was dismissive and very much incredulous, Ritsuka didn't need to see his face to know what type of expression he was making. "Normally I would have advised against dealing with his lot, however you are left with little choice but to endure his words. I have no doubt he has already filled your head with his own stories to discredit all others."
"He just said you didn't trust him because he doesn't come from the Scholar Pillar."
"...Hmmm. In that case, he has deigned to inform you of a sliver of the truth." Llew allowed back, sounding slightly miffed but quickly dropping his voice back into an emotionless one. "He would be quite right, however there is ample reason for such things. I am not prejudiced without good reason. The sorcerers of the dragon schools adhered to their own research and very rarely cared for the opinions of others. Their pilgrimages to other Kingdoms were so they could further their own aims more often than not."
Ritsuka listened to him silently, then tilted his head "...Is that bad?"
Llew didn't respond for a few seconds, then let out a low sigh "It would very much depend upon the sorcerer…The Scholars had sworn oaths to uphold the strength of the Kingdom. Their intentions could be trusted as a known factor…the Sorcerers of Vinheim lacked that same quality. The Caster in your head might well be one of the more benevolent practitioners…but without his name being known to me, I shall err on the side of caution."
"As I said, he is forming his opinions based on his limited experience in life. Narrow minded simpleton that he is."
"You actually didn't say anything like that." Ritsuka replied with a wry smile upon his lips, he hadn't heard anything like that. All Caster had said was that he didn't feel anything in regards to Llew and was merely insulting him on reflex. Which was a weird thing to do on a purely instinctual level, but Ritsuka figured that everyone had their own hangups. Insulting someone back when they insulted you wasn't something he would normally do but he knew people like that.
"Did I not? Hm. I thought it went without saying." Caster dismissed, Ritsuka could almost imagine the Servant waving his hand dismissively as he spoke. "Hmmm. How strange…I detect another presence-it has vanished."
Ritsuka stopped walking, his eyes narrowed. "Hey, wait up." he called out to the others, now snapping his head to the side and furrowing his brows. "Caster said he felt something and now it's gone."
"Fast reaction. At least you understand-"
"You can admire me later, right now I'm worried about what you felt." He could see Llew tensing his body and turning slightly in his direction, the huge greatsword in his hands - easily taller than Ritsuka - was brought to bear with both large gauntlets firmly wrapped around the grip tight enough that he could hear the creak of metal.
Fran similarly made a noise as her mace crackled somewhat menacingly.
Nursery just shifted slightly on his back, leaning forwards and wrapping her arms around his neck with just enough force to secure herself to his back. A piggyback ride might not have been the best idea at this point, especially because it now took away his ability to use his arms…not like he'd probably do something with them and he was actually more worried about being in the way.
"It barely touched upon the edges of my senses. For a brief moment then vanished…An Assassin, perhaps…though it could just as easily be the Reality Marble trying to cloud my skills."
Ritsuka was about to answer, then he sensed it as well. It was a very strange sensation, the hairs on the back of his neck tingled and he felt strangely drawn towards a direction to his left. His eyes snapped up, all other noises vanished as he caught sight of a figure perched on the houses at least a hundred metres away from them. He couldn't make out many of their features…but he could see enough,
"Move!" Casters warning was prompt enough, Ritsuka was already jumping backwards as he caught a glimpse of a purple light, it was moving at speeds he could only dream of as the distance between the shooter and himself were closed in a matter of milliseconds. All the same, his new agility surprised him.
Had he not seen the shooter first, he had very little doubt that the arrow of violet light now whizzing past the tip of his nose would have taken his head. Blue eyes remained locked onto it, watching as it went over his shoulder and slammed into the ground, a flurry of snow kicked up accompanied by an explosion of matching coloured flames.
Llew was silent as he moved in between Ritsuka and the shooter, bringing up his sword and sweeping aside the next arrow that followed in the wake of the initial attack. He heard the sound of metal colliding with metal, then watched as the wide swing of the giant knight sent the projectile spinning through the air.
Ritsuka blinked, watching as a pair of wings sprouted from the back of the shooter and they then launched themselves skywards at speeds he had difficulty tracking, even with the storm dwindled down to such a background level, they still vanished into the falling snow without any sign of where they were. Though that didn't stop him from keeping his eyes on the skies.
"They can fly…" He muttered back, taking a step back in the snow and pursuing his lips "An Archer?" He shot a glance towards the blackened patch of ground, the melted imprint of the impact site and the grim understanding that if he hadn't been fast enough, that would have been both himself and Nursery.
"We must continue on, find cover and keep our wits about it." Llew fired off commands one after another as he adjusted his stance, turning his sword so that the tip was pointed down and bracing the flat of his weapon with his offhand, using the weapon as though it was now a shield. The greatsword was certainly wide enough to accommodate that role, Ritsuka supposed. "They might try to shoot us down from the air. Tell Caster to keep you alert…they found a way to avoid our senses."
"It will be the world messing with our heads." Nursery informed the others, sounding slightly troubled "Sorry, Mister Ritsuka. I should have known better-"
"No use worrying about it now." Ritsuka gently cut her off. "We knew there might be Servants here that wouldn't be too friendly." glancing over his shoulder, he looked to the row of houses that lined the street "...We should move quickly."
Especially if there was now a flying Archer hunting them down.