Chapter 156: The Queen's demand

It was difficult to tell in the precise moment where things had gone wrong, one moment he had been poised to kill Assassin - he'd never killed a child before and he didn't put much consideration into the act - and in the next moment his entire right side felt as though it had been constricted in a vice and he found himself blurring through the air, his feet leaving the ground so swiftly that he didn't have time orientate himself.

The only warning he had received prior to the sudden loss of balance was a noise akin to the screams of a wild animal, then he was struck by something with quite a bit of force that the strength in his body was blown out of him. It took everything he had to keep hold of Galvatyne and even that proved a challenge when he felt his body collide with something not once but thrice.

Very swiftly and very forcefully, a crunch signalled each of the landings and whomever or whatever had tackled him ensured that he was taking the brunt of them each time. The world turned into a blur around him as he moved, a feeling of weightlessness clinging to him as the howl continued to sound in his ears, when he was finally able to twist his head in the direction of the attack, he was rewarded by being punched in the face.

Ash's vision whited out and his head snapped downwards, smashing into the snow as he landed one final time, the back of his head driven down into the thick layer of frozen ground as the blows continued to rain atop his body, his eyes could barely make out the shape on top of him, strips of black with pale indigo atop whatever shape - it looked humanoid - was striking him. The blows smashed into his body with almost savage determination, each one more than strong enough to keep him incapacitated in his current state.

Not that he was going to let his go on for long.

As the next blow struck him in the centre of his chest, his left hand swung upwards with his palm open. The flames built up in his hand so suddenly that it should have at least encouraged his attacker to back away. Instead, with speed he hadn't expected, they twisted their body at the last moment and the flames blasted straight past their body without even touching them. Which left his left arm pointed to the sky and very clearly exposed.

Something his attacker took full advantage of, a strong grip found itself around his wrist and then twisted with enough force that his armour cried out in protest. His joint came very close to breaking with that single movement, his teeth ground against one another as his arm locked up and would move no further, applying his own strength to try and combat whomever-

An armoured boot, or perhaps some manner of cloven hoof, was driven down into the front of his helmet and buried him further into the snow, the blow dazed him long enough to distract him from keeping his arm secure. Which proved to cost him quite severely. The joint twisted right the way around, the arm rotating much further than it should have with a crunch of bone signifying the obliteration of his elbow.

If that had not been enough for whomever was attacking him, then then bent the arm.

In the wrong direction.

Even his muted senses of pain alerted him to what was very clearly a bad thing judging from the pained flare that shot through his body. The sword in his right hand was charged with power, he could feel the heat radiate off the weapon, a split second before it exploded at point blank range, the pressure holding him vanished and he was let free, the explosion of chaos fire washed over his body and liquified the ground around him

Before the wall of flames had even cleared, he was scrambling to his feet, dragging himself up and whirling around to try and find his attacker, briefly sparing his left arm a glance and cringing behind his helmet at the new look that had been forcefully applied onto it. Something like this would take a little bit of time to fix and he doubted he even at that much-

The flames parted as a brilliant spear of glowing purple light shot towards him, Galvatyne blurred at it swung upwards, trailing billowing flames in its wake as it struck the arrow and promptly exploded, showering his body in matching flames to the arrow and with enough force behind the attack to send him a step backwards. His vision was still dazed and his eyes recovering from the repeated flashes of light in his face.

As it cleared, he bit back a curse and widened his orbs at the shape that came charging out of the inferno. It was coated in thick black fur, violet coloured patterns covered the front of its body, glowing brightly as if to offset it's midnight hair, a pair of obsidian coloured tusks jutted from the lower jaw of the long snout, twin green eyes glared hatefully at him as the solid mass charged him at incredible speeds.

He swung back down, slamming his greatsword into the horns and immediately finding himself being carried with the charge, his armoured boots failing to find purchase as he was dragged along with the momentum, carving thick trails through the snow in his wake, the sword being the only thing that kept the beast from running him down and clearly it knew it as well, swinging it's head upwards and knocking the sword to the sky, then shooting forwards in a short burst of speed and hammering into his gut like a battering ram.

Ash was shunted off his feet almost immediately, the energy blown from his body as he rocketed away from the tusked monster. The attack did not stop, the body of the beast peeled away as though turning to dust, revealing a humanoid figure shorter than him, long hair a mixture of platinum silver and pale indigo flowed freely in a mess, atop it sat two triangular shaped protrusions that could be easily identified as the ears of some manner of cat.

The arms and legs were coated in the same thick black fur as the beast, sharp claws jutted from the tips of the fingers like daggers, bare skin could be seen around the thighs, abdomen, upper arms and face. A thick band of fur went across the upper chest, a strip of white cloth just beneath it. On the right shoulder, perhaps the second most pressing thing about the individual, was the head of the beast mounted like some manner of pauldron.

Though what stopped Ash dead in his tracks was the face, the hateful snarl upon it was a far cry from the woman he had met in the Singularity upon the ocean. Though their faces matched, he could not imagine the two of them being the same person…unless…

His mind quickly darted to the memories of the alternated Jeanne and how different she was, though he'd only ever seen her from a distance.

The implications were beaten out of him, quite literally, as the woman threw herself forwards with a burst of speed that was even faster than that of the horned creature. Her arms spread wide and her fingers cocked backwards as though preparing to be shot down like stakes. He was in no position to defend himself as the woman slammed into his gut like a warhammer, propelling the two of them through the air.

Ash felt the back of his body meet resistance for all of a second, then whatever was behind him gave way with a sound of shattering wood and splintering glass. His body angled downwards as the woman drove him into the floorboards of the house they had crashed into, him lying down lasted all of a second as she quickly shot to her feet and swung her arms forwards, snagging them around his shoulders and pulling him upwards, with a howl she tossed him up, sending him flying through the ceiling and onto the next floor.

And then through the roof of the house itself, spinning through the air as he found himself experiencing a complete lack of perception as to where he was, everything was moving much too quickly and in one moment he found himself staring up at the pure white of the sky and the next was spent staring at the horizon of the 'Reality Marble' before he finally found himself staring down at the metropolis beneath him.

Then Atalanta's face filled his vision, her murderous expression hadn't dimmed in the least as she caught up with him - a pair of wings protruding from her back informed him of how she accomplished this - and clamped a hand around his head while the other grabbed his right arm by the wrist and held it in place. He wasn't sure how strong she was but it was certainly stronger than him, feeling the momentum of his body slow to a crawl as the pair reached the apex of their climb.

In the next moment, he found himself being twisted around, then the pair of them accelerated. Though he couldn't see on account of the hand in his face, Ash had a very good idea of what had happened, judging by the jolt of force that ran through him in the split second before he felt gravity carry him downwards. The wind screamed around him as he fell through the sky, counting the seconds in his head.

On second number three, he struck the ground.

A crack of thunder filled his ears as his body cried out in pain and then went numb, locking up around him as he felt as though his back had been crushed by a Demon hammer, unable to move on account of the weight sitting on his chest, that was rapidly tightening its grip around his head and arm. His left limb was functionally useless, even with his lack of effective pain receptors he could tell that he wasn't going to be moving it.

"Rrrrhhhaaa!" Atalanta let out a guttural roar as she pulled his right arm up and then slammed it back down into the ground. Then did so again and again, each time with more force and each time he felt his hand loosen its grip more and more.

The arm clenched around his helmet loosened, granting him a reprieve that lasted all of a second. Then it shot down and found a new home around his throat, tightening its grip until he could hear the armour creaking under the strength of the Servant. She was clearly trying to choke him out and it might well work, if she crushed his throat entirely. At the very least, it would seriously hamper his ability to fight.

It granted him vision to stare up at the face of the woman, in the back of his mind he could still not quite put two and two together as to how they might well be the same person. The glowing green eyes of hers narrowed as her grip tightened, briefly darting towards his sword and then pulling her arm back one final time before driving it down into the ground. His hand let out, the sword flew from his grasp and rolled across the flooring.

He could barely make out their surroundings, the dim lighting and the singular bright hole in the sky quickly informed him they had crashed through the ceiling and into the home of some poor wretch. Not that it seemed Atalanta cared in the least, in truth he didn't find it the most pressing of concerns either.

With all the strength he could muster, Ash forced power into his right arm and gradually started to lift it off the ground, though Atalanta fought him for every inch of ground he claimed, the exertion starting to show itself on her face. The tightening of her brows and the flaring of her nostrils told him this much. Then her teeth were bared as she applied more pressure to his throat, likely hoping to kill him quickly. It was working too.

A snarl burst from his lips as he dragged his right leg upwards, it wasn't by much but just enough to wedge his knee underneath the woman as she mounted him, pushing upwards and slowly prying her away from his body, or at the very least giving him some - quite literal - breathing room to actually achieve something. Pain flared through his neck, a grinding sound caught his ears as she curled her fingers and moved to try and tear his throat out with her claws.

His head jerked forwards, slamming the ridge of his arrow shaped helm directly into her face as she leaned towards him. Her head snapped backwards, a hiss came free of her as her attention was briefly torn off of him. The grip on his right arm weakened just enough, with a soundless cry he slung his arm upwards and caught her in the cheek with a clumsy punch, not enough to throw her off him, but more than enough to jolt her away. His right hand fell onto the limb clasped around his throat, grabbing and twisting.

Her eyes whirled back onto him and glowed menacingly, a split lip now gracing her features as she hovered over him. The heat around his hand burned, the eyes widened for half a second before they narrowed, her left arm cocked itself backwards before being driven down, barely able to turn his head at the last possible second, Ash heard the sound of splintering wood as the arm of the woman drove itself to the wrist into the floor next to his head.

His right arm turned, forcing it up and driving his elbow into her face. Though it wasn't a case of striking her as much as it was just grinding away at her features with his armoured joint. Her head gradually turned away from him, pulling her left arm from the ground and grabbing hold of the limb to pry it off her, though he held firm to avoid letting her remove it. The pressure on his throat had long since been let up but he wasn't about to let her resume strangling him.

His right hand flares with fire, she releases his throat a second later and kicks off his chest, forcing herself into the air and gaining some distance in the split second before the pyromancy went off, though her right arm was now smoking around the fur. Her lips pulled into a ferocious scowl as she dropped back down to the ground.

Ash was instantly to his feet, his right hand flexing outwards as he called upon the flames. He didn't have enough time to go for his bottomless box and getting caught in a close fight with her was not something he wished to experience a second time. Which left him with using his knowledge to call upon a weapon he could access readily.

Brilliant orange flames jetted out from his hand before they stopped, his fingers curled around as though the fire that now emerged from his grasp was as solid as steel. The flames curved upwards, forming a minute crescent shape. His movements lacked finesse, he just pointed the newly made sword straight towards the woman. Watching as she glared at him, he figured she couldn't see his eyes so chance a brief glance at his left arm and grimaced at its state before darting his attention back to her.

The brief lull in the fight would grant him something.

"Atalanta…" He spoke out, his voice little more than a croak but still loud enough to be heard without problems. The ears atop her head twitched ever so slightly as he spoke the name, her eyes narrowed and she drew herself tighter, though didn't immediately charge, something he was profusely grateful for. "This aggression counters your previous goodwill-"

"Speak no more, monster." She growled at him, halting whatever else he had to say. "Whatever interaction you might have had with the naive fool that is my other self, I have never once spoken with you." her hands flexed, drawing attention to the claws, some of which were now slick with blood. His blood.

"And I have no interest in speaking with a killer of children."

Children? Was she so stupid that she could not see what the girl was?

"A child?" Ash did not hide the revulsion in his tone of voice "That girl is no mere child. I know nothing of her type, but I knew the signs of undead more clearly than any other." drawing himself up, he stood up straight, trying to appear more confident than he actually felt. Delaying Atalanta until someone could get here might well prove his best bet for survival. That and he wished to understand her reasons for this, even if they had never once met before.

Something flashed in her eyes for a brief second before it vanished.

Ash felt himself go cold.

"You know what she is."

There was no accusation in his words, only a statement of fact. Of course she knew what the girl was, she had come to her aid. There was no way you could linger around something of that nature and fail to understand what she was. That her body was similar to a child meant nothing to him, her true nature was identical to his own. One body, numerous souls. How many resided within her wasn't known to him, but it was well within the hundreds.

Atalanta's glare hardened "I know she's a child who deserves love-"

Ash blinks behind his helmet. That wasn't the answer he was expecting to receive in the least. She deserves love? What has receiving love got to do with anything regarding her condition?

"You'd go that far for a simple undead girl?" He blurts out before he can help it, though his helmet hides his expression his tone of surprise is relayed easily enough. He just doesn't understand where this came from. She's doing this out of love? The girl is just undead. It's baffling to him that someone would even go to such lengths-

He freezes, his gaze narrows as something bubbles up inside his chest. "Wait…you do all this…for the undead girl?" He wants to be mistaken in all of this but he cannot help but feel as though something is missing here. What possible reason would there be for dooming the entire human era…unless she was ignorant?

"Are you balancing her undead existence against the entire course of human history?" He's shocked beyond words, he does not wish to be proven correct but at this rate he is finding it very difficult to believe anything else. Something else worms into his heart, a seed of doubt. The Atalanta he met in Okeanos was one of determination, she sided against her own comrades because she did not believe theirs was a dutiful calling.

His posture loosens, he straightens himself out. Atalanta stares at him in surprise for a moment, but does not ease up. "What is so wrong with human history that would consider the life of some undead girl to be more valuable than it?" He would not have asked before, but there is something wrong here.

Something so very wrong.

Atalanta's eyes narrow dangerously, her body hunched forwards as though she's preparing to pounce. The air shifted, Ash felt as though he might well have said the wrong thing. "Some girl?" She parroted his words back to him with a dangerous edge in her voice "She's not just some girl…she's a child who was denied everything she deserved in life. She's finally gotten it all back…" her lips part, revealing her fangs "And I will not let you steal that away from her!"

She kicked off the ground, backwards. Her arm flashed out and a black bow formed in her grasp. Ash widened his eyes as he threw himself to the side, a second later an arrow tore through the wall behind him, he crashed into a roll and already charged forwards, bursting the side of the house in front of him and into the neighbouring home, giving little care for the debris that showered his body.

The burning sword flashed out of existence as he quickly grabbed his left arm. With a grunt he twisted it back around and pulled it forwards, snapping it back into the position it was supposed to be in. Though the limb was still useless, at least now it was facing the right direction. Turning back around, he pulled his right arm backwards and felt the heat of the pyromancy charge up in his hand-

The wall in front of him exploded and within the same instance, the arrow that ripped straight through the brick and wood, without slowing down, slammed directly into his chest and carried him with it on its journey back into the world. Crashes sounded all around him as the pressure on his chest fell away a second later and he felt his body slam into the ground, this time far lighter than before on account of the snow catching his descent.

He pulled himself upwards, his hand forming the burning sword again and raising it upwards.

Atalanta's axe kick slammed into the weapon and he felt himself forced down to his knees a second later. With only one arm to hold her back, he felt the limb tremble with the force she exuded before he snarled and pushed backwards, she effortlessly flipped back through the air with the bow still in hand, nocking three arrows without issue and pulling the bow taut.

The sword melted into his hand and he swung his arm forwards at the same time she loosened, the black orb of burning flame rocketed through the sky directly into the arrows, exploding upon contact with the first. The second burst through the flames and struck his side, Ash grunted at the protests of his armour as he felt his body twist with the impact, the arrow glanced off the rolled titanite and struck the ground behind him with a thunderous boom.

The third struck his left shoulder and embedded itself in the space between his armour plates. Force pushed him a step backwards as the sword reformed in his hand, he leaned forwards. Letting his body fall with the momentum before kicking off the ground and hurling himself through the remnants of the burning cloud, eyes darting about before they locked onto the form of the Archer.

Twisting himself, he jumped forwards and into a roll, throwing off her aim as she lined up a fourth shot at him. As he rolled back upwards, he reversed the grip on his sword and swung towards her, the burning blade screeched as it tore through the snow and directly towards the Archer.

Atalanta threw her bow arm forwards, blocking the attack with the bow itself and halting it in its tracks. She pivoted her body and performed a corkscrew, forcing the fire sword into the snow while she swung her leg around and hammered her shin into the back of his head, driving his faceplate into the ground. He was rolling before she could spin around, moving whichever way he could to avoid her counterattack.

Managing to return to his feet swiftly enough to avoid her claws swiping at the front of his chest, her nails barely touching the surface of the titanite breastplate with a screeching sound. He took a half step forwards, thrusting the sword at her and forcing her to turn her body to avoid the blow, he swung her leg upwards and drove it into the underside of his arm, sending the arm high.

As the foot came back down, she coiled her body, drawing her left arm backwards and clenching her hand into a fist, then swung it forwards with the entire weight of her body behind it, crashing her knuckles into his gut, he'd braced himself as well as he could but he still folded with the blow, letting out a gasping noise. The sword melted back into his palm, he aimed the hand towards the snow and unleashed an explosion at point blank range.

He had the Magic Resistance to defend himself from the blow, judging by the primal scream of rage and pain that came from Atalanta, she did not. He raised his head up to see her jumping backwards, embers littering the black patches of fur on her body and her eyes narrowed at him. Moving back to her hand back to her bow with another set of arrows held in her fingers.

Ash knew well enough he couldn't let that happen, he hurled his hand upwards and threw a glowing orb of fire into the air. The burning sphere hovered like a miniature sun before it let out a low hum. An orb detached from the larger body and shot towards the woman like an arrow, streaking through the sky and forcing her to dodge to the side in order to avoid being hit. The larger sphere continued to spit projectiles at her, keeping her moving while he gave chase.

Drawing his arm back, he hurled the latest ball of black flames towards the bestial woman. Atalanta rolled her body through the air, the fireball passing just over the top of her body. As she spun back around, Ash widened his eyes behind his helmet as he noticed the fact she had drawn the bow back once more, the arrow nocked in the string glittering with sparks of purple light. With a snarl, she loosened the projectile at him.

The fact the recoil sent her flying in the opposite direction to the arrow the second it flew from the boy was cause for concern. He turned his body as best he could, then released a grunt as the arrow struck him regardless, hitting his right side around his ribs, and sending his body into a spin as his legs came off the ground, soon finding himself on his back.

It was then that shouts of alarm followed by the clashing of steel and a whoosh of an inferno reached his ears, turning his head ever so slightly and seeing that he alone had not been caught by surprise. It also explained why no one had come to his aid during the fight, he watched as Quelan unleashed another jet of fire in the direction of the Assassin who was running rings around him. The knight with the glowing red visor was a different story, being forced onto the back foot by Percival who continued his assault without stopping once.

Though he had other concerns, turning his head back towards the direction of Atalanta and watching for any sign of movement. The arrow had knocked her back into the building, a cloud of dust shielding her from his view, his eyes narrowed behind his helm as he saw this for what it was. A chance. The warmth instantly rushed from his hand and into the air, feeling the healing effects of the pyromancy already at work. His right hand dove for his Bottomless box, flipping it up and pulling out the obsidian blade of the Ringed Knight, the straight sword fitting comfortably in his hands as he picked himself back up. Sensation - meagre as it was - started to return to his left arm, his fingers twitched as he flexed them for a moment then clenched his hand into a fist.

His left hand moved down to the sword, gripping the handle tightly and kicking off the ground forwards. Rushing towards the ruins of the house with the sword held tightly in his hands, he knew full well that letting Atalanta get close to him was a mistake, or at least something he could avoid. His pyromancy could keep the distance but it wouldn't work if she could cripple his arms before he could let one out-

Alarms rang through his head, he dove to the side a second later and narrowly avoided losing his head to the arrow shooting out of the house, dragging with it the loose debris and flinging it onto the street. Wasting not a single second, his left hand flew away from the sword and slung itself to the side, hurling forth another ball of fire directly towards the hole without even waiting to spot a target.

The second the orb made contact, the front of the wooden home exploded in a mess of charred wood and smouldering stone. He jumped forwards, leaping through the inferno and directly into the house, already preparing a pyromancy in his hand once again to be let loose the second he caught sight of anything within the home. His boots crashed into the ground, displacing the fragments of the floorboards across the foundations, his cape billowed behind him and cast his shadow over the inside of the ruin.

He spotted Atalanta with her bow already nocked, he sidestepped and thrust forwards. It might have seemed premature, especially since he did not have the distance to his advantage and he would not reach her before she loosened the arrow. Something she clearly understood, if she had any sense at all, Ash could say a lot about her, but her fighting thus far had been as brutal as it had been smart. However, this was no ordinary blade he had selected.

The runes along the surface of the sword glowed for a brief second, then the weapon glowed a brilliant orange, casting shadows everywhere as the dominant source of light in the room. Atalanta widened her eyes at the sudden activity from the blade, then loosened her bow towards his leg instead, Ash stumbled as the arrow pierced his shin and embedded itself in the ground behind him, the aim of the sword lowered just enough that when the glow of the weapon accelerated forwards, creating a larger blade made of pure fire, it whizzed just past Atalanta and cut a small line in her ribs rather than impaling her.

Regardless, it earned a hiss from the woman which granted him enough chance to continue the charge, the pain in his foot meant nothing as he launched himself forwards, twisting his body side on while Atalanta was in the midst of her own sidestep, her body exposed from moving to avoid his thrust. The glowing blade of the sword cleaved through everything around it as he turned the weapon, easily slicing through the walls of the house and the floor, leaving a scorched line in it's wake.

His shoulder struck her in the chest, knocking her backwards and continuing on as he carried the pair of them forwards, crashing her back into the wall and then through it into the street behind the home. Drawing his left arm back, he brought it across and used it to hurl the woman off his shoulder and into the air, wings burst from her back as she steadied herself in the air, regaining control and avoiding an uncontrolled descent.

Coiling his legs, Ash hunched his body down before accelerating, throwing himself into the sky in a leap towards the pale haired woman. Atalanta didn't appear too surprised by the movement, though at the last second his hand swung out to the side and unleashed a burst of fire, the momentum of the explosion propelled him just before she could loosen an arrow on him, her head whirled in his direction with her expression fixed into a snarl. Twisting his body, he snapped his finger.

Atalanta had a second to register the swirls of fire converging at a single point just shy of her chest before they exploded, briefly blinding her if the snarl and rapid movements of her head were any indication. Flapping her wings to give herself more height as his body fell back to ground, slamming into the snow with a crunch before throwing himself into a sprint, moving towards the houses directly to the left of the street and in the same direction that his allies were in.

Pulling his left hand up, he formed the pyromancy in his grasp and slammed it into his chest. A hue of red light surrounded his body, clinging to him like the cloak he wore on his back. Power flooded his veins and strengthened his form, without even slowing down he charged right through the back of the house, shattering the brick walls and speeding through the living room, furniture blurred past him and he briefly thought he saw someone slumped against the wall - likely another of the comatose humans - before he continued onwards and burst through the front of the house, showering the streets with litter as he slid to a halt, whirling in the direction of the fighting to see what was going on.

Just in time to see Percival slam a fist into the knight's head, the floating warrior was no longer floating, boots firmly planted on the ground as he staggered with the blow. The white armoured knight wasted no time in twirling the spear around and striking him in the gut with the tip, the shield flew down and caught the polearm with the groove at the side, though Percival responded by simply marching forwards and carrying the pair of them with him.

His eyes scanned the battlefield to see where the others were, briefly catching sight of Nobunaga fending off the large eagle once again, this time striking it in the side of the head with the butt of her rifle, then uppercutting it with the stock of the weapon.

Quelan, meanwhile, was looking worse for wear. His body was covered in cuts that leaked glowing orange blood, staggering around and releasing jets of fire at random intervals. The Assassin fighting him looked no different than the last time he'd seen them, giving him the idea that the Chaos Demon had achieved a grand total of nothing against the Servant.

He made it half a step forwards before being forced to retreat as something slammed into his back and wrapped around his waist. He glanced down for half a second and noticed the furred legs of Atalanta had locked around his body before her arms coiled around his neck. With a single jolt he found himself being pulled backwards, he had all of a second to slam his sword into the snow and lock himself in place to prevent his body from being immediately pulled over. His left hand shot upwards and reached out for anything, finding purchase in the locks of the woman and tightening his grasp. With a snarl, he pulled forwards and launched her off his body, bouncing her off the ground. Her hands stabbed out, clawing at the snow and slowing her momentum, he'd charged the second she'd flown into his field of view.

Her head snapped up as he launched a kick towards her, both arms crossed over one another as she blocked the attack, though visibly suffered for it with the fact she was forced upright once again, though her arms parted wide, then she took a step forwards and clapped them back together, only his head was in the middle of the impact zone.

His helmet rang like a bell, the woman snarled as she stepped forwards and punched him in the throat, then landed a blow into his gut, a kick to the side of his knee which sent him down slightly, before finishing it off by raising her right leg into the air - well above what he could do - and then bringing it down onto the top of his head, knocking him down onto his hands and knees.

His left hand glowed.

Pillars of fire ripped from the ground, forcing the woman onto the backfoot to avoid them, he shot upwards and charged after her, throwing himself towards her and into a tackle, wrapping his arms around her waist and feeling her clawed hands start to slash away at the back of his neck and shoulders, he held firm as he started to tighten his hold around her, pushing his newfound strength to the limits as the pressure he applied grew heavier and heavier.

The movements grew more animalistic, the noises more savage, as though he was fighting a hollow.

Then they stopped, he felt something give way - likely a rib - and he thought for a second he'd managed to hurt her.

Something heavy smashed into his shoulders and made him release her, staggering backwards and catching sight of the fact her hands were now clasped together in a single jointed fist. She'd clearly been affected if the blood in her mouth was any indication, but she gave it little heed as she stepped forwards and swung her double fisted uppercut directly into his chin, the next moment Ash found himself staring at the sky.

It lasted until Atalanta performed a roundhouse kick and struck him in the gut, once more he found himself being sent through the air with only the howl of the wind around him as company.

A fighting retreat would have been an understatement to describe what they were currently doing, a more accurate word would have been a chaotic dash to safety as fast as they could.

Mash winced at the sound of rumblings behind them, swiftly followed by the thunderous roar of the undead dragon and then the sound of shattering wood and brick filled her ears, she did not chance a look over her shoulder but the splinters and mortar that fell around her was proof enough that some manner of house had been totalled in the fight.

She might well have been the furthest one forwards, but that made her in no less danger as the sound of clashing steel rung inside her skull, this time she did turn to the see the form of Mordred blocking the large scythe of the woman dressed in the attire of a nun, she pulled the scythe towards herself and hooked the weapon around Mordred's sword, dragging it forwards.

The knight didn't even react as the second scythe was brought down, merely twisting her body to the side and allowing the blade to sail harmlessly past the front of her body. With a snarl, lightning coated her armour and flooded outwards in an uncontrolled surge, rippling bursts of crimson red electricity lashed out at whatever was closest to her, travelling up the length of the weapon and striking the nun. The woman released a gasp and instead slammed the smaller scythe into the ground.

This time, Mordred did move, throwing herself backwards as pillars of ice rose from the ground where she had been standing and then shattered into dozens of razor sharp shards. Mash turned on her heel, bringing the tower shield up and slamming it into the ground, listening to the metallic thudding noises of the shrapnel striking her guard before she dismissed the shield and continued on her run, reaching towards the talisman on her neck once more.

"Caster! We're moving through the main road but we're being pursued. I don't think we will be able to lose them." Even if they could somehow manage to lose the nun and the small army that was accompanying her, Mash very much doubted they would be able to lose the undead dragon. Which meant their best course would be to stand and fight…

Except Ritsuka was hardly in a position to do much of anything right now, she hadn't looked at his arm for long but the red skin was warning enough that something was wrong. Compounded further by the fact he hadn't offered any further comments regarding his situation beyond pained groans that only spurred Mash on faster.

There was a moment of silence, then Caster responded "I have your signatures." there was a clear tension in her voice, a mixture of annoyance and apprehension. "There are well above two hundred hostile forces closing in on your position from all sides. A mixture of undead summons and whatever those Avian creatures are. They should prove little more than fodder, however the undead dragon is the greater concern as well as the Servant that is in the midst of chasing you down."

Mash could have told her all of that. What she needed right now was a solution to their problems. "If you continue on your current course, you will lead them straight to me. Though I very much doubt it matters much at this point in time whether or not I remain here. Given your situation, I suspect they will-"

Whatever Medea was going to say next was cut off by a pained gasp, Mash turned to see Vordt stumble with the burning sword of Carwen lodged in his shoulder. The woman had practically appeared behind the knight if his back to her was any indication, the smoking grey sword twisted and moved to slash into his side, right up until the box helmed knight swung his greatsword in between the two of them and forced her to retreat. Flipping through the air to avoid the return swipe.

The Knight made to charge, then paused and snapped his head upwards "Archers on the roof!" he roared out loud, then reversed his grip on the large sword and held it up, covering his body from the front as best he could with the width of the weapon. Mash snapped her head up and noticed a mixture of skeletons and Corvians taking aim at them from a nearby roof, around a dozen or so of them drawing their bows backwards.

She let out a gasp and raised her shield once more, the sound of arrows bouncing off the snowflake shield might as well have been like thunder, though it gave her a brief chance to glance across the battle taking place behind them. If she wasn't already out of breath, she would have blanched at the sight that greeted her.

The undead dragon ripped through the closest house, the sound of fighting was lost amidst the ear splitting crash of the demolished homes being catapulted through the streets as nothing more than fragments. The scorched head locked onto them and snarled, opening its mouth once again and letting loose a deep roar which caused the very air to tremble around them, the ground shook with the cry before it resumed pulling itself forwards, all around it the shape of Skeletons could be seen bursting from the snow or climbing out of the homes, all armed with some sort of weapon.

The shapes of Mordred and the nun danced at the forefront, though the knight was clearly making an effort not to push too far forwards as she fought the woman. The twin scythes blurred through the air as she continued the offensive on the knight, each swipe of the weapon kicked up a cloud of snow as it carved through the ground.

Mordred swung, the woman ducked and twisted around, dragging the smaller weapon through the snow and unleashing another splintering ice attack onto the knight. She responded with a laughing scoff, then stamped her foot down and let loose a burst of magical energy that shot into the sky briefly, the ice was blown away with the sudden charge of mana burst. Though the woman wasted no time in charging in after, using her scythes to engage the knight once more.

Though Mash's attention snapped to the dragon once more, watching as it reared its head back and its throat started to ripple. Thick plumes of purple smog leaked from the holes along it's flesh, though it was a gas it fell like water onto the ground and started to spread around the base of the dragon, as though it was carrying with it, it's own fog.

"Nyyyhhhaaa!" The bridal dressed woman with the mace charged past, the club burst with lighting as she slammed it into the twinblades of Carwen, the hostile Servant bent their legs as they stopped the blow, then twisted downwards and slashed up with their right sword, Fran leaned back as the blade barely nicked a line in her cheek, already gearing back for another strike as a burst of wind rolled into the Servant, knocking them down.

"Aim for the roofs!" The knight shouted out, pointing upwards as another volley of arrows struck his sword and ricocheted off the weapon, briefly lowering to point to the group and bring the attention of the black dressed girl. "Take down the archers before they cut us to pieces!" He then whirled on Vordt "Provide aid to the Saber who battles the nun, I shall handle the dual wielder!" Before the Rider could offer a word of protest, the knight took off into a charge.

"Keep heading down the street!" Medea's voice brought Mash out of her state "I shall meet you there and see about cutting off your pursuers."

Mash mentally nodded her head at the statement, not that Medea could have seen her if she physically responded to her in the first place. Right now, what was most important was getting away from whatever was going on and that meant running once again. Turning on her heel, she grit her teeth and charged forwards once more, still carrying Ritsuka on her back, and trying her best to focus on getting him to safety without suffering more harm-

A Corvian dropped to the ground in front of her, this one slightly different to the others with the presence of a grey cloak covering their shoulders and head. The beaked face looked at her and large dull eyes stared blankly at her, a rapier held tightly in its right hand while the left held four of the quill knives that were as long as swords.

Mash wasted no time in bringing her shield up and preparing for any sort of counter-

"There's no need for that, little one." She blinked at the feminine voice that sounded out, looking past the Corvian and seeing more and more of them drop down from the nearby buildings, soon filling up the street with their numbers, around twenty or thirty of them in total, she wasn't counting. Though what attracted her attention was the large figure moving through the midst of them.

Mash felt her throat run dry as she stared at them, silken white robes, soft chestnut coloured hair and warm golden eyes stared at her. The large woman with perfect proportions moved forwards, hands clasped in front of her and without an ounce of urgency, the woman stood a head over the currently hunched Corvians, all of whom bowed their heads as she passed them by, as if not even daring to lay their eyes upon her.

The Shielder fought back a gulp as she saw the subservience, feeling the same desire to hide her own face from the woman. Though she could feel the urge to keep her eyes firmly placed upon the face, a desire to drink in her appearance as though it was the first drop of water to have ever graced her lips.

Eventually, the tall Servant paused in her movements, glowing eyes narrowed slightly as they moved away from her and to something behind her. It took her a second to realise the Servant was staring at Senpai with a particular intensity to it.

That wiped any sense of reverence she had, her expression tightened as she brought the shield up once more and pivoted her body to try and hide her Masters face from the Servant, the action went about as unnoticed as she expected, drawing a briefly surprised look from the tall woman, soon replaced by a slightly curious expression. "Oh? Your desire to protect them is that strong?"

With an amused hum, she shook her head and let out a chuckle "Regardless, you need not worry so much, Lady Knight." she waved her hand as if trying to waft away Mash's concerns. It didn't work in the least, the obedience the Corvians were showing her and the presence she exuded was obvious enough to denote her as a Goddess. She was going to take no chances here. "This little flock of mine has recently come to recognise…shall the value of serving true beauty."

Mash blinked, there was something in those words that set her on edge ever so slightly.

"Still, you seem to be in quite the unfortunate situation. Hmmm…" The Goddess reached up, tapping at her chin and tilting her head slightly in a very adorable manner, Mash jolted and shook her head. Wondering where that stray thought had come from, then furrowed her brows as the sensation left her the second she broke line of sight with the Servant. "Ordinarily, I would leave such physical fights to those better suited…but perhaps displaying the brilliance of the Lords will demonstrate why it was we were considered the governing race. You're also travelling with someone I wish to speak with, so I suppose I shall do you this one boon."

"However…" Mash gulped as the voice was closer than she recalled, briefly realising she had not looked back at the Servant and whirled her head around, only to find they were stood directly in front of her, standing around two metres tall and looming down to look her dead in the eyes, an very flirtatious smile playing on her lips. "I would obviously be expecting some manner of tribute for an act such as this."

The presence was strong enough that Mash could not find the strength to speak, then the Servant leaned back and spoke up. "You can play with your friends now, little birds."

Llew swung his arm up, blocking the burning sword with his gauntlet and pushing it backwards, reversing his grip on his greatsword he thrust the weapon upwards and slammed the pommel of the weapon into the hips of the woman, who went by the name of Carwen - Llew had the strangest notion they might have met before, but could not recall - and sent her into a stumble.

His left arm came back down, hand clenched into a fist and ramming his knuckles into the side of the head with a haymaker. The woman twisted with the blow, turning her body over and practically rolling atop his arm and swinging her leg down into the side of his head as she did so. He powered through the blow, sweeping his sword upwards and meeting her block.

With a grunt, he completed the swing and sent the woman's skywards, only to raise the flat of his sword and find himself stumbling as a ball of fire slammed into the side of his body. Briefly hissing at the pain that flared through his side from the attack, his head snapped in the direction of the assault and briefly found himself halting at the sight of the peculiar figure.

Dressed in a full covering black robe, three masks stared back at him. One bronze, one silver and one platinum. The largest was the bronze and came with the face of a bearded man carved into the front of it. As if to match the three sets of head, six arms protruded from the body, three on either side, all of which had spokes jutting from the sleeves and were mounted with lanterns.

"Wha-"

"YOU!" A howl of fury burst through the snow, Llew made a half turn just in time to see the nun get punted away from the horned knight as she turned and pointed at the strange black cloaked figure, her entire body coated with crimson bursts of lightning. The helmet snapped backwards and mounted the horns atop her shoulder pauldrons. Llew was briefly struck by how young she looked. Though that was offset by the absolutely murderous expression on the face of the young blonde as she glared at the figure with such rage that if she could have weaponized it, her target would have been dead ten times over.

"I'm gonna snap those fucking broom handles off your arms and ram them up your arse!"

…Charming.

The six arms fell forwards, the lanterns converged on a single point in front of the strange being. The knight rocketed herself forwards at the same time the burst of fire from each of the lanterns brought forth the appearance of a red and silver greatsword, the sides of the weapon split and travelled down to the base of the hilt, flames raced across the surface of the blade.

The expression of the blonde Saber quickly warped itself into disbelief before a stream of flames rushed from the greatsword, rocketing forwards with such speed and power that even he doubted he would have been able to dodge it, let alone the blonde girl already in the air. As it was, she raised the back of her arm at the last second before the flames hit, a snarl of pain and fury met his ears as the burst of fire carried her backwards and through the skies like a meteor, carrying her well above the heads of everyone currently fighting.

At the apex of her climb, the flames dwindled and the knight came crashing back to the ground, falling straight through the roof of a house and obliterating the front windows with her fall, spilling fragments of glass and furniture onto the streets as the front wall exploded. Llew stared at the devastation, then whirled his head back in the direction of the six armed monster as the red and silver sword slowly faded out of existence.

With a flurry of movements, the creature waved its arms and unleashed a pulse of magical energy from their body. In the next second, a dozen skeletons burst from the snow, assembling themselves as they rose up all armed with some manner of spear or sword. The new hostiles instantly threw themselves into combat, charging down Fran and subsequently being flattened by a burst of lightning.

Llew took a half step forwards, then brought up the flat of his sword and blocked the twin swords of Carwen once again. Snarling behind his helmet at her persistence, with a grunt he pushed her backwards and brought the sword above his head and swung down with all his might. Carwen jumped backwards, avoiding the blow-

A skeleton wheel slammed into his side. Llew stumbled with the attack before his left hand flew from his sword and grabbed the wheel, halting the spin and twisting his body around, pulling the skeleton off the ground and hurling it towards the woman as though it was a discus, she ducked underneath the blow and continued her dancing dodges as he charged in the aftermath, briefly stopping when he realised how close the dragon was.

The beast was practically on top of him, bringing the right front most leg down towards his head. With a snarl, he raised the flat of his sword upwards and braced it with his left hand, the blow fell upon him with the power of a crumbling mountain, his knees shook and his arms ached. His armour groaned as his body shuddered, the ground slowly giving way beneath him as he was pushed down towards the ground.

His eyes quickly darted to the right, quickly catching sight of the nun charging towards him with her scythes, then to the left and spotting Carwen similarly bearing her blades, sprinting towards him with such speed she would arrive within less than a second. With a roar, he shoved the dragons arm backwards, then thrust his sword like a battering ram, driving the pommel of the weapon into the nun as she got close enough, hearing a crunch of bone and watching as she fell back with a choking sound and a spray of blood.

He spared her not even a second glance as he thrust the wide brimmed sword in the opposite direction, Carwen ducked underneath the spearing motion and slid along the ground, reversing her hold on her blades as she sailed past and slashing towards his legs. He dropped down onto his knee a split second before she could strike, trapping her sword beneath the limb and abruptly ending her movement with a jerk, her grip ensured she spun around the new anchor and through her helm, he could see alarm in her posture.

His elbow fell into her faceplate with the force of a hammer, metal bent and the back of her head was driven into the ground with such force that the rest of her body briefly left the earth.

Llew's eyes darted back to the dragon, shooting back to his feet and swinging his sword upwards, striking it in the cheek as it made to take a bite at him. The head turned from the blow, a low growl leaving the beast as he carved a chunk of foul smelling flesh from the already decomposing face, then the dragons limb blurred before he found himself rocketing through the air, his breath driven from his body and seeing the dragon having literally backhanded him away as though he was a mere gnat.

His back slammed into something and the something gave way, shattering crashes flooded his ears as he found his vision staring through the remnants of a chipped hole with fragments of wood dangling from it, blinking several times before his body snapped upright, shaking his head and rising to his feet, ignoring the sensation of pain in his chest where he had been struck, he marched forwards and walked straight through the porch before him, brick and wood gave way as he returned to the streets.

A split second later, he swept his sword to the side and decapitated several Corvians in a single blow, their bodies had not even dropped to the ground before he brought his boot up and kicked forwards, the ribs of the skeleton before him turned to dust as the top half seemingly hung in the air, blissfully unaware of the fate that befell the rest of its body, then they dropped down so suddenly as if recalling gravity existed.

On the opposite side of the street, the blonde girl pulled herself from the wreckage of the ruined building, shaking of fragments of burnt debris from her body and pulling her face into a savage snarl, her voice came out as a furious howl which contained rage he had not imagined possible for someone to hold. "How dare you think you can wield a sword that belonged to Father!? Only a real King can touch that sword!"

He watched both Fran and Nursery fall back, the undead girl picked the small Caster up with her free hand and tucked her under her arm like luggage as they ran. The knight with the mace moved to cover their escape, bringing his heavy weapon to bare and locking with the nun once again, the woman having seemingly recovered though her face looked as though it had seen better days. Llew found it slightly cathartic.

Making to turn and follow suit, he called out to the Saber "Deal with your grudge later! We are outmatched-"

"Shut up!" The Saber cut him off with a furious roar as her body flexed with magical energy once again, becoming a crimson beacon sparks, the red trail dancing from her body and carving along the ground as she flooded more and more power into herself, her target was clearly the robed Servant who was still making wide sweeping movement with their six arms, spawning more skeletons into the battle.

Llew cursed under his breath as he grasped his sword with both hands, charging forwards and moving to support his fellow knights as they covered the retreat. The dragon let out another bellowing roar as it rumbled once again, a growling sound rippled through the air as the beast drew back its head as high as it could, lower jaw dropping open so suddenly and so quickly that for a moment he believed it would fly off.

Something whooshed over his head, a flash of light was followed by a sharp crack and the dragon stumbled backwards ever so slightly, shaking its head from side to side with a ferocious snarl of pain. Llew widened his eyes ever so slightly as he watched ripples of golden lightning flicker across its body, cutting off whatever attack it had been going to make.

He whirled around, watching as a fresh deployment of Corvian reinforcements arrived…and proceeded to engage in the brutal slaughter of their surprised brethren and skeletons. Falling upon them with fanaticism, the lead Corvian with a cloak - and the sensation of a Servant - sprinted right down the middle of the lines and lept towards the nun, forcing her on the back foot and instantly surprising her.

Llew wasn't going to lose this chance. "While they kill each other! Retreat to better ground!" With his words sounding out, he waved his hand in the direction of the street, already moving to turn before he paused at the final figure who appeared, his body locked up and his eyes widened behind his helm. A deep seated fear coursed through his body as he beheld the figure, one whose very beauty now dominated every sensation he had.

In any other situation, he would have dropped to his knees in reverence.

In this one moment, he could feel only terror.

When her eyes fell upon him and a smile graced her lips, his heart stopped beating for a split second, his blood ran cold.

"Lady…Gwynevere…?"

He had thought his words quiet enough that she would not have heard them, he quickly found himself proven wrong when she spoke back. Her voice whispering into his ear despite the distance between the two of them.

"There you are, my favourite knight." The smile on her lips was sharp, there was clear annoyance now shining in those eyes of hers. "You owe your Queen an explanation."

AN: Yep, Gwynevere.

And the reason I am behind on stats and Dialogue is because a lot of it is currently spoiler heavy.

But I suppose there is a small backlog on them that I shall work on.

Dolion, The Corvian Captain

Servant: Assassin

Strength: C+

Endurance: D

Agility: A+

Mana: E

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: B

The Chill of Betrayal: B (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 0

The Corvians did not anticipate betrayal nor did they consider it for even a moment.

Dolion did, the first of the Corvians to side with Friede and convinced his brothers to do much the same. The slaughter was swift and decisive.

This Noble Phantasm works in tandem with presence concealment, masking the presence of Dolion, as well as his allies, until the moment is right.

They can attack without giving themselves away, taking their target by surprise and delivering a lethal ambush.

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment: B

Personal Skills:

Blessing of the Long Forgotten Goddess: E

Long ago, the Corvian people worshipped a Goddess.

However, they have long since forgotten her name and replaced her with another.

That does not change the fact their very blood remembers the Goddess of crows they once served. They have a small deal of protection against those of Evil Alignment, damage from them being reduced slightly.

Defenders of the Rot: B

The Corvian Knight's betrayed their own brethren to protect the rot.

They have a strong resistance to the effects of the cold, of poison and of curses.

However, they are weak to the flames of rebirth and spells of vitality are less effective on them. Those who defend stagnation, cannot be healed easily.

The Knight who kills his kin: C

Deals additional damage against Corvian targets.

Shades of the Knights: B

Can summon wraiths of his kindred, their souls answering his call to defend that which they hold dear. They are not Heroic Spirits or even on the level of Servants, but they are still dangerous in great numbers.

Throwing (Dagger): C

The Pursuer

Servant: Rider

Strength: B+

Endurance: B

Agility: C

Mana: C

Luck: D

Noble Phantasm: C+

Mark of the Curse: C+ (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 1-2

His Greatsword can be imbued with power, it will glow a brilliant blue and is thrust towards a target. Cutting or stabbing them will result in the curse activating, causing a wound which will weaken the endurance of said target by one rank as well as deal damage.

Alternatively, the sword can project an energy blast equivalent to a simple blast of mana at Rank C.

Räsvelg: C (Anti-Army) Max Target: 30, Max Range:-

The giant eagle which carries him from point to point. It is a fearsome creature indeed.

Capable of great gusts of wind or incredible speeds to carry him across the land swiftly.

Armour of the Damned: E (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 0

His armour - fused with the souls of his slain - is awash with curses.

It provides him with adequate Magic Resistance as well as allow the hexes to seep forth from the armour and attack others. It is a Constantly active NP but its benefits are limited to Magic Resistance which would be otherwise poor.

Class Skills:

Madness enhancement: C

Magic Resistance: [E] C

Personal Skills:

Ring of Blades: B+

Increase own attacking power when called upon.

Undead Killer: B

He is the one who kills undead relentlessly. Believing their deaths atone for his own sins.

Relentless pursuit: A

Once he has discovered a target, he will always be aware of them.

It is a manner of tracking so that even if they escape him, re-discovering them is trivial.

Utility of Weapons: D

The Pursuer took many weapons from his fallen foes over his long hunt.

He carries them upon his back and can freely switch between any number he collected for use instead of his greatsword.

Dancer of the Boreal Valley

Servant: Berserker

Strength: B

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Mana: C

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: C

Afontân: C (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 1

The burning sword is slashed into the target, the mark of fire will ignite in an explosion after a short delay.

Fumus: C (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 5, Max Range: 0-5

The enchanted sword is stabbed into the ground, releasing a cloud of dark smog which will cause a burning pain on those who touch it.

Class Skills:

Madness Enhancement: B

Magic Resistance: E (C)

Divinity: C

Descendant of Gwynevere

Personal Skills:

Instant teleportation: C

Can move from one location to another via portals.

Outrider Knight: B

Resistant to poison and Cryomancy

Black Eyes of the Pontiff: C

Can briefly be used to grant Magic Resistance to her as well as cure her of curses.

Sister Friede

Servant: Assassin

Strength: C+

Endurance: D+++

Agility: B+

Mana: B

Luck: D

Noble Phantasm: B

Twin Scythes: B (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 1-3

The two scythes of Friede, both embedded with the cold winds of Ariandel, afflicting terrible chill onto the victims as well as the mental effect they impose. A sense of apathy with each strike landed, though it is only a marginal effect. It can spell danger in the gravest of situations.

Black Flame: C (Anti-Unit Self) Max Target: 1, Max Range: 0

She channels the black flames of the abyss, as she was once a sister of the sable church.

In order to protect the Cold of Ariandel, she surrendered her unkindled bodies to the fire, seeking ash once more and becoming the Black Flame avatar.

Doing this grants her a great deal of boost to her stats and grants her an 'Anti-Divine' trait.

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment:-

Personal Skills:

[Mana Burst (Black Flame): B]

A skill that only becomes active when the corresponding NP is activated. Can significantly increase her speed and physical stats.

Cyromancy: B

Invisibility: A

Replaces presence concealment, however she is still tangible. Can be tracked through physical movement.

Sister of the Sable Church: B

Intricate knowledge of dark miracles from the Church.

Thrice She Protects the Painted World: B++

She returns from the dead three times. With each return, she is granted a boost to her endurance.

Charisma of the Saintly Mother: B

Convinced those of the Frozen World to follow her, working as an associate of Father Ariandel. She has a strong presence which can bring a sense of calm to the battle, convincing them that she has the solution to their woes.

Summoning

"Servant, Assassin. I am Sister Friede of Ariandel, I have come at the behest of your will. Mayhaps we shall bring serenity to those who suffer?"

Dialogue 1

"This lively atmosphere is not one I find great comfort in, I shall retire to a location of greater quiet."

Dialogue 2

"Do you believe there is such a thing as destiny? Or perhaps, you would call it fate…The belief that the path has been decided for you or that all happens for a reason? Such a thing, I believe, does truly exist."

Dialogue 3

"We are bound now, you and I, on this mission. As ones who seek to upturn the end of the world and bring about peace to the land once more. I hope that you shall embrace the prosperity that comes with peace. Let us think of it in those terms, not those of Master and Servant."

Dialogue 4 (If you have Pontiff Sulyvahn)

"The Sapling, all grown up. Does it surprise you to learn that I mourn for his passing? I was there when he was birthed, I could see the darkness that brewed in his heart even as but a mere woodland sprite. Perhaps that was my failing, to not cure this sickness before it could shroud his entire being."

Dialogue 5 (If you have Sapling Sulyvahn)

"He might claim the likes of saving, but his is a belief born of ignorance. Preaching the messages of hope does not ring true for those without any. For those who have nought but their own misery, hope is as alluring as the foulest poison. Daring them to try once more and suffer a fall greater than the last. Though I would not wish great harm upon him, it remains the only way for him to see the wonder of Ariandel."

Dialogue 6 (If you have Vilhelm)

"Ah, the good Sir Vilhelm is with you. As expected, he remains my loyal knight even now. I suspect he has told you as much? Worry not, I shall see to it he serves you as faithfully as he served me. He is a knight of his oath, and his oath to stand by my side has lasted beyond even the reach of death."

Dialogue 7 (If you have Priscilla)

"The Crossbreed Goddess, she carries within her the world of Ariandel at all times. A great...privilege that is. I shall admit my own envy at this ability of hers, taking upon the role of matriarch was one that came easily to me, but the Corvians needed guidance and a comforting hand, one which I provided them well enough."

Dialogue 8 (If you have Jeanne)

"There is another of those who preach of hope, yet she remains stalwart even after the flames have claimed her. Perhaps it is stubborn pride that keeps her moving, but she should know that a great many are not blessed with her personal strength. They cannot make the pilgrimage from their lowest point once they reach there. When that happens, what then shall they do with messages of hope?"

Dialogue 9 (If you have Dolion)

"The brave Sir Dolion. I asked much of him, but he saw the wisdom of my words and accepted. Think no ill of him if he should be quiet. He is a loyal Servant once it has been earned."

Dialogue 10 (If you have Kiara)

"There is something to be met with this woman, yet I cannot condone her manner of granting peace. Though perhaps it is just as much about the result as it is about the method it is achieved with. Regardless, it is not one that I would use, though if her flock are truly pleased with their lives and devoid of pain…Hmmm…I can offer her praise for such a thing."

Dialogue 11 (If you have the Ashen One)

"It does not surprise me that he dislikes me so, but that is a mutual feeling. From one unkindled to another, I cannot bear the sight of him. Focused instead on a duty of mercy, he would slaughter those he deems wounded or perhaps wrong just because he feels their lives deserve such things. How you can make a contract with such a beast is beyond my understanding."

Likes

"I enjoy the peace that my presence can bring, to stand before a flock of the pained and listless and know that you are the one they turn to in times of hardship for guidance…it is a feeling I cannot express."

Hates

"I dislike burdening others with strength they do not possess. The belief that just because one might pull themselves up from their lowest point does not mean it is capable for another to do so. If they fall, there should be no obligation to pull them back up."

Wish for the Holy Grail

"I would very much like the return of my Home and my flock…perhaps such a thing would be possible."

Bond Level 1

"So you do this out of a sense of duty? Or perhaps it is something more…yet I can see your heart. There is great pain there, a great burden…How long do you suppose you can walk with that weight in your gut?"

Bond Level 2

"This strength of yours seems boundless, but with each battle, I fear you lose a piece of yourself. Have you noticed it already-ah…you have, haven't you? The sight of blood is no longer an offence to your eyes."

Bond Level 3

"Does it not weigh upon you? The burdens of yours? You shoulder such a duty for one so young. Do you flee from your troubles? Banishing your focus to the battle rather than the aftermath? Regardless, I shall watch you and await my answer."

Bond Level 4

"The desire to live is a powerful thing, there is no shame in admitting you fear death. Quite so, there is much to fear. A sense that all your struggles will be lost to the world and forgotten, that you shall never experience the peace you deserve after all that you have suffered through. As an Unkindled, I understand that pain most severely than all others."

Bond Level 5

"You have such spirit, to remain focused for so long. I do not doubt that it will break, and when it does…You have climbed such a high mountain, Master. Carrying the weight of the world in such small arms. When you fall…you shall fall so far. Worry not, I shall be there to catch you. When you can move no further and fight no longer, I shall be there and Ariandel shall welcome you as it's latest."

Birthday

"A birthday, you say? In that case, I offer you the best wishes."

During an Event

"Such noise, it disturbs the peace but there is amusement about it. You wish to partake in it?"

1st Ascension

"With this level of power, I might achieve more of myself than before."

2nd Ascension

"Ah, another ascension. Perhaps you have been thinking deeply upon my words?"

3rd Ascension

"If you wish, you might call me Sister Friede. Or perhaps, Elfriede if that is your desire. It matters little to me, but it would be more fitting for all the effort you have placed into me."

4th Ascension

"So, this is as far as we go? I am satisfied with this development. I shall bring the peace that you so desperately wish for. Rest well, Master. I shall take up the burdens on your behalf now."