Chapter 158: Value not his own.
Fire flowed from his hand like a river, the torrent of black flames washed along the ground and consumed all in their path, the power of the blaze ripped apart the ground and sent waves of steaming water into the sky, the cloud of smoke parted just as quickly as it was born and vanished as the flames came closer to the target.
It had been an instinctual response the moment the images had flashed through his mind, he'd kicked backwards and unleashed the black flames without hesitation the moment he sensed something was wrong. Yet he was too slow, he could feel his mind burn as something erupted from deep inside him, clarity gave way to confusion, which gave way to shame and fear.
Something was wrong with his head, something was wrong with his life…
Something was wrong, so very, very wrong.
He didn't know what was wrong, he did not even think to contemplate it at the moment. He caught but a glimpse of the images, he heard but whispers of the words spoken so sweetly into his ears. Words that he took deep inside and held so close that he dare not let them go, words that he knew would carry him forwards through even the greatest of trials.
The words terrified him, his dependence on the words that were little more than echoes left him horrified. The flames cut off the images, the link between himself and the enemy Servant was broken just as quickly as it had been formed, but the damage was already done. He felt the loss seep through his soul, the words and whispers fell silent. The sense of completion that he had been granted was ripped from him and left with a yearning.
He stomped, he screamed, he raged.
His mind worked quickly, trying to cut out the words from his mind as though they were poison, they might as well have been for the effect they had on him. He did not know who spoke them, he did not know whose memories those were, but he did not wish to encounter them again, he did not wish to experience them. If but a brief flash did this to him, then to experience them in full force would…
It would…
He did not want to think about it.
Time moved so slowly for him as he retreated, whether he was breathing or not never even registered with him, all he could think about doing was putting as much distance from himself and the enemy Servant as possible. The crossbreed had done something to him, they had attacked his mind rather than his body. It was not something he could combat, it was a battle he had never experienced before.
He would need help to understand how to combat something such as this.
The black flames continued to leap from his hand, shooting forth without end and becoming a howling roar as they ripped through the street. He had never created an explosion that large before and he realised that he had not stopped channelling magical energy into his pyromancy flame since he started. The fires continued, he kept pouring strength into them.
Every ounce of his power was pulled from across his body, his every fibre was thrumming with life as they all focused on his left hand and the abyssal fires. It was as though he was throwing forth every ounce of his life, every single iota of power, all his rage and emotions and ejecting them from his body in this one attack.
He wanted the Crossbreed gone before she could do the same thing again.
He never wanted to experience that again and yet…
And yet…
Something flashed through his body, and the next moment he pulled his left hand back. It felt as though something had been pulled taut and then snapped back into the limb, the recoil very nearly dislocated his shoulder as his feet hit the ground, the momentum carried him backwards as he skated through the snow.
His left hand came up, he stared at his empty palm as the final remnants of fire faded from sight, soon snapping his head towards the direction where the Crossbreed had been standing. He caught the sight in the final moments of its existence, the inferno that had very nearly consumed the whole street was snuffed from existence.
The wall of flame had been cut in half, a slice through fire itself that was so clean and so perfect that he could never imagine repeating it. Not only had the fire been cut, but so too had his link with it for whatever reason. It was not something he had ever experienced before, nor did he think was possible. It was something that he could not understand in the slightest.
Ash frowned, shifting his stance and tightening his grip on his long sword so greatly that his armour started to groan, he was certain that if he had been stronger he would have formed indentations in the hilt of the sword itself. The steel sword had never been more comfortable in his hands, or perhaps it was merely the notion that he was armed with anything that brought him comfort. It was something he could comprehend.
The black flames sputtered out of existence, falling aside into nothing and revealing the unblemished form of the crossbreed. Her scythe held out away from her body, still hanging in the air where she had completed the horizontal slash. Yet her posture was all wrong, it was clumsy - lazy, even - and certainly not something anyone would have put effort into.
He adjusted his footing, internally debating whether getting closer to stop her or putting distance to flee from her was the best course of action. If that strike had been her not even trying, then there was very little he could do if she actually put effort into an attack. He did not understand what she had done to the flames either, or why his connection with them had been cut. It wasn't like Vow of Silence. The magic hadn't been cancelled, it had been destroyed. Much like how one would cut a limb from a body, she had cut the spell from him.
Though she had not said a word, nor did she speak as she lowered the scythe back to the ground with an almost lackadaisical sense of urgency about her, regarding him with that same look of pity that now felt more taunting than anything else. Pitying him for the state she had put him into was rather insulting, yet he would not so quickly take the bait.
"...What did you do to me?" Ash spoke quickly, the words leaving him in a rush as the questions circled in his mind. He might not have been expecting an answer from her, but it was something he had to know. "What did you make me see?"
The Crossbreed regarded him coolly, then spoke in a slow and gentle voice. "What is it that you believe I forced you to witness?"
The left hand flashed with fire, though he held back from casting another spell. That time it felt rather insulting, though it might well have been something to put him off balance. It was only because he was disturbed by the images that he even entertained this conversation, if she could do it once then there was every possibility she could do so again.
Perhaps others would have more knowledge of this, unless it was the influence of this world that now haunted his steps. Was this what the people were forced to witness?
Thinning his lips, Ash brought the sword in his right hand up and pointed the burning weapon towards the Servant in an aggressive manner. "Do not claim ignorance…you know what you did. You poisoned my mind with images…with that…voice…"
"You were poisoned long before I stepped before thine eyes." The Crossbreed countered swiftly and with the same tone that one would speak with a fool. "The poison runs deep within thy soul, so very deep that it cannot see the light of day. Yet, even that which hides in the dark still casts a shadow, I merely provided light so that you might see."
"The light so I could-?" He recoiled from her "What you-? What was that thing that-that voice that…who was she…?"
"...Our lives all start from somewhere, we grow upon what we are granted. I merely showed you what you were grant-"
"Take it back." The voice came out as barely a whisper, it was all he could think to say. "Get it out of me, get the voice out, get those images out, take them out-"
"What has been revealed, cannot be forgotten." The Crossbreed declared with certainty "The first lesson I learned from the one who arbitrates sin. They can be absolved, but they cannot be forgotten. To forget is to remain lost, to ignore is to invite repetition, to repent is to invite forgiveness."
There was a pause before she spoke further. "Though I had intended more to be revealed, your response ended that desire of mine." tilting her head, the Crossbreed took a single step forwards.
He took a step backwards, prompting her to cease her motions.
"You retreat from me, yet I only shed light upon your sins. That which you should fear is closer to you than I." Her left hand came up, moving towards her chest and her index finger pressing into the centre of her chest just beneath her collar. "It resides deep within. If confusion is what troubles you, I might provide further-"
He unleashed another orb of fire, hurling it before she could even get another word out towards him. The response had been instinctual, once more driven on by the horror he felt at the prospect of being forced to witness more of those images. To hear that voice in his head once more, that voice which filled him with such dread and such joy, with such hollowness and such value.
The crossbreed widened her eyes slightly, her left hand quickly moving to her scythe and swinging the weapon upwards. If Ash had been more attentive at the time, he might have noticed that her posture could not have been more amateur. The swing of her weapon had more in common with a child swinging a branch than it did with any seasoned warrior. Though he was not caring for such things.
All he wanted to do was get away from her.
The scythe blurred through the air, splitting the fireball before it could get close to her and washing over the length of the blade. Rather than last time where the flames were severed, it was merely a case that she detonated the ball with her weapon before it could reach her, letting out a small noise as she was forced a step backwards, her expression tightened in effort.
Ash cared not, he unleashed another orb and then another, the black flames rocketing through the air with increasing ferocity as he forced the Servant into a retreat. The scythe in her hands swung back and forth in clumsy arcs to block the projectiles as they came towards her, a cry leaving her throat as one struck her shoulder, her hand flew towards it and she grasped at the slight burn she now held on her left side.
He saw an opportunity, soon kicking off the ground and rushing towards her as he unleashed an explosion directly in front of him as he gained distance. The fire granted him obscurity, he could no longer see the form of the Servant which meant that she would no longer be able to see him.
Drawing the longsword across his body, bringing the blade under his left arm, he thrust his foot out and slammed it into the ground, cutting his momentum short as he brought himself out into a swing. The burning longsword cut through the explosion, the power of the strike batting the black flames aside as the weapon arc'd through the space where the Crossbreed was.
Or rather, where she should have been.
His eyes widened behind his helmet as he swung through nothing but empty air, the presence from the Servant vanished in the split second before he swung. As a result, he launched himself into an all out attack at nothing, the burning sword pulled his body along as he continued the swing, his eyes darting around in his skill to look for any sign of where the Crossbreed had vanished herself off too.
His body locked up, his head swivelled as though it was on a joint as he looked left and right, finding no sign of the Crossbreed wherever he might have looked. He grimaced behind his helmet, keeping his sword arm read as he continually twisted around, looking down at the snow. The only thing he could imagine is the invisibility of Friede. If the Crossbreed was capable of something like that…then she would fall in line with the likes of Ocelotte.
Ash wasn't sure how long he turned in the snow, waiting for the attack that failed to materialise. His right arm brought itself up as the wind picked up, bracing himself as he soon found the snow swirled up into a vortex around him, though it was nothing dangerous to him, little more than a smokescreen to obscure his vision. He kept his posture tense, straining his ears to listen for any noise above the sound of the storm.
…The storm faded away.
He was left alone in the street.
A frown came upon his lips, still looking around left and right before loosening his posture. Did this mean she had used the storm to retreat from him?
…As long as there was distance between the two of them, he did not care…
Unfortunately, even without seeing her, the influence remained.
The smooth voice still tickled his ears.
He turned his attention to the street, the distant sounds of clashing steel reached his ears. The sooner he was presented with something other than his own silence, the better. He would take anything over the silence.
The silence meant the voice was louder than ever before.
He had value…
What value did the voice say he had?
And why was he so repulsed and so enthralled with it?
The slash was blocked, his arms did not so much as tremble as the hostile Servant threw their full power into the attack. Strange as it might have been, but Percival did not consider the armoured Servant in front of him the greatest problem for him to deal with, that honour went to the young Assassin as she fought with Quelan.
Except to call it a fight would have been generosity beyond even the most selfless of heroes. It was a dismantling, Percival had counted no fewer than thirteen times that Assassin could have ended the fight quickly and simply killed the young boy, and those were the openings that even an amateur could have seen. If he saw them, then it was guaranteed that Assassin had seen them as well except she wasn't fighting with the intention to kill.
At least not at the moment, it appeared to have more in common with an attempt at brutality or perhaps torture. The cuts were designed to slow Quelan down and bleed out, the types of cuts that drained fighters first and foremost before they moved in for the final blow. Except such a thing was wasted on someone with as little combat power as Quelan. Not to offend the young man, but all he was doing thus far was throwing around balls of fire with no real rhyme or reason to them.
His weakened body, lack of skill and easily aggravated personality - Percival could see it in his most recent attacks, throwing his entire body behind the bursts of flames with his expression warped into an enraged snarl, much like a child throwing a tantrum - he was a combatant that should have been easily dealt with by any competent swordsman and even one of beginner capacity.
Yet, Assassin had not done that-
He parried the greatsword to the side with his spear, stepping forwards and flipping the butt end of the spear into his waiting hand, the fingers wrapped tightly around the shaft and he stepped forwards, swinging the butt end of the spear around and slamming it into the centre of the shield. The Servant grunted as it blocked the attack, yet their feet caved the ground beneath them inwards with the bracing of the force.
Percival dragged the weapon along the front of the shield with a sharp grinding sound of steel, twisting his body as he did so and thrusting the spear forwards the moment the right time was upon him. He locked the weapon into the groove of the large shield that rested directly over the steel clad forearms of the knight. There was a brief silence shared between the two of them as Percival pierced through the armour as though it had not existed, Longinus jutted from one side of the arm to the other.
Then he dragged it to the side, the shield protested the movement for all of half a second before it gave way. The groove of the shield acted as a support for the spear, allowing him to push forwards without having to worry about aiming. With a swift push, he flung the shield from the arm of the knight, ripping open the gauntlet as he pushed and spilling deep crimson blood onto the snow.
A soundless scream came from the helmet of the knight, the visor flickered before burning with the force of a torch. The head locked onto Percival instantly and swung the sword towards him. The knight of the spear angled his body forwards, raising his left arm up and ducking his head behind his pauldron, the long steel sword struck his armour and then screamed as it glanced over the angled surface, swiping just above his head.
Percival snapped his head back up, his right knee followed suit as he drove it into the gut of the knight, steel creaked in the path of his knee as the air was driven from the knight, a guttural wheeze echoed out from the helmet. Their feet came off the floor, their body bending over his knee as he drove them upwards. He stepped backwards, pulling his left hand off the spear and cocking it backwards, his muscles bulged and his arm flexed.
In the next instant, his arm had flown forwards at incredible speeds and smashed directly into the side of the Servant's head, the helmet bent with the impact, the air rushed away from the point of impact, creating a small vacuum around the head of the knight which collapsed with a flash of light. In the next instant, they were twisting down the street in little more than a blur, their body crashing into the ground with an explosion of debris and already moving onto the next impact sight before their first had even risen.
Percival turned on his heel, drawing his right arm back and reversing his grip on his spear. His eyes shrank into pinpricks as they darted around, tracking the blur of Assassin as she made to jump towards Quelan again.
He sucked in air, he twisted his body forwards and brought the spear to bear. One moment it was in his hand, in the next, the spear struck the left leg of Assassin and went right through the limb, the face of the girl froze for a split second as though she wasn't sure herself what had just happened. It was simple, he only needed to hit her faster than she could react. As impressive as her agility was, it still had limits to it.
Quelan turned on her, his body littered with glowing cuts as he drew his arms back and then thrust them forwards. The pillar of fire leapt from his palms and struck Assassin dead in the chest, consuming her body in the inferno and sending the now burning silhouette shooting off into the air, twisting and turning as it did so before plummeting back to the earth, crashing through the roof of a nearby house and directly into the building, the windows lit up with the bonfire now burning from inside.
The boy fell to his knees a moment later, falling forwards and only just catching himself before he struck the snow. However it was a pyrrhic victory, his laboured breathing and wet gurgle was proof enough that he was in no better condition than Assassin was. Despite the situation, he still turned from the smaller Berserker and cast his eyes onto the fellow Archer that was still engaged with the enemy Servant's mount.
The woman - Nobunaga - struck the large eagle in the side of the skull with the back of her rifle once again, soon reversing the weapon and firing point blank into its chest. Tossing the empty rifle aside, blood spurted from the wound of the eagle. It beat its wings furiously, kicking up a whirling of snow that flew directly into the face of the Archer, Nobunaga snarled in irritation as her hand went to the sword on her hip, ripping the sabre free.
Even if it was a cavalry sword, it still remained a sword. The eagle made it not even a foot off the ground before the Archer struck, thrusting the sword forwards and landing a quick jab into the leftmost wing of the eagle, the large bird shrieked before it's head fell downwards, the beak clamped down around the wrist of the Archer.
Percival struck in that instant, he moved forwards with his full speed. Disappearing with a boom and a rush of wind and then reappearing behind the eagle. His spear was no longer in his hands but he did not require it for this, he brought his hands above his head and clasped them together, forming a large fist and taking aim. With a shout, he brought them down into the back of the birds head and jerked it free of the Archer.
Nobunaga pulled her right hand back with a hiss, blood leaking from the gash on her skin. Though she did not let it deter her movements as she slashed outwards with the sword, carving a horizontal line through the front of the eagle and forcing it to try and fall away from her to gain some distance, unfortunately Percival was still behind it. His hands remained in their double fisted lock, swinging his arms upwards as the eagle fell backwards and cracking his knuckles off its cheek this time.
The large avian went airborne in a less than traditional manner, spinning in a mess of limbs and feathers before thudding into the snow. Though it still moved, the wounds it had suffered spoke enough for itself, its growls low and pitiful as it struggled to climb back to its feet. Even if it did, the Lancer was certain that it was now blind in the eye he had struck.
Sparing it barely a glance, as the battle was likely over at that point, he returned his attention to Berserker and rushed forwards, sliding across the ground and crouching down by the side of the coughing youth. He frowned as he stared at the puddle of glowing magma beneath the boy, still dripping from his mouth, then cast his eyes towards the burning house where Assassin had been sent through. He couldn't tell if that was a fatal blow or not, he would assume it wasn't but it was difficult to tell in any respect. For the time being, he would just make the assumption that the Assassin was still alive and act accordingly. Which meant that care was needed. He brought Longinus back into his hands and planted it in the ground next to himself and Quelan.
"Did you see which direction Saber went?" He asked as he loomed over the coughing Berserker. He'd barely caught sight of whatever struck the Saber and carried them off away. He was sure he'd heard them appear once again in the same street but if they had he must have been more preoccupied
"I didn't see but I can guess." There was a touch of amusement in the voice of the Archer, Percival fought back a frown and turned his head to look over his shoulder, briefly raising his brow as he caught sight of the ruins of the street directly behind them. One of the houses was still burning and the snow had been turned asunder. Archer stared at the ongoing bonfire with her arms crossed over her chest, nodding her head up and down. "Certainly does things in excess."
Percival spared her barely a glance as he returned his attention to Quelan, frowning more openly as the coughing continued seemingly without end. The boy had not pushed himself this far since he had met him, yet it made sense that using his powers would have this reaction. Apparently the simple act of existence brought him pain, anything else that required channelling magical energy went without saying.
"I sent the enemy Rider somewhere up the street, keep an eye out while I heal Berserker." He reached through the link between himself and his weapon. Though the spear did not return to him in the physical sense such as flying back through the air, Longinus did drop back into his waiting hand, spinning and then planting it into the snow. He closed his eyes, all but commanding the spear to heed his desire.
The light of the spear shone true and bright, the warmth of the weapon radiated out and soon engulfed the trio with its healing touch. The coughs of Berserker gradually faded away, being left with little more than dry heaves, the boy continued to hunch over however, his hands buried in the wet slush that now resided at the base of his body, slowly but surely the glowing of his skin receded away, the skin did not crack of shift any further.
If Percival had been more observant, he would have noticed the bulges around the shoulder and collar slowly disappear as well, as though something that had been trying to push its way out from underneath the boy's skin retreated back into the body. Though it passed beyond his sight, faint as it was in the first place.
The real question was what they were to do now, he was certain that Assassin was now incapacitated, much like the Rider, but there was still the matter of the third Servant that had attacked them not to mention whatever reinforcements they might have brought with them. He did not know what class they were but he imagined it could have been anything from a Lancer - the speed would certainly have made sense - to a Saber or even a Berserker. The attack had been sudden enough to qualify them for the final class.
Though his ears could no long detect any sort of sound, perhaps if he reached out with his senses-
His head snapped upwards to the sky, there was a click as Nobunaga similarly turned her attention upwards and flashed out a rifle, the weapon dropped into her hands as she took aim, soon followed by a firing line of floating rifles behind her head. A black blur shot through the sky at incredible speeds, dropping down into the house where Assassin had fallen with such speed that they blew out the windows and sent glass into the streets.
Percival tightened his hold as a scream ripped through the air in the very next moment, a mixture of horror and fury, the light from within the building was snuffed out suddenly, squinting allowed him to see a vague shadow moving through the upper floors of the building.
The face of the home shattered, debris flung to the street below as the blur emerged from the newly formed hole, slamming into the ground with a blizzard kicked up in its wake. He was on his feet quickly, the spear held in both hands and pointed towards the direction of the cloud, in preparation for any sort of attack.
As the smoke cleared, he was granted to the sight of a woman, pale hair and black fur covering her arms and legs. A pair of animal ears sticking up from the top of her head, in her arms she cradled the wounded Assassin, the body of the young girl covered in burns and her leg bleeding profusely from the wound now present on her. The eyes of the woman raised themselves upwards, glaring towards himself and towards Nobunaga with such murderous intentions that he believed her to be a savage beast, the head of the boar mounted on her shoulder certainly feeling appropriate.
There was a brief moment, she opened her mouth to speak - or perhaps to snarl at them - but then she paused, her eyes moved away from the two of them and towards something else. As quickly as the fury had emerged, it was quickly drowned out with something else as she frowned, tilting her head slightly. Following her line of sight was easy enough, Percival took a step to the side and blocked Quelan from her view.
The sudden movement snapped the woman from whatever trance she had been in, her eyes flew back to him with intensity but less so than before. The pair stared at the other in silence for but a few moments, then the woman spoke in a slow and rather forced tone of voice. "...There has been enough for right now."
Percival did not lower the spear, but his eyes did narrow ever so slightly.
"You have your own to heal." She pulled Assassin closer to her body, holding her as though she would vanish a second later. "As do I." The eyes darted between himself and Nobunaga "If you still demand battle, then I shall oblige."
They cared for the Assassin.
He could indeed fight the enemy Servant here and now, but there was no way of knowing if she was going to be alone. Beyond that, if she was now here than that meant the Saber was dead, or mortally wounded, he could see few injuries on the enemy Servant which meant it had been a rather one sided engagement. Given the length of time they had been gone and the sounds that had come from the direction of their battle, he could only assume the enemy Servant was one that he would require his full attention to defeat.
Which meant time.
Time enough that he would need to-
"They accept."
All heads turned to the sudden presence, appearing as swiftly as though they had been there from the very beginning. A thick furred cloak covered their entire body, only their head being exposed to the elements with long sky blue hair washing down the back of their body freely. Their almost childlike appearance and innocent smile hid the power they exuded. Though Percival already knew of their existence.
The head of the new arrival looked towards the Servant and the Assassin, though Percival could not see their expression, he imagined it was not a pleasant once. "You have my word on that, you may take the child and leave here to have her cared for. None will make a move on you as you depart."
The blue haired youth turned their attention onto them, their eyes flashed dangerously as though warning the pair of them not to push it. Percival lowered his spear slightly, pushing it into the ground, butt first. When the gaze did not leave him, he glanced to the side and noticed that Nobunaga had still not lowered her rifle.
"It is not wise to provoke them." Percival warned in a low voice, keeping his attention split between the two of them.
"I'm not usually in the habit of letting enemies go, especially when they mean to heal their wounded." Nobunaga responded quickly and sternly enough. The fact that Percival agreed with her was troublesome enough, though his hands were more or less tied. "The Assassin is on their last legs and if we allow them to escape now, then we will simply need to battle them again in the future. It is a far simpler task to end their life here and now."
Before Percival could speak up, the blue haired youth did.
"I was being kind in offering it as a suggestion, though that was merely to hide my true meaning. I was not asking you to allow their retreat, I was telling you what would occur. So long as I stand here, I shan't allow a single human life to be lost." The new arrival narrowed their eyes "I have already prevented the deaths of the three hundred that existed within this battlefield of yours, do not impede upon this generosity further."
Nobunaga frowned, opening her mouth once again-
"I am not one who enjoys the suffering of humans regardless of whether they are Heroic Spirit or still among the living." The boy continued onwards "And my dislike of death does not mean I am incapable of acts of violence. There are well over thirty methods I can think of to stop you before you might cause harm to Berserker or Assassin, and twenty three of those are painful."
Eyes narrowed dangerously, Percival fought back a grimace at the posture of the boy.
"Do not force me to engage in acts I am uncomfortable with, but do not mistake my reluctance with weakness."
"...You're not gonna do anything, are you?" Nobunaga directed the question towards him that time, it was an observation she had doubtless made when she noticed the fact he had dropped the tension in his posture and the readiness of his spear.
"I am not. No. Though I do agree with your assessment, it is out of my hands if we wish to have any form of safe haven."
Nobunaga fell into a deep silence after he said that, provided she did nothing he would have to explain quite what he meant but it wasn't a long explanation. If they had already lost the Saber, then losing the Archer would place them right back to where they had started, he knew that Shielder would act to prevent violence between the two groups and the fact he had created the only aspect of this entire land that was even approaching relative safety was a fact that hung above his head regularly.
The silence continued onwards. Nobunaga let out a deep and rather irritated sigh as she lowered her rifle, the expression on her face made it perfectly apparent she was no fan of the decision and it had been forced out of her. The pleased expression on the face of Shielder probably did not help matters much, they turned towards the direction of the newly identified Berserker and nodded once to her.
"You may take Assassin and leave, though I suspect you will meet this group very soon once again."
Berserker turned on their heel, not even sparing Shielder a word but did offer a slightly grateful nod of the head. However, Shielder spoke up before she could leave completely.
"If I were you though, I would think more deeply of this situation. For every child that you see saved in this world, how many more perish unseen as a result of this land." Berserker stopped moving, her head turned ever so slightly in the direction of Shielder. "But it remains your choice, regardless of your decision I am content with whichever action you select."
Berserker took off into the air a second later, leaping into the sky with a single push of her powerful legs and then the wings that burst from her back carried her further, becoming little more than a black dot as she vanished into the clouds above and then moved beyond even then. Evidently she lost little to nothing in regards to speed when she transitioned between the land and the sky.
"It goes without saying that I am going to need a very good explanation as to why I just allowed two obviously hostile Servants to leave and why you let them go." Nobunaga's voice cut through the silence a second later, Percival found himself nodding in acceptance. That was a fair enough request to make and had Shielder not been here, he would have pursued Berserker and slain both themselves and Assassin while they were weakened.
It was more a matter of poor timing than anything else.
"Three." Shielder corrected with an innocent tone of voice, still facing the direction of the sky "Though the Rider only battles you because you are Heroic Spirits. They hunt the dead and - naturally - Servants are beings that are the dead restored to life." The blue mop of hair turned, the face of Shielder was now pointed towards them with the same carefree smile plastered upon their expression. "I'm sure you realise it presents a little bit of a conundrum to them but it is an unfortunate situation."
"...Three?"
"Ah, yes. Rider departed during the moments you were engaged with dialogue with Berserker and the point at which I arrived." A frown came upon their face, their head tilted to the side ever so slightly. "However, the curious thing is that they are not tracking the same direction as Berserker, rather they are moving in an entirely different direction altogether. So maybe they aren't all on the same team after all."
The smile of the Shielder vanished as they looked down, leaning back slightly and frowning at the form of Quelan. "...When you said you were leaving for an ally, I was not expecting you to return with something such as this in tow." The eyes of the Shielder darted towards him. "Are you aware of what they are?"
He nodded his head, even if he did not it would not matter all too greatly to himself. He had given an oath to protect the boy and use the Spear to grant him whatever peace he could. That was more than enough for him to consider the life of Quelan worth risking his own for. Besides, he was a knight and there was no knight that would leave the helpless to their doomed fate when there was still something that could be done about it.
"...Alright then. At least you came back with one human and-" Shielder paused for a moment, then leaned his body to the right side with a strange expression coming upon their face. Percival equated it to seeing something unbelievable for the first time in one's life. An expression rather at odds with the Shielder but something that warranted his own attention. Especially when he similarly sensed an approaching Servant. "...An unkindled."
"Hah! Knew he'd still be alive." Nobunaga boasted a moment later, Percival glanced at her and noticed the almost smug expression on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest, nodding her head up and down as she continued to speak. "There is no retainer of mine that could be put down so easily by a mere Berserker."
"Wow. I wasn't expecting this level of care from you but that's alright." Shielder nodded his head up and down "It was just that I wasn't expecting an Unkindled to be here at all, let alone one who was allied with you. Though, I suppose that is always the case with humans. Very surprising at every turn."
Percival himself turned around and looked to the point where he sensed the approaching Servant arriving from. The location where the house had been demolished with great brutality, the flames still smouldering and the debris littering the snow. He heard the Saber before he saw them, heavy footsteps and crashes as they stumbled through the ruins of the house and through the gap into the open.
In their right hand was held a longsword, it did not look or feel particularly powerful to him save for the fact it was on fire. Though that was it, the design of the weapon was simple enough and despite whatever power it had, it did not bear the appearance or authority of a Noble Phantasm. Then again, Nobunaga had alluded to something known as a Bottomless Box which contained other weapons so this was likely one such weapon.
That being said, the Saber did not look as though they had enjoyed the best of engagements, stumbling out of the building and catching themselves at the last moment before they could fall flat onto their face.
Their left hand came up, rubbing away at the front of their helmet as though they were suffering from some manner of headache. With how many scuffs and scratches the armour now boasted, he would not be surprised if more than a few blows had been landed onto the Saber's head. Though considering he was still alive, that was an achievement in itself.
Pulling their hand away, the Saber Ash looked up and stared at the trio for a moment, then moved their head past them to the Shielder who stood close by. Their body jolted as though there was recognition before shaking their helmeted head from side to side. "Are you not-?"
"The Shielder from Rome, yes. I was always intending to make my way to this Singularity but the time got away from me."
Percival felt as though there was a story there, but this was hardly the appropriate time to be speaking of it. "I see that you have suffered at the hands of Berserker."
Ash did not reply for a few seconds, then nodded their head once. "Her skill was greater than I could have anticipated, though she fled when another arrived and alerted her that the one known as 'Jack' was in danger."
"Must have been the Assassin then." Nobunaga grunted dismissively "Both Berserker and Assassin escaped." Naturally, she was quick to place the blame. "As a result of this one demanding that no one die in front of them."
While that wasn't quite how Percival would have phrased it, he could not deny that it was a rather accurate description of events that had occurred. As such, he was more than prepared to explain the reasoning behind why they had actually adhered to the request of Shielder. Although the Saber did not so much as say a word for a good few seconds, content to merely stare at them in silence.
"Yes…yes…right…" Ash mumbled back to them, shaking his head from side to side as he walked forwards. His posture and manner of speaking made it clear that he hadn't truly paid attention to what they had been saying, combined with the fact that he wasn't even walking towards them in the first place, true he was walking in their direction but it was off to the side. "There was another Servant I fought she…she left…she…."
"Ah, I thought I had sensed her nearby." Shielder chose that moment to speak up, prompting Percival to look over his shoulder at the Fae. The boy was nodding his head up and down before a thoughtful look came upon his face. "She went right towards you, though? I would have thought she would come to rescue Jack…Hmmm." shaking their head from side to side, they seemingly dismissed the point. "Well, I suppose we should get moving."
"Get moving?" Nobunaga's incredulity could have been carved with a knife it was so thick, the Archer turning their full attention to the Shielder and giving them a look that - while not quite hostile - was hardly of the friendly sort, red eyes looking them up and down whilst maintaining a clearly wary edge of them. "And who are you supposed to be?"
The blue haired youth blinked once, then brought their hands out - showcasing that the cloak was more of a fully enclosed poncho - and clapped their hands together. "Ah, right. I did not introduce myself last time, did I? That was a little bit rude of me. Sorry about that." their left hand gestured to themselves "I am Quella. Great Father of the Dreamworld"
"A spirit?" Quelan croaked out, Percival dropped back down and extended a hand to the young boy, grasping just around the upper muscles of his left arm and slowly bringing him upwards. The heat that now burned his palm was eerily similar to the few times that he had stood near enough Gawain when the man was using Galatine under the sun. The fact it was comparable to that heat was rather alarming in itself, nothing to do with the fact that the boy was clearly accustomed to such things. At this point, he was more worried at whether or not the boy's natural skin tone was actually red or if he was just suffering from near permanent heat-rash or burns.
"Yes…they are a Fae." He glanced at the boy, he'd been around Merlin enough times to understand what a Fae was and how they appeared. Not to mention the fact the spirit before him also had a penchant for entering dreams although - thus far - their purpose had seemed much more benign than that of Merlins. However, he couldn't make any claims beyond that, all he truly knew was that Quella was very protective of humans and precious little else.
Quella was still looking at Ash with a clear frown, taking a single step forwards and tilting their head to the side, it was then followed by another step, then another. It was not until he stood dead in front of the Saber that the armoured man even seemed to realise Quella was even in front of him. Jolting ever so slightly and taking a half-step backwards.
"...Oh, so that's why you feel so different." The voice of Quella was rather strange, as though they had just realised something. "Well, if that's how things are then I suppose I'll put it down to a similar case such as mine. After all, I'm only here because I'm cheating." There was probably something more to that, however the Fae took a step backwards and continued speaking. "Though…I can sense some sort of turbulence in your head, if you'd like I could try and-"
The Saber blurred, putting a good five or so metres of distance between himself and Quella in a single second, the movement was so sudden that it was as though time itself froze in the immediate aftermath of the act. Not a single person said anything, neither Quella who still had their hand outstretched as they reached for the Saber, nor Ash who was breathing deeply with their sword arm trembling.
Quella lowered the arm. "...Perhaps I got ahead of myself." There was genuine regret in his words, taking a step away from the direction of the Saber and turning his head to face them, his expression awash with something akin to hurt or perhaps anguish. Clearly rather put off by the obvious rejection of his offer. "We should probably start moving. I already sent some of the others to find your allies."
He directed the latter part of the sentence towards Nobunaga, which caused the Archer to blink and tilt her head slightly. "You were searching for us?"
"Not at first, but it became clear rather quickly through the dreams that you weren't in the same group as one another and you didn't know where the others were." Quella explained with a shake of the head, a faint smile coming upon their lips. "I was hardly going to leave you all wandering around by yourselves…" the smile vanished "And something has nestled its way inside your Master's head. Even if they sleep, I cannot see their dreams."
Nobunaga put on a troubled face "I had assumed it was something that came from this Reality Marble. Are you claiming differently?"
"The Reality Marble is capable of a great many things, and contacting Chaldea is not something that is possible for you. However, that does not mean that the link between Master and Servant is one that it could have obstructed. I think that your Master is in quite a bit of trouble, which spurred me sending my other associates to find you and bring you all together. I came here when I sensed…" He made a half turn, gesturing in the direction of Ash "Priscilla approaching this direction, so I had assumed this would be where the fiercest fighting would take place…I might have been mistaken on that part."
He paused for a moment, then looked in Percival's direction with an apologetic expression "Not that I doubted you for a second, I'm sure you would have been plenty strong enough to fight out of this situation. It's just that Prisicilla has some…rather unfortunate abilities that make fighting her without prior knowledge something that can very easily end in a swift death."
The way Ash locked up did not go unnoticed by Percival.
"Though we can discuss that when everyone is back together. I do believe that the others would have made contact by now but we'll need to return to the grove regardless."
He was walking before anyone could offer a single word in, moving past them almost as though they were skipping along. "Come along, humans!" There was a brief pause. "...And Demon." The second title was delivered with much less enthusiasm than the first, clearly an afterthought.
Percival glanced to the others, noticing that neither Ash nor Nobunaga had moved. "I understand how sudden it might be, but he is one of the allies I spoke of earlier."
"Oh, right. Daycare." Nobunaga remarked with a flippant tone of voice, rolling her eyes and giving him a strange look. "You neglected to mention that he was adverse to violence to the point where he would demand we let enemies go." she waved an arm at the back of Quella "Are they some sort of neutral party or something?"
"I believe so, yes."
"Hmph. I suppose some refuge is better than nothing, more so if the claims he has made hold any weight to them." She turned and looked over her shoulder, frowning at the direction of Ash and something moving through her eyes the longer she stared at his frozen form. "What of you? Have you any complaints about this situation?"
Percival similarly looked to Ash, watching as the Saber did not so much as move.
The fire of their sword went out abruptly.
"...So long as it is away from danger for the time being, that is all that matters." He curtly declared, though it sounded more as though he said something for the point of saying it. Now walking forwards with quite a bit of urgency behind his steps as he marched right down the middle of them, Percival pulled Quelan to the side so that the young boy wasn't trampled by the Saber. "Though I shall keep my guard up around this Spirit at all times."
Percival supposed that was the best he was going to get, however he could not help but notice the strange twitch in the Saber's movements. As though there was something else playing on his mind.
The words didn't stop playing on his mind, no matter how hard he tried to forget them, something was forbidding that from happening.
Those were echoed through his skull, they took command of every ounce of his attention, he'd barely paid attention to the others right up until the point the spirit child had been standing directly in front of him and reaching towards his head.
He didn't need to know what he was trying to do, but he didn't want anything else messing with his head at all. Never again did he want to experience something like that.
The words did not stop.
Her will was his duty, his duty was his value.
The voice did not stop speaking, the words repeating again and again without end, he could not stop them nor could he ignore them. Everything he saw reminded him of something he had never seen before, he saw the spires of Lothric and the coldness of gardens, the pains of battle run rampant across his body and then faded to nothing.
He did not know these faces and yet he could never forget them.
He wanted to forget those faces but if he did, it felt as though he would lose something important. Something vital. To forget was to begin the first stages of hollowing. If he forgot those names, those faces and those images, then he would be well along the road of hollowing.
Ash knew he could not forget those details, but he did not want to remember them, the deep churning in his gut would not stop. There was something wrong with him, it was clearly something the woman had done to him but he did not know what it was. He needed her to put him back, he needed her to get rid of those memories.
He didn't want to feel this way, he didn't want that voice in his head…or did he want the voice in his head?
There was something alluring about it…something that a faint echo could not match…something that demanded more from it.
His body spasmed on instinct, the shuddering flinch briefly stopped his steps but only for a moment. Long enough he could pass it off as stepping on something but not enough. He clenched his hand into a fist and closed his eyes behind his helm. Lowering his head for a moment and releasing a breath from between his teeth.
Something was wrong with his head.
AN: Yep, Quella.
He's a Spirit of the Dark Souls world, because those guys are really quite cool.
Anyway!
Quella, Spirit of Dreams
Servant: Shielder
Strength: E
Endurance: A++
Agility: C
Mana: A+
Luck: B
Noble Phantasm: A
Tree of the Dream - 'The Boy will fear no more': A++ (Anti-Evil) Max Target: 100, Max Range: 0-50
His defensive Noble Phantasm. The Spirit Tree will emerge from the ground and cloak all who need protection within its branches. Shielding all from harm against those with evil intent.
Sea of Endless Forests - The Woodlands that live in me: A+ (Reality Marble) Max Target: Everything in range, Max Range: 1-20
It is the reality marble of the dreamlands, however it does not operate traditionally. Quella uses this reality marble to draw out plants and the like from the world within him. Generating massive trees that he can manipulate and use to defend or attack.
Though mostly for defence, the trees come from within his reality marble and therefore require his constant upkeep to maintain their existence.
Class Skills:
Territory Creation: EX
Magic Resistance: A+
Self-Field Defence: A
Application of a defensive territory over a large area.
Incarnated Spirit: A
An Elemental of the highest order, they can draw in magical energy from the planet itself. Even in this other world, they are still recognised as the touch of the planet, and therefore are accepted as such.
Personal Skills:
Spirit of the Calming Dream: B
Can craft a field around their body to elicit a calming effect. Reducing the effects of mental attacks upon those nearby. Can also bless certain items to grant resistances to curses. Also ability to enter the dreams of those around as they sleep.
Great Father of the Woods: A+++
A Spirit of the World, they can commune with the animals and plants.
Effectively reading the land and allowing them to detect the presence of Servants from a distance.
Trunk of Heartening Strength: A++
Increase endurance massively for a short time.
Roots of Protection: D-
Tree Spirits are very opposed to violence.
Until such a time where it becomes impossible to resolve matters peacefully he will be very unlikely to engage in a physical assault. He will still aid allies in protecting them. But he will not personally cause harm unless forced to or seeing no alternative. This is a restriction he has placed on himself, he will most certainly never harm humans. Animals with great reluctance.
Summoning
"Oh? Hello there. Quella, Spirit of Dreams. I have come to the Class of Shielder to provide whatever help you need! Whatever comes your way, I'll be sure to keep you safe."
Dialogue 1
"I'm always impressed by how humans are, you know? This place we're in right now, I would never have dreamed you would be capable of that. Is that ironic? A Spirit of Dreams not being able to imagine something. I think that just proves how amazing you truly are."
Dialogue 2
"Master and Servant? Oh, don't worry about something like that. I'll make sure to always keep you safe no matter what happens. So whatever you need, I'll be prepared to aid you with."
Dialogue 3 (If you have Mash)
"I suppose that's always the same with humans though, for how amazing you can be you can also do some very mean stuff to each other. I don't get that but if you didn't then there wouldn't be such a thing as kindness, would there? Oh well…I'll make sure you have some very pleasant dreams, Mash."
Dialogue 4 (If you have Gilles de Rais [Caster])
"...Hmm? Are you expecting something from me? I think it's very nice how enthusiastic he is about his goal. I suppose there is the thing about the child killing so I can stop him when it comes to that point but that's neither here nor there. You can see how much effort he puts into everything he does, so I can support that."
Dialogue 5 (If you have Priscilla)
"The Crossbreed girl? Hmmm. I can understand a lot of what she wants, she just wanted to protect people in a way that she never truly was. I can't really hold that sort of thing against her and it would be a bit weird if I started complaining about non-humans protecting humans."
Dialogue 6 (If you have Minamoto-no-Raikou)
"You're really protective, aren't you Raikou? Don't worry! I understand that desire of yours completely! So then, excuse me! There, there, you're such a good child, aren't you? Hm? Is it usually the other way around? Well, you're all children to me. So you're more than human enough for me to consider you a child."
Dialogue 7 (If you have Gilgamesh [Archer])
"Wow, you're very impressive Gilgamesh. You can restrict your high divinity with your mind alone. Also your denial of the Gods, that was very impressive. Good job! Ah, I see you're of the bashful sort, aren't you? Don't worry, even if you can't admit your feelings, I can still read them!"
Dialogue 8 (If you have Enkidu)
"Normally I don't care that much for non-humans, but I find I like Enkidu. They're quite pleasant to be around, it's like a calming sort of serenity. They also appreciate my love of the woodlands and all that, so I can find some common ground with them. Though I would hate to come between them and Gilgamesh. I don't want to make the blonde boy think that I'm taking his friend away from him."
Dialogue 9 (If you have Divine Spirits)
"...I don't really like the Gods all that much and I guess that extends even on this side too. Sure, you might get one or two Gods who are alright but it's like with humans. One or two bad apples don't make me dislike humanity in the same way one or two alright Gods don't make me like them any more. I just think they should mess with one another and leave humans alone."
Dialogue 10 (If you have Sulyvahn)
"Poor Sulyvahn, I can feel bad for what happened to him. I can see how much saving people really meant for him and how much it broke him when he couldn't. I guess it could only end one way though. No one can bear the weight of the world on their shoulders."
Dialogue 11 (If you have Merlin)
"Hey, those are my dreams to explore. Get out of here, Merlin. Go on. Shoo."
Dialogue 12 (If you have Lady Avalon)
"You know that pledge I have that stops me from killing other things? You don't really need your limbs to be alive, do you Miss? I think you should think long and hard about what you've done and talk about getting that nice man back to his rest before-Oh, she ran away, did she? That's alright, I have time enough to find her again. I'm in no rush."
Dialogue 13 (If you have completed Lostbelt 1: Anastasia)
"...I can protect you, but I can't help you, Master. I'm sorry to say that I'm not capable of doing this sort of thing. But I can be here to protect you from dying or coming to harm otherwise. Just don't expect me to congratulate you when all is said and done, but I don't think you'd want that either."
Dialogue 14 (If you have completed Lostbelt 6: Avalon le Fay)
"I guess I went a little overboard, didn't I? Then again, I did say that I won't harm humans…I said nothing about being unwilling to harm other Spirits. With how that world treated humans, you won't find me shedding tears or mourning their demise."
Likes
"What do I like? I love humans, of course. Though I don't think I've made an effort to hide it."
Hates
"I don't like outsiders messing with humans all that much. I think you are best when left alone. I guess that includes even myself but I'm a bit of a hypocrite in the end. I just feel the need to keep you safe."
Wish for the Holy Grail
"Oh, that? Don't worry about that."
Bond Level 1
"I think it's going pretty well so far, aren't you? You're not hurt or something anywhere, are you? No? That's good."
Bond Level 2
"Did you have a good rest last night? Oh, you dreamt of a peaceful grove? Well…that's certainly nice, isn't it."
Bond Level 3
"Make sure to let me know if you have any nightmares, I'll work on helping you with them right away if you do."
Bond Level 4
"Why do I like humans so much? I guess it would be a rather long story but if you're really interested I could tell you all about it. It would start with the world logic a long time ago and me seeing that humans were getting bullied out of their spot and bringing that up with the others."
Bond Level 5
"...It didn't work out all that well, in the end. One of my other…well, I won't call him an ally, but an acquaintance of mine said he would see to it that humans were given their own age. I probably should have done something about it but I just took a step backwards and thought it would work in the end…instead, the soul of man got twisted into something horrible and a nasty Deep Abyss remained with the world forever."
Birthday
"Happy birthday! Do you want a treat?"
During an Event
"Want to go out and have a nice day? I hear there's a lot of excitement going about."
1st Ascension
"Wow, I've done a lot of protecting others but I haven't had that happen to me. Still, if this is what you want to do then that's alright with me."
2nd Ascension
"Are you having fun so far? Yes? Good. I know this is serious, but I am enjoying working with you, you know?"
3rd Ascension
"This ascension thing is really very nice, isn't it?"
4th Ascension
"So this is where it comes to an end, huh? Oh well…I guess this just means that all the ascending will be done by you from now on, won't it!"