Gwyndolin Interlude: The Shadow Behind the Sun (Part IV)

Rituska found that his hand was in front of him before he could even realise what he was doing, feeling the burning of his command spells as he called upon the link through the contracts. A flash of light later, and two figures stood before him both at the ready, or one of them way. Caffrey was still furiously rubbing at her upper lip to get the final trace of cream away from her face while Nudd had his hand resting on his sword by his side.

The pressure skyrocketed immediately the moment King Arthur made eye contact with the newly arrived Saber servant. Nudd, meanwhile, matched the look of Arthur with his own cold stare, red eyes flickered down to the black sword in her grasp and then to her once more. When he spoke, it was curt and lacking in warmth. "I would ask what you had to do to stain a Holy Sword such as that…but I see that it remains a potent weapon all the same."

With a faint rasping of steel, Ritsuka had to briefly turn his eyes as a sword of pure light was drawn froth from the scabbard at Nudd's hip. The light faded away and revealed a weapon with a light golden glow to it, the all around design of the weapon lacked the same flourish as Excalibur, but it maintained its imposing hum as it was held at the side of Nudd. "Any who would wield such a blade are deserving to be met in equal combat."

Caffrey quickly cleared her throat and dropped her arms down, rising a foot off the ground and spreading her wings their full length. Her own expression turned virtually identical to King Arthur, only the sound of her faint breathing reached his ears.

In the face of the words, King Arthur spared them both with a lazy stare before it flickered towards him with the same expectant look he recalled from Fuyuki.

This wasn't the time to be intimidated, he had come a long way since fumbling around against King Arthur the first time around.

His eyes lingered on King Arthur before he finally took notice of the other three Servants on either side of them, only paying notice because of the fact he recalled being told there were four Servants. The first Servant he saw stood directly to the left of the Saber, slightly dirtied looking dark silver and a cross shaped spear, a helmet fashioned into the head of a lion.

The figure to the right of Arthur was one of the more distinctive, if only because of the thick black cloak they wore which covered their body and the hood which hid most of their features, save for the fact they had a bleached white mask shaped into a skull which locked onto him quickly and otherwise remained silent.

The final figure was perhaps the tallest one there, outside of his own Servants, and it came from whom he could only guess was the Archer. Easily a head taller than any of the other Servants and wearing heavy white armour with pale blue highlights in places, a vaguely Eastern design to it which struck him as being moderately familiar. On each of his shoulders was a rather oversized pauldron, carved into what looked like the head of a dragon, from behind the head covering helm was glowing blue eyes and firmly in the right hand was a bulky looking bow which seemed to be split into two halves, the joint being his fist and each side of the boy hovering in front of it.

Four Servants stood before them and Ritsuka felt his lips gradually pull themselves down into a tight frown as his eyes drifted over the group in front of him. He knew they had a good line up, having seen Faraam in action and knowing what Ash could do, but this was King Arthur who stood before them. He wasn't arrogant or dumb enough to say they could repeat the victory of Fuyuki.

For one, King Arthur didn't seem to have their heart in the battle at the time. He wasn't sure how they felt about it right now. For another, they hadn't been that far behind Gwyndolin, perhaps ten minutes? How did he do all this and find the time to summon all these Servants?

"Is this some manner of personal slight against me, brother?" Gwynevere's voice came out as cold as ice, he was tempted to turn and see what manner of expression she was making but it was quickly tempered by the fact it would be pretty stupid to take his eyes off the Servants in front of him. "To have a knight of my Cathedral stand in defiance of me? Because if this is some manner of elaborate joke to be told at my expense…then I shall inform you now that your humour remains lacking."

Ritsuka supposed she meant Sanura, indeed his eyes drifted to the Lancer in question during Gwynevere's rather indignant rant. The posture of the Servant had gone tense, their body remained utterly unmoving as their grip on the spear seemingly tightened a great deal. A testament to how deeply they had been affected as he could feel their apprehension from all the way over there. It was almost palpable.

"Regardless of their origin, they stand opposed to us." Faraam intoned with a deep voice as he paced around the other side, entering Ritsuka's field of vision with an almost casual gait to his steps. Either overconfidence or something else spurring him onwards. "Though I find myself puzzled…after so long apart and so much anger directed at me, I sincerely hope your ploy was not to lure us here and have this imitation of the four knights do away with us?"

He turned his head to the sky, clenching his hands into fists. "You could at least do me the courtesy of looking me in the eye as you proclaim your hatred for me…" he waved a hand to the four Servants as he continued on. "Even if you do not believe me deserving of ever speaking with you again - something I would accept - the others are less deserving of it…The Chaldeans who have been good to you thus far. Would you so callously toss them aside in this manner? Led like lambs to the slaughter for vengeance aimed at me and Gwynevere?"

Why?

I'm curious as to why you think they were deserving of respect?

It is not unconditional, neither respect nor love have ever been given freely.

I learned that long ago.

You wish to speak with me in person?

Fine.

That's my condition.

Fight past the four Knights and meet me head on. They have their commands from me to allow none of you to pass them so long as they are able.

Oh, and they are protected from your batting eyelashes, sister. I know how you work now, the Grail was somewhat useful in regards to situations such as these. So I'm afraid your value has diminished and your armaments have been stripped from you, so the fight ahead might be a little tougher than you expected.

Or you can turn and leave if that is too difficult for you.

It would hardly be a surprise to me either way-

"Then get ready to meet us soon." Ritsuka declared to the sky, clenching his right hand into a fist and slamming it into his chest just above his heart. The command seals on the back of his hand burned a brilliant red, but he didn't care about anything else. Gwyndolin wanted them to prove they were going to go through all of this needless trouble? Then fine. He'd prove it to him. "Because we're going to be there in no time. Count on that, Gwyndolin."

That was his declaration, he glanced to the side and locked eyes with Mash, who gave a single resolute nod before she stepped forwards and brandished her shield once more, assuming a combat stance as the rattling of chains from his other side made him turn to see Medusa bring forth her spike weapons, adjusting her posture as she did so and looking ready to shoot off the ground.

…That you are the first one to find the strength to speak disgusts me beyond words.

It is, without a doubt, one of the most revolting things I have ever heard.

I am physically pained in hearing you utter those words with a straight face.

You, tiny little mortal, are going to storm the gates of Anor Londo…just to see Gwyndolin?

"You know what? Yes!" Ritsuka stabbed a finger towards the sky, not even willing to deny the words and instead embracing them. He didn't know much about the city of the Gods he was standing in, forgery or not, but if the only way to get to Gwyndolin was to fight through everything then he was going to do that.

It had become clear to him by now that his interest wasn't within returning to the side of Gwyn - he would be dead by now if that was the case - it was for something else. "Yes I am! Whether you're disgusted by it or not, I am your Master Gwyndolin! Maybe you view that title a little differently to me, but I'm bonded to you just like I would be to everyone else!"

Swinging his arms wide, he narrowed his eyes at the red eyes in the sky, then swung his head down and brought up his right arm, pointing directly towards the Servants in front of him. "So yeah, if I have to fight through all of these guys in order to get an audience with you, then that's what I'm going to do! I'm not of the opinion of leaving anyone behind and until you outright declare you're going to betray us and cut a contract with me, then I'm going keep on pushing forwards."

He paused for a moment, "Heck, even if you do betray us, I'm gonna be there when that happens. Good or bad." lowering his arm, he took in a deep breath as he brought his arm back down and kept his eyes narrowed on the group of Servants as they all remained stationary in front of him.

"I'm gonna say this once. You're in between me and my Servant." Thinning his lips, he turned sideways to them and exhaled, already preparing the mystic codes that he was going to need. The end result might have remained the same, but he was going to offer them the chance all the same. Violence wasn't a first resort so much as it was going to be necessary at this point. He would play Gwyndolin's game and show him just how much he was valued. "So either get ready to fight, or get out of the way."

None said anything, only the faint whistle of the wind passed between the two groups.

Then Arthur spoke up, for a brief moment Ritsuka thought he saw a ghost of a smile but he might have imagined it. "A hearty boast. Though words without the weight to support them are meaningless."

Her hands clenched around the hilt of her sword, mana visibly pulsed around her, unleashing a wave which he could feel tingle across his skin like electricity. His hairs stood on end and his lips rolled inwards, the fight or flight instinct kicked in and was promptly ignored. He was going to fight.

Sanura stepped up next to Arthur, her spear crackled with lightning as she lowered the spear and pointed it squarely towards them. "Indeed, it would be poor form to stand aside now without testing the veracity of your words."

"Hostile intentions have been documented by the invading party." The Archer announced as their body shifted, an electric whirring accompanied their every movement as the end of the bow was anchored into the ground with a crack, the Archer turned side on to them and pulled at the string of energy, forming an arrow of pale light. "Conclusion: This Fuselage shall determine combat capabilities of the invading party in relation to contract with the current Master."

The final Servant brandished a short black dagger from beneath their robe, held in a pale skinned hand. "Though they are no God of mine, they are my Lord. Therefore, I shall test the strength of your resolve. Prepare yourself, boy. This is the path you have chosen to walk." the masked head leaned forwards, a dark tone entering his voice. "Should you abandon it now…I shall claim your heart."

Well, that seemed friendly enough.

Shaking his head, he turned his eyes back to the stoic mask of King Arthur before he looked left and right at the Servants who were now flanking him with their weapons prepared - Gwynevere's hands crackled with golden light as electricity danced between them - then turned his eyes back ahead.

'Gwynevere and Caffrey, bless everyone.' He ordered in his head 'Nudd, You and Mash will rush right down the middle. Medusa, you and Faraam will move around the flanks to stop them from trying to expand out. Keep the fighting contained to a small spot and stop Arthur from using Excalibur at its full potential."

Affirmations rang through his mind.

Then he barked a single word.

"Go!"

And rushed forwards, chaos soon followed.

He hadn't stopped staring at the ceiling since the fight began, watching the combat play out with a look in his eyes that was difficult to place. Though if Stheno was to make a guess, she would assume it was surprise. Then again, she felt rather surprised as well.

Who would have guessed that it was also Medusa's current Master that was a little on the ambitious side as well. She had to keep her amusement from spilling forth just so she didn't seem too invested in what was going down, however that wasn't to say she didn't find it interesting. For a human to so loudly make a proclamation like that…

"It sounds as though someone has something of an admirer~" She hummed aloud, bobbing her head from side to side as she did so. Eyes flickering from Gwyndolin and then back to the projection above their heads as the fight raged on, she never cared much for violence so she wasn't all that invested in what was going on. More so with the reasoning behind it. "Perhaps you've actually managed to find yourself someone who will love you…I've heard that human society has changed quite a bit and there might be those who find a touch of beauty in what you consider a deformity."

His response was rather subdued, lowering his head down and staring at her with a bland look before he grunted out a dismissive response. "I had thought he would have the sense to just turn back. It's not as though he is going to get much out of this in the first place…though I'm not sure whether to be disappointed or unsurprised, once again the only care Gwyndolin receives comes from someone outside his own family. Neither Faraam nor Gwynevere had much to say on it."

She folded her arms over her chest. "Speaking of disappointment, I should offer my own complaints as well. For one who claimed that myself and I were going to be reunited with Medusa, you neglected to mention that you had guards to prevent them from arriving." her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. "Especially given the quality of the Servants you summoned."

At a mere glance she could tell that the Saber Servant Gwyndolin had was exceedingly powerful. She felt that flair of their magical energy from where she was sitting as well. The type of Servant that needed to only do so much as breathe on her and they would probably shatter her spirit core.

"Hmmm." Euryale cottoned onto it as well, offering her own words. "Unless you have the faith in your siblings being able to fight through them, but if you were expecting them to leave at the first sign of trouble, then it would mean that you lied to us." as expected of herself to be able to cut through to the heart of the matter, though Gwyndolin remained unflinching at the accusations.

"My, my…a liar?" Stheno sucked in air between her teeth and tutted her lips. "That would be rather unbecoming, wouldn't it? You should have at least told us that you had someone around to protect you…Though it's obvious that Medusa would continue on." she paused for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. "And humans have a penchant for seeking audience with the divine, regardless of the obstacle in their path."

That managed to attract the attention of Gwyndolin in a far more noticeable way, namely that his eyes burned with annoyance and incredulity. The snakeheads rose up from the shadows as he scoffed loudly and full of doubt. "For those who are bereft of physical mutations, perhaps. Yourselves, for instance, but Gwyndolin would not quite be so content with something such as that. He wasn't much of a public figure. Even if he was, what manner of achievement would that be?"

The snakes pointedly moved around, all of them keeping their eyes fixed on their group. "To become little more than an object whose sole purpose is to be stared at? Is that the culmination of Gwyndolin's life?"

"For someone who claims to hate Gwyndolin, you seem to speak for his defence quite frequently." Stheno pointed out with a quirked eyebrow. Gwyndolin stilled at her words, eyes briefly widening before they narrowed into slits and looked ready to shout at her, though she continued on before he had the chance. "Your claims of hating him might well be true, though you seem to attach a great deal of hatred for those around him as well…so is it Gwyndolin you despise? Or is it the family that disappointed you?"

Gwyndolin gave a single, slow, blink before gradually turning his attention back to the projection above him. "Both. Gwyndolin was the pathetic fool who couldn't find the strength to confront his family and they are the ones who made him so dependent on their love. If he had even an iota of backbone while he still lived…well, not that it matters now."

"I suppose not." Stheno hummed to herself, then inclined her head to the side. "So what is it that you intend to do now? Chaldea has made it rather clear they are going to force their way through to meet you and I shall say that you were counting on them just turning tail and running away the moment you presented them with even the slightest bit of resistance." flopping back onto the lounge chair, she hummed to herself as she continued onwards. "And the one you intended this for has shown no indication of arriving which leaves you in something of a predicament."

Her lips pulled themselves into a faint smirk. "I would say that your plan is starting to crumble like an old statue…but that is only my harmless little opinion on it."

"You should keep those to yourself." Gwyndolin's cold tone reached her from across the room, a new edge entering it as he spoke. "Don't assume that because you're allowed to remain here that I am under any obligation to tolerate your opinions."

Her expression thinned out, rising up from where she lay and turning her blank eyes onto Gwyndolin or Gwyndolin or however he wished to name himself now. His words were thick with poison but they were also nothing more than a defensive reflex. So very much like a child throwing an insult when presented with a truth they did not want to face. That being said, she wasn't charitable enough to humour his little insults, certainly not about that.

"And this comes from one whose motivations are as simple as never being loved? From one who has experienced it, I can tell you that it is hardly something to boast about." Raising a single eyebrow, she waved a hand at the vacant hall. "From how you speak, this is little more than someone striking back at the world because they did not receive the love they believed they deserved. Even then, you're new claims of freedom are short lived as you intend to throw yourself onto the sword of your father…really, I didn't think you would be so suicidal."

Bringing up her left hand, she pointed a lazy finger at Gwyndolin as they kept themselves frightfully still. Perhaps he would emotionally explode and kill them, but she was fine with that. Sitting here and being insulted - in having her sisters insulted - and remaining silent all the while would be a far worse fate, all things considered.

"The very least you can manage is honesty with yourself at this point, what you really want is to just be strong enough that you're recognised as yourself. You desire to craft your own identity rather than be handed one." Lowering her hand, she rested them at her side and leaned onto them, crossing her legs over one another.

When Gwyndolin whirled his head to stare at them, she could feel the full weight of the glare aimed solely onto her, there was a fire of pure anger burning behind the eyes of Gwyndolin. Yet to her it meant nothing, there was little else he could do to put fear into her heart. Not when compared to the serpentine monster that she had seen before. Not when she faced the fear of knowing it was a result of her own actions. This was nothing to do with her, little more than a bystander to a family squabble.

"So then, what are you going to do now?" She asked with a curl of her lip "I'm certain you could very easily kill me, though I will not recant my words. For you are committing the exact same sins you accuse Gwyndolin of." sniffing once, she turned away from him and jutted her chin upwards in clear dismissal. "At the risk of repeating myself, I shall ask you a final time and will expect an answer…for what reason are you doing this pantomime in the first place? Not for the sake of hating someone, not for the sake of some family that did not love you enough, and not for the sake of revenge…what is it that you gain from this?"

The burning glare intensified, she could feel the tension soar well past what it had been, the slithering reached her ears with a great deal more fury than before. Still, she kept her disinterested gaze away from the God and towards the panes of glass lining the walls, even as the hiss of angered snakes reached her ears, she did little else but bring up her hand and stare at the back of her nails, frowning and wiping away a touch of dirt on the end of them on the arm of the chair before her eyes flickered up. Staring at the ten heads of very angered looking serpents, fangs bared and eyes burning.

Eventually, her bored eyes moved to their counterparts on Gwyndolin's face.

Oddly enough, his were utterly devoid of emotion.

"Crafting my own identity, you say?" Was the bland sentence she received a moment later. "An intriguing choice of words and perhaps close to the point." smacking his tongue, he turned from her and slid across the length of the room to where he had been. "Gwyndolin won't admit this, but I will. You're right. I am still trapped by Gwyn, even if I discard Gwyndolin, but only because I want him to see what I would rather live as. I seek freedom from my past, freedom from the chains which shackled me for so very long…I want to finally be something else other than the God who Gwyndolin became."

He turned around and faced them, his expression was tired and little else. His posture slackened as he fell to the side and against the nearby pillar with a thud. "You ask why I defend Gwyndolin? I don't. I hate Gwyndolin because he slaved himself away for everyone, because he did what everyone else claimed was important but never once lifted a finger to do themselves and his final reward for these acts, what a lifetime of sacrificing his own wants…it ended with him dying alone, killed for the duty that had been thrust into his lap without ever having a say of his own…"

His eyes darkened. "A God chooses their life, their authority might dictate what they are to govern but they can decide how to do this. Their personality is theirs alone. A slave obeys. Gwyndolin was the slave and he never once got a choice in his life. Not truly." his lip curled "A slave who was forced to carry the weight of the entire world without ever being granted the choice. Gwyndolin was the collar…what I'm doing is for the little boy who lost his life to the Darksun."

Turning from them, "Perhaps the greatest insult was when they were departing and they asked me to go with them? Were they stupid? Anor Londo was more than just a city, it was the symbol of the God's power in the world. It couldn't be remade elsewhere. So someone had to keep it alive…but why did it have to be me?"

Gwyndolin stared at her with a flat look, "That is the truth. I do not want to be Gwyndolin anymore. I don't want to carry that burden ever again, a burden that was too great for the likes of me. I'm going to do what I want to do." he rose up, clawing his hands into the pillar and forcing himself higher and higher. "I want to be happy. I want to spit on Gwyn's face and tell him that I cannot imagine a greater curse than being a member of his foul and wretched family. I want to tell him that those eons spent slaving away to keep his city alive were an utter waste of time. I want to tell my siblings that I'm abandoning my place at their side just as they did me…and I want to see the look on their faces."

Turning his head towards the ceiling, "...I want to live for something that I want to live for. I want to live in the way Gwyndolin never could. So there…that's why I'm doing this." his eyes turned back to her and he scoffed. "You can laugh and mock the God who found misery in his existence and has nothing of value to show for an exceedingly long life…My only happy memories are when I was nothing more than a child of Gwyn or the distant patron of Irithyll."

"Not. funny." Gwyndolin paused and turned his head towards the direction of Asterios, remaining silent as the Berserker let out a faint groan as he pushed himself up. Rising to his impressive height and taking a few steps towards the Servant, moving past Stheno as he did so. "Won't. Laugh. Also. Alone. Right?"

Gwyndolin didn't respond, but Asterios really didn't need him to as the Berserker gave a single soft grunt and brought his hand up to point to himself. "Not. Alone. Anymore. Can. Have. Many. Friends. Can. Finally. Be. Happy."

"...It's far too late for that, Asterios." For his own part, they did genuinely sound as though they were apologetic to the Berserker, Asterios visibly shifted at the words before they lowered their arms back to the side. "Perhaps once but…"

The truth at last, she supposed.

In the end, he really was a tragic little creature, wasn't he?

She couldn't - for one second - imagine living in such a life, the Shapeless isles was the sanctuary of her and her sisters. However, what gave it true value beyond rocks and sand was the fact it was her sisters who lived there with her. They wished for nothing and found peace in their isolation. They were happy, if she had not been happy then she doubted she would have tolerated existence for as long as she did. She had none of the responsibilities associated with the other Gods.

In the end, her beauty was the only power she had and the only symbol of her being.

…Medusa really did pick them well, didn't she?

Stheno pulled her lips into a faint but noticeable smile. "In that case, I have no complaints about it. So long as you are doing as you wish to do, then I will patiently await the outcome." backing away, she plopped herself back down and leaned forwards, propping up her elbow on her knee and resting her chin on her fist. She would let herself fall silent now, everything that had been said was said. For now, she would sit back and let the world flow around her, it was bound to be amusing. "Though I am curious…what will you truly do when they arrive?"

Gwyndolin paused, then hummed in a slow and thoughtful way before his voice turned casual. "Gwyndolin would have likely quietly accused them of treachery, sung the praises of Gwyn while he meant none of them, before he slithered off to his room and wept alone at becoming a traitor like them." his lip twitched upwards. "Which was exactly what he did, just before I came here. But I'm not like Gwyndolin. I'm not going to shackle myself to what is 'expected' of me to do…I'm going to do what I want to do. Therefore, I'm going to indulge myself…"

Turning his head to them, he flashed them a wide toothy smile as the layers of darkness started to peel away, revealing his form entirely to them.

"If I can't find happiness through divinity, then I can find it through whatever else. I don't care for it anymore…I'd rather be happy at this point." He reached the doors and halted just shy of touching them, his voice coming out in a dark note. "I will not be the scared little boy who couldn't escape the shadow of the sun. Never again."

Ritsuka didn't think things were going too badly, though that was a low bar to pass given the recent times they had been involved in a fight.

He thought as much as he dived for cover behind Mash, the Shielder slammed her defence down a moment later as the stream of black magical energy washed over them, placing his shoulder flat against the Shielders back as he did so, feeling the force wash over the pair of them and sparing a glance down to see the feet of Mash cratering into the stone, either side of them surrounded by a rushing wall of darkness.

When the stream finally ended, he pushed himself around the side of Mash and focused his attention to where Arthur had been cut off by Nudd, the Saber engaging her in a duel which moved faster than he could make sense of or figure out who was winning. Clashing of darkness and light was doing havoc on his eyes.

A rumble above his head heralded both the Archer and Faraam moving through the skies at high speed, engaged in what could only be described as a dogfight as the Rider hurled forth bolts of lightning to the jetpacking Servant, he kept his eyes on them for a moment longer before shaking his head and patting Mash twice on the shoulder to charge once again.

The Shielder released a warcry as she rushed forwards, blessed by both Caffrey and Gwynevere, he didn't doubt that she was now more than a match for Arthur in physical prowess. If that wasn't enough, she had Nudd to support her as well, the Saber sprinting straight towards his opposite with his sword poised to strike at her.

Arthur scoffed vocally and took a single step forwards, darkness rippled free of the sword in a jet as she swung up directly into their path. Mash braced herself in front of him in a useless gesture, useless because with a single slash, Nudd split the attack in half with his sword and continued on his rush forwards, Arthur exploded into motion and collided with him a moment later. Ritsuka rolled to the side as the two Sabers crashed into the front of Mash's shield and sent the three Servants falling over one another and into a close style brawl.

Grunts of pain and clashing steel brought his attention away from the close fight to the direction of the others for half a second, that short instance of time was more than enough to see Medusa effortlessly dance between the thrusts of Sanura as she closed the distance, ducking under the wide swipe and reversing her spike and slamming it into the front of Sanura's thigh through the steel plate.

Sanura let out a gasp of pain which turned into a strangled choke as the Rider slung the chain around the neck of them and yanked downwards, at the same time she flipped back and caught them in the chin with the top of her boot, successfully dodging one of Assassins throwing knives as she did so. She pulled the chain taut and dragged the Lancer forwards the second she made contact with the ground, sweeping her foot around and landing a roundhouse into the front of the Lancer helmet-

His attention snapped back to the direction of Mash and Nudd, the Saber caught Excalibur in his silver palm, his knees buckling underneath him as he did so and thrusting forwards. Arthur turned to the side and pulled her arm closed, trapping the sword arm underneath her own and keeping him locked down there. Mana pulsed around him before she jerked forwards and knocked him back, then swiftly moving to block Mash-

Holding up his hand, the mystic code flashed and the Shielder attacked from a completely different location, slamming her shield into the back of Arthur's head and cracking it forwards, directly into Nudd's uppercut her stumble backwards devolved into an almost cartoonish slip as she stepped on a stray piece of rubble.

He decided that Caffrey's Noble Phantasm was fairly scary.

Arthur didn't let the slip keep them down for long, or at all for that matter, as Excalibur suddenly roared like a jet engine and in the next moment, he was flying through the air and watching the world spin around him without knowing what was up and what was down.

Panic set in as Ritsuka scrambled to get some sense of bearing, only for his body to jerk to a halt and process that he was moving at rapid speed. Blinking twice as he registered the large arm that was now wrapped around his waist and the powerful whooshing flooding his ears, turning to the right he found himself staring at the focused face of Faraam before he snapped his attention back to the front and realised that he had been caught during the middle of an air fight.

Grimacing and steadying himself, he watched as Faraam brought up his spear and the head glowed a brilliant gold before unleashing a bright stream of light towards the direction of the Archer. Their jetpack barked and they turned at the last moment, flipping around and firing off several arrows towards them.

"Wa-!?" Faraam made a sudden turn in the air and he found himself clinging onto the large forearm for dear life and experiencing what could only be described as being stuck on the world's strongest rollercoaster. The air being ripped from his lungs as he turned with the God to avoid the arrows, the pair blasted backwards as Faraam turned and dived towards the bridge beneath them, the streaks of light over their shoulder informed him that Archer was still following them.

Then Faraam let him go.

"Eh?" He blinked twice as he comprehended what had just happened before his arms and legs started to flail around, turning through the air as Archer rocketed past him just above his head, either ignoring him or not seeing him as they pursued Faraam. Either way, it was little more than a stray thought as he fell to the ground as a victim of gravity.

"Halt."

He stopped in the air, breathing returned to his lungs as he panted in and out, the thrill of the fall faded away and left him feeling more than a little dizzy. Once more, his body moved without his permission as he was turned midway through the air until he was facing the sky.

Then he fell once again.

It lasted only a moment before something caught him under his legs and behind his shoulder, the relief lasted until he saw it was Gwynevere who caught him in a Princess carry, though she didn't spare him a glance as she was currently glaring off to the sky somewhere. "Leave it to that fool to handle fragile matters like a Demon."

She grumbled, then placed him back on the ground before she turned and held up the flat of her hand. Several daggers slowed in the air in front of her before they quickly reversed and shot back off the way they came, Assassin now ducking and weaving to avoid being taken out by his own thrown blades.

A sudden rush of wind from behind him had Ritsuka whip himself around to see Mash lock the crook of her shield against Arthur for half a second before they broke off, the Saber turned and blocked against the slash from Nudd a moment after, shoving them back he pushed up and sent both their weapons skywards before slamming the sole of his boot into their chest and forcing them backwards, putting them in the same line as Sanura who was in the midst of throwing Medusa over her shoulder.

The pair briefly looked at one another for half a second, then rushed off as they were without sparing words. The Lancer twisted the spear in their grasp and hurled it forwards at the Rider as they spun through the air, turning their body and hurling the spikes towards the ground, abruptly halting as the chains went taut and yanked forwards, rocketing back to the direction she had come from legs first. Sanura sidestepped and Arthur brought up the back of her left arm as the Riders boots made contact.

An explosion occurred between them, the ground shattered and Arthur was sent skating along the ground, Excalibur dug deep into the stone, carving a clean trench through it as they slowed their momentum to a halt, then turned and brought their sword up and blocked the followup strike from Medusa before pushing her back.

Sanura charged right towards Nudd and thrust down with her spear, the Saber blocked and then parried, forcing her back with rapid strikes against her which had her turning from point to point in order to avoid them. He stepped back, then flipped the sword in his hand around so that he was gripping the point of the blade in his silver arm. As though he was swinging a club, he brought the weapon across and into the side of Sanura's helmet with a dull crack.

He flipped the weapon again and thrust down, easily driving it through the knee of the Lancer and twisting the blade. Releasing it, he reached up and grabbed the spear still being held in her hands and yanked upwards, ripping it free of her grasp and twirling it, the butt of the weapon was driven into the side of her head and briefly stunned her long enough for him to drive the spear into her other leg and releasing it.

Sanura let out another gasp of pain as she dropped down but not before Nudd grabbed her by the hands or more specifically, by her thumbs and with a sharp crack he twisted them at an angle which made it impossible to call healthy. Depriving her of the chance to actually hold her spear as he released her and stepped forwards, swinging his left arm up and driving his elbow into the nose of the helmet to finish her off.

Quickly falling backwards with her thumbs bent at awkward angles and her legs all but useless with the weapons stuck inside of them.

Finishing it off, he grabbed the sword and whipped it clean off the Lancers leg and twirled it, blocking several more daggers aimed towards him before he rushed forwards. Assassin ducked back and narrowly avoided the elbow aimed for his mask, though didn't quite avoid the inside kick to the side of his knee.

"Step back." Gwynevere all but commanded, Ritsuka ducked to the side just in case, a mixture of instinct and warning which proved to be the right decision. One that Nudd heeded as well as he rolled to the side just as Assassin became consumed with a continuous stream of lightning straight down on top of him, as though the focus of a storm, the Assassin let out a pained cry as he was struck repeatedly before the finally ended, the man wavered on his feet before he slumped forwards and dropped down onto his face and went still.

Which left only the Archer and the Saber left to go.

As if on cue, the former mentioned dropped from the sky in front of him, caught in a tackle from Faraam which he freed himself from by slamming his forehead into the God. The bow in his hands having been seemingly broken in two and forming blades on his arms curving backwards. "Strategum adjusted. Engaging close combat tactics."

The monotone announcement was celebrated by him slamming a fist into the chest of Faraam, which was countered by a slash from the God, catching the left arm with enough force to shatter the ground beneath the duo's feet and sent out a blast from which had Ritsuka barely able to keep on his feet.

If that had been bad enough, the two suddenly became a blur of movement and swinging fists against one another. Unable to even keep track of who was doing what as light drowned the pair out, leaving only the flashing of miracles and magical energy with the clanging and crashing of steel striking steel.

Archer caught Faraam's spear with another guard, though the Rider merely dropped the weapon and swung his fist upwards into the gut of the Servant, lifting their feet off the ground with the punch and then unleashing a burst of lightning from his fist through the body of the Servant. Archer spasmed as a result, twitching uncontrollably as he did so before staggering backwards, pressing a hand over the point where he had been struck, chest visibly sparking.

Faraam's advance was cut short when he saw the result of his attack and Ritsuka himself was momentarily stumped by the fact that the enemy Servant wasn't actually a man at all. Rather, the utterly illogical and somewhat nonsensical part of his mind came to the conclusion that this was some sort of robot and he could find nothing to actually deny the claim at all. Which was rather bewildering, all things considered.

Archer whirled around, spinning and snapping their body back into existence as they drew the string back and fired. A titanic beam of light erupted from the bow at point blank range, Faraam sidestepped a second before it fired and narrowly avoided being struck by the attack which burned a clear cut hole right through the stone railing behind him. Rushing in close, he swung his fist into the side of Archers head the moment he was able to, swiftly following it up with a series of blows aimed for the joints of the boy which had them rather unable to quickly recover.

It wasn't that Archer was bad, it was just that Faraam was too good at unarmed fighting by the looks of things. That and his fists were coated with lightning which Ritsuka could guess was pretty bad for a robot, coupled with Caffrey and Gwynevere acting as support to empower his blows further, it was only a matter of time until the Archer was taken out.

Instead he turned his attention to the battle past him, Nudd and Arthur clashed once more, Excalibur visibly grinding against the silver arm as both fighters looked their opponent dead in the eye. Narrowing his own, Ritsuka watched as they detached and then struck again, he noted that Arthur wasn't using her mana to the same degree as in Fuyuki, though they were on a rather narrow ledge so it was a matter of skill which she still seemed rather adequate within.

More so when she shoulder barged Nudd back just to parry away Medusa which led into a downwards strike against Mash, shoving the Shielder to the side and turning her body back around and swinging up, Excalibur leaving a slash through the ground as she struck up against Nudd and parried his thrust into the air.

'Caffrey. Hit Arthur with your Noble Phantasm again.' If it was a matter of skill, then he just needed to introduce something else entirely into the equation and bad luck seemed just as good a factor as anything else, all things considered.

"The hands of Fate have reached down from the Heavens." Caffrey intoned as light surrounded her, with a flourish of movement, she spread her arms wide as the light rushed forwards. "The outlook of your day is grim. Turn of Fortune."

The light swirled around Arthur before surging towards them, they clearly noticed the effects immediately as mana around their body pulsed outwards to send the Servants around them staggering backwards. Though it was short lived as Nudd released his own pulse of mana to counteract the effects of it which crashed into Arthur, soon followed by the Saber himself as he slammed his silver arm into her and pushed his leg around behind them, shoving forwards and sweeping their feet out from beneath them.

Arthur rolled along the floor and deftly avoided having Mash stomp on her head, though wasn't quite fast enough to stop Medusa from pressing her foot down onto the hem of her battle skirt and weighting her as she rushed to stand back up, catching herself on it and falling back down, unable to find purchase on the debris covered ground and slipping on the uneven terrain.

They turned, swinging their sword around to try and catch the other Servants, though evidently her grip wasn't quite tight enough as she ended up letting go of Excalibur midway through the slash and hurling the sword away from her and far off into the distance. Even Arthur looked momentarily dumbfounded by the action, only to catch Nudd's punch to the back of her head and slam her face first into the ground.

His eyes flickered back to Faraam and Archer, just in time for the two to clash once again and catch one anothers fists in their palms. Archer clearly looking worse for wear at this point with his once pristine white armour covered in scorch marks and dents, though Faraam hadn't escaped unscathed either with gouges taken out of his scaled tunic. Lighting pulsed across the arms of the Rider and into the Archer, Medusa flew past them and swung her hands around the arms of the Servant, pulling them tight and snapping his limbs together in a bind.

"Hm?" Archer gave only a single noise of confusion right before Faraam wrapped his arms around their waist and hoisted them up, turning himself and then body slamming them down into the ground hard enough to crack the stone and shake the very bridge they were standing upon. Ritsuka felt himself shake and look for the nearest thing to cling onto for support.

Faraam rose back up, twirling the spear in his hand and then levelling the point of it just in front of the face of the Archer. "You have fought well, construct. However the outcome of this battle is concluded. Though if you wish to perish with honour, then I can grant you that end."

The white Archer remained silent for a moment, then they spoke up. "The criteria for passage has been met. I am incapable of securing victory at this present moment of time and further resistance would only serve to expend unnecessary magical energy. I yield this contest to you."

Ritsuka exhaled, a little happy that they hadn't actually…he paused for a moment as he glanced around at the other Servants and found himself frowning a touch as he stared at them. Briefly glancing at Sanura before he grimaced rather heavily, he didn't like seeing her in that state because they had actually been allies. At least he knew that she was still alive, judging by the pained groans she was releasing as she rolled onto her side.

"I saw our allies in peril and wished to deal with her swiftly to aid them." Nudd explained as he glanced at Sanura with his own frown and then turned his head from her "And…you hadn't given the order to kill the Servants so neutralising her ability to fight seemed prudent."

Yeah, he could see that.

Turning his eyes towards the doors at the top of the stairs, he narrowed his eyes before wetting his lips. Rolling his shoulders, he looked around to the others once again and then spoke up. "Are you going to fight us as well, King Arthur?"

"It would require me to expend more magical energy." The Servant replied in a tone of voice that only sounded slightly winded, indeed she pushed herself off the ground rather slowly and stumbled for all of a single step, cracks lining the dark plate armour and a bruise around her left eye but otherwise looking well enough. "At which point, it would devolve into a conflict with no further value. I would destroy that which I was charged with protecting."

She straightened out, lips twitching for the briefest of moments and for a moment Ritsuka could have sworn he saw a flash of irritation in those yellow orbs. Though he really, desperately, hoped that he had imagined it. "Once again. It would seem as though you have bested me…with rather unorthodox tactics, but that is a valid strategy in itself. Regardless. My summoner is satisfied and you are free to proceed while we remain behind."

Were they now? Wasn't that nice.

His eyes locked onto the steel doors before him, his jaw clenched as he felt a deep foreboding the longer he stared at them.

"Ritsuka." Nudd called out, the God shifted his shoulders for a moment before he continued on. "This is the extent of my limit here. We were not properly Rayshifted to join you, ergo myself and Princess Caffrey have accomplished all we can, the rest is up to you…" he paused, then nodded to him once. "Good luck, son."

Yeah…he'd probably need it to.

The doors in front of them stretched upwards for well over five metres and even then, they didn't even reach the top of the arch that housed them. It would be no exaggeration to say that this was certainly one of the largest gothic buildings he had seen. Certainly not the biggest in the world, that much he knew, but it had an imposing presence that made it seem infinitely larger than it probably was.

Though that was likely because the doors were so large in the first place.

Faraam marched past him towards the doors, the God remaining oddly silent as he did so and came to a halt in front of them. He caught himself reaching out a hand to the doors before he pulled it back, turning his head upwards and sweeping his eyes over the front of the large steel gate in front of him. Ritsuka faintly heard a sharp intake of breath before it was loosened again.

"Something wrong?" He felt the need to call out to the God, Faraam didn't physically react beyond a small jerk of the head and a grunt to say he acknowledged the words being spoken to him. Bringing his hand forwards once more, he pressed it flat against the metal and dragged his fingers along the surface of it.

"...Smaller than I remember, is all." Ritsuka wasn't sure if he was making a joke or not, he didn't sound as though he was. Which meant that he really was just caught up in the moment as to what was going on. Thinning his lips, he let out a small breath as he walked forwards until he was stood by the side of Faraam.

"Do these doors open normally or is there some sort of contraption to them?" He only asked because they seemed to be the sort of doors that would be impossible to open conventionally for anyone who wasn't freakishly strong. Even if he suspected that Faraam probably could push the doors open, he wasn't certain that everyone else who needed to use the doors would have that same level of strength. For one thing, he didn't think Gwynevere would be capable of it.

Faraam hummed in affirmation, reversing his spear and slamming it into the ground, shooting a brief look over his shoulder to where the other Servants who had been the pseudo-four knights were still standing, though quite a distance from them and still tending to their own injuries.

Ritsuka chanced a look over his shoulder to them as well, he considered it a victory enough that they were able to win without killing anyone. He would…he would rather not have to go through something like that again. It just wasn't something he felt all that comfortable with at the moment. Closing his eyes, he took in a breath and turned his focus back to the God at his side as they stepped forwards and pressed their hands against it.

"There is a mechanic to opening these doors." Faraam confirmed his suspicion as he placed his hands against them, then braced his body and took a single step forwards. "But I do not know if Gwyndolin would replicate it or not. It is much simpler to just force them open and then meet with him, though tracking him down through the Cathedral would be something of a difficult time."

Ritsuka nodded his head in understanding, while he was sure this was something that could be figured out with time, he was perfectly alright with brute forcing his way inside. That being said, the presence of the Servants here and what he recalled of Gwyndolin's capabilities left him more than a little on edge. Not just because of the fact he had summoned some rather powerful Servants, but also because he had been able to create and maintain this entire city.

Sure, it wasn't real and was little more than a 'illusion' as had been repeated again and again, but that didn't take away from the fact that it was still something that he couldn't imagine anyone else being able to do for this long, Grail or not. He glanced back to Faraam for a moment and then towards the door as the God adjusted his footing and placed his hands flat against the metal.

"Do you think there is anything else waiting for us inside?" Ritsuka asked after a moment, placing his hands on his hips and looking up, tracing his eyes along the front of the cathedral which stretched up well past the door. Decorative panes of glass interwoven in the stone. It looked like a work of art, but it also seemed to be rather dangerous as well. Besides, he would have suspected Gwyndolin to have some more help inside, it just seemed the sort of thing for him to do.

Faraam paused for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders "It's possible, but given that we haven't been swarmed by a legion of Silver Knights, I would say that we are going to be bereft of attackers between now and when we confront Gwyndolin…for that matter, I am curious as to what you will do?"

"Me?" Ritsuka raised an eyebrow and looked at him in bewilderment. "It's not so much a matter of what I'm going to do, it's a matter of what he is going to do. I've made my position quite clear on the matter. If he wants to come back, then I'll accept him coming back without doubt." rolling his lips, he was treated to the somewhat bemused face of the God in front of him before he narrowed his eyes at Faraam. "What about you though? What are you going to do?"

He pointed to the door in front of him, then turned his eyes down to Gwynevere as well. He'd danced around the matter for long enough but he wasn't going to do it anymore. Before they even stepped a single foot in that cathedral, he wanted to know what was going on between the two of them beyond the obvious. "For that matter, what are the two of you going to do when you finally meet Gwyndolin? If the last hour or so hasn't made things perfectly apparent, he's no fan of yours. For that matter, I'm not wholly sure I'm pleased with the reason that you're here."

Pointing at Gwynevere, he caught the brief flash of surprise in her eyes before it faded and was replaced by irritation. Golden orbs narrowed before they cooled, she pursed her lips and inclined her head. "And tell me, what reason do you imagine that I am here for?"

"I'm all but convinced that you're here just to find out why Gwyndolin hates you." He flatly responded, because otherwise he would have made it clear just how little he thought of her at that one moment. This wasn't about either of them, this was about Gwyndolin and dealing with what Ritsuka was certain was an exceedingly troubled childhood. Especially from the way in which they had spoken about it earlier. The innocent way they had completely dismissed him as a threat. Even if it was true that, in the end, Gwyndolin wasn't the one who fired at them it should have at least been considered as a possibility rather than dismissed with a laugh as though it was a funny joke.

Lowering his arm, he stepped back and waved it to the side. "But then again, I could be wrong. I'm not going to pretend I'm suddenly the expert on divine relations but-"

"You are correct. You are not an expert." Gwynevere coldly interrupted him with a blank expression. He snapped his jaw shut on instinct at the tone she used. The type of tone that made it clear that pushing further on the matter was really not going to end well for him. "You are barely even a witness to the ordeal. Yes, I am here to discover why Gwyndolin despises me so, but my motives are not as selfish as you seem to believe. He was offered the choice to accompany us, I did not vanish into the night and leave him behind. A council was held and we decided to move to another land, Gwyndolin was the only one who objected and he remained behind."

Ritsuka thinned his lips and glanced to the side as she continued on.

"I am aware you are biased against me from actions concerning one close to you, but you do not understand the grief I felt when we departed and Gwyndolin was left behind. Yet that was his choice to do so and he accepted it. If he has come to regret that decision all these years later, then I cannot fault him for it…but I refuse to be made the monster so that he might play the victim."

Gwynevere took in a deep breath before she exhaled, closing her eyes and turning her head to face the sky, almost as though she was challenging Gwyndolin to refute her words, though the blank void above remained tellingly silent. "My brother made a choice and I respected it, just as I would ask him to respect mine in leaving Anor Londo with the other Gods…or would you have preferred I restrained him and dragged him unwillingly from the city he wished to defend? I might have called it a foolish choice, but it was his and that was that."

Her eyes snapped down and onto Faraam before they glowed. "At the very least, I was there to wish him a farewell before I departed."

Faraam let out a deep reverberating sigh as he fell forwards, his head thudding against the steel gates in front of him. Ritsuka similarly grimaced as he looked between the two of them, then down to his feet. This was why he didn't like letting his anger get the best of him because then he ended up saying or doing something stupid and, in this case, it was making rush judgements and putting his foot in his mouth.

Pushing off the doors, Faraam turned around and walked back to the edge of the steps, coming to a halt at their precipice and staring down directly towards Gwynevere, not a hint of emotion was visible on what little of his face could be seen as he did so. "...If you're looking for an apology, you're going to be looking for eternity. I do not regret what I did. I can lament the fact our bonds were shattered…but I will not regret what was done."

Gwynevere looked as though she had been slapped in the face, lips parted and staring up at him with wide eyes. Ritsuka wasn't sure what she was feeling, he could see the hurt dance across her face for a few seconds before it hardened, face turning to stone and her jaw clenching tight enough that he could see the bone. Taking in a single breath through her nose, she unleashed short but disgusted huff. "Even after all this time, after expressing your fury at what transpired…you would make the same choice all over again? For the dragons? You would pick them over your own family?"

"I would." Faraam replied in a toneless voice. "I don't expect you to understand why I did it, but it wasn't for the dragons alone that I betrayed you." his hands clenched into fists. "I would not have turned my back on you for that reason alone, would not have abandoned everything I had known just for the sake of the dragons."

"Why then?" Gwynevere all but demanded "Why after all this time? Why are you even here?" she waved her arm behind him towards the direction of the doors. "For what purpose would you even come here when Gwyndolin suffers? You never once paid attention to it before in the cycles that you stood apart from the world. For what reason would you now stand here and seek to speak with Gwyndolin, to dare speak of your disgust for the way he lived when you were not even there to offer your own opinions on the matter!"

The words hung in the air, Faraam said nothing as Gwynevere glared at him.

Then he turned back around and walked towards the doors in silence, placing his hands on the doors and taking in a deep breath before he pushed them inwards. The deep groaning of metal bending against the desired passage was only matched by the sudden shattering sound of steel; the next moment he knew, both the doors were falling inwards rather than opening. Ritsuka jolted at the heavy crash that followed as they made contact with the ground, staring with wide eyes at the fact Faraam had just pushed the giant metal doors off their hinges and broken them inwards.

Faraam's next words cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter.

"Because I'm still his brother. Because there was not a day that went past where I did not find myself missing any of you." Turning back around, he stared down at Gwynevere with a cold look in his eyes. "So don't you dare tell me what I have lost the right to, Sister. Because Gwyndolin is my brother and right now, he needs me. I couldn't have been there then, but I can be there now. Whether he wants to be furious with me or not…I'm not going to leave him a second time."

He marched through the doorway, stepping over the steel with a dull crack and advancing forwards, he called out over his shoulder. "Maybe I don't have the right to be there for him. Maybe I lost that long ago…but I don't care. Because he's my brother."

With those final words, Faraam entered the darkened hall that lay beyond. Ritsuka spared a glance to the others for a moment before he followed in after the Rider, stepping onto the doors and squinting his eyes to get a better view of what lay inside what he imagined was a wide hall, but he couldn't quite make out the details. "Mash, do you have-"

The flashlight clicked on before he could even finish, turning to see her standing next to him with a faint smile on her face and the small but powerful flashlight in her right hand. With a nod of thanks to her, he gently took it from her and held it, creasing his brows as he darted the flashlight left and right and was able to form a decent picture of the gargantuan hall he now found himself stood inside of.

"Senpai." Mash whispered to him, he hummed and gave his assent for her to continue. "What are we going to do when we meet Gwyndolin-san and he wants to fight?"

"Then we fight." He answered simply, turning and catching her rather surprised look. "Honestly, I'm thinking this is something that might come to blows anyway. Gwyndolin's made it no secret how he feels about anyone else in his family and he's clearly feeling strong about it." He thinned his lips.

Even as he stepped inside, he felt a sudden tension upon his shoulders. Like they were waiting for the ceiling to suddenly give way and collapse on his head. Emotions felt strong and while it was probably unfair for Gwyndolin to blame everyone else for the state of his life and how it ended, that didn't mean that others were bereft of blame. He had no idea as to the complete family story and even as decent an individual as Faraam seemed, there was still the fact he abandoned his family and betrayed them during the middle of a war for their enemies.

He'd heard the way they spoke about him and heard the way he was raised. Already, the idea that Gwyndolin was left alone in that environment while Gwynevere just parroted the same spiel she gave Ash about duty being the absolute just felt toxic. This entire family felt toxic. But he got the feeling that aligning himself with Gwyn was the very last thing on Gwyndolin's mind. He seemed different, more open with his opinions than he had been before.

"I think this is going to come to a fight between Gwyndolin and his siblings because sometimes…sometimes I don't think there's really a way you can express anger except through physical force." It was difficult for him to explain, bringing his hand up and rubbing his forehead as he did so. "But Gwyndolin…he said he wanted to be 'free' of Gwyndolin and I don't know what that means but I get the feeling he really doesn't like his past."

"Freeing oneself from their past is impossible." Both he and Mash turned to Medusa as she virtually appeared behind them. He started briefly before he relaxed, then inclined an eyebrow at the Rider. "...Forgive me, but I believe what Gwyndolin seeks is freedom from something else. Though…I am unsure as to how willing he is to pay the price for that measure of freedom."

He furrowed his brows at the Rider, though that seemed to be all she had to say on the subject at the moment. Out of everyone here, it was rather bewildering to consider that the only one who would actually know what Gwyndolin was like as of recent developments was Medusa. But if what Gwynevere said was right, then Gwyndolin had been offered a choice whether to stay or go. If that was the case, then he really had no one else to blame but himself for that.

Either way…he was still just here for Gwyndolin. Whatever else was going on.