Happy 4th of July!
In the spirit of such a holiday, here's an advanced release of another featuring the one and only, Gilgamesh!
Louise was having a very weird dream.
Due to the utterly pointless and grueling test Gilgamesh had tricked her into taking, she had gone to bed very late. The castle healers had managed finish her treatment with impressive time—scars, however faint, would've brought her unwanted attention—but after that she still had to eat, bathe, and consult with Henrietta before she went to sleep. The princess had ended up joining her for the greater part of the night before they finally returned to their rooms and slept.
Now Louise was dreaming that it was some point in the day, her body was too sore to move, and her mother was standing over her with a look of motherly concern. She hadn't seen her mother act like that in over a decade. Her mother was stern, no-nonsense woman, who didn't waste time pandering her children. The principle of "Rule of Steel" was about forsaking weakness to remain resolute at all times. While Louise respected her mother's authority and knew that her training was for the best, it brought her comfort to see a side of her mother she hadn't seen since childhood.
This was a strange—and oddly painful—but very good dream.
"It's a not a dream Louise," her dream mother said.
"Okay," Louise replied with a giggle.
A concerned look crossed over dream mother's face. Ah, that looked more like her actual mother. Dream mother quickly strode out of the room in a hurried but polished pace. Dignified yet urgent. Like a perfect noble.
Louise let her eyes close. It was a good dream, but her body hurt all over for some reason, so hopefully the next one was better.
When Louise awoke again, she could tell it was at some point in the afternoon. Henrietta was sitting at her bedside, beside her was a man Louise hadn't seen before, but she recognized by his uniform that he was one of the royal physicians.
"Oh, Louise!" Henrietta immediately reached over to pull Louise in a hug. "How are you feeling? Are you hurting anywhere?"
"I feel fine, I think?" Louise replied honestly, though a little disoriented. "My body feels kind of numb."
"Pardon me, your highness, but I must ask Miss Valliere some questions," the physician asked. Henrietta nodded and released her grip on Louise, returning to her seat. "Good afternoon, Miss Valliere, I am Guy de Chauliac, a physician here at the castle. Can you tell me where you feel numb?"
"Everywhere?"
"Do you have any pain?"
"No. Not anymore. At least."
Chauliac went through a few more routine questions before concluding with, "Any other symptoms I should know about?"
Louise shook her head. "I feel tired, but that's about it." She thought harder. "Although, I did hallucinate that my mother was here a few minutes ago."
"Ahem."
Louise froze. Her head snapped to the side sharp enough give an audible crack from her neck. "Mother?!" she exclaimed incredulously.
Sitting on a chair on the opposite side of the bed was Karin de la Valliere, the most powerful wind mage in the country. She looked every bit as composed as she did the last time Louise had seen her. Her assumed hallucination notwithstanding.
"May I have a moment with my daughter, in private?"
"Most certainly," the physician said.
"Of course, Mrs. Valliere," Henrietta replied.
The two quickly and quietly stepped out of the room, with Henrietta mouthing "get well soon" before she closed the door.
Then, it was just the two of them. Mother and daughter, who had not seen each other in weeks, and had not held a decent conversation for even longer.
Louise was the one to break the silence. "It is good to see you again, Mother," she greeted politely. "Though I hadn't expected to see you so soon. Has something happened?"
"I should ask you the same, young lady," the older Valliere replied. "When you sent us a letter saying you were a diplomatic liaison between Princess Henrietta and a foreign noble you had accidentally summoned, your father and I were very concerned. However, we decided that since you would be in the capital and this was the result of your own actions, we would let you handle your own responsibility."
Karin's eyes narrowed as she continued, "You can imagine our surprise when within a week we hear that you've become mysteriously bedridden after a 'magical incident'. I arrive here thinking that you managed to give yourself a concussion with one of your failed spells, but instead I find that your Willpower is fluctuating to the point that you're delirious with fever. The physicians spent hours treating you before your Willpower inexplicably returned to its natural state.
"While I'm waiting, wondering what could have happened to put you in that state, I overhear the staff whispering about what you've been doing for the past week. The noble you briefly mentioned summoning is a king who isn't even from Halkegenia. And you've been experimenting with dangerous magic without proper supervision."
"Mother, I—"
"You even roped the princess into your antics!" Karin hissed. "You've practically invited an unknown power into the heart of Tristan when it's at its weakest. Do you know what kind of message that sends? The entire castle is filled with gossip of a foreigner who flaunts his power as if he were the king of Tristan instead of an unexpected guest. And you serve as his lackey, being an intermediary between the crown princess's entourages and him."
"I'm not his servant!" Louise protested. She quailed at the stern glare her mother sent her, but continued in a small voice, "I act as intermediary because most people are intimidated by his personality and magic. He tolerates me, and I'm responsible for summoning him, so I do my part in easing relations."
Louise's gaze hardened. "I serve only Princess Henrietta. Not King Gilgamesh."
Her mother did not appear impressed. "Are you telling me you aren't currently sitting in this bed because of an attempt to curry favor from him?"
"Th-that's…" Damning.
"You've gone a long way for a stranger you just met," Karin noted.
"…He has impossible magic," Louise said slowly. "He said he could give me power. That I had potential."
"You fell for his honeyed words?" The disappointment was clear in her voice and cold eyes. "And to think you already have a perfectly suitable fiancé—"
"I am not in love with him!" Louise exploded. She shrunk back when Her mother raised an eyebrow in response to her rude outburst. "King Gilgamesh, I mean. I respect his power, but he is an insufferable, entitled, pompous, urgh!"
Louise took a few moments to compose herself before continuing. "I have something I want from him, but I have no plan of dedicating myself to him in either a relationship or fealty. Wardes and I are still engaged, and my loyalty to Henrietta will not be swayed by anyone."
Karin de la Valliere stared into her daughter's eyes. Louise gaze wasn't quite properly focused, due to nervousness or lingering dizziness, she couldn't say. Some combination of the two was most likely. Despite this, she maintained eye contact. Her words contradicted the rumors of the commoners and nobles, but Karin could detect no lie in them.
The duchess stood, surprising Louise. "Tomorrow morning, I will be formally introduced to this king," she said. "Attend only if you are able to do so. Your body will need some time before you are fully recovered."
"Yes, mother."
Once the door slid shut, Louise fell back into her bed. Her head was swimming and eyes had started to water, but just before her mother had closed the door, she had taken a quick glance at Louise. The pinkette wasn't entirely certain what expression her mother had made, but if she had to guess, it was one she had never seen directed at herself before.
Pride.
(line break)
"Are you sure you're ready for this, Miss Valliere?"
Louise couldn't resist giving a nasty look at her assigned guard as they walked down the hallway. "Do you want to deal with King Gilgamesh without me around?" she snapped at him. "Especially when my mo—Duchess Karin will be in the same room as him?"
Sir Abel quickly blanched. He'd never met Duchess Karin in person—she'd retired from her position long before he'd begun service at the castle—but from the stories he'd heard, and from what he knew about Gilgamesh's personality… "Your wondrous diplomatic skills would be much appreciated," he admitted.
"Don't flatter me," Louise replied brusquely. "I am merely fulfilling the duties required of me."
"If that is how you wish to see it, Miss Valliere," Abel replied neutrally, hardly hiding his exasperation.
They arrived at the sitting room early. That is, before either of the two difficult people had arrived. Louise had taken an early breakfast in the privacy of her room specifically for that reason.
While this room was intended for formal talks, it was also designed with comfort in mind. Two tall windows along the back wall let the room seem more open than it truly was. A large chandelier hung over a central table, where normally papers and other items would be displayed during a typical diplomatic or financial meeting.
Henrietta was seated on a chair in the center of the room. It was decorated like a throne, but it had plush seating for comfort. At one of her sides was Captain Agnes, who looked as stern as ever. On the other side stood the Cardinal Mazarin, who looked like he had aged five years in the past week.
"How are you feeling, Louise?" the princess asked.
"I am feeling quite refreshed and fit for duty, your highness" Louise replied.
Henrietta smiled. "Good," she said in relief. "Duchess Valliere said you were fine and only needed some more rest, but still… you gave me quite a scare."
"I'm sorry to have worried you, princess," said Louise. "Rest assured, it will never happen again."
"Are you sure?" Henrietta asked. "Because while it was frightening to see you unwell, you do say some amusing things in your sleep."
"A-a-amusing?" Louise squeaked. "What in the Founder did I—"
A golden portal opened up in front of Louise, cutting her off. Gilgamesh stepped out of it, wearing…
"King Gilgamesh, where are your clothes?" Louise asked, her brow fiercely twitching.
"On my person, of course," Gilgamesh declared proudly. "It is only fitting that I wear my royal Babylonian attire to leave a proper impression."
Louise recognized the outfit. It was the same thing he had worn when he met Henrietta for the first time. The shirt that didn't cover his chest, the billowing pants that showed plenty of his legs, and the grand opulence that no one sensible would consider formal wear.
"It is certainly an impression," Louise conceded, mentally adding, 'Whether or not it's 'proper' is an entirely different matter.'
Out loud, she said, "Would your majesty mind wearing something more… recognizable as formal attire?"
"I see no reason to wear paltry clothes to suit your whims."
Louise chewed the inside of her mouth. Before she could come up with a way to convince him to change outfits, there was a knock on the door.
"Presenting Duchess Karin Désirée de la Valliere née Maillart!" The voice of Sir Cain announced as the doors were pushed open.
The duchess stepped forward with a graceful yet commanding presence. She wore a satin silver dress with bright yellow trimmings. The sunny outfit paired well with her rosy, pink hair. Karin's face, however, held none of that warmth. Her expression was cold and collected. Her sharp eyes quickly caught onto Louise's presence next to Gilgamesh, but she didn't let her gaze wander for but a moment before returning her focus to the front.
"Good morning, Princess Henrietta," the Duchess said.
"Good morning to you as well, Duchess Karin," the princess replied warmly.
Karin turned to Gilgamesh, who had been staring at her intently ever since she had stepped foot into your room. He hadn't shifted his attention when Cain moved to stand behind him, an exasperated expression on the knight's face, nor had he acknowledged when Louise slowly inched away from where he was standing.
"King Gilgamesh," said Duchess Karin with perfect poise and an impeccably polite voice. "I've heard much about you."
"I understand," the king said with smirk. "You couldn't resist the gossip of the mongrels and had to see me in person." He looked her up and down. "I see where my summoner gets her appearance from. Though I must say, you're matured form is certainly more impressive."
Unlike her daughter, whose face was twitching at the king's words, Karin displayed no reaction. "I'm here because I found it strange that one who professed to be a king would spend his time idling in a foreigner's castle instead of seeking reparations or finding their way home."
"Oh?" Ruby-colored eyes glittered dangerously. "Are you questioning my kingship?"
"You have the bearing of the king, and your garb resembles the ceremonial clothing of the lands around Rub' al Kahli," the duchess responded, not directly answering his question. "Do you hail from that area?"
Gilgamesh let his lips part in a grin. Karin was certainly not lacking in the art of conversation. He decided that humoring her would be plenty entertaining. "My kingdom is vast, but it does not border any of lands you know of. No, the only way to reach my lands is by true magic."
"So, you have no way of returning home?"
"Do not suggest that I am helpless as the mongrels of this land who dare call themselves mages," the king responded in a low growl. "I am Gilgamesh of Uruk. The King of Heroes. Ruler of Babylonia. I will leave when I wish, and not a second sooner."
Karin remained unmoved by his proud boasting. "Do you intend to make Tristan one your vassal kingdoms then?"
A tense silence filled the room. Those words spoke of a challenge, and if Gilgamesh was to respond in kind…
The king raised an eyebrow. "I had considered it," he said casually. "However, these lands are not a part of my gardens. When I have an entire world that is rightfully mine, it is beneath me to trample on a patch of weeds."
The Cardinal took particular offense to this. "Tristan in one of the four countries established by the Founder—" he began indignantly.
"Cease your prattling, mongrel," Gilgamesh cut him off.
"You dare speak that way to the crown reagent, who is a high-ranking member of the church, no less?" Karin asked. Her voice was flat, so unnaturally flat that Louise could tell she was furious.
"A prattling, cowardly fool has no business being in his position," Gilgamesh commented.
"And a guest has no right to be dismissive of their hosts," Karin countered. "Cardinal Mazarin was next in line to be the Holy Romalian Emperor and Pope of the church, but he turned down the position to serve the royal Tristan family. His character is beyond refute, especially to one who knows nothing of our lands and customs. You have grossly overstepped the bounds of common courtesy, King Gilgamesh."
"…If you had spoken to me with that tone in my kingdom, I would have your head."
"Then you should be grateful that we are in Tristan, where you have said far worse without so much as a reprimand. I fear what fate would have befallen you if our laws were as strict as yours."
By this point, Louise jaw had already become unhinged, her mouth slowly opening wider. This was her mother? The ever stern, ever rigorous, ever curt, Karin of the Heavy Wind? Her tongue was as sharp as the wind she wielded.
Henrietta was similarly amazed. She had heard from her mother, Marianne, that Karin had been infamous for her wicked temper and harsh tongue, but to see it in person made the entire situation unreal.
The non-teenaged bystanders were dripping with sweat. They all knew Gilgamesh was dangerous, and none of them wanted to be around if he and Karin decided to skip the wordplay and move to bloody combat.
King Gilgamesh's expression twisted. First into a sneer, and then into a harsh laugh. "The similarities between you and your daughter amuse me to no end," he said.
"My daughter is not a part of this," Karin said in warning.
"As my summoner, she is involved in many things whether she wishes or not," Gilgamesh replied casually. "After all, during my stay in these lands, she was the only flower that stood out amongst all the common weeds."
"My daughter is already engaged to a noble man," Karin stated. "Are you saying you wish to court her?"
"Ha! Even your folly carries the same tone," Gilgamesh said with a wry grin. "She is certainly promising, especially in magic, but she clearly has yet to blossom as a woman. You, however, are suitable to be my woman."
"Ack!" Louise choked on her own saliva. "Are you seriously flirting with my mother?!"
"What a foolish question," Gilgamesh replied offhandedly. "She has spirit, power, and beauty within and without. She's not perfect by any means…"
His voice trailed off he had the fleeting memory of a petite woman with blond hair and piercing green eyes. He didn't let the image distract him for long. "Her appearance is not beyond compare, and she lacks your talent for magic, but she is more than suitable as a concubine."
The temperature of the room felt a noticeable drop as everyone tried to avoid looking Duchess Karin in the eye.
"King Gilgamesh, I think you have taken your joke a little too far," Henrietta said mildly, keeping a polite but strained smile on her face.
"Are you all so daft you cannot see the truth right in front of you?" Gilgamesh scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "How much more plainly should I speak before your lowly ears can hear?"
"You dare mock the princess in her own castle?" Agnes growled, putting a hand on the hilt of her sword.
"Silence, mongrel, or I will silence you myself," Gilgamesh warned.
"Those are bold words for one who is alone and far from home," Karin stated flatly. Her voice was oddly threatening for someone with no visible weapon. Then again, concealing a wand was no complicated matter.
"Perhaps we should take a rest and reconvene later in the day?" Sir Cain suggested.
Six golden portals appeared around Gilgamesh. "On the contrary, I would like to see how this plays out," Gilgamesh said with a smirk. "I've heard that Karin of the Heavy Wind is the strongest mage of the current era, a legend in the making. Let us see if you are worthy to join the ranks of the Throne of Heroes!"
"Your arrogance will be your downfall," Karin replied. From the folds of her dress, she withdrew a thin rapier. Louise couldn't even begin to guess how that had fit in there. "Since your arrival you have insulted the hospitality of our people and challenged the ruling authority far too many times. Apologize, or suffer the consequences."
"This country has no ruling authority" Gilgamesh sneered. "The oaf who keeps the seat warm is unworthy, and the person to inherit is unprepared. As I said, this land is nothing more than a disgraceful patch of weeds. I can only take pleasure in watching insects scurry around, or finding the diamond hidden in the coal."
"Will you not take back your words?"
"A king's word always stands. To take it back would be to admit wrong. And a king is never wrong."
"I see." Karin raised her blade and pointed it towards him. "Then I suppose we have nothing more to say."
"I suppose not," Gilgamesh replied. From the six gates, six blades of metal pushed through.
"Wait!" Louise cried. She threw herself in between the two, holding out her hands to each one. "You can't fight."
"Summoner, your words are no longer amusing. Move out of the way. Do not make me remove you."
"Louise, move aside. This situation is clearly out of your control. It now falls to me to handle this."
"Neither of you should be fighting!" Louise protested. "Mother, King Gilgamesh speaks his mind with no care for diplomacy. King Gilgamesh, my mother takes her duties as a noble very seriously. There's no reason to kill each other over this!"
Karin flicked her sword to the side. A sudden gale hit Louise in the gut, sending her flying across the room.
"Louise!" Henrietta cried.
"I see why my summoner fears you," Gilgamesh remarked. "She inherited her violent temper from you as well."
"The time for your needling words is over," Karin declared. She summoned up her willpower, creating a gale that wreathed her entire body. "It is time for you to be punished for your transgressions!"
"STOP!"
The atmosphere of the room suddenly shifted. A sudden pressure fell over the inhabitants, freezing them in place. The pressure was even heavier for the two would-be-combatants. The baleful winds that had been awaiting Karin command faltered and grey still. The six Gates of Babylon and their contents crumbled into golden dust. Only sheer Willpower allowed the two to remain on their feet as their magic succumbed to the mysterious force.
Louise slowly stood up, bracing herself against the nearby wall with one hand, while the other held her wand a death grip. Her head was pounding. She still hadn't fully recovered from her Willpower exhaustion the previous day. Her usually perfectly tailored hair now billowed wildly around her face, revealing only one rose-colored eye which burned with rage.
While everyone else looked shocked by the display of power, Gilgamesh held a self-satisfied smirk. "Truly, your power is unmatched by all of these mongrels," he remarked, pleased.
"Shut up."
That wiped the smirk off his face in an instant. "You dare—"
"Shut up!" Louise hissed.
Karin was taken aback. She'd known Louise had always been feisty. Each of her daughters carried that spark in their own way. However, Louise had never been so overtly disrespectful before. And that was to say nothing of her magic. Karin could feel the effects of the spell slowly bleeding off, but for a brief moment, she had felt all of her Willpower being crushed with the same ease as she would crush an insignificant bug. And most telling of all, there was not even an explosion to go along with it.
"You treat everything about me like a game," Louise snapped at the golden king. "You treat everyone else like they are your servants, or worse, the mud under your boots. I can tolerate your attitude towards me, as you are a king, and I was the one to summon you. However, but I will not stand for your blatant disrespect and disgraceful behavior in front of Princess Henrietta!"
The last sentence sent a curveball straight to the bewildered princess. "Louise?" she questioned in a soft voice.
The king raised an eyebrow. "You dare raise your voice at me, and your reason is not for my treatment of you nor my appreciation of your mother?" he questioned in an oddly level tone.
Louise was thankful that his flip-flopping personality seemed to have settled on intrigue. Even while enraged, she had enough sense to know that things would go poorly if he had taken serious offense to her words. "A noble is above petty insults," she replied. "However, an insult to her majesty is intolerable to her vassals."
"Such unfailing loyalty," Gilgamesh remarked.
Louise was tempted to take the words as sarcasm, but quickly thought otherwise.
"What do you think, Duchess? Your daughter holds her head high above the rabble. Her loyalty is her greatest pride, and her words are biting even when reined in by ingrained civility. She takes after you in almost every way, doesn't she?"
"What is your obsession with my daughter?" Karin's frigid voice brought warnings of violence.
"Hmph. Do you ask the same question expecting to find a different answer, woman?" Gilgamesh snubbed her.
The duchess looked at Gilgamesh with eyes that promised murder, but said nothing.
"Mother," Louise began, calling the older pinkette's attention. "While I agree that King Gilgamesh's comments were… impolite, don't you think that escalating the matter in front of the Princess was discourteous, if not dangerous?"
Before replying, Karin carefully looked over her daughter. All the virtues that she tried to instill in her from a young age were now on display. Her youngest daughter stood steady, her gaze firm. Her voice carried well across the room, remaining mostly in control aside from a few outbursts. There was some confidence in her that had been there before. Something about her had changed, and only for the better.
"Her guards would be able to evacuate her long before our fight became dangerous," Karin replied. "His target was me after all. The princess might as well not exist in his eyes."
"Your intuition is as strong as I expected," Gilgamesh chuckled.
Louise eye twitched in Gilgamesh's direction, but ultimately, she decided that rounding onto him would be a waste of breath. "And how were you expecting to fight him?"
"His 'unique' magic is nothing more than a clever use of earth and wind magic," Karin replied. "And his Willpower reserves are inferior to mine. He may be a king, but he lacks the stance of a warrior. Defeating him wouldn't be easy, but it would be difficult to lose."
"Your ignorance besmirches your value," Gilgamesh commented.
Louise's eye twitched again. While it was good that Gilgamesh was amused rather than angry, he was still a Servant, and the difference he described between himself and an average mage…
Louise blinked. "Wait, what did you say about his Willpower?"
"His Willpower is smaller than my own," Karin stated. "It is still large, granted, and that spell he uses appears to be barely triangle class, but in a battle of attrition I still hold the advantage."
"That doesn't make sense," Louise mumbled, half to herself. A Servant was literally a spirit with a body made from mana, as Gilgamesh described it. As powerful as her mother was, everyone knew that a powerful mage would never have the same Willpower as a spirit.
The young pinkette gave a small shake of her head. She'd figure out that mystery later. "As it is, Mother, King Gilgamesh's magic is not from the Founder. Its system is entirely different, and much more powerful than it appears," she stated. "I have seen the treasury that lies beyond the golden circles, and if he were to use his arsenal in a serious fight, we would all die."
The resigned finality in Louise's voice gave Karin pause. "Are you certain?" the woman asked.
"Yes."
"I see."
Karin looked at Gilgamesh, who was observing their conversation with casual interest. His posture was relaxed but dignified. Fitting for a king, yet careless of a warrior, displaying his arrogance to the world. She longed to threaten the unblemished skin of his bared chest. Her knowledge of combat told her she had the advantage. However, her instincts warned her that Louise spoke true in warning.
The former manticore commander took a soft breath and composed herself. "I apologize for my disgraceful conduct, your highness," she said to Princess Henrietta, bowing low.
The Princess still appeared shaken by the recent turn of events, but she was quick to assure the Duchess, "Your apology is accepted. Please, raise your head."
Cardinal Mazarin leaned into the princess's ear. She slowly nodded, and then said, "I believe it is best if we end our discussion here. Duchess Karin of the Heavy Wind, I trust your worries have been laid to rest?"
"I believe I no longer have any business here."
"King Gilgamesh, has this meeting been… satisfactory?" she asked, much more hesitantly.
"I find that your vassals' hospitality is sorely lacking," he remarked. "However, I suppose that sometimes the most fragrant roses have the most wicked thorns."
Henrietta decided to accept that as a 'yes' as she called an end to the meeting before anything else could happen.
(line break)
"Well, girl?" Gilgamesh asked his small and silent follower. "Are you planning to chase my shadow all day or do you have something of import to say?"
Louise almost stumbled onto the stone floor but caught herself just in time. "I wanted to apologize for my earlier outburst," she said demurely. "I meant no offense."
"You openly challenged my authority with no intention to offend?"
"Yes, your majesty."
"Hmph," Gilgamesh sniffed. "Such nonsense, and yet you have said no lie. Very well, I shall be most gracious and grant you leniency. However…" His voice trailed off as he narrowed his eyes. "Do that again, much less in a public setting, and your punishment will be merciless. Do you understand?"
"With all due respect, your majesty," Louise replied politely. "As we have yet to formalize a contract between ourselves, do you have the right to punishment someone who has no official ties to you or your rule?"
Gilgamesh heels clicked to a stop. Slowly, he turned to Louise, an unreadable expression in his eye. "My, my, it appears that the kitten has grown some claws and believes itself to be a tiger."
"Why do you always treat me like I'm some kind of animal on display?"
"Because it amuses me," he replied simply.
"Is that why you also shamelessly flirted with my mother right in front of me?"
"Of course not," he denied. "She should be grateful that I deemed her worthy of naming her positive traits and declaring her fit to be my concubine."
"She's married!"
"Only a fool wouldn't notice the ring on her finger."
Louise blinked. "And yet you kept flirting with her?"
"Of course," Gilgamesh replied as if it was obvious. "A king can take concubines from wherever he pleases."
Louise clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to snap at him. "There was something else my mother mentioned," she said slowly. "Why does a Servant, who should be several times stronger than any mage, have weaker Willpower than her?"
"You believe her ignorant words? Your 'magic' and 'willpower' are pale imitations to true magic."
"Mana and Willpower may not be the same, but they can be used as substitutes," Louise countered. "I proved that when I used your book without any of those 'magic circuits'. Even if my mother's reading was inaccurate, there's no way your mana should be comparable to hers."
"You learn quickly under pressure," Gilgamesh commented.
"Are you going to answer my question?"
"You'll find your answer soon enough," Gilgamesh replied. He opened up a golden portal at his side. "You're well on your way to proving your value. Don't disappoint me."
As the circle closed behind him, Louise narrowed her eyes, noticing that his clothing began to fade into golden dust before he had fully stepped through.
I know some of you were expecting a fight between Karin and Gilgamesh, but having those two come to blows would lead to... problems.
So I made an Omake where they have their slugfest. Enjoy!
The King Shows His Power
An Omake
Karin flicked her sword to the side. A sudden gale hit Louise in the gut, driving the air from her lungs and sending her flying across the room. The girl hit the wall hard enough to be knocked out immediately, but fell to the floor gently as swirling winds cushioned her fall.
"Louise!" Henrietta cried.
"I see why my summoner fears you," Gilgamesh remarked. "She inherited her violent temper from you as well."
"The time for your needling words is over," Karin declared. She summoned up her willpower, creating a gale that wreathed her entire body. "It is time for you to be punished for your transgressions!"
"And who are you to lay hands on a King?" Gilgamesh asked.
Rather than respond with words, Karin swung her sword. A flurry of Wind Blades ripped towards Gilgamesh.
The king smirked as he remained unmoved. More circles opened behind him as his ruby eyes took note of every income projectile. His treasures shot forward, intercepting every single blade of wind, ripping through them as easily as scissors against paper. Karin was forced to dodge from several of the weapons that would have impaled her after passing through their initial targets.
By now the guards were moving the Princess, Cardinal, and unconscious Louise down a secret passageway hidden in one of the room's walls. With no other bystanders in the area, Karin summoned a larger whirlwind that shattered the windows and sucked everything out of the room.
As Gilgamesh was pulled off his feet, he summoned his trusty Vimana: Throne of the Heaven-soaring King. He landed perfectly in his rightful seat, his back straight and head held high, before his ride took to the skies.
"You claim the wind as your domain? By all means, dare to challenge my authority to the sky itself!" Gilgamesh mocked her. Despite the distance and winds, his voice still rang loud.
"Very well then."
Karin gripped her sword in both hands. While the weapon was designed for swift, graceful strikes, it was also forged to be strong enough for her signature spell.
"Heavy Wind!"
With an unholy howl three tornados formed from Karin's sword, rising well above his flying throne and pincering him from all sides. As if that wasn't powerful enough, a surge of wind blades shot from each tornado as they collapsed on him. It was a perfectly offensive attack. No way of escape, a multitude of small, but swift, deadly hits, with a finisher of three massive bodies of wind that would press and rip anything that touched them.
As a spell, it was nigh unmatched by anything another mage could create.
"Gates of Babylon!"
Against a Noble Phantasm, however, it was much less impressive.
Shields deployed around the Vinama, protecting it and its rider from danger. Outside of the multi-layered shell, golden portals deployed scores of weapons. Polearms, swords, daggers, axes, maces, and beyond. Each Noble Phantasm would cut through the wind blades with ease. The tornados weathered the assault slightly better. Low grade noble phantasms were flung aside, but the higher ranked ones tore the towering funnels apart. Thankfully, being made of wind, their dispersions didn't have any collateral damage on the castle.
Gilgamesh's ruby eyes peered down from his vantage point, seeing a manticore swoop down and pick up his opponent. "Learn your place, mongrel!" he declared. The Gates of Babylon opened again, sending a rain of his cheapest treasures down upon her.
Karin's manticore proved deft for a creature of its size and build. The beast banked and dove to avoid the majority of the projectiles, while Karin herself summoned a Wind Barrier that deflected the few that couldn't be dodged. Once they were clear of the barrage, she took her stance once again and cast her signature spell.
"Heavy Wind!"
"Is that the only trick you know?" Gilgamesh asked, his expression turning to a bored frown. The Vinama rotated a full ninety degrees, somehow shielding the king from the effects of gravity, and dove through a gap between two of the tornadoes before they could reach the apex of their power.
Karin made a slashing motion with her sword. The tornadoes followed, throwing themselves and their projectiles at the fleeing airship.
"Clever," the king purred. He showed no urgency, only mild amusement as the Vinama bobbed and weaved through to storm of wind magic. The airship remained untouched despite the thick barrage.
"Crescent Wind!"
A large arc of wind, thrice as long as the Vinama itself, sliced overhead.
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow. "You think such a paltry spell would work against me?"
Five more equally large wind spells flew towards the airborne throne in quick succession. Gilgamesh's eyes glittered as he saw the furious swings of the duchess's sword. Each swing summed an arc of wind which grew rapidly in size before flying at high speeds. While mounted on her manticore, it made the attacks irregularly spaced and incredibly deadly. Truly, a fascinating combination of magic and tactics.
Gilgamesh hummed as he felt the strain on his Servant core. His blood was pumping; Karin truly was a fascinating human, worthy of his attention. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to burn through his mana reserves for mere entertainment.
"Vinama!"
The Airship turned on a dime, avoiding a Crescent Wind and angling its nose toward Karin's manticore.
"This has been fun, woman, but I must put an end to this game," Gilgamesh declared. He did not shout, but his voice carried across the skies perfectly to the seasoned mage. The Vinama shot forward like a bullet.
Karin instantly recognized that her manticore was not going be able to dodge in time. "Wind Shield!" she countered, putting all of her Willpower into maintaining the barrier.
The Vinama slowed when it met the condensed currents that buffeted around Karin's manticore, but it failed to be diverted as it shot forward. Thankfully, the barrier had done exactly what Karin intended, buying enough time for her Manticore to twist its body out of the way. The wings of the airship ended up slicing her beast's side, but the mount and rider avoided being skewered.
"Heavy Wind!" Karin threw signature spell at Gilgamesh's back.
The Vinama dodged the trio of tornadoes and their payload with contemptuous ease before making for a second pass.
Karin knew that the same trick wouldn't work twice. It had barely worked the first time, and with her Manticore injured and the element of surprise lost, she doubted the half-second difference the barrier made would help. However, the loss of surprise worked both wise.
"Air Needle!"
Air Needle was a spell that was almost always used on weapons. The principle was creating a tight spiral of air so fine that it could cut through pretty much anything. A sword, wand, or lance was usually used as a focal point, since it was incredible difficult to keep the spell stable without a physical medium.
Karin laughed in the face of such restrictions. Her Air Needle formed in front of her manticore, guaranteeing that if the airship insisted on ramming through, it's passenger would end up as skewered as her familiar.
Gilgamesh openly laughed as he aborted his dive and instead pulled to a stop next to Karin. "You truly are an amazing woman," he said. "It's a shame I have to put an end to this."
"Arrogant," Karin snapped as she readied her blade. At this range, there was no way he could dodge her faster spells. She would admit that she had grossly underestimated her opponent, but now that he had done the same, this fight was over. "Wind Bl—"
"Enkidu."
A golden chain wrapped around her blade.
Almost immediately Karin tried to pull her weapon back, but she found her arms were trapped as well. Her manticore bellowed as more chains flew out of golden portals and wrapped its body. A length of chain wrapped around Karin's legs, forcing her to stay mounted on her familiar. All the while Gilgamesh smiled in amusement.
"This was quite an enjoyable exercise," Gilgamesh remarked. "I should have you as entertainment again sometime."
With a smug look on his face, he flew back to the castle. Karin tugged the chains, but she couldn't get them to budge. She tried channeling a spell through her sword, but any spell was instantly dispelled the second it tried to breach the golden chains. Raw strength was even more fruitless. She had no leverage in her seated position, and her manticore didn't have a single limb free. With all her options spent, the duchess ceased struggling and rested on her manticore. She doubted that she would be left here forever, since the reports said that the king rarely left his personal items unattended for more than a few minutes.
Within seconds of Karin giving up escaping, the chains dispelled into golden dust. Leading the duchess to a harsh conclusion:
"This entire time, he was toying with me."
Another alternative version of this chapter would've had Kid Gil appear because Gilgamesh decided to drink his youth potion. The concept was funny, but it didn't really do much for the story, and Gilgamesh wouldn't turn himself into a kid without good reason, so the idea was scrapped.
Instead we have Gilgamesh doing whatever he wants regardless of the consequences, and sparing Louise from being skewered for talking back to him. It might be hard to figure out why, but don't worry, the is a reason for his actions. Trust me. Maybe. You never know. ;P
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