Gilgamesh grappled with the person - was that Grayson, of all the people? - and managed to throw him to the side against the wall. Though the young man did not like him, he knew, Gilgamesh did not think the hero would stoop to attacking him blindly.
He looked to Ra's with narrowed eyes. "What is the meaning of this?"
A blur rushed past him, chains wrapping around Grayson. "It would really be best if you stayed still…" a figure emerged from the room, the chains wrapping around Grayson seemingly to be attached to this person. "You may injure yourself -" the person blinked owlishly at the three of them. Then: "Gil?"
Gilgamesh looked back at his dear friend, shocked, though he had known they would be there. "...Enkidu."
His chest felt like it was imploding - Enkidu truly walked again in this era...Gilgamesh thought back to the last time he had seen them - crumbling away in his arms, a soft smile upon their lips as they left Gilgamesh to his eternal loneliness.
He had believed that it had been his fault that Enkidu had died. He had decided to confront the useless goddess' beast, and Enkidu had borne the consequences while Gilgamesh continued to live another day. And once he had lost the fruit of immortality, he had dedicated himself to his people, and thus decided he could have none to call a friend again, else they end up as Enkidu had. His people must come first, he thought, not the individual person.
So the fact that Enkidu was face-to-face with him once more….Gilgamesh should not be there. He should not have met with his friend, the duty of a king -
But he couldn't bring himself to look away from his friend's face.
Luckily, Enkidu seemed to understand - they always did. Moving towards Grayson, Enkidu slung him over their shoulder, sighing. The man in question seemed to still be wriggling and grunting - it was as if he had lost his mind. Then they looked toward Ra's.
"I really don't appreciate being used as bait, you realize. I hope you are willing to make amends for that, and your deceit involving young Grayson."
"If I recall, you came here on your own. You were also the one that caused young Grayson to be here, leading to this condition. I warned you of the effects."
"Perhaps. But I was not truly aware of the effects, and am still uncertain as to how long they shall last. Tell me," Enkidu said steadily. "Will he ever regain his mind?"
Ra's simply looked at Jason. He ignored Enkidu's question and instead put his focus on the green eyed man.
"Jason, tell me, do you recall who he is? Young Grayson? He's your brother. He was badly hurt in the collapse of the catacombs, however…. don't you find it odd that only he had to be healed through the Lazarus Pit? In fact, Enkidu barely looks injured. I told Enkidu about the effects, such as his mind not really being completely there, but Enkidu still proceeded to go through with it."
Jason was staring at Enkidu and Ra's walked closer to him. Having been loyal to Ra's for so long, Ra's knew what to say to the confused and lost boy to spark something within. That was something Ra's had to deal with - Jason's anger.
"And why is it that Grayson was there in the catacombs in the first place? Because Enkidu brought him there."
Jason put a hand on his sword. He was in no condition to fight for long, but he was starting to feel his anger rising. Ra's may not be the nicest person, but he had given Jason a home for many years. Ra's could have killed Jason at any time, but instead, he was telling him this. Everything he was saying made sense to Jason. Tim told him that Grayson was safe in Bludhaven. That he was healing…. from an attack he himself had inflicted upon him. While Ra's was correct about Enkidu being at fault for the way his older brother is now, Ra's was also to blame. Jason looked right into Enkidu's eyes.
"This was your doing. You set this up. You did this to him!"
Jason unsheathed his sword and directed the blade at Enkidu.
"Ra's warned you and I can bet he told you he knew what to do afterwards. You never gave him the sedative! You are the reason he is suffering. You brought him here, and for what? So you can lure Gil back here? So you could help them? What did they promise you? What did they tell you to come here for? Why would you let him get caught under a collapse? You chose to save yourself and let him take the fall? Why save him then? Huh?"
Ra's stepped in.
"Didn't Gilgamesh try so hard to come here to see Enkidu? In fact, I think he was supposed to come alone, per request."
Jason looked at Gilgamesh before looking back at Enkidu. He stepped in front of Gilgamesh.
"You were using your friendship with Gil to get him to come here. This was a trap and you were a part of it! Your master works for Vandal and Ra's! You got my brother, I refuse to let you take Gil from me as well."
Jason held his blade right to Enkidu's neck - close to the point where the blade touched the skin of the spirit. The spirit themself merely looked upon the man, not in rage, but…an understanding.
Gilgamesh put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Enough," he said, face carefully revealing nothing. He glanced at Ra's. "Both of you. It is unwise to let an enemy dictate what we know - I did not take you for a fool. Regardless if you say he does not lie, I still say we do not take him at his word. I'm sure more happened than he says."
Enkidu watched their friend - outwardly, they had their most excellent poker face on, but Enkidu was glad - Gilgamesh seemed different than he had in life. He seemed...less like a warrior, and more like a king.
"If you will allow me to do so," Enkidu began, making eye contact with Jason. "I will give you my side of events."
"And let you tell me lies you want me to hear?"
Jason gripped his blade tighter - causing Enkidu's skin to tear and begin to bleed. Jason felt his anger rising. He was getting better at controlling it, but after seeing his own brother in this state, and to know that there was a possibility that someone Gil trusted was using him….. It didn't settle well for him. And Ra's, the very person he had trusted for many years, could be dancing around the truth as he always had. Jason looked at Gilgamesh.
"Right now, you are the only one I trust."
Gilgamesh nodded in acknowledgement of that - he was uncertain of what exactly occurred when he was a child, but he was aware of the trust Jason had for him. If anything, his child self really seemed to be quite charismatic. "I do not believe Enkidu would willingly put Grayson in danger - you were here for my key, were you not, Enkidu?"
His friend looked at him calmly, despite the sword at their throat. "Of course. Merlin told me Vandal had your key, and so of course I had to go and secure it so you could fight."
Gilgamesh held in a sigh. Merlin, constantly involving people who shouldn't have to be involved. "And Grayson?"
Enkidu frowned, sending a brief look of concern to the squirming man they held. "He insisted on accompanying me, though I tried to deny his assistance. As for his injuries, they were obtained from a cave in, but it was not natural in nature. It was caused by my conflict with another Servant working with Vandal Savage. I did my best to shield him, as he is only human, but I was not able to block the worst of his injuries. To heal him, it was Ra's and Vandal who suggested the Lazarus Pit. In any other circumstance, I would not have put young Grayson in such a situation, but I feared that his injuries might be fatal. So I went with the only option available to me to save his life." Enkidu bowed their head to Jason in repentance. "If that was the wrong course of action, I greatly apologize and will take full responsibility."
"How can I be certain anything you say is the truth when I don't even know you?" Jason moved his blade to the point where the tip of the sword touched Enkidu's upper throat.
"You can't," Enkidu said simply. "But you can't trust Ra's either."
"Hold off on making any judgements just yet," Gilgamesh spoke. "We can take Grayson back to the island in which I have made my base, and wait for him to recover. Surely, he will recover." Gilgamesh fixed Ra's with a cold glare.
"Of course he will recover. He wasn't even deceased. Jason here recovered fine, and he was no longer alive when he was put in the pit."
Jason lowered his gaze at the mention of his death.
"I suggest if you do take him back with you, you simply give him a strong dose of a sedative and he will recover after two or three doses of it. He will be confused and disoriented for a few hours or so, but it will be fine. And Gilgamesh, we aren't done here with you. You came here per agreement that your friend was not hurt, or something along those lines. Vandal made the agreement with you, not I."
"I simply agreed to grace this wretched building with my presence - nothing more, nothing less, mongrel. As far as I am concerned, I will be taking my leave now with both Enkidu, Grayson, as well as those who have entered with me." Gilgamesh said - he knew Vandal wanted him for magical energy, and there was no way Gilgamesh was going to surrender so easily.
"You mean those children that came with you that got caught sneaking around my quarters by my assassins?"
Gilgamesh frowned. There was no way they had been caught - with his helm of Hades, along with the protection of two Heroic Spirits (not to mention two of them were mages who survived the Holy Grail war)? No, they couldn't have been caught. Ra's may know that they were there, but that was all. The assassins had yet to actually catch the young heroes.
"Speak plainly," Gilgamesh demanded. "Or I will have your tongue, and you will not speak at all."
"I do not follow. Did you not come here with children? And were they not wandering around these halls? As well as you being a distraction at the front not a way for them to get in here?"
"If you are going to threaten me, don't resort to such sly tactics to say so!" Gilgamesh berated Ra's, quickly becoming annoyed, not just angry. "Say what you mean to say so we can get this charade over with. And while you may have knowledge of their infiltration, I am certain they are out of your grasp yet," he said.
"Just because they aren't in my grasp as of now doesn't mean that my assassins aren't taking care of them as we speak. Just because one can't be seen, does not mean one can't be heard. They only got in as easily as they did because I allowed that to happen. Nanda Parbat is one of the toughest locations to get and out…. alive is a different story. I can't promise that they are unharmed since my assassins are trained to kill intruders, but that is their own fault. Unlike you, they weren't invited."
Jason turned his attention to Ra's. "Ra's….. What did you do?"
"Nothing - as of now, that is, my boy."
"Don't call me that."
"Even though my statement is correct? I made you who and what you are now. You are a killer. You stood by me and did everything I ever asked of you, and you question now whether or not you can trust me? I have never lied to you, why would I start now?"
"You keep things from me. You threaten people I care about."
"I kept things from you, but never lied to you. As for those people you care about? Those very people are the very ones you also attacked."
"Under your orders! And I didn't know!"
"You didn't care about the people you hurt then, why start now? Why deny the part of you that has and always will be there. You never let that side show when you were with your adoptive family because they didn't allow you to do so. You could never get revenge on your father that left you, and was killed by Two-face. You never got revenge on Joker for taking your life away from you. I gave you the very skills needed to do as such. I can help you once again, child. You and your brother, just let me hel-"
Jason swung his sword and impaled the assassin once more. This time through his heart.
"You're right…. I am a killer….. But I don't need you. And I will protect my family from you."
Gilgamesh simply watched - admittedly, he had wanted the old assassin dead. The fact that Jason killed him though….he simply hoped that the young man wouldn't regret it later on. Looking down the corridor, he frowned. "We need to get in contact with the others, quickly, and escape from this place."
The question was, how to find them….
The answer to that question was not as difficult as he had originally thought. A loud explosion shook the building, and Gilgamesh winced internally. Heroic Spirits, it seemed, could never be subtle unless they were an assassin. And even then...it was quite the stretch sometimes.
He looked towards the others, making a snap decision. "Jason, you're with me. Enkidu, take Grayson to my island base." He quickly gave his friend the coordinates.
Jason said nothing. He simply brought his blade to his side and looked at his dead master. His gaze went to his hands. His hands have been tainted before with the blood of people Ra's had him kill and hurt. This time this was a conscious choice. What would the others think when they learn what he did?
Enkidu nodded once. "I'll get him to safety, then return to see the rest of you safe…..my king."
Enkidu, along with Grayson, became a blur down the corridor, and they were gone. 'My king', Enkidu had said. The only times Enkidu ever addressed him as such were times of grave importance. He eyed Jason. Perhaps Enkidu felt this was one of those times, to subtly show the man of their loyalty to Gilgamesh.
He turned in the opposite direction - the direction the explosion had come from. "Let's go," he said. "And get the others so we can rejoin everyone else at my island."
Jason still didn't move from his standing spot. Instead of responding to Gilgamesh, he just started to laugh. He took his left hand and placed it on his head, where his palm was covering his left eye.
Gilgamesh looked towards Jason, eyes slightly narrowed - not in anger or annoyance, but in concern (not that he would ever admit it, though). There were many things he could say, but opted instead for silence. Sometimes, humans needed to get rid of emotions through actions - crying and laughter were two main actions humans did in intense emotional moments. He figured he'd let it play out, and hopefully Jason would emerge with a clear mind.
"Why did I think that I could do this? What made me think this? What makes them trust me…..?"
He glanced at Gil.
"Tell me Gil….. why did you let a senseless killer like me stay with you this long?"
Gilgamesh sighed. "What a foolish question. I am the King of Heroes, and thus have the right to judge those who have called themselves a hero at any point in time. Though you may have been under that mongrel's lead for a time, you have your own morals, and your own code of conduct. Whether you think so or not, you are a hero - therefore, you deserve to be among your peers, and under my guidance."
"Morals? That's a joke."
Jason noticed that Gilgamesh had been slightly different and he doubted that Gilgamesh could remember about his…. softer side.
"I could easily kill you, your friend, my brothers, their teammates, without a second thought. You saw how I took care of Ra's… my old master… I killed him without even thinking. What's stopping me from killing you?"
Gilgamesh arched an eyebrow. "Do you really doubt my judgment so much you would give voice to such fears? Fool - from how I see it, he was never truly your master. You had served him, but the relationship between a master and pupil must go both ways. And you killed him because of your morals, to protect myself. I believe this is the second time you have done this - I have no qualms with your actions. If you have doubt in your character, then put your faith in me, for I am an excellent judge of character, and I have deemed you worthy to stand by the rest of the young heroes."
"You were correct in calling me a fool. You know how they say your past comes back to haunt you…. One way or another…. Ra's will come back….. What I did was only delay my fate…..."
Jason looked at Gilgamesh. The man had faith in him, trusted him even. Jason felt as if he didn't deserve that trust, he felt as if he broke it the moment he killed Ra's. He recalled how he protected Gil from Ra's the first time without ending the man's life.
"You need to get out of here with the others….. Right….?"
Jason needed to avoid this topic for now.
Gilgamesh nodded - they did need to make haste and find the others, though he did note to further address Jason's concerns. Honestly, they were to be expected - and to make matters worse, Gilgamesh was still piecing together what had happened when he was a child. He needed to find a way to get through to the boy...but, that problem could be solved later.
He and Jason followed the sounds of explosions - it seemed whenever Servants clashed, there were bound to be explosions. As they ran, they came across lots of wreckage - destroyed walls, debris laying everywhere and dust floating in the air. Assassins were strewn across the floor, unconscious.
Not long after they passed the previous wreckage, they came upon combat. Both the mages were putting up a valiant effort against the assassins - and so was Tim - though they were far outnumbered.
He watched as Tohsaka fired away magical energy from her hand at an enemy - unfortunately, the assassin managed to dodge her attacks, but the mage wasn't done yet. Strengthening her body, she leaped forwards, slamming her knee into the assassin's gut, then assaulting the assassin with a kick from her other leg. The kick sent the assassin flying into the stone wall, the force of it making cracks appear within it.
The other mage, the faker, was doing equally well - just what Gilgamesh would expect from someone who had defeated him in the previous Grail War (though that would never happen again, he would make sure of it). The faker held those two blades, as he had last time, and was whaling away at assassins like a madman, though Gilgamesh could see a method in that madness. With more experience, the faker could become truly interesting, much like his servant counterpart.
While the mages were taking on most of the enemies coming their way, Tim hadn't been sitting back either. Though he wasn't the best at direct combat (honestly, his skills were most like those of the Assassin class) he still did what he could to help. In fact, Gilgamesh was certain Tim was directing the flow of the battle, subtly handing off enemies to Tohsaka and the faker with his acrobatics.
He had to admit, it was quite interesting to watch.
Alas, despite their valiant efforts, the three couldn't keep it up forever. All of them had various wounds, though none seemed to be life threatening.
"Oh, come on!" Tohsaka yelled out, scowling. "How many of these guys are there?"
"We need to find a way to push past them," the faker answered her. "We won't win if we stay here."
That's when Gilgamesh let his weapons rain down upon their foes, driving the mongrels back towards the shadows they had come from. A few who had seen him tried to attack, but Gilgamesh beat aside their attacks with his axe and retaliated in kind. Jason took out a few as well, expression unreadable.
The two mages and Tim looked at them.
"Did you get them out?" the faker asked instantly. "Were they alright?"
"The two are on their way to my base," Gilgamesh confirmed. "Grayson will need medical treatment, but in time he will recover. Now, tell me - what happened here?"
Tim looked at Gilgamesh.
"Uhhhh, well. We were wandering the halls and since we were covered by your Hades thing, and someone thought it was a better idea to hurry up and speed through the halls because someone was worried about his friend."
"Hey! You were the one that called out to me after I was long gone. I came back when I heard that someone got attacked. I could have found them and come back to get you to the right location."
"You were the reason we got caught. You know that your speed causes wind currents. You show your location just by running."
"Yeah well…. wait…."
Wally looked at Gilgamesh.
"You said that Grayson needed medical treatment? What happened?"
"Apparently Enkidu and Grayson had a run in with a Servant," Gilgamesh explained, scanning the room. "Speaking of, have any other Servants appeared here?"
Tohsaka came up to them, granted a quick reprieve from the enemy by the faker, who kept them off her back. "Yeah," she said, frowning. "A servant did appear - Caster, I think. We couldn't take on Caster as well as all these assassins, so I sent Achilles after her to keep her away for now."
Gilgamesh nodded. It made sense - the mage was clearly well versed in tactics, at least with servants. If he hadn't been present in the Grail War two years back, she and her servant may very well have been able to lay a claim on the grail itself.
"We should be able to leave now," he said, a portal opening next to him. He still possessed the father box from when he had first arrived. As it had powers of teleportation, he considered it quite useful, regardless of where it came from. "You can call your servant back with a command seal once we are safe - we have what we have come for."
"Safe? Safe from what?"
Tim tilted his head. Most of the assassins that came for them had been taken out. Jason couldn't look at Tim, so he looked away. As he did so, something caught his eye. Something he knew shouldn't be here in Nanda Parbat. He walked over and picked up what looked like a crystal.
"Odd, what is this doing here?"
"Oh, what do you have there…. Wait, Jay? You're alive? No, are you a spirit too? No time for that, what do you have?" Wally was both curious and confused. Confused as to how his friend's brother was alive, and curious as to the crystal that Jason was holding.
"I…. I'm not sure."
"Here, let me take a look."
Jason felt uneasy, but he handed the crystal to Wally, but the moment he touched it, it was like a bolt of electricity went through Wally's body.
He yelped and dropped the crystal. "Ow! What the heck was that!?"
Tim looked over. "Wally? You okay?"
"I…. yeah it's just….. Nothing. Oh, I feel drained. I could sleep for a week."
"Maybe it's because you used your energy and my brother is hurt. He can't keep up with you. That's how this spirit thing works."
Jason picks up the crystal again.
Rin peered at it. "Mind if I take a look at it? My specialty is installing magic into jewels, so I might be able to figure out what it does."
Jason narrowed his eyes at the girl. He didn't trust people easily - it was a wonder he trusted Gil so easily.
Rin gave him a look. "I'm not going to steal it or anything, and I'll give it back when I'm done, okay? I have plenty of jewels for my magic already, so I don't need this one to be part of my collection."
Jason eyed Gilgamesh.
The king in question nodded. "There is no one else here who is qualified to determine this item's abilities - if she may be able to figure it out, then there should be no harm in letting the mage see it."
Jason tossed the crystal to Rin.
"Go ahead, take a look, I guess."
She caught it easily, turned it over a couple times as she studied it, then started to murmur German words - the moment she did, she yelped in pain and dropped the crystal. Rin glared at it. "What-what in the world?"
Shirou was by her side in a moment. "You alright? Did that thing zap you too?"
She nodded, looking a bit pale. "Yeah….But Wally….and you, Goldie - don't touch that thing, you hear me? I think it absorbs magic…."
She wobbled a bit, and Shirou was there to support her. "I see. That's why you're affected too, since you used magic on it."
"Yeah…" Rin smiled wryly, resting against her boyfriend. "That pretty much sums it up."
"It must be a ploy from that coward," Gilgamesh deduced. "How foolish - as if we would now trust such an item and pick it up of our own volition." But there had to be a catch, a trap - there always was.
Tim looked at Gilgamesh. "We need to get out of here. If they found a way to absorb magic, that means they are using Klairon's magic. He is demonic, he is a lord of Chaos. If they are absorbing magic, it has to go somewhere. Most likely, that magic is going to him. He may use his own magic and trap us here."
"Oh, you are no fun. Where was the surprise if you figured it all out? I hate people like you."
The witch boy's voice could be heard echoing throughout the halls. The group looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.
"You know you won't be able to leave now. The moment that you picked up that gem of mine, and filled it with magic, you activated the trap. There is no way for anyone to get in or out."
The witch boy laughed while his familiar yawned and rested on his shoulders, appearing in the room.
Gilgamesh arched an eyebrow - there was no way he'd be done in by some bratty mongrel. "You underestimate us, mongrel. With magic, there is always a way to undo a spell, and that is to take care of the spellcaster. Prepare yourself, for I will tear this fort to shreds in order to force you out, rat."
"And how will you do that? You can't fight. You use magic to bring forth your weapons. I'm sure the young girl over there must have noticed the runes that are all over these walls. The more magic you use, the more power I receive."
"Then that just leaves the old fashioned way," Shirou growled, hands grasping his two blades. "Magic isn't everything."
Gilgamesh couldn't help but agree with the faker - he never cared for magic, though he had been summoned as a Caster himself. Really, he was only a Caster to make fun of Solomon (and Merlin) who had both held the title for Grand Master. "Yes," he concurred. "My will shall be carried out, regardless of your magic nullifiers."
"Really? I was told that you couldn't fight."
Klarion looked right at Gilgamesh.
"Who said that?" Gilgamesh demanded. "The fool who uttered such nonsense does not know what they are talking about."
Sure, he didn't know most of the weapons in his treasury, and definitely didn't master them, did not mean he did not know how to fight - if that had been the case, Enkidu would've killed him when they had first met. He didn't know how to fight exceptionally with a sword, or bow, or spear, but he could wield the axe he held now perfectly. The little witch mongrel could just try him - he would cut off his hand for the impertinence.
"Even so, you have to get close to me to fight me. You can try all you want, though."
Red flames engulfed his hands and threw a fireball at the group. Wally rushed over and helped get Tim out of the way while Jason, who still felt the need to protect Gilgamesh, pulled him away and toward one of the walls.
Gilgamesh touched the wall briefly, but didn't stay there very long. Hefting up his axe, he surged forward, ducking beneath the flames. A king shouldn't have to take such risks, but he wasn't just a king - he was also a Heroic Spirit, and an obstacle was in his way.
The witch boy saw he was coming and put up a force-field just in time, Gilgamesh slamming his axe on it. He gritted his teeth - magic really was ridiculous. If there was a way to get rid of those runes, or even just get out of the room, then they should be fine…
Though it wasn't doing much, he kept up trying to get into the force-field, cracks forming in the ground beneath his feet from the force he exerted - Heroic Spirits were on a completely different level than humans, after all. There was a reason they tried not to fight in public areas, else that would mean a lot of property damage.
He just hoped that the mage had come up with the same plan he had determined, their best way to escape - at the moment, they had one other in their group who wasn't in the anti-magic room, and thus had a bit more freedom. Though Achilles was supposedly fighting another Caster at the moment, he hoped that the mage had been able to communicate with him to break into the room.
And he hoped it would be soon, because with each swing of his axe his limbs felt more heavy, as if they were slowly becoming lead. The effects of the runes, he figured.
Tim looked at Jason. He had an idea that may not stop Klarion, but keep him distracted for a little bit. "Hey, Jason, how long do you think you can fight?"
"I don't know, maybe ten minutes. Possibly longer if I have to."
"That should give us enough time."
"What are you planning?"
"A way we may be able to stop him. At least for a little while. From what I can gather, we have to work quickly before our spirit friends are unable to fight anymore. I'm unsure about Shirou and Rin, but I think, even though they are mages, they should be able to hold out like us."
"Right. And?"
"We don't need to beat Klarion, remember? Just his kitty cat. Right now, Gilgamesh is keeping Klarion busy, but we may need more to that distraction so someone can take out his cat."
"Leave the cat to me. I always hated that thing."
"Okay. Then I'll help with the distraction."
Tim threw a birdarang at the witch boy, but his cat quickly lept at it and pounced on it to the ground, protecting his master. It wasn't what Tim wanted to happen, but it would have to do for now. He threw three small orbs that released smoke. Klarion frowned. He glared at Robin and threw another ball of fire at Robin and Gilgamesh. They both dodged.
Jason, using the smoke cloud to hide himself, headed towards Teekl. Every movement he made was a pain. He chose to ignore it. He made his way to Teekl, who was playing with Robin's birdarang. The master and the pet were distracted; perfect. Jason took his sword and unsheathed it. Teekl's ears turned toward Jason. He hissed at the assassin. Klarion heard the call of his familiar. He eyed his cat and Jason.
"So you want to fight a kitty cat? Not very nice of you, assassin. Why don't you pick on someone your own size! Get him, Teekl!"
Klarion used his magic to make Teekl grow. Jason took a step back. This was going to be a problem and a pain. It could never be easy, could it? Jason swung his sword at the giant cat. He managed to hit the cat's leg. Hissing, Teekl raised his paw and started to swing at Jason, who wouldn't be able to move fast enough to dodge - not with his injuries at least. Wally wouldn't be able to get Jason out of the way as he was helping Tim and Gilgamesh fight Klarion. Teekl hit Jason, throwing him into a wall.
He dropped to the ground as Teekl bounded over to him. Jason struggled to get up, only for him to be pinned down. With his previous injuries, the wind being knocked out of him, and the added weight, Jason didn't have much energy or fight left in him. Teekl hissed at Jason as he struggled to get out from under the cat's paw.
"Jason!"
Suddenly, the weight of the cat's paw was removed from him and he was able to breathe again - the two mages flanking Jason. Rin held a dagger while Shirou, who had up until recently used two blades, was empty handed.
"Are you sure that thing is a cat?" Shirou casually asked Rin. "It looks more like a bear or something."
Rin frowned, examining the cat critically. "Whatever it is, it's ugly." Then she looked down at him. "Are you alright?"
Jason just nodded. He forced himself up and used the wall as support.
"We need to….. stop that cat….. That's Klarion's way… to stay here."
Jason managed to say, inhaling sharply between phrases. He looked at Teekl as the familiar hissed at the three.
Rin nodded. "Alright - and we should have some backup soon, we just need to hold out until he gets here."
Together, Rin and Shirou went to confront the cat - Shirou went to the cat head on. He wasn't necessarily fighting it, just doing his best to keep the cat occupied and in the same space. Meanwhile, Rin went around to the side, knife at the ready. She went to stab its unguarded flank, but unfortunately the cat noticed and lashed out at her with a paw. It hit her upper arm, and Rin hissed in pain but still managed to wound the creature.
"Rin!" Shirou shouted. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, gripping her arm. "It's not any worse than yours."
And that was true - by holding off the cat, Shirou had been exposed to its ferocious claws, resulting in some very torn up arms. Rin sighed, a bit frustrated - really, Shirou had no sense of self preservation.
But she couldn't deny it had been a solid plan. Or, as solid a plan as they could get.
"If you attack that cat like that again, it should work enough, but go for his throat instead. I'll help in any way I can."
Jason informed the two mages. He took note of how they fought and their technique was pretty solid, but they were aiming for the wrong part of the cat.
"Alright, then that's where we will aim," Shirou nodded, eyes narrowed in determination. "Ready for round two?"
Despite the pain in her arm, Rin smirked. "I can't have my apprentice here showing me up, now can I? Let's get this cat."
They went forward again, this time they came at the cat from its sides - Shirou on the right, and Rin on the left. Using all of his might, he shoved the cat, slamming his shoulder right into its wound towards Rin. And she didn't let the opportunity go to waste as she grasped the dagger (the same dagger that had passed from her father's hands, to the fake priest's hands, to her own hands) and slammed it into the cat's neck.
Gilgamesh had been masterfully using his axe to slam against any weak points in Klarion's forcefield and Tim had been using his birdarangs to further distract Klarion, his expertise in acrobatics assisting in dodging the fire. But when Klarion heard the yowling of his injured familiar he looked over at Teekl. He quickly went to the cat, shrunk him and picked him up in his arms.
"How could you hurt a poor little kitty?! Come Teekl, let's get you healed."
Klarion left through a portal of his own making and left the group trapped in that room. Tim looked at Gilgamesh and gave a worried look. He had noticed the way Gilgamesh had been fighting - he was slowing down. Tim never saw Klarion hurt Gilgamesh, but he wasn't with him the whole time. Did he get hurt before this fight?
"Gil, are you doing okay? You're not hurt are you?"
Gilgamesh set the butt of his axe down on the ground. "I am fine - if I couldn't keep up with even a living person, I wouldn't be too much of a Heroic Spirit, much less a king. Simply, this room…."
"We will find a way out of here, quickly. I'm worried about pretty much everyone here. Wally and you are in the most danger I believe." Tim paused for a moment. "We should also get the others somewhere their wounds could get looked at."
"I agree - my island is a suitable place to regroup and to get medical attention," Gilgamesh said, somewhat regretfully - he hated leaving the place while Vandal still stood, but he had to think about things long term, and about those underneath his care. "We shall make haste, especially before the rest of your team finds out about our outing here and attempts to follow us."
"I think they know by now. There is no way they don't know…. But we'll deal with them when we get back. I'm sure Kaldur will want a full explanation."
Tim chuckled and gave a half smile to the king.
"To think, a king giving an explanation…" Gilgamesh muttered. "Unthinkable. My, he almost reminds me of Siduri…"
"Not quite sure who that is, but I will worry about the explanation, you are not under his watch or his team. You can worry about….. I'm not quite sure what your next move is, but worry about that and I'll worry about Kaldur." Tim sighed.
"You intend to take responsibility for actions that were my own?" Gilgamesh, an eyebrow raised. An idea came to him, and he nodded to himself, decision made. "Nonsense. I shall speak with him and the rest of the team myself - if we wish to fight this Grail War together, we must do so as allies."
"I think he would be fine with being your ally as we already seem to be, but he will still talk to me as I am a member of his team."
"No," Gilgamesh said. "There are things I must clear up - up until now, your teams'….tolerance...has been growing weaker. Before we face Vandal, we must solidify where we all stand."
"I'm sure that we will get everything under control. Vandal is up to something and we are witnesses to that. In any case, Kaldur will wish to speak to the two of us, as well as our new and old friends over there."
He looked over at Shirou and Rin before glancing over at Wally.
Wally rushed over to Rin and Shirou. He looked Rin and Shirou up and down. They were pretty banged up from the cat's attack.
"We need to find a way out of here quickly. You two and….. Jason…. really need medical attention. Although, I'm still surprised about him being here, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is getting the three of you some help, fast."
Jason eyed Wally. "I'm fine, don't worry about me."
"What are you talking about? You are clearly injured, plus, your hands and face are covered in blood."
"And I'm telling you….. that I'm fine. The blood is…. It's not mine, so I'm fine."
"And you are leaning on the walls because you are fine."
"I'm just tired, that's all."
A metallic like taste was in his mouth. He chose to ignore that as well. He coughed into his hand, and blamed it on the fact that he was caught under Teekl and he couldn't breath. Wally gave him a look. Tim glanced over but stayed near Gilgamesh. Wally turned his attention to Rin, even though he wanted to get on Jason's case.
"Rin, do you think you could call Achilles? He's not in here and he would be able to get in, right? Well, he said no one could get in or out…. But we did weaken him when we hurt his cat….. I've always hated that cat."
Rin nodded. "He should be here soon, I -"
A section of the wall imploded, and the space was suddenly filled with the sounds of horses neighing and a film of dust hung in the air. A chariot was wedged in between the wall, as the chariot had mowed part of it down to get into the room.
"You guys alright?" a voice asked. "I came here as fast as I could, so I'm a bit ahead of the Caster right now - but we really should hurry if we want to get out of here."
"Achilles!" Rin called out. "Stay outside, we'll come to you, okay?"
Rin looked towards the rest of them. "Well, it looks like our ride is here. Get onto his chariot, and hopefully we'll get out of this unscathed." She paused, recalling everyone's injuries. "Or, you know, alive."
Rin and Shirou stepped through the opening Achilles had provided. Gilgamesh began to follow them - this room made him feel….not right - but he paused in front of Jason. "It is not a sign of weakness to accept help when it is being freely given, nor is it weak to ask for it."
He continued onwards, not giving the man another look. Gilgamesh was still uncertain of what to think of the man, but for the moment he simply hoped he would follow his advice.
Jason watched as Gilgamesh left. Tim walked over to his brother.
"Hey, let's go. I hear Wally is challenging Achilles to another race."
Tim chuckled but quickly stopped and frowned. Jason wasn't looking too good, but he showed no signs of wanting to leave.
"Jay…. I know that look, and I'm going to have to say no. I let you come because of what you said, but what you want to do now, you'll die."
"I don't think I was going to survive anyway. That cat….. I am still finding it hard to breathe, Tim. I-"
Jason coughed again. He took a deep breath in. Tim's eyes widened when he saw blood at Jason's mouth. He recalled the events with Joker and what Jason's condition was when they found him. He never saw Jason die, but he didn't want to now.
"Jay, listen, we can get you to a doctor. They can-"
"No. I still haven't made up for all that I have done."
"Ra's… we can get him another time."
"I already took care of him."
"Then what more could there possibly be for you to wanna fight when you are in this state?"
"Vandal….."
Tim didn't understand until he put some pieces together. Vandal called the shots and Jason followed them blindly.
"Jay…."
"I'm sorry Tim, I've made up my mind."
Jason was stubborn, Tim knew that, but what he was doing now was purely out of his own guilt but Tim wondered if there was more to it. Jason turned away from Tim, using the wall as support. Tim quickly thought of any option he could, but he knew that with Jason's stubbornness, he wouldn't listen to words and he knew that he could currently beat Jason in a fight, but he didn't want to hurt him. He took hold of his staff.
"Sorry Jason."
Jason started to turn to look at Tim, when he suddenly felt electricity all throughout his body. Tim used his electrified staff on Jason as a way to knock him out. Tim had the staff collapse on itself and he put it on his belt. He bent down and tried to pick up Jason. It took him a moment before he managed to carry Jason on his back. He left through the hole in the wall and got onto Achilles's chariot.
"Tim! What happened to Jason?"
"He… passed out, don't worry about it Wally. We just need to get him to a hospital or something. Achilles, how fast can you bring us to Gilgamesh's island place?"
Achilles smirked, reins in hand. "I can get you there in no time at all."
He started to urge the horses forth when someone yelled:
"Hey, wait!" a girl came bounding past the corner. She had pink hair and blue Japanese clothing - she also had furry fox ears, and a tail to match. "You can't leave yet! Though….you might be tired….in which case, we can have some dinner after I defeat you!"
Achilles grimaced. "Okay, now we should really get going - I like to fight, sure, but Casters are something else."
The Caster sent forward a wave of ice shards, but Gilgamesh swatted them away with a blast from a staff hidden away in his Gate of Babylon. "You foolish fox, to attempt to strike the entourage of a king."
Gilgamesh sent forth a wave of weapons to counter the Caster as they speedily shot forwards in Achilles' chariot. Striking out, Achilles carved a path through the ceiling so they could make their escape. Sunlight peeked into the rooms and they were out into the open sky.
"Hold on!" Achilles warned the group. "I might not be a speedster, but I'm the fastest there was in ancient Greece!"
So upon the flying chariot, they made their way past city, past city, past city, and eventually they were on open ocean.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh had been rummaging through his treasury and handed Tim a bottle of medicine. Gilgamesh glanced at Jason. "He is very injured. This should at least hold him over until he gets medical help."
"I…. Thank you…. Gil, this is my fault. I should have told him no. I should have not let him come."
"What's done is done - there is no use on dwelling on past mistakes." Gilgamesh sighed. "And something tells me he would've made his way here regardless. Tell me, how close was my child self to this man?"
Tim gave Jason the medicine before looking up at Gilgamesh.
"You really don't know, huh? Well, you and him were pretty close. Close enough that I guess I got a little jealous. He basically made himself your unofficial guardian. He wanted nothing more than to keep you safe. He felt he owed you that much. You were…. like a little brother to him. At the time, he didn't know he had a little brother and I guess he liked how you trusted him and sorta looked to him, defended him. You were the only one he actually let close to him…... I guess you could say you became part of his family in his eyes. Why do you ask anyway?"
Gilgamesh frowned, expression unreadable. "I...see," he said. No wonder he had felt so close to this man, as if this man were Siduri, or Ritsuka. Not many people got so close to him - with his responsibility as king, he usually didn't allow it. "Do not concern yourself with it - it was simply curiosity that drove me to ask such a question. Just keep watch over him, and make sure he stays stable."
"I will…."
Tim smiled as he took note that Gilgamesh seemed to still have that care toward Jason when he was still a child. He then frowned.
"Gil, tell me something… did Jason… did he kill Ra's? This blood that was on him….. It's not his, he said that to Wally and I can see that he's not quite hurt from any external wounds. I know he told me that he needed to stop Ra's, but…"
His voice trailed off. Gil never knew that Jason was on the ship, Gilgamesh found out. Tim started to wonder what Gilgamesh could remember from leading events.
Gilgamesh studied the young hero - he knew this age of heroes minded killing a bit more than Heroic Spirits did. "He did exactly what you believe he did," he answered Tim. "Though before you condemn him, consider this - he knows what it is like to die. Not many others who live can say the same. Thus, it would stand to reason that he has his own way of judging life. Many Heroic Spirits would say the same. Death is not a true end - Ereshkigal will take care of his soul. Just because Jason sent him down to Kur does not make him a villain."
Tim nodded his head, not fully understanding what Gilgamesh had said. "Look, I had a feeling he was going to do that. I just hope he doesn't regret it later."
He nodded. "I, too, hope that will not come to pass."
Finally, the island that Gilgamesh had made into his base came into view.
"Land on the roof there," he ordered. "There we can quickly have access to medical rooms as well as coordinate with the team of heroes."
"I don't take orders from you," Achilles said, pursing his lips - he really didn't care to be ordered about, but especially by high and mighty kings.
"Just do it, alright?" his master sighed. "It's not like he's asking for a shoulder rub."
That was a fair point, he'd give his master that. He landed his chariot as smoothly as he could (which wasn't really very smooth) and announced their arrival. "Alright, we made it - you all should definitely get some medical help now, those are some serious battle wounds."
Gilgamesh hopped off the chariot. Looking back at the other passengers, he made some quick calculations. "Tim, could you take Jason to the medical bay? You, faker - assist him in this effort - come find us when you've done this. The rest of you shall accompany me to my office so we can further discuss our positions as potential allies."
The faker looked caught - on one hand, he seemed to want to help. On the other, he seemed determined to disobey. The faker's helpful side won out, and he assisted Tim in moving Jason.
Rin put her hands on her hips. "And what makes you think that we're allies? We just teamed up with you because we had similar objectives."
"Does that not still hold true?" Gilgamesh asked. "Vandal Savage has at least five spirits now, thus holding a rather large spot in this Grail War. I, despite our previous encounters, have shown you that I am at least not the greatest evil at play. Surely you see we still have the same mission."
Rin pursed her lips, then turned away. "Fine, I'll listen to what you have to say - but that doesn't mean I'm agreeing to anything, got it?"
"Very well," Gilgamesh answered. Then: "And you, Merlin - do not think you've escaped work just yet."
A voice laughed slightly. "Me, escaping work? Whatever might you mean, King Gilgamesh?"
"Inform the others that we have returned," Gilgamesh continued, paying no heed to Merlin's response. "We have much to discuss for this Grail War."
Enkidu sat on a stool and watched Conner while Conner watched them. Enkidu had the feeling that they weren't very trusted at the moment, which they thought was fair considering the state Grayson had been in.
Regardless of the heroes' reaction to them, they found the heroes to be very interesting. Especially Conner. Or, well, they supposed Conner was interesting - but mainly they were interested in the wolf (while Enkidu chose to walk alongside humanity, that did not mean they had forsaken all else on the planet).
They used to be able to communicate with animals, and while they had lost that ability, Enkidu still had a good grasp on how to read them. And the wolf seemed to be very fond of Conner, which Enkidu liked.
Enkidu spared a look towards the door, which is where the green skinned woman - M'gann - had taken Grayson. They were concerned for the young man's health, but Enkidu was almost certain he would be okay.
They had gone as fast as Enkidu could go, as they had set speed as their top skill to go as fast as possible. They had arrived at the island in less than half an hour, Enkidu reaching the sandy shores. At that point, Grayson had gone limp from the medicine Gilgamesh had produced and slipped to them from his treasury. Their friend truly had changed - before, Enkidu was certain Gil would have never even thought about medicines in his treasury, or at least never thought to utilize them. But this Gil was more mature than the Gil Enkidu had known.
And Enkidu was alright with that - older and wiser, yes, but Gil was still the one who had named them friend. That bond would never rust, never break.
Enkidu had continued from the sandy shores, heading to the giant building that seemed to be the center point for the island. Along the way, people noticed them - many people asked with concern if Grayson was alright, which Enkidu answered to them that yes, he would be fine - and which was the way to where he could be treated? The people pointed in the direction of the large building, confirming Enkidu's theory. Thanking them, they went forward.
It was close to the building when they encountered their first hero.
'M'gann, Conner, I see someone approaching the building. This person seems to be carrying someone. I'm going to go and get a closer look.'
'Okay, Kaldur. Conner will be down and join you in a moment.'
Kaldur headed toward the seemingly suspicious person. As he got closer, he realized that this person was carrying Nightwing. He stopped just a small ways away from the unknown person.
"Who are you, and why do you carry my friend?"
The figure stopped walking, seeming to be unconcerned. "My name is Enkidu. I have come at the behest of Gilgamesh to deliver young Grayson here safely, so he can be treated."
Kaldur walked over and looked at his young friend.
"What happened to him? We can't treat him if we don't know what's wrong."
Enkidu paused for a tenth of a second, then recounted the events occurring before Grayson's injury, then afterwards - the infiltration of Vandal's base, fighting the Saber class Servant, getting caved in on, and lastly….the Lazarus Pit.
"If there was an alternative option, I would've taken it," Enkidu said, looking at Grayson regretfully. "But I was concerned, for though I tried to protect him, his wounds were great. I had no choice but to trust those assassins."
"I see, follow me."
'M'gann, Conner, this person seems to have helped Nightwing, however, we can not trust their word alone. We are coming up. Nightwing needs to be looked at and I would like to keep an eye on this Enkidu fellow.'
'Right. If you want I'll keep an eye on them while you and M'gann take care of Nightwing.'
'That would be appreciated, Conner.'
The two of them head up to the medical wing of the building where Conner and M'gann were waiting. Kaldur took Nightwing from Enkidu.
"Enkidu, this is Conner, he will stay with you while we handle Nightwing."
Kaldur and M'gann left and the doors closed behind them.
Kaldur placed Grayson on a bed and started looking him over. He didn't appear to have any injuries. Which didn't match up to Enkidu's story, but looks can always be deceiving.
"Kaldur, do you have any idea what Dick was doing with that person out there?"
"No, I do not. But this Enkidu fellow may not be as bad as we think. They did bring him here and our friend seems to be unharmed."
"Why is he unconscious? If he is fine, he should be up."
"Can you read his mind?"
The Martian gave Kaldur a confused look.
"If he isn't hurt physically, he could be hurt psychologically."
M'gann nodded her head. She didn't quite like prying into the heads of her close friends, but Kaldur did have a point that he could be hurt in a different way. She walked over to his side. She used her hand and pushed back some of her younger friend's hair away from his eyes. Just as she was about to use her telepathy, young Grayson shot up. He was now wide awake and practically gasping for air. M'gann took a step back from surprise.
"Oh my… Dick, are you… are you okay?"
Grayson looked around the room frantically.
"Woah, calm down. You're okay, it's okay. Can you tell us what happened?"
Grayson looked over at M'gann, who was trying her best to get him to calm down.
"M'gann? Where…. Where's Wally? What's going on? Where…. where are we?"
Kaldur and M'gann exchange glances. Kaldur seemed to be right about him having a psychological problem. M'gann thought maybe Psimon was the one behind this, but she recalled that they had captured Psimon a while ago and there was no way he could have done this. Kaldur moved over to his younger friend.
"Wally's not here… You're in a medical wing. You were hurt."
Grayson looked right at Kaldur and tried to move away from him.
"Who….. I don't know you…."
"Yes, you do, it's Kaldur, your friend…. Aqualad. You remember him right?"
M'gann asked him. Grayson looked over at her.
"Kaldur shouldn't be here…. He killed Artemis…. How are we going to tell Wally…"
"What? He never… Kaldur."
"I never harmed Artemis. That was a trick, remember? That was part of your plan. That happened a year ago."
Grayson looked around the room, frantically, and tried to sit up. M'gann went over and gently pushed him back down.
"Dick, please, you need to calm down. We are going to help you. Okay? You need to stay laying down."
"Where are my parents?"
M'gann and Kaldur didn't have any words to answer his question. Did their friend think his parents were alive?
"Uh, well…. Aren't you worried about Tim?"
"Jason is with him."
M'gann was certain that Grayson was the only one that thought Jason was still dead. She tried to use her telepathic powers to try and figure out what happened. Everything was scrambled. His mind, his thoughts, his memories, all of them were scattered all over the place. It was like he couldn't focus on any one thought or memory.
"Kaldur… I can't read his mind…. Or I can, it's just…. It's all scrambled."
"So you are saying that he is hurt psychologically?"
M'gann nodded. She thought about trying to heal his mind like she did Kaldur's when she mind blasted him, but this felt different. He was not attacked psychologically. She wished that she knew what caused this.
"Kaldur, can I have Conner bring Enkidu in here? I want to know exactly what happened. I can't help him if I don't know what caused it. I could risk hurting him further."
"I think that would be best."
'Conner, can you ask Enkidu to come in here? I have some questions dealing with Dick. Oh, and he did wake up, but his condition…. You'll see…..'
'Sure, M'gann. I will. I have just been talking to Enkidu this whole time. Enkidu seems to like Wolf. We'll be there in a moment.'
'Thank you, Conner.'
'Of course.'
Conner looked at Enkidu.
"How did you come across Nightwing? He never mentioned you."
Enkidu shrugged. "My master, the one who summoned me into this era, is an ally with him. Presumably, their goal was to fight Gilgamesh. However…." Enkidu smiled. "It would be less like a fight and more of a reunion if that battle ever came to pass."
"Nightwing doesn't quite trust Gilgamesh. To be fair, he kept things from us and Nightwing has some experience with that going south. He didn't like how things were being handled. He left a while ago and only his brother was able to see him."
Conner sat down in a chair and Wolf walked into the room and laid next to him.
Enkidu immediately brightened up, leaving the stool they had previously sat upon and moved to pet Wolf, who let them. Though Enkidu still considered their conversation. "I see. Yes, that rather sounds like Gil. He's not exactly a people person, though his charisma might try and convince you otherwise. He has his own way of doing things, and usually doesn't feel the need to clue in other people. Though…" they paused. "I do think he's changed somewhat from when I knew him. I think….he's matured." they simply said, after mulling over what to say. Conner wouldn't understand how important the distinction between the Gilgamesh Enkidu knew from the one who walked the earth today.
Conner looked at Enkidu. "Wait, did you see him recently? Was he with a dark haired kid?"
Enkidu blinked, thinking back to how he had seen their friend in that base (they were still mad that Vandal had used them as bait, they would have to remedy that if Gil didn't totally destroy Vandal). "I have," they said carefully. Enkidu wasn't sure what Conner knew, or how much Gil wanted revealed. "Do not worry - Gilgamesh is strong, so no harm should befall any who are with him."
Well, that was the hope, anyway - the old Gil wouldn't have minded if people got hurt in battle, but perhaps this older Gil had different views. It was odd, having to relearn their friend once again.
"Well, it's not that. Gilgamesh left with Tim, and we think Jason as well, more than half a day ago. We haven't gotten word from Tim and we don't know what happened or why they left."
Conner informed Enkidu. Conner had figured that Gilgamesh would protect Tim and all, but the concern was that they didn't know where they went.
Enkidu nodded, focusing on Wolf's soft fur. "I can see how that would be an issue, but they should be arriving at some point soon. They simply had to pick up a few others, so Gil should be back fairly soon."
"I see, that's good. Although, Kaldur may say a few things to Tim…."
Conner looked at the doors to the medical Wing.
"I hope he's okay… Tim doesn't need any more worry about his family….. Do you want to come with me and check on him? You seem trustworthy enough."
Enkidu nodded. "Yes, of course. I -"
The other door slammed open and Ritsuka Fugimaru ran in, Mash next to her. "Enkidu!" the girl exclaimed. "You're really here?"
Enkidu's lips curved into a smile. "Ritsuka Fugimaru, Mash. It's good to see the both of you."
The girl smiled up at him, beaming. "Same here! Does Gil know you're here? He'll be really happy too, you know?"
"Gil is aware of my presence," Enkidu confirmed, still marveling at Ritsuka's presence. Did that mean that there was a singularity here? They wouldn't be too surprised if that were the case, at the rate things were going. "I hope he hasn't been too hard on the both of you."
She shook her head. "No, not at all - I'm happy to do most of the stuff he asks of us, though I have had to run this place for the past couple of days, with him being a kid and all….but besides that, it's all been good. Nothing like Archer Gilgamesh, anyways." She muttered the last part.
"Ah, yes," Enkidu said, remembering how Tim had informed their group of their friend's...predicament. "I had almost forgotten about that." Enkidu smiled - so much had happened, but the thought of Gilgamesh as a child was always a pleasant one.
Ritsuka nodded, smiling. "He's so cute as a kid, so sometimes I wonder how he turned out the way he did….Oh, Conner, sorry about barging in on you two like that - I just heard they were here so I had to come and say hi. And, of course, check in on Grayson."
"He's with Kaldur and M'gann at the moment. Enkidu and I were about to go see how he is doing now."
"Can we come with you?" Ritsuka asked.
Mash nodded. "We want to make sure he's okay, and that he has what he needs while he's here."
"I don't see a problem with that." Conner opened the doors and headed in, the others close behind.
Kaldur looked over at them with a frown. "Conner?"
"Hey, Kaldur, how's Dick?"
"He's…. Well… M'gann says that he has no physical damage to his body, but she says that his mind is all scrambled."
"What do you mean…..?"
"Conner…. He thinks…. He thinks his parents, and Wally are alive. As well as Jason. He doesn't know yet about Jason, but he thinks people that are alive are dead and the dead are alive. Enkidu, you said you had to trust the assassins…. What did they give him to….. heal him?"
"They had me lay in him in a pool of water called the Lazarus Pit," Enkidu said, frowning. "I didn't trust it, but since we had no resources nor time…." they trailed off. "But I might have an idea as to why he is suddenly thinking those who have passed live again. My master's ally was able to summon a Servant at the request of Grayson. Wally West, he introduced himself as. Seeing his friend may have confused his already disoriented mind…."
Enkidu had no idea how this pit worked, so really they were grasping at straws for the why and the how.
"You're saying….. Wally is here? Alive?" Conner questioned Enkidu.
Kaldur was glad that Artemis wasn't here to hear this news quite yet, but now that he knew that the Lazarus Pit was the cause of this, he could call Green Arrow or Batman and ask what would be best. They had experience with it before.
Enkidu blinked - perhaps they weren't supposed to have said that...regardless, maybe it was better they found out now, rather than when Wally would eventually (hopefully) show up (along with Gil and the others). "Yes, though only for the duration of this Holy Grail War," Enkidu explained, and gently showed them the mark on the back of Grayson's hand. "This is his symbol as a master, and Wally is his Servant, a Rider class."
Grayson looked at Enkidu and frowned. "Kingu? What's going on?"
M'gann frowned as she looked at her friend. She glanced at Kaldur and Conner, not completely knowing what to do. "Who's Kingu? Is he just confusing someone else as well?"
"I don't know." Kaldur responded with a frown.
Meanwhile, Enkidu knelt down so Grayson wouldn't have to look up at them. "Are you feeling well?" they asked, not correcting Grayson on their name - Enkidu didn't want to confuse him further.
Grayson didn't answer the question. Instead he just looked around. He couldn't register where he was and it was making him nervous. He wanted his mother, his best friend, someone he was close to, to be by him. He didn't understand why Kaldur was there. He betrayed them and yet he was standing there. He looked back at Enkidu.
"Where are we?"
"You're somewhere safe," Enkidu said calmly. "At my friend's house. Do you remember what happened?"
"Remember…. drowning, I can't breathe… where's Wally?"
"Breathe," Enkidu reminded Grayson. "You can breathe here. Wally will be here soon."
"Kingu…... what's going on?" Grayson continued to look around at his surroundings. To him things weren't adding up. He didn't feel safe. He did seem like he was nervous.
"You were wounded," Enkidu explained gently. "We had to take you to get treatment."
Kaldur took note that Grayson and Enkidu seem to trust each other. He needed his friend to relax, he was only causing stress to himself and that could cause more damage.
"Enkidu, can you get him to rest? He may listen to you."
"Of course," they answered Kaldur. Looking back at Grayson, Enkidu asked, "Could you rest here for a short while longer? I will stay with you as you rest."
Grayson eyed Kaldur wearily. Kaldur, M'gann, and Conner picked this up.
"We will leave you guys alone. We need to contact the League anyway. Thank you, again. If his conduction changes, please inform us."
Enkidu nodded. "I will do so."
The three heroes, along with Ritsuka and Mash, left and Grayson seemed to relax a little bit, but he still seemed stressed.
Enkidu sat on the ground next to Grayson's bed - the young man's tension was painfully obvious, and Enkidu went through different ways to ease that stress. "Do you like nature, Grayson?"
Grayson looked over at Enkidu, said nothing and tilted his head.
Enkidu continued. "I find that nature always makes me feel better when I am tired or stressed. Would you mind if I opened a window, to let in the breeze?"
Grayson still said nothing, but chose to direct his focus to the doors that the others had left from.
Enkidu opened up a window, but didn't stay quiet. "Did those people bother you?"
"I….. Kaldur… he's a…. He betrayed us…. M'gann…. Conner… They are with him! He killed Artemis! Wally will be upset."
Enkidu tilted their head - from what they had heard, Artemis was very much alive, and that Grayson himself had been on good terms with his teammates. "That is very serious," they stated. "But are you sure things went the way you recall? Artemis is alive, and safe."
Of course, Enkidu had no way of knowing for sure if Artemis was alright, but they figured it was a safe bet.
"I…"
Grayson felt the cool breeze from the open window. This feeling felt familiar, comfortable, safe. A gentle breeze that reminded him of flying - flying free like a bird. He slowly relaxed. Exhaustion slowly started to take over as he started to drift off to sleep.
That was when the door opened, three others entering the room. One being their master, the other being Tim, and the other was an unconscious man - the one who had been so mistrustful of Enkidu (though Enkidu didn't blame him).
"Oh," Enkidu blinked. "You've all arrived. I am glad you are all alright."
'Alright' was a word for it - their master's arms seemed to be all scratched up, though it seemed magework had assisted in stopping the bleeding. Tim seemed to be relatively without wounds, but the other man was not in good condition.
Shirou and Tim carefully placed the man onto the cot next to Grayson's. Tim looked over at Grayson with a frown.
"Um, Kingu -or Enkidu, I guess - is my brother okay?"
"He is resting," Enkidu informed him. "I believe his mind is a bit jumbled, though."
"I see…. Looks like I get to take care of two idiots, then. Oh, uh, Gil is with the others, he's here if you want to see him. I need to get Jason fixed up and find Kaldur."
He looked at Shirou.
"Could you maybe stay here and help?"
Shirou opened his mouth to answer, but Enkidu beat him to the punch. "Actually, if it would be alright with you, I would like to stay and assist you."
Somehow, they felt that it would be….wrong to go see Gil now, before he was ready. Their friend had barely looked at them when they had reunited, and Enkidu supposed they knew why - Enkidu had died in front of Gil, after all. Who knew how that had affected Gil, and how seeing Enkidu today would affect him.
So, when Gil was ready, they would talk. For now, Enkidu knew Gil would need to discuss things with the group of heroes that resided on the island - thus, Enkidu was not needed and would do more good in the infirmary, with Tim.
"Oh, okay. If that's what you want. I'm not entirely sure what is wrong, but I think he may have blood in his lungs. He was having difficulty breathing and I think he coughed it up… but his hands were covered in blood that no one would have noticed. He's still injured from that first fight against that heroic spirit…. And then he goes and gets hurt again, but this time by a giant cat."
"A giant cat?" Enkidu asked, perplexed. "That does sound quite serious though - how may I help?"
"The giant cat we can thank a Lord of Chaos. Also, I'm not entirely sure…. I'm not a doctor, I can do minor things, but this… I think we should try and get the fluid out of his lungs, and help him get oxygen, and then worry about the other injuries. It would be pointless to help him heal if he isn't breathing."
Enkidu nodded. "I can't claim to be a doctor either...is there anyone here that might be able to assist us?"
"I….. none that are available at the moment. As well as get here in time….. I…. I'm not sure what to do."
Tim looked a bit distressed.
"Wait," Shirou, who had remained in the room with them, said. "I think Rin and I will be able to help. Just - hold on for a minute, I'll go get her."
The mage dashed from the room, and Enkidu watched him go thoughtfully. "Mages can be very useful."
Shirou was back in record time - or, well, Rin was. And that was largely thanks to her Heroic Spirit, who had carried her to the infirmary.
"Thank you," Rin said as Achilles set her down. "You really are fast, even without your chariot."
Achilles waved away her thanks. "Nah, it's no problem. Honestly, I was just about to leave there anyways. Why spend time debating, when you could be doing pretty much anything else."
Shirou came in the room, breathing deeply - he obviously ran as fast as he could. He shot the Rider a look, but abandoned that when he looked towards Jason. "I think I might be able to locate the injury," Shirou said, then looked to his girlfriend. "Rin should be able to heal it once I do."
Rin flipped her hair. "'Should', Shirou? I can, and I will. Just you watch."
Together, the two mages stood above the man. Shirou reached his hand out, grasping Jason's shoulder, eyes closed.
"He has a broken rib," Shirou began. "I think that's his worst injury, so we should focus on that."
"Right."
Shirou gave the location of the rib, and Rin pulled out a gemstone. Holding it in one hand, and her other touching the injured area, she began murmuring words in German. The two kept at it for around ten minutes when Rin finally pulled away, sitting on the other bed in a huff.
"I've stabilized him for now," she said. "But I'd recommend taking him to an actual doctor at some point, alright?"
Shirou pulled away too, looking less worn out than Rin - though, to be fair to the woman, she had performed more complex magic than Shirou had. "I'm just glad we could help."
Tim went over and hugged Rin. "Thank you!"
Rin's face flushed scarlet, and she looked away. "I-um, it was nothing! I could do that in my sleep!"
Shirou smiled at her. "You know you can take compliments, right?"
"I know that!" Rin shot back to her boyfriend. Then sighed, returning Tim's hug. "It was no problem, really…..you're welcome."
Tim let go of Rin and let out a sigh of relief. "I should…. Go find Kaldur and inform him of what happened and all. Both of them are stable…. I think, and I shouldn't be gone too long…. You can lie down if you are tired from using your magic. If anything changes while I'm gone, you can have Shirou or Enkidu come find me. Is… is that alright?"
Rin smiled at him. "Yeah, that would be fine. Make sure to get some rest yourself, alright? You're a kid, don't push yourself too far, or you'll remind me of a certain someone." She eyed Shirou.
Shirou sighed. "She never lets me live it down…"
Tim nodded and ran out. He spent some time looking for Kaldur and found him talking to some members of the Justice League. To Tim, it looked like they were finishing up talking for the call ended a few seconds after he entered the room.
Conner heard Tim enter and directed his gaze to Tim. "Tim….. where have you been?"
"I… it's a long story…."
"You can start with where you were and do you know where Jason is?"
"..."
Tim dipped his head down.
"Well…. I was with Gil. He got a call saying that Ra's and Vandal had Gil's friend and Dick. Gil was going to go alone. I couldn't let him. Even if Dick doesn't like him, he wouldn't approve if I let a team member go alone. So…. I went with him. Jason was with us - he snuck onto the ship. And….. he got hurt….. It's my fault! I should have told him no, but… I couldn't, not after what he told me. I didn't tell Gil that Jason was with us, and Jason got hurt because of my choice! Jason is… back in the medical wing… I'm sorry Kaldur. I should have told you."
Kaldur sighed. It seems as if all the members of the Batfamily were troublesome. Now he had three of them to deal with.
"Tim, you…. I would have preferred if you told us. You could have called us for back up. I do not like how you and Gil went alone to face Vandal and Ra's."
"I know, and I'm sorry."
"How foolish," a voice said, and they turned to see Gilgamesh enter the room, still clad in his Babylonian silks. "To apologize over something you had absolutely no control over. The decision was mine to attack, so to carry such guilt for a nonexistent crime is foolish."
"Gil, this isn't your fault. It was a trap set by Ra's and Vandal. I agreed to go with you since you were still a child. I couldn't with a good conscience let you go alone, and I wanted to go as well….. They had my brother, your friend and I couldn't let them stay there. I should have said no. You were a kid…. I should have done something…. Tell Kaldur, create a plan with a team and make sure you were safe.
"You…. you don't know remember this, but you looked…. You were really upset by this and you were even wanting to go alone. If I waited…. you would have and you could have been there to face them alone….. You could have died… instead… Jason got hurt and I put you and him at risk…. All because I didn't think about my actions. All I thought about was how upset you were, and how my brother and your friend were in the enemy's hands. So, yes, I am to blame for all of this."
"Enough of this," Gilgamesh snapped. "None in this room are to blame - it is that mongrel's fault, and his alone. Don't weigh the choices of others against yourself. Doing so will only cause regret and doubt, neither of which we have the time for. What's done is done, so cease trying to take the blame for an excursion that was out of your hands completely to begin with."
Kaldur nodded in agreement. "I agree with Gilgamesh. You are not to blame for this, Tim. No one is. And I will also agree that what is done is done, but understand that I would like you not to go alone again. You may be a hero, but you are still a young kid. You have your limits, and it's best to have backup. It's never good to fight alone."
Kaldur sighed and gave a small smile.
"Instead of worrying about what could have happened, let's just be glad that you all returned here safely. You would agree with that, Gilgamesh?"
Gilgamesh crossed his arms. "Of course. Now, I came by to inform you all that I have returned, and thus your tasks will come through me and not Ritsuka. Expect to be given files on different Heroic Spirits we have confirmed to be in this era by tomorrow. I also expect everyone's presence tomorrow in the briefing room - there is much to discuss, including plans of future action for this war. Is that understood?"
Kaldur went to respond when Tim interrupted him.
"Wait, the whole reason we went there was to rescue Enkidu and my brother. You don't want to see them? You said that they were a close friend of yours. Also, most of the people here would probably need some rest. It's been a long few days… More so for others, but still, even you need rest. Klarion and his spell was draining you of your energy. I saw you slowing down. You need rest too."
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes. "Speak not of Enkidu. You have no authority to know if I do or do not go to see them. And I am well aware that you all need rest, which is why this meeting is tomorrow. I expect everyone to be present."
Tim sighed and looked away. "I'll… I'll let them know."
He started to head out but paused.
"Gil… if you want to know…. Enkidu is with my brothers in the medical wing. Enkidu seems fine and is watching over the ones resting there. That's where you will find your friend."
Tim left Gilgamesh alone in the room with M'gann, Conner and Kaldur.
Gilgamesh pursed his lips - really, they insisted on calling him such a foolish nickname….he'd really have to discipline them on that. It was not fit for a king. He turned towards the other three. "I shall retire for the night. If you have need of something, feel free to bother Merlin."
Not waiting for their response, he left the room, his destination his own quarters. Once he was sure there were no others around, he sighed. Enkidu was safe….such a selfish desire of a king, of someone who could not afford to prioritize the wellbeing of an individual. Yet, he could not deny that he was pleased. Enkidu was safe, and that was all that mattered. Beyond that, he had a war to fight.
Thus, no matter how horrible he felt, Gilgamesh would not go and see his friend. As he was now, it was impossible.
Sitting down at his desk in his room, he opened up his laptop and got to work - there was much to be done still, and such little time to do it.
A/N: Wow, it has been a while hasn't it. My partner and I got a little caught up with school and work and just many other things I will not go into detail. Funny enough, this chapter had been completed and edited for a while, I just kept forgetting to post it. I still love this story and so does Sora, but we have been working together on something and put this one on pause(sorta). We have chapters done and just need to edit it, but the story itself is yet to be completed. Once she comes back from her trip, I will talk to her about coming back to this one for a bit. I will get them edited and posted when we get to that. She can't say anything since she isn't here and for her it's a little late at the moment. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter after it's long unforeseen break.
~Akira
Posted: 06/04/2022