Knight of Avalon
Chapter-20
Ritsuka, Artoria
Outside the gates of Norwich, two people approached the gate on horseback. One was a knight in white armor and flowing red hair, sitting on his horse with his eyes closed while his harp-like bow rested on his back. On the other horse, sat a young red-haired girl in a black cloak over a strange outfit, three glowing symbols like a master's crest branded on her left hand.
The two of them reached the gates, as the same human guard approached them.
"State your identities and purpose here." He drawled out as the red-haired girl simply extended her left arm.
On her ring finger was a silvery metallic ring with blue circle having a longship in the middle emblazoned on it.
The guard's eyes almost fell out as soon as he saw the longship, before he coughed and stared at it.
"Hm, seems genuine. Welcome to Norwich, milady." He spoke bowing as he looked up at the other guards.
"Open the gates, they're Þræls!" He called out as the guards scrambled to open the gate.
The human placed his fist against his head as the girl and knight rode by.
"Praise be to the High Queen." He spoke as the two entered the city.
"The Iron City, Norwich." Hermia commented as Tristram rode silently behind her, ignoring the curious looks of pedestrians on the streets.
"We have weeks before the calamity strikes." Tristram spoke. "The Imperial forces have already begun shoring up their defenses under Spriggan's command."
Hermia nodded. Spriggan had made arrangements for their stay at his castle, and he also had something else to say besides the preparations for the calamity.
But before that, Hermia simply looked at the city.
Its so…big. Hermia thought. Camelot was much, much bigger, but Norwich was certainly a far cry from the simple villages she'd passed by on her trip.
Not to mention the strange contraptions that marked a stark contrast to Britain's countryside. Carriages without horses, floating vehicles called airships and even some mechanical humanoids around the forges.
"I wonder if our world has cities as big as these." Hermia spoke as Tristram hummed. "I don't feel like it did."
Hermia still wondered what the world she came from looked like. Mr. Gut said it was gone, now a bleached surface of white, replaced by newer worlds called these 'lostbelts'.
Was her world truly gone? Could she not return to it?
Even as the thought struck, Hermia couldn't feel sadness, which was strange. She must have had people she was close to back in her world. Those people are gone, so why didn't she feel any sadness thinking about that?
Instead, Hermia felt…incomplete. Maybe it was because her memories were missing. If she could only find those memories, perhaps then she'd find the answers to her questions.
Later, the two of them reached Spriggan's castle. Unlike Morgan's intricate architecture with the Winter Palace in Camelot, the Vault was pretty much shaped like a cube of dark iron, actually reminding Hermia of a vault and also some sort of a prison. On its dark walls, a white banner emblazoned with a golden castle whose doors had a scowling face on them. Above the castle was a snarling wolf.
"A white banner for such a dark and twisted city...ironic." Tristram commented as Hermia shot him a glare.
"You can insult Norwich's aesthetic when no one's hearing you Tristram." Hermia spoke slightly nervously as the two of them were received by Spriggan's guards and taken through the labyrinthine corridors of the Vault.
"So many spells…" Hermia muttered at the sheer amount of traps Spriggan had placed for any trespassers.
"I hear some people call Spriggan the 'Goblin King' because of how stingy he is with his wealth." Tristram commented as a earth fairy in front of them coughed in embarrassment.
"Do be careful, milady and sir knight. That nickname was given by the Anarchists in Norwich. Lord Spriggan has a deep dislike for that." He spoke as he ushered them into Spriggan's office.
It looked simple from the first glance, but Hermia could see it was fancy. The wooden walls were made from polished Kentish ebony that shown like a dark jewel, adorned by paintings of many human figures who Hermia could not recognise, along with golden sculptures of animals in beautiful postures on Spriggan's table.
On his chair sat Spriggan, a bell device in his ear as he muttered.
"Hm, are you sure? They were spotted near an Anarchist rally, you say?" He spoke. "Was there a guild member with them? Yes? Who was it? Tommy? Well, make sure this…"
Spriggan's eyes fell upon Hermia as he stopped.
"Ahem, we shall discuss this later. I have visitors." He spoke hanging up.
Spriggan then got up. "Welcome to Norwich, Þræl Hermia and Þræl Tristram. You have arrived in time." Spriggan spoke as Hermia smiled.
"I hope we didn't keep you waiting."
"Of course not! You are on time, as expected. Should I bring you up to speed with the status of fortifications?"
"...We'll take a look ourselves. No need for that, Lord Spriggan." Tristram spoke. "We wish to know that there is some other important thing you wanted to talk to us about."
Spriggan nodded. "Indeed. It was a rumour up until a few minutes back in my call." He spoke before picking up his cane and tapping the floor. Immediately, a circle of inscriptions lit up as shimmering images of two people appeared.
One was a golden-haired girl with green eyes and hair in a ponytail in a white sleeveless skirt and a grey hat with a staff, along with a short sword sheathed at her hip. With her was a tall brown-haired man with a scarred eye wearing archaic armor and a red cape.
"My spies have confirmed that the child of prophecy herself has been spotted in Norwich along with her companion."
Hermia stared at the blonde girl smiling as she walked through the streets.
This…is the leader of the Separatists? Hermia thought.
"What's her name?" Hermia asked. "She can't just be named 'the child of prophecy', can she?"
"Um, we haven't figured that out yet."
"Oh, I see…so they were spotted here."
"Indeed. Today, in fact. They were simply walking around the street listening to people talking." Spriggan spoke calmly.
"If some of the Sheffield separatists are here in Norwich, they must certainly be after something troublesome for us." Tristram spoke. "Perhaps trying to gather anti-royalist support?"
"That certainly may be the case. Many in this city despise the ducal system, seeing it as an extension of Morgan's 'oppressive' rule. Henceforth, those groups would make for expanding the support for the Sheffield Separatists."
"What if that's not the only reason?" Hermia spoke.
"Milady, I must tell you that it would not make sense for them not to approach anti-royalist groups in the city."
"I-I'm not saying they're not here for that reason. But what if there was something else? Say, the calamity?" Hermia spoke. "Isn't the child of prophecy also expected to fight against the calamities?"
Spriggan crossed his arms and frowned in contemplation.
"...You do have a point. It is also possible they are here for the calamity."
"So why don't we approach them?" Hermia spoke as Tristram looked at her.
"Hermia, I don't think…"
"We heard from the battle of Sheffield. They have many powerful warriors who could be useful for the coming battle with the calamity! I…know they're technically our enemies, but can't we set aside differences until the calamity has passed?"
The office was silent as Hermia blinked before shrinking in embarrassment.
"S-Sorry, I got a little bit…"
"The idea has merit." Spriggan once again spoke calmly. "But you must know that working with the separatists is risky. Not because that they are enemies, but because of what would happen should we beat the calamity."
"...?"
"Look at it this way, milady. Should the child of prophecy beat the calamity, she will get the credit from the people. It will strengthen the position of the separatists and attract more anti-royalists to their cause. A complete opposite of the main reason we are doing this…"
"..."
"Milady, you must realise politics is in many ways a game of showmanship. Whoever can give the grandest display wins the game of politics. So, when the people talk of the calamity of norwich, they must think the imperial army defeated it, not the Child of Prophecy and her band of Separatists."
Spriggan spread his arms slightly. "That is why it is essential we do not risk our image collaborating with the separatists. I hope you understand."
Hermia shivered at the last word.
So we can't collaborate? Hermia thought with a frown. She understood that it was risky allying with the enemy, but Hermia for some reason didn't feel a sense of animosity from the child of prophecy.
"Ok, then. We have weeks, no?"
"Indeed."
"Then we shall find the separatists. They are separated from their forces, so now is a good time."
"They are quite powerful."
"We shall call our own allies to help deal with them. A Fyrd of slave knights should be good."
Spriggan nodded. "Very well then. My attendants shall escort you to your rooms. Have a good day!" Spriggan spoke cheerfully as Hermia and Tristram went to walk out.
"Oh, and do come to the dining hall! We're serving specialties from Norwich's fresh fish up north away from the polluted waters!" Spriggan called out.
Artoria and Kay stood in front of the dingy apartment.
"Yuck, this doesn't look good…" Artoria spoke with a wince.
Kay turned to her with a deadpan expression. "Really? You're complaining about cleanliness?"
"Oi! I have standards!"
"Very low standards. I must give this house credit that it managed stoop even lower than that."
"Grrr…" Artoria growled as the two of them entered and headed up the stairs.
"Whoever lives here does not take care of the house." Artoria commented.
"They've had 4000 years, and they still don't bother with sanitation. At least get some mint twigs to brush your teeth, for god's sake."
"I thought you said your towns were dirty."
"Blame the modern humans of Proper Human History. They've attributed a certain image to us. That 'dirty' image modern humans have of the middle ages only applies to the overcrowded cities where it was really, really difficult to maintain hygiene. We did keep a note about cleanliness, unlike your villages."
"Goodness me, its like you two are siblings with the amount of bickering you engage in." Holmes spoke leaning on his cane at the top of the stairs.
"Then what about you and Watson?" Artoria shot back.
Holmes laughed. "We're different. Watson only gets annoyed. There's not verbal exchange in front of my cunning."
"If your cunning could so please help me with the blasted stove, it would be appreciated." Watson's voice came from a room right next to where Holmes was standing.
"Is that your room?" Artoria spoke as Holmes nodded.
"That's right. Come in!" Holmes spoke ushering them into quite an empty room with a bed and couch, a low quality hornby and bell device mounted next to the window, and more rooms leading to a kitchen and a bathroom.
"Where are the others?" Artoria asked.
"Ironbridge." Holmes responded. "Da Vinci informs me that she shall be bringing another person to our home."
"Another person? Who?"
"A colleague of hers, apparently."
Oh? That's interesting… Artoria thought as she and Kay looked around the room, before they heard footsteps at the door.
"Oh, that must be our landlord." Holmes spoke.
Artoria suddenly felt a tingling of power as she turned around to notice an earth fairy…except he was extremely old. Old enough to make even Ector look young. The fairy had long white hair and a beard running down his shoulders, wearing a monocle on his left eye along with a dirty white shirt and black apron and brown trousers.
The fairy, who was about to enter the room, stopped. He was staring directly at Artoria in muted shock, before his eyes suddenly narrowed into glare.
Artoria fidgeted a little bit, as she could sense the fairy didn't particularly like her.
"...You…"
It was a single word, but Artoria could feel the dense mana laced behind those venomous words. Whatever the case, it was clear this fairy was at least a 1000 years old.
"Ah, hello master Eisen." Holmes spoke. "We have some guests in our house…"
The earth fairy blinked before squinting at Artoria. "No, you're not her…and pray tell me, young man, why do you have a ghost as a guest?"
"Ghost? Oh dear, Eisen, you mean something like that tagged along?" Holmes asked as his eyes flicked to Kay, who stared at Eisen silently.
Eisen stared at Artoria a little bit more before shaking his head. "Holmes…are they staying here?"
"Yes. Is that fine with you?"
"...Yes. Just…apologies, milord and milady, I am not good with socialising. I would appreciate it if you do not come visit me. Just pretend I'm not here." Eisen spoke.
"He seems to harbor animosity towards you, master." Kay spoke in Artoria's mind.
"Yeah, that glare? I felt as if I'd done him some great wrong in the past or something."
"Whatever the case, he seems more melancholic now. Although I do detect a little bit of anger in his voice."
Eisen seemed a bit of a bitter old man, and Artoria was slightly confused as to what she'd done to garner such anger considering she was meeting Eisen for the first time.
Aw…I was kind of hoping I'd get to see his forge. Artoria thought. Ector told her about the wondrous forges of Norwich. He'd said that in those forges, miracles comparable to Morgan's magecraft were performed to craft extremely powerful weapons as Ector remembered from his youth.
"I wish I got to see how a Norfolk forge works…" Artoria spoke.
Eisen, who was turning around, looked at Artoria one last time.
For a split second, Artoria felt Eisen's gaze soften a little and his anger be temporarily muted by a deep sadness before he walked out of the door.
Holmes chuckled. "Well, well, well, milady! I'm impressed. That old dwarf only gave me a raised eyebrow of annoyance no matter what I did and all it took was your face to make him lose it."
"Holmes, is this really the time?"
"Oh please Watson, it's just that initial cold reception to meeting new people. I'm sure his anti-social tendencies are acting up again.
Somehow, I feel Eisen's anger has a different reason. Artoria thought.
"Anyways, it is a shame Eisen doesn't seem to like you. Despite finding me annoying, he is quite the gentleman." Holmes spoke as Watson looked down the window.
"Oh, they're here!" Watson spoke. "And they have someone odd with them."
A few moments later, Da Vinci and Muramasa appeared at the doorstep, with someone else behind them.
"I guess the fates were really smiling upon us that I bumped into you guys in the factory district." The person spoke, laughing as Artoria stared at him.
The person was a boy just of her age, with curly brown hair and brown eyes and pointy ears like a wind fairy's and a smile disturbingly like Puck's. The boy wore a strange brown coat which seemed very baggy with a hood at its back. Under that, was a dirty white shirt and strange blue pants whose texture was different from what Artoria was used to. Artoria also noticed a tool belt around the boy's jeans.
"Oh, you got another fairy with you?" Artoria asked as Da Vinci coughed while the boy laughed.
"See, I told you I'd blend in! No one would ever think I'm not a fairy with my devilish ears!" He spoke as Artoria blinked.
"Wait, what? You're human?"
"Partly, señora. But yeah, I'm human." The boy spoke.
"And this is?" Kay asked.
"Well, my position in Chaldea is of course technical advisor." Da Vinci spoke. "But that post has actually two individuals occupying it. One is my self, and the other is held by…"
"Leonidas Valdez. You can call me Leo for short." The boy spoke.
"There is something odd about him. I guess he is right about being partially human." Kay spoke in her mind.
"Yeah. There's something within his body, and its rich in mana." Artoria replied. She was tempted to use her fae eyes, but she held back and smiled.
"Hi, Leo! I'm Artoria Caster. This is my servant Kay!" She spoke as Leo waved to Kay.
"What brings you here, Mr. Valdez?" Kay asked Leo.
Leo glanced at Sherlock. "Uh, Da Vinci, do you think…?"
Da Vinci smiled apologetically at Holmes and Watson. "Um, could you give us a little time, Mr. Holmes and Mr. Watson?"
"Oh, I see. Holmes, off to the room!" Watson spoke as he grabbed Holmes' coat and dragged him off to a different room.
"Anyways, the guys back in Chaldea were worried about our 'universal genius' disappearing, so I came here to just check on how you guys were doing."
"Yeah, Leo, but that traps you here with us, does it not?" Da Vinci laughed.
"Hey, I'm still Leo Valdez, Vinci. I also came here to figure out the mumbo jumbo our Lostbelt King as put on this island, so that I can reverse engineer their magic and establish communications with Chaldea." Leo spoke with a grin.
"But…how do you intend to get past Morgan?" Artoria asked.
"Ah, right. Da Vinci did say the spooky witch is the Lostbelt King here. Hehe, I've had experience dealing with all-powerful magical beings before. As soon as I figure out how Britain's TV network works, I can easily piggyback on the wicked witch of the west and dash any need for us to communicate by letter."
"Oh! So you're helping us against Morgan?" Artoria asked.
"Yeah…but in a very limited way. What I'll do is get you connected to the rest of Chaldea. But beyond that…I'll not be very active." Leo spoke.
"But why?" Da Vinci spoke.
"...Hey, its not like I won't help. You need a good blacksmith to make you fancy toys, then Uncle Leo's got you covered here in Norwich! You need a middleman to foster relations with Chaldea, Uncle Leo's got you covered. But beyond that…"
Leo looked down.
"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse. Even after I finished setting up communications with Chaldea, I would be on a mission on my own."
Artoria noticed Da Vinci grow nervous.
"MOIRAI?"
"Yeah. I still have questions about what MOIRAI showed me back on Olympus, and Hestia told me the answers to my questions lie in Britain. If I can do that, It'll give us a better idea what comes after the Lostbelts."
"Uh…Moeeraee? Olimpoos?" Artoria asked as Leo winced.
"Dear gods. I feel like Zeus just felt a tingle down his spine with that pronunciation."
"What are you talking about?" Kay asked.
"Chaldea stuff. Things for the future that we can't talk much about." Leo replied. "But let's forget about that. As long as you're in Norwich, I'll be playing an active role! So tell me, what's the main schbang here?"
With that, Kay began telling Leo about the case of the calamity
Soon, Leo put a finger to his lips. "So…you're telling me Norwich is about to get destroyed by something called a 'calamity'? Aww, but I just came to this city!"
"We still have weeks before the calamity, but yes, that's the situation."
"Hmm…And you want señora here to be the one to beat it? Ooh, devious politics." Leo spoke giggling before coughing.
"Sorry, sorry. But…I suppose you need me to make a certain weapon?" Leo asked.
"Yeah." Muramasa told him.
"First of all, are we okay with this guy being a part of this?" Leo asked stabbing a thumb at Muramasa who scowled at him.
"For the last time, Leo, yes. We can trust Muramasa for now." Da Vinci spoke exasperatedly.
"Okay, okay, no biggie. But even then, why can't he do it?"
"I can make a sword…but that's my specialty. From what I saw on Olympus, you're a lot more versatile."
"Ok, fair point. But I don't know what kind of materials to work with here in Britain. If I were to make a weapon, I'd need some local expertise…"
"Eisen?" Artoria suggested.
"I suggest we respect his privacy, master. There are many other blacksmiths here in Norwich who we can work with." Kay spoke.
For some reason, Artoria had a feeling she was being watched when she mentioned Eisen's name.
"With that, we can go look for a blacksmith who'd be able to make such a weapon."
"How do we do that? Are you sure…they'll listen to me?"
"Master, please remember that you are no longer a country girl slinking in the shadows of Salisbury. You have been officially recognised by an entire secessionist faction as the Child of the Prophecy and were a part of a battle that defeated the imperial army itself. You have to understand your position is different from Salisbury and you have a lot more commanding power than you did back then."
Kay put a hand on her shoulder and winked at her.
"So, I suggest you work on that." He spoke.
Artoria smiled sheepishly. "Gee, you think that…Kay?"
"Of course not. I was just pointing out how you look like to everyone else. To me, you're still a stinky pig who faints more frequently than she eats."
Artoria's smile turned forced at the overt insult as Leo whistled.
"I don't know, señora here looks really good. I'd say she'd look better in a wreath of…Ah." Leo shrunk back as Kay loomed over him.
"Was that a flirt, Mr. Valdez?"
"W-What do you mean?" Leo spoke sweating in nervousness. "Who said anything about a flirt? It's just a harmless compliment, hehehe…Besides, I already have a girl waiting for me back home."
At that moment, Artoria noticed Leo fiddle with a bronze compass-like object with a green crystal embedded in it.
Kay stepped back as Leo wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"At any point, our next job should be finding a faerie blacksmith willing to help us with that endeavor."
At that moment, Anice, Habetrot and the Silent Knight entered the apartment, all three giving off an aura of surprise.
"Everybody!" Habetrot spoke. "We've got something to tell you!"
"What happened?" Artoria asked.
"We've found Ritsuka!" Habetrot spoke as Leo turned around.
"You found Ritsie too?! Wow, I guess coming here was a good idea then!"
"Kay, Anice, Da Vinci, Sir Knight, let's go." Artoria ordered.
"You want to come, Leo?" Da Vinci asked.
"Nah, I'm good. I'm sort of tired right now lugging this guy around." Leo spoke gesturing to his bronze suitcase. "I need a little rest."
"Alright then, we'll report what we found out.
"I'll tell those two you're gone." Muramasa spoke before looking at Habetrot.
"Wanna check out the kitchen?"
"Sure."
With that, the five of them scrambled out of the apartment and went down the stairs.
On their way down, Artoria came across Eisen who was absentmindedly smoking a pipe as his weary eyes flicked to them.
"Off to find a smith?" He asked.
"No, Mr. Eisen. It's a different reason."
"Well, whatever the case…you won't find what you're looking for. This isn't Caer Went anymore, this is Norwich."
Artoria glanced back at Eisen for a second, before Kay dragged her out.
Caer Went? Artoria thought, as a memory of Ector came to her.
"Don't blame me I'm not on the level of the smiths of Caer Went."
"Caer Went? What's that?"
"Ah, right. It's now called Norwich. Sorry…Caer Went was what Norwich went by before Morgan became the queen. It means 'Fortified Market' in Prydain before Morgan gave it an Orknö name. You'll hardly find anyone who knows about Caer Went these days. Only ones who lived before Morgan's reign."
If Eisen knows about that…then… Artoria frowned.
After she came back, she'll have a talk with Eisen.
The factories of Ironbridge were massive, covering hills like insects with their smoke stacks protruding from the hill, releasing smoke into the atmosphere. Artoria could see how this smoke could warp Norwich's texture. The factories not only made regular weapons, but ones enchanted with mana. The result of this process had residual mana sticking with the smoke…which had its consequences.
"Morgan's spear, how much iron plates do we have to produce?" A human worker pushing a cart of coals towards a factory spoke, huffing.
"Imperial orders, slave." An Earth fairy spoke gruffly beside him. "The Ashen Throne requires those plates."
"But what do they need them for? Sticking them onto our ships? I just want to get back to good old swords!"
"Oi…" An earth fairy spoke from nearby, hefting his golden axe.
"You complaining about the Queen's orders?"
"N-No, Sir Wache! Hail Queen Morgan, my good man! I'm just…"
"I'll let it slide. But word of warning…" The earth fairy grew fearful.
"We've got Slave Knights in the city. Those mad zealots won't tolerate even a joke on their master. Say that in front of them, and you'll find yourself missing a head."
The human worker gulped and quietly pushed his cart towards the factories.
"Where is Ritsuka precisely?" Artoria asked Habetrot.
"She's at Ironbridge's Speakers' corner. Spriggan is giving a speech to be broadcasted across Norwich over there." She spoke as the group soon put on a disguise of Gloucestran merchants and moved to an open square filled with workers, Norfolk soldiers and Imperial Slave Knights.
Artoria shivered as she walked past the Slave Knights, who silently looked at them from the slits of their helmets with suspicion. She had no intention to take on them, knowing very well they could cut her down with ease.
The podium for the Speakers' Corner had been set up, and alongside Earth fairy soldiers, Spriggan stood addressing the massive gathering of fairy and human workers.
"...You are all expected to retreat from the surface when the calamity arrives. No citizen must be seen on the streets while the Þræls are doing their job! Do that, and I assure you we will persevere through this time of crisis like our ancestors."
Oddly, the crowd remained silent.
"What's…" Artoria hissed as Habetrot pinched her leg.
"Quiet, you're not supposed to speak."
Artoria wanted to ask the reason, but kept her mouth shut in fear Habetrot would pinch her again.
As Spriggan droned on, Artoria's eyes fell on the Þræls standing off to the side.
Ritsooca. Artoria thought as Ritsooca stood stoically, her uniform that Da Vinci talked about still there along with a cloak emblazoned with the Imperial coat of arms.
"Oh, would you look at that? There's that blind, depressed idiot to her right." Kay grumbled as Artoria took note of the red-haired knight standing right next to Ritsooca.
Artoria's cheeks went pink at the sight of him. That knight was…very handsome. But then she looked at Ritsooca again.
So this was the person Da Vinci was looking for — the master from Chaldea.
Considering how Da Vinci spoke of her, Artoria could tell Ritsooca had done…many great things.
Further, Artoria deflated. Another powerful ally, another crutch to support herself on…
No! Artoria shook her head, Puck's stinging words coming to her mind. She shouldn't be pretending to be sad. No, this was a good thing.
This was a good thing…
…
…
…Right?
Artoria took a shaky breath as she looked at Ritsooca. Why did Chaldea even need her? If they got Ritsooca back, she was sure they'd be capable of taking Morgan by themselves. Why would she be needed?
Artoria thought of when the people of Sheffield chanted her name…no, her title. At that moment, Artoria was so afraid to use her fae eyes and take a look into their true actions.
How could someone like her have the courage to stand on that stage and look at the people with the same smile Ritsooca was giving?
She shook her head. She could not trust anybody, because if she looked deeper, all the faith she'd have would vanish in an instant.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable?" She heard Kay's voice.
Artoria silently nodded. Suddenly, she didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to look at Ritsooca anymore.
The group quietly made their way out of Korrigan square, heading to an empty place to regroup…
"Halt." An emotionless voice spoke as Artoria froze, slowly turning around as two Slave Knights walked up to the group.
"Are you sure, Oswald?" A Slave knight asked the first one.
"Yes, yes, I'm quite sure."
"It's not your bloody paranoid mind speaking?"
"Would you quit being a prick, Godwin?" Oswald replied in a dry tone before turning to the group.
"Excuse me, but you are under suspicion of using cloaking magecraft, a violation of the Code of Lugh set by our High Queen. Drop it immediately or else we will have to turn you over."
A bead of sweat went down Artoria's forehead.
"Run?"
"Run."
Artoria unsheathed her blade in an attempt to ward off Oswald, but the knight already had his own sword out as he effortlessly blocked Artoria's strike.
"...Sorry?" Artoria asked with a nervous smile before Oswald pushed her back to block a strike from Kay. Godwin rushed at them, but The Silent Knight charged forward to. Both Kay and the Silent Knight sent the two Slave Knights skidding back with the force of their blows before making a run for it.
"Þræl carls! Cumaþ tō Korrigan þingi!" Artoria heard Oswald shout into a rune, before the two of them ran in pursuit of Artoria's group, chasing them through the narrow streets of ironbridge.
"Master…" Artoria heard Kay speak as she nodded as she threw a bunch of pipe bombs under her feet.
"There, that should…bwah?!" To Artoria's surprise, the Slave Knights without any concern ran straight into the explosions, coming out unscathed as a blue layer of mana rippled around them.
"Really? Pipe bombs against Slave Knights?" Kay spoke.
"Oi, I didn't know they'll just run through them!" Artoria snapped at him before Kay sighed.
"Whatever, keep running. We'll cover your escape. Gala…I mean, Anice, with me" Kay spoke as he and Anice stopped. Kay unsheathed his sword and brought out his water shield as Oswald stopped his pace to engage Kay.
"Oswald?" Godwin spoke coming up behind him.
"It's alright. The others will get them. We'll bring these ones in." Oswald replied as he parried Kay's swing and nearly cut Kay's head off.
Kay took a glance at Artoria before bashing Oswald back, although it did very little to disbalance the Slave Knight.
"Now…let's see what these Slave Knights can do." He muttered.
The rest of the group, meanwhile, move through Ironbridge, dodging workers in strange automated contraptions walking around while trying not to run into Slave Knights.
Artoria had no idea how long she'd been running before she could confirm that they'd given the slip.
"What about Kay and Anice?" Da Vinci asked.
"They'll make their way back." Artoria spoke. "Right now, Ritsooca's here, and she's working for Spriggan."
"Right. I didn't expect her to come to Norwich, but now that she is here…we'll have to be extra careful." Da Vinci spoke.
"Damn it, I thought my cloak would fool the Slave Knights. Looks like I was wrong." Artoria spoke.
"Its ok, but whatever is the case, this does not bode well for us. There's a chance we've raised suspicion about our presence in the city, and they're likely to crack down further upon us." Da Vinci spoke.
"So we don't have time?" Artoria spoke.
"For now, its best we quickly find a smith who can help us forge a weapon, then get out of this city as fast as possible. We can always come back once the calamity approaches."
"Yes, I think you're right." Artoria spoke. "So, we stay as a group?"
"Indeed. Splitting up now would be risky."
"Alright then, let's go."
The afternoon was spent going from shop to shop. Immediately, Artoria ran into problems.
"Sorry miss. But I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about."
"What do you mean a weapon to destroy a calamity? What a foolish thing."
"Are you a nutcase, by chance?"
"Sorry, we still have a lot of plates left to supply. We can't help you."
It wasn't that the smiths were refusing to help her. No, its like they weren't even aware what they had to do. They didn't even know such a weapon could even be made.
But how? I thought the Earth clan was known for making legendary weapons in the past. But these smiths know nothing beyond making regular iron weapons and outfitting them with weak enchantments. Artoria thought.
"This turned out to be more of a disappointment than I expected." Da Vinci spoke dejectedly.
"It's been so long since I visited Norwich, but it seems its smiths' quality have fallen drastically since its days as Caer Went." Habetrot spoke shaking her head.
In front of Holmes' apartment, the group noticed Kay and Anice turn up, both of them sporting dents, cuts and bruises.
"Well…these Slave Knights are a lot tougher than I thought." Kay spoke.
"What took you so long?"
"Heh. Those initial two stalled us long enough for reinforcements to arrive. We spent the rest of the day playing cat and mouse with a platoon of Slave Knights. Bastards were really smart and skilled, but we took out some of them." Kay spoke. "Yeah. I'm not taking those monsters on without sufficient support again."
"Agreed…ow." Anice spoke wincing.
"How did your search go?" Kay asked as Artoria slumped.
"...Oh, dear. No one."
"No, we couldn't get anyone."
"Then we'll have to try again tomorrow."
"We may not have much time, Kay." Da Vinci warned.
"I know, I'm pretty sure they figured out who we were and will start looking. But we can't leave this city without a firm plan of action. For now, let's just go back to the apartment and rest. We can think of our plans tomorrow."
With that, they entered the apartment, where Holmes and Watson were happily munching on some weird dish which was a bunch of food wrapped up in a flatbread. Leo was happily cooking in the Kitchen as Muramasa ate the dish as well.
"I gotta admit, Valdez, these 'tacos' of yours taste really good."
"Of course they do! I made them! Oh, welcome back!" Leo spoke with a grin as Artoria's mouth started watering.
"Agh, that smell…" She spoke as she walked up to Leo.
"Oh, ho, ho! Looks like I snagged another victim. Here, have a taco! I didn't have much to work with but Salisbury cheese really makes up for it!" Leo spoke handing her a wrap.
"Thank you~" Artoria spoke with a smile before munching on it.
"Ohhhh…" Artoria munched on the taco, her hunger from the entire day making the wrap taste even more delicious than it is in her mouth.
Kay chuckled. "Someone was hungry." He spoke.
"This is fantastic, Mr. Valdez." Watson spoke as Holmes grinned.
"Indeed. Could you teach us?"
"I will! For now, let Uncle Leo cook up your dinner!"
After dinner, Everyone started preparing to sleep. Muramasa and Kay turned to their spirit forms. The Silent Knight simply laid down their cloak and slept in it, Da Vinci slept on the couch while Anice and Artoria were given Holmes' and Watson's beds, the two Oxford alumni choosing to sleep in the kitchen. Leo somehow found a way to make a hammock, swinging peacefully on it with Habetrot sleeping beside him. They made a weird duo.
"Artoria, you're sleeping?" Anice asked as she laid down in her white tunic while Artoria adjusted her grey one.
"I…" At that moment, Artoria remembered something.
"I'll sleep in a few minutes, just hold on." She spoke, before walking out of the apartment, silently closing the door as she stared at the dark staircases. The city was very noisy even at night, as night shifts replaced the exhausted workers while the harbor was still alive with ships coming down from Edinburgh. So, Artoria could still hear the engines of the automobiles moving outside as well as the hum of mana keeping the Taranis airships in the air.
In that sounds and darkness, Artoria descended down the stairs, finding herself in front of Eisen's door.
It was locked, but Artoria simply tapped her staff against it and whispered a few words.
With a click, the door opened and Artoria ventured inside.
Eisen's room was not as empty as Holmes and Watson's, filled with different trinkets and sculptures made out of metal. The Earth Fairy himself was nowhere to be seen. Artoria noticed a small wooden hatch on the floor and leaned down towards it…
"Why…are you here?" A voice with an angry growl that made Artoria's hairs stand on end.
A powerful hand clamped down on her arm as she looked back to see Eisen giving her a hateul glare.
"I told you not to come, girl!" He snapped as he tried to drag her out of the room.
Artoria got over her initial shock and shook her head.
"Eisen, hold on…"
"I don't want to see your face here, Aes…" Eisen stopped himself as Artoria's hand blew a gust of wind, blowing Eisen's arm back as Artoria slammed her staff with a reverberating sound that rang across the apartment.
"How do you know that name?" Artoria spoke seriously as Eisen, realising his mistake, looked down.
"..."
"Eisen, how do you know the name 'Aesc'? How do you know Norwich's old name?" She asked with an uncharacteristic stern tone.
Eisen and Artoria stared at each other silently, neither back down before the old smith grunted.
"Maggot's arse, me and my big mouth…" He spoke in annoyance before snapping his fingers.
Immediately, one of the sculptures lit up like a lamp.
"I should have realised this would happen. I didn't expect it to be this quickly. But alright then. What do you want to ask?"
"...Who are you?" Artoria asked.
The fairy sat down on his chair.
"That is a long story. Now sit down." Eisen spoke as Artoria sat down in front of him.
"I know why you're here, Avalon Le Fae…" Eisen began as Artoria's eyes widened in shock.
"W-What? H-How do you…?"
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Eisen, formerly an aldersmith of the city of Caer Went…now a bitter old fairy of Norwich. Thousands of years ago, my house found itself visited by Orcadian princess Aesc…"
A/N: It's taken me so long to update that Traum came out (Goodness, that's really bad). It's been a really bad time for me in terms of consistency. I've been a lazy bastard with uploading these chapters, but since my semester's ending, I should now be a bit more frequent with the updates.
Anyways, yes. As you can see, Leo Valdez is here. I was planning to have my LB5 rewrite to be a crossover with PJO, henceforth the presence of Leo. I'll explain more about how Leo ended up in the FGO universe with the LB5 rewrite. But at any rate, this story won't turn into a crossover. Leo will remain relatively a minor character here, because I don't feel right shoehorning Leo into the storyline. So, I'll just keep him minor so that I don't turn this fanfic into a crossover.
For Spriggan's castle, it is pretty much inspired from Norwich castle (Which is like a giant box). I just felt it fit the aesthetic of a vault that kept Spriggan's wealth in it.
No Pepe this chapter, but don't worry, He'll be coming soon enough.
Besides that, we have another OC - Eisen. I have a sort of theme being planned out for each of the clan capitals of Britain relating to Aesc, and Eisen is sort of the one fitting that theme for Norwich. I sat down to plan out his character backstory that you can see relates with Aesc. More will be revealed later on. Now that my schedule is less hectic, I'll try to see if I can get more chapters out.
Hope you guys enjoyed and constructive criticism is appreciated!
Foot Notes:
Þræls: Servants to the High Queen Morgan, her personal slaves. Becoming a Þræl of the High Queen was considered one of the highest administrative offices in Britain, occupied only by Slave Knights and now Hermia and Tristram. No Duke has the authority to obstruct the Þræls in their activities.
Speakers' Corner: The Speaker's corner is a special spot in a British city where the public gather for discussions and speeches. The Code of Lugh designates the Speakers' corner as a sacred place of free speech, where no one but the speaker is permitted to speak. However, some Dukes and Earls have attempted to use these corners as places to feed their propaganda to the people. The Speaker's corner has its origins within the Thing assemblies of Orkney and the 'Free tongue' philosophy of Salisbury.
Wache: The special police force of Ironbridge, ensuring work goes smoothly and no worker attempts to disrupt the production line. The Wache were formed out of the old Stone army of the Earth clan to protect the rights of guilds, but have become mercenaries under the payroll of those guilds to sabotage each other's operations.
Prydain: Prydain is the oldest language spoken in Britain. It originated with the first human clones of Cernunnos' priestess, who developed it to communicate better as they served as the slaves of the great fairies. Eventually, the clans would adopt Prydain as the universal language of Britain, from whom other languages would emerge like Orknö, Norfolk and Vox.
Þræl carls: Old Orknö for 'Slave Knight'.
Caer Went: The old name of Norwich. ?
Aldersmith: ?
Response to Reviews:
Guest (1): Indeed.
Pelican117: Oh, yeah. Beryl's my favourite crypter, because of how interesting his character could be. I thought Beryl had the potential to be a complex character, which I shall make him in this story. The changes I make to crypter magecraft will be the ones I touch upon. I will be changing Beryl and Pepe because of this story. Kirschtaria I will change since I have a LB5 rewrite planned. Kadoc and Daybit I will touch upon in LB7. The rest? Eh, I don't really plan on doing rewrites of the first four lostbelts (Although there may be a chance I do an LB4 rewrite). But all in all, for Daybit I'll try to have his magecraft remain alien but also mimic native american magecraft (Probably Navajo).
Guest (2): Thank you, but I can see the group is quite big, and it'll be a bit hard to balance out characters.
GrandMasterRed: I assume you mean Puck. I shall not talk about Puck, I'm afraid. If someone else, then no. Kay won't recognise them.
Hatred and Love: Yeah, but I should start paying a bit of attention what I should do with Oberon, since he's not getting much presence in this story.
RolePatrol: Heck yeah there are a lot and I'm figuring out how to introduce more. But, for the Traum rewrite...I'll skip it for now. You're right that it'd be too much, because I also have some of my more gigantic crossovers to update with this story.
Guest (3): Nah, I don't have faceclaims. I'll leave the appearance of my OCs to the audience's imagination. I feel its better to have you guys piece the scenery in your mind.
Maetirta: Yeah, need to make sure there's a point to this entire arc for Kay. I've already got Artoria's planned out, I just needed one for Kay too.
Isaasol2: No, It's not Berserk's Puck. This is the lostbelt variant of the Puck's namesake, who appears in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Interesting story that ties the myth of Theseus with British fairy folklore.
KingJGamer: Yes. Ritsuka's in her female form. That's mostly because I've chosen the female Ritsuka as the protagonist in my FGO account, so I'm just putting her there. As for whether Ritsuka will be sent back...we'll see.