Bring Down the Wall
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of A New Crusade! Apologies for the mild delay, I was fighting exhaustion for one reason or another all last week. And though the chapter is short, hopefully you'll still enjoy what's in store. But real quick, a couple of items of business. For FreakyFreek, the answer to your question is it's kind of up in the air. The original plan was just to have Rem as the love interest, especially given that Ulric is a Knight and a Christian. But, I believe there are some exceptions to be made if one goes back in the Old Testament about having multiple wives (Solomon the Wise comes to mind on that one). So with that in mind, I'd thought I'd ask all of you, my fellow readers, what do you think should happen? Should Rem remain Ulric's sole love interest, or should we expand a bit and make it a harem? Also, if you're reading this story, DCDGojira, I have looked at your idea and I can write it out at some point, but I can't say how soon it'll be. Now then, with that out of the way, onto the story!
Morning: The Sanctuary
'Where's the half elf girl, where's that smelly knight, and where's the Old Hag!' Were all thoughts on the mind of Garfiel Tinzel when he arrived at the village and found that all three of them were missing. The villagers themselves had been hard at work already, going from door to door and hiding place to possible hiding place to find them. As for Garfiel himself, there was one place he knew he needed to check: the lab where the original Old Hag, Ryuzu, had been cloned.
In truth, he only trusted that half-elf girl's knight, Ulric or whatever, to a small degree. He might look and act like a knight but he sure as shit stank like the Witch of Envy with plenty of miasma flowing out of his body at one time or another. Even the Old Hag, Ryuzu Shima, suspected that he might have something to do with the witch because of the stench. At least that's what she said at first, but then last night she suddenly changed her mind on the subject, saying that her observations of him didn't reveal anything directly connecting him to the Witch save for the miasma flowing from his body.
Either way, now that she'd suddenly disappeared, Garfiel had a rather bad feeling as he entered the lab formerly operated by the Witch of Greed, to find that it was already open. "What in the," said Garfiel as he entered the room with the large crystal. "Old Hag, hey Old Hag, you in here?!" He yelled while looking around the room frantically, his eyes roaming back and forth while his ears were poised for even the smallest sound. He wouldn't have had a problem finding the knight under normal circumstances, but the blasted room reeked of the Witch of Greed and her experiments. Wait a minute.
Garfiel went over everything in his head then: the half elf and her knight's disappearance, Old Hag Shima's sudden disappearance and the door being wide open with no sign of any of them. "Don't tell me," seethed Garfiel, "have they actually headed for-?"
"I'm truly sorry to disappoint you," said the voice of the merchant that had come here with the half elf and knight. Garfiel felt a hand on his shoulder then, but no one was there when he turned around. "But a friend of mine asked for some help, and while this is just a small role, I'm still determined to play it." The half beast boy turned to see the merchant standing a few feet away from him, casually adjusting his hat.
"What are you doing here?" Questioned Garfiel through gritted teeth.
"Well to be honest, the original plan was to try and talk things over with you here," explained Otto, "and with Ryuzu Shima present as well. But we had something of a last-minute change to our little conspiracy and now the host of the banquet is away. So with that in mind, would you care to play the host instead?"
A Short Time Later: The Witch's Graveyard
Ulric had to admit, the temple entrance to the Witch's Graveyard looked far less foreboding during the daytime. Not that it still wasn't given that he knew what lied beyond the entrance, but the daylight still managed to take away some of its mysterious air. "This was a pretty good idea," Ulric admitted as he and Emilia stopped by the entrance, "almost no one comes here due to the trials and even if they did, they couldn't follow us very far in."
"Are you sure you're not mad at me," Questioned Emilia, "you told me Otto and you had a plan in motion and now I've probably messed it up by asking you to bring me here."
"I've no reason to be mad given that-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" Ulric stopped speaking as the two of them turned towards the forest where the roar of Garfiel's beast form was coming from, "that was likely going to happen anyway. While Garfiel can be reasonable at times, this is something I feel he just wouldn't let go without a confrontation. But Otto is handling him for now, so we'll just have to have faith in him and let him play his part."
"Faith," repeated Emilia, "you talk about faith quite a lot. Just like you talk about this 'God' spirit of yours. I want to know, Ulric, have you ever lost faith in anyone or anything?" The Knight set his face in a frown. He'd always expected a question like this would come sooner or later, but to hear it coming from Emilia of all people was still surprising.
"You could say I have," replied Ulric as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking up towards the sky as he spoke, "I've lost faith in my generals before, my commanders, my fellow knights and have on more than one occasion questioned whether or not if God intended to forsake me. But from time to time, the former would redeem themselves in one way or another and God would provide a way for me to keep on living and fighting. And eventually I made it all the way to see and defend the Holy Land. I once thought it would've been a fine resting place, but as always God had his own plans for me, and here I stand now because of it."
"So people have broken their promises to you too," said Emilia, "then could you tell me, why Puck lied to me? Do you have any idea why he'd break our contract and leave me, even though he said he wouldn't?!" Tears began to flow from her eyes as she spoke, "he said it was to undo the seal on my memories, but why was this the only way? Why did he lie to me, why did Mother Fortuna lie to me, why did everyone lie to me?!" She buried her face in her hands at the end of her sentence, sobbing quietly as she let out all the sadness and frustration that had built up from the many recent revelations that had been revealed through Puck's departure.
Instead of answering right away, Ulric did the only thing he could think of at the moment and put a comforting hand on her shoulder before he spoke. "I can't really say I know or understand all of Puck's reasons for doing what he's done," began Ulric, "from what little I know about him, every action he took was intended to protect you to one degree or another. So if he chose now to leave, it's likely because that was the only way he could see to help you through this."
"But how could leaving help me," asked Emilia as she turned towards Ulric with tears still streaming down her face, "how do you know he wasn't angry with me or just decided to give up on me for failing too much?! How do you know it wasn't something that I did that drove him away?!"
"Because he always referred to you as his daughter," said Ulric, "if there's one thing I could tell about him for sure, it was that he loved you above all else. He loved you despite your flaws and imperfections because a parent loves their child unconditionally. And just like a parent, he had to do something that tore at his very heart yesterday, much like my parents did whenever they had to discipline me or when they didn't tell me of the true horrors that awaited me at the Crusades. Hard as it may be to believe, I think the reason he broke the contract to remove the seal on your memories was so you could face this trial now and conquer it."
"But even if I do, what then?" Asked Emilia, "Puck has helped me through so much, and you've helped me through so much. Now that Puck's gone, how do I know you won't leave soon? After all, you've gone through so much pain because of me, wouldn't it be easier on you if you just left?"
"Perhaps, but there's no guarantee," said Ulric, "I was raised a knight, I've fought as a knight and I've lived as a knight up to this point. And given my penchant for finding trouble in this kingdom, it's always possible working as a knight anywhere else could be just as difficult."
"But," said Emilia hesitantly, "what if I ordered you to stop being a knight? What if I released you from your oath right now and told you to go wherever you wanted?"
"Then I'd have to take a job at the mansion, or the village at least," replied Ulric, "as I mentioned back at the cottage, I'm not just your knight, I am also your friend. And I doubt you'd want to break Rem's heart by trying to send me away."
"Then I could just send you and Rem away somewhere," said Emilia, "you'd both be safer and have a chance at a good life."
"You'd have to send Ram away too if that were the case and she isn't about to go too far from Roswaal if she can help it," Ulric pointed out, "plus, even if the two sisters don't remember each other right now, curiosity would have Rem wanting to keep coming back to the mansion for a visit. And Petra would likely pester Frederica to have me visit at least the village from time to time. So it seems one way or the other our fate, even if it is loosely, is more or less tied together."
"And what about me personally," asked Emilia, "if none of those other people, if your duty didn't keep you near me. Would you still support me, would you still want to be near me?"
"If I may be perfectly frank about a few items on that subject," said Ulric, "your self-esteem is far lower than it should be for one of your abilities. You're incredibly naïve and while capable of putting up a strong front for those in need, you fold far too quickly when you think you're alone. Tell me, did Puck do everything for you while you two lived in the woods? Moreover, you worry too much about getting validation from others. Surely it's occurred to you there are some people in this world whose opinions aren't worth giving a second thought too? And to top it all off, you truly underestimate yourself."
"You're….absolutely right, about all of that," said Emilia, "but you still haven't answered me. If I'm really so flawed, why did swear an oath to me as a knight, why do you wish to continue being my friend?"
"Because despite all of that," said Ulric, "you're still a wonderful person in my eyes. You took a young knight who didn't know magic, a thing about this land or even the written language and gave him an opportunity, nae, a purpose to his life once again. Moreover, despite what I've told you about the blood staining my hands from years of warfare, you haven't once judged me to be a horrible person despite knowing nothing of God's forgiving ways. You accept me and others for who we are and show mercy to even your enemies. What you need to understand is that I do not expect you to be perfect, nor should you try and force yourself to be perfect for true perfection is not something that is attainable by any of us in this life."
"You mean….you're okay with me being…..like this," said Emilia as she finally met his eyes, "you'll forgive me for being selfish from time to time, forgive me for failing?"
"We all fail at one point or another," said Ulric, "if you knew how many times I've failed since coming to this land, you'd be astonished. That's why I've tried to improve upon myself, to better protect my friends and loved ones and tried to learn new and better ways to fight the battles we face. But I am not the only one who can improve. You still have plenty of room to grow and improve yourself, Emilia, and from time to time that will be painful. But if you resolve yourself to face your fears and persevere through the hardships of the path you've set before yourself, then you can succeed."
"And if the memories I'm getting back change me for the worst," questioned Emilia, "if I become different from how I am now, what will you do?"
"You'd have to turn as black hearted and evil as an actual witch before I ever even considered drawing my blade against you," said Ulric, "and even then, I'd pray for and look for whatever path God would provide for me to bring you back. Not just because I am your knight, but also because I care for you like a sister. So if you happen to change a bit, I'll merely work to adjust to it and continue caring for you like I do now." Emilia didn't say anything at first, but eventually, a ghost of a smile crossed her face.
"It really is hard to shake your faith in anything once you've made your mind up about it," said Emilia, "but you did have to go through a lot to get there, didn't you? And if I want to help those precious to me, I guess I'll have to work on having the same kind of resolve, even if I do fail sometimes."
"Truly facing this trial would be a good step in that direction I think," said Ulric as he held his hand out, "go and face the truth of your past. Painful as it may be, it is something we all must do at one point or another." Emilia nodded her head in understanding as she started to walk towards the temple entrance. But she paused upon the sound of a familiar snarling at the foot of the stairs.
"Garfiel," said Ulric as he and Emilia took note of the half beast man's bloodied condition and his missing vest, "what in the world happened? I told Otto to delay you, not attempt to injure you." 'That blasted idiot,' he thought, 'we're not trying to make an enemy out of him.'
"I'm pretty surprised too," said Garfiel, "I never knew he'd have it in 'im to do something like this. The slippery bastard even managed to win Ram over, though I hear you had as much to do with that as he did. And now here I am, a complete mess."
"Are Ram and Otto alive?" Questioned Ulric as he narrowed his eyes at the Sanctuary's protector.
"What you and they are planning don't mean shit to me," said Garfiel dismissively, "so no, I didn't shred them even though they really pissed me off. And as long as you move out of the way, I won't do anything to either of you."
"What exactly are your intentions with the Graveyard?" asked Ulric as he gripped the sheath on his belt.
"I plan on smashing up the entrance and putting an end to all of this!" Exclaimed Garfiel.
"You know that will not only trap all of the Sanctuary's residents, but Lady Emilia as well," Ulric pointed out, "I doubt that's what the rest of the villagers here want. Moreover, I can't allow you to-." The Knight was halted in his speech as Emilia stepped forward and held both of her arms out protectively in front of the entrance.
"And just what are you tryin' ta pull, huh?" Questioned Garfiel irritably at the sight before him.
"First, answer me this Garfiel," said Emilia, "what is it in this temple that you're so afraid of?"
"What," said a now mildly confused Garfiel, "you think I'm afraid of something?"
"I know you're afraid," said Emilia, "you're shouting and trying to make yourself look bigger, which makes it an bigger giveaway about what you really feel."
"You really think you know anything about me?" Garfiel shot back.
"I don't think, I know for a fact," said Emilia as she put a hand to her chest, "I know because..….I've been afraid of so many things throughout my life. In fact, up until today I lived in fear. I realize now that I left all of the bad things in Puck's hands so that I could forget them. But now he's gone, and I've come to remember it all."
"You just shut up," snapped Garfiel between gritted teeth. But Emilia wouldn't be deterred.
"Even though I remember now," Said Emilia, "I'm still not entirely sure what it is I need to do. I still need to find that precious something for myself. But you-."
"I said shut up," repeated Garfiel, "don't you dare….don't you dare say anymore!"
"You've already found that precious something for yourself, haven't you," continued Emilia, unperturbed.
"I said to shut your damn mouth already!" Yelled Garfiel as he took a couple steps forward.
"Are you really this cowardly Garfiel," asked Ulric suddenly, stopping the half beast man in his tracks, "tell me, how many times did you attempt the trial? I know you went through it once, did you make any other attempts?" The growling protector remained silent, telling the knight what he needed to know. "It's true, Emilia has failed and retreated from the trial in disgrace over and over again because of the painful past she's seen, but in spite of that she kept coming back to try and succeed. A pitiful sight it may have been, but far less pitiful than the supposedly strong protector who gave up and ran."
"What did you just say," seethed Garfiel as he took another step.
"As much as you claim to despise her," said Ulric, "I don't believe you hate Frederica, and given that you kept the last name I don't believe you hold a grudge against your mother for leaving either." This caught Garfiel's attention as his face turned from anger to shock. "I'm not sure if she ever told you, but Frederica left so that she could make a place in the outside world for all of you, likely believing that the Sanctuary would be liberated one day. Tell me, what have you accomplished in all that time other than keeping everyone here who wanted to leave? What are you afraid of, Garfiel-?"
"The outside world took her from me!" Yelled Garfiel as he was suddenly on the verge of tears, "all I wanted…was for Mother to be happy. And we…Fred and I were in the way, weren't we? It only makes sense, doesn't it, we were in the way of her happiness to the point that she couldn't even look at us, right? What's wrong with dumping baggage like that if it was in the way of her being happy?! You're right, okay, I don't have anything against my Mother for leaving…but in the trial….I saw it."
He covered his face with his hands as he continued. "Shortly after she left, there was a landslide. She died, why did she have to die? Wasn't she supposed to find happiness by leaving here? If she abandoned us only to die before finding happiness…...what are we supposed to do? All I wanted was for Mom to be happy, to believe that our sadness and loneliness was worth it if she was happy. I wanted her to make me hate her!"
"I see," said Ulric as he bowed his head and offered a quick prayer, "God desired her to be somewhere else."
"Save it," said Garfiel with a dismissive wave, "I'm not letting you make it to the outside world. Things changin' ain't gonna make everyone happy. For a lot of us, nothing's ever gonna get better!" He clenched his fists then as a red aura enveloped his body, "so I'm gonna protect them, protect everyone within my reach, I'll become a barrier myself! And not just a barrier that lets some things in and some things out, but a real barrier that separates the outside from the inside! The Sanctuary, the Old Hag, the rest of the people here, I'll protect them all!"
"No one else but me can do it, no one but me will know," said Garfiel as he began to transform, "and no one else needs to know!" His body began to expand and transform then, taking on the massive tiger-like body of his beast form.
"You're half right," said Ulric as he drew his sword, before planting it in the dirt, "change may not make everyone happy, I've even seen firsthand how change can ruin people's lives. But I've also seen it do wonders for people who are willing to give it a chance. One thing is for certain, though, you know how things will be if nothing here changes." He set his helmet on his sword handle before drawing his dagger and throwing it in the dirt.
Garfiel's response to this was to let out a massive roar, forcing Ulric to cover his face with his hands to block some of the wind as Emilia came bounding down the stairs next to him. "Ulric," said Emilia, "It looks like we won't be able to talk him down. We'll have to use the crystal."
"He is stubborn," admitted Ulric, "so submission it is. Are you ready to do your part?"
"Ready," said Emilia as she held her hands up and gathered mana to them. The Knight nodded his head before starting forward at a run. Garfiel roared again before charging himself, the ground breaking from the shifting of his weight as he poised one of his massive paws to strike. But as he was about to attack, a trail of ice suddenly came streaming along the ground before encasing much of his body in the freezing substance.
It wasn't near enough to actually hold him, but it stopped his movements just long enough for Ulric to jam his sister's crystal into his outstretched left arm. The reaction was almost instantaneous then as a bright, blue light erupted from the jewel, shattering the ice as the massive tiger form shrank back down until Garfiel had returned to his normal size and appearance. "W-What in the world was," he couldn't quite finish his sentence as he collapsed down to his hands and knees, catching a glimpse of the crystal as it fell out of his arm, "isn't that my sister's? But why?"
"It's currently serving as a vessel for a starving cat spirit," said Ulric, "and the mana from a beast transformation seems to be a good start for it."
"But that's about all the help I can give you for right now," said the voice of Puck from the crystal, "you're on your own from this point."
"That should be more than enough for now," said Ulric as he moved in front of Garfiel, "as for you, self-proclaimed barrier, is this really the extent of your power? After boasting that you would protect everyone, is this really all you have to offer in that endeavor? Can you you even stand right now?"
"Don't think something like that," grunted Garfiel as he slowly but surely got to his feet, "is gonna stop me. I said I ain't lettin' ya liberate the Sanctuary. I'm the wall that no one is gonna get past!" He rushed forward then, putting his body into a powerful right cross aimed at the Knight's face. As it was about to land, Ulric planted his feet and raised his left hand quickly, grunting in pain as he caught the blow with his hand. Once again, Garfiel's face was in shock, only this time it was at what he was seeing and not what he was hearing.
"Not so long ago, I was thinking much the same way," said Ulric, his voice strained as he pushed back against Garfiel's fist, "I came here thinking that after the White Whale and the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, a matter like this wouldn't require me to ask for help, especially not with so many questionable people around. But such is the sin of pride or rather arrogance!" He forced Garfiel's fist to the side then before unleashing a punch of his own, this one actually connecting with its target as the half beast man staggered back from the blow to his face. "But I remember now, how truly limited my abilities really are and you should realize your own as well!"
"Shut up!" Exclaimed Garfiel as he came in with another punch which Ulric evaded. The Knight then blocked the next one and countered with a right hook. Garfiel stumbled slightly but came back with a nasty uppercut that caused Ulric to stagger back a few steps. "I stopped here, the old hag stopped here and so did everyone else. That's the end of it, that's the way things are gonna stay!"
"The only one stopping you is yourself!" Ulric shot back, "just because you gave up back then doesn't mean its over. If you are truly willing, if you desire to change and become better, then all you have to do is take that first step forward! And you don't have to do it alone either, because there are others who are willing to help you, and if they're not here then go and find those who are willing to help. And if no one at all is willing down here, then look to the Heavens above. One of the lies of hell is that we are alone, but no one is ever truly alone!"
"I said shut up already!" Exclaimed Garfiel as he rushed in yet again. Ulric was quick to parry his straight jab, but as he attempted to counter with a left hook, Garfiel ducked and slammed a fist into his gut. The Knight grunted in pain before striking back with a right hook just before Garfiel could raise his guard back up and then followed up with another left hook. The half-beast man roared as he grabbed him by his right arm then, stopping his next punch before twisting his body and tossing Ulric onto the ground.
Ulric quickly rolled back from the throw, narrowly avoiding Garfiel's foot before launching forward again with a couple of punches to his face and midsection. The Protector of the Sanctuary came back with some punches of his own to Ulric's face and midsection before staggering him backwards with a knee to his head. Ulric recovered just in time to move his head to the left, out of the way of another straight jab from Garfiel's right fist before catching the limb with his right arm and pushing his opponent backwards. This left the half-beast man open for Ulric to deliver a short series of punches to his exposed ribs, all while holding his arm up by his head before grabbing it with both hands, pivoting his whole body and throwing Garfiel several feet away.
The Sanctuary's Protector gasped in pain as he slowly staggered back to his feet, managing to raise his right fist in an attempt to continue fighting. Ulric steading himself as well as the two guards stared each other down, as if waiting for a signal to continue. It came when Garfiel made the first move to continue, stumbling forward clumsily but quickly in an attempt to throw a wide right punch while Ulric ran forward with his own fist at the ready. "DEUS VULT!" Howled the Knight while Garfiel let out a roar as the two collided, the Knight's fist managing to strike home before Garfiel's. The force of the blow proved powerful enough to send the half beast man rolling back until he hit the remains of a nearby stone wall, groaning in pain as his vision began to fade.
"Do you understand now, Garfiel," said Ulric, a bit unsteady on his own feet as he spat some blood out of his mouth. One of Garfiel's punches had split his lip, causing blood to ooze into his teeth and gums. "I was able to accomplish what I have now thanks to the help of those God has led me too: Emilia, Puck, Otto, Ram. Without their aid, it would've been far more difficult for me to best you. And in much the same manner, you can conquer your own obstacles if you are willing to take that first step and aren't too proud to ask for help."
"I guess that's what the old saying means when it says nobody can lift a quain stone alone," coughed Garfiel as his eyes finally closed. And in his final thoughts before falling unconscious, the Protector of the Sanctuary resolved to move forward. He would be the first of many that day.
And so, Garfiel finally gets a good bit of sense knocked into him, figuratively and literally. Also, do let me know what you think about whether or not Ulric should have a harem. As mentioned before, he is a knight and a Christian so monogamy would ordinarily be his way, but, there are some supposed exceptions. And don't forget to let me know what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as more secrets of the Sanctuary are revealed. 'Til then.