Chapter 216: The Rush: 2
Third POV:
"Is everything ready?" Gawain asked Lancelot as the two rode their horses right outside of Camelot's western walls with Percival and the soldiers meant to accompany them.
Lancelot, who was in charge of preparing the troops, nodded. "All soldiers and supplies are accounted for. We should make the trip to Snowdon without a problem."
"Alright," turning to face away from Camelot, Gawain looked at the dark horizon as the sun had only just began rising from the East. "All troop, move-"
"Wait!" Someone called out.
Turning their steeds, Gawain, Lancelot, and Percival were surprised to see another knight heading towards them on his own steed. What surprised them wasn't the sight as much as the identity of the knight itself.
The Green Knight.
As soon as he appeared, the soldiers began whispering amongst themselves. Percival looked pleasantly surprised, but Gawain and Lancelot simply looked at each other with questioning looks, wondering why he was here.
"Sorry about that. Had trouble finding a decent horse," The Green Knight apologized as he reached the members of the Round Table.
"Are you... Are you truly the Green Knight?" Percival asked. He knew that anyone can wear an armor, as such he didn't want to get his hopes up.
"Indeed, and these two can vouch for that," the Green Knight replied, motioning to Lancelot and Gawain.
"That is true," Gawain nodded before asking. "Sir Z... Green Knight, may we speak privately for a moment?"
"Alright," the Green Knight nodded as he and Gawain whipped the reigns of their horses and moved away from the group.
As soon as they were far enough to not be heard by the rest, Gawain stopped his horse, turned it around and looked at the Green Knight. "What are you doing here?"
Zack shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to join, so I asked Arthur and I got permission."
"Then why didn't you inform me or Lancelot?" Gawain was obviously not pleased by his glare. "Our supplies are accounted for every member to ensure the city's own supplies do not suffer. Even if it's just one more person-"
"Oh, don't worry about that. I don't need to eat," Zack replied, cutting Gawain off.
Gawain's stern glare kept up for a few more seconds before he sighed and shook his head. "Very well. If it is his majesty's desire, then there is no problem. However, be sure to inform us of such things before hand."
"Well, I do apologise and feel sorry for forgetting to tell you, for what it's worth," Zack said as he and Gawain returned to the waiting soldiers and knights.
Gawain nodded to Lancelot, signaling that Zack will join them and that he'll explain later. The knight of the lake nodded back, receiving the message, while Percival looked at them curiously.
"All troops, march!" Gawain turned his steed west and began riding forward. Lancelot, Percival, Zack, and the soldiers charged behind the Knight of the Sun.
Time Skip:
The knights have been guiding the soldiers for the entire day. Only late into the evening did they stop to rest and make camp. They had made some considerable distance, but they still had a long way to go.
Gawain was walking amongst the troops, looking around to make sure everything was as it should be. Lancelot was on guard duty for the night, and Gawain would switch with him after dinner.
The knight of the sun saw a large group of soldiers gathered in a circle. Getting curious, Gawain walked close by and tried to see what they were looking at.
At the center of the gathering was Percival, cooking a stew on a large pot over a bonfire, but that was not what the knights were gathered for. What had the soldiers' attention, including Percival's who was cooking on the pot, was the Green Knight who was apparently telling a story.
"So, I grab him by the face and start pouring liquid fire down his throat," Zack said, making motions with his hands as if he was choking someone while covering their mouth.
"Isn't that a bit extreme?" One of the soldiers asked.
"Ah, but here's the thing with vampires," Zack raised a finger, saying his point. "There's no such thing as 'extreme' with blood suckers. They all have healing abilities. Unless you have holy weapons, you should aim to do as much damage as possible to beat them before their regeneration picks up."
The soldiers seem to eat up the advice and story. Even Percival seemed thrilled. "That's incredible. I've never encountered Vampires, but I've heard of them. I never expected to meet someone who fought their kind," the latest knight of the Round Table stated.
"Oh, I've fought way more weirder things in my travels than just Vampires. I have all kinds of stories to share," the Green Knight replied before crossing his arms. "But that has to be all for tonight. If I tell you all my stories now, I won't have anything to say for the rest of the journey."
The soldiers seemed dejected but understanding. Before they start feeling down, however, Percival called, "Dinner's ready!"
As the soldiers began lining up to get their meal, Zack slipped away and stood besides Gawain. "So, you've fought Vampires?" The Knight of the Sun asked.
"Sure. Heard of them?" Zack replied with his own question.
"Yes, Merlin was sure to explain them to me should I encounter them," Gawain rested his hand on the hilt of the sword. "He believed that I would be the best suited to deal with them should we ever encounter them because my sword is powered by the sun."
"Hmm, I guess that's true," Zack hummed. "How long do you think we'll need to get there?"
"At least a week if we keep up this pace. Both Vortigern and King Lot are sure to get there before us but they'll run into each other before reaching the weapon," Gawain answered.
"I'm guessing they're not exactly on friendly terms?" Zack questioned, tilting his head.
Gawain scoffed. "Hardly. Vortigern's reputation amongst other Kings couldn't be worse than it already is, and it's not without reason. They'll probably be fighting each other by the time we reach them."
Zack shrugged. "Hey, that just means we should focus on getting the weapon, whatever it is."
Chapter 217: The Rush: 3
The trip took us a week, like Gawain predicted. Through the trip, the soldiers would approach me for stories and advice whenever we stopped to take a break. Percival was a frequent visitor. He's like a curious child.
When we reached the mountains in Snowdon, another of Gawain's predictions came true which was that we found two armies fighting each other.
One army was wearing the same armors that the soldiers with Morgan were wearing. It was easy to guess that those were King Lot's men. The other army, however, wasn't even made up of humans.
Goblins, elves, wyverns, and other forms of minor mystics wearing pitch black armor were fighting King Lot's army. Those were obviously Vortigern's troops. I knew there were plenty of mystics that didn't listen to my call, but I was still a bit surprised and disappointed there were so many.
"Looks like you were right," I commented to Gawain as we looked over from the hill we were standing in. The two armies were probably too busy to notice us.
"What should we do?" Percival asked, most likely believing it would be best to rely on Lancelot and Gawain's experience since he's the new guy here.
"We're not here to fight either of them. Our priority is the weapon," Gawain replied, his gaze turning to the mountain.
"Sir Gawain is right," Lancelot agreed, looking at the two armies currently fighting. "I will take the soldiers and attack them as they are busy with each other, creating even more chaos for you three to sneak around and head for the mountain to retrieve the weapon. Once you do, rejoin us and we shall retreat before they realise what happened. There's no reason to stay and lose more lives than necessary."
"I see no problem with this plan," Gawain agreed, looking back at Lancelot. "Make sure to simply stall for time. We're not here to fight a war. At least not this time."
Lancelot nodded and moved back to the soldiers. Me, Gawain, and Percival moved back and watched as Lancelot stood in front of the troops. The knight of the lake took out his helmet, put it on, and pulled his sword before raising it and pointing forward.
"Charge!" He cried out and the soldiers followed him on their own steeds as they ran forward towards battle.
The three of us watched as the soldiers charged ahead of us. A few of them held up Camelot's banner as the two fighting armies noticed them a bit too late and Lancelot managed to deal a powerful surprise attack.
Me, Gawain, and Percival watched the now three way battle take place for a few minutes before the knight of the sun motioned for us with his head to follow him.
It took us quite a while to get around the fighting, but thankfully managed to go unnoticed. We started going up the mountain without being disturbed but had to leave the horses when the terrain got a bit too rough.
We reached the peak and climbed up to see a wide open area with several rocks around. There was a small crater with what appeared to be something shinning inside in the distance.
"You know, this place looks familiar," I commented looking around. "Then again, I've literally been everywhere in this world, so you can ignore that."
"We're not alone," Gawain commented, looking ahead. Following his gaze, me and Percival saw someone else there.
It was a single man. He was wearing a black and pale-blue armour with a Knight's helmet that had a crown ornament on the top, keeping his face hidden. He had black cape filled with blue sigils and a furry collar.
The man, who had just climbed up the other side of the mountain looked at us. Though, despite the fact I couldn't see his face because of his helmet, I cam tell he was focusing on Gawain.
"It has been a long time since we met face to face, father," the Knight of the Sun called out to the man on the other side.
The man, obviously King Lot, scoffed. "You've lost your right to call me that when you turned your back on me and your mother."
"And you lost your sense of reason when you allowed that witch's claws to dig into you," Gawain retorted, his gaze turning to a full-on glare.
"Watch your tongue, child. That 'witch' is still your mother," Lot replied, his voice filled with hatred.
Gawain's gaze didn't falter as he pulled out his sword. "I am giving you only one warning. Leave now, or suffer the consequences."
"Careful, boy. Remember who taught you to use the sword in the first place," Lot drew his own sword, which was a silver blade covered in blue runes.
Before anyone can do anything, something fell from the sky on another side of the mountain top. All our attention turned to the cloud of smoke that kicked up from the impact.
"Hmm... I was expecting one of those bothersome nieces of mine, not their toys," a deep, dark voice spoke from the cloud.
When the dust settled, Gawain and Percival's eyes widened at seeing the large man in a pitch black armor standing there. Even Lot seem to have directed his attention at the new arrival.
"Well, this just got interesting," I mumbled quietly.
Chapter 218: Family Troubles: 1
Me, Gawain, Percival, and even King Lot were now staring at the black Knight that just landed in the mountain top. It really wasn't hard to identify them by the shape of their armor and the shadows creeping around their form.
I have to say, I'm surprised Vortigern came personally.
Vortigern was a big man, even bigger than Percival who was quite the large fellow himself. His armor didn't look like something a human would wear, which wasn't that surprising.
It looked somewhat welded on him rather than him wearing. The feet looked more like large claws and a tattered black cape was tied around his waist. The arms looked equally monstrous, with the right side looking more jagged and battered than the left.
At the center of the chest was pulsing, red core that looked like it was dug into the armor. The helmet was thin and looked liked somewhat dragon-like. The right side of the helmet seemed damaged and, on the other side, a pale white slit from behind a diagonal visor glared at everyone around. At the sides of the helmet were blade like appendages pointing down, making it look like the helmet had blades of its own.
In Vortigern's right hand was a jagged, pitch black sword with red veins running through the blade. It looked less like a sword, and more like a large fang that was sharpened to look like a blade.
Gawain and King Lot seemed to forget their previous argument and instead focus on Vortigern. Percival was trying to stay strong, but looking closely, sweat was beginning to appear on his brows. I guess he recognises Vortigern from stories and reports he heard around.
"Hmph, so tell me, where are those troublesome nieces of mine?" Vortigern scoffed, looking around. "I would think they're still here, speaking of delusions about their kingdoms and protecting people."
"This is troubling," Gawain mumbled, hand tightening on his sword.
"Is that... truly Vortigern?" Percival asked, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Pretty much. Sorry that your first mission took such a shitty turn, Kid," I apologised to Percival for having such bad luck before turning to look at Gawain. "How long can you keep him distracted?"
"Ten minutes, at most," Gawain answered without missing a beat.
"I'll go for the weapon so we can get it so we can leave. We're not here to win a war," I instructed.
"I'd feel better if you were fighting by my side," Gawain admitted, his face turning grim.
"If I do that and King Lot runs for the weapon, then what? We can send Percival, but what if that thing has some mystical trap around it?" I asked and I honestly meant being worried about those things.
Elementals, especially fairies which come in many numbers in Britain, are the kind of creatures that would pull something like that.
Gawain clicked his tongue but nodded. "Very well, go as fast as you can."
Third POV:
Zack took a step back, pulling out a Baraka, he quickly wrote a Rune on the ground before his form disappeared, though Gawain and Percival can still tell he began heading towards the weapon.
Gawain took that as his signal to charge forward. Holding out Excalibur Galatine, he threw the blade upwards. The sword spun in sync with the sun in the sky, catching fire with pure white flames before falling back down to its charging wielder's hand.
The knight of the sun caught his sword as he got close to Vortigern before taking a wide, horizontal swing. A powerful wave of white fire was sent to the Black Dragon, who simply raised his own sword and swung back at the wave of fire.
Vortigern's sword seemed to swallow the fire created by Gwain, turning it into pitch black flames before the black dragon swung back his sword the other way in a burst of speed. Gawain raised Galatine to block the attack, and while he managed to stop the blade, he wasn't prepared for Vortigern's sword to explode with black flames as soon as the two weapons connected.
The Knight of the Sun's blessing under sunlight protected him from the damage but he was still nearly knocked off his feet. Before he could regain his balance, Vortigern's free hand shot forward and took hold of Gawain by the throat.
Vortigern raised Gawain in the air before smacking him on the ground and pinning him there. The black dragon raised his sword and pointed it downwards at Gawain as it was covered in dark flames.
Just as Vortigern began bringing down his sword, another blade came in and stopped his attack from moving. Vortigern looked and saw King Lot pushing back his sword. With a surprising burst of strength, King Lot managed to push away Vortigern's weapon before swinging back his sword at the black dragon himself.
The moment Lot's sword connected with Vortigern, the Runes on it lit up before it exploded in blast of blue magical energy, sending Vortigern skidding backwards, though undamaged.
As Gawain was getting back, Percival came charging with his spear aimed at Vortigern's chest. The black dragon caught the blade with his free hand and swung his sword at Percival's face.
Percival ducked under the swing, barely avoiding having his head sliced in half. Instead of attempting to pull away his weapon, Percival instead pushed his weapon aside, causing the arm Vortigern was holding the spear's blade with to follow through and leave the black dragon open.
King Lot came in and swung his sword at the vulnerable Vortigern. The attack had the same result as before, which was an explosion of blue magical energy that sent Vortigern skidding a few feet back.
Growling in anger, Vortigern raised his sword where darkness and black flames seem to collect before the black dragon took a powerful swing, sending a great wave of black and red flames towards his enemies.
Gawain came in between Lot and Percival with Galatine in hand. His sword was radiating power before he swung it horizontally like before, sending his own wave of white flames to Vortigern.
While Gawain's attack managed to stop Vortigern's flames from reaching them, the white flames were still swallowed by Vortigern's fire like before. The black dragon walked out from withing the flames, glaring at the three. His pulsing red core in the black fire making him appear more menacing.
First POV: Zack
Wow. No wonder Vortigern is considered the biggest threat in Britain.
He's currently fighting one of King Arthur's rivals and two of the Round Table Knights, one of which was Gawain in broad daylight, and he was actually winning by the looks of it.
Anyway, back to my job. I didn't find any protection near the weapon, which was strange. Whoever left it must have been irresponsible.
Reaching the center of the crater where the weapon was, I took a good look at it and... I wanted to bash my head on a wall.
"Oh, are you kidding me?"
Chapter 219: Family Troubles: 2
Third POV:
Vortigern backhanded Lot away and charged at Percival with his sword raised high. Bringing down his sword, Vortigern's blade was stopped by the pole of Percival's spear as he defended himself from the attack.
From behind Percival, Gawain came charging in from his fellow Knight's side with his sword set ablaze. The Knight of the Sun attempted to cut down the black dragon, only for the latter to catch Galatine's flaming blade with his free hand.
Instead of being burned, Vortigern's hand was eating away at Galatine's flames. Vortigern pulled on the sword, bringing Gawain closer to headbutt the Round Table Knight and send him staggering backwards.
With Galatine still in his grasp, Vortigern used it to send Gawain crashing into Percival and sending the two knights rolling away.
Before Vortigern can charge at the fallen knights, Lot came in swinging his sword down at him. The Black Dragon blocked with his own sword. As the two blades connected, each one created an explosion of blue and black energy from each blade that sent both wielders skidding backwards.
Gawain and Percival stood back up, taking their place besides King Lot and glaring at Vortigern. They were all ready to move again to attack the Black Dragon when they heard a voice call out to them.
"Hey, everybody!" Zack yelled from the middle of the mountain top, causing the fighting to halt and all eyes to turn to him. "I hate to break it to you all, but we came here for nothing!"
That statement caused obvious confusion amongst the others. "What do you mean? Is the weapon not here?" Gawain asked.
"Oh, it's here alright, but it's a hoax," Zack held up a glowing spear before taking hold of it with both hands and snapping it in half, causing the glow to stop. "This thing is just a normal spear with some glowing Runes on it. That's literally it."
"Hmph, so this was nothing but a ploy by those annoying fairies," Vortigern's anger was obvious from his voice. "Those tricksters shall know what it is like to lie to a Dragon."
First POV: Zack
"Yeah... fairies..." I mumbled as I walked up to Gawain, Percival, and Lot, throwing away the remains of the spear.
The one I created long ago.
I have been to every corner of the world and I always ended up making something meaningless out of sheer boredom without cleaning it up properly, so I guess this is technically karma.
"I suppose all that is left is for me to kill you vermins," Vortigern stated, the shadows around his body intensifying.
"Sorry to break it to you, but it's time for us to go," I said, pulling out Baraka.
Surprisingly, Vortigern stopped whatever he was doing and focused his gaze on me. "You... You seem... familiar... in a disgusting sense. Who are you?" He asked.
Huh, that's surprising. Considering even Morgan failed to see through the enchantments Merlin placed on the armor, that is.
Then again, Albion had a personal grudge against me rather than just hate my work in general like the other mystics, so it kind of makes sense.
"I'm the Green Knight, and I bid you goodbye," I said as I stabbed Baraka into the ground after turning it to stone.
"You-" whatever Vortigern wanted to say didn't really matter to me as I broke off the entire part of the ground me, Gawain, Percival, and Lot were standing on and sent it off the edge.
The large slap of stone we were on slid on the side of the mountain like a skateboard and I was using my sword as a steering wheel. The three behind me stabbed their own weapons down to balance themselves from falling off.
We kept sliding down the mountainside until we reached the battle at the bottom. The slap didn't top sliding and we started cutting a line across the battlefield, running over anyone who stood in our way.
"Alright, this is your stop!" I yelled, turning to Lot.
"Wha-" Lot didn't have time to understand what I was saying before kicking him off the slap into a group of his soldiers.
They'll take care of him.
Back to our ride, we kept sliding until we reached the side with Camelot's forces before I used Baraka to make the slap slow to a stop. When it did, Gawain and Percival regained their bearings quickly and we all jumped down.
"We're done here! Let's leave!" I yelled to Lancelot as we ran towards Camelot's troops.
Lancelot nodded at us before looking around at the soldiers. "All troops, FALL BACK!" He yelled as he kept fighting. Most likely buying time for the troops to escape.
Deciding to help, I turned Baraka to a mixture of fire and water before turning around and swinging it in a wide arc, sending a cloud of steam that covered the area and gave Camelot's soldiers a chance to start leaving.
Me, Gawain, and Percival were each picked up by one of the passing horsemen as the troops retreated away and left Vortigern and Lot's forces to fight each other. When we got far enough to relax, we explained what happened to Lancelot.
"I see," Lancelot nodded after taking off his helmet and strapping it to his waist. "Mother warned me that fairies are prone to such trickery. I cannot say I am completely surprised."
"Yup, fairies sure are annoying," I replied with a shrug, riding my new horse since the first one was kind of left on the mountain.
I could confess the truth about the weapon but... Why should I? Let the fairies take the blame. Its not like they're innocent beings, plus the rumours that there's a 'legendary weapon' came from them.
Which makes me wonder why they even said that. I really should look up on how fairies see me.
"I feel rather disappointed that we allowed King Lot and Vortigern to get away from us, but I suppose we could not have handled them both without help from his majesty," Gawain grunted, riding his own new horse.
"Man, you really don't get along with your dad, do you?" I asked.
That seemed to make Gawain's mood worsen judging by the glare he gained. "I stopped seeing that man as a father when he valued that witch over his own morales."
I kept quiet for a couple of seconds before speaking again. "You know... King Lot could have went for the weapon and fought me for it, but instead he decided to help you against Vortigern."
It was honestly true. King Lot did seem like he would go for the weapon, but once he saw Gawain being manhandled by Vortigern, he immediately changed course to help his son.
I was a bit skeptical when Artoria told me that King Lot was a good person, but I guess she was on to something after all.
Gawain didn't say anything in return to my statement and just kept glaring forward before whipping the reigns of his steed and speeding ahead. He obviously wasn't in a talking mood.
Man, the Pendragon family is a mess.
Chapter 220: Profile: Yggdrasil
Servant Profile, Yggdrasil.
True Name: Yggdrasil.
Origin: Norse Mythology.
Class: (Ruler) (Caster)
Gender: -
Alignment: Lawful Neutral.
Strength: C-.
Endurance: C.
Agility: B-.
Magical Power: EX.
Luck: C.
Noble Phantasm: EX.
(Skills)
1: Origin Runes EX.
The AllFather of Norse Mythology, Odin, created Primordial Runes after gaining the Knowledge of the All Knowing Tree of the Nine Realms. Henceforth, Yggdrasil can be seen as the originator of the powers of Runes. In the same sense that Primordial Runes are superior to Modern Runes, Origin Runes are superior to Primordial Runes.
2: Territory Creation.
The Ability given to all Casters to create a field for their benefit. Yggdrasil had a very powerful shield around its territory to hide it from the unworthy.
3: Clairvoyance: Wisdom of the Nine Realms.
Yggdrasil holds all the wisdom of the Nine Realms. This particular form of clairvoyance does not make her "See", but instead to "Know" whatever she wants.
4: Blooming From Ashes.
After Ragnarok and the War of Gods destroyed the Norse Texture, it was the ashes of Yggdrasil that revived the land. By sacrificing and burning a part of her, Yggdrasil can bring back life to an extent depending on how much of herself she burns.
5: First Rivers.
The First Rivers in the Norse Texture came from Yggdrasil and her branches. She can create endless streams of pure, clean water. However, in her current human appearance, this ability only works when she cries, resulting in her tears flowing like a flood.
(Noble Phantasm)
[Yggdrasil: Weight of Nine Worlds]
An ability not so different from the Kaleidoscope - Second Magic. Yggdrasil can either use this Noble Phantasm passively to receive as much magical energy as she desires, or use it as an active attack and drop the weight of the Nine Realms on an enemy. However, because of her human form and its limitations, she cannot use both options.
Rank: EX.
Type: Support/Anti-Army
Range and Maximum number of targets: 0~1000
(Second Noble Phantasm)
[Dỳr of Yggdrasil]
The Legendary Beasts that lived on the World Tree. This Noble Phantasm gives Yggdrasil the ability to summon one of the Great Beasts. However, whether they help her or not is their own decision.
Rank: B.
Type: Support.
(Voice Lines.)
Summoning (5 Star): Oh. I can't believe I was actually summoned!... Ahem. Greetings and thank you for Summoning me. I am the Ruler Servant, Yggdrasil. Surprised? Shocked? In awe? All are appropriate responses. Hehe.
Leveling Up: These ember things… Please be careful with them. I don't have a happy history with fire.
Leveling Up 2: Such a fascinating system… M-My dress isn't burning, is it?
1st Ascension: Changing clothes is interesting. I remember when you humans wore nothing but animal skin and leaves. That was an awkward time for you.
2nd Ascension: Hmm? No change? I suppose the leaves of a tree do not change instantly as the seasons pass.
3rd Ascension: Hehe. I never understood why human females try to have as many clothes as possible. Now I do. It's so fun to have so many options to change your appearance.
4th Ascension: Power is not something I ever sought, but I understand why mortals pursue it and the effort they put into it. Thank you for your efforts.
Bond 1: Yes, yes. I am the All Knowing Tree of Norse Mythology, Yggdrasil. You can call me Drasil for short. Do you have any questions?
Bond 2: Why do I take the form of a little girl? Hmm, a friend once told me that my voice sounds like a little girl by human standards, so I just took the form to suit my voice.
Bond 3: Would I like dessert with my dinner? Just because I look like this, it doesn't mean I'm a real child. Hey, that wasn't a "no"!
Bond 4: It's curious. I am willing to answer most questions you would ask, yet you hardly ask any. Hehe, I suppose youth would want to explore for themselves? I like when people try to discover the world around them.
Bond 5: I was the heart of Norse Mythology. The Gods would have banquets and meetings on my branches and rivers. Yet, despite all that, only one person has ever heard my voice. Now, you Summoning me allows me to talk to many others. You have no idea how much you changed things for me.
Bond 5 (After Completing LB2): Scandinavia… A land where Ragnarok did not finish… It must have been tough, both on you and those in it… I will not deny that I was aware of such a possible outcome, though I suppose there were worse paths for such a world to take.
Conversation 1: There's the entire Nine Realms out in the open. Don't spend your time cooped up in your room.
Conversation 2: The relationship of Servants and Masters are like that of a ship and its anchor. They both need each other.
Conversation 3: I see you as a curious youth. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm better than any of the records you'll find around.
Conversation 4(Brynhild or Valkyries): Daughters of the AllFather, created from the corpse of the Pale Star. Machines that never truly knew emotions, only duty. Treat them well. They are like children that are yet to experience a warm touch.
Conversation 5(Scathach): Hehehe? Oh, what am laughing about? Why, isn't it common to find a child acting like an adult to be humorous? Like a baby wearing a suit.
Conversation 6(Scathach-Skadi): Warrior Queen of Ice and Snow, Skadi. The Gods would always treat her with care, and she would throw a fit for being treated like she's made of glass. One time, she even got on the ground and threw a tantrum like a little kid. Ah, look, she's blushing right now! Hehe, isn't she cute?
Conversation 7(Sitonai): Freyja?... No, you are simply an aspect of her, and another two divinities. Sitonai? Well, it's nice to meet you. Would you like to have tea sometimes?
Conversation 8(Svend): Would you believe that Svend was once smaller than you? Hehe, he would always give it his all to training. Hard work and patience always pay off.
Conversation 9(Medusa/Gorgon): Beautiful Goddess of the Earth, Medusa. Such lovely hair. He would always praise your gentle touch.
Conversation 10(Cu Chullain Caster and Finishing LB6): hmm… *glare*... *sigh* I understand he is no longer part of you, but if you encounter that bearded bastard, tell him that the next time he hangs something off my branches, be it himself or something else, it better be a real sacrifice.
Likes: I like the Nine Realms and their vastness, especially whenever people acknowledge how large they are and explore them.
Dislikes: H-Hehe… I'm not a fan of fire. It's not that I'm scared! It's just… Well, I'm a tree!
About the Holy Grail: Holy Grail? You shouldn't rely on such things. Do you really believe the World would leave an Omnipotent Wish-granting device just laying around?
During events: Festivals are important for places like Chaldea. Moments of happiness should be cherished in a life as dangerous as yours.
Chapter 221: Family Troubles: 3
Third POV:
Camelot's troops made it back to home turf without any hitches. There were little to no casualties and most were uninjured since they only joined the battle to stall for time.
As they got closer to Camelot itself and saw the walls on the horizon, Gawain called back to the troops. "Stand strong, men! We are almost home!"
His call managed to lift the morales of the troops, making them eager to return. Percival in particular was eager to return safely from his first mission, despite it not going as planned.
"Sir Green Knight, are you going to join us in Camelot?" Percival asked, but did not receive an answer. When he looked, he found that Zack was nowhere to be found. "Where did the Green Knight go?"
Lancelot cleared his throat. "The... Green Knight said he would head to his own home and left just now," he replied.
Percival deflated a bit but tried his best to keep his smile. "I see. I suppose it makes sense we never saw him in Camelot, then."
Lancelot and Gawain looked at each other, both considering to tell Percival that Zack is most definitely going to be in Camelot, but deciding against it and simply focusing on getting back.
First POV: Zack
The Camelot troops reached the white gates of the city only after the sun came down. As soon as they did, the headed straight for the castle to report to Artoria.
While she wasn't exactly pleased that we basically handed the territory to Vortigern and Lot, she was still glad no dangerous weapon ended in either one's hand and that almost all the soldiers made it back, especially since Vortigern was personally there.
Vortigern's appearance caused quite the commotion in court. Apparently, no one was expecting the 'black dragon' to personally show up, and it caused them to rile up and try to persuade Artoria into attacking Vortigern herself.
I wasn't really part of the meeting -because who would choose to be part of politics if they can help it-, but from what I was told, Artoria managed to calm them down.
I was just waiting for them outside of the throne room. Once they came out, I just waited for the nobles and captains to leave before approaching the Knights of the Round Table.
"Welcome back, Percival. Congratulations on a safe return," I said to the newest Knight of the Round Table.
Percival, despite looking tired, still smiled. "Ah, greetings, Zack. It was a harsh affair and I'm grateful to return safely. How have you been?"
"I've been well. It was rather boring in here at Camelot," I replied and I can see Lancelot and Gawain, who were passing by behind Percival, giving me a deadpan stare.
I guess I can tell Percival, but I feel like the mystery of the Green Knight's identity is actually making the whole deal more exciting for him. A bit childish, but so what?
"Now, if you excuse me, I have a meeting with King Arthur, and you need to rest after your mission. I'll see you later," I told Percival and he nodded before walking away. I waited until everyone was gone before I walked into the throne room and saw Artoria messaging the side of her head with Merlin there with her. "I take it you didn't predict Vortigern being there personally?"
Artoria sighed, placing both hands on the armrest of her throne and shaking her head. "No, I did not. Frankly, the fact you all made it back alive is more than I can hope for since he was involved."
"Speaking of which, how come you didn't know anything about him being there, Merlin?" I asked the Mage.
Merlin just shrugged. "Vortigern is a special case. Because of his nature, whenever I try to spot him with my clairvoyance, I just see nothing but black."
I sighed and crossed my arms, shaking my head at Artoria. "Man, your family is a mess. Seriously, just this last mission alone had your uncle, brother in law, and niece fighting. I guess I can't judge though since this whole thing was my fault for making the weapon."
Artoria blinked for a couple of seconds before looking at me in shock. "You made the fake weapon?!"
"Hey, I'm an eternal being with literally nothing better to do than walk around. Why wouldn't I make a few things out of sheer boredom?" I said back in my defence.
"Don't you think it's irresponsible to leave stuff you made just laying around?" Merlin asked.
I gave him my strongest deadpan look. "So, you're telling me that if I go to your tower right now, I wouldn't find some mystical stuff you made out of boredom thrown around the room?"
"Hey, this isn't about me. This is about you."
Chapter 222: Festival of the White Walls: 1
It's been quite a while -for humans, that is- since the mission.
Percival has been doing pretty good for himself and taking on several jobs despite not being asked to. He's building quite reputation amongst both nobility and commoners.
Tristan has been talking about how his married life is looking more stale as time goes on. I could save him any problems and give him some warnings, but frankly his love-life isn't my problem.
Plus, an Elemental is the worst possible choice to give love advice.
Gawain has been anxious lately but won't say why. Agravain seemed to have an idea, but didn't explain anything and just said 'it's a family matter'. Considering Gawain started acting like that only recently, I doubt it has to do with King Lot.
Lancelot has thrown himself into training new recruits. He earned himself quite the reputation and fame for that. He was also starting to talk about a trainee that caught his attention. One that 'focuses too much on using the shield', in Lancelot's words.
Kay, Bedivere, and Merlin were busy with work from Artoria. There was something big going on at the city and she wanted them to ensure its done. I didn't ask because, frankly, it wasn't my problem.
Plus, I was busy with my own things.
Within my real body, I groaned as I sat down cross legged at the edge of Nature's Law. "Man, I just can't catch a break, huh, Yang?" Of course, I didn't get an answer from the grave in front of me.
At the start of every lunar year, I would come to visit Yang's grave. I would always use my real body because it just felt more personal than the puppet body, which was resting back in Camelot.
Thankfully, I already gave Artoria a heads up on me being away for a while, so there won't be a second misunderstanding.
Anyway, I just come here to sit and relax. Sometimes, I find Yu here whenever I visit but today wasn't one of them. Can't really blame her. She's not exactly as fast as I am.
Spending time here helps me relax. Maybe it's Yang's influence, or maybe nostalgia. Either, I still know better than to stay too long, so after a while, I got up and went back to the Empty Bridge.
While those visits cause Gaia and Alaya irritation, which I can feel, I don't stay long enough for them to throw a fit.
Making sure my real body is in the Empty Bridge, I moved to my puppet body and got off the bed. Leaving it alone for what I believe is a couple of days always leaves it stiff, so I had to stretch around a bit.
After walking out of room, it wasn't long before running into Bedivere. "Ah, Sir Zachary. It's a pleasure to see you again," he greeted.
"Still calling me that, huh?" I sighed before shaking my head. "Whatever. How have you been Bedivere in these past few...?" I trailed off, hoping for him to answer.
"Two days," Bedivere replied, which confirms my earlier statement. "And I've been well, thank you for asking," he smiled. "I've actually been on my way to check on you. His majesty wishes to speak to you."
"Is she in her throne room?" I asked and Bedivere confirmed with a nod. "Alright, thanks," I said as I began walking.
I have the castle memorised now so it didn't take long to reach the throne room. Once inside, I saw Artoria on her throne with Kay and Merlin nearby.
"Hey, Artoria, you called for me?" I asked as soon as I was close enough.
Artoria tried to smile, and it was showing that she improved by how she didn't look as awkward as she did when she stopped pretending to be an emotionless, higher entity.
"Zack, good to see you're awake," she greeted before her face turned serious. "I need your advice on something. The walls of Camelot will finally be completed in a month. I was hoping to do something for the people during that time to... communicate better with them."
She still sounded hesitate, but the awkward kind when trying something she's not used to, not the uncertain kind where she doubts what she's doing is good.
"How about you throw a festival to celebrate the completion of the walls?" I asked.
Artoria blinked before placing a hand on her chin. "A festival... yes, that sounds good. A festival to celebrate the complete of Camelot's walls... a festival..."
"You have never thrown a festival, or as much as a party, in your entire life, have you?" I asked, her reason for nervousness becoming plain as day.
Artoria twitched and there was a touch of pink on her cheeks. "I'll have you know that I did in fact take part in preparing for festivals before."
I didn't reply, instead I slowly turned to Kay and wait for his comment, which came after he sighed. "Your majesty, handing father the tools as he prepared for parties at bars does not count."
Artoria's cheeks went from pink to red.
"Alright, I guess I can help you. I have experience here," I stated as I crossed my arms. When Gilgamesh went on his quest, me and Enkidu had to take charge for preparing for any festival or holiday, so I picked up a few things. "First, you will need to actually inform the people. Have a public statement or have your knights spread the word. Either is fine. Then you'll have to give a speech or be present during the actual celebration. You'll also need to provide vendors to sell food or wares specifically made for the occasion. There's a lot of merchants across Camelot so that part shouldn't be a problem if you can get their cooperation. There's also way more preparations but we have a month so we can tackle them one by one. It would be preferable if you can have your knights put on a public show to finish everything off. What kind of shows have you put on before?"
Artoria tilted her head in confusion. "Public... shows...?"
Suddenly, I'm not so sure that a month is enough.
Chapter 223: Festival of the White Walls: 2
This has been... something.
Frankly speaking, Artoria has no idea how to deal with social events. She knows how to handle the political side of them, and she's quite good at that, too, but she's utterly clueless when it comes to actually dealing with society itself.
When I was going through the list of things she needs to do, she actually asked if we should give each citizens a weapon, including children and seniors.
It really didn't help that she's as stubborn as they come. Her reason for insisting on the weapons thing was because 'I learned to use the sword as a kid, so it has to be normal, right!?', in her own words.
Thankfully, me and Kay talked her out of it.
After convincing her to focus on the political stuff for now, I went ahead to prepare the social side of things, which honestly wasn't that hard.
The public announcement for the Festival of the White Walls, as the knights of the castle agreed to call it, was made a few days ago and things have mostly been going smoothly.
Artoria was dealing with merchants around Camelot to get their collaboration. She actually has a pretty busy schedule for the next week, with talks, negotiations, and choosing the decor for the castle.
Apparently, while the stuff in the streets can be looked after by someone else, the stuff in the castle has to have the king's approval, which make sense because that's their house, basically.
Anyway, back to my current predicament, which is preparing the entertainment and activities for the festival.
"An archery tournament for the people sounds wonderful," Bedivere said, commenting on my idea. "It gives them the chance to have fun and demonstrate their abilities. However, there should be a prize, right?"
"If someone is skilled enough to win this tournament, perhaps we should give them the chance to join the royal archers?" Gawain asked.
Me, Gawain, Bedivere, Tristan, and Percival were having a meeting and brainstorming for the festival. Getting a second opinion is always good for these things.
Lancelot was busy overlooking the troops to make sure they don't slack off just because a festival is happening, Kay and Merlin were helping Artoria, and Agravain just didn't want to take part of planning for entertainment.
"That would only be worth it if the winner WANTS to join the royal archers. Remember, Gawain, not everyone is made for battle," I replied to him and he nodded.
"Gawain's idea isn't off on the wrong direction," Tristan decided to chip in, looking around. "The royal archers use costume bows, do they not? What if we offered one of them as the prize. To us, it might not mean much, but it would for a citizens."
"I'm positive that his majesty would not be against parting with one bow as a form of prize," Percival added, crossing his arms before his expression turned thoughtful. "But is it enough?"
"No, it isn't. The people will want to see something with actual skills, so I suggest that after the archery tournament, we hold a joust with the knights of the Round Table," I stated, everyone looking at me curiously. "A joust between any plain knights wouldn't be bad. But, the Round Table is one of Camelot's symbols and are known for being the best knights. It could serve as both the final show, and a way to show off your skills."
"Hmm, I'm not one to joust myself, but I believe sir Zachary is right," Bedivere agreed with me.
Before anyone can give any further opinion, the door to the room was opened and one of the knights came in. "Sir Gawain. I'm sorry, but two children that claim to know are causing a scene at the gate."
Gawain looked confused for a total of two seconds before jumping out of his seat and running out of the room. Looking around, I saw that the others were as confused and as surprised as I was.
Getting off my chair myself, I started leaving to follow Gawain. "You guys stay here. I'll see what's going on," I said just before existing the room.
Catching up with Gawain wasn't hard, despite the fact he was running at full speed to the entrance of the castle. When we got there, the scene was... interesting.
"Let me go!" A young boy that looked like Gawain and had similar shade of blond hair yelled as two knights tried to hold him down.
Near them was a girl that looked a lot like the boy but with a black streak on each side of her head. Two knights were standingby her, but were not holding her down like they were to the boy, which is probably because she wasn't struggling.
"P-Please! We don't want trouble. J-Just call for Gawain!" The girl pleaded.
"We can't just call one of the Knights of the Round Table on a whim. You'll have to wait here until we get word that Sir Gawain is free," one of the knights near her replied, which was actually true.
If I have to make a guess, these two were told to wait until they can see if its possible for Gawain to come, but the boy got impatient and tried to walk in to look for Gawain himself, but the guards stopped him.
"Enough!" Gawain called out, causing everyone except me to freeze in their place. "Leave, I'll handle it from here," he ordered the guards firmly and they all listened.
Once it was just us and the two children, they immediately darted forward and hugged Gawain, completely ignoring his heavy armor. "Big brother!" They both cried out.
"Gareth, Gaharis, I'm so glad you two are safe," Gawain returned the hug, holding both of the children tightly.
Looking at the situation, I began understanding what's going on and why Gawain has been on edge lately.
These two, Gareth and Gaharis, are Gawain's younger siblings, and he probably got word that they ran away from home, which is understandable because their home was where Morgan was, and was worried for them because they're young and he was their older brother.
"Gawain, take the next week off. We can manage. Take care of your family," I instructed before leaving to give the three siblings some time to each other.
We're down one knight for a week at least, but we can still fulfil the requirements for the festival. There's no way I'd fail now when I didn't back in Uruk.
I'm gonna make a damn good festival if only out of spite.
Chapter 224: Festival of the White Walls: 3
The festival got off to a great start.
As soon as the sun rose, children and people began filling the streets with each having one white thing, either clothes or even just a simple bracelet.
Because of the name of the festival, everyone decided that the theme should be white and that you should have at least one white thing on you. Artoria, for example, wore a white cape instead of her usual blue one.
Speaking of Artoria, at high noon, she had to give a speech. She spent the entire last night practicing for it with me and Kay helping. She wanted the speech to sound good while also not coming off as so emotionless, so me and Kay actually had to help her with what expression to take in each part.
A lot of them were awkward, but after a full night of practice, she managed to pull them off without looking like the sides of her face were being squeezed by someone.
While it wasn't perfect, her speech was a success, and then she followed it with announcing the completion of Camelot's walls. While the people celebrated and the nobles congratulated her as she came down from the stage, anyone who REALLY knew her can tell she was worried the entire time that she would mess up.
The archery tournament went great. Lots of people participated, and the winner was the son of a retired veteran that was too old to join the contest himself, do his son signed up for him.
The joust matches, admittedly, had more of a reaction and cheers from the people, which wasn't really that surprising. To even the number of matches, Agravain and Tristan decided to step down from the match.
It started off with a match between Gawain and Percival. Percival was talented, but Gawain had more experience and, frankly, was stronger than Percival currently is, and that showed when Percival was taken off his horse easily.
The match between Kay and Lancelot was more interesting. It was a give or take, but I guess Lancelot aimed better because, while they both struck their opponent, Kay was the one that was knocked off his horse, while Lancelot managed to stay on his just barely.
The final match was between Lancelot and Gawain. Lancelot, admittedly, had more skills, but Gawain had more strength and raw endurance. I guess what tipped this match was motivation.
Gareth and Gaharis, Gawain's younger siblings, were watching the match, and like every big brother in the world, Gawain wanted to both show off and convince them their big brother is strong.
They both struck but Gawain must have gave his all because, while he hardly flinched, Lancelot was practically thrown off his horse, harshly. Artoria's lips twitched, worried that Gawain's actions would be counterproductive, but Gawain getting off his horse and helping Lancelot up was seen as good sportsmanship by the people.
After the tournaments, Artoria gave a far shorter speech, which was basically just telling everyone to enjoy the festives, before she and the knights went to a party in the castle for the nobles.
I, sadly, had to join them.
"So, how are you hanging?" I asked Lancelot at our table.
Rolling his right shoulder where Gawain struck him, Lancelot frowned. "It will be a few days before I'm at top shape again, but nothing that should hinder my work."
"Make sure it doesn't," Agravain commented, taking a sip of wine. "After a celebration like this, we have to keep a good image for some time to prove this whole thing wasn't just for show."
"Where is Gawain, by the way?" I asked, noticing he wasn't with us.
"He said that he wanted to leave early to check on his siblings," Tristan answered.
I looked at Agravain curiously. "Aren't you going with him? They're your siblings, too," I asked.
Agravain groaned. "Those two were not even born by the time I left. They have no connection to me beyond blood, and they have made it clear their reliance is on Gawain."
I mean, he's not wrong, but still...
Seeing the crowd around Artoria thin out, I decided to go see her since we didn't have many chances to talk when the festival began.
Walking closer to her, I saw her talking to a woman in a green dress with long green hair. The woman saw me and bowed her head. "Excuse me, King Arthur, I believe someone wishes to speak to you. I shall take my leave."
The woman left and Artoria turned her attention towards me. "Friend of yours?" I asked since the woman didn't refer to Artoria as 'your majesty'.
Artoria nodded. "Yes, Guinevere is an old friend," Oh, so that was Guinevere? "She and I are in... a complicated relationship."
"Is it related to marriage?" I asked, taking a seat besides her at her table.
She was obviously caught off guard. "How did you know?"
"Call it a lucky guess," I replied before going into it further. "So, what is it exactly? Your relationship?"
Artoria sighed before looking around, probably making sure no one was within earshot. "Guinevere and I... are set to be married."
"Hmm, a marriage on paper meant to keep public face," I observed. "You know, a marriage like that isn't really gonna hold."
Artoria sighed. "I am aware. However, as a King, I need a queen, and Guinevere is someone I can trust with that position."
Sadly, she's right. The current social norm is that a king needs a queen, even if just one to keep public face. That's just how this era works.
"Well, just a heads up, don't ask me for advice on this subject. I'm the worst person to ask when it comes to love," I stated before smiling at her. "Anyway, congratulations. Your first festival has been great."
"Really?" Artoria immediately brightened up. "That's great to hear. I was worried it was too small."
"That's normal for your first festival. There wasn't many ideas or traditions to work with. Over time, the festival will grow bigger with each idea the people come up with to spend on it," I replied before looking around. "Where is Merlin? I haven't seen him here."
"He left early," Artoria replied casually.
I blinked at her. "That's an option?!"
"You don't have to stay," Artoria replied with a shrug. "Unless you want to get better acquainted with the nobles, and Merlin doesn't really care for that."
"Well, I don't either," I said getting up. "Once again, congratulations on a successful festival. I'm going to 'sleep' for the night."
Honestly, I just wanted to take the chance to rest in my real body. This flesh puppet still feels wrong and weird even after all this time.
Passing by Merlin's tower, I stopped as I sensed two magical signatures. I would have thought Merlin scored with a woman, but the energy was a bit too much for some random lady.
Deciding to check on things, I walked up the stairs and got closer to the door. To listen in on what's going on. I heard two voices arguing as soon as I got close.
"You must know something! Anything!"
"And I told you, I know nothing. This person appeared out of nowhere. I have no information on them."
"If Vivian knows, then you must know!"
One of the voices was Merlin, and the one yelling at him was... Morgan?
This just got dicy. Lifting the sleeve of my suit to reveal a few engraved Runes, I tapped them and to pull out the helmet from my Green Knight armor. Putting it on to hide my face and eyes, which bear the mark of Type Earth, I slowly opened the door to walk in.
Merlin was held upside down in a magical circle, apparently caught in it. Morgan was glaring at him with her staff raised at his neck, with several other blades getting closer to Merlin.
"I recognise your enchantments on his armor. You must have had something to do with him," Morgan stated, giving away what they were talking about.
"You can just ask me personally, you know," I stated and Morgan whipped around, summoning a blue fireball in her hand. "Now, now, if you make a ruckus, the people downstairs will realise what's going on."
That seemed to make her stop whatever she was planning, but she still smirked. "And if YOU do anything, he dies," she moved her staff and the blades near Merlin got closer.
"Do it, I don't care," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "I have no attachments to this kingdom or the people in it. I'm just here for a job, not to work for Arthur or get involved in this family feud between you two."
Obviously, that's an exaggeration. I actually do consider a few people here as friends, but she didn't need to know that.
"If that claim is true, why did you interfere with my plans," Morgan replied, her glare intensifying.
"I'm not," I shrugged again, this time raising my hands with a helpless motion. "You just happened to attack at a really bad time. I have no intention to actually interfer with whatever plans you have. Heck, I didn't even call in Arthur or anyone when I found out you were here."
Morgan scoffed. "So, you choose the role of an observer, is that it?"
"Honestly? Yeah," I nodded motioning to Merlin. "Now, you might want to leave. He's been messaging Arthur with his Mage-craft while were having this conversation."
Morgan's eyes widened and she turned back to Merlin to see him smile smugly at her. She groaned loudly before tapping her cane and a mirror like portal appeared under her before she sunk into it.
When Morgan was gone, the blades around Merlin vanished, but he was still trapped upside down in the air. Walking closer, I took off my helmet and stored it away with the Runes in my arm.
"She got you good, huh?" I asked sarcastically.
"Haha, in my defence, I never expected her to be so bold as to appear right into my workshop. I assumed it was Vivian rather than Morgan, so I admit that I let my guard down," he laughed it off before tilting his head. "Now, can you please put me down? I'd rather not be caught in such an embarrassing position."
Staring at him for a few seconds, I grinned.
Third POV:
Artoria ran through the halls and up the stairs. She managed to leave the party without alerting anyone that something was wrong, which wasn't easy.
Bursting through the doors of Merlin's workshop, she saw that her sister was no longer there. Zack was chuckling and Merlin was upstairs down in the air with... drawings on his face.
Merlin's face had a weird mustache, freckles, and an eyepatch drawn over his eye.
"I'll get you for this," Merlin stated, glaring at Zack. "I swear on my name as Merlin the Mage of Flowers, I will get you for this."
Artoria can count the amount of times she heard Merlin sound so serious on one hand.