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Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-20-2015
Quote:This is Arthuria’s entrance to the Omniverse, it uhm, became a bit lengthy, but I hope you enjoy it!
“Bedivere……” sounded a weak voice. It sounded like the person behind the voice was in pain, yet was still striving to great efforts, in order to conceal it. “Bedivere, promise me…..that you will dispose of Excalibur.” the voice ordered, trying to take a commanding tone in its final moments. “Return it to the Lake, Bedivere.”
If one were to take a look at the situation, there was a single solitary knight dragging a sled behind himself, where a figure clad in marine blue armor lay in rest, whom seemed to be the one issuing commands. “But my King, Arthur. It is the Excalibur, I could never.” the knight responded to the voice, as the pair arrived beneath an ancient oak tree that was located in the center of a small isle, the Holy Isle, they called it.
Laying down the rains of the sled Bedivere made his way to the resting figure, easing himself upon one knee as he slid his arm behind the figure’s back. From there, he would start leveraging his partner up with seemingly relative ease, as the pair finally managed to get onto their feet. “We’re almost there, your Highness.” the knight reassured, as he started to help the other towards the tree.
“Bedivere… Promise me that you will return Excalibur into the lake.” was the only response he received, as the figure - earlier referred to as King Arthur - kept insisting upon such a simple thing. What an embarrassment it was.. Britain had fallen, the once proud country was being torn apart from inside and Avalon had been lost. Arthur himself had received a fatal wound from the traitorous knight Mordred, leading here, where he would live his final moments, accompanied by his most loyal knight, Bedivere.
Bedivere slowly eased Arthur down onto the ground, to rest against the mighty oak. “Your king orders you, Bedivere, as his final command.. Return Excalibur into the lake.” His voice shattered, a much more feminine voice revealed from beneath the practiced tone. Calmly, Bedivere responded; “Yes, my King, you need not ask anymore, I will see to it personally, Arthuria.”
In all reality, the proud king Arthur was no man, nor was his name Arthur. The king’s name was Arthuria, and who was believed to be he, was merely a she. Yet for all of his.. Her life, she had pretended to be a man. And it seemed that her time as a King was over. Regret took hold of her mind, as the once proud King of Knights reflected upon her past, the decisions she had made and hoped that the sword that had once been lodged tightly in the stone’s cold embrace, Caliburn, would’ve chosen someone else. Someone more fit to be king. And it was with these dire and desperate thoughts, that the King of Knights, Arthur - Arthuria, drifted from the warmth of life, into the cold, eternal darkness.
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Shielding her eyes from the sudden light with a hand brought to cover her visage, Arthuria woke up from her dream. It seemed that yet another Holy Grail War had come to its inevitable conclusion, and she had once more been forced to witness her own bitter end. Yet this time, something felt different. Before, she had always ended up standing in the close vicinity of a magic circle, yet this time there seemed to be none. There was simply darkness, and the light shining from before her. And that was when she heard a voice resonate within her mind.
Quote:“My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”
Omni? Omniverse? So...was this not one of the Grail Wars..? And if so, how had she ended up here. A fleet of questions sailed the knight’s mind as she steeled herself, listening closely to what this being had to tell her. After all, he would only explain them once.
Quote:“This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most."
Omnilium? A matter of somekind..? Was it possibly comparable to magic power? Arthuria pondered within her mind, trying to make sense of the situation as much as she could. She eyed the rainbow-like matter in her hands, as she pondered. So could it become the Holy Grail, could it grant her one and only desire..? Arthuria received no answer, as the being voiced himself once more.
Quote:“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn.”
The King of Knights thought that this was starting to sound awfully familiar, as she went through the rules and limitations of Heroic Spirits and what she had learned before.. But still, the being had insisted that this was Omniverse, and the knight couldn’t remember ever hearing of such thing before in any material related to the Holy Grail War.
Quote:“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”
Arthuria realized that the being was fading, and she was falling back to darkness. What would happen now, she thought, as she closed her eyes.
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Once more, the King of Knights brought her hand to shield her eyes, as she slowly flickered them open against the bright white light shining into them. The being seemed to be gone. That was the first thing that registered within the woman, as she slowly figured she was resting on something soft. Laying on her back, she soon realized that her whole body felt rather..exposed. Quickly, the woman rolled from her back first onto her front, from where she pushed herself up and managed a sitting position. Not looking around herself, she reminisced back to the darkness, where she had been told. Think of what you desire most, hm? Well, at the current moment it was rather simple, clothes. The first outfit that came to her mind, was the simple blue dress that she had worn whilst strolling the aisles of her castle.
The dress was made of ultramarine blue fabric with exquisite golden embroidery. The inside of the dress was lined with a softer cloth for comfort, and to create a highlight to the front of the skirt. The white fabric also covered the chest area of the dress, because the rougher blue fabric would be rather uncomfortable for such parts. The white cloth overtook the blue dress at hems that were decorated by lace, decorated with small golden embroidery.
[spoiler]
Quote:[/spoiler]
![[Image: wpuLzgK.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/wpuLzgK.jpg)
As she sat there, Arthuria pictured every slight bit of the dress that she could possibly recall even to the slightest details, concentrating upon it attempting to push it into materialization from her mind. For ten straight minutes the girl simply sat there, picturing every nook and cranny of the dress she used to wear in the past as it materialized before her. Eventually, as she believed she had managed to capture dress in a way that did it justice, she opened her eyes, discovering the dress neatly folded before herself. The King of Knights paid no thought to the fact that she had indeed just created it, as she hastily dressed herself.
Now that she was dressed and not completely naked, Arthuria finally took a look regarding her surroundings. She stood upon lush, green grass, that eventually faded into a bright white. Turning around the woman gasped at the sight presented before her eyes. Her surroundings had gone completely unnoticed by her before, due to the wardrobe malfunction.
”Can this be?” she slowly asked half aloud. What Arthuria witnessed before her, was the same green grass extending for some dozen meters in front of her, before a large lake took over and spread to dominate the landscape. There was also a small island in the middle of the lake, where seemed to be a large stone with something protruding from its depths. ”The Holy Isle..? But...it can’t be. The stone wasn’t here.. There’s something wrong.” the woman noted aloud, as she began to approach the shore with cautious, shaky steps. She was wondering why was this world...Omniverse, was it? Shaped like the Holy Isle, and why was Caliburn here? Was this the earlier being’s way of welcoming her, or was it just a cruel joke?
Her steps grew faster in pace, as the King of Knights could feel her nervousness taking over. There was no bridge leading to the Isle, the distance from the shore being approximately thirty meters or so. Arthuria noted that she was by now running without the feat having even registered to her, having covered the distance to the shore. Much like in the past, the woman didn’t even consider the water as an obstacle, her faith in the Lady of the Lake’s blessing unwavering. As the soles of her feet contacted the surface of the water, instead of running across it with mere splashes of water audible from below her feet, the girl sank like a stone, stumbling face first into the quickly deepening shore water.
As the King of Knights clambered back onto her feet from the water, a question was presented to the air. ”Oh Lady of the Lake, have thy abandoned thine defender?” The response the soaked woman received was one of cold silence, and the situation had quickly developed towards the reality, that Arthuria would have to swim if she wanted onto the isle. But she wouldn’t have been the king, if she was one to give up after such menial hardships. The King of Knights took some steps back discarding the dress she had so hastily put on, setting it onto the grass in hopes that it would dry out whilst she was away. Leaving herself in mere underwear, the woman took a running start, this time diving head first into the cold, dark lake.
A few minutes later the woman found herself at the opposite shore, rising from the waters and standing on the small isle. Observing the island closer, it was approximately ten meters in diameter and the stone was settled approximately in the middle. From this distance Arthuria could already tell what it was, that stuck out from the stone. The hilt of a sword she was indeed very familiar with in her past, Caliburn. ”But how is it..here..?” the woman pondered aloud whilst her feet carried her to the stone with shaky steps. She had lost Caliburn a long time ago as the sword had shattered, yet here it was.
Her thoughts were in disarray, as she tried to figure out what exactly was going on here, as she thought. Does the blade still choose me? Has my wish to the grail been fulfilled..? And if not, am I truly worthy of this blade? It was at that moment, that Arthuria or as she was often called, Saber, reminisced the Holy Grail War she had recently participated in. How she had wielded Excalibur and fought to attain the Gr-....Excalibur. Did she still have it, the woman pondered quietly, the cold air against her bare, glistening skin going unnoticed, as there were more important things on her mind. Then again, if she simply had to imagine her desire to attain it, it seemed rather simple.
Once more, the woman would lower herself to a sitting position, starting to picture the blade in all of its details, the legendary sword Excalibur she was so accustomed to using. Once more this time with some experience in the matter, the woman managed to summon the blade in approximately five minutes minutes. Standing up, she bent down grasping the sword in her hand, lifted it up and gave it a few swings. It did seem like the one she was so accustomed to using, yes.
But it was time Arthuria thought as she set the blade to lean against the stone before her, reaching towards the hilt of what seemed to be Caliburn lodged in the stone. Her hand was shaking from the sheer tension of the situation as she nearly lunged the last few centimeters to the blade, her fingers grasping the hilt before she would give it a strong pull. And it slid. The sword slid up from the stone, sheathed away in its scabbard. At the same time, the King of Knights heard a familiar voice in her head. My blessing shall never leave you, King Arthuria. Believe in yourself, no matter how dire the situation. Instantly, Saber staggered backwards with the blade still in her hand as a tingling sensation rushed through her body, questioning the voice she had heard instantaneously; ”Lady of the Lake?! Is that you?” Yet only silence was her answer. Slowly, Arthuria looked at the sword in her hand, examining it closely with both feeling the engravings with the tips of her fingers, as well as scrutinizing the sword with her eyes. It was definitely Caliburn.
Yet this presented a problem. She now had two swords that she couldn’t just carry around. If she could summon things, could she also de-summon them, or store them away somehow? As soon as she simply thought of dismissing the swords, they simply vanished from her hands. Obviously, the woman would try to re-summon them, finding that they did indeed return to her hand upon her call. For now, she returned the two into their storage.
Quote:Author’s note: Caliburn shall for now, be simply a fluff item, she won’t actually be using it, but who knows about the future?
It was time to leave, Arthuria thought, as she headed back towards the water, discovering right away on her first step, that she did indeed once more, possess the blessing given by the Lady of the Lake, granting her the ability to traverse waters unhindered, much like they would be ground. On a running pace, she returned to her dress, only to discover that it had disappeared… What a strange world it was, the woman thought as she once more took her seating position, this time deciding to summon the armor she so often wore.
After she was done with the summoning process, and had successfully clothed herself, it was time to leave. Except that she didn’t know where. Saber looked around herself - this time towards the ever expanding whiteness, noticing small dots in the distance, even though she was unable to determine what exactly they were from such distance. But heading for those was better than nothing. However, due to the distance, there was a question of travel time. She had summoned clothes, her armour as well as her weapon, would it work on something so much larger, living even..? Well, only by trying, could she ever find out the knight decided, as she took her sitting pose and began to imagine.
Twenty or so minutes later Arthuria took a hold the reins of the white horse, directing it towards one of the gates and spurring her newly discovered mount to a canter.
Quote:Arthuria is heading towards the gate of Camelot, even though she obviously doesn’t have a clue about such.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 11-22-2015
Though the sun was high over Nippon, the thick clouds hanging above Laochi lake were blotting it out so much that it could easily be mistaken it for dusk. However, a closer look revealed the rays of sun peeking through where the clouds were thinnest, like a ray of hope. And a yet closer look showed that the clouds were thinning further, allowing more and more sun through.
“Look...” one of the people said that were standing near Laochi lake. The villagers of Wep’keer had gathered by the shores and kept their heads lowered for prayers to the Sun Goddess. The sky who had been obscuring the sun for ever since they could remember, was now clearing up. And it could only mean one thing: the demons occupying the Ark of Yamato, the enormous sunken starship lying in Laochi lake, had been slain. The clouds were indeed dispersing and disappearing into nothingness.
Then the cheering started. It could later not be said who it was that had begun, but after a few seconds everyone was screaming out their happiness, throwing hats into the air and hugging each other. After having spent all their lives under the shadow of the demons, never being given so much as a peek at the sun, they were unimaginably happy.
At the same time within the Ark, Amaterasu stood over the corpse of her opponent, huffing and struggling to stay on her feet after the intense battle. In her right hand she held the Kusanagi no Tsurugi - the sword which she had delivered the final blow with moments ago. It had been a fight harder than anything she had gone through before - Yami, the leader of the demons, had been the hardest opponent she had ever faced. But she had defeated him... and she had cleaned his evil from Nippon, with the help Wep’keer’s villagers who had prayed to her, and the skills she had gained throughout her journey. “It is over...” she spoke into the empty room.
“Indeed it is.” A voice spoke behind her. Amaterasu turned her head and winced from the injuries covering her now human body, but with the sword for support she was able to face the speaker without collapsing on the ground. Wakka, the helmsman of the Ark of Yamato, was standing at the entrance to Yami’s room, and smiling at her.
“Yami is dead.” she spoke, stating the obvious. “I have cleansed Nippon from his evil, and that of his demons. It is now up to you to fulfill the end of your bargain, helmsman.”
“Of course. I have made a promise after all.” He turned to leave the room, but waited for Amaterasu to limp after him. “You have defeated the demons on the Ark, now I will return you to the Celestial Plain, along with the other Gods. Well, what few remain among them, that is,” he added with a snicker.
Amaterasu wordlessly followed him back to the center of the Ark and from there to the rooms where the Gods had remained in hiding as Wakka headed for the helm to return the Ark to a functional status.
“Yami is dead... Wakka will bring us home, but make sure that he brings us home safely. I... need to lay down for a while.” Little did she know that those would be her last words to them, as she moved to one of the empty beddings, laid down and rapidly fell into a deep slumber.
When she woke up, Amaterasu found herself in a dark, empty space... empty except for a white featureless individual that was looking at her. Where am I, she wanted to yell. Who are you - are you a demon? But, no words escaped her mouth.
Quote:“My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse.”What? Had she been able to she would have interrupted the figure at this point, but still no words escaped her mouth. And the figure spoke on regardless.
Quote:”You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”Rules... a world... what was this all? She had at first thought this to be some stray demon she had failed to slay in the Ark of Yamato, but it seemed too real for that. Oddly enough it reminded her of her first minutes in Nippon, when the Sprite Sakuya had awakened her from Shiranui’s statue - she had been told where she was and that her help was needed, then sent off... but before she could continue that thought process, the figure produced an orb and handed it to Amaterasu, who hesitantly took it.
Quote:“This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most.Without it, you are nothing... with it, anything you desire can be yours. The words resonated in her head as she looked at the glimmering orb. But once more her thoughts were interrupted by the figure’s words.
Quote:“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn.
“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”
Everything went dark once more... then there was light.
Amaterasu had to blink several times to adjust her eyes to the blinding light that was shining down on her. Where had she... oh, right. The Omniverse... the white figure, the orb, the... slowly things returned to her mind. She had been brought here by this... figure. Omni. The goddess sat up and looked around herself. She was... up high, it seemed. Right above her was the open sky, with the sun shining brightly and not a cloud to obscure her vision. The edge of her view also caught the branches and blossoms of a cherry tree, and turning around revealed that she had been laying against the roots of said tree. There were two streams of water coming from either side of her, forming an island in the middle as they joined up into a larger stream that went down along the side of a paved pathway. It seemed that she was on a hill, a mountain maybe... and judging from the shrine next to the path and the lanterns put on either side of it, this was a place of worship.
The Goddess returned her gaze upon herself and to her delight found that she still had her human body - although she was stark naked. This was almost like her awakening at the shrine to Shiranui, in Kamiki village, except that here nobody was coming to her aid. But... she held her hand out, palm up, and eyed it. Perhaps she could reproduce the rainbow orb she had been given? “Anything you desire can be yours”, the white figure had said. She hrmmed and attempted to reproduce the dress she had once worn with a waving of her hand. Nothing. Didn’t work that way, huh? Well then... she closed her eyes, crossed her legs, folded her hands and focused. An outsider would have seen a praying shrine maiden, however Amaterasu was attempting to reproduce the clothing she had worn when given human form during the fight with Yami. Not that she knew it very well, she had only worn it for a handful of hours, but...
The time ticked by, and Amaterasu remained focused. She heard the water splashing around her, left and right, down along the hillside and likely into a waterfall or some bigger pool at the foot of it. It was a calming sound, and it washed away her worries and fears. Perhaps this was a new incarnation of herself... yes, this was quite possible. She had died on the Ark of Yamato, succumbed to her wounds without realizing it, and had become reincarnated at the hands of the white being. Omni. He must’ve called for her because he needed her for something around here, surely. Perhaps the Omniverse was infested with demons, just like Nippon, and she had been called to lift its curse? Was the Ark of Yamato just one of many vessels that the demons had come to various worlds with? Wakka had always been secretive about that part...
The soft clinking of stone hitting stone made her open her eyes. How long had her meditation lasted? The sun was still at its zenith, it had not moved a single bit... but before her was a neatly folded set of clothing, quite like what she had worn in her final hours on the Ark of Yamato. She spotted minor details here and there, but in total... yes, that was it. And the clinking noises? She turned her gaze to where she had heard the noise from and her face brightened up as she saw a necklace of Prayer Beads laying there on the pavement before the shrine, which she was sure had not been there before. She exhaled her stress and pulled the clothing on piece by piece, while also taking note of the red markings on her shoulders and chest. Had those been there before and she hadn’t noticed them? She remembered them having been on her body when she had been in wolf form, on Nippon... the marks of a goddess. But the dress covered them up when she put it on. The marking on her forehead on the other hand would have to remain visible.
Next up was the necklace. Amaterasu simply stepped over one of the water streams that shaped the island she had woken up on and picked it up from the ground to place it around her waist. Jade magatama beads, a total of twelve... it was just like the Exorcism Rosary she had found in Nippon, though it appeared to lack a linking chain. That was something she would have to look into at a later point in time... she folded her hands and bowed in front of the shrine in a silent thanking to whatever sprite or deity lived here. Then she turned to the pathway and began to walk down the slope, towards the foot of the hill. This was odd... everywhere she looked she only saw white, and small things in the distance. This world was certainly strange. But, surely that would all reveal itself in due time. She focused on the path ahead for now - and on the pleasant sight that where she was stepping, plants were sprouting from the ground, just like before. So she still was a Goddess.
Speaking of which - what of the Celestial Brush? She stopped in her tracks and reached for the ink-dipped hair flowing down her back, then set her eyes on a large boulder. She raised her hand and painted a straight line into the air, so as to use the Cutting technique. But, much to her surprise, no ink was drawn into the air, her power remained the same, and the boulder stood firm as ever without the slightest scratch on it. She had recovered her Brush techniques in Nippon, why was this place forcing her through a fresh start once again? Not to mention that there was no Celestial Sign far and wide, with it being the brightest day with no hint of darkening anytime soon. In frustration she thrusted her hand forward, still holding her hair-brush, in an attempt to draw a stab. Instead one of the Prayer Beads from her belt separated from the others on her belt and flew forward like an arrow, piercing the stone a little and remaining stuck there - and Amaterasu gave a surprised yelp, jumped back and let go of her hair. What was that just now? The bead... that was one of her Rosary Divine Instrument techniques. But how... she waved her hand and the bead lodged deep into the rock turned transparent, then flew back to rejoin the others on her belt, attracted by her force. They hadn't done THAT before... she looked down the path, then shook her head. Leaving this place had to wait. She had to try this first...
... and try she did. For several minutes without break did Amaterasu fire her Prayer Beads using hand motions, until all twelve were expended, then recalled them and started anew. She broke a few against the solid rock, but found that she could materialize new ones if that happened. Though they looked like the Divine Instrument she had wielded once, they functioned quite differently now - and she had to explore these functions if this place was anything like Nippon and holding demons. Finally, when the rock's once smooth surface was covered in little craters where the beads had hit and pebbles were all around its base, Amaterasu finished and looked back at the path. The physical exertion and training had quenched her frustration, and she had the clarity of mind now to think. So what of it? Her Celestial Brush, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi - the Sword-, the Yata no Kagami -the Reflector-, were gone? She would just have to recover them. Once more the words of the white man passed through her head... "With it, anything you desire can be yours." She had already recovered the Yasakani no Magatama, the Prayer Beads. She had no idea how much of this rainbow-glowing energy - Omnilium - she needed to use to obtain them, but she would get there, however long it took her. With this thought she rose to her feet and more proudly marched down the path, once more leaving grass and tree sprouts wherever she placed her feet.
She was Amaterasu, daughter of the God Izanagi and Goddess of the Sun. Whatever challenge she was presented with, she would overcome them.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-22-2015
The King of Knights had been riding for approximately fifteen minutes on a moderate speed towards one of the gates. She hadn’t exactly spurred her horse all that much, simply allowing it go on it’s own pace, as she herself had mostly focused upon scrutinizing the surrounding whiteness. As she approached, she could notice that the dot in the distance began to grow in size, and after the King of Knights had already gotten fairly close, she realized what it was. A gate, an archway made of stone. She could see small figures close to it, guarding the gate as she finally decided to spur her mount forth with haste.
As she finally arrived to the figures, whom seemed to be guards of one sort or another, she pulled upon the reins of her steed, steadily bringing it to a halt, before she dismounted from the right side with an agile hop, her armour letting out a sound as she landed upon the ground.
Bowing to the man clad in armour before her, the knight inquired. “Greetings Sir. Where might I be and where does this gate lead?” Her tone was calm, respectful as she spoke, knowing full well, that men like himself had once worked in her servitude as well.
The man simply responded, slightly annoyedly. “Oh, one of you again? A new one, eh? Well, at least you have manners.” the man commented, disregarding the questions presented to him completely, as he leaned against the spear in his hands a little. Eventually, he decided that the woman, whom simply stood there patiently waiting for a response, was worthy of his time. “You are at one of the eight gates of the Nexus. Specifically, the one that leads to Camelot. But keep in mind we have seen your kind before, and that you can be dealt with. If you decide to go forth, behave.” the male simply informed the knight, before falling back into his earlier apathy.
As the man guardsman spoke, the expression upon Arthuria’s visage turned grim in a rapid manner, as she lost a speck of her calmness, quickly firing an array of questions towards the man. “Camelot?! But, where’s King Arthur then? Where is the ruler of Camelot? How could he be a king if he didn’t pull Caliburn from the sacred stone much like in the prophecy?!” she inquired in a shock, completely forgetting her usual mask of control and calmness together with the fact, that she was now in a different world, where things could be completely differently. And that obviously included different rulers as well as countries. The girl didn’t even stop to consider for a moment, that the name of the country could simply happen to be the exact same one, as the one that she had once ruled.
The man raised an eyebrow, tightening his grip of the spear, seemingly somewhat alarmed, which was likely caused by the fact, that the woman was seemingly freaking out after hearing the name Camelot.. But for now, he reasoned that he would simply answer questions, to see if the person was simply mistaken. “King Arthur? Camelot is ruled by King Aragorn, and there has never been any ‘King Arthur’. You must be mistaken or delusional, woman. I have never in my life heard of any prophecies, sacred stones, or whatever the thing is, that you mentioned, is. Now fall in line, or I must use force.” the man threatened. Despite wearing only a spear and some plate armour, he reasoned that the woman wasn’t wearing any weaponry, and was fairly new, so if problems arose, he could possibly take her, along with some backup.
Arthuria simply listened in shock, as she tried to comprehend the fact, that Camelot wasn’t ruled by King Arthur anymore. Had her...wish to the grail been fulfilled after all..? That she had never pulled Caliburn, and had never became the King of Britain, and that the sword had just remained there in the stone for all her life, because nobody else had been able to pull it free. That eventually, the people would’ve forgotten the prophecy and simply chosen a king themselves. Biting onto her lip, the girl tried to comprehend it all, as the reality seemed to come crashing down upon her. It didn’t make any sense..! Kiritsugu had forced her to destroy the grail! She hadn’t actually emerged victorious from her duel with the King of Heroes! It just didn’t make any sense, that the grail would’ve filled her wish.. Yet here she was, standing at a gate that apparently led to Camelot, and whom’s king she wasn’t.
But she wasn’t given much time to dwell in such thoughts as the earth began to tremble, and a glow of light emanated from behind the woman’s back. The King of Knights turned around, soon finding that she had to shield her eyes from the light with her gauntlet covered hand. As the ground continued to shake, it seemed that a mountain was rising up in the distance, along with bright shining light. She turned around on her heels once more, asking the man in guard, whom looked approximately as bored still, as he had before. “What is happening, guardsman?”
The man offered no reaction to the shaking earth nor the mountain rising out into the middle of the world, as he simply replied. “Another one of you freaks is coming to populate this place. Now could you leave me be, and go bother someone else with your questions, little Missy.” he finished, throughout his speech his voice becoming more and more annoyed that he wasn’t simply allowed to do his simple job in peace. He was here to guard the gate from intruders, not to answer questions.
Another one of me? Someone like me, coming into this world? the knight thought as she disregarded the guard’s annoyance. She did note, that when she ruled, none in her command had ever acted in such an ungrateful and disrespectful manner. Taking her mount by the reins, she set the ball of her foot, hidden within the one of the greaves she wore onto the stirrup, kicking herself up from the ground and onto her horse once more. Taking a hold of the reins, the King of Knights used them to turn her steed around to the direction where she had just came, kicking her heels into the sides of the mare to spur it into a hasty canter towards the mountain. She would go meet this ‘other one like herself’, and she would find out whom they were.
The return trip to the newly formed mountain was much faster due to the knight forcing her steed towards the highest speeds it could go. Looking up as she sat in the saddle of her steed, she could see some kind of pink-leaved trees she couldn’t recognize at the top of the hill, as well as a path leading upwards. Leaning forth in the saddle, Arthuria reached forward with her hand, to gently pet and caress the neck and head of her diligent, loyal mount. The girl was very much fond of animals, and spent a moment rewarding it for the service it had done to her. “Wait here for me.” she simply whispered to the horse, before sliding off the saddle, landing with a slight clink of her armour.
For now, Saber saw no reason to summon forth her sword, as she didn’t feel any kind of danger looming from the small mountain, nor any kind of hostility. She could always summon it at the moment of need, much like she had done in life. With calm steps the woman began to walk up the path that snaked it’s way through to the top. It had clearly been paved there on purpose though, as it was lit with lanterns as if to guide the way for those whom chose to traverse up to the top. Due to her awareness of the situation, Arthuria progressed cautiously up the hill, paving her way as silently as she could, which slowed her advancement up the hill considerably. In about fifteen minutes the knight approached the top, hearing various thunk and clink sounds from ahead. Based on her combat experience, the female warrior deducted that it was likely somekind of projectile hitting a solid, hard surface, such as rock.
It would seem she would have to arm herself after all, the girl thought as she summoned forth her sword. For a moment, the girl recalled a technique she had used in the past for gaining a tactical advantage, as well as to conceal her identity by hiding the legendary, recognizable blade from sight. She had called it Invisible Air, a sheath of pressurised wind hiding the blade from sight. Sadly, it also dulled the blade considerably for the duration of its use, but that was an acceptable loss. Quietly, the girl muttered the name of her technique, “Invisible... Air…” as she gathered the wind from her surroundings, pulling it to the blade and completely hiding the whole sword from sight, leaving simply a hard to detect mass of swirling wind currencies behind.
It was time. She ran up the small distance to the mountain top with haste, and as she reached it, she slid to a halt, rising her blade and falling to a defensive stance as she looked at some kind of a blonde girl throwing what seemed like..green stones against another stone. As Arthuria inspected the girl closer, she noticed the ears popping up from her head, as well as her long white hair and a strange style of clothing. In a calm voice, she voiced a pair of questions. “Whom are you? Are you hostile?” Naturally, the girl could lie, but for now, Arthuria didn’t have an interest to attack, unless she was given a solid reason to do so.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 11-23-2015
Amaterasu's ears perked a bit when she heard someone approach, though she finished firing the five remaining beads that were floating and stopped when adressed. Again, her ears twitched a bit, pointing themselves in the other girl's direction to "catch" the sound of her words best, something that Arthuria would likely take note of. Then she turned her head towards her and eyed her curiously.
For some ten seconds, neither of them spoke a word, then the other girl lost her patience and asked: "Can you understand me?"
"Yes." Amaterasu replied after a moment. "Interestingly enough, I can, even though you are unlike most humans I have ever seen, stranger." She turned her body to face the other one again, leaving her Prayer Beads stuck in the rock or scattered around it for now. Though she appeared battle-readied, she did not seem aggressive. Had she intended to attack her, she wouldn't have announced her presence by speaking, let alone waited for so long. "I know not of the kosai-ho of your culture, but where I come from it is ill manners to speak in a battle-stance. But, given the circumstances, I suppose I can understand." She smiled brightly, placed her palms together before her chest and bowed a little to her. "I am Amaterasu, kami of the Sun. And ask yourself, warrior woman... if I was hostile, would I not have attempted to strike you down by now?" After that she stood back straight.
Though she was speaking fluently, she had some accent to her words, and Arthuria would find herself unable to understand certain individual terms - though she might be able to make them up within the context. But Amaterasu could make herself understood for the most part.
The Sun Goddess herself wondered what the stranger would do now and, while awaiting her answer, continued to examine her. Her attire, the color of her skin, dozens of details all over what was visible of her body - most prominently the shape of her eyes -, they all were different. Perhaps this woman hailed from the far western lands, which Amaterasu had only seen from the skies? Or from somewhere entirely different? In either case, it was unlikely that she was a disguised Akuma. They would pick a less conspicuous form to lure in their prey, not that of a warrior woman. And even if it turned out to be an elaborate ruse, she would be prepared. For now, perhaps this stranger knew something about this strange place - and if she didn't, there was no reason to meet her with hostility anyway.
Quote:Translations:
Kosai-ho: Social code, Etiquette
Kami: God, Deity
Akuma: Demon.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-23-2015
Arthuria's eyes scanned her surroundings closely, as well as observed the movements of the other woman in a detailed manner, not even the twitches of her ears getting past her trained eyes. Soon enough, after voicing her concern about the likely lack of mutual communications methods, she was given her answer. It did seem like the girl could understand her after all.
Yet there were more important calculations within the knight's mind, as her mind raced against her knowledge about other Heroic Spirits. Yet this girl couldn't fit to any of the descriptions she had heard before, and the only hint she was given were the prayer beads she'd noticed, stuck in the stone. A caster? An Archer? The King of Knights wasn't certain, and it kept her wary. Despite that, for now she dropped out of her battle stance, simply allowing her sword to dissipate from her hand back into the void she was by now mildly comfortable summoning it from. [b]"Amaterasu, I know not what are these... Kosai..s of yours, nor do I know what a Kami is. Alas, an honourable warrior would never attack another with underhanded tactics. Therefore, I must ask thee. What happened to the lake that was here? Are you Caster, Archer perhaps?" Obviously, it was likely that Amaterasu had no clue what Arthuria was talking about, considering that she was no Heroic Spirit.
For now, Arthuria decided to place a portion of her trust into the girl's honour. If she were to attack, she would've had plenty of chances already, and for now she seemed to be approximately as lost, as she herself was.. Though by now, the knight pondered that she herself could have some specks of information that the other didn't. And at this point, in a strange new world, where she wasn't certain if she was even a Servant, or whom was her master, she determined the best course of action to not gather enemies, instead of gathering possible allies, or at the very least amassing some basic knowledge of this world first. If there were to be an Holy Grail War, the King of Knights knew not, but considering that she hadn't met anyone who were to proclaim to be her Master, the woman found it somewhat unlikely.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-23-2015
Quote:Brain dead author forgot one line of her post into another part of the Google doc. I blame eating dinner & writing at the same time. The rest is quoted. Sorry about that, won't happen again.
Quote:Arthuria's eyes scanned her surroundings closely, as well as observed the movements of the other woman in a detailed manner, not even the twitches of her ears getting past her trained eyes. Soon enough, after voicing her concern about the likely lack of mutual communications methods, she was given her answer. It did seem like the girl could understand her after all.you have given me your name, so my pride as a knight demands, that I shall give you mine in return. My name is Arthuria Pendragon.
Yet there were more important calculations within the knight's mind, as her mind raced against her knowledge about other Heroic Spirits. Yet this girl couldn't fit to any of the descriptions she had heard before, and the only hint she was given were the prayer beads she'd noticed, stuck in the stone. A caster? An Archer? The King of Knights wasn't certain, and it kept her wary. Despite that, for now she dropped out of her battle stance, simply allowing her sword to dissipate from her hand back into the void she was by now mildly comfortable summoning it from. [b]"Amaterasu,
Quote:I know not what are these... Kosai..s of yours, nor do I know what a Kami is. Alas, an honourable warrior would never attack another with underhanded tactics. Therefore, I must ask thee. What happened to the lake that was here? Are you Caster, Archer perhaps?" Obviously, it was likely that Amaterasu had no clue what Arthuria was talking about, considering that she was no Heroic Spirit.
For now, Arthuria decided to place a portion of her trust into the girl's honour. If she were to attack, she would've had plenty of chances already, and for now she seemed to be approximately as lost, as she herself was.. Though by now, the knight pondered that she herself could have some specks of information that the other didn't. And at this point, in a strange new world, where she wasn't certain if she was even a Servant, or whom was her master, she determined the best course of action to not gather enemies, instead of gathering possible allies, or at the very least amassing some basic knowledge of this world first. If there were to be an Holy Grail War, the King of Knights knew not, but considering that she hadn't met anyone who were to proclaim to be her Master, the woman found it somewhat unlikely.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 11-23-2015
Amaterasu untensed a bit when the stranger dissipated the weird wind between her hands and turned to a normal position. She hadn't even noticed the tension in her muscles until now, and it surprised her a little. Well... perhaps because she was yet unfamiliar with this place? She didn't know. But, the other one seemed willing to speak, and they could understand each other - although it made her curious that Arthuria spoke this fluently, only to pronounce kosai-ho and kami with a very heavy accent. Perhaps there was some form of language barrier after all? Surely it couldn't be that these terms didn't exist where the stranger came from - even the western lands worshipped higher beings, and they were bound to have some code of conduct in their culture, right? Or maybe they used a different word?
While the stranger thought, so did Amaterasu. If this was a western individual, she would have to be careful - she was not versed in their customs, though so far it didn't seem like she had done any major slip-ups, at least none that the other girl had remarked. Then she was spoken to once more, and Amaterasu frowned. "It appears that there is some form of language barrier between us, even though we understand the majority of each other's words, Arthuria Pendragon. Like you seem to not understand certain words that I speak, that word you just said... knight, was it? It's not something I recognize - though I am certainly eager to find out, and would be happy in turn to explain what you didn't understand to you. I can only guess from the context, that it must be a social standing in your culture? But as for your other questions..."
She took a moment to allow the other one to interrupt her if she had to, and to think this over. "An honorable warrior", she had said. So indeed the culture she was from had a code of honor. She would have to explain it to her later... kosai-ho and kami should not be too hard to explain after all. Provided that Arthuria didn't say anything, she continued after a few seconds.
"The words Archer and Caster both are familiar to me, but you seem to speak of them as names - and I have never been called either of these by nickname, as far as I can remember. Perhaps there is something I am missing here?" That was the most probable - another clash of cultures, or perhaps Arthuria knew something about this place that she did not, and would all make sense soon enough. She pointed over towards the rock, where the Prayer Beads were still lodged. "You came to me while I was trying out what powers I have in this place, as it appears they have been severely altered. Would you mind if I recovered my weaponry? I can only give you my word of honor that I will not use them against you so long as you do not attempt to attack me in return, but I feel better with them by me, rather than lodged into that rock." She weaved a little test into those words: "word of honor." the stranger had just now mentioned having her own code of honor as a... knight. Whatever that was. And it seemed to be important to her. She was curious to see how she would react to this being mentioned from another person. Although of course, if Arthuria did indeed take her word, she would keep it. Breaking her word as a Goddess would be a sacrilege like no other.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-23-2015
Arthuria was perhaps armed no longer, but her eyes were still adamant, following every move that the other did... Why would she reveal her name so eagerly the Servant wondered, trying to figure out what kind of servant would do so, and why? Then again, she could remember the King of Conquerors, Iskander, announcing his name right as he arrived, like he was proud to grant it right from the first moment. Was this girl here much like Iskander? A conqueror? So proud and brave that they were not afraid to reveal their true name from the first moment! The knight's pondering was interrupted by the other, as the girl, whom had named herself Amaterasu spoke, and Arthuria listened with intent, out of simple respect towards the other.
Yes, there certainly was a language barrier Saber thought, as she pondered still what those weird, foreign sounding words could've meant, trying to figure out what they meant based upon their context. However, she didn't know what a knight was? The first thought was, that perhaps they were servants from completely different time periods, or perhaps this person simply was no servant, and had been pulled into this world much like she herself. Was this even possible? Arthuria didn't know, yet she hadn't much of a choice than to consider all the options that her mind found even the slightest bit possible.
"You know not what a knight is, Amaterasu?" the King of Knights asked, the question more rhetoric than anything as she continued straigth forth into explaining what a knight was. "A knight is a warrior, whom fights in service of their King, abiding by a special code of honour. They're warriors whom find no greater joy in a fight, than to fight fairly, with respect towards their opponent. One part of our code is, that should our opponent name themselves, our code requires us to name ourselves in return, out of respect and honour towards them." Arthuria paused for a moment after her explanation, providing a question of her own. "Could you in return tell me, what this kosai..ho, is? And what is a kami?"
The proud knight received an intriguing response, as the other explained that she did indeed know the words Caster, as well as Archer, yet had never heard herself nicknamed as one. This seemed to underline, at least according to Arthuria's thought process, that the girl was indeed either not from her world, or simply not a Heroic Spirit. "Those are indeed names where I come from, for I am a Heroic Spirit. I am Saber. However, it would seem that we do not come from the same world, or perhaps from a different time, where this system wasn't yet in place. I apologize for the confusion." the knight noted with an apologetic, respectful bow.
And then there was the rather intriguing mention about her powers. They had been altered? Technically so had hers, Arthuria noted in her mind, as she figured that she hadn't indeed had her ability to traverse waters unimpeded as she had first arrived here. Out of respect towards the other, the knight offered a piece of information in return. "I noticed the same about my powers, when I first arrived, some time before you. You should also know, that this place looked different, before you appeared."
And then came the interesting part, the other was offering their word of honour, that they wouldn't attack her. Upon her pride as a knight, Arthuria couldn't bring herself to question the other's honour, after all, they had done nothing to deserve such. This person seemed to have honour and pride, unlike the fiend Kiritsugu, whom had had no sense of honour of anykind. Kiritsugu... The name still made her blood boil, as she forced herself to calm down and to not display any outward signs of emotion, nodding as a sign of acceptance. "You may retrieve your weapons, Amaterasu, I have no reason to doubt thy honor." Should Arthuria have doubted the woman's honour with no reason, she would've forsaken her own in the process, and she would never do that. She valued her pride as a knight more than anything else, and even if they were to fight, there was no honour in striking down an unarmed and defenceless foe.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 11-23-2015
Amaterasu's ears visibly perked up a little further, indicating her particular interest on the subject that was coming up - when Arthuria began speaking about the knights. She narrowed her eyes a little, then they lit up as she understood, and she nodded twice, smiling brighter than before. "Oh, it's becoming clear now, then! What you call a knight ought to be the equivalent of what we call a Samurai. They are warriors living by a strict code of honor and manners in addition to the normal Kosai-ho. They typically serve the reigning monarch or Shogun, and are known for their exceptional skill with the sword, as well as great prowess with . It is astonishingly similar, I must admit." She paused for a moment to allow the other to digest this information, then continued. "This is also a great way to explain what the kosai-ho is. I have no doubt that your culture has something alike. It is... well, it's a set of rules of respecting and treating other people properly. I suppose that it is known to you by a different name."
She noticed Arthuria was thinking and appeared to be... slightly shaken by something. But she was very adept at hiding her emotions, if she was indeed shaken, and being unable to tell for certain she decided to keep it in the back of her mind, but to pay it no further attention for now. She did not seem to know much more about this world than she herself did, judging from their mutual confusion at each other, it might be something related to that - or to things that Amaterasu couldn't understand due to not knowing about Arthuria's background. It was her choice if she would reveal the reason for being shaken - Amaterasu had no influence upon that. Instead, she continued her explanation.
"I will happily explain, though - please forgive me for you having to insist on me explaining it. I thought that the explanations could be postponed until more pressing matters are cleared up. A Kami... how do I explain this?" She thought to herself for a moment. The western cultures worshipped higher beings, she knew that much... perhaps go at it this way. She pointed to the sky but kept her eyes on Arthuria, as she didn't want her to believe that she was trying to trick her into looking away, to land a sneak attack. She counted on the other girl to keep eye contact. "A kami is a being in a higher plane of existence. I believe that the cultures outside my land also believe in a higher existence, in great transcendent beings that have shaped the world." She lowered her hand and turned away from Arthuria to point upwards along the pathway up the hill, where the small shrine was located at. "Humans come to the places of worship, they present offerings, worldly goods, in order to ask for the kami's favor. And sometimes it is granted." This ought to explain what she meant... though Amaterasu did of course take her status for granted, and didn't consider that Arthuria might not believe that she was the Sun Goddess, and with reason.
"A heroic... spirit, you say. While I understand the words, I doubt that they mean the same to me as to you - I merely understand them as "the ghost of a hero", nothing deeper. I am supposing that from what you asked me earlier, you mistook me for one such Heroic Spirit? Or maybe I am one without realizing such?" She blinked when a realization hit her. Her last memories... the Ark of Yamato, she had laid down to sleep and let her wounds recover. Had she succumbed to her wounds and died without realizing it - and become a spirit, a dead entity? And she had been drawn into a new incarnation? No, no... she shook her head a bit to get those thoughts out. This was getting into speculation, she could not be sure. She needed clarity on this. "I'm sorry, my mind... wandered off a bit. It may be that I am a Heroic Spirit like yourself, I am... uncertain. My last memories date back to where I went to sleep after a tiresome battle against a fierce Akuma, a dark being of pure evil and rage. I do not know if I have succumbed to my wounds and become a spirit. The only thing I remember between these events and my arrival here is a white, eye-less individual who spoke to me and introduced me to this world - the Omniverse, he called it. But I digress. If I am indeed a Heroic Spirit, as you named it, I am not aware of such, nor do I have any nickname that I know of - Saber, Caster, Archer or such."
When Arthuria accepted her word, Amaterasu turned to the side and approached the rock to retrieve the beads by hand. A few that were too deeply lodged into the stone she had to recall - she didn't bother hiding this if Arthuria were to look - and disappointedly clicked her tongue when she found the shattered remains of two. However, she just closed her eyes and joined her palms together, and they reformed on her belt, completing the Prayer Bead chain around her waist. They settled there with a little clickering noise, then Amaterasu turned to face the other one again. "Thank you for your trust." She said and smiled yet brighter. Now with her weapon at hand, she felt more closely "bonded" to Arthuria - they both trusted each other enough to allow one another to have weapons at hand, knowing that neither would use them. "You mentioned your nickname to be Saber, and you asked for my identity by nickname, not by my real name... correct me if I am wrong, but does that mean that you Heroic Spirits - us, maybe - wish to be referred to by these nicknames rather than your real names? I can of course take to calling you Saber, if you prefer." She turned her head to look down the slope behind the rock, into the white emptiness beyond that was the Nexus. Then she looked back at Arthuria. "Really? Please don't understand my words as that I am doubting yours, but this place appears very real to me... I have been here for some half hour before encountering you and don't remember any changes. But, this mountain greatly reminds me of where I was first reincarnated in Nippon - many things are the same, to the detail. I suppose that it must have been something more representative of your own background then?" She asked. "You don't have to answer that if you do not want to, though. We all have the secrets we wish to keep to ourselves. It startles me a little, I must admit. This place seems to have worldly laws very different from where I come from."
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-24-2015
Arthuria would listen closely as the other girl spoke, her eyes lighting up as she spoke up. “Ah, Samurai, I have fought against one in the past. True warriors of honour, a great pleasure to fight again.. So Kosai-ho...would be something like manners or etiquette.. Our language doesn’t have a more specific word for it, I think.”
Quote:Author’s note: Is there? I can’t think of one right now, so I’ll write as if there wasn’t.
Pondering for a moment, the knight shook her head a little. “It is of no issue, I simply wish to know what exactly did you address yourself as, Amaterasu.” the woman explained herself. As long as she didn’t know what a Kami was, she couldn’t be certain how was the woman classifying herself, and whether or not it was something that Arthuria should’ve in some way taken into consideration when deciding upon the correct course of behaviour.
And then came the pointing upwards. Was this a trick of some kind, the trained mind thought at first, before taking a note of the intent eye contact that Amaterasu seemed to desire. Locking her eyes into the woman’s in return, her own turquoise eyes holding a very determined gaze. “A god? A Kami is a god? So you in other words, named yourself Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun?” Once more, her eyes followed the hand that Amaterasu used to gesture around them, explaining about their surroundings. It seemed that the girl genuinely believed herself to be a God of some kind, even though it made very little sense to Arthuria herself, she had to consider all options. Was it perhaps just what she thought she was, and she was in a reality a Heroic Spirit much like herself? Or perhaps it was just an intricate delusion, woven around the woman’s mind, causing such a claim to escape her lips. Then again Saber had to also consider the fact, that perhaps they were from different worlds, pulled into this one by the white being she had seen, before she had woken up here. It made very little sense to her in all honesty, but she had to keep mental notes about what was going on, lest she’d lose sight of her goal.
“I...cannot say, Amaterasu. I believe you may not be a heroic spirit, that we may not be from the same realm even. Simply brought here by something, our meeting pure happenstance. Yet I can say naught for certain.” the King of Knights stated with a mildly puzzled expression. This world, it was odd, confusing. There hadn’t been any kind of clear indication that this was a different world, or that she’d been taken somewhere. Even when she originally chose to become a Heroic Spirit to be able to possibly save her country from the doom she had set upon it, she herself had begged to be made one, it had been out of her own desire.
And then the self-proclaimed Goddess spoke once more whilst the gallant knight listened. It had been like this for a while now, as they exchanged information and discussed, attempting to find some kind of explanation to what had happened to both of them. “An Akuma..? From the description, I would expect that in my tongue, that is the name of a demon.” and then came the most relevant piece of information Arthuria had received so far. It seemed like she wasn’t the only one whom had been given the pleasure of being instructed by the white being before she had succumbed back into the darkness, only to be woken up here. “I also saw this being of white you speak of, Amaterasu. I am thus led to believe, that you may indeed not be a Heroic Spirit like myself… That we may be from different realms entirely. I can tell thy this, however.. Death wasn’t what claimed us, as I have experienced death centuries ago.”
As Amaterasu retrieved her weapon, Arthuria remained stationary, as she crossed her arms across her chest, simply trying to figure out the situation she had been chucked in. If the other wasn’t even a Heroic Spirit, would there even be a Holy Grail? A Holy Grail War? Anything for her to fight for..? It led her to question what she had earlier discovered. Would the Camelot here even be her Camelot? These were the thoughts that plagued the knight’s mind, trying to instill the feeling of doubt, whilst the woman witnessed the beads being plucked out of the stone, and a few of them being somehow regenerated, through magic Arthuria assumed. “As a knight, should I doubt thine word of honour, without a reason, I would stain mine own.” she simply explained with an acknowledging nod.
“Mm, yes indeed.” the knight responded with another nod, before starting to explain. “As a Heroic Spirit, you must conceal your true identity. Should other Heroic Spirits know your identity, they shall be capable of figuring out your capabilities and techniques through the legends surrounding you. That is why, we Heroic Spirits refer to one another by our classes. From now on, I would indeed appreciate that you would acknowledge me simply by the name, Saber.” the woman thought. She was simply a Servant, a tool for her master to use. Being acknowledged as Saber was something that reinforced that belief in the knight’s mind, although she currently didn’t have a Master, at least not one, that she would have been aware of.
“I believe that this place changed as you entered this realm, and that perhaps it changed for me as well, Amaterasu.” she explained her assumptions, made simply from the information she had acquired from their conversation so far, as well as the talk she had had with the guard earlier. All this information was simply bits and pieces that the knight was attempting to weave together to her best ability, whilst still keeping track of everything else. “For me..” the knight started, before falling back into silence for nearly a minute.. “For me, when I came, this place resembled the place where I...lived my final moments, before becoming a Heroic Spirit.” Once more, her honour took place before anything else, as she returned the courtesy of Amaterasu’s explanation of what this place meant to her. “It also held something dear for me, but of that, I shall perhaps tell you another day.” and then, came the crucial question that Saber had considered for a while now. “What say you, shall we travel together with one another for now?” The question was presented with a calm tone, as it seemed like the best route to take for the both of them. Teaming up in a world of which neither of them knew much about. A single twig was weak… Two twigs were naturally still weak, but still twice as durable, as the single twig alone.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 11-25-2015
Amaterasu chuckled and nodded. "I'm happy to hear that you know them. Perhaps our cultures are not so different from each other after all. As for these man-ers... I suppose that is up to you. Neither of these words do I recognize. But considering the explanations we have gone through, I suppose that they are the same." She offered another bright smile, then fell quiet once more as Arthuria spoke.
"I'm not sure if "God" or "Goddess" is the same thing as a Kami, Art- ... Saber. You sound rather surprised though. Do these Gods you speak of not walk the Earth, as does humankind? A kami is, after all, a spirit, an ascended human who, prior to their reincarnation, has done many good deeds and was granted an ascension in the cycle of karma. It is only natural that they occasionally come down in the shape of human or animal, to spend a time among mortals before returning." She passed a hand over her chin in thought, then replied. "I may of course have been reincarnated in the body of a human, provided that I did indeed succumb to the akuma's attacks, if my destiny is to occupy the body of a mortal once more. Although I am surprised to find myself in the body not only of an adult instead of newborn, but also bearing the same looks as I did prior to my death. But, those are not matters that you are to be bothered with. I am certain that in due time it will all become clear to me. In the meantime however..."
She hummed and once more passed a hand over her chin as she thought. "If what you speak of the Heroic Spirits is indeed true and I was brought here as one, I would ask that you conceal my identity as well, just in case that it turns out you are right about your beliefs, and it would be advantageous for me to keep my name and nature a secret. One can never be too careful after all... even if you doubt the correctness of it, I would like to go through with it for now. Besides, I may have been quick in revealing my title, if this world is not what I believe it to be I may indeed not be a kami anymore. So please - refer to me as Shiranui. That was what my prior self, previous to my reincarnation, called herself, and it is a name I hold dearly." Her smile faded for a few seconds as she remembered the White Wolfess, Shiranui, and her sacrifice as they had fought Orochi. But, she had shedded enough tears for her, and now was not the time. She put her smile back on to forget about that. "I must ask though... Saber, Archer, Lancer - judging by the name, they describe a type of warrior, don't they? Moreso than a person. Why do you not instead take on a different name to refer to yourself as by, like a nickname? It would feel degrading to me to be named purely according to my abilities in a fight." She hmmed, wondering if there was any fine name Arthuria could take on, though of course she could only think of eastern names.
Akuma describes a creature, it's not a name. Though I have heard a similar word before, day-mon or such... it might well be the same. Well, regardless... it may be a funny question, but what leads you to believe that you have died centuries ago, Saber? Did you retain your memories after being reincarnated into a new body? And why would your self from centuries ago be resurrected and brought back, rather than the form you inhabited at the time you were brought here?" Of course, that was all making the big assumption that Arthuria knew and understood the concept of reincarnation which was mostly an eastern teaching - but she just might, the only way to find out was to ask.
"It changed to the place you were at when your soul left your body, hmm? That is... strange, I must admit. To me this place is a replica of wherre I first incarnated. Come." She turned away from Arthuria and moved up along the path, though they only needed to move some ten meters before they came close enough to the big tree on the top of the hill, that Amaterasu could point to a stone block standing in front of the tree, with two small rivers coming from between the tree's roots and joining in the middle to shape an island around that block. "In Kamiki Village, where my journey began long ago, a statue had been placed here at the feet of the Wood Sprite Sakuya. That statue represented the White Wolf Shiranui - my previous incarnation, if you remember, who died a century prior to my reincarnation. She gave her life to seal away a vile Akuma who terrorized the village back then - a noble deed like no other. A hundred years later, I was incarnated from that statue by Sakuya, because the Akuma had escaped its confinment." She turned back to Arthuria and smiled a little. "If you wish I can tell you more of this story some other day, but if you say that this place changes, we should perhaps not stay. Someone else might be waiting to arrive and I wish not to impede them on their path."
Arthuria then asked a question that Amaterasu had not anticipated, and which surprised her at first. But then she smiled, brighter than before. "I would very much like to do so. This is a place I do not know and understand, and neither do you, it appears. But two minds think better than one." She placed her palms together before her chest and bowed slightly to Arthuria. "It would be my honor to have you by my side for as long as you wish or as we can before fate draws us apart again. And my pleasure as well."
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-25-2015
Quote:Should you want something to listen to during reading this post, look no further.Arthuria simply listened, her mind wandering as she pondered upon the statement of the other. A god? A god in mortal form? Would it be possible? Then again, Heroic Spirits were possible.. But they weren’t...or at least the other wasn’t a Heroic Spirit. Or, at least there was no way of confirming if she was, or wasn’t. ”I do believe so, yes.” the woman simply replied, not diving any deeper than that into her response, as the other once more took her turn to make her voice heard.
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=q2krradsMtg#Fate%2FZero_Soundtrack_-_03_Grief
As usual, Saber waited fully through Amaterasu’s explanation, before she offered her own, suppressed piece of mind in return. “I...I know not…” she responded, before she fell quiet, descending into her thoughts as she tried to find her own answers first. She felt that the gods had likely chosen to forsake her land, in their direst hour of need due to her failures as a king. That she herself had failed her people, had led her people to ruin. The words the King of Conquerors, Iskander had once told her echoed in her mind. You saved your people, but you never led them. You never showed them what a King should be. You abandoned your men when they lost their way. Alone and untroubled, you followed your own pretty little ideals. Thus, you are no king. “Gods...Gods are fickle things.. Never have I heard of one that would have walked among us mortals… Nor have I heard of one that would’ve granted our wishes or desires.. Gods are often..cruel.” she said, her armored arm letting out a slight clink of metal, as she squeezed her fingers into a fist, continuing her explanation. “Asking for help...praying for help..” the woman stopped, before she nearly spat out the words “Begging for help from the Gods seems to grant naught but their ridicule.. We pray for forgiveness, we pray for relief from our sins. We pray for help. Yet the gods… The gods stay silent. They do not respond to our pleads, nor do they care. We are simply something they watch, something there for their amusement.” she stated, her voice seething with emotion. Considering how well the woman had managed to conceal her feelings before, this was likely a sore spot. “Where were the gods when I pleaded for guidance? For help? Where were the gods when my country burned, when my people bled?” she said as her fists tightened up and the woman bit down onto her lower lip. “The gods forsook my people in their darkest hour. And that was all because of my failures.” It seemed that by now, Arthuria didn’t even remember the mentions about Amaterasu’s own rebirth, possibly as a human or so. The knight simply turned her back to the other, as she slowly sat down onto the ground in silence, staring down along the hill, seeing how the white spread across the landscape. Why had she been brought here? What was her purpose here? The King of Knights could feel the ever lingering doubt gnawing at her confidence as she pondered those things.
As the woman sat there, she simply listened to Amaterasu continue with her questions, and the simple request of concealing her identity. Arthuria didn’t offer any response to it, simply acknowledging within her mind that she would from now on, call Amaterasu Shiranui instead. As it was currently, the knight dwelled within somewhere deep within her mind, in a dark place that she rarely even glanced towards. Yet then came the question, whether she would have another nickname, than Saber.. “We are not people. We’re servants to our Masters, simply tools for them to use and command according to their wish.” Her tone of voice was far from the original, calm and collected one, replaced with a voice full of grief and sorrow. Regret. “We exist only to obtain the Holy Grail.” she noted quietly, before falling back into silence.
The description that Akuma described a creature instead of a being, that it was not a name, slipped completely past her as she only phased in to respond to the question about her death. “I died centuries ago, during a time that my country was being torn asunder by civil unrest. Eventually, I was slain by one of my own knights, and with it, my country fell. As I was laying there, dying, I pledged my services as a Heroic Spirit, for a chance to gain the Holy Grail.. For a chance to change everything. To make it so I never became the King. And so, I became a Heroic Spirit.” she stated with distress in her voice. By now it was clear that this wasn’t exactly a topic the knight could in her current state handle in a reasonable manner, instead causing her immense grief and crashing her usually cold and collected appearance completely in one fell swoop.
Whilst Arthuria didn’t stand up, she listened to the other’s story with some level of intrigue, wishing to know what exactly was this God here for, or why was the place like this.. “Hmn.. This place changes to things that represent you, then.” the knight muttered, slowly trying to force herself from the mess she was, back into her calm and collected shelf. After all, this was not how a knight should act.. “I would..appreciate that.. the story seems intriguing.” she stated as she tried to force her voice back into composure, yet failing at her task rather miserably, simply lowering her head into her knees. “I apologise for my rudeness, Shiranui.” she simply stated, closing her eyes. They would leave soon, Saber promised herself, as she attempted to pull herself out of the dark depths that her past had dragged her into, and that didn’t want to let her escape back into her own self once more.. The burden that weighed upon her like an anchor, which would only be relieved if she would be able to rescue her people, to stop the downfall of her country. To make it so, that it would’ve never happened.
Quote:Author’s note: This was rather interesting to write, considering I had to think of all the interactions, where Arthuria wouldn’t participate like she usually would, and instead have her mm… in a more human state, in one that someone actually had emotions, which is unlike from Arthuria, whom suppresses her emotions.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 11-26-2015
Amaterasu "hmm"-ed and looked at the little shrine when Arthuria spoke, though her ears were turned towards her at all times and she was intently listening. "Interferring in the world of mortals is... difficult, Saber. There have been debates between the kami as to what we should do... many a time these debates have resulted in violence amongst each other. Do you know why? Because some of us believe that if we interfer in the world of mortals, we are not helping them in the long run. We are making them dependant on us." She reached up and pulled the Prayer Beads up until they were around her neck. "Sometimes it's true - we do grant guidance or perform what mortals call "miracles". We intervene. Those are the times where that side wins the debate... if the situation is so dire that we have no choice. But we cannot be the benevolent mothers who wrap their children into their loving arms when they get injured and solve all their problems for them, not if we want those children to grow up some day." She dropped to her knees, which caused several blades of grass to sprout around where she touched the ground, spreading out from where her feet were already resting against the surface. "Perhaps your gods are different, Saber, but the kami from my world never are indifferent to mankind, because we once were like them, and may turn to them again one day. But if we were to grant too many wishes, the pleads and begging would soon turn into demands and requests - we would not be kami anymore, but tools. And if we stopped our guidance, if we stopped working our miracles and intervening, what do you think will happen?" She looked to Arthuria, smiling but with her eyes looking sad. "The same as if you suddenly throw a child that has never learned to fend for itself from your home. They wouldn't know what to do, and plummet into chaos and death. That, Saber, is why we can only intervene in the darkest hour, when mankind cannot solve its own problems, or when we bring upon mankind a problem that is ours to solve. Yami, the akuma I defeated, was one such problem - mankind could not hope to defeat a beast like him. That is why I was brought down to assist mankind that time, and save them." She sighed and stood up, causing the grass blades and flowerbuds to rapidly dissipate into little glowy green energy which in turn dissipated to thin air. "You carry a big burden with you, and I would like to hear about it some day, Saber. But I think that the time for you to tell me is not today - it will be when you choose so, and I will not inquire about it until then."
Arthuria's next words however caused Amaterasu to raise an eyebrow, then shake her head which sent her lengthy hair waving behind her. "You are no tool to anyone's goals, Saber. Not even if you believe yourself to be such, for you are still a human, capable of emotion and independant thought. You have a tamashii. To underline her point she tapped her chest just above her cleavage. "I know not what this Holy Grail you speak of is, but it has no meaning to change my point. For no purposes can you be a tool. You can only be treated as one, and the person who does so is a bad one."
"I must admit... your story is becoming more and more intricate by the minute. You were betrayed by someone who named themselves a knight, as you say? If they are anything like the Samurai breaking their word is a great infringement, and this person has lost their honor in betraying their rida. Arthuria might just understand that last word without requiring a translation. "I suppose that being a Heroic Spirit, as you say, would have allowed you to travel back in time? To fix the mistakes you committed?" She asked curiously. "Though it pains me a great deal to tell you so, Saber, it is not a good idea to change the past, as with all its mistakes and wrong turns it still is what shaped the present. If a man travels back in time to kill a young boy who in the future would become a tyrant Shogun, cause a local uprising and cost many a people their lives, who is to say that among the victims of the civil war there could not have been another child which would have risen to become a tenno that brings even greater sorrow over the entire land?" She approached Arthuria and pulled the Prayer Beads over her head, then held them out so that Arthuria could slip her head through them and wear them as a necklace. "The kami are not always just, and much less are they always right, Saber. But I want you to know, they are there watching over you." She smiled comfortingly. "You can wear these for a while. On my journey I found them comforting when I felt desperate, their weight around my waist reminded me that I was not alone. Don't worry, if things were to get ill I could take them off your neck at a moment's notice, they will not impede you." She would only put it around Arthuria's neck if the knight allowed for it, of course, otherwise she would put it back on herself. "There is nothing to apologize for, Saber, or do you see me offended? It is good to allow your emotions out, rather than bottling them up. Ill thoughts and worries are a greater burden than the heaviest sack of rice."
Quote:Tamashii: Soul
Rida: Leader
Tenno: Emperor
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-26-2015
Arthuria simply listened with her head pressed down against her knees still, as Amaterasu spoke, trying to explain what the so called gods thought, when it came to interfering into the businesses of the mortals. The thing was just...that Arthuria already knew it. It was something that the woman found obvious, something that she herself had thought when she ruled her country from Camelot. But even knowing that, didn’t make accepting the fact that a lot of her people had died for nothing, any easier. ”I care not if the gods decided to forsake or abandon me. It is my people I hold dear. It is the people whom suffer, not those in power. It is the people, whom find their lives fleeting, their lives ending in flash, as someone higher decides their fate.” The people, that had eventually thought, that King Arthur couldn’t understand human emotion due to the way she had ruled. It was as if she had ruled her country too perfectly, and in the process alienated those around her. ”It is not as if I would not know that, Shiranui. It is that I cannot ever bring myself to accept the fate my people suffered, due to my mistakes as a King. The burden of my people will ever lie on my shoulders.” And then, the knight fell into silence, simply listening to the words of the other. How she had once interfered to the businesses of humans, in order to eradicate a demon that had once possibly ruled the earth. In the end, the other seemed like she wished to know more about the story of her people, of her kingship, and how it had ended, but that its time wasn’t now.
Saber stayed quiet despite the fact that Amaterasu disagreed with her. ”No. I am a Heroic Spirit. I am a being summoned by a Master, to fight for them in the Holy Grail War. I am not a human, nor am I a human. I am a Servant to the master that summoned me.” As for the unknown word, Saber could for some reason remember its meaning. However, in her current state the woman didn’t even take note of such, as she explained calmly. “Holy Grail is an artifact that can grant any wish. But there is a war for it. In that war, Mages, the masters. And the Heroic Spirits they summoned, their servants, try to eradicate one another in order to gain the Grail. It is simply natural.” The knight seemed honest in her words, as if that was how things had been for a long time in her mind.
”They may have betrayed their king, and lost their honour as a knight, yet in the end I cannot help but to ask myself, did they not do the right thing. I promised my people this, that one day I would acquire the Holy Grail, and that one day I would fix the mistakes I have made, by simply never drawing the holy sword from the stone. The King’s Sword chose me, yet I doubt it’s choice. I cannot fathom that it chose me, and believe that it must’ve been mistaken. After all, in the end I only brought ruin upon my country. As I bled to death, my country collapsed along with my life. I swore to redo that mistake. To redo my kingship in a way, that it would not be me as their king at all.” she simply stated with a pained tone.
Whilst the other sought to set the necklace around the knight’s neck, she wouldn’t stop her, instead allowing it to happen as she quietly muttered. “Thank you. I appreciate the thought.” As she said so, she quietly fiddled with one of the beads close to her chest, pondering in silence. “A King, nor a knight is not one fit to own feelings nor emotion.” she stated calmly, as she finally lifted her head, with the help of those beads chaining her emotions, dragging them away from her mind, as she sought to seal them away into the darkness once more.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 11-27-2015
"Nobody knows what Fate has in store for them, Saber. Not even the kami. Perhaps it is decided by a power higher than all of us, but it is wrong to grief over them as a result. You have to remember, all of us will one day end their lives, it is not something that only befalls some of us - and it is something quite natural. As it is natural of you to make mistakes, Saber." She moved closer and, ignoring that they had only just met, wrapped her arms around Arthuria in a warm hug, to hold her against herself. "Perhaps I will understand it better once I know the entirety of your story, but let me tell you this. Nothing is ever made to last - even the grandest kingdoms will fall, even the mightiest Tenno will one day have to cross the Sanzu river and be judged, even the highest of all kami will not live eternally. And it is good that way, as change drives us forward... and mistakes are used to learn. The mistakes you made, your successors will learn of - hopefully. And like a felled tree will nurture new saplings, your children and those of your subjects will establish new empires on what is left behind." She let Arthuria go, though if the other held on she would wrap her into her arms again. "And Saber... no single being can take responsability for everyone, for the weight will inevitably crush them. Your intentions are good, but there are too many things beyond your control that you will take upon yourself, and nobody will gain anything from it, yourself least of all."
The next part caused her to fall silent. Arthuria's words struck her harder than she could admit, making her wonder... what had she gone through? Nothing pleasant, that was for certain. It was a simple concept, it seemed, but nontheless she frowned. "So if I understand correctly... this Holy Grail you spoke of is an item that grants you a wish if you win it in a combat between other Heroic Spirits. A mage summons you as their Spirit to fight that combat, and you think of yourself as a tool because of this." She crossed her arms and her smile faded as she looked back at Arthuria. "Forgive my disrespect, Arthuria, but if your wish is to change the past in such a way, you are either a coward, or you are dumb. Who says that the person that would be "King" in your stead would do better than you? Who says that they would not have driven your land to ruin and destruction much sooner than you? I doubt that you can foretell... basing yourself on the assumption that everything will be better with someone else is discarding the responsability for your mistakes - and I want to emphasize, yours. Not those of your knights or subordinates. If indeed you wish to free yourself of the burden that you placed on your own shoulders, I have to call you coward. If you only believe that somebody else will do everything better than you, you have not thought this through." She disregarded the part about Arthuria having been chosen, as she didn't understand the concept of an object "choosing" its owner - perhaps some coronation ritual? She did not know.
Finally, her face turned milder and she began walking down the pathway. They had already been staying here for very long, she did not want to delay their departure any longer. "Perhaps the Kings of your land are different than the Tenno from my land, but one thing has always held true... you cannot lead others if you aren't like the others. You can of course be Tenno and order people around, but for them to truly follow you, they must know that you are like them." She tapped her chest. "My land holds many stories of Tenno that have disguised themselves and wandered among their subjects to know what they felt. One can lead people properly if these people accept that person as their leader. And they will only accept someone who understands them. Only a blind man can lead a group of blind men, for he knows what these blind men feel. Someone who can see would not understand how it is to be blind, and thus would not be a good leader to them." She smiled again and folded her hands behind her back whilst looking to Arthuria and waiting for her to follow. "It may of course not hold always true, but many a time you will find that it aids. If ever you get the opportunity to change things, think about it, Saber. You are very strong... stronger than you may think. Now, shall we get going and leave this place behind? I am eager to find out about this world we are stranded in... and if indeed we are to fight one another as Heroic Spirits."
Amaterasu silently wondered about Arthuria's reaction. Some of the subjects that she had brought up had driven the Sun Goddess angry at moments, but the other one certainly had a point. She was an interesting partner to talk to... and if indeed they were to engage each other in battle, she was curious who of them would win. She hadn't seen any of Arthuria's combat abilities, but if she was as strong as her will suggested, she would be a very challenging opponent indeed.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 11-28-2015
Arthuria had a simple response towards the other’s thoughts about herself being permitted to make mistakes. In the knight’s mind, a King wasn’t allowed the chance of making wrong decisions or mistakes of any kind. ”A King is not allowed such luxury, Shiranui. All of our lives are fleeting, on a journey towards their end.. However, a King is not allowed the luxury of making mistakes. A King is responsible for not only their own life, but of their people’s lives. Of their country.”[b] she stated, pausing for a moment before continuing with her explanation. [b]“Whilst even the greatest kingdoms are destined to eventually fall, no king wishes to see their land burn due to their own mistakes.”
In reality of course, Arthuria’s only real mistake had been being too good of a king, to the point that people had believed she had no understanding of human emotion. But of course, Amaterasu couldn’t know that, as Arthuria hadn’t told her such things, nor did she herself acknowledge that simply being too good would’ve been the mistake she had made. As the woman tried to push the weight off of her shoulders, simply stating that such weight would crush her, the knight snapped back. “You cannot possibly fathom to understand, Shiranui. You are a god. Should a responsibility be given unto you, such as the Akuma, you had your godly powers. You know naught of leading a country, nor do you understand the responsibility that cometh with it. The people’s lives, as well as their deaths are my responsibility as a King. My people are my burden. The King is there to serve their people, not the other way around.” She paused briefly as she assembled her thoughts, before she finished. “As a knight and their King, their lives are my responsibility. Should I abandon that responsibility, I could no longer call myself either, nor would I have any honour left. The burden is mine to carry.”
It was her turn to listen once more, as she pondered the other’s word before formulating her response in a calm tone. “That is indeed true..” After a pause her response came in a disturbingly calm tone. The King of Knights stood up and turned to face Amaterasu, reaching her hand out into the air, as a sword materialized into her hand out of thin air. However, Arthuria didn’t seem to be intent on using it for attacking, as she was holding it by the scabbard instead of the hilt. “Do you see this, Shiranui?” she asked, before continuing and not giving the other a chance to respond. “This sword is called ‘Caliburn’ - The Sword of the King. This is the sword that granted me the right to rule my land. It was once lodged in a stone, placed with a spell that only the just, and rightful King of Camelot, would be able to pull it free. And that is what I did.” the woman ceased her explanation for a moment to allow the history to sink in for a bit before continuing. “There was certainly a mistake when I pulled the sword free. Should I return the world into a state where I never did such, someone else, the rightful and just king would do it. And my country would prosper. It is not that I would cower before the responsibility of my people, but the wish to correct the mistake the blade made.” she stated calmly. Afterwards, she allowed the blade to dematerialize back to wherever she had summoned it from.
Arthuria pondered in her mind what Amaterasu said next… “I was not an emotional king. I always aspired to be just, and did not allow emotions to be part of my ruling. Always just and correct was, what I strived for. The people eventually seemed to think, that I couldn’t understand human feelings.” she said as she turned to follow Amaterasu with her steps. “Strong? How do you mean that, Shiranui?” she asked with a mildly curious tone as she afterwards commented upon them being Heroic Spirits, as well as upon their destination. “It is odd that we lack Masters.. So we might not be in a Holy Grail War.. But, where should we head?”
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 11-30-2015
"I understand where you are coming from, Saber." Amaterasu replied slowly. "But making no mistakes is impossible, for anyone. And it is right to be this way, for perfection is a goal, not a path. If one reaches perfection, they have nothing further to attain - no higher challenge to reach. You may be responsible for more lives than a commoner, yes. But that does not change anything - you will still be human, until you attain a higher step in the ladder of incarnation, and you will still make errors and mistakes. Like I said, everyone does. I myself made more mistakes than I would admit, and some I am deeply ashamed of to this day. Would I be allowed even less luxury to making mistakes than you, because my mistakes may plunge the world into darkness or scorch its surface and burn all who live on it? Of course they would weigh more greatly, but if I was not allowed to make a single mistake I would never take up the position in the first place - and then there would be no sun lighting the sky to begin with." She sighed and shrugged. "I doubt, however, that I can convince you otherwise, or that you can do the same to me. There is a grain of truth in your words, as there is in mine, so we cannot prove each other wrong anyway. Shall we agree on that we disagree, for now?" she offered with a smile and held her hand out.
However, Arthuria's snapping caused her to withdraw her hand with surprise and she blinked while listening, surprised at the sudden fervor. "You don't understand, Saber. We are not so different, you and I... nobody is. Like a commoner is responsible for their own life, a mother is responsible for the lives of her children, a farmer is responsible for the lives of his cattle, just like a Shogun is responsible for the lives of their subordinates, and a Tenno, or a King in the eastern lands, is responsible for the lives of their country. A kami is just a step higher on that ladder, for we are responsible for the lives of those who we watch over. Our godly powers are merely a bigger form of what has been bestowed upon you as a King - they are might and control. But that does not mean we are less responsible, or less likely to make a failure." She blinked when her reply was interrupted by a strand of hair that fell over her eyes and brushed it aside before continuing. "An Akuma, likewise, is just the counterpart to an enemy Tenno that a leader may face - an enemy King. Or a hungry wolf that wishes to feast on the lives of the farmer's cattle. If I had not faced Yami, it - he? I never knew - would have devoured all of Japan, if not more. And no Tenno or heroic Samurai can hope to face such a beast themselves, so the responsability falls upon me. So please... do not think that I don't know how heavy the burden of responsability may weigh upon your shoulders." Though those last words may have sounded berating, Amaterasu said them with a smile and in a soft manner to show that she did not intend to scold Arthuria in any way. "I would say that a King, like any leader, must lead. Leadership is not servitude, though it includes that. Like I could never have defeated Yami without the help of the hundreds of people I have met on my journey, you could not have led your people without them serving you and allowing you to lead them. There is no shame in accepting aid. Even the greatest and most honored Samurai has a wife at home who will mend his wounds when he comes home from the battlefield, and care for his home in his absence." Amaterasu weaved a subtle question into that last statement - had Arthuria had someone? She may not notice the question or decide not to reply, of course, but the Goddess felt curious.
Although she had expected a more open reaction from Arthuria than the usual back and forth in words, the summoning of her sword caused her to blink with surprise. Not that she was afraid, she took Arthuria's word for it, but she had not anticipated her to bring out a weapon. She eyed the sword curiously while listening to Arthuria's words, until she let the blade disappear. "I see... hmm, this is fascinating indeed. The tale of swords lodged into the ground or a socket and only being able to be pulled out by the one person that is "worthy" is quite prominent in our land as well - the Akuma Orochi himself was sealed away by the Blade of Kusanagi, lodged into a sealing rock. I cannot speak for whoever placed the spell upon the sword and its socket, Saber, but I doubt that if their intentions were pure the spell was faulted. The blade was most likely right at the time that you pulled it from the stone... though I must ask, why did you pull it out? Was there no King to lead your people, or some reason to dethrone the prior one and bring out a new one? Besides... you speak of that the blade chose a "rightful and just" King, and that your Kingdom fell. From that I hear that your Kingdom must first have risen to power, for only those who climbed may also fall. And the sword picked someone rightful and just, not "the single right person." Perhaps the sword chose you because you were who was needed at that time, but not forever. I am taking great assumptions now, but perhaps you were chosen to build up the Kingdom, not to maintain it? To pass the sceptre eventually?" She shrugged. "I couldn't say why you failed, I am afraid - I know not enough. Perhaps it was your lack of emotion, or perhaps something else that you could not have foreseen. Either way..." She smiled much brighter now. "If we have no path, we of course need to forge one! Let us find out what lies ahead... beyond this hill, to start. I don't understand how everything is so white and untouched out there - it seems like it is an empty canvas, to be drawn to life by the brush of a masterful artist. We should find out." And just like that she began heading down the slope once more, leaving a trail of grass and sprouts wherever her naked feet touched the ground, like a trail for Arthuria to follow.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 12-01-2015
The knight crossed her arms across her chest, as the metal of her gauntlets sang out their song as they touched her chestplate. Casting her eyes to the sky, she averted her gaze as the woman pondered upon the words of the other. They did indeed have some merit to them, as different as their point of views were. ”The ladder of Incarnation, hmm? We do not have such, I believe.” she mentioned, before she continued. ”If you wouldn’t take the place despite not being allowed mistakes, you weren’t fit to the task. I took my place fully knowing what was required of me. Should you want the allowance to make mistakes, you should not seek for a place of power, or a position of responsibility.” the knight simply stated. In her eyes, it was simply a case of normalcy. If one wasn’t fit to handle the fact that there were no mistakes allowed, then they were unfit for the position.
The King of Knights was a good listener, that much was true. After all, everything Amaterasu said, every point she attempted to make, was responded with attention and interest. Desire to understand, even. The knight knew, that she wasn’t all knowing, and that she did indeed lack knowledge and understanding of multitude of things, desiring to further improve herself in such matters. ”Yes, I can understand that.. But what you seem to ignore is something I cannot understand.. You speak of as if the level of responsibility was the same. That a farmer with his cow, holds the same responsibility as a god holds over a whole world. The scale is much larger. The impact is much more devastating. And whilst to the one responsible, it might be the same, to those whom have more responsibility, the effects of it are far more devastating. After all, if the farmer fails, the cows die.. To him, that means his life will likely end.. But if a god fails, a whole world might die.. At which point there is naught to go on from. There would be nothing left.” The knight stopped momentarily before continuing once more. ”What I am trying to say, Shiranui, is that in your eyes, my failures might seem like naught. But in my eyes.. I betrayed the trust of all my people. I failed them. And that is not something acceptable from a king.”
The knight was effectively silenced by the question poked towards her love life. It was true that it could be said that Arthuria had had a lover, but that was in frames only. None of that had been real, simply a coulisse to make it seem, like she was indeed King Arthur, instead of Arturia. That she had been a male all along. ”No. There are those as well, whom have no one waiting them. I had my people, that was enough.” the knight responded. Of course, it wasn’t a direct answer, but considering how Shiranui had woven her question into a statement, she could likely decipher the meaning of Arthuria’s answer without any real difficulty. She simply thought of love as something unnecessary, and something that would come in the way of things, a hindrance.
As the Goddess of Sun spoke, explaining that her world too had swords, or objects choosing their wielder and granting them power, Saber nodded along, before simply explaining the other. “I took the position because only a king can save a country headed for death.” her voice was calm as she continued. ”As the day came, a wise man told me, that becoming a king would mean no longer being a human. But I accepted that fate, and drew the blade from the stone. My country needed a king, and I was determined to save it.” Once more, the knight paused as she chuckled, a speck of irony in her tone as she finished her story. ”But alas.. The country fell under my leadership, that is hardly saving it.”
”There is reason to your words, Shiranui, yet I cannot - not now at least - accept such fate for my country. Not when I am, or were, sworn to protect it. Were I to pass the scepter along, to build something for others to maintain? Perhaps it is so, indeed. Yet I have no way of knowing.” The words of the King of the Conquerors once more haunted in her head, as she pondered. If a king regrets his rule or its conclusion, that king is nothing but a fool. Worse than a tyrant. She could remember how she had asked, if the man had no regrets of how his reign had ended, and what the response had been. If the end was brought about by my decisions and the way my subjects lived, then I will accept its destruction as inevitable. I shall grieve. And I shall weep. But I shall never regret. Let alone undo it! Such a foolish act would only mock all who fought with me to build my empire! She could still remember how badly their ideals had clashed, how badly they still clashed.. And it seemed to be happening again to a certain extent.
Awakened from her thoughts by the other starting to make her leave, Arthuria lowered her arms from upon chest, and followed after the other in the trail of flowers. “The whiteness is simply how this place seems to be, this is the center of it, I would deem.. And there seems to be eight spots in total in the distance.. I would judge all eight are gates of one or another sort, considering that I visited one of them. Where should we head, Shiranui?”
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - Amaterasu - 12-04-2015
"I meant what I said slightly different, really... if you knew from the start that people will have zero tolerance for the slightest mistakes that you make, if you cared about being a good person you would never take that spot - because you know you cannot do it flawlessly. I am not saying that you should demand to be allowed to make errors. But no being is flawless... flawlessness is one of the goals that we can always chase but will never reach." She explained. "Though I suppose that your views on the world differ greatly. Perhaps the western humans live by different standarts than those of my homeland, they do not get reincarnated or such. We may very well not be the only kami in existence, there may be ones that are much higher than us yet."
Arthuria's next words made Amaterasu smile a little. "They are not as different as you may think. Indeed as a Tenno you will have bigger impacts, larger scales, than as a farmer caring for his cattle. But you will also not be able to do things nearly as fast. Whereas a farmer may slaughter his stock in one day, a Tenno will need weeks, months, years... and a kami thinks in an entirely different scale as well." She stroked her hand over the surface of a tree as they walked. "I said before, nothing is ever made to last - not even the world you and I come from, I would dare say. Like lives are made and ended in a handful of years, empires rise and fall throughout the ages, and on a grander scale, worlds will sprout with life and fall back to ruin eventually. Who are we to say that our world has lasted eternally, or will never fall back into darkness? There may have been beings before us, kami whose names we have long forgotten, who have brought life to new worlds after the old ones were destroyed. And perhaps one day my children, or the children of their children, will do the same." She turned to face Arthuria. "Your mistakes, whichever they were, seem naught to me, as you say. But wouldn't you say just as much that the farmer's mistakes seem like naught to you? And in turn, the farmer would find the mistakes of his son who disobeyed him and hurt himself naught in comparison to his own? And there may be entities which say that the mistakes I have made, or will yet do, are naught compared to theirs. And you are mistaken on a detail... Certainly a kami as myself could bring great devastation to the world. But even if we could destroy it, there would be something left over to rebuild from. The fall of your Kingdom allows other, smaller groups to rise to power, groups that may not have thrived under your rule. Although I understand your view of things as well. It's a question of point of views." Another point where there was no right or wrong answer, really.
Passing over Arthuria's private life, as she didn't seem to want to talk about that, Amaterasu shrugged at her next words. "Like I said, perhaps you overstayed your welcome, Saber... perhaps you saved your kingdom from the brink of extinction, but when the time came for you to pass the crown, you missed it. I cannot say, but... if the sword picks its rightful king, have you perhaps tried putting it back where you got it from, then proving you are still king by drawing it back out, every year or so? I don't know a thing myself, I must say, I can only propose what an outsider in my position would suggest." When they reached ground level and there was only white plains to be seen everywhere, Amaterasu looked visibly discomforted, but shrugged. "I have no idea. You know more than I, if you have already been down here and returned afterwards. But this place... it has no sky." An odd comment, but Amaterasu explained it. "If I am a Heroic Spirit as you say, or I have been summoned to this world by the white being to confront a new menace after Yami has been defeated, there will be fighting. I am but a shade of my former self, not even my most basic Celestial Brush techniques work - I'm glad to have the Prayer Beads, really. Otherwise I would be defenseless. I need to find a place where I can conjure the Nine Celestial Spirits from their star signs and recover the Celestial Brush techniques... and my sun goddess powers. You wouldn't happen to know which way we could head for to this purpose?"
Quote:Just to be clear: each of the eight main verses as well as the Nexus hold one star sign from which Amaterasu will be able to recover her Celestial Brush techniques as they go. Nexus isn't supposed to be available from the start though, so wherever they go first Ammy will find the first brush technique eventually. I'm honestly open to where to go, though Camelot and the Endless Dunes don't sound so appealing right now.
Re: Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights - 2B - 12-12-2015
The knight wasn’t certain how would she respond to the other, as she pondered. There was sense into her words, yet it wasn’t exactly easy for the other to just disregard her own views of the world. And at the same time, she wasn’t able to just disregard Amaterasu’s views either. The King of Knights was more than capable of realizing that they were from different cultures, and had matured to harbor different kinds of points of views. And at the same time, when they clashed, it was something that the knight wanted to keep under control. This person, being? Was something she wished to call an ally, as they seemed to have similar sense of honour, a code to abide by. ”Perhaps it is indeed so. Yet you speak the truth, when you claim, that we may live life differently. When I was a heroic spirit, I was once summoned to Japan.. It was certainly different from my homelands, yet not in a bad way. Simply different.”
The self-proclaimed Goddess spoke once more, as the knight listened in a respectful manner. Indeed, it was true what the other said about scale.. A larger force was much slower in its reactions. An army of thousand men travelled much slower, than that of a hundred men. She knew as much, considering how she’d spent years upon years in the leadership of her own country, leading her men from one battle to the next, defending her borders to her best extent. Yet in the end, her efforts had still been in vain. Or had they? Britain was still a country, to this day. This much she had learnt in the past, during her services to that man.. Had she been there, just to save her country, to ensure that the future could come? So that her country could stand tall, for someone else to take over? The other had reason behind her words, and much like herself, the woman seemed to have a vast amount of experience to search from. It was interesting.
”I would like not to admit that such would be the case, but yes. Whilst I always attempted to help my people in their hour of need, there were those whom I was incapable of aiding. And those, whom troubles seemed like naught compared to mine own, even though I knew they weren’t.” the knight acknowledged with a simple nod. She wasn’t one to lie, or deceive the other. She was capable of admitting, even something as embarrassing as the fact, that she indeed could not have always helped those in need. Even if she had wanted to do so. But such was life, and as it was, she just had to accept it. …….Much like she had to accept the fact, that perhaps her country had fallen for a reason. Even if she didn’t want to. ”I may not be able to accept such today, Shiranui. But perhaps some day, I can look back into the past, and remember this conversation. Perhaps someday, I will be capable of accepting such words. For I know that there is reason behind them, yet my mind will not allow me to accept such failure. It weighs upon mine shoulders, yet I cannot let it go. Not today.” she simply explained. She did understand what the other meant.. But it was something she was not ready to do.
It was an interesting suggestion, the knight thought, as she explained how it was.. ”The sword I showed you, was not the original Caliburn. The original Caliburn shattered in battle with…….with one of my own knights. The Caliburn I showed you, is something that I received while I was here.. Like I told you, when I arrived here, there was a lake.. And in the middle of that lake, an island, upon which lay a stone, where Caliburn was. So I attempted to pull it free..and so, I received the sword, that I once lost, whilst I still lived.” It was complicated. Arthuria herself still hadn’t quite realized that she was indeed, capable of wielding Caliburn once more, considering that it had shattered in a battle a long time ago.
As for where they would go.. It was a difficult decision, really. Especially considering how the other seemed to want to find something, regain something that she didn’t have, perhaps it was powers. Arthuria wasn’t quite certain, providing the other simply spoke of Celestial Brush techniques. They could’ve just as well been something intended for painting, although the knight highly doubted that the other would’ve been so concerned about something like that. They were likely combat related techniques in the end. The obvious place for where to go for Arthuria was fairly clear. “I once ruled my land from Camelot..and this place has Camelot as well.. Yet it is ruled by someone else.. Such confuses me. I know not where should we go, nor am I certain how could you regain the techniques you speak of.. Do you have any suggestions?”