sweetdevil | 34th ♫ | even if a thousand nights pass, i'll stay by your side

[A lance was a lance and a soldier was a soldier. The two were distinct enough to Dimitri, and he wasn’t one to call the latter a weapon. He wasn’t Edelgard, who he was quite certain cared nothing for anyone that died in her wake so long as she created a world with herself and her ideals on a bloody throne. Her servants and vassals were no doubt disposable as far as Dimitri was concerned.]

[No, he had his own ideals set in stone. He hated needless death more than anyone, but death was what his enemies deserved and what was necessary to end such tiresome conflict. The only way to end this terrible cycle and quiet the restless dead was in the blood of the tyrant behind it.]

I see. [Something about that understated certainty was familiar in a way that ached like a dozen scars—and yet felt strange to hear coming from someone so much smaller than his own lost protector.] Then it seems our forces have come to a grand total of...two.

[Not exactly an army.]

Only two...

[ And that was to be expected as well. In a war, a Master and Servant could rely on nothing else but each other as they went after the Grail. But as she's slowly coming to understand, this is anything but a regular war. In fact – she's almost certain that there are no other Servants here beside herself. In some ways that makes things more unfortunate, but in others... ]

Master, our enemies... are they solely... human? Am I the only Servant who has been summoned here?

...Right, perhaps we should discuss that. I found the method to call you through an overlooked tome in the library. It did describe a war between seven mages, but I claim no familiarity to anything called a ‘Holy Grail’. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that it could be some lost Hero’s Relic, or an artifact of the goddess’ herself.

[It didn’t concern him in the slightest. But she had asked, so Dimitri answered in a short tone but words explained to the best of his ability.]

I find it unlikely anyone else in this country knows of the ritual at all, much less would seek to perform it. Will this prove a problem, Brynhildr?

No. Not at all. If I am to face only human opposition, then I will have no trouble in seeing your orders through. But...

[ He had spoken of an empire, which means they would be guarded by armies, weapons, any number of obstacles and while that might give her pause, she's certain that even an entire army of humans would not be able to stand in the way of a Servant. ]

If you do not seek the Grail, then do you have no wish you hope to see fulfilled?

My...wish?

[Ah. Of course, the text had made some mention of a wish being the end goal. The question seemed to catch Dimitri off guard, strike at some yet unknown weakness in his armor and hit a point he hadn’t been fully aware of.]

[A miracle? If such a thing existed he could undo the bloodshed of his past, could erase Edelgard from ever having lived, could bring the professor and all the others lost to time and warfare back to life, anything.]

[What a foolish dream. He was no longer a child, and miracles didn’t exist. Even were the very goddess to descend, Dimitri would ask nothing from her save only to demand justification for her lack of action as her people died.]

...I have no such thing. When our business is done, you are free to pursue such things as you will, but it is meaningless to me.

[ Meaningless.

That seems to catch Brynhildr off guard as well. Even a woman like her had a wish that she would give most anything for the Grail to grant but here was her Master who knew nothing of the Grail but who had still summoned her as a weapon – whatever it was that drove him to this, whatever this enemy of his had done, was that not worth chasing a miracle? ]

... I see. Then, until our contract is fulfilled, I will remain by your side.

[ And after that... well, that isn't something for Brynhildr to consider. All a Servant has to concern themselves with is fighting and surviving. ]

What will your first order be, Master?

[Right to business, then? He had to admit he appreciated that. There were more important things to do than small talk, and even if it were only the pair of them...fine. He’d topple the Empire one way or another, alone or with this mystery woman.]

The imperial army has been seeking me out for some time now. No doubt scraps of their battalions are going to be nearby—we should set out to rout their numbers and be sure the monastery isn’t compromised by the likes of them. From there, we’ll use this place as a base of operations.

[ She nods and – it's not quite that she squares her shoulders, but something about her stance changes regardless. Where before, she had kept her eyes lowered and her body language had been guarded and closed off, now she lifts her chin, pulls her shoulders back and stands at her full height. Her eyes were already chilly but now they grow steely. ]

Yes. Should I scout ahead to confirm their numbers and location?

Edited 2019-08-23 17:33 (UTC)

[Logic said it was insane to send out just one scout, but then again he hadn’t performed some arcane ritual just for an ordinary soldier.]

Do as you will. You’ll be looking for soldiers bearing the red of the Adrestian Empire. Set out ahead and I will follow shortly. [Not like they had numbers to conceal.]

Understood. In that case – please forgive my forwardness, Master.

[ That's all the warning she gives before, with far more grace than is reasonable considering their relative size difference, scoops him up into her arms like she's catching a swooning maiden.

Heat flares in her throat for a second, like a dying fire given kindling, but she refuses to acknowledge it and after a moment of bearing down on it, the brief flare reduces itself once more to only a smolder. Something she can easily control, or so she hopes. ]

Please be sure to hold on with care. If you fall, I may not be able to catch you in time.

[ And without any further explanation, she backs up for one step, then two and takes a running leap off the balcony and the two of them go sailing clear into the air. ]

[What.

[What?????]

[How could she possibly—why did she even-]

What are you doing—?!

[ They're still sailing through the air, which is pretty insane when you consider that their combined weight should have dropped them like a rock the instant she jumped from the tower. The ground's definitely approaching at a speed, but Brynhildr doesn't look even remotely concerned – just puzzled by his response. ]

You said that we would be routing their numbers... and this seemed to be the quickest way away from the tower...

[ She sounds so incredibly unaffected by the fact that they're still airborne that it's almost comical. ]

[The grave look had, for a moment, left Dimitri’s face in favor of floundering and alarm.]

How, precisely, do you intend for us to survive this?!

So long as we land properly, then–

[ That's all she has time to get out before the ground comes up to meet them with a hearty thump. By all means and accounting for, you know, the laws of physics, the both of them should be dashed across the ground in a thin paste. But Brynhildr doesn't even stagger – she has to take a few hasty steps once her feet hit the ground to finish carrying through the momentum of the jump but other than that both she and Dimitri are pointedly unharmed. ]

Master – you're uninjured?

[ She's not putting him down until she's sure he is. ]

[...how in the absolute hell]

I--yes, of course I am.

[ Well, then down he goes. Brynhildr sets him square on his feet as easily as anything and with an air of casualness that implies this isn't her first time carrying a grown ass man through the air with ease. ]

Will you need a moment to catch your breath or shall we proceed as discussed?

I'm fine, Brynhildr.

[He quickly collected himself, enough to stand up straight and focus.]

We should carry on.

[ Again, her heart flares insistently in her chest to hear him call her that – not merely Lancer as she'd been expected, but her name. She chokes the flame out, reminds herself that it's simply because he's an inexperienced Master, unaccustomed to the traditions of the Holy Grail Wars.

And yet...

She takes a moment to draw in a steadying breath, thinks of frozen tundras, frigid winds, implacable blocks of ice. A flame cannot ignite the ice. ]

Yes. I will scout on ahead and return to you shortly.

[ Apparently satisfied that no further discussion is needed, Brynhildr takes one, two steps back from him – and then as if caught by a playful wind, she rises quite casually up into the air, slowly but steadily until she's not quite out of sight, but certainly hard to spot against the sky and then takes flight on ahead of Dimitri, as agreed. ]

[Dimitri was starting to realize that perhaps this had all been a bit poorly planned and he wasn't fully sure what he was dealing with.]

[...No, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but tearing a bloody streak through his enemies and toppling Edelgard's damnable empire. Destroy it all, and let the ashes blow away in the wind. He followed behind Brynhildr, his own lance in hand and pace a bit slower on foot.]

[ Even for a Servant, it was hard to pick out details at this height – not that Brynhildr quite dared dip lower for fear of giving herself away. But it was more or less impossible to miss the stark red of the unit of soldiers that were steadily approaching. It took her a moment to properly number them and even then she can't quite distinguish what their ranks might be, but once she's confident enough, she retreats back to Dimitri.

With just as little fanfare as she'd taken flight, Brynhildr lands by him – though she has enough presence of mind to land far enough away that she hopefully doesn't startle him with her sudden reappearance. ]

Master. There are around fifteen soldiers in red approaching – though I was unable to determine their ranks. They seem to be making steady progress in our direction.

BB \| Fate/ M/F, F/F	Bryn Pendragon \| OC M/F, F/F
Brynhildr \| Fate/ M/F, F/F	Caelina Gwynlaw \| OC F/F, M/F
Erina Estival \| OC F/F	Honoka Kousaka \| Love Live F/F, M/F
Kyouko Kougami \| OC F/F	Sophie Summerhelm \| OC M/F, F/F
Yuri \| DDLC M/F, F/F	μ \| The Caligula Effect F/F, M/F

34th ♫ | even if a thousand nights pass, i'll stay by your side

A WHOLESOME SFW SHIPPING CMO

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