3
3
here is a list of my servant sheets(new and improved format for my servant sheets)
Come explore the White Library, and reach the bottom of this Abyss
Fate / White Memoria
Hmmm... I think 3 feels appropriate for the situation, given Mennie's assumptions.
3.
Unknown Location
Unknown Date
Unknown Time
Status: Menodora Strauss
Health: Good
Energy: High
Mental State: Stable
☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾It was only natural to be suspicious of the young man. He was the first person she’d met in this forest, and possibly the only other person. There was a chance he had been taken here as well, but he didn’t seem like someone who had been kidnapped. He was too calm. Menodora was calm as but she chalked that up to being used to the abnormality that came with being in a magus family. If that was her reason, what was his?
She could be subtle about it. Play a slow mind game of words and wit, putting together the mystery until his identity as the culprit was revealed. However, Menodora was more a fan of the Gordian knot style of problem solving.
“Are you the person who kidnapped me?”
If he was the culprit, then there was no point in hiding it. She was helpless regardless of what information she had. Whether her potential kidnapper knew that was unclear, but they were clearly overestimating her. A bag over the head and some rope would’ve done just as well, but magus love ostentatiousness. Makes a person wonder how they ever keep magic a secret.
“Were you raised by wolves?”
Huh? What kind of question was that?
“No.”
His lips made an annoyed squiggle. “Well, you could’ve fooled me. Only beasts would think it's okay to respond like that after being caught in the middle of a crime.”
“I wasn’t stealing anything.”
“But you were looking through belongings that weren’t yours. Or is that polite in your homeland?”
He had a point. She barely tolerated people touching her things with her permission. Plus, pissing off a possible kidnapper wasn’t the best idea.
“No. I’m sorry,” she mumbled the apology. The miniscule smirk on the boy’s face made her want to swallow the words as they left her lips. “Will you answer my question?”
“Are you serious?” A beat passed in silence. “You are. Don’t be ridiculous. How could I have kidnapped you? I don’t even know where we are. If anything, you’re the one who kidnapped me. Creepy little foreign girls in a weird forest is exactly what my mother always warned me about.”
“I’m twenty years old.”
“And you’re dressed like that?” The disgusted look sent a wave of anger through Menodora, though it was quickly squashed. She would have liked to consider giving him a swift uppercut to the family jewels, but even the idea was ridiculous. Menodora couldn’t fight anyone to save her life. She sighed and continued speaking.
“I don’t know where we are. The last thing I remember was walking down the sidewalk in Yokohama.” Menodora caught a slight twitch of his brow at the mention of the city. Curious. “It was raining and a truck swerved off the road and hit me.”
He gave her a once over and opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.
“I know. I should be dead. I’m not. That’s something else I want to know and I’m assuming it has something to do with whatever brought me here. The last thing I remember after that was the sky glowing gold and floating away, then I woke up here and now, I’m explaining all of this to you.”
With that, the pair fell into a silence. The boy watched the woman pensive as if he could force some hidden truths from her with merely a gaze; meanwhile, she simply stared ahead with neutral eyes, hiding away any revealing thoughts or emotions far from anyone’s reach. Without either speaking, it was easy to notice the eerie quiet of the forest. There was not complete silence as both could still hear a melodic tune humming at a distance, though it seemed to grow quieter with each passing second.
“Likely story,” he said.
“Is it? Sounds very unlikely to me.”
“And it sounds like nonsense lies to me.”
“Considering we’re in a weird magical forest, nonsense seems to be the only kind of sense that matters.”
He scoffed, “Sounds exactly what a witch would say.”
“You think that I’m a witch?” The irony was so painful, she could almost laugh.
“What else should I think you are?”
“A human woman.”
“Woman is being generous.” Menodora suppressed a growl. “As is human. Humans have manners and introduce themselves before flinging accusations.”
‘He’s still on about that,’ she thought. Closing her eyes so he couldn’t see them roll, Menodora gave him a saccharine smile. Her voice pitched up from its usual dragging monotone to fit with her school girl attire, full of bubbles and sweetness and no small amount of sarcasm.
“Apologies. My name is Menodora Strauss. It is nice to meet you. What’s your name?”
The boy cringed. “. Never do that again.”桃花Touka
Menodora dropped the voice. “Touka? Just Touka?”
“That’s all you can call me for now. I wouldn’t want to give you anything to have over me. Names have a lot of power” he almost smiled when he said that. Insolent prick. It didn’t matter. Elle was the only one with friends in Japan, so she wouldn’t have recognized the names of any enemies. A different avenue of investigation was needed.
“Well, Touka, if you think my story is unlikely, then why don’t you tell me the story of how you got here?”
An easy question. He could simply lie and come up with something similar to what she said, but having already made clear how incredulous he was about the story, there was no way it would be true. She didn’t have much faith that he’d tell the truth, so any lie he came up with would give her a better perspective on how his head worked.
“Why should I tell you that?”
Or he could do that.
“I shared my story with you.”
“That sounds like your problem, not mine.”
You insolent little shitweasel! I’m going to-
A wash of curses and vows of sickening bodily harm stormed behind a mask of neutrality. As she tried to think of a response, something caught her eyes in a tree behind him. Perched upon a branch stood a fluorescent green bird, standing in contrast to the soft pink of the tree’s leaves, as large as a cat with glassy blue eyes and three bejeweled legs gripping the branch.
Green Bird
The bird was sitting there, looking down at them, watching them, and as it noticed her noticing it, the bird looked back and smiled.
“What are you looking at?” Touka twisted on the spot just in time for the bird to take flight. It swooped low and swiped at him. The boy reacted quickly, already dodging out of the way of the blow. His hand flew to the bag on his back, flicking open the clasp, and pulling out a kendo stick. “The beasts show themselves at last.”
The bird finished its swoop in the tree above Menodora, who scrambled away from it and Touka. It raised its head to the sky and let out a noise. The mix of a bird’s caw and a gong ringing. The noise echoed through the forest. It took flight again into the canopy of the trees.
Menodora frantically tried to track the bird, but it vanished into the sky. “Wh-what was that?” Menodora looked at Touka. She wished she hadn’t.
He had transformed in a matter of seconds, as if he’d only ripped off a mask. A smile worthy of a ravenous wolf stretched from ear to ear. Joy gleamed like high beams in his eyes and his body twitched with frantic energy. He looked seconds away from bursting into song. He swung his kendo stick about like a batter warming up for the pitch, turning his head in search of something. He caught sight of her in the corner of his eye and his smile dimmed, but only a little.
“Oh, frightened? Hmph! Can’t say I didn’t expect that.”
“What are you talking about? That weird bird just attacked you.”
He scoffed, “Like it could hit me! Feathery bastard’s lucky he got away. But that hunting party of his should be a good replacement.”
“Hunting party?”
“Oh yeah. That cry wasn’t just for show. Someone’s coming here. Not anyone friendly.”
How the hell did he know that? Was that just a guest? Why was someone hunting them? What kind of Richard Connell bullshit was this?!
“If someone’s coming then we need to leave.”
Once again, Touka transformed, from a gleeful young boy to a furious demon. She could swear she saw fangs glint from behind his disgusted lips.
“No. You need to stay right there and not move,” his expression returned to stoic judgement. “I’ll deal with whoever or whatever is coming, but you can’t leave.”
Who the hell did he think he was talking to? She can’t leave? The hell she couldn’t!
Before Menodora could turn and run just to spite the boy, she briefly considered something. What if he was being honest instead of an asshole? Was there a reason she shouldn’t leave? He clearly knew more than he was letting on before and this might be it.
But in the distance, Menodora could hear something. The sound of branches breaking. The sound of trees bending. The sound of the ground rumbling as heavy feet trampled over it at high speeds.
Would it be worth it to find out what he knew if they had to face whatever that was?
|CHOICES|
Last edited by Wizard; September 6th, 2021 at 08:07 PM.
1
Wiser to listen to what our zero-chill fellow here — it’s clear he’s had previous encounters to this situation, so best to defer to experience here, meager it may be.
The Act of dozing off in the afternoon is a luxury indeed.
Coffee would be nice, though.
[Collection of my Servant Sheets]
Now Revamped!
1.
You can discussThe OG RequiemConQUEST and other Quests in Discord (disc is much more active here).
Click the image to ConQUEST
1. If you think about it, wasn't Mennie killed by trying to do something ? So if she does nothing, doesn't that make her immortal ?!
1
1
Far be it from me to try to knock the bandwagon off-course. :-P
1
Unknown Location
Unknown Date
Unknown Time
Status: Menodora Strauss
Health: Good
Energy: High
Mental State: Stable
☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾“Fine.” This was an absolutely horrendous idea that had to end in their grisly demise. Regardless, Menodora was going to do as Touka wanted and stay where she was.
The boy showed his teeth in a poor approximation of a smile, messing her hair with his free hand as he turned to face the hunter approaching them from the forest. “I appreciate you making the smart decision. Now, stand there, be silent, and let me take care of this. After that, we can talk more.”
If whatever was coming didn’t kill him, Menodora would.
The aforementioned hunter was getting closer. The indistinct noises from before became clearer. Menodora could hear the trees snapping and bending as the hunter rushed through the woods. A beastial roar shook the leaves in the trees and Menodora down to her bones. Yet still, she didn’t budge an inch.
Was it because she had faith in Touka? No. She had only met him minutes ago and he’d proven himself to be a rude brat. He seemed eager for a fight but that made him seem more stupid than anything. A normal human versus whatever the hell roared like that was certain to die. Yet there he stood, holding a kendo stick as if it would do something.
No, the reason Menodora did not move was because she knew there was no point to it. Her fastest time in high school was a mile in an hour and a half. Unless the beast had arthritis, she wasn’t going to beat it in a race.
So, she would stay here and wait for the beast to show itself and get distracted by Touka. Then, when Touka was getting mauled by the creature, she would sneak away. A bit cruel but there wasn’t much else she could do. If this idiot wanted to fight, then she’d use that to help herself. If he survives, she can always come back for him.
Maybe.
“Here it comes.” The words left his lips, giddy as a child in a candy store. The treeline broke as a figure stepped through the flowers and greenery, sunlight shimmering off its metallic armor, shading the clearing with its massive body.
The Hunter
A monstrosity; a disturbing amalgamation of human and lion that towered pushed out from dense foliage, brushing twigs and petals from its fur as it stepped into the clearing. The beast loomed over Touka, rough pants passing through its twisted maw of fangs and fur, golden eyes bearing down on them both. Menodora shivered. Touka grinned.
“Mortal trespassers,” the voice that came from the beast was surprisingly soft, “You tread upon the verdant gardens of Zǐsè without authorization. By the authority of Lady Meiling, Overseer of Zǐsè, and the Queen Mother, you are to surrender yourself into custody for interrogation. Do not resist.”
Face to face with a beast twice his size, Touka was annoyingly casual, laying his wooden sword across his shoulders while he sized up the beast.
“And what happens if we do?” The excitement in his voice did nothing to improve Menodora’s increasing anxieties.
“Do not, child. There is no need for you to be harmed.” Why was the ten foot tall lion man the more reasonable party in this scenario, Menodora wondered. She wasn’t sure if what he was saying was true but if there was a chance to settle things without a fight, she’d-
“Hey, wait!”
It was pointless. Before her cry left her lips, Touka moved. A blur of black between the ground and the air, appearing face to face with the lion in seconds. Menodora imagined she shared the same surprised look as the beast. It tried to react to Touka’s sudden inhuman speed, but he took the first move, slamming his boken into the side of the beast’s head. It roared in pain and lashed back, catching Touka with a punch to the stomach. He flew across the clearing, dropping his boken as his back bent around the trunk of a tree before sliding to the ground.
“Touka…” A hit like that would’ve killed most people. Snapped their backs like dry twigs.
Touka got up, dusting himself off, and looking more annoyed than hurt. He glared at his hand, then Menodora, before rushing towards his boken.
The beast cut him off, rushing forward, almost clashing across his chest with its claws, following with blow after blow that pushed Touka away from the sword. The boy dodged the full brunt of the attacks, but barely as cuts began to cover his body. When he could, he threw out a punch of his own, always making contact, but the beast charged through.
Menodora’s stomach dropped as Touka fell backwards, seemingly tripping. The lion pounced, bringing both claws down at the boy’s chest. He rolls out of the way and pushes himself up to his feet, sprinting to his sword in a matter of seconds. He turned back on the lion, who charged at him on all fours, and met him in a clash of claws and wood.
This was unreal. She had seen people do some crazy things, inhuman things that baffled the imagination, but all that had been done with magic. Touka had nothing but two hands and a wooden sword, and he was going toe-to-toe with an enemy right out of an RPG.
“I should go…” That was the plan. The beast was busy trying to tear Touka to shreds, so she should sneak away now. Yet, she hesitated. He kept fighting but Menodora could tell he was struggling. He wasn’t hitting hard enough. The lion had no such problem. If he didn’t get away soon…..
“STOP BEING SO DAMN WEAK!” Touka roared as he swung the boken at the beast, catching it in the side. A brutal cracking filled the air as the wooden blade caught onto the metal armor and broke into splinters. A pause came with Touka staring blankly at the remaining hilt before growling and throwing it into the ground, shattering it. “DAMN IT! DA-” His cursing was muffled by the claws of the lion, grabbing him by the face.
“You were warned.” THe beast lifted Touka into the air, ignoring his struggling attacks, and proceeded to slam him into the ground. Over and over and over and over. The ground shook as the beast beat Touka’s skull against it. His struggling became weak and limp. Blood spattered the green grass and mixed with the dirt into mud.
“STOP! STOP IT!”
That was stupid. She regretted the words immediately. The beast did stop, looking up at Menodora as if he had forgotten she was even there. Exactly what she had wanted and she blew it.
The beast dropped Touka on the ground. Dark welts swelled on his face in the shape of a hand with his nose twisted into a knot. Blood flowed from his mouth with even more pooling beneath his head. He was still breathing, though.
The lion sauntered over to Menodora, a monument made of flesh and fur and steel.
“Will you resist as well?”
Menodora couldn’t answer. Her voice stopped working. As did her knees, and she fell right in front of the lion, staring up at it as fear drummed her heartbeat at a fierce staccato.
“Get back over here, you overgrown housecat!”
Somehow, Touka was standing. Knock kneed, dripping blood, and with one eye swollen shut, but standing nonetheless, glaring at the beast with rage burning black in his eyes.
“I’m just getting warmed up, so get back over here so I can kill you.”
The lion looked back at Touka. Menodora couldn't quite understand its expression but it did seem surprised to see Touka standing again. It looked from him to Menodora and back. With a moment of consideration, it picked up Menodora by her collar, dangling her in the air with its claws to her throat.
“Surrender yourself now. Your injuries will be treated and you will be given a fair trial before the Lady Meiling. Any further resistance will result in the immediate death of your companion.”
Menodora tried to control herself, keeping her breathing steady, but she couldn’t. Every wild, fearful breath pressed her throat against those black nails, pricking herself. They could so easily carve through her neck. She’d be dead in seconds. SHe looked at Touka, too afraid to speak, but urging him to stop with her eyes. He looked back at her with….
Disgust?
“Go ahead.” Touka took a stance, ready to fight once more. He was going to let her die.
The lion growled. “Do not attempt to bluff me. I will not hesitate to kill this girl. Please comply.”
“If you’re going to do it, then do it.” Touka looked her in the eye. “She’s deadweight anyway.”
This would be the second time in a day—if it was even still the same day—that she would die, so she’d done it before. But now it wasn’t an accident. Now it was a murder. Now it was betrayal. Now, she wasn’t just scared, she was angry.
She stayed behind with him, did as he asked of her, didn’t even run away when she had the chance, and this is how he repays her!? He won’t even win! He’ll just die like her!
The sound of her heartbeat filled her ears, so Menodora could hear little. She felt the lion sigh and saw its hand draw back to strike her with Touka unmoving before her. Though the steady, frighten beat of her heart, she heard a whisper in a half-familiar voice.
Command. Command. Command.
Something—the whisper, coincidence, it didn’t matter— drew her eyes down to her left hand. No longer covered by her sweater, she could clearly see the back of her hand and found something unfamiliar. A red mark.
Command. Command, Command.
And she knew. A single command would save her. A command would bring her salvation. And in these wee seconds, when time seemed to crawl by while the black nails of the lion drove towards her soft neck, she found the command she needed, she wanted, to save her life.
☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾|CHOICES|
2
While 1 and 3 are also good choices, feels like 2 is appropriate as desperation/survival instincts kick in for Mennie.
The Act of dozing off in the afternoon is a luxury indeed.
Coffee would be nice, though.
[Collection of my Servant Sheets]
Now Revamped!
2.
2.
3. Clearly Touka is disappointed in your lack of bloodlust so let's indulge ! The ambiguity of this order is truly all that the situation needs. @_@
3
2
2
You can discussThe OG RequiemConQUEST and other Quests in Discord (disc is much more active here).
Click the image to ConQUEST
Zǐsè [?]
Unknown Date
Unknown Time
Status: Menodora Strauss
Health: Good
Energy: High
Mental State: Stable
☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾“Save Me.”
The words broke through her teeth, raw and bloody. This was not a request, not a cry for help, this was a Command that echoed out from her lips, and she could feel as it took root in Touka’s soul, pulling him forward. He bucked against the binding with all his might, a rabid dog snapping at his chain. Rage spilled into her mind like lava overflowing a caldera. It sought to overpower her, burn her from the inside out, but it was useless. He had to obey.
The marking flared with crimson light, giving the lion beast pause in cutting her throat. Touka roared.
The next few seconds felt like an eternity. Pain struck through her marked hand. She imagined that this is what crucifiction felt like. It crawled up through her arm, boiling her blood, stretching her muscles in violent spasms until it reached her chest. Heat curled over her heart, growing into an unbearable fever, drawing from her body. Cold and fatigue spread through her limbs, The heat faded and so did the light, gone just as soon as it came, leaving her limp in the beastman’s arms.
Status Update
“That was-” The beastman stuttered out before he was gone with a sickening crack and a cacophony of falling trees. Menodora tumbled towards the ground, only cocaughtugh inches from the dirt in Touka’s arms. The smell of blood was strong from him and she could feel warm liquid staining her hair in his hand. He did not look down at her, only looking forward, but she could feel his glare in the back of her mind. She sent back her own flare of annoyance and rage, and he scoffed.
She turned her head, or rather tried to. Her body was overcome with fatigue, so she could only loll her head to the side to see what Touka saw..
Where once stood a solid wall of trees and shrubbage was now a valley of broken branches, fallen logs, and fluttering petals cluttered together over what had once been the lion-beast, now only a pair of twitching legs beneath the mass of greenery.
Touka stepped towards him, but Mennie grabbed at his jacket, tattered and stained with blood.
“Run,” the last of the command left her with a gasp. Tightness squeezed all the air from her lungs and darkness was beginning to encroach the edges of her vision.
Touka stiffened. Again, he tried to buck against the command. His indignation at the order crashed like a hammer of cold steel against her mind, but his unhappiness meant nothing in the face of her command. With acidic annoyance, he turned on the spot and began running.
The beautiful crowns of the trees blurred into a mess of colors as they sped away through the garden.
It was becoming increasingly obvious to Menodora that Touka wasn’t normal. Nothing about this was normal. She could feel the mark on her hand even if she couldn’t see it, heavy and hot. She could feel Touka’s thoughts snapping at the edge of her mind; she was unusually certain that it was him.
As she looked up towards the sky, it began to darken. The sun wasn’t setting, it simply disappeared as though someone had wiped away the clear blue sky, revealing the sparkling night hidden underneath. Touka cursed under his breath in a language she didn’t understand.
So many impossible things in one day. It was enough to tire a girl out.
And so, Menodora closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep to the sound of wind and unknown curses.
☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾
I want to play outside, Mama. With everyone else!
“You can’t, my love.”
Why not, Mama? I was good today, right?
“Yes, but….It’s too dangerous. The others aren’t like you, love. You can’t play the games they play. You’ll get hurt.”
I promise I won’t! I’m strong!”
“I know. So very stong, my love….”
Mama, why do you look so sad?
“I’m sorry.”
For what? Mama?!
☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾
“Mama?!” Menodora awoke with a whisper, tears on cheeks.
“Crying for your mother? I know you’re pathetic, but try not to lower my opinion of you too much.” Touka’s growl snapped Menodora out of her sleep. She became aware that they were no longer outside as she stared up at a thatched roof covered in hanging animal skins.
“What the hell?” She sat up. All around her was the skin of animals; tigers, bears, rabbits, and other pelts she didn’t recognize, hung on tanning racks or piled high on tables, crowded into a single room. She sat atop one of these piles that was pressed against the wooden walls. Across the room, leaning against an open door frame, silhouetted by darkness and moonlight, was Touka. His bright blue eyes reflected the moonlight, shining like a cat in the night.
“Good evening. Did you enjoy your nap?”
“Touka….you were going to let that thing kill me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Focusing on that, huh? Not even gonna question where I brought you to? Interesting little place, don’t you think? Pretty sure it’s a tanning shed. There’s a bigger building nearby but I figured we would want to avoid any more encounters for now.”
Menodora pushed herself off the pile of furs, ready to give Touka a knuckle sandwich. She wasn’t an aggressive person, but even she had her limits. Unfortunately, her legs didn’t get the memo and folded underneath her the second she touched the ground. An embarrassed blush burned her cheeks as she lay face down on the wooden floor.
“Really? One little Command Seal and you’re the one on your ass? I ran at least three kilometers today. I should be the one on the floor. Well, if I were a weakling.”
“Shut up.”
“Oh, is that another Command? No? Then excuse me if I don’t follow it.”
Menodora growled, pushing herself off the ground, just managing to sit herself up. She glared at Touka. “What is your problem?”
Touka sucked his teeth. He left the doorway, crossing the room to stand across from Menodora. The moonlight bathed him in light. His shadow stretched out, covering her completely as he loomed. Blood and mud dirtied his otherwise flawless features, but he hardly seemed tired, only upset.
“Is that really a question? I feel like I’ve been very clear about what my problem is.”
“Yeah, me.” Menodora said, “Even though I haven’t done anything to you. I apologized for going through your bag, but you've been nothing but an…an asshole since then!” Menodora let go of any propriety she’d been keeping. He didn’t deserve it. “You tried to let that thing kill me! You told it to!”
“Nothing to me?!” He seemed incredulous at that. “Unbelievable. Do you really not get it yet or are you just trying to pretend? Trying to keep wishing this was a dream or that your sister will come save you?”
“Wha-what my…” Menodora didn’t remember ever telling him about Elle. How did he-
“You think too loud!” He shouted angrily, quickly backing down, smoothing his hair to calm himself. “I have been forced to listen to your whiny thoughts all day. Meanwhile, you just noticed the connection. You didn’t even see the Command Seals on your hand until it was almost too late. Or too early, depending.” He sneered.
The truth behind his words made her want to vomit. She could feel the pressure of his thoughts against the back of her mind; she could feel that shit eating grin.
He continued, “Wake up, dwarf. You know what’s going on here. You know what I am. You’re not that ignorant.”
And again, he was right. The phrase ‘Command Seal’ had been itching in her brain since he’d said it. She had heard it a long time again from her sister. She had been telling her about some phenomenon going on in the magus world. A war thing where magus summon spirits to fight one another to obtain some special object. She was fuzzy on the exact details there, but she remembered that term. Command Seals. Elle had used the same phrase. She used another word to describe the spirits the magus summoned.
“You…..You’re a Servant?”
Touka grinned. It was not a happy one.
“That’s right. And unfortunately for me….”
“You are my Master.”
|To Be Continued|
|WISE UP!|
|WISE-UP!|
Unknown
Unknown Date
Unknown Time
Status: Menodora Strauss
Health: Good
Energy: Fatigued
Mental State: Stable
☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾Menodora would’ve killed for a cigarette. They were a nasty little habit she picked up a few years ago to help deal with….well, to help deal in general. The side-effects would normally spell nasty consequences, but there were benefits to living in a magical family.
Though, considering everything that had happened in such a short period of time, she felt surprisingly calm. That might’ve been the adrenaline from almost dying speaking, but she had never felt more at peace in her life. Or more tired.
At the moment, everything was quiet. After Touka’s little bomb drop, he’d huddled up in his own corner that was too dark to see him in. Menodora might’ve thought he had gone to sleep if she couldn’t feel him glaring at her from across their bond.
Their bond. A window in her mind. That’s what she pictured it as; the window in her family’s living room that overlooked the backyard with white crown molding and coffee stains painting brown moons across the sill.
Rather than her father’s garden, she could see him out there, sitting in the darkness, glaring through the glass with malevolent blue eyes. If she wanted, she could communicate, but not with words. He said he could hear her thoughts, so maybe it was something different for him, but all she felt were his emotions, interpreting them as if they were her own. Anger, annoyance, disgust. She could see him clearly in her head.
She couldn’t help smiling.
This was magic. Magecraft. Whatever it was called. This telepathy was it and she was doing it, just like she did earlier with the command. She couldn’t stop looking at the mark. The top half of the mark was a poorly erased smudge, but the rest remained a bloody crimson.
Using that command was the worst pain. Imagine stabbing white hot needles under your nail beds and then spread that pain across the entirety of your body, down to your soul. The experience still had her shaking. She wasn’t certain she could even stand right now, but the temptation to do it again almost surpassed her weariness.
Magic in the palm of her hand.
How many years had she wished for this? How many times did she run to her father, crying because she wanted so badly to be like him? Like all of them. It wasn’t much but….
Damn it, was she crying? Menodora wiped her tears
“Pathetic.” She should have expected that. Mendora snapped towards his corner. His feet stuck out in the shadows but the rest was obscured. She could see it nonetheless. He was sneering.
“No one asked you, asshole.”
“No one’s asked for a lot of things recently, yet here we are.”
Menodora frowned. “You were a lot nicer when we met.” Not particularly nice, but far from the constant insults she’d been attacked with since they arrived in this barn (?).
That did raise a question for her.
“Why did you pretend not to know who I was when we met? You said you could hear my thoughts the whole time, but you acted like you didn’t know me before.”
Silence.
“What else do you know that you aren’t telling me?”
Silence.
Menodora grunted. Fine, be that way. She would make him talk.
Coming to life with a flicker, light filled the bottom half of the Command Seal, bathing the room in crimson. She opened her mouth, ready to command, only to find it covered and her handheld at the wrist. Touka held her there, teeth bared. He squeezed her wrist, making her flinch.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Menodora moved her head away and he let go of her mouth, still holding her wrist though the light had faded.
“Well, if you’re just going to sit over there and brood, I can just make you tell me, can’t I? I’m your master, after all.” She smiled. The little flicker of worry in his eye was too amusing not to. A little payback for earlier.
Suddenly, he scoffed, letting her go.
“Fine. Go ahead and use the rest of them. Then we’ll see what I do afterwards, Master.”
Menodora swallowed her little courage, filled with fear once more. He wasn’t wrong. Only two pieces of the mark remained. Once they were gone, she was powerless again.
“Just-Just answer my question then! Is it that hard?”
Touka’s shoulders tightened, ready to shout something, but he just sighed, sitting down across from her. The moonlight from the doorway made his pale skin glow and his hair shine with gloss. If he wasn’t such an asshole, Menodora thought, he’d be handsome.
“If it stops you from doing something stupid, fine.”
He sighed again before speaking. “I knew who you were when we met, but I didn’t want you to know who I was. It was obvious you didn’t understand my true nature yet, so I had hoped to circumvent any little powertrips,” he spit, “by keeping it hidden. Maybe I could’ve found a new Master before you figured it out. Someone better.”
He never misses an opportunity to insult her, does he?
“And what’s so wrong with me?”
“You’re weak,” he snapped back automatically. “As a Servant, my strength is limited by this form, and the parameters of this form are dictated by what you have to offer. Which is nothing. Because of you, my strength is nothing compared to what it should be. That beast would’ve been a flesh pile if I had my normal strength.” Each word grew more furious and the look in his eye grew further and further away.
Slowly, he pulled back to the present, meeting her eyes. “That is what’s wrong with you.”
Menodora knew she was weak. That was the reality she’d lived with for twenty years now. Hearing it from him should’ve felt no different.
Yet, part of her wanted to cry. Even in the most extraordinary circumstances, she had to be reminded how extremely ordinary she was. Less than ordinary. Worthless.
Moving on.
“What exactly does being a Servant mean?”
“Are you serious?”
“You know I am. Skip the insults and answer.”
“Hmph. A Servant is a Heroic Spirit, summoned from the Throne of Heroes to serve at the behest of a Master, typically to engage in a Holy Grail War against six other servants of the different Servant classes in order to obtain the Holy Grail and be granted a wish.” He spoke in the tone of a bland news anchor reading from a teleprompter. “It’s more complicated than that, but everything else is pointless right now.”
Heroic Spirit. Menodora had known some of that and hearing it brought back her full memories of Elle’s explanation. Apparently, it was popular for magus to have something called Subcategory Holy Grail Wars in an attempt to gain the grail for power. She had even asked her sister if she planned to participate in one. She was sure she’d win if she did. Elle just laughed and ruffled her hair, saying they were just silly games not worth her time.
If those Holy Grail Wars were anything like the past hour, Menodora could see why she thought that and did not agree.
“So you’re a Heroic Spirit?”
“Yes? Why do you say it so incredulously?”
Because heroes shouldn’t be shitmouthed brats with the personality of a rusty buzzsaw.
“You’re kind of young for that, aren’t you?” That’s what she actually said.
He smirked. “Age has nothing to do with it. When you’re strong enough, nothing else matters. When you can tear a man apart with your bare hands and shatter iron with a stick, then it’s only natural that people are gonna call you a hero, right?”
No, Menodora thought, they call people like that monsters.
“That is impressive.”
“I was born to be impressive. Being a hero was a natural conclusion for me.”
Menodora raised an eyebrow. His tone had taken a change from the normal. Condescending, sure, but softer than usual. He actually seemed happy to talk about…well, himself. A child bragging about winning a game against his friends; that was the vibe she was getting.
“And what did you do to be called a hero?” Touka’s abnormal strength aside, she had a hard time picturing him as a hero. Even anti-heroes had some charm to them in comics. People seemed more likely to run away from him than to him.
Touka’s face dropped in an instant. One second, mirthful, the next, brimming with annoyance.
“Why should I tell you?”
“You just agreed to tell me stuff!”
“I agreed to tell you some things, not everything.” Was he pouting? What kind of sour spot did she hit?
“Well, if we have to work together in this Holy Grail War thing, then I should know more about you, shouldn’t I?” Shit, she hadn’t actually thought about that until now. Were they going to have to fight six other Servants? People as strong as Touka or stronger? Were there other Masters? That was-
“You’re thinking too loud again.” The window shuddered from a thunderous clap of annoyance. Menodora pulled down the blinds. He sighed. “And no, I doubt it. This place….everything about it is wrong.”
“What?”
“This ain’t a Holy Grail War. I might’ve been summoned as if it were, but nothing is right. I shouldn’t even be like this.” He growled, balling up his fist. “That damn woman, messing with my head.”
“Woman?”
“This whole thing is because of her!” He roared, swinging out his arm through a nearby pile of furs. The wooden pallet they were stacked on fractured into mist and the furs scattered across the wooden floors. Touka growled softly, staring into space, imagining the object of his aggression.
“Hm. Rude to mess up my hard work like that. Those furs are meant for the Palace, you know? I doubt the Queen wants splinters in her new carpet.”
Touka snapped to attention, leaping to his feet and pushing himself in front of me. Through his legs, I could see the man who spoke standing in the doorframe, bathing in the moonlight..
He was undeniably handsome. Milk-cream skin with softly painted features; dark lips the pucked into a coy smile and ember colored eyes watching them as if he were enjoying a nice play. Tall and resplendent in white-and-red robes, of all his magnificent features, the one that stuck out the most were the sun-red wings pressed spread out, blocking the door where his body couldn’t.
In summary, a hot birdman had appeared out of nowhere and Touka looked ready to kill him.stranger
“Move.”
The man lifted an eyebrow, “Not quite the request I expected. Who are you, how long have you been standing there, who does your hair? All much more appropriate questions that I would love to respond to in order. Qing, not very long, and no one, this is all natural, thank you very much.”
Another condescending jackass. Apparently they grow on the trees here.
“It wasn’t a request. Move or die.”
“Hm.” The man pouted cutely. His eyes moved down to Menodora and he smiled. “Are you as aggressive as your friend here? It’s been a while since I’ve talked with mortals, so I’m unsure if you’re all like this or not.”
“Um, we’re not really friends.”
“Why is that the part you focused on?!” Touka snapped at her.
“I don’t know! I’m still trying to process him having wings!”
“Useless!”
Their bickering was interrupted by the reed-whistle laughter of said winged man. His wings pulled back from the entrance, pressed against his back before flashing red and disappearing. The man stepped fully into the room.
“Very cute. A wonderful pair you make. A human and a…“, he paused, cocking his head curiously at Touka, eyes canning him up and down. He shrugged and gestured vaguely, “Whatever you’re supposed to be. Not often seen in these gardens. Most likely intruders, meaning that I should call the Attendants to have you brought to Ziyu….but instead, let’s have tea and I’ll see if I still feel up to the trouble in the morning.”
He smiled pleasantly, yet Menodora couldn’t help feeling threatened. Was this really an offer?
"We can go to my house. It is the building in front of the shed, the place that might've been more appropriate to take refuge rather than here. It is warm and comfortable, tbut that is more for the furs than people. My home is much comfier."
Aggression like lightning flashed across the ‘window’, snapping its fangs eagerly for a chance to bite down. Attack. Of course.
Menodora started to wonder if Touka was raised by wolves. He was territorial and aggressive. Kid needed to be house-trained, though he had a point. This guy was shady as a fuck. He was handsome and smug, meaning he was definitely up to something with this invite. Running might be a better option though. If he was like that lion creature—maybe that was an Attendant—Touka didn’t stand a chance without another Command.
For the moment, Touka held himself back, waiting for her response. Was he listening to her now? Weird and deeply uncomfortable. Why was this left up to her?
What should she do?
|Choices|
3
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