PSL (closed)

[1stknight]

[Honestly, being summoned was quite the surprise to Bedivere. Being a saber, he knew he was at a disadvantage. After all, there were so many more sabers even just from the Round Table who were much more famous, so surely they would have been summoned over him. In fact, he was sure it had happened countless times before. That one master he had met, the one from Chaldea, they had spoken of singularities and grail wars to span several worlds and timelines. And with so many fine Sabers to choose from, he was sure that he hadn't ever been summoned before. The short time between the 'creation of his legend' and 'now' notwithstanding.

It made him feel a touch inadequate, if he was being truthful. After all, he was a simple knight. The master who had summoned him, he deserved better than someone like him. But if he was the one who was summoned, then he would fulfill his duty to this new master. Nothing would be done in half-steps, never again.

So as his form solidified in the summoning circle, Bedivere offered his new master a warm smile. Once again, his life was sworn to someone else's. Whatever his master wished for, Bedivere would help him achieve it.]

Saber, Bedivere. I am honored to be summoned by you. From now on, I shall be your Servant.

['I am honored to be summoned at all' was the truth, but he didn't speak that.

Then he paused, and he took a survey of the situation. The summoning circle was expertly made, but this man in front of him...well. He didn't look like a mage. He looked like a normal person. Perhaps it was a disguise? Or maybe there was more to this situation than he could see immediately. He would have to wait for his new master to respond in order to find out more.]

Comments

[1stknight]

And if mana was a problem, then why throw up this Noble Phantasm so soon? They would have been better off to throw it up if a fight was not going well for them.

[Wanting to test Dazai's theory, Bedivere went over to another wall and punched it with his metal hand. This one also crumbled, but it was only surface damage. The bulk of the wall stood strong.

Dazai would find that they were about 1/3rd of the way through the spool. Not yet to the point of worrying, but still good to keep track of.

Abruptly Bedivere looked down a path to his left, body still. He waited for a moment, like he was looking for something, but the longer he waited the more tense he looked.]

Master, did you hear that?

[There would have been no noise besides the sounds of Bedivere punching a wall, by the way.]

[neverwashere]

[Good point. Dazai narrowed his eyes. Well, they were hunting for Q.]

The Master likes to play.

[This, he was certain of. And when Bedivere mentioned hearing something that he couldn't, his smile gained a dangerous edge.]

Afraid not... although.

[This was Q, and there was precedent to that child's ability becoming linked to someone else.

Dazai suddenly reached out: a preemptive tap to Bedivere's nape. Will it connect?]

[1stknight]

[He can touch! Though when Dazai reaches up to touch Bedivere's neck, he will see a handprint on Bedivere's neck. It wasn't quite as dark as Q's marks usually were, but it was still recognizable nonetheless.

It also made Bedivere's magic light short out for a moment, though it flickered back on right after since that was just a light tap.]

I swear I heard a child laughing- ah? Master?

[neverwashere]

You have the curse mark. It seems that Ability is interacting with this Noble Phantasm.

[He leaned close to keep his voice down.

For a moment, his fingers linger a hair's breadth away from Bedivere's nape before he takes back his hand, and he bites on his lower lip in thought. Was the arm providing some sort of extra protection?]

There's something I have to ask, but it will have to wait until later. In any case - you're hearing auditory hallucinations. Q's victims tend to go insane.

You have to let me know if it gets worse. But if you have it under control, we can stage a little act once we find them if it becomes necessary.

[1stknight]

[A good question. Bedivere was not aware of how atypical his hallucinations were. They were only auditory, enough to spark his curiosity without completely overtaking him.

Much later, they would be able to talk about magical resistances and figure out what happened. For now, Bedivere was absolutely going to take advantage of this peculiarity.

He whispered his answer back to Dazai, not wanting their opponents to potentially hear him.]

I don't think I've gone insane yet, no. But should we follow the sounds I'm hearing? They may expect that, and if we act in contrary they will know something is up.

[neverwashere]

[Dazai's eyes gleam in interest at the new development. It wasn't as if those previously affected by Q's ability could deliver coherent answers, and his smile softens a little.]

Go ahead.

[Then, in a slightly louder tone meant to be overheard by anyone listening in,] Restrain yourself, Servant.

[1stknight]

[Given enough time, auditory hallucinations could drive Bedivere mad. But that would take time, and that gave them some wiggle room to work out an escape plan.

And fortunately, Bedivere was a good actor. So when he heard Dazai's louder reprimand, he understood what Dazai was going for and immediately went along with it.]

But I swear, that direction over there-

[And he started heading down the path where he heard the creepy laughter coming from. He tried to play the part of someone starting to lose their shit, but in a controlled way like a knight would do. He actually had a lot of experience with slowly losing his sanity, so hopefully the act was convincing.

He also changed up from a walk to a jog, hurrying along the corridors of the maze. Do keep up, Dazai.]

[neverwashere]

[Ah. Yes. Brisk walking. Or, more specifically, brisk walking while he was tied to one person and holding their horizontal replacement for a bungee cord to the door.

Dazai's groan was genuine, but he followed, working fast to keep the thread rolling.]

Last time I checked, this area wasn't haunted. Do you have ghost listening powers I'm not aware of?

[The real answer is 'no,' of course, but he hoped Bedivere said 'yes' for trolling purposes.]

[1stknight]

[See, Bedivere wasn't thinking of just trolling. He thought it was an attempt at misdirection in relation to Bedivere's identity, and he went right along with it.]

I can, but this is different. This isn't the anguished sobbing of the dead, this is-

[Of course, as he said that, he suddenly heard a loud-pitched scream. It was so shrill he had to flinch and cover his ears, but that didn't really help. It did make Bedivere panic though, and he started to actually run towards the sound of that screaming.

Sorry for your waist, Dazai. You're getting dragged along.]

[neverwashere]

[Same difference at this point!

Not that he can savor whatever satisfaction arose, because Bedivere flinched, and now they were running. This wasn't the zero effort workout he bargained for!]

What's - [oh jeez he hoped he wasn't that out of breath] - what?

[1stknight]

[No pain no gain, Dazai. You want to be fucking ripped someday, you need to work out.

(Please don't, Dazai wouldn't be the same if he wasn't a noodle.)]

It's- someone's in trouble!

[Bedivere's do-good attitude would be the death of them. It was probably a trap, and he was running right towards it.]

[neverwashere]

[Leave it to a gallant knight to come to the rescue.

Dazai tries digging his heels a little, in an effort to slow them down. Keyword: try.]

Ellis, slow down! I still can't hear anyone, and don't you think we should've heard the screaming the moment we ended up here?

[As opposed to, y'know. After getting cursed.]

[1stknight]

But it must be-

[Except he seemed to see something out of the corner of his eye, and he stopped suddenly. He also held out his left arm to stop Dazai too.

A moment later, a giant axe crashed to the ground just inches in front of the two of them. Had they kept running, at least one of them would have been chopped in half vertically.]

[neverwashere]

Ehh!?

[Physics, unfortunately, ensues, and Dazai finds himself blindly grasping the wall to avoid crashing into Bedivere.

The impact really hurts the knees, and he winces. Ah, shit. Undoing the knot around his waist just isn't feasible at this point.]

Ahh, that was close. Too close!

Cut the rope. [He'd rather not, but that axe left them with very little options.] I'll follow.

[And see if he can find Q near the bearer of that axe.]

[1stknight]

Right, cut the-

[Bedivere's sentence gets cut off though, as that axe is hoisted up. No time to cut the rope, it's time to grab Dazai and step back.

Grabbing Dazai does negate Bedivere's powers and his metal arm, but he would rather have his Master out of axe-swinging range. Time to tuck behind a corner for a moment.]

Don't get too far away, alright?

[Then Bedivere will cut the rope.]

[neverwashere]

[Shame he can't afford to be distracted, but! He holds up the rope, wondering if he should ask Bedivere to keep a pocket knife on his person. Would've made this more convenient.]

You, too.

[He's decent at dodging. Or so he'd like to say, never mind that he hasn't tried running around an axe that big before.

Well then. Q. Are you hiding somewhere, or will you be on that Minotaur's shoulders? Physical contact, as Steinbeck proved, is the best way to amplify Dogra Magra's reach.]

[1stknight]

[When they finally stopped touching and Bedivere could light up the area again with his magic, that's when Q would finally be visible. He was indeed riding on the Minotaur's shoulder, with the Minotaur holding up an arm to keep him balanced. It seemed like the Minotaur could swing that huge axe with one arm, a testament to his strength.

That made Bedivere wince. Getting to Q was going to be difficult, and the auditory hallucinations were getting worse. The screaming was very distracting.

But he left the problem of Q- who was grinning in delight down at Dazai- for Dazai to solve. Bedivere drew his sword and squared himself to fight the Minotaur.]

Stand down, Berserker! Or I will be forced to fight you!

[The Minotaur was, no doubt, stronger than him. Fortunately, Bedivere was skilled at taking down the strong.]

[neverwashere]

{Time to leave the fighting to the fighter!

Dazai left him at it by strolling a wide curve around Berserker, noting the giant horns sticking out of white fluffy hair. The catalyst must've come from the slit leather covering his brawny legs.

...Q was absolutely going to make this difficult, wasn't he? Moreso when he's found a protector - Dazai's Ability wouldn't save him from brute strength.]

What did the Boss promise you, Q?

[1stknight]

[Q absolutely was going to make it difficult. While the Minotaur was focused on Bedivere, Q kept his eyes on Dazai, grinning in a way that was just a little too sharp.]

What does it matter what he promised? I've got plenty of friends to play with now! Want to play with us? Your Servant is interesting, he's staying so calm even with my ability affecting him. I wanna push him until he breaks~

[The minotaur swung his axe at Bedivere, and Bedivere dodged around it. But then he heard Dazai scream in pain, so Bedivere snapped his head around to look in Dazai's direction. Another auditory illusion? This one was far more effective.]

[neverwashere]

[Why thanks, Q, for calling attention to that detail. Mentioning Bedivere's name does make Dazai look, and isn't it a dreadful sight to see him distracted.]

Focus on Berserker!

[But will that even work? Dazai plasters on a smile over clenched teeth and stalks forward in Q's direction, prepared to dodge if needed.]

It's fine if you don't care about what the Boss offered you, but he won't like your new playmate hanging around longer than needed. That's the kind of person he is.

[How inconvenient, that bitterness at this moment. Dazai peers up at Q - how far away is the doll?]

Why not team up with me instead? I hear there are islands down south where you and Berserker can actually play and stay undisturbed.

[1stknight]

[That earned another laugh, but this one was a shade darker.]

I already know not to trust Dazai, he's a liar and a cheat and will just lock me up again. Besides, we have this whole maze for playing with people, don't we Berserker?

[The Minotaur grunts in approval.]

Kill the Servant first, but let Dazai live. We're going to have fun with him~

[That doll was in Q's other hand, by the way. He wasn't gripping it tightly though, he had no fear of it getting taken or anything. In his mind, Dazai would never be able to reach him anyway.

But Dazai DID have that second spool of cord. Maybe that could be used for something.]

[neverwashere]

[Welp. Can't say he didn't try to negotiate, or that Q's words don't have precedent. And somehow, he doesn't doubt that Q might be inclined to let Bedivere hear that.

He'll deal with the fallout later. Preferably without detached limbs.

...though. A thought occurs to him when he thinks back to the myth and to the Minotaur's reaction to Q's words. Lassoing the doll or something similar will require Q to not pay attention to him, so to that end -]

Does Minos' Bull agree with you because they like your idea of playtime? Or is it because they have no other choice?

[The myths never covered the bull's intelligence. Now, though, the bull answered.

C'mon, big guy. Distract Q for a bit.

Will Dazai have time to complete the makeshift lasso he's attempting to tie in his pocket? Or is Q's hold on the doll loose enough for a projectile to knock it away from his grip?]

[1stknight]

[The Minotaur did seem smart enough to understand Dazai's words, and did seem annoyed by the title 'Minos' Bull'. He snorted out a hot breath from his nose, which blew Bedivere's hair around a bit.]

Playtime is fine. Q is good Master.

[Q seemed delighted by having the Minotaur agree with him. And in that moment, he was distracted enough to not notice Dazai making that lasso.]

[neverwashere]

[Ladies, gents and honored guests - the Minotaur speaks!

....Dazai will stuff his inner myth nerd into a corner until he's sure he survives this encounter. At least the lasso's done?]

But what's the point of repeating your myth? [And - toss!] Try making friends, twenty-first century style.

[Does it land? Because if it does he'll yank.]

[1stknight]

[The Minotaur didn't get to answer that, because just as it was about to speak it saw the lasso going for Q. It abruptly turned, trying to keep Q from getting tied up, but Dazai would be able to get the lasso around Q's doll first. Then the force of the Minotaur turning would cause the doll to be yanked out of Q's hands.

In the meantime, Bedivere saw what Dazai was up to, and he moved to attack from the side, further distracting the Minotaur. Make use of the chaos, Dazai! Maybe that axe-attack could be dodged.]