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

[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.]

[neverwashere]

[He leaps diagonally meet the doll midway, pulling his knees up to make extra sure he won't get caught. It makes for an awkward landing - shit, his shoulder's gonna bruise and he has to scramble up as the doll disintegrates in his hand - but it's worth the effort to avoid slicing the string.]

[1stknight]

[Bruises are okay as long as Dazai isn't cut in half, which would have happened if he had stayed in place. That Minotaur was starting to lash out in anger, because Q was also upset and screaming at Dazai at that point.]

Give it back! It's not time to stop playing!

[But the doll was gone, and Bedivere's mind was suddenly clear.

With a glare fixed on the Minotaur, Bedivere stepped forward and took a swipe at it, cutting a deep cut in its leg. This made the Minotaur let out a roar of rage, and it fell down onto one knee. Q was able to hop down to safety, but he was quickly going from playful to infuriated.]

Master, your orders!

[Kill the Minotaur? Or kill Q? A fight with the Minotaur would be long, but Q would not be harmed. Stabbing Q would end things quickly, but then Q would die.

It was a tough choice, and Bedivere would follow Dazai's orders.]

[neverwashere]

[The choice itself isn't tough. It's the resulting struggle that is.]

Eliminate Berserker.

[If he really wanted Q dead, he would've let Chuuya do it all those months ago. And really, can he ask Bedivere to kill a child? Plus, slicing off Q's hand will just return the curse.

(Here, too, is an unfortunate truth: if the Minotaur accidentally crushed his Master, Dazai won't deny its convenience.)

Already, he's winding the spool he used as a lasso, wrapping the loop around his other hand. If all that movement knocked Q off Berserker's shoulders, Dazai wil be ready to capture him.]

[1stknight]

[There would be no crushing of Q today, because Dazai would be able to scoop the boy up easily. He really was quite small, even if he had a lot of fight in him. And the fit he pitched upon being grabbed was monumental.]

Berserker! Kill them both! Smear the ground with their blood!

[And very suddenly, one of the red glowing marks on Q's hand dimmed.

A moment later, the Minotaur was up on his feet. He was still bleeding, but his strength was renewed and he was Mad. He let out a roar and swung his axe down, crashing it to the ground between Bedivere and Dazai. Bedivere couldn't hope to dodge that attack, so he had to jump away first. But moments later he would be back on his feet and ready to fight again.

Let's say an awesome fight sequence happens here, because me writing out the whole thing between two characters feels silly.]

[neverwashere]

[As the awesome fight sequence is happening, Dazai makes sure to pin Q belly-down on the floor, knocking him out and tie him up once they get to a relatively safe spot, wrists first. The barbed wire, he unceremoniously gets rid of before winding more string on the boy's elbows. If he runs out of string, he'll use the belt of his own coat to bind his ankles.]

Desperate as usual. [He grimaces as he tucks Q back under his arm - how's Bedivere holding up?]

[1stknight]

[Well, that stopped Q's commands, at least. But not before Berserker got a huge bulk-up that meant his axe blade could slam into Bedivere and knock him across the little fighting area there with a critical hit.

Bedivere was winded and bleeding, but he managed to land on his feet. His survivability had always been decent, so it would take more than a couple hard hits to put him down for good. He was starting to feel light-headed though, in addition to all the other aches and pains his body had, and he was sure that some of his wounds might actually need medical treatment. He might have to go through Yosano's medical exams after all.

But that wouldn't happen until they escaped the maze, and they couldn't escape the maze until Bedivere defeated Berserker. Their blades clashed angrily in the low light of the maze, the occasional spark lightening up the area for a moment before returning to the dull like from before. But eventually that strength would prove to be difficult, and Bedivere pulled back a bit, gasping for air.]

That command spell made him so strong, I-

[He ducked under the swing of an axe blade.]

-think you can break him out of that magical enchantment, Master?

[neverwashere]

[In other words, Q tossing that command spell significantly decreased the likelihood of Bedivere recreating the conditions of Theseus' victory over the the Minotaur through the use of pure skill.

Ah, great. Plus, there's no telling what might happen if Bedivere used his Noble Phantasm when he's in such a state - the warehouse they're in might collapse, Bedivere might be too weak to move... hmm, no.

So running up to the Minotaur it is, and he nods at Bedivere, not willing to speak and inform the Minotaur just where he is at the moment.

Confident that Q's not about to wake up any time soon, Dazai tucked the boy away in the corner. While he does lose an onhand bargaining chip in doing this, he can't sustain his stamina and strength while carrying dead weight, and Dazai would rather have his hands free.

And now, he pads closer behind the bull, opting for the quiet approach first - his footsteps should be covered by the clash of metal, unless the Minotaur's hearing is just that sensitive.

How easy is it to sneak up on him?]

[1stknight]

[Where pure skill was not enough, teamwork made up the rest. There was no shame in taking advantage of someone's individual strength if it meant the group as a whole succeeded.

The Minotaur probably could hear Dazai, but when Bedivere saw Dazai approaching he made sure to launch a flurry of quick attacks, forcing the Minotaur to stay focused on him. He didn't push the Minotaur back too far though, he didn't want Dazai to get accidentally stepped on. But each attack was met with a block by that axe, and the Minotaur was starting to get angry.

Dazai would be able to sneak up, but all bets were off once he touched the Minotaur. The outcome of the battle was, ultimately, uncertain.]

[neverwashere]

[All bets are usually off when faced with brute strength. Dazai knows this because he's dealt with Chuuya far too often than he'd like, and maybe this is why he's... well, not okay with approaching a rampaging bull man that's two meters tall and made of muscle, but not as freaked out like a normal person would be. Plus the minotaur doesn't have gravity powers, and his size probably means that he can't dodge as well!

So hi, Minotaur. Tag, you're it, off Dazai goes to not get tagged with an axe to the back.]

[1stknight]

[The bravery was appreciated, honestly. Bedivere would tell Dazai all about how much he appreciated the help, once they were safely out of the labyrinth and back to their base.

The Minotaur visibly reeled back, yelling out as the extra power from the command seal drained from it. He was left in a weak position and he knew it. By instinct, the Minotaur tried to turn on his heel to strike back at Dazai, to at the very least try and kick him away. And while that kick might be able to happen and the axe dangled dangerously over Dazai's head, that left the opening Bedivere had been looking for.]

Airgetlám!

[Bedivere put every last ounce of strength he had into that blow, knowing that if he didn't take the Minotaur out, Dazai would probably die.

And with that blinding attack, he cut the Minotaur in two.

The man-bull went down with a roar of pain and feral anger, and his body turned into glowing sparkles that faded into nothing. And as the Minotaur faded, so did the maze around him.

Bedivere, similarly, fell down to his knees. He wasn't dying, though, he was just really exhausted and had trouble staying on his feet.]

[neverwashere]

[--- safe!

Dazai groans from where he landed, having leapt sideways in a last ditch attempt to dodge the axe. Picking himself up, he spares a glance at Q (still asleep) before heading over to Bedivere, crouching down to catch him in an embrace. He's careful to not touch the metal arm.]

Good job.

[And because there's no one else around to see them, Dazai can dip his head to give Bedivere a brief kiss, both to thank him and to replenish some mana.]

Why don't you go into your spirit form for a while and rest, hmm? I can take it from here.

[1stknight]

[Replenishing mana by kisses, this sounds like the plot to a cheesy J-drama!

But all of the tenseness in Bedivere seemed to melt away as soon as he was in Dazai's arms. Dazai was safe, he was safe, and there was one less Servant to worry about. They were one step closer to winning this war.

Even after the kiss ended and they pulled apart, Bedivere had a tired-yet-pleased smile on his face.]

Alright. I'll come back out when we're home.

[Home. That certainly was the first time he had used that word.

But he didn't waste much more time there, and he pulled into his spirit form. He would linger around Dazai, invisible and unnoticeable but still able to see and hear what was going on.]

[neverwashere]

[With a private smile, Dazai brushes aside a lock of Bedivere's hair.]

See you.

[Now, for the main problem: what to do with Q, since leaving him with two command spells is a no-no. That just provides Mori with more options, and Q will only want to inflict more torment as payback should he get the chance.

Dazai sighs, walks over, and slings the kid over his shoulder.

Hotwiring a car to avoid questions should be justified, right?





But really, he ends up borrowing a vehicle from the Agency after calling Tanizaki, with Q the coat burrito tucked under his arm.

Hi, Ango, guess who's back to reckless driving that's just below the speed limit? Hope there's one more available parking slot at the usual meeting place.]

We'll just make a quick stopover somewhere.

[This he says in the silence of the car for Bedivere's benefit as he nears the place. By all accounts, he's actually early.]