บท 50: 50. Two Halves of The Same Lock
_Godrick_
The four of them finally made it to their next destination, which was a batting cage. Godrick, still holding the flower, sat down and watched as Rin and Shirou tried their luck at the sport
Rin was much more skilled than Shirou, and she found endless joy in reminding him of that fact. He would swing, and then miss. Swing, and then miss.
He was, however, better than Artoria in certain aspects. While she would always hit the ball, they would always either be slammed into the ground beneath her, or be thrown behind her. When Shirou hit the ball, it would always go forward, and not down or behind him.
Artoria gave a great huff of annoyance, frustrated with her performance.
Godrick got her attention and told her to stop swinging it like a sword. She huffed at him, and told him that if he thought it was so easy, he should give it a try.
Godrick shrugged, and stood up, taking her place in the cage. Before he entered, he gave his mother the flower he still held, making sure she was gentle with it as he entered the cage.
Taking the baseball bat, he gave it a light swing before getting in a stance he had seen Rin take, and waited for the ball to come.
It came, he swung… and missed. Another ball came from the machine, and while this time he hit it, it did exactly what happened when his mother hit it. It fell to the floor.
He heard a muffled snicker behind him, and shook his head to rid himself of his growing frustration.
Over the next couple minutes, he started swinging the bat just like how he told his mother not to, hitting the balls that came his way, though none of them went forward.
Shirou gave a light laugh, which caused Godricks anger to spike as well. He looked over at his mother's master, and took a step forward to flick him in the arm again, but just then…
'THUNK'
Godrick reared forward, his hands going to his knees as he bent forward as unimaginable pain bloomed from his groin. He felt as if he was going to throw up, seeing the ball that had struck his manhood roll next to his feet.
Another ball hit him in the hip, and he was suddenly overcome with extreme anger, throwing the bat he was holding to the ground and summoning his massive halberd.
He swung at the next ball, hitting it with the flat of the blade, sending it ripping through the skynet before disappearing into the sky with a twinkle.
Turning around, he dematerialized his halberd, and slightly pursed his lips as the others stared at him.
"That was a slight overreaction…" He signed uncomfortably.
Suddenly the trio burst into laughter at his expense, making him smile a bit as he walked out of the cage and sat next to his mother, taking back the flower she was holding.
"So," She said, crossing her legs as well as her arms. "Tell me more about your time with this woman you're so smitten with." She said, a smile coming to her lips.
Godrick smiled to himself as he took his sunglasses off, and stored them away in his pocket before looking down at the flower.
"What can I say?" He signed to her.
"Shes…" He stopped for a moment before continuing. "Incredible. She's beautiful, kind, easy to talk to, and she takes care of others." He signed before telling her about the week they had spent together while he recovered from overexerting himself.
"She comforted me when I learned what Mordred did." He signed, telling her of what happened when he destroyed the library in his anger and sadness. How she had wiped his tears of grief away as he learned of his broken family.
She had been his rock that day, and it meant more to him then even he had realized.
"I know you can't forgive Mordred for what she did. And the more I think about it, I'm struggling with it as well. I don't think that I fully understood what had happened, and when I saw her I just…" He stopped and shook his head slightly, wanting to understand what had happened when he first met his sister for the first time again.
"Pushed it all aside. I forgave her too easily. She was remorseful for what she did, and I was still reeling from being reunited, and I just… Couldn't hate her." He signed to his mother.
"But she slaughtered thousands Godrick." Artoria replied almost in a whisper.
"So have you. So have I. Which of us hasn't?" He asked her.
"No, you and I killed for our Kingdom. For our people. We did not kill our OWN people." Artoria said with a hint of anger in her voice.
"I know. But how does someone atone for something like that? Do they even get a chance?" He asked.
"Some would say yes. Some would say no." She answered cryptically.
"But what do you say?" He pressed her.
"I don't…" She shook slightly, remembering the carnage and the death that followed Mordred as she led her rebellion across the land.
"That is not for me to decide." She finally answered.
"If not you, then who?" Her son retorted.
"God?" She said, it sounding more of a question than anything.
"God." Godrick stated, thinking of Jeanne once again.
"I know that you don't know how to feel about her. But I hope she is given a second chance to redeem herself. It's what she would have said." He signed, motioning towards the flower he still held.
His mother proclaimed to be a Christian, though he didn't know if she actually believed it, as she never really talked about it much.
Godrick himself had never been religious, wanting to learn more about swords, shields, and killing more than reading scripture.
'Maybe it's worth looking into.' He thought to himself.
Looking back down to the flower in his hand, he wanted more than anything to keep it with him as his thoughts turned back to Jeanne.
He closed his eyes, seeing her face as she smiled at him. She was so beautiful, so lovely that he wanted nothing more than to gaze into her eyes again.
She wanted everyone to have a second chance. Wanted everyone to be kind to each other. If all people were as kind to one another as she was, the world would never have any more problems. Men like Godrick wouldn't exist, as there would be no war. No greed. No malice. At least not from humans.
"You know…" He signed to Artoria, drawing her attention back to him. "I think I'm in love with her."
Artoria looked down at her own hands, a slight smile dancing on her lips as she quickly glanced up to Shirou before looking back down.
"How can you tell?" She asked.
"My every waking moment is spent thinking of her. And when I dream, I dream of a lovely woman with golden hair braided down past her waist, dancing in a field full of white flowers, laughing as I walk towards her." He signed, closing his eyes as he thought of her.
He opened his eyes and looked down at the flower, trying to make it a part of himself so that he could have it with him always.
'Please.' He prayed as he put a small amount of energy into the flower, trying to turn it into something that he possessed. Something he truly possessed.
Focusing, he forced the flower into a spiritual form, using his energy, and part of the strange power from his left arm he still didn't fully understand.
Soon, he opened his eyes, and he saw the flower was no more. He turned his left hand over, to see that the Celestial Flame Iris, was now etched into the stone like skin of his left hand.
With a thought, he summoned the flower, as he could with his halberd. It appeared in his hand before he sent it back, happy it had worked out.
"How did you do that?" Artoria asked, shock written on her face.
Godrick shrugged as he nonchalantly looked back at the cages, seeing Rin and Shirou finishing up.
"No, I'm being serious, how did you do that?" She asked, gripping his arm.
"I don't know how it happens. I just will it, and it happens." He signed.
"Strange…" She said, turning her attention to Shirou as he walked out of the cages.
"Everything alright?" He asked.
"Everything is fine. Where to now?" She responded.
"Not sure." He said, turning back to Rin, who smiled.
"I don't really have anywhere that I want to go. Let's just go explore!" She said.
"Sounds delightful." Artoria said, looking back up at her son.
As the small group left the cages, they walked to a bus station nearby. As they were boarding, Godricks eye was drawn past the large group of people at the stop to a man with a bushy beard which was braided, and strange tattoos making his face and neck. The man wore a bearskin coat that covered his body, but Godrick knew he had something to do with his target Ivar.
The man was staring at the Juggernaut, before slowly turning and walking towards a park nearby. Godrick watched the man go before he was prodded in the back by an elderly woman.
"Move it muscles, I need to get to bingo night!" She said as she looked up at him through her bifocal glasses.
Godrick moved to the side, and walked to the window where Artoria was sitting, looking at him.
"You go on ahead, I'll catch up with you In a little while." He signed to her, before walking after the man.
Artoria watched him walk away, having a foreboding feeling grow in her stomach as the bus started to drive away.
Walking after the man, Godrick followed him into the park. The man sat at a bench, much like the first night he had met Ivar.
"Peace Juggernaut. I don't wish to fight you. I'm here to speak, and you need to listen." The man said. He ran his hand through his long slicked back pitch black hair, before gesturing for Godrick to sit next to him.
"My name is Bjorn the Bear. Though I am known by many other titles where I come from." The man said, now running his hands through his long black beard.
"I am a part of Ivars Noble Phantasm, Valhalla's gate. While I myself am not a Heroic Spirit, I have been given the strength of one. As has every spirit held in the realm of "Valhalla"." He said, making air quotes as he said the word "Valhalla".
"While we are outside of the gate our abilities are greatly diminished, leaving us in a state of complete weakness. However we are compensated for this with great strength." He explained.
"I don't know how the whole "Stats" thing work, but if I had to say it, they would be as followed." He said air quoting the word "Stats" again.
While outside of the gate, the stats were as follows.
Strength: EX
Endurance: E
Agility: E
Mana: E
Luck: E
NP: E
"But while we are inside the Gate, things are different. WE are different. Think of it like a reality marble."
He then went on to explain that while inside Valhalla's gate, each of them were as strong as normal servants, with their own stats, as well as a unique skill for each one of them.
"There are hundreds of us inside the gate. I'm not sure how it's been able to happen, but magic is a fickle thing."
Godrick Looked at the man confused as to why he was telling him all this.
"Oh, don't give me that look lad. Ivar is a coward, and a fool. And yet, he holds power over us all. He fights with no honor, but preaches about having a good death. He no doubt told you that he was the nameless berserker that fought on the bridge, hm?" He asked, turning to the Juggernaut.
Godrick nodded, and when it was confirmed, Bjorn just sighed.
"You know, my wife Serana hates when I let my beard grow this long." He said, still running his hand through his beard as he collected his thoughts.
"Where I come from, death is so…" He stopped for a moment as he thought for a moment.
"Normal…" He finished. "Well, normal in the sense that, nobody bats an eye at a body on the side of the road. Hell, I even saw a horse thief killed when he ran from the guards because he thought he could get away. Killed him right in front of the townspeople, and even a child. Then they left his body in the street for everyone to see. Well, that execution didn't end well for anyone that day." He said, reminiscing on some memories of some far off life.
"Anyway. You're no doubt wondering why I'm here, telling you about all this in the first place, yes?" He asked, looking up at the massive man sitting next to him.
"It's quite simple really. I, and I speak for all of us in the gate, want you to kill Ivar. It won't be easy for you, as we never want to give up a good fight aye!?" He said, elbowing Godrick in the side as he let out a hardy laugh.
His smile faded, and he gave a deep sigh as his mood fell once more.
"We want you to kill Ivar. But we also need to uphold our oaths to defend the gate. You won't find him until he is ready for you, as he hides in the fake corpse hall he has created for himself. A vain imitation of the All Father's great hall, where he calls himself lord."
"Kill him for me, won't you?" The man said before he got up and started walking away. He turned back as he said one final thing.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I would recommend you bring a friend." He said, nodding before turning into blue particles and disappearing from sight, leaving Godrick with unanswered questions.
"Is that why they were able to wound me so easily when we first met?" He thought to himself, remembering when he had broken through the shield wall. The spirits had been able to cut through his armor as if it had been nothing, and he now knew it was thanks to their EX strength. But he also understood that they were essentially glass cannons, as they would die when they would take the slightest amount of damage.
Standing from the bench he was sitting on, Archer suddenly materialized next to him.
"I need your help." He said as he looked up at the Juggernaut, who nodded for him to continue.
"I've lost contact with Rin, and I think she might be in trouble." Archer said, a hint of concern leaking through his usual mask of indifference.
Godrick caught onto this fact, and locked it away for further thought in the future.
Motioning for him to lead the way, the two dematerialized and began searching the area.
Finally Archer notified Godrick that he thought he had found what they were looking for, and as they neared the bridge, the Juggernaut confirmed it, as he could feel the bounded field in the area.
Materializing on a nearby building, the two looked at the bridge before leaping into action.
_Artoria_
Caster pulled the jagged knife from Artoria's chest, red energies swirling around the two of them as several more command seals appeared on Caster's left hand.
"Now, Saber, Kill them both!" Caster shouted, laughing hysterically after she was done with the command.
Artoria fought with all her might against the command seal Caster had just used on her, only for her body to move on its own.
Dashing towards Shirou and Rin, Artoria raised her sword and brought it down on them, still trying to direct the sword elsewhere.
Just as her sword reached Shirou, a massive halberd broke through the bounded field, and smashed into the ground between Saber and Shirou, forcing Excalibur to smash into the metal handle of the halberd, before the blade slid down its length.
She suddenly found Godrick standing next to his weapon, looking down at her through the slits in his helmet.
"KILL HIM!" Caster shrieked, forcing Artoria to twist to her left, whipping her blade up and around to smash into her son's outstretched left hand which caught her blade dead.
"She's been stolen!" Rin shouted, just as Archer appeared, standing protectively in front of her.
Godrick looked to him, and motioned with his head to take the others to safety while he dealt with his mother and Caster, before the magician's voice cut through the bounded field.
"Return to me!" Caster ordered, making Artoria rip Excalibur from Godricks hand before leaping back to her now master.
Godrick ran after her, suddenly appearing behind Caster as he brought a fist down on her.
To his surprise, she was able to lean to her right at the last moment, only allowing Godrick to clip her left arm as his fist smashed down.
She let out a scream of pain as her left arm was shattered by the Juggernauts right fist before his left was in her stomach. She was violently thrown from the air, crashing into the asphalt below her before Artoria reacted, stabbing out with her sword.
Godrick batted the blade to his right with his left hand before backhanding her, while simultaneously recalling his halberd with his right hand, bringing it down on her the moment it was in his grip.
Artoria was fast enough to bring Excalibur up, and block the blow. The ground around her cracked, leaving spiderweb like fissures across the ground under her feet.
Godrick used his superior strength to knock Excalibur skywards before smashing the shaft of his halberd into her stomach, causing her to double over a bit.
He then brought his knee up into the shaft of his weapon, snapping the butt end up, clipping Artoria in the jaw, and throwing her back into the ground.
Spinning his halberd so the blade was to his left, the Knight took a step forward before spinning to his left, forcing his halberd to pick up speed as he spun it vertically before he made a small jump in the air, bringing his weapon down on the spot his mother was.
She was able to roll out of the way before she was blown away as the halberd smashed into the ground, destroying everything near it.
Artoria landed next to Caster, who was tending to her arm before giving her a scornful glare.
"You need to stop resisting, or that monster will kill us both!" She spat.
"That would be preferable to serving your will!" Artoria spat back, just as venomously.
Caster gave her a look that could kill before holding her left hand up.
"Use your noble phantasm." She said, a red glint flashing before disappearing.
Artoria shook her head, trying to clamp down on her will as the command took effect, her body forcing itself to stand up.
"Godrick!!" She shouted before suddenly blitzing towards him. He readied himself, not knowing what had been commanded.
She stabbed out with her blade, which he caught a foot from his chest with his left hand before trying to bring his halberd down on her head with his right hand.
"EXCALIBUR!" She shouted, catching her son off guard as the golden energy of her sword hit him point blank. The ground around the two of them shattered, and all was deathly silent as Excalibur roared with energy.
The Juggernaut was thrown backwards, his halberd leaving his hand as he smashed into the debris behind him. Artoria lifted her blade, forcing the remaining energy to fly into the sky, shattering more of the boundedfield, and not towards her son as she saw his unfortunate state.
He almost looked as if he was sitting on the debris as if it were a throne of his own, his body limp on the makeshift seat.
He was heaving for breath as his left hand slowly closed into a fist, his arm slightly shaking as he absorbed the energy. His whole armor was white hot, distorting the air above him as his adaptation kicked into effect.
His left hand slowly came back to help push himself up out of the debris as he stood unsteadily before clenched his fists and raised his head.
Artoria looked at him with tears in her eyes as Caster appeared next to her, wrapping a capped arm around her as she looked at her son once more, before disappearing in a burst of red and purple partials.
Godrick took a step forward to stop them, but his right leg gave out under him, forcing him to one knee. He watched as his mother disappeared, helpless to stop them for a moment.
It had hurt more than any other Noble Phantasm he had taken, and he didn't know why. It had been on par with the pain he had felt from Mordred's blade.
He suddenly felt something click inside him, feeling as though taking both Clarent and Excaliburs Noble Phantasms had unlocked two halves of a lock deep inside him.
"Caliburn." He thought to himself.
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