Saint Paul's Cathedral

[Bloodedge]

"Monster slaying, huh?" he questioned. Well, if he was going to get experience with the inhuman at some point, the beginning was as good a time as any. He knew how to deal with humans from his life experiences, but magic and monsters were a new matter entirely. Ah, but Merlyn said there was good news as well as bad. Strangely... she never mentioned the bad news. "If killing monsters is the good news, do I really want the bad? I'm more concerned about the fact that you're not mentioning the bad, than I probably would be by the news itself. . ."

He hardly cared what type of task was ahead, and there were few bad things he could be worried about, so long as his sisters and charge were alright in this world. As he'd only recently mentioned, he had all the skills necessary to make due, provided he also proved capable of dealing with something like monsters. Apparently, Merlyn found it strange that a male had what would be considered 'household' skills. "Everyone should be able to care for themselves, and at least one other. My family is... very focused on being capable," he stated. The closer they got to this strange blizzard ahead, the more certain differences in these two began to show. Most specifically, Merlyn seemed fine from the moment Arthur lifted his hood, all the way to the moment he was holding his own arms and exhaling clouds of breath through slightly-trembling lips.

[Apollymi]

"Yes, you... our darling Future King are a monster-slayer and righter of wrongs..." she mentioned with a happy smile. Merlyn still hadn't mentioned what the bad news was yet, but it was a doozy. In the store a large pair of eyes opened, noting every step being taken forward. A cat the size of a large castle, began to move, rustling a little as those large glowing eyes opened in the distance and began looking for a target. "Oh? A bit too clever eh? Well, the bad news is... " she paused for dramatic effect. "That creature known as Cath Palug has killed 180 warriors and knights before you..." she a bit of a grim turn on her words. "But surely you won't be 181 and send me back to waiting in that shithole of a town. Gambare~" she mentioned. Her own ability to leave in the direction she needed to go, was directly tied to the success of Arthur. As such, it was in her best interest to make sure he succeeded. "That being said you should have the necessary skills to kill most things. Just remember, your powers are unique to you. Use them as you will... they aren't buttons here... but feelings~" she explained. "Also saying them pure weeb style helps most out initially, unless your skills are passive. Then in general they will activate themselves without you having to think about it consciously. There are a few exceptions but that covers the basics!~" she concluded.

According to this lad who was apparently freezing, his family was rather focused on being capable. He apparently held the belief that one should be able to take care of at least themselves and one other. Again, how strangely admirable. "Hm, strange family. But I suppose I know a few of those..." she said softly. She took note of the lad's apparently chill and decided he did need at least one thing before she allowed him into this battle. "You look a little chilly that can't be good..." she mentioned, and within her hand before him bloomed a lotus flower. It wasn't really a flower but it was an magical enchantment, meant to help his body resist the extreme cold. Which it would need a while they fought here and moved forward. "If you apply this to your armor, you'll not freeze to death out here~" she mentioned. "I'd do it quickly though... that little beasty is awake now~" she said. As if on cue a huge step was taken and it shook the ground around it, even through the now piling snow which should have muffled it a bit. A large white and gold cat with golden eyes and a lion like-mane stood before lowering its shoulders as if it intended to run or pounce. It left itself in full view, it had no fear and beyond that looked amused like a cat finding a new toy.

[Bloodedge]

"Fair enough. I'll just add it to my resume, I guess," the male quipped. Merlyn went on to tell him the 'bad' news, which wasn't too bad at all in Arthur's mind. Cath Palug was a name he recognized, and though this world was real, so was his sword. It had great power─ he could feel it feeding into his arm as he held the weapon. If King Arthur of legend could get the job done, so could he. "I think I've got the feelings part covered. This Excalibur has made me feel pretty good since I first touched it."

180 was, of course, a frightening number to overcome. What were those warriors, though? In a town like this, he could only imagine at least some of them entered combat with the beast, having less than a single day of proper training to do battle against anything. Arthur had an edge over at least some of them, and the legendary Excalibur was yet another bonus. Onward he went, feeling the vibration of some beast's movement even through his armored feet. Snow and ice fell in clumps from nearby trees; this was something massive indeed. With the goal of victory in mind, he set his gaze forward, his trembling reducing to just the arm which held Excalibur. He wouldn't be taking the lotus offered by Merlyn just yet. "Pass. Not to be cocky or give any offense, but I doubt I'll make it anywhere if I need help like that on the first thing I do. I'd be out of a job if I let that happen, and worse yet... I'd have to deal with her."

And with that, Arthur steeled himself for combat. Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, he stared down this hulking beast of a cat, seemingly no less prepared to pounce than it was. Even so, he made no immediate moves. He'd never been much of a proactive fighter, but due to his job, that was perfect. Just the same, he personally found it perfect in this exact moment. This new beast was something to be studied; he couldn't haphazardly assault an unknown monster of any sort, just to be swatted away and splattered against a tree several kilometers off. Patience was his approach here, just as it was in his normal life.

[Apollymi]

Fast-learner indeed, she'd make a king of him yet. It was already the case that he had an understanding of his weapon and his potential as a fighter. These were good things, perhaps this wasn't a good first trial by the markers of most, but Merlyn wasn't most. She was a navigator on the sea of destiny, she couldn't afford to pull any punches. Besides that, if she wussed out and let him take easy fights, she'd be bored to death. What was more, this lad had a bit of grit to him as well. She'd offered him a bit of reprieve which he obviously could have benefited from, but alas the lad had strange words to share with her. Apparently he couldn't accept the one caveat she would have offered, for the sake of his own pride, for not losing that job, and apparently for not having to deal with someone in particular. "Sou ka, well..." she paused taking a seat atop her staff and hovering just off the ground like a witch on a broom. "If your fingers freeze off, I'm not putting them back on~" she teased gently. She then made eye contact with the large cat creature who'd stayed watching the pair as if studying itself.

She gave a little wave and winked and then removed herself from this particular equation. After all, it was her job to guide and record, not necessarily her place to interfere. All the while this large cat creature moved its bottom backward and prepared. Much like the lad himself its entire body went completely still for quite a few seconds, and it seemed to just stare. It was obviously a clever creature, who knew who his target was and what it needed to do. It would soon pounce, closing the distance between Arthur and himself in a single bound and swipe, with claws larger than human bodies. These aimed to shred the lad in a single instance turning his own body into a ribbon of bone and meat. It was a very straight forward creature aside from the still swirling storm which they were in.

[Bloodedge]

"Noted! I'll try to keep the frostbite at bay~" said Arthur as his final words to Merlyn. Since she decided to make herself scarce, he came to the realization that he could fight without worry. Well, he was quite sure she was no cause for concern as a bystander anyway, considering how casually she guided him to fight a giant beast─ her magic likely could have decimated it in moments. Either way, there was now nothing but Arthur and the massive feline.

One hand clearly wouldn't do against this monster. Slowly, Arthur reached over to grip the hilt of Excalibur with both hands, keeping it readied at his side. There was a stillness shared between Cath Palug and Arthur, only broken by the former's movement. The slight tremble Arthur felt in his arm intensified, but it wasn't a response to the cold anymore. Now, it was anticipation, even a hint of fear. He was up against something no human should ever be able to fathom, in a world he believed should never have happened. That thing... was leaping at him, as if he were a small toy for its amusement─ one that would be shattered in the earliest stages of playtime.

Focus. If there was one thing he needed, it was focus. Somehow, Arthur found such a thing coming to him with greater ease than ever before. Strangely, he was already having a far easier time than he expected. This beast moved at incredible speed, yet it seemed capable of being followed. He would find that his own movements came with much greater ease as well, as his attempt to leap away from Cath Palug's swiping paw flung him farther than he intended to move. 'Woah!' he thought, having to right himself by extending his legs to rebound off a nearby tree. In the end, he actually managed to throw himself back over the moving paw before it finished its sweep through the air. "Alright. Hang on. Time out!" he chanted. Perhaps he should have considered earlier that he would be some amount of superhuman in this world─

[Apollymi]

A smile was all Merlyn had in reply to the lad's apparent zest. After all, this was a battle and she should merely observe, and observe she did. Strangely she watched as the giant cat launched its attack only for the lad to follow up with an evasive maneuver. It was quite interesting to see, and the lad's reaction was just as funny. A genuine laugh left Merlyn as the cat creature went about continuing to swat at the young lad after he moved. It was still a cat after all, even with its dangerous instincts a moving target was still fun to swing at. "Oi oi, you can't just ask for a break in the middle~" she laughed in response. "I might have forgotten to mention, you are pretty high up on the level scale here... so you are human still but quite a bit stronger than the average farm boy," she stated as fact. "It won't make you invincible or anything, but you can at least have a pretty reasonable battle. I'm sure with that male muscled body you'll have a pretty reasonable time swinging that sword around~" Merlyn explained. She was a guide after all, explaining to the lad what he could expect from his new existence was her responsibility.

In the meantime the large cat creature growled and as it did, icicles formed in the sky. Ah, this was a magical cat after all... and those shards would begin to sharpen over time though they hadn't fallen yet, they were obviously just as dangerous as the cats own claws.

[Bloodedge]

"Why not?!" he yelled. This moment was ridiculous by all accounts. He had abilities beyond his wildest dreams, and thus far, it was as simple as the ability to move like some insanely-powerful anime protagonist. He couldn't even take the break he wanted; he had to move again right away due to the... well, cattiness of this particular... cat. He continued jumping around, bouncing from tree to tree, back to the ground, and sometimes even off the moving paw of Cath Palug. Breathing was something he had to focus heavily on, but he seemed to be doing alright for the most part.

Ah, but there was a rather serious-looking problem approaching as well. Cath Palug was not just a cat-like monster, but a creature of magic as well. What was he to do when shards of ice were an impending onslaught against him? Well, he'd have to adjust to using Excalibur very quickly, wouldn't he? To do so, he decided to shorten his movements quite a bit. No longer would Arthur avoid the feline's paw by leaping so widely, but instead with much smaller dodges blended with outward slashes of Excalibur to test his parrying ability. He already believed this sword was strangely in sync with him, but when these efforts began, his expectations were surpassed. He was surprisingly able to clash against those claws without his arms shattering, or even too much concussive force being felt through them. If he had to draw comparisons, he would consider it a similar feeling to his fist colliding against the fist of an old gang leader during a... light altercation, so to speak. "Alright. Here kitty... nice kitty. Careful playing with the sharp things, alright? I'm not in the market for a piercing."

[Apollymi]

"Because..." Merlyn started with a soft chuckle her voice seeming to carry without strain, likely due to some sort of magic. "There is no pause function. Once a fight starts you have to see it through. Clever animals will hunt you down if you flee, or will attack the nearby villages. If you rile them up to much without finishing the job," she explained the mechanics of the world as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Just like life in their previous world, bystanders and civilians were things to consider before engaging in acts of war. Regardless though this wouldn't be a real problem. "Besides... learning in the moment is best, then we can skip all the boring exposition. That's the worst part... I don't have the patience. Entertainment, then exposition." Merlyn's claims might have made her seem as if she wasn't a good person. In truth, she was quite strange individual, she'd been stuck in this place for too long, she had no intention of letting the new source of her entertainment sully her good time, with things like questions, and timeouts. No, they needed to get to work and move long before it was a problem.

In the meantime Cath Palug was experiencing a new kind of frustration. This creature it was playing with was dodging every strike, as if that wasn't bad enough eventually the lad started to parry attacks instead of simply evading. Though it was a giant cat at its inception, it was still a beast who'd killed numerous men over the course of its life. It was a magical creation with more than reasonable intelligence, and it would trap this lad eventually. Those icicles forming in the sky, would all start turning in midair, eventually the last clash the cat drew back from would be immediately followed by a barrage of ice. This ice aimed to pierce the boy's body from head to toe, all the while the cat began to lick the wounds of his paws. It'd lost the strength test against this lad, which meant its tactics needed to change. In the meantime, Merlyn had more commentary to share, though it wasn't nearly as constructive as one might have needed. "Oi oi, nothing wrong with a piercing or 10 they give your face character. And who doesn't love accessorizing?"

[Bloodedge]

"Awesome! I always wanted to be stuck without a pause function against a massive murder kitten!" he yelled at the disembodied voice of Merlyn. Her words sat with him, though. Creatures such as this would not cease their assault, and could even go on to harm innocent bystanders. He very well couldn't be having that, so these fights were his to take, and his to finish. He may have been thrown into this battle as an active learning experience, but one would find that Arthur preferred such a thing.

Cath Palug had dealt with enough of Arthur's movement, it seemed. Those icicles were going to be used eventually; this much he knew. Clearly, eventually was more like... right now, just after Arthur managed to annoy the feline. Luckily, he'd gotten his practice swings out of the way to prepare for exactly this. Sadly, he couldn't afford to take the safe approach of wielding his sword with two hands against every shard, but he could get away with it for at least the first two. Left-to-right, right-to-left, and sometimes up or down. A veritable flurry of movements were made by the King-to-be, creating something of a lightshow with Excalibur's gleam against the magical ice he repeatedly cleaved through. In the midst of this, he kept up an exchange of words with Merlyn. "Nothing's wrong with piercings, as long as they're aesthetic! I don't think this type counts!" he shouted. Soon enough, there was an odd additional glow encompassing Excalibur's blade. Arthur wasn't entirely sure what this was, but... he did have an idea. It was a Holy Sword, and there was clearly magic to be found in spades within this world. "So, what was that you were saying about names and superpowers?"

[Apollymi]

"Yare yare, no need to yell. It isn't as if I am the one who put this here," she mentioned with a cheeky scoff. "Actually, when a Rider dies their pets are given free reign, if they weren't properly aligned they can cause problems," she explained. There was a very specific reason behind several of these beasts existence in and around the area where Camelot used to be, though she could not currently speak on it, she could see clearly a face of a woman once hailed as a goddess, now nothing more than a sorceress. But that wasn't anything that needed real thought right now.

Cath Palug continued to launch ice at the lad and lick his injured paw, only to soon enough have the lad clashing with every shard. Strangely enough the creature seemed to be watching, taking note even of how much damage the lad was capable of against the barrage. That beyond animal level of intelligence becoming obvious as it growled a sound which made the very earth tremble beneath it. As such it became to cast its ultimate magic, one which pulled from the storm around it. The winds and ice coalesced into a larger and larger crystal which glowed with blue power. Obviously having given up on the assault of a barrage the creature was determined instead to turn Arthur into a living popsicle. At the same time, Merlyn found herself chatting away casually, "Of course it still counts!" she exclaimed only to go into soft thought. "Oh? What I said... hm, that you should say the name weeb style when you're ready to attack? I was actually quite serious, if you want your attacks to have some meat to them, saying their name is important..." her words had started off teasing but were becoming deathly serious as she spoke. "A holy sword, that carries the hopes and dreams of the past, present and future, into battle. A sword, which shines with their light and shows for the briefest moments a crystallization of the idea of glory. It's majestic, pure and even it's name holds the power necessary to topple any fortress before it!~" All the while Cath Palug finally had an ice shard the size he thought it should be, and aimed to release it into Arthur's form. If nothing was done about it, it would travel into the King-to-be's body impaling him and leaving a hole the size of a basketball for him to freeze uncomfortably before he bled out. A slow and painful death while Cath Palug lapped at his blood and played with his corpse.

[Bloodedge]

"At this point, I'm not so sure it wasn't you, Merlyn!" the male replied while repeatedly switching between a single-hand grip, and using both hands to slash against icicles. Soon enough, the icicles stopped coming his way. Good; he was only going to last so long with those repetitive motions, at least before tiring and making a grave mistake. He wasn't out of danger yet though, sadly. What Cath Palug did instead, was prepare something which made the young man's bones tremble. One final icicle was being made, and its size was greater than the lump sum of earlier shards Arthur could have dealt with at once. This one had to boast a greater threat alone than everything else thus far, but...

Merlyn had more to say. He should have considered it ridiculous that shouting an attack name would empower it, but everything thus far had been ridiculous already. Merlyn was clearly invested in her own amusement, so there was always a chance of this being some sort of setup. "Can I really trust you, Merlyn?" he asked. Even with that question hanging in the air, he heard a speech which targeted Excalibur. All the while, specks of glowing light were accumulating around his weapon, appearing like star glitter seeping into the blade to share its glow. What was the name of his attack? Well, with a description like that, there were very few options. What could he name the attack of such a thing, if not... the thing itself?

"Huu~" he exhaled, blade at his side and accumulating that same light with greater rapidity. "EX─" Ah, yes. It would be a disservice to the weapon that started his journey, to the name of Excalibur, even to the name of King Arthur himself, if he even considered a different title for his attack. If only he could have known what would happen as a result of this decision. "─CALIBUR!" With one outcry, and a single swing at an upward-moving diagonal, he unleashed what could only be considered a 'slash to save the world.' Trees were swept over without even being in the slash's path, and the Ultimate Magic of Cath Palug was vaporized by a golden arc of light which threatened to move forward without end, even if through the beast itself. There was no wall or shield that could keep Excalibur at bay for long, no opposing energy that could snuff it out entirely, and apparently... no Arthur that could fathom what he'd just managed while acting like a total moron.

[Apollymi]

"Of course it wasn't me, I told you already..." Merlyn mentioned. "The actions of every protagonist and every villain affect this world... someone else conquered an evil goddess and her pets were left to their own devices waiting for her return. No good deed, goes unpunished~" Merlyn mentioned. For all they knew there would be some lasting effect to clearing out this cat here and now. Maybe it wasn't obvious, maybe opening this passage way would lead to a war they'd have to quell later. Maybe passage through this area would lead a singular person towards a goal on the other side, it wasn't for them to know. Right now they could only do what was right before them. "You can trust me to point you towards the next right thing... as best as I can interpret it. Whether you enjoy it or not is completely up to you. I'm just a navigator in your human life, pulling a few strings to keep it entertaining for me. Besides my powers don't work on you, you are one of only a few who can trust what I say, do, and how I appear~" she summarized her own intentions. They weren't good, they weren't bad, they simply were. Merlyn was a strange individual, and there was nothing she could do about it. Even so, she was busy raising a king, and much to her own personal pride, he seemed to be rising to the occasion despite her own rather lax teaching methods.

A breath exhaled. A shining light... the chant which once filled many battle fields. A smile came to Merlyn's face as she watched the glow of Excalibur for herself. In the same moment she saw the other... Queen Artoria using it as well. How cute. Her own memories and the memories of the world, converged for just a moment, and gave light to how such a sword travelled through thoughts and memories and into the hearts of those who appreciated the lore. And it lived up to the hype. Merlyn watched as Cath Palug's ultimate magic met a fate worse than death at the hands of a light which had toppled empires before. Vaporized before even cat-like reflexes could do anything about it. It's licked paw would have to meet the ground before it could dodge properly. Oh, but it wasn't to be. This cat creature couldn't possibly move fast enough to escape the blast, ice shields aimed to form but were vaporized before hand. There was nothing now... only the dying wail of the giant creature as it was felled in a single blow. This was the stuff of legend and definitely an appropriate start to the Adventures of Arthur the Future King. "Sugoi, sugoi! That was a really good one. You can claim this creature in part, or allow it to merge back with the world. Your choice~" she said as the blizzard cleared with the death of the creature, but that didn't change the temperature at all. Beyond it's form a mountain pass became clear and the forest once silent began to rustle once more with the hint of life.

[Bloodedge]

"Yes, of course. You can say that all you like, but that doesn't mean I have to believe you without second-guessing whatever you say." In spite of his claims, Arthur had little choice but to believe the woman. He had no clue what 'powers' of Merlyn's weren't working on him, but they didn't matter anyway. He had a guide that could at least function as such, whether she aimed to pull the proverbial wool over his eyes in the end or not.

The most important thing to take from this event, was the victory Arthur achieved against Cath Palug. Could that power be considered his, or simply that of the sword Excalibur? In the end, he supposed it didn't make a difference; it was his to wield, even if it was not his to produce. Arthur stood in the wake of his own attack, awestruck, mouth agape and eyes wide. That massive beast of a cat was no more. The blizzard came to an end, clearly being a product of Cath Palug's magical influence, and even the forest saw new life sprouting in the vicinity. Arthur was left with a choice between claiming the beast, or letting it meld with the world once more. Truly, it wasn't a very difficult choice at all. "Hmm. If I let it back into the world, I'm guessing it will respawn? I'd rather not risk innocents down the line because of that, so I should claim it. Now... how do I go about doing that?"

[Apollymi]

Merlyn gave a curt nod. At least she understood this lad's withdrawals about her person, it would make their interactions go smoother. Actually, if he questioned everything she said, it would make him a better leader, a healthy bit of skepticism was necessary and perhaps it would keep him from the fates that his story laid out. Or rather perhaps it would help him better deal with the things that would happen regardless of his stance on them. "Do as you like Future King, I won't lie to you, but I also don't take such things personally. It is part of my fate to go without trust in this world..." she mentioned. There wasn't any sadness in this, it was a simple understanding of what was going on here.

Moving along, the lad had slayed the giant cat, and when presented with two choices he chose one while giving his ideas about it. Merlyn gave another nod of her head. At least he was paying attention to all those lofty words she used. Never one to lie outright she explained the true consequence of releasing the creature back into the world as it was. "If you release it, it returns to its spawn point. That point is wherever it came from before it was attached to that Evil Goddess. Or it goes to hell, depending on its actions. In the case of a creature that slayed 180 Knights and Men without impunity, I am guessing it will be sent to hell," she said there wasn't concrete evidence, but since that thing didn't originally have a nature it would likely have its bad karma stacked against it. "If you claim it however, you can re-establish its nature and turn it into something else. Mystic Codes are flexible and how you claim it, will change its being." she said softly. "As for how to do so... you need to first see it. It should look like a ring of symbols floating near where its body was. Simply reaching out with the idea in mind should allow you to claim it. But be careful if you don't wish to do anything specific with it, you can just keep the ring of code itself. Or if you have the skills you can turn it into other items. Force the code line into other object or form..." she mentioned casually. "Crystals tend to do well for holding pets and spirits things that shouldn't be allowed to free roam. Or you could make it a weapon or something, it is mostly an imagination based thing..." she said wondering if the explanation would be enough for once such as Arthur. As she touched down gently on the ground she stood off to the side of the lad, her hood still up as if she had something to say. "You wouldn't need this lesson by the way, if you'd taken the code I offered you earlier.~"

[Bloodedge]

Merlyn didn't take his distrust personally. That was good; he could have faith in her ability to reason, provided there was nothing else afoot in her rebuttal. Perhaps then, he could trust her words about collecting the remnants of Cath Palug after defeating it. She claimed it would likely find itself in hell after its indiscriminate slaughter of men, but also that claiming its source would allow Arthur to repurpose the feline and create new opportunities for it instead. There was hardly a thing to do other than give it a shot. He could indeed see the 'code' of Cath Palug where it fell, but what would he do with it? Options were aplenty, after all. "So it's like the rewards after defeating a boss in the game? Sou ka," he replied.

If Arthur remembered correctly, there were various ideal uses for a code like Cath Palug's. He had no use for another weapon, and he was liable to let the code itself be forgotten by the wayside if he didn't do something with it soon. In fact, he'd probably forget any standard item made of the beast's soul. "Crystals, pets... like a Familiar? I never had one of those. Magical support would probably be nice to have in the future, so if I can acquire a crystal somewhere, I'm sure I could benefit from putting the code in there─" As he spoke, Arthur was enveloped by the Nexus' light. He became able to see the stats of his own Avatar as if a screen had been placed between his eyes, and the open world. Shock struck his face. He was level... 56? That couldn't have been right. "What kind of sorcery is this? I was only level 32! Merlyn, explain!"