Sumer

[Bloodedge]

"Understood, Your Grace," Lancelot said, accepting that he was not to engage Gugalanna's current summoner under any circumstance. Apparently, there was a secondary reason for him being the one embarking on this quest. Of course, Artoria hadn't forgotten about the Round Table's loss of one called Galahad; there was no way she could. The interesting thing was that she chose to give Lancelot, the woman in question's brother, the opportunity to find her. Lancelot stopped his advance immediately, shying away his gaze with a lowered head. He ground his teeth hard enough for the action to be nearly audible, and his fist trembled at the thought of this chance being provided. Artoria gave her final words to him, urging him onward with the mission. Still, he couldn't move from where he stood. Her return path send her past him, but he couldn't look her way. Words of thanks couldn't be uttered; there were no words that were enough to voice his gratitude.

Ah, but he didn't have to bother with any of that. The moment Artoria admitted to why she selected him, he knew that she understood already. Being chosen out of the group of capable knights was something to take pride in, yet there was no greater honor than what his queen had given him this day. He couldn't even consider placing his own desires at the forefront of his mind in this case. Entrusted with a task, he'd complete it without fail. If he managed to also find something so personal to him, fine. If not, he'd be forever indebted to the queen regardless, all because she'd given him the opportunity. "Your Grace," he said in parting, having no other words he found worth sharing. With that, he was moving along again to hear from Belris.

Soon after...

Gilgamesh stood at the edge of the airborne islands, overlooking the sunset directly. He had been doing so for a few minutes, but now, he found he was no longer alone. Two blondes, two monarchs of different types, and both were burdened with unspeakable purpose. There was much to do, much to think, and yet so little to say. Once more, there was little that needed to be said. The world itself felt silent for a time, until said silence was broken by the king of Uruk's voice. "This amount of brooding is unsuited to the likes of you, Artoria," he said, oddly choosing the woman's name over some random, technical insult he'd normally use to address others.

[Apollymi]

In saying the things she did, Artoria knew how the lad felt. She, of course, gave him her words so that he could do whatever he felt was most right. She was content to leave him with his duties after that, and Belris picked up soon after. Lancelot approached and he seemed to be somewhat bothered, but she imagined such a task wasn't one most people were used to, nor suited to. "Alright, Sir Lancelot the Moon Door is all but ready for you. I couldn't get a precise location on your target, they are too far down. I am also without a great deal of information about them. For this I apologize," Belris started her debriefing giving a decent bit of weight to this Knight who would be risking himself for the completion of the mission. "The target you are looking for has the Online ID, Ookimichan. And they are using an Avatar by the name of Miki," she offered as much as she could. "The Moon Door will lead you down to about the last place I could lock in on her. She's pretty far away though so you may be off a little bit. I trust you have your own ways of catching up and or finding her," she said with her book still in hand. She also held out her other hand and within it was a small round golden piece which seemed to be a bit strange in its conception. "This is your Return Key. By taking it from me, it will be bound to your account. It will allow you to immediately port back to the Moon Door from below wherever you are. And you don't have to worry about anyone being able to steal it off you or gods forbid your corpse," she said. "I have given you all the information I can, about that... but if there is anything else you need before you go I will gladly provide that to you as well..." she said. She was doing her best as her King's Attendant. She wouldn't send anyone off into the world without the information they needed nor missing anything she could provide them.

While Lancelot prepared for his mission, Artoria was confronted by strange words from Gilgamesh while they looked out over the Kingdom. The moments of quiet were longer than normal, but they weren't exactly unwelcome. There was peace in these moments and quite a bit of freedom, two Monarchs did not often get to spend such moments of consideration alone without the pomp and circumstance of their titles surrounding them. As such she was a bit taken aback when Gilgamesh mentioned her by name, though not entirely surprised. "If you believe that then stop brooding yourself... you set the tone after all," these were Artoria's words which left quickly from her lips even as a small smile spread across her face.

[Bloodedge]

Visually, it didn't even seem as if Lancelot was registering Belris' words. He was, of course, but his expression was not at all there, so to speak. He had to steel himself before embarking, lest he make a grave mistake. How could he keep thoughts of his ulterior motives from surfacing, though? Time would tell if he actually managed it any time soon, but the current moment saw a need for Lancelot to lay claim to his Return Key. "Arigatou. I don't think there's anything else I need to know. I'll find this Miki, learn her motivations, and I'll be back soon with a report." Seeming to resolve himself at least temporarily, Lancelot stepped to the Moon Door and looked down. The spiraling stairwell was of no use to him. No, instead he decided to hop down the center, where he'd fall freely toward ground level. It wasn't the greatest idea, but one selfish decision led him to believe that if his sister survived the fall, he could survive the jump made on purpose.

Artoria offered an interesting rebuttal to the king. Fair enough, it was he who set the tone of brooding in this case. One could say the brooding was unbecoming of Gilgamesh as well, however Artoria was surely one who knew otherwise. There was a depth to the king that the people of Uruk as a whole did not know, and even could not know. He supposed, if his stopping was a prerequisite for Artoria stopping, then they were both due to continue as they were. As he stood at the edge of their world with crossed arms, he hesitated once more before speaking on the topic that had plagued his mind all this time... even if it wound up being a question he couldn't bring himself to finish. "If that beast is back... do you think..."

[Apollymi]

Lancelot didn't seem to hear much of what Belris said, but since he took the Return Key from her and headed down she'd done all she could. Of course, headed down was a term to be used rather loosely, given this man, this Knight decided to jump down the middle of the staircase instead of walking or running. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed only to watch on dazed. She hoped he would be alright when he reached the bottom but as she'd lose sight of him soon, she supposed she'd just have to consult her book to see.

With Lancelot's departure taken care of, Artoria was left to have a discussion with Gilgamesh. It seemed they were both going to be stuck in their present moods for a while yet, and this would be at least partially explained in just a few words. It seemed Gilgamesh had been thinking about what the return of Gugalanna could mean, not simply in terms of the potential negatives. Artoria's eyes widened at the thought as she mentally tried to piece together an answer which was carefully optimistic. Even so, it was one positive to potentially be taken from this time full of news which could only bring skepticism and dread. "There are many mysteries and magics in this world. If a miracle like that could also occur..." she gave a moment of pause. "I think it would be worth believing in," she said with a gentle nod. "Even if it's only a little bit." Artoria's words would have encouraged her own Knights, she wasn't entirely sure how one like Gilgamesh took the things she said. But she was earnest. She'd like to believe that if the deaths of two beings were connected, then the births of them could be as well. There were stranger things at work in this world than the idea of an individual rising again.

[Bloodedge]

An unwavering gaze was set upon the horizon below, and upon the world itself as a result. Gilgamesh didn't need to complete the clause he had in mind; Artoria knew what he meant to imply. She chose to teeter around her core thought on the matter, as if searching for the true answer within herself. The male could understand this, having rummaged through the recesses of his own mind for anything resembling the truth. Even though he had the ability to peer beyond causality itself, he dared not do so for fear of finding exactly the answer he didn't want. If only he could willingly delve into the Underworld again, he would be in a position to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt... if a certain individual had been brought back to this realm of existence. "H'oh. Hope, you say..." he spoke in an unusually soft manner. Before speaking another word, Gilgamesh moved away from the land's edge, stepping inward again. "... Arigatou."

He didn't move very far when he began walking. Gilgamesh found himself stopping in an open, stone field outside of town. Once more, he was looking to the sky and sighing as he opened his stone tablet. "If Ishtar succeeds in finding Gugalanna again, she will return to Mesopotamia. Are you prepared for that eventuality?"

[Apollymi]

Gilgamesh was quiet for a moment or two after Artoria spoke. Even so, he soon stepped away from the edge of the world he'd been looking at, uttering his summation of her idea about the matter. She too realized it would be far too easy for him to look himself and find the answer. But in situations like these, sometimes the direct answer was less pleasant than the idea of a good alternative. In that case, all one could do to continue was hope. She'd done this herself with the fall of the previous Galahad, but this situation had caused her to have to act a bit selfishly as leader and ask another to potentially deal with the matter. Still, Gilgamesh's soft manner of speaking let her know he'd accepted her words and his follow up thanks made a small smile appear on the woman's face. "Iie, it's all I can really offer," she mentioned. As Gilgamesh was content to move now, she would as well. She took casual pace beside him listening in for what she assumed would be a continued conversation.

The topic shifted from hope, to preparation though. As talks of the potential eventuality of the return of Ishtar with Gugalanna, was something which she could only sigh about. "I have considered it since you brought it up. My Knights are prepared for battle, always. And I am already taking every possible step I can to ensure our potential victory," she said. Her calm head in this moment was an extension of years of practice, years of moving with the goal in mind and not the circumstances surrounding it. Even if the new holder of Gugalanna was nothing like Ishtar, the idea that perhaps it would be possible for Ishtar to still rise, was something worth trying to halt and more so than that something worth preparing for. "Though, if you think of something you need from us directly... I can offer it without qualm. I decided before this place is worth protecting and I haven't changed my mind about it."

[Bloodedge]

"Sometimes, all one can offer is more than enough," he stated with certainty. While standing in the field with his open tablet in hand, he looked down into the inscriptions found within the object. Artoria seemed to believe her knights were always prepared to do battle. Though he could see and believe this, being prepared to face a Kami-class threat was a different beast entirely. Having to face Ishtar would be equivalent to participating in the highest tier of Raid, well beyond the basic endgame of AoE. Those God Avatars were monstrous even in his eyes, though he rebelled against them nonetheless.

Something else he needed... Something more direct. Yes, Gilgamesh could think of a thing or two. He needed certainty. The one thing he'd managed to attach himself to in this world was long gone, maybe never to return, and yet he couldn't let himself lose more. Pushing forward was always a possible answer, but never a viable one. "Artoria Pendragon. You choose to protect this plane, swearing your life to it?" As he spoke, Mana poured outward from his tablet. It took the form of various pages, numbering a potentially infinite amount that flew into the air and swarmed around him. "In that case, the value of this world is not at all separate from the value of your life. What is that life worth? Show me!"

[Apollymi]

There was a strange amount of calm and softness between this pair of individuals. Perhaps because they shared similar burdens both seemed to find a bit less stress when alone together. Though neither were trying to do so very openly, they seemed to ease each other quite a bit. "Sou ka," apparently she hadn't considered this small thing she'd offer to be that great. But if it helped Gilgamesh then she was alright with it. But more of her would apparently be required right now, so much more.

Gilgamesh spoke to her in a way which made her brow quirk. Apparently, she'd once sworn her life to protect this place. She remembered this event, and she and her Knights had served tirelessly since their arrival. Strangely, he named her formally and asked her what that life of hers was worth, while showing her a multitude of pages produced from this book, floating about in the air. This couldn't be anything but a challenge of some sort. "I did," she said as if this was common knowledge and something she was proud of. He claimed to want to know what her life was worth, since she'd bet it on this place. And demanded to be shown. There wouldn't be words spoken by Artoria in this moment, instead as she turned she took a few calm steps forward while drawing her sword. As this motion happened several pieces of armor materialized on her person. Gauntlets fitted around her fingers and arms, a shining breast plate trimmed in blue, greaves hidden beneath newly formed armored tassels. Such an appearance had earned her the nickname the Blue Saber, sometime before. But this was now. And right this moment, there was nothing but seriousness in her eyes as his Mana had already flooded this place. Excalibur burned with white hot intensity as Holy Magic coursed through it. And her body held all the calm of a seasoned warrior, something she was strangely, since long before coming to this place. She held her sword at the ready and took a deep breath. There would be no warning when she moved, after several seconds of stillness she'd simply launch herself forward, sword parallel to the ground held up at the side of her face ready to parry, dodge or stab as she approached Gilgamesh's fore, which ever would be necessary.

[Bloodedge]

The pages which fluttered about from his tablet phased away by first dissipating into a golden, dust-like Mana trail. He had decided the course of action, and upon glancing in Artoria's direction, it seemed she was keen on participating in his challenge. Beyond anything else, he needed a moment to clear his head of previous thoughts. This match would prove as a suitable effort to do just that; of this he had no doubt. As he faced Artoria, he did so with a grin exuding confidence, much the way his general demeanor always did. "Come, Holy Sword Wielder!" he demanded, seeing the radiant glow of Excalibur as it was freed of its scabbard. His gaze was unwavering, locking onto Artoria's face and never shifting elsewhere thereafter. It may not have been the most effective way to keep track of an opponent, but perhaps he was just arrogant enough to believe it would suffice regardless. Perhaps.

The still air broke with the Queen of Knights' charge. Gilgamesh met this charge with a wider grin, which showed his teeth. "Gate of Babylon!" he called out, willing into existence the source of his power: the reserves of all weapons, treasures, and truly all Mystic Codes within this world. The first act with his treasury was to open the gate as a portal beside of himself, calling forth a golden spear which lunged forward at a slightly downward angle in time to parry Artoria's blade. Should this occur, the moment would be joined by a snap of Gilgamesh's fingers, prompting a second spear to descend from just above the woman's head. "Tell me, Artoria Pendragon, what form of arrogance do you possess?"

[Apollymi]

Gilgamesh had his eyes on Artoria, and she was more than well aware of this. Even so, her movements continued, he aimed to defend himself. She was aware of her surroundings, her sense for battle impeccable and beyond that she took the first step in her march towards Victory. In battle, she always knew what to do, always knew how to get from her first step to a felled enemy. In the case of Gilgamesh and this particular clash, there was less to know. Strange, she only had a feel for the most immediate of her movements. What could this mean? Gilgamesh opened the Gate of Babylon and in so doing released a spear towards the woman at a downward angle. She moved her sword to parry it, clashing against it with a fierce quality of Mana in her sword. Enough that one of less than equal quality would immediately show damage. At the same time the snap of Gilgamesh's fingers and the downward falling one would be met by something else entirely. "Avalon." A barrier formed above her, bracing against the fall of the weapon as she aimed to strike once more with a movement of her sword, slashing across Gilgamesh's chest with the intention to leave a grievous wound there while spinning in place intending to keep the current distance between them. "That much should be obvious, Gilgamesh. If you have no idea, there is nothing I can tell you to explain it," Artoria said.

The Queen of Knights wasn't being purposefully, coy in this matter. The truth of her arrogance was always on display, and something which would only become more obvious to those who didn't understand by facing her. Artoria was an upright individual. More than that, she was Chivalrous, to the point of fault. She attacked in a manner that her opponent would always see her coming. She used no trickery to overpower. Everything she displayed was outright skill and on clear display. When she killed she did so with intent. And if she passed a sentence she carried it out, the arrogance she maintained as a King was that of Honor. Beyond the call of duty, to everyone even her enemies.

[Bloodedge]

"Avalon?" Gilgamesh repeated as he heard the skill's name. If he remembered correctly, Avalon was the name given to Artoria's sheath. How interesting it was that the sheath came equipped with such an ability as well. Of course, one would expect as much to a certain extent. Excalibur was among the most powerful swords in existence, so a minimum amount of power was surely required to even contain it. Speaking of Excalibur's power, Gilgamesh found himself inspecting the first spear used to meet Artoria's sword. He wouldn't dare use a treasure of less-than-Legendary quality against this particular opponent, but he thought it best to check for sturdiness regardless. All seemed fine enough, but the same would not be said of Gilgamesh himself if he didn't do something about the follow-through of Artoria's counterstroke.

And so, he moved. It was a simple enough feat to hop away in a manner which seemed almost like he was gliding across the field. Even as he did this, he could physically feel the pressure of Excalibur from being in anything close to striking range. He still wore a grin that didn't even shrink a tiny bit while he slid back. Over his head, nine gates appeared to move along with him. From each of these portals, magical staves emerged. One by one in a continuous chain, they fired bursts of Mana toward Artoria while Gilgamesh observed her movements. One thing he found himself doing was deciding what weapons to use, and in keeping up a steady offense, he was able to think of a proper answer.

[Apollymi]

There was nothing in Artoria's face after she spoke the name of her sheathe. It had its own abilities, including granting her something akin to limited immortality. The barrier which it creates, is for the purpose of defending the one part of her that the sheathe doesn't allow to regenerate before she dies, her head. Still if this was a simple test of skill, then she was more than sure that someone of Gilgamesh's caliber would be able to figure that much out on his own. "Hai." she said in response to the idea that she'd spoken the name of her sheathe and not that of her sword. Still Gilgamesh was at least light on his feet. Light enough in fact, to dodge the major damage she had coming his way. A brief cresting of this lass' lips occurred. She fought with her Knights often, and usually handed them their defeats with only genuine bursts of opposition (today's training for example). This experience of true give and take was something rather refreshing. Especially when she considered that neither of them had a distinct advantage over the other.

Nine portals appeared above his head though and they all reigned down magical energy. Such a thing was funny to her, but not for any good reason. Excalibur in hand she swung the weapon, seeing a clear method of handling this by instinct alone. Her Mana charged blade knocked each burst of Mana back towards the gate that cast it. Aiming to overpower and disrupt them but also allowing her to keep moving towards her target. Even she had to admit, swinging against the power of these burst rattled her very bones and that was exciting. "Oh? Is this how you get away with calling yourself a Caster?" she queried rhetorically. Access to magical staves and the ability to use them was one way to be a Caster she supposed. It wasn't innate magical skill, but with all the things that Gilgamesh had access to, she could see it being a usable workaround. Though given this she wondered why he made such a decision at all, perhaps she'd have time to ask sometime. But at present when the last of the blasts was diverted she jumped off the ground, launching herself forward to cover a more massive distance and using her sword like a lance pressing it forward with strength and magical pressure behind it as if she intended to push a hole straight through the left shoulder of the man known as Gilgamesh.

[Bloodedge]

Three things boasted the name Avalon, as Gilgamesh understood. How quaint. It was hardly worth dwelling over, though. No, Gilgamesh was far too immersed in observing as Artoria showed her prowess as an entertainer, at least in the way he considered it. The blonde woman did have a way about her, one which seemed like a dance in its own right while she felled enemies and offenses mounted against her. The Instinct skill of a Saber was nothing to shake a proverbial stick at, and hers was leagues above the rest. "Fuhahahaha! Amusing! If only the mongrels could bear witness!" he exclaimed, seemingly excited by what the woman managed, or rather the way she managed it.

His staves received return fire by the deflection of Artoria, but a return through the Gate of Babylon left their projectiles flying past Gilgamesh into the open sky. The gate opened again on the ground in front of him, spewing a dense tower of flames that rose to unknown heights. Gilgamesh's intention with this maneuver was to deter Artoria's approach, though he would also use the blockage of visibility to step aside. After all, he couldn't believe Artoria Pendragon didn't have a way to push through the fire and drive her blade into him regardless of his efforts.

While they danced about the battlefield in this way, Artoria posed a query. The smirk upon Gilgamesh's face remained one of amusement as he laughed through a retort. "Hahaha! I did think it would be amusing to try out being a mage. How is it? Do I look the part?" Gilgamesh knew he didn't have the ability to cast spells of his own volition, but this Caster form was appealing to him. Beyond that, it had a deeper purpose. "You're curious?" he asked, opening the gate overhead to produce dozens of staves which unleashed lightning bolts toward the battlefield in a 20 foot radius around Artoria.

[Apollymi]

Given his words, Artoria could believe that Gilgamesh was also enjoying himself. Good. His brooding mood was being dealt with one failed tactic at a time. Though she'd successfully knocked back the bolts of Mana aimed at her, it seemed they would not hit the staves which cast them, nor Gilgamesh himself. That might have been a bit disappointing if this match up had been anything less than musing from the start. If the others bore witness to such things what would they think? Some would, without a doubt, want to fight her more, to hone their skills and reach her level. Some would likely never want to fight her again... but likely all would come to the same conclusion as Tristan this afternoon. That Artoria despite her upright nature, was a combative monster.

Strangely, she would only continue to prove that as time went on. Her rush forward should have been halted by a wall of flames, but she didn't stop. In the moment she looked at the flames she knew what she needed to do. She couldn't know if Gilgamesh intended to move left or right and needed to disburse the flames and keep moving. "EXCALIBUR!" A grand pillar of Holy Light formed along her blade and broke through flames. The pressure of the blade, would cleave the battlefield for quite some distance and it encompassed enough space to try and compensate for the movements of Gilgamesh. His words didn't go unheard though. "Well, I suppose you did fine. You do look the part at least and to the careless eye you act it as well..." Artoria said. She knew mages and she knew of their activities. Though he was using staves and magical devices to produce his magic, it only made him seem like a more... human mage. "Of course I am curious..." she said as a gate over head produced a great deal of lightning in a radius around her person. She drew her sword close holding it before her face, her movements temporarily coming to a halt. What was the purpose of this circle? What did he intend to show her? She could do nothing but prepare and that was also exciting.

[Bloodedge]

The next word Artoria spoke was, in truth, one of the most dangerous words this world had ever produced. In the home world of those who were transported to this realm, there was a legend of a holy sword by the name Excalibur. The sword of King Arthur of Camelot, to whom Artoria was an homage. That blade was known far and wide in the tale of one king, who ranked among history's most legendary, in large part due to the weapon itself.

... That tale did not do this sword justice at all.

Hearing the word shouted in one voice, in one tone, was enough to instill fear in those it was spoken against, and hope in those it moved to protect. Without even being able to see its movement from the other side of the flame pillar, Gilgamesh bore wide eyes. 'Ngh!' The pillar was cleared without issue, and the land cleaved to the edge of Uruk. Smoke rose due to the vaporization of any rubble that would have otherwise existed, and the silhouette of Gilgamesh standing at the edge of the split ground became clear as it dissipated. When he was visible, he had crossed his arms as if nothing coming his way had been a problem... And yet, it seemed he had also donned a suit of golden armor to overcome even the partial impact of Excalibur's burst attack.

"Fufu, haha... Hahahahaha! Subarashi!" A hardy guffaw escaped him, overcoming his voice enough that his head leaned back as the armor he summoned disappeared from his body. During the time he spent laughing, the lightning staves also returned to his treasury. He was content to take a brief pause in the offense to address Artoria's curiosity. "Very well, I will sate your curiosity for a magnificent show! Why am I putting on the pretense of being a mage, you ask? I'll tell just you. This, it's sarcasm. You can rephrase it as mockery if you want, I mind it not. Of course, it's aimed at that mongrel who declares himself the Grand Caster. My eyes can see through him."

With that said, Gilgamesh returned to his efforts. A massive opening of the Gate of Babylon occurred overhead, filling the sky as his hand raised to it. What seemed to be a magnificent display of hundreds of lance tips emerged from these portals, each connected to chains that possessed the ethereal glow of heaven itself. He did not move them just yet, instead awaiting Artoria's response - whether verbal, physical, or both.