Walking through the parallel walls that framed the
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, Shirō felt like he was woefully unprepared for what lay before him, as the sheer scale of the gates had him at a loss for words. What lay beyond those pearly adamant defenses? He was determined to find out. Once he made it to the gates, which were wide open, indicating that the city, as per it's reputation took in all people it could in this harsh land, he saw that it opened up into a colossal, sprawling city in it's own right. Many of the buildings that were visible seemed to be converted barracks, armament stations, and other various forms of militaristic buildings, which made sense as Avalon originated as a simple HQ for the Radiants, which then became a fortified castle, and the city in it's current glory. This meant that the areas located in the outer circle, which were built most recently, were made with accommodations in mind, rather than combat functionality and efficiency. Still, seeing that something as simple as a base of operations could change over the years into something so vibrant, and crowded, it spoke volumes of the Radiants, and especially their leader, Galahad. It was with this knowledge, from the mouth of the bumbling Magus himself, that Shirō knew exactly where to head; the citadel-like Castle at the center of Avalon.
It was practically visible from anywhere and everywhere within Avalon, making it both easy to locate, and travel to, as seemingly all roads lead to the center. This wasn't surprising, as the city itself grew from the center. It was simple, nature architecture in full effect. As he walked down the main road from the main gates, Shirō drew looks from a number of individuals, most likely remarking on his condition, or, as Suruhan did, wonder if he was here to seek the help of the Radiants. Shirō simply kept his head low to hide his flushed face, and kept moving towards the citadel. Upon arrival at the entrance to the citadel, two knights clad in heavy armor stepped forth and planted their heavy tower shields, and long bastard swords into the ground. Shirō had noted these "Holy Knights" on his way here, as they seemed to keep the peace in the city, however, these were more akin to sentries, or palace guards than simple roaming law keepers. As he saw them stand their ground upon his approach, Shirō halted in his tracks, and recoiled a bit. After a moment to give them a proper look over, he addressed one of the guards;
"Uh... Hello? I'm here to see Galahad, my name's Sh-"
"To receive an audience with the leader of the Knight's Radiant, one must possess an urgent cause.
State your business, or be on your way."
"Well, I don't really have any urgent business with him. It's actually a long, and funny story, but the short version is I'm a new recruit, I guess? I just arrived, so I figured the smart thing to do was to come here, and find out what comes next."
The pair of guards looked at one another, then gave Shirō a very long, drawn out look over, just like the Merchant from the gates. Their thought process couldn't have been anything other than "This pipsqueak? A Knight Radiant?", however Shirō kept the same expression, indicating his seriousness at the claim. As the guards began to stare in disbelief, one broke the awkward silence with a simple request.
"Forgive me, but if you truly are a Radiant, surely you would be able to prove it? We can't just let civilians walk around the citadel at their leisure. There have been attempts made on his Radiance in the past by people claiming to be new recruits, so I hope you understand. If you could produce one of their weapons, or perhaps transport yourself as they do, we'd have no qualms with granting you entry..."
"I'm still pretty new to this stuff, and my teacher was kind of a a bumbling idiot, the kind of man who'd trip over his tongue at every opportunity he had, so I can't do much with Prana at the moment. This is about as much as I can manage right now."
As he set up for what he considered to be a rather lackluster display of gathering, channeling and shaping Chakra, which at this point was infused with Prana, and thus was instilled with it's properties, the guards stood in awe at the appearance of Shirō's Prana, which was a deep azure, with glittering stars of silver shining within. The pair looked at one another, then back at the Prana, then back again. This continued for several moments before Shirō finally grasped the shapes he was envisioning, pulling forth a pair of blades, which the guards immediately believed were Noble Phantasms. As the twin blades sparkled and hummed with the crackling energy of Prana-infused Chakra, one guard took a heavy breath, while the other swallowed as hard as he could, as though his heart were trying to escape through his throat. They both believed they had just insulted a student of Galahad himself, as only he was known to produce a silver-colored Prana. While their enclosed helmets kept their expressions hidden, from their general body language and actions, it was clear they were fearful, as though they had just made the biggest mistake of their lives. Shirō was completely oblivious to this, and continued;
"Is this enough? Like I said, I'm not that familiar with it yet, cause I'm a new, but I've gotten pretty good at this."
"Y-yes sir, sorry sir!! You can go right ahead, sir!!"
"Sir? That's a bit too formal for me. Just call me Shirō."
"Sorry sir! I mean, wait... Shirō?" As the two guards look at one another, then whisper in hushed tones, one turns back and asked; "Where exactly did you say you were recruited?"
"I didn't, but now that I think about it, I guess it would have been at Mt. Enzō? Actually, wait, I don't think quite right. I was told that I-"
"You need to come with us. Right now."
As he was about to ask what was wrong, the two raised their hefty arms from their positions on the ground, about faced, then started to walk at a brisk pace. Based on the fact he was not being carried off forcibly, Shirō reasoned that he wasn't under arrest, or anything to that effect, so the request was just that, not a command, or demand, and he could, if he wished, most likely walk away if so inclined. Seeing as he was here to find out about the Radiants, and these men seemed to be offering him some direct line to someone in the chain of authority, he followed the request, and the guards. Higher and higher the trio climbed, the castle at the heart of Avalon being quite grandiose, and more importantly, expansive, as they scaled countless staircases, and walked through numerous grand halls, it was all Shirō could do to stave himself from boredom as he looked out over every hall, into every grand foyer, out on to every terrace or balcony, and see a stark uniformity to the castle's layout and aesthetics. The floors were of note, as they were checkered with a simple black and white design, which indicated at the Radiant's philosophy, that justice was monochrome. There was good one on side, and there was bad on the other. It was a philosophy that Shirō shared, yet in some strange way, also rejected, as there were cases when justice was more of a gradient. His recent endeavors against the Ainsworths were proof of this, as he did things he saw as "bad" to achieve what he considered a greater "good". To draw such thoughts from the mere scenery, Shirō was growing more and more uncomfortable with every new section of the castle he scaled, wondering just how far up they were going. Was he indeed being lead to Galahad as he requested? He would soon have his answer, as they walked down a hallway that lead to but a single door, so there was only one place for them to be headed, unless the guards would rather throw themselves from the tower, as their exaggerated movements seemed to gradually worsen the closer they got to the door. Their trepidation gave Shirō the impression that Galahad, the pillar of virtue that Merlin spoke of, ruled with an iron fist... As the three of them stood outside the ornate door, both trembling in fear, one forcefully nudged the other, remarking that they'd best just get this over and done with. A light clattering of armor betrayed their intent to knock, as a gravelly voice spoke from the other side of the threshold;
"*Sigh* Enter..."
The two guards jolted upright, as though a cold chill had crept up their backs, then grabbed Shirō by the shoulders, and dragged him forward, each opening a door with the other hand. As the door crept open, a long, drawn out creak echoed through the empty halls of Avalon, as another sigh, this time more exaggerated and deliberate, escaped from the room. As the doors were suddenly thrown open, a result of the guards overcompensating for the drawn out nature of their attempt up until that point, a loud clatter rang through the room, as Shirō caught the first glimpses of the first Radiant he'd met since he'd arrived.
"Knights Baratheus and Loyce reporting in, sir. We found the one that vanished after the Enzō incident, sir."
"Hm? Oh, that one. Good. The two of you may leave. You on the other hand, stay right there."
"Sir!!" the pair barked in response, before promptly evacuating the room with nary a hint of hesitation, leaving Shirō to face the man alone. He was clad in colors far darker than any Knight Emiya had seen up until this point. He wore a heavy set of blackened armor, while over his left shoulder was draped a navy blue cloak, with white trimmed fur. His expression wasn't exactly what one would call "inspiring" either, so it was rapidly becoming clear that this man wasn't actually Galahad. Truly, this man looked as though he had seen one too many wars, and winters if one were so inclined to comment, but Shirō was far too polite to make such a remark. Instead he watched the man, hunched over a large map of some description. As he looked closer, it was clear that it was a map of Tobusekai, with a carved chess piece that symbolized Avalon on the north west coast. He he looked over the map more thoroughly, there were countless red flags littering the east of the continent, and another piece to the North East of Avalon, a ship that was turned on it's side further up the Northern coast of the continent. It was clear from this that something was afoot in Tobusekai, but nothing else could be gleamed from mere glances, or without context as to what the chess pieces, or flags were marking. As the Knight straightened himself, he began to rub his temples, seemingly out of frustration, before he approached the Radiant-in-training with a far more menacing gait than necessary given the circumstances. Now, towering above Shirō, the man addressed him directly with a tone of sheer authority;
"So, you are the fledgling Radiant who disappeared without a trace from beneath the nose of none other than Galahad himself, as well as at least half a dozen other seasoned Knights? Hmph, you don't strike me as someone who could pull off such a feat. So, tell me, how did you manage it? You didn't use the Throne. The Knights, and Galahad especially, would have known it immediately. You must have had outside help, no?"
"I take it you're not Galahad then?"
"Goodness gracious, no. I could never live up to his 'Radiance'. Bah, that trifling revelry from the common rabble only grant weight to that man's legend, and heap yet more pressure on an already troubled mind... To answer your question however, no, I am not Galahad. I am one of his sword swords, Agravain. Now, I believe I asked you a question. How did you do it?"
Shirō remembered Merlin's sacred oath to never interfere, only to observe, so making anyone aware of his duty, or even his existence, would threaten it more than it had already been. His Temple had already been assaulted once, so whose to say it couldn't happen again? And with Merlin's distrust in anyone within the Knight's Radiant, besides Galahad, Shirō was inclined to lie.
"Whose to say I'm not more skilled than you've been lead to believe?"
The man closed the gap between the two, clearly angered by the dismissal of the question, as though it was an invitation for mockery. Upon his approach, the room grew cold, and dark, as though all the joy in the world had been swallowed up at that very moment, and the world itself was wrapped in cold, iron chains. He would refute the dismissal, and ask again;
"I have no idea what Galahad saw in you that lead to him personally rushing off to save you from certain oblivion, but I assure you, I am far less trusting than he, especially to those who do not respect the authority afforded to one through experience and rank. Now, I shall ask you again, and this time your answer will be swift, and respectful. Answer in a manner I deem unworthy, and you will be tried as a traitor and a spy. How did you disappear, where did you go, and why have you returned now?"
Shirō took a moment to consider his options. He simply couldn't betray Merlin's trust, so he put his improvisational skills, which were far more effective in a battlefield of blades than words, to the test. He took advantage of the fact that the two guards hadn't mentioned anything about Shirō's comments regarding a "teacher", so he did his best to work around the truth, and garnish it with simple lies, so as to not be caught up again, at least, without more effort than would be necessary.
"During my fight with my enemy at Mt. Enzō I sustained heavy damage, as you can very well see, sir. I have pacts with Summoning Animal Contracts, who could tell I was near death by my name disappearing from their records. They performed a Reverse Summoning, instantly transporting me to their location, to get me out of what they believed was a fatal situation, and see if they could heal me, sir. As for why it took me so long to return, they discovered that my wounds could not be healed, which I've recently been made aware is due to a Surgebinder's innate abilities. I simply couldn't travel in my state, and there was no way to Summon me back here, sir."
As he forced every "sir" from his mouth with as much respect as he could muster, Shirō tried his best to keep a straight face, though under the seemingly piercing gaze of Agravain, he thought he would crack, and be caught. But, after several moments, Agravain turned, and walked back to the war map. Each step was deliberate, and spawned it's own menacing echo. As he reached the strategic instrument, he responded in a quiet tone, with an underlying hint of distrust.
"Is that so? Very well. I suppose that will have to suffice... For now. Report to Aequitas at the barracks north of the Castle, but let it be known that your presence here will not go unsupervised. I am still not sure as to how you came to fall in Galahad's good graces, but trust me when I say I will be there to catch you when you fall from such magnanimous heights. And that fall will be a hard one. Now, you are free to leave...
And I suggest you remain as such."
The last words from Agravain's mouth were spoken as though they were a curse, or perhaps a threat, but seeing as he was off the hook for the moment, Shirō took the opportunity to leave, responding with a simple "Sir." as the Knights before him did. As he left through the far more weighty doors, closing them with as little of a racket as possible, he sighed to himself in unbelievable relief. How a man like that ever became associated with someone as apparently virtuous as Galahad was beyond him, but perhaps he was a necessary evil for Galahad's work, so Shirō left, following the labyrinthine series of stairwells and hallways he took to get to Agravain's office. Upon leaving via the same entrance, Shirō naturally ran into the guards who lead him there.
"Gods above, you're ali-I mean, are you okay?!"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Loyce and Baratheon, right?"
"It's Baratheus, but, erm... Sorry we left you in there alone with him. We were all given strict orders from Agravain to bring the one from Enzō to him immediately, if he ever showed up that is, and well, there you were. He's a pretty intimidating presence, as you could no doubt figure out for yourself, so disobeying an order from him...?" The Knight shuddered... "What did he want anyway?"
"He wanted to know how and why I disappeared. I've got Summoning Animals who thought I was dying, so they summoned me out. I guess he wouldn't let it go without knowing how it happened? I don't know... All I know is I never want to see him for as long as I'm here..."
"I know, right? That one's as cold as they come."
"I heard he' was a pretty skilled torturer and interrogator in his youth. Used to be infamous for chaining people up, and not stopping until they told him everything he wanted to know."
"I heard he once got a Hippo to scream for mercy, in human tongue no less!!"
"That's just a fairy tale meant to scare any would be assassins... I hope."
"This has been... An interesting first impression, but could one of you point me towards the barracks?
I'm supposed to head there and report to someone?"
"Oh, it's simple. Just head back the way you came, and about half way to the gate you'll see a building with flying buttresses. You can't miss it."
With a thanks, and an understanding nod at the shared fear of their apparent superior, Shirō then set out for the barracks. On the way back he drew as many inquisitive looks from people as he had on his way in, though again, he simply plodded along the road, keeping an eye out for any kind of architecture that stood out. Eventually he saw it, just where Baratheus has said it was, at the mid-point between the gate and citadel. As he approached the grand structure, and pushed open the door, the atmosphere within was completely different from the impression Agravain had left. While it wasn't chaotic, or disorganized, there was a general tone of joviality and camaraderie to the barracks, as numerous groups of Knights, or perhaps Squires, were gathered together, exchanging stories, and laughing amongst one another. Even as Shirō closed the door, which caused a mighty thud, none but a few broke eye contact from their peers to see what the noise was caused by, as the rest were thoroughly caught up in their stories and discussions. Even those who had averted their gaze from their peers quickly returned to them when they saw Shirō, not out of disrespect to him seemingly, but simply out of politeness to their peers. As he looked through the crowds of seated young men and women for anyone who appeared to be of some authority, he noticed, off to the side of the hall, a group of Knights adjusting their armor, as though they were about to leave. Gingerly weaving through the mass gathering of friends, and towards this group of armored Knights. As he approached, one from the group turned to face him, and seeing this, Shirō waved sheepishly, asking if Aequitas was around. The Knight took a moment to respond, but simply turned to the side, and held up a thumb pointing to a relatively young man with short, spiky blond hair, clad in a slightly more ornate set of armor than the rest of his peers. Shirō approached, and addressed him directly;
"Hey... Um, I'm Shirō. Agravain sent me, I'm supposed to report to you?"
"Ouch, that couldn't have been a pleasant meeting. You have my sincerest apologies for literally anything he said. He's pretty well known for being abrasive, but it's that adamance that helps keep these walls safe. Speaking of, you said you were to report to me, but we're actually about to go out on patrol. You'll have to wait for an introduction until we get back, unless... You want to come with us?"
"Is that allowed?"
"Not really, but we won't tell if you don't. It's just a routine thing, so there's nothing to worry about. That is, unless you're afraid?"
"Sure, but... I'm not exactly dressed for the part."
"You've got me there. Guess we'll just have to get you a set of gear then, won't we?"
Aequitas then snapped his fingers, and pointed to one of his peers who had already finished gearing up, asking him to take their new recruit, and get them set up with a spare set of gear for now. The Knight promptly stomped his foot in a salute, before beckoning Shirō with a lazy wave, taking him off to a side hallway that lead to a plain, but vast armory. As the Knight asked Shirō for his rough dimensions, he soon began to make idle chatter as they sifted through what amounted to a lost and found for anything to cobble together.
Shirō wasn't particularly fond of large, bulky sets of armor. The Knight, introducing himself as Fordring, said it was common practice for uninitiated Radiants to wear armor to protect themselves, but Shirō noted that he was already technically a Surgebinder, turned by Galahad of all people, and was more than capable of defending himself. The Knight scoffed in disbelief, considering Shirō's current condition. His appearance aside, if that were true, Agravain's order for Shirō to report to Aequitas, a Knight who only trained fresh recruits, was highly disrespectful. As Shirō held his hand out, with Chakra slowly emanating from it, Fordring saw the azure and silver Prana mixed throughout, unable to believe his eyes. Immediately his tone shifted from a slightly distrusting one, to one of complete awe, stating that Shirō could wear whatever the hell he wanted... He didn't technically have the authority to tell him otherwise. Shirō began rummaging through the bargain bin of scrap armor, and picked out a rather plain looking black vest, with silver lining, and dark pants which had leather straps to which armor was normally attached to, but in his case, were left barren. As they turned to leave, Shirō noticed, hanging out of a nearby box, a bundle of scrapped red cloth of some description. As he asked about it, Fordring noted that it used to belong to a Knight by the name of Martin, and used to be part of a larger mantle and shroud. That scrap of cloth was all that remained of him... But the Knights decided to throw it out, as it only held bad memories of a good man. Shirō asked if it was okay if he could have it, to which Fordring supposed it was okay, so long as he understood that it would bring him ire from some of Martin's close friends. Emiya then grabbed a nearby sword, and fashioned himself both half of a mantle, and a fauld from the remains of cloth, using what little remained to craft a makeshift headband. Happily clothed in something that didn't look as though it hadn't been shredded up by an irate beast, the pair returned to the group, to which one Knight from the group uttered;
"That's...!!"
"That's a good look for you..."
Aequitas cut the man off before he could properly voice his festering anger at the sight of the red cloth, as though he were a bull, provoked into a charge. The veteran knew exactly why his subordinate was upset, but it wouldn't do any good to let them direct that anger towards one of their own. If Shirō had decided to don that cloth, he would have been made aware of the situation surrounding it, and either didn't care, or understood the repercussions. In either case, letting them tear one another down wouldn't help anyone, so Aequitas did all he could, and kept the peace.
"Okay, listen up. I know most of you are familiar with this, but for the sake of our newbie, I'll go over this once more. We are to patrol the outskirts of Avalon, as well as ensure the safety of the Villages under our protection. I know these drills are boring, tedious affairs, but they're necessary to ensure the safety of this great City. Now, under no circumstances is anyone to splinter off from the group alone, regardless of the situation. You hear that newbie? We don't tolerate needless heroics, because they only end in posthumous honors.
Dead men can't hear the thanks they receive for their good deeds... Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir!!" was the unanimous rallying cry to follow, though Shirō was too opposed to the words to have his voice join in with the others. Instead, he was happy to watch the group show their devotion and respect with a firm response befitting a knight. Immediately following the cry, Aequitas started to march towards the door, with everyone, including Shirō, following suit.
Upon approaching the grand entrance, Shirō noted that the commotion wasn't one borne from fear, or anger, but of uproarious, jovial laughter. He could soon make out what appeared to be tents, and stalls, the stark majority of which seemed to be selling various wares, all while the vendors of running these makeshift shops hailed the impeccable condition and reliance of their goods. While there was slanderous comments, they always seemed to be in jest, as the merchants all seemed to know one another, or took the words as some of compliment, rather than bursting into a pissing contest as to whose wares were actually better. Shirō was well and truly overwhelmed by the sight, as he was bombarded with offers of sales of the finest fruits, jewels, weapons, and so on. It was getting to be far too much to simply get into the city of Avalon, for each step brought in boundless opportunities for him, with offers that he apparently couldn't refuse. As he grew nearer to the gate, a man stood before him, a wide a smile as a man could ever have, draped in fine fabrics that seemed more practical for the Eastern continent, protecting him from the sun's harsh gaze. As the man gave Shirō a thorough looking over, clearly noting Shirō's condition, as he still donned the outfit that became shredded as a result of his prior engagement with the "Ainsworth's trump card". As the mans eyes narrowed, eventually he wiped the analytical, borderline untrusting expression for his previous, more "jolly" one, and addressed the haggard looking young man;
