Chapter 16: Field Study
"Riverside is up ahead students." Manuela called out from the front of the column, the morning rays illuminating the line of students. The group had rested for the night before continuing their journey, Goetia taking this opportunity to document the local fauna.
He had spent most of his time in Fodlan within the borders of the Adrestian Empire and had only recently begun his travels into the Kingdom before he had encountered Byleth and the Church of Seiros. Thus he took this as an opportunity to continue his basic study of the plants.
With the abundance of mana in the air, and traces of true Ether, he had suspected that the fauna would exhibit qualities of Mystery. The results had been less than impressive, but not a complete waste. There were several species he could look into further, and had collected samples.
"Teacher?" Lysithea called out to him, he tilted his head to the side in acknowledgement "Can I ask a question?"
"You may."
"Have you enchanted those tubs?" She asked, casting a brief look at his bag "I sensed they had a faint magical signature to them."
"You are able to sense Magecraft?" He raised an eyebrow, that was another thing, he noted that the people of Fodlan seemed to be more entune with Magecraft, or those who had already studied it. They could sense the crafting of spells, only the more obvious ones however. None had yet to notice the bounded fields he had set up.
"A little." She frowned "Very faint, in fact if they weren't in your possession, I doubt I would have thought twice about them."
"Hm." Goetia grunted "They are mystic codes with mundane effects to preserve the items within them."
She blinked "Preserve them?" she hummed and nodded to herself "Is that why you were collecting samples?"
"Yes. I intended to run tests of them." He paused "It is also why I have joined with your house for this mission."
"Ah, you're going to collect samples from the Demonic Beasts, aren't you?"
"I am." He sighed "Research into them was limited, and what was available were mere documented accounts of their behaviour. I had intended to perform more indepth research of their biology."
"Were you going to publish it?"
"No."
"Eh?"
"If the Magi of Fodlan are not interested into performing similar acts themselves, then I shall not labour myself to completing the task." He sent her a sideways glance "I am not here to correct the mistakes and oversights that the mages and researchers of Fodlan continue to propagate."
"I...see…" Lysithea nodded "If they want the information, they should do it themselves rather than rely on another to do so."
"Yes." He shrugged "I would have no complaints if another mage were to publish their findings, but I will not."
"So, its not relying on someone else that bothers you." Lysithea reiterated "Its that they would rely on you."
"The Fodlan system of magic is, as I have stated previously, primitive." He bluntly stated "To ignore the flaws of the system and then rely on an entirely new, and superior, form of magecraft to support their own flaws would remove any incentive to improve themselves."
"Hmm…" Lysithea hummed, nodding her head "I suppose that makes sense, but I don't mean to intrude Teacher, but is that not what you are doing with myself and the others?"
"Isolated cases" Goetia dismissed "I have decided to teach only you and your peers, not introduce a brand new class for students to enter and learn. Besides, you are only being provided with the foundations of Magecraft, rather than the end results."
"Ohhh…" Lysithea made a noise of understanding "That makes sense, and I could understand that perspective. I prefer my own results being a product of hard work rather than simply being gifted the answer."
"And that is why I would not publish them."
"...Would you ever tell people?"
"It would depend upon what I found." Goetia explained "And upon my position. I would not object to sharing the information, although it would require special circumstance." he grunted, then nodded ahead "It matters little right now, we are here."
"Huh?" Lysithea blinked, then looked ahead "Oh!"
The Golden Deers came to a stop just outside the village, an elderly looking man approached Manuela with a relieved look, the two exchanging words before she looked back and made a gesture for Goetia to join her.
He tapped his hand on Ilse and the pair trotted forwards until he stood next to Manuela and in front of them man.
"Lennerd, this is my colleague from the Monastery, Goetia." Manuela introduced him "Goetia, this is Lennerd, Chief of this Village."
"Glad you're here." Lennerd smiled at the pair "Was concerned our messenger hadn't gotten through, the beasts have been getting closer." he grumbled "And our militia ain't exactly up for fighting monsters."
"The students and knights are here to assist you." Manuela explained, then looked around "Is there suitable lodging for our horses?"
"Indeed." Lennerd nodded, then turned back to the village "Anton!"
A young boy came sprinting towards them, no older than twelve and dressed in common rage "Chief?"
"Take their horses to the stables, see to it their fed and watered."
"Yes chief!" The boy nodded his head, turning to them, Manuela nodded and turned away.
"Golden Deers, off your horses, we're staying here." She got several murmurs in response, followed by the class getting off their mounts and leading them towards the boy, the child nodded in response to all of them and quickly began to heard the collection of horses away and further into the village.
"How long will you be staying?" Lennerd asked, Manuela gave a thoughtful frown in response.
"However long it takes until the Beasts have been routed." She replied "How often do they arrive?"
Lennerd grumbled "Been coming close to once a night someone spots them." he grunted and then gestured towards the forest on the far side of the village "They normally just watch us...figured they were prowling around waiting for us."
"What type are we dealing with and how many?"
"Wolves." The man grunted "Big 'uns to. As for how many...three or four." he shrugged "Ain't seen more than that."
"I understand." Manuela nodded, turning away and gesturing for the Golden Deers to surround her "We shall be staying for the night, presumably the Demonic Beasts will appear during that time. When they arrive, it will be up to you to route or kill them."
"Alright." Claude shrugged, Cheshire grin on his face "Monster hunting at night, sounds fun."
"Claude. Take this more serious." Lorenz muttered "You are representing the Alliance in Kingdom Territory, I would prefer you did not present the image to the commoners here that we are circus performers like yourself."
"That hurts Lorenz." Claude shook his head "And I'll have you know I'm taking this very seriously." he grinned, turning to Lennerd "You said wolves right?"
"Yeah…" The man nodded.
"You got any meat and rope?"
"Huh?"
"Of all the plans you could formulate…" Lysithea muttered, staring at the rather pitiful trap "This is the best you could think of?"
"Well, I think it will work." Claude replied in an amused tone of voice as he shovelled away, throwing another spadeful of dirt over his shoulder "I think its a great plan."
"Hanging meat over a disguised hole?" She raised an eyebrow.
"It is dependent on the intelligence of the wolves." Goetia cut in, staring down at the hole they were digging, most of the Class were digging a pit roughly six by six metres. Although Raphael and Leonie were seen to be doing a majority of the work, at rather impressive speeds. "The plan, while crude, has merit."
"Ha!" Claude let out a bark of laughter "You see? Even Sparkles thinks its a good plan!"
"I said it has merit." Goetia deadpanned "That does not make it good."
"I'm just going to assume you meant good then." Claude shrugged, Lorenz let out a squawk a few feet from him.
"This is repulsive!" He moaned "I have a Noble child of House Gloucester and you have me digging in the dirt like some, some-!"
"Commoner?" Leonie supplied with a hint of bitterness in her tone.
"Exactly!" Lorenz affirmed, completely missing her tone of voice "This type of work is beneath someone of my pedigree!"
"Pedi-" Leonie's lip curled in distaste at the word, looking up from her dig and towards the Noble "I think this kind of work is good for you. Lets you get...what's the word you nobles like so much?"
"...That doesn't really narrow it down Leonie." Raphael frowned "I think that smart people tend to like a lot of different words."
"No, no." She shook her head "This one is about being on the other foot or something."
"You mean perspective?" Lorenz scoffed "I do not need to see things from the perspective of commoners. That would detract myself from my upbringing as a Noble. The whole point of my birth is that I can see the greater picture and not simply the village I happened to be born in."
"Puffed up son of a-" Leonie mumbled under her breath, going back to digging with a particular fervor. Claude looked at her with a small frown, then sent Lorenz a tired look before he shook his head and returned to digging, then called out.
"Hey, Ignatz! How are the stakes coming?"
"Well...we've managed to get some of them done." The lime green haired boy replied, looking away from the branch he was sharpening "We've got about ten done so far."
"Hmm…" Claude grunted "I've heard that Demonic Beasts are particularly hardy and we are digging a big pit...why don't we get around forty done."
"Sure." Ignatz replied with a small shrug "We can probably manage that…" he looked over at Marianne and Lysithea "R-right?"
"I can try." The woman muttered, sharpening as best she could.
"Either do it right or not at all." Lysithea tiredly snapped, although she was likely still annoyed about being told her task would consist of sharpening sticks and digging holes in the ground. A less than glamorous job for one of her upbringing and skill set.
"How do we know the wolves aren't near us?" Hilda asked, resting on her spade with a lazy expression, having barely done any form of work "They could be watching us right now."
"I sense no Demonic Beasts within the vicinity." Goetia supplied "Nor have they triggered any of my alarms."
"Ala-" Claude blinked, looking up "Is that why you disappeared into the woods for like ten minutes?"
"Yes." Goetia nodded back to him "I would prefer to not be surprised by Phantasmals."
"So how do they work?"
"They will send out a mental alert to me if something decidedly non-human crosses their threshold." And unless Seteth, Rhea or Flayn saw fit to come crawling down to this village in the edge of Kingdom territory, he doubted there was much to concern himself with.
"Hey, how come you're here and not off doing…" Hilda paused for a few moments "Wizard things?"
Goetia gave her a slow blink in response "It was either I oversee your progress here, investigate local plants, retire to the supplied room, or join your professor and the knights in the village tavern."
"When you put it like that…" Hilda mumbled "Doesn't that mean you just want to watch us get filthy?"
"I am examining the trap you are setting." He gave a dull reply "And assessing its worth." he then glanced over at Lysithea "I also see you attempting to cast the Eihwaz rune on those sticks."
Lysithea paused in her sharpening, looking over her shoulder to see Goetia staring at her "M-maybe…"
"Busted!" Claude hollered out from his hole.
Lysithea sent him a venomous glare before Goetia spoke again "I would advise you not do so, incorrect casting of that Rune will lead to problems."
"Like?"
"What happens when one heat treats a sword incorrectly?"
"I don't know…" She mumbled shyly, looking away, Ignatz took this as his cue to interject, looking up from his stick.
"It becomes brittle."
"It becomes brittle." Goetia nodded "...And explodes. Violently."
Claude looked at the stick, then at the paling face of Lysithea and imagined the branch suddenly blowing up in her face "Ouch. Your spells have some pretty out there risks don't they?"
"Knowledge and skill of Magecraft does not come without risk." Goetia shrugged "The earliest forms of Structural analysis showcase this. Bypassing the exterior shell to examine the interior components."
"Doesn't sound to bad."
"It worked in principle." Goetia shrugged "The magus in question did bypass the exterior and revealed the interior. The problem was that the exterior was separated from the interior."
"Ah." Claude nodded, stabbing his shovel into the ground and removing another clump of dirt "Yeah, that sounds like it would be a hassle, unless you're trying to remove the shell from it. Would be useful for making eggs." Claude chuckled "So what did he use it on?"
"Himself." Claude paused, turning to Goetia and furrowing his brows.
"Huh?"
"The end result was the rather sudden and violent removal of his skin from his body."
"Eeeewwww!" Hilda hissed grimacing "That's disgusting!"
"Ouch…" Claude sucked in air through his teeth, making a pained expression and shaking his head "Yep...that sounds pretty nasty."
"Wait a second." Leonie furrowed her brows, with a slightly disturbed look on her face as she looked at the tanned man "Didn't you use that spell on me?"
Dead silence, several heads turned to Goetia in a questioning manner.
"I did." He admitted "I would also point out that structural analysis has long since been perfected, and I would prefer you not assume I would make such a basic mistake as the removal of human skin." he frowned "This particular case occurred nearly a two thousand years ago."
"….How come you know about it then?"
"...It was well documented at the time."
"How far back does your history go?" Claude asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Goetia paused, seemingly in thought before he spoke again.
"The first documented civilisation originated seven thousand years ago." He replied "However if you asked for the History before that...you would be branching into the realms of Divine Spirits." he paused "All of which would be considered Heretical."
"You're from a different country." Claude shrugged his shoulders "Doubt you had ever even heard of the Goddess before coming here."
"No. I had not."
"But still…" Claude whistled "Seven thousand years…" he shook his head "Then again, the Calender of Fodlan is pretty long...Hey Lorenz, you looked at History, what was the earliest date?"
"Really Claude?" The boy huffed "Must you distract yourself?"
"Come on Lorenz, its your chance to make me learn something. Surely this is an opportunity you can't pass up."
"Fine." He scoffed "If you are desperate to know. The earliest recorded date, from the Imperial Calender, is Two thousand P.I."
"P.I?" Goetia raised an eyebrow.
"Pre-Imperial." Claude surmised "So that's, what...nearly four thousand years for us." he shrugged "Guess you guys are better at keeping Calenders...although who knows how far some others go back."
"Guys, not to take away from your talk there." Raphael grunted, shovelling away more dirt "But I think we should get back to digging this hole."
"Yeah." Leonie affirmed "Unless you Nobles are too prissy to get your hands dirty with this commoner work."
"Can you blame me?" Hilda whined "Look at my nails? I've already got dirt underneath them and-Ah! That one has a crack in it! You know how much effort I put into looking this good?"
"Perhaps if you put the same amount of effort into digging as you did complaining we'd be halfway done by now."
"But Leonie! You and Raphael are big and strong! You can't expect me to match you."
"'Big an-' I watched you split a training dummy in half while wielding a training axe!"
"I see the little treasures are getting along well." Manuela dryly put as she approached the tanned man from behind, he looked over his shoulder, giving her a brief glance before turning back to the arguing group.
"A mix of individuals from differing social castes is hardly a prudent course of action." He replied "Conflict was inevitable."
"Well, it does help the Nobles." Manuela argued back "Giving them actual contact with the people they're supposed to rule gives them perspective on their way of life." she paused for a few moments "I will also admit it is somewhat amusing to see them in the dirt digging large holes."
"Hm." Goetia grunted but said nothing, he wasn't going to deign that with a response.
It was already approaching dark by the time the group had finished.
At the outskirts of the forest, underneath a large tree. Hung a dead deer, the animal having been tied by a rope to a branch. Underneath the deer, was a large patch of leaves, disguising the hole the class had been digging for nearly the entire day.
"This had better work." Hilda grumbled "I sacrificed two of my nails for this plan."
"Hey, where's the faith in your house Leader?" Claude grinned at them "Trust me, its going to work!"
"Is there a reason we used our House animal as bait?" Leonie asked "Seems kind of...weird."
"I think its poetic." Claude chuckled "You come to attack the Deer, expecting an easy meal and then…" he pointed at the leaves "You get more than you bargained for."
"You do realise we are, at best, only going to get one Demonic Beast with this, don't you Claude?" Lorenz dryly put, the House leader simply took his criticism in stride, holding up his bow.
"Yes, but they will be confused. That is when me, Ignatz and Leonie will fire arrows at the ones who aren't distracted." He went on "While they are confused, Lysithea will throw fireballs at them-" he turned to the girl "You can launch fireballs, right?"
The girl squinted her eyes at him, giving the best 'are you serious' type of face he had ever seen.
"Take that as a yes." He coughed "Anyway, she will chuck fireballs at them and then you and Raphael are the heavy hitters." he paused "Well...Raphael is anyway…"
"What about me?" Marianne asked, Claude blinked and turned to her.
"You can cast Nosferatu, right?" When she nodded, Claude smiled "Then you will be whittling away at the wolves vitality, when they become tired, they aren't as dangerous." he turned to Lorenz with a smug smile "Satisfied?"
"...Hmph." Lorenz grunted and looked away "A pity this tactical insight was missing in the mock battle."
"Well, we were fighting a professional mercenary who happened to be the daughter of one of the most renowned Mercenaries in Fodlan." Claude shrugged "But I am happy to know you had such confidence that I would be able to match 'The Ashen Demon' on an even playing field."
"...The Ashen what?" Goetia asked, furrowed brows, Claude turned to him in surprise and then nodded his head in understanding.
"Ah right, you're new here. Yeah, Jeralt is known as the blade breaker and, from what I could gather, Teach is called the Ashen Demon."
"…" Goetia looked away from him.
Then let out a quiet laugh.
The entire class slowly turned their heads towards him, the usually stoic man having a small smile on his face and giving a quiet chuckle was certainly unexpected. Moreso for Claude and Lysithea, who had rarely seen him emote except for annoyance or frustration.
The laugh lasted for barely a few seconds before he schooled his features again, although it was obvious by the minor gleam in his red eyes that he found it amusing.
"Oh...I see." Claude nodded "I can make all sorts of jokes and you stare at me like I'm the village idiot-"
"You aren't?" Lorenz let out an amused huff, drawing a flat expression from Claude for several seconds before he looked back to Goetia.
"But when you hear Teach's title, suddenly its the funniest thing you've ever heard?"
"Thus far, yes." Goetia admitted "It was unexpected and so...human. I could not help but find it amusing. Naming someone a demon." he shook his head "Why?"
"Apparently her face never changes, even in battle, so they just called her that."
"What does apathy have to do with the demonic?" Goetia asked, more to himself than anything else before he sighed "Regardless, she is likely as far from a demon as one could get."
Claude bit his lip, trying to stop his laugh from emerging. Goetia noticed the students look at him in varying states of amusement, including Manuela who seemed to hold a silent conversation with Claude ending in a smirk forming on her face.
"Is there something amusing?" Goetia tilted his head in confusion at them, Claude shook his head slowly, his expression turning innocent.
"No, sparkles." He gave a wide smile "I think everyone knows what you mean."
"Hmph." Goetia hummed, looking away from them.
"Hey...Lysithea." Claude leaned over to the girl, laughter barely restrained "Do you think you'll eventually have to call Professor Byleth 'Teacher-in-law'?"
"Claude you-!" She hissed at him, blushing bright red in indignation, Claude could no longer contain his laughter and doubled over, clutching his side while Lysithea continually slapped his shoulder.
Before Goetia could even attempt to ask what the class found so amusing, his head snapped in the direction of the forest, eyes narrowed. His Boundary field had been set off, he could sense them.
Four Phantasmals had crossed the threshold and were approaching them, coming in the direction of the trap. Likely having smelled the bait.
"They approach." Goetia warned the class, stepping back and alongside Manuela "Four from the North."
"Going for the bait huh?" Claude asked, his laughter abating and wiping a tear away from his eye "Oh yeah, its all coming together."
"Don't hunters normally do this kind of thing with rabbits?" Leonie asked, tightening her grip on her bow and moving her other hand towards the quiver of arrows.
"Shush." Claude gave his quick reply, moving his own hand towards the arrows on his back "Alright, remember the plan. Beast falls into pit, we attack."
"I would ask 'what if they smell us' but considering you decided to make us hide in the stables…" Lorenz scowled "I would be afraid to smell us."
"Hey, normal wolves have got pretty good senses of smell." Claude chuckled "This is prudent."
"Hey Teacher." Lysithea suddenly asked, Goetia turned to her and raised an eyebrow "Do you have any spells which can mask a scent?"
"Yes."
"...You mean we could have just asked you to hide us?" Hilda suddenly asked, looking at him aghast.
"I would have denied you." Goetia frowned "I am only here to observe."
"Could you have at least masked me?" Manuela narrowed her eyes at him "There isn't a reason for myself to be stood here in this filth."
"…"
"...It didn't occur to you until just now, did it?"
"Wolves are here." He pointed towards the forest, the group turned to see the first of the Demonic Beasts step out.
Dark matted fur and golden eyes emerged from behind the trees, sniffing the air before focusing on the Deer corpse.
From behind the giant wolf came several more of its kin. Each one more than twice the size of a horse. The one which had came out first, and presumably the alpha, growled at the others to remain behind in.
The smaller Demonic Beasts acquiesced, retreating slightly as the Alpha turned his gaze back towards the deer corpse. It stepped forwards, sniffing at the animal before its gaze travelled down, sniffing at the pile of leaves.
"Come on big guy." Claude whispered "Get the deer, get the deer…"
Golden eyes narrowed at the leaves, its snout curling and revealing its fangs, growling at it before taking a single step backwards.
"Wonderful…" Lorenz huffed "A complete waste of-" one of the smaller beasts rushed forwards, completely ignoring the Alpha and made for the deer body. The second its body weight landed on the leaves, its legs fell through.
The beast widened its eyes and released a startled yelp as it fell, the pegs holding the makeshift cover in place snapped, causing the rope to wrap around the startled beast as it fell into the pit. Its startled yelp quickly turned into a howl of pain as it slammed into the wooden stakes lining the inside of the pit.
The other wolves backed off, growling at the sudden action.
"Knew it would work!" Claude hollered "Fear the Deer guys!" He stood up and raced around from behind the stable, earning the attention of the Demonic beasts "Get them guys!" he shouted out, the other Golden Deers quickly emerging from the stables in tandem.
The alpha jumped over the pit, focusing solely in on Claude before a ball of fire slammed into the side of its head. It released a yelp of surprise and growled in pain at the sizzling of skin along its snout, it turned its head in Lysithea's direction, her hand still outstretched from casting the fireball.
Claude, Ignatz and Leonie released a small volley of arrows into the animals side, however most bounced off. Claude clicked his tongue "Furs too thick, go for the skin." the other two nodded and pulled back more arrows.
The remaining two wolves darted around from the side of the pit, moving to join the alpha with their teeth barred.
One took an arrow to the nose for its trouble, releasing a cry of pain and slamming its nose into the ground to try and pull the arrow free of its body. Claude grinned "Shouldn't have poked your nose places." he joked.
The Alpha growled at Lysithea rushing her before she switched out a fireball for a miasma, shooting out the purple orb into the animals face. It howled in a pain, shaking its head as the dark magic made the creature feel as though the skin at the point of impact was on fire.
Lysithea smirked, then cast two more at the beast, impacting the top of the head and the shoulder as it thrashed around, eliciting more cries of rage.
One of the beasts made a rush at the archer trio, Marianne threw out her hand. The yellow circle forming in front of her hands and a green explosion going off on the Beasts shoulder.
The animal yelped, stumbling forwards with its eyes wide in alarm as the limb felt as though it had stopped working, the lack of balance meant the beast went no where near its target and instead went off towards Raphael and Lorenz.
The former gave a wide grin and charged the wolf, pulling back his fist, the twin sharpened prongs of the iron gauntlets lining up with the side of the wolfs head. The beast widened its eyes in realisation, trying to pull back far too late before Raphael slammed his fist into the side of the animals head.
The beast screamed, the prongs only sinking halfway into the flesh before getting stuck, Raphael grunted as the wolf, fell to its knees, trying to pull away. Far too late as Lorenz came in from the other side, twirling the spear in his hand to the point faced downwards and jumped in the air, using his momentum to slam the spear into the top of the beasts head. It abruptly slumped, pupils dilating.
The other demonic beast had finally succeed in removing the arrow from its nose, turning its head up to face the archers again. Only to receive two arrows to the face, the first found purchase in the upper snout, the second hitting the wolfs nose again and the third going over its head.
Ignatz cringed at the miss, going for another arrow as the wolf yelp, shaking its head around again.
Raphael ripped his gauntlet from the wolfs head, Lorenz removing his spear before the two turned to the other injured beast, still howling and trying to remove the arrows from its head. The pair nodded at eachother before advancing.
Claude saw their approach and called out "Marianne! Take out the legs."
"R-right!" She grunted, aiming as best she could and casting another Nosferatu at the wolfs feat, the limbs falling asleep and causing the animal to topple over with a yelp of surprise before Raphael and Lorenz descend on it.
Marianne turned her attention away and over to Lysithea and the Alpha, the larger wolf finally succeeding in restoring its vision to itself, eyes locking onto the young girl with murderous intent. It dashed forwards, eyes bloodshot and vision blurry.
Lysithea bit her lip, then aimed her Miasma at the wolfs feet, the purple orb slammed into the toe and caused the animal to stumble on its lunge at her. Allowing her to duck underneath it. As it sailed over her head, she frantically raised her hand and touched the underside of the wolfs chin before rolling away.
The Demonic beast stumbled over, rolling on its side before getting back to its feet, Lysithea still on the ground and wheezing, she turned to see the wolf lock onto her form and growl menacingly.
In response to this, she smirked in triumph, she knew she'd gotten it "Ansuz." she incanted.
Then the wolfs head was consumed in an explosion of fire. Body abruptly slumping over.
Goetia raised an eyebrow, a ghost of a smile on his lips. She still couldn't create a controlled use of the Rune, but she managed to find a work around to make it useful. She turned her failure into a strategy.
It was...so very human.
She got back to her feet, wiping the dirt from her robe and turning around with a proud look on her face, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest.
"Nice work Lysithea." Claude called out to her, looking at the smoking body of the headless wolf "You got 'em good there." he chuckled.
"Hmph." She turned her nose up "Of course I did."
"You turned the uncontrolled detonation into an offensive skill." Goetia analysed, as he and Manuela moved out from behind the stable as the Golden Deers began making their way back towards them.
Lysithea nodded her head "I got to thinking what you said about imagination, and I figured that if it got to close range, or I was fighting an opponent like the Demonic Beast, then an uncontrolled detonation might be useful."
"Indeed." Goetia nodded at her, giving the wolf a quick once over "...It is not a controlled casting as much as it was merely a haphazard and clumsy use of a rune." he concluded bluntly, Lysithea flinched "However...The results speak for themselves. At your current level...it is satisfactory."
Lysithea beamed, crossing her arms and nodding her head.
"Yes…" Manuela rolled her eyes "Good work Deers, Claude...a very inspired plan."
"Hey, I am a genius." He chuckled.
"Yes...You are, which is why you realise we are also going to need to dispose of the bodies and fill that pit back in." she replied with a smile as their faces fell "However, you did good work for your first mission, far better than I could have-"
"Withdraw. Now." Goetia suddenly commanded, eyes focused on the forest as he moved past them.
"Excuse m-"
"Another Phantasmal crossed my field." He replied "This one is different to the wolves." he narrowed his eyes "It has a greater presence. Withdraw."
"What about the vil-"
"I shall deal with this." He said, moving to within twenty metres of the edge of the forest. Staring into the darkness of the trees. Manuela frowned.
"I shall get the knights."
"Do as you wish, I doubt it will take…" He trailed off, then threw his hand out in front of him and cried out "προστασία!".
A glassy shield suddenly appeared in front of him, seconds later a purple glow emerged from the forest, from between the tree's glowing orb sped out and slammed into the shield in front of him, leaving several small cracks in it and illuminating his form entirely in the darkness, casting his shadow over the group.
"Whoa!" Claude stepped back "You know what, I think I'll leave it to him."
The snapping of tree's grew louder, from the woods, the hulking form of the newest Demonic Beast appeared. Nearly twice the size of the wolves and towering over Goetia and the treeline itself, the pale blue armoured lizard like creature crawled its way out of the woods.
Goetia's eyes trailed over it, as a Phantasmal it was on a completely different class to the wolves. His eyes focused on the purple liquid dripping from its mouth onto the ground, causing a hissing sound every time.
He also noticed the markings along its wrists and ankles, the subtle grooves where chains had been.
An escaped captive perhaps? It mattered not. He had said he would only intervene in the event of an emergency.
He felt this qualified.
AN: Finally onto some action, huh guys?
The Wild Demonic Beast. And something special to it perhaps? But that will have to wait until next time.
And Lysithea's first use of a Rune in combat! Blows up a wolf head.
And Fear the Deer.
Omake: Back home again II
It was surreal to him.
The conflict which had defined his existence, which he had lost. And now he found himself working with his greatest foe to combat the goal he once held.
It was such a ludicrous thing.
"Caster-san." Mash Kyrielight spoke to him…
It was nice seeing her again, a part of him admitted. He always held a soft spot for her...perhaps that was why he had been drawn to Lysithea as well. The two of them had so much in common it was impossible for him not to see the connection.
"Yes?" He turned to her, looking away from his food. Tomato soup...his favourite.
"Are you sure you don't want to have Da Vinci-san make you a prosthetic arm?" She held genuine concern in her eyes, he doubted she would have it if she knew who he truly was.
"It is fine, Kyrielight." He grunted "I have long grown used to my missing limb." he chuckled "Besides, I could have made myself a limb long ago but chose not to."
"Oh." Mash blinked, nodding her head "...Why?"
"Why?" He paused "To be human...is to struggle. That is the life of a human, to struggle against all odds. One could describe it as a journey accumulating suffering. Therefore...to fully experience human struggles I thought it best to leave myself with a disadvantage."
Mash frowned, then nodded her head "I...I don't understand…"
"Hmm…" Goetia set his spoon down "It took my a long time to understand it as well...so very long…" he muttered, looking away "Still it is your own journey. You will discover struggles of your own, and realise they shape you as an individual. That is what shall lead you on your journey to the end of your life, the struggles that make you...human."
"To struggle is to be human…" Mash mumbled "Is...is that the same as saying to suffer is to live?"
"One can suffer and exist at the same time." Goetia replied "However, to truly struggle, to encounter obstacles while moving forwards. That is to live."
"Sounds profound and a little confusing." An amused voice replied from behind him, Goetia's expression flattened.
"David."
"Caster." The green haired man replied coolly as he moved around at sat opposite him next to Mash "That tomato soup you've got again?"
"...Yes." He replied blandly, not looking at the man and taking another sip "Did you need something?"
"...No." David shrugged "Just figured I'd drop by again. Also Roman said that they might have found another singularity, London."
For the briefest of moments, Goetia's hand paused before it continued on "Oh? And who is Fujimaru bringing with him?"
"Haven't decided yet." David shrugged "Or if he has, I haven't been told." he turned to Mash "You hear anything?"
"Senpai only found out this morning." She replied "I think he's looking over the roster." she turned to Goetia "I think he wanted to take you onto some supply runs first, Caster-san. He did the same with the other Servants from Fodlan, he said to build up an understanding with them."
"Ah yes." David nodded "Fodlan. Different world, how exciting!" he grinned, turning to Goetia "What was it like, Caster? The young Lysithea girl had nothing but praise for her Teacher."
"My...legend you summoned, originated in Fodlan. I did not." He explained "I was a foreigner to the lands, only being there a year before the War broke out. There is little I could tell you." he shrugged "Your closest approximation would be Twelfth century Europe."
"Caster-san...Lysithea-san told us about the missiles from space and the robots." Mash replied in a slightly strained expression "...We didn't have those."
"...I said approximation." Goetia replied "Besides, it is…" he trailed off, his eyes locking onto something and his expression flattening.
David and Mash gave him looks of confusion before they turned and looked in the direction he was staring, they both saw Romani being served by EMIYA before he turned around.
Making eye contact with the trio. His own expression froze as he and Goetia stared at eachother for several seconds before he gave a shaky wave of his hand and then darted out of the cafeteria.
Goetia watched him leave with a dispassionate gaze before he looked over to Mash and David. Both were staring at him with small frowns. "What?"
"Caster-san...I get the feeling you don't like Doctor Roman." Mash said with a disapproving look "I think he gets bullied by enough servants."
"I feel like a parent watching my kids fight." David lamented "Feels weird to look at." Goetia's eyes briefly flickered to him with an indiscernible expression before moving back to Mash.
"My relation with Doctor Roman is not malicious, nor do I intend to cause him any harm." He replied, taking another sip of his soup "We merely both agree it best to stay away from eachother."
"But why?" Mash asked, Goetia paused.
"...I suspect we remind eachother of people we'd rather not remember." Goetia muttered "...Perhaps I shall speak with him soon...but not now."
"Alright." Mash replied with a nod "I'm sure you'd get along though."
"Hey, Caster! Mash, David!" Ritsuka voice called out to them, the smiling master approached "You having lunch?" he looked over at Goetia and gave playful smile "All of the cuisine from every different era and from a different world...and I always see you here with Tomato soup."
"...I like it." Goetia defended "It is also the easiest thing to eat."
"Alright." Ritsuka chuckled "Your choice. Anyway…" he clapped his hands "Figured I'd let you know. Romani narrowed down the singularity a little after the briefing. Better pack your gear guys! We're going to London tomorrow!"
"...I am to join you?" Goetia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Ritsuka scratched the back of his neck "Normally I'd take you on a few supply runs first to get feel of what you're like, but considering what Lysithea said about you...well…" he gave the Caster a wide smile "I'd say we have an A grade Caster on our side, so...bit of a trial by fire run."
"...Who else is to join us?"
"David, Mash" Ritsuka nodded to the pair. "And Byleth. Figured you'd want a friendly face around."
"Hmph." Goetia grunted, then nodded his head "Very well…"
Chapter 17: Pest Control
The Phantasmal got on its hind legs, entire body towering over Goetia and black eyes focused solely on him. While most Phantasmals usually displayed at least some hind of intelligence, this thing was nothing more than a beast.
Goetia could see nothing in the animals orbs to indicate anything which could even me misconstrued as intelligence. It was...Disappointing to say the least. It would appear the descriptions of the Phantasmals as mere 'Demonic Beasts' had not been completely inaccurate.
Still, whether that was because this one in particular had been the subject of imprisonment or if it was a common trend was still to be decided. The Wolves had displayed some hint of intellect, the Alpha at least, had deduced Von Riegans trap. Of course, the younger phantasmal had blundered through it all and flung itself into the spiked hole, but the evidence of intelligence was there.
Perhaps it was merely the difference between the circumstances between the two.
Either way, it didn't matter right now. The pale blue lizard towered nearly twenty feet over him as it stood on its hind legs. Then threw is whole body forwards into his barrier. He frowned, it impacted the barrier with a rather hefty thud and with enough power behind it to cause a small shockwave at the point of impact.
Not nearly enough to break it though, although the spell it had unleashed against him earlier was nothing to scoff at. As he expected from a Phantasmal, it had damaged the barrier he had put up.
Then it threw itself forwards again.
And Goetia heard the sound of cracking, he focused on the now spiderweb like crack in his shield. He narrowed his eyes, it had more power behind it than he had expected. He could feel it, the presence it held was growing.
The fluctuations of Mana in the air were converging on the creature.
It was absorbing the Mana in the air into its body, he realised with slightly widened eyes. Much like an animal drinking water, this phantasmal was drinking in the magical energy surrounding them.
How interesting.
The beast let loose another roar as its maw opened up, the back of its throat glowing a brilliant purple before it unleashed another orb similar to before, but at much closer range and towards the point of damage. The orb was spat from the mouth and impacted the shield seconds later, releasing a small explosion and causing another, larger, crack to appear in his shield.
It growled, backing up away from his shield. Goetia raised an eyebrow, it appeared it was going to attempt to charge him. How quai-
Its body glowed, Goetia's eyes widened in alarm for the first time since the encounter began, then the beast shot forth again at a faster speed than previously.
Slamming into his shield and releasing an explosion at point blank range, shattering his barrier, launching its whole body towards him. He glowed and then disappeared seconds before it landed, teleporting a few metres away from the beast.
He narrowed his eyes, Mana Burst. That's what it had used. He should have expected it, with the benefit of hindsight, but it was a skill that required finesse to use, or at the very least some modicum of intelligence. A natural skill then, releasing its vast quantities of magical energy.
Either way, it mattered not now.
The high speed incantations flowed from his lips immediately as the beast rose up again, whirling around to face him as several golden spheres appeared behind Goetia. The orbs stretched out into spears of light before they shot forth, the beast flung itself forwards at the same time.
Goetia watched the spears of light clear the distance between himself and the beast in an instant, the animal had made no move to avoid them. Although he supposed that it wouldn't have been able to move its body fast enough to dodge any-
The spears shattered upon contact with an invisible barrier.
Goetia eyes widened in surprise "Magic Resistance?" he muttered, the beast carrying forwards, oblivious to the skill it had just shown him. Goetia once again teleported away from the animal, moments before it crashed into the ground where he had been.
This time he appeared in the air, staring down at the beast with minor surprise. This was far beyond what he was expecting. Those were C ranked spells he had used, both the barrier and the spears. For the Phantasmal to shatter both.
No. He knew what the presence of the animal had been, it was above the wolves, that much was certain. But it was no where near that of a Dragon, if he were to give an estimate. The presence would have been of a low to middling class Servant. He had no doubt that with sufficient man power, it could have been killed by ordinary humans.
Yet the abilities it had demonstrated. They were not what he had been expecting at all. Mana Burst and Magical Resistance? Coupled with the obvious signs of capture, that only led credence to the theory that the Phantasmal had been experimented on.
It would seem he would need to investigate the extend of the Beasts endurance.
He threw his arms towards the animal, calling "עמוד האור" which brought forth several rings to appear around its body. The Demonic Beast cried out, turning its head upwards towards him and glaring hatefully at him, opening its mouth again.
He put a stop to that by clenching his fist, the rings constricted around its body and face, snapping the jaws shut. It rolled over as it thrashed around, the rings becoming a tight rope as Goetia twisted his hand. Another ring of golden light appear around the animal, and began to spin rapidly "מגיע לשמיים" he finished as the rings glowed a bright colour. Then a pillar of light consumed the Demonic Beast, shooting into the sky for a few seconds before it died down.
Revealing the charred remains of the Demonic Beast.
Goetia lowered himself to the ground, slowly approaching the animal, giving it a cursory glance.
It was definitely dead.
"...Well...shit." He heard Claude comment behind him, the young man coming along and standing next to him "I...I think you got him there Sparkles."
"Hmph." Goetia grunted, still looking the animal over "Most curious."
"I'll say...You said a couple words and then." Claude made several gestures with his hands "Woosh! Demonic Beast turned into a barbecue...Seriously though...that was something else entirely."
"Well…" Manuela cleared her throat "It was certainly an...impressive display."
"Impressive!?" Leonie parroted incredulously "He just teleported into the sky and then zapped it out of existence! That's a little more than impressive!" she turned to him "When can I do that?"
"The time it would take to teach that particular spell would be far too long to be useful to you." He replied, then frowned "Besides, I would not have normally used it."
"Why?" Claude asked "Seems pretty damn effective if you ask me."
"Because normally the first attack would have killed it." Goetia responded, turning his head back to the Demonic Beast with a thoughtful expression "Lysithea." he called out, the girl jumped and approached him.
"Yes, Teacher?"
"Get my bag." He replied, crouching down "I'll take samples from these Beasts." the girl nodded and ran off, he turned to Manuela "How often have you been on these raids?"
"Not often." The woman admitted "But enough, why?"
"Are they usually resistant to Magecraft?" He asked, turning his attention back to the Beast.
"Depends on what type you're dealing with and what form of Magic you are using." She admitted "These ones-" she gestured to the Demonic Beast "-Are better at dealing against Dark Magic."
Goetia furrowed his brows "Is that so…" he muttered. That was rather strange, so they had a resistance to it, but not the type he had seen. So someone had made modifications to the beast. However, quite what the extent of those modifications were would have to wait until he could collect samples.
It was at least something of interest, to alter a Phantasmal enough to grant them Magic Resistance and Mana burst was far beyond what he had seen the Magi of Fodlan capable of.
Well, at least so far.
"So…" Claude coughed into his hand, looking around "Are you gonna collect those samples now or in the morning?"
"Now." Goetia replied instantly "They would be better when fresh." he gave Claude a sideways glance "I was also under the assumption you are you're associates would be disposing of the bodies in the morning."
"That is probably true." Claude admitted, staring at the charred Demonic Beast with a slight grimace "Probably want to get rid of these things before they smell too bad."
"Indeed." Goetia replied with a frown "Besides. I would prefer to get this task completed as swiftly as possible."
"Fair enough." Claude shrugged "...Don't suppose you can just magic them away?"
"Sending their corpses into imaginary space does not mean they cease to exist." Goetia replied "It would be better to find some corner of the forest to dump their bodies. Although the smell would either ward off or attract other Demonic Beasts."
"That's probably true." Claude sighed, then frowned "One thing confuses me though, what was it doing here to begin with? I would imagine that Demonic Beasts wouldn't get along too well with different species."
Goetia paused, that raised a good point. "It was possible the Demonic Beast attempted to claim the territory of the now deceased wolves." he explained "However, there are issues present with this."
"What kind of issues?" Claude asked, Goetia stood up, looking over to see Manuela retreat back into the village before he turned back to the House Leader. Despite what he thought of Von Riegan, he could ironically enough trust him to keep a secret.
That woman would likely lose any semblance of professionalism the second she got alcohol in her.
"Look at the arms and legs. What do you notice?" Goetia asked, Claude stared at him for a few moments before he looked back at the Demonic Beast with a curious expression. His brows furrowed at something as he leaned down and looked closer at the scales.
Or rather, where the growth of the scales had been stunted by the presence of something there.
"Are those…" He leaned back up and faced Goetia "Those are chain marks." he stated "This thing was chained up until not so long ago."
"Oh?" Goetia titled his head "And how are you so sure it did not simply escape."
Claude shook his head "I've read that Demonic Beast regeneration is impressive, but scars from escaping chains?" he clicked his tongue "I don't think so. Someone had this thing locked up and let it loose…" he trailed off and turned to Goetia, then a smile appeared on his face "But you already suspected that, didn't you?"
"I did." Goetia admitted "However, I believe there may be more to it than that." he shrugged "It will depend upon what I find."
"So...why tell me and not your student?" Claude asked, then he widened his eyes and shook his head "Because you already think I can keep a secret."
"It is also unlikely anyone will believe you." Goetia added on "You have a reputation for exaggeration."
Claude gaped at him then grinned "Jeez, Sparkles. You really are quite devious when you want to be." he nodded his head "Fair enough...although I don't suppose I could ask you about it later."
Goetia shrugged "Do as you will. It is just as likely to be the result of an over enthusiastic Magi attempting to control Demonic Beasts than anyone of credible threat." a complete lie. This was beyond what he had expected, unless it was merely a Demonic Beast of great power that had yet been encountered.
But he wasn't convinced that it was something as simple as that.
"Teacher!" Lysithea quickly returned "Your bag!" she handed the leather satchel to him, he nodded to her and turned back to the Demonic beast, opening it up and levitating scalpels and tubs.
"Well…" Claude clapped his hands "I'm gonna go get some shut eyes." he turned to Lysithea, and gave a cheeky grin "You probably should as well, what with your bed time and all." he sprinted away before she could deliver a rather scathing remark.
"That oaf!" She hissed "Treating me like a child! I don't-" she was cut off by her yawn. She blushed when Goetia slowly turned around to face her, she bowed her head at him "P-perhaps I shall also get some rest. Have a good night, Teacher!" she ran off, quickly following in the same direction as Claude and the other Golden Deers.
Goetia watched her leave with a raised eyebrow before he shrugged and turned back to the corpse. Placing his hand on it and analysis the body for the areas of most worth to be studied.
His targets in mind, he began extracting them.
"Truly, thank you again." Lennerd gave Manuela, Claude and Goetia another heartfelt thank you. Claude waved his hand.
"Don't worry about it, we were happy to step in and lend a helping hand." He looked over to where the other Golden Deers were busy filling in the hole in the ground, Hilda and Lorenz were scowling and shooting Claude particularly venomous looks for having been able to escape most of the hard work.
"Right." Lennerd nodded, then turned to Goetia "Thanks again, Sir Mage." he bowed his head "That last beast looked to be quite nasty, we're grateful you killed it."
"Hmph." Goetia grunted, strapping his bag back onto Ilse before he nodded once to the village chief. The man took that as the only kind of acknowledgement he was going to get before he once again thanked the trio and departed back into town.
"You're not used to getting thanked often, are you?" Claude asked him.
"I am not used to performing actions worthy of thanks." Goetia replied "Most of my actions were born of duty, thus no thanks were ever required or expected." he paused "This is becoming a first for me."
"Feels good, right?"
"...Hm." Claude rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Well then, I better-"
"Help out your fellow Deers, Claude." Manuela finished with a smirk "There is still more to bury."
"Ha...ha…" Claude gave a strained smile "You sure Professor? I say they have it well in hand…"
"Now Claude." Manuela chided "Before I decide to make you do it yourself."
"Well then." Claude raised his hands in surrender, turning around and making his way over to the other Golden Deers "I guess I better set an example as House Leader and help them out."
Goetia watched him for a few moments before turning away, his reasons for informing the Young Deer leader about the possibility of the experimentation on the Demonic Beasts were his own.
In truth, it represented a useful source of information if such a thing were to continue to occur. This particular event had gained his interest, and should similar beasts emerge, he would need to determine if experimentation upon the phantasmal truly had boosted its capabilities. He narrowed his eyes.
No, everything about that animal was geared towards purpose. Only high level Fodlan mages would even have been able to damage it through its magic resistance and it could use mana boost to augment its physical skills to deal with any who attempted to approach it for a more direct confrontation.
The phantasmal was a weapon and it lacked any higher form of intelligence. Still, he had collected what he wanted from the Demonic Beasts.
Skin, parts of their brains and other organs.
But especially where their hearts had been, or should have been. Instead of their hearts, there had been a spherical stone construct. At least on the larger phantasmal, the wolves appeared to have the same construct as a growth on the heart rather than the heart itself.
Perhaps that was the difference in scale between the two of them. He would need to test this theory.
"I see you have all returned." Seteth greeted them as they rode back into the Monastery, he nodded to Manuela "Professor, I trust the mission was a success."
"It was." She nodded, getting off her horse "However we ran into complications." she added on, then raised her hand when it looked like Seteth wanted to say something "Nothing that wasn't handled, you can thank light beams over there for it." she gestured over to Goetia, Seteth raised an eyebrow and looked over at the tanned man as he retrieved a leather satchel from his horse.
"Hmph." He grunted "Very well, I shall request a full summary of your mission by the end of the day. However, I shall take your admission that the situation escalated and forced your intervention?"
"Well, his intervention anyway." She chuckled "Although he handled it well enough. The students seemed impressed at any rate."
Seteth's frown grew as his eyes tracked back over to the tanned man, Goetia had only agreed to step in if the situation had evolved to a point where he himself felt it was necessary. While Seteth had only spoken with Goetia twice, he felt as though he had a basic grasp on the man's personality.
Goetia would only act if it was in his best interest, although he wouldn't confess to knowing the man completely and he suspected it would take more talks for him to fully grasp his personality.
Despite being rather open in revealing his past, Seteth couldn't help but feel that although the information Goetia had given him had been true, it hadn't been worded correctly.
Then again, it was just as likely Goetia had played things close to his chest because he did not trust Seteth with the full truth, trust was a two way street.
Although, Seteth was grateful that Goetia had seen fit to set in and help when the time came.
"So, you're back Claude." Dimitri smiled at the boy as he strode through towards his classroom, Claude stopped and shook his head, grinning.
"You see me off and then you come to greet me upon my return?" He gave a wry grin "Your highness...I didn't know you cared this much about me! I'm flattered!"
"Claude, please. Do not joke about that." Dimitri rolled his eyes "Although I am glad to see you are uninjured. Demonic Beasts are nothing to joke about."
"We dug a hole and lured them into it."
"O-oh...Is that right?"
"Yeah. Like those old hunters traps." He shrugged "Hung a deer over a hole filled with spikes and they just...fell right it."
"A Deer." Dimitri blinked at him "You...Claude, should you not be more concerned with the fact you killed your Houses mascot animal?"
"No, no. Its fine." He waved him off "I came up with this whole 'Poetic' analogy for it. Its great." he sniffed "...Okay the wolves were easy and then the blue lizard thing came."
"Blue...lizard thing?"
"Yeah." Claude nodded "Huge! Like the size of a cottage and then Sparkles just zapped it into burnt meat."
"Oh…" Dimitri blinked, then chuckled "It seems like you had quite the adventure Claude. But I trust that you realise you won't always have the aid of individuals like Goetia...and please do not call him 'Sparkles' it is quite disrespectful."
"Psssch." Claude blew a raspberry and waved his hand "He doesn't care that much, also that's a pretty funny thing for someone to say when they have the help of someone like Teach."
"Claude, please." Dimitri shook his head "I fully understand the consequences of battle…but if the Professor were to lend her aid to the Kingdom I would not reject her."
"Hmm…" Claude raised an eyebrow "I see. Still, I think you might be barking up the wrong tree there." he looked around conspiratorially and then leaned in "...Don't you think Sparkles has a soft spot for Teach?"
"What?" Dimtri blinked "Now Claude, that is…" he paused, thinking back to the pairs conversation before they left and then put on a thoughtful expression "No...I'm sure that...wait...you don't think that…"
"Who knows." Claude shrugged, leaning away "Well, if you excuse me, I need to-OH SH-" he turned away to walk off then jolted and let out a gasp of surprise when he saw Byleth standing right behind him.
Claude clutched his chest, hand placed over his heart and breathing heavily "Jeez Teach...don't sneak up on a guy like that, you almost gave me a heart attack."
"You're back." She noted, then looked over at Dimitri "Our mission begins tomorrow."
"Yes Professor." Dimitri nodded his head "I'll be ensure that the other Blue lions are prepared."
"Hmm." Byleth nodded, then looked back at Claude "...Where's Goetia?"
"Went off to his room." Claude answered "Said he needed to run tests on his samples, that kind of stuff." he shrugged, placing his hands on the back of his head "I'm not really all researchy like that, but it sounded interesting enough so I might stop by at some point to talk with him about it."
"Okay." Byleth nodded, then turned around and walked away.
In the direction of Goetia's room. Claude and Dimitri watched her leave, then the former turned back to Dimitri with a knowing smirk.
"Claude, please. You should not take part in childish gossip." He shook his head "I'm sure they are just good friends."
"Uh-huh." Claude grinned "I'm sure Teach is very good friends."
"She wanted to visit." Byleth answered as Goetia let her in his room, Sothis manifested herself, floating in-between the two.
"I am not accustomed to guests." Goetia answered with a small frown as he unloaded his satchel "However, I suspect you will either approach me today or tomorrow."
"She won't be here tomorrow." Sothis answered "We're travelling to the red canyon to deal with bandits." she crossed her arms "I see the young children are all alive an uninjured."
"You doubted their skills?"
"I doubted you."
"Hmph." Goetia grunted, placing the jar with the stone on his desk "I stepped in when the situation escalated. As I said I would."
"What is that?" Byleth asked, preventing Sothis from responding, as she stared at the jar with a small frown.
"It was functioning as the heart for the Phantasmal I dealt with." At her blank expression he clarified "Demonic Beast."
"Oh."
"Hmph." He looked over and saw Sothis staring at it with a strained expression, he raised an eyebrow "Does the sight offend you?"
"No…" Sothis shook her head, biting her lip and raising a hand to her forehead "Its just...that looks familiar somehow."
Goetia furrowed his brows, he hadn't run any tests on it yet, although he suspected it worked as a reversal to a magic core. While they generated magical energy, the phantasmal appeared to draw in magical energy from its surroundings.
Perhaps that was why the beast was larger than the wolves, they only had the growths on their heart while this creature had the complete version.
"I see." He instead went with "Still, I am conducting a small investigation into their biology."
"Hmm…" Sothis hummed, floating away from the jar "Fine, that makes sense." she nodded to herself.
"...Mission go well?" Byleth asked him, Goetia looked at her and nodded his head.
"Mission objectives were completed with no loss of life." He answered "That would categorise it as a success."
"...I see." She nodded "...Did you use any spells?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
"…"
"…"
"...You two need to work on speaking with people." Sothis grumbled, she pointed at Byleth "You say far too little!" then at Goetia "And you have all the charm of a tree."
"My skills at conversation are hardly a concern." Goetia dismissed "If I have need to convey information, it will be done in a concise manner. Presentation is barely a concern."
Sothis gave him a flat stare "Your manner of conversation is how I imagine a book would talk if it was capable."
Goetia gave a slow blink at her "...Was there anything else you needed?"
"No, I think we're done here." She turned to Byleth "I'm going for a nap." then vanished, leaving the pair alone in the room.
"Bye." Byleth waved to him as she left.
"Farewell." Goetia nodded back to her, the door to his room closing as she departed.
Conversational skills? What a laugh, he was perfectly fine at conversations.
Omake: Back Home Again III
He knew it was coming, the inevitable encounter.
It hung over him like like a headsman axe, the encounter between his current self and his self from the past.
He could disguise his true name from Fujimaru Ritsuka and the Ruler servants easily enough, but he would never be able to disguise his similarity to himself. His current version would no doubt see the connection between the two of them.
How that would affect him, he didn't know.
With the presence of the Kaleidoscope, his Beast self might view him as Solomon from a different world. That was, perhaps, the better outcome. The other would be that he would recognise him as a version of himself.
And Goetia would have responded accordingly to that threat, when he had come to London it had purely been on a whim.
He didn't need to do anything, but he had felt some urge to meet the human who had acted against him and dealt with the singularities. When he had left, the only servant of any interest to him was Mash Kyrielight, which is why he had held back against the Master.
At the time, he didn't want to kill her.
With himself being here, his Beast self, despite holding a power similar to a Grand Class servant, would recognise Goetia as a potential threat.
What the result would be then...he couldn't guess.
His way of thinking back then and his way of thinking now were separate entities, despite their similarities they were different individuals.
But he knew one thing.
His Beast self would feel insulted by his presence beyond all measure.
"You seem troubled." He turned his head to see David approach, Caster gave him a sideways glance and went back to looking out of the window "Care to share what's on your mind?" he smiled "Its good for the conscience."
"Confessions?" Goetia snorted "But if you seek to ask if I am troubled...then yes. It has not happened yet...but I feel as though something approaches."
"Ahhhh…" David nodded "Gut feeling is it?"
"...Something like that." Goetia responded cryptically.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it will be fine." David pat him on the shoulder "If it is something big, then we'll just deal with it."
"You seem to have a rather limitless supply of overconfidence." Goetia replied, David snorted and shook his head.
"Nothing like that, I just think its good to hope for the best outcome, rather than the negative." He gave Goetia a strange look "You really are quite pessimistic, aren't you?"
"Pessimism is the foundation of Realism." Goetia replied "Situations rarely proceed how you wish them too."
"Speaking from experience?"
"...Perhaps."
"Hmmm...Alright then Caster." David turned away "Keep your secrets, just be sure that they don't drag you down. Like I said, confession is good for the conscience."
David walked into another room, Goetia watched him leave and then turned away before another voice called out.
"He does speak truly." Sothis spoke, floating over to him as Byleth approached "Perhaps speaking would do you some good. Especially if it got that scowl off your face."
"You're troubled." Byleth pointed out with a small frown, Goetia looked at her and then sighed.
"I am."
"More than a gut feeling."
"Hmm…" He nodded, turning away and looking out the window into the foggy streets, he whispered several words forming a small bounded field around them "I had come here to face the Master when I was...different." he confessed "The individual I was during this time will arrive...and then he will see me." Goetia met her eyes "And I do not know what to do."
"Are you ashamed to admit that you are the defeated foe they currently face?" Sothis asked, Goetia blinked and then looked down in thought.
"Shame, you say…" He chuckled "Every fibre of my being told me I was right. My dream was right. Shame...I would feel shame if I were to attempt a similar feat now. But I cannot admit shame for the actions of my past self. We are two distinct entities. He is the King of Demon Gods. I am he who could have been King of Humans. That is all there is to it."
"Is it?" Sothis tilted her head "How do you expect your past self to react when he encounters you?"
"...Rage." Goetia admitted "He will either suspect me to be the equivalent of Solomon from Fodlan...or a lesser version himself from the same place. Either way, he will view my being as an insult to him."
"Would it not be best to warn Master then?"
"...Fujimaru Ritsuka defeated me in my own temple. I had every advantage." Goetia met her gaze "I was he who could have become the World itself. And I was defeated by an ordinary human. Besides, he will only target me. Fujimaru will be in little danger."
"And you will just offer yourself to him?"
"…"
Sothis and Byleth frowned "Is that really alright?" the latter asked "He'll probably kill you."
"He'll still lose in the end." Goetia shrugged "I did. Because...He never could understand humanity."
"...Be careful."
Goetia was dumbfounded in his temple. The Chaldean servants had arrived in the London singularity and almost ended it. That in itself wasn't a surprise, they had already dealt with the previous three.
And yet…
And yet!
This one servant. Looking upon him when he first entered, Goetia felt an indescribable rage overtake his being. The pillars had been alarmed by the sudden emotion which had flooded his body.
This servant...This 'Caster' from another world.
They shared a connection and that appearance...that cursed appearance.
He looked like Solomon, indeed if he was from another world he could be Solomon...and yet that was wrong. He knew it was wrong.
It didn't matter.
He rose from his throne, red eyes gleamed, he would deal with this himself. He had been meaning to make a brief stop by the Chaldean's anyway.
"Space is opening!" Romani cried into the communicator "Its coming and I don't know what it is!"
The chasm shook as space ripped open in front of them, a figure shrouded in dark shadows stepped through before space sealed behind him.
The servants all tensed themselves, save one.
Fujimaru and Mash blinked in shock as their new Caster broke rank and approached the shadow walking towards them.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Mordred cried out "You got some kind of-"
"I had not thought it possible." The shadow spoke in an eerily familiar voice "This presence...that spirit origin. Every instinct is telling me that you are scum below even the humans who cower behind you. And yet...and yet!" the shadows parted, revealing a tanned man with long white hair in a braid, wearing ornate robes with a predominantly black colouring to them.
Caster and the new arrival stared at eachother.
"What-No...Who are you?" The newcomer narrowed his eyes, pacing towards Caster "This...I feel this connection to you...but you aren't me." he paused "And you conceal your name...your true identity. What are you then? Some failed fool from some alternate world?"
"I am what I am." Caster replied. Then it clicked with then why the voice was so familiar, despite the tonal shift and the slight echo of multiple voices speaking over at the same time. The centre voice remained the same.
This newcomer and Caster, their voices were identical.
"Who are you?" Ritsuka asked, straightening himself. The newcomer sent a glance at him before looking away.
"Be silent, trash." A flicker of light shot across towards him, only to be met by a copy. Both spells slammed into eachother.
Barely twenty feet from the man, Caster and the new arrival glared at eachother.
Then, the man laughed. His mocking laughter echoed throughout the chasm, his hand rising to hold his head "Hahahaha! I did not think it possible! No...I could not envisage it! But I realise what this emotion is! What it truly is!" he stopped laughing "I hate you. I don't even know who you are and I despise you. No...I despise everything about you. Your very presence disgusts me beyond words. Know this, otherworlder, you have my congratulations. You are the first being I have encountered who I truly despise and I don't even know why!" he threw his arms wide "Is that not amusing!?"
"As you say." Caster replied "I despise you as well. It seems that we cannot abide eachother."
"No. We cannot." He replied "I am Solomon. King of Magecraft. He who burned away the filth that is humanity and all they are."
The servants took a step back "S-Solomon!?" Romani cried out over the communicator "He said Solomon!? But that's…"
"So what?" Mordred scoffed "He's got some big name, who gives a shit!" she grinned "He's just some tool for some cowardly Master."
"You should spend less time flapping your gums, Knight of Londinium." Solomon scoffed "I am no one's servant. Do not rank me on the same level as you incompetents. I summoned myself under my own power." he looked away from her "But that is irrelevant." his eyes fell back on Caster "I have found someone who I genuinely want to kill, a new experience for me."
Caster remained silent exhaling through his teeth.
"Fujimaru!" Romani cried out "You need to help him, even if he is a high ranked Caster, these readings I'm seeing here are-"
"I will not be interrupted." Solomon interrupted Romani "But out of gratitude for bringing me this new feeling, I shall only summon four of them."
The ground split apart as four Demon pillars emerged, eyes blazed with hatred as they focused in on the servants.
"Caster!" Ritsuka cried out "Fall back to-"
"I shall keep him occupied, Master." Caster replied, floating himself off the ground, a yellow band of light formed behind him with ten spheres circling through it "He represents the greatest threat."
"Hahahaha!" Solomon laughed "So I see you feel the same. Perhaps that is why I hate you so much!" he floated off the ground until he was level with the Caster.
The two stared at eachother for a few moments "However marginally fascinating your origin is, you stand no chance against me. As a mere servant, you are limited to being trash."
"Perhaps." Caster nodded "I am aware of my limitations...but that is what makes me human." a flicker of a smile formed on his face "And if I am aware of them, I may surpass them. Perhaps you underestimate humans."
"Foolish final words from scum." Solomon spat, a look of pure hatred on his face "I will not even ask your name, I will ensure any trace of your existence dies with the rest of humanity."