“So, think it’ll work?”
Hokusai excitedly asked the strange Caster.
Gilles shared a connection to the Evil God of the Abyss, the one whose existence gave the twinned Hokusai their power. But while theirs was a pure and direct connection, Gilles was a thin and ragged one, the connection his due to his ownership of an eldritch grimoire, not due to his own work.
“Oh Great Painter, between my fervor, your passion, and the young Abigail’s faith, we can indeed try and work this miracle.”
The large and imposing Caster paused, realizing something.
“But where would we commit such a blasphemous ritual? It would need to be a room dyed in decay and filth, and a room worthy of being a workshop, to have even the most remote chance of working. But all such rooms capable of being a workshop are already claimed, and Da Vinci is too skilled at her craft to let anywhere in Chaldea fall to such a state as we desire.”
“……that’s not entirely true.” Abigail piped up from her lounging spot atop a larger tentacle, having been rather silent while the Painter and the Heretic discussed the improbably plan.
“Our amazing Master must have convinced Da Vinci to allow some part of the facility to fall. Have you not noticed how many powerful Spirit Origins aligned with Death and Shadows they have been gathering recently?”
A bright, if creepy, smile rapturously appeared across Gilles features.
“HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO BLIND? But of course you are right, young Abigail. But where could it be located? Between the Phantom and myself, we have ventured far through the filth of Chaldea.”
The youth of the Witch Trials smiled sweetly.
“There are places down here you can’t get to without prior knowledge.”
The giant of a Caster looked tiled his head, confused.
“Oh? And here I thought my Magecraft and my Spellbook would render me aware of all such places.”
He raised a hand to his chin, contemplating.
“When could this have happened? Such a thing would’ve been very noticeable to one such as I, or the other evil Casters. Because while they may all shun me for my faith, they would be too curious to stop themselves from denying a rival this place of power.”
“Unless there was a time when everyone in Chaldea was unconscious.” Abigail added brightly, her pale white skin seemingly glowing from within.
Hokusai was glad the easily guided Caster knew how to give both Foreigners the right sort of questions so they could lead him down their path. He so needed a higher power to guide him, and the only one who might actively refused.
“Was there such a time? I recall passing out on the day celebrating the birth of Our Lord, but wasn’t that just me?” The hand that was at Gilles chin was now joining its twin in safely holding Prelati’s Spellbook, gripping it tighter than a vice.
If not for the fact that the Spellbook was a Noble Phantasm, they wouldn’t even need the Caster. But the Spellbook was tied to his connection to their ‘God’, and thus inseparable from the Servant.
“Yes. Prior to Ereshkigal-dono formally entering a relatio– establishing a contract with our Master, everyone here at Chaldea spent a fair amount of time unconscious.”
Hokusai was glad that the Jaguar was happy to share anything so long as she was fed, since this had been vital in figuring out what the Goddess of the Dead had done here. It had been quite audacious for her to move what remain of th-
The increasingly agitated Caster calmed himself in an instant, the sly intelligence hiding behind his madness shining through his abyss-tainted eyes.
“….how would you know this? If I recall correctly, you both came AFTER the dawning of the new year.”
The large chameleon-esque eyes of the Caster narrowed to pinpricks, a different eye focused on each of the Foreigners.
Fascinating. I wonder how Oui would paint his eyes……..
“I may be a Servant, but a lot of you older folk tend to forget that fact around those like me!” The now pale purple skinned Abigail piped up again, jagged teeth on full display, her eyes closed as the purple Eye within her Keyhole shone bright, oily ‘light’ bending around her form as tendrils made themselves present, both of her large ornate Keystaffs in hand.
The tendrils buzzed loudly, the plague of insects Hokusai knew she had at her beck and call agitated.
Hmm, a threat display. The Gate and The Key is really making itself known.
“OH GREAT DEMON, PLEASE IGNORE THIS INEPT FOOL WHO WOULD DARE DOUBT YOUR MESSENGERS!” The imposing Caster was fully prostrate before the now looming Avatar of the Gate, as he wailed his apologies, before his form stiffened and he passed out from the pressure.
“A͈̣͖h̴̙͎̖ͅ ̧͍̰m̴̠͔̺̼g̰͙̝̬͘e͔̦͚̰̻̻͝ͅp̴̗͕h̴̻̩͚̗a̜͈i,̦͢ ̹͉͖̯o̹̹h͕ ̜̖̫t̟͕̰͇̦͇h̢͇̟͙̘̖͙̥r̟͖̥o̞͠d̴̮̩͇̘̠o̞̲g̲͙̠̮̠̩ ̸̤̼T̫͚u̹͟t̗̟͍̯͙̼̼-̘̩̣͍̤̦̕S͎͚̦͈̰ͅy̡̱͉̳̱p̯̯̙h̸͔o̲͎͍n͞.͔̩̮̖͚̙ ̵̠ ̴͉͚̠̗T҉̯͉͔̜̞h͉̺̬̖̯͎e̟̞͡ ̱͕͜ḁ͙͔̥̭̲̲h͏̻̫̳̫’̴̯̳͚̻l̩͇̰̳̻̖͇e̲̼̰̮g̺̞̩͠e͖̕t̸̰̜̪h҉͉̩ ͏͎̰͇̖̟h̺’̩͚̮̣̦͉ ̗̳̮̖̮̘̘k̪͎̟a̢͚̪͚͉͍͇d̮̺͉͈͔̮͢i̷̻̼̜ș̠̱h̳͙̜̖͚͝ț̣͎̳̖u̼ ̢̮͓̼a̵g҉͖̜̯l̮͍͚̼̫.̲̬̤̯͠” Hokusai whispered to the agitated Foreigner, showing deference in hopes of placating it.
The Outer God would easily break the container housing this portion of the Heroic Spirit if not careful, and they didn’t have time if they broke him further and others found out.
And if we are to prevent the Ice from completely dominating Chaldea’s Dream, we need that damned Book.
While the oily ‘Light’ dissipated and Abigail slowly eased down back on to the large lounging tentacle, the Eye of the Gate was focused upward, glaring at something.
Y̸’̯̹̪̠ ̜̹̘̟̜̣̙m̧̲̳̟̲̹̘g̮̜̜̗̙̭r͓͍’̯̙̫̫̗͞l̟̠͎̹̼̯̘͢u͏̝͔̺̳̳h͖ ̣̥͙a͏̺̫̤̜͉h̴̰̹̲̥͍f͇̭̱̤̕’͎̬̭͕͞ ̟̟̩͈ͅy҉͓̠̼̪ͅm̰͞g’͕ ̦̞̝͞a̲͓̼͎͓̯͘h̢̼̳̫̲̪ͅ’̦̻̲̗̻͔e̝͙͙͉̫h̻͔͖̫͔̩̼͜y̷͉̪̼̗̮e̷̺̪̗’̦̖̳̠d̲̰̩̘r̯͡n͚̰̝̝̞̞ͅ, ͚C̜̭̟h̠͢a̙̣̝͖i̧̻͕̜͇̰̟͍n̞̩͈̠̩ ̼͞o̞͉̱͘t̥ ̲H̭̼e̝͍͕͘a̵͔̻̰ve͕n͕͡ ̰̹̳̣̙̞͍͘n̼̣̩̠̪̹ͅg̰͈̤͔ ̖a͙̫h͙̠͚̯̯̯̲’̢̙͎e̱͎h̖͎̘̫͉̱y͍̼̞̠͞e̗̫͈͢’̜̲̮͕͉̺d̬̘ͅr̷̖̞̟͍̮n͕͖͎̫̠ ͈͉͚̰̙o͕̲̪͜t̝͓̞ ͡K̸̗̹u͓̠̹͠r͙̬̙͙̝.̵̥̯͚̻̳̤ roared through Hokusai’s mind, now tasting what Abigail’s brand of insanity tasted like.
I must have Oui paint this, for it will be a masterpiece. Hokusai paused and collected themselves, realising what the Gate had said.
Ah, the defenders of Kur now know we know. I wonder how they will react.
“I̹̬̣̮ͅä̮͔̭͈̪̭͜!͇̞ ̸͔͔̹̮I̗̙͕̤͓͓ͅä͙̖̟͕̜!̝͚̥̫̠͢ ̶̻̠̟̙N̡̫͉’̮̜̖̲g̱̟̬h͏f͎͈͇̤͙ț̵ fht͏̺͕͖̭a̢͔̖͙g͓̮͖̝̯̮̺͟n̴̤̗͚̰ ̦̣y͎͎̖m͓̗͚͍̩̪ͅg̻̰͕͉’̣̣ ̩͓͝i̶̦̬̭͎l̬̺̼͜y̛͉̗̖͔a̝̖̳̰̠͖a̟̱͠,̵̭̳̜̙ ͎̣͇̝͙f҉̣͙̲͓̖͍̯h̪̫̖̘̺t͎͎̙̺̙͍a̯̺͇͇g̙̲n̰̞͚̯̼ ̸̺͖͍͚̟G̜i̭ll͖͔̦̮͡e͈̭͔͎̗͔s.͏̭͙̬̝” Hokusai stated as they used their brush to hoist the large Caster onto his filthy rags he was apparently using for a bed, eldritch ink caressing his sleeping form.
The Great One recognizes you, atleast. Maybe we do need your Self as well as Prelati’s influence.
The two Foreigners quickly left the depths of Chaldea. The tiring spirit of the Gate was a sly thing, only turning up when the pure youngling was spending time with the child of death, and was most likely going to deposit the slowly waking Abigail in the bed she shared with the other younglings, where none who cared would be the wiser.
Hokusai had no such luck. What should they do?
Rounding a corner after having left the elevator, Hokusai’s “salvation” appeared.
“My my, what are you doing out so light, dear Painter? Fancy a drink?”
The delicious smell of sake was exactly the excuse they needed.
===================================
“What are the strange ones up to?” the green haired Enkidu quietly asked their compatriot, standing before the door hiding the abyss of Chaldea’s depths. Gilgamesh had asked his friend to keep an eye on the door to the Underworld, after the last stunt the remaining goddess of Babylonia had pulled.
Luckily, unlike her black haired counterpart, the blonde Divine Spirt was very easy to get along with.
“We’ll see when they come. Kur is calling to them, we just have to wait for them here.” Ereshkigal felt the pull through her Soul Cage. The abzu below was restless, something unheard of in her time. But humans had helped let something into their reality after her reign, and like a virus it had quickly infected all of time and space until it was an undeniable part of how everything worked. So while it had not been there when she was first awake, it also had been.
Both dependent on, and locked away from, reality.
And now it stirred.
Note: In case the text effect makes it too hard to read, here’s the lines of dialogue in R’ylethian. (And I threw in the rough translation coz why not.)
– Ah mgephai, oh throdog Tut-Syphon. The ah’legeth h’ kadishtu agl.
Which roughly meant ‘Be still, Oh Great Tut-Syphon. The fool will know his place.’
– Y’ mgr’luh ahf’ ymg’ ah’ehye’drn, Chain ot Heaven ng ah’ehye’drn ot Kur.
Which roughly means ‘I see what you hide, Chain of Heaven and Keeper of Kur.’
– Iä! Iä! N’ghft fhtagn ymg’ ilyaa, fhtagn Gilles.
Which roughly means ‘Iä! Iä! Dark dreams await you, dreaming Gilles.’