fate/legend of zelba idk it's 5am

[sealedsun]

[a tremor rattles portraits on walls and causes a water glass to crash onto the floor into shards in a large ancestral home. it belongs to the Hyrule family -- a longstanding line of female mages who possess a power likened to the Holy Grail itself. they call it Hylia. they say it is feasibly powerful enough to destroy the Grail.

Hylia's youngest daughter doesn't have a moment to catch her breath as she darts into a room. slamming a door behind her is useless because not a moment later, it flies off its hinges and crashes into the wall with a tremendous sound that shakes the ground at her feet. behind it, a man with dark skin, flaming red hair, and sharp yellow eyes grins at her in a condescending manner. for such violence he shows, he holds his hand out to her in what seems like an offering of peace.

"Enough, Zelda. Our little game of cat and mouse has been amusing but it's time to come with me now."]

No. I won't. I'm not going anywhere with you.

[this golden-haired girl, this Zelda answers despite the fear lancing up her spine in a cold sweat and the blood streaking down her face. a Servant cloaked in shadow, where she can only see eyes watching her hungrily, hovers over the large man's shoulder. the grin drops from his face making him all the more terrifying. Zelda tightens her fists, trying to stand her ground. there has to be something she can do. her attempt at summoning a Servant had ended in failure. just like her struggle to access Hylia. did this man, Ganon, really think he could draw it out of her when she's spent so long trying to access it herself? to no avail?

she would laugh in his face if she was sure he wouldn't kill her on the spot for doing so. maybe she should do it, anyway. she's going to die just like everyone else. all of the handmaidens, the guards. her father...

her chest feels hollow at the thought of all the faces that had been slaughtered in order to reach her. her eyes burn, threatening, but crying in front of an enemy is not an option.]

I'd rather die.

[vehement strength fills her voice no matter the dread. a truth she cannot and will not deny. the man gives her a long look and steps aside, letting that shadow crawl closer. Zelda holds her breath but remains steady, staring death itself in the face.

"Suit yourself. I'll wrest that power from you somehow. Whether you're alive or dead makes no difference."

is the last thing she hears in a bored tone before the shadow lunges. a pitiless stare creeps closer and she swears she can feel a clawlike hand close around her throat, icy and unforgiving--

in Hylia, may the power die with me, Zelda prays for what she thinks is the last time.

golden light explodes from her in a sonorous hum. the shadow screeches, like nails on the chalkboard, and scrambles back. it's a blinding and bright warmth, it illuminates a feral grin turned into a maniacal laugh. just as soon as she feels this surge of unimaginable energy it's siphoned from her in a blink. she thinks she's going to be sick.

there a figure stands in front of her, between her and death -- a silhouette in Hylia's gleam as it fades away.]

Comments

[barbatosbrain]

[ his Master calls him and he answers. he materializes in front of her without any pomp but for a blue glimmering. dressed only in cargo pants and boots, Zelda's Servant looks a bit more like a wild boy than any Heroic Spirit. he finds himself standing over her again, and still hungry. he fixates on her through clear blue eyes, staring at the food sitting in front of him.

she is a more enticing meal than the night before. the ember of her power is reignited, burning bright. he sees her for it and craves it. more than hunger of the belly, his need for her mana is like every cell in his body cries out to be fed. ]

[sealedsun]

[a boy, around her age, suddenly appearing in front of her after the air bends is not what she's expecting. Zelda falls back onto her hands, looking up from her spot on the floor with wide eyes.

if she hadn't seen him materialize in front of her, she would think him a normal boy. wild, sure, yes. in need of a brush and a bath. do Servants need to bathe?

she's going off on a tangent. focus. besides, she needs those things as much as he does.

he answered and it feels like he's devouring her through his eyes alone. their connection is new, and tenuous, but the channels are there. Hylia is back and surges through her. on shaking legs, she stands.]

I'm Zelda. [she puts on her brave, princess face. her eyes scan him from head to toe.] Do you... can you understand me?

[barbatosbrain]

[ she rises and his eyes follow her up. she speaks and her voice pierces through maddening haze.

Zelda, the golden mana names itself. he holds onto it. chews it. somehow it feels important, and he doesn't want to lose it. somehow it feels familiar. recognition bubbles beneath the hunger. he knows this brave voice and billowing blonde hair.

without a word he extends his notably large right hand out toward her in the eternal sign for a handshake. ]

[sealedsun]

[an incredulous, amazed exhale of air leaves her sharply. lancer, archer, assassin, saber, caster, and--

yes, she's fairly certain her suspicions were correct now. a tentative and tired smile touches her lips as she gently takes his large hand in hers. though she makes her attempts to make her grip firm like she was taught, it's a sad attempt. he probably thinks her a weak Master.]

Well met, Mikazuki. We'll be together now for a while. [berserker. her berserker. not saber, like she had been trying for all this time. instead of thinking of it as a failure, everything else had been, she knows his sudden appearance had saved her life. be grateful, Zelda.

but it's hard.]

Oh. [there's mud caked all down her arm and hand, her filthy--] S-sorry. I should...

[and she tries to pull her hand back.]

[barbatosbrain]

[ Berserker.

the Servant of the Goddess, a wild beast. as soon as Zelda feels certainty his parameters and skills become known to her:

Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: A++
Mana: D
Luck: E
NP: B++

Mad Enhancement C
Riding A
Battle Continuation A
Instinct A

Noble Phantasms:
Barbatos Lupus Rex | Anti-Fortress | B++

Gun | Anti-Unit | D


his stats are seriously boosted simply by being the servant of Zelda. that pure bright energy from inside her composes him. he is immutably drawn to her. he craves her. his eyes sink to the hand she sticks into his. the instant she squeezes his hand he understands that he could tear her arm off like it was nothing. it would sure be a problem for Zelda if she were to somehow become disconnected from her Command Seals and the only guaranteed way to control her new Servant.

he lifts his head again to look at her with a spark of recognition in his empty blue sky eyes. together. his expression is void of happiness or anger or sadness.

when she tries to pull her hand back his fingers are still closed around it; it goes nowhere.

he stares at her, expectant. ]

[sealedsun]

Wh-what is it?

[it's a bit unnerving to look into such an empty gaze but she doesn't break the eye contact. the only sign of her apprehension is the slight pucker in her brow. he says nothing as he refuses to relinquish his grip and Zelda searches for something, anything in his face. more of that flicker she saw so briefly. what caused it?

no, there's so much she has to do. arrangements to be made. yet her Servant roots her in her spot with stare and strength of grip. B rank, she notes. along with all the other statistics.

A++ agility is... extremely impressive. not that the other ranks were anything to sneeze at. how he was able to chase off Ganon (the most powerful and ancient of mages) makes logical sense with this new information. Ganon and another Servant.

this is the power of Hylia, then. this is what it summons. a Servant without peer. or so she believes.

as if summoned by the thought alone, that pure energy starts to glow in the hand Mikazuki grasps in his. it lifts her hair and creates a strange inner light from within her. sunlight lives beneath her skin and behind her eyelids. it brightens every strand of hair and lingers on her tongue like electricity.]

This. Is this what you want, as well? [like the others.] Take it.

[barbatosbrain]

[ there is much to do. there are bodies to bury. their enemy is out there. Ganon has tasted Zelda's power and will surely ready another move against her. Berserker was able to mortally wound the ancient mage only because he was distracted with his long-sought prize and treasure. relying on another opening like that might get them killed. there's no telling what another fight with Ganon may look like. on top of her life being in danger Zelda could use a bath and fuel and proper clothes. Ganon's attack in the middle of the night has her dressed still in only a nightgown. if she plans to have Berserker materialized outside of combat then he could do with a new set of clothes too.

Berserker feels it even before the energy can manifest as light. he is salivating as she begins to glow. is this what he wants? no. as a Berserker he wants only that. to fight. the battlefield. to destroy everything in the Master's way. but the light is what he needs. she offers it to him and he can't refuse her. he takes it, filling the mana reserves that keep him coalesced. untamed magic pours from her. a single hand isn't enough even when he can't let it go.

he closes the small distance to her bluntly, tugging none too gently on her hand. it doesn't come off at least. chasing after the electricity on her tongue, he kisses her with eyes wide open. his other hand finds its way inside her hair, tangles in that lightning weave. she must be able to feel how at every point of contact he sucks up her mana with ravenous hunger. ]

[sealedsun]

[she could really use a bath. scrub the muck and grime from her skin. wash away the night until her skin is red and raw. yes, and so could Berserker. so many things to do...

the energy wanes while he draws it, a lower tide. this time, it's more like a funnel instead of a dam breaking. the second round, she's able to control how much he takes when the contact is only their hands. the expression on her face doesn't so much as twitch through this. but her eyes go as wide open as his when he surges forward, pulls her in, and takes her mouth.

green meets blue.

her shaky control cracks and she can hear the splinter echo. she can't pull away. his hand carded through spun gold doesn't allow it. the sunlight in her skin touches his and seeps in at every point of contact. their hands, their mouths, the brush of his chest on hers. until it looks like that holy energy runs through his veins and he's glowing too.

Zelda struggles to keep up with what feels like an infinite appetite, squirming against him. making a noise in the back of her throat. somewhere, on the edges of her mind, an excerpt about mana exchange lingers. a tiny voice, her own drowned out by Hylia and his demand. tentative but decisive, she searches to grasp some of his own mana beneath the divinity.

nothing. maybe...

her hand circles his waist and grips him, pulling his chest closer. and there. just barely, energy separate from Hylia. pushing forward, pushing against him, she reaches for it to understand.]

[barbatosbrain]

[ Berserker kisses her like a man given water after pilgrimage through the desert. does the man feel love for the water or the well? he tries to catch her tongue. first with this, then his lips or his teeth. he wouldn't let go until he's had his fill except she reaches him. he blinks finally when he lets her go, and ceases glowing immediately.

what he does get is enough. Zelda is going to have to work on both how much of her own energy she can hold at once and keeping it from leaking and being sucked on when she doesn't want it. her Servant without peer comes with heavy mana costs for all that power. the completely base level act of crystallizing Barbatos might knock Zelda's lights out again, as she is.

along that single thread she's forged between them he sends out a single desire to her so powerful it threatens to consume her too. it's simple: he wants to fight. ]

[sealedsun]

[Zelda's brilliant illuminance takes longer to fade -- a sun setting. like Hylia is waiting patiently to be used again, wants to be used, and is as expectant as his gaze had been. she stumbles back and away and nearly topples back onto her bed, a hand to her chest as she catches her breath. the back of her other hand presses to her mouth and she watches him carefully over the edge of her palm. a rabbit waiting for the wolf to strike once more.

berserk: reckless, indeed.

she would blush but the fact of the matter is there was no romance to that kiss. no feeling besides the one that rings in her head when she reached for his energy. fight, it howled. fight.

she's going to. he doesn't have to worry about that. but not right now. taking a slow and measured breath, warding off and ignoring that desire, her arms lowered back to her sides.]

I see I need to set some boundaries with you before we start working together. [when her hand touches her chest next, it's more pointed. a gesture at herself.] I, your Master, am the source of your mana. Correct? [she goes on, knowing he won't respond.] I am in control of it. [yeah barely.]

You can't suddenly... force it out of me like that. [kissing. she can taste him, still. Zelda ignores it and, finally, a blush threatens] Or I'll eventually become a liability in battle. [if she's ever an asset. maybe once she figures out Hylia. what it can do.]

Nod if you understand.

[there has to be more to him than just the battle, right? Mikazuki, those girls called out in affection. a farm surrounding. a breeze in his hair, their hair.]

[barbatosbrain]

[while she catches her breath she'll see her wolf lick his chops before matching her gaze. his eyes bore into hers for only a second before he's looking away, eyes closed, sniffing the air. refueled, the sphere of his awareness expands. the air wafting into that room carries with it the myriad smells of Zelda's home. along with it is the dead. with the section collapsed by Barbatos not far, he can smell the outside strongly. Zelda herself is there at the center of it cluttering his senses. he hears her heartbeat, smells her grime, tastes her like he'd been licking something hot and a little sweet.

does Berserker understand? he stares at her, expression unchanged still since she started talking. even in life he could comprehend little aside from the battle. maddened and as her Servant, he has less reason and capacity for thinking than ever before!

but

eventually, after a while just staring, Berserker nods slow, never breaking eye contact.]

[sealedsun]

[Zelda hadn't realized she was holding her breath while they stared at one another. as soon as he looks away, it leaves her and she fights a wave of dizziness. twice now she's been left reeling from the amount of energy her servant has been taking from her.

if not for Hylia, she wouldn't have enough to sustain him. but Hylia is what had summoned him in the first place. why, of all Servants, this one? she recalls the towering, menacing machine. it might have been a trick of the light, her imagination, but she could've sworn the eyes were glowing.

her shoulders pull back and she lifts her chin when his gaze lands on her again, waiting.

a nod. he nodded! her lips twitch at the beginning of a smile. yes, an understanding! progress. they can work together. Zelda nods back, emboldened.]

Excellent! In that case, please refrain from any unplanned-- [there. the blush got through.] Mana exchange. If you need energy, then you can tell me. [...how is he supposed to tell her if he can't talk?]

We'll have to come up with a sign or a signal for when you need it. And now that I know you do understand me, we will need a way to communicate. I take it you can't speak, I've read that most Berserker classes aren't capable. Or, if they do, it's very little.

[the hand, poised at her mouth in thought, lowers slightly.]

First thing, then. Would you like me to call you Berserker or Mikazuki in private? Here, touch my left hand for Berserker and right for Mikazuki.

[palms facing him, she holds her hands up and out as promised towards him.]