To Horse!

Gil and Rose rushed to Lucans chambers, where Rose regarded the bunny armor with an arched eyebrow. Upon hearing that it was in fact the equal to Gil’s own armor, she accepted it with a roll of the eyes and vanished into Ragnell’s chambers with the lady in question.

“We shall join you as soon as we can.” Lucan said, clapping Gil on the shoulder. “I’ve sent my best woodsmen ahead of us, so you might recieve aid sooner than you would expect. Ride well.”

“About that…” Gil said. “Just checking, so you mentioned the Ladies of the Lake in the same breath as Merlin before. Are they allies or enemies? Is there any chance we can arrange a meeting with them and ask for help on the way?”

“Perhaps.” Lucan said, scratching his chin. “They are more straightforward than Merlin, but often they ask for more in return for their aid. The lake for which they are named is not so very far from here.”

“I can be very persuasive.” Gil said, thoughtful. “Would it be particularly out of our way?”

Lucan stroked his chin, calculating the route in his head. “Not so very far” was a bit vague. If it would only add a day, it was likely worth the risk. If it was half a week in the wrong direction? Not so much.

“It would add perhaps a day or two.” He said. “It is in the right general direction, but not along the accepted route.”

The doors opened and the ladies stepped out, interrupting the men. Rose had the rabbit ears visible, but otherwise her modesty was largely preserved by an ankle length hooded cloak with elaborate green embroidery. Given that it was exactly the same method Gil used to hide his own ridiculous attire, he couldn’t blame Rose for copying him.

“Thank you, Ragnell.” Rose said. “I’ll try to get it back to you in one piece.”

“Think nothing of it.” Ragnell said. “I would offer you far more, if it were within my power.”

“Could you possibly get me a sword?” Rose asked. “I gather you aren’t trained in their use, but I would feel a fair bit more comfortable if I had one. Several spears and maybe a lance as well, if they can be found?”

“Lucan, can you accommodate our guest?” Ragnell said, turning to Lucan.

Within moments, Lucan had called for a few men at arms to provide Rose with a blade, and sent for three spears to be sent to the stables as quickly as possible.

“I wasn’t expecting you to wear the heels, honestly.” Gil said.

“Hm?” Rose said. “We are going to be riding, no? I’ll admit they are slightly higher than I’m used to, but nothing too bad.”

“Fair enough.” Gil said, chuckling. He was never sure which settings included that tidbit of fashion history.

Gil cursed quietly to himself when they were presented with Bayard, a perfectly nice reddish brown courser that did not deserve such poor reception. Indeed, the news that his pocket now contained a Nuzlocke ball was very positive news in general. It meant that his bindings considered Lucan’s world to be a distinct destination for the sake of his bindings, unlike the Bazaar. It also meant that he’d blindly lost the opportunity to try to game the system. Ah well, Bayard would be a fine addition to the team, or a reasonable payout. It’s not like he was going to get another Beastmaster sphere while he was in the field.

A second groom brought out a grey palfrey named Grisel, a much gentler riding horse, for Rose. The couple took one look at one another and swapped horses. Gil theoretically had more experience riding, but given that the overwhelming majority of that experience was locked away by The Company, Rose would be much better at handling a warhorse like Bayard. They trotted out to the gates of the castle, where Gawain was already waiting for them, his own horse pawing at the ground.

“Come, friends.” He said shortly. “We must be away. There is little time to lose.”

“About that.” Gil said. “We may be able to reach our destination faster if we get creative. If you wish to go by your normal route, I will not blame you, but I would be glad to have a man like you at my side for the dangerous bit.”

••••••••••

They rode hard through the countryside, and Gil was without question the one who was setting the pace. As expected, Rose had little trouble managing Bayard, especially with her heels hooking around the stirrups as if they were made for them. Gil, on the other hand, was jostled about by even the very smooth gait of the palfrey. He wasn’t hopeless, but he could feel Gawain’s respect for him slowly draining away by the hour.

“I see that you are taking care to husband our mounts’ strength. That may be wise, since we are going so out of our way.”

“I now understand why you favor unconventional methods of travel.”

“Perhaps I should have presented you a destrier, one large enough to support the two of you together with Lady Rose at the reins.”

Gawain also constantly flirted with Rose, who did not quite encourage him, but also certainly didn’t shut him down. Gil assumed she sparred with Gawain mostly to pass the time; he wasn’t anywhere near insecure enough to assume that Gawain was able to seduce a lesbian, even if he proved enough of a shit to make a serious attempt. It came off as playful banter from a man who was a bit bored.

Gil managed to ask a few questions about a plan he was cooking, and while Gawain's answers to him were relatively short, he was quite a bit more willing to elaborate when Rose asked him about dragons and dragon slaying.

“Ah yes, the largest beasts upon the lord’s Firmament.” He said. “I understand the ones who live far to the south enjoy the taste of elephants, and from what I’ve seen I believe that they could subdue even such behemoths with their coils.”

“I’ve heard they can be quite intelligent, as well.” Rose said.

“No more than any other beast of the earth.” Gawain said with a smile, “Lucky we are for that, as well. No, while they possess a certain low cunning their ambushes are really quite predictable to the alert.”

“What of their killer breath?” Rose asked, “How does one manage that with mere force of arms?”

“A visor and a raised shield will catch much of it,” Gawain said, letting out a chuckle. “It is no flame that they release, but a spray of boiling spittle. It may blind one who catches it full in the face, and is most unpleasant, but tis not the tool with which they strike the killing blow. It is not entirely harmless even so, however, as it blisters skin and bleaches cloth.”

The sun was already starting to set by the time they arrived at the shores of a large lake of clear water at the foot of a mountain. Gawain looked at the sky, sighed, and let his horse loose to graze.

“I suppose we make camp here.” He said. “With any luck, the Ladies will take note of us and come out to speak. I warn you, if they don’t do so by dawn it would be best for us to simply move on. They are not beholden to our whims any more than Merlin is.”

Gil fished one of the slightly crushed loaves of Soru bread he’d squeezed into the bag out, and broke it into three parts. It went well with some cheese and smoked meat Gawain had packed, and all told they had a pleasant enough dinner.

At around dusk, a young woman walked out of the lake, rising from the surface as if she was walking up a staircase. She didn’t even appear to be wet.

The woman looked at them steadily, and Gil looked right back. She was dressed all in white, with a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver at her hip. She looked young, quite young in fact, but her blue eyes looked a fair bit older.

“Greetings, good knights.” She said, her voice perfectly even. “What brings you to this place?”

Gil bowed low, as did Gawain. Rose mimed a curtsy, despite her lack of skirts.

“Oh Lady of the Lake,” Gil said. “Our companion, a good knight by the name of Sir Lucan, is in great peril, as are many across these fair islands. A powerful man seeks to plunder this kingdom, and we would stand against him. I know not what else he seeks, but I suspect he intends to spirit away Dame Ragnell and many other women of her like.”

Gil did not in fact know for certain that Ragnell would be the prize chosen by Kusai if he won, but it seemed more likely than not. Given how much more power Kusai had brought into this match, he’d probably only have one or two credits of value he could extract as tribute if he beat Lucan. Given that Lucan’s retinue in that price range seemed to consist entirely of rough former bandits and one gorgeous administrator, it was obvious who an invader would pick.

The Lady looked at Gil, her eyes flat and unmoved. She shifted her focus to the other two, her lips twitching into a small smile as she regarded Rose.

“I see.” She said, “What would you have me do?”

Her voice was as cool as a mountain spring, almost bored in its inflection.

“We hope, fair Lady Nimue, that you would speed our steps so that we may go to the aid of Sir Culwych with greater speed than our horses alone might bear us.” Gawain said, “Merlin counseled us to go there with all possible haste.”

“And this smiling man considered my sisters’ aid to be within the realm of possibility. I see.” The Lady said, turning back to Gil. “You come bedecked in foreign magic, and your companion’s enchantment is most amusing. She stirs even my heart, which is quite outside the norm. What would you offer me, that I might give you this boon of travel?”

Gil considered his options. From everything he’d heard, this woman wasn’t exactly a pillar of the community. She’d be an excellent addition to his team if he could capture her, and if not he could almost certainly sell her on the forget setting and get a nice payout, at least on par with what he’d gotten for Ephraim.

“I have a few things you may find interesting.” Gil said. “I prefer the magic of my homeland not be revealed to the men of this land, Gawain. Would you be so kind to step away for a time?”

Gawain accepted the request with good cheer. If it got them moving again quickly, he was up for anything.

Gil dug in his bag, looking for the corruption fruit. He was pretty sure he and Rose could manage something. In a perfect world Rose would manage to get this austere lady to enjoy herself so much she’d stick around just for the benefit of his wife’s company.

As he pawed around in the satchel for the fruit, he felt a sudden, lancing pain in his hand. He pulled it out, and to his horror he saw Merlin’s acorn shooting out roots that dug deep into Gil’s flesh. It was agony; sheer, undeniable agony. He felt woozy as the acorn drank his blood, the roots burrowing with horrifying alacrity up his arm towards his heart.

Rose looked at him with concern as he screamed and tried to burn the acorn with lightning. Whatever this was, he needed to cut off the source before healing would be worth the effort. He only slowly realized that Rose was looking at him with the confusion of someone who had no clue what he was on about. The Lady of the Lake regarded him serenely, though she had a tiny, affectionate smile.

“I see Merlin gave you a gift.” She said, “I believe it would be best if you abandoned whatever course of action you were considering. When he puts effort into his omens, it’s best to listen well.”

Gil looked at her, barely processing her words. They weren’t seeing this. Rose would be doing something, anything if she could see the source of his agony. His whole arm was interwoven with roots; even the bone was cracking as tiny shoots drank the marrow. If they couldn’t see it, maybe it was all just an illusion? That seemed most likely.

If it was true, knowing it didn’t do a damn thing. The trunk of a tree grew around Gil, pinning him in place, practically devouring him. When the root system reached his heart and throat, he felt blood welling in his abdomen, and then he tasted wood as it grew upwards into his brain. Finally, blessedly, he passed out. Perhaps thirty seconds had passed since he’d brushed the acorn in his bag.

A few minutes later, he woke and saw Rose speaking with Nimue. The acorn, unsprouted, was still in his hand. Alrighty then. No coercion on the Lady of the Lake. Gawain knelt next to him, and handed him a waterskin full of heavily watered down wine.

“The green crystal he bears which holds the wellspring of life would secure my aid. I can tell that it contains not merely power, but knowledge.” The Lady said, “Or perhaps you could simply swear to perform a task of my choosing at a later time?”

“He only has the one, so I’m not sure if that’s an acceptable price.” Rose said, then made Gil proud by saying, “And no, I will not give you an open ended hold upon me. Tell me what you want now, and perhaps we can arrange to do it.”

“Do you think my time is so freely given?” The Lady asked archly. “Any task you perform, gift you give, or oath you swear must of course be of value to me, lest I remain in my home and tend to my own devices.”

“No, no, she’s right, Rose.” Gil said, struggling to his feet. “Any chance you could give me a few choices? I’m sure we could arrange to do one of them while we are here, and I can leave the Cure Materia with Sir Lucan if we don’t get around to it.”

A small smile danced across her face, and she nodded.

“Very well.” She said. “I shall give you options if that is what you desire. First, I desire the head of Sir Balin the Savage, who killed my eldest sister.”

“Lady Nimue,” Gawain said reproachfully, “Did your sisters not swear upon Sir Lucan’s blade that you would abandon this grudge? It has been fifteen years, and all agree that he had ample cause for his wroth! He is a righteous knight for all his faults!”

“My sisters swore not to take action against him. I was too young at the time to make any such oath.” She answered coldly, “Sir Gilbert here may of course surrender the crystal he bears instead, or perform some other task in my name. In any event, you should go gather the horses. You shall be leaving soon, with or without my aid.”

The Lady and Gawain met each other’s eyes for several long seconds. Gawain blinked first, stalking away to gather the horses.

“So… I’m not sure if I want to get involved in something controversial.” Gil said. “You said I’d have other options, right?”

“Quite so.” Nimue said. “You may also bring me the blade Marmiadoise, or instead the Sword of the Red Hilt.”

“Where are those swords?” Gil asked, brightening.

If Lucan could walk around with a binding openly strapped to his belt, that implied that the magic swords in this world were pretty damn badass. It also implied that they had a wide variety of abilities, even if Caliburn was considered top tier.

“Upon the back of Sir Balin the Savage.” Nimue said flatly. “Also known as the knight with two swords.”

“Any tasks that don’t include killing or robbing Sir Balin?”

“I would also accept the head of Sir Balan.”

“Who is?”

“The brother of Sir Balin the Savage.”

Gil sighed.

“You’re kind of defeating the point of giving me options, here.”

“No. I’m giving you freedom in how you extract justice.” Nimue said coldly, “I suppose there are a few more options. I would accept one of the other crystals you bear, if you explain to me the contents of your bag and allow me to examine each item in turn. I might perhaps choose another item to take instead, with your leave.”

“Better…” Gil said, not sure if he wanted this woman to know the nature of some of the tools he typically carried around.

“Finally, you could convince Merlin to abandon his romantic pursuit of me,” she said, “without also convincing him to abandon his role as my teacher.”

Gil groaned. That last one sounded the most reasonable, but from his brief interaction with Merlin he suspected that would be the hardest of them all.

“Alright. We can work with that.” Gil said, “It would really suck to lose the Cure Materia, but if you’re willing to defer payment until it is time for me to leave, I can accept that. I’ll try to do one of your other requests before we leave. Deal? There is one stop I’d like to take on the way to Culwych, though. If you’re willing and able.”

“Perhaps.” Nimue said, beaconing towards the lake. A graceful white horse walked out of the lake, just as she had. “What is it, and what will you offer for this additional boon?”

“I’d like to meet a dragon.” Gil said. “Do you know of any that we might visit on the way over? If you do, I’ll allow you to examine one of the other pieces of materia whenever I don’t need it.”

“That can be arranged.” Nimue said.

••••••••••

So how do we repay Nimue?

https://strawpoll.com/e2naX211AyB