4 Witch’s Inheritance

Child of Shadow

Chapter 4 - Witch's Inheritance

By theMadLad

Looking at the object in Lugh's outstretched hand left me with only a single thought.

…The fuck is this?

I gave him a strange look that practically screamed my thoughts, only to have him reply with a weary smile, "What's wrong?"

"…It's a sword." I replied with a distasteful tone.

The fuck would I want a sword for? I use spears damnit, the far superior weapon!

"And?" He smirked in response.

I felt my eyes twitch at his teasing words, "I use spears, I can't use some little sword." Which was true in a way, swords were not a weapon I was nearly as proficient with when compared to spears. With a spear I was debatably the greatest in the world, while with a sword… I could at most survive a fight with a master swordsman.

"This isn't just any sword, it is Fragarach." Lugh replied as he placed it in my hand and closed my palm over it, "I have held onto it for centuries, consider it my apology towards you for all the trouble I've caused." He spoke in a remorseful tone.

…Fragarach.

Honestly I didn't know much about it, Connla's memories told me that it had something to do with wind while my own made me think of the bullshit ability it's Fate Series counterpart had, that being reversing the flow of time to instantly kill the opponent on the condition that they use their greatest move.

I was curious what this counterpart did.

"How's it work?" I asked as I firmly gripped the short sword from his hand and accepted it for what it was, an apology and bridge to move forward.

Lugh smiled as he replied, "Fragarach can pierce any defense, and can even place the wind under your command. Lastly, it also holds the title of 'The Whisperer' or 'The Answerer' because when placed at one's throat, they are unable to tell a lie."

Fuck, this was the perfect assassination weapon. But, I still had to ask… "Why not Gáe Bolg?"

It was strange that he would gift me Fragarach, but not Gáe Bolg, as not only did I have immense ties to the spear—Hell, it was what killed my predecessor—But, it would also be a perfect weapon for me.

He gave me a grimace before pulling out a small shard that left me speechless in shock as I laid my eyes upon it.

…It was the broken off tip of Gáe Bolg.

"W-what happened?" I could help but stutter in shock as I spoke, after all how could Gáe Bolg break? It also didn't help that it was different from what I remembered. While the barbed spear had always radiated a sense of maliciousness… this was different, even the remaining small tip felt like death itself.

I imagined this was what devils felt when confronted with holy power, it left hives on the skin just from being in the same proximity. I even noticed Rossweisse looking towards it in fear, while Odin had his eyes widened in object surprise at the sight of it, with faint beads of sweat rolling down his scalp.

Lugh seemed a bit in grief as he spoke, "After my death as Cú Chulainn at the hands of Lugaid and Medb's conspiracy, the Gáe Bolg was returned to the Dun Scaith, and to my mentor, Scáthach." His hand gripped the spear's tip, lightly piercing his hand and bringing a hiss of smoke—but without even acknowledging it or showing a hint of pain, Lugh continued to speak.

"After receiving the news of my death, she fell into a depression," Lugh spoke with a self-deprecating laugh, "I suppose it made sense, I was her favorite student after all."

I gave a weary smile in response while dredging up Connla's memories while training under her. He visibly remembered her always having a smile when talking about his father.

"To vent she did as she had always done, fought. Until eventually… she could fight no more." By now he was gripping the spear's tip so firmly that it had pierced his hand, leaving a darkened mark that radiated maliciousness on the wound.

"She went on a rampage across the land, slaughtering the remaining Fomoire still in existence and fiercely protecting the Isle of Skye, which was frequently invaded by ghosts and demons from the underworld through its connection with the sídh mounds there." He sighed as he continued, finally loosening his grip on the shard, "This had caused her to be revered by the locals, to the point where she had become a minor goddess from their worship. But, unfortunately while this may have been a boon for others, it was not for Scáthach."

I listened as the story seemed to take a dark turn while analyzing his previous statements. The Fomoire were one of the two races that the Celtic Gods belong to, along with the Tuatha Dé Danann—it was not too dissimilar to the Norse Pantheon whose gods also belonged to two races, the Aesir and Vanir.

The Fomoire were described as hostile and monstrous beings that were led by the Evil God, Balor… at least until he was killed by Lugh, who was a member of the opposing Tuatha Dé Danann during the war amongst each other.

Meanwhile, sídh mounds were burial mounds or portals that lead to the land where fairies lived, I could only assume that it had been corrupted somewhere in order to lead to the underworld instead, which was shared between the various pantheons throughout the world.

"But with reverence of her immense strength, also came fear. Similar to the mountain gods in Japan, she became tied to her lands, unable to leave, and now with her divinity… unable to die. Forced to live a life without meaning other than battle." Lugh continued to explain with sadness, with even Rossweisse and Odin who had been listening showing pity.

It didn't surprise me too much that Scáthach had managed to become a god, she was someone who could only be described as a straightforward warrior queen of high-class birth and standing. She lived as true to herself as possible, an apparent requirement to become a god… if I remembered correctly.

"I had approached her with the intent to free her from her fate, but it appears that human faith was more stubborn than I imagined." He spoke with a pointed look in my direction as Odin nodded along, leaving me and Rossweisse confused. "I was unable to help her, which led her to giving me… that request."

He grunted as he forced the words out while staring deeply at the broken tip held in his bleeding hand, which by now was pulsating black ooze from the wound left by his tight grip. "…She begged me to kill her with that very spear, and put an end to her miserable state. Never in my thousands of years of living have I ever wished to be someone else, but at that moment, I did. I wished I was my incarnation instead, because what she needed was Cú Chulainn, not Lugh."

His mood seemed to deflate as he finished, "So, I did what she asked and slayed her with that spear. After the deed was done, I could no longer bear to look at it and destroyed it in a fit of rage—it had already taken the three people most important to me… I would not let it take another."

He held it out to me, "I couldn't bring myself to completely destroy it however, while it may have been a reminder of what I lost, it was also just as much a momento. But now, that has changed." He looked towards me with a genuine smile, one that was missing the grief so clear on display moments prior, "Now you have returned my son, and this spear tip no longer burdens me so. It is your birthright, as it was not only my incarnation's spear, but also your aunt and mentor's. If it was to be passed to anyone, then it would be to you."

He held it out to me with his now blackened hand, "I'm sure she would have wanted you to have it as well, for while her journey had ended… yours has just begun." The spear tip began to float over to me as he held a palm out to fully display the effect it had on him, with the blackened sludge from the wound having spread across his hand like a plague—marked by pulsating lines of red that fully displayed the malignant properties brought by the injury.

"As you can see, this spear tip has gained anti-divine properties, with Scáthach's constant slayings turning the original Gáe Bolg… into a Godslaying weapon. While perhaps not on par with the holy lance that pierced the Christian Messiah in terms of power—its ability to kill gods is no less." Lugh tucked his hand behind his back as he finished, "I can infer that you hunted down the Curruid with the intent to forge a weapon from its bones, use this piece for the tip, and you shall have yourself a Longinus."

I was speechless as he finished, never expecting such a dramatic tale to have occured. I will be the first to admit that the emotions I had towards Scáthach after seeing Connla's memories was not love or admiration, but resentment.

Connla had originally been raised by his mother, Aife, who was Scáthach's sister. While initially a loving mother who gladly taught him runes and magic, after hearing a rumor that Cú Chulainn had taken a different lover and married her… she grew resentful.

While the innocent Connla didn't understand, I did. Somehow, the woman had known that Connla would die by his father's hand, and instead of trying to prevent that… she encouraged it, wanting to use his death as a tool to get back at his father in revenge.

Later on, Connla would train under Scáthach and learn the ways of battle. There he displayed talent so prodigious that it was debatable if it was ever seen again, but regardless of that… she neglected to teach him her secret technique, even if he, unlike Cú Chulainn, was her actual relative.

…Which left him unprepared to face that very attack from his father years later, killing him before he ever even had a chance to live.

I honestly believed Connla to be a very tragic character, with him being used as a pawn by his mother to get back at his father… even though meeting him was the one true wish he held his entire life.

His father's vows were not meant to be a curse, but the world had twisted it so. His vow to not tell other his name was meant to protect him from his father's enemies that would have wished to do him harm, while his vow to never turn back from his journey would make sure that he would not be distracted during his travels, which was invaluable in a time when beings such as fairies roamed about, and his final vow, to never back down from a fight, would teach him courage, and the will to move forwards and fight for what he wanted.

They were a sincere wish from a father to a son, intended to prepare him for the world ahead, but through the machinations of fate… they would end up as the innocent boy's undoing—by the very man he had craved to know since he had taken his first steps.

Truly a tragedy, but I would not allow it to stay as one.

I looked straight into Lugh's eyes and gave him a firm nod before a string of runes erupted from my hand and surrounded the last shard of Gáe Bolg, the inheritance of the Witch of Dun Scaith. The rune chain flashed over the shard, holding it in place while I carefully made sure not to touch it.

Two runes from the rune chain attached themselves to the shard as I then lifted off my shirt, bringing the item to a seperate runic chain carved upon my chest. I carefully placed the shard over a small square surrounded by runes on each side, making it disappear directly upon contact and fade away as it withdrew into my chest.

It was a very invasive yet secure form of a private inventory.

It was made up of eight runes that were divided into four pairs, with the first pair consisting of (ᚨ), the rune of communication and naming, with Fehu (ᚠ), representing possession. The second pair was made of a reversed Raidho (/ᚱ), representing rigidity and stasis, with Algiz (ᛉ), representing defense, warding evil, and channeling energies appropriately.

The next pair was Tiwaz (ᛏ), representing authority and analysis, along with Mannaz (ᛗ), representing the individual, the self and intelligence. Then, the final pair was Ehwaz (ᛖ) representing transportation, movement and the confirmation of the meanings pertaining to the runes around it, and lastly Isa (ᛁ), representing turning inwards and waiting for what is to come—It also reinforces the other runes.

All together as ᚨᚠ — /ᚱᛉ — ᛏᛗ — ᛖᛁ, they formed into a crude square with runes making up the sides, with each pair of runes represented different aspects of the rune sequence as a whole.

(Image here.)

At the top side was the first pair, which defined what objects can be stored and also what amount, using the runes only permitted items marked by it can be stored.

By applying this pair of runes, it allows only those containing an entirely separate rune pair, specifically Fehu (ᚠ) and Mannaz (ᛗ), the ability to enter the inventory —which was what I had done at the start, when I placed those two runes from the first rune chain onto the spear tip. This process basically marked my ownership over an object, claiming it as mine while at the same time sabotaging anyone else who tries to take it through means of storage magic.

On the right side of the crude square was the second pair, they were included to ensure the safety of the objects. With the reverse Raidho keeping the objects from degrading or being damaged and the Algiz rune being used to protect me, making sure that I am not possessed by a cursed object or harmed by pieces reconfiguring themselves inside my body.

While at the bottom of the crude square was the third rune pair, they granted the authority over the rune chain solely to the wielder, making it so that only I can use it, while working in direct conjunction with the upper pair.

Finally at the left, was the fourth rune pair, they were the pair that did the actual transporting. When an item is placed in the center of the rune, the pair causes it to dissolve and be stored directly within my body, ready for retrieval at any time.

When an object was stored within the runes carved on my chest, I was able to easily summon it from any location on my body at a moment's notice before being stored once more just as easily by placing it on my chest.

…And yes, I didn't have to remove my shirt to store the shard, I just wanted to tease Rossweisse… and as I glanced over at her covering her boiling red face with both her hands while leaving a small gap for her eyes, I knew I had succeeded. I couldn't blame her though, as I was literally ripped as fuck, with me likely being at a biological limit in terms of physique.

Which also tied into why I wanted to make a new weapon—I had hit a plateau. Without a Longinus or an incredible teacher to teach me some sort of new technique or ability, I could no longer steadily improve and needed a new weapon to become stronger.

…Well, that wasn't completely true as there were a number of different options I could seek out, but it didn't help that I also just needed a weapon in general. Which is why I intended to use the Curruid skeleton to craft my own version of Gáe Bolg.

But now, with this shard that Lugh had given me after being refined into such a deadly item by Scáthach, I could make no compromise. I was going to take full advantage of humanity's one perk, the absence of a fatal weakness, and forge a weapon that would be deadly to every other race.

It was going to be a magnum opus of maliciousness, but first… I needed materials that ranged from holy to demonic, or even dragonslaying.

Hmm… how about integrating other legendary weapons into it as well?

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Author's Notes

Nooooo! Shishou ga Shinda!

Yeah, I killed off Scáthach. There are a couple reasons for this, with the main one being that while this story is obviously inspired a lot by the Fate series, it is not a crossover and as such, I want to focus on DxD.

So no Shishou—I already have a Fate story, this is a DxD one. At least I hope you appreciate her send off, where she made a weapon capable of killing gods!

Obviously also pretty inspired by Fate as well. Things are starting to pick up soon, with Connla getting two powerful objects, Fragarach and a God Slaying Gáe Bolg tip… what do you think is next?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Make sure to leave comments, reviews, and POWERSTONES!

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