6. Merlin Goes Berry-Picking

The Lancer Cú Chulainn noticed the instant his new mistress's eyes drifted closed, but he continued to casually draw out details of the local situation from their little hostess. The kid rambled on, her mood cycling rapidly between the helpless anxiety he expected from a child in her situation and an overweening self-confidence usually only found in the offspring of a god. He recognized that from his own childhood, and decided he approved of the kid.

But as soon as Serendipity's head slumped to one side, he put his hand on Ritsu's head to stall her speech. "Just a minute, little miss."

He carefully picked up his mistress to move her someplace more comfortable, and shook his head at the rags she wore. The Caster could have done something about them, but had clearly chosen instead to continue enjoying the flashes of smooth skin and gentle curves.

"Where's a bed?" he asked Ritsu.

Ritsu bit her lip, swinging instantly back into helpless anxiety. "I've been sleeping in here, in those blankets. There's not much furniture left."

Pulling his mouth to one side, Cú tucked the young woman among the blankets. She muttered a curse and rolled away, curling into a tight ball. Thoughtfully, Cú let himself go immaterial for just long enough to get a sense of the actual state of the ruined castle, and then snapped back to Ritsu's summoning chamber.

"What the hell happened to this place?"

Ritsu scowled. "We haven't had many summoners the last few generations. So they let the castle fall apart. They thought maintaining it was too expensive, and would seem aggressive to other provinces."

"Idiots." Cú shook his head. "Though even like this it'd be more defense against those Irregulars than cottage walls. Why are you alone?"

"You're an adult, you tell me," said Ritsu sharply, and then added, more subdued, "I think a lot of them can't even see the castle anymore. It hides itself from those who are anti-summoner."

Cú eyes narrowed. Structures that hid themselves was the first suggestion of a challenge in this strange location. "Are there ways around that?"

"I don't know," muttered Ritsu. "But that dragon familiar keeps sniffing around. If it gets in here, that's it. It's over."

"Nah," said Cú. "Dragons aren't my particular thing, but trust me, I've killed plenty. Well, I'll go keep watch." With a wave, the Lancer dematerialized again.

He drifted around the castle ruins for a time: watching his summoner as she slept like the dead; watching little Ritsu as she zoned out brushing her little familiar's fluffy fur; watching the surrounding forest for any unusual movement.

The whole situation was wrong. The young woman who'd summoned him was no magus. The Throne of Heroes had provided him with no information on his location… but it had dispatched him. Even the components of the ritual had changed.

When Merlin wandered through the broken walls carrying a large basket of mixed fruit, Cú rematerialized and jumped down in front of him. "Let's talk, you."

Merlin gave him a distant smile. "Oh, I'd like that but the young lady did seem so hungry—"

"She's sleeping still. Look, we're going to talk if I have to pin you down. Why not get it over with?"

"Well, when you put it that way…." Merlin murmured as he set the basket down and stood, arms akimbo. "What can I do for you?"

Cú leaned on his spear. "I noticed you don't call her Master. Why?"

Raising his eyebrows, Merlin said, "Does she feel like a Master to you? In my case, I named her, so it feels like a step backwards."

"Nothing about this configuration feels normal," Cú complained. "This place is way outside the usual parallel worlds."

"Yes," said Merlin, that distant look on his face again. "I think we're on another trunk altogether."

Cú stared at him. "Then how did we get here? How did she get here?"

"I came because she sent me a very compelling invitation, and you got here because she bled into a magic gate. Don't you remember?" the mage teased.

"Yo, don't make me cut out your heart this early in the game. My mentor would turn me over her knee if I missed your fingerprints all over that 'summoning.' What did you do?"

"Hey, hey, hey, take it easy!" said Merlin, flinging his hands up. He eyed Cú. "I wonder what your mentor would have to say about all of this. Maybe…" Cú swung Gáe Bolg up and Merlin hastily changed back to the original topic. "Okay, I may have hijacked a few systems and tied them together so she could call Heroic Spirits as Servants through that portal. A little. But she practically asked me to do it!"

"And how did you get here?"

Merlin grinned. "I told you. She sent me a compelling invitation, just stinking of True Magic. Absolutely irresistable."

Scoffing, Cú said, "That girl? No way. Impossible."

"No, no, I'm not saying the Magic came from her. Somebody's using her as a pawn. I think it'd be interesting to find out who, don't you?"

Cú twirled his spear. "Even though you've twisted everything up, she's still my summoner, and I don't like thinking of her as anybody's pawn. So, yes, Caster. I would be interested in finding that out."

Beaming, Merlin said, "We're agreed, then. Ah, but you won't tell her my involvement in her summoning ability, will you? There's no point in doing so; she won't need my help on future summonings, and I think it might hurt that delightfully decisive character if you did."

Cú made a noncommittal noise. "If you're back for a while, I'm going to go check out these Irregulars."

Merlin picked up the basket of fruit again and gave him a wave. "Enjoy yourself."

"Well, yeah," said Cú Chulainn, and dematerialized.