Fate stay/BERSERK (Book 2)

Ch 5

"Wow, who would've thought there was another one out there?"

Merlin hummed as she observed the Beheilt. Guts sat on a chair, legs resting on the table as DragonSlayer leaned against a bookshelf. Vargas was on the other side of the room, searching through the other bookshelves. Guts had allowed her out of the satchel after five minutes, letting her roam around as he rested. He refused to tell Merlin anything about the one Artoria had on her, telling her to stay quiet. Merlin tapped the Beheilt once then twice.

"Hey, stop that." Guts groaned as he glared at Merlin. He didn't like seeing the egg like charm, especially with Merlin here. Now she's going to start asking questions, questions that Guts doesn't want to answer. "It's not a toy.....I don't need you ruining it."

"Ruin it? Guts you haven't told me anything about it!" Merlin shouted in a hushed voice, making sure Vargas couldn't hear them. "Godhand, portal, demons? The only time you speak about something related to Artoria, you try to hide it from me! I can't understand you if you don't explain everything! How does it even summon this Godhand, whose apparently been around since the age of gods?"

"Stupid. If I knew that, I wouldn't be going through all this trouble." Guts grunted out, looking down at the sleeping Beheilt. Merlin frowned before the swordsman looked towards Vargas, ignoring the flower mage's frustration. "Meant to ask you something. How did the Count get his hands on this thing anyway?"

"........it was by chance." Vargas spoke, looking back at the swordsman before continuing his search in the bookshelves. "He happened to buy it from a caravan of merchants that stopped by the castle one day. Even the merchants knew nothing about it, all they said is that they found it in a town bazaar somewhere to the east."

"By chance......." Guts held his chin in thought. The story was different to what she told him, yet it was merchants that gave it to them. Guts looked up as Vargas made his way towards the table before pulling out a scroll. The imp spread it out, revealing blueprints, making Guts take his legs off the table and lean forward. "Is that the castle?"

"Indeed. Look, there's a secret passage used to escape the castle that only a handful of people know about, besides the Count himself. If all goes well, you should reach the inner compound undetected." Vargas spoke, pointing at the blueprints with one finger at the center. Guts nodded before watching the imp walk around the table, letting go of the scroll causing it to fold up. "I wish I could go with you, but I'll only be a hindrance......but I beg of you, for the past seven years I've waited for this day! I've waited for the day a man like you would appear!!!" Vargas got closer before reaching out towards Guts. "You....you're my only hope! Please, avenge me!!!!"

Vargas grabbed Guts's arm. The swordsman's eye widened upon feeling the contact. Memories, bad memories, played through Guts's head. The bigger man gritted his teeth before pulling his arm away. Vargas gasped in pain as Guts kicked him square in the chest, Merlin felt her eyes widened in disbelief as well.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Guts shouted in rage. Vargas hit a bookcase behind him, grunting in pain as the force caused the jars filled with specimens to fall to the ground, shattering them. Merlin shouted at him, trying to scold him. Yet the swordsman only glared down at Vargas with utter disgust. "Don't ever touch me like that again, understand?! Have you seen yourself in the mirror recently? You're the one who looks like a monster, at least make yourself a little bit more presentable."

"LISTEN HERE YOU!!!!" Merlin shouted, grabbing Guts's nose and making him look her in the eyes. Before she could fully scold him, Guts easily got rid of her by grabbing her long hair before throwing her across the room. She hit a shelf, making her fall on a nearby table. She groaned, tearing up as she rubbed her back. ".....J...j..jerk!!!"