The Grail Works Mission Dossier (Discussion & Ideas)

[Xamusel]

So... nothing new yet for the Grail Works? Just as a matter of curiosity and concern.

[Kieran]

As usual, plenty of ideas - and no small amount of trouble putting them together.

[Xamusel]

*winces* Ouch... not fun. Hopefully your muse works for you for once in that regard. I mean, if all else fails, you can reboot Crisis of Fayth one more time as a prequel to a new story idea.

[Kieran]

Prologue the First



Cafe Ahnenerbe
Grail Works Universe








Despite its Japanese location, the coffee shop was done in a Western style, with more than a few touches that Rin recognised as being German, having spent the time she had with Ilya. It wasn’t that that made her nervous about it; it was who had made her the appointment to meet here.

There were, it had to be admitted, some serious perks to being the acknowledged apprentice of the Wizard Marshal; she had access to the Clock Tower’s resources without necessarily being answerable to them. Oh, she was expected to display the same discipline as any other student—even for fear of Zelretch, the Clock Tower’s administration was only willing to bend so far—but in terms of oversight, or responsibility to their rules, she had a remarkable amount of latitude. That same latitude, however, came with other costs. Not least among them being the storied history of how Zelretch treated his apprentices.

Magi in general were ruthless, amoral beings—but when one was a centuries-old Dead Apostle with access to the Second Magic and a low boredom threshold that description took on entirely new depths.

(The less said about that overblown glitter pen, for example, the better, so far as Rin was concerned.)

And, as if in proof of that description, Zelretch chose that precise moment to appear. Literally—one instant the seat in front of her was empty, and the next, a grinning old man with wine-red eyes was staring at her.

“Boo!” the ancient vampire snapped as he materialised, and Rin would forever deny her shriek of reactionary panic.

It took her several moments to calm her racing heart; however, this was not a bad thing—it also gave her several minutes to bite back her instinctive responses to his “prank,” which her rationality insisted would not end well for her.

“. . . Hello, Master Schweinorg,” she finally ground out.

The Dead Apostle chuckled. “Such a disappointing face you’re giving me, Rin-chan . . . But, never fear; I’ll get a reaction out of you yet.”

Rin was a magus, and to be a magus was to walk with death. She had participated in a Holy Grail War ritual—she’d even fought and killed that monster that Ilya had called a Berserker—not, admittedly that it had done her much good . . . As such, however, she liked to reasonably consider herself made of relatively strong stuff. Not quite as literally possessed of “nerves of steel” as Shirou might be, but difficult to scare, and accustomed to dealing with fear when it did arise.

That statement, however, sent an entirely new degree of chill down her spine.

She covered her reaction with a sip of the tea she’d ordered, and was proud to note that her hand only trembled slightly when she set the cup down.

Subtly taking a deep breath, the young magus made an effort to keep her voice level as she asked, “What can I do for you, Master?”

Still grinning, the vampire’s eyes closed, and his voice became incongruously serious when contrasted with his expression.

“. . . It’s been some time since I took you as my apprentice, Rin-chan. It’s been nearly as long since your boyfriend started his pet project—”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Rin sputtered reflexively, unsuccessfully willing her cheeks not to blush.

Even aside from the fearsomeness of his reputation, it said something about the force of Zelretch’s personality—and how he got that reputation—that merely opening his eyes a crack stopped her blustering rant before Rin even got warmed up.

“. . . That’s better,” he said. Still looking at her through that half-lidded gaze, like a sleepy lion that had not yet decided whether or not to attack, he continued, “Now, having had all this time, Rin-chan, have you noticed the incongruity?”

“You mean the lack of explanation for how the Grail, having been tainted in the Third War, and absolutely toxic in the Fourth, was free of any impurity by the time we got there?” Rin said acerbically. “It was kind of hard to miss . . . Which means, of course, that Shirou has no clue,” she added under her breath.

Zelretch grinned slightly wider. “Good. Observational skills and logic can be taught, of course, but it’s far less time-wasting if an apprentice has them already. So, have you come up with any reasons for it?”

Rin frowned. “Short of the contamination’s somehow flowing entirely into the Lesser Grail during the Fourth War—which would explain Sakura and the presence of Rider—not really. If the taint remained in the Greater Grail, it should’ve been present when we claimed it. But it was the Lesser Grail fragments from the previous War that displayed corruption. I suppose, if Angra Mainyu was sentient enough within the Grail, he might have flowed into the Lesser Grail of the Fourth War as the easiest way to manifest; it wouldn’t have done him any good, since the Lesser Grail would’ve merged with the Greater, but . . .”

“But?” the vampire prompted.

“But why destroy the Greater Grail at all if that was the case?” Rin asked rhetorically. “It would’ve made more sense to destroy the Lesser Grail, then—and done a lot less in terms of collateral damage. And while a wish might not have been possible without the Greater Grail, my father’s notes indicate that sacrificing a seventh Servant would punch a hole through to the Root . . .”

“Emiya Kiritsugu was a more skilled magus than his son, but no less unconventional,” Zelretch said noncommittally.

Rin snorted, but managed to refrain from rolling her eyes. “It would be impossible for him to have been less skilled . . .” Returning to the subject at hand, she concluded, “But that aside, it doesn’t answer your question, does it, Master?”

“No,” Zelretch agreed. “It does not. But that question does lead into why I called you here today.”

Rin straightened, bracing herself for the worst.

“I have a test for you, apprentice—”

Here it came . . .

“Under my sponsorship, as of tomorrow, you’re going to participate in the Great Holy Grail War.”

WHAT?!

It was only as she registered the stares of the serving staff that Rin realised she’d said that out loud . . .

[Xamusel]

I saw this in my email inbox, and I'm glad you returned to this, but... a collaborative work? How do you plan to work on this fic with others? And, for that matter, with who?

[Kieran]

I saw this in my email inbox, and I'm glad you returned to this,

but... a collaborative work?

Yup.

How do you plan to work on this fic with others?

We use Skype, mostly.

And, for that matter, with who?

. . . I'll let him decide how and when to reveal that, I think. For now, a member of my gaming group, long-time TYPE-MOON fan and previous author is all I'll say about it.

[Xamusel]

Fair enough. Thanks for explaining that much.

[Vigilantia]

Intriguing. Where are you thinking of going with this, Kieran? (Just in general. Its been a while)

[Kieran]

Sorry for the delay in answering - the family was at an Irish Rovers concert last night.

Intriguing.

I certainly think so.

Where are you thinking of going with this, Kieran? (Just in general. Its been a while)

Since the first chapter (or following couple of prologues) would answer that, I think a few more hints/spoilers aren't out of order . . .


In-story, Rin's mission will be to "acquire" the Greater Grail, so that Zelretch can hook it up to the Fuyuki system between the Fourth and Fifth Wars. Not that he mentioned that last part; she just knows that he's tossed her into an even bigger War (and an even bigger mess.) Along the way, she will be encountering a number of familiar names and faces - in both good and bad ways - and since they can't risk bringing the Works' Servants along, lest they be absorbed into the system, her backup is sadly limited . . . Or is it?


Out-of-story, having finally seen "Fate/Apocrypha" in its entirety, I think it has some interesting concepts, a few great characters, and excellent fight scenes, but plays out like somebody turned a badly-written SI fic into a big-budget anime. So I'd like to do better, and maybe give a few of the sadder sorts a better shake.

(And since I know Rin was your character's go-to partner, feel free to PM me for further details as to her status.)

[hatori]

oh. goody.

[Kieran]

Prologue the (Fourth?)




Not long ago
A Servant Universe far, far away . . .








“. . . It seems, coincidentally, that you were on the same wavelength as someone else’s mind. They would appear to be a mage. But we are headed to a battlefield. Information leaks and unknown elements cannot be permitted. I’m going to remove the source of the problem.

“Maybe you’re still listening to my words through this Black Knight as a vessel. If you are . . . I would like to say goodbye. Having someone listen to me when I needed it . . . I think that was nice. When I succeed, and make a name for myself as a Servant, maybe we can talk like this again. When that time comes . . .

“No, that’s just wishful thinking. She and my deceased Master would both laugh at the thought.

"See you. Whoever you are, from a Servant Universe far, far away . . . May the Alternium be with you, always . . .”








En route towards Trifas, Romania
July 1, 2004








He started awake after that, his heart pounding and thoughts racing.

What the hell did I eat that had me dreaming of a mashup of “Star Wars” and Saber A—

His eyes widened in sudden realisation.

. . . Awww, SHIT!

Spending several seconds cursing silently in every language he knew (which was quite a few more than he previously recalled), he unbuckled his seatbelt and made his way to the back of the plane, before locking himself in a vacant bathroom stall and staring at himself in the mirror.

And it was himself, more or less. Not simply because his memories insisted that it was, but because it more or less matched what he’d looked as a human, prior to getting cursed into his half-drow druid character—though admittedly, minus about fifteen to twenty years of aging and plus about fifteen to twenty kilos of muscle.

And going back to the aforementioned memories . . .

Leaving aside the newfound (or perhaps, merely newly-awakened?) part of him that insisted he was a TYPE-MOON fan and general failure in life who had briefly become something more, his current sense of self-identity insisted that he was a magus by the name of “Godafrid Úa Súilleabháin.” To perhaps no one’s surprise, he often went by “Frid,” or answered to “Sully” among friends, rather than hear people butcher the pronunciation, saving the full name for formal or legal occasions.

The truly sad part, to that new source of memories, was that this was a perfect fit for the Nasuverse’s terrible habit of mangled-if-not-utterly-ridiculous “names” when it came to foreign-born characters; it also happened to be the Old Irish pronunciation of his actual name. He’d used it before, for certain D&D characters . . .

Didn’t matter—what did was getting back to the Works . . . Assuming that wasn’t part of the dream, anyway.

If it was, would the part of me I think of as “me” still be insisting that I was in a fictional universe?

. . . He hated it when he made sense like that.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke, seemingly to the air.

“Ilya-chan, if you’re listening, I could really use a Door . . .”

To his immense disappointment, exiting the bathroom revealed the aisle of the plane, not the foyer of Avalon Castle.

Resigning himself to being stuck here for the foreseeable future (if not his entire life), he made his way back to his seat, and began organising his thoughts and memories.

All right, for the moment, I’m stuck in the TYPE-MOON universe—or one of them, at any rate—being “Frid,” who is . . . A freelancer magus?

That was both good and bad. Good, in that confirmed the existence of magecraft, and ruled out the “EXTRA/Extella” incarnation of the universe; given his history with technology, getting involved with the VR simulation of a supercomputer on the Moon just sounded like a ludicrously bad idea.

With all due apologies to the Emperor of Roses, not even Nero’s presence could probably make up for the amount of things that would likely go wrong if I got involved in that mess . . .

It was also good in that being a “freelancer” magus implied some level of power and competency, since freelancers were basically mercenaries for hire—and as such, frequently in conflict with the Enforcers of the Magus Association and the Executors of the Holy Church. As for the bad . . . Well, the prior statement pretty much summed it up, really.

And since I am not nearly bad-ass enough to be Emiya Kiritsugu, or even Bazett Fraga McRemitz, I’d hope that Frid spends a lot of time avoiding conflict for a freelancer . . .

A check of his most recent memories seemed to confirm that, at least; his present “job” had sent him travelling through a few European historical sites. Nowhere major, though, in magecraft terms—heck, one of them was a bloody tourist attraction! It was practically a vacation, which was why he’d only charged his transport expenses for the job. Even then, only for the international stuff; if he’d needed to take a cab or a train “in-country,” he’d written it off, just like his hotel and meal costs.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have charged at all, considering it’s a favour for her little brother, but there was just no arguing with that “You’re not family yet” stance of—

Frid blinked, coming to several heart-attack-worthy realisations at once.

First, he was apparently engaged. Second, he was engaged to Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia. And third, he was carrying “The Blueprints of Frankenstein,” as he “recalled” jokingly referring to them.

Which meant that not only was he in the world of “Fate/Apocrypha” (and apparently deeply involved with some of the major characters, at that), the opening events of the Great Holy Grail War as he’d seen them were very much imminent—if not due to break out within hours of his arrival.

“Oh, bloody hell . . .”







Writer's Notes: Sorry for the double-post, but I thought I'd try and tempt your curiosity a bit more . . .

[Xamusel]

But... that wasn't a double-post.

[hatori]

wait.
Oh this is going to be good......

[RanmaBushiko]

I saw this in my email inbox, and I'm glad you returned to this, but... a collaborative work? How do you plan to work on this fic with others? And, for that matter, with who?

That would be me, to be honest. It's been a few years since I've really gone back and touched Type Moon for writing, mostly because of my apartment, working to keep it, and building a video game in my own free time. (Much less how slow that's going... trust me when I say that those video game developers like notch, or the fellow who made Cave Story got lucky with how they did so well.) But Kieran and I are both interested in seeing how this could go. I'm still having to hunt down a decent software for making sure I'm doing proper grammar, so I don't need Kieran beta reading for me so much. (Admittedly. This is because, even though I have a key for a copy of Microsoft Word somewhere, it's in a chat something like 4 years old now, and I'm not exactly eager to look through skype chat logs for hours. And I'm not sure it's even still VALID, considering I used it for the prior installation of Windows 7, rather than my current one...)

wait.
Oh this is going to be good......

Oh, I agree. It really is. The cast alone for this is going to be insane, to say the least. Side effects, plot bunnies, and possible spit take reactions are coming.

So, I'll add my own two cents to this. Keep in mind, this isn't beta read yet, and I'm still working on it, as well as the next two parts for his prologue.

(If anyone is curious, as to the source of this character, Kieran went over options for inserting someone into the Grail Works story. First, as an SI. Then as a very, very meta SI that would know a little too much for their own good. Then we decided to just take the character from the Scion game I played under Kieran with another member, and use that character directly. Thus, a character insert who's going to soon be somewhat nerfed from God, to Demigod levels of strength as a side effect of dimensional travel to come.)

Yet Another Apocryphal Teaser

Prologue 7:
Erik Ulricson, Norse God of Innovation, Pykrete, Paranoia, and Mecha:
Co-starring:
Tamamo Ulricson, Norse Goddess of Foxes, Happy Housewives and Subtlety
The Fenris Wolf, Norse God (If disliked by the rest of the pantheon) of Wolves and Devouring

Godfall Part 1

2025 AD, Earth Orbit, above the Prototype Aerial Battleship Wolfen

I'm in a bad mood today. Well. Truth be told, I'm not in such a bad mood. My own insane preparations aside, the fact that I'm the only one that's been building up any military power whatsoever out of all the godly pantheons, means I'm also the only one that has a chance in hell of intervening to save anyone.

Walking to the window, I take my glass of scotch, and sip on it, while looking out over the massive fleet of 75 aerial battleships below. 75 battleships, hanging out in Earth's upper atmosphere, shining brilliantly in the cold darkness of space, while thinking of the past.

Being effectively raised by a wolf, a descendant of Fenris. Searching for a way to free Fenris from his chains, and bindings. Becoming acquaintances with other scions that would eventually travel with me. Meeting my wife, Tamamo, daughter of Amaterasu. Railing against fate and legend alike. Riding a war mech, Metal Gear Pykrete Rex, after those Metal Gear games on the MSX that Tamamo told me about, and the Pykrete I used to fix it, while designing it to look like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, against Svartalfheim. The subsequent destruction of the machine while fighting against Fafnir, long surviving Sigurd after faking his death, before Fafnir was slain. Defeating Surtr and sealing him, with another Metal Gear Rex, this model working with liquid nitrogen bombs that weakened him.

Then the final fight. Jormungandr. Where against all odds, we had killed the beast, my blows finishing it off. In the end, after all was said and done, we were dragged back in time from 1993, to several decades before, in front of Fenris himself. And I convinced him to not kill the Norse Gods, before freeing him of his chains.

Of course, it wasn't that easy. By him being unsealed, the fate of the Norse Gods being made undone, Surtr and the other Titans were released in the first place. And once THAT fact got out, the Norse pantheon, barring Tamamo, were considered anathema. To not be talked with, or considered.

So while the rest of them bickered, I traveled to Mars, with my newly married wife, Fenris, and our followers, in a giant spherical dome, the inside the size of two massive continents, as well as my own Aerial Battleship, the Wolfen. We've been terraforming the planet ever since, using godly powers to ignore issues, and terraform it, while also building up. My Legion of Coal reminds me a lot of the robot army from Star Wars Episode 1, to be honest. Not much too them, solo, but in sheer numbers, they do well enough. Especially with the mecha I've constructed for them. Mechanical Dragons, the Mecha Fafnir line, and machines based off that Pykrete Metal Gear Rex.

20 years, to build myself up as much as possible, for when those other pantheons inevitably failed against the Titans, and would call for our help. 20 years, since I lost my original last name, Ulfrsonr, or Wolfson, for the new last name I was given. Ulricson. Wolflord. It's fitting, I think, especially with my naming sense working around the concept of Wolves. Wolf Home, Wolf's Wrath, the last real mech I've made, the Wolfen...

"Sir!" I pause, glancing over at Captain Nestor. He's a good man, Nestor. Works with me well, and is happy being the captain of the Wolfen. Nestor's beckoning me over.

"What is it, Nestor?" I finish my drink, as I walk.

"Secure Message from Odin, sir. He says that you're to deploy the fleet whenever you wish, but he wants you in orbit, unlike Lady Tamamo and Lord Fenris. They're going to protect Amaterasu, and we don't want them trying to attack us for daring to land." He looks down, and away, while telling me. I can't blame him, not really.

"I get it. Signal the fleet. Deploy and take on the Titan's newest attempt to breach every version of Heaven. Kill them all, and let their ruined corpses be ash on the ground, to our weapons!"

Nestor grins, just as big a grin as the one on my face. Finally. With this fleet, the end of the titans is here. And with this fully armed, operational, and most importantly, UPGRADED prototype battleship, far stronger from the ship it once was... this should be a cakewalk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBUx6zTxr98 (For the Glory ~ All Good Things)

In sync, 75 battleships drop out of orbit, entering into the otherworlds that the gods live in. It's a pity I can't give them nuclear weapons, with how scarce radioactive material is on Mars. But with the lasers I made infamous against most of my foes, the flamethrowers on the Mecha Fafnirs, and the sheer amount of explosives used by both the Mecha Fafnirs and the Metal Gear Rex Production lines... it should be simple enough to win.

"Scylla, please pull up the screens from each ship, for the cameras we put on board. I want to see everything." I smile, as the being known as the Scylla responds, pulling it up. I'm honestly glad we saved the core of the new and improved Scylla. Even if no one else realized that it was effectively an AI supercomputer, I did. And figuring out how to link it to computers was a masterstroke of genius. With how bad targeting computers were, at that day and age, it could do the work for me, letting me aim while it fired 6 weapons at the same time for me. Now, as I've grown, it's grown more skilled, as programming I write allows it to multitask even better.

As I watch the battles through the screens and constantly studying how everything is working, I bark orders to each ship working to help them compensate for issues.

"Battleship 25, compensate for the flight spell failing a bit there, with thruster set number 3! Battleship 18, pull yourself in closer to 03, to guard it better!" They move to do so, constantly unleashing barrage after barrage of missiles, lasers, and machine gun fire.

It's honestly beautiful to watch, and I can't help but settle back in my chair as I watch. The explosions rain like fire, constantly snuffing out Titanspawn from the sheer numbers of missiles alone. Unfortunately for the Titanspawn, they forgot about the simple fact that the bombs, and missiles have an explosion RADIUS. With that in mind, and my Legion of Coal targeting... it's like wheat before the scythe. Or the barrel full of fish in front of a 500 pound bomb.

"Sir, transmissions are coming in! We've got reports that the titanspawn are being driven back everywhere, from every Otherworld! We're doing it, sir! Even though Titanspawn forces are far more formidable than we thought they would be, it looks like we won't even run out of the first batch of missiles!" Nestor's voice reaches me, and I can't help but smile at what he's saying, before frowning as something occurs to me.

"Any idea why they sent so many, though, Nestor? This is definitely unlike them. Even Surtr at his strongest didn't send out an army of this size..." I glance back at him, before looking back forwards at the beautiful spectacle before me.

It proves them wrong, after all. That machines are NOT useless against the Titans and their Titanspawn.

"Nothing yet, sir. Wait a moment... patching you through to Tamamo now, sir." I nod, then watch the main screen show my wife, and Fenris, talking with Amaterasu, leader of the Amatsukami pantheon, and my mother in law.

"Lady Amaterasu, how fairs the fighting? Any losses?" She glances, then narrows her eyes at me for a long moment.

"I'm still pissed that you stole my daughter from my pantheon, brat. But these warships of yours certainly ARE helping. Thank you for that." Amaterasu sounds annoyed with me.

"I'm glad that I could help you out, mother in law." I smile at her, then sigh. "Even still, do you have any clue what the hell is going on? The last time we saw anything on this scale from them was when we did that diplomatic visit to Muspelheim, and we know how THAT went."

She winces, then sighs softly. "I don't. But since the Titan avatars themselves aren't involved, my suspicions are that they're trying to do something while our focus is on their spawn. They don't care about their children like we do, after all."

I can see Tamamo biting back the words "You CARE?!", as plain as day on her face, before sighing. "I get it. We're doing fire support, and my Wolfen has a couple atomic bombs ready if it's a worst case scenario, but I'd rather not fire them off. Nuclear material is rare where we've been at, after all, and most gods have a tendency to ensure they don't detonate."

She flinches, hard before glaring at the screen. "YOU HAVE THOSE?! Why would you even... oh. Your engines for that ship are nuclear run, aren't they?"

"Fusion, now, but that's a recent development. We don't have the material for any other ship to have that sort of power source right now. It's why, though they're doing well, they're not nearly as well off as the Wolfen would be, mother in law." I can see her pausing, giving me an outright stare of muted shock, before settling back.

"Sir! Unknown reactions from the Titan Prison! I can't make out anything else about it!" Both my eyes, Tamamo's, Fenris', and Amaterasu's widen at Nestor's words, before I turn. "Split screen, please, Scylla."

"Aye!" I can faintly hear the Scylla's reply from here, as one half the screen shows the location of the prison, and an odd black energy emanating from it. The energy looks familiar... but where the hell have I seen it before?

"Nestor, give the order to the prototype spinal railgun crew. Nuke that thing, now!" I hear him nod, as I narrow my eyes, trying to recognize where the energy is from.

Oh. Shit. Entropic. It's like the entropic curse that one of my swords has steel tainted by. The same curse that destroyed the first Metal Gear Rex model machine, that I rode into battle.

"Now, damn it! It's an entropic curse of some sort!" I can vaguely feel the ship shudder, even as I shout, as the Wolfen's new railgun launches a nuclear warhead at it. Even still, I'm scared it's not enough.

I can see the shockwave from here, in orbit, as the otherworld that the prison is in detonates entirely, while watching the nuclear cloud slowly erupt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OUGH5BE5FQ (Moonlight Sonata ~ Hidden Citizens)

"Call all the battleships back up to orbit that are done with the titanspawn. I've got a bad feeling about this. Fenris, Tamamo, get ready for pickup or to get out." They nod, as I watch the cloud carefully."

"Sir. Energy pattern is still there! It's growing!" Oh shit.

I watch, with growing horror, as a dark orb grows, sending out tentacles of energy into several otherworlds.

"GET OUT! GET OUT OF THERE!" I'm screaming at Tamamo and Fenris. "GET OUT!"

I can see a tentacle of dark energy into Amaterasu's realm, shattering parts of it like paper... heading right for them. They don't seem to be using the spell in time...!

Until Amaterasu intervenes, that is, forming a star between the tentacle of dark power, and her guests. "Go, my daughter. I may not have been the best of all mothers to you... but I still love you, and want you safe. Be safe, be happy, and live with him. I don't know what this is, but I won't let it have you!"

Tamamo stares at her mother for a moment, then moves, even as the ground buckles from another tendril reaching for them. She smiles sadly, then flinches, trying to not scream, as her power suddenly diminishes alongside Fenris' own. Visibly, I can see tails disappearing from her, as she screams, then desperately grabs a device I gave her, before smashing the button.

She appears, alongside Fenris in a flash of rainbow light. Thank fuck the prototypes work... thank fuck.

I hug her tight, as well as Fenris, checking her, then him for wounds. They're not dead, but they're weakened, for lack of a better term. Like they've gone from being Gods, to being weak heros, not even demigods.

"Take care of her, Erik." I look up, to see Amaterasu's skill being eaten by the tendril of energy. "You're the only thing between her and death now, son in law. I'm sorry for not getting to know you better earlier, and thinking the worst of you."

With her final words, Amaterasu, goddess of the sun, dies, and her pantheon dies with her. For a long moment, I just watch the now dead screen, before glancing at the rest of the screens in front of us. Didn't I order my fleet to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT8nG9hv168 (Your God is Dead ~ ReallySlowMotion Music)

"Nestor, status of the fleet?" I pull Tamamo onto my lap, and get both her and Fenris as comfortable as possible, while sitting back in my chair slowly, even as I watch the dome of entropic energy slowly grow from orbit.

"No response, sir. I'm constantly messaging them, but whatever this was, it's... new. I think TOO new, to be honest. Like it wasn't tested." Nestor's voice sounds as exhausted as I feel.

"Any responses from Asguard, and the defenses I helped build there?" I slump, backwards. All those ships are likely gone, now. Destroyed.

"Nothing at all, sir. I think..." He can't finish the sentence. Neither can I.

"Well. Shit. The Norse Gods are dead, and like the stories go, all hail the new Gods, survivors of the old. Us. Scylla, can you calculate how big that entropic curse is growing?" I watch as it visibly grows, one tentacle now visible from orbit without magnification.

"Estimated time until it consumes the Earth, 5 months." That's really not long at all. That really isn't long at all. I slowly shake my head, just... realizing how stupid it is to repeat that train of thought, instead of doing something about it.

"Nestor... set us on a course for Wolf Home on Mars. I don't think we can do anything more here. Faster we get back, the better." I just close my eyes, and breathe.

"Aye sir. With the new test relic for immediate transport?"

"Indeed, Nestor. Indeed. We're all tired, and we need to get back to figure out what the hell to do."

[Xamusel]

Hmm... this looks to be interesting. However, I have to wonder. How does this connect with the Grail Works universe as a whole?

[RanmaBushiko]

Hmm... this looks to be interesting. However, I have to wonder. How does this connect with the Grail Works universe as a whole?

That's going to be in part 3 of the prologue. I'm still in the middle of writing part 2, then after the third, having 2 other prologues to go, before we can actually start on the meat and bones chapters for the story. Suffice to say though... as a hint, dimensional jump made by the last God with ultimate intelligence, who studied under Wayland Smith to learn Blacksmithing and Engineering. Or, to be more specific. The last God with the ability to make anything possible that's remotely possible, if they roll enough successes on it.

Kieran roughly worked out that someone with an epic strength of 8 in Scion would be the equivalent to a Heroic Spirit with A+ Strength.

However, let me give you a hint. It's not a grail war, without a WAR, right?

[Xamusel]

Hmm... okay, I see what you're saying now. I hope to see more of your work in this as soon as possible.

Speaking of work in this setting... I still need to work on my side of things. (/)_-) Dagnabbit!

[Xamusel]

...I apologize for the double-post on my end, guys, but I just realized something. Kieran, you forgot to adjust your character's Origin Story, didn't you? I'm hoping to be able to use the Reign of Winter scenario for my segment of the Grail Works still.

[Kieran]

But... that wasn't a double-post.

When I started my post, it would have been - Hatori's snuck in while I was writing.

wait.
Oh this is going to be good......

That is certainly the hope - and to be (uncharacteristically) optimistic, it's certainly looking good so far.

Anything in particular you're looking forward to - or for that matter, would want to see?

Oh, I agree. It really is. The cast alone for this is going to be insane, to say the least. Side effects, plot bunnies, and possible spit take reactions are coming.

That's the plan, anyway - and I am so glad to have you onboard.

(And incidentally, the emphasis is on "insane" - I'm not sure I can stress this enough. )

...I apologize for the double-post on my end, guys, but I just realized something. Kieran, you forgot to adjust your character's Origin Story, didn't you? I'm hoping to be able to use the Reign of Winter scenario for my segment of the Grail Works still.

No, I hadn't - I've been trying to clarify things on my end before I sat down and did all the revisionary work. Now that that's (mostly) done, however, I should be able to get to it in the next day or two.

[Xamusel]

Thanks for explaining, Kieran. I appreciate it, really.