[ ] Reject it - His cards have not yet all been played. Not yet. Even without this other reaching out to him, he can still fight. He can still win, so long as it was he who chose what victory meant
[ ] Reject it - His cards have not yet all been played. Not yet. Even without this other reaching out to him, he can still fight. He can still win, so long as it was he who chose what victory meant
[x] - Accept the offer
Seems like we might be summoning our servant by accident?
[x] Accept the other - if there is a chance at victory against this creature, he cannot afford to refuse it, not now
"washed away by a pulse of purifying light, erupting from his upper arm."
Hmmm.
[X] Accept the offer - if there is a chance at victory against this creature, he cannot afford to refuse it, not now
In the talks for trying to have a game plan against this boss there were two big options that we had at the table beyond the normal fighting option that were brought up. Summon now and get whoever it would be without any control of what we get cause lack of catalyst. Or burn a command seal to wish for Shinji mind to be fully clear so that he had a chance at this fight.Originally Posted by mr_Trickster
We dragged our feet on picking one of those options because it really needed to be its own choice and we had wanted to see how well Shinji could survive w/o them in a probing opening maneuvers. And thus here we are.
But is it really summoning by accident when you agree to the voice calling you?
[x] - Accept the offer
It is what it is and its either this or burn a command seal to clear the mind if you reject this to the best of my knowledge. But if Shinji did well he might be saved by Elesa but I am sure that has a cost attached as well.
If Shinji truly summon servant here, I wonder who it will be?
I don't think he have any proper catalyst with him, and as far as I remember in this case magus himself become a catalist. Iirc Rider described canon Shinji as similar to Perseus, but I'm not sure about this one.
Assassin class itself is catalyst for Hassan-i-Sabbah, so catalyst may be not object but something else. Sion's name? I'm not sure who can be summoned with it. Jinn itself or fighting with Jinn - Solomon?
Ok just change my vote.
[x] - Accept the offer
Hope this end well.
We're clearly not winning this even with a CS. And if we are to end up using one, at least use it for a certain victory.
[x] - Accept the offer.
Do it right Alf, I want Shinji to have his own variant of the summoning chant (unless you're saving custom incantations for when he unlocks Wakame Paradise)
Last edited by Daiki; April 22nd, 2018 at 01:52 PM.
Very at odds here. On one hand, Summoning here and now is very, very, VERY suboptimal. No catalyst, no additional prana sources to empower the Servant, no preparation at all. Who even does that? My inner munchkin cries bloody tears of anguish, all the while tearing dozens of charts for best minmaxing strategies.
On the other hand, I don't think there will ever be an event when Summoning will be more symbolic. This is what I want Shinji to actually fight for. Something beautiful and seemingly unachievable. The victory against all odds.
Nicely written, Alf. Really inspiring.
In the end, I am more of a sappy roleplayer than a ruthless minmaxer, I guess.
[x] Accept the offer.
Last edited by Malorius; April 22nd, 2018 at 03:37 PM.
Choice 307: [X] Accept the offer - if there is a chance at victory against this creature, he cannot afford to refuse it, not now
Chapter 80. Hero
Matou Shinji screamed as the suffering of an entire world flowed into him. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Painpainpainpain! ravaged his nerves, ripped him apart from the inside out, as his nerves, his veins, his very cells were trying to tear themselves out of him, through the thin barrier of his--.
Barrier.
The word was his salvation, with a several layer thick bounded field shimmering into existence at a single thought, and the voices - the pain going mercifully silent for a single transcendent moment of peace.
The respite lasted less than the blink of an eye, for the barrier evaporated the instant the First Jinn turned its attention upon the hastily erected construct - though that tiny window of opportunity was enough for the boy to send his ofuda in every which way, with the slips of paper surging forth not for the Jinn, but for the ground.
"How...?
T͙̙̟͔̟̬͈͐̋̆͐̇̄ͧͤ̚͠h̩̣̞̥͛̈́̏͐́i̛͔̞̝̹̠̥̗̣͔͐ͨ͌ͧͥͯ͛͂s̓̓ ͔̳͇͕̪̭͜ ̵̰̪̹͉͉̜̹ͫͧ̎̑ͧ͜c̍̏҉̭͕̺̙̠̳h̦͈̹̻͆̂̽́̈ä̸̳̗̘̣́̂̑̑̀͞tͣ̍̃ ͖̹̜̙͚̙t̴̡̞̯͚͓͔͙̜͙̂̓͒ͯ̔͜e̵̯͈̜̿̀ͦ͋̄͋ṙ̖͔̖̣͇̠͜i̜̮͖̎́̒ ̻̝̹̘ͅn̩̳͎̯͎̝͎̅̍̇̇͐ͥ̀͟g̴̴̮̜̭͎̫̯̥̊ͪ͢ͅ ̵̱͛̂̓ͩ͗̒ͩ͜p̖̘͉̦̃̊͘r̢̬̠̘̦̞̓ͮ̕i̸̢̩̖͓̜̿͋͌͂͒͠s̨̓ͮ̇̐͒̉͞ ̠̳̱̺̫̞̪͡o̧̯̙͚̭̜̳̩̩̾̉͆͗͟͞n̺̒̿͗̀͆̾ͬ̔͛͝͠ ̵̯̥̬̬͇̗͈̀ͥͧͥ̾̏̐ͬ̑͠͞s̱̥̃ͭ̄͊ͫͣ͒́ͅā̗͓̬̻̔̏̚͞p͑ͫ̄̂ͯ̚͜͡ ̲̲̟͉s̪̤̞̞̥̮͉͕ͥ̉ͤ͑ͥ ̯̹̂ͤͣ̐m̦̬̘͙̻͇ͯ̈̐̃͒͒͒̃̍͟ỳ̱̮̀͜͝ ̲̥ͮ̐̑͊̚͠mͥ͊͗ͧ̚҉̸͈͡i̅̊͐ͮ̐ͣͧ̔҉̴̹̦̟̤̤̠g̨̲̱̮͈͉͛ͨ͢h̄͂ͣͭ ̡̤̦̘̰̗̓ͯ̾̒̈ͅtͥ̓́ͨ̽̒̔̚̚҉͉͙̤̟̬.̸͙̪̗̜ͧ͋̓̍ ͉̜̞͍̝͑̓ͮ̐̓̚ ̴̧̠̼ͦͥ͒̾͗̈B̥̥̯̥̃u͕̙̥̠̪̼̞͎̱̐ͭ͐͗́̕ṫ͓͇͇͕͚͔́͒̈̓ ̉ͅê͈̓̌v̷̲̓ͮ͋͌͌ͦ͘͡e̱͔͌̃ͧ͢͞ͅn̶̶̫̥͇͇̲̹̻̅̔̒̔̈̂̈ͦ̒ ͥ́̅ͨ̀̑̚͘͏̬̟̳͙a͚̙͉̱͛̓̄͊͢ ̙͍̿͠ͅf̶̤̳̱̿ͦ͐̇͗̏̈́ͥr̭̲͍̠͔̳̤̘ͮ̎͛a̬̟̩̭͊ͧͩ̎ͫ͋͂̀c̾̌̋ͭ̈ͫ ̅͘͜͏̼̜̮t̡̫̫̠̖̰͎̃̈͗̆ͨͫ̾ḯ̧̛͈̩̯̪̜̪̲̟̱̓͊̑̈ͬ͊̒͠o̡̭̰͒͊͘ ṋ̠̳͊ͪ̋ͧͣ̇ͯ̾ ̂ͯ̋̂ͩ͟͞͏̫͕͇o̡͓̦̜͕͌̎̍̾͋ͦ͌̾͝f̨̡̗̥͈̲͖͔̼̘̣ͩ̈́ͦ̀ͫͧ̎ ̨̼̥͓̞̗̤̩͍̀̍̋̽̃̅͟m̡̩͙͍̼̣̠̝͉̏̇̇ͤ̔ͭ̕y̢̥͚͓͈̣̥̞̭̑̏̓̏ͣͅs ̈́̌͆ͧ̄͜͏̻̭̜̞̭͕̥̳e̛͎̤̫͖̪̹ͩ̄̅̈͆̊ͬͭĺ̳̳̙̹̭̳͍̞̽͊̅͒̍̐̍͝͡ ͇f̧̣͔̰̩ͮͭ̚ ͕̯̖͖̳̝͎ͭ͆ṃ̤͐͒͟a̟̳̮͍̞̻̓ͭͫͥ̎̓͊̚ḵ̶̼̹̠̓ͬ̏̈̆́͜ëͧ̇̍̈͌ ̶̻̮̘̕s̸̹ͬ̾̆͐ͬ ̶̇͋͏̝̳͓̠͇̻̼̜t̓͐ͦͦ͏̵̩̻̖͓̩h̴͎͙̮̼̟̎̓ͦ̂̅͟e̸͙͕͎̟͇͗ͧͩ̒́̈ ͙̻ ͎̖̱͖̻ͫ̍̀͐̔̈́̚g̗͉͇̲͊ͣ̍̓͂̃͋̔̚͜͢ͅo̢ͯ͂̔͛̊͒͏̻͕͚͙̳ḓ̜́̉̈́͢ ̫̺̹͈̬s̗̩̲̰͂̽͊͛ͤ͂͆͗̚͠ ͈̥̙͇̜̤̐͑ͪ̒̄̆͋̍ͣ͞t̷̢͚̺͍̥̭͕͖̭̾̿̈r̢̛̫̭̓͊ͭe̷̵̻̪̖̤̓ͪ͠m̀ ̵̷̢̜̖͙͈͙͚̝́͛b͖̪̜̦̜̠̖̣̂͋̑̾̈́̑l͉̗̅̾͛̀̾̀̀̎ͥ́e̙̜̿ͫ͒̓.̊͑ ̡̛̳̣ͪͬ̄̂̓.̟͋̋̀͌ͩ́̕.̫̹̾̈́͝
The agony returned, freshly redoubled, with Shinji - now that he knew something that would provide some manner of defense, no matter how feeble, calling on every last ounce of his might to raise an anti-spirit bounded field, aiming to block the mental assault.
I͖̯̭̦͒̃̒͐ͦ͒͆ͥs̮ͤ̏ͦ͋͛̿̇̏̽͢͡ ̡̗ͨͣ̊ţ̟̼̜͚̭͎̭̟͍̌̎͌̍ͮͥ̕ḫ̦͈̱̺̒ͩ̑̑ͫ̿ͦ́i͇̘̊̔͡sͤ̓ͨ̌͐̈́ ̶̢̛̣͖̐̐ ͓͍̃͆̈̀ͨ̂̾ͧ͢͝ẗ̡ͫ͗ͯ͛͏͔͓͖͔͉h̸̨̠̖̻͕̪̅ͦ̈̌ͤͬ͑͠e̢̋͗͒ͧ͋ͭ̀ ̖̯͉̥̘ ͙͚̻̯̣̭̱̘̐ͭ͆ͩ̽ͤ͋ͩ̕͘e̖̼̘̥͍͆̃͗̽̌̈̓ḟ̯̥͔̜ͪͤ͗ͩͩ̍͑̍͘͟͠ͅf ̶̡̖̹͍̼̜̻͈ͧǫ̖̻͔̹̯͙̀̂̎ͩ̋̀̑r͔̙̫͖̙̈́̓ͯ̂ͧͫ̄́ṫ͈̄ͣ͋̏̋̄͒͟ ̭͔ ̷̵̣̮̘̰͓̣̤̠̹͂̅ͬ͆ͣ̑ͯ́ͣ͞ȯ̬̣ͤ͊̌ͩ͛ͅf̣̲̮͎ͦ̓̀͂̀̓̓͒̀͢ ͉̹̞͓ ̷̱̘̥̖͍̭͚̪͛̃ͫ̄̍͆͗͑̆͝͝à̘̼̤̩͔̩̫͗̀ ̵̷̜̖̻̘ͥͣ̅ͪm̴̧̠̹̜͕̞̝̩̒ͭͥe̛͇̤͒̒͘ẃ̵̨̨̦̫̟̜̰̝̪͖ͤͧ̎ͣl̔̐ ̧̠̦̼ͮ̂͌̌ͣ̔͒̀͡i͖̖̰͔̙̻͙̍̐ͭ͊̕n̶͎̯ͫ̆ͦ͗̓̔͛̀g̴͎ͧ̈̾̐ͪ̂ͨ̃͞ ̠͎̲ ̧̗̪͔̖̽̅̉̾̆̐̀̚â͓̱͈͚ͭ̇ͭ͊͞p̘̆͠e͛ͨͩͩͬͨ̆ͤͮ͏͏̟̟̜̟̀?̣̃̄͠ ̮͚̘̜ ̸̺̣̝͖̪̣͓̐ͫ̕Ṕ̜̥̿̈́ͧͥ̋̉͜a̢̭͇͕͇̎̾̂͑͑ͪͭͥ́ț̵͎͓͔̲̉ͧ͊ͯ̌̚ ͅḩ̴̡̩͕̦͋ͥ̅́͂̈ͧ̌e̯̹͙͑̑̓̋̄͊͝t̢̳̘͓̀̽̄̍ͨ̔̓ī̛͈̳̳̗̙̭̕ͅ ̖c͍̮̫͖̬͙ͩ̊̀ͣͅ.̢͚̠̫̬̌́̓̃̒̍̑̓̀́ ̰̻̮ͥͤF͆̏ͨ͌̌ͣ͏̡̻͇͇̪̯ͅr͑͛̌̈͏̡̬̳͍̞̞̺̦͎e̸̛͇̜̱̲̓̐͊͌̽͊̓͠ ͈͕͍̭e̶̢̻̥̦̖͚̫̣̹̔̈ͯ̏ͧͮ̀̐͠ͅ ̵̈͗͋͛̓ͣ͏̗̳̦m̬̙͇̻̲̬̮ͤę̙͎̻̝͚̰͎͕̿,̛̼̮͖̭̲͇ͧͤ̆ͯ̌̈́̆ ͍̺̬͈͋͛͋ͫͅa̺̪̮͔ͧ̎̓̈͆̀̚͞ņ̣̯͕̘̤̠̦͊ͫ͂̽ͣ̂̀̀d̴̿̌ͮͯ͏̰͎̺͉ ̞̝̮ ͙͈͎̍̐͊̆͠y̴̩̞̬̼͇̣͓̓ͩ͢o̖̹̟̥̲̖͎̟ͩ̆ͅu̧͕͍̠̱͚͔̔͛ͩͪ͒͘r̋̌͒ ̡̨̛͚̹̞̦̥̠̰ͬ̈́͆ͪ̍ ̖́ͮ̇͞pͥ̍͗̍͛͊͢҉̘o̦͎̮̙̬͎̟̎̑̏̆̉͡ͅw̷̖̣̫͉̘̦̣̾ê͑̔̋̓̿̎̚҉ ̨̹̖̯͎͎͍̜r̜̞͖̹͈ͪ̽͒͡ ̶͍̦̱̺͍̙̃͂͆ͥͪͬ̓ͅw͖͖̣̥̻̖̺̮̒̑ͬ̆̋̓ͭ͝i͌͒̇́҉̱̗̫l̄̿͌̉̓̽͊̓ ̯̮̦͖̹̞͞l̸̷̰̟̾̊͗̈̉̏̽͗ ̶̢̝̳̞̔͒̓̆ͬ͡b̖̭̯͗͋́̾͂̾e̥̖̳̜ͮ͛͟ ̴̺͔̱̠̓͊ͥͭ̀̔̀̀͠ǎ͕͕̬̥̣̔̄ͩͤͪ̔̚͢ ͫ͒͗ͧͤ̑̓̆҉̣̭̯̣̬t̨̤̩͈̫̭ͫ̈̐ͩ͢h̴̡̦̱̜̄ͣ͑oͣ̽ͩ̏͡҉͇̟̼̼̮͙̬̦ u͖̼̣ͪ̒̀͠s̠̻̝̥̬̬͍͕̉ͫ̓ͮͤḁ̴̫̪̈̄̆̂̌͋̈́͗̚͝n̷̢̠̫͈̥̼ͦ̅̉̆͡ ̙̙d̵͓͚̒̚͟f͚̰̬̘͍ͨͬ͑ͬ̎͞o̜͂̋͌̅l̵̘̼͂ͤ̿͋̓̈́ͫ͢d̗͇͋͋̽̌ͤͫ̚͞ ̜̦ ̨͙̖̯̲̋ͫ͋͋̾̽̏̚t̷̜̗̮͉͖͈̒͝h̲̲̰̭ͧ͐ͩ̎̃̿ͭ̉͡ị̶̴̡̼͎̋͒̾͒͗s ̯̱̞̜̯̼͙̈́̄ͣͮͭ̓ͮ̅̂͜͠.̧͔̠̈ͪ͟ͅ.̵̵̡͓̥̟̜̥ͨ̌̿̂ͦ̀.̢̡̳̙͙̻̇͢ ẁ̸̷̞̳͓̠̆ͪ͜e̬̥̣̘̩̻̩͎̬ͥ̋͑͒̔̋ā̛͚̱̌̑̏̽ͪ͊͠ķ̷̛̝̥͋̃ͪ̾ͫ ņ̏̐ͨͮ͏̱̱̟e̸͙̦̭̘͍̤͚͗͐͠s̨̱͙̳̹͚̹͚̦͔̏̈́̎s̛͇͎̘͑͌͊̑͂͛́̀͞ ͙̪̟.͕͇̝̥ͦ͋ͬͭ͐̒́̀̀
Pain, mingled with the promise of pleasure, its strength overwhelming as it mere presence forced him to his knees, and--
The boy vanished, disappearing from the world into a possibility space blissfully free of the whispers, of the tortures, of the promises and lashes of the angry earth.
'Between. I am...between.'
He realized where he was in an instant - since he could feel the presence of each and every one of his ofuda, their prana - his prana, tugging at him to rejoin them as his body sought to complete the flow-walk.
There were enough ofuda on the platform that he was suspended between them in something like a construct, defined by mind and soul and magic, separated from the world.
'I can hide here. Because this world is mine!'
So he'd had the hubris to think, though that presumption was replaced by ice-cold fear as each of the points of light - the ofuda he'd scattered - faded and vanished from his awareness, and with a undignified squawk, the boy re-materialized within the cell, sprawled on the ground, with all of his anchor ofuda gone.
No. Not gone. Their physical forms were still there, but the prana...
Drained.
The boy cried out as he was launched into the air by a vortex of wind, invisible blades biting at his stony skin like a thousand angry maws as they spun around him, of a spiritual quality high enough that even his fusion form's innate resistance was no defense against it. If the Jinn had wished it, he would already be dead, his life snuffed out before he could do anything to fight back but--
'It doesn't want me dead.'
It wanted him to wish it free, or to use him to gain its freedom, which meant it needed him alive for whatever reason. And if it was handicapped like that, then even he - even he stood a chance.
So the boy thought as he released the power sleeping within his corrupted water ofuda, his decay-aligned prana forming a black fog as it surrounded him, the stings and slashes of the shredding wind fading away as the Jinn's control was interrupted, no matter how momentarily.
Seizing the opening, Matou Shinji unleashed hell, his flashbang ofuda streaming out from his sleeves alongside explosive ofuda, and those of water.
Even those of binding.
'Bind!' he invoke desperately. 'Bind bind bind bind bind!'
But without something to bind, some concept to restrain, his prana could not find purchase on the ancient being, as compared to it - his arts was frail and flawed, the conceptual model on which they were based tattered and torn. If only, if only he knew its...
"Name! What is your name, Great One?!" Shinji shouted at the evil-shaped form too massive to comprehend, the form which nearly drove him mad just looking at it, with the boy flashing from ofuda to ofuda to limit his exposure to its...presence.
Iͥ̓̋̑ͥ҉̦̮̞͖̟͙ ̤̻͓̭͇̪̜̱͒̅̔ͭ̃̄͢͡n͚̝͈̞̘̭̿͗̆ͦͧͭ͜ȩ̟̟͔̎̆ͨ̉͑͜ē̇̔̎͂͛ͭ͢ ̩̱̥̗ͅd̯̔̒̑͐̿̏͋ͫ̆̀͠ ̵̘͉͎͚̲͎̋̋͂̾͌ͨͬͤͣ͞n̼̮̱ͩͤ̈ͧ͟ơ̩̼̬̱͎̻͖͔̈́͋͒ͣͯ̄̀͜ ̶̶̮̦̼̫̮̯̠͐͋́ͅn̵̥̙̖̜̙̩͈͆̇̔ͦ́̉̔̾̕ả̢͔͑ͦͤͥ̓͑̚ṁ̉͆ͮ͂̒͂ ̗͎͔͚̫̿͠e̳̳̹̒̔.̭̪̓̋̊͆̊ͥ ̺̼̝̟̟̥͐̈́̎́͑ͬ̈̅I̱͚̤̲̞̪͉ͣ͋ͥ̀͘̕ ̬̩̱̂̓ṋ̸͉̝̎̌̑͝e̢̝̩̠͉͈̞͊̏̾ͤͪͤê̼̦͚̫̗̯̭̠͒d̢̪̜̠̔̀ ̶̤̠͎̱̻͈̤̿̋̇́o̹̹̟̠̝ͧͫ̑̑͗̚ņ̺̳̭̞͍̱̤̟͉͂͐͂͝͝l̡̧͖͎̝͉̍̃̀ ̝͈y̱̺̦͍ͣͯ̐͌̓͒́ͅͅ ̡̖͍͉͚̣̮̫ͦ̂̈́͌̏̊b͕͍̣͈ͮ̂ͭͮ͐̀̄ͬ̈́ę̢̦̳͈̖̮̯ͦͨͫ́ͣ̄̎̆͜ ͔̘̻
And without a name...
Without some means for his arts to take hold, Shinji had no chance of binding something like this.
D̸̹͚̩͍̀ͫ̉̓͌ͫͫo̸̹͉̜̼͎ͯ̌ͧ͆̀ ͙͍͕̬̺̓̉̒ͮ̈́̔͘͟y̸̜̳̮̬͖ͫ̔ͬ͋̎o̘ͦ̃̓̑̐͗̍̎̀u̸̴̮͔ͦ̀ ͎̙̟͉͈ͩ̋̅̄ͥ̃͂̕ͅt̢̥̗̼͇̝̀́͞h̶̖̘ͮ͌ͣ͑͆͛̑͗i̢̲̞̥͂ͯ̈́̇̌͂͛́͞ ̣̠͓̣̰ͅn̡̖͔͈̬͇͖ͥͩ̃͜͝k̥͙͈͍̣̍̾ͯͭ̂̑̍́ ̵̗͇̬̍ͬ̓̒̂ͫ̈́̌͜t͉̣͔̖̙̞ͥ̑ͧ́ŏ̤̒̀ͪ͐̋ͧ̃͟ ̬̱̮͓̒ͯ̇̓̀̏͒͜͡d̥̯̻̥̗̬̼ͯ̎ͨ͌͢o̗͉̻̣͖̓ͭ͊̆͑ͧ̚͡ ͙̻̤ͥͩ͑ͨ̂͜a̳̦͓͙̣͕̥ͦͥ̽ͧ̃͂̈́̑͟l̑ͪ͐҉̸͓̗̮͎ơ̭̩̙̩̼̜͛́̂ͧ̋͞ ǹ̳͍͕̺͕͉̗͓͑e̴̯̩̜̦ͮ̒̑͌̅͆̀̏̚ ̻̝̞͚̲̘͚̞͔̈͒ͩ̋ͬ̋͂ͬ́̚w̤̭̣̤̖̻̥̓̂͒̚h̷͋̓̓ͤͣͬ̔ͪͭ͏̪͙̤̝͖͠a ̷̢̤̝̼̝͙̑̅ͭ̒ͣ̓ͮͅt͇͓̩̻͓̻ͨͪ̈͐̑̐͗ͩ̚͢ ̝̠̣̜̓͗̓͆̑͟t͈̩͑ͣ̕͞h̼̆̒ͭ̓̌̍̕͠ẽ̵͑ͣ͒͠͏͎̲̰̜̜͈̲ ̸̷͔͔̘̳̰̋͒ḡ̢͚̀o̯͉͚̮̹̳͍̗͒̄̀ď̮̙͙̠̮͒̕͢s̩͇͙̯̾̔ͅ ͈͍͈̻̻̻̈͢c͎͇̬̮̃͋̐ͩ̑̈ͬ̚̕õ͖͙̝̥̑ų͓͕̰ͪ͐̂̚͡l̴̷̂ͥ͂̈́̌̐ͮ ͉͙͔͓̗̰̲̤d̳̝͇̗̯͖͗̚͘͟ ̴̟̤̣ͦ͂̊͂͜͢ṅ̵̤̫͎͎͉̱̀̉ͨͦ̋͊̍ö̤͎͚͇̟͔̹́͋̇ͪ̇̍ͩ͗͟t̨̍ͭ̃ͥ͟ ̲̬͍ ̆ͪ́͞͏̘̱͇̺͉tͥ҉̖̺̼̮͇͖̣̘̥ơ͈͍̞̮̌͗ͅͅǧ̸̻͉͓̱͈̰̦͔̙̃ͦͮ̿͗͡ e̴̛̮͓͖̞̮͔͛͌ͦ̓ͮ̒̑͑̏ṱ̶̹͈̩͎̜̗͑ͩ̌̓̉ͦͫ͒h̴̥͙̘̔ͪ̓̒͗ͭͭ̒̑͘ ͇̭̪e͇͙̟̹̺͒̐ͦ̃̃̇̇̇̕r̡͔̼͈̻͕̲ͣͭͅ?̛̩̳͔̞̌̈́̏ͤ̓̽̏̚
The spiritual pressure around him doubled, redoubled with Shinji materializing his scythe just to stay upright as the Jinn's power, unshaped and unformed, bore down on him, seeking to crush him - to break him.
His consciousness...shattered as the whispers invaded him, magnifying every moment of self-doubt, every feeling of weakness, every time he had cursed himself. Every time that - like Icarus - he had reached too high, sought too much. Every time he had disappointed someone. Every time he had hurt and been hurt. Every betrayal and realization he had experienced in his life, played before his eyes, whispered in his ears, burning brightly in his soul.
He could...he could give in.
He could...he would be...he would be granted power. A wish. A...
'No.'
For in his mind, teetering so close to the precipice of madness, to his utter doing, he'd come across one last memory, which resisted unraveling, shining in his mind like a crystallization of everything that mattered.
The memory of a young woman in a yukata of midnight purple, patterned with the faintest impression of red leaves, held together with an obi. The young woman who carried on her slim shoulders the weight of the world, her purple eyes full of calculation, compassion, and challenge as she looked upon him.
Reach my side, if you can, her gaze seemed to say. My...
Vassal? Slave? Classmate?
No. It was none of those things.
The word on her lips was...was...
"Friend," a voice spoke. He...who was he? He didn't recall it anymore. Why he was here. What he was doing. What did anything mean. All he knew was that she...that she...
Her name.
What was her name?
It....
It was...
Her lips. Her lips were moving, forming a word.
S...
Si...
"Sion!" the boy cried out, clinging to that last memory with all of his might. He couldn't...he wouldn't betray that smile. He...
And in that moment, just as all hope was about to be lost, a miracle occurred, as the chains which bound his mind were broken, washed away by a pulse of purifying light, erupting from his upper arm.
The pressure...the immense power that had threatened to crush him just by looking upon him, was gone. And more than that, he could feel something reaching for him, as if through a fog - someone offering him - a human - power enough to fight this monster, if he only reached out and entrusted his fate to its blade.
His arm throbbed painfully, as he lifted his head,seizing the power that offered to him - power to fight this monster, to do the impossible, no matter the cost - as his arm blazed white, a miracle approaching the realm of True Magic manifesting for briefest possible moment as memories of a life that wasn't his flooded into him.
Y͚͚̮͒ͯ̐́͞o͖̥͂̔͆̈́̂ù̩̣̺͉̍̒ͩ̈́ͧ.͈͍͓̳̟͐ͫ͐̅ͩ̃̅.̩̞̝̯̄ͫ.͍ ͓̖̘͈̬ẗ̶̫̥̭͍͔́ͮͤͧ͌ͦh̪͖̟ͫ̂́ͨͨa͖͛ͮ͐̈́͑̉t̷̥ͩ͂̃̌ͮ͐ͥ ̳̠̲̄̈́̒ͬ͌̅͠p͎̩̾̎ͪ̊̄̈́ͧo͈̘̻̟̻̺͙ͭ̊ͯ́w̴̪͎͓̪͓̰͑͂̐ẻ̌̍ͨ̓͡ ͖r̗͛͐͋̒̋̾.̓ͣ.̲̫̥̲̞͋͂͆͟.̧̼̼̘̠͈͐ͭ̀ͬ͊̐ͅ
He was / had been / would be...
...a warrior fighting against impossible odds.
...a lone adventurer bearing tools gifted to him, facing a foe the human mind could not truly comprehend.
...a man who put everything on the line for the sake of the one who meant everything - more than his life.
Matou Shinji had sworn once that when the time came, in an oath witnessed by the King of Heroes, that he would oppose that which sought to bring destruction to the world, even if it cost him everything, because that was what she would have him do.
And so, within this cell in which the First of the Jinn was imprisoned - a being that had come close to overthrowing the Age of Gods in its own right, the boy stood tall, magical energy rushing through him as the Grail - backed by the power of a Command Seal - heard the wish of his innermost heart...and answered.
True, there was no ambient prana here. No spiritual vessel, and no pathway through which one could be manifested and filled. Yet, there was a vessel all the same, and if it was one of flesh and blood, not ether, so what? The boy had offered everything, after all, entrusting his fate to its blade, forcing the summoning to continue by means of an already spent Command Seal.
I am thou. And thou art I.
Prana exploded from the boy's form as he sprang into the air, winged sandals materializing on his feet and carrying him unerringly towards the ancient Jinn.
I͛̈́̅N̺̙̺̤̣ͫ̇̔̄̎͠C̵̱͚̯͔̲͇͂̈ͩ̍̌ͦ̚ͅA͈̳̟̞̳̺͚͒͊͐̒̍̆͞R̿̆ ̛̪͓͉̥̥̥N̻͕̭͛ͬ̆Ȃ̴̜̟̼̺̺ͧT̘̩͉̗̺͎̾̏͗̅͜I̢̱̘̣̝̙͇ͬ͌̔̅͌̓̇ ̫O̞̪̿ͩ̿ͨ͌̎ͅN͌͊́͞!
The Jinn's / monster's power bore down upon him, but the power surging through him met it - and rejected it.
For was he not a Champion of the gods? A hero who had made his fame by challenging two great monsters - each time to protect a woman dear to his heart?
It did not matter that this vessel could not endure the strain of the manifestation, could not endure being filled by something far greater than he. It
did not matter that his opponent was as far beyond the gods as the gods were beyond him.
All that mattered in that moment was protecting her smile, fulfilling the promise he had made, as every part of his mind, body, and soul sought to deal a savage blow to the enemy before him. To fight.
To win.
As if to oppose him, a curtain of fire rose up, but airborne, he simply sped through it, his scythe devouring the white hot flames as his eyes shone with a smoky purple light.
Blades of wind. Shards of ice. Chains of lightning.
These and more, he avoided, weaving between them with a speed a mere human could never match, evading the fate of being burnt to ashes, frozen into a brittle, man-shaped icicle, torn apart by currents of prana, ofuda flying before him, detonating or releasing black prana to force an opening.
A column of black flame exploded beneath him - too great to be absorbed - and with reckless abandon, he angled upwards sharply, riding the currents of hot air that rose before it, carrying him up, up, up, higher, higher, higher as the scythe crackled, gleaming black-silver.
Y̴̧̻͚̜ͮ̓ͦͭ̽̋o̶̷̡̫͖͚͙͉̮͉̼̥̪̞̞̣̫̣̣̅ͯ̆̍̇́ͪ̒̆ͭ̿̐͐ͩ̊̏ͦͪ ̤̝ṳ̧̟̣̰̩̱̭͉̥̏͛͐ͩ̌̀̚ ̴̢̢͉̻̦̗̪̖͚̻̰͓̥͕͇̳̬͙̮̫̙ͩ̎ͨͩ̋͒̎̈͘͠wͤ͊ͦ̅̍ͤͮ̆͑̔̊͂̀͏́͘͢ ̘̗̬̝̖̦̼͙̼̹̹̮̦͍̦̗͖̤i̴̜̹̗̩͖̘̞͑ͬ͗̃͐̈́̈́ͦ͌̂͛̆̓͘̕͘͘l͆̄ͯͮ̓ ͙̘̥͙̱͍̰̞̟̘͚̣̜̻̞͕͒ͩ̈̎͆͊̊̍̓ͧ́́͟l̵̷̡̧̀ͯ̎̍ͤ͂ͥ͌̎̇̐ͯ̒͂̚͡ ͇̤̬͓͓͍̼̣̱̗͉̗͎̦̭̣͓ ͯͣ̔̒ͪ̀̔͑ͪ̇̅̾̈́̉ͫͭͩͩ̑̕͏͠͏̮̲̗̝̫̹̲̳̯̯̝̼̳̫̫̗͔͙ͅn̴͓ͮ̍ͭͤ̕ ̱͓̟͙͓̮̠̜̗̠ö̶̶̼͕̖̜̘̖͚͓̘̯̩́̌̄̐ͨ͒͛̒̚͢͢t̷̛ͨ͊̈́ͭ̈̆̈̆̓̿̚̚ ̤̖̩̺̣̬͔̮̠̗͓͕͙̞̜ ̠̠̪͕̙̙̪̺̠̱͚͕̼̝̻͊͌ͥ̿̓ͭ̍͒͋̐̆ͮ̆̔͐͗̀̚͢ĕ̔̋͊ͥ͑̚͞҉͜҉̳͍̮̩ ̟̹̖̩̰sͭ̅ͥ͏̭͙̪̞̜̺̥̻͇͠͠ͅc͑̾͊ͩ̕͏̨̨͇̫͕̻̺̣̮̕a͛́ͭ̽ͨ͛̽̓͌̚ ̶̡̟̬̺̗̠͔̳͍̲̞̣̙͎̬ͯ͛ͮ͑ͯ̾͡p̾̄̀̉̓̄̈̎ͪ̈́̆͂҉̸̵̜̯̹̻̥͕̯̳̣̦̀ ė̶̴̢͇͍̤͙̙͈͙̮͖̼̘͕̒͆͌̎ͨ̃ͮ͐̆̈̈͆͌̍̈́̚͜!̴̤̣ͦ̈́͂̆̆̋̂̀͠ ̞
But escape wasn't what was on his mind.
Only victory.
He'd ridden the buffeting air long enough, and now - just above the enemy, dispelled his sandals, going into a dive, a mirror-smooth shield in one hand, and his scythe in the other, plummeting down towards what in anything else would a head with godspeed.
Everything he had. Everything he was. Everything he once might have been and could be.
All his love. All his hate. The desire to protect. The desire to destroy. Everything from the past, his pasts, he joined into one dazzling strike, accompanied by a malestrom of paper to adjust his course or shield him, if need be.
He sped towards the enemy, and it - contemptuous of everything he had done before - finally - finally - evaded, his blade barely grazing the ancient Jinn as it caught him point blank with a blade of wind, the force of it ripping through him, enough to send him spiraling away.
The boy - man - reeled, as his body/soul/mind began to collapse.
He'd pushed too hard. Too far. He...he...
"Expulsion Process Complete."
He stared up at the featureless ceiling, struck by the utter silence that surrounded him. He'd been / never been here before. He was...outside. The urn. He'd...
...won.
And yet. Yet why was it that he couldn't move? That his body seemed to be tearing itself apart in pain, breaking down from within.
He...
He was...
Light flared, and as he glanced over, his attention drawn to it, his eyes, fading to grey, took in a painfully familiar figure, a young woman with sun-bright hair and eyes the color of the sky, more beautiful than any Nereid.
"...Andromeda?" he whispered. "Is that..."
And then he knew no more, as everything went black.
Gained: Fairy Eye.
Gained: ???
Lost: One Command Seal
Lost: All Ofuda
Choice 308: In his dreams, he sees many things. He sees a great monster rising from the sea, slain by his hand. He sees a shower of golden light. He sees a constellation, points of light burning in the firmament. He sees hair like the sun and eyes the color of the sky. Whispers. Kisses. The scent of sweat and musk and mingled lusts. The touch of skin on skin.
And in the glow after, a vision of moonlight falling on something laying near his bed...
[ ] A mirror smooth shield
[ ] A blade like a scythe
[ ] A mantle, tossed aside
[ ] A golden bridle
[ ] Sandals...with wings
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; April 22nd, 2018 at 05:54 PM.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
[ ] A blade like a scythe
Well let the fight for what NP Shinji has begin...
Golden Bridle: Too limited in terms of use even if it is awesome to really pick. Unless we really want to ride everything.
Harpe: Sure its powerful and awesome but Shinji already has his own scythe that he doesn't need a second. The first one already was pricey as it was.
Shield: Adding more tank and sensor abilities to our already good build on that front. Not bad but I think we better of going a different way.
Mantle: This mantle is like the stuff Lockhart would love to have. Do I need to sell this one?
Sandals: I can think of no symbol in the bunch that screams hero to me. And what was our first lesson with Lockhart, mobility and the art of movement. Flying will greatly help Shinji.
I can be convinced to go either Mantle or Sandals. And maybe even the Shield if someone has a plan with it.
For now I will go with [X] Sandals...with wings
Come on guys we need offensive power.
Harpe isn't a powerful weapon anyway but, it has anti-magical regen properties. The bridle could be very useful if Shinji ends up with a mount but that's not very likely and wouldn't be all that practical (unless there's a mount included with the bridle package). The shield would be nice but it would have to be wielded at the same time as the scythe, thus become a possible hindrance or distraction during fights. Though I won't deny that the detection and protection it brings would be welcome additions. Concealment would also improve your mobility in a sense so the mantle wouldn't go to waste. It is likely the one which would have the most practical use. However, let's not forget what Hillard taught us as making yourself completely hidden, you become sloppy. The sandals would add the vertical dimension to our fights, which wouldn't be unwelcome.
I think the mantle and sandals make the most sense to me and would fit Shinji's style more.
[x] Sandals.
Edging towards that one for the sake of Shinji not becoming conceited.
You mean you don't want to see Shinji the wyvern-rider on his throne of swords? With his fair, fire-wielding queen by his side?
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
*grumblegrumble* forced route *grumblegrumble*
#ur_waifu_is_shit
#onlySion
I will forever remember this quest as the most masterful preying upon the players' indecisiveness in my experience. All waifus were too great to choose only one!
I am more or less happy with the current situation, but damn if I wasn't grinding my teeth because of Shinji's "cheating" during Second and Third years.
Back to discussion! Going to be somewhat controversial here, but I'll choose [x] the Shield. Better senses and more hp? Especially is we can reduce it's size and utilize perception buff stealthily (which is definitely inapplicable to sandals, only highly visible effects)? Yes, please.
I don't want to storage the thing until the day we are ready to reveal it to the world, and anyone remotely knowledgeable in mythology will easily rob us of important advantage for the future.
So far, here's how its going. This is going to be something you'll be using for a while, so I encourage you to discuss...
[1] Shield
[2] Sandals
[1] Scythe
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
Alf, can the artifact be enlarged/minimized without the loss of it's powers? It will affect at least my choice, that's for sure.
I am willing to accept that it's OOC knowledge tho.
Not really minimized/enlarged, no, with the exception of the golden bridle, since that works for all sorts of beasts.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
So to make a use of echolocation we need to have a big shiny Mirror-shield in our hands. That's... Good to know.
Then my choice is [x] the Mantle, obviously. Not being vertically challenged anymore is nice, absolutely, but I will prefer the sheer utility the shapeshifting artifact will bring us. Theft, murder, blackmail, misdirection, access to Restricted sections of libraries, ideal abs to make waifus swoon - we can use this thing all day, everyday, and never run into issues like "but I don't need to, like, fly around right now, why did I pick that archaic footwear?"
Guys, please reconsider.
Last edited by Malorius; April 24th, 2018 at 01:50 AM.
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