Matou Shinji and the Broken Chains (HP/FSN CYOA)

[Skull Leader]

I think it is far safer to defer to Elesa here then it is for us to blow the last Command Seal that we can freely use, 3 years BEFORE the HGW starts. There is too many issues with Fusion at the moment. Fusion without Zelkova is untested and can go oh so bad. Maybe the PoAP will make it ok, maybe not.

Give the second dose of PoAP if you must as long as you keep the 3rd dose for Sion but the Command seals are far more precious than what I think people value it.

[Malorius]

I think it is far safer to defer to Elesa here then it is for us to blow the last Command Seal that we can freely use, 3 years BEFORE the HGW starts.

(EDITed my reading comprehension failure.)

It's ALL POTENTIAL. All skills, all spells, all abilities - physical and mental, - all traits. Everything. If that somehow doesn't include maxed Fusion and Demi-servant skills the Potion will be a false advertisement. We have lawsuits for that! So, have faith, Skull Leader, the Fusion problem can be circumvented without Command Seal.

(And if not, we can just drop it mid-battle.)

Also, there is one thing I've pondered recently...

After our last showing, I feel, Elesa will be inclined to tell Shinji to go home after this battle. Or she may well knock him out after we deal with the boss. Shinji's power and insight was mostly acceptable, yet it's his judgement that she may question. Would deferring to her here help? I don't think so. It's a default option, that shows little arrogance, but little resolution and decisiveness too. If we want to prove her wrong and to not get consolation prize only, we need to make this fight work. Not by being superpowered Unsealed!Perseus with cool moves and big explosions, but just... competent. Reliable. Stable. So, whatever we choose, it must be the decision of our own.

I hope I am wrong.

[Skull Leader]

All good points there. I have some faith but I also have faith that Elesa would not lead Shinji towards a bad answer.

But really I completely baffled why the others want to use Command seals at this time. We did not provoke its use before a prompt with the fight with the Jinn and this thing can not possible be at that level. Certainly deadly without fusion resistences but PoAP and CS feels like such a overkill to me. It is a knee jerk reaction.

At the same time if Shinji did not use a command seal and he did not survive or make it intact to the end of this dungeon because of that...well another regret on to the long list of them. But to use it willy nilly like when he will never ever get another seal feels so wrong.

[Daiki]

You guys realize that CS are just stored up mana? He would only need to gather enough energy to refill his supply (something he could do himself even if it would take a lot of time). Heck, he could even ask someone like Illya who managed to regenerate Herakles God Hand lives - which no doubt require to store up more energy than mere CS - in a matter of days. And the girl who has a major crush on Shinji is the actual owner of the strongest leylines in Japan. Could simply sit in her cellar and let it naturally gather there. Or simply remain in places full of mana, like Mahoutokoro, etc... You get the point.

Other than that, I think that you guys are underestimating the coming boss. Sure, it's not the First Jinn, but he doesn't need to be White Titan tier in order to be a major threat to Shinji. This is still the strongest opponent within the Temple of Mars barring Tatari Sion herself. Don't doubt that. Remember how Shinji couldn't do shit against that lesser dragon (it's still a magical beast mind you, but definitively not divine class) himself? Well, Except maybe stopping its regen if we were suicidal enough to go up close.

Yeah, that boss is marginally stronger and Shinji will have a harder time in fusion without Zelkova already as it is.

If you really think that relying on a dose of PoAP + some sub-par potions is enough to go to town against something as strong as DAA or even stronger depending on the context of the battle - while Shinji isn't in top condition himself and has yet to get accustomed to a fusion with a heroic spirit, you're deluding yourself. Elesa will not be constantly monitoring Shinji, especially not during a fight with an opponent of that caliber. On top of that, she can't fight seriously because Shinji is by default too weak - even in three-way fusion - and could die from friendly fire. Unless he goes all out during that encounter at least.

I say give Perseus the tools necessary (PoAP for a stronger container and Command Spell for a direct boost / larger mana pool) so that encounter can be swiftly dealt with.

Once we get past that guy, we are clear on Sion's request basic needs - which is sufficient for me to have Shinji stop his temple exploration and return to the surface so he can give Lestrange the help he promised (ingredients + potential fighting power). We already got Touko's request cleared and will likely have some decent loot on top of Sion's data. That's good enough for me. Besides, we're not beating Tatari Sion by ourselves anyway.

In comparison to that, what's a mere lump of magical energy (command seal), which can be refilled as long as you get a decent mana source? Besides, the grail war is not happening before years. That's plenty time to store up on mana to recover the consumed CS.

tldr; I'm not playing conservative because there's no need to. Once we're done with that boss, we have little incentive to continue, besides impressing Sion, but the odds are highly against us at this point. Especially with the last boss being a solo encounter. He's supposed to do his best, and frankly, he is nearing his limit.

[skulkidcachi90]

Chance my vote to:


[X] Take a Dose of Potion of All Potential and any remaining enhancement potions Shinji has.
[x] Fused - better to have some damage reduction, even if controlling its abilities will be more difficult

I want to reach the end.
Se need the other donde of POAP AND the comand seal for the next trial

[Malorius]

All the things you said are valid. But I think that we see one issue here in a vastly different light.

Daiki, stop treating PoAP as inferior solution already, please. There is no "giving" anything to Perseus. I know that PoAP is not as shiny as True Magic, or a pale shade of it like CS, but in these specific circumstances, the Potion is better. It won't create a "stronger container", it, judging by Alf's indication, literally will replace Shinji with his better version, mind, body and soul. And while "body and soul" part is neat and all, we shouldn't care about it at as much as the "mind" part.

- Perfect double-wand casting.

- Perfect ofuda combat.

- Perfect Water/Earth manipulation.

- Perfect Ying channeling.

- Perfect manhandling of Perseus and his tools.

- Perfect utilization of Fusion.

- Perfect synergy of All above.

- Perfect... bunch of other learned skills we have never heard or considered, like perfect Combat Apparition, perfect shooting, perfect fencing, perfect evasion, perfect Eye of the Mind, etc etc. Even if I am too optimistic, and we get only a fraction of these skills and traits mastered, Shinji is bound to be ridiculous.

We have used a large portion of one of the most powerful probability-warping effects in the setting to acquire it, so consider just... letting the Potion actually work it's magic. Don't underestimate All Potential.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 424: [x] Fused - better to have some damage reduction, even if controlling its abilities will be more difficult


Choice 425: [X] Take a Dose of Potion of All Potential and any remaining enhancement potions Shinji has.

---

Choice 426: With their preparations complete, Matou Shinji and the American Champion venture forth into the final chamber of the Trial of Force, fully expecting the worst possible opponent. What would it be, he wondered? A true dragon, greater even than a Lindworm, standing at the pinnacle of phantasmal beasts? Another Jinn, as mighty as the First? A fragment of a long-dead god, perhaps?

Elesa had mentioned the sphinx she had fought on the floor above, a beast who commanded flame and sky. The lindworm had commanded the power of the earth. The selmas - or perhaps they had been more than that - had been creatures of water.

'Which leaves what? Ether? Void?'

Or perhaps the creature waiting for them could command all four of the elements?

He didn't know, yet after taking the Potion of All Potential, he felt ready for anything that awaited him, as his eyes could perceive far more than most mere mortals. Any movement, no matter how fast or subtle, was clear to him. He could sense how water and earth influenced everything - himself most of all, but also other living things. At a thought, he could twist these things too, so long as no one with prana was able to counter him - and he could certainly sense prana, and how much of it one had.

Indeed, to him Elesa, in this enhanced vision of his, seemed less like a person, and more like a person-shaped star, shining with power enough that if it was loosed in its entirety, the fabric of reality might be unmade. Though the material of the labyrinth, as they moved, seemed to get denser and denser, darker and darker, resisting any of his attempts to probe it, or to sense what lay ahead through it.

As such, he had no idea what awaited him as he stepped through the door into the grand chamber, but it certainly wasn't what he saw.

The room, wrought of ebon stone, or some like material, stretched on interminably, with the only light in it being a point of fire floating above a table at its center like a...moon, illuminating it and the...person sitting there with its ruddy light.

'What? Where's the final enemy?' he wondered, as he couldn't see something that looked hostile, merely a dapper old man sitting at a table, drinking from a glass of wine as he regarded them with eyes that glowed with all the colors of the rainbow. 'Other than that though, he looks so normal...'

Strangely normal in fact, given that he seemed to have no more prana than a normal human - yet how could a normal human even survive down here.

Realizing that, the boy tensed, yet the old man did not move from his spot.

"And so the Champions come forth," the old man murmurs, his voice smooth and resonant in the chamber. "A Son of Zeus and a Daughter of Gaia, after so long. Have the earth and sky put aside their struggle after long last? Has the ancient prophecy come to be?"

"The prophecy?" Elesa replies genially enough, though her attention to his words was only superficial, as Shinji could see that she was looking around for some sign of treachery. "Which one?"

The old man smiles - and then the world blurs to Shinji's senses, which shouldn't have been possible - and yet it happened. When it sets itself right again, Elesa has fallen to her knees, with the man standing over her, his clawed hand buried in her chest, gripping...gripping something that shone with golden light, brighter than anything he'd ever seen.

'Is that...her spiritual core?!'

The boy started to move, but found that he could not as the air itself seemed to solidify around him, keeping him from budging from his position.

"Consider this, son of Zeus. Do you truly wish to face me when even one of Gaia's daughters could not?" he asks quietly, a terrible killing intent radiating from his form surpassing almost everything the boy has ever faced before. "If that is your wish, then I will grant you your end. After all, your divinity would taste most sweet." He chuckled then, a low merciless sound that made every bit of him shiver in terror and revulsion. "I may be but an echo of the one's whose form I wear, but this my original swore when he was bested by a child of man - that he would never be a memory."

"You..."

"Child of Zeus, if your objective is the treasure which awaits at the bottom of the labyrinth, then you need not match your power futilely against mine," the man continued. "What I desire, all I desire - is the power of the earth, the same power which holds me prisoner in this place. As such, child, I offer you this - strike down your ally of convenience - use your weapon and sever the power from her body, and I will grant you a boon. Still, should you merely wish to stand aside, I suppose that is...acceptable. Do that much, at least, and I will open the way." He laughs then, a cold, merciless sound. "Or, of course, if you value her life more than yours, face me, knowing that in failing, your life will become my power."

What does Shinji do?

[ ] Strike Elesa down - better to claim some of her power, than let it all be lost
[ ] Stand aside and let the monster do as he will - if it could defeat Elesa so easily, he stands no chance...
[ ] Attack the old man
[ ] Stall for time - ask questions, etc

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] Stall for time - ask questions, etc

[Malorius]

Haha, what.

Well, obviously, there is no reason to trust the guy. Unless we have a binding agreement and Sion-approved contract verifying that the guy won't fuck us the second we give him the chance, following his lead is abysmally retarded. So, no sharing the power of our ally.

Striking her down to prevent his rise in power? After he oh so helpfully gives us this opportunity. Um. Are we even sure that our perception is untampered? Yeah, how about not.

Asking questions gives us opportunity to escape the illusion, if it really is so, or provide Elesa an exit. But that would require smart and quick thinking, and the guy grows stronger every second.

Well, let's do what we do best, I say.

[x] Attack the old man

Full shounen time. Also, after witnessing the opponent, I am much more inclined to use Command Seal to deal with him. A sentient opponent presents a really interesting challenge, unlike some overused mythical monster.

But, seriously, fuck this guy.

Btw, Alf, I love your story to bits, but this is really inconvenient. I get it that you skip some parts to get to the meat of the update, yes. But to skip our intake of PoAP? To skip all the changes it provides to Shinji's power, psyche and perception? We should have much more insight on the situation than we are provided for this decision.

[Malorius]

So does anyone have an idea about the identity of the guy? The best clue we have is his generic "old gentleman" description, some sort of perception altering/time manipulation, and crazy talk about prophecy. Not much, at least for me.

My mind instantly jumps to the worst possibilities, so it's not very helpful. Marble Phantasm? DAA? Arcueid's long lost step-brother, previously thought dead? Old man Zel undercover? Crimson Moon?..

Yeah, I'd better stop here.

[alfheimwanderer]

Sorry, sorry. I suppose that at the very least I should have mentioned how his eyes are the one part about him that really seem otherworldly to mundane senses, as one can see in them all the colors of the rainbow.

Or of course, how to Shinji's ability to sense prana and patterns, the guy first seemed completely normal...right up until the moment the world blurred, and he didn't.

I'll edit in a bit.

[Daiki]

You don't want to discuss with someone who can casually stab someone like Elesa without her being able to react to it - Shinji would die before his thoughts can even process what is going on. Betrayal is out of question at this point, as well as bailing out.

[x] Attack the old man.

[skulkidcachi90]

Good point.

[x] Attack the old man

[Malorius]

Seems like a clear majority to me. Huh. Apparently, we can agree on something with no back and forth sometimes.

[Skull Leader]

Oh I don't know about that Malorius. I can argue for hours if you want. It's my thing.

[alfheimwanderer]

I updated the snippet to give a clearer picture of what was going on, so I'll give you a few more hours for discussion and questions. I'll call it in 6 though.

[Malorius]

Oh I don't know about that Malorius. I can argue for hours if you want. It's my thing.

Pft, there's nothing wrong with a couple of pages of yelling discussion. And salt, never forget about salt. If nobody walks away disappointed, you know that the choice was too easy.

Hm. Hmmmm.

Also, thanks for lengthening the update, Alf. It reads differently now, indeed. More engaging and exciting.

[Skull Leader]

[X] Attack the old man

I feel really stupid for picking this choice in that this can totally be a curb stomp against Shinji, attacking him head on with no subtle to it. But stalling with him does seem like it would do anything other than collect intel from him unless we are really hoping that the time stall would allow Elesa or Zelkova to recover which is highly unlikely.

And time is ticking with the potions so best just go all out ASAP. And our fusion without Zelkova currently relies solely on Perseus and Shinji being insync with each other. Any choice outside the attack the bastard that hurt ANDROMEDA...ah Elesa, is going to cause issues with the sync.

And frankly this man is likely far more cleaver than Shinji for a stall to work to Shinji's advantage, plus if this guy is a vampire he is likely a listing to Shinji's heart beat and basically acting like a lie detector.

All hail the salt...

[Malgos]

Engage the

old man

enemy.

[EmperorBR]

Abandoning her is not a option.
[ ] Attack the old man