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

[Daiki]

Shinji just does not abandon

his senpai

a girl in need for help

. No matter how foolish or desperate the situation, he won't compromise on that. Especially when they are an ally who saved his life multiple times and helped him getting closer to his objective. And we all know how Shinji is when it comes to Sion.

How many times could she have just abandoned him to die alone like a dog? Yet, she not only has been shown to attend his wounds as best she could while he was unconscious more than once, she even went the extra mile of providing him with necessary tools to have better odds, as well as offering advice and support until that point.

It would go against Shinji's very own character development to accept a deal with that guy. Whether death awaits or not, is irrelevant. No matter how infinitesimal the chances are,

we have

he has

the moral obligation to curb stomp that guy here and now.

Plus, we can agree that what was bound within the Isle should stay there for a reason.

[alfheimwanderer]

Very well then, it seems unanimous.

Choice 426: [X] Attack the old man

---

Matou Shinji froze as the old man's words sank in, presenting him with a very unfavorable set of choices, whatever the ability to choose was worth, as it was quite obvious to him that he was gravely outmatched. Even with the benefit of the Potion of All Potential, the power of fusion, and everything else, the other clearly was as far above him as...well, perhaps the other was even further above him than Elesa had been, since the old man had bested the American Champion - someone Shinji had considered indomitable, after everything she'd demonstrated, without her being able to fight back.

What could he do?

Take the old man's offer?

No. He'd be damned before he did that - Elesa had done so much for him, and for him to repay her kindness with treachery...he wasn't that kind of person. He wasn't. To do something like that - even if it sounded like a logical thing to do - would be to betray the person who had saved his life over and over again, and if was capable of that, there was very little he wouldn't be capable of.Stand aside and let the old man do as he would? No. (Not that he had much of a choice anyway, given the congealed air that held him in place far better than any chain or earthly power).

Try to stall for time?

No...he had no idea what the old man wanted, and every moment he lingered was another that the enemy before him, already unfathomably strong, was empowering himself using Elesa's life force.

Which meant that in the end, there was only one thing to do.

Attack.

The instant the boy came to that realization, his enemy seemed to realize it as well, as the barrier of air which had simply immobilized him prior to his decision bore down upon him all of a sudden, pressure spiking as it sought to reduce him to something less than a smear on the ground.

Against something like a spell of witchcraft, or mere magecraft, the durability of his fusion form, reinforced as it was by his prana and all the borrow skill conferred upon him by the Potion of All Potential, would have been enough to protect him, but this...this was something far older, born of far more mystery, and so it only bought him seconds.

Seconds in which he tried to apparate, but could not concentrate.

Seconds in which he tried to send out an ofuda to flow-walk, but found his papers shredded by the wind.

"I tire of you, pest. Alt Nagel."

The winds howled, creating a column of force that ripped the boy apart, rending him limb from limb, cell from cell, molecule to molecule, undoing every last trace that he had ever existed in the world.

...or at least, that is what should have happened.

For unknown to the ancient prisoner, the boy carried with him a power capable of distorting cause and effect, of overturning the rules of logic and tapping into the power known as Magic.

A crystallization of the claim of absolute obedience.

He who was the Master, commanded he who was the Servant to do one simple thing.

No, not to live.

To win.

And so, his form battered and torn, the boy simply appeared before the old man, having crossed the intervening space without so much as a sound.

The old man's eyes flashed, with half the boy's torso coming away as it did...but it was the wrong half, for the boy had twisted, seeing the man's intent, and though half his body - one of his arms, shoulder, and most of his chest had been destroyed, it was the other half that now held a scythe.

Down the blade came, with the boy taking advantage of the other's arrogance and certainty at his victory to land a mighty blow, aimed not at the head, the chest, or the neck...but at the man's arm.

The arm that was clutching Elesa's spiritual core and draining power from it.

In the very next moment, the boy was blown away, his scythe flying away as claw-like fingers severed his remaining arm and smashed him aside.

"You..." the old man hissed, eyes flashing with the colors of the rainbow's many hues. "You dare..."

And then it was the old one's turn to be surprised, as power untrammeled and unrestrained poured forth from the fallen form of Elesa, with the American Champion's form rising into the air, and the surroundings were...unmade. Unraveled and reforged all at once, at the will of a figure wrought of azure light, eyes blazing like stars in the darkness, before whom even the greatest stronghold in the world was but a transient illusion.

"Alt Nag--"

But the old one did not have the chance to invoke his mighty skill, as symbols of power flashed into being all around him, as the roiling energies of creation and destruction assaulted him over and over.

"Gaia does not suffer would-be usurpers," the being of glowing light uttered without emotion. "Not even from an Ultimate One, much less his long-lost echo."

In place of the man's arm, something materialized. Something dark and foreboding, like a sword, the coruscating power of it pushing back the azure and gold aura of the Chosen of Gaia.

'No...it's not like a sword. A sword is like this. This is what swords - the weapons of Knights - were based on. The basest echo of a weapon like this...'

"I may be an echo of what I once was, but I will never be a memory! I will not be erased. Not by you. Not by even Gaia! I will rule!"

The man's form blurred once more, his blade of shadow surging forward - only to be met in midair by a golden blade, created not by any mortal hand, but by the world itself, born of the wishes of any who had ever lived...for victory.
"Over a kingdom of nothing, perhaps," the other replied, shockwaves of power rippling forth as the mighty weapons clashed against one another, with reality itself twisting as their wielders fought for supremacy, in this place where the past was not yet dead, echoing on into the present. "Thou who wert once Brunestud have no place in the present. The moon is long dead, and so too your original."

"I will not be told this by a talking ape!"

Desperate, desperate, desperate, are their movements, laced with fury and pain and rage.

Choice 427: Shinji's body is broken from his clash with the echo of the Ultimate One, and yet...perhaps he can still make a difference.

[ ] Use the final command seal to rejoin the fight - break the balance, defeat the foe of all mankind
[ ] Use elemental manipulation to try and distract the enemy
[ ] He has no place in this clash - not anymore
[ ] (write-in)

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] Use the final command seal to rejoin the fight - break the balance, defeat the foe of all mankind

[Skull Leader]

[X] Use the Saint Quartz to heal up and support Elesa from a distance.

Sure it is for Touko but we can find her other loot after this fight. We lose Perseus if we burn the last CS which will make the next trial harder as well as lose our position in the HGW. Shinji made a promise/oath to Gil on that one. So if I can't provoke the CS then I shall use the next best thing we have.

[Malorius]

Well, that was satisfying. Somewhat. I am not happy that my wild guess proved correct, at all. What does Crimson Moon have to do with "prophecy" though? And "never be a memory"? Is it just pretty wording for his desperate attempts to live after death thorough True Ancestors, or something else?

Also, what? The Command Seal was only good enough for one strike? Talk about overpriced...

Ok. We have saved the girl. The display of shounen might was criminally short, but we have fulfilled our part. Let them throw their Marble Phantasms around without casually evaporating Shinji. Enough is enough.

[x] He has no place in this clash - not anymore

At this point, distracting the old man will not bring serious results, but can easily lead to unsightly death. Not with this opponent. The only way we can truly matter here is in using the Command Spell. But if we apply the last Seal, we lose the last chance to participate in Holy Grail War, we lose Perseus, and, worst of all, we lose our Super-Special-Snowflake status. I am unwilling to do that unless the stakes are much more sure. As it is, we can trust Elesa to deal with the pale shadow of Aristotle. She is OP enough for it.

But of course, there is another side of the coin. No choice is meaningless. And this one can influence Shinji for quite some time. "When the push comes to shove, when the worst enemy of mankind stands before you, when your ally is standing alone, and your body is broken - do you have enough Will to sacrifice something forever and fight like a True Hero?" Yeah.

Narratively, choice like this can be rewarded in very unexpected ways. In a kind and just world, such resolution can even lead to reparation matching the sacrifice: increase in power, eternal loyalty from a strong friend - things like that. Yet, uh, we have faced a situation like that in the beginning of the book, and let's say... I really wish we could have explored the other options.

Right. So, opinions?

- - - Updated - - -

[X] Use the Saint Quartz

What is the Quartz supposed to bring to the fight? I hope you don't want to leave our ex-Sensei's Gacha-lust unfulfilled for nothing?

revive your party to full health with 100% NP.

Is it this thing? Or the "100% AP" one?

[alfheimwanderer]

What is the Quartz supposed to bring to the fight? I hope you don't want to leave our ex-Sensei's Gacha-lust unfulfilled for nothing?

You'd consume it for a full heal, yes.

[Malorius]

Well, that's cool. Does it bring all our relevant extremities back though?

[alfheimwanderer]

Well, that's cool. Does it bring all our relevant extremities back though?

Brings them back as normal limbs, yes. Not as Touko upgraded augmented limbs.

[Malorius]

But we never asked for this. (No, I don't intend to stop bringing it up anytime soon.)

Who knows whether simple hooman limbs will be enough. ...Can we cut them off again? Accidentally, of course.

[Daiki]

Just to make sure Alf, what exactly consuming the last CS choice brings to the table? We need that information to know if the pay off is actually worth it, since as stated by others, the usage of the last CS has a significant impact on latter events.

Consuming the quartz will not make Shinji anymore useful than he was without CS though - and he got instantly owned even with one. So it's pointless to consume it for a heal if Shinji can't actually make a difference here. Especially if he has to get involved in the clash of titans in front of him. Unless Shinji can clear the floor by going through the exit or trigger / reinforce a seal - similar to the lava golems room, I doubt there is much he can actually do by himself.

The one thing we have for now is that Crimson Moon is temporarily busy dealing with Elesa but he likely took a fair bit of her power so I doubt she can actually beat him by herself. This is exactly for that kind of situation I wanted to give her a dose of PoAP, guys. Her odds would be much higher.

I doubt even Perseus at full power can do something significant here, unless we are willing to either burn a CS or damage Perseus spiritual core to boost a Noble Phantasm such as the bridle to summon an echo of phantasmal beast or something akin.

Sure it is for Touko but we can find her other loot after this fight.

I'm not sure we will actually find something that would interest her though. And I would rather die at the hand (or finger) of a fake Brunestud than a Touko puppet. Much less painful. x)

"How did you get your limbs back without completing the temple?"
"I...lucked out I guess?"
"You found some quartz formation, didn't you?"
"Eh? How do yo-..?"
"Did you really think I wouldn't bug your custom-made limbs, foolish disciple?"
"Wait, wh-..."
"Now, let's discuss your repayment to me... Plus, marginal interests for insulting my intelligence and having the gall to think you could use freely what should have went to me."
"..."

[alfheimwanderer]

What does Crimson Moon have to do with "prophecy" though? And "never be a memory"? Is it just pretty wording for his desperate attempts to live after death thorough True Ancestors, or something else?

The thing is that this isn't Crimson Moon, exactly. This is a...I suppose you could call it an impression left behind by Crimson Moon on the universal consciousness, born of his actions in the world and the collective memories of those who encountered him. His shadow or echo, if you will, which of course does not possess the fullness of the original's might, but a portion of it, nonetheless. If he is unraveled, he will cease to exist, leaving behind only the memory of CM.

Also, what? The Command Seal was only good enough for one strike? Talk about overpriced...

It allowed a psuedo-servant to escape Alt Nagel, as well as strike - and maim - this pseudo-TYPE, interrupting what he was doing with Elesa's spiritual core.

Just to make sure Alf, what exactly consuming the last CS choice brings to the table? We need that information to know if the pay off is actually worth it, since as stated by others, the usage of the last CS has a significant impact on latter events.

It means that the Master/Servant relationship will be at an end following this battle, though all parameters will be maxed during it, even enabling things which otherwise would not be possible. However, since Shinji has done a spiritual fusion with Perseus - an unmediated one in this case, with some merging and overlapping, this does not mean that he will lose access to all NPs and other abilities. Shinji may retain some of the skills and abilities of the spirit he was bonded with even after Perseus' consciousness leaves, ala Mashu.

On the plus side, this also means Shinji no longer has to worry about soul breakdown/ego erosion over time, which is otherwise something of a ticking time bomb until he can get Perseus out of his head.

[Malorius]

But no Grail War for him anymore. He will remain a minor character in the midst of world-changing events, a simple warrior among living legends, with no power to bring actual meaningful change. How nice. One can argue that we can still bring difference in some small ways through social skills and may even develop some remnant of this power... It's the safer choice, even!

But is it enough?

Is it right by Shinji to diminish his path of true hero who protects what's important for him - to this state, after everything he has done to defy fate, to break his limits time and again? Not to sound overbearing, but I don't want this to happen to him.

[Daiki]

So either tip the scale or don't get involved. Well, I guess it's a good opportunity to write history by beating an (lesser) Ultimate One. Who knows, maybe Shinji will meet up with Zelretch at some point (after dealing with the time shenanigans) and share that experience with the old man.

I'm going with the assumption that Shinji wouldn't survive until the Grail War if he is constantly fighting the mind erosion. I'm also not that particularly interested in participating as one of the Masters, because there is always the opportunity to enroll as a support for whoever he roots for (Rin or Kirie).

Keeping some of the Noble Phantasms is good news though.

[x] Use both, the Saint Quartz and the Command Seal

Maybe it's time to make up for all the time Shinji screwed up in the temple so far. I'm sure someone like Elesa would understand the cost he paid in order to help her and would be appreciative of his efforts - even if he has to go back to the surface after battling the strongest of the moon. I mean, knowing when to give up is also a strength too, no?

Even if it's only partial data, Sion would certainly understand if Shinji tells her that he had to give up midway through after his fight against the Original True Ancestor, albeit in a lesser form. Being alive (and sane) after that, is certainly no small feat.

"Just do your best Matou, I don't ask any more than that."
"'Sure."

>Gets pushed from a rooftop while drunk.
>Loses protections before the true competition starts.
>Fight off golems, chimerae, wyrms, elementals, wraiths, nucklavee, corrupted trolls, ents...
>Poisoned by Basilisk and Lindworms.
>Lose limbs, razor margin tier death threshold multiple times.
>Unlock the ability to turn into a ghost.
>Manages somehow to end up in possession of two master potions + another which is incomplete.
>Secure his own Archnemesis.
>Becomes a Hero Spirit Container.
>Gets mind hacked by said Heroic Spirit and nearly dies in the process more than once.
>Proceeds to encounter and fight First Jinn and Ultimate of the Moon.
>+ (coming up soon) Either fight against Sion Tatari or Awakened Mischa.

>Still alive after all that.

"I'm impressed, Matou. You really outdid yourself this time."
"Ah, thanks. I did my best!"
"I'm impressed that you yet live, my friend."
"Oh."

[Malorius]

Daiki, be straight with me, please: how hard is it re-acquire Command Seals? I only remember that there were some exceptions.

[Skull Leader]

Seriously Daiki, Shinji does not have to step in here and save the girl and win the fight.

He already did his part and blowing his Connection to PERSEUS for this is not the way to do it. We lose so much to gain what? Elesa has this fight for now, we just need to heal ourselves with the S.Q. and look for ways to help her win. We do not need to go all in with CS. Shinji already did what he needed to do which was get Elesa back on her feet.

Stop with this using up the Command Seals! JUST STOP.

Everytime you people think that it must be Shinji that must have the glory or be the person that has to win the fight, just smack yourself and look more long term. We need Perseus around to live up to our OATH to protect Sion's dreams and to live up with the promise we made to Gil. Using this third Command seal when we do not need to use it, is risking everything! Elesa is WINNING the fight at the moment for god sakes.

CUT out his darn Rainbow Mystic Eyes and hand that to Touko if you are worried about payment for Touko.

[Malorius]

Daiki believes that there are other ways to meaningfully contribute to War, and that's true. Just... I don't think that we will be in position to make a change. When all is said and done, the clashes of titans are decided by Heroic Spirits and, by proxy, by their Masters who hold power over them. We will play not even a second fiddle, by default. And that's a hard fact to swallow.

While I like the idea of glorious sacrifice for the sake of Heroic effort, it still leaves the question of the future.

Also also, he raises a valid point: if we use Quartz... It will still change little. We won't grow stronger, we won't have enough power to influence outcome. In the end, it's a binary choice: either we make a difference by Command Seal or not.

On the other hand, I completely disagree with the notion that Mental Erosion is going to be a severe problem in the long run. We are going to Atlas next year, come on. It will require some actions spend on some semi-useful abilities, but it's doable.

SL, would you change your vote to clearly indicate your intentions after using the Quartz? That's important.

Ok, cool.

[Malorius]

[X] Use the Saint Quartz to heal up and support Elesa from a distance.

I don't believe that it will be a productive choice. What's more, this decision may easily result in murderous retribution from Alucard-wannabe, especially after PoAP proved that Nasu>>>HP, so. And that will just be a waste of our precious gift to Touko. Still... "To stay by wayside and do nothing" will not win, not a chance in hell. Not with our established character. So I'll go for the second best option, for now.

[Daiki]

Seriously Daiki, Shinji does not have to step in here and save the girl and win the fight.

Alright let's get this out of the way so it's done; You guys decided not to give the PoAP to Elesa, which left her vulnerable to a crippling wound which also empowered the boss even more. I would say that you are paying the consequences for your arrogance. I told you guys not to go in there unprepared.

You refused to use a CS and were then forced to use it anyway to make up for a bad decision right after. I don't even want to listen about how you guys are against burning a CS when you cornered us even more with your lack of foresight.

I don't see how Elesa can win that confrontation now, and it's entirely the result of the previous vote. We could have avoided that scenario.

If you don't want to intervene, fair enough. Play dead, vote for that and we will simply get a bad end. Or worse, we survive but have to deal with the outcome of failing the Sion's request. Which will make a lot of participants happy, I'm sure.

He already did his part and blowing his Connection to PERSEUS for this is not the way to do it.

All he did was to be forced to pay the price for a mistake that was voted. Going against the strongest boss in the temple? Sure, let's NOT give the empowering potion to the girl who can make the most of it if shit hits the fan.

Now I'm telling you we either burn the CS and hope it's enough to succeed the mission that were given to us or we fail and go back home not only humiliated but having betrayed the trust of the one person Shinji doesn't want to.

We lose so much to gain what?

You lose the right to become a Master in the grail war. Big deal, when you can still be a major player by siding with one of the other masters. When you can form a contract with another servant once their master is dealt with. When you could simply not participate and end up having to deal with another scenario as challenging or as interesting as a fight against heroic spirits and magi.

Elesa has this fight for now,

Elesa has spent her time between wiping the previous three floors and keeping Shinji alive. And now, she just got drained of some of her energy. She is not in the best condition to fight already, and wouldn't be sure to win even if she were. And of course, she certainly isn't in a state that would have warranted to have Shinji stay uninvolved.

Had she been at 100% and the boss wouldn't have stolen that power for himself? Sure, I could have left it to her.
Had she been at 100% with the PoAP? Absolutely.

Right now? There is a reason the CS choice includes winning the confrontation. Because that's basically the only one which allows hope here.

we just need to heal ourselves with the S.Q. and look for ways to help her win.

It seems I haven't been clear enough when I said; there's nothing Shinji at 100% can do here. He will either get obliterated by getting too close or get OHKO and then you would have wasted that precious quartz for jack.

We do not need to go all in with CS. Shinji already did what he needed to do which was get Elesa back on her feet.

You don't need to, as long as you're willing to lose. Doing the minimum required will not win this fight. The guy is so powerful that you need to sacrifice something to bypass him. Why is it so hard to understand that? WHY WOULD I EVEN SUGGEST NO HOLDING BACK?

Stop with this using up the Command Seals! JUST STOP.

I'm done posting for now anyway. You guys can do whatever at this point. All I hope is that we actually get a bad end and Alf allows a continue. Because if we fail that quest for Sion, I'm out for good.

Everytime you people think that it must be Shinji that must have the glory

Are you sure you want to include me in that kind of gross generalization here? Me, who has genuinely accepted and encouraged to pass the win onto another and give them the means to win that competition? When I initially wanted Shinji to make a difference and deliver on the trust placed on him so he could be on the Isle?

Sure, why not.

or be the person that has to win the fight, just smack yourself and look more long term.

Are you even serious here? The only fight I ever suggested to end ourselves was the encounter with the Lindworm, which we actually did. Not for the sake of "glory" but because we couldn't let Elesa keep getting killed over and over until the dragon changes its mind and does something we can't defend against.

We need Perseus around to live up to our OATH to protect Sion's dreams and to live up with the promise we made to Gil.

Perseus is literally eroding Shinji's mind with every passing second and you want to keep him within Shinji for two more years? Only for the sake of fighting where Shinji has no obligation to since he was banned by Zouken? The promise made to Gil can still be fulfilled without being an actual master, so that's not even a valid point.

Even if Shinji manages to stop Perseus grinding his mind, he is still an inconvenience. Sure, he makes fights easier. Being strong using the power of another, I'm sure that falls into the category of wanting to stand by Sion's side by himself.

Using this third Command seal when we do not need to use it, is risking everything!

All you're doing is losing power (which is mitigated by keeing some NPs) and the right to be a master (which can be addressed by still participating in some form). For what sake would he even want to be in a grail war anyway? Until we have a clear answer to this, there is no reason to hold on a malfunctioning master-servant relationship.

Elesa is WINNING the fight at the moment for god sakes.

At the moment. Famous last words those.

CUT out his darn Rainbow Mystic Eyes and hand that to Touko if you are worried about payment for Touko.

Monsters and bosses are projections that can't be harvested. Unless what came from them can survive to the intermediary floor (like that basilisk venom). Otherwise, we would be hoarding a lot of precious loot. It's not the case here.

Scratch that one, we can indeed harvest the eyes according to Alf.

If you want to suggest another gift, it's probably wise to wait for the next floor, if we reach it that is.

[Malorius]

New information here!

Monster parts can be harvested. Namely, from pseudo-Moon, who tried to be real just a little too hard. Well... sucks to be him, I guess. We can't survive without passing through him, and any of his body parts is basically ridiculously rare enough to satisfy Touko. So we have little reason to not use Quartz here and now. Shinji is reduced to head and a part of torso right now. Not a very survivable state.

(Unless you want to access some secret pay-to-play options hidden inside Shinji's implants, like Typhoon and Icarus systems. May or may not be a complete and utter bullshit though.)

[Malorius]

...And I am morally obligated to tell that, contrary to popular opinion, drinking the vampire blood is absolutely safe and definitely healthy. So, of course, consuming this notoriously prana-rich liquid will give Shinji a lot of benefits among other things.

This is a good idea, guys. I have a reliable source.