Quest of Fate - Apocrypha Universe Grail War

[Bird of Hermes]

As the matter was not resolved, I let the dice decide. You will find out the results next update.

[Zurvan]

it's funny that now the dice have decided

cuz we're about to die

[Bird of Hermes]

No one particularly important
Days 2 - Afternoon
Fuyuki City – Centre District
Health: Great
Magical Energy: Great
Objective: Finish Loading Work



The man who goes by the name Kiritsugu Emiya is content with his life choices. Standing in the cold of the docks seeing the load he carried moved onto ships, no drizzle of rain but grey patchy clouds above set the mood.

His adventures, the blood on his hands, the constant need to do more hand all gotten too much and now he had a simpler and more fulfilling life. On the other hand the sea air was tiring him out and his hands were rougher than they used to be.

“I think that’s the last crate.”

“Thank you as always Kiritsugu but you really didn’t have to put yourself out there like this.”

Kiritsugu didn’t really know the man aside from passing by when helping out on odd jobs and he couldn’t quite remember his name, it didn’t really help that his appearance was so non-descript. Short dark-ish hair, dull eyes, average height and build nor was there even any tattoos, piercings or questionable fashion sense to make him stand out.
He wasn’t anyone special, he wasn’t going to be remembered by anyone when he was gone. He wasn’t going to save the world. But then again Kiritsugu wasn’t going to do that anymore either. Those aspirations had left a long time ago. That meant in many ways, Kiritsugu was now no different to this man before him.

“If I didn’t, delivery would have taken another few days while you hired out and arranged a contractor. That means shipment would have been late, besides I need to set an example for my boy.”

But just because he wasn’t going to save the world didn’t change the fact that the little things matter. Somethings whatshisface seemed to agree with as Kiritsugu was awarded for his actions with a warm and hearty thumbs up.

“Aw thanks man, you’re the best!”

The man turned away and walked back to the docks where workers were now putting the crates into a shipping container

His face wasn’t built for it but he had grown accustom to smiling now. He had already received the financial compensation but the thumbs up was a nice touch. Perhaps next time they’d buy him a drink at a coffee shop or a bar but that was neither here or there. The warmth in his chest was brighter than the sun shining down on him.

“Now lets…”

The words spiralled out of his mouth as his eyes turned to the river that lead into town the sun now shining brighter as the clouds parted and he squinted.

The middle aged man grumbled and waved his hand in the air to try and obscure the bright rays now glaring down on him as he turned back inland. A battery of young bullies in the making were crowded outside the nearby café just off the shoreline so he walked past. With the odd outbreaks of fights out and about the city, Kiritsugu was in a good mood and didn’t want to spoil that with having to rough up a few teenagers who didn’t yet know better.

He’d make his way back to his SUV, make lunch, have a cigarette and do some housework before his son got home.

That was a nice and simple enough plan.

That was until he heard a passing comment from a young redheaded schoolgirl passing by, probably having left school early.

“Hey mister, where was that foreign older gentleman you showed up with?”

“Oh, I was just giving a lift. I’m not with him?

“I thought that was weird!” the girl exclaimed with no subtlety which was a little grating but she was young and out of school so naturally she’d be peppy.

“Weird, how come?”

“You’re usually doing things with that cute upperclassmen with hair like mine y’know?”

“You mean my son?”

“Oh yeah, that’s what you two were, forget about that.” She said surrendering, he’d always been popular with the ladies but this was new.

“It’s not like that guy is my dad though. Just doing a stranger a favour.”

She chuckles at that.

“So, I should just do nice things for people so they like me?”

“You’re taking me out of context. There’s nothing wrong with helping people you’ll never see again.”

“You’re awfully optimistic. Older guys seem more tired and grumpy and people who dress in all black are like these edgy boys who talk about how dark and painful the world really is.”

“Misery breeds company and those people sound like no fun to be around.”

“You’re full of surprises mister. So where did that American fellow go then, I can’t see him around here and it’s not like he’d be hard to miss.”

“Shouldn’t you still be in school, class doesn’t end for a few more hours.”

Her face turns red and she darts off. Kiritsugu figured she was probably skipping classes, he hoped she had enough fun today to balance out the earful she was going to get from family and teacher, she seemed nice enough.

However she pointed a good question.

Looking around, he couldn’t see any physical sign of the elderly British man but there were traces invisible to the mundane eye.

He was no grand Clock Tower magus but still an uncommon spellcaster, Kiritsugu closed his eyes and flipped the metaphysical switch.

It felt like a car engine flaring up after going all winter unused as a stall lead to a slow loud growl with his magical circuits waking up after a long time unused.

Now to follow the smell of rich ground coffee beans.

Seigi Nomikata
Days in Captivity: 2? Afternoon?
Paris?
Health: Normal
Magical Energy: Normal
Objective: Escape



“Yes, I’ve heard voices.”

God, it sounded as cliched aloud as it does in my head.

“God it sounds cliched when you say it like that.”

Yorkie was agreeing with me, truly it was a bad omen and as soon as she said that, the lights in the sky she made started to dim. Truly she had all the grace and elegance of a brick.

“What or who have you been hearing?”

“Well… it’s hard to say, it’s not often ans- ow!”

I was rewarded for my efforts of opening up with a flick to the forehead. It’s a weak spot but more than that it’s a cheap shot.

“Come on, give the pretty girl what she wants.”

“Hey! What were you expecting? A monologue on how in the past week I’m starting to hear the voice of my long dead sister speaking cryptically at me in semi formed sentences which only serves to creep me out and remind me that father has killed like 10 of my siblings?”

“More or less but that will do. I would like you to give me a monologue later though.”

“You can be really weird you know.”

“And you love it, besides you’re gonna have to pay me some way for helping you.”

“Isn’t your benefactor paying you for kidnapping me though?

“Yes, and besides you’ve already taken me to a Michelin star restaurant, this would be something new.”

“If it’s a date you want, it would probably be better if I took you to a theatre or something classier.”

“It’s not the same and you’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”

Yorkie stands up and the world flies by, people pass in a blinding blur and buildings fly past me as world flips like a table and everything falls down.

“You said you preferred Italy, right?”

And when I look up a see a European in another silly stripped shirt but he – we – are sitting in a boat now, gently swaying through a canal with various quaint and old city architecture…

It’s Venice, she’s taking me on a gondola ride in Venice.

The water is gently rippling beneath us, with the soft breeze by my side and a bright sun shimmering its rays down from the cloudless sky onto me. It’s so serene and beautiful. I can even see birds flying off into the distance and taste the mild saltiness of the air. It’s hard to believe she just constructed this with magecraft alone, she surely shouldn’t be able to do this. It’s so intricate and so gorgeous.

Yorkie may be awful at times but she’s bloody brilliant with these illusions. If I hadn’t see all this change before me I couldn’t tell that it was fake.

I’m distracted by the scenery by Yorkie bringing me back to the pseudo reality by gently tapping on the jaw as Yorkie makes sure to take my attention back to her.

“So, you mentioned a sister?”

I blink, hard. I need a moment to think about this. I avert my gaze and slowly slide on the gondola’s seat but Yorkie keeps a firm grip and forcibly turns my head back to her.

“I know that my father killed just under a dozen of his children, maybe ten, recycling their magic circuits to make stronger progeny. Some series of rituals I don’t know the details of and really don’t want to know the details of but a part of them have stayed alive in me. I don’t know the extent but I’ve only heard her voice. She was the first. Her name was Aoi Nomikata, the only one strong enough to keep some semblance of strength in the haze that is my consciousness. So, I’m basically the magical equivalent of ten dead kids hiding in one trench coat.”

“…huh.” I can’t quite read her. Either she already knows the details of the ‘recycling’ or she simply doesn’t care. Instead she lets go of my face and her hand slides down to my chest.

“A connection to the other side and a vessel of souls.”

I can tell Yorkie has different things on her mind though, it’s rare for her to be so business minded and goal oriented. Her focus stays on me – no change there – but it’s more of a genuine curiosity rather than a schoolgirl crush. All this makes it hard to tell what’s going on with her right now.

As beautiful as Yorkie and this place is, all this ambiguity and the things going on behind my back make me want to be anywhere else. I’m not exactly oblivious and she’s usually as subtle as the buffalo herd that killed Mufasa but this is just…

Unsettling.

Yorkie quickly retracts her hand from my chest as soon as it found it’s way there.

“Sorry about that Seigi, I got distracted for a moment.”

“To busy staring into my eyes?”

Yorkie’s face lights up with a warm smile. “You know I appreciate it but this is work right now so can you stop flirting with me for the next” she pauses to offhandedly look at her phone’s clock “couple of minutes?”

“Come on, you’ve healed up my injuries and put in the effort to make all this for me” I say gesturing to the gorgeous landscape. “Now I certainly wouldn’t say no to just lying back and receiving but it would be ungentlemanly of me to let you just do all the work here.”

“I love it but please, a few more minutes.”

It’s not always my cup of tea but I know Yorkie likes the direct approach and in this situation it’s best to let her hear what she wants but I give a solemn nod to the request. It would be rude so keep doing this after she asked me to stop for now.

“As you asked but yes. Dead sister in my head somewhere. Sometimes I hear her talk, very creepy and morbid. Don’t particularly like to think about it.”

“Don’t blame you.” She mutters under her breath as that smile from earlier fades just a bit.

That’s my lead. She knows something and doesn’t like it.

“Though to be fair,” I continue on acting like I haven’t noticed “This whole experience hasn’t been all that pleasant. I didn’t want to join but father forced me and I’ve been beaten quiet badly over that past week.”

Risa spins around and leans back onto the frame like she was laying on a sofa.

“You agreed to the war then but didn’t want to then?”

“You’re correct” I say, taking a long deep breath as I do.

“So you don’t want the Holy Grail?”

“Fuck the Grail. No one’s won the bloody thing in the century, it’s a god damn pipe dream.”

“So Seigi, you have no wish of your own?”

“Every human has wishes and desires but mine are in the realm of possibility. Therefore the Holy Grail isn’t needed for me.”

“So, what do you wish for?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

It does. I do have a goal. To reach The Root.

The Root is a metaphysical location outside time and space, the origin of all souls and where they return to after death. It also contains all the worlds information including all possibilities and events, past, present, and future, of the world. Therefore, the souls of my siblings and magical circuits were captured upon their death and transferred into a new vessel, myself.

The goal of all magi is to reach The Root and obtain its information and power for yourself, attaining perfection as an absolute being. Some have come close and attained True Magic such as

Operation of Parallel Worlds

Kaleidoscope

and

Time Dominion

Magic Blue

. "Magic" can be differentiated from "Magecraft" in that the consequences of its use are ostensibly "impossible" or "miraculous." Therefore, the ability to perform the impossible. Two Magi have come close to The Root and attain these impossible powers.

As a magus, my whole life has been driven towards it. Magi seek to perfect their craft to create a pathway. My family has started a new focus with each generation as apparently not becoming perfect at something straight away is grounds to cry and give up before starting something new.

Nigerdo is decomposition, uniform blackness, conceptual destruction. Through Alchemy and by extension, I theorise a pathway through usage of the concept of destruction but ripping a hole through space-time and making dimensions and causality my bitch is just a little beyond my capability right now.

However, this is the goal of every magus, nothing special.

“Yorkie, I am going to be perfectly candid I don’t care for the Grail but I want to win it for Lancer.”

“Oh, your servant?” Yorkie asks quizzically with an odd pursed expression upon her.

“Yes.”

“Why on earth would you waste your wish on your servant? Is he a hot guy?”

“Not exactly.”

“And like that you’ve lost me.”

“I mean it.”

The look of bemusement affixed across her face is odd, almost as if she didn’t consider it. She doesn’t adjust her position though, staying all laid back so she’s not all that engaged in this. Damn it, she’s deliberately being difficult but is she really not considering Lancer at all.

“That red head charm you or something?”

I shake my head at that and give out a little ‘Nuh-huh’ for good measure.

“No, she’s just got a cause worth fighting for.”

Yorkie groans as she springs back up and flicks her hair, wet from the water. Wait, wet? I thought this was just an illusion.

“So then… Lancer’s just a friend you’re helping?”

I nod.

“Absolutely. Her and Risa both. They’ve helped me out with a lot recently but I know when I'm beat, you're the only one here now, and Risa may fall victim to my father.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh puh-lease come on.” I say “Magic crests aren’t limited to blood. Why else would he bring Risa here if he wasn’t going to replace me or…”

One possibility is father tries to replace me as his heir. But there’s a current gap in the system, my mother died during my delivery so instead of me he could be- he could be trying to replace her. That’s infinitely more horrifying but don’t think about it Seigi, remain calm and composed. Projectile vomit later.

“Ok, I’m done. You happy Yorkie?”

Apathy.

After all this, I can’t even see a minuscule frown or smile. Earlier is saw some hint of emotion but either she’s repressing better than she was earlier or she doesn’t care about Risa’s predicament. I’ve been dedicating all my attention affixed upon her but the moment of softness was gone. It’s just so unlike her. Right now, Yorkie may be sitting here but not quite here.

Blissfully, the lack of emotion was gone just a moment later.

“That’ll do quite nicely now as for the ‘training’ I mentioned, do you subscribe to the theory that the best way of teaching someone to swim is by throwing them in the pool.”

Wait what the bloody hell are you on abou-

Seigi Nomikata
Days in Captivity: 2? Afternoon?
Paris?
Health: Normal
Magical Energy: Normal
Objective: Escape



When there’s no more room in Hell, Seigi Nomikata shall walk the –

Spoiler:

Other hell, what the hell?

Urgh, another illusion on Yorkie’s it has to be. Ignoring the smell of brimstone that feels like it’s being shoved up my nose directly into my skull and rubbed over my brain, I know this is false, Yorkie couldn’t have picked a more stereotypical depiction of hell. All the nightmarish rock formations, a river of lava, floating islands in the background. I’m pretty certain I can even hear screams of anguish in the background.

She couldn’t have been more obvious even if she was ripping off the place from one of her shitty Chinese cartoons or a weird niche video game.

Regardless, I head a soft rumble in the harded ground before me as a hand breaks through and a figure slowly pushes through out of the shade, out of the shadows they’re coming out of… out of the ashes one, two, no four arise.

Here they are.

Spoiler:

“Alright cutie, your answers were helpful and I’m pretty sure you weren’t lying so here’s a trial by fire.” That voice, Yorkie’s voice! “However you do so is up to you but my trial to you is to defeat these demons. Now, TEST YOUR MIGHT!”

Choice

Danger! Enemy Battle!
Vs Demon Constructs!

1). Full aggressive offence with physical might, blow them all to hell… ok we’re there already so somewhere other than hell with nigredo infused punches.
2). Defensively, using tactical advantages such as with hemomancy and utilising the environment
3). Rapid offence using speed, precision and long range attacks using the wind element.
4). Fuck this shit, I’m gonna leg it.
5). Write in

- - - Updated - - -

Authors note

After three years I get to write another fight scene! Next up, QoF materials with info on all the misc magi.

[RoydGolden]

3- Rapid offense.

[Zurvan]

Why didn't I know Yorkie was a Mortal Kombat fan

I'll edit this post with an proper answer, someday

[Faux]

3. Quick, I mean, Rapid Offence, yeah that

[Spartacus]

Hmm...
3, sure thing.

[King Prussia]

3. No idea what Seigi should do, so I'm follow the majority opinion.

[Bird of Hermes]

WARNING/DISCLAIMER

The following chapter contains more graphic description and depiction of violence than previously.
If you are offended by such, please skip to the end where the next decision for the Quest is available.

Seigi Nomikata
Days in Captivity: 2? Afternoon?
Illusory Hell Knockoff
Health: Normal
Magical Energy: Normal
Objective: Escape


[BGM]


Reasonably large enough walkway, check. River of lava for dunking, check. Assorted skulls and spikes coming out of the ground, check.

The demon’s formations are the big one at the centre – easily twice the size of the others, the one with swords and one with nunchakus on either side and a few meters back and the one with the guitar a few meters behind further. That’s going to be their method of attack, the bulky one will charge me and be the main focus to draw my attention, the armed ones will cut off my means of exit and likely aim for an area of weakness and the one at the back will be using its mystic code to provide support for its party from afar.

It reminds me of an effective strategy in a Tabletop RPG that Yorkie convinced me to play one time.

Fortunately, whether it be a game or actual combat the same rule always applies – kill the healer first, keep the main demonic threat away and close in on the support straight away. These demons should be simple enough if I just keep calm and focused, they’re probably just golems or other forms of construct, Yorkie’s just making them look fearsome.

Spoiler:

The large one at the centre takes a step forward and I feel the ground tremble under its weight. It’s about 50 meters from me and one blow may be all it takes to rip me in half due to it’s sheer mass alone.

One, two, three.

Three steps now and I can see the ground underneath cracking open under its feet now. I can’t let it touch me no matter the circumstances otherwise my remains will end up looking like confetti, or just a rain of blood but they’ll essentially be the same thing.

[BGM OFF]

I need my magecraft to take it down, so I close my eyes, ignore the smell of sulphur and brimstone and flick the metaphysical switch.

I didn’t explode, good. My circuitry felt disrupted after I overexerted myself and the surprise attacks but at least here it’s stable.

The two demons armed with weaponry start to approach and circle me while the large one starts to charge.

[BGM ON]

Ten meters now and it storms forward like a convoy truck, the ground quaking and flames leaking out of the demons’ mouth. Hand to hand combat is out of the question, I’ll be destroyed in an instant, trying to use Nigredo when I can’t comprehend the target will only get me killed so I let my energy flow through me.

The wind element, one of the four central elements of life in western culture and the one I hold greatest affinity for.

Thirty meters away.

I feel the hot winds blowing around me, I feel them wrap and spin, blustering me as I slowly swing my arms around me like I’m in a bloody yoga class and at my command under my awakened power the winds flow. Spinning around, faster and faster – the black residue now caught up and spinning like a dust devil, standing in the eye of a miniature black hurricane.

Fifteen meters away.

The behemoth now leaps into the air, a deep guttural howl like a hell beast with its arms raise to turn me to paste. 16 foot tall and ready to hit hard.

Perfect.

“Gale!”

I raise my arms to the monster and unleash the force of nature at my fingertips, twin black tornadoes wrap around my arms and billow towards the monster, carrying it further and further away what must have been a hundred meters away far behind the guitar wielding demon and landing behind a rock formation with only a thunderous thud and a dust cloud showing it had landed.

Well if the Scottish can throw trees at people then the least that I can do is tell some angry football hooligan to bugger off.

Now that just leaves the other two martial demons.

Maintaining the maelstrom of wild wrapped around my arms, I analyse the environment. 10 meters on either side, the left is the one duel wielding blade the incorrect way by holding them backwards like a teenager with a lava pool half a dozen feet behind it and the right has the one with the peculiar nunchaku and a wall to the side with a series of stalagmites in surrounding it. They’re half the size as they’re only about eight foot tall but that’s all I need. I likely can’t take them at once so I just need to keep them away as I go towards my true goal.

I fire my arms as quick as I can to either side of me towards these smaller demons and unleash the maintained torrent towards them, I hear yells and movement and the sound of broken stalagmites but that’s not my focus as I point my arms behind me and maintain the release – propelling myself forward like a rocket towards the lone one.

Unleashing the full force behind me through my left arm, I fly forward towards my target, I reach out to my right side and break of off a stalagmite and wield it like a jousting lance.

I hear a fearful screech from the monster before me as bolts of lightning burst out of its guitar, I small tilt is all I need to dip and weave throughout each bolt as I reach the wide-eyed demon in mere seconds and drive my makeshift weapon into its centre.

Black liquid explodes out of it’s chest all over my face as I continue my path flying further forwards till a further stalagmite drives through its back, impaling it from behind and coating me further.

It’s not blood, this is most likely just fuel. It doesn’t matter anyways, you are a magus – no room for weakness, you’ve heard this your whole life.

I spin around and use the last of the spells power to propel myself in the opposite direction, moving myself behind the one impaled twice over and launch us back over to the area of stalagmites.

From behind I see a series of rocks break against the demon in my grip toward as I grab the back of its neck and drive it into something pointy. A horrific squelch comes out as the stalagmite pierces it’s skull as more black liquid gushes out like a bust fire hydrant.

“One down.”

Status update

Magical Energy: Normal >> Poor

I look up and hop off. Nunchaku wielding demon is getting up off the ground, most likely having dived for cover, covered in black dust and surrounded by broken stalagmites and the other… wait, where is the other one?

Looking over to the lava pit I see I sword piercing the ledge and a hand holding onto it.

Damn, so he didn’t fall into the lava pit.

Another hand grasps the ledge and the eight-foot hulk hoists itself up and snarls, teeth dripping with venom and swords in hand, screaming at me and spittle flying. It’s eyes though, I can’t quite make it out but it’s emoting. Like an actual living thing…

No, not living. This is just an elaborate illusion. Just an illusion and nothing more.

I glance back at the dead demon, impaled half a dozen times of the stalagmites and leaking black liquid profusely. Black liquid, not blood.

It’s a construct, not a person. Just a run off the mill bipedal chimera. Not a person!

One enemy that’s hopefully incapacitated for now, another one very much down. That just leaves these two in front of me.

Choice

Round 2!

How will Seigi take out this next batch of enemies?

1. Long ranged attacks, if it isn’t broken don’t fix it.
2. Defensively, using tactical advantages.
3. Aggressively, using physical might

Seigi is having to try and convince himself of the nature of these beings, what are they?

1. Actual living beings that Yorkie is just making look like monsters
2. Just convincing illusions on top of constructs, we’re just being messed with.

If these are actually alive, we may have just killed it. As in actually killed something. Is this something we’ll allow ourselves to do?

1. Yes – Screw these freaks.
2. Yes – I’ve had far too many close calls with death, this is just self-defence and just once.
3. No – I’m not my father. I’ll only try and incapacitate.
4. No – If there is someone I’m going to kill, it won’t be these.
5. No – They aren’t alive to begin with.

Quest Master's notes

Congratulations on not picking the choice that would have gotten you killed instantly. Blame the delay on me not writing a fight scene for a year and not being happy with the result.

Also the front screen has been updated with a link to the updated files on the NPC's. Further expansion will be happening later

[Spartacus]

What I understood from Yorkie's magecraft is if the target thinks it real, it will becomes real.
Regardless what behind the martian monsters, Yorkie's magic leave a placebo-like effect/suggestion effect that causes an actual physical, psychological and magical effect, be it negative or positive. So if I want to ripe something for Seigi's development out of it, I will choose something that against Daddy's wishes (who presumably a villain).

So therefore.

2. Defense tactically, mainly to conserve magical energy
1. Actual living beings that Yorkie is just making look like monsters
3. No – I’m not my father. I’ll only try and incapacitate.

[Faux]

+1 on Sparta's

[Xaodzilla]

+1 to Spartacus'

[RoydGolden]

Silent Hill references aside, I'll third Spartacus' vote. Looks like the best option at this point.

[King Prussia]

Jumping on the Sparta's bandwagon. Don't have much of an opinion on this vote, but curious to see where it will lead.

[zikari8]

2. Defense tactically, mainly to conserve magical energy
2. Just convincing illusions on top of constructs, we’re just being messed with.
3. No – I’m not my father. I’ll only try and incapacitate.

Just to be contrarian

[Zurvan]

Seems the vote's decided already, and I can't really complain of the choice

perhaps unworthy of note, but this is p fun

On the other hand, maybe it’s all sexual tension and they just need to hook up already.

[Reiu]

A magical vessel that, when filled up, grants the wishes of men:
as it turns out, the Holy Grail wasn’t the only such artifact in this world.

So Arwyn Penrith was about to discover——

A long-lost legend.
An unwitting inheritor.
In this tale of magi, the curtain rises on the interlude of their “anathema.”

Side Story.
Quest of Fate: The Norwich Case File.





Coming Soon.

[Bird of Hermes]

Seigi Nomikata
Days in Captivity: 2? Afternoon?
Illusory Hell Knockoff
Health: Normal
Magical Energy: Poor
Objective: Escape



[BGM ON]

“Bugger.”

Two against one is never an ideal scenario, so much as a single slip up is going to involve that nunchaku smashing my skull open and that sword either stabbing or slashing at me. Neither of which I want a glorified pair of sticks to do. Therefore the only think to do to is channel the wind element into the sanguine. This through limited divination and structural analysis will be able to read the flow of their blood and predict their moves. If it works will be seamless, be beautiful and impossible to hit.

“Keanu Reeves you breathtaking bastard…” I whisper to myself “Don’t fail me now.”

And I begin the kata.

“拔塞大 Bassai Dai – Storming the Fortress.”

To the left is the disoriented nunchaku one and further off before my is the sword wielding faux-demon climbing off the ledge so I reinforce my limbs and swoop in towards my first target.

I dive forward and deliver a soete-uchi-uke assisted inside block reigning my fist down like a hammer with all my weight behind it in a kosa-dachi stance. It matters not if the creature blocks, strikes or begins to move; I begin the dance and the dance is flawless, revolutions unimpeded.

The creature snarls and swings it’s weapon at me, clashing with my arm and parrying each other’s blow with the metallic clang echoing out around the hellscape. The sound scrapes unpleasantly against my ears but my arms throb and feel heavy from that direct strike. Superficial, I do not allow it to distract me and maintain the fierce elegance required.

Through its face (mouth?) I see it shift into an assumed smile, that means –

-Behind me!

I shoot a leg forward to hook between the first monster to maintain physical contact and rotate, I inflict Reenforcement without thinking and deliver an uchi-uke block blind behind, my forearm deflecting the first curved blade.

“Oh you sneaky little wanker…”

I repeat the movement in an instant, driving my arm into its unprotected softer side.

Divine

I use my limited projection to get a feel for their bodies and divine the sanguine flow, the one behind me is preparing another strike, this time in an arcing motion downward. Another revolution and a soto-uke outside block strikes at the back of where I predict the back of it’s hand to be and the attack goes wild. Feeling the prepared slash from behind about to swing I grab ahold of the weapon wielding hand now weakened by my strike to hold it in place and deviate from the kata to shift in and deliver an enforced mae-empi-uchi elbow block with the wind element wrapped around me for extra damage and guaranteeing the sword doesn’t carve me in half.

Analyse.

The body slumps as the monster exhales and air escapes and the 8ft body lands atop me. With greater surface contact I can map its body better.

Enforced skin and compressed muscle tissue to withstand greater physical trauma, an enforced strike like that would have broken all the bones of someone who didn’t have enchanted defences. Widened veins and capillaries to carry more oxygen to support the muscles and organs. Organs, missing a digestive system and anything that isn’t tailored towards combat has been removed to allow for an enlarged set of lungs and multiple hearts. Built to fight and short term shelf life. Wait more… metal, circuitry, oil and blood? Cybernetics – This is some heretical nonsense if there ever was any.

I scoop the grappled creature and pull it between the swordmaster as a living shield and drive it down onto its knees before delivering- .

Destroy

Nigredo

A weak shot, by no means a full release but I feel the unnerving crunch on bone breaking beneath my strike and seeing it’s arm bend the wrong way seals it.

It howls in pain like a dog that just got ran over by a car like a real…

No Seigi I think to myself. Don’t fall down this rabbit hole, you’ll never climb out.

I –

Damn it to hell Yorkie, you’re making me kill something here.

I-I can’t kill it. This isn’t really a monster. It’s probably just a poor homunculus built and modifier for this one purpose and I’m…

I’m killing it. I’m killing someone.

I’m killing a person.

This isn’t what I want.

I stop myself, and that’s when the monster attacks.

A swift thrust forward drives through toward my face and I have to kick myself backward to try and evade, the curved jagged edge coming centimetres away from my eye.

With it’s ally disabled for the time being it needs to take me down as soon as possible. I stumble and fall backwards onto the hot dry ground with a loud grunt landing undignified on my arse. The humidity feels as if it’s increased and the ground feels burning to even touch.

The flow is broken, I’m vulnerable!

Fuck!

The fierce crimson monstrosity looms over me and with any semblance of arrogance gone, I can see the clear height and weight difference between us.

It smiles, a nightmarishly wide grim from ear to ear as rows of teeth like rusted daggers. A long muscular tongue slithers out of that hideous mouth and makes a disgusting… licking motion before mucus-like drool starts dripping down as it begins to approach.

Thud

Thud

Each footstep resonates, echoing in my eardrums and the weight making it feel like the ground is moving.

It’s going to kill me.

It raises it’s arms and starts swinging at me wildly, now giving a deep gross laugh like a predator that toys with its prey before it eats it. I shuffle back as quick as I can, each blade but a few inches away with each slash and the hot wind practically slicing against me as I try and retreat.

The kata is broken, my hematomancy is useless in this situation and trying my wind magecraft or Nigredo won’t work without a high ground. All I can do is run.

In a broad motion, the bladed demon arches back and raises one of it’s blades before spearing down in a swift motion to my left, my left!

I barely roll over to the right in time and the blade cracks the scorched earth behind me in a heavy metal thunderous boom, embedding itself half way in the earth. It raises its other blade so I just keep rolling, covered in ash as I feel the ground split under its weight again. I keep rolling, cutting and scraping myself but I have to run. I need to keep away.

Quickly, I glance over to see it reach over to grab its sword and pull them out of the ground. That gives me a few extra seconds. I wipe the grime off my face and hurriedly bring myself to my feet to flee to high ground, I can see a ledge off in a distance – a wind & enhanced combined jump will get me there for some better breathing room.

I prepare myself, combining all my mana through my legs for focus – I feel my skin harder, muscles bolded, blood flow faster and all the wind wrap around my legs preparing to a leap and –

Just as I leap, I feel the hot searing edges cleave into my back in the shape of an x. Flesh and blood is severed as my leap goes wild. Spining wildly and utterly disoriented my head smacks into the cliff face I was aiming for and bounce off, rolling back onto the dirt utterly broken.

Status Update

Health: Normal >> Critical
Magical Energy: Poor >> Critical

Magical circuits forcibly switched off.

It’s just pain, pain is good, means you’re still alive for the next three minutes.

Very well, I might have been a little bit generous there. 90 seconds is probably how long my lifespan is.

My head shaking and my ears buzzing, I feel something take a hold of my head in a single hand.

Vision is blacked out, can’t see!

Can’t scream!

Can’t breathe!

I grab a hold of its arm and try punching and shaking my legs wildly.

It does nothing.

The hand starts to slowly squeeze and apply more and more pressure to my fragile skull. It’s agony! Burning agony as my skull starts to splinter and crack.

Status Update

Health: Critical >> Dead >> Critical >> Dead >> Critical >> Dead >> Critical

[BGM OFF]

Aoi Nomikata
March 29th 1965 – 42 Years Ago
London Residence



Father!

Aoi wakes up early this spring morning, before sunrise. The five-year-old gets ready quickly, dressing herself in nice enough clothes that she wore yesterday – she wasn’t yet at the disposition to feel the need to change into a different perfectly co-ordinated outfit yet.

Breakfast isn’t much of an issue, she was able to take decent enough care of herself, bacon was out of the question – she didn’t know how to use the cooker and wasn’t in the mood to burn down the house. Fruits and toast was usually her breakfast on a Monday morning but mummy and daddy weren’t around to scold her for it so she ignored that.

Today she was having chocolaty cereal, no one was around to stop her so Aoi was going to eat like a princess.

She liked to imagine they could eat chocolaty cereal every day rather than it being a weekend treat.

She had an hour to herself – daddy said he’d watch the sunrise with her. It was something she wanted to see for a while and after a few missed occasions, daddy made a date and promised.

She decided to do some of that magic practice.

It wasn’t as easy as it was in her stories, there were so many rules and other boring stuff. This ‘Graduation Air’ (she liked the fancy name to it – felt important) was about copying things she has seen before and making different versions of it. It was supposed to be the easiest thing in magecraft but she never got it right.

Aoi went into her training area, put on her goggles and gloves and got out a lightbulb.

No

First of all was to turn on your magic circuits and then shape the magical material inside you to form a copy.

She felt the energy course through her veins, coalescing and forming infront of her forming of the of – crash.

Oh, it went boom. They always went boom. But Rome wasn’t built in a day and a child would make her own lightbulb! Ok, the second one went boom. And the fifth. And the…

Stop this

“Hmph!”

Aoi pouted excessively as if it would fix the mess she made and make her a better magus like a fairy godmother waving her wand making everything better would. It did not.

As much as she tried the mess wouldn’t clean itself. It just wasn’t fair!

So she got out a dustpan and brushed everything up. She was a good child at least and being housetrained was always a plus.

With the hour (wasted having achieved nothing) being a momentary setback, Aoi checked her watch as she heard footsteps coming down the stair, alternative between light and heavy – that was daddy it was a dead giveaway.

…

Daddy is awfully quiet and Aoi find that sad. He said it would be something special just for them but he’s not talking much. She’s talks enough for him though so it’s all fine. She talks about how she made a healthy breakfast for herself and how she’s making progress in magecraft and a bunch of other good stuff he’d like to see if that cheers him up.

I know what happens I don’t want to see this!

The two sit on the rooftops with the sky now starting to glow a dull orange. It was pretty with orange now splitting into scarlets, violets and blues. Though the sky was still dark in parts as dawn was breaking, mixture of yellow and orange on the horizon beneath a dark neon blue ocean of night with all the buildings and over time the sky now turned pink like a sea of cotton candy and the clouds were coloured in a pinkish hue.

Aoi couldn’t help but smile. It was even more perfect than she thought it would be. Her daddy on the other hand was smiling too but it wasn’t a happy smile. His lips curled upwards as tears now started to stream down his face.

Aoi didn’t understand how you could be happy and sad at the same time and gave a little tug on his arm. “Wasn’t it as nice as you would have liked?”

Nomikata Sr kept smiling but did not respond to her question. He wiped his face free of the tears and looked down on his daughter. The smiled widened as his face weakned – true honest human weakness as he looked down on the person he cared most for in the world “I love you.”

“Daddy I know y-”

Before she would answer, Aoi’s mouth was muted as a phantasmal hand gripped the back of her head and her lips as her head was twisted until her neck snapped.

NO! DON-

And Seigi Nomikata felt the phantom pain of his sister being murdered.

x-x-x

No

NO.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

I’m not a killer.

I don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.

Don’t want to die.

Not a killer.


But I have to. Justice tried to kill me, almost managed. Saber tried to kill me, almost managed. I don’t want this.

Aoi didn’t want this.

Status Update

Player Choice Overridden, direct control of Seigi Nomikata has been assumed by another.

“Lancer, take Risa and run. Run!”

“I hate you, but I understand you now.”

“So are you finally ready boy? There is no turning back.”

[BGM ON]

Seigi Nomitata ceased writhing aimlessly like prey.

The young gentleman remembered what he was, a student, a fighter, a lover, a survivor. He had struggled, he had been belittled and he had been bested but the man had a stiff upper lip. Though he can the compassion of a human, Seigi was born and raised as a magus and held the pride of a magus; now matter how loud the wind howled, a mountain cannot bow.

Shapeless voices filled his head and he knew what they were, the lost souls still residing within him. They speak of pain, they speak of hope, they speak of joy, they speak of rage. Of children being forced to fight their parents’ wars. Of elders seeing flesh and souls as commodity, reshaping and discarding they alike. The world changing and leaving a people behind.

They offer

him

her

truth.

They offer them.

Power –

Before he can do what is right, Seigi Nomikata must survive and passenger does not allow her vessel to be destroyed.

Give me more power –

A hand now gripped at the creature’s wrist as Nomikata opened their eyes to the beyond. Seigi was always connected to the souls of those beyond, trapped within his vessel. He was always immersed in ‘Death’ and close experience after close experience had only strengthened this connection to the other world.

This world was the place all souls would originate and return to after death.

This was

The Swirl of the Root

「　」

.

To protect the people I love…. If I become a monster –

Nomikata’s magical circuits opened and swallowed the rushing flow into their body and power swelled to a capacity that they had never reached before, resewing the damage and making them whole once more. All the wounds closed up, bones reaffixed themselves into place, blood flowed and established the power to the waking world.

But above all else there was power.

Nomikata’s body was now positively glowing, as an aura was emitting from their body, they could not fully comprehend the depth of the cybernetic implants on the creatures but it was flesh and blood. That was understood. That could be destroyed.

So be it –

Status Update

Health: Critical >> Superb
Magical Energy: Critical >> Superb

Magical circuits forcibly switched on.

A high pitched whistle now sang in resonance with the aura as Nomikata spoke. Nomikata spoke with the voice of the vessel Seigi Nomikata, a refined and well-practiced young gentleman as well as another voice simultaneously, female, older and more matured with age.

The two spoke in unison, the voice of the future and the voice of the damned united as one in this moment.

Nigredo.

Hermes Trimesgistus taught that the first step of the Magnum Opus was relinquishing the earthen component of all five elements and reducing compounds into a uniform black matter to be reformed.

Decomposition.

Before creation comes destruction.

With the wind element emphasised for a chaotic release, Nomikata rejects the being before them from the earth as the monstrosity’s concept is ripped apart at an atomic level, reducing them to base elements, leaving only a black material behind and the now useless implants floating atop them.

Slowly, their body descends as the vessel now walks forward as the environment begins to shift around them.

Hahhhhhh –

The power welled and from Nomikata’s physical from, two additional sets of arms grew. Forged of pure magical energy and shimmering splendidly as such.

This was The Destructor.

This was Metsu.

滅

Wise Up!

Nomikata

Awakened Origin: Destruction
Sorcery Trait: Transference of Souls – Splintered Existence

Necrotic Crest Activated
Effect with ‘Connection to The Root’ at grade one: Restores Vitality and Magical Energy, magical cost of Nigredo is reduced and its effectiveness greatly increased.
Access to The Root: Grade 1

[RoydGolden]

Holy crap, did we just go Super Saiyan? This is so cool.

[Bird of Hermes]

Seigi/Aoi Nomikata
Days in Captivity: 2? Afternoon?
Illusory Prison
Health: Supurb
Magical Energy: Supurb
Access to The Root: Level 1
Objective: Escape



[BGM]

“Feh.”

Another wave falls to the sidelines. I’ve lost track of all the tomfoolery with all the insolent nonsense that Yorkie has been throwing our way as another set of bodies hit the floor, the hallway of this false castle utterly littered with them like a masked ball where the champagne was spiked, or to be less eloquent a shitty bar after a football brawl.
The corpses themselves are somewhat ridiculous as well; demons, vampires, other miscellaneous tidbits and now…

A cold marching echo’s out through these illusory halls, a firm march in perfect rhythm to a militaristic beat.

An expy of the armed forces? That’s a little mundane for Yorkie’s usual tastes.

However as the door atop the hallway opens up, revealing a set row of five and multiple lines behind them, all armed with guns – a thick stench of rotting flesh and a dull groan alerts me to the true identity of these fake monsters before me.

tagged for size

Zombie military.

I have a feeling Yorkie is plagiarising someone but I can’t put my finger on it.

The zombies raise their guns towards me but I don’t move, I have no control over my body. Aoi however keeps our magical circuits awakened and prepares for the volley.
The gunshots cracked into the air as loud as thunder but without the raw power of a storm as they rained down on me but to no avail. Fired bullets are just hot lead, a single element easily broken down into protons, neutrons and electrons with them coming into contact with my skin as Aoi channels Nigredo through our shared body.

The hail of bullets continue their barrage but Aoi has us stand firm as the bullets are reduced to dust on contact. Each shot stings all over but it’s simply comparable to being flicked repeatedly.

“Is this all you have for me girl?” I feel my lips move as an unfamiliar voice speaks in a different tone, more feminine than mine. “You may have been able to control Seigi but you’re not dealing with my silly little brother.”

My legs move forward against my will, the gunfire keeps coming and the bullets continue to do nothing as Aoi approaches the rotting masses.

“I wanted more.”

The first one lurches forward, leaping over the banister with it’s fang’s bared and dripping with salaiva aiming straight towards us with murderous intent! Fang ready to bite into our throat and tear-

In a swift motion, Aoi uses our arm to catch it out of the air and drive out fist through it’s stomach, our fingers grasp it’s spine as Aoi calls forth

Conceptualised Destruction

Metsu

as the undead husk’s own natural rotting accelerates as it turns to ash.

We toss what is left of the spine, all that remains of the zombie as a gust of wind levitates us up to match, no look down upon the masses.

Aoi raises our hand and sheer elemental force rips a vaccum in the midst of them. The aimless bodies drop their riot shield and rifles as they violently collide together in a single fleshy mass, consolidating to a single point as flesh upon flesh is crushed and compressed, the zombies spinning and condensing further, limbs and discernable traits being blitzed together in as single mesh as about thirty cadavers are crushed and forged into a single point. A pile compresses to overlapped bodies, to a single minced point till all the flesh and liquid are forged into a singular red orb the size of an apple.

Aoi speaks again.

“Come now beautiful girl. That werewolf couldn’t rip us in half, I flayed the skin off that false dead apostle when it tried to sneak up on us and sheer numbers are useless against us. Why even Seigi handled all those fake demons on his lonesome. I’m certain he would say this is poppycock too.”

Aoi chuckles. I don’t like it.

-Fire runs now.

Flames bursting from nowhere in the environment. It all forms toward the centre of the hall forming a shell protected from this illusory world. In this point I feel my captor’s presence shielded from this land as after all we’re not locked in with these monsters, these monsters are locked in with Aoi and I.

“___”



“You’re not my Seigi… You, hiding in his head, what are you?”

“This isn’t just Seigi’s cute little alchemy and simple decomposition. No not at all. This is Destruction, My Destruction.”

Our hands are extended to the side as the shimmering arms forged of magical energy make a motion of enveloping the shell of flame.

“Now my pink haired beauty, your illusions are utterly fantastic and you are so efficient in using them, however I know what they are – fake. All of this is so ridiculous there is no way these could be anything but. And now that I know what they are-”

I see the shell start to crack.

“I can destroy them – unlike Seigi right now, I can accelerate and erase more than just simple physical matter.”

Another crack, not in the shell but rather the castle hallway.

“Don’t get me wrong my fair lady, i’ve been passenger to all of my little brother’s little ventures and it was nice of you to take us out for a date but this…”

“Seigi please! What are you-“

I haven’t heard Yorkie like this, desperate and panicked. I can’t see her face in this barrier but I don’t need to so know what it looks like. Despite all this I still feel sorry for her and I hate it.

…

But there’s nothing I can do.

“My little brother isn’t in control right now.” Aoi says with my lips, her unfamiliar voice impartial to Yorkie’s pleas to say the least waving her hand in a pompous ladylike fashion to be a very polite way of saying ‘Bugger Off’. “And you have put yourself under a lot with all the romantic dates and the monsters, truly excellent work, I’d tip my hat to you and more if I still had it but I haven’t had a hat in decades but this date is coming to an end. I’ll pay the bill and pick you up same time next week.”

Another crack in the illusion, another and another.

Warning. Sewer layer broken. Initial defences breached. The Magus Killer is in pursuit.

Well I can now hear what is happening on the outside and it appears someone is in quite the hurry towards us. I don’t know this ‘Magus Killer’ but I feel a renewed sense of urgency within myself.

A lingering remnant Aoi recalled from one of the lives she lived as a passenger before myself? Questions for another time.

Our glowing arms are making more gestures as the flames start to fade as the concept of them is broken down by Aoi. As the embers weaken I can see Yorkie constrained in an invisible chain, bound and unable to move. Her face is contorted in pain as our captor is now bound to us, our overwhelming power. The rush of domination as we hold absolute authority over the one who held us in bondage, she taunted and teased, blamed us for her own misdoings and inflicted pain on us. Why I could even.

No, stop this.

I call out to Aoi best I can. She’s angry, so angry. A tormented soul finally releasing pent up rage over decades and it’s on Yorkie’s who’s only been talking I-

I don’t know

I don’t know what I don’t-

I don’t want this.

I.

Shit.

I can see Yorkie properly; her face is contorted in pain as I see these invisible chains tighten and slowly crush her figure further. Her breathing is weak and raspy as she chokes out her next words “H-he told… He told me this was going to help you.”

Help.

She wanted to help me? Is she lying.

Whatever this is more questions are being given than answers and I can’t help but feel the need to save her despite all this.

Aoi however has none of it. She’s riding high on perceived vengeance and she refuses to let go of her current fix. It’s wrong, it’s wrong to do this but we feel… No she enjoys this and I can feel her emotions. I could punish Yorkie further, I could let go, I could drag her with me to entertain later. No, this is just Aoi being angry I tell myself. She doesn’t really want this. I don’t want this!

Light is now shimmering through the cracks as the illusion fades, I can’t make out the clear details but-

An empty office, with only me and Yorkie, an opening to the left as the entire wall is made of windows looking onto the empty town below. Locked doors, the sound of braking and people shouting as the locked doors are slammed against with people trying to break in.

Aoi smiles and basks in this, her victory the first victory in decades, her first time living in decades through myself.

I close my hand as I feel the illusion begin to unfurl

“I’m sorry Seigi. I don’t know if you can hear me where ever you are but I’m sorry.”

‘Oh you have got to be taking the piss’ I curse to myself.

Choice Time

Seigi has about a few seconds of control in the state of the illusion’s weakness:

1. Escape through the window while you can
2. Charge at the doors
3. Blow up the ceiling/floor
4. Destroy the illusion outright and see what comes

What to do with Yorkie

1. Write in

Quest Master's Note

As around this time last year, Seigi got himself into this mess and only now are we kicking things back into gear. To be honest I'll admit the significantly slower updates this second year of the quest have been down to myself and how busy i've been off site and other commitments IRL. I can't guarentee thing's will be faster any time soon which I'm still sorry for but now things are finally properly moving again with our boy Seigi, hopefully thing's will get more interesting and activity will pick up again as I've noticed that the number of voters overall seems to have gone downhill over the last year. I hope I'm able to make things more interesting ang get you all excited for updates and have people who would normally just read to interact and have you all join in the experience

On a more positive note, with Reiu's Quest of Fate: Norwich Casefile sidestory, we will in time have more content of Best Boy Arwyn which I myself am certainly looking forward to. After all, Seigi x Arwyn has the most fanart of any pairing in the entire Questverse (happy pride month).