Quest of Fate - Apocrypha Universe Grail War

[Spartacus]

1.
4.
10.

Let's fucking go

[King Prussia]

+1 Sparta.

[SleepMode]

1
4
10

[RoydGolden]

1

6

10

[warellis]

I'm choosing 1, 4, & 6 as my voting choices here.

I pluck a couple out of frame and take a closer look, there’s a redhaired girl in most, likely to be the person whom this room resided in and lots of people there; schoolfriends, a cute looking athletic guy with orange hair who looks a little older than me, an older guy who I guess you would say is hot in a ‘tired silver fox’ kind of way despite the fact all his hair and clothes are black like it’s the late 90’s and a girl dressed in red and black with twintai-

I might not no anything about Japan but you’d have to live under a rock and not know who the Tohsaka’s are in the world of magecraft. Her family was one of the three that started all this Holy Grail War malarkey until they gave up on using the Grail to get to The Root. The gave up on that when things buggered up around World War Two now seek a new path in becoming one with the universe with Chinese Kenpou while learning magecraft. I haven’t seen her in a year but I had heard she was romantically involved with the heir of the Edelfelt family, then again there are some rumours regarding her sister…

Of course, Rin grew up here before she moved to London. It looks like this girl knew her.

I pluck another picture, one that the girl who lived here must have taken. It’s one of Miss Tohsaka, that cute guy, the older man and a girl in purple… Sakura Edelfelt, Rin’s sister. This girl must have been their neighbour. I’ll have to re-introduce myself to the Tohsaka’s and Edelfelt’s once I go to London. *If* I go back to London. First I’ll need answers.

So is that red haired girl Seigi is seeing in the images the same as that red haired classmate who talked to Kiritsugu here?

And interesting how Shirou and Kiritsugu(?) apparently knew Rin & Sakura Edelfelt here. They have some connection?

Actually, how does Seigi know Sakura Edelfelt & Rin are originally sisters?

[RoydGolden]

I'm choosing 1, 4, & 6 as my voting choices here.

So is that red haired girl Seigi is seeing in the images the same as that red haired classmate who talked to Kiritsugu here?

And interesting how Shirou and Kiritsugu(?) apparently knew Rin & Sakura Edelfelt here. They have some connection?

Actually, how does Seigi know Sakura Edelfelt & Rin are originally sisters?

I actually wondered if the red-haired girl was supposed to be Taiga, since her hair is drawn with a reddish tint in some official art and she's close to Shirou and Kiritsugu. Totally forgot about the girl Kiritsugu was talking to before.

[Bird of Hermes]

I'm choosing 1, 4, & 6 as my voting choices here.

So is that red haired girl Seigi is seeing in the images the same as that red haired classmate who talked to Kiritsugu here?

And interesting how Shirou and Kiritsugu(?) apparently knew Rin & Sakura Edelfelt here. They have some connection?

Actually, how does Seigi know Sakura Edelfelt & Rin are originally sisters?

I shant say how they met as of yet but if you're interested you may want to check this out.

[warellis]

I shant say how they met as of yet but if you're interested you may want to check this out.

Thanks. I'm already participating in that.

[Reiu]

The Norwich Case File: Episode 1



(IV)

2006, October 16th. ????? Health: Normal Magical Energy: Great (BGM)

It was like the idle thought Arwyn once had, one unremarkable Saturday night in London, retracing his steps alone to return home, when he had been suddenly struck by a strange wanderlust.

What if, hypothetically, he did just wander off, aimlessly?
Without a goal in mind, lost in the maze of the streets, without returning?

There would be nothing lost, even if he was to suddenly vanish one day.

Not until Monday morning, at least, when he was due to report in for work. Certainly there was neither anything nor anyone waiting for him back in that apartment.

He wondered how the office would be impacted. It would create trouble, almost definitely, in the short term. They would need to find a replacement for his position and duties.

But in the end, a replacement would be found, and things would simply go on as before.

Even though he gave his all to his work, tirelessly, as much as he could—there was really nothing he did that couldn’t be done by another.

A working part that was both useful and, due to its replaceability, posed no risk in its existence.


Nothing would be truly lost even if it itself was no longer there.
No one would lose anything even if he no longer existed.


The thought was comforting to him.


……

……So really, all things considered…was there truly a need for him to be alarmed at this latest development…?





(V)

The woman lunges at Arwyn in an almost languid motion, kicking aside the dropped human body.
Even in his current state, it was clear to him the victim had been dead for several days.

(—Come to think of it, he wasn't quite able to understand anything she said. It didn't seem like it was a conversation she was interested in from him. Whatever it was, that she—)

(A recollection surfaced to his mind: the unsolved murders in Norwich.
Perhaps there was something he should do here, after all.

(Then—yes, he should indeed be alarmed that she was lunging at him—……)




(VI)


(BGM)


—Arwyn’s body staggered against some manner of construction scaffolding—stumbling backwards and falling with a blunted thump, as his leg knocks into an obstacle.


…It seemed to him as though he had attempted to get away from the pursuer. But now he was on the ground, with some mild pain at that.

The corners of his vision were dark, his mind fogged over, as though he were still in a waking dream.

His hand felt the jagged edges of a broken wooden beam, and the cool smooth touch of metal.
In dull surprise, Arwyn looks over blearily.


——A strange chalice with traces of faint glow lay on the ground——
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜.


( Magical Energy: Great → Normal )

——No;

A cracked chalice of dulled gold lay on the ground.

As his hand reached for the object—perhaps with some futile thought of self-defense—Arwyn realized it was broken, contrary to his initial impression of smooth metalwork.

—In the instant of realization, an bewildering vision flooded ablaze through the fog of his mind.

Figments of light, flaring tendrils of flames:
rising to take flight, higher, higher, bursting forth in blue, scattering dying sparks like brilliant fireworks,
even as they continued in ever-skywards flight.

Farther, and farther——
until the single light that remained was beyond his sight,
beyond the limits of the sky.

Until it was no more.






———He knew then, that it had reached its end

completion

destination

.

A piercing sensation seared through the tips of his fingers, his arms, his body; an unknown ice-cold burning that was strangely pleasant.
It was not quite like anything he knew, excepting possibly an imbibed sip of martini on an empty stomach.

Any thoughts of the pursuer had been completely forgotten in that moment, overwritten by his every sense set alight.
He could not grasp what was happening, and yet, his mind felt clearer than before.


( Magical Energy: ??? )


“———……?”


A silhouette loomed over him in the dim night, casting its shadow over him as it approached.

But Arwyn knew, instinctively, that it was not the woman from earlier.


He looks up.


[ — What does he see? ]


1. A besuited, steely-gazed woman with short-cropped hair. (A certain Enforcer.)
2. A young man in pure white robes. (An unknown Burial Agent.)
3. A dark-haired swordswoman in flowing garb. (A Saber-class Servant.)

1.directionless demons (IV, V, VI)
/ to be continued.

---

Episode Notes

It begins!

…Sort of.

If episode 0 is the opening, then think of this as the dreaded Tutorial segment.
And you all know what a tutorial choice branch means, don't you?

But choose wisely all the same.

[RoydGolden]

Wow, I kind of overlooked the first segment of this, but this looks really interesting! I'll vote for option 3- a Saber-Class Servant.

[SleepMode]

3. A dark-haired swordswoman in flowing garb. (A Saber-class Servant.)

S-Shifu!

[Faux]

2
Now who could this young man be, huh

[warellis]

3. A dark-haired swordswoman in flowing garb. (A Saber-class Servant.)

[zikari8]

You know I have to pick 3

[Spartacus]

It gotta be 3

[Bird of Hermes]

As someone who knows the results of all the choices I am going to abstain.

[Bird of Hermes]

Seigi Nomikata
Fuyuki City – Close proximity to the Church
Health: Normal
Magical Energy: Poor
Access to The Root: Level 1
Objective: Interrogate



“What’s happened with Risa and Lancer? You mentioned them just now, tell me what you know.”

“Figured you’d ask about your main squeeze now. What is it about Risa anyways that makes you struck with her? Actually, it’s a little obvious now. After all a slightly older with pink hair, remind you of someone? Is that the case of you never getting over me and finding a replacement goldfish on the rebound?”

“Get back on subject.”

“Still alive and kicking, it’s only been four days since we picked you up but they’ve been busy in those four days. A good enough answer?”

“No.”

“Then what do you want Seigi?”

“A beginning, middle and end. Facts & details. Go.”

“Alright then. After I picked you up-”

“Picking me up was what you did in the café when I was 16. This was kidnapping.”

“As I was saying, picked you up. You ended up using a Command Seal on Lancer to make sure she grabbed Risa and pulled her to safety at your own expense. I’m not using my cognitive illusion curses anymore so if you look at your hand, you’ll see the result.”

Taking her at her word, I look onto the back of my hand and she’s correct. Most of the command seal that was branded onto me around a week ago has vanished, only one segment remains. Transfixed at what remains of the seal, a single use before my contract with Lancer breaks, it feels peculiar almost as if I’m not looking at my own hand. It all feels alien and unreal.

It feels so long since I last saw Risa and Lancer. Yorkie says it’s been four days but it feels like years.

Eventually I realise that Yorkie’s actually talking.

“So Caster and his master… Atsusui I think? Anyways they turned on your girlfriends. Team Caster turned tail and ended up running after a decisive defeat. Now I mean like real decisive, Caster was pulling out all these runes out of his… His? I don’t know if Caster’s a guy or not. Anyways Caster pulled out all these old sigils and stuff out of their sleeve but your Lancer just side stepped all of them. Caster couldn’t land a single hit, whatever wasn’t dodged was blocked but that was because Lancer used one of her Noble Phantasms. I think she’s got two. The important bit is that we watched the battle and figured out Lancer’s identity – Yamato Takeru. She’s incredibly vulnerable to oni-kind magecraft and Lazlow just so happened to have a card up his sleeve."

“I know you’re not kidding. The kid had power and spells straight from the Age of Gods preserved in single use cards, of course the twerp would’ve had a mix and a backup stored somewhere.”

But it dawns on me. She’s mentioned Oni-kind magecraft specifically. In our shared experience I saw Lancer’s death. After the death of her wife she grew tired of living and went out to die. She was cursed by the Great God of Mount Ibuki or his child… I couldn’t quite remember the face but the legends says that the child of Orochi was Shuten-douji. If my memory, or rather my memory of Lancer’s recollections is correct.

But the oni were demon-kind. Even if Lancer went in without her legendary sword and suicidal intentions to lose on purpose the legends of her death at the hands of a demon or a god or whatever would be etched onto her legend for ever.

The implications of Yorkies precise comment now become clear to me but a magus must remain calm and without emotion on his face even when he knows what’s coming..

Yorkie continues nonetheless “So yeah, I’ve met Risa and your Lancer and I get why you’d have a thing for them. Risa’s blatantly just your replacement for me but I’ve seen Yamato Takeru in action and the girl has got it. A tall cute redhead with an athletic body…”

“Sounds like you’re describing me.”

“Yeah but you’re not all that tall and I think she might have an even better sculpted back, abs and biceps than you. Now I’m not saying I swing that way but if I was so inclined...”

“Well you never know until you try that’s how I found out after all but question your heterosexuality later, keep talking.”

“But yeah, those two have been very angry while looking for you. They trashed archer but that gave Lazlow just enough time to find the right spell to combat Little Miss Takeru and it wasn’t pretty.”

“What do you mean by that? What did you do!?”

“I mean I saw a pre-teen beat a grown woman close to death. I’ve never seen someone puke up that much blood.”

My hand lunges forward without thought, grabbing Yorkie by the hair and throwing her face down into the floor.

“What did you do to her?!”

Yorkie yelps as her head smacks against the floor, my own magical circuits spring to life and I feel energy crackle around my fist.

“She’s alive!” Yorkie yells out as she flinches averts her face from my gaze.

I pause and feels my jaw that was seized shut in fury suddenly lax in disbelief.

For just a moment I saw genuine fear.

And I went from zero to psycho at the drop of a hat.

Keep control Seigi.

“She’s still alive, no servants or masters have gone died in the past 4 days. I haven’t seen much of them but word is they’re looking for you and my employer’s research facility. That um, blew up.”

I hold for a second before I feel my muscles go lax and let go of the anger and focus on the logic of the situation. I just saw the bloody command seal, of course Lancer would still be around. You’re supposed to be in control, you’re supposed to be better than Hiro. Keep it together Seigi you god damn liability.

Yorkie twists below me and pushes herself to sit up at my feet. She mutters to me quietly without all the rage “I’m sorry… That was cruel of me.”

“…Just as well Lazlow’s gone then.” I whisper to myself before I sit down to her level. “I’m sorry as well, I didn’t mean for that to happen. I snapped and I shouldn’t have done that.”

And for just another second, I think I see a smile on those lips of hers.

“Thank you Seigi… Or is it Aoi right now?”

“Seigi, but I still shouldn’t have done that.”

I’m tired of being angry. I’m tired of hurting people right now.

I hate it.

I outstretch my hand to Yorkie. “I know it’s awfully presumptuous to ask, especially after that just now and me apparently being an unstable little shit, but do you trust me?”

She looks at my hand hesitantly before taking ahold of it and we use each other as leverage to hoist each other up.

“More than my employer.”

Ah yes, it slipped my mind for a second.

“Speaking of, who is he? Your boss that is.”

“Oh Seigi, you’re awfully bright but you can be dense. Isn’t it obvious?”

So I think.

Who would be interested in my growth as a magus?

Who would have know of me as a vessel of souls?

To watch me grow and push me down a specific path.

To place me in this Holy Grail War, not to win but to torment me and break me until Aoi finally awoke with in me.

The one who made sure I would have some access of the goal of all magi.

The one who forged my path over the bodies of my dead siblings trapped within.
















































































“It’s my father, Hiro isn’t it.” I say with utter dejection. I didn’t want to believe it but I came back to him. Everything came back to him.

“Yup! Daddy Nomikata.”

“Call him a ‘Daddy’ again and I’m dropping you on the floor.”

“Fair.” I adjust Yorkie’s glasses to they’re no longer on the verge of falling off and brush her hair to neaten it up a bit and we move back to the sofa again.

“Lazlow signed onto this gig a few months ago, I’ve been working the angle for a few years and Blytheseel has been working with him even longer.”

Blytheseel must be the third employee and she’s still talking about Lazlow in the present tense. I should keep quiet about him but she makes me wonder, I wonder if Yorkie’s been working with Hiro since I dumped her, since they were going out or before they were even dating.

I always thought something didn’t quite add up about her just happening to meet me on my 16^th birthday alone in a café. If Yorkie’s been doing this for years has she been working for him since we broke up or did she only get involved with me because she was working for him.

These suspicions were what made me break things off with her in the first place but it seems my paranoia may not have been misplaced after all.

And now the hardest question of the night.

“Third question, are you still in love with me”

With that Yorkie’s face is as red as my favourite hair dye

“I… Er, um. Shit.”

And this is my problem with Yorkie. Maybe it’s because I met her when I was lonesome and desperate for affection from anybody and despite the events of the past four days, the potential implications that our relationship may have been founded on an order by my father… all I can think about is that the way she buries her face in her hands out of embarrassment is the cutest thing ever.

It doesn’t change the fact that I fell in love with her despite the warning signs.

“Ok as much as I’d like to believe that you walked out on me because you panicked, I know that’s not the case. I can keep telling myself otherwise, I know I did something but you never said anything, you just left. My feelings never switched off but just bailing on someone leaves someone with a lot of confusion and resentment. To tell you the truth, I don’t know what I want.”

That is… curious. Let’s go with curious. From what I had overheard she was still utterly fixated on me but it’s not a violently obsessive romance. Yorkie has a very exact anime term for such a thing but I refused to learn it in principle, though to be truthful her answer does make more sense than that term. After all I guess that from her point of view I did suddenly walk out on her after a year, now any reasonable person would be pissed over that. That would be hard to do if she did only start courting me if it was on Hiro’s orders.

I guess we’re both the villain of each other’s stories to a degree.

Yorkie give a slight nervous smile bringing her head out of her hands as I piece this together. I’m not quite sure how I look but in this scenario I’m probably an open book, even though she does know me better than any other woman.

“Final question,” I say shaking my head like I’m in a shampoo tv commercial. “What bed do you want? This place has running water but no electricity so I can’t have you sleeping on the sofa.

Yorkie give a snort “Master bedroom obviously.”

I instinctively take her hand and lead her to the bedroom, making sure my grasp is gentle given my sudden outburst and leave the door open for her to walk through.

“Make yourself comfortable, I’m going to take a shower.”

“Oh?” Yorkie quizzically says, “here was me thinking you were going sofa surfing and leaving the master bedroom all to myself but here you are hogging what’s left of the hot water? You sneaky little blighter~.”

I raise my hand and wave it a little dismissively, my politest way of telling her to be quiet. “You’ve had me locked up for literally days. I don’t think I’ve eaten anything during that time and I can’t recall the last time I washed myself off the top of my head. I probably reek.”

“Yeah, you do smell like a drunk teenage chav who hasn’t gotten around to spraying an entire bottle of tacky brand deodorant on them.”

I know she’s exaggerating for comedic effect but that’s the most brutal insult I’ve had this whole time in Fuyuki.”

“You wound me.” I say, clutching my heart as if I’ve been shot by an arrow. Yorkie giggles as I walk off and walk into the shower.

My clothes are immediately torn off, the cheep tracksuit I practically have to peel off as a waft of iron rushes to meet me as I do so. The red stains are clearly marked on the inside of them as I remove them from my legs, bruised and cut legs. Well that’s unpleasant, they seem a bit more defined and firm compared to the last time I paid proper attention, my calves in particular but the myriad of cuts and bruises across them muddies the appeal.

As the the top half, Instead of a classy tailored suit like any reasonable individual I was stuffed into an ill fitting hoodie. How utterly barbaric. It’s made of poor material, covers my figure, looks frankly revolting and there aren’t even any sleeves! Wait, there were sleeves. When Aoi was in control earlier she flexed hard and they exploded. Now I’m not quite that muscular yet to do that but I guess Nigredo has multiple applications of ‘breaking things’. I guess it does show off my arms though, they seem a bit bigger too I guess.

I’m curious, I turn to a mirror to get a better look at my figure, seeing Hiro’s stupid hair on me, zip the hoodie off and lift up the shirt underneath and-

Oh.

Oh my. Now those are definitely new.

I mean I certainly had a balanced diet and went to the gym regularly but that went mostly into maintaining a nicely toned figure like a swimmer or a gymnast if I don’t say so myself.

Keeping on hand on the shirt I give my stomach a tap.

Oh, they’re pretty damn firm too. Not quite sure how that happened but I guess all off this ‘Vessel of Souls to become an access point to The Root’ crap has its benefits outside of the obvious, though I guess the vessel would need to be strong enough to contain that power.

Either way I just guess I’m even hotter now, I’m well on my way to becoming an eleven. I just need to get rid of this stupid blonde hair.

Then it hits me.

That girl in those pictures, not Rin Tohsaka or Sakura Edelfelt but rather the local gal. Her hair looked like the same dye I used.

I dig through the series of bottles and stuff until I find one I recognise enough and as fortune would have it, I find the rest of the materials needed for it too. I just need to fully take of my shirt.

As I lift the last piece of clothing off myself, I take a look at the figure in front of me

The body is more defined to be sure but across the top half of the chest is deeper looking scars and some burns across the top right side. Impressive sure but it’s been badly injured. I reach out to touch it but just end up touching the glass.

It’s me, it’s my body. I barely even recognise myself.

I look at the mirror. Is it a minute or five minutes? Ten?

Either way when I turn to look away it feels like some time has passed before I enter the shower and switch on the water. The blast of hot water is an uncomfortable jolt to the system initially but the heat slowly sinks into my skin and muscle as I feel tension slowly sweep out. There’s still some mild pain though. All I can guess is that it’s going to stick there for the time being.

Then again, I always seem to be in some form of pain these days.

When I eventually walk out of the shower, however long that was, I pickup whatever fresh clothes from this place that looks like it could fit me as long as it’s not another fucking tracksuit.

Yorkie is not asleep. She is silently laying there motionless and with her eyes closed but she’s not asleep. She sleeps like a log and is prone to snoring loudly, if I wasn’t so awestruck by her when I was younger, I would have found it irritating but I found her so beautiful that it was cute rather than plain old annoying. Then again whenever I’m around her I feel like that dumb lovestruck boy again so I still like it.

I walk up to check on her to make sure she’s okay after everything that’s happened. After what I’ve done. Wrapped under the blankets I don’t quite see a kidnapper with her best intentions for herself at heart but the woman I once fell in love with.

I guess I’m still a bit of a sucker despite everything whether I like it or not.

“C’mon to bed Seigi…”

I knew she was faking it.

“Hey now, weren’t you saying you just want to know how we stand and here you are trying to get me into bed with you?” I try to say jokingly, not betraying the minor dissociation episode in the shower

Her pouting and embellished indignance is clear to everyone here, by which I mean just me.

“Like you said, no electricity and that means no heating. I’m just being practical and anyway After earlier, sex is the last thing on my mind and we both need to keep warm, you can have one side of the bed and I can have the other. This isn’t like you bunking with those other girls or Reiner or whoever.”

“And you know that I’m not some bi slut banging everyone every dude and chick I have a chance with.”

Yorkie lets out a little bit of a huff.

“You’re right. It’s just…” she paused for a moment “We’ve both had a long day and there’s a lot we need to unpack. Shall we wait till tomorrow?”

“Agreed” I say, lifting the covers before getting in “But I’m keeping my shirt on.”

*** ***

Status Update


LAZLOW GRIMMWOLD – DEAD?
SERVANT LANCER – ALIVE
HIRO NOMIKATA – REVEALED AS THE MASTERMIND

The Vessel of Souls has been triggered.
Aoi is awoken within Seigi.
Access to The Root has been achieved.
Mental state has become variable.


*** ***


Warning!

The game has Auto-Saved.

If your quest reaches a Dead End, you may choose to resume it from this point.


*** ***

[RoydGolden]

Well, that was certainly eventful. I find it a little odd how Lancer's identity was just casually dropped in conversation rather than getting a dramatic reveal, but since it was ridiculously obvious already I suppose that's not too surprising. And I totally called daddy dearest being the mastermind behind all this. I bet he's waiting for us with some super OP Servant to be the final boss...

Lastly, Seigi and Yorkie were super cute together in this part and have great chemistry. If we hadn't already committed to the Risa route I'd totally be shipping them at this point. Heck, maybe we'll get a harem end, since we already have Lancer kind of on board... Don't wanna' push our luck though.

[Bird of Hermes]

Lastly, Seigi and Yorkie were super cute together in this part and have great chemistry. If we hadn't already committed to the Risa route I'd totally be shipping them at this point. Heck, maybe we'll get a harem end, since we already have Lancer kind of on board... Don't wanna' push our luck though.

Statistically speaking, Yorkie is the most popular girl in Quest of Fate.

[Bird of Hermes]

A (kind of) update. Servant Profile for Lancer in the OP has updated, all information bar Noble Phantasms have been revealed. Also I've been thinking about reorganising the google docs, are there any ways you'd prefer it to be organised/easier to read?