Too many threats within tolerable range. Focusing on a single one will open the possibility of retaliation from any of the others.
Evaluating feasibility of beckoning further power so as to engage all threats simultaneously.
Evocation of additional terminals remains outside operational capabilities. It is regrettable, but all corrective actions must be channeled through the human vessel. However, beckoning further power will accelerate the reaffirmation of the upon the Human Order, hopefully to the point where the vessel will no longer be necessary.
Let us begin. These humans have been allowed to trample on the world that welcomed them for far too long. If they cannot be trusted to take the proper actions to restore the planet’s integrity, then the planet will correct itself, regardless of their will.
The threat of human beings rests solely in their numbers and cooperative faculties. The first step must therefore be their isolation.
“Uwah!” A silly sound comes out of Seigi Nomikata’s mouth when the very ground under his feet betrays him. The next betrayal comes from his brain, which defies his desired image of sharp intellect and wit by stating the obvious.
“It’s shaking!”
To his fortune, one of the potential witnesses is currently deaf and the other is paying no attention to him. Liria, too, is struggling to keep her balance, while the other redhead formerly a magma monster is all but sprawled on the ground before the ominous ball of swirling flames. At last, the summation of wounds Liria has taken upon herself—all of them originally Seigi’s, for that matter—choose to claim their due, and the girl cannot react in time to help Seigi or herself.
Seigi yells once more when the rumbling intensifies and he no longer can stand on his feet. Inescapable fear strikes at the sight of the ground splitting open, cracks spreading to the nearby Culture House and creeping up its walls. The rumbling has become an earthquake—the real thing, that which destroys cities and ends lives. The British magus can only bear witness to further devastation wrecking the frozen Valparaíso, the ground of the many hills physically raising and falling at the rhythm of numinous tectonics.
“Damn it, Javier! Stop this already!”
*** ***
“Hey, hey, hey, isn’t this a bit dangerous!?”
The tectonic waves that rattle the hills of Valparaíso can be felt much more strongly underground. The tunnels and chambers of New Asgard are of course protected against tectonics just like the city above, but this is no ordinary quaking. This earthquake is directed by a hostile intent, wielded as a weapon and unleashed with pinpoint accuracy. The tectonic energy is not evenly distributed, but channeled in specific, unnatural ways.
New Asgard’s infrastructure is not prepared for something like this.
Through her many camera screens, Hexensoldaten IV “Ortrud” witnesses the cracks spreading across the rock walls.
“Shit, shit, hafta check…!”
Ortrud pulls herself beyond the initial, startling fear to set her hands to work on the keyboard. There are place that absolutely must not fall apart. She only takes a few seconds to verify the integrity of the vat rooms and Senta’s necrolab. It takes her a bit longer to check that the innermost chambers of the Sovereign’s Palace remain untouched by the quake. The safety of the critical spots verified, Ortrud hastily goes back to check the places taking the brunt of the punishment, and promptly shrieks.
“Ah, shit, this is seriously—is that fucking lava!?”
From the relative safety of the camera room, she can bear witness to the unbelievable sight of molten rock seeping through the cracks like incandescent honey. Magma and volcanic gases slowly fill the corridors of New Asgard.
*** ***
The hum of rumbling became a raging quake, which now becomes something unreasonable and unnatural.
Seigi Nomikata yelps. He is struck by the familiar yet unexpected sensation of weightlessness as the ground abruptly sinks beneath his bum at the same time walls rise all around him, separating him from the girl-slash-Servant to the side. All of a sudden, he is inside a cage of rock and soil about three meters tall and barely wide enough to outstretch his arms, Liria Colhuán nowhere in sight.
“Liria!” he calls out, but it is only obvious she cannot answer, for she cannot hear him in the first place.
His mind is still conjuring the thought of rising back to his feet when his ears feel the stereo sounds of cracking and hissing trigger a new alarm in his lizard brain. A pressurized stream of volcanic gases hits his nostrils in an instant with all its choking acridity, his burning lungs screaming sheer agony as their contents are replaced with poison.
While Seigi vomits gastric juice and bile in his impromptu prison, Liria is in a slightly better state to face this new danger and urges her wings to vibrate and carry her out. However, once again, her body’s diminished performance after taking further damage unto herself results in a nasty crash when the raised walls of stone close above their heads, engulfing them in darkness as their prisons become fully-enclosed gas chambers.
*** ***
Isolation complete. This should prove enough to neutralize the humans. Additional steps required to end the threat from outside the world. After that comes the matter of the Heroic Spirits…
Whether it is possible to overcome them or not is of no relevance. There is only the final purpose, for which there cannot be any reservations.
I am the agent of the World’s will. I am the instrument of order and restoration. I will fulfill my purpose with everything I have, for I am nothing but my purpose.
Humans who had the audacity to misshape the world’s bloodstream and choke its breath: before you stands the corrector.
Oppose me and burn.
*** ***
Seigi screams, for another explosion somewhere around him threatens to rupture his eardrums. Everything shudders, and he fears this deathly prison is going to collapse on him. Again, his balance fails him, and the next few seconds become an experience much like being inside a tumble drier. He remembers that the gases filling his enclosed space are explosive and suddenly fears he has no quick-cast magic that could protect him from an abrupt ignition.
“Aaaah, screw this!” He complains to nobody in particular. “Screw Javier, and screw this whole bloody place!”
He says those things, but the one he is really berating is himself. He has been taking it easy for a while already, has he not? The last eighteen or so months have been peaceful; too peaceful to a magus’ standards. He conveniently placed himself under the wing of a superior magus, and he let her take care of everything, including his own training and research. Isn’t that too convenient?
Well, she is gone now. He will never know how many threats she stopped even before they entered his awareness. He will never know how many battles she fought in the darkness of night while he blissfully slept after a day of hard training. He will never know how many other Human God Candidates she found and neutralized beyond the six names he managed to learn here and there. She gave him much, but she was also a pair of training wheels for a man who was already supposed to know how to ride.
Again, and for the last time, he is devoid of cushions and soft landings. No longer one to be protected by one with the appearance of a child, but one who protects a real child waiting for him at home.
The tremors have lost their unreal intensity now that the prisons are complete. The real, immediate threat are the poisonous volcanic gases.
The truth is, Lancer Lily never liked his Origin and his magecraft based on the first stage of the magnum opus. However, she took it upon herself to better him as a magus, so she accepted the narrow focus of his talent and helped him develop it.
“Your nigredo is no good. You claim it is immediate, absolute conceptual destruction, but it is neither immediate nor absolute in the slightest. It is slow and limited in its reach, scope, and overall output. Of course, you are limited by what your circuits can handle at any given time but…there is still room for improvement in the ‘conception’ of the spell. In other words, the problem is in your head. Your ‘mental image’ is weak.
I bet you saw the Big Sister flailing around with those bothersome arms of hers and decided that was the correct image for nigredo, didn’t you? As it happens, the human body is a terrible instrument of destruction. Mankind’s unparalleled ability to destroy came not from our physical prowess, but from our ingenuity and technological development.
So, create a new image. A stronger image of an ‘instrument of destruction’. A man who has lived a life such as yours should have a good idea or two.”
Indeed, he had. Of course, silly things like missiles or nuclear bombs crossed his mind, but when he seriously looked within himself and sought “the right answer for him”, only one rose with clarity.
Gritting his teeth, Seigi buries his fingers in the nearest wall and plants his feet firmly on what he believes is the ground. Calling upon the power natural to him is almost instinctual; the true challenge is giving it shape as Lily proposed. Even the most loyal child will forget the face of their mother with enough years of absence. However, he can still recall most dearly, the shape of beautiful destruction.
It is painful like most magecraft. He is forcing his body to reach out to the world, to activate a formula engraved within its metaphysical depths through a specific filter defined by his own ingenuity. It is only natural the power to command the world would take a toll on a single human being. However, this is bearable pain because he knows well its worth. Seigi Nomikata does not falter, even as his sight blurs and consciousness becomes dimmer. The lack of oxygen does not stop his brain from reaching to the precious, faraway thoughts that became part of his identity.
“Magecraft is nothing special, Student; you know this as well as I do. It is but another instrument we use to create our future. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Seigi dismisses the reality before him to connect the images of the distant past with the future he intends to create from this point.
Thusly he envisions the ideal instrument for the implementation of destruction, that which precedes new beginnings. Mowing long grass, so that new grass may grow.
Barely feeling anything, least of all the burning sensation of mystical energy gathering around his right arm, Seigi completes the wordless component of his incantation, crafted thus far solely out of proper positioning, breathing and mental conditioning. Focusing solely on the image, it becomes a mold he fill it with the raw material called “mana” and then colors with the black tint of Saturn.
With a mighty thrust of the right hand, Seigi releases himself from the entrapment of earth and the shackle called comfort. What is unleashed is the spear of gratitude as well as of self-assertion.
“Agh, I have taught you an ugly thing, Student. I deem it a forbidden spell in all senses of the words. Nonetheless, it is yours. Wield it only with the wisdom and the courage to bear the burden of its consequences.”
He is “Student” no more. He is the architect of his own future, willing to endure the repercussions of his own choices. In the words of his former master, he is a magnificent adult.
“
Nigredo —Kusanagi—
Saturnine Grass-cutting Black Spear
!”
It does not merely “pierce”. Everything in its path and within a diameter approximately equal to his height is mown away just before falling apart. That which was solid and compacts crumbles like dry sand or old skin. Even as precious fresh air rushes in to cleanse his polluted lungs, Seigi still does not have the lucidity to mind the powerful tremor from his side, as if a gargantuan stone hammer had demolished a sturdy wall—which is not much different from what actually happened.
He wastes not a second, stepping out of the earthen prison to revel in light and fresh air. His lungs ache and his clothes are now permanently stuck to his sweating skin, but Seigi Nomikata has a new, almost feral sharpness in his eyes.
It took a while, but the student has given way to the survivor of a Grail War. Whether this is a good thing or not yet remains to be seen.
Wise Up! (Seigi Nomikata)
Nigredo —Kusanagi—
Saturnine Grass-cutting Black Spear
System: Orthodox Alchemy Attribute: Projection Alignment: Air and Fire Range: 2-4
The dedicated Projection of a tool through which the effect of nigredo may manifest. While Seigi can probably create any melee weapon he can think of, the powerful image of a certain Servant’s spear as the instrument of her power is engraved in his thoughts. Thusly, it is as a spear that this spell can perform at top effectiveness.
Everything the spear tip touches is subjected to instantaneous alchemical decomposition, significantly faster and more violently than anything Seigi can do with his bare hands. With an additional input of magical energy, the area of effect expands to the surroundings of the spear tip, to a maximum diameter of 173 cm.
Threat from imaginary space eliminated. One of the humans escaped enclosure and has chosen retreat. That is acceptable for the moment, although his aberrant, blasphemous nature should, must and will be eventually cleansed by pure flame.
The other two humans destroyed their respective enclosures. Reassessing threat level.
The female’s demonic characteristics apparently grant her superhuman strength. A minor issue.
The male’s wonderwork…is not a threat to conceptual integrity. It makes it harder to subdue him, but it is not a danger.
Northward-approaching spirit reaffirmed as primary threat.
*** ***
Liria clenches and relaxes her demonic right hand, shaking it to dispel the ache from punching a solid wall until it exploded. Absorbing the ugly dog-man thing gave her a massive boost to her physical prowess, but she knows it will not last. Besides, the foreign presence of whatever that monster was made of only makes it harder to recover from the wounds she took from Seigi.
She holds back a gulp at the sight of a major crater in her eleven-o’clock direction—likely the explosion from earlier. What was over there, the scorpion man? No sign of it now, that’s for sure. She then tries to look over and past the ball of flame, where Diego Vyhmeister should be. No sign of him either. He might have choked to death by volcanic gases, but she is not that optimistic.
Seigi to her right does not look that good. He managed to break out on his own, which is good, and he has a new wicked spear of sheer darkness or something, which might or might not be good, but it is obvious the gases did a number on him. Even now that they are back outside, the fumes rise around them from countless cracks on the ground. The heat, the fumes and the rumbling; they all create an image very reminiscent of how Liria imagines climbing an active volcano must feel like. That is indeed what they are facing here: a divine spirit of Villarrica Volcano wielding its power through the medium of Javier Lucero.
“Assassin’s no good with fire, so I really can’t help here,” she finally speaks. “Can that fancy-shmancy spear of yours break to that flame to the handsome, yummy center?”
She is supposed to sound like she is joking, but it does not work. She just sounds tired and done with everything. Seigi does not bother look at her.
“It will,” he says with the kind of masculine certainty that makes women who zero relationship experience swoon. Liria Colhuán indeed has zero relationship experience, but she is too jaded to be swayed by so little.
“Good, then I’m counting on—watch out!”
An unnecessary warning.
While Liria throws herself backwards with all the strength she can put on her legs and wings, Seigi merely twirls the spear all around him with the practice of a martial artist or a marching bandleader. A gust of wind blows all the toxic gases away, and the gout of flame released in his direction is undone upon contact with the dark spear. He takes a stance, readying himself for the decisive charge to erase that ball of flame, but he then stops. Muscles remain taut and grip on the weapon fiercely strong, but he does not move forward. He cannot move forward. He must not.
For the ball of flame has emitted a new wave of sheer, inhuman hostility, such that Seigi and Liria can feel it despite not being aimed at them.
For they too can see the approaching figures stepping into this large open area through its main entrance to the north.
A dozen or so masked soldiers armed with assault rifles surround a black palanquin. Its curtains are pulled aside, already revealing the man who does not use his feet to walk.
Spoiler:
“Yet there is a certain vindication in expecting nothing and receiving precisely that. How gracious of mortals: even in pitiful defiance, you still do your god-given part.”
“Shit, we were too slow,” murmurs Liria, who still cannot hear a word being said. She glances at Seigi, for he is the one with the fire-banishing spear.
“I see that the prisoner snuck away,” continues the Sovereign of the Fourth Reich in a mildly displeased tone. “No matter. Ugallu can take care of that later. Rather, what do we have here?”
With clear lungs comes a clear mind for Seigi to wholly take the brunt of the sitting man’s attention. Even from a distance, he can tell the Servant’s gaze moving to his face to his Projection and back to his face.
“…I see,” says Berserker with a smirk Seigi Nomikata knows spells no good. “Almost like a script prepared by a greater mind, you—”
All the present have to act when the ball of flames decides it has no patience for this kind of banter. Liria is not ashamed by darting behind Seigi, who this time has to properly plant his weapon in front of him to banish a more persistent gout of flame—
“Ugah!”
Both Seigi and Liria and thrown backwards by concussive force. It is a blast of wind, potent and loud; a veritable sonic boom that crashes into the stream of flame aimed at the Sovereign and his escort.
“I will not be interrupted!” roars the uniformed Servant, a single arm outstretched towards the flames that Seigi can tell are a little smaller, just before they seem to grow back into their former size and intensity.
“That, that was magecraft, wasn’t it?” Seigi muses even as he lies on the cracked, uneven ground. “I didn’t see what he did, but I could tell that the result of spellcasting! Berserker’s a goddamn magus!”
The very deaf Liria only groans and wishes she did not have to get back up. They both can feel (imagine?) mystical energy flowing and swirling around like a storm, two actors competing for control over it.
Both the Servant Berserker and the ball of flames are acting, thinking clumps of magical energy, now focused on each other. Berserker’s abilities remain unknown, just as the full extent of the destructive power the volcano spirit can unleash, or even further, the toll such effort will exact upon Javier Lucero. Liria Colhuán remains deaf, and therefore communication and joint planning are not an option.
At this critical junction, stands a single man, whose great adventure took place years ago already. He is not the “hero” of this story, for she is currently struggling against the last great emperor of mankind’s first empire. He is not the “protagonist” of this story, for that one is currently engulfed by the flame unleashed by his own unbridled desire for power beyond his own.
Indeed, a man neither hero nor protagonist now holds the fates of them both in his hands.
This moment might just become the culmination of Seigi Nomikata’s great adventure called “life”.
Seigi Nomikata’s Ultimate Choice
1. Wield the spear against “Javier”. Pierce through the flames. 2. Act together with “Javier”. Wield the spear against the Sovereign. 3. Seize the chance. Take advantage of their attention centered on each other to take Liria and run away. 4. Write-in.
4) Javier will reassert control over himself - if necessary, by actively expelling the flames from him (in Berserker's direction, naturally) -, and THEN he, Seigi, AND Liria can take on Berserker together.
Last edited by SpoonyViking; February 25th, 2020 at 07:48 AM.
Just to make things clear, it is called "Seigi Nomikata's Ultimate Choice", ya know.
You are choosing Seigi's following actions, just like you were choosing Maria's in the last scene, which I may remind you is happening at the same time as this one (Maria felt the first strong tremors right after getting out of Agade Hula, thus 9a and 9b).
Javier is gone right now. He is a non-character at the moment. It is up to you whether you want to bring him back, and how, but it would not be prudent to count on me making Javier do anything while the Divine Flame is rampaging.
Long story short, any parts of a Write-In that do not involve Seigi Nomikata's thoughts or actions will not be taken into consideration.
Ok, here's a counter suggestion for 4 - three way fisticuffs. Be the distraction, fight "Javier" & Berserker at the same time. Liria's wounds are taking their toll, the Flame is looking to take things out one at a time and Berserker is well, being a Nazi overlord. If we create enough of a scene, we get the attention of The Flame, Berserker & Ortud as well which will let Liria get some breathing space. Best case scenario "Javier" and Seigi are able to take down Berserker together while Ortud watches, worst case scenario Seigi dies in a cool fight scene.
- - - Updated - - -
Which as the writer of QoF i am at peace with
Last edited by Bird of Hermes; February 25th, 2020 at 02:37 PM.
4. Write-in: Seigi will aid "Javier" against the Sovereign, but he will also try to draw out the real Javier's consciousness from inside during that by needling him and invoking his pride.
Right now, Option 1 is in the lead with 2 votes. Option 2 and the two different Write-ins proposed by Bird of Hermes and SpoonyViking, respectively, have one vote each.
There is still plenty of time before I can sit down to plan the next scene, though.
Originally Posted by Arashi_Leonhart
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