[Quest] Lost Singularity - Fimbulwinter

[Draconic]

1

[Draconic]

Alternatively, we just saved, so it’s possible for us to reset and try that critical choice again.
Because I have an idea for that. It’s reckless, but if it works, it pays off big time:

Javier: Gather as many of our supplies as I can shove in a bag, then climb onto the roof of the house, and give the enemy just enough of an indication that I’m there for them to focus on me. The tank firing will be Maria’s signal to move. The house itself however is useless to us now that the Nazis know it’s a point of interest for us. I may not be a match for a crowd of Nazi soldiers, but I might be able to burn the house down and take a few of them with it. It’s possible that the tank will fire if they notice the house burning too, so I’ll need to get out if there fast. I’ll take the hole that Maria should have made to follow her. The tank firing for the second time will be Maria’s next cue. The rest is up to her.

Maria: When the tank fires, I’ll use the noise as a cover to conceal the sound of an attractive girl crashing through two exterior walls into the house directly south of us, from the second floor, because I’m just awesome like that. Then Javier will bait our new friends and start a fire. When I see that, or when the tank fires again, I’ll jump through a second floor window, and ideally land on top of it. I can take some heat from the mooks if it means I can get inside the tank. Once I do that, well, the guys inside probably don’t have a hope in hell of fighting of a Demi-Servant.
The result, if we aren’t both dead, is that we have a fancy new car with lots of killing power that can be listed among our assets. If we’re really lucky, we might even be stealing someone’s Noble Phantasm.

Lets commandeer that tank!
Anyone else want to take a Post-Save risk?

[SpoonyViking]

Well, for the record: 2.

[Bird of Hermes]

Oops, thought I had commented already.

1, we need to get to the Drake’s.

[Daneel Rush]

Base of Concepción Hill, Valparaíso
Day 03
Afternoon Phase - 03
Severe Cold (-20 °C/-4 °F)



“Alright, that was a bad idea,” murmurs Maria between groans as soon as she regains the ability to speak. The back of her eyes sting, and her body complains, but it has little to do with the fall. She has to grit her teeth as an incommensurable feeling of frustration and self-loathing hits her hard until she almost screams.

Nonsensical as it may be, she is restrained by the awareness that the feelings are not her own. The Servant whose body Maria offered to, who only can express itself through vagaries of emotion and projected power, is engulfing her with a veritable tidal wave of dark, murky hostility.

Saver is pissed.

She is pissed at these…mooks, for being insufferable pests.

She is pissed at Maria for having so much trouble with powerless pests.

Saver wants to rampage, like she did the previous day, against an actual opponent worth her time. It is the itchy, stinging frustration of a lion pacing in its zoo cage.

Yes, Maria has figured out this much. The smothering, burning, primal drive towards violence…

Saver cannot possibly be a human being. Saver is not a figure of the recorded history of man, nor belonging to the species, Homo sapiens. Yet, the system that is the Holy Grail does not joke nor lie. Saver is also, unmistakably, “a hero who saved humanity”.

However, Maria Westinghouse has not time to meditate on this.

Sprawled on the snow at the base of Concepción Hill, she does not even need to move her head to see the soldiers looking down at her from the top of the promenade. A second group is already going for the stairs.

A backflip pulls her away from the first burst of automatic gunfire. The soldiers cannot follow her high-speed movements quickly enough, and the bullets sink on the footprints she leaves on the snow until she disappears from their sight among the leafless trees clustered together between the base of the hill and the nearest building adjacent to Esmeralda Avenue, the same building where the previous evening Maria reestablished her connection with Javier’s magic circuits.

Maria was sure she felt that viscous, libidinous hunger from within the nearby cave, but she had no time for that at the moment.

More importantly, she had seen it. When her sword clashed with the spiraling wind blast, and she confirmed it when she attentively watched the next blast, even as her won power blew her away from it. The Wirbelringkanone does not merely fire a scouring, air-igniting whirlwind.

Spoiler:

“A rune made of air.”

Maria has to admit the ingenuity of it, but that still doesn’t explain why it can affect her through her Magic Resistance. The answer to this question feels like the key to Rider’s power—no, the entire Nazi operation. And the worst thing is that she feels like she should already know the answer.

She then looks to the side, to the surrounding trees.

A single zombie watches her from behind a tree with impassive, inexpressive dead eyes. Her appearance are clothes are of no help to indicate who this person was in life. Maria can only tell this was a woman at the threshold of what is considered old age. Not that it matters anymore; what really matters to Maria is Assassin’s simple yet incredibly bothersome power.

“Fuck,” she murmurs as she slinks away from the zombie and the soldiers hurrying to the base of the hill. Javier, she guesses, will aim for the Drake house. At least she hopes he will not be so insane as to try to come after her. From her part, she intends to verify Rider’s absence and take out the armored vehicles. She hopes this will give her and Javier enough time to release Alicia Drake before the next wave of attackers shows up.

Because she knows there will be a next wave. Rider will harass her and sap at her endurance, prepping her for his masterstroke this evening.

Aware she does not have the element of surprise, Maria charges straight at where she can hear the engine sounds, bursting into the street to be welcomed by gunfire.

She pushes herself to be faster, to react and change locations faster than the soldiers can track her by sight and move their firing guns along, all the while assessing her opposition.

Two concentric rings of soldiers centered on two Sd.Kfz. 4 military trucks, one which has mounted rails for 8-cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer, the Waffen-SS’ answer to the Soviets’ Katyusha. The other one has mounted—of course—a second Wirbelringkanone. However, what really catches Maria’s attention is a crate lying on the snow just behind the second, smaller ring of soldiers.

A crate filled with guns; the same assault rifles they wield in their hands.

“What’s the deal with that?” murmured the girl before leaping into the fray to tear apart the Nazi forces with her dance of blades. And it is a dance, for the lack of any real pressure or sense or threat allows Maria to let the rhythm of battle take her. The dark impetus pulsating deep in her chest pushes her to dance, to spin and slash, to twirl and swim in her own momentum. She smiles, and revels in the merciless evisceration of her enemies. Her blade dismantles the vehicles, cutting through their armor like a hot knife through butter.

To Maria, it is a strange trance. She feels herself falling, sinking into a deep sea, enveloped in a familiar, nostalgic darkness. She feels detached, as if she were not the one tearing through the lines of Nazi soldiers. Then, she admires her own dance, and she catches a glimpse of the truth behind it—

—but she is brought out of reverie (?) by a howl that stretches unbidden throughout the empty streets of the frozen city.

Spoiler:

“The fuck?”

Maria needs not a moment to realize this is not a zombie. It just doesn’t feel like one. In spite of its deplorable appearance, it carries itself with the poise and grace of a true predator. Two rows of sharp teeth adorn a wicked smile—or perhaps that is its natural facial expression. Long, gangly limbs end in some aberrant amalgam of human and canine extremities, like a lycanthrope frozen in mid-shapeshift.

Maria catches glimpses of Nazi reinforcements behind nearby corners and atop nearby roofs, but she dares not take her eyes away from the beast. The soldiers do not act, perhaps awaiting instructions from their superior. She gets the feeling they are as taken aback by this newcomer as she is.

A familiar, not entirely unwelcome blaze grows in her chest. Saver’s frustration has been suddenly abated.

This one is strong.

Maria frowns. Her intuition tells her that Saver knows this creature, but its name reaches not the forefront of her mind. The light of recognition is not present in the beast’s irises, either.

What is this creature? Where did it come from?

What the fuck is going on?

The bipedal monster leans forward, barking in a way Maria can only describe as hostile. It is poised to attack, and Maria’s heart starts to work harder. The wind blows, and it is almost as if she can see it, drawing graceful curves and anarchic rivulets in the air between her and the werewolf-thing, compelling Maria to trace them with her blade. Hurriedly, she pulls up her facemask.

It comes!

It comes, indeed.

Spoiler:

Danger! Enemy Battle!
VS ????????

Battle Rules

Battle scenes are divided in Exchanges, each corresponding to a written scene. Quest players get to decide Maria’s general tactics in every Exchange, from three possible choices:

1. Buster: Full offense relying on overwhelming physical might, with little regard for defense or actual tactics. Just hit the enemy hard until it drops.
2. Arts: Careful, tactical combat, prioritizing a solid defense while seeking tactical breakthroughs—either a gap in the enemy’s defense, or an environmental advantage.
3. Quick: Rapid offense relying on speed and precision—provides better defense than Buster, but offensive potential is comparatively inferior. Quick combat seeks to force the enemy to make mistakes and overextend, creating the opportunity to deal a critical hit.

The effectiveness of each tactic depends, of course, on the enemy’s own preference, the battle’s own circumstances, and any feasible external factors. There is also the obvious fourth option, but Maria’s Noble Phantasms are currently sealed.

The golden rule of this system is very simple: You cannot pick the same tactic twice in a row in the same battle.

An unknown enemy has targeted Maria. Saver has already acknowledged its strength. How is she to face it?

OR OR

[Rafflesiac]

Buster

- - - Updated - - -

LET'S GET THESE MATS

[Spartacus]

Buster

furry Smeagol is the worst Smeagol.

[SleepMode]

Inb4 this is Caster’s “Male” appearance, with the familiar hunger from the cave that was Caster’s Territory.

that said, Buster

[King Prussia]

Buster. And damn those nazis, they have the coolest toys in town.

[SpoonyViking]

Buster

[Bird of Hermes]

Maria's supposed to have a triple buster deck right? Then let's go Buster and crack some heads.

[34]

Buster it is

[Daneel Rush]

Papudo Street 623, Concepción Hill, Valparaíso
Day 03
Afternoon Phase - 04
Severe Cold (-20 °C/-4 °F)

Character Status

Health: Good
Sustenance: Good
Warmth: Good
Stamina: Good
Regression Level 1

I grunt as I slowly get back on my feet. Snow and thick clothes aside, my back still complains at the harsh impact. Some of the coldness manages to seep through the layers of clothing and summons shudders all over my skin. Though, it might not be the cold that makes me shudder.

Soldiers, where are they? Where am I?

It is a simple bedroom, one like many in Valparaiso. Also, like in many houses in Valpo, it’s a second floor. This one bedroom, however, has a balcony. I might be able to get a glance of the happenings outside on Papudo without been seen.

I crawl out into the balcony, giving up on wiping off the snow seeping coldness into my limbs while on all fours. I catch the distant sound of an engine. Is the armored truck moving? Does it intend to go downhill after Maria? Well, that’s one less problem for me. The big problem, however, are the three masked soldiers already walking to the front door of this house.

No time for thinking. I look to my left. No house stands there, only the backyard of a building facing the Promenade. No, rather than a backyard, it is a parking lot; that’s why there’s a steel gate allowing access from Papudo. I could jump to that parking lot and then climb over—no, the gate would make too much noise. My best choice is to wait a bit longer, until they are away from the entrance…

About twenty seconds later, when I feel footsteps climbing up the stairs, I leap off the balcony, the two-story fall softened by the ever-present snow. My smooth roll along with the momentum becomes a clumsy stumble and a faceful of snow, but a moment later I’m dashing with everything I have, never looking behind.

My run slows down to a jog only three blocks later, never staying on the same street for more than one block, until I can ascertain I have no pursuers. The way to the Drake residence seems clear, but the matter of Assassin’s surveillance remains. I see no zombies on the way, but it’s not like I’m looking for them very carefully. I can only—

A howl. A bestial howl that stretches endlessly and freezes the blood. The fuck is that.

The fuck is that!? That was no fucking wolf.

Whatever it is, it is fortunately still far behind me. Unfortunately, that suggests it is where Maria is. Whatever it is, Maria has to deal with it, and it pisses me off.

I can only keep running forward, even when the terrible sounds of violence grow loud behind me. I ignore the explosion; I have to. I can only assume the Nazis still know my location. Which means…

I almost crash into Sakura when I stumble into the building, herself seemingly on the way out. She…is actually pretty well dressed for the weather, but I still lament the loss of the backpack along with the hotel.

“Mi-Mister Javier!” Naturally, she just looks surprised to see me. But there is no time to waste. Heaving and panting as I am—running in snow is not easy—I jump to the matter at hand.

“Sakura.” I can only hope my voice and face express the severity of the situation. “You have to take Mr. Drake and get out of here. The Nazis can track Maria’s and my position; they could already be on the way here.”

The very thought makes me look all over the place, but the white streets remain deserted.

“Anyway, Maria’s on the way. We’re gonna release Mr. Drake’s wife.”

Sakura looks at me with consternation, taking a few seconds to process my avalanche of words. Then, her face hardens, and she grabs my left forearm with a little too much strength.

“Mr. Javier, you have to see this.”

Well, that doesn’t sound good.

Spoiler:

Nope, doesn’t look good. The damn thing is cracking.

“Since when—”

“It began around noon…well, I think.”

I get it. It’s hard to keep track of time in this place. But, that means it is progressing fast; the whole thing could shatter before sundown. No, more importantly, what does this mean? Did something fail and she’s gonna break free?

Nah, that kind of optimism does not fit this damned frozen hell. So, does it mean she will die when the ice completely breaks? Does it mean she’s already dead?

Oliver Drake stands on the corner. There are none of those Jade Lanterns of his in this room, perhaps fearing their warmth will hasten the process. Damn it, Maria, we need you here, and we need you now.

“Anyway, you gotta get out of here. I’ll wait for Maria.”

“I’m not moving,” Oliver promptly refutes. Because of course he does.

“Mr. Javier, we are exactly where we want to be,” Sakura adds. “And we are already aware of Assassin and her zombie familiars. She told me and Miss Fiore last night.”

With a shrug, Sakura makes the final, decisive statement.

“There’s really nowhere else to go. Besides…”

Her right fist smacks her enclosing left hand, knuckles cracking from the sheer impact.

“I am confident it will be easier to hold the line if you have an extra pair of hands.”

It’s almost comical. She is absolutely right; how exactly was I expecting to keep the Nazi soldiers away until Maria arrives?

Sakura lets a gentle (gloved) hand rest on the cracked block of ice.

“Assassin said…Mr. Javier, your plan; you intend to have Maria bear that ancient Mesopotamian curse so you can melt the ice undisturbed. Is that correct?”

Wait, how the hell does Assassin know that? I could say she came up with the same plan based on what happened when I tried to melt the ice, but there wasn’t a zombie watching that…right?

No, right now the most important thing is what Sakura did not say. She is still looking at me, expecting…not quite…don’t tell me she wants to…!?

Choice Time

The next step to take is:

1. Don’t wait for Maria. Have Sakura help me release Mrs. Drake.
2. Wait for Maria. Engage any approaching enemies out on the streets.
3. Wait for Maria. Await any incoming enemies by the entrance of the Drake residence.
4. Wait for Maria. Barricade ourselves in Oliver Drake’s workshop.
5. Write-in.

[Rafflesiac]

1

I will trust Sakura.

[34]

3

[SpoonyViking]

This is completely us using out-of-character knowledge, but 1. Let's trust Sakura.

[SleepMode]

​1

[Draconic]

1. We have no time to hesitate.

And since we haven't gotten Maria's attack scene, I'll just add say Arts. Because that might involve leading it back to those Nazis, and if it's a savage predator and not something specifically targeting you, it might go for the group of easier prey.

[Bird of Hermes]

1

[shanagan]

1