[FF] Grail Works, Ltd.: Fate/Anarchy (Type-Moon/Scion crossover)

[Arbitrarity]

I was wondering how the lasers were powered, actually. Didn't realize you got to combine most of those sciences in this case, it seemed kinda specialized to me (what does nuclear science have to do with cloaking? I guess power, maybe? Seems weird that you get to combine skill pools when you can justify overlap) 11 10s and 2 1s (and 8 being either 8 or 9) on 53d10 is still really lucky though.

[RanmaBushiko]

I was wondering how the lasers were powered, actually. Didn't realize you got to combine most of those sciences in this case, it seemed kinda specialized to me (what does nuclear science have to do with cloaking? I guess power, maybe? Seems weird that you get to combine skill pools when you can justify overlap) 11 10s and 2 1s (and 8 being either 8 or 9) on 53d10 is still really lucky though.

His ships are nuclear run, and the nuclear power plant needs to not affect the cloak. Having the reactor, or the electricity in general suddenly shut down the cloak from turning on would be unpleasant, don't you agree? As for the rest, it has to do with the functionality still working while in space, in air, or water, as well as working with machines in general. It needs to work while in a cloud, or in water, or even during atmospheric re-entry, doesn't it? Thus all the extra science abilities added in. If I can't justify the extra science abilities being used, or craft abilities being used, then they simply aren't used for rolls.

Erik is very much, not as good with Science as he is with actually settling down to build it, however. Crafting is where his expertise shines through, and it shows here. Especially with the goggles, which give 29 automatic successes to making something, on top of the 22 he already GETS. If you glance at the character sheet on page 1, you'll see it yourself. Craft, more Craft, and yet more Craft everywhere. Craft Ice, Craft Pykrete, all sorts of Crafting abilities.

Oh, right, and as for the legend cost, Concept to Execution is a knack that allows you to figure out how to invent things, or MacGuyver things into suddenly existing for 5 legend each day. Combined with Mechanical Panoply's own costs, and you have one pretty strong crafting powerhouse, at the cost of massive amounts of legend.

Of course, there is a flaw with the cloak method. One that Erik isn't likely going to figure out how to counteract. 10 legend to recloak after each shot is still 10 legend, and his cap is still 64.

At the same time, 10 legend isn't that bad for something a kilometer long, so he's not exactly complaining, either.

[Kieran]

DISCLAIMER: Lunar Legend Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night, and all related characters and concepts are the creation and property of Kinoko Nasu and TYPE-MOON, along with whomever they’ve happened to license them to, such as Geneon, Funimation, A-1 Pictures and Netflix.
This is a not-for-profit, just-for-fun project.




Binserica din Deal (The Church on the Hill)
Sighișoara, Romania
July 1, 2004








Shirou Amakusa Tokisada, known these days by the identity of “Shirou Kotomine,” smiled to himself.

The Greater Grail’s refusal to grant him the authority of the Ruler class in this conflict was a setback, it had to be admitted; his plans would have been far more easily accomplished, that way. However, despite his best efforts, he’d managed only to retain a few Command Spells—those, Mastery of Assassin of Red, plus his inherent ability as an incarnated Servant, were all the advantages he could glean from the Grail itself. However, he’d had several decades to learn the sacraments of the Church, including those related to the duties of the Holy Grail War’s Overseer . . .

“It’s done,” he announced to Semiramis, the Assyrian empress of antiquity who served as his Assassin—not one of the Hassan-i-Sabbah, who held primacy over the role, but she fitted the requirements easily enough. “All seven Servants, on both sides, have been summoned. Now, we need only wait for the Masters of Red to come to us.”

“The traps are appropriately set,” she assured him. “Though I’m surprised, given your enthusiasm, that you don’t wish to go out and meet them, instead; I sense at least one Servant in fairly close proximity, after all.”

The dark-skinned priest smiled at the amber-eyed beauty, even as he silently wondered again the oddity of her ears, which had been elongated to points reminiscent of the traditional fantasy elf as rendered in Japan—some quirk of her history, or by the fact that he had summoned her?

It certainly didn’t detract from her beauty, he admitted, even as the faint malice of her expression did not—to his eyes, at least.

“No, it’s far better for them to come here,” he assured her. “There’s less risk should the trap fail—even if only in that it will be harder to escape—and less chance of being unfortunately discovered in the process by someone. Even with my eagerness to be getting on with things, and confidence in my success, I’m not arrogant enough to be taking unnecessary chances at this stage of the plan.”

And taking that course of action also necessitated dealing with his opposite number as quickly as possible. He might not be Ruler in this particular War, but he was well aware of how much trouble the class could cause to his objective . . .

Using divination to track a Ruler was difficult, given the class’s innate Magic Resistance, but not impossible, with the origin of his magecraft; they were saints, and therefore less hostile to the sacraments of the Church. At present, his efforts reported Ruler as being on the move from somewhere in France, suggesting that the Servant was either native to it, or passing through there on the way from somewhere else. If the latter, then their identity was still virtually unknown, but if they were native—

Joan of Arc is an obvious candidate, but merely the most famous in contemporary history, Shirou mused. Martha of Bethany is venerated in Avignon and Tarascon; there’s also Saint Amator, Etherius, and dozens of others . . .

Really, even that didn’t narrow down the field much, though it still was better than attempting to prepare for any and every “saint” conceivable; after all, he had qualified, somehow, against all reason.

For all I know, the Grail has chosen someone completely ridiculous, he thought, After all, given the “compatibility” routines in its Servant selection process, it was entirely possible that the Ruler of this War was St. George—Trifas was the territory of a “dragon” in the form of Vlad III, after all, making it a “natural” choice.

Nor, for that matter, was either Grail or Throne bound by the normal laws of time and space, Shirou reflected, suddenly recalling that the murdered Romanov family had recently been canonised as “passion-bearers” by the Russian Orthodox Church: those who faced their deaths in a Christ-like manner. All martyrs were passion-bearers, though like the Romanovs, not all passion-bearers were martyrs—they had not been killed for their faith, after all, but held to it even as they were killed. Nevertheless, it qualified the family as “saints,” in however limited a fashion; it was certainly no less a tenuous connection to the title than his own . . .

There was, he decided, simply too little information with which to narrow down possibilities at the moment. He would simply have to wait and see . . . But if nothing else, it affirmed his plan to use one or more Servants of Red besides Semiramis to deal with the problem—deniability was an absolute must in this situation.

He said as much to Assassin, and then settled in to wait. Perhaps the Masters who had been close to here when summoning their Servants would come directly, or perhaps they would wait a day or two, to familiarise themselves with their Servants first. Either way, the “agreement” between the Church and the Association would see them come here, eventually.

And no matter what happened, the War was now primed to begin in earnest, and his long-held desires would be realised . . .








Millennia Fortress
Trifas, Romania
July 1, 2004








Caules looked at the Servant he’d summoned uncertainly. She hadn’t reacted well to that bizarre Rider’s attempts at being friendly, but maybe a gentler approach?

“So . . . What should I call you?” he asked, a bit lamely, annoyed with himself at being unable to think of anything better.

The grunt that emerged from her was nearly a growl, and with a voice that might have sounded pleasant in a more conversational tone, she groaned an answer.

“Ber—ser—ker.”

An idle corner of his mind cursed his sister and her fiancé, because it couldn’t help but note similarities between her speech pattern and that of the cinematic Frankenstein Monster. Really, he shouldn’t even know that, but Godafrid had insisted that if he was so interested in obtaining the blueprints, he ought to view popular depictions of their subject, as well; and Fiore had been so excited to turn it into a “family bonding night” . . . OK, so the “Abbott and Costello” one had been funny—but that kind of thing was supposed to be beneath a magus, wasn’t it?

(Though he supposed he couldn’t complain too much; Fiore had looked so pleased with the night’s activities—)

Returning his attention to the being in front of him, he nodded, and replied, “If you’re more comfortable being referred to that way, then of course . . . And if you don’t mind another personal question, what is it you’re hoping for from the Grail?”

It was difficult to read Berserker’s expression, given the way that most of her face was hidden by her hair—though what he could see of it implied that she was pretty, outside the mechanical headpiece that framed it—but her frown was obvious. For a moment, Caules was afraid he’d overstepped; then, finally, she pointed at herself and grunted.

“Like—me.”

“. . .You want someone else like you?” he inferred, and she nodded sharply.

“Well,” he offered awkwardly, “there are a number of homunculi around the—”

She growled, and he raised his hands in surrender.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” he apologised quickly. “I didn’t mean to offend; I’m just trying to understand.” Unbidden, the words that had flashed into existence over the blueprints once he’d been alone in his room reappeared in his mind.

Try to remember that she’s more VICTIM than VILLAIN.

Another illusion, another use of magecraft for parlour tricks—really, if he wasn’t so obviously besotted with Fiore and concerned with her well-being, Caules would be concerned about the influence Godafrid’s casual attitude towards magecraft could have on her . . .

But given the historically temperamental nature of Berserkers, he’d considered it good advice—regardless of how irritating its method of delivery was.

And as he watched the red-haired girl in the bridal gown go still, as if shocked by his response, Caules was reminded anew of that fact.

Seizing on the opening, the young magus continued, “If we’re going to work together best, we need to understand each other. So I’m going to ask questions, and I’ll try to be polite—but I might offend you, and I’m sorry about that. But I’m asking because I think I need to know . . . Is that all right?”

She was still frozen—no, she was trembling, he realised. It was subtle, the twitches in her musculature were very nearly invisible . . . But he was a magus, and for all that “walking with death” was the lesson emphasised, the meaning of the term was “wise.” He knew how to observe, and understand what he saw.

He had to be able to, to advance as far as he had in his studies, even if Fiore was the superior magus . . .

And if all those “popular depictions” emphasised anything, it was that Frankenstein’s creation was terribly lonely, he thought.

As the red-haired Servant nodded slightly, almost shyly, he caught a glimpse of her eyes: a mismatched pair of golden-green and blue, peeking cautiously out from between her bangs.

“Un,” she grunted. “Ah—ask.”

. . . Maybe that movie night wasn’t a complete waste of time, Caules reflected, as he tried his best to give her a reassuring smile.








Avalon Castle, Phantasmagoria Island (Grail Works, Ltd. Headquarters)
Outside the boundaries of time and space








“KURAI IS ALIVE?!”

Ilyasviel winced at the in-stereo shout, coming from both Rin, over their communications link, and Shirou, who was standing right next to her.

“Yes,” she said, before pausing and correcting herself. “Well, mostly—it wouldn’t make sense to call him that anymore, but it is him.”

“. . . Explain,” Rin growled, in that tone she used whenever Shirou-niichan was giving her a headache.

It said something about her existence, Ilyasviel thought, that even after such a short time of knowing the Japanese magus, she was already so familiar with it . . .

“From what I can tell, it looks like somebody used that reincarnation spell that he tried on Saber on him,” Ilyasviel explained.

Rin’s image blinked, clearly confused. “. . . Didn’t we work out that part of the problem with using that spell was that the rules he was under used animals for reincarnating people—with something like a one-in-one-hundred chance for the target to come back as anything else?”

Ilyasviel nodded. That, along with Arturia Pendragon’s draconic nature, had been the problem. Personally, Ilyasviel wouldn’t have minded being turned into a dragon that could assume human form, given her own current state—but like Arturia, she would prefer a human nature.

“I suspect your master had something to do with it,” the Grail spirit answered Rin aloud, “since he’s now apparently a magus . . .” Ilyasviel frowned. “But he’s part of a family I’ve never heard of, and I didn’t think that even the Lord Second could manage to fabricate an entire family—and their history—on the spot.”

Rin sighed. “Not easily, anyway—is it possible they’re just local? I mean, our histories are so wildly divergent here, it’s not totally unbelievable that there are families that don’t exist in our world.”

“What about those gods Kurai was dealing with?” Shirou asked. “I mean—they’re gods, right?”

Rin scowled, and Ilyasviel felt her face forming a similar expression. Trust Onii-chan to think of the obvious answer . . .

“It’s a bit odd, considering their purview is apparently elves, but I can see the old man taking advantage of their work,” Rin allowed. “Anyways, that’s something of a relief—”

“Yeah,” Shirou interrupted Rin, an overwhelming relief blooming on his face. “I’m glad he’s alright.”

Ilyasviel couldn’t help but smile at the brightness of Shirou’s own. It transformed his whole face—and even Rin’s expression softened, despite her visible irritation at being interrupted. As a result, she waited a beat before continuing as though Shirou hadn’t spoken.

“Well, there’s that,” she allowed, “but I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that if he knows anything about this timeline—and odds are, he probably does—then this will all go a lot easier.”

Ilyasviel nodded. More than the power of the lycanthropic druid, Kurai’s real advantage to them had been the sheer volume of knowledge he’d had available, because of the facet of reality he originated from. Given their business of dealing with catastrophe and crisis, and the prevalence of both in fiction, Kurai’s having an in-depth knowledge of as many as he did was invaluable.

Then she thought of something.

“Of course,” Ilyasviel pointed out, “that’s assuming that this incarnation doesn’t have the same bad luck he did as a druid.”

They were talking about someone who, among other things, had managed to turn Saber into a dragon by accident, after all.

Rin’s projected image sagged. “Oh, crap . . .”

A new voice interrupted—one familiar to both of them, though not heard for some time.

“Say, Master,” came the casual drawl, “would this ‘Kurai’ person happen to be roughly in his mid-twenties, and about six feet tall and Caucasian, with blue eyes and brown hair?”

“Yes . . .” Rin said cautiously. “At least, he’s sometimes looked that way before.”

“Ah,” her Archer replied dryly. “Then is there a possibility that he’ll recognise you and call off his Servant in the flying armour before an attack is launched, or should I prepare to fight back?”

“. . . WHAT?!” Rin shrieked.

This time, the stereo effect came from Shirou and Ilyasviel herself, instead—though her Onii-chan took it one step further, and asked a question that she dearly wished she had an answer to.

“. . . Since when do GUNDAMS count as Servants?!”

[Arbitrarity]

Fran so cute, eeee. I do like how Caules keeps getting irritated by Frid's use of minor illusions.

Amakusa is likely to have an interesting time. Kairi seems likely to be the person nearby, so he's going to be stymied there again. Ohhh, I just remembered Mash's poison resistance for her Master. That's likely to come up with Semiramis around.

And we prepare for the big reunion at Rin's. Presumably this will result in Erik and Frid meeting soon.

[Kieran]

Fran so cute, eeee.

She really is - and as I'm discovering, not easy to write. Worth the effort, though.

I do like how Caules keeps getting irritated by Frid's use of minor illusions.

It sort of highlights the difference between them: Caules treats magecraft as a high-minded pursuit akin to a holy crusade, whereas Frid thinks that knowledge should be used. Not all of it, nor under all circumstances - and the devaluation of mysteries puts a kibosh on some uses - but at the same time, it does no one any good just sitting around.

(And besides, the magus lifestyle is serious enough - if you're not enjoying what you do, why bother?)

. . . In a sense, Frid is Caules' natural rival; particularly since they have a slightly similar appearance, and competing interests (albeit from different angles) in Fiore.

Amakusa is likely to have an interesting time.

In the ancient Chinese sense of the term . . .

Kairi seems likely to be the person nearby, so he's going to be stymied there again.

Probably, though he is in the same city as Frid and Rin, albeit at some distance.

Ohhh, I just remembered Mash's poison resistance for her Master. That's likely to come up with Semiramis around.

Very true; thank you for reminding me to keep it in mind.

And we prepare for the big reunion at Rin's.

Well, if by "reunion" you mean "minor disaster," then yes.

Presumably this will result in Erik and Frid meeting soon.

Indeed - and that will be a brain-breaker for at least the latter . . .

[RanmaBushiko]

Kieran asked me to delete my next chapter, until he gets to July 2nd, 2004, on his end. Sorry for anyone that started to read it, only to find it gone.

[Kieran]

DISCLAIMER: Lunar Legend Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night, and all related characters and concepts are the creation and property of Kinoko Nasu and TYPE-MOON, along with whomever they’ve happened to license them to, such as Geneon, Funimation, A-1 Pictures and Netflix.
This is a not-for-profit, just-for-fun project.




En route towards Trifas, Romania
July 1, 2004








Pensively, Laeticia Delacroix—her body currently under the control of the Ruler-class Servant, Jeanne d’Arc—gazed out the train window. As informed as she was by the Greater Grail about the modern world, and dedicated as she was to her duties, some part of Jeanne still marvelled at what surrounded her. Such comfort, such speed, and in a conveyance of such size—such a thing could only have been dreamed of in her time and few would ever have thought to.

. . . And speaking strictly from a military standpoint, even limited by the rails as it was, it would have been a miracle; she could have literally moved armies, or evacuated villages, with a swiftness no horse could ever match, much less a massed troop.

Such thoughts, however, could not wholly distract her from the enormous complexity of the task that lay ahead of her. She had been called to adjudicate the Holy Grail War, but had neither been manifested in her proper form nor in the correct location—which implied serious errors in the system. Granted some degree of error was to be expected, else she would not have been called as Ruler, but to go so wrong, with the War yet to even properly begin . . .

It did not bode well, and though she would do her best to carry out the duty that God had called upon her to fulfill, she could not help but feel trepidation.

Jeanne smiled to herself, in the reflection of the window-glass, if only to reassure Laeticia; the pious and kind-hearted girl who had so bravely answered her call and volunteered to serve as her host for this task. While Jeanne’s aura as a Divine Spirit would protect Laeticia’s body from harm, her mind, however quiet, was still vulnerable—and though it largely slept, Laeticia was still aware; it would not do to worry her, whatever Jeanne’s own fears.

She was not afraid for herself, though she would be cautious, for Laeticia’s sake. No, her concern was for the individuals involved in tampering with the Grail such that she would be called forth in the first place, how much damage they could have already done—and most importantly, for those innocent souls who might be caught in the crossfire.

She did not know with whom, precisely, she would be dealing, nor what manner of Servants would be fighting this War—only that all seven allotted to both sides had been summoned, the bulk of them recently. And that meant, of course, that the War was set to begin, and awaited only her arrival in the appointed battleground to announce its commencement.

Though she was also aware, both through her knowledge of prior Grail Wars as granted to her by the Greater Grail, and her prior knowledge of war as a commander, that the concept of “pre-emptive strikes” existed . . .








Sighișoara Clock Tower
Sighișoara, Romania
July 1, 2004








It was the presence of Alternium as much as anything else that had drawn her attention; the broadcast signal radiated strong traces of it, indicating either a recent or particularly powerful exposure. Not an ongoing one, or there would more than traces—but enough to indicate that whatever was on the other end had been inundated with the stuff.

That alone would have been enough to get her going, but when her armour’s sensors had registered an awakening Threat to Humanity in response, she’d poured on the speed—something with that designation undergoing the effects of Alternium exposure was a nightmare waiting to happen. Fortunately, as so often was the case with her, she’d arrived just in the nick of time; it just came naturally to her. But what she’d arrived to . . .

When she’d seen who was waiting on the other end of that signal, she’d startled so badly that it had locked her armour’s servos. Ecchan would have been less surprising; she’d been halfway hoping it was her, despite all this time . . . But of all people, it was him—the only one to ever penetrate her cunning disguises, the only one who—

It didn’t matter, she assured herself, shaking those thoughts away. In the full concealment of her Avalon Holy Armour, there was no way he’d realise who she was this time.

(She turned up the distortion level on her external speakers, though—just in case.)

But what, she wondered, was he doing here, and why had he . . .?

Ah, she realised, as her heads-up display scanned, and displayed recognition of, the pattern on the ground. A summoning circle—no catalyst present, but it seems he was looking for a Servant.

Her best chance at cover obvious, she cleared her throat, and proclaimed, “Hello, Master of Earth—I am Codename: XX. I have come to hunt down the other Sabers and Foreigners. To that end, I accept your offer of a contract.”

Suiting actions to words, XX found she was somewhat surprised by the result. The well of prana within her now-Master had the same feeling as before, the soft enchantment of moonlight on cool, clear water, but it was not nearly as deep as she remembered. It wouldn’t really be a problem for her—between her Independent Action Skill and the sheer potency of the stuff to begin with, she was getting way more than she really needed from him, anyway—but it was odd . . .

A sudden alert from Avalon drew her attention, and her eyes widened behind her faceplate.

“Foreigner detected!” she announced. “And it’s close! Come on, Master—the bonus I can pick up for nabbing two in a single engagement is enough for a week at a good resort planet!”

Her Master started to say something, but it was lost in the roar of her thrusters charging up. Snatching up her Master with one hand (good as he was, he’d never keep up with her in the armour), she unlimbered the Rhongomyniad RL from its resting place with the other, balancing both weights carefully but firmly in her grip. Now prepared for battle, she tensed her muscles as a prelude to takeoff . . .

For justice and vacation pay, she launched herself into the sky, heading towards the target with all due speed, and trusting in her armour’s sensors to analyse it for any weaknesses that might be present.

Such actions she did reflexively, almost without thought. As such, she took a brief moment to look over her master again, finding some amusement in his current expression—he still didn’t like high-speed aerobatics, it seemed. Or high speed anything, really.

But he was once again proving his right to the title of “The Master of a Thousand Disguises.” If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn he actually was a magus . . .








By most standards, Rin was still a student magus; a brilliant and talented one, without question, but far from experienced enough to be considered a genuine master in her own right.

What experience she did have, however, had come from Fuyuki’s Holy Grail War ritual—whose death toll amongst skilled, powerful, experienced and even feared magi had been legendary. There was good reason as to why very few had ever even tried to participate in it, despite the potential rewards, over the decades. Rin, only the other hand, had not only survived, she’d technically won—at least, inasmuch as her ally and own apprentice, Shirou had claimed the Grail—which was something no magus had managed in nearly two centuries.

So at Archer’s warning, she Reinforced her body to its limits, and began priming jewels, even as she used her newly-enhanced senses to gather intelligence on the situation.

The first thing that she noticed was the screaming—both of a jet engine of some form, and of a human voice at nearly the same pitch.

“FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUCCCCCC---!”

She’d never heard him shriek like that before, but she admitted that it might be Kurai—and locking eyes on him, which was no easy feat at that speed, bore out Archer’s observations. The man being held by the Servant in the flying armour (and she’d thought Medousa’s outfit was sort of ridiculous) definitely looked like Kurai mostly had, when he’d bothered looking human . . .

Or, noted a corner of her mind, when he first showed up, under the effects of that curse.

Rin really didn’t want to think about that time; just remembering the sounds his body had made as it constantly shifted shape, being warped and twisted and pulled into one form or another as it tried to stabilise its existence . . .

She shuddered. It hadn’t been nearly as bad as Zouken Matou, really, but it had definitely been disturbing.

Still, there was enough of Kurai there for her to recognise it and be sure of her identification, even at a distance and moving at high speed. What caught her by surprise were some of the other details she could spot: lines, gleaming along his skin—active Magic Circuits—and his eyes . . .

Rin had seen Mystic Eyes in use before. She'd read about them, and she worked with three people who possessed them. With the exception of Arcueid-san’s, which glowed gold as a representation of her sheer power, most other forms of Mystic Eyes merely illuminated the eye colour the person already had. Thus, for example, Ilyasviel’s eyes took on an (alarming) red glow, and Tohno-san’s burned a bright, nearly cyanotic blue.

The eyes she was seeing now matched that in some ways, shining a soft, almost pastel violet—but they [I]sparkled,[I] as well, with a bright blue glitter emanating from his pupils, expanding across the range of his iris. It was unnerving; not only to look at, but because she had no idea what it meant . . .

The Master-Servant pair landed with a terrible thud that cratered the ground around them—not to mention drowning out the last of whatever invective the magus was using. The armoured Servant released its grip on its Master, bringing up the now-free hand to grab and twirl its double-bladed weapon around in an intimidating pattern. Rin tensed, even as familiar swords began materialising in Archer’s hands—

“STAND DOWN—NOW!”

The armoured Servant jerked to a complete and sudden halt at the barked order, and Rin felt her own muscles freeze in surprise. It wasn’t, as far as she could tell, the result of a Command Spell or any kind of magecraft that made it happen; just the intrinsic authority of the voice, and the sheer volume of the order. Rin had heard Saber give dictates like that before; it was something, she suspected, that any soldier would recognise.

And the armoured Servant did. Much to her annoyance, even Archer hesitated—though that was probably Saber and Taiga’s fault. Part of his formative experiences including being ordered around by them had no doubt conditioned him to follow commands in that sort of voice, at least to a degree.

In a somewhat more normal, if not any less angry tone, Kurai’s doppelganger continued, “They aren’t Masters of Black, as I would have told you if you hadn’t gone charging off!”

The chastising magus climbed out of the hole with a mutter that even Rin’s Reinforced ears had trouble catching. However, she did make out, “—body mix the ‘Apocrypha’ and ‘Fate/stay night’ timelines . . .?”

Jackpot! Rin thought triumphantly, any doubts as to the Master’s identity now removed. Kurai had referred to their universe by the latter name once, in explaining his origins; the fact that he had a name for this one only proved that he did know where they were, and presumably some if not all of what was going to happen.

This is going to be a snap . . .!

“Master,” protested the armoured Servant, in a robotic if faintly feminine tone (there were robot Servants? Rin goggled). “This one is a Foreigner: therefore, it is my job to eliminate her.” Her eyes roamed over Archer. “And this one feels like a Saber, somehow . . .”

Provided that we can convince his Servant not to kill us, Rin added mentally, noting that for a robot, the Servant could pack a lot of venom into a single word—she almost approved.

“What?” the very human Kurai-lookalike protested. “Why would Rin—?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Archer twitch. A small smirk crossed her own features as she realised that he understood the implication what had just been said—and then those glittering eyes raked over her, taking up her full attention.

Mystic Eyes were, in essence, described as “effectively being able to perform single-verse spell abilities on command.” In practice, the reality was a bit different—Tohno-san’s Mystic Eyes had as much in common with one-line spells as she did with magical girls—but as a shorthand description, it worked. The most common forms induced mental effects of some type, so Rin circled her prana in an automatic defense against such things . . . And felt nothing. Really, it almost felt more like being under a microscope—

“So,” he muttered, “that’s what that looks like . . .” To his Servant, he said, “She’s not a Foreigner—she’s under a multidimensional protective enchantment to keep the universe from getting pissed off about there being two of her running around at the moment.”

Rin watched the Servant blink at that—and then sag.

“Darn . . .” muttered the robot. “I really wanted that vacation bonus . . .”

The Japanese magus was unsure what to be more surprised about: the fact that Kurai’s Mystic Eyes could apparently see Ilyasviel’s paradigm shield, the robot’s statement and reaction—or the fact that, in that initial blink, it had given an impression of resigned amusement at his explanation.

As if it was surprised at what he said, but not that he knew what was going on . . .

Ignoring that entirely, Kurai turned and, using remarkably modern Japanese (compared to the archaic dialect he had been using), asked politely, “And what about this place has you using Kaleidoscope as a protection, Miss Tohsaka? Or, for that matter, brought you here in to begin with?”

Rin gave him a half-lidded stare.

“Well,” she said icily, “I could say that my master, Zelretch, sent me here to retrieve the Holy Grail—which is true—but I think he mostly wanted to see my expression when I ran into you, Kurai.”

The other magus blinked, the Mystic Eyes turning off with the motion, revealing lighter blue eyes than he’d had, but nothing particularly striking. After a beat, he smiled uneasily. “I think I’m a little too Occidental for that name to be especially valid anymore, Rin. Good to see you—it’s been a while?”

“Not as long as you might think,” Rin said evenly. “The number of heart attacks you caused makes it feel longer, though. Shirou is very unhappy, which means I’m unhappy . . .” She stopped, suddenly scowling in frustration, and added, “So tell me what to call you so I can berate you properly!”

“Godafrid Úa Súilleabháin,” he replied immediately.

“Gesundheit,” she snapped back.

“‘Frid’ will do,” he admitted.

“It sounds simple enough to put on your tombstone,” Rin agreed, flashing her teeth.

The robot shifted into a protective stance. “You’ll harm my Master over your dead—” she paused suddenly, glancing upwards. “Wow—that is a lot of cloaked MAVs . . .”

Archer shot upright. “Is that what those ripples in the air are?!”

“We need to get out of here and under cover, now,” the now-named Frid said firmly. “Spy drones are never good.”

“Agreed,” Rin replied. “But once we are, you and I are going to talk . . .”

Whatever name he was using, Rin had to admit, the man was smarter than Shirou—he didn’t even bother trying to hide his shudder.

[Xamusel]

...MAVs? What are those?

[RanmaBushiko]

...MAVs? What are those?

Micro Air Vehicle drones. AKA drones meant to be smaller than 15 centimeters in size. *chuckles*

[Arbitrarity]

Micro-aerial vehicle, I think. Basically tiny drones. At least, I looked up MAV aerial vehicle, guessing on the latter two, since they're airborne, and got that as the result. Also, since they're cloaked, I can definitely predict WHOSE they are.

Wooo chapter! Nitpick, I'm not sure that Jeanne qualifies as a Divine Spirit, those are actual gods/former gods. Jeanne definitely has something that protects Laeticia though, otherwise using La Pucelle would kill her, presumably.

Frid has a counterpart in the Servant Universe? Whaaaaaaaaatttt. That's... huh. I have no idea what to think about that, but it will definitely make their interactions interesting. He might be able to pull a Kaleidostick download of that, which would be really weird.

Heheheh, gesundheit.

[Kieran]

Micro-aerial vehicle, I think. Basically tiny drones. At least, I looked up MAV aerial vehicle, guessing on the latter two, since they're airborne, and got that as the result.

As the other RB says, you are correct.

Sorry - I wanted to be a bit more accurate than "drones," since I knew that drones like this actually exist, even if just in concept - and MHXX, with her background, likely would know the proper term. I suppose I should've added a Note with a definition.

Also, since they're cloaked, I can definitely predict WHOSE they are.

Gee, you think?

Wooo chapter! Nitpick, I'm not sure that Jeanne qualifies as a Divine Spirit, those are actual gods/former gods. Jeanne definitely has something that protects Laeticia though, otherwise using La Pucelle would kill her, presumably.

She is noted as being not a "proper" Heroic Spirit, and "closer to a Divine Spirit," so far as I know, though I understand what you mean. As a canonised saint and patroness, I suspect she ought to qualify as a lesser divinity of sorts, in any case.

Frid has a counterpart in the Servant Universe? Whaaaaaaaaatttt. That's... huh. I have no idea what to think about that, but it will definitely make their interactions interesting. He might be able to pull a Kaleidostick download of that, which would be really weird.

. . . I had not considered something like that . . .

Heheheh, gesundheit.

Glad you liked that.

Irish Gaelic is one of those rather odd languages, even for someone with a compatible background - for a native Japanese speaker, never mind Rin in particular . . .?

Lovely to listen to, mind you.

[RanmaBushiko]

As the other RB says, you are correct.

Sorry - I wanted to be a bit more accurate than "drones," since I knew that drones like this actually exist, even if just in concept - and MHXX, with her background, likely would know the proper term. I suppose I should've added a Note with a definition.

*chuckles* As for my own side of things with chapters... have a re-post. With editing, this time! On a side note. Seriously. Even with my reading speed, the song selected isn't as long as the chunk it's for this time, so please give it a shot for reading and listening?

Chapter 14: Opening Salvo, Round 1

July 2nd, 2004

12 AM

150 war machines. 13 times that in storage. 50,000 Legion of Coal units. The Wolfen. Two nuclear warheads. My inventions, my personal relics, Tamamo's relics, as well as Mash Kyrielight, and Amaterasu.

The forces we have access to. The forces we can use for this. This will have to be a decapitation strike on the Caster in question, personally.

Normally, I'd prefer absolute domination with heavy firepower. Normally, I'd lead the charge in the Mark 3 Metal Gear Rex unit.

This isn't normal at all, though.

It's taken six hours to inscribe seven rounds of high explosives with the runes that will allow cloaked firing. More time yet, to ensure that we'll have all the backup we need, setting up assembly lines for both the production units of the Metal Gear Rex and Mecha Fafnir lines.

Altering the Valkyrie Veritech prototype to Amaterasu's standards was just as difficult. I glance back, at her training in a simulation machine, it occasionally rocking with hits, much like a flight simulator would work. If the flight simulator was made by a God, anyways.

We've already ensured thousands of microphones have been spread out over the city, and the castle Yggdmillenia, thanks to Amaterasu's stealth. All we have to do is just win...

"Son in law? Could you help me?"

I move over to Amaterasu's cockpit.

"Certainly. What's going on?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to curve in flight much like a solar flare, but it doesn't seem like it works that well."

Hmm. I wonde---

You know? That sounds like a youtube video I once saw...

"Hang on. I have an idea for that. Why not make a technique like that, instead?"

"A technique? That might work."

I move, pulling up data from the Wolfen's computers, looking over videos.

"Dynamics of a Solar Emission."

"Eh?" She pauses the simulation, and pops the hatch open to look at me.

"Watch this video here. The name of his skill, used as a Noble Phantasm, is Dynamics of an Asteroid. It's a pity that it's so blurry, but you can still get an idea..."

I watch it with her, as she slowly starts to grin.

"I'm pretty sure that with the three mode rifle for that, between the laser, the machine gun, and the grenade launcher on that thing's gunpod alone, you could probably unleash a hail of ammunition similar to this attack. With your agility, I'm not sure anyone could easily dodge you, either."

I pause, thinking.

"With your speed, and that prototype's speed, I'm pretty sure you could do an assault, shift into the Battroid mode, then use the Radiant Wave Surger while curving back up into the air, flash frying things in your path. Alternatively, catching something and flash frying it personally."

She pauses, blinking, then promptly moves into the cockpit to try it out.

"Oh holy crap, it works so well! Thank you so very much for helping me develop something that can actually let me help you!"

I laugh, then look to study things close.

"Do it again, so I can study it, please."

I watch, accurately calculating how the vectors of movement are going.

"It looks like you've got it. Keep in mind that you're likely only going to have it work perfectly once, before enemies catch on. However, between your clawed Radiant Wave Surger on one arm, and the Gunpod, you should do pretty well with that. A few rules, however, are as follows:

First, you have 15 shots for the Radiant Wave Surger. We don't have the nuclear material for more right now, not without sacrificing fuel for the reactors. The spare fuel we've got, is still being processed for another two and a half weeks before it can be actually used as nuclear fuel for the reactors, so you're rather out of luck on that. However, there's some pretty nice pros to the weapon, even if it's short ranged. It can destroy ranged attacks smaller than the radiation emission. Mind you, I wouldn't want to test that on a Noble Phantasm, but I'd give it a 50/50 chance of damaging one enough to only lose the claw at most.

Second, that gunpod has 15 grenades in it, 3,000 machine gun rounds, and maybe 20 laser rifle shots. It's not made of ammunition, like I wish it could be. No offense, but I'm not dropping my legend capacity permanently for the gunpod to have infinite uses. If you'd like to, that's your prerogative, but I'm not.

Third, is that speed is your best bet. If you've stopped moving under at least mach 1, unless it's to dodge and juke something shooting faster than you can move at, you're doing things wrong.

Fourth, GERWALK mode doesn't have missile launchers on it. I WISH it did, but we haven't managed to have time to build the things yet, with keeping the Wolfen up, and my work on everything else. You're still flying in a prototype, and as such, it's not been finalized as a design yet like most other things.

Fifth, the Jet Mode can hit maybe Mach 3 at most, while GERWALK handles maybe 1 and a half, and Battroid barely manages past the speed of sound. This is because I used my goggles while building that thing."

She nods, while testing out systems more.

"Try shifting Modes, and fighting in each, Amaterasu."

I can see her nod, as I get back to work on ensuring the assault will go well. Oooh, that would work, and well, too...

Anyways, it's been a while since I've personally seen any action. I may as well show off for Amaterasu and my darling wife, right? Anyways... I'm sure Olga and Mash will enjoy learning how a God fights.

Weakened or not, I can still hold my own.

"Amaterasu. I'll have you on overwatch, flying over the battlefield in the Veritech Valkyrie. If anything happens, or any servants start heading towards me, take out the one that looks to be the biggest threat, before harassing the rest. The Scylla can lead the Legion of Coal to handle most issues, but if they start swarming you too much, they'll move in to aid you and give you the covering fire you need. If any major threats look to be threatening you, the Wolfen will uncloak and open fire, too. Just make sure it's an actual threat."

I can hear her blink, repeatedly.

"And what will you be doing, Son in Law? I mean..."

"One of my skills lets me blend into crowds, with no one being the wiser. I'll infiltrate, then either find the Heart of Winter, or Caster of Black. My sunglasses should give me a rough location for where it's at, but it's likely to be wherever they're manufacturing things... which would mean it would be ground level, or in a basement, due to weight for production facilities."

I can tell she's amused.

"And you can kill this 'Caster of Black'?"

"If not, I'll use Frozen Panoply to form a giant ice pillar underneath him, and launch him into the air, so you can finish him off."

I can almost hear her grin from here, at that line.

"It's like shooting a clay pidgeon, Amaterasu. Only an idiot, instead. Shouldn't be that hard for you, right?"

"What of other defenses?"

I laugh.

"I'm going to make them too terrified of me to even think of fighting me. I'm going to make them stare at it snowing indoors, as ice and walls freeze over. I'm going to slaughter anything and everything in my way with ice, all the while they can't even tell that someone is there with them unless I let them. In effect, I'm going to pull a goddamned Tandy on those poor souls."

"Tandy?"

I just chuckle. "There's an old series of stories, a sequel of sorts, to one called 'Humper Monkey's Ghost Story', where there's a spirit of a mountain, that possesses the corpses of soldiers that die on the mountain. One specifically shows that mountain spirit being able to make it snow indoors, and freeze several thick doors made of steel. It's typically named 'Tandy' for the first victim, being the favorite corpse for it's use."

I can tell that she's taken back.

"Guess what my abilities ALSO can do? Only mine are even better at, than Tandy's ever could be, barring the Corpse Possession bit...'"

She's giggling softly, now. Yes, you get it, don't you?

"They think they'll be heroes. That they can win. Let's see what happens when it goes from a tale of two armies, to a tale of true horror? Where war involves something unimaginable, unescapeable, something hunting them in their home? Haunting them, hunting them, slaughtering them. No reason for it, no ability to find it."

She's just laughing now, long and hard.

"Considering that, even now, I could likely use that skill to freeze most of the Wolfen over, bringing the temperature down enough for air to spontaniously have it start snowing, or result in freezing rain, indoors or outdoors? Or that this same domain, this power, also lets me control the water, ice and snow, making walls, or spears, or more to attack, or imprison my foes?"

I chuckle, then let myself laugh with her.

"Plus, the best part? I can manipulate stone the same way, as well! Imagine their shock as their little castle starts moving and reforming, blocking them at every turn!"

I laugh, long and hard with her, as we just laugh together.

"Imagine their faces! After minutes of fighting, as their comrades die by the dozens in front of their eyes, slaughtered by spikes of ice, entombed in feet of thick ice, some spontaniously growing orbs of frozen ice over their noses and mouths so they suffocate. Endless numbers of their minions dying by the truckload... and then, when they finally find me, the very stone walls open up, and devour them, leaving them in the walls. Helpless. Screaming with no air. Buried alive! Buried alive..."

I breathe, forcing myself to relax, to be calm. She's studying me, far more favorably than before.

"I don't even my goggles, to use that skill with something so tiny. No doubt, they have magecraft. But all their poor, lonely minions, are going to die without hesitation or mercy."

I pause, thinking, then nod.

"Get in practice for another hour, then get some food in you and then rest. I'll move at 2 AM."

I can hear her smile in her voice, as she replied "Of course, Son in Law".



July 2, 2004
2 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f3j4okhb8o (Hunt You Down ~ The Hit House featuring Ruby Friendman) (Trust me, the song is long enough to go perfectly with this scene. PLEASE listen to it while reading this)

I study the people guarding Castle Yggdmillenia, then focus. I've never been one for knacks requiring subtlety, but I know one well enough... with effort, I focus, using the Social Chameleon knack, then simply pass into the croud of men and women with white hair and red eyes. Their eyes pass over me, no matter what, as I move with the croud, sneaking in.

As I walk through, I focus. There feels like there's a lot of spells here, and unknown layers of energy that looks like some form of magic here. It's making it hard for my sunglasses pick up anything... however, that's not all I have. I breathe deep, focusing on the remembered scent of the Heart of Winter. Of cold, like mine.

I have it. Down below. I casually focus as I walk, using Earth Sounding to feel the structure of the castle below me. Stairs ahead, and to my right...

20 of these pale haired albinos are with me in the room right now. Simple enough.

I focus, letting myself tap deep into the power of my legend, as I utilize the Frost Purview as high as I can, using Blizzard Call for the first time in a long time.

It's not as high as it normally would be. I could use my goggles to strengthen it more, but I'd rather save those for the foe I'll be fighting soon enough. No matter. 144 yards in radius is more than enough for this. For a moment, I pause, working out the math, even as every second, the air temperature drops in the zone I control this in. 144 yards is 432 feet. Plenty big for this.

I can see the albinos looking around, confused, even as it starts to snow indoors.

"Enemy attack! We have an enemy somewhere in the castle! Find and kill them, for the glory of Yggdmillenia!"

I just chuckle, before the snow around the albinos turn to ice spears, and impale them all, then continue moving forwards, sniffing the air on occasion for where my foes might be at.

The walls are frosting over, now, as the cold turns more and more dangerous for the castle's inhabitants. The few albinos I can see, I leave be, unless they start looking around for me. Instead, I move, my feet not leaving tracks on the snow within the building, as I focus, and just slide along the snow as if it was ice.

Shouts of alarm erupt behind me. It sounds like they've found the ones I slaughtered, already.

"What do you mean, we can't find the intruder! They're on the same floor as you!" One voice sounds particularly loud to me. A woman, it sounds like. "Astolfo, protect me, while I check if the others higher up are okay! After that, we'll find Saber and Lancer, then get them to hunt our foe down!"

I chuckle a bit, using social chameleon again, when I see another group, then subtly join their numbers. This group looks like they're going for the basement...

Exactly where I want to go.

...Oh? That's interesting indeed. When I use Social Chameleon, the spells on this place can't tell where I am. But when I'm not using it, it can tell where I am. Fascinating bit of spellwork, that. I'll have to remember it.

I watch the ones in front of me, as they all slowly go down the stairs, not even paying attention to me behind them. They think I'm one of them, after all.

Yes, we're one big happy family, after all. Go on, and don't notice me, your hunter, behind you.

The room I enter is massive, with dozens of tanks holding an albino in each. Artificial humans, perhaps? Each tank seems to be icing over, on the inside, as the liquids slowly start to freeze.

...They aren't trying to save their families inside the tubes. Artificial humans indeed.

I shake my head, then focus, casually tapping subtly on the ceiling as I go down the stairs behind them, getting a better idea of the construction of the place. I have a good image of this place now. So let's spice things up, hmm?

I focus, then form ice slabs in every hallway entrance, covering every door with ice, and paving every inch of the castle above me in ice, then turn it all into the metallic pykrete that only I can form. Only a Servant or a God could break this, not a human. Perhaps a mage, but seeing will be believing for that. With how I formed it from the top down, they'll assume the enemy force is acting from ABOVE, rather than BELOW, as well.

"Sensei! Someone's attacking!" I can hear a young boy shouting, from up ahead. "It looks like whatever this is, it's affecting the homunculus tanks, too!"

The albinos... Homunculi, have almost reached the bottom of the stairs. Pity they'll never get off them.

I focus, before the stairs grow teeth all underneath them, before the stairwell opens up like a giant stone mouth, then shuts around them. I can hear a faint cracking sounds, as their weapons break, and faint attempts to scream through the earth, before the stairwell returns to normal.

Looking at the homunculi again, I shake my head, then unshoulder my laser rifle, before warming it up.

Then I carve through each and every one of the ones in tanks, with several shots.

"What...? What's that sound?" That boy again. "Why's it getting so hard to support you, Caster?"

Aha.

"Caster of Black! You have claimed the Heart of Winter, and I have come to reclaim it for what little of the Norse Pantheon remains! Hand it over, or I'll kill you and claim it from your corpse!"

"Sensei? Wait. Norse... oh fuck. Oh fuck! Sensei! That's not a servant! IT'S A GOD! OH FUCK! That thing you claimed is a God's and he's here! Oh fuck oh fuck what do we do what do we do? SENSEI! WHAT DO WE DO?!"

"Run, Master."

I walk forwards as it starts snowing deeply in the rooms down here. At least 3 feet of it. Good.

"What do you mean, run, Sensei?!"

"That gift from the Heaven's was, instead, a curse. I see that now. But I will not sacrifice it so easily! Rise, my golems! Rise and kill this foe, this Godling!"

A crackling sound, as I can sense, and see several stone golems forming before me.

Then they crack, as well as their jewels from one tiny, little problem.

"Thermal shock's a bitch, huh Caster?"

I laugh.

"Thermal shock? Sensei! The ice is damaging the stone! It's too cold for the golems to handle it!"

I walk forwards, carving through them with my laser rifle. It may take a few shots, but I just focus, to use Shot to the Heart, to target their one glaring weaknesses. With those gems, it's simple. All the while, I can hear the boy growing more and more frantic, as I walk through the labyrinthine tunnels.

Soon enough, I see him.

"Caster, am I right?"

A gold mask stares at me, on a man. How the hell can he SEE through that?

"Indeed. I'm afraid that I cannot give you that gift from heaven so easily."

"Ymir's greatest treasure, a gift from heaven? Unfortunately, I have to disagree. Zelretch told me that if I let you have it, all life on the planet will die, starting either tomorrow, or in three days."

I can see him adjust himself. No, no. That won't do.

Spikes erupt from the floor, and from the air, moving to impale him. I can see them clip his arm as he rolls to dodge as many as he can.

No, it's not that his arm was clipped, he used it to defend himself. Hah. Smart man. Not smart enough though!

A golem forms in front of me, followed by a dozen more in a line.

I focus, opening the floor wide under them, then crush the golems the moments they fall in, before looking up, even as the cold deepens more for the entire castle.

Oh? He ran?

"Running won't save you, Caster. Unless you're running to rip it out to give it to me? I'll spare you if you do!"

I laugh, and follow, Earth Sounding letting me feel his foot steps on the stone up ahead. He's desperately forming golems everywhere he can, in an attempt to slow me down. It's not nearly enough. The thermal shock on them alone from the sheer cold, plus my laser rifle means their gemstone power cores are breaking the moment they touch the laser beam.

"Come now, Caster! Won't you give it up? I won't have to kill you, or perhaps go after your Master, if you do!"

"You shall not interfere with my creation of my Noble Phantasm! I shall defeat you, Godling! Your kind should not be here! You shall die for coming here!"

Gotcha.

I fire the laser, through the wall, at the sound of his voice, then casually use Earth Shaping on the wall to walk through it.

"And now, Caster of Black. You die. Not to a Servant, but to a Master."

He looks at me, through his mask.

"LEAVE SENSEI ALONE!"

A rock. No, a jewel.

I turn, looking at it coming, then FOCUS on the Untouchable Opponent Knack, before dodging. Then I look at the kid.

"Kid. I'm not letting him become responsible for the apocalypse."

He pauses, blinking, and just stares at me.

"I was holding what he's been preparing, to keep it from being used to drop a 3 mile chunk of ice on this little country of yours. Do you think your family can survive if it ACTIVATES?!"

He goes slowly, terribly still.

"What?"

"Your Caster here, according to Zelretch, starts an apocalypse in 3 days, if he isn't stopped NOW, kid, as a result of that rock I've been guarding for 25 goddamned years."

He stares, slowly going white.

"You will DIE!"

Caster of black reaches out, to stab me. A snap hiss of the prototype laser sword leaves his arm beside him. I can see him staring at the stump, and trying to not scream.

"No. I won't."

"Is... is that a lightsaber?!"

"Laser blade, but close enough. Any last words, Caster?"

"Fuck... you."

I move, then carve his head off, even as he tries to activate a gemstone under his body.

Then, I roll back, and sigh.

"Avicebron sensei! No!"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

My radio is chirping.

I pull it up, and listen.

"Master, I've spotted their Archer trying to get in. He seems to be frozen outside. Permission to engage?"

"Permission granted. I'll finish up in here."

I can hear feet coming.

"Where's the damned gem, kid? The Heart of Winter?"

He pauses, then points in a direction.

"That... that way. Please... don't kill me."

I walk over to him, then sit, before patting his head. Between Epic Manipulation, and Epic Charisma, he has no real choice but to believe me for what I'm about to tell him. Still... I'll tell him the truth. Just like Olga, he's a kid. I'm not going to hurt a kid if I can help it.

"For what it's worth, I may be a Master on the other side of things, but I didn't want all of you getting wiped out because your Caster was utilizing something so powerful. It's not so much that he was being stupid, as that the thing in question has safeguards that recently activated, launching it to your Caster's hands."

He blinks, then looks at me, slowly, even as I warm the air around him.

"If a person deals with an object of legend that's far higher than their own, than that legendary object can take over, and influence them. That's what happened with your Caster. I'm pretty sure if he didn't have it fucking with his head, he would have been fine."

He blinks, and wipes at his tears quietly.

"Thank you for telling me. He would have killed us all, then?"

I nod, then ruffle his hair.

"Without even realizing he was being manipulated by that thing to be stuck doing it."

He nods.

A loud crashing sound happens behind me, as the ceiling collapses, leaving a pink haired... girl? on a hippogryph landing. I can't tell their gender like I normally can. Looks female, but something about how they look...

The sound of multiple feet landing, along with her steed, hits me seconds later.

"Kid. Don't let anyone touch that thing. Without your Caster alive, it should be safe, but if you look at it, or touch it, it may still be activated, to make you want what it wants."

He widens his eyes at me, before nodding quietly. Then, my attention is taken up by a new voice.



Elsewhere, at the same time.

I smile in my cockpit, at the terse sound of my master's orders arriving.

I can see an archer with long brown hair, struggling to punch through using his arrows. He's making good progress. It's a pity he'll have to die, since he looks cute. Oh well!

I focus, pushing my new Valkyrie to Mach 3, then shift it to Battroid mode, even as I scream the name of the technique Erik's helped me make.

"DYNAMICS OF A SOLAR EMISSION!"

I can see him dodging most of the machine gun bullets. I can see him dodging nearly all the lasers, the lasers only doing the bare minimum of damage to him. He doesn't dodge the grenade shockwaves, though. I can see him staring in confusion as the blasts send him flying, shrapnel pummeling him, and sending him right. Perfectly. Into the clawed left fist of this war machine.

No, not perfectly. But I have his left arm and leg! As I push back up higher into the air, I grin. He's staring through the cockpit in confusion at me.

Looking into his eyes, I wave, then flick the switch to activate the Radiant Wave Surger, then watch with pleasure as his left arm and leg expands, even as Archer of Black screams in utter agony and horror. And then they explode, leaving me holding nothing, with him falling towards the ground from nearly a mile up.

I just smile, wave at him with the claw, then aim, before introducing him to a grenade to the face to help him go faster on his way down. Now, off to handle those guards, hmm?

I can't help but giggle. One servant down already, once he hits the ground! Best of all, it looked like no one saw! I'll be able to re-use this technique with no issues, in that case!

I turn, pulling this Valkyrie around for another pass. Oh, this is going to be fun.



With Erik, Avicebron's laboratories in Castle Yggdmillenia

"A master of Red, hmm?"

A man with blue hair, walks forwards through the snow. Unharmed? Interesting. I focus, reusing my Untouchable Opponent knack in case I need it... for one second, I think, before using my Raging Bull knack, as well. Better in case I take a hit for dodging, and attacking, and I'll be able to regain willpower if I take any hits, too.

Tch. I focus, renewing the Landslide and Blizzard Call skills as well. They were weakening too fast. Must be from adrenaline due to me finishing that fight just now. I breathe, hoping they don't realize what I just did, before replying.

"Indeed, though I didn't bring my Servant into things. My own responsibility was to keep your Caster from dropping a 3 mile chunk of ice on your own castle, at the bare minimum. He gained something under my care, you see. Something that has gone from 'inactive for thousands of years', to fucking with anyone that sees it, and working to go to someone that can utilize it under it's own power."

"I heard what you said to Roche, Godling. I'm not sure how you're still existing, but I'm sure you'll tell all, once you join our side. Vlad, defeat him."

"Kazikli Bey!"

I move, desperately rolling backwards, as dozens of wood spears erupt out of the stone floor, walls, and ceiling. The hell?!

Shit, shit shit...!

I twist, turn, roll and dodge. Every movement is barely working. Ice moves to my call, countering the spears with ice spikes as much as possible, buying me time. It's not quite enough. There's a few that have gotten my shoulder.

It's not enough. It's not nearly enough. At this rate...

"BALMUNG!"

Instinctively, I roll, barely dodging the wide beam of energy that carves through part of here like a hot knife through butter.

"Trap of ARG-OOF!"

Got the pink haired one with an ice slab to the face. Didn't anticipate that, did you?!

"Oh, you can still fight? Hmph. Lancer. Stop holding back so much."

Well, looks like this is time for me to get the fuck out.

I focus, on Frozen Panoply, then form a massive ice pillar under myself, pushing myself up, through the ceiling, and the ceilings above that.

Oh, that hurts. That really, REALLY hurts, punching through like that.

What's that sound?

I glance down, only to go wide eyed, and throw myself off the pillar I made, as thousands of wood lances go up along it. Holy shit!

Wait, those things are following me? Those things are following me! Homing wood spears are bullshit! Bullshit, I say, damn it!

Ok, what do I do, what do I fucking do...? Wait. That's it, my bracelet!

I focus on it, then desperately teleport.

I'm on the bridge of the Wolfen. I'm breathing heavily, too.

That... really hurt.

For a moment, I focus on my injuries, before pulling the spears out and forcefully healing the injuries. Ow. That really hurt bad.

No. Focus. Focus damn it.

They drove me off. I can't easily fight those spears. Nothing I have can easily fight it. Not if I'm alone.

I can see him walking out of the castle, looking for me. You can't find me, can you?

"Godling! A Master of the side of Red! Come, fight me! I am Vlad the third! I challenge you to a fight, Godling!"

I watch, my eyes narrowed.

"Or are the Norse Gods cowards? Too afraid to fight? Too afraid to win?"

Tch. He went there, didn't he? He went there, he insulted me, the one that finished off Jormungandr...!

I breathe, as I walk, my eyes narrowed, even as I pull my mechanical linkup suit on.

Metal Gear Rex MK3 can't outrun the spears. For something that fast, I need something better. Faster. And I have just the thing.

Oh no, Vlad. You want a fight? You'll get a fight, all right.

I pull up my radio, and contact Amaterasu.

"Archer of Black dropped from a mile and a half, missing an arm and leg, boss. I sent a 'goodbye grenade' at him, to ensure that he'd drop too fast to survive the fall as well, Son in Law."

"Good work. Looks like their Lancer is Vlad the Third."

"Oh, the Impaler? Wasn't he famous for using stakes, or spears?"

"Those damned things hurt, and they follow you when you move through the air. I'll say that much."

"Well, damn."

"Reload, then prep for another sortie, Amaterasu."

"Roger that, Son in Law."

I pass by Mash, and smile.

"Care to join me in using a mech, Mash?"

I can hear her go "Eh?!" then follow, even as I grin a bit.

This might help. Having her on board might help.

I calmly walk up to the mouth of the Mecha Fafnir Mark 2, the massive mechanical dragon, then pull myself in, while waving for her to follow.

This one's big. A mechanical dragon, with the cockpit in the mouth. Armed with two tri-barreled lasers on either side of the mouth, 4 bomb launchers armed with different explosive rounds, a huge targeting computer, and a tail bomb launcher holding 9 shots, all capable of armor penetration. The bombs on the tail being disguised as spikes works well, too. Capable of a whopping Mach 2, it also has huge hydraulic talons, capable of holding 15 tons without an issue.

"May I ask why you're asking me for my help?"

"Fou!"

I chuckle at them both, then sigh.

"Their Lancer is Vlad the third. He's got this nasty homing spear trick with thousands of the damned things, as part of his... Kazikli Bey, I think he called it?"

She goes still, wincing.

"Son in law, some pink girl is chasing me on a hippogryph. It's not very fast, but it's getting rather irritating. They just won't stop."

"I'll help soon enough, Amaterasu."

"Roger. Be soon, okay? They're keeping me from getting out of sight long enough to resupply on the Wolfen."

"Not a problem." I switch frequencies, and focus, going over my assets.

We NEED to get that gem. Ground forces might be useless, but we don't have any other choice.

Damn it, all.

I breathe out, focusing.

"All Mecha Fafnir teams, prep for Launch. All Metal Gear Rex teams, prep for drop off and ground assault. I need 20,000 Legion of Coal units to prepare for landing and ground assault. Be advised that Lancer of Black is capable of making thousands of wooden spears, and they punched through my new Trenchcoat pretty well, before I had the chance to enchant it, at that. Our objective is to hold them off long enough to get the Heart of Winter."

I think, then nod.

"Scylla, prep the big gun, and have it ready to fire if you get a clear shot on Lancer of Black. He's too much of a damned threat to keep around. If he's too fast, though, keep the ship cloaked."

"Roger that, boss!"

I launch the Mecha Fafnir MK2 Mash and I are in, then calmly fire up the weapons systems.

If you really want to piss me off this much, Lancer... how can I say no?

Mash is staring, as we head towards him, even as I can see the other Mecha Fafnir units fly, and start circling the castle in a large loop. It's late enough that they don't see them, yet. Good.

"All Mecha Fafnir units, scorched earth tactics. Burn the ground around the castle with flamethrowers and explosives. Keep the Servants from getting back in."

"Roger, Creator!"

"All Metal Gear Rex units, use your railguns to launch bombs long range at that Lancer. Keep up fire so he can't overwhelm you with those damned wood spears. If you see any golems, use your lasers on the damned things. They don't take well to them, especially if you hit the jewel holding them together."

"Roger, Creator!"

"All Legion of Coal units for the battlefield, use your lasers to burn up as much as many spears that Lancer of Black can use. There's 20,000 of you, and only one of him. We need to deal with him as soon as possible, and negate his damned ability, so that we can get to the Heart of Winter. If any of you can sneak off, sneak off, and try to get to the Heart of Winter while we distract them."

"Roger, Creator!"

"On my mark...! ATTACK!"




Author's notes:
The Tandy series is real. http://nothotbutspicy.com/para/hm/ Feel free to enjoy it, too. Much of what Erik references is out of the third story for 50 Foot Ant.

Pykrete creation is one nasty trick to have. It's more limited than you'd think, though. If the entirety of the inside and outside of Castle Yggdmillenia wasn't frozen, he wouldn't have been able to convert it into ice.

The skill is very much "limited to one piece at a time", or "limited to all the ice on one object", not that he tends to let others realize it. As for the fights...

In Scion, what tends to win is not so much strength, or stamina, or power, but speed. Agility.

Against Avicebron, you could see this firsthand. E agility meant he wasn't able to dodge, just pull a limb in the path, or push a golem in the path.

Thus, we see this event here. Avicebron got himself killed.

On Chiron, he's supposed to be able to see the future. Flat out see the future. But would he know why things exploding far off from him would send him flying anyways, hurt? Memory upload from the Holy Grail for things may give him general information, but I'm not sure he's ever come across the concept of a grenade before. Especially a big one like that. If it was a small one, perhaps he could have realized what was going on, but Amaterasu launched enough at once that he just kept getting knocked around by shockwaves.

So, even though he had the skill, he was too confused by why he kept seeing himself flying in random directions, no matter WHAT he'd aim for, to really do more than try to jump away, not realizing the shockwaves were going to happen.

As for Erik and Vlad the Third... Erik was getting curbstomped and for good reason. Two different divine abilities or not, he simply couldn't keep up. He's lost his element of surprise, and Vlad is easily trumping him one on one, with the bullshit that is Kazikli Bey, in Romania, Vlad's home turf. Erik can use Richochet Rebound to knock 8 stakes out of the sky at once. When you've got hundreds, or thousands coming at you at once, it doesn't work so well. Quantity over Quality, right there.

Yes, he can burn through them with a laser, and cut them with a sword. But when you have thousand coming at you, you RUN.

After everything, Vlad still took out 10 out of Erik's 17 health pool. Really says everything right there, doesn't it? Even if Erik wasn't wearing his Mechanical Linkup Suit at the time, that's still one hefty blow right there.

Of course, Erik can't just TAKE that sitting down. He still was tempted to, before Vlad said what he did.

In reality, Vlad said that, to summon Erik back in range of Kazikli Bey a second time, so he could finish Erik off. But Erik doesn't know that, and Vlad doesn't realize the Wolfen is big enough that Vlad's little secondary effect for Kazikli Bey, is now neutralized.

Roll notes:
Detecting the Heart of Winter
6D10E8 => 3 | 10s: 2 = 5. + 16 automatic successes for 6 epic intelligence... 21.
Rolling for Blizzard Call
10D10E8 => 5 | 10s: 4, ones: 2 = 7. +11 automatic successes... 18
Rolling while entering the basement
6D10E8 => 2 | 10s: 1 = 3. +16 automatic successes... 19
Secret Roll 1:
1D2 => 2
Secret Roll 2:
1D2 => 1
Roll For Erik to not lose his temper:
1D3 => 1
Yeah, that temper's lost.
You'll see the results of this next chapter.
Legend use:
21/64 legend left.

Blizzard Call: 1 Willpower, 3 Legend
Landslide: 1 Willpower, 3 legend
Uller's Stride: 1 legend
Pykrete Creation: 5 legend
Shot to the Heart: 3 legend
Earth Shaping: 1 legend
Untouchable Opponent: 1 legend
Blizzard Call and Landslide a second time to refresh them
Untouchable Opponent a second time
Raging Bull: 3 legend, 1 for four hits, to recover spent Willpower. 8 hits taken, armor soaked most of the damage.
Damage Conversion: 1 legend to convert all Lethal damage done with the spears that did manage to get him, down to bashing.
Rainbow Bridge: 1 Legend
Regeneration for... 10 health points.

43 legend used
21 legend left

[Arbitrarity]

I had a feeling about what you (Kieran) meant about Jeanne, and the "closer to a Divine Spirit" probably has to do with her nature being defined by the expectations of "believers/God" (and possibly the Counter Force) and the entire nature of the Ruler class, which restricts her choices in a way similar to have Divine Spirits act. (kind of a "mandate" thing) It's actually really weird that Jeanne doesn't seem to have Divinity in her parameters, considering David, Saint George, and Martha all do (though not much). I initially thought it might just be antithetical to Christian mythology, but since multiple other Saints have it, feels weird (though notably, George and Martha are from before the 4'th century, so they are MUCH older than Jeanne, which might affect the nature of their legends, and hence, their Divinity. Jeanne is more pious than divinely empowered, I suppose) She does have a Saint trait, though. I also still have no idea how that "oh yeah, La Pucelle consumes my body, but don't worry, my host body is okay" works.

I got the Kaleidostick idea while rereading parts of Trinity Angles, since you mention Galen doing that for extra FnaF knowledge (though it sounds uncomfortable). I'm not sure if the idea would come to Frid (since the entire permanent memory download thing might take a while, and is an unusual use of the ability, plus he specifically hasn't done it before), and Sapphire being sentient, it might be easier thought of than done. At least she's not Ruby, though. This also assumes he learns about his counterpart in Servant Universe, but that is probably going to happen.

That, of course, leads to the possibility of there being many Frid/Galens throughout the multiverse that keep ending up in timelines they considered fictional. Presumably Zelretch finds their suffering amusing, or he considers them somewhat useful.

EDIT: Oooh, double chapters! Erik is MAD. Is the secondary effect being referred to the "pierced from the inside" thing? I thought that required being hit with the actual spear Vlad is holding. The Wolfen actually being a full kilometer in size will definitely weaken Vlad, though. Might even qualify similar to Hanging Gardens as far as nerfing him goes, being something like Erik's domain.

I somehow suspect Chiron isn't dead, if only because he's too precious. I'm also mildly concerned about what Trap of Argalia would do to a flying mech, though the most likely answer is "nothing, because that's not how it works". Was using Frozen Panopoly to punch through the castle supposed to be free in terms of legend, or is the bracelet very limited use? Because it definitely feels like if you need to make a quick escape, and there aren't anti-teleport effects, Rainbow Bridging out is fairly cheap.

Looking at the timeline, the rest of Red might have time to intervene. Right now it looks like we may be getting "the mechs kill everything" timeline, unless Vlad SMASHES Erik here, which is also distinctly possible. Probably something else is going to interfere before it escalates to railgunning/nuking the castle, though.

[RanmaBushiko]

I had a feeling about what you (Kieran) meant about Jeanne, and the "closer to a Divine Spirit" probably has to do with her nature being defined by the expectations of "believers/God" (and possibly the Counter Force) and the entire nature of the Ruler class, which restricts her choices in a way similar to have Divine Spirits act. (kind of a "mandate" thing) It's actually really weird that Jeanne doesn't seem to have Divinity in her parameters, considering David, Saint George, and Martha all do (though not much). I initially thought it might just be antithetical to Christian mythology, but since multiple other Saints have it, feels weird (though notably, George and Martha are from before the 4'th century, so they are MUCH older than Jeanne, which might affect the nature of their legends, and hence, their Divinity. Jeanne is more pious than divinely empowered, I suppose) She does have a Saint trait, though. I also still have no idea how that "oh yeah, La Pucelle consumes my body, but don't worry, my host body is okay" works.

I got the Kaleidostick idea while rereading parts of Trinity Angles, since you mention Galen doing that for extra FnaF knowledge (though it sounds uncomfortable). I'm not sure if the idea would come to Frid (since the entire permanent memory download thing might take a while, and is an unusual use of the ability, plus he specifically hasn't done it before), and Sapphire being sentient, it might be easier thought of than done. At least she's not Ruby, though. This also assumes he learns about his counterpart in Servant Universe, but that is probably going to happen.

That, of course, leads to the possibility of there being many Frid/Galens throughout the multiverse that keep ending up in timelines they considered fictional. Presumably Zelretch finds their suffering amusing, or he considers them somewhat useful.

That's definitely interesting insight there. I'm sure Kieran has interesting ideas now. *chuckles*

EDIT: Oooh, double chapters! Erik is MAD. Is the secondary effect being referred to the "pierced from the inside" thing? I thought that required being hit with the actual spear Vlad is holding. The Wolfen actually being a full kilometer in size will definitely weaken Vlad, though. Might even qualify similar to Hanging Gardens as far as nerfing him goes, being something like Erik's domain.

I somehow suspect Chiron isn't dead, if only because he's too precious. I'm also mildly concerned about what Trap of Argalia would do to a flying mech, though the most likely answer is "nothing, because that's not how it works". Was using Frozen Panopoly to punch through the castle supposed to be free in terms of legend, or is the bracelet very limited use? Because it definitely feels like if you need to make a quick escape, and there aren't anti-teleport effects, Rainbow Bridging out is fairly cheap.

Looking at the timeline, the rest of Red might have time to intervene. Right now it looks like we may be getting "the mechs kill everything" timeline, unless Vlad SMASHES Erik here, which is also distinctly possible. Probably something else is going to interfere before it escalates to railgunning/nuking the castle, though.

Let's see now...

Yeah, Erik lost his temper. Erik's had all the rage of the other Pantheons hating him for what he sees as their security failures, for 25 years, and stewed with it. That hasn't really helped him, from the young naive hunter he originally started as, or the champion he ended the Scion game as.

What makes it worse, is that Erik was SO close to claiming the Heart of Winter, here and now. Do you really think he'd just QUIT after trying one single time? No, of course not. At the same time, he's still a paranoid bastard, so rather than flash fry the Castle, and possibly make the Heart of Winter go OFF, he'd rather deal with the one that hurt him most, Vlad.

As for the secondary effect, "All that have been pierced by Kazikli Bey are always pierced, and can grow spears from the inside out, as much as Vlad wants". And no, Karna got hit with the stakes. It's a nasty side effect that I realized had to be linked to Vlad's territory.

Chiron, I'm not saying one way or another, until the second half of the chapter comes out. As for the Trap of Argalia... yeah, Trap of Argalia will at best, make a mech trip. Which doesn't help against something going at mach 2, or even mach 3. And only if Astolfo hits the mech in question, instead of getting sent flying by the shock wave of air. It's hard to make something trip with a lance if it doesn't have LEGS, though... which makes it harder for poor, poor Rider of Black.

I'll drop a bit of a hint here, for why Erik keeps not THINKING of Rainbow Bridge as an escape. It's something relatively new for him to use. Quite literally, where most people train with something constantly, until it's second nature, he never trained with it. Frozen Panoply? Yeah, sure. His second favorite skill! Earth Sounding? "Oh hell yes, I can find ore deposits with this, or cave systems, or secret passageways!" in a nutshell, and free, no less. Rainbow Bridge? That was the skill Tamamo used in the end, not Erik. So he's rather used to his wife bailing him out if something went wrong, and now she can't.

Frozen Panoply costs 1 legend to make a sculpture, armor, bow and set of 20 icicle arrows, or a spear. It's a bit overpowered that way. But when I say sculpture, it can also be a ladder, or basic tools, or an ice wall, or even a column of ice that's growing as long as he's focusing on it.

So though he has it, he hasn't really trained himself to remember to USE it yet, and he suffers from that in a crisis. Thus why the Wolfen hit Mash, and why Erik got some stakes in him.

As for the end of the fight, you'll see. *chuckles* Now to wait for Kieran to write the next chapter for his side, before posting the second half of the chapter. I got ahead quite a bit on my own side for writing.

To be fair, though, we've got most of the broad strokes figured out. It's just getting the writing DONE for said broad strokes that's the key.

Glad you've enjoyed the chapter, though! Kieran thought it was fantastic, and agreed that the music went well with it.

Erik sneaking through Castle Yggdmillenia, to the Bloodborne trailer music? I think you get it.

The next chapter from me has music that is just as fitting, too. *chuckles*

Now to work on updating Erik's character sheet with the necessary skills...

[Arbitrarity]

That was a great music choice, I don't usually listen to those, but since you called it out, it had to be done. I almost hit end of chapter before music ended, but I read REALLY fast (it doesn't seem quite appropriate when Erik is going "shit shit shit get me out of here"). This makes me want to reread Trinity while adding the music choices, but that probably wouldn't work on my phone, sadly. Maybe from the computer sometime. Also, some of the links are dead, though I can probably find alternatives.

...Now I'm confused. Apocrypha supplemental material translation here says that Vlad has to hit you with the spear, but the same translator says when describing the battle in question here that only stakes hitting are required. The territory requirement is explicitly stated in both, though. Presumably the primary source is the text, and it seems to imply that those were stake hits for other reasons (mostly the description of Vlad staying at range).

Only reason I worried about Trap of Argalia is that if it makes the mech "trip"/fall, at mach 3, if it hits the ground or something allied before it can recover, it's going to do/take a LOT of damage. On the flip side, it's a D-rank anti-personnel NP that's explicitly stated to recreate its legend against Servants by dematerializing a leg, so it's not really likely to do anything to metal.

[Kieran]

That's definitely interesting insight there. I'm sure Kieran has interesting ideas now. *chuckles*

Oh, a few . . .

Let's see now...

Yeah, Erik lost his temper. Erik's had all the rage of the other Pantheons hating him for what he sees as their security failures, for 25 years, and stewed with it. That hasn't really helped him, from the young naive hunter he originally started as, or the champion he ended the Scion game as.

And it's even worse that Vlad called him out the way he did. One of the defining Aesir Virtues is Courage - meeting any challenge, even if it's a stupid one. And the flaw to Courage (meaning, if it's stoked hard enough) is a berserker rage . . .

As for the Trap of Argalia... yeah, Trap of Argalia will at best, make a mech trip. Which doesn't help against something going at mach 2, or even mach 3. And only if Astolfo hits the mech in question, instead of getting sent flying by the shock wave of air. It's hard to make something trip with a lance if it doesn't have LEGS, though... which makes it harder for poor, poor Rider of Black.

*Reads up on Trap of Argalia*

. . . Cripes, Astolfo just stole all of Bradamante's stuff, didn't he?

(A lance that unhorses people is part of her legend - and it's really annoying that, as a Lancer, it does not show up. )

Frozen Panoply costs 1 legend to make a sculpture, armor, bow and set of 20 icicle arrows, or a spear. It's a bit overpowered that way.

And boy, does he love abusing it.

As for the end of the fight, you'll see. *chuckles* Now to wait for Kieran to write the next chapter for his side, before posting the second half of the chapter. I got ahead quite a bit on my own side for writing.

To be fair, though, we've got most of the broad strokes figured out. It's just getting the writing DONE for said broad strokes that's the key.

Nah, you may as well go ahead - nothing that would fit between the two (of any real length, at least) immediately comes to mind.

[Xamusel]

So... how long is it between updates for RB to upload his chapters? I was hoping that the writing isn't too much a problem for him to get to.

[RanmaBushiko]

So... how long is it between updates for RB to upload his chapters? I was hoping that the writing isn't too much a problem for him to get to.

I was pretty exhausted after Sakura Con last night, fell asleep in my chair, even.

Between barely being able to walk this morning, and spending half an hour in bed, trying to stretch my legs out enough to move, a fridge shelf breaking, and the weekly family picnic? Sorry for taking so long to get back on here.

Chapter 15: Opening Salvo, Round 2

As I descend, I focus. Untouchable Opponent and Shot to the Heart will be perfect for this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=338kHHJqA0Y (Gods of War ~ Manowar) (Again, listen for this scene. Sorry that this chapter MIGHT be shorter than the song, Arbitrarity, but it should be good enough to listen with. Also, long song, because most don't HAVE THE INTRO PART to the song, or cut off the end if they do.)

I can hear, distantly, my Legion of Coal cheering as we drop towards Lancer of Black. Somehow, I can hear that pink haired pain screaming as they try to keep up with Amaterasu. Even more distantly, I can hear that guy with Balmung shouting a war cry, as he rushes out.

But my eyes only see Vlad the Third's, as he finally spots me, right as I turn the afterburners on.

"You wanted me, didn't you, Lancer of Black?!"

I swing my War Beast for an expertly done swing of the tail, as we get close enough to hit in range. I can see him on the monitors, smirking at what seems to be a near miss, before the tail tip detatches.

The explosion is perfect. Calculated perfectly, to send him flying straight towards the claws on this machine.

"What?! What is this metal thing?!"

Got you, you bastard!

He can't quite dodge the claws, as I punch the afterburners, and drag him with me.

"You thought it would be so easy, Vlad? You thought you could insult me and get away with it? No, no. It's not going to be so easy! My Mecha Fafnir Mark 2 is undefeated! The first Model survived SURTR in a rage!"

I laugh, even as Mash's eyes go wide at my admission.

"Kazikli Bey!"

I just chuckle, then focus, as Pykrete forms over the entire machine, increasing it's already tough armor, to the point where his lances might do damage, but it's only small minor damage.

"No, no, Vlad. I'm sorry, but it's not going to be THAT easy. I've figured out how much damage those spears of yours do, and it's not enough right now! You're going to get broken, Vlad. You're going to break, you're going to fall, and I'm going to crush you, here and now!"

"What, are you going to drop me? Fool!"

I laugh, even as I push my War Beast faster, hitting Mach Two, right towards a forest, and extend the claw he's in below me.

"You impaled me, let me return the favor!"

"YOU BASTARD GODLING!"

The thumps, as he starts hitting tree after tree, sounds more like a drum.

*WHAM*
"YOU!"

I smirk, as we hit a particularly thick one, then roll, putting him right in the way of another large one.

*WHAM*
"BASTARD!"

Still got plenty of fuel... oh hey, a big rock! Gotta make sure he hits that too!

*WHAM CRUNCH WHAM*
"GODLING!"

More trees!

*WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM*
"I WILL~"

Another pass on the big rock for Vlad!

*WHAM CRUNCH*
"KILL YOU~"

I twist, grinning, and push lower, before grinding him against the ground, head first, then fire up the afterburners, even as more and more spears try to impale my War Beast.

"SO DAMNED HARD WHEN I'M DONE WITH THIS! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, GODLING!"

Damn. He's not being reduced to a smear on the ground like I thought he would. Still, we have plenty of fuel... wait. What the hell's that light?

I move to evade, twisting, so Vlad's head is in the attack path instead.

Oh, yes! SUFFER, VLAD! DID YOU THINK I COULD NOT HURT YOU?

Something hits, HARD. My War Beast, not Vlad getting hit by his ally's attack. Vlad goes flying out of the claws, as I desperately work to recover.

Fuck, that really fucking...

Huge holes in the armor plating, several bomb launcher systems are down... thankfully, the ammunition didn't blow up IN it.

What the hell hit me? An orbital strike?

"All Units, did anyone see what the hell hit me?"

"Son in law, looks like I didn't finish off that bastard of an archer well enough. Damned bastard survived the fall due to the pink haired annoyance catching him mid-fall, and that was his Noble Phantasm. Not sure if he can do it again, but it starts up with a fast moving light from above... shit! Dodge!"

I turn the afterburners on, and hope for the best. Something behind me explodes, loudly, as I push the engines back to full speed, then go evasive.

I wipe sweat off my forehead, then wince at the realization that I'm sweating. I'm actually getting tired from this.

"Anyone gotten into that damned castle yet?"

"Not yet, Boss. They've got roughly a thousand golems they've been throwing at our mecha. We've been holding up, but the sheer amount alone is keeping us from getting in."

Damn. DAMN IT!

Mecha Fafnir MK 2's at roughly 75 percent fighting capability. But with the holes in the armor, if he catches me, I'm likely going to get torn apart quick.

"Any chance of getting in, at this rate?"

"Unless we bring the Wolfen to bear personally, boss? No."

This is one hell of a setback. That damned Archer of Black still lives, even after the damage done to him, and he doesn't need two arms to use his Noble Phantasm.

Fuck.

"Any losses?"

"Only to the mecha, sir. 26 and 27 lost, for the Metal Gear Rex and Mecha Fafnir production units."

"Fall back to the Wolfen, prepare for pickup. Mecha Fafnir's too damaged to guarantee victory over Lancer of Black."

"Roger that, Creator."

I glance, watching Vlad through the cameras. He's walking forwards, his eyes narrowed.

"Looks like I'm going to have to leave this one for now, Vlad. I'll give you credit, your Archer damaged my War Beast more than I thought they would."

He laughs.

"You come to my country, to fight, and then run from damage?"

I pause, then laugh as well.

"Its been fun, I'll admit. But I'd rather face you at full strength than pull out my ace in the hole for fighting on the ground right now. Keep in mind that your Caster would have ended your country if he'd succeeded in using that shit. Make sure no one can tap into it, or touch the damned thing, either. It's still able to pull shit. More than that..."

I pause, then grin.

"Keep yourself ready for when we fight more."

"Kazikli BEY!"

Spears launch at my War Beast. Damaged it may be, it still can outrun them, and the engines are still working.

He just doesn't give up, does he?!

I laugh, even as I drop a liquid nitrogen bomb right in the path of one of them, from the only bomb dispenser I have left aside from the tail.

His eyes widen as his spears freeze mid-air, much to my amusement. Oh no, you don't, Vlad.

"Is that it, Vlad? Is that all your cunning mind can think of?"

I move, adjusting my machine's flight path, working to ensure he'll stay in place.

"Scylla, targeting solution?"

"Perfected, boss! We've got him in our scope, and the Plasma Cannon is fully ready!"

"Then fire, and fire at will at their legions of Golems!"

A flash of light flickers, midair, then erupts from a tiny spark, into a massive pillar of light, roaring out towards Vlad, even as missile launchers and bomb launchers roar alight, as their devastating payloads are launched. Lasers erupt, firing for the first time in years, and Railguns roar as they launch their devestating payloads. All as the Wolfen uncloaks, showing its glorious form for the first time to the people of this version of Earth.

Golems die by the truckloads, Homunculi are slaughtered, even as Vlad stares at the massive wall of light heading towards him in shock.

Stakes erect, like a massive wall before him. 20,000 stakes, for the 20,000 people he killed with stakes. They vaporize constantly, forming wall after wall, but it serves to do nothing against the massive beam of plasma heading towards him.

"Got you!"

But the pink haired Menace (That HAS to be the one that lady called out to, Astolfo, now that I think of it...) carries off Vlad, moments before he can be caught in the blast.

"See? I'm a good rider, Vlad! Aren't you glad I'm helping? Now get on the back and help Chiron so we can fight this... oh, what is THAT thing? Is that some sort of SHIP?"

Cannons move, changing directions from countering the Golems below, to targeting Astolfo personally.

"You're shitting me. Those are cannons?"

"FIRE! Kill those three!"

With those words, the Wolfen opens fire.

Dozens of lasers a second, massive railgun rounds, and missiles being launched, it seems like it should be impossible for the hippogryph to dodge.

"Dimensional shifts detected! The damned thing's dodging everything somehow, boss! It's phasing in and out of reality every time it's about to get hit!"

"Fuck it! Target their castle then! Fire on that, blow a hole in the basement, so I can get that damned Heart of Winter. Amaterasu, get the damned thing when the Wolfen opens a hole up!"

"Oh no you don't! Hippogryph! Let's attack that Mechanical Dragon thing!"

I pull into a dodge, pumping every bit of speed I can into dodging attacks, as Astolfo tries to attack, repeatedly. Worse yet are Vlad's spears, constantly assaulting me.

I really do think I've made them MAD... so let's see them handle this.

Gotta do a bit of a roll, so they're right behind... c'mon, Erik, you can do this.

Perfect.

*Whump*

Tail spike, right to their face! Hah!

They're flying off the damned thing, too. Hell yes.

"BALMUNG!"

Eh? That light again... shit!

I evade, pulling my machine into a corkscrew around the blast.

Come on, already! I'm trying to save you poor bastards from dying! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!

Fuck it.

He wants to push me, then let's see... wait. What am I thinking?! That has to be Siegfried, or Sigurd! A Mechanical Fafnir against him would be SUICIDE!

Damn it all. I don't have a choice but to leave, do I? Ugh.

"Nothing, Son in Law. I can't find it at all in the basement levels that I've searched."

"Pull out, then, Amaterasu. We're heading back to the Wolfen."

"All units have been picked up, boss."

"Roger that, good work, Scylla. I'm heading home."

Damn. I really AM tired, aren't I?

"Sorry, Mash. I thought you'd get to help more. I stole the show, didn't I?"

She's studying me, then smiling.

"You're fighting to keep us all safe, aren't you? Its not your fault you didn't need my help like you thought I would. Still... thank you for bringing me along, and letting me see. Vlad's far more dangerous than he was back in Chaldea..."

I nod, and sigh, as we dock with the Wolfen. "Get us out of here, Nestor, while I cloak the Wolfen."

Then, with an exhausted effort of strength from myself, the Wolfen cloaks again, before moving away from the castle we've been assaulting.

I'll come back and fight Vlad again another day. Just you wait, Vlad.

Still... Balmung. Siegfried. Gonna have to figure out a way to kill him.

Ugh. I'm tired.

I'm low on legend, too. It feels like an aching, dull void where normally a ball of pure power resides. Like the tank is close to empty, but not quite.

Still, I made a damned good showing today. Even if they can anticipate my forces now, we've damaged them.

"Forces status, everyone?"

"We lost another 55 mechs to their golems during pickup, boss. Nestor's ensuring they can't track us, while we use the jet engines to move far off enough. We've lost approximately 358 legion of Coal, as well."

"And their forces?"

"Approximately 800 of those white haired albinos, and 320 of their Golems. They were clustering to get rid of our mechs when we nailed them with the Wolfen's bombs."

I breathe out, closing my eyes.

Yeah, it's worth it, as much as I hate it.

"Make sure the Legion of Coal gets extra supplies for this, as a thank you. Real oil, and the like."

"Yes sir, Boss!"

"Let's meet up in the morning, and talk about how this went. I'm going to pass out any minute, from how tired I am after all that. Too many damned surprises..."

"Gotcha, boss! No worries, we'll help you recover from that fighting!"

I smile, then head to bed. Time for a shower, then to just hold my wife as I sleep.



Castle Yggdmillenia, one hour later
3:45 AM

Darnic sits, alongside the rest of the Yggdmillenia household at a table. "First off, thank you Caules, for following orders. You directly went to safeguard your sister, and the Greater Holy Grail as I ordered you to, alongside your Servant."

Caules bows, calmly. "I was honored to, sir. Though, to be honest, the fighting terrified me. That... thing they flew off in..."

Darnic studies him, as Caules struggles to explain things. "Yes, Caules?"

"You recall how Frid likes to play games, right? It resembled a starship, from one of those games. Starcraft, to be precise."

"Oh? Perhaps we can get ideas on its capabilities from that game. Look into it for ideas."

Caules bows again. "Yes, Lord Yggdmillenia."

Darnic turns, paying attention to Roche. "Roche."

"Yes sir?"

"Can you tell me anything about him, what he may have said to you specifically?"

"He... seemed dead set on seeing Avicebron Sensei dead. But afterwards... he didn't kill me. He didn't strike me. He told me that Avicebron sensei... had gotten his hands on a truly legendary object, one that could manipulate people that didn't have a strong enough legend, to force them to serve its will. One that could summon a 3 mile chunk of ice to strike the planet. That it would alter people until it would serve their will, unknowingly. With how Sensei got more and more obsessed about altering his Golem to fit his catalyst... I don't think he was wrong, looking back at things. It... fits. If it was manipulating Sensei to... to summon a chunk of ice and make humanity go extinct... the pieces fit too well, Sir."

Darnic narrows his eyes, before nodding slowly. "It does fit. Which makes things all the more dangerous. Where is it?"

"Its in the remains of his big Golem, sir. It was never finished, not even a quarter complete. The only thing finished was the chest, to be honest. We were going to start on the limbs tomorrow, and finish in a few days. And with Sensei dead, I don't think it WILL, or CAN be completed. But if he's right, and looking at it will mess with us, I don't think I want to touch the damned thing, sir. Let's seal the room with magecraft, so power can't go in or out, and leave it."

"I'll do that as quickly as I can, with the help of our Servants, Roche. Anything else to report?"

"We've lost a lot of golems, about a third of them. However, I'm pretty sure I can reproduce the Golems, though at a lower speed compared to Sensei. He was producing 20 a day. I should be able to manage 10, sir."

Darnic nods, then turns towards Fiore. "How is your Archer doing, Fiore?"

She winces, then turns towards him. "He's going to take quite some time to heal, sir. If it wasn't for his Noble Phantasm, I'm not sure we would have survived that without losing Lord Vlad, either."

Darnic frowns, then nods. "How many days, do you estimate?"

She pauses, thinking. "Perhaps a week. It's hard to tell. Whatever that did to him, irradiated the stumps, and showering the stumps is the only way to get rid of the radiation for him, as of right now. Unless there's a spell specifically for removing radiation, it's going to wait until the radiation's down enough for it to actually form into working limbs, if he heals."

Darnic sighs, rubbing his forehead for a long moment. "Damnation. How about you, Gordes?"

"Saber is doing fine. He did notice that that machine fled rather than face him, but a hint might be in the name. Mecha Fafnir, Saber overheard?"

Darnic's eyes narrow, then blink.

"Based on the original, hm? Interesting. He may be worried about something in Saber's history, then."

Gordes blinks, perking up, before slowly nodding as he thinks over things. "I suspect he does, as a matter of fact. Saber might be a good counter to that type of machine of this God's..."

Darnic smiles. "One good piece of news from this, at least. How about our Homunculi forces? What are the status for those?"

Gordes eyes narrow, as he wipes a rag across his sweating forehead. "Not as good, sir. We lost the bulk of our equipment, and lost nearly two thirds of our homunculi forces. We should be able to repair some of the tanks, but with the damage... I'm not sure how much we'll be able to rely on them. We never anticipated that flying... battleship to be fighting us. Traditional magecraft? Certainly. THAT? However, one good thing, is that towards the end, they figured out how to kill those robot machines with the lasers, the ones that apparently pilot the mechs. If we run into them again, we've got a spell to hurt them."

Darnic sighs, then nods, in obvious agreement. "Indeed. I agree wholeheartedly, Gordes, on that thing's existence. It may be honestly better to offer him a cease fire and give him the damned stone he's after, if he swears to not go after the Greater Grail. If not, however, that spell sounds promising. Still... how about you, Celinike? Have you noticed anything?"

She sighs, nodding softly. "Astolfo noticed that his Noble Phantasm, that Hippogryph, can dodge that thing's shots. However, the God himself could target Astolfo irregardless. I suggest we have Astolfo stay close, and guard the castle directly. If nothing else, he can work to evacuate us from its weapons."

Darnic nods, settling back, then turns to Lancer. "What are your opinions, My King?"

Vlad gets up, his eyes narrowed. "That thing seems to be a mobile fortress. With the amount of weapons on it alone, it must have vast factories on it. If we could capture it, or make a deal with him, we could easily win... but the weapons on it are dangerous indeed. That main cannon it has constantly destroyed my Kazikli Bey, even though my Noble Phantasm is empowered enough to destroy servants. Considering how much more my territory empowers me... I suspect that would have killed me if Astolfo hadn't saved me at the last minute."

Vlad sighs, rubbing his forehead. "More over, with how my Noble Phantasm works, he should have been beaten completely, when I challenged him after he ran. But it does have a long range to it, where the abilities will kick in, before I need to impale him a second time with my stakes, or my lance for stronger potency. Somehow... SOMEHOW, he managed to get out of that range. Also, that flying machine of his is stupidly strong. It was like trying to push a castle off me, for how strong its talons were!"

Vlad drums his fingers against his polearm, thinking.

"If we servants hadn't stepped in, he wouldn't have fought us. He would have taken what he wanted, then left us be, I suspect. We pressured him too much, I think. Then I insulted him somehow, and enraged him enough that rather than leaving, he turned around and dropped his army on us in an attempt to kill me, and get that stone he's looking for. It appears, Darnic, that I've managed to utterly enrage him and leave him wanting me dead."

Darnic sighs, then shakes his head slowly. "No. Its not your fault, my King. We couldn't anticipate him as a great foe. Who would have such weapons? What sort of NORSE GOD would have such weapons? We can only rebuild from this point on, but we should work to rebuild as well as we can, and fortify better. You enraging him probably has something to do with his past as a Norse God, and apologizing would likely be the best way to get in his good graces, my King."

For a long moment, no one speaks, each thinking about the day's events. Finally, Darnic glances at a clock before wincing. "Let's all go sleep. We've had a long day, and tomorrow is sure to be a mess."

Each gets up, moving towards their rooms, as they think and ponder how they could have done better.



Elsewhere, on the Wolfen

The Scylla grins, multitasking orders, even as it writes down everything said in Castle Yggdmillenia.

"Oh, my boss is going to enjoy these meeting notes, that's for sure! I wonder if he'll use this to our advantage...?"



Author's Notes:
The second half of the chapter.

So, now you've realized when , in the first half of this massive chapter, Erik briefly mentioned he dropped microphones all over the city, he LITERALLY got the entire city. And Yggdmillenia castle. Every inch of the outside, with special setups to hear through vibrations in the walls, or in the windows.

Stealth microphones, at that.

Forces Status:

Troops Lost for Erik:
54 Metal Gear Rex units lost
54 Mecha Fafnir units lost
21 of each type left.
358 Legion of Coal units lost
Troops damaged:
Mecha Fafnir MK2 has been moderately damaged. Currently at 500/750 HP
Troops Left:
49642 Legion of Coal units
The supplies to build another 975 of Metal Gear Rex's production line, as well as 975 of the Mecha Fafnir production line, if at a slow pace.
Supplies:
Excellent
Status and Morale:
Excellent
Troops lost for Yggdmillenia:
800 Homunculi
320 Golems
Caster of Black
Troops Wounded:
Chiron is heavily wounded, and can only use his Noble Phantasm to fight currently.
Troops Left:
400 Homunculi
680 Golems
Supplies:
Decent, if now somewhat threadbare.
Status and Morale:
Castle is moderately damaged.
Morale is shaken, due to heavy losses for Homunculi, as well as revelations about Caster of Black being manipulated, on top of them having to face down a God with an Army of his own.

Legend Use:
Legend Cost: 1 + 3 + 5 + 10
3/64 legend left
It will take 6 days for Erik to regain his full strength, due to the power Amaterasu drains from him daily to exist.

Rolls
Roll to spot the incoming attack from Siegfried
6D10E8 => 1 | 10s: 1 = 2. + 16 = 18
Yeah, Erik sees it.
Roll for to see the second attack, from above
6D10E8 => 1 | ones: 3 = -2. + 16 = 14
Nope. Solid fail
Roll if Erik starts thinking straight
1D3 => 3
Yup, he snapped out of his rage.

[Arbitrarity]

Oooof, Antares Snipe. While it doesn't destroy that much, it's completely impossible to dodge (I especially love its effect in F/GO), and tends to be aimed for maximum damage, which is pretty nasty against anything with a centralized weak point, that isn't Servant-level defense (and presumably MUCH tougher than a plane). I would question whether you could block it with foot-thick mundane steel. Limitation to once per night might be important here, though.

Not sure if ordinary radiation burns should really affect a Servant, but considering it's damage inflicted by another Servant using a weapon they're conceptually associated with, that probably works.

Good to see Black is being somewhat sensible about their options, and we're going to see both sides retreat for a bit. Plus, Erik actually hearing that, particularly that they plan to seal up the Heart, should remove a lot of the urgency.

Legend usage is 1 Untouchable, 3 Shot to the Heart, 5 Pykrete because the mech is big, 10 for recloak? Yeah, that recloak cost wasn't a joke, that hurts. Extends his rest time by a full day, though it's better than running around uncloaked. I feel like Shot to the Heart probably isn't super relevant unless he's fighting Siegfried (then it's really good, though actually managing to hit someone's back when they're fighting you seems like it should be very hard, especially if they're Servant speed), though it sounded like it applies to Hippogriff dimensional shift as well? Interesting.

Also really enjoyed Vlad getting tossed through the forest.

[Xamusel]

Personally? I want to know how this system of dice rolling even works. Is there any way I can find the rules online?

- - - Updated - - -

*ahem* Anyway, I feel that this chapter has been done greatly, as well as the chapter before it. It meets and exceeds expectations for me.