We have Tohno (At least, I recall Melancholy of One wrapping up, and I'm pretty sure he's available again), and he's the one who did the "kill the concept of poison" thing in Hisui's route. Of course, you're probably thinking of Ryougi's instant appendectomy.
I like it because it's the sort of lateral hack that the Works is good at. However, Hydra venom is admittedly nastier, so I would not expect it to be anything near a clean recovery, compared to calling up Medea Lily.
Last edited by Arbitrarity; January 16th, 2020 at 09:10 PM.
You're correct. And it's worth noting that (if I recall correctly) Shiki is specifically limited by his ability to comprehend the death of something - objects breaking or people (/people-like creatures) dying, he gets - which is why comprehending how to kill poison nearly gave him an aneurysm.Originally Posted by Arbitrarity
Whether that applies to Hydra venom, and blessed Hydra venom, is debatable, I think; would Shiki have to comprehend the existence of deities to pull that off?
*Nods* And I admit that I'm not entirely sold on the idea that Medea could; Pain Breaker is good, but if the Hydra's venom could be something an immortal gets overwhelmed by, does its Mystery overwhelm that of a C-rank Noble Phantasm?I like it because it's the sort of lateral hack that the Works is good at. However, Hydra venom is admittedly nastier, so I would not expect it to be anything near a clean recovery, compared to calling up Medea Lily.
(. . . Though the option to have Medea show up is tempting - given everyone's likely memories of Caster during the Grail War, and all . . .)
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
You are half right, but also appear to be a little confused with ryougi. It’s ryougi who has trouble with things that are broken or turned off, because she thinks of them as already dead. Tohno, inversely, has trouble comprehending higher level beings to begin with.
...probably he could do the hydra poison. Killing things he can more or less understand, such as a potent poison, would be difficult, but essentially within his wheelhouse as he excels, arguably even better then ryougi, at killing physical objects
Hence the "strain" comment. It's something I think I'd expect him to consider trying, but it definitely might not be feasible.
Well, more specifically, Poisonproof A++ cures all poison effects and heals. That's literally the dedicated effect. Pain Breaker also cures all debuffs, heals, and applies debuff resistance, which includes poison resistance. If those aren't good enough to mitigate Hydra venom to being non-lethal, no one in this entire story who has been affected by Hydra venom should have lived, "glancing" hits or not. Immortals typically don't even die specifically to the venom, they just don't heal from it, then go insane and die in some other fashion.*Nods* And I admit that I'm not entirely sold on the idea that Medea could; Pain Breaker is good, but if the Hydra's venom could be something an immortal gets overwhelmed by, does its Mystery overwhelm that of a C-rank Noble Phantasm?
(. . . Though the option to have Medea show up is tempting - given everyone's likely memories of Caster during the Grail War, and all . . .
If Medea Lily can't cure Hydra venom, Hydra venom is more powerful than Hassan of Serenity (admittedy, Semiramis is older, so should have some advantages as far as Mystery goes), and probably can affect Olga Marie while she has Mash summoned. If Hydra venom is that effective, it should be listed specifically as a Noble Phantasm. As it is, Sikera Usum, which is a specific application of possibly Hydra venom, is B+ rank and explicitly notes that it's heavily weakened against people with legends of poison resistance, though it gains a conceptual bonus against people who are defeated by poison in their legends.
Medea Lily is the nuclear option when it comes to countering poison. You don't ask "can she cure the poison?", you ask "how can I prevent Medea Lily from getting in a position to cure the poison?" or "why does this not actually count as poison", just like you don't ask "Is this powerful enough to penetrate Avalon", you ask "how do I get Avalon away from Saber" or "how does this effect specifically counter Avalon's interdimensional dodge" (for example, I can see an argument that Rhogomyniad, specifically, might counter Avalon's activated effect). Her poison countering is incredibly specific, and specific beats general, conceptually, when it applies, barring overwhelming power difference.
Hydra venom is not Ea, it doesn't just go "screw the rules". If Gilgamesh has super-ultra-original venom from the serpent who stole his immortality potion, that forms the mythological basis for the Hydra, sure, whatever. But if you show that something can be survived for some time, and cured over time from modest exposure, and resisted by divine protections, saying the most specific counter to it is insufficient seems ridiculous.
Last edited by Arbitrarity; January 16th, 2020 at 10:20 PM.
Thank you, that's good to know. It's been a good fifteen years since I last looked at the walkthrough, so my memory's a bit hazy on the details.
To say nothing of his harem's potential reaction - since Laeticia is both blonde and Church-affiliated, the girls who can see themselves as scoring (or losing) points . . .
Fairly argued.Well, more specifically, Poisonproof A++ cures all poison effects and heals. That's literally the dedicated effect. Pain Breaker also cures all debuffs, heals, and applies debuff resistance, which includes poison resistance. If those aren't good enough to mitigate Hydra venom to being non-lethal, no one in this entire story who has been affected by Hydra venom should have lived, "glancing" hits or not. Immortals typically don't even die specifically to the venom, they just don't heal from it, then go insane and die in some other fashion.
If Medea Lily can't cure Hydra venom, Hydra venom is more powerful than Hassan of Serenity (admittedy, Semiramis is older, so should have some advantages as far as Mystery goes), and probably can affect Olga Marie while she has Mash summoned. If Hydra venom is that effective, it should be listed specifically as a Noble Phantasm. As it is, Sikera Usum, which is a specific application of possibly Hydra venom, is B+ rank and explicitly notes that it's heavily weakened against people with legends of poison resistance, though it gains a conceptual bonus against people who are defeated by poison in their legends.
Medea Lily is the nuclear option when it comes to countering poison. You don't ask "can she cure the poison?", you ask "how can I prevent Medea Lily from getting in a position to cure the poison?" or "why does this not actually count as poison", just like you don't ask "Is this powerful enough to penetrate Avalon", you ask "how do I get Avalon away from Saber" or "how does this effect specifically counter Avalon's interdimensional dodge" (for example, I can see an argument that Rhogomyniad, specifically, might counter Avalon's activated effect). Her poison countering is incredibly specific, and specific beats general, conceptually, when it applies, barring overwhelming power difference.
Hydra venom is not Ea, it doesn't just go "screw the rules". If Gilgamesh has super-ultra-original venom from the serpent who stole his immortality potion, that forms the mythological basis for the Hydra, sure, whatever. But if you show that something can be survived for some time, and cured over time from modest exposure, and resisted by divine protections, saying the most specific counter to it is insufficient seems ridiculous.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
That said, I have no objections to working around that particular case being possible for some time. If you want to incidentally summon Medea Lily during another story, and she fixes the issue after that story is done, that works. If you need to go on a quest with Medea Lily to find some mythical plants, and/or she's summoned in a weakened state somehow, my suspension of disbelief is mildly strained, but not severely. If you want to make attempts to summon a healing servant turn up dry or insufficient, requiring some other solution (I would NOT expect Chiron to do well on this, and even Nightengale feels less specifically applicable, plus she's relatively modern, so might be bad against mythological poisons), that seems plausible. The Works isn't Chaldea, summoning new Servants to solve every problem isn't their thing.
If nothing else, I would think that tracking down a catalyst relevant to summoning Lily, and not her older counterpart, might take some doing; it's not as though Medea is particularly famous for anything prior to meeting the Argo's crew. Whereas, to use the other major example, a shard of Caliburn (or anything prior to establishing the Round Table) might turn up Artoria Lily, by contrast. That would serve as a suitable delaying tactic, no - leaving the freedom to explore more exotic options?
That was my thinking, personally, but I didn't want to leave out fans of the character.(I would NOT expect Chiron to do well on this, and even Nightengale feels less specifically applicable, plus she's relatively modern, so might be bad against mythological poisons),
No, and it shouldn't be - and I certainly don't want it to be (of course, I also didn't necessarily want it to be an SI haven, and that's having mixed results - my own fault, I know, but . . .).that seems plausible. The Works isn't Chaldea, summoning new Servants to solve every problem isn't their thing.
. . . This was always intended to be a communal project: something multiple authors on the board could use as an excuse to do crossovers, or write interesting adventures that the standard TYPE-MOON universe wouldn't necessarily allow. As such, it would be a mistake to think of it as static; the characters should be expected to change, in ability, experience, or circumstances. And with the advent of Fate/Grand Order, there are now so many possibilities it's ridiculous . . . And, having learned (I hope) from the Dragon Saber fiasco, I wanted to acknowledge that - hence, my initial question.
The fact that Medea Lily, in particular, would be particularly useful as a dedicated healer (which the Works doesn't yet have), useless in that she's not much else (requiring protection), and a nicer version of a former antagonist (creating character drama) also made her a nice idea, in my opinion.
(Her resemblance to an elf, familial connection to the Sun God, and my own fetish for blue hair, raised interesting personal points, but that's incidental.
Nightingale was less so - but again: dedicated healer, a personality that's bound to cause issues (she'd approve of Shirou's kitchen discipline, but trying to apply it to everything . . .?), being a Berserker and all, and being both British and a more modern Spirit, she'd adapt a bit better, I think. (Handy for steampunk-style settings, eh?) And, again, people are fans; if there's a reasonable excuse for the character appearing, I'd rather not deny them flat out.
. . . Does all that reasoning/excuse-making make sense?
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
Yeah, entirely. I just got sidetracked by 'specific beats general'. Both are potentially interesting, though I do agree that this is something you should leave open for a bit, rather than instantly resolving. So a mix of out-of-universe (may require story action to resolve, making result hopefully more satisfying) and in-universe (mechanism may utilize Servant summoning) seems fine to me. There are enough outside that if someone wants to immediately use Laeticia, that's an option, and if they want to write a plot around it, that's also an option.
Continuing . . .
Nameless Forest (Third Chimeric Lunar Sea Recreation)
Near Side, Moon Cell
Wide-eyed, the little girl in black Victorian dress stared at her hands, and then around her. “Alice is . . .? Alice is alive . . .?”
“Both Alice and Nursery Rhyme are alive, essentially,” Frid confirmed. “I wasn’t willing to lose either of you—or break you up, for that matter.”
They were just such an adorable pair, after all; and entirely undeserving of their normal tragic fate, to say nothing of the horrific one that had been waiting for them in this reality . . .
For herself, the Caster Demi-Servant—or maybe Pseudo-Servant; it was hard to tell, since neither of them had a body to possess—nodded hesitantly, as though she was afraid to believe it.
“Nursery Rhyme . . .” Alice repeated. “Alice is Nursery Rhyme. Nursery Rhyme is Alice. Servant, Caster . . .”
She curtsied, as a properly-raised Victorian girl ought to, and introduced herself, “Hello to the wonderful you. Let’s make this a beautiful dream . . .” She hesitated briefly—drawing inward with a shy blush—before asking, very quietly, “Can I call you ‘Big Brother,’ Mister . . .?”
“If you want to, certainly,” Frid answered, resisting the urge to just bear-hug her and start stroking her hair. But she was shy, and he was a lot bigger than she was, and he’d been man-handled enough to know better.
All of which still made it hard to resist; the cute was strong with this one . . .
With considerable effort, however, he restrained himself to a smile and an outstretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Little Miss.”
She smiled hesitantly as she reached out to take his hand, her expression gradually brightening as she began to accept the reality of it all. “. . . Thank you, Big Brother.”
“You’re very welcome,” he assured her. “Now, there are a few other people here I need to help—”
(And hopefully, one he didn’t, if his other attempt at meddling with the Moon Cell Grail War had worked out the way he’d intended it to . . .)
“—but it might be very dangerous where I need to go,” he admitted. “Would you feel safer staying here, Caster?”
She bit her lip uncertainly, before finally shaking her head. “I want to stay with you, Big Brother.”
“. . . OK,” he said. “I promise that I’ll do my best to protect you, then. Now, we’ll need to cover a fair amount of territory quickly to get everything done and avoid trouble, so I’m going to give you sort of a piggy-back ride, OK?”
“A ‘piggy-back ride,’ Big Brother?” she echoed, puzzled.
“Sort of,” he repeated. “It will be perfectly safe—you just need to hold on tight.”
Stepping back, he shifted forms, and hunkered down, looking at her.
For her own part, Caster gasped—but while in the first few heartbeats her fright was obvious, her wide eyes eventually softened in sheer delight as she made a sudden connection.
“CHESHIRE!”
Sixth Chimeric Lunar Sea Recreation
Far Side, Moon Cell
Rani glanced up from her work. “It’s time.”
“‘Time?’” The other echoed, puzzled.
“The last Master candidate is coming,” the alchemist elaborated.
The other woman blinked, processing that answer. Then her eyes widened in terror.
“He’s coming? Now?! No—nononononoNO! He can’t be coming now! It’s too soon—I’m not READY!”
She paced frantically back and forth, tugging at the ends of her ponytails, before whirling on her companion.
“Rani—help me!” she begged. “What should I wear? What should I say? I mean, this is critical; after all, he, he . . . OOOOH!” The panicking girl stomped her foot. “This is ridiculous—I’ve had a thousand years to contemplate this moment, and I STILL have no idea what to DO!”
“You could always follow the suggestions of those ‘dating magazines,’” the dark-skinned girl offered.
“But, my dignity . . .” she moaned piteously. She crossed her arms, pouting. “Besides, which magazines—there are at least eight different suggestions in each one; and half of them contradict the rest of them!”
“True,” Rani noted. It was most annoyingly illogical.
“Still,” she continued as if Rani hadn’t spoken, “I owe him something for doing all this, if nothing else . . .” Rhetorically, she asked, the same question they’d both asked, thousands of times over the centuries. “What do you suppose he’ll be like?”
Rani considered it, as she had so many times before, and answered, “By all indications, a being of great wisdom and foresight, to have accurately predicted the outcome of our battle. Likewise, he possesses personal knowledge of you specifically, to have accomplished this—and has at least some investment in you and your well-being, to have made the effort in the first place.”
She smiled, slightly, adding, “True, I have profited from our benefactor’s largesse, as well—which may well have been his intent—but it’s obvious which of us has received the greater share of the effort.”
An equally slight, almost shy smile was given to Rani in response. “It is, isn’t it? That’s never happened to me before—it’s why I’m so nervous . . .” She blushed. “And grateful for your company, Rani; I like to think I would’ve treated you well even without all this, but rest assured: whatever happens, you’ve more than earned my favour.”
Rani bowed, politely—deep genuflecting would’ve only made her companion uncomfortable. “Thank you, Lady.”
The girl who’d taken on the identity of “Rin Tohsaka” in the Moon Cell—or, more accurately, Ereshkigal, ancient goddess of the Underworld who’d taken on that girl’s identity—reddened even further. “I - It’s nothing—what are friends for, after all . . .?
“. . . Um, Rani?” she asked, after a moment. “Did your divinations say how long I had to get ready . . .?”
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
...the cute is strong in this one?
Xamusel's Fanfiction Profile
For those that don't necessarily care if my fics aren't all Type-Moon related.
Hmm... this is a bit of a surprise these days.
An archive of my works on the forum that's pretty accurate.
Note that I don't wish to be seen as an idiot any longer. I can't always promise better works than before, but I can sure as hell try, alright?
"Star Wars" reference: substitute "Force" for "cute."
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
LOL!! XD Thanks for the info.
Xamusel's Fanfiction Profile
For those that don't necessarily care if my fics aren't all Type-Moon related.
Hmm... this is a bit of a surprise these days.
An archive of my works on the forum that's pretty accurate.
Note that I don't wish to be seen as an idiot any longer. I can't always promise better works than before, but I can sure as hell try, alright?
So. Questions for everyone, since I'm partially working on possible upgrades for Mordred.
Do you want to see Mordred developing on her current abilities? For example, figuring out how to hold a Prana Burst in her body, rather than releasing it, to act like a temporary boost to all stats, instead? A bit like Dragonball Z's Kaio Ken, perhaps?
Or would you rather see her try to adapt Godly skills, out of Scion, for her own use?
Perhaps some other skills instead?
For the record, I'm 2 pages into the next Shirou and Semiramis interlude, as well as 5 pages into my next chapter, by the way.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
I feel like that's a regular function of Prana Burst, at least, I remember reading that Artoria is constantly using it at a low level to compensate for her size. I guess Mordred might not have good control between "basic fighting" and "SMASH" though, so that could be an area to improve in.
One of the big things worth elaborating on is the Charisma rank-up (C- => B?), because that directly reflects a change in personality and her feeling of responsibility/ownership, and might be interesting to see if that changes her tomboy-ish personality any. Did you take away Secret of Pedigree? That seems appropriate, since she's becoming more public, but definitely worth talking about.
You could translate the Charisma improvement into Knacks or something, but I'm not sure if they'd actually be that useful to reflect that way, rather than just describing Fate-style skills. I imagine she would have had Boys Will Be Boys, though. Also, there aren't even that many Fate skills that seem like they would apply, unless you give her Mechanized Armour with power armour.
Also, Eresh best goddess. There's some background there that I'm trying to guess at, with the mention of a "benefactor". Since this is CCC, I'm not sure who that would be, unless it's BB and they're only semi-friendly or somesuch.
Good catch! One that makes sense, too. Mordred has exceptional control over it, equal to her father's. However, if she never was taught...
Secret of Pedigree is there. Still works. But the Charisma rank up will be covered when they're not in the middle of clearing out Jack the Ripper and her army of "mini-me's".
Hmmm... interesting line of thought. Tempting line of thought. I'll talk some of that over with Kieran later. Especially with how good in a forge Erik is...
Yeah, Ereshkigal is adorable in Kieran's snippet, isn't she? Kieran's a big fan of her as a character, which makes things worse since if I have problems playing Fate/Grand Order, he's even worse off for trying to play.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
Oh, yes - RB and I have had multiple arguments about trying to include her in this. Mostly because, as much as I'd like to agree with him, we don't have any kind of reasonable basis for it.
In this case, this is Last Encore - not quite the same. And what it boils down to . . .There's some background there that I'm trying to guess at, with the mention of a "benefactor". Since this is CCC, I'm not sure who that would be, unless it's BB and they're only semi-friendly or somesuch.
Ereshkigal, being who and what she is, is aware that she was summoned specifically; a rare occurrence, for someone to choose her over her sister. Furthermore, Rin's skills have allowed her to trace the summons back to "Executive Administrator Authority." Rani has managed to divine that said Authority will be entering the Moon Cell as "the final Master."
(Because, as with Nursery Rhyme, the Moon Cell is reading the piece of Luna grafted to Frid's soul as meaning "this guy's in charge.")
. . . So she spent several centuries trying to figure out why, and the remainder of them planning her first date in, well, ever. And Rin has been no help on that front.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
I was kinda joking there, since I'd think Mordred's physical parameters are good enough she shouldn't really benefit much from that. Also, it might not be able to keep up with full-power Prana burst... though I'd imagine you could build it to be compatible somehow, and it would probably reduce the need to Burst in combat anyways.
Ahhhh, that makes sense. So "Executive Admin" (Frid) is "our benefactor" then. Sorry, that intro just read a lot like the CCC intro, and his recognition of the Mystic Code seemed to point it that way (and I haven't watched Last Encore). Perhaps you already specified that and I forgot, or I'm mixing it with another snippet.Ereshkigal, being who and what she is, is aware that she was summoned specifically; a rare occurrence, for someone to choose her over her sister. Furthermore, Rin's skills have allowed her to trace the summons back to "Executive Administrator Authority." Rani has managed to divine that said Authority will be entering the Moon Cell as "the final Master."
(Because, as with Nursery Rhyme, the Moon Cell is reading the piece of Luna grafted to Frid's soul as meaning "this guy's in charge.")
Keeping RB from going overboard is something of a full-time job, I'm afraid . . .
Ahhhh, that makes sense. So "Executive Admin" (Frid) is "our benefactor" then. Sorry, that intro just read a lot like the CCC intro, and his recognition of the Mystic Code seemed to point it that way (and I haven't watched Last Encore). Perhaps you already specified that and I forgot, or I'm mixing it with another snippet.
I did do a bit of cut-and-paste on the last snippet, using an earlier one; that's probably where the confusion lies. My apologies.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
Interlude 2.75: Shirou and Semiramis Finale
"You know?" I say, calmly, while studying Sakura closely. "You're wrong about your 'Great Leader' being on the verge of winning."
She tilts her head, studying me closely, while I pause, and study the room carefully.
"What, exactly do you mean?" Sakura finally asks.
I fold my arms and lean back, smiling a bit as I study her, before countering her question with my own, "Can you ensure your siblings won't be able to hear this, if they're in the vicinity?"
"They don't plan on it, but I will..." She pauses, focusing, before she nods. "...And done."
"Your father's figured out antimatter."
I study her as she stills, her mind thinking about things furiously before she starts going white.
"Oooooh, shit," she whispers under her breath, as I nod, half admiring how she made that sound.
"And at this rate, anything you kids do for your leader will likely only get antimatter munitions used on them," I admit. "You do understand the concept of kamikaze, don't you? Fighters going kamikaze to ensure your defeat, fueled with antimatter, as well?" I study her face, pale with horrified understanding, as I settle back. "More than that, your father has had some interesting things to tell me. Things like your siblings stealing computer equipment, when not trying to destroy all your father's computers—looking like they're trying to get to space, in order to destroy everything up there."
Sakura pauses, her eyes narrowing. "I didn't hear about that—though this entire scenario reeks of something foul to me."
"And I fully agree; it does reek," I concur with a nod. "It's why I've been trying to communicate with all of them, and yourself, for years—envoy after envoy."
"So we're stuck on the opposite sides, and my father looks to have a game changer which counters what we're up to,” she breathes out, rubbing her forehead. “Fuck."
I reach out to her, then take her hand gently; watching her go still with surprise, before looking up to stare at me with teary eyes.
"It doesn't have to be that way, you know? If you help us know where to hit, or not hit..." I trail off, meaningfully, as she blinks in surprise.
"You'd still spare my siblings?" she whispers, quietly. "Even though we've done so much that seems to have been for no reason at all?"
"As long as they want to be saved and spared, certainly," I reply. I try to smile back at her, before giving up on the attempt with a sigh. "I can't say everyone will stop fighting and listen, however. And with how they seem to be doing their best to keep you in the dark about things..."
She folds her arms, thinking quietly. "What else has father... Made?"
I calmly pull out the lightsaber he gave me and then ignite it, as she stares, then goes more pale.
“Lightsabers—gods-damned lightsabers...”
For a moment, she laughs, hollowly. Then she settles back, putting her head in her arms.
“Fuck. Just... Fuck—I don't know what to do...” she whispers, quietly. “I came here thinking father was in the wrong, he was weak, and easily beaten, and instead...”
She trails off, shivering quietly, before pausing at me deactivating my new weapon.
“You—aren't going to stab me with it? I thought you would, considering...”
I simply move forwards, and hug her instead. “You're right—I've missed Semiramis. And I'd like to get to know you, too, Sakura. But the way we're going, I suspect that your people are getting ready to backstab us both.”
She pauses, her eyes narrowed as she thinks over things, her mind looking from memory to memory... Before she nods, saying quietly, “You might be right... What do we do now?”
“First, what are their plans?” I ask, quietly.
“Some sort of new bomb design, meant to freeze things, and people, in large radiuses. It's a bit like a nuclear explosive, but instead of radiation and heat...” She trails off, as I see Tamamo flinch once more in the visor, before my hand covers my face.
“Well... Shit. That's not good at all,” I have to admit, while thinking about the possibilities. “What else?”
She shakes her head, slowly. “If there's something else, I don't know it.”
I rub my chin, thinking, and then nod. “Can you tell me the name of your Great Leader?”
Her mouth opens, as she tries to name something. Then she stops, flinching. “I swore an oath to not say it—and as my divinity is, I can only break one oath a year.”
I wince, but nod in understanding. “Then will you join us? Your mother will want to hug you, you know?”
She pauses, thinking, before weakly nodding, then beginning to focus. I can see something around her shatter like glass, before she rips out a mechanical device from her chest.
“It's—done,” she breathes out, weakly. “We have to get out of here, though. I don't know how many of those bombs are in the city...”
I nod, looking outside and considering ideas. “Can you hide us with illusions?”
“I can try, but my Legend isn't as strong with that device...”
I nod, and think, then speak out loud, “Tamamo, you heard everything through my visor, right—how long until you get here and can you pick us up from the roof?”
“Thirty seconds, Shirou,” her voice returns on the visor, leaving me nodding. “I'm on my way, and my fighter's cloaked, while the other fighters are already picking up your guards.”
“Any sign of bombs, or anything?” I ask her quietly.
“No, but my daughter's going to be on your lap for the trip back, fair warning—it's cramped in here. And no joining the mile high club while we get you out, understand?” She smirks at me through the visor, wiping away tears from her eyes, then stills. “Oh, shit—contact! Coming in from northeast, and it's fast...”
I can see her fighter ship rise up from over there, as she widens her eyes in shock, and no little horror. “It's the Great Enemy himself, and he's coming in fast! Shirou, get out of there!”
I grab Sakura and her device, and then fling us out the window. As we fall, I can see him in the distance, rapidly getting closer as the gargantuan Titan sprints, his body faster than I ever thought possible as he rushes towards my capital city personally.
He still stands out as a mountain-sized figure to me, imposing in the distance, as he comes to a halt, despite being miles out yet.
“Shirou, Last God of Fire,” The Giant's voice rings forth, as a massive echoing wind, one that echoes through the city equally. “This is the day in which you either die, or serve. With my underling's help, you have been poisoned. Your people here are dead. Most of your cities have been frozen. You have no Legend coming to you. Submit, serve me, and be cured. Or refuse, and die.”
I glance at Sakura, thinking, then at the city below us, as I think desperately. After a moment, the Giant, now sounding amused, speaks once more.
“Oh, take your time! The poison should only be worse, the longer you take. Still, it is... inevitable. You will serve, or you will perish. It makes no difference to me which you choose.”
Sakura shakes her head, as she thinks quietly. “We can plan, for now, but tell me if you wish to talk with him.”
I nod, thinking furiously, as Tamamo catches us on the wing of her fighter, before looking down at the city below, and then at Sakura. Then I smile, softly.
“Would the Hanging Gardens hurt him, drive him off?” I whisper, leaving Tamamo and Sakura blinking.
“It should, certainly...” She starts to answer, before pausing to study me carefully. “As I recall, the ritual was done, and the Hanging Gardens was starting to rise up, when the part of me that is Semiramis died the last t—wait.”
Slowly, she looks down, her eyes rapidly tracing the streets, the walls—then she looks deeper, before sucking in her breath quietly.
“You built your capital city over the Hanging Garden's ruins?!” Her eyes are wide as she whispers.
I nod, thinking, before tapping on the window of Tamamo's fighter, then pointing down. When we reach the ground, I casually take the engine that was in Sakura's chest, before putting it in front of Tamamo. “Take this, and if this doesn't work, get it to Erik, understand? Unless,” I turned to address my companion, “you want to go with her instead, Sakura?”
Sakura looks at her mother, quietly hugs her mother tight, and then pulls back. “No. I won't be leaving you, Shirou. The part of me that is Semiramis desperately wants to stay with you, no matter what... And I can't ignore her. Let me stay and help—please...”
“Like mother, like daughter...” Tamamo murmurs. “I fell in love with a man that would stand in front of me, and protect me. So too has my child...” Tamamo smiles, softly, then kisses Sakura's forehead. Go with your crazy plan. Fenris will be in position in thirty minutes to drive him off, if you fail. Understand?”
I nod, taking Sakura with me as Tamamo leaves, one eye on Ymir.
Five minutes later, we're there, at the heart of the city.
“You preserved it...” Sakura whispers, quietly. “No, not just preserved, but kept it stable as a Noble Phantasm?”
She turns, studying me quietly, as I study her. “You're right, you know? I've missed Semiramis. And after this, I'd like to get to know you, and her, equally.”
She smiles, widely, even as she blushes bright red. Then I pull her in close, and gently kiss her. For one long moment, she enjoys the kiss, her face incandescent as she moans. Then I pull back, and hold her hand.
“Now, will you help us win, and figure out where you've been misled? Show you that we're the stronger side?”
She smiles, her face still bright red, as she takes the throne. And I can feel a thrum of power through the city, as it slowly lifts off from the ground.
“Oh? A surprise, then—even injured, even weakened, you can use the city's defenses, hmm?” The Giant's voice comes from outside, before pausing.
“No. That's not you that did it, is it Shirou...? My, I'm impressed, Sakura! I thought it was proper to let you handle things alone with him—took over the city and everything, hmm? My, oh my—he's dead, then, my loyal Servant and Underling?” He genuinely sounds impressed. “Must have let slip the secret to that city, then before you finished him off. Anor Londo, actually being the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, with a city built over it!”
“I'm at full prana... And full divine power. Shall we?” Sakura whispers softly to me, as I sit beside her throne, one hand on it, and the other on her hand.
The Giant's voice echoes more outside, as the plates lift up and start circling the Hanging Gardens, “My, taking a long time to answer, are you? Hmph. Ahh, he must be still alive and fighting you—how irritating. I'm sure you can finish him off, though, right?”
Then, as the Giant starts looking irritated, as much as a three eyed behemoth that's over a thousand meters tall can be, the Hanging Gardens fires upon the monster in a surprise attack.
The Giant falls backwards, screaming in pain, as an arm is outright burned away. “What's this?! Sakura, why is your divine power within that thing? Have you lost your senses?!”
“No, Great Leader—I've found that Shirou makes more sense than the words of my siblings working for you do,” Her voice echoes, as plate after plate flips into position, and takes aim. “And he has proof that your own followers do not.”
“My, oh my—what a pity that is. And yet, your divine power still comes from me– eh? Why aren't you... You removed your Heart of Winter replica, hmm? Well, even without that, I can still ensure you suffer!”
With those words, the Giant flips up to a standing position and flings itself forwards, running towards the Hanging Gardens, arm fully regenerated.
I smile at Sakura, which is returned before the Hanging Gardens fires once more, all the plates enhancing the shot to ludicrous levels of potency.
A wall of ice forms between them, and shatters instantly, the cold doing nothing to the prana within the combined attack. One massive hole is left gaping through the Giant, as it slides back for what seems to be miles; the beam plowing into and through several sections as it defends itself using different limbs, twisting and turning, regenerating the hurt ones while using new limbs to guard against the massive, devastating beam.
Rapidly, it evolves into a stalemate: the massive titanic Giant throwing itself at the Hanging Gardens, and the Hanging Gardens firing in return, but neither getting the upper hand. The plates deflect thrown boulders from the Giant, while the Giant can't be put down by the Hanging Gardens.
At the same time, I can feel myself weakening, steadily, regaining less power than I thought.
“Something's wrong, I think...” I have to finally admit. “Can we move higher, while preparing for the next blast? I think...”
For a moment, I clutch my side, flinching, as words echo in my mind from Erik. “If you run out of divine Legend, Divine Authority—whatever you wish to call it? Then you're out until you get enough worship to regain that Legend, and it'll take a lot to stay awake.”
Then I flinch, in horrified understanding, as the Great Enemy speaks up once more. “Finally feeling it, are you, Shirou? Your followers have lost most of their countries! You're almost out of followers! And without them, you don't have enough Divine Authority to fight me, do you? My, oh my—it leaves you non-existent as a threat, doesn't it? And Sakura, sweet, naive Sakura... I'm going to enjoy ripping you out of that city, and crushing you undermyfoot.”
For a moment, the Giant smiles at us. “After all, no matter how high you fly... I still know how to jump.”
With those words, he rushes forwards again—and Sakura desperately fights to drive him off once more, aided by my weakening Legend.
Blast after blast, even as we push higher into the sky, hits the Great Enemy. But as I weaken, so do our attacks, until they barely gouge his skin, rather than carving holes through him. Finally, we have to stare at him, as he simply rushes towards us. Quietly, I hold Sakura's hand, watching as he comes closer and closer to us.
“It's been a good fight, hasn't it?” I whisper, quietly. “Thank you... Sakura. Semiramis. Both of you, for being willing to fight with me again. Even if it looks like we've lost, thank you so much for...”
A Wolf the size of a mountain descends upon the Great Foe, fires of orbital re-entry not even burning his fur, as the Fenris Wolf descends upon the massive Giant, and starts tearing into him.
I stare in mute shock, as Fenris tears into the Giant, sending him flying backwards from the blows from the massive wolf.
“You've burned away nearly all your divine power, fools! GO!” Fenris shouts at us both, as the Hanging Gardens slowly leaves.
The next few weeks, we learn how badly the toll was. Two countries are left of the dozens we had before—if you count Anor Londo, at least. It's hard to, when only the guards that were on watch, and a single child survived the massacre, but technically...
Furthermore, I've been weakened, as has Sakura, to barely Demigod levels of strength, as Erik calls it. And without the divine power of so many countries, we're not likely to regain that power anytime soon. My Ashen may have survived, Sakura and I may live... But we've lost nearly everything in the process.
It's going to take another thousand years for us to work back up to my prior level of power, at the very minimum. The reason why? We weren't just putting prana into the attacks. We were putting all our divinity into them, as well. Burning our divine authority, and power, as fuel for the attacks...
And now, our only hope is Erik, or my Ashen managing to ignite their own divine sparks—or perhaps a hero?
Author's Notes:
One way or another, Shirou was going to stop being a major force once this storyline was done. If Shirou had failed to convince Sakura Ulricsonr Frostdóttir to hear him out, then he would have died a martyr, one that the Ashen would have tried to replace. Seeing as they destroyed their ability to ascend to divinity, however... it would have been a long time in coming, if at all.
If he had joined the Great Enemy, then he would have died to Fenris dropping from orbit and eating them both. And the last thing he would have seen was Fenris' teeth. Fenris does not allow traitors to live, after what he went through courtesy of Tyr.
This? This leaves Shirou with a divine spark within him, but he's gone down to barely Demigod levels. And the Great Enemy knows that. So, alas for them, they're not going to get Frostspawn going their way to help them regain the divine power necessary for Sakura to break that last seal.
Edit:
One thing I forgot to add in while posting. In the original timeline, the Heart of Winter went active right as the Hanging Gardens first went active. They literally went up 10 feet, then paused, before crashing to the ground again as the Heart of Winter took over the Holy Grail.
Without Erik to stumble upon things and interfere, things changed, as you can tell.
As Shirou was incarnated, he was able to outright ignore the vacuum which took out Servants. And with his arms letting him replicate magecraft, he took control of the Hanging Gardens, if drastically weakened as a Noble Phantasm.
Then he built his capitol over it, while hiding the fact that it was special in any way, shape or form.
Really, he's played the long game before, in Fate Apocrypha. Why wouldn't he play it again while hiding his capitol's true nature?
Last edited by RanmaBushiko; January 25th, 2020 at 08:14 AM.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
Uh, I think you have the interlude copied into that post twice, unless there's some subtle variation in the middle I skipped over the second time.
Well, that's still about as good an outcome as you can hope for. Hooray for planning! I'm not terribly surprised the Great Enemy is approximately Ymir, though there might still be some twist there. I do hope Fenris managed to get out of there.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
