Matou Shinji and the Price of Victory (HP/FSN CYOA)

[Malorius]

[jk] "I reject this reality and substitute it with my own! Reality Marble: Puella Magi Rin Magica!"

This is getting nowhere, so I'll start it, I guess.

[x] Use Wand (Earth affinity) and gems to overpower the Gravity manipulation. Without wasting time getting up, use the moment of surprise to throw everything she has at those fakes. Rin Tohsaka will never again be at the mercy of monsters, even if it costs her life!

I have proclaimed my intention to make a suicide run, now I'm going for it. OoC, its a reasonable development, somewhat. She gets over her fear of monsters by accepting that even if she can't win, she won't lose if she chooses to do so. It might develop her resignation to oppose Shinji, of course, but whatever. Tohsaka's delusions and Shinji's idiocy in tandem have long since crossed my limit of patience on this issue.

Also, explosions are plain cathartic, you should always go for explosions if you have any choice.

[Skull Leader]

[X] Fight Monster Rin, countering the gravity on her. Reinforce herself and start throwing earth attacks with her wand. Get Monster Rin/Matou distracted by this fight and then ALPHA strike Shinji with every last gem she has.

So the idea here is that she focuses on M. Rin, while Matou is going to do the Evil Dark Lord thing of sitting back watching the entertainment. Once both of Rin's enemies are distracted, Rin will attack Matou when his guard is down. Maybe it will work, maybe it will not. Either way she goes down fighting.

I am surprised, I came into this disliking Malorius's write in and then wrote something that basically a more detailed version of his. After thinking about it, if she is going to fight she is going to throw everything at them to prove she is not a monster.

And when she does win she would have proven just how monsterous she has become...

[EmperorBR]

[X] Fight Monster Rin, countering the gravity on her. Reinforce herself and start throwing earth attacks with her wand. Get Monster Rin/Matou distracted by this fight and then ALPHA strike Shinji with every last gem she has, making sure to survive the blast by reinforcing to brace for impact if needed be.
Good old alpha strike makes a comeback. Even if it doesn't work, it's a quite good plan, and a good attempt at facing her fears.

[Dracueri]

[x]Fight Monster Rin, countering the gravity on her. Reinforce herself and start throwing earth attacks with her wand. Get Monster Rin/Matou distracted by this fight and then ALPHA strike Shinji with every last gem she has, making sure to survive the blast by reinforcing to brace for impact if needed be.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 143: [x]Fight Monster Rin, countering the gravity on her. Reinforce herself and start throwing earth attacks with her wand. Get Monster Rin/Matou distracted by this fight and then ALPHA strike Shinji with every last gem she has, making sure to survive the blast by reinforcing to brace for impact if needed be.

---

Choice 144: As the monster she had become - would become - advanced on her, Tohsaka Rin struggled feebly in the high gravity field, grunting and groaning as she tried to lift her body, to use the spells passed on through generations in her family to fight back against the terrible being before her. She had to fight. She had to, because the alternative was death, death at the hands - or fangs - of her dangerously erotic - or was it erotically dangerous - older self.

And yet...

She couldn't. She didn't have the prana to fight a Dead Apostle head to head. How could she oppose a version of herself who was more complete, who had served under Matou for years and had benefited from his forbidden lore - who had certainly gained the Mystic Eyes of Enchantment that great monsters did? It was hopeless. Futile. Useless.

Yes. For Tohsaka Rin to oppose something like that was utterly meaningless if all she could call upon was the prana within her and the spells she knew well.

...but maybe not if she used her gems.

Feeling the hardness of them pressing against her skin, Tohsaka Rin decided to gamble everything on a desperate plan, one that had come to her in the long seconds that her double was taking to come towards her.

With a wordless cry, the girl caused one of the gems to burst open, flooding her environs with power and cancelling out the increased gravity around her, freeing her to move. Acting by instinct, not thought, the girl snatched up her wand and chanted, as the ground around her and her twisted self changed. Knowing it was coming, she was able to jump back, but the other wasn't, and so was forced to break off the assault to block the jagged shards of stone which erupted from all around her.

For good measure, she melded earth with fire, as the stone around her doppelganger grew molten, with the other screaming as flesh burned.

As for the Matou...he did nothing, content to simply watch as her other self burst from the molten stone with flesh burned down to the bone - only to be swarmed by a dozen bird-shaped familiars, each of which exploded on impact, creating a haze of smoke and mist.

And taking advantage of the visual obstruction, Rin struck at the true enemy, tossing every last jewel she had at the monstrous one that had twisted her other self into the abomination she fought now, with all of them detonating together in a titanic blast capable of taking out a fortress, a blast that Tohsaka herself only survived by throwing everything she had into reinforcement.

For a long, lingering moment, there was silence, with Tohsaka daring to hope that perhaps she'd done it. That perhaps she had fought and won against the great monster, that--

"Gu....h..."

"Silly, silly human," Matou Shinji intoned, as his reptilian visage stared down at her, his claws slicing through her skin with slow, painful intensity. "Did you forget my words, that you would not surprise me again? Did you actually think that a thing of dirt like you ever stood a chance against me?"

Rin found it impossible to breathe from the rage radiating forth radiate from the monster on top of her, slowly suffocating her.

"You are less than a worm crawling on the ground, less than a mere insect." His voice was quiet now, as a terrible, cruel smirk made its way onto its lips. "What did I say before, hm? That it would be so easy to tear into your mortal flesh and devour your still beating heart?"

Tohsaka's eyes widened in terror as the claws sunk deeper, until they rasped against the bone of her ribs.

"Well, since you do not know your place, perhaps a demonstration is in order...."

'No...' she begged, she tried to say, only her lips, like the rest of her body, betrayed her. She could not move, could not even tighten a single muscle, as she lay there, something warm and rank pooling between her legs. 'No...'

"Oh, but look on the bright side," the beast of terror whispered almost sweetly. "This way, part of you will join with some of me. Just like you wanted."

'No...no...I'

There was a terrible crack as every single one of her nerves erupted in fire, her vision whiting out for a long, long moment before she could see once more - see the ruin her body had become, sliced open, defiled, all hint of beauty ripped away by a monster's errant desire.

There was something else, a moment of sharpness, and the beast lifted something from her chest to his lips, something bloody and beating, something...something...

"M--"

Tohsaka Rin had only a moment to realize what she was seeing, before the darkness claimed her at last.

---

With something like a chime, the scenario completed itself, with Tohsaka Rin's form emerging from the simulation and crashing to the ground unceremoniously. That wasn't...unexpected after something like a Kobayashi Maru or when one had to face the brunt of one's nightmares, given that while there was no physical harm done to the person, the psychic shocks often took some time to wear off.

As Matou Shinji and Mudbutton conferred with each other about how Tohsaka had done, with the first somewhat disturbed that she thought him capable of that sort of cruelty, and the second more surprised that the girl's greatest fear had involved her commander.

"Certainly, she is a powerful spellcaster, and capable of sound tactical thinking, but she is clearly...troubled," the goblin observed. "Especially if she believes you to be an invincible demon."

"...invincible is something I know I'm not," Shinji replied, shaking his head. "I...there are things out there that are far beyond me. Far beyond anyone I know of. Beyond any demon...or any dragon for that matter." He swallowed, as his thoughts drifted to...to darkness and flame. He remembered the whispers of the Filth. The sheer power of the Elder Gods. The... Even now, his mind refused to fully grasp the form of the First Jinn. "Compared to them, even a wyrm is but an insect. But that doesn't mean that what I do is meaningless." He chuckled mirthlessly. "What I do alone, perhaps. But what I do for the sake of...in the cause of the one who is sworn to protect the world from devastation, as part of her grand design, that has meaning. Even my death had meaning."

"Your...death?" Mudbutton repeated dubiously, noting that the boy before him was very much alive. Or at least imitated it well.

"Yeah, my death," the boy confirmed, looking upon the still, unmoving body of Tohsaka Rin. "I died on the Isle of Thule, you know, fighting something as even further beyond me than that nightmarish version of me was beyond Tohsaka."

"Then how are you standing before me now?" The goblin inquired, tilting his head. "Or rather - who is standing before me now?"

Oddly, the boy didn't answer immediately.

"I ask myself that every morning, when I look in the mirror," he said after a while, his voice unexpectedly soft. "Some days I'm more sure of my answer. Others I'm less certain, especially in the wake of meeting..." Death. He shook his head. "It's a strange thing, having what you believe to be true - having everything you know about yourself ripped out from under you, having to figure out who - and what - you are, and what you want to become."

"And what progress have you made?"

"Not as much as I'd like," he admitted. "That's partially why I joined Albion, really. I needed...structure, instead of being left to my own devices. And well, Lockhart...the First Citizen offered it to me." He laughed, the sound low and quiet. "I don't know how much he knows about my condition. But I'd wager a lot that it's more than I think he does. He was always good at...knowing things."

"I imagine he wasn't completely unaware if he assigned Emilia to work under you," Mudbutton noted.

"...the thought has crossed my mind. More than once," Shinji acknowledged. "I...either way, it's a fair sight more than I knew about someone I grew up with. Does that say good things about him or...who am I kidding, it says bad things about me. Really...Tohsaka's greatest fear was that she'd become a monster by following in my footsteps? That I'd turn her into some kind of Dead Apostle-succubus thing, serving my whims?" The boy sighed. "I don't like to think I'm capable of that kind of thing. Even if I was, why would I not give her a tail or something?"

"A...tail?" Mudbutton repeated, skeptically.

"Never mind. Something from human stories," the boy waved off. "I'm just...we're going to need to talk, when she wakes up."

"I think that would be wise, yes," the goblin agreed. "Shall one of my soldiers fill in for her duties until she does?"

"...if it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"Assuming it is in the short term, no."

Alas, even after a week, Rin is not fit to return to duty. Oh, she technically awakens from unconsciousness, but she is mute and unresponsive, her expression glazed over as she seems to see and hear nothing. In a word, she is catatonic, which Mudbutton says may have been the result of her mind being pushed beyond what it could bear during her confrontation with her fears.

There is no way to know if she will recover, so arrangements must be made. Miss Granger, after all, has inquired about Lumi Edelfelt's absence, as have the children. 'Nines' has mentioned that she is unwell, but that sort of deflection can only last for so long.

[ ] Ask Mudbutton if the goblin detached for Shinji's service can be reassigned to his squad
[ ]Arrange for Emilia to take "Lumi's" place - with what has happened, the plan needs to be changed
[ ] Write to Lockhart - see if he can obtain the services of an Edelfelt to take Lumi's place
[ ] Maybe Luna is back from Japan? She'd surely be able to fill in using Fusion.
[ ] (write-in)

[Daiki]

[X] Write a letter to Lockhart. Request a conference with him or his representative, Mudbutton and Emilia to propose a solution to the Rin issue that is agreeable to both the overall defense of WADA and his Squad's mission without breaking cover.

Fine, let's just get over this whole issue.

[Dracueri]

[x]Write a letter to Lockhart. Request a conference with him or his representative, Mudbutton and Emilia to propose a solution to the Rin issue that is agreeable to both the overall defense of WADA and his Squad's mission without breaking cover.

[Malorius]

[x] Write-in: Ask Mudbutton to assign a couple of ALF goblins as a highly visible distraction to his squad for this mission as a temporary solution

"The hit to the reputation" seems like an overstatement to me. Nor do I consider such possibility a big problem, since keeping the highest regard of our command is not the priority here.

Sure, we can embrace Magus detachment/Dragon disgust and just go for the easiest solution of replacing Rin with a superior blonde version (which will most probably remain a permanent assignment, all things considered). Or we can try to make do. It's easy to say that we did a lot for Rin when it barely inconvenienced us. Let's see how far we are willing to go for her now that she has, as Alf put it, "hit rock bottom".

[EmperorBR]

[x] Write to Lockhart - see if he can obtain the services of an Edelfelt to take Lumi's place

Chances of Rin waking up before the end of the mission are pretty slim. Requesting a Edelfelt is the best option to mantain our planned course of action for the rest of the mission.

If possible, i would suggest shipping Rin to st mungos or another medical facility where she can both be treated and kept out of details of the mission until it is complete if she wakes up before that. Mission comes first. We sort things out after.

[Skull Leader]

[X] Write a letter to Lockhart. Request a conference with him or his representative, Mudbutton and Emilia to propose a solution to the Rin issue that is agreeable to both the overall defense of WADA and his Squad's mission without breaking cover.

Best not to suggest a solution but to inform command of what happen and then work with them to have a solution that allows for the Mission to be completed without exposing Emilia, or being a overly burden to the defense of WADA and the surrounding area if an large scale attack where to happen.

Every goblin pulled is one less acting for the PRIME ROLE of Avalon. Protecting its people. This mission is not worth jeopardizing that. Thus we need to talk with High Command and find out what a reasonable solution will be for them.

Part of being a leader is knowing when to know something has reached beyond your paygrade.

[EmperorBR]

[X] Write a letter to Lockhart. Request a conference with him or his representative, Mudbutton and Emilia to propose a solution to the Rin issue that is agreeable to both the overall defense of WADA and his Squad's mission without breaking cover.


Changed my vote

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 144: [X] Write a letter to Lockhart. Request a conference with him or his representative, Mudbutton and Emilia to propose a solution to the Rin issue that is agreeable to both the overall defense of WADA and his Squad's mission without breaking cover.

---

Choice 145: Thinking that he needs to at least inform his superiors about the current situation (officially, since he was sure they already knew unofficially), Shinji sends a missive off to the capital, addressing it to Lockhart - as he didn't think Tomas would be particularly useful in this scenario. Surprisingly, a reply to his letter comes the very next day, with the First Citizen's secretary informing him that they can indeed accommodate his request, as Lockhart will be visiting the school for other reasons in several days.

Said other reasons included a discussion of WADA's future in Albion (given that Hogwarts, which had been the traditional educational institution of Britain, was in Ministry-controlled territory), possible relocation or expansion plans, and whether they had the space for a number of new students (a number which seemed vaguely familiar...in fact, he thought those were the number of students that had gone from Hogwarts to Durmstrang for the Triwizard Tournament), among other announcements.

A copy of this missive had of course been provided to Mudbutton, of course, as the Spectre was the head of the security detail at WADA - and the goblin had visibly paled on receiving it. For that, Shinji did not blame him - he could easily see how this situation could be a bit of a security nightmare, or at the very least, a headache.

More of one than his own mission was turning out to be, what with one member of his team in a catatonic stupor, himself being run ragged on overwatch, and generally not having much time to chat with the mission target.

Thus, it was almost a mercy when Mudbutton co-oped him for security, asking what assignment he'd like.

[ ] Joining the perimeter guard
[ ] Providing overwatch and maintaining control over local airspace, with information relayed to goblin security forces
[ ] VIP Protection detail - Escorting the First Citizen's party when he disembarks from his motorcade
[ ] VIP Protection detail - WADA representatives
[ ] (write-in)

[Skull Leader]

Perimeter Guard: Sounds like low level grunt work (no offense goblins) that you give any enlisted person. On other hand running this might force Shinji to actually be in charge of someone.

Overwatch: Coordinating information and providing the surveillance 'camera' duty in a command center sound fun and something that Shinji would need to learn to be an officer (such as how to move/coordinate troops. On the other hand if/when shit hits the fan, does anyone see our (dragon)boy Shinji staying at his post here and not rushing off to fight in the trenches? Abandoning this post might be worse thing we can do at that point. Plus I am not sure Shinji really is great at maintaining control over airspace but if he is just in charge of that force it should be ok. Maybe?

VIP - First Citizen Party: The place where any outsider expects the VIP protection to be and not a bad fit for Shinji. However given Nines is station at WADA, it feels odd for me to pick this. This is the kind of job that High Command would bring in their own people for. The forces station at the facility would be in charge of all the rest of security, but keep their own men for this task. Still young country. No one is experienced or formed yet.

VIP - WADA: The role that Nines is suppose to be doing. Unofficially of course. It might expose Nines a bit to Hermione. But is it that big of a stretch to think the Merc assigned to protect the children of WADA would be tasked to make sure the staff and its important students were not harmed? I think this is a reasonable pick even if it might cause ripples.

I am not sure where I fall with this one so far. I lean towards WADA VIP or Overwatch but I have not ruled out a write in. Heck maybe being coordinator at a command center would itself require a write in if that is not what Overwatch actually is.

[Dracueri]

[X] VIP Protection details-WADA Representatives

Extension of his job so it is fitting to watch over same group. My second choice is Perimeter guard since it looks like something basic that is difficult to screw up.

[Malorius]

[X] VIP Protection details-WADA Representatives

Shinji will be somewhat competent in all of them (except for overwatch, maybe), so the difference lies in the scenes we will be able to witness. I'd like to see more written on the WADA, that's all.

[busterman221]

[X] VIP Protection details-WADA Representatives

[Skull Leader]

People seem to like

[X] VIP Protection detail - WADA representatives

so I guess we will go with that.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 145: [X] VIP Protection details-WADA Representatives

---

With Lockhart, his secretary, the former King of the Goblins, and Miss Granger all in one place (and said place not being Albion's superbly defended HQ, but a school campus rather removed from Diagon Alley), it was perhaps unsurprising that Ministry forces would launch an attack in an attempt to cut off the head of the snake, as it were.


Granted, most of their army was not well-suited for such an operation, meaning that any attack would probably result in a high number of casualties, but...the risk was deemed acceptable in light of the opportunity to crush the insurrection here and now, before they became any stronger - before they sought, and perhaps even obtained, support from treacherous France and the rest of the ICW to create a nation where monsters were the equal of men, where upstanding wizards cowered in fear of their supposed "allies'" whims.


In some ways, it was like the final days of the conflict against Voldemort, with the Ministry on the brink of collapse from the ceaseless machinations of the Dark Lord, only Lockhart's message and methods were far more deadly than the Dark Lord's. After all, where Voldemort made people fear the consequences of opposing him, Lockhart gave people hope that under him, their lives would be better, even as he undermined the very foundations of Wizarding Britain - consigned a realm that had lasted for hundreds of years to anarchy and chaos.

"Gilderoy Lockhart - and those who follow him - are not merely criminals, not merely rebels, but traitors to all mankind," the Minister stated, making a point to meet the eye of each and every soldier in the handpicked group of troops tasked with assaulting WADA. "Each and everyone of them have willfully and willingly chosen to sell out their own kind for fleeting moments of power and fame, betraying eternity for pleasures that will pass in the blink of an eye. Yet for all the power, all the skill they personally hold, the glories they have won, or the lies they spin, the truth is that they are weak of mind and weak of will, weak to the whispers of temptation. They have undone centuries of progress, betrayed civilization itself so they might live as Kings among savages and beasts, not realizing - not caring for the consequences of their acts."

Lucius Malfoy shook his head.

"They have forgotten the essential truth that what we do in life, echoes in eternity. It is the acknowledgement of that truth which allowed men to become more than beasts, which allowed us to build glorious civilizations founded on might and magic, which brings each and every one of you before me today, on the eve of the death of treacherous Albion! On the eve of the archtraitor's death at your hands!"

The soldiers gave the Minister a ragged cheer, and the man smiled ever so slightly.

"Tomorrow the world will remember why Magical Britain was always first among Wizarding Nations, why was our Aurors who led the fight against every Dark Lord this century, why it was one of our own who managed to slay the last madman who sought to destroy civilization as we knew it. We are the nation of Merlin, of Morgan le Fay, of Nimue and a thousand other legends, of Dumbledore, of Newt Scamander, of the Boy-Who-Lived and a thousand other heroes - and I am proud to stand among you who are legends - and heroes - in the making."

Amidst the crowd, spines stiffened, heads held just a bit higher, people stood just a bit prouder.

"Heroes, after all, do not rise in easy times, in times free of threat and want. Heroes rise when times are darkest, when men contend against monsters and triumph, just as you, the greatest warriors of Britain, will triumph over the savages and brutes the archtraitor has won to his side! Tomorrow, the rebellion will fall, and we shall restore the proper order of things - a world in which wizards rule over lesser beings, where goblins and centaurs and all others know that their proper place is on their knees before their betters, where the wizarding nations of earth will remember that it is Britain who is first among equals, and tremble at our might!"

Perhaps the man would have said more, but whatever else he wanted to say was cut off by a sea of thunderous applause.


Choice 146: The attack, when it comes, is swift and brutal, as nearly a hundred Ministry wizards appeared around WADA on the ground and in the air, with broom riders pointing out and launching attack runs on the goblins at the perimeter, keeping them from responding effectively as the ground troops moved in, taking advantage of the chaos to cut down the already outnumbered goblins and push inwards towards the main administration building.

(This was not a good situation for Mudbutton's detachment, given that it was only about 27 in total, with only about 16 being active at any given time. With the current split, 10 were on perimeter duty, and 6 are in the administration building protecting the First Citizen as an honor guard. Shinji, Mudbutton, Lockhart, and Miss Suoirtsulli are currently inside the administration building, meeting with the WADA Board of Governors. The attack comes in the middle of a short recess, so some individuals - such as Miss Granger - are not in the room, having gone to relieve themselves after having had a bit too much to drink.)

Oh, and anti-apparition jinxes are in effect.

What does Shinji do?

[ ] Call upon his draconic might and go on the offense - take the fight to the Ministry's forces
[ ] Remain in the room and use his earth abilities to try and reinforce the building
[ ] Focus on locating Hermione and ensuring her safety
[ ] Send out disillusioned ofuda as mines so any attackers coming in will take heavy damage
[ ] (write-in)

Choice 147: His priority in this mess is...

[ ] Stopping the enemy, whatever it takes
[ ] Protecting those he has been assigned to
[ ] (write-in)

[EmperorBR]

Not much in favor of going dragon on the offensive here. The issue of burning everyone down and potentially harming the ones we're assigned to protect makes it a no go for me.
Remain in the room and try to reinforce the building may be pointless. There's VIP's out of the room that we're assigned to protect.
Locating Hermione may be my pick, if i would change slightly to acomodate other VIP's in her vicinity. But some defensive measures are in order
Ofuda mines is asking to kill oponents, VIP's, students and patrols alike. It's a panic situation.

For now, i will leave open choice 146. Choice 147 is clear to me

[x] Protecting those he has been assigned to

Protection is our role here. The students can be protected by the patrollers. Our priority is the VIP's, mainly Hermione.

[Daiki]

[x] Focus on locating Hermione and ensuring her safety
[x] Protecting those he has been assigned to

That's still the mission, keeping Hermione and the kids safe. The latter helps in convincing Hermione about Albion's intent.

Since the Ministry is sending kids to die, and you're going the extra step to keep the next generation from harm, it should be easier to pick which side looks more appealing.

If we go that route, I expect her to gather and lead the children to safety, with Shinji following and playing bodyguard as they go.