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

[Arbitrarity]

RB, I kinda feel like your line break formatting is bothering me, I'm guessing it's an artifact of whatever you use for editing? It just looks like you have 3 line breaks between each paragraph minimum, and up to 7 between segments, which would be tolerable with large paragraphs, but makes dialogue incredibly awkward looking. It's like you have double-spacing on in Word AND are putting a full line break between things at minimum.

You can put one break if you need the visual space, maybe 2 between sections, which does make things easier to read, but 3 just takes too much vertical real-estate in my mind.

Anyways, chapter! I'm not really surprised Erik didn't finish Jack off, and he's extremely vulnerable now with almost no legend left, unless he cracks the Gem (which would be unwise). Contracting with Mordred was entirely expected, doubly so since Amaterasu is dead, but also means he's going to be slower to mend, again, and he may not have time.

It's unfortunate that they don't expect Laeticia to have the "body backup" thing she does (at least in canon Apocrypha, though I'm unsure how thorough it is, especially against blessed poison), but that's definitely not a common case that anyone who hasn't read Apocrypha or had her explain it would expect, plus she's essentially helpless afterwards anyways. I am a bit surprised, given how much effort was spent protecting her, that Jeanne went out already, and didn't get to use most of her abilities. Notably, her ability to detect Servants (bypassing Presence Concealment) in a large area, and Revelation (literal plot armor), seem like they should have been effective against Jack as early detection, and her ability to use Command Spells should have probably been more impactful.

[RanmaBushiko]

RB, I kinda feel like your line break formatting is bothering me, I'm guessing it's an artifact of whatever you use for editing? It just looks like you have 3 line breaks between each paragraph minimum, and up to 7 between segments, which would be tolerable with large paragraphs, but makes dialogue incredibly awkward looking. It's like you have double-spacing on in Word AND are putting a full line break between things at minimum.

You can put one break if you need the visual space, maybe 2 between sections, which does make things easier to read, but 3 just takes too much vertical real-estate in my mind.

Anyways, chapter! I'm not really surprised Erik didn't finish Jack off, and he's extremely vulnerable now with almost no legend left, unless he cracks the Gem (which would be unwise). Contracting with Mordred was entirely expected, doubly so since Amaterasu is dead, but also means he's going to be slower to mend, again, and he may not have time.

It's unfortunate that they don't expect Laeticia to have the "body backup" thing she does (at least in canon Apocrypha, though I'm unsure how thorough it is, especially against blessed poison), but that's definitely not a common case that anyone who hasn't read Apocrypha or had her explain it would expect, plus she's essentially helpless afterwards anyways. I am a bit surprised, given how much effort was spent protecting her, that Jeanne went out already, and didn't get to use most of her abilities. Notably, her ability to detect Servants (bypassing Presence Concealment) in a large area, and Revelation (literal plot armor), seem like they should have been effective against Jack as early detection, and her ability to use Command Spells should have probably been more impactful.

Yeah, the line break formatting has been an... issue so far. I'll work on it next. As for why, though...

Open office has not been kind to my writing, unfortunately, and the spell check, grammer check is practically non-existent. I'm also moving operating systems before the 14th, so there's that, as well...

As for the chapter, yeah, he's mostly vulnerable right now. He gave a much better showing now that he was using tactics, however.

As for Laeticia, she kinda... didn't hold up well to the poison. As for Jeanne, she very much TRIED.

However, these were wraiths, small fractions of Jack the Ripper, possessing the Dragon's-Tooth Warriors, rather than the real one. And Semiramis made it doubly so. Jeanne was trying, the entire time, to use command spells! Alas... commanding Jack to Stop would only let the Dragon's-Tooth Warriors take back control and continue to fight. Double the issues, so to speak. But with 5 assaulting her at the same time, she was too busy gasping for air and combat, to focus and use the Command Spell. That's the cons of possessing someone, you know?

Doubly so since Jeanne had already gotten hit by that poison once, and knew how bad it would be to get hit a second time.

Laeticia was dosed, and pretty heavily, even with Jeanne protecting her. To quote EMIYA, she WAS a walking corpse already...

Of course, with Jeanne dead, that means that Amakusa Shirou Tokisada/Shirou Kotomine is now able to claim the position of Ruler. I wonder how that will affect things, hmm? *Chuckles*

[Kieran]

It's unfortunate that they don't expect Laeticia to have the "body backup" thing she does (at least in canon Apocrypha, though I'm unsure how thorough it is, especially against blessed poison), but that's definitely not a common case that anyone who hasn't read Apocrypha or had her explain it would expect, plus she's essentially helpless afterwards anyways.

Yeah - unfortunately, both of us are working off the anime as our information source. I'm not surprised that we've missed things. On the other hand, my whole reason for doing this was my dissatisfaction with said anime, so I hope it's an understandable oversight.

I am a bit surprised, given how much effort was spent protecting her, that Jeanne went out already, and didn't get to use most of her abilities. Notably, her ability to detect Servants (bypassing Presence Concealment) in a large area, and Revelation (literal plot armor), seem like they should have been effective against Jack as early detection, and her ability to use Command Spells should have probably been more impactful.

That's partially my fault, at least - I forgot entirely about the Command Spells, and I really should've pushed him more to consider Jeanne's abilities overall.

Yeah, the line break formatting has been an... issue so far. I'll work on it next. As for why, though...

Open office has not been kind to my writing, unfortunately, and the spell check, grammer check is practically non-existent.

And otherwise known as me, as a result.

As for Laeticia, she kinda... didn't hold up well to the poison.

As previously noted, it's nasty stuff.

As for Jeanne, she very much TRIED.

However, these were wraiths, small fractions of Jack the Ripper, possessing the Dragon's-Tooth Warriors, rather than the real one. And Semiramis made it doubly so. Jeanne was trying, the entire time, to use command spells! Alas... commanding Jack to Stop would only let the Dragon's-Tooth Warriors take back control and continue to fight. Double the issues, so to speak. But with 5 assaulting her at the same time, she was too busy gasping for air and combat, to focus and use the Command Spell. That's the cons of possessing someone, you know?

Doubly so since Jeanne had already gotten hit by that poison once, and knew how bad it would be to get hit a second time.

Laeticia was dosed, and pretty heavily, even with Jeanne protecting her. To quote EMIYA, she WAS a walking corpse already...

And I do keep telling you that you need to show things like this in-story, so that people have context, rather than just pulling things out of - *Ahem* nowhere.

Of course, with Jeanne dead, that means that Amakusa Shirou Tokisada/Shirou Kotomine is now able to claim the position of Ruler. I wonder how that will affect things, hmm? *Chuckles*

Something to discuss, apparently . . .

[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.








Trifas, Romania
July 4, 2004








While she bore the face and answered to the name “Artoria Pendragon,” the mysterious heroine code-named “XX” didn’t fight like the King of Knights.

And it wasn’t simply because she was neither perpetually petite in stature or an over-stacked blonde trained to fight from horseback—her primary weapons were essentially the same ones used by the other incarnations, if slightly different in construction, after all. No, her weapons might be the same, but her tactics were utterly distinct; and that was as much down to her personality as her circumstances.

True, like most various incarnations of Artoria Pendragon, she was honourable—not “chivalrous,” though her conduct was generally held to a similar standard. Her battle prowess was no less than any other Epic Spirit by the name of “Artoria Pendragon,” but the tools available to her, and the circumstances of her life, had shaped her into a different type of warrior. XX was not a knight, much less a king. She didn’t lead armies; her battles were typically far smaller-scale engagements, undertaken as a solo operative. And she had trained, from a very young age, to defeat a specific kind of opponent—Sabers, initially, and later, Foreigners.

While she could fight other type of enemies (and win with a fairly high degree of probability), that specialisation made her quite different from the Artoria-types she had learned to cut down, to say nothing of her life as a modern teen, rather than a medieval noble.

As such, certain skills and behaviours the King of Knights took to as easily as breathing (whether or not she’d had them originally) weren’t necessarily part of XX’s arsenal. She didn’t, for example, have a wide-ranging sense of battlefields, such as a commander of military units, or a warrior involved in a clash of thousands, would; it wasn’t her type of fight, as “Mysterious Heroine X”—and her ship (and later, armour)’s AI and sensors generally covered that for her. Likewise, as a largely independent Servant, she was not as used to monitoring the prana flow between herself and her Master . . .

But having previously realised how little of it there was compared to what she’d expected, XX was capable of noting even a very small increase in that otherwise-shallow pool.

Because this was her first Master, she knew what that meant: he’d decided not to waste even the minimal amount of energy it took to conceal his mystic tattoos—and in essence, his identity (she snickered inwardly at her unintentional pun)—from sight. Had she been her younger self, she would have rushed to his side at once, to protect him from whatever threat had caused him to stop hiding them. But she was more experienced now, and had a better idea of both her Master’s capabilities, and the knowledge that his preparing for the worst did not mean it was occurring.

Though that said, she kept an eye out of any sudden flares of blue, purple, or silver light; if he was pushed hard enough to manifest his “anima banner” in full, then . . .

. . . Well, if nothing else, a giant spectral image like that appearing in the sky—and visible for both miles and minutes—made for a superb distress signal, in XX’s experience.








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








As Rider placed her blindfold back into position, Ilya studied the subject of her gaze intently—and let out a breath she didn’t technically need to hold.

“It worked,” she sighed in relief. “Thanks, Rider.”

“It was what Sakura asked of me,” the Gorgon said matter-of-factly—though she paused afterwards, and tilted her head to regard her handiwork curiously. “. . . It’s an odd feeling, to have these eyes of mine save life instead of taking it.”

“I can sympathise,” Ilya remarked, “but that is what Onii-chan wants us to do . . . Now we just need to hope that we can actually accomplish it.”

The Servant nodded silently, and they both stared at the petrified form of Laeticia Delacroix for a moment.

Ilya was thanking all her lucky stars that she’d been monitoring the ship Rin was on, that her range—using Rin as a transmitter—had been big enough to see Ruler’s battle, and that Rider had been on hand. Without any of that, her proverbial sleight-of-hand in opening a Door while everyone was blinded by Jeanne d’Arc’s pyrrhic attack would’ve been pointless.

But it had, and to all appearances, the desperation tactic had succeeded: the Mystic Eyes of Cybele’s effect, being purely magical, had outraced the admittedly equally-magical venom, which had nonetheless relied on being carried through the circulatory system. Ruler’s former host was alive, albeit frozen in stone—as stone, more accurately—until they could figure out a method to neutralise the venom in her flesh-and-blood state.

Which was all to the good. Shirou would be upset, if they didn’t save every life they possibly could; and he’d be even more upset if someone who’d survived the “canon timeline” (according to Godafrid, at least) had died as a result of their intervention.

“Have you any ideas for a cure,” the Gorgon asked curiously, “beyond using the Grail itself, at least?”

“Not yet,” the Grail spirit admitted. “Ironically, as the druid, our first client probably could have done it—or if not, brought her back just after it killed her, if he was quick enough. I’ve seen the spells in his repertoire.”

“I’m not certain that this child deserves the sort of trials he put Saber through,” Rider observed—though Ilya was sure she spotted a tiny curl at the edge of one side of Rider’s mouth.

“You’ve read the book, you know it was purely random chance that she ended up like that,” Ilya countered in the absent spellcaster’s defence, before admitting, “. . . It was really funny, though.”

Yes, she’d largely understood the knight’s unwillingness in her role in the Einzbern family drama, and given up on her family’s perspective of the “failures and betrayals” of the Fourth War. That did not mean that she didn’t get at least a little vindictive pleasure out of watching the Servant who’d gone off with her parents, and left her with neither—and then killed her Berserker, later—suffer. A bit, anyways.

For her own part, Rider made a hum of acknowledgement that didn’t disagree with anything Ilya had said.

“I’m not sure that he could help her now,” the white-haired girl continued, “but I honestly don’t know. I can’t get a good analysis of him as he is now; I didn’t even realise he had those tattoos until they appeared—and while I recognise the alphabet they’re written in, it’s like saying I can read a Spanish road sign just because the letters are English . . .” She frowned. “And when I try to probe deeper, I just get a migraine.”

Now it was Rider’s turn to frown. “That shouldn’t be possible—for multiple reasons.”

“I know,” Ilya huffed, annoyed.

“Is he a threat?” the Gorgon asked, her normally flat tone holding the hint of an edge.

“. . . Not any more or less than he was before, I think,” Ilya replied, after a moment’s thought. “The feeling I get is mostly weird.”

Which she’d had before, when he first showed up, but she’d written that off as a result of the unstable enchantments he’d been under; it seemed that there might be more to it than that . . .

Or possibly, she admitted to herself it was an incompatibility with her current state and what she was attempting to do. The Grail was certainly capable of the in-depth analysis of a soul, but Ilya could only handle so much of the process and information; so long as she clung to her humanity, however tenuously, she possessed some human limits, as well.

“And as long as I don’t try to go too deep, though, it doesn’t bother me,” she reassured the Servant. “And those tattoos do cage the weirdness pretty effectively, otherwise—I wonder if they’re meant to protect us from him, as much as the other way around . . .?”

The little bit of her that cared about the Einzbern’s alchemical knowledge was idly curious to get a closer look at the material those tattoos were made of, as well. Even at a distance, they looked like the purest silver she’d ever seen, but it didn’t take a genius of a magus to realise that it could hardly be all they were.

Looking at him through the lens of being a potential Servant, however, she got some odd results. He didn’t qualify for a Class Container yet, not having done anything of note; but she could read at least some of his potential Personal Skills, if not their rank, just based on his present existence—specifically, Shapeshifting, Self-Modification, Existence Beyond the Domain . . .

And God Killer.

Just how his present appearance tied into that Skill, Ilya had no idea; but she’d bet he did. And that it would be an interesting story.

Aloud, Ilya said, “I don’t think it’ll be a major problem, though I’ll be interested to find out what the expla—” Her eyes unfocussed abruptly. “Huh.”

“What is it?” Rider asked, tensing.

“I was keeping an eye on the local Rin Tohsaka,” she explained, “to try and minimise the feedback caused by having two of them on the same Earth; it’s part of maintaining the paradigm shield. Likewise, I’m sort of aware of what the local Grail does, since we use the same network, in a sense—and something involving both factors just went off . . .”








The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Outside Bucharest








In one particular version of events, the death of Ruler during the Great Holy Grail War would pass unremarked. It was somewhat understandable: at that point, events had reached a penultimate stage, and the need for Ruler’s presence had essentially passed. With only one remaining Servant on each side, after all, even if they were not directly in conflict at the time, the War would be over with the result of the next confrontation.

This situation, however, did not mirror those events in the slightest—on the contrary, the level of interference in the Holy Grail War had only escalated since Ruler’s summoning. Clearly, to what passed for the Greater Grail’s mind, the presence of a Ruler was still necessary—and Jeanne d’Arc, even with all the abilities she’d possessed, had proven to be insufficient to the task. A more powerful candidate would be required, if the rules of the Holy Grail War ritual were to remain sacrosanct—and those who violated them punished.

Fortunately, the Greater Grail had energy to spare, at this point, permitting another summoning in the first place; if there was one advantage to the current situation it was that the ambient prana levels of the Holy Grail War’s battleground were gradually being increased to a level not seen since the Age of the Gods. As such, the Grail could perform a summoning with only a minimal drain on its own stored energy reserves—although, given the number of Servants fallen to date, those were not inconsiderable, either.

Moreover, the excess ambient energies also allowed for candidates who might otherwise be beyond summoning to be considered viable . . .








Fuyuki, Japan
July 4, 2004








Sakura sighed with profound relief as the bathwater went to work on her tired body. A hot soak after a long day was just what the proverbial doctor ordered; and it pleased her that no matter where you seemed to go in the world, the wisdom of this was universally accepted.

Truthfully, it felt a little strange to her to be back in Japan after so long—or perhaps it was her reactions that she was finding strange. After all, she didn’t really have many very good memories of here (either in terms of quality, after all this time, or general content). And yet, every now and then, she’d come across something that struck her as both familiar and nostalgic; something that brought a wistful feeling of home . . .

It was more than a bit disconcerting, really. “Home,” for her, had been somewhere very different from Japan for several years, now—and to be honest, she preferred it that way.

She really didn’t have many good memories of Japan—and of this part of it, specifically.

If only Onee-chan could get over her particular obsession . . .

Though she was at least partially to blame for that, Sakura knew.

Sighing again, Sakura closed her eyes, trying her best to let the near-scalding water do its work and relax her. She wouldn’t be here long, after all. The duel was scheduled for tomorrow, and while it might be another day or two before she actually left (depending on how much gloating over victory was involved), soon enough she would be back home; far, far away from here and all the unpleasant memories involving certain magus families and their insanities—

As if taking her thoughts as a cue, the building chose that moment to suddenly shake violently.

The unexpected phenomenon slopped bathwater onto the tiled floor, and prompted Sakura to let out a shriek, even as her mind began racing. Given where she was, her first thought was earthquake,” followed by frantic attempts to recall decade-old lessons on what to do during one—but when the tremor stopped as suddenly as it started, she redefined its cause as “explosion.”

Using only one arm, Sakura was up and out of the tub in a single movement; she landed surprisingly lightly on her bare feet after such a display of brute strength, even as a flaring of her Magic Circuits dried her naked body in the same span of time. Not bothering with a robe or towel, she launched herself out of the bathroom and in the direction she calculated was the source of the phenomenon, based on the sounds that had come to her through the bathroom door and walls.

Unsurprisingly (though definitely unsettlingly), the trail was easy to follow once she was out of the bathroom: there were great clouds of smoke, as well.

Reinforcing herself in preparation for combat, Sakura followed the dark plumes to their origin, which led her to the wing of the house her sister had claimed for a workshop. The door was blown open, if surprisingly intact, and a distinct, golden light shone from within, indicating an ongoing effect—perhaps a fire?

Sakura paled, shoving aside all thoughts of what might’ve happened to cause this as she rushed forwards, crying out, “Sister! Onee-chan, are you all right . . .?!”

Anything else she might’ve added to that stuck in her throat as she passed through the cloud of smoke, vanishing along with the breath in her lungs. Because it was the sight of her beautiful, beloved older sister who stood before her, in the wreckage of the workshop; and yet, it was very clearly not—or, perhaps more accurately, more—as well.

The young woman in front of her was garbed in something her sister would never wear—a corset-like cross between a swimsuit, and a “Slave Leia” outfit, covered in gold, bronze and blue metal pieces with feathers for accents. An equally elaborate crown adorned her head, whose natural blonde ringlets were far longer and more voluminous, and limned with sky-blue highlights that seemed almost luminous. Her once-hazel eyes did glow, having lightened to a molten orange-gold that had swallowed her pupils; and she bore an ornate set of golden scales in her left hand, with a matching sword in her right.

Sakura unconsciously increased her level of Reinforcement, even as she demanded bluntly, “What are you, and what have you done to my sister?!”

The entity in front of her laughed eerily, and the eeriness was in how familiar it was. While evidently not Luviagelita von Edelfelt, at the same time, it used her unconscious mannerisms; the quirk of her lips in the way she smiled, the raising of a hand to half-cover her mouth in mid-chuckle. The thousand little things that Sakura associated with her sister were in there, even as it was obvious that someone or something else was behind those changed eyes.

“Peace, child,” said the creature in Luvia’s voice. “Your sororal piety does you credit, but your sister is and will remain unharmed; we have come to an accommodation.” She took a stance that was very Luvia-like, Sakura noted, as she declared in true Edelfelt fashion, “I have come in response to a summons. To all that is good in the world, I am known as Astraea!

Before Sakura could even begin to process the implications of that, the entity continued warmly, “And certainly, you may refer to me thus, as well . . .” She cleared her throat and resumed her former pose. “But for the duration otherwise, I have been given the designation of ‘Ruler’ in the Great Holy Grail War!”

“. . . What.”










Writer's Notes: And the next chapter is delivered on time, wonder of wonders - enjoy!

[Xamusel]

...wait. When did Apocrypha!Rin become Apocrypha!Luvia?!

[Kieran]

The short answer is, she didn't - I refer you to Chapter 1.

[Xamusel]

...oh. Oops...

[Arbitrarity]

Well, I'm glad we got Laeticia out. That leaves an interesting bit of plot hook for the future, as well. Frid qualifying for the Foreigner class with Existence Outside the Domain, of course, but has Scathach's God Slayer skill? Interesting, would that be from Kurai's history, taking down Sin, or just the nature of the Exalted? The last actually probably makes the most sense.

Astrea is an interesting choice to bring in. Of the canon Rulers, she's the only available Pseudo-Servant, and she's likely less disruptive than Sherlock or Ruler Artoria, who might seem more directly applicable to the plot (since Sherlock is a walking plot device, and we already have two Artorias at hand). I suppose she's also a God, though not a major one. I have a feeling she's not going to be remotely pleased with the state of the War, and may come into conflict with Frid, though (even though he's likely to respect her).

[Kieran]

Well, I'm glad we got Laeticia out.

Well, given the Works' raison d'etre, I really couldn't see them letting that stand . . .

That leaves an interesting bit of plot hook for the future, as well.

Yes, yes it does.

Frid qualifying for the Foreigner class with Existence Outside the Domain, of course, but has Scathach's God Slayer skill? Interesting, would that be from Kurai's history, taking down Sin, or just the nature of the Exalted? The last actually probably makes the most sense.

Lore-wise, that is the whole reason the Exalted were created. See, unlike in Erik's Earth, Exalted's Titans ("Primordials," locally) were smart enough to hold the Gods to a binding oath never to take up arms against them. The Exalted, being mortals, were the Gods' eventual way around that. And it really only took a few thousand of them (most of those numbers being the weakest, lowest-ranked of them) to do it - and they managed to kill over a dozen of them.


. . . So yeah, he gets God Slayer/Killer, simply for existing. Normally, it wouldn't amount to much; but here . . .?

Astrea is an interesting choice to bring in.

And to my mind, the most logical - especially at this point.

Of the canon Rulers, she's the only available Pseudo-Servant, and she's likely less disruptive than Sherlock or Ruler Artoria, who might seem more directly applicable to the plot (since Sherlock is a walking plot device, and we already have two Artorias at hand).

All true, hence the above statement.

I suppose she's also a God, though not a major one.

In concept, she is - but not in renown, no. Hence the Grail's choice: if divinities are going to meddle in the War, who better to bring them to heel?

I have a feeling she's not going to be remotely pleased with the state of the War,

Even without Luvia's influence on her sensibilities.

and may come into conflict with Frid, though (even though he's likely to respect her).

A being without pride? Definitely someone who needs a good, swift kick, in her opinion - so, probably.

. . . Of course, according to her dialogue, one of Astraea's favourite things about life is taking things that belong to other people - so maybe Fiore needs to worry . . . ?

[RanmaBushiko]

Chapter 56: Power Unchained






Mecha Fafnir MK1

Below the Wolfen




Erik's eyes narrow as he desperately wrestles with the controls, his hoverpod and the machinery connected to it, falling. Even as he does so, his hoverpod constantly reports "Damage Catastrophic! Damage Catastrophic!" to him; it displays diagrams showing most of both Mecha Fafnir units missing huge chunks of their bodies entirely.



Mordred's voice reaches him, as he desperately pulls on the controls, teeth clenched.



"Master! Are you alright?! The Scylla just said you've been shot down!"
"I'm not dead yet, Mordred,” Erik sends back, even as he focuses, his hoverpod's engines redlining as they desperately try to stop his descent, and fail. “Status?"
"Jeanne D'Arc, Ruler, is dead—as is her host. She protected your wife from being murdered by those damned possessed Dragon's-Tooth Warriors."



At Mordred's telepathic communication, Erik flinches outright.



"You're saying that I nearly lost her again?! That. Goddamned. BITCH!" Erik snarls, as he continues working at the half-functional controls.



"Master... Erik... She's okay. She's fine; worried for you, but fine. But...I have to ask. What was Clarent meant to do?" Mordred's voice echoes in his mind as he thinks.



"One damned moment—trying to not fall to my death here."



And with those words, he concentrates, focussing his energies though his belt, tapping into the Gem of Power properly for the first time since he's wound up in this new universe; linking himself fully to it and forcibly drawing power from it.



As he does so, he can feel the Prototype Cosmoreactor snap "awake" in his chest, glowing and producing power as well, for a bit, before it seems to fall back asleep to a dormant state.



Then the first of the Production Line Mecha Fafnir units reaches the two falling machines and digs its claws into them both to halt their fall.



"Holy shit, Master! What was THAT?! That was like guzzling a pot of that coffee that Captain Nestor made for me that one time!" Mordred's voice reaches him, as he snaps back to his current surroundings, then blinks with amusement at the realization that it's like a horde of dragons around his hoverpod.



"...That, Mordred, was what Legend feels like to a God.” Erik sends back, as he pops open the jury rigged hood, and steps out to look at the damage. “You said that Clarent didn't seem to give you any benefits?"
What he sees has him flinching. Ninety percent of both mechs are ruined in terms of their internals; leaving only the outer hulls intact, and the hoverpod as the only mechanism that was still functional.



"Scylla? If you can hear me, take this as a note: if that damned poison does damage at normal temperature? It's apparently nothing to when it touches electricity and boils." Erik admits aloud, rubbing his forehead.



"Roger that, Boss—good to see you alive!” the Scylla's voice replies, adding snidely, “And if I may, Boss? I. Fucking. TOLD YOU SO!"
"Getting ready for protecting the bridge?" Erik asks, thinking as he settles back into his chair, continuing to rub his forehead.



"Yeah—I've got my new battle body ready and everything," the Scylla admits.



"Keep in mind that Valkyrie prototype is also functional, if you need heavier weapons." Erik retorts.



"Gotcha, Boss—putting your wife on, from that Tumbler." The Scylla admits.



"I'm alive, dear—apparently that poison, when boiled, is even worse than when it's not boiled,” Erik admits, even as he braces for the inevitable lecture. “Both Mecha Fafnir units are trashed, but I think I've got an idea for getting up there."
"Dear... Just be safe, please—I can't stand losing you," Tamamo admits, and he winces.



She skipped the lecture and went right to the guilt trip; he was going to be hearing about this for decades . . .



"Calm down, dear—I'm fine... But I'm sorry you had such a scare while being so weakened. As for you, Mordred..." Erik trails off, pulling up more information on Clarent, before smiling softly.



"Mordred, that sword was meant to give a King a rank up in physical abilities—apparently, from what I've gathered, it's judged you as Camelot's heir to the throne properly?" Erik asks, as he studies things.



"Yeah, Erik,” Mordred admits, thinking. “It's allowed me to use it as some sort of... one hit purifying blade skill? But there's no increase in abilities; just that unlocked..."



"Well, I have the answer to that, don't I?” Erik states more than asks, his eyes narrowing with amusement. “Scylla, take notes of this for those in Wolf Home, would you?"
"Yes, Boss!" Erik hears the Scylla bark out.



"By the Divine Power and Authority I have invested in ME, I crown you, Mordred Pendragon, King of Wolf Home, and whatever People live Therein. Protect them, and rule them justly in My Divine Name." Erik pauses, and then smirks. “Keep in mind, that since they're currently on Phobos and Deimos, that means you rule those moons in my name, for my people, Mordred.”



There is a jolt at the proclamation—as though the blade suddenly gained a heartbeat—that goes through Mordred's body as well, tuned to the sound of weighty fetters shattering. Clarent is of the age of the divine right of kings, after all—and this is literally so. Whatever its faults, whatever its feelings on the matter of the king who holds it, they no longer matter—because to act counter to its nature would be to unmake itself.
Clarent is now, after an age, once more held by a rightful king—and so its full strength is now brought to bear . . .



The yelp of shock from Mordred is worth it, as Erik smiles calmly.



“You... Really trust me to rule them? You mean that? Erik, I...” Mordred goes quiet. “Thank you, Erik. Thank you so much, for giving me a chance where Father didn't. I'll do my best to make it up to you, I promise.”



“Don't fret about making it up to me, Mordred—just do your best, and I'll help you be a good leader.” Erik sends back, then glares. “Now, back to dealing with that bitch...”



“Dear. Please, be safe...” Tamamo's voice reaches Erik over the communications, leaving him smiling softly.



“Oh, I will. After all, she's attacked the heads for both mechs, now. She's definitely decided that I'll have myself hidden in the head.” Erik trails off, smirking, pulling his goggles down over his eyes.



“Now, let's see how she reacts to this... Mechanical PANOPLY!”



Legend flares, reality distorts, and the 150 weaker Mecha Fafnir all start melting, as well as the shells of the original two, poison being destroyed in the fires of the furnace Erik has made as metal flows like water to his will.






For one haunting moment, Erik blinks in confusion at the Prototype Cosmoreactor flaring with power in his chest as metal flows to his will, before he shrugs it off. If things flow together far easier after it’s flared, however, he doesn't pay it much attention.



Metal flows like water, pouring itself upwards towards the machine Erik's forming, as reality seems to twist around it. Copper, metal, rubber and steel all twist and flow, adjusting and reformulating themselves into one massive whole. All the while, mechanical brains from the Legion of Coal units fused into the Mecha Fafnir Production Line, watch their father's work with awe as they get incorporated into this new machine.



Newly formed wings twist, altering dynamically as Erik adjusts the materials and metals, mid-creation. Two set of feet become four, engines are designed and redesigned as Erik rapidly works. Then, as engines buried deep within fire up, the hoverpod sets itself into the belly of the massive machine, while a false one forms towards the back end of the head, leaving the jaw and mouth of the machine fully covered, one massive camera at the front like a Cyclops, and several weapons hanging off the jaw and head.



As massive turbines in the wings fire up, new data starts streaming into the computer banks, as Erik smiles widely over the machine coming to life.



“I think I'm going to call you Mecha Fafnir Mark 3. Here's hoping you'll win where the Mark 1 and 2 failed. But with my adaptations...”



“And the fact that our brains are now one,” the war machine speaks back, sounding almost bemused, “and fully functional, Father?”



Erik grins wider. “Considering I always wanted you to be able to fly around without me, like an actual dragon would? Yes. That plays a great deal into things as well. With your processing power, added in... I think we've got this.”



He punches the jets, pushing for low orbit once more.



“Mordred? Between me and you, privately, what would you like as the symbol of you being a King?” he sends as he flies upwards, his eyes narrowing. “A crown, a pendant—perhaps a signet ring? Or perhaps the Tumbler made into your personal vehicle and a proper Relic?”






The Wolfen

Outer Transportation Tunnels







Mordred narrows her eyes, as she thinks over options, driving her Tumbler through the massive corridors in the Wolfen. “Tamamo, can you get on reloading the micro-missile launcher for me while I drive?”



“A signet ring, I think, Master,” Mordred sends back, mostly focusing on her driving. “As for a seal …Perhaps ‘Wolf Home,’ with Clarent in front of it, dividing it in half? Maybe with some of your war machines embossed on it as well, or something?”



“I can likely make it a couple hours from now, once we've gotten our late lunch loaded onto the ship, courtesy of Olga and Godafrid. Any abilities you'd like me to add in? I can probably put in something...To help you, or aid you.” Erik's voice trails off in Mordred's mind, as she guns the engine.



“Miss Tamamo? Erik contracted with me, as you may have noticed... His prior Servant... Didn't make it, when Jack the Ripper's Wraiths tore through her, and blackmailed my former Master to give up his Command Spells.” Mordred admits. “I'm sorry for your loss.”



At Mordred's words, Tamamo flinches, looking up to stare at her in horror. “She really...?!”



Mordred quietly nods, as she keeps one eye on the road. “Yeah—I really am sorry, though.” Mordred reaches out, patting her new Master's wife on the leg with one gauntlet.



“If there's anything I can do for you, please, don't hesitate to ask.” Mordred adds, after a moment, as she twists the car into the new passageway the computers are showing her to drive through, one with several blast doors half open.



A yelp from above precedes EMIYA sliding onto the hood, as he barely dodges a raising doorway. Mordred simply smirks through the tinted windows at the sight. “Oi, watch your head, Archer! We've still got some space to go before we get to more of those bastards!”



EMIYA gives one moment to glare back at Mordred, before adjusting himself on the hood of the Tumbler.



“I'm honestly not sure, Erik—feel free to decide for me,” Mordred sends to her Master. “Any ideas why Clarent isn't letting me use Clarent Blood Arthur anymore, though—or any other attributes of Clarent that I don't know about...?”
“You're supposed to have better Charisma with it, one rank up. I can also teach you to be even more charismatic than you are right now, if you want. As for Clarent Blood Arthur... Hang on.” Erik's mental voice trails off for a moment.



“You're effectively putting one massive Prana Burst through the blade, overloading Prana through your body in the process. It's why you can only use it with your helmet off: it looks like you can overload your Prana Burst further than with it on, so your helmet acts as a limiter for you. You might be able to fire off weaker versions of it, if you can do it with the helmet on, but I'm not sure—gotta go, though. More combat with Jack the Ripper is coming up here, and I don't want to let her go lightly.” Erik cuts off, in a hurry.



“Good luck, Erik!” Mordred cheerfully sends, before focusing fully on the road.






The Wolfen

Main Bridge







The Scylla cries out as it finishes activating a mechanical body, “ETA one minute, thirty seconds and counting before we can fire the thrusters, Nestor!”
“You should be glad that I enjoy shooter games,” Nestor admits, firing with a flamethrower out the main door of the bridge. “Without them, I'm not sure my skills would be nearly enough for to handle this. It's been quite a few years since I last got into a gunfight, after all!”



Fiore Yggdmillenia frowns softly, her Bronze-Link Manipulators adjusting around her to help her shoot better. “To be fair, I'm grateful that your flamethrower seems to be hiding my own ammunition—and obscuring their view to keep them from seeing us.”



With those words, she moves to the left, dodging a scalpel aimed for her voice's general location, and adds, “Of course, considering they're aiming by sound right now, it's not as helpful as I’d like—Archer, please shoot faster?”



“My own Archer will be here soon enough, to help,” Rin assures her, before frowning. “Although it looks like Erik also contracted with Mordred, which hints at bad things going on with the other team of Masters, as well.”

“I still have yet to meet them. Are they pleasant to be around?” Fiore asks, pulling back to glance at Rin.



“One is the Blue's sister—what do you think?! They both smoke the same cigarettes, they're both hard to talk with, and they seem to only be in this for some of Erik's technology, courtesy of Zelretch of all people!” Rin snarls back—and then she yelps, pulling her head down as a dozen scalpels slam into one of the defense barriers in the bridge, risen up to help them guard it.



“The BLUE?!” Fiore all but shrieks, before pulling her head back while her guns continue firing blasts of prana. “I'm starting to think that fighting you all is literally suicide!”



Rin shakes her head, firing several more Gandr curses over the defense barrier in the direction of the door. “I, for one, am not interested in seeing your faction dead over you pulling this Greater Grail heist in the first place; I'm not sure about the others, but that's my side of things. I would, however, rather get the Greater Grail back to Fuyuki where it belongs. We had it perfectly under control for this entire Grail War setup, you know!”



Fiore peeks out from behind cover as several machine guns open fire at the doorway, courtesy of the Scylla, in an armored, octopus-like war machine. Then she blinks, and turns to look at it.



For a moment, Fiore looks at the Scylla's war machine, while the Scylla looks back.



“Is it just me, or do we have the same style of fighting?” the Scylla finally asks.



“I think we both have a similar one, at least,” Fiore admits, “even if yours isn't with magecraft!”



“LESS TALKING, MORE DRIVING THEM BACK, LADIES!” Nestor shouts, before Rin throws a jewel through the doorway. The detonating jewel leaves them all with a moment to catch their breaths.



“We've only got about a minute left!” Keep it up!” Nestor shouts.






The Wolfen

Cloning Research Lab 1




Scáthach fights, furiously, as Kairi does his best to convince Jack the Ripper's Wraiths to not hurt his daughter, or her new body. Strike after strike with her lance slashes out, as Scáthach does her best to keep the two from killing the Masters in the room, or themselves.



“You know? This is actually a challenge! Having to keep you from killing them, me, or yourselves? I'll admit it, I'm impressed!” Scáthach finally smiles widely. “I wonder if you can actually finish me off though, with how weak you two wraiths actually are…”



“Just because you've somehow held on for eight minutes, doesn't mean you'll win! You have to get tired eventually!” They smile back at her, while the mobile one does her best to stab at her again, and the other attempts to put her scalpel to her neck again.



A twist of Scáthach's lance nearly disarms them, again—except for the ability to make new knives from nothing.



Time after time, Scáthach deftly disarms them, while they do their best to continue to commit suicide, or hurt the two in the room that she protects the hardest. And as it continues, Scáthach's smile grows bigger every moment.



Then, as Scáthach finally starts to frown at the realization that she's all but won, a clang is heard as the door falls. Scáthach turns, blinking, at the sight of two more wraiths leaping in.



“Oh, you've changed it up?! Great!” she calls out, swinging to disarm the newcomers, before pausing as her senses notice something off.



For one long, seeming impossible moment, everyone blinks as they find themselves weightless in the room.



Then, they all slam to the floor, as several-dozen-times gravity hits everyone in the ship, as the thrusters fire, pushing the Aerial Battleship into orbit proper, Scáthach the only one to keep her footing as they all suffer the effects of the gravity.



But when she looks up, grinning, adjusting herself to fight in this new environment, she slips, as gravity no longer works, then turns, going wide eyed at the knife flying past to land in the hands of the mobile clone of Kairi Shishigo's daughter, dripping with poison.



“We're so high up, it's like we're falling!” The clone admits. “It's a pity that since those Dragon’s-Tooth Warriors knows how to fight while falling, I do too, right?”



The fight changes, as the new Dragon's-Tooth Warriors, possessed by wraiths, assault Scáthach. They do their best to slow her down, and inconvenience her, ensure that she can't adapt to space to fight in zero gravity.



Jack the Ripper, inside the clone of Kairi's daughter, smiles widely as she puts a knife against Touko's throat. “It looks like its checkmate, isn't it?”



The thump of a trunk slamming open, followed by the screeching wail of a cat is her reply, as she gets sent flying back, a clump of ether in the shape of a cat slamming into her face and mauling it.



“GET IT OFF! GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!” She screams, as she desperately flails, trying to get the cat-like ether clump/being off her face as Touko grins.



Then, they pause again, as the Dragon's-Tooth Warriors all have the wraiths within them fade, leaving Kairi's daughter, and her clone, the only ones a full threat.



“Now now,” Kairi's daughter admits, with a smile, still possessed by wraiths, having managed to get out of the bed in zero gravity while no one noticed. “You don't want to assault me right now, or else this little girl dies!”



Kairi flinches, moving to pull out a shotgun, then stills at the sight of two Dragon's-Tooth Warriors with weapons to his daughter's neck, one dripping with poison. Then he flinches, as she deftly takes the poisoned weapon from that one, and puts it to her neck.



“It seems like we've reached an impasse, haven't we? Give up your Command Spells. Mommy could use more, after all.” Jack's smile widens, as they hesitate, even as she starts drawing on the two girl's bodies for prana.



“And will you swear, on your honor, that you'll spare her life? And that of her clone, so she can stop suffering, and have the chance of a happy life?” Scáthach asks, curiously.



“I'll give her the exact same chance to have a happy life that I did with my own parents in life!” Jack's wraiths reply, smiling.



“Tch. Lancer, you can't seriously be considering...!” Touko narrows her eyes.



“Considering we're in orbit, with all that it means, Master?” Scáthach retorts, with a smile.



Touko pauses, blinking, then nods slowly, settling back as she thinks. “A Command Spell, then...”



“I'd prefer more than one to be honest, but... If one's all you have...” Jack replies, then smiles widely at Touko showing two Command Spells on her hand. “Perfect, then!”



“I have to use one to ensure Lancer doesn't kill you, girl, after you give a Geas on your intentions.” Touko retorts, with a smile.



Jack pauses, frowning, then nods again with a wide smile. “Good enough for me! And I don't mind the... Geas thingy!”



Kairi and Touko meet each other's eyes, before they both nod, and Touko nods to Scáthach. “Make a Geas contract for us, my Servant, please.”









The Wolfen

En-Route to the Main Bridge







Mordred snarls, as she pulls the trigger on the jet engine, slamming the Tumbler to the ground again, so it can punch through several more Dragon's-Tooth Warriors. “I can barely control it now!” She growls, as she works on the controls, furiously.



“Should we abandon it?” Tamamo asks, quietly.



“With how many are out here? I'm not sure that's sane, you know.” Mordred shoots back, leaving Tamamo frowning. Moments later, Tamamo nods.



“I can still aim and shoot, you know,” Tamamo points out with a smirk, before Mordred nods at her in return. “So what about this: I stay back and shoot, EMIYA stays on top and deals with anyone that tries to sneak up on us, while you clear the forward path?”




Mordred thinks for a moment, before smirking herself. “I've got a better one. Oi! EMIYA! Cover me for a few seconds, will ya?”



With that, she opens the cockpit, flips onto the ceiling, and flares her prana with a Prana Burst in Clarent, white sparks of lightning flaring around the blade as she focuses prana into the sword, instead of around the sword.



“Please, let this work, Clarent!” Mordred focuses, pouring more and more prana into the blade, as sparks of electricity turn into bolts. “CLARENT!”
Her power flows harder, as lightning roars around her further, her hand clenches tight as she focuses everything she can into her blade: her feelings of joy that her father doesn't seem to hate her anymore, Erik trusting her with her new kingdom…
“BLOOD!”
The knowledge that she was now a King, like her father, and the feeling of awe that Clarent was finally working with her...!



“ARTHUR!” Mordred snarls, as she pumps more and more prana through the blade as a massive burst of electricity.



And the blade—if barely—responds, with a pure white lightning bolt crackling through the air and frying several Dragon's-Tooth Warriors, carving through them like a white bolt of power that seems to follow them, while not damaging the corridors around them.



For a moment, Mordred just breathes, staring at Clarent and the path she'd cleared through the Dragon's-Tooth Warriors. “Hah! It worked, if barely! That has to be a couple ranks down, though... But it doesn't hurt to use anymore!”



Then her eyes widen as more and more turn back into skeletal warriors, not possessed anymore.



“Less dawdling, more assaulting them, Mordred!” EMIYA calls out.



Mordred nods, then shoots forwards, abusing Prana Bursts to start slaughtering all those in her way.



Or perhaps, it is better to be said that she barely uses it, yet glides through the ship like an Angel of Death, her swordsmanship like a beautiful dance of death leaving all that oppose her disarmed and dead. Flickering from wall to wall, her speed nearly unmatched, as she dispatches foe upon foe faster than EMIYA or Chiron can, within the confines of the Wolfen.



Between the sheer amount of Legend that she absorbed from Erik, and the raw power and potency of Clarent's upgrades, Mordred slaughters all before her with ease, the Dragon's-Tooth Warriors before her less like an army of skeleton warriors with poisoned weapons, and more like a massacre of toddlers trying to fight her with foam bats.



Nothing works, whatsoever to even scratch, much less hurt Mordred, as she slaughters her way through hallway after hallway, looking less like a vicious warrior and more like a dancer—a dancer of death, bringing death and destruction to her foes.



“How the hell...?” EMIYA whispers, once most are dead, just staring. “How the hell did you do this? I could see your Father doing this—but you?”



Mordred glances back, studying EMIYA pointedly. “You do recall that Lancelot was a fictional character, originally, right? Just because the Throne of Heroes made him real based off of what Sir Kay, Sir Gawain and myself all did, doesn't mean he was anything but a fan fiction character that was popularized. Or did you not find that out?”
Her words come out biting, almost like acid.



EMIYA flinches, along with a wide-eyed Chiron as they watch her carefully.
“To be honest?” she continued. “We accept Lancelot because of how Legend alters us. And some timelines HAD him exist, so he's in the Throne of Heroes. That doesn't mean he was real for every timeline, though.”



EMIYA slowly nods, rubbing his forehead. “So you got ripped off in terms of real skill?”



Mordred nods at that, then pushes herself forwards again, checking for more Dragon's-Tooth Warriors. When none are found, she smiles, and focuses. “Oi, Erik—looks like we cleared out the bulk of them!”
With that sent, she glances back. “Please, do check for stragglers. We don't want more on this ship, after all. I'll get to my former Master and his comrade, and then deal with the last few in there.”



Chiron nods, glancing over at EMIYA, before both move out.



“Hey, aren't we your Masters?!” Rin shouts, arms folded. “What about following our commands?!”



“She has a point about checking for stragglers, you know.” EMIYA shoots back, sarcastically.



“That's... But... Fine! But one of you should stay and guard us!” Rin fires back, unfolding her arms and clenching her fists.



“It does appear that you've guarded things fairly well. Are things so worrying for you all?” Chiron asks, studying them.



“I'm low on prana,” Fiore admits from past the doorway, “and Miss Tohsaka used her last prana-infused gem thirty seconds ago, during their final push.”
“To be fair, you're all overthinking things.” Nestor speaks up. “Erik's got things under control, and the strain of trying to support all those wraiths while in orbit seems to be draining little Jack the Ripper dry of prana.”



He walks out, arms folded, flamethrower at his side.



“We're safe, for now—she doesn't seem to have the spare prana for any wraith-possessed skeletons.” Nestor adds. “And with the Legion of Coal able to target them again, it's a massacre for them, on our part. We've got them checking the ship, from top to bottom.”



At Nestor's words, Rin sighs, and pinches the bridge of her nose. “So then we've gotten through the worst of it?”



“Seems like it, except for possibly whatever’s in my former Master's room—any word from in there?” Mordred asks.



“Not a single word, to be honest.” The Scylla admits.



“Then Master must be dealing with Jack the Ripper, and distracting her!” Mordred grins. “Still, I'll go take my new ride and check up on them!”





The Wolfen

Lower Hull







Jack the Ripper, shivers, as she desperately clings to the hull. Desperately, she draws on prana, from both the children she has her wraiths possessing, as well as her Mother, struggling to fuel her fog and keep her body breathing.



“It's so cold...” she murmurs weakly, her body only not turning ice-blue and freezing solid by virtue of its being made out of another person's prana. “It's so cold, and I can see the stuff my re-breather is made out of breaking, slowly... I need to find a way in!”



With those words, she starts searching the hull again, searching for some way—any way—to get inside the Wolfen.



A flicker of light in the clouds below catches her attention, leaving her to turn and look at it.



“It's so pretty...” she whispers, quietly. “So pretty, but so cold—why is it so cold up here?” She pauses, looking down again before realizing that what she's seeing is the Earth below her. “That's what the world looks like? So pretty...”



“Mommy, look through my eyes! Is that the world?!” she sends to her mother.



“Dear? What are you... Oh—oh fuck. No, dear, I can't see through them, but that's not important right now!” Her mommy's voice returns to her, leaving Jack frowning.



“Mommy? What's wrong?” Jack sends to her mother, concern now fully on Jack's face.



“Dear—you need to get into that ship, right now,” her mother's voice answers, and as she continues, what she says causes Jack to go white. “Right now, dear, you're in orbit; you seem to be in the shadows of that ship, but once sunlight hits you, you're done for. Do you hear me? I won't be able to hug you again, or reward you with hugs, because you'll be too dead to do anything!”
“He planned this, didn't he?! He planned this, and I fell for it, hook line and sinker! Can I use the jacket to get down? Miss Semiramis mentioned it could act like a parachute, so...!” Jack sends back, desperately thinking.



“You're so high up there's no air around you, or sound, dear,” her mother's voice comes back to her. “So when you fall like that, you'd be falling so quickly that you'd burn—from going so fast that the air ignites around you! You NEED to get to safety somehow!”
This last instruction leaves Jack desperately dashing across the hull, pulling herself up along the side of the Wolfen, and climbing for the top of the hull. Then she pauses, at seeing the hull covered mostly in sunlight, and all the windows covered with thick metal plates—
Except for one.



The window is most of a kilometer away; just one single pane, showing the main bridge. Inside, she can see several people pointing at her, leaving her grinning as she runs.



“Keep watch, Jack! They're bound to send something after you soon, dear!”



Jack nods at her mother's words, as she continues pushing herself to the limits, doing her best to get to the cockpit and stay out of that sunlight, even as the Wolfen turns, angling more of the hull to get plenty of it.



A metal tail comes out of nowhere, sending her flying back and straight into the sunlight, leaving Jack screaming in pain as it slowly burns at her skin; like being in a super hot bath, or putting her hand in a pot of boiling water. Then slowly, she looks up.



A mechanical dragon flies around her, a glimpse of a grinning Erik in its teeth. There is no paint, only steel. There are no wyvern-like claws with this one, only four massive pads meant to keep it stable on the ground.



And yet, this new one has shown up to confront her—HER, Jack the Ripper. Even if she was low on air, and prana, with one foot missing, and a knee horribly damaged; one eye outright gone, and electricity burns across her body…



She would not bow to this third machine.



Jack glares at Erik's new monster, and then snarls as she pulls her poisoned knives out. “I don't think I'm going to make it, Mommy. He showed up with a third mechanical dragon, and with how weak our link is right now...!”



“Drain the other bodies you're possessing dry of prana, dear! And if he's fighting you, won't he have air in the cockpit?!”



For a moment, Jack smiles as she starts to do so. Then she flings herself towards Erik, one last time.






Author's Notes:
Between Erik's Legend pumping into her, her contracting with Erik properly (Unlike Amaterasu who was a complete accident...), and Clarent working properly, Mordred's finally hit her stride, here.



And what a terrifying stride it is. As for the why? Part of it has to do with Mordred getting an influx of legend, courtesy of the Prototype Cosmoreactor, flooding her with enough to bring her stats as a Servant avatar body, closer to the Godlike being the original is.



The other reason why, is Clarent. Clarent, which is supposed to give a rank up to all stats, as well as unlocking and boosting Charisma. Clarent, who was told off by Erik for not recognizing the only Heir of Camelot, correctly. Erik, the last student of Volsung, later known as Wayland Smith. The one who forged Gram. Which, in the Nasuverse? Is Excalibur's equal. More than that, Erik helped reforge Gram once.



Erik is the last possible person that could claim the title of Norse God of the Forge left, and even if it cannot tell why it respects Erik? Erik has, by telling it off as he did, forced itself to be stronger. Do its job better, and try to provide support properly for Mordred while letting itself see if Mordred has indeed become worthy.



And then Mordred was crowned King of Wolf Home, and any question of Mordred's worthiness was washed away.



What do you think that does to a Noble Phantasm of Clarent's potency? Much less to Mordred? A sword of amplification that has all but hated Mordred outright?



It results in far different stats for Mordred and Clarent both, on top of the stats enhanced by Erik's status as a God.



Also, I blame the Type Moon wiki for why her stats took so long to work out.



Mordred
Newly Crowned King of Wolf Home, Mordred has fully come into her power as a result.
Parameters:
Strength: A+
Endurance: A++
Agility: A
Mana: A
Luck: D
Noble Phantasm: A
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance: B
Riding: B
Personal Skills:
Instinct: B
Mana Burst: A
Battle Continuation: A
Charisma: B
Noble Phantasms:
Clarent: B+
This blade of amplification may now be used to purify/damage a single target for massive damage.
Also can store prana and convert it into lightning. With the amplification working better, far more prana can be stored and converted than before.
Clarent Blood Arthur: C to A++
With her helmet on, Mordred's restricted to a small wave of electricity, almost like a thunderbolt, or a sword beam.

With it off, however, this devestating skill becomes almost equal to Excalibur at it's strongest, with Clarent working to help her, instead of hinder Mordred.
Something else has changed about this, leaving it a bright white, rather than the blood red from before.



Of course, with the inefficiencies of Legend converting to Prana, this doesn't make Mordred invincible, by any means. She still has a limited amount of Prana right now.






Rolling Notes: (Or, Exactly HOW the Cosmoreactor messed with things...)

11 + 6 (smithing), 5 (engineering), 5 (ice) (for handling cold in space), 3 (pykrete) (ditto for in case Erik needs to plate it with Pykrete without breaking things from the cold), 3 (hydraulics), 5 (cybernetics), 1 (artificial muscles), + 46 automatic successes + 29 automatic successes
33 rolls then

75 automatic successes
33D10 = 17, 8 10s, 2 ones
23 successes, 98 successes total, then multiplied by legend for HP values

98 * 12
1176 HP



Yeah, Shenanigans are going on because of the Prototype Cosmoractor. *Chuckles* As you'll notice if you do the math.




On a side note, as a result of this, Gaia's increased the Legend drain to 2 a day. While mentally screaming “WHY ARE YOU GETTING STRONGER! GET TO YOUR PRISON ALREADY!” at Erik.

[Xamusel]

I had to laugh at the end note you wrote into the document... at the very end, to be sure.

[Arbitrarity]

46 automatic successes... that's Epic Intelligence 10, right? I can guess what that means. Is that getting added to Epic Intelligence 8 bonuses somehow for the 29, or is there a different conditional bonus of that size I'm not thinking of?

Mordred's power up is neat. Tides seem to be turning a bit. Would have been a lot easier if he just jumped the ship into space in the first place, of course, but that would be less interesting. Happy to see Jack's prana supply is finally hitting limits. I can also see why he wouldn't want to do this immediately, since he's definitely drawing heavily from the Gem, since he's using at least 15 legend, and would have expected 30, for that rebuild. That wouldn't even have been possible without drawing from the Gem in the first place.

[RanmaBushiko]

I had to laugh at the end note you wrote into the document... at the very end, to be sure.

Yup. *Chuckles*

46 automatic successes... that's Epic Intelligence 10, right? I can guess what that means. Is that getting added to Epic Intelligence 8 bonuses somehow for the 29, or is there a different conditional bonus of that size I'm not thinking of?

Mordred's power up is neat. Tides seem to be turning a bit. Would have been a lot easier if he just jumped the ship into space in the first place, of course, but that would be less interesting. Happy to see Jack's prana supply is finally hitting limits. I can also see why he wouldn't want to do this immediately, since he's definitely drawing heavily from the Gem, since he's using at least 15 legend, and would have expected 30, for that rebuild. That wouldn't even have been possible without drawing from the Gem in the first place.

The 29 is from his goggles. They're bullshit for more than one reason, after all, and there's a damned good reason why he wears them so damned much when working on building stuff.

Yeah, him tapping into the Gem is going to leave it with issues, and him with issues, too.

As for going into orbit, it takes time to shut down those gravity generators, while ensuring they're able to come back on with reversed polarity if necessary. He doesn't want the Wolfen to just crash a second time, you know? Alas, though he can technically build ones that work both way, it's still absurdly expensive to do so.

The Millennium Falcon copy nearly bankrupted Erik to build the damned thing, after all.

As for Mordred's power up? It's CANON that this can happen, ironically enough. Canon Mordred just hasn't earned Clarent's respect, or gained a throne, resulting in her getting to use the sword's power more fully. And considering it's supposed to be equal to Caliburn, I'm taking it to mean this: "The more Mordred works to be a good King, the better Clarent will work for her, and the stronger the blade will be."

Caliburn, in Fate, ranks up further, to A- when wielded by a proper King that it's accepted, remaining a B rank Noble Phantasm when not wielded by one. Clarent is said to be an equal. So therefore, Mordred still has some growing to do before Clarent can give her anything more than this. We're seeing a new ability, and Clarent's giving her full amplification of abilities, but that's it for now.

Make a lot of sense?

As for the Cosmoreactor, it's letting Erik create things as if he was still a proper, unsealed God. Not that he's realized it... It's also countered his little issue with Mechanical Panoply, letting him use it properly.

Unfortunately for him, however, he doesn't know enough to use more of it than this right now. And hasn't bothered asking MHXX on how to use it more. There's also some other things he hasn't noticed, or realized yet can happen, or might happen...

As for the fight? Yeah, the tide's mostly reversed. If Kiara had training, this would have been much worse. Same goes if Semiramis had more prana right now. Still, Jack's shot down 2 mechs, took out 2 Servants... it's honestly not a bad deal so far for her.

Edit:
Tried to post this, then the server stopped responding. Found it twice when the page finally loaded again, so I deleted a post. Still, hope this makes sense.

Now, back to working on switching over to Windows 10...

[Arbitrarity]

As for going into orbit, it takes time to shut down those gravity generators, while ensuring they're able to come back on with reversed polarity if necessary. He doesn't want the Wolfen to just crash a second time, you know? Alas, though he can technically build ones that work both way, it's still absurdly expensive to do so.

When I said "jumped" I meant "via Rainbow Bridge", since you pointed out earlier it's something that didn't come to mind for Erik. In the worst case, given the direction the gravity generators are in, I'd imagine it might shove the ship further into space, since they would be compensating for suddenly diminished gravity.

As for Mordred's power up? It's CANON that this can happen, ironically enough. Canon Mordred just hasn't earned Clarent's respect, or gained a throne, resulting in her getting to use the sword's power more fully. And considering it's supposed to be equal to Caliburn, I'm taking it to mean this: "The more Mordred works to be a good King, the better Clarent will work for her, and the stronger the blade will be."

I think Clarent Blood Arthur (the sword beam attack) was actually already A+ rank, and Clarent itself was C rank (due to the stolen kingship stuff, it's usually B, though I'd imagine the combination of effects might boost it higher), so your parameter changes around the NP might be incorrect. Clarent Blood Arthur A+ -> A++, Clarent C -> A- or B+?. Also, does Mana count as a physical parameter for boosting by Clarent, or is that being improved by Erik's nature as a God/Master?

As for the Cosmoreactor, it's letting Erik create things as if he was still a proper, unsealed God. Not that he's realized it... It's also countered his little issue with Mechanical Panoply, letting him use it properly.

Unfortunately for him, however, he doesn't know enough to use more of it than this right now. And hasn't bothered asking MHXX on how to use it more. There's also some other things he hasn't noticed, or realized yet can happen, or might happen...

Yeah, that was why I mentioned 10 Epic Intelligence and "at least 15 legend". I was honestly expecting those "Reactor has had unknown effects." to be more negative, but I guess the other shoe hasn't dropped yet.

[Kieran]

I had to laugh at the end note you wrote into the document... at the very end, to be sure.

I tend to skip the Author's Notes when I'm proofing, so thanks for pointing it out.

46 automatic successes... that's Epic Intelligence 10, right? I can guess what that means. Is that getting added to Epic Intelligence 8 bonuses somehow for the 29, or is there a different conditional bonus of that size I'm not thinking of?

It would be, yes - though it would overwrite the Epic 8 bonuses if that was the case. Scion is crazy, but not that crazy.

The 29 is from his goggles. They're bullshit for more than one reason, after all, and there's a damned good reason why he wears them so damned much when working on building stuff.

And an equally good reason as to why I kept insisting on nerfing them.

Yeah, that was why I mentioned 10 Epic Intelligence and "at least 15 legend". I was honestly expecting those "Reactor has had unknown effects." to be more negative, but I guess the other shoe hasn't dropped yet.

No - but from what I've been told, it will be a doozy . . .

[RanmaBushiko]

When I said "jumped" I meant "via Rainbow Bridge", since you pointed out earlier it's something that didn't come to mind for Erik. In the worst case, given the direction the gravity generators are in, I'd imagine it might shove the ship further into space, since they would be compensating for suddenly diminished gravity.


I think Clarent Blood Arthur (the sword beam attack) was actually already A+ rank, and Clarent itself was C rank (due to the stolen kingship stuff, it's usually B, though I'd imagine the combination of effects might boost it higher), so your parameter changes around the NP might be incorrect. Clarent Blood Arthur A+ -> A++, Clarent C -> A- or B+?. Also, does Mana count as a physical parameter for boosting by Clarent, or is that being improved by Erik's nature as a God/Master?


Yeah, that was why I mentioned 10 Epic Intelligence and "at least 15 legend". I was honestly expecting those "Reactor has had unknown effects." to be more negative, but I guess the other shoe hasn't dropped yet.

In order, yeah, good point. He thought of it, but decided to nto risk crashing the Wolfen. Again. And he has good reasons to think it might happen, considering it's happened once before...

As for Clarent Blood Arthur? It has changed, drastically, as a result of Mordred not having that hate to rely on. If it wasn't for Clarent boosting her abilities, she'd have it be A- right now, if not B+ instead. (Believe me, it took a LONG time to work out how her stats would change, as well as frequent talking with Kieran...)

Clarent itself was C, because it didn't want to dela with Mordred. With the boost to B, it's a start, but if you read the article on Clarent (with translated notes from Nasu, and everything!) on the Type Moon wiki... it's supposed to be equal to Caliburn. Meaning it likely has that same "Boosts the sword's rank, when held by a rightful King". To roughly say it, at least.

I'm tired, I just finished installing Windows 10 after a 48 hour installation from hell, that involved me thinking my computer was completely dead, and freaking out over the thought of spending all my money for the month to repair it. So pardon me if I'm not as eloquent as usual. It's a 75 pound pc, because of the case, since I went for an all metal case like an idiot, and have started discovering the drawbacks to that "brilliant design choice" ever since. I'm tired, and very, VERY sore.

Suffice to say this involved several days of me banging my head against the wall, before realizing that if Clarent was made to be Caliburn's equal, then Clarent has a similar "Upgrades itself as a Noble Phantasm when the king is acting like a proper king" deal, as well.

As for Mana, that's Erik. Technically, if Erik KNEW how to use Magic with Legend, things would be much easier. But even without that knowledge, the potential for it to be used as magic still exists. So Mordred's stats jumped accordingly.

I tend to skip the Author's Notes when I'm proofing, so thanks for pointing it out.

It would be, yes - though it would overwrite the Epic 8 bonuses if that was the case. Scion is crazy, but not that crazy.

And an equally good reason as to why I kept insisting on nerfing them.

No - but from what I've been told, it will be a doozy . . .

I meant for it to be read, so it's fine. *chuckles*

Yeah, Intelligence does overwrite, like that, if a higher stat is added to a lower stat. Technically, the goggles give the equivalent of Arete 8 for crafting. Not "Science!", or "Development!", but Crafting. With a bonus of damage at the cost of horrible migraines, or worse, if he overuses them past his level of legend. And yes, that's why you tended to.

Finally, yes. The Cosmoreactor problems are indeed, a bit of a doozy, for the major ones. Without the user's manual, or MHXX helping, he also doesn't know how to turn it on properly to use it like it could be used, either...

[Kieran]

. . . So, I have a question: in regards to Laeticia's cure, would you all prefer an in-universe solution (such as summoning Medea Lily or Nightingale for their Noble Phantasms, and thus potentially adding them to the Works' roster), or an out-of-universe solution (which could span one or more stories as a plot device)?

[Xamusel]

I personally would like the latter... hopefully it would take a couple stories to do so.

[Arbitrarity]

From my perspective, the problem with the out-of-universe solution is it feels kinda contrived, because a dedicated healing Servant with the right concepts SHOULD beat second-hand poison application. Nightengale I'm less sure about, but Medea Lily literally has "Poisonproof A++" as a skill. Beating a dedicated conceptual counter is incredibly uncommon, and should be out of reach of almost any material, even one with Mystery. A Noble Phantasm might clash, but not a material. I would fully expect Pain Breaker to beat Semiramis's 'room of poison', just like I would expect Avalon to.

It's like damaging Fran with electricity. You might be able to do it with a Noble Phantasm or equivalent, but throwing a plugged-in toaster at her in the bathtub will be entirely ineffective. Hydra venom is especially virulent mythologically, and certainly has been lethal to many heroes, even those with legends about being healers (Chiron), but I would not say that it's been depicted here as entirely impossible to counter. Lethal without immediate or near-immediate semi-mundane treatment, lethal with sufficient exposure, but not incurable. Even saying "but it's really bad exposure and she'd die almost instantly if we unfroze her" doesn't feel that convincing.

Hell, we have Shiki in the Works, and we already have canon precedent for MEoDP beating poison.

However, from a storytelling perspective, cheaply resolving a near-death experience, while it is something that fits the M.O. of the Grail Works universe, can definitely feel unsatisfying. If you come up with an explanation for why we can't summon Medea Lily, and we overlook MEoDP (or it's not an option because of strain), the list of effective counters immediately available drops dramatically. It's a decent plot hook to work with, if you want to use it, but I guess the question is if you have a specific plan for it, and would rather write that than something else, or expect someone else to make good use if it.

The particular parallel I'm thinking of here is Saber's reincarnation. It was interesting for her to be a dragon, and gave you something to work with, but it eventually became unwieldly, and ended up getting resolved off-screen, which was kind of disappointing. Also, "being disabled due to being near-death" doesn't feel like an interesting state to be in, without permanent consequences, since you don't even get fun stuff like Saber's hoard.

So I would say that out-of-universe is an okay choice if you have a specific plan to wrap it up, but I think it might be better to have an imperfect cure and recovery period instead. I'd rather have Laeticia available for at least interacting with Works members, even if she's still extremely injured, than just a statue until a few stories from now.

[Xamusel]

Okay, problem with the use of Shiki and the MEoDP... we don't have Ryougi on board, do we?