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

[Arbitrarity]

Seconded. I confess I was expecting Dracula to maybe last longer in that you could fit in a chapter break, but I guess you need to keep moving the plot along, and coordinating a fight with two different writers would be messy. Darnicula went out really fast to Shirou in the main story as well, so if anything, we had more of a fight here. It's a wonder he didn't have a Reality Marble, though I wouldn't be surprised if the Crimson Stone would give him one. Then again, maybe that fits under "things that would cause the Counter Force to launch Trifas into orbit"

The way Legend interacts in place of/transmuting to prana is interesting. It definitely seems to have a lot more of an emotional component to how it works, which makes sense given how it creates effects like Fatebinding naturally. That's probably also a function of how Mordred's connection with Clarent is changing and they aren't used to it.

I do wonder if Erik gets a bonus from the Cosmoreactor for providing energy to a Saber. Likely going to be expensive either way, if I remember how the costs on Amaterasu's Noble Phantasm worked.

[Kieran]

Seconded.

I'm certain he'll appreciate that.

I confess I was expecting Dracula to maybe last longer in that you could fit in a chapter break, but I guess you need to keep moving the plot along, and coordinating a fight with two different writers would be messy.

A little bit, yes - and personally speaking, things have run a lot longer than I was originally thinking they would as it is . . . That said, there's still a lot to go . . .

Darnicula went out really fast to Shirou in the main story as well, so if anything, we had more of a fight here.

Yup.

It's a wonder he didn't have a Reality Marble, though I wouldn't be surprised if the Crimson Stone would give him one. Then again, maybe that fits under "things that would cause the Counter Force to launch Trifas into orbit"

Absolutely - considering that said "Reality Marble" would likely involve transposing part of the Chaos Dimension onto Earth . . . *Shudders*

The way Legend interacts in place of/transmuting to prana is interesting. It definitely seems to have a lot more of an emotional component to how it works, which makes sense given how it creates effects like Fatebinding naturally. That's probably also a function of how Mordred's connection with Clarent is changing and they aren't used to it.

Entirely possible - I've helped him with it, but only RB really understands the metaphysics here.

I do wonder if Erik gets a bonus from the Cosmoreactor for providing energy to a Saber. Likely going to be expensive either way, if I remember how the costs on Amaterasu's Noble Phantasm worked.

Quite probably.

[RanmaBushiko]

O_O Okay, that was an epic fight, RB.

Glad you like it. Special thanks to Kieran for pointing out the Legacy of Kain series, and then helping me ensure that Dracula's dialogue was right for this.

Seconded. I confess I was expecting Dracula to maybe last longer in that you could fit in a chapter break, but I guess you need to keep moving the plot along, and coordinating a fight with two different writers would be messy. Darnicula went out really fast to Shirou in the main story as well, so if anything, we had more of a fight here. It's a wonder he didn't have a Reality Marble, though I wouldn't be surprised if the Crimson Stone would give him one. Then again, maybe that fits under "things that would cause the Counter Force to launch Trifas into orbit"

The way Legend interacts in place of/transmuting to prana is interesting. It definitely seems to have a lot more of an emotional component to how it works, which makes sense given how it creates effects like Fatebinding naturally. That's probably also a function of how Mordred's connection with Clarent is changing and they aren't used to it.

I do wonder if Erik gets a bonus from the Cosmoreactor for providing energy to a Saber. Likely going to be expensive either way, if I remember how the costs on Amaterasu's Noble Phantasm worked.

In order. Thanks.


Yeah, I thought about making it longer. But as it was, the chapter wound up 24 pages long. There's only so much we can do to drag the fight out, you know? And moving the plot along considering we'd planned on having it done before a year, and it's now past that... yeah, definitely.


Yeah, but at least he made for a good fight, and actually pulled a decent fight off. Apocrypha had a great build up, then a quick, crappy death.


As it is, Kieran and I argued a lot about if he'd be able to summon Ereshkigal as a side effect of Astarte/Ishtar and/or if he could summon other bosses, but he had good points about where Dracula would get the power from, and what the Counter Force would do as a reaction to such things. If he'd succeeded with his plot for Trifas, he would have had enough time to have one or more bosses on that level. But at the same time, he'd have the Counter Force trying to nuke Trifas, send it into orbit, etc.


As for Legend, it's still a little... let's say "glitchy" for Mordred right now, thus her mostly tapping into it when her emotions are running high. She's never used it before, so she's trying to use it like prana, but the emotional component, etc. is added to by Clarent acting as an amplifier for all this. So instead of just getting a faint feeling of dislike, Clarent's actually communicating "HEY! STOP FUCKING UP HERE!" to Mordred a little. Without all that stupidly large amount of legend passing through it, it'll be harder for Clarent to tap into it for stuff like that, but it isn't quite impossible, now that it knows how as well.


Erik's not properly getting a bonus from the Cosmoreactor right now, but it's giving them both energy via protagonist plot armor... technically. Barely. It's still very much a prototype, it's still only half working, and he doesn't exactly understand how to turn it on yet. Because of that, it's only really working for his sword Raika, and the Millenium Falcon copy.

More literally, right now, instead of giving Erik crit stars giving extra damage ala F/GO, it tried to give them a legend refill the last time it went on, and flooded Mordred with everything Erik should have had as a reserve, but didn't have the capacity for since he'd already recharged.

Keep in mind, that, as we've figured out. 1. It gives different abilities according to different settings, but in F/GO gives a 10/8% crit star increase. 2. It's literally protagonist powers. And 3. It produces more power, the more desperate a situation the person using it is in...

It's effectively a half trolling prototype reactor that only really helps when the person actually needs it most, not when they want it.

And in this case? Erik woke it up and turned it mostly on by plugging himself into the Gem of Power, letting it recharge him fully... only for the Cosmoreactor to attempt to do the same thing. And since Erik was already full, it all went to Mordred instead. My, it worked out so well, it's almost like the prototype planned for it...

I'm certain he'll appreciate that.

I do.

A little bit, yes - and personally speaking, things have run a lot longer than I was originally thinking they would as it is . . . That said, there's still a lot to go . . .

We're closing in on the end, though!

Yup.

Thankfully, too. It was what? 5 minutes in the anime? 8? Compared to the multiple chapters you all got, and the 24 page last chapter involving him facing off with Mordred for a good and proper throwdown... canon Darnicula got shafted.

Absolutely - considering that said "Reality Marble" would likely involve transposing part of the Chaos Dimension onto Earth . . . *Shudders*

Yeah. Exactly.

Entirely possible - I've helped him with it, but only RB really understands the metaphysics here.

Yeah. It helps that I study Ki manipulation in real life, and have studied alternate energy manipulation sources from the astral plane. A lot. And how they can affect the mind. And a lot of people I've met, and taught, have all tried different techniques that influence the mind, sometimes slightly... and sometimes horribly so. It helps that I've had over two decades of experience with experimenting with Ki, as well as other different energy sources and styles of manipulation after I got a firm solid foundation with Ki manipulation.

[Kieran]

Glad you like it. Special thanks to Kieran for pointing out the Legacy of Kain series, and then helping me ensure that Dracula's dialogue was right for this.

You are, of course, very welcome.

Yeah, I thought about making it longer. But as it was, the chapter wound up 24 pages long. There's only so much we can do to drag the fight out, you know? And moving the plot along considering we'd planned on having it done before a year, and it's now past that... yeah, definitely.

And if we're having to drag it out, there's a problem, somewhere; it's one thing if the fight just actually takes that long to get through, but if we need to make a deliberate effort to pad it, then . . .

The hope is that, however long it actually ends up, it seems like a worthwhile effort. If we've managed that, then I'm happy, at least.

Yeah, but at least he made for a good fight, and actually pulled a decent fight off. Apocrypha had a great build up, then a quick, crappy death.

Truer words were never written. In fact, that could almost describes every fight in the series (certainly every major one), and definitely describes the series as a whole.

As it is, Kieran and I argued a lot about if he'd be able to summon Ereshkigal as a side effect of Astarte/Ishtar and/or if he could summon other bosses, but he had good points about where Dracula would get the power from, and what the Counter Force would do as a reaction to such things. If he'd succeeded with his plot for Trifas, he would have had enough time to have one or more bosses on that level. But at the same time, he'd have the Counter Force trying to nuke Trifas, send it into orbit, etc.

Basically, yes. Despite all the disparate elements at the moment, this is a TYPE-MOON world, and largely operates on those rules - it's just that all the interlopers have ways around them.

But even then, only to a point. Given all the things Gaia tolerates (Alaya, too) as a general rule, they can get away with things - but push too hard, force Gaia or Alaya to really pay attention, and the hammer will come down. The trick is figuring out exactly where the line is - and making sure neither of us crosses it.

As for Legend, it's still a little... let's say "glitchy" for Mordred right now, thus her mostly tapping into it when her emotions are running high. She's never used it before, so she's trying to use it like prana, but the emotional component, etc. is added to by Clarent acting as an amplifier for all this. So instead of just getting a faint feeling of dislike, Clarent's actually communicating "HEY! STOP FUCKING UP HERE!" to Mordred a little. Without all that stupidly large amount of legend passing through it, it'll be harder for Clarent to tap into it for stuff like that, but it isn't quite impossible, now that it knows how as well.

For reference, my interpretation is that it's a largely conceptual energy; unlike Essence, it doesn't really have a physical form. Something like the energies that power the Church's sacraments, in that respect? And it uses it to etch things into the World's Foundation/Order, if I understand the Nasurian concepts correctly; the limitation is that once done, it tends to reinforce itself by repeating previously-trod patterns. (For example, Erik is now officially the Lord of the Interrupted Moment, because he's established that as an aspect of his Legend in this world. )

We're closing in on the end, though!

Such is the hope.

Thankfully, too. It was what? 5 minutes in the anime? 8? Compared to the multiple chapters you all got, and the 24 page last chapter involving him facing off with Mordred for a good and proper throwdown... canon Darnicula got shafted.

He got shafted no matter how you look at it - all that buildup in canon (which includes kicking the crap out of multiple Servants simultaneously), to get tossed down in about fifteen seconds? Yes, he had a weakness to holy things; which means that after the first hit, he should've actually attempted to dodge, and kill the priest . . . *Exhales* But I'm rambling. Never mind me.

(Even if Darnicula really should have, as well; Shirou could keep up with Fran, in the anime; one of the newest and weakest Heroic Spirits - that does not equate with easily matching a threat that kept up with four MUCH more powerful ones . . . Sorry, rambling - but that whole sequence just really annoys me.)

[Xamusel]

Who's going to upload the next chapter onto this thread? Just as a matter of curiosity.

[Kieran]

Probably me . . .? I know I have a "next bit" in the works (pardon the pun), at least. And I suspect RB is waiting on me before doing anything else.

. . . It's just taking a while, as I'm now running our weekly game session; which requires no small amount of prep work, I'm afraid - it's fun, but distracting.

[Xamusel]

Okay, Kieran, just checking.

[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.






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








“Well . . .” Ilya said uncertainly, “that happened.”

She drew looks from the rest of the gathered females—specifically, Akiha Tohno, Sakura Matou, Rider, Hisui Fujou (and once more, the Einzbern heiress wondered at the surname—she’d swear there was a magus lineage by that name) . . .

All they needed was Arcueid’s presence, and they’d have the entire “Council of Little Sisters,” as a certain half-drow druid (at the time) had jokingly called them, present. Not that anyone besides him had ever called them that (and never again within earshot of Akiha), but Ilya, for her part, kind of liked it—and it did fit. After all, Rider was a younger sister, if not precisely little, as was Arcueid (even if she never talked about her family); and she might really be the older sister, but she had adopted Shirou as her onii-chan . . .

(Besides, she was technically omnipresent and running the place—she belonged in all groups by default. That was her excuse, anyways, and she was sticking to it.)

Regardless, having brought it to their collective attention, Ilya spent several minutes bringing them up to speed—helped by the fact that she could project scenes as they’d happened to do so. After she’d caught them up to the specific moment she’d been referring to, Ilya saw several expressions whose uncertainty and unease matched her own—and one whose expression decidedly did not.

“. . . My apologies for the assumption,” Akiha said, in a polite tone that gradually grew colder as she continued speaking, “but he was about to reveal our existence, was he not—despite being the one who was most adamant about the potential risks of doing so? Dangers from both elements on our own world with less-than-benign motives, as well as exposing ourselves and the world at large to those which are far more dangerous?”

“He was,” Ilya allowed, “as regards the second part of that statement. As to the first—”

“I cannot fathom what other conclusion he might have been leading to,” the Tohno heiress pointed out. “In which case, I have to question whether it’s in our best interests to continue to allow him to work ‘in the field’—or indeed, to associate with him at all?”

“Perhaps such a reaction is unnecessary, Akiha-sama . . .?” Hisui offered.

She sounded uncertain, which was something of a novelty when considering the maid’s usual surety of purpose and professional demeanor. She’d most often reminded Ilya of a younger, more colourful Sella.

In response to the question, the noble girl shrugged noncommittally. “I have no real history of interaction with him; my ability to judge is therefore limited. I know that he was initially a client whose appearance and nature would not allow him to return to his home—”

“Later revealed as a plot of outside factors, and since concluded satisfactorily,” Ilya pointed out.

“His efforts to aid our collective cause since then have been erratic in their effectiveness, as I understand it,” Akiha continued.

“That was one spell,” Ilya pointed out, “which relied entirely on random chance, and was influenced by the subject’s own karma. Really, I think Saber overreacted, there—she was still capable of taking on a human form, after all.”

From the corner, Rider made a noise of acknowledgement that might be construed as agreement. Her experience was somewhat different, after all; she’d become a monster, yes (much like Saber had seen herself, afterwards), but she was never human. How the Servant might react to the ability to become human, to shunt those troubling aspects of her nature away, Ilya could only imagine. Given the choice, she might even prefer to become a dragon over the Gorgon—at least certain species could be reasoned with, even benevolent, as opposed to being uniformly mindless, bloodthirsty monsters.

“He was good at healing magic,” Sakura offered. “Nee-san grumbled about how it took her an expensive jewel containing ten years’ worth of prana to restore Sempai during the War, after Lancer . . .” She trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence, instead saying, “And according to that ‘rulebook,’ Kurai could do the same thing up to eight times a day.

“She muttered something about ‘stupid Age of the Gods magicians who don’t realise how good they have it,’ I think—she was kind of hard to understand,” the purple-haired human said apologetically. “I wondered if maybe she’d been drinking, but from what she did say, I don’t think she’d started yet.”

“My onee-san said he worked wonders with her herb garden, too,” Hisui said hesitantly. “He was ‘quite knowledgeable about exotic breeds,’ I believe were her exact words.”

“All right,” Akiha allowed, “so his prior incarnation was useful—”

“Even if he regarded modern society and the state of the environment as being a literal living hell, by his religion’s standards,” Ilya pointed out.

“At least, in a limited capacity,” the heiress finished, as though the Grail spirit hadn’t interrupted her, following up with, “I understand, however, that his present circumstances are different . . .?”

“He hasn’t given us much information, mostly due to lack of time,” Ilya began, “but the summary is that he’s now a divinely-empowered shapechanger with a two- to three-thousand-year lifespan.”

“. . . Which could be potentially problematic,” Akiha allowed, after a moment’s thought. “One would think that the former quality would mitigate the problems with the latter, but if it is at all quantifiable on a genetic level . . .?”

It had been an early worry of hers, back in the days when she’d first learned about viruses and mutation in health class; the idea that her unique bloodline could, for example, warp a strain of the common cold into something far worse. Thankfully, her father had clarified that the Tohno bloodline was only partially beholden to the rules of genetics, being as much or more a spiritual phenomenon as a physical one.

It explained many things about her nature; for example, how she’d easily been able (at six!) to splinter her life force, and graft it to Shiki . . .

“I don’t know,” Ilya said. “Though from the easy familiarity he had when speaking of ‘Lunar Exalts,’ I expect that he does.”

“Which is at least partially why we retained his services in the first place,” the Japanese heiress acknowledged, “but more an argument for keeping him confined to base, acting as an information hub and mission coordinator.”

“Trying to give him my job, Tohno-san?” the Grail spirit inquired archly.

“Merely, as I said, attempting to justify the risks of our continuing association, based on his past and current behaviour,” Akiha replied frostily. “If he cannot be trusted to operate professionally outside the office, and is redundant within it, then—”

“But he’s doing what Sempai wants!”

Sakura reddened as all eyes turned to her, but didn’t apologise for her outburst. Instead, she pressed on—albeit in a quieter tone, and without looking up from the tea table.

“That girl is at the end of her rope. The organisation she belonged to has cast her out—yes, she seceded along with her family, but the Clock Tower won’t welcome her back if she tries to claim a change of heart. On top of that, her family head has betrayed her, and whether he intended to from the beginning or not is almost irrelevant now—she’s lost the backing and support that was shielding her from reprisals by the Association. They’ll want an example to be made, so that other, more well-connected and powerful magus bloodlines don’t think to try the same thing; and as the Yggdmillennia heir, she’s the highest-ranking survivor left.

“It doesn’t matter that there are older, more experienced magi involved,” Sakura said. “She has the title; in their world, that makes her the prize—or at least, the biggest, most visible target.”

“She’s right,” Ilya said solemnly. “My family had to do some politicking, after the Fourth War, to protect Onii-chan from reprisals for Daddy’s actions—because he was an Emiya, after all. The last one left.”

Left unspoken was the fact that the Einzberns had done so because she wanted to punish him herself, and Ilya was not about to lose that target for her outrage to idiots who’d only lost someone stupid enough to compete against her father in the Holy Grail War. It was history, and largely irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

“Even the original order of events, as he told them to me, would likely end in her dying,” the Grail spirit said thoughtfully.

At multiple puzzled looks, she explained, “She was supposed to get her magic circuits removed, so that she could walk again, and live as a normal girl. And of course, even though there are the deaths of at least fifty Enforcers to account for, no magus would be so petty as to kill a normal girl for crimes she had either an unwitting or unwilling part in . . .”

At that last part, Ilya’s tone was so dry it should’ve instantly evaporated the tea in the room. More tellingly, none of them attempted to refute her statement. Sakura, Akiha and Hisui had no experience with the Clock Tower, specifically, but more than enough with magi (in the former case) and supernaturally-charged political manoeuvring (in the latter two) to agree with her point of view. Rider’s view of humanity in general was just as negative; unlike some Servants, she hadn’t turned into an omnicidal monster for the fun of it.

“. . . They would want to make certain that, if nothing else, she didn’t let anything slip,” Akiha allowed. “At the very least, memory erasure—that is a function that both the Association and the Church can perform, if I recall correctly . . .?”

Ilya nodded. “And they might let her marry into another established bloodline—without her circuits, she’s useless as a magus, but as breeding stock . . .”

Scowls went around the room.

“Even then, though,” Ilya said dispassionately, “she’d have to both possess some remarkable biological potential, like high-quality or high-quantity circuits, or a Sorcery Trait, as well as marry into a family with enough influence to weather potential reprisals.”

She shrugged. “Compared to what Yggdmillennia did, and what I know of her, I really don’t see it happening.”

“. . . Which brings me back to my point,” Sakura said gently. “She has nothing; just her fiancé—whom they both know that can’t protect her—and whether she realises it or not, that’s a lie, too.” Her face fell as she added that last, before she continued in a near-murmur, “Short of actually winning the Grail for herself, and wishing just right—which at this point will be almost impossible to accomplish—she has no way out, and no hope of one . . .

“And when that happens to someone,” she challenged them, staring at Akiha specifically, “a Door is supposed to always be open for them.”

“He’s just jumpstarting the process—offering it before she hits the absolutely lowest point,” Ilya mused aloud. “I didn’t consider it that way . . .”

“And there’s some merit to the position,” Akiha allowed, after a moment’s thought. “In light of such mitigating circumstances, I’m prepared to allow that the action be set aside—this time. Nevertheless, I think it worthwhile to consider the long-term practicality of allowing our continued association, because if circumstances like these are going to be commonplace when dealing with him, then however useful he may be, he may also be a liability we cannot afford.”

“. . . Well, according to his Servant, we’re probably stuck with him for at least one more mission,” Ilya teased. “After all, he still has to travel to her universe, and then go back in time to deal with her past self, for whatever reason . . .”

Akiha stared at the Grail spirit in disbelieving silence for almost a full minute. Finally, she ground out four words in response.

“I rest my case.”








Later, Ilya sought out Akiha alone, curious.

“You pushed rather hard for his expulsion,” the Grail spirit remarked. “That’s kind of odd, considering you haven’t interacted with him much; really, you barely know him at all. . .”

“It was what I believe Tohsaka-san would have argued,” Akiha said simply. “Of all the ‘magi’ in the group, she strikes me as being the most practical. And in her absence, among the company we were in, it simply fell to me to be—‘the devil’s advocate,’ I believe is the phrase.”

Ilya mentally allowed that. Hisui was unlikely to voice an opinion that disagreed with her mistress, Sakura was devoted to Onii-chan (and his wishes, by extension), Rider was Sakura’s Hisui, and she didn’t really care . . . And of them all, Rin would probably take the most logical, pragmatic view of the situation surrounding their client of many names and existences, even if she’d likely be outvoted.

“For what it’s worth, I truly do believe this is a concern we should address,” the heiress continued. “I simply have no personal stake in this, beyond how it affects the organisation as a whole.”

Ilya nodded, before returning her attention to the situation. The nice thing about being halfway onto a higher plane of existence and anchored in a faerie dimension was that you could play games with relativistic time and your perception of it, if you knew how—as such, she could spend a while having discussions like these, and still pick up on events in the mission timeline exactly when she’d left off viewing it . . .








Tokyo International Airport
July 5, 2004







Astraea was aware of what was going on around her. Under the current circumstances—both in terms of the time and of her nature—she was aware of nearly everything. She simply chose to pay her present surroundings no mind. It wasn’t pertinent to her mission; and beneath her notice in general, anyways.

(Strangely, her host seemed to agree with the attitude in general.)

Instead, she focussed on the War—and the stars . . .

Justice was her purview, of course; it was part of why she’d been selected for the Ruler class. However, as her name implied, Astraea was also a goddess of the stars. At first glance, the two did not seem, perhaps, to have much in common. However, when one considered the poetic saying, “The night has a thousand eyes,” the connection became more easily apparent.

In her capacity as a goddess, all that took place within the hours of darkness—those acts that humans wished to have concealed—were hers to see, and judge. As a Ruler, this vision essentially functioned as consequence of her natural Authority, and in the same capacity as Revelations had for Jeanne d’Arc, albeit in a more restricted capacity than she was used to. As a Servant, Pseudo- or otherwise, Astraea was far less than she’d been as a deity; this was not a complaint, simply fact. However, given that its focus was on Trifas and its Grail War in general, that was sufficient for her purposes.

Likewise, the Grail’s information package on the War itself had included records of Jeanne d’Arc’s tenure; this provided much-needed context for what she could see—even as it made those sights all the more alarming.

The incursion of a foreign Divine Spirit, one apparently outside of Gaia’s influence, would have been bad enough; that there was also apparently a Ruler who had abandoned their calling? Unforgivable! And this one had not only attempted to usurp her predecessor’s authority, but had, through means of his Servant, actually slain her?!

Oh, yes—Shirou Amakusa Tokisada was very high on her list of people to deal with. Though she had little doubt how the scales would be balanced in his case, he would face them, and she would weigh him, nevertheless; then, she was certain, he would face her sword . . .

. . . But he was hardly the only issue with this Great Holy Grail War; still, arguably the only one who vied for Tokisada’s position as her primary target was the Divine Spirit and his entourage. Whatever he’d intended, his appearance, to say nothing of his efforts, had brought chaos into the War; most obviously, though not limited to, the manifestation of “Castlevania” . . .

The other major target she could see was the other irregular Servant class, and her Master—the first, for what she represented (the Grail’s data on Foreigners was not pleasant), and the second, for what he was: to wit, a traitor. To the Grail War Ritual as a whole, to his faction, to his Servant—he had entered the War with no intention of participating, essentially, and that was as great a violation of the spirit of the rules as any of the others’ literal violations!

Moreover, from what the night and Jeanne had gleaned of him, he positively reeked of secrets; even at a distance, he struck Astraea as the sort of slimy, scheming type that thought themselves oh-so-clever as they sowed destruction and discord all about them, little caring about the costs of their plans. No doubt, he had some “brilliant” plot afoot, like Tokisada, just waiting to rain ruin and devastation on the common people, whilst he sought the kind of thing the theoi had punished mankind for from their inception.

Astraea would force him upon her scales, let all those secrets weigh him down—and pry them out of him with her sword, if necessary, until the pans balanced out.

Inasmuch as she was meant to be impartial (and her honour as a goddess demanded that she live up to that), she found that a small part of her was nevertheless looking forward to that—

“There you are,” her host’s sister said, in a relieved tone. “The pilot contacted me, when he couldn’t find you—”

(A lie,) Astraea’s divine senses informed her, causing her to frown. (She told the pilot to route all communication through her, rather than me.)

A minor, but forgivable offence, the Roman goddess decided. After all, she didn’t really want to bother with anything not directly related to the Holy Grail War—and the gods had employed priestesses for just such purposes. Astraea herself had been no exception.

“The good news is, the plane’s ready to go,” the mortal said in an apologetic tone. “The bad news is, incoming weather conditions have grounded all outgoing flights for at least the next twelve hours.”

“. . .WHAT?!”








Writer's Notes: Apologies for any errors I missed - 90% of this ended up being written today, so it's a bit rushed. Nevertheless, enjoy!

[Xamusel]

Kieran? What's your overall plan for Luvia/Astraea?

[Kieran]

A secret, of course!

[RanmaBushiko]

Kieran? What's your overall plan for Luvia/Astraea?

In the Immortal Words of Xelloss Metallium: "Sore Wa Himitsu Desu!"

And, since Kieran didn't remember to ask... why do you ask? Were you wanting anything for us to plan? Any ideas, etc?

We're open to suggestions, you know.

[Xamusel]

My suggestion, as it so happens to be, is that Astraea arrives too late to do her job. I mean, you guys had her try to catch a flight that was delayed by 12 hours already, what's another delay going to do to her day?

If that's not feasible, well, I'll think of something.

[Kieran]

Possibly . . .

Amusingly, if I was looking to add her to the Works, I'd prefer Astraea over Luvia; I spent the weekend re-watching the first season of Prisma Illya, and I'd forgotten how much of a bitch Luvia actually is in that one. Yeah, it's played for laughs, but Astraea is much more reasonable . . . Heck, the Lord El-Melloi II Case Files version of Luvia is more reasonable (-ish) than the "noblewoman" who can't seem to go more than thirty seconds without insulting someone.

And with the benefit of hindsight (and more accurately, a much-expanded universe since Prisma Illya's inception), Luvia's inclusion makes far less sense; sending Rin to recover the Class Cards is understandable, since she's a native of the area (and potentially its Second Owner, maybe?) - she'd have the home field advantage. If one had to partner her with someone, Gray would be more logical: she has a Noble Phantasm of her own to counter the Class Cards, and is versed in "Anti-Spirit Combat," which in theory also applies (crap - I think I just imagined an AU story . . . ).

. . . In any case, the idea of adding Luvia to the Works, if that's what you were wondering, has the usual "Clock Tower" issues I've mentioned before - and Astraea is astronomically more complicated (pun intended), because she might be less of a personality clash (maybe), but has all of Luvia's other issues tacked on in her wake.

[Xamusel]

I'm fine if she's not in the Works, guys, just as a heads up.

[Arbitrarity]

I cannot help but feel like the "Imouto Council" is a terrible and dangerous thing. I am getting distinctly Sidereal Great Curse vibes. The 3-4 way conversation can make it a bit difficult to follow who's speaking sometimes, particularly with multi-paragraph quotes, though it's mostly manageable.

“He was good at healing magic,” Sakura offered. “Nee-san grumbled about how it took her an expensive jewel containing ten years’ worth of prana to restore Sempai during the War, after Lancer . . .” She trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence, instead saying, “And according to that ‘rulebook,’ Kurai could do the same thing up to eight times a day.

“She muttered something about ‘stupid Age of the Gods magicians who don’t realise how good they have it,’ I think—she was kind of hard to understand,” the purple-haired human said apologetically. “I wondered if maybe she’d been drinking, but from what she did say, I don’t think she’d started yet.”

This is simultaneously really impressive to me grammatically, yet somewhat difficult to follow. Apparently there's a rule when making multi-paragraph quotes from one speaker to not close their dialogue with an end quote, yet start the next paragraph with one? Fascinating. I'm not really sure how to make this easier to parse, I'm just interested because I've never explicitly noticed this before, and most of the time when it happens, it's in two-person dialogue, which makes it less troublesome to follow.
Is Ilya referring to Akiha alternately as "Akiha-sama" and "Tohno-san" meaningful based on the conversation flow (i.e. implying somewhat less formality and respectfulness)?

Akiha also does not like time loops or other bizarre circumstances that follow in Kurai's wake. Understandable.

My goodness, Kurai is getting a lot of hate today. I'm not entirely sure if being judged is going to be an issue for him, since he's usually pure enough in motive, but if secrets in general, or hubris are negatives, he might be in trouble. Then again, his entire "what man was not meant to know" thing might help him out a bit there. Erik, on the other hand, seems much more likely to get suplexed into the Far Side of the World.

I'm not sure it makes sense to send Gray recovering Class Cards. Rin and Luvia are there because Zelretch specifically sent them, and they're apprenticed to him, so he doesn't really have to pull any strings or owe any favors to make them do it. Also, he's likely trying to teach them a lesson about friendship or something. Zelretch would have to borrow Gray from Lord El Melloi, or ask them both to go. Also, then we're not likely to actually get Ruby and Sapphire running away from their wielders, since I doubt Rin and Gray would bicker nearly as much.

[Kieran]

I'm fine if she's not in the Works, guys, just as a heads up.

Noted.

I cannot help but feel like the "Imouto Council" is a terrible and dangerous thing. I am getting distinctly Sidereal Great Curse vibes.

The 3-4 way conversation can make it a bit difficult to follow who's speaking sometimes, particularly with multi-paragraph quotes, though it's mostly manageable.

Apologies - I did try. I'm never sure exactly how many lines the site will translate my paragraphs to, so I split them to be on the safe side.

This is simultaneously really impressive to me grammatically, yet somewhat difficult to follow. Apparently there's a rule when making multi-paragraph quotes from one speaker to not close their dialogue with an end quote, yet start the next paragraph with one? Fascinating. I'm not really sure how to make this easier to parse, I'm just interested because I've never explicitly noticed this before, and most of the time when it happens, it's in two-person dialogue, which makes it less troublesome to follow.

I'm not sure it's a rule, precisely - but it's a technique I've noticed in novels going back half a century or so, so I assume it's one of those rules they don't actually teach you about in school.

Is Ilya referring to Akiha alternately as "Akiha-sama" and "Tohno-san" meaningful based on the conversation flow (i.e. implying somewhat less formality and respectfulness)?

More likely I lost track of which I was using halfway through - remember, I did say this was rushed . . .

Akiha also does not like time loops or other bizarre circumstances that follow in Kurai's wake. Understandable.

Yes - I thought that, apart from Rin, she'd be the most vocal about it, and so . . . *Shrugs* Besides, I've largely been ignoring the Tsukihime cast over the last couple of fics, so why not?

My goodness, Kurai is getting a lot of hate today.

Well, it's not personal, but you have to admit that he's caused a fair bit of disruption. Not intentionally, necessarily, but it's still happened. And as I said to RB, Astraea's main job is to run the Grail War according to the rules - and who are the biggest threats to having that happen . . .?

Though to be fair, he's still only Number Three on her list . . .

I'm not entirely sure if being judged is going to be an issue for him, since he's usually pure enough in motive, but if secrets in general, or hubris are negatives, he might be in trouble.

Well, as she's of the Roman pantheon, the latter is a definite "yes."

Then again, his entire "what man was not meant to know" thing might help him out a bit there.

Possibly.

Erik, on the other hand, seems much more likely to get suplexed into the Far Side of the World.

. . . And there's an image that has me grinning wildly.

I'm not sure it makes sense to send Gray recovering Class Cards. Rin and Luvia are there because Zelretch specifically sent them, and they're apprenticed to him, so he doesn't really have to pull any strings or owe any favors to make them do it. Also, he's likely trying to teach them a lesson about friendship or something. Zelretch would have to borrow Gray from Lord El Melloi, or ask them both to go.

Fair point.

Also, then we're not likely to actually get Ruby and Sapphire running away from their wielders, since I doubt Rin and Gray would bicker nearly as much.

Fairer point.

[Arbitrarity]

I'm not sure it's a rule, precisely - but it's a technique I've noticed in novels going back half a century or so, so I assume it's one of those rules they don't actually teach you about in school.

Yeah, I found it after searching for a while, it's apparently the established way to do it. It feels unnatural to me, but that's because I don't like mismatched quotation marks.

More likely I lost track of which I was using halfway through - remember, I did say this was rushed . . .

I do feel like switching made some sense given the context of Ilya being more irate, I just wasn't sure if there were other possibly meaningful implications there. Forgetting does seem more likely.

Yes - I thought that, apart from Rin, she'd be the most vocal about it, and so . . . *Shrugs* Besides, I've largely been ignoring the Tsukihime cast over the last couple of fics, so why not?

So has Nasu, which is sad. Sacchin wants her route.

Well, as she's of the Roman pantheon, the latter is a definite "yes."

Hubris is always the good one.

. . . And there's an image that has me grinning wildly.

JUSTICE FOR TRAIN-KUN. SUPLEXES FOR ALL.

Fairer point.

It does sound like a fun AU, but I can't figure out how you get the Kaleidosticks to run away. You could have Ruby run away from Rin on general principles and find Ilya still, and have Gray and Waver find Miyu and take her in because they're just nice people, and maybe Waver has Sapphire and isn't using it? That seems most reasonable, of the options. I'm also not sure if Kay would get along with Kaleidosticks. Also, the metaphysical implications of Rhongomyniad in that setting seem much more interesting that normal.

[Kieran]

Yeah, I found it after searching for a while, it's apparently the established way to do it. It feels unnatural to me, but that's because I don't like mismatched quotation marks.

It used to throw me, too - I remember initially thinking it was a printing error, years ago - but you get used to it. It is handy, when paragraphs run on too long; I was taught that they should never be more than ten lines (which the site apparently translates to five, but not always).

I do feel like switching made some sense given the context of Ilya being more irate, I just wasn't sure if there were other possibly meaningful implications there. Forgetting does seem more likely.

I vaguely recall thinking about it that way at one point, so I likely made some effort to follow up, but I don't want to take credit for what's possibly a sheer fluke.

So has Nasu, which is sad. Sacchin wants her route.

And she's just the head of the line - the rest of us who want her route are right behind her.

Hubris is always the good one.

Metaphorically speaking, anyways. Historically, on the other hand, it's rarely worked out in the possessor's favour . . .

JUSTICE FOR TRAIN-KUN. SUPLEXES FOR ALL.

I just about died at that; thank you.

It does sound like a fun AU, but I can't figure out how you get the Kaleidosticks to run away. You could have Ruby run away from Rin on general principles and find Ilya still, and have Gray and Waver find Miyu and take her in because they're just nice people, and maybe Waver has Sapphire and isn't using it? That seems most reasonable, of the options. I'm also not sure if Kay would get along with Kaleidosticks.

Either that, or it's just Ruby; given that Gray has Add, adding a second Kaleidostick might seem like overkill - and he'd certainly dislike Ruby's constant attempts to bait his wielder into becoming a Magical Girl ("Because you fit the theme so might better than certain other people . . .!"), and might actually drive her off himself . . .

Also, the metaphysical implications of Rhongomyniad in that setting seem much more interesting that normal.

Given the issues with Fuyuki's leylines, their cause, and Rhongomyniad's metaphorical (or actual) purpose . . .? Yes, it could be.

[RanmaBushiko]

I blame that "Justice for Train-Kun! Suplexes for all!" line for this...

Fate/Anarchy Omake: Train-kun's Justice



Erik sighs, standing in the ruins of Trifas. He looks upwards, towards the half ruined wreck of his Wolfen, before he starts waving it down to park in the ruined city.



The sound of footsteps approaching leaves him pausing, and turning to stare.



Sakura Matou, and Rin Tohsaka, following what looks like Luvia Edefelt...? No, she's radiating too much divine power for that.



"Ahem,” the Luvia-knockoff clears her throat imperiously, her arms folded as she announces, “As the replacement Ruler for this Grail War, I will have WORDS with you, foreign God."
"Lady,” Erik protests, simply looking exhausted, “I just got back from having to duke it out with a Ruler who quit his job, as well as his Servant, and his Servant's bullshit floating island with death lasers—could we table whatever your problem is until after I get my Wolfen down for repairs...?"



"Hmph—Justice waits for no man, woman, or God!” the Ruler declares. “And as Astraea, Servant Ruler, I shall see you dealt with here and now!” As he opens his mouth to protest, she adds accusingly, “For you have destroyed many things—especially Train-kun!"



Erik’s arguments (and indeed, almost all mental processes) come to an abrupt and total halt. He blinks, trying to parse that statement, and ends up just staring at Astraea. "Bwah?"



"Yes! Train-kun! The train that you threw into that floating island earlier! The one that died wondering why you sacrificed it!" Astraea shouts, her voice rising from being merely loud to a truly thunderous volume as she proclaims "VENGEANCE HAS COME FOR TRAIN-KUN, AND IT SHALL NOT BE DENIED!"



Before Erik can react he's in her arms, as she launches herself up and prepares to suplex him into the ground headfirst.



"I DON'T THINK SO!" Erik shouts, as he disappears from her grip, only to grab her from the back of her neck.



"OH NO, YOU DON'T!" Astraea shouts back, as she deftly slips out of his grasp, and pulls him into her hold once more.



They both rise higher and higher into the air, each desperately moving in and out of the other's attempts to suplex their opponent into the ground first.



"YIELD GRACEFULLY,” Astraea shouts, “FOR THE JUDGEMENT OF THE DIVINE IS INESCAPABLE!"
Even as she attempts to shatter his eardrums (or possibly cause his lunch to self-eject), Erik glances at the Wolfen, far down below.



"METAL GEAR REX, MK3! I CHOOSE YOU!" Erik screams back, as the mech appears over them both.



“WHAT?!” Astraea screams, as she desperately tries to get Erik below her, as the mech settles on top of them both. "NO FAIR, USING A GIANT THING LIKE THIS! I WILL END YOU, FOR JUSTICE!"
"And for my next trick, I shall...!" Erik pauses, as the sound of the Cosmoreactor in his chest makes a very familiar “hyperdrive failing” noise. "WHY AM I OUT OF LEGEND NOW?!"



Moments later, his belt glows slightly as a slight trickle of Legend returns to him, as he thinks of a plan.



"AHA! JUSTICE, AS EVER, IS ON MY SIDE—NOW, SEIYA!" Astraea screams, as they both descend towards the lake near Trifas.



With all his strength, Erik slowly forces Astraea's grip to slacken, as they get closer and closer to the lake below... And then they crash into the water with such force that it might as well be concrete, plunging down into the murky depths below.



That's when he makes his move, as they both slam into the lakebed equally, Astraea shaking from the strain of having fallen that far, just as much as Erik is from being suplexed like that. Then she freezes; literally, as everything but her head is covered in a block of pykrete, and Erik starts swimming as fast as he can.



"CUSTOS MOROM!"



The scream is garbled underwater, as a massive set of scales slowly form beneath her and Erik, raising them up from the lake bed. The ice starts breaking around her, as her grin widens.



"Let us measure your sins—"



CRUNCH



And, in perfect accord with the Olympian propensity for divine punishment against hubris (or perhaps it’s simply an expression of Luvia’s usual luck when she chooses to show off anywhere within the vicinity of Tohsaka Rin), the Metal Gear Rex MK3 picks that moment to land on her.




3 minutes later.



Erik sits in front of a pissed off Astraea both dripping wet, with Astraea covered up to the neck in thick layers of pykerete while looking angry for a change. "Now, do you want to talk things out, or shall I introduce you to Mr. Pykrete Gag again?"



"Oi, Master!” Mordred shouts, a wide grin on her face. “Can I watch her get crushed by your Mech again?!"
"Only if she tries to suplex me again, Mordred!” Erik calls back, before turning to ask Astraea, “Now, will you behave?" As the Ruler slowly nods, he pulls the pykrete gag out of her mouth.



"Aha! FOOL! BY THE POWER OF MY COMMAND SPELL, MO—"
Her attempts are ended by the gag going back in.



"Bad Ruler,” Erik scolds her. “No talking for you until you sign a Geas oath to not try that sort of shit."



5 minutes later...



“AGAIN?!” Erik snarls, as he zaps her with Raika, using the blade's crackling electricity to knock Astraea out. “Good grief, you're persistent! Another pykrete prison for you, and this time, let's make it thicker...”



10 minutes later...



“AHA! MY HEAD IS AGAIN FREE, and now you shall—MMMPH!”






20 minutes later...



“Bythepowerofmycommandspell,Mordred,suplex your mas-MMMPH!” Astraea's countered by Mordred grabbing her tongue, and shoving the gag back in.



“No, I'm not going to suplex Erik,” Mordred glares at Astraea. “Will you stop, or do I get to chop your tongue off with Clarent? You already suplexed him once, and got a mech dropped on you for the trouble. Why push it harder?”



“Am I seriously going to have to coat her in metal, or something, to get her to QUIT?” Erik mutters.



“Maybe, Erik. Maybe...” Mordred mutters, as they resume watching over Astraea for her next attempt at getting free and hurting him again.












“Dear?” Erik walks over to Tamamo, a hogtied Astraea carried on one shoulder. The chains holding her are elaborate things, obviously made well.



“Yes dear?” Tamamo looks back with a smile that turns wide. “Oh, a present?”



“She's been trying to get to suplex me after managing to do it once. She's a ruler, but she keeps trying to use Command Spells to get others to suplex me, as well. Would you do something about her?” Erik asks, no smile on his face.



“Well. I suppose I can help out a little bit. Maybe if we start with something from Aunt and Uncle Inari...” Tamamo muses.



Erik shudders.

“I thought we weren't going to speak about that incident, dear?”



Tamamo winces as well. “A point, but we need something to disable her from getting out. Maybe a temporary sex change will do it?”



“MMMMMPH!” Astraea starts shaking her head, desperately.



“I mean, I could leave her tied up, helpless, unable to escape for a few days, instead...” Tamamo smiles. “Would you rather prefer that, Astraea?”



A low growl from the Ruler servant hints that she'll want no such thing, one that Tamamo ignores.



“Time to deal with you until you're willing to be nice to my husband! Fenris, would you mind helping out with this?” Tamamo calls out, as she grabs the chains hogtying Astraea, and then starts dragging the Ruler Servant off.



2 days later...



Luvia Edefelt walks out, visibly weakened but equally clearly seething.



“I will have you know that she voluntarily returned to the Throne of Heroes yesterday, you ill-mannered lout!” she snapped. “There was absolutely no reason to restrain me that long! I should suplex you like she wanted for that, Erik!”



“Lady, I'm out of fucks to give right now,” Erik retorts. “And you kept me from my wife for two whole days because the Servant possessing you was a bitch.”



“Hmph! And suddenly, I am in no doubt at all as to why the Age of the Gods ended, given the current examples!” Luvia starts to walk off in a huff, muttering underneath her breath. “... Now, where would Sakura have gotten off to— I'm certain the poor dear has been worried sick—!” ,



She stops dead as the girl in question comes into sight—with an undeniable pair of Rin Tohsaka.



“There are two of them now?!” Luvia whispers, before going to her knees.



Erik glances over, then snorts, “Blame Zelretch having one as an apprentice, and sending her for fun.”



“And suddenly, all those reports of Zelretch being a massive pain for everyone involved that learns from them, is proven right...” Luvia mutters.



Author's Notes:



Erik got suplexed, Astraea got a mech dropped on her for it, then her later attempts got countered, because having your mouth frozen shut from a pykrete gag is definitely a hard counter to saying a Command Spell.



Still, yes, I read those lines on the forum. Where do you think this crack came from?

[Arbitrarity]

I cannot help but feel like I made a terrible mistake somewhere. I'm not sure where. Perhaps it was just when I realized that we had multiple characters who want to suplex things. An eye for an eye and all that.

Also the rising suplex attempts in the air was a VERY vivid image. I'm pretty sure it was a Dragonball-inspired image, but very vivid nonetheless.

I look forward to observing what actually happens at that time in the story, since this is evidently AFTER dealing with Shirou, and we're barely done with Dracula. I also have to wonder if with sufficient determination or expertise, you can use Command Spells non-verbally. Perhaps not, though I know Kirei's alternative uses didn't require words... hm.