There's only two of us (unless someone else wants to come in and tie-break), so practically speaking we have to come to a consensus (or let you tie-break). I'm happy with either of those choices overall, I just wanted to argue my slight preference for power-armoured Fiore, given the setting and who she's working with. In an approval-voting system, both have my voteOriginally Posted by RanmaBushiko
I'll go with Arbitrarity's idea, then, to refrain from the tie-breaker.
Xamusel's Fanfiction Profile
For those that don't necessarily care if my fics aren't all Type-Moon related.
Hmm... this is a bit of a surprise these days.
An archive of my works on the forum that's pretty accurate.
Note that I don't wish to be seen as an idiot any longer. I can't always promise better works than before, but I can sure as hell try, alright?
Interlude 3 Mk3 (Or Revision 3, because I’ve rewritten this far too many times...): As The World Gets Colder...
2500 AC
Outside Yharnham
Shirou's Perspective
"Shirou here, Erik. No sign of any Frostspawn. Looks like your theory is right, they've gone to ground. Completely so. Only thing we've seen is the Great Enemy himself, and no one wants to take a shot at killing it right now." I almost smile as I radio my father in law (and isn't that strange, to consider Erik that, after so long of being near equals...?), before sighing. "How's Sakura doing?"
"She's fine. She teamed up making some food for you with my wife. Especially since your former minions are coming to dinner. Scathach and Jeanne should be interesting to host." Erik's voice echoes over the radio with humor.
"True enough. I'll be there soon for the war conference. Shirou out." I glance around, watching the snow filled clouds in May, start snowing in the far distance, then flinch as a cold breeze hits me. "Another cold year to come, I suppose. Even with these lava fields..."
"Roger that, Shirou. See you when you're home." Erik's reply crackles over the radio, before I turn to the others around myself. "Alright, you lot! We're heading back. There's no sign of those Frostspawn right now, and Erik's likely got a feast cooking for everyone!"
"OO-RAH!" A shout from hundreds of men, armed with heavy machine guns loaded with quicksilver bullets, greets me, as they start moving off to let the Legion of Coal take their place for the night. Not to mention Cyberdragons, Thunderbears, and the velociraptors with lasers strapped to their heads.
As I walk, I think, however.
My divine power isn’t regenerating as planned. Even five hundred years, and nothing’s grown enough to matter…
Why?
What’s changed?
Wolfhome, Castle Yharnham
Later that Night...
"You're certain of your findings, Scathach, Jeanne?" Erik's voice rumbles in the meeting room, filled with irritation. The room is spartan, but has one large tv in the room, showing Fenris' fur covered face, from in orbit.
"No sign of Frostspawn anywhere, or sign of your descendants that have turned, Erik. Ever since Sakura left the Great Enemy, they've been dwindling in numbers... but the cold's been increasing worse and worse, each year." Jeanne admits, her arms folded as she thinks.
Sakura sneaks her chair over to mine, leaning against my chest as I listen. Only the slightest hint of a smile on Erik and Tamamo's faces are an answer to note he spotted her movement.
"They've gone to ground, and seek to freeze us out of existence with rituals, then?" Scathach murmurs, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Irritating, if useful to know. How long do you think the lava fields will hold up, Scylla?"
"I'd give it 500, maybe a thousand years. Depends on how fast or slow we tap the lava fields for the minerals we've been mining, to be honest..." The Scylla admits, adjusting itself in it's chair as it thinks. Somehow. I'm sure there's an answer to HOW it does it, but I'm not sure I want to know how.
"Our best bet is a two pronged front, really. If your plan is right, Amaterasu, we can likely lift the entirety of Japan into the upper atmosphere as floating islands, to keep them safe from the effects of the Great Enemy's spells... but the results will leave a lot of people having issues with breathing, until we can figure out how to counter that." Erik admits. "Though having Hawaii join that set up could help, as well as those bases on New Zealand you've built in the past..."
"Perhaps several other island chains, like the San Juans, or the Aleutians? Perhaps Whidbey and those other islands in Puget Sound, as well?" Amaterasu smiles. "Some of the bases and farms still have ruins there, and even livestock that's grown wild once more."
I glance over at Sakura, thinking. If only her Noble Phantasm hadn't died when the Great Enemy had nearly broken our divine power. We'd have likely been better off with taking the foes on.
"Fenris? What is your opinion?" Erik muses, thinking.
"Set the islands up in case we need charging stations for solar power, continue building Wolf Homes until we run out of minerals and materials?" Fenris muses over video chat.
"That should do, I suppose. Maybe set it up like greenhouse buildings, as well? So the places stay warmer, no matter what?" Erik muses.
"And so plant life can survive in it well in hand, with a small ecosystem to match? We'd have to combine the landmass of smaller islands into bigger chunks to ensure it would all be big enough, I suppose, but it could work..." Amaterasu muses, thinking.
"I suppose that could work. We'll give it a couple hundred years to work it out." Erik sighs, softly.
I speak up, after a bit of thought, the others having gone quiet in their contemplation. "It's a better option than none. At least the basics will work out fine. Sakura can likely give some suggestions for how to keep the island afload, considering the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as well."
Erik nods at me, rubbing his chin. "A fair point, that. The more islands we can launch, the better off we'll be for keeping away from the big bastard."
Amaterasu nods, quietly. "And the more we can get past the layers of cold, the safer humanity will be."
"I suppose our emergency war meeting will end, then. Pity." Fenris states, pondering things. "We'll have to work on everything else over time."
I nod, then pick up Sakura while taking her off to my room, her giggles softening my heart as I carry her away.
Wolf whistles greet my back from Erik as I do so. Time to get a smile on my wife’s face!
2600 AC
Meeting Room
Wolf Home No.27
Erik's Perspective
Fenris sighs, as he settles down across from me, adjusting himself in human form to relax at the table. "I still don't get why everyone wears clothes, Jeanne. They're stupid."
"You're a wolf in human form right now, aren't you cold without fur?!" Jeanne retorts, a small smile on her face.
Fenris pauses, thinking. "Right, no legend to ignore cold for most of you... fair point, I suppose." I can't help but chuckle at them both.
Shirou and Sakura come in, holding hands as they do so, much to my glee. "You two are looking cute today!"
They glance up to look at me, then blush together, before leaning against each other to relax.
My wife's arms wrap around me, hugging me from behind. "Dinner is in 15 minutes, everyone!" Tamamo smiles, kissing the top of my head, then lets go of me as she moves to the kitchen to resume work, humming.
I can't help but smile softly, as she walks off, before glancing over to see Scathach entering the room to take a seat. "Well, we're all here and my wife's nearly done with the food. Anything to report?"
Shirou settles down, Sakura beside him, while thinking. "Well, you're right. Only 3 Frostspawn this last year that we've managed to kill, and it's been slow going considering how far we had to chase those three. They're definitely trying to keep us from regaining our power in any way, shape and form, as we suspected a century ago."
I have to frown at his words. "Irritating, to say the least."
Fenris glances around, waiting for anyone to speak up, before sighing. "We're up to stage 3 of our final plan, Erik. With those new gravity systems, and the size, we're able to launch islands into the upper atmosphere, as planned. It'll be a bit rough for people at first, but they'll adapt, much like those that live on mountains do."
I can't help but smile a bit. "That's good to hear, Fenris. Anything else?"
Fenris looks a bit pensive. "We've found a giant computer buried in the Moon. It seems to be mostly disabled, but monitoring us somehow... and it's the cause of the dimensional distortions keeping us from leaving."
Scathach's jaw tenses a bit, Jeanne's blindfold slips, while Shirou and Sakura outright flinch. And in the kitchen, I can hear my wife nearly drop something. "I've got it! No worries, I saved the dish!" She shouts.
"Thanks, dear!" I call back to her, with a bit of a smile, then sigh. "Shit. Well, at least we know what's going on and why dimensional transportation hasn't worked... if we were able to tap into other universes, we might have been able to counter more of the Frostspawn."
Slowly, the others relax, before I sigh. "Were you scared that we were trying to jump ship and leave you to this shit? Seriously?! I've been trying to make up for what I did, with that damned Heart of Winter, ever since things started out. We're not trying to run, just get more food, water... air for my space colonies..."
Eventually, after much whispering and quiet studying glances, they nod. "Fair enough." Jeanne admits, before sighing and stretching. "We just worry, you know?"
I can't help but nod. "Fair enough, fair enough."
For a moment, Jeanne looks pensive, before she nods. "Well, on our end of things, the Ashen have had no success with ascending to become Gods. There's more Ashen, but no extra Gods so far. And as far as I know, the only Goddess to reach your levels of power has been Sakura to date, Erik."
I frown, then nod. "Just not enough worshipers, I suppose..."
"That, and your knowledge on how to use your divinity better." Scathach speaks up, before I nod at her words. "On my end of things, the weapons have been working spectacularly to drive the Frostspawn back when they peek their heads out of the caves they're hiding in. Antimatter works wonders, but the massive damage it's done to the planet has been horrendous."
My wife comes in, interrupting our train of thought as she brings huge plates of food with her. Her apron, saying "Love the Cook's Foxy Tails" is adorable on her, as well.
As we settle back to eat, I hug my wife while thinking over things, half listening to the compliments about the food, questions about the recipes, and general banter.
Then a thought comes to me. I pause for a moment, mulling it over in my head, as my brain works out ideas, thoughts and more.
Then I glance up at Scathach, my mind starting to work over options harder.
“That isn’t quite true, you know? For all the good I am with modern machinery and divine power in some ways, you’re still legendary for making weapons, Scathach.” I state.
Scathach blinks up at me through her hair, surprise on her face. Then she smiles. “Glad you appreciate my craft, Erik.”
I nod at her, then smile. “I wonder what would happen if we teamed up to make things properly?”
Shirou turns from me, to Scathach, as our grins turn wicked.
Then my wife’s ladle smacks me over the head. “No plotting at the dinner table, dear! I don’t need to scrape drawings off the finish. AGAIN.”
I rub my head, where her ladle hit me. “Yes dear.”
My eyes turn, to glance out the window, at the mountain base we’ll be launching this place from.
It’s getting colder every year.
I wonder if the bastard will ever stop making it colder?
2700 AC
Yharnham
Scathach’s Perspective
I walk the streets, my eyes studying everything as I pass.
The crops near the lava fields are doing well this year. Even with the increasing levels of cold, we still hold on.
The sound of engines hits my ears, as a blimp takes off, heading up to one of the floating islands passing overhead. A prototype of the ones Erik’s been working on, I believe. A test of if it’ll work for bigger islands, and if they’ll come together in clusters.
The supply work I’ve done with Erik has been going well. Beings that would form out of matter from the Earth below, and drop resources are steadily being created, as well as ‘spawners’ as he called them, for such.
Adventuring guilds will be able to take the resources necessary for towns there.
It’ll be much like it was with… no. That’s a long time ago. This is now, not several millennia ago.
Far above, I can faintly see the image of Wolf Home, the first one, hanging over the city, through glimpses of the ones overhead. A fusion of Whidbey Island and the San Juans, I believe, for that cluster of prototypes.
I’m still not sure what they’ll name it,, after they figure out how to colonize it, link the islands into one bigger one, and ensure it’s safe to live on, however.
Tamamo hasn’t gotten back to anyone about that yet.
“Lady Scathach!” A voice reaches my ears, leaving me to turn and glance back.
A man in power armor marches forwards, bowing. “Thank you for your training, my lady. The armor works well as you and Lord Erik planned.”
“Ah, Tom.” I ask, studying over the armor carefully. “How are the cold weather seals holding?”
Tom pulls his helmet off with a grin. “Wonderfully. It’s holding up to minus 250 degrees fahrenheit, as you thought would be necessary.” Then the grin fades a bit. “Still no sign of frost spawn, though. It’s like they’ve disappeared entirely, or been unmade.”
“Or being hunted by their makers as food?” I ask, thinking.
Tom winces. “Most likely. Still… at this rate, we’re going to not be effective at all if they come to attack in droves again, like they did generations ago.”
“I suspect they’re working on a longer scale plan, Tom. The winters never used to get this cold, after all.” I admit, quietly. “The lava used to make it too hot to be around. Now we need the farms close to even grow food…”
Tom flinches, quietly. “They’re trying to starve us out, aren’t they?”
I nod at him, still lost in thought. “Luckily for us, if everything goes to plan, Lady Tamamo will have the required technology for the islands to be safe to live on in a few more decades.” I admit, after a while.
“Long enough for my children to be able to live there.” He smiles quietly. “Hopefully in peace.”
“Hopefully.” I admit, a quiet sigh coming from my lips. “Unfortunately, you can never tell if ‘hopefully’ will actually work out.”
Tom nods, putting his helmet back on as he leaves to go to guard duty.
For a long while, I just relax and watch the sky. The floating islands hanging overhead, and the massive image of the Wolf Home high above that, like a small moon.
Then I sigh. No rest for the wicked, after all.
‘Damn it, Sentanta, why didn’t you finish me off back then?’ passes through my mind, as it has so many times before, while I walk towards Castle Yharnham.
As I leave, I do my best to ignore that the lava fields don’t radiate quite as much heat as they did last year.
2800 AC
New Nippon
Sakura’s Perspective
I sit, aside from Amaterasu, as we study Japan, or what’s left of it. My young daughter curled up against my chest, fast asleep from the wards woven into her blanket.
Thrusters fire under the islands, slowly pushing the massive island chain upwards, clustering the islands together as they go.
“Mother’s breakthrough has benefitted yourselves most, hasn’t it?” I ask, quietly.
Amaterasu smiles enigmatically, as her home flies higher into the sky. “I wouldn’t quite go that far. My adoptive daughter has made a great many strides to help you all, as well.”
I nod, my eyes never leaving the sight of the islands going upwards. “A fair point, I suppose. I just wish my husband was here to see this.”
“It’s beautiful, and with the atmospheric barriers, we’ll be quite warm compared to the frozen hell most of the world has become. I swear it’s worse than any of the afterlives now…” Amaterasu admits with a frown.
I side-glance at her, thinking, even as the islands rise higher, the throne we sit on rising with New Nippon, as the landmass has been voted to be called.
“He tends to specialize in that, yes.” I admit.
For a long while, we sit in silence, as I think of the things I cannot say, weakened as I still am.
“Luckily for us, I’m fairly sure that my attack with Anor Londo 700 years ago either destroyed the Greater Grail within him, or what remained of the Servant that had foolishly bound him to the Noble Phantasm he uses. Without either one or the other, he likely can’t summon Servants anymore.” I admit, quietly.
For a moment, the feeling of an icy collar starts constricting around my neck. Let it have weakened from this long, enough that I can admit to this, at least…
The feeling fades, and I sigh in relief. My chains have weakened indeed, though far slower than I ever thought.
“The chains binding you to not speak of things weaken every century.” Amaterasu states, studying me carefully.
“Enough that I hopefully can explain all before the Great Enemy can resume attacking again, or give insight to his actions.” I admit.
A slow nod from Amaterasu is my reply. I can see her somehow sending Daddy a message, though.
Good. Father deserves to know that hint, at least.
“Come. Be a visitor to my realm. We’ve got plans for four major islands like this, all more along the lines of continents, when we’re done with things.” Amaterasu states, as her throne slides to a halt on New Nippon. Oni and kitsune rush to her side, offering food and drinks alike to us both.
I shake my head as I wave them off gently, and rock my daughter gently in my arms as she wakes up.
A kitsune quietly coos over my daughter with Shirou. I smile at the kitsune’s cooing, and at my daughter grabbing at one of the ears over her head.
“You should name her soon.” Amaterasu states.
“Not until a year is up. With how diseases can strike at even my children…” I trail off, as my daughter happily bats at the ear of the kitsune just out of reach. “It’s like Grandma’s, isn’t it? So cute and fluffy to reach out for!”
My daughter gurgles happily as she grabs a couple of hairs on the Kitsune’s ear, and struggles to pull them close to look at them better.
Then shields snap on around New Nippon, and I breathe a sigh of relief as a rush of fresh air, heat and warmth hits us all.
Kitsune and Oni all have their knees buckle, as for the first time in centuries, they stop feeling cold.
“Mom’s work is wonderful, isn’t it?” I ask quietly. “Perhaps with this, we can work to counter more of the foes…”
Amaterasu smiles quietly. “And bring the fight to them, once more.”
I nod, a grin on my face.
2900 AC
Castle Yharnham
Tamamo’s Perspective
The world grows colder, each day. That, we see outside our steel tower.
Most of them have gone to the final floating island, built for the citizens. Last Station, as they’ve taken to calling the island. I wonder if it’ll stick?
My eyes glance over the lava fields. Once red and warm, heating the air to impossible temperatures, now they look like bare embers of their former heat.
“He’ll make his move when they stop being hot enough to hurt, won’t he, dear?” I ask, quietly. “Our Great Enemy.”
Erik hugs me from behind, as we watch.
The snow falling on the fields of lava. Barely enough to supply us crops each year.
Barely enough to support the city now.
“Even the greatest of power armor we’ve developed isn’t enough to fight the cold anymore.” I admit, quietly. “Even the greatest of weapons seem to be useless against this, all but the islands.”
My hand goes tight around my husband’s.
Most of our children have moved to the island.
All the humans have moved.
Quietly, I bow my head, thinking, as I hold his hand.
“He’ll be coming for me.” My husband admits, quietly.
“Is the armor you made for yourself, with Scathach’s aid, up for such?” I question him, quietly. “You never told me the specifics.”
I pause, then look at Wolf Home, still hanging above the city like an eternal moon.
“Or why Wolf Home is more like a miniature Death Star or Death Egg now.” I add, hugging my husband close with my tails.
“I have one shot at winning, and if any specifics get out, we’re done for.” Erik admits, quietly. “We still haven’t found all the ways they’re getting in, and there’s definitely quite a few of our kids left on his side of things.”
I bow my head, leaning back against my husband. “We’re running out of time, aren’t we? Ever since Shirou and Sakura lived, my ability to see time has been measured in days.”
My husband nods. “With such a lack of faith in our ability to keep them safe, it’s to be expected. And with less and less threats, they see us as relics now.”
Quietly, I turn and cling to my husband.
“All I can hope and pray for is that your plan will work, whatever it is. Please, come back to me when it’s done, my husband.” I whisper against Erik’s chest, quietly.
My husband rocks me in his arms, gently. Tenderly. It’s like when he rescued me so long ago.
I can’t help but purr softly, as I relax in his arms.
The world may be getting worse, but we’re still together.
That’s what matters most.
No matter what, I have to keep this in mind.
That’s still what matters most.
3000 AC
The Frozen Lava Fields
Erik sits in the armor Scathach and himself crafted.
Around him, the former lava fields of Yharnham all lie frozen. Bits of heat come from the ground here and there in sections.
Behind Erik, the former city of Yharnham lies. The walls stand still, but the former remains of the Wolfen were pulled out the month before.
The city is a ruin, frozen rather than occupied.
Where him and his descendants walked the streets now lies only frozen roads, the cold finally overwhelming all that was left.
In the distance, Erik can hear the footsteps coming closer.
The massive footsteps, signalling the Great Enemy himself.
“I could still intervene, you know?” Fenris whispers in Erik’s ear. “All you’d have to do is ask, and I could arrive, hurt him, and help drive him off.”
“There’d be nothing for it, though. This needs to happen, Fenris. It’s just as written in fate for me to fight him, Pantheon Leader versus Titan, as it was for you to kill Odin.” Erik admits, quietly.
“Don’t be so prideful. What do you have that can even hurt him?” Fenris whispers again.
“I know what I need to do, Fenris. Please trust me, just this one last time.” Erik retorts, quietly.
“...As you wish. I only hope you know what you’re doing.” Fenris quietly whispers.
Then all Erik can hear is the footsteps of the massive golem approaching closer.
Erik turns, standing up, then walks to the nearby form of Metal Gear Rex Mk3.5. Still for far too long.
“One last fight. One last fight for all of us.” Erik whispers.
Author’s Notes:
This one has fought me. This one has fought me, every step of the way.
Since June of last year, to be more specific.
Personalizing each segment with characters, characterization, showing and hinting at how things were being upgraded behind the scenes, how characters were growing and the world was changing?
Fought me.
Two revisions of this came before this one. Both fought me tooth and nail as well, in their own way, to be integrated into this.
Style changes, perspective changes, everything. Ugh.
At least it’s done with. Whew.
Now, all we really have is a winner takes all brawl between Erik, who has SOME sort of plan, and a giant frost golem titan of doom, death and destruction.
With a reality marble having gone for three thousand years, to freeze the damn world solid.
Erik versus THAT. With no Servant backup. No Ragnarok Contingencies. No Wolfen. No Legion of Coal backing him.
Keep watch folks, because the next Interlude? Is going to be a doozie.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
...damn. This whole story is coming to an epic close right about now. :P
Xamusel's Fanfiction Profile
For those that don't necessarily care if my fics aren't all Type-Moon related.
Hmm... this is a bit of a surprise these days.
An archive of my works on the forum that's pretty accurate.
Note that I don't wish to be seen as an idiot any longer. I can't always promise better works than before, but I can sure as hell try, alright?
Well, it's a somewhat different story, being an alternate timeline, but it does look fun.
I was going to question "3000 years" but then remembered "AC" is "After Cataclysm". Fitting. It's hard to speculate that far out. On the one hand, I feel like given even a few hundred years, Erik would have progressed about as far as we're shown. The scale (floating islands!) is impressive, but seems like a decade-long problem, not century-long. I can imagine shrinking all the timescales by a factor of 10, and things would work roughly the same, except for the progression of culture (which is relevant, i.e. Amakusa Shirou's issues with Fatebinding).
On the other hand, you've explicitly mentioned humanity being weakened (and a general loss of faith) affecting the power of divinity, so that would be relevant. Plus, he was hindered by active attacks for the first couple thousand years, and I can probably assume he's keeping a lot of the good stuff for himself, so we aren't going to see it until it's needed. Paranoia is a fun purview.
For the relatively light level of detail and massive time-skips, this does a good job of portraying the feeling of slow, inevitable decline. The lava fields are an evocative symbol, and it continues to capture the Dark Souls aesthetic. That said, some of the language choices are a bit rough, but if you've been rewriting this for a year and a half, I can imagine wanting to ship it. Looking forward to seeing what three thousand years of preparation by a God of Paranoia yields.
Glad you're enjoying it. Their final showdown is a couple pages in, but it's going slow.
Yeah, the whole "Humanity's almost gone" issue is a big one for Erik and co, slowing down development. 2000 years of constant Frostspawn attacks and assaults hasn't helped, either. He's finally had a thousand years to rebuild, and 500 of them went to ensuring his people would have warmth, room, board and air, as the world just kept getting far colder, with Shirou's countries almost all falling in one fell swoop in the last series of interludes.
And that shows, with how the faith in the gods has weakened as a result. Humanity's in major decline with large amounts of shock that their Gods could fail that badly, the Gods are weakened as a result, and what are Gods without followers?
Humanity, in this setting, is roughly equal in numbers to the children of gods that walk around them in massive numbers, if slightly outnumbered by said demigods right now. It very much shows.
Having to wear power armor to live outside the city due to -250 degrees fahrenheit weather is just one sign of how bad it is for humanity. The "Great Enemy" has decided to freeze humanity off the food chain, and it's shown to have been well on it's way to working before Erik pulled the floating island plan out. So he's had to build new technologies to keep humanity alive, too.
The whole Dark Souls aesthetic of "The world is falling apart" fits well for the setting, as it continues to crumble for everyone. And yeah, the whole "year and a half of writing" means when I finally got it to hold together and pre-read, I just posted it. There's only so much more I can do, after all.
As for the fight? Yeah, I think everyone should approve.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
Interlude 4: Endgame
Erik watches the distant horizon, as he slides his armored form into his War Beast, the only watcher in the skies above, the very first Wolf Home.
Rebuilt long ago after the first fight against the Great Enemy, overhauled and upgraded over the millennia since, it had served him well for three thousand years.
Then, for one long moment, he closes his eyes.
“No Mechanical linkup suit. Right.” A quiet whisper from the armor, before the armor adjusts, a spike sliding out of the back to link to the war machine’s seat. “Without that, this’ll be harder, but…” Erik trails off, thinking.
For a moment, he frowns, thinking.
“The Gem of Power’s link to the armor is working like planned, at least. I’ll be able to handle most of the fighting with pure skill, if nothing else.” Erik finally admits. “Damaged as it might be, integrating it into this armor helps counter the power flow issues, and counter the issues of barely generating Legend now.”
For a long while, Erik watches, as his War Beast boots up around him.
“He’ll be expecting nukes.” Erik whispers quietly. “He’ll be expecting a lot of stuff. But I’ve had three thousand years to prepare, just as he has.” A smirk grows on Erik’s face now, almost completely impossible to see.
Footsteps approach closer, louder. Titanic footsteps.
Erik closes his eyes for a long moment, before eyes snap open, power flowing through the armor and his favored War Beast.
In the distance, a mountain walks steadily towards the remains of Erik’s former capital city of Yharnham. An army around his titanic feet.
Metal Gear Rex MK3.5 moves in between them.
In the distance, the army slows, surprise on the faces of many of his children. Distantly, he can see grandchildren. Great grandchildren.
An untold army of far too many descendants stare at his war machine, stunned shock that he still remains.
“So. You remain, when all else have all fled.” The titan’s voice booms.
Erik, for a long moment, closes his eyes. A long breath is heard from his armor, as one fist tightly clenches his controls.
“Of course I remain! This is still my city, is it not?” Erik’s retort resounds over the frozen lava plains.
“A city of one.” The titanic being retorts, coldly. “A city of just you, now. What, did you invest all your Legend in your city, and can’t leave?”
“Who cares?” Erik retorts. “You’ve come here, three thousand years after my failure against you back then. Complete with an army, I see. But is that IT?”
The titanic golem’s eyes narrow at Erik.
“Is this ALL you’ve brought?” Erik asks, voice smug. “You’ve had three thousand years to build up your forces. Do you really forget that I’ve had the same?”
The army pauses, eyes wide in surprise. Then more than a bit of glee appears on the faces of his descendants. Laughter and amusement from them all.
“What, like your pathetic minefield? Or perhaps those missile launchers at the bottom of those floating islands, meant to target us? Perhaps you have some new ‘superweapon’ that will do nothing but scratch my armor? Again? I remember your Wolfen well, after all.” The titan retorts.
Erik’s eyes narrow, before he softly laughs.
The laughter echoes, long and hard, growing more manik as it erupts from his lips, echoing over the battlefield. Slowly, his descendants pause, their smiles fading away. This isn’t the father they knew back then.
“You wish it was that simple, don’t you? No, I knew your ego. You had to make sure I was gone for good, didn’t you? My city, destroyed, for the millennia of warfare it provided you.” Erik retorts, voice cold for the first time. “All to ensure that you ground down every last bit of opposition. That you proved your ‘truly unstoppable’ might to your followers and enemies. For that, I have to die, isn’t that right, nameless Great Enemy?”
The titanic golem claps, repeatedly, as it marches forwards. “Oh, very good. I thought you wouldn’t be able to keep up with the plot. Of course, that means you’re going to have to die here to make sure the plot settles. With your demise, my adopted children shall be for the stronger.” A wide smile appears on the Golem’s face, as it walks forwards.
There’s no sign of Erik’s War Beast firing. No indication that he fired a round.
The only thing the Titanic being sees is Erik’s war machine in front of him, then the shockwave of heat, as one, two then three nuclear explosions are set off in front of him.
The massive army of the Titan flinches, the wards they had set up barely holding against the massive explosions.
“Peekaboo, I see you.” Erik’s voice whispers from in the middle of the crowd.
Heads desperately turn, towards their father’s voice.
Eyes grow wide in horror at a nuclear bomb at their feet.
The click of a camera shutter echoes in their ears. A prank from their father? ‘Please, let it be a prank from their father.’ treacherous minds whisper, desperately unable to believe their eyes.
Words don’t come out, as the nuclear explosive detonates, proving them terribly wrong.
Few stumble out. The rest ash.
Slowly, the titan looks down. Judging.
Then looks back up at Erik’s war machine reappearing where it was before in a flash of rainbow, eyes narrowed and calculating.
“I underestimated you, then.” A grudging acknowledgement. “You were supposed to have been weak. This is far closer to our first fight then I would like for my followers.”
“And without them fueling your Legend, you’ll run out too.” Erik retorts. “You were waiting for everyone but yourself to run out, after all.”
A slow nod from the Titan leaves Erik smirking with glee. But the answer from the massive titan kills his glee cold. “At the beginning, that was true. Did you not think I’d taken steps to rectify that?”
With those words, the Titan moves forwards, going from an easy walking pace to a run. As he runs, he speaks, something eldritch and horrifying in his voice.
“I am the Titan of Cold.
Formerly a fragment of Ymir.
Formerly the Heart of Winter.
But I have grown beyond that.
Beyond the Servants that fueled my power.
Beyond the Reality Marble that altered this world.
NOW I am AURGELMIR REBORN!
TITAN OF ICY GENESIS!”
Words echo across the land. A statement of power, of station, of name. A declaration of purpose.
The world buckles around the oncoming Titan. Existence itself feels like it’s buckling and writing, as the Titan’s power increases.
Erik’s eyes narrow through the armor, as the massive Titan grows and shifts, muscles and bone where stone and ice were before.
Then he opens fire with a missile.
The newly renamed Aurgelmir’s fleshy eyes widen, as he rolls to one side in an attempt to dodge the missile.
Eyes widen further as the damned thing flips around, a red glow on the front, the same red glow of the Radiant Wave Surger.
One hand shoots out, grabbing at the incoming ballistic projectile.
A cry of pain erupts from the Titan as a hole is blown through his palm, but he stays rational enough to bat the missile away with his elbow rather than let it continue on its course towards his head. In the distance, the missile’s glowing tip fades as it runs out of fuel.
The hiss of a healing hand erupts through the battlefield, before Aurgelmir smirks as he notices something.
“Not shooting more at me, hm? Was that your trump card?” The Titan’s mocking voice echoes through the battlefield. “One single shot that likely would have blown a hole through my entirety before, but now can only punch tiny holes through me, like a bullet does to your former children? Surely you can do better, right?”
Irregardless of mockery, or of insult, the Titan is more watchful now. Twice, Erik has hurt his people, more than himself. But the missile was concerning.
The cornered prey far more wily than it had any right to be, the Titan had to admit, if only to himself.
Downwards the massive Titan glances, to his followers, steadily turning into a new race of giants if smaller and weaker. A smile crosses his face for a moment. Exactly as plan-
The massive beam of plasma lancing through the biggest concentration of his remaining followers stops his thought from finishing. Slowly, Aurgelmir looks up, eyes narrowed at the sight of his foe’s former laser system at the base of the war machine, shifting back into place.
“More tricks, hmm?” Aurgelmir dashes forwards again. His eyes narrow, as another missile launches from the war machine in front of him.
Ice armor forms around him, only to shatter from the missile’s hit. As he rolls, the massive Titan frowns as the ice armor doesn’t instantly reform.
“You can’t fire them fast, but they can stop Purviews and skills from working for a while.” The Titan admits, finally. “Impressive. You were a worthy foe then, and you remain one now. It’s a pity you decided to throw your lot in against me.”
Erik doesn’t reply, as the Titan gets closer. Not as the air starts liquifying around the Titan. Not as it starts snowing around the titan, a massive cold front that envelops most of his former capital.
Erik’s teeth just remain clenched, the sound of gritting teeth barely audible through the armor.
The strain is more than he’d realized, to work the armor and war machine simultaneously, in his weakened state.
But that doesn’t matter. Only holding off the Titan long enough for the next phase in the plan to matter, works.
Phase 1, to deal with most of his descendants in one single move.
Phase 2, to lure the Titan into Erik’s former capital.
Phase 3, to hold him there, and then...
Erik reflexively teleports, sliding his War Beast into position in a new spot as an ice lance lands where he had just been, even as he frowns at him having fallen into thought long enough to have nearly gotten hit.
“Damn. I thought I’d have more time than that, before you could reform the ice armor.” Erik admits, studying things.
“And you’ve gotten smarter and less wasteful with your teleportation.” Aurgelmir replies, eyes narrowed. “That should have done you in, instantly. Or at least disabled some of your little rebuilt toy’s weapons.”
A bark of laughter from Erik is the only reply.
Then a third missile launches, this time hitting a thrown ice javelin as a counter from the Titan.
Erik’s eyes narrow, as the rest of them fail to dissipate, though cracks form in all of them.
“So range has something to do with getting hit?” Erik muses, uncaring if his foes can hear. “Interesting… and informative.”
Aurgelmir frowns, as Erik side-steps out of range beyond the walls.
A smirk shows on his face moments later as he stops marching forwards, and he brings fleshy fingers to his lips for a long whistle call.
The mountains answer, as what sounds like far too many barks, howls and guttural calls from beasts that should not exist, swarm from the mountains towards Erik’s former capital of Yharnham.
The Titan steps back, letting the Frostspawn army swarm out towards their ancient foe’s greatest stronghold.
Untold numbers swarm, throwing themselves out from the mountain ranges surrounding the frozen lava fields. Untold numbers rushing along the ground as they go towards Yharnham.
Erik smiles, simply pulling a protective cap off a trigger, then hitting the trigger.
Detonation after detonation echoes in the mountains, as old traps go off. Then Erik’s smile dies, as instead of volcanic eruptions, nothing seems to happen.
“What, did you think we have just been freezing the outside layers of the planet?” Aurgelmir asks, smug. “No, we’ve been freezing almost all of the internal layers, to ensure that you’d be dealt with when this fight happened. No more lava and magma for you, my foe.”
Erik frowns, then shrugs, pulling the cap off a second switch and pushing that, since the first trap didn’t work.
Radiant Wave Surgers, built into the lava fields lately, fire up from deep underground, at the outermost sections of the frozen lava fields.
Erik smiles once more, as the glow of the lava fields from the outermost sections returns, as well as a wave of heat weakening Aurgelmir’s icy field. Distantly, cameras show wave after wave of Frost Spawn running into the re-heated lava fields.
It won’t last long against the wave of cold the Great Enemy, or Aurgelmir, as he calls himself, is constantly producing. But it’ll have to be enough.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t even think you could re-heat it.” Aurgelmir’s voice echoes over the battlefield. “Keeping them out, and myself in. Ingenious. Even if I go for an Ultimate Manifestation of a Purview like The Cold, you have something to counter it, don’t you? Your own, perhaps?”
Aurgelmir frowns, studying the battlefield. “Defenses to keep me out, or defenses to keep me in, though, it doesn’t matter. I’m in here with you. All you have is your ingenuity and your war machine, after all.”
With those words, the massive Titan strides forth once more. Slower this time. More wary of the tricks his foe might use.
A quiet blink as he finally reaches Yharnham, only to pause. The city itself doesn’t have guns firing at him.
Loud laughter from the Titan erupts from his throat, a long hard belly laugh, as he comprehends the truth of the matter.
“It’s not that your weapons fire slow! It’s that they can’t handle my cold, hmm?” Aurgelmir’s voice echoes over the battlefield. “As long as I’m in range, they do nothing!”
Louder laughter from the Titan, as he looks for Erik through the frozen city, a smile of mirth on his face.
Erik smirks softly, as his foe walks deeper and deeper into his former capital, watching carefully from his cloaked War Beast.
“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Aurgelmir’s voice echoes through the city, as he approaches the main city square. “It’s time for you to die, knowing your machines are useless!”
A pause from the Titan, as he steps on the main square, only to hear a loud “click”. Then, slowly, Aurgelmir looks down as thousands upon thousands of lights appear around his legs. Every building in the square is covered with them, and more importantly, filled with them.
“Oh dear.” Is all the Titan can say, as thousands of explosions hit him at once. Rolling with the blow still leaves him pummeled by explosions, as the massive Titan reels from the pain.
Blinded from the smoke and flashes, reeling from the pain of so many hits happening at once, Erik smiles as the trap worthy of Homura Akemi leaves his foe reeling, right as his War Beast fires off every Radiant Wave Surger tipped missile it has loaded at once.
“I was simply waiting for you to hold still enough to hit you with all of my missiles!” Erik’s voice triumphantly erupts, echoing from the city as the missiles hit.
A scream of rage and pain erupts from Aurgelmir, as the massive Titan feels pain once more, and truly starts to bleed. The cold aura, long prevalent fades, and something deep within the massive Titan outright cracks from damage.
The Titan Aurgelmir is on his knees. Aurgelmir flinches, as injuries don’t heal like planned, the holes in him still existing instead of healing like they should.
Deep below the city, generators start to whine to life, as Erik smirks.
The plasma cannon echoes from his War Beast, punching a hole where Aurgelmir’s heart should be. A mere replica of the one once on the Wolfen, but still strong enough to do damage to the massive monstrous Titan.
Aurgelmir flinches, as a wall of ice slams into existence around himself. The Titan looks, for once, unamused, as he coughs. Shards of bone and blood spit out of the Titan’s mouth, before he wipes his lips clean.
“That, I will admit, hurt me dreadfully.” The Titan admits, his voice quieter now. Less full of power.
“Good.” Erik’s voice echoes over the city. “You deserve it for the suffering you’ve caused, you monster.”
Erik sits in his War Beast, cameras from the walls showing the oncoming hordes of Frostspawn as they use their dead to make bridges over the lava. His eyes narrow, spotting his descendants, now more giants than kitsune, traveling the dead Frostspawn bridges as well.
His fingers pull up a third switch cover, before hitting the switch, and then smiles at a wall of red light shooting up towards the sky, like a pillar around the city.
Layer after layer forms, locking his foes out, and himself in with Aurgelmir. Just how he’d planned it.
Aurgelmir blinks, eyes widening in surprise and confusion at the sight of Radiant Wave Surger shielding forming… but not in a bubble. A straight column instead, reaching high into the sky.
“You’ve locked us in together, hm?” The Titan finally asks, confused, then turns to look through the city carefully for his foe and prey. “Why?”
“All my life here, barring the fight with you, I took the battlefield as little as possible.” Erik’s voice echoes through the city, countless speakers repeating his voice. “To give you as little insight into my tactics as possible. Did you really think I wouldn’t prepare for you?”
“Your machines are useless to fight me barring the one you’re in! And yet you lock yourself in with me?!” Aurgelmir laughs, darkly. “So very foolish.”
An ice blade appears in Aurgelmir’s hand, as he steadily starts carving into the walls of Yharnham, carving into speakers wherever he can find them.
Deeper under the city, more generators start firing up from long slumber. Massive generators, producing plenty of heat. Heat traveling upwards.
Computers slowly flare to life as power flows through them for the first time since being built in secret by Erik.
“You do understand the truth of it, right? I’m not locked in here with you! YOU’RE LOCKED IN HERE WITH ME!” Erik retorts, a barrage of missiles erupting towards Aurgelmir, before the war machine disappears in a flash of rainbow light.
Aurgelmir desperately rolls out of the way of as many as he can, eyes wide. Desperation forces layered shells of ice to form around him as he struggles to divert Radiant Wave Surger tipped missiles.
Inside Metal Gear Rex Mk3.5, the only sound from Erik is slow, careful breathing as another switch is flipped.
Outside, more Radiant Wave Surger shield-like barriers snap into existence, outside the lava fields entirely.
For a moment, Erik watches the cameras as his War Beast cloaks once more, and smiles as the walls of pure radiation start moving to crush the enemies outside, forcing them to either be vaporized by the walls, or driven into the lava.
Distantly, he can hear a cheering, as more and more people tune in from the floating islands. Cheering his name.
Cheering for the first victory against Frostspawn in generations.
For the first time, he can feel them all unite in cheering for him.
Warmth fills his body as Legend floods him once more, the first time in a long while. Filling him up, and strengthening him to something closer to his original level of strength.
Meanwhile, Aurgelmir slowly rises. Reaching into a pouch, he pulls out a crystalline gem like substance, then crushes it, flaring with Legend as he does so.
“I’ll admit, your new weapons are more irritating than I th-” Aurgelmir pauses, listening to the screams outside, then leaps.
Landing, Aurgelmir slowly starts scanning the city carefully, as he visibly thinks. “A better trap than I anticipated. It’ll take a much longer time for the few remaining to repair things, with how well you’ve wiped out my armies. I suppose I should applaud you, Erik. You’ve done more to harass and slow my operations than everything I did to you over those two thousand years.”
Finishing his sentence, the massive Titan forms another blade of ice, then starts carving into speakers once more. Watching and listening carefully as he moves, alert for more missiles.
Erik doesn’t hum. Erik doesn’t do much of anything but carefully watch for the moment, both Aurgelmir, and the screens.
A careful click of a button on the left side of the cockpit is the only sound, but Erik frowns as Aurgelmir looks around more attentively towards the area his War Beast is cloaked in.
“Interesting. You’re destroying speakers in an attempt to hear me better, hmm?” Erik broadcasts carefully.
Aurgelmir dashes forwards, carving into the spot Erik’s war machine was a few moments prior.
Careful strikes at the area reveals nothing to his eyes or senses, but Aurgelmir still smiles. “I’m getting better at finding you, Erik. The plot hasn’t changed, after all.”
Massive walls shoot up, all over the city, as if to mock the former fragment of Ymir. All covered with speakers, and a various assortment of weapons.
Aurgelmir’s eyes narrow, as his inhuman face frowns. “Moving walls? What pathetic foolishness is this?”
Thousands of whirring sounds answer him, as the former defense guns for the city whir to life, then open fire.
His sword strikes repeatedly, as Aurgelmir desperately starts carving into walls and weapon emplacements in an attempt to slow or stop the massive amounts of fire. Thousands of pricks can still bring down even something like him, after all.
As much as he hates to admit it.
Meanwhile, Erik fiddles with a joystick, frowning, before a wide smile appears on his face at the screen showing a proper course, with the words “ETA in 15 minutes” appearing. Then, as the countdown timer begins, Erik nods, his finger reaching towards the last switch built into the massive War Beast.
Moments later, he pulls the cover off and flicks it.
Outside of the city, massive Radiant Wave Surgers in unison fire up, and the lava fields begin to glow once more. Heat bubbles and boils, as machinery meant to turn the stone back into liquid lava and magma fires up.
Inside it, massive tubes meant to channel lava have Induction coils fire up, rapidly heating up the lava meant to increase heat and bring more machines back to life within the city.
Aurgelmir flinches between blows as the formerly cold stone below his feet grows red hot. His eyes widen in surprise, as he can see the city radiating far more heat than it should, and rapidly increasing.
Then he flinches as a wall of sound hits him. The sound of an ancient Electric Guitar, as one of Erik’s favorite video game inspired songs plays.
Entertainment System & The Megas - Megatainment ~ 04 Look What You've Done/Dr. Wily
“I hope history is kind to us all
I know they’ll blame me for the fall
I only wish there’s a better way out
But there’s no better way out!”
Aurgelmir for a moment, snaps back his head out from cover only to take a laser carving a bit of his nose off for his troubles, as more and more weapons start attacking him, both from the walls that arose randomly throughout the city, and the old weapon emplacements, long frozen solid and now working again.
“You! You’ve dared to make a mockery of me?!” Aurgelmir rants, as he moves, attacking the walls close to him to buy himself time.
“This is the end
You’ve started the fall
Can’t see the destiny
That we once saw
On the edge of dawn
What have you done”
The song lyrics echo through the empty city, as Erik’s plasma cannon shoots through a wall, carving Aurgelmir’s leg off at the kneecap.
Instant regeneration occurs, a new leg growing where the old one fell off, as the Titan turns towards where the plasma blast came from.
“One night it was clear (What colors you gleam)
These things I was building (Blue, black and Machine)
Were not meant to serve (Perfection in steel)
They were meant to conquer (A glorious future revealed) “
A hole in a wall.
“In the walls, perhaps?!” Aurgelmir growls, throwing himself at the wall that hid his foe from him. Plowing through it, to find nothing inside except for explosives.
A titanic explosion sends him rolling backwards, ice armor forming around the Titan as he moves to desperately counter some of the damage being thrown at him. After a few seconds of precious time, he finds himself in the spot he’d mostly made clear.
“This is the end
You’ve started the fall
Can’t see the destiny
That we once saw
On the edge of dawn
What have you done”
The wall detonating next to his head leaves him realizing he’s never had cover, just what Erik let him assume to be cover. Rage covers his face as he plows at another wall, desperate to get the pain and repeated blows to stop so he can take time to heal.
A barrage of missiles coming at him from behind leaves him changing his plan, as he throws himself towards the top of the wall.
“Their eyes were opened easily (Rise up now, my sons)
It was like flipping a switch (There is much be done)
They were more than happy to join me (This is the final stage)
Because, they believe (Lead us into a new age)”
The words echo, as the wall before Aurgelmir detonates, sending him flying backwards into the missiles coming from behind. Desperately, Aurgelmir focuses as much power as he can, and reality freezes whole as for one moment, he taps into the most powerful ability of Frost.
Then the ability shatters, as Erik taps into the most powerful ability of Earth, and for one moment is the mountains, and the lava, shattering Aurgelmir’s own attempt at being simply immune to the damage being thrown at him.
“This is the end
You’ve started the fall
Can’t see the destiny
That we once saw
On the edge of dawn
What have you done”
Gasps of breath from the massive Titan, as he spits out bone and blood once more, feeling far more of the fight than before. Then, slowly, he forces himself to heal up, eyes growing sharp as he turns to look for Erik’s mech.
“You have to be as tired from that as I am, Erik!” He calls out, grinning now. “That had to have been just as hard on you as it was on me!”
The firing of weapons from the walls is his only answer, leaving Aurgelmir realizing he’s in a shooting gallery and moving for any sort of protective cover once more.
“And who is this you send?
One of them?
While you cower far from harm
He’ll just disappoint you”
The lyrics echo, along with the guns firing. But the only thing Aurgelmir really hears is the clicking sound from before, as another trap is set off.
The spray of lava shooting up from underneath him leaves him yelling with rage, as he pushes forwards away from his pain, and straight into a wall.
No explosions erupt from this one, but Aurgelmir frowns, stabbing in with his sword anyways.
“Now it’s done
We’re divided
Call him home
This one’s misguided
(The robots are stronger than man
I will not let victory fall through my hands…)”
His sword pulls back out, with some sort of gel like fluid coating it.
Then the Plasma Cannon echoes through the city, carving into Aurgelmir’s spine.
The Titan falls once more.
“I see his hands
Covered in my children’s blood
And his eyes do not waver”
Distantly, Erik hears his cheers grow louder, as worldwide, every nation can see the Titan fighting for it’s life. And being injured at nearly every turn.
More explosions, more weapons slamming into the massive Titan, as Erik works controls for himself and the weapons on the walls, ignoring his growing sense of exhaustion as he does so, matching the feeling of Legend flowing into him properly and fueling his power.
“Call me wrong?
The future needs us
Your answer’s death?
You end us, bleed us”
The world buckles, as a shockwave of Ice slams out, brutal in its job of sending nearby walls flying.
Erik’s eyes widen as the teleport barely stops him from being hit, but he shivers as his body pants more from exertion.
“(I’ve made a promise to them
I will not let victory fall through my hands…)”
Fists clenched tighter around the controls, and Erik’s eyes narrowed with rage and purpose.
“And how quick you had him dispatch his brothers
You called this murderer a savior!”
Missiles fire again, loudly, as Erik launches everything his War Beast has left in missile ordinance.
Aurgelmir’s eyes widen as his ice wall shatters, followed by far too many of the missiles hitting.
He slides, left arm missing, having been vaporized alright by him using it as a shield.
“Can you not feel
That we could have a life forged in steel
I only ask that you see what I see
This is the answer
Why won’t you believe?”
Aurgelmir’s eyes narrow, then widen. As past the sound. Past the music. Past all the things, he can feel Legend flowing somewhere to the battlefield.
Ignoring his missing arm, he charges, doing his best to dodge everything being shot at him as he pushes his damaged body beyond his limits.
“This is the end
You’ve started the fall
Can’t see the destiny
That we once saw
On the edge of dawn
What have you…”
“ETA: 11:14 left.” Erik’s screen to the left shows for one brief moment, before the screen shatters, as Aurgelmir’s fist lands against the side of Erik’s War Beast. The music cutting off as Metal Gear Rex MK3.5’s remaining screens show damage to multiple computers.
“With that Legend flowing to you? I see you clearly, now.” The Titan rumbles with displeasure, reaching up with his arm to finish the job and destroy the war machine below him.
His hand meets a Radiant Wave Surger, pushing against it as Erik’s War Beast does it’s best to shield him from damage.
“Accursed God! Fall before the might of Aurgelmir!” With a scream of rage, Aurgelmir pushes, Titanic might and rage enhancing his already superior abilities, only to come against Erik’s War Beast and find himself wanting with the shield protecting it.
After repeated blows, he instead changes tactics, kicking the ground underneath the war machine upwards, towards one of the walls.
The railgun barks for the first time properly, launching a round into Aurgelmir’s shoulder as the War Beast twists in midair to have the claws on its feet grab the ground, hit but not out.
Aurgelmir’s eyes narrow at the sight.
Then he braces himself, a new arm ready to form any moment now.
A pause, as he glares at his missing left arm, then frowns, before pushing more Legend into the healing.
Another round slams into his good shoulder from Erik’s War Beast, and Aurgelmir glares with hatred.
“An arm. Nearly all my Adopted Children. The bulk of the Frostspawn summoned to deal with you, and now my arm.” Aurgelmir’s voice booms, before the sound of a cannon hits his ears.
Aurgelmir dodges, barely moving out of the plasma cannon’s path before it can carve through his remaining arm.
An icy prosthetic forms into existence, looking more like the Golem’s arm that Aurgelmir inhabited before, as Aurgelmir moves, forcing himself past his limits again.
The repeated attacks from the walls hurt. But they aren’t his true problem.
The true problem is Erik’s constant assaults with the War Beast.
Sparks of Legend fly around the war machine now, leaving it visible to Aurgelmir’s sight.
That doesn’t stop Erik from constantly moving, using teleportation tactically to slow his foe down.
So too above, Wolf Home also crackles with Legend, for the first time in far too long. Long forgotten systems within, coming to life and hiding it from the world, as well as giving it a far closer metaphysical weight to the worlds it held worshipping Erik and Tamamo, once upon a time.
Not that Aurgelmir has the chance to notice, as the warfare between them shifts rapidly to “trying to catch the annoying war machine as it teleports around the battlefield, as walls detonate, traps spew lava or explode, and the rest of the walls shoot at him.
Minute after minute they fight, as Erik’s breathing grows more and more labored inside his War Beast.
Until even Aurgelmir hears it.
“Growing tired, hmm? I suppose that flow of Legend isn’t enough to counter the issues you’ve been having after all!” Aurgelmir admits, a smile on his face. Then he pulls out another ball of crystallized Legend, and crushes it, absorbing its contents as he does so.
“I must admit, I have to thank you for the idea of storing Legend in a crystallized state. Your method may be different, but it still works to even the odds.” With those words, the Titan moves impossibly fast, an ice covered foot slamming the War Beast directly into one of the few traps left untriggered.
Sprays of lava hit the war machine, and Erik flinches as his armor de-synchronizes from the armor abruptly.
For a moment, his eyes grow wide at the sight of the words “ETA: 2:37”, before he launches himself out of the mouth of the War Beast that served him for so long, as it falls into the lava and melts away behind him.
For one long moment, Erik glances back at the War Beast, before turning to glare at the Titan, armor reconfiguring to drop what looks like a lightsaber in his right gauntleted hand.
“You’re going to fall here, monster. All you’ve done is delay the inevitable.” Erik’s voice echoes through the battlefield, tempered with exhaustion.
Aurgelmir’s eyes narrow as the lightsaber’s blade flickers into existence.
Around them, the heat spikes higher, as Erik’s plan comes to its final stages.
And above? Wolf Home continues making a stealthy descent, as a massive illusion works to hide its movements.
The next minute and a half are a blur, as the massive Titan works to catch Erik, and Erik works to keep the massive fists and feet away from himself.
But his body is starting to fail. The sheer amount of Legend used, leaves the armor moving slower and slower.
Aurgelmir’s eyes narrow, before the prosthetic hand reaches out to grab Erik, once and for all.
Silently, Erik palms a button linked to his Mechanical linkup suit, carefully watching Aurgelmir as the Titan pulls Erik up to look him, eye to eye.
“You planned on boiling me alive with the heat, hm?” The Titan looks around them, as the walls finally burst into flame, the heat from the lava currents far too much for the capital to take anymore.
“Yup. Has it been working?” Erik asks, amusement in his voice.
“Amusement from you, my foe? I suppose you have the right, for your actions in harming me this far.” Aurgelmir admits, after a moment. “You’ve done far better than anyone else in harming me, twice over now.”
“I specialize in breaking fate and coming up with things that can hurt the unkillable.” Erik retorts, calmly. “Why do you think I hurt you so bad?”
“Still confident in your armor, even now?” Aurgelmir asks, one eyebrow raising. “My, that must be something for you to be so sure of yourself. Let’s see what’s inside, shall I?”
With those words, the Titan pulls the helmet off.
Erik looks haggard.
No, haggard isn’t the right word. Gaunt is more like it.
His cheeks are missing most of their fat, his hair is now white and grey. His skin is stretched farther than it should be, as if he’s pushed himself past the edge of starvation for far too long.
Erik looks like he’s on the ragged edge of exhaustion… but as Aurgelmir moves him up to more closer look at his defeated foe, he frowns.
Erik’s head flickers, as he moves.
“You aren’t here, are you?” Aurgelmir asks, an eyebrow slowly raising.
“No. Not particularly. But you are, and that’s the key to this whole thing.” Erik smiles through the holographic screen.
Then, as the timer hits 15 seconds left, Erik pulls the final trigger.
One last system snaps into full power, and Aurgelmir’s eyes grow wide in shock as he goes to his knees.
Then he starts sinking into the ground, rapidly, as the weight of his body imbalances and pulls him onto his back.
“Oh, perfect!” The now glitching out hologram of Erik, smiles. “I was hoping you’d get to see this with your last moments!”
The damaged, glitching armor moves towards Aurgelmir’s right ear. “I saved this just for you, after all. Nukes wouldn’t work, we already proved that. But dropping my original Wolf Home as a colony drop, with the spiritual and metaphysical weight of two thirds of the planet still existing within it, right on you?” Erik’s voice glitches again, as the Titan’s eyes grow wide.
The illusion fades above him, showing Wolf Home, burning fires from re-entry melting the walls of Yharnham into puddles of rock.
“And you used your Ultimate ability with Frost already, and are about out of Legend! Thanks for that! Now it’s checkmate, you bastard, and I win forever!” Erik’s voice echoes from the armor, right before Wolf Home hits.
A massive scream erupts from the Titan, as his desperate attempts to stop the massive thing grinding into his body fail, one and all. Desperation on his face as he pushes himself to his limits, doing his best to push away the monstrously heavy weight burning him.
All fails to stop it from hurting him, far beyond anything he’d ever dreamed.
Legend is burned like water, as he desperately struggles to fight. To absorb enough Legend to continue to regenerate.
Eventually, the pain ends.
Nothing stirs for a long while, as Erik’s actual body leans against Fenris, beside him.
“Did we get him?” Tamamo asks, as she pulls her husband into a hug from behind, watching the cameras carefully.
Slowly, Wolf Home starts rocking, as a quiet, slow-building laugh erupts from underneath.
Erik’s eyes narrow, and before he grins with a smile much like Fenris’ own.
As Wolf Home’s reactors detonate as one, the antimatter fueled explosion detonates visibly as a pillar of light rising up for everyone on the planet to see. Even though they’re on the other side of the planet.
“How… much antimatter was that?” Sakura shakily asks her father, quietly.
“Enough that the continent no longer exists.” Erik quietly whispers.
Then he leans back, as exhaustion hits, and passes out.
Author’s Notes:
I was up far, far too late working on this, rather than sleeping like a sane person would.
First off, for the planet slowing down? The Great Enemy has had 3000 years to cool down the planet in an attempt to freeze the core. It’s not quite there YET, but the planet’s spin has slowed down considerably. But with the constant storms and sheer amount of ice on the surface as a result of everything being messed up, who would easily notice the planet’s rotation slowing down?
Yes, the song in question plays up to 3:46 before switching tone suddenly at Dr. Wily’s canon defeat in the original Megaman/Mega Man game. I thought it fitting that the song stop right at that point where it switches tone.
As for this chapter? I wanted to evoke feelings of Archie Comic’s Sonic, the 50th issue.
Endgame was one of the biggest comic arcs I remember as a young teen, and I loved it.
Sonic and Robotnik finally dueling it out, as something that can erase both of them from existence itself starts ripping holes in reality around them?
No banter, just two long time enemies finally doing their utter best to kill each other as the world breaks apart around them. Knowing that either one of them could die for good, if they got hit by that stuff, and not giving a damn. Both of them have had enough, both of them legitimately want the other dead and both don’t care about what happens to themself so long as their longtime nemesis dies.
Hopefully I pulled that off with this one.
Last edited by RanmaBushiko; November 8th, 2021 at 06:41 AM.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
Can confirm. Impressive finale. The contrast with the previous interlude chapter's inevitability and slow decline is delicious. There's some great variety in tactics, and quite a few twists. Checking for the Avatar rules, since I'm assuming that would be the "Ultimate Ability of (Purview)"... huh, The Shaper seems very fitting for Erik. I can imagine he could abuse Property Infusion to no end, but probably didn't have the Legend for it.
It's not entirely clear from the text, but I assume Erik was physically in the fight right up until he got grabbed, from things like the Legend flow. It seems like it would be difficult to disguise or fake that, or do a lot of what he did remotely.
You've thought about this one for quite a while, and it shows. The focus is on the traps and tactics, the layers built over the millennia, but there's a good ebb and flow of tension during the fight, and that is a very thorough finishing blow.
I can see why this is the bad timeline, though. Most of the planet is in ruins, and humanity is not in good shape.
Glanced through right before going to bed, and spotted your post and an error I had to correct. May as well reply.
Erik was burning power like mad for the entire fight, as there wasn't enough world-wide Legend left in enough amounts for his war machine, a horribly damaged down to the last layer of components then rebuilt from the ground up Metal Gear Rex MK3. A lot of stuff broke permanently as a result of the original fight between Erik and the Heart of Winter's host body. Relic or not, it still lost a lot of functionality as a result. Mostly it functioned as well as it did due to it's original being meant to kill "Things bigger then Erik is", and the original being forged from the remains of the freaking Talos. So it's as close as a Noble Phantasm as he's going to get for a fight like this.
The Armor's Details
More will be covered in the epilogue(s? Depending on how much material there is left to cover for the ending planned) for the results to be fully seen, as well as learning more of the fallout of Erik's mad plan...
Suffice to say his overkill will have very long term repercussions as a result of what he did to win.
Glad you loved the pacing, the tactics and everything else, though. I wanted to do Erik as a character justice for the sheer amount of crazy he can do when pushed to the wall with no support. That, and for some reason, I felt that song would go perfectly to the action, if for the lyrics, more than the music.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
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 6, 2004
The situation, Astraea found, was intolerable.
She had reduced herself to the limitations of not only a Class Container, but a mortal host, in order to carry out her duties. She had endured the removal of the Holy Grail, her invoker and primary anchor in this world, reducing her presence to a mere echo of even that pale shadow of her true glory—going so far as to eventually form a contract with Sakura so that she could both remain within the world for long enough to reach her goal and avoid unduly straining the mortal girl whose form she inhabited.
The Ruler-class Pseudo-Servant had thenceforth proceeded to suffer through all the misfortunes associated with mortal travel—bureaucracy, equipment failures, weather delays, and above all, bureaucracy (it was so pervasive and annoying as to deserve being counted twice)—before finally reaching her intended destination. And after all that obstruction, tribulation, and outright humiliation, after at last laying her eyes upon Trifas, the site of her appointed task . . .
After all of that, Astraea found that she was far, far too late.
The entire area was virtually drowned in supernatural energies, and those merely echoes of what had been unleashed here—and nearby. Even distance did not diminish things much on the scale that had been employed in this area. And though magic was not her specialty, despite her divinity, Astraea’s host knew enough of magecraft as mortals understood it to give her sufficient understanding of what she perceived. For a few brief hours, in a small pocket of the world, something akin to the Age of the Gods had lived again—it would be some time before things properly settled from what had been done here, if she was any judge; and indeed, was that not her appointed role?
Not that it seemed to matter—with all combatants of the Grail War vanished, along with the Holy Grail itself, her presence seemed wholly unnecessary. That irked her; that she had been summoned in dire need, undergone such hardships, only to render all her efforts and intentions worthless at the end. Moreover, to not know whether or not her intervention actually was still required—because in the absence of the Grail, she could not trust that it did not still need protecting, its rules enforcement, nor those who had interfered not need punishing—was equally aggravating.
Poise and elegance, such as she aspired to convey by her very existence, insisted that Astraea accept the situation gracefully, and depart in peace. But she was an Olympian; the last to walk the world, perhaps, but still possessed of that status . . . And as such, she was remarkably capable when it came to acting out of sheer, unadulterated spite.
(Inwardly, the mortal girl who was so similar to Astraea as to be a compatible host for her approved wholeheartedly.)
As such, Astraea laid her curse before departing; that those responsible for getting her into this mess would face her judgement, even if she herself might not deliver it directly, or require a wait of near-countless lifetimes. Her ire had been invoked, she had the “thousand eyes” of Night to keep eternal vigil for those responsible for that, and Justice would not be denied . . .
Avalon Castle, Phantasmagoria Island (Grail Works. Ltd. Headquarters)
Beyond the boundaries of time and space
Shiki and Shirou both had warning, in their own ways.
However untrained he might be, Shiki was literally a born demon hunter, with instincts designed to detect and destroy the supernatural—witness his involuntary kill of Arcueid, who’d done nothing to give her nature away. And Shirou had a particular knack for “scenting” magic, as the events involving Shinji’s attempted activation of Rider’s Blood Fort Andromeda . . .
No, both young men knew what was coming—they simply couldn’t react fast enough to stop it.
A meteor literally crashed into their location, sending them all flying through the Door. By the time anyone had regained enough of their wits to rise to their feet, the impact had already driven Godafrid, who had been closest to it, into the nearest wall—and the one behind it, and the one behind that, and at least two more, so far as anyone could see . . .
“ONII-CHAN!” Ilya shrieked, appearing. “Are you OK?”
“Yeah,” Shirou groaned, his voice rougher than expected. As such, he attempted to smile reassuringly, even as he asked, “What hit us, Ilya . . .?”
His “little older sister” froze. “Oh. Oh no—Onii-chan, she’s inside, and I can’t—!”
There was a sound of grinding stone, distantly—and then, a sudden blonde that was neither Arcueid nor Saber, though she definitely could radiate icy disapproval as well as either of them.
“Not an ideal vessel,” the girl (for she looked no older than any of them) said, “but having hosted another Ruler’s spirit, compatible enough . . .” The blonde shook her head, sending the sky-blue-frosted tips of her long hair flying in waves.
“I bring the judgement of the scales and the justice of the stars,” she pronounced imperiously, “My name is Astraea, a terminal of all that is good in the world, and as the designated Ruler of the Great Holy Grail War, I would take your measure . . .”
“Then you should start,” Frid growled, “with me.”
Saying that his everything hurt wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration (he’d just tanked a bloody METEOR, he was entitled!) but Frid forced himself to stay upright, move forward, even as he instinctively tried to heal . . . And when he realised just what—and more importantly, who—was involved, he tried to do it all faster.
Astraea was, theoretically, about as “safe” as a Divine Spirit got; she was so devoted to humanity that she remained with them, incarnated as a Ruler in the mantle of “Lady Justice,” and so bound to neutrality and fairness. . . But her ideal host was Luviagelita Edelfelt, which implied that she was as prone to the noblewoman’s weaknesses as the mortal girl—and the Olympians in general were known as much or more for their flaws as for their virtues . . .
And when he saw Laeticia standing there, awake and with eyes that glowed with an inner light that gave them a gemlike lustre, sky-blue colouring her unbound hair, Frid knew that things were even worse than he’d feared. Because Laeticia was “normal,” according to Nasu lore—and thus in theory, unable to sustain any spirit other than Jeanne d’Arc’s, whom she was eminently compatible with. Which meant that either Astraea, lacking the “filter” of Luvia’s personality, was uncaring enough of a single mortal’s fate to risk killing Laeticia in the performance of her duties (certainly possible, given both Justice’s necessary neutrality and Ishtar’s natural personality in Fate/strange fake), or . . .
Or she would be running on fumes and desperate to end this as quickly as possible—because if she didn’t, she’d be unable to . . . And while Frid didn’t really know Astraea without the influence of a host, he’d never known Luvia to yield.
“And we had better hurry,” he continued quickly, “because your host was petrified to save her from being poisoned—”
“She will come to no harm while I am here,” Astraea proclaimed, a self-satisfied smirk coming to her borrowed face. “I am a goddess, after all.”
She did not follow it up with Luvia’s trademark “oh-ho-ho,” which was oddly unsettling—nearly as much as the worry that Astraea was overestimating herself. She was a deity, whereas Chiron had “merely” been an immortal; but the Hydra was allegedly one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna, the former being a born god slayer . . . Then again, Hera had supposedly raised the beast for the sole purpose of killing Herakles, so maybe she had a point . . .?
“Besides,” Astraea continued, unaware of Frid’s thoughts, “this realm is closer to the Age of the Gods than the mortal one—sustaining myself is no great feat here, so even with the general lack of compatibility, I can endure for some time without her suffering for it.”
Her face froze in that imperious mask again, and she added firmly, “Your apparent compassion is to your credit; however, if this is merely a ploy to earn my sympathies, or buy yourself time . . .”
“We wouldn’t!” Shirou protested indignantly, and Frid wanted to throttle the kid; the last thing they needed was Astraea giving anybody that Luvia might know her attention . . .!
“We will see,” the Divine Spirit proclaimed frostily—and though her eyes lingered on Shirou, she made no other reaction to him.
One bullet dodged, Frid thought with relief. We do not need Astraea body-jacking the local Luvia to try and woo Shirou—or anybody, for that matter; we need to stay as far under the Clock Tower and the Church’s radar as possible . . .
“The tale is long and convoluted,” the ersatz Lunar said aloud, adding as a probe, “though less so than many of Chaldea’s exploits.”
Astraea frowned. “I feel I should know that name—perhaps it was from a prior summoning . . .” The frown became an outright scowl. “Once again, you are delaying—did you not offer yourself up as the first? Has your courage proven mere bravado, now that you are in reach of my sword . . .?”
“No,” Frid said flatly. “Merely a moment of weakness in wishing to indulge my curiosity—I wished to see if you would know the name, that is all. My apologies for the frivolity, Lady Astraea.”
He pronounced her name and title carefully, drawing on long-ago Latin classes (and thanking his lucky stars, if that wasn’t too ironic, for the memory-boosting Charms that let him) to do so. If pressed, he’d blame the outbreak of formality on the influence of her own speech patterns—and an inherent belief that being polite to deities was usually a good idea.
“As I said, the tale is a long one,” he repeated, “and it begins, much like your arrival here, with an unexpected summons . . .”
“I see,” Astraea said, once all had been explained. “That leaves several problems unsolved, does it not? The damages of the Great Holy Grail War, the paradox of your Holy Grail’s existence and past adventures yet unexperienced . . . Not to mention the loss of two dangerous divine relics, and the poisoning of this child.”
She gestured to herself, and Shirou exclaimed, “I thought you said—!”
The goddess stopped him with a glare. “I said that she would come to no harm in my presence. I am not a deity of healing, by nature—my possession of it halts the poison, it does not end it, and I can hardly inhabit her shell forever.
“But” she continued, “such a condition can be remedied, if I use my Noble Phantasm.”
Left unsaid was that she needed someone to use it on; and Frid was initially confused, because her scales didn’t seem appropriate for this . . .
And then, he remembered her second Noble Phantasm, the one mentioned in Fate/Grand Order only in passing—and then, he understood.
“I can offer no certainties,” she warned. “Its precise effects may not be all that you hope for—by nature, it is a granter of justice, not miracles. Even willingly allowed, such an act does not often turn out as mortals would wish; but then, allowing such to influence justice is not meant to be possible. It will cause pain, and I cannot alter that.”
Frid nodded. He wouldn’t expect any less, nor would he want it—he’d been willing to sacrifice his prior identity to save Spira, and this was, in the end, no different. In some ways, in fact, it was even better—because whatever he got, he would have earned.
“I understand,” he said firmly.
She stared at him appraisingly. “I believe you do—and for that, I will endeavour to make it swift, if nothing else.”
“What are you talking about?” Shirou said apprehensively. “What are you doing?”
“Fixing as much of this mess as we can,” Frid said obliquely. “Ilya, we need a Door to—?”
“As close to the centre of events as you can get, in both space and time,” Astraea answered. “At night.”
Ilya gestured, and they were gone.
Shirou rounded on her. “What did you do? What is HE about to do?!”
“It’s just like with Spira, Onii-chan,” the Grail spirit said solemnly. “Astraea’s Noble Phantasm will right things that have been made wrong—but she has to judge the one responsible for it.”
“Then why just him?” the redhead demanded.
“Because he’s here, when many of the other instigators aren’t,” she said.
“But we sent him on that mission—!”
“And he advised the plan, every step of the way,” Ilya countered. “He knew everyone involved, as well almost every action they might have taken and most of the ones they did—if anybody could be judged as being ‘responsible’ for this, out of those who are left, it’s him.
“I don’t think it’ll kill him,” she said thoughtfully. “He’s not that responsible for it, as far as prime instigators go—but it will hurt, like she said, and I have no idea what the ultimate effects will actually be . . .”
“Then why did you—?” Shirou started.
“Because we used all the reserves we had on super-charging Saber’s Excalibur blast,” Ilya interrupted. “And short of a wish or something like this, finding an outright cure for that enhanced Hydra venom might not be possible. Not to mention there are a lot of people we don’t want her judging in this place—me included, Onii-chan—so we needed her out of here as fast as possible. This was the best option we had.”
“. . . Then we need to do better,” he said fiercely.
Outside Trifas, Romania
Three hours after the Great Holy Grail War
“Truly, an ingenious effect,” Astraea murmured, as she beheld the ruins before her arrival. “I imagine you can return the girl in much the same way—she will be home, all promises fulfilled?”
“We’re able to go where we’re needed, for the most part,” Frid answered, “so I imagine so.”
She shook her head. “Time must truly hate you, for meddling with it so—I imagine you shall pay for that, as well.”
“I figured,” he sighed. “There’s no real point to dragging this out, is there?”
“Not ultimately,” Astraea agreed—and then, she paused. “And yet, I feel compelled to, for one thing more . . . A whim of my host’s, I think. Or perhaps that you remind me of someone, in this act—either way, I feel it deserves recognition.”
Frid blinked, unsure of her meaning. “Oh?”
The smile that stretched across Laeticia’s face, just then, would have been far more at home on Luvia’s—or a cat, playing with the mouse in its grasp. And the comparison seemed all the more apt with the purring tone her voice took on.
“It is a rare reward indeed,” she murmured, “to be given a maiden’s first kiss. I do hope you treasure it sincerely . . .”
He could not possibly have heard that corr—
The brush of lips was light and chaste, as expected of a pure maiden, either mortal or divine. It was warm, sweet, and swiftly over, but still enough to set him reeling . . . And by the time Frid regained his senses, Astraea had manifested her sword, a golden, jewel-encrusted thing that looked far more decorative than functional—yet in her hands, radiated a deadly menace, all the same.
“And so, an end is brought to anarchy,” she proclaimed. “Iam Redit et Virgo: Let Order Be Returned Here!”
Writer's Notes: Certain parts of Astraea's dialogue might be familiar to sharp-eyed readers . . .
Last edited by Kieran; November 15th, 2021 at 08:04 AM.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
Well... this is quite the epilogue, man, I'll give you that.
Xamusel's Fanfiction Profile
For those that don't necessarily care if my fics aren't all Type-Moon related.
Hmm... this is a bit of a surprise these days.
An archive of my works on the forum that's pretty accurate.
Note that I don't wish to be seen as an idiot any longer. I can't always promise better works than before, but I can sure as hell try, alright?
Yeah - and while I'm not sure if RB has any epilogues left to tell, I'm fairly certain I only have one, so we're almost finished (at last!).Well... this is quite the epilogue, man, I'll give you that.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
That does explain a lot about why Astrea was introduced in the first place. It does seem like appropriate circumstances for her second Noble Phantasm to be used, though I'm a tad surprised the Works was sufficient to fulfill the requirement of "assembling all the people involved". The title drop was damn fitting, though.
That's definitely an epilogue cliffhanger, but at least it clears up the "Naturally, that was when everything exploded." from the previous epilogue. There are a lot of possibilities for the outcome of Iam Redit et Virgo here, as the characters point out. It can't raise the dead, or reverse time, but some possibilities that come to mind:
- Strip Godafrid of Godafrid's form
- Cure Laeticia (this one is strongly implied)
- Mess with Erik in whatever ways are deemed just
- Things involving Zelretch
- Things involving the stolen Greater Grail (since this was stolen by Dark Powers, that may draw their attention)
- Things involving Sieg (assuming he's not dead, and Zelretch just kidnapped him or something)
- Otherwise minimize paradox (i.e. by throwing Godafrid into the Servant-verse. This stretches "reverse time" a bit, though)
We clearly need epilogues for our epilogues, though if you have one more, it will probably explain the outcomes here.
He did good work on that one, didn't he?Well... this is quite the epilogue, man, I'll give you that.
By the way, read up. You've got something big you may have missed up there.
Only a couple left, I think... we're really hitting the end of the plots started up, aren't we?
One interlude epilogue (or two, depending on how much writing I have to do for that mess), and a couple plots to fill up with interludes...
There's options for Godafrid, and Laeticia, though we haven't really sat and just discussed them yet.
*rubs my hands together* Still, thanks for those good points! It might help a bit for influencing the future in some ways... Mwahaha.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
RB, I read your interlude as well, but I'm confused about what happened there... sorry. -_-
Xamusel's Fanfiction Profile
For those that don't necessarily care if my fics aren't all Type-Moon related.
Hmm... this is a bit of a surprise these days.
An archive of my works on the forum that's pretty accurate.
Note that I don't wish to be seen as an idiot any longer. I can't always promise better works than before, but I can sure as hell try, alright?
What part confuses you? The plan Erik pulled? Aurgelmir? How many of Aurgelmir's people died?
For the Aurgelmir bit? Aurgelmir is the older name for YMIR in Norse Mythology. Which could, if you go by the whole "Gilgamesh has all the prototypes of Noble Phantasms", be said to be the prototype of YMIR in this case. While Erik was pulling the whole "Try to raise more gods up" tactic along with Shirou and Amaterasu, The Heart of Winter gestalt of the Greater Grail, all the servants he absorbed, etc, with a bit of Avicebron mixed in for good measure, was aiming to become a new version of YMIR. Except YMIR was kinda out, with how much of a mess that would be. A whole lot of the gestalt would have been annihilated in the process So he went and aimed for becoming the very first iteration, rather than how people, the Norse Gods and Faith/Legend saw him later.
He'd had 3000 years to innovate and work out how to break his limits to become a Titan in truth rather than a mockery of one, if one altered by existence in an entirely different universe.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
It is a bit of a stretch, and thus might not be quite as effective as it otherwise could be . . . On the other hand, the area is saturated with energies whose function is weaving binding patterns into Fate, and this is the second time that Frid is martyring himself for a literal deus ex machina, so . . . *Shrugs*
Thank you - it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but I couldn't resist.The title drop was damn fitting, though.
Indeed . . .That's definitely an epilogue cliffhanger, but at least it clears up the "Naturally, that was when everything exploded." from the previous epilogue. There are a lot of possibilities for the outcome of Iam Redit et Virgo here, as the characters point out. It can't raise the dead, or reverse time, but some possibilities that come to mind:
- Strip Godafrid of Godafrid's form
- Cure Laeticia (this one is strongly implied)
Some of them, at least - sequel hooks are also possible.- Mess with Erik in whatever ways are deemed just
- Things involving Zelretch
- Things involving the stolen Greater Grail (since this was stolen by Dark Powers, that may draw their attention)
- Things involving Sieg (assuming he's not dead, and Zelretch just kidnapped him or something)
- Otherwise minimize paradox (i.e. by throwing Godafrid into the Servant-verse. This stretches "reverse time" a bit, though)
We clearly need epilogues for our epilogues, though if you have one more, it will probably explain the outcomes here.
Last edited by Kieran; November 15th, 2021 at 10:28 PM.
“Love will be cruel to who it entices — love will have its sacrifices.”
— Carmilla Theme
"Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference."
―Jim Butcher, Vignette
That makes sense now... thanks for clearing that up for me, RB, inasmuch as I can have that cleared up.
Xamusel's Fanfiction Profile
For those that don't necessarily care if my fics aren't all Type-Moon related.
Hmm... this is a bit of a surprise these days.
An archive of my works on the forum that's pretty accurate.
Note that I don't wish to be seen as an idiot any longer. I can't always promise better works than before, but I can sure as hell try, alright?
Glad to help a bit with that. The rest was carefully set up Radiant Wave Surgers, built and set up using Thorium to ensure the half life would last long enough to work, set up carefully in a lot of spots, and a massive trap for whatever armies might hit. You know those horror film or video game tropes of a trap with two walls coming in to crush the heroes? Imagine that done with vaporizing radiation, and you've got Erik's plan for the army YMIR/Aurgelmir brought with. Which worked all too well.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
Epilogue 4: Bloody Tidings
One hand holds a wine glass, as she studies the image from her comfortable chair. Dainty fingers adjust it, twirling around, before taking a sip. The other hand reaches down, scratching the ears of the massive form next to her, shrunk down.
“Type O again, I see. Thank you, Strout, Svelten. Excellent as always.” Lips curl up for the figure, as she frowns, moving forwards to study things more carefully.
Then the figure gets up, frowning, revealing long black hair and slitted red eyes.
“My sister’s weaknesses are gone? Tch.” Altrouge Brunestud frowns at the image. For a moment, she paces, then her eyes narrow further at her sister outright regrowing her hair, her eyes flickering gold as she does so.
A clenched fist cracks the stem of the wineglass, as her sister’s normal outfit shifts to be the garb used by Arcueid as the White Princess, before Altrouge slowly finishes her glass.
“Well, someone’s fucked up.” Altrouge Brunestud says, emphatically. “And with my sister being this strong, it’s rather wrecked all my plans to be a proper big sister and keep her safe from our father’s plans for her...”
“Fou?” The voice of Primate Murder carefully queries.
Altrouge glances over, then sighs softly. “She was always strong… but her strength made her a far superior host for our father. As long as she and I are equal in strength or she is weaker than myself, she won’t be possessed by him, or made a host. With this...fuckup, however…?” Altrouge trails off for a long moment. “Damnation.” She finally utters, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. “She’s close enough to me again, that I can’t guarantee her safety anymore.”
After a long moment, Altrouge sighs, pulling Primate Murder onto her lap and petting his fur gently as she watches the screen and thinks to herself.
“Rizo-Waal Strout, Fina-Blood Svelten? I want you both to prepare to work as a courier to the master of the Kaleidoscope. He gifted this viewing screen to us, to check upon my sister, and it seems I’m going to need to help her sooner rather than later.”
Altrouge settles back, eyes narrowing as she continues to watch her sister’s battle as her mind takes in every single detail so she knows who to blame for the mess her sister is in.
If the one of a kind wine glass shatters to powder in the process, well, who cares?
It’s a suitable target for her anger in lieu of whoever gave her sister this strength, anyways.
1 Month Later
A Restaurant with a really good view
Altrouge sits across from Zelretch, humming as she sips on her glass of wine. Between them lies an unopened contract, and a still mostly full bottle of wine.
Zelretch grins bemusedly as he sips on one as well. “It’s a fine vintage. Not as good as the one that I got from a pantheon of Elven Gods as of late, but far less risky to actually hurt me.”
Altrouge pauses, her mind stalling as she goes over the words Zelretch just said, her face showing her obvious thought process of “What.” for one long moment, before settling back into neutrality.
“Interesting how you have access to a pantheon of Elven Gods and haven’t told anyone.” Altrouge finally admits. “Any chance of getting divine blood out of things?” She queries, carefully.
Zelretch’s smirk grows. “Not if you’re planning what I think you’re planning.”
Altrouge pauses, eyes narrowing slightly.
“Do remember that I beat your father, girl.” Zelretch states, ignoring Altrouge’s narrowed eyes as he continues to sip on the wine. “I might not look it anymore, but I’m still capable of countering the moon being ripped out of orbit and sent at me. Are you strong enough to pull that off, Altrouge Brunestud, Dead Apostle Ancestor of Blood and Contracts?”
Altrouge slowly shakes her head, then sighs. “Apologies, if you thought I intended a glare for you. It’s for the one who has endangered my sister, so.” Altrouge clenches one carefully manicured fist, then breathes out, forcing herself to relax.
Zelretch stills, eyes narrowing, his attention entirely focused on Altrouge now. “Endangered how?”
“Keeping my sister weak so she wouldn’t be possessed by Father was a gamble, I’ll admit, but it was one that was working. Up until whoever restored enough power to bring us to equal level intervened, anyways.” Altrouge admits, eyes closed as she works out how to word things to her companion in the restaurant they’re in. “I never anticipated her growing strong enough to be on my level again. With that, I can’t tell what our ancestor is thinking, or who he may choose to be his next host anymore.”
“Host.” Zelretch states, carefully, the word suddenly tasting like ash on his tongue. “As in possession of sorts? A spiritual one?”
Altrouge’s nod leaves Zelretch putting his glass of wine down. “And the closest thing I have to a granddaughter doesn’t realize it.” He sighs softly, eyes closing as he rubs his temples. “First, the mess in Trifas getting terrifyingly worse than I ever anticipated, then this.”
Altrouge blinks, studying Zelretch as if for the first time, carefully. “I’m here as an older sister, not in my station of Dead Apostle Ancestor. Otherwise I’d be rather interested in what has troubled you so much.” Altrouge admits.
Zelretch settles back, thinking. “Let me clarify. You’re wanting the one that restored your sister to power, to suffer? Not her friends and allies?”
Altrouge nods imperiously.
For a long while, Zelretch hums, deep in thought. The only moments he isn’t humming is when he’s sipping on the wine.
“...What is one more mess to be in, I suppose?” Zelretch asks, thinking as he looks up at their surroundings. More specifically, at the view outside their window.
The universe itself is ending, right outside their window. The restaurant they’re in is rather infamous for selling showings to it, going back and forth in time to the very end of the universe.
“Ah, the view is here.” Zelretch admits, and nods towards it. “One end of the universe, for our viewing pleasure.”
Then he glances towards a waiter, nodding towards the man who comes rushing over. “One Pan Galactic Gargleblaster, please. It’s going to be less of a headache than the mess I’ve found myself in.”
The waiter blinks, then runs. “Better to do what he wants than to let him do to me whatever he did to my boss last time he came.” The water murmurs as he runs. “Better to be helping him than be stuck in a nudist colony for a year, full of the fattest people in existence, to quote my boss on it.”
Zelretch and Altrouge watch the spectacle of all life dying in the universe, silently. Then, she eventually turns back to study Zelretch carefully. “One more mess to be in, hm? Are any involving my sister?”
“More the corporation she belongs to needing a purified greater grail in order to have come into existence in the first place, and the first attempt at ensuring such a thing existed, being stolen from me as I made sure to purify the damn thing.” Zelretch admits.
Altrouge frowns, as she slowly works through that, before sighing. “A temporal loop that I don’t want to deal with?”
“Unless you’d prefer to stop existing along with your sister? YES.” Zelretch retorts, eyes dead serious.
“And the one I want?” Altrouge asks, eyes narrowing.
Zelretch slowly sighs. “I don’t like screwing over people I’ve made a business deal with. Are you certain it’s not just for revenge?”
“I’ll need whatever he did to get my sister back to this level of power completely countered.” Altrouge admits, eyes narrowed. “Or the counter method being prepared to be used on our father, to ensure he can never possess either of us.”
Zelretch thinks, then eyes the drink brought out to him by the waiter. “Thank you, and a little extra as a tip.” Zelretch smiles, overpaying the man with a hefty tip.
The terrified waiter takes the money and sneaks off as quickly as possible.
Zelretch then turns back to Altrouge, lost in thought.
“I won’t be able to track him easily, myself. His method of jumping universes is… shall we say, different from my own?” Zelretch admits, watching Altrouge carefully. “That doesn’t mean I can’t help you a bit.”
Altrouge’s look of irritation fades. “In other words, it’s up to us to find a better way of tracking him?”
“Oh, I know who would let you track him, if nothing else than from pure spite.” Zelretch admits, a smile on his face. “She’d even do it for free. The question is, really, how to follow him instead of finding him in certain universes easier for me to access? I’d offer my Kaleidosticks, but I have a shortage of them right now, and only one really free.”
Altrouge pauses as her mind goes over things carefully. “And one wouldn’t help a team of assassins.” She admits, with a sigh.
Zelretch nods, looking somewhat amused about that. “Considering she was the Master of Assassin of Black for a Grail War, the Master of the Heroic Spirit Jack the Ripper? Assassins isn’t too far off.”
“Ah, that Grail War thing you’ve mentioned the few times we’ve met. That’s why you don’t want me getting involved.” Altrouge sighs.
“And while your sister may be equivalent to many Servants, I’m not so certain about your own chances.” Zelretch admits.
“One single artifact for tunneling through reality, and only one person with the rage needed to find my target. Who is he, anyways? You never did answer that question.” Altrouge finishes, a slight glare on her face.
“The former Norse God of Mecha, Erik Ulfrsonr, Ulricson, or Ulricsonr.” Zelretch retorts. “Armed with the goggles he dubbed ‘Mystic Goggles of Weakness Perception’ which let him carve away parts of what made your sister so weak, though I’m uncertain of specifics.”
Altrouge stills, as her mind goes over things. “If this wasn’t for my sister, I’d be running from this, screaming my lungs out right now, at the chance of fighting a ‘God’, even if he was a former one. Those tend to have skills that hurt. At least tell me that it would be safe to fight him?”
“Perhaps the one I’m thinking of would be suitable for such, or helping you to build a team up to do so.” Zelretch admits.
Altrouge settles back, then looks at the contract on the table between them. “And this returns us to the Geas Scroll you wish for myself to sign. Never to speak of anything or use anything I learn to help the Dead Apostle Ancestors gain more power, while only using it to help my sister.”
“Considering how badly it would backfire on your organization, to have heroic spirits, legends worthy of the title, being summoned to kill all Dead Apostle Ancestors off?” Zelretch snorts. “It’s the least I can do to make sure your power play doesn’t get you killed while you’re looking out for Arcueid.”
With those words, Zelretch sips on his drink, then winces at the ensuing headache. “Not a hangover, but I can faintly feel the alcohol affect me.” He finally admits, with a sigh. “Not nearly good enough to be worth it, though.”
Altrouge slowly nods as she eyes the drink her companion is sipping on. “I’ve noted that, as well. Truly irritating.” Then she looks down, carefully reading over the scroll.
“Keeping my kin from using Heroic Spirits or interfering in a Grail War isn’t too bad an idea.” She finally admits. “The contract to ensure it’s only to build an organization to counter the eventual rise of my father using my sister, is… sound. Though I hate it.”
A slow sigh comes from Altrouge’s lips. “Curse me for loving my little sister even though we’ve never gotten along, and she never understands me.”
“A lot of little siblings tend to be precocious like that.” Zelretch admits, a smile on his face. “Will you sign, then?”
Altrouge sighs explosively. “Fine, damn you. Fine. For my sister’s safety if nothing else. Though I’m irritated with how thorough the contract is. Why would you make it so thorough when we both want to help her, I can’t even begin to understand...”
“Because if I don’t restrict your actions, you’ll seize power, and become even more dangerous than your father. The few timelines where you do claim a Servant are terrifying to say the least. The sheer amount of work the Counter Force puts into ensuring you die is…” Zelretch trails off with a wince.
Altrouge sighs quietly. “Fine. I’ll sign. Don’t you dare make me regret signing this.”
With those words, she signs, looking displeased the entire while.
“Just keep in mind, I need him alive as well, to fine tune the mystic codes that you’ll be using to track him.” Zelretch states.
“What of when you’ve perfected them, with his help?” Altrouge questions carefully.
“Depends on if he’s brought more to the table by then.” Zelretch admits, with a sigh. “A friendly God, even a former one, looking over my work? I can’t exactly ignore how much that can help me out.”
“I’ll try to keep him alive as long as possible.” Altrouge finally admits. “His allies, on the other hand…”
Zelretch nods, then looks at Altrouge. “You’re looking for Kiara Sesshouin. Would you like me to escort you to her current dwelling, once she’s settled down and the situation is settled enough? You have plenty of time, with Erik being immortal and all.”
Altrouge nods, a sigh leaving her lips. “Fine. When she’s settled down and the situation is settled enough.”
One Month Prior
The Ruins of Trifas
Kiara smiles, settling back in her car's seat, as she watches the suction and windstorm slow and fade from far off in the mountains through her binoculars, as the tear in reality closes. Then she parks, adjusts herself, then looks down at her belly to talk aloud.
"I must say, dear. My last Command Spell was a work of genius, ensuring you'd be my daughter properly and all."
For a moment, she smiles, humming softly. "Yes, yes. I know that it's a bit hard for you, dear, being in my womb like this. Without your spiritual core, either. Unfortunately, I only absorbed fragments of it, rather than the whole thing. The stuff you were hit by left your Spiritual Core in literal pieces. I could see it, after all..."
She nods, smiling, and gently pats her belly, feeling her baby kick in the womb, gently.
"At least your mind was saved perfectly, right dear? I can feel you trying to reply telepathically, you know, even if I can't understand it yet. Sorry for that." She admits, after a bit, then sighs softly.
"Oh. That's it, hmm?" Kiara smiles, looking back down at her swollen stomach. "You're wondering why I was pregnant, hmm? Well, sorry, dear, but the only line of work I could get was prostitution. And most whore houses don't pay for birth control. I fully intended on using the Holy Grail or whatever it was we were fighting for, to incarnate you in my womb, so I'd have twins... but you being the one instead makes you my daughter properly, now doesn't it?"
For a moment, she faintly hears the faintest of whispers. "Mommy is mommy for real?!"
"Yes I am, dear! And even if I didn't get much of your spiritual core, between what flashes I saw when I absorbed it's remains, as well as that little light show that happened from the Grail War ending..." Kiara trails off, giggling softly. "Oh, I have such interesting ideas now..."
Kiara smiles, gently rubbing her belly. "Now, we need to find someplace to settle down dear. As much as I love you, I do need to be near civilization eventually, especially with those flashes I had of other me's and what they've been up to!"
"Yay! Mommy is mommy for real! Jack's gonna be mommy's daughter for real! And it's super warm, like I always thought it would be!" The whisper returns, leaving Kiara smiling softly. Moments later, Kiara starts driving off, humming a song to her unborn daughter softly.
Then she pauses, in irritation. "Damn. Now I have to pee..."
Kiara frowns, as in the distance, even in the car, she can hear a distant cry of “Iam Redit et Virgo: Let Order Be Returned Here!” but shrugs it off, as she drives away, humming to her unborn child as she does so. Unnoticed, a small trickle of power flows through her, as some of the cracked and horribly damaged Spiritual Core she bears for her unborn child, as well as her unborn child’s mind and abilities, both strengthen and stabilize.
3 Months Later
A Small Church in Europe
Kiara winces, quietly, as her belly shifts. “Thank you for all your help, Miss Caren.” She states, quietly.
Distantly, Kiara can feel her daughter’s reassurances at things, if not in words. Jack still is mostly asleep, and the warmth soothes her daughter like nearly nothing else.
“It’s always a priestess’ duty to help those who need it.” Caren Hortensia admits, watching the woman she’s helping carefully.
“You took me in and clothed me, sheltered me when I needed it, and with my pregnancy at this late stage, I haven’t been able to repay you.” Kiara admits, quietly. “And right when I’d finally made some decent money, too. If it wasn’t for you saving me…”
“It’s the way of the world to be cruel to those within it.” Caren admits, carefully studying the woman next to her. “Especially to those that are of magus descent, who always choose to walk with death so closely.”
Kiara pauses, blinking at the woman beside her, then nearly falls over from her sudden halt.
Slowly, she pulls herself back up to stare at Caren Hortensia with wide, disbelieving eyes.
“You know what all the stuff I’ve been dealing with IS?!” Kiara asks, wide eyed in surprise.
“You… didn’t?” Caren asks, carefully.
Kiara shakes her head, silently. “It’s all been a mess…”
Caren carefully takes the arm of the visibly pregnant woman beside her, leading her towards a chair. She doesn’t even note the victorious smile flashing on Kiara’s face for one brief moment as she helps Kiara down the hall.
In the room, Kiara sits, studying Caren.
“Now. What can you tell me about the situation you were in?” Caren asks.
“Well, all I know about the power flowing through me was from that fellow, Shirou Kotomine, giving me about 30 minutes of tips for whatever we were dealing with…” Kiara states.
Caren pauses, blinking, before a look of surprise and slight pleasure appears on her face. “You knew Uncle Shirou? I nearly never got to visit him!”
Kiara blinks. “He was planning on helping me figure out how I wound up from 2016 to 2004, before we got separated in that… Holy Grail War thing.”
Caren blinks. Then blinks again.
“I think I’m going to need your life story for this.” Caren states with more authority in her voice. “And it had better be a good one.”
A few hours later
“So. To summarize?” Caren states, thinking over things. “You wound up working for what likely was a group of crazy Magi on an oil rig, testing something called Rayshifting.”
Kiara nods, quietly.
“Somehow, you woke up in Japan, in 2004, where you wound up in prostitution to help cope with the fact that you were without identification.” Caren continues, rubbing her chin.
Kiara nods again.
“Whereas your best friend that helped you get a home, Reika and yourself, both were attempted to be sacrificed to a madman trying to summon JACK THE RIPPER as a Servant.”
“She turned out to be a beautiful little girl who I loved very much.” Kiara smiles. “I just didn’t know how to support the poor girl, until your Uncle taught me how.”
“Jack the Ripper as a young, cute girl. Why did she…?” Caren frowns, softly. “Why, exactly, did she kill so many women back then?”
“She wanted to be warm again, and thought being in the womb would make her warm.” Kiara admits.
Caren pauses, then flinches silently as Kiara’s words hit. Then she rubs her temples, silently.
“She was too young to know any better.” Kiara continues. “Too young to really understand that she needed love and affection, more than the warmth of a place she couldn’t go back to.” Kiara admits, rubbing her belly gently.
Then smiles softly, as Jack gently rubs her hand from the inside.
“Jack the Ripper being an unloved orphan aside? The Grail War was an irregular one at the start. That was shown with how my uncle disappeared with his Servant. But the way you saw a giant fighting in the distance with a giant robot, and all sorts of things, we can assume things went for the worse.” Caren states, thinking.
“Considering I’m fairly sure I saw a nuclear explosion involved, and the giant was still fighting afterwards?” Kiara admits. “I’m not sure what to think about what happened.”
“And you had to do all of this while pregnant?” Caren asks, obviously thinking.
Kiara nods. “Not that I realized it until the very end, but yes. I’m pretty sure I know who my child’s father was, and if my unborn child turns out the way I think they will…” Kiara trails off. “I’ll name them Jack, after their sister that they’ll never get to meet now.”
“It’s good acting, mommy. Considering you said you planned on them being my sibling before I took their body for myself? You mean it, too, don’t you!” A quiet, almost impossible to hear voice leaves Kiara rubbing her belly and smiling again.
“You thought of Jack the Ripper as your daughter.” Caren half states, thinking. “I’ll be happy to take you in, in Uncle Shirou’s stead.”
Kiara nods, smiling softly. “Thank you. Your uncle was so helpful…”
“I’ll leave you in this room for now. I need to contact my father, and he’ll be able to check up on you for any spiritual damage, or side effects of what happened when your Servant died falling on you like she did.” Caren admits. “That’s not my field of expertise, but he’s an expert in spiritual surgery.”
Kiara nods with a smile. “Thank you for all your help.” The smile fades, as she adds on, “Sorry for not having better news about your Uncle.”
Caren doesn’t note the slightest hint of fog on the floor as she leaves, but Kiara smiles as it flows up to move around her arm before fading.
1 Month Later
“Father. It is good to see you again.” Caren nods towards her father, smiling slightly.
“So this lady in here is the one that helped my step-brother, you say?” Kotomine Kirei asks, lost in thought.
“Indeed. You read the report I sent, I hope?” Caren asks, half lost in thought as she thinks over things.
“A master of a dangerous Servant, who helped my brother. Who needs to be checked up for spiritual damage after the Grail War that happened, that no one else seems to know much about. A valuable intelligence oversight for the Executors, if nothing else…” Kirei trails off, lost in thought.
“But her helping Uncle out means we need to play nice with her, at least for now.” Caren admits, glancing at the room.
“Indeed.” Kirei nods, then looks at his daughter, rare as it may be to see her. “Any insights?”
“She doesn’t speak much of the end of the war, but she tends to admit truths, for the most part. I’ve noted brief moments of prana usage, so I suspect she may be trying to figure out something, but as she is not yet on board with possibly joining a Church in any way, shape or form?” Caren states, studying her father’s reaction as she does so. “It’s not our place to help or hinder her yet, more than the bare minimum of how much she helped Uncle Shirou.”
“Intriguing…” Kirei thinks, folding his arms as he does so, before nodding. “I should go in and meet her, then.”
Caren nods before moving to knock on the door.
“Come in!” The voice inside calls cheerfully.
“My father’s arrived!” Caren calls out, as she opens the door. “He’s ready to see you now, as well.”
Kiara looks up in surprise from her sewing, to study Caren and her father at the door.
“My. A strong man like yourself, you look far different from your brother.” Kiara admits.
“My brother was adopted, I’m afraid.” Kirei admits dryly. His eyes narrow slightly as he studies her. “Regardless of that, I’m here to study you for any spiritual damage from the events my daughter communicated with me.”
A quiet nod from Kiara, as she adjusts herself and puts away her sewing projects.
“Clothes for the child?” Kirei asks, studying them for a moment.
“Indeed.” Kiara smiles.
For a moment, Kirei’s eyes watch her smile closely, before he nods. “Let’s get to work, then. Sit on the table, while I start to examine you, please?”
“I’ll keep things safe and ensure there’s no visitors, father.” Caren states, moving outside and shutting the door behind them.
After a while of work, Kirei frowns, stepping back to look Kiara in the eyes. “I must say, if a Magus had found you rather than my daughter, you’d have been dissected already. Between the signs of your body having gone through something traumatic some time back, and the fragments of what I must assume to be your Servant’s spiritual core integrated within your body, you’d be a ripe dissection target.”
Kiara blinks. “I would assume Caren mentioned my past?” Kiara questions, hesitantly.
“That does explain the trauma, but not the spiritual core fragments within your body.” Kirei states with folded arms.
“At the end…I tried to use a command spell, to… incarnate my Servant in my unborn child… shouldn’t those fragments be all in my baby?” Kiara whispers, quietly.
“It seems like whatever you did, couldn’t quite succeed. Most of them exist within you, rather than the child. Though that would explain the child’s activity…” Kirei trails off, lost in thought. Long moments later, he looks Kiara in the eye, as he continues, “Interesting. Rather interesting, and nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
Kiara nods, closing her eyes. “What should I do? I wanted to give her a good life, and the mother she always wanted. But if the spiritual core is in me, rather than her…”
“It looks like the shards have settled in you quite well, enough to enhance you in some ways.” Kirei admits. “There could be ways to enhance things further, but I’m afraid most of the Church isn’t experienced with such.”
Kiara studies Kirei, blinking. “And the mages would hurt me.”
Kirei nods, folding his arms as he thinks.
“Would you know anyone that might be of help in training me, then?” Kiara asks, quietly. “I don’t want them to hurt me or my child.”
Kirei purses his lips, as he thinks. “Tell me about your Servant first, please.”
Kiara blinks, then smiles. “Let me tell you about poor Jack…”
30 minutes later
Kirei sits across from Kiara, eyes closed and almost meditating, as he thinks. “Someone born, abandoned, yet… not evil in and of themselves, just painfully naive…” He trails off, thinking. “Never knowing a parent’s love. A parent’s touch. Nurture versus Nature at its worst. And yet a chance to change such.”
Kiara nods quietly. “Exactly.”
“What will you do, once you have raised your Servant once more?” Kirei asks, thinking.
“Once I’ve raised them with love and affection as they deserve? I wish I could say that I’d hurt the one that hurt her so badly, but he’s out of my league.” Kiara admits. “Far above and beyond my Servant at her best, much less myself, and with an army of machines as well.”
“That… may not be exactly insurmountable…” Kirei admits, lost in thought. Then his gaze sharpens upon her. “If you would be willing to be trained by me, anyways.”
Kiara pauses, then smiles widely. “I wouldn’t mind that at all, Sensei.”
1 Year Later
Kiara wipes the sweat off her brow, and adjusts herself as Kirei moves to attack again. Both flow in the sparring, as Kirei and Kiara train.
Training interrupted by Jack crying.
“I just fed her…” Kiara backs off, bowing to her Sensei as she does so. Then she stills at the realization that Kirei is motionless, eyes narrowed.
“Something’s wrong with how she’s crying. It’s not the normal cry when she’s hungry. I think she’s trying to warn us.” Kirei states, hands moving to grab his Black Keys in preparation for a fight.
Kiara runs, moving to her child in the next room over, to pick up Jack. “Is there anyone in the house?”
“Not as far as I can tell-” The retort from Kirei is interrupted by a loud Ding Dong from the front door.
For a moment, Kiara and Kirei look at each other, nonplussed.
“Didn’t you say that the doorbell wasn’t working?” Kiara asks, carefully.
Kirei nods, moving towards the door slowly, as Kiara moves to keep him between the doorway and her.
Kirei opens the door, only to stare at Zelretch and a tall, black haired woman next to him, standing outside.
“If it isn’t the master of the Kaleidoscope himself.” Kirei breathes out, slowly. “What have I done to get your sort of attention upon me?”
“A job offer for your guest, of significant importance. The fate of the world sort of importance, I’m afraid.” Zelretch admits. “I have signed affidavits from the Pope, Merem Solomon, and quite a few others that this is of extreme importance, and the person involved with me here is under the strictest Geas Contract I could manage.”
Kirei pauses, then looks at the woman standing beside Zelretch. And at the small furry dog-like thing with a tail more befitting a fox’s, on her shoulder.
“Fou!” Said dog thing smiles at him.
Slowly, he looks from the curious dog to its owner, and studies red eyes.
“Will you introduce me to the one you’ve brought with you to my abode, then? My student isn’t very skilled with her abilities yet.” Kirei admits.
“May I introduce Altrouge Brunestud, half true ancestor and half Dead Apostle Ancestor, one of the two daughters of Crimson Moon Brunestud, also known as Type Moon, and her ally and partner, Primate Murder.”
Kirei stills. Then he slowly breathes out.
“The fate of the world, you say?” Kirei asks, carefully, grips tight on the black keys.
“Indeed. The fate of the world. And possibly many others.” Altrouge Brunestud states, calmly. “My father planned on one of his descendants to become a replacement body of sorts for him to use, but it’s always been a choice between myself and my sister. The same sister working for a troubleshooting organization that fixes problems using something akin to the Kaleidoscope. The same sister who ran afoul of the same God who defeated your student’s Servant, and grew in power as a result? Enough to the point where I can’t judge who he’ll target first.”
Kirei stills, and glances back at a wide eyed Kiara and Jack.
Kiara breathes out, slowly, rocking her child as she thinks. “I’m listening…”
“If we’re to ensure Type Moon doesn’t wipe out humanity in all existences as a result of my sister having possible access to such? We need that God, even if he’s been weakened drastically since his encounter with her, to be ready to do whatever he did to my sister, and use a counter to whatever he did to either her, or Crimson Moon Brunestud himself.” Altrouge admits. “If he can augment someone that way, I’m sure he has a way to counter the augmentation.”
Kiara slowly nods, and closes her eyes, thinking, as Jack hugs her mother as well as she can in a one year old’s body.
Kirei, on the other hand, looks through the signed papers, silently thinking over things.
“Tell me, what are your plans?” Kirei asks, quietly.
“To find a way to hunt that God down, and force him to help. If that means killing his allies, so be it, but we need him alive. Zelretch admitted your student would be the best for tracking him, and he’s… graciously offered us something called a Kaleidostick for our efforts. But if I get too involved, the contract will hurt me badly.” Altrouge admits.
“That’s it?” Kirei asks, eyes narrowed. “For a Dead Apostle Ancestor, you’re being remarkably rational about this.”
“Considering what could happen if my father had a way to turn every universe into dead apostle ancestors?! She has access to enough that it could positively happen!” Altrouge almost, almost loses her temper, shaking as she breathes out slowly from nearly screaming her words at them.
Kirei breathes out, looking over at Kiara, then at Altrouge, then settles back to think.
“This’ll let me eventually get revenge on him?” Kiara asks, quietly.
Altrouge nods. “With time. We’ll need to build a team to counter whatever team he has, but…”
Kiara smiles beautifully. “Count me in then. I owe him pain for what he did to poor Jack here.”
Kirei frowns more, looking at Kiara. Then back at the papers. Then at Kiara again, before sighing the sigh of the damned.
“Count me in as well, then. I still need to train my student, and if things are this bad off, with this many people in the church vouching for the situation being what it is?” Kirei breathes out. “Anyways, it’ll let me keep her safe from you, Dead Apostle Ancestor.”
“As well as let you try to murder me once all is said and done?” Altrouge asks, a knowing look on her face.
Kirei nods.
Altrouge smiles widely, a hint of her fangs showing. “Glad to have you both on board then!”
“Foukuku!” Primate Murder cackles.
A flash of rainbow light in the room, before the occupants disappear.
A few minutes later, Caren sticks her head in through the door. “Kiara, Father? Are you two here?”
She frowns, then sighs. “And here I was hoping to push them to be a couple together. Especially with how much Jack looks like she could be my little sister already…”
Author’s Notes:
Sometimes, family can do horrible things to their family members, in an attempt to help protect those they care about. We don’t know much about Altrouge. The “Master of Blood and Contract” is not a good explanation for her.
What we can impose, is that she seeks for her sister to be weaker, however, through the whole “took her sister’s long hair”. And from that, we can work out some things about it, if you look at it from a certain point of view.
She’s purposefully weakening her sister. Why? What does she gain from doing so? Her sister doesn’t go after dead apostles that aren’t in between her and Roa, after all.
It had to have been a decent reason.
I’ve read of Altrouge as a form of seer, in fanon. I’ve read lots of different things, canon and not. The closest we do know of it, is that both her and Arcueid are possible hosts for Crimson Moon Brunestud in canon.
The only reason why I can see her acting this way, is her working out that her father’s return is not good for anyone much less business as usual, and seeks to prevent herself and her sister being unwilling hosts for their father.
Now we come to one of my ideas for Anarchy that didn’t pan out. An opposing force for the Grail Works to have to eventually deal with on missions.
At the same time, where the Grail Works wouldn’t pan out so well, Erik would… and here we begin to see that force start to rise up to oppose him.
As for Kirei, well, here’s the coin flips I did for him.
Roll 1: Heads for if Kirei will bring up the spiritual phenomenon without rejecting Kiara, tails if he distrusts her: Heads
Roll 2: Heads if Kirei will attack upon seeing Altrouge, Tails if he’ll hear her out: Tails
Coin flips win out. Kirei’s going to listen long enough for to hear Altrouge’s speech.
Roll 3: Will Kirei decide to go with willingly? Heads for yes, tails for needs convincing: Heads
Kieran rightfully pointed out that she was a Dead Apostle Ancestor, and that it would take a lot of work.
Me having read enough about the Dead Apostle Ancestors? I knew that if Merem Solomon signed anything about this and Altrouge, without doing his utter best to kill her, means the shit has officially hit the fan and he’s admitting to such.
Back to Kirei. Kirei is a man of many talents. Many, many talents. A badass, admittedly, but with lots of many other skills.
The way the visual novel talked about him? He knows he’s hollow. He doesn’t care that much for his work. He doesn’t care much about a lot of things. He takes joy out of watching other people suffer.
He also will happily watch something evil being “born” in order to see if it’ll be good, or bad, and defend it to the last breath.
But we have Kiara, who has a much different outlook in life now, and having gotten… shall we say interesting insights from seeing the fight the way she did. And a void in reality. Can’t forget that.
It may not have been quite the same thing as what happened to her in Fate/Grand Order or Fate/Extra CCC, but… my oh my, what interesting sights she saw. And figured out such interesting things from…
So we have the scary lady on one end, as the student, and Kirei as the master, with her free to influence him however she wishes.
Your nightmare fuel may start now.
I'm starting to suspect that talking with Kieran influences my rolls on Fate/Grand Order Heavily. How else can you explain me talking with him, then rolling for 30, only to get 3 Archer of Shinjuku on my second ten roll?
I write like Douglas Adams. Proof: http://iwl.me/s/696f37bd
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