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

**Daiki** · January 15th, 2021, 04:15 AM

[x] Share an apartment
[x] A balance - enough to be comfortable, not enough to clutter the mind

[x] Andreas with Shinji
[x] Luvia with Rin
[x] Nines with Goblin
[x] Draco

why?

tldr; Squad Leaders together, Girls/Magi together, Nines with Gob for mental health support/ally to complain to, Draco is ~~the leftovers~~ really important so he gets a room alone.

Draco and Goblin have some potential too, it can either end up in a complete disaster or in a Legolas/Gimli friendship I feel. Could be worth it. Rin alone, is probably not a good thing though.

**Skull Leader** · January 16th, 2021, 12:10 AM

Originally Posted by Daiki

Draco and Goblin have some potential too, it can either end up in a complete disaster or in a Legolas/Gimli friendship I feel. Could be worth it. Rin alone, is probably not a good thing though.

So very true there about Draco-goblin. Not sure its a good idea to place Rin and Luvia together given what its like when the two are near each other in CT. They are not going to be able to share space at all.

The rest works out to me but can we just do this without placing Rin and Luvia together?

Dracueri's version works for me, even if it does not pair Shinji and Andresa together.

**alfheimwanderer** · July 3rd, 2021, 05:59 AM

[x] Share an apartment
[x] A balance - enough to be comfortable, not enough to clutter the mind

Chapter 14. Fear is the Mind Killer

Mudbutton, the goblin field commander in charge of all Albion Liberation Force personnel currently assigned to the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts, narrowed his eyes as he looked over the two standing before him.

He was well familiar with Matou Shinji, of course, having been introduced to the boy in his guise as Nines and having made a point of going over the boy’s file after being informed that Matou would be leading a small detachment in his area of operations. And while he had a great deal of respect for the Oathkeeper and for Supreme Commander Peverell, the former King of the Goblins had to wonder as to the wisdom of tasking the boy with the protection and extraction of Miss Granger. After all, while the Matou boy was infamous in certain circles for his perform well beyond expectations, he was also notorious for being a lone wolf who caused more than his fair share of collateral damage in the process.

Given that the current area of operations was a school – a location whose continued functioning had been deemed critical by Albion – Mudbutton was rather worried about what the presence of a blunt instrument (and yes, he knew full well the irony of a goblin calling a wizard such!) like Matou portended. Yet, of the two individuals that made up the whole of the boy’s forces, the oversized warhammer going by the name of Nines was very much the lesser evil – if only because the goblin knew what to expect of him.

The same was not true of the boy’s companion, who was currently going by the alias of “Lumi Edelfelt”, though her name was in fact, Tohsaka Rin. He’d examined what little information Albion had on her, and the paucity of it had left him…concerned.

There was little known about her abilities, her history, her personality or…anything, really. To him, this meant that either she was a complete unknown, with no combat experience to speak of, or that she’d been involved entirely in black operations or classified matters.

“Come,” he grunted, gesturing for the two to follow behind him as he headed towards the building that had been set aside for the use of Albion’s forces as a combined barracks/workshop/training area. “Let us set to demystifying some of these unknowns.”

More, he did not wish to say while out in the open. Outside of a secure area, one never could tell who was watching or listening.

The walk did not take particularly long – perhaps some minutes – but it was enough time for the goblin to get a better impression of his two new subordinates, based on how they acted in their new environment – and around one another. ‘Nines’, as per his expectations, behaved like a seasoned combatant, keeping an eye on his surroundings without being too obvious about it, while moving at a brisk, confident clip. The Edelfelt girl, however, seemed much uncertain – and judging from how she kept glancing at Nines, her eyes glancing from the back of his head to…a bit lower down (his rear, perhaps?), it seemed there was something odd going on between the two of them. One-sided perhaps? He couldn’t be sure, though he supposed it wasn’t entirely his business, so long as they could carry out their duties.

‘I am sure the Supreme Commander would have noticed if anything untoward were happening. Lord Peverell is perceptive, for a human.’

Soon enough, they arrived at the building, with the goblin opening the door and gesturing for the two of them to enter, before following and sealing it behind him.

“Nines, will you introduce me to your associate?” he asked, as he led them to one of the training rooms, where he intended to get a better measure of the two.

“I believe Miss Edelfelt can introduce herself,” Nines replied, glancing over at the girl, who seemed to flinch as their eyes met.

“If you would, Miss…Edelfelt?” Mudbutton murmured, pulling out a wand and waving it about such that a muffled buzzing sound could be heard – a basic charm to protect against the possibility of magical eavesdropping, on top of all the other spells that had been layered over the building. “I would also appreciate some details as to your abilities, as your file was…regrettably sparse.”

The girl seemed to startle at this, her expression flickering between shock, embarrassment, and…was that annoyance? before mentioning that she was a magus who used gems and had some proficiency in hand-to-hand combat.

‘Ah, one of those non-wizard human practitioners of magic,’ he noted, recalling that some of the Oathkeeper’s allies could also be classified as such. He found the whole business of humans having multiple kinds of magic users a bit confusing, even if he supposed it wasn’t any different from how in the past there had been goblin shamans, wielding powers unlike the enchantment capabilities found in the vast majority of their race. ‘Though magi apparently all have different abilities from one another, unlike wizards, which share a common foundation.’

“Can you provide any relevant examples that would allow me to gauge your level of ability?” Mudbutton asked, unwilling to simply let her get away with a vague half-answer.

This time, even a rank amateur would have caught the scowl that crossed the girl’s expression, with her baring her teeth for a moment as if he’d insulted her somehow.

An excessive level of pride, perhaps? Did she think he was questioning her competence?

“Miss Tohsaka,” the goblin cut in, with the girl seeming to flinch as he said her real name – or perhaps it was her flinching at the sight of his bared teeth. Given who and what he was, he was no stranger to attempts at intimidation, though he rarely had such clumsy ones directed his way. “As the field commander in charge of personnel in this area of operations, I require this information for the safety of my troops.”

The magus glanced at over at Nines, seeming almost betrayed when he simply gestured for her to hurry up and get on with it. She bit her lip, seeming to debate whether or not she should reply to what she evidently considered a request.

Perhaps he should clarify this misunderstanding.

“For the record, Miss Tohsaka, I am giving you a direct order,” Mudbutton said firmly. “Answer the question.”

Tohsaka’s mouth opened, working up and down silently, her expression indignant, as—

“Let’s save everyone a bit of trouble, hm?” Nines interrupted, before proceeding to lay out the basics of his companion’s abilities, including how she could turn jewels into birds for reconnaissance purposes, how she had jewels that would allow her to destroy a target the size of a house, how she used rapid fire gandr curses, which both did physical damage and could cause targets to fall sick, as her primary means of attack, and had some passable skill with martial arts and other basic magecraft.

“Thank you, Nines,” the goblin said quietly, though he noted that the girl’s expression was now tinged with a mix of betrayal and rage, as if the boy had betrayed some a secret of hers. ‘…from all appearances, she is entirely inexperienced at working with others. I fear what that implies about her actual ability in an environment like a battlefield, even if she has impressive abilities, in theory.’ “I will, however, need to see this in action to get a better idea of what your companion is capable of,” he noted. “If possible,” he added, after a beat, if only because the girl was now clenching her fists and looking at him as if she wanted to rip his head off.

Or perhaps obliterate it with one of her magic gems.

“…you wouldn’t have a copy of the Book of Spells on hand, would you?” Nines inquired, looking between the two uneasily.

“We do,” Mudbutton replied. He blinked. “You wish for her to demonstrate her abilities in a scenario?”

“I think that would work out well for all involved, yes?” Nines replied, looking at ‘Miss Lumi Edelfelt’ with a hint of challenge. “You do want to show me just what you can do, right? To prove you are worthy of fighting at my side?”

“…I…”
“I don’t suppose you have of the battles I participated in recorded as scenarios, would you?” Nines said then, turning to Mudbutton. “I’m not suggesting that my poor adventures are worthy of being recorded as such, but…”

“We have two, actually,” Mudbutton noted, a hint of interest seeping into the goblin’s voice. “The Battle of the Atrium or the Encounter in the Forbidden Forest.”

“Heh,” the boy grunted. “I expected the first. The second…”

“The Supreme Commander regards it as a good training scenario, with many possible ways to approach it, depending on one’s skillset,” the goblin related. “I assume you have a preference for which your associate will challenge?”

“Not the Atrium, certainly. That would be impossible for her to handle as she is,” the boy said dismissively, with the girl bristling at his words.

“You managed,” Mudbutton pointed out mildly.

“If you can call what happened managing,” Nines commented tersely. “No – the Encounter in the Forbidden Forest will be a better showcase of her performance, both in terms of how she works with others, as well as her ability to deal with unexpected situations.”

“…are you looking down on me, Matou?” ‘Lumi’ asked quietly, her voice as sharp as the whisper of a knife.

“No. I just think that the Atrium was very touch and go, Miss Edelfelt,” the boy replied icily. “It’s not that I think you can’t handle it – I know you can’t. The Forest Encounter, which I managed in my third year at Hogwarts, is more your speed.”

“You—”

“Enough!” Mudbutton barked, disgusted by the utter lack of professionalism he was seeing. “That is enough from both of you.” He shook his head, forcing himself to suppress the urge to sneer. “Edelfelt, you will face the Forest Encounter.”

“But I—”

“You will be silent, or I will have you dismissed from this operation,” the goblin interjected, glaring at the girl who did not seem have any sense of how to function in a military setting. “I don’t care what your issue with your superior is, or why you refused to comply with a simple request, but wherever you may have come from, whatever your background, you are part of the Albion Home Guard and I expect you to act like it. ‘Nines’, for all his faults, is both a capable warrior and a soldier who can follow orders. You? Nines says much about your power as a magician, but I have yet to see any proof – and even if you were as powerful as he claims, such power would be useless without discipline. Do you understand me, girl?”

Lumi Edelfelt – Tohsaka Rin – gritted her teeth in silence, unable – or perhaps simply unwilling – to reply.

“Do you understand me?” Mudbutton repeated.
The girl nodded once, not trusting herself to speak.

“Good. Then let me brief you on the scenario you are about to experience,” the goblin said sternly. “In the Encounter in the Forbidden Forest, you will be facing a swarm of Acromantulae alongside Matou Shinji as one of the Stone Cutters, his companions, replacing one of their original members during the battle. You are welcome to use any abilities or items you possess during the scenario – your possessions will be cataloged and duplicated, so you need not fear losses.”

“Let her replace Harry,” Nines interjected, with Mudbutton glancing over at him for an explanation. “Luna was – and is – irreplaceable, Fred and George work together too much to simply replace one of them, and she doesn’t have the experience to replace Hillard.”

“Reasonable enough,” Mudbutton conceded. “This scenario has several possible start points: on approach to the forest, during the preparation phase when the barrier is being constructed, the outbreak of battle following the initial blast, or following the collapse of the tower. Miss Edelfelt, do you have a preference?”

“…while preparing,” came the reply. To Tohsaka Rin, that was the only reasonable answer.

“And what shall we consider a victory?”

“If she manages at least the same outcome as what actually happened,” Nines cut in. “She is more powerful than the person she is replacing, while having about the same amount of experience. If she can’t manage that much…”

“Very well. Then let us see if she lives up to your claims.”

To say that Tohsaka Rin was surprised and disoriented when the rude goblin opened a book and the world changed around her, the drab interior of the training room replaced with a lush forest, with Matou and the armored goblin disappearing from her sight, was a bit of an understatement. Until now, she had been quite dismissive of what these practitioners of witchcraft called ‘magic’, given that the Association didn’t think much of Witchcraft and other derivatives of the Dark Arts.

Something like this though…

‘An illusion?’ she wondered. It was more likely than the book containing an entire realm of some sort and being able to project such a thing on command, but if so, how did it work? Had it insinuated its prana through her optic nerve into her brain while she was unprepared? She supposed it wasn’t impossible, though…the others had implied they would be able to see her progress, so did that mean it was a multi-target illusion?

Whatever it was, this had to be some kind of artifact, something rare and valuable – though since Matou had asked about the goblin having a copy of the Book of Spells, it was apparently not unique.

‘Well, no sense thinking about that,’ she told herself, focusing on herself and her immediate surroundings. She seemed to be in one piece, with her body and her clothing – the somber outfit of pants, blouse, and longcoat – all intact. She had access to her gems, stored in the pockets of the coat. She had the wand Matou had acquired for her, little as she needed it, and…

‘Huh, why is that here?’

Her owl – the clockwork avian with feathers sharp as knives – was present as well, perched on a tree nearby, next to the Lovegood girl.

Somewhere in the distance, she could see two redheads – Weasleys, she thought, recalling her visit to the Burrow – working on some kind of runic barrier that seemed rather more elaborate than she’d expected of students.

And where she was, Matou and an older boy – Hillard – she supposed, were working on raising an earthen structure from the ground, with the dirt rising around them as they gestured with their wands, almost as if they were conducting some kind of orchestra.

“Care to help out, Tohsaka?” this false-Matou asked with a winning smile, one she could not help but answer with one of her own.

“Of course,” she replied, feeling a warmth rise in her chest for the first time in a while. Unlike the Matou in reality, who dismissed her abilities, and just revealed her secrets to anyone who bothered to ask – going against every principle that magi lived by – this Matou seemed to want her, seemed to respect what she could do.

This Matou bothered asking what she wanted, as opposed to demanding.

Where had that Matou gone?

“If you’re going to raise the earth to make a fort, I can make the ground beneath it more solid so nothing can ambush us from below?” she suggested. The false Matou looked at her for a moment, seeming puzzled, leading Tohsaka to try and head off any protest, as she didn’t want to look bad in front of him. “Bigger spiders are ambush predators – they don’t make webs. They hide underground and burst out to grab their prey,” she recalled from a book she’d once read. Something about the familiars the Matou family once used, actually. “So…”

“Ah, of course, brilliant as always,” the false Matou murmured. “What would I do without you, Tohsaka?”

The girl flushed at his words of praise.

“H-how should I know?” she stammered, not knowing how to react to the boy who now seemed to return her affections. She knew this wasn’t real – that he wasn’t really there and wasn’t really saying these things to her, but maybe if she tried her best, maybe if she proved herself here, the real one would be kinder to her? Would find her valuable once again, and be gentle to her? Would treat her with respect? Would…touch her, instead of ignoring her for that busty Western bimbo?

‘I’ll show him then.’

Instead of just reinforcing the ground and making it harder, she’d go out of her way to alter the terrain below the fort – and some of the walls – into stone. Yes, it would take some time and cost a fair bit of prana, but if something were worth doing, it was worth doing well – and it wasn’t as if she was ever really short on prana.

At the base of the fortress, as the walls rose around her and the boys moved higher to work on whatever they had in mind, she focused on the task she’d assigned herself, kneeling down and letting her energies spread into the ground beneath her, so that dirt might come together once more, reversing the process of erosion to become the solid stone from which it had once been worn.

It took a fair bit of concentration to make sure she didn’t flood the area with too much prana – which would make the resulting product too brittle – or provide too little, which would leave bits and pieces of the area unaltered. Neither outcome was something she would tolerate, as her pride as a magus was on the line.

Thus, even as there was a rumble from somewhere outside, and the sounds of battle began to be heard, she continued to do her work. The others could hold for some minutes, she thought. Matou was skilled enough for that, and she supposed his chosen companions must be as well. She didn’t doubt his capabilities – even if she found it quite troubling that he had somehow become a self-assured monster that used high-handed means to impose his will on others, with all sorts of unintended effects because he didn't take the trouble to understand the hearts and limits of others, only toying with them.

It was almost as if he was no longer human – as if the boy she knew and loved and been replaced with some monster that wore his shape.

Monsters...she was surrounded by them. The First Citizen's Secretary (who, being Finnish, was probably some relation of the hated Edelfelts), Fujou Kohaku, the goblins – all of these were monsters – and Matou respected them, trusted them somehow. Why, she didn’t know, except – no, maybe she did know. Maybe the answer was that as a monster himself, one crueler and more malicious than all the others put together, who toyed with the hearts of maidens and enjoyed tormenting others by punishing them for trying to defend themselves, or express their concerns, he preferred the company of his ilk.

That made sense, really, if one thought about it. Only a monster would have no loyalty to people who had been loyal to him through thick and thin, prizing his self-image over a girl who had come to another country to be with him, who had endured so much because of him? Only a monster would be so rough with someone who just wanted to be by his side, giving no delicacy towards a maiden who had given him her heart.

Her thoughts were a distraction, but one she muddled through, and before she knew it though, she had finished with her self-appointed task, with the foundations of the tower all turned to stone. True, it had taken a considerable amount of her reserves to pull off, but at least the job was done.

The next step…

‘I have to see what is going on outside before I do anything else,’ she thought. It wouldn’t do for her to make her way to the top, only to be taken out of commission by an ambush. This was her chance to prove herself, and a monster wouldn’t tolerate failure.

The question was, how could she go about doing that? She didn’t exactly want to turn one her jewels into an o—

‘Right. I still have that mechanical owl familiar!’ she realized. She’d all but forgotten about it, honestly, she since hadn’t ever used it for much, but she supposed it could at least be her eyes and ears, as she reached out across her link to the automata and saw, through eyes not her own, a scene out of nightmares.

Using the bird’s eye view of the owl to survey the battlefield, Tohsaka was treated to a horrific sight, with dozens – no – hundreds of dog and horse-sized spiders boiling out of the ground beyond the area she’d transmuted and rushing at the fort, trying to scale the walls of the redoubt.

The air was filled with screams of pain, with the smell of singed hair and seared flesh mingling with freshly spilled ichor, as spikes of earth rose from the ground to impale spiders and Lovegood controlled pale orbs of fire which descend again and again, consuming the flesh of whatever they touched.

(Also, why did Lovegood have the ears and tail of a fox?! Was she a youkai or possessed by one?! Was that why Matou fancied her, because she was a monster as well?!)

On the ground, a spirit laughed, ichor dripping from the two blades it held in its hands as it killed and killed and killed, always being just a bit more brutal, more savage, more vicious than necessary, aiming to inflict the most suffering possible, reveling in the fear and terror it could evoke in the moments before a spider died.

It crippled, wounded, savaged foes, but didn’t end their lives as quickly as it could have, choosing instead to draw out their deaths with a cruelty one would expect of a yurei or onryou.

And on the battlements of the redoubt, the other Stone Cutters were casting furiously, with waves of ofuda surging forth from Matou to rip holes in the formation of the oncoming swarm, even as the others supported him with volleys of colored beams that tore into the arachnids they hit, one after the next. Yet despite their efforts, the spiders were winning, the beasts gaining ground as they crawled over the ruined corpses of their brethren in an attempt to reach their enemies, while launching needles of hair as long as her arm at the defenders in an attempt to suppress them.

Lovegood blocked the ones aimed at her, of course, using one of her orbs of flame like a shield, and the redheads somehow managed to raise a barrier in time to avoid being skewered, but the oldest – Hillard – was not as fast or fortunate. He had still been in the process of casting a shield when he took a needle to the knee with a strangled cry. Thankfully, it didn’t penetrate, as the robes they were wearing seemed to be puncture-resistant, but still, the man flinched, nearly stumbling off the battlements as he lost his footing.

Thankfully, Matou was there to help, but that meant that he, too, was distracted from his task of wide-area suppression – that all the defenders, except Lovegood, who gave as good as she got – were distracted, with the spiders taking advantage of this to draw closer, closer, ever closer, the circle of death around the redoubt growing ever smaller.

‘I have to get up there. But first, I have to stop those spiders from shooting at us.’
Thinking quickly, Tohsaka committed the owl to attack runs against the spiders flinging hairs from range, before making her way topside, where she could add the weight of her spells to those of the defenders on the tower.

Using reinforcement to quicken her steps, it took only a few moments to reach the top, where she moved to the spot Shinji had occupied before he'd had to move to keep his colleague from plummeting to the ground. Nodding to him, she drew the Mystic Code Matou had bought for her – the wand which was supposed to amplify the heavy and the solid.

"Gandr!" she cried out, her wand snapping outwards as dozens of black spheres hurtled down at the ground, shredding the spiders in their path to pieces.

'...that...was more powerful than I expected.'

At the shout and burst of power, the twins look over to see Tohsaka standing on the battlements, the fiery breeze making her hair flutter elegantly. As one, they cheered, a sound that seemed to revitalize Hillard, who was finally getting to his feet, even as Shinji was beginning to launch ofuda forth once more, with a wave of talismans hurtling forth and erupting into explosions of light and sound that caused the spiders to reel backwards from the shock to their eyes – interrupting the spiders’ onslaught for long enough for Hillard and Shinji to return to their positions.

As Tohsaka continued to rain down black spheres on the spiders, she noted idly that the larger ones had ceased advancing, with only the smaller ones charging forward recklessly. The larger ones—

Tohsaka cursed, ducking just in time to avoid a mass of needles passing through the space her head had occupied only a moment ago.

"Allow me," came a voice from beside her, with Rin looking up to see Shinji standing there, ofuda streaming from his arms to...settle on the battlements? "Kai!"

The girl's mouth nearly fell open as the edges of the wall rose, providing at least chest-high protection for all of them.

"Luna, concentrate on the siege spiders!" he called out. "We'll handle the swarmers."

"Got it!" the blonde replied, as white and blue foxfire blazed down upon the larger arachnids, outright roasting the first rank of them with unquenchable flames, even as more and more rose to join their ranks, occupying her attention fully.

This took the pressure off the defenders at the Tower, freeing them up to assault the spiderlings who were advancing once more, as—

With a roar of fury, the ground immediately at the base of the Tower gave way, with a spider larger than anyone had seen before – an Acomantula the size of an elephant, surging out of it and beginning to climb the tower, its claws digging into the wall with every movement it took, with dozens of horse-sized ones coming up behind it.

"Fuck!" Shinji snarled, his face a rictus of fury. "Zelkova, fuse now!"

There was a flash of light, as Matou...changed, his skin becoming gray and hard as stone, his clothing changing to something much more Japanese, and a...a scythe(?!) shining in his hands.

Without warning, he leapt off of the tower, a(n in)human missile seeking to take out the biggest threat - though that still left the dozens of horse-sized spiders scaling the walls, which the wand users' spells were bouncing off of.

There was no room for hesitation. No room for holding back. With a horde of giant spiders climbing the Tower, and none of her allies in a position to do anything to stop them, Tohsaka Rin reacted by instinct, drawing a number of gems from her pocket and flinging them at the enemies before her, as horse and elephant-sized spiders were a bit out of the range of what she thought gandr could handle.

Rubies glittered as they arced through the air, leaving trails of light behind them as they shattered in mid-flight, the energy stored within them being released in a series of titanic blasts, each capable of utterly destroying something the size of a house. Any single one of them would have been overkill for anything but the elephant-sized spider that Matou was dealing with, and together...

The tower lurched.

...but then, that was to be expected when the very structure of it had been compromised from A-rank detonations at point-blank range, with massive portions of it simply…gone.

Had her teammates been in any position to react, they would have immediately set their efforts to trying to stabilize the tower, shifting from offensive operations to shoring up a bastion that was on the verge of collapsing, but the magnitude of Tohsaka's assault had left the boys on the Tower stunned, if not possibly dazed or injured, as taking the brunt of a blast wave powerful enough to destroy buildings at such a close range was no joke.

As for Matou...she didn't see him at first. For a moment, she thought he'd been killed by her gems – something which horrified Tohsaka, as she hadn’t thought that to be possible. He’d taken the blast of an A-rank fire gem at point-blank range with no trouble before, but…had that been because he wasn’t human anymore? He…well, he hadn’t looked human with his stone-like skin, but…

Whatever she had been about to think, it was rendered naught, as the shimmer of a bounded field dropped, revealing the slightly singed form of Matou Shinji, who was hunkered down in the middle of a vast crater that had been blown onto the battlefield.

Of the elephant-sized spider he'd been fighting, there was no trace.

The boy snarled, looking across the battlefield, where a massive swarm of spiders had begun to charge, sensing vulnerability. He snapped his fingers, and in a single motion, spikes of stone rose from the earth, impaling the entire front line of angry arachnids, with additional spikes piercing those which sought to climb over them.

After that, he opened a hole in the ground and disappeared down into it, leaving Tohsaka wondering what he was up to.

Not that there was any time for her to spend on such wonderings, as the tower was on the verge of collapse, and was, in fact, lurching under her feet. With those on the redoubt still disabled from the blast-wave of her gems, Matou being nowhere to be seen, and Lovegood otherwise preoccupied handling what remained of the spider horde, taking advantage of how they were stalled at the bulwark of spikes Matou raised with a single gesture to roast everything that came near, she was the only one who stood a chance of doing something about it.

The damage to the tower was her doing, after all – though she hadn’t had a choice, given that if she hadn’t used her gems, their position would have been overrun. And well, every magus worth their salt knew how to do something as simple as repair things, after all...

'...if not on the level of an entire tower.'

One that had been damaged by magical, rather than physical, means, at that.

Still, unless she was resigned to defeat, there was nothing she could do but try, and so try she did, extending her Mystic Code as she grasped what prana she could, trying to will it into a more intact shape, only...it was difficult to do so, since some of the material had simply been vaporized by the heat.

For a moment, she considered using gravity manipulation to reduce the weight of the redoubt to buy some time, but she dismissed it as impractical. It would take too much effort, and she hadn’t tried anything like that on such a scale before.

Perhaps reinforcement…but no, if there was another attack, she couldn’t afford the distraction.

Which meant her only real option was to try and consolidate the remaining material into a shorter tower, using a controlled collapse to pre-empt an uncontrolled structural failure. So resolved, she reached out with her prana and let the earth shift beneath her, with part of the walls crumbling and the entire structure shuddering as part of it gave way entirely.

When she finished, the redoubt, once an impressive 15 meters tall, was now only 7 meters above the ground, but at least it still stood, and by the end, her teammates had begun to stir.

"Huh, what's...?" Hillard spoke, after downing a suspiciously colored potion. "Report, Tohsaka?"

"Uh, I killed the big spider and its allies, but damaged the redoubt in the process, so it is shorter now. Matou put up some kind of spike barrier to hold off the swarm and then went underground."

"He just...left?" Hillard asked. "Can you find him with that owl of yours?"

Tohsaka reached out in an attempt to do so, but found that there was no connection. Sadly, she’d apparently blown away her owl with the gem volley, along with the spiders she’d targeted. Glumly, she shook her head.

"That's--bloody bollocks, the barrier is breaking. The spiders are coming this way! Let's blast them down - unless you have a better idea?"

Sadly, the magus didn’t.
And so the group stood and fought, blasting away with all manner of spells, spheres of darkness flying alongside spellbeams to lash and tear at the nigh endless horde coming at them. Wave upon wave of bodies threw themselves forward one after another, even as their numbers were decimated, their members torn apart, blasted, burned and more, yet onward they came, forcing the group to concentrate, blasting faster and faster, with no pause or room for error.

...which was why they were utterly surprised when there was a shriek from behind them, with one of the redheads getting blasted off the tower by a volley of hair from...

'Scheiße...'

...a spider as big as an elephant, which had silently crept up the other side of the tower as they were concentrating on the threat of the horde.

For Tohsaka Rin, there is no choice - with one of her teammates having fallen from the redoubt with the swarm no doubt coming towards his location and a colossal spider having clambered onto the top of the tower, the only thing she could think of was a fighting retreat. She had to get down to her fallen comrade, yet...

...even as she looked, they were trying to attack the giant spider, yet their spell beams were doing absolutely nothing to the creature, as might be expected given its thick, magically resistant hide. Leveling her wand, she attempted to blast it with gandr, but her spells were no more effective than those of her colleagues, with the oversized arachnid turning to her with a hiss.

"YOU!" it hissed, loosing a spray of something noxious and corrosive that made stone bubble and hissed against her robes. "YOU KILLED MAGOG!"

'It...it talks?' Tohsaka questioned, feeling numb at the thought that this spider was not only powerful, but intelligent.

"Fall back!" she ordered, retrieving the scant handful of gems she had and flinging them at the spider even as it leapt at her, with the sudden explosion catching the beast in mid-air, making it howl with incandescent rage. "Send up a flare and get off the tower!"

"I—"

"Now!"

The two boys moved to comply, with one sending up a beacon, and the other casting Spongify or something like that on the ground, before both leapt. Rin, after blasting away at the spider, moved to join them, but found herself jerking to a halt in mid-jump, as the spider had managed to tag her with its silk.

'YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!" the beast hissed as it reeled her in, with Rin feeling utterly desperate as she was hauled before it. "YOUR BLOOD WILL BECOME OUR FLESH."

Escape was impossible, it was true. There was nothing more she could do. Nothing but...

"DIE!" she shrieked, and without waiting to see what her comrades would do, she thrust out her arm yet again, this time into the spider's mouth, as she called forth the energy for one final spell, increasing the local gravity more and more and more, with the gravitational field around her – and the spider and tower – doubling, quadrupling, growing more and more mighty as the spider collapsed upon her, finding its legs unable to support it. "You sick, little monster."

Sixteen times, then sixty-four, then seventy-nine...

She could feel her consciousness leaving her, feel her muscles and bone screaming as the sheer force kept her from moving, from breathing, as the weight of the spider on her crushed her, but she would not stop, could not stop, desperation, anger, and fear all combining as the tower collapsed beneath them, with the two falling to the ground with sickening crunches.

In the end, there was nothing, just the cold. No sound. No light. Because bone and eyeballs had all been crushed.

No smell.

No taste.

Just cold, as her consciousness slipped away, down down down towards the abyss.

Seven and nine down the onyx steps...seven and nine, down the onyx steps.

Consciousness did not come easily to Tohsaka Rin after what she had just experienced, but it came nevertheless, with her body wracked with phantom pain, as it remembered being crushed and burned and splashed with venom, despite there being nothing on her.

‘Ugh…’ she thought to herself, her mind utterly hazy as it struggled to wake up, to process the fact that she wasn’t merely a smear on the ground. ‘What…’

Oh. It was over. The scenario was over.

‘Is that…the sort of thing Matou goes through?’ her mind wondered. ‘What kind of monster…?’

"You lost,” came a voice from above, with the girl opening her eyes blearily to see the goblin – Mudbutton, was it? – standing above her fallen body. “Why?”

“H…uh?” was her erudite reply.

“Why did you lose?" the question came again.

“I…” she fell silent.

“Take your time and think it through. What led to your defeat?” the goblin asked once more.

Taking the goblin’s advice, she went over what she remembered from the scenario – reinforcing the ground, using the owl, heading to the top of the redoubt, using her gems against the first giant spider…

‘Huh. Was that it? I focused too much on the immediate threat, losing sight of the battle as a whole?’

She said as much, adding that the use of A-rank gems, while seeming appropriate at the time, might have been excessive, and that even they had not, she hadn’t been able to warn her allies about what she was about to do. From there, the situation had spiraled out of control, and with her investing her energy into reacting to it, she had ceded the initiative, allowing the enemy to outthink her and successfully assault the fortress.

"I see,” the goblin noted neutrally. “And what did you learn from this whole exercise?"

“That I have much to learn,” she admitted after some time. It was a bitter pill to swallow, considering how she’d expected far more of herself, how she thought she could be an asset to Matou, yet had actively made things worse for him. Her knowledge of her foes – and her allies – was lacking, her experience is almost non-existent compared to his, and her teamwork…what teamwork?

Mudbutton considered her words in silence, with Matou looking at her with a particularly draconian gleam in his eye, almost as if he approved of something she'd done, though of what she wasn't sure.

She'd lost, after all.

She'd lost the moment she focused on the first giant spider, choosing to throw everything she had at it and its minions, without considering that there might have been another of them - though how was she to have known there would be a second?

'Well...if I had managed to get the owl out of the way before I attacked, I could have had some warning of it coming up the other side...' She had been more than a bit impulsive, admittedly, but who wouldn't have been at the sight of an elephant-sized spider coming at her – a spider capable of deflecting spells, at that?

...she'd come face to face with a monster like that in the past. One worse than that in fact, a thing of teeth and tentacles and hate, and without Matou Kariya saving her, it would have ended her life.

That incident, more than anything else, lay at the root of her desire to become stronger, because she couldn't bear to lose to a monster. Couldn't bear to need to be saved. Couldn't bear to be so helpless, especially when one of her friends – if Matou could be called a friend, with what he had become – was in danger.

...this was the second time in her life she had been thrown into a life and death situation, and once again, she had failed. It was a shameful feeling, being bested, especially when her defeat had come at the feet and fangs of unthinking spiders instead of a Servant. If she lost to things like these, how would she manage in the Grail War when it finally came around?

Truly, she had much to learn, if she didn't want to be a disgrace to her family and to magi in general. Her knowledge was lacking. Her skills...inadequate. Her ability to work with others...stilted, but then, when had she ever had to work with others? In that, she supposed Matou was better off, as he'd had an order of comrades he worked with to achieve his deeds, even if none of them seemed incredibly strong. He was strong now of course, but she supposed it was reasonable that he hadn't been as strong in the past...

...though if he'd slain a wyvern when he was as weak as his colleagues, well...

'I have to become stronger.'

"You are right that you failed when you lost focus," Mudbutton conceded, interrupting her thoughts. "Yet in my mind, that occurred before the encounter with the giant spider. It occurred because you did not understand the abilities of those you fought beside and made no effort to learn what they were capable of or how your abilities worked with theirs. From the very beginning, you decided what you believed was the most important thing to do, without regard for any input from your more experienced colleagues."

"...what could they have done?" Rin questioned. "Except for Matou and Lovegood, they didn't seem to have any abilities worth noting. They were...they were just using wands."

"Yet even Matou respected Hillard – one of the wand users – as a leader, as power alone is not what matters in such a situation."

"It...it isn't?" the magus asked. That had been her issue in the past, so why...

"No. Power can useful, but it is meaningless without the knowledge of how and when to apply it," the goblin replied. "Your arts are certainly potent, but you lack the experience to use that power effectively."

"I...how can I gain that then?" she asked finally.

"Through practice, of course," Mudbutton noted. "To that end, I will give you several options for what to do for your training today. Reattempt the scenario, face what you fear most, try another scenario where raw power does not matter as much as knowledge, or sparring with some of the goblins in my squad, so you can gain experience.”

“I…”

There were many pathways to becoming strong. Sparring was one. Reattempting things she failed until she got them right was another. Trying something new, rooted in what she knew was her weakness – her knowledge about these practitioners and the world she lived in.

Yet what appealed to Tohsaka most was the prospect of confronting her fear, facing down the dark seed that had taken root in her soul during the Fourth War, in which she had first truly understood that magi walked with death, given that she had failed to escape Caster, and would have been devoured by his monster (only to be saved at the last moment by Matou Karyia, a man who had himself become a monster - who, she was told, later killed her father and choked her mother, starving her of oxygen so she became nothing more than a powerless corpse, uncomprehending, unable to fend for herself).

Strange, given that Uncle Karyia had been one of her mother's childhood friends, but she supposed that it was the destiny of Matous to become monsters.

Why she had assumed Matou Shinji would be different, she didn't know. Perhaps it had been his generous gifts, or the way he had been so charming to a girl who had been all alone in a strange new country – but mother had described Matou Kariya as being generous and kind in the past, so perhaps that too was something Matous did when they were young, before they awakened to their monstrous natures...

Once Tohsaka Rin had thought she was a good judge of character, a savvy girl who saw the world for it was, without falling prey to the illusions that plagued so many others, but she saw now that she'd been naive, having been lured to Matou's side like many other women.

What had happened with Granger should have warned her off, but being new to this country, she'd been taken in by Matou's display of wealth and power - the facade of care he'd spun so masterfully, only for her to finally learn the truth after she'd ended up signing a contract that bound her to Albion - and to him.

Now...now, too late, she understood that he was a being who fed on fear. That he used it as his instrument, and that if she was ever to escape his grasp, she must learn to resist fear - to believe that monsters could truly be beaten by her.

And that meant facing her fear.

"I'll face what I fear most," she said, resolved for whatever would be thrown her way, as she slowly, gingerly, forced herself to stand, so she could truly face whatever was to come.

"And will you face it among the echoes of the past, in the light of the present, or in the fog and haze that obscures what the future might bring?" the goblin asked cryptically.

“In the light of the present and in the fog in the future,” Tohsaka replied. “I…am not interested in revisiting the past.”

So she claimed, though really, she just didn’t want to face Caster again, and re-experience her first moment of complete and utter defeat.

Mudbutton's expression in response to her answer was only technically a smile in that when one smiled, one showed one's teeth. Teeth that in this case were very sharp and jagged, in a mouth that was far too wide for a human.

"So be it," he spoke, and as if those words themselves were magic, the world began to fade away, growing thin and insubstantial – the walls, the ground, the very air, leaving the girl clawing at her throat as she fought for breath, fought to move – only there was nothing to push against, nothing around her, nothing at all on which she could find purchase. She tried her best to hold her breath, to retain what oxygen she had after being suddenly tossed into this, and yet it was to no avail, as she was only human, and eventually, as dark spots began to swim in her vision, instinct made her open her mouth – at which point the last bit of air escaped her lungs and with a painful gasp and shudder, everything was plunged into darkness.

Sometime later – she didn't know how much later – she awoke, her eyes going wide as she greedily gulped in air, even as her inhalation was interrupted by a swift kick to the ribs, and a low, sultry voice.

"She is awake, Master," the voice all but purred, with Tohsaka unable to see who had spoken, as she was once more on the ground, lying face down.

Her lack of sight was remedied by a vicious kick, which lifted her bodily off the ground and a second which sent her crashing down again, only this time, she was face-up, her eyes adjusting to the glare of too-bright light, seeing only silhouettes.

"And what have you found for me, my pet? A magussss, is it?" came a sibilant half-hiss from the so-called Master. That voice – she knew that voice. It was...it was...

"If you could call such a thing a magus," was the disdainful reply from her assailant, the...woman who had first spoken. "Merely a broken shell, devoid of value, aside from perhaps a moment of fleeting pleasure if you deigned to use her so."

The Master chuckled at that, a low, unpleasant sound that reminded her of rocks grinding against one another.

"Even though that thing is you, my pet?" he half-said, half-hissed.

"But a pale shadow of what I am now, Master. For she has not yet drunken of your blessings, of your blood," the other replied, with Tohsaka's eyes finally beginning to focus, her mind beginning to work as it to pick up on some odd details.

On...

'No...' The girl flinched as she found herself looking up at a face that was painfully, intimately familiar to her – one she saw in the mirror every morning, save for the fact that the other had piercing red eyes with balefully slitted pupils, skin as pale as snow, and... 'Fangs...'

Blood, the other had said. D-did that mean...?

'A Dead Apostle?' One that had turned her into his thrall?

Oh, but there was more to this nightmare than that, as she noted wings, black and leathery, emerging from the back of her doppelganger, matching the jet-black garments her doppelganger barely wore, garments which hugged a very lithe, supple figure, leaving little to the imagination.

"No, she has not," the Master agreed. "And I would see you prove your worth – the worth of all I have given you, over this wretched imitation who wears your face."

"You wish me to kill her, Master?" the copy of her asked, her voice low and husky, as if the mere thought of it had her on the edge of an orgasm. "To slay her and offer her blood to you, as you offered your blood to me?"

"Now that sounds delicious, my pet," the Master intoned. "The taste of a virgin – how lovely it would be. How wonderful that you thought to keep a bit of yourself from before your ascension that the Grail might grant my wish of forever seeing that girl broken. As she was, she was worthless. This mere doll of flesh in her shape, wearing her face is the same. For she is not you, who joined me, who walked together with me down this path. She could not – would not – do what was necessary, due to the limits of her merely human form."

"Limits you freed me from, Master," the doppelganger of herself purred.

"Indeed. But of which she refuses to be free," the Ma—Matou whispered, his face...his face like Matou Kariya's, except...his skin was as scales. "Now, dispose of her, for it not a Master's place to soil his claws on mere trash."

"As you say, Master," the other said, her fingers seeming to sharpen into claws as she slowly moved towards Rin's supine form, her crimson eyes flaring gold as Rin found that she could hardly move, as gravity itself seemed to increase tenfold to hold her down. "You will taste her blood from my lips, yes?"

"No better way, my pet," the Master hissed.

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

And yet...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Gu....h..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'No...no...I'

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

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

"M—"

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

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

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

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

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

"Your...death?" Mudbutton repeated dubiously, noting that the boy before him was very much alive. Or at least could manage quite a good imitation of life, unlike the undead he’d encountered in the past.

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

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

Oddly, the boy didn't answer immediately.

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

"And what progress have you made?"

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

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

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

"A...tail?" Mudbutton repeated skeptically. “Is a tail so important?”

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

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

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

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

Yet sadly for the two of them, the Tohsaka Rin that chose to face her fear – and was utterly overwhelmed by it – would never wake again.

Choice 204: As squad leader, you get to determine your subordinates housing assignments. Two people may be assigned to one apartment. Emilia already has her own room, and does not require an assignment. (Available members: Draco, Nines, Luvia, Rin, Goblin, Andreas)

[ ] Please write in roommate assignments

Choice 205: Who does Shinji approach for special training in his free time?

[ ] Miss Suoirtsulli[ ] Weiss
[ ] Fujou Kohaku
[ ] Ramona
[ ] (write-in)

**skulkidcachi90** · July 3rd, 2021, 01:40 PM

[ ] Miss Suoirtsulli

**Malorius** · July 3rd, 2021, 05:21 PM

[x] Fujou Kohaku

Know yourself. That Sun Tzu guy was onto something.

**Skull Leader** · July 3rd, 2021, 05:49 PM

[X] RM A - Shinji, RM B - Andresa, RM C - Luvia, Nines, RM D - Draco, Goblin, RM E (already assigned) - Emilia, Rin (if/when she comes back to squad)

Two officers with their own room since people seem to want Shinji to have his own room. Luvia and Nines together as part of their cover plus Luvia will be informed about Nines=Zelkova from previous choice so makes sense for them to room together. And Draco-Goblin in the hopes that when they are done trying to kill each other that they can find common ground to become what Albion should between Goblins and wizards.

Rin assignment feels a bit early to me since until she gets mentally healed its not that important but a professional Magus Rin should do fairly ok with Emilia if they room together. So I just put that down as the assignment for now until rooster changes happen. This way it does not look like Emilia has special privileges when in reality she does (by having a room by herself).

[X] Miss Suoirtsulli

All options are fine with me but hey might as well pick the option here that has Shinji learning how to actually do good PR (for once) as well as how to fight tactically since god knows my write in tactics need all the help they can get~

**Daiki** · July 3rd, 2021, 06:20 PM

[x] SL's suggestion for rooms.

[x] Training with Suoirtsulli.

**Dracueri** · July 3rd, 2021, 10:46 PM

[x]SL's suggestion for rooms

[x]Training with Suoirtsulli

**alfheimwanderer** · July 11th, 2021, 07:33 PM

Choice 204: [X] RM A - Shinji, RM B - Andresa, RM C - Luvia, Nines, RM D - Draco, Goblin, RM E (already assigned) - Emilia, Rin (if/when she comes back to squad)
Choice 205: [X] Miss Suoirtsulli

Choice 206: And which area of training, among those Miss Suoirtsulli offers, does Shinji wish to focus on? (choose one)

[ ] Battlespace control - ensuring that you are aware of what is around you before and during potential engagements; practical instruction in how to maintain control of the battlespace and actors within it
[ ] Squad and asset management - the theory and practice of negotiating one's responsibilities and powers as a leader (how to communicate effectively, set reasonable expectations, deal with internal issues, give good orders under pressure, etc)
[ ] Strategic Thinking, Or the Big Picture - in the real world, the orders one issues and the actions one engages in have repercussions far beyond those immediately apparent; this training will have leaders consider how their choices affect the bigger picture, using their lives as the context. What is the actual goal you are working towards? Have your actions and choices been conducive in working towards it? Why or why not?
[ ] Avoiding Collateral Damage - as a member of the Home Guard, it is not unlikely that you may find yourself fighting opponents in area where simply cutting loose may be...unwise (say, if one was fighting in Diagon Alley, or protecting civilians at a school, etc). While the use of area of effect spells, liquid fiendfyre, and other extremely destructive techniques may well help destroy or disable a tough enemy, this can also lead to unintended consequences, such as the death of civilians, destruction of sensitive materials, or other such that make any victory gained by them pyrrhic at best.
[ ] Public Relations 101 - I don't need to explain why this one is useful for Shinji

Choice 207: Also, while Shinji will of course take some effort to get to know his squadmates, since he will be relying on them, who will he spend just a little bit more time and focus on? (choose two)

[ ] Andreas (his second in command)
[ ] Luvia Edelfelt (the experienced mercenary/magus)
[ ] Draco Malfoy (the healer; also the least experienced with life or death battles)
[ ] The Goblin (survivor of WADA; may have some psych issues)
[ ] Emilia (the intrigue specialist, most independent of his squad members)
[ ] "Nines" (he hasn't talked to Zelkova in a while...)
[ ] Magus Tohsaka (when she returns, since she is an entirely different person from the Rin he once knew)

**Skull Leader** · July 12th, 2021, 10:05 AM

Choice 26 as I see it.

Battlespace Control is the choice that the knowledge gained will apply during any fight that Shinji does alone or in his squad. A boost to fighting skill as you learn how to fight smarter not harder. It has a nice efficiently to me because of its ability to be applied regardless of allies presence.

Squad and Assets Management is what I would call Leadership 101, as its everything that Shinji needs to know ASAP about how to run his squad and get it off the ground. I almost call this one essential to the point that I need a really compelling reason to NOT pick it. The biggest downside I think it has is its usefulness in the long run as the focus on Shinji being a leader is not something that I see Shinji being able to use all that much in 6th and 7th year.

Strategic Thinking as a pick feels like a blends the pluses of the above two choices. Strategic thinking is always useful, in and out of the battle as well as a basic skill that the Squad Leader needs to have as the person giving orders needs to think in a much bigger picture than the rank and file people. Its just all around good to me but if you only learn this aspect will this translate in any better respect from his Squad members as its really hard to see what the leader is thinking when they do not get access to all the same data as he will, so I suspect it helps the least amount, of all the choices, in making the squad a cohesive fighting force.

Avoiding Collateral Damage AND Public Relations 101 are to me two sides of the same coin. One helps us limit physical damage we do and the other limits the Political damage we do. Neither of them is more important than the other and both of them Shinji certainly needs to work on. Everyone knows just how badly Shinji needs to learn PR101 yet I still feel like it has to be placed on a backburner to never be learned because we don't have the time to learn it verses all the other skills that we could be learning instead.

TLDR version: No option repels me to the point that I would argue or caution people from picking them but the two options that I really want is either Squad Management or Strategic Thinking. But seriously we could spend all year on learning all five of these options and not be wasting our time outside of the fact that we would never directly increase an actual direct fighting skill.

Choice 207: If I had to pick a top three people I want to spend time with it would be Andreas, Goblin or Nines. If we spend tiem with Andreas right off the bat we might synergize with Squad Management or help get this squad leadership started. Picking the goblin would do a fair job I think addressing the big issues that the goblin is going thru and adjusting to, which should be done sooner than later. And we need a talk with Zelkova after all the recent events, to talk about the twos relationship and Shinji own issues and feels. As well as help Zelkova adjust to being Nines. Given the amount that Shinji has changed, spending time with Zelkova feels like it needs to happen ASAP just so they can repair/figure out their relationship.

I lean towards Zelkova at the end as he been VIP for a reason and we need to strengthen the two relationship after its been so strained after recent events.

**Skull Leader** · July 12th, 2021, 05:42 PM

[X] Strategic Thinking, Or the Big Picture

Teach me oh illustrious Senpai how everything we did in the past did not have a coherent goal in mind outside of Step 3 PROFIT~

[X] "Nines" (he hasn't talked to Zelkova in a while...)
[x] GoblinMVP is still MVP. Repair the relationship with our most important friend/ally that been strained due to rebirth of Shinji. I would like to get that out of the way before we start building any other friendship within the squad.

**Dracueri** · July 12th, 2021, 10:05 PM

[x]Strategic Thinking, Or the Big Picture

[x]"Nines"
[x]The Goblin

Zelkova needs more attention since he is his partner and fusion is dependant on their bond.
Working with the Goblin so he can work more easily with the squad.

**skulkidcachi90** · July 13th, 2021, 12:23 AM

[ ] Public Relations 101 - I don't need to explain why this one is useful for Shinji
[ ] Draco Malfoy (the healer; also the least experienced with life or death battles)
[ ] The Goblin (survivor of WADA; may have some psych issues)

**Daiki** · July 13th, 2021, 06:20 AM

[x] Squad and asset management

Look, as much as I think the other options are of importance, this is the one that we absolutely need right now. Remember that we need to maintain a balance between cohesion and unity of the whole team - which is hard when all those different backgrounds and (some) traumatized members, as well as former enemy (Emilia) folks are grouped together.

PR Damage/Collateral Damage can be lessened if the team follows your instructions, and they will do that better if they value your command - and if you're aware of mood, relationship dynamics and personal issues, you can put a stop to problem arising before they can escalate.

It might seem like Shinji will only use that "boost" for this year, but that's not really true. He can apply what he learns here, with a different party of allies later on, too. And given that the boy tends to keep stranger and stranger company - his traveling companions change constantly - I doubt it will ever be a true loss of investment.

[x] Goblin
[x] "Nines"

Following the consensus for the goblin.

To bond again with Nines - it's not only that we haven't talked in a while, it's that we haven't had time to give him attention at all since Shinji was reborn and Zelkova awakened. Remember how we couldn't even fuse with him too? Well, we need that fixed asap if we want full use of the Onmyoudou skill set this year.

**Malorius** · July 13th, 2021, 06:33 AM

[X] Strategic Thinking, Or the Big Picture

I certainly can use some training in this area, ha. Not every fault for bad decisions is on Shinji (thats a nice way of saying "almost everything is our fault").

[x]"Nines"

Zelkova is the Familiar of the Year, there is no reasoning beyond that.

[x]The Goblin

The guy is falling apart. Any kind of psychological help will be good. Theoretically.

... Yeah, our track record is bad, but, uh. At least it's not a pretty girl this time? So he probably won't turn against us? (Huh? Fred? Misha who? Never heard of them. )

**alfheimwanderer** · August 13th, 2021, 04:21 PM

Choice 206: [X] Strategic Thinking, Or the Big Picture - in the real world, the orders one issues and the actions one engages in have repercussions far beyond those immediately apparent; this training will have leaders consider how their choices affect the bigger picture, using their lives as the context. What is the actual goal you are working towards? Have your actions and choices been conducive in working towards it? Why or why not?

Choice 207: [X] The Goblin (survivor of WADA; may have some psych issues); [X] "Nines" (he hasn't talked to Zelkova in a while...)

Choice 208: After letting Miss Suoirtsulli know of his training preferences, Shinji was informed that he was to report to the First Citizen's office to discuss a somewhat...delicate matter, the specifics of which would be revealed during the talk. Somewhat puzzled by the fact that the man's secretary wouldn't give him an inkling as to what the topic would be or anything that might help prepare him for the discussion to come, the boy made his way to the man's office, with the two goblin guards at the door letting him through.

Inside, he found that the room was...surprisingly austere, with little of the extravagance he expected, given his dealings with the man. The furnishings were comfortable enough, true, but there was little in the way of embellishment or the usual self-aggrandizement most executives - government or corporate - had a taste for. Though, perhaps a measure of austerity was the point, so there was nothing to distract him from the imposing presence of the First Citizen, his form silhouetted by the light coming through his office window as he looked out on whatever view it offered.

"Sir?" Shinji hazarded, when the man did not immediately greet him. "First Citizen...?"

"That is one of my titles, yes," Lockhart acknowledged after a time. "Far from the only one I bear these days, each with their obligations and responsibilities. If even a mountain can be eroded over time, worn down by the elements, what chance does an old man stand in the end, even if he stands atop it?"

Shinji blinked.

"But sir, you're not--"

"An old man?" the man interjected, a brief, mirthless chuckle escaping his lips. "Perhaps not in the number of years I have lived, though I would hazard those years have been much richer in experience than those lived by the average wizard. Something you would understand well, would you not, Matou Shinji? After all, you are someone with many responsibilities. Many loyalties. Even many roles - some of which you have earned, and some of which you only claim for yourself."

Lockhart turned to face him, with the light making his features seem more severe than usual.

"Do you remember a certain conversation you had with one of my quartermasters, Matou?" the man asked, his tone deceptively mild. "One in which you requisitioned several special items for your...squadmate, after showing them the blade you bear?"

"Yes, but...oh."

If this was about the Hidden Blade, then Lockhart wasn't speaking to him as First Citizen, but as...

'...the Old Man of the Mountain.'

"The items you requisitioned do not pose a particularly large issue in and of themselves, but I believe you have been warned against misrepresenting yourself in the past, Matou," the Assassin continued. "Your handler from Atlas said as much when I discussed the matter with her."

Shit. Oh shit.

"Still, it is likely enough that you were simply ignorant of the significance of the weapon you bear - both that sort of blade in general, and that weapon specifically, so it suppose it falls to me to...mentor you, so you do not make this mistake again."

Shinji swallowed.

"You mean like you, uh, mentor Pansy?" he asked, recalling that he'd recommended that the Assassin take her as an apprentice. "I'm...I'm flattered, but--"

"I am aware that your loyalty to the Director of Atlas supersedes any other oaths or obligations, and so I am not asking you to become my apprentice, or to swear alliegiance to the Brotherhood," the Old Man of the Mountain noted gravely. "I simply wish for you to understand the gravity of your actions, so you don't cause, well, more misunderstandings than usual. Given your history, I suppose it would be foolish to hope that you wouldn't cause any, but even so, you should be mindful, as your actions will have consequences not just for you but your patrons, for good or for ill..."

"Then tell me, what did I do wrong?"

"You allowed yourself to be perceived as a member of the Brotherhood," Lockhart explained, "as you bore a weapon only issued to those who successfully complete their trials and become one of us. Apprentices and trainees - even mine - may not wield the Hidden Blade, something which I had presumed you would be aware of, given your ancestry."

"My...ancestry?" Shinji echoed, having difficulty seeing what his lineage had to do with any of this.

"Do you remember the Epic of Makar Zolgen?" the Assassin asked, with the boy wondering what this had to do with anything.

"Yes?"

"While the tales is not entirely accurate - it features the Church instead of Templars, and casts Zolgen as a Dark Lord who acted alone, instead of a heroic magus allied to the Assassins, the outlines of the story it tells did occur. Makar Zolgen and his allies were defeated in the end, with the man driven into exile and his allies slain, condemning the lands of Rus to dominion by the Templars for nearly half a millenium."

"...what?"

Makar Zolgen - his grandfather - had been a hero? Sure, he'd known that the man had fought (and had been defeated by) the Templars, but he figured that had just been a case of one evil striving against another, as they so often did. Besides, his grandfather - his hopefully deceased grandfather - was merely a mass of worms now - worms that devoured human flesh and took over the bodies of the living to sustain their prolonged existence. How could a monster like that ever be seen as heroic?

"You find it so difficult to believe?"

"I...my grandfather...that's not..." Shinji had trouble finding the right words. After all, how could he explain that the being he'd called grandfather had been utterly monstrous in all the time Shinji had known him...? That he was no hero...

"It is quite possible he became someone else after going into exile. What someone is at one point in time is not necessarily who they will remain, especially in the wake of a defeat where they lose everything: their position, their homeland, and everything else they once cared about - even their very name," the Assassin said quietly, his voice tinged with something the boy didn't quite recognize. "Whatever the case, you bear the blade entrusted to the man after he stood with the Brotherhood in Rus in their last stand against the Templars. Having nothing else to offer as death came for them, they simply acknowledged him as a brother."

"I..."

"After all, like them, Makar Zolgen was a man who believed in doing what was right, who was unafraid to stand against oppression, no matter what it cost him," the Assassin noted, with Shinji left reeling as he tried to process this - any of this. "You are much like him in that regard."

"No. That's not true! That's impossible! I'm nothing like him!" Shinji exclaimed. He couldn't be like his grandfather. He just couldn't. "I'm--"

"A good person, branded a monster by those you oppose, doing what you consider to be right, no matter the cost to yourself?" Lockhart inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Don't think I haven't read the reports about what happened during the Potions Championship. You chose to face Stukov, saving the lives of a number of your fellow Champions at great cost to yourself, even though you could have avoided the fight completely. That is exactly the sort of thing Makar Zolgen would have done - would have been proud to do - the sort of thing he did. Just as you defended the people of the Ministry from being slaughtered, no matter what they had done to you in the past."

"I...I didn't do it for them. There was a pardon offered for my crimes, and--"

"And so you undertook a suicide mission for the chance of a pardon?" the man supplied skeptically. "That might be your excuse, but it feels flimsy to me."

"I..."

The boy trailed off, not having the words to reply.

"I understand that your memories of your grandfather may not match with who Makar Zolgen who once was," Lockhart said, not unsympathetically. "But you must understand that the blade you carry was entrusted to the Zolgen that was, and while you are like him, you are not him. Not as he was, and not as he is now."

"...what are you saying?"

"That one must be mindful of who one is and who one presents oneself to be," the man summed up. "In either case, I believe something should be done to prevent this sort of misunderstanding from happening again."

"...you want me to turn over the blade," Shinji realized, his eyes widening a hint.

"Yes, since it is unlikely you will ever become one of us. Still, I don't ask you to do it without compensation. If you turn over the blade, I am willing to grant you an artifact of equivalent combat value from our stores or a favor of some sort. Alternatively, as the blade is an heirloom of your house, you might keep it, but sign a contract never to wield it again unless granted permission from a member of the Brotherhood."

What will Shinji do?

[ ] Turn over the blade - for an artifact
[ ] Turn over the blade - for a favor
[ ] Keep the blade and sign a contract regarding its use

**skulkidcachi90** · August 13th, 2021, 09:48 PM

[ ] Turn over the blade - for a favor

**Skull Leader** · August 17th, 2021, 02:14 PM

~~[X] Turn over the blade - for an assassin (IE favor)~~

Either is fine with me. Artifact main benefit is that the item likely has its use right off the bat and the time sink it will be is far less than if we go with a favor (like training). Movement training by way of Lockhart or another assassin would be super nice and I support that but I also know it will be hard to slot a lot of training time for that Skill. But getting AoM back to level 3 is worth something.

What is better for us in the long run is debated for me. Focusing on our other skillsets and dropping AoM? We will have a easier time getting father in other skills if we do that. Or leveling back up AoM. At least leveling it back up to what we had it is faster than the first time around.

Maybe training will get sidetracked like we always get given the plates we attempt to spin, but if we ask for an assassin for training purposes we might apply it to the squad as a whole and not just ourselves. So it might not be a huge waste if someone benefits from this training in the squad.

EDIT: Change my vote to [X] Turn over the blade - for an artifact

Reasoning: I am flip flopping here with what option would be better in the long run. But at the end of the day, whatever artifact we get I know I will not regret picking it (unless it breaks 5 seconds later). Where as training option might be great but it always could be so wasted if we do not have the time to place into it. And we got so many other things to do already...

So yeah I am going to vote the option I know I will less regret.

**skulkidcachi90** · August 18th, 2021, 08:36 AM

[X] Turn over the blade - for an artifact

**Dracueri** · August 18th, 2021, 07:51 PM

[x]Turn over the blade -for an assassin

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

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