[Quest] Fate/Exquisite Corpus

[Bird of Hermes]

Don't have a name but i do have an FC:

Spoilered for sheer size

[Ismail2002]

I will take the above FC and I will name her Layla Al-Hakim

[Ayr]

Spoiler:

[SleepMode]

FC:



Name:

Niemira Trisagion

[SpoonyViking]

Spoiler:

+1.

As for a name, I propose Aidoneus Rexarkhos.

[Spartacus]

FC:



Name:

Niemira Trisagion

+1

[Formless Creature]

FC:



Name:

Niemira Trisagion

+1

[zikari8]

Fate/Exquisite Corpus
Book 1: The Legend of the Legendary Legends of Legend

One day, a huge hole suddenly appeared in the world.

It was a disaster that could only be called cataclysmic. It tore the land apart and caused countless lives to be lost.

A man who witnessed this event with his own eyes was reported to have said:

“Hole-y Shit!”

He was then reportedly struck by lightning, smited by the gods for bad humor.

Soon after, many monsters emerged from the hole and quickly spread across the land, bringing havoc and destruction wherever they went. The globe’s military forces sprang to action, but proved mostly ineffective against the fantastical monsters who seemed immune to modern weaponry.

Only with a combination of magical and modern forces were the monsters finally quelled, but the damage had already been done. Many lives were lost and the hole in the world remained.

A man kneeling in the flames of destruction, seeing the rampant chaos, remarked with despair:

“Wait, isn’t this supposed to be an Urban Fantasy setting? Having this many large-scale fantastical elements is too much of a departure from the original concept.”

He was also smited by the gods, for knowing too much.

In anticipation of future threats, humanity devised a new method of combat. They called upon the Guardians of Humanity, mankind’s greatest weapon, the Heroic Spirits. By bringing these legendary heroes into the world as Servants, they finally had a weapon capable of going toe-to-toe with the monsters of fantasy.

Magi with great potential were thus gathered from all across the globe to become the Masters of these Servants. The organization that assembled these talented champions was the newly formed Clock Tower Exquisition Corps, Shakespeare. Bearing the name of England’s greatest writer, they took it upon themselves to use the power of legends to fight against the imminent threat.

And thus, with the Laws of Humanity at stake, the battle of Heroes and Gods to protect the state of the World began!

---

Niemira Trisagion
Day 1 – Morning
Shakespeare Headquarters

“… which brings us here.”

The man at the front of the assembly hall concludes, finishing his long-winded monologue on topics most of the audience already knew.

Before he continues, he looks out at the sea of bored faces in the audience. There were dozens of Master Candidates seated before him in the assembly hall with a variety of expressions between them.

I myself remain attentive, concentrating on the man’s every word, even if it was just a repetition of common knowledge. At the same time, I can’t help but notice the number of people in the audience who were stealing glances at me, more focused on taking in my appearance than listening to the Initiation Ceremony.

“Ahem. What I’m trying to say is that you all should understand the responsibility that has been placed upon your shoulders.” The man continues, clearly displeased with the lack of reception.

He was the Exquisition Corps’ Chief of Staff. Originally, the Director of the Corps was apparently supposed to lead this Initiation, but something came up and the poor man before us was left to fill in her shoes and improvise a speech at the last minute. His lack of grace did little to help hide his lack of preparation, a mistake I couldn’t help but consider fatal.

“Everyone gathered here today is a Master Candidate with the potential to summon Servants. We here at Shakespeare have recruited you rare talents from across the globe to use your special abilities in aiding in the preservation of the Laws of Humanity. Some of you were already members of the Clock Tower before being scouted. Others are from families independent of the Association. There are some of you that aren’t even magi in the traditional sense. Nevertheless, now that you are here, the only thing that matters is that you are a Master. It is the responsibility of all magi to protect the integrity of Mystery in this world, and you more than anyone now have the power and duty to do so.”

A few members of the audience nodd at that statement. Others shrug and some roll their eyes. Each and every Master Candidate here had their own reasons for accepting the role, and only some of those reasons were noble.

As for me, I remain still, neither showing enthusiasm nor mockery to the idea, just coolly absorbing the words being presented.

“Now then, moving onto the main topic. I am sure many of you are eager to summon your Servants and become proper Master as soon as possible. We of the staff are also looking forward to it as well. However, having dozens of Servants summoned at once would overburden the Grail and leylines. Therefore, for this first round of summonings, we will have you take turns in order based on your Master number. Please reference your welcoming pamphlets for the timetable and go the Theatre at the appointed time for your first summoning.”

I check the brochure I was given upon arriving once again.

I am Master Candidate #42. Which means, based on the timetable here, I’m one of the last to summon, scheduled at 5:00 PM.

“In the meantime, while you are waiting for your appointment, you are all free to do as you please. As long as you make it to your appointment, there is nothing else scheduled for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, once everyone has summoned their Servant, we will have a final Orientation after which you may begin your missions. Hopefully, the Director will actually show up to that one…”

The man coughs awkwardly, as if realizing too late that he said something he shouldn’t have.

“A-anyways, you have all been assigned residences here in New London, near the Headquarters. Even after tonight, it will remain yours to use as you see fit. While you will certainly spend much of your time as Masters out in the field, this place will remain your home base and you will always have a bed to come back to. All the amenities here at Headquarters are also at your disposal, including the training simulator, library, or workshop. So, feel free to get settled in or get acquainted with the city while you await your summoning. Besides that, I have nothing else to say.”

Perhaps the sense that things were coming to a close woke some people up, as there was a bit more general attentiveness among the audience upon those final lines.

Seeing this, the Chief of Staff smirks and extends his hand to the crowd.

“Are there any questions, before we conclude?”

It is only a few moments before a hand is raised.

“Yes. About the summoning… I have heard that summoning a Heroic Spirit requires a catalyst. Is that true? If so, what if we don’t have one?”

“Yes and no. Your information is not incorrect. But it isn’t complete either.” The Chief of Staff responds. “Using the current summoning system, a catalyst closely tied to the Heroic Spirit is not absolutely necessary. However, they are helpful in stabilizing the Servant and not having one increases the chance of failure when summoning. We’ll get more into detail about this later, but for now you do not need to worry. We have already gathered a number of catalysts for you to use for your first Servant. Of course, if you already have one yourself, you may use that.”

A number of understanding nods and relieved sighs emerge from the audience.

I’m surprised it seems that many didn’t already know that. Am I the weird one for doing my research before hand on all the intricacies of summoning?

“Excuse me.” Another person immediately asks. “About expenses, will the organization be covering the bill for research and operation costs?”

“We will regularly be handing out funds for you to use however you want. Whether you spend it on living expenses, buying Mystic Codes, or during your missions, that’s up to you. But if you exceed your funds, you’ll need to file a report to request more, only for special circumstances.” The Chief of Staff explains.

After that, a quick gauntlet of questions is asked as the Master Candidates take the chance to air out their concerns.

“Is there a place here to purchase Mystic Codes?”

“Yes.”

“Can we summon any hero as long as we have a catalyst?”

“In theory, yes. In practice, there are some restrictions.”

“Do Command Spells regenerate?”

“No.”

“Can I go to the restroom?”

“Can you?”

“How many rolls do we need to reach pity?”

“Die.”

Eventually, the questions run out and a still silence fills the room. The Chief of Staff makes one last sweep over the room to see if there are any remaining concerns, before concluding the Initiation Ceremony.

“Well, if that’s all, then there’s only thing I have left to say to you all.”

He bows deeply, showing reverence to the new heroes of humanity.

“Welcome to Shakespeare.”

---

With the Initiation over, the audience of new Masters quickly disperses.

People get up from their seats in the assembly hall and head off to their respective destinations, eager to use what time they have left in the day however they see fit.

I also head out into the hallway, fully aware of more than a few sets of eyes following me, and contemplate what I’ll do now.

I have almost the whole day before my appointed time for summoning my Servant. Until then, I have more than plenty of time to kill. So the question is, what will I use it for?

I cannot say I am fond of wasting time, so I hope to use this opportunity to prepare myself for what’s to come. It seems that we’ll be starting our missions tomorrow, so this might be last chance to get ready for it too.

However I think about it, though, I encounter some difficulty in deciding.

“…”

The truth is, I am not very familiar with this sense of… choice. My life back at the lab was meticulously scheduled by the minute. Everything happened when it was arranged to and I simply needed to keep up with the tasks given to me. Now that I’ve just been let out into the world, I’m almost overwhelmed by the abundance of agency.

However, I do understand that I must get used to it. I’m a Master now and making decisions is part of my job.

So, I ask myself again, what will I do?

1. Explore the city and become more familiar with the world outside the lab
2. Mingle with other Masters and become more familiar with other people
3. Settle into your new residence and become more accustomed to living on your own
4. Procure a Mystic Code to bolster your preparations
5. Think of an additional revenue source to boost your funds
6. Nap until your appointment (skips straight to Summoning)

[SleepMode]

1

Better to familiarize ourselves with the environs before we summon the first time. The co-workers, shopping, and side-gigs for our grind can wait later.

[SpoonyViking]

1.

[Ismail2002]

1

[Spartacus]

2 who knows maybe there are cute girls to speak with

And hopefully to sleep with

[zikari8]

Niemira Trisagion
Day 1 – Morning
New London

The city of New London.

A hollow metropolis built between two worlds.

Considered the New Capital of Magecraft, it is a rare, special city that is almost openly run by magi instead of civilians. It is situated in the geographical location where the previous London once stood and is home to the Clock Tower, the main branch of the Mage’s Association. Naturally, the headquarters of Shakespeare, the Clock Tower Exquisition Corps, is also located here.

After the Initiation Ceremony at HQ, I decide to spend the rest of my day exploring New London. It is essentially my first time outside of the lab by myself, so I felt compelled to stretch my wings a little, as one would say. I reasoned that, if I am to be a Master that protects the world now, then I must see the world myself with my own two eyes first.

With that in mind, I grab a map that was being handed out when I first arrived at HQ and use it to navigate my way through the city of magi.

“So, this is a city…”

I carefully observe my surroundings as I make my way down the sunny streets of London. From the buildings I pass by to the people I cross path with along the street to the way the sunlight bounces off the high-rise windows, I take it all in with a focused, analytic mind.

I do not know exactly whether or not this place can be considered a normal city, since I lack experience living in such places, but it matches what I was able to learn about human population centers from the reference data the lab gave me. That said, I know very well now how limited such data can be at conveying certain details. I noticed this during my travels here, but things look a little different than they do through a screen. Even if it is considered lossless, the conversion to digital data has its blind spots too. It is only with each breath of fresh air, with each step down the road, that I become more familiar with how wide and open the outdoors is.

So in that sense, I lack the contextual wisdom necessary to judge how New London compares to other cities. In terms of its history and function, it should be a unique history, but simply walking down the road, it seems within the range of normal.

“More modern than expected too.”

One might imagine a city built by magi would look archaic and dingy, but the city was actually up-to-date with modern standards. It looks even more modern than what the previous London did based on pictures I’ve seen. The only peculiarity I have noticed is that there aren’t many cars in the city. Perhaps it’s because magi dislike technology, but there are not many cars on the roads here and there are an abundance of pedestrian streets instead. It seems as if much of the city was designed to be walkable, as if the city planners were deliberately dreading the thought of riding high-speed metal coffins on wheels.

It’s actually impressive how much they built and developed in the short since the Tumbling. The remaining Association magi must have worked hard to rebuild after their former base vanished.

Wise-up! – History: The Tumbling

The event that changed the World.

It refers to the moment in history in which a huge hole suddenly appeared under London without warning. The entire city and surrounding area were destroyed as the land itself was sucked into the hole, taking the people living there down with it.

While the direct impact of the event was limited to the area around London, it resulted in global repercussions including the emergence of Monstrous Beasts and Evil Spirits from the Hole. The most important consequence is a puncture in the Texture of the World. This has severely impacted the integrity of the Human Order, including the laws of physics that most humans know to be true. Even now, the aftermath of this event continues to be felt throughout the World.

The event was named The Tumbling after the manner in which London fell into the Hole. It has also been colloquially referred to as Brexit II, since it involved parts of Britain exiting the world.

Rumor has it that the whole event was deliberately planned and caused by an evil Magus for her own purposes, but the truth remains publicly unknown.

Wise-up! – Location: The Hole

A really really big hole.

It is actually an interdimensional tunnel that connects to the Reverse Side of the World. In essence, it is a gate that allows one to freely travel between the two sides of the world, once completely separate from one another.

It is located underneath the artificial ground of New London, which was created specifically to oversee and manage The Hole, and leads to Reverse London, the London that exists on the Reverse Side. Management of the Hole is under the joint jurisdiction of the Mage’s Association, the British Monarchy, and the United Nations.

As of right now, the Hole is sealed to prevent things from coming through it, such as the monsters that emerged from it in the immediate aftermath of the Tumbling. Travel through the Hole is rare but not impossible. It is currently at the level of security where a magus with enough power and position could take a vacation in the Reverse Side.

It is at once the greatest hope to all magi and the greatest threat to humanity.

“Hey, that girl over there.”

“Goddamn. She’s gorgeous!”

As I walk through the city, I inevitably draw the attention of every person I walk past. Those who catch even a glimpse of me on the street, get their breath and focus stolen away. Not a single head remains unturned as I make my way past them. In my wake, many begin whispering about the miracle they had just witnessed.

“I’ve never seen her before. Is she a celebrity I don’t know?”

“More like royalty. She looks like something out of a fairy tale.”

“Would it be rude for me to take a picture?”

“Amazing. What do I have to do to look like her?”

Before leaving the lab, I was already informed that this would likely happen and told to just accept it as a fact of life and as proof of my superiority.

Moving past the gawking spectators on the street, I reach one of the buildings that had been specially indicated on the map I had been given. It was one of the school buildings belonging to the Clock Tower.

Since I came all the way to New London, I decided to visit the Clock Tower proper and see what the newly rebuilt hub of magecraft was like. Thanks to my Shakespeare ID, I’m able to get past the security and enter the building unimpeded.

The halls of the academy were sparsely populated when I entered, perhaps because many students were in the middle of class. I quietly roamed the hallways, listening to the soft mumble of lectures coming from behind classroom doors and absorbing the academic atmosphere of the campus. In a way, it felt similar to the atmosphere back at the lab, so it was comforting in a familiar sense.

After a brief walk, I come across an altar displayed near one of the entrances. Many plagues and portraits were hung up in a proud fashion. It seemed to be a small Hall of Fame, honoring many great magi who had achieved great accomplishments in recent history.

The Almighty Queen, Barthomeloi Lorelei
The Discerning Professor, Lord El-melloi II
Miss Blue, Aoko Aozaki
The Insane Puppetmaster, Touko Aozaki
The Last Grand, Lestari Elliwyn
The Red Devil, Tohsaka Rin
The biggest dirtiest manslut ever, Seigi Nomikata

The list goes on.

All of them were outstanding accomplished magi who had left their names in history. I came across these names many times in my reference files.

For a moment, I stopped in my tracks and took in the weight of those names. Each one of the people here was someone who had reached the peaks of their potential and achieved impossible things. They were people with purpose, ambition, and talent.

So what about me? I was created to be a special human. A superior human. My talents should be no less than those of the names displayed here. Otherwise, my creation would have been a failure.

So when I fulfill my purpose and save the world, will my name also be honored like this, long after I die? Or…

“Hey there!”

Suddenly, a loud voice breaks my train of thought. I turn to find a young man wearing the Association uniform waving at me. There is also a small crowd of people forming around us.

It seems that while I was enraptured by the display, classes let out and the students noticed me as they left their classrooms. Like moths to a flame, they immediately started to gather around with wide eyes as if I were a painting at a museum

“Whacha doing here, gorgeous? I’ve never seen you around these parts.” The young man says haughtily.

“A-are you new here? If you want, I could show you around.” Another student suddenly declared barging in.

“Hey. Get in line. I was talking to her first, idiot.” The first guy barks, pushing the other student away.

“What line? I was just trying to be nice to a new face, jackass.” The second guy retorts, raising his fists.

“As if. Your ulterior motives are written all over your face.” The first guy accuses.

“U-umm, sorry to bother you. You’re really pretty, Miss. If you don’t mind, would you like to be friends?” A girl interjected timidly.

“Hey, do you want to come have lunch with us? We totally wanna get to know you.” Another young woman invited, on behalf of a group of female students behind her.

More and more people were seeing the chance to talk to me and were now clumping together into a mass of flesh surrounding me from all sides. Perhaps spurred one by the others, each one was trying to get my attention, shouting at me with expectant voices.

To be honest, it was a rather bothersome cacophony to bear.

I had been warned beforehand what my ability would bring me, but I still wasn’t used to getting this much outside attention. Nevertheless, now that I was on my own, I needed to handle it myself.

I need to decide for myself what I think of and how I will handle the attention my beauty brings.

What should I do?

1. Politely introduce yourself
2. Ignore them completely
3. Tell the undignified maggots to shut up
4. Bask in the praise that your divine beauty deserves
5. Manipulate them with your charm
6. Write-In

[Ismail2002]

1

[SpoonyViking]

3.
Simps aren't human. '-'

[King Prussia]

3.

Finally catching up with this quest and you know what would make for a good characterization of our MC?

Being a bitch. '-'

[SleepMode]

2

I dunno man, there's is something especially effective/biting about this without verbally disparaging them.

[Spartacus]

3

Jokes at her, we are into that shit

[zikari8]

Niemira Trisagion
Day 1 – Morning
Clock Tower

There’s only one course of action.

That is to say, these undignified maggots only deserve one response.

“Silence.”

“Huh?”

The crowd of students around me immediately go quiet. With a single word, I quell their obnoxious screeching. Such is the power of my majesty.

Once they have all obediently shut their mouths, I look upon the crowd of raucous rugrats with utter contempt and make it clear to them where they stand.

“I will not stand your blathering any longer. This is a sacred hall devoted to the honorable pursuit of knowledge. It is not a place for impetuous children to play.”

I scorn them in a cold, unfeeling voice devoid of any gentleness or warmth.

“You may appreciate my beauty with respectful reverence, but do not tarnish it with your callous cacophony. If you cannot do that, you do not deserve to be called humans, much less magi. You are nothing more than filthy, uncultured swine.”

“…”

The audience turns silent. Shocked frozen expressions adorn each of their faces, likely from the scathing severity of my words.

Good. At least they seem capable of listening. Now they will be quiet—

“Kyaaa! She talked to us!!”

… excuse me, what?

“Wow, I can’t believe she actually noticed us. This is so so awesome.”

“OMG, her voice is so sexy. Just hearing it gives me chills.”

“I love how she doesn’t like attention and says what’s on her mind without being nice. Like she totally doesn’t care about others. That’s so brave and cool.”

“I don’t know why, but for some reason, I think I like being insulted by her. She can call me a pig as much as she wants. Oink oink.”

“Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Not sorry.”

“I want her to step on me!!”

… I don’t know if I want to save humanity anymore…

“Hey! What are you young’uns doing!?”

All of sudden, a loud, gruff voice echoes through the hallway, overpowering the countless cheers of the crowd.

All heads turn towards the source to find a large man in a suit stomping this way.

“Geh. It’s a professor.”

“Oh shit, run!”

“Bye, gorgeous! I hope we meet again! If we do, please step on me then.”

“Get out of here, you whippersnappers! Can’t you see you’re bothering this young lady!?”

With a roar, the man chases off all the staring students and causes them to run away like a pack of rats. Once they’re all gone, he rubs his temples and sighs before turning to me.

“Good grief, those striplings… sorry about that, young lady. I hope they did not cause you too much trouble.”

“They did. It was bothersome.” I reply honestly.

“I see. In that case, on behalf of the Clock Tower, I offer you my apologies. Some of our students nowadays can be… zealous at times. I assure you; they did not mean to insult you.”

Is that so. The data I had on the Clock Tower suggested it was a more refined establishment, but perhaps its rebuilding after the Tumbling changed some things.

Putting that aside, now that I’m talking to him face-to-face, I take a good look at the man in front of me.



He is an elderly gentleman with a large, muscular build and a grey beard. Although not particularly radiant, he has a subdued, dignified air to him, one that can only be gained with age.

Taking note of these details, I realize that I’ve seen him before.

“Pardon me, young lady. I’m Chadwick Celibarr, a professor at the Department of Mineralogy. Judging from the situation, I presume you are an outsider. May I know what brings you to our fine academy? If you can tell me, I would be more than happy to assist you in pointing you towards your destination.” The old man asks politely.

“You… do not recognize me?” I reply surprised.

“I’m sorry. Have we met before?” He questions, scratching his beard in confusion. “Might I ask you your name once more?”

“… my name is Niemira Trisagion.” I answer, judging that his confusion is genuine. “I am Master Candidate #42 of the Clock Tower Exquisition Corps. We were just in the same initiation meeting together.”

Yes, although it was brief, I had seen him while we were all seated in the assembly hall for the meeting. Since we would all be working together as Masters from now on, I had taken mental notes on all of the people there that caught my eye. This man was one of them for one specific reason: his age.

“Oh, I see. So you’re also with Shakespeare. Shoot, my apologies, that’s embarrassing. I really am getting up in years. My memory isn’t what it used to be.” The old man named Chadwick groans while scratching the back of his head.

To be honest, I’m surprised. It’s rare for someone to not notice me or recognize me. Even now, he doesn’t seem flustered by my beauty. Perhaps that’s due to his age as well.

“How old are you?” I ask without hesitation.

“I’m 72 this year. Starting to feel like it too. I’ve been getting all sorts of joint pains lately.” He complains, dramatically rubbing his lower back.

“If you are in such poor physical and mental health, why have you become a Master?” I ask him.

It’s a question I had in the back of my mind since I saw this elderly man enter the assembly hall, but I did not want to assume anything. Given the usage of magecraft, there are many magi of even greater age that still retain their full physiological capabilities. In fact, given the nature of mystery, some magi only get better with time. However, if Chadwick is suffering from age-related memory loss and joint pain, I cannot see why he would join an intense militant organization like the Exquisition Corps.

“Ah, that. Hahaha, I get asked that a lot.” Chadwick laughs. “It’s true that I can’t hold a candle to you spring chickens. In fact, all of my students laughed at me when I told them I’d be joining Shakespeare. Compared to all you talented youngsters gathered together, I’m just a washed-up old rag. But it’s actually precisely for that simple reason that I joined.”

“Pardon?”

“The truth of the matter is, I’m already at the end of my rope. I only have a bit more time left on this planet. Which is exactly why I’ve decided to use the last embers of my life to protect this world!” He declares straightforwardly with a glimmer in his eyes.

A very simple answer. One I hadn’t expected, yet I can’t deny either.

“What about you, young lady? What brought you here to become a Master?” He now asks me.

“… I do not wish to answer.” I state blankly.

“Ah, fair enough. I suppose we all have our reasons.” Chadwick nods understandingly.

Before coming here, I had been warned to keep a tight lip about the details of my creation. It wasn’t a terribly vital secret, especially it was already officially known by the higher-ups, but the less people that knew the better. Magi thrived on secrecy after all.

After that, Chadwick and I briefly exchange a few more details about ourselves before he suddenly glances at his watch.

“Ah, my apologies, young lady. It has been a pleasurable chat, but I must get going. I came here to wrap up some of my business as a professor before my activity as a Master began. I need to complete it before the day ends.” He states apologetically. “I would love nothing more than to show you around the city, but I must bid you adieu here. Is there anything I can do for you before I go?”

“No, I am fine. Go ahead.”

“Very good. It has been a pleasure meeting you. I hope we can work together well from now on as fellow Masters.”

With that, he bows goodbye and marches towards whatever it is he needed to do.

I as well head on my way and continue my solitary tour through the Clock Tower. Once I feel as if I have gathered enough data on it, I leave and explore the rest of the city.

As I do so, a single topic from the conversation lingers in my mind.

For what reason had I become a Master?

The answer is, of course, simple. It is my life purpose.

I was created to be the way I am and I am to use these abilities as a Master. That is what it means to be me.

But at the same time, is that all? After the many years that I have lived, even under the careful watch of my creators, do I only care about my purpose?

Even if it’s minor compared to my life’s purpose, is there something else I want? Another goal?

What else do I wish to use my manufactured life for?

1. No. There is only your purpose.
2. To leave your name in history
3. To find companionship and intimacy
4. To understand humanity
5. To have a good life after your mission is complete
6. To obtain freedom
7. Write-In

References

Chadwick Celibarr

Source

[Ismail2002]

7. To Grant Humanity a Glorious Future