In the Mind of a Green Sun Prince (Exalted/Nasuverse)

[Walker of the Yellow Path]

"So what do you intend to do now, Kiritsugu? Go after your daughter? Or perhaps check up on the boy from before? Or something else? I might normally make a suggestion, but I confess that I remain somewhat ignorant of your overall situation."

"The boy." Kiritsugu says. "I saved his life using Avalon. I need to check on him and make sure that he's recovered."

Your eyes widen, as knowledge of Avalon seeps into your mind. But something else follows along with that. "So you're considering adopting him?"

He nods. "I'll adopt him and leave him in Fujimura's care. Then I'll go get Illya."

"Alright. So who are our enemies?"

His mind fills with the relevant info. Jubstacheit Von Einzbern, The Einzbern Family, Combat Homunculi, Bounded Fields, Germany. The Magus Association, Dead Apostles, London. The Holy Church, Executors. The Holy Grail War, Servants, Masters, Noble Phantasms.

"That's rather a lot to take in."

He nods, and stands, and begins searching through the house. He begins removing weapons and ammo from the walls and floor.

You think on the upcoming invasion. "First priority is dealing with the Bounded Fields. If you're correct, the Einzbern will use a Bounded Field to protect their home. Those without active Magic Circuits will not even notice the area, whilst those who do will simply have to contend with a powerful physical barrier and the staggering array of magical traps and alarms that'll hone in on whoever pierces the first one." You say.

He shakes his head. "I'm still unsure on how to defeat that one. I helped improve it, when I was working with the Einzberns, and I no longer have the arsenal to break it with direct explosive force."

He stops, as he removes a few packages of C4. "I do, actually have the arsenal, but that would be all the explosives I had."

"You don't have to break it." You say. "You remember when you did the Shadow thing?"

"That's just a disguise, isn't it?" Kiritsugu asks.

"It can fool all mundane attempts at scrutiny, and has a fair chance at beating most magical attempts." You say.

He grunts. He sounds skeptical. "I could also give myself into the Einzberns. Claim that I wish to repent for the sin they know I did."

"Get through the Bounded Field by being invited, and then kill them?" You ask. "That would bypass most of it. But they would rather kill you than accept you."

He nods.
What do you suggest?
[ ] Recommend he work on a skill:
-[ ] Which Skill?
[ ] Write-in

 

[Walker of the Yellow Path]

"So yeah. That undead dude you were fighting? Not dead. Saw him crawl out of there. I can give you the ability to get him back for what he did. Whadda ya say?"
------|------

"Dio!"

"Jojo!"

Speedwagon could only watch in helpless awe as he watched the two battle. On one side was Dio, his vampiric powers allowing him to freeze those he touched. On the other was Jojo, Green fire blazing around his fists, a relic of that encounter with the Red Ape. They were evenly matched, and neither could get a hit in.

He knew that the strangeness of Jojo could not be spread like Dio's vampiric powers. Indeed, besides the physical, Johnathan had been unchanged in personality and compassion. But Dio... Dio was a despicable man, and his vampirism enhanced it, and gave him the ability to spread his curse to those he wished. Dio was too dangerous.

Speedwagon took a breath, and felt the golden lightning ripple around his hands. He was scared. But he knew what he had to do. He would not fail Master Zeppeli.

"Sunlight Overdrive!" And so, Speedwagon joined the battle.

 

[Walker of the Yellow Path]

[X] Recommend he work on a skill:
-[X] Larceny, Increase Essence, Eldritch Secrets Mastery
[X] "Why don't you take the appearance of someone who lives in the castle? There is an improvement to Loom-Snarling Deception that lets you assume the characteristics of any being. Wait until the ideal target is out, capture it, copy its appearance and then go back to the castle."

"Well, there's a good way to make sure Loom Snarling Deception, your shadow power disguise, works!"

"How?"

You frown. This is going to sound kinda weird to him. "Well, you have to work on your mundane larcenous skills."

"What?"

Yeah, it sounds weird within the context of what he knows.

"Well, the disguises completely ignores mortal attempts to pierce it. But it draws on your own skills at disguise and thievery to defeat magical attempts to pierce it. It's a sympathy thing, but it applies to most of your new skills. By being good at a mundane thing, it enhances your ability to do magic related to that mundane thing."

He ponders on this. "So if I become a better fighter..."

"Magic related to combat will get stronger." You complete.

"And being good at disguising myself will assist in disguising myself magically." He says.

"Not just disguising yourself. You're skills... well it's hard to explain, but it's part of the peerless excellence part of the package. Getting better pickpocketing, for example, has been folded into a general Larceny skill, and by simply working at one, you can get better at all skills that fall under Larceny. Such as disguise! In addition, since it's an ability tied to the Scourge Caste, which is the type of Green Sun Prince you are, it should be easy for you to learn. Plus, there's an expansion to Loom-Snarling Deception. You can make the disguise able to fool magical attempts at finding how strong you are or even what you are. You could make them think you're a completely normal human with it, or fool them into thinking you're actually a homunculus. So all you have to do is take the appearance of someone who lives in the castle, wait until they leave, capture or kill them, and then take their place!"

He nods, and gets on his coat. "I'll start working on that once I've checked on the boy, then."

He heads out of his house, towards the hospital. It's a short walk, but you can't help but notice that there are more than a few lawkeepers out on the streets, in addition to the black suited Yakuza men who seem to be out in equal force. Only the Yakuza watch Kiritsugu, most likely recognizing the friend of their boss.

As compared to the tense and sullen streets, the Hospital is a riot of noise. Nurse's are hurrying back and forth, while concerned people try to get their attention and ask about about family members and friends.

Kiritsugu approaches the front desk, and waits patiently for the receptionist to finish arguing about costs with some concerned woman.

The poor receptionist manages to get the woman to calm down, and turns to Kiritsugu. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you knew where the children who were taken from the blaze were." You notice that Kiritsugu is tearing up, though you can't feel any sadness from him. "I just managed to get back from my trip, and my- my-" He takes a second to wipe his eyes.

The receptionist looks at him with pitying eyes, and gives him the directions, and he thanks her.

He comes into a room with several children with bandages, and at the end of the row is one child looking out the window. The red headed kid from before. He looks fine. No signs of burns, his eyes are curious. He stops the nurse standing at the door. "Who is that child?"

She shakes her head. "We think his parents died in the fire. He doesn't remember much save for his name. Other than that, he's fine physically. Poor kid. Lucky enough to survive, but no family to survive with him."

"What's his name?" Kiritsugu asks.

"Shirou."

------|------

Shirou looked to the entrance of the room. Their was a man there. Black hair that looked like it was moving, a black coat. He was talking to the nurse. There was something familiar about him.

The man did a small bow to the nurse, and turned around. He had a sullen look to him, and his face had a small amount of stubble. The man approached his bed, and for a second Shirou thought that one of his forgotten relatives had found him.

But no, the man didn't have an inch of familiarity... he did! That smile he had seen. The first thing he remembered. The man wasn't smiling now, but Shirou could tell that it was the same person.

"Hello. You must be Shirou." He leaned forward. "I'll come right out and ask you what you'd prefer. Being sent off to an orphanage, or being taken in by a man you just met."

Shirou knew the answer to that question already, but he also knew that adults liked it when kids thought on things. So he squinted at the man suspiciously, and then closed his eyes and took a breath. And then he pointed at the man.

The man smiled slightly. It wasn't the same type, but it was still close enough. "I'm glad. Then lets get you out of here right away." He knelt down, and retrieved the clothes Shirou had been wearing from under the bed. "You'll need to get used to your new home as soon as possible."

He pauses. "Theirs something I have to tell you. I can do magic."

------|------

"You told him? Why?"

"He would learn about it anyways. And besides, who but a child would believe me?"

"Fine."

Kiritsugu approaches the nurse. "Excuse me, I'd like to adopt Shirou."

The Nurse blinks. "Are you sure? Well, you'll have to fill out all the appropriate documents." She looks through her clipboard, and withdraws a few papers. "Here."

Kiritsugu looks upon the forms, and starts filling them out, sitting in an empty chair. Shirou sits next to him, having gotten dressed, waiting patiently for him to finish. He hands the forms to the nurse, and she takes them.

He frowns. "Can't just use Magecraft to do it anymore." He takes out his phone, and makes a call.

"Fujimura. Can I ask you to do me two more favors?"

"Sure sure. You'll owe me one though. I'll need your security expertise later." You mentally applaud Fujimura. The best person to ask on how to prevent an assassin or a thief is an assassin or thief.

"Alright. I just filed some adoption papers for a boy named Shirou. Can you fast track them?"

"I can. What else?"

"I left my daughter in Germany with her mother's family. I'll need you to watch him whilst I'm gone."

Shirou shoots him a confused look.

"I see. When will you leave?"

"Two weeks."

"Alright. I'll have Taiga and some of the boys keep an eye on him."

"Thank you." Kiritsugu hangs up.

In the end, it only takes a few hours for the adoption papers to go through, rather than the few weeks it'd take normally. Kiritsugu and Shirou spend the time talking with each other, as Shirou tries to learn everything about Kiritsugu's magic, and Kiritsugu gives him vague answers.

Eventually, the two are allowed to leave, and Kiritsugu picks Shirou up, and puts him on his shoulders, them begins running home.

The first three days are hectic, as Kiritsugu takes Shirou on a shopping spree to purchase all he needs. Clothing, tooth brush, bedding, food, and toys (Though Shirou seems rather disinterested in those.)

Soon enough, the two are settled, and repairs on the house begin in earnest, Kiritsugu begins the next stage. As training, and to help Fujimura, Kiritsugu breaks into the Fujimura household. Dodging guards and cameras, he traces a soundless path towards Fujimura's room, waking the old man up when he reaches his bedroom. He goes over how he got in, and shows the old man how he dodged the cameras and avoided the attention of the guards.

"You are trying to make me paranoid, it seems." He says that night.

"The most paranoid of men are the most dangerous of men." Kiritsugu replies.

Stealth and Larceny Upgraded to 5

Then comes the meditation. Shirou watches him in it, as he dwells on the core of Essence that lay within his soul now. As he meditates, the wind in the room picks up. The candles Kiritsugu placed at Shirou's insistence burn green, and the shadows lengthen. Kiritsugu's Caste Mark blazes, and Shirou gets his first glimpse of magic.

Essence Rating increased to 3

"How'd you do that?" The kid loves it.

Kiritsugu smiles. "It's an innate ability of mine. Not a spell I can teach. But... I still remember how to teach a little Magecraft. I can't use it myself, but I can teach. After I return from my trip."

Shirou sulks a little, but leaves you be.

And so, Kiritsugu is ready for the final part. He practices his Loom Snarling Deception, willing it to cover magical senses as well. And then, on the 6th day, it clicks.

You play an appreciative tune for him. "Do you see yourself as ready?"

He shakes his head. "Not truly. But I'll never consider myself completely ready. Still, I believe that I have a good chance of succeeding now."

He pauses. "You know, I never thanked you."

"For what?"

"For giving me this chance. I would not have been able to do it on my own. Thank you."

Well? What do you say?
[ ] Write-in

Kiritsugu will leave on his plane in 3 days. What will he do?
[ ] Spend time introducing Shirou and Taiga. He'll need to get to know his new baby sitter.
[ ] Planning his raid on Castle Einzbern
[ ] Write-In

 

[Walker of the Yellow Path]

[x]And you have my gratitude for enabling my continued existence.
[X] Planning his raid on Castle Einzbern
--[X] Explaining to Shirou where he's going and why, in case he failed and wasn't able to return.

"And I have to thank you. Had you not accepted, I would most likely not be alive." You give an appreciative strum of your harp.

He smiles, and then dismisses the Deception. He walks through the house, checking on Shirou as he does. The boy was sleeping soundly in his futon, splayed out messily over the covers. Kiritsugu smiles, and then frowns.

A thought has hit him. A prudent thought. How has Shirou been affected by the Grail's mud? And is Avalon still necessary for him?

Kiritsugu's mind clears, and you feel a hint of The King, demanding the world give him answers.

The sight will give you and Kiritsugu nightmares for the next few days. Dark and Light war within the boy's soul, the lingering traces of the Grail Mud being hunted down by the harsh and cold light of Avalon. The Shadow fights a losing battle, as the Light of Avalon is bolstered by the actual physical Artifact, but any thought of removing it are taken to the back, tied up, and shot in the head.

Kiritsugu sighs, and dismisses the Intuition. To his senses, Shirou becomes a normal boy again.

He does not sleep that night.

------|------

"Hey Old Man, what're you doing?" Shirou asks, looking over the map Kiritsugu has laid out on the table.

"I'm about to storm the castle to save a princess." Kiritsugu replies, not taking his eyes off the map. On it, he's drawn likely guard stations, the Boundary Field line, and marked down where the living quarters, laboratories, and other such rooms would be.

Shirou gives him a dubious look. "Huh?"

Kiritsugu smiles, and ruffles the kid's hair. "My daughter, Illya, is inside this castle. The owners, the Einzbern family, will not let me bring her back home."

"Are the Enzberns bad guys?" He asks.

Kiritsugu nods. "Very powerful bad guys."

Shirou smiles. "Then you should punch them in the face!"

The Prince laughs. "I don't think I'll be able to just punch them, but I'll keep that in mind." His mood sowers, and he frowns. "Shirou.... there's a chance I won't be able to win."

"Hm?" Shirou tilts his head, one eyebrow raised. "But you're a hero! Heroes always win!"

Kiritsugu laughs. "I guess you could call me a hero."

You feel the need to cut in. "You are definitely heroic." You leave out that you and Shirou have very different definitions for the term 'hero'.

"But these are powerful bad guys. I may not be strong enough to beat them. If I lose, stay with Fujimura and Taiga, alright?"

"Do I have to stay with Taiga? She keeps trying to abduct me." He frowns. "And her sword is scary. It's cool, but I think it might be cursed."

"You're just too cute for her." Kiritsugu teases. "And you'd have the same feelings about any shinai that girl picked up. It's the wielder, not the sword."

He stops to think. "Didn't she try to teach you how to use it?"

Shirou nods. "It was really fun to swing around!"

The practice sword had seemed to fit naturally in Shirou's too small hands, you'd noticed. It seems Kiritsugu had seen that as well. "You should ask her to continue your lessons. I think it'd be good for you."

He smiles. "Ok! And then I'll show you how good I am when you get back!"

Kiritsugu doesn't try to convince him otherwise.

------|------

The taxi pulls up to the house, and Kiritsugu steps into it.

"Airport, right?" The driver asks.

Kiritsugu nods. The weapons had been sent ahead by Raiga, to a small motel that was closest to the castle. Now all that was left was for Kiritsugu to get there.

"You mind If I put some music on?"

Kiritsugu nods. "Go ahead."

He puts on some song about a god and war and stuff (It's well put together, but you didn't really listen to the lyrics.), and it seems to somewhat annoy Kiritsugu.

------|------

You have a target.

Whilst the Einzbern family does rely on the Homunculi making most of their food, they do order materials and luxury goods from the world. Indeed, chocolate seems to be a particular favorite amongst the Younger Einzberns.

However, the Bounded Fields around the castle will not permit normal people through. So the only recourse is to send a Homunculi. A woman named Kristanna, also nicknamed the White Lady, a kind and generous young woman who seems to be rather ditzy with technology.

Kiritsugu identifies her as one of the combat type Homunculi, a well trained one as well.

In seven days, she'll return to receive a shipment of designer chocolate, some fine wines, and some thaumaturgical reagents.

How will you deal with her?
[ ] Write-in

Spoiler: Kristanna

Stats shown are based on Kiritsugu's understanding of Combat Homunculi, and may be inaccurate.

Kristanna, Einzbern Supplier
Species: Homunculi

Attributes:
Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5
Charisma ?, Manipulation ?, Appearance 3
Perception ?, Intelligence ?, Wits ?

Abilities:
Melee: 3, Dodge 4, Stealth 2, Athletics 4, Martial Arts 3, Archery 3, Thrown 3, War 2 (Defending Castles +1) Resistance 3 (Reinforcement +1), Occult 1, Medicine 2, Integrity 5 (Serving the Einzbern family +3), Awareness 3, Ride 1 (Cars +1), Survival 2 (Forests +1)

Powers:
Reinforcement (Reflexive): Kristanna may spend up to 3 motes and roll Stamina + Resistance Dificulty 2. Success allows her to add (motes spent) dice to both Strength and Dexterity for one action. She may not add more than 3 dice to any roll. A botch will deal 2 Lethal dice of damage to her.

???

Essence pool:
??/??

Willpower:
??/??

 

[Walker of the Yellow Path]

[X] Suggest a few options for Kiritsugu to pursue, discuss the pros and cons between one another, and let him reach a decision.
-[X] Swiftly attack using stealth, ending it quickly before she has a chance to fight back. As a member of the Scourge Caste, he can make completely mask all sounds he makes - footsteps, breathing, gunfire, anything really. He can even extend that to a few yards past himself if he's willing to pay extra Essence for it. He could take her out from the distance, either using lethal ammunition to kill her or using strong tranquilizers to knock her out if he would prefer to capture her instead.
-[X] Attempt to manipulate her. Take the form and apparent magical traits of an Einzbern the target would obey and simply go up to her to give her an order that would ensure she would be gone and out of contact for long enough for him to assume her form and use it to infiltrate the castle. If it wouldn't make sense to actually be someone higher up, assuming the form of someone lesser and passing on a letter from someone like that using his skills at forgery might work, under the pretense that the mission would be secret and couldn't have been ordered inside the castle.

"If I may make a few suggestions?"

"Of course." Kiritsugu removes the barrel from his sniper rifle, and produces a rod with a cloth on it, soaked in some cleaning fluid. He starts to meticulously clean the barrel, occasionally removing the rod and peering down the barrel.

"You have a few choices to get Kristanna out of the way. As a member of the Scourge Caste, you are able to completely mask all sounds you make. Footsteps, breathing, gunfire, anything. You can even extend that effect for a few yards past yourself. Take her out from a distance with an almost completely silent shot, either using lethal ammunition, or a strong tranquilizer if you want to knock her out." You say.

Kiritsugu puts the barrel down, and moves to the Contender. "I get the feeling that you don't like that idea."

You shrug. "Silence makes me uncomfortable."

He doesn't say anything, and simply focuses on the gun.

"The other option is the disguise. Make yourself look like an Einzbern, either a lower tier Homunculus or one of their Masters, give her an order to go somewhere else, or forge a letter to pass on from one of the Master Einzbern. Give her the pretense that the order is a secret and couldn't be given inside the castle."

Kiritsugu shakes his head. "That won't work. When an Einzbern wants to remotely pass along a message, they'll record their voice and transmit it with their wire familiars. In addition, the Einzbern never leave the castle without a few Homunculi bodyguards. Only Heinrich has no Homunculus bodyguards, and he left the family to go study with Atlas."

"Forgive me for bring up bad memories, but you could be Irisviel."

He stops.

"Even though your wife was a Homunculus herself, she was still higher in standing than all the other Homunculi. She could give orders to Kristanna, and her not being with-"

"No." Kiritsugu interrupts.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up."

He shakes his head. "You mean well. It's alright. I'll kill her when no one is looking, and take her place. Simplest way."

A silence. "You mentioned that I was a member of the Scourge Caste. Does that mean there are other Castes? And is there a hierarchy of the Castes?"

"A Caste is the general role your type of Exaltation favors in those it selects. The Scourge Caste selects for those her prefer stealth and speed over overt force. Stereotypically, they are thieves, scouts, athletes, and assassins. The Slayer Caste are those who favor force, violence, and intimidation. They are warriors beyond par, able to master all types of combat. The Malefactor are those who favor their voices and theology. Priests, monks, kings. The Defilers are those who favor their minds. Sorcerers, doctors, historians, artificers. And the Fiend are those who favor their silver tongues. Diplomats, messengers, and politicians."

"Interesting names."

"I think the idea behind it is that if the world says they're demons, they'll call themselves too? Not quite sure. Don't bring it up around the Unquestionable though. I think they like those names."

Sure.

----|---

Kiritsugu checks the time, then triggers his Loom Snarling Deception, drawing from his larger pool of energy. His anima banner glows green and red around him, before slowly fading to non-existence.

To all mundane and magical senses, he is an ordinary mortal. Simply one more German person in a town of them. He identifies his target easily, the one white haired person in a city of those with blonde, black, and brown hair.

She's dressed in a simple fur lined coat over a dress. You can tell that the coat is large, enough to probably conceal a shortsword or small crossbow, or even a firearm if the Einzbern weren't as anti-mundane as they are. She's currently standing in front of a book store, referring to a hand written list in her hand. "Hmm.. Roderick says he wants a gun magazine? Argh. He's probably still obsessed with that horrible man. I swear, if I didn't owe him, I'd throw this in his face. Homunculi should not mess around with guns. Horrible weapons." She walks into the bookstore, and Kiritsugu moves in as well, grabbing a random non-fiction book and pretending to scan through it as Kristanna moves to talk to the clerk.

She purchases the magazine and a pack of gum, and then goes her happy way, heading to the post office, where a man is waiting for her. He hands her a large package, and she thanks him, pulling out a folded bag from her coat, and placing the package in that. She then takes a stop at a grocery store, where the clerk hands her a large box labeled with multiple different candy company names.

Kiritsugu watches her as she stops, and puts her bags down, and then pulls out the pack of gum. "Hmm! This is quite good. No wonder Helen wanted me to get her some. I should get another pack for Lady Illyasviel. She'd like it. Though I don't think the Masters would appreciate me doing that for. And she is a little young to start hiding things from them." She swallows, and then starts to choke on the gum. She spits it out. "Urgh! Nevermind. That is horrible. Who would make something that can't be swallowed-Urk!"

Her ruminations on the horribleness of gum are ended as a field of silence falls over the two, and Kiritsugu's Thompson sends a mundane bullet into her back.

She staggers forward, and then gives a silent cry as she turns around, her eyes widening as she sees simply a normal man holding an alarmingly familiar gun. She lunges forward, going for Kiritsugu's throat. Kiritsugu sidesteps her, and with one movement reloads his gun and brings it to Kristanna's head.

A single pull, and the Homunculus is dead. Kiritsugu's shadow falls from him, and he drags the woman's body into an alley, and divests her of the coat, and the axe she had hidden in her coat. He then places her in a convenient dumpster. She'd only stay hidden for a day or so, maybe less if he was unlucky. He grabs the coat and axe, hiding the weapon as his shadow rears up and consumes him, leaving him the twin of the woman he murdered.

He picks up the bags, and starts heading towards the Einzbern Castle.

Or well, not the Castle itself, but Kristanna's car, parked in a nearby parking lot. It's locked, but a quick check of the coat pockets reveals a set of car keys that look almost as old as the antique designer car in front of you. Kiritsugu starts the car, and drives towards the castle, taking a small detour to load it with his weapons from the motel.

You can feel the Bounded Field passing over you and ignoring you as you pass it. It simply fails to register you as anything but the Homunculus in question. You come to the castle, and are stopped by a Homunculi dressed in armor.

"Hey Kristanna. Welcome back. Roderick wanted me to get something from you."

Kiritsugu frowns, and hands him the gun magazine. "Can you believe that Roderick would ask me to get something like this?" You think he's a little higher pitched than her normal voice, but otherwise it's pretty good.

He shrugs. "It's Roderick. He was one of that guys bodyguards when they were reinforcing the Bounded Fields. He idolizes that idiot. Anyways, I'll see you later."

How will Kiritsugu do this?
[ ] Dismiss disguise. Murder everything in your way.
[ ] Write-in.