Gudako has been summoned to Askr and now two sets of Hero summons will be forced to interact as they share a summoner.
Heads will be patted, faces will be punched, and some romance will bloom(and wither). But most importantly, the gacha will be rolled, in moderation of course, since Gudako doesn't have enough money for both.
Disclaimer: These are works of purely speculative fiction. It is not intended to infringe on any rights by any of the companies and/or individuals involved in the production of any series mentioned here. Fate Grand Order and all the franchises and series associated with it, are owned by Kinoko Nasu, Notes Co., Ltd. and their affiliates. Similarly, Fire Emblem Heroes is owned by Nintendo Co., Ltd. and their affiliates.
To Anna, a hero is a being who performs impossible deeds, saves damsels in distress from beasts, and stands in defense of the common folk without any ulterior motives.
Don't get her wrong, while she loved the idea of idealistic heroes like those told in epic tales, she held no illusions that suggested the legendary heroes spoken of in said tales were portrayed differently than how they were in real life.
Historians and scribes who record such events were guaranteed to always miss, omit or forget details of what actually happened when they put pen to paper. Small but critical details that would have made the difference between real and fiction are seen as 'inconvenient' for the message the storyteller is trying to push and thus not included in the story.
That or the storyteller is a liar.
She always wondered how many legends actually happened and how a small deed became a tall tale in a matter of days. Someone could tell a story about killing a bunny on a green field and by the end of the week, the bunny has inexplicably morphed into a carnivorous, man-eating beast with glowing red eyes and an insatiable desire to consume any flesh that it can get its claws on.
That is the reason why despite loving them, she always kept a skeptical mind whenever she read myths and legends like those of the Hero King Marth or the Fell Dragon Grima. Sure, they are historical texts and there is proof that shows their existence but her family wouldn't be master merchants if they didn't know how to spot a liar selling a load of bull dung to gullible saps.
Annas are conditioned from a young age to never accept anything at face value. They were told to instead question its origins, check the condition, materials used to make the item, and its craftsmanship, then haggle for it, regardless of its assumed value.
Separating fact and fiction from legends is usually up to the scholars to decide but merchants like her family still find it a valuable skill to have, especially when dealing with relics and priceless artifacts. The current status quo dictates the supply and demand of these artifacts and the fluctuating prices all stem from what agenda is currently being pushed.
If a supposed legendary teapot of some divine manakete is up for sale at 500 gold, it is because it is a sacred relic of a holy icon. If the teapot was appraised and found to have actually belonged to an individual of the past that the crown, the Church, or the common people disapprove of or some nobody, then it suddenly drops from its initial market value to 50 gold.
Reality can be disappointing after all, and that is reflected in an item's price.
So it should not come as a surprise that when you have a summoning method that allows the people of the present to summon heroes of the past or even the present era, the mythical and legendary figures that one grew up to admire and at times worship will more often than not end up being someone completely different than the stories tell.
"Pew. Pew. Pew."
'Speaking of disappointing,' Anna looked towards the source of not only her disappointment but also her agonizing increase in paperwork. An insufferable girl that she is thankful she met yet at the same time loathes whenever Anna is caught in her shenanigans.
Ritsu Fujimaru or Gudako as she preferred to be called, sported short red hair much like herself but in a much lighter shade. She seemed unfazed by the climb up the steep rocky path they were on, which made sense due to those special soft boots of hers. Then there's the fact that she is wearing the most heavily enchanted hooded robe that she's ever laid her eyes on.
It was woven with real and synthetic fabric and enchanted with special magics to keep the wearer comfortable. It even came preloaded with engraved spells that can be used even by those who had no talent for magic according to what that woman Da Vinci told her. The gods damned freezing mountain winds were no match for such an innovative and revolutionary outfit.
It was also why Gudako was so carefree making the trip up to the summoning altar, given how she smoothly twirled the legendary ancient relic of her homeland around her thumb without so much as a hint of a cold shiver.
"Senpai. I do not think it's a good idea to treat a sacred relic like a toy." A dependable and cute lavender-haired girl said while frowning at the red menace next to her.
Mash Kiryelight was a strange girl with a strange name but she was a good kid, if a bit on the shy side, especially on matters of romance and sex. Which makes it all the more perplexing that she doesn't bat an eye when the topic of her scandalous outfit is brought up. When they first met, she was wearing a modest outfit that looked like a fusion between a tunic and a hood. At first, Anna believed she was one of the modest dressers in her organization.
The Anna of the past was a fool.
While Mash's outfit isn't as... risque as some of the other heroes of Chaldea, modesty is the last word she would use to describe her current battle attire. Her taste in clothing aside, the girl was still a sweetheart, one that was easy to tease and whom she would protect with her life. Now if only she could spread her wholesomeness to that gremlin next to her.
"Mashu, you've been hanging around Emiya too much, don't turn into a stick in the mud like he is. It's not like it's loaded- whoops!" The girl taunted the world and the world responded back by making the priceless artifact she had in her hands fall to the ground. Luckily, she managed to catch the artifact before it hit the ground and fall over the edge of the steep hill they were climbing up, using up all the precious luck the red girl had left to pull off that maneuver.
"..."
Anna exchanged a look with the lilac-haired girl before they both turned back to turn their attention back to the redhead, who was currently facing away from them, likely embarrassed by the fumble she just performed.
The girl coughed into her fist and continued to speak. "Well, that was exciting, anyway as I was saying, life is not worth living without risks to spice up your life."
"... Even so, Archer may be a bowman who uses swords as arrows, but even he knows you are supposed to treat all guns as if they are loaded." Gudako waved her hand dismissively at Mash, still holding the very much loaded 'gun' around like it was a fan.
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say my cute little kohai."
"C-C-C-Cute?! I'm not cute." Mashu fidgeted, caught off guard by the flirtatious comment made by the girl who could pass off as a long-lost bastard of House Gautier[1].
Anna instinctively tuned out there flirting, as much as she likes to tease people, especially Mash, even Anna had her limits. Instead, she focused on the growing uncomfort in her lower back.
"Hmmmmm...."
A few satisfying pops came from her weary bones and released her pent-up tension. After Chaldea formed an alliance with The Order of Heroes, Alphonse doubled both her paperwork and her pay. Being paid at twice the going rate for commanders was amazing but it came at the cost of being hunched over a desk for hours writing reports in meticulous detail without rest and it was taking a toll on her back and shoulders.
"Senpai, you really need to take this situation more seriously, can't you see you are making Ms. Anna more anxious with your irresponsible behavior?"
Anna focused back on reality when she heard her name being called. Giving them her best, albeit strained customer service smile. It nearly cracked when Gudako shrugged her shoulders at her.
"Eh, aside from the fact that she just looks like she woke up on the wrong side of the bed, she seems fine with it. Now come on you two! It's not much farther till we reach the altar... and I can start summoning again."
Gudako started drooling.
Anna has never met anyone so obsessed with summoning people before. Granted, she hasn't met any summoners before Gudako.
She knew Gudako wasn't the thee-and-thou type but she never expected her to be... this.
Just goes to show that first impressions aren't everything.
After a few more minutes of walking and... whatever it was that Gudako was doing, the party had reached the altar.
While Mashu and Gudako prepared the necessary materials for the summoning, Anna stood to the side and watched since she was of no help here until the heroes arrived.
Seeing Gudako stare at the orb she is holding near her face like a maniac gave Anna some pause.
'Why do I fear this girl again?'
She recalled the first time she summoned Gudako and as soon as she did, a phantom sensation tickled her throat. Anna's hand had unconsciously moved towards her neck as she remembered the sensation that was now forever engraved into her heart.
Her vision blurred the longer she remembered that day. Those impassive pale colored eyes, judging the worthiness of her existence, still haunted her dreams.
Taking a deep, uneasy breath, she calmed herself, and her vision returned to reality.
How could she forget such a pivotal moment in her life? Behind the crazed look of this young girl, stood the might of a behemoth. A behemoth that had been benevolent enough to lend its aid to Askr despite the transgressions it had done to it.
She vividly remembered the day Gudako was summoned. After hearing their plight, the girl had promised she would end the war with Embla in a mere week.
"'A week,' she said. " Anna parroted the cocky tone of the summoner's voice.
What a liar.
Chaldea ended the war with Embla in a day.
Embla was effectively crippled, their royals captured and defeated, the land scarred and their invasion stopped in its tracks in a mere day.
It was comical at best and insulting at worst. The Order of Heroes had been at war for months before the summoning, yet, it took a mere day for a small band of strangers to topple an entire country.
And now the Order of Heroes, nay the entire Kingdom of Askr, were at the mercy of this girl.
Prince Alphonse didn't seem to care as he was getting powerful allies for a small price and wholeheartedly agreed to aid Chaldea in their noble endeavors.
The king of Askr however, once learning of this alliance, initially refused to acknowledge it but after speaking to a representative of another organization that helped fund Chaldea that called themselves the Clocktower, he was quickly... 'persuaded'.
She suspected magic but she had no proof of that accusation, that or the king was smart enough to understand just how powerful their new allies were that crossing them would prove to be a horrible idea. One of their summoned heroes toppled a kingdom that was superior to them in numbers and coffer capacity in a single swoop. How were they going to fare any better against such a force?
Even in the scenario where Chaldea respected the wishes of the kingdom and left, should they fail their mission, they too are at risk of being Solomon's next target. And that's in addition to the possibility that Chaldea's actions in Askr were rendered null after their failure. If such a thing happened, it would force The Order of Heroes to fight the war without a summoner, and seeing as how the only humans left to call upon are at Chaldea... Yeah, no offense to the king, but screw him and his pride, lives are at stake!
After the matter was resolved, it was agreed that the barracks of the Order of Heroes will serve as Chaldea's barracks for the duration of their mission. Although the worst part about this entire deal is that she can't sell them anything.
All the food supplies provided are being paid for by the crown of Askr rather than through her family. Anna and her sisters have also been forbidden from charging the heroes who took down Embla.
At least this alliance didn't come without some silver linings.
She saw their technology, wisdom, and opportunities. She will be the first Anna in her family to gain access to creating advanced technologies that were either completely new or lost to time.
And all they have to do is take a momentary loss of business and provide a glorified rest area for Chaldea's heroes.
Sure she was worried about the cataclysmic events that happened in their world. Apart from Askr, no other country has access to Gudako's world, not even Embla. Due to the nature of the Breideblik, it pinpointed Chaldea's location outside space/time and brought Gudako to them.
So the likelihood of an enemy nation summoning servants or the so-called Beasts of Calamity was minuscule. Though the possibility always existed.
High risk, high reward, but hey, that's never stopped her family from earning a profit!
Footnotes: [1] House Gautier is a noble house from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. It is the house of Silvain Gautier, a noble playboy who is infamous for flirting and asking girls to spend time with him. Both Silvain and Miklain, his late brother, are redheads but Silvain's fooling around ends up making the Gautier name as a synonym for playboys, homewreckers and flirts. You guys can understand why Anna made the comparison.
This has been sitting in my phone for years, and while I have over 20 chapters planned, only a handful of those chapters are written, the rest are still in their idea phase. No one has done a fanfic like this, and for a good reason, because it's a clusterfuck. The characters, the lore, the magical mechanics and all the nuances between relationships is daunting at best and horrifying at worst. Despite all of that, the possibilities are just too tantalizing to ignore.
That being said, I am not a best selling author and I am doing this merely for fun but that doesn't mean I will deliberately ignore lore or perpetuate fanon. So that means NO ONE is going to be swearing by the root in this story... unless it's in a non-canon omake.
I have spent too much time researching characters that I had gotten burned out and put this story away. I always told myself I was going to publish this 'one day' even if only a few chapters for fun, just so that a fanfic exists. After twiddling my thumbs and reading, writing, and listening to text-to-speech audio for the hundredth time, I finally just decided to post this.
I haven't played past the first mission of the 5th singularity, so that is where I will place this story but I have watched Babylonia and OtakuDaikun's lore videos so I am not going in blind. This decision is due to the massive amount of characters on both sides, so I will use it as a way to cut back on certain servants but I reserve the right to use any servant should they have a potential interesting interaction. On the Fire emblem side of things, I started with Awakening and I have not played any games before that aside from FE Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, so don't expect many characters from those games, with the main characters as exceptions, unless I find one that has an interesting backstory that would lead to a fun support with a servant.
I hope to post at least one chapter a week or more at the start depending on my motivation which is currently high, but this by no means that it will be that way forever since chapters require a shit tonne of research... plus the images take a while to edit.
Camilla's eyes flickered toward the direction where the baritone voice came from to her left. In the corner table of the room, a person sits on an ornate white chair while sipping on a cup of hot coffee in his left hand and holding a pen in the other. His blue hair contrasted well with his regal attire, but it seemed too stuffy for a child to wear.
"I beg your pardon?"
The boy put his cup on the table and then gestured at her form with an open hand. "This. While I understand the appeal of having a doting older sister trope, it is much too overused and generic. The yandere aspects of your character only add acidity to an already sour deal. "
He picks up his cup again, "how my master manages to be so fond of your type is frustrating and something I might never truly understand."
He takes another sip before sighing in satisfaction. "And I understand people very well… Miss Camilla."
Camilla doesn't know what a yandere is, but she is sure that somehow she should feel offended by this child's assessment of her. Not willing to let herself be talked down to by a child, she kept her cool and walked toward the rude boy.
"You must be little Hans, Gudako sent me here to let you know that she wants you to 'evaluate' my potential?"
"Tch. Damn that gambling addict master of mine. Are you sure? My evaluations can be quite brutal... I won't hold back even if you start crying you know? "
"Pumpkin promised she would summon my darling Corrin to Askr in the next summoning session. If seeing my beloved Corrin means I have to suffer through a tongue-lashing by such a cute boy, then I don't mind~" she pressed her fingertips together while giving Hans a sweet smile.
"Besides, I am used to hearing worse from my own subjects so no matter what you say, It won't even scratch my skin."
"Hmm... we'll see about that." He stared at her for a second before he spoke once more.
"This Corrin, what are they to you? A relative perhaps?"
The woman's everpresent 'Onee-san smile' stretched further toward her eyes, "Oh very much so. He is my cute little brother. He is someone I have been longing to meet again since I was summoned. Despite all the cute little sweethearts in this castle, I still miss my darling little dragon. Oh, I can't wait to spoil him again~"
A hot rush of emotions flooded her face. She really couldn't wait to see him again.
"...Wow and a genuine bro-con too. Master truly has an eye for waifus. To think a depraved person such as yourself shares the same name as the mythical warrior virgin, Camilla of the Volsci, how shameless."
She stopped her daydream and gave him a look, "oh my. While I know not of the woman who shares my name, accusing a lady of being a whore will not be taken lightly, even if the accuser is a boy"
She leaned in forward, almost as if she were to whisper in Hans's ear, "Are you envious of all the other good boys and girls for having a caring and loving older sister~?"
Hans snorted, "Please, I would rather be buried alive than be envious of some sick, perverted otaku who fantasizes about screwing his own sister." Camilla leaned away from Hans, her eyes widened at the rather crude remark. Hans didn't let her collect her thoughts before he continued.
"There's a distinct difference between jealousy and envy, the former means you fear losing something or someone while the latter is desiring possessions, qualities, or people of another. None of such states would describe what I am feeling at the moment."
Camilla furrowed her brows, that was not something she was expecting to hear. "Oh? Then pray tell little Hans, what are you feeling in that black little heart of yours?"
Hans leaned forward, the squeak in his chair adding to the suspense of the answer Camilla was anticipating.
"Pity."
"Pity?"
Hans leaned back as he nodded again with confirmation, "Pity. "
Camilla felt a small pang of dread in her stomach, somehow she knew she was going to regret asking.
"Why do you feel pity?"
"I believe you mean 'to who' do I feel pity for rather than 'why do' I feel pity. Seeing as how I am a generous author who makes time for his reader's questions, I will answer both for you. I pity the poor abandoned pups you picked off the street and locked up in your closet."
For the first time since Camilla entered the room, her playful smile disappeared, "What do you mean?"
"Are you deaf, woman? I meant what I said. I do not feel envious, or jealous of any person that was unfortunate enough to grab your attention. The moment you set your sights on them, they were doomed to endure having such a basic harpy as a warden for their love."
Camilla clenched her fist, the tension in her hands had already whitened around the cold leather pommel of her war ax. The stoic expression had disappeared, and in its place was an angry scowl that scrunched her unblemished face into a terrifying sight that rivaled a Hannya mask.
"That's a rather amusing, but expected reaction, you truly are a psychopathic yandere. You delude yourself into believing that your love is the only thing your victims need, that mother knows best. Yes. You want to shower your siblings in love and coddle them because they are your 'sweet little babies.' You want to make sure they receive the very thing you were deprived of when you were their age, a mother's love. Heh, how cliché."
Camilla squirmed, which regrettably told the little blue goblin in front of her that he had hit the nail on the head, "And you want to know the worst part? Despite your good intentions, all your coddling does is make your loved ones weak. They stagnate and suffocate under those balloons of fat you call 'motherly love.' As a result, they end up becoming naive children who are too incompetent to clean their own ass without mommy's help and die shortly after your death. That or they become entitled brats who end up getting themselves killed when they offend the wrong person."
Hans brought the cup to his face once more, but this time took a loud slurp, which angered an already annoyed Camilla even further.
"So if you really loved your precious Corrin that much, let them leave the nest. Or else you will have only yourself to blame when they inevitably die-"
The sound of groaning metal echoed in the room. An iron ax blade was now firmly encasing the circumference of Hans Christian Andersen's head. Unfortunately for the aggressor, her attack had no effect. The ax was riddled with cracks and with a slight tilt of the boy's neck, the blade shattered into a flurry of metal bits.
Camilla's bangs covered her eyes, her upper jaw chewing on her lip.
She poured every ounce of her strength into that attack. She was no slouch in her training, as she had used a similar attack to bisect a faceless that nearly killed her beloved Corrin. And yet, not a single strand of his blue hair was harmed by her vicious attack.
"That surprised me-I mean, How cute. If I were just a normal boy, my head would have been split like a log. Unfortunately for you, I am a Heroic Spirit, I am an entity that far outclasses any paltry attempts humans have of harming me. Regardless of how much you train your flesh or temper your steel, the reality is that such efforts are futile to even hurt a lower level servant, let alone a Heroic Spirit that is at NP level 5."
A slap came next.
Hans wasn't hurt, but he didn't even seem to be caught off guard by the slap, almost like he was expecting it. Unbeknownst to Camilla, Hans could feel the emotions behind the nostalgic assault on his face. Many women and men had done the same to him when they rejected him, one more wouldn't make a difference. If anything, Camilla ended up hurting herself more than she did to Hans.
Before he could voice his opinions, Camilla had already turned her back on him and stomped out of the room.
"No matter the time or world, the ending result is all the same."
That was the last thing Camilla heard before she slammed the door behind her as she left, nearly breaking the door from its hinges, leaving behind an apathetic Hans.
Camilla heard a female voice, but she was too blinded by rage to listen, so she just ignored it in order to avoid accidentally killing her. She needed to stab something, preferably something small and blue.
Author's Note: Here's the immediate second chapter, as tradition, with new story threads. I have to say, this chapter would have been impossible for me to write prior to reading and writing omakes for Silver W. King's "Let Justice Be Done" in QQ. Raguel really helped me find my inner Hans voice, and it's a blast writing him. Expect to see more of him in future chapters, I have some 'fun' things planned for him : )
Interesting, giving hans the ability to just tear into someone. that was brutal. though, servants are vulnerable to attacks with even traces of mana, so he's have been sent flying if it had been that kind of axe.
Interesting, giving hans the ability to just tear into someone. that was brutal. though, servants are vulnerable to attacks with even traces of mana, so he's have been sent flying if it had been that kind of axe.
It was an unenchanted iron axe not to mention it was a downward swing. So even if it was a legendary axe, he would have not been launched at all. Plus, Hans wasn't kidding, he is a maxed out servant vs Camilla who is a 3 bronze star summon.
There is no contest. The blue roaster is safe... for now.
It was an unenchanted iron axe not to mention it was a downward swing. So even if it was a legendary axe, he would have not been launched at all. Plus, Hans wasn't kidding, he is a maxed out servant vs Camilla who is a 3 bronze star summon.
There is no contest. The blue roaster is safe... for now.
fair. i take their physical stats on the sheet into higher account than gacha and ranking up. so i consider Hans to have the athletic abilities like that of 10 average humans.
also did you mean maxed out in the sense of the 2 bronze star Caster being 65, 100, or 120?
She suspected magic but she had no proof of that accusation, that or the king was smart enough to understand just how powerful their new allies were that crossing them would prove to be a horrible idea. One of their summoned heroes toppled a kingdom that was superior to them in numbers and coffer capacity in a single swoop. How were they going to fare any better against such a force?
Hans to have the athletic abilities like that of 10 average humans.
also did you mean maxed out in the sense of the 2 bronze star Caster being 65, 100, or 120?
I need to state this now, I am going to focus more on character interactions than power levels. Sure, I have an idea of strength comparison I can make between the two series but I will keep that to myself and show it in the chapters where it applies, rather than shoot myself in the foot by posting a detailed FGO vs FeH power level chart.
Keeping everyone in character is tough enough as it is, getting caught up in specifics will cause a lot of headaches and will end up creating a lot of problems later on and it will sap any energy I have to write more. Therefore, I will let you guys have that debate by yourselves.
But to answer your question, what I meant was that Hans is at max ascension level before a grail is needed. If Camilla wanted to hurt Hans, she would need to at least upgrade herself to a max gold star hero summon on top of borrowing a divine construct or hero's weapon from someone that she can wield.
That is the thought that ran through Edelgarde's head after spending weeks with her. The redhead was a peculiar girl with questionable tastes in intimacy, but she was still fighting a noble cause she couldn't refuse to ignore.
A commoner, of all things, thrust into the trenches of war despite being weak in combat strength. Out of all the so-called nobility she has met in her life, Edelgard can say Gudako is one of the strongest leaders she has met. Yes, the heroic spirits are overpowered beings with strength beyond human capabilities, but if it wasn't for the girl's leadership than many of them would have gutted each other long ago.
Edelgarde has caught a few of the Heroic Spirits having a spat here or there, and most of them usually end up in brawls. The more vicious ones start out whenever someone brings up controversial topics. Some, like historical injustices, make sense while others, like food and drink preferences, were completely nonsensical. She tried her best to avoid these sorts of confrontations. Which was easier said than done.
She feels uncomfortable sharing a room with literal gods, goddesses, and demigods. Her belief was that the matters of the state should be to dictate the law of the land, its politics and the future of their people, without outside influence.
After spending years toppling the oppressive and authoritative Church of Seiros, hearing several heroic spirits reminiscing about the 'good old days' of leading their countries under their 'divine rule' made her blood boil. But she stayed her tongue, because as much as she hates to admit it, she is weak. Should she have said anything to those walking disasters, they would end her life on a whim.
Once again, she is thankful for Gudako's leadership skills because no matter how heated or brutal a brawl became, she always managed to keep everyone in line using her own social skills.
If her Heroic Spirits weren't so loyal and loving toward her, she would have imagined them her slaves. Gudako had a literal leash to keep them in line, which ironically came in the form of one of the things she detests the most: a red crest which sat atop the back of her hand.
Edelgard pursed her lips at the thought of those crests again. She had overheard that woman Da Vinci explain the difference between magus crests and Fodlan crests to professor Hanneman. She went through a lot of technicalities and details that she didn't bother paying attention to. Instead, she cared for only one fact, the command crests on Gudako's hand are not hereditary and could be given away to anyone, regardless of noble blood.
That prospect intrigued her.
Edelgarde wondered what it would be like to hold that kind of power, and if she could obtain her own command crest. She would stand unopposed when she sent her own heroic spirit, preferably a dragon slayer like Siegfried, and take down Rhea, the Church of Seiros and especially Those Slither in the Dark, for good.
Unfortunately, despite his loyalty, his incessant need to apologize to everyone gave Edelgard the impression that he would betray her if given a good reason. If she wanted to summon someone who would loyally follow her orders without question and never betray her, then only one person comes to mind. The infamous specter that has half of the continent of Zenith spooked[1].
Karna.
Out of all the heroic spirits, he would serve as a marvelous spear to wield against a dragon. A smile graced her lips at the thought of Rhea, an archbishop getting slain by a god of another religion, was a fun thought to entertain. Sadly, all these scenarios would not lead to anything since she doesn't have any command crests.
'What are you thinking!?' Edelgard bit her lip in frustration and shook her to rid herself of these aberrant thoughts.
Edelgarde sacrificed everything she had to eradicate crests, not make more of them! It doesn't matter if they aren't hereditary or not, they are still crests! Da Vinci explained they have the same societal issues over inheritance as normal crests do, but they still come with their own limitations that encourage discrimination and remain antithetical to her goals!
'...'
Still, the idea of summoning a loyal, indestructible legend to help completely eradicate Those Who Slither in the Dark is something that is too valuable to pass up.'
Perhaps she can convince Gudako to help her out with her mole infestation after she resolves all the singularities? Edelgard will have to bring up the offer at a later date once she has the opportunity.
Out of the corner of her eye, Edelgarde caught someone walking towards her. She turned to see who it was, and she was greeted by the color white. That hair color is not a snow-white like hers, Lysethia's, or anyone else who had suffered at the experiments of Those Who Slithered in the Dark. It was more of a bright-ash color that exuded purity rather than trauma.
The owner of the hair was, of course, Karna himself. The man who Edelgard was fantasizing about just a few moments ago.
'Well, I guess now's my chance to get to know him better."
"Greetings Karna, my name is Edelgard von Hresvelg from the world of Three Houses, may I ask where you are headed?"
The man turned his attention toward her and nodded back at her.
"Well met Edelgard von Hresvelg. As you already know, my name is Karna. As for where I am headed, it is toward the altar, our summoner requests my presence."
What a coincidence, she was headed there too. "Since we are heading in the same direction, mind if I join you? "
"I do not mind."
The two people walked the halls in a brief moment of silence, then Edelgarde asked, "so, is there a specific reason she chose you to help her oversee the summoning?"
"It's because I am one of the stronger Heroic Spirits in Chaldea. So should any unruly servant or summoned hero be summoned that threatens my master's life. I will be there to put it down."
That was understandable. She had seen just what raw power Karna contained in his frame.
She still had a hard time believing it. Karna is, by all means, a tangible specter and yet, unlike other ghosts, he is capable of destruction far greater than even the Those Who Slither in the Dark's ultimate weapon, the Javelin of Light. The weapon of mass destruction failed to live up to its name when compared to Karna's display against the strongest warrior of the world of conquest.
She had heard of the duel between Xander and Karna. Almost everyone she spoke to who was around at the time expressed that the introductions lasted longer than the fight itself. Xander of Nohr stood no chance and was taken out without issue. While most were far away to hear their introductions themselves, a few did manage to hear a particular phrase from Karna.
A phrase foreign to her, but one that still radiated power
O' Brahma, Cover the Earth
The tale of Karna fighting Xander was a spectacular one, but once Karna uttered those words, that tale shifted into that of a living god descending from the heavens to exact judgment on mortal men. The entire battlefield went up in flames, enemy troops screamed in agony from the intense heat, and a giant molten crevice was carved in the ground and stretched into the horizon. It was such a powerful attack that it destroyed a significant portion of a nearby mountain.
Many who were unaware of the battle believed that a volcano had erupted nearby. Those who knew where that power originated wanted to believe the same thing, but it was just their human minds rejecting the reality that this pure, utter destruction was caused by a single man.
She, too, had a hard time believing the feat at first, but after seeing the staggering power of the other heroic spirits, like Siegfried, she knew it was no exaggeration.
'If only I had that level of power... the things I could do...'
And to think Askr was fortunate enough to pull them into their ranks. No, saying it was fortune on Askr's effort would be inappropriate and incorrect. They were lucky Gudako isn't malicious or cold-hearted, else Askr and Embla would have been leveled to the ground over a month ago.
Edelgarde noticed that she had spent too much time introspecting and had fallen behind. She quickly amended her mistake and caught back up with Karna.
"Your mind seems to be in turmoil, what is on your mind, Edelgard von Hresvelg?"
"Tell me Karna... what is your opinion of the Order of Heroes?"
"Hmm.... they did not present the best first impression when I first encountered them. They kidnapped one of our Masters from their sworn duty to save humanity after all."
Edelgard nods in agreement, "I share the sentiment. It's the only reason I answered the call for help from Gudako in the first place."
Karna glanced at her, "from the look of things, you sound as if you speak from experience."
"Let's just say I am not fond of so-called higher authorities dictating how humanity should progress. Plus, it was not a difficult decision to make."
"Indeed. Askr wanted to prevent an invasion by another country. While the idea of a nation using magic to brainwash worlds into joining their Empire is troubling, it was still not an unsalvageable situation.
People can still live on even under tyranny. The calamity that Chaldea faces, however, threatens to not just kill all of humanity but erase our history with it too."
Edelgard turned toward Karna with a surprised expression.
"Our?" Not human history, your or their history. He said 'our' history like he was including himself with her kind.
Karna realized what she was confused by, "ah, you are unaware. I am not human now, but I used to be a living breathing human just like you once before."
Edelgard was slightly surprised by the news,"I thought you were a god."
"No, my father was the sun god Surya and my human mother was Kunti. I was born due to a mistake on my mother's part, but I am still a human." The man looked solemn when he retold his origins, which made Edelgard feel guilty.
"Apologies Karna, I did not mean to bring up unpleasant feelings from your past."
"I do not mind. It's in the past and I have moved on. Mistakes happen, and one should not feel discouraged when making them. In fact, I am grateful she made such a mistake, since it was through such a mistake that I was able to meet my true parents and a dear friend."
Edelgard leaned a little closer, a pang of guilt still present in her heart, but her curiosity about Karna's past was overpowering that feeling.
Sadly, their conversation was cut short.
The door ahead of them suddenly swung open, startling Edelgard and forcing Karna to materialize a golden spear and shift into a defensive position.
They both released the tension from their forms when they saw a familiar purple-haired Nohrian walk into the corridor[2]
"Oh. It's just you, Cami-"
The door slammed shut with a force that shook the building. It was a miracle the door hadn't snapped in half from that action.
"-lla. Are you okay?"
Camilla walked away, completely ignoring their presence.
Edelgard looked back at the door and frowned when she recognized where the door led. Of course, it had to be him. Edelgarde couldn't blame Camilla for being in such a state after dealing with Andersen.
"I see Andersen hasn't changed since the last time I saw him," Karna said as he dematerialized the golden spear in his hand. Seeing as it was a false alarm, both of them continued their walk.
"So his blunt assessments truly were commonplace in Chaldea, then?"
Karna nods, "yes, it is considered a rite of passage, or a tradition, by many in Chaldea to have an evaluation by Hans. It merely carried over when we arrived here."
"As much as I respect Gudako's leadership, isn't she afraid that people are going to attack Hans? I know most Hero Summons can't scratch him, but if he also doesn't spare Heroic Spirits..."
"No need to worry. Despite how he is, Hans isn't without his protection."
"Oh? And who exactly would be willing to defend that man?"
Karna lifted four fingers, "Master Gudako and Gudao, The King of Heroes, and I."
Edelgarde blinked, she recognized two of those names, but she had no idea who Gudao or The King of Heroes was.
Karna, seeing her confusion, specified, "The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, is a Heroic Spirit just like myself. A demigod king from an ancient civilization. I can say with confidence that if we both fought at full strength, it would be a close match."
Edelgard's eyes widened in shock, 'there's someone else just as strong as Karna among their ranks?!' No, on second thought, that isn't surprising. Chaldea has proven to be a place where such legends congregate towards. Even so, to think that tiny man would have such powerful giants as backers... that fact was even more terrifying to her.
Karna noticed her shock but continued to answer her question since there was too much missing context and so little time to explain it. They were having a conversation after all, not a lecture.
"Gudao is Master Gudako's twin brother. He is the one who remained behind at Chaldea and currently the true last hope for humanity until Master Gudako can be sent back."
This was certainly a surprise, she had no idea there was another person with the same role as Gudako, and a sibling no less.
As much as she wanted to ask about him, someone else took precedence. "I can understand why Gudako or Gudao would protect Hans, but I don't know enough about this King of Heroes to understand why they would protect him." This was her first time hearing of them, so she had no way of judging their characteristics. "What I can say is that I am surprised to hear he is under your protection."
"That sentiment is shared by many in Chaldea, though I can't speak for the King of Heroes, in my case, I can say that I am merely protecting him due to sharing some mutual hobbies. Also, because of our previous experiences before Chaldea."
"You two had known each other before joining Chaldea?"
Karna nods, "many heroic spirits have had past encounters with each other. However, most of them were not allies, but enemies. Fortunately for us, Hans and I participated in a Holy Grail War that allowed some freedom to converse with each other daily. That is why I favor him in Chaldea, regardless of our previous affiliations."
A Holy Grail War.
Edelgard has heard of the term before and knows it's a bloody battle royale over a cup that would grant wishes to the winner. It was another interesting weapon she believed she should use against Those Who Slithered in the Dark, but she is unsure of the details since she only got a summary from her debriefing.
"Despite the nastiness in his tone, Hans means no ill will. He says rude things because he understands people's flaws. That is one of his skills and is an intrinsic part of his being."
Edelgard was once more in agreement with Karna. While her own experience with Hans was not the most pleasant, for someone like her who was always surrounded by a yes man, it was still a breath of fresh air.
Though she must confess, while nothing in this world or the next could top the trauma she experienced at the hands of Those Who Slithered In the Dark's experiments, Hans's words still managed to both open old wounds and make new ones. And they hurt her far more than she had been willing to admit.
0-0-0
"You are a wounded pup who is willing to sacrifice the bonds it has forged over the years, betray her closest friends and allies and join the lesser of two evils, all so that you could topple the status quo and prevent others from suffering the injustices you experienced."
"However, you spend too much time marching forward without caring to look at the lives you trampled behind you. You are quite literally the dictionary definition of the saying: 'the path to hell is paved with good intentions' and the 'for the greater good' story trope.
You poor thing.
Following your ambition down that path will only lead you to stand atop a mountain of corpses using the very people you wish to protect as its dirt, with no one left alive to stand by your side.
I couldn't have written a more tragic backstory myself. Well, I probably could, but I already have enough curses engraved in my body and soul as it is... Well, good luck on your endeavors, you're going to need it, Miss Noble Protector"
0-0-0
"Such ambitions are not wrong."
Edelgard snapped out of her melancholy and turned towards Karna, a realization dawned on her. She had repeated Hans's words out loud.
"While Hans speaks the truth, do not let it discourage you. Yes, that path has led to the downfall of kings and has propagated human tragedy, but they are not meaningless. For without such paths being taken, humanity would not have progressed to where it is now."
Karna glanced in her direction, his pale blue eyes filled not with judgment or sympathy, but understanding.
"Without such ambition, many men doubt their own existence, and it results in their progress stagnating and being unable to reach their true potential. There is nothing worse in this life, prior or future, than stagnation and indecision.
Whatever path you took, take pride in the fact you took it. Focusing too much on what-ifs will only cloud your vision."
With that said, a small silence fell between the two. Karna said his peace, and he let Edelgard digest his advice.
It was only after they had made it out of the castle gates that Edelgard spoke once again.
"Thank you, Karna, I appreciate your kind words and will take them to heart."
After weeks of having Hans's words ruminate inside her head, meeting her alternate selves and asking how the war ended caused a small seed of doubt to growing inside herself.
She truly was grateful for Karna's words, for they salted the last patch of fertile ground that the seed had to grow. Even if she knows that her path will only lead to the destruction of her land or that she will remain alone, she will no longer regret it.
Karna didn't turn to face her again, but his face adopted a smile at her gratitude.
Footnotes:
[1] Zenith is the continent where the story of FE: Heroes takes place is. The kingdoms of Askr, Embla and a bunch of other worlds are located here.
[2] Nohr is the invading western country from Fire Emblem Fates. Its citizens, like Camilla, are referred to as Nohrians.
Author's Note: This is another one of the chapters I had difficulty bringing it out of the idea phase. I had wanted to move this chapter a bit further ahead, so I could have a lighthearted chapter after Camilla's fiasco, but alas, this chapter refused to budge due to my inclusion of her in this chapter. I am going to alternate between serious and lighthearted chapters over the course of this story and while some interactions will not make it past one or two chapters (but still mentioned offhand) I plan to keep a continuity of sorts while still letting the time placement of the chapters be loosy goosey.
Karna is an interesting character and a definite favorite Indian hero of mine. I have an Avatar: the last air bender crossover story idea in my phone where Karna is reborn as a water bender and explores the world. It led me down a rabbit hole that is the Indian pantheon, and you are now seeing the fruits of that summer long labor.
I like the story so far and am interested to see how the characters from different universes interacts. I always love those chock of civilizations meeting.
I was wondering, do you consider Fire emblem's characters to be somewhat super human or just well trained normal humans? Servant should be stronger regardless, but I was curious.
I do hope the story won't fall in the trope of FGO characters know better and Fire Emblem's characters just stand by in awe at everything they do. I understand Servant are much stronger, Andersen giving a (awesome) critique is nice and we are just three chapters in, but it would become dull if FE char. just get showed all the time.
I was wondering, do you consider Fire emblem's characters to be somewhat super human or just well trained normal humans? Servant should be stronger regardless, but I was curious.
This might be a hottake, but I consider many Fire emblem characters to be around the same level of power as some servants were when they were still alive, minus their hax powers. The exceptions to this rule would be the FE dragon gods, gods and the stronger magicians.
In terms of strength, even a villager would beat the shit out of most humans on modern earth. Fire emblem characters stand little to no chance against a servant but that won't be the case forever. Anything else I say will be spoilers so I will leave it at that.
Trust me, I am aware of that trope. And while it is one of my guilty pleasures, I can understand it can get a bit tiresome. I am a fire emblem fan too, so I will be sure not to tout one franchise over the other.
Next chapter will be from Gudako's perpective, followed by another servant in the following chapter. I'll be sure to try and keep perspectives between FE and Fate equal.
This might be a hottake, but I consider many Fire emblem characters to be around the same level of power as some servants were when they were still alive, minus their hax powers. The exceptions to this rule would be the FE dragon gods, gods and the stronger magicians.
In terms of strength, even a villager would beat the shit out of most humans on modern earth. Fire emblem characters stand little to no chance against a servant but that won't be the case forever. Anything else I say will be spoilers so I will leave it at that.
honestly, a lot of the warriors from myth were actually stronger than their servant counterparts, like Siegfred, Heracles, Karna, and a good percentage of those from the Age of Gods. though i do think most of the fate characters are like the origins of heroic spirit equivalents for the FE universe.
if it came to actually competing with the stronger spirits, either they would need to be summoned with the properties of a heroic spirit or else augmented. I think a couple heroes could take Gilles or Hyde, but Gilgamesh would be beyond their means for now.
still, good to know the boundaries for the fic.
"I'm Lyndis of the noble house of Caelin. Yet, I truly belong to the open plains. Just call me Lyn, all right?"
"Yahoo!! I got another cute girl!!" Gudako's sudden shout startled the curvaceous beauty in front of her. Realizing her faux paus, Gudako composed herself and coughed into her fist. 'Calm yourself, girl, we can't have you scare off such a smoking hot babe before we have a chance to 'bond' with her.'
Gudako stretched out her other hand, the one not covered in germs, towards the new recruit. While Gudako was born and raised in Japan and had been accustomed to bowing when greeting people, her time in Chaldea had forced her to pick up this habit, one which was essential since she had to interact with many western allies.
"Nice to meet you, Lyn, My name Is Ritsu Fujimaru, but my friends call me Gudako. A pleasure to meet you."
Lyn's stupefaction faded after seeing the girl recollect herself and returned the handshake with a smile, "the pleasure is all mine. I answered your call and I wish to aid save humanity in your world from incineration."
"Excellent! We really appreciate it. Now, just give me a moment so I can send you to Chaldea."
This was one of the neat things Gudako had found out when she experimented with the gacha. While it was impossible to send herself back, any and all of her summons she had were capable of being sent to Earth.
All with the flip of a switch.
Gudako gave the pretty woman a final wave goodbye before she shot her in the chest with a green orb of light. The light hit her frame, which caused Lyn's sexy bod to turn into magic stuff before it was sent to Chaldea.
She took another look at the I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-a-Gun in her hand. Its mere existence spit in the face of everything Marisbury had done over the past few years[1].
Breidablik could easily locate anyone in the multiverse, send her intent toward the recipient, and summon them safely to her without much fuss.
In other words, it was a mini Chaldea that fit in the palm of her hand. No, it was superior to Chaldea's mechanisms in many ways since it could summon living, flesh and bone people rather than spiriton projections. Plus, it ran on orbs, which are equal in magical energy to Saint Quartz, to function rather than large, complex facilities for its power.
Heck, it even granted Hero Summons with a special status that allowed them to Rayshift into singularities with Gudao's. Which only made them more useful for resource gathering.
As expected of a divine weapon. If the late Olga Marie was still around, she would be frothing at the mouth of such a device, partly due to her father's work being outdone by a small device, and partly due to the prospect of disassembling it and learning all its secrets.
"How is everyone holding up Romani?"
Romani Archaman, the current director of Chaldea, sighed, "it's gotten better with all the extra help, but critical technical roles are still seriously understaffed."
Medieval warriors make for poor mechanics and electricians, got it.
"Well, what about supplies? I kind of ran out of toothpaste and need another care package to be sent over. "
"Sorry Gudako, but our reserves for artificial toothpaste are used up. You're going to have to ration out the paste you have left until more is synthesized, or you will have to start making your own."
God dammit.
"In other news, Gudao successfully resolved the Okeanos Singularity."
Gudako couldn't contain the disappointment showing on her face. Romani gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Listen, I know you are bored, but you have to understand that these things take time. All of our mages and magi are working overtime trying to figure out how the mechanics of both worlds interact, what they reject, accept and what it flat out ignore before we can risk bringing you back safely. You just need to be a bit more patient."
"I've been patient, it's already been over a month since I've been stuck here. I need my blood pumping action, Romani!"
Despite the magical marvels this world had to offer, the power balance issues were fucking all over the place.
Hero summons are weak.
Oh, they were certainly stronger than any human mage on Earth but against Heroic Spirits? Many can't even hurt them and the few that can, like the ones who wield divine weapons and manaketes, don't have the reflexes to keep up with them if the Heroic Spirits decided to get serious.
She had hoped that Embla would take a week to beat due solely to logistics but they didn't last very long since they got lucky and were able to capture both Princess Veronica and Prince Bruno in the same day.
They still had to fight an army afterward but any hope for a fight that wasn't a curb stomp was eradicated the moment Karna started asking Brahma to curse at him.
The faint stench of carbonized flesh still lingered inside her nose to this day. The scent comes and goes, but it usually only lasts for a few seconds. She thought she had gotten used to that experience after Fuyuki but apperently, because it was more personal, the trauma stuck to her much easier. Emiya had overheard about her issue when she brought it in conversation and informed her that such an experience will haunt her until her deathbed, as it has been ingrained into her psyche. How fun.
She wasn't the only one, the survivors from Embla's army and even the Kingdom's allies now give wide berth to Karna when he walks by.
Yeah... Karna traumatized everyone that day.
Morbid thoughts aside, it was kind of pathetic. The survivors were on their hands and knees praying to be spared by the demigod's wrath while the loli princess was having a hissy fit on par with a child throwing a tantrum at a Walmart.
Thank God Jackie was there, else it would have taken a much longer time to get that kid under control.
"Well, excuse us for not having a world-ending threat for you to resolve! " Gudako heard what Anna said but chose to ignore her, "well anyway. I'll ask one of the Casters or a mage here to make me some. "
"Got anything else you want to deny me, Romani?"
"Yeah, we also ran out of toilet paper, so if you could do us a favor and gather some lumber to produce more, that would be wonderful!"
"Great. " Gudako gave a deadpan stare at Romani before sighing and giving a salute of acknowledgment." Will do. "
"Oh. And also we need-"
After 30 minutes of writing down the raw materials she needed to get, Gudako placed the pen in her pocket and made her way back to the castle, as it was getting late. But not before handing Anna the lengthy list of "groceries" Chaldea needed.
Gudako may have forgotten to translate the list from Japanese into the local language, while also adding the occasional emoticon here or there but she was too mentally exhausted to fix it now.
Meh, Anna was a smart cookie, she could figure it out.
0-0-0
"Aaaaahhhmmmmm"
A loud yawn escaped from a petite girl. Gudako's red hair was frazzled and wild as she had just climbed out of her queen-sized bed. She slipped on her flip-flops and made her way across the luxurious and ornate carpet toward the bathroom to prep for the day.
It was already almost noon, but the sunlight pouring through the window made the room feel warmer than usual. Gudako usually spent a lot of her free time memorizing, organizing, and remembering everyone she has summoned, whether they be Heroic Spirits, Hero summons, or just plain humans. It took a lot of effort on her part to keep track of everything, but it was all worth it when she got to see the smiles on everyone's faces when she remembered their names and even their past interactions.
This is one of those things Gudako had to do to make sure she can keep everyone in line. It was hard enough as it is to herd a group of cats into getting along, it would be more so if she couldn't even call them by their names.
The girl noticed the bucket left on the counter by one of the maids, and since it looked clean and without a drop spilled, it was likely Flora who brought it this time.
Felicia, bless that adorable pink-haired girl, was too clumsy to leave a clean bucket of water like this. Gudako took a deep breath through her nose before she dunked her gorgeous face inside the bucket.
After a few seconds of blowing bubbles, she pulled her head out of the bucket, her face now 'clean' at least in her eyes. She patted her face dry and looked to the side of the sink.
Resting near her beaten-up toothbrush was a small bowl. Gudako looked into it and saw a dry white powder with black spots mixed in like it was sand.
Sniffing the substance, she smelt a bit of clove mixed in there. She gave it a taste, which she immediately regretted due to the salty taste.
"... yeah, no."
Opening a cabinet near the sink, she reached into the box and pulled out a nearly empty tube of toothpaste.
"Just a little bit left."
Glowing circuits emerged from her fingertips, the dull blue glow of magical energy enforced her soft, squishy human skin into the roughness of rock. Squeezing the head of the flat tube, Gudako forced out the remnants of the mint-flavored paste into her wet toothbrush.
She'll have to go bother Medea to synthesize some for her later.
0-0-0
Gudako walked into the Mess Hall.
It was a public space that reminded Gudako of a cross between a school cafeteria and a tavern. Several heroes greeted her as she walked by, and not wanting to be rude, Gudako replied politely. Her eyes, however, were still firmly set on her objective.
Due to the sheer number of black holes to feed, Emiya and Beni-Enma had converted the Mess Hall into a buffet-style soup kitchen meant to easily handle numerous hungry heroes.
This made it easier for the cooks to properly keep up with the large appetite that certain heroic spirits had. She wasn't naming any names, but let's just say that seeing one or two saber faces inside the mess hall was a common occurrence.
Gudako chose to ignore the food already prepared in front of her and made her way towards the kitchen. She opened the door to a magical fridge which contained a plate of pancakes with all her favorite toppings covered in plastic wrap.
She took the plate out of the fridge and heated it up in the magic microwave next to her before she headed back to her table with pancakes and a bottle of honey in hand.
She stopped in her tracks when she spotted Hinoka and Camilla spoon-feeding Jackie ice cream a few tables from where she stood.
Jack the Ripper, or Jackie, always stuck close to her 'mommy', i.e. Gudako, but due to the incident with Camilla and Hans, she had ordered her to stay with the sexy yandere Onee-san as a support loli, due to how much Camilla gushed over her when they first met.
As much as she wanted to continue staring, she chose to focus on getting the food on her plate in her stomach. Plus, while she seemed to be better now, Camilla was still a bit upset with her for sending her toward Hans.
So Gudako settled for taking a quick picture of the girls with her phone before going on her way.
'I need to hurry the heck up and summon that sibling of hers, or else I am never going to get Jackie back.'
Gudako arrived at her table and plopped down into her seat with her future harem members.
The three girls sitting at the table were sipping on cold drinks and enjoying their lunch.
Her beloved kohai Mashu was talking with Anna, who looked dead on her feet, likely due to another all-nighter.
Sharena, the bubbly blonde Princess of Askr was sitting next to them, decked out in her usual ornate armor and looking as stunning as the day she met her. She was joyfully drinking a chocolate shake.
"Yo. I'm back."
A sudden feeling came over Gudako, which caused her to remember something important. She looked around for the presence of the fourth member of the group and was surprised at his absence.
"Say, where's Alphonse? I thought he wanted to join us for lunch today."
Sharena scratched the back of her head, "he wanted to, but something came up last minute, and he needed to attend to some matters with father and mother. The matters regarding the peace treaty with Embla and what to do about Veronica and... Zacharias."
Ah yes, she remembered them. The two Emblian royals, the childhood friend of the Askarian royalty, and the bratty imouto, that she subdued. It had already been a month, but she wondered why it took so long to do something about it. Then she remembered where she was.
Politics was a pain in the butt, but politics with slower-than-slow snail mail and lag time was an even bigger pain in the butt.
"Well, we can leave him to deal with that mess on his own. I still need sustenance in my system before I have to deal with anything like that."
"Uh, senpai, isn't it too late to have pancakes for lunch? And where did you even get them? Emiya refuses to deviate from proper meal plans."
Gudako dismissed their concerns as she poured a generous helping of honey on her food, "ah, that! Yeah, I used a command spell to force him to keep the breakfast options open for me."
The girls gave her a deadpan expression.
"What?"
"Let me rephrase the question: How were you able to get Beni-Enma to agree to let Archer make you pancakes at all?" No command spell would be strong enough to force the smol girl to allow one of her masters to eat foods at improper times of the day.
"Oh, that. Easy, she doesn't know. Also, she's in Chaldea right now with Gudao. So I was able to get away with this."
"So anyway, what did you girls have for breakfast?" Gudako asked the girls in a blatant attempt to change the subject.
Seeing Gudako was not going to stand for any lectures on proper food and diet, the rest of the party decided to just take the hint and move on.
"Oh, I had these wonderful things called 'waffles' I was skeptical due to the shape, but it was surprisingly delicious." Sharena's mouth drooled as she remembered her experience.
"I had a traditional Japanese ...err Hoshidan breakfast. I still find it quite amazing just how similar but different Japan and Hoshido prepare the same dishes."
Unlike in isekai series, where a protagonist lands in a world that has bland food that paled in comparison to Earth cuisine, Zenith boasted a good selection of choices. They had access to everything an isekai protagonist would want, even the illusive soy sauce that every Gary Sue was trying to replicate. Even so, there were still some foods that were foreign or different to either world, which only made the foodies from both sides even happier.
"I didn't find too much of a difference," Gudako responded, while at the same time stuffing a large piece of Emiya's homemade pancakes in her mouth.
"Either way, food is food and the only thing that matters is the people we share it with."
Gudako and friends continued their meal, making more small talk until they had finished eating and were making their way to the exit.
"Hey, anyone want to join me in the Training Tower?"
The three girls looked at each other before nodding.
"Great! Now let's go-"
A red blur shot past Gudako, kicking up a strong gust of wind into the mess hall.
Gudako turned her head behind to see what it was and was met with the sight of Florence Nightingale looming over Anna.
The redhead was frozen like a deer in headlights, until she flinched when the nurse lowered herself to her eye level.
"Your eyes are swollen and red... how long did you sleep last night?"
Anna gulped before replying with a stutter, "Um, a few hours, I think? But I'm fine, I just took a nap."
Nightingale was not impressed.
"Not good enough, patient requires rest. You have to stop working so hard, it's bad for your health."
"I wish I could but sadly, I am a busy woman, I have too many responsibilities to waste time sleeping."
Nightingale put a hand on Anna, who had been slowly scooting away from the Berserker nurse in a vain attempt to flee.
"This is not a request. This is an order. Your compliance is mandatory."
Before Anna could protest, a gloved fist hit her nose. Blood as red as the woman's hair splattered on the floor.
Anna grabbed her face and let out a surprisingly cute 'gah!' before it was quickly cut off by Nightingale's knee being driven into her stomach.
Anna was now unconscious, but Nightingale caught her before her face planted itself to the ground, then tossed the merchant over her shoulder.
Gudako nearly shat her pants when the dommy mommy turned to her, "this patient is unable to join your training activities. Seek another to aid you and once you finish, report to my office. Understood?"
Gudako nodded frantically.
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Contrary to how she entered, Nightingale calmly walked out of the now silent Mess Hall. No one made a move to save Anna, as they did not want to incur the healer's wrath.
"Gods, I wish it were me..."
Gudako and her companions, alongside the rest of the Mess Hall, turned unanimously toward the voice. Their curiosity turned to disbelief when they saw the owner of the voice was none other than the litigious and boorish Laurent, who was sporting the face of a lovesick puppy.
The entire mess hall was staring at him, some with disgust, some with incredulity, but a majority of those stares were of concern.
"Oookay… Come on, girls, let's get going before this day gets any more awkward."
The girls agreed and hastily followed her out of the Mess Hall and toward the Training Tower to continue their daily grind.
Footnotes:
[1] Marisbury Animusphere is the deceased founder of Chaldea. He participated in the only Fuyuki Grail war in his timeline and won. He used the wish to get money to help get funds for maintaining Chaldea.
Sometimes, it's best to wait before posting a chapter right away. I had initially planned to post this on Saturday but something was telling me not to, and it was a good thing I did. I originally planned to have a complex summoning ritual that would have Gudako send Hero Summons with Gudao and Chaldea's help, then after sleeping on it for a day, I realized I had caught myself doing something stupid. I was underestimating Fire Emblem.
While Chaldea is more of an observatory with the ability to summon and send people's spiriton projections to the past, future or even alternate timelines, the Breidablik can do all that and more. Especially since it can be upgraded to gain the ability to "control entire worlds" with the Rite of Frost.
Breidablik is OP and it deserves respect.
Btw, to to that one guy who wanted a Hinoka and Camilla scene, don't worry, I have more. I will be posting that chapter later, just know that it's coming.
Kiran had no idea what he was doing with his life.
While it was nice that he had employment only three months after graduation, it was starting to erode his sanity. Kiran is getting sick of explaining what a mouse is to the elderly and technologically inept. Yes, some of them were sweet and/or polite, but when it came to technology, they can't make heads or tails of it no matter how long he sat there and explained it to them. It was even worse whenever he had to deal with rude clients, which sadly outnumbered the nice ones.
As luck would have it, today was one of those days when he had to deal with one of his rude regulars, an old man from Texas. The man had absolutely no patience for technology, and demands that everything be done for him without his input. And he expects Kiran to always know what he is talking about without even bothering to properly explain his issue.
Just today, he had been screaming into his ear, calling Kiran a liar after he warned him one of his emails was malware and that he should not click on it.
Can you guess what he did?
He clicked on it.
That action cost Kiran 20 minutes of his finite lifespan to help the elder install an antivirus into his computer. Thank god almighty that it was his last call of the day.
Kiran had clocked out at 7 PM and drove his beat-up Toyota Paseo home. A silver lining was that one of his relatives owned his apartment complexes. Kiran struck a deal with his uncle that earned him a discount on rent in exchange for providing free tech support. This deal permitted him to afford living in the city at a low rent rate.
After spending the day dealing with stubborn elders, Kiran had no patience to make food. With no energy left to cook, he walked toward the local Burger Joint across the street from his apartment.
Kiran tried his best to live healthily, but bacon borgers were too good. Oh, and because his job didn't let him stand for 12 hours straight.
Yep, it's definitely work's fault.
"That will be 12 dollars and 7 cents."
Kiran paid the woman behind the counter, then waited patiently for his meal. He instinctively pulled out his phone, pausing for a second to admire his lock screen. Seeing the adorable face of Magi☆Mari always managed to soothe his weary heart. With some hesitance, he unlocked his phone.
He proceeded to mindlessly scroll through the upcoming anime list. Some of his favorites were getting second seasons, and a few of the isekai mangas he follows were getting an adaptation.
Man, what Kiran wouldn't give to be isekaid. The idea of being thrust into a medieval world and becoming a legendary hero, vanquishing evil, finding love, and laying dragons. Yeah, you heard that right. While he loved Magi☆Mari, his taste in waifus heavily favored oppai dragon waifus. Kiran wasn't into the 1000-year-old loli crap, he liked them extra thicc!
"Number 69! Order number 69!"
Kiran was brought out of his perverted musings and looked up to see his order number being called. He grabbed his food, thanked the service worker, and exited the restaurant.
Kiran headed straight to his apartment. He preferred to eat in the comfort of his own home without fearing judgment for his eating habits.
Alas, his peaceful, artery-popping dinner had to wait. Crossing a red light on a busy city street was a stupid idea. So Kiran stood there, blankly looking at the light, waiting for it to turn green.
Checking his phone, he grimaced when he noticed it was now 8PM at night. He had barely noticed the time fly by, and it was not just today, but every day.
Every damned day was the same.
Wake up, go to work, come home, and sleep. Kiran was stuck in an endless loop that was hard to escape. The days had gotten so dull and so numbing that he barely could tell which day was a weekday and which was a weekend. His only break in monotony was whenever he watched a new show or whenever Magi☆Mari posted a new single. Everything else was the same old, same old. While he could be in a much worse living situation, he can't say it's his favorite.
"Man, I wish something exciting would happen."
The light turned green, causing Kiran to sigh in relief. He took a step forward, and once his foot touched the asphalt, out of nowhere, he felt the sensation of the world slowing to a crawl. His senses were screaming at him that something was going to go horribly wrong.
His eyes instinctively snapped toward the ominous presence his body had detected.
Kiran's jaw dropped.
A wall of fire, taller than the skyscrapers above him, was barreling its way toward him. The speed of the flames overtook cars that tried to out speed it and left only melted slag fused into the asphalt below.
The people around him were in equal states of shock. None of them could hope to run away from it. One by one, the people in front of Kiran were incinerated into atoms, barely leaving any trace of their ashes. Then before Kiran realized it, he was hit by the heat.
His paper bag of takeout went up in flames first, then his white hoodie was charred black as it set ablaze. In a fraction of a second, Kiran had felt the mind-numbing, nerve-torturing pain of having every cell in his body engulfed in flames. He did not even have enough time to regret his words. Nor did he have enough time to let out a scream, his teeth clenched shut as he endured the heat.
When the fire ceded, all that remained of Kiran was his phone. It had melted and fused into the sidewalk where he once stood, like the billions of people around the Earth.
Author's Note: For those of you in the present or future who were curious about Kiran's whereabouts... yeah, here he was. This chapter is basically my justification for why Gudako was chosen by Breidablik over Kiran.
Fate Grand Order was released in 2015 while Fire Emblem Heroes came out in 2017, so it only makes sense that if Kiran lived in the Nasuverse in the FGO timeline, he would have been incinerated way before he had a chance to shine.
I change my mind, this is the last we'll see of Kiran. This is Gudako's world now.
This isn't the last we'll see of Kiran, he might show up in another sidestory. Hopefully he won't take the news of his and his family's death too badly.
Kiran is just a self insert for the player, in a much deeper level than any other avatar character. He does have some personality added later to his character but that point is moot now that he's been turned into magical energy by Goetia.
His world, our Earth, is known to the people of Zenith as 'The World of Steel.' As someone who has read Notes, that is enough material for me to connect FeH and the world of Notes since Earth in that timeline is known as the'Land of Steel.' In fact, I have a rough draft of what a FeH with Gun God as Kiran would be like. It's not nearly as in depth and developed as this story but it was a good writing exercise that I may be tempted to post as a oneshot in the future.
It was a sunny day, the sun high in the sky, and the breeze refreshing as it swept over the castle garden. An assortment of many roses were beautifully arranged next to the walls of the castle. Various verdant and exotic trees were bunched together to form a small forest. In the center of it all, a glistening pond with water as clean and pure as crystal. The only thing that perturbed the peaceful surface of the artificial body of water were the swans and ducks swimming and going about their day.
Surrounding the pond, an expansive field of grass grew, with patches of colorful flowers dotting the field. In a flower patch near the pond, a young woman is kneeling on the grass as she collects flowers. Her flashy wedding dress stood out like a sore thumb in the sea of flowers surrounding her…
…but she didn't care about that. All she cared about was finishing her flower crown.
There were so many options available for her in this massive garden. While she did not recognize the flowers by their names, she could still appreciate their colors, shapes and smells. Fran picked a flower, one of her favorites, and took her time to let herself get lost in the texture, the color, and aroma of the white daisy.
Once she fully appreciated it, she put it to the side and searched for another.
Chaldea was always surrounded by frost and snow for miles, and whenever her master summoned her in a singularity, there was never enough time to frolic among the flowers. Recently, however, her master made contact with this world, which allowed her to finally have both the time and access to her favorite pastime. She picked a flower and gazed at its stem.
How did it go again?
She placed two flowers with long stems over each other. Wrapped the stem of the flower on top and around… ah, the head broke.
She remained undeterred and tried again. The second time was more successful, and it brought a smile to her face. She searched, plucked and crudely tied the flowers to each other as she went. It was a tedious process, one she didn't mind doing.
The young woman was focused on her task, but even when she was in deep thought, she still heard the soft crunches behind her. She didn't really care much for them however, since she was a servant. Even as a berserker, she was still sane enough to understand that everyone in this world is a normal human, even if they had magic that could rival or surpass some of theirs. If they had tried to hurt her, any normal person would have been more likely to hurt themselves if they attacked her. So she paid it no mind and went back to what she was doing.
"Hey Whatcha got there?"
She pauses her work and turns to the girl next to her. The smile the girl gave her radiated joy brighter than the sun behind her. The girl's features were difficult to discern due to the brightness of the sun casting a dark shadow over her face, but Fran knew the girl was staring at her hands with playful curiosity.
The girl leaned forward to get a better look, which exposed the sun behind her. The radiance glowing from the sudden light overwhelmed Fran's bi-colored retinas and forced her to rub her eyes. Her vision blurred, the colors started to fade, and when her eyes readjusted, they widened in disbelief.
A soul-crushing pang of guilt hit her as she saw the superimposed image of a little girl she had met by the river.
Her first friend.
'..Maria…'
"Hey Fran, have you chosen a flower girl yet?"
Fran tilted her head, unsure of what a 'flower girl' was and Maria picked up on it.
She gasped, "Fran! Flower girls are super important! They carry baskets full of flowers and scatter them down in the aisle before the bride walks to the altar. You can't have a wedding without a flower girl!"
Fran had no idea this 'flower girl' was that important, then she realized the implications of what Maria said. A strong fear run through her, did this mean she wouldn't be able to marry her perfected gentleman Adam?[1]
Maria noticed her distress.
"Hey, don't worry! Just leave it to me! I'll be your flower girl! …if you'll have me."
Fran turned toward her friend with relief and joy in her face and nodded.
Maria suddenly hugged her, "thank you, thank you! I promise I'll be the best flower girl in the history of flower girls! Oh, that reminds me."
Maria grabbed a small bouquet of flowers and handed them to her.
"Here, you can have these, a bride also needs to have a bouquet."
Fran looked down at the flowers and took them from Maria's hand with shaking fingers.
"You look so pretty Fran! You're going to make the prettiest bride, I just know it!"
Fran held the bouquet in her arms tightly, a grateful smile on her face.
"You monstrosity!"
Fran's form stilled, her breath hitched when she remembered her father's voice.
"You're a monster! You're an insane monster!"
N-no… she wasn't…
"Aaahhh, Fran stop, you're hurting me!"
Fran jerks her head behind her back, horror etched into her face. Rather than seeing her lively little flower girl, Fran sees a body floating face down in the river…
"Hey, are you-"
"-okay?" Little Maria's image shattered and caused Fran to come back to reality.
In her former friend's place stood a girl who looked and sounded nothing like Maria. She wasn't even the same age. Yet, somehow her aura was similar enough to her that it elicited such vivid images of her past.
How strange. She was sure that she wasn't caught in Shakespeare's noble phantasm. So why?
Fran was silently lost in her thoughts while the confused girl was patiently waiting for her response. After a moment of observation and limited introspection, she gave the girl an affirmative grunt, causing the girl to sigh in relief. Fran then decided to show the girl what she was crafting, which caused the girl's eyes to sparkle.
"Oh! You're making daisy crowns? I love daisy crowns! Do you mind if I join you? I don't mean to brag, but I am a flower connoisseur myself." The little girl turned her gaze towards the unfinished crown beside the servant's hands. "and I see you are having trouble with that, mind If I help?"
Aside from the imposing dark clothing she wore, and the age gap, this girl truly reminded her of Maria.
It... felt nice.
While she felt guilt at having harmed her, Maria was still someone she treasured deeply, as she was one of the few people she knew who didn't treat her as a monster. It seemed like this girl was cut from the same cloth as her.
Fran gave her a warm smile and nodded.
"Yaay! Thank you so much! "
The girl gracefully kneeled with both her legs and began to pick some flowers next to her new friend.
The servant's dual-colored gaze lingered on her for a moment before going back to picking flowers. They both stayed silent for a while, each enjoying their own activities and busywork. The girl occasionally made small talk on how the flowers from Askr varied from the ones on her home.
"Ah! Where are my manners? My name is Elise. I am from the world of Fates, what's your name?"
Normally she would tell people to call her Berserker but due to the sheer amount of other berserker servants in Chaldea, she allowed people to call her by her nickname. Not Frankenstein, Never Frankenstein. Her name is...
"F-Fran.."
"Fran? You have such a pretty name!"
A goofy smile stretched Fran's flawless skin and could not contain the muffled giggle that escaped her lips. She then stretched out her hand towards Elise.
Offering flowers to friends was something Maria taught her was a sign of friendship, a custom which was understood by everyone… and now even people like herself.
"For me? Why thank you Fran!" Elise accepted the offering with her slender fingers and placed it in her multicolored hair.
"Alright! Let's see what we got here. Do you mind if I have a look?"
Fran shook her head and handed the flowers she had in her hand.
"Hmmm... okay, I can see the issue. You are having trouble with the braiding. Not to worry, I can show you how to do it. Just watch my hands carefully."
Fran nodded excitedly, before she instantly focused closely on Elise's fingers as she slowly but expertly braided three flowers together.
"Then... you take another flower like that and fit it into the gap. The braid should be able to hold it in place. And make sure you snap off the excess stems, so you don't get confused. "
Elise continued to work on the crown, while Fran just watched on in fascination and nostalgia. She remembered Maria giving her a similar lesson, albeit in a vague and hard to follow explanation.
"And done." Elise turned towards the excited Berserker.
"Here, this is for you, Fran!" Elise placed an intricate flower crown on top of her head.
The young woman suddenly stood up and ran to the pond, the sudden motion startled Elise, but she became calm when she saw the look of awe on Fran's face.
"Not too bad, eh? I am glad you liked it."
She stood up, "Hey Fran? I saw some really nice posies on the other side of the pond, did you want to come with me?"
Fran nodded vigorously, and followed her with the eagerness of a duckling waddling behind her mother duck.
Footnotes:
[1] Nasu gave Frankenstein's monster a significant shift in origins. Fran is an attempt by Victor to recreate Eve from the garden of Eden, alas, he deemed his creation a failure. Fran wanted to love someone thus, she asked Victor to make her a male partner, her Adam, which he refused to do.
And so, we have arrived at my favorite chapter of this story. This chapter is quite literally the spark that ignited my need to write this story since I really wanted to see both these two meet so badly. I could have just written this as a one shot and called it a day, but the ideas kept coming and now here we are.
I hope you guys can forgive me, I expanded a bit of Fran's backstory while adding my own spin to it, so this version of Fran is technically an AU. Then again, when it comes to the Nasuverse, everything is an AU.
As for Elise, there's a good reason why I made Fran react to her this way. Little Maria and Elise may not share any similarities at first glance but they do share enough parallels for me to weave this connection together. Two of the major ones that have enough weight to attach themselves to Frankenstein's legend is that Elise and Maria are innocent souls in a tragic setting, and that their deaths play a significant role in their stories.
They also both love flowers, and their deaths were both accidental on top of the fact that both of their murderers instantly regret their decisions after doing it. It's not so close that it's nearly 1:1 or else Fran would have freaked out and/or run away due to guilt but I thought I would lay this out just to make sure it's clear to everyone.
Once again, thanks for reading and please don't be shy and leave a comment or criticism, it feeds my soul and strengths it.
Anna cursed at herself when her trembling, inexperienced hand nearly ruined the perfect circle she drew. She was not cut out for the mystic arts, even so, Alphonse had asked her to take the Breidablik and begin preparations to summon the legendary summoner of heroes. Anna refused at first, but Alphonse continued to insist and then ordered her to do it anyway when she still wouldn't budge.
She couldn't refuse him, Alphonse was the Prince of Askr, she had to obey his royal decree or face getting arrested and having her assets seized for disobeying a royal decree during a time of WAR. She has no choice but to cave in and do as was ordered, even if she was skeptical of the legend's credence. If the prince hadn't recompensed the material and labor cost for her work, then Anna would have never risked her life to reach the Altar.
The legendary summoner, wielder of the relic Breidablik, can summon forth heroes of legend and would help them even the odds. Anna stretched her hands forward and pointed the Breidablik to the center of the pentagram.
"I hope this works… if there are any gods of fortune out there, please don't let my time and money go to waste!!"
Anna pulled the trigger, and a bright flash of light that rivaled the sun blinded her. The relic Anna held in her arms clanked on the ornate rock floor, and she brought her hands up to protect her eyesight from rendering her permanently blind. Despite the stinging pain in her corneas, Anna was excited that all her hard work had paid off.
Suddenly, her inner alarm bells started to ring, deafening her senses. Her battle instincts were screaming at her to move. Her body attempted to follow, but Anna was forced to stop when she saw a golden lance blade move at impossible speeds toward her. A second later, she felt a cold prick touch the surface of her skin.
"Hoh. So you managed to see my attack. Impressive… for a human."
Anna's eyes blitzed to the source of the voice and gaped. A pale figure, wearing highly luxurious golden armor and a black outfit, standing where there used to be nothing. His steel gaze pierced her soul, telling her that if she moved an inch, her life would end.
His attire screamed royalty, its exuberance only made Anna's stomach fall deeper the more she realized that she had fucked up. All it would take is a bit of force to pierce her soft skin, and she was dead. Anna knew it, he knew it, and so Anna closed her eyes, waiting for her doom. She was going to die… and worse still, she was going to die a virgin.
Being the Commander of the Order of Heroes carried many duties, duties which prevented her from getting married.
'I'm sorry, Granna, it looks like this is the end for me.'
"Karna, that's enough… we need her alive."
'Oh sweet merciful gods. I am sorry I had ever doubted your existence!'
"As you wish. Master."
The pale man removed his blade from her throat, and Anna opened her eyes in surprise. She frantically checked her neck to see if she was bleeding. Seeing no blood on her glove she sighed in relief, then it turned into a nervous chuckle.
Her head was nearly decapitated by a golden lance. As a merchant, such a death would be seen as fitting and ironic due to her family's reputation. But she had duties to attend to, and she needed her beautiful, and intelligent head intact.
"Well hello there. Care to explain why you kidnapped one of humanity's last hopes for survival?"
Anna gulped when she saw the smiling face of a red-headed demon. The ominous aura leaking from the girl made her, a Commander of an Army, feel small.
Uttering a nervous chuckle, Anna spoke, "well… you see."
She proceeded to tell her everything, the war with Embla, the people's distress, and how they had summoned her because they needed help. If they didn't stop the kingdom of Embla, then they would enslave all the worlds and rule everything.
The girl stood there and hummed before she turned around and huddled with her companions. After taking what seemed like hours, the girl came back to her with a smile. Anna shivered when she saw that smile. It was the same smile she used against others when she was about to swindle the other party. She escaped the executioner's block but not her wallet. She just knew she was going to be extorted.
Then, the black-haired woman started the negotiations. Anna thought the demands were bizarre, as these were reasonable and expected things to be given to allies: providing reinforcements, giving food supplies, and many other things. It was a paltry amount, but the strange thing about such compensation was the quantity of such an order. The kingdom of Askr was to provide enough provisions to feed a few hundred people.
She had wondered why they needed that much and she was met with a response she never saw coming.
A hologram of their leader appeared and relayed the purpose of their organization.
To stop the incineration of humanity at the hands of a madman.
By trying to help her country, she had doomed an entire world filled with billions of people in their past, present, and future to die.
Anna felt sick. She didn't want to believe it, her brain deluded herself into thinking it was just lies and that they were just trying to extort their order but the evidence outweighed her denial. The woman Da Vinci saw through it and put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine if you don't believe us since it is a very ludicrous story to tell. We at the Chaldea Security Organization are dedicated to helping mankind. Since your problem involves humanity and spans multiple worlds and timelines, we accept your plea to join forces with your grand Order of Heroes.
Anna's smile came back, but it fell slightly when the woman brought up an index finger, telling her she wasn't finished. "But we will do it only until we find a way to decipher this Nordic Noble Phantasm and finish our mission, as it still takes priority over your crisis."
'Nordic? Noble Phantasm?' Anna was unsure of what those words meant, but she thanked them and vowed to correct her wrongs. The redhead shrugged off her apology.
"It's fine. We needed a small vacation anyway and seeing as how we're fighting a normal war, it shouldn't be too difficult. "
Anna gave her a puzzled look, "why do you say that-" Before Anna could even finish that sentence, the sound of three bodies came from behind her. She looked behind her and jumped back with her eyes bulging from her sockets. In front of her lay three dead Emblian infantry troops.
"Wha-"
Another, much larger body crashed near her. A familiar golden spear protruding both the man and his wyvern like a skewer.
"D-demon…"
Gods, the rider was still alive!
A strong blast of heat sent her flying back. It died down after a few seconds, but Anna was unable to see the immediate aftermath. Collecting herself. Anna turned to the spear's location, only for her jaw to drop when she saw what the spear had done. The spear was so hot that it cremated the dragon and his rider into a pile of black ash. The golden spear that nearly decapitated her was embedded in the pile of dragon and human ash. It had not warped, blemished, or melted from the extreme heat.
That was one of the most insane flames she had ever felt, and it did not look like a typical Ragnarök spell. And all that power seemed to have originated from the spear.
'An enchanted weapon. Heh, I got off easy.'
Anna shifted her gaze to the man who had almost killed her in the same manner. She saw his eyes held no remorse for his actions, and instead a cold resolution and indifference toward the enemies he just slaughtered.
"Huh. Those guys barely lasted against a weak attack like that. How disappointing. Well, at least their drop loot is good." Anna looked back at the girl who said the morbid thing.
The girl was standing over the ashes she had been watching earlier. A glint of sunlight reflected on a translucent green orb she was holding in her fingers. The look she was giving the object was the same look many bandits got when they eyed an untouched village.
What had she brought to this world?
"Now then," the girl pocketed the orb in one of her white uniform's pockets, then she put her hands behind her back and turned to look at her. "Rejoice, Anna of the Order of Heroes! Your wish will, at last, come true! The days of this pitiful war are numbered, a week will be sufficient. Now lead the way."
Anna was too dumbfounded at the carnage that she just nodded and led her to the camp.
Funny story, this was actually supposed to be part of chapter 1, as a flashback. In the end, I decided to change it because I felt it was too different to the rest of the chapter. So here it is, now as a side chapter. As a reminder, the side story(SSR) will follow the events of canon more closely than the main story, since the main story is all about character interactions. Also, SSR will feature more of Gudao and Chaldea than in the main story.
Also, my ideas are getting easier to actualize into chapters, therefore I wanted to officially announce that I will plan to post around three chapters a week depending on the length I make them... at least for the rest of December. I Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday.
Boey, the white-haired mage whirled his frame at his pink-haired companion.
"Not that bad? Not that bad?! Mae, in this walk alone we've already had 5 people mistake me for that guy!" Who was this guy he was referring to? Why, it was none other than the most popular and sought-out Heroic Spirit in Chaldea, Archer Emiya.
Mae's eyes were looking away from him, unsure if what she was about to say next would set him off.
"I mean... I can see why people would mistake you for Emiya-"
"He and I look NOTHING ALIKE!"
Mae winced at his tone which caused Boey to feel guilt, "sorry... I am a bit on edge. It's just... it's not pleasant to constantly be mistaken for the wrong person at all times, then get punished for it." Such a predicament wouldn't be so bad if he didn't constantly get glomped, punched, or almost stabbed by certain Heroic Spirits for not responding to them.
Mae patted his back, "no worries, Boey. I get it. You thought your fashion trend was super special and then all of a sudden, you find out it's so common even grandmas know about it. "
"What's your point, Mae?" This attempt at comforting him was not helping to brighten his mood in the slightest.
"My point is, look at the bright side! At least you get a chance to be hit on by cute girls all the time!"
Boey gave the pink girl a deadpan expression, "I believe you mean 'hit by' not 'hit on by' girls Mae."
It was one thing to be mistaken for Emiya and be apologized to afterward, it was another to be inappropriately assaulted by a psychopath with a twisted mind and a hair trigger for unwarranted violence.
They were two completely different experiences, experiences which he hoped to end by having the summoner do something about it.
"Onii-chan!!"
Boey heard a young girl and he internally groaned. He knew what was coming but like a stubborn mule, he leaned on his usual response. He decided to ignore her.
"O-Onii-chan wait! Where are you going?!"
Mae was looking at the voice behind him, "Uh... Boey? I think she's calling for you."
"Just ignore it and it will go away Mae."
"But wouldn't it be easier to just tell them you aren't her 'onii chan'?" She said the last word using her fingers to make air quotes.
"No, it wouldn't. Keep walking Mae, just keep walking." In fact, Boey has learned that simply stating that he isn't Emiya could get even worse for him in some cases. Especially with the blonde ones. Apparently, the heroic spirit has a habit of denying his identity to his friends and family, and it pisses him off that his logical decisions are hurting him.
Boey continued to move forward until another annoyance called out to him.
"Hey dumbass!" Boey would normally never respond to such a childish insult after being with Mae for years, but the past week has been especially bad. So he lost his patience and turned his head, his lungs ready to release a scolding toward the rude child.
Only to be met by a small foot to his face.
"Pay attention to people when they speak to you!"
Boey fell on his ass, the momentum making him skid toward a nearby wall. The back of his head crashed into the wall, making him momentarily see stars spinning around him.
"Ah! Kuro! You shouldn't do that!"
"It's his fault for ignoring his cute little sisters like that. What? You think you're too cool to hang around us, do you? And who's this chick?"
"Hey! Watch it kid. I'm no chicken! The names Mae and you just assaulted my friend!"
"...That's not what I meant." Boey's vision was blurry, so he could not see the look on the girl's face but he could feel the disappointment emanating from her.
"Geez Onii-chan, your taste in women continues to be as terrible as always."
"You take that back, I am an absolute catch! Just look at my gorgeous eyes, my voluptuous form, and my beautiful pink hair. Boey is too much of a nerd to score this."
"Huh? Bowie? You mean that American singer?"
Boey regained his senses and let out a groan as he stood up. His sudden recovery had made the rude girl shift her attention toward him.
"She's referring to me brat." He straightened his back with multiple satisfying pops before he cast a small non-faith healing spell on himself.
Simultaneously, he turned to the confused girl, Kuro, who had kicked him, with an annoyed expression on his face.
"First of all, I'm an only child..."
He took a step forward, which caused the girl to take a step back in fear. "Second of all, and make sure to listen closely... My name is Boey... NOT Emiya!"
The corridor grew silent, only the sound of Boey's voice echoing in the background was what could be heard for a few seconds.
"See? I told you he wasn't Shiro Onii-chan." Boey blinked when he heard that and turned to the voice. He was met with a stoic blue-haired girl of a similar age to the other two girls who confused him.
'Well, at least not all of them are lost causes.'
Kuro, the rude tan-skinned girl with white hair that kicked him, furrowed her brows at him before her eyes widened in surprise.
"Huh... whadda ya know, you really aren't an alternate Caster Shiro Nii-chan after all. Ehehe... whoops."
The girl made a strange gesture, she winked at him while she knocked on her head with her fist. What really annoyed Boey more was the fact she was sticking her tongue out, as if mocking him.
"Um... we're so-sorry for the mix-up, Mister Boey!" A pink-haired girl apologized while giving a formal Hoshidan bow.
Boey felt anger rise in his lungs, ready to erupt on these brats but a soft hand cut off his rant mid-throat.
He turned to see Mae give him a look, a look which he knew meant that if he exploded now, he was going to be getting lectured by both the pinkie and Celica for the foreseeable and unforeseeable future.
His tense body deflated with a sigh, "it's alright. It's an… unfortunately common mistake. Just be sure to take care not to attack strangers, or family for that matter. Now off you go."
The pink-haired girl fidgeted before she bowed once more and dragged that menace with her.
The blue girl gave one last, long look at him before she left.
Boey then turns to Mae with a deadpan expression, "still think my situation is 'not that bad' Mae?"
Mae scratched her cheek, "maybe just a little."
Mae and Boey had been interrupted two more times before they managed to reach Gudako's room.
0-0-0
"Oh Hey Boey! Woah what happened to your face?!"
Boey was relieved at first, when he saw the summoner had managed to recognize him for himself. However, that relief immediately vanished when he noticed the person standing next to her was the last person he wanted to see today.
The tan-skinned man with white hair turned to face him and paused when he saw the mark on his face. He didn't linger on it and just gave him a nod, "Boey."
"... Third-rate."
He felt Mae's shoulder jab him in the gut, but he wasn't budging. It was the truth, Shirou Emiya was a third-rate magus, and the man doesn't deny it.
"As friendly as always, aren't you Boey? So, what business do you have with my master?"
Boey hardened his eyes, "you know exactly why I am here, Emiya."
"I have no idea why you would assume I know your intentions, since I am not a mind reader. Also, I have no name."
Boey rolled his eyes, "could have fooled me Mr. Nameless, because everyone seems to call you something different."
"I never asked them to call me those things."
"Kind of like how I didn't ask to be mistaken for your third-rate face every time I leave my room. Funny how that works doesn't it... Shiro Onii-chan~?"
A smirk graced Boey's lips when he saw Emiya shiver at the moniker his little sisters gave him.
"Call me that again and I'll personally isekai you into another world myself, Boey."
"I'd like to see you try, Shero... or is it Shiroi, Senpai? Oh, I know! How about just Shiro? Has a nice ring to it doesn't it-"
A white blade appeared next to his face, but Boey didn't flinch, since he knew Emiya wouldn't do anything with her beloved Master here.
In the past, he would have been more afraid of having such a blade turned against him. But he has gotten used to fighting off unreasonable 'Saberfaces' for a while now, so such intimidation tactics were conditioned out of him.
Which was why he had already readied his Mjölnir Tome beforehand. Magic resistance or not, getting zapped by any magics tied to Earth's Norse pantheon, especially those tied to a god, was surprisingly effective on Heroic Spirits. He would have brought out his Excalibur tome to taunt him, but he had to shelve it after his first bad encounter with the knights of the round table.
"Boys!! Stop!"
Gudako got in between both Emiya and himself before either launched the first spell.
Neither wanting to hurt her, they both withdrew their weapons.
Boey turned toward the redhead, who was looking at him with a patient look in her eyes. "Gudako, I grow weary of getting mistaken for this guy day in and day out. Can you please hold a meeting with everyone who knows Emiya and inform them to stop harassing me?"
"Which one are you talking about? There are so many, you're going to have to be specific."
"Just... Do you have any advice on what I can get people off my back?"
The redhead hummed while stroking an invisible beard, her eyes furrowed as she scrutinized him.
"Have you tried dying your hair another color? You would look good as a redhead."
Boey was not amused by Gudako's suggestion.
"I like my appearance as it is, I merely wish to have your spiritual projections refrain from attacking me every time I decide to step out of my room."
Gudako sighed, "Boey, throw me the bone of your sword here." Boey's eye twitched in annoyance when she said that.
"You can't have your cake and eat it too. You need to make sacrifices."
"Yeah Boey, we understand you're going through a lot, but you have to be reasonable!" Mae said as she put her hands on her hips.
"I... I suppose you are right." Boey grabbed his silver hair with his hand, "do you have any color suggestions, that aren't red?"
"Green," Gudako answered immediately.
"Do you think I am mad? I am already struggling to keep your saberfaces off my back, I don't want to swap them for manaketes!"
"Oh, what about pink? We can be twinsies!"
Boey turned to Mae and only gave her a flat look.
"Hey, no need to look at me like that, it was only a suggestion."
The group fell silent while they racked their heads for a solution.
"Or you know... get used to it. Eventually, they will learn you aren't an Emiya. After all, no Emiya is as squishy as you." Said Emiya with a smirk.
Boey glares at him, which escalates the situation once more. Before they can pounce on each other, Gudako interjects once more, "aha! I got it! You should wear a hat!"
"A hat?"
"Not just any hat, a baseball cap! You know, like the one Mysterious Heroine XX wears? Emiya never wears hats and it should be enough to keep everyone from mistaking you. Plus, you get to keep your hairstyle and color the same!"
Boey blinked in surprise, "Huh... that's not a bad idea actually."
How had he not thought of doing that earlier?
"Right?! Just give me a moment." Gudako put her hand on her ear. To anyone else, it would seem like she was doing something crazy but to Boey, he could sense the magical energy flow from the girl's ear into one of her many, many spiritual connections. The one who belonged to the aforementioned Mysterious Heroine XX.
Truth be told, Boey has only seen her in passing, but she was civil and had never bothered him before.
"Okay, I just talked to her. She said she's got a spare baseball cap that she can part with that will suit you nicely. If you wish to know where she is, XX is currently in the training arena."
Boey smiled, "while I am still a bit hesitant about it, I will give you my thanks Gudako."
"Not a problem, Boey, and if for some reason this problem persists then I will be sure to bring it up at the next meeting. I'll even make a PowerPoint!"
"That is all I ask of you." He turned towards his pink companion, "Let's go Mae."
With that Boey and Mae waved the duo goodbye and made their way toward the training arena.
"Senpai... I found you~"
But not before running into a few more of Emiya's friends and family on the way there.
0-0-0
"Ah, my good friend Boey! It is so good to see you... are you alright?"
Mysterious Heroine XX was staring at him with concern. His face had a visible handprint mark on it which was overlaid with his fading footmark.
"Pay it no mind. Wait... you recognized me as Boey?"
The saberface nodded, "indeed. I would never mistake a fellow kohai 'face' slayer for his prey."
"'Face' Slayer?" Both Boey and Mae asked simultaneously.
"Umu. Tis the title all those of our pedigree hold. I am a seibah slayer since I hate all seibahs." She then pointed at Boey.
"You are an Emiyah slayer since you hate all Emiyahs. Therefore we are kindred spirits."
She tossed a red hat towards Boey, which he caught with ease. Inspecting it further, he noted it was actually saturated with powerful concealment magic.
Boey's eyes widened before he put it on his head.
Mae put a finger gun under her chin and scrutinized him, "Huh. It looks nice on you."
"wow.... thanks XX."
The blonde woman shook her head, "no. The pleasure is all mine Boey. Truth be told, I was going to offer this hat to you much earlier after I saw your plight. Forgive me for not coming sooner."
Boey smiled genuinely at her, "it's alright. In the end, you came to my help. You have my thanks. Is there any way I can repay you?"
"No, there is no need my beloved kohai, I do not-" A loud stomach grumble interrupted their talk, it came from Mysterious Heroine XX, who now sported a full face flush.
"Then, how about we go get some grub?" Boey said.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose..." XX said.
"No, it's okay. It will be my treat." Boey said.
"That's a great idea! I'm feeling pretty hungry myself!" Mae said while patting her stomach.
"Then... if you are okay with it... then let us head to the Mess Hall. Beni-Enma is cooking today, so we don't have to worry about any seibahs bothering us."
Boey's face brightened up, "it's settled."
He would later come to regret his decision, as the food supply took a massive plunge in stock. A price that had to come out of his now empty coin pouch.
Not much I can say other than Boey does look a lot like the servants that Shirou Emiya can become. Thought I'd play it for laughs, and boy was it fun to write this chapter with that mentality. Still have no idea why Intelligent Systems changed his appearance so drastically, but eh. It wouldn't have been as fun to write this if they hadn't.
Xander gazed upon the small coalition of Askarian soldiers before him.
There is quite an interesting assortment of heroes assembled before him. The mop of scarlet hair he recognized as Anna, was acting as their commander. This Anna was one of the sisters of the merchants he allowed in his realm but not the one he knew.
Still, to think he would have a chance to kill one in combat. As king of Nohr, he will pay back everything her sisters have swindled and extorted from his coffers ten-fold.
He couldn't help but give her a smirk of satisfaction, which seems to have caused her to swallow a gulp of air.
Good. Now he doesn't have to waste his breath explaining her family's crimes.
Next to her were the prince and princess of the Askr kingdom, who were every bit as green as his sister in terms of waging war.
Three people before him he didn't recognize.
A woman of similar hair color to Anna but dressed in a white outfit and much shorter and younger than Anna. He felt a bit uneasy when he made brief eye contact with her, so he averted his eyes to what she was holding in her hand.
The Breidablik is a legendary relic that summons heroes from other worlds. It would seem that this girl isn't a nobody, but rather the legendary summoner of Askr.
His eyes moved left and were met with the visage of a gorgeous black-haired mage with flawless skin. She had a humble smile painted on her face. Yet despite her beauty, her state of dress was ridiculous when one took into account the massive armored hand clutching a uniquely, and over designed mage's staff.
Her skirt was shorter than some of the courtesans that roam the shady alleys on the upper levels of the Nohrian capital. The woman noticed his gaze and gave him a playful wink. He pushed his inappropriate thoughts down and looked to the final warrior before him.
This girl was even worse. He immediately averted his eyes from staring at the lilac-haired girl's form-fitting outfit.
Despite the vulgar dress code, Xander could tell that these two women were vastly superior in power to anyone else on the Order of Heroes and the girl with the crazy eyes.
"Xander, do what you must but I want them dead."
He turned toward Princess Veronica, who was looking at the group with her ever-present stoic expression.
"As you wish milady."
He unsheathed his blade and pointed it toward the Askarians and their allies, "All allies of the Order of Heroes are enemies of the Kingdom of Embla! Surrender and your death will be painless."
"Yeah… how about no?" The redheaded girl said with a smug tone.
"Very well, you have chosen your fate." He hit the sides of his trusted steed and galloped toward the woman.
"Karna!"
Out of nowhere, a blinding light shines in the sky, causing Xander to cover his eyes with his hand. It felt as if the sun itself was descending to the battlefield.
From his point of view, it certainly did.
His steed neighs frantically as Xander yanks his reins to avoid colliding with the ball of fire that landed before him.
The light died down and a warrior stood in its place. A pale figure wearing ornate golds, blacks, and reds, but his most striking feature was his ashen white hair.
On his shoulder was a distinctly familiar person, someone who he had met and mingled with for the past few months. Bruno, Veronica's older brother.
Xander gazed at the broken and battered form of the Prince of Embla as he was handed over to the prince and princess of Askr. To think he had failed to complete his sister's orders and had proven himself incompetent enough to be captured by the enemy. No… Prince Bruno is many things, but incompetent he is not. He was overpowered… by this man.
Xander was originally not going to put much thought into their prowess due to how often Embla pushed back Askr, but after seeing these strangers take down an experienced prince alive, he had to reevaluate the strength of their Order.
"Kill them all, show no mercy!!!" His Lady suddenly said, a vicious snarl aimed at the one who hurt her brother. She pointed her finger towards the redhead, "And bring me that summoner's head!"
As his Lady Veronica commands. He turned back towards the group, his gaze hardened enough to match steel in strength.
"My name is Xander, The King of Nohr! I will not allow you to escape! May I have the honor of knowing your name?"
The man turned to the young redhead woman as if asking for permission to respond, who seemed to allow it. "Very well, I am the son of the Sun God Surya, the hero of Charity, Karna."
Xander mentally scoffed. The son of a sun god? While it's true that such claims are hardly rare, he was never one to truly believe them. Descendents? Maybe, but an actual offspring of a god? It was ridiculous. Still, to give the man credit, unlike others of his kind, his voice did not carry a drop of arrogance.
He drew Siegfried and readied his horse to continue its charge.
His opponent responded in kind, pointing his golden lance at him. The mana of the weapon gave the lance an ethereal glow that gleamed brighter than the sun above.
He was mildly impressed by the amount of mana radiating from the lance rivaled if not surpassed the magic from his own blade. While he acknowledged his opponent's overwhelming power, he would still not falter. He had to protect the princess, she reminded him too much of his sister Corrin and he will not allow harm to come to her.
He raised his sword and charged.
Xander wielded a sword, which is at a disadvantage to lances but he still had the advantage of a mounted unit.
Yet Karna didn't move, he just stood there, waiting to take his blade.
Foolish but brave. He accelerated his steed, lifted his blade, and swung downwards.
The two weapons clashed.
Then, a loud pop hit his ears.
He let out a pained groan but it was drowned out by his horse's neighs of anguish.
At the same time, a powerful blast of wind knocked him and his horse back into the air. Both man and beast landed on the unforgiving rocky terrain with a thud. Thankfully, he managed to avoid being crushed by his horse's girth. Because his steed had been cut in half, it allowed the saddle and himself to slip off his now dead mounted unit.
Xander sat up from where he landed and felt a dull ache near his arm. He tried to lift it but his arm didn't respond, even trying to move his finger proved to be a challenge.
Looking down at his arm, it made sense.
Xander frowned, his opponent had enough strength to dislocate his shoulder and cut his horse on twain without so much as breaking a sweat. But how did he manage to send both himself and his horse flying backward that far?
Was it an Elwind? Where did he manage to conjure such magic?
His opponent seemed to be able to read his expression and replied, "There was no magic. It was just the wind I generated from my strike. "
He couldn't believe it. How could a man be strong enough to generate wind with a lance that strong without magic?
Once more, as if reading his mind his opponent responded, "Such is the nature of Heroic Spirits. We live in a realm above normal humans, one where legends and myths reside." He pointed his golden lance at him once more.
"Surrender, for my master is merciful to men of reason."
Xander mustered all the courage in his being and in a painful display of resilience, pushed his dislocated bone back into its place with a loud pop.
"Never. I won't allow that."
"Understood. Then, Xander king of Nohr, may you find peace with your gods." Karna got into a basic thrusting position meant for attacking the enemy from up close. How odd considering they are nowhere near close to each other.
Yet, after locking eyes with his adversary, he could feel his bi-colored eyes peer directly into his soul.
He will not underestimate his next attack.
He leveled his sword with a shaking hand and readied himself for the attack.
It did nothing to stop the lance from his enemy sinking into his armor.
A kick to the gut took the wind from his lungs, dislodging the spear from his shoulder and spraying blood everywhere.
The kick had sent him flying once more, but he managed to avoid dislocating his damaged arm again. This time, he landed on his back. It was by the Dusk Dragon's Will he hadn't gone lame then and there. He took a moment to take a breath before mustering all the strength in his weary body to stand and face his opponent again.
His instincts suddenly screamed at him to raise Siegfried.
The divine sword barely managed to deflect a slash by the golden spear.
Another slash. Then another, and another.
Xander moved and ducked, barely escaping each hit with a flesh wound. Deep flesh wounds, but he was too focused on staying alive to worry about the small gashes accumulating on his body.
Then, he saw an opening when Karna overextended his reach.
He took it.
His [Luna] skill activated, and he made a downward strike.[1]
Karna easily blocked his strike, leaving both Xander and Karna in a spear/sword clash. He was surprised his skill hadn't affected the man as much as he expected, but either way, he still had him where he wanted him.
Xander raised his arms, which caused his blade to move over the golden lance. Then, in one smooth and simultaneous motion, he slid the blade toward Karna's face.[2]
The man was taken aback slightly, as Siegfried scratched his face. But rather than getting cut, his skin sparked and screeched as if it were made of metal. [3]
He couldn't help but swallow a bit of fear that rose up his throat. What kind of monster…
The monster jumped backward to gain distance from him, despite not needing it due to his absurd defenses. "Praiseworthy. You truly are a cut above the rest of this world's humans, Xander, King of Nohr. Had I been a normal opponent, that attack would have been fatal. Your efforts are acknowledged,"
Xander cared not for his enemy's praise. Monster or not, he still had to continue fighting.... for her, even if he did it till his last breath.
"However, they are not enough. I will show you what you are truly up against." The monster, no, the demigod, turned from him and gazed at his army behind him.
"What are you-"
"O' Brahma, Cover the Earth."
The words were foreign to him, but they radiated power. His lone eye glowed a blazing red, telling Xander he was charging a powerful magical attack.
A burning heat grazes his neck, just barely missing his skull.
The red light engulfed his vision, it quickly morphed into the image of a 5-year-old Corrin playing with her dolls, of Camilla holding a young Elise in her arms, of him having political debates with his brother Leo, of his late father the day he announced him as his official crown prince, of the day he became king.
…and of the day he swore fealty to Lady Veronica.
The light died down.
Xander swallowed the cold lump of dread that formed in his throat. He had just seen his life flash before his eyes.
But he was not given a moment's rest, as he was once more taken aback when an earthquake shook the battlefield.
The world… it… it turned red. Not blood-red, if a poet were to describe what Xander was seeing right now, they would describe it as an ethereal glow with the intensity of a thousand suns.
Xander resisted the urge to look behind him for fear of losing his eyesight to the heat.
When it died down, he turned, and his will to fight shattered.
That attack had carved Embla's army in two and had reached miles beyond. His breath hitched when he saw that the beam of light had reduced part of the mountain in the distance to slag.
He then felt a pang of worry come over him, his mistress!! Xander searched frantically for her and saw she was being held at knifepoint by a white-haired girl smaller than her.
A glint of light caught his eye, and when he looked to see what it was, he realized he was finished. The golden spear was now hanging over his shoulder. Usually, it would be easy to deflect the spear to the side and attack his opponent, but it would be pointless with his mistress being taken, hostage.
He would normally call such tactics cowardly, but alas, Karna was much like he was. A blade for his mistress, and he cannot judge him for her actions, honorable or not. For if he did, that would just make him a hypocrite.
"Do you surrender? I vow upon my name, your lady will not be harmed."
He gazed up at his sharp pale blue eyes. Despite the ease at which The Hero of Charity had beaten him, there was no mockery present in them, Xander saw nothing but praise for his skills.
Xander's shoulder sagged, and his face was twisted into a conflicted expression. Then, he sighed, "I surrender."
Footnotes:
[1] Luna skill: Resolve combat as if foe suffered Def/Res -50%.
[2] I saw a Shadiversity video explaining that the overused sword clash/bind is dumb. Because it could easily be broken by moving your sword in a different position and getting at the opponent. Since Karna is using a spear, I thought it would be more practical for Xander to do the first technique shad used rather than the latter.
[3] I am going to state again that I don't want to be bogged down by numbers, but I will still entertain their effects. Luna did work on Karna, but again, stats be damned, nothing can penetrate his Kavacha(the armor). The hindu gods had to take it away from the equation or else Arjuna would have lost his fight with Karna, though it only happened because Kana was a chad and gave it up. It covers even Karna's exposed body parts, Which is why the skin sparked when Siegfried touched it. The only way Karna will become vulnerable to getting cut or stabbed would be after he uses Vasavi Shakti.
Had it been a lower-ranked Heroic Spirit like Angra Mainyu, Stheno, Euryale, or Hans, a Luna-enhanced Crit attack by Xander's Siegfried would have sent their body ragdolling across the battlefield, still alive but hurting badly.
Would such an attack affect a servant? Yes, Xander's attack is on par with a servant due to the divine nature of his weapon on top of the fact that its name is connected to Siegfried and Sigurd, and he could keep up with some servants in a grail war, but against Heroic Spirits(aka the real deal)? No.
Attacks are naturally more effective when they are connected to their namesake on Earth. The effects will be different but the 'weight' will still be enough to hurt a heroic spirit. Regardless, Karna is still OP as hell, even with Siegfried buffed with Sigurd and Siegfried's names and legends, It can't do much against Kavacha.
Karna was treating this as a spar, while Xander was treating it as a fight to the death.
Good thing Hans has Karna to protect him against Xander, he's been doing his best to avoid the Fates cast after the incident.
Here it is, the infamous curb stomp that ended the war between Embla and Askr. I know a lot of people want me to even the odds between the two series soon, and trust me, I have some things planned soon. I already showed that characters can use names as power as a way to combat them, but in terms of combat on equal footing, I do have something special planned. But for now, this is what you can expect for Heroic Spirits vs Fire emblem characters.
I promise I won't make these kinds of fights too common, since I know they can get dull fast.
If Veronica could sum up what had happened during her invasion of Askr, it would be this. It was supposed to be an easy victory! She would overwhelm the Order of Heroes with her army of superior numbers and kill the Askarians once and for all. It was all according to plan… until she showed up.
The legendary summoner of Askr, the one who wielded the Breidablik to summon heroes from other worlds. At first, the girl looked like nothing special, strangely garbed and using strange mannerisms, yes, but nothing special. Veronica underestimated her, badly, and it cost her dearly.
She and her poor brother Bruno, who was badly beaten to a pulp by that white monster, were taken hostage by the cursed Askarians and left to rot in their 'comfy' dungeon cells. Her country somehow managed to bargain for her and her brother's release in exchange for a 'peace treaty' but she had no plans to uphold it. She didn't want peace, she wanted revenge!
She wanted to kill that annoying redheaded summoner so that she never had to worry about her interference ever again! But with those overpowered guard dogs it was impossible.
Her heroic summons truly are unfair. She had overheard details of their true nature while in the long months in captivity. They are spirits of deceased heroes who inhabit a magical container that can interact with the natural world. Their legends become a part of themselves and their feats, no matter how wrong or true, become their source of power.
She only has access to weak humans, while that unworthy summoner has an arsenal of super-strong heroes that can annihilate countries by themselves.
She needs... No, she wants that power for herself. She couldn't care less about whatever calamity is happening in the world of the summoner, she is going to find a way to get back at her and get even.
That sole drive has been what has kept Veronica awake for the past day and a half while she scoured the Embla Royal Archives. She was searching for any scrap of information on where the summoner's world could be located, based on what she gathered in prison. She had gotten a few clues, like the names of what she believed were entities like Gaia and Alaya, as well as some locations like America, Camelot, and Okeanos.
Veronica had nearly flipped open every book in the archives until finally, she found what she wanted.
The World of Steel. It is a world where magic runs thin and the last generations of mages fight like hungry rats to keep the last scraps of magical energy to themselves. Meanwhile, the rest of humanity lives in a separate world, completely oblivious to the truth of the other side.
Veronica could hardly believe such powerful summons came from such a world, but she wasn't going to look down on this world, not anymore.
"Xander," Veronica called her most loyal hero without her eyes leaving the page she was currently analyzing.
"Yes, milady?"
"Prepare to meet me at the royal summoning altar, and bring me all the summoning orbs we have in our treasury." She looked up from her book, meeting her summon dead in the eyes.
"We're going to even the odds."
"Understood." Xander dutifully leaves the room in preparation for the appropriate materials for her ritual.
She turned back toward her book and continued to inspect the intricate circle drawn on the page.
0-0-0
The Royal summoning Altar was the location where Embla's Order of Heroes summoned Embla's heroes. Normally, the coordinates for the altar would be aimed to pull in heroes from the other worlds near Midgard, but today was special. Today she was going to shift the summoning altar's coordinates toward a faraway world, a parallel Midgard.
"The summoning circle has been upgraded, milady." A mage said.
Veronica stared at the modified summoning circle with a grin. The 5-pointed star pentagram was now a 9-pointed star pentagram inside another pentagram. Various runes were carved in between the outer and inner circles. Yes, this will do nicely.
"Milady, I have brought what you requested," Xander said as he brought in the first batch of summoning orbs in a large wheelbarrow.
"Excellent. We shall begin immediately."
Veronica stretched out her hand over the circle and poured her magical energy into it. If the magi from the World of Steel could see her now, they would be drooling at how much magical energy she was pouring into the pentagram.
Her mouth started to move, and words came out but to the outward observer, the lip flaps did not match her words. Veronica was chanting at 9 times the speed of a normal vocal conversation. The altar and the surrounding area began to shake as she chanted but she didn't stop, the light from the pentagram got brighter and brighter but she refused to cease her actions, no matter how much her subordinates were begging her to stop. She continued to chant because she wanted power. She wanted revenge. But most importantly… she wanted…
Light engulfed the room, blinding her and everyone around her. After a few seconds of nothing but white, the light began to die down.
Veronica was the closest to the epicenter, but her eyes had easily readjusted to the sudden darkness. She heard the soft steps of bare feet on stone. She rubbed her eyes to remove the last bits of blurriness away from her eyes and focused on the figure once more.
Standing over the modified summoning circle was a beautiful angel with matching colored eyes, hair, and wings. Both her hair and wings were of equal length, the former much too long for her stature as both of their tips were touching the back of her knees. She wore only a simple white dress while holding a strange-looking guitar in her arms.
'A heron Laguz? A failure then.' Heron Laguz were natives of the World of Radiance, in other words, not from the alternate Midgard.
"Excuse me, are you the one who called for me?" The Laguz asked.
"Yes, I am your summoner, and your future queen, Veronica the Queen of Embla."
The Laguz's face brightened at the confirmation, "I see. I heard your plea for help, and so here I am! My True name is Type Venus, but you can call me Vivi. It's nice to meet you, Veronica." The woman who Veronica was now just realizing was not a Laguz, said with a toothy grin.
"You're not a Laguz?" Veronica asked, hoping to see if her suspicions were correct.
"I have no idea what a Laguz is… is that a new species of Beast Man?" She said with her head tilted in confusion.
"Then tell me, are you from the World of Steel?"
"No. I am not from Earth. I am the ultimate life form from the Planet Venus, which is Earth's neighbor in the solar system." She looks around the room as if she is taking in and evaluating the magical energy around her. "Though if you are asking if I originate from a world different from here, then yes I am from the World of Steel.
Veronica could barely comprehend the woman's words, but she got her confirmation, her summoning was a success. "So how powerful are you?"
Veronica suddenly asked the girl, who just looked at the ceiling while putting a finger on her cheek.
"Hmmm… It's not important."
Not important? Not important?! She needed to know how strong she was, she needed to-
Veronica jumped back in fear when the woman suddenly blipped out of existence and appeared face-to-face with her. She hadn't even blinked, and the woman had somehow crossed the sizable distance between them without so much as moving a muscle and somehow found time to shift her guitar so that it was now placed behind her back.
Veronica stood frozen as the woman leaned into her. Her golden eyes, from up close, were so mesmerizing. They shone with a beauty that rivaled even the brightest of gems. Veronica was not in love, she was merely stating a fact, as she finally understood that she was not looking at a human or laguz but an actual goddess who descended from the heavens. Not even the manaketes or divine dragons had such a concentrated ethereal presence.
And those eyes were currently staring deep into her soul, quite literally, as she felt Vivi's magical connection to her fluctuate and prod inside her.
"It must have been so lonely, hasn't it? To have everyone leave you by yourself."
"What…"
"It's okay, you don't have to be lonely anymore. I am here and I promise I will take care of you."
Veronica shakes herself from her summon's surprisingly comforting words, "D-D-Don't get the wrong idea! I am still your master! You will obey me! Do not pity me for I am-"
She was cut off by a warm embrace, and suddenly Veronica's protests died as she felt a blanket of affection envelop her soul.
"Good girl." The woman said as she gently patted her head as a doting mother would.
Her arms went limp, the will to resist stripped from them as she allowed Vivi to spoil her. They had just met and yet, she was already putty in her hands. For the first time in years, Veronica felt like she was not alone.
Though as much as she loved this sensation, she still had to complete her goal. She has no idea how truly strong Vivi is compared to Askr's summoner, so she plans on summoning some more summons, just in case.
0-0-0
"Seriously Veronica? Another invasion? When are you going to learn?"
Gudako said while looking up at the Queen of Embla, who was staring down the Order of Heroes and Chaldea, arms crossed and with a smug grin on her face.
"You might have caught me off guard last time, summoner... but this time I came prepared."
"Hah! That's a cute claim, princess, and what good is an army of humans going to do against my heroic spirits? Did you forget what happened last time, Veronica? Do you want a repeat performance?"
Gudako snapped her fingers and, like a loyal dog, Karna appeared with his golden spear pointed at the princess once more.
"Oh. It won't be like last time. Because you see... I just happen to have overpowered summons of my very own!!"
The faint sound of a gun trigger being pulled echoed on the battlefield. It was inaudible to most mortals, even some of the nonhumans struggled to hear it. Of the few that could, only a few could sense the intention behind that sound. But only one could react quickly enough to get out of the way.
"Master! Watch out!"
Emiya manages to pull Gudako away from an incoming ray of light, a light that pierces straight through Karna's impenetrable armor.
Blood spilled from Karna's mouth, his spear falling to the ground with a loud clang that the entire battlefield, which had fallen silent, could hear.
The man looked down, only to find a massive gaping hole where his chest should be. It was so large, that it was easy to see the various expressions of disbelief, shock, and grief that his comrades, friends, and family were giving him from behind.
"Im… possible…" Those were the last words that the Hero of Charity said before he exploded into a black, nebulous cloud of magical energy.
"Pity. To think I would have to use a perfectly good bullet on such a small fry. What a waste."
Everyone turned to the voice of the one who had just sniped a demigod. Archer Emiya and the various versions of his family and friends gasp in shock when they see the identity of the figure.
A tall, middle-aged Japanese man with spiky black hair and a ponytail, dressed in a dark suit was standing over a nearby hill. His arm was pointing a gun to where the former Hero of Charity once stood.
Many voices cried out toward the figure, one or two calling him "Papa," others calling him "the Magus Killer," but the most common was "Kiritsugu."
The man looks at the Chaldeans, in particular towards the many copies of Arturia Pendragon and the Emiya Family specifically with an annoyed look on his face, "got no idea who you people are referring to. But the name's Gun god." He levels his still-smoking pistol at them, his intention to kill them clear to all in his sights.
Archer Emiya takes a moment to use structural analysis on the pistol in Gun God's hand.
His eyes widened in horror, "The Black Barrel…."
Gun God smiles, "Oh? You know my partner? As I would expect of the humans that came before me."
"Where did you get that?! Atlas wouldn't dare to part with one of their 7 super weapons, even if it was a replica!" Emiya said with genuine fear in his voice.
"If you must know, I dug it up from some ruins. So I doubt the creators would mind if I used it to do some work." Before he shot another bullet, a blinding arrow made its way toward Gun God, which he proceeded to dodge.
"You bastard!! How dare you do that to Karna!! You'll pay for that!!" The enraged and sorrow-filled Arjuna said as he loaded another arrow into his bow.
"Hurts doesn't it?" Veronica taunted the Archer.
Arjuna spun toward the girl with a mad look in his eye.
"That is precisely how I felt when that pale bastard beat my brother Bruno to a pulp, beat my Xander, decimated my army, and humiliated me! To think such a powerful monster got put down so easily, how anticlimactic."
"You make valid points, Queen of Embla… but that does not mean I will continue to let you draw breath!" In the span of milliseconds, Arjuna pulled back on his bow string and released his shot toward Veronica.
Only for it to get blocked by a giant golden angel wing.
"What?" Another blinding light is shot forth, this time aimed toward Arjuna's head. Luckily for the archer, he managed to dodge in time.
He clicked his tongue and chose to focus back on avenging his brother by killing his actual killer, rather than killing the runt who was clearly trying to get a rise out of him.
Meanwhile, the angel wings unfurled, revealing an unharmed Veronica being held by a beautiful angel.
"M-Mama?!!" This time it was Prisma Illya who managed to voice her thoughts when the next summon made her appearance. A summon who happened to look a lot like her mama Irisviel, who was standing right next to her.
The angel noticed the sudden shout directed at her and followed the sound toward the little girl, who surprisingly resembled a younger version of her.
"Sorry, little one, but I'm not your momma." The yellow-winged angel said with a regretful tone in her voice.
Suddenly, she started to pinch Veronica's cheek with one hand while she held her guitar in the other. "I'm this little cutie's momma."
"Vivi… pwease stawp." While Veronica sounded like she was resisting, from everyone's point of view, she seemed like she was enjoying the interaction.
A few of the people in the allied army actually found the scene kind of heartwarming. That feeling quickly turned to dread when they noticed the woman's fun-loving, motherly expression morph into a serious one.
"And that is why I will not let you harm a hair on this child's head." She handed the guitar to Veronica, who held it gingerly in her tiny arms.
Vivi, as the woman called herself, extended her arms and spread her wings wide, her magical energy building exponentially as she did so.
Then, spores started to rain down from the sky.
None of them touched the ground, rather, they floated menacingly over the battlefield as if they were yellow storm clouds. Then, the spores started to hatch and cute chibi angels emerged from them. They all just so happened to look exactly like small Illyas, Miyus, and Chloes.
"Huh. So this is what being Stheno and Wrys feels like." Chloe, a white-haired little girl in a red Archer Emiya's outfit, said as she stared at the horde of mini-hers accumulating in the air above them.
Many thought the scene was adorable, some were left with unease, while others thought it looked kind of lame.
No one knew how to judge this woman based on her appearance or what seemed to be her noble phantasm. All except a single divine spirit. A divine spirit that just so happened to be spiritually linked to the angel's patron celestial body.
"Holy shit! The crazy bitch summoned Venus's Ultimate One!!" Ishtar said in the back, horror etched into her voice.
Once the word 'Ultimate One' was said, every servant, even the ones who were viewing the war with Embla from Chaldea, started to panic. The safe haven away from the Incineration of Mankind on Earth had just turned into a deathtrap.
The only ones who weren't panicking were the natives, who were confused and blissfully ignorant of the true scope of the threat they were now facing.
"Uh… care to fill in for those of us who didn't read the pamphlet? What's an Ultimate one?" Anna asked.
"Ultimate Ones are the manifestation of their planet's will. They are the 'Ultimate' existences in their worlds, hence the name. They do not have the same sense of self as humans, nor do they have the concepts of damage or death. Their existence transcends the common sense of the planet and far surpasses any Heroic Spirit or Divine Spirit in terms of being hard to kill on Earth. They are undoubtedly one of the most powerful existences in our known universe."
"Uh… Emiya Sir? Can you speak plainly, please? Them mage jargon is awfully confusin'!" Someone in the back said.
He turned toward the voice, "it means none of us could stand up to defeat it, even Gilgamesh might not stand a chance to defeat it."
"Oh…oooohhh, shit."
"Speak for yourself, Faker, my Enuma Elish can easily destroy that flying rat without issue."
"This is no time for arrogance Goldie, we need to-"
"He's right." Emiya turned towards Shiki Ryougi, who was using her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to analyze what everyone knew was Type Venus.
"I don't know how, but I can sense this Ultimate One has been imbued with the concept of death, quite strongly if I may add."
Archer turned toward the woman, who was still growing her massive army of chibi imouto lookalikes in front of them.
"Then that means we still have a chance to take her down," Emiya said, a small bit of relief coming to his voice.
"So, can we kill it, yes or no?" Someone in the back said.
"Yes." Archer Emiya, Shiki, and Gilgamesh both said towards Severa, who had been too confused to follow along.
"Geez, cut the rest of us some slack, will you?! Your magic system is too needlessly complex!" Serena said while looking away, blushing in embarrassment
"Hey, look at the bright side! At least things can't get any worse!" The optimistic pink-haired mage Mae tried to help, but alas, her words only brought forth calamity.
The whole battlefield stilled as it sensed another powerful presence descending before them. A presence that everyone from earth was more familiar with. The form of a gorgeous woman wielding a giant magical sword floated gracefully toward them.
"I retract my statement. I have just found an interesting, and worthy opponent to test the limits of my full strength against!" Gilgamesh said a slightly nervous, but still arrogant grin on his face.
Emiya turned toward Mae, "you just had to ask, didn't you?"
Mae just rubbed the back of her head.
"You lucky brat!!" Gudako couldn't help but scream while spitting blood when she realized Veronica had gotten the five-star servant she had wanted for ages.
"Master! This isn't a good time to start feeling envy of our enemy's luck!" Mashu said with desperation and trepidation in her voice.
"Now then..."
Veronica stepped forward, her hand outstretched an arm covered in an intricate array of command seals.
"Archetype Earth... please be a dear and give Chaldea a tour of your castle."
The beautiful woman crossed her arms, her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. It was like she was a grumpy child who was just told they couldn't have their favorite dessert before dinner.
Veronica felt a blush creep up on her cheeks, clearly knowing what the woman was upset about but hesitant to follow through with what she wanted.
"B-Big sister Arc. Can you please show these mean people your castle?"
The aforementioned Big Sister Arc nodded, "of course! Anything for my cute little sister!"
The world grew brighter, engulfing most of the Chaldea side of the army, as well as Gun God and Arjuna, who were still having their deadly shootout.
Flower petals engulfed them, one moment they were there, and the next. They were gone.
And thus, the Askarians and Order of Heroes were left alone.
"Now then…" Veronica turned toward the remaining army, who was dumbfounded but somehow still not deterred by what had happened, with a vicious grin.
"Time to die."
Vivi let down her arms, and the hundreds of millions of accumulated chibi angels descended on Askr. The heroes fought valiantly against the never-ending horde, but it didn't last long, and they were quickly overwhelmed.
The angels didn't stop when they defeated the Order and instead continued to rampage across the continent, destroying everything alongside anyone and everyone who inhabited the realm.
By the end of the day, Askr had been razed to the ground.
0-0-0
A tanned skin man with sparkly, white hair floats over a molten world. The grin on his face nearly threatened to split his head in half.
He had done it. He had finally done it.
Goetia had arrived at the beginning of the world. He had arrived at a time before gods, before beasts, and most importantly, before humans!
His two-thousand-year-old plan had finally come to fruition.
Ironic. In the end, it was a human's ambitions that allowed him to achieve his goal without too much fuss. That human had taken control of some powerful individuals from one of Earth's numerous dead ends and used them to severely cripple Chaldea.
It was appreciated assistance but ultimately pointless, as it was inevitable that he would have been able to achieve his goal.
Goetia cared little for the interference and machinations of other worlds on alternate timelines of Earth.
All that mattered to him was what was in front of him at this very moment.
He spread his arms wide and started to chant, and the young, impressionable world spun and folded like clay in Goetia's hands.
Then, as its maniacal clay sculptor, he began to shape it into his twisted, ideal world.
A world where humanity is free from suffering.
0-0-0
It was a beautiful day, the sun's warm rays shone over Letizia's estate. It had been a month since Veronica had annihilated Askr off the face of the map, but the entire country was still in highly festive spirits. So much so, that all the constant parades, parties, and events massively drained her energy for a week after the festivities ended.
She hated Askr much more deeply than her people, but even she had her limits.
Veronica is having teatime with Vivi and Arcueid in Sissy's garden. The two women were gleefully chatting as they gossiped about boys, stuff she really hasn't paid much attention to. But as Embla's ruler, it will be something she will have to start looking into soon.
Veronica looked down at her teacup, her reflection visible on the surface.
She should be happy. She brazed Askr to the ground, destroyed their Order of Heroes, and repelled the invaders who dared interrupt her progress. And yet, it felt so hollow. Especially after her sissy's failed assassination attempt.
Veronica didn't show it to her people… but she was devastated by the betrayal. She adored her Sissy Letizia, she wanted to see more of her, and she looked up to her. Yet, Sissy hated her.
Once she accomplished the one thing none of their Emblian Ancestors did, she grew mad. Sissy attacked her when she least expected it and attempted to take her out, but she underestimated her other sister's desire to protect her.
The image of Sissy Arcueid holding Sissy Letizia's decapitated head in her hands will forever be ingrained into her psyche.
Veronica should be angry with her, she killed her Sissy! But she can't blame her for doing so. She was her Sissy too, and she was only protecting her. She is sad that Sissy Letizia tried to usurp her, but that is why her new family was trying their best to cheer her up through this tea party. Sissy Arcueid even apologized for killing her, but while she may not be angry or upset at her actions, she still needs more time to grieve.
She misses her big brother too. He had gotten more distant from her as of late. Part of her wonders why, since he never shows too much emotion anymore. Veronica wonders what has gotten into him.
Suddenly, a foreign presence appears before her.
Both Sissy Arc and Mama Vivi stand protectively in front of her.
"Woah, relax. I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm just here for business."
"Speak your business then."
He gave a light formal bow, "Greetings, my name is Elm and I came on behalf of our goddess, Lady Embla. She sends her regards and congratulations on your destruction of Askr! "
Veronica stared at the man. She should be more surprised that the divine dragon has decided to contact her, but she was too emotionally exhausted to care.
"Is that so? Then I will kindly accept her words and praises. Now, If that is all you have to say then leave. I am busy."
The man seemed like he wanted to reprimand her but somehow held his tongue.
"Impatient one aren't we? But no, that's not 'it.' My presence before you is due to our Lady Embla being extremely pleased with your performance, in particular, that one man who you call 'Gun God,'" the man rolled his eyes as he said that name with a sarcastic tone in his voice.
"So, what's your point?" She was too physically exhausted to continue humoring this zealot's long-winded request. The sun was quite strong today and it made her feel a bit sleepy. The tea was barely managing to keep her awake.
He was now gritting his teeth, almost snarling at her.
"My point is, Our Lady Embla wishes to employ his services for a special… job."
"Is that all?" He moved to speak, but she cut him off with the wave of a hand, no longer wishing to continue hearing his voice.
"You can borrow him, now leave us."
Elm frowns at her, "watch your tone, mortal. You may have completed one of our Lady Embla's greatest dreams, but I will not let you talk down to me as if you are my better, I am a-"
His eyes widened when Gun God pointed the Black Barrel at his arrogant head.
"Choose your next words carefully, brat, or I'll blow your head off. Now, can you politely finish that sentence? I am a…?"
Veronica was surprised, she had never seen someone nearly choke on their pride before.
"I-I-I'm a… client. Our Lady Embla wishes to put a hit on a certain deity. Now, kindly remove that thing away from my head."
Gun God stopped pointing Black Barrel at Elm's head, taking a puff of his cigarette in the process. Then, he blew the smoke on Elm's face after taking a huge sigh of relief.
"Come to my office, we've disrupted the princess's teatime enough as it is." Gun God put his hands in his pockets and walked toward his office, uncaring for Elm who was wheezing and coughing after inhaling some of Gun God's smoke.
Veronica hated the man but she did pity him since she didn't like the smell of cigarettes either.
And so, the two men leave to do their business, but not before Vivi ran toward Gun God and pecked him on the cheek.
"Have a good trip," she said, a bright smile adorning the angel's face.
"I'm off." Gun God said, a rare smile gracing his rough face that contrasted his kisser's.
"Finally, the noisy boys are gone. Let's continue where we left off, shall we?"
Mama Vivi, Sissy Arcueid, and her continued chatting. Part of her wondered if this was the correct path she should have taken, and while it told her that something from this serene scene was missing, the other half just stopped caring.
She decided to listen to the other half.
Because on this path, at this moment, she was happy.
Veronica went looking for weapons of mass destruction, she found that plus a family all-in-one. Here's a little short story for you guys, I just couldn't help myself. The idea just kept coming and coming, and I had to keep writing it until its conclusion.
Veronica needed a break, and so I gave it to her, so I rigged her summons.
For those of you who don't know about Angel Notes, I suggest you take a read of it for yourself. It's one of my favorite short stories by Nasu(and also one of the oldest he's written), and it is sadly a bit less known, and much less written for fandom. A lot of the concepts from fate are introduced, and the characters like Gun God and V/V(Vivi) were basically prototype amalgamations of future characters appearances, personalities and their backgrounds.
I might end up writing a Angel Notes fanfic after I finish this story, but for now this is a taste.
The Laguz's face brightened at the confirmation, "I see. I heard your plea for help, and so here I am! My True name is Type Venus, but you can call me Vivi. It's nice to meet you, Veronica." The woman who Veronica was now just realizing was not a Laguz, said with a toothy grin.
Type venus - powerful! not to mention gun gos - i assume hey manifested as Pseudo servants with Irisviel and Kiritsugu. The death of VV at the black barrel would certainly give her the concept of death in a big way.
"Archetype Earth... please be a dear and give Chaldea a tour of your castle."
The beautiful woman crossed her arms, her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. It was like she was a grumpy child who was just told they couldn't have their favorite dessert before dinner.
Veronica felt a blush creep up on her cheeks, clearly knowing what the woman was upset about but hesitant to follow through with what she wanted.
"B-Big sister Arc. Can you please show these mean people your castle?"
