Confringentur 2; a Madoka Magica / Fate/Stay Night sequel
- Thread starter SVS
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- Around here
I'm sorry, but FGO just isn't canon to this quest. If someone can find proof of your idea that comes from outside of FGO (and that doesn't rely on dunking the servant to be incarnated in Grail mud) then I'm willing to listen. I should also mention that, because this isn't FGO and Grails aren't something so common that you can pick one up for beating the stage boss, maybe it's not a good idea for our plan to hinge on burning one to make Bow Daddy a real boy.
- Location
- Germany
Eh, that's true, but I am talking about a Greater Grail of a Holy Grail War; akin the Wish of Rider Zero::
He desires to conquer the world as a human, so that is his only wish for the Holy Grail.
(From here: Rider (Fate/Zero) )
It at least means that Rider was believing it was possible.
He desires to conquer the world as a human, so that is his only wish for the Holy Grail.
(From here: Rider (Fate/Zero) )
It at least means that Rider was believing it was possible.
- Location
- Around here
Alright guys, vote time. Now, I know we've got enough people voting for the way forward, but I'd like to stick another in another vote before I put out an update addressing the actual vote. Do we want to tell Minako about Archer's servanthood now, or do we want to retroactively say that he told her when he came back?
Don't fill this in as an actual vote with [brackets]. Just a simple "Tell her now" or "We've already told her" or however you want to phrase the two will suffice.
Don't fill this in as an actual vote with [brackets]. Just a simple "Tell her now" or "We've already told her" or however you want to phrase the two will suffice.
PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'd prefer "We've already told her." Honestly I feel as if that was something that should have been addressed long ago.
Yuri Vampire
Kirameku Hōseki! Cure Coral!
- Location
- US
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm getting on the "We've already told her" boat as well.
I think I prefer "We've already told her".
Day 1 Chapter 19
- Location
- Around here
[X] Plan: Servant Questions & Filling in Minako
You head to your room after seeing to Hijiri Kanna's sleeping arrangement. Your mind is a blur with thoughts about all that's happened today. Enemy puella magi. Enemy servants. A mysterious woman. An artificial human. "And of course, it all had to happen on Madoka's birthday." You flop down onto your bed without bothering to change out of your clothes, and you stare at Amy, who stares back at you from her perch atop your desk. "You're lucky. You don't need to concern yourself with any of this." A single "Mew" is all you get for your troubles. "I'm not overreacting. This is serious."
Amy leaves her perch, slinking towards you until she's close enough to place her paw on your cheek. You smile, lazily groping a hand underneath your bed for one of her toys to play with her, but as soon as your fingers settle on what you're sure is her squeaky mouse, there's a knock at your door. "It's me," Archer says. "Thought you might want to join Minako and I for a little chat about what happened earlier."
You hand the squeaky mouse over to Amy, saying to her "Guess this will have to wait." You pull yourself up, saying to Archer as you leave your room "Alright. Let's get this over with."
"I already told her that Hijiri's not entirely what she appears on the surface," Archer says as you and he walk towards the kitchen together. "But I figured it'd be best to wait on the really big stuff until we could tell her together."
"Yeah. That's probably for the best."
You find Minako sitting at the kitchen table, same as she was when you returned home. Her laptop is gone now, leaving nothing between you two as you and Archer takes your seats across the table from her. "This must be big if you're sitting across from me," she says to Archer. "So, what have you two been keeping from me about this girl you've brought home? Is she-" Minako waves her hand back and forth, "-one of you? Or is it something even weirder?"
"The latter," Archer says. "You're probably not going to believe this, but that girl's actually not a real person."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like. She's a homunculus, an artificial human created through magic."
Minako sighs, glancing down at the table as she massages her brow. "This is going to be one of those really long discussions where you two try to explain some really weird magic stuff to me, isn't it?" Another sigh escapes Minako's lips, and she asks "How much of what you two told me is just a bunch of garbage?"
Archer shakes his head. "None of it, actually. She really doesn't have a safe place to spend the night. Hijiri Kanna being an artificial person is about as simple as it needs to be. It's everything else around her that's the not-so-simple part." Archer turns to you, asking "Do you want to take it from here?"
You nod. "So, I guess the best place to start would be at the beginning," you say. "The girls and I were heading over to Uptown to deal with an office fire we thought might have been the work of a magical interloper, when..."
Maybe it's foolish, but you don't hold anything back. You tell Minako everything, from the mysterious woman who started the fire, to the enemy puella magi who attacked your allies. You tell her about Kanna Niko, the one responsible for creating your artificial human house guest, and about the pair of enemies who fought Oriko and Kirika. Who hurt Oriko and Kirika. Archer chimes in on occasion, telling Minako about the enemy servants and what you know of them so far; an ancient Greek huntress whose name goes completely over Minako's head, and an unidentified female doctor you only know the existence of.
And all the while, Minako's face grows dark with every word spoken.
When you and Archer finish telling Minako everything, the kitchen is silent. Neither you nor Archer say anything, waiting for Minako to make the first move before offering anything to counter or reassure her. Her hands leave her face, and she says "I want that girl out of my house." Minako's voice is calm, hiding away whatever anger or torment she must be feeling. "I'm not going to be a bitch and kick her out onto the streets in the middle of the night, but as soon as she's had breakfast I want her out of this house for good. I can't..." Minako stops, taking several deep breaths before continuing to speak. "I know it's not her fault that things are the way they are, but I can't take the risk that keeping her here will bring. Those girls let you leave with her, but what if they decide to come back for her when she's not expecting it? What if they come back for her and something happens and someone I care about gets hurt? I can't take that risk."
Now, and only now, does Archer move to a seat beside Minako, letting her lean on him as she continues to air out her concerns. "I hate that my two little girls have to keep going out at night to deal with weird magic monsters and other things I can't even understand. I hate that there's nothing I can do to keep the people I care about safe. I hate that it makes me feel so powerless. It's an awful thing to do, but not letting her stay here is the only thing I can do to keep my family safe."
"I understand," you say. "I hope either Tomoe-san or Oriko can hold her up until all of this blows over."
Minako shakes her head. "I don't want her staying with Oriko either," she says. "I know it's not my place to tell Oriko what to do, but... If she's there and Kirika's there and something happens to Kirika..."
"Mikuni's got a really good defensive barrier set up around the mansion," Archer says. "I know that's not enough to make you not worry about your daughter, but if anything happens the mansion's one of the safest places for Kirika to be." Minako hardly looks convinced by Archer's words, but she says nothing in protest.
"I know there's probably nothing either Archer or myself can say to make you feel better about all this, but I want you to know; we will get through this in one piece. You have my word." You aren't sure Minako believes you. You take a moment to hug Minako on your way out, to reassure her that you're still here and that everything is going to be alright, before excusing yourself to your room. You aren't even sure you believe yourself.
Amy is asleep when you return to your room, curled up on her little cushion at the foot of your bed, so you tread lightly as you change into your pajamas. Thoughts of the night's events come back to you, and you're right back to where you started. There's only five of us, but there's six of them; seven if you include the mystery woman among your enemies. That puts your side at a disadvantage of two, and it's not unreasonable to assume that your enemies will be fielding as many servants as they can now that they know your own side has servants.
You roll over, staring up at the ceiling of your darkened room. We should probably think about bringing at least one other master and servant into the fold; ideally two. The question is who? Who would make for a reliable, trustworthy, and capable master? Hitomi is the first choice to which your mind jumps. She's intelligent, trustworthy, and capable as a mage; and she was one of the master candidates Caster had identified in the weeks leading up to Walpurgisnacht. She declined the position of master of the Saber servant when you offered it to her, but that was a year and a half ago. With time to improve her skills in magecraft - with time spent growing closer to you and Kyouko - her answer might change if you were to ask her again.
Might. You have no guarantee that her answer would change if you asked her again.
Hijiri Kanna is another possibility, though one you aren't sure would be the wisest course of action without knowing more about her. According to Archer, a homunculus like her is a valuable asset that the Saints will want to recover. According to Caster, if you deal fairly with Hijiri Kanna, she'll reciprocate for the duration of the coming War. Giving her command over one of your team's servants would ensure she has a way to resist being taken by the Saints, and if you show trust in her by giving her this responsibility, you hope she would reciprocate and show trust in you and your allies.
But she's still an unknown variable, and you need to know more about her.
There is one other option you could consider; Nagatsuki Miyuki. She was a puella magi who was part of a trio from Shirome. Initially, the trio opposed your side, seeking revenge against Oriko for the death of their friend; and while you wouldn't say she and her friends ever grew fond of you and your allies, she was able to put her differences aside to work with you in the fight against Walpurgisnacht. She has experience, having served as the master of Saber at that time, but she and her friends have all hung up their capes, so to speak. She's a known option, but getting her to come out of retirement to fight in a War like this may be a tough sell.
That's three options, and not a one can you put down as a guarantee. Is there anyone else you're missing you might consider trusting to be a master for your side?
Well, all you can do is ask them. If they say no and nothing else turns up, you can ask Oriko or Caster if there are any options you haven't considered. You aren't tired. You aren't tired. Who are you kidding? You're tired. You hope tomorrow will be easier. You know tomorrow won't be easier.
You head to your room after seeing to Hijiri Kanna's sleeping arrangement. Your mind is a blur with thoughts about all that's happened today. Enemy puella magi. Enemy servants. A mysterious woman. An artificial human. "And of course, it all had to happen on Madoka's birthday." You flop down onto your bed without bothering to change out of your clothes, and you stare at Amy, who stares back at you from her perch atop your desk. "You're lucky. You don't need to concern yourself with any of this." A single "Mew" is all you get for your troubles. "I'm not overreacting. This is serious."
Amy leaves her perch, slinking towards you until she's close enough to place her paw on your cheek. You smile, lazily groping a hand underneath your bed for one of her toys to play with her, but as soon as your fingers settle on what you're sure is her squeaky mouse, there's a knock at your door. "It's me," Archer says. "Thought you might want to join Minako and I for a little chat about what happened earlier."
You hand the squeaky mouse over to Amy, saying to her "Guess this will have to wait." You pull yourself up, saying to Archer as you leave your room "Alright. Let's get this over with."
"I already told her that Hijiri's not entirely what she appears on the surface," Archer says as you and he walk towards the kitchen together. "But I figured it'd be best to wait on the really big stuff until we could tell her together."
"Yeah. That's probably for the best."
You find Minako sitting at the kitchen table, same as she was when you returned home. Her laptop is gone now, leaving nothing between you two as you and Archer takes your seats across the table from her. "This must be big if you're sitting across from me," she says to Archer. "So, what have you two been keeping from me about this girl you've brought home? Is she-" Minako waves her hand back and forth, "-one of you? Or is it something even weirder?"
"The latter," Archer says. "You're probably not going to believe this, but that girl's actually not a real person."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like. She's a homunculus, an artificial human created through magic."
Minako sighs, glancing down at the table as she massages her brow. "This is going to be one of those really long discussions where you two try to explain some really weird magic stuff to me, isn't it?" Another sigh escapes Minako's lips, and she asks "How much of what you two told me is just a bunch of garbage?"
Archer shakes his head. "None of it, actually. She really doesn't have a safe place to spend the night. Hijiri Kanna being an artificial person is about as simple as it needs to be. It's everything else around her that's the not-so-simple part." Archer turns to you, asking "Do you want to take it from here?"
You nod. "So, I guess the best place to start would be at the beginning," you say. "The girls and I were heading over to Uptown to deal with an office fire we thought might have been the work of a magical interloper, when..."
Maybe it's foolish, but you don't hold anything back. You tell Minako everything, from the mysterious woman who started the fire, to the enemy puella magi who attacked your allies. You tell her about Kanna Niko, the one responsible for creating your artificial human house guest, and about the pair of enemies who fought Oriko and Kirika. Who hurt Oriko and Kirika. Archer chimes in on occasion, telling Minako about the enemy servants and what you know of them so far; an ancient Greek huntress whose name goes completely over Minako's head, and an unidentified female doctor you only know the existence of.
And all the while, Minako's face grows dark with every word spoken.
When you and Archer finish telling Minako everything, the kitchen is silent. Neither you nor Archer say anything, waiting for Minako to make the first move before offering anything to counter or reassure her. Her hands leave her face, and she says "I want that girl out of my house." Minako's voice is calm, hiding away whatever anger or torment she must be feeling. "I'm not going to be a bitch and kick her out onto the streets in the middle of the night, but as soon as she's had breakfast I want her out of this house for good. I can't..." Minako stops, taking several deep breaths before continuing to speak. "I know it's not her fault that things are the way they are, but I can't take the risk that keeping her here will bring. Those girls let you leave with her, but what if they decide to come back for her when she's not expecting it? What if they come back for her and something happens and someone I care about gets hurt? I can't take that risk."
Now, and only now, does Archer move to a seat beside Minako, letting her lean on him as she continues to air out her concerns. "I hate that my two little girls have to keep going out at night to deal with weird magic monsters and other things I can't even understand. I hate that there's nothing I can do to keep the people I care about safe. I hate that it makes me feel so powerless. It's an awful thing to do, but not letting her stay here is the only thing I can do to keep my family safe."
"I understand," you say. "I hope either Tomoe-san or Oriko can hold her up until all of this blows over."
Minako shakes her head. "I don't want her staying with Oriko either," she says. "I know it's not my place to tell Oriko what to do, but... If she's there and Kirika's there and something happens to Kirika..."
"Mikuni's got a really good defensive barrier set up around the mansion," Archer says. "I know that's not enough to make you not worry about your daughter, but if anything happens the mansion's one of the safest places for Kirika to be." Minako hardly looks convinced by Archer's words, but she says nothing in protest.
"I know there's probably nothing either Archer or myself can say to make you feel better about all this, but I want you to know; we will get through this in one piece. You have my word." You aren't sure Minako believes you. You take a moment to hug Minako on your way out, to reassure her that you're still here and that everything is going to be alright, before excusing yourself to your room. You aren't even sure you believe yourself.
Amy is asleep when you return to your room, curled up on her little cushion at the foot of your bed, so you tread lightly as you change into your pajamas. Thoughts of the night's events come back to you, and you're right back to where you started. There's only five of us, but there's six of them; seven if you include the mystery woman among your enemies. That puts your side at a disadvantage of two, and it's not unreasonable to assume that your enemies will be fielding as many servants as they can now that they know your own side has servants.
You roll over, staring up at the ceiling of your darkened room. We should probably think about bringing at least one other master and servant into the fold; ideally two. The question is who? Who would make for a reliable, trustworthy, and capable master? Hitomi is the first choice to which your mind jumps. She's intelligent, trustworthy, and capable as a mage; and she was one of the master candidates Caster had identified in the weeks leading up to Walpurgisnacht. She declined the position of master of the Saber servant when you offered it to her, but that was a year and a half ago. With time to improve her skills in magecraft - with time spent growing closer to you and Kyouko - her answer might change if you were to ask her again.
Might. You have no guarantee that her answer would change if you asked her again.
Hijiri Kanna is another possibility, though one you aren't sure would be the wisest course of action without knowing more about her. According to Archer, a homunculus like her is a valuable asset that the Saints will want to recover. According to Caster, if you deal fairly with Hijiri Kanna, she'll reciprocate for the duration of the coming War. Giving her command over one of your team's servants would ensure she has a way to resist being taken by the Saints, and if you show trust in her by giving her this responsibility, you hope she would reciprocate and show trust in you and your allies.
But she's still an unknown variable, and you need to know more about her.
There is one other option you could consider; Nagatsuki Miyuki. She was a puella magi who was part of a trio from Shirome. Initially, the trio opposed your side, seeking revenge against Oriko for the death of their friend; and while you wouldn't say she and her friends ever grew fond of you and your allies, she was able to put her differences aside to work with you in the fight against Walpurgisnacht. She has experience, having served as the master of Saber at that time, but she and her friends have all hung up their capes, so to speak. She's a known option, but getting her to come out of retirement to fight in a War like this may be a tough sell.
That's three options, and not a one can you put down as a guarantee. Is there anyone else you're missing you might consider trusting to be a master for your side?
Well, all you can do is ask them. If they say no and nothing else turns up, you can ask Oriko or Caster if there are any options you haven't considered. You aren't tired. You aren't tired. Who are you kidding? You're tired. You hope tomorrow will be easier. You know tomorrow won't be easier.
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- Location
- Around here
And, that's our first day complete. We should think about setting our major objectives and anything else we want to think about before Day 2 comes around, which worst-case will be on Saturday. Also coming over the weekend will be actual character sheets for both our side and for the enemies we've encountered. Starting Day 2, we'll be back to the previous system where I drop small blurbs when we meet new characters for the first time.
PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Other objectives that I can think of are [Find new masters to take the empty positions] and [Find Hijiri a place to stay].
It is a good idea. That is a standard way to use a Holy Grail. Just to acquire or even create a Holy Grail is not something easily done. Whether it the Fuyuki Grail System format or the regular/lesser small cup version. Each a Grail that is made is an timely expenditure. In Fate Apocrypha, the reason why Holy Grail keep popping up around it because Darlic leak the design of Fuyuki Grail System or at least the lesser Grail version out that the creation of a holy grail became a craft that made to possible for mass production. It still months and works to create these lesser grail.
Ruler Amakusa from Fate Apocrypha incarnated with a Holy Grail. The novel didn't state specific how but it know he did came into contact with either the lesser grail or the greater grail. Whether he made his wish directly or use his NP to do so, he definitely incarnated with the grail and not the grail mud as the Fuyuki Grail System is not corrupted in that timeline.
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- Location
- Around here
Ah, shit, you're right. Haven't actually seen Apocrypha since it first aired, was going to give it a rewatch in honour of this quest. Looks like doing that is going to be more pertinent than I thought.
Holy Grail general is omnipotent but not omniscient. It can grant any wish but you must at least have some idea on how to made it happen to grant the version of the wish you desire. If you don't, the grail will try make it as close as possible as what you wish in both intend and effect but there still a chance it would ended up misinterpret you wish and ended up with a monkey paw wish.
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- Location
- Around here
One more thing- After we're done discussing and compiling our major objectives, I would like to see them presented in vote form. That way, I'm not just pulling from a bunch of "Well I think"s and "We should probably"s, and can instead plug in objectives that the players have voted for and shown to be in agreement with.
[X] Plan: Major Objectives
-[X] Both Homura & Archer
--[X] Keep Everyone on our side alive.
--[X] Solve the mystery of the mysterious Witches
--[X] Win the 'War' against the Saints
--[X] Find new masters to take the empty positions
--[X] Find Hijiri a place to stay
I don't really see a reason to split the objectives between Homura and Archer, if anyone wants to give some input I'd like that.
-[X] Both Homura & Archer
--[X] Keep Everyone on our side alive.
--[X] Solve the mystery of the mysterious Witches
--[X] Win the 'War' against the Saints
--[X] Find new masters to take the empty positions
--[X] Find Hijiri a place to stay
I don't really see a reason to split the objectives between Homura and Archer, if anyone wants to give some input I'd like that.
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Omake, side Niko - The Night After the First Day
- Location
- Around here
"You've got three broken ribs, your arm is broken in too many places to count, and you've got second- and third-degree burns over eighteen per cent of your body." The sound of a pen scratch-scratching across a clipboard echoed through the sterile room as Assassin finished her once-over of the patient. "You're lucky. In my day, your arm would likely have been amputated, given the severity of the damage."
"Amputated?"
Assassin nodded her head, saying "Yes, amputated," as she donned a pair of latex gloves with a loud snap. "Do you have any other questions?"
"Yeah, just one-" Usagi Satomi turned to the third girl occupying the sterile room, a platinum-blonde hunched over a laptop whose servant had just given her the bad news. "Just what the hell were you thinking, going off to fight Tomoe and leaving me to fight Sakura by myself?"
Kanna Niko looked up from her laptop, on which she had previously been typing up an after-action report of the night's events. "I would have come to back you up as soon as I had dealt with Kanna, had Tomoe not appeared before I could reach her. Besides, I didn't leave you by yourself. You had Archer. If she failed to provide you with adequate backup, that isn't my fault."
A "tsch" sound escaped Satomi's mouth, which was promptly followed by Assassin chiding "Don't spit in my operating room." That was enough to shut Satomi up, and Assassin turned to Niko, saying "Master, we're ready to administer treatment to the patient. Permission to proceed?"
Niko nodded, setting her laptop aside in order to join Assassin at the operating table where Satomi sat waiting. "So, amputation," Satomi said to Niko. "I know you don't give a damn about what happens to your body, but I'd like to keep the limbs I was born with."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to chop off your arm or replace it with anything unnatural." Niko held her hand out, and Assassin responded by laying several large pieces of bone onto the operating table. "For your broken bones, I'll be using actual bone to repair the damage, and the same is true for the skin grafts." Niko held out her hand again, and Assassin responded by setting out the requested piece of skin.
Ew.
Satomi stared at the assortment of parts which seemed to stare back at her. "Are those…?"
"Parts from the Fridge, yes. I could have made something from your tissue and bone if I had the time, but I'm assuming you want this done as quick as possible, am I correct?" Satomi nodded her head. "Then we'll proceed."
The 'procedure' was hardly that. A quick flash of light as Niko's magic reconstructed the damaged areas of Satomi's body using the chosen samples, and Satomi was soon flexing her repaired arm with a look of mild boredom in her eyes. "I made sure to pick samples that matched your blood type, but if you experience any rejections, come see Assassin and me immediately. Worst-case scenario, we might have to pull you out of rotation for a few days in order to get everything squared away."
"Right." Satomi looked at Assassin who, now finished with the 'procedure', had removed her gloves and was busy rubbing her hands with an alcohol wipe. "So, amputation," she said for the third time. "Doesn't that, you know, violate the whole 'Do no harm' part of your oath?"
"It is impossible to do no harm," Assassin said, bluntly. "To heal, there must first have been a harm done. If I give you an injection, am I not harming you when I stick the needle under your skin?"
"Well, no. It hurts, sure, but you're doing that because there's medicine I need in that injection."
"And if I remove an injured limb, I do so to prevent that injury from becoming gangrenous and spreading to the rest of your body. It hurts, but I am doing that to keep you alive." As Assassin spoke, Niko returned to her laptop, wiping down both her own hands and the keyboard of the laptop with an alcohol wipe. "There is always a reason behind the harm healers must cause their patients, and there is no way to avoid that harm entirely. The best we can do is make the wisest choices and attempt to mitigate the harm we do as much as possible. You wish to become a veterinarian one day, is that correct?" Satomi nodded. "You will have to learn that lesson eventually."
"Kaoru and Umika will be arriving with the VIP tomorrow night, correct?" Niko asked, to which Satomi again nodded. "Then you don't need me at the debriefing." Niko finished typing her report and closed the laptop, handing it over to Assassin once she had finished admonishing Satomi. "You can present my report to Saki at the debriefing. I need to take a walk." With a nod, Assassin accepted the laptop from her master, and Niko exited the sterile room, leaving Assassin and Satomi to head to the debriefing without her. The winding corridors of the Saints' underground base were no doubt daunting to any potential intruders, but Niko never once feared for getting lost as she wandered.
Instead, not needing to look where she was going, Niko reached for the wallet in her back pocket, glancing at a photograph she kept in its folds. Two adults, a dark-haired man with glasses and a smiling woman with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, stood over their children; two young girls with the same dark hair as their father, and an older girl with the platinum blonde hair and blue eyes of her mother. That girl was smiling. Niko couldn't remember the last time she had smiled.
"Why..." Niko whispered to herself as she returned the wallet to her pocket, her voice barely audible above the echo of her footsteps. "Why did you run away? I thought... I thought you were happy." A sound, heard or imagined, caused Niko to turn her head and look behind her, only to be met by shadows and the darkened hallway she had just passed. "Did Umika's magic wear off? If that's the case..." Niko's thoughts turned to the VIP scheduled to be arriving the following night. "If that's possible, then is she just as flawed as the others? Or am I the one who's flawed? Is it my magic? Is there something I failed to take into account when I made her?"
How fitting that Niko would end her journey here, in front of these cold, double-wide doors looming tall over her head. There it is! That same sound, real or imagined, caused Niko to turn her head once more in its direction. But this time, there is something there to greet her beyond shadows and a darkened hallway. "Archer," Niko said, addressing the woman who had appeared behind her. "Shouldn't you be with Satomi at the debriefing?"
"Shouldn't you be with Assassin at the debriefing?" Archer replied. Niko had no answer for her. "I left as soon as Saber's master gave me my orders. Didn't have a reason to stick around after that."
"It's the enemy Rider, isn't it?" Niko asked. "You've got prior experience with him, so it's only natural that's where you'd be-"
"He and I don't have anything more to say to each other," Archer said, cutting Niko off. "Besides, I'm more interested in fighting their Archer than I am in fighting him again."
"I see." Niko supposed that made sense. Archer had been more than forthcoming in her description of that War, the War between two opposing factions, and the way in which it had dissolved into chaos as soon as the Overseer made his move. Archer and Rider had said all they needed to say to one another back then, but this new Archer offered her a fresh start. "Was there anything else you needed to say to me?"
For a moment, Archer was silent, staring beyond the cold, double-wide doors looming over her and Niko. "There is." Without warning, Archer lashed out, punching Niko in the face. She fell to the ground, pulling herself up despite the pain in her likely-broken jaw as Archer said "I can understand what you and the others are doing. But I hate it; and I hate you most of all." Archer flexed her fingers in and out, giving her hand one final flick to discard any of Niko's blood that had landed on her gauntlet, before walking away in silence.
A brief flash of light saw Niko's wound on the mend, but neither she nor Archer acknowledged what had happened between them. "I hate me most of all, too," Niko said to herself, clutching not her injured jaw, but her right arm. "More than you can ever know."
But what choice is there for one who has walked this path, but to see it through until the end?
"Amputated?"
Assassin nodded her head, saying "Yes, amputated," as she donned a pair of latex gloves with a loud snap. "Do you have any other questions?"
"Yeah, just one-" Usagi Satomi turned to the third girl occupying the sterile room, a platinum-blonde hunched over a laptop whose servant had just given her the bad news. "Just what the hell were you thinking, going off to fight Tomoe and leaving me to fight Sakura by myself?"
Kanna Niko looked up from her laptop, on which she had previously been typing up an after-action report of the night's events. "I would have come to back you up as soon as I had dealt with Kanna, had Tomoe not appeared before I could reach her. Besides, I didn't leave you by yourself. You had Archer. If she failed to provide you with adequate backup, that isn't my fault."
A "tsch" sound escaped Satomi's mouth, which was promptly followed by Assassin chiding "Don't spit in my operating room." That was enough to shut Satomi up, and Assassin turned to Niko, saying "Master, we're ready to administer treatment to the patient. Permission to proceed?"
Niko nodded, setting her laptop aside in order to join Assassin at the operating table where Satomi sat waiting. "So, amputation," Satomi said to Niko. "I know you don't give a damn about what happens to your body, but I'd like to keep the limbs I was born with."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to chop off your arm or replace it with anything unnatural." Niko held her hand out, and Assassin responded by laying several large pieces of bone onto the operating table. "For your broken bones, I'll be using actual bone to repair the damage, and the same is true for the skin grafts." Niko held out her hand again, and Assassin responded by setting out the requested piece of skin.
Ew.
Satomi stared at the assortment of parts which seemed to stare back at her. "Are those…?"
"Parts from the Fridge, yes. I could have made something from your tissue and bone if I had the time, but I'm assuming you want this done as quick as possible, am I correct?" Satomi nodded her head. "Then we'll proceed."
The 'procedure' was hardly that. A quick flash of light as Niko's magic reconstructed the damaged areas of Satomi's body using the chosen samples, and Satomi was soon flexing her repaired arm with a look of mild boredom in her eyes. "I made sure to pick samples that matched your blood type, but if you experience any rejections, come see Assassin and me immediately. Worst-case scenario, we might have to pull you out of rotation for a few days in order to get everything squared away."
"Right." Satomi looked at Assassin who, now finished with the 'procedure', had removed her gloves and was busy rubbing her hands with an alcohol wipe. "So, amputation," she said for the third time. "Doesn't that, you know, violate the whole 'Do no harm' part of your oath?"
"It is impossible to do no harm," Assassin said, bluntly. "To heal, there must first have been a harm done. If I give you an injection, am I not harming you when I stick the needle under your skin?"
"Well, no. It hurts, sure, but you're doing that because there's medicine I need in that injection."
"And if I remove an injured limb, I do so to prevent that injury from becoming gangrenous and spreading to the rest of your body. It hurts, but I am doing that to keep you alive." As Assassin spoke, Niko returned to her laptop, wiping down both her own hands and the keyboard of the laptop with an alcohol wipe. "There is always a reason behind the harm healers must cause their patients, and there is no way to avoid that harm entirely. The best we can do is make the wisest choices and attempt to mitigate the harm we do as much as possible. You wish to become a veterinarian one day, is that correct?" Satomi nodded. "You will have to learn that lesson eventually."
"Kaoru and Umika will be arriving with the VIP tomorrow night, correct?" Niko asked, to which Satomi again nodded. "Then you don't need me at the debriefing." Niko finished typing her report and closed the laptop, handing it over to Assassin once she had finished admonishing Satomi. "You can present my report to Saki at the debriefing. I need to take a walk." With a nod, Assassin accepted the laptop from her master, and Niko exited the sterile room, leaving Assassin and Satomi to head to the debriefing without her. The winding corridors of the Saints' underground base were no doubt daunting to any potential intruders, but Niko never once feared for getting lost as she wandered.
Instead, not needing to look where she was going, Niko reached for the wallet in her back pocket, glancing at a photograph she kept in its folds. Two adults, a dark-haired man with glasses and a smiling woman with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, stood over their children; two young girls with the same dark hair as their father, and an older girl with the platinum blonde hair and blue eyes of her mother. That girl was smiling. Niko couldn't remember the last time she had smiled.
"Why..." Niko whispered to herself as she returned the wallet to her pocket, her voice barely audible above the echo of her footsteps. "Why did you run away? I thought... I thought you were happy." A sound, heard or imagined, caused Niko to turn her head and look behind her, only to be met by shadows and the darkened hallway she had just passed. "Did Umika's magic wear off? If that's the case..." Niko's thoughts turned to the VIP scheduled to be arriving the following night. "If that's possible, then is she just as flawed as the others? Or am I the one who's flawed? Is it my magic? Is there something I failed to take into account when I made her?"
How fitting that Niko would end her journey here, in front of these cold, double-wide doors looming tall over her head. There it is! That same sound, real or imagined, caused Niko to turn her head once more in its direction. But this time, there is something there to greet her beyond shadows and a darkened hallway. "Archer," Niko said, addressing the woman who had appeared behind her. "Shouldn't you be with Satomi at the debriefing?"
"Shouldn't you be with Assassin at the debriefing?" Archer replied. Niko had no answer for her. "I left as soon as Saber's master gave me my orders. Didn't have a reason to stick around after that."
"It's the enemy Rider, isn't it?" Niko asked. "You've got prior experience with him, so it's only natural that's where you'd be-"
"He and I don't have anything more to say to each other," Archer said, cutting Niko off. "Besides, I'm more interested in fighting their Archer than I am in fighting him again."
"I see." Niko supposed that made sense. Archer had been more than forthcoming in her description of that War, the War between two opposing factions, and the way in which it had dissolved into chaos as soon as the Overseer made his move. Archer and Rider had said all they needed to say to one another back then, but this new Archer offered her a fresh start. "Was there anything else you needed to say to me?"
For a moment, Archer was silent, staring beyond the cold, double-wide doors looming over her and Niko. "There is." Without warning, Archer lashed out, punching Niko in the face. She fell to the ground, pulling herself up despite the pain in her likely-broken jaw as Archer said "I can understand what you and the others are doing. But I hate it; and I hate you most of all." Archer flexed her fingers in and out, giving her hand one final flick to discard any of Niko's blood that had landed on her gauntlet, before walking away in silence.
A brief flash of light saw Niko's wound on the mend, but neither she nor Archer acknowledged what had happened between them. "I hate me most of all, too," Niko said to herself, clutching not her injured jaw, but her right arm. "More than you can ever know."
But what choice is there for one who has walked this path, but to see it through until the end?
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PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
SVS knows the Fifth Magic, apparently.
[X] SaintBenot
- Location
- Around here
What Magic should I know in order to get the maximum amount of contribution?