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Confringentur, Mk.2; a Madoka Magica / Fate/Stay Night crossover

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Nachtigall said:
Which is another reason why I wrote "If you can hold them in reserve". That said, I see no reason why he can't project an unbroken Caladbolg II arrow and overload it before firing, so I'll keep it as part of my vote.
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... Huh, on further searching I've found that any Servant can break an NP at any time. For some reason I thought that it had to be done in the projecting process, so yeah your idea would apply. My bad.
 
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Day 21 Chapter 4
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Something neutral
    [X] Snipe the fences from afar with inexpensive arrows to check if they're familiars.
    -[X] If you can hold them in reserve, project an arrow version each of Caladbolg and Hrunting for AoE or precision strikes.
    -[X] Our goal is Oriko and Lancer can track her, so let Bryn take the lead.
    -[X] If tracking fails, search for the witch; it's the most likely place for Oriko to be.
    ​

    As you look out at the field of coloured yarn and broken fences, the words you said to Kure after she tackled you to the ground resonate in your head. "Sometimes, things don't go according to how we'd like them to. That's something we all have to learn to accept, eventually." That this witch most likely isn't Mikuni's will only serve to further embolden her in her childish notion that things can go her way as long as she insists that they will, and make it harder for her to take to heart your lesson.

    On the other hand, if this witch defies expectations and proves to be Mikuni's, it's unlikely that Kure will stick around long enough for that lesson to be learned.

    Usually, you find that you're swamped by familiars shortly after entering any given labyrinth, yet there's nothing in sight at the moment that could tip you off to their presence. Nothing except the broken fences, that is. You aren't sure what it is, but there's just something about those fences that engenders a second of distrust in your gut. A few basic arrows - nothing special at all about them - make short work of the already ruined stretches of wood, an act which reignites Kure's ire towards you.

    "What the hell are you doing?" She spits her words in your direction, as Lancer looks on, counting the broken segments which now look more like wooden crosses than fence. "You're going to draw attention to us, doing stupid crap like that."

    "You should know just how bizarre the innards of a labyrinth can be. I wanted to make sure that, in the chance that the fences were familiars, that they didn't surprise us while our eyes were elsewhere." Kure has no counterpoint to offer you. "Now, I think it would be best if we advanced as a column, with Lancer at the lead and myself at the rear. That way, she can use her tracking rune to make the search for Mikuni go that much smoother, and I'll be able to make sure that nobody hits us from behind as we're advancing."

    "No," objects Kure. "If anyone's going to find Oriko, it'll be me. You two are just my backup."

    You expect little from Lancer, but to your surprise she rebuffs her substitute master and says "No, mistress Kure. I cannot allow you to place yourself in such an exposed position. My master would not allow it. With Berkano I can lead the hunt for my master, and with Archer in the rear you will be kept safe from attacks to your rear. You will be safe that way."

    Finally, only after Lancer pushes your plan two-to-one against Kure's objections, are you able to move out. With your bow still at the ready, you Project Caladbold and Hrunting, but hold them in reserve for a time when you will need them to be ready. It's a good thing you're able to Project a quiver in which to hold them, else you might have had to carry them in one hand to the detriment of your ability to loose any other arrows. And like that, your column advances, led by Lancer, who follows her burning rune as it points like a compass towards the target.

    As you pass a particular hedgerow of yarn, you hear a rustling noise, followed by an indecipherable chatter. Lancer must have heard it to, as she stops the column, leaving Kure to whisper to her "Why are we stopping?"

    You, with better eyes than Lancer, are the one to peer over the row of yarn, and see a few shortened figures, garbed in dirty brown robes and whose heads are made of metal fans, idly "chatting" to one another in the language of witches. One holds a stave in his hands; the other, a curved blade and a bale of wool. Off in the distance, you see many more, enough to make a small community of familiars.

    "Familiars," you say, returning your head to level with Lancer and Kure. "Two of them, dead ahead; with several more in the distance."

    [ ] Wat do?
    ​

    NEW
    Minor character unlocked!
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    Minions of the witch of sheep. Their role is to be shepherds. These minions slowly stroll around the inside of the barrier. They serve as the witch's owners, and think of her as their valuable property. Aside from watching over the witch, they generally locate humans lost in the barrier, who they then hunt as a group by blowing signals to their far-off brethren with the horns hanging from their necks. That being said, there are far more minions than are actually needed to shepherd one well-behaved witch, so they have very little to do when there aren't any humans around. In fact, they spend more time talking to each other about the quality of this year's cheese than they do working as shepherds.​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Project Atlanta's bow and two of her arrows and enact her Noble Phantasm, Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow, to kill all of the familiars. Move along.

    This is an anti-army Noble Phantasm whose rank will be lowered to C (since Archer won't be breaking it) so it shouldn't use too much mana (far less than Hrunting or Caladbolg, that's for sure). It'll save them time and the resulting storm of arrows don't have to be very strong in order to kill familiars.
     
    [X] Project Atlanta's bow and two of her arrows and enact her Noble Phantasm, Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow, to kill all of the familiars. Move along.
     
    Day 21 Chapter 5
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Project Atlanta's bow and two of her arrows and enact her Noble Phantasm, Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow, to kill all of the familiars. Move along.
    ​

    "Familiars. Two of them, dead ahead; with several more in the distance."

    Lancer looks at you, and then to Kure. "We both wish to recover my master, mistress Kure," she solemnly says. "Were the choice mine to make, I would choose to eliminate the familiars now so that we would be safe from attacks to our rear as we advance. But I understand that your love for my master outweighs the concern you have for your own safety. Mistress Kure, I would implore that you allow me to deal with them, but I am in no position to argue if you should choose otherwise."

    "Then it's a good thing you won't have to," you say. Planting your usual bow firmly in the ground, you Trace a different bow, one of Mycenaean Greek design, of heavy black-stained wood and bronze filigree. A bow fitting for the devout huntress of the goddess Artemis. "You two go on ahead. This will only take a second."

    Lancer nods, and continues on her way. Kure, wheeling herself along behind Lancer, looks back at you, as if curious to see what you will do.

    Two arrows take shape in your hand; long, sturdy arrows with bronze heads. Holding this bow and these arrows, you can almost feel the warrior's spirit still inhabiting them, now over three-thousand years since last they were used. Child of bears, member among the Argonauts, friend to the witch Medea, for a time; Atalanta was a great warrior indeed. It's doubtful that you'll ever have the chance to cross bow and arrow with her, but hopefully she won't find your borrowing of her weapons disgraceful when you've yet to best her in combat to prove your worth. "Very well; it's time for the hunt, then."

    Nocking both arrows on the string of your borrowed bow, you take aim; not in the direction of any familiar in particular, but above their heads towards the star-specked midnight "sky". "This is an offering to the two Gods."

    "Phoebus Catastrophe!" You loose both arrows, and they soar high. The arrows cut through the sky with all speed, shining with brilliant light as they reach their zenith. They strike the roof of the labyrinth, far far in the distance, and tear away the twinkling "stars" that dot the midnight, as a torrential rain of catastrophe falls upon the field of familiars. Cut to shreds where they stood, not a single one of them remains alive as the last specks of light fall to the ground.

    Allowing your borrowed bow to return to its owner, you rejoin Lancer's column, taking your place behind the wide-eyed Kure. "Wow..." is all she can say.

    There is little else you need to do as the column makes its way into the heart of the labyrinth; that is, until you come to the witch. Fittingly, as the familiars and landscape of the labyrinth borrow their imagery heavily from the shephard and the field, the witch - a giant, five-eyed ram with peacock feathers and little else to its name - resides in an oversized manger, resting on a pile of hay as several other familiars tend to it.

    You look around the manger, seeing bodies strewn about, stuffed into corners and laying beside the witch. Among the bodies nearest to the witch, you can see Mikuni's unconscious form laying on its side. Far from wearing her white battle garb, as you would have been expecting of her had she fallen here in battle, she is dressed in green pajamas. "Oriko!" you hear Kure scream, falling from her wheelchair and landing flat on her face as she tries to scramble over to her unconscious girlfriend, the commotion doing little but drawing the attention of the witch's attending familiars. They stare at you with their eyeless heads made of metal fans.

    "Well, that was smart of you," you say. "Not."

    [ ] Wat do?
    ​

    NEW
    Minor character unlocked!
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    ​
    The witch of sheep. Her nature is insomnia. A witch who spends all her days trembling within the fence in her barrier, unsure of what she ought to do. Her extreme caution of her surroundings has caused her to sprout extra eyes. It's said that at least one of these eyes is always open, day or night, and that she never sleeps. This witch has never once stepped outside of her fence, and has no intention of ever doing so. She lives within the fence, happily tamed by her minions, and waits for said minions to bring her humans to eat. Since she's usually trembling in fear of something, she may give off a well-behaved impression, but she'll panic and run wild if her minions are defeated.​
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Project Black Keys. Focus on keeping the Witch and her Familiars pinned so the others can extract Oriko.
     
    [X] Project Black Keys. Focus on keeping the Witch and her Familiars pinned so the others can extract Oriko. Once they've gotten Oriko and begun to extract, break Caladbolg and fire it at the Witch.

    Luckily, unlike the Executors that use them, Archer can just project and fire Black Keys at will without ever having to throw/touch them. Good idea, NMS.
     
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    [X] Project Black Keys. Focus on keeping the Witch and her Familiars pinned so the others can extract Oriko. Once they've gotten Oriko and begun to extract, break Caladbolg and fire it at the Witch.
     
    [X] Project Black Keys. Focus on keeping the Witch and her Familiars pinned so the others can extract Oriko. Once they've gotten Oriko and begun to extract, break Caladbolg and fire it at the Witch.

    SVS said:
    Atalanta was a great warrior indeed. It's doubtful that you'll ever have the chance to cross bow and arrow with her, but hopefully she won't find your borrowing of her weapons disgraceful when you've yet to best her in combat to prove your worth.
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    Err... was using Atalanta's bow Tauropolos a valid plan in that case? Archer-Gilgamesh didn't bother with bows in his massive weapon barrages, and we apparently never met Atalanta - so where did we encounter her bow to use structural analysis on it?
    Of course you can just hand-wave it as having seen one of the other NP collectors wield it, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.
     
    Nachtigall said:
    Err... was using Atalanta's bow Tauropolos a valid plan in that case? Archer-Gilgamesh didn't bother with bows in his massive weapon barrages, and we apparently never met Atalanta - so where did we encounter her bow to use structural analysis on it?
    Of course you can just hand-wave it as having seen one of the other NP collectors wield it, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.
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    When did Archer ever encounter Hrunting or Caladbolg, do you think? Or the hundreds of different Noble Phantasms in his Reality Marble? Really, it's safe to assume that he found a way to either see the NPs in person or through memories while working for so long under Alaya.
     
    Enetious said:
    When did Archer ever encounter Hrunting or Caladbolg, do you think? Or the hundreds of different Noble Phantasms in his Reality Marble?
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    Most of them either from Gilgamesh or the NP's original wielder, and SVS explicitly stated that EMIYA never met Atalanta.

    Hrunting and Caladbolg are e.g. weapons Gil probably shot from his Gates, but a bow like Tauropolis doesn't make for a good projectile.
     
    Nachtigall said:
    Err... was using Atalanta's bow Tauropolos a valid plan in that case? Archer-Gilgamesh didn't bother with bows in his massive weapon barrages, and we apparently never met Atalanta - so where did we encounter her bow to use structural analysis on it?
    Of course you can just hand-wave it as having seen one of the other NP collectors wield it, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.
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    Enetious said:
    When did Archer ever encounter Hrunting or Caladbolg, do you think? Or the hundreds of different Noble Phantasms in his Reality Marble? Really, it's safe to assume that he found a way to either see the NPs in person or through memories while working for so long under Alaya.
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    Nachtigall said:
    Most of them either from Gilgamesh or the NP's original wielder, and SVS explicitly stated that EMIYA never met Atalanta.
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    While it's possible that he saw the actual bow somewhere in the hands of some collector - maybe stored away in the Clocktower's spiritual invocation depatment to be used as a Catalyst in a future Grail War - it's unlikely that a bow from the Mycenaean period would have survived completely intact through the Bronze Age Collapse and the ~3000 years that followed to the present day.

    If it wasn't, then it's likely that he saw it on a piece of art somewhere for some reason, and knew enough about bow construction that he could jigsaw the rest of the composition together in his head. If we're going by the first ED of Fate/Zero using famous pieces of art as examples of the servant's real-life experiences, then this painting is probably the one he saw, albeit Fate-ified in similar fashion to the others.
     
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    Day 21 Chapter 6
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Project Black Keys. Focus on keeping the Witch and her Familiars pinned so the others can extract Oriko. Once they've gotten Oriko and begun to extract, break Caladbolg and fire it at the Witch.
    ​

    The stupidest member of your three-man team has just drawn all eyes to her, when she stupidly screamed out for an unconscious Mikuni and fell flat on her face trying to scramble for her girlfriend. "Well, that was smart of you. Not." With a wave of your hand, you Project a large quantity of Black Keys, saying to Lancer as you take aim at the nearest familiar "I'll keep Idiot here safe and cover you; you grab Mikuni."

    Lancer nods her head, readying her spear in her hands as she replies "Understood."

    Projectiles fly as Lancer dashes off with all speed, letting no familiar stop her as she cuts down anything in her path, just as your blades cut or pin down those not yet near enough. Two lines of familiars advance from both sides to close the gap, but you let fly a volley. Three of their number are struck down, while the rest are pinned under fire and are unable to move to intercept Lancer- Not that it would have mattered anyway, but credit where it is due, these familiars just don't know when to quit.

    Finally, after a frantic few minutes that seem to drag on for hours, Lancer has her master. Tightly gripping the unconscious girl under the crook of her left arm, Lancer beats her retreat, and you continue to provide covering fire. "You three go on ahead," you say, loosing the last of your Black Keys to draw Caladbolg from your quiver. "I'll deal with the witch."

    Again, Lancer nods her head, saying "You have my gratitude, Archer."

    Coursing mana down the length of Caladbolg, you say to yourself "I guess it's time to see what this can do." Under your master's advice from a few nights ago, this Projection of the spiral sword of Fergus has been bestowed with the rune Tiwaz. When it reaches its breaking point, you let your grip slacken. "Caladbolg!" tears through the manger, creating a vacuum wave in its path that scatters hay and rips wooden boards from the walls. The air is set alight and the manger erupts in a fiery explosion as your broken arrow collides with the witch. Nothing remains.

    "Well, that takes care of that," you say, clapping your hands together as you rejoin Lancer and her two masters. But wait- Something's not right. The witch is dead, but the labyrinth isn't fading, and-

    "Look at this." Lancer parts her master's long hair near to her neck, revealing an orange-and-black marking that looks like a Halloween-themed lollipop. A witch's kiss. From the burning wreckage of the manger, you hear the sound of broken boards creaking, snapping, collapsing under their own weight. Then, you hear a bellowing screech, and a black ram emerges from the wreckage, wreathed in flame, its five eyes staring wildly in all directions as its body trembles.

    "Correction- It looks like that doesn't take care of that after all."

    [ ] Wat do?​
     
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    • SVS said:
    Lancer nods her head, reading her spear in her hands as she replies "Understood."
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    readying

    SVS said:
    seeing bodies strewn about, stuffed into corners and laying beside the witch. Among the bodies nearest to the witch, you can see Mikuni's unconscious form
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    Before we unleash more AoE attacks - is the above quote something we have to worry about? I.e. are there other unconscious people lying around or are those corpses?
     
    Nachtigall said:
    Before we unleash more AoE attacks - is the above quote something we have to worry about? I.e. are there other unconscious people lying around or are those corpses?
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    The bodies in the manger were the only bodies lying around. We're not likely to see more, so AoE away if you think that's the best course of action.
     
    [X] Break Hrunting and fire it at the Witch. Fire Black Keys at the shadows of any familiars and the Witch if it survives and retreat for now. If either Kirika and Lancer haven't already done so, pulse your Od into the Witch's Kiss in order to disrupt it.

    Assuming he also placed a Tiwaz rune on Hrunting, this will be a better test to see how it augments Hrunting, if at all, considering the last test just imploded as per usual.
     
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    [X] Break Hrunting and fire it at the Witch. Fire Black Keys at the shadows of any familiars and the Witch if it survives and retreat for now. If either Kirika and Lancer haven't already done so, pulse your Od into the Witch's Kiss in order to disrupt it.
     
    Day 21 Chapter 7
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Break Hrunting and fire it at the Witch. Fire Black Keys at the shadows of any familiars and the Witch if it survives and retreat for now. If either Kirika and Lancer haven't already done so, pulse your Od into the Witch's Kiss in order to disrupt it.
    ​

    When you fired the broken Caladbolg at the witch, you thought that would have been the end of things. The witch had other ideas, and now it's back, black, and bleating something terrible. Mikuni is unconscious and stuck with a witch's kiss, Kure is damn near useless without her legs, and Lancer can only do so much between her unconscious real master and her crippled substitute master.

    Honestly, you can see why your master wanted you to retreat as soon as you had Mikuni. Your tactical position is really poor right now.

    You draw Hrunting and allow your quiver to vanish; you won't be needing it after this. "Give me fifteen seconds," you say to Lancer, as you nock Hrunting against your string and pull back. "If you can keep Tweedledee and Tweedledum safe for fifteen seconds, I can deal with the witch."

    "Yeah?" Kure shoots you a sour glare. "Isn't that what you said last time? Well, look where that got us. We should-" Thankfully, Lancer cuts her off before she makes you have to gouge your eardrums out to avoid hearing her complaints.

    "I do not understand what you mean by calling my master and mistress those names," Lancer says with determination in her voice. "But I shall give you fifteen seconds, if that is what you require." Carefully, she sets Mikuni down on the ground beside Kure, before standing to address the frantic and rampaging witch.

    With a wave of her hand, Lancer conjures her rune of fire, using it to draw a fence around the four of you. The familiar, drawn by the light, changes course and makes a beeline for your direction. In response, Lancer bounds over the flame, engaging the witch with her spear and stopping it in its tracks. Their struggle is intense, and far from the fear you had felt at the possibility that Lancer would turn on your master and slaughter her and her friends if she were allowed into your master's home, watching her as your vision turns red from the crackling arcs of mana that surround Hrunting, you feel something else. Watching Lancer, once the enemy of you and your master, fighting valiantly to give you the fifteen seconds you need, you feel, if not respect outright, then at least something approaching respect.

    But you're not quite there just yet. Lancer is still Mikuni's servant, and even if your master is working towards making her peace with the girl, you cannot.

    Fifteen seconds are up. "Lancer, fall back!" you cry out, and she does so. With its opponent having disengaged from the fight, the witch turns its attention towards you. It charges, bleating loud enough to shatter glass as its silverware hooves tear the knit countryside to ruin. And then you release.

    In the blink of an eye the witch is knocked down as Hrunting collides with its target, a massive gash torn through its side and out its back. It bleeds no blood, but the yarn beneath it is dyed dark crimson all the same. Somehow, against the odds, the witch has twice now survived strikes that had brought earlier witches to their knees. Its fallen form trembles, and shakily tries to stand.

    That's your cue to leave. "We're going to fall back before this thing can pick itself up again," you say, as Lancer picks up both Mikuni and Kure, each under a different arm. Kure's wheelchair will have to be left where it is. "You get them out of here, and I'll cover our retreat to make sure neither the witch, nor any familiars, are able to harass us while we run."

    Lancer is much faster than you, and you've barely managed to fire the fifth of twenty or so newly-Projected Black Keys before she's managed to thoroughly outpace you to the labyrinth's exit. You aren't worried about her outrunning you- Even with a deadweight under each arm, she is still capable enough of handling a few barely-sentient familiars. Soon, the exit is in sight, and the bright morning sun comes into view as you return to the real world.

    It's fortunate that the labyrinth was cloistered away in a back-alley, or else you might have stumbled into broad daylight looking like, well, you. You and Lancer have it the easiest, able to dispel your combat attire in exchange for respectable civilian clothes, but Kure and Mikuni are another story. Kure, once out of her costume, is wearing only a loose, dirty tee shirt and underwear, on top of the clearly-visible missing legs capped with wisps of black mist rolling off their ends; and Mikuni is unconscious and wearing pajamas.

    You sigh, realizing that explaining this one is going to be a challenge. "Have either of you had any luck waking her up?" you ask as Lancer sets the pair down against the side of the alley, hoping to change the subject to something less awkward to think about.

    Kure holds Mikuni close, whispering in her ear words that sound suspiciously like "I'm sorry..." "It's all my fault," she says, cradling the unconscious girl in her arms, her fingers tracing the swirling contours of the witch's kiss on the back of Mikuni's neck. "I... I should have been able to protect her."

    "Mistress Kure, I do not believe that you could have anticipated that this would occur." You choose not to weigh as Lancer does her best to comfort Kure.

    Well, if neither Kure or Lancer have tried to wake Mikuni, you're going to give it a shot. You interrupt Kure's fingers with your own, earning her ire, as you send a small pulse into the kiss. The hope is that the effect of the kiss will be disrupted, but despite your efforts Mikuni remains unconscious, and Kure remains angered at you.

    Your master is going to want to hear about this.
    ​
    Report back to your master and
    [ ] Send Lancer, Kure, and Mikuni home
    -[ ] How do you get Kure and Mikuni home unnoticed? (write-in)
    -[ ] Shouldn't Kure be going to school, not back home?
    [ ] Go back in and defeat the witch
    -[ ] By yourself
    -[ ] With Lancer
    -[ ] Fall back and regroup with Rider and/or Caster before trying again
    [ ] Wait for your master's orders before engaging the witch or not
    [ ] Change perspectives to Homura
    [ ] Other (write-in)​
     
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    • [x] Send Lancer, Kure, and Mikuni home, and go back in to defeat the witch
    -[x] Hide until nightfall, and then move under the cover of darkness.
     
    [X] Don't dissipate the Black Keys used in the Witch's Labyrinth just yet
    [X] Escort Kure and Mikuni back to Mikuni's estate
    -[X] How do you get Kure and Mikuni home unnoticed?
    --[X] Ask Lancer if she can shroud their movements by enacting runes such as Berkano or Dagaz
    [X] Go back and defeat the witch
    -[X] With Lancer

    Hoping that those runes will at least be able to give them a "everything is normal, move along" aura to the average denizens of Mitakihara, if they will be able to see them at all that is. Also getting Archer to pay attention to Lancer's initial lesson on Runes is paying off! On a side note Archer can keep the Witch and it's familiars locked down for the time being if he doesn't dissipate the Black Keys used to pin their shadows in place, therefore locking any movements they could possibly attempt.
     
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    It seems that the witch's wool works with anime/game physics - spacial distortions should have shred it to pieces, but it's probably highly resistant against anything that could be considered physical damage.

    By the same logic, fire will probably be highly effective.
     
    [X] Don't dissipate the Black Keys used in the Witch's Labyrinth just yet
    [X] Escort Kure and Mikuni back to Mikuni's estate
    -[X] How do you get Kure and Mikuni home unnoticed?
    --[X] Ask Lancer if she can shroud their movements by enacting runes such as Berkano or Dagaz
    [X] Go back and defeat the witch
    -[X] With Lancer
     
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