- Location
- Around here
Except for our scheduled conversation with Serenity, but if nobody has any additional specifics that we want to ask or tell her, I can include that under "end the day".
Confringentur, Mk.2; a Madoka Magica / Fate/Stay Night crossover
- Thread starter SVS
- Start date
- Crossover
- Pronouns
- He/Him
A Servant with ability to conceal their presence and a sword-like weapon? Hm.
Does anyone know if Sasaki Kojirou is still alive in Hollow Ataraxia timeline?
- Location
- Around here
He is. He's still bound to the temple gate though, if memory serves me, so how he got all the way over here is anyone's guess. But I'm not shooting the idea down if that's what you want to put your money on.
Incidentally, welcome aboard. My alerts have been getting blown up by you lately; I'm glad to see that you've been enjoying yourself. Stick around, why don't you?
This information is probably irrelevant to any of you, but with 200 threadmarked posts at 260k words, that puts my average post length at 1300 words, give or take to account for the system's rounding. And that's just Part 2, which still has four more days to go. Add in Part 1 and we've reached 510k, not counting the omakes from either part which would probably add another ~30k to that number.
This is kind of weird. I've never written this much before in my life, and now all of a sudden I've written 5 novels worth of material in just over a year. So, even though we're nowhere near the ending, I want to thank everyone that's participating for being here and for giving me the constant pushes in the form of votes that I need to put out what I have.
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- United States
Alright, so we know that you're looking for something to help Homura resist or become immunized to True Assassin's poison, so we've compiled a few items that may be useful to use, some more costly than others:
The first is the Sword of Paracelsus, a Mystic Code composed of high-density "Elixir" and is the origin of Azoth. This sword is mainly used to enhance, assist and amplify the power of magecraft. It also allows instant use of ritualistic magic. By using the Five Elements as a catalyst, the sword can simulate True Ether (False), Magical Energy from the Age of Gods, to destroy anything around it.
However, the high-density magical energy storage ability is but a secondary effect of the Noble Phantasm. Its true power lies within the Elixir that the blade is made out of, where it is a "quantum computer" that is able to analyze and respond to the magical properties emitted by the opponent, before immediately encroaching it and making it his own; essentially an act of power snatching. Such an ability is on the level of a large scale ritual magic-level Mystery. A fragment of this Elixir-composed blade in the form of a Philosopher's Stone is able to briefly neutralize a magical property.
As long as Homura has this on her, she could more than likely seal away True Assassin's Noble Phantasm for a time. The important part of the sealing property of the sword is the Philosopher's Stone at the end of it, which you could probably project without the vast majority of the sword, or with an incredibly degraded blade, in order to save on Prana costs, though you'd likely lose the use of the Magecraft-enhancement ability of the blade if you do so, which isn't a problem if you're only trying to protect Homura from True Assassin's poison.
The second is a mythical gemstone called Toadstone, or Bufonite. It should give her a high level of Poison Resistance due to its nature as an antidote to poisons in the form of a magical stone when worn. Toadstone is most effective when worn against the skin, thus we're showing you an image of Toadstone rings that come into direct contact with skin, and when defending against poison it will heat up a bit and change colors. If a person was instead injected with venom in place of poison, Toadstone could also be used to cure it by directing touching the affected part of the body with it.
The third is the Cup of Heracles, which was given to a female descendent of Heracles. This cup protects the carrier from the effects of poison, pain, disease and plague. I know this one is a bit out of your specialty, but we might as well include it just in case for some reason the other two aren't effective, even if this'll cost quite a bit of Prana to utilize without it being an armament of some kind.
The first is the Sword of Paracelsus, a Mystic Code composed of high-density "Elixir" and is the origin of Azoth. This sword is mainly used to enhance, assist and amplify the power of magecraft. It also allows instant use of ritualistic magic. By using the Five Elements as a catalyst, the sword can simulate True Ether (False), Magical Energy from the Age of Gods, to destroy anything around it.
However, the high-density magical energy storage ability is but a secondary effect of the Noble Phantasm. Its true power lies within the Elixir that the blade is made out of, where it is a "quantum computer" that is able to analyze and respond to the magical properties emitted by the opponent, before immediately encroaching it and making it his own; essentially an act of power snatching. Such an ability is on the level of a large scale ritual magic-level Mystery. A fragment of this Elixir-composed blade in the form of a Philosopher's Stone is able to briefly neutralize a magical property.
As long as Homura has this on her, she could more than likely seal away True Assassin's Noble Phantasm for a time. The important part of the sealing property of the sword is the Philosopher's Stone at the end of it, which you could probably project without the vast majority of the sword, or with an incredibly degraded blade, in order to save on Prana costs, though you'd likely lose the use of the Magecraft-enhancement ability of the blade if you do so, which isn't a problem if you're only trying to protect Homura from True Assassin's poison.
The second is a mythical gemstone called Toadstone, or Bufonite. It should give her a high level of Poison Resistance due to its nature as an antidote to poisons in the form of a magical stone when worn. Toadstone is most effective when worn against the skin, thus we're showing you an image of Toadstone rings that come into direct contact with skin, and when defending against poison it will heat up a bit and change colors. If a person was instead injected with venom in place of poison, Toadstone could also be used to cure it by directing touching the affected part of the body with it.
The third is the Cup of Heracles, which was given to a female descendent of Heracles. This cup protects the carrier from the effects of poison, pain, disease and plague. I know this one is a bit out of your specialty, but we might as well include it just in case for some reason the other two aren't effective, even if this'll cost quite a bit of Prana to utilize without it being an armament of some kind.
[X] Plan Touch Me, Or Touch Me Not
-[X] Perhaps Kirika could have Berserker guard Oriko in astral form alongside Lancer, at least until they meet up tomorrow? With Archer and Caster at Mitakihara they should be fine for the school day at least.
-[X] Go home prepare for a confrontation with True Assassin
--[X] If you don't have anything to protect you from poison and True Assassin attempts to touch you, time-stop and resume time once you're well away from True Assassin and telepathically discuss with Archer on what your next move should be
--[X] If you do have something to protect you from poison and True Assassin attempts to touch you, let her do so in order to have her accept you as her Master
---[X] Spend the rest of the night before going to bed getting to know True Assassin, her name, capability, personality, history, her previous Grail War, likes and dislikes, etc.
-[X] (Archer) When your Master is closeby astralize out of the apartment for a moment and slip Homura a Ring of Toadstone for her to wear before swiftly returning and informing True Assassin that their Master is ready to talk
--[X] (Archer) Telepathically inform your Master of the effects of the Toadstone Ring, and how it should protect against the effects of True Assassin's poison
Don't think Archer actually has the Sword of Paracelsus yet, considering he didn't use it to seal away Heracles' Noble Phantasm when fighting him in the Fate route, which is why I included it in Alaya's DM just in case.
I'm guessing that Archer's brought True Assassin up to speed by now, at least when Homura's just about home.
Obviously if Homura lets True Assassin touch her she's gonna have to take a long shower in the morning to get rid of anything that could possibly affect Madoka, even if the Toadstone Ring neutralizes any poison on her, as Homura's not gonna put Madoka at risk.
EDIT: Removed Command Seal bit, at least to prevent any hasty action and in the case it would've been needed Homura can instead decide what to do away from Assassin without permanently harming their relationship.
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- Location
- Around here
What's your estimation on the rough cost for Archer to make each of the items you're quoting him on, and how easily will he be able to make the other two, given that they aren't swords? Also, could you clarify why you're instructing Homura to use a Command Seal if Archer is already giving her the ring of +5 poison resist?
- Location
- United States
The command seal bit is in the subvote that Homura doesn't have anything to protect herself against poison.
The Sword of Paracelsus is incredibly costly, being at base an A+, a Projected B+ Noble Phantasm, but it's also the easiest for Archer to Project being a sword and all. He could also project it with a very degraded blade/hilt, leaving only the Philosopher's Stone up to snuff, in order to save on Prana costs, though it'll likely cause the Magecraft-enhancing ability to not be useable if he does so. The important part is the Philosopher's Stone anyways. The problem with this is that it's temporary in sealing away stuff, as who knows when True Assassin is going to next touch Homura?
The Toadstone Rings are kinda like armor, but a bit more costly due to its shape. It still protects the bearer and is a wearable piece of metal/toadstone, which is what puts it in the category of armaments, particularly those that protect the wielder, and it should still definitely be cheaper than a full projection of the Sword of Paracelsus since all it's doing it protecting the user from poison/venoms as opposed to the Sword of Paracelsus' wide variety of potent effects.
The Cup of Heracles is definitely not gonna be very cheap at all, and will more than likely be much more expensive than a full projection of the Sword of Paracelsus, especially since it's a full on immunity to a wide variety of stuff. It's not an armament at all, it's a cup.
Sorry my vote took so long to make, but I ended up researching this stuff for hours until I found a few that could work (x.x).
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- Around here
Even so, we still have until Thursday to find a permanent solution, so unless 'temporary' only means 'until the next time you have to use it' it shouldn't be as though temporary is a bad thing.
Macros
omnisciently vague councilman
- Location
- Dirac Sea
I think that part has the potential to really screw us over. As it is written, it actually translates into "if Assassin tries to touch Homura, she'll immediately use a command seal".
I think it's bad, because it ruins our relationship with her right off the bat, in a situation where we likely have other options. There's a decent chance MG physiology would allow us to endure; ice could also be useful to counteract effects on open skin. Yet since it isn't strictly "protection from poison", then we'd use a command seal nonetheless.
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- United States
While I'd love for it to be effective as long as it was projected the actual wording is:
The "briefly" part of it I doubt lasts more than a few minutes, and while it'd be enough for Homura to become True Assassin's Master proper it likely isn't a permanent solution. I suppose it could be recast as many times as needed, but I'm not sure how the Prana cost for such a thing would be. Though you're right about only having to wait until Thursday for a more permanent solution.
Homura could always seal True Assassin's Noble Phantasm with some Command Seals (plural, because True Assassin wouldn't be willing at all considering her fervent nature in regards to finding someone who could withstand her touch). It would damage their relationship though. :/
Edited vote. What about now? This way we can make a separate decision/vote if it comes to it.
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WanderingTwix
Posting something good once in a full moon
- Location
- United Kingdom
[X] Plan Touch Me, Or Touch Me Not
- Location
- Around here
We're stuck at a 2-2, between the people who are fine with ending the day on the already-existing end-of-day plan, versus the people who have a new plan in mind. I'm fine with either, but we need a third vote either way to break the tie and end the day.
Also, once we've ended the day, I have a Bazett omake ready and waiting. We're finally going to get to see what her new arm looks like.
Also, once we've ended the day, I have a Bazett omake ready and waiting. We're finally going to get to see what her new arm looks like.
- Location
- United States
Ooo, Najenda Fraga McRemitz omake incoming!
I wonder what madness Touko's cooked up for our resident overpowered Enforcer.
Speaking of limbs, how're Kirika's coming along? They regen to the ankles yet?
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- Around here
I don't understand what this is referencing.
She'll be on her feet in time for the big showdown with Elsa Maria.
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- United States
Najenda from Akame ga Kiru, who has a robotic arm that can do stuff.
- Location
- Around here
The "muh justice" girl? She was so annoying that the only thing I can remember about her was how annoying she was.
- Location
- United States
Hah, no the leader of Night Raid. The woman with the artificial arm, short hair, competent demeanor and great combatant, and who wears a suit?
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- Around here
Oh, okay, yeah; now I see it. It's been about three years since I watched any episode of AgK, and all I can really remember was how annoying the "muh justice" girl was and how she made me want to watch something else.
Hah, no the leader of Night Raid. The woman with the artificial arm, short hair, competent demeanor and great combatant, and who wears a suit?
Day 27 Chapter 20
- Location
- Around here
[X] Plan Touch Me, Or Touch Me Not
"We will deal with them tomorrow," you say; desperately hoping that nothing else interferes that could cause you to have to delay again. "But for now-" you turn to Kure Kirika, "-since you're so willing to help protect Mikuni Oriko, perhaps you could have Berserker shadow her throughout the school day. I assume Lancer is already doing that, but two servants is generally better protection than one. I trust that Berserker will be amicable towards following Mikuni Oriko's lead should she come under attack?"
"I mean, I guess I could have him help watch her, but...." Kure Kirika looks away from you towards Mikuni Oriko, before returning her gaze to your direction. "It's just, there's something about the way he looks at her, ever since I took his Mad Enhancement away, that just really gets on my nerves. I can't describe it, but it makes me feel really uneasy sometimes."
"Everything will be fine, dearest; it's only for a few hours."
"Yeah, but-"
Mikuni Oriko's hand runs through Kure Kirika's hair, silencing the girl's complaints. "If there's something bothering you about the way Berserker looks at me, then I agree that it's something we should address. But it will only be for a few hours, and I'll have Lancer with me just in case it's something more serious than it looks. We'll talk about this later, I promise, but for now I want to focus on the more immediate problem."
"Fine, I'll have Berserker watch you tomorrow if Akemi thinks it'll help."
And with that, "I should be going now. It's getting late, and I still have Assassin to deal with before I'm able to retire for the night." You stand, bowing for your host and saying "As always, you have been a gracious host."
"Of course, Akemi-san; thank you for all your help tonight. You are always welcome here." You can't tell her how many times you've come here unwelcome in previous timelines.
Home at last, you think, as you approach the front door to your apartment, key in hand. Last chance to back out and stay somewhere else rather than dealing with Assassin. You're sure that Madoka would love to let you sleep over. Hitomi too, probably; you could hold a midnight study session. You'd have to sneak out in the morning before her parents woke up, though...
No. You summoned her; you're going to take responsibility and deal with the situation like a mature adult. You are mentally twenty-six, after all... Probably.
You reach for the door, but just as you're about to turn the key, you hear Archer's voice coming from behind you. "I've got a present for you," he says, prompting you to turn around. In his outstretched hand is a small ring with a dark and cloudy stone. A Soul Gem from one of the girls, perhaps? It looks terribly corrupted. "This is a Toadstone ring; it'll give you a resistance to poison for as long as the stone is touching your skin."
You take the ring from Archer, slipping it on your finger. "It's not a permanent fix, and it's only good for as long as the stone is touching your skin, but it'll work long enough to buy Assassin's loyalty while you look for something more permanent."
"Thank you." The tarnished gold and cloudy hazel stone don't exactly go well with your preferred choice of colours, but it isn't as though you have much of a choice. "I trust that Amy hasn't gotten herself into trouble with Assassin?" you ask, knowing that a deceased Amy is an easy ticket to a contracted Madoka.
"Our resident troublemaker hissed at Assassin as soon as she sensed her, then ran into your room and is probably still hiding there. Assassin has been waiting in the living room pretty much the entire time she's been here." Good. She's a smart one, that Amy, when she's not getting herself into trouble.
"Well, I guess there's no sense delaying the inevitable, then," you say, unlocking the door and opening it. "Assassin, I'm back!" You take your shoes off and make your way into the living room. Normal Japanese custom says to take your shoes off when you enter your home, but Assassin doesn't wear shoes. And on top of that, her feet are probably just as poisonous as the rest of her. Perhaps you should think about getting her a pair of indoor shoes, so she doesn't contaminate your floor.
"Welcome back," Assassin says as you enter the living room. It's strange; you spent so much of your early years interacting with faceless doctors in lab masks, but you could still read them by looking at their eyes. But Assassin, whose mask covers her eyes with a blank obsidian stare, is impossible to read. Is she approving of your absence; or has she taken it as a sign that you've rejected her? You don't know, and the fact that you don't know - that you can't read her at all, in fact - scares you. "I trust your meeting was productive?"
"Yes." You sit down on your couch, motioning for Assassin to join you. She is hesitant, and for those brief seconds of hesitation you are unsure if your gesture has offended her, but eventually she accepts, taking a seat beside you. Archer will have to thoroughly clean the couch later to remove any trace of contamination. Living with Assassin is going to be difficult.
"May I-" Assassin reaches her hand out. She's so close; she's just barely not touching you. "- touch you; if that is acceptable. Your cat did not find my body agreeable, but perhaps the one who summoned me will find it more so, I hope."
"Archer, I swear to God that if this ring doesn't do like you say it will, I'll do everything in my power to drag you down to Hell with me."
"Rest assured, master; I'm already in Hell."
He's shown himself to be a trustworthy ally before, so you're going to give Archer the benefit of the doubt this time. "Yes," you say, holding out the hand on which your new ring is worn. "You may touch me. Skin only, though; not my clothing."
Assassin stares at you with her obsidian stare, silent, judging your words. Every moment she hesitates is another moment that your spine remains frozen and your breath remains stolen from your lungs. But finally, Assassin touches your hand. She's warm. No; that warmth isn't her. You imagine that the prickling warmth you feel now would be impossibly agonizing without the protection afforded to you by Archer's gift, but you are still alive, even after nearly a full minute of Assassin touching your hand has passed. Finally, her stony silence breaks, and a smile forms on her thin, ashen lips. "I am glad," she says, her voice now just a touch warmer than it had been before "to know that my master can withstand my touch." She takes your hand into both of hers, holding it close to her. "Would master be willing to touch me, in return?"
"Where?"
"Anywhere. My body is yours, master."
"Understand this, Assassin," you say, moving your hand to touch her shoulder, the way you might do with one of your friends. "I am half your age, and I am spoken for. There are places on your body that I will not touch, and there are ways in which I am unwilling to touch you." The smile on Assassin's face lessens; perhaps she was hoping for more from you than just your touch. "However, I consent to touching you the same way I would for any of my other friends."
"That is acceptable, master."
"Good," you say, allowing her to take your hand back into her grasp. Who knows how much you'll need to wash that hand before the night is done? "Now, perhaps my new servant would be willing to tell me a few things about herself, in exchange for letting her touch me?"
"What would master like to know?"
"Normally, people give their names when they meet someone for the first time." You give Assassin a small bow, and address yourself as "Akemi Homura is my name. What might I call you?"
"As one of the Hassan-i-Sabbah, I cast away my name a long time ago. However, if it pleases you, I have been called in the past the Hassan of Serenity. Perhaps you will find that suitable for a name?"
You nod, pleased indeed. "Then tell me, Serenity, what is there to know about you? What can you do; what kinds of things do you like; what was your experience in your previous Grail War? I'm curious to know more about you." You can already read all of Assassin's abilities with your master's vision, but courtesy would dictate that you ask her all the same. Though it's strange; this 'Door to Paradise' skill she has listed appears to not exist. Trying to read it is almost like trying to click on a broken webpage link.
"I am able to shapeshift. By changing my face and skin colour, I can take on a different appearance more suitable to infiltration. In life, I used this ability to lure many powerful men who had strayed from the faith to their deaths. And yet, in order to get close to my target I would often have to take on the false life of a friend or lover, so in a way was I, too, straying from the faith, and it was my inability to keep living that lie which brought about my death."
"In the Grail War when I was summoned, I accidentally killed my master when he was unable to withstand the touch of my body. Shortly after that, I formed a pact with the master of Saber, as she was someone who was able to touch me without succumbing to my poison. However, she planned to sacrifice a great many lives in order to summon the evil which resided inside the Grail. Even being an evil person, as Lancer said, she was still someone who could touch me and survive, and so to give her the time she needed I fought to the death to keep Saber from betraying her."
So the evil residing in the Grail which Archer described existed during Assassin's War as well. And she aided the master who tried to unleash it. Suddenly, you wonder if you can trust her.
"As for things that I like, master..." Well, you'll have all night to find out.
"We will deal with them tomorrow," you say; desperately hoping that nothing else interferes that could cause you to have to delay again. "But for now-" you turn to Kure Kirika, "-since you're so willing to help protect Mikuni Oriko, perhaps you could have Berserker shadow her throughout the school day. I assume Lancer is already doing that, but two servants is generally better protection than one. I trust that Berserker will be amicable towards following Mikuni Oriko's lead should she come under attack?"
"I mean, I guess I could have him help watch her, but...." Kure Kirika looks away from you towards Mikuni Oriko, before returning her gaze to your direction. "It's just, there's something about the way he looks at her, ever since I took his Mad Enhancement away, that just really gets on my nerves. I can't describe it, but it makes me feel really uneasy sometimes."
"Everything will be fine, dearest; it's only for a few hours."
"Yeah, but-"
Mikuni Oriko's hand runs through Kure Kirika's hair, silencing the girl's complaints. "If there's something bothering you about the way Berserker looks at me, then I agree that it's something we should address. But it will only be for a few hours, and I'll have Lancer with me just in case it's something more serious than it looks. We'll talk about this later, I promise, but for now I want to focus on the more immediate problem."
"Fine, I'll have Berserker watch you tomorrow if Akemi thinks it'll help."
And with that, "I should be going now. It's getting late, and I still have Assassin to deal with before I'm able to retire for the night." You stand, bowing for your host and saying "As always, you have been a gracious host."
"Of course, Akemi-san; thank you for all your help tonight. You are always welcome here." You can't tell her how many times you've come here unwelcome in previous timelines.
Home at last, you think, as you approach the front door to your apartment, key in hand. Last chance to back out and stay somewhere else rather than dealing with Assassin. You're sure that Madoka would love to let you sleep over. Hitomi too, probably; you could hold a midnight study session. You'd have to sneak out in the morning before her parents woke up, though...
No. You summoned her; you're going to take responsibility and deal with the situation like a mature adult. You are mentally twenty-six, after all... Probably.
You reach for the door, but just as you're about to turn the key, you hear Archer's voice coming from behind you. "I've got a present for you," he says, prompting you to turn around. In his outstretched hand is a small ring with a dark and cloudy stone. A Soul Gem from one of the girls, perhaps? It looks terribly corrupted. "This is a Toadstone ring; it'll give you a resistance to poison for as long as the stone is touching your skin."
You take the ring from Archer, slipping it on your finger. "It's not a permanent fix, and it's only good for as long as the stone is touching your skin, but it'll work long enough to buy Assassin's loyalty while you look for something more permanent."
"Thank you." The tarnished gold and cloudy hazel stone don't exactly go well with your preferred choice of colours, but it isn't as though you have much of a choice. "I trust that Amy hasn't gotten herself into trouble with Assassin?" you ask, knowing that a deceased Amy is an easy ticket to a contracted Madoka.
"Our resident troublemaker hissed at Assassin as soon as she sensed her, then ran into your room and is probably still hiding there. Assassin has been waiting in the living room pretty much the entire time she's been here." Good. She's a smart one, that Amy, when she's not getting herself into trouble.
"Well, I guess there's no sense delaying the inevitable, then," you say, unlocking the door and opening it. "Assassin, I'm back!" You take your shoes off and make your way into the living room. Normal Japanese custom says to take your shoes off when you enter your home, but Assassin doesn't wear shoes. And on top of that, her feet are probably just as poisonous as the rest of her. Perhaps you should think about getting her a pair of indoor shoes, so she doesn't contaminate your floor.
"Welcome back," Assassin says as you enter the living room. It's strange; you spent so much of your early years interacting with faceless doctors in lab masks, but you could still read them by looking at their eyes. But Assassin, whose mask covers her eyes with a blank obsidian stare, is impossible to read. Is she approving of your absence; or has she taken it as a sign that you've rejected her? You don't know, and the fact that you don't know - that you can't read her at all, in fact - scares you. "I trust your meeting was productive?"
"Yes." You sit down on your couch, motioning for Assassin to join you. She is hesitant, and for those brief seconds of hesitation you are unsure if your gesture has offended her, but eventually she accepts, taking a seat beside you. Archer will have to thoroughly clean the couch later to remove any trace of contamination. Living with Assassin is going to be difficult.
"May I-" Assassin reaches her hand out. She's so close; she's just barely not touching you. "- touch you; if that is acceptable. Your cat did not find my body agreeable, but perhaps the one who summoned me will find it more so, I hope."
"Archer, I swear to God that if this ring doesn't do like you say it will, I'll do everything in my power to drag you down to Hell with me."
"Rest assured, master; I'm already in Hell."
He's shown himself to be a trustworthy ally before, so you're going to give Archer the benefit of the doubt this time. "Yes," you say, holding out the hand on which your new ring is worn. "You may touch me. Skin only, though; not my clothing."
Assassin stares at you with her obsidian stare, silent, judging your words. Every moment she hesitates is another moment that your spine remains frozen and your breath remains stolen from your lungs. But finally, Assassin touches your hand. She's warm. No; that warmth isn't her. You imagine that the prickling warmth you feel now would be impossibly agonizing without the protection afforded to you by Archer's gift, but you are still alive, even after nearly a full minute of Assassin touching your hand has passed. Finally, her stony silence breaks, and a smile forms on her thin, ashen lips. "I am glad," she says, her voice now just a touch warmer than it had been before "to know that my master can withstand my touch." She takes your hand into both of hers, holding it close to her. "Would master be willing to touch me, in return?"
"Where?"
"Anywhere. My body is yours, master."
"Understand this, Assassin," you say, moving your hand to touch her shoulder, the way you might do with one of your friends. "I am half your age, and I am spoken for. There are places on your body that I will not touch, and there are ways in which I am unwilling to touch you." The smile on Assassin's face lessens; perhaps she was hoping for more from you than just your touch. "However, I consent to touching you the same way I would for any of my other friends."
"That is acceptable, master."
"Good," you say, allowing her to take your hand back into her grasp. Who knows how much you'll need to wash that hand before the night is done? "Now, perhaps my new servant would be willing to tell me a few things about herself, in exchange for letting her touch me?"
"What would master like to know?"
"Normally, people give their names when they meet someone for the first time." You give Assassin a small bow, and address yourself as "Akemi Homura is my name. What might I call you?"
"As one of the Hassan-i-Sabbah, I cast away my name a long time ago. However, if it pleases you, I have been called in the past the Hassan of Serenity. Perhaps you will find that suitable for a name?"
You nod, pleased indeed. "Then tell me, Serenity, what is there to know about you? What can you do; what kinds of things do you like; what was your experience in your previous Grail War? I'm curious to know more about you." You can already read all of Assassin's abilities with your master's vision, but courtesy would dictate that you ask her all the same. Though it's strange; this 'Door to Paradise' skill she has listed appears to not exist. Trying to read it is almost like trying to click on a broken webpage link.
"I am able to shapeshift. By changing my face and skin colour, I can take on a different appearance more suitable to infiltration. In life, I used this ability to lure many powerful men who had strayed from the faith to their deaths. And yet, in order to get close to my target I would often have to take on the false life of a friend or lover, so in a way was I, too, straying from the faith, and it was my inability to keep living that lie which brought about my death."
"In the Grail War when I was summoned, I accidentally killed my master when he was unable to withstand the touch of my body. Shortly after that, I formed a pact with the master of Saber, as she was someone who was able to touch me without succumbing to my poison. However, she planned to sacrifice a great many lives in order to summon the evil which resided inside the Grail. Even being an evil person, as Lancer said, she was still someone who could touch me and survive, and so to give her the time she needed I fought to the death to keep Saber from betraying her."
So the evil residing in the Grail which Archer described existed during Assassin's War as well. And she aided the master who tried to unleash it. Suddenly, you wonder if you can trust her.
"As for things that I like, master..." Well, you'll have all night to find out.
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Omake, side Bazett - Inheriting Nuada Airgetlám
- Location
- Around here
"Well Aozaki, let's see what you've managed to cook up for me..."
Do you know how, in the movie Pulp Fiction, when the box containing the MacGuffin is opened it lights up like a Christmas tree? Bazett had never seen Pulp Fiction before, but upon opening the carry case presented to her by Aozaki that was exactly what she experienced. "Bloody hell," she said, staring at the silver arm which sat inside the velvet-lined case, "That looks like a piece of work." Hesitantly, almost as if she was afraid to damage the arm that sat inside the box, she reached out to touch the prosthetic appendage that would soon be hers, running a scruitinous finger down the length of the forearm. "Do you mind giving me the specs?"
"Not at all." Aozaki lit up a cigarette; soon, the scent of Dragon Smoke filled the cramped office. "When you first asked me to build you a silver arm like what Nuada Airgetlám had, I didn't have the slightest idea where to begin. Pretty much everything about this had to be custom-built from the ground up, and I'm pretty sure I accidentally made several important breakthroughs in materials science working on this thing." She tapped the ash from the end of her cigarette, and continued. "The skeleton is still Titanium, just like your old arm, and the muscles are still carbon fiber hydraulic cables, but everything else is brand new."
Bazett looked on, her eyes glistening with interest as she listened to Aozaki speak. "The shell is made from Titanium-3 Gold, so it's four times harder than just pure Titanium by itself. The metacarpals and knuckles are capped with Tungsten so you can punch like an artillery shell even without needing to use a strengthening rune; and the nerve circuitry is made of silver and plated with platinum to ensure the circuits stay protected and deliver the fastest possible relay between your nervous system and the prosthetic. Then, to get that shiny silver finish, the entire shell was coated with Chromium Nitride. You can punch as hard as you like and it'll never break. It'll never rust, never corrode, and never scratch; you can shoot it with an armour-piercing bullet and it'll bounce right off; and it's heat resistant to such a ridiculous degree that you'd basically have to throw the arm into a blast furnace to ever do any significant damage to it."
"In addition, there are runes inscribed on the inside of the shell, as well as on the metacarpals and knuckle caps. And I was able to get the Claíomh Solais function you asked for to work, though a word of advice if I may- It's a little explosive, so you might want to make sure that there's nothing on your arm you don't want destroyed when you activate it." Aozaki stamped out the cigarette in her ashtray, lighting up another as she said "So, that's it; your very own Airgetlám, just like you asked."
Solemnly, Bazett took off her collared shirt, putting her toned body and a sports bra in the same colour as her hair on full display for her benefactor. Sticking out of what remained of her severed arm was a short titanium stub, capped at the end with what looked like the jack to an AV cable. Moving over to the opposite side of her desk, Aozaki lifted the silver arm out of its carry case, holding it steady just below the point of connection. "Here comes the worst part," she said, gently sliding the arm into place. Bazett grimaced as a piercing electric shock ran through her shoulder and down her spine as her body's nervous system flared to life, connecting to the silver circuitry of her new limb. Aozaki smiled at the expression on Bazett's face, saying "It's so hard to believe that, after six years, I'll never get to see you make such a cute face again."
Bazett made no reply, taking several deep breaths as the electric shocks subsided. Hesitantly, she flexed the fingers of her new arm; they worked. The wrist; rotates and bends as expected. The elbow; flexes, rotates, every motion that her previous carbon fiber and ceramic prosthestics had, this new arm had as well, but now each movement felt so much more fluid; so much more like her real arm had. "I can't thank you enough, Aozaki," Bazett said, testing out the range of motion in her arm with vigour. "I mean it, seriously. I don't even know what to say; it's perfect. Thank you; from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Now, the question that remained was a simple one- "So, how much do I owe you?"
Aozaki stared at Bazett, admiring her handiwork and the unabashed joy that it brought to her customer. "Tell you what- I'll charge you the usual rate, but in exchange, there's two things I want you to do for me."
"This must have cost you a fortune. I can't just pay you the usual rate; I'd feel like I was stealing from you."
"What I want from you is worth more than any amount you could pay me." That sounds like such a bad thing. "First, because I just know that it's going to happen in the next couple of years, when those crusty old twats at the Association decide that my talents are too good for the gilded cage they've built for me and hand down a Sealing Designation, I want you to be the one who brings me in; alive. This is non-negotiable. Refuse, and after I've killed you and used your corpse for spare parts I'll take the arm back and sell it to the highest bidder. Are we clear?"
Bazett nodded; she was a capable enforcer, but even she knew that she was no match for the elder Aozaki, under any circumstance. It was just lucky that they had developed this, well, Bazett wouldn't quite call it friendship; but maybe Aozaki was the closest thing to a friend that she had at the moment. "Understood. And the second thing?"
"Sleep with me."
"Beg your pardon, Aozaki, but... Did I hear you correctly?" Aozaki nodded. "But, I mean, we're both girls. And I'm straight." And Aozaki was not a certain Child of Light whom Bazett definitely didn't want to bang, either.
"So's spaghetti, until it gets wet." Aozaki wasn't having any of Bazett's hesitation. "I just handed over my magnum opus for a very fair price; I think the least you can do is show me what you can do with it." She stamped out the cigarette in her grasp, electing not to light up another. "Look, I won't press the issue if you're really against it that much. I just thought we could, I dunno, both use the chance to unwind a little; and since this is probably the last time I'll ever see you on good terms I figure I have nothing to lose by at least asking. Tell me, when's the last time you had a good shag?"
"Uh... About, six or eight months ago?" Bazett wasn't entirely sure of that, herself. "It's hard to find a guy that can look past the arm and still want to be intimate, and it's even harder to keep them once the reality of my job's travel demands set in."
"Three years for me." Aozaki sauntered up to Bazett, draping her arms over the enforcer's shoulders, as if to lean in for a kiss that never came. "But I'm here, and I'm willing to look past the arm, if you'll let me. And best of all, I make no pretense that it'll be anything more than a one-time thing." With a smile, Aozaki broke away from Bazett, without ever having sealed her impromptu embrace. "Unless, of course, you decide you'd like to make it more than that. You've got a great body, McRemitz, and I'd want a piece of it no matter what you were packing underneath that suit of yours."
Bazett was blushing, but despite her evident embarrassment she made no motion to put her shirt on any quicker. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Aozaki." Aozaki smiled, while Bazett continued testing the functionality of her new arm by using it to button up her shirt. "I don't have to be back in Mitakihara for another day or two, and I want to get used to the new arm before I throw myself back into work." Aozaki took out another cigarette as Bazett spoke, but rather than light it herself, she instead handed the lighter to Bazett. "I'll let you know before I leave, okay?"
Aozaki took a long draw, exhaling, saying "I suppose that's the best I can ask for."
Do you know how, in the movie Pulp Fiction, when the box containing the MacGuffin is opened it lights up like a Christmas tree? Bazett had never seen Pulp Fiction before, but upon opening the carry case presented to her by Aozaki that was exactly what she experienced. "Bloody hell," she said, staring at the silver arm which sat inside the velvet-lined case, "That looks like a piece of work." Hesitantly, almost as if she was afraid to damage the arm that sat inside the box, she reached out to touch the prosthetic appendage that would soon be hers, running a scruitinous finger down the length of the forearm. "Do you mind giving me the specs?"
"Not at all." Aozaki lit up a cigarette; soon, the scent of Dragon Smoke filled the cramped office. "When you first asked me to build you a silver arm like what Nuada Airgetlám had, I didn't have the slightest idea where to begin. Pretty much everything about this had to be custom-built from the ground up, and I'm pretty sure I accidentally made several important breakthroughs in materials science working on this thing." She tapped the ash from the end of her cigarette, and continued. "The skeleton is still Titanium, just like your old arm, and the muscles are still carbon fiber hydraulic cables, but everything else is brand new."
Bazett looked on, her eyes glistening with interest as she listened to Aozaki speak. "The shell is made from Titanium-3 Gold, so it's four times harder than just pure Titanium by itself. The metacarpals and knuckles are capped with Tungsten so you can punch like an artillery shell even without needing to use a strengthening rune; and the nerve circuitry is made of silver and plated with platinum to ensure the circuits stay protected and deliver the fastest possible relay between your nervous system and the prosthetic. Then, to get that shiny silver finish, the entire shell was coated with Chromium Nitride. You can punch as hard as you like and it'll never break. It'll never rust, never corrode, and never scratch; you can shoot it with an armour-piercing bullet and it'll bounce right off; and it's heat resistant to such a ridiculous degree that you'd basically have to throw the arm into a blast furnace to ever do any significant damage to it."
"In addition, there are runes inscribed on the inside of the shell, as well as on the metacarpals and knuckle caps. And I was able to get the Claíomh Solais function you asked for to work, though a word of advice if I may- It's a little explosive, so you might want to make sure that there's nothing on your arm you don't want destroyed when you activate it." Aozaki stamped out the cigarette in her ashtray, lighting up another as she said "So, that's it; your very own Airgetlám, just like you asked."
Solemnly, Bazett took off her collared shirt, putting her toned body and a sports bra in the same colour as her hair on full display for her benefactor. Sticking out of what remained of her severed arm was a short titanium stub, capped at the end with what looked like the jack to an AV cable. Moving over to the opposite side of her desk, Aozaki lifted the silver arm out of its carry case, holding it steady just below the point of connection. "Here comes the worst part," she said, gently sliding the arm into place. Bazett grimaced as a piercing electric shock ran through her shoulder and down her spine as her body's nervous system flared to life, connecting to the silver circuitry of her new limb. Aozaki smiled at the expression on Bazett's face, saying "It's so hard to believe that, after six years, I'll never get to see you make such a cute face again."
Bazett made no reply, taking several deep breaths as the electric shocks subsided. Hesitantly, she flexed the fingers of her new arm; they worked. The wrist; rotates and bends as expected. The elbow; flexes, rotates, every motion that her previous carbon fiber and ceramic prosthestics had, this new arm had as well, but now each movement felt so much more fluid; so much more like her real arm had. "I can't thank you enough, Aozaki," Bazett said, testing out the range of motion in her arm with vigour. "I mean it, seriously. I don't even know what to say; it's perfect. Thank you; from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Now, the question that remained was a simple one- "So, how much do I owe you?"
Aozaki stared at Bazett, admiring her handiwork and the unabashed joy that it brought to her customer. "Tell you what- I'll charge you the usual rate, but in exchange, there's two things I want you to do for me."
"This must have cost you a fortune. I can't just pay you the usual rate; I'd feel like I was stealing from you."
"What I want from you is worth more than any amount you could pay me." That sounds like such a bad thing. "First, because I just know that it's going to happen in the next couple of years, when those crusty old twats at the Association decide that my talents are too good for the gilded cage they've built for me and hand down a Sealing Designation, I want you to be the one who brings me in; alive. This is non-negotiable. Refuse, and after I've killed you and used your corpse for spare parts I'll take the arm back and sell it to the highest bidder. Are we clear?"
Bazett nodded; she was a capable enforcer, but even she knew that she was no match for the elder Aozaki, under any circumstance. It was just lucky that they had developed this, well, Bazett wouldn't quite call it friendship; but maybe Aozaki was the closest thing to a friend that she had at the moment. "Understood. And the second thing?"
"Sleep with me."
"Beg your pardon, Aozaki, but... Did I hear you correctly?" Aozaki nodded. "But, I mean, we're both girls. And I'm straight." And Aozaki was not a certain Child of Light whom Bazett definitely didn't want to bang, either.
"So's spaghetti, until it gets wet." Aozaki wasn't having any of Bazett's hesitation. "I just handed over my magnum opus for a very fair price; I think the least you can do is show me what you can do with it." She stamped out the cigarette in her grasp, electing not to light up another. "Look, I won't press the issue if you're really against it that much. I just thought we could, I dunno, both use the chance to unwind a little; and since this is probably the last time I'll ever see you on good terms I figure I have nothing to lose by at least asking. Tell me, when's the last time you had a good shag?"
"Uh... About, six or eight months ago?" Bazett wasn't entirely sure of that, herself. "It's hard to find a guy that can look past the arm and still want to be intimate, and it's even harder to keep them once the reality of my job's travel demands set in."
"Three years for me." Aozaki sauntered up to Bazett, draping her arms over the enforcer's shoulders, as if to lean in for a kiss that never came. "But I'm here, and I'm willing to look past the arm, if you'll let me. And best of all, I make no pretense that it'll be anything more than a one-time thing." With a smile, Aozaki broke away from Bazett, without ever having sealed her impromptu embrace. "Unless, of course, you decide you'd like to make it more than that. You've got a great body, McRemitz, and I'd want a piece of it no matter what you were packing underneath that suit of yours."
Bazett was blushing, but despite her evident embarrassment she made no motion to put her shirt on any quicker. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Aozaki." Aozaki smiled, while Bazett continued testing the functionality of her new arm by using it to button up her shirt. "I don't have to be back in Mitakihara for another day or two, and I want to get used to the new arm before I throw myself back into work." Aozaki took out another cigarette as Bazett spoke, but rather than light it herself, she instead handed the lighter to Bazett. "I'll let you know before I leave, okay?"
Aozaki took a long draw, exhaling, saying "I suppose that's the best I can ask for."
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Day 28 Chapter 1
- Location
- Around here
Even though you ended the day with no reason to fear for your life at the prospect of Assassin retaliating against you, you still managed to avoid sleep entirely last night. Much of your waking hours were spent just talking with her, getting to know the Assassin servant named Serenity hiding behind that bone-white mask. She is an interesting person, to say the least, and from talking with her, you can definitely find things the two of you are compatible on.
Unfortunately, touch is still the one thing you are not compatible on. Oh, sure, you can manage physical contact with Assassin and live, but she hungers for your touch more than you are willing to give. If Madoka were to see you touching Assassin... What's worse is that you have no idea for how long Assassin's poison lingers on your skin after contact, and no idea whether it can transfer from your skin to your clothing. You had to take an extra long shower when morning finally rolled around, just to ensure that you weren't accidentally contaminating your school uniform when you went to put it on.
You're actually still in the shower right now.
"Madoka..." you whisper, as you scrub the shampoo suds from your hair. "I hope I've done enough to prevent cross-contaminating her." If Madoka dies because Assassin's poison was still on your hand, you are going to make Assassin's last memories of you those of the most excruciating pain she has ever experienced. Perhaps you'll succumb to despair and turn into a witch, dragging Assassin with you into your endless nightmare until one of your former allies kills you both.
You aren't sure how much time you spent scrubbing your hands and face, but when you step out of the shower they're both quite scarlet. You can do nothing for your hands; but for your face, you have a small makeup kit gifted to you by Kaname Junko the last time you spent the night at the Kaname residence.
"It's every girl's responsibility to learn how to use makeup, Homura. It's one of the signs that you're becoming a woman, and knowing how and when to use it will only bring out your best face."
Now, if you can just remember what she taught you, and apply it... The results are far from perfect, but it's a serviceable first attempt and it hides the scarlet of your face well enough. You hope Madoka will like it.
Amy is still hiding out in your room when you go to get dressed in your school uniform. Holding out your hand, you attempt to coax her out of hiding. To your surprise, she does, slinking out from underneath your bed and positioning her head directly underneath your hand. Good, you think, giving Amy a few scratches behind the ear before letting her scamper back into hiding. It doesn't seem like there's any of Assassin's poison on your hand.
You get dressed, and make your way to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Archer has prepared some omurice; it's nothing fancy, but it's an agreeable enough dish for all three members of the household. Breakfast is eaten quickly and in silence; with how much time you spent in the shower this morning, you can't afford to stick around and make idle small talk. When you finish, you stand and make your way to the door, but before you can leave, "Master, may I touch you, before you leave?"
Archer watches the scene to ensue with a silent stare, arms crossed over his chest. You try your best to smile for Assassin. You know she doesn't mean any harm by it; it's just her nature. Unfortunately for her "I must decline, Serenity. While I might be able to survive your touch, none of my friends can, and I don't want to risk contaminating them. I'm sorry, but I hope you understand."
Again, you lament your inability to read Assassin's thoughts behind her mask. "I understand, master. May I touch you again when you return from school?"
"I will be late coming home, most likely. But yes, we may touch again when I return."
Faintly, you can see a smile form on Assassin's lips, and she says "I am glad, master. I hope you have a nice day."
You hope you have a nice day, too.
On go your shoes, and out the door goes you. You've still got a few minutes to yourself before Madoka arrives; but once you see her smiling face, that's when your day officially begins anew.
Do you
[ ] Talk
-[ ] to Madoka
--[ ] Wait for Sayaka and Hitomi to join you before saying anything
-[ ] to Sayaka
-[ ] to Hitomi
--[ ] About what? (write-in)
[ ] Don't talk
-[ ] unless someone else talks to you
[ ] Other (write-in)
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Major objectives:
Homura
-Further your relationships with Kaname Madoka, Miki Sayaka, Shizuki Hitomi, Tomoe Mami, and Sakura Kyouko
-Cultivate your alliance with Mikuni Oriko and Kure Kirika
-Prevent the catastrophe of the "black mountain" from occurring
-Further your knowledge of rune magic and practice your chosen rune
-Prevent Kaname Madoka and Miki Sayaka from contracting and becoming puella magi
-Make sure that True Assassin doesn't accidentally kill you or your friends
-Figure out how to deal with the Shirome trio of puella magi
-Defeat the witch known as Walpurgisnacht
Archer
-Investigate, identify, and prevent the occurrence of the event that caused a fundamental force of this universe to be twice overwritten
-Protect your master from harm in this unusually dangerous loop
-Further your master's skills in magecraft, now that she has mastered the fundamentals of Projection
-Aid your master in coordinating her allies so that they stand a better chance of defeating Assassin, as well as any other threats that may appear