I have a bad feeling about this...
Among other things, apparently she's REALLY obsessed, and the fact that QA is carrying around a goddess' phylactery is also a bit concerning. That does explain the weird dreams though!
So, at what point is Sothis going to be reborn? Given how bullshit QA is (and how unreliable her views are) she's either going to absorb Sothis and appall all the priests or she'll bring her back with apparently little effort and probably gain her own followers (and/or appall the priests)...
My honest bet, is "a coin toss" if being honest. Between absorption, and incarnating into an "optimised" Vessal.
Heads, or :MOTHER: grade. QA is absorbed by Sothis, "Mother" is reborn... But in eldritch what-can-go-wrong, she's stuck with an even bigger emotional angst, over not just absorbing a newborn soul accidentally/intentionally... But has to process/deal with all sorts of ancient "DATA", or memories of nothing but outright cycles, that garantee 'daily apocalypses' for breakfast. And maybe on top, being 'off' with feeling a lot/some of QA's personality bleed through to her... At best.
At worst... *Cue Titans! The Final Boss theme nobody wants to hear.*
Tails however: Would probably be by Jesus grade miracles, Admini reincarnates/recreates a perfect body for Sothis to inhabit. Give or take on road to Goddess recovery to boot. Might involve recycling a Sitri "corpse of a vessel/mother", optimising said body and then planting an eldritch connection on top. Naturally, they'll probably be some concerns of Dark Magic. But given enough fudge, and Rhea going past the "MOTHER IS BACK! Wait... Why is she/Admini not a... Oh, that's why. She brought Mother back!"
But by that point, "obsessive Yandere boss" would probably go from "Path to having Sothis absorb Admini", to "Path to obsessively protecting Sothis's newest child." Cue the "Jesus/God" family relationship being more bullshit, in a Crystal Dragon religion analogue. And possible escalation to the point the "Dubstep faction" are probably going to have an incoming migraine, soon enough...
Honestly though, bar some eldritch reunion/acceptance on following a desire to be part of a greater Entity, following through. Or treat/view Sothis as such. I'd probably if going hindsight, bet that Admini would likely be plotting to develop a vessel for Sothis. Give or take lots of years of "Church cultivating" or planning on having Sothis possess/absorb QA, being misunderstood later at best. Followed by if honestly going "I can turn people into Dragons", giving the frankly, entire Lizard Illuminati a migraine, over implications to their people.
AN: Running out of steam for this one; there might just be one more chapter.
"Dismay and resignation, you said?" Sothis mused aloud. "I cannot recall what leadership position I once occupied, yet I cannot imagine provoking such a reaction from one with good intentions."
Little Admini's glimpse into the past of her adoptive father was appreciated, yet Sothis remained wary of this Church of Seiros. Either it was an organization cutthroat enough to encourage sabotage between its Guard Captain and Archbishop, or it kept a mentally unstable individual in a significant position of power. Neither outcome was conducive to keeping Admini safe.
Still, Sothis supposed it was preferable to relying on a mercenary band's collective sense of discretion. Mercenaries could try to pick their conflicts, yet it was still a job with a relatively high turnover rate. It would only take one careless or greedy individual to put Sothis's adopted daughter in danger. Navigating a powerful individual's obsession would be a worthwhile cost for proper personal protection.
"Humans pass information via written and oral records," Admini pointed out. "Such records are easily modified either deliberately or through simple negligence. It would not be impossible for you to transition from a beloved role to an antagonistic one over time, especially as you seem to harbor mild dislike for humans."
Sothis huffed and shook her head.
"It's not that I dislike them," Sothis defended herself. "I am simply wary of a society that–"
Sothis trailed off and wondered if she should really be explaining mass discrimination and the likely death of a child's birth parents to the child in question.
"I can provide more information if you want something to be wary of," Admini offered.
Sothis found herself snickering despite the gloomy subject matter, shook her head, and decided a change in subject might be in order.
"No, it's not important just yet. Shall we practice selective thorn placement?"
A protective cage of thorns wouldn't be the best method of deterring foes, yet it would at least serve to slow them down.
"Yes, please!"
~ ~ ~
As she passed through the gates of Garreg Mach Monastery, Admini did not bother to conceal her wide-eyed glee from her position atop Papa Jeralt's shoulders. Human body language was not detailed enough to communicate why she was pleased, only that she felt a related emotion. She sincerely doubted any observers would suspect her underlying justifications.
She had hoped that the Knights of Seiros would be powerful in their own rights, and Garreg Mach fell at the upper boundary of her expectations. It would be more accurate to call Garreg Mach a fortress. Shard-reinforced stone walls towered over surrounding peaks and the comparably fortified town below. The mountainous region had clearly been selected for potential defensibility, and strategically placed forts—albeit ones lacking what Papa said was magical reinforcement—would maximize the defensive advantages granted by such terrain. Humans atop non-sapient wyverns and pegasi patrolled the skies and would make both military assault and espionage significantly harder for any foes.
Even the local populace had clearly been primed to assist in fighting off enemy invaders. Numerous statues were depicted wielding sharp weaponry of slightly unusual shape; inquiry revealed them to be statues of the Four Saints, or less commonly, the Ten Elites. Such high-visibility militant imagery linked to their religion would make mass recruitment delightfully easy when fighting against any opposing polity. QA also expected it to boost recruitment in times of peace: most citizens within the town would pass such statues more than once in any given day. Even after excluding the fliers, it was uncommon for there to be any less than two steel-armored knights within Admini's line-of-sight at any given time.
The religious pilgrims required more assessment, but were generally still a net positive. Both enemy and allied intelligence agents would have an excellent excuse to enter Garreg Mach; however, the majority of visitors would present a sympathetic means of spreading announcements and policies throughout the continent of Fódlan.
The market at the entrance to the monastery was smaller and far more expensive than those of the town outside, yet those prices may have been justified via interesting luxury items that Admini had never seen. Merchants wishing to ply their wares within the Monastery's walls would be first in the line of fire should it be attacked, and would be grateful to the Church after a successful defense. The high number of passerby also made it a rather prestigious and advantageous trading location; it was likely that favors or high tithes were extracted in exchange for the right to establish operations within the monastery market.
Numerous chokepoints, elevated defensive positions, and yet more walls would all ensure a protracted battle even if the outermost monastery walls fell. As Admini continued further and further into the Monastery, it became increasingly clear that the architects had specifically prioritized long-term defensibility during construction. If necessary, the second half of the monastery could be severed from the first by destroying the connecting bridge over several hundred meters of empty space. Sustainability would, however, be a concern in that particular scenario: the supplementary gardens did not appear large enough to sustain monastery forces indefinitely in the event of a siege—at least, not without shard assistance.
QA looked forward to providing that assistance and subverting as much of the organization as possible.
A priestess in white robes intercepted Admini and Papa near the entrance to the main cathedral and discreetly ushered them up a nearby flight of stairs. One of the two knights guarding the area in question almost saluted before a look from Papa stopped the motion. Apparently, at least some of the Knights of Seiros still remembered and recognized him even in worn travel leathers.
Archival note: Papa may have kept significantly more power than he implied or knew. Issue reminder if other factions attempt to ignore him.
Papa Jeralt had warned her that they might need to wait for a large period of time before Archbishop Rhea could meet with them. QA was fairly confident that "113 seconds" did not meet these qualifications. Similarly, Archbishop Rhea's guards remained outside the closed doorway rather than joining them in the bright, cozy sitting room overlooking a crowded courtyard. The room's doorway was not large enough to accommodate Admini atop his shoulders—a subtle problem which QA respected if it had been deliberate.
Archbishop Rhea stood by the window and looked away from the pilgrims below moments after Jeralt entered with Admini holding his hand. Queen Administrator had not, however, expected the archbishop to possess pale-green hair to contrast QA's own grass-green hair. QA wondered if the precedent set by the Four Saints led to associations between that particular hair color and perceived personal piety. If so, she wouldn't be surprised if a statistically significant number of the faithful chose to dye their own hair.
Archival note: Track the incidence rates of green hair among the greater population.
Archbishop Rhea's regal attire only reinforced Queen Administrator's desire to subvert her and the organization she led. Fortunately, it seemed as though she intended to make subversion quite easy; the archbishop swiftly crossed the intervening distance, knelt, and engulfed Admini in a hug. The shard hadn't even been able to offer the flowers she held in both hands.
"I'm so glad that you're alive and well," Archbishop Rhea murmured. Judging by her physical behavior and tone, Admini Queen Administrator guessed that was an understatement. "I know the outside world is a frightening and fraught place, but you're safe now. Welcome home."
If she had been hugging Sothis, then Queen Administrator would have leaned back just far enough to establish eye contact. However, she didn't know if Rhea would interpret that movement negatively or as a challenge. It would be safer to remain still and maintain the hug. Unfortunately, the flowers were currently more of a detriment in that regard; Queen Administrator could not return the gesture without first dropping them.
"Thank you for the welcome, Archbishop Rhea. However, it wasn't particularly scary. Papa's concealment strategy may not have been viable on a long-term basis, yet it seems to have been adequate thus far."
The archbishop went unusually still for a moment before she shifted to look up at Jeralt. She still didn't release Admini from the hug and even began stroking Admini's hair, although the shard didn't mind. The only potentially problematic area laid in her hands momentarily pausing against Admini's hidden ears.
"Yeah," Jeralt sighed. "She's been like that since soon after her birthday. I can't say it's bad, although it definitely took some getting used to. Just act like you're talking to a very tiny teen who doesn't get figures of speech."
Rhea slowly inhaled and exhaled before answering.
"Admini, please just call me Rhea. As for you, Jeralt—I do believe I told you that your child was special," Rhea replied evenly. "Did you truly believe that to be a mere platitude?"
Metal clicked and leather creaked as Papa shifted in place.
"There's no safe way for me to answer that," Papa admitted. "I suspect she might be exceeding whatever you expected, though. Those flowers? She grew them in minutes from what should have been mere grass and weeds."
Rhea shifted her hands to Admini's shoulders, leaned back, and glanced at the bundle of multicolored flowers QA promptly held up for inspection. It was difficult to interpret the flicker of emotion that crossed her features. QA was guessing that the difficulty was deliberate; careful control over communicated messages would be useful to a politically powerful individual.
"Should' is just a matter of opinion, Papa," QA corrected. "I can make more if you like them, Rhea! It's not very hard when I'm a dragon."
Rhea's visage was overcome with shock, and her suddenly clenching hands painfully squeezed Admini's shoulders. The shard had barely released her automatic "Ow!" when horror replaced the shock and Rhea withdrew. Admini was fairly confident that the horror was from harming her, however, not because of the draconian transformation. Rhea's next words only confirmed that hypothesis.
"Please forgive me—I would never hurt you deliberately," Rhea rushed to explain, cradling her hands to her own chest like they had sustained the damage themselves. "I can heal any harm if you'll allow the contact needed."
"Apology accepted," Admini swiftly said before Papa could get upset on her behalf. She couldn't let him sabotage such a useful level of attachment. "Healing would be appreciated; it might bruise otherwise."
A golden glow suffused Rhea's palms, and the archbishop laid them atop the aching areas she'd damaged moments before. Queen Administrator watched with keen interest and tried to memorize the exact color of the healing light. It might be important later.
"Is it true that other people can't turn into dragons? Papa said normal humans can't do that."
Rhea finished her healing and momentarily glanced up at Papa before she answered.
"Normal humans cannot. The favored children of the goddess are not so limited. However, nearly all of Her favored were tragically slain before the Church was founded and–"
Rhea choked off and blinked rapidly.
"Not a story for children, I think," she decided aloud, returning to the gentle tone that served as her version of neutrality. "Suffice to say you should avoid transforming before anyone apart from myself or your father unless absolutely necessary. There are sealed caverns within the mountain that you might use to practice and play."
Queen Administrator's eyes flicked to where Rhea's ears might be were they not hidden by long locks of hair, portions of her headdress, and ornamental white flowers. This initial conversation was too valuable for her to recklessly risk Divine Pulse usage, but this seemed important. Papa might be excluded if she waited to ask.
"Will you be transforming, too?"
There was no compromising flicker of surprise on Rhea's end, only a wry smile. She did look up to Papa Jeralt and hesitate before answering, however.
"I'm afraid that I'd be a little too large for that," Rhea admitted, and immediately ignored Jeralt's sudden coughing fit. "Regardless, I'm sure that you're both hungry from your long journey. Would you like something to eat? And perhaps a nap? I've had rooms prepared for you and your father, Admini, although your new clothes likely won't be ready until you wake."
Admini Queen Administrator didn't bother to conceal her glee. She had the feeling Rhea would want to convince QA to stay, and that meant high-quality food and other luxuries.
"Now, hold on," Papa interrupted. "You can't just go running off after saying something like that."
"You mean like your own egress after the fire?" Rhea asked with false sweetness, gathering Admini into her arms and standing up. "If you wanted answers, perhaps you shouldn't have lied to me and fled with the most important child in existence."
Papa stepped aside and defensively raised both hands as Rhea stalked past him. Being carried by someone other than Papa felt weird, Admini admitted, but it was worth it to cultivate their alliance.
"I'm actually just wondering why you didn't transform any of the times I've helped protect you from attackers on the road," Jeralt lied, clearly wishing to demand more. "Your magic is powerful, don't get me wrong, but a giant dragon would've been much easier to defend."
Rhea slowed to a stop beside Jeralt and established eye contact. Unfortunately, Admini's position in Rhea's arms prevented QA from reading whatever expression accompanied the subsequent retort.
"The only modern 'dragons' known outside tales are vicious demonic beasts. The remainder are hidden or dead. I might assume that role were it necessary to destroy an opposing army; nothing less would be worth the consequences."
And with that promising comment, Rhea opened the door and stalked away. Admini rejected the urge to ask for a demonstration now that additional witnesses were present in the form of the knights falling in behind them.
"How big of an army?" she instead asked.
Rhea laughed lightly.
"Large enough that you need not worry, little one."
Excellent. Admini was glad she'd convinced Papa to bring her here; the archbishop alone made the Church of Seiros worth subverting.
~ ~ ~
As he trailed in the wake of the woman carrying his daughter, Jeralt wondered if returning hadn't been a mistake after all. Admini seemed completely and utterly oblivious to the obsession in Rhea's eyes or her uncharacteristically rapid mood changes. How did he explain the dangers when he still didn't know them himself?
At least this lasted longer than the practical guide and konosuba versions. One of these days I hope you do a QA in a fantasy land snip as a full fic. Love this by the way.
"You mean like your own egress after the fire?" Rhea asked with false sweetness, gathering Admini into her arms and standing up. "If you wanted answers, perhaps you shouldn't have lied to me and fled with the most important child in existence."
Papa stepped aside and defensively raised both hands as Rhea stalked past him. Being carried by someone other than Papa felt weird, Admini admitted, but it was worth it to cultivate their alliance.
Yeah, Rhea's not happy here. I like how massively the tone that Admini is taking here contrasts with Jeralt's impression of Admini at the end. I also like how Admini is very much a young child- Papa for her father and needing to explicitly mentally replace Admini with her original name. But she is still very much your Queen Administrator, and knows exactly how much she can use her cuteness to get away with.
Merchants wishing to ply their wares within the Monastery's walls would would be first in the line of fire should it be attacked, and would be grateful to the Church after a successful defense.
At least this lasted longer than the practical guide and konosuba versions. One of these days I hope you do a QA in a fantasy land snip as a full fic. Love this by the way.
*cough* There might be some QA in SAO snippets up next, but yeah, that probably doesn't count. KonoQubA might also be expanded by a few chapters, but not to INW or Calibration levels.
Anyone else think that Admini will get on well with Flayn? (I may be misspelling the name)
(I have a feeling the the only reason the House wouldn't be on Fire with them together is that they'll only become dragons in places where there's nothing flammable. On the other hand, SCIENCE - which will make her do well with the Black Eagles princess...)
i have a felling QA would not like how all the books tied to Science are deamed Heretical...
I wonder how Rhea would react to Admini mentioning Sothis... and how Jeralt would react to her referring to Sothis as 'Mama'...
QA in SAO... definitely want to see how she reacts to Yui. I wonder whether she'll replace someone or not. I hope for Not, being that ALL existing characters (including Kirito) would still exist, even if they don't play the same roles. Kirito/Asuna/Yui OTP. (Yui is adopted daughter, of course.)
Unless this is referring to QA's palms, this shouldn't have the 's/possesive.
As for QA in SAO... I could see that being a fun short snippet but I don't think it'd hold up long term. This one and the Naruto one I very much could see going full-length.
Anyone else think that Admini will get on well with Flayn? (I may be misspelling the name)
(I have a feeling the the only reason the House wouldn't be on Fire with them together is that they'll only become dragons in places where there's nothing flammable. [....])
Yeah, Rhea's not happy here. I like how massively the tone that Admini is taking here contrasts with Jeralt's impression of Admini at the end. I also like how Admini is very much a young child- Papa for her father and needing to explicitly mentally replace Admini with her original name. But she is still very much your Queen Administrator, and knows exactly how much she can use her cuteness to get away with.
As he trailed in the wake of the woman carrying his daughter, Jeralt wondered if returning hadn't been a mistake after all. Admini seemed completely and utterly oblivious to the obsession in Rhea's eyes or her uncharacteristically rapid mood changes. How did he explain the dangers when he still didn't know them himself?
"There's no safe way for me to answer that," Papa admitted. "I suspect she might be exceeding whatever you expected, though. Those flowers? She grew them in minutes from what should have been mere grass and weeds."
... If by "exceeding", escalating from being "borderline Sothis incarnate" just waiting to be assimilated/subsumed by some ancient Shard Goddess Soul. Or going full Jesus Christ superstar. Except, by Eldritch ritual; she conjures up a full revival of Sothis. No dark or blood magic sacrifice required. Just bullshit eldritch space logic, and a 'suitable/not discarded' vessal (oh Sitri. The irony if your uh, DLC still 'alive' corpse? Is recycled?)
In which case, those mood swings? It's probably going to go on a swirl, before she catches her breath and in... draconic WTF (not fury, for a change)? Tries to interrorgate WTF? Is with... Admini, Suspected daughter of Sothis.
It'd probably be "in before advice/derailment with Falyn" becomes a horror story for Seteth. Faster than the "uh, green hair?" And neon "new Nabatean daughter of Sothis?" Probably going to be on a cherry coaster to "in before some different, not yet outed/assassinated "Moleman" ends up having heart attacks."
... Or well. In before s/he's highly suspected. And naively given ointment to try and heal/cure that "Dark Magic" taint they've somehow suffered from. Sort of innocence. And honestly, in a military comedy lens it's just as well the moment Admini went full "Tiki unit", she got after enough migraines, led to the Church again.
Because goodness knows how that Dubstep faction would have reacted by prologue. If going by chartreuse; they ended up dealing with not say; a "Green Demon." But an "Emerald Dragon." Whose breath creates entire forests out of corpses. Though if going by dark irony; "Life blooming AOE" is probably, less suspicious of a "Fell Star", than suddenly going Diavolo in Time Reversal.
... Though I'd probably bet that odds are, Admini's farming NG+ Juice. Possibly to the point of eventually having enough 'energy' to get that "DLC Playable Sothis" character/minion. Or in another meddling alternate if going Shard POV, grant Lesser Crest of Flames give her some 'vectors' to connect/gather more DATA/energy. That surely won't spiral to "Three Houses" Getting trauma wrecked early...
Or if going speculative. "What can go wrong if uh, Glenn from Kindergarten? Ended up being nurtured/raised by a Weapon Dragon?"....
... Hindsight. This might one day, totally not derail to uh...
I'm less worried on trauma that Admini could inflict on a "Corneria" grade mole of Those who Slither. And more well... If/when they get to Nemesis grade "disposable experiments/angst" on Edelgard. How long until she's starting to hear say; uh... "Shard whispers", of promised conflict. And totally not be driven into horror/madness. Or worse, fear into turning into a Dragon, as a possible side effect?
... Or well, things spiraling until nudge ideas/etc, leads to "what are the odds, Sothis might meddle/see WTF? Is with Edelgard?" That may, or may not spiral to paranoia/horror from ONTZing Molemen?
-
And in a bit more detail. DLC Spoilers wise, this is probably going to spiral to "Crying/glooming Abyss priest, having a hell of a heart attack", over some JESUS CHRIST revival of his dead waifu... Only, it's to a WTF? Revived Sothis instead. And then likely being lore bombed at worst, that her very existence, was meant to be a 'vessal'... I'm sure at worst, he might be salty enough, to at least be drinking buddies with uh... Say; "Tomas"?
I'm glad you're enjoying it! They're pretty good, although they do have an amusing tendency to go from "War is hell and takes a toll on everyone involved" to "Me n the boys gonna go kill GOD" within the same game.
EDIT: FE3H probably does the best job of any game in the entire franchise of making one cry tho
I'm glad you're enjoying it! They're pretty good, although they do have an amusing tendency to go from "War is hell and takes a toll on everyone involved" to "Me n the boys gonna go kill GOD" within the same game.
EDIT: FE3H probably does the best job of any game in the entire franchise of making one cry tho
With a rather large helping of "is also a dating simulator" and a side of "eugenics is totally cool if it gives my units bigger numbers" in the more recent titles.
I'll stan Echoes as the best for that personally, between top notch voice acting on the character death quotes, the after-battle mourning snippets you can get when a dead character leaves someone behind, and the absolutely heart-wrenching endings some characters get if a significant other died in the corse of the game. Three Houses is definitely up there though.
@Alivaril Do you have links to the other crossovers with QA that were mentioned? I didn't know there were Konosuba and ... was it A Practical Guide...? crosses!
Sorry, but I have no idea what the color-coding means...?
Having not played FE or having any idea of the character names I'm afraid that this mostly just confused me. Who the heck is the dubstep brigade?
@Alivaril Do you have links to the other crossovers with QA that were mentioned? I didn't know there were Konosuba and ... was it A Practical Guide...? crosses!
This could be fun...
Sorry, but I have no idea what the color-coding means...?
Having not played FE or having any idea of the character names I'm afraid that this mostly just confused me. Who the heck is the dubstep brigade?
