Fate/Clusterfuck (Fate/Stay Night)

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4.4 - A Chance Perchance to Dream
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    • View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ySzoV8bJU

    [X] [I copied Brihannala's weapon. How?]

    Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

    Well, it's about time for this to happen in Shirou's life. As for those frustrated by Archer last chapter, don't worry, his time'll come. He's acting a bit odd though, isn't he?

    This quest also simply exists to convince people to play Age of Mythology. Is it working?

    —

    "Do you have any requests for this grand witch?" Circe asked, and it was an interesting question. It was a question that you knew many magus in existence would kill people over, and had, repeatedly. This whole grail war started because of something similar, the only difference between them is that Circe at least made sense.

    The fact that the woman who seemed to have an obsession with pigs was making the most sense in this town frustrated you to no end. Medea kept secrets, Sakura was as quiet as she ever was, Ayako was extremely determined, Archer was dodging all attempts at really talking to the anyone, Taiga was… Taiga. You had a time traveler involved, and somehow a 2000 year old woman you met a week ago was someone you truly felt like you could speak your mind to regarding magecraft.

    Not that you didn't trust anyone else you mentioned, but something about Circe just made you feel more comfortable talking about magecraft. But then, she was your teacher, far more than Kiritsugu ever was. The one time Medea had trained you she had spent the time calling you a fool, she had fixed your magic circuits, something you were deeply grateful for, but Caster seemed to know little of… teaching. But this was more than just ancient Greek and standing by a brazier, this was something you had never heard of before now.

    "I have a question actually, something I was hoping you would know the answer to."

    Circe grins, then dives down onto you, her arms wrapping around your head as her lips plant against your own. The witch lets out a pleased hum, and you have a moment to process you kissing her again when you feel yourself fall into the bed. Your fall through the sheets and the mattress, the grinning face of Circe looming abo-

    *Splash*

    Your back slaps against water, and what was once a witch and a roof has been replaced by a night sky. But not one you recognized. The stars were there, as was the moon. Only it was spinning, the stars danced amongst themselves, and the moon was copied thrice, each spinning around each other in a different color of white, red and purple. Each shone with an impossible light, coloring the water around you.

    You looked at this for but a moment, before a wave crashed over you, bathing you in saltwater and tossing you end over end in the deep. Your body is pulled this way and that, your limbs flailing as you try and right yourself, control your direction, do anything. But it's entirely useless, and you force yourself to be calm, forcing your limbs to go still.

    It is only then the waves cease, and you find yourself blinking, ignoring the stinging sensation in your eyes as you find yourself staring down at Circe's Island. It sat there on the bottom of the seafloor as you had always seen it, golden fields of grain, rolling hills, and a sunny day illuminating everything. Only now it was underwater and seemingly miles below.

    The island apparently didn't care about that fact. You move your arms experimentally, finding you could once again move of your own free will in the water, and you begin to turn around, only for a strong force to slam against your back and send you hurtling towards the seafloor, and the island by extension.

    You hurtle towards it, your hands moving to your mouth, trying to keep yourself from screaming and inadvertently losing your air. And in the span of that action, that moment, that microcosm of time, you were there. Laying back on the beach, staring up at a blue sky, your clothes dry, and your hands held uselessly over your mouth.

    "Oh try not to be so dramatic piglet."

    You snap your head to the left to see Circe standing just beside you. She was dressed in… a remarkably different outfit than she had been just a small infinity ago. Gone was the white dress, instead it had been replaced by a white labcoat, large enough on her frame that it went all the way down to the sandy beach. It was open, completely unbuttoned, revealing a white halter top and a pair of… rather short shorts. Her wings were gone, allowing her hair to flow down her back in a pair of ponytails only slightly contained by a golden hairband she was wearing. Said outfit however, did only slightly more to preserve her modesty than her previous outfit did. With her entire stomach being exposed, and the shorts so low they nearly gave away the whole show.

    But then, from your brief time knowing Circe, she had precious little in the way of modesty anyway. She was also grinning further now, and you realize you had been staring and dart your eyes away.

    Only to find her standing directly in front of you, which was rather odd as you don't recall her moving.

    "Shirou, it's perfectly normal to be entranced by this grand witch's beauty~" Circe teases.

    "Sorry, your outfit just surprised me." You reply.

    Circe giggles, planting her hands on her hips and jutting her chest out. "This is my new teaching outfit, I found some magazines in that new domicile of yours. What do you think?"

    You were not quite sure what to say, so you simply stare at her before nodding your head.

    Circe tilts her own head, then smiles once more. "Good enough, now, what did you want to ask?" A pointing stick appears in her hand, and she points it down towards your crotch before slapping it against her hand. "And I'll take that as a compliment~"

    You cross your legs, then swallow. "The only magecraft I knew, was what little my father taught me, and what you showed me. I can use the two spells you gave to me, and I can strengthen and make simple objects via projection. But I was able to copy Brihanalla's bow, and I have no idea how."

    Circe's smile drops. "Show me this 'Projection.' It is unfamiliar, at least by that term."

    You stretch forth your right hand, then run through the steps in your mind. A brief pain surges, before fading away. Activating your magecraft had become remarkably less painful since Medea played with your circuits, something you were deeply grateful for. It is a simple image, something you were familiar with, an old wooden handle, chipped, attached to a blood lovingly sharpened and cared for. It was in your hand a moment later, a simple, half-foot long carving knife you used for meals. Or had, anyway. It had been left behind in the old house.

    "It's the one magecraft I have any talent for, I can make, analyze, and strengthen objects. But my projections…" You grab the tip of the blade carefully with your other hand, then, bending your arms, you snap the metal in two. The twin halves fall to the ground in the sand, they remain there, as blades… and things you knew well tended to last years, despite being poor quality. "They are of poor quality. I did something similar with her bow, but that was miles beyond anything I've been able to make up to this point."

    "I do recognize this magic, simple as your take on it may be." Circe murmurs, then bends down to pick up the broken blade. "Tell me, do you recall anything from when you did it?"

    You don't even flinch from her describing your magecraft as simple. That was something you had accepted a long time ago. But as for the rest of it. "I'm not sure, I saw the woman's weapon then… it was in my hands. Along with a good deal of pain. At the time I was, what's the best way to put this. I felt like I knew the weapon, but what that knowledge was I couldn't tell you. That evening in general is a blurry mess at this point."

    Circe sighs. "That is to be expected. After my grand entrance anything other would be swept away to broken memories like dandelion seed in a storm wind. But. I want you to think my dear piglet, was anything running through your mind?"

    You pause, concentrating. That whole evening was a blur of shouts, screams, and flashing faces.

    …

    "I thought about the phrase you taught me."

    Circe giggles, and you look up to see the witch beaming. "Perfect. Then it would seem my little plan worked."

    "Plan?" you repeat, now feeling more out of the loop than normal.

    "All in good time my dear little student," Circe says, then she lowers herself down onto her haunches so that she was eye-level with you. "But I will say for now that you took my lessons to heart, and you have a very interesting magecraft. It is but one of several reasons I wanted to train you."

    "I recall having several options at the time," you reply.

    Circe tilts her head. "And yet you would have never chosen anything else, my dear Shirou."

    You go silent at that. Not quite sure what to say, but she speaks for you.

    "I am a witch Shirou, and witches break the rules." Circe says, smiling again. "What precisely that means will become more clear to you in the near future, but we shall continue your training this evening. As you are practicing an art that is rare, and liable to kill you if you use it without proper training. But we can practice with it."

    She then shifts further, moving herself… onto your lap. She glances down for a moment, grins, then focuses once more on your face. "Now, you have some skills as an archer boy, but that is not where your magic is focused." Moving her hands to the sand, she grips it, the material sifting through her fingers before, with a small burst of flame from one hand, and an audible sound like groaning wood from the other. She produces two objects. The first is a blade, short with a simple hilt colored gold. The blade only protrudes maybe slightly more than a foot out, and the only interesting thing about it was the fact that the blade was blood red.

    The second option is a bow, and a long one at that, different than any you had ever seen before, it was easily taller than you were, with a thick string and an odd warp to the bow. It bent forward, then back towards the tip.

    The flames die, the groaning stops, and she places the object to either side of you. "This blade belonged to a rather frustrating woman named Enyo. The bow belonged to a frustrating bastard of a man."

    "But both shall be fit for our purpose," Circe continues. "You shall take both of these, study their material, and practice with them. We shall continue doing this every night from here on out until you understand them to a closer extent than your own limbs. Do you understand me?"

    You nod your head.

    Circe smiles once again, though this time it has a bit of malice. "Good, now, prepare for pain, little piglet."

    —

    You lay back on your bed exhausted, your muscles aching. She hadn't actually harmed you, but a few hundred reps with a blade, a style of fighting you had no experience with, had done a number on you. She had then happily given you a bow with over a hundred pounds of draw weight and simply told you to do your best.

    You had, for what it was worth, but it did little to quell the ache in your arms. You weren't sure what it was all meant to accomplish, as she had shown you little magecraft. But you weren't going to question Circe, not after all that she had done for you. At the very least, as you laid back on the bed, only a few seconds having passed since her 'visit', you found it very easy to fall asleep, and with it… a… dream?

    —

    It was a giggle that awoke you, and you blinked, slowly, taking in the sudden change in environment. You were… laying on your back, that wasn't unusual, most people laid on their back when they were in bed. Only you weren't, not anymore. Instead you were staring up at the roof of your classroom at midday. Nor were you, to your alarm, wearing clothes.

    Another giggle, and your eyes darted to the side, to see… a familiar face.

    —

    [] [Medea]
    [] [Ayako]
    [] [Assassin]
    [] [Fujimaru]
    [] [Taiga]
    [] [Sakura]
     
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    • Still on vacation and having a good time, but managed to get this done during my evenings. Hope ya'll enjoy!
     
    Erien said:
    The stars were there, as was the moon. Only it was spinning, the stars danced amongst themselves, and the moon was copied thrice, each spinning around each other in a different color of white, red and purple.
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    Why hello there Hecatia peeking over from the Touhouverse.

    Erien said:
    "I thought about the phrase you taught me."

    Circe giggles, and you look up to see the witch beaming. "Perfect. Then it would seem my little plan worked."
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    Hmm, is Circe using the opportunity of teaching him magic to tweak his mindset and change his reality marble? Interesting if so.

    Erien said:
    The flames die, the groaning stops, and she places the object to either side of you. "This blade belonged to a rather frustrating woman named Enyo. The bow belonged to a frustrating bastard of a man."
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    So, we've got the sword of a war goddess, and... I believe we have Odysseus' bow. Those are some weighty objects, especially the latter with how much more well known Odysseus is.

    [X] [Taiga]

    Look, this might be one of the Servants playing silly buggers, and Mata Hari probably ships it, but you know, I also ship it.
     
    [X] [Sakura]

    If only because I feel there might be a chance that something with the black grail might happen. Which is a terrible thing to hope for, but it could put into focus Sakura's connection to it. It'll be fine, Shirou doesn't die even when he is killed.
     
    Also, those who played the VN should recognize this scene. The school, that is.

    Peeps enjoy?
     
    nmorrow said:
    [X] [Sakura]

    If only because I feel there might be a chance that something with the black grail might happen. Which is a terrible thing to hope for, but it could put into focus Sakura's connection to it. It'll be fine, Shirou doesn't die even when he is killed.
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    Oh shit, you're right.

    [X] [Sakura]

    Now, granted, if this is the scene I'm thinking of, then I don't think it'll be Black Grail stuff specifically, but you never know.

    EDIT: If nothing else, this might manage to get through Shirou's skull that he can think about Sakura that way. All it takes is some minor soul draining. (Also also, I need to keep up my vow of voting for Sakura every time she comes up.)
     
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    Erien said:
    The first is a blade, short with a simple hilt colored gold. The blade only protrudes maybe slightly more than a foot out, and the only interesting thing about it was the fact that the blade was blood red.
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    Nope. It's not relevant. It's not actually That Sword. It's not a reference to the Smith. Don't say it, don't say it, don't sa-

    THE ONLY THING I KNOW FOR REAL. THERE WILL BE BLOOD. SHED.
    Erien said:
    The second option is a bow, and a long one at that, different than any you had ever seen before, it was easily taller than you were, with a thick string and an odd warp to the bow. It bent forward, then back towards the tip.
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    Sounds like a composite bow. Especially if that bend is on both ends, rather than one.
    Erien said:
    The flames die, the groaning stops, and she places the object to either side of you. "This blade belonged to a rather frustrating woman named Enyo. The bow belonged to a frustrating bastard of a man."
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    Yeah, I figured The Witch wouldn't be able to get her hands on a Masamume.
    Glernaj said:
    and... I believe we have Odysseus' bow.
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    I don't think it's him or Herc. Odysseus' art all has him being a Warframe character and using finger guns.

    The one guy who does use something similar, though, is Grand Archer Orion. Either that, or Circe decided to be an even bigger little shit and gave him Arash's bow.
     
    Always Late said:
    I don't think it's him or Herc. Odysseus' art all has him being a Warframe character and using finger guns.

    The one guy who does use something similar, though, is Grand Archer Orion. Either that, or Circe decided to be an even bigger little shit and gave him Arash's bow.
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    Erm. Uh huh. Who else would Circe describe as "a frustrating bastard of a man"? And I mean, the scene where Odysseus shoots an arrow through 12 axe heads is kinda one of the more important and famous scenes in the story, plus it's also a bit of a romantic scene, which potentially gives Circe another reason to use that bow.
     
    Erien said:
    Also, those who played the VN should recognize this scene. The school, that is.

    Peeps enjoy?
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    I am, yes. A little dissatisfied with Circe's answer, but it is in character for her. It does confirm that she has a plan for Shirou's training, which is nice. Reading back to that encounter to Brihannala, I reread that Greek quote, and I am now wondering if Circe has an idea of Shirou's reality marble, based on the philosopher that said it. I couldn't really find much on the quote though, if anyone can enlighten me on it that would be great. It's this one:

    "world is decay, life is perception." -Democritus.
     
    Alucard Bellsing said:
    It was literally one of my first game and I love it was my gateway to mythology and through studiying mythology, history, still play it from time to time.
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    It was the game of my childhood.
    Glernaj said:
    Why hello there Hecatia peeking over from the Touhouverse.
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    Actually referencing Hekate embodying thr greek phases of the moon.
    DestinyPlayer said:
    [X] [Medea]
    I vote for this for one reason, and one reason only: after everything, hearing Medea giggle would be one hell of a feeling.
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    An angel loses its wings.
    Always Late said:
    Sounds like a composite bow. Especially if that bend is on both ends, rather than one.
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    It is.
    nmorrow said:
    I am, yes. A little dissatisfied with Circe's answer, but it is in character for her.
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    Whyso?
     
    [X] [Ayako]
    Good ol' Circe, taking payment for magic lessons in kisses.
    God I wish that were me
    I am worried about the sudden location change and giggling, so probably safest if it's with our girlfriend? Maybe? (insert Shirou shrug here)
     
    Glernaj said:
    Erm. Uh huh. Who else would Circe describe as "a frustrating bastard of a man"? And I mean, the scene where Odysseus shoots an arrow through 12 axe heads is kinda one of the more important and famous scenes in the story, plus it's also a bit of a romantic scene, which potentially gives Circe another reason to use that bow.
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    While I don't know if Circe and Orion ever interacted in life, Orion as portrayed in FGO is a, well, frustrating bastard of a man.
     
    Erien said:
    Whyso?
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    If you are asking why I didn't like her answer, it is because I have a smooth brain and want her to spell out her plans plainly. If you are asking why I think this is in character, I see Circe as a mischievous but still excellent teacher, not giving straight answers but also teaching her student in a way that plays into their strengths and leads them to the answers to their original questions.

    If any of that makes sense.
     
    nmorrow said:
    If you are asking why I didn't like her answer, it is because I have a smooth brain and want her to spell out her plans plainly. If you are asking why I think this is in character, I see Circe as a mischievous but still excellent teacher, not giving straight answers but also teaching her student in a way that plays into their strengths and leads them to the answers to their original questions.

    If any of that makes sense.
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    Ah yes. Unfortunately a witch from the age of gods, who also happens to be great. Is awful for straight answers.
     
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