Fate/Clusterfuck (Fate/Stay Night)

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Adhoc vote count started by Erien on Mar 31, 2024 at 9:11 PM, finished with 39 posts and 34 votes.
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Vote locked, I feel a wee bit better.
 
Chapter may be delayed (by a day at most) my car is failing and I'm rather distracted by that at the moment.
 
5.5 - Magic
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    • View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb3UmzOqios

    [Fujimaru and Mash]
    You wanted to know what their future plans were

    [Mordred]
    You wanted to check up on her, in general.

    Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

    —

    You stare at the phone for a moment longer, then put it back upon its holder against the wall. That was the second time you had attempted to get ahold of Ayako, and you hadn't heard from her, or her brother, or their parents. You stared at the phone for a moment, wondering, briefly, why the bathroom even had one to begin with, but then… just about every room in this place had a phone. Whether that was for security, opulency, or Raiga didn't much like walking around if he had to make a call you had little idea. You had known the man since you were little, and he had always been quite friendly with you despite his 'reputation'.

    That being an utterly ruthless 'boss'. Who kept 'business' close to the 'family' that didn't much suffer the opinions of 'outsiders' and 'everyone else in the city who asked too many questions'. The man had achieved a good deal of public acceptance after he used his funds to rebuild the chunk of the city that had burned down, and ever since he had become a form of surrogate grandfather to you. Taking you out to sporting events or out hiking… you just always made it a point to never ask him too many questions. There were things you were just not meant to know, and despite his 'teasing' offers in the past you had no intention of becoming a member of his sort of 'family'. Still, you were fond of the man, and you knew what he did, and likely why he needed a phone around at all times.

    But it would be impolite to ask.

    Adjusting your clothes you step back out of the bathroom then make your way towards the room Fujimaru, and now, by extension, her servant was staying in. You pause before the door, hesitating for a moment before you knock on it. A shuffling from inside, then the door opens to reveal the… pleasant smiling face of Fujimaru. Despite the scars that covered her, her smile remained unmarred, and filled you with genuine joy of your own to see it, you had actually managed to help somebody in this damned war beyond Ayako's brother.

    "Morning!" Fujimaru chirps, then opens the door the rest of the way. The bedroom was much like every other bedroom… barring Raiga's, in the house. Few personal items were about, but then, Fujimaru didn't have much in the way of belongings. You looked past her, towards the bed, where 'Mash' as Fujimaru called her was sitting, across her lap was… either a cross or a shield, you couldn't honestly tell, but she had a rag in her hand and had apparently been in the midst of polishing it. With a clunk it hits the floor, and she rapidly makes her way around the bed to stand a few feet behind Fujimaru, a bright smile on her face as well.

    "Good morning to you both… Mash, was it?" you ask, looking towards the shorter woman.

    Mash's eyes widen, a panicked look briefly coming on her face before you lose sight of it as she rather violently bows towards you, hands on her legs, she goes the full ninety. "Ah, yes, I'm Mash, thank you!"

    "... Please don't do that," you reply. You hardly had the patience for Raiga's goons doing that, much less a woman who could likely rip you in half given the size of that shield.

    Mash rises, the panic replaced by confusion. "Don't… thank you?" she says slowly.

    "No, don't bow like that, I didn't do anything."

    "I'd argue otherwise," Fujimaru replies.

    You shake your head. "I just dealt with the Master, the servants did the work, and it was Raiga that let you stay here. Are you both doing alright?"

    Fujimaru lets go of the door, instead crossing her arms to lean against the frame of it. "We're fine, no new scrapes or bumps." Her eyes search your face for a few moments, saying nothing. "You okay?"

    "I'm fine," you reply. You're still far from it, but it wasn't their lot to worry about you either. It wasn't the role of anyone to worry about you, it was the other way around. "I just came by to check on you, and to ask what your plan is now that you have your servant back?"

    "Master… does he?" Mash says quietly.

    Fujimaru nods. "He knows about Chaldea," then she steps away and gestures for you to enter.

    You do so, and she closes the door behind you. Fujimaru then turns, and makes her way over to what appeared to be a silver briefcase sitting on a table nearby, she doesn't open it like you had first expected, she instead just places her hand upon it. "We can't get in contact with Chaldea at the moment, likely because today is a day that ends in 'y'. But I have access to the shadow summon system at least now, more effectively anyway."

    The question must have been clear on your face, as she answers before you can ask.

    "Copies of servants already in the Throne of Heroes. I can make cheap copies and use them briefly as I need to."

    You blink. "My apologies but… what exactly is the Throne of Heroes?"

    Both Mash and Fujimaru stare at you like you'd grown a second head. Then they just kind of stared at each other for a moment, which only made you feel worse. You speak, in a rather desperate attempt to defend yourself. "My Magus training was limited, and before this started I only knew about Ghost Liners."

    Fujimaru's brow arches. "The heck is a Ghost Liner?"

    "Master," Mash begins. "A Ghost Liner is… another term for a servant, but they serve as a familiar like Trimmau. Far weaker than those we get from the Grail. As for the Throne of Heroes… um, well, basically…" Mash frowns, apparently trying to figure out the best way to put this. "It's where servants are kept until they need to be summoned, heroes well, go there, and servants are basically their… clones? I don't know all the details, Da Vinci would."

    "Da Vinci as in…" you begin.

    "Yes," Fujimaru replies. "Leonardo, she runs ops."

    You begin to nod your head before pausing. "She?"

    "Yeah?" Fujimaru replies with a perplexed expression. "What about it?"

    "Wasn't Da Vinci a man?" you ask.

    "Yes, and it's safer not to ask." Fujimaru says dryly. "As for our plan, it's still to find the Grail, and to sort out what's gone wrong in this timeline."

    "So you'll be sticking around then," you say.

    Fujimaru opens her mouth to say something, then pauses, weighing her words for a moment. "I… was hoping to ask, we're willing to help you sort this all out, but well, we don't exactly have anywhere else to go, so… if you don't mind?"

    You smile. "Stay as long as you need to, breakfast will be in about a half hour or so. Do you two need anything?"

    Fujimaru shakes her head. "You've done plenty already."

    You smile.

    It was wrong, but it was pleasant nonetheless to hear.

    —

    It took more effort than you expected to find Mordred, it took nearly twenty minutes of searching the building to find her, but eventually you did. With just ten minutes until breakfast you found the woman standing outside, looking over the backyard with a completely dead and empty expression on her face. Her blonde hair shifted in the cold morning breeze, and, combined with the fact that she didn't seem to be really breathing it gave her the appearance of some form of guardian statue looking over the snow-covered garden. The only sign of life was the faint shifting of her eyes, tracking odd snowflakes as they drifted down to the ground, and… the dripping blood, ever present from the gaping wound in her stomach.

    "Good morning," you say quietly, moving to stand next to the woman after a moment's hesitation.

    Mordred blinks slowly, excruciatingly slowly in fact, like the act required great effort. Then she turned her head to look at you. Her expression was unchanged.

    "Mordred, right?"

    She blinks again, more rapidly this time, and her expression twitches. Spasms flit across her face, like her mouth doesn't quite know what it wants to be doing.

    "Is that your name? Mordred?"

    Mordred stares at you, then slowly nods her head. She doesn't say anything however, she just continues to stare with no life behind those eyes.

    You smile. "I recall you talking when we first met, quite a bit in fact, don't suppose you could talk now?"

    The servant continued to stare at you, saying nothing. Then, ever so slowly, she turned her head back towards the yard, watching the snowflakes fall once more.

    "She is incurably insane Master," a new, familiar voice spoke up from behind you.

    It was familiar in that it sounded annoyed, the fact that the voice belonged to Medea was just an added bonus. You turn your head to look at your prickly caster, she was dressed in her full regalia, purple robes with the hood pulled up over her head, staff in her hand, and her patented 'blank but vaguely annoyed' expression on her face. You smile wider. "Good morning Caster. Did you sleep well?"

    Caster walks up so that she is standing beside you, and she gazes out over the yard for a moment before turning her full attention unto you once more. "Yes, thank you. I understand that your night was… busy."

    Your attempt to hide your blush was valiant, if futile. "She spoke to you about it then?"

    "Yes. Spoke." Medea says bluntly. "She spoke about it. Much like a rooster speaks about the dawn, or a babe speaks about its desire for its mothers breast."

    "I thought it would help her." You reply. "So I did."

    "And now she will stick to you like a tick that can never be removed, you do understand this if nothing else, correct?" Medea asks.

    "If I can help someone I will, just like I helped you, and Fujimaru, and Sakura." You reply. "I'll never regret helping somebody."

    "Of that I am unfortunately aware," Medea replies. "Are you attempting to lay with this one too?" the witch asks, gesturing towards the Berserker.

    "No, I'm trying to help her if I can." You reply.

    "She stabbed your girlfriend."

    "Because this system has apparently driven her mad, and I would help her with that if I can." You reply curtly. "She was… fine, in the dream." Dying notwithstanding.

    "She is suffering from Madness Enhancement, in return for an equal exchange of strength for sanity she is as you see her now. She is likely an equal to that monster we dealt with before, the same whom I might add I am still putting together wards to protect ourselves against, since it will certainly attack us in this place." Medea emphasizes.

    "Can I remove it?" you ask, turning your head back to Medea.

    The witch blinks in surprise. "Remove it? It cannot be removed, only lowered with an application of mana."

    "Then how do I do that?" you ask.

    "It's only temporary Master, and without a large supply of mana it is entirely a waste. Your servant is as they are, a mindless thing. To attempt to remove the one benefit they get from this arrangement is foolish."

    You sigh, looking up towards the sky. She had a point, you would be an idiot to argue otherwise. Medea usually had a good point, but when it came to morals you tended to diverge. She was far more practical than you were. There was nothing wrong with that, you were, fundamentally, not a normal person. You were well aware you were 'broken', and you've already made mistakes aplenty in this war. And you were going to make more.

    "Probably," you admit. "But would it make her more controllable? Relieve her suffering?"

    "... Yes." Medea says after a few seconds. "But why? She's simply a madwoman."

    "The same reason I'm helping you," you reply, looking at the witch once more. "Because I can, and it's the right thing to do. There's nothing more to it."

    You see Medea's lips turn slightly, she forms a smile for a very brief moment before controlling it. "Fine." She says, "your decisions are your own, but be aware this will likely use a sizable portion of your mana."

    You nod your head.

    "Focus upon the command seal, and force the thought of calm upon it. The seal shall do the rest."

    You turn your attention towards the mark on the back of your hand, twin symbols. Two for Mordred, Three for Medea. Then you let out a breath, calm? Calm was easily, it was a basic part of your archery. You control your thoughts, emptying your mind, thinking of nothing except the mark on your hand, and the sound of windchimes in the garden. Your breath comes out in a mist, the cold was present, but ignorable. As were your pains, your thoughts, your worries. You felt them fade away.

    Then you felt it.

    The drain of mana, enough to make your knees buckle, you do not fall, but you do stumble. Barely catching yourself as the command-seal for Mordred flashes brightly on the back of your hand. Then, a moment later, it's over. And you find yourself moving a hand to your head to aid a sudden onset headache.

    Strong hands grip you, keeping you from falling further, and you take in several deep, shaking breathes, forcing the pain away. You felt… weaker, and more confused, like part of your soul or very being had been torn away. It wasn't the first time, not even the first time this week. But you could say with some satisfaction it still hurt a fair bit less than your 'training' with the pipe back in that damned shed.

    Then you blink, as you realize the hands holding you up are wearing gauntlets. You stare at them for a moment, then trace them up to see the… frowning face of Mordred. It was the most expression you had ever seen of her outside of combat, green eyes looked at you with concern, and, before you could even process that.

    "You okay dipshit?" Mordred asks.

    "I'm… fine," you manage to reply. "Mordred?"

    The servant grins, it's the same grin she had that first night when you summoned her. "The one and only. We heading out to a fight?"

    … She's being rather casual about this, was she not even aware of her 'state'? You stare at her for a moment, trying to process what to say. But apparently you took too long.

    Not that she reverted.

    Or that Medea corrected her.

    No.

    It's entirely because of the fact that the nearby wall exploded.


    View: https://youtu.be/5Ixiqgi308w?si=KmU63xrT4-CpWs0q

    *BANG*

    The brick wall along the northside of the yard detonated inwards, sending fragments of brick and mortar all over the place, and as one, three heads turned to look… as stepping through it is…

    Is…

    Ayako wearing a pink dress with many white frills, holding what appeared to be a toy magical stick you'd find at a cheap costume store, and… twitching cat ears on her head? She surveys the backyard for a moment, then her eyes lock onto you with a wide, bright smile. She steps forward, and you hear, then see a crack as a wall of magical energy briefly tries to block her path, before she breaks through Medea's wards with all the effort of walking through rice paper.

    The air ripples around her into the sky, as the wards around the estate break from the sheer force of the entry. Then she disappears.

    Then she's in front of you.

    A manic look was on Ayako's face. Her eyes were wide, crazed. Then she grabbed the front of your shirt and yanked you forwards. "Magical Neko Ayako Ruby is here to save you!"

    Pardo-

    You briefly register Medea finally reacting, her staff moving to stop… whatever it was that was happening. But before that could happen Ayako was already moving. You were held in her arms, cradled like a western bride as she sprinted out of the mansion with a burst of speed that nearly, but not quite, put Illya's servant to shame.

    "I can finally protect you!" she shouts, a long cat tail emerging from underneath her skirt to wrap around your legs.

    …

    …

    …

    Well this all makes sense.

    What!?

    You jerk your head back towards the mansion, where you could see Mordred and Medea both starting to run after the two of you. Then you have to keep from retching as you rocket upwards to the top of a nearby skyscraper. Ayako lands gently, then continues to run, hopping from building to building while… humming?

    She was gaining speed, and moving quickly, if you were going to do something, it was best to do it quickly.

    —

    [] [Try to escape]
    You have no idea what has happened to Ayako, but you also have no idea where she is taking you or what is going on.

    [] [See where this is going]
    You were so confused.

    —

    Fun fact, what Shirou did is canonically possible, just it only ever comes up as a throwaway line for Illya.

    Second fun fact, the Throne has never been mentioned before now, outside of a sidestory of Circe talking to Medea.

    And sorry for the delay, going through a bad financial situation so I'm having to sort some things out. Support is appreciated.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Oh, so this is the kidnapping you were refering to!
    And at the end, the victim was Shirou XD!

    Well, it looks like the idea that Ayako could handle Ruby has gone out of the window. Seems she got drunk with power.
    Also, she is now a neko goddammit Shirou Ruby.
    [X] [Try to escape]
    Either way, I don't think is a good idea what she is doing. Let's try and be a bit less passive about our safety.
     
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    Erien said:
    There were things you were just not meant to know, and despite his 'teasing' offers in the past you had no intention of becoming a member of his sort of 'family'.
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    I am quite amused, both that Shirou has embraced the concept of "things man was not meat to know" not from the world of magic, but just from spooky yakuza grandpa, and that Shirou thinks he has a choice about joining the Fujimaru family at this point.

    Erien said:
    We can't get in contact with Chaldea at the moment, likely because today is a day that ends in 'y'.
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    I just... c'mon F/GO writers, there are other plot devices to use, you don't have to isolate the crew for basically every mission just so you can have a semblance of mystery, c'mon already. As she says though, it is indeed a day ending in 'y', thus, no contact with Chaldea.

    Erien said:
    Fujimaru shakes her head. "You've done plenty already."

    You smile.

    It was wrong, but it was pleasant nonetheless to hear.
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    Poor Shirou and his lacking self esteem. He's already disregarding everyone he's saved so far in favor of chasing the high of that next person saved. Medea, Minori, Circe, Ritsuka, the monks. He's already directly or indirectly saved a bunch of people, and it never registers.

    Erien said:
    Caster walks up so that she is standing beside you, and she gazes out over the yard for a moment before turning her full attention unto you once more. "Yes, thank you. I understand that your night was… busy."

    Your attempt to hide your blush was valiant, if futile. "She spoke to you about it then?"

    "Yes. Spoke." Medea says bluntly. "She spoke about it. Much like a rooster speaks about the dawn, or a babe speaks about its desire for its mothers breast."
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    Look Medea, Circe is clearly just telling you to hurry up and find a way that Shirou dicking you down can save you, I'm sure she told you she's planning on this being a big geometric thing.

    Erien said:
    "You okay dipshit?" Mordred asks.
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    Eyy, we got Mordred capable of talking! At least for a bit! Huzzah!

    Erien said:
    A manic look was on Ayako's face. Her eyes were wide, crazed. Then she grabbed the front of your shirt and yanked you forwards. "Magical Neko Ayako Ruby is here to save you!"
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    Hm. Well. Ruby is being a bit of a twit, going for the whole mind-whammy thing on her user right off the bat. Can't be encouraging that.

    [X] [Try to escape]
    You have no idea what has happened to Ayako, but you also have no idea where she is taking you or what is going on.
     
    Magical GIrl and GF Ayako to the Rescue!
    Not like we needed to escape from Mordred when we were about to have an actual conversation for the first Time ever.

    Also, Circe Is going to be Sooo Smug around her niece.

    [X] [Try to escape]

    I would have voted for the other option, curious to see where everything happening Is going.
    But thanks to someone else comment, I remembered something about Ruby being capable and willing to use Mind Control, which Is a Big No for Shirou's girls.

    So Shirou, and Ayako's former "rival" and present BF, would realice something Is...fishy with Ayako
     
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    [X] [Try to escape]
    Lord on high is just letting things play out so very tempting. Also Ayako's back, yay! (rip Raiga's stuff once more; at least no one died this time?)
    Sane Mordred is also great, and an abject demonstration in why FGO moved away from just insane Zerkers practically from the word go.
     
    [X] [See where this is going]
    You were so confused.
    I wasnt expecting Magical Neko Girl Ayako on my bingo so ... But this looks fun so I want to see how this will end.
    Finally Mo has returned to us and I want more of her.
     
    [X] [See where this is going]

    Really living up to the quest name.
    Erien said:
    You blink. "My apologies but… what exactly is the Throne of Heroes?"

    Both Mash and Fujimaru stare at you like you'd grown a second head. Then they just kind of stared at each other for a moment, which only made you feel worse.
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    Fujimaru: "Amazing! So this is what it feels like to be the knowledgeable one for once."
     
    Erien said:
    It is unfortunately canon.

    ... Just never been Ayako
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    Rin and Luvia become cat and dog girls respectively as part of their transformations but Illya and Miyu don't get any weird animal attachments so given how much independent discretion the kaleidosticks have I've always assumed it's something they're specifically choosing to do to older girls that use them (perhaps on the principle that highschoolers are a little outside the traditional magical girl age range and need to be made cuter)

    [X] [See where this is going]
     
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