[X] You feel longing and worry and eagerness, the autumn sky in the moments before the storm. You want to belong, to be loved, to find your place in the world and never have to leave it, that place you know exists if you search just a little more, just a little deeper. When your grasp tightens on their hand, you feel them cling to you, as though they're afraid you'll vanish if they let go.
[X] You feel hope and warmth and spirit, a peaceful summer's day, undercut by a simple, honest yearning. You want to excel, to surpass, to reach the pinnacle that you know you can, if you only could stretch out a little further, a little higher. When your grasp tightens on their hand, you feel them squeeze tight, as though reassuring you that it will be okay.
Here Ed, someone to lighten up the life a little for you .
[X] You feel hope and warmth and spirit, a peaceful summer's day, undercut by a simple, honest yearning. You want to excel, to surpass, to reach the pinnacle that you know you can, if you only could stretch out a little further, a little higher. When your grasp tightens on their hand, you feel them squeeze tight, as though reassuring you that it will be okay.
[X] You feel hope and warmth and spirit, a peaceful summer's day, undercut by a simple, honest yearning. You want to excel, to surpass, to reach the pinnacle that you know you can, if you only could stretch out a little further, a little higher. When your grasp tightens on their hand, you feel them squeeze tight, as though reassuring you that it will be okay.
[X] You feel longing and worry and eagerness, the autumn sky in the moments before the storm. You want to belong, to be loved, to find your place in the world and never have to leave it, that place you know exists if you search just a little more, just a little deeper. When your grasp tightens on their hand, you feel them cling to you, as though they're afraid you'll vanish if they let go.
The wind that howled around your crumbled tomb-to-be stops, and for a moment, everything is still. Even the sounds of the battle outside have ceased, though you can still hear the ever-present crackle of flames, the slow funeral pyre that is Fuyuki continuing to burn regardless of what may happen within its confines. In that one moment of near-silence, that one moment of peace among the shambling war that's waged between rotting husks of Heroic Spirits, you pray. Not to anything in specific, no god or demon you've ever heard of would ever give someone like you the time of day. But you pray nevertheless, as you do in every moment when the weakness takes hold and you let fear control you.
You pray that someone will take your hand.
The moment passes, and your heart seizes in your chest. You did it wrong. The summoning system was still broken, you misspoke, no Servant would come to you, why would they-
The rubble shifts, and as you freeze, you hear the roaring, grinding sound of concrete being tossed away and crashing against each other. Praying, hoping, pleading, you stretch out your hand.
Delicate fingers grasp yours, and as your shield disappears, you feel them squeeze tight around yours and pull.
The human instincts in you say that nothing that delicate-feeling could possibly be strong enough to send a grown man lurching through the air and out of a pile of precariously balanced rubble. The person on the other end of the hand that grasps you doesn't seem to care much about what your human instincts think, and from the force they've pulled you with, you're thankful for your newly found toughness. You're certain you'd be nursing a dislocated arm at least if you'd been normal. As it is, you're left on the floor, coughing up the dusty, ground-down remnants of the concrete that had been on top of you as you sit up against the wall behind you, gazing upwards at your savior.
She's a girl, can't be more than fifteen, sixteen at the latest, you'd guess. Silky, dark-purple hair falls to her waist in a simple ponytail held together by a plain brown band. Most of her is covered by simple dark blue robes, the shirt tied at the waist by a white rope, loose sleeves falling to the midpoint of her slender arms. Her trousers are much the same, before ending in a tight cuff, a pair of white tabi and wooden sandals covering her feet. In her left hand, she carries a plain, simple-looking bow made out of light-coloured wood, and a quiver hangs from her waist, filled with arrows fletched with plain grey feathers.
"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
As she speaks, your eyes are drawn back to her face, and you can see the perfect imperfections. Her eyes are deep purple, but her pupils are catlike slits, and when she speaks, you can see the flash of pale-white fangs, far too sharp for any human to bear. She's not like Da Vinci, not a grown woman who's comfortable with the unnatural beauty common to most Servants, but she doesn't bear the plainness common to most humans either. Something caught between both, with her eyes and her fangs betraying her nature to you.
Whatever she is, she's not human.
"...I'm alright. Thank you." Your response seems to please her, and she lets out a sigh before giving you a smile, not noticing or not caring how it makes her needle-sharp teeth glint in the light of the fires around you. With her form illuminated from behind, staring down at you with a relieved smile that makes it look vaguely like she's deciding whether or not to eat you, you can't say that you're entirely happy with what fate gave you...or what FATE gave you, you suppose. Still, you needed help, help came. Judge later.
She offers you her free hand, giving you that same smile as before, even as Medea's draconic screaming makes you flinch again.
"Then...I have been called by your summons. I ask of you...are you my Master?"
It hits you then, really. Words you've heard before, read before, testimonies from the living and notes from the dead, each one saying the same thing. Not always in the same words, but always the same request, the beginning of the final step that sealed Master and Servant together.
You've finally done it. After years spent ruining Wars, you've finally summoned a Servant of your own.
You kind of hate how fitting it is that when you eventually got pushed into doing it, it was in the ruins of a War gone so much more catastrophically wrong than any you managed to stop. Maybe if you'd been in whatever screwed up timeline this was, it wouldn't have gotten so bad.
But your Servant is waiting for an answer, and you know you have to give it. At this point, it's almost as much for you as it is for her. You chose to be part of Chaldea to protect. Even if this is beyond anything you imagined, what you have to do hasn't changed at the base level. If that means making use of Servants, that's what it means.
At least you have your Command Spells.
"I am. I need your help. I need to find-"
You barely have a moment to try and say what you need before your Servant moves, and you're reminded that despite your newfound power, you're not nearly at the top of what you've seen Servants do. One moment she's there, looking at you with this sense of near-wonder, the next she's vanished and you're acutely aware of what feels like a freight train hugging you while it runs you over. You're half-worried she's attacked you before the next instant sees the spot you were just standing in absolutely bathed with golden flames, and you curse. Apparently Medea and the Soldier had lost interest in each other when there was more attractive prey showing off his magical might like a fucking "Here There Be Dinner" sign. Stupid. Unavoidable, but still stupid.
Still, your Servant is quicker on the uptake than you are. As soon as you're out of the way, she's rolling to her feet, her bow already in hand. Following her gaze, you see Medea's hellish visage glaring down behind her scale-visor, the twin dragons sprouting from her chariot snarling at you as their teeth glow from the flames building up in their throats. It'd be a terrifying enough sight without her staff waving in arcane motions as the air around her crackled and the scent of ozone flooded your nostrils, but as it stands, having two dragons about to breathe fire on you is a situation made immeasurably worse by a witch about to call down Zeus's lightning on you.
Your shield is on your arm before you have the chance to think about it, and your Servant, Archer maybe, gives a cry of surprise as you jump in front of her. The lightning that strikes a second later feels like a sledgehammer being knocked into the shield, but it doesn't hurt so much as it's just blunt force, your arms more than strong enough to hold on as you are now. You knocked Archer's aim off when you lunged to protect her, and her surprise at her Master being willing and able to do so probably cost her another second, but this time Medea doesn't get to get off another cast. Twin streams of dragonfire meet arrows that all but thrum with energy, splitting down the middle and sinking deep into the armored scales protecting Medea's pets. It's just two arrows, but the dragon's blood falls to the ground and sizzles as it strikes the pavement, and hell, if you can make them bleed, that's step one.
The dragons and Medea both screamed in pain, and you weigh your options. On one hand, Medea's a threat, and you don't want to lead her to the civic center if you're going to be using it as a base of operations. On the other, you've got no ranged options, no element of surprise, and your only real weapon is a Servant you know nothing about, because you got interrupted by goddamned Medea before you could get to the important parts. You don't like your chances, even if Archer's arrows pack a punch.
Then again, why choose either, when you've always been good at slipping away unnoticed?
<"We need to lose her, come with me and hide!">
You reach out with your thoughts like you've heard described so often, spending one moment feeling scared and a little foolish when nothing happens, but then Archer gives you a nod. Check that off the list, at least. With a deep breath, she knocks another arrow, before firing it directly at the building stretching above Medea after she began to close in on you. A couple chunks of concrete are let loose and you hear a feral cry of surprise, but you don't watch long enough to see whether or not she actually got hit. You're getting rid of your shield and turning to sprint, Reinforcing your legs, eyes, ears, everything you need to start an escape.
When you reach an alley, you turn and launch yourself with enough force that the pavement beneath cracks. The walls of the buildings you slip between close in fast, but not faster than you can react. Already you're righting yourself, drawing on years of practice moving with your chains to kick off of the wall, altering your direction without losing much speed. You're lucky the city is - was- built like a maze, because it's easy enough to run and lose yourself in it. Medea's roars are never too far behind, but they get further every moment you spend rocketing through the ruins, weaving in and out of ruined buildings, Archer always beside-
Hm.
She can keep up with you without much trouble, can't she?
The thought makes you a little uneasy, a little less confident. You're stronger now, but clearly not even close to the top, unless by some freak accident you somehow summoned a little god. But you haven't felt the kind of drain that should come from a deity, and she looks normal. Scruffy, by her clothing, even if her actual form is immaculate. You don't have a clue who she is and you'd really like to ask, but Medea's still there and you don't have the time and you're getting sick of her following you.
Your frustration almost clouds your newly-supernatural instincts, but they still manage to scream through that haze nevertheless. Your eyes widen and you try to actively send a sense of panic and worry to Archer, hoping she gets the message. She certainly does, because in an instant you feel her slamming into your back and pushing you down onto the ground without even a little time to slow your movement, and goddamnit it Reinforced or not being ground into solid concrete hurts. You almost want to yell at her, but then your hair stands on its end and the air starts to smell like fire, not the cloying, decaying fire that's surrounding Fuyuki but real fire that purges all else around it, and a lance of purple light streaks above you, hot enough you hiss with pain even though it's missing you by at least a foot.
The beam curves upwards to strike at Medea, and though it disperses slightly splays across the armored scales her chariot grew over its flesh, it still hurts. All three heads scream, and with a curse that you assume was some kind of mangled Greek, maybe an attempt at casting a final spell, she turns and flies off back towards the direction of the Soldier. Not at bad way to blow off steam, you concede, if she can get in and out before the mortar-fire resumes.
When you get to your feet, you're holding your shield, looking around for the source of the attack. It wasn't announced, so probably not a Noble Phantasm, but if that was magecraft then you're looking at a master among masters, someone you doubt any magus in your time could approach with a hundred years of practice. That means a Servant, and if you've run into two corrupted Servants only to have one scared off by a third, you're going to punch Olga right in the mouth the moment you get back to Chaldea.
Archer stands behind you, bow at the ready, and you only just realise how tall she is. Almost your height, maybe a handful of inches shorter, but enough that she can carefully aim over your shoulder without much issue. You're not particularly pleased with having a probable-Knight Class Servant with their weapon drawn right at your back, but she did just save you, even if you could have reacted in time. You're her only link to the world right now, so it'd be stupid to kill you now. It's not as comforting as you wish it was, but it's something.
The air in front of you twists and distorts, not like the heat haze that you see in the distance around the city, but like it's turning to stained-glass right in front of you. You swallow and adjust your footing, and when you see the tip of a glowing silver staff poke through the distortion, you take a deep breath and hold it. Caster, probably, but why would they be getting so close? They're confident or stupid or maybe just corrupted, but at any rate you can hear the creaking of wood as Archer's arrow is drawn back another half-centimeter, ready to be let loose against whatever beast steps past.
So when a woman that would be technically five feet at best without counting the ridiculously oversized platform sandals she's wearing steps forward and cocks her head at you, you feel almost a little underwhelmed.
Her hair is bright pink, cut in a short bob that frames her face in a way you can't help but find cute, and her eyes are a mesmerizing shade that seems to flit between soft pink and light blue as her mood demands, rather than as the light shifts around her. Her ears are pointed in much the same way Medea's were, and that alone is enough to make your chest tighten, but you know faeries, and she's definitely not a faerie. You can work past that, at least, given she's not attacking you.
Around her neck she wears a necklace made of gold, and...not much else on top, honestly. A heavy cloak covered with dark brown feathers rests around her shoulders, and besides that she wears a white tunic that's clasped right in the middle of her torso. The effect of giving a pretty decent look at the modest swell of her chest along with a peek at her midriff is distracting despite the circumstances, and she's not giving you much to work with after that either, given that all she seems to be wearing below the waist is a skirt the same shade as her tunic, and it goes down to about her thigh if you're being generous. Besides her sandals, which add nearly half a foot all by themselves, the only other thing she has with her is the staff that's as long as she is, tipped with a set of spiraling circles studded with golden teeth. You don't recognise her, and that puts you on edge, but Archer's message gives you a little comfort that at least you're not the only one.
<"Give me the word, Master, and I will kill her.">
You're tempted, but she hasn't attacked you yet, just...stared, at the sky where Medea was first, then at you and Archer. Cautiously, you gaze over the rim of your shield, before speaking in a soft tone.
"...Thank you for helping us. Will you let us past?" That seems to get her attention, and...she puffs up immediately, a smug smile stretching out over her face.
"Well, of course I helped. After all, I couldn't let myself be shown up by something like that, could I? In terms of magecraft, that was just horrendous! One good spell and I sent her running!" She seems to have ignored your request, but from the way she reacted to even a little gratitude...
"Of course. You were clearly the superior magus." You can feel Archer's quizzical look at the back of your head, and you try send the impression of patience to her. "We would have no chance fighting you, and all we want is to pass. Surely it's beneath you to try stop us?" The flattery is about as blatant as can possibly be, but it's working. She's giving a beautiful, beaming smile up at you, equal parts honestly pleased and absolutely smug, and the cloak around her shoulders almost seems to ruffle for a moment as she casually floats up into the air, crossing one leg over the other like she's sitting on an invisible stool.
"Hm! I'm glad you recognise it, but you're coming into my territory! I can't let you in just by yourselves, even if you're not corrupted and insane like the rest of the Servants in this war. But if you wanted to be my guests and rest behind my Bounded Fields, I'm sure I could let such a well-mannered man into my little slice of paradise in hell..." She gives you a sly grin and a look that you're praying you're misinterpreting as flirtatious, but hell, do you have much of a choice? You doubt that it's actually a motive of hers considering she's holed up in a city in the middle of its dying gasp, but if she's pretending to flirt now that means she's hiding how she actually feels, and you don't have nearly enough trust in you to keep from wondering what.
<"Master, I'm sure I could kill her right now, if she's so close. Do you want me to?">
You honestly have to think about it. Whoever this Caster is, she's dangerous if she's able to drive off Medea and appear out of thin air like it's nothing, even if she seems easy to handle. But on the other hand, if her wards are strong enough...
<"For now, we'll go with her. Once we're inside her Field, we can kill her if we need to.">
<"Understood. I will protect you, Master. I swear it upon the honor of the Archer class.">
Well, you got that right, at least.
Class: Archer
True Name: ???
Stats:- STR: C
END: D
AGI: B
MAG: B
LUK: E
Skills:- Magic Resistance: C
Class Skill of the Archer class, expressing a resistance to all forms of magecraft and thaumaturgy. At this rank, Archer is protected from all spells of two verses or lower.
Independent Action: E-
Class skill of the Archer Class, representing the capacity to act independently of a Master's mana supply and anchor to the world. At this rank, Archer can persist without her bond to her Master providing her the means to maintain her existence for up to thirty minutes. Archer is completely unsuited for this skill, possessing it only due to her container.
Further details are hidden.
"We'd be honored to accept your hospitality, Caster." You gamble with the class, but honestly it's not like it's hard. She couldn't be more obviously the Servant specialized for magecraft if she was wearing a pointy hat and had a beard going to her feet. "Would you let us rest? We've been running for a while, and-"
"Of course, of course, you can come and eat and drink all you like! Provided, of course, you answer me something." Her expression doesn't drop from the cheerful smile she's worn nearly every moment since you started speaking, but her eyes are sharper now, the brilliant colours not detracting in the slightest from the intelligence you see now.
"I'd like to know why a Servant and Master I haven't seen before showed up out of nowhere, and why they want my leyline. That's fair, isn't it?"
Well, shit. Flattery isn't getting out you out of this one.
[ ] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
[ ] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet.
[ ] Clam up, give her nothing. Tell her it's important and nothing else, and let her try puzzle it out herself. She might turn you away, but if you can impress upon her how vital your mission is, she might relent. Not every Servant is an absolute bastard, after all, and hell, maybe she's just putting on airs. Living as potentially the only sane woman in a dying city couldn't be much fun for her, so any change could be welcome.
[X] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet.
[X] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet.
[X] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet.
Could you put what the winning vote was at the top of each update, please? I have a hard time keeping track of what is going on, and having the voting result at the top is good for jogging my memory.
[X] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet.
Could you put what the winning vote was at the top of each update, please? I have a hard time keeping track of what is going on, and having the voting result at the top is good for jogging my memory.
[X] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
[X] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet.
[X] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet.
Anyone have any ideas about who our Servant or this Caster are? Or does anyone know for sure and I'm missing the obvious?
[X] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
Judging by her footwear Archer's Japanese, but I don't have any idea who she is. Caster is Circe, so let's try not to piss her off.
[x] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet
[x] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
I'm thinking she may be gender flipped, since she doesn't match the few references for female warriors I can find in an offhand search, but that only opens further possibilities rather than narrowing it down!
and throw you to the bottom of the sky wait wrong mobage
She's a girl, can't be more than fifteen, sixteen at the latest, you'd guess. Silky, dark-purple hair falls to her waist in a simple ponytail held together by a plain brown band. Most of her is covered by simple dark blue robes, the shirt tied at the waist by a white rope, loose sleeves falling to the midpoint of her slender arms. Her trousers are much the same, before ending in a tight cuff, a pair of white tabi and wooden sandals covering her feet. In her left hand, she carries a plain, simple-looking bow made out of light-coloured wood, and a quiver hangs from her waist, filled with arrows fletched with plain grey feathers.
"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
As she speaks, your eyes are drawn back to her face, and you can see the perfect imperfections. Her eyes are deep purple, but her pupils are catlike slits, and when she speaks, you can see the flash of pale-white fangs, far too sharp for any human to bear. She's not like Da Vinci, not a grown woman who's comfortable with the unnatural beauty common to most Servants, but she doesn't bear the plainness common to most humans either. Something caught between both, with her eyes and her fangs betraying her nature to you.
Whatever she is, she's not human.
"...I'm alright. Thank you." Your response seems to please her, and she lets out a sigh before giving you a smile, not noticing or not caring how it makes her needle-sharp teeth glint in the light of the fires around you. With her form illuminated from behind, staring down at you with a relieved smile that makes it look vaguely like she's deciding whether or not to eat you, you can't say that you're entirely happy with what fate gave you...or what FATE gave you, you suppose. Still, you needed help, help came. Judge later.
She offers you her free hand, giving you that same smile as before, even as Medea's draconic screaming makes you flinch again.
You fools! I warned you of your folly, and yet you did not listen! We could've had a hot beefcake or an absolute dynamite twink but nooooo, and what has it left us? A girl! With cooties!
I kid I kid. As people have already noted she's clearly some kind of Japanese figure what with that design, but I'm struggling to think of any possible identities for her and drawing up a big ol' blank. Given the thematics of the autumn choice the best I can guess is Kiyohime, even though she'd be absolutely nothing like her GO design.
You barely have a moment to try and say what you need before your Servant moves, and you're reminded that despite your newfound power, you're not nearly at the top of what you've seen Servants do. One moment she's there, looking at you with this sense of near-wonder, the next she's vanished and you're acutely aware of what feels like a freight train hugging you while it runs you over. You're half-worried she's attacked you before the next instant sees the spot you were just standing in absolutely bathed with golden flames, and you curse.
Your shield is on your arm before you have the chance to think about it, and your Servant, Archer maybe, gives a cry of surprise as you jump in front of her. The lightning that strikes a second later feels like a sledgehammer being knocked into the shield, but it doesn't hurt so much as it's just blunt force, your arms more than strong enough to hold on as you are now. You knocked Archer's aim off when you lunged to protect her, and her surprise at her Master being willing and able to do so probably cost her another second, but this time Medea doesn't get to get off another cast.
Went significantly better than trying to block a strike from Hercules with your spinal column, but either way it seems like Ed's got those Shielder-appropriate instincts! Now he just needs to work on them, because teamwork makes the dream work.
The dragons and Medea both screamed in pain, and you weigh your options. On one hand, Medea's a threat, and you don't want to lead her to the civic center if you're going to be using it as a base of operations. On the other, you've got no ranged options, no element of surprise, and your only real weapon is a Servant you know nothing about, because you got interrupted by goddamned Medea before you could get to the important parts. You don't like your chances, even if Archer's arrows pack a punch.
Then again, why choose either, when you've always been good at slipping away unnoticed?
Oh my god Ed you hypercautious baby, you pull a Servant right out of the gate and then you won't even let her fight. Oh ye of little gacha-faith. If she's Kiyohime then she's at least a 3*, probably more if this is a younger Archer variant, no way she could lose to this tutorial fight!
When you reach an alley, you turn and launch yourself with enough force that the pavement beneath cracks. The walls of the buildings you slip between close in fast, but not faster than you can react. Already you're righting yourself, drawing on years of practice moving with your chains to kick off of the wall, altering your direction without losing much speed. You're lucky the city is - was- built like a maze, because it's easy enough to run and lose yourself in it. Medea's roars are never too far behind, but they get further every moment you spend rocketing through the ruins, weaving in and out of ruined buildings, Archer always beside-
Hm.
She can keep up with you without much trouble, can't she?
The thought makes you a little uneasy, a little less confident. You're stronger now, but clearly not even close to the top, unless by some freak accident you somehow summoned a little god. But you haven't felt the kind of drain that should come from a deity, and she looks normal. Scruffy, by her clothing, even if her actual form is immaculate. You don't have a clue who she is and you'd really like to ask, but Medea's still there and you don't have the time and you're getting sick of her following you.
Ed over here swinging through the streets of Fuyuki with the Spider-Man OST in his ears, then looks over and sees Archer Naruto-running after him and it just ruins his entire day.
Your frustration almost clouds your newly-supernatural instincts, but they still manage to scream through that haze nevertheless. Your eyes widen and you try to actively send a sense of panic and worry to Archer, hoping she gets the message. She certainly does, because in an instant you feel her slamming into your back and pushing you down onto the ground without even a little time to slow your movement, and goddamnit it Reinforced or not being ground into solid concrete hurts.
I like how Archer's Master-saving technique is to fuckin Rock Bottom Ed directly into the street. Just imagine if she tried that and Ed wasn't a supernaturally durable Demi-Servant! Seems like these two really need to work on their teamwork.
You almost want to yell at her, but then your hair stands on its end and the air starts to smell like fire, not the cloying, decaying fire that's surrounding Fuyuki but real fire that purges all else around it, and a lance of purple light streaks above you, hot enough you hiss with pain even though it's missing you by at least a foot.
The beam curves upwards to strike at Medea, and though it disperses slightly splays across the armored scales her chariot grew over its flesh, it still hurts. All three heads scream, and with a curse that you assume was some kind of mangled Greek, maybe an attempt at casting a final spell, she turns and flies off back towards the direction of the Soldier. Not at bad way to blow off steam, you concede, if she can get in and out before the mortar-fire resumes.
Something worth noting is that Ed's supernaturally-enhanced danger sense picked up on Caster's spell and that the laser beam hurts even a foot away after he's been Rock Bottomed into the street. Either Caster was trying to kill him too or she just really didn't care he was in the way, which ain't good. Unless we have to assume it would've Roboteched around him had he not been shoved out of its path but that's a real long shot.
So when a woman that would be technically five feet at best without counting the ridiculously oversized platform sandals she's wearing steps forward and cocks her head at you, you feel almost a little underwhelmed.
Her hair is bright pink, cut in a short bob that frames her face in a way you can't help but find cute, and her eyes are a mesmerizing shade that seems to flit between soft pink and light blue as her mood demands, rather than as the light shifts around her. Her ears are pointed in much the same way Medea's were, and that alone is enough to make your chest tighten, but you know faeries, and she's definitely not a faerie. You can work past that, at least, given she's not attacking you.
Around her neck she wears a necklace made of gold, and...not much else on top, honestly. A heavy cloak covered with dark brown feathers rests around her shoulders, and besides that she wears a white tunic that's clasped right in the middle of her torso. The effect of giving a pretty decent look at the modest swell of her chest along with a peek at her midriff is distracting despite the circumstances, and she's not giving you much to work with after that either, given that all she seems to be wearing below the waist is a skirt the same shade as her tunic, and it goes down to about her thigh if you're being generous. Besides her sandals, which add nearly half a foot all by themselves, the only other thing she has with her is the staff that's as long as she is, tipped with a set of spiraling circles studded with golden teeth. You don't recognise her, and that puts you on edge, but Archer's message gives you a little comfort that at least you're not the only one.
<"Give me the word, Master, and I will kill her.">
yes please do it archer, she's circe, even if she joins our team she'll be fucking useless because of how delightworks sabotaged her np gain then gave her a buster np anyway
You're tempted, but she hasn't attacked you yet, just...stared, at the sky where Medea was first, then at you and Archer. Cautiously, you gaze over the rim of your shield, before speaking in a soft tone.
"...Thank you for helping us. Will you let us past?" That seems to get her attention, and...she puffs up immediately, a smug smile stretching out over her face.
"Well, of course I helped. After all, I couldn't let myself be shown up by something like that, could I? In terms of magecraft, that was just horrendous! One good spell and I sent her running!" She seems to have ignored your request, but from the way she reacted to even a little gratitude...
"Of course. You were clearly the superior magus." You can feel Archer's quizzical look at the back of your head, and you try send the impression of patience to her. "We would have no chance fighting you, and all we want is to pass. Surely it's beneath you to try stop us?" The flattery is about as blatant as can possibly be, but it's working. She's giving a beautiful, beaming smile up at you, equal parts honestly pleased and absolutely smug, and the cloak around her shoulders almost seems to ruffle for a moment as she casually floats up into the air, crossing one leg over the other like she's sitting on an invisible stool.
"Hm! I'm glad you recognise it, but you're coming into my territory! I can't let you in just by yourselves, even if you're not corrupted and insane like the rest of the Servants in this war. But if you wanted to be my guests and rest behind my Bounded Fields, I'm sure I could let such a well-mannered man into my little slice of paradise in hell..." She gives you a sly grin and a look that you're praying you're misinterpreting as flirtatious, but hell, do you have much of a choice? You doubt that it's actually a motive of hers considering she's holed up in a city in the middle of its dying gasp, but if she's pretending to flirt now that means she's hiding how she actually feels, and you don't have nearly enough trust in you to keep from wondering what.
No Ed, I think Circe is just Like That. You've heard the stories about her creepy sex retreat, she has a TF fetish streak a mile wide. Just remember not to eat or drink anything she offers you and you should be fine.
Class: Archer
True Name: ???
Stats:- STR: C END: D AGI: B MAG: B LUK: E
Skills:- Magic Resistance: C
Class Skill of the Archer class, expressing a resistance to all forms of magecraft and thaumaturgy. At this rank, Archer is protected from all spells of two verses or lower.
Independent Action: E-
Class skill of the Archer Class, representing the capacity to act independently of a Master's mana supply and anchor to the world. At this rank, Archer can persist without her bond to her Master providing her the means to maintain her existence for up to thirty minutes. Archer is completely unsuited for this skill, possessing it only due to her container.
Decent strength, pretty good agility, and fantastic magic for her class. If she really is a dragon then that might be the source of that, but then again EMIYA had that and he was just a human mage. If she is Kiyohime, it could be because she was a human that transformed into a pseudo-dragon because of Fairytale Logic, not possessing the power of a true dragon like Arturia did. But this is all baseless speculation really, I'm just throwing out ideas and seeing what sticks.
"Of course, of course, you can come and eat and drink all you like! Provided, of course, you answer me something." Her expression doesn't drop from the cheerful smile she's worn nearly every moment since you started speaking, but her eyes are sharper now, the brilliant colours not detracting in the slightest from the intelligence you see now.
"I'd like to know why a Servant and Master I haven't seen before showed up out of nowhere, and why they want my leyline. That's fair, isn't it?"
DANGER, DANGER, DANGER, DANGER. ADULT ALERT, LOCATE SEVERAL ADULTS AND BRING THEM TO EDWARD POSTHASTE.
Combine this with the fact that she didn't give a shit about 'danger close' with her laser, I don't think she's done a whole lot to earn out trust. Better to piss her off now than go blithely into her 'slice of paradise' (very likely a reference to her creepy furry shagloft) and get transformed into something. Bbbbuuuuuut by that token there's a chance that explaining absolutely everything will impress upon her that if she ever wants out of this hellhole, it's only through Ed remaining healthy and distinctly un-porcine. Plus he has what Odysseus and his crew didn't, which is a superpowered arrow-ghost who can and will beat the shit out of her if her Master suddenly becomes the subject of a TF doujin. So I think on balance it's best to
[X] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
while trusting that Edward as a character is already a super suspicious and reserved sort, and that picking this option doesn't necessarily consign him to going "mm thank you Miss Cosby this cocktail is delicious".
[X] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
Circe (who I assume is this new Servant) is, as I recall, both pro-Not-Ending-The-World and kind of a sucker for a sympathetic Master. Surely, Edward's immense charisma and excellent interpersonal skills will encourage her to assist us. Odd that she didn't comment on her niece being a) present and b) a dragon-monster-thing though.
Looks like the autumn vote won. The 'autumn sky moments before a storm' might hint towards a lightning-affinity, non-human heritage, dark-purple hair, kinda tall, robes instead of samurai armor (like Tomoe) might also imply pre-sengoku Era.
Archer Minamoto-no-Raikou? Actually wait, she's fifteen-sixteen, and this is 'moments before a storm', so Archer Lily Minamoto-no-Raikou, one who's still working on suppressing her Ushi-Gozen bits.
[x] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
[x] Give half an explanation. Say that you've only recently arrived from far away and need to contact the people you work for. Vague and unhelpful, sure to irritate her, but if she's keeping secrets of her own she might let you do the same for yours, so long as you can show you don't intend to attack her just yet
and throw you to the bottom of the sky wait wrong mobage
You fools! I warned you of your folly, and yet you did not listen! We could've had a hot beefcake or an absolute dynamite twink but nooooo, and what has it left us? A girl! With cooties!
I kid I kid. As people have already noted she's clearly some kind of Japanese figure what with that design, but I'm struggling to think of any possible identities for her and drawing up a big ol' blank. Given the thematics of the autumn choice the best I can guess is Kiyohime, even though she'd be absolutely nothing like her GO design.
TACTICAL GLOMP, maybe she is Kiyohime?
Went significantly better than trying to block a strike from Hercules with your spinal column, but either way it seems like Ed's got those Shielder-appropriate instincts! Now he just needs to work on them, because teamwork makes the dream work.
Oh my god Ed you hypercautious baby, you pull a Servant right out of the gate and then you won't even let her fight. Oh ye of little gacha-faith. If she's Kiyohime then she's at least a 3*, probably more if this is a younger Archer variant, no way she could lose to this tutorial fight!
Ed over here swinging through the streets of Fuyuki with the Spider-Man OST in his ears, then looks over and sees Archer Naruto-running after him and it just ruins his entire day.
I like how Archer's Master-saving technique is to fuckin Rock Bottom Ed directly into the street. Just imagine if she tried that and Ed wasn't a supernaturally durable Demi-Servant! Seems like these two really need to work on their teamwork.
Something worth noting is that Ed's supernaturally-enhanced danger sense picked up on Caster's spell and that the laser beam hurts even a foot away after he's been Rock Bottomed into the street. Either Caster was trying to kill him too or she just really didn't care he was in the way, which ain't good. Unless we have to assume it would've Roboteched around him had he not been shoved out of its path but that's a real long shot.
yes please do it archer, she's circe, even if she joins our team she'll be fucking useless because of how delightworks sabotaged her np gain then gave her a buster np anyway
No Ed, I think Circe is just Like That. You've heard the stories about her creepy sex retreat, she has a TF fetish streak a mile wide. Just remember not to eat or drink anything she offers you and you should be fine.
Decent strength, pretty good agility, and fantastic magic for her class. If she really is a dragon then that might be the source of that, but then again EMIYA had that and he was just a human mage. If she is Kiyohime, it could be because she was a human that transformed into a pseudo-dragon because of Fairytale Logic, not possessing the power of a true dragon like Arturia did. But this is all baseless speculation really, I'm just throwing out ideas and seeing what sticks.
DANGER, DANGER, DANGER, DANGER. ADULT ALERT, LOCATE SEVERAL ADULTS AND BRING THEM TO EDWARD POSTHASTE.
Combine this with the fact that she didn't give a shit about 'danger close' with her laser, I don't think she's done a whole lot to earn out trust. Better to piss her off now than go blithely into her 'slice of paradise' (very likely a reference to her creepy furry shagloft) and get transformed into something. Bbbbuuuuuut by that token there's a chance that explaining absolutely everything will impress upon her that if she ever wants out of this hellhole, it's only through Ed remaining healthy and distinctly un-porcine. Plus he has what Odysseus and his crew didn't, which is a superpowered arrow-ghost who can and will beat the shit out of her if her Master suddenly becomes the subject of a TF doujin. So I think on balance it's best to
[X] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
while trusting that Edward as a character is already a super suspicious and reserved sort, and that picking this option doesn't necessarily consign him to going "mm thank you Miss Cosby this cocktail is delicious".
In regards to the kyohime idea, can I point you towards independant action, which is a clear sign that as a servant she does not want to be away from her master and only has it because its part of the container and unsuited to her?
(And her interest in killing the first woman that we meet and that flirts with us ?)
In regards to the kyohime idea, can I point you towards independant action, which is a clear sign that as a servant she does not want to be away from her master and only has it because its part of the container and unsuited to her?
(And her interest in killing the first woman that we meet and that flirts with us ?)
On reflection yeah it is a little suspicious that at the first sign of Circe Archer's got an arrow at full draw with lens-flare eyes screaming "GIVE THE ORDER MASTER, I'LL TAKE THE SHOT AND ERASE THE THOT" at the top of her lungs.
[X] Explain everything as fully as possible. Holding back information is pointless, and you really need that leyline. Explain about Chaldea, the Rayshifting, every scrap of what you know, even if you missed the briefing. Surely an intelligent magus like herself would be able to understand it?
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