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.
<"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.
My first thought was that we'd summoned Ushiwakamaru, but the description doesn't really fit and Ushi's legend has no real connections to the autumn summoning prompt's themes afaik. Defenestrator might be onto something with them being Archer Lily Minamoto.
So when a woman that would be technically five feet at best...
For a half-second I thought that this was going to be Caster Shuten, but...
... 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.
...no it's Circe. Which mightn't be much better in terms of Ed's chances of survival, depending upon whether Circe's character is closer to her F/GO incarnation or her characterization from her actual legend. Given the "you can come and eat and drink all you like!" line I'm not feeling optimistic. Still...
[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 agree with Zerban: we should tell the truth in the hopes it will make her decide we're not worth fucking with, and believe in Edward being too paranoid to get transformed despite his lack of knowledge regarding her identity if it isn't.
[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] 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] 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] 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.
No need to lay out all of our cards on the table immediately, worst case scenario it's two against one.
[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?
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.
Honestly, I feel that the smartest decision is to go all-in with the explanations here, but I feel that Ed himself would choose to give a half explanation because Ed-boy creates problems (for himself) on purpose
[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?
[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's mostly just stupid when it comes to men. She'll probably realize Ed's serious before long and it's a good way to clue Archer in at the same time
Also, it's going to be a good laugh o she tries to poison Ed, assuming he has the same resistances as Galahad and Mashu
Caster is holding all the cards here, honestly. You want access to that leyline, you wouldn't say no to some security, and frankly with everything bouncing around in your head, you'd kill for a moment to just sit and think. You can't wait too long, but...there's no denying that you've been changed, somehow. Stronger, faster, with a shield you've never seen before that disappears and reappears whenever you please. There are explanations, absolutely, but none of them explain everything, save for one. It's theoretically possible, but as far as you're aware, it's never been done before. The idea that it's happened to you is absurd, but right now you're fighting for your life in a War that happened more than ten years ago after having time-traveled to it. Absurd is seeming like the new normal.
But you're getting ahead of yourself. Caster's looking at you expectantly, and after seeing what she could do with just one spell, you don't want to piss her off. The fact that she didn't much seem to care whether or not she caught you in it too doesn't exactly endear her to you, but you don't have much of a choice, do you? The only other locations you could go to are Ryuudou Temple and the Greater Grail cavern, and both of those would be horrible, horrible choices. Caster's refuge is your only option, and you don't have the luxury of time to argue.
"I...don't know the details myself, I missed the briefing." You wince a little as you say it, and the little eyebrow raise Caster gives just makes it all the more obvious how badly that sounds. Still, you soldier on. "I'm part of an organization called Chaldea. We're meant to defend the world against threats that could cause the end of humanity, and...part of that involves this thing called Rayshifting, which is apparently fu- ah, apparently time travel, and I was sent here to save my life after we were attacked, and-"
You're about to speak more, barely noting Archer's look of alarm at your casual admittance that you were close to death an hour or so ago, before Caster smiles and holds up her hand.
"Oh, why didn't you say so? I've got one of you in my safe haven already, and he's explained everything to me. Come on in!" As soon as she finishes speaking she turns with a flourish, striding forwards and disappearing into empty air without even a ripple. Part of you is a little worried, but if she's got any of the Chaldea staff in there, you've got even less of a choice than you did originally. With a deep breath, you step forward, feeling the barrier part around you like a sheet of water, Archer following behind you with her bow still drawn.
From the way Caster described it, you half expected to step into some verdant grove overflowing with food and wine, a little diamond in the rough that is Fuyuki City. And you suppose in comparison, it is, if only because it's a solid building that happens to be not on fire, or to have anything on fire close to it. It's a huge structure, all steel and glass and concrete, and it's weathered the calamitous Grail War better than any other building around. Caster probably took it for her own back before things went to shit, but even her magecraft hasn't been able to do much more than keep it intact in the surrounding sea of broken buildings. You don't want to get anywhere near it, but you have to.
<"Keep on your guard, Archer.">
<"Of course, Master.">
Caster's nowhere to be seen, so you move forward towards the building, through the open double doors. Instead of long, looping hallways, it's been remodeled, a simple entrance and exit leading to the core of the center, where you know the leyline runs through. A few doors lead off from the center stage, which you can see has been carved and painted with magic circle after magic circle, and you shiver a little despite yourself. Getting at the leyline would be easiest from in there, but you really don't want to put yourself in Caster's hands so easily...
Your thoughts are interrupted by a cheerful voice, and when you look up, you see Caster all but dragging Roman out of one of the side rooms, and you're moving before you can stop yourself.
"Here you go, the useless- hey!"
You've probably insulted Caster by practically ripping Roman out of her arms and grasping his shoulders, but right then you're a little too overcome with relief to care. Part of you, the clinical part that knows exactly what your tinkering with your Origin has done to you, knows why you're reacting like this to knowing a man you've only just met is safe, but hell, it's been a long day, and you're willing to indulge some unhealthy tendencies for the moment, especially since Roman is all but beaming at you.
"Edward! You're alright, you're...you're better than alright, what...?" He gives a curious look at your getup, something echoed by Caster and Archer both. All of a sudden, you're the center of attention, and you really don't like it. You open your mouth to try and explain before Caster snaps her fingers, giving you an intrigued look.
"I wondered why you looked so odd. I can see you better in here...you've got a Servant's Saint Graph! But you're definitely human, and definitely this girl's Master, so...you're a Demi-Servant, aren't you?"
You'd imagined coming face to face with the truth that you've somehow without trying reached the pinnacle of Servant summoning that magi aspire to, to take all the power with none of the personality issues, in somewhat more dramatic terms. But Caster isn't a fool, and honestly, you have to admit that part of it was that you were just using any excuse to deny it to yourself. You're a Demi-Servant, that's for certain. On one hand, it's given you power like you couldn't have attained naturally, and it's saved your life more than once in this blasted hellscape. But, on the other, it's given rise to questions that are thoroughly unsettling you.
You weren't trying to become one. So who made you into this, and why?
Roman is looking at you with a sort of awed expression, Archer is tilting her head, probably doesn't know what a Demi-Servant is, and Caster is...well, she's sizing you up like a piece of meat. She's not a modern magus, but if you're a curiosity big enough, maybe she does want to dice you up and see how you work. Most magi are all the same, in that regard. Still, you need to get everyone focused, and if it helps avoid putting attention on the unsettling revelation of what you've become, all the better.
"I need to connect to the leyline so we can contact Chaldea. Roman couldn't since he's not a magus, but it shouldn't take long for me. Caster, may I...?"
"Oh, of course! Come, follow me, just...well, could you tell your Archer to stop looking at me like I'm about to try and stab you? I don't bite without permission."
For the sake of your sanity, you tell yourself that the quip and wink is done to push you off balance so it's easier to read you, but you look over at Archer nevertheless. She hasn't put away her bow, but the look in her eyes is inquisitive, looking to you for guidance. And even though it's the last thing you want to do, you've really got no choice but to keep Caster happy, do you?"
"Archer, I'll be fine. Could you speak with Roman and get caught up while I'm performing the ritual?" There's a small twinge of disappointment on her face, and you find yourself feeling a little happy that Archer is apparently so concerned with her Master's well being that that's how she reacts. Then you remember what you saw of her Independent Action, and you chastise yourself. She's concerned for you because without you, she dies. That's all a Servant and Master are, a contractual obligation. Don't think of them as partners or friends or anything else. He's heard stories of Servants betraying their Masters when it suited them, of Servants even killing their Masters if they decided it was worth it.
It's not worth it to get attached.
There's no lightning or fire or any other kind of terrible fate that befalls you when you step into the magic circle, though with Caster kneeling in front of you and still looking at you like you're prime rib, it's a little distracting. Still, you know how to do this. Not too hard, and with Roman around if there's more to do he'll hopefully know the theory even if he's not a magus...
Your thoughts flow into each other until they seem almost one continuous mass inside you, and with a deep exhale, you push your will down beneath the earth, reaching out for the power beneath. With Caster's circles, it's almost like trying to lift something light that you expect will be heavy, so you use far too much force. The sudden surge of power makes you yelp, but when you pull yourself out of the flow you're connected properly. Your shield manifested while you were in your trance, you note, and it seems to be thrumming by itself again. With a frown, you push it down to the center of the circle, and it's only a split-second before a hologram bursts above it, a familiar face glaring at you.
"Report!" yells Animusphere, clearly more stressed than she was the last time you spoke. Whatever's happening back in Chaldea, it's certainly not going as well as it could be.
"I'm a Demi-Servant, which is why my readings are so bizarre, the war is populated with corrupted Servants that are trying to kill us, I summoned an Archer, the civic center is Caster's workshop, and I've found Roman. Want to explain to me what the hell is going on now?" You absolutely could have phrased that better, but after everything you've been through today, you don't want to put up with it right now. At the very least, you get the satisfaction of watching her eyes bug out of her head, before she switches to another screen, frantically pulling up what you can only assume to be your data, probably to check whether or not you're lying. It only takes a few moments before she looks back at you, taking a deep breath and speaking in a forced calm tone.
"...That shouldn't be possible, but the readings we're getting...it would be stupid to pretend that it wasn't true. I'll expect a full explanation when you return. If you've found Roman, that's good, but we're still missing Lev and Candidate Thirteen. Lev is crucial, and the more living Masters we have, the better. Even if it's just one more, once Lev restores the summoning system properly, things should work fine. I don't know how you summoned that Servant, but I won't question blessings at a time like this." She's being more reasonable than you assumed, and you force yourself to remember that her life's work was just attacked and very nearly ruined. Still could be ruined, if you screw this up.
"Alright. I'll explain in brief. Chaldea uses a combination of several different systems to observe a replica of the soul of the world, and predict its future up to one hundred years in advance. By doing this, we discovered that human civilization ceased to exist come December 31st, 2016. The source of this calamity was determined to be these Singularities, pockets of distorted time that would shatter the timeline when they were forcibly merged with it again, specifically chosen to be pivotal moments of history to do the most damage. Rayshifting was developed to...ugh, travel back in time and fix these anomalies before the end of the world happened." You get the sense that it's a little more complicated, but mercifully she doesn't go into it just now. There's only one thing that's important to you about this conversation at the moment, and that's how to fix things. You'll parse that someone is attacking human history itself later.
"Alright, how do I destroy the Singularity? How will I get back to Chaldea?"
"The Singularities appear to be anchored by a Holy Grail. Find it and we can begin the process of Rayshifting you back. Without its supporting Grail, the Singularity should collapse."
"Understood. Anything else?"
"The Grail is located in the Greater Grail cavern. I don't know what else is going to be in there, so be careful. And...keep Roman safe. He's not as critical as the other two, but he's still the head of our medical team. We need him."
You don't even need to respond to that beyond a nod. You'd keep him safe even if she told him specifically to leave him to die, even if it'd mostly be out of spite. Still, your conversation was over, and now that you've had confirmation, you need to figure out what exactly you are. Turning your Servant analysis onto yourself should work, right? You're halfway to beginning the process when Caster pipes up, and if you weren't in the heart of her workshop, you'd have growled.
"She wasn't exactly the nicest of women, was she? Honestly, and you're clearly trying to do your best, the heroic Demi-Servant looking to save the world..." She looks almost wistful, and not for the first time, you're a little disturbed. You're still pretty sure it's just an act, but she's committed to making it seem like she wants to jump your bones, and that's a huge warning sign for just about anything in the Moonlit World. She wanted something, that was for certain, but right then and there he had bigger problems.
"She...has a lot to work on. If I may, Caster, can I retreat for a moment to rest?" You don't exactly like being so polite, but given that she could probably incinerate you with a thought, it's probably for the best to keep the flattery going. It seems to work, Caster puffing up again like before, then nodding sharply. "Of course! If you'd like, I can bring some refreshments! I have pork, wine, fruits, kykeon..."
"Ah...no, thank you. I've already eaten today." You just about barely suppress the flinch as she names what's on her list, because now you're pretty sure you have an idea who she is. Greek porridge, elfin ears, and a staff that looked oddly familiar after fighting Medea...you could still be wrong, but you don't think you are, and there's not a chance in hell you're willingly eating anything that the Hawk Witch Circe puts in front of you. She pouts at this, but doesn't push it, thankfully. Maybe she's already gotten her fill of pigs.
You let your shield disappear and walk over to a relatively uncrowded corner of the room, before starting to slow your breathing. You've never worked with a Servant directly as a Master before, but the analysis was relatively intuitive, and it shouldn't be too hard to turn it onto yourself, right? Your breathing calms, your heartbeat slows, and as you close one set of eyes you open another deep in the sea of your soul, searching for that little extra that had never been there before.
It doesn't take long to find it.
Class: Shielder
True Name: Edward Dempsey/???
Stats:- STR: D END: B AGI: C -> B MAG: C LUK: E
Skills:- Magic Resistance: B
A skill expressing a resistance to all forms of thaumaturgy. As a defensive class, Shielder naturally boasts a high rank in this skill. All spells under three verses are completely ineffective against Edward, and the effects of higher ranked spells may be reduced.
Guardian Knight: B
A skill for those heroes who were not meant for killing others, but for protecting instead. When acting in the defence of another, Edward's stats receive a rank up equivalent to the same rank of Mad Enhancement.
Instinct: C+
Supernatural instincts for combat, allowing limited precognition when in battle. Though ordinarily C Ranked, if Edward is acting to defend another, it momentarily becomes equivalent to Instinct at A rank instead.
Further information is hidden.
Fucking perfect. You've got a class you've never heard of before, a couple of skills, and a decent statline for a meat-shield. In exchange, you seem to have lost all access to any kind of Noble Phantasm, you don't even know the damn name of the Heroic Spirit whose power you took. It's just too perfect for you to have somehow achieved something that Spiritual Evocation has been trying to do for centuries, only to somehow screw it up even so. With a heavy sigh, you open your eyes-
Only to find Archer kneeling about two feet away from you, staring at you intently.
You yelp and fall back, before grumbling as you push yourself up and move to a sitting position. Archer looks alarmed by your sudden outburst, as if she doesn't understand why seeing eyes like hers so close to your face might startle you, especially considering you were so deep in meditation that you didn't notice her take her place before you. Still, it's not a good look to let yourself seem weak, so...
"What is it, Archer?" She tilts her head at the question for a moment, brow furrowing, before she gives a slight half-shrug of her shoulder as if she only barely caught the instinctive motion before it could finish.
"I was curious about you, Master. You are a Servant as well?"
"Hah. No. I'm a Demi-Servant, just...borrowing the power for a little bit." Or forever. Who knows with something like this?
"I see...and you seem to have taken on the form of a knight. I think that suits you, Master." You bristle at that, giving her a look, before she continues. "Even though I am a Servant, you chose to protect me from Rider's lightning. I do not believe it would have been necessary, but you did it nevertheless, even though I am meant to protect you. It does not surprise me that a knight would be drawn to you."
That's...mmmh. There's no way she knows the baggage that little title has for you, no chance she's peeked at your memories, but you can't deny the little ember of happiness the words make you feel inside, just for a moment. When you'd seen Archer in danger, you'd moved on instinct. You can probably blame that on the Shielder whose power you've taken on, but some part of you wants to think that it was at least a little bit you. With a sigh, you look away and rub the back of your head, before speaking again.
"...Thank you, Archer." The repetition of her title makes you realise something, and you turn back to her after a moment. "You haven't told me your name yet."
"...I would like to prove myself to you before giving my name, Master. I do not wish to be judged on anything but my service. I also do not believe it to be wise to give my identity when the witch is so close to us, and could possibly be peering into our minds."
You could order her, you realise. Your eyes flick down to your Command Spells, the thre-six, the six sweeping marks like intertwining ropes or veins crawling up the outside of your left arm. Huh. You made a contract with yourself, apparently. Handy. You know that a couple of words would compel Archer to speak against her will, but...you can see the way she tightens her posture as you glance down, and suddenly the idea of taking away her choice makes you sick. It's information, but it's not vital right now, not yet. You can leave her off for a little bit.
"Alright. We're going to be fighting, so...you'll have plenty of opportunity to prove yourself. And I'll have your back too, so we'll get through this." Pleasantries, basically just going through the motions of reassuring someone you're fighting alongside, but the words have an effect on her nevertheless. She smiles a fanged smile for just a moment, before giving a seated bow.
"Thank you, Master. I will prove my worth and defend you with my life."
You just barely manage to avoid the bitter though that of course she will, because if you croak so does she, but avoid it you did. You've rested long enough, you need to get moving. Short-range communications might be possible now, and you have a target anyway. Lev and Thirteen are both magi, and they both knew more about this than you did. Chances are they're taking their time getting close to the cavern too to meet up with any other survivors. Getting to the Grail is the best solution you have right now, even if it's only to set up a temporary base there while you figure out where the other two members of Chaldea are.
As soon as you rise to your feet, Archer does as well, and then probably-Circe is floating beside you all of a sudden, giving you that same smile she's been giving you since you walked in, the one that's making you thoroughly uncomfortable at this point. Beautiful, scantily clad women giving you bedroom eyes isn't something you hate, but when they're the kind of women who probably have a spell to turn you inside out on their lips at any given moment, you'd rather keep your distance, even with your new Magic Resistance.
"Leaving already? I don't mind, but I would like to have a little chat first. It's important, honestly!" You're not exactly sure what counts as important for a Masterless Servant in an Grail War that's grinding to a slow and inevitable heat-death, but you've gotten this far without incident.
"Of course, Caster. What is it?" She looks at you, and all of a sudden there's more in those eyes than just general flirtation, more than the mischievousness that danced in her gaze every moment she looked at you. They're almost solemn now, sad, and when she speaks again, it's like she can't quite keep up the act anymore, not for a topic like this. It takes her a moment to form the words, and when she does, it's only after a long sigh.
"You need my help, given that I'm the only uncorrupted Servant left. Berserker and Archer are both dead, and the others are all corrupted. I'll be an asset and get you to the Grail, but I want something in return. I..." She takes another deep breath, her gaze steeling as she looks into your eyes, before she practically forces out what she says next, as if the words forming on her lips at all disgusts her.
"I want your help to kill my niece. I cannot stand seeing her like this. Kill her with me, and I will help you accomplish your mission."
Sometimes you hate being right.
Class: Caster
True Name: Circe
Stats:-
STR: E
END: C
AGI: D
MAG: A++
LUK: C
Skills:- Territory Creation: A
Class Skill of the Caster class, representing the capacity to create a workshop that proves bonuses towards one's mysteries and magecraft. At this rank, Circe is capable of creating Temples to the goddess Hecate. If there is even a scrap of life where she chooses to build her Temple, it will quickly overflow with abundant foods and drinks, in addition to providing a reduction in both cost and time for her works.
Item Creation: A
Class Skill of the Caster class, representing the capacity to create magical items to help allies or hinder enemies. Circe's specialties revolve around creating potions with various helpful or harmful effects. At this rank, she is capable of producing certain simple compounds directly from her own mana supply, bypassing the need to mix any materials or herbs beforehand.
Divinity: B
A representation of one's closeness to being a Divine Spirit. As the daughter of the sun god Helios, Circe naturally boasts a high rank in this skill. While bathing in the sun's rays, the costs of Circe's magecraft are halved, and she will slowly recharge her natural store of mana at double the normal rate.
Further information is hidden.
[ ] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
[ ] Make no promises. If you come face to face with Medea again, you'll help her kill her, but you're not going to go out of your way to seek her out. Saving the world is more important, and if all it costs to get you across Fuyuki safely is not fully committing to a deathmatch against a dragon-witch, you'll consider that a price well paid. You feel for her, but you have to think of the greater good.
[ ] Refuse to cooperate. You don't need the extra hassle of seeking out a fight when you're already trying to protect a mundane. She's not crazy, she probably won't attack you for refusing given that you're the world's last hope right now, but you can't imagine she'll enjoy it very much. She might stick around nevertheless to make sure that humanity doesn't get ruined, but you doubt you could expect any kind of friendliness or helpfulness besides the absolute bare minimum. And there's always the chance you've misread her, and between refusing her food and refusing to help, she'll "accidentally" aim at you in the heat of battle, or that she's done something to Roman...
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
I mean ngl, Medea as a Rider kinda seems like we'd need to go out of our way to kill her anyway. She's basically a fast, flying artillery platform right now, and considering how corrupted Servants most likely work together we'd want that out of the way to begin with.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
If this is like canon, we need all the bonds we can possibly get to help out at the temple of time, so it's not like sneaking past to safely reach the greater grail is actually better for our goals.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
"I...don't know the details myself, I missed the briefing." You wince a little as you say it, and the little eyebrow raise Caster gives just makes it all the more obvious how badly that sounds. Still, you soldier on. "I'm part of an organization called Chaldea. We're meant to defend the world against threats that could cause the end of humanity, and...part of that involves this thing called Rayshifting, which is apparently fu- ah, apparently time travel, and I was sent here to save my life after we were attacked, and-"
You're about to speak more, barely noting Archer's look of alarm at your casual admittance that you were close to death an hour or so ago, before Caster smiles and holds up her hand.
"Oh, why didn't you say so? I've got one of you in my safe haven already, and he's explained everything to me. Come on in!"
Guess it's a good thing we showed willingness to share information and cooperate anyway!
Your thoughts are interrupted by a cheerful voice, and when you look up, you see Caster all but dragging Roman out of one of the side rooms, and you're moving before you can stop yourself.
"Here you go, the useless- hey!"
You've probably insulted Caster by practically ripping Roman out of her arms and grasping his shoulders, but right then you're a little too overcome with relief to care. Part of you, the clinical part that knows exactly what your tinkering with your Origin has done to you, knows why you're reacting like this to knowing a man you've only just met is safe, but hell, it's been a long day, and you're willing to indulge some unhealthy tendencies for the moment, especially since Roman is all but beaming at you.
"Oh, of course! Come, follow me, just...well, could you tell your Archer to stop looking at me like I'm about to try and stab you? I don't bite without permission."
For the sake of your sanity, you tell yourself that the quip and wink is done to push you off balance so it's easier to read you, but you look over at Archer nevertheless.
"Archer, I'll be fine. Could you speak with Roman and get caught up while I'm performing the ritual?" There's a small twinge of disappointment on her face, and you find yourself feeling a little happy that Archer is apparently so concerned with her Master's well being that that's how she reacts. Then you remember what you saw of her Independent Action, and you chastise yourself. She's concerned for you because without you, she dies. That's all a Servant and Master are, a contractual obligation. Don't think of them as partners or friends or anything else. He's heard stories of Servants betraying their Masters when it suited them, of Servants even killing their Masters if they decided it was worth it.
He said, probably about a singularity and a half away from adopting Archer as his weird monster daughter.
"...That shouldn't be possible, but the readings we're getting...it would be stupid to pretend that it wasn't true. I'll expect a full explanation when you return. If you've found Roman, that's good, but we're still missing Lev and Candidate Thirteen. Lev is crucial, and the more living Masters we have, the better. Even if it's just one more, once Lev restores the summoning system properly, things should work fine. I don't know how you summoned that Servant, but I won't question blessings at a time like this."
Interesting. It seems Galahad's shield is still doing its job as a catalyst that 'gathers heroes', with the added wrinkle that he really must have just randomly shown up to save Ed (or been sent by Merlin somehow) because the Demi-Servanting obviously can't be the product of early experimentation with the FATE system here. And if Olga-Marie's living past the prologue it's gonna be real interesting to watch her dive into the history of Chaldea and what her father did to make it a reality once we get back.
"The Grail is located in the Greater Grail cavern. I don't know what else is going to be in there, so be careful. And...keep Roman safe. He's not as critical as the other two, but he's still the head of our medical team. We need him."
Skills:- Magic Resistance: B
A skill expressing a resistance to all forms of thaumaturgy. As a defensive class, Shielder naturally boasts a high rank in this skill. All spells under three verses are completely ineffective against Edward, and the effects of higher ranked spells may be reduced.
Guardian Knight: B
A skill for those heroes who were not meant for killing others, but for protecting instead. When acting in the defence of another, Edward's stats receive a rank up equivalent to the same rank of Mad Enhancement.
Instinct: C+
Supernatural instincts for combat, allowing limited precognition when in battle. Though ordinarily C Ranked, if Edward is acting to defend another, it momentarily becomes equivalent to Instinct at A rank instead.
Looks like every stat is lower than Mashumellow's (wow what a dweeb, do you even lift) except for agility which is higher even before what I have to assume is a further up-rank due to Ed's influence. Means he only gets Endurance A while jumping in to protect someone, which still leaves him vulnerable if caught solo or unawares, but by the same token he gets Agility A when Guardian Knight triggers too so he should be able to pretty much swooce in front of whoever he's trying to protect no matter what. Magic seems a little low for a career mage but hey maybe he just has INFERIOR BLOOD lacks whatever cheats gave EMIYA his inflated score.
Only to find Archer kneeling about two feet away from you, staring at you intently.
You yelp and fall back, before grumbling as you push yourself up and move to a sitting position. Archer looks alarmed by your sudden outburst, as if she doesn't understand why seeing eyes like hers so close to your face might startle you, especially considering you were so deep in meditation that you didn't notice her take her place before you. Still, it's not a good look to let yourself seem weak, so...
"What is it, Archer?" She tilts her head at the question for a moment, brow furrowing, before she gives a slight half-shrug of her shoulder as if she only barely caught the instinctive motion before it could finish.
"I was curious about you, Master. You are a Servant as well?"
"Hah. No. I'm a Demi-Servant, just...borrowing the power for a little bit." Or forever. Who knows with something like this?
"I see...and you seem to have taken on the form of a knight. I think that suits you, Master." You bristle at that, giving her a look, before she continues. "Even though I am a Servant, you chose to protect me from Rider's lightning. I do not believe it would have been necessary, but you did it nevertheless, even though I am meant to protect you. It does not surprise me that a knight would be drawn to you."
That's...mmmh. There's no way she knows the baggage that little title has for you, no chance she's peeked at your memories, but you can't deny the little ember of happiness the words make you feel inside, just for a moment. When you'd seen Archer in danger, you'd moved on instinct. You can probably blame that on the Shielder whose power you've taken on, but some part of you wants to think that it was at least a little bit you. With a sigh, you look away and rub the back of your head, before speaking again.
"...Thank you, Archer." The repetition of her title makes you realise something, and you turn back to her after a moment. "You haven't told me your name yet."
"...I would like to prove myself to you before giving my name, Master. I do not wish to be judged on anything but my service. I also do not believe it to be wise to give my identity when the witch is so close to us, and could possibly be peering into our minds."
You could order her, you realise. Your eyes flick down to your Command Spells, the thre-six, the six sweeping marks like intertwining ropes or veins crawling up the outside of your left arm. Huh. You made a contract with yourself, apparently. Handy. You know that a couple of words would compel Archer to speak against her will, but...you can see the way she tightens her posture as you glance down, and suddenly the idea of taking away her choice makes you sick. It's information, but it's not vital right now, not yet. You can leave her off for a little bit.
"Alright. We're going to be fighting, so...you'll have plenty of opportunity to prove yourself. And I'll have your back too, so we'll get through this." Pleasantries, basically just going through the motions of reassuring someone you're fighting alongside, but the words have an effect on her nevertheless. She smiles a fanged smile for just a moment, before giving a seated bow.
"Thank you, Master. I will prove my worth and defend you with my life."
Familiar refrain from Orochi back in my quest so odds are likely Archer's done Some Shit and she's worried Ed will reject her over it unless she builds up a whole lot of goodwill. Damn, if only she knew Ed's a superpowered hitman who goes around owning renegade mages, he's used to moral ambiguity and emotional torment.
Class: Caster
True Name: Circe
Stats:-
STR: E
END: C
AGI: D
MAG: A++
LUK: C
Skills:- Territory Creation: A
Class Skill of the Caster class, representing the capacity to create a workshop that proves bonuses towards one's mysteries and magecraft. At this rank, Circe is capable of creating Temples to the goddess Hecate. If there is even a scrap of life where she chooses to build her Temple, it will quickly overflow with abundant foods and drinks, in addition to providing a reduction in both cost and time for her works.
Item Creation: A
Class Skill of the Caster class, representing the capacity to create magical items to help allies or hinder enemies. Circe's specialties revolve around creating potions with various helpful or harmful effects. At this rank, she is capable of producing certain simple compounds directly from her own mana supply, bypassing the need to mix any materials or herbs beforehand.
Divinity: B
A representation of one's closeness to being a Divine Spirit. As the daughter of the sun god Helios, Circe naturally boasts a high rank in this skill. While bathing in the sun's rays, the costs of Circe's magecraft are halved, and she will slowly recharge her natural store of mana at double the normal rate.
Lower Endurance and Luck in exchange for even higher Magic, which makes sense - and she's got Divinity which of course they forgot to give her in Grand Order because as it turns out Type Moon are kinda shitty at researching their Servants . The passive attached to said Divinity unfortunately won't be valid for a white but that Item Creation description is interesting, if push comes to shove she could go "HERE, DRUGS" and throw a bong at Ed's skull at a moment's notice.
[X] Agree to her terms. You'll have to bring Roman with you anyway, you can't leave him here if you want to bring him back, and it means some extra muscle. Sure, it also means looking for a fight when you could potentially avoid it, but you've seen what Circe can do, even if only a bare fraction. If she surpasses her niece when it comes to working spells, she could be invaluable in getting across Fuyuki in one piece. More than that, it's the right thing to do. Seeing someone she loves twisted so horribly must be awful, especially not being able to put an end to her pain herself.
This is just a no-brainer, Medea's going to be a huge potential threat no matter what way we slice it, so better to take her down preemptively with Circe's help than get blindsided trying to sneak past when it's already been established Medea can keep up with Ed's chainswinging and Archer's Naruto-running. And with her dead, Berserker and Archer dead, Circe on our side, and TUS pretty soundly outmatched by the AOG demigoddess we're carting around, that only leaves Saber and Lancer in the way.
[X] Make no promises. If you come face to face with Medea again, you'll help her kill her, but you're not going to go out of your way to seek her out. Saving the world is more important, and if all it costs to get you across Fuyuki safely is not fully committing to a deathmatch against a dragon-witch, you'll consider that a price well paid. You feel for her, but you have to think of the greater good.
Commando has a good point about Edward creating problems for himself, so with this he'll try to avoid one while actually making things harder for himself.
Skills:- Magic Resistance: B
A skill expressing a resistance to all forms of thaumaturgy. As a defensive class, Shielder naturally boasts a high rank in this skill. All spells under three verses are completely ineffective against Edward, and the effects of higher ranked spells may be reduced.
Guardian Knight: B
A skill for those heroes who were not meant for killing others, but for protecting instead. When acting in the defence of another, Edward's stats receive a rank up equivalent to the same rank of Mad Enhancement.
Instinct: C+
Supernatural instincts for combat, allowing limited precognition when in battle. Though ordinarily C Ranked, if Edward is acting to defend another, it momentarily becomes equivalent to Instinct at A rank instead.
It's still probably Galahad, there aren't really any other Heroic Spirit candidates that fill the right thematic conditions while also having a shield.
"...I would like to prove myself to you before giving my name, Master. I do not wish to be judged on anything but my service. I also do not believe it to be wise to give my identity when the witch is so close to us, and could possibly be peering into our minds."
You could order her, you realise. Your eyes flick down to your Command Spells, the thre-six, the six sweeping marks like intertwining ropes or veins crawling up the outside of your left arm. Huh. You made a contract with yourself, apparently. Handy. You know that a couple of words would compel Archer to speak against her will, but...you can see the way she tightens her posture as you glance down, and suddenly the idea of taking away her choice makes you sick. It's information, but it's not vital right now, not yet. You can leave her off for a little bit.
"Alright. We're going to be fighting, so...you'll have plenty of opportunity to prove yourself. And I'll have your back too, so we'll get through this." Pleasantries, basically just going through the motions of reassuring someone you're fighting alongside, but the words have an effect on her nevertheless. She smiles a fanged smile for just a moment, before giving a seated bow.
"Thank you, Master. I will prove my worth and defend you with my life."
Okay, so she has an unsavory reputation, at least at some point in her legend. That doesn't mean too much - there are plenty of villains she could be - but it does make me lean away from the Archer Lily Minamoto idea, because even if this is a younger version of Mama Raikou who hasn't gotten the Ushi Gozen thing under control yet she should still have knowledge of her full legend and know that she's a great hero (in the future). I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
. The passive attached to said Divinity unfortunately won't be valid for a white but that Item Creation description is interesting, if push comes to shove she could go "HERE, DRUGS" and throw a bong at Ed's skull at a moment's notice.