- Location
- Sweden
[X] Speak with Sanson. Even if you're mad at her, you can't deny that Marie might have had some semblance of a point. Maybe talking with Sanson would help you sort that whole mess out.
Fate/Ethereal Order
- Thread starter Squirtodyle
- Start date
- Location
- The Land of Many Bregrets
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It lives!
Any update is a welcome update; don't worry about schedules.
...Huh, is she talking about Briar Rose Avenger or is she referring to J!Alter here? Has J!Alter even been mentioned yet?
It would make more sense to be referring to Jeanne Alter, though it could just be the concept of coming back as an Avenger, in general, given her own apparently close brush with doing so (between Giles and the messy tangle of who 'Briar Rose' actually is, Marie is probably the most 'valid' candidate for a proper Avenger, oddly enough).
[X] Speak with Goemon. You've been putting this off too long, you need some sort of understanding to work with the man. Bad mood or no, it's good sense.
We really should stop putting that off-
Any update is a welcome update; don't worry about schedules.
...Huh, is she talking about Briar Rose Avenger or is she referring to J!Alter here? Has J!Alter even been mentioned yet?
It would make more sense to be referring to Jeanne Alter, though it could just be the concept of coming back as an Avenger, in general, given her own apparently close brush with doing so (between Giles and the messy tangle of who 'Briar Rose' actually is, Marie is probably the most 'valid' candidate for a proper Avenger, oddly enough).
[X] Speak with Goemon. You've been putting this off too long, you need some sort of understanding to work with the man. Bad mood or no, it's good sense.
We really should stop putting that off-
- Location
- USA
[X] Speak with Goemon. You've been putting this off too long, you need some sort of understanding to work with the man. Bad mood or no, it's good sense.
Marie's design sounds wild. Guess it's the natural extension of her in-game background, someone to be beloved and adored by the people around and below her, an ornament for them to ooh and ahh at. I definitely like the parts of her personality that shown through in her conversation with Ed too; undisguised bitterness and discontentment with the way her life played out, but enough pragmatism and... "generosity" isn't the exact word I'm looking for, but close enough, to recognize that acting solely on that negativity won't help her or anyone else.
Marie's design sounds wild. Guess it's the natural extension of her in-game background, someone to be beloved and adored by the people around and below her, an ornament for them to ooh and ahh at. I definitely like the parts of her personality that shown through in her conversation with Ed too; undisguised bitterness and discontentment with the way her life played out, but enough pragmatism and... "generosity" isn't the exact word I'm looking for, but close enough, to recognize that acting solely on that negativity won't help her or anyone else.
ZerbanDaGreat
Daemon Noble of D E M O G R A P H I C S
- Pronouns
- They/them
"Damn," said Squirtodyle, "I need to make Marie's design cooler. I know, I'll give her claws-"
or "wassup my homies" of GO is anything to go by
I'm sorry, my mistake, she's Punk Chic Sans Undertale.
Well now, that conversation went from a 2 to an 11 by the end of it. I'm sure even if he's getting socialised around the pack of superpowered assholes he already has Ed doesn't appreciate getting Seen so hard by one he just met. And Marie just absolutely giving no shits about being polite because she's being aggressively WOOHOO SELFCARE BITCH and demanding that Ed do the same before he winds up miserable and alone. Ed, whose life goal is to be miserable and alone, obviously doesn't think very much of this mandate.
At least we can count on Archer being so overwhelmingly sincere that Ed being mean to her feels like full-force punting a puppy like a football so if all else fails that gives him a reality check. The two of them really are the perfect pair, they're just like
[X] Speak with Dumas. He's the only one still there you haven't personally spoken with yet, and it might help to get a feel for what sort of man he is.
Because Dumas is based and Ed wants a piece of that cuddling action.
[X] Speak with Dumas. He's the only one still there you haven't personally spoken with yet, and it might help to get a feel for what sort of man he is.
- Location
- [REDACTED]
[X] Speak with Sanson. Even if you're mad at her, you can't deny that Marie might have had some semblance of a point. Maybe talking with Sanson would help you sort that whole mess out.
Backstory? Backstory.
Backstory? Backstory.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- He/They
That honestly went better than I expected.
I'm torn between liking Dumas and thinking that we really should get around to speaking with Goemon sooner rather than later. So instead I'll waste my vote on
[X] Speak with Sanson. Even if you're mad at her, you can't deny that Marie might have had some semblance of a point. Maybe talking with Sanson would help you sort that whole mess out.
I'm torn between liking Dumas and thinking that we really should get around to speaking with Goemon sooner rather than later. So instead I'll waste my vote on
[X] Speak with Sanson. Even if you're mad at her, you can't deny that Marie might have had some semblance of a point. Maybe talking with Sanson would help you sort that whole mess out.
- Location
- Ireland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Voting is closed, the winning vote was to talk to Goemon. I'm currently in crunch week in college with about four assignments to hand in between today and next Friday, but I'll see what I can do!
Chapter Thirty One: Valent'huomo
- Location
- Ireland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Deep down, you know you only really have the one choice. You've been putting it off since before you even came to France, but with the eye of the storm about to pass as you dive straight towards Orléans and a confrontation with Buné's forces, keeping Goemon at several arms' lengths is downright stupid. You need to know enough to work with him, even if that's just what you can expect from him when shit hits the fan like you know it will.
You're just...really not looking forward to however he's going to react to having his cuddling session interrupted.
Wishing you had Da Vinci around to help force Goemon to behave, you finally manage to push yourself up from the tree you're leaning against and head back closer to the firepit. You don't see Sanson, which is a relief, and you arrive just in time to catch the tail-end of some bawdy story that Dumas is telling, one arm flourishing wildly with the tale as the other keeps Goemon at his side.
"...and so I open the door, barely had the time to throw on some pants at all and it's Andersen, and the man looks at me like he's either about to get hard or sprint out the building! Never seen him that red in my life, but what did he expect when I was in the Hôtel de Paris, eh? You have to have some fun, you know how it is!"
Goemon's grinning wide enough that it practically looks like he's about to split his face open, but to be fair you can see why. Dumas has the kind of energy that's easy to get swept up in, even coming into the story late. He's got a presence, the loud voice and bombastic motions coupled that knowing grin, that twinkle in his eye, all of it blending into an infectious charisma. You half wish you'd come to speak with him instead of Marie, but there's no point in letting that thought gain any purchase. What happened happened, no sense in worrying.
You realise a moment later that you're technically travelling through time to fix the past, and the irony manages to draw a rueful grin from you for just a moment. Unfortunately, Goemon had been watching.
"Well well well, the brave knight can smile!" His voice is the silky smooth of a knife being pulled from a sleeve—exactly the kind of tone that makes your skin crawl. "Really gotta ask, did someone pull that stick out of your ass while you were asleep, or did you finally let someone add another?"
There it is.
"Dumas, mind giving us a minute?" You don't even look at Goemon, you're not giving him that satisfaction, and you're already shifting mental gears to get yourself prepared for this. You're sure he's not going to take it seriously, but as long as you're in work mode you should be able to deal with it.
"Eh? Ah, sure. See you later, Ishi." He recognizes that it's something important at least, hopping to his feet despite Goemon's huff of protest, though that doesn't stop him clapping you on the shoulder and giving you a wide grin as he passes. If you hadn't been introduced to him cuddling one of your Servants and practically yelling every time he spoke, you'd have wondered if he was putting on the friendliness.
"Aw, c'mon man. I was having a good time! He had a free arm, you could have—"
"We're going to be fighting today, I need to know what you can do." You cut off Goemon's whining before he can get into it, voice even and calm, and wonder of wonders it actually does shut him up for a moment. "Just tell me how you're going to be contributing so we can plan before we head out."
"Couldn't have asked me that before we left Chaldea? Ass." He folds his arms with another huff, glancing aside before giving a lazy shrug. "I'm not some hero type like you and the princess. I figured I'd sit back and let you do the work, I'm just some chump of an Assassin."
You just stare, arms folded. Calm, you're calm. Gritting your teeth and taking deep breaths is normal for calm people.
"What, gonna burn a Command Spell?" He stares you down, dull red boring into deep green for a long few moments, but in the end he looks away first with an overly-dramatic sigh. "Tch. Alright, alright, fine. Only because Dumas'll be watching."
He rises up, deftly catching the kiseru that slips from his sleeve as he does and twirling it in his gloved fingers before taking a puff on it. Another twirl of his fingers as he exhales, the smoke distorting your vision, and all of a sudden he's holding three black steel kunai between his knuckles, a small smile on his face. You didn't feel even the slightest pulse of mana, and for sleight-of-hand it's damned impressive, not that you intend to let him know that. More to the point, though, it tells you enough to expect what he says next.
"I'm a ninja. You know? Ishikawa Goemon, the ninja." He chuckles to himself, the kunai vanishing up his sleeve as he holds his hands out to his side and shrugs. "Sneaking, killing, poisoning, blowing stuff up, torturing, you name it, I'll get the dirty work done. Don't expect as much as a proper sort like a Fuuma from me, but I ain't helpless. Look, even got a chain!"
Another flourish and he's drawing something new from the thick cloud of smoke, the familiar clinking of chains drawing your eyes to the strange weapon, like an ice-pick or a sickle connected to a mace with a length of intertwined metal. You recognise it as a kusarigama after a moment, thinking back to a particularly unpleasant mission near Iga before pushing the memory aside.
"Kinda like we match, ain't it? Maybe that's why you summoned me, eh? 'Cause, you know, that whole knight in leather armor schtick you got goin' doesn't really fit me, and I didn't see a huge pile of gold for a catalyst." Goemon's weapon vanishes and the kiseru takes its place, sliding the pipe between his lips again before blowing out another cloud of smoke. "See, I'm kind of a bastard, Eddie. So I've been thinkin' exactly how with all the heroic and holier than thou choices in the damn world, you still got the likes of me. Can't have been gunning for me, not with that look on your face every time you start staring."
"Is there anything else you can do?" You don't bother dignifying that little jab with a response. So much that's happened has been completely inexplicable that it's not worth digging into the way Goemon so clearly wants to. What's next, he'll start making assumptions because your Servants are both Japanese?
"Course' there is. Swing on by my tent with daddy Dumas tonight and-"
"Goemon." You want to hit him so badly that for a moment, you almost do. This, this is new. Some of the Enforcers you worked with were assholes, but they were assholes who still cared about not dying. When push came to shove, you were all professionals, and now you're dealing with this—this clown who's treating the erasure of human history as a big joke. Just as you've resigned yourself to settling for a sharp comment, Goemon rounds on you.
"What? It's a joke, you do know what those are, right?" He's frowning now, almost a scowl really, and it strikes you as maybe the first really genuine expression you've ever seen on him. "Shit's fucked, yeah? And for some insane reason you dragged me of all people out to try fix it. I'm a thief, not a hero, so if you're expecting me to go around pretending that I've got it all under control and that I'm all cool and collected you can piss off. If the world's ending and I'm the best it can send to fix that, then I'm at least going to have fun before it all goes to shit."
A moment passes as you stare at him, too stunned to even really be angry. By the time you find your voice, Goemon's expression has shifted slightly. Still frowning, but it's a little off in a way you can't quite place.
"You're not serious."
"Why not? Look, Eddie, I've said it a bunch now, so let's get this straight. I'm not a hero. Don't expect me to die for you, don't expect me to put myself through the wringer for this, don't depend on me. You wanted to know what I can do, now you know, whoopie for you. How's about you tell me what you can do, huh?" He's rallied now, a cruel smile on his face as he jabs his finger at your chest. "Ain't your shield, ain't your armor, ain't your power. You're no hero, so stop pretending to be one, yeah?"
Your fist clenches, and Goemon's eyes twinkle—he's seen the movement coming, he wants you to do it. It's only once you realise that Dumas is staring at you both that you hold yourself back.
"Get ready to move out, Assassin." He gives you a scowl at the title, before disappearing into a shower of sparkling stars as you whirl to march towards Jeanne. Between Marie and Goemon, you've wasted enough time here.
<"Circe, Archer, we're moving out soon. Be ready."> You know you can trust them both to do as you say, but hearing them both acknowledge it is a nice reminder that not all of your Servants are bastards.
Jeanne is praying, knelt in the sunshine with her head bowed, but your eyes are drawn to her companion instead. Avenger stands close by, the fairytale princess covering her mouth with delicate, gauntleted fingers as she yawns and tries to pass it off. You catch her eye and give her a nod, but all she does in return is blink as if in surprise. Honestly, after the last two conversations you've had, you'll take it. The question of whether or not to interrupt a saint at prayer bothers you for half a heartbeat until Jeanne rises to her feet, ivory armor shimmering in the sunlight until it almost hurts to look at her.
"We're ready to move. Avenger will lead us out of the forest and towards Orléans. We're close enough that we should make it a little after noon if we hurry. Your sister can keep up?"
"She can. We're ready to go." She's damn well going to have to keep up, even if you have to order Archer to carry her under her arm. A quick glance across the glade shows her magical pop-up cottage is rustling with activity, which you're grateful for. Having to wake her up as well would be a perfectly awful way to wrap up your morning.
"Good. I'll round up the others." You nod sharply and stand aside as she walks past, and this time it's almost entirely your own volition instead of just being barreled over by the authority she has. You can appreciate that, though. If you had to do it all yourself it'd be like herding cats.
<"I heard that, you know.">
<"Sorry, Circe."> A pause, before a thought occurs and you speak again. <"Herding birds.">
You get a vague sense of amusement through your connection that drags a half-smile out of you, at least until you realise you're just standing there smiling at nothing while Avenger watches. She breaks the silence, though honestly you half think it's just to sidestep the awkwardness.
"You had a peaceful rest, I should hope?"
"More or less." Nicer than the morning, at least.
"I am gladdened then, that you found this place to be peaceful. Rest assured, those here will remain safe while you and yours enter Orléans." Something about the phrasing makes you frown.
"While we enter? You're not coming?"
"I am afraid not." She shakes her head slightly, before inclining it towards you. "The responsibility I have charged myself with is towards those I have chosen to protect here. However, should you come across any survivors that meet my… criteria, perhaps you might call it? Should they require it, I would ask you direct them here."
"Alright. Thank you." She blinks again, but you're already moving towards the gathering group of Servants. You might not trust her in general, but you want to—no, you do believe she's got the best interests of the people here at heart. You can accept that.
The rest of the morning passes in a blur of motion. A curt greeting to Niamh that makes her face fall is the most you spare that isn't focused around organizing your party, and ten minutes later you're heading out. Marie's carriage would have been handy, but you need something for emergencies and you can't risk draining yourselves just getting to the city before any fight actually happens—everyone but you, Avenger, and Jeanne stuck to their spiritual form for that same reason. The only one not on her feet is Niamh, but that's mostly because you're moving at a pace she can only keep up with atop a unicorn, riding the summoned familiar with the kind of grace that only comes from long hours practicing.
You make it a whole five minutes before a problem presents itself.
There, in the middle of the empty field, sits a handsome, dark-haired man with brush and easel in hand, a canvas and stand before him.
"Fucking finally! You would keep a valent'huomo, a painter of such stature as I, waiting here for entire damn minutes? Look around at what material I have here. Tell me, do I seem to you a fucking landscape painter? I've dueled men for less offense than this! Fortune smiles upon you indeed that you agreed to be my muse, Edward, because if you did not still have a commitment to fulfill—"
If Caravaggio is at all bothered by the sudden materialization of a half-dozen Servants—excepting Goemon—he doesn't show it. He's just focused on you, dark brown eyes as passionate as you've ever seen practically pinning you where you stand. Whatever else about the man, he's got presence, albeit not enough to stop Jeanne from leveling her flag at him like a spear. Under the mid-morning sun without even a hill to hide behind, there's no hope of him finding any sort of cover. If it wasn't for his disappearing act the day before, you'd imagine him dead already.
"How did you find us? We weren't followed."
"And now after all this, you think to ask me such inane things? If you will recall, saint, my business with you is long since concluded, and I'll be damned if I make another portrait of you as you are. But someone like you isn't going to accept that, I am sure! Fuck." The noise of disgust he makes feels like it'd carry for miles on how loud it is. When he speaks again, he punctuates it with jabs of his brush, splattering paint across the grass between them. "I know perfectly well you came from the camp of that hypocritical principessa. Insufferable, that one, refusing to be my patron and refusing to cease that damnable smile of hers for her portrait. Though, while I have nothing but disdain for the person herself, I will admit she is doing good work. Those are the people that ought to be helped the most. Hah, of course it should be the case that someone who loathes God does more for the poor and forsaken than this farce of a country's church and government ever would. Why the fuck not? They will say this land went to hell when the demon came, but it has always been hell for those at the bottom, strung up as I'd be for saying so!"
He's as loud as he was before, but there's at least something softer there in the middle of his furious rambling. He's bitter, no doubt about it, but he doesn't seem the type to want to annihilate France over it. You catch the way Jeanne frowns at his comments, taking a breath—you can only imagine to hurry him on from his tangent, but he cuts her off with another sharp flick of his brush.
"And as I know another imbecilic question is coming, let me tell you that Avenger did not tell me of her encampment. I merely chanced upon it, and the look upon her face when I did… hah, now that unmasked loathing is what I wished to paint!" He gives the woman in question a nod, and in return she smiles so sweetly you think you could choke to death on it. "But I digress, from her camp there is but one route worth mention to the last city worth mention that's still fucking intact. Where else would I place myself to await Edward? Who, might I mention, you still have not allowed me to finish painting because of your absurd questioning of this man of honor!"
You—you don't think he's lying, but that might be because the bizarre circumstances of the whole situation are throwing you off guard. None of the others are saying anything, though Jeanne doesn't lower her flag.
"And to get all other distractions out of the way so that I can finally get to painting..." He raises that inkblot arm of his, ticking the points off on his fingers. "If I was going to offer some warning to that disrespectful bastard of a patron I'm stuck with, I would have done so the moment I saw you, a group this large might just be able to defeat me in a duel by ganging up on me like dishonorable curs and yet I can very skillfully escape the moment any of you try to strike me, and it is a fucking absolute that I will continue to paint my muse as we agreed regardless of how often I must repeat this inanity! Is that enough, or shall I be forced to prove I am indeed a painter by dunking heads in my pigments?" He looks straight at you with a long-suffering expression that begs for understanding, and all you can do is blink.
"I—I never agreed to model for you." You can feel Niamh staring a hole through the back of your head, Sanson too, and the only relief you get is Dumas's bellow of laughter.
"Ah, what the hell! He's fine, Jeanne, let him be. Besides, our little Archer there looks about ready to take care of him if he starts anything funny. Right?" He gives a broad smile towards Archer—she manifested right beside you—and she nods in return.
"If my Master orders me, I will kill this man."
"Excellent! Ah, I doubt it'll come to that. He's an artist first, Servant second, just like me. Right, Carrie?" The painter scowls, sullenly kicking his stool away and letting it disappear into mana.
"Don't you dare to place us on the same level, you sophist. I paint reality as if bleeding upon the canvas, and you publish lies as easily as you breathe. The drivel you call novels is useful only for wiping away the paint of a lesser artist than myself. I will acknowledge only that you seem to have a proper grasp of man's nature, but there is a fundamental difference in how we approach it, and indeed I am glad to be irreconcilable with someone as irritating as you."
Despite the vitriol in his words, his tone is far more mild, almost pleased. A little bit of flattery apparently goes a long way with him, something you ponder as he strides towards you without a single glance at the spiked tip of Jeanne's flag.
"I am valent'huomo, and of course my word is my bond. I am only here to paint Edward, and the rest of you can sink into the ground for all that I care. The executioner's portrait is finished, I imagine the high and mighty queen still sticks her head into the dirt and will refuse to be my patron despite my considerable talent, and the women accompanying Edward are not where my interests lie. So you will see no trouble from me, so long as you do not disrespect me further."
The holy maiden gives a long sigh.
"Sanson, kill him if he tries to attack us." The executioner gives a nod, and at Jeanne's wave her Servants disappear into the ether. Your own follow suit, though you have to reassure Archer that you don't want her killing the man first before she does. If nothing else, this could be a good chance to get information about Buné, and something tells you that Jeanne thinks the same. The fact that Niamh is glaring daggers at him probably shouldn't make you more willing to have him there, but, well. You're only human.
You move ahead quickly from there. True to his word, Caravaggio doesn't seem to care at all about anyone else—any attempt at conversation from Jeanne is stonewalled, and Niamh seems unwilling to say a word to the man after the last time they spoke, though she does shoot you concerned glances every so often. The painter is content to simply study you, though that does involve him staring at you quite a lot. He doesn't ask questions, and he volunteers answers when you ask him—he's a Saber, quite pathetic when it comes to actual statistics, and he sticks to his story that the only thing he actually wants to do is to create a worthy painting. He doesn't speak about Buné, anything more than saying his name makes his face contort with frustration, nor can he say anything about his Noble Phantasm. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he'd been the victim of a Command Spell, but you can infer a little. Caravaggio himself isn't important, his Noble Phantasm is.
By the time Orléans comes into view, you've almost gotten used to him walking beside you, examining how you move, every little motion you make and idle action you do without thinking. The city isn't engulfed in flames, which is a good sign, and Caravaggio has been...you wouldn't call it pleasant company by any means, but you know more than you did when you woke up. You're almost relaxed as you approach the city walls.
Your instincts start screaming, and you lurch forward without thinking.
There's no noise, no panicked yelling, no clash of steel on steel, but you know something's wrong. Orléans is in danger. Its people are in danger.
Jeanne is at your side a moment later, her face a stony wall. "What's happening?"
"Something's wrong. Just—Instinct, can't tell what it is." She nods, her Servants materializing as one. Dumas hangs back, but Sanson's executioner's blade is held at the ready, and Marie's gemstone claws have grown another few inches.
"We'll take the front, you go over the wall. If you see Melusine, find some way to signal us." She's not looking at you as she speaks, ready to charge, but something holds you back.
[ ] Take your Servants and charge through the gate instead. Between yourself and Circe, you've got the better defense. If something is going catastrophically wrong right inside the door, you two should be able to handle it and let Jeanne's party get into the city without issue.
[ ] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
You're just...really not looking forward to however he's going to react to having his cuddling session interrupted.
Wishing you had Da Vinci around to help force Goemon to behave, you finally manage to push yourself up from the tree you're leaning against and head back closer to the firepit. You don't see Sanson, which is a relief, and you arrive just in time to catch the tail-end of some bawdy story that Dumas is telling, one arm flourishing wildly with the tale as the other keeps Goemon at his side.
"...and so I open the door, barely had the time to throw on some pants at all and it's Andersen, and the man looks at me like he's either about to get hard or sprint out the building! Never seen him that red in my life, but what did he expect when I was in the Hôtel de Paris, eh? You have to have some fun, you know how it is!"
Goemon's grinning wide enough that it practically looks like he's about to split his face open, but to be fair you can see why. Dumas has the kind of energy that's easy to get swept up in, even coming into the story late. He's got a presence, the loud voice and bombastic motions coupled that knowing grin, that twinkle in his eye, all of it blending into an infectious charisma. You half wish you'd come to speak with him instead of Marie, but there's no point in letting that thought gain any purchase. What happened happened, no sense in worrying.
You realise a moment later that you're technically travelling through time to fix the past, and the irony manages to draw a rueful grin from you for just a moment. Unfortunately, Goemon had been watching.
"Well well well, the brave knight can smile!" His voice is the silky smooth of a knife being pulled from a sleeve—exactly the kind of tone that makes your skin crawl. "Really gotta ask, did someone pull that stick out of your ass while you were asleep, or did you finally let someone add another?"
There it is.
"Dumas, mind giving us a minute?" You don't even look at Goemon, you're not giving him that satisfaction, and you're already shifting mental gears to get yourself prepared for this. You're sure he's not going to take it seriously, but as long as you're in work mode you should be able to deal with it.
"Eh? Ah, sure. See you later, Ishi." He recognizes that it's something important at least, hopping to his feet despite Goemon's huff of protest, though that doesn't stop him clapping you on the shoulder and giving you a wide grin as he passes. If you hadn't been introduced to him cuddling one of your Servants and practically yelling every time he spoke, you'd have wondered if he was putting on the friendliness.
"Aw, c'mon man. I was having a good time! He had a free arm, you could have—"
"We're going to be fighting today, I need to know what you can do." You cut off Goemon's whining before he can get into it, voice even and calm, and wonder of wonders it actually does shut him up for a moment. "Just tell me how you're going to be contributing so we can plan before we head out."
"Couldn't have asked me that before we left Chaldea? Ass." He folds his arms with another huff, glancing aside before giving a lazy shrug. "I'm not some hero type like you and the princess. I figured I'd sit back and let you do the work, I'm just some chump of an Assassin."
You just stare, arms folded. Calm, you're calm. Gritting your teeth and taking deep breaths is normal for calm people.
"What, gonna burn a Command Spell?" He stares you down, dull red boring into deep green for a long few moments, but in the end he looks away first with an overly-dramatic sigh. "Tch. Alright, alright, fine. Only because Dumas'll be watching."
He rises up, deftly catching the kiseru that slips from his sleeve as he does and twirling it in his gloved fingers before taking a puff on it. Another twirl of his fingers as he exhales, the smoke distorting your vision, and all of a sudden he's holding three black steel kunai between his knuckles, a small smile on his face. You didn't feel even the slightest pulse of mana, and for sleight-of-hand it's damned impressive, not that you intend to let him know that. More to the point, though, it tells you enough to expect what he says next.
"I'm a ninja. You know? Ishikawa Goemon, the ninja." He chuckles to himself, the kunai vanishing up his sleeve as he holds his hands out to his side and shrugs. "Sneaking, killing, poisoning, blowing stuff up, torturing, you name it, I'll get the dirty work done. Don't expect as much as a proper sort like a Fuuma from me, but I ain't helpless. Look, even got a chain!"
Another flourish and he's drawing something new from the thick cloud of smoke, the familiar clinking of chains drawing your eyes to the strange weapon, like an ice-pick or a sickle connected to a mace with a length of intertwined metal. You recognise it as a kusarigama after a moment, thinking back to a particularly unpleasant mission near Iga before pushing the memory aside.
"Kinda like we match, ain't it? Maybe that's why you summoned me, eh? 'Cause, you know, that whole knight in leather armor schtick you got goin' doesn't really fit me, and I didn't see a huge pile of gold for a catalyst." Goemon's weapon vanishes and the kiseru takes its place, sliding the pipe between his lips again before blowing out another cloud of smoke. "See, I'm kind of a bastard, Eddie. So I've been thinkin' exactly how with all the heroic and holier than thou choices in the damn world, you still got the likes of me. Can't have been gunning for me, not with that look on your face every time you start staring."
"Is there anything else you can do?" You don't bother dignifying that little jab with a response. So much that's happened has been completely inexplicable that it's not worth digging into the way Goemon so clearly wants to. What's next, he'll start making assumptions because your Servants are both Japanese?
"Course' there is. Swing on by my tent with daddy Dumas tonight and-"
"Goemon." You want to hit him so badly that for a moment, you almost do. This, this is new. Some of the Enforcers you worked with were assholes, but they were assholes who still cared about not dying. When push came to shove, you were all professionals, and now you're dealing with this—this clown who's treating the erasure of human history as a big joke. Just as you've resigned yourself to settling for a sharp comment, Goemon rounds on you.
"What? It's a joke, you do know what those are, right?" He's frowning now, almost a scowl really, and it strikes you as maybe the first really genuine expression you've ever seen on him. "Shit's fucked, yeah? And for some insane reason you dragged me of all people out to try fix it. I'm a thief, not a hero, so if you're expecting me to go around pretending that I've got it all under control and that I'm all cool and collected you can piss off. If the world's ending and I'm the best it can send to fix that, then I'm at least going to have fun before it all goes to shit."
A moment passes as you stare at him, too stunned to even really be angry. By the time you find your voice, Goemon's expression has shifted slightly. Still frowning, but it's a little off in a way you can't quite place.
"You're not serious."
"Why not? Look, Eddie, I've said it a bunch now, so let's get this straight. I'm not a hero. Don't expect me to die for you, don't expect me to put myself through the wringer for this, don't depend on me. You wanted to know what I can do, now you know, whoopie for you. How's about you tell me what you can do, huh?" He's rallied now, a cruel smile on his face as he jabs his finger at your chest. "Ain't your shield, ain't your armor, ain't your power. You're no hero, so stop pretending to be one, yeah?"
Your fist clenches, and Goemon's eyes twinkle—he's seen the movement coming, he wants you to do it. It's only once you realise that Dumas is staring at you both that you hold yourself back.
"Get ready to move out, Assassin." He gives you a scowl at the title, before disappearing into a shower of sparkling stars as you whirl to march towards Jeanne. Between Marie and Goemon, you've wasted enough time here.
<"Circe, Archer, we're moving out soon. Be ready."> You know you can trust them both to do as you say, but hearing them both acknowledge it is a nice reminder that not all of your Servants are bastards.
Class: Assassin
True Name: Ishikawa Goemon
Stats:-
STR: D
END: B+
AGI: B
MAG: E
LCK: C
Skills:-
Presence Concealment: A
Class Skill of the Assassin class, allowing the wielder in question to hide their presence as a Servant, increasing their ability to perform clandestine operations such as espionage and assassination. At this Rank, Assassin is capable of near-completely erasing his presence while disappearing entirely from view, though this Skill drops severely in rank once an attack is launched. Assassin was formally trained as a ninja, a master of stealth and concealment, and made use of that training throughout his life to engage in many successful instances of thievery. It is even said he was only able to be detected during an assassination attempt by a mystical incense burner.
Eyes of the Great Thief: C
A Skill that denotes the ability to appraise value. Decades of ceaseless thieving, in addition to the keen analysis skills granted by training as a ninja, have given Assassin an inherent eye for the value of the items that he steals. Assassin is unafraid of to contradict the appraisals of others, as noted in the famous anecdote regarding the "eyes of Goemon", able to ascribe an accurate monetary value even to a spring view.
Assassin has the capacity to assign a monetary value to anything he gazes upon, and from there discern a number of an object's attributes based on that value. The observation time necessary to make his appraisals is directly correlated with the value of the object; mundane objects are judged instantly, while items such as Noble Phantasms require time, effort, and luck to get an accurate reading. Additionally, while he can make judgements on a Noble Phantasm's Rank and physical makeup, its more esoteric abilities will escape his notice until used. This Skill is not necessarily limited to physical objects, but due to the necessary criteria of "something he can derive value from", it is rare that he is capable of assessing individuals or abstract concepts—however, given the opportunity, it is possible that Goemon will be able to unearth value in someone that they cannot see themselves.
Ninjutsu: C-
A Skill that denotes the secret intelligence techniques, combat techniques, larceny techniques, torture techniques, etc. employed by ninjas. In life, Assassin was the pupil of the Iga ninja leader Momochi Tanba, and was even known to be particularly skilled. In the end however, he fled from his master and took up the role of a thief.
Assassin is trained in the Iga school of Ninjutsu, and is modestly proficient at explosives, medicines, poisons, unarmed combat, climbing, water walking, and the many weapons of a shinobi. Due to his decision to forsake the path of a ninja, Assassin is somewhat unwilling to make use of these techniques, and suffers reduced effectiveness when employing them.
Further information is hidden.
True Name: Ishikawa Goemon
Stats:-
STR: D
END: B+
AGI: B
MAG: E
LCK: C
Skills:-
Presence Concealment: A
Class Skill of the Assassin class, allowing the wielder in question to hide their presence as a Servant, increasing their ability to perform clandestine operations such as espionage and assassination. At this Rank, Assassin is capable of near-completely erasing his presence while disappearing entirely from view, though this Skill drops severely in rank once an attack is launched. Assassin was formally trained as a ninja, a master of stealth and concealment, and made use of that training throughout his life to engage in many successful instances of thievery. It is even said he was only able to be detected during an assassination attempt by a mystical incense burner.
Eyes of the Great Thief: C
A Skill that denotes the ability to appraise value. Decades of ceaseless thieving, in addition to the keen analysis skills granted by training as a ninja, have given Assassin an inherent eye for the value of the items that he steals. Assassin is unafraid of to contradict the appraisals of others, as noted in the famous anecdote regarding the "eyes of Goemon", able to ascribe an accurate monetary value even to a spring view.
Assassin has the capacity to assign a monetary value to anything he gazes upon, and from there discern a number of an object's attributes based on that value. The observation time necessary to make his appraisals is directly correlated with the value of the object; mundane objects are judged instantly, while items such as Noble Phantasms require time, effort, and luck to get an accurate reading. Additionally, while he can make judgements on a Noble Phantasm's Rank and physical makeup, its more esoteric abilities will escape his notice until used. This Skill is not necessarily limited to physical objects, but due to the necessary criteria of "something he can derive value from", it is rare that he is capable of assessing individuals or abstract concepts—however, given the opportunity, it is possible that Goemon will be able to unearth value in someone that they cannot see themselves.
Ninjutsu: C-
A Skill that denotes the secret intelligence techniques, combat techniques, larceny techniques, torture techniques, etc. employed by ninjas. In life, Assassin was the pupil of the Iga ninja leader Momochi Tanba, and was even known to be particularly skilled. In the end however, he fled from his master and took up the role of a thief.
Assassin is trained in the Iga school of Ninjutsu, and is modestly proficient at explosives, medicines, poisons, unarmed combat, climbing, water walking, and the many weapons of a shinobi. Due to his decision to forsake the path of a ninja, Assassin is somewhat unwilling to make use of these techniques, and suffers reduced effectiveness when employing them.
Further information is hidden.
Jeanne is praying, knelt in the sunshine with her head bowed, but your eyes are drawn to her companion instead. Avenger stands close by, the fairytale princess covering her mouth with delicate, gauntleted fingers as she yawns and tries to pass it off. You catch her eye and give her a nod, but all she does in return is blink as if in surprise. Honestly, after the last two conversations you've had, you'll take it. The question of whether or not to interrupt a saint at prayer bothers you for half a heartbeat until Jeanne rises to her feet, ivory armor shimmering in the sunlight until it almost hurts to look at her.
"We're ready to move. Avenger will lead us out of the forest and towards Orléans. We're close enough that we should make it a little after noon if we hurry. Your sister can keep up?"
"She can. We're ready to go." She's damn well going to have to keep up, even if you have to order Archer to carry her under her arm. A quick glance across the glade shows her magical pop-up cottage is rustling with activity, which you're grateful for. Having to wake her up as well would be a perfectly awful way to wrap up your morning.
"Good. I'll round up the others." You nod sharply and stand aside as she walks past, and this time it's almost entirely your own volition instead of just being barreled over by the authority she has. You can appreciate that, though. If you had to do it all yourself it'd be like herding cats.
Class: Ruler
True Name: Jeanne d'Arc
Stats:-
STR: B
END: B
AGI: A
MAG: A
LCK: C
Skills:-
Magic Resistance: EX
Class Skill of the Ruler class, expressing a resistance to all forms of thaumaturgy. With the exception of sacraments of the Church, Ruler is effectively immune to hostile magecraft, all spells simply washing over her as it strikes. As this is closer to an evasion than a cancellation, wide-ranging magecraft will still affect those around her—it is solely the maiden of Orléans who is spared.
True Name Discernment: D-
Class Skill of the Ruler class, expressing their capacity to know all participants in the war they are adjudicating. Ordinarily, Ruler would possess a much higher rank in this Skill, which would allow her to instantly comprehend the True Name, class, statistics, Skills, and Noble Phantasms of any Servant she sees. Due to the circumstances of her summoning and the unconventional nature of the war, this Skill has been ranked down significantly. Ruler may, upon passing a luck check, comprehend a Servant's True Name, but no other information.
God's Resolution: X
Class Skill of the Ruler class, expressing their right to administrate the Holy Grail War. In ordinary circumstances, Ruler would possess two unique Command Spells for each participating Servant, to be used as she pleased. Due to the circumstances of her summoning and the unconventional nature of the war, this Skill has been completely sealed. The only Command Spells Ruler possesses are for the Servants she has contracted with.
Charisma: C+
A Skill representing the capacity to lead and inspire others. Warriors who fight alongside Ruler are motivated to fight beyond their normal limits, raising their performance in battle as long as her standard is in view. Additionally, the information gleaned through Ruler's Revelation Skill is believed as a matter of course.
Revelation: B
A Skill that represents the capacity to hear the voice of the heavens, a sixth sense somewhat equivalent to Instinct, but applicable to all circumstances rather than simply battle. Ruler is granted information as she moves through the world—whether hearing the voices of those in peril, understanding that an enemy ambush is ahead, or even simply realising that one path will be swifter than another, Ruler can confidently claim to know the most optimal action to take at a given moment.
Saint: A
A Skill granted to those recognized as a saint, whether canonized or not. As one of the most famous saints in the Catholic canon, Ruler naturally possesses an extremely high rank in this Skill. Ruler is capable of performing powerful holy sacraments used for offense, defense, and healing purely through her prayer, and is rendered immune to all forms of corruption or infection as though she possessed an equal rank in Natural Body (Purity).
Further information is hidden.
True Name: Jeanne d'Arc
Stats:-
STR: B
END: B
AGI: A
MAG: A
LCK: C
Skills:-
Magic Resistance: EX
Class Skill of the Ruler class, expressing a resistance to all forms of thaumaturgy. With the exception of sacraments of the Church, Ruler is effectively immune to hostile magecraft, all spells simply washing over her as it strikes. As this is closer to an evasion than a cancellation, wide-ranging magecraft will still affect those around her—it is solely the maiden of Orléans who is spared.
True Name Discernment: D-
Class Skill of the Ruler class, expressing their capacity to know all participants in the war they are adjudicating. Ordinarily, Ruler would possess a much higher rank in this Skill, which would allow her to instantly comprehend the True Name, class, statistics, Skills, and Noble Phantasms of any Servant she sees. Due to the circumstances of her summoning and the unconventional nature of the war, this Skill has been ranked down significantly. Ruler may, upon passing a luck check, comprehend a Servant's True Name, but no other information.
God's Resolution: X
Class Skill of the Ruler class, expressing their right to administrate the Holy Grail War. In ordinary circumstances, Ruler would possess two unique Command Spells for each participating Servant, to be used as she pleased. Due to the circumstances of her summoning and the unconventional nature of the war, this Skill has been completely sealed. The only Command Spells Ruler possesses are for the Servants she has contracted with.
Charisma: C+
A Skill representing the capacity to lead and inspire others. Warriors who fight alongside Ruler are motivated to fight beyond their normal limits, raising their performance in battle as long as her standard is in view. Additionally, the information gleaned through Ruler's Revelation Skill is believed as a matter of course.
Revelation: B
A Skill that represents the capacity to hear the voice of the heavens, a sixth sense somewhat equivalent to Instinct, but applicable to all circumstances rather than simply battle. Ruler is granted information as she moves through the world—whether hearing the voices of those in peril, understanding that an enemy ambush is ahead, or even simply realising that one path will be swifter than another, Ruler can confidently claim to know the most optimal action to take at a given moment.
Saint: A
A Skill granted to those recognized as a saint, whether canonized or not. As one of the most famous saints in the Catholic canon, Ruler naturally possesses an extremely high rank in this Skill. Ruler is capable of performing powerful holy sacraments used for offense, defense, and healing purely through her prayer, and is rendered immune to all forms of corruption or infection as though she possessed an equal rank in Natural Body (Purity).
Further information is hidden.
<"I heard that, you know.">
<"Sorry, Circe."> A pause, before a thought occurs and you speak again. <"Herding birds.">
You get a vague sense of amusement through your connection that drags a half-smile out of you, at least until you realise you're just standing there smiling at nothing while Avenger watches. She breaks the silence, though honestly you half think it's just to sidestep the awkwardness.
"You had a peaceful rest, I should hope?"
"More or less." Nicer than the morning, at least.
"I am gladdened then, that you found this place to be peaceful. Rest assured, those here will remain safe while you and yours enter Orléans." Something about the phrasing makes you frown.
"While we enter? You're not coming?"
"I am afraid not." She shakes her head slightly, before inclining it towards you. "The responsibility I have charged myself with is towards those I have chosen to protect here. However, should you come across any survivors that meet my… criteria, perhaps you might call it? Should they require it, I would ask you direct them here."
"Alright. Thank you." She blinks again, but you're already moving towards the gathering group of Servants. You might not trust her in general, but you want to—no, you do believe she's got the best interests of the people here at heart. You can accept that.
The rest of the morning passes in a blur of motion. A curt greeting to Niamh that makes her face fall is the most you spare that isn't focused around organizing your party, and ten minutes later you're heading out. Marie's carriage would have been handy, but you need something for emergencies and you can't risk draining yourselves just getting to the city before any fight actually happens—everyone but you, Avenger, and Jeanne stuck to their spiritual form for that same reason. The only one not on her feet is Niamh, but that's mostly because you're moving at a pace she can only keep up with atop a unicorn, riding the summoned familiar with the kind of grace that only comes from long hours practicing.
You make it a whole five minutes before a problem presents itself.
There, in the middle of the empty field, sits a handsome, dark-haired man with brush and easel in hand, a canvas and stand before him.
"Fucking finally! You would keep a valent'huomo, a painter of such stature as I, waiting here for entire damn minutes? Look around at what material I have here. Tell me, do I seem to you a fucking landscape painter? I've dueled men for less offense than this! Fortune smiles upon you indeed that you agreed to be my muse, Edward, because if you did not still have a commitment to fulfill—"
If Caravaggio is at all bothered by the sudden materialization of a half-dozen Servants—excepting Goemon—he doesn't show it. He's just focused on you, dark brown eyes as passionate as you've ever seen practically pinning you where you stand. Whatever else about the man, he's got presence, albeit not enough to stop Jeanne from leveling her flag at him like a spear. Under the mid-morning sun without even a hill to hide behind, there's no hope of him finding any sort of cover. If it wasn't for his disappearing act the day before, you'd imagine him dead already.
"How did you find us? We weren't followed."
"And now after all this, you think to ask me such inane things? If you will recall, saint, my business with you is long since concluded, and I'll be damned if I make another portrait of you as you are. But someone like you isn't going to accept that, I am sure! Fuck." The noise of disgust he makes feels like it'd carry for miles on how loud it is. When he speaks again, he punctuates it with jabs of his brush, splattering paint across the grass between them. "I know perfectly well you came from the camp of that hypocritical principessa. Insufferable, that one, refusing to be my patron and refusing to cease that damnable smile of hers for her portrait. Though, while I have nothing but disdain for the person herself, I will admit she is doing good work. Those are the people that ought to be helped the most. Hah, of course it should be the case that someone who loathes God does more for the poor and forsaken than this farce of a country's church and government ever would. Why the fuck not? They will say this land went to hell when the demon came, but it has always been hell for those at the bottom, strung up as I'd be for saying so!"
He's as loud as he was before, but there's at least something softer there in the middle of his furious rambling. He's bitter, no doubt about it, but he doesn't seem the type to want to annihilate France over it. You catch the way Jeanne frowns at his comments, taking a breath—you can only imagine to hurry him on from his tangent, but he cuts her off with another sharp flick of his brush.
"And as I know another imbecilic question is coming, let me tell you that Avenger did not tell me of her encampment. I merely chanced upon it, and the look upon her face when I did… hah, now that unmasked loathing is what I wished to paint!" He gives the woman in question a nod, and in return she smiles so sweetly you think you could choke to death on it. "But I digress, from her camp there is but one route worth mention to the last city worth mention that's still fucking intact. Where else would I place myself to await Edward? Who, might I mention, you still have not allowed me to finish painting because of your absurd questioning of this man of honor!"
You—you don't think he's lying, but that might be because the bizarre circumstances of the whole situation are throwing you off guard. None of the others are saying anything, though Jeanne doesn't lower her flag.
"And to get all other distractions out of the way so that I can finally get to painting..." He raises that inkblot arm of his, ticking the points off on his fingers. "If I was going to offer some warning to that disrespectful bastard of a patron I'm stuck with, I would have done so the moment I saw you, a group this large might just be able to defeat me in a duel by ganging up on me like dishonorable curs and yet I can very skillfully escape the moment any of you try to strike me, and it is a fucking absolute that I will continue to paint my muse as we agreed regardless of how often I must repeat this inanity! Is that enough, or shall I be forced to prove I am indeed a painter by dunking heads in my pigments?" He looks straight at you with a long-suffering expression that begs for understanding, and all you can do is blink.
"I—I never agreed to model for you." You can feel Niamh staring a hole through the back of your head, Sanson too, and the only relief you get is Dumas's bellow of laughter.
"Ah, what the hell! He's fine, Jeanne, let him be. Besides, our little Archer there looks about ready to take care of him if he starts anything funny. Right?" He gives a broad smile towards Archer—she manifested right beside you—and she nods in return.
"If my Master orders me, I will kill this man."
"Excellent! Ah, I doubt it'll come to that. He's an artist first, Servant second, just like me. Right, Carrie?" The painter scowls, sullenly kicking his stool away and letting it disappear into mana.
"Don't you dare to place us on the same level, you sophist. I paint reality as if bleeding upon the canvas, and you publish lies as easily as you breathe. The drivel you call novels is useful only for wiping away the paint of a lesser artist than myself. I will acknowledge only that you seem to have a proper grasp of man's nature, but there is a fundamental difference in how we approach it, and indeed I am glad to be irreconcilable with someone as irritating as you."
Despite the vitriol in his words, his tone is far more mild, almost pleased. A little bit of flattery apparently goes a long way with him, something you ponder as he strides towards you without a single glance at the spiked tip of Jeanne's flag.
"I am valent'huomo, and of course my word is my bond. I am only here to paint Edward, and the rest of you can sink into the ground for all that I care. The executioner's portrait is finished, I imagine the high and mighty queen still sticks her head into the dirt and will refuse to be my patron despite my considerable talent, and the women accompanying Edward are not where my interests lie. So you will see no trouble from me, so long as you do not disrespect me further."
The holy maiden gives a long sigh.
"Sanson, kill him if he tries to attack us." The executioner gives a nod, and at Jeanne's wave her Servants disappear into the ether. Your own follow suit, though you have to reassure Archer that you don't want her killing the man first before she does. If nothing else, this could be a good chance to get information about Buné, and something tells you that Jeanne thinks the same. The fact that Niamh is glaring daggers at him probably shouldn't make you more willing to have him there, but, well. You're only human.
You move ahead quickly from there. True to his word, Caravaggio doesn't seem to care at all about anyone else—any attempt at conversation from Jeanne is stonewalled, and Niamh seems unwilling to say a word to the man after the last time they spoke, though she does shoot you concerned glances every so often. The painter is content to simply study you, though that does involve him staring at you quite a lot. He doesn't ask questions, and he volunteers answers when you ask him—he's a Saber, quite pathetic when it comes to actual statistics, and he sticks to his story that the only thing he actually wants to do is to create a worthy painting. He doesn't speak about Buné, anything more than saying his name makes his face contort with frustration, nor can he say anything about his Noble Phantasm. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he'd been the victim of a Command Spell, but you can infer a little. Caravaggio himself isn't important, his Noble Phantasm is.
Class: Saber
True Name: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Stats:-
STR: C -> D
END: D -> E
AGI: D -> E
MAG: C -> D
LCK: C -> D
Skills:-
Magic Resistance: E
Class Skill of the Saber class, expressing a resistance to all forms of thaumaturgy. Saber possesses this Skill solely due to his class, and has no particular aptitude for it. The damage from hostile magecraft is blunted somewhat, but the effect is not cancelled out.
Riding: E
Class Skill of the Saber class, expressing the ability to ride a mount. Saber possesses this Skill solely due to his class, and has no particular aptitude for it. At best, he is capable of riding a domesticated mount for a short while to make a getaway, but is at risk of being tossed from the saddle should his concentration slip.
Human Observation: C
The capacity to observe and understand people at a glance. Saber's strong belief in portraying the imperfect truth in his works provided him with a talent in comprehending the lives of others, something which has been further enhanced as a Servant. With little more than a look he is capable of learning the more obvious details of a person, and conversation allows him to reveal less prominent features. Ultimately, the truth is unveiled that Saber may put it to canvas, and so this skill's middling rank represents the speed at which his understanding develops rather than the comprehensiveness of his observation in general.
Self-Preservation: A-
A Skill that denotes the ability to escape from most dangers in exchange for a reduction in combat ability. After committing a murder, Saber was a fugitive on the run for the last four years of his life, audaciously continuing to produce paintings for the various patrons that sheltered him all the while. Most prominently, he even managed to escape from the guva, an underground cell carved into the rock of Malta that, prior to Saber's flight, none had ever escaped from. However, his pursuers eventually caught up to him after three years, ambushing him as he exited a bar. They inflicted sfregiato upon him, a disfiguring facial scar to avenge his insults and mutilate his honor, a festering wound that would contribute to his death a year later.
Though his parameters are lowered so long as the Skill is active, Saber is capable of getting away from virtually any dangerous situation, shake off any pursuers, and remain at large even when prominently present somewhere. A bonus is added to attempts to ingratiate himself with any who would shelter him, and he is even capable of breaking out of imprisonment with some effort on his part. However, this Skill has a limit. Eventually it will cease to function, and he will be forced to stand his ground and fight. Saber receives no warning when this failure occurs, and as such cannot plan his final stand in advance.
Further information is hidden.
True Name: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Stats:-
STR: C -> D
END: D -> E
AGI: D -> E
MAG: C -> D
LCK: C -> D
Skills:-
Magic Resistance: E
Class Skill of the Saber class, expressing a resistance to all forms of thaumaturgy. Saber possesses this Skill solely due to his class, and has no particular aptitude for it. The damage from hostile magecraft is blunted somewhat, but the effect is not cancelled out.
Riding: E
Class Skill of the Saber class, expressing the ability to ride a mount. Saber possesses this Skill solely due to his class, and has no particular aptitude for it. At best, he is capable of riding a domesticated mount for a short while to make a getaway, but is at risk of being tossed from the saddle should his concentration slip.
Human Observation: C
The capacity to observe and understand people at a glance. Saber's strong belief in portraying the imperfect truth in his works provided him with a talent in comprehending the lives of others, something which has been further enhanced as a Servant. With little more than a look he is capable of learning the more obvious details of a person, and conversation allows him to reveal less prominent features. Ultimately, the truth is unveiled that Saber may put it to canvas, and so this skill's middling rank represents the speed at which his understanding develops rather than the comprehensiveness of his observation in general.
Self-Preservation: A-
A Skill that denotes the ability to escape from most dangers in exchange for a reduction in combat ability. After committing a murder, Saber was a fugitive on the run for the last four years of his life, audaciously continuing to produce paintings for the various patrons that sheltered him all the while. Most prominently, he even managed to escape from the guva, an underground cell carved into the rock of Malta that, prior to Saber's flight, none had ever escaped from. However, his pursuers eventually caught up to him after three years, ambushing him as he exited a bar. They inflicted sfregiato upon him, a disfiguring facial scar to avenge his insults and mutilate his honor, a festering wound that would contribute to his death a year later.
Though his parameters are lowered so long as the Skill is active, Saber is capable of getting away from virtually any dangerous situation, shake off any pursuers, and remain at large even when prominently present somewhere. A bonus is added to attempts to ingratiate himself with any who would shelter him, and he is even capable of breaking out of imprisonment with some effort on his part. However, this Skill has a limit. Eventually it will cease to function, and he will be forced to stand his ground and fight. Saber receives no warning when this failure occurs, and as such cannot plan his final stand in advance.
Further information is hidden.
By the time Orléans comes into view, you've almost gotten used to him walking beside you, examining how you move, every little motion you make and idle action you do without thinking. The city isn't engulfed in flames, which is a good sign, and Caravaggio has been...you wouldn't call it pleasant company by any means, but you know more than you did when you woke up. You're almost relaxed as you approach the city walls.
Your instincts start screaming, and you lurch forward without thinking.
There's no noise, no panicked yelling, no clash of steel on steel, but you know something's wrong. Orléans is in danger. Its people are in danger.
Jeanne is at your side a moment later, her face a stony wall. "What's happening?"
"Something's wrong. Just—Instinct, can't tell what it is." She nods, her Servants materializing as one. Dumas hangs back, but Sanson's executioner's blade is held at the ready, and Marie's gemstone claws have grown another few inches.
"We'll take the front, you go over the wall. If you see Melusine, find some way to signal us." She's not looking at you as she speaks, ready to charge, but something holds you back.
[ ] Take your Servants and charge through the gate instead. Between yourself and Circe, you've got the better defense. If something is going catastrophically wrong right inside the door, you two should be able to handle it and let Jeanne's party get into the city without issue.
[ ] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
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- Location
- Ireland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So, yeah, turns out that the Big Final Project of a Master's degree that lasts from January to June of a year is a bit rough. Between that and finding it hard to get the voices of the characters back, it was quite rough to write this, but it's back and I'm finished my course, so between now and September when I start my new job I'm going to aim for one, maybe two weeks per chapter. I definitely plan on kicking things into high enough gear to finish France before the second anniversary of the quest at least!
Thanks for being patient, and I hope you enjoy.
Thanks for being patient, and I hope you enjoy.
Sightedjt
Everlasting Flames
[X] Take your Servants and charge through the gate instead. Between yourself and Circe, you've got the better defense. If something is going catastrophically wrong right inside the door, you two should be able to handle it and let Jeanne's party get into the city without issue.
Birb.
Also: Updates since Niamh ruined Ed's day- 1
Birb.
Also: Updates since Niamh ruined Ed's day- 1
Paleb05
A Believer of Optimism in the World
- Location
- Pennsylvania
[X] Take your Servants and charge through the gate instead. Between yourself and Circe, you've got the better defense. If something is going catastrophically wrong right inside the door, you two should be able to handle it and let Jeanne's party get into the city without issue.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- He/They
Wake up babe, new Ethereal Order update just dropped.
Honestly, Eddie seems psychologically perfect. I don't know why anyone would worry about him.
Can we recruit Caravaggio? I like him.
[X] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
Honestly, Eddie seems psychologically perfect. I don't know why anyone would worry about him.
Can we recruit Caravaggio? I like him.
[X] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
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EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
[X] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
- Pronouns
- They/Them/Their
[X] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
I have a lot more respect for Goemon now and Carvaggio is as someone else put it, 'perfect'. Goemon's Eyes Of The Great Thief especially gives some real insight as to what kind of Assassin he could be. I'm also quite curious as to what he would appraise the Holy Grails being scattered amongst the Singularities as being worth? While the skill does say that Esoteric properties aren't revealed until he perceives them, it's a good segue into what he might be thinking of them in general.
I have a lot more respect for Goemon now and Carvaggio is as someone else put it, 'perfect'. Goemon's Eyes Of The Great Thief especially gives some real insight as to what kind of Assassin he could be. I'm also quite curious as to what he would appraise the Holy Grails being scattered amongst the Singularities as being worth? While the skill does say that Esoteric properties aren't revealed until he perceives them, it's a good segue into what he might be thinking of them in general.
- Location
- Earth
[X] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
ZerbanDaGreat
Daemon Noble of D E M O G R A P H I C S
- Pronouns
- They/them
I'm lacking the spoons to go in-depth currently, may take another pass at doing so another day also to provide more posts because tasty engagement metrics but for now I'm endlessly entertained by Goemon and Caravaggggggio. The former because he can literally look at Ed and diagnose him with Broke, and the latter because dammit he's just here to paint and have a good time and he's honestly feeling so attacked right now. Extra omegalul from him appearing as a Saber instead of the customary 'artists get the caster class' which either has something to do with his hidden Noble Phantasm or is because Bune summoned him wrong as a joke.
[X] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
Jeanne's a big gorl with big stats, she can go without Ed's help while he goes for the pincer move. Plus it's just nice to see him still trying to fight like he normally does when that's so incongruous with the Shielder role.
[X] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
Jeanne's a big gorl with big stats, she can go without Ed's help while he goes for the pincer move. Plus it's just nice to see him still trying to fight like he normally does when that's so incongruous with the Shielder role.
- Location
- United States
[X] Go over the wall. Between Archer's range and hopefully Goemon's talents, as well as your chains, you're well suited to striking from behind. If Jeanne can function as a distraction, you might be able to do more damage coming at them from a different angle.
Welcome back! Happy to see you, and with such wonderful character insights as well! Goemon and Carvaggio are just so much fun, and I love them. Also, a painter as a Saber? How unprecedented!
Welcome back! Happy to see you, and with such wonderful character insights as well! Goemon and Carvaggio are just so much fun, and I love them. Also, a painter as a Saber? How unprecedented!
[X] Take your Servants and charge through the gate instead. Between yourself and Circe, you've got the better defense. If something is going catastrophically wrong right inside the door, you two should be able to handle it and let Jeanne's party get into the city without issue.
Spear
Sun-In-Rags
- Location
- North Macedonia
[X] Take your Servants and charge through the gate instead. Between yourself and Circe, you've got the better defense. If something is going catastrophically wrong right inside the door, you two should be able to handle it and let Jeanne's party get into the city without issue.