[x] End the date. You don't see much point in continuing this affair, if Ida is already satisfied and there's something else you'd like to do today.
-[x] Return home to your castle and recharge some energy before the Avenger extermination operation later today.
I like our characters and all, but we need to keep the story going.
[x] End the date. You don't see much point in continuing this affair, if Ida is already satisfied and there's something else you'd like to do today.
-[x] Return home to your castle and recharge some energy before the Avenger extermination operation later today.
Sadly, I can't really say that it's unusual for me to take way too long between updates, but this time was pretty bad even by my standards. I apologize for that. Some stuff happened and it took me significantly longer than I would have liked to get back into writing. Regardless, I once again want to express my gratitude to anyone still following this quest.
[X] End the date. You don't see much point in continuing this affair, if Ida is already satisfied and there's something else you'd like to do today.
-[X] Return home to your castle and recharge some energy before the Avenger extermination operation later today.
"If my sister is satisfied, it's likely best to end this date for now," you say. "We'll meet again soon enough and it would serve us to be well rested then."
"Elder Sister is right," Ida agrees and tightens her hold on Amna. "It's not exactly a date, but tonight has a very romantic air about it."
"If that is your wish, we shall depart for now." Amna gently extracts herself from your sister's hug and then stops, seeming unsure what to do.
"We can simply keep walking together until our paths split naturally," Rider offers, which earns him a nod from his Master.
"Ah, how inconsiderate of me. Of course you'd want to linger in my presence for longer." You chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm hardly banishing you out of personal dislike."
"You're over exaggerating the issue," she says.
"But you're not denying the core of the matter?" you ask with a hum.
"No. I would not be calling you my friend if I didn't enjoy spending time with you."
"So close. You could be exemplary, but you keep insisting on propping up that ego of yours."
"Likewise."
There's no hope for this woman, is there?
Instead of wasting more time on this particular argument, your group instead discusses your usual tastes in music. As it turns out, you and Amna share an appreciation for classical music, although it was quite the challenge to get your stoic companion to settle on a true preference.
Meanwhile, your sister lacks the necessary exposure to music to have developed a taste of her own. Wisely, she assumes that classical music must be wonderful if you like it. Still, while your recommendation is all she should need to come to that conclusion, you nonetheless resolve to give her a demonstration in the near future.
It isn't long until your group has to part in earnest and you drive back to your castle. Once there, you set Ida off to play in the forest to get used to the way her body performs with her divinity increased, while you watch her and enjoy some tea prepared by Melsritt.
Unlike lesser Masters, you don't have to worry about some light prancing around draining your magical energy reserves. Thus, a reminder not to start any forest fires is all it takes to set your mind at ease. You do eventually order her back once Mel has finished preparing dinner for you.
She's more than happy to follow your call and spends most of the meal recounting the events of the date to Mel, who listens with a gentle smile. You doubt your maid cares much for the particular details of the events, but the sheer joy Ida radiates means that only a heretic with a heart made out of crystalized misery could resist growing engrossed in her retelling of the events.
The three of you pass the time with idle conversation like that, until you notice something entering the perimeter of the bounded field spanning your forest. You tell Mel to prepare a selection of music you can introduce Ida to and then head out with your sister to greet your approaching guest. It is about time that Caster gathers everybody for the hunt.
What you find upon opening your doors is a paper talisman that's roughly the size and shape of a human standing in front of you, rather than Caster himself. You can't say that you're surprised, in fact you expect that he and Akihiko will only be present through Caster's proxies rather than putting themselves in the same risk that their companions for this night are required to take.
Upon registering your presence, it lets itself fall backwards and folds in on itself. The rather delicate set of movements is completed before it hits the ground, leaving it transformed into the shape of a paper crane. It gently sails through the air with a grace that is rightfully unbothered by gravity.
You would have preferred a more cordial invitation, but the cue is obvious enough. You follow the crane.
It's not an arrangement you're exactly happy about, given how he lured you into a trap the last time you extended your trust towards him, but you don't have much of an alternative at the moment. Regardless, even if Caster is silly enough to ambush you before needing your help to subdue a common enemy, he already failed to kill you with that kind of subterfuge once before.
However, your level of concern does increase once you notice that the crane does not lead you towards Fuyuki, but instead eastward through the forest. He wasn't expecting you to track through undergrowth and foliage on foot without a road, was he?
After a handful of minutes with no roads in sight, you decided that yes, he was indeed expecting you to do so.
You graciously decide to give Ida the honor of carrying you.
With Ida's increased motivation and pace you quickly reach a clearing. The only ones already present are Akihiko and Caster, or at the very least their doubles. The paper crane lands on Caster's outstretched, shrinks, unfolds and then slithers into his sleeve.
"I figured that you would arrive first," Akihiko says with a sigh.
"Why yes, this place is concerningly close to my front yard after all. Unless you gathered everybody in advance, I'd be quite impressed for any of them to arrive before us."
"True, but it shouldn't take long for the others to arrive," Akihiko says. "I'm not in the mood to give the same explanation of Caster's findings every time somebody else appears, so I hope you can be patient until then."
"Gladly. I hardly want to endure you giving one monotonous speech after another. Luckily, that means you're free to say whatever else you might be aching to tell me." Your expectations might be low, but you're charitable enough to at least offer him an opportunity to give you a genuine apology this time around.
"If you insist. I am curious to know why you still have your Servant carry you around like some kind of princess," he says with pretend nonchalance.
"Oh, that." Perhaps it is inevitable that disappointment always finds its way to you in a world full of inferiors.
"My elder sister isn't a princess. She is a goddess and carrying her is an honor," Ida offers. You pet her head.
"Quite right. More importantly, I'm unsure if I want to sully my feet by standing on the same ground as a treacherous murderer such as yourself. Excuse me, an attempted treacherous murderer, but being a failure is hardly a redeeming trait."
"Come on now. We went over this already. This is a war between magi, you should know well enough that the risk of death is to be expected."
"Yes. And I already told you that I expect genuine remorse from you, rather than simply lip-service for appearance sake."
Akihiko gives another sigh, this time tinged with exasperation that has climbed from the depths of the ocean, and glances at Caster for advice.
"Ignore her, Master. There is no winning an argument with somebody that doesn't care about reasoning."
"I suppose I can agree to ending this charade," you say and signal Ida to let you down. "The risk of death you were talking about is very real for you after all. In fact, it is much too scary for you to crawl out of your shelter, so there was never any risk of me stepping on the same ground as you. Perhaps I am even judging you too harshly for the actions desperation has driven you to.
"Regardless," you continue, "I am willing to set our differences aside for tonight just as much as you are, but you can't complain about me taking the opportunity to vent my frustration with you a bit in advance. We'd hardly want animosity to boil over at a critical moment, do we?"
"God, do I actually hear you saying something sensible for once?" With those words, Ayano announces her arrival. She saunters into the clearing with a wide grin. In contrast, Rider follows behind her without his usually jovial smile.
"If you ever feel like your argument is winding down," she continues, "don't be afraid to ask me for pointers. I can think of more than a couple of bones you could pick with each other."
"Please don't start this up again," Akihiko says, sounding utterly resigned to whatever is going to happen next.
"You could start with his fashion sense," Ayano tells you. "It's hardly the worst thing about him, but also needs no explanation."
"I think I shall decline," you say. "I do not exist to perform for your entertainment."
"Good." For once, Akihiko sounds relieved. "It seems that we can at least agree on how unbearable her antics are."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Ayano might be a rebellious troublemaker in her own right, but at least she appears to take her duties seriously. Indeed, different from a truant like you, receiving my wisdom might already have planted a seed of redemption within her."
"Yeah... no.'' Ayano once again slaps your goodwill away.
A sardonic burst of laughter tears to the clearing like the bark of an especially mean-spirited dog. It takes you a moment to place it as belonging to the usually amicable Rider.
"If the three of you are an accurate representation of the founding families, it's no wonder that this holy grail has turned into such a mess. Of course, I would not be standing here otherwise, so I don't have much room to speak."
"This isn't like you at all, Rider." Your sister skips up to the offending Servant and stands up on her tiptoes to bring their faces closer together. "Are you pouting, because they left you out of the conversation?"
"No. I don't mind."
"Well, whether or not you want to complain, I'd be happy to keep you entertained."
"I'm not in the mood to talk."
While those simple words seem enough to settle the matter for him, they leave Ida crestfallen, leaving her to haplessly stare at him. As Rider's attention shifts away from her, everybody else focuses on her like one would on a starving beast.
That is, of course, aside from you. You are however considering if you should simply set her free to maul Rider. Even if there's a limit to how much his body can take, you should be able to put him back in working order by the time the others arrive.
Your consideration is interrupted by another set of new arrivals. Lancer rides into the clearing with Naoki and Mara sitting behind him, who look decidedly more comfortable than they would be if all three of them had to squeeze on an ordinary horse.
Naoki seems to understand the basic gist of the situation quickly and—after getting some help from his Servant to dismount his steed gracefully—approaches Ida.
"It's good to see you again, but you don't seem very happy right now. Is there anything wrong?" he asks her. It's good to have somebody else that appreciates your sister again.
"Naoki!" It looks like Ida had been distraught enough that she only notices him right now. His presence does improve her mood tremendously, or maybe it's simply the fact that he immediately decided to pay attention to her. "Something is wrong with Rider. He doesn't want to talk."
"That is… unusual." He glances at Rider, only to be ignored as well. Instead he turns to Ayano. "Do you think that the stress of today's outing might have caught up with him after all?"
"Probably? I've mostly just been happy that he hasn't been chewing my ear off." Ayano accentuates her words with a shrug.
"Let's go with that then. No reason to take things personally, Ida. I'd be more than happy to talk with you instead." Naoki offers her his arm and she more than happily latches on to it and lets him lead her away.
"I might start to get jealous, if other Servants keep occupying my Master like that," Lancer jokes as he walks up to you. He hasn't materialized his armor yet and casually keeps his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. "Maybe I should hog you for a bit to even out the score."
"Don't be like that," you tell him. "My sister is going to survive this war, so it's only proper that she gets more attention from the living."
"You don't hold back, do you?" Lancer says with a chuckle. "I guess I can't really blame you given the situation. Still, constantly throwing barbs at each other doesn't sound any fun."
"A war isn't meant to be fun," you say. "But I suppose I can show you some mercy by not constantly reminding you of that truth."
"I'll take it. I'm more of a fan of friendly competitions, regardless of the stakes."
"That's the spirit of a knight," says Mara as she joins the two of you. "Some of us still seem standoffish despite currently being allies."
She gestures towards Akihiko, who anxiously eyes Ida and the grip she currently has on Naoki. You're quite sure that the only thing holding him back from attempting to rip him away from her is the concern that she might resolve the conflict by splitting Naoki in two.
"Although, that isn't really new for Naoki," Mara says. "For as good he is at getting along with people, life didn't deal him a good hand when it comes to his friends getting along with each other. Although, I'm not exactly the most popular kid around myself, so I don't have much room to complain."
"It's not a problem I'm familiar with, but I suppose that if you can only manage to have one friend, you could do worse than Naoki," you say.
"Heh! Figures you wouldn't jump to console me."
"Obviously not. You better not get any ideas of trying to talk your way into being my friend." It may be a more severe reaction than she deserves in particular, but you fix her with a glare regardless. You don't need anyone else getting the same ideas as Amna.
"Yes ma'am!" Mara yelps. "I'm just going to turn to Lancer for support instead."
"I do owe you one, given that I wouldn't even be here without you, so I suppose I can look past some misbehavior," Lancer says with a teasing smile.
"Lucky me that we didn't get a stuck up knight then."
"There's only so much luck involved, as long as you used a catalyst that left room for compatibility with Naoki," Lancer points out.
"You got me there." She sticks her tongue out at Lancer and the two of them share a laugh.
"It's nice that you get along with each other," you say, "but I hope you didn't take my rebuke as a sign that it's permissible to ignore me.."
"Of course not. I apologize for making you feel left out in the first place," Lancer says. He even gives you a small bow in apology. It isn't nearly deep enough to satisfy you, but it's plenty more than you've come to expect.
"I'll forgive it. I'm the only one capable of perfection after all. Just make sure to pay me my proper due going forward," you say.
"About that," Mara interjects before Lancer can answer you properly. "It looks like somebody else has just arrived." She jabs her thumb over her shoulder and following the gesture you can see Amna and her Servant entering the clearing. Ayano happens to be closest to her, which appears to be enough for Amna to approach her.
"Ah, it's about time she arrived," you say. "Come. I might as well introduce you." For all her eccentricities, you're still too fond of Amna to leave her alone when faced with a hyena.
By the time your little group walks up to them, Amna is offering Ayano a handshake, which the latter reluctantly accepts.
"Here's hoping you aren't another eyesore," Ayano says.
"I will attempt my best, but request some leniency on your part. My social skills are admittedly lacking," Amna responds.
"How reassuring. At least you're willing to admit your flaws, that already puts you ahead of some. On which note," Ayano turns to you, "Looks like you couldn't stand being left out of a conversation, could you?"
"I assure you that I'm being quite benevolent in involving myself. Nor do you have a monopoly on Amna."
"Hello again, Kari." After greeting you, Amna addresses Lancer and Mara. "Greetings to the two of you as well. My name is Amna."
The two introduce themselves as well and Mara asks, "So, the two of you already know each other?"
"Yes," says Amna. "Kari and I have come to an agreement and quickly became friends."
"You have a friend?" Ayano asks you in incredulity.
"What a ludicrous question. In case it isn't obvious enough, I don't have friends," you say.
"I figured. Although, I can't say I expected you to just come out and say it."
"What's there to be silent about? It's hardly my fault none are worthy to be my equal," you clarify.
"Ah, that makes more sense." Ayano clicks her tongue. "Pity, I was looking towards a flying pig."
"It's not that strange for Kari to have friends," Amna says, earning herself a frown from Ayano. "She may be conceited, but she can be rather insightful when her ego doesn't get in the way. I've also found herself to be a more caring person than she's willing to admit. I know that she can be difficult, but I would request that you try to get along with her."
"No," is Ayano's succinct response.
"You don't have to get into an argument for my sake," you tell Amna. "Nor should you talk about me in such a patronizing way. My pride is entirely justified."
"I see. I apologize for being rude."
"You did at least try to highlight some of my good points, so I'll be lenient. However, I and Ayano can take care of our own issues."
"That's something we can agree on for once," Ayano says.
"If that matter is settled, that sounds like a good opportunity for me to introduce myself as well." Naoki joins the conversation with Idasviel still clinging to him. "I'm Naoki Watanabe, one of Karisviel's students and Master of Lancer."
"That's me, to be clear. No matter how attached other Lancers are to him." Lancer skips over to his Master's side, links arms with him on the side not occupied by your sister and gives Amna a playful salute.
"It should be obvious that I'm my sister's Servant," Ida grumbels.
"On which note, I think you've strayed from me for long enough," you say.
"Of course, Elder Sister!" She lets go of Naoki without complaining and rushes back to your side. "I wouldn't want to make Amna feel jealous either."
"That will not be a concern as long as we aren't on a date," responds Amna.
"Oh. Well, I suppose that's for the better. For the sake of my elder sister, I can't let myself be monopolized by any one lover regardless." Despite her best efforts to put on a brave face, Ida's voice is twinged in disappointment.
You give her a reassuring pat on the head.
"I'm sorry, we've been interrupted. I am Amna, the Master of Rider." She offers Naoki a handshake.
"It's a pleasure, Miss Amna," Naoki says as he shakes her hand. "The same goes for your Servant."
"Yes, greetings young man," Amna's Rider says as he materializes next to Amna. "I was waiting until my Master had finished her own introductions. I hope you don't take my silence as an insult."
"No, of course not," Naoki responds.
"Wonderful. Then I'll leave the two of you to your conversation." He gives a hearty laugh, before taking a couple of step backs. Then he acknowledges you and the others with a nod. A lacking greeting, but you'll let it slide.
"There's something I'm still curious about," Amna says to Naoki. "What exactly do you mean when you call yourself one of Kari's students?"
"Well, she has been helping me make sense out of magi culture and the Holy Grail War. She has also taken up a teaching position at my school."
"I see. What subjects does she teach?"
"Social studies," answers Naoki.
"Do you want to come to our school as well, maybe? I don't think we could do her lessons justice by describing them." Mara spreads the good word of your teaching to your fellow homunculus.
"That does sound intriguing. I'll consider it," Amna says.
"In that case it might be best to shelf the topic for now." Akihiko bluntly inserts himself into the conversation, walking up to you with his arms clasped behind his back and Abe no Seimei trailing behind him to bolster his Master's lack of gravitas.
"No one else is headed our way anymore and it's about time we go over our strategy for tonight," he continues.
"In that case, I should announce my presence." With that whisper that carries through the clearing like a midnight chill, Assassin materializes amidst your ranks. "Although, if my understanding of the situation is correct, we cannot simply kill Avenger, or their Master for that matter, less their Servant's corruption fades into the Grail?"
"Indeed," you say.
"In that case, I fear that my skills will not be of great use. I'll keep myself hidden and see if an opportunity to assist presents itself."
"Noted," you say. You take another look at your group, now that you appear to be complete. Six Servants is a considerable number, but you still can't help but leave out a disappointed sigh. "I was already aware that the world revolves around me, but am I truthfully the only one that managed to recruit additional members for this undertaking?"
"I was expecting Mister Steube to join us," Naoki says, while sending a questioning glance at Akihiko.
"The freelancer, yes. Caster did send a familiar to fetch him and while he followed it at first, somebody met up with him on the way and he had his Saber destroy the familiar." Akihiko explains. "I can't tell you exactly what his current situation is, but I assume he wanted his privacy."
"Right, there's nothing you can do about that then. I just hope he's alright." Naoki forces a smile, but you don't think even Amna could fail to pick up on how concerned he is.
"Every night you find something else to worry about," you tell him. "This isn't the time to concern yourself with somebody that just brings you more grief. You're about to march to danger and can't afford anybody dragging you towards death. Spend your thoughts on something that'll lift you towards victory instead. Like how you might be able to earn my praise for a job well done. What better reason could there be to cling to life?"
"That's a good question. I can't think of anything," Naoki says with a chuckle. Once again you brighten somebody's mood like the sun piercing through dark clouds.
"I can." Ayano gives Naoki a slap on the back that sends him stumbling into Lancer, who readily catches his Master. "Still, she started out sounding halfway sensible, so heads up."
"What's that supposed to mean?" you ask her. "Everything I say is more than simply sensible. I am a font of divine wisdom."
"It means your friend might have a point about your ego."
"Cease your squabbling!" Akihiko cuts into your conversation with unfiltered agitation. "Please just listen to Caster explaining the situation."
You glance at Ayano. The nerve she has to drag Amna back into this as soon as it's convenient for one of her swipes. Of course belittling you is the greater offense on principle, even if she inadvertently accepted some of your advice as sound in the process, but those scoldings have failed on deaf ears more than once and altruistic as you are, your tongue aches to lash out at her on account of your fellow homunculus.
Yet, Amna is present and perfectly capable of speaking up for herself, so if she doesn't feel the need to act, you suppose it isn't worth your effort either. With the exception of a sigh, you remain silent and getsure for Caster to speak.
Likewise, Ayano only regards you with a raised eyebrow, before shrugging and turning to Caster. For someone that went to the effort of throwing out provocations, she seems perfectly content to let the matter go. Given that situation, having her share your restraint is appreciated.
Akihiko isn't wrong, there is vermin that needs extermination.
No vote this time. I figured that giving any life signs was more important at this point and this seemed like a decent point to cut before moving into this night's main event proper.
"Obviously not. You better not get any ideas of trying to talk your way into being my friend." It may be a more severe reaction than she deserves in particular, but you fix her with a glare regardless. You don't need anyone else getting the same ideas as Amna.
"It's not that strange for Kari to have friends," Amna says, earning herself a frown from Ayano. "She may be conceited, but she can be rather insightful when her ego doesn't get in the way. I've also found herself to be a more caring person than she's willing to admit. I know that she can be difficult, but I would request that you try to get along with her."
I suppose this exchange captures the party dynamics quite well. A reasonable, well-mannered, and somewhat excessively loquacious argument that bluntly voices things people are not used to saying aloud... and an immediate dismissal from Ayano with no elaboration forthcoming.
"It means your friend might have a point about your ego."
[...]
You glance at Ayano. The nerve she has to drag Amna back into this as soon as it's convenient for one of her swipes. Of course belittling you is the greater offense on principle, even if she inadvertently accepted some of your advice as sound in the process, but those scoldings have failed on deaf ears more than once and altruistic as you are, your tongue aches to lash out at her on account of your fellow homunculus.
Yet, Amna is present and perfectly capable of speaking up for herself, so if she doesn't feel the need to act, you suppose it isn't worth your effort either.
It is interesting that Kari didn't take offense on our own behalf, but on Amna's? Intellectually, Kari noted that she should be retaliating against a perceived slight, but she regarded using Amna's words to attack her as an even bigger slight. Yet she didn't complain one bit when she heard them from the source.
It's as if she is more afraid of having Amna turned against her than of anything that is actually said.
Kari would be one terrifying Yandere... and a very clingy not-friend.
Think I've mentioned this before, but I find Kari a fascinating protagonist for this Quest. Partly because the sheer arrogance is the kind of character dynamic that amuses me, and partly because seeing everything from her point of view warps the general moral dynamic of this universe pretty hard, and I think that this post in particular does a good job of showing why.
You mentioned the Yandere tendancies, which wasn't really something I picked up on (though I do agree with the clinginess, which I suspect is linked to some of the hints about her backstory we've had peppered throughout this to date), but really what I mean is that Kari?
Is the villain of the story and the comic relief character, and she doesn't even realise it.
"Do you want to come to our school as well, maybe? I don't think we could do her lessons justice by describing them." Mara spreads the good word of your teaching to your fellow homunculus.
She takes that completely straight, and it doens't even occur to her it might be mocking, because it's so obviously correct. This one line had me in stitches.
And as for the villain part? She's runnng around the Holy Grail War with a a tiny love-struck murder machine, she's ridiculously OP by the other Master's standards, she's one of the aristocratic mage families who set up the War... she's clearly a Final Boss design (or, at worst, a sub-boss alá Illya), but she's the main character. So instead we get everything from her point of view and filtered through that.
I think for a lot of Quests, we're supposed to emphasise with the Mian Character a lot. After all, they are 'You'. And Kari has a lot of moments where the audience does emphasise and root for her - I'm still firmly on Team Kari, don't Ida me - but one of my favourite things in this Quest is that subtle dissonance between what the character say's and feels and what we, the Audience, can pick up from what's actually being said.
"The freelancer, yes. Caster did send a familiar to fetch him and while he followed it at first, somebody met up with him on the way and he had his Saber destroy the familiar." Akihiko explains. "I can't tell you exactly what his current situation is, but I assume he wanted his privacy."
Think I've mentioned this before, but I find Kari a fascinating protagonist for this Quest. Partly because the sheer arrogance is the kind of character dynamic that amuses me, and partly because seeing everything from her point of view warps the general moral dynamic of this universe pretty hard, and I think that this post in particular does a good job of showing why.
[...]
And as for the villain part? She's running around the Holy Grail War with a a tiny love-struck murder machine, she's ridiculously OP by the other Master's standards, she's one of the aristocratic mage families who set up the War... she's clearly a Final Boss design (or, at worst, a sub-boss alá Illya), but she's the main character. So instead we get everything from her point of view and filtered through that.
She has the trappings of a Final Boss (ok, maybe semi-final, because what Fate work reveals their trump card in advance?), but that's an easy bar to clear; you just have to be the strongest candidate around and lack obvious weaknesses to prompt the show of unity from Scrappy Underdogs.
I would argue that she lacks in actual villainy. It may be the audience staying her hand, but we haven't seen her do anything remotely morally objectionable. Her mage supremacist attitude is taken to such heights that it loses its obnoxious and negative connotations by placing her above "lesser" mage supremacists as well. It crosses the line twice and becomes nothing more than a funny quirk, because she is so much better than anyone that she doesn't need to resort to underhanded means, human sacrifices and other methods that give Magi the bad rep of arrogant butchers looking down on mere mortals. Looking down on everyone makes her the best advocate of equality!
It's a defense mechanism, I suppose. By thinking herself above anyone's judgement, she can act not out of concern for strategic viability of an outcome, but as her heart desires. And if, for some reason, something isn't viable... then clearly it is because strategy guides weren't tailored to her level of tactical genius. This is why she can afford to be friendly with potential rivals, go on dates with another Master, and let two rogue singers go without killing or subjugating them, a move that should have been dictated by the ruthless logic of the war.
Personally, I find it amusing to look at her trying to frame her wants as rational proposals when the logic amounts to "this is best because I want it".
Of course, she could have easily justified the opposite with the same argument, but this is where it led her so far. I don't think there are major contradictions between what the players want to do, and what Kari wants, regardless of her skewed perspective; granted, I struggle to think of how the quest would work if there were any. What moral warp do you mean?
Ida with her mile-wide sadistic streak is a more clear-cut example of values dissonance between the audience and a hero they are tangentially in charge of.
I'd say Ida already has the family's yandere quota covered, but she would be delighted to share notes on the topic with Kari. The results would be terrifying indeed.
I would argue that she lacks in actual villainy. It may be the audience staying her hand, but we haven't seen her do anything remotely morally objectionable.
To weigh in on this from my perspective, I can say that votes have certainly lead Kari to be a lot less villanous than she could have been. Granted, there's no platonic ideal of how Karisviel would have acted if she wasn't the main character, especially seeing how things might have gotten shuffeled around enough that Ida doesn't even exsist, but there's a reason there were a lot of "just kill them" options early on in the quest.
As things stand now, calling her the villain of the story is an overstatement, but she does have what it takes to drift into that role as the story progresses. I don't expect it to happen at this point, but we'll see how things play out once the chips are actually down.
Yeah, she started with a blue and orange morality she could've used to justify anything, and she is using it to be a lonely megalomaniac weirdo. I almost wrote "harmless" there, but held off because Kari can probably be dangerous if her patience ever runs thin. We just don't know what could do that yet. The only things in her life she has shown appreciation for in the story were Ida, Mel, and that bird whose name I always forget. And herself, of course, but that's a tricky button to press, because she would dismiss most insults as something beneath her notice... and with Ida around chances are that whoever unsettles Kari doesn't live to see her do anything about it.
But with more people coming into her life the amount of emotional leverage one can use against her rises, as we've seen just now. I kinda wonder what she is like when she is angry.
Does the story have anyone who could be said to be unambiguously villainous? I can't think of anyone but Krone giving off that vibe, and that's because we suspect he is using Annabella as a disposable tool. There was something about Oliver and his quest for revenge, but we haven't seen him in such a long while I forgot what it is all about.
Hmm, there is also the Master of Avenger, I suppose? Probably isn't a good guy, but that depends a lot on the circumstances of the summon.
Kotomine.
I mean, I don't know anything about her as a person, but her surname is Kotomine, so that's an immediate red flag
More seriously... while there are characters who are antagonistic to some degree or another, I dont know if we will get a quote-unquote "final villain" the way that we do in most of the actual Fate spin off properties. Right now, my primary theory is that the story is going to conclude by circling back around to Marsh Seran's initial thesis, that things might have been better if the Holy Grail had remained dead.
Sheer, wild mass speculation on my part, but I think it fits how things are developing so far. We've been gathering our entourage of followers, but at some point, someone is going to die. Everyone in the Holy Grail War has their own reasons for competing; we've only had flashes of some of those motivations through the interludes, but they all have reasons for wanting to be there. I can't see us going to entire war without having to kill at least ONE sympathetic character, or character we've spent time building up at any rate.
Which is right up my alley, because in my opinion, Fate/Stay Night is a franchise which works best with elements of tragedy and horror, but that's a whole other story...
My point is... well, I guess that @Edgedancer has generally done a really great job at creating this cast of characters and the setting and I want to see more of it.
With all of your attention centered on him, Abe no Seimei speaks. "As promised, I did track down Avenger. While the out of the way location might have been a bother for some of you, I find it only appropriate that an abomination would seek shelter as far away from human civilization as it can afford to be. Fortunately, it also means we're far away from any prying eyes that might catch on to our activities tonight. While the location was hardly chosen out of consideration for us, we should make sure to repay the favor regardless. Please, spare no effort in granting Avenger a splendid death."
Alongside his jovial tone, Caster's voice carries a chill that exceeds the cold of the evening air. You're not about to spare any sympathies for Avenger, but there was a clear undercurrent of glee accompanying Caster's calm demeanor.
"Setting aside their corruptive nature, I did not sense a great amount of power from Avenger," Caster continues. "However, they're accompanied by another more powerful and monstrous Servant. Although, there's something more intriguing about this protector. Given our research a few nights ago, I'm quite certain that they've not been summoned by our local grail. Although, they're likely the cause of the interference affecting our ritual's remaining Berserker position. I also distinctly remember one of the highly esteemed members of our group mentioning their family having experimented with summoning an Avenger in another grail war and I can't help but wonder if perhaps our current predicament might have something to do with them not properly cleaning up after themselves."
"I see you remain petty over the experiment having taken place in Kyoto," you say.
"It's nothing of the sort," Abe no Seimei responds. His smile still contains animosity, but he's suppressing any open hostility he might feel towards you. "It'd be quite silly for me to care about human life just because of where you happened to risk it."
"I can tell that this conversation won't get us anywhere." You sigh. "Given how much you've already harped about time, I'll move on to the point you were alluding to. I was not directly involved with the Kyoto incident, so all I have to go on are reports as well. Given the amount of destruction the corrupted grail inevitably caused, it isn't impossible that the exact details of events might have been distorted through the faulty investigation work of people that aren't me. Should the enemy masters survive we might be able to extract some information out of them and sate our curiosity, but until then there's little point dwelling on a cause that won't help us fix the problem."
"Little point, indeed," Caster uses his baton to obscure his expression and with it the last traces of his anger. "Then let us turn the conversation to what's ahead. Our highest priority is to neutralize Avenger, the beast guarding them is a secondary concern. As such, it would be best for us to split into two groups. One led by me that heads directly for Avenger and another that focuses on holding back our more dangerous opposition."
"And why don't we just kill the other Servant first and then come down on Avenger as a united front?" Ayano asks. "All snark about me being happy to have you out of my hair aside, I don't like the idea of you trying to get rid of as much of the competition as possible by leaving some of us behind to become monster food."
"I assure you that my Master would never approve of such a tactic as long as Mister Watanabe is with you." A slight chuckle escapes Caster. "I also shouldn't need much aid for my task, leaving you as equipped to handle yours as we can afford. What concerns me most is that should word of Kyoto have reached Avenger, it knows exactly what they're capable of and why we want them gone. Thus I fear what it might do once it realizes that it no longer has an escape. We're dealing with a creature drenched in spite. I can't rule out that it would rather kill itself to ensure we all drown in its agony once it spills forth from the Grail than let us succeed tonight. "
Foul nausea takes a grip of your heart, sending a putrid pulse through your entire being with every beat. It leaves you feeling utterly sick. You don't want to imagine the scenario Caster just outlined, but it forces itself onto your mind through the sheer inevitability that you might not get a chance to stop Avenger in the first place just on account how overwhelming and hopeless the prospect of having to fight you is.
A deep breath.
Fear ought to be beneath you. What do the consequences of failure matter, if there's no chance for you to fail? You didn't walk into this situation blind, so all you need to do is create an opportunity before Avenger can accelerate their otherwise well deserved demise to the point of disaster.
"In that case," says Ayano's Rider, "it might be best if I act as your support. That way my Master will have less reason to worry about being left to fend for ourselves and I'm not the most well suited to dealing with berserkers in the first place."
"That is acceptable," answers Caster.
"I guess I have no room to complain at this point." Ayano sighs. "Is there anything else, or can we get going?"
"Anything else awaiting us we'll have to discover in person. I'll lead the way." Caster does as he said and you and the others follow him back into the depth of the forest.
You leave the chatter behind in the clearing. Given that Servants can sense each other's presence, it's inevitable that the enemy will notice your approach. However, it would feel improper to walk into enemy territory with bickering and jokes. As much as you might want to destroy them, you're not aiming at their dignity.
As you move yet deeper into the forest, the last rays of the sun recede, leaving behind only the faint light of stars that can't pierce the ever thickening canopy. The lack of visibility makes your march even more cumbersome than it was to begin with. Minor obstacle as it is, Ida still takes note of it. She steps in front of you and interlaces her hair with flames, giving you more than enough light to see what's in front of you.
"Oy! Careful with the fire," shouts Ayano.
Ida gives a self-confident chuckle before twirling in place, causing the nearby shadows to dance with her radiance. She comes to a stop facing Ayano and flips her hair back. Despite her vigorous movement, not so much as a single spark could bear to part with her.
"My elder sister already warned me not to start a forest fire today and my self-control is impeccable when it comes to following her orders."
"And what if she wasn't here to keep you in check?" Seimei asks.
"I don't like to think about what life would be like without my sister," Ida says.
"Then let's instead consider what you would do if Lady Karisviel tells you to indulge yourself."
"That's easy. I'd pursue romance."
"Given what I know about you, I presume that would involve murder?"
Ida hums in agreement.
"Would it be fair to say that you love humanity?"
"Hm, I don't simply love people because they're human, but I can't imagine a human I wouldn't fall in love with and if I love everyone individually, then by extension I suppose that also means I love humanity as a whole."
"Thank you for your honesty. Your answer helped to demonstrate what kind of beast you are."
"I don't think that is quite fair." Naoki speaks up. "Setting aside your specific scenario, it's not like Kari is about to let Ida drive humanity extinct."
"Of course not," you agree.
"Perhaps," answers Caster. "I'll leave it to my Master to decide whether she needs to be put down or not."
"Which is something I won't worry about until tomorrow," Akihiko says. "For tonight we're cooperating. It's as simple as that."
"I'd hope so," you say. "Now, this was quite enough interrogating." Your admonishment causes the group to fall silent again.
Regrettably, you perhaps could have used something to occupy you. As you draw nearer to Avenger, there's a sense of wrongness attempting to encroach on your heart. A yet empty grail it could use to birth omnipotent misery. It's bound to remain impotent for as long as Avenger remains alive, but the mere presence of it sickens your heart non the less.
You're briefly distracted from that discomfort, when Amna falls into step next to you. She remains silent and seems content with simply being in your presence. You do suppose the display of appreciation makes the walk marginally more comfortable.
Reaching your destination takes longer than you would have liked. However, with no real obstacles in your path, it's only a matter of time until you arrive.
Regardless of the depth of night, no darkness could hide the ominous aura of the Servant that has come to intercept you. From between the trees steps forth a tall woman with pale skin and hair wearing a faded dress that's barely better than a dirty rag. While she doesn't exude the same sense of impending catastrophe as Avenger's lingering presence does, even the faint movement you can make out in the darkness carry with them the nature of a beast that belongs in neither human cloth, nor skin.
"What is that?" There's naked fear in Naoki's voice. No matter how much magic he has been exposed to these last couple days, this is the first time he has come face to face with a being that is antithetical to his survival as a human being.
"I'm afraid that I was being quite literal when I described Avenger's guardian as monstrous," says Caster. "The grail does sometimes accommodate inhuman Servants by granting them a vessel to manifest in that doesn't make their true identity apparent for all to see. This appears to be the case for her, even if no disguise can hide her sinister nature."
"You really shouldn't talk about Mother like that." A male voice calls out from slightly deeper in the forest. You can't make out much beyond his voice, but the lack of notable weight to his presence leaves you to assume that he isn't another Servant, but rather the monster's Master. You're not quite sure if someone being willing to call such a creature their mother stokes your curiosity more, or less.
You don't quite catch Caster's response, as Ida addresses you telepathically.
Elder Sister, that woman seems familiar, or at least that's how Brynhildr feels.
So you think they knew each other in life, you respond.
No, that definitely isn't it. It's more that they're related… somehow. I'm sorry that I can't be more specific, but I would like to try talking to her.
You're skeptical of how much success your sister might have, but you're already headed towards a fight anyway. There should be no harm in letting her at least try, so you give her the permission to do so.
"Excuse me." Ida pushes herself past Caster and addresses the monster. "I know it's terribly rude of us, but despite Caster's direct demeanor we're not here to kill anybody tonight."
The monster responds with a soft growl.
"Dinner does sound lovely, but if I had to describe our objective today, it'd be more like a doctor making a home visit," Ida responds, having no apparent problem with understanding the monster's intent.
There's another growl and again Idasviel responds. "I can respect being protective of your family, but I don't think my elder sister will like being turned away."
"And for a moment I was thinking her Mental Pollution might come into handy," mentions Ayano.
"At least she's stalling that thing," says Akihiko. "I don't think we'll get a better chance to make our move. I trust all of you know what to do and by God, keep Naoki safe."
He springs into action without waiting for a response and Caster and Ayano's Rider follow suit. Ayano herself meanwhile, parts from her Servant and moves closer to Naoki.
The way Akihiko simply took charge rubs you the wrong way and you detest the idea of leaving the most important task of handling Avenger entirely to others. They're nearby, just out of sight behind the trees. Yet, no matter how much you sharpen your senses, the most you can make out is… the faint smell of gingerbread.
With no further time to contemplate, you give your orders to Ida.
[X] Attack the monster.
As much as you might want to handle Avenger yourself, keeping your allies safe is a part of your responsibilities. You don't know the capabilities of Amna's Servant and Assassin isn't a frontline fighter to begin with, but together with both Lancers, you should be able to slay Avenger's guardian with minimal losses and secure her Master in case you want him to sate your curiosity.
[X] Break past the monster
Nobody will have the time to object to you joining the group headed directly for Avenger. The others should be fine handling their opponent by virtue of their number advantage. They might have to fight more defensively, but even if she manages to get away alive, that's a small price to assure that you successfully exterminate Avenger.
New Skill
Mental Pollution: C+
A skill representing the distorted mentality not born from Brynhildr, but Idasviel herself. The abnormal way her mind operates has a chance of disrupting the effect of all kinds of mental interference. It's to be expected that Idasviel will have trouble coming to a mutual understanding with sane individuals, while also showing an surprising capability to communicate with others whose mental state has been altered.
Lies and slander
Strength: A+
Endurance: A+
Agility: A
Mana: B
Luck: C
Skills:
Mad Enhancement: C
Berserker is granted a rank up for all parameters except Luck and Mana, but in exchange, one can no longer think and speak properly. Further there's a possibility that certain techniques, Personal Skills and Noble Phantasms of the Servant are limited.
Monstrous Strength: A+
An offensive special characteristic possessed only by monsters and magical beasts. This skill temporarily grants a rank-up to one's strength parameter for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill.
Normally I wouldn't trust a fellow Magus with anything concerning a touchy and important subject like that, let alone someone who is our rival... but it calms me down somewhat that they can't sabotage us without shooting themselves in the foot. If an Avenger has a guardian, it means it's the bigger threat, which means we stand a better chance of handling it.
Aspecially since there are more Masters than Servants on our side. We might have to pull double duty.
In a post with a literal monster woman hanging around in a tree, Ida saying "we're not here to kill anyone" still manages to stand out as the jaw-dropping moment
And no idea about Berserker's identity yet. The way the clothes were described - which was very emotive, by the way - made me think of Sadako, buuuut I'm pretty sure that any connection between Byrnhildr and the Ring is far too tenuous even for Fate
[X] Attack the monster.
The smell of gingerbread is an interesting tease, but then, so is Berserker, and this is a much more immediate problem for us. It'll give us more of a chance to see what the other ally servants can do in combat, which is useful information for the future; besides, as a teacher, it's our duty to protect our students.
Not sure how much I like the idea of Abe having unmonitored access to Avenger, since the Twinsaka's already tried hacking the grail in the past (so who knows what them having access to Avenger might cause)... but as @Nevill say's, they are mor elikely to shoot themselves in the foot if they try any funny business with it, and Caster's disdain of Ida as a 'Beast' makes m assume he's more likely to be straightforward and just try remove Avenger rather than do the usual magus schtick of tampering with stuff for his own benefit.
In the end, you remain back to help fight against the monster. No doubt Ida will appreciate the violence.
Berserker's attention shifts to Akihiko's group as they attempt to slip past her. Meanwhile your sister seems to no longer concern the monster, despite standing directly in front of her. You'll have to teach her the proper punishment for ignoring a masterpiece of the Einzbern.
"Ida, that woman has stood in my way for longer than is permissible. You may kill her."
She follows your command with unbridled glee. She lunges forward and her spear materializes with its tip aimed straight at Berserker's heart.
"Mother! Watch out for the girl!" the hidden Master screams just as Ida's spear digs into the side of the berserker that by now had turned away from her completely to chase after Tohsaka.
Then the monster's attention snapped back onto her attacker and Ida's spear lurched to a stop as the flesh it was biting into became unyielding. The sudden resistance causes Ida to redouble her effort by casting the set of runes that increase her divinity. Using the momentum of her initial charge, she tackles Berserker and shifts her grip to the gap in the spearhead to drive it further in.
Berserker didn't flinch, even as the ground began to crack under the continued strain of Ida pushing forward. Uncaring, the monster raises one of her arms and brings it down on your sister as one might strike with a flyswatter.
Idasviel swings her spear around to intercept the attack with its shaft. She succeeds just in time to brace against the casual strike that impacts with enough force that the already cracked ground shatters entirely. A cloud of dirt gushes forth from the earth's fresh wounds and obscures the two Servants from sight.
Once the dust settles, Ida still stands without injury, but she has to visibly strain just to resist Berserker pushing down on her. The monster regards Ida with bewilderment before snarling at her. Now that she has survived the first strike, Idasviel is regarded as more than a bug on the roadside.
Berserker's posture shifts and her right arm swells up, tearing her false skin as she prepares to unleash her full strength. A set of claws displace her old nails and stop growing just in front of Ida's face, which bears a wild smile at having drawn the monster's murderous intent upon her. Her expression is only mildly marred by the disappointment of the claws not being long enough to dig into her.
The two of them are entirely focused on their clash, leaving them entirely unaware of Lancer. With his armor and storm needle manifested, he lunges for Berserker. It's only because of another warning from her Master that Berserker manages to react in time.
She grabs the length of his weapon, casually crushing the light shell containing the energy vortex within. A tempest mixed with red lightning escapes through her fingers, yet doesn't manage to budge even a single one of them.
Ida uses the opportunity to push the monster back. Berserker's head snaps back and forth between her two opponents, only for it to be thrown back with the sound of an explosion, causing her to let go of her two opponents to claw at her face instead. You glare at Rider for firing a musket this close to your ears, but you refrain from scolding him.
"It looks like our attacks are more effective when she doesn't see them coming," he says.
"Indeed," you agree, "and the warnings from her Master help her to keep track of everything through the fog of madness."
"That sounds about right. I'll leave him to you Masters, while the three of us occupy the Servant."
"So you're as presumptuous as your Master after all," you say, feeling more bemused than affronted.
"Rider and I compliment each other well," Amna says. "However, I currently do not think we have the time to expound on the topic."
"Right, right." You create a set of familiars and have them spread out through the area. As far as you can tell from his open yelling, the enemy Master lacks the finesse to surveil the situation with his own familiars and direct his Servant from a safe distance. "This shouldn't be much of an issue. Ayano, feel free to stay back and keep Naoki and Mara safe."
"Works for me," Ayano agrees while keeping her attention fixed on the Servants.
"I'm not sure how I feel about being lumped in with needing protection, but I'll take it," says Mara. "Good luck out there, homunculus squad!"
"I don't think that's necessary." Naoki corrects his friend. "We just have to thank them for taking care of this for us and leave everything to Karisviel's competent hands."
"You could do more than simply thank me, but you're correct that I'm not at the mercy of something as feeble as luck," you say. "Let's go, Amna." While Lancer felt a sense of trepidation, Idasviel watched with voracious anticipation as Berserker tore away her human disguise damaged by Rider's attack to reveal her true face. What emerged could not be considered any such thing. Her true appearance was a white void. A mere placeholder for facial features to be layered upon.
Two points of red surfaced, rapidly expanding with the fluidity of pooling blood, until they formed two circles that served as a facsimile of eyes. Just enough of an imitation to fool itself into being able to see. The red spills over from the two pools and flows down her face in fine lines that form an erratic pattern until they disappear under the remains of false skin around Berserker's throat. It only occasionally becomes visible again at the spots on her arms and hands where her skin now hangs as tattered as the rags she's wearing after the initial clash.
Berserker's face split open in a crude mimicry of a mouth armed not with teeth, but rather a jagged set of lips. With a mind numbing roar she once again settles on Idasviel as her target. The homunculus readied her spear for the clash, feeling giddy that she already left enough of a mark to be her first priority. Lancer moved to intercept the attack on behalf of his fellow knight, signaling Rider to stay behind as support.
He was not fast enough to keep up with Berserker. Worse, the red pattern on her hand stretched out to form a replica of a familiar lance. Lancer's very own Noble Phantasm. Its tip clashes with Ida's spear. It cracks, allowing a surge of magical energy to escape and throw Ida's weapon back. She attempted to go with the impact and jump back. Berserker caught her by the throat with one hand, while the other tore into her gut.
No scream manages to escape from Idasviel's crushed throat. There's only a ragged gurgle as she tried to fight back, barely audible over the noise of Lancer's armor as he rushed to her rescue.
He swung his sword at Berserker. While not holding the same raw power as one of his Noble Phantasm, it's a weapon that has served him well in slaying monsters before. It also had the precision to serve as a feint. Its blade only danced close enough to Berserker's neck to elicit another warning from her Master. By the time Berserker's grip eased off of Idasviel and her bloody claws left her gut to catch the incoming attack, Lancer's sword was safely out of range. His strike didn't need to make contact to hit its aim.
It was his partner's turn next.
The lion materialized next to Lancer without the need for a command. He lunged for the monster's legs. Teeth sunk into her flesh before she could adapt to the new enemy. Once the lion dragged her away, her awareness of Ida was only enough to toss her aside before kicking at the beast trying to bring her down.
Lancer caught Ida and set her down gently. She rewarded him with a mangled complaint.
"Our fight against Saber was one thing, but I'm not always going to throw you right back at the opponent," Lancer responded to what his best guess of her complaint was. Even as he refused her, he felt some relief at seeing her wounds mend themself rapidly, even by the standards of Servants. Healing magecraft courtesy of Karisviel. Thanks to her sister's care, Ida's body might be able to keep up with her eagerness to kill.
Another bullet from Rider found Berserker's back, giving the lion a chance to retreat to his knight's side.
"Just focus on making the Master scream out his warnings for now," Rider called out to Ida. "It's the best we can do to help your sister track him down and if he goes mum, we take turns slowly cutting his mother up."
"I'm not sure how I feel about making her son watch something like that, but it can't be helped if it's for the sake of my elder sister." Idasviel started circling Berserker, moving opposite Lancer and his lion until they had her surrounded as well as the three of them could manage to.
The beast was momentarily unsure which prey to settle on. Before she could decide, the choice was made irrelevant by a single absolute request.
"Mother, I'm sorry to leave this to you, but I beg of you, don't lose sight of the enemy Servants and that lion!" The Master's words were accompanied by the strength of a command spell. With the aid of a crystalized miracle, partially lifting the fog of madness clouding Berserker's mind was an easy task.
It granted her all the clarity she needed to keep track of the four of them at the same time.
Rider took a shot using the enormous release of magical energy as a beacon. His bullet might as well have been a snail.
Berserker lunged forward and in one fell motion swiped the bullet out of the air and pointed a claw at Rider. Its flesh tore itself apart to form a replica of a barrel. A flesh of red traveled across her digit in a spiral pattern ending at her finger's muzzle. With a wet plop, she fired a shot at Rider.
Guided by the command spell, her aim was dead on and tore through the space Rider had been a mere instant ago. Him dodging the bullet hadn't been a matter of speed. Rather, after already having seen Lancer's weapon replicated, he anticipated the counterattack and waited until Berserker had committed to the path of her bullet. In that instance, he used his Disengage skill to let the tides of battle carry him away from the fight.
Idasviel denied Berserker the opportunity to take aim again by attacking her. The monster turned to face her, poised to devour the prey throwing itself at her. For as much it pained Ida, she refused Berserker's loving embrace and with an explosion of flame kicked off the ground at the last second before their clash. She vaults over Berserker with her spear sliding off the monster's skin leaving not a single scratch.
Ida landed next to Lancer. "She's a very selfish lover. Do you have any idea how we can break through her defense?"
"Not really," he answered. "This might turn into a battle of endurance."
Berserker was about to lunge for them once again, when a dark shadow materialized on her shoulders. Assassin looped several wires around her before melting back into the night. The bindings managed to halt Berserker's attack.
She strained against them once.
Twice.
Then the forest lurched forward.
The trees Assassin used as an anchor were torn apart. Splinters and trunks alike exploded into the clearing. Berserker paid them no mind as she charged towards the two knights.
Lancer dived into the storm of wood and took hold of the largest piece of wood tumbling through the air. He thrusted it at Berserker as a makeshift lance to keep her at bay.
She threw herself into the strike without hesitation. It burst between the two Servants, doing nothing to slow the charging titan. Her claws were a hair's breadth away when Lancer's lion tackled him out of the way.
Berserker set after them. One hand swatted away the lion like it was a mere housecat, while the other dug into Lancer's breastplate. A kick to his abdomen sent him flying towards Ida with enough force for his armor to be torn apart in Berserker's grasp.
Ida caught the bullet aimed at her. Her gut wound rebelled against the strain. Delectable as the jolt of pain might be for her, the laps in focus was enough to send her stumbling backwards as she struggled to stop Lancer.
Berserker raised a claw at the pair of knights. Once again it shifted into the mimicry of a gun to tear through the two of them in their moment of weakness.
She didn't notice the person rushing at her through the carnage of the battlefield. To her, they were not illuminated by the light of the command spell.
"Release. Soar through heaven."
Ayano tossed the primed topaz into the air and poured as much reinforcement magecraft into her legs as they could endure. Then she jumped.
She sailed through the air past the monstrous Servant. Her arms snaked forward to grab Berserker into a headlock. She has taken hold of death and she had no intention of being gentle with it.
Before Berserker could comprehend the frail magus dragging her through the air, her face was roughly slammed into the ground.
The cutter caused little more than a dull ache to Berserker, but her instincts demanded that she tear her attacker apart. Eyes set on Ayano, Berserker paid no mind to the gem gently sparkling in the air above her.
The precious stone burst, releasing the magical energy stored within it as a violent gale. The wind was strong enough to keep her pinned to the ground for the briefest of moments. The tempest washed over her, spreading over the ground until it picked up Ayano and carried her away from Berserker.
It was by no means a gentle get away, but it created the distance needed for Rider to safely approach. His Magic Resistance dispelled Ayano's wind spell on contact, letting him pass through the storm without getting touched by so much as a breeze. He picked up Ayano and carried her off to a safe distance before Berserker could regain her bearings.
"I respect the bravery, but I don't think you should repeat that stunt," he told her.
"I wouldn't have had to get involved at all if the three of you did a better job killing that thing," she shot back.
Their conversation was interrupted by a primal scream of pain from deeper into the forest.
It stabs into Berserker's heart with more anguish than any of the other Servants could ever hope to accomplish. Paying no further attention to her opponents, Berserker raced into the woods to rescue her son.
"About time they found him," Ayano said. Finding the enemy Master had been an easy task once Assassin thinned out the forest for you. It's not like you had required the help, but taking away his cover made the whole process much more convenient.
Now he's standing a slight distance away from you and Amna, caught in the crossroad of fight or flight. At first glance, he doesn't look particularly dangerous. Just a tall lanky boy in his late teens with a mane of green hair that a strand of black runs through. While unkempt, he doesn't look nearly as feral as Berserker.
There's still something off about him. It's faint, but he exudes a foul aura that is unlike the monstrousness of his Servant. He almost feels too human.
You catch a brief glimpse of the command seals on his right hand. The markings take up an unusually large amount of space.
The moment for you to seize each other up passes and he decides to attack. He brandishes a wicked piece of black and red metal that's fashioned to resemble a claw. It looks more like a ceremonial tool than an effective weapon. Not that a weapon of any kind is going to make a difference before you.
One of your familiars descends from the sky as a blade and severs his body at the hips before he could take more than a single step towards you. The familiar unravels itself and wraps part of itself around the boy before returning into the shape of the bird. It holds him in the air for further inspection.
"Kari," Amna speaks up. Her voice is trembling ever so slightly.
"Hm? Oh yes, my apologies," you say. You have your familiar wrap part of itself around the Master's mouth to muffle his screams. You suppose it's no real surprise that Amna is a tad squeamish about these kinds of things.
After casting a simple bit of magecraft to keep the blood from staining your dress, you approach your captive and place a hand on his chest. Right now, there's a limit to what even you can accomplish, but while you can't completely dislodge his soul from its vessel entirely without negative side-effects, you can easily establish a link to sustain it with magical energy rather than having to rely on his bodily function. You aren't quite sure you want him dead yet.
You move on to inspecting the command seals on his right hand and find that you were right to be curious. What should be a pattern of three strokes is instead six, one of which is smudged after having been used up mere moments ago. Twice the amount of seals does imply twice the amount of contracted Servants.
How a nobody like this is able to sustain two separate Servants is not a question you exactly want to consider, but you vaguely remember Mel mentioning missing person reports being on the rise. A monster such as Berserker is unlikely to have any reservations against sustaining herself by eating humans for sustenance.
More pressingly, it is entirely likely that the second Servant contracted to this Master is Avenger. It appears you're going to have to go through the hassle of keeping him alive until confirmation of Caster's success to avoid Avenger fading away prematurely.
The familiar lops off his right hand and pulls it into its main body. You don't expect you'll have the opportunity to extract his command seals, given they'll be reclaimed by the Grail if either he, or both of his Servants die. Still, you'd rather not give him the opportunity to use another one of his seals in case he ever gets his mouth free.
Tremors running through the ground warn you off Berserker's approach. Turning towards her you can barely recognize the monster's appearance after she shed her human disguise, but nothing changed about her true nature.
You can sense that Ida is following shortly behind Berserker. Once she slows down, it should take a handful of seconds for your sister to catch up with her. Plenty of time to crush a pair of skulls.
With no time to run or hide, Amna puts herself between you and Berserker.
A futile gesture, but the dedication to protecting you is commendable.
Your familiar swings in front of her, using the Master as a meatshield. Berserker's claws stop just shy of impaling her own child. Seeing the state he's in, she starts wailing—a deep primal sound of anguish—and carefully tries to cut him free from your familiar.
While she's distracted, you slightly drag Amna to the side. Just enough to step outside of Berserker's shadow and move yourself into Ida's path instead.
She arrives shortly afterwards and scoops both you and Amna up to carry you away.
"Elder Sister, I'm terribly sorry that I didn't arrive sooner," Ida says.
"It's fine," you reassure her. "I'm not injured. What's more important is how we're going to deal with that monster."
[X] Overpower her with Noble Phantasms.
Normal attacks might be ineffective against Berserker's defenses, but it should be possible to overpower her with the combined strength of three Servants' Noble Phantasm. It does mean Ida's, Lancer's and Rider's true names are out in the open, but in exchange you can keep Berserker's Master around. There are some questions you want to ask him, even if they're mostly a matter of curiosity.
[X] Buy time until Avenger is purified, then kill the Master.
While the command spell means Berserker is no longer reliant on her Master's support to predict incoming attacks from your Servants, she still needs him to anchor her to the world. If you kill him, she should quickly cease to exist and once Avenger is no longer a concern, nothing necessitates that you keep him alive. Naturally, this means you won't be able to interrogate him at your leisure.
Let's get that 100% completion pacifist run. Nothing less than perfection from the goddess that is Kari.
[X] Overpower her with Noble Phantasms.
Normal attacks might be ineffective against Berserker's defenses, but it should be possible to overpower her with the combined strength of three Servants' Noble Phantasm. It does mean Ida's, Lancer's and Rider's true names are out in the open, but in exchange you can keep Berserker's Master around. There are some questions you want to ask him, even if they're mostly a matter of curiosity.
[X] Buy time until Avenger is purified, then kill the Master.
This isn't the optimal path or anything - you guys probably are right in saying we should pacifist run or interrogate him - but it feels like th emost natural direction for the story to take given this particular post. This post really emphasised some of Kari's colder aspects - like using magic to make sure she doesn't get her dress stained, or not really registering that other people might find screams off-putting - so her being ultra-pragmatic and leaning into villainy... kind of feels like the most obvious or natural way for this to go down.
(That being said, since this guy is so unkempt, we could be leading towards an 'adopt a feral kid' style outing but... well, as I said, this is the more obvious way to me. Happy to hear dissenting opinions and change my vote though!)
One of your familiars descends from the sky as a blade and severs his body at the hips before he could take more than a single step towards you. The familiar unravels itself and wraps part of itself around the boy before returning into the shape of the bird. It holds him in the air for further inspection.
"Kari," Amna speaks up. Her voice is trembling ever so slightly.
Severs the body at the hips, as in, cuts the legs off? That's pretty brutal, but I find it interesting that Amna doesn't say anything more, and doesn't react to us further mutilating the boy. I expected an objection there, since for all of her practicality, Amna holds some idealistic notions. Her proposal of an alliance comes to mind, where she saw non-aggression as a benefit in itself, while we saw it as a delaying tactic.
Right as I was reading the update, I was wondering if Kari would kill the Master to end the battle quickly (and I expected it to be a choice after the combined efforts of the Servants fail), but I didn't expect it to come up after the most tense part is over. With the Master unable to give orders, and the Berserker distracted, our victory has been assured, and it is only a question of how much do we want to pay for it.
I was thinking that I was not interested in the pacifist playthrough. I agree with Galaxia-sama in that this explores Kari's less pleasant inclinations, as so far she outwardly presented herself as little more than a goofy mentor figure. It is probably time to remind people why the Grail War is called that, and that this is not a story about the powers of friendship.
Or even if it is, our friendship is a limited offer that does not extend to everyone.
[x] Buy time until Avenger is purified, then kill the Master.
This seems like a good time to call the vote. Meaning that using the Noble Phantasms wins. Once again, thank you all for voting, I appreciate it.
If it's any consolation to the people that wanted Kari's more cold and pragmatic aspects to get highlighted, I'm not sure the orphan you're about to create is going to agree with this being a perfect pacifist run.
If it's any consolation to the people that wanted Kari's more cold and pragmatic aspects to get highlighted, I'm not sure the orphan you're about to create is going to agree with this being a perfect pacifist run.
This doesn't quite scratch the same itch, as Servants are considered not-really-persons by the franchise, with a few exceptions played for drama. The premise of the War is that six of them need to be killed to fulfill its goal, and even the principled protagonists are expected to kill them, or at least order them killed. The line, such as it is, is only drawn at killing Masters.
I don't think the kid will garner a lot of sympahy among the company we keep.
This post really emphasised some of Kari's colder aspects - like using magic to make sure she doesn't get her dress stained, or not really registering that other people might find screams off-putting
People in general find other people being torn apart to be more off-putting than the screaming than follows. That's where the "colder aspect" shines through; Kari doesn't stem the flow of blood, or ease the pain; she keeps the blood from pouring on her and shuts the guy up, and thinks "well, now this is tidy and not offensive to anyone's sensibilities" before proceeding to tear another limb.
I mean, we read the story from Kari's perspective, and going by the narration, the screams are not there until Amna cringes and Kari notices. They simply do not register to her senses. She puts no more thoughts into maiming the guy than tearing a wing off a fly; she pays more attention to her familliar.
