Fate/White Moon (Fate/Nasuverse Quest)

[Zhaitan]

In spite of the fact of their Master just dying the Red Faction Servants showed no signs of stopping their battles, you didn't really hold it against them though as your own team was equally guilty. You could try to help your… friends defeat Kotomine's former Servants, but you feel that would just be unwanted considering the wide smiles plastered on everyone's faces as they fought.

This wasn't really a strange notion to you considering the fact that you also greatly enjoyed a good fight, it was in short, exhilarating. Still you didn't want your friends to get hurt too seriously but also didn't want to get in the way of their fun.

The simplest solution would be to take Kotomine's Seals to become the Red Factions main Master and then make them stop when they went too far either by Command Seal or Force, either one worked but the Seals would definitely help.

Looking down on the cooling corpse of your enemy you couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment, he was just as underwhelming as Roa.

While it was nice that everything didn't blow up in your face, it was still dissatisfying to have everything be so, so… easy. While many would say having everything go your way was a good thing, to you well it was boring, dreadfully so in fact.

Okay so maybe you were still a bit bitter as to how your earlier encounter with Roa went but still why couldn't you get a decent challenge!? You carefully shifted your gaze away from the two Servants you incapacitated, you couldn't help but admit that maybe having your full-strength back wasn't totally a good thing, perhaps you were a bit too strong?

As you leaned down you paused to consider which hand you were supposed to use. On one hand you had a golden ring and on the other you bore a ring portraying a serpent eating its tail. Now you were pretty sure it was the golden ring that you had to press against the dead priests severed hand, which wasn't on his body great.

Luckily it didn't take long to spot where the Command Seal bearing arm was, well that was to be expected with your abilities, you'd be far more surprised if you couldn't find it. It took less that a dozen seconds to spot and retrieve Kotomine's arm.

Now where were you… Right, while you were pretty sure that it was the golden ring on your left hand that let you take another's Command Seals for your own, you just wanted to make sure you got them, on the off chance you were wrong.

It was a bit shameful, but you sort of forgot about these items after all the crazy things that had happened today, storming the Black Faction castle that Roa took over, fighting Arjuna and beating him with a cool toy; Then charging straight at Roa after claiming the enemy Archer as your own, killing Roa and claiming the Black Faction for your own. Until finally going after and now taking the Red Faction as well. It was honestly crazy to think this all happened in just a few hours, so it was totally understandable if you forgot some… minor details on which ring did what, yeah!

You blinked and blinked again well this was awkward, how exactly were you supposed to press both your hands on an arm anyways, well you could always put it on the ground and hunch over it.

That was stupid though, not to mention embarrassing instead you'll just move both rings to one hand but that leaves the question which one?

Your left hand had two Red Command Seals while your right revealed a tapestry of seven Black Seals, you're not sure if it really matters which hand you take the Seals with but just in case, you'll put both rings on your left hand.

Uhhh huh? You… can't pull it off!! Tugging the ring with the snake motif did absolutely nothing at all regardless of how much strength you used, it just didn't budge!

Still that answers that question the ring you want to use, it's definitely the golden one and not this accursed trinket that was stuck to your finger like a lamprey. You hope no one saw that though, taking a quick glance at everyone it seems they're still occupied, good.

Hmm, wait it seems Astolfo and the other pink haired midget have stopped fighting, perhaps it's because of the comradery they share over their ridiculous hair color?

At least they weren't paying attention to you…

Absently you pressed your left hand on the severed arm, it's actually the second time you've done this tonight. By that you mean taking command seals from a severed arm, perhaps it's a common occurrence in these Grail Wars.

You didn't particularly care about that, what did interest you was the items that Gil gave you, why? Well you didn't want to have to ask Gil what they did, only for him to tease you after all!

So first of all you have an immaculate white dress that's indestructible along with dimensional pockets to hold stuff, that's what Gil told you at any rate but you're sure there's more to it. The dress not having any stains is surely a sign that it has more abilities, Gil's just trying to have you figure it out for yourself.

You can't help but think that the dress is related to how you blew through Kotomine's defenses earlier, as executor blades shouldn't have crumpled that easily. There was the chance you could simply be underestimating your returned strength instead.

Next was the golden tracking amulet, the first Item your tiny Archer gave you, it can track things that belong to you, maybe? On second thought you're not exactly sure what is does other than find things somehow. That wasn't a good showing, but you think that's right.

Okay next is… you give yourself a glance and decide figuring out the rings would do. The golden one uhmm it, it did uhhh it took command seals, yup! You're starting to lose confidence in this whole remembering what items did what thing, No! You've got this, the other ring you couldn't take it off because it was cursed, you're sure of that and that it destroyed souls!

You feel your chest swell with pride at that, after all that was right on the money! Well you think it was at any rate, you shift your attention to the bracelet around your right arm.

You didn't really pay attention to it until now, but it also matched your dress however it had large red gems adorning it in a circular pattern, you weren't really an expert on rocks or gems or whatever people wanted to call them. Your first thought was that they were rubies, but they could easily be glass for all you knew but that probably didn't matter, what did was that the item was supposed to conceal your scent or something.

Next up was, you didn't spot anything else but taking a quick peek into your pocket reveals a jagged dagger shaped like a lightning bolt, it had something to do with Servants and you poked them with it to make them yours? This was another item you didn't really get how it worked, only that it was helpful somehow.

Finally there was… you look everywhere on your person but don't find anything else, that seemed to be it, wait now that you think about it there was that pendant that shielded you from arrows until it broke.

That was actually a bunch of stuff, more than you've ever worn before which now that you mention it wasn't a hard feat at all considering you never wore any kind of jewelry before Gil came along with all his shiny trinkets. That's not to say you didn't like them or anything, in fact they were amazing it's just it seemed a bit… much.

Still you felt like you were missing something, but you couldn't put your finger on it, frustrated you ran a hand through your hair; Wait that was it the hat! It was supposed to make you invisible and it… was nowhere on your person, you must've dropped it after your small episode with Roa.

Oops.

You wince at that realization, telling Gil that you lost one of his treasures wasn't a conversation you were looking forward to. Well you had a ton of good news to go along with it, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal or it should at the very least serve soften the blow.

Six bonds snap into place marked by the intricate red engraving of thirteen seals upon your left arm, by this time you were used to the customary feeling of gaining a Servant if by nothing but the drain each one of them took from your reserves. While having a ton of Servants might be cool at first glance, each of them actually took quite a big chunk of mana, while some like Astolfo didn't take nearly as much, it still was enough to be concerning and with five new ones it should've been extremely taxing. What was strange though is that you could feel prana filtering into you at the exact same rate as the drain, making you feel if you didn't have a small army of ancient heroes.

Was this the support of the Grail? That was your first guess, but you didn't have much of an idea of what was helping in fact you could be totally wrong but now that you think back on it, this might've been happening for quite some time. Galling as it was to admit it, you only noticed the filtering energy when you called down your Marble Phantasm which you shouldn't have had enough energy to manifest.

In other words you only noticed the Prana help when It smacked you right in the face, it was subtle in an odd way as now that you could focus on it, there was no denying it was there but at the same time it felt natural, as if it was to be expected.

It was baffling to say the least but honestly you could barely get worked up over it at this point, too many strange events happening so close together has already inured you to the wackiness that came with this Holy Grail War.

Still it would be a hell of a story to tell Uncle Zel, when you met him again, you were betting it would be pretty soon though. Now that you think about it you probably have to unless you wanted some Magi bother you for taking over the Grail war. While that might not seem like a big deal since Magi didn't stand a snowballs chance in hell to actually hurt you in a meaningful manner, they could still be very annoying when they wanted to be.

That was off topic though, you shake your head as you return to the present, looking around it seems Astolfo and the other pinky were still cordially conversing, but your vampiric acuity could pick it up as if you were right next to them.

"-ppogriff even took me to the moon once! Pretty cool huh! Oh there was even that time that…" You tuned out Rider's blathering as she continued on about nonsensical topics that didn't seem to have any significance, you looked towards the two before shrugging, might as well head towards the only pair that weren't fighting.

Astolfo was eventually cut off by her conversation partner "Focus Astolfo, I would say that is pretty amazing and I would love to see your Hippogriff, it would be an opportunity I've unfortunately never had before, as most phantasmal beasts of that rank had either disappeared or become so rare you couldn't find them even after a century of searching when I was alive…" at that the diminutive girl looked forlorn, it was almost as if looking at a kicked puppy, you had an urge to pick her up and squeeze her to death, maybe not that hard.

Pinky two seemed to regain her spirits before the strange urge overwhelmed you continuing "Still it's taken you to the moon? That's an incredible feat, tell me what exactly did you find there?" At that Astolfo's annoying voice started up again but you simply blocked it out this time, didn't want your brain to fry.

It seems both were so caught up in their little conversation that they didn't notice you sneaking up on them until you got a little fed up with them not noticing you and spoke up "Hey Astolfo and other pinky."

The other pinky seemed a bit miffed but then she smiles brightly after a moment "So you're my new master, as well as most every other Servant in this war, I guess it couldn't have gone any other way considering who you are."

You tilt your head; how did she know who you were? did her master tell her? It seems she caught onto that as she answered your unasked question "It's nothing that strange, not every hero is a millennia old legend after all" She points at Gil and Achilles still fighting which they're enjoying a bit too much in your opinion, if their expressions are anything to go by

"I was actually born centuries after you were, where I became a Magi of some repute, so it isn't strange that I actually know about you; The White Princess is well known amongst those in the moonlit world."

Heroes of legend could be younger than you?! That made you feel old, were you old? You'd have to ask Uncle Zel, wait never mind he'd just call you a kid again and spout something, something my cute niece.

Who else could you ask though? The second thought that popped into your mind was Gil since he was so wise, yet he wasn't even an adult yet, of course you'd be old to him, hmmm.

"Arcueid are you there?" Well there was always Arjuna, he seemed reliable enough but then again, he was a human with a mortal life span so that probably wouldn't work either.

"Let me try, HELLO, Earth to Master!" That voice, it was like nails on a chalkboard to your senses, turning to glare at the nuisance you gaze right into Rider's eyes daring her to continue. It seems Astolfo was a bit smarter than she appeared as before your eyes even met, she became suspiciously silent.

"Truly you have a way with our Master, Astolfo but if I may have your attention I would like to apologize." Huh? What did midget #2 have to apologize for? "I Helena Blavatsky am sincerely sorry for attacking you earlier with my Noble Phantasm, it wasn't my intention, but I was under the orders of a Command Seal at the time, since I didn't agree with that errant Servant Kotomine's wish."

Now that she mentioned the Dead Priest's wish didn't Gil say the same thing about it?

"What was so bad about his wish anyway?" You can't help but ask.

At that Helena's face scrunched up in distaste "Only that it was monumentally short sighted and stupid, the Priest obviously didn't have the first clue as to what would've really happened if he got his way, of course when someone just tries to help him make a wish that won't explode in everyone's faces, he uses a command seal on me to make me shut up and follow his stupid plan because he's oh so determined and won't be swayed from his path! What a load of bull, worst Master ever!"

You try to say something, but she figuratively runs over you as she continues her venting "The general idea was good I mean every human transcending into mahatmas sounds amazing but there are reasons why that hasn't happened yet, even with figures that surpass this grail's power. It's because everyone knows that if you tried speeding up the process, GAIA and ALAYA won't simply just lie down an let it happen, no! They'll instead designate this timeline for removal because it deviates too far from the quantum time lock, destroying our reality in the process! How is the supposed to save anyone! HOW?!"

Uhh, Mahawho? The what lock? Sparing a look at Astolfo you could also see that's she's just as confused as you are. You just shrug, all you got from that was the wish was bad which Gil already told you.

The movement of your shoulder's seems to attract Helena's attention back to yourself and it doesn't seem to take her long to notice just how lost both Astolfo and you were.

"Ah, my bad you two aren't Magi unless…" She had the decency to look a bit sheepish there but she suddenly trails off an excited glint entering her eyes "Hey I know it would be impossible for Astolfo, but would you be interested in learning Mage Craft from me!"

Her demeanor does a 180 as all of the sudden she seems to beam at you, brimming with excitement "I mean to teach a nature spirit of your caliber is even rarer than a once it a life time opportunity, I'll be a good teacher I swear Oh! I wonder if you'd be interested in learning about that Cauldron of Dagda since it's close in nature to the Grail… Wait I'm getting ahead of myself, that can come after learning about quantum time locks, yes I have a lesson plan already good to go!"

You learn Magecraft, is that even possible? In the first place did you even want to learn something like that from someone you just met?! You take a quick glance at Astolfo only to find her still mysteriously silent, the one time you need her to be annoying to bail you out and she doesn't deliver!

Well, you look back towards Helena who somehow has sparkles twinkling around her eyes… is that some sort of Magecraft? More importantly how exactly are you going to handle this situation?


Arcueid decides…


[X] Well Magecraft has always interested you a tiny bit, might as well learn some while waiting for everyone to finish their fights.

[X] You weren't touching Magecraft with a ten-foot pole nor would like to be Helena's student, you'll pass.

[X] You'd decide later you had more important things to do like…

-[X] Stop everyone fighting with a Command Seal, it would likely anger some of your Servants and use a Seal up but it's better that they stayed safe.

-[X] Check up on Siegfried to see how he's doing, you're a bit worried about him.

-[X] See how the Elf's doing, she does seem a bit volatile but how to handle her?

--[X] (Write in how do you deal with Semiramis?)

[X] You'll simply go over to one of the fights and intervene if it looks a little dicey but whose?

-[X] The Indian brother's battle.

-[X] Gil's fight with Achilles.

-[X] Try to get Shuten to help out?

--[X] (Write in how and with what)

[X] Write in (Beware a complete write in is subject to veto if I feel it doesn't make sense or is too OOC)



A/N: So this chapter was mostly an inner monologue as to what I'd call a but of a recap chapter for a few of the minor things that might've gotten forgotten in the shuffle and to clarify a few points. Do be aware this isn't everything and only what Arc herself can Recall IC, this is no omniscient POV after all so it's subject to Bias and Fallacies.

Another point to touch on is the votes, a lot of options aren't there? I did it mainly because each vote I see a huge bandwagon on what to do so I hope this makes things a bit more engaging for people to participate in, if you need any clarification just ask me in the comments and I'll be happy to oblige.

Finally point any mistakes, OOCness and inconsistencies and I'll try to fix them to the best of my ability, and that's it I hope you like this chapter, although I feel it is a bit choppy since I rushed it out after only 2 hours of sleep =/ couldn't go back to bed for whatever reason.

 

[Zhaitan]

Mordred's body was already littered with wounds and the battle with this monster hadn't even hit the minute mark, beneath her helmet she grimaced as a few of her ribs screamed in protest as she backflipped over her opponent's monstrous excuse for an arm.


Landing back on the ground the Knight's instincts blared like a horn being blown, DUCK! Not a moment too soon Mordred followed through as the instant her sabatons touched the ground she rolled forwards, dodging a large fist by a hair's breadth.


That wasn't enough to protect the Knight of Betrayal from the concussive force of her opponents' attack which sent Mordred's form tumbling a few meters away. This encounter only seemed to serve to add to her growing list of injuries, while her wounds were nothing truly substantial yet, at this rate things weren't looking good.


Still being blown away from Nrvnqsr as this beast liked to call himself, was actually a bit of good luck as it gave Saber time to regain her bearings from the one-sided pummeling she has been taking ever since the first blow was traded.


While there wasn't even a single scratch marring Chaos' form, Saber didn't come out of this exchange empty handed. No, Mordred now had a measure of Chaos' abilities.


The man was stronger than that gorilla Gawain was during daylight for certain and his speed in this new form matched that of a typical Lancer, which was saying something.


His durability would've been lackluster if it wasn't for the fact his insane regeneration more than covered for that flaw, making any blow dealt to him near useless.


There was the option to utilize her Noble Phantasm Clarent Blood Arthur once again as it seemed to be able to at least temporarily put this menace down, but it didn't seem feasible as her body still ached from the last time she used it despite how much she tried to hide it and using it would only worsen her condition. There was also the fact that her opponent wasn't giving her the time necessary to utilize Blood Arthur which made striking with Clarent while using mana burst to empower her swings her best option and it just wasn't enough. In other words the deformed grey monster was an opponent that seemed nearly impossible to take down with her own abilities, as much as it galled Mordred to admit it.


That was the thing though, Saber wasn't by herself, she smirked as she watched Jeanne score a deep gash in the Beast's side due to the monster overextending himself by blowing her away. Despite the weeping wound Chaos pushed on Ignoring Jeanne in favor of barreling towards Saber.


This time Mordred was ready, and her instincts guided around the sloppy attack into what could only be called a miraculous counter, Saber spun around the blow while maneuvering towards her opponent's vulnerable backside, ready to deal a grievous blow. Right at the moment Saber was about to cleave the monster's torso in twain, massive jaws emerged from his back.


It was almost enough to give the fearless Servant pause but the knight pressed on, using Clarent to strike the emerging beast down. Mordred's blade bore down at a blistering speed biting into flesh, but just as it seemed to work her blade stopped caught between blackened scales.


The unnatural abomination let out a horrifying shriek of pain, drawing the Knight's attention towards the visage… the draconic visage.


Mordred had only just realized her mistake "Oh Shi…" when bright red flames engulfed her form, dragon's breath aiming to cook her alive!


Saber might've already been dead from the sheer concussive force of the breath alone if it wasn't for her armor but even then, she didn't have much time before she was a well-done steak. Thinking quickly Saber did the first thing that came to her desperate mind, she dematerialized.


Just as suddenly as the heat came, it faded away as the Knight of Betrayal's body disappeared while the dragon head crooned in confusion looking to and fro for its escaped meal.

Nrvnqsr noticed as well, his grin turning into a distasteful grimace "More tricks is it?"


The vampire paused to consider, carefully watching his other adversary's moves, Jeanne returned the gesture and kept still, using this time to catch her breath. All while the magus in the back showed the usual human reaction to his presence, fear.


While Chaos was still giddy from the hunt, he wasn't stupid or thoughtless, he should've heard of humans with capabilities that were on par with the Clocktower's famed Lorelei Barthomeloi!

Something was wrong here, but Nrvnqsr had yet to figure out what.


The Armored Knight and the female warrior had physical capabilities that far exceeded those possible for human that wasn't all as they also had potent abilities that he didn't recognize as magecraft. Which made them unknown variables that he couldn't properly calculate for, yet there was one option that looked all the more appealing.


The magus accompanying the two warriors was a known variable, one chaos knew how to properly account for and take advantage of. At first the Dead Apostle Ancestor ignored the lowly magus due to his obviously negligible threat level, but Chaos wasn't here to hunt. No, Chaos was here for information and that Magus was just as likely to have the information he sought as the two strange warriors if not more so.


Nrvnqsr came to this to this decision in an instant, so fast that the flag bearing woman didn't even have enough time to take a few breaths. There was a reason Memory Partition and Thought Acceleration were the main methods of Atlas.


The very next moment Chaos was charging towards the Magus while his blonde opponent tried to respond to his sudden shift in tactics.

She was slow, far too slow.


Already Nrvnqsr was upon the hapless magus, the vampire carefully slowed down as he reached a beefy hand towards the spell caster, it wouldn't do to pulp him after all the magus couldn't properly be devoured in such a state.


"Saber!!!" Those were the mage's last words? An aria of some sort? Well Chaos couldn't allow that, it wouldn't do to have some spell rob him of his kill at the last minute. Chaos tightened his grasp on the magus choking him to prevent the magus from continuing his aria while lifting him up to his mouth, savoring the terror in the air.


In the corner of his eye Nrvnqsr saw the silver knight that had disappeared earlier materialize right next to the male magus and by extension himself, but the knight wasn't threatening in the least unless she used that attack from their first encounter and even that would only serve to kill the magus, not him.


"Luminosité Eternelle!" The blonde woman cried out as a brilliant light shone from behind the Dead apostle as he saw magus' sunglasses begin to reflect the holy light.

Just as Chaos grasped the man the burning light from behind caught up and threw the Dead Apostle Ancestor away the Magus, he had grasped who somehow was seemingly unaffected by the extreme force that separated the two.


This wasn't how it was supposed to go! Chaos charged again but a barrier of light prevented his advance. It didn't take the vampire long to realize this was an effect similar to the holy ground miracle the church liked to employ, but this barrier was on a level that Chaos had never encountered before despite the numerous centuries the dead apostle had existed.


Still Chaos kept hammering against the golden shell ignoring the searing burns the barrier inflicted as the damage was negligible at best and he noticed…


The more Nrvnqsr struck the barrier the more tears adorned the source of the barrier, that powerful woman's flag. It seemed whatever the woman had managed to pull, it wouldn't last for long.

Chaos grinned in anticipation; So what if these two warriors had strange abilities? That only made this hunt all the better.


In fact since these two clearly couldn't truly harm him, they were easy pickings and once he assimilated them, all their powerful abilities would be his to claim. The mere thought of it was enough to make the beast shiver in exhilaration.


Yes, Chaos could hardly wait and as if responding to his desires the holy barrier shattered when his fist struck it for what seemed the hundredth time. Expecting this outcome Chaos didn't waste any time going for the kill, once again targeting the male magus who was obviously the weakest link.


Yet once again something interfered, this time it was stakes sprouting from the ground spearing through Chaos' arm, all while multiple thorns bloomed inside the vampire's body which stabbed outwards until Chaos didn't resemble anything other than a pincushion.


His eyes weren't usable as multiple thorns had taken their place, blinding him. That wasn't all as more thorns skewered their way through his body, robbing the Dead Apostle Ancestor of most of his other senses.

This kind of damage was enough to kill even powerful Dead Apostles a hundred times over, yet for Chaos this wasn't anything more than an inconvenience. The Dragon on his back once more emerged and Chaos used the powerful phantasmal species' abilities to burn the thorns infesting him from within, along with everything in his immediate surroundings.


When the beast finally regained his senses, he saw what had caused the unwelcome attack, three more individuals appeared before him, three more obstacles in his way.


"More nuisances? You're like rats, constantly crawling out of the woodwork." Nrvnqsr growled out.


The thrill had left him, all Chaos felt at this moment was frustration as more unknown variables appeared out of nowhere. When would this tide of vermin end?!


"Rats? Hmph, even if that were so, it's far better than being a disgusting leech like yourself, vampire." An imperious voice responded back to his statement with a mocking lilt. Chaos identified the one that spoke as a blonde man in an elaborate outfit fit for a king.


Chaos narrowed his eyes focusing on the man even as rumbling blasts started echoing off in the distance. This was getting him nowhere, in fact sparing at quick glance at the commotion in the distance...

That level of power simply wasn't possible, not the sheer scope of it, but the fact that he knew of every being capable of that level of power, that could truly threaten his existence. The powerful blasts destroying the landscape were a threat that was for certain, but what didn't line up is that he hadn't a single clue who was behind that destructive clash; It was a complete unknown and that made Chaos nervous.

Using Alchemical methods Chaos quickly calculated and ran his chances, the blasts he had briefly spotted earlier clearly had enough power behind them to put even him at risk not to mention those huge meteor showers that kept appearing at random that seemed to spell certain doom that made even Chaos feel fear; That along with the fact that these strange warriors he was faced with, while not a threat kept attracting even more powerful fighters to him, with no end in sight.


It was at this point that Chaos acknowledged if variables kept up at this pace there was a high chance even a Dead Apostle Ancestor like himself would be overrun. Another angle to consider was that one of the newcomers was clearly an Executor working for the Holy Church making the possibility of reinforcements from the Church very real. All these factors led to the conclusion his situation was no longer favorable and it would probably only grow worse with time.


Chaos had taken all this in and more running several simulations for his chances at victory with the current variables taken into account. It took less than half a dozen seconds for him to conclude that hunting Arcueid at this moment simply wasn't worth it, Nrvnqsr would pursue her later at least until these strange events died down or Chaos could find out what he was dealing with. A part of Nrvnqsr rebelled at the notion of retreat that he was letting such unique prey escape him especially when they seemed to pose no threat, but his more cautious side won out in the end.


There was no time to waste, Chaos had to leave before even more annoyances arrived!

Wings from all manner of beasts sprung from the monstrous Beast's back while several more of those black stakes that had ripped him from the inside out were converging on his location, but they weren't quite quick enough. As by the time they arrived, the monstrous behemoth had already taken to the skies allowing Chaos to fly away from the Servants below him and the fiery cataclysm unfolding nearby, until both were mere specks in the distance.


Ortenrosse certainly wouldn't be happy with Chaos' decision to retreat and subsequently allowing Arcueid to escape. No one opposed the White Wing Lord lightly for a reason, despite his low ranking among the Dead Apostle Ancestors and this could spell a doom more certain than dealing with those unknown elements, however Nrvnqsr was confident that as long as he pursued Arcueid in the near future the White Wing Lord wouldn't take offense.


It wasn't a guarantee though as there was always a chance that Trhvnm would insist on making an enemy of Nrvnqsr, but Chaos figured he could simply join Altrouge's faction for protection if that was the case, as much as he disliked the Brunestud brat tolerating her existence was better than oblivion.


Still for now Chaos had escaped this mess of a town and was on his way to find out what exactly was happening here.

Next time he would be prepared…



A/N: Surprise! Bet no one was suspecting an update after all this time, but I never entirely abandon any of my works. Anyways this chapter feels a bit flat and the change in perspective felt a tad awkward and long winded(Kinda mentioned that in my other fic), but I hope it's alright regardless. And yes, I know this is an interlude update, but it was already half done so might as well xD

So Chaos is temporarily out of the game as I see him as the type who's only confident when his chances are certain(I mean look how he reacted to Shiki) so when things aren't going his way he simply runs away with his tail behind his legs probably due to all the herbivores he's assimilated.

As always point out any improvements that can be made with the chapter.

 

[Zhaitan]

"So how about it? What do you want to learn first?!" Helena asked in excitement, you wanted to look away from that expectant gaze, but you couldn't pull your eyes away for some reason.

As you stared into Helena's sparkling eyes you couldn't help but feel cornered, you didn't know how to respond… you needed a distraction and fast. You look away from Helena's puppy dog eyes to focus on something more important like… Like the Elf, Yes, the Elf.

"Sorry not right now Helena, I have to check up on that elf!" You hastily answer, making a beeline towards where you last spotted the gaudily dressed woman, but it seems the midget wasn't going to let you go that easily, as she doggedly followed after you with Astolfo in tow.

"It's alright… I understand, I honestly got a little carried away. We can just have our lesson later!" Yup Helena simply wasn't going to let it go, was she?

Now that you thought about it, Helena was obviously Caster what with trying to teach you Magecraft, but if that was the case then what class was the Elf?

May as well ask before you embarrassed yourself "Hey Helena what class is the elf? Oh, and what's her name, I can't keep calling her the Elf after all."

"The Elf? You must mean Semiramis." Helena starts of with a hint of confusion before continuing "She's a demigod infamous committing the first murder using poison, so she's classed as Assassin, however she's also a Caster at the same time."

You glance at the young Caster in shock, Servants could be two classes at once? Since when!?

"Monsters first and now double classed Servants..." You mutter under your breath.

Were the rules of the Holy Grail War in place just so they could be broken?! Were there even any rules in the first place, because it didn't seem like it!

Just as Semiramis came into view Helena asks you a question "What do you intend to do about her Master?"

"Uhmm…" You actually hadn't thought about it too much, in the first place you were only here to avoid Helena's offer!

Seeing your indecision the pink Caster adds her own thoughts on the matter "Master, I'm not sure how to put this, but that woman what I've observed isn't going to take her change is Masters very well, if my suspicions are right."

That statement stops you in your tracks as you turn to Helena with a serious expression on your face "What do you mean?"

The small Caster meets your gaze with steely resolve "I believe she was in love with our former Master and considering you've just killed him, there's a high chance she'll try to take revenge on us. No, it's guaranteed considering her personality."

"Wait, what are we supposed to do then?" Astolfo nervously interjects her eyes darting towards Assassin of Red.

Helena's face is a mask of steel as she replies back without hesitation "While I doubt that she has the ability to hurt our Master, she can easily kill every Servant in this room if given the chance with her powerful poisons. Even if she doesn't try to kill us all the moment she wakes up, she'll simply be biding her time trying to find the best way to kill our Master…"

"Our only option is to kill her." Helena mutters the last part after a long silence before looking away from the two of you, as if ashamed of herself for suggesting such a thing.

"But, but that's so cruel! Killing a defenseless person without giving them a chance isn't right!" Rider cried out in protest.

Was Helena right, should you kill Semiramis?

Well… Assassin had assisted Kotomine even when he was as good as dead, seemingly more concerned with his well being than all his other Servants combined. So you could certainly see the Servant trying to kill everyone once she found out the wayward Ruler was dead, especially since they were the cause of his death.

You Ignore the budding argument blossoming between the two pink haired servants in favor of walking up to the insensate Assassin. While you could acknowledge that Caster's assumptions were likely, was killing the long-eared demigod truly the right choice?

despite the mounting evidence you still weren't sure what to do, until Assassin's eyes slowly fluttered open. Despite your hesitation when Assassin's yellow eyes met your gaze, the decision was made. In less then a second you struck her skull with all your might, killing the defenseless Servant instantly.

It was those eyes that erased any doubt in your mind, Assassin's face had twisted into a murderous rage the moment she laid her eyes on you. If you didn't act and let her live, you were sure she would've tried to kill everything around her without a second thought.

"Hey, you two, it's finished so you don't have to argue about it anymore." You call to your Servants happily, proud of having saved everyone from a nasty fate.

Two pairs of pink eyes turn towards you in surprise, it didn't take them long to notice the light flaking off Semiramis' headless corpse to realize what you had accomplished.

Helena looked at the fallen Servant somberly, lacking your cheer despite being the one who suggested this action in the first place! Hmph why wasn't she congratulating you on saving everyone from having to experience Assassin's last stand?

Still Caster's reaction was better than Rider's as the small Knight Servant stared at the scene with no small amount disgust, looking quite queasy, as if she was about to hurl. Honestly Astolfo was pretty sensitive for a hero a mere headless body and you. You couldn't help but wonder how the paladin would react to some of the messes Roa left for you to clean up, the wimp would probably pass out.

Just as you were about to make fun of Astolfo the ground beneath your feet rumbled, cracking and splitting as the large spires around you collapsed to the floor.

"What the hell is going on?!" You yell in alarm

"Without Assassin to support it her Noble Phantasm is falling apart!" Caster hollered back in response as she blasted away a slab of stone looking to crush her along with Astolfo who was hiding behind her.

The commotion was enough to stop Gil's duel as the young Archer along with the green haired Servant took stock of their surroundings.

Perhaps killing Semiramis wasn't the smartest move? Well it wasn't that bad considering that the crumbling fortress wasn't that big a danger to you or the Servants around you. Actually on second thought it was quite helpful, since now you only had two of your Servants fighting each other, progress!

Now your next move would be too…

What does Arcueid decide to do?

[] Make sure the Duel between Gil and the green haired man doesn't start again.

[] Talk to Helena and Astolfo some more and perhaps take up Caster on her magecraft offer.

[] Check up on Siegfried to see how he's doing, you're a bit worried about him.
-[] Go to him or summon him to you using a Command Seal?

[] Do something about Indian brothers duel.
-[] What?

[] Inspect that purple ooze still hanging in the air.

[] Write in(Subject to QM approval)

A/N: Very short, but that's due to there being a lot of branching paths that are all important in their own right. Honestly the sheer breadth of diverging paths makes it so I'm including write ins, I would say more, but that would spoil way too much.

What I will say is that killing your own Servants without allowing them to make the first move, while pragmatically the best option will serve to damage your relations with some of your other Servants for obvious reasons.

 

[Zhaitan]

Luckily it seems that a distraction was no longer necessary as Helena was willing to put her lessons to the side for now and you've successfully dealt with Semiramis. So now you could focus on something that's been bothering you for a while, Siegfried.

Saber honestly should've been here by now, while the Basmu was strong, the Dragon Slayer should've handled that overgrown snake with ease. So that left you with a slight worry niggling in your chest, while you were also a bit concerned over Arjuna's duel with Karna you were sure they'd work it out, they were brothers after all!

You wince slightly at that thought, as all that comes to your mind are the various fights between that have occurred between you and your sister Altrouge, which weren't pretty. But! Both you survived those duels so it stood to reason that the Indian brothers would also be fine, probably.

Ignoring the rapidly decaying state of the surrounding palace, you look back to Helena and Astolfo and decide to have a few words with them before you left to check up on Saber.
Arcueid Diplomacy roll=36 Slight Failure

The reason was simple, they looked a bit down for some reason, the first thought that leapt to your mind was that perhaps it was because you killed Assassin, but that couldn't be right? Why would they be upset over someone who was obviously going to hurt them, that simply made no sense.

Sliding towards the two heroes, you ask them in a cheerful tone "Soo~ what's with the frowning faces you two?"

"Do you really need to ask that?" Astolfo quietly mutters back.

You nod your head in response, reiterating what you said earlier along with another observation "Yup, you honestly look pretty sick Rider."

Helena merely quirks her brow at you, seemingly unamused before turning to the now trembling Rider. Now both of them seemed to be ignoring you!?

What's their deal?

"Hey pinky are you…" you're quickly interrupted by Caster who's still not even bothering to look at you! "Not right now Master, I'll handle Astolfo just let me talk to him."

What? Did she just tell you to go away? Well… fine you had better things to do anyway, Siegfried was waiting for you after all, you bet he'd be thankful for your presence unlike this ungrateful lot.

Well Helena seemed to be alright, it was just Astolfo that was the problem, requiring others to look after… him? You freeze in place as what Helena said rings in your head, Astolfo was a guy? That same Rider who was about as pink and girly as they came?

You must've misheard that, but what you did hear clearly after you left their immediate vicinity was Helena whispering to Astolfo "You have to understand our master just isn't human, she never was. You can't expect her to empathize the way we do…"

Well that's sort of true, but you understood humans well enough, at least you thought so…

Right then to Siegfried!

You put the words out of your mind to focus on finding Saber, only sparing a quick glance at your other Servants to make sure they were okay before you left.

It seems Gil and Achilles were amicably chatting about their battle as the green Rider asks Gil a question "So how did you know right where I was going to attack before I even moved?"

Gil smugly responded with a proud smile "It's well within my abilities to predict my opponents."

"Oya, I think it was a marvelous spectacle you two provided, I haven't seen a battle quite like it before fufufu." Shuten-Douji also seemed to be joining the mix, popping out of nowhere perhaps using her presence concealment?

Grr, that vixen. Well at least you didn't see her trying to start a party, so it seemed the Phantasmal creature was honoring your agreement. You smirk in self-satisfaction; It seems the Oni could learn after all.

With the state of your Servants confirmed, you quickly sprint out the colossal doors and towards where the Basmu was. In all likelihood Siegfried was still there if he hadn't caught up to everyone yet.

While you made good time it still left you a while for idle thoughts and your mind couldn't help but focus on what Helena said. It was obvious that you overlooked something, but what?

It was honestly frustrating, perhaps it really…

Ah, you were here. Looking around the destroyed room it doesn't take you long to spot Siegfried, he was collapsed face first on the floor, what why?

Wasting no time you run towards him in a mad dash, in an instant you're right by his side, thoroughly inspecting Saber for what exactly was wrong. It's not hard to the spot puncture marks littering his back and the deep green enlarged veins that were slowly spreading throughout his body.

It wasn't hard to guess what happened, while Siegfried defeated the Basmu, it's posse of lesser snakes surrounded the Dragon Slayer and while he was busy with the divine beast, had struck Saber's vulnerable backside, badly poisoning him.

This was your fault…

You should've realized that this would have happened! You run your hands through your hair, tugging at the strands in irritation. Wait! Now wasn't the time to beat yourself up over this, he was dying right now, but you could still fix this!

…Right?

What does Arcueid do?

[] Use a command seal to summon a Servant to help save Siegfried.
-[] Who?

[] Pick up and Carry Saber to your other Servants for help.

[] Help him with your Marble Phantasm.
-[] How?


A/N: Another short chapter, but fast update makes up for it? Maybe? Anyways I'll point out the flaw in the earlier vote to how Siegfried got messed up.

While the dragon slayer has a great matchup with the Basmu 1v1 it wasn't a 1v1 and hundreds of lesser snakes were all situated in that room. Siegfried's major flaw is that he has a spot on his back that's not protected by Armor of Fafnir, making it easy to damage and when you've got a ton of poisonous snakes sniping at while he's distracted by a beast as strong as a servant, it's only a matter of time before one gets a lucky hit or bite in this case.

As for the Diplo roll Arc didn't completely bungle it, her social relation with Astolfo is still easily recoverable, but we did hammer in the point that Arcueid simply isn't human for Rider . It's alright with Helena because she was already perfectly aware of that, so she's fine and just trying to make sure Astolfo doesn't take this too badly.

As always tell me what can improve the chapter and my writing in general.

 

[Zhaitan]

You could've carried Siegfried towards your other Servants for help or have tried to come up with a way to save Saber with your Marble Phantasm, but time was of the essence!

So it was only natural that you chose the best option you could think of. Summoning a Servant and you didn't think twice on who to call.

The Servant who helped you defeat Roa once and for all and the wisest person you knew, probably. If there was anyone who could save Siegfried, then it was your golden Archer.

"Gil, I need you right now!" The cry for help spilled from your lips just as a small figure appears right next to you.

"Mast-" The young Archer looks bewildered for a moment until he notices your panicked expression and immediately looks past you to Siegfried, his expression tenses for a moment before he flashes you a relieved smile.

"I see, a poison that could make even gods ill, it's a wonder that he's still alive, but don't worry Master he'll make it." Gil reassures you "No poison is beyond my ability to cure after all." A golden portal deposits a single glass bottle into Archer's waiting hand. The sparkling liquid held within was as clear as the transparent bottle that contained it, giving off the illusion that there was nothing within, if not for the sparkling bubbles betraying it presence.

You watch as Gilgamesh uncorks the bottle and simply pours the liquid on Siegfried's back, the reaction was immediate as the liquid violently fizzed upon contact with the open green veins. What came next was as quick as lightning, but nowhere near fast enough to escape your notice.

Green ichor was consumed by a tide of nothing, the transparent liquid sought out the poison like a starving man greedily devouring a feast fit for a king, until the toxins held within the Dragon Slayer's body were no more.

The next moment there was no sign of the poison killing Saber, nor the curious liquid that had saved the Knight's life. If a normal human were to witness that they would be scratching their heads in confusion not being able to see the nigh instantaneous reaction.

"That easy?" You hesitantly ask in disbelief.

The mistake you had made was fixed within a literal moment's notice, then again you could expect nothing less of Gil.

Archer was probably going to say something, but you beat him to the punch sweeping the little tyke into your arms and giving him an affectionate squeeze, you might've forgotten to hold back as you hear the boy's bones creak.

"I should've… worn some armor…" Gil weakly mutters from between your grasp, you loosen your hold a little in response a light blush of embarrassment dusting your cheeks, sometimes you forget you own strength or maybe it was your newly returned strength?

"Master, could you let me go? I wasn't finished helping Siegfried…" The golden Archer protests while trying to point at Saber and he was right like always, while the poison seemed to be gone Siegfried's back was still riddled with wounds.

You reluctantly let Gilgamesh down, allowing him to finish helping Saber.

Now free Archer pulled out another concoction while returning the empty glass bottle this time it was a bright cherry red.

Following the same simple steps he used earlier, Gil poured the reddish liquid on top of the Dragon Blooded Warrior's back, forcing his wounds to sizzle closed. The golden Archer then turned to you giving a nod "We're lucky the poison didn't damage his spiritual core, honestly you have impeccable timing Master. If you called me just a bit later, that poison would have spread to his core and saving Saber would've been nearly impossible by then. "

Grhk, you really were cutting it close, if you decided on any of the slower options Siegfried…

No, there was no point of focusing on what could've been, especially when you chose the right option!

On another note Gil really had an answer for everything didn't he? Yes, it truly was the right call to summon Gilgamesh he could solve nearly every problem that came your way.

Grinning a satisfied smile at a job well done, you move to give Archer another bone crushing hug when he disappears into golden motes!?

You wildly look around to spot the small Archer when a voice rings in your head, 'Don't worry Master, I just Astralized.'

"Gil?! What's happening, why did you disappear and how can I hear you in my head?" You ask in surprise "Wait didn't you do something similar in the throne room earlier?"

'Almost all Servants are capable of telepathically communicating with their Master due to the bond between them. It works both ways too, try it Master." Gil's voice echoes through your head once again.

You could speak into your Servants head's? Well this was certainly interesting, unfortunately you didn't have a clue on how to use this new ability. Still that didn't mean you wouldn't try!

At first you try to speak into your own head, but that doesn't seem to work; Well of course it wouldn't, or your Servants would be able to read your mind. The next attempt does the trick as you focus your intent on the bonds you have with your Servants, using the ever-present drain on your reserves as a focus.

You choose the bond that shines like molten gold in your mind's eye 'Like this Gil?'

'Yeah you got it Master! Now on to your next question, Servants can astralize to conserve mana, it bars a Servants ability to interact with the World in exchange though."

That was neat, but…

"Why did you Astralize Gil? You don't need to conserve mana right now, do you?" You're quite confused as to why Gil suddenly decided to disappear on you.

'Ah, well… Master! Siegfried is waking up!' Gil's voice urgently replied.

You turn to see that Archer was correct, in fact Saber was already standing up, albeit shakily.

Pointing your finger at Saber you admonish the knight, "Siegfried you almost died, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Saber looks guiltily at the ground as he apologizes "…Sorry."

Your expression softens, "Next time tell me if my plans aren't the best, just don't worry me like that again, alright?"

Siegfried looks you in the eyes giving a resolute nod "I'll try my best Master."

"Master," Gil speaks up, no longer astralized "You should probably stop Karna and Arjuna before the last group arrives."

"Who's arriving?" You ask turning towards the small Archer, who responds in kind with a mischievous smirk "Oh just this war's Ruler along with Saber of Red and Lancer of Black."

"Another Ruler? Wasn't Kotomine also a Ruler Servant?" You can't help but ask.

Gil gives a nod "Yeah he was, Ruler's are Servants who's special skills involve having two command spells they can use for each Servant and true name discernment. Honestly, they're a pain to deal with, which is why we need to stop that fight and prepare for Ruler's arrival."

"Whaaat!!! Kotomine had command spells for everyone!?" You yell in shock, could Kotomine have ordered your Servants dead at anytime using a Command Seal?

Gil shook in head "No, Ruler's only receive a set of seals for the Servants involved with their assigned Grail War. Kotomine was from the previous Holy Grail War, so he didn't have any seals for this War's Servants other than the ones he seized."

Oh, well that was reassuring, still…

"Doesn't this mean that the Ruler who's coming has command seals that apply to all of us?" Siegfried asks the question you were too afraid to ask yourself.

Gil gives a small nod confirming Saber's thoughts.

Siegfried's expression pulls down into a thoughtful frown "Do you have any idea as to what this Servant's goal is?"

"I'm not sure, Ruler's tend to have no desires; it's why they're chosen for their Class in the first place. At least that's how Rulers are supposed to be but considering Kotomine's goals despite his Class, that's obviously not always the case. So, no I don't really have much of an idea as to what Ruler wants, I would need to meet them in person to truly grasp who they are, which is why we should prepare for the worst-case scenario." Archer gives small shrug after saying this.

How could Gil not know?

"Why didn't you tell me about this before Gil?" You look at Gilgamesh with narrowed eyes slightly miffed.

"Ahah, uhm there were more important things to do?" Was that an answer or a question?

"Okay so why don't you just scry this Ruler like you did with Shuten and Astolfo?" That's something that's been bugging you the moment he mentioned it, why couldn't he just find out what this Ruler guy stood for like he did with those two Servants?

Gil looks away with a blush as he pays particular attention to his sandals, while muttering "This Ruler has a skill that makes scrying them dangerous when paired with their Command Seals, It's just too risky.

"Haah," Taking a sigh you try to articulate your thoughts "So we need to stop Arjuna's fight, how are we supposed do that?"

Gil puts a hand to his chin in thought "You could use two command seals to stop them or just get between them. Each option comes with its own problems, but either should work."

The young Archer glances at your arms for a second before he continues "Speaking of Command Seals there is another option Master, one which would make Ruler far less of a threat."

You along with Saber pay full attention to Gil as he continues, "You have twelve Red Command Seals which is barely enough to counter Ruler, that unfortunately can't be said for the other factions' seals which you only have seven of."

You can't help but grimace at Gil's statement, so Ruler had more seals than you did for the Black Faction? That wasn't good, not good at all…

"Fortunately I have plenty of Command Seals in my Gate, so you don't have to worry on that front Master." Your mood instantly brightens at Gil once again proving that he had an answer for every problem "However it will take time to properly bond the seals to you, time we could be using to stop the Indian brother's duel."

"Uhm…?" Couldn't you just stop them after getting the new seals or vice versa with stopping them then getting the new seals?

Gil easily read your confusion answering the unasked question "You can only stop one of them at a time giving the one who isn't under the seal's influence a guaranteed win."

Oh, they would be pretty upset about that wouldn't they? You would definitely be extremely angry if someone ordered you to lose to Altrouge and you actually lost because of that.

"That and we're short on time Master, we can't both stop the brothers and give you the new Seals before Ruler's team arrives, you'll have to choose." Gil finishes off explanation.

Okay you would just get the new seals then, you give Gil a cheery answer "Okay I'll get the new seals Gil, Karna and Arjuna are going to be fine, they're just having a little sibling rivalry right now!"

Gil winces "Uhmm, Master?" You tilt your head at him "They're trying to kill each other; They won't stop until one of them is dead…"

Oh….

"So If Master ordered one of them to stop fighting the other brother would finish off their sibling before master could order the second to stop…" Siegfried reasons to himself outloud "Someone would need to be there to stop them just at that moment if only for the second seal to take hold, if you so desire I could try to stop them Master."

Or you could do that! Wait, would that even work?



What does Arcueid decide to do?



[X] Get the seals anyway, you're sure that the brother's battle won't be ending anytime soon.



[X] Stop the demigod's duel to the death!

-[X] How?(write in how Arc decides to stop their duel EG, Physically, Command seals, etc.)



[X] Have Siegfried stop them while you get the new command seals from Gil.

-[X]How?(EG what brother do you command to stop first, how do you tell what's the right moment to stop them, etc.)



[X] Full write in(Subject to Veto)





A/N: Keep in mind Arcueid currently had Seven Seals for Black Faction Servants and Twelve for Red Faction Servants and has her Marble Phantasm still up. Also another thing to note is that three Servants have died in this war and three Servants are heading your way, six Servants need to die for two wishes to be realized by the grail(Actually it might need less due to Fate/zero the grail manifesting with only 5, but Angra so who knows lol") and seven for Access to the root for whoever wants that?

As always point on anything I can improve on such as poor characterization or even simple grammar issues.