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Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)

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Alright, votes are locked.
[X] Go back to the temple.
-[X] Discuss Archer with Caster.
11

I guess Flan will be having a drinking contest with Gilgamesh, refereed by Suika. Nanny Ogg will provide the intoxicant.
 
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Caster is Preparing
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    • [X] Go back to the temple.
    -[X] Discuss Archer with Caster.


    Ershin arrives as you ponder your options. "Have I ever told you that you're quite cute when you get flustered?" You scowl at Deis and she shakes her head. "Well, what are going to do now? Night on the town?"

    "Back to the temple, I think; I want to talk to Caster about that Archer."

    "Oh? You don't trust Illyasviel?" You sigh.

    "I trust her. I trust that what she says is what she believes, or at least what she wants to believe - but the idea that Berserker could lose is so against her worldview that I don't know if she can seriously consider that he might lose. And she's had … a rough day, I suppose, so she probably isn't thinking as clearly as she might be. Caster might not, either, but it's another opinion; if they agree, Archer is probably as weak as they think, and if they disagree, it's probably worth investigating more thoroughly. After all, losing a fight because you underestimated your opponent is incredibly embarrassing." You take a few steps back and grab onto Ershin. Deis smirks and shakes her head before vanishing, and you rise into the air, accelerating quickly to make your way back to the temple. When you arrive, the barrier around the mountain has increased in strength to such a degree that even normal humans can probably feel something. Warily, you skirt the forested slope and fly through the entrance. Sasaki nods at your approach, smirking, before vanishing once again. You set Ershin down and walk through the compound - the magic is heavy in the air here, too, and on a whim you sniff the air: it's mostly a thick, sweet smell, tinged with salt and flower-smoke. You almost wish you still couldn't recognize it, because having a scent you can't describe is less irritating than the cloying one you're surrounded by. … Probably, anyway. You make your way without incident to her building, although once inside you're shaken by the intensity of Caster's magic. The main area has been transformed into a small sanctum with Caster at the center, nigh-invisible lines of magic threading their ways away from her like an excitable but inelegant spider.

    "You don't think you overdid things a little, Caster? Or should I go through and tell you where you missed a spot?" Caster visibly controls herself before responding to Deis's remark. You sit down across the table from her.

    "As any second-rate mage would know, the defenses will be folded in on themselves and become all but unnoticeable. They are in their current state merely because I have only started raising these protections recently."

    "Were you expecting that other Archer? Is that why you were stockpiling energy?" Caster sighs and shakes her head as Ershin sits heavily and Deis leans over him.

    "No, that was to be for activating the Grail and … later. After the War. This Archer is an unknown development. Almost worth getting the Church's observer involved, but I suspect the other Masters will be taking care of that."

    "Unless he already knows and doesn't care." Caster frowns at you and you tap your fingers on the table as if playing a piano. "He said something to Saber, about meeting her in front of the Grail again, and Ilya thinks he can't have been here for more time than the last Grail War ten years ago. And the priest at the church was a Master in the last Grail War, which makes him the obvious candidate for this Archer's continued existence." You pause your mock-playing look up at her. "I don't suppose you were able to follow Archer and see where he went?" She remains silent for a while, then shakes her head. The threads fall away from her and fade away completely.

    "I wasn't able to follow him, unfortunately. He destroyed those views I was able to get close enough, and he managed to disappear from the building without traveling away." You start to wonder why she didn't just say he teleported, but realize that he may not have actually left the building according to her statement - she just couldn't find him. She bites her lip. "Even for an Archer, a ten-year survival should have been obvious unless there's something else at work. The priest may have been able to cover up any incidents, but that would have involved notifying his superiors of something untoward, which would make the entire Church complicit … but if it were, they would have made a move by now and claimed the Grail. Or they wouldn't have let him out so obviously; it's possible he was kept in order to maintain the Church's grip on the ritual, but his actions don't follow that - he would have been sent against outside elements or Masters who refused to follow the rules …." Meaning that if he were legitimate, he'd have been sent at you. Unless he has, and the 'visitor' nonsense is him warning you obliquely in an attempt at amusement or to see how you react. After all, a visitor implies that they'll be coming here instead of meeting you somewhere else, and how could he be amused unless he planned to be present …?

    "Um, Caster? He might be coming here tomorrow." She freezes for a moment before responding testily.

    "I heard his warning, Flandre. Did you think I was frantically reinforcing my defenses simply because of a new player?" You stiffen and you barely contain a glare, but Caster doesn't seem to notice your irritation and relaxes thoughtfully. "On the other hand … I had missed the importance of what he said to Saber, and that they met in a previous Grail War shows that he should be around her strength. Under a competent Master, she might be superior to you, but that does show that he should not be as undefeatable as he appears …." You set your shoulders at the implication of Saber's strength.

    "Uh, could you explain that, please? For those who don't get it?" Caster glances at Deis, almost surprised, and shrugs.

    "Archer considered Saber his equal, which - considering the strengths of their classes - points to a relative power around hers, probably somewhat stronger. And certainly a hail of Noble Phantasms is quite a dangerous attack, but it must be quite taxing, and likely has some other drawbacks. I could devise an array to counter him, it would simply be similarly consuming, and without the people of this city to draw upon, not worth the effort." She sighs disgustedly. "And not worth the effort against Servants, either …." She falls into thought and you look at Deis, who shrugs. Maybe you are overestimating how dangerous he is …. Caster shakes herself and smiles at you. "Excuse me. I need to get back to the defenses - I've already started them, so there's no sense in letting them go to waste. I'll expand the immediate alarm range before dawn, so no need to worry about being surprised. You still have the gem I gave you, correct?" You take it out and show it to her, and she nods in satisfaction. "Please refrain from using any powers or magic unless you are near it, please - I would hate to have to redo parts of the arrays, or have you harmed by a spell that doesn't recognize you." She barely waits for your nod before the threads of magic spin around her once again. … Maybe she is taking him seriously, after all. Still, you're a little grumpy about her casual dismissal of your strength. Sure, you've lost a couple fights, but you've been holding back! Maybe it's time to correct that ….


    What do you do?

    [ ] Go to Tohsaka's home and capture her.
    - [ ] Bring Deis.
    - [ ] Make sure to kill Tohsaka's Archer.
    - [ ] Make sure to not kill Tohsaka's Archer.

    [ ] Go to Emiya's home and capture Saber.
    - [ ] Make an effort to avoid harming Shirou.
    - [ ] Explain your reasoning for capturing Saber before fighting.

    [ ] Fly around the town looking for Lancer.

    [ ] Go to the Church and see if 'Kirei' knows anything interesting.

    [ ] Other?
     
  • Threadmarks
    • SpeckofStardust said:
    I think Caster is incorrect here, At the moment only 5 ways to beat him maybe 6. and caster cant use any of these ways without help.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Well, for one thing Caster probably doesn't realize how much less powerful Saber is this war than last war (at least if she's still not connected to Shirou properly), so she's using her current power as a measuring stick instead of her previous power.
     
    Votes are not locked.
    [X] Go to Emiya's home and question his Saber about this Archer. They are prior acquaintances right?
    1
     
    [X] Go to the Church and see if 'Kirei' knows anything interesting.

    Between a servant that only recently re-appeared and a former competitor that was there for the whole ten years, Kirei would know more about the situation and as a added bonus this would work without interrupting Ilya's family time.
     
    Votes are locked.
    [X] Go to Emiya's home and question his Saber about this Archer. They are prior acquaintances right?
    1

    [X] Go to the Church and see if 'Kirei' knows anything interesting.
    4
    Hmm ... *worry intensifies*
     
    ... and there was much rejoicing.
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Go to the Church and see if 'Kirei' knows anything interesting.


    You shake your head to clear it and stand up. Caster is busy with her magic, so you withdraw quietly; Ershin follows you slowly, letting Deis maintain her form. Frowning, you wait for them at the door. "Going somewhere?"

    "Wondering what you're going to do, actually - it doesn't seem like you're going to sit down and wait for this visitor to arrive," Deis responds, her raised eyebrow implying that she thinks that would be the wiser choice of action. You grin and stretch.

    "Oh, I was just going to go out for a bit. Talk to that priest and see if he knows anything."

    "Flan! Look, everyone's going to be on edge, you don't know what that strange Archer is going to do and he may be connected with that priest, Lancer is still after you - and with Caster busy, she won't be able to help us if it does go wrong." You give her a look.

    "I'd been planning on going alone, actually, to make things easier. And if Lancer does try anything, well," you grin wickedly, "I think I'll make him a very unhappy man. If he's lucky, I'll even kill him. But really, if Caster is working on her defenses, it would be better if someone were here to keep an eye on things, don't you think? And here, I'll even do this." Caster's gem is still out, so you simply activate Loki. The scintillating lights spring up without any hesitation this time, and you smile comfortingly at Deis. "There. Now I'm protected, and anyone who tries to mess with me is going to have a very bad day." She frowns unhappily.

    "Be back soon, okay?" You curtsy.

    "I don't plan on fighting, anyway, but yes, I'll try to keep it short." She waves goodbye and you hurry out of the complex. Sasaki glances at you as you step out of the gate but doesn't say anything. You reach the stairs and put the gem away before springing into the sky. The air screams around you as go ever faster - and then you stop flying, enjoying the tumble toward the church. It's not a poor building, but it's small and simple. You land on the path inside the gate, braking so you land lightly, and start walking forward. Unfortunately, there are lights on - you had hoped to simply find his room and interrogate him there, but that won't be. You push the doors open and step in, taking a deep breath: incense, candles, fear, and … hm. Is there something else buried under all that? You shrug and look at the occupants. Standing across from you, in front of the altar, is a tall man in black, with a plain cross hanging from a necklace. No priest's robes for him, it seems. Near him, in the second row of pews, is Tohsaka, glaring at you. Did she come here for business, or is she merely religious? And, of course, crouching behind the front pew to your right, cowering when you look at him, is the boy who masqueraded as Rider's Master. You don't see anyone else, not on the floor level nor on the rafters, so where is Archer? You walk up to the third row and stop to curtsy. "Greetings. I am Flandre Scarlet. You, I take it, are Kirei Kotomine?" The room is quite bright, even better-lit than you'd suspected from outside. Tohsaka backs away from you and the priest sighs before clasping his hands behind his back.

    "It seems even heretics seek the advice of a priest. Have you come to confess, Flandre Scarlet?" He has a hard voice, and he doesn't seem afraid of you. You take another deep breath as you straighten, smiling, but you don't notice anything else untoward.

    "Oh, I'm not here for advice - rather, I want answers." Kirei grunts, or perhaps it's a muffled laugh, and Tohsaka lowers her own stance slightly.

    "You are not something I answer to." You pout at his reply, then tilt your head and stare at him when he doesn't react.

    "Oh, I don't think I want anything that would make you break any priestly vows; I'm simply here as a student of history. Hmm … perhaps you simply allow me to ask my questions? You don't have to respond, I suppose." He doesn't say anything, or even move, and you sigh. "Well, if you won't even let me ask, I guess I could just kill you and baptize these two in your blood." Shinji squeals and scurries behind a pillar; Tohsaka simply glares more fiercely. And Kirei - he laughs.

    "Very well. You may ask your questions." He certainly seems amused more than offended.

    "Thank you. Well, you were a Master in the last War, so - what did the Archer and Saber of that War look like, and who were their Masters?" He looks at you for a moment, then laughs briefly again.

    "The Saber of the last War was a young woman with blonde hair, who wielded an invisible sword; she was summoned by Emiya Kiritsugu." You nod, although you see Tohsaka's eyebrows rise - Ilya never said her father summoned Saber, and maybe didn't know, but it's not surprising to hear. And she should definitely know why Kiritsugu betrayed the Einzberns. "The Archer was a blond man, red-eyed, and always wore gold armor; he was summoned by Tohsaka Tokiomi." That is a surprise, and you glance at Tohsaka. She stares dumbly, obviously shocked by the news, then sways and drops into the pew. Kirei, also watching her, grins fiercely for the briefest of moments before she looks up. He seems to be enjoying her discomfort.

    "But … but if Father had that Servant, how could he have died?" Kirei looks at her for a moment before shrugging slightly.

    "He underestimated his enemies and let his guard down when he should not have." Almost instantly she changes from grief-stricken to furious, glaring hatefully at Kirei before leaping upright and lashing out at a pew, knocking it askew. She stomps down the row and drives her fist into the wooden pillar with a surprising amount of force. The priest frowns at her as she spins around, ignoring her bloody knuckles.

    "I'll see that Archer dead, see if I don't!" That seems to amuse him even more.

    "I don't suppose you know who that Archer was?" Tohsaka glares at you, perhaps irritated at your involvement.

    "I do not believe any of the opposing Masters ever learned his identity, and the records are incomplete due to the death of the last supervisor during the War." You nod again, then look up at the ceiling. That's certainly a suspicious response, seeing as he didn't exactly say 'no.' "Do you have any more questions, 'student of history?'" You look back at him, frowning at his smug expression.


    What do you do?

    [ ] Ask about what happened at the end of the last War.

    [ ] Press him on Archer's identity.

    [ ] Ask him if someone from the Church really is coming to try and fight you.

    [ ] Thank him and leave.
    - [ ] Sneak back in invisibly and see what else is in the Church.
    - [ ] Go back to the temple.

    [ ] Other?
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Ask him if someone from the Church really is coming to try and fight you.

    He's gong to bullshit with the "an unworthy man got the wish" and it's even true from his PoV
    Might as well ask about something relevant.
     
    Votes are not locked.
    [X] Ask about what happened at the end of the last War.
    4

    [X] Ask him if someone from the Church really is coming to try and fight you.
    2
     
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