are you talking about Matthew's seelie and unseelie aspects?
as an aside, i suspect if Titania was ever summoned, it'd be as an alter ego, given Shakespeare's version based on Diane, Mab and Titania (titan)
I'm Not a Regular Mom (FGO OC)
- Thread starter Blinktwice13
- Start date
are you talking about Matthew's seelie and unseelie aspects?
as an aside, i suspect if Titania was ever summoned, it'd be as an alter ego, given Shakespeare's version based on Diane, Mab and Titania (titan)
Ultimate battler
The one who witnesses the finale
- Location
- Indiana / Foundation Site 13 (moved to Site 7)
Well I haven't been reading those out fear of spoilers. On another note will medb try the clan katl-something trick again or is she nixed by the white rider conquest. Goetia: where did half the f*"king pillars go im missing my legdls!
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Given my writing speed as of current... I'd say yes. They said LB7 will be this year come hell or high water, and I have London and America before I even touch Daybit. This doesn't include the Okeanos climax, Christmas, New Years, Fate/Zero, Paradox d'If, Epic of Storytime, Valentines, White Day, Heian-Kyo, Tsukihime, Summer, and Baba Yaga Games Done Quick. Also downtime chapters. I have so much before then that if I manage to hit Camelot before LB7 they have to break their promise to have it this year.
Garreon
Paldean Top Champion
- Location
- Mesagoza, Paldea
Or twenty, knowing you
definiely coming out this year, it'd expect summer 2022 for it's arrival, august at absolute latest. they just finished 6.5 with tunguska, and the epilongue gave the distinct impression of approaching the Arc 2's finale
And thank goodness for that they really dragged their feet on some things it will be good for things to finally get wrapped up though that said I am curious if they have any plans for an arc 3.
Ultimate battler
The one who witnesses the finale
- Location
- Indiana / Foundation Site 13 (moved to Site 7)
I mean from that one ce of all the crypters we see someone who looks suspiciously like "sherlock" standing next to daybit. If grand berserkers ability is to remain that calm his mad enhancement must something else.
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been thinking on the servants you added: Wukong would be 5 stars easily - not sure if the immortality would come with given it feels like a 7 lives god hand as to how it would function. though duplication could give him the increase to the number of hits like musashi.
will patrocus have a skill like "for he is another Achilles" give he's a faker servant to Achilles?
Edit: also Iskandar's Shadow has Arrived!
will patrocus have a skill like "for he is another Achilles" give he's a faker servant to Achilles?
Edit: also Iskandar's Shadow has Arrived!
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Garreon
Paldean Top Champion
- Location
- Mesagoza, Paldea
Yeah, seems like Faker is not a class anymore and has been solidified as the Pretender Class.
Granted it sounds way better than Faker
I think it's more of they aren't making faker a class in F/GO since pretender exists, like why Voyager is a foreigner instead of a Voyager servant or why they won't make a gunner class since Archer exists.
huh, Taigong Wang actually said he could qualify for Grand.
that makes sense.
that makes sense.
Yeah either as a Rider or a Castor it's pretty neat.
Ultimate battler
The one who witnesses the finale
- Location
- Indiana / Foundation Site 13 (moved to Site 7)
I'm wondering what riyo Matthew would be like. Also I like to imagine asako writes learning with manga in this universe.
Ultimate battler
The one who witnesses the finale
- Location
- Indiana / Foundation Site 13 (moved to Site 7)
I'm thinking hornier KURO who tries to give people offers of mana transfers instead of succing away mana.
Servant of Evil
Verified Evil Minion
- Location
- America
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm still betting that we'll get one more "Main Chapter" before LB7, probably a return to Singularity F or a different Fuyuki in some manner. There's still one more chapter dot before the LB7 option on the menu, like when we had Hien Kyo coming down the pipe.
EDIT: Also of note is that they're heading towards LB7 via flying over Asia towards and then over the Pacific, so Fuyuki Japan is on the way.
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Not playing the game myself, i wouldn't know the menu placement.
do you think it will be based on Goetia, Kirei, a 2 part lostbelt like Atlantis, or someone else?
I was thinking there would bea temple of time equivalent - any spots visible for that?
Servant of Evil
Verified Evil Minion
- Location
- America
- Pronouns
- He/Him
As far as a ToT equivalent, if it's not LB7 itself, I don't know.
As for Fuyuki, it'll probably be a combo of Beast V, Angra Mainyu, Kirei, maybe Goetia, or something. My biggest concern is the fact that we never (as far as I know) actually solved Singularity F in the game. In Angry Mango's Interlude, he makes a stray comment while they're in Singularity F.
"And maybe we should leave this place as is. Maybe take care of it once the other seven Singularities are done."
hmm, given what Beast seven ordered kotomine to find in the 7th lostbelt and the fact she attacked the wandering sea, i think we can say it won't be kotomine. she wanted ORT as a new body, and she was still U-Olga at the time of attack, which would imply he's still looking.
I also don't think Beast 5 would appear yet, it just seems too soon since Lostbelt beast 4.
I could see it being a return to singularity F though, and even where the foriegn god picked up Kirei's body. i could see solomon-goetia trying to correct it if it started to go berserk. possibly from Angra Mainyu
Servant of Evil
Verified Evil Minion
- Location
- America
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well in defense of beast V, the difference between Beasts 2 and 1 was Babylonia to Solomon. And then Shinjuku to Seraphix before we fought Kiara. it was just that the next two Beasts took a while to come around and fight. We still have Beast V and presumably/hopefully Beast VI to fight still, not counting Beast VII.
Ultimate battler
The one who witnesses the finale
- Location
- Indiana / Foundation Site 13 (moved to Site 7)
At least we don't live in the world where merlin failed to give artoria dragon blood correctly
Obsession
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Whew. Some of this came more easily than others. This is where the plot threads I've been spinning start really coming together. I won't be surprised if people figure out my endgame from this, but I think it's still a little vague. Quality may vary because I've just been getting back into the groove of things. Oh, and here is the song I've been using for Matthew's more defined character moments if anyone is curious.
Content Warnings: Some gore, Protagonist Behaving Badly, disturbing imagery. Graphic death.
______________________________________________________________________________
He glanced behind him, checking once more. Making sure he wasn't observed.
"And another thing, you will obey my commands in this fight-"
Whatever the love-goddess who oversaw Jason's journey responded, it was clearly not favorable if the harsh hiss was any indication.
Contacting Chaldea would be a fool's errand. Easier to direct the events once conflict initiated. Or nudge, really. If he could arrange for Medea to use her blade on Celenike, that would be ideal - it wouldn't sunder the connection entirely but it would tax her control. But even that wouldn't really be viable. They could well attack him outright as a 'minion' of their enemy.
Ugh. As though he would ever willingly serve a wretch like her. The list of those he'd bend a knee to was vanishingly small. He was a king, and a captain besides.
Celenike's voice raised, and he kept a small portion of his awareness on her if only for safety's sake. The last few times she'd pulled him under had been less effective than usual. Aphrodite's resistance, maybe. She did bless him in a roundabout way. After a fashion. Maybe.
He considered Medea's expression of her 'love'.
…perhaps it was perceived as a blessing at the time?
"It's a good thing Celenike's all but deaf to any thoughts save her own. You think far too loudly."
Jason's eyes narrowed.
Forneus undulated through the air, water-wings fluttering. The gathering clouds roiled overhead, casting her in eerie shadow. "I've been thinking. This Singularity… it's not too well managed, is it?" Eyes with geometric pupils gazed through him. This was likely another soliloquy of hers, prone to them as she was.
"Consider who governs it," Jason replied wryly in spite of himself, keeping his voice low.
"Oh, truly. If we hadn't allowed Manaka to work her power on us, if we had kept to the script - well. You'd have been the vanguard here. From what our king viewed and collected, you would have even hosted my glory. Pity, that." Forneus pouted.
Jason, with long practice from enduring Medea's more mercurial moods, did not shudder. "Shame."
Her eyes glittered. "I wonder how much of this you consider to be your own luck or skill. Do you really think me so unobservant?" Forneus' smile bore teeth. "I'm giving you information because I'm setting her up to fail."
Jason very carefully turned with the new wind. In the distance he saw a sphere of water that would swallow islands, right at the epicenter of the storm. Three ships converged; one was the Santa Maria but the others he did not recognize. And past them, Celenike's fleet swarmed like ants.
He shivered as the monster lightly brushed the bottom of his vessel.
"In that world, I was little more than an observer. I did not speak. I did not work my miracles. I merely appeared at the end and cried havoc." Forneus' tail curled under his chin and drew his eyes to her. "That is not the sort of being I am. That I was. That I was based on." Forneus' eyes narrowed. "We are the Demon Gods of Solomon, and Manaka Sajyou made us Demons in truth. In form, power. The weaker among us remain as we were, but the footholds in each era… we are more."
Jason slowly nodded.
"Look at her," Forneus hissed.
Celenike screamed at the heavens, stamping her foot like a child in tantrum. The black-red coffin containing the loves of the world hung in comparative silence.
"This. This is what I have been given to work with. Not the madwoman of London, not the Triumvirate of what will be known as America, not the witch who took Jerusalem, and not the Goddess who walks Babylonia. I do not get the monk, who if properly supported would have ended them all. I don't even get the fox, trapped between illusion and potential as she was." Forneus' gaze burned blue. "Less than dregs. The weapon beneath our feet faces its slayer, and with added aid besides. One Captain is beholden to naught but his own greed and pales in comparison to the true pirates of these seas."
Jason did not speak. Did not breathe. Did not dare think past the sudden touch of cold metal against his breast.
"And the last? Brought in his wake a Divine Beast that of course sided with the enemy. Because they have an Elemental of their own. And one that can speak to the speechless, no less!"
The metal warmed, slowly but surely sinking in.
Forneus' face was centimeters from his own. "This battle is unwinnable. My only fate is to break myself on that shield. Were I what I was, I would. After all, I would revive in his court. Why not?" To Jason's terror, tears as black as the sea's depths trickled down Forneus' cheeks. "I don't want it. I don't want to hurt. I'm a speaker, a teacher - not a fighter. I want humans to die. I want humans to grow. I want to trick them. I want them to learn. She broke us, broke me - we're not a monolith anymore. I don't know if we ever were."
The band of light in the heavens gradually vanished behind the clouds.
"So I'm leaving. I'm needed for the Temple to function, so my punishment won't be too severe." Forneus shivered. "I thought I could win earlier. Thought I could fight. But that-" She cut herself off. "Listen to me. Jason, son of the king- listen."
The metal was gone. (It wasn't.)
The demon stared at him with inhuman eyes, eyes which held an emotion Jason knew all too well. "You must not let Aphrodite touch the fairy's mind. The King granted me that vision. When I say my departure will have little punishment, that is why. After Flauros' report, he took an interest."
____________________________________________________________________________
He stared into the abyss. That emptiness that defied his gaze. There was one which was Chaldea - which mattered little. Nothing they built, formed by hands called across time, could touch him. What concerned him was…
There was a thing. It moved, a hollow in the world. He could see around it, see the interactions. For a short time, he wondered if the humans and Servants around it were mad. (More than usual.)
Beneath notice. Pitiable. Struggling onward to no avail. That was humanity. Power, true power was beyond them. It was kinder to end suffering at this stage. Change was impossible.
What he saw when it surfaced in SE.RA.PH… was not a being of his experience. He glimpsed it for a moment, but that was enough.
The fury it expressed towards its target was boundless. By all means, the human should have died. But a simple touch, the lightest restraint - and it backed down. It could have torn through the Lancer like paper, but did not.
A hatred that great so easily averted, and by what? He did not comprehend it. There had to be some greater underlying aspect that 'Solomon' could not see.
Not that he could not understand the source. Created by imperfect hands, a being greater than any human could dare to dream shackled to their cause. No, Goetia understood that furor all too well. Flauros, corrupted as he was first by Lev Lainur's imperfections and then Manaka's gentle ministrations, had acted alone. Had another been there, or had 'Solomon' manifest, the tale would be different.
Alas, that the time was likely past for making an ally out of that being. Most likely.
A dark vibration skittered across his sight, and 'Solomon's eyes narrowed.
"Perturbed?" Manaka asked, feigning kindness to cover disinterest.
"Whatever began in Seraphix will continue here." Goetia turned to her, scowling at the avatar that had thwarted him.
She was not human. Not remotely. Oh, she could ape niceties as well as he - but her nature was closer to his pillars than anything. Save for one regard…
"Hm. Beryl will be put out that we left without seeing it." Manaka frowned ever so slightly. "What do you make of the situation? I find it difficult to gauge myself."
A dangerous admission, that.
"It is less the power that concerns me and more the nature. It is nothing I've seen repeated across other humans."
"Though power is still a concern," Manaka pointed out. "It isn't unlike our friend in Jerusalem's, is it?"
Reluctantly, Goetia inclined his head. "Perhaps. But it lingers far below what I am capable of."
"Unfortunately, we can't gauge it purely on ourselves. Our allies are what will face Chaldea now, and between the wizard's meddling and whatever is waiting in the wings…" Manaka's expression smoothed. "Well. In most cases, the human Master is always the weak link in a Master-Servant contract. Something to consider."
Goetia sneered. "As though I would need to resort to such things like a simple Assassin."
"Hm. Though, given what we've seen… Chaldea is amassing allies of considerable power far more quickly than I would have assumed. The King of Knights, then the King of Heroes, then the Monkey King… And now both the Greatest of the Greeks and the most famous Son of Zeus. Setting aside the wielder of the Demonic Sword of the Sun and his bride, a new-born Queen of Valkyries." Manaka's eyes lowered. "It could be an annoyance in the near future. And one which should likely be removed."
Darkness spasmed across Goetia's vision once more, obscuring more than one Pillar within his Temple. He narrowed his eyes.
"Yes. Chaldea is becoming rather… troublesome."
None of these signs tracked with the 'Morgan' they treated with. They barely touched the one they allied with.
…what was it that Marisbilly tried to summon? And why did it fail?
____________________________________________________________________________
Steel clashed with the furor of the storm. Castor reeled against the onslaught of spear-blows, and his sister was unable to match the speed of his aggressor.
Achilles' grin was nothing short of feral as he hammered his advantage, swatting the bladed discs the male twin favored aside. The enemy Saber (without a sword) was good; he'd give him that. But-
A discus clattered into Achilles' bared bicep, skittering off into the sand.
The Greatest of the Greeks craned his neck to avoid another one out of habit, using the motion to observe the rest of the battlefield.
The two tiny maidens cowered behind a hulking brute of a man. The minotaur, if Achilles guessed right. Odd that such an infamous monster would protect such fragile beings. His roars filled the air, and his labrys formed a ward against the other fight.
Pollux' blade clashed relentlessly, Patroclus on the defensive. But with Achilles' own shield and armor, it wasn't a bad place for him to be.
Pat swung his blade only for Pollux to hop up over it, her own sword aimed at his neck-
The Hound of Ulster blew past, leaving a trail of blood in his wake as her free arm was gouged. Bits of skin and muscle flew with blood redder than wine, and Pollux lost her balance as the arm flailed in the tailwind left behind.
Following suit, Achilles broke Castor's guard with an easy swerve. He dashed in under yet another discus and slammed his fist into the other man's gut, bowing him in half. He narrowed his eyes against the small spray of blood that came from Castor's mouth at the impact.
From every legend, by everything he'd heard from his teacher… this was far below what Castor was capable of.
Slowly, light faded across the shore. The sun vanished behind clouds. Thunder rolled through the heavens as Achilles disengaged from Castor.
The minotaur grasped the minute girls, launching himself away from the beach. Out of the corner of his eye, Achilles tracked his path to the Hind.
The Hind angled towards what Achilles knew to be the Argo, and their newest allies proceeded towards the other ship apace. His eyes narrowed, catching script naming it Santa Maria.
The third ship remained in its oceanic tomb. Achilles hoped, for a moment, that the lack of news meant that the young Master and the Servants within were alright.
Castor slowly stood, limbs jerking erratically. His head lolled on his neck without aim, eyes distant and mouth agape.
Pollux landed next to him in a crouch. The glaze across her eyes flickered, if only for a moment.
"Wonder if we're playing it too safe," Cu Chulainn mused. He dropped from the air next to Achilles, spear aimed at the enemy. "They're hardy and fast, but none of their blows are landing. It's like their battle-sense is completely gone."
"You wouldn't be wrong." Patroclus hefted his shield before him, sword at his side. He narrowed his eyes beneath his helm, a frown crossing his face.
The twins didn't move. Blood flowed sluggishly down Pollux' arm, and the bruises that dotted Castor's body faded with exaggerated slowness.
Achilles considered the situation, then shrugged. "Even it it's not a challenge, better if we get rid of them now." He placed a foot forward-
____________________________________________________________________________
Musashi stumbled, eyes narrowed. The Pequod rocked beneath her feet, and even Ahab moved at the sudden surge.
Moby Dick hung overhead, and let out a low cry.
Matthew shivered visibly.
With a breath, Musashi flung herself forward. She held one blade up across her body to intercept any incoming blows, and drew the other back behind her to give more weight to the next swing.
Ahab stepped back, raising the black void-spear in his grasp. He swung wide, the arc coming to intercept where Musashi had committed to crossing-
Only for Medusa to drop from the air above him heel-first. She bore down on his shoulder with a crack like breaking steel, changing the trajectory of his strike and leaving his other shoulder open to Musashi's riposte.
Her blade slid through the right shoulder, blood spraying behind the Avenger and narrowly missing Medusa.
The Rider smiled enigmatically at Musashi, composure regained from her prior entry.
"Oh. Oh no," Matthew moaned softly.
Musashi snapped her head to look at the fairy, curled in on himself.
"No, no, no-"
Something flickered through the water, a swirling ink or mist, and from above…
From above came a scream.
She kept a grip on her blades even as her eyes wrenched shut, and from what she saw before closing them Ahab and Medusa were in a similar state.
Her skull pounded with the shrill outcry, nails being driven all the way into her grey matter through her ears. The agony was forced into empathy, where Musashi felt whatever the crier felt through the scream itself.
Distantly she heard a sound like the heaviest rain she had ever experienced, and then the scream turned to a roar.
Musashi forced her eyes open.
A pale barrier encompassed the Pequod, Mash kneeling before the main mast with her hands laid upon her shield. Raphael's wings sprouted above her, extending into the sphere around them.
Outside curled a miasma, a fog so dense and dark a green it was almost black. The color of rotting wood or kelp, like a marsh of death and decay.
The whale was nowhere to be seen.
Mash grimaced, and in a flicker Ahab appeared over her, spear drawn back-
He bent backwards, Medusa's foot lodged in his spine with a crack. Blood spouted from his mouth into the sky, and the wound Musashi left through his shoulder spurted along with it.
Musashi moved forwards, blades down and drawn back.
But. But-
Where was Matthew?
In the distance, a rattle of chains.
…where was their Master?
____________________________________________________________________________
Blackbeard grit his teeth against the wails in the near distance. The sound of men dying like animals, without grace or kindness.
A weapon before and after his time, a fog that warped the flesh and seared the nerve. He could only imagine what it would do if not for his passenger.
Kunapipi stood in the center of the Queen Anne's Revenge, scintillating scarf orbiting her throat. The threads sparkled like scales, and she stood with her arms at her sides.
A translucent barrier like a bubble encased the ship, letting those onboard pass through the mist unimpeded.
"...that sound…"
Blackbeard grimaced. "I wouldn't focus on it, girlie. I can guess you've seen your share of nightmares, but what lies beyond our sight is something I would be hard-pressed to wish on anyone."
"Mm." Heracles folded his arms. "Can you get us to its source?"
A flicker of white appeared beyond the bubble, and a spear the color of bone longer than the Revenge hurtled forward. The sea parted in its wake, leaving a visible path despite the shroud.
He turned his ship to follow. "I can do my best."
"Once we make contact, I can maintain the barrier and give you two some air," Kunapipi warned. "Any more and I'll be pushing the limits of what I'm allowed to do."
Illyasviel stomped her heel. "What was all that about how much Manaka interfered and how ineffective it was?" Her glare could freeze flame itself.
Kunapipi narrowed her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, none of you have died yet despite what we're up against."
Blackbeard kept his mouth shut. He needed to conserve his energy and keep his focus on the guide in front of him.
A massive shadow curled and coiled beyond the haze, larger even than what he was sure was the whale itself.
The whale which had abandoned its preferred quarry.
Soft spatters hit the barrier the goddess raised around Blackbeard's vessel, and with mild discomfort he realized the nature of the sudden downpour.
Bits of flesh and scales slid down the shimmering air, organs and muscle cascading back into the depths.
Moby Dick gave a clarion call, shaking Blackbeard's very bones.
____________________________________________________________________________
Red-black chains danced around the ship, and I found myself testing my flexibility and agility to their limits just avoiding them.
"What's the matter? You seem distracted!"
Well, yes. I'm not entirely sure how I got translocated to another ship, my sister and two people I'm very fond of were left behind, and my lover is out there in the goddamn hydra fog.
Still alive; the miasma is doing more to her forces than-
I cut Raziel off mentally as I dove towards the 'totally-not-a-secretary' with a riding crop, calling a sword to my hand from my bracers.
Chains laced in front of me, halting my momentum as I sharply pulled up.
"You've been a problem for Manaka and the rest of us," Celenike crooned. "But thankfully, you were kind enough to bring a solution along with you."
I fell with a gasp, gravity asserting itself with unexpected harshness.
On my way down I looked to my side and saw-
"No."
She held a familiar, jagged knife to Ritsuka's neck. My Master (friend) stood stock still under Medea's hand.
Her eyes were wide open, but the pupils were erased by the iris. Even the iris was clouded, and I could feel the agony radiating from her as Medea was a prisoner in her own mind.
Hold on! I'll see what- Kunapipi is shepherding Heracles and Ilya to the monster; once they take care of it you can regroup! Morgan's voice chimed in, harried and anxious. Don't make any sudden moves!
Regroup? Regroup?
I struggled to my feet, only to choke as a knee plunged into my breastbone.
Celenike sneered down in excitement, a fistful of chains in one hand and raising her short whip in the other.
"YA-HO!"
Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she pitched herself away with speed matching any Servant.
Astolfo plunged to the deck of the Argo in a flurry of feathers, sword drawn. With a crash his mount blew a hole in the top of the ship, and he turned to face Celenike.
Sieg sat at his back, wielding his own blade that crackled with pale blue light. The homunculus' face was pale, drawn yet determined.
Astolfo… Astolfo's eyes blazed.
"Medea!" Celenike barked.
Her wrist twitched, and a thin sliver of blood dripped down Ritsuka's neck. The mage's hand shook, and her lips parted.
I paid for my distraction when a chain wrapped around my throat, hoisting me into the air.
Black fog boiled outside the Argo, and above it towered pillars of black-green scale interspersed with streaks of milky white.
Milk so spoiled it turned to acid, a swamp of venom and decay, and above it all- serpentine necks with dragon's heads and the faces of men.
I couldn't breathe. Thanks to my armor, I didn't need to, but the strain on my neck was still palpable.
I forced my gaze down from where I hung.
Astolfo nimbly dodged Celenike's crop, the weapon leaving dents in the deck of the ship. Sieg lunged forward, only for his limbs to be ensnared in razor-sharp chains.
With a cry, blood spouted from his arms and legs as the chains pulled taut. The limbs remained attached, but they strained away from his torso.
I grit my teeth.
Where the fuck is Orion!? This is who he's here to fight, right!?
Who can say. Raziel's tone was cool, detached. It does seem as though you're in a pinch, however.
Chains spun in a vortex of shredding steel, Celenike's laughter ringing out. Kuzuki went sprawling out of thin air as he was caught, flesh tattered in the weapons' wake. He curled at Medea's feet, neither able to move.
Ritsuka clenched his fist, and even as his throat bobbed Medea's knife twitched.
I held my hand out downward, only for a heavy pressure to become known.
Astolfo stumbled, and the clarity in his eyes sharpened. His movements became smoother, faster. Less erratic.
Kuzuki curled in on himself, and Sieg went limp.
Ritsuka let out a sharp cry, slumping in Medea's grip.
Celenike laughed harder, chains rising above the fog to the casket in the sky.
Something hammered against an invisible wall in my head. I couldn't tell if it was from inside or out.
All I could see was the rapid flow of blood from Ritsuka's neck.
He-
Ritsuka laughing at something stupid I did. Flushing around Mash when she was being innocent. Petting Fou with a gentle smile. Chatting with Roman and Da Vinci. Drawing Kadoc out of his shell. Standing by Ophelia. Bantering with Asako.
I reached my hand down, even as something inside me began to break.
____________________________________________________________________________
Orion hissed, skidding along the water. Artemis' arms were tight around his neck, only her blessing keeping the poison from taking hold.
"Darling," she whispered.
"I know." He grit his teeth. "I need a clear shot. Even I can't carve through this haze."
Her arms tightened.
Grey steel chains drifted through the air, battered by bolts of golden light. Culverin cannons.
A little further, and the clang of clashing metal echoed.
What luck that the obstacle between him and his quarry was all but the perfect counter. Still, he was a peerless hunter - and for now he had to bide his time in wait.
But when the sky returned to him…
"Sorry for messing up your next family reunion."
"Hm?"
"I'm sure Aphrodite won't like being shot out of the sky."
Artemis snuggled close as Orion firmed his stance, nocking and drawing an arrow back.
"She'll cope," Artemis muttered darkly.
____________________________________________________________________________
Chains of steel skittered by Kirschtaria, causing the noble to frown thunderously.
"Ritsuka is in bad shape!" Roman squawked in his ear. "Matthew's there, but he's been ensnared by some strange spell! From what I can read, Astolfo is still fighting but it's him against Icecolle!"
Caeneus' golden spear clashed against what seemed to be an anchor, launched from the mist. Metal clanged and sparks flew, illuminating a scant distance beyond the edges of the ship.
"Shit… there's no way for us to get a proper heading like this!" Drake spun the wheel, eyes wild. Her hair fluttered over her shoulders. Even as golden letters lined the boards of her vessel, green-black boiled outside their bubble of air.
What looked to be a person launched themselves down a chain, aiming to board-
An arrow sprouted from their throat, and in silence they tumbled into the sea.
"We need to reach the Argo," Kirschtaria murmured. "Do we have sufficient artillery to remove the impediment?"
Caneus landed in a crouch at his side. "I could probably do some damage with my Noble Phantasm," he admitted, "but I'd want a clear shot at the bastards attacking us first. I won't be satisfied with a graze."
It went unsaid that they might survive a near miss, and the counterattack would hinder them even further. Kirschtaria saw no reason to belabor the point.
Arrows rained down, clattering against the chains binding the ships together. Despite being loosed from a divine bow, despite the force and accuracy, the chains held firm. Determination. That's the word that came to Kirschtaria's mind. The bloody-minded determination to bind and forge a path. For better or worse.
As of yet, the enemy captain had not announced himself. Not that he needed to - Medea had vanished in a whirl of black-red jagged metal, Kuzuki launching himself after onto the Argo. The Hind's remaining Servants were by no means overwhelmed, but thanks to the fog and the loss of their more utility-focused members the enemy had them where they wanted. That is, stymied and unable to properly progress.
A surge of something flooded Kirschtaria's skull, causing him to wince and duck his head. Simultaneously lightheaded and heavy-sluggish, he nearly went to his knees. As it was, he planted his cane into the boards of the deck, forcing his spine upright.
Caeneus fared little better. His eyes flickered between their normal blue and red, white hair fluttering in the air. His muscles strained under an invisible weight, and much like his Master he forced himself upright using his spear.
More chains spiraled onto the Hind's deck, And a large form barreled towards them.
"Ready yourselves!" roared the man. He wore a buccaneer's outfit - buckles, loops, leather. His hat was large, and he had an improbably shaped beard that spiked upward, downward, and up again. His eyes gleamed with ambition and desire. A grinning mouth full of tombstones, a cutlass in one hand and pistol in the other. "Boarding other ships isn't my specialty, but the leader wanted some privacy." He aimed the pistol directly at Kirschtaria. "So-"
The roar of a great beast - or a giant man - echoed.
The fog split.
Twin axes embedded themselves in the deck, barely missing the enemy Servant by millimeters.
A tanned hulk with pearlescent mane, and the black horns of a bull. A red loincloth, and shackled ankles that slowed the being not at all.
Two small forms dropped to the deck, and immediately hid behind their protector.
Identical girls with lavender hair, white robes, and golden eyes. There was a fragility to their forms that Kirschtaria could not put to words. Something like innocence. They looked at the Chaldean forces with apprehension.
"Are you… Medusa's friends?" one murmured. A small bow lingered in her grip.
"I think they might be. Why else would they be feeling the power of Aphrodite?" the other replied.
Drake shook Kirschtaria, and he almost fell over.
"What the devil-" she began.
A chorus of voices echoed, and a crowd of sailors stormed down the chains clinging to the Hind.
"Rider Class, Christopher Columbus," Roman muttered in Kirschtaria's ear. "Not a weak Servant, but not one that would normally pose a threat to two Argonauts and Francis Drake-"
Voices pierced through the haze in Kirschtaria's head, and some amount of clarity returned. Enchanting song snaked through his brain, dislodging the solid mist that had filled every nook and cranny in the organ. His eyes cleared, and once more he could stand thanks to the Gorgons. Their duet echoed through the air like a spring wind, but-
Columbus took aim with his pistol, doubtless to end the aria. However, before he could so much as fire a single shot a rain of green fell behind him. His eyes widened and he peered sideways as his backup was driven into the crashing waves below.
A soft laugh of amusement echoed from the crow's nest.
Golden runes spiraled across the Hind, crawling across the bodies of all on it - save for Columbus.
And with roars of fury, Caeneus and the Minotaur charged the man himself, weapons raised high.
____________________________________________________________________________
Cu Chulainn twirled his spear, rapidly deflecting the discs before lunging back. A sword swept through his space in the oddly green hills. It wasn't Erin, but…
Achilles let out a low breath even as his fist found purchase in Pollux' gut. "Pat's behind this." A small smile crossed his face.
"Hrm?" Cu zig-zagged across the field, lunging towards Castor while Pollux was distracted.
"If you could please! This shield isn't meant to cover us overly long!" Patroclus stayed back, dark eyes glinting with reflected light from the shield on his arm. It gleamed a green so pale it was almost white, and the sound of the sea whorled around them all.
"Meant only to guard one of us," Achilles grunted as he was pushed along near Cu. Pollux dove with her sword, eyes wide and furious. Cu was forced to wrap an arm around Achilles and jump.
Once airborne, Achilles let out a bold laugh. "So that's the source of your agility!" He smiled blindingly at Cu Chulainn. "Can't say I could get this kind of height from standing!"
Cu smirked for a moment, then re-oriented.
Patroclus held his shield before him, Castor and Pollux diving towards him as one.
"Achi-"
The heavier body in his grip tensed. "Not this time." A sharp whistle carved through Cu's skull, piercing from his side.
A heartbeat. Galloping. Another heartbeat. The grinding of wheels. A third. The whinny of steeds.
"Hold on, Child of Light!" Achilles grin had turned to a slash of teeth across his face, a thirst for carnage echoed by the hammering in Cu's own chest. "I'll take the reins, and you grab Pat! Then…"
They landed in the bladed chariot. Three horses, magnificent steeds all, pulled it through the air. Achilles released Cu, but didn't move from his side.
"Run them down," Cu growled, returning Achilles' smile with one of his own.
Children of gods, soldiers that fought wars with their own two hands. Kindred spirits, after a fashion.
Achilles laughed wildly. "Let's burn like shooting stars! Here we come!" He leaned forward, and Cu leaned out the side of the chariot with his arm extended."
The air blurred, but even so Cu could see Patroclus' form as they closed faster than the Dioscuri were able to.
"Troias Tragōidia!"
Cu's hand clapped Patroclus' bicep, and he managed to haul the man in even as they passed. It took every bit of his reflexes and flexibility, but none of the other soldier's body clipped the side of the chariot.
"What took you so-" Patroclus began.
A familiar crunch echoed through the bounded field, and the other man's tense expression dropped into exasperation.
Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted by the sudden tornado that sprang from the ground, twin lights spiraling in a cocoon of air. With a united warcry, the blood-streaming projectile lunged after the chariot.
Achilles pulled hard on the reins, turning to meet the oncoming enemy.
The roiling world around them flickered. In the seconds Cu could see outside he saw… nothing. Boiling black emptiness.
"If they can't get rid of that soon…" Patroclus murmured, even as they charged.
Cu exhaled through his nose. "We've our own issues here."
"Can't hear you! Too busy winning!" Achilles' exhilarated grimace never faltered.
____________________________________________________________________________
The Revenge tore through the waters, and Illyasviel swore she could see scaled trees blooming from the sea's surface. The closer they got, the clearer the air was. It was different from dealing with Daji's half-formed advent, or Valac and Flauros. Whatever loomed in the fog-
Was a titan of legend.
Up, up, up. The necks stretched out for what felt like miles, each maw dripping poison into the air. One dragged along the surface of the water, trailing green-black ichor.
The faces looked almost human. Flat and snakelike, of course, but the scales shifted from white around the face to a viridian verging on obsidian in shade. The necks bore folds of skin like no serpent she'd seen in the water.
Heracles stood at her side, fists clenched tight. His face bore neither fear nor resignation, but something in his eyes flickered. He wasn't the mad monolith she was used to fighting alongside, but his courage was just as unfailing.
Almost absentmindedly, she let her own tiny hand rest on his.
"Hm." Something in his jaw set. "It isn't as though I surmounted it alone before." The statement was as sure as stone, and yet Illyasviel heard the question underneath.
She scoffed. "I'm not staying behind. I want to see you get rid of it, you know!" The little princess of the Einzbern gave a bright smile.
"Do you now?" The Servant, the first to give her kindness since her father and mother left, the one who stayed by her side for so long-
"Of course!"
Snow gathered around their feet. A familiar form began to take shape, only to shimmer and elongate.
Heracles let out a surprised breath.
Before them stood a beast. Not a bear, no- this was a new form entirely.
It was not a bear that helped Sitonai lay a great serpent to rest. But neither was it a dog, anymore.
"Berserker- no, Heracles is the strongest in the world! So of course Shiro and I will be safe!"
With a grin, the Servant mounted the wolf, easily the size of the largest horse imaginable and then some.
Illyasviel didn't struggle as he lifted her up, and set her on his shoulder. It was where she belonged.
With a trumpet, Moby Dick breached the waves once more.
A hiss low enough to be the roll of thunder cut through the air, massive heads turning to look upon them.
Hollow eyes. Yellow eyes. A pupil as large as a hero, an orb as large as a house. Fangs slid over lipless mouths, dripping. The fog boiled from nine maws.
Shiro lunged forward, his new form giving him greater speed. An island of living flesh stretched beneath his paws, carrying all of them ever closer to the Hydra. Even with the air swirling around them from Kunapipi's blessing, they could barely see ahead of them.
For seconds, they barreled through the dark with only the alabaster path to show the way beneath their feet. Then Illyasviel clenched her free hand, that which she didn't use to hold onto Heracles, into a fist.
Ice erupted from the sea, crystalline blossoms shearing through the dark. The wind whipped furiously, disturbing the fog and clearing a sphere of pure air.
The Hydra let out a hissing growl, and one of its heads lunged downwards. Speed unnatural for its size, the maw opened wider and wider, ready to swallow them whole-
The blade was bright. Long as Heracles was tall, broad as his arm was wide, a hilt that matched Illyasviel for height. A golden guard, a blade of shining orange. It burned with the blood of Gaia.
Heracles drew his arm back, and inhaled. Determination etched itself in every line on his face.
Illyasviel threaded her fingers into his hair, and raised her hand higher.
Ice came. Like a flower of frost, blooming from her hand, tiny fingers wrapped around the hilt of a sword. It grew, grew, not as large as Heracles, but larger than Illyasviel herself nonetheless. The crystals that made up the blade gleamed azure, standing in stark contrast to the orange of Heracles.
Distantly, she heard Blackbeard's whoop of excitement. Then all was drowned out by the roar of the winter wind, brought by the goddesses within her. The heavens screamed above, in time with the white whale that ferried them across the poisoned ocean.
Shiro's paws left the surface, propelling the three of them onward.
The Hydra came closer, but- it was already too late.
Illyasviel raised her voice in a shout. A call of war, of victory. A cry to slay the monster. And for the first time in her life, in all lives, her partner answered.
"HERACLES!"
"ILLYA!"
The twin swords of flame and frost converged in a maelstrom of blades.
"OPTATESHKE OPIMUNKE: NINE LIVES MARMYADOSE!"
____________________________________________________________________________
The vile poison was dragged into a vortex of wind, ice, and flame. From where I hung, suspended on Celenike's chain, I could see.
A blazing iceberg scythed through the neck of the great beast, letting the head tumble into the sea.
Moby Dick lunged, massive teeth sinking into the hide of its body as another head fell - and from this angle I could see the stump.
Flesh, blackened, burnt, frozen and frostbitten, extremes of temperature eviscerating the meat on impact.
Like a flying star, a mote of light sheared through the sky and carved through yet another mammoth neck like a whirring blade through a tree, sending blood and meat flying like chips of wood.
The Hydra screamed, reeling but rooted by Moby Dick's powerful jaws and flukes battling to hold it in place. The serpent which infected the sea could not escape the living island of bone. Smaller bodies fell from the behemoth, only to spatter from the sheer pressure of the Divine Beast's presence.
Fog roiled and recoiled, and I knew what I had to do.
I glanced downward, catching sight of Ritsuka.
Astolfo was doing a terrifyingly good job of keeping Celenike at bay, and-
And a blond man stood over Ritsuka, pinning Medea by the wrists to the Argo's rail and shouting in her face. His shoulders were tense, but the strangest glow of sea-green engulfed his hands. From my vantage, I could see her eyes start to clear.
Celenike shouted something, and the pressure redoubled. Not in my skull, but in my- my chest? I-
One and the same, me, myself. How amusing, how amusing! Though- she hurts what is mine. Unacceptable.
Oh. Raziel's voice carried faint surprise.
Matthew! Hang in there! Stay where you are-!
I grit my teeth.
Sorry, Morgan. Ritsuka's hurting. I can't leave him like that.
Deep in my chest, in my head, the pressure grew. That black something that had curled inside me since Seraphix, since earlier-
Since my patron was ripped from me by the ancient curse.
With a shout, I tore free of the chains. They scattered like leaves, jagged links fluttering into the wide sea below. Fragments of paper, of ash, of snow- how did they hold me before?
Where was this strength when I needed it before?
Did I, though?
Ritsuka…! Mash…!
The fog swirled over the shore, and the screams of man haunted the Hydra's haunting grounds.
Cu…!
I need it now.
____________________________________________________________________________Ritsuka wheezed. The cut on his throat was shallow, but it bled readily. He just hoped Medea would be alright - the man who had to be Jason seemed to be breaking Celenike's hold on her. At least there was another ally there.
Astolfo's form was sharper than Ritsuka had ever seen it. The pink-haired paladin moved with ease around chain and whip, blade shining in the dark. Green eyes fixed on the enemy with fervor.
"What are you!?" Celenike hissed. Another wave of pressure gripped Ritsuka's skull, and his emotions writhed in his chest.
"The wrong one to try that on, haha!" Despite the laugh, Astolfo's eyes remained grim. He whipped the horn out from his side, and without it becoming the automaton Ritsuka remembered from Orleans, he blew.
The fog billowed back a little from the ship, and Celenike hissed with narrowed eyes, wincing at the sound.
Ritsuka sat up, and his eyes widened when he spotted Sieg.
Chains coiled around his limbs, cutting deep into muscle. The dragon's avatar panted, face pale and sweating. Blood pooled beneath his suspended form. He was alive, but…
A soft breeze blew across Ritsuka. Different from the sea's wind, it carried a familiar tang of chill.
And when it left, so too did the pain.
Then it picked up. It was like… like when he was entering Chaldea, the eternal blizzard that shrouded the observatory. No ice nor snow, but the rapid movement contrasted with the deep chill-
Held in the air, chains shattered. Sieg tumbled down amidst the black-red shards, only to pause less than a meter above the deck. Silver light flowed from the air, tracing the jagged wounds that kissed the air through his broken clothing. Moonlight pooled in the wounds, vanishing in motes of radiance that left unbroken skin behind. Neither more or less pale than the body it appeared on, if not for the state of Sieg's clothes Ritsuka would have sworn it rejected the event of his wounding entirely.
Kuzuki moved, and Ritsuka turned his head to see the Assassin sit up with a confused frown. The light was closer, and now he could see the minute Runes that made it up.
The wind howled, and Ritsuka looked up.
His breath caught.
The fog was wrapped in spirals of air, compacted down. The rotting remains of Celenike's fleet remained, only two ships untouched.
Don't mind those. Your gentle heart will merely shatter.
Cruel words, a kind tone. Soft, loving. Words from his dearest friend, his favorite relative- but who?
The air shone and shimmered. Eight were the masses, and eight so cracked into solidity. Geometry formed from chaos, crystallization formed from cloud, frozen into black masses of ice and venom. Spires larger than any ship, rotating around the center.
The Hydra let out a hissing trumpet, and Ritsuka saw the ruin of three heads. A small comet impacted a fourth behind the neck.
He had to shield his eyes against the glare, but the dance of frost and flame plowed through like a needle through cloth, dragging carnage like a thread. Through and out, crystallizing and cauterizing the flesh in its wake. The dark ruin remained, and the stump laid still.
The mouths no longer produced fog, the fangs twitching in the great snake's mouths.
The pressure faded, only for a slight weight to make itself known on Ritsuka's head. The ghost of fingertips on his brow.
You need this more than I. She can't touch me now. I am more what she aspired to than she could ever be.
Shaking, he raised a hand to his forehead.
A thin band of metal remained.
And in the heavens above, a pair of black wings spread in the opening sky.
The black wings of a butterfly.
____________________________________________________________________________
They erupted from the bounded field into a spiraling vortex. Sand flew past them into the sky.
Cu held onto Achilles and Patroclus, not keen on finding out what would happen if he fell from the chariot.
To his shock, the Dioscuri withdrew. Both wore expressions of shock, if only for a moment. Then they stared up at the three warriors.
The ocean tossed fretfully. The Pequod remained, the quiet clash of metal all that could be heard over the howl of winter winds.
Above flapped a great pair of wings. A hole in the sky in the shape of an insect, a butterfly-
"A distraction," Cu breathed.
"Hrm?" Achilles glanced at him.
"Mischief- Matthew- he's an illusionist. He set whatever spell up there to-"
The first spire was fired.
A pillar of ice and toxin, hurtling through space at the gathered fleet. The dark crystal howled through the air, trailing traceries of silver winter.
It struck its mark.
The dome of black-green-silver erupted, covering more ships than Cu Chulainn could count. Not in the time it took to swallow them all.
It buckled, bulged, bubbled - and burst upwards, sending the miasma to the sky.
Cu Chulainn did not need to be a soothsayer to understand the magnitude of the act.
Idle, careless massacre. Not the swing of a warrior's weapon in war, but the uncaring strike of a general or god upon the people. Would Matthew-
He would. If he stopped trying to care, he would. It wasn't a king's or royal's whim, but nature's. That was the only comparison. If nature played favorites.
(A terrifying notion.)
Watch him.
But where did the power come-
"OI!" Achilles elbowed him sharply. His eyes gleamed in the returning light. "We've got issues here!"
"Our captain, useless as he is, remains in danger. We seek a truce." Pollux folded her arms.
Aphrodite's grip was broken. The Dioscuri were free.
Cu Chulainn inhaled. "Right. It looks like we've larger issues than a love-goddess and Hydra."
…perhaps he earned the flat gaze Pollux gave him.
____________________________________________________________________________
Mash released the field, plucking her shield from the deck of the Pequod. With a grunt, she launched herself backwards, back to the mast and shield in front to defend.
The wintry wind felt like home. Like family.
"Looks like Matthew managed a countermeasure," she murmured to herself.
Musashi, no longer on the defense, whirled through the air. Ahab raised his spear, only to buckle under the weight of her slash.
"Fou! Fou Fou!"
Fou dashed across her line of sight, a blur of… silver? No longer the white she met him in, nor the gold-silver he stayed in, or even the gold he had taken in days past. But silver.
Something pinched inside Mash's chest.
Ahab raised his spear, darkness gathering at the tip. His eyes went pitch-black, and he opened his mouth-
Fou vanished.
And reappeared on the other side of the new cavity in Ahab's chest, blood streaming from his fur as though discarding the very sins of the world.
Medusa came to a halt, nail-daggers raised for her own deathblow.
The Pequod creaked in the howling wind. Bit by bit, the sail disintegrated into black ash.
Ahab raised his spear once more, with greater urgency-
Medusa followed through.
With a scything sideways blow, Mash could see the lavender traceries alight on her arms. With the strength of a Gorgon, she took Ahab's head in a single strike.
He was already dead. She just told him faster.
Ahab's body fell, and the ship trembled beneath their feet as it began to come apart in earnest. His corpse vanished like scattering coal-dust.
Fou turned, the last of the blood leaving his fur.
Flat, pale blue. Eyes like a lake void of impurity scrutinized her.
"He's Matthew's familiar," Raphael murmured softly. "If we use him as a barometer…"
"Shit," Musashi swore. Her head whipped around, trying to catch sight of Matthew.
"Aphrodite took him to Celenike." Raphael rose, spherical body shimmering. "We'll find him there."
Medusa visibly grit her teeth. "Come!"
Mash shielded her eyes, but when she could open them against the light Medusa was already flying towards the Argo. She could make out Musashi's red-blue at her back.
"Raphael!" she cried out.
Cool seawater ran down her spine, and wings of crimson fell to her sides. A weight fell on her shoulder.
Fou's fur brushed her cheek.
"Fou."
Ritsuka needs us.
Mash's breath caught, but she forced herself into the sky.
"Let's go!"
Like a crimson star, she carved through the air. Ship and wave passed below her, even as the Pequod finally left the world behind in her wake.
And ahead of her, she saw.
Beneath the black butterfly, beneath the vanishing clouds.
The sea and sky began to turn to white.
____________________________________________________________________________
A sixth head fell, the great beast screaming in the near distance.
Kirschtaria gripped his cane, eyes wide as the pressure of the goddess vanished.
The coffin remained in the air above, but all of the chaos… the fight was already over. The enemy just hadn't realized it yet.
(And Marisbilly wanted to suborn this? Alienate this? His mentor was no fool. What fear drove him?)
Caeneus lunged forward, wreathed in gold flame. His spear ran through Columbus, finally free of interference.
The captain gurgled, stumbling on his own two feet for a heartbeat. He raised his sword to call forth what must have been-
"Santa Maria-"
A crack of thunder broke the air, and a hole opened in his forehead. Easily a centimeter in radius, blood sprayed from his skull.
Drake lowered her pistol, and immediately began to spin the wheel to correct course. The look of blank distaste on her face forbade question.
The Santa Maria erupted into motes of golden light as her captain died. An ignoble, unremarkable death, but death nonetheless.
Ahead, the silhouette of the Argo wavered behind a sphere of darkness. No - not darkness. It moved like something organic.
"Butterflies?" the tiny archer murmured, huddled behind the Minotaur.
"Asterios, do you know what that is?" the other sister asked, pointing at the mass.
The now-named Asterios gave a blank look.
"Che. The big lug spent his life in a maze. You want esoteric knowledge, ask our mage- who got kidnapped." Caeneus slung his spear over his shoulders before giving Asterios a curious look. "You guys on our side, then?"
Asterios blinked. "Un?" It was somewhere between confirmation and question.
Kirschtaria exhaled. He narrowed his eyes.
The butterflies swarmed, a void of soft shadow that engulfed the ship.
"Fliers!" Drake barked.
White and crimson streaked overhead.
Kirschtaria's eyes, reinforced at Drake's warning, caught Musashi and Mash by dint of their colorful outfits. A lavender-haired woman, larger than the other two, carried Musashi on what he thought was a flying horse. Mash flew under her own power, wings of crimson bearing her into the sphere.
With a shriek, a seventh mighty splash echoed across the sea.
(Yet the waves did not reach them.)
Kirschtaria's mind whirled. Orion was here to fight a Beast. He'd yet to fire a single arrow, and the goddess remained overhead. The Hydra was a threat, but only until it was flawlessly countered by Heracles and what he presumed to be Illyasviel.
Had something changed? What happened?
The answers… had to be on the Argo.
"Full sail ahead," Drake muttered. "Something's up. I don't like it."
A green comet passed overhead, air fluttering the Hind's sails.
"It would seem that's a general consensus, yes," Kirschtaria murmured.
____________________________________________________________________________
White.
An endless abyss spanned forward and behind, leaving only him and the Servants.
Ritsuka touched his head again, the crown still warm from its last bearer. His head was clearer than it had been since the fight began. Calmer. His fear ebbed away, his uncertainty-
Wait. If the crown locked away what the wearer didn't want of themselves… Then… this circlet.
He stumbled to his feet.
Medea let out a ragged breath, stepping away from Jason. "What is the meaning of this?" she croaked. Kuzuki stood behind her, an arm around her shoulders.
Jason looked at them all. His eyes flickered between a fierce green and the blue-green of the sea. "It's complicated. And the reason why the Demon God fled, I would imagine." He gave a wry smile. "And now we have something worse than a would-be witch on a power trip."
A soft sob echoed through the pale void.
Celenike whirled in place, riding crop in hand. She tugged on the chains in her grasp, only for them to melt like sand. The grains poured upward into nothing before her wide eyes. Her spectacles slid down her nose, almost falling before she hastily pushed them upwards.
Crimson splashed across emptiness, revealing a pillar hewn from stone. Upon it hung an effigy.
A crudely hewn figure of their enemy dangled from it, crucified. Thorns pierced its palms, and rope-like entrails poured from its side. Ritsuka couldn't tell if it was flesh or not.
Another splash of color, this a nauseating pink-grey. Another pillar.
This time, her hair gave her away, her back was opened, ribs protruding and lungs pulled through like malformed wings.Ragged skin and dangling viscera were all that remained beneath her waist.
Goldenrod. Pale blue. A violet so deep it was almost black.
Another color, another profanity. Experimentation in concentrated malice. The world was a palette of suffering and indignity, all revolving around Celenike.
Ritsuka took a gulping breath, stumbling backward.
"-ster!"
Medusa?
The Gorgon appeared from the white, arm wrapped around his shoulder and eyes trailing across the macabre temple. Musashi followed in a puff of color - red and blue dust heralding her arrival. Mash followed in crimson and pink.
Mash, who immediately cleaved to his side.
Astolfo and Sieg stood back to back, the sob echoing through the area again.
Celenike cracked her crop against the air. The snap echoed through the nothingness.
The only response was a soft slushy sound, as though mixing paint.
With a splat, a new pillar appeared in dripping forest green. This Celenike was denuded, curled into a fetal position. Her head turned to face outwards, and her tongue lolled from a torn-away lower jaw. Her eyes were wide in terror.
The original began to breathe rapidly, stepping backwards.
With another breath of winter, more spirals of pigment filled the air.
Gold- Patroclus stepped into the unreality. Green like lightning of fantasy- Achilles came to a halt near Ritsuka, gripping his hand with urgency.
"Contract formed! Rider Achille-" Da Vinci's voice cut out as soon as it came. A heartbeat later- "Pretender Pa-" And it cut out. No static. Nothing.
In a blur of deep blue, Cu Chulainn launched himself into the air. Something glowed in his clenched fist as he bounded from pillar to pillar, 'paint' gripping the soles of his shoes.
Tracking rune, Master. I've got him.
A____, heritor of M_____.
L____n S___e.
L____n S___e.
The echo filled his head. Ritsuka winced, only for Mash's cool hand to lay across his temple.
"I love you."
The whisper was in soft, aristocratic tones. The voice was familiar, somehow.
"I love you so, and one deigned to harm you."
Somehow, the tone of truth echoed, biting into Ritsuka's very soul. The Servants - Achilles, Patroclus, Musashi, Medusa, Mash, even Medea, Kuzuki, Sieg and Astolfo - he saw their faces contort.
Jason, with a look of one who had experience in such matters, immediately sidestepped behind Ritsuka and ducked. He laid a hand on his back, but made no threatening movements.
Hmhm. How adorable.
Celenike stood, frozen.
Cu Chulainn leapt for an apex, far above. Reaching into the void, reaching into the white-
"Ah, my Blue. You're here."
A hand emerged, and grasped the Lancer's fingers. He did not fall. He was not let go.
"It's going to be okay."
Fou let out a soft growl, gleaming pale eyes fixed on the woman who laid claim to Beasthood before them all.
With that… Ritsuka somewhat doubted that.
____________________________________________________________________________
Morgan stared into the fields of flowers.
"It was never going to hold."
Her hand clenched into a fist. "Not now, Merlin."
"I wondered why you answered him so quickly. He really is-"
"No, Merlin." She turned to him, eyes flat and white.
Merlin merely shrugged. "Well. At least Okeanos is well seen to at this point." He gave a slight smile. "I wonder if there was even a reason for Orion to come, with power like that."
"You don't understand." Morgan turned back to Avalon's heart. "You don't understand at all. You couldn't."
Damn Morgause a thousand times.
"I mean, one capable of forging the Holy Sword? And you, in your haste to preserve the boy's life-"
"Merlin-"
"Made him the next. His name isn't known yet is it? Or his Name, rather." Merlin smiled, an impish light in his eyes. "You really did make him your son."
Morgan closed her eyes. "Please."
The wizard withdrew, apparently satisfied with events as they went.
If only he knew why Morgan had…
"I only wanted you to be happy," she whispered. "It would have been difficult, but you could have-" She stopped. "But if there's a chance. I. I will ensure that happiness. Even if it means humanity as it is can no longer exist. But before that measure..." She raised her head, eyes shining. Green life poured forth. "I will save you, somehow."
"You deserve better than heirship to Morgause."
____________________________________________________________________________
Paint dripped down the walls of the illusion. A hall of sacrifice.
Red feathers tickled the palm of my free hand, shortly before I slid them between the pages of my book.
I met Cu's eyes.
He didn't avert his gaze, and my heart pounded even harder.
Why would he? It's still me, after all.
Slowly, we drifted down.
Crack after crack of the riding crop, but it didn't matter. Aphrodite was free, such as it was. She was still trapped, still behind walls it would take an even greater power than mine-
-for now-
-to breach. But here, the chains could not penetrate. An illusion that surpassed the 'reality' of the Textures, but was allowed for however long I needed. This was my freedom. A Dream of Gaia.
Something whispered inside my head, but I ignored it.
Ah. So this is your truth. Raziel's voice was calm. It is more beautiful than I could have imagined. Once you are whole-
I tuned him out, only for him to chuckle fondly.
We landed.
Cu never broke eye contact.
I knew what the others saw. Almost from outside myself-
Cloth woven of white, threaded with silver. The mystic codes bound into the noble garb. Shoulders broad and accentuated by pads that curved like thorns. Taller, but bones the same. A more mature face. Hair pale as snow and just as opaque. Eyes like frozen lakes, still holding their shine. A small half-smile of amusement. Grey gloves in place, the only true colors upon me were the book secured to my back - finally shining - and Aoibheall's gemstones glimmering at my throat.
"You finally look your age, I guess," Cu said after a moment. Aside from Celenike's fruitless squawking, he was the only one to break the silence.
I gave a soft laugh, and leaned in. He didn't move as my lips brushed his cheek.
I wonder how it felt. Cold? Warm?
It felt the same as it ever did. There was a note of pride in Raziel's voice. Now. Best to set the affairs in order, hm?
Right.
I gently let go of him.
"We won," Cu said, immediately picking up on the shift in mood.
Ritsuka looked at me in confusion, eyes flickering between Cu and myself.
"Not quite. I just interrupted the bond, not severed it."
Cu Chulainn reached a hand out, but I moved beyond his grasp.
In the span of a moment, I was at Astolfo's side.
His head whipped around but before he could react I was gone.
"Matthew!" Ritsuka cried out.
The beginnings of a command spell pulled at my bones.
I gave him a calm look.
"What are you doing?" he asked, Mash holding him back. She looked at my hands, then at me. Her mouth firmed into a thin line, but she didn't move to stop me. Just looked at Ritsuka, then at me.
I wouldn't say she approves, but she won't stop you. Not for the likes of this wretch. Raziel's voice was almost giddy. Nor will Raphael. He never stopped our Father from doling out 'rightful punishment'. What little she's done here, she's more than earned your judgement from her life before.
I turned on my heel, and stood before Celenike.
"Wh-what? No. I am Desire! I am the Beast-!"
"Sh. Shhh. Oh, pet." I gave her a pitying frown. "You were a parasite feeding on the remains of divinity. No more, no less."
The Third fell in SE.RA.PH. Of that I was sure. BB began its fall, and Hakuno finished it.
This pale imitation was nothing of the sort.
"That said… I do have a promise to keep." I stepped forward, even as she stumbled back.
"No… Aphrodite! Come!" She raised her hand, the crimson pin at her throat trembling with exertion. Reaching towards me, she tried to crush my will.
Love. Love. Love, love, love, love-!
"Oh, pet. You really have had your fun." Tenderly, gently, I wrapped a hand around her forearm and pulled her close.
And plunged Walpurgisnacht straight into the meat of her chest.
Softly, sweetly, like a kiss. The stain of darkness bled through her clothes, her flesh. Her veins blackened, her throat swelled.
Her eyes widened, and-
The art I had prepared came crashing down. Color fled the pillars, dragging the multitude of deaths with them.
"So to send you off, I give you these words of parting. How did that poor creature say…?"
The colors wrapped around her in a riot of torment and execution, burning themselves into flesh, brain, and soul. Walpurgisnacht merely paved their way.
Necrotic ooze vacated every orifice as she writhed in agony eternal and ephemeral. Black, all colors combined, engulfed her body. The curse I erected to give her what was owed-
-thrice over-
-for the temerity. Of taking Medea. Of hurting Ritsuka. Of threatening them all.
"Ah." I snapped my fingers with a satisfied huff, remembering the words at the rush of vindication.
"The Starting Penalty is Five."
The burbling husk collapsed.
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Anra Mainiiu?
Blinktwice13
Underpaid Struggle Bus Attendant
- Location
- Eastern US
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yep, that's who he quoted. He was in close proximity to the thing, after all.
I might not have spelled it out in text, but this is a lot of what Matt's had repressed. Willingly and otherwise.