- Location
- USA
Lol, Subaru. Have fun finding out every historical figure is a girl outside of a handful that get to be guys.
-
Going forward, links to content from Twitter (now X) will no longer be embedded. Pre-existing links should not be affected.
Save Scumming? It's on my Character sheet. (Re: Zero/Fate Grand Order)
- Thread starter Xorn
- Start date
- Crossover
These final lines pretty amusing. Continue to entertain us Subaru.
Not to mention, that some of the 'girls' choose to be girls and other not girls at all!
- Location
- Probably at sea
I do enjoy Subaru being just as confused by all the Fate genderflipping as, well, someone who just got introduced to Fate would be.
Calling it now, he's dying at least once to Archer before they all manage to get past him and face Salter.
Calling it now, he's dying at least once to Archer before they all manage to get past him and face Salter.
12: Lord Chaldeas
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
12: Lord Chaldeas
Even as a Caster, it's pretty clear that Cu Chulainn far surpasses Mash in combat ability. Frankly, this can't even be called a fight. He's not even casting any spells - just utterly dominating her in a melee smackdown, wielding his staff as if it were a spear.
As expected of the original holder of the Gae Bolg, I suppose. My knowledge of the weapon may be limited to videogames, but considering it's usually thrown into the same class as things like Lævateinn, Excalibur, and Gungnir, I figure it's probably a pretty big deal, right?
In any case, not having his signature weapon doesn't seem to be causing Cu any trouble. It's all Mash can do to deflect all of his attacks, to say nothing of delivering blows of her own. What's worse, I can see the battle wearing on her. She didn't get much of a break, considering Hanam, Heracles, and Cu have all picked fights with us back-to-back.
Finally, Cu pauses, frowning at Mash as she all but collapses, leaning on her shield and panting heavily.
"Man, you're still not getting it, huh?" He says. "In that case, then… think fast, girlie!"
A bolt of fire streaks towards me, and I react instinctively, my spirit contract flaring to life - but Avalon isn't Beako, and it can't reconstruct one of our spells with only my half to go off of.
"Senpai!"
But somehow, despite her exhaustion, Mash manages to block it at the last possible second.
"Nice save, Mash-tan!" I call out, carefully watching Caster for his next attack.
"Fine then." He mutters. "This should seal it… burn to the ground with your Master!"
The runes engraved on his staff glow even brighter, and I can feel the sensation of imminent death pressing down on me.
"My spell is the coffin of flames, a giant of verdant thorn."
Damn, is this a Noble Phantasm-!? With her in this state, Mash will be…
"Retribution, the forest that will purify human misery-!"
I clutch my chest and grit my teeth, activating [Cor Leonis]. Mash's strength surges, and her stance solidifies - even as my own lungs seize up, exhaustion nearly driving me to my knees. Slowly, desperately, I heave one breath after another, even as a blanket of uncertainty and fear tightens around my throat.
"Befall the [Wicker Man]! And behold, as both good and evil bite the dust-!" Cu Chulainn roars, and from behind him, a vaguely humanoid, towering frame of wood, straw, and metal emerges from the ground.
As the Wicker Man ignites, Mash glances back at me, fear clear in her face.
"D-don't give up, Mash-tan!" I say, flashing her a forced smile and a thumbs up.
She takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly, her eyes locking onto the advancing giant of flame.
"...Beginning pseudo-deployment of Noble Phantasm! Haaaah!"
Intricate blue circles erupt from Mash's shield, and brick by brick, the ephemeral image of a pristine white wall takes shape. The Wicker Man topples forwards, crashing into the bricks in a burst of flame and shrapnel- but to no avail.
The wall holds strong. Caster's Noble Phantasm burns away in a cloud of cinders, and the marble bricks of Mash's wall don't even have a single scorch mark to show for it.
"...I did it." Mash says with a small sigh of relief- and then, a smile lights up her face, "...I did it!"
"You had to fudge the true name, though, right?" Says Caster, making her smile drop again.
"That's right… I've still got a good distance to go."
"W-well, it's still good progress, you know!" I say, patting her shoulder. "Besides, not knowing the Noble Phantasm's name just means we get to make up our own cool name for it!"
"E-eh? Well, I guess I am moving in the right direction…" She says with a small smile. "B-but, um, make up our own? Is that... allowed?"
"Sure! After all, it'll sound cooler than just yelling 'Noble Phantasm goooo!', right?" I reply. "Something like [Final Bastion - Last Refuge of Humanity] would sound pretty heroic, right?"
"Master, a name like that… feels like a bit too much." Hanam interjects.
"Eh? How so?" I ask. "I mean, considering we're saving the world here, doesn't it sound about right?"
"Um, I think I'm happy that you have such high expectations of me, but…" Mash says nervously.
"Too over the top, huh?" I say with a sigh. "Sorry, I've got the soul of a little kid, so stuff like this happens. I'll try and think of a better name."
"N-no! It's not that I thought it wasn't cool, but more about…" She says, looking down. "Er… It seems like being constantly reminded of what's at stake, would get a bit too stressful. It's not that I don't want to meet your expectations, Senpai! It's just..."
Ah, damn. I messed up again. Mash isn't used to fighting, or even violent by nature. It should have been obvious that she'd want something a bit more subdued. "Right, I guess I got too excited…" I say with a forced chuckle. "Sorry about that. Still, not having a name for your special attack feels a bit weird…"
"How about [Lord Chaldea], then?" Interjects Mordred. He scratches his cheek as we all glance at him. "I mean, you guys are from that Chaldea place, so we can just name it after that, right?"
"...Where'd the 'Lord' part come from?" I wonder aloud.
"That sounds… correct, more or less!" Mash says, smiling brightly. Ever so slightly, I see her posture straighten up, and she stands just a little taller than before. "Yeah. [Lord Chaldeas]... that sounds right!"
"Seriously, where did the 'Lord' part come from?" I ask again.
"That's great. Hearing you name that shield after Chaldeas… really warms my heart, Mash." Says Doctor Roman over his holographic link. "And, more importantly, congratulations on getting it to manifest so soon! I really felt like that was going to be more of a long term thing… Anyway, now we'll have an excuse to have a party once this mess is over!"
"Doctor, you were going to throw a party after this regardless of how much progress I made, weren't you?" Mash says with a small smile.
"Well, we're gonna be saving the world here, you know! It only makes sense to celebrate!"
"That weak-looking guy's words of praise aside, it'll do until you figure out its true name." Says Cu with a sigh.
"Eh!? I got called weak by someone I just met!?" Roman whines.
"More importantly, though… Oi, kid." the Caster turns his attention to me. "What the hell did you do? A spell to take her exhaustion onto yourself… what kind of useless magecraft is that, huh? If you're gonna use scapegoat-type stuff, at least have the brains to use a doll or something!"
I scratch the back of my head. "Well, to start with, [Cor Leonis] isn't magecraft. It's kind of complicated, but I spent a bit of time in 'another world', and I got abilities called [Authorities] while I was there. They don't cost any mana to use, so I can still make use of them even though my circuits are damaged."
"Wait, wait, you never mentioned something this crazy, Subaru!" Exclaims Romani. "Doing something like that without mana is-!"
"Yeah, yeah, it sounds kind of nuts. But on the other hand, they're pretty limited in application. [Cor Leonis] lets me take people's burdens onto myself, but only so long as I've got an emotional connection with them - and even then, it's not like there's some kind of safeguard to keep me from killing myself using it or anything." I say with a shrug.
"Senpai… That telekinesis you used, to lift that rock off of me… was that also..?" Mash asks.
"That's the other one I've got - I call it [Invisible Providence]." I say, lifting a nearby chunk of concrete to demonstrate. "I can manifest one or two hands that only I can see. They've got decent grip strength and can lift heavy things pretty easily, but they've got a max range of about three meters…"
"So it's the same type of stand as Star Platinum." Says Romani.
...Unbidden, an image of Regulus asking me if I'm approaching him comes to mind.
"Pfffft! N-no, it's way slower, unfortunately. I can throw a punch with it, but 'ora ora' type stuff is off the table." I reply.
"Ah, how disappointing…" mutters Romani. "And that clairvoyance-type thing you've been doing? Is that also an authority?"
"...I can't tell you anything about that. Bad things happen if I do."
Also, I just plain don't know. [Return by Death] certainly behaves like an authority - an arbitrary, seemingly invincible ability that loses a large amount of its effectiveness when someone figures it out. But it could also be a [Divine Protection], or something that I gained as a result of traveling between worlds.
"Hm." Cu nods. "Well, we can unpack that later. For now, we've got a snake to deal with. I'll give you all some runes to boost magic resistance, so hold still, would you?"
***
Five hours of combing through abandoned streets later, with a small army of defeated skeletons in our wake, we arrive in Lancer's territory. Terrified statues dot the churchyard - a few have limbs severed, or twisted out of shape before the petrification. One man is clutching at his throat, a rocky cleft visible beneath his fingers. A statue of a woman is lying on the ground, with a hole punched clean through her chest leaving the ground visible.
On the doorstep of the church, a stone child is frozen, desperately trying to shove stone entrails back into the fallen body of an old woman.
Each and every statue is unique in its atrocity. Each one a twisted work of 'art', displaying a unique manner of death.
Monster. Lancer, Medusa, is without a doubt, a true monster. Not like the Mabeasts who were just overpowered animals. Not like the skeletons, who just hunt whatever's moving. She chose this. Consciously decided to be a monster, to inflict misery. And she reveled in it, enjoyed it, glorified in it.
Without a doubt, hunting her down was the right thing to do.
Only...
"...Where the hell is she!?" yells Mordred.
"Tch. I should have figured she'd go into hiding." mutters Cu. "There's no way she didn't notice Red's Noble Phantasm earlier, and she probably saw mine too. And if she figured out Berserker is down…"
"Indeed. Say what you like about her, but Lancer is far from the type to pick fights she can't win." mutters Hanam.
"So, eliminating her before we fight Archer is…" mutters Mash.
"Not something she's gonna let us do. Goddammit!" Spits Caster.
I sigh. "So… should we just go after Saber, then, and if Lancer shows up, she shows up?"
"I guess so." Says Cu. "We'll need to wait a night, though - I'm gonna want to make a few more preparations."
"That gives us time to recharge your command spell, so that's probably for the best, Senpai." says Mash.
"Mm. Let's go then." I mutter. "We'll definitely be able to find at least one building back in town that's still standing - let's not stay here. I won't be able to sleep in a place like this."
Even as a Caster, it's pretty clear that Cu Chulainn far surpasses Mash in combat ability. Frankly, this can't even be called a fight. He's not even casting any spells - just utterly dominating her in a melee smackdown, wielding his staff as if it were a spear.
As expected of the original holder of the Gae Bolg, I suppose. My knowledge of the weapon may be limited to videogames, but considering it's usually thrown into the same class as things like Lævateinn, Excalibur, and Gungnir, I figure it's probably a pretty big deal, right?
In any case, not having his signature weapon doesn't seem to be causing Cu any trouble. It's all Mash can do to deflect all of his attacks, to say nothing of delivering blows of her own. What's worse, I can see the battle wearing on her. She didn't get much of a break, considering Hanam, Heracles, and Cu have all picked fights with us back-to-back.
Finally, Cu pauses, frowning at Mash as she all but collapses, leaning on her shield and panting heavily.
"Man, you're still not getting it, huh?" He says. "In that case, then… think fast, girlie!"
A bolt of fire streaks towards me, and I react instinctively, my spirit contract flaring to life - but Avalon isn't Beako, and it can't reconstruct one of our spells with only my half to go off of.
"Senpai!"
But somehow, despite her exhaustion, Mash manages to block it at the last possible second.
"Nice save, Mash-tan!" I call out, carefully watching Caster for his next attack.
"Fine then." He mutters. "This should seal it… burn to the ground with your Master!"
The runes engraved on his staff glow even brighter, and I can feel the sensation of imminent death pressing down on me.
"My spell is the coffin of flames, a giant of verdant thorn."
Damn, is this a Noble Phantasm-!? With her in this state, Mash will be…
"Retribution, the forest that will purify human misery-!"
I clutch my chest and grit my teeth, activating [Cor Leonis]. Mash's strength surges, and her stance solidifies - even as my own lungs seize up, exhaustion nearly driving me to my knees. Slowly, desperately, I heave one breath after another, even as a blanket of uncertainty and fear tightens around my throat.
"Befall the [Wicker Man]! And behold, as both good and evil bite the dust-!" Cu Chulainn roars, and from behind him, a vaguely humanoid, towering frame of wood, straw, and metal emerges from the ground.
As the Wicker Man ignites, Mash glances back at me, fear clear in her face.
"D-don't give up, Mash-tan!" I say, flashing her a forced smile and a thumbs up.
She takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly, her eyes locking onto the advancing giant of flame.
"...Beginning pseudo-deployment of Noble Phantasm! Haaaah!"
Intricate blue circles erupt from Mash's shield, and brick by brick, the ephemeral image of a pristine white wall takes shape. The Wicker Man topples forwards, crashing into the bricks in a burst of flame and shrapnel- but to no avail.
The wall holds strong. Caster's Noble Phantasm burns away in a cloud of cinders, and the marble bricks of Mash's wall don't even have a single scorch mark to show for it.
"...I did it." Mash says with a small sigh of relief- and then, a smile lights up her face, "...I did it!"
"You had to fudge the true name, though, right?" Says Caster, making her smile drop again.
"That's right… I've still got a good distance to go."
"W-well, it's still good progress, you know!" I say, patting her shoulder. "Besides, not knowing the Noble Phantasm's name just means we get to make up our own cool name for it!"
"E-eh? Well, I guess I am moving in the right direction…" She says with a small smile. "B-but, um, make up our own? Is that... allowed?"
"Sure! After all, it'll sound cooler than just yelling 'Noble Phantasm goooo!', right?" I reply. "Something like [Final Bastion - Last Refuge of Humanity] would sound pretty heroic, right?"
"Master, a name like that… feels like a bit too much." Hanam interjects.
"Eh? How so?" I ask. "I mean, considering we're saving the world here, doesn't it sound about right?"
"Um, I think I'm happy that you have such high expectations of me, but…" Mash says nervously.
"Too over the top, huh?" I say with a sigh. "Sorry, I've got the soul of a little kid, so stuff like this happens. I'll try and think of a better name."
"N-no! It's not that I thought it wasn't cool, but more about…" She says, looking down. "Er… It seems like being constantly reminded of what's at stake, would get a bit too stressful. It's not that I don't want to meet your expectations, Senpai! It's just..."
Ah, damn. I messed up again. Mash isn't used to fighting, or even violent by nature. It should have been obvious that she'd want something a bit more subdued. "Right, I guess I got too excited…" I say with a forced chuckle. "Sorry about that. Still, not having a name for your special attack feels a bit weird…"
"How about [Lord Chaldea], then?" Interjects Mordred. He scratches his cheek as we all glance at him. "I mean, you guys are from that Chaldea place, so we can just name it after that, right?"
"...Where'd the 'Lord' part come from?" I wonder aloud.
"That sounds… correct, more or less!" Mash says, smiling brightly. Ever so slightly, I see her posture straighten up, and she stands just a little taller than before. "Yeah. [Lord Chaldeas]... that sounds right!"
"Seriously, where did the 'Lord' part come from?" I ask again.
"That's great. Hearing you name that shield after Chaldeas… really warms my heart, Mash." Says Doctor Roman over his holographic link. "And, more importantly, congratulations on getting it to manifest so soon! I really felt like that was going to be more of a long term thing… Anyway, now we'll have an excuse to have a party once this mess is over!"
"Doctor, you were going to throw a party after this regardless of how much progress I made, weren't you?" Mash says with a small smile.
"Well, we're gonna be saving the world here, you know! It only makes sense to celebrate!"
"That weak-looking guy's words of praise aside, it'll do until you figure out its true name." Says Cu with a sigh.
"Eh!? I got called weak by someone I just met!?" Roman whines.
"More importantly, though… Oi, kid." the Caster turns his attention to me. "What the hell did you do? A spell to take her exhaustion onto yourself… what kind of useless magecraft is that, huh? If you're gonna use scapegoat-type stuff, at least have the brains to use a doll or something!"
I scratch the back of my head. "Well, to start with, [Cor Leonis] isn't magecraft. It's kind of complicated, but I spent a bit of time in 'another world', and I got abilities called [Authorities] while I was there. They don't cost any mana to use, so I can still make use of them even though my circuits are damaged."
"Wait, wait, you never mentioned something this crazy, Subaru!" Exclaims Romani. "Doing something like that without mana is-!"
"Yeah, yeah, it sounds kind of nuts. But on the other hand, they're pretty limited in application. [Cor Leonis] lets me take people's burdens onto myself, but only so long as I've got an emotional connection with them - and even then, it's not like there's some kind of safeguard to keep me from killing myself using it or anything." I say with a shrug.
"Senpai… That telekinesis you used, to lift that rock off of me… was that also..?" Mash asks.
"That's the other one I've got - I call it [Invisible Providence]." I say, lifting a nearby chunk of concrete to demonstrate. "I can manifest one or two hands that only I can see. They've got decent grip strength and can lift heavy things pretty easily, but they've got a max range of about three meters…"
"So it's the same type of stand as Star Platinum." Says Romani.
...Unbidden, an image of Regulus asking me if I'm approaching him comes to mind.
"Pfffft! N-no, it's way slower, unfortunately. I can throw a punch with it, but 'ora ora' type stuff is off the table." I reply.
"Ah, how disappointing…" mutters Romani. "And that clairvoyance-type thing you've been doing? Is that also an authority?"
"...I can't tell you anything about that. Bad things happen if I do."
Also, I just plain don't know. [Return by Death] certainly behaves like an authority - an arbitrary, seemingly invincible ability that loses a large amount of its effectiveness when someone figures it out. But it could also be a [Divine Protection], or something that I gained as a result of traveling between worlds.
"Hm." Cu nods. "Well, we can unpack that later. For now, we've got a snake to deal with. I'll give you all some runes to boost magic resistance, so hold still, would you?"
***
Five hours of combing through abandoned streets later, with a small army of defeated skeletons in our wake, we arrive in Lancer's territory. Terrified statues dot the churchyard - a few have limbs severed, or twisted out of shape before the petrification. One man is clutching at his throat, a rocky cleft visible beneath his fingers. A statue of a woman is lying on the ground, with a hole punched clean through her chest leaving the ground visible.
On the doorstep of the church, a stone child is frozen, desperately trying to shove stone entrails back into the fallen body of an old woman.
Each and every statue is unique in its atrocity. Each one a twisted work of 'art', displaying a unique manner of death.
Monster. Lancer, Medusa, is without a doubt, a true monster. Not like the Mabeasts who were just overpowered animals. Not like the skeletons, who just hunt whatever's moving. She chose this. Consciously decided to be a monster, to inflict misery. And she reveled in it, enjoyed it, glorified in it.
Without a doubt, hunting her down was the right thing to do.
Only...
"...Where the hell is she!?" yells Mordred.
"Tch. I should have figured she'd go into hiding." mutters Cu. "There's no way she didn't notice Red's Noble Phantasm earlier, and she probably saw mine too. And if she figured out Berserker is down…"
"Indeed. Say what you like about her, but Lancer is far from the type to pick fights she can't win." mutters Hanam.
"So, eliminating her before we fight Archer is…" mutters Mash.
"Not something she's gonna let us do. Goddammit!" Spits Caster.
I sigh. "So… should we just go after Saber, then, and if Lancer shows up, she shows up?"
"I guess so." Says Cu. "We'll need to wait a night, though - I'm gonna want to make a few more preparations."
"That gives us time to recharge your command spell, so that's probably for the best, Senpai." says Mash.
"Mm. Let's go then." I mutter. "We'll definitely be able to find at least one building back in town that's still standing - let's not stay here. I won't be able to sleep in a place like this."
Lancer: "Four servants and someone who smells like PURE EVIL on their way here? Haha nope."
Another kinda meh chapter, but it's already late, so I'll put it out now.
Next chapter monday probably.
Another kinda meh chapter, but it's already late, so I'll put it out now.
Next chapter monday probably.
Last edited:
- Location
- Probably at sea
I mean, if Lancer isn't making herself a problem, then she's not a problem. It's not like they're there to clear out every Servant, the only one they're after is Salter. They should probably still keep a watch out, because any hit from her scythe/sickle thing is just horrifyingly crippling and won't ever go away (well, unless Subaru resets I guess), but with Hanam there they should be OK.
I guess the worst Lancer could do is go and tattle to Salter about who they are and what they can do. Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine.
I guess the worst Lancer could do is go and tattle to Salter about who they are and what they can do. Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine.
- Location
- USA
Lol, Subaru is in for a world of Escalation that leaves this in the dust. Everything from early on is a whole lot less impressive in the grand scheme of things now.
The Sandman
So Zetta Slowpoke
- Location
- Wherever I am, which isn't where I'm not
So how long before Subaru finds out that Mordred really is a girl, and how will doing so make him suffer? Because even more than being meguca, being Subaru is suffering.
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
Eh. Gae Bolg is still a pretty big deal. It's not flashy, but in a clash between servants it's one of the most reliable NPs - the only reason Saber wasn't eliminated on day one of FSN was her getting extremely lucky.
IMO if Lancer had kept Bazzett as his master in FSN, they probably would have won the war. Kirei literally command spelled him into jobbing ("Fight against everyone. But do not defeat them. Survive your first battle against any opponent"), and wasn't exactly providing much mana.
In addition, considering Cu has been stated to have had "some chance" of defeating Berserker, even with Kotomine as his master... the guy's not a pushover, and a more reliable master could have easily let him achieve victory.
Next chapter, probably.
Mordred is the manliest man that ever maned
- Location
- USA
Honestly, it's best feature is that it can be used fairly often in a Grail War. Lots of the way too fucking many EX ranked NPs or Excaliblast level stuff either have annoying conditions or Master draining mana requirements.
He's not a bad servant, I was just joking about Subaru considering a B rank NP as a good judgement for what makes a servant impressive.
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
People from Lugnica all qualify into the Foreigner class, by virtue of being literal aliens. Which of them actually qualify to be servants? People like Meili, Rem, etc. are probably not, by virtue of not being famous enough.
The Sloth Witch Factors in his body actually make him a living catalyst for the guy, so it's far from unlikely.
13: Victory!
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
13: Victory!
In the end, we make camp in an abandoned shopping mall. Given the associated cliches, I'm ready for the place to be crawling with undead - but they turn out to have cleared out quite some time ago. Of course, the whole mall has still been thoroughly destroyed. A few lucky finds of bottled water aside, any hopes of finding, say, an intact mattress, or food, were in vain.
"Guess we can't get too lucky, huh?" I mutter with a wry smile as we settle into a burned-out clothing store.
"Well, if you're starving, I can go catch some skeletons and we can make some bone broth or something." says Mordred with a shrug.
"There's so much wrong there that I don't know where to begin…" I mumble.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" The saber says with a laugh. "I'm uncivilized, but I'm not that bad."
Mordred stretches, and his armor dematerializes in a cloud of blue lights, leaving behind a set of red underclothes. A red loincloth, previously worn under the Saber's armor, and a red chest binding. For her breasts. Because Mordred is a woman.
"...So you were a girl after all," I mumble.
"Oi, who are you calling a little girl!? I'll kill you."
"No, he didn't say 'little'..." Mash says.
"I'm more confused that you didn't correct us…" I mutter. "We've been calling you a guy this whole time."
"Eh? Just how long do you think I lived as a man? You think I'm gonna get all pissy 'cause you're treating me like everyone treated me in life?" She says, rolling her eyes.
"Eh… well I guess that's understandable." I reply.
Cu wanders over at around this point. He raises an eyebrow at Mordred, but doesn't comment further. "I've set up some basic defensive runes, so it should be safe for you guys to get some sleep. I, on the other hand, need to prepare some more runes."
"Thanks, Caster." I say. "Any clue where Hanam went?"
"Assassin wanted to run a few errands. That demon of his apparently didn't pick up after himself, so he has to go track down some of his misplaced dirks. He's down to five or so, now." He replies. "Also, he wanted to see if he could figure out where Lancer ran off to. If he can make sure she's not gonna be hanging out with Saber and Archer, that'll take some stress off of us."
...What the hell!? "He'll get killed! We have to-!"
"Relax, kid. Assassin's smart enough not to pick a head-on fight with another servant, especially with his arm missing." Caster says with a chuckle. "Besides, he's got strong presence concealment. He could probably dance around in Saber's face and she wouldn't notice."
"...Fine." I say, sighing. "I'm gonna yell at you if he dies, though."
"Yeah, yeah. Have some faith in your servant, would you? You'd never survive a grail war acting like that."
***
There's no sunlight when morning arrives. The sky is still blanketed with smoke, and dark red light is the only thing visible - that and the still blazing fires in some parts of the ruined city.
Still, I need to do my best today as well! To overcome every obstacle, and save the world or whatever! And that means..!
"...I need to start the day right! Mash-tan, Mordred, it's time! For! Radio Calisthenics!"
"Radio caliwhat now?" Says the knight.
"Eh? You mean the daily Japanese exercise broadcast, Senpai?"
"Mm, mm, that's right!" I say. "It's important to get your daily stretches and muscle training done, every day!"
"Oh, so it's just warmups, then. Jeez, say it plainly, instead of using weird giant words!"
"But do you really think we'll be able to get a signal, Senpai?" Mash asks.
"Heh! Don't worry! One of my secret abilities… I have the entire routine memorized!" I say, flashing a thumbs up. "So just follow my lead!"
"Wow! That's amazing, senpai!"
"...No it's really not." I mutter, scratching the back of my head.
***
...Calisthenics still isn't the same without Emilia-tan, huh? According to the Old Man I've still got two-and-a-half years to go… which can be a hell of a long time with [Return by Death].
Well, I started these exercises knowing she wasn't present. And I know that Emilia wouldn't want me to give into despair just from her absence. So let's finish strong, for her sake!
"And then raise your arms to the sky, and shout 'victory'!" I conclude.
"V-victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" shout Mash, Mordred, and-
"Eh, Caster, when did you join us?" I ask the blue haired man.
"Hm? A few minutes ago. I finally finished the last of my rune array, so I decided to hop in." He says. Hang on, he was up all night and he just finished!? Runes are hard, huh?
"Not that your bizarre ritual wasn't entertaining," says Director Animusphere as she pops into existence nearby. She's covered in bandages, and I can clearly see the back of a medical chair behind her, and an IV drip off to her right. "But we don't have time to waste here. Remember, you don't have any food supplies, and if we have to rayshift you out of there it may take months, or even a year before we can get UN approval to send people in again!"
"Wait, were you able to get in touch with the outside world!?" I exclaim.
"...No, communications still seem to be malfunctioning. Even the magical communications with the Clock Tower and Atlas Academy are malfunctioning. We managed to get a response from the Wandering Sea, but it just came back as garbled nonsense per usual."
"Mm. Even the Magi, huh..?" I mutter. "Well, we'll be heading out as soon as Hanam is back, so for now we're just killing time."
"And when will he be back!?" The director yells.
"Eh? How should I know?"
"Use your telepathy! He's your Servant, right!?" She screeches.
"Ah, come to think of that, there was an ability like that, wasn't there?" I mutter.
"Senpai, it's not healthy for her to raise her blood pressure right now, so please stop!"
In the end, we make camp in an abandoned shopping mall. Given the associated cliches, I'm ready for the place to be crawling with undead - but they turn out to have cleared out quite some time ago. Of course, the whole mall has still been thoroughly destroyed. A few lucky finds of bottled water aside, any hopes of finding, say, an intact mattress, or food, were in vain.
"Guess we can't get too lucky, huh?" I mutter with a wry smile as we settle into a burned-out clothing store.
"Well, if you're starving, I can go catch some skeletons and we can make some bone broth or something." says Mordred with a shrug.
"There's so much wrong there that I don't know where to begin…" I mumble.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" The saber says with a laugh. "I'm uncivilized, but I'm not that bad."
Mordred stretches, and his armor dematerializes in a cloud of blue lights, leaving behind a set of red underclothes. A red loincloth, previously worn under the Saber's armor, and a red chest binding. For her breasts. Because Mordred is a woman.
"...So you were a girl after all," I mumble.
"Oi, who are you calling a little girl!? I'll kill you."
"No, he didn't say 'little'..." Mash says.
"I'm more confused that you didn't correct us…" I mutter. "We've been calling you a guy this whole time."
"Eh? Just how long do you think I lived as a man? You think I'm gonna get all pissy 'cause you're treating me like everyone treated me in life?" She says, rolling her eyes.
"Eh… well I guess that's understandable." I reply.
Cu wanders over at around this point. He raises an eyebrow at Mordred, but doesn't comment further. "I've set up some basic defensive runes, so it should be safe for you guys to get some sleep. I, on the other hand, need to prepare some more runes."
"Thanks, Caster." I say. "Any clue where Hanam went?"
"Assassin wanted to run a few errands. That demon of his apparently didn't pick up after himself, so he has to go track down some of his misplaced dirks. He's down to five or so, now." He replies. "Also, he wanted to see if he could figure out where Lancer ran off to. If he can make sure she's not gonna be hanging out with Saber and Archer, that'll take some stress off of us."
...What the hell!? "He'll get killed! We have to-!"
"Relax, kid. Assassin's smart enough not to pick a head-on fight with another servant, especially with his arm missing." Caster says with a chuckle. "Besides, he's got strong presence concealment. He could probably dance around in Saber's face and she wouldn't notice."
"...Fine." I say, sighing. "I'm gonna yell at you if he dies, though."
"Yeah, yeah. Have some faith in your servant, would you? You'd never survive a grail war acting like that."
***
There's no sunlight when morning arrives. The sky is still blanketed with smoke, and dark red light is the only thing visible - that and the still blazing fires in some parts of the ruined city.
Still, I need to do my best today as well! To overcome every obstacle, and save the world or whatever! And that means..!
"...I need to start the day right! Mash-tan, Mordred, it's time! For! Radio Calisthenics!"
"Radio caliwhat now?" Says the knight.
"Eh? You mean the daily Japanese exercise broadcast, Senpai?"
"Mm, mm, that's right!" I say. "It's important to get your daily stretches and muscle training done, every day!"
"Oh, so it's just warmups, then. Jeez, say it plainly, instead of using weird giant words!"
"But do you really think we'll be able to get a signal, Senpai?" Mash asks.
"Heh! Don't worry! One of my secret abilities… I have the entire routine memorized!" I say, flashing a thumbs up. "So just follow my lead!"
"Wow! That's amazing, senpai!"
"...No it's really not." I mutter, scratching the back of my head.
***
...Calisthenics still isn't the same without Emilia-tan, huh? According to the Old Man I've still got two-and-a-half years to go… which can be a hell of a long time with [Return by Death].
Well, I started these exercises knowing she wasn't present. And I know that Emilia wouldn't want me to give into despair just from her absence. So let's finish strong, for her sake!
"And then raise your arms to the sky, and shout 'victory'!" I conclude.
"V-victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" shout Mash, Mordred, and-
"Eh, Caster, when did you join us?" I ask the blue haired man.
"Hm? A few minutes ago. I finally finished the last of my rune array, so I decided to hop in." He says. Hang on, he was up all night and he just finished!? Runes are hard, huh?
"Not that your bizarre ritual wasn't entertaining," says Director Animusphere as she pops into existence nearby. She's covered in bandages, and I can clearly see the back of a medical chair behind her, and an IV drip off to her right. "But we don't have time to waste here. Remember, you don't have any food supplies, and if we have to rayshift you out of there it may take months, or even a year before we can get UN approval to send people in again!"
"Wait, were you able to get in touch with the outside world!?" I exclaim.
"...No, communications still seem to be malfunctioning. Even the magical communications with the Clock Tower and Atlas Academy are malfunctioning. We managed to get a response from the Wandering Sea, but it just came back as garbled nonsense per usual."
"Mm. Even the Magi, huh..?" I mutter. "Well, we'll be heading out as soon as Hanam is back, so for now we're just killing time."
"And when will he be back!?" The director yells.
"Eh? How should I know?"
"Use your telepathy! He's your Servant, right!?" She screeches.
"Ah, come to think of that, there was an ability like that, wasn't there?" I mutter.
"Senpai, it's not healthy for her to raise her blood pressure right now, so please stop!"
Well, it's still Monday in Hawaii, I think.
Bit of a short chapter, but I'm tired, and I wanna go to bed, so let's end it here.
Next chapter Friday probably.
Bit of a short chapter, but I'm tired, and I wanna go to bed, so let's end it here.
Next chapter Friday probably.
Last edited:
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
Of course the Wandering Sea survived the Incineration, heh. Being within a little dimensional pocket of your own (Texture? On the Reverse Side of the World?) sure comes in handy when worldwide apocalypse hit, evidently.
I forgot about the fact Chaldaea isn't allowed to Rayshift without UN permission, not gonna lie. Wonder how Olga shall cope once she realises everyone but them and the Wandering Sea are toast?
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
Yeah, we don't know what happened to them in canon during the incineration - afaik it's never mentioned.
So I decided since they survived the bleaching of the planet, they probably survived this as well; I think that makes the most sense - though I could definitely see an argument to be made in the opposite direction.
- Location
- USA
Why does this feel like a meta joke about this being a filler chapter? Like the chapter was fine, but nothing really important happens (or at least it's written that way). It kinda feels like an awkward cut since if things continued there wouldn't be a good place to stop for a long time.
14: The Greater Grail
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
14: The Greater Grail
We end up reuniting with Hanam at roughly the halfway point - the large bridge from the urban area of town to the more suburban zone.
"Yo, Assassin." says Cu. "Find anything good?"
"...Nothing unexpected." The skull-masked man replies. "Lancer is nowhere to be found - I combed the area around Ryuudou temple thoroughly, and didn't detect anyone other than Archer and Saber."
"Well, I'm fine with just ignoring her if she's not going to stop us." I say. I mean, she should be erased along with the singularity, right? "Did you find all your knives?"
"...I was able to find and salvage around half of them. I now have thirty-nine dirks to my name."
"Well, that's better than nothing! Shame you missed our calisthenics, though. I hope you don't cramp up later." I joke. It's the solemn duty of Natsuki Subaru to make sure his friends get their daily exercise, after all.
"Servants don't get cramps, so I doubt that will be a problem." Interjects the Director. "Rather, I'm surprised that Mordred and Cu Chulainn wasted their time joining in on that pointless exercise."
"Eh? Just because it won't give any physical benefit doesn't mean it's pointless." Says Mordred. "It's about the feeling of the thing, you know? Gets you in the right state of mind. Same reason I don't like going around astralized - it feels weird not having my feet on the ground."
Cu nods. "It's like that, basically. We may have been dead for a while, but we still remember being alive like it was yesterday. Pointless things like eating, sleeping, and exercise are still good for morale if nothing else."
Mordred nods sagely. "The Hound gets it. Humans should act human. Man, I wish we had more people like him in Camelot - most of the other knights were a buncha stuffy idiots who kept trying to turn themselves into robots or something."
"Ain't that just like the English, though? Shoulda been born a Celt, lass! Least we know how to have a good time!" The Druid shoots back with a grin.
"Oi, who are you calling 'lass'!? You wanna fight?" Mordred says, scowling. "Also, I'm Welsh, not English."
"Hey, leave your backwards gender stereotypes at the door! I might get offended on my teacher's behalf." Cu says, grin widening. "And hell yes I want to fight!"
Mordred's face shifts into a similarly vicious grin, and she opens her mouth to respond, but I cut her off. "Save it for after we deal with Saber, you two."
"Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want to run out of gas when fighting Archer anyway." says Cu with a sigh.
"Right, it'd be a shame if I lost to Father after I got injured kicking your ass." says Mordred.
"Hah, dream on!"
***
"Stop." Caster calls out as we near the mountain on which Ryuudou Temple stands. "We're reaching the outer edge of Archer's range. I've boosted the range of my Protection From Arrows, so that should take care of his more simple projectiles, but the bigger ones are all you, Shielder."
"R-right! I'll do my best!" Mash answers nervously.
"Let's go, then. Assassin, you handle Subaru." He says - and then, in an explosion of sonic force, he begins sprinting towards the peak of the mountain. Hanam grabs me, and the three servants I've contracted directly take off at a similar pace.
A few seconds later, the arrows start flying. Like concentrated machine gun fire, glowing red bolts rain down upon us, exploding on impact. But any that might have hit their mark are deflected by a faint barrier projected from Cu's body, and a moment later, the arrows stop.
"He's gonna start using Noble Phantasms! Get ready!"
A moment later, a sword is launched down the slopes at us. No, at me. As Hanam moves out of its path the sword-turned-arrow curves in midair, correcting its trajectory towards him, and by extension, me.
"Haaah!" Mash cries, and her shield smashes it out of the air, the blade detonating as she strikes it.
More copies of the same sword follow in its wake, but each is slapped out of the air by Mordred, Caster, and Mash working in tandem. Eventually, those attacks stop as well, and I can feel an oppressive wave of mana as we near the top of the Temple stairs.
"That'll be [Caladbolg]!" Yells Caster, slowing his pace. "Mash Kyrielight, this one's all yours!"
Mash takes the lead, and pauses, taking a deep breath. "I can do this. I can do this."
She raises her shield, a blue magic circle forming at its center. "Beginning Pseudo-deployment of Noble Phantasm! [Lord…!"
In an eruption of light, the blade is launched down the slope at us, annihilating the stone stairs in its wake.
"...Chaldeas]!" Mash yells, and a flawless wall of marble is raised in the arrow's path.
Unstoppable force meets immovable object. Light streams forth from [Caladbolg] as it impacts the [Lord Chaldeas], spiraling waves of light in all the colors of the rainbow. The ground ahead of us is torn to pieces, stone and dirt filling the air.
And then, finally, in one final explosion of blue light, sword surrenders to shield.
"Haah… Haaah… I did it… I did it!" Mash says, smiling. Caster sprints ahead again, and disappears through the temple gate.
"Heh. Like some lame-ass knockoff Excalibur could breach that wall. As long as your will holds strong… there's no way that shield would ever fail." Mordred says with a scoff.
And then so quietly that I can barely hear her, I hear her mumble to herself. "...Damn bastard. If he had been there, then Father…"
***
"So you couldn't take me on your own, so you decided to get help, huh?" Says a tanned man with white hair. He's wearing black body armor, and has faintly glowing red lines running along his skin. "Well, I suppose it's to be expected of you. Dogs hunt in packs after all."
"Nah, they're just here to make sure you don't go crying to Saber for help when I'm about to win." Says Cu. The two are slowly circling each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move - except, that works in our favor. I can barely make them out, but Caster has been leaving runes on the ground as he moves.
"Hmph. Mordred to fight off Arthur, huh?" Archer says, eyes flicking towards the knight. "Well, frankly I'd advise you to turn back. You won't find anything other than misery if you face her as weak as you are now."
"Hah! You think I'm scared of father!? Please, I'm twice the swordsman he is. There's no way I'll lose."
"I wasn't talking about your physical capacity. Well, it's not like you'll listen to me anyway." The man says with a small shrug and a smirk. "In any case, thanks for the new toys. Trace, on!"
And then, a familiar red blade appears in his grip.
"What the-!?" Mordred exclaims.
"Wait, is that projection magecraft!?" Olga Marie yells over her holographic link.
"[Clarent.." The man snarls, blade glowing as he points it towards us.
"[Ath nGabla]." says Cu, and a crimson circle appears around the two of them.
"Tch." says Archer, blade disappearing from his grip. "So you placed the runes as you were moving, huh? How troublesome."
"What, not gonna try and use it on me?" says Caster with a smirk.
"And leave myself wide open to your [Wicker Man]? As if."
"So, same as always then?" Cu says, grinning as his staff ignites and he assumes a spear stance with it.
"Same as always." Archer replies, and a pair of dao-patterned shortswords appear in his hands.
Cu lunges, his staff smashing against Archer's blades, which crack under the force of the blow. For a moment, I think Caster has already sealed the deal - but then Archer drops the blades, a new pair appearing in his hands
"Well?" Cu calls out. "Get going! I've got him trapped fighting only me, and Saber's not gonna kill herself! I'll catch up with you in five minutes or so!"
"Heh. Don't die, Cu Chulainn! You still owe me that fight!" Mordred yells as we walk past the two.
"Worry about yourself!" He says with a chuckle, and we proceed deeper into the Ryuudou Temple.
***
Hanam leads us to a cave, deep within the forest behind the Temple, and we follow him in.
"So, Saber is in here, huh?" I mutter. It's one hell of a place for a king to have hidden himself away - more like the type of thing a Western dragon would do, now that I think about it.
"...From what I remember, this is the location of the Greater Grail. My recollection of the time after I was [Altered] is hazy, but I remember returning to existence in this cave." He says.
Eventually, the twisting tunnel gives way to a massive cavern. A faint purple light is visible from behind a curved stone wall, lighting the whole cavern. And atop that wall is-!
"Father! I've come to take the Grail off your hands!" Yells Mordred gleefully.
The woman on the wall gazes down on us. I can see the resemblance - their faces are almost completely identical. But Arthur's hair is tied back into a neat bun as opposed to Mordred's sloppy ponytail, and the differences only get bigger from there. Arthur's eyes are cold yellow as opposed to Mordred's green, and her armor is dark black as opposed to Mordred's silver.
She says nothing in response to Mordred. She merely raises her blade and…
"[Excalibur…"
Oi, she's opening with her strongest move!?
"Mash!"
"Yes, Senpai! Pseudo-deployment, begin! [Lord…Chaldeas]!" She yells, the now-familiar white wall appearing in front of us.
"...Morgan]!" roars Arthur, and darkness pours forth from her blade.
We end up reuniting with Hanam at roughly the halfway point - the large bridge from the urban area of town to the more suburban zone.
"Yo, Assassin." says Cu. "Find anything good?"
"...Nothing unexpected." The skull-masked man replies. "Lancer is nowhere to be found - I combed the area around Ryuudou temple thoroughly, and didn't detect anyone other than Archer and Saber."
"Well, I'm fine with just ignoring her if she's not going to stop us." I say. I mean, she should be erased along with the singularity, right? "Did you find all your knives?"
"...I was able to find and salvage around half of them. I now have thirty-nine dirks to my name."
"Well, that's better than nothing! Shame you missed our calisthenics, though. I hope you don't cramp up later." I joke. It's the solemn duty of Natsuki Subaru to make sure his friends get their daily exercise, after all.
"Servants don't get cramps, so I doubt that will be a problem." Interjects the Director. "Rather, I'm surprised that Mordred and Cu Chulainn wasted their time joining in on that pointless exercise."
"Eh? Just because it won't give any physical benefit doesn't mean it's pointless." Says Mordred. "It's about the feeling of the thing, you know? Gets you in the right state of mind. Same reason I don't like going around astralized - it feels weird not having my feet on the ground."
Cu nods. "It's like that, basically. We may have been dead for a while, but we still remember being alive like it was yesterday. Pointless things like eating, sleeping, and exercise are still good for morale if nothing else."
Mordred nods sagely. "The Hound gets it. Humans should act human. Man, I wish we had more people like him in Camelot - most of the other knights were a buncha stuffy idiots who kept trying to turn themselves into robots or something."
"Ain't that just like the English, though? Shoulda been born a Celt, lass! Least we know how to have a good time!" The Druid shoots back with a grin.
"Oi, who are you calling 'lass'!? You wanna fight?" Mordred says, scowling. "Also, I'm Welsh, not English."
"Hey, leave your backwards gender stereotypes at the door! I might get offended on my teacher's behalf." Cu says, grin widening. "And hell yes I want to fight!"
Mordred's face shifts into a similarly vicious grin, and she opens her mouth to respond, but I cut her off. "Save it for after we deal with Saber, you two."
"Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want to run out of gas when fighting Archer anyway." says Cu with a sigh.
"Right, it'd be a shame if I lost to Father after I got injured kicking your ass." says Mordred.
"Hah, dream on!"
***
"Stop." Caster calls out as we near the mountain on which Ryuudou Temple stands. "We're reaching the outer edge of Archer's range. I've boosted the range of my Protection From Arrows, so that should take care of his more simple projectiles, but the bigger ones are all you, Shielder."
"R-right! I'll do my best!" Mash answers nervously.
"Let's go, then. Assassin, you handle Subaru." He says - and then, in an explosion of sonic force, he begins sprinting towards the peak of the mountain. Hanam grabs me, and the three servants I've contracted directly take off at a similar pace.
A few seconds later, the arrows start flying. Like concentrated machine gun fire, glowing red bolts rain down upon us, exploding on impact. But any that might have hit their mark are deflected by a faint barrier projected from Cu's body, and a moment later, the arrows stop.
"He's gonna start using Noble Phantasms! Get ready!"
A moment later, a sword is launched down the slopes at us. No, at me. As Hanam moves out of its path the sword-turned-arrow curves in midair, correcting its trajectory towards him, and by extension, me.
"Haaah!" Mash cries, and her shield smashes it out of the air, the blade detonating as she strikes it.
More copies of the same sword follow in its wake, but each is slapped out of the air by Mordred, Caster, and Mash working in tandem. Eventually, those attacks stop as well, and I can feel an oppressive wave of mana as we near the top of the Temple stairs.
"That'll be [Caladbolg]!" Yells Caster, slowing his pace. "Mash Kyrielight, this one's all yours!"
Mash takes the lead, and pauses, taking a deep breath. "I can do this. I can do this."
She raises her shield, a blue magic circle forming at its center. "Beginning Pseudo-deployment of Noble Phantasm! [Lord…!"
In an eruption of light, the blade is launched down the slope at us, annihilating the stone stairs in its wake.
"...Chaldeas]!" Mash yells, and a flawless wall of marble is raised in the arrow's path.
Unstoppable force meets immovable object. Light streams forth from [Caladbolg] as it impacts the [Lord Chaldeas], spiraling waves of light in all the colors of the rainbow. The ground ahead of us is torn to pieces, stone and dirt filling the air.
And then, finally, in one final explosion of blue light, sword surrenders to shield.
"Haah… Haaah… I did it… I did it!" Mash says, smiling. Caster sprints ahead again, and disappears through the temple gate.
"Heh. Like some lame-ass knockoff Excalibur could breach that wall. As long as your will holds strong… there's no way that shield would ever fail." Mordred says with a scoff.
And then so quietly that I can barely hear her, I hear her mumble to herself. "...Damn bastard. If he had been there, then Father…"
***
"So you couldn't take me on your own, so you decided to get help, huh?" Says a tanned man with white hair. He's wearing black body armor, and has faintly glowing red lines running along his skin. "Well, I suppose it's to be expected of you. Dogs hunt in packs after all."
"Nah, they're just here to make sure you don't go crying to Saber for help when I'm about to win." Says Cu. The two are slowly circling each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move - except, that works in our favor. I can barely make them out, but Caster has been leaving runes on the ground as he moves.
"Hmph. Mordred to fight off Arthur, huh?" Archer says, eyes flicking towards the knight. "Well, frankly I'd advise you to turn back. You won't find anything other than misery if you face her as weak as you are now."
"Hah! You think I'm scared of father!? Please, I'm twice the swordsman he is. There's no way I'll lose."
"I wasn't talking about your physical capacity. Well, it's not like you'll listen to me anyway." The man says with a small shrug and a smirk. "In any case, thanks for the new toys. Trace, on!"
And then, a familiar red blade appears in his grip.
"What the-!?" Mordred exclaims.
"Wait, is that projection magecraft!?" Olga Marie yells over her holographic link.
"[Clarent.." The man snarls, blade glowing as he points it towards us.
"[Ath nGabla]." says Cu, and a crimson circle appears around the two of them.
"Tch." says Archer, blade disappearing from his grip. "So you placed the runes as you were moving, huh? How troublesome."
"What, not gonna try and use it on me?" says Caster with a smirk.
"And leave myself wide open to your [Wicker Man]? As if."
"So, same as always then?" Cu says, grinning as his staff ignites and he assumes a spear stance with it.
"Same as always." Archer replies, and a pair of dao-patterned shortswords appear in his hands.
Cu lunges, his staff smashing against Archer's blades, which crack under the force of the blow. For a moment, I think Caster has already sealed the deal - but then Archer drops the blades, a new pair appearing in his hands
"Well?" Cu calls out. "Get going! I've got him trapped fighting only me, and Saber's not gonna kill herself! I'll catch up with you in five minutes or so!"
"Heh. Don't die, Cu Chulainn! You still owe me that fight!" Mordred yells as we walk past the two.
"Worry about yourself!" He says with a chuckle, and we proceed deeper into the Ryuudou Temple.
***
Hanam leads us to a cave, deep within the forest behind the Temple, and we follow him in.
"So, Saber is in here, huh?" I mutter. It's one hell of a place for a king to have hidden himself away - more like the type of thing a Western dragon would do, now that I think about it.
"...From what I remember, this is the location of the Greater Grail. My recollection of the time after I was [Altered] is hazy, but I remember returning to existence in this cave." He says.
Eventually, the twisting tunnel gives way to a massive cavern. A faint purple light is visible from behind a curved stone wall, lighting the whole cavern. And atop that wall is-!
"Father! I've come to take the Grail off your hands!" Yells Mordred gleefully.
The woman on the wall gazes down on us. I can see the resemblance - their faces are almost completely identical. But Arthur's hair is tied back into a neat bun as opposed to Mordred's sloppy ponytail, and the differences only get bigger from there. Arthur's eyes are cold yellow as opposed to Mordred's green, and her armor is dark black as opposed to Mordred's silver.
She says nothing in response to Mordred. She merely raises her blade and…
"[Excalibur…"
Oi, she's opening with her strongest move!?
"Mash!"
"Yes, Senpai! Pseudo-deployment, begin! [Lord…Chaldeas]!" She yells, the now-familiar white wall appearing in front of us.
"...Morgan]!" roars Arthur, and darkness pours forth from her blade.
Surprise early chapter!
Cu vs archer will get its own one-two chapter interlude, so don't worry about that.
Next chapter Monday or so.
Cu vs archer will get its own one-two chapter interlude, so don't worry about that.
Next chapter Monday or so.
Last edited:
- Location
- USA
Oh yeah, Celts had pretty good gender equality. Totally forgotten about that
- Location
- Probably at sea
Hm, no reaction from Mordred to her father's new colour scheme? I guess we might have that next chapter along with 'what the shit is Excalibur Morgan'. As for Archer's comments, I guess this'll be London all over again as far as bullying poor Mordred goes...
15: Always remain objective-focused.
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
15: Always remain objective-focused.
A tsunami of oppressive black mana crashes into [Lord Chaldeas], blotting out all light in the cave. Mash grits her teeth, muscles twitching with effort as sweat pours down her forehead. But the wall holds, at least for now.
"Man, what a greeting!" I say with a faked chuckle. My first command spell flares bright red. "What do you say we answer in kind, Mordred?"
I turn to look at her, expecting her usual predatory grin - but instead…
"...What the hell..?" Her eyes are wide, her face twisted in utter horror and revulsion as she gazes upon the darkness hammering against Mash's shield. "...Just who the hell are you supposed to be..? 'Excalibur Morgan'... what's that supposed to mean, huh?"
Mordred's teeth grind as her mouth is set into a scowl, eyebrows furrowing as indignation and hatred fill her voice. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you! I don't care if you're some secret pawn of Mother's that I never learned of or what; I'll kill you, for daring to taint Father's legacy like this!"
The ground around her feet cracks, stone floating up into the air as her blade begins to crackle with red lightning. "[Clarent...!"
The beam from Arthur's blade dies down, and I can just barely hear her say "-bur…" before Mordred unleashes her own sword beam.
"...Blood Arthur]!"
"...Morgan]!" roars Saber as she fires excalibur again. Oi, was she planning to just use it immediately after the first one ended?
Crimson and black waves of energy meet in the air halfway between us, smashing together and twisting, mixing together into a helix of mana that erupts vertically into the ceiling. Stone and dirt pours down like rain, followed by trees and plants as the blast opens the cavern to the outside world. Luckily, I have Mash-tan to protect me, so I somehow avoid death by cave-in. Shields are pretty great, huh?
"[Excalibur…"
"She's still going!?" I yell. Damn, and Mash is already getting tired… I'll definitely have to lean on [Cor Leonis] for this fight. I activate it, and exhaustion floods my body, as well as pain, shooting through the space of my consciousness that I learned to associate with my "gate" back when it collapsed - well, they're called Magic Circuits in this world. This is… from Mordred? Does using her Noble Phantasm hurt her body?
Incidentally, thanks to [Cor Leonis], I can track Hanam, who had disappeared at some point, as he emerges from the shadows to Saber's right in a storm of thrown daggers, interrupting her Noble Phantasm as she's forced to deflect the attacks-!
"[Strike Air]!" Yells Saber, and in one swipe of her sword she deflects the daggers in a blast of wind, as well as interrupting Hanam's jump backwards, sending him careening towards the curtain of still falling stone and dirt from the collapsing roof of the cave.
He begins to astralize, attempting to pass harmlessly through the avalanche like a ghost, but with a loud echoing boom, Saber rockets towards him in a pulse of black mana.
Her sword is remarkably silent as she drives it through his ribcage using only her left hand - the sharp clang as she deflects the dagger he thrusts at her throat with the armored gauntlet of her right hand is much louder.
And the pulse of black energy from [Excalibur Morgan] that obliterates most of Hanam's torso is much louder.
"How…?" Hanam coughs out, somehow.
"Your [Protection Against the Wind] was lost when you were blackened. Consider this my revenge, Assassin." Saber speaks - her first words apart from using Noble Phantasms.
Hanam lets out a wet chuckle. {...Seems I miscalculated, Master. In the end… I was just dead weight, wasn't I?}
And then, in a cloud of golden sparkles, he's gone.
"No!" I hear myself scream.
Damn it! If I had reacted faster… If I had used a command spell, or Cor Leonis, then he would still be alive!
"Focus, Natsuki!" Yells Olga Marie, appearing next to me. "We can resummon him later! For now, you need to survive!"
...Huh. That makes things a bit less high stakes, doesn't it?
Anyway... that little bit of time he bought us means that Mordred had time to close the gap on Saber, launching straight at her in a pulse of red light. Their blades meet, sparks flying, red and black bursts of energy mixing together and shattering the earth beneath them.
They're opposed in every way - Mordred continues to scream obscenities at what she insists is a fake King Arthur, while said fake remains completely silent. Mordred's fighting is feral, animalistic, clearly operating on almost pure instinct, while the fake Arthur's style is tight, controlled, with no wasted movements.
Their only similarity is the sheer force of their blows, each clash of blades breaking the stone on which they stand, leaving the ground of the cave-turned-sinkhole pockmarked with small craters.
Mordred's swordsmanship is better. Even a total novice like me can tell that. Despite Arthur's tight, controlled movements, the crimson knight is still running rings around her, because despite her wild, frantic fighting style, Mordred leaves absolutely no openings. A creature of pure instinct, but said creature is an apex predator.
There's just one problem - Arthur keeps exploding.
That is to say, whenever Mordred has her on the ropes, Saber just unleashes a pulse of black mana that forces her back. It's a stalemate - and one that isn't in our favor. After all, I'm gonna run out of mana for Mordred to drain from me eventually, and then she won't have those big red mana bursts to back up her blows.
Arthur, on the other hand, has the infinite mana of the Holy Grail backing her up.
...That's right. The grail. We don't need to kill Arthur. We just need to destroy the grail.
"Oi, Director?" I ask, and her hologram turns her attention to me. "that big stone wall with glowy light behind it… let me confirm. Is that thing the grail?" I ask, smiling.
"Yes. The readings are certain. That thing is definitely the Holy Grail." She says with a nod.
"Perfect. In that case...Mordred! By my command spell, I order you- use your Noble Phantasm and destroy the grail!" I yell.
"Well, I guess that works too, huh!?" Yells Mordred, grinning as she leaps away from the fake Arthur. "[Clarent…!"
"As if I would let you!" Yells Saber, aiming her blade at Mordred. "[Excalibur..!"
"Mash, protect Mordred!" I yell.
"But Senpai, you'll..!" She protests.
"Don't worry! I'm not out of cheap tricks just yet!"
After a moment of hesitation, she nods. "Right. I'll go, then!"
"...Blood Arthur]!" Roars Mordred, and a wave of red tears through the Grail, glowing purple-red gunk erupting through the cleft in the stone wall.
"[Lord Chaldeas]!" Mash yells, protecting both Mordred and herself from the flood of strange liquid, as well as Saber's attack.
Except, Saber's attack doesn't come. Because the moment Mash left my side, Arthur switched targets to me!
She rockets towards me with a speed that I'm pretty sure breaks the sound barrier, aiming to cut me in half in a single blow. I can't dodge it. [Invisible Providence] is too slow to catch the blade. But, like I said, I have one more cheap trick up my sleeve!
With enough mana, anything is possible. So long as you know what the end result looks like, and you have enough mana to throw at making that result reality, you can do it, in this world. That's how the grail works. That's how command spells work.
My final command spell blazes bright crimson. If something like teleportation is within the realm of possibility for the mana provided by a command spell… then faking Beako's half of one of our spells should be within the realm of possibility as well!
"[E-M-M]!" I yell, Avalon flaring with light - and Saber's blade passes harmlessly through me as I phase partially out of existence.
EMM - Emilia-tan Maji Megami. 'Emilia-tan is Seriously a Goddess,' for any foreigners out there. That was the name I gave to the absolute defense magic that Beako and I developed together, which allows us to become completely immune to any attacks until the spell ends. Well, it restricts my movement too, so unfortunately I can't go full Reinhart and throw my weight around as an invincible fighter.
"Hmph. So you weren't helpless after all. Still, how long can you keep something like this up, I wonder?" Asks Saber.
I grin "Not sure. I had to prop it up with a command spell, so I'm not sure if it'll last as long as it used to. But, I know I can keep it up long enough for you to disappear now that the grail is gone!"
"Ah. I see." Says Saber, closing her eyes. "Truly, this would be your victory then - if you were not mistaken about two key details."
Mash screams in agony, and my eyes shift beyond Saber, snapping onto her. The muck from the grail flowed around her shield, reaching the soles of her boots - and that was enough. Black coloration, accentuated with crimson lines is creeping up her legs.
Behind her, Mordred clutches a spreading stain on her left side - a splatter of the stuff had hit her before Mash got her shield in position. Her hand comes away stained with the same spreading blackness, and she can only watch in horror as the taint spreads across her body.
I can't activate Cor Leonis. It doesn't work inside EMM, and I can't deactivate that without getting cut down by Saber.
"Aahhhhhhh! It hurts! It hurts!" Mash continues to scream. The white wall of Lord Chaldeas cracks - and then, it gives way, a torrent of blackish-purple mud swallowing Mash and Mordred in an instant. In the last second before she disappears from sight, I can see Mash's terrified face, staring at me. As if asking me, "Why didn't you save me?"
And then she's gone. The mud swallows them both, and after it levels out at knee-depth, neither Mash nor Mordred is visible.
"Your second mistake was assuming that the wall of Camelot would be enough to halt the grail's corruption." Says Saber coldly. "If the curse consumed me, why would my city be any different?"
"Just disappear already! I hope running out of mana gives you the most excruciating death possible, you bitch!" I spit, as the tears start to roll down my face.
"Hmph. And that was your first mistake." She says with a cold smile, as a golden crystal, emanating enough mana that its mere proximity makes me feel queasy, appears in her hand. "Since when were you under the impression that there was only one grail?"
...Ah, so that's how it was. No wonder she didn't disappear, huh?
"Heh. Heh! Hahaha!" I break down in deranged laughter. "Thanks for telling me, you idiot!"
"And so what? You've got no chance of survival. Once your spell ends, you'll die. I am simply relishing my victory, as is the right of the strong. That's all." Saber replies with an arched eyebrow.
"Natsuki, if you've somehow still got some way out of this, then-!" says Olga. Right, she's still here. I still don't know if the timelines I die in continue after my death, so let's be responsible about this, right?
"[Shamak]." I say as I cancel EMM.
"What? Why did we lose connection now of all times!?" Yells Olga. That's good, it seems to work like expected.
Saber's blade punches through my chest, piercing my heart.
"H-heh. Y-yeah, I'll die for sure." I stammer through the pain, as my nose starts running and tears continue to pour down my cheeks. "However- I return to the past when I die!" I yell triumphantly, a spiteful grin on my face.
"Wha-!?" says Saber, clutching at her chest as blood fills her mouth.
The smile manages to stay on my face, even as the witch slowly reaches for me, crushing my heart and dragging me backwards in time…
***
"V-victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" Yell Mash, Mordred, and Cu Chulainn.
"I sure don't feel victorious…" I mumble, eye twitching.
A tsunami of oppressive black mana crashes into [Lord Chaldeas], blotting out all light in the cave. Mash grits her teeth, muscles twitching with effort as sweat pours down her forehead. But the wall holds, at least for now.
"Man, what a greeting!" I say with a faked chuckle. My first command spell flares bright red. "What do you say we answer in kind, Mordred?"
I turn to look at her, expecting her usual predatory grin - but instead…
"...What the hell..?" Her eyes are wide, her face twisted in utter horror and revulsion as she gazes upon the darkness hammering against Mash's shield. "...Just who the hell are you supposed to be..? 'Excalibur Morgan'... what's that supposed to mean, huh?"
Mordred's teeth grind as her mouth is set into a scowl, eyebrows furrowing as indignation and hatred fill her voice. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you! I don't care if you're some secret pawn of Mother's that I never learned of or what; I'll kill you, for daring to taint Father's legacy like this!"
The ground around her feet cracks, stone floating up into the air as her blade begins to crackle with red lightning. "[Clarent...!"
The beam from Arthur's blade dies down, and I can just barely hear her say "-bur…" before Mordred unleashes her own sword beam.
"...Blood Arthur]!"
"...Morgan]!" roars Saber as she fires excalibur again. Oi, was she planning to just use it immediately after the first one ended?
Crimson and black waves of energy meet in the air halfway between us, smashing together and twisting, mixing together into a helix of mana that erupts vertically into the ceiling. Stone and dirt pours down like rain, followed by trees and plants as the blast opens the cavern to the outside world. Luckily, I have Mash-tan to protect me, so I somehow avoid death by cave-in. Shields are pretty great, huh?
"[Excalibur…"
"She's still going!?" I yell. Damn, and Mash is already getting tired… I'll definitely have to lean on [Cor Leonis] for this fight. I activate it, and exhaustion floods my body, as well as pain, shooting through the space of my consciousness that I learned to associate with my "gate" back when it collapsed - well, they're called Magic Circuits in this world. This is… from Mordred? Does using her Noble Phantasm hurt her body?
Incidentally, thanks to [Cor Leonis], I can track Hanam, who had disappeared at some point, as he emerges from the shadows to Saber's right in a storm of thrown daggers, interrupting her Noble Phantasm as she's forced to deflect the attacks-!
"[Strike Air]!" Yells Saber, and in one swipe of her sword she deflects the daggers in a blast of wind, as well as interrupting Hanam's jump backwards, sending him careening towards the curtain of still falling stone and dirt from the collapsing roof of the cave.
He begins to astralize, attempting to pass harmlessly through the avalanche like a ghost, but with a loud echoing boom, Saber rockets towards him in a pulse of black mana.
Her sword is remarkably silent as she drives it through his ribcage using only her left hand - the sharp clang as she deflects the dagger he thrusts at her throat with the armored gauntlet of her right hand is much louder.
And the pulse of black energy from [Excalibur Morgan] that obliterates most of Hanam's torso is much louder.
"How…?" Hanam coughs out, somehow.
"Your [Protection Against the Wind] was lost when you were blackened. Consider this my revenge, Assassin." Saber speaks - her first words apart from using Noble Phantasms.
Hanam lets out a wet chuckle. {...Seems I miscalculated, Master. In the end… I was just dead weight, wasn't I?}
And then, in a cloud of golden sparkles, he's gone.
"No!" I hear myself scream.
Damn it! If I had reacted faster… If I had used a command spell, or Cor Leonis, then he would still be alive!
"Focus, Natsuki!" Yells Olga Marie, appearing next to me. "We can resummon him later! For now, you need to survive!"
...Huh. That makes things a bit less high stakes, doesn't it?
Anyway... that little bit of time he bought us means that Mordred had time to close the gap on Saber, launching straight at her in a pulse of red light. Their blades meet, sparks flying, red and black bursts of energy mixing together and shattering the earth beneath them.
They're opposed in every way - Mordred continues to scream obscenities at what she insists is a fake King Arthur, while said fake remains completely silent. Mordred's fighting is feral, animalistic, clearly operating on almost pure instinct, while the fake Arthur's style is tight, controlled, with no wasted movements.
Their only similarity is the sheer force of their blows, each clash of blades breaking the stone on which they stand, leaving the ground of the cave-turned-sinkhole pockmarked with small craters.
Mordred's swordsmanship is better. Even a total novice like me can tell that. Despite Arthur's tight, controlled movements, the crimson knight is still running rings around her, because despite her wild, frantic fighting style, Mordred leaves absolutely no openings. A creature of pure instinct, but said creature is an apex predator.
There's just one problem - Arthur keeps exploding.
That is to say, whenever Mordred has her on the ropes, Saber just unleashes a pulse of black mana that forces her back. It's a stalemate - and one that isn't in our favor. After all, I'm gonna run out of mana for Mordred to drain from me eventually, and then she won't have those big red mana bursts to back up her blows.
Arthur, on the other hand, has the infinite mana of the Holy Grail backing her up.
...That's right. The grail. We don't need to kill Arthur. We just need to destroy the grail.
"Oi, Director?" I ask, and her hologram turns her attention to me. "that big stone wall with glowy light behind it… let me confirm. Is that thing the grail?" I ask, smiling.
"Yes. The readings are certain. That thing is definitely the Holy Grail." She says with a nod.
"Perfect. In that case...Mordred! By my command spell, I order you- use your Noble Phantasm and destroy the grail!" I yell.
"Well, I guess that works too, huh!?" Yells Mordred, grinning as she leaps away from the fake Arthur. "[Clarent…!"
"As if I would let you!" Yells Saber, aiming her blade at Mordred. "[Excalibur..!"
"Mash, protect Mordred!" I yell.
"But Senpai, you'll..!" She protests.
"Don't worry! I'm not out of cheap tricks just yet!"
After a moment of hesitation, she nods. "Right. I'll go, then!"
"...Blood Arthur]!" Roars Mordred, and a wave of red tears through the Grail, glowing purple-red gunk erupting through the cleft in the stone wall.
"[Lord Chaldeas]!" Mash yells, protecting both Mordred and herself from the flood of strange liquid, as well as Saber's attack.
Except, Saber's attack doesn't come. Because the moment Mash left my side, Arthur switched targets to me!
She rockets towards me with a speed that I'm pretty sure breaks the sound barrier, aiming to cut me in half in a single blow. I can't dodge it. [Invisible Providence] is too slow to catch the blade. But, like I said, I have one more cheap trick up my sleeve!
With enough mana, anything is possible. So long as you know what the end result looks like, and you have enough mana to throw at making that result reality, you can do it, in this world. That's how the grail works. That's how command spells work.
My final command spell blazes bright crimson. If something like teleportation is within the realm of possibility for the mana provided by a command spell… then faking Beako's half of one of our spells should be within the realm of possibility as well!
"[E-M-M]!" I yell, Avalon flaring with light - and Saber's blade passes harmlessly through me as I phase partially out of existence.
EMM - Emilia-tan Maji Megami. 'Emilia-tan is Seriously a Goddess,' for any foreigners out there. That was the name I gave to the absolute defense magic that Beako and I developed together, which allows us to become completely immune to any attacks until the spell ends. Well, it restricts my movement too, so unfortunately I can't go full Reinhart and throw my weight around as an invincible fighter.
"Hmph. So you weren't helpless after all. Still, how long can you keep something like this up, I wonder?" Asks Saber.
I grin "Not sure. I had to prop it up with a command spell, so I'm not sure if it'll last as long as it used to. But, I know I can keep it up long enough for you to disappear now that the grail is gone!"
"Ah. I see." Says Saber, closing her eyes. "Truly, this would be your victory then - if you were not mistaken about two key details."
Mash screams in agony, and my eyes shift beyond Saber, snapping onto her. The muck from the grail flowed around her shield, reaching the soles of her boots - and that was enough. Black coloration, accentuated with crimson lines is creeping up her legs.
Behind her, Mordred clutches a spreading stain on her left side - a splatter of the stuff had hit her before Mash got her shield in position. Her hand comes away stained with the same spreading blackness, and she can only watch in horror as the taint spreads across her body.
I can't activate Cor Leonis. It doesn't work inside EMM, and I can't deactivate that without getting cut down by Saber.
"Aahhhhhhh! It hurts! It hurts!" Mash continues to scream. The white wall of Lord Chaldeas cracks - and then, it gives way, a torrent of blackish-purple mud swallowing Mash and Mordred in an instant. In the last second before she disappears from sight, I can see Mash's terrified face, staring at me. As if asking me, "Why didn't you save me?"
And then she's gone. The mud swallows them both, and after it levels out at knee-depth, neither Mash nor Mordred is visible.
"Your second mistake was assuming that the wall of Camelot would be enough to halt the grail's corruption." Says Saber coldly. "If the curse consumed me, why would my city be any different?"
"Just disappear already! I hope running out of mana gives you the most excruciating death possible, you bitch!" I spit, as the tears start to roll down my face.
"Hmph. And that was your first mistake." She says with a cold smile, as a golden crystal, emanating enough mana that its mere proximity makes me feel queasy, appears in her hand. "Since when were you under the impression that there was only one grail?"
...Ah, so that's how it was. No wonder she didn't disappear, huh?
"Heh. Heh! Hahaha!" I break down in deranged laughter. "Thanks for telling me, you idiot!"
"And so what? You've got no chance of survival. Once your spell ends, you'll die. I am simply relishing my victory, as is the right of the strong. That's all." Saber replies with an arched eyebrow.
"Natsuki, if you've somehow still got some way out of this, then-!" says Olga. Right, she's still here. I still don't know if the timelines I die in continue after my death, so let's be responsible about this, right?
"[Shamak]." I say as I cancel EMM.
"What? Why did we lose connection now of all times!?" Yells Olga. That's good, it seems to work like expected.
Saber's blade punches through my chest, piercing my heart.
"H-heh. Y-yeah, I'll die for sure." I stammer through the pain, as my nose starts running and tears continue to pour down my cheeks. "However- I return to the past when I die!" I yell triumphantly, a spiteful grin on my face.
"Wha-!?" says Saber, clutching at her chest as blood fills her mouth.
The smile manages to stay on my face, even as the witch slowly reaches for me, crushing my heart and dragging me backwards in time…
***
"V-victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!" Yell Mash, Mordred, and Cu Chulainn.
"I sure don't feel victorious…" I mumble, eye twitching.
Slightly early. Next chapter Wednesday perhaps?
There are two grails in the Fuyuki singularity - the actual Fuyuki grail, and the one given to Salter by Flauros.
Also, Olga says this chapter that they can just resummon Hanam. Some may question this sudden lowering of the stakes.
I would in turn question why on earth they assume Olga is telling the truth.
There are two grails in the Fuyuki singularity - the actual Fuyuki grail, and the one given to Salter by Flauros.
Also, Olga says this chapter that they can just resummon Hanam. Some may question this sudden lowering of the stakes.
I would in turn question why on earth they assume Olga is telling the truth.
Last edited: