- Location
- Somewhere North of south
*She Doesn't know*
Save Scumming? It's on my Character sheet. (Re: Zero/Fate Grand Order)
- Thread starter Xorn
- Start date
- Crossover
The Santa who Judges the Sinners, Finale
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
The Santa who Judges the Sinners, Finale
A pale woman with s-silver hair - no, control yourself, Natsumi!
A pale woman with silver hair and a goth dress answers the door to the kitchens. Cold gray eyes narrow at our group - okay, I can handle this!
"Hello! My friends and I are travelers, seeking shelter on this joyous day," I say, "Could we possibly come inside?"
Her obviously suspicious eyes slowly move towards Red Hare. The dead eyes of the rubber horse mask he's wearing over his normal horse head stare back. Come on, man, you said you had a foolproof deception strategy-!
"HOOORSE!" Red Hare shouts loudly. "I am a horse!"
"[Balmung…]!" The woman begins to snarl, a red sword manifesting in her hands-
"Lord Siegfried's…" Merry starts to mutter - and the next instant the Noble Phantasm shuts off and the goth woman is grabbing her by the collar.
"Just… what kind of business do you have speaking about my husband with such affection in your voice?" She asks, a blank look on her face.
"Eh?" Merry, naturally, freezes up. "Designated…back watcher… um, that is! I made a temporary contract with him once!"
"Oh?" Siegfried's wife - Kriemhild, I think it was - puts Merry down gently, and smiles. "You have my condolences for having to work with that idiot. I bet he did some reeaally stupid things without thinking of you, didn't he?"
Eh? Is Siegfried's wife the henpecking type?
"No… he was, um, a perfect hero-" Merry starts to reply.
"Liar… Come with me, and tell me every detail of it," Krielhild says, grabbing the peasant girl by the hand and dragging her inside. "I'll point out every little part where he was being stupid, okay?"
…
"Well, she seems to not be coming back, so I will call this a victory! Ohoho!" I laugh. "Let's just go inside."
Stepping into the kitchens, we see a fairly chaotic scene - various boiling pots are everywhere, and the red haired woman who had led Typhon away earlier is running back and forth from each dish trying desperately to keep the kitchen under control.
…On that note, the Witch of Pride is gleefully kneading dough for some kind of bread - it's such a mundane scene for her that I actually look twice to make sure I'm really seeing it right.
"Oh thank goodness, more people!" The red-haired woman calls out. "I'm Boudica, nice to meet you all, now can you watch this pot, you watch that pot, and you keep stirring this one!"
Needless to say, San-tan, Elizabeth, and I are completely caught up in her pace and end up just helping instead of what we were supposed to be doing.
"Okay! Just watch, Cat-fishie! I can do this! I'll show you cooking - Elizabeth Bathory-style!"
***
It's all over.
Red Hare, Boudica, Typhon, Merry, Kriemhild… no, like this, I doubt even the guys in the temple or our allies outside got away. Even Natsumi… that's right, I lost my dress and wig. After we went to all that trouble too. But in the end, everything was…
I gaze at the massive rubber horse mask rising from the ocean of stew, as San-tan sits beside me, and I try to find words.
"A man lives but fifty years…" San-tan mutters.
"What the hell happened!?"
"Cooking, Elizabeth Bathory-style," The Archer (I think? She never actually said her class.) sighs. "She was subconsciously using [Item Construction] on a sacred meal during a Pagan feast of blood, and so everything went all GUDAGUDA. It can't be helped."
"With just [Item Construction]!?" I shout. "Bullshit!"
"Hm, I think maybe the grail stored in the kitchens probably played a part." Boudica says, emerging from the stew.
"Oh, the Evangelion reference is over already…?" I wonder aloud. I would have guessed I'd need to choke out San-tan first.
"Congratulations, Baru!" Typhon latches onto my back with a giggle.
"No, that scene is from the TV anime- wait, that's not the point here!" I shout, tossing her off of me and turning to point at Boudica. "What do you mean you stored a grail in the kitchen!?"
"...Cups get stored in the kitchen, Fishie. That's pretty normal," Elizabeth says, emerging from the mess. I'm not even gonna dignify her statement with a response though.
"Ugh, I've got the general picture," Says Cu Chulainn as he emerges as well. "But this kind of sweeping devastation is a bit…"
"Hm, someone must have converted the Grail into a bomb!" San-tan says. "Wahaha, it can't be helped!"
"That someone was obviously you!" I shout as I tackle her to the ground, wrapping my hands around her throat.
"Can I go home yet?" Asks Merry, poking her head out of the stew.
***
"Anywa~y, now's the part where we pass out the presents!" Typhon says.
"Actually, I have one for you, Typhon!" I say, handing her a long-awaited piece of paper.
"Eh?" Her eyes sparkle. "What is it, Ba~ru? What could you possibly have gotten Santa?"
"A cancellation notice," I answer with a villainous smile.
"...Eh?" Her eyes go wide. "N-no waaay… That's not fair! Baru, you can't cancel Typhon's holiday special! What will she do after this? What will the story do without Typhon!?
"France is over! I'm free! I'm finally free, of you, of Prelati, and of this stupid holiday gimmick!" I shout in exultation. "I wonder what omake gimmick is next!? A Beni-Enma new-years adventure? A Daphne halloween? It can't be worse than this overdone mess!
"B-beni-Enma!?" Typhon wails. "That's not fair! Typhon judges sinners too! Typhon is a little girl too! Typhon has a cute verbal tic too! What does she have that Typhon doesn't!?"
"Homeownership."
"Nooooo!!!!" She moans. "Typhon can't possibly defeat that in this economy! It's not faaaaiiirr!"
I feel absolutely no pity or remorse. I know, no matter what, the next Omake can't possibly be more annoying than this.
"Coming this April, Hatred IF!" Shouts Francesca Prelati. "That's right, it's the long awaited Prelati route! Aren't you glad, Subaru?"
…I want Christmas back.
A pale woman with s-silver hair - no, control yourself, Natsumi!
A pale woman with silver hair and a goth dress answers the door to the kitchens. Cold gray eyes narrow at our group - okay, I can handle this!
"Hello! My friends and I are travelers, seeking shelter on this joyous day," I say, "Could we possibly come inside?"
Her obviously suspicious eyes slowly move towards Red Hare. The dead eyes of the rubber horse mask he's wearing over his normal horse head stare back. Come on, man, you said you had a foolproof deception strategy-!
"HOOORSE!" Red Hare shouts loudly. "I am a horse!"
"[Balmung…]!" The woman begins to snarl, a red sword manifesting in her hands-
"Lord Siegfried's…" Merry starts to mutter - and the next instant the Noble Phantasm shuts off and the goth woman is grabbing her by the collar.
"Just… what kind of business do you have speaking about my husband with such affection in your voice?" She asks, a blank look on her face.
"Eh?" Merry, naturally, freezes up. "Designated…back watcher… um, that is! I made a temporary contract with him once!"
"Oh?" Siegfried's wife - Kriemhild, I think it was - puts Merry down gently, and smiles. "You have my condolences for having to work with that idiot. I bet he did some reeaally stupid things without thinking of you, didn't he?"
Eh? Is Siegfried's wife the henpecking type?
"No… he was, um, a perfect hero-" Merry starts to reply.
"Liar… Come with me, and tell me every detail of it," Krielhild says, grabbing the peasant girl by the hand and dragging her inside. "I'll point out every little part where he was being stupid, okay?"
…
"Well, she seems to not be coming back, so I will call this a victory! Ohoho!" I laugh. "Let's just go inside."
Stepping into the kitchens, we see a fairly chaotic scene - various boiling pots are everywhere, and the red haired woman who had led Typhon away earlier is running back and forth from each dish trying desperately to keep the kitchen under control.
…On that note, the Witch of Pride is gleefully kneading dough for some kind of bread - it's such a mundane scene for her that I actually look twice to make sure I'm really seeing it right.
"Oh thank goodness, more people!" The red-haired woman calls out. "I'm Boudica, nice to meet you all, now can you watch this pot, you watch that pot, and you keep stirring this one!"
Needless to say, San-tan, Elizabeth, and I are completely caught up in her pace and end up just helping instead of what we were supposed to be doing.
"Okay! Just watch, Cat-fishie! I can do this! I'll show you cooking - Elizabeth Bathory-style!"
***
It's all over.
Red Hare, Boudica, Typhon, Merry, Kriemhild… no, like this, I doubt even the guys in the temple or our allies outside got away. Even Natsumi… that's right, I lost my dress and wig. After we went to all that trouble too. But in the end, everything was…
I gaze at the massive rubber horse mask rising from the ocean of stew, as San-tan sits beside me, and I try to find words.
"A man lives but fifty years…" San-tan mutters.
"What the hell happened!?"
"Cooking, Elizabeth Bathory-style," The Archer (I think? She never actually said her class.) sighs. "She was subconsciously using [Item Construction] on a sacred meal during a Pagan feast of blood, and so everything went all GUDAGUDA. It can't be helped."
"With just [Item Construction]!?" I shout. "Bullshit!"
"Hm, I think maybe the grail stored in the kitchens probably played a part." Boudica says, emerging from the stew.
"Oh, the Evangelion reference is over already…?" I wonder aloud. I would have guessed I'd need to choke out San-tan first.
"Congratulations, Baru!" Typhon latches onto my back with a giggle.
"No, that scene is from the TV anime- wait, that's not the point here!" I shout, tossing her off of me and turning to point at Boudica. "What do you mean you stored a grail in the kitchen!?"
"...Cups get stored in the kitchen, Fishie. That's pretty normal," Elizabeth says, emerging from the mess. I'm not even gonna dignify her statement with a response though.
"Ugh, I've got the general picture," Says Cu Chulainn as he emerges as well. "But this kind of sweeping devastation is a bit…"
"Hm, someone must have converted the Grail into a bomb!" San-tan says. "Wahaha, it can't be helped!"
"That someone was obviously you!" I shout as I tackle her to the ground, wrapping my hands around her throat.
"Can I go home yet?" Asks Merry, poking her head out of the stew.
***
"Anywa~y, now's the part where we pass out the presents!" Typhon says.
"Actually, I have one for you, Typhon!" I say, handing her a long-awaited piece of paper.
"Eh?" Her eyes sparkle. "What is it, Ba~ru? What could you possibly have gotten Santa?"
"A cancellation notice," I answer with a villainous smile.
"...Eh?" Her eyes go wide. "N-no waaay… That's not fair! Baru, you can't cancel Typhon's holiday special! What will she do after this? What will the story do without Typhon!?
"France is over! I'm free! I'm finally free, of you, of Prelati, and of this stupid holiday gimmick!" I shout in exultation. "I wonder what omake gimmick is next!? A Beni-Enma new-years adventure? A Daphne halloween? It can't be worse than this overdone mess!
"B-beni-Enma!?" Typhon wails. "That's not fair! Typhon judges sinners too! Typhon is a little girl too! Typhon has a cute verbal tic too! What does she have that Typhon doesn't!?"
"Homeownership."
"Nooooo!!!!" She moans. "Typhon can't possibly defeat that in this economy! It's not faaaaiiirr!"
I feel absolutely no pity or remorse. I know, no matter what, the next Omake can't possibly be more annoying than this.
"Coming this April, Hatred IF!" Shouts Francesca Prelati. "That's right, it's the long awaited Prelati route! Aren't you glad, Subaru?"
…I want Christmas back.
105: Giving up is easy...
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
105: Giving up is easy...
"So, Mr. Argos, you've been here longer than us - what can you tell us about this place?" Mash asks as we start to move away from the shoreline.
"-Huh!? You think I'd go inland alone? Are you crazy? Deserted islands are always full of cannibals or monsters! I'd die!" Argos says.
"No, I think she meant the Singularity as a whole…" I say.
"Oh. Well, it's a big uncharted ocean full of dangerous islands - like I said, monsters and cannibals," He shrugs. "I can't really tell you much about them, I mostly just stayed on the Argo and let Heracles handle the exploring."
"Geh," I let out a reflexive shudder, recalling that skinless mass of muscle from Fuyuki. "That freaking monster-"
There's a sound of a fist striking steel - and with a shock, I see Argos's fist, stopped a few inches from my face by the timely intervention of Georgios.
"-Hey," Argos glares at me as he lowers his fist. "You can say whatever else you like since you've basically got me at your mercy, but I'm not gonna let you badmouth Heracles."
"S-sorry. I guess you guys must have been friends, huh?" I say. "He was berserk back in Fuyuki, so…"
"What the hell is a Fuyuki…?" Argos asks.
"It was one of the previous singularities Chaldea corrected," Mash says. "An out-of-control Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, Japan."
"Ah, previous singularities…" He mutters, a strained smile on his face. "So you guys just go around foiling anyone trying to change the past?"
"Pretty much," I nod. Hopefully this will get him to cooperate, now that he knows we're trying to save-
"That's so rude!" Argos shouts, pointing at me. "What do you have against people wanting to fix their past, huh!? You freaking killjoys! I bet that [Alter Ego] guy was with you after all!" Oh my god, this guy doesn't understand the stakes at all, does he?
"Were you summoned with no knowledge of the incineration of humanity..?" Georgios asks.
"Eh? You mean like cremation? I'm not an undertaker." This man is totally hopeless.
***
We spend the next five to ten minutes of our trek to the island's interior getting the clueless Rider up to speed as his face distorts into an increasingly intense expression of horror.
"-And so we rayshifted to this one next." I conclude.
"...Oi, this is really freaking bad," He says.
"Mister Argos, you said Medea had said something to you about us before… Just what did she tell you, if it wasn't all of this?" Mash asks, tilting her head cutely.
"Ah, that… before I answer that, I should ask, hypothetically speaking, just what would happen if someone sacrificed a Greek Divine Spirit on the [Ark of the Covenant]?" His response is a total non-sequitur.
"That would be… probably the total annihilation of the era." Georgios says.
"I see," Argos says, closing his eyes. He takes a deep breath, and- "MEDEAAAAAA! You psycho witch! 'Lord Jason, just leave all the planning to me,' you said! 'If you just listen to my instructions, you'll become immortal,' you said! Why on earth did I trust you!? I should have known you were up to something nuts like usual! 'Well, if you're erased from existence you can technically never die, tee-hee,' - I bet you'd say something like that just before I got blown up! No wonder Heracles was acting so weird, you were clouding his thoughts, weren't you!? No wonder no one showed up when I used my Noble Phantasm, I was on the evil side! AAAAGH, I'm so stupid!"
His furious rant pauses for a moment as he repeatedly slams his face into his palm- wait, did he just imply…?
"-You're not Argos!" Mash says, gasping. You're Medea's lover, Jason!"
"Ex-lover! I'm her ex-lover!" He protests. "It's exactly because of shit like this that we're not together anymore! Because she's a fratricidal, infanticidal, homicidal, backstabbing, crazy witch!"
Ugh… He can say that,, but… "Dude, half of that stuff was things she did for you - and the rest is pretty much your fault. You're the one who set her off by abandoning her…"
"I wasn't going to abandon her! I'm not that scummy!" Wait, really-? "I was going to keep her as a mistress, obviously." Die, scumbag.
…The truth is, though, I'm really not in a position to be throwing stones about proper romantic behavior.
"Let's not get distracted," I say. "Medea of Colchis is the mastermind, I got that much, but what else is going on in this singularity?"
"She was the mastermind," Jason corrects me. "But that's probably not true anymore - why do you think I wound up sitting alone on a freaking island, huh?"
"Senpai, do you think this is another case of a second Demon Pillar arriving?" Mash asks. Right, the original villains of France got their plans derailed when Bael tried to possess Prelati…
"I don't know anything about Demon Pillars. Medea never introduced me to whoever gave her the grail, and as far as I know, the guy who showed up and ruined everything was - no, calling him an 'ordinary servant' is wrong," Jason says. "He introduced himself as a Caster first, but after he thought he had won he went and blabbed a bit - he's an extra class. Something called an 'Alter Ego', whatever the heck that's supposed to mean."
"...Oi, aren't Extra classes supposed to be rare?" I mutter. I feel like my Game Master is fudging his Random Encounter rolls.
"Alter Ego, huh… That's an annoying class," Cu mutters, closing one eye and stroking his chin.
"You know about it?" I ask.
"Maybe. I'm gonna need to do some Divination to really narrow it down, though," he answers. "In terms of how 'out there' of a class it is… well, I'd say Alter Egos are closer to the Watcher side of things than the Shielder side."
"It's another confusing one, huh…?" I sigh.
"-Speaking of confusing, there's another thing." Jason stares at me directly, a grimace on his face. "I don't know how to say it nicely, so I'll rip the band-aid off - Alter Ego's got the same face as Natsuki Subaru."
…Oh come on. "Another freaking Evil Clone arc? Right after the first one?" I complain. Is this my payback for not letting Jeanne confront her dark self directly or something? Despite the wisecracking though, this sense of unease… "His Noble Phantasm… did you see it?"
Somehow, I know he has. Because, those nightmares, the dreams that were haunting me in Chaldea, were-
"Yeah - a Reality Marble. If you kill him inside it, he comes back and dumps curses on you, over and over, until your Spirit Origin gets corrupted," Jason says. "I got off lightly since I never actually killed him - all of the curses that hit me were from him killing himself. Heracles, though…"
"Another corrupted Heracles!? Oh come on!" I moan.
"...Oi, what do you mean, another?" The Rider asks.
"...I don't suppose he did us the favor of getting his skin torn off before he got corrupted this time?" Cu Chulainn asks.
Jason groans. "So that's how you guys beat him when you fought him. Someone else already did the hard part for you."
I raise an eyebrow. "I don't think losing skin stops Servants."
"Iiiidiot," Jason replies. "As a Berserker, Heracles's Noble Phantasm is his skin. [God Hand] makes him immune to every attack below A-rank-"
"What the hell, that's broken!" I shout
"-lets him come back from the dead eleven times-" Jason continues.
"That wasn't even all of it!?"
"-and makes him immune to any attack that took one of his lives before," he concludes.
"Oh come on! What's with this freaking glitch character!?" This is some Reinhard level nonsense!
"-By the way, since Heracles is the strongest, I'd bet he could come back an extra time or two if he really felt like it. Also he has A-rank Battle Continuation," Jason continues to boast about how cool his friend is. "Well, all of that being said, Berserker is his weakest class."
"What."
"I mean, Heracles is already the strongest without Mad Enhancement, so really the only thing the Berserker class does for him is take away his ability to plan ahead," He continues chattering without pause. "He has [God Hand] in most of his other Classes too, anyway. I think he only loses it when he's summoned as an Assassin or as a Rider - but after he was corrupted, he did come out wearing the [Pelt of the Divine Beast], so I think [God Hand] might have gotten swapped out for [King's Order]."
"Okay, so only one life, but for those of us who aren't Heracles Otaku, what exactly-?" I start to ask.
"Nah, he's still got one extra from the Fourth Labor," He crushes that hope without mercy.
"Sure, why not!?" In throw up my hands.
"Um, Mr. Jason, what Senpai really wants to know is, how do we fight-?" Mash starts to ask.
"You give up," Jason says simply. "Why do you think I'm just sitting around on this island? The moment Heracles wound up on Alter Ego's side, it was over. The only reason you guys aren't already dead is because this storm means he hasn't seen you yet. That's not even considering the other ones he had with him - some Conquistador and Pirate, the Minotaur, and don't forget about Medea! And even if you manage to avoid Heracles somehow, and defeat the rest, you don't have an answer to [Infinite Ruin ]."
That name really is on the nose - and disturbingly close to that.
"That's…" Mash mutters.
"Hey, Master, why don't we just leave this weak loser here?" Cu Chulainn says. "We've gotten about all that we can out of him, I think." He gives a grin, resting his staff across his shoulders. "If it's just the strongest Greek hero-!"
"Don't go getting a big head just because people call you 'Irish Heracles', moron. Come back as a Berserker, and you might stand a chance," Jason says, taking a seat on a stone. "But if you're not gonna make me go with you, that suits me just fine. You guys captured me, after all - I don't want to go on some stupid adventure with you."
"You don't even feel the slightest obligation to fix this mess?" I can't help scowling at his attitude. "You were duped into helping wipe out humanity - don't you feel even a little guilty!?
"And so what? Even if I felt guilty… what would it achieve?" Jason leans back, clasping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes, as rain continues to pour down on him. "You're young, so maybe you don't get it yet, but- sometimes, you don't get another chance. Sometimes, there is no fixing things. And this is one of those times."
…Yeah, I understand. What was it Prelati said, back in France? 'If it doesn't break the heart of anyone who loved the original, then it's probably not a real [Blackened] Servant.'
Jason didn't get off easy or anything, when he was corrupted. For that adventurous man filled with hope, who inspired all of the heroes of his era to join him in a quest for treasure on sunlit seas… the miserable, hopeless man he became at the end of his life, sheltering beneath the prow of his rotting ship, was already his darkest self.
For a moment, I start to think of a response-
Georgios's sword cleaves a spectral butterfly in two. "Enemy attack!"
In an instant, the island trail is full of similar butterflies, and I begin to grow tired - not this time!
"{Emergency Citrus]!" The stupidly named cleanse function of my Mystic Code purges the sleep spell, and I frantically move to get behind Mash's shield.
"[Chaos…Labyrinthos]!" A male voice snarls - and the next thing I know, I'm alone in an empty white hallway.
"So, Mr. Argos, you've been here longer than us - what can you tell us about this place?" Mash asks as we start to move away from the shoreline.
"-Huh!? You think I'd go inland alone? Are you crazy? Deserted islands are always full of cannibals or monsters! I'd die!" Argos says.
"No, I think she meant the Singularity as a whole…" I say.
"Oh. Well, it's a big uncharted ocean full of dangerous islands - like I said, monsters and cannibals," He shrugs. "I can't really tell you much about them, I mostly just stayed on the Argo and let Heracles handle the exploring."
"Geh," I let out a reflexive shudder, recalling that skinless mass of muscle from Fuyuki. "That freaking monster-"
There's a sound of a fist striking steel - and with a shock, I see Argos's fist, stopped a few inches from my face by the timely intervention of Georgios.
"-Hey," Argos glares at me as he lowers his fist. "You can say whatever else you like since you've basically got me at your mercy, but I'm not gonna let you badmouth Heracles."
"S-sorry. I guess you guys must have been friends, huh?" I say. "He was berserk back in Fuyuki, so…"
"What the hell is a Fuyuki…?" Argos asks.
"It was one of the previous singularities Chaldea corrected," Mash says. "An out-of-control Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, Japan."
"Ah, previous singularities…" He mutters, a strained smile on his face. "So you guys just go around foiling anyone trying to change the past?"
"Pretty much," I nod. Hopefully this will get him to cooperate, now that he knows we're trying to save-
"That's so rude!" Argos shouts, pointing at me. "What do you have against people wanting to fix their past, huh!? You freaking killjoys! I bet that [Alter Ego] guy was with you after all!" Oh my god, this guy doesn't understand the stakes at all, does he?
"Were you summoned with no knowledge of the incineration of humanity..?" Georgios asks.
"Eh? You mean like cremation? I'm not an undertaker." This man is totally hopeless.
***
We spend the next five to ten minutes of our trek to the island's interior getting the clueless Rider up to speed as his face distorts into an increasingly intense expression of horror.
"-And so we rayshifted to this one next." I conclude.
"...Oi, this is really freaking bad," He says.
"Mister Argos, you said Medea had said something to you about us before… Just what did she tell you, if it wasn't all of this?" Mash asks, tilting her head cutely.
"Ah, that… before I answer that, I should ask, hypothetically speaking, just what would happen if someone sacrificed a Greek Divine Spirit on the [Ark of the Covenant]?" His response is a total non-sequitur.
"That would be… probably the total annihilation of the era." Georgios says.
"I see," Argos says, closing his eyes. He takes a deep breath, and- "MEDEAAAAAA! You psycho witch! 'Lord Jason, just leave all the planning to me,' you said! 'If you just listen to my instructions, you'll become immortal,' you said! Why on earth did I trust you!? I should have known you were up to something nuts like usual! 'Well, if you're erased from existence you can technically never die, tee-hee,' - I bet you'd say something like that just before I got blown up! No wonder Heracles was acting so weird, you were clouding his thoughts, weren't you!? No wonder no one showed up when I used my Noble Phantasm, I was on the evil side! AAAAGH, I'm so stupid!"
His furious rant pauses for a moment as he repeatedly slams his face into his palm- wait, did he just imply…?
"-You're not Argos!" Mash says, gasping. You're Medea's lover, Jason!"
"Ex-lover! I'm her ex-lover!" He protests. "It's exactly because of shit like this that we're not together anymore! Because she's a fratricidal, infanticidal, homicidal, backstabbing, crazy witch!"
Ugh… He can say that,, but… "Dude, half of that stuff was things she did for you - and the rest is pretty much your fault. You're the one who set her off by abandoning her…"
"I wasn't going to abandon her! I'm not that scummy!" Wait, really-? "I was going to keep her as a mistress, obviously." Die, scumbag.
…The truth is, though, I'm really not in a position to be throwing stones about proper romantic behavior.
"Let's not get distracted," I say. "Medea of Colchis is the mastermind, I got that much, but what else is going on in this singularity?"
"She was the mastermind," Jason corrects me. "But that's probably not true anymore - why do you think I wound up sitting alone on a freaking island, huh?"
"Senpai, do you think this is another case of a second Demon Pillar arriving?" Mash asks. Right, the original villains of France got their plans derailed when Bael tried to possess Prelati…
"I don't know anything about Demon Pillars. Medea never introduced me to whoever gave her the grail, and as far as I know, the guy who showed up and ruined everything was - no, calling him an 'ordinary servant' is wrong," Jason says. "He introduced himself as a Caster first, but after he thought he had won he went and blabbed a bit - he's an extra class. Something called an 'Alter Ego', whatever the heck that's supposed to mean."
"...Oi, aren't Extra classes supposed to be rare?" I mutter. I feel like my Game Master is fudging his Random Encounter rolls.
"Alter Ego, huh… That's an annoying class," Cu mutters, closing one eye and stroking his chin.
"You know about it?" I ask.
"Maybe. I'm gonna need to do some Divination to really narrow it down, though," he answers. "In terms of how 'out there' of a class it is… well, I'd say Alter Egos are closer to the Watcher side of things than the Shielder side."
"It's another confusing one, huh…?" I sigh.
"-Speaking of confusing, there's another thing." Jason stares at me directly, a grimace on his face. "I don't know how to say it nicely, so I'll rip the band-aid off - Alter Ego's got the same face as Natsuki Subaru."
…Oh come on. "Another freaking Evil Clone arc? Right after the first one?" I complain. Is this my payback for not letting Jeanne confront her dark self directly or something? Despite the wisecracking though, this sense of unease… "His Noble Phantasm… did you see it?"
Somehow, I know he has. Because, those nightmares, the dreams that were haunting me in Chaldea, were-
"Yeah - a Reality Marble. If you kill him inside it, he comes back and dumps curses on you, over and over, until your Spirit Origin gets corrupted," Jason says. "I got off lightly since I never actually killed him - all of the curses that hit me were from him killing himself. Heracles, though…"
"Another corrupted Heracles!? Oh come on!" I moan.
"...Oi, what do you mean, another?" The Rider asks.
"...I don't suppose he did us the favor of getting his skin torn off before he got corrupted this time?" Cu Chulainn asks.
Jason groans. "So that's how you guys beat him when you fought him. Someone else already did the hard part for you."
I raise an eyebrow. "I don't think losing skin stops Servants."
"Iiiidiot," Jason replies. "As a Berserker, Heracles's Noble Phantasm is his skin. [God Hand] makes him immune to every attack below A-rank-"
"What the hell, that's broken!" I shout
"-lets him come back from the dead eleven times-" Jason continues.
"That wasn't even all of it!?"
"-and makes him immune to any attack that took one of his lives before," he concludes.
"Oh come on! What's with this freaking glitch character!?" This is some Reinhard level nonsense!
"-By the way, since Heracles is the strongest, I'd bet he could come back an extra time or two if he really felt like it. Also he has A-rank Battle Continuation," Jason continues to boast about how cool his friend is. "Well, all of that being said, Berserker is his weakest class."
"What."
"I mean, Heracles is already the strongest without Mad Enhancement, so really the only thing the Berserker class does for him is take away his ability to plan ahead," He continues chattering without pause. "He has [God Hand] in most of his other Classes too, anyway. I think he only loses it when he's summoned as an Assassin or as a Rider - but after he was corrupted, he did come out wearing the [Pelt of the Divine Beast], so I think [God Hand] might have gotten swapped out for [King's Order]."
"Okay, so only one life, but for those of us who aren't Heracles Otaku, what exactly-?" I start to ask.
"Nah, he's still got one extra from the Fourth Labor," He crushes that hope without mercy.
"Sure, why not!?" In throw up my hands.
"Um, Mr. Jason, what Senpai really wants to know is, how do we fight-?" Mash starts to ask.
"You give up," Jason says simply. "Why do you think I'm just sitting around on this island? The moment Heracles wound up on Alter Ego's side, it was over. The only reason you guys aren't already dead is because this storm means he hasn't seen you yet. That's not even considering the other ones he had with him - some Conquistador and Pirate, the Minotaur, and don't forget about Medea! And even if you manage to avoid Heracles somehow, and defeat the rest, you don't have an answer to [
That name really is on the nose - and disturbingly close to that.
"That's…" Mash mutters.
"Hey, Master, why don't we just leave this weak loser here?" Cu Chulainn says. "We've gotten about all that we can out of him, I think." He gives a grin, resting his staff across his shoulders. "If it's just the strongest Greek hero-!"
"Don't go getting a big head just because people call you 'Irish Heracles', moron. Come back as a Berserker, and you might stand a chance," Jason says, taking a seat on a stone. "But if you're not gonna make me go with you, that suits me just fine. You guys captured me, after all - I don't want to go on some stupid adventure with you."
"You don't even feel the slightest obligation to fix this mess?" I can't help scowling at his attitude. "You were duped into helping wipe out humanity - don't you feel even a little guilty!?
"And so what? Even if I felt guilty… what would it achieve?" Jason leans back, clasping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes, as rain continues to pour down on him. "You're young, so maybe you don't get it yet, but- sometimes, you don't get another chance. Sometimes, there is no fixing things. And this is one of those times."
…Yeah, I understand. What was it Prelati said, back in France? 'If it doesn't break the heart of anyone who loved the original, then it's probably not a real [Blackened] Servant.'
Jason didn't get off easy or anything, when he was corrupted. For that adventurous man filled with hope, who inspired all of the heroes of his era to join him in a quest for treasure on sunlit seas… the miserable, hopeless man he became at the end of his life, sheltering beneath the prow of his rotting ship, was already his darkest self.
For a moment, I start to think of a response-
Georgios's sword cleaves a spectral butterfly in two. "Enemy attack!"
In an instant, the island trail is full of similar butterflies, and I begin to grow tired - not this time!
"{Emergency Citrus]!" The stupidly named cleanse function of my Mystic Code purges the sleep spell, and I frantically move to get behind Mash's shield.
"[Chaos…Labyrinthos]!" A male voice snarls - and the next thing I know, I'm alone in an empty white hallway.
- Location
- Somewhere North of south
Uhhh... About that Subaru, does this mean that his misinterpretation won't be shattered until far into the future?
ExNihilo
SPACE!
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I want to say something mean, like "if even Subaru thinks your romantic situation is screwy then you're clearly too far gone" but there's no way to be mean enough to Jason without being too mean to Subaru.
I see we've hit the mandatory battle arrow in-between all the story ones.
I see we've hit the mandatory battle arrow in-between all the story ones.
Debuff clears are amazing, as expected. I wonder if the MC is equivalent to the Tropical Summer one in the game.
Wow, he just spilled all the beans so easily lol. I wonder what his original thought was when no one showed up? That should've been a pretty big hint that something was wrong.
- Location
- Oregon, USA
Medea did a magecraft thing to screw him over.
106: Chaos Labyrinthos
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
106: Chaos Labyrinthos
-Labyrinthos. The Labyrinth, in other words. Jason had mentioned 'Alter Ego' had the Minotaur at his disposal, so I guess this is his Noble Phantasm.
But on that note, how the hell did he find us so fast? Last time was one thing - we were just milling around near Jason's boat, so if the enemy was looking for him it wouldn't be a big shock for them to find us. But what about this time? We were pretty far from the boat, and we had taken care to avoid any main trails. Hell, Cu had mentioned something about giving us an anti-tracking spell.
And yet, despite the driving rain, with all those things working against him, Alter Ego's goons found us in the same amount of time as before, if not faster.
"...He looks like me, huh?" I mutter. That's right - to his enemies, Natsuki Subaru has always seemed to know everything. If it's not just a coincidence, if there's anything to those nightmares, then… it wouldn't be strange for Alter Ego to possess a [Clairvoyance] skill.
The worst case, though… is that in addition to that [Return From Death] thing, he has [Return by Death] as a Noble Phantasm. But I don't want to believe that's the case, since in addition to its obvious status as a probably unbeatable obstacle… the idea of using Return by Death offensively like this is one of the most disgusting things I can imagine.
There were no trails to follow. There wasn't even a lead to tell him which way we were going or where we had landed. In order to find us… I've got no idea how many times he would have had to kill himself.
So it's Clairvoyance. It has to be. Considering how I've seen Servants be twisted by their legends, he might not even know about [Return by Death] - 'since nobody but me knows about it it didn't get recorded' - is a real possibility. That would explain why he's trying to kill me, too - if he knew about Return by Death, he'd know there's no point, right?
…I really hope that's the case.
But with that thought through, let's return to the Labyrinth. Gazing around, I take in my surroundings for a moment. White marble hallways, illuminated by torchlight, stretch outwards from each of this room's walls. The others who were with me are nowhere to be seen.
"I didn't think it would be this well lit…" I mutter. Anyway, as far as getting split up again goes, I've got an obvious answer. "By my Command-"
No. No, that would be way too stupid. I've already learned my lesson last singularity about spending Command Spells willy-nilly. If I had been forced to teleport someone in when we fought the Phantom of the Opera in Paris, I would have died to Prelati in the final fight. I already know what's in this singularity; if I spend command spells on anything other than Heracles or Alter Ego, I'm sure I'll end up regretting it.
So with that in mind- "[Cor Leonis]." There we go. Three 'stars' spring to life in my awareness. Jason, of course, makes no appearance - it's not like I was thinking of him as an ally, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. As for the others- "They're all the same direction, huh? Alright, [Detect Gold]." The stupidly named mapping spell on my Pirate cosplay Mystic Code springs to life, and the next instant a holographic display of a map is floating above my wrist. "Okay! With the power of cheat codes, even a moron like me can solve a maze!"
With that slightly immoral excitement raising my spirits, I start off in the direction that I can tell Mash is in.
{Alright everyone, I've got this stupid mapping spell, so just stay put and I'll be right there.} I say telepathically.
{...Isn't that dangerous, Senpai?} Mash asks.
{Nah, in the worst case I'll just-}
There's a sound of grinding stone from my left, and I start to look that way. Oi, that wall-
***
"...Where are you?"
***
-wasn't this close, right!?
"...Eh?"
I'm standing in the first room again, suddenly. The projected map is gone from my wrist… no, rather, I never cast it. Because I just died.
"Did I just get the Shaula treatment from a freaking wall…?" I mumble. Not to mention…
Oi! Satella! What the hell's going on here!? Don't just dump me right back in the Labyrinth! The Professor just got done saying how every loop was chosen for my benefit a little bit ago, don't tell me you've gotten tsundere now!?
"...[Cor Leonis]. [Detect Gold]." Even so, I've got to be the one to do this. If there are traps like that in this labyrinth, the others stand a chance of dying for real. {Okay, everyone stay put. There's a lot of traps around, so leave it to me. I'll use a Command Spell if things get bad.}
{...Senpai, I'd prefer if you just used one now. But I'll respect your judgment.} Mash says.
{Thanks.} I reply, as I begin walking. Okay, straight is certain death, so let's go left.
My footsteps echo on the marble floor as I follow a winding passage to another branching room. A right turn, and-
The floor drops out from underneath me. Oh come on-!
I scream as my legs break on impact.
Okay. Okay, I'm still alive, so I just need to-!
"Ahh! Argh!" I scream as I drag myself against a wall. I need to set these, and…
Ah, Da Vinci didn't give me a healing spell this time.
It's fine. Healing a clean break isn't that hard. The Director taught me the basics. And then… can I climb out-?
"Found you!" An unfamiliar voice calls from the top of the pit, and looking up, I see a white-furred face grinning down at me in sadistic glee.
"[Shamak]!" I flood the pit with black smoke on reflex. Please. Please. Please go away. Legs, legs, okay, the healing spell is-
Something lands on them. I can't feel anything below my waist anymore. Pressure around my chest, the vague sensation of motion-
Something wet surrounds my head. Enormous incisors slice through my neck. Tombstone-like molars grind against either side of my head-
***
"Where are you?"
***
-And I gasp, staring down at the map displayed on my wrist. It moved!? Why the hell did my checkpoint move again-!?
No, there's no time! That thing is nearby! Right is no good, so I start running straight ahead, into the next room, until suddenly, someone lunges at me-!
"Aaa-oh, it's you." Jason says, swiftly aborting his terrified scream.
"Aaa-oh, it's you!" I say, swiftly aborting my terrified scream.
…I don't really want to be on a similar wavelength to this guy.
"Um, in case you don't know, we're in the labyrinth! It's full of traps, and the Minotaur is gonna be here soon, so any input-" I start to say.
"Dude, just use your command spells to summon your Servants," The Rider deadpans.
"...I can't do that." I reply after a moment's thought. "If I'm going to be facing Heracles, and that Alter Ego guy, I know I can't afford to waste command spells here. I won't stand a chance otherwise."
"You don't stand a chance to begin with! The best your command spells will do is buy you time - which is why, hurry up and use them, 'cause I don't wanna die!" He shouts back.
"I'm not gonna sabotoge us long term-!"
"Idiot! There is no 'us'!" He says, shaking me by the shoulders. "You don't seriously think I'm gonna go along with your suicide mission, right!? Fuck that! So hurry up and call your servants to save me! I don't care if you lose after that, so hurry up and do it!"
…This guy!
"As if I'd agree…" I headbut him, and he loses his grip. "...with that reasoning!"
"Tch," He glares back at me, rubbing his bruised forehead. "I didn't want to stoop to this, but-" He draws his sword. "Summon them, or I'll kill you."
"I won't," I reply. "Alter Ego will know the second I do, and evacuate the Minotaur."
I don't have any evidence that's his plan, but… it feels right. That's what I'd do, in his situation; run me out of resources I can't take back, before evacuating and returning once the advantage is gone. The whole point of the Labyrinth is to split us up; if he knows I've reunified with everyone, he'll dismiss the maze and resummon it.
Jason walks towards me, pressing his sword against my throat - but I won't change my mind, and so I glare back at him, watching pained realization grow on his face, his teeth grinding in despondency. Death threats won't work on me.
"...That guy, has something to do with you after all, doesn't he?" The Rider asks.
"Probably."
He sighs, and steps away from me, tilting his head back and pinching his brow with his free hand. He stays that way for a full ten seconds, before finally-
"...Fuck this," Jason says, and plunges his sword through his own chest.
"What-!?" I shout.
He just gives me a spiteful grin and raised middle finger. "See you in hell, asshole."
The next moment, he dissolves into golden mist.
…
No, there's no time. I still need to head towards Mash, so I turn right, and start moving-
Something lunges out of the darkness of that corridor.
A snarling, golden-furred monster - I dodge its claws, but something shoots from behind it, and I feel two small punctures in my arm as it jumps past.
"[Minya]!" I fire a spell at it, and it finds its mark, the creature staggering as bits of its body start to crumble, but I can see it now, in the light of my previous room.
Through blurring eyes, I can see the goat head stretching from its shoulder, and the snake writhing behind it where its tail should be.
My veins feel like they're on fire. I'm dimly aware that I'm screaming.
It lunges again, and claws tear into my chest as its lion head tears my throat out. I can't breath, it hurt, I can't breath-
***
"Don't hide from me."
***
-"Fuck this." Jason says, and plunges the sword into his chest again. "See you in hell, asshole."
"...I might already be there." I admit through gritted teeth as he disappears in a cloud of golden dust.
-Labyrinthos. The Labyrinth, in other words. Jason had mentioned 'Alter Ego' had the Minotaur at his disposal, so I guess this is his Noble Phantasm.
But on that note, how the hell did he find us so fast? Last time was one thing - we were just milling around near Jason's boat, so if the enemy was looking for him it wouldn't be a big shock for them to find us. But what about this time? We were pretty far from the boat, and we had taken care to avoid any main trails. Hell, Cu had mentioned something about giving us an anti-tracking spell.
And yet, despite the driving rain, with all those things working against him, Alter Ego's goons found us in the same amount of time as before, if not faster.
"...He looks like me, huh?" I mutter. That's right - to his enemies, Natsuki Subaru has always seemed to know everything. If it's not just a coincidence, if there's anything to those nightmares, then… it wouldn't be strange for Alter Ego to possess a [Clairvoyance] skill.
The worst case, though… is that in addition to that [Return From Death] thing, he has [Return by Death] as a Noble Phantasm. But I don't want to believe that's the case, since in addition to its obvious status as a probably unbeatable obstacle… the idea of using Return by Death offensively like this is one of the most disgusting things I can imagine.
There were no trails to follow. There wasn't even a lead to tell him which way we were going or where we had landed. In order to find us… I've got no idea how many times he would have had to kill himself.
So it's Clairvoyance. It has to be. Considering how I've seen Servants be twisted by their legends, he might not even know about [Return by Death] - 'since nobody but me knows about it it didn't get recorded' - is a real possibility. That would explain why he's trying to kill me, too - if he knew about Return by Death, he'd know there's no point, right?
…I really hope that's the case.
But with that thought through, let's return to the Labyrinth. Gazing around, I take in my surroundings for a moment. White marble hallways, illuminated by torchlight, stretch outwards from each of this room's walls. The others who were with me are nowhere to be seen.
"I didn't think it would be this well lit…" I mutter. Anyway, as far as getting split up again goes, I've got an obvious answer. "By my Command-"
No. No, that would be way too stupid. I've already learned my lesson last singularity about spending Command Spells willy-nilly. If I had been forced to teleport someone in when we fought the Phantom of the Opera in Paris, I would have died to Prelati in the final fight. I already know what's in this singularity; if I spend command spells on anything other than Heracles or Alter Ego, I'm sure I'll end up regretting it.
So with that in mind- "[Cor Leonis]." There we go. Three 'stars' spring to life in my awareness. Jason, of course, makes no appearance - it's not like I was thinking of him as an ally, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. As for the others- "They're all the same direction, huh? Alright, [Detect Gold]." The stupidly named mapping spell on my Pirate cosplay Mystic Code springs to life, and the next instant a holographic display of a map is floating above my wrist. "Okay! With the power of cheat codes, even a moron like me can solve a maze!"
With that slightly immoral excitement raising my spirits, I start off in the direction that I can tell Mash is in.
{Alright everyone, I've got this stupid mapping spell, so just stay put and I'll be right there.} I say telepathically.
{...Isn't that dangerous, Senpai?} Mash asks.
{Nah, in the worst case I'll just-}
There's a sound of grinding stone from my left, and I start to look that way. Oi, that wall-
***
"...Where are you?"
***
-wasn't this close, right!?
"...Eh?"
I'm standing in the first room again, suddenly. The projected map is gone from my wrist… no, rather, I never cast it. Because I just died.
"Did I just get the Shaula treatment from a freaking wall…?" I mumble. Not to mention…
Oi! Satella! What the hell's going on here!? Don't just dump me right back in the Labyrinth! The Professor just got done saying how every loop was chosen for my benefit a little bit ago, don't tell me you've gotten tsundere now!?
"...[Cor Leonis]. [Detect Gold]." Even so, I've got to be the one to do this. If there are traps like that in this labyrinth, the others stand a chance of dying for real. {Okay, everyone stay put. There's a lot of traps around, so leave it to me. I'll use a Command Spell if things get bad.}
{...Senpai, I'd prefer if you just used one now. But I'll respect your judgment.} Mash says.
{Thanks.} I reply, as I begin walking. Okay, straight is certain death, so let's go left.
My footsteps echo on the marble floor as I follow a winding passage to another branching room. A right turn, and-
The floor drops out from underneath me. Oh come on-!
I scream as my legs break on impact.
Okay. Okay, I'm still alive, so I just need to-!
"Ahh! Argh!" I scream as I drag myself against a wall. I need to set these, and…
Ah, Da Vinci didn't give me a healing spell this time.
It's fine. Healing a clean break isn't that hard. The Director taught me the basics. And then… can I climb out-?
"Found you!" An unfamiliar voice calls from the top of the pit, and looking up, I see a white-furred face grinning down at me in sadistic glee.
"[Shamak]!" I flood the pit with black smoke on reflex. Please. Please. Please go away. Legs, legs, okay, the healing spell is-
Something lands on them. I can't feel anything below my waist anymore. Pressure around my chest, the vague sensation of motion-
Something wet surrounds my head. Enormous incisors slice through my neck. Tombstone-like molars grind against either side of my head-
***
"Where are you?"
***
-And I gasp, staring down at the map displayed on my wrist. It moved!? Why the hell did my checkpoint move again-!?
No, there's no time! That thing is nearby! Right is no good, so I start running straight ahead, into the next room, until suddenly, someone lunges at me-!
"Aaa-oh, it's you." Jason says, swiftly aborting his terrified scream.
"Aaa-oh, it's you!" I say, swiftly aborting my terrified scream.
…I don't really want to be on a similar wavelength to this guy.
"Um, in case you don't know, we're in the labyrinth! It's full of traps, and the Minotaur is gonna be here soon, so any input-" I start to say.
"Dude, just use your command spells to summon your Servants," The Rider deadpans.
"...I can't do that." I reply after a moment's thought. "If I'm going to be facing Heracles, and that Alter Ego guy, I know I can't afford to waste command spells here. I won't stand a chance otherwise."
"You don't stand a chance to begin with! The best your command spells will do is buy you time - which is why, hurry up and use them, 'cause I don't wanna die!" He shouts back.
"I'm not gonna sabotoge us long term-!"
"Idiot! There is no 'us'!" He says, shaking me by the shoulders. "You don't seriously think I'm gonna go along with your suicide mission, right!? Fuck that! So hurry up and call your servants to save me! I don't care if you lose after that, so hurry up and do it!"
…This guy!
"As if I'd agree…" I headbut him, and he loses his grip. "...with that reasoning!"
"Tch," He glares back at me, rubbing his bruised forehead. "I didn't want to stoop to this, but-" He draws his sword. "Summon them, or I'll kill you."
"I won't," I reply. "Alter Ego will know the second I do, and evacuate the Minotaur."
I don't have any evidence that's his plan, but… it feels right. That's what I'd do, in his situation; run me out of resources I can't take back, before evacuating and returning once the advantage is gone. The whole point of the Labyrinth is to split us up; if he knows I've reunified with everyone, he'll dismiss the maze and resummon it.
Jason walks towards me, pressing his sword against my throat - but I won't change my mind, and so I glare back at him, watching pained realization grow on his face, his teeth grinding in despondency. Death threats won't work on me.
"...That guy, has something to do with you after all, doesn't he?" The Rider asks.
"Probably."
He sighs, and steps away from me, tilting his head back and pinching his brow with his free hand. He stays that way for a full ten seconds, before finally-
"...Fuck this," Jason says, and plunges his sword through his own chest.
"What-!?" I shout.
He just gives me a spiteful grin and raised middle finger. "See you in hell, asshole."
The next moment, he dissolves into golden mist.
…
No, there's no time. I still need to head towards Mash, so I turn right, and start moving-
Something lunges out of the darkness of that corridor.
A snarling, golden-furred monster - I dodge its claws, but something shoots from behind it, and I feel two small punctures in my arm as it jumps past.
"[Minya]!" I fire a spell at it, and it finds its mark, the creature staggering as bits of its body start to crumble, but I can see it now, in the light of my previous room.
Through blurring eyes, I can see the goat head stretching from its shoulder, and the snake writhing behind it where its tail should be.
My veins feel like they're on fire. I'm dimly aware that I'm screaming.
It lunges again, and claws tear into my chest as its lion head tears my throat out. I can't breath, it hurt, I can't breath-
***
"Don't hide from me."
***
-"Fuck this." Jason says, and plunges the sword into his chest again. "See you in hell, asshole."
"...I might already be there." I admit through gritted teeth as he disappears in a cloud of golden dust.
- Location
- Somewhere North of south
Ah, is Satella constantly updating the checkpoints because she can't see him?
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
It seems like it is updating every time he makes a decision that doesn't instantly kill him. It could be him and alter ego clashing is fucking with her ability to save, so she's spamming the button every time it unlocks. (aka every time he survives the immediate aftermath of his decision)
- Location
- Oregon, USA
I don't know how, but you've somehow managed to come up with an original plot for this singularity that's better than the last one.
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
Yeah he's pretty much just Minotauros. Though the precise implementation of Chaos Labyrinthos is slightly different (it probably won't stick around if he dies, unlike Minotauros, since i dont need bricks for golems).
Don't speak too soon and jinx me, we're only three chapters in lol. Plenty of time for me to fly too close to the sun, crash, and burn.
107: …But it doesn't suit you.
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
107: …But it doesn't suit you.
As I watch Jason dissolve into golden dust, I once again find myself stunned. Why would he do that? Wasn't he just begging me to bring the others here so he could survive? Does he really think that my chance of winning like this is that small, that death is so certain that he might as well do it himself?
"...Or is he just that much of an asshole?" I ask. Would he kill himself just to spite me? To deny me a potential ally and screw me over a bit more?
-It doesn't matter. Focus on the labyrinth. Once again, a right turn is certain death - Mash is forward and to the right, so I guess I'll move forward for now..
I advance down a sloping hallway, and-
The sound of grinding stone above, and I move as fast as I can-!
Something crashes to the ground behind me, and I turn just in time to see the enormous boulder start to roll.
"Oh come oooon!" I scream as I start to run. I know I use a whip, but I'm really not the heroic archeologist type! Why do I have to-!?
Stone catches my heels, pressure moving up my legs, to my back, and-
It hurts. It hurts. Ithurtsithurtsithurts-!
I hear crunching, splattering sound, mixed with screams, and then…
***
"Fuck this." Says Jason, driving his sword through his chest, and I feel my blood pressure starting to rise. "See you-"
"In hell, yeah, yeah," I roll my eyes as I turn left and begin trudging down the hall.
Of course my very last guess would be the-
With a sound of grinding stone below me, I find myself launched upwards-
***
"Fuck this," says Jason as he impales himself-
"Shut up already!" I shout, punching him in the face an instant later. The stupified look on his face as he dissolves makes me feel a little better, but…
"Back it is!" I say, turning around and beginning my annoyed march back to the previous room. "Just how many damn traps did Daedalus have to put in this place, huh!? Wasn't it enough to make it just a big ma-aaaze…" My voice dies off as I see a hulking white form shadowed against the light of the previous chamber.
It was seriously that close behind me!? Or did I draw him in by shouting-!?
The minotaur advances, a sadistic grin on his face-
"...Fuck this." I say, and crush my brain stem with [Invisible Providence].
***
"...Fu-Gfah!?" Is all Jason can get out before my fist smashes into his face.
"Just where do you think you're going, you piece of shit!?" I shout, heedless of the monster I know is nearby.
"I'm leaving! I don't want to get eaten, so I'm just gonna return to the throne! Even stabbing myself won't be as bad as that!!" Jason says.
"Like hell you're leaving! I don't want to get eaten, so stay here and help me fight him!" I'd put a better spin on it, but I really just don't care what this guy thinks of me. "While we're at it, quit it with that stupid pity party act! You're a hero, so act like it, you bastard!"
"Ex-hero! I'm an ex-hero! That's over! It's all over! Now I'm just a cursed loser with a tragic ending, so leave me alone already!" He protests, reaching for the sword he dropped when I punched him.
Naturally, I punch him again. "What's over!? You've been summoned, haven't you!? You're alive, aren't you!? Your friend has been transformed into the worst possible version of himself! What the hell right do you have to say it's over with just that, you lazy bastard!?" Yeah. That's what felt wrong to me. This guy, who swung at me the moment I implied I had bad feelings about Heracles, just where does he think he's going with his friend in whatever state Alter-Ego's Noble Phantasm has left him?
He catches my wrist on the third punch, hurling me into a shoulder throw that slams me painfully against the marble floor. "What do you know!? You're young, so you can't possibly have felt it! 'Try and try again' - that's naive! Mere persistence isn't good enough! Sometimes, you fail, and that's the end! Some things can't be fixed! Sometimes, there's no do-over!"
I rise on shaky feet. "Who said anything about trying 'again'? This isn't about establishing your kingdom, or conquering the seas, or whatever. This is about Heracles. This is about that friend of yours. Even if you screwed up absolutely everything else in your life, you never failed him, right? He showed up, even when you became a villain - even when you had been mislead by Medea into trying to aid the incineration of humanity. Heracles still appeared to help you, right?"
"Y-you…"Jason cringes, taking a step back.
"Servants corrupted by that mud… they become the worst version of themselves. Whatever it is Heracles has become, I'm sure it'll break your heart. Just the same way that his heart would break if he saw you as a miserable bastard like this," I say. "So-"
"Heh, heh… kill!" A guttural voice laughs, and I turn to see the Minotaur emerging from the darkness of the hallway I knew he would be approaching down. It's fine, though. Because, I'm sure I finally got through to Jason, so-!
I blink. When did Jason get replaced by a Jason-shaped cloud of dust-?
"Aaaahhhh! I don't wanna diiiieeee!" He screams as he takes off down the opposite hall with all the composure of a Looney Tunes character.
I, on the other hand, am totally composed as I sprint in the same direction.
"Don't lead him this way!" The Rider screams as he throws his sword back at me. "And your screaming is hurting my ears, so shut the hell up!"
"Don't try to trip me!" I shout back as I jump over it - but that's gonna slow me down, and he's already getting away, so I draw my whip-! "[Murak!]"
"G-ack! Get off of me!" Jason screams as my whip wraps around his throat, allowing my now gravity-less body to get dragged behind him into… the boulder tunnel, right!?
A sound of grinding stone- quickly, I end the spell on myself, redirecting what mana remains in order to- "[Murak] again!" I shout, slowing the boulder's fall. I land on my feet, resuming my sprint after the most disappointing Servant of all time.
Of course, a regular Murak can't fully stop a boulder, and so it begins to roll after us.
""AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"" By the way, Jason is definitely the only one screaming.
Suddenly he stops, and looks back at me just a few meters behind, before looking back in front of him, at- oh crap, that's a pit!
I can't slow down. I'm just barely outpacing the boulder as is! But the gap is too far. I can't jump it, even with Murak, and I'm totally out of mana right now, so-!
Jason grabs me as I reach him, tossing me over his shoulder, and sprints directly at the pit. "Cast it, cast it, cast iiit!" He screams as he jumps with all his might, and I can just see the torchlit entrance of the next room, barely out of reach-
I punch Jason in the face, and he loses his grip on me, and then, kicking off his shoulder-!
("Whyyyy!?" He screams.)
My whip barely snares a Torch sconce on the other side of the pit, and-!
"[Invisible Providence]!" My unseen hand barely catches Jason behind me, and with one final pull, we tumble head over heels onto the ground opposite the pit, even as the boulder crashes down behind us, lodging into the just-too-small pit in a way that perfectly blocks off the passage.
"You… freaking asshole…" Jason says through heaving breaths, lying on the floor.
"Back… at you…" I gasp, slowly rising to my feet. "Stand… the hell up, you bastard."
"Don't… wanna…" He mutters, a knife materializing in his hand. A backup weapon, huh? "I… give up."
…
"Giving up… is easy." I mutter, before finally fixing a glare on him. "But… it doesn't suit you."
He blinks.
"A girl who loved me… told me that once," I say with a wry grin.
"Tch." He looks away. "I'd rather hear it from her, then."
"...That's impossible," I answer. "Some things can't be fixed, after all."
"...My bad," He says after a moment, looking away.
"Make it up to me," I smirk back. "Let's kick this guy's ass."
"That's not the goal," Jason says, raising the knife to his face as I clench my fist again - but I unclench it as he flashes a rare grin my way. "The goal is Heracles, right?"
He presses the dagger to his cheek, and his beard begins to fall away. Once or twice, he cuts his cheek, but all in all, he seems experienced in shaving like this - that's an ancient sailor for you, I guess.
He closes his eyes, rubbing his now smooth chin - and then, with the blood from the spots he cut himself still on his hand, he slicks his unkempt hair back, and hacks what remains above his neckline off in a single cut.
"...That guy will be here soon. Theseus always said Asterios knew this place like the back of his hand, after all." He says. "So… what have you got left in the tank, Master?"
As I watch Jason dissolve into golden dust, I once again find myself stunned. Why would he do that? Wasn't he just begging me to bring the others here so he could survive? Does he really think that my chance of winning like this is that small, that death is so certain that he might as well do it himself?
"...Or is he just that much of an asshole?" I ask. Would he kill himself just to spite me? To deny me a potential ally and screw me over a bit more?
-It doesn't matter. Focus on the labyrinth. Once again, a right turn is certain death - Mash is forward and to the right, so I guess I'll move forward for now..
I advance down a sloping hallway, and-
The sound of grinding stone above, and I move as fast as I can-!
Something crashes to the ground behind me, and I turn just in time to see the enormous boulder start to roll.
"Oh come oooon!" I scream as I start to run. I know I use a whip, but I'm really not the heroic archeologist type! Why do I have to-!?
Stone catches my heels, pressure moving up my legs, to my back, and-
It hurts. It hurts. Ithurtsithurtsithurts-!
I hear crunching, splattering sound, mixed with screams, and then…
***
"Fuck this." Says Jason, driving his sword through his chest, and I feel my blood pressure starting to rise. "See you-"
"In hell, yeah, yeah," I roll my eyes as I turn left and begin trudging down the hall.
Of course my very last guess would be the-
With a sound of grinding stone below me, I find myself launched upwards-
***
"Fuck this," says Jason as he impales himself-
"Shut up already!" I shout, punching him in the face an instant later. The stupified look on his face as he dissolves makes me feel a little better, but…
"Back it is!" I say, turning around and beginning my annoyed march back to the previous room. "Just how many damn traps did Daedalus have to put in this place, huh!? Wasn't it enough to make it just a big ma-aaaze…" My voice dies off as I see a hulking white form shadowed against the light of the previous chamber.
It was seriously that close behind me!? Or did I draw him in by shouting-!?
The minotaur advances, a sadistic grin on his face-
"...Fuck this." I say, and crush my brain stem with [Invisible Providence].
***
"...Fu-Gfah!?" Is all Jason can get out before my fist smashes into his face.
"Just where do you think you're going, you piece of shit!?" I shout, heedless of the monster I know is nearby.
"I'm leaving! I don't want to get eaten, so I'm just gonna return to the throne! Even stabbing myself won't be as bad as that!!" Jason says.
"Like hell you're leaving! I don't want to get eaten, so stay here and help me fight him!" I'd put a better spin on it, but I really just don't care what this guy thinks of me. "While we're at it, quit it with that stupid pity party act! You're a hero, so act like it, you bastard!"
"Ex-hero! I'm an ex-hero! That's over! It's all over! Now I'm just a cursed loser with a tragic ending, so leave me alone already!" He protests, reaching for the sword he dropped when I punched him.
Naturally, I punch him again. "What's over!? You've been summoned, haven't you!? You're alive, aren't you!? Your friend has been transformed into the worst possible version of himself! What the hell right do you have to say it's over with just that, you lazy bastard!?" Yeah. That's what felt wrong to me. This guy, who swung at me the moment I implied I had bad feelings about Heracles, just where does he think he's going with his friend in whatever state Alter-Ego's Noble Phantasm has left him?
He catches my wrist on the third punch, hurling me into a shoulder throw that slams me painfully against the marble floor. "What do you know!? You're young, so you can't possibly have felt it! 'Try and try again' - that's naive! Mere persistence isn't good enough! Sometimes, you fail, and that's the end! Some things can't be fixed! Sometimes, there's no do-over!"
I rise on shaky feet. "Who said anything about trying 'again'? This isn't about establishing your kingdom, or conquering the seas, or whatever. This is about Heracles. This is about that friend of yours. Even if you screwed up absolutely everything else in your life, you never failed him, right? He showed up, even when you became a villain - even when you had been mislead by Medea into trying to aid the incineration of humanity. Heracles still appeared to help you, right?"
"Y-you…"Jason cringes, taking a step back.
"Servants corrupted by that mud… they become the worst version of themselves. Whatever it is Heracles has become, I'm sure it'll break your heart. Just the same way that his heart would break if he saw you as a miserable bastard like this," I say. "So-"
"Heh, heh… kill!" A guttural voice laughs, and I turn to see the Minotaur emerging from the darkness of the hallway I knew he would be approaching down. It's fine, though. Because, I'm sure I finally got through to Jason, so-!
I blink. When did Jason get replaced by a Jason-shaped cloud of dust-?
"Aaaahhhh! I don't wanna diiiieeee!" He screams as he takes off down the opposite hall with all the composure of a Looney Tunes character.
I, on the other hand, am totally composed as I sprint in the same direction.
"Don't lead him this way!" The Rider screams as he throws his sword back at me. "And your screaming is hurting my ears, so shut the hell up!"
"Don't try to trip me!" I shout back as I jump over it - but that's gonna slow me down, and he's already getting away, so I draw my whip-! "[Murak!]"
"G-ack! Get off of me!" Jason screams as my whip wraps around his throat, allowing my now gravity-less body to get dragged behind him into… the boulder tunnel, right!?
A sound of grinding stone- quickly, I end the spell on myself, redirecting what mana remains in order to- "[Murak] again!" I shout, slowing the boulder's fall. I land on my feet, resuming my sprint after the most disappointing Servant of all time.
Of course, a regular Murak can't fully stop a boulder, and so it begins to roll after us.
""AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"" By the way, Jason is definitely the only one screaming.
Suddenly he stops, and looks back at me just a few meters behind, before looking back in front of him, at- oh crap, that's a pit!
I can't slow down. I'm just barely outpacing the boulder as is! But the gap is too far. I can't jump it, even with Murak, and I'm totally out of mana right now, so-!
Jason grabs me as I reach him, tossing me over his shoulder, and sprints directly at the pit. "Cast it, cast it, cast iiit!" He screams as he jumps with all his might, and I can just see the torchlit entrance of the next room, barely out of reach-
I punch Jason in the face, and he loses his grip on me, and then, kicking off his shoulder-!
("Whyyyy!?" He screams.)
My whip barely snares a Torch sconce on the other side of the pit, and-!
"[Invisible Providence]!" My unseen hand barely catches Jason behind me, and with one final pull, we tumble head over heels onto the ground opposite the pit, even as the boulder crashes down behind us, lodging into the just-too-small pit in a way that perfectly blocks off the passage.
"You… freaking asshole…" Jason says through heaving breaths, lying on the floor.
"Back… at you…" I gasp, slowly rising to my feet. "Stand… the hell up, you bastard."
"Don't… wanna…" He mutters, a knife materializing in his hand. A backup weapon, huh? "I… give up."
…
"Giving up… is easy." I mutter, before finally fixing a glare on him. "But… it doesn't suit you."
He blinks.
"A girl who loved me… told me that once," I say with a wry grin.
"Tch." He looks away. "I'd rather hear it from her, then."
"...That's impossible," I answer. "Some things can't be fixed, after all."
"...My bad," He says after a moment, looking away.
"Make it up to me," I smirk back. "Let's kick this guy's ass."
"That's not the goal," Jason says, raising the knife to his face as I clench my fist again - but I unclench it as he flashes a rare grin my way. "The goal is Heracles, right?"
He presses the dagger to his cheek, and his beard begins to fall away. Once or twice, he cuts his cheek, but all in all, he seems experienced in shaving like this - that's an ancient sailor for you, I guess.
He closes his eyes, rubbing his now smooth chin - and then, with the blood from the spots he cut himself still on his hand, he slicks his unkempt hair back, and hacks what remains above his neckline off in a single cut.
"...That guy will be here soon. Theseus always said Asterios knew this place like the back of his hand, after all." He says. "So… what have you got left in the tank, Master?"
- Location
- Oregon, USA
Good job
- Location
- Somewhere North of south
Oh? Is Jason going to have fun with this.
DamnedAeons 187
An Ally of Convenience is an Enemy of Opportunity
- Location
- Texas
I feel Jason gets too bad rep. Sure he did some bad shit to Medea, but at the same time she's probably the Greek poster child for not sticking your dick in crazy.
They deserve one another
They deserve one another
108: Minotauros
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
108: Minotauros
Minotauros moves at a leisurely pace through the familiar halls of the Labyrinth. He has no need to rush; these particular prey had already found themselves in the most trap-laden portion of Daedalus's great maze.
"Heh… heh…" The Berserker laughs softly to himself, recalling their miserable screams. But a moment later, he falls silent. That blond bearded man, who smelled like the sea - there was something about the way that man had looked at him…
"█████████, huh?" The man asked. "I'll remember it, I promise. In the end, you were just another prisoner kept down here… I'm sorry I wasn't able to save you too."
Minotauros groans, clutching his head in one massive hand. "The…seus…"
What was it? There was something in their eyes that was the same, but what-?
He emerges into a new room - the chamber that had been blocked off by the boulder trap earlier - and there, glittering in the torchlight is… a pile of gold?
Minotauros scans the room - and finds nothing. His prey is nowhere to be seen. In one corner, he can see a pile of charred something, from which the reek of burnt hair rises and floods his nostrils - but nothing else is there to be found. And so, with a confused look on his face, he steps forward and examines the pile - no, it isn't a pile. It's a fur.
"Golden… fleece?" Minotauros wonders aloud as he reaches down to touch-
"Oh!~" It's so soft! Amazing!
He starts to lower his head onto it- no! Minotauros knows he cannot fall asleep so easily! Even if the fleece is a luxury he could not have possibly dreamed of in life!
"Now, hit him, Master!" a voice shouts from above, and the Berserker starts to turn-
"[Gandr]!" A black bolt strikes Minotauros.
***
"Gandr?" I asked.
"That's right," Olga Marie-Sensei said. "It's an old Scandinavian curse with roots in runecraft - a primitive curse that directly attacks the target's 'healthiness'. Of course, that very primitiveness is to its advantage - Gandr is easily enhanced by just channeling more mana into it, and different Mage families can achieve variations on the spell that specialize its power into particularly useful effects. The Edelfelt, for example, are famous for achieving physical damage akin to a firearm with their so-called [Finn Shot], and I've heard rumors of a set of Mystic Eyes that could fire Gandr that directly stopped the target's heart."
"Ah," I mutter numbly. I've solved it! That spontaneous heart attack I had in Aozaki's workshop, I've figured it out!
"All that being said, the Animusphere variant of the spell is focused on inflicting temporary paralysis. Health is vitality, and vitality is motion - that's the principle your [Gandr] will function on. Sickness and bullet wounds are of no use in a battle between Servants, but a loss of movement is deadly, even if it only lasts a moment."
***
Minotauros freezes, He cannot move a single muscle. And the next moment, the blond man who smelled like the sea plunges down onto his back, driving a dagger into his neck.
The next moment, the paralysis ends. Minotauros bucks backwards, trying to throw the man off - but he finds that the Greek has already dropped off, now rolling between his massive legs, slashing open the Berserker's femoral artery.
"Grr..AAH!" Minotauros lashes out with his one of his axes, but-
"[Gandr]!" Once more, his muscles refuse to obey his commands, and the Greek lunges, lopping off his left thumb, the axe slipping from his grip and falling to the ground.
"You…! Above…!" He turns, and finally sees the man with Alter Ego's face - safely perched in the coils of a serpentine creature - a monster not native to the labyrinth, unnoticed because of the smell of burning hair blocking its scent, and because the Berserker had not looked up at where it had dug its claws into the wall and wrapped its mass around a torch.
***
"Now, come! [Drakon Kholkikos ]!" Jason shouted, and the fleece he threw on the floor gleamed as a serpentine form emerged from it.
For a moment, I got excited. For just a moment. "Wait, why's it so small!?" It was barely bigger than those wyvern trash mobs we saw in France, and it didn't even have wings!
"Huh!? What do you mean, small!? He's twice the size of a person and his bite is deadly! Don't look down on- OI!" Jason terminated his boast with a scream as the Dragon tried to bite him. "Don't bite me! I'm your master now, you moron! I know I didn't have the authority to summon you as my younger self, but I'm the owner of the fleece now, you stupid lizard!"
The Colchian Dragon let out a derisive snort.
***
"Obviously we struck from above," The Greek says with a grin. "People don't often look up, after all."
Minotauros freezes once again. Not because of a spell, but because-
"I… people?" He asks, raising his empty hand to his head.
"Yeah. That's what Theseus told me. Isn't that right, Asterios?"
His groaning rises, and he astralizes his other axe as he leans back, clutching his head with both hands. He understands now. The similarity in this man's eyes, and the eyes at that time - they were both looking at a 'person' instead of a 'monster', weren't they?
Pain blossoms in his chest.
***
When a Servant is blackened, their Spirit Origin rages out of control. All subtlety is discarded. Their strongest aspect is brought to the fore, and every other element is deemphasized in favor of winning with raw power.
Why, then, did the blackened version of Jason manifest in such a way? In almost every aspect, Jason Alter is weaker than his unaltered counterpart. He can neither summon his crew nor command them. His minor draconic trait gained as the victor of the Fleece is irrelevant in almost all contexts. The dragon he can manifest is a meager example of a phantasmal, incapable of even the fiery breath shown by its kin.
However, none of these elements is the true strength of the Heroic Spirit known as Jason.
Jason's strongest ability was always his capacity to plan and scheme, a capacity that only ever showed its worth when he was on the back foot. In other words, his skill [Inspiration at Death's Door] was always his strongest ability.
For the Jason that emerged from the Alter Ego's cursed mud, the Jason that has already lost everything and is a single setback away from ending his own life, it is fundamentally impossible for [Inspiration at Death's Door] to produce anything but its optimal output.
The normal Jason would have failed. The thought to mentally attack Minotauros based on a single anecdote he heard from a crewmate in passing would simply not have occurred to him. And even if it had, he would have grown overconfident the moment the Berserker seemed impaired. He would have followed it up with a boast, or an offer of recruitment, and been bashed to pieces by the mad bull.
For Jason Alter, whose failure is ever before him, who can never forget his past sins and inadequacies - such overconfidence is fundamentally impossible.
All that is to say, the moment Minotauros shows weakness, the very instant he covers his eyes and leans back - Jason lunges forward and plunges his dragon venom-coated dagger into his heart without a second's hesitation.
***
"Ahhh… Ohhh…" The Minotaur groans and falls to his knees, staring at Jason with tears in his eyes. "You…"
"Sorry it came to this, Asterios," The Rider says, sighing. "But even if you are a person, that doesn't mean I'm going to treat you with kid gloves. You're in the way, and I've got another guy mistaken for a monster I need to save first."
Asterios lowers his head and gives a small nod, as his white fur begins to melt off his form, revealing human skin beneath. "Eury..ale. Island… north… two mountain. I… hide. Help, please…"
Jason closes his eyes, and gives a small nod. "Yeah, I'll be sure to recruit her. Thanks."
"No…" the Berserker shakes his head. "Thank you. Asterios… I, forgot."
Then, he dissolves into golden dust and disappears.
…
"Hey, Jason, you wanna ask your dragon to let me down now?" I ask.
"Nah."
Minotauros moves at a leisurely pace through the familiar halls of the Labyrinth. He has no need to rush; these particular prey had already found themselves in the most trap-laden portion of Daedalus's great maze.
"Heh… heh…" The Berserker laughs softly to himself, recalling their miserable screams. But a moment later, he falls silent. That blond bearded man, who smelled like the sea - there was something about the way that man had looked at him…
"█████████, huh?" The man asked. "I'll remember it, I promise. In the end, you were just another prisoner kept down here… I'm sorry I wasn't able to save you too."
Minotauros groans, clutching his head in one massive hand. "The…seus…"
What was it? There was something in their eyes that was the same, but what-?
He emerges into a new room - the chamber that had been blocked off by the boulder trap earlier - and there, glittering in the torchlight is… a pile of gold?
Minotauros scans the room - and finds nothing. His prey is nowhere to be seen. In one corner, he can see a pile of charred something, from which the reek of burnt hair rises and floods his nostrils - but nothing else is there to be found. And so, with a confused look on his face, he steps forward and examines the pile - no, it isn't a pile. It's a fur.
"Golden… fleece?" Minotauros wonders aloud as he reaches down to touch-
"Oh!~" It's so soft! Amazing!
He starts to lower his head onto it- no! Minotauros knows he cannot fall asleep so easily! Even if the fleece is a luxury he could not have possibly dreamed of in life!
"Now, hit him, Master!" a voice shouts from above, and the Berserker starts to turn-
"[Gandr]!" A black bolt strikes Minotauros.
***
"Gandr?" I asked.
"That's right," Olga Marie-Sensei said. "It's an old Scandinavian curse with roots in runecraft - a primitive curse that directly attacks the target's 'healthiness'. Of course, that very primitiveness is to its advantage - Gandr is easily enhanced by just channeling more mana into it, and different Mage families can achieve variations on the spell that specialize its power into particularly useful effects. The Edelfelt, for example, are famous for achieving physical damage akin to a firearm with their so-called [Finn Shot], and I've heard rumors of a set of Mystic Eyes that could fire Gandr that directly stopped the target's heart."
"Ah," I mutter numbly. I've solved it! That spontaneous heart attack I had in Aozaki's workshop, I've figured it out!
"All that being said, the Animusphere variant of the spell is focused on inflicting temporary paralysis. Health is vitality, and vitality is motion - that's the principle your [Gandr] will function on. Sickness and bullet wounds are of no use in a battle between Servants, but a loss of movement is deadly, even if it only lasts a moment."
***
Minotauros freezes, He cannot move a single muscle. And the next moment, the blond man who smelled like the sea plunges down onto his back, driving a dagger into his neck.
The next moment, the paralysis ends. Minotauros bucks backwards, trying to throw the man off - but he finds that the Greek has already dropped off, now rolling between his massive legs, slashing open the Berserker's femoral artery.
"Grr..AAH!" Minotauros lashes out with his one of his axes, but-
"[Gandr]!" Once more, his muscles refuse to obey his commands, and the Greek lunges, lopping off his left thumb, the axe slipping from his grip and falling to the ground.
"You…! Above…!" He turns, and finally sees the man with Alter Ego's face - safely perched in the coils of a serpentine creature - a monster not native to the labyrinth, unnoticed because of the smell of burning hair blocking its scent, and because the Berserker had not looked up at where it had dug its claws into the wall and wrapped its mass around a torch.
***
"Now, come! [
For a moment, I got excited. For just a moment. "Wait, why's it so small!?" It was barely bigger than those wyvern trash mobs we saw in France, and it didn't even have wings!
"Huh!? What do you mean, small!? He's twice the size of a person and his bite is deadly! Don't look down on- OI!" Jason terminated his boast with a scream as the Dragon tried to bite him. "Don't bite me! I'm your master now, you moron! I know I didn't have the authority to summon you as my younger self, but I'm the owner of the fleece now, you stupid lizard!"
The Colchian Dragon let out a derisive snort.
***
"Obviously we struck from above," The Greek says with a grin. "People don't often look up, after all."
Minotauros freezes once again. Not because of a spell, but because-
"I… people?" He asks, raising his empty hand to his head.
"Yeah. That's what Theseus told me. Isn't that right, Asterios?"
His groaning rises, and he astralizes his other axe as he leans back, clutching his head with both hands. He understands now. The similarity in this man's eyes, and the eyes at that time - they were both looking at a 'person' instead of a 'monster', weren't they?
Pain blossoms in his chest.
***
When a Servant is blackened, their Spirit Origin rages out of control. All subtlety is discarded. Their strongest aspect is brought to the fore, and every other element is deemphasized in favor of winning with raw power.
Why, then, did the blackened version of Jason manifest in such a way? In almost every aspect, Jason Alter is weaker than his unaltered counterpart. He can neither summon his crew nor command them. His minor draconic trait gained as the victor of the Fleece is irrelevant in almost all contexts. The dragon he can manifest is a meager example of a phantasmal, incapable of even the fiery breath shown by its kin.
However, none of these elements is the true strength of the Heroic Spirit known as Jason.
Jason's strongest ability was always his capacity to plan and scheme, a capacity that only ever showed its worth when he was on the back foot. In other words, his skill [Inspiration at Death's Door] was always his strongest ability.
For the Jason that emerged from the Alter Ego's cursed mud, the Jason that has already lost everything and is a single setback away from ending his own life, it is fundamentally impossible for [Inspiration at Death's Door] to produce anything but its optimal output.
The normal Jason would have failed. The thought to mentally attack Minotauros based on a single anecdote he heard from a crewmate in passing would simply not have occurred to him. And even if it had, he would have grown overconfident the moment the Berserker seemed impaired. He would have followed it up with a boast, or an offer of recruitment, and been bashed to pieces by the mad bull.
For Jason Alter, whose failure is ever before him, who can never forget his past sins and inadequacies - such overconfidence is fundamentally impossible.
All that is to say, the moment Minotauros shows weakness, the very instant he covers his eyes and leans back - Jason lunges forward and plunges his dragon venom-coated dagger into his heart without a second's hesitation.
***
"Ahhh… Ohhh…" The Minotaur groans and falls to his knees, staring at Jason with tears in his eyes. "You…"
"Sorry it came to this, Asterios," The Rider says, sighing. "But even if you are a person, that doesn't mean I'm going to treat you with kid gloves. You're in the way, and I've got another guy mistaken for a monster I need to save first."
Asterios lowers his head and gives a small nod, as his white fur begins to melt off his form, revealing human skin beneath. "Eury..ale. Island… north… two mountain. I… hide. Help, please…"
Jason closes his eyes, and gives a small nod. "Yeah, I'll be sure to recruit her. Thanks."
"No…" the Berserker shakes his head. "Thank you. Asterios… I, forgot."
Then, he dissolves into golden dust and disappears.
…
"Hey, Jason, you wanna ask your dragon to let me down now?" I ask.
"Nah."
Compendium Update: Jason (Alter)
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
Compendium Update: Jason (Alter)
Skill Discernment:
Inspiration at Death's Door: A -> Inspiration Beyond the Denouement: A
The flashes of inspiration received only in desperate circumstances by the Unaltered Jason come at a steady pace. So long as he can hold his spirit, so long as he possesses a reason to rise above the soul-destroying despair also inflicted by this skill, Jason Alter stands as a tactical genius on par with the likes of Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.
Noble Phantasm Revealed:
Drakon Kholkikos: Guardian of the Fleece
Rank: A
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1~20
Maximum number of targets: 10 people
The Dragon that originally protected the Golden Fleece, now summoned by said object for some reason or another. Not a particularly powerful example of a Dragon, as noted by this Noble Phantasm's "Anti-Unit" designation. He cannot breath fire, but he does have a poisonous bite. Also, if you plant his teeth in the ground, some Dragon Tooth warriors will grow the next day! You just need to get some teeth from him first.
Good luck with that.
By the way, this Noble Phantasm allows Jason to manifest the Fleece as required. It is pleasantly soft to the touch.
Skill Discernment:
Inspiration at Death's Door: A -> Inspiration Beyond the Denouement: A
The flashes of inspiration received only in desperate circumstances by the Unaltered Jason come at a steady pace. So long as he can hold his spirit, so long as he possesses a reason to rise above the soul-destroying despair also inflicted by this skill, Jason Alter stands as a tactical genius on par with the likes of Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.
Noble Phantasm Revealed:
Drakon Kholkikos: Guardian of the Fleece
Rank: A
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1~20
Maximum number of targets: 10 people
The Dragon that originally protected the Golden Fleece, now summoned by said object for some reason or another. Not a particularly powerful example of a Dragon, as noted by this Noble Phantasm's "Anti-Unit" designation. He cannot breath fire, but he does have a poisonous bite. Also, if you plant his teeth in the ground, some Dragon Tooth warriors will grow the next day! You just need to get some teeth from him first.
Good luck with that.
By the way, this Noble Phantasm allows Jason to manifest the Fleece as required. It is pleasantly soft to the touch.
- Location
- Oregon, USA
You know, it's really ironic that Subaru keeps teaming up with tacticians when RBD is essentially a "retry tactics over and over until you win" button. His ideal teammate is a Berserker or Saber, basically, and yet he keeps getting teamed up with Casters and Riders.
I suppose Casters with Item Creation would also be good as he can have them tailor the item to the need, but none of them have been good at that yet.
I suppose Casters with Item Creation would also be good as he can have them tailor the item to the need, but none of them have been good at that yet.
ExNihilo
SPACE!
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well, that is what Da Vinci has been doing, in a sense. She absolutely can tailor magic items to his needs, and was certainly vital.