Isn't he straight up dead? The final line before the Beast declaration implies Hercules used his newly unsealed Nine Lives to kill Cu. Unless Battle Continuation kicks in, I guess.
Save Scumming? It's on my Character sheet. (Re: Zero/Fate Grand Order)
- Thread starter Xorn
- Start date
- Crossover
131: Divergent Star
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
131: Divergent Star
Before I can adjust to the overwhelming sense of pressure, before I can even really grasp what is going on in the slightest - there's a flicker of motion on the shore, and he appears.
A chiseled mountain of a man, with hair like a dark stormcloud, and eyes the color of lightning. His appearance has changed again - his skin has lost the strange red hue I saw before, and its bronzed surface has been marked with glowing cracks, branching across his body to connect a series of glowing wells sunk into his flesh. And, atop his head, the ring of horns I saw before has been twisted together, wrapping around the crown of his head like a laurel wreath.
The moment he arrives, Nobunaga already has a matchlock rifle pointed at him, and Rigel has materialized the twisted knives of Angra Mainyu - but he raises a hand in a gesture of peace, glancing at each of us in turn - Rigel, Nobunaga, Medea, and myself. "I'm not here to fight you, Natsuki Subaru. Either one of you."
But the ominous feeling doesn't subside in the slightest. His words do nothing to lift the tension draped over us all like a thick blanket.
"...That's not really believable. You've become a [Beast], haven't you?" Nobunaga asks.
"We'll settle that once your comrades arrive," He says dismissively. "They're surely on their way over, so for the time being-" Hie raises a hand, and a blue mote of light emerges from the hole in its palm, zipping towards Medea. Rigel moves to intercept, but- "Peace, Caster - or, looking at those weapons again, I suppose you must have been an Alter Ego. Either way, you can relax. That child is just healing her. Medea is a former comrade of mine - I'm not so cold as to leave her in this state."
The… spirit, maybe? The spirit floats there for a moment, seemingly waiting for Rigel to stand aside. "I…no, you wouldn't need to lie. I'm jumpy right now. Sorry, Alcides." He mumbles, dematerializing his weapons.
"...I've changed names again. I'm 'Hercules' now," the Beast says, and I glance again at the glowing lines and dots carved into his skin.
"Are you the man, the god, or the constellation?" I ask, and he gives a small smirk.
"A bit of each, I'd imagine," Hercules says, before glancing back at Rigel. "Still, to think that after all your talk, you ended up contracting with him as a Servant."
"Oi, don't make fun of Rigel! He tried his best, okay!?" I shout. "It's not his fault that younger brothers can never beat older ones!"
"You're embarrassing both of us, dammit," Rigel mutters. "Look, even that spirit looks confused!" He says, pointing at the blue light, which is flitting back and forth in a vaguely befuddled motion even as green light wafts out of its body and towards Medea.
"I wasn't mocking you, truly. Making peace with oneself is an admirable thing," The Beast says.
…
"...I don't get you at all. Are you an enemy, or not?" I ask after a moment.
He closes his eyes for a moment, before looking at me directly, piercing electric blue boring into my soul. "Whether I wish it or not, I am your enemy. Putting aside any agreements in ideals, you and I cannot become allies. I intend to use the power of a Beast to change the past - my goals, once achieved, will erase you from existence. I'll explain the particulars once your allies arrive, but for the time being - you must know that our interests are simply incompatible. We cannot become allies, and for what it's worth, I wish that was not the case. But reality is cruel."
Shit.
Of course, I wouldn't get that lucky. This terrible feeling of dread wafting off of him isn't for nothing. And even worse…
There's some room for disagreement depending on what he says his ultimate plan is, but the fact is that Natsuki Subaru is not someone who can denounce someone for wanting to change the past.
The rustling of moving cloth notifies me of the fact that Medea has stood up, and as I look that way I see her applying healing magic to her own wounds, now that her hands are healed and she's able to use her staff. The blue spirit Hercules conjured floats away, stopping to hover somewhere in the middle of everyone, with a sort of indecision.
"Subaru-sama, you…" The witch steps towards Rigel, and he moves towards something like a stiff embrace - but once again the little blue spirit zips between them, this time sparkling with something like anger. A sinister shadow falls over Medea's eyes. "You insignificant thing… don't think that you can come in between us."
"Uh, you want to do something about that…?" I ask Hercules. "It looked like they were about to have a bit of a moment…"
"It's not my place." He shakes his head. "The other intact victims of Gluttony were willing to stay with me, but she wanted to leave once she saw you - what happens from here on is up to her."
What.
I activate Cor Leonis.
What.
It's nothing like what I imagined. It feels like a cruel joke.
But the tears well up all the same, and I desperately choke them back. As Rigel and Medea both try to brush her aside, still unaware of her identity, I finally force out words.
"H-hey. That guy… you're from my timeline, n-not his. So… come to me before I start getting jealous, Rem."
Rigel freezes. Hercules gives a small smile. But I'm not really paying attention to them at this exact moment. I'm just grinning like an idiot as affection, joy, and relief pour through my Authority from that perfect blue star, as she hurtles towards me and knocks me over into the sand.
And, clutching that tiny, fragile mote of light to my chest, I finally let the tears go. "I missed you… so much…"
***
Natsuki Rigel
Okay, the fight's back on. I'm gonna kill him.
I want to throw up. I want to throw up. Looking at him, clinging to her, sobbing on the ground there like a baby, as if what he went through for her was anything like-!
"...Subaru-sama?" Medea's voice cuts through my impotent rage, and I remember myself.
Perfect calm settles over me. Right, I need a plan. I've lost Echidna, but that's fine. I just need to keep Medea on my side. And to do that, I can't show affection for another girl so obviously. If she gets jealous, it's all over, so I need to play it-
-I close my eyes, and turn away. "...I'm the fucking worst."
I already lost. The moment I didn't rush over there and start brawling with him, I proved it.
I am not Natsuki Subaru. Not really, not in the same sense that he is. Rem would have no clue what to do with me, even if I defeated him somehow, because I'm already not the man she fell in love with.
"Medea, do you mind if we take a little walk together?" I ask the witch, finally.
"Of course, Subaru-sama," She replies.
"About that… I think I'm Rigel, now," I admit.
Medea gives a small, somewhat confused nod, and we venture out across the sand.
***
"...I'm really not the kind of guy you think I am," I admit after a little while.
"What do you mean?"
"To start with, the whole… expectation you have of me, as some kind of emotionless monster - that's not quite right. I'm desensitized, but…"
"You certainly were showing some emotion back there. Did he get under your skin that much?" Medea giggles, but that trails off into a sad, shadowed look. "Did she…"
"Rem… I loved her, and lost her, before I became what I am now." I say, and slowly I feel a self-mocking grin spread across my face. "It's disgusting. Even as I perverted and corrupted every other relationship I had, I was able to cling to that love. That notion that someday, somehow, she might wake up from that eternal sleep she had been placed in, and we could just… pick up where we left off.
But that won't happen. I'm already a different person entirely, and even if she forced herself to try to meet me where I am now… I'd destroy her. The same way I destroy everyone else who cares for me. Because I'm not 'Natsuki Subaru'. That guy can find the right time for people to stand on their own, but I don't, and when I do it just goes wrong! Minotauros died, I sent Drake to her death, I almost got you killed, and for all I know Stede is a pig right now! And what do I have to show for it!? Just the realization that I shouldn't have bothered with this idiocy in the first place! I'm so… damn… useless!"
As I finish my pathetic tantrum, I gaze again at my companion, and-
"I'm happy you saved me, Subaru-sama," Medea says simply, as she wraps her arms around me.
This girl… is really an angel, huh?
"...I said it, didn't I? I want you by my side," I say, and before I realize it I'm clinging to her like she might disappear any second.
"S-subaru-sama!?" She squeaks.
"Losing you… is something I can't bear. I don't know if I'd call it love or just possessiveness, but… please don't leave me," I murmur.
***
We return to… a questionable sight.
"And that's sokuzumi! Nobbu's great victory!" Nobunaga's body shouts as she finishes her move.
"No it's not, stupid. You just blundered your Lance," Nobunaga's head interjects from her position in the arms of a labcoat-wearing Servant I haven't met yet.
"You try playing without any eyes!" The body retorts, flipping the Shogi board into her opponent, Jason's face.
The Rider rubs his forehead, glancing at me, at Medea, and our entwined hands, back at me, and then towards a smirking Subaru as his face goes through all seven stages of grief - and finally, with a scowl, he gives the other guy a clump of QP. "Okay, they're here! Can you get on with it already, Hercules?
I trail my eyes over the assortment of Servants present to confirm that all of Subaru's allies have arrived. "...So you only lost Saint George?" I ask after a moment.
"He's been recalled to Chaldea, Sen- um…" Mash Kyrielight starts to reply before trailing off into awkward embarrassment.
"Are you kidding me!? What cheat codes are you using, dammit!? I come at you with everything I have, and you come back with two extra Servants!?" I shout, pointing at the man in the labcoat and an old man in the regalia of a king who's carrying a harp.
"I had to use a Noble Phantasm that changes my class. It's very uncomfortable to do, though I don't regret it now that it's done," The old king says.
"I lost about half of my spirit origin," Says Cu Chulainn. "Can't even really be called Cu Chulainn anymore, so just call me Grimr."
"I'm still David, to be clear," The old king says. "But [Sacrifice] makes me into the 'repentant king' rather than the 'upstart youth', so-"
"King David, I don't think that Rigel-san has context for that," Mash Kyrilight says - and of course, he's got her calling me that too, huh?
"I lost my head," Says Nobunaga.
"I lost my body," Says Nobunaga.
"And I lost my boat, but can we please move along!" Jason says, turning again to Hercules, who has stood up from - was he playing dice with Benkei? Aren't these guys acting a little too carefree!?
"Sorry about the Argo. I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out, though," Hercules says. "It's you, after all."
"Y-yeah…" The Rider stammers.
"...But, that's enough leisure for now," Hercules says. "I'll introduce myself properly. I am Hercules, God of Heroes. I am Beast V/Hero, who executes Humanity's sin of [Retribution]. I shall become all that is good in the world. I shall destroy all that is evil in the world.
"In one day's time, I will leave this singularity. I shall slay the other Beasts, slay the gods, and establish an eternal kingdom of peace and justice.
"Make no mistake. If you are of the modern day, I am your enemy. The world you know shall be rewritten - into a better one, yes, but that is of little value to you. If you wish not to die a painful death, I shall spare you, and in some time, you will painlessly disappear. If you wish to fight, I shall permit it, but know that you stand no chance.
"To the Human Order, as well, I am an enemy. But the Human Order is evil, viewing peace as stagnation - I shall overthrow it. To that end - Benkei, I expect I will see you in the final battle.
"To my former companions - Asclepius, Jason, Medea - you need not fight. Simply stand aside - I shall save you all."
A black bow materializes in his hands, and he points it in the opposite direction of the rising sun.
"That's Atalante's-!" Jason shouts.
"She's alive. Neither Reid nor myself had time to clash with her as we passed by. Please send her my apologies, if you find her," Hercules says, drawing the string, a heavy arrow loaded that makes the wood creak ominously. "[Shooting Down the Stars ]."
The bow shatters.
The sky and sea split. The arrow hurtles into the distance with a sonic boom, before it finally impacts something - and the distant sunrise-lit sky stretches, and finally the arrow tears through, leaving a gleaming pinprick of light in the firmament where it exited.
"I will wait beneath that star, at the very edge of the world. Come, if you dare."
And then, in a blur of motion, he's gone.
Before I can adjust to the overwhelming sense of pressure, before I can even really grasp what is going on in the slightest - there's a flicker of motion on the shore, and he appears.
A chiseled mountain of a man, with hair like a dark stormcloud, and eyes the color of lightning. His appearance has changed again - his skin has lost the strange red hue I saw before, and its bronzed surface has been marked with glowing cracks, branching across his body to connect a series of glowing wells sunk into his flesh. And, atop his head, the ring of horns I saw before has been twisted together, wrapping around the crown of his head like a laurel wreath.
The moment he arrives, Nobunaga already has a matchlock rifle pointed at him, and Rigel has materialized the twisted knives of Angra Mainyu - but he raises a hand in a gesture of peace, glancing at each of us in turn - Rigel, Nobunaga, Medea, and myself. "I'm not here to fight you, Natsuki Subaru. Either one of you."
But the ominous feeling doesn't subside in the slightest. His words do nothing to lift the tension draped over us all like a thick blanket.
"...That's not really believable. You've become a [Beast], haven't you?" Nobunaga asks.
"We'll settle that once your comrades arrive," He says dismissively. "They're surely on their way over, so for the time being-" Hie raises a hand, and a blue mote of light emerges from the hole in its palm, zipping towards Medea. Rigel moves to intercept, but- "Peace, Caster - or, looking at those weapons again, I suppose you must have been an Alter Ego. Either way, you can relax. That child is just healing her. Medea is a former comrade of mine - I'm not so cold as to leave her in this state."
The… spirit, maybe? The spirit floats there for a moment, seemingly waiting for Rigel to stand aside. "I…no, you wouldn't need to lie. I'm jumpy right now. Sorry, Alcides." He mumbles, dematerializing his weapons.
"...I've changed names again. I'm 'Hercules' now," the Beast says, and I glance again at the glowing lines and dots carved into his skin.
"Are you the man, the god, or the constellation?" I ask, and he gives a small smirk.
"A bit of each, I'd imagine," Hercules says, before glancing back at Rigel. "Still, to think that after all your talk, you ended up contracting with him as a Servant."
"Oi, don't make fun of Rigel! He tried his best, okay!?" I shout. "It's not his fault that younger brothers can never beat older ones!"
"You're embarrassing both of us, dammit," Rigel mutters. "Look, even that spirit looks confused!" He says, pointing at the blue light, which is flitting back and forth in a vaguely befuddled motion even as green light wafts out of its body and towards Medea.
"I wasn't mocking you, truly. Making peace with oneself is an admirable thing," The Beast says.
…
"...I don't get you at all. Are you an enemy, or not?" I ask after a moment.
He closes his eyes for a moment, before looking at me directly, piercing electric blue boring into my soul. "Whether I wish it or not, I am your enemy. Putting aside any agreements in ideals, you and I cannot become allies. I intend to use the power of a Beast to change the past - my goals, once achieved, will erase you from existence. I'll explain the particulars once your allies arrive, but for the time being - you must know that our interests are simply incompatible. We cannot become allies, and for what it's worth, I wish that was not the case. But reality is cruel."
Shit.
Of course, I wouldn't get that lucky. This terrible feeling of dread wafting off of him isn't for nothing. And even worse…
There's some room for disagreement depending on what he says his ultimate plan is, but the fact is that Natsuki Subaru is not someone who can denounce someone for wanting to change the past.
The rustling of moving cloth notifies me of the fact that Medea has stood up, and as I look that way I see her applying healing magic to her own wounds, now that her hands are healed and she's able to use her staff. The blue spirit Hercules conjured floats away, stopping to hover somewhere in the middle of everyone, with a sort of indecision.
"Subaru-sama, you…" The witch steps towards Rigel, and he moves towards something like a stiff embrace - but once again the little blue spirit zips between them, this time sparkling with something like anger. A sinister shadow falls over Medea's eyes. "You insignificant thing… don't think that you can come in between us."
"Uh, you want to do something about that…?" I ask Hercules. "It looked like they were about to have a bit of a moment…"
"It's not my place." He shakes his head. "The other intact victims of Gluttony were willing to stay with me, but she wanted to leave once she saw you - what happens from here on is up to her."
What.
I activate Cor Leonis.
What.
It's nothing like what I imagined. It feels like a cruel joke.
But the tears well up all the same, and I desperately choke them back. As Rigel and Medea both try to brush her aside, still unaware of her identity, I finally force out words.
"H-hey. That guy… you're from my timeline, n-not his. So… come to me before I start getting jealous, Rem."
Rigel freezes. Hercules gives a small smile. But I'm not really paying attention to them at this exact moment. I'm just grinning like an idiot as affection, joy, and relief pour through my Authority from that perfect blue star, as she hurtles towards me and knocks me over into the sand.
And, clutching that tiny, fragile mote of light to my chest, I finally let the tears go. "I missed you… so much…"
***
Natsuki Rigel
Okay, the fight's back on. I'm gonna kill him.
I want to throw up. I want to throw up. Looking at him, clinging to her, sobbing on the ground there like a baby, as if what he went through for her was anything like-!
"...Subaru-sama?" Medea's voice cuts through my impotent rage, and I remember myself.
Perfect calm settles over me. Right, I need a plan. I've lost Echidna, but that's fine. I just need to keep Medea on my side. And to do that, I can't show affection for another girl so obviously. If she gets jealous, it's all over, so I need to play it-
-I close my eyes, and turn away. "...I'm the fucking worst."
I already lost. The moment I didn't rush over there and start brawling with him, I proved it.
I am not Natsuki Subaru. Not really, not in the same sense that he is. Rem would have no clue what to do with me, even if I defeated him somehow, because I'm already not the man she fell in love with.
"Medea, do you mind if we take a little walk together?" I ask the witch, finally.
"Of course, Subaru-sama," She replies.
"About that… I think I'm Rigel, now," I admit.
Medea gives a small, somewhat confused nod, and we venture out across the sand.
***
"...I'm really not the kind of guy you think I am," I admit after a little while.
"What do you mean?"
"To start with, the whole… expectation you have of me, as some kind of emotionless monster - that's not quite right. I'm desensitized, but…"
"You certainly were showing some emotion back there. Did he get under your skin that much?" Medea giggles, but that trails off into a sad, shadowed look. "Did she…"
"Rem… I loved her, and lost her, before I became what I am now." I say, and slowly I feel a self-mocking grin spread across my face. "It's disgusting. Even as I perverted and corrupted every other relationship I had, I was able to cling to that love. That notion that someday, somehow, she might wake up from that eternal sleep she had been placed in, and we could just… pick up where we left off.
But that won't happen. I'm already a different person entirely, and even if she forced herself to try to meet me where I am now… I'd destroy her. The same way I destroy everyone else who cares for me. Because I'm not 'Natsuki Subaru'. That guy can find the right time for people to stand on their own, but I don't, and when I do it just goes wrong! Minotauros died, I sent Drake to her death, I almost got you killed, and for all I know Stede is a pig right now! And what do I have to show for it!? Just the realization that I shouldn't have bothered with this idiocy in the first place! I'm so… damn… useless!"
As I finish my pathetic tantrum, I gaze again at my companion, and-
"I'm happy you saved me, Subaru-sama," Medea says simply, as she wraps her arms around me.
This girl… is really an angel, huh?
"...I said it, didn't I? I want you by my side," I say, and before I realize it I'm clinging to her like she might disappear any second.
"S-subaru-sama!?" She squeaks.
"Losing you… is something I can't bear. I don't know if I'd call it love or just possessiveness, but… please don't leave me," I murmur.
***
We return to… a questionable sight.
"And that's sokuzumi! Nobbu's great victory!" Nobunaga's body shouts as she finishes her move.
"No it's not, stupid. You just blundered your Lance," Nobunaga's head interjects from her position in the arms of a labcoat-wearing Servant I haven't met yet.
"You try playing without any eyes!" The body retorts, flipping the Shogi board into her opponent, Jason's face.
The Rider rubs his forehead, glancing at me, at Medea, and our entwined hands, back at me, and then towards a smirking Subaru as his face goes through all seven stages of grief - and finally, with a scowl, he gives the other guy a clump of QP. "Okay, they're here! Can you get on with it already, Hercules?
I trail my eyes over the assortment of Servants present to confirm that all of Subaru's allies have arrived. "...So you only lost Saint George?" I ask after a moment.
"He's been recalled to Chaldea, Sen- um…" Mash Kyrielight starts to reply before trailing off into awkward embarrassment.
"Are you kidding me!? What cheat codes are you using, dammit!? I come at you with everything I have, and you come back with two extra Servants!?" I shout, pointing at the man in the labcoat and an old man in the regalia of a king who's carrying a harp.
"I had to use a Noble Phantasm that changes my class. It's very uncomfortable to do, though I don't regret it now that it's done," The old king says.
"I lost about half of my spirit origin," Says Cu Chulainn. "Can't even really be called Cu Chulainn anymore, so just call me Grimr."
"I'm still David, to be clear," The old king says. "But [Sacrifice] makes me into the 'repentant king' rather than the 'upstart youth', so-"
"King David, I don't think that Rigel-san has context for that," Mash Kyrilight says - and of course, he's got her calling me that too, huh?
"I lost my head," Says Nobunaga.
"I lost my body," Says Nobunaga.
"And I lost my boat, but can we please move along!" Jason says, turning again to Hercules, who has stood up from - was he playing dice with Benkei? Aren't these guys acting a little too carefree!?
"Sorry about the Argo. I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out, though," Hercules says. "It's you, after all."
"Y-yeah…" The Rider stammers.
"...But, that's enough leisure for now," Hercules says. "I'll introduce myself properly. I am Hercules, God of Heroes. I am Beast V/Hero, who executes Humanity's sin of [Retribution]. I shall become all that is good in the world. I shall destroy all that is evil in the world.
"In one day's time, I will leave this singularity. I shall slay the other Beasts, slay the gods, and establish an eternal kingdom of peace and justice.
"Make no mistake. If you are of the modern day, I am your enemy. The world you know shall be rewritten - into a better one, yes, but that is of little value to you. If you wish not to die a painful death, I shall spare you, and in some time, you will painlessly disappear. If you wish to fight, I shall permit it, but know that you stand no chance.
"To the Human Order, as well, I am an enemy. But the Human Order is evil, viewing peace as stagnation - I shall overthrow it. To that end - Benkei, I expect I will see you in the final battle.
"To my former companions - Asclepius, Jason, Medea - you need not fight. Simply stand aside - I shall save you all."
A black bow materializes in his hands, and he points it in the opposite direction of the rising sun.
"That's Atalante's-!" Jason shouts.
"She's alive. Neither Reid nor myself had time to clash with her as we passed by. Please send her my apologies, if you find her," Hercules says, drawing the string, a heavy arrow loaded that makes the wood creak ominously. "[
The bow shatters.
The sky and sea split. The arrow hurtles into the distance with a sonic boom, before it finally impacts something - and the distant sunrise-lit sky stretches, and finally the arrow tears through, leaving a gleaming pinprick of light in the firmament where it exited.
"I will wait beneath that star, at the very edge of the world. Come, if you dare."
And then, in a blur of motion, he's gone.
- Location
- not doing my homework
- Pronouns
- He/They
I like the fact that David is just like, here. He keeps dropping important information about himself and he's gonna inevitably end up being as useful as Grímr was before/during the moment he split himself (possibly because David is good at fighting large things or as moral support), but the fact that everyone keeps plowing through him and not letting him finish is REALLY funny.
Now that you mention it I don't think anyone really acknowledged that David was about to straight up take at least one life from Alcides before he got targeted and had to use [Sacrifice]. Like no one realised how strong he was as an Archer, and now the guy didn't even get the chance to say what class he's changed into. Poor dude.
132: We are Argonauts!
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
132: We are Argonauts!
Silence follows Hercules's disappearance - the oppressive quiet of those condemned. The sound of waves on the shore is all that can be heard, and as I glance at each of the people present, I can see each one going through their own internal struggle.
Mash grits her teeth, her eyes flicking back and forth between the distant star that Hercules had pinned to the sky and her shield. Cu Chulainn - no, he said his name is Grimr now - scrawls runes into the beach as he prepares a magic circle, a small scowl on his face. Benkei simply sits staring straight ahead, face pale as sweat pours down his face. Jason meets my eyes briefly before looking away with a guilty grimace. Medea and Rigel are both refusing to meet each other's eyes, similarly guilty looks on both of their faces. The old man Mash brought with her - David, I think he said his name was - moved away from the group, and I can see him lightly tapping the strings of his harp as he sings something I can't hear. Nobunaga's head has a kind of desperate grin stretched across her face. And the labcoat-wearing guy carrying her - opens his eyes, with a strange resolve, breaking the silence first.
"Well, never mind all of that. For now, I have a patient to treat," He says. "Medea, assist me. We need to reattach her head as soon as possible."
"...As single-minded as always," The witch says, a bemused sigh leaving her mouth. "You'll still help them, despite what Hercules promised us?"
"I don't particularly mind one way or another who wins. Whether I'll achieve less or more in a history without the gods… I can't answer that. Nor can I answer which world might achieve greater heights of medicine." He sighs. "In that case, I'll simply have to treat the patient in front of me."
"That's great!" Nobunaga says. "I was really worried you might just decide to abandon me or something!"
"...So that's one of you working with us for now," I say, glancing at Jason.
"I'm…" He pauses, glancing again at that distant star. "I'm gonna need some time to think."
"It's gonna be tough to stop him without you," I offer.
He doesn't respond - and, grinding his teeth with terrible agitation, he turns and walks away.
…I'm serious about that. With Hercules changing classes again, we're gonna need someone who knows the ins and outs of all his different classes to give us some kind of hint about what we're up against.
But for the time being- "By the way, Rigel, what the hell did you do with my communicator?"
"Sorry, it kept beeping, so I threw it in the ocean," he deadpans.
"...Boy, I sure am glad the director couldn't hear that one," I chuckle, and the very next second the communicator on Mash's wrist begins to beep furiously.
"Now you've done it, Senpai," Mash gives a small smile as the peeved face of Director Olga Marie springs to life in holographic form.
"You know, we were all totally shocked when we got our monitoring back and saw that, not only had you survived through all of that, you had registered the enemy leader as a Chaldean Servant," She says, a fake smile plastered on her face as her eye twitches. "But, you know, I told everyone it would be fine. My brilliant disciple surely would have thought through the consequences. He definitely wouldn't do something like wire a Demon Pillar into Chaldea's system as something like a one-off joke. After all, he respects his teacher, and wouldn't want to upset her, right?"
I feel bad. Really, I do.
But…
"Demon pillar?"
I can't waste this perfect setup.
{Now.} I tell Rigel telepathically.
""Right, there was something like that, wasn't there?"" We say in stereo.
Slowly, she lowers her face into her hands in utter defeat - and then her shoulders start shaking, and for a moment I'm worried I finally pushed it too far and broke her.
"Pft." And then, finally, a small snicker leaves her lips."Heh… heheheh! I can't… even after all of this… you… pft…"
Sensei raises her face again to look at me with slightly puffy red eyes, and a wry grin on her face. "...You freaking idiot. Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?"
!
…Crap. I'm blushing now.
"A-anyway… it seems like there were compatibility issues and Zepar lost his ego, so…" I scratch my head. "Basically, Rigel is in control, not the Demon Pillar, so I thought it would be fine as a temporary measure… Sorry, it was a bit of a heated moment."
"...W-well, as expected of the student I saw potential in! It seems like you've managed to recruit or neutralize everyone except Hercules on your own, so I'm proud of you," I feel myself flushing more and more as she heaps on the praise. "Now all that's left is- hey! Hey, you damn fairy thing, move! Get out of the way! I'm talking to my pre- my disciple! You wanna die, huh!?"
"Rem, please don't bully sensei," I say, reaching out and gently pulling the palm-sized buzzing orb of light away from the communicator. Touching her is still a strange feeling - she's mostly immaterial, weightless, and can barely even communicate. And yet, there's something about her presence that puts me completely at ease. Smiling slightly, I pull her close with both hands, and she floats up to about face level, hovering there for a moment, pulsing intermittently with light. "...Sorry, I don't really get it."
She dims slightly, and then floats over to settle on my shoulder.
"...Well, this is to be expected from Senpai at this point," Mash says. Why does she sound so disappointed by that…? "In any case, that strange creature is…?"
"Ah, this is Rem. She's not in her body right now, but- no, come to think of it, you're acting a little differently, aren't you?" I turn to glance at her, and her light blinks in confusion. "You're not usually this assertive. Maybe it's something to do with your form?"
The light gives a small, noncommittal-looking wiggle.
"...Well, putting that aside for now," Sensei says. "Let's get back to the situation at hand. We've finished our analysis of Hercules's Spirit Origin. I'm sending it over now."
"You guys can detect everything besides the Noble Phantasm, right?" Grimr asks. "As far as that goes, I can say that he's at least got that [God Hand] thing from Fuyuki-"
"Well, we're doomed, then," The Director says.
"Seriously? Just how bad is…" I ask, looking over Mash's shoulder as she scrolls down the holographic display.
And scrolls.
And scrolls.
***
"This… freaking… glitch character…" I mutter.
"I… think he might actually be more broken than Reinhard," Rigel says.
"...I dunno, I kinda got the feeling Reinhard could keep getting new Divine Protections of the Phoenix, so he might outlast him," I mutter.
"What does that one do?" Rigel asks, and I blink. Oh no.
"It, uh…" I cringe a bit. "Revives him one time if he dies. But then he can just get a new one after that, so he can revive again."
Rigel groans. "...I wish he told me about that." He probably killed himself over and over to save him, huh? No wonder Regulus was hell for him.
"So we need to kill him twelve different times, for which only attacks of EX rank will suffice, with a special exception for Extra classes, who get the privilege of dealing lethal damage with A rank attacks," the Director says.
"Eleven, actually, for what it's worth," says Grimr. "'Cu Chulainn' took a life off him before he went down. Also, a non-servant could manage it with an A-rank attack too."
"Isn't the A-rank attack of a normal human only something like C or B rank for a Servant?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "It's a conceptual defense that deflects 'all but the highest tier of attack'. As long as it's nominally A-rank or higher after accounting for the rank downs from his Nega Skill, it doesn't matter whether it's an attack that stubs the target's toe or annihilates a planet. On the same principle, it doesn't matter how many pluses a B-rank attack has, it still won't pierce [God Hand] unless it crosses the boundary into A-rank."
"It's a moot point, anyway. I've only got one spell that would maybe reach that level, and I don't think I could cast it on my own even with a Holy Grail backing me up," I say.
"The Animusphere Magecraft could manage it," Sensei says. "But our lessons didn't reach that point, and you'd need a powerful… mystic… code…" She trails off, a wicked grin filling her face. "Subaru, once Asclepius is done with Nobunaga, I want you to do everything you can to get him to agree to joining Chaldea and rayshifting over here. Tell him we have wounded for him to work on."
"Director, that's a terrible idea!" Doctor Romani shouts, appearing on the holographic display as well. "Even with the help of a god of medicine - freezing the injured masters was already a human rights violation!"
"If it works, he won't have anything to complain about, Roman. Or do you think that Kirschtaria Wodime is the type to be stopped by flimsy concepts like 'human rights'?"
***
Jason
I hate this.
"Simply stand aside - I shall save you all."
As if I could just do that! I don't want to be saved! I want to win, dammit! There's no glory in it for me if you just run off and create my kingdom for me, and then just plop me down at the top of it!
No, in the first place, are you even going to put me in charge? Come on, Hercules, there's no point in building a utopian kingdom if I'm not in charge of it!
I know. I know, I'll be happy, in his world. Hercules will make sure of it, because we're friends.
I know that, dammit.
"But, if you swoop in and solve everything… where do I put all this guilt?"
***
"A scapegoat?" Rigel asks.
"Yes," David nods. "You can think of that as a kind of 'keyword', the characteristic shared by any manifestation of Beast V. Although it represents the sin of [Retribution], the better way to describe it is probably the sin of 'refusing to take responsibility'. Usually the word means, 'a single person blamed for all ills', but-"
"There's a school of thought that suggests it goes deeper than that," Romani says. "'All collective problems are solved by scapegoating', or so the theory goes - whether the scapegoat is a person 'blamed for' or a person 'entrusted with solving' the problem - at the end of the day, a single person serves as the psychological receptacle for everyone else's worries, so that the rest of society can forget about the problem. Heroes, kings, civil servants - none of them actually have the ability to fully fix a problem in every last detail, but they''ll still bear that responsibility."
"So Hercules is representing the sin of 'those who can but will not save themselves'. As far as that goes, we can expect that the world he creates won't be some sort of dystopia where all those who fail to be perfect will be purged," David says.
"But, even so… I think the world he's aiming for is unforgivable," Romani says. "If a perfect king solves every person's problems for them, then what's the point of those people even existing? If one man embodies all the good in the world, then what's left for everyone else?"
"You already thought it through that much, huh?" David says, closing his eyes for a moment. "...What a wise kid."
***
My mistakes are my own. I can't just leave them all for someone else to clean up - what's the point if I do? How could I call myself a hero, then?
It finally all clicks in my head as I gaze up towards the stars.
"...That's right. What the hell are you doing, Heracles?" I ask. "Didn't I tell you!?"
Didn't I tell you to stay by my side, to follow me?
"If you do this kind of thing… you'll never reach a world where people will understand you."
Where do you get off getting such a big head, anyway? [God of heroes], are you kidding me? You're an Argonaut! Part of a crew, my crew! And that means we go together, and conquer the sea with our friends!
"I won't let you become the only god! Not all alone! Not without me!" I shout, and I pull it out.
A squirming, black thing, recovered from the body of some arrogant albino. I don't really understand it, but apparently it can make you invincible at the risk to your life.
So what. At this point, with all of my Noble Phantasms destroyed, with Nobunaga to provide adequate enough strategic advice, I don't have anything else to offer.
"I'll risk my life! Of course I will!" I shout, reaching a hand towards the constellation carving our deeds into the night sky.
"Because we are Argonauts! Heroes, every one!"
-In a spirit of near selflessness, concerned only with the fate of his friend, Jason thrusts the Greed Witch Factor into his chest.
…Unfortunately, that is precisely the wrong spirit with which to approach this particular Witch Factor.
-I collapse. Black blood pours from my mouth and eyes as every part of my body starts to self-destruct.
"Ah… Ahhhh." Feeble moans manage to come through my lips.
No.
No, isn't this wrong?
Come on. Come on, come on, come on, seriously!?
Wasn't this my big heroic moment?
Wasn't this my big turnaround?
I've been a useless bastard all the way up to this point, but now-!
Any moment now-!
Where's my sudden powerup? Where's my hope to save the day? This can't be it, can it?
Surely, there has to be something I can do! Some way, any way, to become the hero I know I was meant to be!
I'm dying. I'm going to die here, die again, beneath my ship written in the stars. crushed under the weight of a hope I couldn't reach.
Please. Someone, notice. I know I wandered off alone, but someone had to be paying attention, right? Medea, Asclepius, even Grimr might be able to do something. I can't die here! There has to be something-! Someone-!
…Goddammit.
The stars… so close… I can almost…
***
"Are you satisfied with this?"
"...Of course not."
"Then, let us make a compact. I am Forneus. The great Sea Fiend, who teaches men, gives them a good name, and makes them beloved of their friends and foes alike."
"Piss off, then. I've got nothing to say to you."
"Ignorant. Our goals align for the time being. The defeat of the Beast of Heroes is required for us as well."
"So? What the hell does a guy like you have to offer in the first place? You gonna fuse some suspicious crap into me, make me like that Alter Ego? I'm not interested."
"Did you ever wonder, how another Natsuki Subaru was brought to this world in the first place?"
"..."
"Some limited access to the Kaleidoscope, the operation of Parallel Worlds, is within the capabilities of us Demon Pillars. Thousands of possibilities are at our disposal. Thousands of versions of you - even those who achieved your dream."
"..."
"...Do you wish to see it? The future that you might have claimed, had fate played out even slightly differently?"
"...I want to! I want to, goddammit! I want to see it so badly I'm gonna cry!"
"Then the compact is sealed."
A star, the first of thirty-two, the prow of a certain ship written in the heavens - plunges from the sky and crushes what remains of 'Jason'.
***
"Since we've resolved to fight, I might as well reveal that I've become a Ruler now," David says. "I've lost access to my sling, but I'm still capable of using the [Ark of the Covenant] and [Sacrifice], though the former will probably be very difficult to get Hercules to touch, so-"
His explanation is interrupted by blinding light as an explosion lights up the inner island. And, emerging from that practical flashbang, a young blond man clad in golden armor, marked all over with bright points of light, walks into view with a huge grin on his face.
"Who-?" Natsuki Subaru asks.
"Who even knows at this point!?" The man laughs, wild-eyed. "I don't even know my class, and as for my True Name - 'Argo Navis', 'Super Jason', hell you could even call me 'Space Jason' if you want! But I'm ready to win this thing, so line up and get ready to follow my orders. One of our crew wandered off on his own, and we've gotta drag him back whether he likes it or not! Argonauts… Assemble!"
Silence follows Hercules's disappearance - the oppressive quiet of those condemned. The sound of waves on the shore is all that can be heard, and as I glance at each of the people present, I can see each one going through their own internal struggle.
Mash grits her teeth, her eyes flicking back and forth between the distant star that Hercules had pinned to the sky and her shield. Cu Chulainn - no, he said his name is Grimr now - scrawls runes into the beach as he prepares a magic circle, a small scowl on his face. Benkei simply sits staring straight ahead, face pale as sweat pours down his face. Jason meets my eyes briefly before looking away with a guilty grimace. Medea and Rigel are both refusing to meet each other's eyes, similarly guilty looks on both of their faces. The old man Mash brought with her - David, I think he said his name was - moved away from the group, and I can see him lightly tapping the strings of his harp as he sings something I can't hear. Nobunaga's head has a kind of desperate grin stretched across her face. And the labcoat-wearing guy carrying her - opens his eyes, with a strange resolve, breaking the silence first.
"Well, never mind all of that. For now, I have a patient to treat," He says. "Medea, assist me. We need to reattach her head as soon as possible."
"...As single-minded as always," The witch says, a bemused sigh leaving her mouth. "You'll still help them, despite what Hercules promised us?"
"I don't particularly mind one way or another who wins. Whether I'll achieve less or more in a history without the gods… I can't answer that. Nor can I answer which world might achieve greater heights of medicine." He sighs. "In that case, I'll simply have to treat the patient in front of me."
"That's great!" Nobunaga says. "I was really worried you might just decide to abandon me or something!"
"...So that's one of you working with us for now," I say, glancing at Jason.
"I'm…" He pauses, glancing again at that distant star. "I'm gonna need some time to think."
"It's gonna be tough to stop him without you," I offer.
He doesn't respond - and, grinding his teeth with terrible agitation, he turns and walks away.
…I'm serious about that. With Hercules changing classes again, we're gonna need someone who knows the ins and outs of all his different classes to give us some kind of hint about what we're up against.
But for the time being- "By the way, Rigel, what the hell did you do with my communicator?"
"Sorry, it kept beeping, so I threw it in the ocean," he deadpans.
"...Boy, I sure am glad the director couldn't hear that one," I chuckle, and the very next second the communicator on Mash's wrist begins to beep furiously.
"Now you've done it, Senpai," Mash gives a small smile as the peeved face of Director Olga Marie springs to life in holographic form.
"You know, we were all totally shocked when we got our monitoring back and saw that, not only had you survived through all of that, you had registered the enemy leader as a Chaldean Servant," She says, a fake smile plastered on her face as her eye twitches. "But, you know, I told everyone it would be fine. My brilliant disciple surely would have thought through the consequences. He definitely wouldn't do something like wire a Demon Pillar into Chaldea's system as something like a one-off joke. After all, he respects his teacher, and wouldn't want to upset her, right?"
I feel bad. Really, I do.
But…
"Demon pillar?"
I can't waste this perfect setup.
{Now.} I tell Rigel telepathically.
""Right, there was something like that, wasn't there?"" We say in stereo.
Slowly, she lowers her face into her hands in utter defeat - and then her shoulders start shaking, and for a moment I'm worried I finally pushed it too far and broke her.
"Pft." And then, finally, a small snicker leaves her lips."Heh… heheheh! I can't… even after all of this… you… pft…"
Sensei raises her face again to look at me with slightly puffy red eyes, and a wry grin on her face. "...You freaking idiot. Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?"
!
…Crap. I'm blushing now.
"A-anyway… it seems like there were compatibility issues and Zepar lost his ego, so…" I scratch my head. "Basically, Rigel is in control, not the Demon Pillar, so I thought it would be fine as a temporary measure… Sorry, it was a bit of a heated moment."
"...W-well, as expected of the student I saw potential in! It seems like you've managed to recruit or neutralize everyone except Hercules on your own, so I'm proud of you," I feel myself flushing more and more as she heaps on the praise. "Now all that's left is- hey! Hey, you damn fairy thing, move! Get out of the way! I'm talking to my pre- my disciple! You wanna die, huh!?"
"Rem, please don't bully sensei," I say, reaching out and gently pulling the palm-sized buzzing orb of light away from the communicator. Touching her is still a strange feeling - she's mostly immaterial, weightless, and can barely even communicate. And yet, there's something about her presence that puts me completely at ease. Smiling slightly, I pull her close with both hands, and she floats up to about face level, hovering there for a moment, pulsing intermittently with light. "...Sorry, I don't really get it."
She dims slightly, and then floats over to settle on my shoulder.
"...Well, this is to be expected from Senpai at this point," Mash says. Why does she sound so disappointed by that…? "In any case, that strange creature is…?"
"Ah, this is Rem. She's not in her body right now, but- no, come to think of it, you're acting a little differently, aren't you?" I turn to glance at her, and her light blinks in confusion. "You're not usually this assertive. Maybe it's something to do with your form?"
The light gives a small, noncommittal-looking wiggle.
"...Well, putting that aside for now," Sensei says. "Let's get back to the situation at hand. We've finished our analysis of Hercules's Spirit Origin. I'm sending it over now."
"You guys can detect everything besides the Noble Phantasm, right?" Grimr asks. "As far as that goes, I can say that he's at least got that [God Hand] thing from Fuyuki-"
"Well, we're doomed, then," The Director says.
"Seriously? Just how bad is…" I ask, looking over Mash's shoulder as she scrolls down the holographic display.
And scrolls.
And scrolls.
***
"This… freaking… glitch character…" I mutter.
"I… think he might actually be more broken than Reinhard," Rigel says.
"...I dunno, I kinda got the feeling Reinhard could keep getting new Divine Protections of the Phoenix, so he might outlast him," I mutter.
"What does that one do?" Rigel asks, and I blink. Oh no.
"It, uh…" I cringe a bit. "Revives him one time if he dies. But then he can just get a new one after that, so he can revive again."
Rigel groans. "...I wish he told me about that." He probably killed himself over and over to save him, huh? No wonder Regulus was hell for him.
"So we need to kill him twelve different times, for which only attacks of EX rank will suffice, with a special exception for Extra classes, who get the privilege of dealing lethal damage with A rank attacks," the Director says.
"Eleven, actually, for what it's worth," says Grimr. "'Cu Chulainn' took a life off him before he went down. Also, a non-servant could manage it with an A-rank attack too."
"Isn't the A-rank attack of a normal human only something like C or B rank for a Servant?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "It's a conceptual defense that deflects 'all but the highest tier of attack'. As long as it's nominally A-rank or higher after accounting for the rank downs from his Nega Skill, it doesn't matter whether it's an attack that stubs the target's toe or annihilates a planet. On the same principle, it doesn't matter how many pluses a B-rank attack has, it still won't pierce [God Hand] unless it crosses the boundary into A-rank."
"It's a moot point, anyway. I've only got one spell that would maybe reach that level, and I don't think I could cast it on my own even with a Holy Grail backing me up," I say.
"The Animusphere Magecraft could manage it," Sensei says. "But our lessons didn't reach that point, and you'd need a powerful… mystic… code…" She trails off, a wicked grin filling her face. "Subaru, once Asclepius is done with Nobunaga, I want you to do everything you can to get him to agree to joining Chaldea and rayshifting over here. Tell him we have wounded for him to work on."
"Director, that's a terrible idea!" Doctor Romani shouts, appearing on the holographic display as well. "Even with the help of a god of medicine - freezing the injured masters was already a human rights violation!"
"If it works, he won't have anything to complain about, Roman. Or do you think that Kirschtaria Wodime is the type to be stopped by flimsy concepts like 'human rights'?"
***
Jason
I hate this.
"Simply stand aside - I shall save you all."
As if I could just do that! I don't want to be saved! I want to win, dammit! There's no glory in it for me if you just run off and create my kingdom for me, and then just plop me down at the top of it!
No, in the first place, are you even going to put me in charge? Come on, Hercules, there's no point in building a utopian kingdom if I'm not in charge of it!
I know. I know, I'll be happy, in his world. Hercules will make sure of it, because we're friends.
I know that, dammit.
"But, if you swoop in and solve everything… where do I put all this guilt?"
***
"A scapegoat?" Rigel asks.
"Yes," David nods. "You can think of that as a kind of 'keyword', the characteristic shared by any manifestation of Beast V. Although it represents the sin of [Retribution], the better way to describe it is probably the sin of 'refusing to take responsibility'. Usually the word means, 'a single person blamed for all ills', but-"
"There's a school of thought that suggests it goes deeper than that," Romani says. "'All collective problems are solved by scapegoating', or so the theory goes - whether the scapegoat is a person 'blamed for' or a person 'entrusted with solving' the problem - at the end of the day, a single person serves as the psychological receptacle for everyone else's worries, so that the rest of society can forget about the problem. Heroes, kings, civil servants - none of them actually have the ability to fully fix a problem in every last detail, but they''ll still bear that responsibility."
"So Hercules is representing the sin of 'those who can but will not save themselves'. As far as that goes, we can expect that the world he creates won't be some sort of dystopia where all those who fail to be perfect will be purged," David says.
"But, even so… I think the world he's aiming for is unforgivable," Romani says. "If a perfect king solves every person's problems for them, then what's the point of those people even existing? If one man embodies all the good in the world, then what's left for everyone else?"
"You already thought it through that much, huh?" David says, closing his eyes for a moment. "...What a wise kid."
***
My mistakes are my own. I can't just leave them all for someone else to clean up - what's the point if I do? How could I call myself a hero, then?
It finally all clicks in my head as I gaze up towards the stars.
"...That's right. What the hell are you doing, Heracles?" I ask. "Didn't I tell you!?"
Didn't I tell you to stay by my side, to follow me?
"If you do this kind of thing… you'll never reach a world where people will understand you."
Where do you get off getting such a big head, anyway? [God of heroes], are you kidding me? You're an Argonaut! Part of a crew, my crew! And that means we go together, and conquer the sea with our friends!
"I won't let you become the only god! Not all alone! Not without me!" I shout, and I pull it out.
A squirming, black thing, recovered from the body of some arrogant albino. I don't really understand it, but apparently it can make you invincible at the risk to your life.
So what. At this point, with all of my Noble Phantasms destroyed, with Nobunaga to provide adequate enough strategic advice, I don't have anything else to offer.
"I'll risk my life! Of course I will!" I shout, reaching a hand towards the constellation carving our deeds into the night sky.
"Because we are Argonauts! Heroes, every one!"
-In a spirit of near selflessness, concerned only with the fate of his friend, Jason thrusts the Greed Witch Factor into his chest.
…Unfortunately, that is precisely the wrong spirit with which to approach this particular Witch Factor.
-I collapse. Black blood pours from my mouth and eyes as every part of my body starts to self-destruct.
"Ah… Ahhhh." Feeble moans manage to come through my lips.
No.
No, isn't this wrong?
Come on. Come on, come on, come on, seriously!?
Wasn't this my big heroic moment?
Wasn't this my big turnaround?
I've been a useless bastard all the way up to this point, but now-!
Any moment now-!
Where's my sudden powerup? Where's my hope to save the day? This can't be it, can it?
Surely, there has to be something I can do! Some way, any way, to become the hero I know I was meant to be!
I'm dying. I'm going to die here, die again, beneath my ship written in the stars. crushed under the weight of a hope I couldn't reach.
Please. Someone, notice. I know I wandered off alone, but someone had to be paying attention, right? Medea, Asclepius, even Grimr might be able to do something. I can't die here! There has to be something-! Someone-!
…Goddammit.
The stars… so close… I can almost…
***
"Are you satisfied with this?"
"...Of course not."
"Then, let us make a compact. I am Forneus. The great Sea Fiend, who teaches men, gives them a good name, and makes them beloved of their friends and foes alike."
"Piss off, then. I've got nothing to say to you."
"Ignorant. Our goals align for the time being. The defeat of the Beast of Heroes is required for us as well."
"So? What the hell does a guy like you have to offer in the first place? You gonna fuse some suspicious crap into me, make me like that Alter Ego? I'm not interested."
"Did you ever wonder, how another Natsuki Subaru was brought to this world in the first place?"
"..."
"Some limited access to the Kaleidoscope, the operation of Parallel Worlds, is within the capabilities of us Demon Pillars. Thousands of possibilities are at our disposal. Thousands of versions of you - even those who achieved your dream."
"..."
"...Do you wish to see it? The future that you might have claimed, had fate played out even slightly differently?"
"...I want to! I want to, goddammit! I want to see it so badly I'm gonna cry!"
"Then the compact is sealed."
A star, the first of thirty-two, the prow of a certain ship written in the heavens - plunges from the sky and crushes what remains of 'Jason'.
***
"Since we've resolved to fight, I might as well reveal that I've become a Ruler now," David says. "I've lost access to my sling, but I'm still capable of using the [Ark of the Covenant] and [Sacrifice], though the former will probably be very difficult to get Hercules to touch, so-"
His explanation is interrupted by blinding light as an explosion lights up the inner island. And, emerging from that practical flashbang, a young blond man clad in golden armor, marked all over with bright points of light, walks into view with a huge grin on his face.
"Who-?" Natsuki Subaru asks.
"Who even knows at this point!?" The man laughs, wild-eyed. "I don't even know my class, and as for my True Name - 'Argo Navis', 'Super Jason', hell you could even call me 'Space Jason' if you want! But I'm ready to win this thing, so line up and get ready to follow my orders. One of our crew wandered off on his own, and we've gotta drag him back whether he likes it or not! Argonauts… Assemble!"
Servant Parameters: SPOILER (Read after Chapter 132)
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
Class: Voyager
True Name: Argo Navis (Super Jason)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Armaments: Power Armor, Lasers, Beam Sword
Manifestation Cost: High
Bio:
To draw power from other versions of oneself is no simple task - but it can be simplified by simply selecting one single version of oneself to draw power from, in a limited form of possession.
This is the method of operation used by the infamous Kaleidosticks. This is the method used by Zepar to disastrous effect in both this world and another, to call up demons beyond himself that he had no chance of dominating.
And, as for the one called forth by Forneus, the strongest possible version of Jason-
Perhaps it was the influence of certain suspicious particles. Perhaps it was simply a matter of fact that Jason would never achieve anything of note outside of the most outlandish of circumstances.
In any case-
His story begins a long, long time ago, in a Servantverse far, far away…
-That said, his consciousness is still the normal Jason, so he doesn't understand where all this sci-fi gear came from.
The constellation Argo Navis has always existed in our world's sky, and as far back as people have been making boats, there were those that described the constellation's shape as that of a boat. Whether the Argo was, as some Greek writers claimed, the first boat made by humans, or whether the first was an Ark created to preserve humanity from a great flood, or any other possibility - Argo Navis was identified with all of them.
Embodying a vessel that Voyages out in advance of the rest of humanity, Super Jason has accomplished a class container that possesses no name, the first of its kind- in this timeline, at least.
Later in this story, when he meets the witch Circe, she will give it a placeholder title that for some reason feels right to her - [Voyager].
Parameters
Strength: B+
Endurance: B
Agility: B+
Mana: C
Luck: A+
NP: A
Class Skills:
Riding: A
Contact with Civilization: D
Independent Navigation: D
Personal Skills:
The Rumored Goldenfleecium: -
A mysterious metal discovered by Space Jason in Season 3 of the original TV serial. Not only was it the secret to counteracting Space Agamemnon's Death Dust, it doubles as a renewable fuel source, the secret to cold fusion, and an excellent pillow!
…We don't get it either.
Writing our Names in the Stars: A++
Skill that empowers those sailing on the Argo - all those aboard receive a rank-up to their parameters, and those among the original Argonauts will receive this benefit even when not aboard.
Inspiration at Death's Door: A
Noble Phantasms:
The Radiant Ship that Tears the Heavens: Astrapste Argo
Rank: A++
Type: Anti-Army
Range: 1~10
Maximum number of targets: 50 people
The gleaming metal ship used by the Space Argonauts for their voyage through the stars. While inactive, it transforms into a suit of powered armor. Having integrated the defenses of the Aegis partway through season two, it is highly resistant to enemy attacks, and its cannons are powered by pure Goldenfleecium, making it an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm
Our Jason has no idea how to operate any of these high tech functions, though, so in his hands it remains Anti-Army like the original Argo.
Regardless, he can summon the full crew of the original Argo to assist him with this Noble Phantasm, although they can refuse to help based upon their personal preferences.
Authority of Greed: ???
Rank: -
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: 1~20
Maximum number of targets: 100 People
Despite acquiring the Greed Witch Factor, Jason has no clue of its effects, and it remains dormant for the time being.
True Name: Argo Navis (Super Jason)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Armaments: Power Armor, Lasers, Beam Sword
Manifestation Cost: High
Bio:
To draw power from other versions of oneself is no simple task - but it can be simplified by simply selecting one single version of oneself to draw power from, in a limited form of possession.
This is the method of operation used by the infamous Kaleidosticks. This is the method used by Zepar to disastrous effect in both this world and another, to call up demons beyond himself that he had no chance of dominating.
And, as for the one called forth by Forneus, the strongest possible version of Jason-
Perhaps it was the influence of certain suspicious particles. Perhaps it was simply a matter of fact that Jason would never achieve anything of note outside of the most outlandish of circumstances.
In any case-
His story begins a long, long time ago, in a Servantverse far, far away…
-That said, his consciousness is still the normal Jason, so he doesn't understand where all this sci-fi gear came from.
The constellation Argo Navis has always existed in our world's sky, and as far back as people have been making boats, there were those that described the constellation's shape as that of a boat. Whether the Argo was, as some Greek writers claimed, the first boat made by humans, or whether the first was an Ark created to preserve humanity from a great flood, or any other possibility - Argo Navis was identified with all of them.
Embodying a vessel that Voyages out in advance of the rest of humanity, Super Jason has accomplished a class container that possesses no name, the first of its kind- in this timeline, at least.
Later in this story, when he meets the witch Circe, she will give it a placeholder title that for some reason feels right to her - [Voyager].
Parameters
Strength: B+
Endurance: B
Agility: B+
Mana: C
Luck: A+
NP: A
Class Skills:
Riding: A
Contact with Civilization: D
Independent Navigation: D
Personal Skills:
The Rumored Goldenfleecium: -
A mysterious metal discovered by Space Jason in Season 3 of the original TV serial. Not only was it the secret to counteracting Space Agamemnon's Death Dust, it doubles as a renewable fuel source, the secret to cold fusion, and an excellent pillow!
…We don't get it either.
Writing our Names in the Stars: A++
Skill that empowers those sailing on the Argo - all those aboard receive a rank-up to their parameters, and those among the original Argonauts will receive this benefit even when not aboard.
Inspiration at Death's Door: A
Noble Phantasms:
The Radiant Ship that Tears the Heavens: Astrapste Argo
Rank: A++
Type: Anti-Army
Range: 1~10
Maximum number of targets: 50 people
The gleaming metal ship used by the Space Argonauts for their voyage through the stars. While inactive, it transforms into a suit of powered armor. Having integrated the defenses of the Aegis partway through season two, it is highly resistant to enemy attacks, and its cannons are powered by pure Goldenfleecium, making it an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm
Our Jason has no idea how to operate any of these high tech functions, though, so in his hands it remains Anti-Army like the original Argo.
Regardless, he can summon the full crew of the original Argo to assist him with this Noble Phantasm, although they can refuse to help based upon their personal preferences.
Authority of Greed: ???
Rank: -
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: 1~20
Maximum number of targets: 100 People
Despite acquiring the Greed Witch Factor, Jason has no clue of its effects, and it remains dormant for the time being.
ExNihilo
SPACE!
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I suppose the reason we can't normally get Asclepius early is just this, he could just fix the A-Team. All the other really strong healers at Chaldea not doing it can be explained away to some extent, Circe being too late, Paracelsus (and for that matter, Nightingale and Sanson) being more of a surgeon, cyro-sleep being not really the sort of thing that mythic healing from the likes of, say, Tamamo or Irisviel can handle, leaving only Solomon, who's excluded for obvious reasons, and Medea probably, who's prickly at the best of times and could easily have been passed over as well. And obviously the real reason is plot or whatever, but watching Goetia be hit by Wodime's bullshit would have been amusing at least.
And, of course, I adore David-Roman conversations. They both have to know what's going on, and it's always interesting to see how authors handle it.
And, of course, I adore David-Roman conversations. They both have to know what's going on, and it's always interesting to see how authors handle it.
I haven't forgotten this part too re: Kirschtaria about Subaru. Having him (or any of the A team really, though I think Kirsch/Beryl/Daybit would be the most interesting) during the Singularities has a whole lot of potential, I really hope Asclepius manages to revive at least one of them.
133: The Most Expendable
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
133: The Most Expendable
"Jeez, what part of 'using those things is dangerous' didn't you get?" I ask after Jason finishes explaining.
"Not to mention, now we won't get a chance to really examine the thing in detail, which is part of why I preserved it in the first place," Grimr mutters.
"It seemed like a good call at the time, okay!?" He shouts. "And it worked out! Look, I'm young, handsome, and have inexplicable sci-fi powers now!"
"It's probably Servantverse stuff…" The freshly re-capitated Nobunaga mutters something inexplicable, then moves on as if she said nothing. "Speaking of silly stuff, how about we go grab the Grail now? It'll probably be handy for the coming fight."
"If you know where the Holy Grail is, please mention it sooner…" Mash says with a small frown.
"It was probably in that cave, so… do you think Blackbeard has it now?" Jason asks.
"Nah, Elizabeth had it, so he's probably been roped into some kind of goofy halloween sub-plot," Nobbu says.
"Halloween…? I guess it's close to October…" I say. "Wait, no it isn't! It's still August!"
"Actually, we're at about 4 AM on September first, Senpai," Mash helpfully(?) corrects me.
"Right, it's late! I want to sleep!" I shout, and then something else clicks. "Wait, you said Elizabeth? As in Elizabeth I, or Elizabeth Bathory, or someone else?"
"Bathory," Nobunaga confirms. "Apparently she was shouting about getting a swimsuit when she first stole the grail from Blackbeard, so if we're lucky she might even be an extra class right now!"
"She actually showed up in this singularity too…? She was rambling about a swimsuit when she disappeared in France, but Servants don't remember things between manifestations, right…?" I say to myself.
"Oh, Elizabeth definitely remembers everything," Nobunaga says, and I feel a dire chill come over me. "She has Eliza particles on her side, after all."
"...Another stupid particle?" My retort doesn't really have very much energy - the existential terror is far too great.
***
"Seriously, though, why is it sci-fi?" I ask as we load up into the… Space Argo, I guess. "It's got air conditioning, balance stabilizers, and - are those laser cannons?"
"You think I know?" Jason asks.
"You can't even fire them, huh? Truly amazing…" I say. "By the way, what happened to that fifty-man crew you were talking about?"
"...Everyone refused," He admits. "I think if I ask enough times in dogeza, Pollux might feel enough pity to show up, and then Castor will join too. Other than them, maybe we can get Meleager if we find Atalanta, but that's pretty much it."
"...I guess we are asking a lot of them, but seriously?" I sigh. "...So, I guess we'll pencil in 'find Atalanta' after picking up Elizabeth and the Grail."
By the way, I already asked, but just grabbing the Grail and collapsing the singularity won't actually do anything to Hercules.
"On that note, we should think about swinging by Circe's island," Rigel says. "Stede aside, I feel like Circe would have to have something to help with this mess."
"There's a leyline there too, right?" I ask. "We can probably arrange to get some Servants sent from Chaldea… but do we actually have anyone useful left for this? I guess the Azoth Longsword is an A-rank mystic code, so maybe with buffs…?"
My communicator beeps, and the director springs into view. "You can leave those considerations to me, Subaru. You should get some sleep - Mash too. That's an order."
"...Right. Thanks, Director."
***
Still, it's easy to say I should sleep. "Hey, Nobunaga, I don't suppose you've got a spare mini-nobbu lying around? I tend to prefer using a hug pillow…"
"Nope! I'd offer to substitute, but I'm probably gonna be up late scheming with Jason," She says.
"No, you've already mentioned that you're some kind of nudist when things get too casual, so that would definitely be a problem," I sigh.
"I could shapeshift away the naughty bits if you want," she shrugs. "Actually, everything from the neck down is feeling a bit Avenger-y ever since I went through Rigel's mud, so I could even turn myself into a guy if that would make you more comfortable."
I have many questions, but in the end I go with the most important retort. "No, that last option would make things way worse!"
At this point, I finally take notice of the floating blue orb pressing itself into my chest. "Ah… the feeling's appreciated, but sensing your presence while I'm sleeping would be a bit tough."
"Hm… You could ask Medea for some help?" Nobunaga suggests. "She's got a passing interest in dollcraft, I'm pretty sure."
"Really?" I wonder. "You think I should ask through Rigel, or-?"
"No. No way. You have to ask yourself with some kind of guarantee that your little fairy girl goes nowhere near him," The Archer says, making an X with both arms. "She seems like she's somewhere between the old and young versions of her right now, so I'm not entirely sure how crazy she is, but anything implicating a potential love rival would be incredibly stupid."
"R-right…"
***
By the time the Argo arrives at the nearest Leyline, Subaru and Mash are already well asleep, and it comes down to Grimr to perform the necessary setup to rayshift Asclepius back to Chaldea as David works to move the Ark of the Covenant onto the boat.
"So? What do you plan to use that material for?" The doctor asks. "Those birds of yours were fishing it out of the water the whole way here."
The sage simply smirks. "It's the flesh of an incarnated Divine Spirit. What do you think we'll be using it for? It's gonna go into anything and everything. For now, I'm sending it back with you, but supposing Da Vinci doesn't find some way to burn through it all - and she shouldn't, I think I've got close to 30% of fishface's body mass here - supposing it's still there when I get to Chaldea, I think I'll give recreating Gae Bolg a try. Or I guess it'd be Gungnir, now."
"A sea monster's bones, hm?" The god of medicine closes his eyes for a moment. "And if I see fit to use it?"
"Go for it, long as you're helping out. Your Noble Phantasm needs ingredients, right?" Grimir grins.
"Splendid." Aesclepius smirks.
***
Chaldea's medical wing is fairly sizable, having been built to care for and be operated by a significantly larger staff than the facility now contains. As a result, out of five surgical theaters and twenty patient wards, only two of the former and ten of the latter are active, the rest having been sealed off and depowered. Even then, considering the skeleton crew operating them, the medical wing ought to have been shrunk even further, but the number of wounded personnel from the bombing of Chaldea a month prior had made that impractical.
Aside from those rooms, the medical wing also contains a pharmacy, an improvised rehabilitation facility, the morgue, and a number of cold storage rooms.
-Within one said cold storage room, a doctor with fluffy red hair and a freshly rayshifted servant examine a number of large machines - the rayshift coffins belonging to Chaldea's A team.
"As a doctor, I have my doubts about this procedure," Aesclepius says, looking over the medical charts belonging to Chaldea's cryogenically preserved masters. "No, more than that, it's simply irresponsible of me to make any sort of attempt at healing the ones in these coffins without prior test cases."
"That's what I was telling her!" Romani says. "It's way too risky to try something like this-"
"Medicine cannot be advanced without sacrifices, so would you point me to which of these is the most expendable?" Aesclepius asks.
"-I'm sorry, what!?"
"That said, Daybit Sem Void's medical history is too irregular to draw conclusions from, and Akuta Hinako's medical chart is missing. We need to exclude confounding variables like Ophelia Phamrsolone's mystic eye and Kirschtaria Wodime's damaged magic circuits as well, so… " The Servant murmurs. "Very well then. Kadoc Zemlupus. Scandinavia Peperoncino. Beryl Gut. Out of these three, which one would be missed the least if the procedure goes wrong?"
Objectively speaking, the correct answer would be Kadoc. Talented though he might be, he remains undoubtedly the weakest link in the A team. Not to mention that being from a minor mage family, there wouldn't even be any real political consequence to his death.
…But, the one asked this question is Romani Archman.
With a slightly shaking hand, he pages the Director, explaining the situation to her.
"...That's pretty nasty, Romani," She says. "Out of character, too - but I guess I can excuse it this time. I trust you'll still do your best to preserve his life?"
"...Of course."
"He's the most durable of the three, in any case," Olga Marie shakes her head. "Fine then. I'll authorize it. Medical to cold storage four, please assist Dr. Archman and Aesclepius in the resuscitation of A-Team member Beryl Gut."
"Jeez, what part of 'using those things is dangerous' didn't you get?" I ask after Jason finishes explaining.
"Not to mention, now we won't get a chance to really examine the thing in detail, which is part of why I preserved it in the first place," Grimr mutters.
"It seemed like a good call at the time, okay!?" He shouts. "And it worked out! Look, I'm young, handsome, and have inexplicable sci-fi powers now!"
"It's probably Servantverse stuff…" The freshly re-capitated Nobunaga mutters something inexplicable, then moves on as if she said nothing. "Speaking of silly stuff, how about we go grab the Grail now? It'll probably be handy for the coming fight."
"If you know where the Holy Grail is, please mention it sooner…" Mash says with a small frown.
"It was probably in that cave, so… do you think Blackbeard has it now?" Jason asks.
"Nah, Elizabeth had it, so he's probably been roped into some kind of goofy halloween sub-plot," Nobbu says.
"Halloween…? I guess it's close to October…" I say. "Wait, no it isn't! It's still August!"
"Actually, we're at about 4 AM on September first, Senpai," Mash helpfully(?) corrects me.
"Right, it's late! I want to sleep!" I shout, and then something else clicks. "Wait, you said Elizabeth? As in Elizabeth I, or Elizabeth Bathory, or someone else?"
"Bathory," Nobunaga confirms. "Apparently she was shouting about getting a swimsuit when she first stole the grail from Blackbeard, so if we're lucky she might even be an extra class right now!"
"She actually showed up in this singularity too…? She was rambling about a swimsuit when she disappeared in France, but Servants don't remember things between manifestations, right…?" I say to myself.
"Oh, Elizabeth definitely remembers everything," Nobunaga says, and I feel a dire chill come over me. "She has Eliza particles on her side, after all."
"...Another stupid particle?" My retort doesn't really have very much energy - the existential terror is far too great.
***
"Seriously, though, why is it sci-fi?" I ask as we load up into the… Space Argo, I guess. "It's got air conditioning, balance stabilizers, and - are those laser cannons?"
"You think I know?" Jason asks.
"You can't even fire them, huh? Truly amazing…" I say. "By the way, what happened to that fifty-man crew you were talking about?"
"...Everyone refused," He admits. "I think if I ask enough times in dogeza, Pollux might feel enough pity to show up, and then Castor will join too. Other than them, maybe we can get Meleager if we find Atalanta, but that's pretty much it."
"...I guess we are asking a lot of them, but seriously?" I sigh. "...So, I guess we'll pencil in 'find Atalanta' after picking up Elizabeth and the Grail."
By the way, I already asked, but just grabbing the Grail and collapsing the singularity won't actually do anything to Hercules.
"On that note, we should think about swinging by Circe's island," Rigel says. "Stede aside, I feel like Circe would have to have something to help with this mess."
"There's a leyline there too, right?" I ask. "We can probably arrange to get some Servants sent from Chaldea… but do we actually have anyone useful left for this? I guess the Azoth Longsword is an A-rank mystic code, so maybe with buffs…?"
My communicator beeps, and the director springs into view. "You can leave those considerations to me, Subaru. You should get some sleep - Mash too. That's an order."
"...Right. Thanks, Director."
***
Still, it's easy to say I should sleep. "Hey, Nobunaga, I don't suppose you've got a spare mini-nobbu lying around? I tend to prefer using a hug pillow…"
"Nope! I'd offer to substitute, but I'm probably gonna be up late scheming with Jason," She says.
"No, you've already mentioned that you're some kind of nudist when things get too casual, so that would definitely be a problem," I sigh.
"I could shapeshift away the naughty bits if you want," she shrugs. "Actually, everything from the neck down is feeling a bit Avenger-y ever since I went through Rigel's mud, so I could even turn myself into a guy if that would make you more comfortable."
I have many questions, but in the end I go with the most important retort. "No, that last option would make things way worse!"
At this point, I finally take notice of the floating blue orb pressing itself into my chest. "Ah… the feeling's appreciated, but sensing your presence while I'm sleeping would be a bit tough."
"Hm… You could ask Medea for some help?" Nobunaga suggests. "She's got a passing interest in dollcraft, I'm pretty sure."
"Really?" I wonder. "You think I should ask through Rigel, or-?"
"No. No way. You have to ask yourself with some kind of guarantee that your little fairy girl goes nowhere near him," The Archer says, making an X with both arms. "She seems like she's somewhere between the old and young versions of her right now, so I'm not entirely sure how crazy she is, but anything implicating a potential love rival would be incredibly stupid."
"R-right…"
***
By the time the Argo arrives at the nearest Leyline, Subaru and Mash are already well asleep, and it comes down to Grimr to perform the necessary setup to rayshift Asclepius back to Chaldea as David works to move the Ark of the Covenant onto the boat.
"So? What do you plan to use that material for?" The doctor asks. "Those birds of yours were fishing it out of the water the whole way here."
The sage simply smirks. "It's the flesh of an incarnated Divine Spirit. What do you think we'll be using it for? It's gonna go into anything and everything. For now, I'm sending it back with you, but supposing Da Vinci doesn't find some way to burn through it all - and she shouldn't, I think I've got close to 30% of fishface's body mass here - supposing it's still there when I get to Chaldea, I think I'll give recreating Gae Bolg a try. Or I guess it'd be Gungnir, now."
"A sea monster's bones, hm?" The god of medicine closes his eyes for a moment. "And if I see fit to use it?"
"Go for it, long as you're helping out. Your Noble Phantasm needs ingredients, right?" Grimir grins.
"Splendid." Aesclepius smirks.
***
Chaldea's medical wing is fairly sizable, having been built to care for and be operated by a significantly larger staff than the facility now contains. As a result, out of five surgical theaters and twenty patient wards, only two of the former and ten of the latter are active, the rest having been sealed off and depowered. Even then, considering the skeleton crew operating them, the medical wing ought to have been shrunk even further, but the number of wounded personnel from the bombing of Chaldea a month prior had made that impractical.
Aside from those rooms, the medical wing also contains a pharmacy, an improvised rehabilitation facility, the morgue, and a number of cold storage rooms.
-Within one said cold storage room, a doctor with fluffy red hair and a freshly rayshifted servant examine a number of large machines - the rayshift coffins belonging to Chaldea's A team.
"As a doctor, I have my doubts about this procedure," Aesclepius says, looking over the medical charts belonging to Chaldea's cryogenically preserved masters. "No, more than that, it's simply irresponsible of me to make any sort of attempt at healing the ones in these coffins without prior test cases."
"That's what I was telling her!" Romani says. "It's way too risky to try something like this-"
"Medicine cannot be advanced without sacrifices, so would you point me to which of these is the most expendable?" Aesclepius asks.
"-I'm sorry, what!?"
"That said, Daybit Sem Void's medical history is too irregular to draw conclusions from, and Akuta Hinako's medical chart is missing. We need to exclude confounding variables like Ophelia Phamrsolone's mystic eye and Kirschtaria Wodime's damaged magic circuits as well, so… " The Servant murmurs. "Very well then. Kadoc Zemlupus. Scandinavia Peperoncino. Beryl Gut. Out of these three, which one would be missed the least if the procedure goes wrong?"
Objectively speaking, the correct answer would be Kadoc. Talented though he might be, he remains undoubtedly the weakest link in the A team. Not to mention that being from a minor mage family, there wouldn't even be any real political consequence to his death.
…But, the one asked this question is Romani Archman.
With a slightly shaking hand, he pages the Director, explaining the situation to her.
"...That's pretty nasty, Romani," She says. "Out of character, too - but I guess I can excuse it this time. I trust you'll still do your best to preserve his life?"
"...Of course."
"He's the most durable of the three, in any case," Olga Marie shakes her head. "Fine then. I'll authorize it. Medical to cold storage four, please assist Dr. Archman and Aesclepius in the resuscitation of A-Team member Beryl Gut."
Lol. Lmao.
Actually, I don't need your money very much.
However, I am living within close enough proximity to the areas affected by Hurricane Helene to have strongly considered going to volunteer with the disaster relief efforts. One of the conditions I set for myself as an excuse not to do so was to use what little platform I have to try and raise awareness.
If you have money that you want to throw at me for writing this, please send it to one of the many disaster relief charities working in that area instead.
Thank you.
However, I am living within close enough proximity to the areas affected by Hurricane Helene to have strongly considered going to volunteer with the disaster relief efforts. One of the conditions I set for myself as an excuse not to do so was to use what little platform I have to try and raise awareness.
If you have money that you want to throw at me for writing this, please send it to one of the many disaster relief charities working in that area instead.
Thank you.
thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
Oh god. Please let him live. Please please please please. Please, more Beryl. I am starved and you dangle the fruit of life over my head. I am emaciated and you taunt me with the smell of roasted meat. I am the man lost in the desert tantalized by a bottle of cold water. You are an evil, evil man for doing this to me.
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere North of south
There goes best girl always trying to save the subordinates who she thinks hate her!
Beryl is waking up huh, this can only get well after all Subaru has an excellent history with psycho's!
Beryl is waking up huh, this can only get well after all Subaru has an excellent history with psycho's!
134: Ominous Conversations
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
134: Ominous conversations
I blink a few times as I take in the familiar scenery of Rigel's reality marble again.
"I sorta expected the dreams were over at this point," I admit. "I guess this means it wasn't Echidna that set this up?
He shakes his head as he takes a seat on the hillside. "I don't know how much of it is our connection from being the same person and how much is the normal dream cycle, but it'll probably stick around as long as I do."
"About that-" I start.
"Let's not get into what happens after we beat Hercules for now," He says. "I've still got to talk some stuff over with Medea, so just be patient, okay?"
"...Got it," I say, looking away from him. "Since we've got time, is there anything you wanna talk about?"
"We could rehash the different paths each other took, I guess. Might learn something interesting," He suggests. "...But, on second thought, everything I hear about your route through things makes me depressed, so let's not for now."
"-Then, what about the other question relating to you and me. 'How many more Natsuki Subarus are we gonna have to deal with?'" I ask.
"That's a scary question!" Rigel shouts.
"Right!? One surprise sibling was enough of a pain in the ass!" I say with a huff.
"-But, I've got some recollection of the Demon Pillars yapping about it that I inherited from Zepar. There was one other pillar, Phenex, who was investigating us, in the Roman singularity - and Raum said he would be investigating the other world directly," Rigel says.
"I know I'm not one to talk, but shouldn't you be more proactive about sharing important stuff like this!?" I say.
"I'm getting to it, okay? All the talk while we were awake was focused on the fight with Hercules."
"You're not wrong, but…!"
"I don't know the details, but Phenex's intervention also caused a Beast to emerge - it could be unrelated to him investigating us, but if he went the same kind of route as Zepar…" Rigel trails off.
"Well, it might be a different scenario than with you, right? There's gotta be other divergence points in our personal history, and the whole 'slinging cursed mud all over the place' gimmick isn't even native to our skillset," I give some tentative excuses.
"I feel like, for better or worse, if there's another version of us somewhere, he's going to make a big impact," Rigel says. "Not to get a big head or anything, but…"
"No, you're right." If only because of Return by Death, Natsuki Subaru is fated to be someone who impacts the course of history.
"...Unless it's some version of us that just eloped with Rem and lived happily ever after," he says after a moment's thought.
"What the hell? I'll blow him away," I say, clenching a fist.
"But putting aside our natural enemy, the 'Happily Ever After' Subaru who must be punched at all costs," Rigel says, "Can you think of any other potential divergence points?"
"...Maybe finding someone else to help fight Elsa, in the capital? I can't see that being such a big divergence, though," I say. "In the worst case, he's best friends with Julius - no, I take it back, that's horrifying."
Rigel rolls his eyes and sighs. "Jokes aside, there's the mansion loop too…"
"What, we bail out for real and end up running a business with Otto?" I muse. "Again, he doesn't really have a reason to fight us. No matter how I think about it, you've gotta be the exception as far as alternate Subarus go."
"...In Priestella, there were a couple of times I avoided Gluttony by the skin of my teeth," He says.
"Ah, there's a high-risk scenario," I nod. "As far as losing memories go - I actually got those eaten at one point, and they left me with all of my Earth memory intact, so I think they can't create a complete Amnesiabaru." It's still a big problem, though. "But if they got my name… I'm suddenly some strange guy who smells like the witch and knows everyone's secrets…"
"No, I was talking about the memories," He says. "To start with, I think the ability to smell the Witch was something unique to just a few people - Rem was asleep, Ryuzu Shima didn't show up after the Sanctuary, and we already beat Clind by that point. Keeping in mind that Gluttony was a known factor, it probably wouldn't be that hard to explain ourselves."
"Wait, you fought Clind…?" Why the heck did that- oh right, he was probably recognized as a bad influence on Emilia-tan. That'd do it. "Beatrice detected it before, too… but if Julius's situation is anything to go off of, we'd retain some kind of connection even with her memory of me gone. Since Beako is a perfect angel, it'd have to work out, right?"
"Don't tell me you dodged the Clind fight!?" He shouts. "That was a whole nightmare in its own right, and it just didn't happen for you…?"
I can't really say anything to that, so I just shrug. "-But, returning to the memory loss… that's gotta be the most worrisome. Because, in the Watchtower, I almost did something unforgivable."
"The Pleiades Watchtower… that's what you're talking about, right? Echidna stopped me from going there - she said I had no way of overcoming it no matter how hard I tried."
"How much of that was just self preservation since that's where Satella is sealed and how much was honest worry - I can't really guess," I say. "I had a real tough time, and you would probably have it even worse, since you'd be wading through a mountain of books."
"?" He looks at me in confusion.
"Anytime someone dies in that world, a book recording their life will appear. Finding my own books turned out to be the key to recovering my memories, but for you the number of books would have been crazy." I explain.
"Wait, are all of your memories just secondhand stuff you've read, then?"
"No, it was more like 'you read it and then the memories are beamed straight into your head'. I almost became Meili, at one point," I say.
"You went back and saved her, right!?"
"Obviously," I reply. "But, before that, I had a notion - just a simple idea that I was able to put behind me really fast. 'Everyone else knows me, the me that was here before I lost my memories. If I read all of their books, maybe I can piece together some imitation of who [Natsuki Subaru] was.'"
"..."
"If there's some version of me out there, who went down that path, devouring our friends' lives like a Gluttony Archbishop… He would be the worst of all," I conclude, and a moment of silence follows.
"Well… that's just a hypothetical, though!" I put a brave face on. "Getting back to the thing you were talking about before - is there anything else you heard from Zepar?"
"Yeah. Like I said, Phenex made a Beast appear in Rome - and in addition to that, Bifrons created one more or less on purpose in Jerusalem," He says. "That's most of what I got, except… apparently something happened six years ago, and it's a really big deal. Like, 'the Demon Pillars are screwed if they don't do something about it' big."
"...Six years, huh?" I mutter. "That'd be 2009…"
"Do you know something?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Probably not," I shake my head. I know someone who that year is important to, but… "That girl isn't important in the larger scheme of things, and as far as you and I go, the only significant thing would be the neighborhood play group imploding."
"There's not a chance in hell that that's plot relevant, get over yourself," Rigel deadpans.
"...Still, more Beasts, huh?" I look up at a false blue sky. "Hey, Hercules said he was going to attack them, so do you think they'll lend us a hand?"
"Not a chance."
***
Locusta
Crank presence concealment to its very maximum… Slowly, slowly… let's get a good vantage point!~
Fi~nally, edging forward carefully like a mushroom sprouting from the earth, I look at the man standing at this coastal mountain's peak, overlooking a short strait of water, beyond which a second mountain island is visible.
There he is. That's Hercules, alright! I can feel it from him, and… I can also feel, he's totally immune to poison, isn't he!? Blech.
"Another observer?" He asks, and I freeze. M-maybe he's talking to someone else? "Come out."
Ju~st… stay motionless. Like a mushroom.
"I'm talking to you, that girl in purple there."
"Geh," I blurt despite myself. Why me!?
"Rats shall scurry where they will," Another deep voice suggests, and for the first time, I notice the other presences atop this rock. To one side, a strange black shadow with three blazing red eyes drawn upon it. To the other, a man with long black hair and tattoos covering his body lounges upon a throne, raises a wine glass full of something pink and sludgy towards a snake sprouting from his left shoulder, and then offers it to the one on his right, before finally continuing his thought. "My destined foe, you should not concern yourself with the presence of the weak. This Ahriman forbids it."
"I-I'm not weak!" I shout, springing to my feet. "I was sent here by the Princeps herself, and don't you doubt that I have a hundred and one different ways of poisoning you!"
The self-proclaimed Ahriman scoffs, looking down his nose at me. "How useless."
The black shadow with burning eyes does not react in the slightest, hovering with total motionlessness.
"So?" Hercules asks. "Which one are you the representative of?"
"VI/S," says Ahriman dully. "And so, all of the observers have arrived. Beasts I and VI/G shall observe from afar. IV and VII accompany the Chaldeans directly. And of course, this Ahriman has already informed you of his own nature, and that of the shadow over there."
Oh. So this is a whole Beast fight watch party, huh?
WHO DECIDED SENDING ME WAS A GOOD PLAN!? I'm gonna die! I'm super duper gonna die! Even putting aside that all these guys are terrifying, what am I gonna do if Hercules finds out I harvested that hydra venom earlier!? "O-on second thou~ght, I'm gonna m-make like a mushroom and mycel-leave~!"
Lady Nero would never risk me like this! She loves me! Someone had to be whispering poison in her ear, in which case-! "That damn Purge King!" I hiss under my breath as I back away "I'm gonna poison him! I'll feed him so many mushrooms his brains'll ooze out!"
"Such a pathetic creature…" Ahriman sneers at me. "Should this Ahriman put some use to its brains? Even if this body is just that of a familiar, it should suffice."
"A-ah, you mean the Purge King, ri~ght?" I mentioned brains, so surely those snakes looking so hungrily at my head is a coincidence! The pink slurry in that cup of his is just some fruit juice, right?
"She's free to leave if she wishes - just as you may observe for as long as you like," Hercules says, and Ahriman gives a chuckle, reclining in his throne. "As those watching shall soon see… it will make no difference."
I blink a few times as I take in the familiar scenery of Rigel's reality marble again.
"I sorta expected the dreams were over at this point," I admit. "I guess this means it wasn't Echidna that set this up?
He shakes his head as he takes a seat on the hillside. "I don't know how much of it is our connection from being the same person and how much is the normal dream cycle, but it'll probably stick around as long as I do."
"About that-" I start.
"Let's not get into what happens after we beat Hercules for now," He says. "I've still got to talk some stuff over with Medea, so just be patient, okay?"
"...Got it," I say, looking away from him. "Since we've got time, is there anything you wanna talk about?"
"We could rehash the different paths each other took, I guess. Might learn something interesting," He suggests. "...But, on second thought, everything I hear about your route through things makes me depressed, so let's not for now."
"-Then, what about the other question relating to you and me. 'How many more Natsuki Subarus are we gonna have to deal with?'" I ask.
"That's a scary question!" Rigel shouts.
"Right!? One surprise sibling was enough of a pain in the ass!" I say with a huff.
"-But, I've got some recollection of the Demon Pillars yapping about it that I inherited from Zepar. There was one other pillar, Phenex, who was investigating us, in the Roman singularity - and Raum said he would be investigating the other world directly," Rigel says.
"I know I'm not one to talk, but shouldn't you be more proactive about sharing important stuff like this!?" I say.
"I'm getting to it, okay? All the talk while we were awake was focused on the fight with Hercules."
"You're not wrong, but…!"
"I don't know the details, but Phenex's intervention also caused a Beast to emerge - it could be unrelated to him investigating us, but if he went the same kind of route as Zepar…" Rigel trails off.
"Well, it might be a different scenario than with you, right? There's gotta be other divergence points in our personal history, and the whole 'slinging cursed mud all over the place' gimmick isn't even native to our skillset," I give some tentative excuses.
"I feel like, for better or worse, if there's another version of us somewhere, he's going to make a big impact," Rigel says. "Not to get a big head or anything, but…"
"No, you're right." If only because of Return by Death, Natsuki Subaru is fated to be someone who impacts the course of history.
"...Unless it's some version of us that just eloped with Rem and lived happily ever after," he says after a moment's thought.
"What the hell? I'll blow him away," I say, clenching a fist.
"But putting aside our natural enemy, the 'Happily Ever After' Subaru who must be punched at all costs," Rigel says, "Can you think of any other potential divergence points?"
"...Maybe finding someone else to help fight Elsa, in the capital? I can't see that being such a big divergence, though," I say. "In the worst case, he's best friends with Julius - no, I take it back, that's horrifying."
Rigel rolls his eyes and sighs. "Jokes aside, there's the mansion loop too…"
"What, we bail out for real and end up running a business with Otto?" I muse. "Again, he doesn't really have a reason to fight us. No matter how I think about it, you've gotta be the exception as far as alternate Subarus go."
"...In Priestella, there were a couple of times I avoided Gluttony by the skin of my teeth," He says.
"Ah, there's a high-risk scenario," I nod. "As far as losing memories go - I actually got those eaten at one point, and they left me with all of my Earth memory intact, so I think they can't create a complete Amnesiabaru." It's still a big problem, though. "But if they got my name… I'm suddenly some strange guy who smells like the witch and knows everyone's secrets…"
"No, I was talking about the memories," He says. "To start with, I think the ability to smell the Witch was something unique to just a few people - Rem was asleep, Ryuzu Shima didn't show up after the Sanctuary, and we already beat Clind by that point. Keeping in mind that Gluttony was a known factor, it probably wouldn't be that hard to explain ourselves."
"Wait, you fought Clind…?" Why the heck did that- oh right, he was probably recognized as a bad influence on Emilia-tan. That'd do it. "Beatrice detected it before, too… but if Julius's situation is anything to go off of, we'd retain some kind of connection even with her memory of me gone. Since Beako is a perfect angel, it'd have to work out, right?"
"Don't tell me you dodged the Clind fight!?" He shouts. "That was a whole nightmare in its own right, and it just didn't happen for you…?"
I can't really say anything to that, so I just shrug. "-But, returning to the memory loss… that's gotta be the most worrisome. Because, in the Watchtower, I almost did something unforgivable."
"The Pleiades Watchtower… that's what you're talking about, right? Echidna stopped me from going there - she said I had no way of overcoming it no matter how hard I tried."
"How much of that was just self preservation since that's where Satella is sealed and how much was honest worry - I can't really guess," I say. "I had a real tough time, and you would probably have it even worse, since you'd be wading through a mountain of books."
"?" He looks at me in confusion.
"Anytime someone dies in that world, a book recording their life will appear. Finding my own books turned out to be the key to recovering my memories, but for you the number of books would have been crazy." I explain.
"Wait, are all of your memories just secondhand stuff you've read, then?"
"No, it was more like 'you read it and then the memories are beamed straight into your head'. I almost became Meili, at one point," I say.
"You went back and saved her, right!?"
"Obviously," I reply. "But, before that, I had a notion - just a simple idea that I was able to put behind me really fast. 'Everyone else knows me, the me that was here before I lost my memories. If I read all of their books, maybe I can piece together some imitation of who [Natsuki Subaru] was.'"
"..."
"If there's some version of me out there, who went down that path, devouring our friends' lives like a Gluttony Archbishop… He would be the worst of all," I conclude, and a moment of silence follows.
"Well… that's just a hypothetical, though!" I put a brave face on. "Getting back to the thing you were talking about before - is there anything else you heard from Zepar?"
"Yeah. Like I said, Phenex made a Beast appear in Rome - and in addition to that, Bifrons created one more or less on purpose in Jerusalem," He says. "That's most of what I got, except… apparently something happened six years ago, and it's a really big deal. Like, 'the Demon Pillars are screwed if they don't do something about it' big."
"...Six years, huh?" I mutter. "That'd be 2009…"
"Do you know something?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Probably not," I shake my head. I know someone who that year is important to, but… "That girl isn't important in the larger scheme of things, and as far as you and I go, the only significant thing would be the neighborhood play group imploding."
"There's not a chance in hell that that's plot relevant, get over yourself," Rigel deadpans.
"...Still, more Beasts, huh?" I look up at a false blue sky. "Hey, Hercules said he was going to attack them, so do you think they'll lend us a hand?"
"Not a chance."
***
Locusta
Crank presence concealment to its very maximum… Slowly, slowly… let's get a good vantage point!~
Fi~nally, edging forward carefully like a mushroom sprouting from the earth, I look at the man standing at this coastal mountain's peak, overlooking a short strait of water, beyond which a second mountain island is visible.
There he is. That's Hercules, alright! I can feel it from him, and… I can also feel, he's totally immune to poison, isn't he!? Blech.
"Another observer?" He asks, and I freeze. M-maybe he's talking to someone else? "Come out."
Ju~st… stay motionless. Like a mushroom.
"I'm talking to you, that girl in purple there."
"Geh," I blurt despite myself. Why me!?
"Rats shall scurry where they will," Another deep voice suggests, and for the first time, I notice the other presences atop this rock. To one side, a strange black shadow with three blazing red eyes drawn upon it. To the other, a man with long black hair and tattoos covering his body lounges upon a throne, raises a wine glass full of something pink and sludgy towards a snake sprouting from his left shoulder, and then offers it to the one on his right, before finally continuing his thought. "My destined foe, you should not concern yourself with the presence of the weak. This Ahriman forbids it."
"I-I'm not weak!" I shout, springing to my feet. "I was sent here by the Princeps herself, and don't you doubt that I have a hundred and one different ways of poisoning you!"
The self-proclaimed Ahriman scoffs, looking down his nose at me. "How useless."
The black shadow with burning eyes does not react in the slightest, hovering with total motionlessness.
"So?" Hercules asks. "Which one are you the representative of?"
"VI/S," says Ahriman dully. "And so, all of the observers have arrived. Beasts I and VI/G shall observe from afar. IV and VII accompany the Chaldeans directly. And of course, this Ahriman has already informed you of his own nature, and that of the shadow over there."
Oh. So this is a whole Beast fight watch party, huh?
WHO DECIDED SENDING ME WAS A GOOD PLAN!? I'm gonna die! I'm super duper gonna die! Even putting aside that all these guys are terrifying, what am I gonna do if Hercules finds out I harvested that hydra venom earlier!? "O-on second thou~ght, I'm gonna m-make like a mushroom and mycel-leave~!"
Lady Nero would never risk me like this! She loves me! Someone had to be whispering poison in her ear, in which case-! "That damn Purge King!" I hiss under my breath as I back away "I'm gonna poison him! I'll feed him so many mushrooms his brains'll ooze out!"
"Such a pathetic creature…" Ahriman sneers at me. "Should this Ahriman put some use to its brains? Even if this body is just that of a familiar, it should suffice."
"A-ah, you mean the Purge King, ri~ght?" I mentioned brains, so surely those snakes looking so hungrily at my head is a coincidence! The pink slurry in that cup of his is just some fruit juice, right?
"She's free to leave if she wishes - just as you may observe for as long as you like," Hercules says, and Ahriman gives a chuckle, reclining in his throne. "As those watching shall soon see… it will make no difference."
It's a foreshadowing chapter this time.
Subaru: "Surely nothing bad could happen with alternates from the first two arcs" <-Clueless
Slight jab at the cluster of Re:Zero fics around the "Re:Forgotten" idea in this chapter. Apologies to anyone who has written/enjoyed those stories, but they tend to strain my suspension of disbelief way too hard unless basically the entire cast is possessed by Arc 2 Rem and/or Felix AND Subaru has gotten brain damage AND Satella is picking reset points aggressively to cause problems.
By the way, I don't tend to imagine specific voice actors for characters, but Ahriman is 100% voiced by Koyasu Takehito.
Subaru: "Surely nothing bad could happen with alternates from the first two arcs" <-Clueless
Slight jab at the cluster of Re:Zero fics around the "Re:Forgotten" idea in this chapter. Apologies to anyone who has written/enjoyed those stories, but they tend to strain my suspension of disbelief way too hard unless basically the entire cast is possessed by Arc 2 Rem and/or Felix AND Subaru has gotten brain damage AND Satella is picking reset points aggressively to cause problems.
By the way, I don't tend to imagine specific voice actors for characters, but Ahriman is 100% voiced by Koyasu Takehito.
Actually, I don't need your money very much.
However, I am living within close enough proximity to the areas affected by Hurricane Helene to have strongly considered going to volunteer with the disaster relief efforts. One of the conditions I set for myself as an excuse not to do so was to use what little platform I have to try and raise awareness.
If you have money that you want to throw at me for writing this, please send it to one of the many disaster relief charities working in that area instead.
Thank you.
However, I am living within close enough proximity to the areas affected by Hurricane Helene to have strongly considered going to volunteer with the disaster relief efforts. One of the conditions I set for myself as an excuse not to do so was to use what little platform I have to try and raise awareness.
If you have money that you want to throw at me for writing this, please send it to one of the many disaster relief charities working in that area instead.
Thank you.
Last edited:
- Location
- Earth: Universe Meta - 1
Uhh, this is more her deciding that the answer to "You must use X unique ways to kill Hearcles" is to throw more bodies at him.
Remember, Beryl is "alive" and not tortured to death because and DaVinci couldn't get away with killing a member of A team.
There are all sorts of ways this could go wrong. Beryl could die. He could be crippled, missing certain senses, limbs, memories, or magic circuits. He could even be otherwise fine, but always in a state of horrific pain. For most people, Romani would feel terrible about that. Since it's Beryl, some deep dark part of Romani hopes for that last one.
To be fair to Romani, Beryl is an idiot. Actively making your doctor hate you is always dumb. Making DaVinci hate you is suicidal.
AmusedOracle
Sleepyhearted Hierophant.
- Location
- The Empty Path.
Man, if Beast!Subaru exists, I hope it's Pride. The sheer horror of Envy!If Subaru upon seeing that will be hilarious.
Unrelatedly, I really hope Rigel becomes a main character after this. He won't, there are too many reasons both Doylist and Watsonian as to why he won't, but it'd be nice.
Unrelatedly, I really hope Rigel becomes a main character after this. He won't, there are too many reasons both Doylist and Watsonian as to why he won't, but it'd be nice.
- Location
- Somewhere North of south
I was talking about Olga-Marie Animusphere, whose final call it was in addition to it being her call to proceed with this in the first place.
And yeah, this procedure could go horribly wrong and cause pain/death/torture, but that's true all almost all medical procedures IRL as well.
- Location
- Earth: Universe Meta - 1
So was I. That's what my first line was about.
The medical procedure were talking about is so experimental they're practically making it up as they go along. Which is why she made the comment "...That's pretty nasty, Romani."
Amusphere knows why he chose Beryl, but is willing to go along with it. I don't see how that's her trying to save a subordinate, as much as her seeing a useful resource.
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
There's a strong part of me that would love to have Rigel as a permanent cast member, but...
Frankly, writing around two Return by Deaths for the rest of the story would be a fucking nightmare, and I really really don't want to do that to myself.
Yeah, considering his personality, this is about as close as Romani can really get to outright premeditated murder, and Olga knows that.
AmusedOracle
Sleepyhearted Hierophant.
- Location
- The Empty Path.
I'm sure there are a few ways to cheese that, considering your proficiency in this sort of esoterica, but Rigel causes a few other narrative issues regardless, sadly. I hope he at least makes some appearances later on in the story, but I'll take whatever is on the chef's menu.
- Location
- Somewhere North of south
Then what was that whole bit about Da Vinci? And yeah it's an experimental medical procedure that could go wrong but needs to be done. Unless you think Hospitals exist to restore useful resources rather than save people it's effectively the same thing.
Hell, one could argue that Team A is getting access to the best medical treatment currently available to Mainkind under the circumstances XD.
135: Let's Split up, Gang!
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
135: Let's Split up, Gang!
Waking up comes easily enough. I blink the last remnants of sleep from my eyes, sitting up in the first proper bed I've had these past four days.
The Space Argo seems to be bigger on the inside, unlike the original, with numerous personal cabins for the occupants. More than that, there's some kind of sci-fi stabilization going on, so cots aren't necessary, and I finally get a real bed to sleep on - though, of course, there's part of my Japanese soul that still yearns for a futon. All that said, the room is still absolutely laden with gaudy golden plating that reduces any possible aesthetic value it might have had to zero.
As I sit up, a small, plush form clings to my neck, and reaching up, I gently lower the doll containing Rem's consciousness - never mind the fact that it's clearly a Jason doll with its hair lazily died blue - I gently lower Rem to the mattress, placing her in front of me. The doll still retains the insufferable smug smirk that it had before its repurposing, but the voice that emenates from it is gentle and soothing.
"Good morning, Subaru-kun," She says, and already I have to choke back some tears.
"Y-yeah. Good morning, Rem!" I force out as I close my eyes for a moment. Gently, the doll's hand rests on mine, and I manage to get my breathing under control again. "...Sorry again for asking you to do this."
"No," She says, shaking her head. "All that has to be said here is 'thank you for the service'."
A wry chuckle escapes my lips. "...But, even so. This was cruel of me. Sorry."
Wordlessly, she leans her head against me, and I let silence fall over me as I enjoy this peaceful moment for all it's worth.
"...By the way, Subaru-kun, your Rem has been doing her best to stay calm, but what exactly is even going on?" She finally asks.
Uh-oh. "…Um, do you mean with Rigel and all, our current plans, or…?"
"All of it. My last clear memory is fighting Gluttony and Greed on the road to the capital - and then the next thing I knew…" She trails off, looking at her stubby plush arms. "Strange magic, baffling Divine Protections… and judging from the amount of water I've seen thus far, are we perhaps past the Great Waterfall right now?"
"In a… manner of speaking." I say as the enormity of the task becomes clear to me. "I feel like I'd need a flowchart to even start explaining…"
"I don't understand, but I believe in you, Subaru-kun!" She says.
***
As I finish the most barebones explanation I can give, the face of the doll (still fixed in that ridiculous smirk) slowly turns downward. "...Subaru-kun, your world is confusing."
"If you said that to me before the return trip, I'd say yours is way worse, but all the secret supernatural stuff I didn't know about is way too wild!"
"No, even more importantly, Subaru-kun… was from another world?" She seems to vibrate with a strange confusion and distress.
"Well, I talked it over with my parents, and even if I can't find some way to regularly go between worlds, I have their approval to go back to yours," I say. "And I… I think I have to go back, at this point. So, don't worry, we should be able to get your body back, at some point."
"Um, more importantly, Rem was wondering…" Getting your body back is important, though!? "B-biological differences! Subaru-kun, you're another species technically, so we should probably check if there are biological differences between our two worlds…"
Well, if there was anything extreme, I would have noticed. "Girls have a super low body weight for some reason over there," I note, though. "I threw Nee-sama that one time; a girl on Earth would have been way tougher. Carrying Beako around too."
"Rem meant… compatibility…" She mutters something I can't quite hear. "Also, Mother and Father - er, Subaru-kun's parents, that is. Rem would like to… meet them… while we're here."
"Y-yeah. Um, after we're done with the whole… making them not incinerated thing. I-I'll take you to m-m-meet them," I stammer as my face goes redder and redder.
***
"So, without further ado, let this meeting of the threestrategists ... begin!" Nobbu shouts, slamming her rubber mallet on the table.
"Rigel's here now, though, so shouldn't it be four…?" I note.
"He's our d'Artagnan," She says simply, as if that explains anything.
"I have no idea who that is," I deadpan.
"The fourth musketeer from the book 'The Three Musketeers'," says Rigel, and then in response to my look of shock and bafflement, he continues, "Stede had it in his ship's library, somehow. Despite it being printed after his death."
"Getting us back on track," says Jason, "we're pretty short on time and there's way too many people we still need to pick up before the fight, so I'm going to motion that we split up a bit."
"Makes sense to me," Rigel nods. "Even with its flashy upgrade, the Argo is still way slower than most of our other transportation options. Heck, Medea can teleport, so she and I should really head over to talk with Circe and Stede as soon as possible. I kind of… left things on a bad note there, so it might take a bit to convince them."
"...Speaking of Medea, what's her actual stance on this fight?" I ask. I know how Jason wound up coming over, and Aesclepius is insisting he's neutral, but the witch's motivations are still up in the air last I heard.
"Th-that's… a little complicated," Rigel says. "I'll tell you about it later."
"Is that an actual promise to tell me later, or is it that thing you and I do where we say we're going to talk about it and then put it off indefinitely?" I ask, and he falls tellingly silent.
"She's not gonna betray us last minute, is she?" Jason grimaces.
"No, nothing like that," The Alter Ego shakes his head.
"Well, it was secret romantic talk that they wouldn't want anyone else to hear, so it can't be helped," Nobunaga says. Hey, how did you know what kind of talk it was? Were you eavesdropping? "Anyway, Subaru and I can probably go pick up Elly together, and then you can take the boat and everyone else to go find Atalanta."
"Hang on, why are we splitting off with just the two of us?" I ask.
"I mean, I can only carry one person while flying on a gun," She says matter-of-factly, and I go pale.
"No way! Not happening! That's scary! Hey, Jason, this funky sci-fi ship splits up into small transforming robot components, right? Can't you just lend us one…?" I say with increasing desperation.
"Like I know," He shrugs with a wide grin. "Good luck up there, mister ace pilot!"
"What the hell did I do to deserve that kind of attitude from you!?"
Giving a wry smile, he raises his hands and begins to count. "Punched me. Punched me. Choked me. Punched me. Kicked me. Said I was ugly…"
Ah, come to think of it, I have been pretty rude to him, huh? "S-sorry…"
"Hm? I'm not upset. I'm choosing to be the bigger man, after all," He smirks. "So, like I said, have fun up there! Take pictures!"
"You're definitely holding a grudge!"
"Putting aside Subaru's glorious future as an ace pilot," Jason says. "I'll be getting Grimr to help me look for Atalanta and Hector. They should both be around."
"Right, you mentioned him before - one of the greatest heroes of the Trojan war, right?" I say. "He gave the grail to Blackbeard, so-
"Ah, we never actually ran into anyone like that when we were fighting Blackbeard," Rigel says. "Maybe Reid killed him and took it, and then ran into Blackbeard by coincidence?"
"That guy just keeps causing problems, huh!?" I groan.
"...Well, considering it's Hector, he might have just handed it over for free and now he's slacking off somewhere," Nobunaga notes.
"...I've been meaning to ask, what's with you recognizing almost everyone on sight, all the way down to the personality level?" Rigel asks the girl.
"Actually, she's the third member of our very exclusive club!" I say, gesturing to both him and myself.
"How do you do, fellow Isekaijin?" She asks, and then pauses. "...You know, considering Jason has fused with his Servantverse self, that might just be all four of us now?"
"Anyway, she's from an alternate version of Chaldea that's further along the timeline, but she wasn't paying attention for a lot of it, so a lot of her info has been useless," I explain.
"That's… so stupid…" Rigel mutters. "All this time… all that difficulty… and she was some kind of joke character? That's… so stupid…"
Waking up comes easily enough. I blink the last remnants of sleep from my eyes, sitting up in the first proper bed I've had these past four days.
The Space Argo seems to be bigger on the inside, unlike the original, with numerous personal cabins for the occupants. More than that, there's some kind of sci-fi stabilization going on, so cots aren't necessary, and I finally get a real bed to sleep on - though, of course, there's part of my Japanese soul that still yearns for a futon. All that said, the room is still absolutely laden with gaudy golden plating that reduces any possible aesthetic value it might have had to zero.
As I sit up, a small, plush form clings to my neck, and reaching up, I gently lower the doll containing Rem's consciousness - never mind the fact that it's clearly a Jason doll with its hair lazily died blue - I gently lower Rem to the mattress, placing her in front of me. The doll still retains the insufferable smug smirk that it had before its repurposing, but the voice that emenates from it is gentle and soothing.
"Good morning, Subaru-kun," She says, and already I have to choke back some tears.
"Y-yeah. Good morning, Rem!" I force out as I close my eyes for a moment. Gently, the doll's hand rests on mine, and I manage to get my breathing under control again. "...Sorry again for asking you to do this."
"No," She says, shaking her head. "All that has to be said here is 'thank you for the service'."
A wry chuckle escapes my lips. "...But, even so. This was cruel of me. Sorry."
Wordlessly, she leans her head against me, and I let silence fall over me as I enjoy this peaceful moment for all it's worth.
"...By the way, Subaru-kun, your Rem has been doing her best to stay calm, but what exactly is even going on?" She finally asks.
Uh-oh. "…Um, do you mean with Rigel and all, our current plans, or…?"
"All of it. My last clear memory is fighting Gluttony and Greed on the road to the capital - and then the next thing I knew…" She trails off, looking at her stubby plush arms. "Strange magic, baffling Divine Protections… and judging from the amount of water I've seen thus far, are we perhaps past the Great Waterfall right now?"
"In a… manner of speaking." I say as the enormity of the task becomes clear to me. "I feel like I'd need a flowchart to even start explaining…"
"I don't understand, but I believe in you, Subaru-kun!" She says.
***
As I finish the most barebones explanation I can give, the face of the doll (still fixed in that ridiculous smirk) slowly turns downward. "...Subaru-kun, your world is confusing."
"If you said that to me before the return trip, I'd say yours is way worse, but all the secret supernatural stuff I didn't know about is way too wild!"
"No, even more importantly, Subaru-kun… was from another world?" She seems to vibrate with a strange confusion and distress.
"Well, I talked it over with my parents, and even if I can't find some way to regularly go between worlds, I have their approval to go back to yours," I say. "And I… I think I have to go back, at this point. So, don't worry, we should be able to get your body back, at some point."
"Um, more importantly, Rem was wondering…" Getting your body back is important, though!? "B-biological differences! Subaru-kun, you're another species technically, so we should probably check if there are biological differences between our two worlds…"
Well, if there was anything extreme, I would have noticed. "Girls have a super low body weight for some reason over there," I note, though. "I threw Nee-sama that one time; a girl on Earth would have been way tougher. Carrying Beako around too."
"Rem meant… compatibility…" She mutters something I can't quite hear. "Also, Mother and Father - er, Subaru-kun's parents, that is. Rem would like to… meet them… while we're here."
"Y-yeah. Um, after we're done with the whole… making them not incinerated thing. I-I'll take you to m-m-meet them," I stammer as my face goes redder and redder.
***
"So, without further ado, let this meeting of the three
"Rigel's here now, though, so shouldn't it be four…?" I note.
"He's our d'Artagnan," She says simply, as if that explains anything.
"I have no idea who that is," I deadpan.
"The fourth musketeer from the book 'The Three Musketeers'," says Rigel, and then in response to my look of shock and bafflement, he continues, "Stede had it in his ship's library, somehow. Despite it being printed after his death."
"Getting us back on track," says Jason, "we're pretty short on time and there's way too many people we still need to pick up before the fight, so I'm going to motion that we split up a bit."
"Makes sense to me," Rigel nods. "Even with its flashy upgrade, the Argo is still way slower than most of our other transportation options. Heck, Medea can teleport, so she and I should really head over to talk with Circe and Stede as soon as possible. I kind of… left things on a bad note there, so it might take a bit to convince them."
"...Speaking of Medea, what's her actual stance on this fight?" I ask. I know how Jason wound up coming over, and Aesclepius is insisting he's neutral, but the witch's motivations are still up in the air last I heard.
"Th-that's… a little complicated," Rigel says. "I'll tell you about it later."
"Is that an actual promise to tell me later, or is it that thing you and I do where we say we're going to talk about it and then put it off indefinitely?" I ask, and he falls tellingly silent.
"She's not gonna betray us last minute, is she?" Jason grimaces.
"No, nothing like that," The Alter Ego shakes his head.
"Well, it was secret romantic talk that they wouldn't want anyone else to hear, so it can't be helped," Nobunaga says. Hey, how did you know what kind of talk it was? Were you eavesdropping? "Anyway, Subaru and I can probably go pick up Elly together, and then you can take the boat and everyone else to go find Atalanta."
"Hang on, why are we splitting off with just the two of us?" I ask.
"I mean, I can only carry one person while flying on a gun," She says matter-of-factly, and I go pale.
"No way! Not happening! That's scary! Hey, Jason, this funky sci-fi ship splits up into small transforming robot components, right? Can't you just lend us one…?" I say with increasing desperation.
"Like I know," He shrugs with a wide grin. "Good luck up there, mister ace pilot!"
"What the hell did I do to deserve that kind of attitude from you!?"
Giving a wry smile, he raises his hands and begins to count. "Punched me. Punched me. Choked me. Punched me. Kicked me. Said I was ugly…"
Ah, come to think of it, I have been pretty rude to him, huh? "S-sorry…"
"Hm? I'm not upset. I'm choosing to be the bigger man, after all," He smirks. "So, like I said, have fun up there! Take pictures!"
"You're definitely holding a grudge!"
"Putting aside Subaru's glorious future as an ace pilot," Jason says. "I'll be getting Grimr to help me look for Atalanta and Hector. They should both be around."
"Right, you mentioned him before - one of the greatest heroes of the Trojan war, right?" I say. "He gave the grail to Blackbeard, so-
"Ah, we never actually ran into anyone like that when we were fighting Blackbeard," Rigel says. "Maybe Reid killed him and took it, and then ran into Blackbeard by coincidence?"
"That guy just keeps causing problems, huh!?" I groan.
"...Well, considering it's Hector, he might have just handed it over for free and now he's slacking off somewhere," Nobunaga notes.
"...I've been meaning to ask, what's with you recognizing almost everyone on sight, all the way down to the personality level?" Rigel asks the girl.
"Actually, she's the third member of our very exclusive club!" I say, gesturing to both him and myself.
"How do you do, fellow Isekaijin?" She asks, and then pauses. "...You know, considering Jason has fused with his Servantverse self, that might just be all four of us now?"
"Anyway, she's from an alternate version of Chaldea that's further along the timeline, but she wasn't paying attention for a lot of it, so a lot of her info has been useless," I explain.
"That's… so stupid…" Rigel mutters. "All this time… all that difficulty… and she was some kind of joke character? That's… so stupid…"
Actually, I don't need your money very much.
However, I am living within close enough proximity to the areas affected by Hurricane Helene to have strongly considered going to volunteer with the disaster relief efforts. One of the conditions I set for myself as an excuse not to do so was to use what little platform I have to try and raise awareness.
If you have money that you want to throw at me for writing this, please send it to one of the many disaster relief charities working in that area instead.
Thank you.
However, I am living within close enough proximity to the areas affected by Hurricane Helene to have strongly considered going to volunteer with the disaster relief efforts. One of the conditions I set for myself as an excuse not to do so was to use what little platform I have to try and raise awareness.
If you have money that you want to throw at me for writing this, please send it to one of the many disaster relief charities working in that area instead.
Thank you.
Last edited:
ExNihilo
SPACE!
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Don't be silly Rigel. It's not despite Nobu being a joke character, it's because of.
Unless there's a version of Nobu who doesn't count as a joke character at all? Possibly Real-Deal Nobunaga, but he wraps back around to being even more of a joke, so I'm not sure.
Unless there's a version of Nobu who doesn't count as a joke character at all? Possibly Real-Deal Nobunaga, but he wraps back around to being even more of a joke, so I'm not sure.
Xorn
Master Procrastinator
- Location
- Somewhere I won't be able to rest in peace
Nobbu: "For you, it was an uphill battle over millions of your own corpses to reach an endpoint that failed to even secure victory. A scar that you will carry with you unto eternity.
For me, it was Gudaguda 8."
- Location
- Philadelphia
God... Rigel probably would have tried using [Infinite Ruin] on Subaru's party at least once wouldn't he? And from the timeline we've seen, I can only conclude that the output was never once in his favor.