- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Careful there. Reread the last ten lines.
The Steep Path Ahead [Familiar of Zero AU]
- Thread starter shadenight123
- Start date
Careful there. Reread the last ten lines.
Oohh.
Subtler butterflies there; still looking out for Sheffield.
Wonder what killed the bitch cousin.
Tabitha = Charlotte.
Same person.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
To elaborate on what uju said, "Tabitha" is a pseudonym Princess Charlotte adopted after her mom whent insane and when she was being forced to go out and do things for her cousin (the one who's dead here). Mostly dangerous things her cousin hoped would get her killed.
That's why I said she may not be as good at fighting here.
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Yes I know. I sort of remember she had a twin sister as well. I was just wondering what happened there.
Dragonskyt
Ashen one, hearest thou my voice, still?
- Location
- Kiln of the First Flame
Is it me, or does this look like some kind of setting where the protagonists can use the Academy as a homebase and slowly grind their level up, until they think they can progress the Main Quest?
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
...
You know, I am not entirely sure if the cardinal wrote the letter but I doubt that whoever wrote it sent Wardes to kill them. I mean, from what they said it sounds like Wardes thought the letter confirmed her as Louise and thus tried to kill her but that in turn made her check what was written causing both gambits by different parties to fail.
You know, I am not entirely sure if the cardinal wrote the letter but I doubt that whoever wrote it sent Wardes to kill them. I mean, from what they said it sounds like Wardes thought the letter confirmed her as Louise and thus tried to kill her but that in turn made her check what was written causing both gambits by different parties to fail.
I wonder if Saito will see that.
I think it was the same person, but the two things combined were an oversight.
- Pronouns
- she/her
Joseph probably killed Isabella, he's a dick like that. Though its unconfirmed whether or not he killed his brother in this AU, since Charlotte seems well adjusted.
I'm leaning more towards purposeful sabotage, or someone wants him in power so he fucks Tristain up for them.
To the one who sent Wardes: you should have used deniable assets to kill them, imbecile! Wardes has to be one of the most distinctive assassins possible... and on top of blurting out that he was linked to the Crown, the crown princess of Gallia saw both his familiar and his signature spell!
If that was the actual reasoning behind Mazarin's actions he can officially be labelled a Hard Man Making Hard Decisions While Hard. That argument was approaching Danzo levels of stupidly paranoid justifications. And I don't get the impression he actually solved problems by hiding Louise, merely created worse ones down the road.
I'm leaning more towards purposeful sabotage, or someone wants him in power so he fucks Tristain up for them.
To the one who sent Wardes: you should have used deniable assets to kill them, imbecile! Wardes has to be one of the most distinctive assassins possible... and on top of blurting out that he was linked to the Crown, the crown princess of Gallia saw both his familiar and his signature spell!
- Location
- NY
well i assume there's still a shadow reconquista group running around so it would make sense if the cardinal was a part of them.
either way solid chapter, good to see how the other characters have been affected ripples of back story changes.
either way solid chapter, good to see how the other characters have been affected ripples of back story changes.
- Location
- The Old Dominion
Hmm, that letter makes things even more suspicious especially as Wardes could have easily killed them both without the melodramatics before any rescue which meant the assassination was meant to fail and they were meant to see that letter which would keep them from meeting Karin.
Of course them showing up at the academy would also be bad given for any plans given if Headmaster Osmond saw her would likely recognize exactly who Louise had to be related to especially with the rather painfully distinctive hair, he isn't stupid, he just pretends to be and the male garb wouldn't fool him anymore than it would fool her mother.
Of course them showing up at the academy would also be bad given for any plans given if Headmaster Osmond saw her would likely recognize exactly who Louise had to be related to especially with the rather painfully distinctive hair, he isn't stupid, he just pretends to be and the male garb wouldn't fool him anymore than it would fool her mother.
I wouldn't be entirely sure about that. Supposedly Karin was able to hide the fact that she was a woman in her youth despite looking like a pinup model with a renaissance fetish.
Rule of Funny is in full effect in this setting. Any disguse that perpetuates this crisis of gender will hold fast up until the horrendously embarrassing reveal.
- Pronouns
- she/her
I find the "meant to fail" idea doubtful, since Wardes literally killed Saito instead of just scaring him.
- Location
- The Old Dominion
Yes but Lousie was the main target while Saito is just some random commoner no big deal if he died.
Point still stands Wardes could have easily killed them both long before without any of the melodramatics if simple killing the point, he could have even killed Louise first and dealt with saito afterwards with no effort yet he went around it the slowest way possible.
Point still stands Wardes could have easily killed them both long before without any of the melodramatics if simple killing the point, he could have even killed Louise first and dealt with saito afterwards with no effort yet he went around it the slowest way possible.
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
So what you are saying is that Wardes didn't plan to kill Louise and that he mentioned the Crown on purpose? I mean his familiar did kill the other male gryphon so you might make a case of him staging that to make it seem like a cover murder attemp while in truth making his familiar protect them and then waiting until Charlotte was near before attacking so that the Galian princess gets involved in what seems to be a tristanian power play (the Crown ordering the murder of a daughter of Karin) in order to weaken the country for when Reconquista choses to move. Which is plausible but for the contents of the letter. If the plan was for Louise to survive it would have benefitted him more if there was evidence that she was Karin's daughter so that she enters in conflicto the royal family. That was one of the reasons I suspected there were two parties involved.
- Pronouns
- she/her
I don't know where you got the impression that he was doing it the slowest way possible. Wardes went straight for the throat the moment he dismounted, he just didn't pull out the magic until there was an opening- and that magic killed Saito in one hit. He took out Saito first because Saito's role, as we have seen for the entire story, is to be Louise's shield. He was standing in the way.
The only slow thing he did was not let his gryphon maul Louise to death so he could kill her "painlessly". And the only reason he didn't get to follow through on that is because Charlotte froze him while he was swinging the blade down. Had Charlotte not appeared at that very second Louise would be a foot shorter.
Rather doubt that.
She still one-shotted Wardes' Square-class clone, and managed to sneak into range on a dragon; Wardes is
Her political instincts seem to have atrophied(bandit? On a gryphon?! Triangle/Square class spells?), but her combat skills remain just fine.
Nah.
She's too relaxed to be heir of a man who killed his own daughter.
And canon Joseph did love his daughter.
Crown princess of Gallia is a foreign power, and not exactly an impartial witness for Tristainian political affairs.
Note that the clone spell means that Wardes' has an alibi for where he was at the time.
Tabitha/Charlotte showing up when she did is just bad luck.
You need to go re-read the fight.
That thing lasted less than three minutes from initial lightning bolt to Act of Tabitha, and he spent almost all that time fighting Saito.
As soon as Saito was down, he moved to kill Louise. No dilly-dallying.
He couldn't have killed them easily from the air because Saito would have shielded Louise and Louise would have cast magic; he tried the surprise snipe and failed.
He needed to kill Saito while his gryphon kept Louise from casting.
Which he did.
And note that once Saito was dead, he immediately attempted to behead Louise.
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- Pronouns
- she/her
Charlotte doesn't have to know what actually happened to be named heir
When did Joseph ever say he loved Isabella, though? I only remember him saying he hated her because she reminded him of himself.
IIRC, girl had carte blanche with his stuff and his agents, including Tabitha.
That's indicative of at least some familial feeling; at worst indifference, not hate.
I could search the SB Back to Basics threads for citations, but no time at the moment.
Arafell
Verified Cephalon
- Location
- Oregon
Yeah, if they'd just been 'imposters' he would have had them killed himself. Failing that, the letter would have got them killed, though its suspicious that he would toy with the Duchess's feelings like that - you know, let them introduce themselves as her daughter then give her the letter saying she's fake. The fact that he sent an assassin after means that he considered her a threat, but she wasn't someone he could remove publicly.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
y u do dis.
Y u expose spoilers that the author had hidden?
He's doing the Lord's work.