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Chronicles of the Ascension of the God-King

Discussion in 'Quest Archive' started by EnderofWorlds, Mar 23, 2013.

  1. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Have Lancer and Kiritsugu take them down with you and Bazett serving as support.
    [X] Check what you have on you, there might be a Mystic Code or some such that can assist you here

    You signal to Bazett give Kiritsugu the command; immediately both Lancer and Kiritsugu attack, while Bazett and you stand back and act as support. You immediately go though your mind thinking of everything you have on you to end this with the least amount of effort and attention, and find a solution. It was completely out of left field, but it could actually help you out here.

    You activate your Repository of the Hoarder array and bring out that ball that Bazett threw at you weeks ago, with the Word of Madness inscribed on it. You reinforce it as much as you can; focusing on enhancing it's bounciness and channel prana into the array on it. The runes on the ball glow as the array is triggered. This wouldn't be as viable if these homunculi weren't as combat focused as they are; but since they are...

    "Follow the bouncing ball, children..." You throw the ball into the fray, watching it bounce between all the homunculi and hit them all. It even smacks the Einzbern magus on the back of his head. The only ones it didn't hit were Lancer and Kiritsugu, both barely dodging out of it's way, not that it would affect them. Or the magus for that matter.

    Speaking of, "Ha! Was that all? A pathetic attempt to distract me? Heh, and I was expecting mo-" He's cut off by a halberd to his head, as the effects of the array take hold; putting the homunculi into a state of feral madness. Lancer and Kiritsugu jump out of the fray and you all watch.

    They went at each other like piranhas, trying to cut each other down with whatever weapons they had on hand. And when the weapons broke, they resorted to trying to tear each other apart with their bare hands. They even resorted to using their teeth if they were close enough. It was a gristly sight.

    But it serves its intended purpose; they're too busy tearing at each other to notice you, Bazett, and Lancer just jumping over the fray; both Bazett and yourself reinforcing your legs to make the jump. And you all continue on to the Archives, thankfully no other obstacles impede your way; most likely busy dealing with Gilgamesh. Once you reach the doors to the Archives, you think on how to proceed; there are likely defenses to ensure nothing gets stolen, but time is of the essence.

    What will you do?
    [X] Have Lancer go in first; he'll be able to take just about any traps
    [X] Summon several spirits to gather everything and check for traps
    [X] Scry the Archives, scan for the best method to accomplish your goal
    [X] Write-in
     
  2. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Scry the Archives, scan for the best method to accomplish your goal

    You decide to scry the Archives, using some basic wind and water thaumaturgy to make a small cloud above you and pull out a small hand mirror with the Heimdallr array inscribed on it. A nifty trick to get around the workaround of normally needing to look at the skies outside; this allowed you to use one of the most potent scrying and divination runic arrays there are. You turn to Bazett and Lancer and tell them, "Keep watch, I don't know how long I'll be in a trance; make sure I'm not distrubed."

    "Understood." "Yeah, I got it." They both turn and begin to inscribe runes into the ground. Meanwhile, you look into the mirror; reflecting the cloud. And enter a deep trance...

    You see it; the Archives. Everything about it is laid before you; decorative statues that are actually golems in disguise, waiting for a specific trigger to activate. Several bounded fields that activate under several conditions to both protect, and if absolutely necessary, destroy the information within. Several illusions that lead intruders and thieves into false leads to trigger more traps and security measures. Several hidden passageways that lead to pitfalls, homunculi armies, and even to several other locations; like the main room of the Family Head.

    And you see the best way around these traps; using Tarnhelm to transform into Acht negates most of them and as for the rest, simply performing the proper gestures and rituals to deactivate the traps. Now that you know how to avoid the security measures within, you exit your trance...

    When you come to; you see several homunculi bodies behind Lancer and Bazett. You look at the ground and see both the Hlín and Ath nGabla inscribed there. "Ath nGabla to force them in single combat and Hlin to prevent the rest from avoiding it. Well done. Now then," You don Tarnhelm and transform, "Let's get what we came here for."

    It was the perfect crime; you went in, turned off all the traps, summoned up several familiars to take everything, and like that all the Archives were yours. Not a single countermeasure triggered, being either avoided or deactivated. All it took was time spent scrying and using that information to your advantage.

    Now then, what to go for next? You can use the secret entrance to reach Acht or head to where they make homunculi and keep templates for them. Or both, by splitting the group up.

    What's the plan?
    [X] Acht
    [X] Labs
    [X] Both (how do you divide the group?)
     
  3. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Labs

    You make your way through the castle, looking for the lower floors where the labs are. Kiritsugu in in the lead; knowing where the labs actually are. Time is of the essence, you don't know how the fight is-

    The wall to your left is torn asunder, and you see Berserker breaking through, swinging wildly and trashing about. "▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅" It looks like he's trying to reach something on his back, but what could possibly...

    "▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅" Then you see it, as Berserker turns while rampaging; Gilgamesh, with a choke-hold on Berserker's back. Holding on for dear life as he tries to choke the life out of the Son of Zeus. He's holding onto a sword in his teeth, though you don't know why he doesn't use it now. Finally, it seems like the King of Uruk was tired of trying to choke the rampaging beast and instead simply re-positions his arms and twists-

    *CRACK!* Oh, you definitely heard that, looks like Gil just snapped Berserker's neck. He then throws the body through the other wall and is about to turn your way. But before he sees you he's ambushed by homunculi. He takes the sword he had on hand and began to fight the rabble that faced him.

    It wasn't even a contest; he danced around their attacks, perfectly countering and dodging their every blow. It was like watching a child face a grandmaster; a chilling realization that thiswas what made Gilgamesh the King of Heroes, strongest of all Heroic Spirits. While he couldn't match skills with one more dedicated to a single weapon, he still had skill befitting a hero; still could wield any of his armament beyond the skill and prowess of any mortal man today.

    One by one they fell to the fury of the king; like lambs to the slaughter, there was no chance for victory. Again the King of Heroes was about to notice you, but before he did; "▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅"

    Berserker...was still alive?! Even after such a clean snap of his neck he didn't fade away?! You look closer, hoping that your vision as a master would allow you to know more. Berserker had A Ranks in everything except Luck, no surprise there; and Mad Enhancement B Rank, which boosted his parameters by another whole Rank. What was interesting was one of his Noble Phantasms; God-Hand, giving him 12 lives and resistance to any attack below A Rank and any attacks that killed him.

    Gilgamesh...had B and C rank Parameters except for Luck; and...Mad Enhancement A++?

    • Mad Enhancement A++
      • This servant is not in a blind fury, but is rather Fury Incarnate itself; receiving a double rank up in all parameters, and additional rank ups in all parameters as one's rage and fury grows. In addition, one's thoughts are tainted by the lens of anger and, while capable of complex thought, will be constrained to sating one's desire for retribution and bloodlust.

    ...Apparently you angered the King of Uruk enough to break the system. Huh, imagine that. Just then, Berserker tackles Gilgamesh through the broken wall they entered and continue their fight.

    You on the other hand went to the labs; which weren't guarded, and weren't defended at all. You quickly took all the notes and templates there were. It was fast and painless; but that was good, cause it looked like time was running out.

    Now, time to hit Acht...
    [X] Let Kiritusgu lead the way
    [X] Use the entrance in the library
    [X] Attack from both fronts (Party split; how?)
    [X] Write-in
     
  4. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Let Kiritusgu lead the wa-LOLI INTERRUPT!

    You order Kiritsugu to lead the way to your final prize; Old Acht and the Einzbern Crest. The veritable bounty it would provide would be priceless; the sheer alchemical knowledge it held, the ease Alchemy would come to whoever it was implanted into. You even hypothesize that you can implant it into yourself due to you Origin of Improvement, though further research would be needed.

    As you make your way to where the Einzbern Head is at; you take a peek through a window outside. You see a sea of bodes, homunculi and magi alike; it's apparent that Gilgamesh isn't settling for anything less than a culling of the entire Einzbern line. Escape was impossible, so these magi; who had no combat experience at all, were forced into the fray. And fell, like lambs to the slaughter.

    It looks like the Einzbern are also running out of homunculi too; the numbers dwindling and not being replenished, unlike what you saw earlier. A mere fraction of homunculi were left; two platoons of 50 homunculi were all that you saw. That and a mere 5 magi were all that were left.

    Them and the Son of Zeus; but Berserker has already shown himself to be inferior to the King of Heroes. Even now; as Gilgamesh snaps Herakles in two over his knee, only for the demigod to regenerate once again, the battle was a foregone conclusion. There is no equal for the first, and greatest of all Heroic Spirits to enter the Throne of Heroes.

    You hurry, time is running short; you need to get the crest before it's destroyed in the King of Uruk's rampage. But before you reach your destination, you run into a little girl with silver hair and ruby red eyes. She gives off the vibe of being a snow faerie. She notices all of you, looks at Kiritsugu with shock, awe, and a bit of hatered and mutters,"...daddy?"

    Time is short, what do you do?
    [X] She's in the way, kill her and rush to your objective
    [X] Talk and convince her to join you, she could be a useful asset.
    [X] Useful though she may be, there are bigger issues afoot; knock her out and take her with you.
    [X] Write-in
     
  5. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] ... Unexpected, but Kiritsugu should know what to say. Order him to convince her to join us. Knock her out only if absolutely necessary.

    You let Kiritsugu speak; perhaps he can talk her down, maybe even get her on your side? Being her father he should be able to influence her...

    "Ilya, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I failed you. I..." While Kiritsugu was starting his speech, you see the girl shaking in fury; eyes filled with hate. Yeah, this is going nowhere fast.

    She begins to yell, "BERSERK-"*thunk*"Gack!", only to bet beaned in the head by the bouncy ball from earlier. You threw it hard enough and lightly reinforced it so that the blow would knock her out, catching the ball on the rebound. You snap your fingers to get Kerry's attention and point at his daughter in a single, fluid action. He gives you a dirty look before picking her up bridal style.

    "Now then, let's get what we came here for." You pocket the ball and all of you rush to the last safe haven in the estate. Acht's personal office.

    Once you arrive there, you see him; facing the window, looking at the carnage below. There were only 20 homunculi and a single magus left; and Berserker was fighting Gilgamesh blade to blade, and Berserker was losing ground. Acht doesn't turn to talk to you, he just begins an...epitaph of sorts.

    "For 200 years I have pursued the grail, and for 200 years it has been all for naught. Even now; when victory seemed all but assured, the impossible happens. The fury of a King, the King befalls us; and we turn to ruin. Everything, our archives, our samples, and now..." he pauses, "our crest. You are the one looting from the remains, like a jackal at a carcass, yes?"

    "Should I care? Knowledge is knowledge, I won't deny myself the opportunity to obtain more, even if it may be in an unsightly manner. Besides, you said so yourself; the Einzberns have fallen to ruin."

    "*Sigh*, Grant me this, boy," He turns around, eyes closed, "Let it be the magus killer who ends my life; at least I can have one last laugh before I die."

    You nod, snap your fingers, and Kiritsugu pulls the trigger; not using the Contender of course.

    And with that ends the life of Jubstacheit von Einzbern; patriarch of the Einzbern family.

    You extract the crest, and store it in your storage rune with everything else on hand. Now all you have to do is make it past Berserker and Gilgamesh...

    ...No worries, you got this...
    [X] How in God's name do you 'got this'?
     
  6. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    X] Exterminatus

    You know what you have to do, to let these two titans survive is foolish. To outright ignore them, idiocy.

    You must strike now while the iron is hot and the opportunity provides itself. If you leave now, Gilgamesh will be hunting you to the ends of the earth; never resting, never stopping until you were dead by his hand. And you knew for a fact that death by his hand would not be quick, and would definitely be painful. Painful beyond words, beyond mortal comprehension. Being caught by him was not an option.

    Thankfully, you had all the tools you needed; you draw out from your pocket array the instruments of their demise. The Chains of Heaven and the Sword of Rupture; Enkidu and Ea. Both will be more than enough to destroy the both of them. You move away with Bazett and the others; giving you plenty of room to be away of the blast radius.

    First the chains; you let them loose, throwing them at the both of them yelling out, "Enkidu, Chains of Heaven!"

    And with that the chains move; snaking around them and their limbs, being empowered by their Divinity and constantly tightening. The two demigods were bound now, unable to move; for now at least. But even now they fought, trying to break free from the binds. Gilgamesh was most vocal about it, swearing death to the bastard that dared to use his chains against him, vowing, "Mongrel wretch, the pain you would feel will be legendary. That it will exceed the very concept of pain itself; forging a new concept to describe the very torment you will experience by my hand. This I swear..."

    "Well, I guess you'll just hate this part..." You raise the 'sword' and channel prana through it; which the sword greedily devours. The cuneiform lines begin to glow a vibrant red, the three segments begin to spin and swallow the air; compressing and accelerating it. Faster and faster the segments rotate and spin as more and more prana is used to fuel the attack. Eventually the blade stops sucking in the air and begins to suck in that which separates Heaven and Earth; at that point you begin to swing it at your targets, unleashing the only attack that is certain to destroy the both of them.

    "Enuma...Elish!" You let loose the attack, and in an instant the area where they were was sundered; space was torn and reality cracked, as the Truth of what the world was was brought forth and shown once again. It is a hellish waste, where Heaven, Earth, and Sea were one; a chaotic mess where life could not exist. It was the basis of every myth of the Underworld and Hell, of every version of the Land of the Dead; imprinted in the minds of all living life as the first primordial memory of life, repressed immediately. Only when the Sword That Cut the World Apart is used will the memory be brought forth into the minds of those who witness it.

    It was a horrifying sight. It was a beautiful sight. It was a wondrous sight. It was a disgusting sight. It was...it was...

    It simply was.

    Finally, the Truth recedes; all that was at ground zero of the attack was erased, destroyed beyond any recognition and unable to be brought back. The fury of Gods, of nature was unleashed here, and nothing was spared.

    You motion to everyone, "C'mon, let's get out of here; there's nothing left for us here." And with that you all prepare to head out.

    Only to feel a hand feebly grasp your leg, hearing a weak utterance of, "Mongrel......fucker..."; you turn around and see something you didn't expect: Gilgamesh, barely alive.

    The lower half of his body was gone, in fact everything below his upper chest; his pectoral muscles were gone. Erased by the attack. His left are was gone as well, up to three quarters of it were gone; torn asunder in the maelstrom of destruction. All that was left of it was a small stump from the shoulder, not even enough to reach the elbow. His other arm was torn to shreds, his hand only having two fingers and his thumb; chunks of the arm were torn right off, lost to the abyss. His face was heavily scarred, the entire left side barely recognizable as the skin was gone, as if burned off; you even have glimpses of bone and the skull.

    He was glaring at you, eyes full of hate and loathing; even now he will do all in his power to kill you. You don't even know how he's alive, much less how he reached you.

    What exactly do you do?
    [X] Kill him
    [X] Test Subject
    [X] Try to bind him as a Servant
    [X] Write-in
     
  7. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Kill him

    You pull out Harpe and hook the blade around his arm; slicing it off. You then decapitate him; finishing the King of Heroes once and for all. Now both of your enemies were dead, the Einzberns gone forever and the King of Uruk slain. Now, the body will fade away; becoming mere motes of-

    The body isn't fading. Huh. You examine it with Structural Analysis and find that it's an actual flesh and blood body. Interesting, you're curious as to how this could have happened. You can't find any possible flaws or any issues with the remains; they're 100% actual flesh and bone, the body of a demigod.

    This...has potential; already possibilities and potential gains for examining, researching, and experimenting on the corpse flash through your mind. What you can learn about Divinity, the state of humanity from that era, a myriad sea of secrets lay before you, waiting to be discovered by your own hand.

    And then, inspiration hits. You witnessed the power of the King of Heroes today; his might and majesty, that which earned him his title and place within the Throne of Heroes. You have also obtained everything the Einzberns had on thaumaturgy, most notably Alchemy and their process of making homunculi; as well as templates for them. While it would be a lesser copy than the original, you could easily make homunculi using the flesh of Gilgamesh as a template; besides, the gap between original and copy wouldn't be massive, the homunculi would be very close to Gilgamesh's parameters.

    Another thing that comes to mind is that if Gilgamesh survived, that perhaps Berserker could have as well. You look around the desolate aftermath of Ea, but find nothing. Lancer also can't detect anyone either. It looks like Berserker has died this day as well.

    Well, mission accomplished. Everyone piles into the Gates and you use Tarnhelm to travel back home. Once there everyone exits the Gates and you decide to initiate another plan you came up with: you move your workshop into the Gates of Babylon. Well, your other workshop, the one not on clan grounds. That way you'll always have a mobile workshop to conduct experiments. Another ingenious idea that allows you to maintain and continue any of your projects regardless of where you go.

    You feel like you're forgetting something here....you glance around and notice Kiritsugu still has the master of Berserker in his hands. Oh right, you should do something about her now, shouldn't you...

    [X] How do you handle Ilya?

    Also:
    [X] Projects for the month? (Pick 3)
    [X] Runes
    [X] Homunculi and Alchemy
    [X] Sorcery Trait
    [X] Unified Language
    [X] Remains of Gilgamesh

    And [X] What do you do with the Einzbern Crest?
     
  8. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    Interlude: The King's Final Stand (Incomplete)

    You have been belittled, insulted, and robbed. The pathetic wretches who did this had the gall to boast, in your face, of the crime against you they have committed. And then they ran off; hiding in their fortress to laugh from afar at you.

    You. Will. Not. STAND FOR THIS! They dare to mock the king?!

    Then they will fall; fading away like dust against the oncoming storm. Your might will be immaculate as you smite them down like the pitiful wretches they are. Second by second, you feel your sheer, palpable fury rising forth; seeking to be wrought upon the mongrels that dared to insult and offend you so. But, you are not overwhelmed by it; no, not like that dog from ten years ago. No, you are focused, you are driven, and you are in complete control of yourself.

    You move to where you sense the one who has that which was stolen from you is. You make yourself and your fury known as you tear down the pitiful walls they hide behind. A culling will be had today; not a single one of those who defy you will survive. And they will know fear as they are faced with the wrath of the King.
     
  9. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Plan Nomad

    You immediately put a collar inscribed with the Yoke of Oppression on the grail vessel, just an insurance policy to make sure nothing goes south. You also check the command seals to ensure Berserker's dead; yup, dead as a doornail. Given that her Servant is now dead, you decide to put the seals to better use; that is, you take them for yourself. Honestly it's kinda overkill with this many command seals, but it never hurts to be cautions.

    You also take this time to study and examine the homunculus vessel. You are able to figure out that the sample Bobby got you was in fact from her, and that she still has a fairly short shelf life past the Holy Grail War; one, maybe two years tops. However, just like with the template you have; you can fix that, and undo a lot of the flaws that are currently inherent with her. However, this brings up a whole different subject...

    Tool, or ally? On one hand, you're fairly sure she's not as highly trained in thaumaturgy as her peers would be around that age, nor would she be anywhere near as capable in combat given the Einzbern's track record in such things. However, she has massive amounts of prana she can throw around; almost on par, if not exactly on par with the Queen of the Clocktower, blue-blood circuits and crest in all. And while making a homunculus on par with her is possible, it would take time; both to make it as well as to allow it to age properly, not to mention you're not sure it would match up to Ilya's capabilities. Since she was worked on the moment she was conceived, if not earlier, that made her a unique specimen in terms of homunculi; not to mention her natural birth as another possible factor. This wasn't like with Kiritsugu, who is expendable regardless of his usefulness; no this little snow fairy has much more to offer as an ally rather than a tool.

    You also examine her to check her status as the vessel of the Lesser Grail; though you don't know the specifics of the ritual, and as such can't perform an in depth analysis at the time, what you can confirm is that four Servant's worth of capacity has filled the vessel. Apparently, the war started early or Gilgamesh and Berserker counted for more than one each; you believe the latter.

    She starts to come to, realizing she's not anywhere familiar she looks around frantically and sees you. You take this opportunity to explain the situation to her.

    "The Einzberns are no more, all of them are dead; and all their knowledge is now mine by right of conquest. Your Servant also died in the chaos, I took the liberty of taking your command seals as my own. However, other than that you are free to do as you wish; within reason of course. Obviously you are to stay under my watchful eye, but other than that I have no qualms about what you do with your own time. Is there anything you find lacking with this?"

    She looks at you for a seconds, her face going from furious, to confused, then finally pouting. "Cheater, Berserker is the strongest servant; but you went and got Goldie to fight him. Your Servant's too broken!"

    "Actually, he wasn't my Servant at all; apparently he managed to become a real boy and live past the last war. He was hunting me, your family was hunting me; I just killed two birds with one stone."

    She gapes at hearing this, "You...you...that's still cheating! Cheater..."

    "So, no qualms about killing your family? Nothing?"

    She shrugs, "They never really liked me, and the feeling's mutual."

    "Good, then we can move onto the more relevant parts of this negotiation."

    "Negotiation? You're not just going to lock me away?"

    At this you shrug, "You are of use to me; more so as an ally over a tool. The massive amounts of prana you can use are on par with the Clocktower Queen; with proper training you'd be a force to reckon with. Add in what knowledge you may have being a homunculus with memories of your initial template, and it's simply easier to just work with you rather than force you to submit; of course, I can go the alternative, I just find it more suitable to my goals to do otherwise." Which is true, as an ally; she offers a different insight to things, especially once properly trained in thaumaturgy, and can offer different perspectives for any problems or obstacles you may face. If you wanted a simple toady or tool, you'd make one.

    "...What's in it for me? What do I have to gain from this?"

    "Given I have extensively researched the latest Einzbern template; which is based off of you, I can ensure you live past the measly year or two allotted to you, perhaps even allow you to age. I'd also allow you access to many of my research materials, some notes; typical things an apprentice would have access to, along with what I've obtained from the Einzberns. And to sweeten the deal..." You snap your fingers, and Kiritsugu materializes.

    "You get to have Daddy dearest to do with as you please; while I'd prefer him to not die, if he does I can just resummon him. It'd only take a month to do so, shorter probably now that I know how to summon him." You turn to Kiritsugu and order him, "You are to obey the orders of Illyasviel von Einzbern as if they were my own; you are to suffer whatever she does to you without complaint, unless she wants to hear you suffer, and there are to be no objections regardless of how you may feel about the order given."

    You then turn to the little homunculus, "Granted, I would still have final say were your orders to him conflict with my own agenda; but given the odds I find that highly unlikely. So, do we have a deal?"

    Ilya just gives her father the most devilish grin, one of deceptive glee that hides years of malice and hate behind it, "Yes, yes we do."

    The both of you sigh geis scrolls you had for this arrangement; to officially seal the deal. As you leave, she closes the door; but can hear a faint, "Ilya...I...I'm so-"

    Only for it to be cut off with screams of pain and torment.

    [X] Progress will be coming up next; but is there anything you want a bigger focus on?
    [X] Homunculi/Alchemy
    [X] Remains of Giglamesh
    [X] Sorcery Trait
    [X] A mix of two (specify)
    [X] All equally
     
  10. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] All equally

    You delve into your research, knowing that soon your attention will needed solely on the Holy Grail War; though you have eliminated a Servant already, there's still too much in the air to assume victory will be easy. Too many unknowns are at stake here; if Gilgamesh was alive from the previous war, what else could've resulted in that aftermath? What other surprises could be lurking around the corner? No, to assume that victory will be yours; despite your relatively solid stance in the war so far would be folly, arrogance at it's greatest. You need to prepare for any and all possibilities that could occur.

    As such, you studied the first outlier of the War you've found; the remains of the King of Heroes. You study it relentlessly, wanting to delve into the mysteries of this Servant made flesh; how it managed to happen, and what you can gain from it now. You manage to find trace elements of...a curse of some kind; not enough to affect the former Demigod at all, just enough to be noticeable if someone used magecraft to search for any outside elements within him. You are able to remove the curse, your affinity of Imaginary Numbers allowing you to grab the ephemeral, transient thing. You place it in a specific container; separate from anything it could possibly afflict, under array upon array of protection, binding, and anything else that can prevent it from getting out and affecting anything.

    As for the body itself; you study it and discover how...grand mankind must have been in those bygone eras. Yes, divine he may be; but Gilgamesh was still mortal, and even taking his Divinity into account, the potential a man of Uruk would've had compared to one of the modern era was...it was unbelievable. No wonder the King of Uruk; mightiest kingdom of the world gazed upon us with disgust and shame. We are but sad remnants of ages past; unable to rise beyond the exploits of our ancestors. Like a father looking upon a worthless son; one who was lacking compared to his parent in every way, Gilgamesh felt shame upon looking at the world.

    Still, to abandon hope in the face of this simply wasn't an option to you; it went against your goals and ambitions, to make one's self reach beyond the limits of his ancestors, to have man go beyond that which those of ancient Uruk had reached. This was simply an eye opener to how far humanity has truly fallen; and what you needed to reach for. The King of Uruk's body will serve as an aid to reach that goal. Already, you believe that with work you can find a way to...reach the level that man had before, either by reinforcement or by other means; to reach the might and majesty of humanity at it's peak. You also think you might be able to figure out what Divinity is, what it bestows upon those who have it; maybe even find a way to replicate it, but that's also far off.

    Then there was the spoils of war you got from the Einzberns. Supplementing this into your own knowledge of alchemy was fairly easy; while advanced, they didn't do anything truly outstanding with it, just pushing it as far as a family of that age and standing could. You could probably give the alchemists at Atlas a run for their money at alchemy; though you still had yet to master memory partitioning or thought acceleration, you were able to breeze though the rest via timely usage or runes and Unified Language to accelerate your learning. While this method works wonders with learning material already there to learn from; for branching out it's far less useful. Still, you can now say you were a master Alchemist; able to match those of the Einzberns. And as for homunculi...you had an idea; inspired from the remains of a fallen king: to make a homunculus from a template made from the sample you had. While you managed to finish the template this month, using the severed arm; you had yet to try to make homunculi with it yet, nor see what possible flaws there might be.

    And then there was your Sorcery Trait; which you have finally discovered what was so different from it now: a new Noble Phantasm was...unlocked, for lacked for a better term, within the Sorcery Trait of the Fraga within you; Tradition Carriers.

    The Spear of Lugh, another weapon of the war god; his favored weapon from what you recall in myths, on par with Fragarach.

    Now if only you could figure out which spear it was; Gae Assail? Areadbhair? Brionac? You are so close too; you can taste it, just some more digging, and the ability to make the spear; whichever it may be will be yours...

    As for your newest guest; the little homunculus seemed content to study her family's work and continue doing what she willed with her father. Occasionally she'd ask you questions; seeming random and with nothing connecting them, though you know it pertained to her father.

    "Curse? Yes he was afflicted by one, likely the same as the one I found on Goldilocks; nasty piece of work that is. Yes it did ruin his circuits and lead to his death."


    "The curse? Well I can't figure out specifics, only that it was made to make the afflicted suffer, and suffer terribly at that. Though it is powerful, it's slow acting; to further draw out the suffering. I'd say he had...only a month of being at a level relative to his norm in terms of ability of thaumaturgy and overall health."


    "How did I get into the Castle? Your father knew how to get in; he could easily break into the castle and any bounded fields that protected it since he was in prime condition."


    "Boy? Oh you mean the one he saved; yes, he saved him from ground zero of the fire. Which, come to think of it; likely has ties to whatever afflicted your father and the King of Heroes, if anything going deeper into ground zero likely made things worse for him."

    "As for the boy himself; nothing special, no training in magecraft, no known circuits, nothing. Just a boy he saved. Lord only knows why, you'd have to ask him. Not to mention adopting him and arranging living space and all that likely took weeks, probably more like a month's worth of time."


    That was the last question you recall her asking you; after that she seemed to stop torturing her father as much, though you noticed his eyes seemed even more soulless and dead. You didn't even think that was possible. Not that it matters; he still served and was of sound mind. As for Ilya, she seemed to dive into her studies more; even asking for instruction in Runes, which you provided as per your agreement. She seemed eager and willing to learn, and was a excellent pupil; able to grasp the material and understand it at a fast pace as well as studying the theoretical as well. You also discovered you quite enjoyed teaching; at least when the student's competent and doesn't waste your time. Hm, perhaps this enjoyment can be tied to your Origin of Inquiry and Improvment? That could be a enjoyable project to look into in your spare time; seeing how deeply the Origin affects one's self beyond what magi already know: does it encompass everything we do? Or just what can be tied to it? How much of one's self can be defined by their Origin and how much can be defined without it? Can one be defined without their Origin being involved in some manner? It'll definitely be a fun little project to work on when you need time away from other projects or if they stall.

    But now the time has come; you, Bazett, Ilya, Lancer and Kiritsugu fly to Fuyuki in preparation for the Holy Grail War. Once you arrive, you head to a hotel room reserved to today; while you plan out where to set your base of operations in Fuyuki and how you will gather information on the other potential masters.

    Where will you set up base?
    [X] Ryuudo Temple
    [X] Einzbern Manor
    [X] A hotel of some kind
    [X] Write-in

    And how will your gather information?
    [X] Scrying and other thaumaturgical means
    [X] Without magecraft, using nonmagical means to not attract attention
    [X] A mix of both, not heavily focused on either
    [X] Write-in (either an alternative method or elaborate further on one of the methods here)
     
  11. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    Interlude: Father-Daughter Talk (TBC)
     
  12. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Ryuudo Temple
    --We have a Caster for a servant. Best to use to full extent. The bounded field is just icing on the cake.
    [X] A mix of both, not heavily focused on either
    [X] Hm... How exactly did Kiritsugu manage to save the boy and not himself from the curse if the boy was also at ground zero? Question him about that.

    You all agree to set up your base of operations in Ryuudo Temple; the rich leylines and innate Anti-Servant Bounded Field was too good an advantage to pass up. You head to the temple and hypnotize everyone there to ignore your presence; letting them come up with their own justification for the reason you're there, but making sure they all end up with the same story. That way no one can use the inhabitants of the Temple to find you; not that that would help any of the masters. Because the very next thing you did immediately after hypnotizing the residents of the temple was inscribe array after array to further defend the Temple from any possible attacks. Now, attacking the temple would likely be suicide for anyone, unless you wanted an attack to take place; depending on what plans you would employ in the War.

    As for scouting; you both used convention means and magecraft to discern the other possible masters for the war. One was easy enough to find; Rin Tohsaka, from your observations and scrying you have determined she is an Average One, has higher circuit quantity and quality than most average magi; enough to consider a prodigy. In addition, she seems somewhat skilled in thaumaturgy and jewelcraft all things considered; no family to teach her means she's either self-taught or taught by a subpar teacher. She hasn't summoned her servant yet, though that'll likely happen soon. She also doesn't seem to have anyone or anything to use against her in terms of blackmail; no real important friends or any real close attachments outside of her life in the Moonlit World.

    As for the Matou master; they were far more illusive. You have managed to deduce it was one Sakura Matou; but that was it. You weren't able to determine her skill in magecraft nor if she had summoned a Servant yet; apparently what defenses the Matou had against scrying were quite powerful, at least where they practiced their magecraft. This was because you couldn't find her performing thaumaturgy within the areas of the house you could scry, and when she went into the basement you couldn't scry it at all. However, by conventional means; you have managed to find a weak spot: one Shirou Emiya, a boy she is infatuated with.

    Speaking of Emiya, he was another high priority target; from speaking to Kerry you have learned he has the sheathe of King Arthur, Avalon, within him. At the very least, you'll get a Noble Phantasm made by the fae by taking the boy as a hostage to use against the girl.

    Now, your preparations with the Temple complete; it was time to summon your Servant. You prepare the Ritual circle, pull out your catalyst; the Ofuda of Abe no Seimei, prepare a blank as you did with Kiritsugu, and begin your incantation:

    Airgead agus iarann ​​maidir le tionscnamh. Gem agus an tArd-Diúc na gconarthaí ar an bhunchloch. Is é an sinsear mo Schweinorg máistir mór.
    Éiríonn an ghaoth thuirling balla. Na geataí sna ceithre treoracha dhúnadh, ag teacht as an choróin, scaipeadh an bóthar trí forked go thoradh ar an ríocht.
    Éist (líonadh). Éist (líonadh). Éist (líonadh). Éist (líonadh). Éist (líonadh).
    Déan gach cúig huaire.
    Níl ort ach, bpléascfadh líonadh aon uair amháin.
    ---- Fhógairt agam.
    Tá do féin faoi dom, tá mo chinniúint (Seirbigh) i do claíomh.
    De réir an rogha an Soitheach Naofa, má tá tú cloí leis an mothú, an gcúis sin, ansin freagair.
    Seo mo mhionn. Tá mé an ceann a thiocfaidh chun bheith go léir go maith ar fud an domhain na marbh, tá mé an ceann a leagann amach na olc ar fud an domhain na marbh.
    Tá tú, seacht flaithis cumhdaithe i dtrí focail cumhachta, a thagann as an fáinne cosc, O choimeádaí an t-iarmhéid ---!

    The ritual circle glows, and you can see your servant appearing and taking physical form:
    [img width=600 height=449]http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/hidoi_doesu/imgs/5/1/5176bae1.jpg[/img]​
    "Abiding by thy summons and in accordance of the ritual of Heaven's Feel; I, Servant Caster, ask of you: are you my Master?" Caster looks at you with a smug grin on her(?) face.

    ...Well, either Abe no Seimei was actually a girl; or s/he just messing with you using abilities granted to her by her mother's blood, kitsune are master illusionists and shapeshifters, you wouldn't be surprised if Abe no Seimei had inherited those gifts as well. Unfortunately, you honestly couldn't tell if this was an illusion, a transformation, or her (his?) genuine appearance.

    [X] Write-in (How do you respond to this; and what do you do from here?)
     
  13. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] "Greetings Caster, I am indeed the one who summoned you. I am, however not arrogant enough to call myself your master. We are partners in this war."
    -[X] Proceed to bring her up to speed about the conditions of the grail war.
    -[X] Ask her to evaluate and enhance the defenses around the temple.
    -[X] After getting her some street cloths bring her to the park and get her opinion on the curse of the Angra Mainyu.

    "Indeed Caster; it was I who summoned you, but I am not so arrogant to assume myself to be your master. We are partners in this war and after, equals. Though, that may be presumptuous of me to say that, considering your prowess in Houjutsu and your legend." You decide to greet Caster as such, making sure that there are no misunderstanding between the both of you. You wanted to treat her as an equal, and would hope she would do the same with you; being the greatest practicioner of Eastern Magecraft, it would be an honor to be considered as such.

    "Ho? So willing to treat the Servant as an equal? And so quick with the compliments as well. I'm flattered, you really now how to treat a woman right." It's still rather irritating that you can't figure out her actual gender, and you have the feeling she's just being flirtatious just to further your frustrations; but you take it all in stride. You always liked a good challenge, and this would be something to pass the time with. Besides, it's rather harmless overall.

    "Of course a gentleman such as myself would know such a thing," well, there's no reason not to play along, "Such chivalry comes at ease to me. Now; I would like to discuss strategy with you, mainly focusing on the situation at hand and the defenses here in the temple. Afterwards, we'll head out into the city; there's something I'd like for you to look at."

    "Ara ara, if only the men of my era were so polite. And asking for such an outing so soon; how daring, I like it. It's as if you're deliberately trying to court me~." Now you know she's only teasing; though you still can't determine her gender. And so you take her into your workshop to discuss the situation, everything you know about the previous war, the situation with the Einzberns, the death of Gilgamesh, and now. All the while she looks around within the Gate of Babylon, which has become your mobile workshop; she pauses for a moment when you mention the corruption of the Grail and looks closely at something, but you can't see what it is from the angle you are at. Once you finish the briefing, you take her around the temple to show her what defenses you have already implemented, and what she can add to them. Once you finish showing her everything, she gives her analysis.

    "I can easily add onto what defenses you have here, but due to the incompatibility between western Thaumaturgy and eastern Houjutsu I'll have to work carefully to make sure they don't clash and end up nullifying each other. That combined with manifesting my Temple will take a week's worth of time; is that acceptable?"

    "Of course, whatever time is needed to ensure victory as well as our own safety. Now then, I'll get some modern clothing for you wear so that you don't draw suspicion from the populace; you look to be around Bazett's size..."

    "Fuhuhu, Master is trying to end our little game so soon; has he forgotten that Servants can do...this?" Caster attempts to astralize, pauses and frowns for a moment, then astralizes. She then says to you, "I was confused for a moment there, the vessel you've summoned me into is inherently different than the one meant for the ritual. In fact, I could exist completely without support, as if I were alive once more. It's quite excellent work; beginning to reach the level of true magic. However, it is still flawed because of that; I estimate that without a proper contract the vessel would degrade over time: five years at best, and that's not taking in heavy combat or other potential complications into account. Assuming one is constantly in combat, the vessel has three years tops, and one of faulty and inefficient operation. Something along the lines of forcing a crippled veteran to fight as he did in his prime. Still, as one who also summons and binds spirits into vessels; I am truly impressed."

    As were you, you couldn't even tell that there were any flaws in your modified vessel; much less give such an accurate analysis of it's potential breakdown, truly this was the skill of a magus who exploits and skills allowed them to ascend to the Throne of Heroes and become a Heroic Spirit. "Thank you, hearing such a compliment from one such as yourself means a lot. Perhaps we can work on improving the vessel after the war? Your input and knowledge would be greatly appreciated and would help out quite a bit."

    "Perhaps; it would be quite the project, and something interesting to work on after we win the war. But enough of your honeyed tongue and flattery, I believe you had something to show me?" Right, you can talk shop later; right now you had to show her the aftermath of the last war.

    You both head to the park, devoid of any people; the air palpable with a feeling of...unease, if not outright loathing and vileness. Like a corrupted taint had scarred the land, one that can never be fully cleansed. You ask Caster, "Do you feel it?"

    "Yes, this definitely feels tainted and corrupted; if this is the same as what is inside the Grail, then the Ritual will only end in your ruin Master. If we are to truly win, we need to purify the Greater Grail." What is left unsaid is that what you feel now is merely a fraction of what is within the Greater Grail; a leftover, faded imprint of All the Evils of Mankind.

    "And how will we do that?" Indeed, removing such taint and corruption; purification on that scale will be quite the challenge, regardless of the resources you have available. Even with the spiritual expert and master exorcist of Japan on your side, this will be quite the feat to pull off.

    "Why; we will use the simplest solution available to us, of course." She deastralizes, but appears in modern clothing; a sweater and medium length skirt, a purse over her right shoulder. She then pull something out of the purse, "When confronted with a powerful force; merely use an opposite and greater force to counteract it."

    The Avesta; you had nearly forgotten about that. But seeing it in Caster's hands, you can already tell what her plan is: To counteract Angra Mainyu, one must merely summon it's opposite and greater; Ahura Mazda. Both forces will negate each other, or Ahura Mazda will simply remove and destroy Angra Mainyu; thus purifying the Grail. It was the simplest and most elegant solution.

    "I see, very well; once we finalize our defenses, we will use the Avesta as a catalyst and summon Ahurza Mazda. I assume that you will be the master?"

    Caster smiles coyly at you, "Of course; who else would summon such a being? Now then, since we're done here...can we simply go around town? I'd like to see how my homeland has changed since my era has passed..."

    Well, you were proceeding on schedule as planned; if not already ahead...

    [X] Of course, we can go...(pick 2)
    [X] To the stores
    [X] See the sights
    [X] To the library
    [X] Just stroll around town
    [X] It is more prudent we finalize our defenses immediately, rather than going sightseeing
    [X] Maybe not now, but a later date perhaps?
    [X] Write-in
     
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  14. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Of course, we can go...
    --[X] To the stores
    --[X] See the sights

    And so the two of you decide to go sightseeing; looking around at typical tourist traps while also surveying the lay of the land. One noticeable spot is the docks, while not as potent as the temple there are still a fair number of leylines available there for you to use; perhaps a secondary base to serve as a distraction?

    Other than that, there isn't much else of notice; though you do get a bead on where both the Matou and Tohsaka live, even though you already knew that from Kiritsugu, actually seeing the locations in person gave you a good look at what you were up against; and to be honest, you were disappointed. The defenses on the Matou estate were the same from what Kiritsugu remembered of them, but the Tohsaka...it clearly wasn't on par with the defenses it had in the last war. It looks like the current Tohsaka representative isn't up to par for the war, oh well; their loss.

    Eventually the both you and Caster stop at a cafe to eat and talk some more. Caster starts things off,

    "So, considering everything you have on had; the war's going to be a breeze."

    "It looks like it, though the opposition can still do something that neither of us can predict or properly react to." No need to be reckless regardless of your advantages, after all; therein lies the key to defeat.

    "With my Clairvoyance? And your armament? I highly doubt it; truly you were lucky to obtain the Gate of Babylon."

    "Indeed I was..." What was Caster getting at?

    "But you know how luck goes; it runs out at the worst of times, fuhehe." A warning; and a very apt one at that. You have been lucky, ungodly so if you say so yourself. In hindsight the chances of you actually getting the Key were very little; successfully tricking Gilgamesh and pulling off that gambit, even less so.

    And you really doubt things'll keep up like this forever; and by the sounds of what Caster's suggesting, it's going to crash and burn, hard.

    "I'll have to be careful throughout the war then; make sure that when my luck runs out it doesn't affect my plans, or at the very least, not affect them too much."

    "Oh, your victory of the war is guaranteed Master; but what of the aftermath?" And with that, insight floods your mind.

    Damn; you hadn't even considered what the consequences of victory would bring. Yes you would win and claim Heaven's Feel; but after? Keeping quiet of your victory would be impossible, the Association will hear of this. And with it they will hound you like starving jackals to a carcass; hoping to garner the allegiance of another Magician, to shackle the one who has reclaimed the Third to them.

    Unacceptable, you refuse to be bound to their petty politics and power plays; you had your research and aspirations to work towards. The Magus Association will only slow you down; you are Fraga, you are above the need of them and their self-inflated egos. For millennia the Fraga have remained independent of the Association, and even with Bazett joining them this will not change. You will not be brought to heel by the Clock Tower; not now, not ever.

    "So, may I know what aspires to bring forth my ruin after the war, my dear?" Hopefully Caster can narrow down what's going to bring for the end of your run of good luck.

    "Cutting straight to the point, my Master?" She smiles coyly, but then her face becomes serious, "I can't tell; while my Clairvoyance tells me that something is going to come at you; whatever is doing so is either so powerful or so vague to throw off my predictions, or both. I'll prepare several divinations to see if I can hone in on what is coming though." That didn't bode well for you, but you are glad that Caster is already on it.

    "Thank you Caster, now then...what was life back in your time?"

    "In my era? Oh it was..." And so you spent the rest of the meal with small talk, getting to know your Servant and generally relaxing. It was...soothing; a welcome break to relax your mind, which has been frantically at work ever since you had decided to help Bazett in the Holy Grail War.



    Eventually you both head back to the Temple and continue your work on the defenses. Bounded fields to further impair Servants, to make it harder for magi to gather mana from the land, traps and pitfall array are all strewn about the Temple; an impenetrable fortress for both you and Caster to work from, to manipulate the war in the shadows.

    That wasn't all you were doing during the week though, you were also working with Caster to see if it was possible to combine Western Thaumatrugy with Easter Houjutsu. Your experiments have ended with...mixed success. While a fair number of schools have failed to function in unison; it is with bounded fields, with Runecraft and Sealcraft you find success. The two schools are similar in form and function; meshing them was simply a matter of finding a way for two different arrays from each to work in unison without ruining the other. By utilizing the addition of the Gebo, Wunjo, and Eihwaz runes in addition to what Sealcraft uses as their equivalents, you can 'merge' two arrays to work in unison. There is an addition cost of maintaining the connection through the 'bridge' formed by your discovery in addition to the costs of the individual arrays; but you are confident that with time you can come up with a more streamlined and efficient method of uniting the two schools of Magecraft.

    The other thing you worked on was the project you were working on before this all happened; applying runes directly to the soul. All previous experiments before now had led to failure for various reasons; but now...now you had a lead.

    Great Uncle Sirius, one of the members of the Fraga clan that many would like to forget because of his rampant alcoholism and subsequent horrible ideas brought about by said drunker stupors. His latest experiment, which was also the one that led to his demise; was trying to graft a leyline onto himself like a thaumaturgical crest. However, when he tried to do this; he exploded. Looking at the notes; which you found within the Clan Head's personal library, you quickly deduce that the reason this happened boiled down to the leyline having too much power for the small container that was Sirius. It was the equivalent of forcing 100 gallons into a plastic water bottle; the bottle simply can't hold that much water, and with now way for it to escape, the container breaks.

    The method of grafting, however, was what was important. You believe that if you modified the grafting array to instead graft runes instead of leyline, it will accomplish what you have been trying to do without success. You call up some contacts to obtain new subjects to test your hypothesis on.

    When you went to the docks, you had a welcome surprise; Bobby was there, "Hey Draoi, how've ya been buddy?"

    "Bobby!" You greet him with a wave and brief hug, then hold him by the shoulder, "Christ man, are you ok? I know about the Einzbers, did they..."

    "Nah, I got to a safe house before they could try anything; by the way, heard what happened to them. Thanks man."

    "Of course, I look out for my friends." That was true, nobody got away with hurting anyone close to you; damn the consequences.

    "Heh, friends with the head of the Fraga Clan, who'd ever though the day would come?"

    "Oh please," you roll you eyes at this, "Like that really changes things between us; what are you doing here?"

    "Eh, word on the grapevine was you needed some spare bodies, so I though to myself 'might as well see how my ol' buddy, Conquer of Einzbern was', and here I am?"

    Again you roll you eyes, "Oh Lord, tell me that's not what they're calling me..."

    Bobby chuckles, "I make no promises, anyways; you wanna check the goods?"

    You shake you head, "Nah, if it's from you I trust it all checks out. Just ship it out to Ryuudou Temple and we're good."

    "You got it mate, and by the way; kick some ass out there. I expect you to hang onto that golden cup so you can gloat about it." You chuckle at the though of waving around the Holy Grail for bragging rights.

    "Yeah I will, hell if you want, you can have it when I win this farce of a war. You up for that?"

    Bobby just laughs, "Hahaha! Oh man; I wouldn't know what to do with it, I'd probably just drink booze from it. Not like I can use it after it's been used up by you. Alright, I'll hold you to it. Later man."

    "Yeah, later." And so you head back to base, glad to know you foremost contact and friend is safe.

    As for your testing; it takes several tries and dead bodies, but you finally succeed. You manage to graft an array onto someone's very soul. The test subject; a woman, now has the Sanfa array on her very soul. You have learned that applying an array onto the soul magnifies the effectiveness of the array a hundredfold. She now serves as a prana battery fueling some of the bounded fields in your Workshop.

    This leads you to form the theory that array apply their effects onto the target by trying to influence the soul or on the World Egg, depending of the function of the array. This is why most array affecting people are tattooed on and why bounded field arrays work better on natural terrain than manufactured; the closer the array can be to the source it is trying to exert it's influence on, the better it can function. Fascinating.

    Anyways; it is while you are pondering this latest discovery when you feel a warning bounded field trigger. Someone is approaching the temple; someone capable of Magecraft. A magus, possibly a master.

    What will you do?
    [X]???
     
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  15. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] View who this intruder is.
    [X] Position Caster's shikigami into position that would likely be where the intruder will be passing through... but an angle they would not notice or realize immediately, so they could get the drop on the intruder if the intruder is... hostile.
    [X] Contact Bazett, get confirmation on her position

    You immediately activate the communication array between you and Bazett, just to make sure it isn't her triggering the alarm. "Bazett, are you there? Where are you right now?"

    "Scouting, I think I have a lead on a Master and Servant; why?"

    "Because someone triggered the bounded fields around the temple, I just wanted to double-check that it was an intruder." You can practically imagine Bazett freezing up at hearing that, her face filled with worry.

    "Do you want me to come back with Lancer?" You shake your head, you were expecting that.

    "No, Caster and I can handle this; you continue to follow your lead. If we really need backup we'll let you know."

    "Alright...still though, be safe." Again, you can practically see her brow furrowed, and her biting her lip; worried that things will go wrong somehow.

    "Heh, when am I not?" You then cut off the connection, and begin to see just who triggered the field. "Caster, send some shikigami to get in position for an ambush; let's see what we're up against."

    "As you wish, Master." Caster smiles smugly and sends out several shikigami, formed of paper and ink and reinforced with various charms and spells, to get ready for an ambush. Then the both of you activate the arrays and fields to observe just who was intruding on your territory...


    You both see a black haired girl; a teenager dressed in a red sweater and black mini-skirt, with a darker red overcoat to finish the whole ensemble. She looks around the entrance of the temple, as if looking for something. You then feel the bounded field for monitoring mental communication trigger; so you decide to listen in. You then hear, "Yup, that's a bounded field alright; several in fact. Looks like you were right, Archer."

    "Of course I was, was there ever any real doubt?" Sounds male, but there has been an odd situation or two where someone has a completely different mental voice than one would expect from someone. You'll reserve judgement until you see the Servant.

    So this is the Master of Archer, eh? She doesn't look like much, though you know that more often than not appearances are deceiving. She doesn't say anything, but replies as if someone has said something; probably her Servant in astral form. "Yeah, whoever's set up their workshop here is good; I don't think I can tear these bounded fields from here, I'd have to do it from within. And it looks like the only way in is the front; unless we want to risk the innate bounded field of the temple weakening you. And I doubt someone this skilled didn't leave traps to take advantage of that field." She sighs and says out loud, "You might as well de-astralize, no point in trying to hide, they're probably monitoring us as we speak; and if you're injured by a trap while incorporeal it'll hurt you far more than if you were solid."

    You then see her Servant come into view; tan with white hair dressed in black and red, did they have some color scheme going on between them? You then hear him speak, "I'm guessing you want to just head up the stairs then?"

    "We have no alternative, while it may be trapped; it's our best bet of getting through without you being weakened. Whoever this is, they aren't fooling around; this place is a fortress and it's only been a week. If it weren't for you detecting a Servant several days ago and that odd shipment at the docks; we'd have never discovered this. Now some of those traces of prana I've been detecting around here make more sense, I'd just written it off as the mana from the ley-lines."

    She takes a deep breath, "Still, regardless of how capable this Master is; we have a war to win. It also doesn't help that they didn't check in with me; the Second Owner of Fuyuki," Oh, you forgot about that, "Which probably means they're hiding something, and it's probably not good." Well...ok, the experimentation for your Soul Runecraft might be a little heretical; but really that only matters if you're caught and the outside world notices, which they didn't.

    Heh, the darkest aspects of humanity are really the best source of test subjects; more magi should connect with the criminal underground to get the more...touchy materials for their research. Oh, it looks like they're talking again.

    "Alright, so the plan is for you to take point and handle the traps Archer; I'll help to point them out. Any objections?" A simple, yet effective plan all things considered. The three Knight Classes had fairly high Magic Resistance, so it's only logical for the Servant to handle the traps.

    "You know; I could probably just go through the front astralized while you wait out here, that's probably safer."

    "And then you can get pummeled by various anti-spirit bounded fields and other traps made to specifically hone in on incorporeal beings, I really doubt that whoever set up the defenses here will leave that kind of a hole for us to exploit," Clever girl, it would in fact be harder for a Servant to make it past the defenses in spiritual form; your defenses set up to force the Servant to take material form for the safest method through them, "No, better we go together; I'll identify and you destroy. This may tip our hand a bit, but that can't be avoided."

    And with that they're beginning to head up the stairs and towards the temple; slowly picking apart your defenses to the best of their abilities. That's fine, it's more to slow them down and prepare for them anyways. Same for the shikigami that'll ambush them mid-way; they're not strong enough to truly deter a Servant, but they will give you enough time to make a well thought out plan.

    So...how will you go about this?
    [X] Quick and dirty; the fastest way, but with the least gain...
    [X] Kansas City Shuffle; time for Draoi the magus to disappear, and Gilgamesh of Uruk to take the stage...
    [X] Behold, what a true magus is; show this child what real magi are capable of, and what is needed to reach those heights. Who knows? You might just wow her...
    [X] Write-in
     
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  16. EnderofWorlds

    EnderofWorlds Versed in the lewd.

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    [X] Behold, what a true magus is; show this child what real magi are capable of, and what is needed to reach those heights.

    As you monitor their progress to the temple; you manage to catch the girl's name: Rin. You also take not on her prowess as a magus as she points out what traps you've laid out and even assists her Servant at dismantling them. Regardless of her skill however...

    A child. A child playing as a magus; a kid imitating adults, believing that they 'understand' what it truly means to take such an undertaking. That the 'know' what the path they follow truly is.

    This couldn't be farther from the truth; even Ilya, childish she may be, understands what it means to be a magus. She has both seen and experienced the path magi follow, she has 'walked with death'. You heard the tale of how she was forced to summon her Servant, or die as food for the wolves or in the embrace of Winter's Chill. And again, when faced against you; knowing that she may very well die, she showed no fear. You held her life in your hands, and when the chance for a better opportunity came, she took it. Regardless of the betrayal it was to her family, she took the chance for survival; and for thriving.

    To be a magus is to walk with death, to abandon material and base desires and shed away the self in the pursuit of knowledge and the Root. But a magus will still retain their ego, the core of their being; much akin to one seeking Nirvana. In fact, the principles of the lifestyles of a Magus and a Buddhist only differ in the method and application of reaching for their respective goals. Whereas Buddhism prefers a gentler, coexisting path; magi follow a path rife with death, often taking morally reprehensible actions to remove their worldly attachments and attain their enlightenment. But the core of both paths remain the same.

    Regardless, you did not expect the Tohsaka to exhibit much; but she still seemed too...attached. The drive was there, but it didn't seem as...focused, or rather, it was focused on the wrong thing. You saw this often within the power struggles of the Clock Tower, petty men squabbling for worthless titles and prestige. Yes, this was the focus of one guided and driven for the wrong purpose; one who sees the path of the magus, but doesn't fully understand it. Not like you do.

    Well, you are a generous man; and you do so enjoy to teach the younger generation about the path that they will soon take. You suppose you can give this wayward soul a lesson...

    You give several mental commands to Caster, mainly to separate the Servant from the Master; that way you can conduct you 'lesson' in peace. Plus, from what you could see of the Servant, Caster should be able to handle him without support from you. She nods and acknowledges your orders and gets in position to carry them out.

    And just in time too, because the girl and her red-cloaked Servant have just arrived.

    "So you're all that's left of the Tohsaka, eh? I definitely see potential, but...it's obvious you haven't come anywhere close to reaching it." If you want to send a message and make a show of things to get your point across, that means channeling you inner noble and pretentious jackass. Something you're far used to with all the dealings with other Association nobles.

    Oh, you see an eye twitch, that definitely ticked her off; though she manages to maintain decorum. Kudos.

    "I am, as well as the Second Owner of Fuyuki. You did not report your presence to either me or the supervisor of the land, why?"

    "I didn't feel that it was worth my time to deal with a child," ooh you can see her grit her teeth, "nor do I want to deal with a member of the Church. I came here to win this farce of a War; though seeing as my competition is currently composed of a child, I doubt it'll be difficult."

    "Grrrrrr," yup, she's pissed now, "Are you mocking me?!" Hmm, a bit of a short fuse; that's another thing you need to address.

    And now for the final push, "Mocking you? Heavens no, I think you're doing plenty of that on your own. You don't need any help from me; honestly, it took you this long to find me? Hmph, a real magus would've discovered me weeks ago; clearly you aren't up to par to what your ancestors are expecting of you. I bet your father is spinning is his grave at this travesty."

    "Alright, that's it; I've had enough of this, I can see where this is going. Archer!" Her Servant draws out a pair of twin dao blades; you note that throughout the conversation he would occasionally smirk at a comment here or there, perhaps the Servant is dissatisfied with the Master? A possible avenue to exploit?

    Regardless, it looks like it's time for battle. The Tohsaka heir smirks and says, "What? Your Servant not here to help? You seemed more than willing to talk about superior and above my station you are, but you don't even have your Servant with you? Where are they? Cowering in fear?"

    "No, right behind you." And right on cue; excellent timing Caster.

    Both Rin and Archer turn around shocked, just as Caster thrusts her hand out and utters, "Shuku".

    Archer is sent flying, and Caster immediately follows; yes, it definitely looks like Caster can handle things on her end. Now to deal with yours...

    "Alright class, pull out your textbooks and turn to page thirty-three; it's time for a review on several key aspects of what it means to be a magus..." You can see that you've only managed to further infuriate the girl.

    Wonderful, now to commence with your plan...
    [X] Write-in tactics
    [X] Let GM handle tactics
     
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