Konnichiwa, Konnichiwa! Planeshunter desu!
Here we are once again, last update feels so far away... I have been kind of busy lately, and my free time has gone into stress relief. The fun part is, when I did get to write, it actually went pretty smoothly. Anyway, for those with frail memory, we left the story after Leon APOCALYPSE'd his way our of a three-way standstill. Assassin ruined Archer and Caster's date, and Tengu had sweet dreams. Oh, some short of Avenger appeared out of nowhere too.
I think that's pretty much everything. Now without further ado:
Kaleidoscopic Grail War Episode 8: What Tengu Missed (last)
Lancer relaxes after seeing the sword psycho leaving. Man, she sure gave her the frights. For a second there, the devil Servant was sure her bluff didn't work and she had an epic duel in her hands. But in the end Berserker was a bait enticing enough. All's well when it ends well, isn't it?
Talking about ending, she kicks some of the rubble, uncovering a dying man. She isn't an expert on healing, but even that love freak Flonne would have trouble with this one. There is no way she could save him.
-"Looks like they got you bad, eh, Master?"
-"..." -The booyah looks at her, with labored breathing. The lower half of his body is a bloody mess, it's a miracle that he remains conscious- "Can you…?"
Lancer shakes her head slowly.
-"I can at least avenge you" -She stares at the floor with intensity- "I'll show those bastards what happens when you cross the devil"
-"Without…" -The kid is smiling. Lancer clenches her fists. Curse him, who can he be smiling?- "... Me to summon you more prinnies?"
-"Don't act like you know everything, you naive dying stupid Master! I can do more. I'm the one who will usurp the Overlord's throne!"
The kid pauses. Seeing Lancer like this isn't your everyday occurrence. Then he weakly smiles again.
-"Under my cloak… in my right…"
A coughing fit interrupts him, and lancer kneels at her side, holding his hands with hers.
-"There is…"
-"Master, stop! don't keep talking!"
-"A vial with my summoning blend." -Another pause, for a slow deep breath this time- "After summoned you… I… tuned it for prinnies"
His face contorts in a pained grimace, and Lancer squeezes his hands a bit harder. Still he keeps talking.
-"Normally… only a Devil Summoner can… use it, But" -He slowly frees his hands from her- "If I… Command you…"
-"Master?"
-"Lancer. I Command you to take and use my summoning blend."
Compelled by the force of the Command Spell, Lancer reaches under the cloak of his dying Master and takes out a single, blue-glowing vial. Then the last Crest vanishes from his hand, and life leaves his body.
Lancer slowly stands up and inhales deeply.
-"Whew! Finally kicked the bucket! Well, I shouldn't be too hard on the booyah. He left me a nice farewell gift!" -With a wide smile, Lancer tugs the vial in her top (I wonder the same size and space questions you do, but that's how it happens) and puts her right hand on her lips- "Now to find a new Master. And quick! Clock's ticking!"
Episode 8: Image 1 is now unlocked, check it out on the Author's Profile at your leisure!
Leon starts to feel safe. He has run away from quite a while, if Saber or Lancer were behind his tracks, they should have caught him already. Either they decided to keep dueling each other or they lost his track.
Now it's time to rethink strategies. From the start, he made plans considering his Servant the strongest. Even now, he was sure no other Heroic Spirit could match his in raw power. But there is nothing as convenient as the absolute strongest. What's worse, he doesn't even know why Saber is such a threat. What can she do? How did she felt so confident while facing Berserker?
He stops to consider other option. What if Saber is just a very good bluffer? He doesn't know her true name or legend, and no matter how good his instincts are, what chance could they hold against a legendary liar? Still, in the end he chooses to dismiss that possibility. There is no way to be sure, and it's too big a risk. He's also bugged by Berserker's sudden meekness. If Saber is bluffing, she bluffs good enough to fool a Mad Warrior.
For now, the logical choice is to retreat. But that makes two Servants he cannot take out by himself, it's far from the scenario he had pictured. Hopefully Saber's Master has been taken out by his Apocalypse, but there is no way to be sure. As reticent as he feels about it, searching for an ally could be his only real option.
Leon decides to stop his planning there. After one or two days of laying low and observing he will be able to asses the situation much better. Then he will decide whether making alliances or not. Satisfied with his conclusion, he turns left to disappear into a side alley when he hears a voice under his feet.
-"You're welcome."
He doesn't need to lift his feet to see what he has stepped on, for he recognises that creepy, rasping voice instantly.
-"Assassin!"
Immediately Leon's world turns darker, louder and a fair deal more toxic.
Archer runs through the city at night, jumping from roof to roof. Caro, still unconscious, rests in her arms. She's exhausted, the last hour has been hectic, and she cannot turn into astral form until her Master wakes up or she reaches their base.
Caro stirs on her arms, and half-opens her eyes.
-"Archer?..." -She looks around, confused- "Where are we? What happened with Caster?"
-"Down."
-"Oh! That's…" -Caro stops, and looks at Archer's face- "What's wrong?"
-"Your Voltaire and that water monster blew away the Bounded Field, and each other." -Then she grits her teeth- "Assassin was waiting. He took down Caster and her Master without giving them a chance, I couldn't even see him. Only managed to get out of his ambush"
Her Master remains silent, looking at her with intensity. She's young, but clever enough to realize that it couldn't be easy to break free from an ambush like that. Archer blushes slightly, and looks away.
-"Anyway, we are alive to fight another day, and there is one less contender in the War." -As they arrive the industrial unit they are using, the Servant lets her Master on the floor- "Tomorrow everything will look brighter."
-"I call the bone in your sword"
Archer notices something wrong when the electromagnetic field around her suddenly dissipates. But before she can move or alert Caro, a heavy object hits her in the stomach, propelling her towards a wall.
-"Archer!"
It has been so sudden that Caro doesn't know how to react, but she instinctively gets on guard, trying to locate the assailant.
-"Soft is my body, calling the fire in your blood"
-"Warning! Emergency!" -Even Kerykeion's voice seems startled -"Protection"
One of it's pink shields appears before Caro just in time to stop a second projectile, this one impacts against the barrier, producing a shower of hot looking white-pink sparks for a while before falling to the ground. There it can be seen for a second before disintegrating. A metal conic drill mounted on a red structure.
-"I have created over a thousand perverts"
The assailant finally becomes visible, it's a white haired girl of dark skin and amber eyes. Archer tries to blast her with lightning, but her energy gets absorbed by the object piercing her stomach. Before she can look down to examine it, their attacker gets wrapped in red light, and some kind of weapon appears around her.
It vaguely resembles a gatling gun, mounted over her right arm, with a long metallic ammo belt that coils around her protectively. There is a metal glove in her left hand, and a small devil mask covers her left eye. When it starts shooting, two additional hidden cannons are revealed on the glove and mask.
Caro crosses her arms over her head and cries with the effort of holding the shield, but it doesn't break.
-"Unknown to thermodynamics, regardless of physics, I screw reality with my freudian blades"
The monster gatling disappeared, and a red spear with two tips that appear to entwine with each other to form the handle materializes in her hands. She throws it without hesitation, shattering the shield and piercing Kerykeion's physical structure. Caro cries again, both hands cleanly pierced by the spear.
-"Yet my heart burns with unfulfilled desire. And thus I sublimate..."
The spear disappears, allowing Caro to fall to her knees. Not even a second after, a green bow forms in the attacker's hands, and a single arrow is shot to her shadow, completely immobilizing her. It cannot be! They aren't going to fall after overcoming so much! Archer touches the object lodged into her, locating what appears to be a handle.
-"Unlimited Blade Works!"
Flames start spreading from her body, enveloping and swallowing the whole area, turning it into an orange dessert, filled to the horizon with all kind of weapons pinned on the sands. Frantic, Archer tries to get free. Gripping the handle, she tries to pull it with all the might of her desperation, but it doesn't even budge.
-"Mjöllnir can only be lifted by the Worthy, you fake."
-"!"
Before she can say anything, Archer gets kicked in the face hard enough to feel her neck creaking. She coughs blood in front of her unknown attacker, the thing that hit her… did this girl call it "Mjöllnir"? The legendary thunder hammer of the Odinson? It can't be, but it certainly seems to redirect all electricity she generates towards itself.
-"Who are you? Where are we?"
-"Me? I'm Chloe von Einzbern, last magus of the Einzbern family and Lesser Grail for this War. I'm also Archer's Master, you fakes. Now, get the hell out of this world!"
An enormous blade forms on the sky, directly over them. Once again, Archer tries to use her powers, but all her efforts are redirected towards that cursed thing nested in her body. Unable to move under the weight of the unmovable object, incapable of using her powers, Archer simply glares. There is no way some stupid display of magecraft will intimidate her. There is too much left undone. This little kid she called Master still needs for a big sister to care about her. She isn't going to become another casualty of the War.
Still, willpower alone has limited weight, and simply glaring doesn't stop her opponent. Countless more weapons of all kind and shapes materialize around the first gigantic one. At Chloe's gesture, they rain over the Servant-Master duo like a hail of destruction.
The sands of this place seem immovable, and there isn't even a cloud of dust to conceal the gory result. Not even the hint of an expression is shown in Kuro's face as she slowly dissolves her Reality Marble.
-"You messed with the wrong magus, bitches"
There was much left undone, much left unsaid. The outsider Master, reaching into a foreign world to see her wish came true. The unconventional Heroic Spirit, able to call lightning and metal with the power of Science. This route has nothing in reserve for them, and we will never know what their motivations were. The sun rises behind Chloe, darkening her features and emphasizing her hair, fluttered by a dramatic wind. This has been a long night.
Episode 8: Image 2-6 are now unlocked, check them out on the Author's Profile at your leisure!
Non-interlude: Six in the morning
I can't take it anymore, I have been turning around for hours. Well, it felt like hours, you know how turning around trying to sleep feels like. It was a long time anyway. With a sound kick, I get out of my sleeping bag to greet a new day's dawn. Now it's the time to start with the right foot and have fun!
Or at least that's how it was supposed to go, my legs get tangled up and have to struggle for a couple of minutes before crawling out in a pathetic fashion. Then I top it off ending putting my open palm over a big cow's… business. Wet with the night's dew, you can imagine it's not the cleanest place to put a hand.
-"Oh, come on!" -Looks like I moved around during the night, I took care of not setting camp too close to this kind of "landmark"- "At least Rider didn't see me..."
-"Ya can forget about that (ze)" -An energetic voice, barely restraining laughter makes itself heard behind me- "I knew u were full of bull (ze), but this is too literal."
-"Fated to a life of uncoolness. Let's see if I can take this shit off" -no pun intended- "on the spring ever there, and we can fix a quick bite"
Still, at the same time, I can't keep from smiling. Be it the fresh air of the mountains or all the exercise from yesterday, the dark mood and depressing feeling I had yesterday is nowhere to be found. After cleaning my hands and getting kicked into the water (Very funny, Rider. Thankfully the spring was less than a handspan deep, so I only got a bit wet). We had a modest cookies and milkshake breakfast.
-"Wew! That were our last supplies! Today's lunch will be hundred percent earth's bounty!"
-"I hope ya know what yer doing, Tengu" -Rider has an expression of mistrust- "If I end up having to get my own food yer gettin nuthin."
Hehe… Looks like I'm being underestimated again. I feign to ignore her words while picking up the camp and simply start walking down the path. She's going to get quite a surprise. As she pesters me around, I just smile and keep my rhythm. This might seem the same as yesterday, but the feeling is completely different. Nothing of that stupid gloominess and uncomfortable silences.
The wind hits my face, and my body feels light, I can't keep from feeling great. Which reminds me…
-"Hey, Rider I'm sorry about yesterday, I behaved like a jerk."
She just throws a wild apple to my head (where did she find that?) and decides to be the one doing the ignoring. Maybe it's just me, but her smile seems brighter. I
think now she'll be willing to feed me, were the impossible to happen and I became unable to provide...
-"My, my!" -The insufferable voice of the Overseer receives him from the underground room- "Looks like someone was used as a punching bag tonight!"
-"..."
Leon simply glares. That's enough to make most people glup and step back, but Hector Smith has never been that kind of people. That, and the sorry state he's in diminishes his intimidation capacity quite a bit.
-"So?" -He continues like nothing- "What can I do for you this beautiful day? Do you seek Sanctuary?"
-"Not yet" -Leon raises her arm, showing the two command seals still on it- "I still have two Command Seals, and a Servant to use them on."
-"Oh? That's interesting… I'm pretty sure Berserker's signature disappeared from the city"
-"Awfully convenient, if I say so" -A third voice, female and childish announces the presence of a Servant- "Since my own Master kicked the bucket just a few minutes earlier."
-"Lancer..." -Leon shakes his head-"There was no need to announce your presence."
-"Oh, come on, stud. Did you catch any lady being so tight laced?"
-"Never mind that" -He hurriedly interrupts. That comment hits a sore spot. Actually, She was never too inclined to follow the rules, and used to make fun of him. Hearing a demon making the same kind of comment doesn't exactly feel good.- "I'm just making sure that no one counts me for dead yet. This War is far from over."
-"Acually…" -And Leon feels a chill upon hearing that. It's the kind of "Actually…" that means trouble- "You don't know how right you are. Tonight some Heroic Spirits fell, but… Someone has managed to summon an eighth Servant into the Class Avenger"
Leon tries to remember what he knows about the War, which isn't much. Being an outsider Magus is quite inconvenient. Finally he vaguely recalls something about the Avenger class. Some kind of unimportant Class, a weak failure summoned in one of the past wars.
-"And you tell me because…"
-"Because I'm putting a reward on his head. Whoever brings down Avenger will have an extra Command Spell granted"
Leon nods. He feels some more talking is in order, but there isn't really anything else he wants to know, so he bows his head and leaves instead.
-"Call beforehand next time you come!" -The priest yells once he has left the room- "I'll have the first aid kit ready!"
Leon isn't in the mood to be made fun of, so he quickens his steps as much as he can, still managing to look kind of cool, half-running while limping. Wondering exactly how he does it aside, if he hadn't he might have been able to notice the sinister presence that materialises into the room after he leaves.
-"[You have done quite well, Supervisor-san]" -The voice makes Hector's stomach churn- "[I feel quite fortunate that you decided to heed my suggestion]"
-"I don't get why you want all the other Masters on your throats, but suit yourself"
-"[My, there is no need for all of them to be notified about the reward on my head at the same time, isn't there?]"
-"So one of them will believe everyone is looking for you and lower his guard against the other Masters? You are quite twisted, Avenger"
-"[And how should I define someone who thinks about that so quickly?]" -Avenger has just shrugs his shoulders not bothering to deny it- "[We are quite similar, I'd say]"
-"Unfortunately. Now if we have no more business, get out of this holy ground"
Avenger smiles and disappears. Whether he really leaves or not, Hector has no way of knowing.
Chloe von Einzbern looks around her emotionlessly. Making sure no one is around to interrupt her. What she's about to do, she should do in the peak of her powers, and ad-libbing a hack into a thousands of years old ritual is the very definition of foolhardy. But she tried to prepare properly once, and she was overtaken by an outsider. Now she has had to kill someone and destroy a heroic spirit even before entering the war.
She's tired, and quite nauseated, really. If there wasn't so much at stake here, she would have just let it go. Being all uncool and trying hard isn't really like her. Still one does what one has to. It's quite ironical her original wish, for a Fifth Heaven's Feel to take place, were fulfilled after all this years. And yet she didn't care but for the fact that she needed a different wish granted.
-"No more beating around the bush" -She says to herself, shaking her head and slapping her face to psych up- "It's time to go for real"
She closes her eyes, and starts shining brightly with an orange light that pierces the heavens. Others need spell circles, summoning verses and material catalysts. She, on the other hand...
-"Skip all the process, and grant me the results. For I am the Grail. For I am the Third Magic. For I am Illya von Einzbern" -Using her true name, the one shared with her twin (yet younger) sister, fills her heart with ache- "For I am the Archer Class. Grant me Myself, so I can win this Heaven's Feel, so I can make my wish come true"
As the magical energy is released, she falls on her knees, exhausted. But at the same time feeling more peace than she has felt in the last years. A female figure stands before her. She dresses in black. A long sleeved jacket with a white star over her heart, tied on her neck but baring her body. Under it, she wears a black bikini top and a very short jeans with a wide white belt. She also wears leather boots that reach right under her knees. Her hair is even darker than her clothes, and very long, tied in twin tails that extend almost to the floor. Her body seems really skinny, her breast barely appreciable. And long cut scars mark her torso. Pale like a porcelain doll, her skin gives the impression of being cold like a corpse, yet her lips show a slight, comforting smile, reflected in her big, blue eyes.
Kuro feels safe and warm before this being, unnaturally so. She still feels her motivations, and the determination to do what must be done. But the pain, the anger and frustration that gripped her heart for so long are nowhere to be found.
-"Are you my Servant? What did you do?"
The servant simply smiles, and a soft, blue fire appears over her left eye. Kuro feels the warm presence of her Servant inside her mind."I am the one who takes on your pain."
Hector was blissfully sleeping, for the next couple of hours unaware of the relentless battle royale happening around him. Of the many forces screwing with the rules he's supposed to hold. Of that scary Avenger. Of how he's supposed to pay his porn if the Einzbern stop their donations. Of how frustrating is to still have missables in nowadays RPG's. Of that lucky bastard Tengu, on a travel with his beautiful Servant…
Or so it should have been, after such a hectic night, he believed himself worthy of a few hours of sleep. But then that Chloe girl had stormed the Cathedral. Again.
-"Miss Einzbern, while I consider myself an open and reasonable man" -More like he considers himself mature enough to not close the door in her face… barely mature enough- "Everybody requires a reasonable amount of daily repose to function properly. I hope there is a good reason to simply barge in during my humble sleep hours."
-"Keep your whining, this is important."
Hector sighs, and waves an invitation towards the usual meeting room. In the way in, he can't help but notice a change in the girl's demeanor. She seems more… collected, maybe. It's not that she has lost her aggressiveness, that' s still there, but somehow she appears more in control than ever.
Maybe she got laid. Or maybe not. Hector is a shut-in geek priest, don't ask him about people.
-"So... " -Finally in the appropriate chamber, Hector sits down without waiting for her to do so first. Screw the manners, he's tired- "What's so important it cannot wait until the honest people naturally wake up?"
-"It's almost midday, you pervert priest." -Before he can make a snappy answer, she continues- "Never mind that. I come as a participant in this War. Archer, if you please..."
The figure of an unknown Servant materializes behind her, and Hector can't help but stare for an instant, before reaching for his arbiting tool. "Six Servants are present in the Grail War".
-"Will this war ever be over?"
-"As a rightful Master for this War, I hope there will be no trouble with this"
-"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. The seven Masters already were chosen, and you weren't one of them. Even if you somehow have managed a Servant now, it's too late to act like nothing happened. You, dear miss, are an irregular in this War. I can hardly turn the blind eye at this."
-"That's nonsense! I simply claimed my legitimate right!"
-"Even if you say so, please consider my position," -Hector is enjoying this. Messing up with peoples is his real passion.- "I can't simply..."
-"[Isn't this awfully convenient?]"
Chloe quickly shifts her gaze towards the source of the voice, and her Servant materializes an enormous arm cannon, which she aims it in the same direction. Hector simply sighs with exasperation.
-"Avenger… I believe I told you to piss off."
-"[Come on, don't be like that]" -It's unclear who's he referring to- "[Isn't this a perfect chance? A rogue Servant is one thing, but now we have two. I believe there is room for some negotiations.]"
-"I like the way you think" -Says Chloe. Her servant directs her gaze at her for an instant, seemingly surprised- "What do you propose?"
-"[A game. Just an innocent game one-on-one. The winner will be accepted as a legitimate Master, and the loser will become a full-fledged outcast, with a reward for his head and everything]"
-"Wait a second, Avenger! you can't simply..."
-"You shut up, pervert priest."
-"[Now, now, no need to fight. I'm just trying to solve this peacefully]"
-"Still you can't just sidestep my authority like that!"
-"Would you prefer to have two rogue Masters running around? With nothing to lose, we could join forces and beat the crap out of the other four before they can organize."
-"[I couldn't have expressed it any better]"
Hector sighs, too tired to even care anymore.
-"Have it your way, I'll arbitrate the game. What will you be playing?"
-"[Strip Monopoly, Each time you bankrupt you have to take one piece and strike a pose to the camera]"
-"Archer, Blast this fool away!"
Archer's arm cannon quickly loads energy, releasing a blast that vaporizes Avenger, with everything around him. Next thing Hector knows, everything is back to normal, Archer's cannon isn't even smoking.
-"[Wow, I'll admit I was curious, but looks like I still see her when I die!]" -Avenger seems cheerful for an instant, before realizing everyone's expressions and shrugging again. -"[What? Did you think I would come out in the open if I was so easy to deal with? Now, what about the game?]"
Non-Interlude: Tengu is back!
-"Man, I sure though we were done back there." -In the train back home, I teasingly reproach Rider- "I seem to remember you telling me the nexus would be unattended."
-"It surprised me too. Last thing I expected was finding wild witches in the outside world (ze)." -She jokingly sulks- "That damn Alice sure pulled one on me, making me think everything was all "city sect" outside Gensokyo."
-"So what did you do exactly? I got knocked out cold and next thing I know they are all bowing to you…"
-"I pulled rank on them" -It's funny how she manages to say that with a straight face- "Hey! Don't look at me like that ya big dork!"
-"Sorry, sorry" -Damn she's still sharp- "But what rank can a young girl pull over that old crone who ruled over them?"
-"He hee… Lady Mima trained no fool (ze)!" -Again that self-satisfied expression, rubbing her nose with the back of her index while grinning widely. Without being able to help myself, I pull her hat down over her face- "Hey! what's that fer?"
-"You are giving yourself too much credit."
-"I saved yer sorry ass again (ze)!"
-"You are a Sevant, that's your job"
-"And tamed a whole akelarre fer ya (ze), ya ungrateful Master!"
-"An akelarre you assured wouldn't be there"
Rider suddenly stops our dumb argument and simply stares at my face accusatorily. I feel my cheeks slowly growing hotter.
-"Yer throwing a tantrum again, ain't it?" -I sit back and try to stare outside the window, but my cheeks are burning, and my eyes seem guiltily attracted to hers- "Ya know, yer way of asking for attention is really tiring (ze)..."
-"It's no fair" -I finally mumble- "I want to brag too, you know? It's actually quite a big feat for a city guy to be able to survive in the wilds by himself."
-"Yea, yea… Good work there (ze), I never expected ya to be capable of fishing barehanded"
-"And I'm even an otaku, so it's doubly praiseworthy" -Now, I know perfectly fine that being an otaku is hardly an excuse to brag, but once I started skulking, I just couldn't stop- "And I know which berries are edible, even know some shrooms."
Rider seems at a loss of words when I look up. Come on, say something! Laugh it off like you always do! If she keeps up looking so serious I will start thinking this is serious. And what then? I don't need another thing to feel depressed about…
As she gets slowly closer, I try to figure out her intentions. Is she going to kiss me? Yeah, right, stop deluding yourself. But maybe she will give me a hug? Nah, it couldn't be… except she's getting closer and closer and I don't know what to think anymore. Then she flicks my nose.
-"Got ya!" -As she smiles widely, I feel my embarrassment and worries fade (Actually, what exactly was I worried about?)- "This cute, skulking Master isn't so bad (ze)! But yer a bit old for pouting."
I can't hold my laughter. Indeed, the idea of a full-fledged adult making a fool out of himself like I just did is quite hilarious. I'll have to remember it next time I'm about to embarrass myself. Anyway, we have finally arriving out destination. And as the door opens, we are both smiling like idiots. Looks like the journey was worth after all.
-"Mr. Tengu, it's nice to see you again" -The voice besides me has a slight asian accent that I wouldn't even notice if not because I already know it's owner- "Maybe we should have a conversation, from Master to Master."
As I turn to face Naoe Yamato, all happy thoughts vanish. Oh, yeah, we were in the middle of a War…
What if… Tengu had actually helped Chloe?
-"Oi girly, are ya sure ya want to keep this up (ze)?"
Rider reflects my thoughts exactly, but it's a stupid question. I have gotten to know Chlow well enough during this days, she won't back down. Geez… ambushing Archer's Master was one thing. Even if I'm no magus, Chloe can cover for me, so it would be a fair fight. But how are we supposed to take down an alliance by ourselves? And while we are at it...
-"How in the world" -I ask the four women, varying in age from preadolescence to early thirties- "Did you end up joining forces?"
The girl a school uniform shrugs and answers:
-"Caster's Master and me have shared tastes"
That does the last "Click" for the cogwheels on my head, A magus who transform at the yell of "Guardians unite!" and controls "Heart". A short tempered electromaster dressing a school uniform. With something in common.
-"Oh, nice" -This is so stupid I can't but to feel annoyed- "So we are going to get crushed by the Frog-love Alliance. Talk about absurd deaths."
I look sideways to the pretty girls at my both sides. I have felt really lucky since the War started. For a purposeless guy like me, who just lets one day pass after another, being needed by others was a welcome change. Rider, so full of life, incapable of standing still, seeking adventure and treasures indefatigably. And always trying to play it cool while trying her hardest.
And Kuro. Chloe, Illya… whatever the name you choose, she's still her. Devious and manipulative, yet good hearted and passionate. She makes for a strange personality. We began with the wrong foot, her playing all high and mighty and me disdaining her. Yet she saved my life when Berserker had me cornered. And I paid her back repelling Saber. Before we knew it, our evenings having chocolate in some terrace while planning our next move became a daily routine. Me making fun of her attempts to behave maturely slowly turned from malicious comments to good-natured jokes. I won't say she turned into the little sister I never had, but at the very least we made for a damn nice pair of cousins.
-"Well, this looks like the end of the road" -No matter how you look at this. Taking Archer and Caster plus two Masters? No way.- "Ready to go back to Gensokyo, Rider?"
-"I never think about losing!" -Playing cool again- "Let's blast'em to the moon (ze)!"
-"And Kuro…" -I have always wanted to do a dying speech, but when push comes to shove, my mind goes blank- "It was fun hanging around. If you were some years older, I would've asked you out."
She opens her mouth to reply. Man, can't she take a praise without snapping for once? Well, tough luck, this time I won't let her. As I notice Rider rising towards the sky and my remaining command seal heating, I yell a single word
-"RUN!"
For once she obeys without discussion, thank God. Dunno if our opponents are waiting out of respect, or if they are wary about Rider (hell, they should...) anyway it's awfully nice of them to let her get away. Maybe they think that, since she's no Master, there is no point.
-"Okay Rider, It's time for the grand finale.." -Gathering all the dramatics I can muster in a single movement, I hold my hand before me, slowly closing it into a fist, Command Seal outwards- "Tengu commands you, Erase my enemy!"
What? Who said unreasonable command? Anyway, both Blazing Comet and the Mini-Hakkero start glowing, and Rider grabs the former firmly, adopting a highly aerodynamic stance. But this is no rpg, no way my opponents will just stand there and take the attack, unless…
-"Four little failures were once happy" -Since I know their stories, let's play dirty, shall we?- "One was betrayed by everyone, Her love lost in the frozen north, her city destroyed by her friends. And there was only three."
Now, there is a difference between detecting duplicity and being a mind reader. Caster knows something is amiss with my words, But they are too heavy for her to ignore.
-"One wanted to save people, yet only managed to get countless sisters mangled in the name of Science. Another one was unhappy, and there was only two."
Archer grits her teeth, not taking her eyes out of Rider, but not acting either. Maybe she suspects I'm casting a curse. Well, words are powerful things, this is a curse of shorts.
-"One was kicked out of her home, everyone scared of her dragons. She looked a new place to fit, but found only war. Three were unhappy, and there was only one."
This isn't gonna works. They were shocked for a second, but anytime now they'll act, and Rider doesn't look ready yet. I put my best douche smile. After all, the only thing I can do is keep talking and look confident.
-"One lost four friends in a game of magic and princes, her heart now weeps forever. The last little failure became unhappy. And then there was no one!"
Not a second too early. Rider charges forward. Man, not even rehearsing would we get a better timing.
-"Broken Phantasm: Love's Meltdown!"
As the energy sphere once known as Rider charges towards the enemy, they try to react. Shields of both ice and magic rise on her path, hot-white lightning blasts try to intercept her. But alas, to no avail (man, I always wanted to say that!). The elemental furnace is self-destructing, and I doubt there's something short of a nuclear blast with the same destructive power. The impact inevitably follows, and everything turns into light.
My last thoughts are for Kuro. I hope she gets her wish.
DEAD END
Would you like to visit the Tiger Dojo?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[X] A thunderbolt should strike down the author.
So… Surprise! Chloe finally got her Servant. This makes nine summonings for the War, a more than respectable amount. It's actually the number of different Servants appearing on the original Fate/Stay Night, so there is a good chance things will stay that way… Or so you guys should be thinking. What the Author plans, only he knows ;). (wow, 3 'so' in a single paragraph...). BTW, if anyone recognises Chloe's Unlimited Blade Works spell, he can give himself a cookie.
Writing World Invader Momo is taking more out of me than expected. I started it with only a vague idea of what I wanted. It was supposed to be a short story, not more than 2-3 chapters, so I could go a bit whimsy and don't worry too much about contradictions. But the more I read about Madoka Magica the more I fall into a the labyrinth of facts, theories, official material, fan speculation and overall madness that involve the series, particularly the character of Akemi Homura. So… yeah, writing goes slowly there there.
I seem to remember mentioning Agents of Shield some time ago. I must regretfully retract myself. The series begun showing promise, but all resemblance of sense is little by little thrown by the window. In my humble opinion the series starts losing interest after the story with the Chitauri helmet.
On another note, I have been playing FFTA again after so long! Man the game was fun, but I think I went past some missables on this gameplay, that always makes me sad. I'm going with an Assassin/Shaman risen as Summoner, with Turbo MP as assist skill, so I can Ultima Mash anything for enough damage to tear a hole into reality. A real shame you cannot Double Cast Ultima Mashes.
I'm also replaying FFXII. I used to hate that game, but now I honestly have no idea why. Have started Baldur's Gate III (Oops, it's name is Pillars of Eternity) too. The game shows promise, a real shame they flat discarded romance options and multiplayer, but still. More feedback as I play.
