Chapter-38

Sigurd

Sigurd sat opposite First Rider in his office. It was late at night. All the other servants were patrolling Beacon while everyone else was asleep. Ozpin had said tomorrow there would be a meeting to discuss plans.

"So…you knew." Sigurd spoke.

"General James ironwood is clearly not as good at hiding things as Ozpin. It was very clear that from the increased level of security guards and security measures towards the basement of Atlas academy that they were hiding something." First Rider spoke. "I had Second Rider cause a bit of a commotion before sneaking down through the lowest levels of Atlas city. Aegis definitely helped."

"Speaking of which…You mentioned Aegis, the Shield of Athena, I believe?" Sigurd asked. "Does that mean you're…Odysseus?"

First Rider nodded. "Correct."

Sigurd tilted his head looking at Odysseus. "I don't see a shield."

Odysseus sighed as he brushed his white hair out of his face. "Well…I was rather confused too when Lady Athena appeared to me wearing Aegis. All those accounts of her being dressed like a hoplite really fell flat when I saw her covered in this Armor and her shield. In short, this is Aegis." He spoke tapping his armor as Sigurd blinked.

"I…see. Moving on with your investigation, you found a vault in the lower levels, I presume?"

Odysseus nodded. "The vault was suspended in the hollow structure holding up Atlas. There was a path leading to a floating megalithic structure whose rocks were of a foreign material."

"Did you see a doorway?"

"Yes. A golden door that clearly looked like it required some form of magecraft to open. I called a caster…"

"Caster? There are more?"

Odysseus nodded. "Yes. But the rest of us are at Atlas. Anyways, the caster reported that the door was protected by a seal. An extremely elaborate seal that apparently has the same concept of repulsion of the Nemean Lion."

"..."

"It means that the seal will reject all forms of magecraft except for…"

"The power of the Maidens." Sigurd spoke.

"The caster also said that they could sense something extremely powerful behind the door, along with the possible presence of a reality marble."

"...!" Sigurd looked at Odysseus.

"A Reality Marble? Are you sure?" He asked.

"Not 100%. But yes. The caster is very sure that the door opens to a reality marble."

"How is it being maintained, then?" Sigurd asked.

"I do not know. That is one thing that baffles me. We all feel weakened, exactly how Gaia tries to correct anomalies by removing our existence. I assumed that the same is the case here, with Remnant's Will pressing down upon us. But in that case…those reality marbles shouldn't exist."

"What if it's because the laws of Remnant are different? It's clear that the people can use aura and semblances with no side-effect but exhaustion."

"True, true. This is a different planet and we can't assume the laws of this 'Age Of Perseverence' are the same as the 'Age of Man' on our planet. But it does make me wonder who could be capable of such a feat."

"The gods." Sigurd spoke as Odysseus gave a hum.

"...Yes. Have you read the tale of the Two brothers?"

"No."

"Ah, do read it. It's important for knowing more about Remnant's gods. However, I shall simply bring your attention to the first line."

"2000 years ago, Two brothers descended from the stars to create a world for themselves."

"From the stars…that means the remnant's Gods are extra-terrestrial in nature."

"Like my gods." Odysseus spoke. "Although, there isn't really anything that describes where these 'two brothers' came from."

"But whatever it is, the fact that they managed to create a world…"

"...Is concerning. Both Ozpin and my studies of this Planet's stratigraphy shows this Planet is a mere 3,000 years old. Considering the legend of the Two Brothers appeared 1,000 years ago…"

"The dates fit. That means Remnant's gods are not extensions of the planet like most of our gods, but True god-like beings."

"Meaning that unless there was a calamity that weakened them like Sefar brought down Olympus, Remnant's gods are not affected by humanity. And gods like that are definitely dangerous."

"But there was a calamity." Sigurd spoke. "The Age of Mystery can be considered Remnant's Age of Gods. And its ending followed by the Dawn of Mankind proves that something happened that ended the Age of Mystery, forcing Remnant's gods to go to the Reverse side."

Odysseus looked down at the floor. "I hope so."

"Now that is my description of the vault at Atlas academy."

"But then…why was Beacon's vault so different?" Sigurd spoke. "There was nothing out of the ordinary over there other than the pods containing Amber."

"Hm, Perhaps Ozpin hid the vault. It can be deduced that he has mostly worked in Vale, and hence he pays more attention and care to its vault than the vaults of the other three kingdoms."

"And if he hid it, then there must be a way in."

"Correct. I think you too are curious about these 'Relics' and want to see one?"

Sigurd nodded. "And I believe you weren't able to open the vault with a maiden."

"That would be overstepping boundaries." Odysseus replied. "And we need Atlas' vast resources for our operations. It can be easy to get past Ironwood into the vault, but trying to get the Winter Maiden to open it? There are too many variables that could mess up the plan. Unlike that, Ozpin is more cooperative. He is willing to settle the mess with the Fall Maiden."

"But that doesn't mean he is obligated to show us the relic. From what I hear, these Relics are extremely important in this conflict. I highly doubt Ozpin would try something like this unless he had no choice."

"You are right. Then we'll have to do the same with Beacon as we did with Atlas, but this time with the Fall Maiden's power."

"And we can't do that until the Fall Maiden is complete."

"In which case, our next step would be stopping the enemy." Odysseus spoke. "We shall see about that once Ozpin reveals our next step forward."


The next day, all the servants sat with Ozpin and his circle members in his office.

"So…this is it." Cú spoke.

"Indeed. Months of work, all culminating in one last push." Ozpin spoke. "I hope the squadrons have been set up."

"Yes…the men are ready. But the only thing left is to give them a clear picture of what they're up against. They're familiar with the white fang…but the third party…"

"We can deal with the White Fang later. They are cut off from their allies and hence the resources they have to pose a threat. Right now, the Carrier's group is the one that worries me the most."

"Before that, we should discuss where we should look." Winter spoke.

"No need. I sensed a strong concentration of magic coming from the mountains in the northern direction. With my enhanced perception of mana," Ozpin spoke, tapping his blue eye,

"I can sense a cloaking enchantment around the based. However, it's been cast over a number of mountains…so I can't pinpoint the exact location. But, I can mark for you where the enchantment is placed. From that point, you will be on your own."

"I see…Well, do you have an idea who this 'Carrier' could be?" Ironwood asked.

Shirou crossed his arms. "Well…I can confirm that this Carrier is a…god." He spoke.

"...A god?" Qrow asked. "Please tell me the 'god' thing is just a…"

"No. He's right. There's no metaphor or title or anything. The Carrier is straight up a god." Cú spoke.

The circle members were silent.

"Well…shit. If what you're saying is true…" Maria spoke.

"...Then how do we fight against a god?" Winter asked.

"You could give us some more details. Its not necessary that he's a powerful god." Second Rider, who Sigurd now figured was Achilles, spoke.

"True, true. Well, He has brown hair and fiery orange eyes. I believe he also has immense control over fire…and he spoke Greek." Sigurd spoke as Odysseus perked up.

"Brown hair…fiery eyes…pyrokinesis…and Greek…" Odysseus spoke before turning to Achilles, who's eyes widened.

"Oh…you don't think its…"

"Of course…'The Carrier' itself gives a clue to his identity." Odysseus spoke shaking his head.

"So you know who he is?" Glynda asked.

"Yes. And he's also a god from our culture." Odysseus spoke.

"He is Prometheus, the Titan of Forethought, Fire and Counsel. He is said to be the creator of mankind." Odysseus spoke as Sigurd frowned.

"Ah…that's why he's called 'The Carrier'. It's an allusion to the legend of him stealing Fire from Hestia's Hearth on Olympus and carrying it to Humanity, allowing it to begin technological progress." Sigurd spoke.

"Ok, cool…now should we be worried or not?" Qrow asked.

Odysseus shook his head. "Prometheus' main weapon is his intellect and clairvoyance. He isn't really much of a fighter. Now, if his brother Atlas had been our enemy…then it would have been a big problem."

Qrow narrowed his eyes. "Not a problem? You're saying the dude who nearly roasted my niece alive and almost took down 'Saber' is NOT a problem?"

Odysseus raised his hands.

"Peace, peace. While Prometheus is not much of a fighter, he is still a god. He still holds immense power over his domain of fire. Aegis and Sigurd's Armor of Fafnir are both strong enough to resist the Prometheus' flames. With that, we can definitely take him down."

Ozpin had his eyes closed before nodding.

"And his army of servants and monsters?" He asked calmly. "They are a problem."

"Not to our airships." Ironwood spoke confidently. "As long as we have air superiority, our airships can bomb their base. They won't have the means to…"

"Hold on. General Ironwood, we should not treat them like any other enemy. They are capable of immensely powerful magecraft. It's very easy for them to set up a bounded field that might block the…"

"I will take care of that." Ozpin spoke. "Should they have a magical boundary against any sort of bombardment, I will ensure the bombs can pierce that shield."

"Can you?" Shirou asked.

Ozpin smirked. "With my recent acquiring of Odin's power…I believe I can enchant the bombs to penetrate any magical boundary they set up."

"Even then…one Noble phantasm could completely mess that up." Cú spoke.

"Noble phantasm?" Ironwood asked.

"A crystallization of our legend." Sigurd explained. "They are the embodiments of our legends, the concepts which ensured our entry into the throne of heroes. Take me for example. My noble phantasm is my sword Gram, which struck down the dragon Fafnir in my legend. Similarly, Cú's spear is his noble phantasm."

"...I see. And you are saying one particularly destructive one can ruin our plans for bombardment." Ozpin spoke.

Sigurd nodded. "I can confirm there is Siegfried. Ruby and her friends encountered Mordred Pendragon. Both their noble phantasms, Balmung and Clarent Blood Arthur, are extremely destructive and would tear apart Atlas' airships if they were fired off.

"Then they need to be eliminated before we can commence bombardment." Ironwood spoke.

"I believe you can handle that when you can first find the location." Ozpin spoke up. "Right now, our concern is getting there."

"True. So, all of us along with Atlas' forces?" Tristan asked.

"It's better that half of all servants with us stay here. We still need to be prepared in case the enemy launches a surprise attack." Ozpin spoke as Sigurd nodded.

"True. We can't risk another Breach." He spoke. "In that case, I suggest me, Shirou, Odysseus go with the force to attack the base. Rest stay here."

"Hm, I agree with this arrangement. Sigurd is an extremely powerful servant, Shirou, being a ruler class, can tell us the true names of all our opponents while I can use Shirou's information and Sigurd's strength to formulate our plans." Odysseus spoke.

"Wha…Why not us?" Cú protested. "I'm pretty strong too!"

"...Hm, well, Cú works too. He may not have any defensive noble phantasm, but his durability is high. And considering he is the child of the sun god Lugh, I suppose he should have some amount of resistance to fire. Achilles and Tristan can suffice regarding the defense of Vale, then. Not to mention his noble phantasm can also kill Prometheus." Odysseus spoke as Cú grinned.

"Glad to know we're on that page. Although…I can't use…"

"I'll supply you with mana, don't worry about that." Sigurd spoke.

"Alright then, so Sigurd, Cú, Odysseus and Shirou will go with the Atlesian forces to the northern mountains and destroy the Carrier's base. Meanwhile, Tristan, Achilles and Serenity will stay in Vale to keep the defenses strong with Vale's huntsmen. As for our members, Winter shall go with the forces and Qrow shall stay with me."

Qrow and Winter nodded.

"Very well. Now, I believe we should commence preparations." Ozpin spoke, adjusting his glasses. "Once again, we have to achieve our goal while the Vytal festival's neutrality is in effect. So let us not waste too much time."

"Understood." Everyone spoke.

"Good. This meeting is adjourned."


"Is the bounded field complete?" The Carrier asked Semiramis as Perseus watched from the side. They were standing in the Carrier's workshop within their base. The carrier had bits and pieces of metal scattered across his table, although Perseus had no idea what he was trying to do. The Carrier was listening to Semiramis' report while working on the table.

"Yes. The bounded field is very secure. It will take them days to find our location, and even if they do, our fortifications are too strong for them to break through without the help of a noble phantasm."

"Excellent. Atlas has arrived and is most likely planning to attack. Send out our phantasmals in terrorizing villages alongside the grimm. They'll serve as an excellent distraction to our location."

"As you say." Semiramis spoke before leaving.

"We won't do anything?" Perseus asked.

"No. Right now the time is not correct. We still have some things missing." The carrier spoke as Perseus sighed. He didn't need reminders of the pages located somewhere at Beacon.

"Right, right. Shall I take your leave?" Perseus spoke as the Carrier nodded and walked off.

Outside, there were only shadow servants and phantasmals. Adam had taken the White fang towards the forests beyond the mountains, while they'd stayed in the northern part of the mountains. For the time being, their operation with the white fang would be on hold.

He could spot Siegfried sparring against some shadow servants with an emotionless expression, standing unaffected as their attacks bounced off his armor. In the distance, Mordred also sparred, although her ferocious combat style didn't leave room for any counterattack. He spotted the Dioscuri sparring with each other, most likely because Castor was not going to tolerate the presence of anyone other than his sister. Semiramis was most likely in her workshop.

Hassan of the Hundred Faces, who'd arrived yesterday, had already set up points in the mountains to watch for any enemy presence. Along with that, they were busy tracking down the mysterious archer-class servant who was causing trouble for their patrols in the forested areas of the mountains.

That archer is certainly one elusive bastard. Our own Archer, however… Perseus thought of their archer who was coming today. He was definitely going to be a massive help.

Perseus then noticed Cinder Fall standing near a ledge, overlooking the mountains.

"What is it, Perseus?" She asked as Perseus looked around before walking up. "Nothing. Are you leaving for the white fang base?"

"Yes. Someone needs to ensure they remain under control. Who knows what Adam might do now that he's separated from us. I'm leaving in a few hours."

"I see." Perseus spoke before going to leave.

"Perseus." Cinder spoke as Perseus stopped. "I wish to talk about something."

Oh, what is it now? Perseus thought with a grimace.

"Yes?"

"What drove you to go on that quest?" Cinder asked. "I have learnt of your legend from what the Carrier has told me, but I want to hear it from your perspective."

"Hm, very well. Do you know Dictys?"

"The fisherman who raised you alongside your mother?"

"Yes. His brother, Polydectes, was the king of the Island of Seriphos. He was a power-hungry snake, who wanted my mother as his wife. Of course, even if I wasn't a trained warrior, I could still rip his head off with my strength. Hence, he hatched a plot to get rid of me. He held a large banquet, and all guests were to bring him a horse as a gift for the hand of a princess in marriage." Perseus spoke as Cinder nodded.

"And you were invited but didn't have one?"

"Exactly. Horses were very expensive in my time, while fish were not. Me and Dictys would have needed to get a good catch for 2 months straight before we could afford a horse. So, I had nothing to give Polydectes."

Perseus' mouth twisted into an angry scowl at Polydectes' and the other nobles' mocking statements about his mother.

Remembering their frozen faces will never cease to give me satisfaction. Perseus thought with a dark grin.

"You really hated being in that position, didn't you?"

"Of course I was. Those stuck-up pricks thought they were so high and mighty just because they were born with more privileges than me. They dangled their riches and power as if they didn't get those powers handed to them on a silver platter, while I broke my back helping Dictys meet his ends."

Perseus sighed. "At that moment, I will admit I was overcome by a burst of ego. I started fantasizing about bringing a gift that none of their riches could buy through my own effort. So, I boldly challenged Polydectes that I could bring him any gift. After which…"

"He told you to get the head of Gorgon."

"Correct." Perseus spoke. "So, what drove me to undertake this quest was to prove to those worms that one didn't need riches and privileges to succeed."

Cinder smiled. "Something I can definitely agree with. One thing that has fascinated me about power and prestige is that they don't discriminate against anyone. All have the ability to grab that power. But few ever have the conviction to go for it."

"In that way, we are the same."

"Oh?" Perseus asked in curiosity.

"I was born a slave, bought by the owner of a hotel in Atlas that she inherited from her mother. I was tortured by her and her daughters, because they thought themselves better than me simply because they had the hotel handed to them through inheritance while I had nothing of that sort."

"And you killed them?"

Cinder smiled. "Of course. A huntsman took pity on me and taught me to fight. I learnt his skills and used them to take my revenge on that hotel owner. It felt good looking at their faces when I drove my blades into their chest. It's what they deserved, after all. I escaped and began working to achieve my ultimate goal - receiving a maiden's power."

So, that's why she asked me. Perseus thought. His and Cinder's past were similar in the sense that they both involved privileged scum abusing their power to oppress those poorer than them.

"Ah. I suppose that makes us a bit similar." Perseus spoke, although he wildly disagreed with the notion. Unlike Cinder, he had no intention of pushing his luck after he slew Medusa.

"Yes. Which is why you should keep looking forward. Keep rising above these fools for your master's favour. After all, with all the efforts we've made, don't you think its natural that we receive the fruits of our labour?"

"..."

"But anyways, enough chat. I take my leave." Cinder spoke walking off as Perseus looked down.

"With all the efforts we've made, don't you think its natural that we receive the fruits of our labour?"

"Fruits of our labour, huh…" Perseus mused before walking off.

He could ponder about that later. Now that the Carrier had confirmed Atlas was coming, their plan was approaching its end. If all went well, Vale would fall. Ozpin's circle would be crushed and a relic will fall into their hands.

But I won't enjoy it. Not at all. Perseus thought with a frown.


"So, how long were you there?" Prometheus asked.

"Some time, Prometheus." The Cloaked figure greeted, materializing into existence.

"You say you have it all prepared?"

"The pages at least. I have arranged for them. I assure you that they shall be in my hands soon enough. As for the materials, Once Torchwick brings in the Paladins here…"

"I see. Very well, considering that we are entering the final phase of our plan for Vale, I shall stay here. Once the pages arrive and we know the location of the wyvern, I shall work on the modification process. Although I do wonder, what do you intend with the paladins?"

Prometheus smiled. "A contingency in case I am forced to do battle."

"Hm. I do hope I do not have to distract myself too much for this."

"Of course not. Just the wyvern will suffice. I assure you you will not be disturbed from your work on the Temple."

"Good. Once Vale falls, our focus shall shift to Vacuo. Considering who is there, we will need to focus our efforts into eliminating this threat."

Prometheus hummed. He didn't need to know. Reports had already come of a particularly powerful servant causing trouble. That servant definitely needed to be dealt with before moving on with the plan. But he knew his colleague will be able to put him down.

His job right now was to cut off the snake's head to make it easy for The Will to win.

"I see. I shall send my help once Vale comes under my control."

The Cloaked Figure nodded before disappearing.

Prometheus looked back at his table. The project that he was working on was something he wouldn't usually do. But with circumstances, he acknowledged that he would not be able to hold out against multiple servants, not at this state. Hence, he needed something a bit more unconventional.

"So, making plans for an offensive, Ozma?" He muttered before grinning. "Good. Split your forces...It'll make it even easier to bring all of your work crashing down."


A/N: Another long wait, huh? Anyways, for those of you who are confused why I disappeared again after saying I was back, that's because I started a new story, a PJO/HP crossover whose reason I've already explained in the Prologue's A/N. The story's called 'Percy Jackson and the Tree of Life - The Secret Prophecy'.

So, FGO's new storyline after the Lostbelts is 'Ordeal Call'. Since everybody's confirmed that CHALDEAS is going to be the final boss, Ordeal call in my opinion feels like an interlude (Like Epic of Remnant). I'm guessing the final boss, CHALDEAS, is after Ordeal Call. I do wonder what Part-3 is going to be like after this. I just hope it doesn't take a similar premise to an FGO fic I'm currently planning, which I'll probably release after a few years (Yes, few years. With the rate I'm going with Soulless Plains and my other two stories, it's going to be a really long time before I start working on the FGO fanfic I'm planning on).

Finally, the whole introductory arc is over. Now, we can head onto the plot of Volume-3. At this point, I did make some changes to my plans for Volume-3, but I'm still going with my original plan for the Fall of Beacon. Just a lot more to go before I get on to it.

The whole Cinder and Perseus segment was just a little sprinkle on Perseus' character and what I've got planned for him down the road. I honestly love it when adaptations of myths and legends introduce a twist that opens up a whole new dimension to the myth. Prime example if God of War. It's handling of Baldr's myth is so good, introducing an interesting twist on Baldr's invulnerability that is really slept on in Norse mythology. That way, I guess I've gotten really attached to Perseus. I've not put more effort on any Villain in the story more than him so far. And his character progression is going to be fun as we move further.

One more thing. My board exams are a couple of weeks away, so from 24th February to 29th March there will be no updates. I just want to be completely focused on getting them done. Once they're over, then I can get down to progressing my stories.

Hope you guys enjoyed and constructive criticism is appreciated!


Warning: This is completely unrelated to the story. You can skip this if you want to.

My thoughts on LB7:

My predictions before LB7 had been released: So, LB7's done. And my predictions were completely off course. Which is expected. When I made those predictions, I realized there was no chance in hell Nasu would actually do something like that. The dude is the ultimate fanfic writer in that he uses characters of other works but mostly writes his own storylines without drawing too much from the source material. My predictions were heavily leaning on the myth of the five suns, while in LB7, those were just to give a little explanation for Aztec blood sacrifices or just a reference in Tezcatlipoca's alternate NP. So, yeah. I guess I was wrong.

Story: Storywise, LB7 is exactly what Nasu said it would be. It was a simple adventure story, if you look past all the crazy concepts put into that. And while the storyline is simple, fate smashed it out of the park with characterisation. Fate's defining quality is that it builds upon the character interactions and how different characters can influence each other, and as usual, that was done brilliantly in this story. Although I am a little miffed about the redemption arc for the Alien God. I feel sort of disappointed that the main villain that was hyped up throughout the story appeared at the end of Lostbelt 5, destroyed the Wandering Sea, then just went a redemption arc. I honestly wanted a conflicted Ritsuka going up against U-Olga-Marie and then killing her off. It would have been nice, in my opinion. But other than that, the story was great.

Dinosaurs in LB7: Oh man, my biggest gripe with LB7 is the dinosaur lore. I was honestly terrified when I saw there would be dinosaurs in LB7 because I knew Nasu would get prehistoric lore completely wrong. Which he did. There's a lot of stuff Nasu got wrong about prehistory, but I'm going to ignore that because this is Fate. It's honestly not surprising that Fate messes up Palaeontology harder than it messes up history and mythology.

Character designs: I am pissed at the designs of the Aztec gods. I'm completely fine with Tezcatlipoca's casual wear, but what in god's good name was that black panther outfit in his ascension? Where is his smoking mirror? Where is there any indication that he's the god of Night? I want to point out that this is the dude who had the balls to stick his foot into the Aztec version of Tiamat's mouth while his siblings chickened out, not to mention the imposing figure he cut when he appeared in LB4. What happened to all of that? He's no Huitzilopochtli, but at least don't make him a scrawny blonde noodle!

And talking about Huitzilopochtli, let me move on to my biggest disappointment in character design - Tlaloc. When I first saw Tlaloc in the TVCM, I thought it was Tlaloc's wife Chalciuhtlicue, not Tlaloc himself...or herself, I guess. Of all the aztec characters I did not want to be gender bent, Tlaloc was no.1 on the list. And this is the reason why:

TLALOC - Age of Pantheons - Artstation (Put it on the search bar and go to the first result)

This is the Tlaloc I saw before FGO presented its version of Tlaloc. And I can never bring myself to like FGO Tlaloc's design after seeing this.

At least Camazotz was done some amount of justice, although I'm still reeling from Tlaloc. Good thing Huitzilopochtli was just possessing Tlaloc, because I think I would have nightmares if Huitzilopochtli became another waifu.


Response to Reviews:

longbowchris50: I never really said Ozpin was incompetent. But...dude was way too passive for the the leader of the faction that's supposed to stand against Salem.

Zoukiyuujinchou: Yes, I am back. And then I went off on a little vacation to write a bit of another story in two different fandoms. Sorry, I'm now going back to a balanced upload schedule