File: park.jpg (880 KB, 1600x1200)

880 KB JPG

“I’d wager there’s a good chance the enemy Servant is trying to bait someone into attacking him, either because he has some sort of trap set up and is waiting for somebody to walk into it, or he has a Noble Phantasm or other ability the requires the target to accept the challenge or attack the owner.” You assert.

Mulling it over for a moment, Truvietianne agrees, “I suppose that’s plausible enough.”

“It seems to me that it would be pretty dumb for somebody to just announce their presence after the recent bombardment without any sort of precaution.” You add.

“That’s probably the case, but it could be that the Servant’s precaution is simply confidence in their speed and toughness to get through an imprecise, wide-area bombardment, rather than packing some overwhelming advantage.” Lancer replied.

Addressing your Servant, you say, “Since we don’t have conclusive information one way or the other, I’d like you to summon a familiar to monitor that situation, preferably the type most suited to stealth.”

Considering the choice for a short while, Avenger opts to summon a familiar in the form of a normal-sized rooster. Shooing it toward the direction of the unknown Servant, she notes, “So you are aware, I’ll need to put a significant amount of effort into micro-managing its movements so it doesn’t run into the enemy’s view.”

Watching the summoned creature scurry off, Truvietianne absentmindedly remarked, “Ah, it’s kind of cute.” Quickly collecting herself, she changed tact, “But let us resume our search: I suspect the leyline runs into that park up there. If I had to guess the one here is a bit stronger than the other we marked earlier.” Not far to the southwest, the buildings began thinning out and you could see the park she mentioned. Moving along, Truvietianne takes her Servant further in to survey the area more closely, while you hang back with Avenger at first.

“Has the familiar seen anything yet, Avenger?” You ask.

Nodding, she answered, “It hasn’t reached the location the Servant was announcing, but as it was on its way I saw it would run into the view of sentries, so I ordered it to fall back and attempt another route. Before you ask, the guardsmen were composed of lightly or unarmored spearmen and bowmen; from their swarthy complexions and distinctive facial features I could tell they were Africans, though little more than that.”

“Interesting, keep trying to see what you can and let me know if anything else comes up; we can leave analyzing the leyline to Miss Edelfelt. In fact, I think I’ll go check on her.” You reply before you step toward the other Master. Perhaps the Servant was trying to lure enemies in, then have his soldiers engage first to give him advance warning of their capabilities?

Truvietianne had been drawing some kind of magic circle in the ground, and as you approached she continued working without looking up while saying, “Did something come up, Einzbern?” You still weren’t used to that assigned name.

“Somewhat: Avenger’s familiar spotted sentries guarding the path to the Servant, and they seemed to be Africans wielding spears and bows. You discover something new about the leyline, Truvi?” You answer.

Looking up at you with a modicum of surprise, she repeated, “Truvi?”

Shrugging, you reply, “You can’t deny your first name is a bit long. I mean, if something were going to happen and I had to shout, ‘Look out Truvietia- oh! It already got you’, we’d all be a bit disappointed. Would you prefer I call you Anne?”

Looking back to her work, she quipped back, “Coming from a man who can’t remember his own name, how ironic. I suppose ‘Truvi’ is fine enough. My analysis will take some more time yet. Anything else you’d like to bring to my attention?”

“No need to be so formal, I’m a bit curious how you’re dealing with this war business in general. Since I can’t access my own memories I think it’s helped me take everything in stride, but in your case you thought a Holy Grail War should be actively discounted as a possibility.” You ask.

Still working intently, she answered, “Well, my preconceptions could only contradict the reality before my eyes for so long before I had to rethink them. That’s not to say all of this sits right with me; because it doesn’t. Aside from neutralizing hostile Servants and Masters, I’d really like to find out more about how this world works, how we got here to begin with, how we get out, that sort of thing. To that end I’ve decided to give this leyline a more thorough analysis than the other one. Perhaps I’ll be able to learn something useful from how they’re configured in this world; I’m suspecting they’re a bit different from the ones in the real world from what I’ve observed so far.”

“Good point.” You remark, then think aloud, “It sure would be a letdown if winning the war rewarded you with still being trapped here indefinitely.”

“You’d think whoever organized this would have put more effort into informing the participants of the rules and victory conditions, especially since the Servants themselves weren’t made aware of any differences from the Fuyuki version!” She griped, wiping her forehead as she continued her analysis.

“I can’t imagine how confused some of the other Masters and Servants without any privileged information might be. Those two boys and I were pretty lucky to run into you right away and get that context. What do you think of them and their Servants, by the way?” You ask.

“You may not remember him mentioning from how tired you were at the time, but it seems Yumigawa is his high school’s student council president. Doesn’t surprise me, he seems the proactive type who tries to take a central role in whatever social hierarchy he finds himself in. His Servant is surprisingly… taciturn, I suppose? Other than that one peculiar outburst when we first saw her I don’t think she spoke a single word aloud. As for the other, - wait, now that’s quite interesting.” She explains before suddenly changing the subject.

“What’d you find?” You ask, but at the same time Avenger runs over to you looking a bit agitated.

“Master, my familiar was able to maneuver to a better position and get a look at the Servant. He’s been in a chariot marshalling soldiers and sending them in patrols that I suspect are going to disperse throughout this entire area.” Avenger said, before a loud crackling sound began humming right where Truvi had been doing her analysis, quickly increasing in intensity.

“Get back, Truvi!” You quickly shout.

Faster than you could see, Lancer of Black surged forward, putting himself between her and the circle she drew before pushing her back. As he did, an explosion erupted from the ground centered on the circle, temporarily blinding you with its flash and leaving a ringing sound in your ears. Someone must have set up a trap at this leyline!

“Lancer, are you alright?!” You faintly hear Truvi shout over the ringing. Blinking a few times, you can see well enough to get a look at him. He looks a bit worse for wear, but not seriously injured.

“He can walk it off; we’ll have more to deal with soon enough.” Avenger says impatiently, and as the ringing in your ears dies down you clearly hear it: a single, booming horn’s blast, coming from the direction of the unknown Servant.

Immediately, over a dozen other horns begin echoing it from various locations, mixed in with war chants. From what you could tell, soldiers had been positioned all along the west of your position, and part of the south as well. From their continuing horn blasts and chants you could tell they were closing in on your position.

How do you respond?

> “The soldiers are probably small-fry meant to slow us down, let’s push toward the Servant and let Avenger’s familiars keep any reinforcements at bay.”
> “We shouldn’t get encircled, let’s pull off to the east and look for a defensible position.”
> “Avenger, check the leyline yourself. If there are any further traps, disarm them. Afterwards do what you can to draw power from it. We’ll make our stand here.”
> Something else (write-in)

File: 1663629603551734.png (1.82 MB, 1912x992)

1.82 MB PNG

Hmm, someone refresh me on niggerino lore. Did Shaka Zulu have bow and arrow type archers or just spearchuckers?

No elephants mentioned so its probably not Hannibal, although the chariot may imply a KANG/Pharoah?

If it was a reimagined Ozymandias or similar you'd imagine some kopesh or other equipment rather than spears and bows however. Only the servant being mounted too, where as most pharaohs would have whole armies charioted up.

>>5413726
It is clearly not Mansa Musa or later rulers of Western Africa region like Askia since they would be better equipped.
So yeah ether Shaka Zulu or Kushites. Probably founder of their dynasty if they are Kushites. Chariots are big in Egyptian imagery so I am thinking Kushites more likely option.
Small chance of them being led by Prester John though.

>>5413632
> “Avenger, check the leyline yourself. If there are any further traps, disarm them. Afterwards do what you can to draw power from it. We’ll make our stand here.”
Avenger and Lancer should be able to get good use out of leyline and just giving free mana source to army summoner would be a mistake.

>>5413632
> “Avenger, check the leyline yourself. If there are any further traps, disarm them. Afterwards do what you can to draw power from it. We’ll make our stand here.”

Being some sort of primative from africa odds are they likely have a tracking skill, and as >>5413759
mentions, giving a summon spammer access to a giant mana source is a very bad idea.

There's a chance if they may also have an anti beast trait, being hunters. So familiar spam might not be ideal when defending. But with extra leyline juice to feed it, it creates a distraction long enough for us to aim, charge and fire a leyline boosted nigger deletion beam spell directly at the servant.

We also have the raw stats to handle a few mooks + lancer should be able to rip and tear a few. Using DUDE's NP as a reference, his army has E~ stats. We can probably handle a few, with potential for buffs to push past our lack of equipment.

>>5413782
Tracking skill means fleeing just gives them a mana source & then we get chased down anyway

>>5413782
Actually I just wanted to add one thing first
>Ensure Avenger dismisses or self destructs the familiar first

Don't want to risk witchcraft/voodoo use against us while she's busy with theleyline or at another time. She might be a skilled mage but Witchcraft/Cursecraft tends to ignore magic resist and plays to different rules.

Rolled 4, 50, 68 = 122 (3d100)

>>5413759
>>5413782
STAND YOUR GROUND

>>5413788
>Ensure Avenger dismisses or self destructs the familiar first
That's fine

When you get time roll a 1d100 saving throw

Avenger, Truvietianne, Lancer of Black

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>5414122
>68
>Lancer of Black
He broke his jobbing curse? Neat.
>4
>Avenger
Good thing she has her seething skill.

>>5414134
I have a dreadful feeling of deja vu.
>AAAAAAAA HELP ME, FINNISH MAGICAL GIRL CANDIDATE.

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>5414122
Hoo boy.

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>5414122
It's jobbing season

I hadn't planned for the DC to be very high, but there's a good chance it's a little higher than 5.

File: 83952986_p0.jpg (454 KB, 811x1024)

454 KB JPG

>>5414438

File: 1623805261092.jpg (37 KB, 800x450)

37 KB JPG

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>5414122
>>5414134
>>5414164
>>5414403
Luck: G

Percy not jobbing for once

I've made a lot of progress on the update but I'm having trouble finding a good place to end it and call for player-input on a decision. I don't want to leave you all hanging too long, so I may end up posting the first 3/4ths or so tonight without leaving a vote open. I would post the rest and choice-suggestions once it's done (hypothetically sometime tomorrow evening).

“Avenger, check the leyline yourself. If there are any further traps, disarm them. Afterwards do what you can to draw power from it. We’ll make our stand here.” You decide, reasoning that if this large energy source is here you may as well use it rather than cede it to the enemy and risk being chased down anyway. Avenger should easily unravel any other traps that might be left there too; Truvietianne probably just got caught off guard by one of her modern peers.

“Alright, I’ll make it quick.” Avenger answered, moving to the crater left from the explosion.

The horns and chants of the surrounding enemies slowly intensified as they drew closer and widened their formation; now you judge they’d nearly encircled you, leaving only a route east open. So far they’d stayed out of your line of sight; you guess were massing their forces before moving in to attack.

“I hope you don’t plan on holding back, Avenger’s Master,” Lancer said to you as he looked about for the enemy’s advance, “Because this could get ugly.”

Before you can reply, you hear Avenger say, “He still had another trap in reserve; I’ve neutralized it just now. This leyline has a strange feel to it I must say.”

Speaking loudly to overpower the now-intense cacophony coming from the west, north, and south, Truvietianne said, “This leyline has a similar form to the ones from our world, but its function is a bit different; it’s rather like the silver coins in fact. It seems to output a significant amount of energy over time, and can stockpile a much larger amount if left alone, but it’s not tied to the land or life-energy of the creatures on it.”

“If I had to guess, a lot of its capacity was depleted before we got here, and more of it was just discharged by the trap. I’d guess it’s at about 15% of its capacity and recharging.” Avenger explained, before shouting toward the enemies’ increasingly deafening din in agitation, “And will you just SHUT UP already!”

A dozen generously-spaced summoning circles appear at a distance from you and frothing boars much like the one from earlier rise from them, angrily tearing at the ground. Avenger then angrily shouts the order, “Find them, and tear them apart!”

You couldn’t blame her for acting out of anger, for you yourself were starting to get incensed as well. It was growing harder and harder to think straight or hear anything outside of the enemy’s war cries. In addition to drowning out nearly all other sound, it was also starting to give you a headache. Unfortunately, it seems the familiars she just summoned were similarly affected, for while eleven of them quickly rushed out of your view, one turned around and dug at the ground while staring at Truvietianne!

“Avenger! Dispel that one quickly!” You desperately shout both verbally and telepathically, but it rushed in faster than she could dismiss it. As it got about 10 yards from your fellow Master though, her Lancer leapt into its path, hooking his spear into its mouth and flinging it away over his head with the help of its own momentum.

“Get a hold of yourself, witch!” You hear him angrily shout as the rogue boar vanishes due to its dismissal, “They’re using a mental attack to throw you off-balance!”

Grating her teeth in agitation, she telepathically informs you, “The boars are slowing the Africans’ advance, but they’ll be here soon. Whether I access the leyline in time is going to be a close call.”

To her credit, the creatures she sent off did appear to reduce the volume of the enemy’s chants and horn blasts for a time, and suddenly they died down entirely. It was at that time that they came into your view in unison and halted their advance. Some were interspersed among trees in the park, some assembled on the nearby roads, and none were closer than about 100 yards from your position, with some a fair bit further away.

It was by no means a homogenous force. From the hundreds of warriors you could see arrayed about you, the majority appeared to be archers wielding bows comparable to their own height or spearmen with round bronze shields, both either lightly or unarmored. However, you could distinguish a number of smaller groups mixed in among them that equipped more primitive arms such as clubs, slings, or rawhide shields. Most prominently was the center of the formation (if you could call it that, as you were encircled save for a narrow corridor to the east at this point) directly to your west, where a company of what you recognized as elite horsemen and chariots (due to the soldiers’ heavier and more complete sets of armor) had advanced along a road. And at their head was the Servant, Akai no Rider.

Standing atop his chariot pulled by two horses eagerly stamping at the asphalt with their hooves, the heavily-built Servant was taller than the rest of his men. His panoply of a breastplate, helmet with cheek-plates, greaves, forearm bracers, gauntlets, and large round shield all shone a radiant gold, contrasting the darkness of his skin. In his right hand he carried a spear, and at his belt a sheathed sword. He fixed a stern gaze upon your party, but you couldn’t help but get the impression he was directing his attention at you specifically.

“That armor… undoubtedly it’s a divine artifact.” You heard Avenger tell you through telepathy in a somewhat shocked tone.

“We’ll think of something. Are you able to draw power from the leyline?” You ask.

“Just in time, I’m going to pay them back for the migraine they gave me.” She answered as she created a multi-layered perimeter of magic circles around the four of you with some on the ground, others suspended in the air.

Akai no Rider suddenly pointed his spear toward you as he ordered his men, “He is wanted alive. For the rest: give them no quarter!”

“Aren’t you popular.” Truvi deadpanned as she readied aim at one of the formations to the north with some kind of curse.

Akai no Rider then handed his spear to the soldier driving his chariot, who raised a golden horn up to him in exchange. Accepting it, Akai no Rider shouted, “My warriors! Once again I sound the charge that in ages past drove back even the mighty heroes of the northern lands!”

“No, you don’t.” Avenger quietly spat, beginning to continuously fire over a dozen magic circles’ worth of energy beams, lightning bolts, and fireballs directly at him, but the Rider leapt forward in front of his chariot and raised his shield to guard and hold his ground; through the dust that had begun being kicked up from the impacts you heard his horn blast again, louder than ever before. Throughout the surrounding host other horns were raised to echo their leader’s call, and their harsh notes caused your headache to return redoubled.

Beginning their advance, several companies of infantry surged forward, while the bowmen began firing at your allies. You could see Avenger act quickly to raise a wall of ice that stopped the arrows before she started firing from all of the magic circles in her perimeter at the incoming soldiers, as well as summoning dozens of lions and boars outside the barrier to slow down the infantry’s advance. Advancing toward the ice-wall, Lancer readied his spear to meet the Rider should he decide to break through, while Truvietianne started firing curses through gaps in the wall that the arrow volleys had started chipping off. On an individual level it seems the infantry weren’t particularly tough, but their sheer numbers and coordination with the bowmen began to overwhelm the summoned beasts even as Avenger’s magical attacks rained down at them to thin their ranks.

“Avenger, what can I do to help?” You ask telepathically, hoping to bypass some of the interference from the horns.

“I’ll reinforce your body if anything breaks through. You’re already strong, so with my help you should be able to handle any of them short of the Servant himself.” She answered, though you could tell the renewed cacophony was taking a toll on her from how some of the magic circles she’d set up began fizzling into nothing. One silver lining was at least the strain on your energy reserves was minimal so far, as she was primarily drawing energy from the leyline for now.

Just then, the Rider and his mounted guard began closing the distance to you faster than you’d anticipated, with Rider himself standing again at the head of his chariot keeping many of Avenger’s magical attacks at bay with his shield, and the bowmen and spearmen mounted in the chariots were working with the horsemen to greatly hamper the summoned beasts’ attempts to slow their advance.

To be concluded later…

Although if there's something you specifically want to do based on this setup I could probably try to incorporate it into the conclusion.

Definitely look more Egyptian now.
One odd thing is normal cavalry mentioned since 25th Dynasty/Nubians/Kushites did not have it as far as I am aware. Around the time of their rule, it only just begone to get massively spread in Neo-Assyrian Empire as part of trade with Phrygia and Scythia. Which was effectively used to defeat Urartu and Egypt's 25th Dynasty by Assyrians.
>>5417070
>Although if there's something you specifically want to do based on this setup I could probably try to incorporate it into the conclusion.
Well, LSAD QM, you wrote
>When you speculated on the use of poison gas, she was reluctant to entertain the possibility, as she advised an unexpected change in the wind could cause it to lethally backfire, and her other offensive options would be more effective under most circumstances.
But that's probably require few votes and a roll?
Apart from suggesting cluster munition type spells versus lightly armored troops, napalm fire walls to slow down and burn advancing troops and making leyline overload and explode if we were to retreat from a fight, I don't think we have much else to add that has not been used already. It is a bit too late for things like trying to make barbed wire or mines. I suppose turning one summon into suicide bomber might be doable but that's requiring set up and ability for summon to reach Rider's position and bait a melee strike.
But I think now that Akai no Rider mentioned wanting us alive, Anon should figure out that Rider's Master is a proper magus who wants to capture "Einzbern Master" alive.

Although, wiki does mention Piye, founder of 25th Dynasty, was into horses
>The "Stele of Victory" inscription describes Piye as very religious, compassionate, and a lover of horses.[23] Piye scolded those that abused horses, demanded horses as gifts, and had eight of his horses buried with him.[23] Studies of horse skeletons at el Kurru, textual evidence, and iconographical evidence related to the use of horses in Kushite warfare indicate that "the finest horses used in Egypt and Assyria were bred in, and exported from Nubia."[7]:157–158 Better horses, chariots, and the development of cavalry tactics helped Piye to defeat Tefnakht and his allies.[7]:158
And since Assyrian cavalry was mentioning as specific military unit as early as 865–860 BC. It is probably correct to assume Piye actually had access to early saddles to form his cavalry and use them effectively.

File: 1637735717187.png (134 KB, 305x307)

134 KB PNG

Kushite KANG I kneel...

Can't really think of suggestions without knowing more of Circe's kit, especially her NPs. Lancer isn't ours to command or expect anything from either. We're also encircled without a weapon to grab like a street sign or similar.

Other than some based warcrime like making the ice prison fully encapsulate us for a moment and releasing a cloud of cursed/poison gas outside the ice, along with a swarm of summons that explode into curse/miasma/gas when killed to add to the mess.

But Circe is mid job with her 5 roll so probably a bit complex for her to manage?

Seeing the barrier of ice she’d raised had taken significant damage, Avenger raised a second layer in front of the first as well as a perimeter of spikes pointing outward, you assumed as a deterrent against the incoming horses. It did cause most to slow their charge, but Akai no Rider himself them leapt straight from his chariot to smash straight into the barricade with his outstretched shield. He crushed through the spikes immediately, shattered a large section of the newly-raised wall, and left a large web of fractures through the first before raising his shield over his head and running his spear through the final layer.

Avenger then opted to reorient most of her magic circles to face the breach, having depleted a large number of hostile infantry and bowmen and trusting the remaining sections of the perimeter to hold them at bay for a time. As Akai no Rider ripped a large opening into the last barrier, he was quickly set upon by Lancer and a barrage of various magical attacks, courtesy of your Servant. Though it began as a two-on-one fight, he handled himself quite well; if you had to guess, his strength as a melee combatant was comparable to Wukong’s, except he wasn’t showboating or toying with his opponents. His reflexes were able to keep pace with Lancer’s and his strength seemed a bit superior, and his armor dissipated a lot of the energy from Avenger’s attacks.

Rider’s cavalry guard began to break through the rubble shortly afterward, following their lord. You suddenly felt a new lightness in your limbs and sharpness in your senses, with Avenger telepathically telling you, “You’re up, Master. I need to concentrate most of my energy on the Servant, you and the girl work on his lackeys.”

You weren’t exactly sure of the best approach for attacking mounted soldiers bare-handed, but necessity is going to have to be the mother of invention.

You will try to…

> Stay in front of Truvietianne, and punch anything that comes near full-force.
> Rush toward the first enemy who came in, and try to wrench the weapon from his grasp for your use when he attacks.
> Focus attacking their mounts at first; that should throw them off their game.
> Something else (write-in)

File: DAKKA.jpg (51 KB, 640x318)

51 KB JPG

>>5417791
>mid job with her 5 roll
Yeah the mental debuff kind of limits her options. She's doing her best, it's just the most effective means available right now is plain and simple DAKKA!

>>5418130
> Focus on attacking their mounts at first; that should throw them off their game.
A cavalryman without their horse is only a man.

Not sure between 1 and 3.
Dynamic duo sounds fun and that's some solid teamwork/teambuilding option.
But grabbing park's lamp post or something like that and start gruging horses and their cavalry units of presumably horselover might be better tactical decisions.

File: Spoiler Image (67 KB, 500x615)

67 KB JPG

>>5418130
>Ask Truvi for covering fire
>Grab anything you can use as an improv weapon/projectile, launch it as hard as you can at the first enemy as a feint.
>Charge right after it and try to rip their weapon away/dismount them as they attempt to recover from the projectile, even if it requires kicking out the horse's legs from under it
>Use said weapon to attack the next wave of incoming mounts, if possible with your Avenger enhanced stats try and commander a mount yourself, or if the buffs have left you strong enough and riding is too awkward in the melee, just throw the horse at the incoming charge to trip them.
>Arm self with any weapons where possible

Rip and tear

LSAD QM, what are our current buffed stats?
>Strength: D
>Endurance: E
>Agility: E
>Magical Energy: B
>Luck: ???
We have those in pastebin. I assume one level up on physicals?
>>5418130
>>5418811
+1 assuming we can pull this off
but more focus on killing horses might better if Rider is horselover

If we can open up a window to speak to Rider we could threaten suicide with one of the weapons and demand him to pause his mental attack and speak terms of surrender/ally?

If it is Piye, he accepted the surrender of plenty of kings in his conquests. It wouldn't be OOC to at least discuss the option.

While we hear out terms mentally tell Avenger to teleport the four of us away using a CS if needed

File: schoolteacherknowskungfu.jpg (80 KB, 1920x1080)

80 KB JPG

>>5418828
Yeah, CS is a valid last resort escape option.
But we might be on the level where we can choke a knight class just fine.

>>5418825
>LSAD QM, what are our current buffed stats?
>I assume one level up on physicals?
That sounds fine to me.
I also have a stat-block for Akai no Rider that I'll post soonish. You've observed him fighting a fair amount but the "true names" for things won't be immediately available.

>>5418811
>>5418825
I'm going to rundown what I think your plan is can you confirm if I'm understanding correctly:
> Start with premade 'option 2' but have added flavor of chucking an improvised weapon and Truvi shooting curses to support
> Then prioritize attacking their mounts once you have a weapon, and use your enhanced strength to throw the enemies around if the opportunity arises
Kagetora a qt

File: Spoiler Image (242 KB, 400x400)

242 KB PNG

>>5418966
Yep, that's about it. Projectiles as a feint just to slow them and give us more time/open up a window of opportunity to actually get a hold of a proper weapon, rip the rider off the horse itself, possibly spook them enough doing this to then get the jump on the next in line, etc.

I tried to base it a bit on how Kagetora/JETS fight with a large array of improv weaponry, however obviously more brute-force/gruglike as we don't have much martial skill.

>>5418966
Also, are you able to update us after updates/choices which mental stats it resulted in? I've noticed it gradually changing on the stat sheet but can't for the life of me remember which actions did what.

>>5419315
What I did the last couple times was at the end of the threads I'd assign values based on each decision's approach/gravity to the character's development and add them all at once. I didn't want to get too bogged down in the bookkeeping of that specific mechanic when I had so many other fish to fry (like filling the cast and coming up with a satisfactory overarching plot). Now that I'm a lot closer to where I want to be in that regard I could try to make that mechanic a little more transparent.

Sorry to leave you hanging so long, it's been difficult to come up with something more fleshed out than a matter-of-fact description of the events. I'll try to have something by tonight.

>>5422909
>it's been difficult to come up with something more fleshed out than a matter-of-fact description of the events.
Uh oh.

Rather than immediately rushing into the enemies, you quickly looked over the ground to find something to use as a weapon. Since there wasn’t exactly a treasure-trove to pick from, you decide to settle for a fist-sized rock that happened to be protruding from the ground near you. Glancing to Truvietianne, you can see she’s already about to fire one of her curses at the first horseman who’s charging in.

“Gandr!” She shouted as she cast the curse at the horse’s head, causing it stagger and lose its momentum as it reared back in shock. Quickly rushing to its flank, you hurl the rock at the rider’s head just before you grasp the shaft of his spear and pull him off his saddle as you try to wrench it from him. You can tell you’re significantly stronger than your current opponent by the negligible resistance he offered, and as he falls you land a brutal uppercut to his chin with your free hand, crushing his jaws together and causing blood to spurt out from his mouth as he releases his grip on his spear. Seeing another horseman charging through the breach, you decide to throw the first, now incapacitated soldier into the second. Hurling the limp body with one hand, you’re relieved to see the strengthening your Servant provided let you throw with enough force to knock the second horseman clean off his horse with the body of the first.

THUMP!

You suddenly feel a blow to your ribs and stumble forward; from the corner of your eye you could tell the horse that you’d pulled the rider from had decided to kick you and now reared up onto its hind legs. As another of Truvietianne’s curses flies by your head and into the driver of an incoming chariot, you decide to pay back the horse for its attack by slipping past its kicking hooves, hugging its torso to load it onto your shoulder, and forcefully hurling it directly into the horses pulling the incoming chariot, which immediately grind to a halt as they fall from being stunned by the impact.

Taking a moment to assess your situation, you observed that the breach in the wall that Akai no Rider made hadn’t been expanded all that much by the efforts of his cavalry company, and the breach itself was small enough that more warriors couldn’t exactly pour in en masse. Maybe a chariot and a half wide. So far none of the surrounding infantry had broken through either, though they were massed outside and pounding away at it. To your relative relief, the horns and war chants had died down quite a bit as well due to the heavy casualties Avenger had inflicted, and from a quick glance at the fight between the Servants it seemed Rider was getting forced onto the back foot from the combined efforts of the two other Servants. Your confidence renewing, you reasoned that if you could clog the breach with the bodies of the attackers, you could hold them off long enough for Avenger and Lancer to defeat Rider!

Snapping you out of your contemplation, a third horseman managed to bypass the roadblock of the crashed chariot by spurring his horse to leap over it. Throwing the spear, you impale the mount before it lands, causing it to crumple to the ground before you rush forward and pick up a sword from the first horseman (that he’d had as a sidearm). The remaining crew of the chariot had also swiftly dismounted: two spearmen and two bowmen. Closing into a square formation, the bowmen took aim at Truvietianne while the spearmen took a low stance and braced their spears while holding their shields close together.

“For the King!” The bowmen shouted as they loosed their arrows. Your companion had fired a curse in answer, but the spearman on the left raised his shield and blocked it, stepping backward from the force but otherwise seemingly unharmed. For your part, you needed to stop both arrows from reaching their mark. Turning the sword’s blade flat, you stopped one arrow on it, while in your free hand you aimed to catch the other. Though you closed your hand a little too soon and the arrowhead bit into your fingers, the injury was shallower than you’d expected it to be, most likely thanks to Avenger augmenting your body’s toughness.

Adjusting your hold on the arrow to have its point out, you run toward the spearmen, hoping to break past them before the archers could nock more arrows. Moving toward the left flank of the square, the warriors surprised you at how quickly they were able to readjust their formation to keep their shield-line oriented toward you.

“Then let’s see how you like this.” You mutter under your breath as you fling the arrow back toward the bowmen on the left. As the spearman in front of him raises his shield to block it, you charge forward shoulder-first while sundering the other spearman’s weapon at its head with your sword when he tries to stab at your flank. Slamming into the shield, you violently knock the spearman back into the bowman behind him. Slashing at the other spearman with your sword, you instead shatter the shield that he raised in defense, and past his head you see one of Truvi’s curses hit the second bowman in the throat, causing him to clutch at it as he falls backward.

Seeing a second chariot plowing through the wreckage of the first, you realize this is a chance to further block up the breach and know you have to act quickly. Trusting your companion to deal with the soldier whose shield you’d just destroyed, you fling your sword into one of the two horses while stooping down to retrieve one of the fallen spears. You then charge at the remaining horse, running the beast through almost the entire length of the spear as you use all of your strength to drive forward against its momentum. Having killed both of the beasts driving to forward, you then dart to the front of the chariot itself, reach for a low-grip, and overturn it to make an even higher pile of wreckage than what it had just driven through. A few of its crew had dived out of it, but you quickly dispatched them by stomping their heads before they could get their bearings, picking up a sword and spear in the meantime.

Turning back to your Servant, you could see that she was unscathed so far and concentrating all of her fire on Rider; and while Lancer was breathing heavily and bleeding in a couple places, he’d also landed a few hits on parts of Rider’s arms and thighs that weren’t covered by his armor, and was forcing his opponent to largely stay on the defensive. However, a glance along the ice-wall began to shake your hopes of victory. The wall itself was a cylindrical perimeter with a diameter of about 50 feet and a height of about 20 feet. The fight between the Servants had damaged it in several other areas, perhaps by Rider’s design, and the remaining infantry had begun to carve new breaches into the damaged sections, as well as scale the more intact areas by climbing atop one another.

“That’s no good.” You mutter, throwing your spear at a bowman who’d scaled the wall and started to nock an arrow, piercing him through the sternum and causing him to fall back over. At this point you were almost tempted to pick up a bow and hope you could become proficient on the spot, but decided it’d be better to get a shield and link up with Truvietianne.

As you approached her, she quickly said, “We’ll be overrun before our Servants win at this rate; does your Servant have an anti-army Noble Phantasm she can use now?” before firing another of her curses at a warrior who’d also scaled the wall.

A bit irritated at yourself for not pressing Avenger to explain what her Noble Phantasms were, you answer, “Not sure, let me ask.” while holding the shield up to guard against any incoming projectiles.

“Avenger, do you - ” you begin to ask telepathically, before Truvietianne angrily cuts you off.

“We don’t have time to deliberate! Lancer, release your Hougu!” She shouted as she started running closer to the Servants. Looking back to you, she says, “Stay close, it doesn’t discriminate between friend and foe! And you owe me for this.”

File: Gorgon eyes.jpg (41 KB, 917x298)

41 KB JPG

“Stay behind me, Master.” Lancer said, suddenly pushing Rider back and reaching for a bag at his side. As you rushed behind him to Avenger’s side, you saw him reveal what seemed to be a severed head from the bag.

“That is-!” Rider shouts in fear before crouching down and raising his shield in a desperate attempt to guard himself.

“Mystic Eyes of Petrification: Cybele of the Gorgon!” Lancer shouted, and you felt a shiver run down your spine. You knew simply on instinct that this ability was terrifyingly powerful. And its effect was easily seen right away. Every soldier and horse in the field of view of that severed head was immediately turned to stone, save the possible exception of Akai no Rider, as he’d concealed his body behind his shield, so you weren’t sure in his case.

“Stay down!” Lancer shouted as he slowly panned the head around to petrify more of the surrounding soldiers.

However, behind his shield you hear Akai no Rider desperately shout a single word: “ARCHER!”

A gust of air rushes past your head from the north. The sound following it, you hear an explosive crack as the northern section of the ice-wall is shattered and see the south side is also burst asunder by its continued penetration. Several more supersonic projectiles streak in from the north, and you hear Lancer grimace, “Damn it!” as he stows away the severed head and takes up his spear again.

“Lancer!” Truvietianne shouts in mixed shock and fear, seeing her Servant had been struck in the side by two arrows. Though you can see it was the side that wouldn’t have his heart, these injuries were still very serious.

“Avenger, we have to do something! I don’t think Lancer can keep fighting like that!” You telepathically message to her.

“Do you want to defeat the enemies or save your ‘allies’? Given our current situation I doubt we can do both. Leyline’s just about depleted. I can instantly withdraw all of us with a Command Spell or use one of my Noble Phantasms to cover our escape. Or we can ignore the dead weight, finish Rider, and push through to the Archer in the north.” She answered.

More than half of Rider’s remaining forces had been petrified, cutting a wide swath along the west and south that was clear of enemies, Rider’s current condition was unknown but he was probably at least weakened by Lancer’s attack, and you had a vague idea of the Archer’s location to the north. Could it be the one who shot the boar dead earlier?

“The King! The King yet lives!” You heard one of the remaining soldiers shout. If that Archer kept firing to support them you’d be in real trouble.

You will:

> Have Avenger use her Noble Phantasm to cover your escape (say which direction to retreat in).
> Order Avenger via the Command Seal to teleport everyone away (say where to teleport to, has to be somewhere you’ve been or seen before).
> Leave Lancer and Truvietianne to fend for themselves and try to defeat the enemy Servants as quickly as possible.
> Threaten to slay yourself with your sword and demand a parley from Rider to buy time and gather information before deciding what to do next.

>>5423159
> Order Avenger via the Command Seal to teleport everyone away (say where to teleport to, has to be somewhere you’ve been or seen before).
>Church
>But explode or poison leyline before teleporting

>>5423159
>>5423212
Ackchyually
>Mentally ask Avenger if she can rig to explode or poison leyline or otherwise use it to set up sneaky parting gift
>Threaten to KYS and try to buy Avenger time while stalling for time with Rider
>CS teleport all of you to Church or near it after Avenger is done prepping
>After teleporting have Avenger arty fire on your previous position

File: 1663958926853640.gif (65 KB, 560x548)

65 KB GIF

>>5423159
>>5423215
This works, we might also bait some actual info out of Rider in the temporary parley.

Might also be worth mentioning to Avenger if things take a turn for the worst and there is no alternative she should halt the trap and throw up a temporary barrier to enable a safer teleport out.

Percy tipped his hand enough here that we and likely the opponents know his identity in character now. But knowing his identity means we can hazard a guess at his kit and start making specific plans that involve it. We really do want Percy to live though, Harpe is too important a counter to things like monke's super immortality and any other bullshit regenerators or immortals we might come up against.

Also, having Medusa's head and Avenger's potion knowledge means we might be able to meme out incredibly potent potions. The Gorgon's blood is the key ingredient to Assclap's true immortality elixir among other things.

>>5423227
>Also, having Medusa's head and Avenger's potion knowledge means we might be able to meme out incredibly potent potions. The Gorgon's blood is the key ingredient to Assclap's true immortality elixir among other things.
Gorgon me up, senpai

>>5423215
>>5423227
>Going back to the church
I actually hadn’t expected you to pick that spot. Hmm. Technically there could be some problems with getting there because Avenger hasn’t been there before (and other reasons), but I’ll allow it since it could make things interesting.

>>5423215
Incidentally, what general terms or topics do you want to bring up to Rider buy time?

>>5424003
>play it up chill
>ask if Masters going to show since you are parleying
>ask if Rider's and Archer's Masters going to introduce themselves for it to be proper talk
>ask what do they want from you if they went for such lenght to get you
>ask their "terms" and guarantees like would they let your finnish ojou gf and her Servant go free for example
>ask their interests in War etc, gauge their character
>play it cool before CSing away if possible bait them into thinking they won your little treasure of a leyline and if they think they can hold it

>>5424122
essentially make them think you are caught, after CSing they should be thinking they got consolation prize (leyline) and you were buying time to escape, play up whatever Avenger might be preparing if she give you something to bait them into her trap after you teleport away

Would be quite funny if one of the enemy Masters is a proper Einzbern.

>>5424420
No more brother wars. I imagine anon would start out pretty curious of something close to "family", and from there it'll really come down to how they treat him.

When we get a moment alone with Avenger I think it would make sense to sit down and ask her to properly examine us to help get a better understanding of our capabilities and possible origins. See's the best mage we have access too and it helps with the bond level.

This current vote is very Avenger-y too, sneaky escape with a follow up parting shot barrage and a trap left to confound them. I hope she appreciates our efforts and ruse and not just grugging with high stats. We have the bluff using the importance of our own life they happened to let slip to buy time, which on the surface looks like a ploy to let us attempt escape. But on top of escaping also potentially bugs the leyline, which is then covered once more with the artillery strike, leading them to believe the leyline is a prize we didn't want to lose, and then after they are further thinned out by the barrage they then fall into the trap of the leyline in a potentially weakened state while we're busy getting some plot in the Church.

It's got a few redundancies to help avoid total failure, and if all goes well should be a pretty good dab and also earn some solid GBP with all allies, at a cost of royally pissing off Rider & Archer and having them never want to try negotiating again (assuming they survive).

“Avenger, I’m going to try to buy some time. Can you use the Command Spell to teleport the four of us to a church I was in before I summoned you?” You ask over telepathy, deciding to take a cue from something Rider said before he sounded his charge. If he specifically wanted you alive, there’s a good chance his Master was a mage who identified you as an Einzbern, much like your companion Miss Edelfelt did. Putting his chance of securing you at risk should give him pause.

“I should be able to, but since I haven’t been there or seen that location you’ll need to have a firm mental picture of it for me to route us there safely. But how do you plan to buy time?” She answered.

Raising your sword against your own neck, you look to Akai no Rider’s crouched form and shout, “Rider, I demand a parley! Halt your attacks or I’ll slash my throat and deny you your chance to take me alive!”

Everyone around you was visibly taken aback by your sudden drastic action, with Truvietianne specifically blurting out, “Einzbern, are you mad?” Good work Truvi, you probably strengthened the case by complete accident.

First raising one of his hands, Akai no Rider staggered to his feet while saying, “Warriors, stand by!” From what you could tell his strength and agility had both been noticeably decreased as a result of being exposed to Lancer’s Noble Phantasm, though his armor apparently protected him from the petrification.

“I’m a bit surprised that worked.” Avenger wryly said, but Rider displayed some irritation at her comment.

“Be silent, witch! If you speak or even mouth another word unbidden I’ll take it as perfidy and immediately resume our attack, regardless of any rash actions your Master may take.” He said with a glare. Clearly he was on guard against her attempting to cast any spells. Turning to Lancer, he added, “As for you, Gorgon-slayer, should you reach for that again Archer will swiftly dispatch both you and your Master.” Lancer simply spat a few drops of blood in response.

Taking the chance from Rider’s attention being momentarily off of you, you asked Avenger “Can you leave a trap at the leyline before we leave?”

“I can, will explain details later. Keep talking.” She answered curtly, though you recognized it was out of necessity since having your own attention split would likely raise Rider’s suspicion of you acting in bad faith.

Continuing your ploy to buy time, you take up a friendly demeanor and calmly ask Rider, “Will your Master and Archer’s be present to introduce themselves and make this a proper talk?”

“That won’t be necessary. I will convey my Master’s demands to you shortly.” He tersely replied.

“Is Archer’s Master not interested in also participating?” You ask, hoping to draw out more information, though so far Rider’s been fairly guarded about how much he says.

“He is unlikely to object to my Master’s terms.” Rider brusquely replied again.

“Could those terms perhaps include allowing my fellow Master and her Servant to go free, should I and my Servant peacefully surrender?” You ask, probing their intent.

Rider unexpectedly chuckles for a moment, before scoffing, “My Master would be foolish to offer terms so needlessly lenient. His demands are these: both Masters are to expend their Command Seals by severing the contracts with their Servants and withdraw as participants from the Holy Grail War. My Master will then take you under the protection of our alliance, where you may both function in a noncombatant advisory role.”

“Those terms are ludicrous.” Truvietianne answered, “Even setting aside the matter of trusting him to honor his word once we’re defenseless, it would be a massive waste to eliminate two Servants like that.”

“I should elaborate further.” Rider answered, “As for the Servants, they may either return to the Throne of Heroes or contract with my own and Archer’s Masters to function as reserves. Should they accept, my Master could also arrange for you and the Einzbern Master to provide mana to them without the link of Command Seals, should you desire to do so.”

“Your Master certainly drives a hard bargain.” You say in jest as you shrug.

“This is no bargain. In my Master’s words, either your lives or your Servants are forfeit. Choose now.” Rider answered unsympathetically.

Focusing on a mental image of the church’s inner sanctuary, you answer, “In that case, I’m going to choose neither, though I must congratulate you on chasing us off the leyline.” Hopefully gently hinting at the leyline will get them interested and trigger whatever trap Avenger was preparing.

“What’s that?” Truvietianne asked, a bit confused by your reaction.

Readying his spear, Rider spat “Foolishness” in mild exasperation; right back at you, Rider.

“By my Command Spell, immediately teleport the four of us to the church!” You quickly order Avenger mentally through the Command Seal.

You feel a minor burning sensation as one of the seals on the back of your hand flares up and its potent magical energy is transferred to your Servant. As you just noticed, Avenger had started quietly chanting spells at incredible speed as Truvietianne reacted in surprise, and magic circles had instantaneously appeared under yourself, Avenger, Truvi, and her Servant just before your opponents sprang into action.

File: pretty stained-glass windows.png (488 KB, 351x600)

488 KB PNG

And it was none too soon, for Rider’s spear was mere inches away from your gut when you experienced the spacial teleportation. Unlike the feeling you had when you selected the coin, this transport was so abrupt you needed a moment process the fact that you had returned to the inside of the church where you summoned your Servant along with the others. Though looking around, it seemed the silver cup at the altar was now absent.

“You just keep surprising me.” Truvietianne said as she dusted herself off, “I hadn’t expected to come back here of all places. And how did you use a single Command Spell to teleport four people anyhow?”

Fluttering her wings, Avenger answered, “I’m perfectly capable of spacial teleportation magic without the use of a Command Spell, the pertinent limitation being the activation time would be too long to escape a situation like that without being hit on the way out.”

“Avenger, can you get up to the roof? I’d like you to rain fire on the position we just left.” You ask. Maybe you’ll get lucky and score a hit, or mislead them into thinking you really didn’t want to cede that ground to them.

“Let’s see what we can do.” She says, swiftly darting to the church’s doors, opening one, and flying up toward the roof.

“I’ll just take a seat here and see if I can avoid bleeding out.” Lancer joked in an ill-temper as he sat on to one of the pews. His Master quickly went to his side, asking if there was anything she could do to help.

A few moments later Avenger tells you, “Master, we may have a minor problem.”

“What is it?” You ask.

File: Spoiler Image (4.85 MB, 640x548)

4.85 MB GIF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAqruzh0zwE

“I have no idea where we are.” She answered in a tone that even through telepathy you could tell was tinged with confusion and embarrassment.

“Huh?” You blurt both out loud and telepathically.

“Nor do I have any idea where Rider and Archer are relative to our position.” She continued. “If my suspicions are correct, we’ve come somewhere that isn’t on the map that Caster gave you.”

“Oh. That might be a problem.” You answer, again both out loud and telepathically.

“What do you mean by that?” Truvietianne asked in an accusatory tone, having overheard you while she was trying to help her Servant.

“Well, I think we may be… lost? Yeah let’s go with lost for now.” You answer in a hurry.

What will you do now? [Multiple things can be selected but you should rank them in the order you want to do them]

> Try to help heal Lancer, the sooner he’s back in fighting shape the better
> Investigate the church, there might be clues on what to do next
> Investigate the city, there might be someone still out there
> Since you seem to have some peace and quiet, talk with Avenger and see if she can learn anything about who or what you are
> Discuss plans for future joint-operations with Truvietianne
> Something else (write-in)

Are we perhaps in a separate dimension that could have been a "tutorial area"? If it is the case and Church is that important, I think we could try to pull off Medea's move from FSN and try to get ourselves a second Servant. We have enough energy to support two and somebody loyal by default would be quite useful. Some Assassin could do wonders working for us as spotter for artillery fire and do reconnaissance since it is currently our weakest field. Ninja or Hassan would be perfect for this job.

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>5425913
rollin' for Medea herself btw

>>5425776
>[Multiple things can be selected but you should rank them in the order you want to do them]
If it is multistep planning...
>Together with Avenger go and help Truvi to try patch up Lancer
>Ask Avenger to give Lancer, Truvi and you medical check up and mentally ask her to look for abnormalities in you since you are suspecious about interest your enemies had in you
>While medical check is on going chat with Truvi about battle you just had, current situation and potential further action. Mention silver cup and ask Truvi's own previous experience in this place.
And if we need plan to suggest/plan/take action further
>Avenger can use her summons to check the city and report if they encounter somebody alive to question or curious landmarks to investigate
>While the gang investigating the church physically

We could even give Lancer scooby snacks afterwards if it all works.

>>5425776
gonna support >>5426193


Considering we know there are other "teams" forming and we might be a specific target as a pseudo or real einzbern homonculus/lesser grail, we really need to keep our own allies around. Especially after investing a command spell into saving them. It's also a good excuse for Avenger to get a read on everyone considering they're in a vulnerable position right now and get a bit more info on ourselves.

Mentioning the possibility of summoning a new servant would be worth too, if we can find anything that would facilitate the ritual here either as a location that acts as a closer conduit to the throne or through the magical knowledge of Truvi and Avenger. We really want a recon type servant seeing as Avenger's summons have autism. Percy can technically scout with the sandals and cap for fast invisible movement but we can only make guesses at that through knowing he had these items in life, we have no idea if they translated directly to NPs in his lancer summon.

I'd also probably want anon mentioning the name of percy if it was reasonable for him to be able to guess it by now, considering Rider all but said it when he talked about him being the hero who slew the gorgon. We can also bring up plans regarding potion mixing with a fragment of the head, if Avenger knew anything to that extent? Seeing as gorgon blood was a pretty well known special ingredient in greekoid herbology/potioncraft.

>In some Greek myths, blood taken from the right side of a Gorgon could bring the dead back to life, yet blood taken from the left side was an instantly fatal poison. Athena gave a vial of the healing blood to Asclepius, which ultimately brought about his demise.

Ok you'll
> Try to heal up
> Suggest a physical exam
> Discuss your strategic status/plans during it, and discreetly have your Servant see what she can find out
> Bring up the now-absent silver cup and consider getting a new Servant
> Investigate the church while sending critters to investigate outside

>>5426283
>I'd also probably want anon mentioning the name of percy if it was reasonable for him to be able to guess it by now
Here's what I'll do: you can do a d100 "memory check" to see if Anon can intuit Lancer of Black's identity without external help.
DC won't be super high given the circumstances

File: Spoiler Image (1.84 MB, 840x750)

1.84 MB GIF

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>5426411
I hope we're not retarded

File: Spoiler Image (164 KB, 800x818)

164 KB PNG

new chink assassin just dropped.

likely to be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huyan_Zhuo with a phantom spirit like Yan Qing as they're both from Water Margin

>>5427131
Looks cute, but also kind of overdesigned. Although there would be two other outfits if she's not a welfare.

Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>5426411

I will destroy this one way or another

File: Spoiler Image (353 KB, 1006x1423)

353 KB PNG

Update's pretty close to ready, but I'm too tired to finish editing and post tonight. Prease understand.

>>5430485
thank you for returning from cig store, dad

“You know what? Why don’t we make it our first order of business to help your Servant recover from his injuries? I don’t think anyone’s going to attack us here right away.” You suggest to the Edelfelt Master, changing the subject.

“Yes, why don’t we.” She responded in a tone that betrayed knowledge that you were deflecting but was willing to grant assent for the time being, “Your Servant looks fresh in spite of all the energy she was expending, would you recall her?”

Nodding, you say aloud and through the telepathic link, “Come back down Avenger, we’ll try to help Lancer heal now.” Your Servant promptly flies back through the church’s doors, hovering above the ground and fluttering her wings as she returns to your side to take a quick look at the injured Servant.

If you could call Lancer of Black by his real name it should simplify things greatly; then you’d only be acquainted with one Lancer whose name you didn’t know. Even back when he used Harpe on Sun Wukong, that name seemed to faintly ring as familiar to you, and that severed head struck you as startlingly familiar as well. Mystic Eyes of Petrification, Gorgon-slayer, Cybele, those descriptors should be enough for you to identity him in a similar way to how you recollected Sun Wukong’s name seemingly out of nowhere with that Yumigawa kid’s prompting.

“Two arrow-wounds, and a fair number of minor to superficial injuries.” Avenger recited as she analyzed him, reaching out into the air and generating a potion in a vial from a magic circle above her hand, which fell into her palm shortly after it appeared. Playfully swiveling it in her hand, she told Lancer, “You can ingest this after you remove the arrows to speed up your recovery.”

With his Master’s help, Lancer ripped the arrows out before grabbing the vial and quickly sipping about 10% of its contents. A bit surprised he stopped himself so early, you ask, “Aren’t you going to drink the rest?”

“My Disengage skill lets me recover from injuries and shrug off ill-effects more quickly than would be normal. That, and I’m generally wary of pharmakeia.” He answered. Pharmakeia? Maybe that’s a term that refers to the kinds of potions Avenger makes.

“If you want to hobble about longer than you need to that’s up to you.” Avenger said as she hopped onto the back rest of one of the nearby pews.

“For what it’s worth I hope you get better soon. We’ll need your strength… Perseus, right?” You say, testing your assumption of his identity.

“I suppose the cat’s out of the bag.” He muttered, before looking at you and pointedly warning, “Don’t go spreading rumors, or I’ll start loudly guessing your Servant’s true name. From what I’ve seen, the list of possibilities isn’t that long.”

“Even if your guess was right, my reaction wouldn’t confirm it.” You reply, mainly because you didn’t know her true name yourself. “But enough of that, I’ve been thinking Avenger could give the three of us a general physical examination to see if we’ve had anything out of the ordinary affect us lately. And while she’s at it we could discuss plans for the future.”

“I’m going to have to respectfully decline.” Truvietianne answered, to your surprise.

“Why’s that?” You ask.

“I think you and your Servant need some time to come to an understanding of each other’s abilities, and you’ll be more likely to do so in private. Once you actually know what your Servant is capable of we may consider strategic planning.” She answered in a way that implied to you that she was directing her ire toward both of you, though slightly more to your Servant.

With a hint of smugness, Avenger replied, “In my Master’s defense, I’m capable of just so many things that it takes no small amount of time to describe all of it.”

Ignoring her, Perseus asked, “So what are we going to do in the meantime, Master?”

“I’m suspecting most of the people brought to this world have either made it to this church or were killed by the undead, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that some may have quietly hidden in a location inaccessible to the shambling corpses and stayed put for an extended period of time, hoping for rescue. I’d like us to cleanse the city of whatever monsters we may find while calling out for any stragglers to show themselves so we can escort them to safety.” She explained.

“Wouldn’t that jeopardize the secrecy of magecraft that you modern mages tend to find rather important?” Avenger sardonically questions while tapping her feet where someone would normally be seated in the pew.

Brushing off the concern, the Edelfelt Master argued, “Those two boys we met clearly hadn’t been initiated into any form of mystic knowledge before this happened, and while it would be ideal to alter their memories to recall all of this as some kind of fever dream once things are settled, that may not be viable.” Continuing with quiet anger, she added, “Whichever scumbag who dragged people into this at random and against their will is going to be the one to answer for it.”

“The area you want to search could be quite large, don’t you think it could help to have some of Avenger’s familiars spread out and look as well?” You suggest, unsure of the size of the city and hoping to speed up the progress.

“And while she’s distracted talking to you, one of her beasts mauls a civilian before she can recall it?” Perseus says, no doubt wary of the ferocity of your Servant’s familiars, “No thank you. We’re not trying to kill everything that moves.”

Disappointed that some of your plans fell through but deciding it’s not worth it to push the issue, you answer, “Fair enough, we’ll be here if you need us.”

After they left, Avenger stretched her arms as she hopped onto the floor and commented, “I suppose that simplifies things. You wanted me to examine your body, then?” The straight face and even tone with which she said it made you pretty sure she picked a phrase like that just by chance.

“Yes, I’m suspecting that finding out what I am could be a good first step toward learning who I am.” You answer. Were you really an Einzbern homunculus like the other mages seemed to assume, or is something else going on? Where were these scattered recollections coming from? What was going on at the very beginning when you couldn’t even perceive your own body?

Stepping toward the altar past the pews, Avenger advised, “Alright, come up to the front with me.”

She created a small magic circle in front of the altar and invited you to step inside. Standing at its center, you sensed a warm, tingling feeling spreading throughout your body.

“Right now you should be feeling a light activation of your magic-circuits.” Avenger informed you, “As I suspected, they’re integrated into your entire body parallel to your nerves, in a quantity far beyond the modern norm.”

“Could you describe what magic-circuits are? I don’t remember that topic coming up.” You ask, starting to realize this may take a while.

She went on to explain that magic-circuits are a physical manifestation of part of a person’s soul that can be used to convert their life-energy (Od) into magical energy, which can then be used as a resource for a variety of tasks, the most immediately relevant in your case being supplying your Servant with energy for her own use. Apparently the more plentiful magical energy that the world produces automatically (Mana) can also be used, but it needs to be absorbed and processed through the user’s own magic-circuits in order to produce the desired function; this process is what Avenger used that leyline for when she was fighting off Rider’s army. In the case of the silver coins, they appear to attune to a Servant and send them energy through the contract as though it were a Master’s od. Going on a bit of a tangent, she also mentions that most spells will generally need mana to interact with the environment, and that using od specifically only tends to work on a small-scale when it doesn’t directly act outside the user’s body. It also seems that a Master’s contract with their Servant lets the Grail itself actually provide a large amount of the energy needed to empower the Servant, which would explain why Avenger could fire off a staggeringly high amount of magical energy even when she wasn’t connected to the leyline and the worst you suffered was a bit of fatigue. It wasn’t a one-to-one transfer of energy from you and the coin to her after all.

File: Spoiler Image (208 KB, 1350x1096)

208 KB JPG

Getting back to the main topic, aside from the extraordinary configuration of magic-circuits your body was more or less analogous to a man’s, including the muscular configuration and the arrangement of your internal organs. Upon closer examination, Avenger informed you that your superhuman strength was due to some apparently-artificial optimization of the structure of your muscles, in addition to a revelation that you were actually unconsciously using some of your od to reinforce yourself if you exerted your body to operate beyond what a normal man of your height and build could do. Learning to purposefully use your od could lead to some interesting possibilities, you surmise.

“Since we’ve come this far I should determine your ‘Elemental Affinity’ as well.” Avenger said. Flames that didn’t give off heat erupted from the circle, and bands of script that you couldn’t interpret began to materialize and spin all around you. “Now that’s strange. It seems your affinity is to the Ether element, but there appears to be a secondary affinity with the True Ether as well.”

Having no idea what she was talking about, you ask reflexively, “I take it that’s a rare result?”

“It’s almost confounding, actually. True Ether was the primordial substance that filled the natural world during the Age of Gods, whereas when the gods’ presence faded the human mages decided to make due with the artificial magical energy that they now use to power their magecraft. From what I can intuit the two types of ether would mix rather poorly, but we may have time to experiment with that.” She explained, before adding with a note of levity, “Regrettably, I didn’t find a barcode or a manufacturer’s label on you, so I can’t give you anything else right now. Give me some time to think on it and we can revisit this again later.” She said as she dispelled her magic circle.

“That’s fine, you explained a lot to me just now so I think we’re off to a good start.” You answer, then move to a different subject, “The next thing I wanted to do was investigate this church to see if there’s anything useful to be found. This is where the coins were distributed, so with any luck I might be able to find the silver cup that held the coins and summon a second Servant.”

You could swear you heard a pane of glass loudly crack, and Avenger then responded in a voice so cold it sent shivers up your spine, “Master. Why would you want to summon another Servant?”

An image of a twentieth-century soldier beginning to panic as his foot fell inexorably toward a landmine that he’d inadvertently stepped above suddenly flashed into your mind.

“Well, obviously it shouldn’t be difficult for me to maintain a second Servant if we’re a little careful about our energy-usage.” You answer, starting to feel yourself breaking into a cold sweat, “If there was a way to improve our chances at summoning a Servant specialized in reconnaissance, we’d be in an excellent strategic position.”

Laughing mirthlessly, Avenger questioned, “Already you come to the conclusion that I’m inadequate as your Servant? That it’s in your best interest to call for some stranger whose designs for the Holy Grail would most likely be at odds with mine?”

This… could end badly. How will you respond:

> “I’ll admit, I hadn’t considered all of the long-term consequences of taking such an action. I just wanted to maximize our chances of victory, and getting another Servant seemed like an obvious way to increase our combat power. Let’s forget about that, why don’t you explain your Noble Phantasms to me while we’re alone here instead?”
> “Well when you put it like that, it makes me sound like a two-timing rake. I had no idea you’d get jealous. Very well! Let’s make our vows here and now! We’re even in a church, couldn’t have better timing!”
> “What are you worried about? I’m sure you could easily defeat whoever I would end up summoning and get your wish once we eliminated all of the other enemies. Other Masters have started teaming up so we’ll want some reliable support, and what’s more reliable to us than a Servant contracted to me?”
> “You know what? Yes, you are inadequate. You have a lot of firepower but you aren’t suited to utilize it effectively, so I’m going to try to call someone who can assist us, and you’re going to help me. So get over yourself.”
> Something different (write-in)

>>5431564
> Look into her eyes
> “I’ll admit, I hadn’t considered all of the long-term consequences of taking such an action. I just wanted to maximize our chances of victory, and getting another Servant seemed like an obvious way to increase our combat power. Between your skills and Noble Phantasms of which I am not really aware about to plan around them and my above normal human physical strenght we only have our dubious allies and city full of people who are allying together, interesting in capturing me and killing you. Which is why it seemed logical for us to look into the possibility of using the silver cup and have more options at our hands to avoid relying on the fickle nature of alliances between Masters. I am fully standing by my determination to fight alongside you and I did not expect it would make me sound like a two-timing rake. I had no idea you’d get jealous or I'll open an old wound. Very well! Let’s make our vows here and now! We’re even in a church, couldn’t have better timing!”
I want to make our intentions behind the proposal clear, and mixing 1 and 2 options into one looks like the best way to get the point to her.

File: 1628847848200.png (569 KB, 597x799)

569 KB PNG

>>5431561
Etherchads ww@

>>5431564
Second option is dangerously based (this isn't a vote though)

File: 1626227211913.png (558 KB, 930x950)

558 KB PNG

>>5431564
the giant esl run on combination vote here >>5431674
works fine for me actually. Maybe add something to the effect of asking Avenger her opinion of how we've handled ourselves so far. Are we of the standard she first wished of us upon summoning? As we've noticed she's mellowed out a bit and isn't as condescending as before. Are we impressing her?
Option 4 feels like a great way to test what respawn mechanics, if any there are. Or if LSAD QM will just wander into the woods without returning if we pick this option.

>having Judas as a Priest at your wedding

>>5431799
Gnostic Judas is the purest, most enlightened apostle and the only one Christ trusted with the deeplore though. So it really depends which flavour of Iscariot QM is rolling with.

>>5431674
>I want to make our intentions behind the proposal clear
So you are to remain in a monogamous Master-Servant relationship, until death do you part. Correct me if I'm wrong, I just realized option 2 was a bit vague on its implications.

>>5431776
>Option 4 feels like a great way to test what respawn mechanics, if any there are.
I haven't exactly been trigger-happy in offering Dead/Bad end options. Maybe that will change in the future.

>>5432378
Pretty much. Grind some bond levels and soothe her fears. But also actually explain to her why we proposed the idea in the first place and how we view the current course of war and our options in it. Asking her opinion on that topic too as >>5431776 said is also good addition.

File: 1626571576384.png (1.07 MB, 1300x1200)

1.07 MB PNG

>>5432378
Just don't do a WhatIsAQM and put all garbage responses so you're forced to do complex write ins to not die or job horribly

>>5432724
need morgan wife

>>5432724
Duly noted
I don't mean to roast WhatIs but I disagreed strongly with a number of the calls he ended up making. The straw that more or less broke the camel's back for me was when the MC suggested they summon Medea's dragon for the express purpose of butchering it and bathing in its blood, basically no other character pushed back on it (I expected Shirou at least to tell him it was a dick move and not participate), and after it turned into a Godzilla-sized super-dragon and everyone tried to kill it, it turned out to be a cute daughteru and joined the gang almost immediately despite her *father* trying to MURDER her in COLD-BLOOD right after she was *born*. That was a great opportunity to introduce a strong antagonist with a legitimate reason to hate the MC but it got squandered because... harems I guess. Sorry WhatIs I needed to get that off my chest.

I took a few days off then ran into writer's block. Haven't dropped the project,

File: 1623453404281.jpg (236 KB, 1115x805)

236 KB JPG

>>5436872
It's in your name anyway. Actually appreciating a slower quest for now as life is busy atm.

Is Batman here?

>>5438463
If he is, he hasn't announced his presence, and I never paid him enough mind to learn to recognize his writing patterns.

>>5438474
wow ok I'm hurt

>>5438476
>wow ok I'm hurt
... why?

>>5438494
no matter, I need to catch up

File: buddha ok.jpg (44 KB, 632x415)

44 KB JPG

>>5438495
Alrightie then, hope you enjoy.

>>5438501
thx bae

anon really need bae servant with big assets and tracts of land

Of course, seeking to summon a second Servant would give the implication that you don’t believe the first is capable of serving your goals. Though you were mainly concerned that the abnormal amount of Servants active in the war could lead to you being overrun by sheer numbers, simply stating that would do no more than reinforce her assumption. You’ll need to explain this delicately before your relationship with your Servant is seriously damaged.

Looking Avenger in the eyes, you begin by saying, “I’ll admit, I hadn’t considered all of the long-term consequences of taking such an action. I just wanted to maximize our chances of victory, and getting another Servant seemed like an obvious way to increase our combat power.”

“Naturally.” Avenger responded in a deadpan tone while meeting your gaze, still visibly displeased.

You continue, “Between your skills and Noble Phantasms which I lack sufficient knowledge of to plan around and my superhuman physical strength we only have our dubious allies and a city full of people who are allying together, interested in capturing me and killing you. That’s why it seemed logical for us to look into the possibility of using the silver cup to have more options at our hands to avoid relying on the fickle nature of alliances between Masters. I am fully standing by my determination to fight alongside you and I did not expect it would make me sound like a two-timing rake. I had no idea you’d get jealous or I'll open an old wound.”

“Jealous?” She repeated, her tone now shifting from its prior coldness toward surprise.

“Very well! Let’s make our vows here and now! We’re even in a church, couldn’t have better timing!” You declare with an exaggerated flourish.

“Wait, what vows are you talking about, exactly?” She said, now confused and… was she embarrassed? Anxious? You couldn’t say for sure.

“Henceforth you shall be the only Servant for me, and I shall be your only Master, till death do us part.” You answer, reaching forward and taking her hand into yours.

Apparently perplexed, she replied, “You… may think you’re acting the fool to try to ‘lighten the mood’, but you should know I’m taking that proposal at face value.” Raising her hand in a manner that you recognized as an invitation to kiss it, she concluded with a hint of menace, “If you prove faithless, there will be consequences.”

You briefly press your lips against the back of her hand before releasing it, then say, “That’s to be expected; we’ve reaffirmed our bond just now.” Well, it looks like things have stabilized on that front.

“Though before you get the wrong idea, I should clarify that I won’t raise objections if you decide to continue flirting with the other Masters; I would merely advise against letting yourself get too emotionally attached.” She said.

“Flirting?!” You exclaim, startled at her sudden accusation.

Amused that she turned the tables on you, Avenger grinned as she replied, “Yes, it hasn’t gone past my notice that you’ve been quite keen on keeping that Edelfelt girl safe. Feel free to use that to instill a sense of obligation into her and keep her Servant compliant; just don’t let it get to your head too much. And then there’s the case of that delinquent boy –”

“Ok I can understand why you might think that with Truvietianne, but why Matsuda?!” You ask in a bit of frustration.

Affecting a biting imitation of your voices, Avenger answered in exaggerated huffs, “Oh, is that all you got, big guy; I can go another few rounds…. Come then Matsuda-kun, show me what you’re really made of…. Unf! Let’s see how you handle this-!”

“Get your imagination under control! It wasn’t like that at all!” You snap, not eager to hear whatever else she could be conceptualizing on that topic.

“Hahahaha! Do you want me to send you a telepathic image of the look on your face right now?” She laughed.

“I’m changing the subject before you have too much fun at my expense.” You huff. Though her mockery wasn’t viciously disparaging, you still had other matters you wanted to discuss. Waiting a few moments for her laughter to die down, you then ask, “Even if you don’t want to tell me their true names, can you explain how your Noble Phantasms work?”

“Hmph, I suppose now is as good a time as any.” She answered, taking a breath to compose herself, “The one I was planning to use if you didn’t choose to teleport us away earlier uses the power of the sun. I’d be able to scorch the battlefield and temporarily blind anyone in the area of effect, so it would be categorized as Anti-Army; though the heat itself wouldn’t kill from simple exposure unless it was for an extended period, it would make it quite difficult for someone to fight seriously without damage from the heat exposure accumulating rapidly. In addition, any of my cock-type familiars present would be greatly empowered rather than debilitated while it was active, and even more so if I use it at dawn. My strength and endurance would also rank up, though that probably wouldn’t be a deciding factor. An important limitation to consider is that while it can be activated at night, the power-drain would be significantly higher so I wouldn’t be able to keep it active for long without possibly overloading your magic circuits or rapidly depleting your energy.”

“That would make sense, you’d have to practically recreate the sun before also utilizing all of the other effects. You have a second Noble Phantasm?” You ask.

Nodding, she answered, “Yes: technically it’s a use of my magic, but activating it requires invoking its true name. It targets a single being, taking the art of transmutation near its zenith; depending on the quality of the source material, creating a monster that could fight on par with a high-end Servant wouldn’t be out of the question, though I wouldn’t want to create such a monster unless I was confident whoever we directed it to fight could eventually kill it, as it would unequivocally be in our best interest to make sure such a monstrosity didn’t live long enough to turn on us.”

“Couldn’t you use it on your familiars to increase their combat power?” You ask, noticing the obvious possibility.

“To an extent. However, when utilizing the Hougu to affect a monstrous transformation, the amount that the target is strengthened relative to its initial state is dependent on the target’s level of sapience as well as its inherent power. The more deeply they can feel all-encompassing despair, the more destructive its rampage will be. Using it on one of the familiars would increase its power and make it harder to control, but it probably wouldn’t become much more powerful than a 3rd-rate Servant. It may prove a viable tactic nonetheless, depending on the circumstances.” She answered. It seems strange that the despair experienced by the target would factor into the Hougu’s effectiveness. You couldn’t deny that it makes you feel a bit uneasy.

“So, how do you cast it? Can you use it in battle against enemy Servants?”

“Only if we were able to immobilize them for an extended period of time. And even then, the Magic Resistance skill would stave off its effects even further if they possessed it; I’d wager we could use it against an enemy Caster or Assassin if we played our cards right.” She said, then clarified, “Monstrous transformations aren’t the only use for it however, as you can also install mental commands through its use.”

Nodding, you respond, “I see. Anything else I should know about?”

“You’ve seen some of my other spells without needing to invoke a true name. They can be on par with low-ranking direct-attack Noble Phantasms in terms of destructive power.” She said with pride. True, it’s probably no small feat to have normal attacks on par with weaker Servants’ ultimate attacks.

“Understood. What do you think of my capabilities and strategies, by the way?” You ask, hoping to get some kind of insight on how you can use your power more effectively.

File: Spoiler Image (449 KB, 924x557)

449 KB PNG

“Initially I didn’t pay you much mind beyond seeing you as a conveniently-powerful mana battery, but you’ve made some interesting suggestions. You’re also a bit tactless, but perhaps now that you know more about my abilities we can fight with fewer reservations.” She said, giving an evaluation that seemed impartial if nothing else, “I’m also interested in seeing how we can develop your ability to utilize your magical energy, that Ether element could prove quite useful.”

“Do you think we should-” You begin, thinking to suggest Avenger begin teaching you how to make use of your magical energy, but the doors of the church suddenly open as Truvietianne and her Servant return. “Ah, welcome back. Were you able to find anyone?”

Nodding, the Edelfelt Master answered, “We were: come in Miss Koyama, you’ll be safe in here.”

A rather diminutive figure in soot-covered casual clothes nervously stepped around the door and into view, bowing and stammering, “Th-thank you for taking me in! My name is Koyama Komoe, b-but you can call me Koko if you like.” Her height and build were definitely childlike, but the tone of her voice and her mannerisms struck you as surprisingly mature. She could have just had a strict upbringing though.

Not sure what to make of the new arrival, you suggest, “Perhaps the three of you can remain here while our new acquaintance gets situated; my Servant and I can check the parts of the city you hadn’t looked through yet. We’ll take a delicate approach, promise.”

File: Weapon like this but bigg(...).jpg (52 KB, 500x500)

52 KB JPG

“That simply won’t do.” A firm voice rang out from the other end of the church near the altar. Turning to face it, you see a tall, bearded man in religious garb step into view from some hidden passage in the back of the church that you hadn’t noticed until now. Behind him, a Servant materialized: An old man clad in black armor, carrying a two-handed polearm. A war-hammer? No, that wasn’t quite it: though the hammer was the most prominent part, it also had the tip of a pike and a curved spike coming off the reverse end of the hammer. You couldn’t discern anything about the Servant’s status as well.

“Who are you?!” You and Truvi both exclaim, while your Servants advance to guard you in the case of a sudden attack.

Ignoring your question, the man stepped in front of the altar, the sable-clad Servant close behind, and continued, “I hadn’t thought any of the Masters would think to return to this area; it just goes to show how unpredictably events like this can develop. Nonetheless, I suppose this saves me some time, as I can explain important matters to the two of you as is my duty.”

“Duty? Would you happen to be responsible for this Holy Grail War?” You ask.

“Great Holy Grail War, technically.” He corrected, “Regrettably, there was a mishap in the war’s initialization, so the information the Servants were provided only covered what the base system would have explained to them. Since the final Master has been selected a few hours ago I could at least implement the color-classifications, and I’ve been trying to make the rounds so all combatants are apprised of their circumstances and the conditions for victory. Though I suppose you have any number of questions of your own you’d like to ask me.”

So… what do you want to ask him? Pretty much anything’s on the table, though whether he deigns to answer is a different matter. Also rank the questions in the order you’d want to ask them, if you would.

>>5439273
>Behind him, a Servant materialized: An old man clad in black armor, carrying a two-handed polearm. A war-hammer? No, that wasn’t quite it: though the hammer was the most prominent part, it also had the tip of a pike and a curved spike coming off the reverse end of the hammer. You couldn’t discern anything about the Servant’s status as well.
Florian Geyer?

Glad to see you are still alive, LSAD QM.

Now Circe is fully confirmed. We could probably guess her true name with those clues if it has not been for amnesia.
>the power of the sun
Her Dad's Authority.
>It targets a single being, taking the art of transmutation near its zenith
>The more deeply they can feel all-encompassing despair
And her pigification NP is more vicious as well.
>You’ve seen some of my other spells without needing to invoke a true name. They can be on par with low-ranking direct-attack Noble Phantasms in terms of destructive power.
This does expand the list of potential tactics. White phosphorus and shrapnel type magic effect for our long range options.
>>5439273
>So… what do you want to ask him? Pretty much anything’s on the table, though whether he deigns to answer is a different matter. Also rank the questions in the order you’d want to ask them, if you would.
I guess it would be okay flow of questions
>Ask him to intoduce himself so you know how to refer to him
>Tell him you would love to introduce yourself too but you have no memories
>Follow up with asking him if he can tell you who you are and if you are important for this Greater Grail War. Mention that so far all people you have run into had their memories intact and had Servants be summoned in normal classes etc
>Follow up and inquire further on Greater Grail War uniques comparing to "base system": Teams, Coins, selection of Masters, abnormal space it take place in and purpuse of it all
>Tell him you just rescued innocent person who got caught in all of it and if "final Master" has already been selected can he teleport her back home to safety or let her summon Servant since War is clearly designed around no restrain warfare and no concerns for collateral and she is just a normal person
Don't know what more to ask, and not specifically attached to order of questions.

File: 1630323094727.jpg (365 KB, 900x638)

365 KB JPG

Hey QM, I was curious if you consider the greekoid mechachads canon or not in regards to this quest?

Just because assuming it's Circe, it would give her some magitek type knowledge and the sun authority would have a NANOMACHINE variant. Especially with her close connection to Odysseus and his kit and the gods/titans themselves.

https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Troia_Hippos
https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Aigis

https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Klironomia

Or is just ancient divine magic to you? It's just a point of conflict in canon with a lot of people. Personally I think it's got potential but I don't really mind either way. Just want to know for future lore/mechanics discussions.

>>5439604
>I was curious if you consider the greekoid mechachads canon or not in regards to this quest?
I'm probably not going to lean too heavily into the robot aspect of them, since in canon PHH they got scrapped by Titan-Altera in prehistoric times.
I also wasn't a huge fan of that revelation, largely because so many Divine Spirits are now derived from ayylmaos. I thought that should be unique to the True Ancestors since they were mini-me's of Type-Moon Brunestud, but now it's sounding more and more like Gaia is fucking lazy and waits for ayys to show up before dropping them into Divine Spirit roles. I think the fey and a few pantheons are still Earthlings at least.
It also made the designs for things like the Trojan Horse and Odysseus' armor too sci-fi for my tastes, though I have to wonder if the Aigis was fitted to Odysseus in a rush and that's why it still has what would be a boob-window if Athena wore it. I should get into AI art and see if I can make something from that concept
Silver-lining, a giant Mecha-Ares duking it out with Titan-Altera would undeniably be a cool visual.

>>5439767
The Fey and the Aesir are or should be native earthlings at least. Odin works alongside the jannieforce quite a lot of his own volition and has always been a very pro-humanity figure, enjoying testing them to push them forward. Chinks are supposed to be native too, Chyna and Japan. Most mainland yuropoor/slav/russ mythology alongside the Egyptians (which are horrible in terms of power in TM, or lost so hard to YHWH they never showed their faces again) seems to be Gaian too iirc.

However, depending on what new autism gets into Nasu's head, the Vanir and Jotunn might even have been originally ayys before Gaia shoved them into ayys as it may explain their conflict with the Aesir in myth canon. So Freyja being a Vanir and being a lore root origin of the grail system via Rheingold/Justeaze might mean even the cup is ayys being used to emulate the earth system of the throne and counter jannies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullveig is an aspect or alter ego of Freyja. She became the wife of Odin after he dabbed on her in a magic contest during the Aesir/Vanir war. She's also the Nordic root of "corruption via gold" -> became the origin of the Rheingold myth itself, which then became the basis for Einzbern magecraft and by extension the grail system as a whole.

All speculative but has actual mythological basis. However several homonculi specifically have the Child of Nature skill/trait which implies direct Gaian connection.

We've heard basically nothing about tribal gods from various cultures, they're all likely Gaian of some description too. Although Australian mythology is very Lovecraftian in nature and alongside Antarctica features prominently in Lovecraftian mythos.

>>5439823
before Gaia shoved them into Divine Spirit containers*

Sleepness post moment. That thing is a mess. Imagine proofreading.

>>5439273
gonna +1 >>5439589 because it's pretty comprehensive, and maybe slip a mental query in to Avenger at the end if she wants to reaffirm or ask anything we may have missed.

Should also interact with the new lolibaba and assess her intentions after this, depending on the outcome of the situation. Maybe pump up those Heroism numbers by protecting innocents. Also will help anon learn more about humans in general to get some extra perspective.

File: EradicatorHexapod.jpg (174 KB, 744x1024)

174 KB JPG

>>5439767
>>5439823
>>5440211
Gaia turning entire Scrin invasion force into Fomorians
Worst pit stop of your entire existence.

Bo "The Bandit" Darville - Rider
Carrie "Frog" - Assassin
Cledus "The Snowman" Snow - Caster
Buford T. Justice - Berserker
Junior Justice - Lancer
"Hot Pants" Hillyard - Saber
"Little Beaver" - Archer
Enos "Little Enos" Burdette and Enos "Big Enos" Burdette - Ruler

File: Hans.png (174 KB, 300x424)

174 KB PNG

This... is turning into a rather long exposition update. And I've been bloody busy with other matters lately too; sorry to leave you all hanging, I doubt I'll finish tonight or even tomorrow. Is anyone interested in getting a partial update? I could post some tomorrow to give you something to think about then finish when I can.

>>5443638
I'd read it but I just check once a day so no rush for me.

>>5443638
Whatever suits you fampai

“Can you start by telling us your name? I don’t know how to address you.” You begin, reiterating the question you and the other Master asked as a reflex.

Slapping his forehead, the broad-shouldered man answered, “Of course! Pardon my manners, I’ve been making the acquaintance of so many Masters recently it’s become a touch wearisome to go through the motions again and again. I am Father Triscus Adajio, overseer of this Akeldama Great Holy Grail War.”

Before you can explain your amnesiac situation or ask what the ‘Akeldama’ was, Truvietianne said, “I’m going to skip the pleasantries and have you explain what manner of heretic you are, that you’d participate in this war’s administration while shamelessly dragging the uninitiated into the ritual. The Holy Church would absolutely not authorize such action. Furthermore, by what means have you and any who align with you instigated a Holy Grail War in this manner after the Great Grail of Fuyuki has been decommissioned?” It seems she’s firing on all cylinders right out of the gate.

Unperturbed by her pointed inquiries, Father Adajio answered, “You assume much, Miss Edelfelt, though you already seem knowledgeable on the bigger picture. For now it doesn’t fall to me to explain every detail of the war’s preparation or my own intentions, aside from an obligation to see this ritual through to whatever end it may meet. I would be at liberty to answer queries such as that once the war is closer to its conclusion; for now it’s in your interest to learn the specific procedures to reach that point.”

Noticing something amiss, you ask, “How did you know her name, Adajio? She hasn’t introduced herself to you.”

With a wry smile, he answers, “I happen to be privy to certain types of information, courtesy of my bodyguard.”

The sable-clad Servant at his side glanced over your group before his eyes settled on you and your Servant, evenly noting, “Indeed. The True Names of the two of you are particularly intriguing.”

Your voice almost catches in your throat, but you manage to quietly say, “You… know my name?” Your Servant, Truvi, and Perseus all look at you sympathetically, while Koko looked at you quizzically, apparently unaware of your situation.

“I know all of your names.” The Servant answers tersely, declining to elaborate further.

“Then can you tell me what mine is? I’ve had a most irksome bout of amnesia ever since this affair began.” You ask, growing a bit impatient now that the answer to the most important question to you seems to be within reach.

The polearm-wielding Servant’s eyes turned toward Triscus, who chuckled before answering in the Servant’s place, “We could, but what meaning would resolving that problem have if the solution was merely thrown at your feet by a complete stranger? The answer you seek is already within you, young man.”

“So you’re giving me a cryptic platitude in place of an answer. How accommodating.” You say spitefully, clenching your fists and half-inclined to beat the answer out of him, though you decide to wait at least until he explains more about how this Grail War ritual is properly concluded.

“Today is merely the first day of the war, it’s far too early to let greed consume you.” Triscus chides; you suspect he’s speaking half in mockery and half as honest advice. It grates on your nerves regardless.

“Greedy or not, so far I haven’t encountered anyone else whose memories were lost or who summoned a Servant outside the conventional seven classes. So is there anything you’d like to tell me with regards to that?” You ask in irritation.

“Do those facts make you believe you’re special? That you’re of more importance than any of the other Masters? That perhaps this whole world exists for your sake?” Father Adajio asks. To your surprise his tone sounded a hair more serious than before, despite the words themselves carrying a derisive implication.

“Are you going to give a straight answer to anything, priest?” Avenger interrupts with a tired frown.

“If the question is pertinent to the issue I came here to discuss with you, then yes. I could always start with the differences between this Great Holy Grail War and the version you Servants were informed of based on the Fuyuki system.” He suggested in a good-natured manner, though the contrast from his subdued mockery wasn’t stark.

“Please do.” Truvietianne sighed. You simply nod in quiet agreement.

After clearing his throat, the priest stroked his impressively voluminous beard as he explained, “As you know, the Fuyuki Grail Wars consisted of seven Master-Servant pairs. In the present case, due to a certain protocol activating twice, there are four factions, each with seven Master-Servant pairs; though membership in a given faction is nothing more than a suggestion for alliance, as the aforementioned protocol was activated in error. You may have already noticed that Servants are designated in the Akai, Kuro, Red, or Black faction. Victory is effectively achieved when 27 Servants are defeated, and only one Master-Servant pair remains intact.”

“‘Effectively’ achieved? Is there something else you have to do after that?” Perseus asked.

“And where does that Servant by your side figure into this? He doesn’t appear to have a faction designation, or if he does it’s been rendered unintelligible.” Perseus’ Master added, scrutinizing the hammer-wielding Servant.

“Father Adajio mentioned it before: I serve as his bodyguard. I’m not one of the 28 participating Servants, so assailing me would avail you naught.” The grizzled old man answered, then added with a glare, “And I guarantee attempting to do so would end poorly for you.”

Cutting the tension, Adajio said, “That aside, the Akeldama Great Holy Grail War ritual will be completed when all of the silver coins distributed between the Masters are gathered, returned here, and placed in the silver cup, which I will retrieve when 27 Servants are defeated. With the coins collected, I shall call forth the Grail and the rightful winners may claim their wish.”

“I-I’m terribly sorry to interrupt since this all sounds really important, but… could I go home now? You have everyone you need for this ritual thing, r-right?” Koko asks nervously, barely revealing herself from behind Truvi, whom she’d been more or less hiding behind ever since Adajio entered the church’s sanctuary.

With affected sympathy, the priest directs his attention to her and answers, “Regrettably, sending you home isn’t so simple as calling a cab, Koyama Komoe, for the world you’re in now is spacially-disconnected from what you would call the ‘real world’.” Addressing all five of you now, he continues, “Indeed, this artificial world we are in is called ‘Akeldama’. Not to be confused with a Reality Marble as some of you may have considered, for instead of overlapping and painting over the world, it instead resides in a different space altogether. This section we are in currently held what could be considered a ‘preliminary round’ to determine those who would be most fitting as Masters, whereas the city where the Masters and Servants do battle is located quite some distance off, with a shrouded wasteland and altered gravitational vectors discouraging any travel between the two regions. I had planned on shuttering this obsolete area once I finished explaining the rules to the Masters, but your unexpected incursion has led me to decide it’s for the best to step up the timetable.”

So this city was separated from the other just by distance, rather than being in a different dimension or something of similar effect. Perhaps whatever mechanism created this ‘Akeldama’ had limitations on how much it could simulate: multiple dimensions would be too tall an order, but a lot of empty space with tweaked gravity was within its capabilities. Though, if Adajio wanted to “shutter” this area, how would you bring the coins to the church here to finish the ritual? And… were you going to have to go diving to find the coins that were probably at the bottom of the sea as a result of the bombardment you ordered? That could be a nuisance. Maybe Avenger would know of a way to speed things up.

“What exactly does ‘shuttering this area’ entail, Adajio? What becomes of people who’ve been concealing themselves like Miss Koyama was?” Truvi asks with a fell undertone.

To be continued...

File: 1638071476141.jpg (58 KB, 1200x675)

58 KB JPG

>>5444252
Hmmm a Ruler with True Name Discernment. Spear is a bit medieval for Saint Longinus though so not sure

“A fair question: first, I’d transfer this church to a predetermined secondary location in the primary city’s center. I originally planned to move it above the most potent leyline in that area, but one of the Masters has already set up a fortress there, and I judged it would be out of line for me, as overseer, to rob him and his Servant of an advantage they’d rightfully gained. Next, I would see to it that every remaining human and undead in this city is teleported to a random location within the other city, and then finally purge this region from Akeldama entirely.” Glancing at Koko, he added, “Though in Miss Koyama’s case I would allow you all to escort her there, should you have the means to teleport yourselves back. Or you may remain within this church as it’s relocated shortly.”

“That city’s basically an unrestricted warzone, you know. Do they not get a chance to summon Servants to defend themselves?” You ask, finding yourself shocked at the man’s disregard for the well-being of uninvolved innocents.

With a startling disgust in his voice, Adajio answers, “Absolutely not. The Master and Servant selections are final, and under no circumstances shall more Servants to join the fray. Those who failed to enter the war as Masters will do what they must to survive, or perish.”

“H-how can you say something like that?” Koko quietly said, more as a fearful murmur to herself than a question addressed to the overseer.

Ignoring her, Triscus continued, “Now, there are a few notable factors you should be cognizant of as you decide how to prosecute this war. One is a feature of the silver coins: they provide a modest amount of magical energy -”

“We already knew that.” You interrupt. This “overseer” has been getting under your skin, and sooner he says his piece the sooner you can decide what to do with him.

Stroking his beard again, Adajio rebuts, “Then do you also know that you can gradually increase the coins’ power output by bringing them near the various leylines spread throughout the city, to as much as triple their initial level?”

“That would amount to a few drops in the bucket compared to my own Master’s available magical energy, but I see your system is making allowances for weaklings.” Avenger says, subtly winking one of her eyes at you from a sidelong glance.

“I won’t fault you for holding that opinion, however the intention was also to encourage exploration of the city and allow battles to be initiated more quickly. Increasing the coin’s potency by finding many leylines should provide a tempting incentive to some.” He argues, adding, “If you pay close enough attention to the environment, you may even find directions to weapons and supply-caches spread throughout the city. And finally, should a Servant or Master be defeated, their coin will automatically sever the connection to its previous users after a few minutes, allowing any Master who recovers it to attune it to their own Servant contract and augment their power. A Master may also deactivate their own coin at their discretion by sending an order to that effect through the telepathic channel the Command Seals provide, should some circumstance arise where it would be beneficial.”

“Have you considered printing brochures explaining all of this? It would spare us all some time.” You sardonically point out, pleased that he’s finally completed briefing you on the differences between this Grail War and the one the Servants were informed of when they were summoned.

“That’s… not a bad idea, actually. Once I return I may do just that.” The overseer answered, seemingly genuinely interested in the prospect. “Though for the present, if you have a specific location in the primary city that you’d like to teleport to as opposed to moving along with this church to the city’s center, I would be most appreciative if you would go there immediately so I may promptly expunge this region.” Pointing a finger over his shoulder, he added, “If coordinates are an issue, you should know the city’s limits are approximately 40 kilometers in that direction.”

“And what if we decide to stay and keep looking for survivors?” Truvi asked defiantly, clearly having no desire to comply with his request.

“You’ll just be teleported to a random location along with the rest in a short while.” Adajio answered casually.

“By an execute command issued by you, I presume?” She said, already sure of the situation.

The Servant at the overseer’s side narrowed his eyes as he said, “Girl, it’s not your place to hinder the overseer’s work. It would behoove you to reconsider your current course.”

“Oh, are you implying I have half a mind to put this heretic out of commission before recovering the remaining survivors in this city?” She sarcastically asked the Servant. Looking over to you, she then said, “What about you, Einzbern? Has such an idea been forming in your mind?”

About the same time, Avenger also telepathically tells you, “I’m not sure what trickery this overseer’s done to have that Servant at his command. We’re going to want to defeat him sooner or later, but attacking head-on in here may get messy. It’s your call, Master.”

Right now you’d love few things more than knocking the overseer onto his ass, getting him to tell you your name, and assisting Truvi in rescuing any other survivors, but the black-armored Servant with indecipherable status leaves you a bit uneasy. Though you outnumber him, Perseus definitely isn’t back to full strength and you know nothing about this Servant’s capabilities. Still, overestimating the enemy may cause you to let a rare opportunity needlessly slip through your fingers.

How do you respond?

> “You could say that. Rejoice Father Adajio, it looks like you’re getting an early retirement.” (Attack the overseer’s Servant and force the overseer to comply with your demands)
> “It has been, but I don’t think we should act on it. We should regroup with the others and search the city once the transfer takes place.” (Teleport to the pre-arranged rendezvous point, inform Yumigawa and Matsuda of these developments, and try to enlist their aid in rescuing any non-Masters)
> “Truvi, I’d love to help, but ultimately this isn’t worth the trouble. My time would be better served investigating the city center; I’m sure the survivors can hide out somewhere for a while like they’ve been doing here.” (Go along with the overseer and explore the city’s center once you arrive)
> Something else (write-in)

I've also realized I've been making a consistent typo, using "Akai" when in reality I should have been typing "Aka". Going forward I'm going to use Aka and pretend none of that ever happened. It's what I get for going on memory rather than double-checking Fate Apocrypha clips for a couple minutes.

>>5445942

Attacking a Ruler only for Avenger to be told to kill herself probably isn't the best play. Judas also likely has servant stats including reaction speed.

Gonna default to:
> “It has been, but I don’t think we should act on it. We should regroup with the others and search the city once the transfer takes place.” (Teleport to the pre-arranged rendezvous point, inform Yumigawa and Matsuda of these developments, and try to enlist their aid in rescuing any non-Masters)

for now.

Judas was clearly provoking us, and his words raised more question than he answered.
Since Akeldama was namedropped and mass teleportation capabilities of his revealed, that should also rise alarms and suspensions for Avenger.
We got two targets in the future though
>I originally planned to move it above the most potent leyline in that area, but one of the Masters has already set up a fortress there
Normal bombardment target.
>New Church location
(Earth) Mother (Goddesses) of All Bombs target.
>>5445942
>“It has been, but I don’t think we should act on it. We should regroup with the others and search the city once the transfer takes place.” (Teleport to the pre-arranged rendezvous point, inform Yumigawa and Matsuda of these developments, and try to enlist their aid in rescuing any non-Masters)
Good way of cementing alliance, plus search and rescue operation also provides benefits of looking for supply caches and buffing our allies since they need stronger coins more than us.
We should also remember Ogawara too now that we went back to the same church.

LSAD QM, are you planning to have more interludes from the pov of Ogawara or whatever adventures Yumigawa and Matsuda were on?
>>5445943
Don't forget to change it in pastebin.

So you decide it's too early to pick a fight with the overseer though in-character you have no reason to believe the Servant is a Ruler, or even any idea what a Ruler is.

>>5446079
>LSAD QM, are you planning to have more interludes from the pov of Ogawara or whatever adventures Yumigawa and Matsuda were on?
Probably yes on the former, for the latter I might leave it at your discretion (they can just summarize what happened or "go into detail" where I make a POV update based on it).

>>5448089
Well, not exactly for ooc don't poke Ruler reasons. More the fact he wasn't really providing any solid answers that weren't designed to provoke a negative response.

You don't continue to poke someone like that unless you want them to rise to the taunt. Or, you're really good at bluffing you have the means to back up the provocations.

And ultimately, what would killing him do? There's always the chance it destabilises the ritual and causes additional issues, he's shown no coins to incentivise killing him and if he's to be believed, his own servant isn't part of the set of those that are required to be defeated to conclude the ritual itself.

Truvi clearly hates him and dealing with him later also cements a bit more gbp with her as it adds a goal to the alliance of dealing with the overseer.

If anything I'd just chuck in a sneaky mental command to Avenger to try and place some form of locator beacon type spell/object down before we teleport out to regroup the alliance and exchange info.

Johnny Number Five is not alive.

No… this isn’t going to work. This overseer wouldn’t be so flippant in dealing with two Servants if he didn’t have some kind of advantage in his back pocket. You decide you’re going to have to swallow your pride and let him do things his way for the time being.

Answering Truvietianne, you say, “It has been, but I don’t think we should act on it. We should regroup with the others and search the city once the transfer takes place.”

“You… don’t think you can stop him?” Koko asked nervously from behind Truvi.

“Apparently not.” Truvi spat, before muttering something you couldn’t hear under her breath. Clearly she was displeased that you weren’t supportive of her intention to overthrow Adajio. What can you do.

“You shouldn’t disparage your companion for having the good sense to dissuade you from rash action.” The Servant at Adajio’s side said evenly.

Addressing Koko, you find yourself justifying your decision by saying, “We met a couple other Masters earlier today that can help us find people when they get sent to the other city. We scheduled a meeting near a replica of the Tokyo Tower and they told us the course they planned, so even if they aren’t at the rendezvous we can just follow the reverse direction of their route.”

Clapping his hands together, Triscus applauded, “Yes, why don’t you do just that? It will take me a few minutes to affect the transfer, so you can make good use of the time you have available.”

“Everyone stand in the circle here, we’ll be at the tower momentarily.” Avenger said, having just created a glowing pattern on the floor that you assumed would be the platform she’d use to teleport everyone out. It seemed that her standard teleportation spell took a few seconds to visibly prepare, so it wouldn’t be the best option for escape if an enemy was already right in front of you.

Before you knew it, you found yourself at the base of the large telecom tower in the main city. You may as well start calling it the City of Akeldama, as soon enough it would be the only city in whatever type of artificial world you were in. Looking around, the rest of your companions were standing around you just as they were before the teleportation was activated, though Yumigawa and Matsuda don’t seem to have arrived just yet.

“Avenger, can you survey the immediate vicinity to see if the others are on their way back?” You ask your Servant, undeterred by their current absence. She responds affirmatively and begins flying toward the west and a bit to the north. The sun was starting to fall under the western horizon; looks like you may end up working into the night depending on how quickly you can find people. Then again, you didn’t exactly know how many people were left to begin with, and the undead were probably going to be wandering about in far greater numbers. Though with dozens of Servants active, you doubt it’ll be long before those abominations get mopped up.

“W-wow. This looks a lot like Minato did when I visited a while back.” Koko noted, carefully taking in her surroundings.

“You said you were a schoolteacher, do you live near here?” Truvi asked her.

“Well, if by ‘here’ you meant the Minato of the real world, somewhat.” She answered, taking what you supposed was a quiet satisfaction in correcting Truvi’s minor oversight in the wording of her question, then continued, “I live in Kamakura, and teach at a public high school there as well.”

Noticing a potential resource, you suggest to her, “We have reason to believe this city’s layout is based on the real world’s Tokyo. If it’s not too much trouble, do you think you could help fill out a map we have? If you could put a few names to the blank sections based on where they correspond in the real city, it might help us identify locations a bit more efficiently. Right now we just have four quadrants, a general area we designated the city’s center, and a few markings of locations we’ve already been to.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun! I’ve always been good with geography. Can you show me your map?” She said, reaching her hands up and inadvertently reminding you of how short she was. Seriously, did she have some kind of growth hormone deficiency?

“Of course. Truvi, you had it, right?” You say. Her outfit had a lot more room to stow away items, maybe you should think about getting something a bit more practical than what you were wearing right now.

Nodding, she pulled out a rolled-up paper and a pen from somewhere in her dress and handed it to Koko, who looked it over for a few moments before quietly scribbling some notes onto it at an impressive speed.

Just then, Avenger telepathically contacted you, saying, “I’ve found them: it seems they got into a fight at some point and are a little worse for wear. They’re all still moving, though.”

“Can you start filling them in on what’s happened? We’ll head right over.” You reply, before informing everyone else and quickly walking in that direction.

When you found them about a quarter of a mile away, it appears the Masters were more scuffed up than the Servants, bandaged in various places with Matsuda having his left arm in a sling. Avenger was still in the process of explaining recent events from your shared perspective, though it seems she was abridging things as she was already getting to the part where you left the church.

“-my Master declined to engage, so I teleported us back here, and now the ragtag band is back together.” She concluded as you, Truvi, Perseus, and Koko caught up, the latter a bit short of breath as she struggled to keep up with your pace while also writing part of the way.

File: Map 2.0.png (1.05 MB, 1080x806)

1.05 MB PNG

After the four introduced themselves to Koko, who insisted the two boys call her “Koyama-sensei” with dubious success, Caster of Black addressed her with a gentle smile, saying, “I take it you’ve found an interest in marking one of my maps, little lady?”

“O-oh yes! I was just writing in the borders of the various wards based on where they’d be in the real world’s Tokyo. Would you care to see? There may be a couple minor inconsistencies since the map and real Tokyo aren’t quite identical and I did it by hand and memory, but I hope it would do the job well enough.” She answered, handing him her map.

Reaching into his cloak and revealing his own copy, he said, “Hmm-hmm, yes this could be quite useful. We also marked three leyline locations while we were out, so if I compile all of this information… there.”

Each map faintly glowed for a moment, then he handed your version back to Koko and explained, “Now both versions should have all of the information shared.”

“Thank you. Did Avenger mention the part about exposure to the leylines strengthening the coins?” You ask him.

Nodding, he answered, “In brief, and I suspected as much from how the magical energy transferred through the Master-Servant contracts modestly increased for myself and Miss Lancer after we lingered at each one for a short while. Though I believe we may have more pressing matters. A familiar of mine is surveying the city from a great height, so when the living dead and any other survivors appear I’ll do my best to identify who we’d want to move to. Do you feel able to work into the night, Master?”

Gently rubbing the shoulder of his bandaged arm, Matsuda answered, “Yeah, my legs work well enough; let’s try to dodge getting into fights for a while if we can though.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, how did things go on your guys’ end?” You inquire.

Stretching one of his arms across his chest, Yumigawa asked, “Do you want the long version or the short version?”

>The long version (Interlude-type description, relayed to you ‘in-game’ as you wait or begin searching depending when the teleportation takes place)
>The short version (They quickly summarize it in a dialogue format and probably finish before the teleportation occurs)

File: Grimdark_Evil_God.jpg (56 KB, 500x500)

56 KB JPG

On the map, I also decided to write a number by the battle-marker, it will indicate which thread the battle occurred (in 2's case it was the position that got fired on). Hopefully the added spacial awareness can prove helpful. Maybe I can put interlude battles that you hear about on it as well and append an i to their notation (example: 3i for one occurring concurrently with thread 3).

The board seems to have been moving a bit more quickly recently, so this will probably be the last main update (excluding the interlude if you decide to ask for it).

Forgot the goddamn tripcode again

>>5452754
Nyaruko-chan distracted me the past couple days.

>>5453086
>The long version (Interlude-type description, relayed to you ‘in-game’ as you wait or begin searching depending when the teleportation takes place)
>>5453093
>Nyaruko-chan
Spoilering the best girl before she appears in story?

>>5453917
Now I'm on the clock to write the interlude before the thread gets slid off the board
>Spoilering the best girl before she appears in story?
Mainly the FGO event reminded me of that anime so I decided to watch it, and it ate up a few evenings. Nyaruko would be a funny addition to the cast, but actually dealing with Foreigners would be difficult from a writing perspective. When I started this I firmly decided against adding new and wacky things constantly if the only reason to add them is as a short-lived or hastily thought-out joke.

>>5453086
>The long version (Imterlude-type description, relayed to you 'in-game' as you wait or begin searching depending when the teleportation takes place)

The long interlude is taking a while, but I actually had a shorter one in my back pocket so...

Fastest gun in…

“Freeze.” A man said, taking a second by surprise.

His body freezing up except for his left fist, which he raised slightly on reflex, the second man slowly extended the middle finger before saying, “Go fuck yourself.” He then dove to the side while spinning around, intending to bring his shotgun to bear against whoever got the drop on him.

BANG

The man never got a good look at his assailant, due to the fact that his skull suddenly had a .45 caliber hole through it. Blowing smoke off the barrel of his revolver before stowing it in the holster under his poncho, the first man sighed, “Don’t think I will.”

“Uhh, Archer, I didn’t say you had to kill him.” A girl in casual clothes said lazily as she peeked around the corner from the building’s welcome lobby into the hallway the shooting took place it.

“A guy like that’ll try anything just because he’s carrying and the law ain’t around. And you could’ve been caught in the spread of his shot if I hesitated. Nothing more to it.” The man replied. The two of them had tailed a Master and Servant, and in the process of doing so found that they’d been following directions to a supply cache posted on various fliers hidden among others describing apparently useless information. As they followed the other two, they learned that the building’s garage-level would have the supply cache.

“So… I guess we can check the basement garage now? How long does it take for a Servant to die after its Master does?” She asked as she started leaning against a wall.

Igniting a cigarette, the Servant answered, “It depends. Most Servants use up their energy real quick if they fight while they don’t have a Master, but if they lay low they can skulk around in spirit form for a while. A last-minute attack out of spite is what we’ve got to watch for.”

“Do we have to wait it out? Don’t you have a big advantage-… you hear that?” Stopping her question short, a faint cluster ticking sounds slowly grew in intensity through the elevator shafts.

The Servant wordlessly pulled the girl away from the elevators and backed the two of them away, putting his own body between her and the mysterious ticking sounds. Suddenly, a booming voice cackled through the building’s lobby in an unsettling manner, “Alas poor Master, for I knew him! Anyway. It looks like this clown is already getting booted off the stage, but I’ll at least go out with a bang!” As the elevator doors opened, five pocket-watch shaped devices with insectoid-looking legs leapt through the air straight at the Servant, and the cackling voice shouted, “TICK-TOCK BOMBS!”

File: Archer of Black.png (661 KB, 691x684)

661 KB PNG

With uncanny speed and precision, the Servant drew his weapon and fired once for each device, perforating each one before they landed on him. Though that mitigated rather than averted the damage, as each device exploded right after it was shot. His Master pressed behind his back, the Servant was hurled backward from the explosions, landing on his Master in the process. Rolling himself off her, he quickly checked her for injuries as she shook off the shock of the impact and the ringing in her ears.

“Jeez Archer, you’re gonna crush me before the enemies do.” She sarcastically complained, then upon noticing the soot, drywall dust, and other bits of debris that had inevitably covered her, she cried, “Aww no! My outfit’s ruined!”

Relieved that she was more or less unscathed, he replied, “You’re worried about that? There should be spare clothes and body-armor in the cache like the one that Master was wearing, you can find something there.”

Sitting up, she answered, “Archer, like, no offense but the GI Jane look isn’t really my style. It’d be mega-cringe.”

Helping her rise to her feet and walk toward the emergency staircase, he wearily advised, “Grumble about it after you’ve seen what’s there.”

>>5458209
>Sitting up, she answered, “Archer, like, no offense but the GI Jane look isn’t really my style. It’d be mega-cringe.”
Cringe. Put on the skintight sneaking suit or else.

Archer of Kino is back on the menu and clown is kill. Based

File: Crescent spear.jpg (79 KB, 530x530)

79 KB JPG

After departing the pub, the party consisting of Yumigawa Rushorou, Matsuda Ryuuta, Lancer of Red, and Caster of Black headed northwest. They decided to move at a fairly brisk pace, though not quickly enough to eschew caution. After travelling about two and a half miles, Caster located a leyline in a section of the city that the boys recognized as closely resembling Tokyo’s Shibuya ward. After breaking the lock of an electrical substation in which the leyline seemed closest to the surface and entering, Caster suggested, “If we could remain in this area for a short while, I should be able to draw up some of this leyline’s power to fabricate weapons for you lads, which you’ll most likely need in the coming days.”

“Thanks Caster! I’d get bored just sitting back and watching all the time; what’re you planning on makin’?” Matsuda asked.

Taking a seat on the ground, the Servant answered, “To an extent that’s up to you, though it’s also limited by what you can bring to me. My ability is specialized in modifying existing items as opposed to creating them directly from magical energy. I have enough flexibility that if you brought me, say, a wooden broomstick and large kitchen knife, I’d be able to fashion a sturdy quarterstaff and dagger or spear of equivalent mass from them.”

Mulling over the possibilities, Mastuda said, “Hmm, I’m thinking a crescent spear sounds good to me. What would you want to use, Kaichou?”

“Ideally a firearm or something similar so I wouldn’t get in my Servant’s way, but the materials would probably be too scarce.” Rushorou mused, “Perhaps some manner of short sword and shield could work for the time being.”

Lighting a pipe, Caster suggested, “Miss Lancer, why don’t you accompany the Masters to look for supplies? The nearby residences or shops may have what they seek. I shall remain here to study this world’s leyline and mana composition. Oh, and do bring a hammer if you happen to find one, it would greatly expedite the forging.”

While searching a residence, the two Masters split up to finish more quickly. In private, Lancer of Red decided to advise her Master, “Though you’ll soon have the means to fight more effectively than before, I must caution against throwing yourself into battles between Servants, Master.”

File: Wakizashi.jpg (78 KB, 1024x614)

78 KB JPG

“Don’t worry Lancer, I won’t get drunk on power so easily. I’ve seen firsthand how normal humans are outmatched by your kind. But if an enemy Master leaves himself open to attack while you keep the Servant busy, I can’t help but feel as though I’d be a burden to you if I didn’t take action.” He answered, feeling a sense of responsibility to contribute when he could. In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive of the possibility of his Servant being defeated because he didn’t take decisive action. Even if he weren’t born a magus or homunculus with superhuman strength, he wasn’t about to let those circumstances alone mark him as an inferior Master.

“I believe I understand your resolve.” She said with a faint smile, not feeling a need to discuss the matter further. Rummaging through a few residences and shops without incident, they found a work hammer, a wooden staff, an assortment of knives, cutting boards, steel plates, first-aid supplies, a few bits of leather and cloth at Lancer’s suggestion to make straps and sheathes, and (to their relative surprise) a box of firecrackers. Bringing their loot back to the wizened Caster, they were a bit shocked to see that he was waiting behind an anvil.

“How’d you make that Caster? I thought you said you couldn’t make stuff from nothin’.” Matsuda asked.

“Not directly from magical energy, to be precise. But an anvil with some stone and scrap metal as the base material should hold together long enough to modify a few items.” Inviting Matsuda to join him, he asked, “What would you like me to make for you, Master?”

While the two of them worked out how to forge Matsuda’s weapon, the other Master quietly waited with his Servant for a couple minutes, before asking her, “After Caster finishes making my weapon, could you give me some instruction on how to use it efficiently when we have some time to spare? Regrettably my studies up to this point haven’t included armed combat.”

“Your land is a peaceful one, is it not?” She asked.

“That would be an accurate assessment. The adversities I’ve faced before today have always been focused around intellectual pursuits and social standing. Ranking highest in academic tests, assuming influential school-government positions, maintaining a positive public image, and the like. I suppose some guys like Matsuda get into scraps on a regular basis, for whatever reasons they may find, but those street-fights won’t compare to warfare proper.” He answered, humbled to describe the mundane life he’d been living to a legendary hero of astonishing strength and beauty.

“I see. Do not be ashamed of your inexperience; I shall do all I can to aid you, Master.” She said, both with honesty and magnanimity.

Grateful at her lack of derision due to his unpreparedness, he just said, “Thank you, Lancer.”

File: Saber of Black.png (537 KB, 478x677)

537 KB PNG

Shortly afterward, Caster invited him to give directions on the equipment he’d like forged. From the cutting boards and steel plates they were able to fabricate a round shield, a couple large knives formed the base materials for a one-handed wakizashi, and some of the cloth and leather made a sheathe, sturdy belt, and shield strap to allow him wear the shield on his back while traveling. In his companion’s case, in addition to the crescent-bladed polearm Caster had also crafted something resembling a bandolier that allowed Matsuda to hang the spear onto his back, allowing him to have both of his hands free without discarding his weapon.

After proceeding northwest for a couple more miles, their party turned east and came into an area resembling the Shinjuku ward. They eventually came across another leyline in the middle of a major street, with Caster warning them in advance that another Master was already occupying the location with a Servant. As they rounded a corner to break into the Master’s line of sight, they saw a man in peculiar though undoubtedly upper-class attire standing in the center of a large glowing ring on the asphalt along with a Servant carrying two swords, one noticeably shorter than the other.

“What’s this? A couple of juvenile Orientals selected as Masters in a Holy Grail War? Well, I suppose such a situation isn’t without precedent.” The middle-aged European man said (though without directing it toward the newcomers) before announcing to them, “My name is Sean O’Mordha, Professor of Mineralogy at the Clock Tower of the Mage’s Association. Which of you dares challenge my Saber to battle?”

“Master I request your authorization to defeat that Saber.” Rushorou’s Servant telepathically asked him with startling eagerness. Though it was an improvement over preparing to rush in without regard for his orders.

“My name is Yumigawa Rushorou, student-council president of Hibiya High, and my Lancer will battle your Servant.” The boy declared with confidence.

“And my-” Matsuda began, but Lancer of Red immediately rushed forward to attack the Saber, causing the delinquent to decide against shouting over their clashes to introduce himself.

“Abridging the formalities, fair lady?” The Saber asked as he guarded against her aggressive attacks.

“My duty is to slay you, brave warrior.” She deadpanned without slowing her assault.

“So be it, though don’t assume your resolve surpasses my own.” He answered, though he was clearly on the back foot in their opening exchanges. Yet his skillful use of his short-sword to maintain his guard prevented him from receiving any major injuries.

After watching the two Servants exchange blows for a short while, Matsuda turned to his Servant and asked, “Yo, Caster. Wouldn’t it be an easy win if you attacked the Master while his Servant is busy fighting Lancer?”

Blowing a ring of smoke out of his pipe, Caster of Black answered, “Ha ha! Perhaps so, but would you consider idly watching while we Servants overwhelm the enemy with simple numerical superiority a meaningful victory?”

Puzzled at the Servant’s apparent disinterest in pursuing success, Yumigawa asked, “What are you suggesting? Don’t you want to exploit an obvious advantage to win?”

“My dear Rushorou, you’re armed and able-bodied young men, are you not? Saber’s Master appears to be an accomplished magus; I’d wager the two of you could learn something from engaging him in battle yourselves.” The Caster responded, almost as though he’d somehow overheard the young man’s earlier conversation with his own Servant regarding pressuring enemy Masters when the opportunity presented itself.

Reaching behind his back and unstrapping his spear from the bandolier, Matsuda gave his Servant a knowing look before agreeing, “Alright Caster, let’s give your plan a shot. You ready, Kaichou?”

Unsure if there was more to the Caster’s intentions than his spoken words, Yumigawa hesitated momentarily before deciding, “I… am ready. Let’s take the fight to him.”

Surprised at their choice, O’Mordha laughed, “Such a foolhardy approach, and at the suggestion of the Servant no less! Allow me to educate you plebs on the power of my magecraft, ere you perish. Sgoilt an talamh!”

More to come...
This thread isn't long for this world. I'm going to try to finish but if I can't I'll cheat and say the overseer's teleportation from the preliminary city interrupted them as they were talking and finish it some other time.

>>5461751
>spoiler
wow fuck you judas

Yumigawa continued, “After that, the asphalt inside the mage’s -”

“I must cut your commendably-descriptive account short for now my lad, the event Miss Avenger warned us about seems to be occurring.” Caster of Black interrupted as pillars of blue light briefly flashed throughout the city.

“It puzzles me how that overseer can use magic of this potency. A heretical cleric shouldn’t be so powerful; teleportation is practically on the level of True Magic, and he’s using it on hundreds of targets simultaneously.” Truvietianne said in subdued awe and frustration.

“You don’t know the entirety of the situation.” Her Servant reminded her, “It may be one of that Servant’s abilities, or the world we’re in could allow for that type of magic more readily than the real one. I’d also wager that however he’s getting it done, he can only use power like that if it’s directly involved in making the Grail War as a whole run more smoothly.”

“I’d be pleased if that were true. Interference from his end would be a real pain to deal with if he could use that kind of power at will.” You say.

“I imagine so, but as you know we have more pressing matters to attend to.” Caster said as he pulled out his map and began studying it. You assumed he was probably communicating with his familiar, which he’d been rather careful about keeping concealed; perhaps revealing it would give a substantial hint regarding his true name. “There are hundreds of ghoulish creatures wandering all over the city now, I’ll try to pick out the humans from the recent arrivals and guide you to their locations. It may behoove us to split up again as before, and then meet here again after we’ve retrieved a civilian. Miss Lancer has an ability that allowed us to quickly traverse the city: though not at the speed of teleportation it does the job well enough.”

“What will we do with the civilians once we recover them? I wouldn’t think they’d like to be left waiting alone here while both of our groups are searching.” Avenger pointed out.

“Maybe we can set up some kind of concealed base-camp nearby?” You suggest, “Matsuda, Caster, and the civilians could wait and rest there. Alternatively we could all go together and avoid losing contact with anyone.”

“If we went together we’d only be able to find one person at a time, though that may not be a problem. Have you located any survivors yet Caster?” Yumigawa asked.

“I do believe I’ve found two. One near the corner where the Kita, Arakawa, and Bunkyo wards all intersect, and another in the Chuo ward, along the river near the northern end.” He answered, showing everyone the map and pointing out the locations.

“We seem to have two Servants who can travel rapidly and take others with them. We ought to have my Lancer and his Avenger go to one of the locations each, and quickly assign everyone to one of our groups.” Yumigawa asserted.

“I-I’m sorry but I’m not cut out for a rescue m-m-mission. I’d do my best to keep up, b-but when people’s lives are at stake, I-I could just hide somewhere for a while again if that’s better.” Koko stammered. Was she a bit braver and more responsible than you’d expected her to be, or primarily lacking in self-confidence?

“I dunno about that ‘sensei’.” Matsuda said, “You got lucky before, but you might not be able to find a good hiding spot again fast enough.”

“If you’d like to rest up, Master, we can take Avenger’s Master’s suggestion on making a concealed camp nearby. I could hold off any pesky ghouls easily enough.” Caster said.

A decision needs to be made, and quickly. You consider what you should do as a false sun sets over a false world.

END OF THE FIRST DAY

End of thread theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO185GSXIEw

> Argue that Avenger should teleport everyone to a single location (specify which location)
> Agree to split up as Rushorou suggested, and assign everyone with a group in spite of Koko’s reluctance (write-in how to assign everyone)
> Argue Caster, Matsuda, and Koko should wait at a base-camp while Truvi and her Servant pick who to accompany (also pick location to go to)
> Argue for a different plan or personnel configuration (write-in)

Yeah, I ran out of time. The quest may also slide off the board in a couple days before I get the next thread ready, so please pick an option quickly before it gets archived. Gomenasorry anons.

>the corner where the Kita, Arakawa, and Bunkyo wards all intersect
Looks like a place between logistic hubs, shrines, school and museums.
>Chuo ward
Looks like a packed business district.
>>5462579
> Argue Caster, Matsuda, and Koko should wait at a base-camp while Truvi and her Servant pick who to accompany (also pick location to go to)
>the corner where the Kita, Arakawa, and Bunkyo wards all intersect
I assume Avenger mentioned it and if not mention to Caster while he sets up the base-camp to be on the look for supply and weapon caches and other potential “gifts” that could be hidden by that Overseer.
>Gomenasorry anons
All will be forgiven if Ogawara and Kiyo make Osakabehime do naked dogeza in the future.

>>5462579
>>5463216
+1 this

Base camp is required for the normies otherwise they'll become a burden and limit our own actions heavily. They'll probably become a target/ bait for an enemy servant in future but in that event you have most people then actively against that individual.

Perseus is all healed up now due to disengage right?

>>5463216
>All will be forgiven if Ogawara and Kiyo make Osakabehime do naked dogeza in the future.
Unfortunately, the jannies would come after me if I tried that.
>>5463231
>Perseus is all healed up now due to disengage right?
Judging by his appearance he's looking quite a bit better.