“You know what? You’re on, Rider!” You say, deciding to see what the Servant is made of. You’re ready for a fight, and since the mace is his weapon of choice, you ought to be able to learn from his technique.

Rider of Red loudly proclaims, “Well said! Show me your mettle!” Jumping down from his chariot, he lands on the road, his foot embedding into the asphalt before he begins striding toward you. You hop into the air and test hovering with your wings for a moment. He shouldn’t be able to fly, perhaps you can outmaneuver him by moving through the air.

“Wait. Master are you serious?” Your Servant asks you telepathically, “This could turn deadly at a moment’s notice.”

“You’re worrying too much. We already have an arrangement with them, but even if the worst-case scenario happens in spite of common-sense, I’d just need to hold out longer against him than his Master does against you.” You respond through telepathy.

Your Servant shrugs in resignation while the Rider flourishes his mace and adds, “Before we begin: it’s tradition for no mace strikes to be made below the waist. I trust you agree to that?”

That sounds reasonable; limiting the target-areas ought to simplify both of your attack-patterns, so that could make it easier for you to keep up with his technique and learn from it. How do you approach the fight?

Pick one from *each set* of options:

> Agree to his condition, that’ll help keep it as a friendly spar to build rapport
> Push back against it, he may be hiding something important

In addition:
> Stay on the ground and focus on learning from his technique
> Stay in the air and test your ability to maneuver in combat against an opponent
> Use your Mana-Sight to look for his weak-points
> Something different (write-in)

>>6184152
> Push back against it, he may be hiding something important
> Use your Mana-Sight to look for his weak-points

>>6184152
> Agree to his condition, that’ll help keep it as a friendly spar to build rapport
> Stay on the ground and focus on learning from his technique

>>6184152
>> Agree to his condition, that’ll help keep it as a friendly spar to build rapport
> Stay on the ground and focus on learning from his technique
Aha! I had a feeling and what do you know, we are back

>>6184152
> Agree to his condition, that’ll help keep it as a friendly spar to build rapport
> Stay on the ground and focus on learning from his technique

Learn fight good. So this is some kind of indian hero?

>>6184434
>>6184437
>>6184580
A friendly spar to learn mace-technique, coming up

I'll update Rider of Red's stats when the next update is ready too since you'll have learned a bit about how he fights.

“No mace strikes below the waist, I’ll agree to that.” You answer as you lightly land onto the ground, folding your wings into a resting position behind your back. Your opponent appears confident in his skill, so you decide to meet him on his own terms to build rapport and learn what you can from him.

“Excellent. Let us begin!” Rider of Red exclaims, charging forward and thrusting the point of his mace at you. You reflexively deflect it, but he’s able to immediately regain his guard. In the next few exchanges you find that he’s taking things easy as he warms up, since the power and speed of his strikes are around the same as yours. You’re able to make a couple of observations: one is that despite keeping up with his speed and strength, he’s still consistently able to get the better of you in a way that you can’t entirely chalk up to technical precision, and the other is that you sense in him the presence of both an evil alignment and what you intuitively recognize as a demonic trait; while in your angelic transformation, these two traits spur you on to fight harder than your normal capability.

Letting you catch your breath, Rider observes, “Your reflexes are adequate, but you know little of battle.”

“Explain.” You reply simply between breaths. You’re somewhat irritated at his assessment because you’ve been in battle already, and it reminds you of how Messerschmidt mocked Sophia’s lack of battle-experience.

“Your approach is reactive, at best it’s haphazard improvisation. There’s no strategy guiding it, so you’re at least a step behind.” He explains, “As you are now, you have no business wielding the weapon of a king in battle!”

“I think I understand you.” You answer, trying to keep a cool head, “Tell me, what kind of strategy does a king use?”

“I’ll show you without words.” He replies, attacking you with more focused determination. To your (and your Servant’s) relief, he’s holding back on his strikes when they hit you directly. Over a number of exchanges, you begin to understand how he fights. His martial skill is even more refined than Rushorou’s Lancer, but it’s not how he controls his own weapon that gives him the advantage, it’s how he attacks yours to create an opening in your defense. You’re not exactly turning the tables on him, but with this realization you can at least keep up better with the strategy that he uses, and begin to implement something similar yourself.

“You’re starting to get the idea, but you have a long way to go before you can call yourself a king.” Rider remarks as he lowers his mace, satisfied with the outcome of your spar.

“To be honest with you, the thought of calling myself a king hadn’t occurred to me until you mentioned it just now, Rider.” You respond. What would being a king entail, anyhow? It’s not as though you have a kingdom and people to rule. “I’d agree that I’m probably not ready just yet.”

“Understanding your limitations is a promising start.” Abraxas says. Rider’s chariot had landed during your sparring match, though his Master had remained inside until the match was winding down. Abraxas continues, “Baseless arrogance can lead to vain ambition and a disoriented pursuit of power. On the other hand, a total lack of ambition can lead to a neglect of responsibility, so finding a balance is worthwhile.”

“I’ll give your council its due consideration, Abraxas.” You reply, extending your hand, “Pleased to meet you… again.”

Shaking your hand, he chuckles, “Forgive my abundance of caution in our first encounter, this Holy Grail War gives enough incentive for senseless violence that my Servant and I decided to limit contact with potential adversaries until we gained an understanding of their character.”

“I see you’ve all had some fun.” Avenger interjects, addressing Abraxas and his Servant, “Do you have further business with us, or would you like to be on your way?”

You may be able to share information again, the time you met Abraxas was before you met Sophia so quite a few things could have happened since then.

> Offer to share information with them again about some of the enemies that you’ve encountered so far, before parting ways again
> Invite them to join you for a meal, and in the process find out what happened to Koko, Suzaku, and Anne since you last saw them
> Propose that they join forces with you for the time being, and see how events develop
> Something different (write-in)

A new branch of the skill-tree has also been unlocked for Anon

>>6186011
>> Propose that they join forces with you for the time being, and see how events develop
Maybe having played nice so far will pay off, and they can leave whenever

>>6186011
>Propose that they join forces with you for the time being, and see how events develop
>>6184580
Between his mace and his request for no strikes below the belt, I've finally worked out who Rider might be. He's probably Duryodhana, who was killed by a mace strike to the thigh, since he was invincible everywhere else (and honor dictated that you aim above the waist).

>>6186011
>>> Propose that they join forces with you for the time being, and see how events develop
>>6186116
Nice find. Indian legends are definitely not my forte

>>6186012
>>6186291
>>6186116
A well thought out observation bW8j. Not 100% confirming but....

“Why don’t you join forces with us for the time being?” You propose, “We could trade information as before, secure this region of the city together, and discuss a long-term strategy to reach the end of the war.” For the moment you leave out your plan to wrest control of the war from the overseer, but hopefully Abraxas will agreed to help when you find an opportunity to bring it up.

Abraxas silently considers for a few moments before replying, “While I believe we have an impression of your character, I can’t say the same of your Servant. We can’t commit to a union under the current circumstances.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Avenger’s been a reliable partner for me since the war’s started.” You reply, surprised to be turned down. But so far these two hadn’t seen much of her, and she doesn’t have the most amiable demeanor.

“So you say.” Rider of Red huffs as he sits on the hood of a car, crossing a leg over his other knee, “I’d need to see something quite remarkable before I begin to trust a woman’s competence in battle.”

“Oh, that’s how it is?” Avenger responds, “You must be the type of arrogant king that never hears what anyone says when it isn’t ‘Yes, your majesty’, ‘You’re so great, your majesty’, or the like.”

“My arrogance is well-earned, wench.” Rider of Red laughs, “Did you fight on a single battlefield in your life?”

“She’s fought on several in the past few days, and acquitted herself quite well.” You interject, getting a bit annoyed at the Rider now. “Whatever preconceptions you have about-”

“Master, don’t bother.” Avenger says, “This kind of oaf is too proud to change his mind.”

“You’re right about that.” Rider says, “Only a coward changes his mind after he speaks the truth.”

“Does your assessment also apply to Aka no Archer?” Abraxas asks his Servant, “Her archery seemed to match yours in that skirmish last night.” Interesting, it seems they encountered each other at some point while you were busy elsewhere.

“Pah, her kind is the worst of all.” Rider answers dismissively, gesturing at your Servant, “At least the Avenger doesn’t play-act as a warrior, and relies on witchcraft to fight. Women who think they can usurp the role of men are insultingly delusional.”

In an attempt to be conciliatory, Abraxas tells you, “Unfortunately, it appears our Servants don’t have the best compatibility. We could at least keep our non-aggression agreement in place for the time being, right?”

“I’m not the type to impulsively attack because of hard feelings.” You reply. However, it could be tricky to maneuver them into being helpful for you as things stand. Maybe you could find a compromise that doesn’t directly involve joint-operations? Or maybe it’d be for the best to focus your efforts elsewhere.

> Retain the non-aggression arrangement, and bid them farewell before checking on what happened to Anne, Koko, and Suzaku
> Retain the non-aggression arrangement, and suggest that if they’d like to move against an enemy force, you could be on standby to stop outside interference if they notified you in advance
> Something else (write-in)

It's a moot point now, but inviting them to a meal could have led to an uncomfortable situation due to Rider of Red's personality and social values

>>6187629
>> Retain the non-aggression arrangement, and bid them farewell before checking on what happened to Anne, Koko, and Suzaku
I dunno, we got stuff to do i think

>>6187629
>Retain the non-aggression arrangement, and bid them farewell before checking on what happened to Anne, Koko, and Suzaku

“We’ll keep our non-aggression arrangement in place.” You say, “Perhaps in time we’ll have a closer working relationship, but it may be best to part ways for now.”

“That’s fair, I believe we still have the means to contact each other if you feel the need.” Abraxas answered as he pulled a crystal out of his robe, reminding you of the pair that you had in your pocket which conveniently hadn’t been crushed or shattered despite the battles you’d been in lately. You suppose Avenger fabricated them to last.

As Rider of Red stands up to return to his chariot with his Master, you decide to tell him, “I’ll give you a better fight next time.” You maintain an even tone in spite of a lingering irritation at his rudeness toward your Servant.

“See that you do, I’m interesting in seeing if you have the makings of a king. I’ve heard such men are few and far between in this age.” Rider of Red replies.

“We don’t have a static base or workshop, but we’ll be heading north once we finish our reconnaissance route.” Abraxas tells you as he mounts his Servant’s chariot.

“We fortified a temple not far from here and didn’t find anyone immediately nearby until the two of you passed through, so you may be able to cut part of your route out.” You inform him before exchanging farewells. You deactivate the angel transformation and then teleport back to the temple with your Servant to find the whereabouts of Truvietianne, Koko, and Suzaku. As the sun begins to set, you find that your friends have been firing up a food stall close to the temple grounds with several rice balls, soups, and seafood dishes prepared; currently they were sitting together at table next to the stall.

“Hi you two!” Koko greets you and sets her bowl down, “We didn’t know when you’d be coming by, so we went ahead and got started. The extra is still warm though.”

“Thank you Koko, now that I think about it I haven’t eaten anything in a while.” You reply, paying heed to your aching stomach.

“So, what were you up to again?” Suzaku asked.

“We investigated a Servant who entered the general vicinity. Along the way my Master got a peculiar idea in his head and had a mace duel with that Servant.” Avenger reports, shocking the others.

“I’m going to add important context before you all start getting the wrong impression of how things happened.” You quickly interject, and give them a summary of what transpired with Abraxas and Rider of Red.

“I’m glad your reading of the Rider’s personality was close enough to the mark that things didn’t turn deadly.” Truvietianne sighs after you finish your report.

“He was so rude to Avenger-san!” Koko huffs, “You should have hit him in the face in round 2!”

“I think flying off the handle from a couple of rude comments would make him feel even more vindicated Koko.” Suzaku responds, “I mean, it’s not THAT big of a surprise that someone from ancient history is an anti-feminist.”

“Yeah, but it’d feel good to watch a guy like that get some bruises for being a jerk!” Koko pouts as she turns to give Suzaku a cold shoulder.

“I appreciate you getting angry on my behalf, but I’m accustomed to dealing with men like him.” Avenger replies, tapping her chin as she reminisced, “Usually it involved turning them into beasts so I didn’t have to hear more snide remarks.”

You then get some of the food that Koko and Suzaku prepared to begin enjoying your first meal in a long while. As you get ready to pick a seat, Koko and Suzaku stand up since they’d finished around the time you arrived. Koko then flashes a mischievous look for a fraction of a second, pats a seat opposite Truvietianne, and says, “Edelfelt-san was polite enough to wait for you before getting started, you should thank her.”

Startled for a reason unknown to you, Truvietianne clumsily replies, “What? N-no, I just didn’t feel the need to get started immediately. You don’t need to... overthink things Koko.”

“As I suspected....” Koko murmurs slyly, before saying to your Servant, “Avenger-san, we heard that you set up a hot-spring in the temple earlier, could you show us? I’m sure it’s a work of art as well as your skill in magic!”

“I shouldn’t leave my Master’s side…” Avenger hesitantly replied, quickly equivocating, “But since my proximity-detection field extends up here, if he wasn’t opposed to the idea I’d consider the risk of splitting up acceptably low.”

It seems Koko is scheming to have you and Truvietianne dine together, just the two of you. You find the prospect of doing so oddly pleasant…

There it is again, an emotion that you don’t understand the logical basis for. Should this be concerning?

> Play along with Koko’s scheme and enjoy your supper with Truvietianne; Avenger would be a quick telepathic message and teleport away if necessary.
> Tell Koko that she’ll need to wait a little while before trying out the hot spring, you’d like Avenger to remain with you for the time being.
> Something different (write-in)

>>6189910
>> Play along with Koko’s scheme and enjoy your supper with Truvietianne; Avenger would be a quick telepathic message and teleport away if necessary.
Cute. Not funny though.

>>6189910
>> Play along with Koko’s scheme and enjoy your supper with Truvietianne; Avenger would be a quick telepathic message and teleport away if necessary

>>6189910
>Play along with Koko’s scheme and enjoy your supper with Truvietianne; Avenger would be a quick telepathic message and teleport away if necessary.

File: Spoiler Image (902 KB, 678x738)

902 KB PNG

>>6189916
>>6190014
>>6190042
Sounds good, hopefully the cuteposting quality can be maintained

On a different note...

Whisperers from the Darkness

“Quite the ominous setup you have here.” Rusalka Ilyuzii cheerfully remarked as she walked into James Mathers’ magecraft workshop at a subway station in Shinjuku, “The mere sight of it could scare a girl half to death!”

“You can’t be speaking from experience.” The owner of the workshop chuckled, looking up from the magic circle that covered most of the floor of the station and periodically pulsed a purplish miasma.

“Oh no, I was referring to an acquaintance; far more innocent than myself.” The Dead Apostle girl replied before asking, “So, what did you want to discuss?”

“A strategy to thin out the competition, of course.” The cloaked magus answered, “I’d like to first annihilate the faction with the Rider and Archer in the south-west part of the city.”

“Diomedes said they’d be difficult to deal with. What’s your idea?” Rusalka responded, becoming serious and businesslike in a flash.

“First ensure the neutrality of other nearby Masters.” He said, stepping over to a table and retrieving several scrolls and cubes of crystallized mana, “In exchange for signing a temporary non-aggression pact to not interfere in our attack in a binding geas, we can give them some expendable resources. Or just strong-arm them into signing, I don’t care. I’ve made sure the terms of the geas are airtight for us and fair to those signing it. Use your girl with the Mystic Eyes to find nearby Servants.”

“Assuming that goes well, how do you account for the Servants and the army they have supporting them? Our last engagement led the Rider and Archer to ally with a Saber and Caster.” Rusalka said.

“My Berserker’s strong enough to match one of the Rider and Archer, your Berserker should be strong enough to match the other.” He replied.

“I’m pleased that you accurately estimate my capability.” The diminutive girl-Berserker called Adelheid said as she materialized at Rusalka’s side and performed a simple curtsy. Matching her appearance, Aka no Berserker materialized alongside Mathers, wordlessly towering over seven feet tall.

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

“Now, leave the Caster to me since I have special plans for him. To manage the Saber, enemy Masters, and the Rider’s army, I’ve arranged for reinforcements to fill out our forces.” Mathers added with a snap of his fingers. Suddenly, a pair of strange creatures emerged from the miasma of his magic circle. Vaguely crustacean in overall appearance, they differed in that they also sported a pair of wings on their backs, and what common sense would have led one to see as their heads bore only a mass of feelers which emitted fluorescent light of shifting color.

Both Rusalka and Adelheid impulsively stepped back in shock at the unsettling sight of the creatures, and Rusalka asked, “What in the hell are those things?”

“Perhaps there’s a shred of innocence left in you after all.” Mathers laughed, “These guests from Yuggoth will be assisting me with my magecraft, as it requires surgical expertise beyond the limits of modern science.”

“Yuggoth?” Rusalka asked, unfamiliar with the name, “They’re not something that should naturally exist, that’s plain to see. So how are they here?”

“It took me a while to figure it out, but the rules of this ‘Akeldama’ world aren’t as strict as the real world. It’s isolated from the Counter Force. Because of this, I’ve lucked into having restrictions on using my Lemegeton magecraft lifted.” Mathers explained, opening his robe and allowing a small, black-covered grimoire to float out and open itself. Drawing magical energy out of the leyline, the book began spewing more of the miasma out of its pages, and three more creatures solidified from that hideous mist: one similar in appearance to a large starfish or cephalopod having sharp, bony growths on its appendages, another in the shape of a floating eyeball with a few short, stringy tentacles dragging behind on an eyelid-like membrane, and the third being a creature of humanoid shape about as tall as Mathers’ Berserker, with grey skin, curved horns on its head, clawed hands, bat-like wings sprouting from its back, and hooves in place of feet.

“Miss Berserker, could you write a speech to rally an army from the Abyss?” Mathers then asked, amused at the two girls’ looks of bewilderment.

“It would take time... but I can get it done.” Kuro no Berserker replied, initially hesitant but coming to terms with the idea, “If these abominations serve us, I’ll have them fight with a ferocity to cause even the heavens to tremble in fear!”

>>6191300
>to cause even the heavens to tremble in fear!”
We'll be the judge of that. And I feel like I should know which servants they are talking about but I'm not at the top of my game

“I’m not opposed, enjoy yourselves.” You say, giving your Servant leave to show off her hot spring and milk Koko for more flattering compliments, “We’ll find a way to pass the time out here.”

“Wonderful, I’ll let you know if anything triggers the Bounded Field.” Avenger replied before leading Koko to the hot spring back in the temple, Suzaku tagging along as well, at least since he’d finished eating.

“So, you have my thanks for your polite gesture.” You remark jokingly as you take the seat that Koko patted earlier, and begin talking as the two of you eat, “Your patience should be rewarded, anything come to mind?”

“Mmrm….” Truvietianne grumbled, seeing that you were amused at her expense, “I’ll put it on your tab while I think of something. On another note, you haven’t, uh, had a shirt for a while now. I’m not complaining or anything, it’s just a little… distracting.”

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t.” You say, “It didn’t occur to me that it’d be distracting, you going to be alright?”

“Of course I can manage.” She quickly replies, “If the weather here wasn’t so uncannily mild I’d have been concerned that you’d catch a chill or something….”

Not sure where that non-sequitur about the weather came from, you respond, “Well, it’s nice to know that I wasn’t the only one being distracted. You’ve been a growing presence in my mind lately as well; not exactly sure why.”

“I-is that so?” Anne says as her face visibly reddens, “If it’s alright with you, would you be able to... put to words the kind of presence I’ve been?”

“I could try….” You say. Thinking on it for a short while, you eventually answer, “I suppose it’s a sensation like desire, quietly present under the surface of my conscious mind, lacking a purely rational basis that I can discern. It doesn’t ache the way hunger does, but occasionally moves itself to the front of my mind without a clear pattern. A desire to see, to hear, to….” You stop yourself before you say ‘touch’ or something else, now experiencing a new, self-conscious discomfort. Could it be embarrassment? Is your own face reddening right now?

“I think I understand.” She responds quietly, averting her eyes from yours, “I could say that the feeling you tried to put to words… is mutual.”

“You like to see and hear yourself?” You tease, trying to ease the tension that you’re feeling. Her disappointed glare prompts you to clarify, “I’m kidding, I get what you meant.”

The two of you continue your meal quietly for a little while before you ask, “Have you eaten this before?”

“Not when it was prepared in this way.” Truvietianne replies, “It’s fairly good, if I were to go traveling I might want to stop by the real Tokyo. Come to think of it, when the Holy Grail War’s over I wonder if I’ll be sent back to my family’s manor where I was taken or if we’ll all end up at a location in Tokyo that matches where we are here when the war ends.”

“Do you have a preference? I plan on winning the war, so I should be able to accommodate you.” You say.

“I’m not sure. Maybe an unscheduled trip would do me some good. In for a penny in for a pound, considering what’s already happened.” She answers, “Though I could do with a little less excitement after we’re done here. When you were talking about what Rider of Red said about not trusting women in battle it got me thinking. I won’t say he’s categorically correct, just that it made me think about myself. I did the best I could in the circumstances I found myself in, but as a Master I didn’t amount to all that much. I don’t think I’m suited for war.”

“There wasn’t much you could do about Sun Wukong picking a fight with your Servant.” You reply, trying to set her mind at ease, “If Wukong had it out for anyone in particular, they’d be hard pressed to come out of it in one piece. We barely managed to take him out even after ganging up on him with, I dunno, four or five Servants if we could Ryuuta’s Caster and the Archer whose Noble Phantasm finished off his main body.”

“There’s that, but mitigating circumstances aside I’m just getting... worn down.” Anne replies, “Ever-present uncertainty and danger, hostile Servants who could be anywhere and deal death with ease, psychotic Dead Apostles on the hunt, one of which has motive to do unspeakable things to me… and I would have died within minutes of meeting you if hadn’t stepped in to save me from that Assassin’s exploding knives. I joked about putting what you owe me on a tab but I’m the one who really owes you.”

“Don’t think too hard about transactions, it was just another joke.” You say, and continue,

> “This isn’t about war-strategy or investment, I’m here for you and will remain here for you. That’s just as much who I am as the name that I seek to reclaim.”
> “And I really do owe you something as well: the kindness you showed in rescuing Koko led me to follow your example, and in doing so I began to understand the value of life.”
> “But if it’ll make you feel better by paying me back, set you meal aside so I can taste your lovely, soft lips again.”
> Write in

>>6192640
>> “And I really do owe you something as well: the kindness you showed in rescuing Koko led me to follow your example, and in doing so I began to understand the value of life.”
How poignant

>>6192640
>“And I really do owe you something as well: the kindness you showed in rescuing Koko led me to follow your example, and in doing so I began to understand the value of life.”

“And I really do owe you something as well: the kindness you showed in rescuing Koko led me to follow your example, and in doing so I began to understand the value of life.” You tell her.

“Do you really mean that?” She asks timidly, “I remember that you didn’t need to follow my example to save me at the beginning from that Assassin’s attack.”

“That was different.” You reply. Thinking back on your past actions, you explain, “It’s true that I helped you as well as Rushorou and Ryuuta, but I was just as ready to attack strangers without warning for no reason other than they were also Masters. There wasn’t a set principle behind my actions, it was a mix of altruistic impulse and expectation that the people I saved may be useful later. Things are… different now. On paper, someone like Koko isn’t particularly ‘useful’ in the present circumstances. She does her best to be supportive but she doesn’t have a Servant, use magic, or fight directly. But in spite of that I’d go out of my way to help her if need be, because I’ve stopped seeing things just as cost/benefit calculations in the context of war. I have you to thank for setting that into motion: your actions created an echo that resonated in me.”

“I had no idea...” Anne replies, “But it’s comforting that I’ve made a difference, even if it wasn’t what I expected. I’ve been... feeling the echoes of your actions as well. I do hope you can find your name soon. I’d like to be able to address you to... connect to your true self, in a way I haven’t been able to.”

“You’re not the only one.” You sigh, “Finding out that I have a connection to angelic beings was a step in the right direction, if only there was a way to get further.”

“I know.” Truvietianne affirmed. After thinking about if for a while, she eventually suggests, “Perhaps we should try to find Sun Wukong’s former Master. He was a priest and most likely an Eastern-sect Executor, he may have a way of learning more. His background would be closer than mine or Avenger’s at least.”

“Maybe you’re right.” You reply, “It could difficult to get him to cooperate since our last encounter ended as violently as it did, but it could be worth a try.” You chuckle, “Maybe if we bring Koko as our diplomat, she could smooth things over and get us all to bury the hatchet until the Dead Apostles are neutralized.”

Smiling, Anne softly laughs, “That, I’d like to see.”

“I concur.” A third voice at the end of your table chirps.

As you and your friend jolt in surprise, Avenger sends a telepathic message to you, “Master, a small presence is headed your way. Its Magical Energy level is minimal, but let me know if you need backup.”

Recognizing the new arrival as the same bird that Ryuuta’s Caster used as a familiar before, you telepathically reply to your Servant, “Your warning was a hair late, but it’s not a threat. At ease for now.”

“Are you someone’s familiar?” Truvietianne asks the bird.

“Ryuuta’s Caster’s.” You answer in its place, “You weren’t around at the time, but he warned us about the lightning-storm that covered our retreat after Sun Wukong was defeated.”

“Yes, and I decided to take the liberty of informing you of our party’s circumstances, to the extent that time allows.” The bird explains, “We are occupied trying to come to establish friendly relations with two new Masters, a pair of young ladies, each of whom commands a fairly powerful Saber-class Servant. I’d ask that you not suddenly appear at our side, as that would be mistaken as an attempted ambush and break down negotiations. Should we manage to come to an understanding with them our combat effectiveness would increase drastically, likely to a point where we could confidently mobilize against the Dead Apostles and their Servants.”

“Do your best! I anticipate a favorable update later.” Truvietianne cheers, visibly relieved at the news.

“It does sound promising, at least from what you’ve told us.” You respond. Hopefully those girls will see things your way; Rushorou at least was an effective fast-talker from what you saw of him, and maybe Ryuuta’s straightforward and earnest nature would set the new Masters at ease.

“I’ll be on my way then.” The bird chirps, “We’re under quite a bit of scrutiny so a brief, furtive correspondence is preferable. Farewell.” It then hops into the air and flies away.

What will you do next:
> Find Avenger and discuss a course of action since your previous alliance has been put on hold
> Find Koko and see if she’d like to be your diplomat if you find Fyodor and Kiara again
> Walk with Truvietianne, find a bottle of wine to share, then talk about whatever comes to mind
> Something else (write-in)

>>6195504
>> Find Koko and see if she’d like to be your diplomat if you find Fyodor and Kiara again

>>6195504
>Find Koko and see if she’d like to be your diplomat if you find Fyodor and Kiara again

“It’s a relief to know the boys are alive and well.” Truvietianne remarks as Caster’s bird flutters away.

“Yeah, sounds like we should leave them to their own devices for a while.” You reply, “Well, in the meantime why don’t we ask Koko if she wants to be our diplomat? She’s something of a neutral third party after all.”

Anne agrees, and the two of you go back to the temple after quickly finishing your meal. You find Koko relaxing in Avenger’s hot spring. She’s a little startled, leading you to avert your eyes during your conversation, but you bring her up to speed on what Caster’s bird told you and ask if she’d be interested in helping.

“Wow, would I?! This is wonderful!” Koko joyfully answered, “I should stop slacking off now. We’ll need to remember as much as we can about Kiara-chan and Fyodor-san before we meet them again, and try to plan a way to approach them. Umm, could you two give me a few minutes to dry off and get dressed?”

After you and Anne step away to give Koko some privacy, Avenger contacts you through telepathy again, “Master, I’ve made some adjusts to the proximity-detection field after that minor delay earlier. Also: the Assassin that we encountered on the first day briefly entered a northeastern section of our perimeter before turning around and leaving. Seems he detected the field. Would you like to pursue?”

It’s a tempting proposition. You know Koko wants to avoid starting unnecessary conflict, but in your experience this Assassin’s rules of engagement are to ambush without warning to kill the Master. Not the kind of player you’d want free to roam if you can avoid it.

Before you reply, your head jolts involuntarily as you get an aching sense of foreboding. Something is off… though you don’t know what it is. A knot forms in your stomach, your head aches, and your eyes are drawn to the southeast before the odd sensation dissipates.

“Master, respond.” Avenger reminds you telepathically.

You will:
> Devote your efforts toward finding Fyodor and Kiara, both to broker a truce and to see if Fyodor would be able to tell you something about angelic beings
> Investigate where the Assassin entered your territory, dealing with him would get rid of an unpredictable variable
> Investigate the southeast, that weird feeling you got shouldn’t be ignored
> Something else (write in)

>>6198450
>> Investigate the southeast, that weird feeling you got shouldn’t be ignored
what the fuck

>>6198450
>Investigate the southeast, that weird feeling you got shouldn’t be ignored

>>6198450
>Investigate the southeast, that weird feeling you got shouldn’t be ignored

Always trust your gut

File: Daemon_mob.png (262 KB, 827x696)

262 KB PNG

“Pardon my delay.” You tell Avenger telepathically, “We won’t pursue the Assassin right now, there’s something else we should investigate to the southeast. Come back to me.”

She soon materializes in front of you, asking, “What did you want investigate again, Master?”

“I don’t know details, but there’s definitely something bad happening to the southeast.” You answer, “This may sound bizarre, it was a really visceral gut-feeling of foreboding.”

“Strange.” Avenger remarked, “I take it a remote-viewing would be an acceptable first step? I’ll see what I can see from relative safety back here.”

You nod to affirm her suggestion, and she sits down, her eyes glazing over as her conscious mind moves elsewhere. You keep watch for the next few minutes until your Servant comes to.

“Something unusual certainly is happening over there.” She reports, “Our ‘dear acquaintances’ Diomedes and the Berserker girl were accompanied by several unsightly monsters. I had to pull back before Athena caught on to what I was doing so I didn’t have time to carefully study how they were summoning them, but my suspicion is that they’re seizing the Spirit Fonts in their immediate vicinity to gather magical energy to summon and sustain more of the creatures.”

“Could you show me what those creatures look like?” You ask, and she obliges, sharing a mental image of what she saw with you.

Upon seeing the creatures, you’re hit by a wave of revulsion. Unnatural things with forms of twisted mockery of living creatures. Some reminiscent of aquatic invertebrates, but covered in bony growths, others oversized, disembodied eyeballs hovering above the ground, and the most revolting to you, horned humanoids with clawed hands, hooves, a pair of wings on their backs, and thin spindly tails. The question most often at the front of your mind was when you’d recover your name, but that is shunted away as a consuming wrath builds inside you. Your breathing quickens, you feel rising heat in your chest, and a directed focus narrows your perspective. You lack your name, but the fibers of your being are telling you that your purpose is to annihilate these abominations that affront reality itself.

Roll a d100 to maintain rational thoughts.

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>6200040
Oh, because of the angel thing.

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>6200040
Awesome

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>6200040
Ahhhh im going insaaaaaane

>>6200829
Hmm well if this counts I guess Angel Mode is activating full power. Hopefully it taps into something strong enough to win.

>>6200829
Huh. I had been planning on writing an 80% successful reaction, but this may come into play as well. To make things more interesting.

You’ve never experienced an emotion this overpoweringly intense before. White-hot, unadulterated wrath is the simplest descriptor. Gripping your mace in its shoulder-sheath, you begin involuntarily channeling your Magical Energy to undergo the angelic transformation, which -

BONK

Snapping your perception back to your immediate environment, you raise your hand to gently rub a sharp pain on your head. Blinking a few times, you refocus your vision on your Servant, who is scrutinizing you with a sour look while tapping her staff in her hand.

“Are you back to normal?” She asks, “I was half-concerned you were about to turn into a berserker.”

“This emotion is…” You being to reply, but your voice trails off as you try to calm yourself down. It wasn’t just a pattern of thoughts, your physiology was put into a hyperactive state as well. You do your best to stop recollecting the image of the creature that enraged you. “Under control now, I think. By the way, you said earlier that you suspected that the enemy was using the Spirit Fonts to summon and supply those monsters with Magical Energy? Would you be able to verify your guess using the Spirit Font here?”

“I could. I take it you’d like to do that?” She replies, and you nod to confirm. The two of you go back toward the exact location of the temple’s Spirit Font, and Avenger explains, “My guess was correct, and I’ve identified the Spirit Fonts that they’re using. They have a cluster in the south-central part of the city as well as what looks like a pair lanes advancing toward the west of their position.”

“Presumably, they’re seizing control of the leylines as they advance their forces in two battlegroups.” You deduce, “Do you think they’re leaving a garrison of the monsters that they summon at each of the Spirit Fonts that they seize control of, then taking the surplus with them in their army’s advance?”

“Let me see…” She replies, using several spells and eventually continuing, “That seems to be the case.”

“Good. We’re going in.” You say.

“Wait, just like that?” She asks.

“Yes. Is there a problem?” You respond.

“Not exactly.” She says, “I’m just a little surprised to see you flipping on a dime to pursue violence as the first solution. Not complaining, mind you, I find it a welcome change.”

“Then pick one of the Spirit Fonts toward their rear and teleport us to it. We’ll clear out their garrison, seize control of the Font, and see how they respond. If the counterattack is too much to handle we can teleport out quickly enough.” You order.

“Sound enough as a plan.” Avenger replies, “Though I’d like it if you could avoid flying off the handle the instant you see the enemy, I want to try using my Noble Phantasm on one of them to see if we can turn some of their monsters into OUR monsters.”

You recollect the form of the creatures you saw again. It’s still revolting, but knowing what kind of emotion to expect allows you to suppress it and keep a clear head. “I’ll keep that in mind. Let’s go.”

Moments later you appear inside a large shopping mall, lock eyes on one of the winged, bipedal creatures, and say aloud the word, “Demon.”

In an instant, you realize that you misjudged the intensity of your innate hatred for these beings. Seeing them in person, hearing their breath, feeling an unholy miasma with your skin, it’s a completely different level of all-consuming rage. You begin to see red as you rush forward, activating the angelic transformation.

…

The next thing you know, you’re cut and burned in several places, spattered in demonic ichor and gore, standing in a herbal-scented mist, and surrounded by a pile of mangled demon-corpses.

“Have you finally come to your senses, Master?!” Avenger shouts at your telepathically, “If I didn’t revert to Spirit-Form I wouldn’t be surprised if you attacked ME in that blood-frenzy you were just in!”

“This shouldn’t be happening.” You reply, growing concerned, “I don’t understand why I haven’t been able to control myself.” As you become more cognizant of your physical state, you notice that rather than two etheric wings from the transformation, you actually have four.

Rematerializing, your Servant sighs and hands you a potion-vial, saying, “Look, whatever it is that’s been making you lose your conscious will, we need to dial it back. Drink this, it should suppress your transformation and slow down your Magical Energy circulation. Not an ideal situation, but it’s too risky for you to be in this state.”

If you understand correctly, it will weaken you but help you keep your sanity. Will you drink the potion?
> Yes
> No

>>6203367
>Yes
i'd like to play the quest

>>6203367
>Yes
I see, so more wings = maybe more power but also more angelic instinct bleedthrough. Alternatively, being in tune with the angel mindset unlocks wings (and probably power).

>>6203367
> No
Use the power of GOD.
Let's see. Fight the powers of darkness or protect people are probably his best bet to unlock more wings. Unless he can praise Jesus really hard. Maybe get some powerful artifacts. Or if she can make a potion to suppress this, could she make one enhance it. Maybe getting married to his love interest lol.

You take the potion from Avenger’s hand and stare at it for a few moments. You hesitate; your impulse to destroy these demons is part of who you are, ingrained into your very being. As inconvenient as that impulsive rage is, you find it a bit distasteful to rely on a mind-affecting drug to control yourself. However, you decide that the present situation calls for it, and drink the potion. In time, you’d like to find a way to maintain control without external assistance.

As your Magical Energy circulation slows down, the flow into your back that forms your wings is pinched off, and the wings dissipate into the air. You then ask your Servant, “For now this is just a hypothetical, but would you be able to make a potion that would enhance my transformation as well? I’m curious to see how this new ability can develop further.”

“It’d be guesswork, if I’m being honest.” She answers, “I could give you something that improved the circulation of your Magical Energy rather than suppressed it, but how far that would develop your transformation is up in the air. Incidentally, that mist we’re standing in was a first step in dialing down your Magical Energy circulation that seems to have helped calm you down. I wouldn’t mind experimenting with improving your ability, but it’d need to be in a safe and controlled environment.”

“I agree. By the way, what was I like when I was going berserk just now?” You respond.

“Compared to how I’ve seen you fight before, much stronger and faster. And you weren’t flailing around mindlessly either, I could see that your attacks had a strategy and technical precision to them exceeding what you’ve used before.” She reports. “You also used your wings as makeshift parrying weapons to protect your back and sides.”

Now you’re even more eager to develop your skills, since your latent instincts are as geared toward combat as they are. “Alright, what are our options from here? I don’t sense any of Rusalka’s Servants coming after us yet. Perhaps we could seize control of the Spirit Font here, or move on to another Spirit Font before they can even react.”

“We could also investigate the area before seizing control of the Spirit Font.” Avenger suggested, “If we don’t affect their mana-harvesting we may be able to maintain stealth here longer, and learn about the magecraft they’re using.”

What will you do next:

> Seize control of this Spirit Font and prepare for the enemy's response; Avenger’s teleportation gives you plenty of flexibility in responding, and also see if Avenger can get an updated look at the enemy’s movements
> Investigate the spells that the enemy set up here, maybe you can remain undetected longer and learn more about them, and also see if Avenger can get an updated look at the enemy’s movements
> Have this be a hit-and-run: move on to another one of their Spirit Fonts and destroy the garrison there as well
> Something else (write in)

>>6205128
>> Investigate the spells that the enemy set up here, maybe you can remain undetected longer and learn more about them, and also see if Avenger can get an updated look at the enemy’s movements

>>6205128
>Investigate the spells that the enemy set up here, maybe you can remain undetected longer and learn more about them, and also see if Avenger can get an updated look at the enemy’s movements
I'm hoping our council of Avenger mages can somehow interfere with team Rusalka's magecraft through the Spirit Font.

>>6205128
>>> Investigate the spells that the enemy set up here, maybe you can remain undetected longer and learn more about them, and also see if Avenger can get an updated look at the enemy’s movements

“In that case, see what you can discover about how their spells work.” You say, “If possible, see if you can figure out how to interfere with their magecraft.”

“This could take a few minutes; I’ll see what I can find.” Avenger replies.

“I’ll see if they left anything relevant behind in the meantime then.” You say, and begin investigating the shopping mall. It strikes you as a bit odd that a Spirit Font ended up having a shopping mall built on it, but you suppose it was the luck of the draw. Unfortunately, this site doesn’t have any physical evidence lying about like notes, all you see out of the ordinary is the large magic circle that was emanating the purplish miasma which your Servant’s own mist has been suppressing since you regained consciousness from your frenzy earlier. Lack of useful intel aside, seeing all of the shops abandoned gives you an unexpected feeling of relief. They’re just copies, and the demonic taint will not touch the real world or the innocents who reside there. You’ll see to that, sooner or later.

“Care to hear my analysis, Master?” Avenger later asks, and you move over to listen. She continues, “I’ve located the enemy’s main workshop by tracing the spell through the leylines: if we were to seize control of the Spirit Font there we’d cut their energy for these summoning rituals off at the source. I’ve also found that the miasma that I’ve been smothering is used to form the monsters that they summon, and new ones are generated when the Spirit Font’s available power output is high enough to sustain one. Essentially, the limiting factor for their reinforcements is the power output of the Spirit Fonts they control.”

“Meaning that if you let the miasma ‘do its thing’, it would spawn move of those creatures automatically here.” You deduce.

“Yes.” She confirms, “Speaking of, the structure of their spell let on what they’re calling the creatures: the horned ones that drove you into a frenzy are called Demons or Daemons, the floaty eyeballs called Gazers, and the wriggling tentacled things called Sea Fiends. There was also mention of the ‘Formless’ and the ‘Mi-Go’ if I understand correctly, but we evidently haven’t encountered either of those yet.”

“Do you know anything about either of the last two?” You ask.

“Never heard of a Mi-Go before.” Your Servant answers, “The Formless is vague enough to refer to any number of things, but my conjecture is that they would be larval Daemons that haven’t adopted set physical forms.”

“Alright, good work.” You reply. “Could you try to locate their forces again? That could help us plan our next move.”

“On it.” She replies. Disabling this Spirit Font probably won’t put much of a dent in Rusalka’s forces, and it would ping your location. However, you could teleport away right after doing so, leaving them at square one to try to track you down. It may be in your interest to try to hit their main base instead, revealing your attack only when you strike where it hurts them the most. Chances are that would be the most fortified area, but you can wait for your Servant’s update.

“They’re fighting Aka no Rider, his army, and several allied Servants, including the amazon Aka no Archer.” Avenger eventually reports, “The little Berserker girl from the other day and a much larger Berserker are the vanguard of the Dead Apostle’s attack, they have a fairly large force of demons backing them up, and I think I saw Sophia, the Dead Apostle, and a human magus joining the attack as well. If you ask me, we should let them tear each other to bits and finish off the weakened victor.”

“Perhaps. What about Diomedes?” You ask, concerned about his conspicuous absence from the report.

“He was on standby further back. Presumably to join the battle if a decisive opportunity presents itself, or to fall back and defend their workshop if needed.” She continues.

“He’s not the kind of enemy we’d want to fight by winging it without a plan.” You think aloud, “We’d want some kind of distraction to pull him further away if we were to attack their workshop…”

“Perhaps so.” Avenger agrees, “Now, I don’t think we need to rush things ourselves here. Remember how I said I wanted to try to make their monsters our monsters? Their summoning spell should have another demon queued up at this Spirit Font by now, if I were to stop preventing the miasma from forming it. Since you should be able to control yourself, what do you say we give it a try?”

> Give Avenger the green-light to release the miasma and use her Noble Phantasm to control the newly-summoned demon
> Have her teleport you closer to the enemy’s workshop, and see if you can learn move of its defenses close by
> Instead have Avenger maintain her suppression of the summoning, and teleport to a different Spirit Font that the enemy controls to defeat the garrison there; if they don’t react, you can keep doing that until you can seize control of a large number in rapid succession to hopefully throw them into disarray
> Something else (write-in)

>>6207012
>> Give Avenger the green-light to release the miasma and use her Noble Phantasm to control the newly-summoned demon

>>6207012
>Give Avenger the green-light to release the miasma and use her Noble Phantasm to control the newly-summoned demon

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>6207112
>>6207580
Sounds good, rolling the gacha

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>6207945
I wonder if I would have rolled better, unless low is good here

>>6207957
It would've been the same 1-40 guy

Now that I think about it, if you want to let more demons respawn and seize control of them, there's technically no reason that you'd have to stop at just one.

Each player can roll the gacha once to steal another minion.

>>6207957
You can reroll yours if you want, the new one would take the place of the old one.

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>6208010
awesome, thanks

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>6208010
Sorry for the late roll. CAPTCHA got broken for a while.

File: sea_fiend.png (400 KB, 702x628)

400 KB PNG

“Alright, go ahead.” You concur, “I’ll do what I can to understand and train myself to resist what’s left of those violent impulses, now that your potion suppressed them.”

“Wonderful, I’ll get it ready then.” Avenger replies cheerfully, and dispels the mist that she’d been using to prevent the purplish miasma from forming new demons. Shortly afterward, the miasma congeals in the form of a tentacled monster that you’ll be calling sea fiends going forward.

“Baleful Pharmakeia!” Your Servant says, invoking the True Name of her Noble Phantasm. The newly-arrived sea fiend is immediately perplexed and doesn’t resist her administering various potions and ointments. As she finishes up, she reports, “I’ve assumed control so it’ll consider us friendly and obey my commands. I’ve also kept its connection to the leyline intact so that’ll save us energy and hopefully keep whoever gives these things their orders from noticing anything out of place.”

The sight of the sea fiend is still distasteful to you, but you’re able to keep your cool, in part because of Avenger’s potion, and also because it was specifically the bipedal Daemons that set you off the most. “That went as smoothly as could be expected. Do you want to get a few more?” You ask, relieved that thus far your infiltration hasn’t provoked a serious response.

Shrugging, your Servant replies, “Why not? More test-subjects can prove useful.” Two more sea fiends appear, followed by one of the large floating eyeballs you now know as a gazer, after which the leyline’s energy is temporarily depleted so you won’t get any more unless you wait a little while.

“So, any idea what these things can do?” You ask, “Both to know how to best use them ourselves and fight them when they’re under enemy control.”

“Let’s find out.” Avenger replies, and starts ordering her new minions to do some amusing calisthenics drills before they begin revealing their abilities. The sea fiends mainly use brute force, lashing their spiny tentacles out to attack in melee, but they can also vomit an acidic bile or exhale a toxic mist in a limited capacity. In contrast, the gazer simply floats at a distance; it’s essentially a large, sentient Mystic Eye that can fire either a spell that causes the target to suffer a small spontaneous combustion, or a powerful heat ray that scorches whatever’s in its path.

As you continue your analysis, you hear the Roar of the War God echo through the city again; it seems the battle has escalated between Rusalka’s forces and her opponents. With more intel and your force bolstered, what will you do next:

> Teleport closer to the enemy’s workshop, and see if you can learn move of its defenses up close
> Teleport to a different Spirit Font that the enemy controls to defeat the garrison there; if they don’t react, you can keep doing that until you can seize control of a large number in rapid succession to hopefully throw them into disarray
> Teleport toward the battle itself, see if you can opportunistically attack one of the Servants there
> Disengage and take your new minions back to base; you’re not obligated to fight Rusalka’s forces right now
> Write in

>>6208482
>> Teleport to a different Spirit Font that the enemy controls to defeat the garrison there; if they don’t react, you can keep doing that until you can seize control of a large number in rapid succession to hopefully throw them into disarray

>>6208481
> Teleport to a different Spirit Font that the enemy controls to defeat the garrison there; if they don’t react, you can keep doing that until you can seize control of a large number in rapid succession to hopefully throw them into disarray

“We’ve gotten what we want from this Spirit Font for now, so let’s all go to another one.” You decide, “We’ll defeat the garrison there and see if we get detected. If not, we keep going until we’re in a position to hamstring their flow of reinforcements.”

“In that case, we’ll leave the Spirit Fonts under their control for the time being to minimize evidence of our tampering.” Avenger says, “We can keep stealing their demons with my Noble Phantasm, however. In fact, I’d prefer that to killing them when we arrive; I take it you agree?”

“Sure.” You reply; you can stomach the presence of these creatures for a while now. “We can take our new… recruits with us, where you’ll order them to keep the enemy’s demons busy to buy time for you to use your Noble Phantasm to take control of the rest. I’ll try to do the same, without getting carried away.”

“Yeeeeees, don’t get carried away.” She says playfully, lightly bonking your head with her staff. Now that you’re ready to go, your group of now six gathers into Avenger’s teleportation circle, and you instinctively keep a bit of personal space from the sea fiends and gazer. A moment later, you find yourself in a lightly forested shrine and see several new sea fiends, gazers, and daemons scattered around you, all of which quickly turn to notice you.

You next hear an unsettling, buzzing voice screech, “Hostile infiltration confirmed!” When you spot the source of that call-out, you see a new creature: somewhat larger than the average human, but its anatomy is too different for an immediate comparison to make much sense. It is generally similar to a crustacean arthropod, having a pair of claws extending from a segmented body, but where it has a “head” it sports a cluster of light-emitting feelers in place of normal sensory organs, and a pair of wings that it uses to aid in clumsy flight.

This creature is the first demon that has shown itself capable of intelligible communication; it also present some level of strategic awareness. Taking this one alive could give a lot of helpful intel, but you don’t know how capable it is in combat. Would keeping the kid gloves on give it a chance to escape?

You will:

> Tell Avenger that capturing the new creature is the priority
> Tell Avenger that killing the new creature is the priority
> Let Avenger handle the rest, you’ll personally beeline it to the new creature to keep it from escaping
> Write in

>>6210293
>> Let Avenger handle the rest, you’ll personally beeline it to the new creature to keep it from escaping

>>6210293
>> Let Avenger handle the rest, you’ll personally beeline it to the new creature to keep it from escaping

File: Talking_creature.png (819 KB, 903x775)

819 KB PNG

“The one that just talked is mine, I’ll leave the others to you.” You telepathically tell your Servant as you beeline it toward the feeler-faced creature.

“Intercept as I withdraw!” The creature’s buzzing voice shrieked, and as one of its gazers turns toward you, you dive behind a tree to narrowly dodge its combustion spell. Good thing you took a few minutes to test how their abilities worked. You catch sight of the sapient demon as it tries to fly out of the forest in the direction of the battle; not good. Fortunately, it’s clumsy and has poor maneuverability for weaving through the trees here. You dart from cover and concealment to evade the gazer’s attacks and close in on your target.

You initially try reaching your hand forward to seize hold of it, but instinctively recoil in disgust. Something about this creature is different from the others; they filled you with rage, this one mixes that hostility with an uneasiness toward something foreign. Alien. Dangerous. You decide to simply damage one of its wings with a swing of your mace, but your earlier hesitation bought it time to dart away from you up into the branches of a nearby tree. It can move in a straight line burst fairly quickly, it seems.

“Halt! This physiological configuration is not rated for combat!” It drones at you in its unnatural buzzing voice in its peculiar manner of speaking.

“Are you… appealing to a law of war?” You ask, puzzled at its demand. Is it trying to identify itself as a noncombatant and imply that harming it would be unethical?

“This physiological configuration is not rated for combat.” It repeats in a more even and rhythmic tone, buzzing notwithstanding, and the feelers on its head begin glowing in a disorienting and shifting pattern, “This physiological configuration is not rated for combat. This physiological configuration is not rated for combat.”

Your sense of balance is suddenly disrupted and you stumble forward as the creature swiftly darts over your head onto another tree. Some type of hypnosis ability?! As you turn around to give chase you see a large daemon swinging one of its claws at you. Unable to raise your mace to block in time, you backstep to try to dodge out of its reach. After you glance down you see three claw slashes of varying depth across your chest, and feel the stinging pain just as quickly.

“Hope Avenger can heal what I’m about to do.” You grumble at the frothing beast as you ready your mace. Your reinforcement spell isn’t working as well as it normally does, no doubt a side-effect of Avenger’s potion suppressing your magical energy circulation, but in a few short exchanges you’re able to move on after leaving the daemon with mangled knees and hands.

As you follow where you saw your target running off, looking around desperately for a sign of its movements, you’re pleased to instead see that it had run into Avenger, who had been well on her way to taking control of the other demons at this Spirit Font.

“Baleful Pharmakeia!” She says, and after immersing the creature in a magical pool of her making, it rises up, compliant to your orders.

“Thanks for stepping in Avenger.” You say, “It threw a daemon at me back there, slowed me down.”

Looking at the claw-marks on your chest, she comments, “So I see. I’ll handle that last daemon then, this one’s yours for now.”

Now that this creature is under your control, what will you have it tell you:

> The command structure and strategy of Rusalka’s forces to the best of its ability, and its standing orders before you captured it
> What it is and its origins
> Something else (write in)

>>6211488
>> The command structure and strategy of Rusalka’s forces to the best of its ability, and its standing orders before you captured it

>>6211488
>The command structure and strategy of Rusalka’s forces to the best of its ability, and its standing orders before you captured it

>>6211488
>> The command structure and strategy of Rusalka’s forces to the best of its ability, and its standing orders before you captured it

> Something else (write in)
What does it know about angels? If its such a natural enemy I wonder if it can provide any clues to using our dude's power.

You eye the strange creature for a few moments, considering if you should first ask what it is and where it came from. However, you decide that the more pressing issue is the strategy of the enemy already before you. You begin by ordering, “Explain the command structure of your former forces to the best of your ability.”

The creature promptly answers in its buzzing voice, “The reinforcements summoned from the Abyss report to James Mathers. He can issue orders directly, or use my kind as subordinates to convey commands to the less communicative specimens. James Mathers is an equal partner with the Dead Apostle Rusalka Ilyuzii, but the latter is not in our chain of command. Kuro no Berserker however is authorized to issue tactical commands. Aka no Lancer, Aka no Berserker, irregular Dead Apostle designated Sophia, and noncombatant designated Saito Miko operate outside our chain of command.”

It seems that Mathers fellow is pulling the demons’ strings, and he’s only letting Kuro no Berserker and these sapient creatures assist him. You consider for a few moments why the Berserker, and recall that she had a high-level Charisma skill; perhaps they judged that would be effective for leading them. You move on, “Next explain the strategy directing your coordinated actions.”

It buzzes in response, “Overwhelm the enemy Masters to the west, a force including four Servants: Aka no Rider a king of Aethiopia, Aka no Archer a queen of the Amazons, an as-yet unidentified Saber of Red, and Aka no Caster, recognized by James Mathers as having a connection to one of the Demon Gods of the Ars Goetia; the True Names of all but the Saber are known by the Masters commanding our faction but were not disclosed to me, as my assignment did not require that information.”

“Demon Gods of the Ars Goetia….” You repeat with trepidation. That phrase resonated with you in particular; there’s something about it that you’re familiar with, you’re sure of it. You’ll want to explore that later, but for now you finish your intended line of questioning, “What were your standing orders?”

It answers, “Supervise this and adjacent Spirit Fonts to ensure the flow of reinforcements to the line of battle was uninterrupted. Report an infiltration if one was detected, then direct local forces to suppress the attack if possible, otherwise withdraw and regroup. I was unsuccessful in executing the latter tactics.”

“So I see. You’re taking this fairly well, all things considered.” You respond. Its tone hasn’t exhibited any emotion that you can discern, everything is a matter-of-fact description. “Wait, did you report our infiltration when we arrived?”

“Yes.” It answers. That could be a problem. So far you don’t perceive any enemy Servants closing in on your position, but you’ll need to stay alert. “My species is capable of telepathy, which I used to report the disturbance to command.”

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Sounds like the leeway you have before a serious response is mobilized shortened significantly. But since you seem to still have some time, you ask the creature, “What do you know about angels?”

It considers your question before responding, “They are entities beyond the domain native to my kind. We do not directly interact with them, but some entities that my kind serve consider angels -!”

“Shut up, feeler-face.” A familiar voice says behind you. You glance to your right with a start as Sophia zips by you and kicks the subject of your interrogation away. Why did she sneak up on you and interfere?!

“Sophia! What are you… wearing?” You ask, your intended question being replaced by your surprise at her new outfit, or lack thereof. A leather corset that left her upper chest and lower abdomen exposed, a skirt that barely covers half of her thighs, and knee-high leather boots with her toes exposed. You also spot an unnerving, glowing red sigil around and below her navel.

“Long story short: Rusalka made me wear it. I see you haven’t found a shirt yet. More importantly: catch.” She tersely answers before tossing you a walkie-talkie, “She wanted to talk to you.”

“Hello? Allo? Moshi-moshi? Comms check?” A friendly-sounding voice from the walkie talkie says. It seems the jig is up.

“Hello, I can hear you.” You reply simply. Time to find out what she wants; so far you haven’t detected any of her Servants closing in yet.

“Wonderful. I believe this is the first time we’ve spoken, you must be the Master who’s bad with names. I’m Rusalka Ilyuzii, Master of Aka no Lancer and Kuro no Berserker, and Dead Apostle of the 6th rank.” She introduces herself with inconsistent decorum. “I see you’ve gotten the funny idea to attack our Spirit Fonts in the middle of our operation. It would be in your interest to cease immediately.”

“For the record, I’m not half bad at remembering names. I just had bad luck with my own.” You respond, “Now, is this the part where you try to threaten me into leaving without actually redirecting any resources into forcing me out?”

“Why yes, glad to see you catch on quickly.” She answers, “If you back down now I’ll let you off easy. Cross me, and I’ll make sure you watch everything and everyone you care about be torn apart before you meet a painful and pitiful end.”

How do you respond:

> “Nice ultimatum, how many times did you practice it in advance? If you want me to stop hitting your exposed underbelly you’re going to need to make it worth my while.” See what kind of offer or reaction she gives.
> “Good luck, bitch.” And crush the walkie-talkie. You’ll escalate your attack and fight whatever or whoever she sends at you.
> Distasteful as it is, you’ll fight them another day, perhaps after reuniting with Rushorou and Ryuuta “Very well, you can have your Spirit Font back. I’ll be taking a couple of prisoners of war though.”
> Write in

>>6212445
>> “Nice ultimatum, how many times did you practice it in advance? If you want me to stop hitting your exposed underbelly you’re going to need to make it worth my while.” See what kind of offer or reaction she gives.

>>6212445
>“Nice ultimatum, how many times did you practice it in advance? If you want me to stop hitting your exposed underbelly you’re going to need to make it worth my while.” See what kind of offer or reaction she gives.
Might as well, if only to find out how much she values this operation.

>>6212445
> Write in
Need lore.

Ask why shes making Sophie dress like this. Ask about the Demon Gods of the Ars Goetia. Arrange a face to face meeting later?

At the very least it buys time for Caster to figure out if theres anything else we can do. Then

> Distasteful as it is, you’ll fight them another day, perhaps after reuniting with Rushorou and Ryuuta “Very well, you can have your Spirit Font back. I’ll be taking a couple of prisoners of war though.”

“Nice ultimatum, how many times did you practice it in advance?” You respond sarcastically, brushing off her melodramatic declaration, “If you want me to stop hitting your exposed underbelly you’re going to need to make it worth my while.”

“Hooo~.” Rusalka’s voice cooes through the walkie talkie, “You want to start haggling, do you? Can’t you just be cowed and scamper off with your tail between your legs like a rational person?”

“Afraid not. You could always surrender if dealing with me is too much of a hassle.” You retort.

“Cute. What an impudent hatchling you are.” She teases back, “Well, since you’re for sale where’s your price tag? Would you settle for an arm and a leg?”

“You’re a Dead Apostle, I don’t want something you can regenerate as many times as you need.” You say, ignoring the potentially offensive implications of her insinuation of you being ‘for sale’.

“Fine, but give me a sense of scale.” She responds, mischievously adding, “There’s always THAT, but handing it over for so little is hardly worth it.”

Telegraphed as blatantly as it is, you may as well press, “What might THAT be? If it’s a half-baked punch-line don’t waste my time explaining.”

“A way to decipher your forgotten name.” She answers completely seriously, dropping her earlier teasing tone.

“How do you know about that?” You ask harshly. You doubt it’ll be long before she starts mocking your earnest desire.

“Know how to decipher your name, or know that you may care more about it than the result of the Holy Grail War?” She answers with a question of her own.

“The former, now quit stalling and explain.” You reply. She could just be bluffing, trying to change the dynamic of your discussion to make you be the one appealing to her rather than the other way around.

“It’s my colleague Mathers’ area of expertise. He was even able to narrow things down from giving Sophia a *thorough examination*.” Rusalka explains, adding a relishing inflection to her tone at the end. When you glance up at Sophia, she grimaces and avoids eye contact. Rusalka continues, “But there just wasn’t enough data for a conclusive answer. If we had the source of the angelic presence, now. That would be a different story.”

You don’t immediately respond. She could be making it all up and have no way of revealing your name. She could have a way, but have no intention of using it and simply try to lure you into a trap. But, there’s a chance that you could maneuver them into revealing it for you; they’re in the middle of a battle and you have Rusalka’s attention. Despite her repositioning of the discussion, you’re the one capable of causing trouble for them right now, not the other way around.

“Cat got your tongue?” Rusalka teases, “You could always switch teams and help us. It’d be easy to talk Mathers into helping you out if you did that.”

“I’ve met your Servants and Mathers already, and each time they immediately tried to kill me.” You respond, “I’ll respond in kind unless I have reason to believe the situation’s changed.”

“Oh, but it has. Even if there were hard feelings, they’re flexible enough to let it slide when an opportunity presents itself.” Rusalka retorts. “Our enemy is going to be your enemy eventually, aren’t they? Why not save yourself some trouble and help us wipe them out?”

How do you respond
> “Let’s say I decide to help you. What do you need done?” Start making motions to help Rusalka, see how far you can go with it.
> “Or I could help them wipe you out. See you on the battlefield.” Go full-bore in attacking Rusalka’s operation. Her faction is the high-priority target.
> “Give me few minutes to think it over.” You’ll try to quickly consult with Avenger, Sophia, and/or the feeler-faced creature (you can write in a question or two, but you won’t have infinite time to discuss).
> Write in

>>6213517
>> “Let’s say I decide to help you. What do you need done?” Start making motions to help Rusalka, see how far you can go with it.
Hmmmmmm! Tempting.

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>>6213560
Looks like you'll be playing along for at least a little while. May not be too many more updates before the thread closes.

I also became inspired and slightly horny to draw something to potentially use as a thread cover, but maybe I should check it with /qtg/ to make sure the jannies won't go after me for it.

>>6213517
>> “Give me few minutes to think it over.” You’ll try to quickly consult with Avenger, Sophia, and/or the feeler-faced creature (you can write in a question or two, but you won’t have infinite time to discuss).

“Let’s say I decide to help you. What do you need done?” You reply, deciding to play along to see where that leads. You’re not expecting to suddenly become friends with the Dead Apostle, but you estimate the best way at a chance to get Mathers to reveal your name to you is to feign alliance, at least for now.

“I’m glad to see you’re ready to be reasonable, our enemy uses their mobility to make it difficult to pin them down and bring our force to bear on them. A little extra Servant firepower should be enough to settle things in our favor.” Rusalka’s voice replies through the walkie-talkie. “We’ll talk in person to give more detailed instructions. Stand by for a minute, I’ll send Diomedes to pick you up.”

“Tell him to not make any sudden moves, I haven’t forgotten our last encounter.” You reply, “In fact, we won’t use his chariot. Simply leading us to you will suffice.” You’re not taking a needless risk with this. If you or Avenger carelessly lounged about in his spear-range, he could impale either of you at the drop of a hat.

“Whatever. You’d better move with a purpose if you’re passing up the chariot: I don’t look kindly on stalling.” Rusalka replies. “Oh, and bring the demon reinforcements with you.”

“Will do. See you soon.” You conclude, tossing the walkie-talkie back to Sophia, who easily catches it.

“I’m surprised to see you’re so flexible in entertaining an alliance with the faction summoning the demons that you revile with such ferocity.” Avenger says, revealing her position behind you and showing that she’s been listening to you talk.

“This is the clearest lead to finding out my name, of course I’m going to put irrational feelings aside and explore it.” You reply.

“I just hope you’re not going to try to outscheme or outbetray them, because you’d need to be a lot better at it than you look if you think that’s going to work.” Sophia comments.

“Now that we have a minute I’ve been wondering, why did Rusalka make you wear… that?” You ask Sophia.

“I’m pretty sure she just got off on making me play dress-up in this… slutty outfit.” Sophia uncomfortably answers, “Freaky bitch.”

You can tell that there’s more to what’s been going on with Sophia than she’s been admitting, but before you investigate that further, you wanted one other thing cleared up. Addressing the sapient demon-creature, which had recovered from the kick Sophia gave it, you ask, “What are you, anyway? One of the Mi-Go or Formless?”

Sophia volunteers an answer, “It’s a Mi-Go. Creepy alien-looking bastards that Mathers summoned from God knows where. They won’t tell you their names, by the way.”

The Mi-Go responds, “Your auditory organs would not be capable of registering our personal designations were we to attempt to convey them.”

“I see. Pleased to meet you… Mike.” You reply. Mike the Mi-Go.

Diomedes quickly closes in after you give Mike its nickname, saying, “I’ll take you to Rusalka. Follow from the ground if you like, but don’t fall behind.”

“I’ll hop in.” Sophia says, stepping into the chariot, adding to the Lancer, “Not cozying up to you, just don’t feel like running.”

“We’ll be right behind you.” You tell Rusalka’s Lancer, before turning to the demons that Avenger seized control of: Mike, 2 daemons, 4 gazers, and 10 sea fiends in total. You then say to them, “Lead the others and keep up as best you can, Mike.”

“Affirmative.” Mike replies in its buzzing voice.

Diomedes then drives his chariot in the direction of the battle-lines; to help keep up, you had Avenger cast her reinforcement spell on you since yours is still lagging due to the potion you drank earlier. Your Servant also asks you via telepathy “How far do you plan to take this alliance anyway? Will you stamp out their enemy with them?”

“I don’t know enough about the situation to plan that far ahead. Ideally both sides would be weakened and some Servant casualties inflicted, I suppose. My priority is getting Mathers to reveal my name.” You answer back.

“I see. I should hope your primary objective reaching fulfillment won’t sap your motivation to win the Holy Grail War.” She replies, “Though I’m curious, what will you tell that Koko girl? Didn’t you say you’d target the Dead Apostles as the first to eliminate? Yet you’re positioning to work with one now.”

You respond to Avenger somewhat defensively, “So far I haven’t given Rusalka anything yet, aside from dialing back our interference in their operation.” You’re going to press Rusalka and Mathers about your name as soon as you meet them.

Come to think of it, your initial reaction to being shown the demons by Avenger led you to leave without a word to Truvietianne, Koko, or Suzaku. They’re probably quite concerned about where you went, and part of you wants to send word to Anne while you’re in transit since you still have that telepathic-link crystal that Avenger made for you the other day. You wouldn’t have much time if you did….

“I wouldn’t be broken up over it if you decided to be duplicitous in order to achieve your earnest desire. I was simply concerned that an internal conflict could cause trouble for you, which would quickly translate to trouble for me. If you were compromised, it’d be a fatal problem for us both.” Avenger explains.

How do you reply to your Servant:
> “I’m firmly set on following this lead on my name. Past assurances to Koko will not hinder that.” Steel your resolve to get what you want from Rusalka and Mathers
> “We can ditch Rusalka at any time. All we’ve committed to is hearing their opening offer.” Avoid mentally committing yourself to this opportunity
> Write in

Send a brief message to Truvietianne?
> Yes
>> Not much time: went south, engaged enemy, going well, will update you, stand by
>> Something else (write in 15 words or fewer)
> No
Also: it seems that Sweets Loving QM will be back to do a reboot of Awakening Mirror. He posted in /qtg/ but I decided I'd share that here too.

>>6214589
Sorry about not counting your vote, I started planning the update before it came in

>>6215794
>> “I’m firmly set on following this lead on my name. Past assurances to Koko will not hinder that.” Steel your resolve to get what you want from Rusalka and Mathers
> Yes
>> Not much time: went south, engaged enemy, going well, will update you, stand by
I still haven't read the original city akeldama, i should get to it sometime...

>>6215794
> Write in
Are Death Apostles trustworthy? Is Rusalka trustworthy? Just beat the answers out of Mathers after we hear them out. Grab him and teleport out with Avenger if we can.

Can Avenger make one of those potions that would strengthen his transformation and increase Magical Energy Circulation in case things go badly.

>> Yes
>> Not much time: went south, engaged enemy, going well, will update you, stand by

>>6215871
>>6217585
These two can work together reasonably well, writing...

You slide your right hand into your pocket, finding the crystal and send a general callout through it to try to get Truvietianne’s attention. As you wait for Anne’s response, you telepathically answer Avenger, “I’m firmly set on following this lead on my name. Past assurances to Koko will not hinder that. It’s not like I find Rusalka or the Dead Apostles trustworthy, we just have to beat the answer out of Mathers once we’ve heard them out. I could grab him if you teleport us out.”

“Haha, I like the sound of that.” Avenger replies, glancing at you with a smile. “I’ll stay alert for a good opening, perhaps our new lackeys can make themselves useful.”

A few moments later, Anne anxiously asks through the crystal “Anon, what happened to you? Avenger’s been gone too!”

You succinctly answer, “Not much time: went south, engaged enemy, going well, will update you, stand by.” You doubt it’ll be long before you arrive at where Rusalka is waiting, so you use minimal details. That, and Anne would probably not be particularly happy to hear that you decided to work with the Dead Apostle who announced a vendetta against her, however fleeting your alliance ends up being.

You don’t hear an immediate response from Anne. When she does answer, the anxiety conveyed in her first telepathic message is still present, “At your earliest convenience, please.” .

It pains you that you can’t reassure her right now, but you let go of the crystal and pull your hand out of your pocket as Diomedes leads you and Avenger off the zig-zagging city streets and into a lightly-wooded park; you don’t want to risk alerting him that you’re using remote communication. The Lancer-class Servant dismounts his chariot and tells you, “We’re close.” He then waves for you to follow him, and as you do you see a small company of demons gathered in the park. The ones with eyes turn to face you as you approach, and your blood boils briefly before falling off into a mildly irked simmer. That potion to calm you down is still at work, but the repeated exposure is also helping you to understand the guttural feeling more clearly, so you could get better at controlling it by your own conscious will. You may want Avenger to give you something to reverse the potion’s effects before long, so you’re able to use your full ability again. As you proceed through the park, you feel a rising anticipation as you draw nearer to the Dead Apostle.

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You eventually find her standing between a daemon and a gazer. She’s fairly short, red-headed, wearing an old-fashioned uniform and cap sporting an eagle symbol as well as a skull. As she puffs the cigar she holds in her hand, she opens one eye to get a look at you, before turning to face you with an unsettling grin, saying, “I suppose we can skip the pleasantries and get right to business?”

This is a malevolent, inhuman creature. That’s what your instincts are telling you at least; less visceral than your reaction to seeing demons for the first time, there’s still something about Rusalka Ilyuzii that sets off alarm bells. However, you decided to press on, “I agree: you wanted to give me details on how to help you overwhelm your enemy. Now, where’s Mathers? You’re going to explain how you and him started deciphering my name, and the method to complete it, before this collaboration goes any further.”

“You expect me to pay you in advance? Don’t be ridiculous.” Rusalka scoffs.

You brush off her dismissive comment and continue, “Earlier you said that Mathers was able to ‘narrow things down’ after examining Sophia. What did he narrow them down to?”

“Oh I don’t know, angel-lore was never my area of study.” The Dead Apostle disingenuously replies, before pulling a walkie-talkie out of her overcoat, “I can call Mathers up and ask him for a refresher, but he could be busy.”

“What’s to stop us from going over and asking him in person, or vice-versa?” You bite back, growing more irritated by the moment.

“We’re in the middle of a complicated operation, as you should know.” She replies, “But since you bring it up, if someone were to reinforce his position, he’d be able to find the breathing-room to accommodate your curiosity.”

Whatever it takes to get into arm’s reach. You respond, “If your ally’s having such a rough time, you should have met me closer to the battle line. Where will I find him?”

“We’re not far, you should be able to detect his Servant’s and Aka no Rider’s presences to the southwest if you pay close attention.” Rusalka explains with a gesture toward the direction she spoke of, “He won’t be far from his Servant.”

You scrutinize the area and indeed perceive two Servants in that direction.

What will you do next:

> Cooperate with Rusalka to reinforce Mathers, then get him talking by whatever means necessary
> Ditch Rusalka and immediately teleport there, telling the Dead Apostle that there’s “no time to waste, then”, and go to Mathers directly to get him to talk
> Offer Rusalka a healing potion if she cuts the crap and tells you exactly how Mathers “narrowed down” your suspected identity earlier, then move to reinforce Mathers
> Write in

>>6217797
>> Ditch Rusalka and immediately teleport there, telling the Dead Apostle that there’s “no time to waste, then”, and go to Mathers directly to get him to talk

>>6217797
>> Ditch Rusalka and immediately teleport there, telling the Dead Apostle that there’s “no time to waste, then”, and go to Mathers directly to get him to talk

If there’s one thing this Dead Apostle likes to do, it’s run her mouth with a smug sense of superiority. You need a few seconds to form a plan with Avenger to teleport to Mathers, so you ask, “What’s the status of the battle over there? You ought to know enough that we can work out a plan to deploy our collective resources effectively.”

Ignoring the Dead Apostle’s response, you telepathically tell your Servant, “We’re ditching them, begin teleporting us directly to Mathers’ position when I start speaking again.”

“Understood. I’ll redirect ‘Mike’ and our demons there as well.” Avenger replied with mirthfulness perceptible in her telepathic response.

“… is somewhat troublesome, but my Berserker is working on a solution to her.” Rusalka says as you begin listen to her.

“That’s sounds pretty serious. No time to waste then.” You say, and the moment you opened your mouth Avenger began activating her teleportation spell.

“What are-” Rusalka begins asking, before her eyes widen and she holds her walkie-talkie to her mouth to quickly sputter, “Mathers, look alive!”

At the same time, Diomedes shouted, “Halt!”, turned his weapon, and drew his arm back to throw the spear at you. His instantaneous reaction has you concerned if Avenger’s spell will activate before he skewers you, but it doesn’t come to that because Sophia immediately hugs his throwing arm, sarcastically exclaiming, “Calm down, tough guy!”

You hope Sophia will be alright, you didn’t have a chance to bring her with you and her stopping Diomedes’ attack will probably be seen as serious insubordination by him and Rusalka. But you can’t do anything for her right now, as you find yourself standing on the rooftop of a high-rise building, a few yards behind a lanky humanoid figure a bit shorter than yourself. It appears Avenger’s positioning was better than expected, as the figure you see in the dim evening light has the same height and build that you remember Mathers had when you encountered him after Sun Wukong was defeated.

No reason to waste time, so you begin running forward to grab him so you and Avenger can drag him off somewhere farther from his Servant, who is clashing with Aka no Rider on another rooftop a few buildings down. However, six lights appear on his back just before you get into arm’s reach, and you realize all too late that you’ve misjudged his combat-ability. Three spells identical to a gazer’s combustion-attack hit your torso, blasting you onto your back and leaving bloody, scorched wounds on your chest and gut. You also see two similar spells and a concentrated heat-beam fire to your right, no doubt aimed at your Servant!

“Try to get the jump on me, you bastards?! Too bad my field of view covers every angle!” You hear Mathers shout angrily. You cough up blood, and refocus your vision onto your unexpectedly difficult target.

He’s turned to face you now, and from your view in the dim light what stands out most are his eyes. He doesn’t just have the two you’d expect a human to have. There’s a third one on his forehead, half a dozen more dotting his exposed torso, one on one of his biceps, another on one of his forearms, and all of the unnaturally-located eyes bear a striking resemblance to the gazers, as though those demons had their eyes carved out, miniaturized, and grafted into his body.

Extending one of his palms toward your head, you see yet another eye open in it, and he announces, “Don’t get all trigger-happy ‘Avenger of Red’, my next shot’ll blow your Master’s head off. Now then… who are you again? I feel like we’ve met.”

To be continued next thread.

I decided have a drawing of what Mathers looks like as the cover for the next thread too. See you then!

Any interlude requests? I might be able to manage one or two before the thread falls off the board.

>>6218580
would be nice to see what Rushorou and Ryuuta are doing

>>6218580
Good thread. More Avenger backstory? Anon and Avenger go shopping?

>>6218599
I can do this.

>>6218960
>Anon and Avenger go shopping?
This could work as a non-canon "what if" scenario, if you ignored the demons and decided to get a few spare shirts first. I'll see what I can do.

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“I don’t detect hostility from them, it’s good that we can avoid battle for now.” Lancer of Red told Yumigawa Rushorou as they walked through the largely empty police station to the room where several of his prospective new allies prepared for what they called an ‘interview’.

“This will be a different kind of battle, but it’s one I’m more than accustomed to.” Rushorou confidently replied as he entered conference room. His bandaged wounds ached. Before encountering Nijou Kaguya, Kokutou Mizuri, and their Servants, Rushorou’s group had been in a tricky battle against the wrathful Kuro no Archer, the impish, cackling Kuro no Caster, and a company of undead. Rushorou’s Lancer was able to match Kuro no Archer’s combat prowess, and the danger primarily came from the undead due to the modifications the enemy Caster made to them. Half of them were warded by a curse that returned any damage they received twofold at the person who damaged them, and the other half were suicide-bombers; best of all, there was initially no visual tell of which was which. If Ryuuta’s Caster of Black hadn’t quickly noticed something was amiss and marked each type, Rushorou had little doubt that he and Ryuuta would have been quickly killed, either by the damage-reflection or the bombs.

The tide of battle changed in their favor when the two Sabers came to their aid: Mizuri’s Kuro no Saber was able to hew down the undead while easily shrugging off the damage from the curses and bombs, while Kaguya’s Aka no Saber’s attacks melded with Lancer of Red’s in a precise and beautifully-executed dance of combat that quickly forced the Archer onto the back foot, the enemy swiftly breaking off their attack. Rushorou’s group was then watchfully escorted to the police station that the girls had decided to use as a makeshift base beforehand. Ryuuta, his Caster, and Kuro no Saber were outside, it seemed that the Saber was a knight who quickly made a good rapport with them. And so, Yumigawa Rushorou and his Servant entered the conference room, greeted by Kaguya who gestured to a chair and said, “Have a seat, Master Yumigawa.”

“I see you’re all making this as dramatic as possible.” Rushorou remarked with amusement at the fact that Kaguya, Mizuri, and a female Berserker with dragon-horns that he hadn’t met previously were all dressed in police-uniforms, wearing sunglasses, and leaning forward on the table with their hands folded together.

“Deciding if you’re worthy of our trust and partnership is a serious matter, so we dressed accordingly.” Kaguya replies.

“You’re wearing sunglasses indoors.” Rushorou observes flatly.

“Hey guys, let’s, uh, try to stay on topic.” A slightly nervous voice said. As Rushorou glanced to see the source, he recognized an acquaintance that he hadn’t seen in a couple days. Picking up a tray having a tea-kettle and boxes of snacks set on it, Ogawara Yatsuhide continued, “We’re hoping you’ll share what you’ve been up to the past few days and figure out how we’ll work together. Glad to see you and Matsuda-san were ok, been a crazy couple days eh? Here’s some tea and cookies if anyone wants some.”

“Of course I’ll have some, Master!” The dragon-girl gleefully said.

“Me too!” Mizuri added.

“He’s not half bad at making tea.” Kaguya disclosed to Rushorou, “I’ll have some as well.”

After everyone present had some tea poured for them, Kaguya first pushed the topic of conversation to Rushorou’s personal background, and he gladly obliged to explain that he was his high-school’s student council president. It turned out that Kaguya also happened to be her school’s student council president, and when she revealed name of her prestigious private school, Rushorou realized that he was talking with someone who was at most two steps down from royalty. He recalled the surname Nijou from when his father would occasionally discuss some of the non-confidential details of his day-job, and the Nijou were one of the wealthiest families in Japan, possessing a massive business footprint spanning multiple lucrative industries.

“Now then, why don’t we go over what you can offer our faction?” Kaguya said, moving the topic again.

“It’d be more efficient if Matsuda was here with us, he’d explain his Servant’s capability better than me.” Rushorou responded.

“You’re really an amateur if you haven’t figured out why we wanted to meet with you one at a time.” Kaguya replied smugly. Rushorou quickly took her meaning: having separate meetings would reveal any discrepancies in their stories, and cast suspicion that one of them was intentionally holding back information, unless they’d carefully planned in advance to conceal something and keep their stories straight. Even if Kuro no Saber’s rapport with Ryuuta and Caster of Black was genuine, it was still part of a vetting strategy.

“Not bad.” Rushorou remarked, “I look forward to working with someone who knows what she’s doing.”

“You’ll have to do more than flattery to get in our good graces.” She replied, “Why don’t we make you probationary employees, on the front line until you prove yourselves by defeating a few enemy Servants?”

“That would be an... inadvisable use of resources.” Rushorou replied evenly, putting a conscious effort into remaining composed despite the other party’s unreasonable demand, “You’ve already seen my Servant fight, and yours can fight together with her very effectively, perhaps better than the sum of their parts.”

“Yeah, his Servant seems like the same kind of melee agility-DPS that yours is, Kaguya-sama. It looked like she could do some magic too, like a hybrid DPS-support.” Ogawara added, dropping his nervous ticks as he began to be more in his element, “I don’t think it’s a great idea to haze them by making them be meat-shields. It’d be nice if we had more tanks than just Mizuri’s Saber, but we don’t get to edit our stats.”

“Can you translate Yatsu-kun’s video-game babble, Kokutou-san?” Kaguya asks Mizuri dismissively.

“Umm, I think it’s that we should have our new allies do what they’re good at rather than force them into a role that needs filling even if they aren’t suited for it?” Mizuri puzzles out. With a sudden determination, she nods at the dragon-girl before asking, “Now I’ve been curious, Yumigawa-san. Do you remember on the first day of the war, there was a big, showy, magical attack bombardment?”

Knowing that it was the work of his amnesiac albino ally and his Avenger-class Servant, Rushorou responded in a measured fashion, “Yes, I remember that happening. Why do you ask?”

“I’m the one asking the questions here!” Mizuri snaps, her vivid and unpleasant memory of being the target of that attack coming to the front of her mind, before backpedaling, “Sorry, I’ve been wanting to say that line for a while now. But since you remember, I want you to describe everything you know about what happened there. Do that in good faith, and you’ll have taken important steps toward earning our trust.”

“Don’t think about lying or hiding things. We’ll know.” The dragon-girl added, adjusting the rim of her sunglasses to emphasize her point.

Rushorou gulped as he weighed his options. It was clear to him that Mizuri has an emotional investment in learning what happened, and if the dragon-girl wasn’t just bluffing, they had some kind of way to detect lies or dishonesty. He came here to try to form an alliance, and three Servants being added to his forces would be an immense boon. Running the risk-reward calculation in his head, he came to his conclusion….

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>>6219533

b] BONK [/b]

Snapping your perception back to your immediate environment, you raise your hand to gently rub a sharp pain on your head. Blinking a few times, you refocus your vision on your Servant, who is scrutinizing you with a sour look while tapping her staff in her hand.

“Are you back to normal?” She asks, “I was half-concerned you were about to turn into a berserker.”

“This emotion is…” You being to reply, but your voice trails off as you try to calm yourself down. It wasn’t just a pattern of thoughts, your physiology was put into a hyperactive state as well. You do your best to stop recollecting the image of the creature that enraged you. “Under control now, I think. By the way, you said earlier that you suspected that the enemy was using the Spirit Fonts to summon and supply those monsters with Magical Energy? Would you be able to verify your guess using the Spirit Font here?”

“I could. I take it you’d like to do that?” She replies, and you nod to confirm. The two of you go back toward the exact location of the temple’s Spirit Font, and Avenger explains, “My guess was correct, and I’ve identified the Spirit Fonts that they’re using. They have a cluster in the south-central part of the city as well as what looks like a pair of lanes advancing toward the west of their position.”

[The “what if” scenario begins here]

“We certainly should stomp out those abominations.” You say, but add, “However, I haven’t had a shirt since my last one got torn off when we were fighting Eugene Messerschmidt and ‘Clint Eastwood’ in that subway tunnel, so I want to go shopping and get a few changes of clothes first.”

“You know what, why not?” Avenger replied with a shrug, “It’d be a problem if you ended up running around naked because your clothes got destroyed faster than you could replace them. I could wash them in something that would increase their durability once you decide on what to get, to extend the lifetime of each set.”

“I like that idea. Now we just need to find a shopping mall, then loot something from their selection.” You say.

“Hmm. In the interest of expediency, I’ll just use divination magic to figure out where to go and teleport there.” Avenger announces. About a minute later, you’re in the middle of an eerily abandoned shopping mall. What should you wear, though? Something that matches what you had when you woke up on the first day? But there’s no reason to limit yourself to that, in fact now that you think about it, it’s almost as though you’d be dancing to someone else’s tune if you chose your clothing based on what you woke up wearing. In deciding what to wear as clothes, you are in a sense expressing your personal identity.

[If you did this in actual quest-time, I’d offer you a chance to pick an outfit to be your “default”, with some options as guidelines (casual and colorful, practical and utilitarian, formal, or a reasonable write in)]

After you grab a few sets of clothes that you found to your liking, you ask your Servant, “Say, Avenger. Is there anything you’d like to get here? Maybe you could try a new outfit too?”

She thinks about it for a while, before answering, “I suppose I’ve occasionally thought about what I’d pick for a cold-weather outfit. If you aren’t in a hurry, I may as well try things out.”

“Go ahead.” You respond approvingly, and she tries out several outfits before settling on a light green jacket over a fluffy white sweater and a golden wool cap. As she finishes, the two of you detect an incoming Servant: Archer of Black, aka ‘Clint Eastwood’. You run out to find out what he’s doing here, and see that he’s with a young Japanese woman with her hair dyed blonde and skin tanned. And next to that woman, your eyes widen as you spot none other than Sessyouin Kiara!

His hand moving instantly to the holster of his pistol, the Archer calls out to you, “I’d recommend you two don’t try anything reckless.”

“I agree with you actually, we didn’t come here looking for a fight.” You reply, taking your hand off the handle of your mace as a sign of good faith. When Avenger relaxes her grip on her staff, the Archer takes his hand off his gun and the tension eases up.

“Soooo, I guess you met these people before Archer?” The tanned woman asks him.

“Yes, after you loaned me out to Messerschmidt.” He answers.

“I met them too, they’re part of the group that ganged up on Sun Wukong.” Kiara adds, “Can’t say I’m pleased to see you again, but at least you’re dressed better now than last time.”

“M’kay.” The woman says, before calling out to you, “Well, I’m Yuzu, nice to meetcha! Good luck with the war, if you don’t lose to someone else you’ll have to lose to me, ‘kay?”

“Since you asked now I almost feel bad about refusing.” You reply sarcastically. “Nice to meet you Yuzu. Once I get my name figured out I’ll let you know right away. Avenger, I think we have some demons to kill.”

[“What if” scenario, end]

>>6220202
lol Clint has a gyaru master huh. Nice.