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Post by Chaldea-san on Mar 10, 2016 1:25:58 GMT
CHAPTER FINALE
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Post by Oda Nobunaga on Mar 10, 2016 2:52:38 GMT
It was not the first time she had seen a landscape such as this. Her involvement with Chaldea's missions until this point were minimal, but it was not out of a lack of respect. She had been observing, harassing scientists to get data and results, and building a picture for herself. She came into the war mid-way and had to know exactly what they were dealing with. It was an unknown enemy, but there were signs. She observed these signs, and she saw what transpired, and she devised a plan. Well, the workings of a plan anyway. It was more like a list of ideas in the bubble map of a plan. That was how she worked though, and it worked quite well for her in life.
"One legend...they only dug up one thing. But it's enough." Nobunaga muttered aloud as their squad stood upon the bridge, the singular bridge linking the two halves of Fuyuki City. Below them ran the Miongawa, the source of the divide and the source of quite a bit of corruption in the city. A black mud that is devastating to spiritual bodies; serpents formed from this mud that flows down the river and into a red ocean. Spirits roaming the city of those who once lived and corrupt roaming Servants; the city had both become a hell for spirits and a haven for them.
With a strict, evaluating eye the warlord turned her head to look at those that also joined this mission. Their strength was clear; overwhelming ranged firepower. A pirate in the Rider class, obviously commanding a powerful fleet; two Archers commanding explosive firepower; a certain infamous celebrity of Chaldea that could manipulate the sea; and of course, herself with the power of three thousand rifleman. They had some potential for close combat, but that would be ignoring their obvious power.
"Atlas, you think you can manipulate the mud-filled waters of the river with that thing?" she commented first, holding off on the rest of her plan until she got that answer. It didn't matter what the answer was but it did matter on whether option A or B would be chosen from there. The plan would not be truly solidified until the battle was over. It didn't hurt to ask a couple other questions though of those involved, "And how long can everybody maintain a full power barrage, given our current mana supplies and the strength of our Master's backup?"
Nobunaga, of course, had no intent of using their Master's resources. She would stick to her own supply, which was far from negligible. She would be strategic about her use and ideally direct the rest of their backup to the others. Her firepower was variable, and it could be great or terrible against the opponent. The others, however, had constant strength. That could not be ignored. Normally Nobunaga was a bit of an eccentric, but now she was at home. She taking charge on the battlefield.
"And Master, are you willing to sacrifice your life if it provided enough mana to take down the cause of this singularity?"
She couldn't leave out any possibility. |
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Post by Ashwatthama on Mar 10, 2016 3:33:12 GMT
Last time Ashwatthama had been here, he'd burnt a good portion of his arm off.
So needless to say, the Archer wasn't particularly enthused by their current location. But it was a minor irritation, like a bug flying too close to ones face that must be constantly swatted away. One easily ignored when one has clarity of mind and clear focus; And from the dire straights that sent them there, it was something that warranted it. And so he swallowed the disparaging memory and placed it away, to be forgotten or handled much, much later. Probably the former; Ashwatthama had much bigger issues to resolve first. Namely, whatever the fuck they were here for.
The Indian Archer thankfully didn't have to do much in the way of taking charge. The other Archer-- The other, Japanese Archer-- No the other, female Japanese Archer, had some experience with command it seemed. That was for the best. Ashwatthama had some skill at leading forces but he had never been top of the food chain as it were; Fighting came more naturally to him than leading. And she seemed decently capable of formulating an effective strategy, something that could not be said of every Servant so far he had encountered in Chaldea.
"How long do you need me too?"
It wasn't supposed to sound arrogant, but more just a matter of appropriate skills. Ashwatthama could maintain a barrage of arrows for a healthy amount of time in the Archer class, so much so that, without using a Noble Phantasm, it was likely he could continue a steady stream for arrows. After all, without unleashing the Brahmastra or Narayanastra, his average maximum attack power was probably lower than both of the other Archers, whom could unleash massive amounts of blows in a much shorter time without resorting to such extreme measures. He basically had to fire a few at a time, accurate and powerful as they may be, and that was it. So he could maintain his rate of fire for quite a while without relying on their Master. If it required an even longer assault then that, the Narayanastra could be used for a near endless assault, but that would require dipping into their Masters Prana reserves, so it was best avoided.
"Preferably our master will be in little to no danger. She should remain as far from battle as possible. If it looks like we are to fail, she should retreat rather than fall."
Perhaps it was Ash's outlook that was strange, but to him it made more sense to consider the deaths of the Servants as a possibility than the Master. After all, Chaldea could summon more servants, and had many more to replace them if they fell. Masters however, would truly die when they are killed. And they could not be replaced so easily. Not to mention, they still had their lives ahead of them, most of these Servants could not say the same.
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Post by King Atlas on Mar 11, 2016 1:08:36 GMT
 So apparently shit had finally hit the fan. It was about time, really. All this dodging and poking rather than just getting to the root of the problem and tearing it out. Not only that, but here he was with a team of Servants to act as one body, one team. Mostly. Atlas was busy glaring dully at EMIYA. He still wasn't happy that the man you know, killed him. It was only until the rifle girl snapped him out of his trance that he finally spoke up. "Hm? Oh, maybe. I guess." Using the Trident as a walking stick, he started walking towards the river. And then stopped right by Nobunaga, leaning over and staring intently. It'd look odd to most anyone, but after he squinted for a few seconds, he pulled away and held out his hand, and with a flash, created a perfect replica of her hat, placing it on his head. It really was a nice hat. "As for sustained barrages, as a Caster I have a rather large storage of mana, even compared to other Servants." He started up again, walking away as he neared the river. It would be a small trifle to use magic barrages but still, "I just have my doubts that my magic will be very effective. Whoever's behind this gunk is easily a master of curses." Raising his free hand and his trident, he made a move to try and part the river. "If worse comes to worse, I can fight physically. Apparently I'm strong enough that our man in red here managed to achieve a perfect falsetto when running like a terrified child from a gentle roughing up." He continued, as if this was absolutely nothing. "I think when we're done I'll have to put him and the masters through a training regiment. Atlas's Astonishing Athletics Hour."... And nothing happened. "... Well. I did say this shit was made by a curse master." That was depressing. He started walking back towards the group, giving a light shrug. "Oh well, I guess being Servants, we can probably just jump it. Most of us anyway. I can. The rest, I'd offer to throw anyone unable to." He looked at EMIYA, "Except that our man in red's body is as fragile as his feelings.""So I guess we come up with something else then."
tags: Oda Nobunaga , Ashwatthama , Francis Drake , Hoshoku-sha Rokushiki , emiya notes: totally not passive aggressive |
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Post by Francis Drake on Mar 12, 2016 2:53:24 GMT
What kind of hell is this...right ? That's the question that one had to ask oneself. This place certainly had seen better days, at least the pirate hoped so. This place looked like hell, smelled like hell...and well simply felt like hell. Why couldn't she be brought to some nice places ? It would be nice to be back in Cuba or other places like that...the sun, tropical climate, maybe with a nice mojito ?
Oh well, now she had been called into the service along with other servants, in order to hopefully defeat some big threat perhaps ? It's not like it mattered, as long as she was getting paid there would be at least some kind of effort that one would get out of Drake. As for working alongside other servants ? Well...she wasn't much of a hero or cared much about that whole thing, but if that was the job then she'd do it. Though it seemed as if their current little crew was quite diverse. Though in terms of powers there seemed to be a huge amount of firepower...literally, on their side. Long-range bombardment to be done by them seems like the optimal strategy, her noble phantasm could provide a decent enough aid in that.
Stepping up next towards the little warlord the former vice admiral would shrug her shoulders. " Aye aye. Long distance fire shouldn't be much of a problem...how long though depends on the pay as that will determine the effort put forth, ha!" Drake let out with a dry tone and attitude, the notion of this river seemed to be a problem and fighting on a bridge was not exactly an ideal location to do combat. " Should thar be a need I do have a ship. So there is that ? Whatever we are up against let's handle it quick, aye ? I forgot to bring my rum." The privateer spoke out, while this was her first official mission out and about in different set of times in the service of Chaldea, she was already getting a bit of a clear picture of the different heroes she'd be dealing with...none would cause any real problem. Hell almost no person could be shitty enough or annoying enough to make Drake unable to work with them, she had worked with quite a few unique people during the Spanish invasion of England...who were she was quite capable of handling.
" So...what's this whole curse thing ? Does this mean I can't put my boat in the river ? hah! Well the sky will do then if that's the case, aye." Drake spoke out as she'd shuffle with her right foot against the ground, part of her missing her booze and a part of her wondering how much she would be compensated for this whole thing.
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Post by emiya on Mar 13, 2016 17:59:35 GMT
The situation was obviously grim, even discounting the obvious changes to his once familiar home town. The strength and congestion of the curses in this area had grown exponentially, the river was moving sluggishly, as if it was made of the mud itself rather than water. It wasn't a good sign, clearly the reports of massive mana convergence weren't wrong, or even an exaggeration.
Turning to the one barking out orders and questions, I shake my head. "At maximum capacity I'm afraid that my own reserves wouldn't last too long, nor those of our Master. Fortunately, my maximum capacity shouldn't be required, and there are other ways to access it that are less costly if such a barrage is required." Projection of artificial Noble Phantasms of a number and detail that could overwhelm the King of Heroes is not something to engage in lightly, and isn't something that should be maintained without the invocation of my Reality Marble. "If no one else would be disturbed by me invoking a Reality Marble, then I can maintain a barrage for...I'd give myself ten minutes before beginning to drain on our Master's resources."
After my report, I'm welcomed by a stream of insults that'd be enough to strain the honor of just about anyone who cared for that sort of thing, no matter how even-tempered. However, I'm not particularly moved. I'm tempted to come back with a sarcastic rejoinder, but that'd only get Atlas going. Whoever thought to leave such an important mission in the hands of a team where members quite literally wanted to kill each other simply wasn't thinking.
I sigh and turn back to their de-facto leader in this mission. She seemed to have the greatest understanding of things, at least...I didn't like going into a mission with as little information as this, but I was contacted on rather short notice. "What do you want us to do? I recommend sooner rather than later...the mana is only growing more condensed."
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Post by Hoshoku-sha Rokushiki on Mar 14, 2016 2:54:59 GMT
Oh... what a strange thing. This taks was complex, so complex she did not know half of its contents in fact. But she knew they had to stop something and find information about it before that. That much was clear enough. Alas, Hoshoku-sha could not quite grasp the situation, or its severity, being only disturbed by the unpleasant feeling of this place. It was... wrong, she felt killing intent from bloody everywhere and had a hard time pinpointing specific intents... instead it all seemed to accumulate in a single, large place.
The landscapes here were always a little ugly too. But she had no place to judge, especially not here. She hadn't done it before and she wouldn't do it now... no point. It was familiar by now, it was uncomfortable, but it was easy to bear. Done... this place was now aligned with indifference, which prompty reflected in Hoshi's completely relaxed, unconcerned expression. When she thus looked at the tiny Nobunaga next to herself, she simply nodded. "If I have to die to fulfill my purpose, I will die to do so. But I prefer not to die to stay functional." Saying this Hoshi turned to the other ones, not too sure what to do or say.
"Ok. I can stay out of the fighting. But I can also fight if you want me to." noting that, Hoshoku-sha just looked at each and every one of them. In theory they should be aware that she was not on the level of normal humans, servants usually held the skill and ability to recognize capability and movement speed and accuracy from a glance. Hoshi herself simply calmed her breathing and sent a slight ripple through the area to make it easier for her senses to adapt to the environment... that way she should be able to react and track quicklier and more accurately.
At Atlas' bragging rant, she simply started plainly, having no idea what he meant. Instead she asked:"What's a gentle roughing up? I thought gentle and rough are mutually exclusive and cannot be acted out at the same time." her deep monotonous voice reverberated loudly within the ruins, despite her rather softly spoken words. It seemed a little off... but alas, this was an odd area to begin with. "Curses are harmful for spirits. Especially for spirits I mean. Don't jump in. That would be stupid." Noting it with the due amount of no-given-fucks, Hoshi then finally turned to the last few people.
"Yes, something to fly would be good. I never flew, but I think I can manage on a vessel." nodding to herself, then to Drake, Hoshoku-sha ascertained the situation, her attention drifting from the accumulation of oddness and power to the servants and back. Ahh... strange, so strange... curious. She wanted to do something, but her body had not yet decided what it was. Maybe she should punch it... that was usually a good idea. If something was harmful you struck it until it died. It always worked, even with streams. Parting had always been her specialty after all.
"Don't think we will need a reality marble. But I think barrage fire from above would help for a wide area of destruction. If we find a core-zone maybe we can reveal a weakness. Don't know... we'll see. Make a boat so we can fly, then let's get on it and destroy what we can find there." she than raised her arms with faked enthusiasm, stating coldly:"Go team." That was really all she -could- say at this point. The main job was up to the servants. She was just the support and anchor here... at least for now. Odd place...
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Post by Chaldea-san on Mar 15, 2016 15:49:45 GMT
"Does anyone notice anything? We're receiving peculiar readings from the surface of the river." the voice of the Chaldea operative was steady and clear, but it did carry an underlining tone of nervousness. Much like a surgeon with a knife, no matter how hard one tried to remain calm certain scenarios would always feel naturally upsetting. The Chaldea complex around him was in uproar. The large control-room was filled with operatives trying to understand the meaning of the values shown in the screens. Fluctuating piles of data in many screens, and the chaotic sound of a mob doing their best to analyse an unknown situation were the mood-setters for that crowded space. On the display screens, the waters of that tainted river below were as red as blood, and relatively calm too. Until they weren't. " ▁ ▂ ▃ ▄ ▇▟ ▅▂ ▆ ▇ ▂"
The very foundations of the city began to tremble madly . It was a catastrophic earthquake, like the ground was tearing itself open.Structures in the horizon imploding unto themselves and becoming soaring clouds of dust, as a roar-like tremor echoed through the sky itself. The metallic foundations of the bridge screeched in terrible agony for 9 long seconds before it all stopped.The surface of the water was uneasy.And from that uneasy red tide, it burst forth.
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Post by Magatsu-Miongawa on Mar 15, 2016 16:11:48 GMT
A White pillar of light exploded from the waters and rose into the sky above. On closer inspection it could be seen it was not light, but scales that composed the monstrous thing, now dashing and curving in the air like a large flying serpent. It was thicker than a train and at least twice as long, shining the sky above and swiftly placing itself facing the group. It curved it's large head down and stared at them, with it's blindly-bright eyes seemingly unfocused.
 " ▁ ▂ ▂▟ ▆ ▇▅▂ ▆ ▇ ▂"It roared once more, and it was a frighting sound indeed, especially for a creature that seemed so majestic. It was covered in the purest white scales possible, with an eerie white light emanating from their surface- the very image of purity. An image that was, quite evidently a lie, and it only served to make the clash and contraction of that serpent even more unsettling. Four pulsating orbs, sacks of mud that radiated with magical power unrivalled by any of the servants below, were gripped tightly by his claws.
Beasts have no sense of fairness and his calling had just summoned all the chaos his creator, the grail, had brought forth. A legion of monsters, big and small were now moving restlessly towards the bridge... He stood motionless, as if allowing the mortals to witness him before perishing. |
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Post by Oda Nobunaga on Mar 15, 2016 16:41:29 GMT
The Indian Archer kept his response short, but it made the point. Nobunaga would determine his use once the time came, and decide how he was best used. Meanwhile, she had given Atlas one job, and he failed. It did shed some important light on the situation though; the river itself was corrosive mud now. They could not afford to touch the river at all, or they would surely die. Or perhaps, something even worse. The pirate provided exactly what Nobunaga hoped they would, and then some. If her ship could indeed take to the skies then that would make positioning themselves much easier if the bridge wouldn't do. Then there's the other Archer, who admitted to their own lack of reserves for a full assault, but noted his possession of a Reality Marble. Interesting how these sorts of things worked out. Was his like her own, or was it something totally different?
"Master, don't state the-" Nobunaga began, but was interrupted by an earth-shaking roar coming from the river itself. The bridge groaned beneath their feet, buildings in the distance shook and collapsed, and then from the river itself came an unexpected sight. White light, shining as a beacon in this red and black landscape. It was not a beacon of hope though, but of things to come. The white dimmed down to reveal the scales that covered a large, serpentine body. As another roar let loose and the beast righted itself, Nobunaga could not help but grin. She had a good understanding of her capabilities as a Servant, and she could only fare well against the correct opponents. She took a gamble here, having no idea what kind of enemy they faced, and her luck paid off.
If there was an enemy she could unleash her full power against, this was it.
"Atlas! Focus on defending us!" she barked, twenty tanegashimas forming in the air around her and one forming in each of her hands. The Indian would likely notice that they manifested with a representation of the wheel of dharma as part of their matchlock. It was an interesting, but ultimately unintended, part of her manifestation as a Servant. Irony would be the best way to describe it.
"Archers! Conservative test shots on various parts of the body!" each of the rifles in the air took aim at the head of the beast, wanting to first test and see the strength of its scales on the most vulnerable part of the body. She had a few ideas about other spots on the body to fire at, but right now she had the Archers for that. Hopefully they too would see those potential weak points. "Pirate! See what you can do but be conservative! We need your firepower once we determine its weakness!"
That left the Master. "Master, focus on surviving. You cannot harm this beast." she stated bluntly, the twenty rifles all firing at once at the head of the dragon. Nobunaga was curious what would happen with this first round of fire, but machinations of what to do were already forming. It was a dragon, and a Japanese one at that. In terms of mystery and divinity, it was of the highest degree. Should she choose to unleash Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, she did not doubt that serious harm could be done to the dragon. However, she could not bring most of her allies in without crippling them. It was a tactic she intended to use, but not until they had the full understanding of how to bring down the dragon. |
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