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tgrailwar-zero · 1 month

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So little guy, where are you from? Do you live here in the city or are you visiting?

LITTLE GUY: "We sleep in by the Port! It's foggy sometimes, but sometimes it's sunny! We were sleeping, but now we're awake!"

LITTLE GUY: "...Mm..? We're... awake?"

LITTLE GUY: "Hm... I dunno! I dunno!"

KUKULKAN: "Not as much as I'd have hoped... we can talk more once we're done."

KUKULKAN: "...Fair enough, hehe. I guess someone has to be the one to tell Rider. I'll go get the boys."

KUKULKAN: "Oh, it's probably fine! But, just in case, we'll save it for later."

LITTLE GUY: "Bye, bye!"

They waved, wandering off down the Archives.

With that decision made, you got to the fun part. Research.

The Heavenly Divinity had been summoned as a warrior during the Lunar Grail War. One of the 129.

She hadn't been summoned in this way before. An old god, in a newer form. A dragon in the form of a fox. A goddess in the form of a mortal.

Her name was T█████=M██████████.

Was. At that moment, it was.

The stories of humans had weaved together a strange tale, it seemed. But that was fine. She was quite fond of weaving, after all. Her identity was fluid, one that shifted like the water, and danced between the gates of shrines.

'Caster', her Master called her. The maiden of the Hirota Jinja Shrine, a 'Caster'. Humans had called her many names over many years, but that was a new one.

While many saw her as a Kitsune, a simple fox-spirit, this Servant was a Shinko-ō. A divine 'dragon-fox'. A daughter of the heavens. Terrifying and beautiful, she was summoned by a hopelessly hopeful master for a hopelessly hopeful cause, and fought for it with every ounce of her being.

And then, the Titan struck.

She watched as the Servants of the Moon did everything they could, and knew it wasn't enough. She had seen this Titan before. Fought this Titan before-- and knew that the boundless strength of Heroic Spirits were not enough for it. And so, as they fought, she readied herself.

The Titan could only be defeated by divinity. Divinity unchained by humanity, and free to run wild and untamed. And so, the single-tailed fox gathered power, power that she had promised to never coalesce again in another life. -

You continued reading, though it felt like you were slipping further and further into a haze.

It felt more like a conversation. Like someone was speaking to you, gently by your side. The voice, delicate and feminine, seemed to whisper in your ear.

"There's something laughable about the idea of a 'lonely god'. Gods should be worshiped. Respected. Beloved. My Master held a deep contempt for humanity. He hated their contradiction, their twisted affairs, their violent nature. But he accepted it as well, knew that their violence would lead to peace. That if there was something truly terrible in the world, their differences would be set aside, and they would be saved. He could calculate, but understanding was out of his reach. And yet in his struggle, in his constant theorizing and thrashing about, he held something beautiful. A spark. A beautiful soul. Perhaps that is why I was summoned at his side. I am your goddess. I am your God. And, my beloved people of the Solar Cell, I selfishly ask of your forgiveness. Selfishly ask for your hope. Selfishly ask for your acceptance. I cannot tell you the reason, but I selfishly ask for your sacrifice as well."

You eventually reached a passage that held you tight. You could feel eyes on you. Burning, yet cold. Rushing water accompanied by the sound of crackling flames. Violent, yet calming. A contradiction.

'Amaterasu'. 'A M A T E R A S U'?

That cannot be my True Name. Amaterasu is kind. Gentle. The warm rays of the sun, that satiate those that dance under her gaze.

I am violent.

I am powerful.

I am the Great Fox Spirit. The Konjiki Hakumen. The Lady of Purification. The Goddess of Mukoyama. A mere facet of the Sun.

I create life.

I shine with the heavenly bodies.

The Servant of Amaterasu Ōhirume no Mikoto. The wrath of Tenshō Daijin. The flesh of Sume-Ōmikami. I am her untamed nature made manifest.

The waters of the Lunar Sea bow to me as they purge the world of evil. The flames of the Solar Cell burn for me as they purge the world of fear.

The great Titan will be cast into the Lunar Sea, and all shall be well.

Such is the will of--

You heard snapping in front of you, knocking you out of your trance.

ARCHIVIST: "I don't mind you resting your eyes, but the Archives are closing. Best to get a move on, right?"

Looking down, you realized that you had stopped reading at some point, though it was difficult to tell when. The book had been clamped shut, your smoke-like, tendrils (vaguely shaped in the form of hands) clasping it tightly.

#long post #thgw story #main post #thgw: chapter 5 #endless whispers #item usage poll #nasu isn't the only one that can play syncretism tennis

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tgrailwar · 1 year

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Tumblr Holy Grail War, Another End: Night 1 (ALL SERVANTS)

Team Foreigner got Van Gogh's composure to 0! Something is happening!

Laughter.

Echoing laugher. Triumphant laughter. The laughter of a Servant who had lost everything. The laughter of a Servant who had gained everything.

Van Gogh. A patchwork Servant from beyond the void. Laughed.

VAN GOGH: "Ah... my deception ends here. Look upon 'Van Gogh'... the false Servant named Van Gogh... isn't it horrible? Isn't it beautiful? Ahaha... AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A pulse emanating from the Servant shattered the bounds of the digital landscape that had been called 'reality'. This was the power of the Foreigner-class. The true power of the Foreigner-class, when deprived of the chains of 'logic' that bound it.

Six other Servants were hit by the pulse, the world around them collapsing, throwing them into hell. Havoc overwhelming. Chaos overflowing. A wave of utter madness, grabbing the minds of the enemy Servants and rending them asunder.

First, the Assassin.

Assassin: "...Where the hell am I... what the hell is that?!"

The Assassin drew his sword, uncharacteristic fear filling his mind and body. A shadow formed, vaguely in the shape of a Servant, unsettlingly enough. It lunged forward, as he stepped back, trying to defend himself as more shadows appeared.

Shadows from his peripheral, shadows that he couldn't see but hear, shadows that he couldn't hear but see.

Shadows that weren't real.

Shadows that were far too real.

Then, the Rider.

Rider: "Back off! Get away from me!"

He yelled, trying to add as much authority as he could as the false illusions patched together by real madness inched closer.

Archer: "...You're not real! You're an illusion, like Caster's Noble Phantasm!"

He yelled, as he tried to lie to himself, fingers rending at the stark white of his clothing, causing it to dye red. His own fingertips rent asunder as the skin on them began to wear down and redden as he scratched and screamed at nothing.

Saber: "Come at me! I'll cut you to pieces!"

She yelled, her sword swiping forward. It drew blood, before she screamed, clutching at her own shoulder as it bled profusely as it was struck in an identical spot.

Lancer: "Heh. You think you're cute, huh? We'll see how cute you think you are when this spear goes right through you!"

...An alliance, formerly airtight, splintered in seconds by the maddened wave of the unleashed Foreigner. Their identities began to crumble, as they engaged in bloody warfare.

Only two Servants stood in the wave unaffected. Perhaps both of them had already reached the crux of their madness to begin with, or perhaps they had already witnessed hell, and so this void was nothing but a reprieve.

Tortured Youth: "...So this is what you can do, Foreigner? I hope you're not plannin' on killin' me like the others?"

Patchwork Servant: "Ehehehe! Play with me, Avenger! Spin with me! Dance with me! Sing with me! Paint with me! Create with me! Don't mind the pain! Thrash and scream! Let's kill each other, and use our blood to repaint the world!"

Tortured Youth: "...Thought so. And here I wasted that mana boosting you up. Well, that's just my luck. Whatever, this little game sounds like fun either way. Let's play, Foreigner!"

EVENT: [ VOID SPACE ARMAGEDDON ]

Reality itself began to unravel, already thin threads snapping apart under the pressure of the Foreigner-class Servant!

Team Foreigner got Van Gogh's composure to 0! Team Foreigner used 'Wave of Madness'! With Van Gogh's composure at 0, she temporarily gains access to all of her skills until the battle ends!

Alliances are temporarily severed within Void Space! It's utter chaos! This is a battle for survival!

If Van Gogh wins first place, she'll inflict 2 wounds on every Servant!

If Van Gogh doesn't get first, then any Servant that scores under Van Gogh will sustain 1 wound!

Any non-Foreigner-class Servant that ends up in last place will sustain 3 wounds and be destroyed instantly!

Any non-Foreigner-class Servant that ends up above Van Gogh will be safe!

If Van Gogh gets last place, she'll sustain 3 wounds, but will lash out and inflict 1 wound on every Servant! if she gets anything other than 1st, she'll simply sustain 1 wound!

Skills such as 'Battle Continuation' or 'Independent Action' are nullified! Servants who perish in Void Space are gone!

Van Gogh's 'Wave of Madness' gives every other Servant a -10% demerit! …Angra Mainyu's been spared from the demerit?!

Angra Mainyu gave Van Gogh a +5% boost!

Musashi and Arjuna have been cursed by 'Soul of the Water Channels'! They have a -3% demerit for this round! This will stack with the current application of 'Soul of the Water Channels', meaning Musashi and Arjuna have -6%, and the others have -3%!

Final Score Augmentations:

Van Gogh: +41% Angra Mainyu: -40% Miyamoto Musashi: -29% Mandricardo: -36% Okada Izou: -36% Cu Chulainn: -21% Arjuna: -39%

Active Servant Skills and Current Statuses:

Van Gogh (Foreigner):

Het Gele Huis (A+) - When winning first place in a Free-for-All, inflict 2 wounds on the bottom Servant, rather than just one. If engaged in a one-on-one, inflict 2 wounds instead of one upon victory. Additionally, reduce Servant bonuses by 10%, and if the gap between scores is greater than 35% when winning, recover from a 'wound'.

Soul of the Water Channels (EX) - When fighting in a free-for-all, gain a +10% boost, and inflict a persistent 3% demerit on enemy Servants for this round and the next. When fighting one-on-one, gain a +5% boost, and inflict a -2% demerit to them for this round and the next.

Void Space Fine Arts (B+) - If receiving a demerit from enemies larger than 10%, convert it into a +10% boost. Gain a +5% boost, and add another +3% if going against a Servant who has been cursed by the demerit from 'Soul of the Water Channels'. Gain the ability to sustain one more wound than normal.

Existence Outside the Domain (A) - Gain an immunity from demerits, and also reduce enemy Servant boosts by 5%.

Insanity (C) - Gain a +5% boost.

Item Construction (B-) - Lower the victory gap for the 'recovery effect' of "Het Gule Huis" from 35% to 25%.

Divinity (B+) - Lower enemy boosts by -5%, and increase own buffs by 3%.

Curse of Sunflower (A) - When on her final wound, gain a +7% boost.

Van Gogh has [2/7] wounds!

Angra Mainyu (Avenger)

Zarich: Right Fang Grinder (C) - Reduce enemy Servant boosts by -3%.

Tawrich: Left Fang Grinder (C) - Gain a +3% attack boost.

Annihilation Wish (A) - When fully healed, gain a -20% demerit to his final score. With one wound, the demerit is reduced to -10%. With two wounds, the demerit is changed to a +20% boost.

Grail Curse, All The World's Evils (EX) - When part of a battle that results in a Servant dying, absorb a part of their essence. Take a random one of their combat skills for Avenger's own use and recover one Command Spell. Those are the only effects. ...Probably.

Angra Mainyu is uninjured!

Miyamoto Musashi (Saber)

Heavenly Demonic Thundering Eye (EX) - When fighting in a free-for-all, gain +10% to your final score, and reduce their scores by -5%. If fighting a Servant one-on-one, if the gap between scores is above 20%, inflict 2 wounds.

Battle Continuation (EX) - If she loses a confrontation while on her final wound, if there's only a 10% difference between the scores of her and her opponent (non-allied Servant), she can slip out unscathed.

Musashi is on her last wound! 'Battle Continuation EX' is nullified within Void Space!

Mandricardo (Rider)

Brigliadoro's Neigh (A) - Increases the Rider-class trait to +5% rather than +3% in free-for-all brawls.

Armor of the Nine Worthies (A) - When attacked, reduces the amount of the Servant's final combat poll result by 10%.

Mandricardo has [1/3] wounds!

Okada Izou (Assassin)

Man-Slayer (A) - When fighting a Servant that possesses a wound, gain a +3% boost. When fighting a Servant that possesses 2 wounds, gain +5% instead.

Izou has [1/3] wounds!

Cu Chulainn (Lancer)

Rune Magecraft (B) - When fighting in a free-for-all, gain a +5% to combat score results. Additionally, any skills that reduce scores against Lancer will have their effectiveness reduced by 1%.

Battle Continuation (A) - Is able to take 4 'wounds' instead of the normal 3. On his last ‘wound’, gain a permanent +5% boost to final combat poll results.

Protection from Arrows (B) - When going against an Archer, Caster or Assassin-class Servant, gain a +5% to final combat poll results, and reduce their results by 5% as well.

Cu Chulainn has [2/4] wounds!

Arjuna (Archer)

Hero of the Endowed (A) - If fighting an enemy Servant, and the difference between scores is within 3%, take the win.

Mana Burst (Flame) (A) - Gain a +8% boost to combat poll results when attacked during 'playing defensively', rather than +3%. When not ‘playing defensively’, gains a 5% boost to final combat poll results instead.

Independent Action (A) - After receiving his third 'wound', he has one more round to attempt to attack before fading away. (Cannot be healed during this period via Command Spell).

Arjuna is on his final wound! Independent Action is nullified by Void Space!

#tgw: another end #team foreigner #team avenger #team saber #team rider #team lancer #team archer #team assassin #thgw story

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anggitay · 1 year

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Crying in the club (my room at 6am) what the fuck was that latest chapter in thgw-zero

#thgw:zero #thgw story #thgw salieri #salieri being summoned meant Mozart was gonna be there for angst #I knew what to expect #BUT WHY TF DID THAT HIT SO HARD

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autoneurotic · 3 years

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Woke up today with no expectations whatsoever just to find out you had done it again, you have made another beautifully stunning piece for Things Have Gotten Worse and it's my pleasure to say that you keep showing just how much you understood the assignment. Absolutely outstanding work! I'm extremely thrilled for I will be getting my own copy of the book soon.

we’re the only people who get it i swear. i’ve never read anything like THGW and it’s carved out a little home in my brain and taken up permanent residence. i’m glad i’m doing it justice! i saw the other day, also, that eric larocca put out another collection of short stories called The Strange Thing We Become and it sounds in the same vein as THGW, and i believe it’s told either entirely or partly through forums and message boards! i’m going to pick that up whenever i can buy THGW. i can’t seem to make any art that isn’t related to this book so keep an eye out, i’m sure there will be more

#anonymous #this is also one hell of a compliment. i DID understand the assignment!

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tgrailwar-zero · 5 months

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Well, after our last big attempt to destroy the Solar Cell ended in failure we had our memories wiped and were forced to fight against each other in simulated grail wars. Anytime one finished we were thrust into another. A version of you was there for at least a few. Apparently we went through at least a trillion or something. Our memories were also wiped after each war to keep us fighting each other. We only managed to break free with the last one and ended up in this whole affair. Might have had something to do with most (if not all) the Servants that were summoned in that loop being versions of you and the other guys we had upon our initial incursion. From time to time we manage to recall bits and pieces of stuff either from our original arrival in the Solar Cell or a previous grail war loop, but that’s all.

Also, we seem to be a lot less callous than we were in the past. Probably something to do with us not longer having personal memories of the absolutely backstabbing life that is living in mage society and especially Clock Tower.

MUSASHI: "Ah, I see..."

You've gotten this sort of 'oh, wow'-type of reaction before. Best to just leave that one be for now. She's picked up enough from the conversation so far regardless.

MUSASHI: "Charlemagne... the name kinda sounds familiar, but I'm not totally sure... as for the other questions- not really. Sorry, I'm not much of a computer person."

INVADER: [ "We do not have that capability yet, and I cannot properly analyze the spell. However, Musashi possesses an innate Magic Resistance as a Saber-class. Whatever spell cast should have a weakened effect on her, but…" ]

MUSASHI chuckled, sheepishly.

MUSASHI: "Ah, you noticed that, huh? Basically. I'm sure I could have shrugged it off and made them struggle for it, but I didn't. A punishment's a punishment, after all. And it wasn't like my situation was drastically changed- I just went from one person's vengeful spirit to another. Either way, I wasn't fighting in a way I enjoyed."

INVADER: [ "…With how damaged her Spirit Origin is, you'd need a considerable amount of magical energy to restore it to a proper state. Either via my Command Spells, or through a powerful Mystic Code- and the only one in our possession is the Crimson Blade. However, that blade also belongs to the Servant 'Draco'. It is a considerable bargaining chip, and may be able to restore the Beast to a more manageable state. Examining our currently very limited resources, destroying her body and gaining a new Code Cast would be the most efficient course of action." ]

INVADER stated, coldly listing out the facts. You could see MUSASHI listening quietly, nodding, not exactly disagreeing with the sentiment.

MUSASHI: "...So it's this kind of situation, huh?"

You had come here in order to damage or slow down the MUSASHI in 'reality'. Leaving would just set you back to square one- maybe even worse than that, if she ended up adapting to your hacking.

You felt a tremor in the ground, as the mental world around you began to destabilize.

MUSASHI: "Ah- I think 'Shadow Me' is trying to boot you all out, so we don't have any more time to really chat. If you're going to do something, make it snappy."

You'd have to make a choice here.

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 4 #main post

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tgrailwar-zero · 27 days

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... leaving aside the fact that some Servants have categorically, measurably better luck than others... do we even have enough cash to blow on gambling?

... is there a signup fee for the Flaming Bout or can we just put out hat in the ring?

.... Caster, Caster, dear beloved empress, why did you make me think about gambling- now I wanna test my luck... the slot machines are calling to me... the poker tables are calling to me... the roulette wheels- well maybe not the roulette wheels, but...

Rider, please be a voice of reason on this...

NERO: "I cannot relate to those urges that you and Saber seem to have. I only like games of chance if I win. Who wishes to lose money? Money is to be spent, not wasted."

CONSTANTINE: "I get the feeling there's no stopping you all. I'll watch the little one and wait in the lobby, maybe ask around. Don't spend too much in one place, like you said we don't know if there's an entrance fee yet. Just… be careful."

CONSTANTINE: "Not a bad idea. I'll see what I can find related to our Pharaoh, and keep the little one with me. I'd rather the child not get caught up in the gambling."

MUSASHI: "I'll keep them safe, okay?"

CONSTANTINE: "Oh, like it's just them I'm worried about? You stay out of trouble too, Saber."

With that, he stepped off on his own, taking the little guy by the hands.

(CONSTANTINE has temporarily left the party!)

She feigned a deep gasp, as if gravely offended.

MUSASHI: "I don't cheat, I strategize. And I'm better at swordfighting. Playing cards would be fun, but I probably couldn't pull a ton off without a plan first. Or... what's it they say in modern movies? 'Casing the joint'?"

That was about right. The voice matched up.

Your Assassin, OKADA IZOU...

ASSASSIN... he was surly, loyal to a fault, and had horrible gambling luck. Far from the most heroic of individuals, but he wasn't an unpleasant person to be around-- when he was in a good mood at least.

He was also notoriously bad at gambling, and yet notoriously obsessed with it, if your memory served you right.

Outside of the 'black box' prison, he had also died at the hands of KARNA after killing ASCLEPIUS, but considering those memories were much less clear, it was best to remember the good times like 'Grail Force'.

IZOU was a blade, coated with blood and grime, but as effective as even the most luxurious of swords.

Approaching the table, you could see that he wasn't in the best of moods or situations.

IZOU: "Hey… mind loaning me a few bucks? Not a lot, just enough so I can afford this blind..."

GAUDY MAN: "Wahahaha! Why? What's the fun in winning my own cash back?"

GAUDY MAN: "However, if you really think you can pay me back… I'll loan it, with interest."

IZOU: "You're downright criminal, you know that?"

GAUDY MAN: "Come on, what if you win this time? And win big too, so that you actually turn a profit."

IZOU: "Bastard…"

Despite his cursing, you could already see him rummaging around in his wallet.

GAUDY MAN: "Attaboy. You need to spend money to make money, my friend. And see? Your goodwill has been rewarded by a couple of beautiful women and their pet ominous shadow gracing our presence."

They seemed to have noticed your arrival, looking up from the table as you, NERO, and MUSASHI approached.

OKADA IZOU, abruptly stood up, pointing in your direction. Or, more specifically, in MUSASHI's direction.

IZOU: "Saber? Saber, if that ain't you! Long time no see! I could never forget a pretty face like yours!"

It seems like he didn't pay much attention to you at the moment. You weren't exactly sure what you looked like previously, so there was a solid chance he just didn't recognize you.

MUSASHI: "I didn't think you'd be here, Assassin. How are things?"

IZOU: "Ah, the summonin' is a new deal. But... Say, do you and your rich-looking friend have some PPT you can loan an old pal? I swear I'm good for it."

MUSASHI: "Straight to asking for money? Assassin… take the war out of the picture and you're just sort of a slimeball, huh?"

IZOU: "C'mon, you're breakin' my heart here."

NERO: "As far as men go, I'd opt to call them both unsavory in very different ways."

GAUDY MAN: "Well, 'Assassin', don't just start up a conversation without introducing me. Especially in the company of such lovely ladies and their... well, dark and looming bodyguard, I presume?"

The man by IZOU spoke up, lightly clapping the Assassin on the back. He had a roguishly charismatic air about him, and seemed as slick as he was strong. He had the eyes of a schemer, similarly to CASTER.

DURYODHANA: "My name is Duryodhana, a pleasure. Though, when I grace the battlefield, the crowds have taken to calling me 'Jishnu'. It means 'Triumphant', where I hail from. I know, I know, it's a lot, but what can I say? The people call it as they see it."

MUSASHI: "Nice to meet you. You can just call me 'Saber', for now."

NERO: "I am Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Though Emperor Nero will suffice."

DURYODHANA: "An Emperor? Well, how about that? I'm royalty myself! How about some drinks for our new friends? I've come into quite a windfall recently thanks to my swordsman friend here, you see. Hahahahaha!"

DURYODHANA flagged down some of the waitstaff as he cackled heartily, as IZOU placed a hand on his blade, smiling wickedly.

IZOU: "Oh, fuck off… I'll kill you, you know? Stab you right through that exposed gut."

DURYODHANA: "I'd love to see you try."

The two men, the former with the eyes of a killer and the latter with the glare of a demon, stared at one another.

There was a moment of tension where you really thought they actually would slaughter each other in the middle of this casino, before they both laughed and clinked their drinks together.

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 6 #main post

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tgrailwar-zero · 4 months

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You followed in the direction SETANTA went, after a series of winding hallways that went further and further away from the warm comfort of the party.

You stepped outside into the quiet air, away from the party. The night wind was cold. Frigid. At the height you were, the sounds of the city below were distant, and the doors muffled the music from the celebration.

You didn't see SETANTA anywhere. Looking around, you saw some movement that caught your eye--

A small white puppy.

It barked, tail up and alert, eyes focused on you.

A few steps forward, and you heard the door slam behind you. The sound of a blade. Metal clattering to the ground.

SETANTA: "Figured you'd follow."

You didn't see him. His voice just echoed on the rooftop, drifting with the night wind.

His voice was cold. The night wind continued to nip at you.

He continued to speak, his voice young and casual, yet holding an amount of gravitas that was both completely familiar, and bone-chillingly serious.

SETANTA: "You were sealed for a reason. The Solar Cell sealed you for a reason. And now that you're free, that means everything is going to change. I can feel it. Whatever Sigurd has planned… whatever Charlemagne has planned, forget it… I don't have time for the scheming of kings right now… So I'm just going to get this out of the way."

You heard movement. Rustling. Something in your body tensed.

SETANTA: "Maybe you really don't remember a thing. In that case, then you're just unlucky. Sorry."

More movement. A form rushing towards you with inhuman speed.

A slash.

It's an instinct. Your body contorts, twists and cranes itself out of the way as the young man's blade slices through the air. It cuts a part of you- and pain grips you.

But there's a cold, sudden realization. Several in a row.

First.

If this Servant was 'CU CHULAINN', rather than 'SETANTA', that would have truly been a mortal blow.

Then.

Even if SETANTA had missed his mark this time, you couldn't take many attacks from a Servant.

And finally.

The only reason your body evaded on instinct, was because this situation was familiar.

This moment was enough to jog your memories. And this one was vivid.

Painful.

Agonizingly so.

You found yourself hidden away, mere feet away from a Servant.

The Lancer-class Servant you had summoned.

At first he had promise. Excellent statistics. Powerful skills. One of the greatest Noble Phantasms.

Now?

He was condemned. Traitorous. Had given up your cause for his own. You had expected him to be a loyal hound, and yet somewhere along the lines something went wrong.

Now he was just a mongrel that needed to be culled.

And here he was, close enough to kill you- and you to kill him, yet too wounded to move his body properly to deliver the killing blow.

In many ways, that could be considered a mercy. In others, a cruelty, considering the vast amount of pain that surged through every inch of your body.

'LANCER': "…Damn… who'd have thought you'd have the skill to keep up with a Heroic Spirit…? Though Berserker was carrying you for a bit there…"

The man, LANCER, laughed dryly. He leaned against the wall, as you heard the thunderous sound of rampaging off in the distance, as the ground shook. You were losing form… losing your grasp on the world, and it seemed like he was on death's door too.

Still, you knew that 'death's door' meant less to LANCER than it did to others.

You felt something surging from deep within your soul. Rage. Violent, hateful rage. Towards the world. Towards this place. And now, towards the Servant before you. It escaped your form like a violent hiss, the pain gripping even tighter, fueling that pure hatred.

He glared at you, putting one hand on one of his many wounds, before looking towards the sound of the footsteps.

'LANCER': "For fuck's sake… Curse me all you want, but there are some choices I need to make as a hero. So, just die and put that bad luck of yours to rest."

With that, the Lancer-class Servant vanished, as the thunderous footsteps drew closer.

Back in reality, in the present, the young pup of a warrior had landed past you, his weapon still drawn.

SETANTA: "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

You looked behind you. The door handle had been destroyed.

You were trapped.

He gripped his blade- for a moment with hesitancy- before steeling himself.

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 4 #endless whispers

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tgrailwar-zero · 2 months

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The 'Top 2' questions will be chosen, and then the story will continue to progress.

#thgw story #main post #thgw: chapter 5

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tgrailwar-zero · 3 months

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Shit, shit shit- Invader, can you do whatever weird techy stuff you do to insulate Thrud from whatever hacking signal is happening to her?

(failing that, do we have anything we can use to help protect Thrud?)

While I'm asking- can you to keep her safe while we take Rider and Avenger and track down that Attack Program?

KUKULKAN: "I'd rather not? I could try, but it'd be risky since this is clearly a virus… Especially if we don't have an idea of the cure, or quality of the hacking… if it can damage someone attached to Lord Sigurd, then it must be bad. We need intel."

She glanced away for a moment, before rephrasing her logic in a simpler sense and a slightly awkward smile.

KUKULKAN: "…Baaasically, would you kiss someone with an unknown infectious disease? I'm curious about things, but not that curious, you see?"

With a roll of his eyes, both amused and slightly stressed, your Rider lightly took your (collective) hands.

CONSTANTINE: "That means you're not hacking her either. It's a nice sentiment, but let's try to gather more information first. This isn't like Lucius- this has an active chance of damaging your body."

KUKULKAN: "We can work on improving your hacking later, okay?"

The Valkyrie, in clear discomfort at both the conversational nature of this moment and because of, well, everything else, sighed.

THRUD: "…Do you nnnot under--understand wha-aat 'Go' mmm--means? We haaa... we have a mi--mission."

GREY MESSENGER: "…Let's get going. Lady Thrud can take care of herself. After all, according to Invader, she's one of the great warriors of the Flaming Bout."

With that- you began your stealth attempt.

You snuck past the pale Valkyrie with relative ease. There was a moment where you thought they would catch you, but you heard the sound of scraping earth as THRUD drew her spear, stepping out of her hiding place. Her body, firm from a distance, seemed to still shudder and stagger as she pointed her spear forward.

THRUD: "...cCcc...Commencing... ba-- battle."

As they slowly closed in on THRUD's position, you made your way past, only able to hear the sounds of combat slowly fading into the background.

Passing the main road and approaching a dark, fog covered lake in your slow pursuit of the White Attack Program, you saw a few things.

First off, you saw a familiar face that you hadn't seen in quite some time- HISTORIA of the Red Faction. One of SABER- CHARLEMAGNE's- paladins. He didn't exactly seem happy to be here, but he kept his posture upright and his face stolid.

Secondly, there was a small squadron of pale Valkyrie, circling the center of the lake, surrounding an ethereal figure.

Like a white ghost, it sat in the middle of the lake, a signal erupting from its body. At this distance, you could feel the pulse emanating from it, the pale Valkyrie in the immediate vicinity shuddering every time it went out before returning back to their routine tasks. The signal that you were all searching for.

And finally, you saw the form of BRYNHILDR, slumped against a tree. Her limbs pinned to the ground with spells. You saw something pulsing by her heart-- a Trigger Key, embedded within her Spirit Core.

It seemed that SIGURD had chosen not to keep his key tied to his own Spirit Core, but instead manifesting his beloved to hold it instead. However, that didn't seem to be what they were after- at least not the only thing.

The flashing white Attack Program approached the elder Valkyrie, gripping her skull with the entirety of its hand before pulsing with intense, multicolored light as the woman began to thrash violently.

You couldn't tell what it was doing. Consuming data? Corrupting data?

HISTORIA: "Hey, do you have to do that? That looks pretty painful."

The White Attack program turned its head slowly towards 'HISTORIA', raising its blade to the weakened Valkyrie's neck as if proposing that instead. The knight took a few steps back, raising their hands in concession.

HISTORIA: "Hey, hey... understood. You have a process, I suppose."

The Attack Program removed its hand from BRYNHILDR's head, shoulders tensing in a general expression of frustration.

Generally not an ideal situation. But you were out of sight, ducked behind some fallen trees and foliage, and surrounded by an incredibly dense fog. Which gave you time to plan.

But, right now was game time. Analyze your position, gather more information, and think of the best way to continue forth.

Another small detail to note. AVENGER was absolutely bristling with murderous intent, considering 'HISTORIA' was present. Not exactly an issue, depending on what you desired to do.

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 5 #main post

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tgrailwar-zero · 22 days

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hey izou, this is a longshot, the longest shot of all longshots but, your summoning seems more stable so...do you have any weird dreams? dreams about fighting a caster and his shades in a church? or brawling with a rider who had no confidence? scolding a master for even thinking about alliances with rider in the middle of a war? fighting saber in the street at night? losing at gambling, coming home late, and nursing a horrible hangover? almost choking on bubble tea? killing a golden berserker in his own home? being trapped by a witch in a school with that rider we formed an alliance with? talking on the roof of a bar at night under the full moon?

He was quiet for a moment-- much longer than you'd expect for a yes or no question. Slightly, almost imperceptibly, his eyes narrowed- before he responded with a casual huff.

IZOU: "Servants can't dream. Anyways, we should get going."

DURYODHANA: "I see, well, that's a shame. I suppose the next time we meet, we'll be rivals. If you can impress the Boss, that is. Otherwise, have fun in the minor leagues."

KOMA: "...Koma should get going as well. Master Rikyu will be upset if I lose any more money at this gambling parlor. May we meet again."

With that, you, IZOU, and MUSASHI stepped outside, with NERO taking the Room Key to head back upstairs on her own. The cool, salty sea breeze chilled the air. Night had fallen quicker than you expected, though it wasn't too deep in the night to worry about shops closing- if they ever did close.

IZOU: "I'll get you signed up first. Then we'll take a walk around. We might be able to catch the person I'm lookin' for before she leaves for the night. Boss is hard to impress, but she's got a real eye for battle talent."

He walked you to what seemed like a large, arena-like building, leading you inside. It was quiet, astoundingly so as he looked around. He seemed frustrated, as you gathered the feeling that whoever he was looking to talk to wasn't here anymore before he suddenly exclaimed.

IZOU: "Ah-- caught her!"

He pointed at a woman leaving out one of the doors, jogging over.

IZOU: "Yo, Boss. Found some new blood!"

Turning to look at the 'Boss' in question--

That was JAGUAR MAN.

Sure, the aesthetic was different, but… that was her. You watched as she furrowed her brow, looking between you, MUSASHI, and IZOU.

MUSASHI: "Oh, hey! Long time, no see!"

JAGUAR MAN: "Tch. Well, ain't we friendly, Miss Fancy Pants?"

MUSASHI: "Uh, what?"

JAGUAR MAN: "It's late, Man-Kisser. This little kitty was on her way back home, not trying to fill out paperwork."

IZOU: "Man-Slayer, and I know, I know, but--"

JAGUAR MAN: "--Kissin' men, slayin' men, who cares? In this day and age they mean the same thing. You couldn't do this tomorrow morning like anyone else who felt like cutting it close? We already had one more late arrival, I don't wanna make this a habit."

IZOU: "C'mon, I'll owe ya' one. Promise. Just give 'em a look-over. I wouldn't just bring ya' some punk off the street."

There was a long moment of silence as JAGUAR MAN slowly paced around you three, looking up and down.

JAGUAR MAN: "Hm… well, just from looks alone, they seem like 'A+' competitors…"

She paused, before suddenly yelling--

JAGUAR MAN: "Meaning AMATEUR PLUS!"

JAGUAR MAN: "…"

JAGUAR MAN: "As in SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN AMATEURS!"

JAGUAR MAN: "..."

JAGUAR MAN: "As in--"

MUSASHI: "YEAH. WE GOT IT."

IZOU: "C'mon, Boss! Saber's good, I promise. She can handle the big leagues."

She tapped her naginata on the ground, pursing her lips as if she was in deep, intensive thought, red eyes boring into you and your Servant. She sighed, clicking her tongue.

JAGUAR MAN: "So, normally I'd toss you in the minor bracket, where you can just mess around with the would-be's and has-been's for a smaller pot… But, we've got an open spot in the major bracket. One of the fighters called in sick last-minute, caught a virus. But I'm not just giving it out to just anyone, I need the competitor to be someone that can fill seats. Someone with a story that'll capture the hearts and minds of viewers! We need ticket sales and thrilling fights, got it?"

She locked eyes with you.

JAGUAR MAN: "You're Miss Dual-Wielder's manager, right? Give me a backstory that'll sell seats, and I'll consider giving you this open spot in the main bracket with the big-leaguers. As long as you can afford the 400 PPT entrance fee."

MUSASHI: "I don't totally get what's going on, but... just tell her something she likes so we can get to the fighting part?"

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 6 #main post

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tgrailwar-zero · 4 months

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You felt the indecision tug at you. To summon, or not to summon? To fight back, or not to fight back? Maybe using one of your Origins at this point wasn't the right idea. Maybe using your items was a bad idea. Maybe it would be fine. Run? Jump? Fight? Wait?

Maybe you could run- call for help... this wasn't exactly the easiest situation.

Of course, you had a body now. Abilities. Powers. Magic, probably. You were throwing a lot of things at the wall, so why not try one more? Your felt a string of logic slowly, carefully, press itself up to the forefront- gentle, not forceful or demanding, just giving a tiny bit of advice in what could be considered a stressful situation.

[ …The Servant 'CU CHULAINN' belongs to you.

He's your Servant. The Solar Cell took him, sure, but that didn't stop him from being your Servant.

If he's your Servant… you could probably take him back, right? Just hypothetically.

Take him back. Gain an ally. Remove a threat. Three step, easy process. It wasn't like you could do this in every situation, but this was a special case.

And why deal with all of the mess of a battle? The city needed to be repaired- it wasn't like having a big massive Servant battle was going to help things. Really, if you solved this now, you could go back to the party before anyone even realized what happened. Get back to being praised and celebrated as heroes. Talk with Rider, dance with Invader, drink with Musashi-- have the time of your lives.

If it worked, it worked. If it didn't, it didn't. You could just go back to whatever you were planning before. ]

Gently, gently, that logic wormed its way in. Not from one of you-- though it was coming from you-- so maybe it was?

You felt something pull at you. You've fought with CU CHULAINN before- you knew how good of a Servant he was.

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 4 #main post #summoning poll

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tgrailwar-zero · 3 months

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In a frantic panic, you threw yourselves backwards, your body losing cohesion as you narrowly dodged the blade of the young warrior, looking for an exit strategy. Despite a small amount of inner protest, you figured that making a fast exit was the quickest way to work things out.

After flinging one of your sandwiches at him, you flung yourself off the building, focusing everything you had onto… well, not splattering. Reinforcement Magecraft was hard. Not just for anyone, but even good mages couldn't justify the risk-reward it set up… but, if there was ever a time to try, it was now. So, you focused- put every ounce of magic in your body towards it- felt your semi-corporeal body get a little bit more corporeal and then…

With a crash, you slammed into the hard pavement, kicking up asphalt as your body… remained intact.

It worked.

Of course, then came the surging pain that happened the last time you tried this magecraft. You felt everything go dull, your ability to move fully hampered as a figure landed on the ground, mere meters away. Carefully, the young man approached, his expression playful, but his eyes cold and focused.

SETANTA: "Off the roof, huh? That desperate to survive… you're just embarrassing yourselves."

His tone, as casual as friendly as ever, even as he approached.

He raised his blade again, before suddenly something caught his attention. He quickly jumped backwards, inches away from a slash that cleaved through the air. Your attention fell on a form that… well, you expected to see still partying. MUSASHI, with her blades ready.

MUSASHI: "Long time no see, Lancer. Sharp as ever."

SETANTA: "Heh. ...Yo, Saber."

You felt the tension- thick and palpable between the two, before a two more forms manifested. A chill swept through the air, as the Lord and Lady of the Nameless City made their presence known.

SIGURD: "…Miss Musashi. Allow me to handle this. Look after your Masters. Brynhildr, you assist Musashi and prepare."

BRYNHILDR: "Understood."

MUSASHI: "I… alright. Fine. But… Lancer…"

SETANTA: "No time for talk, Saber. I don't know why you're defendin' them, but I've got a duty."

"Now, 'Lord Sigurd'… Coming from the super-pragmatist you are, I figure you have a reason as to why you haven't killed 'em. Mind sharing with the class?"

SIGURD: "Not at this moment, no."

He stated dryly, drawing his sword and pointing it at the youth.

SIGURD: "You stand in my territory. This is not your forest, Beastmaster. I will give you one chance to cease."

SETANTA: "Hehe. 'Not at this moment, no'."

A lunge forward.

A slash.

Shockwaves.

Glass on surrounding windows shattered. Citizens ducked down as each strike, each clashing blade, created a sonic boom.

Your head pounded after each strike, the exhaustion from the spell you managed to barely eek out causing a dull pain to surge throughout your body, constant and throbbing. You could barely focus your attention on the battle above you, though it was hard to avert your eyes to begin with.

You hadn't seen Lair Servants fight before- but now you were seeing why they were the pride and joy of the Solar Cell and those who lived there. Why they were respected. Loved. Feared. In older times, Holy Grail Wars had to be kept secret, so the unadulterated might of heroes of ages past had to be restrained.

Here? They didn't need to be restrained.

SETANTA: "You're gettin' slow, Sigurd!"

SIGURD: "And yet I'm keeping pace."

In critical moments, to hold the pressure on the Lord of the Nameless City, the Beastmaster would switch to his quarterstaff with a blinding barrage of blows, before swiftly switching back to his short sword to cut in close. And with the might of the Sun, the Lord of the Nameless City would follow a similar strategy, cycling between using his mighty Gram as a double-bladed weapon before breaking into pieces and fighting swiftly with a longsword or a dagger.

A flurry of blades. A beautiful dance of weaponry.

The VALKYRIE kept their distance, knowing that they'd be in the way, focusing purely on making sure that the collateral damage was kept to a minimum and no citizens were hurt.

As you lay prone on the ground, quietly guarded by your samurai ally and the Lady of the Nameless City, you saw that she was carefully etching runes into the air- that once drawn, would fly off somewhere else in a short, subtle burst of magic.

Watching SIGURD and SETANTA fight, it was clear that SIGURD had the upper hand, however there would be moments where SETANTA's being would be surrounded by a black shadow-- before he would quickly shake it off, and continue fighting as normal.

The fight waged on and on, before suddenly the Lord of the Nameless City's voice bellowed out--

SIGURD: "Brynhildr! Now!"

On cue, the Valkyrie slammed her spear into the ground, the runes by you lighting up as well as sending a pillar of light in other places, encapsulating the two battling Servants- and leaving you just on the outside. She rested your head down on the ground, before vanishing.

As the light faded, you could see a shift in the terrain. Not a 'Reality Marble', but something astonishingly similar. The circular space resembled that of a shining white castle, surrounded by burning flames- and the sky in that one specific area was a beautiful clear blue.

This was the 'true territory' granted to SIGURD and BRYNHILDR by the Solar Cell. The facade of an urban metropolis peeled away temporarily. The 'Nameless City' allowed others to live there, but just as QUETZALCOATL's domain was her temple in which she watched over her people, this was manifested to grant the two total authority.

You watched as BRYNHILDR manifested on the other side, before SIGURD appeared opposite her, leaving the young SETANTA in the middle.

They both raised an arm, runic symbols spiraling around them and tracing a pattern on the manifested snowy ground.

The air grew still- as you watched the air in the domain fill with countless women, each of them dressed in identical, shining, swan white tunics.

The firmament shifted from a sky blue to a blinding white, as the countless shieldmaidens raised their weapons. Within the bounds of the city limits, something just short of a catastrophe was about to unfold.

Looking up, a single emotion pushed itself to the surface.

Fear.

BRYNHILDR: "By the decree of the All-Father, and the light of the Sun…!"

SIGURD: "...Witness this fantasy of the End of Days…"

Pure, unadulterated fear.

While this wasn't it, your form recognized this magic as a crucial part of what sealed you away. A Noble Phantasm that spared the pure and obliterated what was evil. That culled the wicked and rewarded the virtuous. Modified, requiring the synchronized hearts of both the Lord and Lady to activate. A localized Ragnarök- and those that failed whatever 'checks' required would not live to see the day.

You could hear MUSASHI's breathing picked up, a palpable tension rising from her body as she gripped her blades tighter.

There was a long beat of tension as the Lair Servants found themselves in a stalemate.

The young warrior's eyes darted around, his teeth grit in frustration before… he held his hands up.

SETANTA: "…I surrender. If you're willin' to go this far for them, then... fine. For now, I'll back off."

A pause, before the VALKYRIE lowered their weapons and the runes surrounding the Lord and Lady slowed.

Though SIGURD's face was obscured, you could practically hear the relief in his voice.

SIGURD: "I appreciate your restraint. Though I'm sure it wasn't for my sake. The citizens of the Nameless City are thankful to not have to witness the full might of the Beastmaster."

With a huff, the young man shrugged before turning away to face BRYNHILDR, who had a complicated look on her face.

BRYNHILDR: "Setanta... we..."

SETANTA: "...This isn't over. If you want them that badly, then they're your responsibility. The second things start gettin' out of hand..."

SIGURD: "...You have our word. They won't."

With a nod that wasn't quite satisfied, but aware nonetheless, the Beastmaster fully sheathed his weapons.

The white castle and your own adrenaline began to fade, exhaustion overtook your form as the Nameless City returned to what it once was...

Before SETANTA could disappear, MUSASHI called out.

MUSASHI: "Lancer. They want to do things differently this time. But I'm sure your mind is set."

SETANTA: "You're takin' a huge risk here. All of you. But whatever, I'm not going to try to fight all of you- not with two more of their Servants en route. The city wouldn't be able to take it. But--"

MUSASHI: "--Don't worry, if things go wrong, I've got my wakazashi right here."

The boy laughed dryly in response, before his smile faded.

SETANTA: "Hey, Saber-- Musashi... I wonder… if us bein' the only ones left makes us lucky, or unlucky..."

With nothing but a half-hearted shrug and a smile, the sword saint responded...

MUSASHI: "…See you around, Lancer. Setanta."

Like distant friends. Like close strangers. The two Servants stared at each other from a long distance away, a shadowed history keeping them tethered to the moment at hand.

With a sigh, the young pup turned away and snapped his fingers.

SETANTA: "We're off."

With an excited yip, the puppy accompanying him- trotting away with a sandwich in its mouth- joined SETANTA...

...And in a flash of blue data, they disappeared.

And additionally, you suddenly felt very, very tired. Not in a supernatural sense, but in the fact that you had just used very strenuous magecraft for the first time, and while successful, it had also been accompanied with the high stress of almost having your throat slit and jumping off of a skyscraper. In this case, exhaustion was normal.

And with that, in the arms of your Saber, you quietly slipped into darkness.

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 4 #main post

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tgrailwar-zero · 3 months

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... erm.

... Lord Sigurd? Not to ask the obvious question but...

... you keep talking about having sealed us, and stuff we did before... there's a good bit of folks with opinions about us based on who we used to be... but we have, at best, patchwork memories of... well, anything. The sharpest memories I have were jostled loose when Setanta jumped us, and that was just about Cu Chulainn.

Could I ask you to catch us up on... who we were? What we were, exactly? What we did, and all that?

SIGURD: "Right... I wish I could provide you answers, but your exact nature is difficult to parse. I know that you are related to the Void Cell, and are made up of many souls, but your past is your own... or perhaps not even that. I'm sorry."

SIGURD: "However, I can at least provide context from the point of view of the Solar Cell. It's a long story, but I will happily regale you if you'd like to listen."

He adjusted his glasses, before speaking.

"The Moon Cell was a natural phenomenon. Rich with data, collected over thousands and thousands of years."

"And as such, it was a treasure trove for magi. However, it also fell under the gaze of less caring eyes."

"The Void Cell. An entity made to steal, consume, and destroy data. It landed in the midst of one of the Moon Cell's 'Holy Grail Wars', and began to harvest relentlessly."

"And as such came the first 'Invader'-class Servant. The Anti-Cell. A 'Foreigner' made for naught but the destruction of human history. Catastrophe made flesh, it did nothing but destroy and rend apart the Masters of the Moon as they tried to defend the Moon Cell- to save the data that had been collected over millennia. It corrupted heroes, made an army of its own. Masters fell, Servants fell, and the surface of the Moon turned into a battleground. When things reached their limit, one of the Servants stepped forward."

"Using a power that she had forbid herself from accessing before, she became a Heavenly Divinity- a being of Creation- and therefore possessed the capabilities to build a safe-haven for humanity's data. She knew she could not fight the Anti-Cell as she was, and so sought to 'defend' rather than 'fight."

"And thus, the Solar Cell was created. A last bastion for human history. A final stand for mankind. However, with fear in her heart, the Heavenly Divinity did not immediately wage war with the Invader. Rather, she wished to gather power, and to rid herself of her own doubts and hesitations. And as such, she locked herself within the core, gathering her strength- and summoned Servants to serve as the vanguard. And, due to possessing the data of humanity, a digital humanity began to flourish on the Solar Cell itself- cultivated by the resting soul of the Heavenly Divinity."

"Nine of us were summoned to defend the Solar Cell. To care for the Solar Cell, and the new world that was being developed. We were assigned titles, rather than Class-names, to help conceal our True Names while simultaneously giving us a role as 'Warriors of the Sun', rather than just 'Servants'."

"The Beastmaster. A complicated spirit that taught the people of the Solar Cell to govern and fight for themselves. Who mocked our circumstances, yet happily provided aid."

"The Healer. A spirit who spent their time protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, and tending to the wounded- no matter who, or what they were."

"The Priestess. A wise woman who did all she could to ward off danger and incoming threats, while blessing the people with the light of the sun."

"The Slayer. A powerful soul that stood on the precipice of the Sun and the Moon, ready to wage war against the incoming darkness."

"The Keeper. A proud warrior who made sure that the history of both the Moon and the Sun remained in the grasp of the people, and who used his immense knowledge to ensure our future."

"The General. A soft-spoken hero, who's taciturn nature allowed him to provide comfort to those under his protection, and put fear into the hearts of his enemies."

"The Pharaoh. An unshakable spirit that enraptured the hearts of those residing in the Solar Cell, and who laughed in the face of the Void Cell's threat."

"The Protector. A stalwart, shining heart that served as a beacon of constant hope throughout the Solar Cell, whenever they took the battlefield."

"And myself. The 'Freyr'. Using both wisdom and might, I did my best to guide my allies… though I didn't do well enough. Many of them are gone. Replaced, thankfully, by similarly legendary souls. But I often wonder if I could have done more..."

"Regardless, back then, we did what we could to defend and nurture the Solar Cell. We shored our defenses, built settlements, prepared for battle, watched over the budding digital life, and waited for the Invaders to attack."

"And, rather than enemies, we encountered the Interlopers- your 'past selves'- and their Servants."

"We originally thought that they were travelers- survivors from the Moon Cell that had made it to the Solar Cell. Perhaps Servants that had been summoned by the Moon, and had been in search for allies. They asked questions, shared stories regarding the state of the Moon... for a short while, they were welcome."

"Unfortunately for us, it was a 'Trojan Horse'. Presumably an entity crafted by those loyal to the Anti-Cell to slip past our defenses, and tear us apart from the inside. It was our fault. We were all incredibly powerful Servants- each of us almost certain to win a Grail War if summoned… and that made us arrogant. We had expected an all-our war from the start, and instead we were stabbed in the back, and our home lit ablaze as we tried to recover."

"We were betrayed, and war spread across the Solar Cell. We were powerful, but the Servants of the Interlopers fought with an undying rage, an unending hunger, that we couldn't keep up with. When they couldn't defeat us in direct battle, then they'd force us into positions where our people would be at risk, or use the power of the Void Cell to overwhelm us. In our darkest hour, the Priestess proposed an idea. If we could not stop the Interlopers, then we could hold them back for long enough for the Heavenly Divinity to manifest."

"And so, we pooled all of our wit, skill, magic, and strength into developing a seal. Every bit of magic we had, we put into it, placing a conditional curse. For the conflict that they had waged against the Solar Cell, and for as long as the flames of rage burned within them, they would be made to fight among themselves."

"…Afterwards, we focused on rebuilding. And to speed up the Heavenly Divinity's growth, we began siphoning energy from the Moon Cell to wage our own Grail Wars, using the mana of the defeated Servants to fuel the Solar Cell."

SIGURD: "Then, eventually, after a few cycles of gathering energy- you broke free."

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 5 #endless whispers #main post

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tgrailwar-zero · 2 months

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I mean, you did call us the devil, wouldn't the company of a demon be pretty fitting?

You could practically hear him roll his eyes.

ARCHIVIST: "Mhm."

Any other attempts at banter were met with a brick wall. It seemed like he had said his piece, and didn't exactly care enough to hold a conversation.

It was at this point that you realized that AVENGER had also walked off.

...Guess that meant it was time to get going.

As you were shooed off by the ARCHIVIST (or left before he had a chance to, at least), it was just you and the cards.

The card really was self-explanatory. It had the name of the section blinking on it, and served as a quiet GPS to lead you there. It was very useful. And, when you found the second you needed, you noticed that the shelves moved and shifted and all you had to do was put in either the specific name of a book, or the topic, and it would get you started.

Reading was… well, uneventful if you didn't enjoy research, but great if you did.

There wasn't really much here that differed from what SIGURD had told you regarding the Moon Cell specifically, which wasn't a ton to begin with.

The Moon Cell was a natural phenomenon, Magi flocked to it, Holy Grail War, Titan attack.

It goes into some detail concerning a Great Lunar Ritual, with experience prompting that it was supposedly what the locals referred to the Grail War as. A free-for-all, with 999 preliminary participants that eventually got pared down to 128 Masters and Servants, fighting for the 'Holy Grail' within the Moon. Golden kings, massive mechanized warriors, so on so forth.

And then there was more of what SIGURD told you.

The Titan attacked, and the Holy Grail War went from a Free-for-All to an actual War, at least with the Servants and Masters both alive and willing to participate. An coalition called 'The Lunar Sea Council', headed by the heir to the West European Plutocracy, brought together Wizards and warriors alike.

In your research, you reach a bit of a hitch.

You find a message tucked in the data- opening it up. A knight, blond with shining armor, spoke quietly.

SERVANT: "I may get in some trouble for this…Caster, sorry, 'The Priestess' wants us to move on. Karna and I are the only ones that remember still. The others are new, fresh, told that this world is the only one that matters until she awakens. To sit on our laurels for now, and await her to gather up all of the power she can before engaging the Titan."

SERVANT: "I do not blame her. Our current situation is terrifying. They snuffed out Excalibur before it could even begin to shine, and my sword pales in comparison. To be told to sit and wait is irritating, but I can't argue. We're backed against a wall. Wanting a fresh start- a facade of normalcy... "

SERVANT: "Still… Leo… one day, I will return to the home front, and destroy that Titan for you. I won't move on- I won't forget. Not yet. Not until I can proudly face you when we meet again."

GAWAIN: "I, Gawain, promise you that."

The message ends. Quietly. You stew in that quiet for a moment, with the knowledge that the Servant in that message- as brave and caring as he was- never made it back to the Moon. The Interlopers and their Servants killed him. Culled him before his dream could be realized.

With that- you continue reading.

The rest of the reading is pretty straightforward. Again, mostly rehashing what SIGURD had relayed to you with some extra details.

A Heavenly Divinity, having reduced herself to the status of a Heroic Spirit, made a stand against the Titan. Using her immense power, she established a barrier between the remnants of humanity and the great titan, building a new world where life flourished- though the moon remained barren, kept ever vigil by the Lair Servants that protect the new barrier, the new world known as the 'Solar Cell' from harm.

If anything, the most interesting piece of information was the utter lack of information regarding the Moon. No True Names, no names of participating Wizards, no details about the Ritual or what exactly the 'Holy Grail' the magi were hunting for was. The titan attacked, but outside of it being great and terrible and that it had been deterred by the Heavenly Divinity, there really wasn't much else... which, considering how dense this Archive was, there should be something... right?

Regardless, that was all you could find for now.

You put down the books you had, before realizing you weren't alone. There was someone… very close to your immediate vicinity.

In other words, that was a lot of chest.

...You looked up at the head attached to the aforementioned chest.

PLAYBOY (NO SENSE OF PERSONAL SPACE): "Ga… wain…"

Now- running into a handsome, sensitive man in the library? If this was a different genre, this might count as a 'meet-cute'. Perhaps a 'romance flag'. For now, it was just a 'meet', and the 'cute' was really up to interpretation considering the opinions of your twisted amalgamated mind(s), and the color of the flag currently raised here was to be determined.

#thgw story #main post #thgw: chapter 5

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tgrailwar-zero · 2 months

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Excuse me, good sir, but your... uh, your chest... it's... ah... rather close...

... I mean- I don't mind, but I'm not the only one here...

[suggest: impromptu 24 Hour Poll: Do We Mind the good sir's chest in our face?]

Yeah, why not?

In terms of the message? Most likely. Unless you know any other people named Gawain.

Regarding your 'magical scan'. It doesn't seem like the information is magically hidden, as much as it's just unavailable. Hidden in the way information is oft hidden- by not having it easily accessed. These archives are dense, just not in terms of this specific topic.

You try to speak out to the stranger, as he grits his teeth.

PLAYBOY (NO SENSE OF PERSONAL SPACE): "Vel… ber… Ti… tan…"

PLAYBOY (NO SENSE OF PERSONAL SPACE): "Rrrr..."

He paused.

As if remembering something, he reached in his pockets and handed you several loose scraps of paper. The data, and the paper itself, seemed corrupted and damaged. Worn and messy.

From the handwriting, it seems like another section of Chaotic Heroic.

[ You received 'Scraps of Chaotic Heroic!' ]

But the handwriting is messy. Almost chicken-scratch, lacking the humor (intentional or not) from the previous parts. They seem rushed, as if the author was terrified of losing the words before they hit the page.

Three sections really stand out.

From then I knew the truth. That beast-man I once met Would sooner rend the world. And force us to forget. Vile fox, dreaded vixen. Don't we rhyme, you and I? Heroes we wish to play, Fate will always deny.

The herald from above, Dark markings stained his flesh. His mind of whirling gears, His heart metallic mesh. "Bow", he thus proclaimed, "Mankind's karma hath come". With that the sky went black, The heavens crashed like drums.

A form of endless snow. Great titan made of white. Towered o'er Romeo, As Jul'et's sword took flight. Maestro! Oh, my Maestro! My head feels soon to split! Forgive mine uncouth words-- There's no defeating it!

You know. Light reading.

As soon as you finished reading that, the stranger was gone- and you were back alone.

#thgw story #main post #thgw: chapter 5 #chaotic heroic

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