Well, apparently his arrival had scared the other kingly one off! Haha! Though the other immediate reactions were less than enticing at first. The bird-like fighter seemed to just casually stop the battle, talking down upon him before turning to go away. Seeming to be a Saber at that, such conduct seemed so very...blargh! He'd been in duels before, his pride on the line against the best of the Trojans due to the gods' intervening, but how many a time had had been forced to defend against a terrible situation? As a heroic spirit, he felt it would have been pathetic to back off when facing with greater odds! It was a hero's role to face those insurmountable odds, and overcome them through their own strength!
"Should I suppose a dainty and wilted flower such as yourself, Saber, holds all but the most strict of duels as being beneath you as a heroic spirit? Is war a thing made by musicians and artist for your amusement, devoid of strife and surprises? It is pathetic, if such a thing is your definition of battle!"
Shielder let out a booming laugh that shook the air after he had spoken, as such reasons to leave a battle seemed so foolish! Even Hector himself had been a great warrior, knowing when to fight and now, and how to face the situations before him. Admittedly he'd been butchered by Achilles himself his actions, but such was the ways of war. They lived, they died, and they in the end fought for their pride and glory upon the field of battle! But this woman was no Achilles, nor a Hector. Her might physically was real, and she seemed to love the dance of combat, yet such an attitude of hubris about her battles would get her nowhere in his mind!
Oh, but that pressure from the other regal figure here! He too seemed angered at the interruption of that battle with Saber, and yet unlike the pansy of a warrior he acted! Indeed, he went on the attack! The weight of the large man's pressure was being exuded so hard against Shielder's own body and mind, and it made the warrior laugh aloud jovially as the other servant charged him with their great hammer in hand. It was not something to shrug off, but neither was it impossible to force himself through. Finally, someone who had the mind to battle here despite it all!
Aias as swiftly as possible held up his shield, already up in a battle-ready stance much like his spear after landing, to meet the blow as his body pushed itself into combat with a sort of zeal. In particular, the man shoved back a bit with his shield in a small burst of his strength as the foe's hammer came down upon it, seeking to make a defensive counter-blow in the process using his own mighty strength.
"Yes! Alright, this will just take a second!" the Hylian said, glad they had some room for a moment as Suzuka came back to where he was and placed her sword in the perfect position.
The Hylian quickly sheathed his sword and tossed his shield on his back once more, before pulling out the tablet-like device that was attached to his hip. A set of icons rapidly appeared on its screen, as if in anticipation, and without having to look Link quickly tapped one of the icons that looked like a yellow lock as he pointed the tablet-like device at Daitsuuren. In an instant, the sword seemed to stop where it was in mid-spin, as if it had been frozen in time. It seemed covered in a strange, tight yellow aura that began to glimmer and blink from the moment it appeared. Link's tablet seemed to make a countdown-like noise as well, as if...oh.
"Stay on this side, and hit your sword with everything you've got while facing the direction of the enemies! It won't hurt the weapon at all, that aura on it make sure of that, but once the timer on this effect wears off you'll be in for a treat!"
Link seemed equal parts serious and excited as he gave quick and clear instructions to Suzuka. If she but followed his words, and with the strength she seemed to have at that, then this was going to be a very fast cleanup operation indeed. Plus...well...this would also give them much more time for the looting after these guys were mopped up~
Personality: A hulking yet noble warrior, who has only ever been most drawn to the battlefield and glories that can be wrought upon it during his three lifetimes. He is one who does not mind the life of a traveling warrior, and his generally open disposition for whom he serves can be seen by just how many lords he joined with and fought for in the past. Indeed, he will fight for a lord no matter their land or disposition, and so long as he sees them as a noble and fitting ruler. For those lords whom he favors, and who treat him well, he will repay their character with great loyalty and all his might in return. Of course, one not need be a warlike ruler to gain his service and loyalty, though he does enjoy the company of those who are not afraid to head out into battle.
Yet his temper can also be quite fierce and vengeful when stoked, however, especially when he feels others are not performing their necessary duties (like properly avenging a slain parent). Likewise, when encounting behavior he sees as “ill-fitting” (such as ignoring one’s duty) he will not hold back his opinions on the matter verbally...and even physically in some more severe or extreme cases if he is ignored on the matter. At times his loyalty has been questionable under the circumstances, though with these decisions have come many regrets on his part that linger even now.
Stats: (passive effects of “Affections of the God” have been applied to the below)
Strength: A Endurance: A+ Agility: A Mana: C Luck: C Noble Phantasm: B
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance: B
-grants protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether.
Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected. Starkad gains this rank mainly due to two factors. The first is the blessing of “invincibility” (not very well defined) that Odin gave him, and the second factor is his very...”mixed” heritage since his paternal grandparents are a jotun and an elf respectively (Starkad’s mother was human though).
Personal Skills:
Curse of Wealth and Wanting: A
-In life, Starkad received from Odin blessings to “[possess] the most excellent of weapons”, and have “an abundance of riches” in life without fail. Thor in turn cursed the man to “never possess his own land” and to “never feel he had enough land” in return. The end result was a life that was abundant with riches and the finest of weapons, but was utterly barren in terms of acquiring land (a form of wealth back then in and of itself) or even being able to do so. This still holds true for Starkad as a servant.
Battle Continuation: A
-is a Skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds. It will also reduce mortality rate from injury. This Skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn't know when to give up, consisting of one's strength of vitality in predicaments. It is also one of the powers of a vampire. The best result is achieved when a resilient body is combined with this Skill.
A skill that arose from Starkad’s own feats, resilient body due to his jotun blood (from his grandfather), and two of the blessings/curses received from Odin and Thor respectively. Odin blessed Starkad to always have “victory in battle” and to “live three lifetimes” on one hand, granting him immense vitality and an advantage in battles, whereas Thor cursed him to “always receive dangerous wounds” in battle. Combined with Starkad’s already resilient and mighty body, the end result was Starkad gaining immense survivability and capability in battle no matter how badly he was hurt.
An example of Starkad’s stubborn survivability can be seen in one particular battle, when he was very old and being called “Starkad the Old” at the time. He managed to fully recover after a battle where he received: a large gash on his chest that naturally made his lungs hang out of his body, a large gash on his neck (a very fatal place to get gashed open that likely poured out blood), a blow so severe his jaw was cut such that his “chin fell” (and he held it in place by biting his own beard), six big wounds that themselves were “as close as anyone had been to killing him so far”, and finally lost a finger on his right hand. Through that entire battle he never slowed down either, killing enemies and the enemy champions left and right and simply ignoring his wounds and continuing on to fight.
He has also survived being cut up so bad his guts were hanging out, and lived on well after another battle where he had his skull outright cleft by the enemy and had a lung hanging out of his body.
Affection of the God: B
-is a Skill that denotes one being loved by a male god.
Starkad was a foster son of Odin himself, who blessed him with five great blessings and not only upheld these through the rest of Starkad’s life...but frankly under his mortal guise of “Grani Horsehair” he treated and cared for Starkad like a son throughout Starkad’s life. Other than Mana and Luck, all parameters are ranked-up.
Noble Phantasm(s):
Name: Gungnir Reflection, “The Sure-Striking Reed of Death”
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 5-40
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Appearance: Starkad possesses the same spear Odin gave him in life, which to all looks like a mere reed stalk whilst he is carrying it around and using it (even when in battle). In truth, however, it is much more than that. It is a spear made by Odin himself for Starkad, yet disguised to look like a reed stalk to throw off suspicions. Through its design, as crafted by Odin, and its use in Starkad’s life, it was transformed into a degraded version of Gungnir that bears a portion of the original’s power.
When this spear’s power is activated, however, all can perceive its true and glorious form for that duration of time. Then once finished, the spear returns to its normal “reed stalk” appearance once more.
Effects: A demonic spear possessing a passive but powerful sure-hit function when using it in general (ranged or melee), making it very hard to evade. Indeed, it will reach any target it is used against no matter the angle, position, or distance without fail. Further, it will automatically return to the hands of it wielder if it is ever lost, knocked out of their hands, or leaves their hands after being used as a thrown weapon (which it can be used as). This is also a natural ability of Gungnir passed down to this Noble Phantasm.
When its True Name is invoked, the spear swells with power and unleashes its true might when thrown. With the sure-hit function remaining in place, the spear will inevitably impact the chosen target without fail and explode in an anti-unit scale explosion. Due to the anecdotes of its use in Starkad’s legend the weapon will only ever be on an “Anti-Unit” power level. However, this attack and the explosion have the added bonus traits of dispersing existences related to magecraft and magical power - such as Servants and familiars, magical formulas, Phantasmal Species, Bloodsucking Species, etc (individuals who fail in their resistance checks are dispersed).
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Changes: (none)
In times long past, the god Odin “sacrificed” himself to learn the Runes by impaling himself with his own spear, Gungnir, and then hanging himself from Yggdrasil’s branches by a noose. This reenactment because a sacrificial ritual, one used to offer up human sacrifices to Odin himself. However, in the case of the heroic spirit Starkad this ritual became something much more.
In Starkad’s life, a mock reenactment of the sacrificial ritual was to be performed on his friend and liege: King Vikar. This was because King Vikar had been selected by Odin as a human sacrifice he desired, one which Odin desired such that he had becalmed the winds and stranded Vikar, Starkad, and the rest of the large army they were going home on some small islands for. This sacrifice was also, in part, the price that Starkad had to pay for the blessings and curses he had received from the gods the previous night.
However, the rest of Vikar’s men had not wanted to kill the king and thus felt a “mock” sacrifice would satiate Odin. Yet when the supposedly “mock” ritual was performed on King Vikar by Starkad, who was in on the god’s plans for Vikar, Odin’s power created a genuine “miracle” that transformed the mock sacrifice into a very real one. In that moment the spear of Starkad took on its true form/power as Odin had designed it, taking in a portion of Gungnir’s own power and “becoming” Gungnir though adopting its role and identity during this (now very real) human sacrifice. Due to the spear’s transformation, Starkad ended up slaying Vikar in one powerful blow from it.
Link had drawn out his sword and shield, and begun to help the fox-eared girl by clearing out the stragglers that got close to him. These undead seemed to have some form of fighting skill, but they were far from the likes of a Lynel and its martial skills. He'd killed more of those than he could count in the past! Blows were parried to deliver decisive death blows, arrows were guarded against or outright parried back into the skulls of those firing them, and the Hero of Hyrule was admittedly falling back into his old combat habits as he helped combat the undead once more.
Yet Suzuka seemed to be moving her weapons without the need for hands, unlike before when the two of them had sparred. Though a sword had been seemingly thrown at him before as well. Had that been this same technique back then? Her fighting style was itself a rather odd thing, not that he was complaining right now, but at the same time it seemed to tug at something in his brain, as if...oh. OH!!! If she did that thing again with her swords, and then he used the Stasis function of the Shiekah Slate...yes, that would work very well! Maybe. Kinda. He'd kinda experimented with these sorts of things quite a bit after having first left the Great Plateau.
A lightbulb had gone off in the Hylian boy's head, and a grin came to his face as he called aloud to his ally.
"I have an idea to finish them off quickly! I just need you to come over here a sec, and to get one of those swords spinning in the air and aimed towards...chest height for these things? Yeah, that'll work!" Link said, thinking over the details aloud to Suzuka as he struck down another skeletal foe before him with the glowing might of his holy blade, "All i need to do is use a little something of mine on the sword, and we can mow these things down in an instant!"
Of course a cabinet from a nearby room could also work, but...meh, it was more fragile perhaps than this. A big rock might've helped, but they didn't have one of those either. However, if the eccentric-seeming swordswoman wanted to go with the idea, they'd get to have a fun time with it!
Hmm? So this was perhaps one reason why the little witch here had summoned him, that her arts left her so exposed upon the battlefield? At least, such seemed to be the case to the towering Achaean's experienced eyes. He had never been one to make use of the magical arts, but so long as this woman didn't merely hide in the shadows he was perfectly fine to be the bulwark that protected her in return. That had ever been his specialty, it seemed, and without further words or meandering about the giant of a man stood up once more. He took his spear and great shield in hand, the top of his head against the ceiling once more as he looked down into Cleo's eyes below. They had a bearing towards where their foes lied, and he himself was itching for the glory of battle once more! Such was the fate of any proper hero, he felt.
"Meet me on the roof, then, and from there we will go to meet our enemies!"
Without another word, Shielder shifted into his spiritual form. Tonight would be a fairly exciting one, of his gut instincts were correct. Perhaps he would run into his former comrades in arms, or one of the heroes who had stood from the Trojan side? It was of no matter for the most part, for a battle was a battle and a war was a war no matter how some might have tried to look at it. Who knew what the tides of battle would bring this time around, though?
And so they would set off into the darkness of the night, their only light those of the city below and the stars above.
-Tokyo Tower-
As soon as he had his master cradled in one arm for carrying, a position that was perhaps more awkward than it should have been, Shielder had begun rapidly moving south with his master quite literally in tow. He seemed to care not for the modern scenes that were placed out before them, though his movements seemed to shake the rooftops he was leaping to and from. Shielder himself eventually felt himself pointed somewhere by his own gut feelings and intuition, though admittedly the warrior had decided for what was perhaps the more "obvious" option. In other words, he had found himself traveling towards that great tower that scraped against the skies themselves within this city, violating the domain of Zeus himself in an era where the gods no longer held sway.
It seemed to be a place some Archer might go, or another who desired to survey the city from on high. A strategically important location, in other words, that would naturally attract others to it in his opinion. If it hadn't already done so.
Though as the hulking servant approached Tokyo Tower, his gut instincts seemed to be proven true. He felt a sort of pressure in the air, and the air of battle almost caused him to jump right into the fray were it not for the fact he was carrying his master still. Stopping on a very close nearby rooftop next to the tower, the hulking and materialized servant gingerly set Cleo down. She would perhaps be able to feel what was going on, and it wasn't like his own presence wasn't going to be detected and obvious to the three servants he could see down there.
'Master, stay here for your safety. Sooner or later those below shall notice me, if they have not already. I shall be your shield, so watch as i fight our foes below! Witness the Bulwark of the Achaean army!!!' Shielder communicated to Cleo through their link, before moving down towards the three servants by jumping off of the building.
A graceful knight in a bird-like dance, swiftly moving in and out and attacking her opponent. On the other end, a tall and mighty man that Shielder himself almost would compare to his own height (almost)...who also seemed to be the source of the pressure that was being exuded into the area to boot. He must be a mighty warrior - no, king - indeed, one befitting a conflict such as this whilst wielding such a great hammer! And then there was the third, dressed in such a regal fashion and and aura whilst being surrounded by what seemed to be a battalion of archers and warriors about her in a great throng. This one too gave off a very kingly presence, though seemed to be more of a Caster-type than someone who got into the midst of a melee.
Already Shielder could feel his blood boiling for the thrill of battle once more, as the towering giant of a servant crashed down onto the pavement to the other side of the battling duo (landing on the opposite side across from Caster). The ground buckled and cracked under his strength, and the pressure and presence of battle in the air had too brought forth a distinct gleam of joy in the eyes of the Achaean. He held his great spear in one hand, and held his trademark great oxhide shield in the other hand, which left little if anything to doubt his nature as a servant of notable stature as well. A pleased grin was on his face, unable to be hidden any longer as the Greek heroic spirit crashed into the middle of a situation that felt much like home to him.
-Master's Apartment, Across from Graveyard, Tokyo-
"Ah, indeed i desire to go out and uncover my enemies! I wish to clash against their shields, and let the din of battle ring out once more!" the giant of a servant said aloud, his tone remaining upbeat as a more toothy grin came onto his face, "The night is still young! I shall be your shield, but as a warrior i cannot sit idly by as our opponents likely wander these streets!"
Mages were of such a squishy and little sort, or at least so much had he gleaned from what the Holy Grail told him about this day and age at any rate. This little witch who had summoned him at least had a fire within her, but time for her to prepare whatever sorcery there was to prepare would come later. They had to seize the initiative whilst the night was still young, and make their enemies feel the might of their arms so they could in turn find out more about them and seek to strike them down! He was best on the defense, admittedly, but even then it was still wiser to engage the enemy and glean from it whilst they would in his mind. He'd learned valuable things about Hector from their bouts, about the Trojan army from him butchering them single-handedly, and the like.
I cannot speak for Cosmos or Ajax's master, but i can say that Ajax would be intent on having some delightful fun the first night. Though we shall see where the whims of the RP carry us, ah, at least in terms of who we run into first or such. Or whatever happens anywho. :P
-Master's Apartment, Across from Graveyard, Tokyo-
...Soon after Cleo finished speaking, a grin spread across the face of the giant of a man. Then another booming laugh, this time notably more jovial and upbeat than before, came out of Aias' lips and almost seemed to shake the air itself. The servant then reached over, giving his master a light and friendly slap on the back. Not that it wouldn't almost knock a regular human over, but...it was the thought that counted?
"Good, good! You are not some gutless rat, i see, who would shirk in the face of threats! You spit back with fire, and that i like!" Aias said, his mood as he spoke seemingly shifting entirely into a far more friendly and camaraderie-filled demeanor before Cleo's very eyes, "I am the great Aias, son of Telamon! My shield and protection are yours, little witch, though for the future i'd caution that not all heroic spirits are those 'prim and proper' formal types. Many of us lived and breathed upon the battlefield, after all!"
Telamon Ajax let out another booming and hearty laugh, before looking to his side and out of the apartment's admittedly tiny (to him) window and then back to Cleo once more. His grin seemed to remain in place, thought it did soften a little from its former intensity.
"So, by what name and family are you known? As we are fighting together in this conflict, i would wish to know that much about you as well!"
What? He had to test this little human to see what she was made of. He would not serve a weak and overly timid master, though he knew he could have killed her in a heartbeat in such a case. But this woman seemed to have a fire, and that he liked in his women and masters both. Was one reason he had tried for the hand of Helen way back when, though admittedly that had become more of a mess for him when that one Trojan prince has decided to think with what was between his legs as well. Bah. This was a time age, a new time, and he would have battle again on his own terms. And with a master he could at least respect the force of will of, well, that just made it all the better!
They would both be tried in the days to come, anywho, and as such his observations of tonight would either be prove true or false during that time period.
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