Personality: A brave and daring king who faces the dangers before him with a stalwart zeal, a level head, and a strong heart. Yet he also had the wisdom to avoid further pursuing his sister and going against the likes of Zeus, and despite his trespass against Ares he dutifully served the god to compensate. He even took up the task of helping defeat Typhon, following in with Zeus’ plan without fear. Yet even now he still loves his wife, Harmonia, despite the emergence of issues that would plague their bloodline due to her necklace. Though despite the favor the gods showed him in life, and some new perspective he has as a servant looking back, the regrets of his life still haunt him somewhat like an old scar regardless. Such is what it means to be a hero, at least in his eyes.
Weapon: Ismeanian Spear, Shield
Stats:
Strength: B+ Endurance: C Agility: B Mana: A Luck: D Noble Phantasm: A+
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance: A
-Grants protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether.
Cancel spells of A-Rank or below, no matter what High-Thaumaturgy it is. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a "Magus Killer".
Personal Skills:
Divinity: B
-is the measure of whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not. At high levels, one is treated as a mixed race of a Divine Spirit, and the level declines when the Heroic Spirit's own rank as a Monster or Demonic Beast rises. It can also decrease due to one's dislike for the gods. Those who have A Rank Divinity or above have reached the Throne of Gods. It also has an effect which reduces special defensive values called "purge defense" in proportion to the Divinity's Rank. It can break through Skills such as Protection of the Faith and Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig.
While he was both a grandson of the god Poseidon and a deity over the Nile River, giving him a low rank in this, his transformation into a sacred dragon near the end of his life raised this inherent divinity in him far more notably.
Affection of the Goddess: A
-is a Skill that denotes one being loved by a goddess.
Affection is from his wife, the goddess Harmonia, who devoutly loved him to the point she followed after him in his eventual fate just to stay with him. All stats are Ranked-Up.
Mana Burst: A
-is the increase in performance caused by infusing one's weapons and body with Magical Energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of Magical Energy.
At Rank A, even a stick can become a weapon of great power. A normal weapon that is not on the level of a divine Mystery can be destroyed in one blow. Can also raise one's defense several times over.
Noble Phantasm(s):
Name: Ismenian Spear, “Sacred Dragon’s Fall: Slaying the Son of Ares”
Rank: A+
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 2-50
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Appearance/Effects: The pride of Cadmus as a dragon-slaying hero, encompassing both the spear/javelin he used to kill the sacred Ismenian Dragon that was a son of the god Ares. It is a powerful dragon-slaying implement able to be wielded in melee for a powerful strike or alternately be cast like a javelin for a powerful ranged attack. It is a weapon capable of piercing the sacred dragon's scales as his weapons did, even the huge rock he threw before (thrown with such might it would have shaken the wall of a fortress) could not harm it. It is a weapon that embodies both the extraordinary strength of Cadmus as well as feat of dragon slaying.
It is normally just an A rank Noble Phantasm, but when used against members of the dragon kind or those bearing dragon traits the plus modifier kicks in to greatly boost its power. Incidentally, this weapon is also more effective against Cadmus himself due to his draconic traits.
This Noble Phantasm, in truth, exemplifies and embodies him as a "Dragon Slayer" just as him being in the Lancer class does. Yet at the same time even as a Lancer he naturally retains draconic traits, even if he can only access actually transforming into a dragon as a Berserker, as it was his dragon slaying fear that directly factored into his transformation into a sacred dragon later in life. By becoming a dragon slayer, he in turn was destined to become a dragon. Such was the fate of Cadmus.
-----------------------------
Name: Goiteía tou Typhon, “To Enchant Disaster Itself”
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Monster
Appearance/Effects: A Noble Phantasm and instrument tied to Cadmus playing enchanted panpipes given to him by Pan, wielded to enchant the monstrous Divine Beast Typhon as part of Zeus’ plan to get his thunderbolts back from the super-weapon-ish monstrosity. The power of these pipes’ enchanting music was such that Typhon “yielded his whole soul to Cadmos [Cadmus] for the melody to charm". Simply playing these pipes again is enough to stupefy and charm even phantasmal species and monstrous beings on the level of Divine Beasts, costing rather little mana to do so normally, but when activated with their true name these panpipes exert their true might and enchant its beastly/monstrous targets to Cadmus’ will and command.
Of course these pipes don’t affect normal humans or servants or demigods, unless they have become something like a Divine Beast or monster or some kind of beastly ilk. Someone like “that one Arcadian king” or “the Minotaur” or "Pegasus" or such ilk, etc, would be affected to give a reasonable example.
Personality: A generally upbeat sort of person, Leannah is the type who might be easier to approach or who at least tries to keep a positive mind about her work. She enjoys swimming and long, relaxing hot baths when it comes down to relaxing activities, but at the same time she isn't infallible either. The stress of a situation, even if she comes in dead serious about something, could still very much get to her under the pressures of an intense battle. She tries to hold herself professionally as an heir to her family at least, even wearing suits to this end, but at the same time if she gets worn down enough or overly stressed it is easy to see the 'cracks' forming in her facade in turn. Whilst not a fearful sort of person that would run away out of stress, Leannah would be one to probably run herself into the ground trying to keep going forward instead.
Skills:
-Medical Skills: She has acquired training in basic medical skills like first aid and general injury treatment, bringing the according tools and such in an aid kit with her wherever she goes. It mostly acts as a support to her healing magecraft, supplementing it's usage.
-Magecraft: A fairly skilled and talented magus in her own right for someone her age, she has naturally been trained since childhood and drilled in her family's craft to ensure it is passed on into good hands. Indeed she is the heir to her family, and bears their 250 year old crest which takes the design of a branching tree (similar to lightning scar patterns).
-Swimming: A pastime for her in which she'd gained some respectable skills, but mainly which is a means to relax and ease the mind as well as body. Allowed to take even swimming classes, since her family noted this was a thing that helped her perform better at magecraft when she was in a better mental and physical state. Her favorite backup in case of being unable to go swimming is a long, soaking hot bath otherwise.
Abilities:
***Magecraft:
-Lightning Magecraft: Elemental magecraft tied to generation and discharge of electricity, ranging from generating static/electricity in an object to even unleashing mighty lightning bolts to fry enemies to a crisp. With more time-consuming and powerful rituals, wielders are capable of things such as conjuring a thunderstorm they can manipulate over a local area...which of course requires the proper supplies and time and magic circles and probably the right amount of people to be involved of course. Can combine spells with generic defensive magecraft, such as a Basic Bounded Field for instance, to create defenses and traps in this manner.
Can also create more complex defenses and traps utilizing this magecraft, with the most complex possible one that Leannah can make being: "A bounded field that behaves similar to the defenses of the Tohsaka mansion in Fate/Zero. A network of 'channels' for electricity have been prepared strewn throughout the bounded field like invisible wires, each bearing a very low-voltage charge and remaining invisible to the eye. When an intruder pass into these 'channels', they activate and unleash a high-powered charge through the triggered channels. These channels can also be placed, such as some around a cabinet with magecraft supplies inside to protect, or otherwise be moved and 'tweaked' in their placement to best fit the wielder's need".
This magecraft is also her family's primary magecraft, with their ultimate goal being rather in line with a family who has been long involved in the Creation Department: "To recreate the lightning-producing weapon of Zeus, like the one given to him by Hephaestus". To achieve a level of power in their craft that goes beyond lethal zaps and treads into the same power level as that of the head god of ancient Greece's pantheon. This is not to say they wish to steal the lightning of the god by intruding upon him directly, but rather seek to perfect their craft and push it to reach the same levels of power and create their desired object. The perfect lightning, the perfect 'storm' as it were, a raw and almighty power they wish to be able to unleash that is on par with True Magic in its pure might. That is the point they wish to ascend to with their magecraft.
-Healing Magecraft: A supportive magecraft to the family's primary craft, honed over the years and developed as an ultimately necessary tool and secondary specialization. As evidenced by many past heads bearing scars or other varied injuries sustained in practicing their craft, the ability to ensure they don't just die or don't survive to pass on the family crest is something that has taken a lot of priority. It is also an area of magecraft surprisingly compatible with their attribute as well.
-General Magecraft
Brief Backstory: The heir to the Hatten Family, a group of English Magi who have sought the pinnacle of their titular Lightning Magecraft. They have long participated in the Creation Department for the last ~200 years, though do not exactly stand out as the largest family in the Clock Tower or even the Neutral Faction. Leannah was born and raised to be taught her family's craft, to be groomed into the heir that would continue their work, though much like her other family members she became a rather upbeat sort of individual. She was allowed to learn how to use some modern technology, since her parents saw fit that she understand how to navigate the modern world as a magus, though otherwise she ultimately took up taking classes at the Clock Tower after a certain point.
However, she was ultimately sent to participate in the Great Grail War by her family to help the MA. This is both to curry favor with certain individuals, as well as being done in a bid to finally have the Grail dismantled for good. This second stance her family has taken on the matter of the Grail mainly stems from her family's perspective of the Grail Ritual being, in her father's words: "too tempting and dangerous a siren, dashing the hopes and dreams of magi upon the rocks with the allure of granting a wish".
Faction: Magus Association
Other:
-Attribute: Excitation
-Element: Wind
-Other than the amount of money and other general supplies (mundane and magecraft related) needed for the length of the war, she comes bearing a pair of silver bracelets that act as catalysts help increase the speed of casting it.
@VitaVitaAR He was the one who founded the whole dragon tooth warrior thing, sowed a bunch of them and made them first in Greek myth. That was where I felt it was fitting since it was part of his legend. It was one of his big things, even if it isn't an NP. And for some reason Medea and even Semi are casters who can make them...for some reason?
That aside, however, the app doesn't exactly have a bio. Just some flavor text on the skills and NPs and such. I will toss in the Javelin and such to better flesh out his Lancer-ness, of course, but i didn't add it probably because it got lost in the sauce of how many sources i was burning through to try get info. (@_@)
But he never went Berserk or the like, so he wouldn't be a Berserker at least even with the dragon thing. Was just transformed into one, unlike say Kiyo who went kind of sorta crazy-like when she turned dragon. But it was a prominent part of his legend as the fist big greek hero. XD
Personality: A brave and daring king who faces the dangers before him with a stalwart zeal, a level head, and a strong heart. Yet he also had the wisdom to avoid further pursuing his sister and going against the likes of Zeus, and despite his trespass against Ares he dutifully served the god to compensate. He even took up the task of helping defeat Typhon, following in with Zeus’ plan without fear. Yet even now he still loves his wife, Harmonia, despite the emergence of issues that would plague their bloodline due to her necklace. Though despite the favor the gods showed him in life, and some new perspective he has as a servant looking back, the regrets of his life still haunt him somewhat like an old scar regardless. Such is what it means to be a hero, at least in his eyes.
Weapon: Ismeanian Spear, Shield
Stats:
Strength: B+ Endurance: C Agility: B Mana: A Luck: D Noble Phantasm: A+
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance: A
-Grants protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether.
Cancel spells of A-Rank or below, no matter what High-Thaumaturgy it is. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a "Magus Killer".
Personal Skills:
Divinity: B
-is the measure of whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not. At high levels, one is treated as a mixed race of a Divine Spirit, and the level declines when the Heroic Spirit's own rank as a Monster or Demonic Beast rises. It can also decrease due to one's dislike for the gods. Those who have A Rank Divinity or above have reached the Throne of Gods. It also has an effect which reduces special defensive values called "purge defense" in proportion to the Divinity's Rank. It can break through Skills such as Protection of the Faith and Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig.
While he was both a grandson of the god Poseidon and a deity over the Nile River, giving him a low rank in this, his transformation into a sacred dragon near the end of his life raised this inherent divinity in him far more notably.
Affection of the Goddess: A
-is a Skill that denotes one being loved by a goddess.
Affection is from his wife, the goddess Harmonia, who devoutly loved him to the point she followed after him in his eventual fate just to stay with him. All stats are Ranked-Up.
Mana Burst: A
-is the increase in performance caused by infusing one's weapons and body with Magical Energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of Magical Energy.
At Rank A, even a stick can become a weapon of great power. A normal weapon that is not on the level of a divine Mystery can be destroyed in one blow. Can also raise one's defense several times over.
Noble Phantasm(s):
Name: Ismenian Spear, “Sacred Dragon’s Fall: Slaying the Son of Ares”
Rank: A+
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 2-50
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Appearance/Effects: The pride of Cadmus as a dragon-slaying hero, encompassing both the spear/javelin he used to kill the sacred Ismenian Dragon that was a son of the god Ares. It is a powerful dragon-slaying implement able to be wielded in melee for a powerful strike or alternately be cast like a javelin for a powerful ranged attack. It is a weapon capable of piercing the sacred dragon's scales as his weapons did, even the huge rock he threw before (thrown with such might it would have shaken the wall of a fortress) could not harm it. It is a weapon that embodies both the extraordinary strength of Cadmus as well as feat of dragon slaying.
It is normally just an A rank Noble Phantasm, but when used against members of the dragon kind or those bearing dragon traits the plus modifier kicks in to greatly boost its power. Incidentally, this weapon is also more effective against Cadmus himself due to his draconic traits.
This Noble Phantasm, in truth, exemplifies and embodies him as a "Dragon Slayer" just as him being in the Lancer class does. Yet at the same time even as a Lancer he naturally retains draconic traits, even if he can only access actually transforming into a dragon as a Berserker, as it was his dragon slaying fear that directly factored into his transformation into a sacred dragon later in life. By becoming a dragon slayer, he in turn was destined to become a dragon. Such was the fate of Cadmus.
-----------------------------
Name: Goiteía tou Typhon, “To Enchant Disaster Itself”
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Monster
Appearance/Effects: A Noble Phantasm and instrument tied to Cadmus playing enchanted panpipes given to him by Pan, wielded to enchant the monstrous Divine Beast Typhon as part of Zeus’ plan to get his thunderbolts back from the super-weapon-ish monstrosity. The power of these pipes’ enchanting music was such that Typhon “yielded his whole soul to Cadmos [Cadmus] for the melody to charm". Simply playing these pipes again is enough to stupefy and charm even phantasmal species and monstrous beings on the level of Divine Beasts, costing rather little mana to do so normally, but when activated with their true name these panpipes exert their true might and enchant its beastly/monstrous targets to Cadmus’ will and command.
Of course these pipes don’t affect normal humans or servants or demigods, unless they have become something like a Divine Beast or monster or some kind of beastly ilk. Someone like “that one Arcadian king” or “the Minotaur” or "Pegasus" or such ilk, etc, would be affected to give a reasonable example.
Ishara gave a small smile at Khaemtir as he seemed to jovially put an arm around her, and a struggle to get the arm of Radaam to boot, laying out his own plans before taking off against the wishes of his Tutelary. As much as the girl did think well of the little jewel-eyed hippo, however, she did feel a certain understanding of her peer not wanting to exactly go running back to his parents. Hers were...well, they were good to her. In that the goddess her truly blessed her. But she knew how Khaemtir's mother and family could get from her own experiences, and it wasn't far off to think the boy just wanted his own time without family basically banking on his achievement publicly. Perhaps it was a normal thing for some nobility, but...mmm, not one of the aspects of noble life she liked. It was one she recognized and had to deal with, but that didn't mean she had to like it regardless.
Though before she could even try to talk to Radaam, the boy too seemed to dive into the crowd of his own volition and head off on his own business. Ah. Perhaps she'd been hoping to talk to him some more, try to get to know her fellow Noviate, but then again that might be a bit much. As much as she seemed calm, and had been happy to see her mothers, it was still a fact that the nerves were still rolling off. Part of her was still having to let it all sink in, frankly, and the only reason she was keeping such a good appearance was from the education her adoptive mother had drilled into her. How to appear well in public, how to try to hide the nerves, good mannerisms, that sort of thing fitting for a noble's daughter.
Even so, it was exhausting to keep up appearances on this day of all days. Perhaps she could find a corner to sit in and just let herself relax a bit? That...that would be rather nice actually. Just the thought of it let her facade of composure down a little, if enough to see the tired glint in her eyes and some fatigue in her facial expression.
Yet with no one else for the moment, the green-haired girl's eyes turned back to Master Dagon himself. Doing her best to keep up a smile, she gave a light bow to the man before moving to speak to him herself this time.
"I am honored to learn under you, Master Dagon. Yet if i may....'stuffy old Magi' as you exclaim yourself to be, I pray that we will be able to glean much from your years of experience. As my adoptive mother has taught me, to learn from the past is most valuable when pursuing our own futures," the girl said, trying to give a sincere compliment as she spoke her mind somewhat to the older Sorcerer. Even if it seemed like flattery, or perhaps a tad naive, she meant every word of it regardless. To learn from the past was a valuable tool, but to become fixated on it was also a dangerous thing in and of itself.
...Goodness, though, she could perhaps use a nice drink after this. Maybe she could locate some refreshments on her way to mingle and maybe find a spot to let herself relax a bit more.
...They listened? Someone listened to his advice for once in more than a lifetime? Archer almost pinched himself as the light surprise wrote itself into his face, before a moment later a cocky grin wrote itself onto his face. Sure this didn't mean it'd solve all future debates here, as he knew how the family arguments could be, but all the same they had a plan and something to finally do. The green-haired duo seemed to communicate well enough and come to seemingly some kind of silent agreement at least. It was a refreshing change of pace from the arguing of old men, as well as the groveling of myriad demons before his feet.
"Alright! Just be sure to not make yourself obvious back here. You'll be alone until we get back!
Otherwise I'll be relaying everything back to you as we move about," the servant piped up to Constante as he turned to face Karizma, not even looking back as he gave a lazy single-hand wave back and put his hands behind his head.
Though as the girl did a bow and a teasing 'senpai', the giant of a man couldn't help but grin back in return. He reached down one large hand and ruffled her hair a little with a laugh. Afterwards he would silently follow her to and out the front door, materializing a bow in his hands as he walked along and listened to her eager and frankly energetic ideas about who or what they might run into. It was enough to make him think back and ponder if he'd run into any family here himself, before or during or even from after his lifetime. Regardless, the itch in his arms to draw the string of his mighty bow again rang out like a siren's song.
"Eh, those Sengoku-period types I'd probably expect to appear here in a conflict like this. Or rather, I feel they'd be drawn to this sorta' thing anyways," the servant chatted back to his master, more jovial as he went along and addressed the other of his two masters, "But once we get back later maybe I can teach you a little Japanese. Things from anime are one thing...speaking like people did back in my day is another! Haha!"
"Mmm, no problem! If we can push ourselves as a weak duo trying to survive this, then that'll help us get a start on things. We have a good location for later on, anyways, but let's just go oooooooone thing at a time~," Izumi said, stopping and turning to face her servant with the tanegashima sitting over her shoulder like she was some kind of soldier, a sly grin on her face as she spoke, "When the sun of your power finally rises on this war, we'll be unstoppable~"
The teenager then gave a lighthearted giggle before clearing her throat and letting out a small sigh. Had to get the energy out before she could really get serious about this! It was so exciting, however, just to be here amidst all of this! Heroes, a potential wish, and all the ilk that could be awaiting them out there! All they had to do was get out there and get involved. Yes.
"Well, let's head into town and see if we can find anyone. Pretty small place, so unless everyone else is hanging out in the woods we should be able to locate someone. Maybe even an old acquaintance of yours?" the girl followed up, lightly teasing with a wink as she began to make her way out and beckoned Rider to come along.
The workshop would be fine, frankly speaking. The bigger worry was what could be lying out there for them in the end.
...She'd just been isekai'd. Sure it was a cheeky anime-watcher's way of putting it, but she could only think to herself that she'd been isekai'd. Some goddess from another world, snatching her up and putting her in a new body and sending her here.
The catgirl took a look about the room as she took tentative steps forward, for the first few slightly wobbly as she felt the abnormal feeling of being in a new body. A hand came up to touch her fluffy ears. Her head turned back to look at her swishing tail. Her musculature felt...far stronger than it had ever been. Even the tips of her fingers, where nails should have been for a proper human being, were nothing but little razor-sharp claws that she testingly swiped at the air for a moment in play as she took more steps forward. It was all eyebrow-raising, but at the same time she felt like she was rather adjusting to it somewhat already.
Looking about, she took note of the layout of where she had appeared soon after she was able to walk properly enough. Grand sort of balcony, check. Whatever fluid had been on her evaporating rather nicely in an abnormal fashion, check. Empty stone shelves seemingly on a tier-like style and odd tube things, check. Looking down and seeing two other strangers spat out in seemingly a similar way, check. Large ominous black structures, giant-ass ruined building that seemed far too ancient, scattered varied weapons near the doorway, and being comfortably warm despite the lack of clothes which in the end she otherwise didn't mind? Check.
new ability and having talked to some goddess aside, this was almost deja vu to her in some twisted trope-aware sense of it all. Not that it was guaranteed to follow such a pattern, and she could swear one of the other guys was familiar looking in a very not-good way, but all the same she had to get moving and they'd have to do something. If that 'goddess' was right, then a guardian was here and it was NOT going to be good to get in its sights. If she didn't need more clothes to travel in all of this, then good for her at least. Meant she could carry more, if anything beyond a weapon was necessary at first...well, other than like food or something maybe. If it was around.
For a second she even gave a trained kick in the air to test her body, instincts and reflexes kicking in but almost stumbling slightly as she shook it off soon after. Yeah, as soon as she was used to this new body she'd be back in action. Didn't learn all of those martial arts for nothing, after all!
Leannah then did her best to quickly move down the stairs to get to the level below her, where the other two strangers (both men as it turned out) had emerged. No use trying to go up anyways. The woman gave a sigh, however, as she approached them and kept a sliiiiight distance just to be on the safe side. Tricky deities from other worlds, not something to rely on to always put you with the most familiar and safe people in a group survival situation (just ask that one shield dude from another isekai anime).
"Hey! You two, you're finally awake! You also talked to that goddess and ended up here too? Busted out here in some kind of fluid and tube stuff, like me?
But we probably need to get moving if what she said about a 'Guardian' here is meritable. Questions maybe for later. Some weapons are lying over there towards the door as well, and to be frank I'd prefer to get moving first and get out before we're spotted."
Of course, perfect first lines to total strangers in another world and all of this craziness. Totally couldn't backfire on her in two seconds with how she looked now or something. That being said, she wanted to be proactive in this before things hit the fan....and she really hoped they didn't hit the fan IMMEDIATELY at least.
Then again, waiting around too long fresh out of some divine life-making pod (for all she knew) in some abandoned building was never a good idea. Or at least so her instincts and fiction-savviness told her anyways.
She also wasn't sure if anyone else was here, but would assume the potential at least unless proven otherwise.
The rain fell gently, a myriad of droplets breaking against the charred, fractured boards of the ghost ship. They turned to streams tinged with blood, converging upon the creases before sliding off over the edge of the deck towards the city below. The thundering of combat still rang down below, some conflicts coming to an end while other conflicts had only just begun, ebbing and flowing ceaselessly, but for now, Amaryllis couldn’t really feel anything for it. She laid down on the rain-drenched, flame-scorched deck of the Flying Dutchman, her Sword only loosely cradled in a hand that could no longer grip. Dark strands of hair followed the same creases as Rosa’s blood and the sky’s rain, as the barrier, that invisible barrier that still reconstructed itself even as the people it shielded were gone and the city it sheltered plummeted towards destruction, sapped away the last of her magical energy.
Her transformation unravelled, pale light surging over her body before bursting like a bubble to reveal a girl in a wool sweater and sweatpants, both soon dampening in the rain. Amaryllis’s eyes remained closed, but she could feel the tepid warmth of the maimed tiger beside her, the rattling and creaking of the ship, the dull pain that flared up in her left wrist every time she took in a breath. Still alive, at least. That was good. Mariette, Nuncio, and Sammy all made it out alive. The Monster Queen received her second chance. Sophia got out before the Ascendancy got dirty.
But it didn’t change the fact that none of these small victories meant anything in the long run.
Tightening her gut, the midnight-haired girl sat up, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes. She clipped off the amethyst choker around her neck and waved at Sophia. “Sorry,” Amaryllis spoke, her voice croaking a bit. “Could you do the healing for the tiger?”
“...Aye, ah’ can lass.”
The pirate’s boots clunked as she walked over the battle-wrought hull of her patron and over to Amaryllis, her voice soft as she spoke back to the other girl. Taking a knee, Sophia then reached out and accepted the amethyst choker in her free hand. A sort of grimace wrote itself into the dark magical girl’s face, however, as she for a moment looked over to meet the eyes of the now one-arm-short Rose Knight. A bloody stump...the magical chain arm Sophia wore seemed to shudder as she looked at the sight, as if somehow reacting to such a thing. Bah.
But it was an idea.
She then cocked her head back.
“Ey, planks fer’ brains, yeh’ gonna’ drop off the rest of them dead bodies in tha’ right places? Don’t wanna’ get tha’ bleedin’ Beaconites on our tails fer’ running off with tha’ dead.
….An, could yeh give tha’ lass somethin’ fer’ er’ wounds to? Just as ah’ guest at least. Ain’t no battle we in right now, wouldn’t think it’d beh’ ‘interference’ or any o’ that trite shite.”
At the last part Sophia seemed to take pause before letting out a sigh. Then turning back to Amaryllis, she reached out and touched the other girl’s stump with her chain arm. In a rapid movement, the prosthetic seemed to unfurl from Sophia’s arm and transform into chains that attached themselves to the moonlit swordswoman’s stump. After a moment, the arm would reform from the swirling chains and form an (at least temporary) supplement for the girl. Warmth and a certain attachment to the neres would spread it from it, alongside the faint hint of a potentially familiar magic at least.
“This thin’ ah’ll help stop tha’ bleeding and give ya’ ah’n arm fer’ the moment bein’ at least...maybe ease tha’ transition ah’n all. Was the bloody thin’ at’ pushed meh’ ta’ try teh’ come talk to ya’ after ah’ first woke up anywho, fore’ at’ Su lass drug meh’ off fer’ execution, so maybe eh’t has ah’ likin’ to yeh’ er’ somethin’,” the pirate said, speaking without looking at Amaryllis as she moved over to touch the healing artifact onto and begin healing the wounded tiger, lightly wincing at her sore body began to channel what meager mana she had left to save the beast, “...Should ave’ enuff’ ta’ ah’t least keep this girl ere’ stable and then some till ah’ get some more mana back. Fought ard’ fer’ er’ master too.”
Amaryllis looked down as Sophia’s chains connected onto her own stump of a wrist, forging itself into a prosthetic. She flexed it a couple times, watched as the dark chains flaked away to reveal a silvery color underneath. Sophia’s chains? Annabelle’s? Or her own? A difficult expression passed over her features, before she forced a smile.
“Does this…” She paused, raising her arm up higher. “...these chains speak to you? Don’t reckon you, mm, know where this came from?”
The pirate partly turned her head to the side, cocking an eyebrow at the untransformed knight.
“Eh? All ah’ know is at’ when ah’ woke up it was attached teh’ meh’ already. Led meh’ ovah’ to yeh’, seems ta’ ave’ somewhat ah’ mind oh’ its own and prods meh’ from time teh’ time,” Sophia admitted truthfully, giving a one-armed shrug before continuing on, “Far as ah’ can tell, tha’ thin’ is filled wit’ Darkness magic, is made oh’ dem’ useful chains, ahn’ it seems ta’ stick wit meh’ fer’ some reason. Tha’ chains remind meh’ of yeh’ own realleh’, but its magic is somethin’ else it seems.”
As if on cue, the prosthetic seemed to prod the mind of Amaryllis, a vague but distinct sort of communication maybe akin to a “hello there” or “hi again” sort of thing. Maybe? Considering the blue haired girl’s experience with vague communications from a Lesser Force, perhaps that prosthetic felt she was better apt to figuring that out herself?
Amaryllis twitched slightly at the psychic prodding. Phantasmal pains she had become accustomed to, but this new encroachment on her mind, while not wholly disturbing, would still take some time getting used to. She eyed the stump that had become Sophia’s arm now, wondering what the utilitarian calculus of this exchange even would have been, when neither of them necessarily needed two arms to get their ‘work’ done to begin with.
A frown formed. She definitely needed two hands to get into engineering, especially if she wanted to do so without using magic to cheat her way through work. What was she thinking?
She pressed her right hand against her face, massaging her temple with her thumb. “It’s from me, yeah,” Amaryllis said. “Caused them to sprout out from the shoulder of a magical girl whose arm I cut off, when her friends tried to carry her away. She used her own magic afterwards to fashion it into a prosthetic. And I suppose you inherited it afterwards.”
“...Ya’ cut er’ arm off? Yikes. But eh, suppose yeh’ had ya’ reasins’ fer’ it at tha’ time tho. Curious teh’ ask bout’ tha’ rest, but ah’ll save at’ fer’ later,” the pirate said letting out a small sigh before continuing, looking over to Amaryllis with some slight concern, “But if it was made by someone ya’ cut tha’ arm off ah’ve an’ all, why would it be pressin’ meh’ ta’ talk to ya’ in tha’ first place? Thin’s save mah’ skin in part o’er time, and ah’ feel partial teh’ it mah’self, but is’ makes less sense tha’ mahself bein’ made o’ ah’ corpse an’-”
As Sophia heard herself speak the final part, her lips seemed to draw out into a grimace once more, cutting herself off suddenly as she quietly turned her head back to helping heal the tiger. Sure she knew the truth of that bit, at least, but that old identity and life and baggage of her existence wasn’t something she had much answers for. One flashback into her past so far was it, and a girl who had tried to murder her and had hidden away from her ever since (or so it seemed). Plus the weight of the obvious was...something of its own. A tad of a sore spot, really.
“Well,” Amaryllis chuckled half-heartedly, “If arm-cutting was the end-all of bad things that magical girls did to other magical girls, I’m sure tonight wouldn’t have been nearly so bad.”
She leaned back, then decided that she was too tired even for that, and just fell back onto the deck of the ship. Closing her eyes, the buxom girl just let the soft tingling of the rain come over her for a moment.
“Do you want to know, Sophia? Do you really want to know?”
The pirate turned her head back to Amaryllis once more.
“Frankly speakin’...part oh’ me doesn’t know if ah’ wanna know all ah’m curious bout’. But truthfulleh’ ah’d rather know ahn’ be understandin’ than sittin’ bout’ ignorant, Amaryllis,” Sophia said with a small, slightly defeated sigh as she looked up at the sky for a moment. Dark clouds filled her vision, and rain ran down the sides of her face before dropping onto the deck below her, though the girl gave a light but low chuckle of her own, “Ah’ was jus’ born about yesterdeh’, fer’ all intents an’ purposes.”
“That’s a long ‘yesterday’ you’ve been living then,” Amaryllis remarked. Sitting upright and tossing her damp hair over one shoulder, she spoke as she began braiding. “Your body, before you became what you are now, was the catalyst for a ritual to create a physical vessel of the Horror, Soth. Alongside the magical girl who once served under him, I fought to stop the ritual from completing successfully. We had formed a connection through these chains, you see, and she informed me about the ritual’s location before it was too late.”
The death of a magical girl lasted only twenty years, but considering how riotous the last week or two had been, even a month felt like a year these days.
“That girl, she stopped the ritual at the end, and the chains that connected her mind to mine between the dimensions she traversed to do so were similarly grafted into your own. The ritual failed, the magical energies involved drawing a new soul into the body of an old one.”
She let out a breath, then an awkward half-smile.
“Well, that’s the short version of it, at least.”
“...”
The pirate seemed to take pause for a moment after Amaryllis spoke, the soft glow of the healing artifact on the wounded tiger fading with the nearly all the last of her mana. No one had told her the exact story, not that her patron knew it entirely beyond “Horror” and “vessel” and “dead body” in a basic sense. Yet it was something to hear straight from the horse’s mouth that this chain-y arm was the product of two magical girls and a rather big event that had surrounded her ‘creation’.
Blech.
What was she supposed to feel about this? How was she supposed to feel about this? The corpse of someone else, the lost life of another, the devastation of the city that she’d woken up in all being centered around her somehow? Even if she hadn’t been directly involved, or had any choice of coming into being for that matter, it all was around the body she’d taken residence in and that had been made her own. Even if she was to stop being a magical girl, she’d be a mundane one left to a mundane life regardless...and she’d have to live with it all.
“...Heh. It’s felt like ah’ long yesterdeh’ fer’ meh’ fer’ some time, Lass. Ah’ve never knew what ah’ came from, who ah’ was made out oh’ve, nothin’ from tha’ lass who tried ta’ kill meh, an’ one bleedin’ flashback of ah’ life ah’ never knew mah’self. Mah’ patron ain’t likin’ tha’ Greater Horror ya’ mentioned tho, told me bout’ it at least.
Ta’ at least know ah’m ah’ soul slapped intah’ ah’ corpse ta’ make ah’ new person from some failed ritual fer’ wakin’ up in ah’ graveyard. Ain’t what ah’d ever wanted, but it’s what append’ and what ah’ got ta’ deal wit’ regardless,” the pirate said, leaning back and sitting on her butt next to the tiger and as close to Amaryllis as she already physically was, crossing her legs as she turned to face the other girl and extended the healing artifact back, “Well, ah’ll hear bout’ the longer version of tha’ storeh’ later ah’ s’ppose’. Fer’ now ah’ gotta’ help yeh’ and tha’ tiger ere’ recover, and yeh’ ain’t arguin’ gainst’ it either. Will get yeh’ back ta’ yer’ place at least, though, but ah’m not leaving till yeh’ both back ta’gether again...least’ physically.”
Though as a small thought came to mind, the edges of the pirate’s mouth curved upwards into an at least brief smile of sorts.
“Sides’, yeh’ need ta’ spend time with tha’ little magical lovechild ya’ an’ at’ lass ya’ mentioned sorta’ made. Maybe it misses one oh’ its motha’s, haha!” she said, before pointing to the chain arm and giving a loud laugh into the rainy air.
It was a poor attempt to make a sort of joke and humor, something to lighten the mood even if just a little for a moment. But at the moment, it was all she felt she had off of the top of her head. Anything to try to make it all feel a little better, even if it all wasn’t exactly better in general.
“M-magical lovechild?” Amaryllis sputtered, her cheeks turning red at the thought. She almost dropped the healing artifact that Sophia handed back to her, only managing to catch it an inch away from the slick deck of the ship. “I-it wasn’t like that, alright? I can’t even say that we were, like, friends or anything!”
She took in a deep breath to calm herself, then a couple more to recalibrate her thoughts.
“But I guess we could’ve been,” the girl said, finishing off her braid. “No one asked to be born anyhow; guess you were just lucky that you didn’t have to start from infancy, Sophia. Or pre school. Or any school, really.” Amaryllis went to tie the choker back around her neck, before shooting a look at the pirate queen. “Actually, uh...do you even have an ID?”
The pirate howled in laughter briefly, even as her compatriot sputtered and turned a nice deep red before her very eyes. Even the chain arm seemed to rattle lightly and make an almost light and tinkling sound. Laughter? No idea. But goodness, she hadn’t known the lass felt that way about the girl! Or perhaps it was just the surprise….was not as fun a conclusion to draw about it though.
Regardless, as Amaryllis calmed down, the pirate let herself wind back down as her heartbeat began to slow back down from pounding in her ears.
“Ah...hah...eh? Can’t say if ah’ ah’m lucky er’ not ta’ not ah’ve started off like tha’ rest o’ humanity. Something ta’ think bout’ fer’ sure tho,” the pirate said, running a hand over her chin, before the last point seemed to stop and look back before raising an eyebrow, “ID? Ah, not been needin’ such iss’ far realleh’. Don’t ah’ve any, actualleh’...er, is’ at’ ah’ bad thin’?”
“Well, if you’re like, not a magical girl all the time, you can do stuff like...rent out an apartment, get a credit card, go to school, stuff like that? I guess it’s not a bad thing to not have an ID, but if you do...you can do more things?” Amaryllis winced then, remembering the state of Penrose itself, about how most businesses were shut down and most public facilities were non-existent. “Though I guess Penrose needs normal humans first before having an ID really matters...”
“Hmm...ah’ s’ppose yer’ right lass. Gotta’ fix tha’ city back teh’ ah’ better state fer’ anyone’s comin’ back ah’n at’ gets more nessecareh’,” Sophia said before giving a sigh and lying back on the wet deck in a splayed out manner, “Though fer’ what it counts, ah’ll be comin to yeh’ teh’ figure at’ one out once we get teh’ tha’ point at least. All ah’ve ad’ so far is bein’ ah’ magical girl, ahn’ course’ buyin’ food ta’ sate’ mah’ palette...never did get ta’ talk to yeh’ blade oh’ ah’ patron about hunger tho’, haha.”
A big, dumb grin seemed to work its way onto Sophia’s face, before she tilted her head to look up at Amaryllis again.
“But no worries, lass! Weh’ll get tha’ city back in shape fer’ sure! Jus’ feel free ta’ take ah’ rest fer now in tha’ captain’s quarters behind ya’. Ol’ creakin’ patron oh’ mine keeps it in tip top shape when ah’m sleeping ere’ some nights. Thin’s ah’ bleedin’ klepo fer’ tha’ good stuff tho’.
Ah’ll hang on ere’ with tha’ tiger till’ weh’ arrive at yeh’ place, patron’ll keep outta’ sight ahn’ ah’ can stick bout’ till ya two’s recovered.”
“Guess I will try to get some sleep then, yeah. Certainly gonna be busy tomorrow, anyhow.”
Amaryllis turned her palm upwards and her eyes widened slightly. It had stopped raining. A bit of good news for the night, if nothing else. Slowly pulling herself up, she picked up her Sword, ignored the searing sulking of the bloodthirsty Patron, and half-stumbled towards the room Sophia pointed out.
“We’ll figure everything out and fix everything up, Sophia. And once it’s all good, I’ll see if I can get you enrolled in university or something, yeah?”
“Aye...ya’ can count on at’, lass. Fer’ now, tho’, one thin’ atta’ time, eh?”
The pirate exhaled slowly after speaking, the exhaustion coming over her as she finally flickered out of her magical girl form. Eyes fluttered shut for the now hoodie-wearing girl in turn, and after a moment it would be frankly hard to tell if she was even awake at this point. Indeed, even the reckless pirate seemed to have her limits as well.
“One thing at a time,” Amaryllis nodded.
She slipped into the room, closed the door behind her, stripped off her wet clothes, and practically collapsed into the bed, falling unconscious two seconds later.
It was only until noon the next day that the naked girl so much as stirred from her slumber.