Letter Bee

Iliad City: A Magical RP in an Original World (Resuming)

William Ascot

As William continued to forge his new sword, he waited for the Darvon Sisters to sing the song he had personally picked for them - He needed his mother, and to a lesser extent, Jacob, to hear it. He also saw Helena’s guitar-ax but decided not to scan it for magical powers he can copy - He liked Helena too much to actually act against her more than necessary. Either way, once the song began, he’d hum to himself while working, all the while he brought forging supplies - Metal, wood, and leather which he had bought beforehand. His backpack was heavy enough to necessitate the use of his ‘Blacksmith’s Endurance’ power, after all.

Soon, his new sword would be completed, a blade which would complement his existing weapon using the powers of the Darvon Sisters’ ‘Magical Girl’ forms, which came from Magitech - His eyes would not have been able to see and copy their magic if not for the fact that those partly came from Magitech, as he had mentioned to himself before, and it was clear that he was seeing a glimpse of the true power of said Magitech now.

Either way, once they began singing, he’d not only begin copying but would prepare ideas for special effects using Reconcilliation’s counter-elemental abilities...

Rialto ‘Alto’ Ganze

Alto had not expected Jacob to follow him - He must be going senile, overconfident, or both. Choosing to be up-front, Nergal’s second-in-command among the Faculty - He only looked like a teenager, after all, but was not really one - chose to confront the younger Ascot kid directly, saying, “All right kid, it seems I’ve got your attention.”

His ‘Metahuman Power’, Laurel of Victory, was already acting overtime to try and spin his blunder into an actual plan, but he focused it on a new course of action, with his next words to Jacob being, “My name is Alto Ganze, I’m actually 53, and I’ve studied under both Marduk and Ishtar back when it was allowed decades ago. I knew your father, your older brother, and the previous headmaster of Marduk, Professor Utnapishtim - He who forged 75 of your mother’s Artifact Blades. And I must say, age must be coming up to me when even those credentials hadn’t saved me from such a juvenile mistake.”

Then he looked directly at Jacob, “Your brother is a highly skilled smith - It took a lot of analysis to guess the powers of his first sword, the one strapped to his back.” Tilting his head to the right, “It’s a Counter-Elemental blade, isn’t it? A blade which, when confronted by one Element, counters with that Element’s opposite. Such a blade in our hands can defeat most of Marduk’s students easily.”

A pause as Alto continued, “As a Marduk Alumni from 15 years ago, I can cross enemy lines and buy it from your brother when the next intermission starts, and it’ll all be perfectly legal, even if frowned upon. I won’t deny it - I crave that sword for my own.”

He took a deep breath, “But I won’t, if it will foster your goodwill. The question is, do I have your goodwill?”

@Nimbus@The Jest@Landaus Five-One@Smike@Nyxira@Rabidporcupine@Awesomoman64@MK2

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

Daniel

Daniel nodded at Saber/Don Juan’s suggestion, and said to his communicator, “Mission Control - Is everything going according to plan? We’re in a burning city and got separated from Charlotte’s Team.” Looking at a billboard, he also said, “It looks like we’re somewhere in East Asia, too - Probably Japan. Is the Singularity set there?”

He looked at Don Juan, then blinked before turning back to his comms device. “Wait a second, are we in one of the Actual Grail Wars? If not for the fact that I’m at risk of getting burned or suffocated or otherwise killed by fire, I’d find that awesome! Especially if it’s that Grail War that Magus Killer was involved in, assuming I remember my ‘research notes’ clearly.”

And by research notes, he’d been going through reports of ‘Magus Killers’ all over the globe, hoping that one of them was the real thing. And he’d encountered a promising lead pointing to a city in Japan, the same city where the actual Grail wars were held every decade or so. Yes, Daniel had been looking up Kiritsugu Emiya, who, though less famous (or infamous) in this world/timeline than others’, was still within his means to find information about.

Either way, they ought to be safe from the fire for now, and mission control ought to respond to them soon. Maybe his mother would even show up, although they’d have to keep things professional between them. But he should still keep himself alert - A raised level of paranoia would be needed now that they were acting as ‘Time Police’.

Then he tried to contact Charlotte, something the boy chastised himself for not doing so sooner, saying to her, “Hey, Charlotte, ya here? We’re currently in a gigantic fire - No civilians around or I’d be trying to help them. Hopefully we find each other soon, although I think you can track us via the smoke and light from the blaze. Oh, and once you get to the blaze, fair warning: finding and saving civilians without revealing who you are is going to be the hardest thing to do which you might find at present. After all, rescuing women and children from fire and collapsed buildings and guiding them to safety is not a normal Magus thing to do, even if it requires skills most normal Magi don’t use or tenacity they don’t have...”

And no, Daniel did not ask Mission Control if he can help civilians in the first place - He was under the assumption that if it can be covered up quickly, then he can help civvies. Note that he couldn’t get the other Servants to do so if they didn’t want to because he had no Command Seals left. Nevertheless, he said to Saber/Don Juan, “Apologies again for using all three Command Seals on you. Otherwise, I’d be able to do more than just ask Assassin and Rider to save others without compromising secrecy.”

And so he did, sending a telepathic message to Autocylus and Crazy Horse, You don’t have to follow this request, but save what lives you can if you find them if it does not destroy our secrecy - If this gets us in trouble with Chaldea Command, I’ll take full responsibility. Either way, it’s up to your individual consciences to respond to this request - I can’t and won’t ask for anything more.

Academy of Noble Arms - The Golden Generation

Jest gave his agreement on Discord!

Academy of Noble Arms - The Golden Generation

GM Post

Pablo, Jeim, Vane, Henry, Oscar, and Nikolay

Pablo instinctively enclosed Jeim in his arms, holding him tight before saying, “I was thinking of you, actually. And we’re boyfriends now?”

His expression was that of a puppy searching for affection, melting at Jeim’s touch even as his mind burned with the urge to try and ‘redeem’ Jeim as soon as possible, to show him that his mentor in the Hammers was an exploitative, even abusive, ass who would gladly throw Jeim away, not knowing that the Korean-Filipino/Filipino-Korean deserved more. How Pablo wanted to kiss the other student, to publicly display affection in ways others might deem scandalous!

But he won’t - Not when Jeim was just putting up a cover. Pablo nevertheless relaxed and softened his posture before saying, “I hope you’re seriously proposing - My heart will break if you’re just playing with it.”

Pablo knew he was doing that anyway - Jeim was too engrossed with preserving his cover to actually have a serious relationship. That and he was probably infatuated with his Mentor anyway. So he waited for the other young man to get off him, all the while as his own body was flowing with urges due to the closeness of Jeim’s own. How he wished that he were in Malenkov’s position right now!

A shadow then covered them both - It was a Human-sized Siege Tower, two meters tall and one meter wide, with tiny ballistae and catapults on top. It was a Noble Arm projected by one Kim Daehan, a full-blooded Korean who was another member of Malenkov’s cell.

“Can you two sick fucks stop with the public displays of affection already?!” the tall, well-muscled (though not as much as Henry) student shouted at Pablo and Jeim. “Some of us are trying to study here!”

Pablo whispered into Jeim’s ear, his composure recovered, “I think Mr. Daehan himself has a crush on me - Don’t ask how I knew that.”

“I heard you, you twink-wannabe!” Kim shouted, “And I’m giving you valuable life advice: Stop acting as if your life is your personal Yaoi Hentai fantasy - No one likes your ‘magical realms’ except yourself!”

Pabo whispered again, “He and I used to play Tabletop Games together - He plays overpowered characters with absurd combinations of skills, I GM scenarios involving his character ending up shirtless or… Unclothed. Let’s just say he throws shit at me for that, just as I complain that he defeats all challenges with a few rolls.”

“You’re just jealous because I am better at building characters than you are!” was Kim’s enraged response. “I can create characters with anti-everything chaotic damage, unlimited initiative ratings, divine armor, and multiple anti-world artifacts!”

A new voice broke in - A young Japanese woman, about 15 years of age, was patting Kim’s shoulder, saying, “Stop associating with the wilfully ignorant. Those who fail to see the truth we wield deserve naught but our scorn and bafflement that they do not think the same, elevated way we do. Once those who are smarter, more rational, and better rule the world, we can usher in Utopia.”

“Okay, goodbye!” Pablo said, even as the voice, the telepathic message from the Hammers, whispered into Jeim’s ears again.

These are Malenkov’s associates, Kim Daehan, the ‘Siege Tower’, and Kasumi Karasuma, the Arbiter of Fate. The former’s Noble Arm is plain as day, the latter is a Katana which tricks the weak-willed into thinking that it can alter Fate and Time. Once Malenkov is gone, you will either lead them or kill them.

@WindsOfFate@dragonpiece@Not Fungus@The Man Emperor@Th3King0fChaos@TheHangedMan

Academy of Noble Arms - The Golden Generation

@dragonpiece, I love it. Now for @The Jest and @TheHangedMan to give their assessments...

Final Fantasy 7 Redone

Akira Ayumu

Akira had, by grace of the Planet, managed to avoid the Sweepers’ shots with what seemed to be unnatural skill to observers. However, as he made it back to the Fort, he cast a Cure on himself anyway just in case he was injured. In any case, the young man looked at the retreating enemy, then at Jessie and the mercs, asking, “So, we’ve won, right?”

It was important that this was a conclusive victory. If it wasn’t, if the massive casualties weighed more on the mercenaries’ heads than the fact that they had succeeded against impossible odds, then there was a chance they’d leave permanently and that no new ‘muscle’ can be recruited. If that was the case, then the loss of the Fort would have only been postponed.

If the latter was the case, then what he had done was for nothing and his ‘safe refuge’ here would fade away with the next attack, or even before. And that’s not even accounting for where the haywire Sweeper had gone to. Either way, much depended on what Jessie and the mercenaries’ reaction were to his victory - If it was joy, he was safe. If it was fear and defeatism, then he was most definitely not safe and should wait for Kanade to arrive so they can find a safe place in order to plot against Shinra.

Which reminded Akira: Shinra developed the Sweepers in the first place. What hope can a small band of individuals, even with Materia and skills, do against such a behemoth?

Then the boy’s stomach rumbled, and it was clear that he needed to eat. Akira wasn’t immune to the demands of combat and stress, and he asked again, whether there was cheering or despair, “Mind if I go to the cafeteria? I need to eat.”

And so, after one second more of waiting for people’s reactions or absorbing them if they had already happened, Akira Ayumu went to go have a late lunch of meat and porridge. The deaths which had happened did weigh heavily on his mind, and it was going to take all his will to not have nightmares about it in the future. He was no stranger to loss, but right now, this was too much for a fourteen-year old boy to take.

Don’t angst unnecessarily, he thought to himself, but quite frankly, he felt alone in the world and there was considerable proof that he was.

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

Daniel

Daniel looked at Don Juan before saying, “Medb - I should not call her by her real name in a Singularity - probably goes after hot men and the rare woman, apologies for the stereotyping. So is it possible she’s spending time doing… It?” Then to Charlotte, “Perhaps you can telepathically contact Archer? That might be the easiest course of action - You can also see through her eyes, but I personally won’t recommend it for obvious reasons.”

To be honest, Daniel did not like Medb for her genuinely malicious and sadistic nature, yet at the same time saw the need for her skillset. More to the point, he knew that if he was older, he’d definitely be attracted to the Archer-class Servant despite himself, and that was a bad thing. Either way, he’d wait for a reaction to his suggestion.

Once said reaction was given, Daniel wondered, Where is Autocylus, anyway? Did I genuinely push him away permanently? What if I did? Does that make me a bad Master?

A pause. Why am I asking myself this? There’s room for improvement even if I am a bad master! I just have to regulate myself and do self-control and not act like a protagonist even though that last part is hard. Very hard. Yeah, remind myself that I am not the protagonist - I am not Raphael.

Noticing that Raphael was still there, Daniel decided to further conceal his thoughts, then say, “Either way, we can head for the Rayshift Room and then send telepathic messages to the Servants once the start of the mission approaches.”

Another wait for a reaction ensued as Daniel began trying to evenly breathe and calm himself. His hand wandered to the Planetarium Orb in his belt, before suddenly remembering, “If need be, I can always use Divination to find Medb if we’re strapped for time and she’s not willing to listen to telepathy. Is that a good idea?”

Hopefully it was, but Don Juan’s words had made him second-guess himself, which in turn was because Daniel had been acting like Raphael lately, maybe even worse because he had even less of a sense of self-preservation, being a sixteen-year old who thinks themselves invincible because he was addled by immaturity and puberty. Note: Never reveal that comparison between himself and Raphael.

Academy of Noble Arms - The Golden Generation

@The Man Emperor, I like the bio and personality, but I do not trust myself with the powers.

Academy of Noble Arms - The Golden Generation

We might be getting a new member!

Fate/Glimmering Oasis

Daniel

Daniel faced a choice. Take Saber/Don Juan’s advice to heart as soon as possible, or delay out of pride, and thus risk blundering earlier. The answer was obvious as he said, “I understand. Apologies for my previous conduct. Hopefully it’s not too late to mend relations between me and the other Servants.”

A pause, “So… Instead of just threats, I also have to use rewards, as well as find out what you guys want as rewards instead of just assuming things. And also not show favoritism when doing so would impact the performance of the group - Even if I have preferences, I should respect all my servants equally and not reward any of them any more than the others.”

He smiled at Crazy Horse as the latter arrived, but not too overtly. Daniel quite liked the Rider-class Servant but did not want to show favoritism like he had said before. Then back to Don Juan, “But yeah, to answer what you said earlier, my mother and father do love each other to the point where it’s embarrassing. I mean, they did lay it on a bit thick with how the Magus’ Association and the Church are corrupt and how they’d find my existence abhorrent at best, but everyone has flaws and it’s not like they’re not telling the truth...”

Daniel knew his parents were being slightly manipulative, but also that the best manipulations were the ones rooted in fact. Then to Rider, he said, “Adventure is coming - I really cannot wait. Assassin should arrive soon, though, and then we can go.”

As Caster/King Mu arrived, Daniel waved at the old man and said, “Hello! Glad to see you, Your Majesty! With you and Charlotte around, we’re going to be set for success!”