Moonlit Sonata

Fate/Empty Providence

All I'm gonna say is Jacob's Limbs ain't nothing to fuck with.

Beyond the Gate at World's End

Diane Edelweiss

Group 4
Location: Diane's Compartment || Action: Losing her Marbles || Mood: Perplexed

Interacting with Rowan @Kore and Wakana @Tenma Tendo

Amidst the clamor of the world, amidst an ever-expanding sideshow of absurdity that took the form of a gathering of people, a single self beats back against the current defined by the reality that it occupied. Tiresias, standing before those with sight but incapable of reaching Truth. Brahma, standing before He of Ten Heads as the gift to surpass a world was granted. Something transcendentally Other, eroding at reason by virtue of existence. In this fashion, she takes form in the ephemeral foundation of a world, defined by her resistance to definition.

"-Why are there marbles?"

Behold, her transcendent might.

There was relatively little to be said about Diane's time in the train up until now, having been busying herself with a book that she'd evidently brought with her and paying little regard to the passage of time. Given everything she'd heard about that world beyond the Gate, she'd assumed that she would have been plagued by monsters by now, or something similar. It was thus a pleasant surprise when there were no monsters, but instead there were what looked like marbles. That was neat. Unless they were bombs or something, marbles were much nicer than monsters.

Hefting herself out of her seat, Diane glanced around at her own compartment for a handful of seconds before shrugging, bending over to pick up and pocket a handful of the marbles in a gesture that would be idiocy at its finest if they were in fact bombs, before moving to exit her compartment. As she did so, the sound of what was either a girl screaming or a very strange monster hunting for prey sounded along the train, causing Diane to quirk up slightly. Her exploratory step out of her compartment became a headlong charge as she moved in the direction of the scream. A sharp yell cut through the air, a bleeding dance of wind and chaos that melted into the surrounding cacophony.

"Don't worry, prospective sidekick! Your salvation is at hand!"

The protagonist had made her descent.

Fate/Empty Providence

To be read after the IC post

The true face of the enemy has been revealed.

The name of Demon Castle ■■■■■■ is now revealed: Demon Castle NAGATO.

Appearance updated.

Keyword 01 - Nagato Tohsaka unlocked.

Keyword 03 - Joint Operation updated.

Abilities 01 - Combat updated.

Abilities 02 - Shapeshift updated.

Setting 01 - A Man and his Vampire unlocked.

Setting 02 - He Who Lacked Fortune unlocked (name only).

Fate/Empty Providence

Demon Castle ■■■■■■

@Breo @Kost Alter @Holy Grail @DrowsyPangolin @Cu Chulainn @Beloss @Ijoyen @Berserk Gene @SIGINT @Yukitamas

The golem writhed, its body drawing into itself as it compressed, and then continued even further. The arrow of Chi You struck true, landing at the site of the golem where two Archers had attacked moments earlier. The shields that were folding over one another as it compressed attempted to block the arrow, but it seemed that the act of compression mandated that those shields' integrity fell.

Let us say that in its compressed state, what had previously been a layer of one shield across its body had, by necessity, become a layer of ten; in this case, the integrity of each of those shields would have fallen to just over 10% of their former state, so that compression could be possible. Even Van-Fem could not compress a titan of stone to such a degree without making sacrifices, after all. However, while it was still compressing, those layers would not be ten shields thick as they would be upon completion, but rather three or four.

Thanks to this, the defenses that an A rank attack was previously needed to breach were penetrated, if only just. And yet...while this may have caused damage to the golem, it was not enough to stop it. After breaking through the shields, only strength equivalent to a D rank attack had reached the golem. How could that have been enough to stop it?

What was a castle that did not tower above man?

What was a monster that did not lurk above man?

What was a king that did not stand above man?

Yes, for all of these things, the first premise was only reasonable, but at the same time...

From thirty meters to ten, from ten to five, from five to two to just a sliver below.

Towers to tendrils, tendrils to limbs.

What was a hero that did not walk among man?

Better. Much better. Even if I wanted to stay in it, I can never get used to that form.

Arms, hands, legs, feet, torso, head--- come into being.

The transformation completed. This is the only reasonable result. It is unthinkable that a castle with a heart could stay as a castle for eternity.

In that place where the Demon Castle had descended, standing in the center of the crater that had been carved into the Eastern Field, was now a man.

A black-haired man.

A golem that bore the appearance of a man. Except this time, there was a light to his eyes, a glimmer in them that was...human. A resigned smile graced his lips as he clenched his right fist. Light, a dazzling light that cut through the darkness formed within his fist, magical energy condensing at an absurd pace in a quantity that even outstripped all of the mana that had been consumed upon the Demon Castle's entry.

To Ernest, this was the being that had killed his Servant.

To Norton, this was the being that had stolen his Master.

To Ruler, this was the being that had blighted his war.

And yet, none of them were the most affected by this man's appearance. For, on the other side of the city, a man looked through the eyes of his Servant, and could only think one thought.

That's impossible.

That's completely impossible.

"It's really been too long, and the circumstances aren't ideal, but still...it's nice to be back home, without that suppression keeping me down."

For the first time in a hundred years, the last king of Fuyuki, Matou Zouken, felt a cold pit form in his stomach. Incredulity. Disbelief. Fear.

"...hey Makiri, or is it Zouken now? If you're watching this through your Servant's eyes, sorry you had to see me like this, was trying to avoid it coming to this point. I hope the past two hundred years have been kind, though. I know she'd have been happy to see that you're still fighting, even if she'd be sad that you still have to be fighting."

Because, after all, that man was something that could not be here.

That man was something that was outside even the understanding of a five hundred year archmage.

"...I'm really sorry, Makiri, but that fight of yours ends now. I'll be taking that torch from you."

That man was-

"Na...gato?"

Fate/Empty Providence

@Breo @Kost Alter @Holy Grail @DrowsyPangolin @Cu Chulainn @Beloss @Ijoyen @Berserk Gene @SIGINT @Yukitamas
As an aside, unless sufficient extensions are requested due to real life circumstances, the Demon Castle's Magical Girl Transformation Sequence will complete in roughly 24 OOC hours.

Fate/Empty Providence

The Skills of the Matou Archer have been updated.

Fate/Empty Providence

Demon Castle ■■■■■■

As those Servants fled, bringing their Masters to safety and preparing to launch their attacks, only one of the gathered Servants was able to launch an attack. The arrow of Odysseus sliced through the air and met the shields that sat over its center.

The shield bent inwards, impacted by the blow of that arrow that had reached the A rank, and yet it did not immediately break. If it wasn't for the fact that there was empty space between where the shields stood and where the stone body of the castle beneath sat, then some damage to the body beneath the shield would certainly have happened, but alas that was not the case. It seemed that even an A rank attack, while enough to damage those shields, wasn't enough to shatter them outright.

"...sunder."

[Clairvoyance: C+]

[God of the Bow(?): EX]

A streak of light appeared, an arrow that soon followed the one shot by Odysseus. Out of those present, only Rostam and Lorelei would recognize that attack; how could they not, when it had nearly resulted in Rostam's death the day prior. The arrow loosed by the Archer of Matou shot forwards, aimed with a pinpoint accuracy only possible for an Archer at the site that Odysseus's own arrow had impacted a moment earlier. The shield that Odysseus had struck was damaged, after all, just a bit shy of breaking, and so when that arrow which had exited the realm of the standard scale struck it...

-It punched through, charging forwards into the golem's body.

Barely weakened thanks to the low integrity of the shield it passed through, nearly all of the attack's force was received by the castle. While its size meant that this was little more than the prick of a needle to it, even something that small could be damaging were the force behind it sufficient. The central body of the castle seemed to rock for a second, a wordless scream leaving its stone body.

Damn, damn. I knew it, the maneuverability's too low, I can't use everything quickly enough to compensate. And what the hell was that arrow? Forget attacks, that was something on the level of a Noble Phantasm, and the one before it wasn't a pushover either.

I should-...no, no, I don't want that. If I do that, then that would....but if I don't, then it'll just stay like this. My movements are too telegraphed like this. Even if it's at a similar speed to them, they can dodge any of my attacks, but I can't do the same. If it's a battle of attrition then I can win, but not in a situation where I'm the only one taking damage.

...damn. I really, I didn't want him to...fine. I suppose this is the only option, huh?

As those Servants approached it, it did not take the chance to launch another attack. Rather, it used the moment during which there was still distance between them to do something entirely different.

Why was a castle given a mind, given a heart? Why was a castle able to feel, even if that would cause it to make suboptimal decisions? Why could a castle's blows have the vestiges of technique in spite of the unwieldy nature of its limbs? Why would a castle be designed for anything short of being a castle?

A castle. A king. A hero. A monster. It was designed to be each of these things.

Soundlessly, the golem's body began to fold in on itself. First those shields retracting back from their expanded state, then its entire body began to compress. From three hundred meters to one hundred, from one hundred to thirty, and it even continued from there. Its shield glimmered as its body came together, those towers of its design shifting in shape. From towers to tendrils, shields melding into its body as they slotted together seamlessly, its form changing into something that it had deemed more suitable to fight a Servant with.

Fire and stone. Life. Stone and fire. Death.

By the time the Servants were in a position to realize what was occurring, they would have perhaps a Single Action to capitalize on it, if that. All the while, the castle writhed as it became something that was not a castle.

Beyond the Gate at World's End

Diane Edelweiss

"Ehehe, let's get to it~! Try and keep up with me, will you?"

Diane Edelweiss

Diane Edelweiss • 24 • April 19 • Female • Autosexual • Veldamar

• Surgeon Girl, D •

Appearance:

Standing at 159 cm and weighing at 47 kg, Diane hardly cuts the most imposing of figures. Her hair and eye color are nonstandard to say the least, a soft white and light purple respectively, though one could assume this to be the result of overzealous parents and genetic redesign. Her skin is a pale white, and she lacks any evident wounds or markings along her body. As for clothing...well, save for a propensity for an odd bend between promiscuity and overdressing, there's little in the way of a true pattern for her.

Personality:

Diane is an impassioned narcissist who considers herself to be a perfect being. Whether it is in terms of intellect, ethics, or general ability, she validates herself as being at the peak of humanity, in spite of evidence to the contrary. This can be captured best perhaps in her view on riddles. She believes herself to be a peerless riddle solve; however, she is not. Rather, she knows the answer to one riddle. To her, this riddle is "The One True Riddle". All other riddles are viewed by her as "not the real one", and thus they are fake, pointless riddles that don't count as real riddles. In this way, her ideology remains perfectly self-consistent. Failure cannot possibly be her fault; it can only ever be the fault of others, or of the world.

At the same time, Diane's ego is every bit as fragile as it is massive. Rather than a reed which may bend without breaking, Diane's psyche is a tree that will stand hardily and deflect attempts to shatter it, but will undeniably break upon clashing with a greater force. In that sense, she is an exquisite glass figurine at the center of a maelstrom, destined to shatter when the eye of the storm changes. In such an instance, her ego will exist, but lack focus, lack presence. Her mentality in such an instance cannot be predicted, though she will undoubtedly hold on to the vestiges of her prior worldview until her last breath.

In terms of conversation, she is loudmouthed, and overbearing, but not brash. She utilizes an unjustly commanding tone as if it were natural, seeing all others as sidekicks and minor characters on her stage. A decidedly unbearable presence who is fixed in her ways, it's hardly a wonder why she no longer lives in her once-home.

Beyond the Gate at World's End

Sheet PMed.

Fate/Empty Providence

Alright, so given that he didn't get a chance to post, @Kost Alter and @Breo now have control over ConstantlyComic's characters for the time being.

We'll be moving forward in the fight either when @Breo and @Kost Alter have posted accordingly (Breo needs to post with Siegfried as well), or when 24 hours have passed from now.