#lair servant - quetzalcoatl

[tgrailwar-zero]

Sweet she can hear us! Hello Quetz, it's nice to meet you!!💖 We know you're programmed to defend the key, but is there any chance you'd be willing to trade this alcohol we got for it instead?

"My! You all are so polite! It's nice to meet you as well! Regarding your 'pregunta en español'--"

"He estado bien, ¡muchas gracias por preguntar! Solo he sido yo y mis 'Enemy Programs', así que no hay mucha compañía, pero es lo que hay. But that aside, an offering you say? Alcohol?"

"I mean... Trading the Trigger Key for some alcohol… ay, I know I should say no, but it must be good if you're offering it up like this, yes? Tu hermana mayor has had a teensy bit of a problem with drinking before, but just a bit of a nip between two adults chatting is fine, yes? It's okay, yes? Yes?"

Why did it sound like even she was trying to convince HERSELF that this was fine? What kind of experience did she have with drinking?

RIDER looked down at the bottle.

Who cares what country the liquor is from, it's probably not supposed to smoke like that. But… JAGUAR MAN wouldn't sell you a faulty product, right? There had to be a reason it was in the shop, next to a comedic thermos and an incredibly valuable item.

RIDER stared at the bottle some more.

…Was this REALLY okay to give to another person?

"Lucha and drinking! Your Masters are certainly party animals, Constantine!"

"Ahaha. Yeah. I guess so?"

[zippdementia]

Part 61 Alignment May Vary: A Harshness of Harpies

This is the ongoing journey log of my longest running Dungeons and Dragons campaign, started in October of 2016. The campaign will be broken into five parts, the fourth of which you are currently reading. For the first part, which focuses on adventures in the Moonsea, click here. For the second, which focuses on the search for the Tomb of Haggemoth, click here. For the third, which focuses on the confrontation with the Red Hand of Doom, click here.

Having been told that they need to travel to the legendary Hidden Fane and see if they can find and kill Azor Khul, the three companions prepare for a long journey. But before they head that direction, Aldric receives word from Lady Kaal of where he can find Varanthian, the Behir who killed his troop, the Green Company, and his former commander, Vincent. The beast lairs in the Giant Shield mountain range, near the Red Rock mountain.

Our three companions are.....

Aldric Alwright: A former mercenary turned hero of Brindol, who wants to avenge the slaughter of his former companions, the Green Company, at the claws of the Behir now calling itself the Mother of the Horde, Varanthian. He has faced her once, now, at the Battle of Brindol, where he grievously wounded her with Black Razor.

Carrick the Risen: A half elf paladin who has joined the party as part of a longer trial of self-redemption. His background is mysterious and sinister. Unknown to the others, he did terrible things. The black rod at his side, a weapon whose name is not spoken, is a reminder of such times. Once in a while, he runs his hand along its surface, but he never uses it.

Nysyries Soul Seeker: Dragonborn Druid, once the thrall of Lord Nazragul of the Maakengorge and also the servant of the Mistress of the Wytchwood, she is now free of their influence, free to seek her own destiny once more. The land cries out to her, begging her to remove the cancer that has dug itself deep inside of it. Nysyries hears the cry and seeks answers. She carries the Rod of Storms, an artifact of grave and dangerous power, which gives her some control over the weather but also draws disaster to itself.

A Harshness of Harpies

It is a dangerous criss-cross of paths and half-hidden trails to climb to Red Rock and the trek is made harder by the Rod of Storms. The artifact attracts bad weather to its wielder, drowning the players in rain and fog for their entire journey, leaving them feeling despondent and weary.

The fog pressed against Aldric’s face like a wet rag, leaving frost in his blonde beard and leaving him blind as he tried to carefully lead his horse, Anope, across the rickety bridge. He looked down only once, but saw only the thick white cloud stretching out beneath him.

When he heard the screech, Black Razor was in his hand instantly, swinging through the fog, slicing the mist apart and briefly giving him a glimpse of the creature that had emerged from a hole in the rocks ahead.

It was a harpy, though one unlike any he had ever seen. Instead of the beautiful body of a woman sitting atop the distorted vulture legs the upper body of this one was thick with feathers, obscuring her breasts and other shapely features. Curling from around her head were two fur-tufted horns, like the horns of a great owl. Her voice was a powerful purr that he felt in his groin:

“Leave your horses,” she demanded. “We will take them as toll for your passage through our land.”

Aldric shook his head, trying to clear the voice from his mind. “No,” he said, though it took him a moment longer to remember why he was disagreeing. “They are... our horses.” His thoughts felt sluggish, his body tight and tired, like he had run miles over the mountain.

The harpy smiled, seeing him shake his head again. She scratched one talen idly against the hard stone of her perch. “Come to me, man child,” she said. “If you will not pay the toll, then you will give me your life.”

And Aldric listened, and  obeyed.

The layout of this battle is on three narrow and rickety bridges that cross between islands of stone and eventually to a more secure stretch of mountain pass. The companions are separated: Aldric is almost to the pass, Carrick is on a bridge, and Nysyries hasn’t crossed the bridges yet.

There are six or seven harpies who hover above the bridge, hidden by the Rod of Storm’s fog, and use their wings to create a magical gust that almost knocks Carrick off of the ledge. Meanwhile, Aldric becomes charmed by the Harpy Queen, failing his saving throw miserably. It’s actually pretty in character: Aldric has been played as a horn-dog who can’t resist a pretty woman (or man) under the best of circumstances. And these are not the best of circumstances. The harpy’s charm forces Aldric to try to move towards her at all costs and with no thought given to his own safety. He totally ignores combat while doing this.

To Aldric’s credit, he tries to turn this failure into some kind of success. He mounts Anope and launches himself towards the Harpy Queen, leaping from his horse to try and grab her. He fails miserably, literally rolling a critical fail and faceplanting into the stone wall while the Queen, laughing, takes flight and heads into the fog. Aldric’s crash breaks the spell over him and, bloody faced, he stumbles towards the bridge to join in combat.

Carrick has been trying to fight off the harpies. He takes a defensive stance, forcing the harpies to fly close to him, at which point he slashes out with precise and deadly strikes, cutting two from the sky. Aldric rushes towards him then, prepared to aid him. But one of the Harpies casts charm on the hapless mercenary and once again Aldric is unable to resist, even with a Paladin near him with his powerful aura (darn those critical failure saving throws). Aldric this time throws himself off the bridge in an attempt to grab one of the harpies and literally ride her, trying once again to turn a failure into an attack.

And he rolls another critical failure.

Aldric plummets into the fog, completely missing his mark. Carrick rushes forward, unsure of what to do but feeling like he must do something. But then suddenly he is set upon by a huge flying beast: a Quetzalcoatl. It is Nysyries, also fallen prey to the Harpy Queen’s charm as she transformed into a beast. She slashes at Carrick with her spear-sharp beak and the half elf is nearly driven from the bridge by the assault before Nysyries regains her composure and, screeching, lunges back towards the Harpy Queen who used her magic on her.

The Harpy Queen is taken by surprise, unbelieving that Nysyries could break free from her spell. The Quetzalcoatl’s talons rip feathers from the Queen’s flanks and the Harpy screeches in indignation. She stretches her wings out and puffs up her feathers, releasing a cloud of dust and dander that Nysyries breathes deeply into her lungs. The effects are instantaneous: Nysyries falls into a deep sleep and drops from the sky like a stone and a moment later the fog, created by the Rod of Storms, dives after her.

Carrick, blinded by the sudden reveal of the sun and unaware of what has happened, continues to fight bravely, but the harpies overwhelm him and when their Queen joins the fray, there is nothing he can do. Talons claw ribbons of flesh from his face and the weight of three Harpies bears him to the ground, unconscious, as the bird-women prepare to feed.

But then suddenly they all look up, their screeching halting. The Harpy Queen hisses. “It’s her,” she snarls. But though there is hatred in her voice, there is no fight in it. Fear and frustration mingle together to push out anger and the Queen takes flight, her coven soon following, snatching Nysyries’ horse as they depart (Carrick’s mount was actually a summoned magical being which disappeared when he fell unconscious, and Anope is strong enough to rear up and kick the harpies away, clocking one in the face with its hooves).

And something approaches Carrick...

Decisions

Aldric opened his eyes. How was he still alive? He looked around and saw he was on a thin path that practically hugged the cliff side. The fog was still present here, but not as thick as it had been above. Still, it showed him only that there was a drop bare inches to his left, a drop that most likely he would not be fortunate enough to survive as he had this one.

He strained his ears, trying to hear the sounds of battle, but nothing came to him from above. Or almost nothing. There was a rasping sound drifting through the air, like the quiet pained breathing of some great beast.

“The next time you are going to jump off of a mountain, do me a courtesy and give me to Nysyries,” growled Blackrazor, startling Aldric.

“I don’t know,” Aldric told the sword cheerily. “That seemed to go pretty okay for me. Maybe I have a new career in mountain jumping.”

Aldric fell about one hundred and fifty feet, but the damage rolled is surprisingly low, less than sixty (and he has over a hundred hit points). So while the fall hurts, it doesn’t phase him, and so he gathers himself up and heads up the skinny path towards the sounds, his boots trailing mist as he walks. The sounds get worse the closer he comes and eventually he realizes they aren’t quiet rasping sounds at all, but roars of pain muffled by layers of stone.

He follows the roars into a cave and eventually comes to a place where Varanthian lies on a treasure hoard, writhing in pain. She notices him almost at once and hisses at him that their last encounter left her painfully wounded and the wounds of Blackrazor are refusing to heal. Now she can’t move enough to throw herself from the cliffside and her strength is gone so that she cannot beat her brains out on the cave ceiling. All that is left to her is slow starvation, and Behir can survive for months without food and water. She begs Aldric to finish her off, and the mercenary obliges, cutting her head off with a single blow.

As Blackrazor pulls in the soul of this powerful creature, her body turns to ash and blows away, much like what happened with the other powerful foes he defeated at Brindol. And then Aldric is left alone, his revenge completed, feeling elated... and completely lost as to what to do next.

He wanders for a while, then, traveling aimlessly through the caves, until he finds himself looking down a path that spirals past waterfalls, glistening in the light of the moon coming in from somewhere high above. A pool rests at the bottom of the path and in the middle of the pool is a stone island. And on the island stands a man, waiting for Aldric.

Aldric’s old leader, the commander of the company, beckons him to join him on the island of stone. He tells Aldric that the company has been avenged and can finally rest, and that Aldric is now the new commander. He must go out and rebuild the company, “for better or for worse, the choice is his.” He leaves Aldric with a silver horn that he can use to call the souls of the company to join him in battle and, surrounded by the ghosts of his old companions, Aldric is made the new commander in a short ritual.

Carrick, meanwhile, is in a deep sleep. The half elf wanders a grand temple of his god in this sleep, following the sounds of hammering to a humongous side room where a small man (made smaller yet by the ridiculous god-sized room) stands at a huge anvil, hammering away at something. The man is not just small, he is a dwarf, though it is hard to tell at first because he has no beard. Carrick first mistakes him for a halfling, but when the dwarf speaks, his rough accent betrays his species.

“You’ve finally come.”

Carrick speaks slowly in response: “You... know me?”

“Aye! Your god put me here to give you a message.”

“Who are you?”

“One who sought balance, and failed to find it. The world had a chance, old man. It had a chance to be saved. Balance could have been had. But the moment was lost when a decision was made, a decision that tore my soul apart. Only a piece of it was able to escape the destruction of my device, and it made its way here, to you.

“Now balance can never be had. Good and Evil will fight and one WILL win. The world will fall either forever into darkness, or be cleansed by the light. There is no longer one way or the other. And when that moment comes, which way it falls will depend on the actions you take, Carrick.

“You will be traveling with two companions and they will become forces of either good or evil, turning the tide of the battle to come. You must make sure they fight for the forces of good, Carrick, or all will be lost.”

The dwarf looked up briefly from his hammering. “Will you take on this mission, Carrick?”

Carrick nods. “I will try.”

The dwarf nods. “When the time comes, we will meet again. For now, awaken!”

Imoaza

Carrick startled awake to find himself in a cave, a small fire burning next to him, keeping him warm. Aldric crouched over him, smiling. “I wondered when you would get up.”

Carrick ran his tongue around his mouth before speaking, feeling how thick it felt. “Water,” he croaked and Aldric obliged, opening his waterskin and pouring some over his parched lips. Carrick swallowed and this time when he spoke it was less like speaking through cotton. “You survived... how?”

“Manly bravado,” Aldric said.

“I survived... how?”

“That would be her.” Aldric nodded to a corner of the cave where, when Carrick turned his head, he could see a figure crouched in the darkness. The figure moved then and Carrick unconsciously pushed himself away from her, his entire mind reeling from the way the figure seemed to uncurl from the darkness and move towards him.

She was not human. Despite having two legs, two arms, and a head, he could see that at once. Her skin had a sickly greenish hue, small scales flecked in random patterns and configurations at seemingly random places over her body, and her facial structure was far too narrow and thin to be considered normal. Her eyes were the largest feature on that narrow face and they stared at him unblinking, their pupils not circles but slits.

“Your friend says you are looking for the Vale,” the snake woman hissed at him. “I know the way.”

This is Imoaza, a Yuan Ti Pureblood and Nysyries’ new character. Intrigued by the Warlock Hexblade, she built Imoaza as a back up character only a session or two before Nysyries unexpectedly fell to her end. Actually she was originally intended for another game entirely, but I’m glad she ended up here. Her story will help shape the next chapter of the game.

Imoaza comes from a tribe of Yuan Ti obsessed with the Hexblades. She attempted to ascend into a higher form of Yuan Ti, an Aberration, and challenge the leaders of the tribe in a bid to take over with her own brood. However, her son betrayed her, taking the power of transformation for himself and becoming an Anathema, an extremely powerful form of Yuan Ti. Imoaza remained a Pure Blood and was ordered killed by her son. As the rest of her children hastened to cut her down, Imoaza stole one of the greatest Hexblades of the tribe, the  Dosselgreymer (Dah-sol-grey-mur), a huge scythe that can fire Eldritch blasts as well as separate into two smaller curved blades for use as a rapid, close up, weapon.

Cutting her way free of the tribe (literally), Imoaza fled into the mountains and became a hermit, but she dreams of one day returning for revenge on her family. She has become obsessed with finding the source of the Hexblade power and to this end has been searching for the place where her tribe came from, the Vale Where the Stars Fell, also known as the Fane where the horde of the Red Hand is thought to have their base of operations.

With this goal in mind, she decides to lead Aldric and Carrick to the Fane, in hopes of finally achieving her revenge. She dared not go alone, for her people still hunt for her, but with these two companions at her side, she believes she is safe enough.

Before they leave, Aldric insists on searching for Nysyries and Imoaza reluctantly takes them through her network of caves down to the base of the area where Nysyries fell. For a day and a half they search before Imoaza refuses to waste any more time on sentiment.

They do not find Nysyries. They do find the Rod of Storms and a piece of the jade statue...

... the statue that long ago Karina, Shando, and Targaryen found in an undersea temple; that Karina, Abenthy, and Twyin took from the resurrected Targaryen; that Karina, Trakki, and Tyrion used to fight and defeat a dread pirate raised from the depths of hell; a piece of which Karina gave to Tyrion for safekeeping and from whose bag Nysyries took to remember her fallen companion.

That jade statue. A statue which will soon come into play once again, forever changing the lives of three new companions: Aldric, Imoaza, and Carrick.

[lunyrd-blog]

Not everyone is familiar with the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and less with the world of 5D’s specifically. This page is to help people with terms I will refer to in headcanons and posts, and to explain in simple terms what they are.

NEO DOMINO CITY (New Domino City in the dub) is located in futuristic Japan, in an unspecified coastal location. It is the utopic rebuilt version of Domino City, rebuilt after the events of ZERO REVERSE.

Locations in Neo Domino City include:

the Arcadia Movement building, where the ARCADIA MOVEMENT is based.

Saiga’s apartment.

Carly’s apartment.

A court house. Criminals and undesirables are taken here to be sentenced to imprisonment in THE DETENTION CENTER or exile to the SATELLITE.

the Daimon Area, where the sector securitybuilding, Saiga’s shop Bootleg, and an arena for underground dueling are.

Two Duel Academies, the standard mixed-gender Duel Academy and the Queen’s Duel Academy, which is exclusively female only.

A Duel Shrine on the outskirts of the city, where people pray to Duel Spirits.

Domino General Hospital, a hospital at the forefront of medicinal technologies and medicine.

Godwin Mansion, also on the outskirts of the city.

Jack Atlas’ penthouse in the centre of the city.

Rua and Ruka’s family penthouse, located in the heights of the Tops.

The Tops, an upper-class residential area in a gated community.

The Memorial Circuit, a dueling stadium.

New Momentum, an improved energy generation system that powers the city.

Party Hall, a function hall to host society’s elite.

Poppo Time, a clock shop where Zora lives and Team 5D’s  live in the lead up to the WRGP.

The Detention Center, located in the outskirts of the city. It is a prison where all undesirables are sent for their crimes.

SATELLITE is an island just off the coast of Neo Domino City and is a dystopic, desolate ruin. The common belief in the city is that it was built by the leader of the PUBLIC SECURITY MAINTENANCE BUREAU, Rex Godwin, to house the ‘scum’ of the city (criminals, miscreants, anyone who the city did not like), but it is actually a part of the original Domino City. It was separated from what is now Neo Domino City by ZERO REVERSE, which split the districts that became the Satellite off from the rest of the city and pushed it away by means of an explosion-induced earthquake. The sea between Satellite and Neo Domino is actually a water-filled chasm created by Zero Reverse. The only connection between Satellite and Neo Domino prior to the Daedalus Bridge  (which is not featured in any verse prior to the WRGP arc) is a waste-filled pipe through which the city sends their rubbish to be processed and recycled. The Satellite is dependent on the meagre income the City provides in exchange for processing their waste.

Locations in the Satellite include:

an abandoned amusement park located within the B.A D.

several abandoned factories

the B.A.D. (Barbaric Area After Damage) located in the heart of Satellite and widely regarded as the most dangerous place on the island. In the center of the B.A.D. is a miles deep crater - the remains of the OLD MOMENTUM REACTOR and base of the DARK SIGNERS.

Satellite Bay, located near the Daedalus Bridge and south-west of Crow’s hideout. It is where Godwin appeared in the Satellite and laid the foundations for the Bridge’s predecessor.

Crow’s hideout, where Crow and his adopted children live.

Daedalus Bridge (appears only after the Dark Signer arc) is a completed version of the legendary bridge half laid down by Godwin before the series started.

several scrapyards, although it is never clear where these end and Satellite’s inhabited quarters begin.

Martha’s house, where Yusei grew up, in the very south regions of Satellite.

The Old Momentum Reactor, located at the bottom of the B.A.D. crater, which still houses MOMENTUM.

several old highways.

The Pipeline, delivering junk from the City to the Satellite.

A port, through which Security delivers miscreants and criminals to be exiled to the Satellite. It only operates in one direction, however; no one is allowed to leave Satellite.

Puzzle Hospital, a derelict hospital that serves all Satellite.

Yusei’s hideout, which is part of an abandoned subway system.

THE DUEL MONSTER SPIRIT WORLD is a world parallel to the human world where all Duel Spirits live. It has realms within it and areas to cater to all Duel Spirits’ living needs. Very few people can see and converse with Duel Spirits naturally, though all spirits possess the ability to appear to all they choose to,at the expense of their strength.

Locations in the Spirit World include:

The Ancient Forest, part of Ancient Fairy Dragon’s domain. It practices pacifism, and all violence is forbidden within it’s bounds.

Forest of Pojar, a forest outside the town of Schwank. It is where Regulus, Ancient Fairy Dragon’s servant lives.

Schwank, one of many towns within the Spirit World. More humanoid Duel Spirits live here.

Zeman’s Castle, the lair of Zeman the demonic monkey king. Ancient Fairy Dragon’s prison was located here. After the defeat of Demak and Zeman, the castle stood empty as a reminder of the atrocities that had occurred there.

other locations include:

The shrine to the Earthbound Immortals built in Peru.

The Sky Temple, a pre-Inca civilisation where the People of the Dragon Star lived and worshipped the Crimson Dragon.

Crash Town, a Wild West-based town hours outside of Neo Domino.

important figures and concepts

THE CRIMSON DRAGON - a god amongst Duel Spirits, also known as Quetzalcoatl.

THE EARTHBOUND GODS - a group of wicked gods who mean to open the doors to the Underworld and destroy all life. They were sealed in the Nazca Lines by the Signer Dragons and the Crimson Dragon 5,000 years before the start of the series to prevent them destroying the worlds.

THE SIGNERS AND SIGNER DRAGONS - a group of five chosen by the Crimson Dragon to help defeat the Earthbound Gods, marked by Marks of the Crimson Dragon. The Dragons are servants of the Crimson Dragon who aid the Signers in their quest.

DARK SIGNERS - the antithesis of the Signers, servants of the Underworld and the Earthbound Gods. They are the souls of people who died without fulfilling a purpose, who were hence brought back to life by the Earthbound Gods in exchange for serving them.

MOMENTUM - the source of all  energy in Neo Domino.

Yliaster - a malevolent group from the future who wish to alter the future by changing the past.

D-Wheels - motorcycles optimised for dueling

Riding Duels - duels in which D-Wheels are used.

THE 3000 B.C. NAZCA WAR was the battle that took place between the Crimson Dragon and its disciples and the Earthbound Gods 5000 years before the series. The Crimson Dragon and the Signer Dragons, after a hard battle over thousands of years where each time they defeated the wicked gods, they came back and threatened the worlds anew, forced the gods into the earth and bound them within the Nazca Lines, albeit at the expense of Ancient Fairy Dragon and Life Stream Dragon.

THE 8000 B.C. NAZCA WAR was the battle that took place between the Crimson Dragon, its disciples, and the Crimson Devil Red Nova. Through the gift of a legendary Signer, the dragons were able to defeat Red Nova and seal it away, though they knew it would not be forever.

ZERO REVERSE is an event that happened 17 years prior to the start of the series. Roman Godwin destabilised the Old Momentum Reactor and caused it to explode, separating what came to be known as the Satellite from the City and causing mass destruction and loss of life. This was the event that started to awake the Earthbound Gods from their 5000 year slumber.

THE ARCADIA MOVEMENT is a group of Psychic Duelists gathered under Divine. Psychic Duelists are duelists who have the ability to summon their monsters in a physical form and grant them mass and weight where regular duelists can only summon them as holograms. Though the members were not aware of it, Divine intended for them to be psychic soldiers to be sold like weapons in wars to profit himself and the warring states.

SECTOR SECURITY are the police officers of Neo Domino City. They maintain order and are controlled by the PUBLIC SECURITY MAINTENANCE BUREAU, though many are corrupt and treat Satellite-natives with derision and scorn. Some bend and break the rules to pardon City natives while putting the blame on Satellite natives instead.

PUBLIC SECURITY MAINTENANCE BUREAU is the full title of those who run the city and are in charge of security. Sector Security is only one sector of it. It is run by Rex Godwin, Director of the Bureau and leader of the City.

M.I.D.S ( MOMENT INVESTIGATION AND DEVELOPMENT SECTOR ) was the group in charge of developing MOMENTUM, lead by Dr. Hakase Fudo. They were in charge of Old Momentum and it was by the actions of Roman Godwin that the reactor detonated and caused ZERO REVERSE. Those that were left of M.I.D.S. concealed the truth behind Zero Reverse at Director Godwin’s behest, claiming that it was a natural disaster and not the reactor that had caused the cataclysm.

[tgrailwar-zero]

We tried asking someone else but, are you just like the Avenger and Ruler terminals from the last war? Are all lair servants?

"A little bit of yes, a little bit of no? We're all just different versions of NPCs, basically. The difference between me, one of the Grail Terminals from the previous War, and a standard NPC is mostly just functionality. Think about the similarities and differences between a airplane, a bus, and a train, yes!"

[tgrailwar-zero]

61.8% chose "Try to outmaneuver and mount the dinosaur"!

Right. Time to ride a dinosaur.

RIDER readied himself.

"Riding a dinosaur can't be that different than riding a horse!"

"Grrrough…?!"

With that absurd statement being enough to hype him up, RIDER sprinted forward, slipping past the biting jaws of the beast as it lunged forward in an attempt to bite him. Teeth scraped against RIDER's armor, causing him to grimace as he darted past and around the beast, jumping into the air and gripping onto the rough scales as he pulled himself upwards.

- [ RIDER took 1 point of damage! RIDER has 5 HP remaining! ] -

A little bit of damage, but nothing major. At least he was far away from the dinosaur's mouth.

...Truly a sight to behold.

Taking the reigns- as in, gripping the dinosaur's collar, RIDER yanked his arms back as the beast let out a devastating roar as it tried to wrench itself free, before falling under RIDER's command. Frankly, he seemed like a natural at this. Riding B+ was nothing to scoff at, after all.

He forced the beast to surge forward, thudding up the temple steps, stopping just before the Lair Servant.

The Lair Servant stared up at him, dumbfounded. Reasonably so. The dinosaur was an enemy, not a mount.

"Ay ay… you all really are something else, aren't you? But you made it to the top without harming my beast, Masters of the Preliminary War. So I can't fault creativity. As Quetzalcoatl, I'm proud. But as the Lair Servant of this domain, I am a bit disappointed. You understand, yes?"

That name... QUETZALCOATL.

JAGUAR MAN had mentioned before than she was a Divine Spirit, but this was a rather powerful god. She looked a bit…- well, a lot different than one would expect from an Aztec deity, but Servants were strange.

RIDER hopped off the dinosaur as it stepped back, stunned and confused at what had just happened, the roaring turning into more of a confused whimpering as it swiveled its head towards its master. QUETZALCOATL shrugged.

"Lo siento, just hang back, okay? It seems as if fighting isn't the immediate solution that these Masters and their Servants are searching for, despite looking for the Trigger Key. But I introduced myself, who are you, Rider of the Red Faction?"

There was a moment of hesitation, before he spoke.

"I'm… Constantine. Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos."

Most Servants would stop and request permission from their Masters before revealing their True Name, but this put them on equal footing. Or perhaps made RIDER's position on the back foot more apparent. A Divine Spirit from the Age of Gods filled with Authority and Mystery, and an Emperor thoroughly from the Age of Man. If things turned to a fight, it'd be difficult.

Not impossible, just difficult. This was a Grail War, after all. Anything could happen.

RIDER then turned his attention back towards his Masters, speaking calmly.

"She's smiling, but she hasn't let her guard down for a moment. Either we find a way to loosen her defenses before fighting her for the Trigger Key, or try to convince her to hand it over peacefully. Perhaps we could ask some questions. She's rather reasonable for a Lair Servant. Just… be careful with what you're asking me to say. I'm not going to say something inane to the Lair Servant."

"Actually, I can hear your Masters just fine. Call it a perk. An advantage that we Lair Servants have over the Participant Servants of this war… I mean, it's almost like mindreading, you know?"

Another direct line of communication, just like in the Preliminary War. This does mean that a certain amount of caution would be needed when talking to- or about her. After all, she is programmed to, you know... kill your RIDER to protect the Trigger Key.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Ptolemy, you are a servant of much experience. We have had a slight discussion with Pharoah Cleopatra about how we may be of service in the battle to come. Do you have any suggestions on where we and our servants should go in order to best help defend the Solar Cell and its citizens?

PTOLEMY: "Well, if you want to help… I had plans prepared since the Trial, though the reduced timeframe means that they'll have to be enacted now. We'll need to end this war before it begins. For the sake of our territories, the Lair Servants need to retreat to their grounds immediately in order to bolster their zone's defenses. The only ones given permission for free reign are myself and the Slayer, as our 'zones' were given up for the sake of the Grail War."

PTOLEMY: "Guardsman Izou will be running a stealth mission. His goal will be to take out Charlemagne- swift and easy. If he can't take out Charlemagne, then one of his guard. He's to retreat if things get messy."

IZOU: "You want me to dish out some divine punishment? Got it, boss."

PTOLEMY: "Prince Duryodhana will be mounting an offensive to take back the Gossamer Coast. It's less valuable than the Fugue Hamlet in terms of magical leylines, and Quetzalcoatl's temple is still there. We might be able to fully bring it back under Solar Cell control… but we need to have a grip on the territory first."

DURYODHANA: "As if that's a question. Yours Truly is a master of warfare, you know."

PTOLEMY: "And… we have one more gambit that Charlemagne is unaware of. The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh."

ANDERSEN: "...'Gambit', he says, as if this is all part of his little plan. Oh, this will be good. Please, tell them your stupid idea. Loud, for everyone to hear. Should I call the press? I'm sure all of the Solar Cell would love to know their beloved Keeper is a moron."

PTOLEMY: "Andersen… anyways, hear me out. He's not a Moon Servant, but his eyes allow him to see almost every possibility, not akin to the Moon Cell itself. And, as he was apparently summoned back then, he has knowledge of the Void Cell… which he refuses to share."

CLEOPATRA: "Wait, the King of Uruk is here? Why am I just now hearing about this?"

PTOLEMY: "Only Sigurd, Tamamo, Andersen and I knew… or well, we're the only ones still around that know. We figured it'd be for the best, allow him to live uninterrupted."

ANDERSEN: "And do you remember what he told you the last time you asked for his aid? When your little posse had dared to even summon him on the surface of the Solar Cell?"

'KING OF HEROES': "Hm? Join you, you ask? You think yourselves worthy of my power? You wish me to be the lapdog of a fox? You ask of me to sit in your pathetic hideaway, and simply await the awakening of Sun God's Wrath? It'd do you well to swiftly learn your place, mongrels."

'KING OF HEROES': "Insult me with such a foolish request again, and I’ll lay waste to this entire place with a single flick of my wrist. Yet, in the arrogance of that cunning fox, who bars anyone from entering or leaving, I shall remain an observer. It would be beneath me to expend my strength tearing a hole in this place."

'KING OF HEROES': "So… do well to entertain me, o' Sycophants of the Sun."

ANDERSEN: "Something like that?"

PTOLEMY: "That was cycles ago! Listen, if he can even just lend an item from his treasury, it could make all the difference. He's in Sunbeam Row. If we approach, we'll be turned down on sight, maybe worse. But..."

MUSASHI: "...You all might have better luck if you send messengers that aren't part of your little group?"

ANDERSEN: "Exactly. And if you die, well… some may consider it an honor to be drawn and quartered by Mankind's Oldest Hero."

PTOLEMY: "Well… if that's not to your liking, then there's other options. Either you can mount an assault on the Hamlet, and attempt to regain that zone. Due to the leylines, it is valuable, so you'll most likely face heavy resistance if you're caught. You could join Prince Duryodhana… or you could boldly charge the Citadel from the front. That's what I'll be doing. It'd draw attention away from Charlemagne's other zones, after all."

PTOLEMY: "Finally… you could try and convince the Alter-Ego. She's still in containment, but her strength would be valuable to this battle. Still, we'll have to move out while they're still preparing. Guardsman Izou will be heading out tonight, the others in the morning. Once their feet are planted, any attacks against them will have a massive increase in difficulty."

KUKULKAN: "Decisions, decisions... what to do, Masters?"

[tgrailwar-zero]

(ooc, this is just me trying to organize Trigger Key stuff, and a bit of speculation about it. I'm not sure if it's all correct. and I thought others might want to see too)

Major Trigger Keys are held by Lair Servants, and Minor Trigger Keys are held by the Servants we had in TGW.

Lair Servants - Bryn(Sigurd gave his Key to her), Cu, Cleo, Nikitich, Ptolemaios, Tamamo Aria, Little Guy, Asclepius, and Quetzalcoatl

TGW Servants - Izo, Musashi, Cu, Arjuna, Mandricardo, Dante, Kintoki, Van Gogh

Charlemagne has the Minor Keys of Mandricardo, Dante, Kintoki and Van Gogh link - https://www.tumblr.com/tgrailwar-zero/724629801470722048

I can only assume the Hidden Item that Duryodhana told us Arjuna left behind for us, that he's gonna show us where if we win the Bout is Arjuna's Minor Trigger Key?

speculation from that - Izo and Musashi have Minor Trigger Keys? Does Cu have a Major Trigger Key and a Minor Trigger Key?

side rambling that has nothing to do with any of the above, but the "Former Servants are Cursed" thing. We know this was relevant to Cu (very Cursed) and Musashi (she was a ball of hate and malevolence when we found her as a Shadow Servant), but Izo seems perfectly fine. I mean, whether he's actually fine is a big question mark (repression!?), but it's still something to think about?

_

[tgrailwar-zero]

Morning everyone, ready for the big day?

The sun rose on the Transient Megalopolis, and you prepared yourselves for the Flaming Bout.

After a good night's rest and a decent morning that quickly became a bit more frantic once you realized how the time was slipping by, you made your way to where the bout was supposed to be held.

Today was the day. And it was a 'big day' indeed!

Even on a decent time-frame- and you all thought you were getting there pretty early- the streets were crowded as they amassed around a huge arena.

Just wave after wave of people. Compared to your past memory, where each individual was more of a 'vaguely colored mechanical thing'- and even your recollection of the Nameless City which had primarily human-like citizens, you saw all types here. Humans, robots, beast-men… the works.

You supposed that in a virtual world where you could look like anyone, these kinds of disparate appearances wasn't exactly odd, but it was surreal in a way. It was hard to tell who was a competitor, and who just looked incredibly intense.

The good news was, you really didn't stand out that much. In a vacuum, a 'shadow person' was rather ominous and actively strange. in this situation? Well, if you ever wanted to assert that you looked 'relatively normal', now would be the time to do so. Nobody could really argue.

Still, there wasn't much time to admire the diversity of the Solar Cell, as you were being actively squished between your Servants as they tried to push through the waves of people.

CONSTANTINE: "Just… stay close to the Masters! If they got lost in this wave of people, I don't think we could find them easily!"

NERO: "It's not like we have a choice but to stay close, Rider! I barely have room to wiggle my fingers! I forgot what massive crowds came here for the Bout!"

SABER: "Still… it's pretty exciting, isn't it? This is a major event! Ah-- hey, Rider! That's my foot!"

CONSTANTINE: "That wasn't me! Wait, there's a break in the crowd Push! Onward!"

You shoved your way through the crowd, as you heard various bits and pieces of excited chatter.

"Hey, did you hear? Keeper Ptolemaios is here!" "Seriously? I don't think I've seen him anywhere but the Archives or the Library…" "I wonder... do you think something happened?"

"So many strong fighters… maybe this is a good year to get into betting…" "Dude, you still owe me 50 PPT, what the hell are you gonna bet with?"

"Mm? Where's Protector Quetzalcoatl? She's always here, right?" "I thought I saw her… I think she changed her hair?" "Ah, that was her?!"

"I've got a good feeling on the Man-Slayer this year... I just know it!" "No way! Tri-Star's got this in the bag!" "You're kidding, right? I heard that the Jaguar Boss brought in a last-minute fighter that's supposed to be a total killer!"

The constant noise was only tempered briefly by the sound of a heavy object slamming into the ground. Eyes whipped towards the source, as you saw DURYODHANA and IZOU proudly standing before the crowd.

DURYODHANA: "Make way, citizens! The ruler of the Transient Megalopolis is coming through! Move it! Shoo!"

IZOU: "Y'hear that punks!? Queen Cleopatra's comin', so back off and start gettin' respectful!"

They parted to the side, as a stately, beautiful woman stepped between them. Your eardrums practically burst from the amount of yelling that emerged from the crowd, which basically confirmed the identity of this person.

CLEOPATRA VII THEA PHILOPATOR. The final Pharaoh of the Greco-Egyptian Ptolemaic Dynasty.

And… the Lair Servant of the Transient Megalopolis. The 'Pharaoh'.

You saw her briefly shoot a look at her two guards, sharing a hushed conversation.

CLEOPATRA: "You boneheads. We really need to work on your introductions…"

IZOU: "Really? I think I nailed it. What, you think I should'a asked 'em to bow?"

DURYODHANA: "They moved, didn't they? I say mission accomplished. No need to coddle them, they adore you after all."

CLEOPATRA: "…You're both lucky you're strong and handsome, you know that?"

She sighed, before smiling and waving to the crowd of people, that-- despite the brusque announcement from the two guards-- were absolutely ecstatic to see the Pharaoh of the Megalopolis in person. And considering that DURYODHANA and IZOU were fighters as well, you could assume some of that excitement was shared for them as well. She made her way through the crowd, before vanishing, and the normal bustle returned… unfortunately.

MUSASHI: "Gaaah! My foot!"

CONSTANTINE: "That time was me, sorry! Are you okay? Ah- wait, we're losing the little one!"

'LITTLE GUY': "We're going awayawaaaaaay-!"

NERO: "I've got you! Oh, look! There's that damned Jaguar! Ahead! Ahead! No, we're drifting left! No, no, noooo--!"

Eventually-- EVENTUALLY-- you managed to reach JAGUAR MAN who was waiting by the entrance. She smirked, folding her arms.

JAGUAR MAN: "The crowd got you, huh? That's the city for ya. You're lucky you're newbies- at least you don't have to worry about paparazzi or superfans hounding you. Welcome to the Flaming Bout. Glad y'could make it. Anyways, let's get down to brass tacks. Twin-blade and Shady here--"

You're assuming that she's talking to MUSASHI and you.

JAGUAR MAN: "--Head down to the locker rooms as soon as possible and get checked in. Your friends better find seats quick, this place fills up fast for people not in VIP sections."

CONSTANTINE: "We're not allowed down?"

JAGUAR MAN: "Sorry, handsome. Don't worry, the fighters are allowed up to mingle when they're off call, so you'll have plenty of chances to waste time together. Just make sure you don't miss your bout. Here you go."

You received: [ Flaming Bout Tickets (1 Fighter Ticket, 1 Manager Ticket, and 3 Guest Tickets) ]!

[ You lost 400 PPT for your Entry Fee! You currently have 770 PTT! ]

JAGUAR MAN handed you the ticket marked 'Manager', while MUSASHI took the ticket marked 'Fighter' and the other three took the remaining. MUSASHI's ticket was bright red with a golden border. Your ticket had a sleek black design with a golden border- it looked important. Best to make sure you didn't lose it. The guest tickets had simple flame patterns.

With a petulant look, NERO stared down at her ticket.

NERO: "…I want a VIP ticket."

JAGUAR MAN: "Tough luck. If you had your War Monitor status, it'd be a cinch, but now you've gotta run with everyone else... Still, knowing you, you'll probably find a way into the Lounge somehow."

JAGUAR MAN: "Anyways, I'll see ya down below. I've got high hopes for you, 'Null Zero Samurai'."

She winked, before heading inside the building, leaving you and your group.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Okay. Okay, okay,

This is fine. This is honest. This is good.

That's probably the only way we're going to work this out with any finality, and it is fair. We needed that reminder, and I'm glad you could work it out.

To answer your question, Beastmaster, we want to atone for our past actions. Lord Sigurd showed us a way we can help people. Even if there's a chance of failure, we want to protect and fight for the Solar Cell and humanity in any way we can. We will agree to any test, any fetter, and any pact as long as we can help people. Even if it means killing us if we return, no matter what we say or show.

You watched the beast stare down at you as you spoke. His hand didn't leave his spear, his expression as flat and expressionless as stone.

It was very familiar. A stirring tide of rage and pain. You didn't need to reach deep to feel it- like a duet, you felt it resonate with something deep within your own chest.

It was twisted, corroded. A free heart shackled. A wandering hound chained to an iron leash, disease-ridden and dying.

However, there was a tacit understanding as the beast stared down at you and you looked him in the eyes. There was no more 'Cu Chulainn'.

That shooting star had burned out along time ago, and had now crashed into the Earth and sat smoldering. A shooting star that had never once felt regret in his life, staring up at an empty sky. Red hot and immobile- rotting and eroding.

That was a good question. One without a clear answer.

A thousand things you could offer. A thousand things you could say. A weapon didn't have wants, a beast didn't have desires, so there was nothing that could be offered or traded in turn. No joy in death, no joy in life. A hollow vessel, unwishing and unwanting.

'BEATHACH': "…Useless."

You felt him muscle past you, leaving the chamber. His heavy footsteps growing more and more distant. The other Lair Servants sat in silence as he vanished away, before you saw the Keeper lean over, taking a weary breath before looking over at the Valkyrie.

KEEPER: "….Brynhildr, please."

BRYNHILDR: "He won't come back. You know that."

KEEPER: "Then at least keep an eye on him, he'll listen to you."

BRYNHILDR: "…Of course."

You watched as the Valkyrie landed on the ground, armored boots clanking against the ground as she disappeared after him. A heavy silence hung over the chamber for a moment, before PTOLEMAIOS cleared his throat. Though you could feel it, a fragile balance having been torn, old wounds beginning to slowly bleed again.

KEEPER: "…Yes. We have to stay on track. The trial--"

The Slayer cut in, her voice heavy and clear.

NIKITICH: "...There is no point in a trial. The Beastmaster is right. Beastmaster Tezcatlipoca is also right and said the same thing. We are useless, with no answers and no progress."

CLEOPATRA: "That's... not what he meant. I'm not sure what exactly, but he wasn't talking about us. Can't you stay focused? We're in the middle of something important, you can project and unload later."

NIKITICH: "Always 'later' with you people. We cannot fight the Void Cell, we stand vigil over a world we plan to abandon… It seems that Sigurd has a solution, that doesn't involve us wallowing in our cowardice. Fine. I will take something. You all do as you please, but I am returning to the Moon. At least there I can pretend I am a hero worthy of my name."

You watched as the Slayer similarly hopped down from her perch, walking past you. She stopped, her back to you as she raised a hand.

NIKITICH: "…I vote that they live. Give them a chance to tell their own story, since we have clearly outlived ours."

You watched as she left as well, her own footsteps growing more distant. CLEOPATRA sighed, one hand idly fidgeting with her hair.

CLEOPATRA: "…And this is why we never have these. Ugh, if Quetzalcoatl were here... Whatever. I'll vote. Staring down the Beastmaster was brave, and I think they raised some good points while doing it. So…"

She raised her own hand.

CLEOPATRA: "…I say they don't die, but I'm not sure about entrusting the future to them. You made a deal with Duryodhana, right? Come see me then, if you're successful. I'll consider giving up my Key then."

She dropped down from her loge, striding past you. You saw as she reached the door to the chamber, stopping briefly as she took a breath to collect herself, before straightening her posture and heading through. You saw the ADMINISTRATOR, strangely pensive.

ADMINISTRATOR: "…I'm abstaining. There's too much for me to consider. New data. I need to consult with the other Divided Spirits. However, if Freyr Sigurd requires valuable Solar Cell resources for his research, he'd need only put in a formal request."

SIGURD: "…Thank you, Madame Administrator."

Without further response, ADMINISTRATOR didn't head through the door, but vanished away in a blue, digitized light.

SIGURD: "Old friend, you understand my vote. Brynhildr is of the same mind, the defendant should not be killed."

PTOLEMAIOS: "…Then the votes against execution are in the majority in comparison to no negative votes, and several of the Council abstaining their votes…"

PTOLEMAIOS: "...Meaning that the case is closed. The defendant will not be killed, and will be able to resume their activities. The court is adjourned. To the defendant, thank you for your patience. For those of you that stayed, thank you for your service."

He looked over at the only other Lair Servant still in the room, SIGURD, who was sitting back in his seat with his eyes closed, deep in thought.

Normally you'd expect a bit more fanfare, outside of a rather empty and chilly chamber. It seemed like they all reached their own conclusions, and it reached a rather premature end.

You felt a firm hand on your shoulder, as MAX stepped up next to you with a gentle smile.

MAX: "...Congratulations. You survived the lion's den."

[tgrailwar-zero]

Speaking of…

*pops the little guy out*

Say hi to papa Rider Little Guy! And pay your respects to Empress Nero as well!

CONSTANTINE: "Let's... keep the little one away for now, shall we?"

NERO: "Oh, have we an artist? Right, this was the drawing that you tried to shove in my face last night when begging for forgiveness. Under the sunlight and in better moods, it is quite lovely."

NERO: "Still... this does clear up the last of our Lair Servants."

CONSTANTINE: "Right."

The Nine Lair Servants.

Warriors of the Sun, many of whom were summoned to fill in for their predecessors that were destroyed during the Origin War. Each of them possessed a Trigger Key, and seven collected would be enough to reach the Core of the Solar Cell.

PRIESTESS ARIA, one of the maidens of the Heavenly Divinity. The successor of the first PRIESTESS.

FREYR SIGURD and FREYA BRYNHILDR, the Lord and Lady of the Nameless City. Though they were a pair, they held the same 'role' due to SIGURD splitting his Spirit Origin to summon his beloved and the Valkyrie, his own battle strength was weakened.

KEEPER PTOLEMAIOS, granter of wisdom to the Solar Cell. Like SIGURD, he survived the Origin War, though he seemed to have changed since then.

PHARAOH CLEOPATRA, revered ruler of the Transient Megalopolis. The successor of the first Solar Pharaoh, OZYMANDIAS.

BEASTMASTER SETANTA, formerly CU CHULAINN of the Interlopers before defecting to the Solar Cell and inheriting a Lair Servant position. He seemed to want to finish what he started, which unfortunately seemed to mean your demise.

SLAYER NIKITICH, who had been battling on the surface of the Moon. Inherited the title after the original Slayer had been killed in the Origin War.

HEALER ASCLEPIUS, the former guardian of the now desolate Fugue Hamlet, who's key you retrieved after defeating him in battle. He had apparently found a way to survive the Origin War, though had committed himself to keeping the Hamlet and those who had died in it 'alive', and seemed to have been in an unstable state.

PROTECTOR QUETZALCOATL, the former guardian of the Gossamer Coast who had willingly given up her key (and therefore her life) to CONSTANTINE.

And now you knew that the LITTLE GUY possessed a key of his own. Still, the only position left was 'General', and he didn't seem like much of a fighter... much less a military leader. Especially when compared to his predecessor, KARNA.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Her Radiant Majesty is the Queen of this city right? What's she like? Also, congrats on the job Assassin! Proud of you! 🌼🌼🌼🎉🎉🎉

IZOU: "...Thanks?"

DURYODHANA: "The Pharaoh of this city, yes. Cleopatra VII Philopator. She's a savvy one, beautiful and smart. I can see why she was so coveted during her era. With her mind and my wit together, who would need anyone else? We'd rule this place perfectly, and I'd be the strongest, wisest, most important Servant around!"

He took a long swig from his drink, slamming it down.

DURYODHANA: "But she turned me down when I offered. Me! For what reason could she possibly turn me down? She said she'd love to have me as an advisor, and of course I accepted, but fortune doesn't favor those without ambition. I'm nobody's secretary, you know."

DURYODHANA: "Meaning- I'll happily assist Her Majesty, but if we're being frank I'm simply waiting for a Lair Servant to kick the bucket, and then opt for promotion by whoever this Heavenly Divinity is. There's rumor going around that the previous Defender, Quetzalcoatl, is dead. That, and the Interlopers slaughtered the Healer Ascelpius. You know what that means, right? Two free spots for promotion! And I'm a shoe-in for the next Defender, once this little Saber situation is done and dealt with. It's all about who you know and how you use those connections, my friends!"

[tgrailwar-zero]

(Oh I just realized. We're distant, but we're still connected to our Servants. Theoretically, our voices should reach them even from an extreme distance.)

[Message to Kukulkan, I would like Setanta to hear us, but I don't mind either way.] Hey, Invader? How's the dance floor? Sorry for the interruption, we're on the roof and a Lair Servant's attacking the body Sigurd made for us. Shouldn't be too much of an issue, but d'ya mind letting Lord Sigurd know that the Servant Setanta is breaking Sacred Hospitality? Thanks.

Your mind slowed- expanding seconds into what felt like minutes into what felt like days. The young warrior was already headed towards you, blade ready. There wasn't time to talk, to sit back and chatter. Any breath would be wasted.

And as you realized that, as this rush of words spilled out like a deluge of confusion, he was already several steps closer- and his blade was in an upswing, going right for the jugular.

Your first two encounters with Lair Servants had been relatively nice. QUETZALCOATL had essentially gave her key away, and ASCLEPIUS had been in such a confused and frenzied state that he had left himself open. Even encountering MUSASHI, she had the courtesy to hesitate.

Looking at the expression in SETANTA's face, this was the look of someone who had wasted time talking before and had paid the price for it. This wasn't just a Lair Servant, this was a Servant that had ravaged the Solar Cell alongside you, before actively spilling your own blood in retaliation.

In this moment, SETANTA's expression held no hatred, no malice, just the cold determination of someone who wasn't planning on failing twice. If you wanted to stretch the definition, he had given you mercy by speaking to you before attacking- letting you react, and at least gain a vague grasp on the situation.

Based on that brief memory, he had almost killed you- and you had almost killed him. And a quick comparison now, even with him being 'younger', you had lost more than he did in terms of ability. That painted a promising picture of what you may be able to do in the future, sure, but you'd need to actually live long enough to see it to make any real use of it.

As per your first realization, if he had been in a Spirit Origin that was just slightly stronger and slightly faster, you would have died.

He was going to kill you.

So, for the sake of a survival instinct, another realization manifested itself. Practically scrambled to the forefront of your collective minds.

Any time you could spend talking to a wild hound would be better spent fighting back or getting away.

This was time for you to spend this precious few seconds to take stock of your situation, have whatever internal discussion and decision making you needed, remember what you could, and survive.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Wait. Slayer is a title? For some reason, I thought it was a class container like Saber.

...Honestly, that also brings up the question of how the fuck we killed the Slayer, and, of course, 'what the fuck are we'.

I feel like our existence is a massive headache for everyone who was ever involved with us including ourselves.

"Alright. Refresher. There are supposed to be nine Lair Servants. Several of them died during the Origin War, which meant more were summoned in their place. The nine have titles. Those titles are the Priestess, the Protector, the Beastmaster, the Slayer, the Keeper, the Healer, the Pharaoh, the General, and the Freyr. Rumor has it that the current Protector is gone--"

That tracks, considering QUETZALCOATL willingly gave up her Trigger Key- and therefore her form.

"The Healer managed to get pieced back together after the Origin War, but was fully killed recently, which wiped out him and the spell he had that kept the Fugue Hamlet alive, so that zone is super dead."

He continued, seeming a bit miffed.

"The Lair Servants each have Trigger Keys embedded within their Spirit Cores. Gather enough, and you can unlock the path to the Solar Cell Core, which will provide a path back out to the Moon. No keys, no Moon, no Void Cell. Got it?"

Which was why SIGURD implored you to convince the other Lair Servants of your worth against the Void Cell, so that they'd pledge their Keys to you willingly, rather than to have them forced out via combat and needing to kill the Lair Servants.

"The only Lair Servants remaining from the Origin War are the Keeper, the Freyr, and maybe the Priestess? Who knows what her deal is. Anyways, the others died and so they needed to be replaced, including Karna- who was the former General."

[tgrailwar-zero]

Luckily, KUKULKAN was fast.

In a moment, weaving her way into an opening left by ASCLEPIUS' confusion, she plunged her fist deep into his chest- right where his Spirit Core would be resting.

"…You… I'll… I'll exterminate…"

"You're here to protect your people, I'm here to protect mine. These are the decisions that we have to make as gods, yes?"

"...'Decisions we have to make as gods', huh...? Is that what you think?"

The two Servants stood in silence for a moment, as KUKULKAN dislodged her fist, the doctor collapsing on the ground in a pile of once-white robes, now turning crimson with blood. His body began to fade, turning to dust as she stood over him, her back turned and her expression inscrutable.

"I told you... I don't need thanks for doing my..."

You gained an alert.

[ ASCLEPIUS ORIGIN ACQUIRED. TRIGGER KEY PHI ACQUIRED. ]

Quietly, KUKULKAN walked back, holding out her hand to present the Trigger Key.

"Seven to reach the first level of the core, and we've got our first. We're finally making some progress…"

"Our second, actually."

CONSTANTINE spoke up, before revealing the key that he received from QUETZALCOATL. He took a deep breath, leaning against one of the machines in the laboratory.

Two keys, meaning that there were five more Lair Servants, at least to gather enough to reach the Administrator.

"We need to catch our breath while we still can. But if you really think that running should be our priority, then…"

The two of them still looked exhausted- CONSTANTINE only having just woken up, and KUKULKAN having been on the battlefront for an extended period of time. That being said, they were still both on their feet and could get moving if needed.

Right. PRETENDER might still be in town.

"I'd be willing to explore. The effects of Asclepius falling shouldn't be immediate, so there might be a small window for some shopping before we need to get going."

You've reached a rest point!

Short rests recover 50% of whatever your Servant's maximum HP/MP is! So, if a Servant has a maximum of 10 HP, then they'd regain 5! Short rests have a lower risk of enemy ambushes and potential encounters, however recover less. Additionally, they have the option of letting other Servants explore. When a Servant is out exploring, the resting Servant(s) will be unavailable for contact, and your focus will be entirely placed on the exploring Servant.

Long rests fully recover your Servants, but leave them more open to encounters. However, a higher encounter rate isn't entirely bad! Depending on how you carve your path through the Solar Cell and who you befriend or antagonize, you'll run into either allies or enemies! Additionally, 'Long Rests' allow for your Servants to come up to you with potential questions and conversations, which may present boosts, items, or other benefits!

However, if you don't wish to rest, then you can also exit the area!

[tgrailwar-zero]

Considering how our options seem so much more numerous after getting that Trigger Key, I suppose that they're the ones keeping the extent of our authority from us?

If so, we need to start retrieving them. Fast.

"Right, the keys. Guess I should shed some light on that."

"There's 14. Seven are enough to get to the first layer of the core, where the Admin is, but you need all 14 to get to the deepest part of the War. Also, seven are protected by Lair Servants like Quetzalcoatl, obviously, but the other seven are being held by the remaining, mangled, modified data of... well, us. Musashi. Arjuna. Van Gogh. Mandricardo. Izou. Kintoki. Dante. Though Mandricardo is iffy, at the moment."

"And Cu Chulainn is..."

"Well, seems like Solar Cell didn't waste time yanking him over to its side to be a Lair Servant. It was a good move, frankly. I can't be mad at it."

[tgrailwar-zero]

Good job Constantine. I'm glad you got out of that unharmed. I know things have been rocky up until this point and I can't promise they'll be smooth going forward either, but it's an honor to fight besides you.

You and the others should find time to reward yourselves with a drink. Bond via the power of alcohol. We'd join you, but no body. So, take a shot for us.

CONSTANTINE: "Thank you, but… what's a 'Doordash'?" MUSASHI: "Oh, I second the party! With plenty of udon!"

PRETENDER: "I'll see what I can do. Our faction will probably be getting pulled out of the city to regroup because of... well, everything that's happened recently, but I'll pull the strings I can to get him to talk."

KUKULKAN: "And I second getting a good rest. I can keep going, of course, but I know everyone else might be getting a bit tired!"

...Truly, it seemed like despite being depleted of Magical Energy, KUKULKAN was still raring to go. Luckily, despite her energy, it seemed like she was at least trying to be aware of the limits of her allies.

PRIEST: "I'm glad you asked. I was going to ask for a formal conversation with you regardless, so..."

Before he could speak any further, a shout echoed as a shadow dropped down from the massive hole in the ceiling made by KUKULKAN's attack.

???: "Yahoo! Jaguar Maaaaail! The Jaguar always arrives on time!"

A form landed between the Priest and your Servants- a mighty(?) feline form... or feline-adjacent... graceful, and powerful, and... a third thing, probably... the air did become dense with mana, the signal of a Divine Spirit making itself known, and the overwhelming presence of a War Monitor, and... okay. Listen.

...It was JAGUAR MAN.

JAGUAR MAN showed up.

JAGUAR MAN's here now.

JAGUAR MAN's arrived.

Frankly, similarly to the PRIEST's arrival, if she hadn't screamed out her approach- she'd probably be able to get the drop on you and your Servants. This was a dangerous Servant and a War Monitor... despite how she looked.

CONSTANTINE: "Ah… Miss 'Jaguar Man', right? It's certainly been some time. Invader, Musashi… this is Jaguar Man, one of the War Monitors. I met her when our Masters gained our first Trigger Key."

JAGUAR MAN: "Long time nya-o see, Rider! Paw-some work out there, Musashi! Nice to meow-t you, K-- I mean, Invader! And of course- hello, Interlopers! It's been two whole chapters since we last saw each other! Hope you didn't forget about me!"

KUKULKAN: "Eh? You know who I am?"

JAGUAR MAN: "Of course! That brightness, those winds, that heat--! And you being here with Rider-- of course you're part of her legacy! But we can talk about that later!"

There was the 'Wisdom Feather' item from QUETZALCOATL that you had lost upon summoning KUKULKAN... or maybe this JAGUAR MAN had an affinity for South American Servants? Perhaps it was a mix of both?

PRIEST: "…Miss Fujimura, I wasn't aware that the Interlopers had any former association with one of the assigned Lair Servants. Next time, would you please share that information rather than keeping it to yourself?"

JAGUAR MAN: "Eh? It wasn't obvious to you? As soon as I looked at the records from the Hamlet, I was like 'THAT'S HER'! So I thought you knew! Oh man, I thought you were the smartypants A.I, Father Kotomine!"

FATHER KOTOMINE: "...Truly your presence and wisdom is a unique blessing upon the Solar Cell." JAGUAR MAN: "Aw, thanks! You'll make me blush! But no time for compliments-- my job right now is to deliver important Jaguar Mail!

She turned to your Servants, beaming.

JAGUAR MAN: "As things are fixing themselves, it seems like Sigurd wants to have a formal meeting with you while you celebrate your victory! Both to thank you for helping his city, and He'll give you guys a place to rest up too beforehand, so you can relax, party, chat, and then talk about the future of your time here on the Solar Cell! Plus it'll give you a chance to breathe easy!"

PRETENDER: "And would any particular Servants who helped against this Beast alongside these 'Interlopers' be welcome as well, or…" JAGUAR MAN: "Nope!" PRETENDER: "Ah. Okay."

JAGUAR MAN: "Anyways, when you're all set, just click the 'Ready' prompt and then we'll cut to the next scene!"

It seemed like you were being invited to actually talk, for once.