Alexandros’ Bluff (185)

[ReXii]

Mission rank: S

Mission element
- Save a Village! (Good boy variant of terrorize a village.)
- Survive a near-death situation

Arriving from 182

Jonathan watched the ground shake as he sat atop what would be considered the shoulder of the horrific human shaped apple tree monster his yang ability had crafted, with each stop bringing them closer to the village Jonathan began to pace his yang energy entering the beastly creation.

The young man hoped this would cause the beast to slow as to not cause destruction in the village, but instead to have it walk peacefully to the village centre. This worked quite nicely which was a pleasant surprise, given the ordeal needed to bring the tree here.

With the tree in the centre of the village people looked with mixed emotions, some were terrified perhaps unsurprisingly, others had noticed the bountiful fruit hanging from the tree and looked on hungrily.

Jonathan hopped down from the creature, landing on the ground atop fresh powdered snow, sending it up into the powerful currents of wind that were howling around the market village.

The tree began to shift back from terrifying ent type creature, it's roots digging down into the ground once more, the warmth from the yang energy it emanated caused the snow around it to melt away.

The people finally had sustenance, the apples themselves looked incredibly red now, with a hint of orange in their tough flesh. The tree had reverted completely into a tree now, but it emanated a warmth unlike anything Jonathan had experienced before, the snow around it had melted away, now the snow around the village began to melt as well and even the falling snow seemed to become water before it landed.

This was far above what Jonathan had predicted, he knew that yang release was embodying one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe, but to think it held so much power, Jonathan would need to be responsible with this power at his command.

The village was saved from famine, and the cold in this one fell swoop, the villagers edging slowly to the tree were helped along by Jonathan's kind encouragement.

Everyone who picked an apple and took a bite seemed immediately invigorated, colour returning to their skin as though the warmth of the sun itself had illuminated them, lifting the burden of the dark and the cold away.

Perhaps it was just a state of mind, perhaps on the other hand it was the residual effects of the powerful yang chakra that had permeated the tree to the core. Regardless of the truth, Jonathan was content to see the happy smiling faces around him, this was truly what he wanted, it just took him some soul searching to realise.

People cheered in the streets and Jonathan was overjoyed to see this, but something was wrong, he could feel it. Something was closing in on the market, his byakugan alerted him to this fact, they looked like people but grey and sickly, hundreds of them were approaching the market.

"What on earth?! Everybody quick, get inside your homes and bar the doors and windows we are under attack!" Jonathan yelled as he saw the approaching army, something was wrong with them. They contained chakra but it was dark and cold, it seemed to be an absence of life of yang energy.

"What are these foul beings, I sense no life from them, the living dead?" Jonathan said confused as he walked towards the approaching army of corpses ready to defend the town.

The onslaught began and it was swift and brutal, Jonathan unleashed his powerful gallium element sending a wave of devastating liquid across the encroaching army to brutal effect. They fell to the ground in droves, whatever foul energy that sustained them faltered before the destructive element.

Jonathan thought it may be over for a moment, that they would retreat, a foolish hope. The beings all stopped in front of him frozen to the spot suddenly. The synchronization was pinpoint and incredibly eerie, then they began making handseals and that was truly worrisome.

The corpses released a chilling wave of ice in unison, at least ice is what it looked like but it was dark and cloudy as though the water that froze was somehow corrupted. Jonathan didn't have time to think further on the dynamics behind this, he needed to act quickly or the village and the tree could be destroyed.

Jonathan swiftly strung several seals, summoning up his blazing lightning release abilities, if anything could defeat this dark ice it was the combination of both fire and lightning.

With a thunderous cracking of the air the two waves of energy met in the air, the sky itself seemed to split open between the two opposing forces, the light on one side and the dark on the other. This was a battle as old as time itself and somehow entirely new, when the two blasts dispersed the true battle began.

Smoke hung in the air between the army of corpses and Jonathan, neither side had won the jutsu clash, but Jonathan had the advantage now, at least he hoped.

With the smoke in the air from the huge collision of jutsu, the only one who could see was Jonathan, now he leapt in close to these creatures what he saw shocked him. These corpses were completely inverted in regards to the chakra circulatory system, with all their tenketsu being on the mirrored side, this certainly threw Jonathan off for a moment as he assumed a gentle fist stance.

"Ahhhhhhhta!" Jonathan yelled as he unleashed his strikes, each one targeting lethal convergence points of the circulatory system or vital organs, assuming these corpses relied on them to some degree.

These assumptions seemed safe as scores of the creatures fell beneath Jonathan's lethal taijutsu talents, though Jonathan was chipped away at the whole time. Claw like nails took strips of his flesh away, rabid feral bites, punches, tackles, and dozens of other attacks rained down on him. Though each strike was weak the culmination of them was wearing Jonathan down, his outfit was tattered and blood oozed freely from many open wounds.

Indomitable, that was perhaps the best word to describe Jonathan, despite the huge injuries he continued fighting back, until it was just him and one corpse left, as each one fell this one seemed to become faster and stronger. Prime, this must be the prime corpse Jonathan thought to himself.

"What, what are you. Why are you attacking these people!" Jonathan said between ragged gasps for breath, the corners of his vision were starting to blur now and things were sliding in and out of focus.

Surrender was not an option, neither was failure. Jonathan drew himself up to his full height and prepared, the creature looked him up and down, with a blank expression, but there was hate behind it's inky black eyes.

Jonathan charged, with barely anything left in him, this would be the end of the fight. Ducking under the corpses razor sharp icy talons Jonathan jammed his finger tips in to two of the corpses tenketsu, but this was the opening he needed. Icy nails raked across Jonathan's torso causing deep wounds, Jonathan retaliated by unloading an immeasurable number of rapid strikes with gentle fist.

Each tenketsu on the corpse was closed one by one, cutting all of it's points off but that wasn't the end, running on raw adrenaline Jonathan continued striking yelling a battle cry as he did.

"Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora!!!" Jonathan screamed as blood dripped from him, his hands red raw from striking the enemy with such ferocity. His barrage finally ends as the corpse falls to the floor, a barely recognisable chunk of meat at this point.

Jonathan's vision was blurred as he dragged himself back to the village, he could barely move but he had to get back to safety. Making it back to the tree, he collapsed beneath it's boughs. It seemed this battle was over, Jonathan lost consciousness.

Was the war over though? Only time would tell, as Jonathan rested beneath the warm glow of the tree, the villagers began to venture outside to survey what had happened. They were safe, for now.

 

[Delta]

Reappearing from his reverse Summon, Hades knew it was time to get moving, as soon as possible. Without a word, Hades spun, walking off in the direction the note told him to go, he hoped he would not encounter any fights along the way, as he planned to save himself for the future

LLM
185-187-170-173-175

 

[Zatanna]

Clone LLM

The clone or Kiriyuin would go after the bounty while the real Kiriyuin disappeared with Magnus. marking on her map her destination, she began her travel.

185>187
187>148
148>149
149>008
008>25

5 hour itinerary

 

[Zatanna]

Kiriyuin had come back from the portal with Magnus with knew there was lots of work to be done. Quickly and swiftly she left the Markets.

LLM

185>187
187>148
148>149
149>008
008>25

5 hour itinerary

 

[ReXii]

Mission rank: B

Mission element
Rest recover and reflect
Explore the history of something

Jonathan awoke in a strange room, his vision was blurry and out of focus. Rubbing his eyes caused a large amount of gunk to be pushed out of them, his byakugan seemingly deactivated and he had slept for an unknown amount of time.

Several blinks later and the room finally came in to focus in earnest, as Jonathan recalled the events that led to this. The nature of those monstrous corpses eluded him, their blows sure stung though

Jonathan felt as those he had been thrown off a mountain, every part of his body ached and he had been covered in bandages, at least the villagers had been saved though.

Jonathan began to try and stand slowly, gingerly he shifted his body, his muscles felt like lumps of stiff lead and had very little spring to them. With a creak of wooden floorboards, Jonathan's body was upright again and immediately he felt his blood pressure drop as stars swirled and his vision clouded.

Collapsing backwards, Jonathan landed on the bed in a heap. Seemed he wasn't ready to stand just yet, he wondered just how badly he had been hurt as he heard footsteps in the building he was in.

In burst one of the older villagers, he had greying hair around the temples and a long ponytail, Jonathan recognised him as one of the traders.

"Just stay in bed young man! You're lucky to be alive, here drink this water slowly." The aged merchant said, leaving a skin of water on the table next to the bed.

Jonathan nodded, thanking the man with a raspy voice as he sipped the water slowly, allowing himself to feel better physically, he was incredibly durable and his recovery time happened to be several times faster than the average man he had met.

Barely an hour passed, with Jonathan back on his feet now and much more stable though he still felt fatigued. The young man knew he had to investigate what had happened and thus he asked the kindly old trader some questions.

Most importantly he saw the beasts seemed to come from the lands he had left, questioning the old man revealed that the area was previously where the dead were buried long ago, they were buried underground but the old man didn't know why.

Jonathan needed further information on the topic but the old man didn't know anymore, however he did point Jonathan to the town hall which contained some historical records. Jonathan thanked the man once more, for all his help, before leaving in the direction of the town hall.

Jonathan arrived at the hall promptly and began to scour the place for information, his fingers sliding over book titles and scrolls as he put everything that mentioned burial sites to one side. With a large amount of scrolls and books piled up, the study process began, Jonathan's eyes danced over the yellowed and worn pages and faded ink.

According to several sources in the documents it seemed many many years ago the dead of the nomadic tribes were buried in that land, the reason however was particularly interesting. Under the ground where the burial sites were located it seemed there was some kind of convergence point of natural energy, this point of convergence was said to keep the bodies of the deceased from decaying for some reason.

Jonathan knew a fair bit about natural energy but he had never seen a phenomenon like this, normally when natural energy entered a person with no control over it, the energy would petrify them. Was this burial ground some kind of natural preservation thanks to the low overall concentration of the energy? Jonathan was unsure of the truth, but the history was fascinating although it seemed the records were inaccurate, whilst Jonathan was there he saw no burial grounds.

This was disconcerting, had the near scrape with war caused this, perhaps however it was just the flow of time that caused the collapse of these chilled catacombs. Jonathan had to discover the answer to these questions, and many more. So it seemed he had to return once more to the dead lands.

LLM

 

[ReXii]

Mission rank: C

Mission element
Deal with bandits looting.
Defeat an lingering undead.


Jonathan marched back to town, he needed supplies to continue his journey to discover what caused this virus, the strange dark water and the dead coming back to life, sure seemed like the end of the world.

Unfortunately, others seemed to have the same thoughts, as Jonathan entered the market he saw stalls destroyed, fires atop thatched houses, and bodies in the street.

"What is going on here?!" Jonathan said indignantly, his byakugan eyes bulging as he scanned the area, spotting several people looting. Many of the townsfolk hid inside their homes while the looters stole everything in sight and seemingly murdered any who tried to stop them.

"Enough of this! You dishonor yourselves with such base brutality!" Jonathan said, charging in to the fray he struck the first bandit he saw on the chin, not even using his gentle fist, he simply wanted the satisfaction of striking the subhuman simpleton.

The man stumbled and hit the ground, his jaw certainly broken, his cowardly compatriots turned to face Jojo with hatred in their eyes, they were crazed and feral and ran at him brandishing their weapons callously without tact.

"Turn away, ye who have wretched souls, lest this be your grave." Jonathan said, he felt his anger bubbling as he recognised the body near him, it was the kindly old man who had saved him and healed his injuries, he was a good man he deserved so much better than this.

The bandits didn't turn away, so be it. Jojo thought to himself as he sped in with a battle cry, his normal refinement lost in a rage, no longer was he using two finger vital point strikes. Taking their place were devastating palm strikes aimed to shatter bones and rupture organs.

Under his brutal assault the bandits fell one by one, some scrambled to flee but Jonathan pursued relentlessly striking them down, they were animals, no worse than that. These men were no different than the soulless undead.

Finally the last one fell, Jonathan walked back to the town, intent on burying his fallen friend, however the sight he was met with made his blood run cold. His friend stood there, blood smeared across him, his neck hanging at an off angle and his eyes devoid of light.

"No, no no NO!!" Jonathan yelled horrified by this turn of events, his friend had somehow become one of the undead, had those bandits somehow infected him? Jonathan was unsure and he was too stricken by grief to think straight.

"I'm, I'm sorry." He said as his throat suddenly felt tight, his eyes began to sting. Jojo knew what must be done, the best he could do was make it quick.

Stepping forward he drew in breath, summoning his might up, he couldn't falter now. A swing came from the undead but Jonathan sidestepped it easily. Closing the gap he drove his two fingertips through the undead man's temple straight to his brain.

Tears rolled down Jojo's face, as he felt the body stiffen once more as rigor set in almost immediately. It was over, for now.

 

[ReXii]

Mission rank: C

Mission element
Lay someone to rest.
Deal with bandits looting.

People were slowly emerging from their ramshackle homes as Jonathan carefully lifted the body of the old man up, carrying him to the centre of the town. His eyes were filled with tears, he didn’t need to see the spot clearly to know where he was going, the boughs of the tree he had placed in the village would serve for a fine resting place.

This was the best Jonathan could offer the man who had once given so much more, it was an unfair trade and the fault rested entirely at Jonathan’s feet. Shimogakure was meant to protect the people of these lands, yet since arriving here he had seen little presence of his people.

For now, it seemed, Jonathan would be protecting these lands alone. As he approached the base of the tree Jojo carefully laid his friends corpse beneath it, he could simply tear the ground up with chakra, but it seemed insincere if it was easy. Jonathan grieved for his failings and would atone at least in part by putting real effort into this.
Jonathan found a shovel sat in one of the yards of the homes, not uncommon in an area with such heavy snowfall that was to be sure. However, the shovel was blunted, more in line with moving snow and ice than hard cold dirt, but that was not going to stop him.
Jonathan stepped beneath the boughs, the shade covering him in a darkness as he begins to dig. Cold solid ground met the shovel and resisted greatly as it was rent asunder, sweat beaded around Jonathan’s temples as he dug the poorly equipped tool in to the ground over and over, twisting it and churning the earth in a determined attempt to force nature to bend to naught but his physical ability.

For what seemed like hours, the shovel hit the dirt again and again, until a large hole sat there, big enough to contain a body. Jojo didn’t believe particularly in any religions but he did believe in becoming one with the earth again, he would allow his fallen friend to rest here, that he may watch over those he left behind. Carefully Jonathan would place him in the ground beneath the tree, and begin to shovel the dirt back on, until he was covered completely, Jonathan’s tears vanished as his friend did.

With the man buried, Jonathan set to dealing with the remains of the bandits. Given his experiences with the undead it was entirely possible these bandits could rise up once more, potentially attacking the people of this land in such a state, Jonathan had no clue how this disease or curse worked so he had to be especially sure. Collecting the bodies one by one, Jojo dragged them to the outskirts of the village one by one.

After their actions they deserved no special treatment, their removal was simply for the protection of the people, as he dragged them away Jonathon was sure to empty their pockets of everything stolen, leaving it in a neat pile for the village people to reclaim once they leave their homes. With the corpses dragged to the outskirts, Jojo piled them high one atop the other, paying little attention to their condition as long as they were grouped up.

Finally, with the bodies stacked high Jonathan send a blast of fire over them, igniting the bodies in a roaring inferno. They would take hours to burn completely but the skin, muscles and nerves would be reduced to ashes quickly, preventing any resurrection hopefully. With this done, Jonathan let out a sigh, his work had only just begun. Stood there beside the bodies as they smouldered, Jojo considered his next course of action. The village was safe again for now, but this virus this plague, seemed to be spreading.

Shimogakure laid empty of people, his only recourse was to reach out to others. Perhaps the village that invaded recently had answers, they were in a non-aggression pact now, Jonathan would have to travel there.

Leaving Landmark

 

[ReXii]

Having been kicked out from the Dark Tower, Jonathan returned to his homeland after a long journey.

Coming from:

Spoiler

67>66>64>61>60>5>55>47>44>43>122>121>125>126>127>>187>185

 

[Lord of Kaos]

Coming from here, Madara and the gang continue further north, almost to their destination. He could even feel the sinister chakra from here.

Leaving Landmark.

 

[Imperfect]

Coming from: #212-A, Armory of Marzan.

---

Emiya arrived in a flash of Prana, the biting air of the north colder than even the chilling touch of his cosmic-paraversal-trans-multiversal-alternate-dimensional-pan-human-paracausal energy. Looking around he noticed a lack of activity from the surrounding town, realizing everyone had probably moved West for the big event. Considering it had already started by now, as the deadline for arrival had come and gone, it made sense any activity would be over in Blaubaume by now, if there was any left to be had. Since he couldn't be any less late, Emiya decided he would take his time. Enjoy the sights. The Outer Lands would still be waiting for him.

 

[Goetia]

Coming from: #212-A, Armory of Marzan.

---

Emiya arrived in a flash of Prana, the biting air of the north colder than even the chilling touch of his cosmic-paraversal-trans-multiversal-alternate-dimensional-pan-human-paracausal energy. Looking around he noticed a lack of activity from the surrounding town, realizing everyone had probably moved West for the big event. Considering it had already started by now, as the deadline for arrival had come and gone, it made sense any activity would be over in Blaubaume by now, if there was any left to be had. Since he couldn't be any less late, Emiya decided he would take his time. Enjoy the sights. The Outer Lands would still be waiting for him.

Coming from [x]

Merlin finally arrived at his destination, the feeling of his Tracking Seed being at its strongest in this place. As soon as he stepped onto the wharf, his Staff of Selection in hand, he took a deep breath, savouring the scent and taste of the ocean riding on the wind. The town was unusually quiet, which would have prompted investigation had the incubus no other objective at that moment. He continued following the pull of the seed he'd left on Emiya, turning around one of the many street corners to find him standing still, enjoying the tranquil state of the locale. Merlin walked over, as he usually did, waving his hand with a cheerful smile, "Long time no see, Emiya-kun." Once within arm's reach, he placed his hand firmly on his protege's shoulder, paying no mind to whether Emiya would notice his paler-than-usual skin or the red veins crawling up his wrist.

 

[Imperfect]

Coming from [x]

Merlin finally arrived at his destination, the feeling of his Tracking Seed being at its strongest in this place. As soon as he stepped onto the wharf, his Staff of Selection in hand, he took a deep breath, savouring the scent and taste of the ocean riding on the wind. The town was unusually quiet, which would have prompted investigation had the incubus no other objective at that moment. He continued following the pull of the seed he'd left on Emiya, turning around one of the many street corners to find him standing still, enjoying the tranquil state of the locale. Merlin walked over, as he usually did, waving his hand with a cheerful smile, "Long time no see, Emiya-kun." Once within arm's reach, he placed his hand firmly on his protege's shoulder, paying no mind to whether Emiya would notice his paler-than-usual skin or the red veins crawling up his wrist.

The eerie chill of the North didn't seem to phase the Magus of Flowers at all, even if he seemed to be fraying at the edges. Wilting one might say. As he made his presence known, Emiya was surprised he would show up here given the experiences within Irkalla, though he was happy to see him nonetheless.

"Good to see you too, Merlin, and I mean that sincerely.
Since the world's slowly starting to resemble that hell more and more these days, I'm relieved to see you no worse for wear."​

Emiya saw the pale skin and attributed it to the climate. He looked directly at the hand encouragingly patting his shoulder, veins and all, and saw what he wanted to see; his friend. Of course several thoughts could have flashed through his mind within that moment, if he truly wished to see them. He could have wondered what the reason for the odd striations upon Merlin's skin were. Red veins. A side-effect of the plague? Anything was possible when it came to that since it could make anyone effectively immortal. What about the planet itself? It was under siege from the Void Tree from beneath the Hokubu, it's roots easily seen in the harbor of Innovus. Something like that would undoubtedly affect the planet, and the energy all around them, and as a being who was so in-tune with nature, would that cause such an effect? Emiya never was particularly skilled with Senjutsu. It took no small amount of patience and time and the conscious choice of blocking his connection to the Throne before he could even attune himself to the planet, so he was less likely to notice anything different. Merlin was different, a being so intrinsically connected and interwoven with the world around him, it was hard to look at him and see just a human. In the same way Solomon was, Merlin was indeed something "more". Still a friend, and a powerful ally at that, but at the same time distant from Emiya. Perhaps something to strive for, perhaps something to fear. Emiya actively refused the latter as he continued to ignore the signs before him.

"You saw the summons too? Seems Solomon's friend over in Veskals is bankrolling a little expedition.
If he's involved, I can't imagine it's going to be as simple as exploring a new continent. Something's bound to go wrong.
Would be nice to have a friend and familiar face around. You coming?"​

 

[Goetia]

The eerie chill of the North didn't seem to phase the Magus of Flowers at all, even if he seemed to be fraying at the edges. Wilting one might say. As he made his presence known, Emiya was surprised he would show up here given the experiences within Irkalla, though he was happy to see him nonetheless.

"Good to see you too, Merlin, and I mean that sincerely.
Since the world's slowly starting to resemble that hell more and more these days, I'm relieved to see you no worse for wear."​

Emiya saw the pale skin and attributed it to the climate. He looked directly at the hand encouragingly patting his shoulder, veins and all, and saw what he wanted to see; his friend. Of course several thoughts could have flashed through his mind within that moment, if he truly wished to see them. He could have wondered what the reason for the odd striations upon Merlin's skin were. Red veins. A side-effect of the plague? Anything was possible when it came to that since it could make anyone effectively immortal. What about the planet itself? It was under siege from the Void Tree from beneath the Hokubu, it's roots easily seen in the harbor of Innovus. Something like that would undoubtedly affect the planet, and the energy all around them, and as a being who was so in-tune with nature, would that cause such an effect? Emiya never was particularly skilled with Senjutsu. It took no small amount of patience and time and the conscious choice of blocking his connection to the Throne before he could even attune himself to the planet, so he was less likely to notice anything different. Merlin was different, a being so intrinsically connected and interwoven with the world around him, it was hard to look at him and see just a human. In the same way Solomon was, Merlin was indeed something "more". Still a friend, and a powerful ally at that, but at the same time distant from Emiya. Perhaps something to strive for, perhaps something to fear. Emiya actively refused the latter as he continued to ignore the signs before him.

"You saw the summons too? Seems Solomon's friend over in Veskals is bankrolling a little expedition.
If he's involved, I can't imagine it's going to be as simple as exploring a new continent. Something's bound to go wrong.
Would be nice to have a friend and familiar face around. You coming?"​

Merlin withheld comment about Emiya's remark on his condition. Instead, he would address the current happenings in the Ninja World, "Yeah, though I may not be there with you until later." Taking a step back from the Hero of Justice, he manifests the Divine weapon bound to his body; Izanami's Curse. He holds it before Emiya's eyes for him to behold, allowing him to process the implications of his possession of the weapon himself before speaking further. "For the past few months I've been investigating this weapon and the Void Trees that have taken root in the planet. I've a feeling they're connected. If there are others with weapons like this, I must meet them. Especially if they are connected to the Voidlords in any way." The incubus released his grip on the weapon, allowing it to shimmer away into nothingness, resealed within the mark on his body. "Once I have met with the others who possess these weapons, I should be able to make for the Outer Lands. I also have business there." Though he was slightly uncomfortable with letting Emiya venture into unknown territory alone, he had faith in his strength. He had to.

"Anyway! What's this I hear about the discovery of a forge? Has someone been busy while I was away?" the incubus prodded cheekily, inching closer to the Hero of Justice and elbowing his shoulder gently.

"T██ him..." ​

Spoiler: (Izanami no Noroi) – Izanami’s Curse

Type: Relic Weapon
Rank: Forbidden
Range: Short – Long
Chakra: N/A
Damage: 20 – 80
Description: Izanami’s Curse is a compound bow crafted from the bones of Tiamat. At the recurve and the notch are two small crystalline orbs, each flickering with black and white energies within them representative of a fully powered weapon core. The bow is bound to the North Seal and can be summoned to the user or sealed passively at their discretion. Unique to Izanami’s Curse, the bow produces arrows through the user’s spiritual energies, siphoned passively, as they pull the drawstring back. Baseline, the bow can be used in two ways; the first is freeform firing of arrows. The second method, at the cost of a move, fires arrows with inherent damage which is a function of the distance to the bow’s target. In short range arrows inflict 20 damage, in mid-range they inflict 40, and at long-range they inflict 80 damage.

Intrinsic Traits:

Archer’s Tempo (I-III): Enhances the user’s ability to draw and release arrows from the bow with greater dexterity in short-range. Increases draw speed by 1.5x/2x/2.5x of the user’s base speed.

Tempered Fletching (I-III): Heat treated metal arrow tips formed from the user’s spiritual energy. Increases damage of the arrows fired based on the distance from the target. Bonus +10/20/30 damage when the user is in long-range from their target, half bonus when in mid-range.

High-Tension String (I-III): A tightly bound bowstring that allows the user to launch arrows with remarkable speed in close-quarters. Increases the speed of arrows by two times the speed of an A/S/F ranked Lightning technique.

Spirit-Tipped Arrows (A-Rank, passive): Izanami’s Curse arrow tips draw on the user’s spiritual energy when fletched and imbues them with a parasitic curse. The arrow tips feast on chakra and, when they strike an opponent or their techniques, release spiritual energy which will tether to the opponent. Breaking this tether naturally requires a surge of 30 chakra, minimum, and awareness of it in the first place. Intrinsically this achieves nothing until the wielder unlocks one of the three branches.

Predator’s Guile
The wind, the target, the arrow. Alters the appearance of Izanami’s Curse to that of a longbow.

Hunter’s Instinct (B-Rank, passive): The Spirit-Tipped Arrows of Izanami’s Curse are enhanced to create a spiritual binding between user and victim. The user becomes able to sense the spiritual position and status of their victim, even across dimensions. This form of awareness supersedes any sensory suppression or negation. Unlocked with Predator’s Guile.

Windflight Arrows (A-Rank, active): Actively augments the user’s arrows with their Wind chakra, allowing them to pass through the air with a greater level of control. Allows the user to control the movement of released arrows for the turn after they are released. Can be done simultaneously as other techniques. Can only be used once every four turns.

Bullseye (S-Rank, passive): The user’s arrows are augmented to inflict 100% additional critical damage.

Patience and Time (S-Rank, passive): Upon actively firing an arrow from Izanami’s Curse the user will erase their physical presence as a passive result from firing the arrow. This invisibility is the equivalent of Muu’s Hiding with Camouflage. Lasts for two turns or until broken by offensive or defensive action. Can only be activated once every three turns.

Cyclonic Burst (F-Rank, active): Actively allows the user to unleash devastation within short-range of their position when releasing an arrow. Once the drawstring is released a natural burst of wind rips outward from the user’s position at three times the user’s base speed, making this a potent defensive ability inflicting 100 damage. Can be used twice, once per three turns.

Elemental Archer
Tried and true. Alters the appearance of Izanami’s Curse to that of a short-bow with bladed ends suitable for melee weapon use, including for Bukijutsu based techniques within reason.

Lightning Strike (B-Rank, active): Activated for a period of three turns. Imbues the arrow tips with the user’s lightning chakra; one turn after impact, should an arrow tip remain on the battlefield after clashing with an opponent’s technique or striking a solid target, causes it to detonate in a torrential blast of lightning that echoes the damage of the original arrow.

Pathfinding (A-Rank, active and passive): Passively increases the user’s base speed by +2 levels. Stacks with other sources of base speed augmentations. This passive increase can be increased to a 3x speed enhancement for two turns after releasing Izanami’s drawstring, as well as granting the user the ability to use a type of Flicker Evasion for its duration. The speed increase remains deactivated for a period of five turns after this effect ends. Can be used twice per battle.

Elemental Fury (S-Rank, active): Elemental arrows. Arrow tips are augmented with an elemental nature of the user’s choosing. Detonates with the chosen elemental nature upon impact, up to mid-range in radius. Usable once every other turn.

Elemental Ensnarement (S-Rank, active): Active enhancement of the user’s Spirit-Tipped Arrows. When activated the user taps into the spiritual binding between them and their opponent, allowing them to cast an elemental illusion of their choosing requiring a surge of at least fifty chakra to escape from. Note that this surge does not allow the opponent to shatter the spiritual tether itself, only the illusion, unless it exceeds 80 chakra.

Marked Target (F-Rank, passive): Passively augments the user’s Spirit-Tipped Arrows and their tether to increase all elemental damage the target takes by 50%. Elemental Fury augmented arrows bind through the Spirit-Tip, causing the target to have the element applied to the arrow sealed from usage unless the Spirit-Tip is dispelled.

Spiritual Assassin
Chilling and silent. Alters the appearance of Izanami’s Curse to that of a smooth recurve bow.

Metaphysical Bleed (B-Rank, passive): Modifies the Spirit-Tipped Arrows to cause a metaphysical spiritual bleeding effect. While an enemy is under the effect of the arrows, they suffer -10 health per turn until cured.

Chilled Fletching (A-Rank, active): Enhances the Tempered Fletching of the arrows and Spirit-Tips for a single arrow, causing those effected by Spirit-Tips to have their current movement speed reduced by 40%. Can be used every two turns.

Doppelganger (S-Rank, active): After releasing Izanami’s drawstring, the user actively creates a spiritual doppleganger of themselves while rendering themselves spiritually intangible, in a sense becoming similar to that of a Limbo clone. In this state the user is unable to interact with anything considered ‘physical,’ anything within a state of not being spiritual. The user can be detected through means of spiritual detection, and can be interacted with through spiritual-based techniques. Can be used twice per battle, and lasts for two turns. While in a spiritual state the user is unable to use techniques unless they end use of Doppleganger.

Overwhelming Spirit (S-Rank, passive): Empowers the Spirit-Tipped Arrows, increasing the chakra surge requirement to break free from them from 30 to 40.

Spiritual Shattering (F-Rank, passive and active): Passively modifies Izanami’s Spiritual-Tipped Arrows to stack indefinitely with themselves. This does not allow Metaphysical Bleed to stack its damage. Upon reaching six established spiritual tethers, the user is able to actively achieve a Spiritual Shattering. Through a massive infusion of spiritual energy the user disrupts their victim’s balance; the victim suffers from 120 damage, -30 health per turn until cured, -75% of their current movement speed, and reduces the damage of all of their techniques by 50%.

 

[Imperfect]

Merlin withheld comment about Emiya's remark on his condition. Instead, he would address the current happenings in the Ninja World, "Yeah, though I may not be there with you until later." Taking a step back from the Hero of Justice, he manifests the Divine weapon bound to his body; Izanami's Curse. He holds it before Emiya's eyes for him to behold, allowing him to process the implications of his possession of the weapon himself before speaking further. "For the past few months I've been investigating this weapon and the Void Trees that have taken root in the planet. I've a feeling they're connected. If there are others with weapons like this, I must meet them. Especially if they are connected to the Voidlords in any way." The incubus released his grip on the weapon, allowing it to shimmer away into nothingness, resealed within the mark on his body. "Once I have met with the others who possess these weapons, I should be able to make for the Outer Lands. I also have business there." Though he was slightly uncomfortable with letting Emiya venture into unknown territory alone, he had faith in his strength. He had to.

"Anyway! What's this I hear about the discovery of a forge? Has someone been busy while I was away?" the incubus prodded cheekily, inching closer to the Hero of Justice and elbowing his shoulder gently.

"T██ him..." ​

Spoiler: (Izanami no Noroi) – Izanami’s Curse

Type: Relic Weapon
Rank: Forbidden
Range: Short – Long
Chakra: N/A
Damage: 20 – 80
Description: Izanami’s Curse is a compound bow crafted from the bones of Tiamat. At the recurve and the notch are two small crystalline orbs, each flickering with black and white energies within them representative of a fully powered weapon core. The bow is bound to the North Seal and can be summoned to the user or sealed passively at their discretion. Unique to Izanami’s Curse, the bow produces arrows through the user’s spiritual energies, siphoned passively, as they pull the drawstring back. Baseline, the bow can be used in two ways; the first is freeform firing of arrows. The second method, at the cost of a move, fires arrows with inherent damage which is a function of the distance to the bow’s target. In short range arrows inflict 20 damage, in mid-range they inflict 40, and at long-range they inflict 80 damage.

Intrinsic Traits:

Archer’s Tempo (I-III): Enhances the user’s ability to draw and release arrows from the bow with greater dexterity in short-range. Increases draw speed by 1.5x/2x/2.5x of the user’s base speed.

Tempered Fletching (I-III): Heat treated metal arrow tips formed from the user’s spiritual energy. Increases damage of the arrows fired based on the distance from the target. Bonus +10/20/30 damage when the user is in long-range from their target, half bonus when in mid-range.

High-Tension String (I-III): A tightly bound bowstring that allows the user to launch arrows with remarkable speed in close-quarters. Increases the speed of arrows by two times the speed of an A/S/F ranked Lightning technique.

Spirit-Tipped Arrows (A-Rank, passive): Izanami’s Curse arrow tips draw on the user’s spiritual energy when fletched and imbues them with a parasitic curse. The arrow tips feast on chakra and, when they strike an opponent or their techniques, release spiritual energy which will tether to the opponent. Breaking this tether naturally requires a surge of 30 chakra, minimum, and awareness of it in the first place. Intrinsically this achieves nothing until the wielder unlocks one of the three branches.

Predator’s Guile
The wind, the target, the arrow. Alters the appearance of Izanami’s Curse to that of a longbow.

Hunter’s Instinct (B-Rank, passive): The Spirit-Tipped Arrows of Izanami’s Curse are enhanced to create a spiritual binding between user and victim. The user becomes able to sense the spiritual position and status of their victim, even across dimensions. This form of awareness supersedes any sensory suppression or negation. Unlocked with Predator’s Guile.

Windflight Arrows (A-Rank, active): Actively augments the user’s arrows with their Wind chakra, allowing them to pass through the air with a greater level of control. Allows the user to control the movement of released arrows for the turn after they are released. Can be done simultaneously as other techniques. Can only be used once every four turns.

Bullseye (S-Rank, passive): The user’s arrows are augmented to inflict 100% additional critical damage.

Patience and Time (S-Rank, passive): Upon actively firing an arrow from Izanami’s Curse the user will erase their physical presence as a passive result from firing the arrow. This invisibility is the equivalent of Muu’s Hiding with Camouflage. Lasts for two turns or until broken by offensive or defensive action. Can only be activated once every three turns.

Cyclonic Burst (F-Rank, active): Actively allows the user to unleash devastation within short-range of their position when releasing an arrow. Once the drawstring is released a natural burst of wind rips outward from the user’s position at three times the user’s base speed, making this a potent defensive ability inflicting 100 damage. Can be used twice, once per three turns.

Elemental Archer
Tried and true. Alters the appearance of Izanami’s Curse to that of a short-bow with bladed ends suitable for melee weapon use, including for Bukijutsu based techniques within reason.

Lightning Strike (B-Rank, active): Activated for a period of three turns. Imbues the arrow tips with the user’s lightning chakra; one turn after impact, should an arrow tip remain on the battlefield after clashing with an opponent’s technique or striking a solid target, causes it to detonate in a torrential blast of lightning that echoes the damage of the original arrow.

Pathfinding (A-Rank, active and passive): Passively increases the user’s base speed by +2 levels. Stacks with other sources of base speed augmentations. This passive increase can be increased to a 3x speed enhancement for two turns after releasing Izanami’s drawstring, as well as granting the user the ability to use a type of Flicker Evasion for its duration. The speed increase remains deactivated for a period of five turns after this effect ends. Can be used twice per battle.

Elemental Fury (S-Rank, active): Elemental arrows. Arrow tips are augmented with an elemental nature of the user’s choosing. Detonates with the chosen elemental nature upon impact, up to mid-range in radius. Usable once every other turn.

Elemental Ensnarement (S-Rank, active): Active enhancement of the user’s Spirit-Tipped Arrows. When activated the user taps into the spiritual binding between them and their opponent, allowing them to cast an elemental illusion of their choosing requiring a surge of at least fifty chakra to escape from. Note that this surge does not allow the opponent to shatter the spiritual tether itself, only the illusion, unless it exceeds 80 chakra.

Marked Target (F-Rank, passive): Passively augments the user’s Spirit-Tipped Arrows and their tether to increase all elemental damage the target takes by 50%. Elemental Fury augmented arrows bind through the Spirit-Tip, causing the target to have the element applied to the arrow sealed from usage unless the Spirit-Tip is dispelled.

Spiritual Assassin
Chilling and silent. Alters the appearance of Izanami’s Curse to that of a smooth recurve bow.

Metaphysical Bleed (B-Rank, passive): Modifies the Spirit-Tipped Arrows to cause a metaphysical spiritual bleeding effect. While an enemy is under the effect of the arrows, they suffer -10 health per turn until cured.

Chilled Fletching (A-Rank, active): Enhances the Tempered Fletching of the arrows and Spirit-Tips for a single arrow, causing those effected by Spirit-Tips to have their current movement speed reduced by 40%. Can be used every two turns.

Doppelganger (S-Rank, active): After releasing Izanami’s drawstring, the user actively creates a spiritual doppleganger of themselves while rendering themselves spiritually intangible, in a sense becoming similar to that of a Limbo clone. In this state the user is unable to interact with anything considered ‘physical,’ anything within a state of not being spiritual. The user can be detected through means of spiritual detection, and can be interacted with through spiritual-based techniques. Can be used twice per battle, and lasts for two turns. While in a spiritual state the user is unable to use techniques unless they end use of Doppleganger.

Overwhelming Spirit (S-Rank, passive): Empowers the Spirit-Tipped Arrows, increasing the chakra surge requirement to break free from them from 30 to 40.

Spiritual Shattering (F-Rank, passive and active): Passively modifies Izanami’s Spiritual-Tipped Arrows to stack indefinitely with themselves. This does not allow Metaphysical Bleed to stack its damage. Upon reaching six established spiritual tethers, the user is able to actively achieve a Spiritual Shattering. Through a massive infusion of spiritual energy the user disrupts their victim’s balance; the victim suffers from 120 damage, -30 health per turn until cured, -75% of their current movement speed, and reduces the damage of all of their techniques by 50%.

While it was saddening that Merlin would not be joining him for the excursion, at least to begin with, his reasons for doing so were far more intriguing. As the bow materialized with a flash, Emiya couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. "This snake stole my style!!" was the immediate response, but there was a far more pressing matter, as upon attempting to glean anything from the weapon, even after actively focusing on it, causing a series of circuit-like patterns to appear upon his temples as his eyes shone with a faint silver glimmer, there was nothing. He could not tell a single thing about this weapon. Not the material it was made from. Not how it's summoning functioned, or if it even was similar to his own outside and independent of the Surge of Armament. The only thing he could discern was that it defied understanding, nay rejected it completely, almost as if the weapon itself was deciding he can't know anything about it. The revelation of the weapon's existence was followed by that of the speculated existence of others like them, and the implied relation to the Voidlords. There they were once more, interfering with the lives of Emiya and those close to him... To what end though? The weapon was clearly well-made, if weird. Considering their latest plot involved making humanity immortal for a mass genocidal style assault on the very concept of life itself, what purpose these weapons had could be beyond his wildest dream, so to even attempt at speculating what they were or what purpose or role they served was ultimately a fools errand. In the end all he could do was have faith that his friend would take care, and let him know if something went wrong.

"You better not get yourself in too much trouble. We both know firsthand how dangerous the Voidlords are.
Phetra was one thing, but Nefarian's plague just killed Gods know how many people."​

Emiya's fist shook violently as he subconsciously tensed his fist into a ball strong enough to cause a creaking of bone. He was snapped out of this with Merlin's teasing about Marzan's forge.

"Well, you were there after we left Irkalla. May not have had the chance to say goodbye, but Marzan took me to his forge, where he promised to reforged the blade Demetrias once used into something more. Said pain in my ass showed up and to put it bluntly gave me an ultimatum. We could fight and leave everything to the winner, or I could end my own life and he would leave, promising to never return, and would leave the smith to his work. One life, when weighed against all that stood to be lost should they win? The lives the smith could go on to save? It was an easy choice for me, and I absolutely stand by it. Not even an hour after that battle in Irkalla, and I was dead again..."​

He said with a sheepish grin. Continuing,

"It's hard to explain, but Marzan took the blade, and now it exists somewhere between Divinity and the Void. With it, he erased the reality that I had died, not unlike the paracausal nature of some Noble Phantasms. I vaguely recall one spear that would reverse causality to deliver a fatal blow. Like that, but in reverse. Anyway, since Gods with less than benevolent plans for Humanity seem to be popping up more and more frequently lately, he decided he'd lend us a hand. If another like Phetra pops up, hiding behind a shield of Divine Authority, we won't have a shortage of able-bodied God slayers, thanks to him."​

The admiration was clear to hear in Emiya's voice, as he held Marzan in as high a regard as Merlin, another person to whom he owed his life.

"Well, if you're going to be arriving to the party late, might as well keep in touch.
I assume you're familiar with one of these? No need to force me to ingest seeds, and it's way more accurate."​

Spoiler: Communication Scroll

(Fuuinjutsu: Kami Komyunikēshon) Sealing Arts: Scroll Communication technique
Type: Supplementary
Rank: B-Rank
Range: N/A
Chakra: 20
Damage: N/A
Description:
The user will create 2 or more scrolls with an embedded sealing formula that connects them all together. As such, anything written in one scroll will appear written in all the connected scrolls. A very useful communication technique, it can connect scrolls regardless of the distance between them. To activate the scroll, the user needs to perform a key of hand seals that will be unique for each creation and only known to those the user wishes, preventing the use of the scrolls by those the user doesn't allow.

Extending the scroll out after a flourish to inscribe it with his Chakra, Emiya's concern was plain, but as was his faith his friend would call on him if he needed help.

 

[Goetia]

While it was saddening that Merlin would not be joining him for the excursion, at least to begin with, his reasons for doing so were far more intriguing. As the bow materialized with a flash, Emiya couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. "This snake stole my style!!" was the immediate response, but there was a far more pressing matter, as upon attempting to glean anything from the weapon, even after actively focusing on it, causing a series of circuit-like patterns to appear upon his temples as his eyes shone with a faint silver glimmer, there was nothing. He could not tell a single thing about this weapon. Not the material it was made from. Not how it's summoning functioned, or if it even was similar to his own outside and independent of the Surge of Armament. The only thing he could discern was that it defied understanding, nay rejected it completely, almost as if the weapon itself was deciding he can't know anything about it. The revelation of the weapon's existence was followed by that of the speculated existence of others like them, and the implied relation to the Voidlords. There they were once more, interfering with the lives of Emiya and those close to him... To what end though? The weapon was clearly well-made, if weird. Considering their latest plot involved making humanity immortal for a mass genocidal style assault on the very concept of life itself, what purpose these weapons had could be beyond his wildest dream, so to even attempt at speculating what they were or what purpose or role they served was ultimately a fools errand. In the end all he could do was have faith that his friend would take care, and let him know if something went wrong.

"You better not get yourself in too much trouble. We both know firsthand how dangerous the Voidlords are.
Phetra was one thing, but Nefarian's plague just killed Gods know how many people."​

Emiya's fist shook violently as he subconsciously tensed his fist into a ball strong enough to cause a creaking of bone. He was snapped out of this with Merlin's teasing about Marzan's forge.

"Well, you were there after we left Irkalla. May not have had the chance to say goodbye, but Marzan took me to his forge, where he promised to reforged the blade Demetrias once used into something more. Said pain in my ass showed up and to put it bluntly gave me an ultimatum. We could fight and leave everything to the winner, or I could end my own life and he would leave, promising to never return, and would leave the smith to his work. One life, when weighed against all that stood to be lost should they win? The lives the smith could go on to save? It was an easy choice for me, and I absolutely stand by it. Not even an hour after that battle in Irkalla, and I was dead again..."​

He said with a sheepish grin. Continuing,

"It's hard to explain, but Marzan took the blade, and now it exists somewhere between Divinity and the Void. With it, he erased the reality that I had died, not unlike the paracausal nature of some Noble Phantasms. I vaguely recall one spear that would reverse causality to deliver a fatal blow. Like that, but in reverse. Anyway, since Gods with less than benevolent plans for Humanity seem to be popping up more and more frequently lately, he decided he'd lend us a hand. If another like Phetra pops up, hiding behind a shield of Divine Authority, we won't have a shortage of able-bodied God slayers, thanks to him."​

The admiration was clear to hear in Emiya's voice, as he held Marzan in as high a regard as Merlin, another person to whom he owed his life.

"Well, if you're going to be arriving to the party late, might as well keep in touch.
I assume you're familiar with one of these? No need to force me to ingest seeds, and it's way more accurate."​

Spoiler: Communication Scroll

(Fuuinjutsu: Kami Komyunikēshon) Sealing Arts: Scroll Communication technique
Type: Supplementary
Rank: B-Rank
Range: N/A
Chakra: 20
Damage: N/A
Description:
The user will create 2 or more scrolls with an embedded sealing formula that connects them all together. As such, anything written in one scroll will appear written in all the connected scrolls. A very useful communication technique, it can connect scrolls regardless of the distance between them. To activate the scroll, the user needs to perform a key of hand seals that will be unique for each creation and only known to those the user wishes, preventing the use of the scrolls by those the user doesn't allow.

Extending the scroll out after a flourish to inscribe it with his Chakra, Emiya's concern was plain, but as was his faith his friend would call on him if he needed help.

The magus listened keenly to Emiya's recount of the events that transpired after the attack on Kur. Like the ups and downs in the brief but captivating narrative, Merlin's expression ranged from neutral curiosity, to mild shock, and finally quiet pride. Emiya Shirou seemed to never disappoint. His eyes darted to the scroll the Surgebinder brandished, taking it and placing it in one of the many pockets in his robe, "I'll try not to lose it." the incubus replied jokingly. The scroll would be far more useful for maintaining contact between the two than his Tracking Seed, and more efficient than a Wood clone which would be far weaker than either himself or the one it was meant to accompany.

"There's another Surgebinder roaming the lands currently. If they intend to venture to the Outer Lands, like yourself, it may be wise to keep each other company. Perhaps you could even teach each other a thing or two, heh."

"Kin██d sp███..." ​

 

[Imperfect]

The magus listened keenly to Emiya's recount of the events that transpired after the attack on Kur. Like the ups and downs in the brief but captivating narrative, Merlin's expression ranged from neutral curiosity, to mild shock, and finally quiet pride. Emiya Shirou seemed to never disappoint. His eyes darted to the scroll the Surgebinder brandished, taking it and placing it in one of the many pockets in his robe, "I'll try not to lose it." the incubus replied jokingly. The scroll would be far more useful for maintaining contact between the two than his Tracking Seed, and more efficient than a Wood clone which would be far weaker than either himself or the one it was meant to accompany.

"There's another Surgebinder roaming the lands currently. If they intend to venture to the Outer Lands, like yourself, it may be wise to keep each other company. Perhaps you could even teach each other a thing or two, heh."

"Kin██d sp███..." ​

The moment Merlin attempted to assure Emiya that he wouldn't lose it with the flimsiest conviction ever, he was half tempted to ask for another one of his location tracking seeds, but thankfully thought better of the request in time. The mention of another Surgebinder roaming the world wasn't particularly surprising. Emiya was more curious as to what kind of person they were, and whether they would mesh at all, rather than anything superfluous such as affiliation.

"I did meet one several week-Ugh last year, before we entered Irkalla. We crossed paths in Tobusekai, and they were downright gentlemanly. Zhongli was the name they gave, though it was almost like they were carefully considering what kind of answer to give. Also seemed to know about you. You sure get around, huh?"​

The comment was pointed, though not in a derogatory sense, nor to imply any impropriety. Merely the hero was sarcastically displaying a form of jealousy, like a Prana-fueled case of the terrible twos, with Merlin caught between the two parties. Of course if Merlin meant he had yet another protege, that was an entirely separate case, and warranted further scrutiny.

"Was that who you are referring to, and was there anything in particular you want me to teach them?
I seem to recall Solomon being a far more influential role model for Enkidu than me, so I'm curious what you mean."​

 

[Goetia]

The moment Merlin attempted to assure Emiya that he wouldn't lose it with the flimsiest conviction ever, he was half tempted to ask for another one of his location tracking seeds, but thankfully thought better of the request in time. The mention of another Surgebinder roaming the world wasn't particularly surprising. Emiya was more curious as to what kind of person they were, and whether they would mesh at all, rather than anything superfluous such as affiliation.

"I did meet one several week-Ugh last year, before we entered Irkalla. We crossed paths in Tobusekai, and they were downright gentlemanly. Zhongli was the name they gave, though it was almost like they were carefully considering what kind of answer to give. Also seemed to know about you. You sure get around, huh?"​

The comment was pointed, though not in a derogatory sense, nor to imply any impropriety. Merely the hero was sarcastically displaying a form of jealousy, like a Prana-fueled case of the terrible twos, with Merlin caught between the two parties. Of course if Merlin meant he had yet another protege, that was an entirely separate case, and warranted further scrutiny.

"Was that who you are referring to, and was there anything in particular you want me to teach them?
I seem to recall Solomon being a far more influential role model for Enkidu than me, so I'm curious what you mean."​

Merlin nodded in affirmation of Emiya's inquiry. He was indeed referring to Zhongli, the Listener, a man who had come directly to the Magus of Flowers to learn about Prana. "Zhongli came to me a long time ago in search of knowledge. I believe that no matter the age, there is always something to learn. Sometimes it is the student that guides the master. Sometimes it is the pupils that guide each other." the incubus said cheekily, despite the wisdom in his words. Zhongli was many years Emiya's senior, but the Listener was not accustomed to the more wicked of this world's ways, especially in light of recent events. And likewise, there is a lesson in every story, and there are many for Zhongli to part with that the Hero of Justice could surely take something from. Taking a few steps forward, his gaze pointed to the seas that stretched into the horizon and his back to Emiya, he half-turns to face the young magus. "Besides, don't you get a little lonely wandering these lands all alone? Even a guy like me has to change it up from time to time."

 

[Imperfect]

Merlin nodded in affirmation of Emiya's inquiry. He was indeed referring to Zhongli, the Listener, a man who had come directly to the Magus of Flowers to learn about Prana. "Zhongli came to me a long time ago in search of knowledge. I believe that no matter the age, there is always something to learn. Sometimes it is the student that guides the master. Sometimes it is the pupils that guide each other." the incubus said cheekily, despite the wisdom in his words. Zhongli was many years Emiya's senior, but the Listener was not accustomed to the more wicked of this world's ways, especially in light of recent events. And likewise, there is a lesson in every story, and there are many for Zhongli to part with that the Hero of Justice could surely take something from. Taking a few steps forward, his gaze pointed to the seas that stretched into the horizon and his back to Emiya, he half-turns to face the young magus. "Besides, don't you get a little lonely wandering these lands all alone? Even a guy like me has to change it up from time to time."

The cheeky retort was met with a scoff, but the seriousness of the request was not lost on him, so Emiya replied in earnest.

"If I see them, I'll watch their back, and assume they'll do the same. They seem the sort to do so anyway, but you've my word regardless."​

Merlin's follow-up comment about travelling alone struck Emiya like vehicular manslaughter, the unexpected question catching him completely off-guard as flashes of his former life played before his eyes. The one that stood out the most was a simple night beneath the stars, where an innocent girl's selfish wish came true, and the events which immediately proceeded it.

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"No... And why would I? This world's such an amazing place, full of amazing people. Of course it would be more fun to share it with others, but I'm not limited by conventional restrictions. I mean, I can teleport for crying out loud. How could someone get lonely when they could be anywhere within the blink of an eye? If everyone was so blessed, the would would be an even greater place..."​

The lie was that he was fine with it. The truth was he couldn't stand to watch those close to him be lost again. He would never truly forgot nor recover from the losses that lead him to becoming a Radiant, and eventually Divergent from Galahad's ideals. Though he fought for what he thought was right, he did it on his terms. Despite all of this Emiya was still "Emiya". A warm person adapted to a cold world. Someone who had lost so much before he even realized his potential. His original life, his adoptive father, his sister, his friends, all of them. A man who crawled his way out of the oblivion of solitude so he wouldn't be alone anymore. A man who wanders aimlessly, seeking brief respite in the faint glimmering warmth of others amongst a frozen horizon, somehow embodying, while at the same time being devoid of hope.

"What kind of change anyway? You and Solomon going to finally start travelling together, fixing everything wrong with the world?
That I would love to see."​

 

[Goetia]

The cheeky retort was met with a scoff, but the seriousness of the request was not lost on him, so Emiya replied in earnest.

"If I see them, I'll watch their back, and assume they'll do the same. They seem the sort to do so anyway, but you've my word regardless."​

Merlin's follow-up comment about travelling alone struck Emiya like vehicular manslaughter, the unexpected question catching him completely off-guard as flashes of his former life played before his eyes. The one that stood out the most was a simple night beneath the stars, where an innocent girl's selfish wish came true, and the events which immediately proceeded it.

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"No... And why would I? This world's such an amazing place, full of amazing people. Of course it would be more fun to share it with others, but I'm not limited by conventional restrictions. I mean, I can teleport for crying out loud. How could someone get lonely when they could be anywhere within the blink of an eye? If everyone was so blessed, the would would be an even greater place..."​

The lie was that he was fine with it. The truth was he couldn't stand to watch those close to him be lost again. He would never truly forgot nor recover from the losses that lead him to becoming a Radiant, and eventually Divergent from Galahad's ideals. Though he fought for what he thought was right, he did it on his terms. Despite all of this Emiya was still "Emiya". A warm person adapted to a cold world. Someone who had lost so much before he even realized his potential. His original life, his adoptive father, his sister, his friends, all of them. A man who crawled his way out of the oblivion of solitude so he wouldn't be alone anymore. A man who wanders aimlessly, seeking brief respite in the faint glimmering warmth of others amongst a frozen horizon, somehow embodying, while at the same time being devoid of hope.

"What kind of change anyway? You and Solomon going to finally start travelling together, fixing everything wrong with the world?
That I would love to see."​

From the sudden shift in Emiya's demeanour to the eloquence of his answer, Merlin knew that he was hiding something. The scars from years of trauma, evident in the very words uttered to conceal them. But he wouldn't linger on the issue, only smiling in sadness for the boy. "Our relationship is complicated, Emiya-kun. He's not the type of man to play the role of caretaker. In all likelihood, after this conflict with the Voidlords is over, he'll return to seclusion. All the evils and woes born of mankind as they exist now... he would let humanity live and die by that sword." Though his words may have seemed contemptuous of the King of Magic, they weren't untruthful. Mankind's destiny is to be decided by themselves, for themselves. That was Solomon's philosophy.

"The path he and I walk has always been a diverging one. It might even be more accurate to say that they were never the same path from the beginning. I believe humanity deserves a happy ending, and that's all I need to keep going." The image of his King appeared in his mind, only for an instant. The only person whose fate he truly regretted.

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[Imperfect]

From the sudden shift in Emiya's demeanour to the eloquence of his answer, Merlin knew that he was hiding something. The scars from years of trauma, evident in the very words uttered to conceal them. But he wouldn't linger on the issue, only smiling in sadness for the boy. "Our relationship is complicated, Emiya-kun. He's not the type of man to play the role of caretaker. In all likelihood, after this conflict with the Voidlords is over, he'll return to seclusion. All the evils and woes born of mankind as they exist now... he would let humanity live and die by that sword." Though his words may have seemed contemptuous of the King of Magic, they weren't untruthful. Mankind's destiny is to be decided by themselves, for themselves. That was Solomon's philosophy.

"The path he and I walk has always been a diverging one. It might even be more accurate to say that they were never the same path from the beginning. I believe humanity deserves a happy ending, and that's all I need to keep going." The image of his King appeared in his mind, only for an instant. The only person whose fate he truly regretted.

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Emiya's hopes were so high for the pair to finally announce their joint partnership in saving the world. Oh well. Maybe one day. For now the topic inevitably shifted to the old King's philosophy, and the minutiae and subtlety behind the decision. Emiya's counterpoint, while naive, was that the enemy imposed no such limit upon themselves, held no such philosophy. The closest one came was Demetrias keeping his word within the Armory, yet he still pursued a goal that would seemingly trample on Humanity in it's entirety. He was a man of his word. He was not, however, a good person. All of the Voidlords operated outside the boundaries of logic and reality. Disease, what is supposed to be a neutral and natural phenomena, was utilized as the vector for an assault on Humanity. The harsh truth was that all of those people would have died from their wounds regardless, however the worst part was the false sense of security the plague promised them. Fear turned to relief, then that relief was emboldened into courage, and eventually complacency. Forgetting their brushes with death, they moved on with their lives, only to have it robbed from them. It was the worst kind of hope one could receive; false.

"Yeah, yeah, his non-intervention policy. It's clear he's only involved now because these latest events are the result of influence by anything but humans, but it still pisses me off that he could do so much good, but is content to sit on his thumb any other time.
Well I don't care what it takes, I'll be there to make sure that sword falls as slowly as possible, especially for those who deserve to live, flaws and all."​

It had been quite a while since Merlin spoke with Emiya in such a fashion, and at such length. Maybe to make up for the time lost within Irkalla? He was also getting wrapped up with the Voidlords, and their sheer familiarity could be a danger given Emiya's previous experiences with Demetrias, so was this to be his potential "final lesson"? Wait, is that why he wanted Emiya and Zhongli to band together? In case he was discovered, or some other less-than-favorable scenario occurred? Dispelling these gloomy thoughts, Emiya merely returned Merlin's sentiment regarding humanity's "end".

"On that we can both agree."​