A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands [F/SN / Infinite Stratos / ???]

[X] Tell her everything, of your past and of your sins

 

[X] Tell her nothing, your sins are too tainted to bring up again

 

[X] Tell her enough, of the blind fury you entered, but not what caused it

 

[X] Tell her everything, of your past and of your sins

 

X] Tell her everything, of your past and of your sins
-[X] You did tell my sister that I am safe from the kidnappers... right?

You really didn't want to do this; to confess your past and your crimes, but you realized that you had to. Houki was your best friend, the person you were the closest to besides your own sister. You were there for her at her worst moments; at the times when she was at her lowest. You heard her out when she needed it, now she was here to do the same for you.

So you told her; everything, of being the Perfect Knight of the Round Table, of your grand adventures and quests from a past life, and of the sins and misery you caused from your actions. You spoke of the love between you and Guinevere; of how it was brought out into the open, condemning her to death. Of how it led to killing your fellow brothers in arms, of being unable to prevent the fall of the kingdom, and of the madness you delved into at the end. Throughout it all, Houki listened; focused on every word, her face blank of any emotion.

Finally, when you finish, she asks, "Do you remember what you told me the day after the White Knight Incident? When I learned what my sister did, and why?"

It takes you a moment to remember what she's talking about; the guilt and regret you're feeling still clouding your mind, "...Yes; why?"

"Did you really mean what you said then? Do you still believe it now?"

Why was she asking this? "I...yes; yes I did, and I still do now. You weren't-"

"This isn't about me!" She screams, cutting you off, "If you really meant those words; then why can't you follow them yourself?"

"But it was my fault! If I hadn't fallen in love with-"

"So you can choose who you love? You can throw away your emotions?" Houki retorts, cutting deep to the crux of your guilt.

"But I...I...it was my...I destroyed..." You fumble, unable to fully put to words the reasons for your guilt and the severity of your sins.

"Ichika..." Then, Houki hugs you; shocking you speechless, "You can't do this to yourself; you can't. The longer you dwell on it, the more it buries and consumes you; until you drown in it and can't live any longer. You loved her, and you can't see that love as something wrong; can you? And she felt the same; otherwise you wouldn't have done what you did. The love between you two was even recognizable by the king. That's why she never blamed you, because you gave Guinevere what she couldn't; you made a loveless marriage and life something more."

"You told me that a person can't change the past, so they have to work to make a better future so those mistakes aren't meaningless. You can't change the mistakes you made; you can't bring back the kingdom that fell: it's hundreds of years too late for that. What you can do, is move on, and fight for a new purpose; a new cause and ideal, and live up to the ideal with the honor and valor you had in life before you fell. No, to transcend those limits of your past life; to become a greater symbol, a greater hero for people to look up to, a greater knight who fights and prevails for something for the good of mankind."

"Fight for the future you can change, instead of hiding and burying yourself in the past that you can't."

...You remember now, when you told Houki those words to get prevent her from breaking down; how they resonated with a part of you. Like a flash, you remember something else; dying in the bosom of your king, confessing your sins and regrets to her. Assuring her that she truly was the greatest king of all, and that the fault was yours to carry; not hers.

Houki was right; you couldn't change the past. The sins from back then will always weigh on your shoulders, always be a grim reminder about what you have done and what you have lost. But, here and now, you are alive; and it is the present and the future that matter. To dwell on those sins does nothing; to act, atones for them; if only in the slightest. It may not wash away the guilt, but it will mean that those sins are more than just failures; and that meant something.

You hug her back and whisper, "Houki...thank you..."

In return, she smirks and says, "You've been there for me at my worst; it's the least I can do."

You chuckle a bit, then say, "Yeah. You're right; I can't change what I've done, but I can fight and protect what I have now. I can live for another ideal worth dying for; worth living for." You have a few ideas on what that'll be already, even...

You shake your head, "Anyways, how long was I out? I mean, nee-san must we worried sick; even if she knows I'm with you."

Houki freezes, "...uhh..."

That didn't sound good, "Houki...you did find a way to contact nee-san and let her know I was ok; right?"

"...I may have...forgotten to during the whole 'snapping you out of it' ordeal..." Oh no.

"Houki, we need to find my sister. Now!" Immediately your genius friend dashed from her seat and began to prepare to get you to your sister. You only hope that nothing horrible has happened...


...How long has it been? Minutes? Hours? You can't tell; it's hard to remember when the tears ran dry, when your throat became too dry to scream and sob, when your own body became too tired to lash out in sorrow. You're not sure if you can even move right now; you're simply too tired in body, mind, and soul.

From the corner of your eye, you see one of the many corpses lying around; a pistol in its grip. To just end it now, to join your brother in eternal slumber; rather than try to live on without him...it was looking more and more like the right thing to do.

What else could you do? Go back to fighting it stupid tournaments for hollow prizes that give nothing that you truly wanted; that will never be able to give you what you really desired? Find something else? Something to try and fill the void in your soul; knowing that nothing will ever truly fix it? Go back to them, back to what your life was before?

Heh, look at you; you're even considering them as a viable option: time and again you've told yourself that you'd rather die then go back to that pitiful excuse of a life. But now, what life did you have?

Slowly, you manage to pick yourself up and unsteadily walk to the gun. No, even if going back to them was possible; you won't give them the satisfaction of having their pet back. You wouldn't be able to look Ichika in the eye when you finally died if you did.

As you slowly staggered towards what would bring you sweet release from this torment, you hear something; "...Nee-san?"

You stop; you couldn't believe what you had just heard: had you finally gone mad from it all? Have you hit that point where you mind is seeking solace in delusions to take you away from the reality of it all?

You turn, and see him; exactly as you saw him last, dressed in the same clothes you saw him in earlier today and everything. He looked at you worriedly and asked, "Are you ok?"

You rushed towards him; you didn't care if he was a delusion from your broken mind or not, just seeing him was better than what you were going through before. However, as your reached him and picked him up into a hug; you realized that he was real, you felt him arms, hugging you back.

"Ichika...you're ok. You'reokyou'reokyou'reok..." You began to babble and cry again; you had though you ran out of tears, guess you were wrong.

"...I'm sorry..." When you hear him say that, you freeze; unable to comprehend it.

Immediately, you rebuke him, "No. Nononono; don't say that. I should have saved you; I should have been there. But I wasn't and then this happened and I failed you and I'm a horrible sister and-"

He shakes his head, "No, I shouldn't have made you worry; I shouldn't have left and gone after them and-"

The two of you babbled excuses for the other; but in the end it didn't matter: your brother was safe, alive and in your arms, and you were never going to lose him again...


For about a month, your sister stayed at home; always being nearby and around you at all times. It was almost grating; her constant hovering around, as if you were going to disappear the moment she looked away. But, you know she was only worried and cared about you; so you didn't bring it up. It was kinda funny, though, when she found out that Houki consider your place her home away from home and practically lived her half the time.

However, after the month ended; she was visited by German officials, and told you she had to go away for about a year or so on business. It looked like she really didn't want to leave, but didn't have a choice. You told her not to worry, that you'd be fine, and that if anything went wrong you'd contact her with the number she gave you.

With a final hug and a wave goodbye; that was the last you saw of your sister for a year...

Now, however; something else has come up:
[X] Houki's got a surprise...
[X] Hikari's has something to ask you...

or

[X] Skip a year or so
[X] Skip to about two months before canon starts

 

[X] Hikari's has something to ask you...

 

IS or magic?
...
[X] Hikari's has something to ask you...

 

Said it on SB so I'm gonna say it here; whatever expectations you have of using magic, reduce them by 95% at least. It's not going to benefit you in terms of personal power.

 

[X] Hikari's has something to ask you...

 

[X] Hikari's has something to ask you...

So, Ender, if we've gotten all of Lancelot's memories and two of his Noble Phantasms, are we capable of calling out the third - his sword, Arondight?

 

Let me refer you to the statsheet, which this mirror thread is also lacking.
Th only NPs we unlocked are KoH and FSG.


[X] Houki's got a surprise...

 

Also, Ender: I assume we've told Hikari about our magical Lancelot powers, right?

 

[X] Hikari's has something to ask you...

 

[X] Hikari's has something to ask you...

 

[X] Houki's got a surprise...

 

[X] Houki's got a surprise...

A week has passed since your sister left; nothing really out of the ordinary happening during that time, though thankfully Rin and the rest of your classmates have started to act normally around you. It was kinda annoying having to deal with looks of worry and pity for being kidnapped and all; even though you know that the truth was far from what people thought it was.

Anyways, school is out and as you head back home you get a message from Houki; 'Come to my room @ the house. Got something completely awesome for you. '

Huh; you wonder what it'll be, though several ideas come to mind. You rush back home as soon as possible and head straight to the guest room; only to find that nobody's there. You do, however, see a note attached to a remote that says 'Press Me!'. Knowing that it was all a part of Houki's plan; you press the button and disappear in a flash of light.

Immediately, you find yourself in a massive workshop filled with various IS designs and unfinished frames in production; you think you also spot what look like several cores as well. Venturing deeper into the jungle of wires and machinery, you find Houki working on an IS; apparently putting on the finishing touches. When she finishes, she turns around and greets you, "Hey Ichika, ready for your amazing gift made by yours truly?"

You chuckle a bit at her theatrics, "Sure, what is it?"

"Behold!" She makes a huge sweeping motion with her arms towards the IS, "The first Fourth Generation IS; the Black Knight. Armed with twin Maser Vibration Broadswords with deployable Revolving Blade edges that can extend into further energy blades for additional cutting power, extra thrusts to allow for multiple usage of Ignition Shift, and Radiant Wave Surgers in both claws; makes it nigh-unstoppable in close combat."

"In addition, it comes with Blaze Luminious energy shielding in both the forearms and forelegs for additional defense and Radiant Wave Shielding to cover the rest of the frame; as well as serve as a weapon for charging attacks. For ranged combat, the surgers in the claws can be focused into a beam to fire at the opponent, dispersed to hit multiple foes and cause internal malfunctions in their ISes, or as another way to shield incoming attacks."

"Finally; what makes this IS worthy of being called a Fourth Generation IS: the Bishamonten System. This system is unique programming installed into the IS that allows it to 'evolve and learn' in accordance with the capabilities of the pilot. The system will constantly run performance checks; monitoring how the pilot uses the IS, what weapons they use, what tactics and techniques they employ, and modify the IS in accordance with these preferences to increase the capabilities of both the pilot and the IS."

"For example; let's say an IS with the Bishamonten System is equipped with your standard thruster system, a sword, and a gun. Nothing special; just your run of the mill IS. But now let's say the pilot of the IS has been using it for a week, and they favor hit and run tactics using close combat; in response to this information, the system will scrap the gun, likely degrading it to a side-arm, and use the leftover resources to improve the sword and maneuvering capabilities of the IS. These upgrades will be focused on maximizing on the pilot's technique and skills; turning the IS into one that favors hit and run tactics and CQC like it's pilot does."

"So, what do you think?"

You look at the IS itself in awe; the black and red color scheme reminds you of your armor from your past life, the design itself is akin to that of the White Knight but less feminine and more wicked looking. Sleek and streamlined, with hardly any jutting parts; except for the shoulders which have decorated pauldrons that only further remind you of your old armor. The helm is like the White Knight's, only it has a thin, blood red visor where the eyes would be, and is far more streamlined and angular.

All in all, it looked like someone took your old armor and modernized it by meshing it with the White Knight. It evokes memories of your adventures and battles from ages past, back when you were truly a knight. Not bad, besides; if you were going to be a modern day knight, you needed armor to match, right?

"Thanks Houki, but why are you-" Before you finish your question, Houki cuts you off.

"Hurry up and try it on! That way I can modify and synchronize it and adjust it for you, should only take a couple of minutes or so."

"But I'm a guy; men can't operate an IS, unless you've fixed that." Houki only give you a deadpan stare.

"That's still a work and progress; not that it matters. Or did you forget the beatdown you gave ten of the contestants of the Mondo Grosso a month ago. The standard rules don't apply for you, Mr. Perfect Knight. So hurry up and get in the IS." Well, can't argue with that; if all else fails you can always resort to using Knight of Honor to get it to work, though you'd prefer not to. Something this well crafted deserves more than temporary skill and mastery.

You hop into the IS while Houki begins typing away and adjusting the IS to your parameters; a long and drawn out processes that takes multiple wires and computers, and finally comes to an end in two hours. The IS itself dissolves and takes the form of a ring on your left hand. You turn to Houki and ask, "So, a couple of minutes, huh?"

"Shut up, I had to account for several complications due to you being a guy. And being able to rip through concrete with your bare hands. Your average scientist would've taken days."

Then she turns to a computer, spends a minute typing on the keyboard, and asks; "So, wanna give her a test run?"

"What kind of test run?" You ask, curious as to what your genius friend has in mind.

Houki grins and brings up what's on the computer on a projector, "Well; we can do your standard, boring test run where you shoot at targets and I ask you to run through each and every function of the IS to make sure it works. Or..." She presses a button, and brings up a page with pictures of what looks like a military base and several schematics on the base.

"...We can give Phantom Task a nice, warm welcome and thank you for their kidnapping attempt. I have a location of one of their more valuable bases, where they keep several high value goods that they sell on the black market; a majority of which would be very useful for IS production. We can go in, beat up the bad guys, and reap the illegal goods so I can build more ISes and upgrade yours."

Phantom Task; the organization that was trying to blackmail your sister into working for them, and the ones who led to you remembering everything. A terrorist organization who's goals are unknown to the world at large; only that whatever they are, they're not good. Most of this information you got from Houki, who looked into the whole kidnapping thing after you had rejoined your sister and were all safe and sound. While it wasn't much; she was able to find enough so that you knew for certain that they were up to no good.

The chance to hit them where it hurts; it appeals to you a lot. To both get some payback for what they tried to do, as well as set them back by quite a bit and stop whatever schemes they have in store for the world. However, this is the first time you're piloting the Black Knight; so there is some risk in something going wrong. Then again, with Knight of Honor to fall back on and the trust you had in Houki's own genius; it's not as big of a risk as it seems...

Still, you have to choose:
[X] No, better to play it safe and do a basic test run first
-- [X] Though keep an eye on PK Houki; we can always hit them later
[X] Yeah, I'm up for some payback; gimme the game plan Houki
[X] Write-in

 

[X]Yeah, I'm up for some payback; gimme the game plan Houki

What about the relevation that the leader/higher up of Phantom task was Not Human? Any response to that?

 

What proof do you have to support this? All you've got is a 'gut feeling' from a month ago, nothing else.

 

Yeah, but you would think that our best friend would trust our gut feelings given our outright supernatural powers that we have shown. Plus them being able to detect and land a hit on us despite our being a superhuman. That is not outright proof, but it is at least strong suppporting claims, combined with the friendship and trust should have them at least consider it and bring it up with her sister.

 

[X] Yeah, I'm up for some payback; gimme the game plan Houki

It might be a fair fight? Or at least not too heavily in our favor.

 

You don't even know what your gut feeling means besides 'wtf how did that happen?'. This has even less to go on than that whole kidnapping thing did; at least there you had the bad guys making some gestures to your sister during the fight, along with being kinda suspicious looking. This? All you have is a moment of you being caught and then being k.o.'d by a tranq dart. And the tranq dart could've been by anybody; you were fighting a lot of people after all...

 

[X] Yeah, I'm up for some payback; gimme the game plan Houki

wait, there are other choices?

 

Touche. But we should have at least mentioned it, and being able to catch us is noteworthy enough that it is remarkable. Personally, I'd assume there was an evil mad scientist running around, or an evil reincarnation of some kind making augments of something, not an alien invasion, but. . .

 

[X] Yeah, I'm up for some payback; gimme the game plan Houki

 

Heh, like there was any other choice; you focus on the ring on your left finger, noting how it looked very similar to the ring given to you by the Lady of the Lake. The only difference is that this ring was black and red, the color of your newfound armor. As you focus your intent and will the IS materialized around you, encasing in your new armor and weapon against your new foes. Now in the Black Knight, you're ready to start off your new beginning as a knight of the modern era.

Looking at Houki, you smirk and remove your helm; taking her hand in your and laying a kiss upon it. In a stately tone you declare, "As the fair lady commands; this humble knight will ride into battle in her name for valor, honor, and justice."

Houki only giggles and plays along, "This fair maiden is honored by your loyalty, Sir Knight; but asks that fight not for her, but for the world and its people. Such a noble cause is far more fitting for a knight of your caliber instead of the whims of a silly girl."

Getting the rest of the silliness out of her system, she begins to debrief you; "Alright, I'm inputting the coordinates of the base into your IS now, just follow the directions on your HUD and you'll be fine. As for the plan; go in, beat the bad guys, grab the goods, and get out. With your loadout it should be a cinch. Any questions?"

You take a moment to think it over, then you ask, "What about getting caught? Maybe I should go in under my Noble Phantasm so nobody can-"

"No," Houki shakes her head, "We want them to know what's happening to them, we want them to know just who's calling them out. Nobody's challenged them head on like this; so we're going to change that. Instead of fighting on their terms; with all of this undercover and shadowy nonsense that gets nothing done, we're bringing it to them out in the open. After all, they can't hide if we blow up everything they can hide behind."

"We also want the world to see you," she point at you right when she says this, "You want to be a knight, to regain your honor; right? Well, to do that you're gonna have to be visible, become something for people to look up to in admiration and awe. A symbol for people to look towards in their time of need; a hero to save them in their darkest hour. Obviously you won't say who you are piloting the IS; but the IS itself and it's pilot will be known as a hero of honor and valor. The modern day knight riding in on his steed of steel and holding his blades of justice, with evil fleeing from your baleful gaze."

"So, hero, you ready to save the day?" Houki asks with a smirk, opening up a part of the roof for you to take off though.

You were enraptured throughout that speech, the words reverberating with the memories of the past and your adventures back in the days of yore. Of a time when you had honor and valor and it meant something. Of a time when people could look to you, look to your comrades and your liege, and find something larger than life to protect them from harm. You chuckle; how foolish, to have even thought of deception so easily and so readily: were you truly so unwilling to forge your new path to restore what you had lost?

You shake your head; no, nothing like that, it was simply the pragmatism of the present clashing with the ideals of the past. You smile at Houki and tell her, "How embarrassing, that I forgot something so obvious. Thanks for reminding me, Houki. And as for saving the day..."

You put on your helmet and take off, saying through the comlink, "What kind of knight would I be if I wasn't ready?"


As you follow the checkpoint on you HUD, you take the time to get used to moving through the skies as well as check you weapon loadout and how it works; Houki providing commentary and help for the basics. While you piloted the Uchigane during your kidnapping, because of Mad Enhancement and Knight of Honor a lot of what you did was subconscious and innate due to how the Noble Phantasm worked. However, even with that being the case; your own prowess in fighting along with that prior experience gave you enough so that you were comfortable with piloting the Black Knight. Besides, you worked best with trial by fire.

Once you reach the base, Houki contacts you, "Alright Ichika, their sensors haven't caught you because your IS is in stealth mode. According to what files I can get on the place there are...several missile turrets along with three Raphael Revives. That combined with about three squads of your standard mercenary goons should mean that you'll be busy for...five minutes."

You give a single laugh, "Wow, you're really confident in me here, aren't you?"

"Actually, four of the five minutes are there for you showboating and being intimidating so you look cool. Anyways, here's the layout of the base and the location of the goods. I should also have a general location of where enemies should be on there too. Well, get to it; though if I can make a suggestion, you should make a real...explosive entrance. Houki, out!"

Well, that sounded like good advice; now according to what Houki sent you it looks like the majority of the guards are right....there.

You level both claws at the location and charge up the Radiant Surgers in both palms; then fire them in a beam and raze it to the ground in a massive explosion. Immediately the automated missile turrets begin to home in on you and unleash a salvo of missiles to take you down. Unfortunately for them, they were simply to slow to catch up with the Black Knight; you weaved and danced between them, causing them to crash into each other as you continued to use the surgers to take down the turrets from a distance. As the last one fell, you wondered when those ISes would finally come into the fray...

Only to raise your had and activate the Blaze Luminous to block machine gun fire; looks like the cavalry has arrived. To your right, where the gunfire came from, were the three ISes that Houki informed you about. Ready to fight something actually capable of fighting back, you pull out your twin blades and rush them; dodging and blocking any bullets heading your way.

Your first opponent actually decided to try and meet you head on, charging in with a pile bunker. Seeing this, you decided to up the ante by activating the Radiant Wave Shielding to surround you in a corona of red energy waves. With a single blade outstretched to match the pile bunker, the clash now became a parody of the jousts of medieval times.

Unfortunately for her, you were far more adept in such a match; your protective shielding melting the pile bunker before it could even reach you, while your blade struck true. With the momentum of your dash and the strength of your shielding, you actually manage to continue your charge right through the poor woman. A gruesome death, but considering who they were working for, it may not have been undeserved. Besides, the battlefield was no place to mourn and lament.

With one enemy down, you look at your other two opponents; both stunned speechless at what just happened. Taking advantage of their shock, you use Ignition Boost to dash right into the face of one of them and cut her in half with your swords. The blades struck true, cutting through shields, metal, bone and flesh like a hot knife through butter; the already sharp blades only improved by Houki's modifications to them. As for the last one, you merely raise you palm to her direction and fire another surge blast, taking her head off in a single clean blow.

Almost absentmindedly, you check how long it actually took you to do all of that: three minutes, and most of that was spent with dancing with the missiles and the 'jousting match' you had. It looks like Houki was right once again.

As for the rest of the grunts...well, what few that were remaining simply fled from you the moment you touched land and came into their sights. Meaning all you really had to do was waltz right into where they kept the goods. Once you find the right room you enter and call up Houki, "I'm in; now what?"

With a flash, several machines that could fit into the palm of you had appear in front of you, while Houki talks, "Place these around the room; they'll let me teleport all of it to a storehouse I have in a discreet location. Until I can manage to upgrade how the system works; I need receivers like these ones to do mass transits like this."

"Got it," And so you went around the perimeter of the room and placed these receivers so that Houki can claim her prize. However, something was wrong...

"Houki...you sure the measurements of the room are right?"

Confused, Houki replies, "Yes, I'm positive. I tripled checked using several different methods to figure out the dimensions of the room. Why?"

"Because it's apparently off by a quarter." Indeed, compared to the map on you HUD; the room itself was narrower, like a whole fraction of it was cut off. You head to the wall that was apparently several yards too close in, and knock on it...and hear an echo. Then you realize that the room was modified with a secret holding section. You rip it off, trying to find just what Phantom Task was trying to keep secret.

What you discover...nearly stuns you speechless. "Houki...?"

"I know Ichika; I'm seeing it too..." Houki tersely responds, and you can't blame her.

People; Phantom Task actually had the balls to keep people locked up like they were nothing but cattle. That they actually stooped to human trafficking...it only further your disgust of them. Any possible lingering regrets or doubts about them were gone with what you just witnessed; even if you had to fight through hell itself, you were destroying Phantom Task.

This you swear; as both a knight, and a hero...

"I'm going to head over to the storehouse; set up the rest of the receivers, they should be able to take the people along too. From there I'll...I'll see what I can do; contact governments, ask about missing persons, try to ask the captives themselves where their homes are, anything I can. We're getting them back home Ichika, and making sure that nobody else goes through this."

"Right," you then enter the hidden compartment and addressed the people, "Attention everyone; I need you all to stay within the room. I am going to be placing several machines that will take you out of here to a safe location, where you will be then taken back to your homes. I repeat; stay within the room, so we can get you back to your homes. You're safe now; the people that held you captive here are gone." Your helm then repeated the message in several different languages so that everyone in the room could understand what you said, while you continued to place the rest of the receivers.

When you finish, everyone looked at you in awe; and one man asked, "Who are you?"

"A knight who's fulfilling his duty to the world; a hero for those in need." Just as you finished saying that, the receivers activate and both the goods and people vanish to wherever Houki was taking them. Satisfied with a job well done, you begin to fly off...

...Only to be hammered by a blast right out of nowhere. As you recover, you see an IS heading right towards you; how will you respond?

[X] Hold your ground
[X] Retaliate
-- [X] Charge in with swords raised high
-- [X] Fire with your surgers
[X] Evade and head back to base
[X] Write-in

 

[X] Retaliate
-- [X] Charge in with swords raised high

 

[X] Hold your ground