Tandem the Spoony's Next Adventure [F/SN x CM(D&D)]

I'm surprised Lancer's geass let us get away with using the Pegasus when it wouldn't let us summon a monster, but hey, maybe there's leeway on Rider giving it to us. Gotta admit, plan Command Seal turned out better than I'd even hoped. I think it's safe to say that we've caught Rider's interest and attention.

Very fun little fight. I approve and quite enjoyed it. Well done.

[X] He's not dead until he's faded away, and you sure as hell don't want to see what kind of runic curse or dying attack Cu Chulainn could launch with his life's final blood. Fuck that shit, you've cheated death enough.
-[X] Disposal at range, if you please. If not possible, just make sure both spiritual cores are destroyed. Preferably sooner rather than later. Flicking Gae Bolg at you between his toes to finish you dumb ass off would be just fucking perfect and as hot as Rider is you don't think she'd look as good in a nurse's outfit, even if she were willing.
-[X] Message to Rider to make sure she knows not to approach yet. Just in case.

 

[X] He's not dead until he's faded away, and you sure as hell don't want to see what kind of runic curse or dying attack Cu Chulainn could launch with his life's final blood. Fuck that shit, you've cheated death enough.
-[X] Disposal at range, if you please. If not possible, just make sure both spiritual cores are destroyed. Preferably sooner rather than later. Flicking Gae Bolg at you between his toes to finish you dumb ass off would be just fucking perfect and as hot as Rider is you don't think she'd look as good in a nurse's outfit, even if she were willing.
-[X] Message to Rider to make sure she knows not to approach yet. Just in case.

 

Hmm. We should probably have Tandem say some last words to Lancer. Final conversation with a dying man, it's almost bardic law! How can we not obey the rule of drama?

I mean yeah, it's letting him know we ain't turning our back on him and no cheap shots...but they guy's nearly dead and Tandem's not nearly smart/ruthless/pragmatic enough to kill Lancer without saying anything.

 

In Cu's legend, where he fights an entire army in single combat in the span of a month or so; against the last opponent, his friend Ferdiad, his charioteer threw Gae Blog down the stream they were fighting over. It then floated downstream into Cu's hand and then you can probably figure out what happened here.

Same thing here, Rider summoned Pegasus and put Bellerophon on it; then slapped it and pointed at you. The horse figured out what to do from there. Also, he likes you.

Glad the fight worked out; was really worried I fucked it up and that it'd end up boring.

 

I recall that scene being Gae Bolg was floating down a stream, Cu catches it between his toes, and hurls it at his enemy.

Nice. Worked well for us indeed. And it definitely was not boring. I think you did justice to Cu.

 

The version I know of has the charioteer do it, and since it made Rider more useful I went with that version.

Honestly; this was the fight I had planned out the least, I had no clue on what to do for it and that lucky roll for Defiance of Fate didn't help things either. I'm honestly more proud of what I have planned for Berserker, Archer, and Caster.

Oh, and Gilgamesh. Because Gilgamesh.

 

I'll roll with it, irony is good.

Then I cannot WAIT to see them.

The King is awesome.

Man, it is kind of a shame we didn't use Defiance of Fate in some regards. I only just remembered that if we had been running off those dregs we'd have a chance at stealing Gae Bolg too. I mean I guess we can burn Defiance on getting it for sure, it's a fine NP, but it just feels so...CHEAP.

 

It's kinda meant to be; it's a 'get out of jail free' card, meant to be used in situations where you cannot win. Example: Berserker Round 2, surviving against Gilgamesh, things like that.

So far, I'm glad that nobody's been suggesting using it willy-nilly for every problem you face; this means that it's being treated exactly how I wanted to be: a valuable, limited use weapon to defy the odds when all else fails. If this Lancer fight wasn't enough to make you use it, just imagine what will...

 

To be fair, Command Seals serve a very similar purpose and we did use that. Granted, Command Seals are lesser than Defiance in results, but still.

Hopefully we'll still be able to cheat our way to victory. I'm just glad Message and Command Seal finally occurred to me, in comparisons the rest of my plans kinda sucked.

And hey, Rider gets to see Tandem burned a Command Seal for her. Rider's kind of a bitch and a monster, but still a good person to have in your corner. She's also hot and pulls of bad, dangerous girl very, very well. Ironically, the trope she fits for us is probably the Lancer.

Alas, Rider means Taiga probably gets shoved off stage. Isn't it sad, Taiga?

 

I like the Witty One Liner.
"Your Eyes are Beautiful" Indeed.

I guess we won because we started wrecking those Runes he had carved on his armor?

 

You won because you shredded him with rapid-fire rapier strikes while he was flat-footed, then rammed him with Bellerophon for massive damage. Actually, the armor he crafted is still intact; if in need of some repairs.

 

[X] Check the body, just to be safe

Maybe we can get some loot before he disappears.

 

Damn. That's pretty fucking impressive all things considered.

 

[X] He's not dead until he's faded away, and you sure as hell don't want to see what kind of runic curse or dying attack Cu Chulainn could launch with his life's final blood. Fuck that shit, you've cheated death enough.
-[X] Disposal at range, if you please. If not possible, just make sure both spiritual cores are destroyed. Preferably sooner rather than later. Flicking Gae Bolg at you between his toes to finish you dumb ass off would be just fucking perfect and as hot as Rider is you don't think she'd look as good in a nurse's outfit, even if she were willing.
-[X] Message to Rider to make sure she knows not to approach yet. Just in case.

 

....Can we claim Lancer's armor for ourselves?

 

Armor ain't a NP or anything too special; it's the equivalent of D&D magic items, so if you wanna take it go for it.

There are two greaves/shin guards, a gauntlet, a glove, and some chest armor. It looks mostly like the picture I put up an update or two ago.

 

*pumps fist*

Thought we might get away with that!

Of course, it does essentially mean we gotta pluck them off Lancer while he's still alive? Well, given how his armor is good enough to kick his abilities up two ranks (I think you said?), it just might be worth the risk. We'll need all the edges we can get.



[X] He's not dead until he's faded away, and you sure as hell don't want to see what kind of runic curse or dying attack Cu Chulainn could launch with his life's final blood. Fuck that shit, you've cheated death enough.
-[X] Disposal at range, if you please. If not possible, just make sure both spiritual cores are destroyed. Preferably sooner rather than later. Flicking Gae Bolg at you between his toes to finish you dumb ass off would be just fucking perfect and as hot as Rider is you don't think she'd look as good in a nurse's outfit, even if she were willing.
-[X] Message to Rider to make sure she knows not to approach yet. Just in case.

[X] Like any proper adventurer, you loot the bodies of your enemies and claim their swag as your own. To the victor go the spoils!
-[X] Of course, Lancer was an adventurer too, so before putting it on set aside some time to make sure he didn't leave any surprises. He really wanted you dead so screwing you from beyond the grave wouldn't be out of character.



Hmm, should we offer to let Rider claim some too? Maybe Shirou as well. Code of the adventures (yes, they're more like guidelines, get it out of your system) and they DID contribute to our victory. I very much doubt Rider is interested in the armor, although Shirou might. We're pretty clearly best for it though.

Man, us looting Lancer after our heroic acts would be in absolutely terrible taste, wouldn't it? But....loot. GOOD loot.

 

We already claimed Excalibur and it hasn't disappeared on us. I'm not especially worried about this armor disappearing, especially when Ender gave the go-ahead.

 

But now here's the kicker; when Lancelot died, did the guns he was using disappear with him? Because the armor was something Lancer made with actual physical materials and his own Rune Magic. It's not the magic armor that Saber and Gilgamesh materialize, nor is it a NP of any sort.

Or in other words; Cu Chulainn made a set of magical power armor in the basement of a church. With a box of scraps.

...Unfortunately, because you aren't a master of Rune Magic; you cannot do the whole resonance effect he did and make the boost of each individual piece of armor stack exponentially rather than linearly. Still...double rank up to parameters; that can make your strength and endurance above average. Or make Shirou below-average Servant tier...

 

I wouldn't use an action taken while under the influence of Defiance of Fate as an example of what you can normally do here...

 

First: Lancer is awesome. Most of what he did is a one-time trick, but still Scathach would be proud. After she finishes beating him for losing.

Second:

[X] He's not dead until he's faded away, and you sure as hell don't want to see what kind of runic curse or dying attack Cu Chulainn could launch with his life's final blood. Fuck that shit, you've cheated death enough.
-[X] Disposal at range, if you please. If not possible, just make sure both spiritual cores are destroyed. Preferably sooner rather than later. Flicking Gae Bolg at you between his toes to finish you dumb ass off would be just fucking perfect and as hot as Rider is you don't think she'd look as good in a nurse's outfit, even if she were willing.
-[X] Message to Rider to make sure she knows not to approach yet. Just in case.

[X] Like any proper adventurer, you loot the bodies of your enemies and claim their swag as your own. To the victor go the spoils!
-[X] Of course, Lancer was an adventurer too, so before putting it on set aside some time to make sure he didn't leave any surprises. He really wanted you dead so screwing you from beyond the grave wouldn't be out of character.

If his body vanishes and leave the armor behind, who can blame us for taking it. Plus I think Shirou could use it...

On another note, how are our reserves of Mana? The link with Shirou is shitty as always and until now we really used a lot of things.

 

[X] He's not dead until he's faded away, and you sure as hell don't want to see what kind of runic curse or dying attack Cu Chulainn could launch with his life's final blood. Fuck that shit, you've cheated death enough.
-[X] Disposal at range, if you please. If not possible, just make sure both spiritual cores are destroyed. Preferably sooner rather than later. Flicking Gae Bolg at you between his toes to finish you dumb ass off would be just fucking perfect and as hot as Rider is you don't think she'd look as good in a nurse's outfit, even if she were willing.
-[X] Message to Rider to make sure she knows not to approach yet. Just in case.

[X] Like any proper adventurer, you loot the bodies of your enemies and claim their swag as your own. To the victor go the spoils!
-[X] Of course, Lancer was an adventurer too, so before putting it on set aside some time to make sure he didn't leave any surprises. He really wanted you dead so screwing you from beyond the grave wouldn't be out of character.

 

Not without using Rumor to Reality at least. Pass that check and we could.

In fact, just wearing the armor and using Defiance of Fate means DoF can just say, "Hey, you blindly stumbled into achieving the resonance effect and massive stat boost, congrats! S'only gonna last as long as DoF though."

Making Shirou below-average Servant tier would be alright for survivability, but the lad just doesn't have the skill to go with the strength. The same can not be said of other Servants. Saber casually disarmed Taiga while restricting herself to human levels and Shirou isn't even as skilled as Taiga without hijacking someone else's skill. At least as far as the Fifth HGW goes.

Fair enough.

 

Unless we get him to hang around Archer for long enough.
Or we actually manage our best teacher in the world boast.

 

See hijacking someone else's skill.

Perhaps, but there isn't a legendary teacher in the world with teaching skills equivalent to Kojiro, so I wouldn't hold out hope in seeing Shirou reach legendary levels.

 

I thought you meant hijacking someone elses skills by using their NPs, which in contrast to just hijacking Archer's memories wouldn't be permanent, but yeah, short of that, not really seeing many other options.

Can't quite think of one, but surely there must be ridiculously epic teachers somewhere as well.
There's also to consider, that we don't necessarily have to phrase our new teaching skill in relative terms, but I do admit that the difficulty of such a boast is likely to be too high in either case.

 

Rider's not a "bitch", she's just very protective of Sakura. Having her on your good side is very helpful, even more so if we demonstrate the potential ability to help save Sakura.

And, let's go with:

[X] He's not dead until he's faded away, and you sure as hell don't want to see what kind of runic curse or dying attack Cu Chulainn could launch with his life's final blood. Fuck that shit, you've cheated death enough.
-[X] Disposal at range, if you please. If not possible, just make sure both spiritual cores are destroyed. Preferably sooner rather than later. Flicking Gae Bolg at you between his toes to finish you dumb ass off would be just fucking perfect and as hot as Rider is you don't think she'd look as good in a nurse's outfit, even if she were willing.
-[X] Message to Rider to make sure she knows not to approach yet. Just in case.

[X] Like any proper adventurer, you loot the bodies of your enemies and claim their swag as your own. To the victor go the spoils!
-[X] Of course, Lancer was an adventurer too, so before putting it on set aside some time to make sure he didn't leave any surprises. He really wanted you dead so screwing you from beyond the grave wouldn't be out of character.

 

Both apply, really.

Alive? Because if we're on as good as the best living teacher or swordsman in the world, we're kinda screwed on that front. Kojiro's skill is ridiculous even compared to Heroic Spirits. Good luck finding anyone in any field on his level. If killing Kojiro means our skills take a sharp dive, uh-oh.

 

You won, and you're looking at Lancer's broken body right now; but you know better: personal experience and one to many incidents with trolls have taught you that you always slit the throat of whatever you've killed if it can ignore lethal wounds. And Lancer definitely was shrugging off anything and everything you threw at him, no matter how impossible it was for his body to pull off. Tendons cut, muscles shredded, bones shattered; he still fought on.

You edge slowly to his body, keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't move and isn't playing dead on you. Finally, when you reach him; you pull out a knife and slit his throat. Then, you ram the knife right into the heart; just to be sure. There, job done. You stand over the body, the Irish hero's death starting to sink in. He was a bastard who was tough as nails, and was completely mad by the time you fought; but he was still a hero, still worthy of being a legend.

From your bag of holding you pull forth your guitar and begin to strum, but before you begin playing an epitaph for Lancer; Rider speaks out, "Why did you cut his throat, and stab his heart; he's already dead. Even with his Battle Continuation he couldn't have survived that."

"Personal experience, if it lived through and ignored most lethal wounds; it doesn't get to keep its throat or heart." You then play a mournful song; a proper lament for the death today. It was brief, but mournful; full of emotion for the life lost today: a hero who lived life as fire, bright and glorious; yet ultimately short and fleeting.

"You were a man who lived for the moment, Hound of Culainn; one who decided that it was better to burn out, than to fade away. Had things gone a little different, maybe we'd have fought side by side; who knows? If I had gone a little lighter with the insults maybe this could've been avoided. But then again, you were a man who lived for the fight; the chance to fight against other heroes and legends was what called you here. I may not have been a friend, hell; I've done all I can to piss you off and keep you off balance, all for the sake of victory. And look at how well that turned out..."

"...But you were still a hero, and as a fellow hero myself; I give proper respect to your demise."

You strum your guitar one last time, and close your eyes in respect. You then hear footsteps coming from behind you; turning to see who it was, you see Shirou and the woman you saved. She still looked like she had one foot in the grave; but at least now she had her arm back, somehow. Oh, and she was conscious; that too.

She looks at you, her mouth and eyes void of emotions, and asks you, "Did you mean that; what you just said? About him...and his life?"

"Yeah; he was a man who died content in his first life, and lived solely for battle, women, and glory. Did he make mistakes? Certainly, but he simply moved on from them; what regret he had never truly lingered. It was the same here, win or lose; he was truly in it for the fight. I might've gone for cheap blows, but his sole reason for being in the war; it was just for the fight. He didn't have a wish." Legend Lore; thank god that you're thorough.

"...I see..." she then hobbled towards Lancer; Shirou helping her move kneels down by his head. She puts it in her lap and runs her fingers through her hair, tears budding in her eyes.

Mournfully, she tells him, "I'm sorry Lancer, I failed you as your Master. Heheh, I summoned you because I wanted to save you; and instead I caused your death once again. I'm sorry..."

Then, a miracle happens; Lancer's chest glows, right around the heart. His throat heals, and some of the lighter cuts and bruises are healed; but his legs are still gone, and the majority of his body's still too ravaged to move. His eyelids twitch, and slowly he opens his eyes. For a brief moment he's speechless, but eventually he regains his voice, "Bazett...you're alive?"

Surprised, the former Master of Lancer's eyes widen and she hesitantly asks, "L-Lancer? But, but how?!"

Lancer laughs, and forces his arm to move and rip open what was left of his armor and jumpsuit. Over his heart was a circle of runes, glowing with power but fading gradually by the second; "Rune of Resurrection. It was supposed to be my trump card; but the bastard hit me harder than I thought he could. *cough* *cough* The rune's powerful, but not that powerful; I'm not gonna live for much longer. But how about you, I saw that bastard kill you..."

You decide to pitch in right about now, "That was me; we found her near-death outside the church, I cast a few healing spells to stabilize her. Then I went to fight you."

When he hears this, he begins to chuckle. Then it escalates to outright laughter, but it was short-lived; cut off by a bout of coughing. "*cough* *hack* Damn...that's fucking hilarious. Guess you're not much of a bastard after all, though you still piss me the fuck off. Fight was pretty fun though."

Again, he begins hacking; this time with blood spilling out of his mouth, "Damn, guess this is how it ends; at least I go out with a fight. Hey, jackass," he gestures to you, "Get over here."

You walk over and stand right next to him. He says, "Closer."

You kneel down. "Closer."

You move your head right next to his, and then he headbutts you right in the face; "Ahh, motherfucker! Ah...shit; you hit me right in the nose. Fuck, I think you broke it too."

He laughs, "Hahahahahaha; gotcha bitch! Anyways, do me a favor: keep an eye on Bazett for me. At least for this war; the son of a bitch who took her Command Seals is still alive, and he might want to finish the job. Or he might not give a damn; that fucking priest confuses the shit outta me."

You recover, and realign your nose. Then you tell him, "Alright, I can do that. She'll be safe with me; anything else?"

"No, not really; unless you'd be willing to hand me my spear over there...that'd be great..."

You cast a minor healing spell on your nose, "Yeah, not happening."

He shrugs, "Eh, had to ask." Then he breaks out in coughing again, with even more blood spewing out.

"Lancer..." Bazett mutters, tears coming out; now holding her dying Servan't head to her chest, "I'm sorry". Lancer, seeing his master crying; tries to calm her.

"Hey lass, don't be crying for me; like before, I died as I lived: fighting to the end. Even got one last lick at him too. And if anyone should be sorry, it should be me; I couldn't win you the grail, so you won't be able to get that wish of yours."

Bazett laughs bitterly at this, "My wish...it was for you to live; to avoid that tragic end of yours. The moment I heard your legend as a child, I fell in love; and when I heard the end, I wanted to save you from that tragedy."

The tears continues, and she sobs; "But...you never thought you death was tragic, did you? Even with all the mistakes in your life, you had no regrets to the very end. Heh, I guess I was too blind to see it..."

Lancer, after hearing the confession of his true Master, tells her; "Ah...what a pity, it seems even now I have such terrible luck with good women. Look, I made you cry. A man shouldn't make a woman cry, he should make her smile and laugh; beca-*hack*" Again Lancer enters a bout of coughing, his life nearly spent.

"...Because women are more beautiful when they're happy; their smiles radiant like the sun and their laughter the sound of angels." You finished for him. This was a simple truth that all men knew; especially one who knew his way around women, like you.

"Heh, yeah; that's right. Guess you really aren't half-bad after all," Lancer looks at you, "Take my armor; I crafted it specifically for beating you, and even swore a geas on it to make it even stronger. It was a simple one: to the victor goes the spoils. It's pretty beat up now, and it probably won't work as well; but it's something, right?"

"Yeah..." You pick up and remove the armor, "I'll put it to good use."

The Irish hero scoffs, "You damn well better. Now get on outta here, no reason to linger."

Bazett tries to argue with Lancer, "What? But Lancer-"

"No; I won't have a pretty lady mourn over my broken body. Leave Bazett. Please."

She hesitates, unwilling to leave her hero; her first love. Eventually though, she lets go and lays his head down; standing up with the help of Shirou. You join them and all head over to where Rider's standing; and the four of you begin to leave. Bazett looks back though, and says; "Goodbye, Lancer."

Lancer barely responds; only able to move his arm slightly to show that he heard her. With one last tear and sob, Bazett turns away; and you all begin to head away from the fallen hero of Ireland.


As you head away from the battlefield; you feel...edgy. As if something is...wrong. But what could possibly...?

Immediately, you hear something and your instincts go wild. You dive tackle everyone and yell at them; "Get down!"

The ground shakes, and you're all sent flying. Nobody nearby, so it was an attack from afar. Bombardment. Probably Archer. Before you can even respond; you see a red streak of light flying overhead, striking at where the attack came from. You note where it was, on the edge of the graveyard and away from the church. But what was that red li-

Lancer. He must've seen the attack, and with his last dying movements retaliated. You can barely imagine him forcing himself to leap at his spear and throw it with the last of this strength. But he did, and this time; he struck true.

You're injured and not at peak form, Rider used her Noble Phantasm and is probably low on Mana, and Shirou is stuck keeping Bazett from keeling over. On the other hand, Archer isn't a class meant for close combat and just took a spear to the face.

What do you do?
[X] Retreat, head back to base; you're in no condition to fight
[X] Head to where Archer is; you may be injured, but so is he now. It's an even fight, and you can probably win
[X] You shouldn't decide this alone, talk to:
- [X] Rider
- [X] Shirou
- [X] Bazett
- [X] Multipe people (Write-in)
[X] Write-in