Part 28: Dawn Arc - Invader

Invader


Prisoner

No points for guessing who joins Altera's little party bus here later in the game... Definitely my favorite of the title screens in this game. But back to business...



...I'm sorry for using up so much of your mana. I tend not to hold back in a fight. From time to time, that may put too much stress on you... But please don't worry. I'll always leave you enough mana to live on. The outside "me" may seem intimidating... But I'll try to be gentle. In fact, I'll make sure of it. Okay?

Her choice of words makes it sound like they're two different people. Everything about Hero Altera, especially in battle, is the opposite of her. Her expressions, her body language, even her tone of voice. But they both have that same divine look to them, even in those same red eyes. Her gentle manner stirs something inside me, some small, hesitant feeling. Even though I know she's an enemy monster. ...Maybe she and I should talk more. But the bits and pieces of my memory are warning me. Saying I should fight. Be suspicious of her. Be afraid of her. Fulfill my duty. If I really have become her Master, I should try to control and subdue her any way I can.



I mean, she says she's the enemy of the world, but she hasn't *done* anything yet. Is it okay to wait until we see what she's going with this? I suppose it will have to be.

Also, Command Spells are the means by which a Master can forcibly control a Servant's actions, if necessary. Ordinarily, they're a symbol of the Master's authority over the Servant, the proof of their pact. Each Master can order their Servant to do something up to 3 times, by deliberately invoking one of them to compel action.

However, there are limitations. The more specific a Master's instructions, the more the Servant is able to accomplish them. If you gave a Servant an extremely broad objective, such as, to use an example from Fate/stay night, "Win the Holy Grail War", it would hardly do anything. However, an extremely specific command, such as "Teleport to my side", would be easily accomplished. A Servant, if they really don't want to follow the Master's command, can resist it, but their ability to do so depends on their Magical Resistance. A Berserker, for example, would be easily compelled in most cases, but a powerful Saber like Altera would probably be able to resist one. Two would probably do. Casters would also be able to likely resist most commands if they didn't want to obey. Our pal Gilgamesh is powerful enough that he can basically completely ignore them.

The reason Command Spells are even a thing, within the Grail War rules? To be able to compel a Servant to commit suicide. The initial Grail Wars (before the mana loss incident in the 1970s in this particular timeline) were a ritual by three particular mage families to reach the Root, which is one of those weird metaphysical things that comes up in Nasu's works. The final step to reaching the Root is to fill the Holy Grail with a massive amount of magical energy from seven Servants to unlock the Root. The idea is that one Master-Servant pair would outlast / defeat all the others, then the final Master uses enough Command Spells to kill their Servant, and then it's party time. However, the Holy Grail War of Earth is nothing if not cocked up easily, and in all the Grail Wars we have the details for, this end result has only happened twice. And then at the very end it went wrong, in both cases.

To bring this back to Extella, perhaps Command Spell Suicide is an option for Hakuno here. Perhaps...

...No, I'll hold off. Even if she does call herself the enemy, and even if she did just defeat one of the world's greatest protectors. Whichever Altera she is, I can still talk to her. Even Hero Altera, as much as she acts like a killing machine, still has feelings, I think.

Is something the matter? Ah... Are you exhausted? I see... I should be careful not to overuse my Noble Phantasm, then...

See? We can talk like this. We can share our ideas, and our opinions, and our feelings. Then maybe...

Oh, I'm sorry. I have to put you in there now. It'll heal you up a bit, at least.



At least the Mind has some posh digs right now... Hardly seems fair, though.

*giggle* You're just a little bundle of cuteness. Just in case, let me tell you something now. Maybe you already know this, but...I'd be very sad if we had a misunderstanding. My Master, my Prisoner. I'll send you out to fight again soon, just like today. Of course, my other self will be there too. Please don't even think about turning on me. If you do, I'll have to tear your digital body line from line. I'm not like most Heroic Spirits. Even without a Master, I can keep myself going just by expending my own health.

It looks like I should forget everything I know about how Masters and Servants work together. I'm the one who'll have to obey her. Controlling her with Command Seals is out of the question.

You're human. That means your survival instinct always comes first, right? Please follow that instinct. There's no shame in that. Even if you're afraid of me. Or if you hate me. I don't mind that. But you ARE my Prisoner. Please don't forget that...







...Hmm. It looks like I'm utterly trapped here. I can't go on like this. At this rate, I'll end up helping the Umbral Star, whether I want to or not. I'm out of ideas for now. If I could just get out of this cage...I have to do something as soon as possible.

...That's right...

She's watching. She's definitely watching. It's like her eyes are boring a hole in me. Does Titan Altera even sleep at all? If not, is she just going to keep staring at me? Titan Altera doesn't seem violent. And she seems willing to talk. But if she keeps me here long enough, she might eventually talk me into helping her destroy the world...



So I had to work for this title screen. When I first started recording Dawn, I recorded everything up to the end of the first stage, and because that recording was more than an hour long, I decided to cut off the recording after the stage ended but before I got this title screen. So I had to start a new Dawn playthrough to get this one... How troublesome.

That's also why these first few updates of Dawn have been a little weird, in terms of pacing. There's basically no break whatsoever in the first two stages where I can firmly declare an end to recording and such. Idol's Return

...I'm being watched. She's been watching me like this the entire time. The awkward silence. I have no idea what to say, or whether I should say anything, or whether she's even thinking about talking to me. Just like that, all day, literally. She's been staring at me continuously, with that same smile, without ever getting tired or bored. Did I say "all day"? It's been a week. That's how long it's been since she beat the King of Conquerors.

...

Yep, one week. Seven days. Give or take. Space doesn't work the same way in here as it does outside, but time still does. And here we are. Same cavern. Same treasure on the floor. Same cage. Same titan. I want out. Staring at the same four walls for the last seven days has given me an incredible case of cabin fever. All I can do is what she's doing: Stay right here and watch her like she's watching me.

I'm sure she hasn't been *entirely* silent, but this must have been an absolutely miserable week. I wish someone would show up to have Altera let Hakunon out to play for a bit. Even impending apocalypse has got to be better than being stuck in a cage for a week.

My Prisoner? Now that I think about it...you must be hungry. Of course, this cavern can maintain your body's functions, but...don't humans get hungry? I'm sorry. Here I am, thinking about myself, not even noticing your worries...



*giggle* But I suppose you can't eat it just like that. I understand.





How about now? Does this look tasty? I just changed the outer data, so it's not really the same as proper cooking, but... I did my best to make it more delicious. I hope it suits your taste.



Yum, digital turkey.

Her unexpected kindness throws me off balance. But my observations, including the ones about how to escape, are teaching me more about her. The titan in the cavern. A Servant who controls her Master. A monster called Altera, who's not quite a Heroic Spirit, with the sile and the bearing of a goddess. Her guard is completely down. She's still watching me, but not as carefully. I know that because I've been watching her the whole time, every movement, every word. She doesn't suspect a thing.

...Um, Master? If you don't eat it soon, it's going to get cold... Oh no, wait, I set it up so it won't really get cold. But you still ought to eat it while it's fresh off the stove.

Even if she's not being cautious, she's still talking to me every chance she gets, so I haven't had a chance to try messing with the cage. All in all, no matter how much she lowers her guard, there's no practical way to break myself out. After a week of observations, I've learned one thing: I'm out of options. But in order to maintain my digital body, I do need to share some of her resources. She's served me drinks already, and none of them were spiked with viruses, as far as I know. So that means...

...Would you please eat it?





...Thank goodness. You cleaned your whole plate. And I'm sorry for not realizing sooner... You can't live on drinks alone, can you? I have a lot to learn about...people like you, but I'm afraid I haven't come around to it yet. I know all the relevant information, but the experience...that's something else.

Speaking personally, as someone who has, more than once, gone three days without eating food and only drinking water, it's possible, but not overly pleasant, to endure such a thing. Going even 12 hours with water, though...that's a much more difficult matter.

At first, I don't know what she's talking about. Is Altera referring to me specifically? Or to humans in general? Strictly speaking, digital bodies don't need to eat food. But Wizards still naturally crave the experiences and habits they're used to, like eating and drinking. I thought maybe she meant she wants to learn more about humanity, but apparently she's only talking about me. ...So then what kind of "experience" is she looking for? If she didn't even understand that humans gets angry, what knowledge OR experience does she have? ...That's a good question, actually. What HAS she experienced in her past?



Battle. 14,000 of your years ago. What I experienced, in the physical body I created, was mostly during that time. Annihilation in the name of the Umbral Star. I destroyed a good half of our world's civilizations personally. Every life form I laid eyes upon fought me, resisted me. So...I didn't have much of a chance to observe human eating habits, or other such customs... I was like that until the very end. My power wasn't enough. I collapsed and broke down.

Again with what happened 14,000 years ago. It sounds like some mythical epic. But I don't think she's lying. At least it makes more sense, if she didn't literally destroy the Earth but rather collapsed in the middle of trying. If she has been out of power ever since, that explains how humanity's been able to grow and prosper, not having to worry about her. We've built and maintained civilizations all the way up to the 21st century, long enough for me to become a Wizard and try for the Holy Grail.

That's all I experienced on Earth. My mainframe has been here ever since. And until the Umbral Star comes back to this galaxy, here is where I'll stay. So I'm sorry. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, but I'm afraid I'll still be a burden to you... To you, I must seem like a big, ignorant hazard.

She's ashamed of her inexperience. Whatever she does know, she's never had the chance to put it into practice. I don't know if it' my place to call her "ignorant". But that aside, I understand what she's trying to say. This kind of understanding doesn't come naturally to her. She doesn't get how humans work at all, not even how they eat or drink. She may look like a human, but since she's been here this whole time... This whole time... In this cramped room, by herself, for 14,000 years...

Yes. Most of the time, I just lay here. It's safe here, you know. I didn't have anything to worry about, until now.



Kind of weird for HER to feel vulnerable...maybe.

...Yes. Not just for myself, but to keep myself from hurting others... There's no other place like that but here. In any case, I'm awake now. And that's a sign that the Umbral Star is coming soon. But it's been so long, I have to wonder how much of it's a dream...

...I don't know how to feel for her. Sleeping here, for all that time, and from the look on her face, her dreams weren't always pleasant ones. I start to say something about that, but I keep my mouth shut instead. If I start to pity her, I'll get sidetracked. My first and foremost priority is to get out of this cage. I have to ask her more questions to gather more information. I should ask her more about the way she collapsed back on Earth...

Yes, "Sephyr" fell to the ground and became a corpse. But that alone didn't erase me... I'm Sephyr's true form. As long as I exist, Sephyr will appear on Earth, on schedule, no matter what. As long as the necessary requirements are met. Then I can obtain a real body...

"Necessary requirements"... I wonder if that means taking full control of the Moon Cell. If so... If I told Altera I'd help her create that body, would she let me out?

Hmm? Let's not waste time on the impossible. That will never happen. Never. No matter what, you'll never do it. You'll never help me drop Sephyr on your own world. You'll try to double-cross me and defend SE.RA.PH. You'll fight me while I'm conquering the Moon Cell. And on top of that... On top of that, it won't matter. In the end, it'll all be the same. Even if there might be other ways, I have no choice but to destroy the Moon Cell.

Again. Again, she gives me that lonely expression. I thought she wanted to materialize on Earth, and/or destroy the Moon Cell, just so she could leave this cavern, but apparently, that's not the case.

...





Suppose we should have expected this at some point. Still, good to see her again.

I'm finally in. Whoa, so this is the titan's cavern! It got a little dicey on the way, but nothing too serious... Nothing's impossible for Elizabeth Bathory! I've even got the Zero Dark wrapped around my pretty little finger.

Someone's flown in through a hole in the wall. A petite young woman with the features of a dragon... Who is she? She gave her name, but...

*giggle* Now listen here. I'll be nice and tell you, little squirrel. The big lady with the cage you're in? All she does is break things. Nothing else. She's the embodiment of destruction. It's what she does for fun. No, for pleasure. Crushing civilizations, grinding them to dust, ending everything.

"Elizabeth Bathory"... The name doesn't ring a bell. She doesn't look like a Wizard, so she must be a Servant. And she sounds like she knows Altera well...

...That presence. Are you one of Archimedes' minions? This cavern is my domain. A corrupted Servant like you has no place here.

*laugh* Oh, come on, don't get all high and mighty! We're both equal in the eyes of the Umbral Star, aren't we? And why are you moping around anyway? It's pathetic. Some random SE.RA.PH. NPC could take you right now! You're a destroyer, not a thinker! You're just muddling your purpose. It's impure - yeah, impure! It's all wrong! Any way you slice it, it's wrong, Altera!

...

Oddly, even though Altera could easily "punish" the pink dragon girl, she doesn't. Did she say they were both working for the Umbral Star? Is that why Altera's not retaliating? Because they're allies? Altera told her to leave, but that's it. Now she's sitting there and letting Elizabeth tell her off. That's not like her at all. At least, from what I know about Altera, which admittedly isn't much.



You barely even get what you're supposed to do here! If I were your size, I'd be doing so much bett-

*alarm sound*

What? Aww, we were just getting to the good part. An auto-enemy alert system, right? G'ah, that sucks. They have the WORST timing! God, that pisses me off! Fine, I'll come back later. You make sure you do your job, you hear me? Oh, and little squirrel? Keep looking all desperate. It's cute. That's the Umbral Star's titan you've got watching you. Step out of line, and she'll step on you. *teleports out*

...Ugh... I'm sorry. This was supposed to be your time to relax before your next job, but... Just as she said, the enemy's advancing. It seems they're charging straight into the Zero Dark, just like last time... So just like before, please do your best, my Prisoner. But don't get reckless. I know it's a great burden on you, supplying the outside "me" with mana...

*nod*









When the King of Conquerors was defeated, the Moon Cell fell into a panic. It's sent two Top Servants this time. If my titan self were here, this would be easy, but in this form, it won't be. Though I suspect you want me to fail either way. *pfft* As if I even needed to ask.

Yeah, no need to ask at all. I'm her "Prisoner", not her friend. She's leeching off my mana by force, thanks to her special little contract. I may not be able to escape, but I can still say this: I would never willingly support Altera in battle. All I can do right now is keep gathering information. And wait for my chance...

You're still looking for a chance to escape, aren't you? It's all over your face. I couldn't care less. You'll be here by my side forever, whether you like it or not. I own the Regalia. Which means I also own you. I won't let you go, and I won't let any Heroic Spirits come between us. But be careful. You can still die out there on the battlefield. They don't call them "Top Servants" for nothing.

...Hm? Did she just worry about me? For a minute there, she almost sounded like Titan Altera... What exactly is she thinking? She keeps me in a cage, but at the same time, she's someone I can talk to. If I ask her a question, she answers. And she worries about me too? And something else is bothering me. Something Elizabeth said. "It's what she does for fun"...

It's true. She wasn't wrong. I'm the concept of destruction personified. A walking slaughterhouse. And that's all I am. You might see it differently, but this is it. This is me, and I'm never going to change.

Then isn't it odd that she seemed so worried about me? I understand she needs me for mana, but she has the Regalia now, so I'd think she'd be able to work around that without me.

...Don't think too highly of yourself. You're still nothing more than my Prisoner. No matter what you think of me, you're just a tiny little flicker on my finger.



I won't bother asking you for backup. I don't need your Code Casts. ...Just shut up and watch me fight.

That's the idea...