In front of Samira a golden light began to emerge, releasing golden orbs of light one of by one. Her summoning was successful, a servant is about to manifest and she needs to do is to wait.
Then some peculiar happened.
As if it was commanded by someone's hand, the orbs turned violet and they eventually turned into strings covering the figure in a glowing purple cocoon.
She must after all, capture the world with her brilliance.
Then slowly a string began entering the cocoon leading to its unraveling, finally revealing the woman manipulating the spectacle unseen.
"This must be what they call the Modern Era, I always wonder what the world would look like without the Gods."
She stared at the shrine with disgust. "We don't need them after all.
She then finally turned to her master with a smile of a merchant trying to please her potential customer.
"But where are my manners? My name is Arachne, the greatest weaver among humans and gods and the Caster of this War, who was the magnificent woman who called my service." she asked as the cocoon began turning into a pair of velvet spider themed gloves.
She failed to notice it but she was letting out a feral smile on her face, she only had few opportunities to stretch her legs after all. And after all, what was in front of her was a special patron.
The City of Phnom Penh - 11/11/2022 06:10 UTC+8 Cristina
Cristina spent her time studying the forbidden knowledge Qingshe provided her. Reading books had been a new experience for her but with a lot of persistence and help from Qingshe, she managed to create a simple spell. A proof of concept before this sudden peace conference.
She would've preferred if they left her alone while she can handle herself at places like this fine, she would prefer to not be in a den of snakes. No offense to Qingshe but the wordplay and euphemisms people use here was just too infuriating for her. Just be direct to the point.
The event passed without much fanfare until predictably the Chinese invited themselves.
Did the Dragon actually forgot about her? Not that she was complaining but that was pretty arrogant of him. And that guy Shen Tu, he looked like he didn't want to be here. She felt a little bit of kinship.
She would've been fine with this until the man's friend introduced himself.
"You." He is Superbia's Avatar?
So the man who turned her sister into that was in front of her?
Sinagtala suddenly appeared on her left hand. He wasn't that far her new move will reach her.
After all, how could she afford to waste this opportunity.
A cocky woman who was so full of herself and her talents that even the most insufferable take a step back and find their ego lacking. Caster's arrogance and pettiness has no bounds. As the people of this era would say 'a showoff that is all bark and no bite.'
Beneath that layer of arrogance however was a woman who has surprising awareness of her position in front of others. A woman who recognizes the unlikeliness of a mere weaver's victory against the heroes and legends of the past. A woman who decided that if she's going to lose, she would make the victor pay and suffer as much as she possibly could. However once the time of her defeat had arrived, Caster was a surprisingly graceful loser congratulating her enemies in contrast to a certain goddess 'tantrum'.
Above everything else, Caster is a woman that takes great pride at her hard earned talent, one that she gained on her own and without any divine intervention from the gods. And as such could appreciate the dedication given by others on whatever passion they decided to pursue.
The daughter of a shepherd and the most talented weaver of her time. Arachne had always taken great pride at her talent, boasting it at every moment she could, claiming that she could best even Athena and refusing to give her any credit at what is commonly perceived as a god given talent. Hearing this, Athena descended under the guise of an old woman, asking her to be modest at her achievements. This only incensed the woman who then decided to challenge the goddess in a weaving contest. Angered by the mortal girl's arrogance, Athena dropped her guise and accepted her challenge at that very moment.
At their contest the two must create a tapestry that would be compared to determine which one was better, Athena waved a tapestry centering around hubris as a warning to Arachne against what she was doing. Four corners depict mortals being punished by the gods for thinking they can defy the gods with how she won the honor of having the city of Athens over her fellow god Poseidon serving as its centerpiece. A display of her power in front of a mere mortal.
Perhaps it was arrogance or possibly the recognition that she won't be able to leave this situation unscathed, but Arachne decided to ignore the warnings of the goddess to make her greatest piece at that moment, the tapestry she dedicated to mocking the gods as her final act. She had woven not one, not two, not four but fifteen instances of gods seducing and deceiving the clueless mortal women through forms that are not their own, that aren't even human for most cases. A heretical yet flawless tapestry that even the goddess can't dare to criticize, if she even has the mind to do so.
Enraged by such depiction on her family, Athena destroyed the tapestry and hit Arachne in the head three times with her spindle. However she didn't try to hang herself in shame in the aftermath like what the original text said, instead she saw the goddess' 'tantrum' as a mark of her victory and began celebrating. She was smiling even as Athena began turning her into a spider, doomed to weave for the rest of her life. Nobody but Caster knew how she bypassed the supposed immortality that curse would have given to her but they knew that Caster chose her death as she chose her life.
Territory Creation (B) An ability that belongs to the Caster Class, it allows the user to establish a territory that empowers the user's magecraft while inside, along with providing another source of mana.
With the power of this skill, Caster can use this ability to create her workshop, a loom where she could use her prodigious talent.
Item Construction (SEALED) Another ability that belongs to the Caster Class. This skill was sealed in exchange for the personal skill "Greatest Weaver"
Greatest Weaver (EX) The crystallization of Caster's talent as a weaver. This allows her to create the greatest works at anything that involves threads (normal and mystic code) as the main component at the shortest amount of time possible. This personal skill seals the class skill "Item Construction"
Matriarch of Spiders (E) According to Caster's legend, she is the origin of all spiders in the world. This skill allows her to have an innate connection with all spiders around the world. Would be more effective as a Rider Class but the current iteration allows her to use normal spiders in her vicinity as her familiar.
Victory Against The Divine (B) Caster is one of the few people who could claim an uncontested victory against the gods and her legend is a story of a defiance against them. This skill grants her an anti divine-boost in all parameters when directly engaging to against [Gods] or [Divinity].
True Name: χορδές της πρώτης αράχνης (Chordés Tis Prótis Aráchnis) Title: Strings of the First Spider Rank: B NP Type: Anti-Unit Range: 1-30 Maximum Number of Target: 15
Description:
This Noble Phantasm represents the curse and blessing given to Caster by the goddess Athena. The manifestation of her life that is doomed at weaving until the end of what is supposed to be immortal life.
This Noble Phantasm allows Caster to summon brightly glowing strings in exchange for mana. These strings by default were smoother than silk, more durable than kevlar and much more comfortable than cotton but in a single moment Caster can change its properties into whatever she desires. Furthermore she could telekinetically control the strings in any way she could as long as a part of her body is in contact with it.
Upon activation of its true name, Caster taps into the original purpose of her strings, 'to trap prey and turn them into her meals'. This allows her to create and control the strings from thin air allowing her to catch her enemies off guard. Furthermore any servants or magically powered items it captured will find their magic power being quickly drained until nothing was left while fear slowly creeps on their bodies, simulating how the captured prey feel as they find themselves trapped under Caster's webs.
True Name: Ταπισερί Αράχνης (Tapiserí Aráchnis) Title: The Proof of Arachne's Undying Spite Rank: A NP Type: Anti-Unit Range: - Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Description:
This Noble Phantasm represents the final destroyed piece of Caster that bested Athena at their weaving contest and the culmination of her talents as a weaver that doesn't yield even to the gods.
Recreated for the purpose of the war, this Noble Phantasm allows Caster to create a special tapestry dedicated to an opposing servant. For it to be activated, Caster must have a sufficient amount of Strings of the First Spider and knowledge of her enemy servant's true name (taken from seeing their Noble Phantasm or mundane means).
Once all conditions of the Noble Phantasm are fulfilled, Caster can begin making a special tapestry for that Servant, one that will be filled with depictions that are carefully crafted to enrage the servant.
Once the targeted servants laid their eyes on the tapestry, they will lose any inhibitions and act on whatever thoughts they have in their minds in a manner reminiscent of Madness Enhancement but without the stat boost. This will make them more impulsive and prone to lash out at anything. Resisting the effects of this Noble Phantasm would require a high level of mental protection and even a Command Seal won't be enough to completely remove the effects of this Noble Phantasm.
Note: The Noble Phantasm is activated when making the tapestry, seeing just the tapestry won't reveal Caster's true name.
A cocky woman who was so full of herself and her talents that even the most insufferable take a step back and find their ego lacking. Caster's arrogance and pettiness has no bounds. As the people of this era would say 'a showoff that is all bark and no bite.'
Beneath that layer of arrogance however was a woman who has surprising awareness of her position in front of others. A woman who recognizes the unlikeliness of a mere weaver's victory against the heroes and legends of the past. A woman who decided that if she's going to lose, she would make the victor pay and suffer as much as she possibly could. However once the time of her defeat had arrived, Caster was a surprisingly graceful loser congratulating her enemies in contrast to a certain goddess 'tantrum'.
Above everything else, Caster is a woman that takes great pride at her hard earned talent, one that she gained on her own and without any divine intervention from the gods. And as such could appreciate the dedication given by others on whatever passion they decided to pursue.
The daughter of a shepherd and the most talented weaver of her time. Arachne had always taken great pride at her talent, boasting it at every moment she could, claiming that she could best even Athena and refusing to give her any credit at what is commonly perceived as a god given talent. Hearing this, Athena descended under the guise of an old woman, asking her to be modest at her achievements. This only incensed the woman who then decided to challenge the goddess in a weaving contest. Angered by the mortal girl's arrogance, Athena dropped her guise and accepted her challenge at that very moment.
At their contest the two must create a tapestry that would be compared to determine which one was better, Athena waved a tapestry centering around hubris as a warning to Arachne against what she was doing. Four corners depict mortals being punished by the gods for thinking they can defy the gods with how she won the honor of having the city of Athens over her fellow god Poseidon serving as its centerpiece. A display of her power in front of a mere mortal.
Perhaps it was arrogance or possibly the recognition that she won't be able to leave this situation unscathed, but Arachne decided to ignore the warnings of the goddess to make her greatest piece at that moment, the tapestry she dedicated to mocking the gods as her final act. She had woven not one, not two, not four but fifteen instances of gods seducing and deceiving the clueless mortal women through forms that are not their own, that aren't even human for most cases. A heretical yet flawless tapestry that even the goddess can't dare to criticize, if she even has the mind to do so.
Enraged by such depiction on her family, Athena destroyed the tapestry and hit Arachne in the head three times with her spindle. However she didn't try to hang herself in shame in the aftermath like what the original text said, instead she saw the goddess' 'tantrum' as a mark of her victory and began celebrating. She was smiling even as Athena began turning her into a spider, doomed to weave for the rest of her life. Nobody but Caster knew how she bypassed the supposed immortality that curse would have given to her but they knew that Caster chose her death as she chose her life.
Territory Creation (B) An ability that belongs to the Caster Class, it allows the user to establish a territory that empowers the user's magecraft while inside, along with providing another source of mana.
With the power of this skill, Caster can use this ability to create her workshop, a loom where she could use her prodigious talent.
Item Construction (SEALED) Another ability that belongs to the Caster Class. This skill was sealed in exchange for the personal skill "Greatest Weaver"
Greatest Weaver (EX) The crystallization of Caster's talent as a weaver. This allows her to create the greatest works at anything that involves threads (normal and mystic code) as the main component at the shortest amount of time possible. This personal skill seals the class skill "Item Construction"
Matriarch of Spiders (E) According to Caster's legend, she is the origin of all spiders in the world. This skill allows her to have an innate connection with all spiders around the world. Would be more effective as a Rider Class but the current iteration allows her to use normal spiders in her vicinity as her familiar.
Victory Against The Divine (B) Caster is one of the few people who could claim an uncontested victory against the gods and her legend is a story of a defiance against them. This skill grants her an anti divine-boost in all parameters when directly engaging to against [Gods] or [Divinity].
True Name: χορδές της πρώτης αράχνης (Chordés Tis Prótis Aráchnis) Title: Strings of the First Spider Rank: B NP Type: Anti-Unit Range: 1-30 Maximum Number of Target: 15
Description:
This Noble Phantasm represents the curse and blessing given to Caster by the goddess Athena. The manifestation of her life that is doomed at weaving until the end of what is supposed to be immortal life.
This Noble Phantasm allows Caster to summon brightly glowing strings in exchange for mana. These strings by default were smoother than silk, more durable than kevlar and much more comfortable than cotton but in a single moment Caster can change its properties into whatever she desires. Furthermore she could telekinetically control the strings in any way she could as long as a part of her body is in contact with it.
Upon activation of its true name, Caster taps into the original purpose of her strings, 'to trap prey and turn them into her meals'. This allows her to create and control the strings from thin air allowing her to catch her enemies off guard. Furthermore any servants or magically powered items it captured will find their magic power being quickly drained until nothing was left while fear slowly creeps on their bodies, simulating how the captured prey feel as they find themselves trapped under Caster's webs.
True Name: Ταπισερί Αράχνης (Tapiserí Aráchnis) Title: The Proof of Arachne's Undying Spite Rank: A NP Type: Anti-Unit Range: - Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Description:
This Noble Phantasm represents the final destroyed piece of Caster that bested Athena at their weaving contest and the culmination of her talents as a weaver that doesn't yield even to the gods.
Recreated for the purpose of the war, this Noble Phantasm allows Caster to create a special tapestry dedicated to an opposing servant. For it to be activated, Caster must have a sufficient amount of Strings of the First Spider and knowledge of her enemy servant's true name (taken from seeing their Noble Phantasm or mundane means).
Once all conditions of the Noble Phantasm are fulfilled, Caster can begin making a special tapestry for that Servant, one that will be filled with depictions that are carefully crafted to enrage the servant.
Once the targeted servants laid their eyes on the tapestry, they will lose any inhibitions and act on whatever thoughts they have in their minds in a manner reminiscent of Madness Enhancement but without the stat boost. This will make them more impulsive and prone to lash out at anything. Resisting the effects of this Noble Phantasm would require a high level of mental protection and even a Command Seal won't be enough to completely remove the effects of this Noble Phantasm.
Note: The Noble Phantasm is activated when making the tapestry, seeing just the tapestry won't reveal Caster's true name.
When Henry saw the face of the card shop owner, he finally convinced himself that Beatrice is not pulling shit from her pockets, everything here is deliberate to forcibly drag him out of his ignorance.
So that even if he denies his parents, his life will never be the same.
To think that a card game would serve as their only defense to literal monsters. Is that why they are named ‘Duel Monsters’?
He then raised his hands, planning to ask a question.
“What would happen if we didn’t join?”
After hearing the answer he took the magnifying glass and see the ‘Ectoplasm’. After a few moments, he used the glass to look at his deck.
“Huh…” was the only answer he gave. He listened to Allie’s explanation, of course things won’t be normal. And decided to throw a confused guy a bone.
“Esoteric for the most part, means supernaturally obscure.” he provided as he finished drinking his coffee in one gulp, he would be sleeping in the morning at this rate but unless he find something that can make Beatrice step back, it would remain to be an always present part of his life,
“That esoteric side of Duel Monsters, it involves psychic bullshit right?” he asked, recalling the two incidents at his house. “Because it would explain my last few days!”
Regardless he began taking a lantern and walking along the path. The faster he could finish this ‘card game occultism’ the more time he would have for his normal life.
Is Aile at the gate? I was under the impression that she was somewhere inside the cemetery, otherwise Toby would have had a bad reaction to seeing her.
I presumed that she was at the gate because waiting for us inside is asking for us to get lost.
The tournament all things considered went well, admittedly he was annihilated in the semi-finals by someone who knows to actually play the game but being one win away from the finals is not bad, especially for someone who never touched his deck for months.
His semi-final even blurted out advice for him to improve his deck, shame that he doesn’t have time to apply his ideas.
“You should’ve really made steps to improve your deck!” he remembered Beatrice whining as she left. She ordered him to follow the message he received to the letter, implying consequences if he didn’t follow.
But does she need to break his window to prove the point? Just force choking his neck would make the message clearer and cause less property damage.
He handed the payment to the repairman, at least he managed to make her shoulder the repairs for her house. Small mercies.
Henry takes another sip of coffee as he walks to the gate of the cemetery. He is the type to wake early instead of sleeping late, which makes him rely on the substances to stay awake.
He wasn’t the first person to arrive though, there was a guy that he saw to be one of the participants of the tournament who came first, is that going to be a pattern?
Then waiting in front of the gate was the tournament’s champion, her name was Al-something? She used that very complicated and definitely expensive Link Deck. He had given up on the game when they introduced Pendulums to be honest.
Taking his time to observe her mannerisms, he noticed a few things. She was waiting for him or at the very least, he is one of the people she is waiting for which means she knew more about this ‘side-quest’ than he did.
Deciding that there is nothing to lose, he approached the blue-haired girl.
“So why did you know why we’re here? This place was a terrible spot to play a card game due to you, respecting the dead thing.” he asked while taking another sip of coffee.
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