Work Text:
The Land of Crowns and Oil stretches out, golden gleaming treasures now blackened and dirtied. Waver tried at first to clean off a few as he came across them, but even with the oil washed out, the crowns are merely crowns, of no help to him. He's heard from his sprite, when Iskander manages to not be too annoying to listen to, that as the Page of Hope he's supposed to do something or other, and he aims to be the best player in this game, but he honestly doesn't know where to start.
When he isn't on Prospit contemplating the consequences of just flying one tower over and strangling his ex-teacher in his sleep, he searches the land he was given, looking for anything to get himself an advantage. That's what hope means, isn't it? Acting on every chance to achieve the best result.
The Land of Cups and Frogs would be interesting, and his position as Heir of Space no more than a footnote, if it didn't force Tokiomi to participate in a ridiculous sidequest. Breeding frogs? Tsk. Asking Gilgamesh to do it would be beyond impossible, considering the sprite's attitude.
He goes about his tasks with the care any magus would show their tasks, especially considering that this is supposed to be important and it cements them as creators of a new world, their own world, but his heart isn't really in it.
Ryuunosuke adopts a pet Derse Archagent and leads him through the sharp turns and sharp edges of the Land of Claws and Knives, chatting pleasantly. His title, Thief of Blood, doesn't have too much originality, but okay, this is a game children could play and he doesn't expect a masterpiece.
It's with a happy grin that, after the Black Queen is taken down, Ryuunosuke slaughters the agent who had helped him with it as he reaches for the ring. He could justify it by that motion, but really, he was just doing it because it looked fun, and maybe that was just what his role meant. Gilles said he had something great in store, and that was pretty cool.
Lancelot is mostly silent as Kariya wanders through the eternal night of the Land of Soil and Stars. It's... nice, actually. When there aren't imps or larger enemies, he can take a second to enjoy the sky, although he doesn't recognize any constellation, and considering what he's been told about the Incisphere those stars might not actually exist. He decides not to worry about that part very much and thinks of other things.
He misses Aoi. He misses Rin. He misses Sakura. These are all undeniable, natural things. And the anger that burns when Tokiomi doesn't even bring them up at their meeting in the game, well, he is the Knight of Rage, and surely his rage is a righteous one.
Of all the lands, the Land of Sleet and Wilderness is the most irritating one to traverse; considering his aptitudes, Kayneth has far more trouble getting around than he has trouble with defeating enemies. He never needed Diarmuid's help even in the early stages of the game. The Prince of Mind should naturally be able to grasp all the complexities.
When he wakes on Prospit, it's a little disconcerting to find that his student is glaring at him while wearing ridiculous pajamas. He gracefully ignores him and goes to find his fiancee.
Kotomine wonders what the Land of Cloth and Dreams is supposed to represent. The tapestries don't depict anything he recognizes, but they may function in a similar way as the prophetic clouds do for a Prospit dreamer; he is naturally a Derse one and would not know. He wonders too what the Seer of Void is really supposed to function as. Hassan admits he cannot tell him.
All he does see is void. That explanation is simple.
Kiritsugu finds the title of Rogue of Time to be apt and the Land of Sparks and Regret to be equally apt. His sprite is easy to get along with despite his reputation, and it is with some unhappiness that he has to send him off, but Vlad will not be swayed on this rule.
Half of the game hates him. That's good. It'll be easier to reach god tier that way, and that will be useful for reaching his goals. If dying is an important part of achieving that, then he'll die for it.
The Land of Milk and Seas is the most difficult land to traverse, and Maiya knows Kayneth is just being self-absorbed when he says otherwise. It's almost impossible to find land except under gates needed to progress, and fighting on a boat is irritating enough.
Maid of Breath. Her title makes her wonder what caused such a feminine term to be applied to her. Irisviel is only a Mage, and Sola-Ui deserves every bit the femininity of Witch. But these things are unimportant. Ignoring the voice of her sprite, named only by her creator, she seeks out Kiritsugu as soon as she can to assist him better, and her title is no help or hindrance to that.
Karna is remarkably unhelpful in helping Sola-Ui even deal with enemies, and she bids him farewell long before the game requires it. From what she understands from Kayneth, he finds Diarmuid after that. Let him, if he'll be a bother like that.
The Land of Voice and Air is pleasant, though, with clouds that buoy her up gently to higher levels. She wanders without much direction, defeating enemies without any of the problems Kayneth assumed that she would have. A Prince he may be, but the Witch of Light is title enough to show that she is his equal. While he waits for her to wake on Prospit, sniping with Waver all the while, she decides not to sleep.
Irisviel, as the Mage of Life, understands life better than any of the others: however artificial the lives of the Prospitians and Dersians may seem, created by a game, they are as real as theirs if not more, and she wishes that they could be helped more than they are.
David is easily cowed when she reminds her sprite that she has a husband and also that she can snap his neck if he tries flirting with him again, and from that point on the Land of Birds and Wire is a much more peaceful place. She means to find Kiritsugu quickly, still; even if it's not a requirement considering how well she gains levels, she simply feels happier in his presence. Considering how little she understands about the dangerous game that they play, that comfort means all the more.