Beta read by Shigiya and DOOMRAIDER.
.
.
.
-Ken-
This was awkward, to say the least, in Archer's opinion.
Just a few days ago, he was up at arms against Maia, holding her back with his traced swords—and now here he was, chained up from head to toe as if he were a savage beast. Archer wasn't one to believe in fate and pre-written destiny, but working as a Counter Guardian in multiple realities, he certainly felt that there were times when things were just out of his control.
Even if he strongly believed in the concept of choices, some of these paths would always lead him to the same conclusion. So did that count as him having the ability to choose in the first place, or was it just nothing more than the illusion of choice?
Things don't go as planned in most cases. And him meeting Maia so soon after the incident at the inn was not something he wanted to happen, at least not under these circumstances. If at all possible, Archer would have been fine never meeting her again. A girl so hellbent in love with his target would only invite trouble for him if she learned about his mission to kill Vault. He didn't doubt that the girl would send Ken's entire armada for his head. Even with his ability to trace legendary Noble Phantasms, he still didn't think he could survive the entire combined army of the seven kingdoms. He'd died to less in the past, and he had limits.
The best way to confront this woman—in his opinion—was to stay confident and unbending. The slightest crack in his armor would only be used against him.
It could be said for most women in his experience.
…And then, there was the visitor that spoke with him.
True, Archer needed to know who that man was and his connection to this world and Alaya, but that could wait for another time. If this entity, or whatever it was, could hide and disappear from his senses so easily, then searching for it could be pointless. Maybe the being continued to stalk him in astral form for all Archer knew.
"Hey there, sugar, come to see little ol' me?" Maia spoke first with a flirty attitude. Through her eyes, they told another story completely. They were sharp, intense, glaring at Archer as if she was about to jump at him with her blades at any moment.
"Fortunately, no." That made her frown. "As I've constantly mentioned to your Knights, I was merely practicing self-defense on the hooligans in town."
"And that consisted of cutting fifteen people into two? Some of which were men under Hicks authority?"
"It was that or die in the middle of the streets." He answered, nonchalant with his actions.
"The city guards and Knights would have come for your rescue."
Archer chuckled at that, making Maia and some of her subordinates send angered glares at the bowman. His laugh basically told them that he was mocking them, and he indeed was. Archer knew that calling for help in such a corrupted kingdom would only create more problems than solve. Nito would have accused him of a murderer, a thief, or even a spy and they would have most likely believed the man in his words because of his association with the Kuroinu.
"What's so funny?" Maia gave him a growl from where she stood.
"Nothing, just laughing over the terrible joke you've just made."
"You got a knack for being an ass." Her mood was no longer flirtatious or cheerful like before. "I could execute you right where you stand and be done with you." She brought her blade and pointed right at Archer's neck, the latter feeling tired of being in the same position once again.
"Is that so…," not offering the least reaction and continuing to stare at her with a blank stare. "Then do it, kill me right here, and now, my crime should be heinous enough for you to have my head on a spike. So why all the talk? Just get on with whatever you were planning to coerce me into."
Maia got off her horse and signaled everyone to make way for her and Archer. Coming close to him, she had to crank her head up a bit to look him in the eyes. There was no tension inside him. Maia could see that he didn't fear her or what she was about to do to him. The man really didn't care if she killed him or not.
"Just where did you crawl out from?" she asked. "Capable of magic I've never seen or heard about and a deadly swordsman that can push back a blessed Princess. You certainly aren't just a really good cook, so tell me—why are you here?"
That power she felt from the man was stronger, deadlier, the closer that she got to him. It felt like a cold blade pressing on her neck, and those indifferent eyes promise to show her no mercy.
"I'm here because I was dragged by chains. If I had the choice, I would have a wonderful breakfast alone in a nice room and not have slept in a cold cell the entire night." He looked down at the woman, staring into those whiskey red eyes.
She could feel her heartbeat quicken the longer she stared. She wasn't sure if it was fear, anger or something else, but he was definitely doing something to her. Which led Maia to utter her next words.
"Join the Kuroinu."
"No."
Immediately she was denied, not a shred of hesitatiom came from his voice.
"I'll pay you twice anything you earned in the past."
"I used to work for free in my last job."
This was true as Alaya wasn't exactly the ideal employer one might imagine 'the collective unconsciousness of mankind and the drive for its survival as a whole'.
"So twice of nothing is still nothing."
"Just what kind of job were you doing?"
"A cleaner."
An inside joke, not like she could figure out the true meaning.
Maia raised her eyes at that information. A cleaner? Really? Did he take her for a nine-year-old gullible kid?
If only she knew the truth behind that title.
"I'll pay you fifty silver a day, and I promise you to become Vault's second hand in the future. You're a magician, so maybe learning under Kin would be a boon for ya in expanding your skills."
What part of destroying a part of a forest with a sword and bow entailed that he needed a teacher? Even if this world's law for magic was different than what he was used to, that still didn't stop Archer from using his magecraft. If he was restricted by the rules of this world, he might have taken some notes from the locals.
"Tempting, but not interested."
"I'll have you become a highly valued soldier under Alicia's army."
"..."
He didn't even need to respond to her words as Archer sent her a look conveying the question if the woman even realized what she had proposed. Alicia's treatment of her male soldiers was quite well known in all of Eostia, any man becoming a soldier under her authority would immediately be called an insane fool with a death wish.
Or an extreme masochistic who hated himself and also had a death wish.
"Oh, right…" Maia remembered who exactly Alicia was and her stance on men.
"Sorry, that's my bad."
To Archer's amusement, Maia also had the same habit of scratching the back of her head. Quite a common trait among people but one he found it to be funny when done by the Queen of Mercenaries.
"Yeah, not your best offer."
"Like yeah, Alicia is a good girl behind that bratty attitude, like deep down, but her hate boner for men is really something else that no one knows why she's like that. Not like I can do much either when it comes to her, since I don't think she likes me that much if the constant glares she gives me is any indication, and Claudia is always busy with her duties to beat some sense into her." she rambled, deep in thought.
"I understand."
"Now I might look to you like a bitch who tried to hand you off to the worst possible person, huh…."
"Just a bit."
"Your a real fucking charmer, aren't ya hot stuff?"
"I get that a lot."
"Ha! I bet!"
Maia's guards and the warden looked at this scene weirdly by the duo's side. Just a few seconds ago, their Princess Knight threatened to cut the prisoner's throat with her swords, and now they were having a peaceful talk that you would find between friends. They even laughed together!
"Those chains look uncomfortable, don't they?" Maia said, grabbing the collar attached to Archer's neck, giving it a tug but the man didn't budge.
"Not the first time I've been chained up."
Aside from his day of execution, Archer had fought against Gilgamesh multiple times in the past, Enkidu being a major pain. True, the Noble Phantasm grew stronger when faced with Divinity and worked best on god-like beings, but it still was a legendary weapon that no normal servants could just break away from, whether they have a godly lineage or not. Medusa was also one of the servants who had lots of trouble dealing with her weapon—the chained nails—and speed was something he couldn't deal with for long. Even his Mind's Eye had difficulties keeping up with, arguably, one of the most agile Servants during the Fifth Grail War.
"Hmm, now I don't know if you're trying to flirt or impress me."
No, he wasn't.
"Why would I do that with you?"
"Because I'm a beautiful woman?"
Archer resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If every woman he met in his life counted as beautiful or gorgeous, wouldn't that become the average?
"Well, I wonder about that…."
.
.
.
"You're messing with me, aren't you."
It was a statement more than a question.
"Took you long enough to realize."
He gave her a smirk which riled her up even further. Far more than Archer could have realised at first.
Creek!
"Wha—keugh!" The steel collar around his neck was tugged hard, and beyond anything humanly possible, he was thrown by Maia on an open field near the castle gate. His body soared through the air, and he had to twist himself mid-throw while still being shackled and land on his back.
Crash!
The force made his body slide against the ground while covering his head before rolling over and getting back on his feet. He looked at Maia in slight shock as this was way more strength than she had shown initially. Not servant level, but still stronger than last time. Was she going easy on him back then? Well, if he looked at it that way, they were both going easy on each other.
'No, she was clearly exerting herself back then. So hiding her true power is not a possibility.'
Cling~
A key was thrown at him by Maia. He grabbed the item and gave her a confused stare. What was this woman planning…
"So, I can guess that you won't accept my offer no matter how much I decide to pay you, cause for some reason, people like you who work for free exist these days. And you are also adamant about not joining the Kuroinu army. Though that last part, I can sort of understand the reason because you've just murdered Hicks men in 'self-defense'. Even though I should lock you up till Hicks returns, I have different plans."
She walked forward and asked her Knights to make way. Archer became intrigued when he saw her draw her swords and get into position.
"What are you…."
"Let's make a bet," interrupted Maia, stopping a few feet away from him. "You're quite obviously a strong fighter who can use magic with the blessing of a god."
A god? Maybe Alaya could be considered one in the eyes of a non-Magus. Or even Gaia for that matter. Anything with powers beyond a regular man's knowledge would make that person see the entirety as a deity. He remembered when some Magi practiced this concept with tribes in Eastern Africa. Accompanying the enforcers, he managed to capture the group of Magi as they were in the middle of performing a ritual-like spell of some kind. Of course, brought back to the association they were swiftly executed and one even had a sealing designation put on them.
"Let's have a duel. If you manage to survive and avoid any injuries from my swords, you'll be free to go. But if I manage to make you bleed, you'll join MY group instead—happy?"
What kind of one sided deal was this?
"That's hardly fair. Even if I'm no longer chained, you can't expect me to keep up with a legendary Princess Knight. Not to mention, that increase in strength doesn't bode well for me." Archer said, lying through his teeth.
He could definitely take her, but he wanted to see what more he could get out of it. "And what's to make me sure that you won't just go back to your words and have me arrested after I successfully evade all of your attacks?"
"We can make this public if you want? In the middle of Ken's jousting ring, we'll have thousands of witnesses from the regular civilians to the nobles." She offered, not looking the least bit angry at Archer's words.
"Still doesn't make it fair."
"Says the guy who destroyed part of a forest after killing off an Orc battalion coupled with imps and other demons. Followed by matching me in strength back at the Inn. The other accounts of the warden stated that you managed to take down two of my subordinates at 'blinding speed'. So don't give me that crap about not being fair when you don't see me as an opponent. I recognize that look anywhere, and you think you're better than me. Therefore, if you're so confident in your abilities, why don't you prove it then?"
'So just a battle, huh?'
The last time they met, none of them tried to go too far in their small confrontation. Archer just used the opportunity to measure her strength while Maia acted on her anger. Now, she was willing to give it her all and show the man her true strength while Archer in question was evaluating his choices of taking this challenge.
As established by Freed before he'd died, going to his final destination by horse could take days or weeks. Taking a map wouldn't help much as being unfamiliar with the terrain could pose some small issues which could easily add up and cause him more problems. Maia would most likely travel by group, and if they encountered a group of monsters or demons, then survivability chances were higher. And he also needed to pass through the kingdom of Geofu. Archer didn't want whatever just happened here to repeat there and consume more of his time. Maia's group would just spend a day at most before heading out.
Another boon will be them taking the correct route and shortcuts that Archer didn't know about and getting to gather more secrets or information from the woman.
But that didn't mean he would take this fight lightly. Even Servants could fall easily if they were not careful or if they kept underestimating their opponent—Gilgamesh being a prime example with his battle against Shirou Emiya. And Archer was not a Servant currently. He would test her out seriously and discover why she suddenly became much more powerful than last time.
However, there was another reason Archer decided to try out Maia's proposal. One that he didn't want to admit but couldn't take it off his mind—the words of the old man he heard back in his cell. There was some meaning, a reason behind his actions, Archer didn't think the man wanted his doom or anything. Maybe trying to pass on a message…
Clang!
The pieces of metal and chains fell to the ground as Archer rubbed his wrists for a bit before looking Maia deep in her eyes.
"Fine, I accept."
At the end of the road, a figure was seen running towards Maia and her group, it was none other than Brynn.
She arrived just in time to see the challenge to be accepted.
{Break}
-???-
Here it was, the dream she'd expected to see once again. With the same boy that Celestine grew to care for, despite not even knowing his identity. For all she knew, the child might not even be alive and could easily be a person who died years ago. Seeing the memories of the dead was not unheard of and Celestine herd from Kaguya that some of her predecessors held such an ability.
Then again, this also could have been something happening right now somewhere.
Celestine couldn't say for certain what this dream truly was.
She'd seen the fire and how the was boy saved time and again.
But this time, it was different.
She was no longer surrounded by ardent flames that burned everything they touched to ashes. No longer suffering from agonizing heat, the burning of her flesh with the smoke-filled air damaging her lungs. Instead, she found herself in a room, a piece built from wood and paper walls that reminded the Goddess heavily of her close friend's —Kaguya—shrine.
"Hey!"
A voice came from nearby.
"Hey, old man!"
Two people were seated at the door, one she recognized immediately. It was that boy from her dreams.
"He grew up…" she said, observing the changes to his face which came with time.
The redhead had grown taller and, to her relief, no longer looked as broken as before. She felt the need to cry when she saw his clear amber eyes, filled with clarity and vibrance previously lacking.
His burned clothes were replaced by a robe, something Kaguya previously presented to her as a kimono robe for her to sleep in or relax. Celestine began suspecting whether or not the source of her dreams came from Rad—Kaguya's homeland. She touched his face and felt the warm and soft skin, no longer bruised or burned but in a healthy condition; it brought a bright smile to her face.
Another person was near him, the same one who saved the boy from the fire. The man didn't change physically, but as a Goddess herself, she could feel him reaching the end of his lifespan. Even without relying on her powers as a goddess could she see him being at the end of his life. His eyes were blank, empty with just a small bit of life, resigned to his fate and accepting death.
"Oh no…" she gasped.
Would the boy go through another loss in his life in such a short time? She couldn't bear to think of such a possibility. Seeing their loved ones pass away would break anyone's heart, and this boy suffered enough. Celestine didn't want to see those eyes she witnessed back in the old dream resurface. His current gleaming amber gaze filled with vigor and life made her enchanted by them.
She didn't want them to go away.
These two were bathed in moonlight, with the celestial body glowing brightly in the sky in its full form.
"If you're gonna sleep, then do it in your bed."
"Right…" Kiritsugu answered. "Naw, I'm fine." His voice weak and barely audible, the man gave the boy a reassuring smile before it vanished, and he looked lost in his thoughts once again.
"Did you know, when I was little, I wanted to be a Champion of Justice?"
'A Knight?' Celestine, who sat near the two, wondered. Though granting her blessing on male combatants didn't work no matter how hard she tried, even on women, it was barely a successful task to bless them. In the beginning, when there were no Knights or Seven kingdoms, Celestine had been powerful enough to battle Olga on equal footing. But after each fight, she would see the ravaged land and lost lives, making her small instance of victory feel hollow. So she gathered people together, created the Princess Knights, and broke a piece of her ever-decreasing powers to grant them to others. She wondered if this man wanted to become someone similar to Claudia and the others…
"You wanted to be one?"
The little kid muttered, noticing the way his savior worded his phrase.
"What do you mean that you "wanted" to become one?" he spoke, seemingly being slightly angry at those words.
"Yeah, being a hero is a limited-time thing. When you grow up, it's hard to call yourself one."
"No, you're wrong," Celestine said out loud despite no one being able to hear her.
Anyone could become a hero, no matter how old, their beliefs, and even past. She knew that this man was already a hero in the boy's eyes.
"I should have realized that earlier."
Even now, she could see how this boy trusted each of this man's words without question. For him, anything he said could not be wrong.
"That's just too bad then."
"Indeed," his voice continued to weaken by the second, yet he managed to let out a small laugh. "Yeah, it couldn't be helped."
The Goddess Reborn could feel the man already at death's door. His life hanging by nothing but a thread about to be snapped off at any second. A great amount of sorrow filled her heart for what was to come. How much did this boy need to suffer, to lose, before the gods were satisfied? Why was he being punished once again? All he did was survive, just like any desperate living being.
"The moon's really nice tonight."
Despite the situation, yes, it was indeed beautiful… but she neither felt comforted by its presence and glow. Only the chilling air around permeated her bones and soul. She once again felt helpless and weak to do anything for the boy. If only… if only she had the power to forcefully remove him from this reality and bring the child with her back to Thorne.
Bzzt!
Her premonition abilities suddenly went haywire. Goosebumps spread over her body as the cold air suddenly turned into an icy tundra. She did not know why, but those words were no different from a death sentence for the boy. A cruel and unforgiving path of pain and betrayal lurking at every corner, one that she could not understand how it could lead to anything bad happening to the boy.
'What is wrong with me? There is nothing wrong with helping people!' then why… Why did she want to stop the boy before it was too late!?
"Stop… don't do it." She whispered, not realizing that she had said them in the first place.
"Hehehe." The man's chuckle became no different than that of a demon in her mind. She wanted to separate these two before his fate was sealed in stone!
"Since you're an adult now, you can't do it anymore—but I can. Leave it to me…." No, no, no, her hands could touch him, but neither could she move him and stop him from doing anything! "...your dream."
Curse this man! Very rarely would Celestine feel any form of resentment or hatred towards another being! Not even towards Olga or any of the Dark elves. But now… just for this moment, she wanted to end this. Stop this man before he dragged an innocent soul with him to hell.
"Yeah…," Please, don't do this! Let this boy live in peace for once! Do not condemn him to a fate worse than death! He is innocent, do not break him anymore! "I can be at peace now."
After saying his last words, the man closed his eyes as his life came to an end. Even the boy had not realised the passing of his father, thinking that he merely went to sleep.
"No!" she cried, screamed, and begged, but nothing worked. "Stop it!"
.
.
.
"I will become a hero."
Whoosh!
Reality crashed, and her surroundings crumbled into dust, turning into a wasteland where she could see nothing but a silhouette. Neither could she see the sky or anything else but him, the faint sound of sand crunching beneath her feet. The dark fog overwhelmed her senses.
It was dizzying.
Nauseating.
And so…so wrong.
"There's nothing to say after this. Emiya Shirou had turned his heart into steel so that he may become a hero." A corrupted voice said before it laughed. "What a fool he was, that boy. Not realizing how much blood he would have to shed to become a 'hero'."
"I don't want to regret anything. I want to make all the tragedies that happened into meaningful things by believing that my path is right."
"The desire to protect something... is, at the same time, none other than the wish for something to violate it."
"Helping others isn't wrong."
"There is nothing at the end of helping people. It is a false life that can not be saved."
Two voices spoke unceasingly, getting louder and louder with each moment, making Celestine cover her ears.
"No!!!"
She cried not for herself but for the boy who became a victim of his own promises.
An innocent wish which was twisted beyond its original intentions.
"The road to damnation is paved with good intention."
With those final sinister words, the world turned dark.
---------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 2 Fate fics are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter.
Side note, Maia isn't stronger than Archer. in the scene above she merely caught him off guard.