Beta read by Shigiya, Fluffy Slayer and DOOMRAIDER.
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-Ken-
Did anyone ever consider what life was like for a Heroic Spirits? Well, if Archer ever got summoned in the future by a master asking him such a question, he would reply by stating that they weren't that different to begin with.
Each Heroic Spirits had their own differences.
Some of them enjoyed a good meal and sleep despite not needing it. For him, well, if by now it wasn't obvious, then cooking would be the answer.
Others enjoyed working mundane jobs as it reminded them of the good old times.
A few of the Servants he met in the past enjoyed spending their time playing around with modern inventions, like driving cars and driving bikes for hours.
And just like any other individual, each Servant had things they hated. Some despised the act of cowardliness, betrayal, lying, and so on. There were even some Servants who despised fighting, ironic considering they were summoned for the sole reason of being used as a tool for war.
Archer had some as well.
Aside from his weaknesses which he disliked, like a certain gold archer and a spear wielding blue lancer. Or even having to deal with a certain stubborn redhead teenage boy.
He hated chaos, messy rooms, people lacking a sense of hygiene, and one that he would prefer to avoid if unnecessary—torture.
He didn't share the same passion as Wu Zetian or Camilla. Granted, the latter drank and bathed with young virgin girls' blood to remain young, but that did not mean that she did not enjoy the process. The sight of blood and the sound of people crying in pain brought him no sense of joy at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It felt like a joke when he considered that his record for such actions might even be more impressive than most Servants he'd battled in the past.
He remembered cutting off the fingers of the first guy he maimed in order to reveal the location of some kidnapped hostages. Archer could still recall how he pushed his mental fortitude that day as he cut off the criminal's digits, after he had broken them. Even after saving the innocent civilians that day, the bowman had vomited his guts out that night, crying and screaming at himself.
He was still the foolish Shirou Emiya back then.
After becoming a Counter Guardian and after being deployed in missions that required a more subtle approach, he re-used the same tactics countless times and becoming desensitized by it the more he used such methods.
Schick!
"Aaaargh!"
But he still didn't like it.
The splash of blood hitting his face didn't even make him flinch. The cries of the Count Henry Blueborn, screaming and calling for help did not waver him in the slightest in completing his task. He grew so used to ignoring his dissatisfaction at his acts that Archer managed to create a blank headspace for such times.
He wondered… how would Rin react if she had seen the horrible things he had done and is still doing? Horror? Fear? Disgust? Regret?
Probably all of them.
The girl who tried to save him would question herself if she even managed to change anything within him. Well, not that she'll ever know about it, and even if she did, it would most likely end up being a different Rin altogether.
"Hm, so, Henry Blueborn. Simple name. I thought you would have something longer and far more grander and a pain to pronounce. An owner of many lands across Eostia, managing a local auction and a few stores… certainly a lucrative business you have here."
He grabbed a few Scrolls and documents around the office and leisurely read them through.
"Oh, quite the charitable guy you are. Donating a fortune to Vault to help him for his future battles and asking for nothing in return? Looks like we also have a selfless person in the room as well." he said, talking to Henry, who was chained up to the ceiling, as if they were having a casual conversation.
The man looked like he had fallen into a blender with lacerations all over his torso, the blood soaking his clothes. The scene looked gruesome enough that even Maia would have felt uncomfortable if she were to witness the scene.
"Help me! Someone help me and save me from this monster!" Henry cried at the top of his lungs, wondering in panic as to why those foolish guards hadn't heard his screams, and barged through the door to rescue him.
How could this man have infiltrated his estate without anyone finding out!? The Count remembered hiring an entire squadron of guards to protect him till the due date of the attack! Not even the Princess Knights would have managed to get through such a barricade without him knowing and having enough time to escape the area.
"Who are you!? What do you want from me!?"
His screech sounded similar to that of a pig squealing in a fit of rage, Archer noted. Maybe he was part beastman. From what he learned, demi-humans and beastman were quite common in this world. The Magi from his old world would definitely have a field day here, so many of them would probably drool at the sight of so many test subjects and conduct far more heinous experiments here without worrying about the Clocktower. Heck, even magi from the Wandering Sea and Atlas were not allowed to experiment recklessly without being monitored regularly by one of the associations.
Any research and progress they might get from the species from this world and successfully manage to apply it on themselves would most likely get them slapped by a Sealing Designation and have their work confiscated, their flesh cut and preserved for further studying.
Back to Henry, Archer decided that it was best to not reveal anything about himself to the man. There was no need, and even if there was no risk of it, he'd rather not have his presence here found out by a third party.
He even hid his face, so Henry couldn't even see any indication of his features.
"I see you are not afraid of your current situation. Curious, you're wounded and lost two fingers. You are furious but not scared."
Maybe the man expected that Archer wanted something from him but didn't have the confidence to kill him.
He was terribly wrong.
"Do you have any idea who I am, you worthless cur!?"
Again with the questions, insults and holier than thou attitude. Archer suppressed the urge to groan as he wondered why this was the first thing most people say when they are captured.
He sighed, deciding to just play along for now.
"Hmm, no, I just randomly wandered around in Ken in the middle of the night and just so happened to stop in front of your huge manor with your name written literally on the front door and decided to indulge in some minor act of infiltration and torture just for shits and giggles."
The Count's face turned red from anger at the blatant disrespect.
"You dare insult me!? I'll have you hanged for that, your skin flayed till you grovel for merc—Oof!"
Archer had landed a solid punch into the noble's abdomen, causing him to lose his dinner. Ignoring the mess that was made, he traced another sword, a white dao, and pressed it against Henry's arm pit.
"If you continue to scream incessantly, I'll cut off the entire arm… Slowly." Archer spoke calmly, shutting Henry up. "For someone held hostage at a blade's edge, you sure do talk a lot. And before you start blabbering and threatening me like a broken record, just remain silent and talk when I ask a question, get it? Or you're going to be hanging onto the chain with just one arm."
The man shakily nodded his head, making sure not to move much and accidentally get cut by Byakuya.
"Good," his assailant said. "Now, you know I'm curious, in fact. You run a rather large slave dealing ring in Eostia. I've given up by now questioning how Maia was able to stay blind to all of this happening in her territory. All I care about is how you managed to get from your estate to the docks and ship them away. No matter how incompetent the Knights may be, they are not that blind. Are you perhaps… using the tunnels?"
That would make sense. Moving such a large group with prominent facial features was nearly impossible in a populated place like Ken. And if he made every one of them hide their faces with a robe, then people would have noticed such a large group of moving cloaked figures in the middle of the road and the rows of guards keeping them chained up.
It just wasn't possible unless one considered the inner tunnels.
"N-No, I don't know what you're talking about." he tried playing ignorant.
"You do realize that I'm holding the documents of such plans and your slave trades, all of which were laying around your office?"
He showed a few of the many proofs he needed if Archer ever decided to have this man arrested by Maia.
"..."
"You aren't really that bright, are you? I'm going to ask you again, and if you don't answer me straight away, I'll slice your stomach lightly enough for you to see your own intestines without damaging any internal organs."
This made Henry's face turn pale enough for him to resemble a ghost. The picture which formed in his head was so terrifying that it nearly made the man fall unconscious. Unfortunately for him, his existing cuts stung hard enough to make him unable to pass out.
"I'll tell you! Do-don't hurt me!"
Archer motioned him to continue.
"I-it's true, I-I'm using the underground tunnels… it leads from my house to the outside of Ken or near the docks," Henry spoke more about these passageways and how they existed for many years before even Celestine came to power.
And that neither of the Shields was aware of their existence. What shocked Archer was how Henry mentioned the possibility of there being the same underground system in all of the seven kingdoms.
Even the recently built Thorne.
"Only a selected few nobles and high-ranking people know of their existence. We aren't allowed to spread their existence or else…."
That was interesting, so someone was controlling this piece of crucial information. And to do so with powerful people across Eostia spoke highly of their influence.
"Are people like Vault and other members of the Kuroinu like Hicks aware of their existence?"
Henry nodded his head.
"And who exactly are these people that are keeping you from spreading this information with others?"
Could it be the Dark Queen? No, that didn't make sense. Why suffer so many setbacks against Celestine's forces if she was aware of such a crucial backdoor from the beginning? And she wouldn't have been able to control these people from so far away. It must have been another entity, individuals far more powerful than any nobles and to keep it a secret from the Shields.
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"The Church of Lucross," he stated silently.
"Celestine?"
Didn't he just say that all of the seven Princess Knights weren't aware of this piece of information?
"No, Celestine is a separate entity from the Church itself."
Henry explained how despite being the patron deity, the figurehead, and even creator of the Church, the Goddess Reborn barely possessed any actual control over them. Just like most of the Shields, her grasp on her Kingdom and followers was imaginary. Merely the people running the place, like the Pope and the cardinals, merely using her to gain the people's favor. But that didn't apply to every member, as a large part of the members were genuine followers of Celestine. Including the nuns and a certain group of templars.
"I see. Seeing how things tend to go around here, I guess they also support the Kuroinu."
He nodded his head again.
At this point, it was safe to say that Vault had most of the people under his thumb, and that actually made sense considering he would soon raid Olga as the final step to his plan.
"Speaking of templars… you wouldn't be familiar with one called Freed, perchance?"
The moment Archer uttered those words, Henry's eyes widened considerably as he started panicking. Squirming in place as he roughly shook his head and immediately began denying it out loud.
"N-No! I didn't do it! I-I didn't touch his wife. I didn't even know she existed! This was all a lie! I'm innocent. I wasn't even in Ken that day! P-Please believe me! Why would I go after a peasant's disgusting wife!?"
He continued to scream his innocence, much to Archer's surprise. The man just a few seconds was insulting him quite harshly and now shook like a leaf. The incident must have been a bigger deal than he initially thought.
"Then what about the many accounts of your presence being spotted at Freed's house?"
For the last few days, Bianca managed to uncover many witness claims and sightings. Most of which affirmed that the Count had visited the woman. Thinking that he was lying, Archer made a quick strike with his sword on Henry's shoulders. The man squealed loudly, crying in pain and crumbling to the floor.
"Don't lie."
"I'm not!" The man said in between his sobs. "I truly did not rape that fucking woman! What people are referring to is when they saw my carriage and not me!"
With that desperate tone and those eyes, Archer could tell the man wasn't lying.
"Then tell me, who was it?"
Henry didn't hesitate to scream a single name.
"H-Hicks! It was Hick! That man borrowed my personal carriage without my permission and decided to use it as a cover to travel to that Templar's house. When I came back, that madman Freed came bursting through the doors and killing my men without giving me time to explain. And Maia defended me because I was with her the entire time!"
He recounted how he left with the Princess Knight on a mission near Geofu. It was when he came back to his estate that word traveled around about the rape of Freed's wife and all of it pointing at him being the one responsible.
'So that's why Maia defended him then...'
That night, after nearly getting cut by Freed, Hicks paid him a visit. The Count was furious with the man, his action defiled his name to the public, and he demanded the Kuroinu commander confess to Maia. But the latter just laughed and mocked him. With Vault's backing, there wasn't much Henry could do, and trying to fight against Hicks would just guarantee his death at the hands of the Kuroinu.
So the only thing he could do was stay quiet and hope for this matter to be forgotten with time.
Unfortunately for him, it didn't work like that.
"I see," Archer didn't comment and say much, making Henry dread the situation even more.
"S-See! I'm innocent, so let me go! I didn't commit any crime!"
Wrong again.
"Unfortunately for you, innocence doesn't exactly apply to you. You are maybe not the rapist I was looking for, but an underground slave trade owner? You certainly aren't winning any good points in my book. If I let you go, you'll most likely continue your heinous ways and most likely continue capturing innocent Dark Elves. Let's not forget trying to hunt me down would be quite the annoyance."
By now, the man had probably caught and sold a few hundred of them. How he managed to capture them was not clear. Some of these people were stated to be war prisoners. While the rest seemed to have been from Eostia and were living hidden from the world till the Count found them. Another small group was apparently bred to solely increase the number. Some of these slaves were nothing more than little kids.
Archer found all of this disgusting.
It reminded him of the underground slave trade in the Middle East.
"W-what? Dark Elf? T-They don't count! They are nothing more than animals who serve the Dark Queen! Do you realise how valuable they are? Their lives are worth less than filthy peasants! Why do you care about them? They destroyed our lands and killed our people, so it should be fair for them to pay back with their bodies! Their bodies were made for sex! So they should serve that purpose and be used like they were meant to be!"
"..."
Henry's eyes squinted, "Unless... Unless you are one of those fucking animals… or a filthy sympathizer!"
"..."
Archer began wondering if the man wasn't bipolar. He started off arrogant and furious. Then at the sight of his blade became fearful and compliant. Now, he once again returned to being irritated over the mention of Dark Elves despite his sword still pressing against his neck.
He was done here.
"Hey, where are you going? You forgot to free me! I already proved to you my innocence, so please, let me g—what are you doing!?" Henry exclaimed when he saw Archer grab some of the documents and pocket them before going to the balcony.
Afterward, to the Count's horror, Archer drew a symbol of the ground—ᚨ.
Fwish!
Immediately, a combustion of fire exploded from the floor and quickly spread all around the room. His office, the curtains, and the many books around him began burning at an unnaturally fast rate, almost as if the fire itself was alive and sentient—leaving him at the center untouched yet approaching slowly.
"What are you doing!? I told you everything! Come back, please!" he begged, yet his plea fell on deaf ears. "What do you want? Money, women, wealth—anything! I will give you everything my family has to offer! Please, don't leave me to die here! I promise I will no longer conduct any Dark Elf slave trades!"
Archer's voice resounded from now blazing inferno around him.
"From what I saw, you also had some sort of deal with the Kuroinu, something about gaining the right to sell and auction off some of the Princess Knights. I am not a saint myself, but people like you just don't deserve to live in general. And… I did make a promise to finish you off. You weren't the rapist, but a promise is a promise."
Guards tried to open the door to Henry's room as they noticed the smoke and burning scent coming from it. No matter how much they tried to barge in, the door remained closed, thanks to Archer making sure of it.
"No, No! I beg you! Come bac—Aaargh! It burns! HELP!!" his pig-like squeal resounded all around the manor.
The sound of banging behind the door got louder as the people behind tried to break it. Though they were already too late, the fire started burning Henry's feet and slowly moving his body upward. The sheer pain and misery he was going through was maddening and even made him wish for death.
"Aaaaarrrrgghh!!!!!!"
Archer closed the door to the balcony, watching the Count being covered in red fire. Archer decided to not watch the scene any longer and reinforced his legs before leaving the area as quickly as possible.
Henry Blueborn was dead, and soon, the Kuroinu as a whole would follow suit.
"I guess this counts as me fulfilling one of my promises… or at least partially."
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That night, the inhabitants of Ken were shocked when they found the manor of one of the wealthiest and most powerful nobles engulfed in flames. The people who initially tried to douse the fire found it to be an impossible task as there was too much of it. So, most just made sure to stop the flames from spreading to any neighboring houses.
Maia had shown up a few minutes later, pouring cold water on herself to try to save Henry. Forced to use her reserves of mana, she had planned to save up for the journey tomorrow. Running past the burning halls, Maia noticed the doors to the main office still being closed and used her enhanced strength to break them.
"Henry!"
But when she finally reached him—all she found was a charred human corpse on the floor. His flesh was replaced by a blackened husk, and his skull was visible.
"How… how could this have happened?" she asked herself.
The Queen of Mercenaries noticed something weird.
There was a package lying on the floor outside.
It wasn't being burned despite the fire all around it.
Carefully, she picked it up and read the contents.
A few seconds later, the paper itself fell to the ground, Maia standing in the middle of the fire with disbelieving eyes. She had known Henry for years. The man was always an interesting kind of guy with his ever-changing mood. He helped her a lot on her journey to become a Princess Knight and even relieved some of the burdens which came from managing Ken. Vault was the man who first introduced Henry to Maia when she was still a regular mercenary.
He was someone she trusted.
Yet what she found today…
"A slave market…."
More doubts settled inside her mind. The seed planted by Archer grew by the day, and the once pristine image she had of the Kuroinu and her allies started to darken slightly.
{Break}
(Next day)
On the dawn of the following morning, an entire cavalry squad was waiting outside Ken's entrance with Archer sitting on the familiar hill he once slept at before entering the city. Now, two horses were grazing the grass, and another person was near him.
"Your stance is weak. You would lose your footing if someone were to strike your leg. You're extending your arms too far away, bringing the sword a bit closer to yourself." he said while looking at Brynn, who he decided to teach the very basics from the beginning.
"Like this?"
Though she could put on a fight against stronger opponents, Brynn began wondering why Archer wanted to go over the basics. She asked this question to Archer, the latter closing his eyes and resting against the tree.
"It's because your foundation has flaws. If you want to become a capable swordswoman, you need to master the basics. As they say, learn to walk before running."
"But I already mastered the basics," she said. "I graduated from combat school and was even praised for my combat skills. I've even slain a few demons and managed to kill an imp on my first battle."
Honestly, Brynn thought they were wasting time. With how little time was left before Archer would separate from their group, Brynn expected to learn some of the more advanced steps by now. She knew that if she were to spar Maia-sama, then defeat would come in a matter of seconds.
"You underestimate the basics too much," Archer replied.
"It doesn't change that they are still called basics for a reason."
He sighed, guessing the girl needed a more hands-on approach for her to understand what he was trying to get her to understand. Getting up from his comfortable spot, he walked to the opposite side of her and crossed his arms.
"Attack me," he commanded.
"Huh?"
"Attack me with your sword. Just do it as you usually would. Don't worry, I won't use any of my magical spells."
The scene of him fighting against her when she first found him in Ken and his fight against the Queen of Mercenaries flashed in her mind. She would have been scared for her life if he had a weapon on hand or that demonic striped wooden sword he called a 'Shinai'. Though now, he didn't wield anything, and this made Brynn worry about Archer more than herself.
And she felt it to be unfair.
"I-I can't, without a weapon on hand, I risk hurting you."
He rolled his eyes at her words.
"Listen, we are not fighting to the death, this is just training, and I'm trying to teach you something. And, I don't need a sword for this. It would be too much."
Brynn would have been insulted if someone else had told her that they didn't need a sword to hold up against her. But against this powerful magic-wielding freak of nature, there was no way to be offended as he was most likely stating the truth.
Even though she didn't know how strong he would be without his spells or sword.
His words still hurt her pride.
"Just get on with it, Maia will be here any moment, and I won't have the time to train you while on horseback. Oh, and don't hold back. That's an order."
Grasping her newly forged sword tightly, the Knight agreed and got into position for an attack. She took a deep breath, focusing on the man in front of her and preparing herself to strike. She lunged forward, using her enhanced strength at its fullest, and swung her sword downwards at him.
"Ha!!!"
To no one's surprise, Archer dodged at the last second. Moving to her left, Brynn was about to prepare for a second attack when she felt something push her leg, making the latter lose footing and unceremoniously fall to the ground.
"See? Without proper footing, especially when you are in the middle of a fight, even the most mundane of things can make you fall and lose your life to your enemy. A simple root sticking out of the earth will cost you, and you need to make sure to never make such a mistake. Your case is with fighting beasts and demons stronger than your average human. You can't afford such simple blunders. Take it from me, when facing an opponent stronger than you, your best move is to either retreat and team up with more people or defend yourself long enough to find an opening before going for the final blow. Some will surpass you in speed, others will come with strength far exceeding yours, but if you know when and how they will strike, then surviving the fight is very possible."
"How can I achieve that?" she asked.
"By developing a kind of sixth sense in a way. It is a heightened capacity for observation, refined through training, discipline, and experience. A danger-avoidance ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent's activity and change the current situation."
"Eh?"
She looked completely lost.
Sigh
"You need to gather an overwhelming amount of combat experience. Something that can take years and even decades to those who willingly put themselves through the grinder of conflicts. It's something that even those born with talent will never achieve easily. You are… far from reaching this realm. But I know that even the most hopeless of cases can develop this ability through nothing but stubbornness and stupidity. Also, luck, because if you die by a stray arrow, then no amount of experience can help you with that."
Archer knew the likelihood of Brynn achieving a version of a Mind's Eye was abysmal—it still existed. She was young and lived in an age where war was common with monsters and demons roaming the planet. If she possessed the drive and determination, then maybe… she could even impress him one day.
"Don't worry, Archer-sama, I will not disappoint you!"
There was nothing to disappoint since he wasn't expecting much from the beginning.
"Oi, get ready. Maia is here."
Maia came to their location while riding on her horse. She looked lost and didn't have her usual cheerful attitude. Everyone knew why, with the unexpected death of Henry Blueborn, it was given that Maia wouldn't be in a pleasant mood.
Not to mention that with the right schedule, she couldn't even attend his funeral as her journey to Feoh couldn't be delayed any longer.
But Archer knew otherwise.
"Pack up, you two. We are leaving for Feoh. Our first stop will be in Geofu, where I'll have to get a replacement for my swords. I got the news that Kin and Hicks will join us for this journey."
Even her voice sounded different. Deeper and far more somber than before. Not wanting to antagonize the Princess in any way, Brynn grabbed her clothes and armor before going back to join the main cavalry near Ken's entrance—leaving both Maia and Archer alone.
"Archer… where were you last night?" she asked out of the blue.
The man in question didn't flinch or act suspiciously. He just looked straight up into her eyes and said, "At the 'Bards and Bees', getting acquainted with a friend I made recently."
That made Maia frown. She knew the brothel quite well. For some reason, the idea of Archer frequenting such a place felt wrong, and she didn't particularly like the idea for some reason. She couldn't understand why and this feeling inside her bothered the Queen of Mercenaries once again.
"Archer, when you meet Kin and Hicks… don't… don't… " Maia didn't know what to say. A part of her wanted to separate these two groups. "Don't stray too far from me. Is that okay with you?" she said quietly.
"Of course, I will be leaving at the end, so I'll take advantage of what little time we have left."
Oh… right.
Maia remembered that Archer planned to go on his own at some point in the journey.
Again, that feeling resurfaced in her heart, and she could do nothing more but ignore it.
"You better cook me up a feast before you do so. Or else, I'll hunt you down and force you to become my personal chef."
He smirked and gave a half-assed bow.
"You have my word, Princess-sama. The last thing I want is to get captured and eaten by a tiny glutton," he said sarcastically
She laughed, her previous cheerful mood returning.
"I certainly won't miss that jerk side of you."
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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.