I took a step forward and swung, my blade whistling through the air as I cut imaginary opponents. The silver and red sword cut and cut as I moved with speeds that the me from a couple of days ago would have needed Reinforcement to reach.
I ducked to the side, letting the ghost of my opponent pass me by, and then spun in place, adding my momentum to the already enhanced strength of my attacks. Trying to imitate the grace and poise that Saber had once fought with, I moved through the garden of Stardust Garden fighting with the air, trying to get my body under control.
I let out a deep breath and wiped the sweat off my brow.
Finally, I'm starting to get used to it. The improvements in my speed and strength after my Update had thrown me off kilter for a bit. Remembering how I almost broke that man's wrist with a squeeze made me adamant about getting my new physical abilities under control before another patrol. I had been lucky that the thief I encountered early on had been an Adventurer, otherwise my punch would have made even more damage than intended.
Thus, the day after patrolling with Shakti Varma started like this, some calisthenics followed by practice with my new sword.
Hopefully there won't be any more accidents.
I let my sword disappear and stretched my arms across my chest, feeling them burn with the satisfying ache of a good workout.
"Oh! You are done? You were at it for quite a while," Astraea noted, and I glanced at the small table on the side of the garden where she was sitting, checking over some of my Dungeon reports while having some tea. "How do they feel? Your improved Basic Abilities?"
"A little overwhelming. What happened yesterday, it made me aware of how powerful high-level Adventurers must be," I said with a small grimace. "Just one update made me feel like I got a few months worth of physical training in a day. Can't imagine what a Level Up would feel like."
Astraea hummed. "The difference is significant. Some consider it almost impossible for an average Level One to beat a Level Two, regardless of how high the Level One's Basic Abilities are. And that's without mentioning the Development Abilities, of course."
Development Abilities, huh.
Special abilities an Adventurer can earn when they Level Up and that offer different boons depending on the one they choose. Some like Swordsman, Mage, Bowman, Spearman, made the Adventurer stronger depending on the way they fight... and made me think of the Servant Class Containers. Then there were others like Mixing, Blacksmith, or Metalworking that made them better at a chosen discipline, or some like Abnormal Resistance or Magic Resistance that just improved something in the Adventurer.
I wonder what I would end up choosing. Mage seemed like the obvious choice, followed by Swordman, but after I begin training with Hephaestus, would she expect me to pick Blacksmith?
"Say, my hero, I'm curious about something," Astraea said after a moment or two of silence. "How old were you when you started practicing with a sword?"
I hummed, thinking over her question. "Well, I've done it here and there since I started living with Dad, but that was just a child and old man smacking each other with no skill at all." Astraea giggled at my description. "Then Fuji-nee started coming over and sometimes she'd rope me to join her in her practices. Nothing really serious until a few months ago, though."
"And then?" she asked curiously. "What made you start getting serious about it? Who taught you to fight the way you do?"
I approached Astraea, feeling some uncertainty growing in me.
Like if a dam had been broken, ever since I told her about the Fuyuki Fire, my goddess had been adamant about starting to know more about my life before coming here, and of course I was all too happy to indulge her.
But there was something I was… hesitant about sharing. At first it was because, while I didn't mind talking about it, the topic was admittedly quite the heavy one to drop on her when she had been stressing about Lion… but these past few days I had another problem.
…How much of a faux pas would it be to talk about your late lover to the woman you were growing to love?
Now, though, seeing the concern that began to surface in her eyes at my continued silence, I felt quite stupid.
If there was someone I could talk freely to, that could understand the pain of losing a loved one, and continuing to love them after that, it would be Astraea.
"It's… kind of a long story, you know?" I warned her, but that only seemed to make her more curious.
"Well, we have time today, don't we? You have your patrol in the evening… and we have a pot full of tea to go through," she answered with a shrug. "Besides, if it's about you, my hero, I feel like I can spend an entire day talking and not get tired."
I huffed, a little amused at her exaggeration. In the end, I sat down in front of her and smiled. "Then, I won't hold back, my goddess."
I took a second to gather my words while Astraea filled my cup. "I learned to fight at first because of necessity. I had gotten involved in a dangerous event and needed every advantage I could have to even survive." Astraea was fixated on my words, her indigo blue eyes not leaving mine. "The whole thing started with, once again, someone saving me from near death."
I still remembered it clearly. The slightly turned face, the quiet green eyes, and her golden hair that seemed to shine in the moonlight. "Her name was Artoria Pendragon, and the night we met is one I will never forget for the rest of my life."
Yes, it was a scene that was seared in my mind.
Even if I end up in hell, I am sure I will still remember it vividly.
That fateful night in which my life changed forever.
-Line Break-
Once I started talking, it seemed like my hesitation had been a lie.
I hadn't intended to tell her everything that happened in those two weeks, but Astraea had been so interested in the events of the adventure I had before I met her that I found myself sharing a lot more than I first expected.
There weren't enough hours in a day to cover the full mess that that ritual had been, but the hows and whys of the Holy Grail War were needed for her to understand Saber's nature as a Servant and my reason for joining her in the struggle for the holy cup.
The small knowing smile on my goddess' face when I told her I hadn't been interested in a wish, but only in stopping a tragedy from occurring made me flush a little about being so predictable, though.
So I told her of the struggles I had faced with Saber, of her doing her best to teach me enough for me to survive against our enemies, how we grew closer over time, sharing our ideals and finding a kindred spirit in the other… and how we ended up falling in love, for better or worse.
A smart man wouldn't have fallen in love with a Servant. Hell, Tohsaka had laughed at me at one point, reminding me of the futility of loving someone that had been dead for centuries.
Saber had been a different existence than a normal Heroic Spirit, not quite dead but taken from the last moments of her life, but that didn't change the fact that our meeting had been a miracle facilitated by the Grail… and that, one way or another, our relationship was going to end when it was gone.
Astraea held my hand softly over the table once I told her of Artoria's ultimate fate, about how she dissapeared after destroying the Holy Grail. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried so much…" I shook my head, but she continued. "I know it might not help, but I can understand the pain you must be going through… It's never easy to lose someone dear to your heart."
"No, don't apologize. Telling you this… It helped, it's been some time since I talked sincerely about her. Back home, only Tohsaka knew who Artoria really was." I smiled, intertwining my fingers with hers. "Thank you, Astraea."
We fell in silence for a bit, Astraea seemingly deep in thought, probably thinking over the tale I had just finished telling her, while I was just waiting to see if there was anything else she wanted to know… and finding comfort in the warmth of her hand still intertwined with mine.
"Would you tell me more, then? About the woman that shaped you into the man you are now?" She finally asked after a while, some hesitance in her tone. "If she was important enough for your soul to shape a Skill in her honor, then I want to know about her. Could you tell me the legend that elevated her existence to… what did you say they were called? Heroic Spirits?"
I grinned, recalling how interested she had been in the fact that in my world there were humans elevated to pseudo-divinities by the beliefs of the masses. I probably would be answering a lot of questions about that later. Shame that the only thing I knew about that was what Tohsaka told me months ago.
Still…
"The woman who shaped me, huh," I mused, finding myself agreeing with her words.
Yes, if the Fuyuki Fire and meeting dad had given me the base of the person I grew up to be, then being with Saber had shaped my ideals into something truly mine, something I could pursue without feeling a cheap copy of dad.
"Alright, then, let me tell you about the legendary King of Knights, the wielder of the holy sword Excalibur." I placed a hand on my chest. "And, of course, the original owner of Avalon."
I looked at the sun approaching its zenith. We still had hours until I had to leave for my patrols. It probably wouldn't be enough for me to tell her everything about the Once and Future King of England, but I certainly would try.
-Line Break-
Fortunately, the patrols that followed that day had been like Shakti had told me, calm and boring. This time I didn't accompany her, but a couple of fellow Level Ones and a Level Two, and we primarily walked around the West Main Street, also known as the Adventurer Way.
It had been a curious experience, though. Not even a day after my 'official' introduction and I was already being recognized by the populace. It probably helped that people had already seen Astraea walking around and that I was being acccompanied of members of the Ganesha Familia.
It wasn't a bad thing, but as someone whose reputation had been at the bottom of the totem pole back in Homurahara, it felt weird being looked up to as someone famous, even if it was by association.
It probably would take some more time for the news of my goddess' Familia's return would stop drawing shock from the civilians, however.
And for some people to stop asking if I was actually a really manly girl.
I shook my head with a small sigh, focusing back on the present. I had to be one hundred percent focused today. I was going back to the Dungeon, after all.
"You have everything ready for today, Shirou?" My goddess asked over breakfast. "You remembered to pack your antidotes, right? I know you have Avalon, but you should be ready for the Purple Moth's poison just in case."
I smiled, a little amused at her fretting. "Astraea, we went over my preparations together last night, and I'm not going to be there alone. I will be with Atticus and Ashe."
Astraea sighed. "I know, just… be careful. I know you are ready for everything, your advisor made sure of that, but I can't help but worry even if you are not going alone. A small part of me is still thinking that maybe you are rushing too much."
I huffed, if anything I felt I was going too slow.
Was I being too overconfident? While exploring the Dungeon had been dangerous, I really hadn't felt that I had ever been in danger of dying. I knew that a mistake there could mean death but after the first or second day, I hadn't felt really threatened by the creatures I found there. Then again, considering the risks of the so-called Newbie Killers I would face, I probably should be a little more cautious.
"Want to go over everything again, then? Check one last time if I'm missing anything?" I asked with a smile. It would probably be a bit of a hassle, but if it relaxed my goddess, I didn't mind.
Astraea giggled and shook her head. "No, it's okay, I know I'm being silly. Say, about what time will you-" "Excuse me?" Astraea and I turned when another voice spoke up.
There, in the entrance of the dining room, Ryuu Lion stood, covered in a forest green cloak to keep the chill of the morning away and carrying a wooden crate, awkwardness obvious in her posture.
"Ryuu! You're home!" Astraea exclaimed in happiness. "Good morning~!
"My lady, Emiya. Good morning," the elf replied with a nod, letting a small smile appear on her face. "Sorry to bother you while you're having breakfast."
"Oh, don't be silly. I told you, this is your home. You're always welcome here, right, Shirou?"
I smiled and stood up. "Of course." This was her home more than mine. It'd be ridiculous for me to deny her. "Want to join us? There's tea, or I can make you a cup of coffee if you want to warm yourself up while I whip out something fast for you."
"Ah," Lion uttered while looking at the spread on the table with some interest. "...If it's not too much of a bother? I came here first thing in the morning, so I didn't have anything to eat yet."
"Of course. Is tea fine for you then?" She nodded, I smiled and began to head for the kitchen.
"Thank you, Emiya," she said and I shook my head. It really wasn't a bother. "Ah, here, before I forget," she said, offering the crate she was holding to me.
I took it with some curiosity and inspected its contents. A dozen or so of little hemp bags, some small glass bottles and a bigger one made of ceramic. I grabbed one of the bottles and looked at it, finding inside inside a familiar, dark liquid. My eyes widened. "Is this soy sauce?"
Lion nodded. "And some spices… and that green tea you Far Easterners seem to enjoy so much," she said with some distaste. "Ah, and a bottle of rice wine. Mama Mia said you would enjoy that one."
I looked up in amazement. Ryuu Lion was looking at my expression with some amusement.
"This is… I've been looking all over the place for this stuff. Why on earth…? I mean, I'm grateful, of course!" Spices from another country should be pretty expensive, and the sake seemed pretty high-quality, considering the beautiful bottle. So, why?
"Because you protected Syr," Lion answered with a grateful look. "She told us what happened. That she had gotten fed up with an unruly customer and didn't mind her words enough, and that you defended her when he got angry and violent." I felt a small shiver go down my back at the dark look that took over her expression for a second. "Mama Mia prepared this for you when she heard about it and I offered to bring it to you to thank you myself. So, thank you, Emiya, for protecting my precious friend."
"Lion, you really shouldn't have… I didn't-" I began before she raised a hand.
"Look, Emiya, you either accept it now from me, or have Mama Mia come here herself to deliver it," she warned me. "And you really don't want that, believe me."
I gulped when I remembered the rather imposing woman that owned the Hostess of Fertility.
I let out a sigh and my shoulders slumped in resignation. Seems I didn't have a choice.
"Then I guess I'll accept. And you're welcome, Lion. I'm happy your friend is okay." Then I shrugged. "Next time, though, just your word of thanks is enough. It's not like I did it to earn something." I smiled softly. "To protect people without expecting anything in exchange… That's what we do, right?"
Lion froze for a second and then, as if spring had started, the coldness in her expression melted like snow… and I found myself entranced by the beautiful, soft smile that she graced me with.
"...You're right, of course." She nodded, her tone full of nostalgia. "That's what we do," she said softly.
A moment passed, and then the clearing of a throat made us both jolt. I looked to the source and found Astraea observing us with a teacup in hand, happiness… and exasperated amusement on her face.
She giggled. "I love that you both are getting along… but your breakfast is going to go cold if you dally too much, Shirou."
I cleared my throat. "Right. Breakfast. Have a seat, Lion. I'll have yours ready in a moment."
Lion nodded, not looking at my face. "Right, thank you." She took a seat beside our goddess and I fled to the kitchen, ignoring Astraea's chuckling.
I sighed, I guess when they said that the elves were the most beautiful race amongst mortals, it wasn't for nothing.
-Line Break-
Alf's Lumina.
The Elf's Bright Light.
Its history was a tale of struggle, of the triumph of good over evil, of companionship… and then despair and tragedy. It had accompanied Ryuu Lion for years, it had witnessed the darkest moments of Orario and helped her overcome them… and yet it had proved to be useless against the unfairness of the Dungeon.
I almost wanted to avert my eyes, having delved deeply in a tale I had no business knowing, but I knew it was useless. This wooden sword would be forever remembered in my mind, in my soul. Its history was like an open book to me… as it was its creation.
Taken from the holy tree the elves of Ryumilua Forest had venerated for thousands of years, the branch the sword had been made of had been processed in a way I could only describe as bullshit.
Somehow, instead of carving it, the smith of the Goibniu Familia had worked on the branch like it was metal. Hammering imperfections away, shaping it under extreme heat, and quenching it in magic-rich water, the forging process had been the same as if the blacksmith had been working on iron.
Was it the Blacksmith Development Ability that allowed him to work like that?
Impossibly tough, and incredibly conductive to magic -to elven magic-, the wooden sword was the strongest weapon I had seen since I came to this world, and was perfect for a magic swordsman like Ryuu Lion.
It was a masterpiece.
And it was coming straight to my head in a downward slash.
I instinctively started to raised my sword and was about to brace myself. If I don't use my full strength, I won't be able-!
Like it was made of glass, my sword shattered in thousands of pieces. Not by her sword, but by a kick.
"KUHAA!" A combination of air, saliva and probably bile exploded from my mouth when the leather boot that had destroyed my sword continued unimpeded and buried itself in my gut, shooting me like an arrow across the garden we were in.
"Naive!" Ryuu Lion's sharp voice said, and I had no argument against it, rolling in the grassy ground as I was. "Did you really think that flimsy piece of metal would be enough to stop a high class Adventurer?"
I finally stopped some distance away, almost vomiting what was left of my breakfast on the grass. I heaved and gasped, trying to get my breath under control.
I looked up, meeting my Captain's cold blue eyes, and struggled to stand up.
"You got too used to fighting against monsters, Emiya. That was sloppy," Lion remarked, placing Alf's Lumina on top of her shoulder. "Feints exist, you know."
I huffed, and looked at the remains of my traced sword before letting go of it and making it disappear into the ether.
"I know, I know." It was true, after fighting so many monsters in the Dungeon, I had begun to forget what it was like to fight against someone with a modicum of intelligence.
Stupid, letting myself be distracted by the sword, especially when an Adventurer's body was as dangerous as a weapon.
I hissed, sharp pain coming from my stomach when I straightened up. "Ouch, I think that's going to bruise tomorrow," I said with a pained smile. "You weren't lying when you told me you were bad at holding back."
Her eyes narrowed for a moment. "Want to stop?" she asked, and I swear I could hear some concern in her voice, but then a tiny smirk grew on her face. "A shame, and here I was about to finish shaking off the rust I had accumulated over a year of retirement," she mocked me, using the words I said to her the other day.
Petty woman, I grumbled in my mind, and focused inwards. With a strike of the hammer of a gun, I opened a couple of magic circuits and let the magic energy flow to my body. The green glow of my reinforcement was subtle in the daylight, but I could see her looking at the effect with some curiosity.
"Trace on." I closed my fist once more and grabbed the red leather grip of another copy of my red sword. I took a deep breath. "Let's continue, then."
I approached with a leap, held above. Lion's eyes narrowed at the speed I was now moving, but other than that, she just waited.
I began with a downward slash that she just evaded by simply stepping aside. Alf's Lumina lashed out just then, striking my sword and burying into the ground at her feet. I tried to pull the sword from the earth, but before I could even tug, Lion's wooden sword slid across the edge of mine, and slashed at my chest.
I leaped backwards just in time to dodge it, leaving my dragon horn sword buried in the dirt, but Lion followed me. "Don't leave yourself unarmed!" She slashed horizontally and I could do nothing but take the blow. Her sword, thankfully blunt as it was, buried itself deeply into my stomach, and I was once more sent flying across the garden. This was becoming annoying.
Instead of giving me time to recover like last time, Lion followed me in a leap. As soon as I touched the ground, my air leaving my lungs due to the hit, I rolled sideways, and the space I had been just occupying received a strike from her wooden blade. I stood up as fast as I could, another sword appearing in my hands in a flash of magic energy.
"That's certainly useful," she noted with a curious tone in her voice. "How many more times can you do it, until you are left without defense?"
I smiled through the pain. "As many times as I need to." I attacked, our swords meeting in a clash of sparks one, two, three times, until Lion decided to counterattack. Her sword arm lashed out in what seemed to be a dismissive slash, but my eyes widened as her blade cut through the air, wind howling. CRASH! In a shower of red and silver fragments, my sword shattered.
Damn, so this is a high level Adventurer... Lion's face pinched in frustration, and I realized that it had not been her intention to destroy my sword. She was just that bad at holding back. And I tried to act superior to this person…
The chasm that separated not only our strength but also our equipment and our experience felt vast. It felt like I was once more being schooled by Saber.
In spite of that knowledge, I didn't give up, my hand lashed out in a desperate strike, but she just tilted her head slightly, her eyes cold, and I hit nothing but air. SLAM! And then my head snapped back as the pommel of her sword hit my chin from below.
I am… so out of my league, were my last coherent thoughts before her strikes continued.
I tried to fight back, I really tried, but the only thing that resulted out of my useless eforts was a cold realization that, in spite of the Divine Blessing on my back... I was still weak.
I would last a couple of minutes under her barrage before the sweet release of unconsciousness freed me of the humiliation of giving up in front of Astraea.
-Line Break-
"Don't you think you went a little overboard, Ryuu?" I groaned when the voice of my goddess brought me out of unconsciousness. I tried to open my eyes but then I winced, having to put a hand in front of them to cover the glare of the sun.
…it didn't do a lot for the pain wracking all over my body, though.
My shoulders and arms felt like lead, and my torso was probably going to be covered in bruises come morning.
"Please don't blame me, my lady! He wouldn't stay down!" Ryuu Lion complained. "I didn't mean to hit his head that hard, but that's the only thing that worked. Does he have a Skill? Something that bolsters his Endurance?" she wondered.
My goddess sighed, and I could feel her fingers racking through my hair. "I'm afraid that there was nothing like that involved. My Shirou is just that stubborn, aren't you, mister?" She asked with a giggle.
I opened my eyes and was met with the sight of Astraea hovering over me, her expression a mixture of amused and concerned.
Ah. Isn't this… I blinked. My eyes wandered from her beautiful blue eyes, to her chest and then down her stomach. I felt my throat go a little dry.
A lap pillow.
If this is my compensation for getting beaten all over the place… then I probably need to thank Lion for going overboard.
"Ah." Damned concussion. Feeling a little stupid for the thoughts crossing my head, I took a deep breath, and shook my head. "Sorry. I must be heavy. I'm fine, my goddess." I smiled apologetically and tried to stand, only for Astraea to place a hand on my chest and the other on my forehead, stopping me.
"I don't mind, silly. Please just lay down until you get your bearings back." She smiled softly, care shining in her eyes. "Hard as your head might be, that was quite the hit," she added with a little grin.
I huffed and settled back down, feeling some embarrassment when she returned to her caresses without caring that her other child was there.
And speaking of said child, the less I thought of the sharp frown on my Captain's face, the better.
"You look pained there, Emiya," she said with little inflection, the softness she had spoken to me with an hour or so ago nowhere in sight. "I can heal you, if you want." So you get out of her lap. She didn't say it, but her disapproving expression told me everything.
Right, healing. I'm really out of it… I sighed and closed my eyes, opening my magic circuits one by one, and then fueling Saber's sheath with my energy.
I didn't see it but, by Lion's gasp, I knew that the glow of Avalon as it treated every little ache and bruise and filled me with relief was not ignored.
I sighed. That was… easier than before. The updates to my Falna were working. Whether it was the potency of the magic energy or the amount of control I could now exert on my Magic Circuits, I realized it was getting easier bit by bit to use the sheath
I opened my eyes once more, clarity having returned to my mind, and stood up. This time Astraea didn't stop me, entranced as she always was when seeing the effects of Avalon in person.
"...what was that?" Ryuu Lion asked, her eyes wide. "Why did that feel like…" the grip on her wooden sword's handle shook slightly. Ah, her sword was made from a sacred tree from her home. Did Avalon's energy reminded her of that? "What are you, Emiya? That glow, and your magic… Are you someone blessed by spirits?"
Spirits, huh.
Would the Fae be considered spirits by this world's definition? They are, after all by my understanding, beings that were born from the Planet itself, just like the spirits here.
In any case, the answer would be… "No, I'm not." I glanced at my goddess, who was looking at me encouragingly. You can trust her, her eyes seemed to say. I smiled. "But I have a healing artifact made by beings like them, and one of my Skills allows me to use it. It's still cumbersome to use in battle, but it gets the job done afterwards."
"...I see." I still could see the curiosity in her eyes, and it was only the fact we didn't know each other well that stopped her from asking more. "So, I guess I don't need to hold back as much next time we train, then." She smirked. "After all, after today your Endurance will be all the more annoying."
In spite of the slight taunting tilt to her voice, I felt myself grow excited. In the hour or so we trained today I felt like I had improved my swordsmanship in leaps and bounds compared to the previous few weeks.
Flaws I didn't know I was developing were ruthlessly taken advantage of and I had no choice but to improve.
"I'm looking forward to it, captain." I told her with honesty. "Speaking of more training… I heard that elves were good at archery. You think we can also practice with bows? I'm a rather good shot, but I can't say I have much real combat experience."
Ryuu Lion raised an eyebrow. "Rather good shot, huh? I'll be the judge of that, Vice-Captain."
I stood up and brushed my pants. "Ah, but before that… what do you think, do I have your approval?"
"Hm?" Lion looked at me strangely.
I tilted my head. "You know, for going to the fifth floor." When Lion heard over breakfast that I was going to try my luck going down there, even if accompanied, she offered to test me to check if I was ready.
"Ah, uh," she floundered for a second. "... I'd say you're ready, yes." I raised an eyebrow at her unconvincing tone.
Astraea's tinkling laugh filled the garden. "Oh my, you got so into it that you forgot why you were fighting, Ryuu?" she asked mirthfully.
"Of course not! I was just…" she trailed off, flushing from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. Ah, had she been lying? To a god?
Astraea's giggles answered that for me.
I grinned at her mortified look.
"... should we continue with archery? I still have some time until I have to leave." And I did have one bow I've been waiting to try after rummaging through my memories of Saber's life.
To her chagrin, though, the speed in which she agreed to my olive branch only made our goddess laugh even more.
-Line Break-
"I'm afraid this is the best I can do for now with the materials I had," Atticus said, his normally taciturn expression looking almost embarrassed. "But I didn't want you to come with us without being properly protected."
"Ugh, I really should have helped you," Ashe added, looking at the chestplate I was wearing with some distaste. "It's really plain, Atticus."
"It's my debt to shoulder, Ashe," Atticus said, shaking his head. "I won't have you waste your time with it." Ashe grimaced, and was about to argue, but I interjected before she could.
"This is fine, it's far better than what I had before" I said, looking at my reflection in the mirror in front of me, before I met eyes with the blue-haired pallum. "...And I'm not much for embellishments either." I shrugged with a grin, making her huff.
"Fine doesn't cut it, I'm afraid," Atticus replied, approaching me and tightening some buckles on the chestplate. "I promise I will work on a better set as soon as I get better materials."
I huffed, but didn't argue.
The armor was simple: a steel chestplate, unadorned and practical, with small pauldrons that wouldn't hinder movement. Under it, I wore the short-sleeve jerkin/wool tunic combination that I've gotten in Westmount, now with the addition of chainmail in between them.
My forearms and hands were covered by fingerless leather gauntlets, Ann's gift, painstakingly stitched by hand. Over them I wore another of Atticus' additions, a couple steel forearm guards that extended over the backs of my hands.
He'd offered to give me actual steel gauntlets, but I decided to keep them light for me to be able to use my bow.
Steel greaves covered my shins over my leather boots, and knee and elbow guards ensured my joints weren't left vulnerable. It wasn't flashy, and it certainly wasn't pretty, but Atticus wasn't the kind of smith who made works of art, he made armor that worked.
I fairly liked it, but he was right in the end. It didn't really compare to what the spare prosthetics would cost if I had actually asked for the same amount of money Airmid Teasanare priced her creations.
The silver arm she had given him was a work of art, and the price certainly reflected that. And that was without mentioning the price of maintenance if he ever broke it.
Now, thanks to me, the original would be kept safe in his forge alongside a couple of spares, so he had to only focus on paying for it without worrying about additional fees.
I still felt a little guilty for pretty much stealing Dea Saint's client by copying her own work, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.
"How does it feel? Need me to adjust anything?" I moved my arms around, and jumped in place. I wouldn't say it was comfortable, but it certainly felt better on me than the random pieces of armor I wore before.
"Feels good. I can tell it won't bother me in battle." I stretched a little, and twisted my waist here and there. Yes, it won't get in the way of my fighting. "Maybe it's because I just got an Update, but it feels light," I grinned. "I expected proper armor to be more heavy."
"Well, it's not like it's full-plate armor," Ashe shrugged. "Just a couple of pieces here and there. Won't protect you from everything, that's for sure."
"This much is enough for me. More than this and it would be more cumbersome than anything." If I needed more protection I could just reinforce it. "Yeah, this will work." I nodded at Atticus with a smile.
He nodded back, a glint of pride in his eyes. He spent the next few minutes making me go through some motions to check if everything was truly okay, before he declared it ready. And with that, we knew it was time. The Dungeon awaited.
-Line Break-
"So…" Ashe began as we entered Babel. She was walking backwards with her hands behind her back as she watched me curiously. "How far have you gone, Shirou? Into the Dungeon, I mean."
"Ah, just the fourth floor," I said, a little awkwardly. I realized now that they probably intended to go much deeper and I hadn't even tried the fifth floor yet. "I have just been given permission by my Advisor to go deeper, though."
"The fourth?" In spite of my worries, Ashe's eyes widened. "Are you serious? In a week?"
Atticus huffed a small laugh.
"Why are you surprised, Ashe?" He chimed, walking ahead of us. "He killed a hobgoblin on his own without a Blessing, of course normal goblins wouldn't challenge him."
"Ah, I guess you're right. It makes sense, even if he is a rookie," she said, her voice a little complicated. "...Shirou is one of those Adventurers that will rise far, huh? Like Scarlet Harnell. I can already see it."
I felt some embarrassment at the slight admiration in her words, and some shame, because I had faced one of those Adventurers in Lion and was found truly wanting. "Ah, well, only the future will tell if you are right," I said, a little uncomfortable. "But for now I'm just a rookie with some advantages, so I'll be counting on you to keep me safe if I mess up, Ashe, Atticus." I smiled, scratching my cheek.
Ashe smiled back, some heat in her cheeks, pride in her expression. "Heh, of course." She glanced at Atticus. "We'll keep our goddess' newest apprentice safe, right Atticus?"
"Of course, to do otherwise would bring shame to Lady Hephaestus," Atticus declared with a nod. "...Also, Shirou is now one of my most important clients. If he bit it in there, I would lose access to his prosthetics." His voice was serious, but there was a slight upwards twitch on his lips.
I smirked, raising an eyebrow at the morbid humor. "I'll do my best to not die in a ditch and leave you one-handed, then. Or, worse, depending on Dea Saint for maintenance."
"Much worse," he agreed. "And I would be left unsatisfied if I couldn't make a proper set of armor for you. There's nothing worse than a debt left unpaid."
Ashe rolled her eyes at our conversation and just continued ahead, waving at me and Atticus to follow her. Instead of heading towards the entrance of the Dungeon, though, she led us to the Guild Information Board.
Filled with news pertinent to Adventurers: sightings of rare monsters, announcements of recent Level-Ups, and –what Ashe was interested in–, requests for specific drop items, the board was essential for those that wanted to keep abreast of what was going on in the Dungeon, and the city at large.
Ashe turned and looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "I'm guessing you haven't done a quest yet?" she asked, and I shook my head. "Hm, I was thinking of taking the opportunity to complete a few of them. What do you think?"
"If that's what you want to do." I shrugged, a little unsure. I heard of quests before, but I wasn't really sure about how they worked. "Do we need to talk with an employee or something to accept one?"
Ashe shook her head, turning back to the board. "No, nothing like that." She picked a piece of paper seemingly at random and pointed it out to me. It said:
Deliver batches of five(5) Purple Moth's wings to Blue Pharmacy.
10000 Vali per batch + 1 healing potion.
Miach Familia.
"Just memorize what it says, gather the requested materials, and then deliver them where they ask. "There are other quests that limit the amount to deliver, but Purple Moth's wings are used in antidotes, I think, so they are always in demand," Ashe explained.
"You can sell them to the Guild, of course, but their prices fluctuate a lot. Moth's wings give you something between 1500 to 2500 Vali, depending on the day, so 10000 for five is a fair price, and the potion only makes it better," Atticus added, his eyes focused on the different quests.
"Purple Moths, huh…" The first creature that can poison you in the Dungeon. "Those start appearing on the seventh floor, right?"
"Correct," he nodded. "What do you say? Do you feel ready to try reaching that floor?" There was a challenge in those yellow eyes of his.
My own eyes narrowed. Remembering the frankly humiliating performance I gave in front of Lion made me all the more willing to become stronger. Was there any question that, given the chance of going deeper with a party, I would take it? "You ask if I feel ready? What about you?" I smirked. "I don't see either of you with a ranged weapon, how were you going to kill flying monsters?"
Both smiths stilled for a second, and Ashe looked away, a flush on her face. "That's… a good question. I have some throwing daggers… but we usually have a Level Two with us, and he has a bow." She grimaced. "Stupid, why didn't I think of that?"
Atticus sighed. "It's early. Should we go back and pick a bow?"
"There's no need," I said, and both turned to me. "I can also make bows and arrows with my magic."
Ashe looked at me, her expression deadpan, before she sighed with irritation. "The more I hear about your magic, the more of a cheat it seems," she grumbled, before a glint crossed her eyes. "...Say, can you make copies of my weapons?"
I smiled and, after a muttered incantation and seven steps, a shortsword and a dagger appeared in my hands.
"These ones?"
-Line Break-
As much as Fannet worried about me going to the fifth floor of the Dungeon before I got my Update, it wasn't much different than the fourth. The Goblins, Kobolds, and Lizards got stronger and a little tougher, yes, but their intelligence didn't change.
Now that my strength and speed had increased as well, I had no trouble handling them. With Atticus and Ashe fighting alongside me, every battle– even the ones against monster parties of five or more– ended swiftly and decisively in our favor.
Things started to change, however, after the Sixth floor.
I heard it before I saw it. A loud croaking sound, followed by a whistle of wind, just as Ashe exclaimed: "Shirou! Behind you! Frog Shooter!"
In a whirlwind of motion, I front-kicked the Kobold I was facing and spun around, my sword in a blocking position in front of me. I only got to see a flash of pink before I felt the strike that was aimed straight at my chest hit the flat of my blade. "Kuh!" I breathed out as I was forced to take a step back.
The tongue receded into the mouth of a big frog-like monster, its yellow bulbous eye watching me with hunger.
My eyes narrowed, just as I caught sight of the Kobold behind me approaching again. I was about to turn, but Ashe's voice came again. "I'll handle the Kobold! Take care of the frog!" I could see her diminutive cloaked shape rushing behind the monster, sword and dagger at the ready.
"Leave it to me!" I ran ahead, ignoring the pained screech of the Kobold behind me. The Frog Shooter croaked, its cheeks and neck bulging. Once more, with a spitting sound, its tongue leapt out of its mouth like a bullet. The pink projectile pierced the air between us, and I spun to the side to dodge it, feeling it brushing against my cloak.
"HAH!" My blade fell, the red edge cutting the muscle cleanly in two.
The Frog Shooter screeched in pain, half of its tongue lashing out wildly, spraying blood all over the place. I grimaced and leaped forward, my sword held ready.
Its lone eye widened, and it tried to jump away from me, but I was faster. I slashed, my blade biting into its hind legs as it tried to retreat. The frog spun in the air and fell to the ground with a wet SPLAT! I followed behind, knowing better than to assume it was done.
I ran, my cloak trailing behind me, but before I could reach the frog, I saw a shadow move. I leapt back -"Gah!"- just a little too slow as I was struck on the shoulder by a dark clawed hand.
I landed barely on my feet, my eyes narrowing at the monster melting out of the rocky walls. Standing taller than most men, the bipedal creature made of shadows screeched a challenge, its lone pink reddish eye glowing in the dark.
Then another followed, and then another. Three War Shadows stood side by side, their claws open.
These were one of the monsters known as Newbie Killers, thanks to their armor-piercing claws and due to the fact that they would often ambush from the shadows, melting in and out of walls like they were water.
I glanced at the shoulder the shadow had struck and grimaced. It managed to pierce through my reinforced cloak, but my pauldron held true. My shoulder was going to be bruised after this, though.
"Are you okay, my friend?" Atticus asked, stepping to my side, brandishing his greatsword. Devotion was dripping with blood, but he seemed unhurt. "That one nearly got you."
"I'm okay. The armor stopped it before it could hurt me." I grimaced. "I was rash, I should have been more careful."
"Live and learn, Shirou, that's what being an Adventurer is like," he said with a smirk that his scars made look like a grimace. "Now, come on, let's kill those shadows."
"Right behind you."
We rushed together, the War Shadows screeching and leaping into action as well. Atticus ran ahead of me and, when his greatsword was in reach, "Haah!" he slashed horizontally, hitting the three shadows at once, sparks flying when his sword met the monsters' claws.
The first War Shadow was pushed back by the powerful strike, while the second was only forced to take a step back. The third, though, the third held firm, its claws grinding against the silvery steel of his Devotion.
Focusing my magic energy in my arms and legs, I leaped from behind the smith, my sword held at an angle behind me. I struck, my blade clashing with the second shadow's claws. Gritting my teeth, I pushed, trying to break through its guard, but I only managed to push it another step back.
I attacked again, my sword descending in a downwards slash, and then again, and again, clashing with the monster's shadowy claws again and again. As the sparks flew, I grimaced. The way it kept blocking me, it reminded me of the hobgoblin back in the forest.
The monster's senses were incredible, like the hob, it seemed to be able to react to my attacks on instincts alone.
And so, like I did with the hob, I took advantage of that.
I reinforced my muscles to the limit, and attacked again, this time in an extremely telegraphed horizontal slash. The War Shadow raised its claws and blocked it, only taking a step backwards to bleed off my strength.
Then, one of my hands let go of the handle of my blade, and wound back. A shortsword appeared in my hand– Ashe's– and I stabbed. Both its hands occupied with my longsword, the War Shadow couldn't do anything as Ashe's sword buried itself deeply into its chest.
It stumbled back, now in its death throes, so I let go of the still buried sword and grabbed my own with both hands and slashed again. With the sound similar to leather tearing, my sword cut through its body and the War Shadow fell in two pieces, dead.
"Hah, hah, works every time…" I muttered to myself while recovering my breath.
I glanced to the side, and found Atticus standing over his dead War Shadow, he smiled at me and pointed deeper into the cave with his chin. The third War Shadow approached menacingly and I raised my sword in preparation… only to blink when the monster stumbled forward.
I didn't wait. I rushed forward and attacked it in its momentary distraction, "Hah!" My silver and red sword bit deeply into its neck, and I spun, adding more momentum to my slash. The head went flying.
The rest of the body fell to the ground, and I found myself looking at Ashe, her sword and dagger still stabbed on its back.
"Nice reaction," she said with a smile. She pulled her weapons from the dead monster and stretched. "You guys okay?"
"Shirou got hit, but he's fine," Atticus said, approaching us. "That was well done, you two. We just killed six Kobolds, a Frog Shooter and three War Shadows without any significant wounds." He smiled, and I startled slightly looking towards where the frog had jumped. And I found its corpse.
Ashe knocked on my breastplate, smiling. "Don't worry, I finished it," she said, reading me like a book.
"Ah, thanks. I got a little distracted." I smiled awkwardly.
"No worries, that's what I do. You guys are the vanguard, I handle the stragglers."
Fighting in a party truly is different, huh. I looked around, seeing the ten monsters we had killed in less than a minute and smiled.
So far, this trip had proven to be really profitable, and not only in money. I was learning a lot just by watching them. I probably would have taken a couple of days to go down further than the fifth or sixth floor, but I began to think that with these two, I could go even deeper.
We began to gather the magic crystals, keeping our eyes open just in case, when Ashe let out an excited voice.
"Look, Shirou, this one dropped a finger claw," she chimed in from where she was crouching.
"Oh? One of those dagger-like claws it had? Sounds useful."
Atticus nodded. "War Shadow's claws are really good for daggers and throwing knives. You need quite a few of them if you want to use them for a sword, though."
I nodded, appreciating the explanation. Ever since we entered today, both of them had offered me these little tidbits of smithing information: which materials were good for smithing, and which were not, how to identify ores in the rocky walls of the Dungeon, and so on and so forth. Information that was as useful as fighting experience was, to be honest.
"Might want to use one of these myself…" Ashe muttered to herself, eyeing the traced dagger I had given her, the third one so far.
After that, we managed to get the crystals without any distractions, and we proceeded on our way.
"Should we try going deeper?" Ashe asked, "Let Shirou experience those annoying Killer Ants?" She smirked.
"You both brought antidotes with you? Purple Moths begin to appear on the next floor," Atticus said, checking his pouches. "I don't want to have to run to a healer today."
"I did," I said, smiling with some exasperation. "My goddess wouldn't have let me leave without a few."
Ashe giggled. "Someone's a little spoiled, hm?" she said with a grin and I shook my head. She turned to Atticus. "I did, too. Thinking of doing that quest? The wings' one?"
Atticus nodded, and turned to me. "Shirou, you said you can handle them, right?"
"Yeah, I think so. Haven't fought one yet, but I am a good shot. Leave them to me," I said confidently. Having had my archery approved by Lion, I knew I was ready. "You won't need to use those antidotes, I promise."
Atticus smiled. "Well, that's comforting. They are not exactly cheap."
We walked for a couple more minutes, dispatching more monsters on the way, before we found the stairs down to the next floor.
"Ready?" Ashe asked me with a grin.
I nodded. "Ready."
And down we went.
-Line Break-
CLANG!
"Kiih!" The screech was barely heard over the noise of the mandibles clashing and grinding along the length of my sword.
Sparks jumped from the friction as I let the Killer Ant slide harmlessly until its side stood open in front of me.
I braced myself and shoved, my reinforced strength easily separating the monster from my blade, then I took a step forward and slashed down.
I tried not to feel satisfaction at the way my sword parted the ant with ease, leaving two twitching halves fallen on the ground.
Then, I dodged to the side, my new armored greaves scraping against the floor of the Dungeon, letting mandibles as big as my hand pass through the space I had been just occupying.
The other Killer Ant let out a screech when it only bit air and made to turn around, but I was already completing my own spin, my sword turning into a red streak as it advanced unerringly towards the space on its neck where the chitinous plates of its exoskeleton were thinner.
In a shower of yellowish green blood, the ant's head separated from the rest and fell to the ground with a thud, the body following a second after and twitching uncontrollably.
I grimaced, and delivered another strike, and then another to the first one, just in case.
Not even decapitation was enough to truly stop these monsters. No, if anything it made them more dangerous.
A dying Killer Ant attracts others with pheromones. Get distracted after delivering a seemingly killing blow to one of them, and the only thing awaiting you is a painful reminder of the paradigm shift after the fourth floor.
And speaking of distractions… I looked to the side, ignoring the sight of the other two ants rushing to attack and focused on the one about to reach Atticus, who was distracted fighting a War Shadow.
Newbie Killers.
I didn't ignore those words when Fannett used them to describe the monsters that resided in these floors, especially so when Astraea remarked it. But seeing them now, fighting them? I could see why they earned such a moniker.
The main reason many Adventurers don't go past the upper floors, either because they heard about those monsters and held back until they were stronger, or because they either didn't hear or care about the warning… and they got swarmed by them, unprepared.
Their numbers, their strength, their durability. These monsters were a world apart from the goblins that had given me quite a bit of trouble a couple of weeks ago.
I extracted my blade from the now dead body of the giant insect and flicked it, cleaning the blood off the edge, before rushing forward, strength filling my muscles once my Skill activated.
I dodged the snap of the mandibles of one of the Killer Ants in my way, which left me in the path of the other one. I fed more magic energy to the reinforcement in my legs, carefully filling the gaps until the golden glow of my spell became apparent.
And I kicked it.
My steel greaves pulverized the head of the overgrown bug, and I continued, leaving it behind.
A mistake, some would say. Leaving my back open for a counter attack.
I didn't care. After all…
"Focus on the Shadow, Atticus! I've got your back!" I exclaimed, consuming the distance between the two of us, readying my longsword for a lunge as I approached.
"Appreciate it!" In a show of trust I didn't think I had earned, but certainly appreciated, Atticus just nodded and kept his focus on keeping the War Shadow's claws from passing through his guard.
Even as I rushed forward, I could hear Ashe striking the ant I left behind, its screechs filling the room as she took ruthless advantage of it being distracted following me to cut through its weak spot.
…I have someone watching for the stragglers.
"Ah! Not again! Stupid dagger!"
… it's okay, she still has the original. I thought as I realized that the dagger I gave her had broken once more.
Trusting Ashe to handle herself, I lunged.
A moment before I hit, the ant seemed to take notice of me and tried to move away.
But it was too late.
In a blur of silver and red, my sword pierced through the side of the abdomen of the ant, burying itself until it burst through the other side in an explosion of blood and guts.
I didn't stop. I braced myself and twisted my waist, my Skill giving me the strength to easily cut through the monster's body.
Crack! I grimaced when the Ant exploded in ash and I almost lost my balance. Dammit! I destroyed the magic crystal!
I shook my head, not the time.
I was about to try and help Atticus with the Shadow when Ashe's voice called me. "Shirou! Behind! Purple Moth!" I let go of my sword, letting the traced blade disappear in motes of green light and focused. Two magic circuits filled with magic energy started to thrum with a spell.
"Trace On!"
Beautiful as it was deadly, the yew bow that appeared in my mind was made with the image of its owner in mind. An entrancing sight that could take your breath away with just the flick of a finger.
Something this pretty could not be called a weapon of war, an instrument of murder, and yet in its history I could only find the sorrow of hundreds of deaths.
Was it the bow that never missed or the bowman that was infallible?
Was there a difference, when the weapon in my mind had become so intrinsical to the owner's legend? There wasn't a doubt in my mind that, had Sir Tristan been summoned as a Servant, the weapon in his hands -his Noble Phantasm- would be this.
Failnaught.
I turned around, the space in my empty right hand filling with light and expanding. I closed my right fist on the ivory grip of the black bow and then I pulled the almost invisible string with my left hand's fingers, an arrow appearing on them as I did so.
"Wouldn't it be faster for you to form your arrows as you pull the string?" Obvious in hindsight, but it took Lion asking me to realize that I had been wasting precious moments by tracing an arrow and then nocking it, instead of doing it all at once.
Moments that could spell death in the Dungeon.
I gritted my teeth, my muscles straining with all their divine enhanced might to pull on the delicate string. I glanced up, quickly finding the purple wings fluttering against the brown backdrop of the Dungeon.
I aimed-
After what felt like an eternity, but was less than a fraction of a moment, I felt the fletching of the arrow tickle my nose.
-and let go.
A blink.
Wind howled as the arrow cut through the air and, in the time it took me to blink, pierced through the flying monster, leaving a hole the size of my fist and then striking the ceiling with a CRACK!
I watched the moth fall for a moment, confirming what I already knew.
It was dead.
I let out a breath.
Letting the Purple Moth spread its poison around would have been a costly mistake. We each had antidotes, but they were not miraculous. Just the after effects of the poison would mean we'd have to cut the exploration short. For that reason, they were my, the only one with a ranged option of attack, priority target whenever they appeared.
I glanced around, another arrow about to appear in my hand, and then my shoulders relaxed.
No enemies in sight.
Atticus was kneeling on ground, probably picking up the magic crystal from the War Shadow and Ashe was doing the same with one of the ants near her.
I better do my part as-
Drip. Drip.
I glanced down, and frowned when I saw the blood dripping from the torn skin on the tip of my fingers.
I clicked my tongue.
Just the string grazing me as I let go of it was enough to do that. I still cannot compare, it seems. Not even with the blessing of a goddess.
The Knights of the Round Table had been ridiculous.
"You okay there?" I looked up and met Atticus' yellow eyes. "Not the best place to get lost in thought."
I huffed. "Right, sorry." I let the bow fade and rummaged through my pouches, looking for a potion.
I could have used Avalon now that the fight was over, but Astraea advised me not to show it off too much. If word of such an artifact existing disseminated, I could say goodbye to my easy life.
Ashe approached and hissed when she saw the state of my fingers. "Uh, should you keep using that bow, Shirou? You end up like that every time."
I sprinkled some of the potion over the wounds and let out a slight sigh of relief. "It's fine, I can still fight even if it's like that and, besides, it heals easily." I smiled comfortingly.
Ashe looked at me strangely. "Right, but doesn't it hurt?"
I shook my head. "A bit, but I'm used to it." A small thing like this did not compare to the pain of shoving a hot steel rod down my spine. It probably worked wonders on my Endurance, though. "After my next update it probably won't damage me anymore." I grinned.
Ashe looked at me with some concern. "...okay, if you say so." She fiddled a little with the hilt of the broken dagger in her hand.
With a flex of my will, the dagger disappeared and another appeared floating in front of her.
"Ah! Thanks… again," she said with some chagrin as she took it.
"You are being reckless with your weapons. Just because Shirou's here to give you a replacement doesn't mean you can be careless," Atticus admonished her while inspecting his arm, closing and opening his silvery fingers. "Don't get used to it. It's dangerous."
"I know, I know!" Ashe exclaimed. "Sorry, Shirou. I didn't mean to take advantage of you and your magic."
I huffed and then smirked. "I don't mind, it makes for good Magic practice. Please break a few more for my progress." My smile widened when Ashe let out huff.
"I'm not that bad."
"Still, you should see about making a new one. That dagger's good, but these ants are tough," I remarked.
Ashe sighed. "Yeah, I know. I was thinking of using that War Shadow claw to make one later, do you guys mind?"
I shook my head. "Of course not. That one I only killed because of you." I smiled.
Atticus shrugged. "That will be part of your loot today, then."
"Thanks! I was actually worried we wouldn't get another drop today!" She then perked up "Speaking of! That moth left a wing behind!" she exclaimed with a grin.
Oh! That meant…
Atticus smiled. "That's five right? We got our first batch, then."
"Good work, guys!" Ashe raised both hands. I smiled and raised my own. The resounding CLAP! of our high five filled the empty room, and then we both looked at Atticus.
He let out a huff and muttered something like 'Too old for this' but he also humored the pallum with a softer clap. "Now what? We keep going, try to get five more? Go back?"
I hummed. It would be close to six hours since we entered. "I can keep going. You? How's the arm?"
Atticus looked at his silver hand and closed a fist. He nodded. "Feels fine, no sluggishness at all. I can probably add armor to it later and the range of movement won't suffer." He then smirked. "You make good work, my friend."
"If you keep repeating it, I'm going to start to feel pity for Airmid Teasanare, you know," I said with an awkward smile.
Atticus shrugged. "She shouldn't have made it so expensive, then." He moved his arm a couple of times more, before turning to me. "After you start training your smithing with Lady Hephaestus, come to my forge. I can use another set of hands to help me modify this. I can give you some pointers then, if you want."
I smiled. "Trying to make me your accomplice?" I asked, half jokingly and he smirked. "But, sure. Maybe if we modify it enough, it will stop feeling like I'm stealing from Dea Saint's pocket." Atticus chuckled. I focused and a copy of my red longsword appeared once more in my hand. "Shall we, then?" I smiled.
Both smiths smiled back and we ventured once more into the cavernous rooms of the Dungeon.
I needed to squeeze in as much training as possible today that I had company. Especially for my Magic.
Having a sword that could take on everything the Dungeon threw at it meant that I had to keep dispeling it to train my Basic Ability.
I stopped for a second and my grip got tighter.
Everything the Dungeon threw at it? I almost wanted to scoff, remembering how easily Lion shattered it.
I glanced at the longsword in my hands, feeling some irony when I remembered her words.
A flimsy piece of metal, huh.
I had just gotten this sword and I truly thought it was an amazing weapon… but I wondered if, after learning from Hephaestus I could make something even better.
-Line Break-
It was almost a week later that I found myself in front of Pantheon once more, feeling some trepidation in my heart.
It hadn't been my intention to pretty much ignore my Advisor the last few days, but with how busy I had been due to my patrols, and the few times I went to the Dungeon with Atticus and Ashe, time slipped away.
I probably shouldn't feel so guilty, considering that I was just a part of her job... but I liked Rose Fannett.
Not… romantically, of course, no.
I was smart enough to realize that if I wanted to keep our professional relationship intact, trying to be more than a friendly acquaintance to her was off the table.
Not that I would consider doing that, of course. I had enough on my plate in regards to matters of the heart.
No, I liked the dedication she put into her work and, in spite of the dry and downright uncaring front she liked to put, I was aware of the kindness and concern she felt for any Adventurer under her care.
The amount of time she spent teaching me the ins and outs of the Dungeon and making sure I was properly prepared for any eventuality was one of the reasons I had been able to explore as efficiently as I've been doing.
She didn't sugarcoat anything. Death rates in every floor, dangers of underestimating each monster, even the risks of being ambushed in the Dungeon by desperate Adventurers.
She wanted me to be ready for anything.
Tough love borne out of her years in the job?
I didn't really know how old she was -Twenty five? Thirty? I'm not dumb enough to ask.- but considering the amount of respect the other employees showed her, I gathered that she must have been working as an advisor for a long time.
How many people had she lost over the course of her career, I wondered.
And so, I couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt when I approached her desk today.
Still, if there was something I disliked about having her as my advisor it would be…
"You're popular as always, huh, Fannett?" I said, feeling a smile grow on my face at the slight twitch on her eye my words caused.
"I'll pretend I'm not hearing amusement in your tone, Emiya," Fannett said dryly while signaling to one of her coworkers to approach. "But only because you being here means I don't have to deal with that."
I glanced over my shoulder to the long line of men and women that were glaring daggers in my direction.
If there was something I disliked about having her as my advisor it would be the vitriol I received each time I took her away from her place on the desk for my advising sessions.
She did tell me it was quite rare for her to advise a rookie Adventurer, but this level of envy is ridiculous. I thought with some chagrin.
"You called for me, Rose?" A pink-haired Guild employee asked cheerfully.
"Flott, I need you to take over. My ten thirty is here."
"Eh!? Take over? Here?" Flott exclaimed, looking at the line behind me with trepidation. "But there are so many! Can I call Eina for help?"
Fannett just raised an eyebrow at the whining. "It's time you get used to handling this kind of thing on your own." Then she sighed. "Besides… it won't be as bad once I leave."
Even as she said that, I could see quite a few of the people in line leaving with disgruntled expressions.
"Uh, I don't know if I should feel relieved or insulted."
Fannett huffed. "I'd be relieved. Waste of time, most of them," she grumbled under her breath. "Let's go, Emiya. I have a booth ready."
I shrugged and followed after the werewolf, ignoring the other girl's grumbling.
"Right, have fun with your young, hunky boyfriend and leave me with the busywork. Thanks, Rose. Yes, yes~! Next person, please~!"
Yeah, not going to pay any attention to that. Fannet's ears twitching and her annoyed sigh told me that she wasn't as successful.
"Apologies for that, both the long line and… my coworker's comment," she said as she took a seat in the booth. I shook my head, not really caring, and sat in front of her. "Right, we have quite a bit to catch up on. It's been a few days, Emiya."
I nodded, smiling awkwardly. "Yeah, I've been keeping busy with my patrols."
"I heard. Congratulations on your debut, child of Astraea," Fannet said with a small smirk.
"Thanks, Fannet. I haven't done more than a few patrols, but it's nice to know that word began to spread, after all." Before I spoke to Shakti, I didn't care much about my reputation, but now I wanted my goddess' Familia to reach the same level of fame it had before. For everyone to feel safe when they saw the Sword and the Wings of Justice.
"But I don't want to waste your time listening to me talking about that. We're here for a reason."
"Of course." She nodded, opening a folder. "Now, last time we met you told me you had arranged to party with some members of the Hephaestus Familia…" She eyed me with some curiosity, but was professional enough to not ask how that came to be.
Especially when the proof of how… profitable that relationship had been for me was gleaming on my chest.
She glanced at the silvery chestplate I was wearing, far better than the dull iron one I was wearing the last time I met with her. One didn't have to be an Adventurer to know it was a well-forged piece. Simple and practical, but extremely well-done.
Not only that, but… "Yeah, it went great, I think. We explored some floors together and completed some quests. It's amazing how much faster you can explore and gather crystals if you are in a group. I probably made more Vali in one day with them than during the whole first week."
Hundreds upon hundreds of monsters each day between the three of us. The fact that one of us could harvest while the other two kept guard made it all the more efficient. Even divided between the three of us, I had made quite the haul with them.
The difference between one week and the other stood out starkly in my reports.
I should really party with them again. Ashe was going to be a little busy next week, forging her new dagger, but after that... After my next Update, I'm probably going to offer them to go a little deeper.
Ah, before I forget, though...
I placed a couple of sheets of paper on the table and slid them to her side for her to look over. Reports of the past few days of explorations. How deep I went, the kinds of monsters I faced and how I faced them -omitting the particulars of my abilities, of course-, and a few handmade maps.
Probably stuff the guild had mountains of, but it never hurt to offer them just in case something was looked over.
Fannet smiled with some satisfaction once she realized what I gave her. "Hm, if only more rookies acted like you. There's a reason I only take experienced Adventurers." She started to go through my reports and make some notes in the pages of the folder. "You don't know how much we have to ask most beginners for their… reports."
I raised an eyebrow when she trailed off. Her brow furrowed and she seemed to be reading the same page over and over again.
"Emiya," Fannett said frostily. "Remind me which floor you had reached the last time we met." I felt a slight shiver go down my back when her sharp yellow eyes turned to me.
I swallowed, trying to moisten my suddenly dry throat. "Four," I answered, knowing why she was asking me that question.
"And which floor you reached now, less than a week after that?"
"To be fair, Fannet, I was in a party with two more experienced Adve-" I stopped once she raised a hand.
"Which. Floor."
"...Nine."
The exasperated sigh that followed my answer said a lot about what her image of me was like.
I wasn't sure I liked it.
-Line Break-
Leaving the Guild Headquarters, properly chastised once more for ignoring the sensible warnings of my Advisor, I began to head in the direction of the Ganesha Familia home, I-Am-Ganesha.
Luckily, It wouldn't be more than a twenty-thirty minute walk from Pantheon.
"Hey, what part of 'fuck off' is so hard to understand?! We already told you no, creep!"
Of course, it wasn't even a couple of minutes later that I came across trouble, when a young woman's loud voice caught my attention.
I found the source a moment after in between the crowds, and when I did so, I instantly started to walk in their direction.
Nothing good could come from four men accosting two young women.
Especially when those four men were adventurers.
I felt my Skill activate, strength filling my body, and I activated my magic circuits. "Trace on." In a flash of gold, the blue half-cape my goddess had gifted me appeared on my shoulder, her symbol clear for everyone who'd see it. And then, just in case, I started to reinforce my body.
I could feel some eyes turn to me due to the light show but I ignored them, my sight locked in the group arguing in the middle of the street as I approached.
Two girls younger than me, seemingly being harassed by a group of men. The one who had yelled had deep red hair cut short, sharp yellow eyes, and had one hand extended in front of her, held by one of the men.
Did she try to slap him and he stopped her?
The other girl was hiding behind the first, hugging herself with shaking hands, her eyes almost hidden behind her long dark blue hair.
"-seem to know the honor you are being offered." The slender man who held the redhead's hand, the one seemingly in charge- no, it only took a look at his sword to confirm it, he was the one in charge- was smiling confidently, his beautiful features softening what would be an arrogant look. "Besides, it's not you who we are interested in, it's her. You are just a nice bonus. Cassandra, was it? My god was clear in his desires, you are to be his."
Cassandra, as he called her, whimpered, and hid even more behind her friend, who was gritting her teeth, her expression pained due to the strength of the man's hold.
Reading the history of his weapon, I wondered for a second if I was getting a little over my head. The man was a Level Two Adventurer… and the Apollo Familia captain.
But then I realized I didn't really care.
And that he was a man who'd soon be bereft of a hand if he didn't remove it himself.
"I think it'd be better if you left them alone," I interjected, drawing the attention of the group to me. I placed one hand on the pommel of my longsword and glared at them. "They clearly want nothing to do with you."
"Hm?" He glanced me out of the corner of his eye. "I don't see how that is any of your business. Stay out of it, trash. Do you even know who you are talk-"
"You are Hyakinthos Clio," I interrupted his tirade, and his eyes narrowed in contempt. "I know and I don't care. What I care about is that I've been tasked to keep the peace of the city." I took a step forward. "And from where I'm looking, you're breaking it."
"You. Who are you? Ganesha's?" His eyes narrowed, and he let go of the girl's arm and turned to me. "No, that symbol…"
"I am Shirou Emiya, the vice-captain of the Astraea Familia." As always, whispers broke out after my declaration, the attention of those around us focusing on me and my cloak.
The two girls looked at me with shock and then exchanged looks, and the three men behind Hyakinthos looked at their leader anxiously. He, however, reacted differently.
"Ha!" Letting out a mocking laugh, covering his mouth with a gloved hand, Hyakinthos Clio grinned at me. "A rookie from a Familia of has-beens thinks that he can order me around? Please, don't make me laugh." My fist clenched. This… scum thinks he can insult my Goddess' Familia? "Leave, you don't want to be known as someone that interrupts a Familia recruiting members, Has-been. These girls are my Lord Apollo's."
And that's where the red haired girl exploded.
"We are no one's! We told you we are not joining you! You've been harassing us all week!"
"D-Daphne, wait!"
I looked to the side and saw the girl, Daphne, winding back her fist, intent on hitting Hyakinthos while he was distracted… and then I saw the sick smile on the man's face. My eyes widened in alarm.
WHAM! CRACK! "DAPHNE! NO!"
Before Daphne could even react, Hyakinthos' gloved hand went from covering his face to hovering an inch in front of her face, clenched in a fist. It was such a fast movement that the wind that resulted from it fluttered Daphne's red hair.
"Huh? I'm not…" She muttered, her face pale.
Of course, he didn't stop because he intended to, no.
The hateful glare he sent me once he saw my hand stopping his attack made the pain of doing so worth it.
"You… I'm beginning to grow tired of you. Do I need to teach you a lesson in manners?" he hissed. I felt a sharp smile grow on my face.
He had been fast, and there was no mistaking the strength in his strike… but after facing Ryuu Lion? He was nothing.
And I still wasn't using my full reinforcement.
I was about to answer when another voice spoke up. "How about you cool it down before I arrest you, Fuckboy Apollo?"
Hyakinthos turned with a snarl. "It's Phoebus Apollo! Who dares-" And then he froze, because in front of him stood Ilta Farna, the Ganesha Familia vice-captain.
The red-haired amazon grinned at him. "I dare. You were saying?"
Hyakinthos looked at her, then at the crowd that was beginning to gather with the commotion. "Tch! I've lost interest in this. We're leaving," he hissed at his companions and tore his fist from my grip before turning around and leaving with them in tow.
I let out a breath when they were out of sight and then allowed myself to hiss after closing my fist slightly. "Thanks, Farna. Things were getting out of hand."
The amazon grinned. "Psht. Don't worry, kid. Big Sis told us to lend you a hand if you needed, so I wasn't about to leave you hanging once I saw you." She shrugged."She probably meant in the patrols, but eh. Who cares about the details? The guy was clearly going overboard. Speaking of… Nice work in protecting them, kid. I got a little hot seeing you there." She… leered at me.
"Ah, uh. Thanks, I guess?" I replied awkwardly, feeling some heat gathering in my cheeks. I shook my head, and then I turned to the two girls who were whispering amongst themselves, not in an attempt to forcibly change subjects.
No, of course not.
"Hey, are you okay? He was holding your arm quite tightly," I asked the red haired one, Daphne, who was holding her right wrist with her left hand. "I have some potions if you are in need."
"Uh. I'm fine, I think. Just a bruise," She said with some awkwardness. "Thanks for the save at the end… I didn't even see it until you stopped him. Is your hand okay?" I smiled and shook my head.
"Don't worry about me, I'm okay." It would take a second to heal this, either with a potion or Avalon. "So, was there a reason you were being accosted by them?" 'Recruitment', according to Hyakinthos Clio, but he wasn't exactly the most trustworthy individual.
"A-ah. That would be because of their god…" the other girl, Cassandra, said softly. "Lord Apollo… he wants to recruit me to his Familia…And Daphne caught the attention of his captain..." She hugged herself and shivered. "Those men began bothering us since we came here a week ago… Daphne always managed to get us out, but today…" She shook her head, her voice breaking. "It was my fault… I just… I felt like I needed to come here today, so I convinced Daphne to accompany me." She felt she needed to come here? What? "That's how they found us."
I sighed. It didn't matter. I turned to Ilta. "Is there something we can do about that? They shouldn't be able to harass people into joining them." I grimaced. I had gotten complacent after meeting Astraea and then Hephaestus. I should have known, considering what I knew of the deities from my world, that some Familias would be led by... assholes.
Ilta sighed. "Fuckboy was an asshole, but he was kinda right. We in the Ganesha Familia try not to interfere in Familia business until we're sure they are in the wrong… Let's report it to Big Sis, and she'll determine what we can do." She turned to the girls and grinned reassuringly. "You'll be safe in our home until then if you want, girls. I'm sure Shirou won't mind keeping you company, right, kid?"
"Of course not."
The girls exchanged looks and nodded. When they turned back to us their expressions were determined.
Daphne nodded gratefully "Please, we'd really appreciate it if you could do something, anything about them. We just want to be left alone," she said through gritted teeth. "I always worry about Cassandra when I leave her alone to do some shopping, it'd be nice to be able to relax for once." She smirked slightly when Cassandra whined at her words and then whispered conspirationally. "She is quite the airhead."
"I'm not! I-I just follow my dreams and they are often correct!" Cassandra complained. "It's just today that it didn't work."
Walking amongst the crowds, the girls' banter continuing all the way to the Ganesha Familia home, I frowned when a thought crossed my mind.
Why do the names Daphne and Cassandra sound so familiar? Especially in relation to the god Apollo…
"Right, right, your totally believable dreams," Daphne said, rolling her eyes. "What was it today? You would find me a legendary weapon or something? See how that turned out."
"I-it wasn't a legendary weapon! It was nothing so unrealistic!" Cassandra whined. "I just dreamt we would find a nice sword that would protect us!"