It can be said that throughout the myriad dimensions and universes that exist within the confines of the multiverse, anything is possible. For the average person, this means little or nothing, as most were only concerned with what was possible for themselves in their own world. But for Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, Wizard Marshall of the Mage's Association, immortal vampire, and convenient plot device for many a fanfic writer, it was the crux of the Second True Magic. It also meant that somewhere, someone was writing down his very thoughts at any given moment for use in some story. Whether or not it was because he placed the idea in their heads or because the writer dictated his actions is up for debate.
It was in one of these infinite realities that Shirou Emiya, standing in front of his adoptive father's grave at his funeral, found himself face to face with the man known throughout the magical community as the greatest immortal prankster known to man. And yet, no one around him noticed the sudden appearance of a man that no one recognized, none except him. Shirou didn't know who the strange old man in front of him was, but he could detect the overwhelming levels of prana attached to the man, likely the result of whatever mystery he had utilized to suddenly appear before him without anyone so much as making a peep. It was this alone that prevented him from crying out and alerting the small gathering of people that were attending Kiritsugu Emiya's funeral from Fuyuki. It was this perceived lack of response that allowed Zelretch to make an offer to the young twelve year-old that would forever change his path from the standard Shirou Emiya destiny.
"Hello there, boy. Now, while I'm sure you might have several, no doubt insignificant, questions for me, I have a much more relevant question for you, and quite frankly, it's much more amusing for myself than anything that could ever come out of your mouth at this stage in your life, so I'll get right to it. How would you like to be a hero? A true champion of justice, solving the problems of the common people, rescuing kittens from trees, saving fair maidens from womanizing rogues, solving tax problems, the whole nine yards? There are however, a few conditions that you'll have to be made awa-"
"I'll do it, no matter the conditions."
"Excellent my dear foolish boy! Accepting without knowing what will happen is exactly the sort of thing that makes it all the more entertaining! Now, if you could just take a few steps backwards we'll be all set."
"Okay, but set for wha-AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."
As the portal to another dimension on the floor closed up behind the poor hapless young boy, the man known as the Kaleidoscope smiled savagely, before taking out a small device that would not be invented for a good twenty-plus years or so and tapped the screen a few times before frowning.
"Damn. Spooked by Kirei and his black keys again. Oh wait!" His eyes lit up in hope. "The three star's turning into a gold! Atalanta atalanta atalanta atalanta atanyanta... oh. Well, I guess DelightWorks is trying to tell me something if they gave me him then."
On the screen, displayed on a small card, was a man with white hair belying his youthful appearance, with tanned skin, cold, steel-gray eyes, and scowl on his face while wielding two chinese falchions.
"I wonder what would've been the result if I'd asked him instead. It would've made for a great Fray encounter."
With those words, the mysterious old man turned and left in a release of multicolored light, later leaving the requisite documents at the Fuyuki municipal building for the adoption of one Shirou Emiya by an old friend of his deceased first adoptive father, and altering the memories of those in attendance at the funeral to accept that notion, even if some of them, an excitable high school girl in particular, did not particularly like it.
In a small forest situated by a large desert, a ring of light suddenly appeared, followed by an orange-haired young man flying out of the circle vertically, before falling back to the ground, the circle fading as he exited it. Dazed, he stayed on the ground for a few moments before he registered a voice calling out to him. Groaning, he picked himself up before turning around to respond to whoever was speaking. And then blinked. In front of him were two large...bird...things. With terrifyingly large beaks that looked sharp enough to tear and maim flesh and two large, well-muscled legs adorned with razor sharp claws that could cripple a man with but a kick, the young man was understandably perturbed when one of the monsters looked at him with a hungry(or was it curious?) look in its eyes.
"I said, are you alright, lad?"
Looking towards the voice, he realized that a carriage was attached to the creatures, denoting it was, in fact, acting as some sort of horse. Strangely, at the reins of the horsebirds, there appeared to be only a potato where the carriage driver would sit, followed by the passenger area, with two white-haired twins whose individual sexes could not be determined at a glance, and a tanned, blonde man with a beard. The man beckoned him over to the back of the carriage and helped him up, as the carriage began moving along, seemingly without a driver at the reins.
"I saw you pop out of that circle lad. Looks like your teleport spell was disrupted during your voyage. I have to say, it's the first time I've seen such a thing happen in person, instead of as a story told around a table at some gods forsaken tavern or another. You alright?"
"I'm fine sir, thank you. Just a bit disorientated is all." Shaking his head as if to clear his mind, the youth responded.
"Must've been the effects of the aether then. You'll get used to it, don't worry. Sorry, I hope you don't mind joining me to Ul'dah do you? Them young'uns don't care much for conversation, see."
Having been assaulted with foreign term after term, Shirou Emiya decided to simply go with the flow and see where it would take him, after all, he had decided to forego any introduction as to where he was going or what it would be like. Having realized that he was being subjected to the Second True Magic while falling through the gap between dimensions, he simply decided to not draw much attention to himself for the time being and nodded as a response.
Before the grizzled passenger across from him could respond however, two more of the horsebirds, each with a rider atop them, flanked the carriage, and a voice from further in front of the vehicle barked at them.
"You there...Halt!"
Suddenly, a voice came from the direction of the potato on the driver's seat.
"What's all this about?"
"Inspection! Men, search the carriage!"
A man with his face obscured by his mask came around to the back of the carriage as Shirou slowly tensed up, prepared to help protect the friendly man in front of him and the twins off to the man's left if need be, although how much he intended to do as a twelve-year old was a cause for concern. The grizzled passenger however, calmly turned to the man with a confident smile on his face.
"I'm just an honest peddler, friend. So, er... don't be too disappointed if you don't find nothin' eh?"
The masked man simply put his hand on the scimitar hanging by his waist and told him to shut up, albeit in a more threatening manner than described here. He then took a pouch from behind his back and then turned to the man riding on the horsebird that had formerly been in front of the carriage, having moved to the back sometime during the conversation and waving the pouch to him.
"Sir look! Somnus!"
Sharing a smirk between them, the mounted man turned to the bearded man.
"Honest peddler, was it? Since when do honest peddlers deal in prohibited herbs? You're in a lot of trouble, old man. You'll rot in a dungeon till the end of your days...unless you can afford the fine."
Shaking his head at the blatant corruption but still smiling all the while, the man turned to Shirou and sighed.
"Heh, business as usual..."
Before anyone could say more, Shirou noticed a glint headed for the man from behind him. Reaching out and warning him, the man just barely missed having an arrow lodged in his back, and cried out at the offending projectile now stuck firmly in the carriage floor. Further behind him, another masked soldier was running towards them, closely followed by what appeared to be lizardmen, one of which holding the bow that had shot the arrow towards them.
"Amalj'aa! Amalj'aa! To arms! To arms!"
Turning towards the runner, the mounted man, evidently the captain or equivalent of the band of soldiers, grimaced.
"Seven hells...Consider this a warning! Now go––all of you!"
Wasting no time, the carriage sped off, while the soldiers drew blades and charged the two beastmen evidently called Amalj'aa. After some distance had gone by, the grizzled old man across from him finally relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew, that kind of excitement ain't good for the heart. You be careful around them Brass Blades, lad." Evidently referring to the men from earlier, Shirou nodded. "Bastards'll have the shirt off your back if they fancy it. Like common bandits they are, only less honest. Thank the gods for sendin' some beastmen to the rescue, eh?" Snorting, the man carried on. "Figuring now's about a time as any, Brendt's the name, an' peddlin's me trade." Giving Shirou a glance-over, he continued. "An' judgin' by your unusual garments, I'll wager you're one of them new adventurers."
Confused at his statement, Shirou looked down, and once more, for the second time that day, stopped. And blinked. Zelretch had evidently aged him physically by five or so years, causing him to grow to around 167 centimeters, or about 5'6", to use the imperial standard. He was furthermore garbed in what was most definitely not funeral wear, instead being a white tunic belted around his waist with pouches hanging off the side, in addition to black leather thighboots and shorts. Curiously, there was a brown leather strap from his right shoulder to just over his heart on his shirt for seemingly no reason other than for looks. He also noticed that there was a weathered short sword on his waist. Nodding to Brendt, he idly wondered how he hadn't noticed it until then, before chalking it up to his initial disorientation upon arrival. Smiling, Brendt continued.
"I knew it! Goin' wherever the wind blows, seekin' fortune an' glory––now that's what I call livin'! So long as you can avoid dyin', I mean. Ain't no secret that adventurin's a risky business––these days especially. What was it that first attracted you to it?"
Pausing to think for a bit, Shirou decided on an answer.
"I need power. Power so I can be a hero of justice!" Stating it as if it was the most natural thing in the world, Shirou didn't notice Brendt giving him a strange look.
"Like protectin' the weak, an' fightin' for what's right, an' all that? Well, adventurers do get up to a lot of fightin', that's for sure. You'll never be short of a chance to polish your warcraft in the adventurin' business. When you arrive in town, you'd best enroll at the Adventurer's Guild––they'll set you on the right path. An' it wouldn't hurt to join a guild, neither. Ul'dah's home to a few, so if you fancy learnin' how to fight with a sword, your fists, or even spells, you should think about seekin' one out. Just remember, though: there's things more important than fortune an' glory. Such as breathin'. Ain't no profit, nor saving more people, in bein' dead, and that's a fact. By the by, is this your first trip to Ul'dah?"
"Never even heard of it before."
Finally dropping the bombshell, he'd been sitting on since he first heard of unfamiliar terms, Shirou continued to shock his fellow passengers. "Don't know what you mean by aether, either. And I certainly do not know how we're moving when no one's at the reins and two horsebird-things at the front. Gaping at the young man, Brendt simply slowly shook his head, while the sibling with the blue knot and green collar raised an eyebrow and turned to him, the first sign that he acknowledged his presence the entire ride.
"Gods...you mean to tell me that you don't know about chocobos?" Shirou shaked his head. "Or the aether?" Another shake. "An' you can't even recognize a lalafell when you see one?" As Shirou replied in the negative, Brendt sighed, exasperated. " Your memories must've been jumbled up when the aether kicked you out then. I'm assuming you don't know where you are, either? Don't bother answering that, I know the answer already." Digging around in the bags by the carriage, he took out a compass, two maps, and a parchment featuring various men and women of varying heights, skin tones, and facial structure, along with some more potatoes similar to what was at the driver's reins. "Seein' as we got time before we reach the city, I'll just explain to ya the state of the realm. Just don't fall asleep on me, lad, I'm not one fer teachin'."
For the next half-hour, Brendt explained to Shirou, in abridged detail, about Eorzean history, as well as the various races, before starting the explanation on Ul'dah.
"Seein' as this is your first time coming to Ul'dah, why don't you let this journeyed itinerant tell you the ins an' outs of your destination. Ul'dah's ruled by the sultana in name, but as most folks know, the Syndicate holds all the real power. Them and their monetarist cronies would happily get rid of Her Majesty altogether, but that won't happen while she still commands the loyalty of the Royalists–an' the Royalists are nothin' if not loyal. These factions have long fought over power, throwin' the weight of their wealth against each other, an' they show no sign of stoppin'. Course the lizardmen–that's the Amalj'aa–couldn't care less about Ul'dahn politics. They have their own interests, see–an' they ain't afraid to use force to serve 'em. They say war is a gift to peddlers–need breedin' profit–an' though it shames me to say it, I'm inclined to agree..." Turning over his shoulder, Brendt gave a smile as he turned back to Shirou. "Ah, at long last. Behold Ul'dah, jewel of Thanalan, where folk turn sand into gold!"
Passing through a gate and rounding the bend, the city slowly came into view. And what a view it was. With architecture that vaguely reminded him of pictures of the Taj Mahal Kiritsugu had shown him, Shirou was still left breathless at the sight, appearing like a rose standing in defiance to the sun-baked desert all around him. Getting off the carriage, Brendt turned to Shirou, while the twins walked off into the city.
"An' here's where we part ways lad. I'm off to the markets to deliver me wares, then it's on to the highroad for me. In addition to the maps and the compass, which I want you to keep if only so you don't get horribly lost, I want you to have this–by way of thanks for puttin' up with me prattle and providin' me with some entertainment. You never did tell me your name, though. Hey, but here's an idea...Become the sort of storied personage I can brag about havin' met, an' I'll consider us square."
Reaching into his pocket, Brendt gave him a ring with a dark gem set within, before turning and walking into the city. Glancing at the ring, Shirou was startled to realize that it had minor enchantments that boosted the wearer's ability to discern weak spots, similar to a quick Structural Analysis except weaker in power yet constantly active for as long as the ring was equipped. Quickly putting it on, Shirou turned and walked towards the massive entrance, hoping to find the Adventurer's Guild that Brendt had mentioned earlier. As he passed through the gates, he heard a voice call out to him, for the second time that day.
"Oi, 'venturer! Over here!" With the feeling that such things had only begun Shirou turned towards the source, a dusty-haired man with decidedly stylish shades leaning against a lamppost, and walked towards him, beginning the start of a journey that would take him all over the continent, and start him on the path of being a hero.
Hey there. This is the result of bored thoughts leading up to designing a basic concept storyboard and everything for a crossover between Type Moon's most famous cash cow franchise and Square Enix's massive failure that turned into a massive success. Or at least I think so. It was also born out of a desire to write an FFXIV fic that wasn't some sort of self-insert/crossover that took place in Eorzea but wasn't using the MMORPG aspect that's been ever so popular since SAO got animated all the way back in my freshman year of high school. And then exploded with popularity as soon as the Occulus Rift became a thing and VR headsets by 2022 didn't seem so impossible anymore.
In any case I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Updates will start off every month or so, but once I reach patch 2.55's storyline it'll probably slow down to every 3 months or so, to leave enough time for the next expansion, which is currently my goal as to how long I'll keep writing this. Damn you, MMOs, and your inability to be beaten. After all, when's the last time you heard of someone beating/playing EverQuest?
Tata for now,
Yusao
P.S Yes, I had to get in that SAO Abridged reference.