A/N: Hey Peeps. Sorry it took me a bit to get this one out, but as I said before, I would get the next chapter out this week as an apology for not doing so last week. Also, I am dividing the Feast of Kings into a three-part event. Now for a quick Reviewer Review:
1.) The whole thing about the Clocktower finding out about Shirou's status as Akasha's Gatekeeper, yeah, no. They will find out about it, but it won't be until Zelretch tells them about it. I won't say anymore than that for now, as it would ruin a bit of a plot device I have in the works.
2.) That whole 'filler chapter' thing about Agatha and Johanne, what makes you think the two of them are simply background characters? True, they might just be simple side characters, but they will have a major role to play later, after Shirou and Godou finally finish laying the ground work for their new mages association. It's still a bit of a ways off, but it's about halfway fleshed out in its foundation. Just need him to meet a few more of his peers before they actually formally found it. Ya can't rush things like that.
Not many reviews that required me to do many responses, But don't forget the poll currently live right now. Vote for what you'd like for the next omake at the end of the Feast of Kings to be. Now onto the disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own 'Campione!', 'FATE', or any other franchise referenced in this fic. Any similarities to other fanfics in this site is most likely because the scenarios were derived from them and credited as used to the best of my abilities. All copyrighted works are the respective properties of their respective publishers, creators, and authors. This is an AU of Marcus Galen Sands 'God Slaying Blade Works', with a heavy emphasis on 'WHAT IF', using ideas from other fics credited as used, with a meshing of Canon lore from both wiki, along with my own original ideas thrown into the mix. This is a FREE, FANFIC of a FANFIC, meaning an UNPAID, FAN-MADE FICTION of a FAN-MADE FICTION. If you paid to read this, then you got ripped off. If you do not like it then you do not have to read it. Nobody is making you.
And now onto the story:
Story Start
God Slaying Blade Works: The King of Wrought Iron
Twenty-second Blade: Feast of Kings Part I
Emiya Manor-Morning before the Feast of Kings
Shirou P.O.V.
I had gotten up rather early this morning, or at least earlier than I usually do. While I normally get up about an hour or two before the sun even rises, this time I got up three hours before it did. While I had the chance, I decided to try something that I had never done before: work on creating new swords within the [Unlimited Blade Works]. In addition to my normal morning routine, I decided to try this out for the first time personally. While EMIYA had done this plenty of times before, it would be my first time, plus he did his work over the course of centuries to get to the point he had gotten, while I was simply mooching off of his accumulated experience to work with and accelerate my own growth. The only things I have over him currently is my greatly enhanced reserves, my servant level physical ability, my greater training as a blacksmith, better mastery at handling weapons of various types, and a slightly wider repertoire in mage craft. Suffice to say, it was not enough to surpass him, at least not by very much, and something tells me he wouldn't let that technicality it slide either.
After spending about an hour in real world time doing just that, I decided to start my normal workout, but just before I did, I noticed there was something off about my inner world, so I decided to dive deeper into it to check it out just for a bit…
Iron and Steel, Ash and Ember…
Hammer striking Anvil, continuously, mechanically…
Monolithic gears impossibly turning perpetually, within a sky of Eternal Dawn…
A Hill of Swords...
An Armory of a World greater than any other…
A series of statues, taking center stage atop the hill…
The center of this world, with three new additions…
Three statues, three swords…
One is a Holy Man among Blacksmiths, the Sword Saint…
One is a Heretic to the sacred craft, the Demon Swordsmith…
The last however, is not a human in the slightest…
But a Daemon in the form of an Asura, six arms, three faces…
The left face is a Demon with rust red hair and molten golden eyes…
The right face is a god with Ash white hair and steely silver eyes…
But the center face, is human, with half red and half white hair…
His left eye is gold while his right is silver…
His name is…
I suddenly started and came to in my dojo as I realized just what I had seen within my inner world. I could not believe just what I had seen...[Xiphos]' true whole form before he fragmented his soul...he was an Asura who had both long been forgotten by the world, and who held the traits of human, demon, and god all in one...an existence of a trinity of a trinity...its no wonder he chose me as both his heir and successor. I had twenty-seven magic circuits exactly. In numerology, the key number here would be three. It is the prime number that represents the trinity that all divinities in all pantheons base their reign over. For some, it represents the sun, the moon, and the world; others, the sky, the earth, and the sea. In Christiandom, it represents the trinity of the heavens, the earth, and the netherworld, a representation of the domains of god, humans, and demons. Regardless of ones faith or beliefs, it is the prime number representing the power of the Father, the Saints and the Holy Spirit. It also represents the three powers of God in Christian—Wait-a-minute...no, just no. Not happening, that is not possible. I did NOT just inherit the position of the Big G, I am NOT the new Big G...Root-dammit, this is just not funny…
Few hours later
After I finally calmed down by venting a good deal of my stress of my discovery via going through my normal(read more aggressive) training routine for the morning, I started to cook for the entire household to productively vent the rest of me stress away. I do not let anybody except Sakura or anyone else who can at least cook into the kitchen, and right now, I was beginning to feel thankful for that. Cooking is something I have always done in my household growing up. As much as I loved and respected him, but there was one indisputable truth that could never be denied: my old man was a terrible cook. Even Fuji-nee was not much better than him, albeit just barely. The one and only time I ever ate her cooking, Fuji-nee left me with complete amnesia of what the hell I ate as my mind flat out purged the memory in order to protect what was left of my mind after the fire...it was that bad. But at least she could make something though, even if it wasn't edible in the slightest; Kiritsugu nearly burnt the house down trying to boil water and somehow managed to catch the water on fire. Whatever mystery he used to pull that off, I don't know, nor did I ever find out what it was as it was one of the many secrets he took with him to the grave.
Since nobody else could cook worth a damn, I took it upon myself to do so in order to at least have a healthy diet and avoid the fate of having to subside off of take out. I honestly found it relaxing actually, as it was a means to keep the hands busy while letting the mind wander. A good thing to do, given the black hole that was Arturia Pendragon's stomach. She could have eaten me out of house and home literally back during the Grail War, and that was before she got pregnant with my child. And given how [Futsunushi] was a goddess of steel, fortune, and homemaking, I am fairly sure it is going to take a lot of food to keep them both sated.
Suffice to say, with both Arturia and [Futsunushi] now taking up residence within the manor, and with them both currently pregnant, I will most certainly have to be increasing my budget for food expenses. As Arturia would say, 'hunger is the enemy'. Thinking about them made me remember the whole feminine wrath I suffered by the other girls. I actually managed to feel a bit of pain from that beating I took physically, but the psychological pain from whole terror of it was far worse. It took a lot of explanation from Arturia, [Futsunushi] and myself to explain that Zelretch pulled a fast one on us. As thankful as I was to him for bringing Arturia back to me, I was still going to turn him into a pin cushion when I next saw him.
As I began to finish up the feast of a breakfast I made, the other residents of the Emiya manor began to wake up to the smell of my cooking…
"Good Gods King Emiya...just what is the special occasion to warrant so much food. I know that your first wife has made her reappearance and has you in such a good mood, but this is just too much food..." Aegeus made his arrival before everyone else. He was the member of the Circle whom I personally liked the best. Just like his namesake, he was a guardian through and through. He was the only one besides Agatha who opposed the Circle's attempt to try and enslave me by taking Illya captive, and the only one aside from her to flat out refuse to aid or participate in the plan. He was also the first to submit to the proposal I made to get the Circle to submit to me. While his words might seem as disrespectful towards me, he simply does not see the point in beating around the bush or sugar coating things. In that regards, he is my favorite among the Circle.
As he sat down in order to get himself some breakfast, I also made him a cup of coffee to help him wake up a bit in order to help with the final preparations. I also answered his question as I did so...
"While normally you would be right about me making too much food, you should know that Arturia eats so much more than you would think. She is a glutton to the point her stomach is an absolutely confirmed and veritable black hole. Then again, she does have the blood of a dragon flowing through her veins, so I guess it's only to be expected for her to have an appetite to match. And that was before she became an expecting mother Aegeus."
I did not even need to continue, as the man whom was an actual descendant of [Ajax] himself winced at that particular thought. I found out from him when he submitted to the enforced servitude the Circle underwent that Aegeus' ancestor was none other than the famed hero [Ajax] himself. While he might have been this world's version of the greatest opponent to Hektor of Troy, it was still enough of a resemblance to make him seem like a dead ringer for the Hero of the Trojan War from what I gleamed from [Rho Aias]' history of its original wielder. He was a slightly younger and more laid back version, but otherwise an absolute mirror image of [Ajax].
"...I do not envy you, my King." I did not even need to ask why he winced, as his face said it all. I knew full well what I was most likely going to be getting myself into, but did it anyway. The best I could do was to keep them happy to the best of my ability, and try to mitigate any damages done from any infighting they might do. Suffice to say, there was a reason why I sympathized with Godou-san as much as I did. Not long after Aegeus said that, the rest of the Emiya household began to come in for breakfast.
Sakura and Medusa sat next to one another. Illya and Herakles followed right behind them. I noticed [Futsunushi] and Arturia brought up the rear. A few minutes later, and one Tohsaka Rin dragged her feet along the ground like a zombie as she began to slowly wake up. I had already made her coffee in order to help her wake up this morning and gave it to her. To say it was not amusing to watch her transform from a walking zombie whom was dead to the world into a beautiful, slowly waking young woman was a lie. Idly I cannot help but think back to the rumors about her family being the descendants of vampires and find it humorous about how such a rumor might have been started by this normal waking ritual of Rin's, if it was something that ran in her family. Her ancestor was Zelretch's student, yet it would be funny how her attitude in the morning might be the cause of the rumors of her family's supposed vampiric lineage. It wouldn't be a stretch if her ancestor was the same, as magic crests do tend to slightly alter the mindset of those who have them with the personality traits of its previous owner. That is the reason why attempting to incorporate them is so risky, and why not even Zelretch would take another Dead Apostles Magic Crest and add it to his own. He didn't want somebody else mind messing with his own.
Shaking my head mentally to shrug of such unimportant thoughts as everybody got settled in, I started to bring out the food with a little help from Aegeus before getting my own. I also smirked a bit when I saw his and [Futsunushi]'s reaction to Arturia's eating habits, though I hid it behind my own drink as I figured that would be their reaction. The breakfast was a traditional Eastern and Western spread, with Japanese and Chinese food representing the Eastern half and the traditional British and Greek foods for the Western half. Simply put, I was trying to give everyone a little taste of home in the form of a home-cooked breakfast. The sight of everyone happily enjoying my food was enough to put a smile on my own face, especially with Arturia gracefully snatching food quickly without ever slipping from her regal and graceful appearance. I could not help but chuckle at the nostalgic sight of her eating habits. Shaking my head, I decided it was time to try and get things moving forward for the big event to take place later…
"Okay, now that everyone is here, I think its time to get things prepared. Arturia, [Futsunushi], there was a reason I had to do a rush order in order to make a wardrobe for you two. Everybody else, the attire I ordered for each of you has came in and most of the preparations are finally finished. All that is left is to set up and prepare for this evening, as well as the three guests coming for tonight that the Committee has to bring from the Netherworld." I did not even need to explain, as [Futsunushi] had already told them about [Susanoo no Mikoto], [Muramasa Sengo], and [Masamune Mifune] coming for the event tonight.
Arturia looked interested in the whole event I was planning, especially when she found out I was hosting a 'Feast of Kings' just like how the Rider of the [Fourth Holy Grail War] had done with her and that golden bastard. To say she wasn't surprised I had somehow become a king after arriving in this world would have been an understatement. She wasn't surprised in the slightest; if anything, she only seemed surprised it took this long for me to become one. The fact there was also seven others like myself in this world did shock her though, especially when she found out this world was still within an Age of the Gods and had yet to reach an Age of Heroes, much less an Age of Man. Apparently Zelretch hadn't told her about that particular tidbit, making her mutter something about Merlin and his pranks. I pity the Wizard Marshal when he shows himself again. He not only angered me, but also Arturia, Rin, Illya, Medusa, and Sakura all in one go. Not to mention he made a very bad impression with Aya and Oda-san. Suffice to say, I do not pity the wrath he will suffer from angering so many powerful women all in one go. In fact, I would join them in making my displeasure known to the vampire/troll in the form of various anti-immortal and anti-magic weapons my vast arsenal contains being rained down upon him as he is impaled by an iron rain...unfortunately even that would not be enough to kill him or even successfully wound him for more than a short while at best…
Moving on, I lay out today's general plan for everybody, especially in preparations for the event to be held this evening. Renji was still in the middle of procuring the beverages for the feast with Renji's forced vacation(read paid suspension) finally ending tonight. As soon as the party starts, Aegeus will be given his much deserved break to rest for the time being. I also had the meeting with the Committee and their explanation of how they planned to partially summon [Susanoo no Mikoto] onto the mortal plane of existence. From my understanding, they wished to do so this evening and give him a temporary partial manifestation upon the mortal realm, and decided to do so a few hours before the feast itself.
All in all, everything was going rather smoothly so far, but that was what put me slightly on edge. If nothing was going wrong, then something was not right; my luck is never this good. Murphy's Law states that anything that could possibly go wrong can and will, but the fact that nothing has yet is disconcerting to say the least. If my track record is anything to go by, whenever something good starts to come my way, it is usually followed by something bad. The longer the run of good fortune I have, the bigger the other shoe is when it drops...I'm just worrying about the size of the shoe that's going to drop at this rate…
Later That Afternoon
"...and that is essentially how it will work, if you understand, Lady Tohsaka."
"Hmm, interesting, so by making a contract so to speak with a benevolent or at the very least a friendly deity, you can partially summon him if you need to speak with one?"
"That's pretty much the simplified explanation, but yes you're right." The representative from the Committee explained to Rin as he confirmed what she asked. Honestly, the whole thing went completely over my head for the most part, as I was never one for magic theory. My element and my origin were best suited to learning by doing, not by lectures. I almost nodded off a few times there too…
"So just to be clear, [Susanoo] wishes to be summoned through this method in order to meet with me? Did he say why?" Reki asked with obvious confusion on his face. The fact he didn't know made it a bit disconcerting for me how a god even knew about him and requested to meet with him specifically…
"I am afraid I am not privy to that information. All I know was he was asked to be summoned and had two guests to his territory whom wished to meet with King Emiya while he only agreed to their request if he got to meet with the Commander here. I apologize for not knowing more King Emiya..." The agent from the Committee bowed in apology to me, but I simply waved him off.
"Don't worry about it. Trying to figure out what goes on within the minds of a god is tantamount to trying to figure out how to get Zelretch to do anything that he doesn't want to do: utterly futile. Even I don't know how to get that trolling old bastard to do anything without trying to prank people while he does it, and even then, if it doesn't interest him, then he won't do it." I told the man, and he slightly seemed apprehensive about my comparison...the Committee didn't have anything to do with Zelretch's little 'prank' now, would they…
"A-anyway, I'll start the summoning ritual now. Please stand back a bit now if you'd please." Stepping back, we all stood back about a few feet while the Committee began to perform their ritual. After a few minutes, a trio of apparition-like images began to form before solidifying into a semi-tangible form. It was a trio of men who manifested.
The first two looked a lot like me, which made me understand almost instantly why they wished to meet with me. One wore a Red and dark brown ensemble with his chest exposed and his right arm covered with a red arm cover and a white kimono draped over his shoulders like a mantle. His belt had blacksmithing tools hanging from it, and based on their history, his name was unmistakable. He had rusty auburn red hair and molten golden eyes: the Demon Swordsmith, [Muramasa Sengo]...
The other wore a mostly white and silver outfit that unlike his counterpart fully hid his chest and gave him some measure of decency. His belt also had the tools of his trade hanging from it, and just like with his fellow, gave no lie as to his identity. He had pure ash-white hair and steely silver eyes: the Sword Saint, [Masamune Mifune]...
The last one seemed like an older-looking man, about late thirties, early forties, but was built like a brick shit house. He had a mess of black hair that hung wildly almost like it was suffering a bad case of bed head. He had a scraggly beard that gave off a roguish appearance. He had on a mostly white kimono with a dark gray accent, along with a series of Buddhist prayer beads like a belt and a sake gourd hanging from it. He also wore a necklace with a domoe magatama bead hanging from it. I also noticed he had a rather familiar looking pair of Chinese dao pian...one black, the other white...no way...This guy was without a doubt [Susanoo no Mikoto], but that pair of swords were unmistakable to me…[Kanshou] and [Bakuya]...or rather…
"...[Gan Jing] and [Mo Ye]..." I could not help but utter in complete admiration and sadness as I laid eyes upon those two swords and instantly knew who the Japanese God of Storms other incarnation was. He seemed to tense at the mention of those names, before he noticed my gaze wasn't directed at him, but at the two Chinese falchions strapped to his hips. He actually seemed sad when I noticed them, and for a brief instant, what I saw was not [Susanoo no Mikoto] or even the tragic blacksmith [Gan Jing], but for a single moment, I swore I saw Kiritsugu's battle-weary face...and it made my glass heart begin to break slightly at the sight of his pain… "...she doesn't blame you, so you shouldn't have to feel regret over it, nor should you blame yourself if she doesn't..."
That made everybody stare at me in confusion, but [Susanoo] simply stared at me in disbelief, before he realized what I was saying and how I knew it. "So, you can hear it then...you can hear the voices of the souls within blades...you are most definitely a true blacksmith, if you can sense the [sentience of steel] to such an extent that you can even sense the lingering will of a sword's soul and purpose for existence..." He smiled sadly as he said this, though he seemed to feel somewhat better that I said it after he realized I could sense it from the sword itself. After all, nobody knows swords better than I do.
"All swords can tell quite the tales of those who wielded them or even those whose blades they've crossed paths with, if you know how to listen to them." I simply give him my honest reply, to which the God of Storms simply smiles in appreciation of my words. [Muramasa] and [Masamune] simply looked at our interaction in approval, as they seemed to know what I said already, but decided to let me be the one to tell them, before the Demon Swordsmith decided to butt in…
"Ya see, told ya to stop moping a long time ago. Then again, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that the boy was able to sense it. Am I right, 'Old Friend'?"
"While I would not have put it so crassly, you have a point. There was never a point to blame yourself for the past, [Gan Jing]. It was not your fault, so stop blaming yourself for something that was not within your control to stop." The Sword Saint's words caused a stir from the Committee, as they were not even aware of this aspect of [Susanoo]'s divinity apparently. But given the tragic story behind those two swords, it was simply to be expected.
"Anyway, why did you two wish to meet with me anyway. And why request permission to attend this feast for?" I requested from both famed blacksmiths. I was respectful in my question, and simply stated it with a desire to know their reason. The two simply looked at each other, exchanging a series of words in a matter of seconds simply through eye contact, before nodding and looked at me with a look that told me the reason was a serious one as they answered at the exact same time…
"Because you, Emiya Shirou, are our descendant."
…
…..
…..
….
…..
….
"...SAY WHAAAAATT?!"
The complete shock and utter disbelief that scream alone made everybody cover their ears as they tried to protect their eardrums from rupturing by my shout alone….
Scene Change
Outside the Emiya Manor-An hour before the Feast
IT was hiding in the shadows, waiting, biding ITs time in order to fulfill ITs purpose. IT hungered for the power it was created to take, and ITs offshoots were just barely containing their desire to feed. IT just barely kept ITself from simply storming through and devouring the powerful ones who dwelt there. But IT knew better. IT had to keep hidden for now. IT could not afford to move yet, regardless of just how hungry IT was. IT only had to wait a little more, before the feast would begin, and IT would have a bloody banquet of their souls to feed off of.
IT sensed a trio of powerful individual souls, surrounded by slightly weaker yet still powerful souls moving across the city. IT would finally feed soon. IT would have the feast of souls from the Kings whom IT was created to oppose. ITs creator made IT solely for the purpose of stealing the very power of the Kings whom had wronged ITs creator.
IT would soon feast on these powerful souls. All IT had to do was just wait patiently for just a little longer…
Just a little more...and the Banquet of Carnage would begin...A Feast of Souls at its finest…
Scene Change
Emiya Manor
Shirou P.O.V.
After calming down a bit after that shocking tidbit of information, we split up for the time being. I went with [Muramas] and [Masamune] as Reki went off to speak with [Susanoo]. After it started to get a bit too close to time to start getting ready for the feast, We began to get ready by dressing up in the custom clothing I had custom tailored, along with the gifts I had prepared for my fellow Campione. I was dressed up in a similar suit to the one Kiritsugu used to wear for business and battle in the form of a black suit with a black dress shirt, black pants, black shoes and a black tie. To offset the black, I also had a white and blue mantle in the form of a half-cape hanging from my shoulders down to the small of my back along with a red scarf wrapped around my neck. The [Shroud of Martin] was still wrapped around my left arm, albeit mostly hidden behind my sleeve to my shirt and jacket to my suit with only a small section peeking out as it wrapped around my left hand.
I also had a custom embroidery tailored into the back of the mantle I wore in the form of a custom symbol that best represents me: an anvil with a sword stabbed into it within a circle notched on the outer edge in the form of a gear. I figured this would be the best symbol to have on the mantle in question and best reflect the nature of my magic. After all, it was symbolic of the maker's mark I placed upon all the weapons, armor, and tools I made myself. It was the symbol of the Master Blacksmith of the Wrought Iron Forge. I figured it would be perfect for me, given that it was the name of the business I asked the Committee to help me make.
I also saw the girls dressed in their respective custom attire I ordered specially for them. Bazett was in her typical business suit that she wore for her enforcer work but with the same modifications as the last one she wore when meeting with Oda-san for the first time. Caren was wearing also wearing a similar outfit, albeit with a few changes to make it a bit more protective of her with the number of enchantments to keep both her and our unborn child safe. As for Medusa, Rin, and Sakura, they were also wearing a similar attire, but this time with a few more embellishments in the form of jewelry enchanted with various more protections. As for Illya, Aya, and Oda-san, they were also given new outfits, but this time with reflections of themselves. Illya wore a dress that was so much like the Dress of Heaven in appearance, it would actually make one do a double take to make sure it wasn't that Mystic Code. While appearance-wise it looked like it, it wasn't, though it was a protective Mystic Code that a helped safeguard her from harm.
As for Aya and Oda-san, they both wore a dress that accented their beauty in the most complimenting manner possible. While Aya seemed quite a bit concerned with the prosthetic leg she had being on display, I convinced her there was nothing to be ashamed of. Oda-san seemed rather hesitant to wear a dress, since she was a bit of a major tomboy, yet she wore it simply because she couldn't stand the thought of not trying to be more feminine. True, she may have been a tomboy, but that didn't mean she didn't feel the need to be girly. They both were beautiful in their own rights. Aya's had the Dragoon's color and emblem on the back f her dress, while Oda's had the Kuhoutsuka family crest and was in its colors.
As for Arturia and [Futsunushi], they were both dressed in what could be called a classic 'East meets West' fashion. Arturia was wearing a royal blue and golden dress that accented her new mature curves perfectly with her family crest of the Red Dragon on the back. As for [Futsunushi], her dress was that of the typical traditional Japanese hime-miko in the form of a shrine priestess, albeit with a slightly more risque fashion while still embodying the ideal Japanese beauty of Yamato Nadeshiko.
As for Herakles, he was actually dressed up pretty well. He wore an attire that was best described as a perfect combination of a barbaric warrior with the elegance of a modern gentleman. He wore a custom tailored short-sleeved dress shirt with dress shorts. Though on him, the short sleeves may as well have been sleeveless with how short they were on him. While he might not have needed them, he wore sandals to wear on his feet, if for no other reason than propriety. He also had his usually wild mane of black hair combed and styled into a slightly less messy than its usual appearance. All in all, Herc pulled off a seemingly impossible look by blending his warrior origins with modern trends in civility. He actually gave off a roguish charm that screamed hardened warrior. I was impressed...though I just had to tease him a bit…
"So Herc. Tell me, what made you decide to dress up so good for, hmmm? Could it be it wasn't just a certain warrior woman whom felt a little chemistry?"
I could not help the smirk of victory at the sudden embarrassed spluttering the reincarnated Son of Zeus began as he tried to defend his actions. "W-wha-?! I don't know what you're talking about!" The words he said didn't have any weight behind them simply due to the sheer blush that apparently burned its way up his face. Oh, I am so going to milk this one for all its worth...It's official, Archer has corrupted me…
"I'm just teasing you, though I can see it might not have been a one-sided thing on either party's side now, though." I said with a very Cheshire grin that would have made the Cheshire Cat himself proud. Before Herakles could say anything else though, the first guest for tonight arrived...and it was enough to make him shut up to avoid embarrassing himself further.
"This Luo Hao is impressed with your invitation, King Emiya. Though I have to say, the preparations for this Feast of Kings is most certainly not lost on this Luo Cuillion." None other than the Empress of the Martial Realm herself appeared, and she was making quite the entrance at that. She appeared within a storm of Sakura petals using her mastery of the Daoist Arts. While it was most certainly a very flashy and interesting method of traveling, I still had just one thing to say in response…
"I have to say, that was quite the entrance, Luo Hao, though I must say, you're a bit early. The Feast doesn't officially start for another ten minutes."
"This Luo Hao felt it would not be right to arrive any less than a few minutes early. It is better to be early than it would be to be on time." The Empress if the Martial Realm stated in response, and while I only noticed it just now, she was also dressed up rather similarly to Herakles was: functional yet also fashionable. The smirk I felt tugging at the corners of my lips all but confirmed my suspicions as I noticed the two of them actively avoiding trying to look at each other. It took all my will power not to tease the two love birds for this one, though I knew I would be a hypocrite if I did and my own girls would call me out on it if I did.
Next to her was her student, Lu Linghua. I had heard how he had been of help, though I also heard of his rather lazy disposition and his disrespectful attitude towards women in general. While I acknowledge his skills, I also make t a point to try and get him to understand not to pull anything, though given his apparent soreness and the obvious limp from favoring his right side, I'd say he probably suffered his punishment for such antics from his master already.
As the two walked over, I idly waited as Luo Hao and Herakles made some small talk to pass the time. Oh yeah, those two got it bad. A rather bad case of the love bug. Chuckling slightly under my breathe and shaking my head. I turn to join the discussion by asking what types of food the Chinese King preferred. After talking about different types of cuisine for a few more minutes, one of the servants comes by and announces that Godou-san has arrived.
As I suspected, Godou-san brought Blandelli-san, Kranjar-san, both Mariya sisters, Ena-san, and even Hikari-chan. His sister was dressed in what could be described as a rather cute dress. It was by far something that accented her perfectly. But regardless of how she dressed, I was not going to lay a finger on her unless she was legally old enough to marry. If she was still interested in me at that time, then we would see what happened.
After they were introduced, Godou-san and his entourage walked up to me. "Hey there Emiya-san. Been a while since I've been to your house again. Though I've got to say, that training method you recommended was very helpful, although there was only one slight problem with it...every time I drop the thing, that bokutou you made me keeps putting a big hole in the ground to be filled."
I noticed how much Yuri-san was glaring at Godou-san as Hikari-chan gave him a sympathetic glance. I immediately figured out what the problem was without himeven needing to ask me. "Let me guess, you kept dropping it and causing a bunch of holes to be filled in at the Mariya Shrine Grounds, right?" When he winced, I knew I hit the nail on the head. "Godou-san, if you needed a place to train, I did not mind lending out my ranch to train at. It is both isolated enough to allow for some destructive training sessions for your authorities while simultaneously being close enough to contact you if anything were to come up." He seemed slightly surprised by my response before giving his answer.
"As much as I might appreciate it Emiya-san, I'm afraid I'll have to decline the offer. After all, I can't keep relying on you for stuff like that. I'll look into my own place to train without having to ask to borrow yours constantly. It might not be quite the same expanse of land as your Emiya Ranch, but it would be something I bought with my own money." Godou-san gave me with a form resolve to carry through, and I said no more on the subject. If he was dead set on attaining his own private training grounds, then I would not stop him from doing so. The third guest for the evening also appeared after his declaration. This one was just as flashy an entrance as Luo Hao's was…
"King Emiya, so glad to be invited to this feast you've put together." said guest stated as 'he' appeared within a furry of glowing wisps like fireflies. I instantly recognized those wisps as fae from this world, and understood it was one of the authorities that 'John Pluto Smith' had usurped that gave 'him' dominion over the realm of the fairies. Arturia actually looked impressed to see such a display, as it reminded her a bit of what happened whenever she used [Excalibur] and the fireflies of light that formed from the fae-forged sword's mana. In fact something weird happened next…
'A kindred...a child of steel…'
"...huh? King Emiya...why are these little sprite gathering around you and the lady next to you?" 'John Pluto Smith' actually asked in a bewildered manner. I looked and, lo and behold, there were a few of those firefly-like wisps gathering around Arturia and myself, much to everyone's gathered surprise and startled shock. But while everybody else was surprised or startled, Arturia had a wistful smile and I had a nostalgic feeling from them. That was when the words were said once again…
'A kindred...a child of steel...they are nostalgic to we faefolk...'
"Can you not hear the sounds of these little ones, John Pluto Smith? Their voices?" Arturia asked 'John Pluto Smith, much to 'his' surprise to learn we could hear them as well. 'He' actually turned to me and asked a simple question…
"King Emiya...why do this little sprites call your lovely lady friend 'a kindred' and you a 'child of steel'? Do you know why that may be?"
"Probably because Arturia has a connection to the fae, so these little ones see her as 'a kindred'. As for myself, probably because I happen to be in possession of a few powerful and ancient fae-forged artifacts. They see me as a 'child of steel' because in a sense, I am one. After all, in the aftermath of the Kyoto Disaster ten years ago, I was left a marked by the cursed fire from that day. Because of this, I am as much a human as I am a sword."
My answer actually got all of them to raise quite a few eyebrows in response to that one. While I wasn't technically lying, I was also omitting quite a few of the big details there. After all, Arturia had more than just a small or passing connection to the fae; she was the only human king to receive entrance to their domain upon her supposed demise due to her wounds at the Battle of Camlann. As for myself, that was actually not so much a lie as it was a half-truth. I wasn't lying, per-say, but I wasn't telling the whole story either. It was essentially a lie of omission, or a half-truth depending on your perspective. One way or the other, it was true, regardless of what I chose to leave out, I wasn't lying in the slightest. So the little ones should have no problems with my little refusal to give more than that.
Oddly enough, they seemed to really like me, and was wishing to stay with both myself and Arturia for the duration of 'John Pluto Smith's' stay at this feast. "...very well. These little ones are very picky about who they like to be near, so I won't question you about it. Fae do tend to be very distrusting of outsiders they don't like. How about we get this After-party started then?"
"Hold up John Pluto Smith. There is still one more quest who has yet to arrive here."
"But King Emiya, who are you talking about. This Luo Hao does not believe we are forgetting anyone." The Empress of the Martial Realm asked me with obvious confusion in her features. Before I had the chance to answer, the very individual I was referring to had arrived, causing quite the startlement from both Luo Hao and 'John Pluto Smith'. Right there, in the doorway to my home, was none other than the Queen of the Divine Ancestors, the Witch-queen of Briton herself…
"Glad you could make it, Lady Guinevere. Though you were cutting it quite close on the timing, you know." I said with a slight teasing tone.
"Guinevere apologizes for the delay, but Guinevere felt it would have been prudent to have waited until last before Guinevere made her entrance." Lady Guinevere was wearing a similar dress to the last time I saw her, only this time it was a light golden yellow Victorian-style dress with silver accents and a few royal blue ribbons here and there. Her red eyes actually gazed at Arturia, before she went wide-eyed in surprise. I had to suppress the chuckle I had to keep the fact the two of them seemed to recognize each other's appearance somewhat.
"So...you are Guinevere, are you not? My name is Arturia. Heroic Spirit Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights."
That declaration got Godou-san's entourage, John Pluto Smith, Lu Linghua, and even Luo Hao to suddenly stare at her and Lady Guinevere in complete shock at the revelation. They could not believe that King Arthur was a woman all this time. By the look of Lu Linghua's face, I would have thought he was going to have an apoplexy at the thought of the King Arthur Pendragon, the King of Knights from the Arthurian legend, was actually a very beautiful woman. And the fact she was also engaged to me made them even more shocked.
But it was Lady Guinevere's reaction that shocked the others present most of all…
"...by Heroic Spirit...do you by chance mean the legends themselves which the Gods themselves were born from?"
"Yes, that is correct. We Heroic Spirits are what some might call the original entities whom the Heretic Gods were derived from. Though not all Heroic Spirits were actually heroes. Some were anti-heroes, while others were dark heroes. As Shirou himself has no doubt said numerous times, there are all kinds of heroes. Simply put, think of me as the original existence from whence the Heretic God [Arthur Pendragon] was born from the legend of. Suffice to say, I am curious as to the god whom served as the prototype for the Heretic God that was birthed in my legend's image." The competive tone Arturia had left no doubt what her desire was. She wished to know if this Heretic God was worthy to wear her legend's mantle.
Oh, the look of absolute shock on everybody's faces was absolutely priceless right now. As much as I hated to do it though, I knew we had to get the feast started, much to my disappointment…
"As much as I would like to allow you all to speak, it is time to get the feast started. I would like for everybody to come to the courtyard out back. The feast will be held out there, with a wide selection of food for the feast. Feel free to select whichever you like, in the buffet style of food."
With that declaration, I got the guests to go to the backyard for the actual event. The look on their faces when they taste the food will most certainly bring quite the smile to my face...
A/N: And it's a the dreaded and accursed cliffhanger! This was the first part on of my planned three-part Feast of Kings filler arc. Yes, you all heard me right. This is simply a bit of a filler arc. Just like for Marcus Galen Sands GSBW, it is simply a bit of a filler to fill in the gaps of the story. I simply decided this would be the best stopping point for this chapter. And also like Marc, I took a page from his book to try and give a bit of a backstory to both Luo Hao and Annie/JPS. They don't have much of a backstory on their wiki page, which just makes them both fun to try and make one that makes sense for them.
Also, How did you all like the reference to the fairies that 'John Pluto Smith' can command with one of his authorities reacting to both Arturia and Shirou in such a manner. I thought it would make sense, and will have quite a bit of humor later on. Ad not to mention Shirou teasing both Luo Hao and Herc about the rather apparent chemistry between the two. I am building up to a very steamy lemon in the future between those two. See you all next chapter. PEACE OUT!