The Rising of the Secret Shield Hero
The life of a Beestung
The scene opens with a rocky coastal area, the waves of the sea crashing continuously upon the cliffs. At the edge of one of these cliffs sits a young male, with a black shroud obscuring most of his body, and head from view.
He sat on a rock, listening to the crashing of the waves, the singing of the seagulls and the whistling of the wind. His eyes had a faraway look out into the horizon, contemplating everything that has happened up until this point. So focused he was, that he didn't notice the orange rubber ball rolling down the hill and bumping his foot.
The man sat up and picked up the ball, just as a little girl with the ears and tail of a raccoon ran down the hill and made her way to him.
The young man wordlessly gave the ball back to the child, just as the sun rose slowly over the hill behind them, illuminating ruined buildings and a flag waving proudly in the wind.
Then, everything went white.
-X-
*BEEP**BEEP**BEEP*
The annoying sound of the digital alarm clock encompassed the entire small apartment room, where a mass of blankets upon a bed began stirring.
*BEEP**BEEP**BEEP*
SMASH
After a few more incessant beeps a hand shot out of the blankets and destroyed the clock. Then, after a few groans, the upper half of a young man rose up from the blankets, yawning widely at being woken up.
"Damn clock."-the young man said in his mind-"Next time I'll set it to ten o'clock or somethin'. Damn Sonnac could at least cut me some slack when I'm not working."
After a few more minutes of sitting on the bed, the young man slowly got up and began making his way to the bathroom. Flicking the lights up wasn't such a good idea, since the sudden light made him flinch slightly. After recovering, he went to the sink where he looked himself in the mirror.
Starring back at him was a young man twenty two years of age, with slightly tanned skin and medium length jet black hair that was all over the place. The man's most interesting features where his crimson red eyes (they weren't bloodshot, but the irises were the color of vibrant crimson red) and the three diagonal scars on the left side of his face that looked like claw marks. After looking himself over in the mirror, the young man took out his toothbrush, tooth paste and comb and started his usual morning routine.
'My name is Patrick Shadow, and yeah I know what you're thinking, that 'Shadow' is not my real last name and yada yada yada. Well it's a last name I chose for myself, so there.
'Anyway, I know I may seem like a regular Joe to just about anybody, but trust me when I say this: I am FAR from being normal. Years ago I found out the hard way that monsters are real. Everything from vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons and even zombies. Anything and everything that's labeled as 'supernatural' is very real.
'The thing is though, a lot of people know nothing about this.
'In fact about 85% of the Earth's population doesn't know that the supernatural is a real thing. But the other 15%, which also includes me, well…that's different.'
After Patrick was done cleaning himself up, he went back to his room, where he drew away the curtains that cast his whole room into darkness, revealing the hustling and bustling streets of London.
Patrick then proceeded to put on some actual clothes over the white briefs that he was currently wearing. Going over to his closet, he took out a pair of dark blue jeans, a pair of black socks and finally a black t-shirt with the words 'League of Monster Slayers' written in blood red above a green octopus monster.
After putting on his selected clothes, Patrick then went over to the only table in his room, where he used a small key to unlock a drawer. Within was a wide selection of objects, which he proceeded to pull out. The first was a pair of black rimmed glasses which he put on first. Next he pulled out a sort of bracelet made up of light blue prayer beads (the kind worn by Tibetan monks), then a silver chain necklace with a Celtic medallion decorated with spiral designs, then a ring with a silver raven skull with two small rubies in its eye sockets, then a pair of dice which he put in his right pocket, a black belt with a deep red pentagram as a belt buckle and finally a golden ankh which he hung up on the left side of his belt.
After he was done with that, Patrick automatically went to his kitchen, where he proceeded to pull out a small box from his fridge. Opening the box revealed a single slice of frozen peperoni pizza which he proceeded to put in the microwave, started it up and began waiting for it to be ready.
While playing the waiting game, Patrick went back to his fridge, where he pulled out another box, and once he opened it inside were…frozen dead rats. He pulled one out and held it in his left hand for a moment. Then steam began coming out of his hand as well as the rat as the layer of ice melted away. After he concluded that it was read, Patrick gave a quick mental command for his elemental magic to stop.
Smirking at his well-made cooking he proceeded to take the dead rat to a potted plant by the window. However this plant was a little odd. For one it looked like a miniature tree, with a small trunk and branches pointing up and holding its 'crown' aloft. The crown itself looked more like a single piece of kitinous-like purple plate with a zigzag like edge on one side. It also had a few tentacle-like parts growing out of the soil in the pot.
Once he was close enough to the strange house plant, Patrick raised the rat in his hand up and towards the plant's direction, and the plant's zigzag side slowly turned to the direction of the dead animal. Smirking and knowing he got its attention, with but a flick of his hand, Patrick threw the dead rat directly at the plant. When it was close enough, the purple plate suddenly split in two, forming a sort of mouth with the zigzag side looking more like a row of teeth now, not unlike a Venus flytrap plant. The rat landed into the plant's orange mouth, and the ravenous thing quickly clamped it's 'mouth' shut, beginning the digestion process of its meal.
Patrick smirked at this, knowing that he did his job at pleasing the 'house plant' for the moment.
"Yeah that's right, eat up ya little bastard. 'Cause you're not getting anything else until noon."-Patrick thought just as the microwave pinged that his food was ready-"Still can't believe those Orochi bastards thought that turning a Fungal Filth into a houseplant was a good idea. I'll bet the one who created it had his hand chomped off right from the start."
Above Patrick's head appeared a thought cloud, inside of which were crude drawings of a stereotypical scientist and of the Filth infected Pseudothamnium. The scientist was smiling at his creation and reached out with his left hand to pet it…only for the mutated lifeform to immediately chomp off the hand, causing blood to squirt out and for the scientist to scream in pain.
*POOF*
After the thought cloud disappeared Patrick couldn't help but chuckle, since after witnessing every twisted shit during his time climbing the Orochi Tower, he knew there was a 95% chance that he might be right about a scientist losing a hand to this thing.
After pulling out the heated up pizza slice, he then proceeded to sit down at his table and eat it.
"Mmmm, nothing beats having pizza for breakfast."-Patrick thought with delight, then his mind quickly went back to some…recent events.
The main thought off course being his little solo adventure into Tokyo's Kaidan district. He had to admit, he thought he had seen the worst the Filth could do in the relatively small infected areas he'd seen in Main, Egypt and Romania. However, nothing that he had done before could prepare him for the horrors that lurked in Kaidan. People infected by the Filth was one thing, but Oni, Onryo, creepy ghost kids and crazy cyborgs were a whole new level of crazy.
Not only that, but there are also so many new pieces of information that he doesn't even know where to begin processing. First and foremost is that John Copley, his old childhood friend ended up becoming the Black Signal, the Voice of the Filth and of the Dreamers themselves. That was something he still refused to believe is true, but then again when it comes to the machinations of the Morninglight, one could never hope to be sure of anything.
Next was Lilith. The Mother of all Monsters herself.
Patrick had to admit that he found Lilith's sudden honest confession over what she did that led up to that point at the top of the Tower, quite surprising. But no matter how honest she was or how much information she divulged, Patrick still wanted to kill her with his own hands, not just for what she did to him and his legs back at the Carpathian Mountains, but primarily because she was the reason John ended up becoming the disembodied insane voice that now haunts the radio waves. Which is why he became thoroughly disappointed when the Nephilim decided to crash the party and take Lilith away, alive. While he DID receive a surprisingly generous gift from them, Patrick still would've been more satisfied having Lilith's head in his hands.
And then off course there is the aftermath of this whole thing. Apparently someone – and Patrick's pretty sure that someone is the Orochi CEO himself, Samael – tipped off the news media and gave them a picture of himself, stating that he was part of the 'terrorist bombing', even though all he did was save Kaidan, as well as the rest of the world. Again. Yet instead of being ignored as usual, he was now branded as a fucking criminal. This thought still pissed him off to no end. He hated being accused of a crime he never committed, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do about it now.
And finally as he finished eating his delicious breakfast, Patrick's thoughts drifted over to this new dream he just had. He had to admit that there was nothing, ABSOLUTELY nothing in that dream that he recognized. The clouded coastline was probably one of the many that dotted New England, plus the hooded figure was probably himself, so there's that.
"But what the hell was up with the little tanuki girl? And those ruined structures at the end?"-Patrick thought as he sat at his table, quietly contemplating-"I mean, I don't recognize those structures, although they could represent that Ak'ab infested asylum from the Blue Mountains. Maybe. But that still leaves the little tanuki girl as the odd one out, since I have never even SEEN a living tanuki yokai before. Not even during my time in Kaidan…or maybe I should stop watching anime with furry characters at midnight."
As Patrick continued to contemplate this bizarre dream, his phone suddenly buzzed, indicating that he got a message. He opened it and it read:
Where are you? Sonnac's losing his patience. Get here quick.
Rose
P.S. If you're still asleep I'll blow your F-ing balls off.
While he realized that the threat was real, he couldn't help but snort in amusement, as he typed a reply:
Have been up for 30 mins now. Needed fuel for the tank, ate the last piece. Be there in 10.
Patrick
P.S. Had to feed Jaws too, else he gets cranky.
After sending off his message, Patrick got up and went back to his room for one last time. There he went back to his desk and opened another drawer, where he pulled out two items. One was a large leather bracelet with soft interior paddings for the arm, which he proceeded to put on his left arm, right underneath the beaded bracelet. The second item was a small device with a large screen, but no buttons, except for an on/off one at the side. Patrick then proceeded to place the device onto the new bracelet, where upon it activated and the words Reestablishing biogage connection. Welcome back Patrick Shadow. were seen. After fiddling with the touchscreen on the device for a little bit, Patrick gave it a satisfying nod.
"Alright so, signature clothing? Check. Talismans? Check. Biogage? Check. Feed that greedy little parasite? Check Check. Guess all that's left are my P-shooters, Muramasa and my boots and then I'm good to go."
With that thought in mind, Patrick went to the exit door to his apartment, where he proceeded to put on and buckle up a pair of black combat boots. After that he put on a pair of black fingerless gloves and strapped on a gun holster on his chest and then placed two grey colored pistols with swirling designs on the barrels into the holsters. Next he picked up a long black rod that was propped up against the wall. However he pulled at one of the rod's ends, separating it and revealing a sharp blade inside. Giving it a satisfied nod, Patrick put the blade back into its sheath and then strapped the sword he dubbed Muramasa onto the left side of his waist. Finally he took a black leather bomber jacket from a hanger and put it on, as well as a simple brown colored messenger bag. He was ready to walk out through the door, but his eyes suddenly widened as if he remembered something important.
"Hold the phone! I still need to add some Faye Glamour on my sword and guns. Duh. Can't have people staring at me like I'm a crazy person carrying weapons."-Patrick thought as he went to open a drawer from a small dresser in the hallway.
From it he pulled out a small metal container that had three glass walls through which he could see the interior: a large quantity of glowing purple dust. The container also had a rectangular shaped spiral for a symbol on one side.
"At least some of this Orochi tech is useful for something."-Patrick thought as he took a pinch of the dust and sprinkled it on both the sword and the guns.
After he was finished with this task he resealed the container, put it back in the drawer and opened the exit door…to a bright shining light.
-X-
After exiting the bright light, Patrick found himself in what could only be described as a hotel foyer, with chairs, tables and even a receptionist desk. However when he looked back, Patrick noted once again how not-normal this place is. First off, behind him, and effectively in the middle of the room was a large cube made of a mysterious metal alloy, with only one point of entry: a single whole that was glowing yellow. The second thing that made no sense about this place was that instead of a ceiling…there was an opening to space itself. I'm not joking here guys. The entire 'ceiling' was actually a complete view of space itself.
"*Sigh* I'm never gonna get tired of that view."-Patrick thought with a contempt smile on his face-"I hope the boss won't ever redecorate, otherwise the Tabula Rasa will just lose part of its charm."
"Aaaah and there is our reigning champion of the universe!"
"And speak of the devil…"-Patrick thought, as he turned to address the jovial voice-"Good morning Mr. Rosenbaum."
Approaching Patrick was an older gentleman with graying hair, beard and mustache and a slightly round body. He was wearing a dark blue suit complete with dress pants of the same color, along with black dress shoes and a purple shirt underneath the suite. He was also wearing glasses and had a pure red rose pinned on the left side of his suit.
The man carried an air of joviality and peace with him as he approached the young hunter.
"And a good morning to you too Patrick. I see you are all set to go on another adventure, eh? Where to this time?"-the young man in question was about to answer, until the Rosenbaum gentleman interrupted him-"No no no, let me guess, let me guess. You will go to the Philippines to hunt for one of those…dreadful vampires that grotesquely split their bodies in two."
Patrick had a surprised look at first, before lightly chuckling at what the landlord just said-"They're called Manananggal Mr. Rosenbaum, and no I'm not going to hunt for any of those guys. Yet."
"Oh?"-Mr. Rosenbaum inquired curiously-"Then perhaps for some dinosaurs in the Congo perhaps?"
Patrick just chuckled again at what the landlord keeps presuming-"No, not even that sir, although seeing a real-live dinosaur wouldn't be such a bad idea. No, I'm actually just off to Temple Hall. Sonnac wants to have a word with me."
Mr. Rosenbaum lost his smile for a moment before saying-"Ah I see. Perhaps he wishes to congratulate you for everything you have done and give you a promotion."
"Ok now I know he's just exaggerating."-Patrick thought as he sweatdropped. Patrick liked Mr. Rosenbaum as he was like a grandfather to him, but sometimes the old gentleman's praises towards him can be a little too much.
"Oh come on Mr. R I don't think that's gonna happen."-Patrick said with an embarrassed look-"I'm sure Sonnac just wants to talk about what went down in Tokyo and…how I almost screwed everything up."
He said the last part with shame, since he knew that in some way he almost exposed the entire secret world to everybody who wasn't aware of it. However when he looked back at Mr. Rosenbaum he saw the landlord having a disapproving look on his face as he spoke:
"Now you listen to me well Patrick Shadow when I tell you this for the last time: none of this is your fault. You were only doing what you have been from the beginning: saving lives, killing monsters, saving the world."-this made the young man look at the landlord with a bit of a surprised look-"In fact if there is anybody to be blamed here, it's those Orochi bastards. I tell you, I never once trusted them. I mean really, a huge business conglomerate with the intent on making our lives better? It all sounded far too good to be true and for once I was right."-the landlord continued saying, giving the hunter a smile-"You're a good lad Patrick. You're nothing like those…greedy, self-centered mongrels who just want to exploit everything and everyone around them for their own gain. You would do well to remember that."
While Patrick had to agree that he really wasn't like most of the other secret societies who were only in the whole 'beestung business' for some form of personal gain, he never agreed with the fact that he was 'good'. He still had some blood on his hands and most of it came from way before he even knew of the secret world.
So with that in mind he smiled back at his landlord and saying-"Thank you Mr. Rosenbaum, I guess I needed to hear that."
"Off course, anytime my boy."-Mr. Rosenbaum said in his jovial mood once more, lightly slapping Patrick's shoulder for emphasis, before speaking once again-"Oh and before I forget. My grandchildren will arrive tonight for a weeklong stay with their dear old grandfather *points to himself*. The missus is preparing a special dinner for the occasion and she wants you in attendance."
Patrick was…honestly not shocked about this. Mr. Rosenbaum often invited him over to his suite, either as a guest at their table or to simply hang out and chat. Patrick didn't mind, since they were good people, even though Mr. Rosenbaum did organize an underground (or in this case extra-dimensional) fighting arena, with Patrick himself being one of the contestants and one of its many champions.
"Uhhh, th-thank you Mr. Rosenbaum, but it might be possible that I'll be sent off for another mission, so-"
"Ah ta ta ta ta!"-Mr. Rosenbaum suddenly interrupted his young tenant-"I do not care if you have to fight an army of skeletons with a stick while wrestling a dragon in the Amazon. Your presence tonight is mandatory. In fact my grandchildren are eager to see you again, and to listen to some more of your wild tales."
Patrick could only sigh at this. He was never especially close to the Rosenbaum grandkids, but they, and by proxy their parents, seemed to have gotten used to his presence. Mostly because the stories that he tells of his adventures always seem to pacify them. Patrick could only chuckle at this and what the landlord said earlier.
"Actually I'm pretty sure dragons bit the dust along with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago Mr. Rosenbaum."
The landlord frowned at this sudden comeback and responded-"That's not the point you cheeky little bastard. The point is for you to come and have dinner with us. Now I know my son and daughter-in-law don't trust you all that much since you're not as…distant from the supernatural like myself, but truth be told, me, my wife and especially my grandchildren always appreciate you being there with us."
This took Patrick by surprise since he never expected Mr. Rosenbaum to say something like this. While it is true that he sometimes acted like the grandfather Patrick never had, he never told him how much he and his family appreciate his presence, since he always thought of himself as an inconvenience whenever he visited them. The thought of how welcoming the Rosenbaums are towards him was quite comforting for the young beestung.
"Also, you could stand to eat a proper dinner, and not those boxed up garbages."-and there goes Mr. Rosenbaum ruining the moment.
"Hey I'll have you know sir that take-out food is really delicious. Not to mention convenient whenever you get back home after a long day of hard work."-Patrick retorted, to which the old landlord simply smirked.
"Oh really? And what 'hard work' have you done yesterday my boy, hmmm?"
The only response Patrick could give was silence, since all he did yesterday was arrive back to London via the Agartha portal from Edwing station, go and talk to Sonnak (right after meeting two 'lovely' Honor Guards for a second time in his life) and then go straight back home to the Tabula Rasa. The landlord simply chuckled at the lack of response and Patrick groaned in defeat.
"Okay you got me there sir. Alright then, I'll see about it, but if I DO need to go on another mission and it turns out to be important, then I won't make any promises."
"I understand Patrick."-Mr. Rosenbaum said, raising his hands in understanding-"Just try to make sure that you do come. And bring that Rose girl with you as well. I mean, I know it won't exactly be a romantic dinner date under the Moon and by candlelight, but…"
Now Patrick could only scowl at his landlord for that last comment.
"Rose is my partner, not my girlfriend Mr. Rosenbaum. Totally different thing."-Patrick clarified-"Besides she's not even my type and she isn't even into me."
"Sure, sure. You keep telling yourself that lad."-Mr. Rosenbaum said with a cheeky grin on his face, which only served to deepen Patrick's scowl.
"Alright, that's it. I'm outta here."-Patrick declared as he politely walked past the chuckling landlord to give his room key to the cleric and then move towards the exit door. But before he could turn the knob and leave Mr. Rosenbaum called out to him one last time.
"Patrick! Good luck out there."
The beestung was silent for a moment before returning a calm smile and saying-"Yeah, sure. See ya around."-he waved and then went to open the door and leave.
'I didn't know back then, but that was the last time I was gonna see Mr. Rosenbaum…and that I was never gonna have that dinner.'
-X-
The walk to Temple Hall wasn't exactly all that thrilling. All Patrick did was walk down the street and say the occasional hello to fellow neighbors and people he was familiar with. Although he did stop by the secret marketplace Darkside to buy a tasty little taco from that friendly ghoul vendor.
"Still don't know how the hell can a ghoul manage a taco stand without completely destroying it. Let alone calmly stay in one place with a bunch of people walking by it, without resorting to eating them."-Patrick thought as he began eating a delicious go-to snack in his hand-"Ah who cares? If the taco's good, than I'm not complaining!"
Eventually he reached his destination. The massive building of Temple Hall as well as its even bigger court yard was still an architectural marvel to behold. Sure it paled in comparison to the Tabula Rasa's 'cosmic ceiling' but it was still impressive none the less.
"I should pay the museum a visit later. Some of the mneumonic exhibits could do with some new field data."-Patrick thought as he walked towards the front entrance of the Hall.
Two guards clade in red and white pristine uniforms stood at each side of the massive open gate; the one on the left was a young brunette man, while the one on the right was a young blonde girl. When the two guards spotted the approaching secret worlder their reactions varied: the man looked happy to see Patrick like they're friends, but the girl only glared jealously at the beestung. When he was close enough Patrick raised his left hand and greeted his fellow secret worlders with a smile.
"Yo Dave, Sammy! How's it hangin'?"
"Still doing guard duty Patrick."-the man, Dave answered-"At least until the bossman sends us to another mission."
"Oh! By the way,"-Patrick interjected, as if he just remembered something-"How did that last mission in Greece go? Heard you went toe-to-tail with a Naga there."
"Yup!"-said Dave, puffing his chest and placing his fists onto his hips-"And though it was quite a hassle, this Templar *points his finger at himself* managed to slay the beast and come out on top."-then Dave dropped the prideful pose and looked calmly at his friend-"But I know it's nothing compared to the shit you and Rosey went through."
"Aw c'mon Dave it's no big deal. We're just doing our jobs like any other Templar soldier would."-Patrick said bashfully.
"Oh come on, not this again."-Dave said with an exasperated tone-"We've been over this Patrick. You and Rose, especially you, have managed to not only save the planet but all of reality itself more times than anyone else ever did before. You deserve some bragging rights too for that."
Patrick could only scratch the back of his head in embarassament. Ever since the first time he's saved the world, him and his partner both became rock stars among the Templars and even the other secret societies.
"Although some of that attention is not all that good."-Patrick thought, two particular Royal Guard Templars coming to mind.
"Hmph!"-the girl, Sammy snapped Patrick back to reality, making him look her way in an irritated way.
"What? Don't tell me you're still being jealous Sammy."-Patrick asked with a deadpanned expression.
Then without warning Sammy marched up to Patrick with an angry look on her face and started speaking to him-"Listen here you stupid upstart! Just because you're Sonnac's new favorite doesn't mean shit! Because one day those of us who truly work hard to contribute to the safety of the world, will show you that we are the ones who deserve recognition from the higher ups. Not some…American upstart who became our leader's new favorite and never received any kind of discipline in his life."
If she was expecting a reaction from Patrick, then the only one she got was a deadpanned look from both him and Dave. This was something of a regular occurrence, so much so that it made Dave sometimes think about switching partners.
"*sigh* Will you give it a rest already love?"-Dave spoke in an exasperated tone-"Patrick and Rosey both saved the world several times now, and Patrick personally managed to keep those cosmic bastards at bay for now. What exactly did you do that could top that?"
"SHUT UP DAVID!"-Sally shouted back at her colleague-"Nobody bloody asked you!"
"Actually Dave has a point Sammy."-Patrick said, gaining Sammy's attention once more-"I never saw you out in the field before, and the only thing I ever see you do is stand guard here at Temple Hall and complain none stop about new recruits. I mean hell, you didn't even go with Dave on his last mission to Greece."
Sammy looked shocked for a moment before she regained her composure and spoke again-"I'll have you know yank that I am a very important and very strong Templar. The only reason I'm always on guard duty is because Sonnac is saving me and my special skills for a very special and very dangerous situation. I should know, since I had to go through hell to get excepted into the Templar Order and have been a part of their ranks for far longer then you yank."-then she looked at Patrick with the strongest glare she could muster-"And for the last time…MY NAME IS SAMANTHA! Show some respect to your superiors by saying my name right, you bloody upstart!"
There was silence for a solid few minutes and Dave thought that he would have to apologies to Patrick and knock some sense into his colleague…again. But before he could, Patrick silently walked right up to Sammy and spoke calmly:
"Look, I don't know what world you think you're living in, but it sure as hell ain't this one. Because as far as I'm concerned, respect is earned, not given away freely like candy on Halloween. And so far you have only shown me more and more reasons why I shouldn't respect you Sammy. And if you're really as good as you say you are, than how come you're not part of the Royal Guard?"-at this Samantha began stuttering for a moment and then Patrick continued-"Exactly. So if you really want to become as good as you say, than how 'bout you start ACTUALLY busting your hump like the rest of us to get better. Because standing around and bitching all day isn't going to get you up the ranks at all Sammy."
With her apparent ego bruised, Samantha's glare deepened and she reared back her right fist for a punch. However after launching it Patrick quickly caught it before it could connect with his face and shoved it aside. Not wanting to let up Samantha reared back her other fist to-
"Patrick Shadow!"-an older male voice sounded from the top of the stairs and as the trio looked up they saw an older Templar guard looking intently at the exchange, but his eyes were focusing on the aforementioned hunter-"Sir Sonnac is expecting you. Please proceed to his office. NOW."
There was a moment of silence, before Patrick calmly spoke up-"Was just about to do that Frankie."-the beestung then began walking, ignoring the older guard's eye roll and addressing Dave one more time-"See ya later Dave."
"Yeah, see ya around mate."-Dave replied casually
"NO! I'M NOT DONE WITH THAT BASTARD YET!"-Samantha shouted and was about to charge at the walking hunter, but her partner stopped her, by grabbing her by the arm and neck and then shoving her to the opposing wall.
After recovering, Samantha saw Dave's disappointed look as he spoke up-"Listen Sam. I've put up with your bullshit ever since we got partnered up because I was hoping you could actually put in the effort to become strong. But Patrick is right; all you ever do is stand around and complain about every new Chosen recruit we get."
"But they-"
"But nothing Sam."-Dave interrupted her-"Just because they have powers and you don't, doesn't mean you shouldn't strive to at least get close to their level. That's exactly what I've been doing this whole time."-Dave then took a deep breath to calm himself down and spoke one last time-"I won't report this to the boss and I'm sure Frank won't either, but if you pull another shit like this again, I will report you."
Having said his peace Dave resumed his position at the gate. A moment later so did Samantha, and while she seemed calmer on the outside, she was anything but on the inside.
"How dare that bastard yank talk to me like he is better than me! And then he has the audacity to make me look weak! I have been in service to the Templar Order for far longer than that bloody ingrate and I had to go through grueling training and discipline to do so. And now he and others like him show up, thinking that they are better than the rest of us just because they have powers. Well just you wait you bloody upstart, one day soon I will prove to Sonnac and the entire Order that I am the one who should be showered with praises and rewards. Just you wait."
-X-
Meanwhile Patrick made his way to his boss's office while ignoring the whole 'Sammy situation'.
"*sigh*Just another day at Temple Hall."
After walking through the massive double doors and entering the big, lavish office, Patrick looked up and saw two people inside…as well as some cats.
The first person, was a twenty one year old girl, a head shorter then Patrick, with ashen blonde hair, part of which covered the left side of her face. From head to feet, she was wearing a white wooly cap, a scarlet red scarf around her neck, a darker colored red vest over a white sweater, a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of black tennis shoes.
The girl was standing before a dark oak desk, behind which sat the second person in the room. The person in question was a dark skinned man who was in his late forties, with a shaved head and a dark beard. His outfit consisted of a white button-up shirt, over which was a dark grey pinstripe suit, along with a pair of pinstripe pants and brown dress shoes. He also sported a scarlet red necktie, as well as silver rings on his fingers. He also had a cross tattooed on his right hand.
Once Patrick stepped further in, his presence caught the attention of both people.
"'Bout damn time ya got here."-the girl spoke up first.
"Oh give me a break, will ya Rose? I got held up by traffic."-Patrick retorted walking right up to the girl now named Rose.
"Yeah, we heard."-Rose said once again-"In fact I'm pretty sure all of fucking Agartha heard your little conversation."
"Oh, so on top of being a crazy shotgun girl, you're also a comedian. Well, guess you really do learn something new every day."-Patrick retorted, gaining a glare from Rose, who was about to speak up again, until…
"Ahem, excuse me, but could you two stop with your childish bantering. This meeting is of a serious nature after all."-the suited man spoke up, gaining the attention of both young adults.
"Right, sorry boss."-Rose said, turning to the man.
"Well you know how it is Sonnac."-Patrick said, addressing the man-"Sammy is such a big fan of mine, that I just have to give her some attention."
Patrick's sarcastic remark earned him an elbow to the belly by Rose and a sigh from Sonnac, who then proceeded to speak once more-"So getting back to the reason I called you here: it has been roughly two weeks since your return from Tokyo Patrick, and as I am sure you've noticed that the spotlight that's been cast on to you has yet to be lifted."
Patrick only groaned in annoyance upon hearing this-"Yeah, no shit. I mean, I had to kill some stupid mercenary-bounty-hunter-person while I was helping granny Cucuvea back in Romania a couple of days ago."
"Well then I guess that explains all the bruises and burn marks on your face when you came back yesterday."-Rose spoke up-"What the hell were you even doing back in Transylvania anyway?"
"Well granny Cucuvea asked me to help her seal away the remaining Deathless monks into the ruins within the forest."-Patrick answered-"And by 'seal away' I mean I herded them into the ruins and she worked her weird fairy magic."
There was a moment of silence, before the pinstriped gentleman spoke up once again-"Listen Patrick, I know that you are just offering to help in whatever manner you can, but you have to understand the situation you are in right now. At this very moment the eyes of the entire world are on you and, as you have seen back in Transylvania, there will be emboldened individuals, who will stop at nothing to claim your head as their prize."
Patrick felt a phantom pain at his thighs when Sonnac said the last part-"Yeah, well can we please not talk about severed body parts, please?"
Both Rose and Sonnac understood the reason behind this request, as the Templar leader spoke again-"The point I'm trying to convey is that right now you are the most wanted man in the entire world. In fact I even received a few calls from the Illuminati and the Dragons asking for…well you."
This shocked and worried Patrick some. So it isn't bad enough that everyone and their grandmother is looking for him for a crime he didn't commit, but now the watching pyramids and chaos bringers are after his skin too?
"Dammit Sonnac can't you and Order do something about this?"-Patrick inquired, now starting to get slightly aggravated-"I mean, those blue and green idiots have to know that I'm innocent since their representatives were there in Tokyo with me. And can't you have some of our guys from the tech department do something about the news media?"
Rose was about to chastise her partner for demanding so much, but Sonnac was able to speak up first-"I'm afraid there's nothing that I or the Templars can do Patrick."-Sonnac paused, looking at Patrick's confused face as his que to continue-"Unlike the Illuminati, we do not have any kind of sway over the news or any other form of media. Believe me, they were the first whom I turned to for help the minute the coverage about you appeared. Sadly they, along with the Dragons, simply view this as an excuse to make our Order look bad before the Council of Venice. And since you are one of the most powerful and most accomplished recruits thus far, they will also use this as a consensus to have you removed, both from the Templars…as well as from life itself."
Hearing this, Patrick understood the gravity of the situation. Because of this simple news coverage, he not only put the entire Secret World at risk, but also himself, since now even the allied factions are out for his blood.
"Damn you Samael!"-Patrick thought as he clenched his fists-"I should've killed that smug prick first, then gone after Lilith. If I did that, than none of this would be happening right now and I wouldn't be causing so much trouble for everyone."
"Hey!"-a shove from Rose stopped Patrick's train of thought-"We're still here dummy. Don't space out on us like that."
"Right, sorry."-Patrick said, as he turned to address his handler-"So what am I supposed to do than Sonnac? Go and hide in some underground bunker for fifty years?"
"Not quite."-Sonnac almost immediately responded-"I have managed to convince some of the more…likeminded Templar higher-ups that the best and most non-lethal solution would be for you to simply stay in Agartha for as long as possible, until this whole thing dissipates."
Patrick was surprised to hear this. He figured he might end up in some bunker, or prison cell, or a bunker that serves as a prison cell. He even thought he'd be on house arrest for the rest of his life. But to stay in Agartha, while it would still be considered being locked away, it would give him at least more freedom than he would receive in a small room.
"Okay…well…"-Patrick tried to formulate the right words-"…thanks Sonnac…I certainly wasn't expecting this. But uhm…no offence but Agartha is more of a…mystically glorified train station. How am I supposed to live there? Find a bench and sleep on it like the homeless do?"
"Your housing conditions will be provided by the Stationmaster."-Sonnac replied-"I have already informed him of the situation and he agreed wholeheartedly to accommodate you. In fact, he was quite excited to be able to spend some time with you Patrick."
Patrick could only chuckle at this. The Stationmaster was the one who helped him get better aquainted with the Hollow Earth when he first arrived there. The scarred young man loved spending time with Rose and the rest of his friends (Templar or otherwise), but he also enjoyed talking with the Stationmaster as well. The friendly and upbeat nature of the immortal entity was really welcoming in Patrick's personal opinion.
"So basically the Stationmaster will be my bunk buddy for the time being, while I wait for this madness to blow over, in the one place that's more magically fortified than Avalon."-Patrick summarized his situation-"Okay, okay, I can work with that."
"Glad to see that you are taking this well enough."-Sonnac said, and quickly added-"And before you even think about it, no. You will not use the portal system in Agartha to visit new or old locations. Keep in mind that we are trying to keep you OUT of the public's attention, and you can never truly tell who can you trust in these times. Understand?"
Patrick groaned at this, since he wanted to at least go to New England, Egypt or Transylvania to visit some of his old, non-faction allies.
"Well that bites,"-Patrick said, then sighed-"But I guess it can't be helped. Can I at least bring some of my stuff with me? Not sure if you noticed, but Agartha doesn't have much in terms of entertainment value."
"Off course."-Sonnac replied-"You can take whatever you wish to keep yourself distracted. And you may also take your weapons along as well. You may be staying in Agartha for the time being, but keep in mind that it is not entirely fortified from every danger."
Patrick and Rose nodded, both remembering the information they retrieved from the Red Hand base in Transylvania, about how the Russian army was able to invade Agartha.
"And with that I believe this meeting is adjurned."-Sonnac continued-"Thank you both for coming, and good luck Patrick."
"Thank you sir. We won't hold you up any longer."-Rose said formally and went to exit the large office with Patrick following behind.
"Right, see ya around Sonnac."
-X-
After exiting Temple Hall – and getting a venomous glare from Samantha on the way out – the two secret worlders started making their way back to the Tabula Rasa and conversing along the way.
"Well I guess there go my plans for tonight."-Patrick began, drawing Rose's attention.
"You had plans for tonight?"-the ashen blonde inquired with a raised eyebrow-"What were you gonna do? Go out and try to snag yourself a girlfriend?"
"Ha ha, very funny Rose."-Patrick retorted with an unamused face-"No, I was gonna attend another one of Mr. Rosenbaum's dinners…to which you were invited as well."
Rose was surprised by this for a second, then chuckled lightly-"Well, not to give ya any ideas or anything…but while Sonnac did tell you to go to Agartha to hide, he never actually said when to go there, soooo…."
Upon hearing this Patrick couldn't help but be surprised and then look at his partner with a wry grin-"Miss Rose White, are you….ACTUALLY going against your superior's orders?"
"Of course not!"-Rose denied, while turning away from Patrick with her nose held high…like an anime tsundere-"I'm just thinking outloud, so don't take everything I say seriously."
Patrick chuckled, as he always found Rose to be amusing when she gets flustered. However, after he finished his bout of laughter Patrick's face became more solemn and after he stopped walking he spoke up again:
"Hey Rose…"-the firearms master turned around to look at her partner as he continued-"…look, about Tokyo…I'm sorry for not bringing you with me…"-as Patrick was looking at the ground in shame, he couldn't see Rose's reaction and continued-"I did want to bring you with me, but sir Arturo expressly told me to handle it by myself and Sonnac kept urging me to get the whole thing over with and-"
"Ugh stop!"
Rose's sudden interruption caused Patrick to look up and he saw his partner's face being annoyed rather than upset.
"Look I told you already to drop it."-Rose spoke up once again-"I mean yeah I was pissed at first and not to mention I was also worried as hell about you. But I'm over it now and so should you Patrick."
The black clothed man looked at the female Templar and then smiled softly at his partner's response.
"Thanks Rose. I guess I just wanted to make sure to let you know that I wasn't planning on ditching you."
"Yeah, yeah I know."-Rose said as she turned her back to Patrick and began walking forward again-"Geez, you can be such a worry wort sometimes, ya know?"
Patrick snorted at this and fell into pace with Rose as the pair continued walking. They kept walking in silence for two more minutes, until Rose randomly spoke up:
"Oh by the way…he called you out again."
"Huh?"-Patrick inquired with a confused expression-"Okay, and by 'he' you mean…"
"…Salvatore Donnie, the Templar from our Italian branch."-Rose reluctantly said, which incited an annoyed groan from Patrick.
"Seriously? That loser again? Jesus Christ, what the hell does he want now?"
"Well, like I just said he called you out…again."-Rose answered-"Because this time he wants to, and I quote-'prove once and for all that I, sir Salvatore, am the true most powerful chosen of Gaia in the world, for I am the one who wields the legendary hammer Mijolnir, which Thor himself gifted to me'-end quote."-Rose explained, while deepening her voice to make herself sound more masculine as she quoted.
"Ugh, by Gaia's tits this is so stupid."-Patrick said while pinching the bridge of his nose-"I mean it's bad enough that idiot has both the name and personality of an annoying anime character. But now, he just wants to challenge me every chance he's got, just to prove nothing and loose every damn time."
After a brief moment of silence Rose grinned mischievously and spoke again-"Well, ya never know. Maybe he really does have Mijolnir with him."
At this Patrick shot his partner a deadpanned look.-"Rose, the guy has a sledgehammer with a lightning rune on it. Trust me that ISN'T Mijolnir."
Rose chuckled in amusement and said-"Well regardless, he said he wants to fight you in the underground arena, here in London."
Shaking his head, Patrick could only sigh upon hearing this-"Yeah, well too bad that won't happen. Because after Mr. Rosenbaum's dinner I'm headed straight to Agartha, before Sonnac has a chance to yell at me for stalling."
Rose's smile almost immediately vanished and her face contorted into one of annoyance as well.-"So, what? You mean I have to be the one to deliver him the news? Ugh, you know I like that guy as much as you like ghost kids Patrick. I mean he constantly keeps flirting with me every time he sees me."
"Well you've got your shotgun, so you could always threaten to blow his balls off if ya want."-Patrick said, and decided to change the subject-"By the way, how is your relationship with Mei Ling holding up? Still on a break, or are you planning on patching things up?"
Rose was surprised at this sudden change of subject, but decided to just roll with it-"Well…the fact that we are in two different factions isn't really helping much. Mei even said that it would probably be best for both of us if we just…ended…our relationship all together…"
Patrick was now shocked upon hearing this. For as long as he could remember Rose and Mei were almost completely inseparable. They fell for each other during their high school years and remained together ever since. However, when they were recruited for the Templars and Dragons respectively, they spent less and less time together, and sometimes they even had to give each other the cold shoulder when they were accompanied by superiors of their respective factions.
That is primarily the reason why they both opted for this 'break', and Patrick understood this. The job that they all have, doesn't exactly leave much room for romance. However the love for the asian swordswoman meant everything to Rose, and ending it would just push her into a state of depression she might never recover from. And the same might happen to Mei as well. This was something Patrick wasn't going to let slide, and he suddenly stopped and grabbed Rose's left arm to get her attention.
"Now you listen to me Rose."-the swordsman began-"You and Mei have been together since forever and even while the whole world was going to shit, you two still held your love for each other strong. So you can't just give up on each other now. Not when the world is so sick and could end at any moment."
Rose was silent for a second, surprised that Patrick of all people is trying to save her relationship with Mei, but after a moment she spoke up-"What the hell? Where is this coming from Patrick? This isn't your issue, it's mine and I've already made up my mind about it."
"And let me guess, you decided to just go with it?"
"Patrick I have to be realistic here! Our job doesn't exactly leave much room for romance, neither do our own factions."
"So? I know you Rose, and I know that splitting up is something, neither you nor Mei want. You two want to be together, obviously, and you shouldn't care what others are saying about it. Even the factions. If they have a problem with you two being together, than just say it and I'll personally set them all straight."
Rose was shocked upon hearing this. She knew very well that Patrick was a kind-hearted young man, who wants nothing more than to help everyone around him, including herself. Their combined battle against a particular Revenant was proof of that. But for him to declare that he will personally take on, not one, but TWO factions just so she and Mei Ling could keep being together is something she never expected to hear.
"This whole thing is starting to feel more and more like Romeo and Juliet, and I think even Patrick realizes this. So why…"-Rose thought and after a moment of silence she spoke up once again-"Why…? Why are you saying all of this? Why is my love life suddenly so important to you now?"
Patrick answered, but only after turning to look to the side with a depressed expression-"Because…I know that I will never have a girlfriend of my own. I know I will be alone forever…and that is something I don't want anyone to experience."-after pausing for a moment, Patrick looked back at his friend and spoke again, this time with a determined expression-"And also because we're partners. We're supposed to help each other out, no matter what kind of problems we may face. So you better be damn sure that I'll help you with whatever it is you have, whether you like it or not."
Rose could look on in shock at what Patrick said. What he said was mostly true though; ever since they have been partnered up, they've been helping each other none stop, whether it was on a joint mission or fighting powerful monsters, or even with personal problems.
Thinking about this, Rose began to have flashes of Patrick helping her fight a Revenant and even getting injured by it.
Hearing all of this Rose wanted to protest and insist that Patrick shouldn't intervene, but she quickly remembered that this is Patrick Shadow she's talking to; he would never take 'no' for an answer, especially after making up his mind about it. So with that, and a soft smile appearing on her face she spoke up once again:
"Well, I don't think it would take an Illuminati agent's help to know that what you're proposing is all but suicide. So to prevent that from happening…I'll have a little talk with Mei after we get you to Agartha."
Patrick was surprised, since he figured he'd have to try and convince her some more.-"Wait, wait, so…you're actually going to listen to me for once?"
Rose answered with a frown on her face-"Well duh. Because if you start picking fights with two entire factions you'll die in the first ten seconds, even with the gift those Heavenly bastards gave you. And if you die for real, then I'll have to find myself another partner and that'll just be a pain in the ass. Not to mention I'd probably end up being partnered up with some stiff soldier type, with as much emotion as a brick wall."
Hearing her say all of this, Patrick understood what Rose was getting at, and he couldn't help but feel great satisfaction swelling up inside of himself, as he was able to convince his partner to not give up on her love.
"Well I'm glad to see that, for once, you actually agree with me."-Patrick said with a smirk, earning himself a light punch to the shoulder.
"Yeah, well don't get used to it, ya big dummy."-Rose said with a smirk of her own-"And don't sell yourself too short dude. One of these days you'll find a girl who's actually interested in you for who you are, instead of, you know, using you for your powers."
"Yeah right, when 'Jump Force' gets a sequel and the Dreamers are destroyed."-Patrick thought, although he made sure not to say it outloud-"Sure, whatever you say partner."
"Right."-Rose said, her tone much chipper than before, as she started walking again-"Now let's go, we've wasted too much time, and we gotta get ready for the trip and dinner."
Patrick smiled and was about to go too, until he noticed that they stopped in front of a bookstore. At first he thought nothing of it, until he remembered something rather important.
"Uhm, actually Rose…"-his statement drew the girl's attention as she stopped again and looked at her partner-"Why don't you go on ahead, while go into this bookstore here for a bit."
Upon hearing this, Rose quirked one of her eyebrows and saw what Patrick meant, but she simply had to ask-"And why the heck would you want to go in there?"
"Well, obviously to buy a book, smartass."-Patrick answered-"Specifically, I want to buy the fifth book of the 'Dresden Files', and while I'm at it I think I'll also see if they have 'Perdido Street Station'. I mean, since I'll be stuck in Agartha for Gaia knows how long I have to find a way to entertain myself, right?"
Rose continued looking at her partner with a raised eyebrow for a few more seconds, until she relented to Patrick's logic and sighed-"Fine, then go look for your nerd books, or whatever. I'll go and deal with Salvatore first, then I'll meet you inside the Tabula Rasa, in the lobby."
"Hey, I'll have you know that Jim Butcher's books share a lot of similarities with the kind of shit we have to put up with every day."-Patrick retorted, to which Rose shook her head and began walking away.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just make sure you don't take too long. The threat I made earlier still stands, ya know!"
Patrick snorted at this, but as Rose kept walking further and further away from him, he started getting this strange sense of foreboding…a sense that told him that…this will be the last time he will see her.
He shook his head and thought nothing of it since it was probably just a bit of anxiety over having to spend an unknowable amount of time in Agartha. Anyway, he made his way into the bookstore and began his hunt for the books of his choice.
This search lasted for ten minutes, before he finally found the Jim Butcher book he was looking for. Off course being in a higher bookshelf meant that he would have to pull it out and let it fall into his hands. However as he was pulling that book out of its resting place, a couple of nearby books were being pushed out as well, and in the end Patrick managed to pull too many books out at once, and he ended up having several bonks in the head courtesy of a few falling tomes.
"Ow, geez. Not to self: ask for assistance next time."-Patrick grumbled as he began picking up each fallen book and began putting them back where they belonged.
After a minute he was down to the last two books, with one of them being 'The Dresden Files', but it was actually the other one which drew his attention.
"Huh? What's this?"-Patrick wondered as he picked up the strange book, which had a burgundy red cover and unusually stylish writing on it, with the title reading 'The Story of the Four Cardinal Heroes'.-"This book looks and feels old, like medieval-type old. And yet at the same time it also feels like any other book in this store."
Patrick then proceeded to open the book to read the first page. The papers were brownish-yellow, which showed more indications of the old age of the tome, but the papers didn't feel rough like old papers would, which was strange. Patrick noted that the text was also written in old stylish handwriting and began reading outloud to himself:
"Let's see: 'In order to fend of the catastrophic Waves of Calamity, four Cardinal Heroes will be chosen to save the world from assured destruction.' Huh, well this sounds like something interesting."-Patrick noted, as he smiled at the prospect of finding a possible third book he could take with himself. He then turned to the next page and kept on reading:
"'Each hero will be chosen by four sacred weapons of legend: a bow, a spear, a sword and a shield.' Well buddy unless the chosen hero for the shield is Captain America, they're gonna have a hard time wielding a shield as a weapon."-Patrick commented as he started going over the pages a bit faster, hoping to see more interesting things in it-"Huh, well looky here, looks like we have a villainess in the story too, in the form of a spoiled and bitchy princess. Guess the 'Powerpuff Girls' can call to have Princess Morebucks back."-Patrick chuckled at his own joke as he kept shuffling forward-"Anyway looks like each of the heroes have their own pages dedicated to them. And look, even the shield hero has-"-Patrick suddenly stopped as the pages that came after the shield hero's page were blank for some reason.
"What the hell? Why are all the pages bl-"-before Patrick could finish this thought a bright, golden light suddenly appeared from the blank pages. The bookstore then disappeared, the book vanished from Patrick's hands as did the floor beneath his feet. A corridor/tunnel of changing colors appeared and Patrick suddenly started 'falling'.
After a few seconds of falling and screaming, Patrick finally hit a hard stone floor, which glowed due to some kind of strange circle drawn upon its surface. Patrick growned and started getting off the floor after being slightly stunned by the 'fall'.
"Second note to self: when you see an old looking book with a weird story in it, JUST TAKE IT TO TEMPLE HALL!"-Patrick internally berated himself-"Urgh, anyway what the hell just happened? And what's with this weight on my-?"
"It worked!"-the cheerful and unfamiliar shouting of a man drew Patrick's attention forward. There he saw several individuals wearing black or dark colored cloaks, with their hands clasped together in prayer. The man in the forefront of the group had his hood off and wore a golden headband around his forehead with a ruby in the middle.-"Betcha he's the leader and the one who spoke up earlier. Are they some kind of cult or religious movement?"-"The summoning spell worked! Oh great heroes of legend please save us from danger!"
That last statement was obviously directed to Patrick, which caused him to ask-"What!"-only to realize that he wasn't alone. Looking to his left, he saw three more young men, each holding a different weapon: spear, sword and bow.
"What the hell is-?"-Patrick asked, but as he stood up he finally looked at his right arm and saw something unexpected: a shield!
It was a small kite-shield with black lines on the front and a green gemstone in the middle.
"Okay first off, why do I have a shield on my arm? And secondly…*deep breath*…WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"
A/N: Salutare everybody, and yes unfortunately I'm writing another story. And yes it's a story about 'The Rising of the Shield Hero' because it's now my all time favorite isekai anime ever and I simple HAVE to have at least ONE story about it in my repertoire.
And the thing I'm crossing it over with is an mmorpg called 'Secret World Legends', which is also my all time favorite mmorpg game ever and I've been looking for an excuse to feature it for a while now.
For those of you who don't know SWL is basically 'Supernatural'/'The Dresden Files' the game, and I highly recommend that you guys check it out. It can be downloaded for free and it's free to play and, personally, I enjoyed everything about it, from the abilities, the locations, the monsters and of course the story. Plus if you get stuck in some of the missions, then you can visit or (the secret world database) for some helpful information.
Now I have had this idea in my head for a while now, and I want to share it with you guys. Also this story is also kind of a self-insert-sorta-thing, because I'm using my in-game avatar as the main protag in place of Naofumi. The reason for this is because, well everybody else is replacing him with somebody else, plus I felt really sorry for him because of all the bullshit he had to endure. Even though my avatar will have to go through the same shit too, but still!
Anyway, that's it for now, the next chapter will be the official start of the anime itself, and if you guys who haven't played SWL have any questions regarding some of the elements from this chapter, then don't hesitate to ask and I'll answer as best as I can.
And with that, I'll see you guys in the next chapter, la revedere.