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'Thoughts.'
To kill a sword – Chapter 5
"RSCHHHH." Lava spewed up onto the coarse terrain as Syura loomed tall over a slack-jawed Shirou. Sweat dripped down Shirou's brow as his grip on the married blades tightened, knuckles nearly white. "What now." Shirou managed to find words as a myriad of thoughts flooded his head.
"You will find out soon enough, toy." Syura raised the contraption in his hand. A large symbol resembling a runic formation once again appeared as Syura pressed down. "Shambhala." Shirou's world shifted as he found himself back at the campsite.
"HARGFFFF." Shirou let out a large sigh as he was able to breathe again. The campsite around him lay in ruins, all 3 tents in various states of disarray as rips and tears covered them. "Where are they?" Shirou turned his attention to the tanned figure of Syura, a scowl on his face as he raised his weapons.
"Do not raise your voice at me, toy." Rage brewed in his eyes as venom laced his tone. "Your friends are fine. I will change that if you do not mind your tone." Green and auburn clashed as Shirou store him down, married blades at the ready. 'I'm not in any condition to fight him.' Shirou cringed in pain as the adrenaline coursing through him began to wear off, the exhaustion from his fight with Izou finally catching up to him.
"Trace off." Blue sparks danced around Shirou's hands as Kanshou and Bakuya disappeared into the ether. "Let's talk." Shirou spat blood onto the ground as he dropped his hands.
"Good toy." Syura smiled. "I have questions for you." He looked up to the sky as he held his hands to his heart. "But I'll keep it short for now, don't want you dying before I get to have my fun." Shirou felt a shiver run up his spine at that. "How do you pull weapons from thin air?" Shirou opened his mouth to answer, but Syura cut him off. "I've traversed almost every part of this kingdom, and never heard even a whisper of a Teigu capable of creating swords of that quality." Shirou kept up an impassive visage as he formulated a response. 'Are Teigu some kind of mystic code?' He pondered as he opened his mouth.
"During a conflict in my hometown, I lost my left arm." Shirou raised his Shroud bound left arm. "The arm of a powerful entity I had an affinity with was grafted on to replace it." Syura raised his eyebrows at that, shock visible on his face for the first time. "This spirit could recreate bladed weapons it had seen. Because of my affinity with it, I was able to harness a portion of its powers."
"Interesting." Syura began to tremble as he smiled ear to ear. 'Father is going to LOVE this.' "That's all for now, I'll ask more questions once Dorothea…." Syura was cut off as another figure charged into the clearing.
"WAIT." A feminine voice called out, exhaling rapidly as she approached Syura. The intruder appeared no older than 15, with pale blonde hair, auburn eyes, and albino skin. She wore a turquoise maid dress, with white frills and apron, and a matching turquoise bow in her hair. "Pardon my interruptions, but I overheard your conversation and…." The girl tensed up as rage boiled in Syura's eyes.
"What do YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, TOY." Syura's tone became more and more venomous with every word as he shot daggers at the girl in front of him.
"I'm sorry, I just…." Syura cut the girl off, backhanding her as she fell to the ground.
"YOU WILL DO AS I SAY." Shirou clenched his fists, a grimace on his face as he watched on. "Get up, toy." Syura brushed his chest repeatedly before turning to Shirou. "This impudent specimen is Dorothea, our resident alchemist." Shirou raised an eyebrow. "She will look after your wounds." Syura turned back to the downed girl. "If you have any questions for our guest, you can do so while you attend to his wounds." Syura walked away, hands in his pockets as Dorothea began to pick herself up.
"You alright?" Shirou ran over, concern covering his face as he offered a hand to the girl in front of him.
"How chivalrous of you." Dorothea giggled before accepting Shirou's outstretched hand. "Be careful who you turn a blind eye to." A dark undertone filled her voice as she opened her mouth.
"What….?" Shirou was interrupted as Dorothea bit down on his hand. "MRGFFF." Shirou bit his lip, shaking Dorothea to the side as he grasped the shroud of Martin.
"Haaaaaaah.' Dorothea moaned as her cheeks turned rosy. "I just wanted a bite to replenish myself." She began to shake uncontrollably as she walked toward Shirou, lust in her eyes. "But your blood is SO PUUUUREEEE."
"Trace on." Shirou's circuits flared to life as he prepared to defend himself.
"Enough," Syura called out, suprising both people in the clearing as he came back into view. "I warned you already, CUR." Syura moved in a flash, appearing behind Dorothea in an instant as he chopped her on the back of the neck, knocking her out cold.
"It seems you weren't exaggerating after all." Syura gave Shirou's arm a quick look before turning away. "Since the concubine is knocked out." Syura gave Dorotheas knocked out form a disgusted look. "I'll take you somewhere your wounds can be looked at; But first." "Shambhala." Purple energy exploded around the three of them as they disappeared into the ether.
Shirou shook his head, vision slightly blurred as he acclimatized to his new surroundings. Dark grey bricks lined the walls of the dark, dry room he stood in as his head nearly touched the low-down, flat wooden roof. "POUUGH." Shirou snapped his head, seeing Syura hunched over, the body of Dorothea on the ground next to him. Syura shook his head back and forth, sweat flying everywhere as he proceeded to wipe his brow.
"How are you able to do that," Shirou said, shaking off his dizziness as he walked towards Syura.
"Choose…. your next… words…. carefully…." Syura leered at Shirou.
"I'm sorry for the insult my liege." Sarcasm rolled off Shirou's tongue. "I'm simply awed by your ability to traverse such large distances with minimal issues." Shirou cringed slightly as he passed the downed body of Dorothea, eyes locked on Syura.
"Much better, toy." Syura. "My Teigu, Shambhala, allows me to manipulate space and teleport objects via pre-placed markers." Shirou squinted slightly, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Syura.
"You would just reveal that to a potential enemy?" Shirou squinted slightly, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Syura.
"Potential enemy." Syura looked up, sighing. "I don't think you fully grasp your situation, toy. You are my property; I will do whatever I choose with you."
"Sure." Shirou looked away, a slight frown on his lips. 'He's a child.'
"COSMINA," Syura called out as he looked off towards a viny, old oak door at the end of the corridor, interrupting Shirou's internal musings.
"Yes, bossssssss." A female figure suddenly stormed through the door before crossing the clearing in a flash, buzzing with energy. They had pink hair, pink eyes with pure white, star-shaped pupils, and white skin. She wore a strapped pink idol costume that exposed her ample cleavage, with a frilly, low-cut mini dress on the bottom and black thigh highs that reached the bottom of her mini-skirt.
"Fast…." Shirou's posture tightened up, eyes solely focused on the idol-like figure now present.
"Like what you see." The girl said as she fluttered her lashes.
"Enough." Syura looked at Cosmina in annoyance. "I need you to keep an eye on Dorothea while she tends to our guest." Cosmina's eerie pink eyes darted to the downed figure of Dorothea before moving to Syura, eyebrows slightly raised. "It seems our guest has VERY nice blood." Cosmina's eyes darted to Shirou, looking him up and down as a smirk replaced her frown.
"Interesting." Cosmina's posture lifted again, bubbly personality back in a flash. Cosmina lifted her miniskirt, showing her panties underneath as she maintained her gaze on Shirou. "You can have my blood anytime…." Shirou balked, unable to process the brazen nature of what just occurred.
"ENOUGH." Syura raised his voice, annoyance turning into anger as he glared at Cosmina.
"Sorry boss." She said, cringing as she walked toward Dorothea. "Wakey wakey, sleepyhead." She called out, whacking Dorothea on the back of the head with the cat-themed microphone in her hand.
"BITCH." Dorothea screamed out as she rose with a start, eyes darting around. "Syura….." She recoiled slightly as she recognized her leader.
"Attend to his wounds, NOW." Syura looked from Dorothea to Shirou. "Try not to bang him this time, either." Green met Auburn as Syura stared Dorothea down, Cosmina bickering to herself in the distance. "That goes for you too, concubine." He briefly turned to Cosmina before looking back to the doorway. "I have to attend to our other 'guests'." Syura walked off into the distance as Shirou tried his best to maintain a passive face at the mention of Sayo and Ieyasu.
"Let's go," Dorothea called out, a scowl on her face as the three of them walked off in the opposite direction of Syura, accompanied by nothing but eerie silence and the sound of their own footsteps.
"Interesting." Dorothea walked backward and forwards, stopping occasionally to tap her heel against the ground. Shirou sat on a bed to the side, multiple white lines connected to the shroud on his left arm. "The shroud cuts off all interaction between your left arm and your body, no blood flow or anything else."
"The shroud is meant to apply the concept of 'sealing an event." Shirou grimaced, recalling his various attempts at removing the shroud in the past.
"Concept of sealing an event." Dorothea looked Shirou up and down, a skeptical look on her face. "Take this." Dorothea passed Shirou a vile with a blood-red liquid in it. Shirou cringed his eyes as he removed the lid and smelled the liquid inside. "It's not poison, dullard." Dorothea clenched her hand, anger quickly building.
"Be careful who you turn a blind eye to." Sarcasm rolled off Shirou's tongue.
"You should be grateful." Cosmina interrupted the two, a scowl on her lips. "I've never seen Dorothea willingly hand out a philosopher's stone mixture like that, especially to a stranger." Dorothea shot Cosmina a disapproving glare.
"Philosopher's stone." Shirou's jaw hang slightly agape, eyebrows raised at the information.
"You recognize the name?" Dorothea turned her gaze to Shirou, a watchful frown on her face. 'Fuck.' Shirou internally chided himself.
"Literature in my hometown mentioned it, but the stone was believed to be a myth."
"The common folk of your town where aware of alchemy." Dorothea grew more skeptical by the second.
"So, it's safe to drink?' Shirou changed the topic of conversation, causing Dorothea's frown to deepen.
"The mixture will simply reverse the aging on your wound." Dorothea breathed in and out, calming herself down as Shirou continued to look at her skeptically. "If you are familiar with the stone, you should also be aware of the mastery one would need to produce it." Shirou shook his head. 'If she wanted me dead, she could have done it 100 times over by now.' Shirou raised his arm before sculling the red liquid. Shirou patted his shoulder, no longer feeling a gash there. "Even Saber wasn't this good." Shirou voiced his internal thoughts, unable to hide his amazement.
"Evoba eno enivid." Dorothea ignored Shirou, as she began to chant an incantation. She drew a knife from her pocket, nicking the tip of her finger as a single drop of blood hit the paved floor. The pitch of Dorothea's voice raised as she drew a black wand from her pocket. "Seiretsym lla laever." The white patches on the shroud exploded into rainbow light as Dorothea raised her eyes to the sky.
"This is part of the procedure, huh." Shirou let out a sarcastic quip, somehow remaining completely cool despite the explosion of energy on his left arm.
"Even the elixir could not bypass it." Dorothea balked in open amazement, completely ignoring Shirou. "Where did you get that shroud." Dorothea shot around, auburn eyes clashing as she stared intently at Shirou.
"A sadistic priest gave it to me." Dorothea frowned, fury burning in her eyes.
"Enough of your games, CHILD." Dorothea's face contorted, wrinkles covering her once pristine skin as she threateningly walked towards Shirou. "I was practicing alchemy before your far-distant ancestors were born, Boy. Never have I come across an artefact capable of resisting, not to mention nullifying the effects of the stone." Shirou opened his mouth to interject, but Dorothea continued ranting. "You will give me the information I want, or ELSE."
"Try your best, Vampire." Shirou clenched his hands, Dorothea no longer in his vision, the decrepit freak of nature who perverted Sakura standing in her place.
"ENOUGH," Cosmina called out, slicing the tension in two as both of them turned their attention to her.
'Sorry." Shirou shook his head, chiding herself for his actions. He looked back at Dorothea, regret in his eyes. "A priest from the holy sacrament gave me the shroud." Dorothea's wrinkles disappeared, her youthly look returning as she kept eye contact. "I have no idea how he obtained it."
"I have much still to learn." Dorothea looked away as she gave the wall a seven-mile stare.
"Annnnnywayyyy." Cosmina called out again, bubbly personality returning as she looked at Shirou. "Now that you're all better, how about we get to the next part of the game."
"What game." Shirou looked at Cosmina, unsure of what to make of her last comment.
"I had forgotten about that," Dorothea said to no one in particular. "We should get going unless we want to anger Syura." Dorothea composed herself, flicking her wand as the door to the room opened. Shirou stood still, unmoving as the two of them walked out the door.
"Last one there is my slave for a week." Cosmina turned around, giving Shirou a look polar to her chirpy attitude. Shirou stood up, following them into the dark corridor as a deep sense of foreboding came over him.
"POP." Blinding lights flared to life in the wide-open auditorium. Shirou rubbed his eyes, shaking his head as he centered himself in the room. Syura stood on a stage in the middle of the brown brick auditorium, smile wide and posture strong as he lorded his assumed superiority over them. Two figures kneeled next to him, identical black robes covering them, hands placed in wooden pillories.
"Welcome toys, to Syura's fun-filled festival!" Syura looked towards the Shirou, gesturing for him to come towards the stage as Cosmina and Dorothea emerged from the back of the stage.
"You're my slave now, Shirou," Cosmina called out, a radiant smile on her face.
"Watch your tongue." Syura glared at Cosmina as Dorothea laughed in the background.
"Yuki Matsuri was nicer." Sarcasm rolled off Shirou's tongue as he tensed just a bit.
"That cockiness of yours will not last, toy." Syura watched Shirou walk forwards. "Welcome to your final initiation test." Shirou reached the edge of the stage, tilting his head to the right at Syura's latest admission.
"Initiation test." Shirou met Syura's gaze. "What about Izou?"
"Izou was merely a means of testing your combat aptitude. Today, your conviction is under the microscope." An agitated look developed on Syura's face. "Enough of this foolishness." Syura gestured to Dorothea and Cosmina behind him. They ripped the hoods off the unidentified figures on the stage, revealing the black and blue faces of Sayo and Ieyasu.
"Shirou?" Sayo called out, relief briefly washing over her face.
"Quiet, WORM." Syura slapped Sayo, eliciting a pained cringe from Shirou and Cosmina. "To create something new, something else must be lost." Syura beamed with joy as he turned his attention from Sayo to Shirou. "Kill your friends, and I will officially recognize you as a comrade." Syura raised his hands, maniacal laughter escaping him. Shirou frowned deeply, eyes cold as steel. 'Can I save them?'
"To create something new, something else must be lost." Shirou glared as Syura
"What of it."
"That phrase implies some kind of equivalent exchange. Two for one is not exactly equal."
"Impudent….." Syura cut himself off, a mix of respect and anger painted on his face. "I will offer you a second reward then." Shirou's frown turned slightly less intense.
"I choose the second reward."
"I will consider your request." Syura began to tap his fingers. Shirou stood still, deep in thought. 'He could get me to the capital far quicker.' Shirou shook his head. 'What if…' An image of a girl with snowy white hair and blood-red eyes flashed into Shirou's mind. "Illya."
"Enough time-wasting." The respect disappeared from Syura's face, leaving anger in its place. "Make. Your. Choice."
"You will consider any request?" Shirou ignored Syura's whining, head pushed forward slightly as he stared at Syura. He nodded his head as Shirou let out a sigh, walking towards the stage. 'Those blades are too beautiful for something like this.' Shirou shook his head as he reached the stage. "Pough." Shirou's heavy boot's clattered against the wooden stage as he reached Syura's side.
"Please," Ieyasu spoke for the first time, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at Shirou. "You…."
"Enough from you." Syura raised his leg. Shirou dashed forward, a hand like steel as he gripped Syura's raised leg. "You DARE." Syura dropped his leg as Shirou released his grip, rage boiling in his eyes.
"I am the bone of my sword." Syura backed away, the air growing heavier.
"What power," Dorothea muttered, awe in her eyes as Cosmina stood motionless.
"Trace on." A massive slab of stone twice as long as Shirou was tall materialized. He raised the blade with his left hand as Cosmina briefly raised her eyebrows before returning to a neutral expression.
"You can hold me like that any day, Shirou," Cosmina said, winking at him before shaking her head.
"Sorry." Air exploded in every direction as Shirou brought the blade down as a sickening crunch rang out. Sayo and Ieyasu's heads fell to the floor, blood flowing from the empty stumps at the top of their respective bodies. The sword in Shirou's hand disappeared in a flash of blue sparks as he walked away from the corpses.
"What a beautiful display." Syura smiled ear to ear as he looked toward Shirou. "I will ignore…." Syura cut himself off as Shirou invaded his personal space. Syura met the redhead's steely gaze.
"I ignored your last slight." Syura closed his fists. "I will not do so again." Shirou let out a deep sigh, the warm air washing over Syura's face. "PCCCHK." A wet sound rang out as Syura swung hard, knocking Shirou's face to the side. Shirou wiped his mouth before turning around, a neutral expression on his face.
"Where's the nearest bathroom." Shirou turned to Cosmina, blood covering his clothes as she wore a wry smile.
"So forward."
"You know what I meant." Cosmina tilted her head, faking confusion.
"Third door on the left." Dorothea interrupted the conversation. "I will have some clothes prepared for you in the meantime." Shirou left the stage, heading towards the door before Syura interrupted him.
"You have given me more than enough entertainment for the day, toy." Syura said "Rest well, we will discuss your second reward in the morning"
"Thanks, Boss." A mix of contempt and sarcasm could be heard in Shirou's tone as he left the auditorium.
Two dark, hooded figures faced each other in a pitch-black room, one kneeling to the other. "You understand your mission?"
"Of course, boss." The kneeling figure said, a noticeable cheeriness in their tone.
"You will infiltrate his camp and determine the reason for their erratic movements."
"I did read the debrief, ya know."
"Your recent loss will not impact your performance?" They ignored the flippancy of their comrade.
"It will not be a problem." The cheeriness disappeared from their voice as they clenched their fists. They stood up, giving a small nod to their superior as they left the meeting room, locks of auburn hair flowing from the bottom of their hood.
A/N: Things start to get interesting. Sorry for the few days of delay, had alot of issues with the second to last scene, don't think I even slightly nailed what I was hoping to get out of it, but pen to paper is something.
Haven't started chapter 6, hopefully have that finished by the start of July.