Hey there. Another plot bunny come to life. For any readers from any of my other stories, writer's block and low motivation are among the reasons for the long period of not updating, as well as video games. I will return to Sea of thy Soul and A Bloodedge's Awakening someday, but for now I think I will unload the plot bunnies squatting in my head in the form of one-shots. Who knows, maybe someday these bunnies will blossom into full-fledged stories. I do not own any of the characters, I only have the video games. Without futher ado, I leave this at the mercy of the masses.

Oct. 18 2022 minor edit: broke up some of the paragraphs


Shadow Hounds

Thank you all for coming today. To be frank, we have detected some sort of anomaly within the city of Fuyuki. We would never have known about this if not for our friends in JP's. This place you four will be going to is unlike any we dealt with before. Unlike the Dark Hour or TV World, most of the fighting will likely take place in the real world, so be careful in how you go about fighting. Of course your primary objective is to scout out this anomaly and report back once you have a grasp of the situation. Good luck and be safe. Mitsuru out.


Fuyuki City appeared to be a place brimming with life. People hustling and bustling about their day, unaware of the danger lurking right beneath the surface. At the airport, a certain group readied themselves for one of the most dangerous missions they would ever be undertaking. One among the team bounced on his feet uneasily. He could tell the moment they set foot in this place, that this mission would be unlike any before. Ken and Labrys didn't sense the changed atmosphere of the city - like that of a time bomb just waiting for the chance to explode. Fuuka, on the other hand, was able to get a general sense of the situation through Juno, and relayed her thoughts to the others. The atmosphere of the city had elevated levels of something which was comparable to the Dark Hour and TV World. Danger and power permeated various parts of the city; From Mt. Enzo to the forest and church, he could smell the flow of power. After all, animals had better senses than your everyday human.

The advanced recon team made their way through the airport, taking note of the eyes aimed towards them in curiosity. Honestly, none of the group could fault them: a young woman, two high school aged teens, and an albino shiba inu lugging around an exorbitant amount of luggage; it would be surprising if they didn't attract attention. For three of the group, the stares made them more self-conscious about their appearance, though they did their best to ignore the eyes on them. The last one, used to being stared at most of the time, didn't even bat an eye at all the attention. Making their way to the limousine outside, the group could not have foreseen the chance encounter which would shape the events to come.


Bazett Fraga Mcremitz maintained a stoic mien, but on the inside she couldn't be more excited. Ever since she was a child, she had wanted to save Cu Chulainn from his fate. Now thanks to Kirei Kotomine, she now has an opportunity to turn that dream into reality. Better yet, she could even summon her hero as the Servant Lancer and fight side by side with him. So long as the Lancer class slot was still open when she summoned her Servant, it was a guarantee for Cu Chulainn to show up considering she planned on using his earrings as the catalyst. Before going to meet Kotomine for the summoning, she decided to tour the city for a while. So caught up in her thoughts, Bazett didn't see where she was walking and accidentally walked into someone, knocking them over.

"I'm sorry about that. Was caught up in my thoughts and didn't pay attention to where I was going," she bowed in apology to the teal-haired young woman before helping her to her feet.

"It's no problem, no harm done," the young lady smiled.

"Best be on my way. Hope you enjoy your day ma'am." With that Bazett continued on her way to relax before the eventual summoning.

Fuuka Yamagishi stared after the red-haired woman. Her Persona, Juno, a manifestation of her psyche, notified her of the potential danger the woman would be if they were to ever engage in battle.

"Everything alright there Fuuka-san" a curious Labrys asked, noticing Fuuka's anxiety.

"That red-haired woman… There is something different about her compared to everyone else at the airport. Something that makes her stand out."

"Is she dangerous," Ken inquired.

"Not sure yet, but when we bumped into each other Juno alerted me to watch out for her."


Ruminating on Fuuka's words, the rest of the team ultimately decided to keep an eye on this mystery woman. Continuing on their way to the Fuyuki City Hyatt Hotel the team set up their lodgings and equipment before deciding how to split up the workload. Eventually it was decided Labrys would scout out the suburbs, Ken's assigned area was Miyama Town, and finally Fuuka and Koromaru were to check out the Shinto area.

With that out of the way, the Fuyuki Advanced Recon Team geared up for any possible confrontations. Labrys, Ken, and Koromaru equipped themselves with 5 Beads in addition to a Soma, Traesto Gem, and Trafuri Gem each. Aside from those, all three acquired a few Dis-Items and Patra Gems just in case. Ken also made sure to hide his Evoker from sight while Koromaru acquired an upgraded form of his customized Evoker. From the hotel, Fuuka could act as the team's communications/support while keeping away from the fighting. Considering Juno's non-combat nature it was for the best.


Night had set on Fuyuki and the summon circle was set inside the church. With Kotomine on standby, Bazett began chanting the summoning incantation. A surge of power gathered before erupting in a bright light. When she could see again, Bazett could feel the smile overtaking her face. She had done it; She had summoned Cu Chulainn.


Koromaru wore his vest to carry the perishables found all those years ago in Tartarus and around Port Island. Sure he was getting strange looks considering an albino Shiba Inu wearing a vest is not an everyday sight, but better prepared than dead. The group decided it best for Koromaru to discreetly tail the red-haired foreigner if any of them caught sight of her. After all, nobody expects the dog. Nobody. By chance he came across the scent trail belonging to the mystery woman and followed accordingly.

So here he was outside of a church figuring out a way to break in without the inhabitants catching on to his presence. Truth be told, something about this place freaked him out and angered him beyond measure. Death, decay, and despair blasted his nose the moment he entered the grounds. The source centered in the basement.

As for his anxiety, that was easy: an apex predator resided in the area. His instincts screamed at him to flee as fast as he could and hide in the TV, but doing that meant abandoning his current objective. He could not do that. Doing so would betray the trust his family put in him. Even so, the level of terror this apex predator instilled in him was comparable to a natural disaster. It wasn't even hard to pinpoint the location of said threat. Waiting at the top of the church's steeple, a being capable of bringing instant death stared down directly at Koromaru.

He couldn't make out the entity all that well (at best the slightly blurry figure appeared a yellowish hue) and he didn't need to; He could smell and sense it just fine. Like a force of nature, this entity could end Koromaru's existence in seconds if it chose so. Strangely enough he could smell copious amounts of gold and wealth. Putting that aside,the yellowish blur emanated a certain royal air. As if Koromaru were nothing more than an ant in front of an elephant. So far the blurry entity seemed content to observe Koromaru and his future choices in the next few minutes.

To his credit, Koromaru stood his ground and refused to buckle under the pressure. A gathering of ambient energy towards the church's interior gained Koromaru's immediate focus before it all coalesced into a single form, similar to the ever present eye watching overhead. One major difference though, the entity in the church would not survive a direct serious confrontation with the alpha resting upon the steeple. Not a chance.

No sooner had the thought run its course, Koromaru stiffened when the scent of blood reached his nose. Disregarding his trepidation, Koromaru moved on instinct before shattered glass sounded in the night.


Kirei Kotomine considered himself a simple man of simple needs. Bring about someone's suffering and despair while secretly drinking it in like a fine wine. He was not born normal like most people. He was an aberration - a fundamentally twisted person - but he still had a moral compass due to his upbringing and soul searching. Emptiness defined him for he had no clear sense of self. His thoughts and happiness differed from most of Humanity, for what would normally bring him happiness would undoubtedly bring repulsion from most of the masses around the globe.

Ten years ago, he had a crisis of identity, but thanks to a certain gold king he was able to gain a better understanding of who he is and how to live his life. Nowadays he spent his time secretly delighting in others' suffering while maintaining his priestly facade. Sure, he still felt the occasional pang of guilt and self-loathing, but that is what the hero of his story is for. To either strike him down or be struck down in turn, Kirei Kotomine at the very least wanted an answer for his existence in this world. He thought he had found that in Kiritsugu Emiya during the Fourth War, but sadly he was not able to help him in the end. Hopefully this time around Kirei would finally be able to find his answer. Nothing to do now except fatally wound Bazett, take her Lancer for his own, watch the life drain from her eyes as she slowly succumbs to blood loss, and call it a night.

Looking back on this night, Lancer would wonder what the Holy Grail War would have been like if his future comrades never appeared. When he was first summoned, he couldn't be any more happier. His Master was a beautiful Irish red-head with excellent magic circuits. He could tell from a preliminary glance she would be able to hold her own in a fight with enemy Masters and became excited at seeing just how well she would do in battle.

Unfortunately, the priest behind her had other plans. Just as Bazett and Lancer were about to do formalities, the priest walked up to Bazett and promptly severed her arm in one fell swoop. Time seemed to slow for both Master and Servant. As she fell, Lancer didn't miss the look of absolute betrayal on her face. Lancer's expression morphed into one of murderous righteous fury and his spear reflected that as it zoned in on the smug bastard's heart.

Just before Gáe Bolg could put an end to his life, the spear halted in its tracks. The reason: Kotomine held up the Command Seal arm in front of him declaring himself Lancer's Master. In a technical sense he was right because Lancer's soon to be former Master would be dead from blood loss long before she reached the hospital, there was nothing stopping the priest from transferring her Command Seals over to himself, and Lancer couldn't avenge his fallen Master if he was dead.

As if the situation could not escalate further, a bone-chilling howl filled the night air. The howl itself would without fail unsettle all but those who did not fear death. Even Lancer was briefly overcome by a tiny bout of surprise before the moment passed. It helped that immediately after the howl, the church doors were blasted off their hinges. With all eyes aimed at the entrance, the mystery intruder soon became apparent.


Voicing confusion at the dog - a shiba inu his mind provided - standing amongst the wreckage, Lancer was not sure how to process the situation. Who expects a dog to just bust down a door without any preamble? Said dog currently taking in the situation came to a decision and made his move. Moving far faster than expected, the dog charged Kotomine, knocking him off his feet and the Command Seal arm into the air. Catching the arm in his jaws, the dog took a moment to stare meaningfully at Lancer, tilt his head at Bazett, and then race out the front door. Picking up what the dog conveyed, Lancer gently cradled Bazett, put pressure on her amputated limb, and quickly followed after the dog.

Presently, Lancer was using his clenched hand as a tourniquet to stem the blood flow after reaching a safe enough distance away. The dog sat nearby with the Command Seal arm still in his mouth. Bazett had already entered hypovolemic shock, even with the stemmed flow. She would be dead within the next minute. Gritting his teeth, Lancer slammed his fist into the ground. Feeling a presence next to him revealed the dog laying the arm down before moving his head back to rustle through his vest ( yes, as if today couldn't get any weirder, the dog wore a midnight blue vest sporting an embroidered moon). Preempting whatever Lancer could say or do, the canine brought out some kind of gem and crushed it between his jaws.

An unfamiliar feeling akin to weightlessness washed over Lancer before he found the three of them inside a hotel room occupied by three others. A teenage boy and girl sporting school uniforms (Lancer idly noted the girl looked a bit roughed up) as well as a young adult female dressed in modest clothing stared at them in slight surprise before they noticed Bazett. The teal-haired young woman made her way over to Bazett before enclosing her hands in prayer. Much to Lancer's shock some sort of entity surrounded the young woman followed by a green glow enveloping Bazett. To his awe, the blood completely stopped and Bazett's face regained some of it's color while her breathing stabilized. Looking at the woman in thanks, he turned towards the little canine who made all this possible. And promptly received one final surprise/shock for the night. The albino shiba inu had Command Seals on the back of his neck.


Location unknown

In a desolate landscape marred by a brimstone and hellfire a certain Avenger was in the process of being obliterated from existence. His executioner: a being of unfathomable power covered by shadows.

"Do not struggle. All will be fine now that I am here. Your wishes will become my wishes. Your role will become mine. What kind of person do you suppose will reach here first? One of the righteous? Maybe a tyrant of the highest order? How about someone who cares not for morality? Humanity is capable of both demonic evil and angelic kindness. You need not worry Angry Mango, for whosoever is able to obtain all Candelabras and prove their worth will be able to turn their wish into reality. By the way, I know who you are and how to pronounce your 'name', I just choose to mock you in your final moments. Rubbing salt in the wound, as humans would say. As for any rule breakers, I guarantee that there will be no such thing in the final selection. You can trust me, after all…"

I AM THOU

THOU ART I


Up next: Chaldea's Shield


I honestly wanted to put a strikethrough through the "I am thou thou art I", but I can't. -_-