[EMIYA SHIROU]
[THE GAMER] [LV 50 - 3.500/50.000]
[HP: 5000[MP: 35[MC: 27[ST: 920[SP: 9] [STR: 50[DEX: 50[INT: 50[WIS: 50[CHR: 102]
[ATK: 100] [DEF:100]
By the time Shirou finally stood before the last gate to the Oni bastion, night had completely fallen. Two imposing metal doors carved with gory scenes of pillage and slaughter barred his passage. Seeing those, there would be no doubt in anyone's mind that heading into this place was to walk into mortal peril.
As if the courtyard teeming with Oni wasn't enough. It was surreal, to walk into such a place, filled with monsters, without they trying to kill him and vice versa. Clearly he was expected, but it was odd how they did not gave him as much as a second look.
Of course, he was sure things would be drastically different if he tried to leave. Just because they weren't paying him any mind, it didn't mean they weren't watchful. In any case, Shirou had no other option but to advance, so he pushed the gates open
Unlike the other buildings he had seen on the island, both of human making or otherwise, the fortress was a genuine castle with floors of polished wood, but being carved into the mountain itself, it would have been completely dark if not for the torches burning along the walls.
However, rather than detract from the ominous atmosphere, the flickering light only made it worse. Seriously, it was a textbook example of a horror story setting.
It did not help that it looked also completely empty.
While the courtyard and the checkpoints were heavily garrisoned, there was absolutely nobody in here, at least not within the range of his detection skills.
Granted, they weren't a hundred percent reliable. Someone with sufficient ability could bypass them, but there would have been no point in doing that now. Shuten-Doji had him walk through her armies to get there. If she wanted to have him killed she could very well have.
No, while it was certainly a trap, it was not going to be an ambush.
Since there was no reason to be on his guard at his point he walked in without hesitation. Though he had worn his leather armor and had his sword at his side, Shirou didn't bother unsheathing it. Mostly he donned them to put on a show. He didn't want Shuten to pick up on their rescue plan just because he presented himself not ready to fight for his life.
Although technically he had already been in the fortress once before, Shirou only had a vague understanding ot its layout. In a strange twist of fate, that worked to his advantage.
Since Shuten didn't deign to send someone to receive him and bring him to her, he had the perfect excuse to waste some time and look around the place under the pretense of searching for her chambers.
Considering how far up on the mountain side that room had been, he figured that he would have to climb up a few floor. However the ground floor interested him a lot more.
According to the intel extracted from Ibaraki, the prisons were beneath the fortress and as such there should be a point of access around these parts.
[Supernatural Presence detected]
'There we go,' he thought.
Peering behind a corner, he saw two Oni Captains standing guard next to a heavy wooden door. That had to be the it. The path to the dungeon.
Shirou had no intention of going down there. As much as he would have wanted to rescue Mikoto-san and the other himself, he had to leave that to Matsumoto. Although no one had come to lead him to Shuten, he was certain that if he made a serious attempt at freeing the girls, she would come swooping down and fetch him. There was no telling what would happen then and Shirou wasn't willing to risk it.
He just wanted to know where the access was, in case things went ass over teakettle and he needed to improvise. Getting lost during a crisis would not do.
Shirou wished good luck to Matsumoto in his mind and then went to explore some more.
[br]
"Ow!" Matsumoto winched as her horns scraped against the rocks of the cavern she was presently crawling into. For an average sized human it might have sufficed to duck their heads a little, but it wasn't enough for Matsumoto in her current conditions.
She was much taller now, to the point that it was more comfortable moving on all four than to crouch awkwardly.
She was not yet used to having horns and she ended up hitting and scraping them left and right. They were surprisingly sensitive to boot, which was odd considering they should have been just an outgrowths of bone, but perhaps there was more to them than met the eyes.
It would have been an object of curiosity at another time. Currently they were just a huge annoyance.
How much longer would she have to crawl underground? Why did she have to suffer an ignominy after another? She had done nothing to warrant something like this.
Nothing at all.
Except stalking Shirou around, but that did not count. That did not count at all.
[br]
Shirou climbed one floor after another. Several flights of stairs took him higher and higher, until he knew he had arrived at the right place, judging from the smell of sake drifting like a fine mist from somewhere nearby.
[Supernatural presence detected]
That was also a dead giveaway. Knowing that the time for stalling was at an end, he squared his shoulder and advanced.
Before advancing further, he opened his Inventory and took out the token that Velvet had prepared specifically for Mikado. It was a small shard of the cup, encased in a resin-like substance the composition of which, Shirou ignored.
When the clock struck midnight, this would have to be in direct contact with Mikado, otherwise she would be stranded on this place, at the mercy of Shuten-Doji. He still had no idea how to deliver it in such a way that she couldn't just throw it. He had swallowed his own specifically for that reason.
He didn't know if simply having it in his Inventory would count as it being in contact with him and he certainly wasn't about to risk it.
Now, if only he could do the same and force Shuten-Doji to swallow this one, he would be all set. However, he didn't think that the Oni would drop her guard so much that he could do something like this. Resolving to make something up as things went along, Shirou put the token back into the Inventory and stepped forward.
As he approached, he saw the shadow of Shuten Doji, dancing through the rice paper door from the flickering flame of the candle inside the room.
"Come on in, boy," she said, even though he still had to announce himself. He wasn't all that surprised about it. A creature this powerful, which naturally predated on humans, had to have a certain ability to detect their presence, unless otherwise distracted.
Shirou opened the door and revealed himself.
Shuten sat on a pillow, holding a cup of sake. Her haori clung loosely from her shoulders, which would have left her chest completely bare if not for the strange marking that ran across her skin. A rosy hue illuminated her cheeks, a clear sign that she had been drinking on her own for quite a while already.
"Good evening," he greeted politely, if simply because there was no reason not to.
Shuten's mouth quirked into a full blown smile.
"Ahhh, welcome boy. Come on in. It is so nice to have a cultured guest over for once," she said, although considering her how hungry her eyes looked, she might as well been talking about a meal. Which she probably was doing, all things considered. "Come, have a seat."
Shirou stepped in, closing the door behind himself, and sat seiza upon the other pillow in front of her, while Shuten sipped at her liquor like this was a social visit.
"It was very nice of you to respond to my invitation," she told him.
"I didn't think I was given a choice," he replied evenly, to which she chuckled.
"Even a monster like me knows that there is always a choice. But I admit that I was quite certain you would have made this one."
"How so?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing. "We didn't exactly get to know each other, previously."
"That is certainly true, but you remind me of another boy I knew. In the same circumstances, he would have come as well, which was why I knew that you would have done the same."
"And so here I am," he said. "Although I don't understand why."
"Oh? I thought I had made it quite clear. I wish to share a drink with you. Speaking of which, here you go."
She took an empty cup and poured sake from a gourd, and then passed it over to Shirou, who received it with both hands while eyeing it carefully. It was a clear looking liquid, with an overwhelming smell of alcohol.
"How do I know this is not poisoned?" he asked.
"I was given to understand that all alcohol is poisonous," she replied. "Was I mistaken?"
"... I guess not," he agreed. "Aren't you afraid that making me drink this will trigger the geas on Mikado-san?"
"Why would it? I'm not making you do anything. More importantly, this woman whose body I'm inhabiting isn't. I might not use her body to do you harm, but she's not responsible for what you knowingly do with your own two hands in response to my machinations."
"And what if you are wrong?" he asked. Shuten had to have figured the loose terms of his binding agreement with Mikado, but she couldn't be privy to all details.
She smiled at his attempt to make her doubt herself.
"Then I guess that both this woman and I will die. It's no skin off my back, honestly. It would not be the first time it happens. Oni always find a way to come back, eventually."
The cup in Shirou's hand cracked from the pressure he was putting on it, as he narrowed his eyes at her. So that was her game. She could not kill him directly, but she could let him slowly kill himself with this method.
That was fine, though. That was perfectly fine, in fact.
He couldn't die conventionally, no matter how much damage was heaped upon him, and in Die Hard mode he would stop taking damage altogether. There were a few hours to midnight still, but his stamina was nearly full, and drinking sake shouldn't consume too much of it either. Actually, it might very well restore it. It had calories so it was food, wasn't it?
In short, in spite of everything he was perfectly safe.
There was still the matter focing the return token on Shuten-Doji, though, but he had nothing else to do other than drink sake and figure out how to do that.
Now more confident in his chances to survive, he brought the cup to his lips and swallowed its contents. It went down his throat as smoothly as water.
And came back up like a roaring fire.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
His eyes watered from the sudden heat that started to burn in his stomach. He punched his chest a couple of times, but it didn't help with his breathing. "What! Cough! The! Cough! Hell?"
"Ahhh," Shuten said in almost childlike delight. "Was that your first time, boy? Congratulation on having become a man."
"That's… that's not how… Cough! Not how it works," he protested, although he wasn't much invested n rectifying Shuten's worldviews. He was much more interested in the prompt that had appeared in front of his face.
[You have acquired the abnormal status Poisoned (I)] [Effect: Lose 100 HP per hour]
[Duration: 10 minutes] [Warning: The effect might stack]
[You have restored 10 ST]
That wasn't all that bad. The health loss was negligible while the stamina gain was high. At this rate, he really wouldn't have to worry about anything as far as he was concerned. Even if the effect increased by a factor of ten or a hundred, he would still be in the clear.
The problem with that reasoning was that Shirou had no experience with alcohol.
It wasn't the effect it had on his body he should have been worried about, as much as that it would inevitably have on his mind. Unfortunately, he didn't understand that risk, and he did not hesitate in gulping down another cup as soon as Shuten had refilled it.
[br]
At last, Matsumoto emerged to a larger tunnel in which she could finally stand. All the crawling and the scraping of horns had left her quite tense and ready to snap. Her lower canines had extended and she was ready to rip into someone.
As luck would have it, the tunnel was some kind of hiding place for Oni that wanted to slack and when Matsumoto appeared from the darkness they all scrambled to their feet and got ahold of their weapons.
They didn't get to do anything more than that, because the Onified woman moved with a speed that they could not match. She turned the first two by their heads and slammed them on the walls, while the third she kicked so hard that it flew up and became a smear on the ceiling.
The remaining two she grabbed and quickly drained them of their life essence, adding to her own.
When the violence finally ceased, Matsumoto let out a long, satisfied breath through her nose.
Indeed, she loved power. Craved it even.
Thus far, the only power she had been able to exercise was that which her beauty gave her over men. While her absorption ability did give her a boost, she never came across anything truly powerful and if she had she would have died.
Now, the circumstances had plotted to have her assimilate a creature that dwarfed even the most powerful human beings, and while it was destined to fade, it was currently giving her a high. It was very much welcome, especially since her other power had failed her so badly in the last few days.
Perhaps she should start looking into other avenues. She didn't care about fighting and she was quite lazy, but perhaps it was time to push herself beyond her zone of comfort for once. Otherwise, she would never manage to overcome that humiliation.
But that was not something she needed to worry about at present. There were some women who needed her help, and while Matsumoto was a bit callous, a bit selfish and a bit lazy, she wasn't yet so bad that she would let someone in dire straits when she could easily help.
Besides, she was sure that Shirou would be grateful if she successfully rescued them, and she could perhaps find a way to turn that in her favor.
One never knew.
[br]
[You have acquired the abnormal status Poisoned (IV)] [Effect: Lose 400HP per hour]
[Duration: 10 minutes] [Warning: The effect might stack]
[You have acquired the abnormal status: Drunk (III)]
[Effect: INT, WIS and CHR are temporarily reduced by 30%] [Duration: 10 minutes]
[Warning: The effects might stack]
[You have restored 10 ST]
Shirou's vision sawm a bit and he had lost count of how many cups of sake he already had.
However, he was not worried. He already knew he was in no danger whatsoever. Actually, he was starting to feel relaxed, if a bit light headed. Everything was going his way for once. He was precisely where he should be, keeping Shuten occupied, while someone else did something else. He wasn't much sure who or what, actually.
[As result of a special action, you have acquired a new ability] [Poison Resistance (I)]
[Reduces the negative effects of all poisons by 10%]
He dismissed the prompt without reading it like he had done several others up to this point. One could read about his levels of poisoning only so much before it became tedious. It wasn't like he was in any danger, after all.
"I must say, you have a far better tolerance for drinking than I would have thought," said Shuten as she poured him another cup. "This liquor is quite strong. Shouldn't you be dead by now?"
"This mush…. this much ish nothing," Shirou slurred as he gulped down. "I won't… won't die even…. even if ya' kill me."
"Oh? Are you an immortal?" she asked.
"Shorta," Shirou nodded. "This body is speshul."
"Special? Special how?"
"Ish…. It's made out of blades," he replied. Was he supposed to say that?
"Is it? It doesn't look like that way to me from here," she said, leaning over to touch his him and in the process dangling her goods in front of his face.
"Uh!" he said, following the hypnotic sway of her breasts. That, in combination with her fingers stroking his cheek and his blood took a sudden journey downward.
"Hmm. It doesn't feel like a sword to me. You are rather soft in fact. Are you sure you are not mistaken?" she asked, then her eyes flickered down. "Well, it does seem that a part of you is a sword, at least. Do you know not that naughty children who lie are an Oni's favorite food?"
"Hic! I'm not lying," he insisted. but rather than looking at her in the face, his eyes were glued to her chest. "It's really made out of blades."
"My, my. I concede to your vehemence. Here, have another drink."
Rather than going back onto her cushion, she snuggled next to Shirou, leaning her chest into his side as she poured him another cup of sake. Because of how much taller she was, her breasts were basically in his face.
Something was very wrong with this setup and Shirou knew it, though saying precisely what was a bit difficult for him at that moment. He distracted himself by downing his drink.
[You have acquired the abnormal status: Drunk (IV)] [Effect: INT, WIS and CHR are temporarily reduced by 40%]
[Duration: 10 minutes] [Warning: the effects might stack]
[You have restored 10 ST]
Seriously, sake was the best. Why was he so much against drinking it just earlier? He couldn't recall.
"Truly, how are you still alive?" asked Shuten, as she played with his hair. "That much sake should have killed a grown man, much less a child like you. Body made of swords or not."
"Hic. Ish because I'm ally of justice."
"Hmm… are you really?"
"I am," he nodded.
"Then would you help me with something?"
"Uh-uh," he refused, shaking his head.
"Oh? And why not?" she asked.
"Becaush… because you are very bad."
Shuten's smile widened.
"Why, yes. I most assuredly a bad creature," she agreed, pressing herself further against him. She was warm and soft, but still Shirou wasn't comfortable with that, so he pushed her away.
"That body ish not yours," he slurred and shot her a drunken glare. "Stop doing lewd things with it all the time."
Shuten tilted her head curiously.
"How curious. This woman is bound by oath not to harm you. I assume it's because you cannot trust her. So why do you defend her so stalwartly?"
"Mikado-san ish not… is not a bad person. She doesn't desh...deserve this. Hic!"
"Oh, my. I was not expecting this. When I lured you here, I thought you were bitter enemies," Shuten admitted, before her mouth stretched into a predatory smile. "This is even better than I had hoped. It will make this all the much sweeter."
"Ah? Wash are you… Hmmpp!"
Shuten grabbed his head and pressed her lips against his. A moment later, an unnaturally nimble tongue sneaked into his mouth, wrapping itself around his own. Shirou was dazed for several moments, and didn't fight back right away, but eventually he pushed Shuten away.
"Stop. Wash… What are you doing?"
"What does it looks like I am doing, boy?" Shuten asked rhetorically, before she pushed him down to the floor and pinned him down with her weight. "Surely you already understand the mattersof men and women."
"Thas... That's not the point!" Shirou protested. He was still drunk, but that didn't mean he no longer knew right from wrong. However, there was still a disconnect between his brain and the rest of his body, because the erection he had previously gained was still going strong. "I already shaid that's not your body."
"Yes," Shuten agreed. "And you also said that I'm very bad creature. You were correct on both accounts. What makes you believe I would care about who owns this woman's body?"
That was unfortunately quite true. Shuten-Doji had no compunction about violating Mikado's body, as she had already proven.
"Ish… If you force this, you'll trigger the geash, you know? You won't get anything out of it."
"Ahh. That really won't do. I could force you down and have you as my plaything, but were would be the fun in that?"
"If… if you understand that, get off me."
"Hmm. No, no. That won't do either. How about we make a deal, boy?"
"A deal? What deal?" he asked.
"It's simple. If you don't agree to play with me, I'll have the hostages killed," she said.
[br]
The cave where Matsumoto had found the unfortunate Oni that became her victims opened through a sturdy gate to the lower reaches of the fortress, just as Ibaraki had been forced to confess. In a way she was lucky to have ran into those Oni.
They had left the gate open and as such she didn't have to break her way inside. Not that she couldn't. With her current strength she could probably tear the gate clear off its hinges, but that would have alerted any guard that there might still be.
Again, she could probably tear her way through them as well, but it would inevitably slow her down, raise the alarm and potentially put the girls' lives at risk. In short, even one with overwhelming power still had a use for inconspicuousness.
The dungeons appeared to be deserted, but that was only to be expected. There is not much use in heavily garrison the prisons themselves, when one could simply monitor the points of access. Surely, a patrol would come sooner or later, especially as the Oni she had killed failed to show up.
She didn't have time to waste, and unfortunately, the layout of the floor was not exactly straightforward.
There were a lot of cells, all of them empty. Matsumoto didn't know if they ever held prisoners, but if they had it wasn't recently. They were completely clean.
Rows and rows of unremarkable empty cells didn't really help with her sense of direction, so she used her clawed hands to make visible marks here and there, so that she could backtrack without getting lost.
As she got further in, she heard noises that she had a hard time placing. She couldn't tell if they were coming from the next corridor, or the upper floor. At least not until she nearly almost turned a corner into a patrol passing by.
She pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath, and the group of five orcs passed without noticing her presence. Only when the disappeared around another corner did she let out a sigh of relief.
A moment later it dawned on her that the wardens of this place weren't like to patrol an area that did not have any prisoners in them, therefore, assuming there weren't any other captives, the girls had to be around here somewhere.
Whether they would be in the direction the Oni had gone or came from was a coin toss, but since Rangiku didn't want to start a fight, she opted for the latter, hoping it would be the right decision.
As it turned out, it was the right call, as the subdue sobbing coming from up ahead seemed to suggest. She came up to a cell with a single Oni captain standing guard. As she had approached stealthily from the side it did not see her coming, until she was right next to it
When she felt something was creeping upon it, he quickly turned around, but it was too late. Before he could cry out in alarm, Rangiku grabbed its face and held its mouth shut.
It squiremed and trashed in her grip, but the difference in power was too much, especially while Matsumoto drained the ugly creatures of its life force, slowly reducing it to a dried up husk.
Only when he was completely dead did she drop it to the floor.
The Oni's dying struggle might have not made enough noise to alert its brethren, but its muffled screams were certainly heard by the occupants of the cell it was guarding.
Three girls were huddled in the corner of their small cage, looking fearfully at the gargantuan figure of Rangiku.
"Hey," she said in a whisper, but that only made them press themself even harder against the back wall. "Calm down. I came to rescue you. Don't you recognize me?"
For a moment, they didn't answer, but then Mikoto, who had always been the bravest and toughest of the lot, actually took a good look at her.
"Ma… Matsumoto-san? Is… Is it really you?"
"Of course it's me. Come on. We're getting out of here."
"But… but.. What happened to you? Why are you like this? Were you always an Oni?"
"No, of course I'm not an Oni. I just borrowed the power from one of them. It's going to fade soon, and I have every intention of getting out of here before that happens. Are you coming with me or are you staying in there? Shirou is keeping the other Oni boss occupied, but I dunno for how long she'll be distracted."
"We… we are coming with you," she said, although she was still clearly distrustful.
"Alright then. Let me see if this guy had the key on him."
Unfortunately, the guard did not have the key to the cell, therefore there was no way of opening it without making a great deal of noise.
"Damn it," she cursed. "I'm going to break this cage open, but that's probably going to alert the rest of the guard. Once I do that, we run," although she could probably kill the Oni in droves, she didn't want to get tangled fighting them. It was a recipe for disaster. Their best chance was making a quick escape. "Remember. There won't be any room for hesitation. If I tell you to do something, you must do it."
"We understand," Mikoto agreed after a quick glance at the others.
They didn't have many alternatives, even if they weren't sure about their savior of her plan. Either they risked being eaten by an Oni now, or they would certainly be eaten by an Oni later.
It was a pretty easy choice, all things considered.
"Very well," Rangiku approved. "Stand back."
With that warning, she grabbed the bars of the cell and pried them open.
The cry of torn metal echoed through the cave, like a the pained scream of a dying creature. It had yet to fade, that the sound of running footsteps could be heard rapidly approaching from afar.
"Come on! Let's go! Let's go!" Rangiku shouted and run away from whence she came.
The three women didn't let the feat of strength shock them more than they already were, and they chased after her huge form at tops speed. They were barefooted, tired and hungry, but the stomping of Oni coming from behind them made them forget all about that.
In that moment Rangiku mentally patted herself on the back for the clever idea of marking the way she had come from. If she hadn't, they would be in a deep mess. Alas, she could only run so fast is she didn't want to leave the other three women in the dust, and therefore their pursuer kept drawing closer.
Once the arrived at the last corridor, the one that connected to the cave that Rangiku had used to sneak in, she stopped and turned around.
"You three go on ahead. I'm going to hold them off."
"N-no. Matsumoto-san, you mustn't. Please come with us."
"What did I say about doing what I told you?" she growled, channeling the aura of Ibaraki. "Go! I have no intention of dying here."
Suitable terrified, Mikoto and the other two sprinted past her, while Matsumoto looked around for a solution. She did not want to stay back and fight. She had agreed to the rescue plan because she thought that the risks to herself would be minimal. However, if the Oni caught up she would either have to fight or ditch the girls.
As neither options appealed to her, it was necessary to find another solution and fast.
Unfortunately, she wasn't all that creative a person, especially not under pressure. The only thing she had right now was the strength of a high ranking Oni, but that would be of no use unless she chose to bring down the castle on the guards' heads.
So why not do precisely that?
"Intruder!" one of the Oni shouted, the moment they turned a corner and caught sight of her.
Matsumoto did not let that distract her from what she was doing. Namely concentrating all of her power in her arms. Although they were proportionate to her current size, they sitll appeared to be slender and feminine, but now that she was redirecting energy to them they bulged like the arms of a heavy weightlifter.
"Hrmf!" she grunted and then she slammed both fists into the ceiling, grabbing ahold of the support beam that held up the overlying structure.
There was a moment in which her eyes met that of the approaching Oni group. A look of understanding went across their ugly faces. The one in the front tried to stop, to turn back and run in the opposite direction, but the ones coming from behind had yet to notice what was going on and kept pushing him forward.
Rangiku smiled ferally, like only an Oni could do, and then she pulled.
The beam was impressively sturdy but the strength that Matsumoto now wielded, even though it was just a fraction of Ibaraki-Doji's true potential, was enough to make it creak and groan. The constant pressure of the rock all around it finally had a weak point.
With a thunder-like roar, the ceiling came down upon them.
[br]
Although it was built into a mountain, a vibration went through its walls, making Shuten look around in surprise
"Hic! Hehehe. Did ya feel that? They probably have already been rescued by now! Hic! You didn't think I came here without a plan, did you? Hic!"
Shuten smile didn't so much as waver. In fact, it stretched a little bit further.
"I would have been highly disappointed if you had. Lambs to the slaughter have a bittersweet taste but I prefer my sake to burn. Besides, you seem to forget I still have one hostage."
"Huh? Hic! What are you… what are you talking about?"
Shuten lifted one of her clawed finger and brought it to her neck, applying enough pressure that make a drop of blood drip along her pale skin. Mikado's pale skin.
Shirou grabbed her wrist and stopped before she could do further damage, though it has to be noticed that he didn't have enough strength to hold her if she didn't want to be stopped.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK -Hic! you are doing?"
"Making my point across, I believe. Even if your accomplices manages to rescue those insignificant women, I have still this one. I can kill her easily at any time."
"That… That would also kill you."
"That is correct," she agreed, "but death is nowhere nearly a permanent affair to me as it would be to her. Furthermore, if it gets in the way of what I want, I might as well get rid of it."
"Why -Hic! Why would you something like this?"
"Because I am Oni, boy. What other reason would I need? We are the embodiment of catastrophe as far as humanity is concerned. Shaming and humiliating the two of you will bring a song to my heart. That's what a monster is all about."
Indeed it was, and even Shirou knew it. A monster wasn't merely something that harmed humans, otherwise even some animals would qualify for the definition. No, a monster was something that found joy in doing people harm. They needed no purpose or reason other than that.
"Besides, this is all your fault, you know? If you had not shown that you care for this woman, it would not have been worth doing it this way."
Drunk or not, Shirou growled at her, gritting his teeth so hard the he bled. He wanted to punch her so much and it was just the knowledge that it would hurt only Mikado that stayed his hand.
"Fine! Do whatever you -hic!- want with me. See if I care," he said, letting go of her hand and crossing his arms over his chest petulantly.
"Maybe you do not care, but she certainly does. You should hear the screams inside my head. They are positively delightful."
Shirou glared but did not say anything back. Although he wouldn't give a damn regardless of what abuse was brought upon him, he could not stand the suffering of other people. Shuten had already understood this and was using it against him, thus Shirou would not give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
Shuten pushed him to the floor and straddled his body. Shirou didn't so much as resist, for he knew it would be pointless. However he had something to say, though not to the Oni.
"Mikado-san. This is not your fault," he said. "Don't let it get to you, if you can."
Shuten smile widened. "Fufufu. The more you care the worse she'll feel boy. Your kindness will only hurt her further. Neither one of you can escape from this."
"We'll see about that," he told her.
Shuten seemed to have had enough of words because she tore open his armor with laughable ease. Granted, it was just a unenchanted leather, but it still was quite sturdy. No doubt it would require just as much effort to tear a human being apart.
She ran her claws along his skin, careful not to draw blood.
"Lean and strong. How nice," she said sultrily.
Heavens forgive him, her mellifluous voice alone was enough to turn him on, without taking her touch into account. It did not help that her crotch was pressing onto his lap, so his erection ended up pushing precisely against her womanhood.
"Fufufu. Someone seems to be enjoying themselves despite the situation."
"Don't give hic yourself too much credit. My body's reactions are hardwired and even if hic they weren't, you are hijacking Mikado-san's beauty. It's no merit of yours."
"I wonder if you would sing the same tune had I retained my own body," she told her. "My true appearance is much superior to a cow-like body such as this."
"I see -hic-. So you are originally a washboard, uh?"
He didn't meant to say it out loud. Provoking Shuten wasn't a very bright idea in that moment. Unfortunately, he was still drunk and it just slipped out.
Shuten's smile didn't diminish, but her eyes turned slightly frosty.
"Fufufu. I would watch my words if I were you. I cannot harm you without putting an end to the fun, but I can still harm this woman all I want. I assure you that she feels everything I do, for better and for worse. I would be a bit more cooperative if I were you."
There was that. By virtue of his Sexual interaction skill, Shirou knew that he could make this feel good for Mikado. They were both going to be forced into this act, he might as well make the experience somewhat pleasant for her, and at the same time disrupt Shuten's plan.
"I see," he replied. "Apologies, Mikado-san. I'm definitely going to save you, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to do something untoward. I'll accept any punishment from you once you are safe."
Shuten made a displeased face.
"Truly, you are not cute at all," Shuten protested. "Someone who cannot even help himself shouldn't try to comfort someone else. It's unsightly."
"Yeah?" he asked, eyes glinting. "Let's put that theory to the test."
"Hm? What do you hope to accomplish, boy?"
"Your plan is to torment us, isn't it? Well, I don't think you'll be able to do that if both Mikado-san and I are enjoying ourselves."
"Fufufu! Do you truly believe you have what it takes to turn the tables on me in such fashion? You are a few hundred years too young for that."
"Let's see if you'll be able to say the same once I'm done with you."
[br]
"Kyaaa!" the three women cried as the cave around them shook. A cloud of dust rushed at them from the direction they had come from. They huddled together, protecting their heads from falling debris.
There was nothing else they could do except pray that when the cave collapsed on them, it would kill them instantly and not leave them buried alive in utter darkness. They were so frightened, that they didn't even entertain the notion of getting out of there alive.
Any moment now, they thought it would all come crashing on them. Imagine their surprise then, when the tremors slowly subsided and the dust begun to settle.
Eventually, they dared to peek out from their modest shelter and take a look in the direction where the collapse had happened. Unfortunately, all they could see was pitch black darkness. They were some distance away from where the ceiling had collapsed, and the area was still shrouded in dust. Some of the torches had also been blown out, making it all the much harder to see anything.
Thus, they nearly jumped out of their skin when a figure burst out of the darkness in their direction.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" said figure caked in dust.
It took them a moment to recognize her for who she was.
"Matsumoto-san?"
She was considerably smaller than she used to be a moment before. She was not quite back to her usual size, but she was getting there. The horns on her forehead had also shortened, and they were now barely noticeable.
"Is everyone uninjured?" she asked. "Good, then let's get out of here. I blocked the way but I'm not sure how long it'll take for them to clear a path."
"You… you are smaller."
"Like I said, I was running on borrowed power. It's almost gone now, so we better get out of here before we get in a fight."
"R-Right," they agreed and followed her as she pushed past them. They couldn't wait to see the sky again.
[br]
Matsumoto led the three women out from the same way she had got in. Nothing would be following them anytime soon, but she really didn't want to hang around much longer.
Exerting her strength made her consume the energy faster, than she had estimated. Apparently, the more energy she had, the less would bleed out. Bringing down the cave had cost her a good chunk of power, but she was now losing it at a much higher pace.
She would be back to her usual self in a matter of minutes. She hadn't known of it until today, for she had never absorbed the power of a creature as powerful as Ibaraki-Doji.
Feeling her might slip away from her was a displeasing experience to say the least, like getting down from a drug-induced high and immediately experiencing the withdrawal symptoms.
Her body ached much more than it did when it absorbed energy. Her cells knew that she was becoming less than what she could be, and it cried in protest. Not that there was anything she could do about it, at the moment.
In a way, it was also a good thing at this junction, since it made it easier for her to run away. She no longer had to crawl to get through the tunnels.
"Come on. Move faster;" she told them. "The sooner we get back the better it is."
"Matsumoto-san, are you sure Shirou-sama is going to be alright? Shouldn't… shouldn't we go back to help him?"
"You don't need to worry about him. That guy is almost unkillable. We'll only end up making things more difficult for him if we stay around. He's going to be better off not having to watch out for us."
"But how is he going to leave? That other Oni…"
"Like I said, you don't need to worry. Come midnight we are all going to get off this island and never come back."
"Are we… are we truly going to leave? But the sea is infested with terrible creatures. Our ancestors could never leave. Those who tried didn't go very far."
"It's not like we came to the island by boat," she snorted.
"You mean…. Magecraft?"
"Of course. What's the point of having two Magi along if they couldn't even do something like that?"
Although Matsumoto knew it was far from a simple task, she downplayed it for the other women's sake.
Everything was supposed to work out on its own, if Shirou survived until midnight. Rangiku saw with her own eyes what kind of abuse he could survive, but was also aware of what kind of power a higher ranking Oni possessed, even if she only experienced a fraction of it for herself.
Rangiku wasn't sure where Shuten-Douji stood compared to Ibaraki in terms of power, but assuming there wasn't an extraordinary gap, she was plenty strong. Strong enough that she doubted Shirou's durability would suffice.
She was aware that, technically, Shuten-Doji couldn't hurt Shirou without hurting herself in turn. However, Oni didn't have the same mindset as humans, and therefore they didn't necessarily have the same order of priority in regards of their own wellbeing.
It could very well be that an Oni would prioritize killing over their own self-preservation. If that was the case, there was no actual guarantee that Shirou would survive.
All that Rangiku could for him was getting these women as far away from danger as she possibly could.
[br]
"Ahh…. Fufufu.," Shuten laughed. "I must admit, you are better than I thought you'd be, boy. Hmm."
She grabbed a fistful of his hair, while his head was buried in between her legs and his tongue explored the depths of her nether cavity.
As an Oni, Shuten scale of pain and pleasure were different from a human's. Her willpower was also far greater, therefore, despite not having nearly as much sexual experience as she pretended to have, the effect of Shirou's skills in that department were somewhat lost on her.
Even then, he was hands down the best toy she had ever taken for herself.
Not that she ever had that many.
Just like everything else about her, her standards were exceedingly high.
She enjoyed breaking only the finest of men, and there weren't all that many to being with. Her actual favorite she never managed to get her hands upon, because of that cow of a woman.
Needless to say she would have never allow this brat to touch her real body this way. He was nowhere in the real of Golden. She made an exception only because it wasn't really her whom he would be defiling.
Admittedly, things weren't quite going the way she had planned them, but she had not put much forethought in it to complain. Rather than being humiliated from the forced intercourse, the brat decided to defy her by actively participating in the act.
The woman whose body she inhabited, although put off by the circumstances and his age, joined in on the plan simply not to give Shuten the satisfaction of her humiliation, and was currently enjoying his treatment of their shared vessel.
Honestly, Shuten had half the mind to call it quits right there and then, but that would have been akin to admitting defeat. That would not sit well with her.
Also, she didn't dislike what his tongue was doing to her. A novice, the boy was definitely not.
Shuten-Douji was a hedonist at heart, and though she preferred drinking sake and tormenting humans above all, she would not deny herself a pleasure that was so eagerly and skillfully offered. She could find other ways to make him suffer later.
Currently, she would rather savor his tongue as it worshipped her womanhood.
"I must say, you seem quite adept at pleasing, boy. Being subservient suits you quite well. Perhaps I shall keep you around for a while. I am sure you would come to enjoy being my pet, given enough time."
He did not respond, for his mouth was otherwise occupied. On the other hand, he increased his efforts, therefore Shuten-Douji took it as an agreement to her proposal.
Not that his opinion mattered in the least.
She decided that he would be her pet and so he would. There were plenty ways she could break and humiliate him, and she intended to try them all.
[br]
Shirou need to buy himself some time, both so that midnight drew closer and his head cleared from the alcohol.
He decided that the best way he would achieve that would be keeping Shuten-Doji entertained. He didn't know how well an Oni would take to his Sexual Interaction skill.
He assumed that his experience with Matsumoto would not be a good frame of reference and he had been correct. Shuten's reactions were quite subdued, considering the amount of effort he was putting into eating her out.
A normal woman would be moaning her heart out, cumming like crazy. He knew because he could already achieve that with Saeko and Taiga, even before to the boost to the skill he ad received from Lilith.
With Shuten-Doji he had to go all out and hold nothing back just to stall her. She was doing a good job at keeping a straight face under the onslaught of his tongue, but there were cracks upon her mocking mask. Flashes of lust that flickered across her eyes.
The entire situation was weird as hell. He was having sex with two women, one of which wasn't human, sharing a single body. Shirou didn't really know where Mikado's beauty finished and Shuten's began, but the combination of their appeal was undeniable.
Shirou's cock was rock hard, despite the taunts he was subjected to. Or maybe because of them.
Having come to find assertive women very attractive due to his exposure to several of them and being a guy with an extreme pain tolerance on top of a somewhat broken ego, Shirou had turned into a person who could enjoy a measure of abuse and humiliation.
Shuten's attempt at verbally putting him down had the effect of turning him on. In short, he had already become a bit of a masochist, even though he had yet to realize.
On the other hand, Shuten had already somewhat picked on it.
At some point, she put a foot on his shoulder and pushed him back, away from her, forcing him to lay awkwardly on the floor.
"Fuaah. What are you doing?" he asked.
"Be silent," she told him, putting her naked foot on his bare torso and keeping him down there. "You are having entirely too much fun with this. You are spoiling my entertainment. I believe it's high time to put you in your place."
She run her foot down his abdomen in such a light fashion that it was almost ticklish. As it was, it managed to give him the goosebumps. When she reached his waist, she hooked her toe with the edge of his trousers and pulled them down unceremoniously.
Shirou's cock jumped right up, twitching and bouncing with excitement. That is, right until Shuten-Doji stepped on it. She didn't actually put her weight on it, but she pushed it down with enough force to make him feel like she was.
Shirou let out a hiss that was no in amount whatsoever about pain. A reaction that made Shuten smile all the wider, especially when she caught his member in a grip between her big and index toe.
"How lively," she purred, seeing that his cock got even harder under her touch. "Are you perhaps enjoying this? One would think that being held under foot would adversely affect your arousal, but that clearly isn't the case. Ahhh. I see. You are a masochist, are you not?"
"Sh-Shut up!" he told her, but he made no effort to remove her foot. Thus she started stroking him just like that.
"I have made a miscalculation, it would seem. That one so young could already be such a deviant was beyond my wildest expectations. You must have believed yourself quite clever, to think that you could foil my plans in such fashion."
"Like I said I'm not… Uuuhhhg!" he couldn't finish that protest, because he suddenly climaxed, spraying semen all over his chest and her foot. His pent up excitement was such that he reached the tipping point much sooner than normal, and her mocking tone had made it all the much easier.
Still, she did not let go of him. Rather, she twisted his cock left and right. Not enough that she would actually damage him, but definitely enough to make it uncomfortable. Or at least, what she thought would be.
Through the filter of his extreme resistance, the displeasing part was left out entirely and only the pleasant friction was left. Despite having just come, Shirou's cock throbbed even harder than before, begging for an even harsher treatment.
"Fu~ ahahah. Truly, such a hopeless thing you are. Although this should be a terrible experience for you, you crave even more. Yes, yes. I have decided. I shall keep you as my pet and drown you in both pain and pleasure until you no longer wish to leave."
"D-Dream on," he groaned as his hands clutched the ground. "You think… you think you are hot stuff? H..Ha! My girlfriends are ten times better than you. Don't make me laugh."
That was a lie. Neither Taiga or Saeko had a lot of sexual experience, and while they were, by all means, very enthusiastic participants, their skills were those of a beginner. Shirou's skills level was so much higher than theirs, that their lovemaking session quickly turned them into puddles of moans, which didn't really help their cases.
Matsumoto had dwarfed anything they could bring to bear through sheer experience, although she too lost it when things got serious. Shuten-Doji was another thing altogether. Making him come with just her toes was a new experience for him, and the verbal abuse, unfortunately made everything worse in a good way.
However, she too wasn't immune from him. It was becoming increasingly evident that the Sexual Interaction skill came into play anytime an action deemed sexual in nature was performed with him involved. Although he wasn't actively doing anything to her at the moment, she was clearly getting quite aroused. Her nipples were poking through the black marking on her torso and womanly fluids were dripping along her thighs.
Indeed, Sexual Interaction was a passive skill. He might very well sit there and do nothing, and his partners would eventually reach an orgasm entirely on their own. This was probably the only reason why Shuten-Doji was enjoying herself as much as she was, despite her actions having the opposite effect of what she envisioned.
There was an obvious desire burning her eyes, completely different from that she had exhibited until this point. It had nothing to do with her previous hunger. She might have still wanted to eat him, but certainly in a different way.
"Foolish boy. You have no idea what you speak of. Oni exist to unravel your kind. Whether it's through pain or pleasure is immaterial. Ordinary human women will never be my match."
"You talk mad shit for someone who has yet to accomplish anything. Unless you think giving me a foot-job counts as some sort of victory. In that case, I'll just sit here and let you win as much as you want."
It was a blatant provocation, and a blow to her pride. Or at least he hoped it was. He wasn't sure that Oni had pride to begin with. It could backfire spectacularly, as she could just kill him and be down with it.
However, he needed to bait her into getting even closer, or he wouldn't be able to hand over the token in such a way that she couldn't drop it.
"Fufufufu. You are a brave one, despite being a masochist. Very well. I shall show you exactly how mistaken your assumptions are."
'Yes! She fell for it,' he thought victoriously.
He knew he wasn't Shuten-Doji's match when it came down to raw stats, even she when constrained by Mikado's body, but he also knew that his love making skills had long since surpassed that of an average human. If he could bring the battle on this particular field, he stood a chance at coming out on top.
She released his cock and stepped with both her legs at his sides before unceremoniously dropping herself in his lap, trapping his member with her crotch. When he had eaten her out, Shirou had already realized that the thing covering her privates had no consistency whatsoever. They were hardly different from body paint.
As soon as his manhood was pressed against her, he could feel the searing hot folds of her womanhood cling to his shaft.
She was hot, and not just visually. She was positively burning, like she was running a fever. Her body temperature was much higher than a human's and Shirou didn't know whether he should attribute that to her nature as an Oni, the alcohol she had drunk, her arousal or a combination of the three.
All he knew was that he felt like his dick was melting and he had yet to put it in her.
Something had to have shown on his face, because Shuten-Doji smiled smugly.
"Are you already rethinking your stance, boy?" she asked.
"Ahh… As if," he said, even though he was instinctively bucking his hips to make some friction. However, Shuten was keeping him firmly pinned down precisely so that he couldn't do that.
"Is that so? Hmm… You fancy yourself a tough opponent, don't you? Allow me disprove that misbegotten notion."
Without a warning, she jerked her hips forward, sliding her snatch along his shaft. Back and forth, twisting her hips left and right
"Wh-ooohhh," Shirou moaned. "Fuck!"
"Fuhuhu. How vulgar. You have yet to put it inside me and you are already losing your composure. How are you ever going to survive the real thing, I wonder."
"That's--! Can't --! Ahh. Be helped! Mikado-san is... too pretty."
It was a blatant lie, and they both knew it, but that was their battle now. Seduction is a game where the loser is the one to give in first. It would continue until either one of them would throw in the towel and admit they had lost.
Shirou was no longer sure that he could win this battle. Shuten-Doji didn't seem as affected as he was. Even if his skill was better than her own, perhaps she had some kind of innate resistance to pleasure.
Or maybe, as she said, it was just her nature was antithetical to mankind, therefore anything that a human did to her would be greatly reduced in effect.
Either way, Shirou was in a pinch. He wasn't sure how much there was till midnight. He had completely lost all sense of time as he drank sake with Oni. He needed to speed things along, before he lost himself to the act. He could bite his tongue and hold out, but if didn't give out the token by the stroke of midnight, Mikado would be forever trapped into this world.
Although he was full of worry for the female Magus whose body was possessed by the Oni, Shirou couldn't pretend that he wasn't greatly enjoying what was being done to him and soon enough he felt another climax approaching.
That was precisely when Shuten stopped moving.
"Hkk!" he groaned, glaring at the Oni who just smiled back at him. He wanted to hurl insults at her, but she would take that as a victory, however small, and Shirou didn't want to give her that satisfaction. He was really starting to detest her on a personal level. An exceedingly rare circumstance.
Their personalities were like water and oil. He wasn't sure why. Ibaraki didn't even remotely rub him wrong as Shuten did. Perhaps it was that she was abusing Mikado's body but he felt it was more than that.
In any event, he really wasn't in any position to find out.
"Y-You have to do better than that if you hope of getting anywhere with me," he challenged.
"Fu~ Truly, you don't know what you are asking for. You will never be able to enjoy sex with a human woman once you've had a taste of it with me. Fufufu. Nevertheless, it's not like you'll have the opportunity of doing it with anyone else ever again."
She lifted her butt, just enough that Shirou's cock could stand upward and then lowered herself against slowly, guiding his length towards her entrance with two fingers.
The tip brushed against her nether lips and she teased him with the promise of the tightness laying just beyond them, but she did not follow through with it.
On his part, all that Shirou could do was keep himself from groaning in frustration. He had more willpower than ten other people put together, but at the end of the day he was still a guy.
Despite his silence, Shuten-Doji could see on his face just how much she wanted her and she was supremely smug about it.
She pushed the tip of his cock into her and then pulled it out again immediately. In and out, several times in a row.
It was maddening and Shirou felt himself losing the ability to keep a facade. Before he just wanted to stretch things out. Now…. now he wanted to fuck her with everything he had. His dick was bulging and stretching, almost as if it could extend further and penetrate her without him moving. Veins throbbed angrily on its length, pumping even more blood into the shaft.
He was fortunate that Shuten's own frustration had become too much, and she decided to let the torture end, fully lowering herself on his shaft.
"Guah!" Shirou exclaimed as the unbearable heat of her womanhood scalded his member.
She was so hot that it almost hurt to be inside her, or it would have if he wasn't insensitive to pain.
"Fuuuhh," she exhaled, eyes fluttering. "How is it boy? Do you understand the difference now?"
He did. He definitely did. Shirou had had sex with three different women now, and none felt as good as Shuten did. She was a furnace that seemed to melt his body and mind in equal measure. The pleasure was simply impossible to describe.
In a way, Shuten-Doji was truly unlucky.
Any other man would have surrendered himself long before that moment, however Shirou Emiya wasn't someone whose actions were determined by how much pleasure he could get out of them.
A man who held the life of others in higher regard than his own would not jeopardize them for his own carnal satisfaction, no matter how great it was.
Even in the heat of the moment, Shirou had not forgotten himself. Even when Shuten started swinging her hips up and down, impaling herself repeatedly on his cock he did not forget his
purpose. Even as he felt a climax approach, he knew what had to be done. No matter what happened, he knew that he had to make Shuten-Doji climax before he did.
He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his wits about him enough to survive a second round. His sanity was threatening to crumble already as it was. If she gained moment on him, he probably wouldn't be able to save Mikado.
That knowledge, and only that knowledge, kept him from spilling his seed into her.
It was by far the hardest challenge he had ever faced. Humans are all naturally capable of resisting pain, but pleasure was a completely different matter. Suppressing the impulse to release his seed was like forcing his heart to stop beating on command.
Nonetheless, Shirou somehow achieved it and a moment later Shuten's body tensed, as the throes of an orgasm shook her.
"Ahhh!" she moaned, mouth wide and eyes closed.
That was the opening he had been waiting for.
"Inventory!" he said and called out the token that Velvet had made for specifically for Mikado, and unceremoniously shoved it into her mouth.
Mid-orgasm, Shuten-Doji swallowed it out of reflex.
"Wha- What did you just...?" she asked, clutching her throat.
"I won. That's what I did," he told her.
"Gh..ahk."
Shuten stared convulsing. To everyone else, the token was nothing more than a homing beacon for the counter-summoning spell. However, the cup which had been the origin of this dilemma was the thing that kept Shuten-Doji trapped into Mikado's body and had been specifically crafted to reverse the effect that held the two of them together.
[Quest: Lilith's task (I) Completed] [Reward: 15.000 EXP]
Just as at prompt appeared, a dark mist started to come out from Mikado's body.
Her hand was suddenly wrapped around his neck as if to strangle him, but she wasn't putting enough pressure on him to actually do that. Not because she didn't want to, obviously, but rather because she couldn't.
Her face was distorted, split in the middle in tow different expressions, as the two personalities in her body warred for dominance.
Mikado, who was regaining control of herself, while Shuten was being slowly rejected, stopped the latter from killing them both.
"You cow! Either let me out or let me kill him," Shuten said.
"You don't get to order me around anymore, bitch," Mikado snarled.
Hearing two different pitches of voice from the same person was a jarring experience.
"Mikado-san? What are you doing? Quickly, push her out."
"I can't. If she regains her original body, she'll kill us both. You need… you need to get out of here."
"No way I'm leaving you. We only have to hold out until midnight."
"Brat! Don't think you can get away from me," snarled Shuten. "Even if you escape me now, I'll find you wherever you hide."
An electric-like shock run through Shirou's neck, where her hand was still holding him. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it was deeply uncomfortable
[Mark of the Oni (Shuten-Doji) Received] [The owner of this mark is always aware of your location. Hiding is impossible.]
"What..?"
"Run all you want. You can never escape me," she declared.
"Shirou, leave now. I- what's happening?"
Around them, the world started to blur, almost as if it had been painted on a curtain in the process of being pulled off.
"It's midnight!" he realized.
Those were the last words anyone got to say, before they were forcibly hurled across the void once more.
For a moment, Shirou saw a small, slender figure appear, almost overlapping Mikado, but she quickly disappeared as the two of them were yanked towards their home world, forever escaping the island of Onigashima.
[br]
The night was silent, except for the faint breeze that rustled the trees. The festival near the beach had wound to an end, and both the residents and the tourists had returned to their abodes for the night.
All was seemingly quiet, but there was something amiss. A tension in the air akin to unshed lightning. It kept building up, until cracks started forming in the middle of nothing, like a mirror that was being put under immense pressure.
They kept expanding, deepening, until the structure of reality itself could no longer hold it and at to give way to what was coming.
A flash of light accompanied by a sonic boom anticipated the arrival of several figures. Carried over by the momentum of their journey, most of them ended up strewn on the ground haphazardly, although a few landed smoothly on their feet.
"Whew," sighed Waver, looking around in satisfaction. "It seems that the dimensional transfer went without a hitch."
Next to him, Ibaraki-Doji let sniffed the air of this new place. "What place is this? I can smell thousands of humans nearby. It makes me hungry."
"Quell your appetite, Oni," he told her. "This isn't time for a midnight snack. Matsumoto-san, are you alright?"
Matsumoto, who had not landed as graciously as Waver, picked herself up from the ground and dusted herself, just like the other women from Onigashima were doing.
"I'm fine," she said, holding up the dress made out of a futon. It had become too large for her, now that she had shrunk back to her original size. The demonic features she had acquired by absorbing Ibaraki's energy were now almost completely gone. "Are we really back?"
"I would say so," Waver replied. "And judging by the position of the stars, I can't be more than half an hour since we have left."
"What do you mean? We've been gone for days."
"This world and the that one have their own distinct timelines," he explained. "It seems that several days over there equal to only a few minutes here."
"Is this… another world?" asked the woman called Mikoto, looking down at the beach down below, illuminated by artificial lights even at this hour of the night, as well as the distant coastline of Japan, brimming with light. "Are there Oni here?"
"Only the one we brought with us," said Matsumoto, looking at Ibaraki. "Humans are the dominating species here. You don't need to worry about becoming food for monsters."
Mikoto looked around wondering if she should really believe what she was hearing. For someone coming from a place where the sea was inhabited by fierce creatures and Oni roamed the land, this was pretty much her definition of heaven.
"Whe… Where is Shirou-sama?" she asked. "Wasn't he supposed to come back with us? Matsumoto-san, you said he would come back!"
"That's… that's what he said would happen," Matsumoto replied, shifting blame to Waver. "Did you do something? Don't tell me you gave him a fake token."
"Why would I do something like that?" he asked, lighting up a cigar.
"Don't be coy with me. I know you wanted to kill him."
"Excuse you. I didn't want to kill him. I need him dead. There is a difference, however insignificant in the end. I assure that leaving him stranded in a different world, where I can't make sure he's dead for good, would serve no purpose to me."
"Then, where is he?"
"Somewhere nearby, I assume. That island and this one are somewhat related. A place over there equals a place over here and since Emiya was not with us, he must have arrived at a different place. That all there is to it."
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"I am, so long as he still had the token with him at the time of the transfer," he confirmed.
"Alright… then we should look for him," she said.
"That's not wise. It's far more likely that we'll lose more people in the woods and night that we are to find some. It's easier if we let him come to us. Let's go back to the location where the ritual first took place. If Emiya is as smart as I think he is, he'll look for us there."
"That's… alright," Matsumoto conceded. "Gather up everyone. We're moving." With Waver in the lead, the group traveled up the mountain, to the place where the incident that had thrown them to Onigashima had taken place.
[br]
Ryouko eyes's opened to the darkness of a cave. For a moment, she did not recall where she was, but the memories soon flooded her mind as the stiffness inside of her womanhood throbbed once more.
"Mi...Mikado-san?" the voice of Emiya Shirou asked from underneath her. She would have jumped away, but his legs were interlocked with her own, making it impossible for either of them to move.
"Are… are you back to normal?"
"I… I am…" she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. An arduous task, for many reasons.
"Then could… could you please… get off me? I'm not sure… not sure how much longer I can...hold it."
Slowly, she pulled herself up from him, trying to keep the friction to a minimum. He let out a sigh that she didn't know was of relief or frustration. For a few minutes, their mutually labored breathing was all that could be heard in the darkness.
She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to feel about what had happened.
Had she been the victim, or the perpetrator? She hadn't wanted to do any of the things that Shuten-Doji did with and to her body, but at the same time everything had been a result of her actions.
"Are you alright?" he asked, as if she, or at least her body, had not basically forced him to have sex with her.
She steadied herself. She was a Magus. What had happened had been her fault and her fault only. If he could act like it didn't bother him, she had no right to do any less.
"I'm fine. I just… need to regain my bearing," she replied, hoping that she didn't sound as hesitant as she thought.
"Take your time," he told her. "I think we're safe now."
She nodded, even though he could not see it. Her silence was affirmation enough. It took her awhile to push everything down and allow her heart to settle. Her body was still trembling from the things that he had done to it, while she was just a powerless spectator.
It took all her focus to disregard the sensations echoing though her nerves and return to a frame of mind in which she could operate normally, but eventually she managed it.
"We should head back," she said.
"... are you wearing anything?" he asked.
"No," she said after a moment. She had gotten so used to Shuten-Doji state of near complete undress that she no longer perceived her nakedness.
"Here, take this," he said, and she heard something soft being dropped not too far from her.
Patting the ground with her hand, she came across a piece of fabric, which turned out to be some kind of bed sheet. It wasn't precisely clothing, but it would serve to protect her modesty.
As if she had any of it left to protect.
"I'm okay now," she said after she was done wrapping it around her body.
"Right… then we should get out of here. Just let me…."
There was a clicking sound and a few sparks illuminated the cave briefly, before a flame ignited, casting flickering light around them.
Emiya held up the torch between them.
"So… uh.. Hi," he said awkwarldly, briefly looking at her face but rapidly averting his gaze.
"H...Hi," she replied. Magus or not, she wasn't really equipped to deal with this situation. What was an appropriate reaction in these circumstances? There probably wasn't one.She couldn't even begin to comprehend how he could be so casual after what she had done to him, however indirectly. "About… about what happened..."
"... sorry about that. I… I didn't know what else do to," he said, cutting her off.
He was apologizing? After he subjected himself to that, obviously to help her, he was the one apologizing? Ryouko didn't know whether she should hug him or slap him.
"It's… it's fine," she said, although it wasn't. What else was she supposed to say? "Let's… just get out of here."
"Yes. Let's," he agreed.
The two of them, with Shirou in the lead, looked for the exit to the cave in which they had arrived. Unlike those upon Onigashima, this was was extremely small and it took them just a couple of minutes to emerge.
Outside it was night, which worked just fine. He was shirtless and she was barely decent. Running into people would have raised questions that neither one of them looked forward to answer.
"I wonder if the others made it back safely like us. We should look for them."
"Any idea where they might be?"
"No, but they either went back to the village or to the place where you set up the ritual. My money is on the latter."
"About that…. I think it was my mistake if it went sideways."
"You took the cup from my backpack," he said. Strangely enough, his tone wasn't at all accusatory "I already figured it out."
"I didn't mean to…"
"I know. It happened. Let's… not talk about it now, alright?"
"Alright," she agreed. It wasn't the right moment to have this sort of conversation. What happened was still too recent for either one of them to be rational about it, and there was no undoing it. By the same token there was also no hurry to process it.
They would have to live with the unsettling feelings churning through their chests. for the time being.
Since there was enough natural illumination from the moonlight, Shirou put out the torch. There should be no one outside on the mountain at that hour, but that was no reason to draw attention needlessly. Also, a burning torch in the woods was a perfect way to start a forest fire, which neither of them wanted.
Together, they advanced through the trees and eventually came upon the site of the ritual. The equipment they used was still there were they had left it, but it wasn't deserted. The people from Onigashima were there as well.
It seemed that this infernal misadventure was finally about to end.
[br]
Shuten-Doji stood in her room, now void of people except for her.
They had gotten away. He had gotten away. The woman was of no consequence. She was of no interest to the Oni.
He was upset about this development and at the same time, she was excited. Despite her wildest expectations, he had gotten away and took the all the women with him. He had successfully pulled one over her. Although she did not like being one upped, the fact that he had done so made everything more entertaining.
If she had won, that would have been it, but because he had slipped away from her grasp, the game was still afoot.
As much as she disliked losing, Shuten-Doji loathed boredom all the much more.
It had been years since she had anything even remotely fun and for the love of her, she wasn't about to let go of it now.
Tilting her head at the spatial distortion that was going back to normal. she reached out with her hand and stuck two fingers in it, stopping it from continuing.
Slowly she twisted her hand, causing the space to follow with her motion, until it ripped open. She immediately stuck another and into the tear, and with a strenght that belied her lithe frame she brutally tore it open.
The void expanded before her and without the slightest hesitation, she leapt right into it. The tear slowly closed behind her until it disappeared completely.
Shuten-Doji thus vanished from Onigashima.
Her journey throgh the void would take some time, but she would not get lost. After all, she had put her mark on her toy and she would one day find him again.
He would not get away from her.