StrahTGW: Thank you. The point of view should continue to change to favor the character closest to the action. Artoria and Shiro should most often be at the heart of history but in fact ALL Servants and Masters should have the opportunity to shine.
First of all I would like to celebrate a Merry Christmas to all my readers. I hope for them that they will have a good day. Consider this text a gift.
Author's Note: Let's talk a bit about Shiro in Fate/ Dragoncrown. The Shiro of this Fanfic derives from the Shiro of the first road of Fate/Say Night. He kept the Magecraft knowledge of his previous existence and the memory of the combat lessons with Saber. However, as the Fate/SN cannon wants, it has not yet unlocked Unlimited Blade Work. Three remarks:
1°) He will learn to use UBW... it says the incantation and appearance of his Reality Marble will be different. If you have any ideas, feel free to share them, I haven't decided yet.
2) Shiro reincarnated and - in his new body- applied Rin's explanations to control his Magic Circuits from childhood. In Fate/Dragoncrown, he does not suffer from the atrophy of his circuits that we see in the three FSN routes.
3°) you will see it later in the series, but Shiro was trained in combat and the use of magic from childhood... by order of the Emperor. You didn't think Uriel Septim VII put Shiro under her protection out of sheer kindness?
Privateer's Hold
The port of the Imperial City was connected to the city by a long underground passage once dug by the Ayleids. The tunnel was clogged at both ends by heavy wooden doors with decorative hardware that featured the emblem of the Septim Empire, a dragon whose wings were folded to represent a diamond.
The excavated corridor was not just a road. Merchants had set up shop there, and the crowds of people entering or leaving the capital of the Tamriel Empire mingled with public criers praising the fishes that had been fished in Rumare Lake, the Argonian jewels imported from the Black Marshes, the services of an enchanter "from the court of Daggerfall" and a thousand other wonders.
One reached the end of the tunnel drunk with noises, having been forced to slip between the crowds or even to push annoyers. Finally, the sunlight dazzled you by revealing the high Ayleid-style lighthouse set on a circular stone platform.
Shiro knew the port and walked a good step, while talking with Endroni and Harassa. The weather was fine and the young man was excited by the idea of going on a journey to a distant land. At times like this, he had trouble remembering that he was in fact... thirty-four years old, having lived two lives of seventeen years in two distinct worlds.
The port itself looked like a crescent moon. The stone piers were lined by hangars and offices of commercial companies, which were dominated by ramparts connecting defense towers. Like the lighthouse, they were ayleid buildings of an alabaster white, elegant and sculpted to accentuate their aerial aspect.
So they arrived before the Maria-Elena. This small carrack with two masts, with its small rear castle, was the shuttle between the Imperial City, Bravil and Leyawiin. Shiro would only take the first part of his voyage on board. A larger ship would then take him on board. It would then have to bypass Elsweyr and Valenwood, passing between the south of the continent and the Archipelago of Autumn, before crossing the Abecean Sea. A journey of two good weeks, if the wind was favorable... three if not.
Shiro turned to Endroni and smiled at the pretty Dunmer:
- Well, I have to say goodbye, I...
He could not finish as the Dark Elf threw herself against him to squeeze him very hard. Uncomfortable, the young man laughs a little foolishly, rubbing his head in a face that did not make him look smarter.
- Will you be careful?
The replica of the Dark Elf made the reincarnated Japanese smile kindly:
- Yes, I promise.
- Liar! Liar! I know you... you will forget your promise to the first person in danger you see. Don't say something you won't do.
Surprised, Shiro realized that her friend was crying and he didn't know what to say because... because she knew him too well. Endroni was right; he couldn't help himself if he was in danger.
- I... I'll be back soon.
Endrosi answered nothing, continuing to cry. A little lost in their little universe, the two young people were not paying attention to the snide smiles of the travelers and dock workers... or especially to Hadrassa. The Pahmar looked up to the sky, living statue of "The incarnate exasperation taking the gods to witness the mildew of adolescent love".
The Khajiit would no doubt have intervened, but an exaggerated clearing of the throat attracted the attention of young Magus. A character wearing a white fabric mage dress, the hood masking his face, approached the trio. Shiro noticed the lacing of blue, pink or gold ribbons that closed his hood, or the locks of snowy hair that appeared in the neck. It leaned on a heavy Z-shaped stick, a mixture of black wood and gold, with inlays of precious stones and also decorated with multiple ribbons:
- Excuse me, young man, I would hate to be interrupted if I had such a precious gazelle in my arms.
The voice was surprisingly young and playful; the character's white hair had to be of birth and not the result of age. Yet Shiro felt uncomfortable. Her instinct warned her that there was something abnormal about this character. He felt pressure coming from him... pressure he hadn't felt since... since... the Grail War! As if he was facing a Servant!
His voice was harsher than he wished when he replied:
- Who are you?
Another laugh of the character who raised both hands in an exaggerated gesture of surrender:
- Calm down! I'm not threatening you... I just wanted to ask if you were Shiro Emiya. For the sake of form, actually, because I know you're Shiro Emiya. But, you know, it's a way to start the conversation: "Hello, are you Shiro Emiya" "But yes" "Wonderful, it's you I was looking for".
The said Shiro looked at the Magus with round eyes, because he had just mimed the scene in a perfectly ridiculous way... If it had not emanated such power from this character, the young man would have taken him for a very poor comic. For her part, Endroni had backed away and blushing, suddenly aware that her moment of tenderness had taken place in public and especially that the unknown man was looking at her a little too intensely. Do you know the expression "undressing with the eyes"? Well, that was it; literally... he looked after his feminine forms with a little too much insistence to make Endroni feel comfortable. Shiro also noticed this libidinous look. His voice was even a little colder:
- At the risk of repeating myself, who are you?
At his side, Do'Hadrassa now had his hand on the knob of his cement and the white Magus coughed in his fist:
- Oh... call me... say Lailoken.
Even a five-year-old would have understood that it wasn't his real name. However, before Shiro could answer, "Lailoken" had begun to speak again, and the young man noted that his voice was firmer and contained a pressing prayer:
- Sorry, I can't tell you more about myself. I have reasons to want to avoid publicity. Again, I'm not threatening you... in fact; I don't want anything, good or bad. You're just a means to an end. I would need you to transport something to someone. It's very important. It won't put you in danger, and it will even help you... indirectly.
- To transport something?
"Lailoken" put a hand in his sleeve and pulled a box the size of his palm.
- You are going to meet someone during your trip. I saw her... I often see events before they arrive. This is for her (1).
Shiro frowned but took the small package:
- Who should I meet?
- You know this person, it will be a reunion and you will be pleased... very pleased. And this is someone you know you have to meet since the day you were born. What ridiculous wording... isn't it? It would seem grandiloquent with anyone else, but not for you. On the day of your birth you were already looking for someone. On this... farewell? Or goodbye?
"Lailoken" turned around and left whistling a melancholic jingle... Shiro found him something familiar and while opening the little package, part of him was trying to remember the name of the song. The box contained an irregular piece of blue crystal. Obviously, it was a fragment of something bigger, detached by a violent shock.
Yesterday...
Shiro jumped like struck by lightning... He had just remembered the musical title hummed by "Lailoken". It was Yesterday. This famous Beatles song could not be known to any individual born on Nirn...
He looked for the Magus. Except that it seemed to have evaporated while Shiro focused on the crystal. The young blacksmith discovered that flowers of all colors had bloomed in the interstices of the cobblestones, but only around the slabs trodden by the magician!
Shiro was awakened by the cold. He was lying on a litter of dry branches and a camp fire was burning near him. The smoke stagnated in the air... As he stood up and turned his head around, he discovered a natural cave. Sinister detail, human bones were piled up near him.
How did it get there?
He remembered leaving the Imperial City... a long, boring journey until... yes, the storm! A storm like the end of the world had suddenly hit the carrack. The sails torn by the wind, shaken by the bundles of water which struck it with the violence of a siege ram, the nave had disintegrated around him. Shiro had swum desperately to escape death. The sea had thrown him against a cliff. Fortunately, there was a small beach between the rocks. He had managed to slip on the sand. Discovering a cave, he had crept in to shelter elements. It had saved his life. Lightning had struck the top of the cliff and tons of rocks had closed the providential entrance.
Shiro couldn't help but think the storm was nothing natural.
The storm seemed to go after him and chase him
He sighed. His last reflex before collapsing was to light a fire. As a result of this outbreak, his salt-encrusted, torn clothes had dried up on him as he slept in the cave. Before losing consciousness, however, Shiro had noted an inner exit, an artificial passage. The collapse of the entrance thus did not condemn him to die imprisoned as in a grave.
The red hair Magus made a torch with dry branches bound together and ignited it with fire, before reaching out:
- Trace, On!
Kanshou appeared before him and his fingers closed on the familiar handle.
He entered a corridor made of large stones, roughly cut. The floor consisted of clear slabs, cracked by the passage of time. The passage stretched only a few meters before turning to the left. A little further, a conical torchiere burned peacefully.
The bend led to a room made of the same materials. The furniture was reduced to two black stone altars. On the first were small vials filled with pink or green liquids. A lot of gold and precious stones were piling up on the second.
Shiro swiveled aside and Kanshou whistled into the air, cutting in half the huge black rat that had just jumped on him. His reflexes had once again saved him. After such an unpleasant welcome, Shiro did not hesitate to examine the riches in the room.
The Amber-Eyed Blacksmith identified the potions as alchemical fluids which cure wounds and diseases. The coins were Septim, the Empire currency and the gems are amethysts.
He left the room with these earnings, climbing a steep staircase. The young man heard repetitive screams and grimaced... an imp! That monster wasn't very dangerous. Only, unlike terrestrial legends, it was a small horror as big as a baby and resembling a miniature gargoyle: the gray skin, a horny demon head and flying thanks to membranous wings. This little monster attacked by throwing flames out of his hands.
Shiro extinguished his torch and held out his left hand. He concentrated for a moment before Bakuya, the twin sword of Kanshou appeared.
The upper floor corridor was straight, lit from far and wide by flares. It distinguished a bat. Far from being blinded by the light, she threw herself on him and he sliced it. Yet another archetypal monster...
When Shiro arrived halfway from the bend he could see at the other end of the passage, he inspected a door in the left wall. It would have been like a prison lock with a screen window and a thick exterior lock. However, as he pulled it, the door turned on its hinges, squeaking.
The room was of medium size with a large coarse statue of a mage sitting on an armchair facing two large wooden cages filled with human bones. There was also a table with a dagger and a bunch of gold coins.
The redhead intercepted a flame with Kanshou, the spark of fire ricocheting on the wide blade. The imp he had heard was flying there, reaching out to him. Running, folded in half, the Magus dodged two attacks by brutal hooks and then jumped forward. Its blades described an x in the air. Doubly struck, the little monster chirped and fell to the ground.
It was in the underground lair of a group of privateers. The place was bathed in a particular, unhealthy atmosphere. The walls were bare, never decorated, and most of the rooms were empty, without any furniture. The lighting came from glass globes partly filled with sand where candles had been planted. They were hung by chains on the ceiling, everywhere. Sometimes there were enigmatic statues or black stone altars. In the corridors there was a cacophony of rat squeaking, bat shouting and imp chirping. This veritable maze alternated prison cells, passageways rotating in every direction, stairways, natural corridors, a library and... torture rooms.
In one of them, Shiro faced his first human opponent, a thief in grey leather armor, with the features masked by a hood. The room with its great instruments of torment covered with dried blood sickened instantly the redhead. He also saw a Magus lying on the floor, dead, and a pile of bodies cut into pieces a little further! Three heads stuck on stakes were staring at him.
Shiro remembered the basement of the Kotomine Church with all the undead who supplied Gilgamesh with energy. He also remembered the discussion that had guided his whole life. Then a young boy, Shiro had told Kiritsugu that he would become a Champion of Justice and save everyone. His adoptive father - dying - then had a pale smile. He tried to explain to him that we could not save everyone. Often the hero, to protect the innocent, had to kill the villain. Simple words... words intended for a child. He only really understood them when he saw the horrors perpetrated by Kirei Kotomine. The false priest had sown death all his life, without remorse, just because it was the only thing that allowed him to deceive his boredom.
Deep down, Shiro knew he was just a faker chasing after an impossible ideal. He knew that, often, he would only discover monsters like Kirei Kotomine after years of crimes. Shiro also admitted that to save some, it was necessary to kill others... Nonetheless, it had been a huge renunciation.
All this had gone through his mind in an instant, before being swept away by a cold rage.
He rushed forward, intercepting the arrow fired by the thief.
- Let Azura take you away, you dirty N'gwah!
A dark elf? Shiro immediately changed his guard, leaving a very particular flaw in his defense. The Dunmers learned fencing from two major schools that Shiro mastered. His opponent took the bait. His feet on the ground, the position of his hand on the guard of his sword, the way his shoulders were placed... the Dunmer was about to try the Coup de Grâce of Abernanit, a very famous technique of the School of the Exalted, created by the Three Times Blessed Rangidil.
The dark elf thief feigned to keep Bakuya and Shiro feigned to fall into his trap. Then as his enemy attacked, he threw himself back while letting go of Kanshou. The Chinese sword grazed his opponent by swirling. The criminal thought he had defeated him and threw himself forward just to see Shiro's weapon vanish into blue particles. However, the Magus was not empty-handed... but he now had a spear of red wood with a sharp point.
Gae Bolg had become one of Shiro's favorite Noble Phantasm in recent years. The lance was light; it allowed for a good extension and could even be thrown away. Besides, it didn't require much energy to be traced. Even without being used as a Noble Phantasm, the spear of Cù Chulainn caused cursed, very painful and incurable wounds.
The thief was surprised by the instantaneous change of weapon and retreated as Shiro completely changed combat style. All of a sudden, the dark elf was facing a fast, relentless wolf that stood in the whirlwind of a spear radiating a brutal thirst for blood.
Using Gae Bolg as a pole, Shiro jumped beside the Dunmer and kicked him in the chest. The thief rolled on the ground and stood up, dropping his weapon:
- Please!
The amber-eyed Magus looked at him for a moment, and then gave up his semi-squatting position to let the red spear rest on his shoulder... imitating Lancer's usual relaxation. Without a word, shiro turned around and walked slowly down the stairs... giving the thief a chance. If he had been smart, the Dunmer wouldn't have jumped on his sword and tried to shove it in his back.
Gae Bolg swirled like an airplane propeller, fending off the attack, then Shiro jumped... pushing the red spear into the enemy's heart.
The amber-eyed blacksmith then faced archers wearing fur loins, steel helmets and gauntlets. The black bow he drew nailed them to the wall.
Shiro then reached a huge throne room whose vault was lost in the heights. One of the columns of white stone, weakened by time, had broken. The section which had broken off was twice as thick as a human trunk. When he fell, he had dug a large depression in the pavements of the ground.
A long majestic staircase made it possible to reach a throne lit by candlesticks hanging from the ceiling. Their lights revealed banners adorned with a fleur-de-lys and a green cross, large enough to serve as a sail for a ship.
Who built this Dungeon and why? The terrible and majestic place seemed far too impressive to house rats and thieves.
Quietly, Shiro crossed the room passing from shadow to shadow. He discovered a silhouette near the stage of the throne... A human skeleton pacing between the two stairs that, on either side of the throne, climbed to doors near the ceiling. The undead was made of naked, yellowed bones, but its orbits shone with a supernatural glow. He held a rusty sword and a wooden shield reinforced with an iron strapping.
Shiro summoned Archer's bow again and blew his head off. The skeletons were not vulnerable to the arrows; it was the only place to touch them.
He climbed the steps of the monumental staircase, repelling the attack of a bat thanks to Kanshou and Bakuya.
On Earth, such a prolonged demonstration of his talents would have completely flattened him. He was born with 27 Magic Circuits... an already very average number. Since Kiritsugu's instructions were more aimed at making him renounce learning the Magecraft than teaching it to him, he believed that it was necessary to create Magic Circuits by using his nerves before each use of the Magecraft, an ineffective and dangerous technique that, in addition, had prevented him from using his real Magic Circuits. As a result, they had atrophied. During the Grail War, he had barely managed to produce thirty prana units per circuit.
Things had changed, on Nirn. He had opened his Magic Circuits since early childhood, and they were now operating at full capacity. Each can produce 75 prana units. If he had still been Saber's Master, he would have had no trouble providing him with the 2000 units needed to activate Excalibur.
Upon reaching the throne, Shiro examined it. Behind the backrest, there were vertical rails and signs of wear such as those caused by friction. Discovering a lever, the Magus pulled it out. With a squeak, the whole platform on which the throne stood began to climb. It was some kind of elevator.
A gallery hidden by the shadows was under the ceiling. From there, one of the standard corridors of the Dungeon climbed up to the surface. He had to eliminate some of the pets monsters of the privateers and an Argonian assassin before discovering the exit door of the underground labyrinth.
The night welcomed him.
Masser (the big red moon) and Secunda (the small, blue and green ball) bathed a grassy heath with their strange mixed clarity. On his right were ruins eroded by time, dominating the cliff where his ship had been torn apart. The storm had disappeared and only a few clouds still hid the stars.
There was a stony path. Shiro followed it to an indicator panel surmounted by a sleeping raven.
Gothway Garden, 16 miles.
Well, it wouldn't be the first time he walked all night.
(1) The passage lost much with translation. In French it was more neutral. I do not mention the gender of the person that Shiro will meet.