I'm still alive guys! I've been in a rough patch in life, trying to keep up with bills and such. Still a bit behind but I have enough to spare for this. Some of you would disagree but I'm mostly stable right now.
I'd have refrained from getting a new laptop but my want to continue writing became too much. Now, as you all know, I haven't written in a bit. My skills may have rusted a bit, but I feel I can still handle writing a whole chapter.
Let's get to it.
"LAAATIIIINAAAA!"
His meal was more or less interrupted by the loud and obnoxious man that barreled straight past him to the kitchen. Kenneth had already introduced him to the rest of the staff/family. Latina just so happened to be the little girl that served him earlier. The wife of Kenneth, Rita, is expecting a child soon. The bump of pregnancy was quite obvious.
Her constant stare at the plate while she walked was rather adorable, making sure she didn't drop anything or leaned the plate too much to the side. Extra care was made to ensure its survival.
Shirou's eyes glanced back towards the kitchen where the little girl was being smothered by the affections of the man named Dale. It was easy to assume due to Kenneth's description and current guardianship of the child. From what he could see, there were bags under Dale's eyes. His searching for the missing people were not entirely fruitless, but there wasn't enough to give rest.
I'll be sure to talk with him later. He needs rest, and the little one is not taking no for an answer.
There is nothing to be discussed internally due to his own lack of information. Dale, as far as he's figured, is the only one with anything substantial on what was happening in this town. The sun was still high in the sky, around four in the afternoon. The axis of this planet was close to the same as Earth, but not entirely. The days here were closer to twenty six hours over Earth's twenty four.
Not that it truly matters in the long run, issues with time keeping were not his to oversee.
"You will sleep today, Dale. You are too tired to go out again. Sleep." Latina's pronunciation indicated that the language the people speak here wasn't her first. The "king" wasn't kind enough to give him books on current events and such. But with the bow interpreting all the languages of this world, it wasn't worth pursuing.
Kenneth stood next to Shirou across the counter, the both of them watching the small one sided argument. The barkeep shook his head and chuckled.
"He can't say no to that little girl. Then again, nor can I. She's been quite the impact on Dale. His work kept him content, but I knew he wasn't truly happy. Duties and purpose are different, yet the same. He knew his duties, but not his purpose. Not until he found her and took her in. To be honest, Rita and I didn't think he'd be up to the task, but he handled it well."
Shirou raised an eyebrow, "I didn't exactly ask for a life story of the man, I just need information on what's happening. If he has what I need, then I'll be on my way. If not, then I'll go searching regardless. Whatever lurks these alleys will still be around."
Kenneth raised a hand in apology, "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he has what you need. But I noticed you watching, so I figured I'd pass the time talking until he comes over here."
"…"
Shirou finished his food before standing up. Looking to the man and child before walking to the door. There was still a decent amount of time before his talk with Dale, so a walk through town would be fine. His bow remained on his back; it's unfamiliar look would deter at a glance. Aside from the "king's" minion, that shifter.
In one way or another, he was still baffled that such a thing still existed. His world's shifters are long gone now, either dead or retreated to the Reverse Side. While there may be more that walk Earth's roads, they kept to themselves.
The roads were still busy with meandering workers, merchants and those just out for shopping. This town is better off than most, as the roads were brick instead of dirt. Traffic was much higher since mud isn't an issue to the populace.
The common folk won't have anything for him, so the alleyways were the first to check out. Naturally. Those that dwelled in poverty kept themselves hidden in between buildings. Walkways that were no longer favored by the people.
His pace is smooth as he crossed the street and into the first path that led behind the store fronts. His eye spied all around, along the walls, up towards the roofs, behind trash bins. Anything that would provide a space to hide.
A foot stuck out from around the corner farther along. His first target. His steps were quiet, there's no use in scaring off whoever sat there. No doubt a homeless person, or one of the workers of the stores. The back is where goods were brought in, counted and sold. It's not far fetched to assume they're taking a break.
His eyes peered past the corner to find a man sleeping. Judging from his state of wear, he'd been traveling, rather than loitering from spot to spot. A pack lay next to him along with a sword. His eyes centered on it.
"Trace on."
It came as a surprise to find that this sword wasn't ordinary. Its Nameless. How fitting. Its design is a simple longsword with unknown runes along the blade. The magic in it is dormant, and for a long time too. It's possible the wielder only found this and never knew its other properties.
It was made over five hundred years ago by a smith that was close friends with that time's Sword Hero. A multitude of names came up, as if many had a part in forging and inscribing the runes. If he had to guess, the runes came from one of the worlds that Hero came from. They were dormant due to differing physics possibly, but they were able to tell him what it could do.
The runes are capable of making the blade so much sharper than it should be. As if the wind itself was used to act as a second edge. Something else indicated that it stole a large amount of lifeforce whenever used on a living thing. This blade has thankfully killed more monsters than humans. The blade is now a part of his collection, and when the time comes, he'll look over it more.
For now…
Shirou kicked the man's foot, waking him up rather violently.
"Who goes there! I'll kill ya!"
The man shot upward, quickly grabbing his sword and raising it above his head. Before he could swing it, the man noticed Shirou's lack of action. He narrowed his eyes but didn't lower the sword.
"…Who are you?"
Shirou shrugged, "Someone that's looking for info. Seeing as you don't live in this town, you won't have what I need."
"This about them kidnappins'?"
"Yes."
"Hmph… I came here for that same reason."
Shirou tilted his head, "Did you now?" The man nodded.
"I come from the south. Small village. Was one of the guards there before it got overrun by the waves. Heard there was a monster in this town. Wanted to help. No one knew anything. Took a nap. Need it for tonight."
"Anything you can tell about this monster?"
He shook his head, "No. But my sword ought to kill it outright easily enough. Just needs a nick and it's done for."
"Clearly, as it steals the lifeforce of whatever touches it."
The man blinked, "It does? I never knew that… I found it on a patrol years ago in a cave. Buried in the dirt. Anyone with common sense wouldn't leave it there as pristine as that."
He has a good enough grasp on what he holds, at least. The man held out his hand, "The name's Cedric."
Shirou looked at his hand before slowly grasping it, "Emiya."
Cedric looked at him oddly, "Emiya? I'm not one to judge, so if that's your name, that's your name."
Cedric went and picked up his satchel and pack from the ground next to him before slinging it over his shoulder. "Night isn't too far off now, possibly another three hours. Some things are better seen with light shining down on us, so if we start our search now, we may find something."
He couldn't agree more, "Once night draws near, I need to meet with someone who's been searching for these people for last few days. He'll have something to go off of." With that, Shirou pointed in one direction.
"I work better alone. Go that way, see what you can find." Cedric only nodded before leaving Shirou alone. He watched the man for awhile, ensuring that he was fully out of sight. He inhaled deeply before jumping directly upward. His feet met the roof over thirty feet above him and walked towards the top. The roofs were slightly angled, not steep enough to cause loss of footing, so it proved to be easier to run along the edges, jumping from roof to roof.
His eyes spotted the highest point of the town, the church steeple. It'll prove to be a vital point of view for anything within sight, be it the occasional passerby or whatever is causing the uproar. He dashed forward off the ledge, leaping to the next roof. His steps were swift and without mistake, hundreds of feet were traversed in mere seconds.
Before long the church became the last obstacle to climb, and it's much bigger than he assumed. Despite the smaller size of the town itself, the church was by far the largest and tallest. Even the Lord's mansion outside of the town limits couldn't hope to match it.
Religion in this world seems to have a much deeper hold on the lordship and its people than he assumed. He knew of the church's disdain for the Shield Hero who, in his opinion, displayed heroism to a higher degree than the rest of the Cardinal heroes.
History was written by the victor, after all. The demi-human's demanded freedom, and with the Shield's backing, they nearly achieved it. The combined might of the final three put an end to it, unfortunately.
Looking up along the ledges, Shirou spotted a viable start before leaping towards the walled compound. Even the walls around the church were well made with guards along it. His path made sure to avoid the eyes of most of the guards, and those that spotted him wouldn't have seen more than a blur.
Reinforcement flowed through his arms and legs as he took hold of the sculpted wall of the church before making his way up.
The structure imposed an impressive one hundred and fifty feet, well above the walls and houses surrounding it. Granted, the houses were well away from it due to the fanaticism of its members. Murmurs of how shadows of the church went out and silenced those that were deemed too loud to allow free reign.
He himself is in a similar position, but at the same time, due to his weapon of choice, or lack thereof since the holy weapon was forced upon him when death had temporarily claimed him.
He sighed.
He supposed it wasn't meant to be. Only kings would be granted entry to the place he sought. Though even now, he won't let this world stop him. If anything, this was better. This second chance at life has given him a few more decades to continue doing what he does best.
His climbing came to an end when he reached the steeple, its roof too narrow to stand on properly. Instead, he opted to remain a level lower, with plenty of foot space to allow movement and sight for a full three hundred and sixty degree view.
Honestly, it'd have been more efficient to remain on the ground, covering distance along the rooftops and alleyways but this provided a better view of the town and beyond. A personal choice, really.
Even if sightseeing remained for only a few seconds before he jumped off the edge. The distance was made to be greater than the length of the pathway leading from the gate of the walls to the church itself. Two hundred feet forward and one hundred plus feet down.
His jump clearly wasn't quiet, but there's nothing the guards can do anyway.
Shirou passed over four houses before landing on the chimney of one before deftly dropping down to the roof. His eyes scanned around him for any pursuers before nodding to himself. Looking down, he stepped off the ledge and quickly reached the ground.
Dust kicked up slightly but settled as quick as it rose.
Straightening himself, Shirou looked down the paths leading inward before a voice made itself known behind him.
"Whoa… that was so cool, mister."
Turning his head, he couldn't help but notice it to be the same little girl from the little pub. It wasn't far but it definitely wasn't close and neither was the market. What is she doing here?
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home with your father?" Her eyes narrowed before making a pouting face. Apparently, she didn't like that.
"Dale is not my daddy…" Clearly. The hair color was the main difference.
"I know, he's your guardian. But that doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" Shirou kneeled in front of her. It was already concerning about her being here.
"We went to a special bakery place… oh no. I wandered off again…" Her eyes grew frantic before looking behind her towards the streets. Shirou sighed, "Come on. Let's go find your dad." His hand reached hers before grasping it.
The only reason that she didn't pull away was that she already knew him to be kind. His short time at the little pub was spent eating and making small talk with the tyke whenever she passed by. While most of his interactions required a smile, most of the time they weren't forced.
Despite everything that he had seen and done, children still held a small place in his heart. They didn't deserve to experience the horrors of the world until they were ready. Even if that way of hoping didn't always pan out. War does terrible things to everyone. Not just to soldiers.
The two walked out of the alleyway to immediately find a panting Dale in front of them. His eyes were still directed elsewhere until Shirou cleared his throat. It caught the man's attention and he dove right to Latina.
"Latina! Don't do that to me! What if you were hurt?!" His hands were held in her cheeks, keeping her gaze connected with his own. Her expression was one of regret and sadness. It truly wasn't her intention to separate herself from him.
Dale then looked to Shirou with confusion and then recognition, "You're the one that Kenneth said to talk to."
Shirou nodded, "Originally, I was going to let you rest before returning to the inn to speak with you but since you're here, we can talk now."
He nodded before picking Latina up in his arms, holding her close to his chest.
"Mmmn, put me down, Dale." She constantly struggled but couldn't escape his grasp.
"No, you're not wandering off again."
As they walked, Dale gave him what he knew of the past few nights that he spent around the town. The creature, as it was confirmed from his first night out. It was large, but the darkness didn't allow much more than that. It didn't cause physical disturbances much as it relied on the walls to traverse the own.
"But then again, I've only ever seen it crawling on the walls and jumping on roofs. I managed to hit it with one of my spells but it seemed to just… bounce off." The encounter baffled Dale more than anything.
Shirou contemplated what he learned so far. While the identity is still inconclusive, it helped to know that it traversed on anything other than the ground. There are many things that hide in the dark, and there were less of those that resided in cities.
Whether it's a creature, or simply someone who disguises themselves as a beast of sort, kidnapping people in the middle of the night.
"Anything else you can tell me?" Dale gave it some thought before his eyes widened.
"There's someone who managed to escape from the creature. But he's… not in the right state of mind. As if what he saw took his sanity. I don't know of any spell that induces insanity or memory alteration but I can say with confidence that he won't be able to help you."
Shirou gave him a flat stare, "So you tell me something not even worth noting. Thanks…"
"I… yeah I guess you're right on that. Sorry."
"Think nothing of it, get going. I have more to search for."
"Yep. I'll see you tonight on my search." With that, Dale had walked off with Latina in his arms. Her eyes stared at Shirou's. A sort of unspoken understanding. Her affection for Dale made itself apparent and her expression only had one thing to provide.
Don't hurt Dale.
Only an hour had passed since the three split off before he managed to find some sort of clue. A small patch of fur. Black as pitch and smelled just as bad as a dead animal. Disguise or no, it's enough to keep most people away from its scent.
His own senses were heightened enough already.
Shirou picked it up and analyzed what he could. Structural Analysis couldn't identify it, so the creature didn't originate from Earth. The Bow acted as a second version of this particular ability that instead kept a solid catalogue of this world's wildlife, minerals, etc.
His eyes spied miniscule amount of DNA of the beast along with whoever fell victim to it. Small patches of blood, but not enough for it to be a killing. The kidnappings have to be for a reason. The creature needs to have a developed enough mind to even comprehend the need for living people.
The practice was all too familiar with some Apostles that kept a fair number of victims to keep themselves fed over a period of time. While there are some differences, the goal might be the same. Collect a food source over a short period of time to remain undetected for when it was time to lay low.
But Apostles didn't exactly do that either. Due to confidence and ego, they usually continue their actions regardless of who hunts them. The Executors of the Church and the Clock Tower were some of the groups that partook in Apostle hunts. The former mostly hired by the latter quite often.
There's not much else to go on here, it's best to move on to another location.
"Yo! It's me, Fredric."
Shirou raised a brow, "I thought it was Cedric?"
Cedric, or Fredric paused and stood there blinking. His expression turned to confusion and looked down.
"Huh… I know my memory is giving me trouble, but I didn't think it was so bad I'd mess my own name up."
Maybe asking for this man's help wasn't the best idea. Whether it be bad memory or deception, the end result would vary. Shirou stared at him before nodding slowly.
"Right… anything you can give me? Or nothing at all."
He nodded his head, "Yep. I got a doozy for you. Went to the south of town. Noticed a strange set of tracks. Not human at all, but with the gait of one. Whatever it is. It walks just like us."
"… Are you sure you weren't mistaking them for Filolial prints? They do walk on two legs as well, after all."
"I…" Cedric may have answered right away with that show of hesitation.
"Hehe… my bad." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Shirou looked up at the sun. A few hours had passed, the time would be roughly four in the afternoon with sunset being at seven to eight.
"I need to follow up with an associate of mine. We'll regroup tonight at the plaza and go from there."
"Already?" Cedric apparently didn't like that, not that Shirou cared.
"Is there a problem?"
"Not really. Just figured we'd stick together until it was night time."
"Under different circumstances, that'd be the case. But not right now. Meet me at the town plaza in three hours. Around sunset." Shirou turned around and left the man standing there.
"Well then… this'll be a boring three hours." Cedric looked around before spotting a stall selling food. With a shrug, he went and hassled the stand owner.
He wasn't really going to meet with Dale again since neither of them would be of any help anymore. What information he gathered so far isn't enough but he's worked with less. If anything, he only needed to wait until nightfall to wait out the creature.
His first step is to head the far corner of the town where the kidnapping happened most. There were a good number spread out across the rest of the settlement, but the most reported cases were bunched together.
Whether this was its preferred hunting spot or just near its nest, it will have to do.
His perch was one of the taller buildings, a merchant's home to be precise, as its highest point stood well over fifty feet above the rest of the rooftops all around him. It isn't ideal for using the bow, but he's worked with worse spots. One shot is all Shirou would need.
"Now, the wait."
Hours later…
As it got darker, the lamp posts littering the sides of each street lit up with their flame. A small enchantment was place in each head and reacted with the amount of light that is present. When there isn't enough light, the crystal inside ignited.
To the people of this world, it's less common than one would think. Granted, the town is in a better position of financial power than others, so it could afford to light the streets that people are still walking now.
Not many, but there were still people walking around, most of them closing up their shops before heading home.
The only thing he'd have to keep a lookout for is the target. He didn't know what kind of target the creature chose so his senses were on high alert to listen or see anything out of the ordinary.
So far, it's been quiet.
Something moved…
Shirou's eyes swept to his right, looking at a small area shrouded in darkness that wasn't there a second before. His bow is already in his hand before standing up straight. His eyes never left the source of the disturbance as an arrow formed onto the bow's frame, ready to fire.
Vision blurred lightly before enhancing tenfold. The miniscule amount of movement guaranteed his first shot. The arrow flew not half a second later. Charged with a higher dosage of mana for greater penetration, if Dale's words were true.
The arrow landed and he heard the telltale sound of a beast in pain. Shirou leapt off the perch, flying forward at high speeds. Boot landed on rooftop over a hundred feet away, his pace never slowed.
The creature was already fleeing but Shirou already had a lock on it. What he could see confused him. While still mostly covered in darkness, the tail had a sharp blade attached to the tip. Though it could just be a natural growth, he didn't care enough to put any thought into it.
He nocked another arrow as he got closer before firing again. The arrow struck the base of the tail, where the spinal cord should be, but it didn't go down.
It only roared in pain and anger before picking up speed. Reinforcement flowed into his legs, granting him more speed and agility. The rooftops allowed him to keep up, as it stayed on just the walls… It didn't dare run on ground, nor did it choose to face him up here.
Whether if by preference or biology, Shirou didn't think about it as he fired another arrow. Striking the leg, causing it to stumble and nearly lose its grip. Though it managed to keep going, its speed was drastically reduced.
Another arrow buried itself in its back, finally causing the creature to tumble to the stone laden road beneath. The impact resounded throughout the streets, the cracks in the road widened as it bounced twice before coming to a stop.
Shirou landed near it, another arrow formed in place on the bow. His steps were slow, the creature isn't dead yet, so it could lash out at him if he were to be too hasty in approaching it. The grunts and moans from it were sudden, and the pitch betrayed its appearance.
Almost… childlike.
His eyes narrowed, without the shadows covering its form, it revealed to be an amalgamation of… body parts. Multiple parts from different people. The amount of disappearances became a bit more clear. Multitude of body parts were stitched together, brought to life by unnatural means.
A lesser person would have lost their lunch at the mere sight of it.
The creature moved slightly before curling on itself. It began to cry.
"…"
Words were spoken, almost imperceptive, but he heard them.
Kill me
Whoever made this abomination deserves to be put down with utmost prejudice. What monster would go to such lengths to create something like this? Those that delved in the world of Magecraft back home were no different. Seeing regular people as cattle, as experiments, they weren't seen as human anymore in his eyes.
"I will make sure, that who ever did this to you, will have justice brought down on them."
There wasn't anything else he could say. His final arrow made its mark in the poor soul's head, ending its life. The experiment clearly was under control by whoever had done this, evident by the previous incidents the night before.
Nearing death must have shaken its hold on the mind of this one, allowing it to plead for him to end it, rather than fight back.
The good thing, however, is the mark on it. It's acting like a beacon for the controller, and vice versa. The scent is straightforward, the stench of necromancy all too apparent to him. The path is already revealed to him, all there is left is to follow it.
"That blasted bastard…. Leaving me to stand here and look like a fool…"
Cedric clearly wasn't happy at the fact the red haired bastard had told him to wait in the plaza for a meetup that never came. It was already dark out, and the only clue he had to Shirou's location was the roars to the west.
Running through the streets, sword in hand, he leapt over boxes and carts that lay scattered around the way. Whatever the beast was, it didn't care for being tidy.
The alleyway to his left looked clawed apart, or the wall did, at least.
He turned down it to come across a mangled gate, ripped off its hinges, "Yep… it came through here… wow, that gate is messed up." He muttered as he climbed over the remains before continuing down the alleyway.
Judging from the walls and the lack of damage to the ground, it preferred the former almost exclusively. He may be a bit of a drunk, but he still hunted monsters for a living. The only issue is the bouts of amnesia, courtesy of a rather rude Filolial Queen.
Though he couldn't remember for the life of him on how he garnered such a reaction. Vague snippets of a river and a very angry face… or was it disappointment? He wasn't sure, but after that, his memory keeping skills went to shit.
Returning to the present, he stopped in front of what was no doubt the creature… and boy, was it hideous. Cedric whistled, "Wow… I can't even call it a monster… more like an abomination… is that a hand? Oh shit, there's more."
He looked closer to find that its limbs were human… mostly human. Like multiple limbs grafted onto each other… ew.
He almost hurled at the stench, before turning away.
"Well, I can tell that Shirou fellow took it down. No one else here that might have done the job. Especially not that other guy the bastard was talking to. The kid was cute, she reminded him of his own niece in Melromarc.
"I should probably pay a visit after this… it's been a few months."
Steps were heard behind him and he turned to find the same man from earlier. He didn't bother to remember his name. Cedric waved an arm overhead in greeting.
"You missed the party and so did I. Shirou made quick work of this thing, eh?"
The man looked down on it, cringing in slight disgust and pity. It was obvious that the creature was made from the corpses of humans, among other things that didn't fit right to describe.
"Shirou did this? He managed to track it down and kill it with little difficulty since it's mostly intact with only tiny holes to go by." Cedric watched him kneel next to it, inspecting one of the puncture wounds in its leg.
Cedric shrugs, "Well, he uses a bow, so I assume that's what did it in."
"It can't be a normal bow though… or perhaps it is. Magic couldn't harm it, and my abilities are nothing to scoff at. I never could get close enough to use my sword."
Cedric sighed, "Yeah, sounds about right. The bastard looked like he could tangle with a dragon if he wanted to. I mean, he isn't that big, but those eyes of his… no fear."
"On that, we can agree on."
The two stood, gazing at the corpse.
"So, what now?"
The man only shrugged.
I don't really have an excuse for my absence since I got this laptop over a month or so ago. My motivation has been dwindling but I didn't want to give up outright.
The updates are probably going to be slow. Or they'll be faster than this. I don't know.