At the conclusion of the Winter War when Ichigo willingly sacrificed his powers he had felt…empty. Like something fundamental inside of him was missing. A spark. Excitement. He tried to distract himself from the void by hanging out with Chad, Orihime, and Uryū, but their desire to not hurt him by avoiding mentioning the supernatural side of things inevitably ended up doing exactly that.
Eventually his family had realized he was withdrawing away from his friends and in an effort to cheer him up, and hopefully have some form of socialization (that was admittedly perhaps a tad misguided), they bought him a new game console released out to the public. A market breaking VRMMORPG called Brave Star Online.
For the next few months Ichigo had gotten lost in the fantasy world, trying his best to fill the void by creating a character that could match his powers. It worked… for a time. But the void never quite disappeared until he met a man named Ginjo Kujo.
You probably know the rest of the story. Ichigo lost his new fullbring powers, Rukia gave him his old powers back through a device invented by Kisuke with the assistance of most of the shinigami captains and lieutenants and everyone he had become friends with and then he gave Ginjo the rightfully deserved asskicking of his life and made up with his friends for acting so distant.
A couple months later the Wandenreich made their move and Ichigo was a participant in what Kisuke called the Thousand Year Blood War against the Quincy and their Emperor. The same bastard who was responsible for his mother's death. It was a startling month of revelations from his obscured past, his mother's heritage, his own heritage, and the lies that were shoved down his throat for his "own good" made Ichigo sick of it all. But he wouldn't let that stop him from saving his friends, family, and the world because of a few arguments. He liked to think he was mature enough to look at the bigger picture.
After the war was over and Juha Bach was turned into a husk to act as the next Soul King, inadvertently granting the mad man what he wanted but turning it into a nightmare, Ichigo started to get into a routine of just taking it easy slaying a few hollows that cropped up and hitting the books to graduate high passed the final exams with flying colors and went on to Medical School to possibly take over the family clinic or perhaps even join Uryū at his family's hospital.
It was nice knowing he was in a career that could help people outside of slaying monsters no one could see or know about. At least it was something he could talk about to those uninformed of the Soul Society and make it seem like he actually had a life.
He also started dating! He tried a few dates with Tatsuki before they realized they were better off as just friends and then she quite literally beat it into his head that Orihime loved him. Tatsuki had privately admitted she felt guilty going on their dates when her best friend had such feelings for him, but for her own sake and sanity she had to try at least once and that was what prompted her to ask him out to a concert as their first date.
Dating Orihime…was different. Ichigo cared for her in a way that startled him. He knew a relationship was sometimes putting your partner's needs ahead of your own, but sometimes it felt like she didn't have any problems! She was perfect! Yes, she did ramble on and could feel like she had no self confidence, but Ichigo just thought it was part of her charm and tried to show her she had nothing to live up to; she just had to be herself and that was enough.
Three years later, Ichigo was 25, still taking the last few required classes for his doctorate and taking Orihime out to dinner on their second anniversary when they started dating. He wanted everything to be perfect, so he had Kukaku send over the best Shiba fireworks where Kisuke had amicably agreed to set them off over the waterfront while they watched eating out next to their favorite restaurant. The eatery wasn't the most expensive but it was comfy and the owners knew them well as they had become frequent regulars and were likely their greatest customers. As the last firework had faded, Orihime turned to see Ichigo holding out a box with earrings and she tearfully exclaimed her gratitude.
"Thank you!" she screamed, almost tackling him into the ground and the two had retreated to his flat a few blocks away from his college. They had gone to bed after some very pleasurable nightly activities and Ichigo thought the world was perfect…he thought it was…he really, really shouldn't have.
—O—
The next day was the start of the weekend and Orihime had gone to work the morning shift as the manager to the pastry and bakery shop she had been working in since high school, intending on taking over the business when the owner retired, leaving Ichigo with the extremely rare day of nothing to do. He had already paid the rent and taxes, he didn't sense any hollows in the city, he cleaned their flat the previous day before their anniversary so there wasn't even anything to tidy up! Ichigo didn't have any classes either, so he sat down in front of the tv for the first time in what felt like forever completely by himself.
He eyed his gaming equipment with small longing. When was the last time he played? It was almost nostalgic, putting on the headset and refamiliarizing himself with his old favorite game. It felt slow, reacting to everything the game had to offer now he had his powers back. He was used to the regular spars he had with Yoruichi a couple times every month to stay in shape and improve on his hakuda skills. Her speed was literally faster than lightning when she went all out and Ichigo was forced to adapt as he always did, destroying all perceived obstacles and vastly growing under her direct tutelage.
Whenever Yoruichi was out of town and he still had free time, Ichigo would still make his way over to Urahara's Shouten to meet with the former captain of the Research and Development Division and the blonde enigmatic scientist tried to hammer into his head a semblance of control so he didn't forcefully awaken to the supernatural every human in Karakura Town. Control was always an uphill battle though, and Ichigo often felt like he made no improvement for weeks, practicing on his own every night for an hour through meditation. Not only did it help relax him from the day's work, but the sense of fulfillment he had knowing he was still following the advice of Yhwach, the manifestation of his Quincy powers, to continually walk onward.
"Look forward, Ichigo. To retreat is to age, to hesitate means death. Look forward and never stop."
The words were a mantra he would repeat whenever his life felt like he was at rock bottom. That life would continue on regardless and it was only how he viewed the world that defined how he lived.
After several hours of grinding in Brave Star Online, Ichigo felt he had been on long enough and carefully put away the game equipment. Considering no one else was there, Ichigo took the chance to summon his shinigami attire onto himself before he relaxed in the sunlight streaming through the window and yawned. He had been planning on doing a little bit of jinzen to meet with Zangetsu, but now…that couch was looking awfully comfortable and inviting.
'What was the worst thing that could happen if he took a little nap?' He thought. It would be the last time he would ever see his flat because as he dozed off to sleep a flash of light flared and Ichigo vanished from within the room as if he had never returned home from his date with Orihime the night before.
—O—
Ichigo groaned as his nap was interrupted. It felt like he had just closed his eyes and already he was being roughly awoken. He inspected the room in mild confusion. This wasn't his apartment!
Instead of the cream colored walls there were large stone and marble slabs stacked on top of each other…like a medieval castle. Ichigo saw white grecian style stone pillars as well as two massive, thick doors that could probably hold off a siege for an hour against a battering ram. But all of this was pushed aside from the group of men who were dressed in robes like some sort of priests, but their clothes certainly weren't catholic or from any asian originated religion he knew for that matter.
Where was he, Ichigo thought. It kind of looked like Brave Star Online. Was he dreaming? Ichigo pinched his arm roughly and felt it pierce the skin making him wince. Nope, he was definitely awake…or in an Aizen level of hypnosis. Ichigo noticed three other males, teenagers except for the other college age blonde, who were also rubbing their faces from being passed out on the stone floor.
"Please, Heroes summoned from other worlds! We need your assistance in stopping the evil that plagues this land!"
'Yep. I hate being right. This is exactly like Brave Star Online,' he sighed. 'This… is going to suck isn't it?'
"Why should we help you?" The blonde spear wielder demanded. "We have our own lives to get back to!"
Ichigo didn't disagree with that statement, but come on? You're just going to lead off with that? In the corner of his vision he saw a bubble that was also in BSO (Brave Star Online), the button showed the player's statuses. He willed it open and saw all of his stats were at level 1 with several hidden or locked skills. He tuned out the archer's giddy smile as he tried to act annoyed and slighted to extort a reward from the priests who "summoned" them there.
Ichigo was more concerned with figuring out if this world was exactly the same as his game or if it was just inspired by it, or even somewhat similar. He could demand answers later when they were in front of a member of authority…he doubted the priest who was already cowering at the blonde's threat of becoming their enemy had any sort of power or the likely knowledge he desired.
"Please, Heroes, all will be answered momentarily if you would follow me. The king is waiting in the throne room."
What do you know, he was right…again. Ichigo was already looking over his shoulder. Around this time would be when Uryu would make a scathing remark about his luck in his usual way, though obviously the heat in his tone would be false. Ichigo followed behind the priest as he looked out the window to see a sprawling city alongside a river's edge. The black haired college age kid said, "The air smells different."
Ichigo snorted. All the absurdity happening around them and he says 'the air smells different.' For Ichigo this was kind of a normal Tuesday in his life's perceptions once again being turned on its head, but for "normal" people, shouldn't they be more worried? Unless they were also used to the supernatural? Ichigo eyed their stances and the way they moved subtly. They didn't really strike him as having combat experience or even the slightest caution for their surroundings, but he had been wrong before in his judgment of character.
So far their introduction was the same as the game he played, but Ichigo was more than aware that the game was likely far different from reality. These weren't NPCs with limited dialogue or personality, they were real people, with real desires and aspirations for life, and what his fellow "Heroes" have forgotten was that the men surrounding them most certainly have the ability to kill all four of them as they were only level 1. Insulting their hosts in their abode was probably not the best idea.
Ichigo tried to summon up his reiryoku to his hand, but other than a swirl of air and a draining sensation he couldn't touch his spirit energy. It was still there, he could feel it, but somehow the normal connection he had to drawing out his power was substituted with this new power in his body. He watched as the blue bar dipped slightly. So the unfamiliar feeling in his body was magic. Ichigo sighed. And after all that time with Yoruichi and Kisuke trying to beat some control into his skull, now it was gone. He would have to make due with this world's energy until he regained his connection to his soul powers. He wasn't too clear on how to achieve that though. Everything revolving the soul had been done through an outside catalyst and him reacting to the stimuli. Did this mean he would have to find an equivalent in this bizarre world?
But even more importantly, all Ichigo truly wanted was to return home. He had sacrificed his powers once for his family and friends because they were the most important thing in his life, but now he was… stranded. Lost. He had no idea how he would go about finding his way back home. He was literally in another world!
Ichigo was pulled from his thoughts as a burning feeling was centered on his neck. He felt someone's gaze as they passed through the courtyard. When he finally looked up after scanning the area he saw a flash of red hair and a dress before a cloud pulled away from the sun and blinded the window of the woman within.
'Who was she?' Ichigo wondered. As he contemplated who was observing them he didn't notice they had traveled all the way to a grand set of doors and realized they reached the throne room. Seated upon his throne was the king, an elderly looking man with a great deal of stress lines etched into his forehead and his figure was hunched over. He had most certainly seen better days. When snickering broke out beside him he realized he accidentally whispered that. The priest's irritated gaze made him wince.
'Way to go, Idiot! Why don't you insult the one guy in the room capable of making an army appear to kill you with a snap of his fingers?' While Ichigo was an excellent fighter, he did not like his chances at the moment, lacking Zangetsu, his reiryoku, and information about the enemy and their skills. Was it the same magic system as the game? How about secret skills?
The lack of information was seriously driving him up the wall. Ichigo took a calming breath and easily met the king's gaze with his own. He offered a small dip of the head in acknowledgement, but otherwise made no further gestures of respect until the king proved himself. Ichigo was always the type of man who believed respect had to be earned, not given.
He then realized he was the only one who bothered to be polite of the four summoned. That was kind of ironic, Ichigo mused. What would Byakuya say? Probably something about the world ending.
"Welcome to my home, Heroes. I am King Altcray Melromarc XXXII. You young men are the four Cardinal Heroes of ancient legend. Please identify yourselves."
"I'm Motoyasu Kitamaru, college student, 21," the blonde spear wielder said with a cocky smirk, hefting his spear over his shoulder.
"I am Itsuki Kawasumi. I am still a high school student and I'm 17," the archer said with an excited smile.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, I'm 25-"
"What? No way! You barely look 18!" Motoyasu shouted in shock. Ichigo snorted. His spiritual energy was causing his human body to age slower, but he was most definitely still aging.
"Can I continue?" Ichigo asked, raising his eyebrow and making the spear user flush sheepishly. He awkwardly waved a "go ahead" and stepped back in line.
"When I'm not slaying hollows I'm working on my doctorate."
'Hollows?' they all thought. 'What were those?' Before anyone could ask, Naofumi, the shield user tried to introduce himself but the king cut him off.
"Good. Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Kurosaki."
"Yo King!" Naofumi blurted out in annoyance. "Did you forget about me?"
"Oh, yes, forgive me," Altcray said with false regret, putting on a tone that they all could hear was condescending in its delivery.
Ichigo watched as the archer and the shield hero got into an argument of what was proper addressment when standing before royalty and looked around the room at the gathered nobles and clergy. They all were looking at Naofumi with a barely hidden view of disdain.
'What's their problem?' Ichigo grumbled. It was honestly uncomfortable watching his fellow "heroes" bumble around in front of the audience. It seemed the king was of a similar mindset.
"Just King will do."
Naofumi finally was able to introduce himself, but the king barely paid him any acknowledgement.
'That had to sting,' Ichigo thought.
"Now, I can finally tell you why I have had you summoned here. My beloved country of Melromarc and the surrounding lands are headed on a path for certain ruin."
He went on to speak about a prophecy and the task of the four heroes was to destroy the calamities when they arrive or the world will die. Not long before they were summoned Melromarc was subjected to the first wave and their brave knights held it off valiantly, but the following waves will get increasingly stronger as time goes on. The second wave will arrive in less than a month.
"We underestimated the strength of the waves and realized only the Four Cardinal Heroes could counter them. By following the legend we were able to summon you four and we have no time to lose."
"You really think we should risk our lives for nothing?" Motoyasu asked.
"Once you repel all of the waves, we will be rewarding you most handsomely if that is your desire," the minister said.
Ichigo narrowed his eyes on the man. He had an unsettling smile. It wasn't demented like Kurotsuchi, but it still raised the hairs on the back of his neck. He wouldn't trust that man as far as he could throw him…which was actually pretty far now that he thought about it.
He had been working out and fighting against Chad in his human body for the last few years now, letting the professional boxer feel the rush of a real fight. And it definitely showed. His entire body was corded muscle, with a slim body built for speed over strength, though he was hardly lacking in the latter and Tatsuki had "kindly" pointed out that "puberty had hit him like a truck." Once Ichigo dropped his scowl he suddenly went from kind-of-hot delinquent to "damn he is fine," or at least that was what he had heard when walking through the college hallways after a workout in the gym.
Ichigo never really paid too much attention to his looks. As long as Orihime had said he cleaned up nice he figured he had done alright. The thought of his girlfriend had Ichigo suddenly very worried. He had disappeared without a word. What the hell was she going to think? He wasn't getting cold feet!
He didn't care about the other Cardinal Heroes (as the king called them) squabbling over their offers to help in return for money or the nobility looking down on them, all Ichgio cared about was a single answer that had yet to be said.
"Do you have any way for us to go home?" Ichigo asked, shocking the room into silence. Ichigo stared into the king's eyes and saw a hint of regret before it was buried behind his royal mask.
"I'm sorry. That is impossible."
"What? We're completely stuck here?" Naofumi shouted.
"The only way for the four heroes to go home is if they succeed in repelling every wave. That was all that was passed down to us from the previously summoned heroes."
"I see," Ichigo said blankly. He clenched his fists tightly but otherwise showed no sign of how furious he was. It would do no good to release his anger now. If they couldn't do anything about it then it would be completely pointless. The childish part of his mind said it would make him feel better, but he ruthlessly squashed it down. Ichigo liked to think he had jumped over the hurdle of his teenage years and developed some self control in the face of his anger, though admittedly it probably took him a bit too many battles to finally get past that stage.
The king couldn't help but shiver slightly, trying to hide his nervousness from his figure. Ichigo had no outward reaction, but Altcray couldn't help but feel he was standing in the face of a monster, a dark god contained within human skin. It was like a boa constrictor was wrapping around his chest and slowly crushing his ribs. It wasn't a phenomenon caused by magic; as the Staff Hero he would be more than well aware if it was. No. It was something else. It was instinct.
Instinct told the king to not become hostile against the Sword Hero. He somehow knew it would only end in injury and death. Then Ichigo looked away and the king took a shuddering breath as the feeling abruptly vanished. The king privately made a decision to not gain his ire. He feared the orange haired man's wrath would bring his entire country to ruin faster than an entire wave combined.
"Ahem," the king coughed to clear his throat and the lingering feeling of fear. "Now I ask you heroes to please check your statuses."
"Status?" Naofumi asked, echoed by the others.
"Look down near your right shoulder," Ichigo directed shortly, just wanting to get this meeting done with. He needed to blow off some steam. "You should see an icon that allows you to see everything. Just focus on it."
"That's disappointing. We're only level 1," Itsuki said.
"What were you expecting?" Ichigo asked. "To be granted the max level?"
"Well…" Itsuki looked sheepish. "I was thinking since we were heroes we would at least be able to have some cool skills."
"In most myths, it is about the journey that turns people into legends," Ichigo said. "Somehow, I feel like that will be the case here." He lowered his voice to say the last bit, "Like life would ever be that easy. This is going to suck."
"How will we even fight the waves if we're so weak?" Moyomasu asked.
"So where do we go?" Ichigo asked, trying to find a basis to see if this world truly matched BSO. "What is your plan?"
"You must set out on an adventure-" The minister said.
'Called it,' Ichigo thought.
"To develop and upgrade these legendary weapons you have been equipped with."
"I can't believe this," Naofumi groaned. "I mean mine's not even technically a weapon."
"It sounds like you've never been concussed before," Ichigo said, remembering all of the thugs he had taken on in Karakura and the more unique weapons he had faced as a shinigami. "Blunt weapons can still cause trauma to the skull and be fatal. That's not even including the force you could apply to the weaker targets of the body. The spine for instance. That will cause instant death if you land it properly," Ichigo said, before turning to see everyone else looking at him like he'd grown a second head.
"What?" Ichigo asked defensively. "I am a doctor and I've gotten into a lot of fights," he finished, downplaying his experience.
"Right," Momoyasu said, trying to clear the tension in the air. "Can we at least use another weapon until these are usable?"
"We'll have to level up quickly," Itsuki said.
"Yeah!" Naofumi said excitedly, finally feeling like he was getting a grasp of things. "Once we're ready we can form a party!"
"I neglected to mention that Legendary weapons repel one another. You will have to form your own parties lest you hinder the weapons development."
"Are you kidding me? We can't even help each other?" Naofumi shouted.
"Since the sun is about to set, rest here for the night and begin your quests tomorrow. We will gather the greatest warriors to form your parties."
"We have quarters prepared for you all. Please sirs, right this way," the servant directed, sweeping a hand in promptness.
As they departed Ichigo idly paid attention to the paintings lining the hall. Including the most recent king was a family portrait, portraying their elegance and splendor for all to see. Ichigo stopped to inspect it. The queen was a beautiful woman with purple hair, eyes, and lipstick. She really had a love for the color as she also had a matching colored dress that plunged enticingly to display her figure without being obscene. Her daughters were no less a beauty. The elder had hair as red as Renji's and green eyes, wearing a flirty smile of promises for something more. The younger had a similar complexion to her mother, except instead of purple she wore blue and the hair color to match. The painter managed to capture the innocence in her eyes and Ichgio couldn't help but think of Yuzu when she was a child.
"Hero-sama?" The servant called, noticing he was no longer following. Ichigo turned on his heel after giving the painting one last look. It was good to know the leaders of wherever you are staying. Ichigo had stepped on too many toes over the years accidentally and he would rather not deal with the hassle at the moment. If they were bothering him on the other hand…he would make sure they understood why he wasn't dead a decade previously.
The four of them were guided to an extravagant looking room with a large window that overlooked the city. Ichigo stood beside it as they talked about their initial observations of this world they were abruptly forced to enter. From food, to the cute looks of the women they passed in the halls, and even the castle itself. Finally Naofumi commented that it was like they were in a video game.
"That's because we are in a video game. This is just like Emerald Online," Motoyasu said.
"I've never heard of it," Naofumi said. Motoyasu was incredulous.
"Seriously? It's only the most popular online game in the last decade."
"It's not an online game," Itsuki said. "It's a new console game I've been playing called Dimension Web."
"Are you sure you're not screwing the names up with another game?" Ichigo asked, though a sinking feeling started to develop. "Because I've been playing a VRMMO called Brave Star Online and this is literally identical down to the cracks on the large doors we passed by when we were summoned here."
"Okay, now I know you're all screwing with me," Naofumi said. "Those aren't real."
"Wait, let's sort this out. Kurosaki, do you mean you are playing in a legitimate VRMMO?"
"Yeah…do you not know what that is?" Ichigo asked in confusion. They have been out for the past decade after all.
"I've only heard about them in a sci-fi game."
"I've read about them in light novels. But they were only fictional," Naofumi said idly, still not entirely sure they weren't pulling a prank on him.
They then started a series of questions about general knowledge and they all kept getting different answers.
"We are all from different worlds, but still from Japan," Motoyasu said what they were all thinking.
"Don't you think that's strange?" Ichigo asked.
"Just about everything is strange here. Can you be a little more specific?" Naofumi asked.
"Why from different worlds? And why only pick from Japan? There are hundreds of countries and yet it is only Japan? You don't find that suspicious?" Ichigo clarified.
"Japan has the best gamers?" Motoyasu goaded. Ichigo snorted.
"You've clearly never played in the same lobby as a South Korean in an FPS game," Ichigo joked, causing Naofumi to spill the glass of water he was sipping all over his face as he laughed before cursing as the water soaked him.
"So we are all from different worlds of Japan," Itsuki said, drawing the focus back once he settled down.
"I thought we were just from different eras," Motoyasu said, blatantly eyeing Ichgio's shinigami attire he was wearing as he fell asleep.
"Fuck off. It's a uniform," Ichigo said shortly, oddly defensive of the clothing. It was his one piece of home he still had with him.
"I can't believe you three have all played video games that are similar to this world. Why am I not familiar with it?" At their silence Naofumi asked in startledment, "What is it?"
"Oh, nothing. I just assumed it was because you were the shield hero," he said blandly, causing Ichigo to choke down a laugh.
"Ha! You too?"
"Dude, that's not cool," Ichigo said, though his humor was also apparent despite his words. "Come on, this is serious."
"What is it? What's wrong with being the shield hero?" Naofumi asked desperately for some context.
"We gotta tell him, right?" Motoyasu asked.
"It's only fair," Itsuki said.
"Sugar coating it would only cause him further harm in the long run," Ichigo agreed, thinking they were on the same page.
"Would you just answer me already?" Naofumi shouted.
"Alright, I'll put it bluntly so you understand," Motoyasu said, grasping Naofumi's shoulders, "the shield hero is for losers because no true gamers ever play it."
"Dude!" Ichigo rebuked. "That is not how you put it." Motoyasu shrugged and retreated back to his seat as Naofumi freaked out.
"How about in your worlds?" Naofumi asked, though he felt like he already knew the answer.
"Sorry man, Shielders suck," Itsuki said, widening the hole of despair Naofumi had that was quickly rupturing his dreams of becoming a dashing hero in armor with a sword in one hand and a cute girl in the other.
"Kurosaki?" Naofumi asked, praying for a miracle.
"Well…" Ichigo started, bringing him a semblance of hope. "...Theoretically they could be great…but…no one really knew how to use it effectively unless they were in a strong party. They mostly relied on others and just stepped in to take a beating. Most noobs were forced into the role until they grew sick of it."
Naofumi's hope shattered like glass. He collapsed onto the cushions and prayed for the earth to swallow him whole.
'This is just perfect! No girl wants the "tank" who doesn't do anything! They never get recognition. It's always the hero with the sword that slays the dragon that gets it all.'
"Naofumi," Ichigo said, ripping the sulking man from his thoughts. "If I were you, I would ask if anyone has any old rope lying around. It was one of the easiest skills to learn in the game."
"Huh?"
Ichigo didn't bother answering in favor of retreating to his own room. Almost the moment he lay his head on the pillow he drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately for the redhead, Ichigo only managed to acquire a few hours of sleep as he woke up to find the sky was still pitch black. After another hour of fitfully trying to return to the realm of Morpheus, Ichigo called it a lost cause and snuck out of his room.
He wanted to see if this world was truly different from the game he had played, so his first stop after sneaking past two dozing watch guards had him slipping out into the courtyard. Ichigo sat down in the corner where a lone tree stood and sat down in the grass. He idly picked up a strand and placed it over his sword's blade. The gem in the pommel glowed and absorbed the grass. His status popped up and showed him the menu of the various hidden options available to be progressed.
Grass Blade Unlocked! Lv. 1/100. +1 Attack, +1 Defense. +Gathering skill.
Ichigo read the description and noticed it was exactly the same as BSO. Well, at least the basic upgrade system is the same, he thought. If that was true, then he was more than confident in his success. He knew the best hunting spots in the area and how to level up quickly. It would mean putting his life on the line, but Ichigo was more than familiar with that. Death was practically his companion at this point of his life. Especially since he had died…3? 4 times? Kisuke cut his chain of fate, the 4th Espada had destroyed his heart, Rukia stabbed him in the heart twice…and the less said about his father's heart attack inducing sneak attacks when he was growing up, the better.
So while the other three heroes were sleeping away, Ichigo made his way through the shadows of the city to begin his leveling. His destination was the forest beyond the edge of the city. There was a small plain where he made short work of those Pac-Man looking balloon monsters, cutting through them with a single cut each before hurrying his pace.
Ichigo stopped just after entering the wilderness. Already he felt the sensation of eyes on him. His instinct warned him of someone tracking him. Ichigo strode forward until he found a clearing. Once he stood in the center three wolves prowled out from the bushes.
"Were you the ones watching me?" Ichigo asked himself aloud, setting into a stance, waiting for the wolves to make the first move. They didn't disappoint. The largest of the three led the charge, bolting in a straight line for his throat. Ichigo rolled at the right moment and stabbed upward, letting the wolf rip open its own stomach by its momentum pushing it past his sword. The wolf barely had a moment to cry before Ichigo stabbed its exposed mouth,
Ichigo ignored the chime of a level up as the other two flanked him from both sides. Ichigo flipped over the right one and slashed its back and flank before landing where the third wolf finally caught up with him. Ichigo turned the flat of the blade to catch the wolf's head, forcing the edge into its mouth when it snapped again. No matter how hard the wolf tried to snap the blade, it remained indomitable, easily withstanding its sharp canines and jaw strength.
Ichigo kicked its head and while it shook itself to clear its abrupt surge of pain Ichigo slashed one of its legs and the three legged beast collapsed on its side before Ichigo repeated his earlier feat in stabbing the wolf in the throat. After skinning and cleaning the wolves he pushed the bones and meat into his sword, a short moment of awe escaping him as he watched the clearly larger mass condensing before it was absorbed like matter into a black hole. Other than it being more graphic than BSO, it was the same. Combat, skills, even the leveling, Ichigo thought.
He pushed aside the information that told him he now did bonus attack and defense toward canine breeds with his new sword in favor of leveling up. Much like his gaming build, Ichigo spent his 5 skill points he was given into his preferred upgrades: 3 towards agility(speed), 1 strength, and 1 stamina.
Then he switched his sword form to its newest upgrade and went further into the forest in search of more monsters. He wanted to be level 5 before the day was out, that meant he would have to kill a lot of monsters. A grin tugged at his lips. It was just like old times when killing hollows was actually a challenge. A sensation akin to a fiery competitive spirit ignited within his chest.
He knew there was a chance to get home, slim though it may be; now he just had to start down the path. He just had to think of it as any other supposed impossible situation he had been in before. He would make it home.
—-O—-
The castle was in disarray. The Sword Hero had disappeared during the night. Guards were questioned, citizens' homes were invaded (politely), and the newly promoted clergy of the Church of Three Heroes were hysterical in tracking down one of their main sources of faith.
Had Ichigo known he threw hundreds of people into a panic he might have felt guilty as the other three heroes gathered in the throne room and he was still M.I.A, but as he rested temporarily against a tree and watched as the bar leveled up to the 4th level before noon, he probably would have pushed said guilt aside because he couldn't stop the proud smirk from growing on his face.
He had killed over thirty wolves and his method of dismantling the bodies had unlocked more versions of weapons by using every piece of the wolf instead of as a whole. He also lost track of how many of those balloon type monsters he'd killed. They were as prominent as pollen in the Spring. The further he pushed into the forest, the stronger the monsters became, but he was glad to see a steady jump in Exp as well. He might be able to reach Lv. 6 or 7 at this pace.
Ichigo was stopping to set up a campfire to grill himself some lunch when his log seat sank beneath the ground and Ichigo threw himself out of the way just in time to avoid snapping jaws closed in his previous location. A large reptile similar to a crocodile but more agile and looked closer in the skeleton and musculature to a guerilla had Ichigo warily observing the new threat.
This was the first irregularity to BSO, he'd never seen such a monster before. It jumped off two trees to gain speed before trying to slam on top of him with its clawed fists. Ichigo ducked its meaty arm and slashed its wrist but his sword barely cut through the surface of its skin. Ichigo frowned and waited for the reptile to try and pounce on him again, judging its max speed and turning radius. After jumping between three more trees the reptile lunged again with its mouth extended in a roar of victory.
Ichigo stares impassively at the beast before using his first unlocked skill. It wasted nearly a third of his MP, but the red glow surrounded his blade and heat waves extended off the blade causing the grass to brown and crack under the intense heat. Ichigo met its jaw head on, bisecting the reptile from head to tail. It was only after he took a moment to catch his breath that he realized it managed to stab him with its claws before he killed it. Adrenaline dulled the pain, but he had no doubt it was going to be much worse within the hour.
Ichigo searched for an area nearby that should have medical herbs that could produce a poultice that coagulates on his skin to stop the bleeding. He dropped one into his sword and the medicinal skill tree formed before his eyes. The increased properties quickly granted him the effects he needed to start producing medicine.
He spread the paste over his chest and the immediate slight numbing effect was an instant source of relief. Ichigo flexed his hand to shake off the feeling in case another enemy appeared, but he started making his way back to the city. He would see about making a better potion later once he knew where to find the best location of ingredients. In the meantime he contented himself by grabbing what few were along his path and nearly attained mastery for the first level. 42/50 Leaf Sword. +5 Attack, +5 Defense. +Gathering bonus.
Ichigo whipped his hand around to catch a balloon monster before it could bite his neck, gripping its head in a fierce grip as his eyes met the monster's. The monster froze in fear just before Ichigo clenched down and it popped.
"You're all really annoying."
Ichigo fed his massive growing collection of balloon parts into his sword for the unnecessary sword form. He would find a use for it later. He bet there was an unknown factor hiding in plain sight if only he thought outside the box.
Ichigo took his loot to the nearest monster parts vender and exchanged greetings with the man. The man looked at him warily. He was dressed in foreign black and white robes that looked like they belonged to an ancient or foreign society. His hair was bright orange- not the weirdest or rarest color he'd seen, though still quite rare- and his face was permanently etched with a slight frown. Other than the scratches and blood, he would probably label him as a handsome looking young man, however…at the moment he was looking far more dangerous than handsome considering there was blood splatter all over his face and soaked his clothes.
"How may I help you?" the vendor asked, fearing he would set the man off. Instead of answering immediately with words, Ichigo dropped his massive stack of monster parts out of the storage in his sword. The vendor's eyes widened in shock. There were so many! But more importantly, that ability meant he was the Sword Hero!
"Hero-sama," the vendor said loudly, catching the attention of everyone nearby. "It is an honor to have you at my humble shop. Please tell me if there is anything you require of my wares."
"Right," Ichigo said, sighing at the complete 180 degree turn the man went through from fear to reverence in a heartbeat. "I just need money for these parts."
Ichigo needlessly gestured to the wolf hides that were the biggest profit while he would be taking the scaled guerrilla-crocodile-thing to a blacksmith to trade.
"Can we do this quickly?" Ichigo asked, seeing people rush off to tell everyone they saw the Sword Hero. How annoying. If everyone's reaction was going to be the same as this man's, then he would benefit from a disguise if he was in public areas like this. The vendor did as he asked and sped through the goods before handing him a large stack of silver and copper, with a single gold piece.
"Thanks," Ichigo grunted, walking towards a side alley and then vanished before anyone could spot him as they chased him around the corner.
"Where'd he go?" a guard shouted in shock, jerking his head in circular motions to catch a glimpse of the Sword Hero…but he was already gone.
Ichigo ran on the rooftops across the city as he searched for the sound of metal banging or an intense amount of smoke. He figured they would be a good staple to start at. As he cleared the gap between one street and the next he glimpsed his target.
'At least this place is the same,' Ichigo thought.
Erhard's shop, the finest blacksmith in Castle Town. Ichigo strode in to find the man just completing a sale with another customer who happily test swung his new sword and departed.
"Welcome! How can I help you?" He boomed cheerfully.
"Hey. I need a set of light armor, preferably black, and I have something to trade as well as money for the purchase."
"Why don't you show me what you have to trade with first, and then we can discuss what your budget is and where we can go from there."
Ichigo nodded in agreement and dropped the crocodile hybrid's corpse to the floor.
"Damn," Erhard muttered. "You found one of those damn mutants, huh? You are either really unlucky or the most lucky man in Melromarc to come across that thing."
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, confused. "What's so special about it?"
"Well, the monster has been a pain in our country's side for the last decade or so. Apparently some mage was experimenting on the two creatures with soul magic or something. He fused the two creatures and its evaded capture ever since, killing anyone unfortunate it came across. It was intelligent too. If there were ever a squad of more than five knights it wouldn't attack."
Ichigo didn't see such keen eyes, but then again, he was by himself and the beast could have been blind from hunger, letting its stomach dictate its actions instead of heeding its instincts. Many hollows were the same in that regard.
"While I will be more than glad to use its hide, I will have to send word about its kill before I start dismantling it because there is a small bounty for its head. I'll give you the reward when you swing by next time."
Ichigo nodded in understanding. Even if he wasn't already intent on coming back, the excuse of a reward was also a way of ensuring a returning customer and building great relations between them. He was a savvy man.
"I think it is worth twelve gold pieces in terms of quality," Erhard said after inspecting it with his appraisal magic. Considering 100 silver was equal to a gold piece, this was more than expensive.
"I'll take the price off whatever is your purchase before I hand you the rest. So armor," Erhard said. "Do you have a preference for the material?"
"Nothing outrageously expensive, I'll be replacing it with something better in a few weeks once I've made more money."
"Another bounty?" Erhard jokes, only half seriously. He was curious for gossip if it was actually interesting and this man he hadn't even asked the name of yet was already grabbing his attention.
"Something like that," Ichigo said. "I'll be fighting in the waves a month from now.
Erhard took a better look at him and hit his head in rapprochement.
"You're the Sword Hero, aren't you?"
Ichigo tensed. "Yeah," he said warily. Erhard was an observant man due to his trade and skill and he fortunately realized how uncomfortable his question made him.
"Don't worry. I won't fall over myself because of who you are," Erhard chuckled, deflating his caution.
"Thanks. I get that the Cardinal Heroes are a big deal or something to your people, but come on. I'm just a normal guy."
Erhard suppressed a snort. A "normal guy" wouldn't have been capable of surviving a mutant monster a day after being summoned, much less managing to kill it. He kept his comment to himself as he went into the back to retrieve a set of armor and returned a minute later with his selection. It filled out his request perfectly.
The armor was black with silver trim completely covering his chest and part way up his neck. He was given two shiny black plated vambraces for his forearms that were surprisingly light. It went perfectly over his clothes which he knew really needed to be fixed. He placed his armor into a bag for later as he continued his purchases, getting a rope and a large nail that was for a bulk order but the metal had been flawed (which he fed to his sword). The blacksmith was awed to see the legendary weapon in action as he had a surge of ideas to try.
When it was all done, Ichigo counted he still had 400 silver available. He had a black and red cloth acting as a sheath as he willed the sword to stick to his back(because the clingy weapon wouldn't let him place it down for five seconds without reminding him of a weapon violation and shocking him,) before he made his way to a tailor Erhard recommended where he placed an order on a new set of his robes.
The tailor was a nerdy looking girl with plain brown hair and a set of thick rimmed glasses. She looked a bit startled at the unfamiliar cut of the fabric, noting it to be similar to something she had seen from Q'ten and after inspecting the clothes for a few minutes she promised to have it ready in two days, offering him a discount on a cheap pair of clothes he could use until she finished. Considering his shirt looked like it belonged to a former murder victim, he gratefully accepted her most generous offer with a smile that sent her into a blushing mess and slipped into the new clothes. Ichigo nodded once more in appreciation at her selection of black cotton pants similar to jeans and a red shirt.
"C-come back any time," she said in farewell, nearly tripping in her dash to open the door for her departing customer.
"I'll see you in two days," Ichigo nodded.
His next stop before the sun set was a massive structure that towered over everything except the castle itself. The Church of Three Heroes. For anyone who had the fortune to visit it, they would see a building quite literally religiously obsessed with triangles. From the detailed siding, the windows, and even the murals, everything was tri-themed.
From the lore he studied in BSO, many countries held one Hero in higher praise over the others. It didn't really affect the gameplay though, so Ichigo didn't pay as much attention to it at the time as he probably should have. Now it felt like everything he knew was insufficient.
A nun stopped him as he approached the Dragon Hourglass with a suspicious gaze and stepped into his path, politely barring his path as she placed a small, forced smile to her face.
"I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to leave or return without your sword. The church is not allowing anyone to carry weapons outside the party of the-" she paused as Ichigo's sword was unsheathed and the gem lit up to announce his identity.
"Oh," she squeaked. "Forgive me-"
"I'd like to register with the hourglass," Ichigo cut her off, halting what he was sure would be a long winded apology and his smile showed that he didn't mind.
"Of course."
Ichigo held his sword above his head as he approached and a bright red beam shot from the gem to connect to the sand contained within. There was a clock that suddenly popped up in Status and he saw 708 hours left and counting down.
"Um, H-Hero-sama, is there anything else you need?"
Ichigo was about to refuse before he remembered the red sand.
"Can I have a pouch full of the hourglass's sand?"
She bowed her head and returned a few minutes later with his request. As Ichigo added it to his sword and Transport Sword +teleportation for the party Lv. 1 appeared. The more hourglasses he connected to across the world, the more people he could transport at one time to anywhere he had been before that was marked. The church was one such "save point" or "marker."
He would get a new one at every town and city he passed through making travel an easier feat for emergencies or just avoiding needlessly long trips. He still had to travel the full distance, but only once and he didn't have to do so all at one time.
The nun continued to be helpful in explaining that he could Class-up his companions when they reached level 40, the highest level someone could reach without the church's approval in Melromarc.
Just another way they retained power over their people. Only nobility or family of wealthy merchants who were willing to give an arm and a leg in donations to the church were granted clearance for Class-up. Ichigo detested the politics, but he also understood it was a way to limit threats from within the kingdom. If they could only grow so powerful you were less likely to have an uprising of high tier and furious peasants.
Before Ichigo could head back into the city for a bed though, a guard patrol approached him and announced he was being summoned by the king.
'Fantastic. This is exactly what I want to be doing right now,' Ichigo thought, sarcasm dripping in his tone.
His almost forced march aside, Ichigo received a lot of relieved looks as the frantic pace of knights and servants ground to a halt when passed by.
"What's with them?" He muttered.
"Your outing last night made everyone fear something had happened to you. Especially since no one was informed of your departure." The knight sounded rather cross and Ichigo folded his arms and clenched down the urge to punt his face. There was no need to make it sound like he was a grounded teenager who escaped through the window.
What followed next was the most passive aggressive argument Ichigo had ever been in. He had been "politely asked" (read forced) to the King's private office where he and a group of the church were located. They tried to foist a set of rules he should abide by and Ichigo gave a perfectly valid reason in a rude manner that had the officials looking very vexed, but he noticed the king was having an enjoyable time in their verbal sparring. He saw Ichigo as an exciting challenge and a breath of fresh air, toeing the line of disrespect without ever saying an insult. He let allusions and implied threats enforce his argument.
Altcray, born as the third heir of Faubrey, was known as the Wise King for his mastery in magic and his academic pursuits. Nobles in Melromarc were more content to brown nose their way to success to those of superior standing and clawed their way in the shadows with knives hidden as smiles and servitude all the while plotting their equal neighbor's demise.
Ichigo knew exactly how valuable he was for his Legendary weapon and how necessary his services were. Anything they tried to push on him would be blocked and rebounded back at then.
Ichigo thanked his lucky stars Yoruichi insisted and Byakuya (grudgingly) assisted in making Ichigo undergo lessons that made him aware of how to argue his case…though in Yoruichi's mind it was so he could stall the Central 46 long enough so they could bail him out if the government tried anything after the war (though Yoruichi doubted they had the balls considering he saved them and the Balance twice, but it was better safe than sorry).
Their lessons had Ichigo smiling in victory as he retreated from the office three hours later and only a promise to meet five people who wanted to join his party. Ichigo worded it so he only had to meet them at noon the next day, he never agreed to their staying in his party.
On his journey to finding an inn he passed through several…less reputable alleyways and four thugs came out of the shadows. He sighed, no matter the world there would always be those who were desperate or greedy enough to do stupid things.
"I will only give you one chance," Ichigo warned. "Walk away."
They didn't heed his warning. Two held lead pipes, one had a knife, and the last held a sharpened piece of wood like a spear.
"So be it."
Ichigo rushed the pipe wielders first, smashing his fist into the throat of one, gripping his wrist and throwing him into the knife wielder who almost stabbed his friend from the surprise impact. Ichigo slipped passed the ambushing lead pipe heading for his back and kicked in his knee before turning to catch the wood spear headed for his ribs between his hand and sword, snapping the haft and threw the broken piece in his hand at the thug holding the knife just as he got up from the ground. He went back down with a crash and a large scrape on his brow, blood pouring down into his eyes. Ichigo received a shock in the hands for using another weapon, but he grit his teeth and continued the fight.
The pipe wielder he had kicked in the knee tried a second surprise attack but Ichigo rushed in to catch the pipe with both hands before the swing started getting momentum and kneed him in the diaphragm before kicking him in the face and into merciful unconsciousness. Ichigo gripped the pipe in his hand and another warning popped up in status before he tried to use it. He frowned and placed it over his sword as it absorbed the blunt weapon.
Chain Sword it said before Ichigo ignored the message and swung his enhanced pipe into the other thugs' domes. The four were left sprawling on the street as Ichigo glanced at his Status. Chain Bind was an interesting skill. He tested it and dozens of pipes surrounded the thugs in a metal prison.
'Neat,' he thought. He left the thugs in the temporary prison as he called for the patrolling guards to deal with them. He was long overdue for a bed.
So after the exhausting day, Ichigo once again collapsed with his face into the pillow and the enjoyment he could make a difference was bubbling in his chest. His friends and Karin always did say he had a hero complex, but Ichigo usually only interfered if it changed his daily life or it affected his friends. Only a slight pang of missing his friends and family marred his mood as he quietly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
—-O—-
As his irregular sleeping habits demanded, Ichigo was forced awake before the sun had more than peeked over the horizon. He was out of the inn and eating a small turkey leg as his breakfast before the sun finished clearing the mountains to the East. Status said it was only 5:00 am, so he still had seven hours before he was required to be anywhere.
He noticed someone was following him the moment he turned the corner. The tail was dressed in all black and wearing a domino mask and a cloak that shadowed their face. They were quite skilled in stealth, but compared to Yoruichi and her subordinates, the Onmitsukidō, the tail was an amateur. He tried to lead them in a roundabout manner, but the foot traffic was making it difficult to move without revealing he was on to the spy. He finally saw the perfect time to slip away when he passed through a series of tents and a few copper in a cheap vendor's hands had a worn brown cloak over his head and he blended in with a group of adventurers heading out to the plains.
He broke away from the group as they passed through the city gates and Ichigo returned to the forest. He noticed a lot of knights who "just so happened" to be there after they asked where he was leveling up the previous day. He was thankful for the pouch of 600 silver they gave him though if he knew they were going to flood the forest with people to observe him he would have directed their attention elsewhere.
So instead he walked along the forest's edge and headed North. His transport sword would allow him to return when noon approached without having to backtrack, allowing him several more hours of grinding.
The further away from the castle he went the more dangerous and wild the world became. A boar shot out of the underbrush in the intent of goring him, but a foot to the top of its head cratered the ground beneath its feet. It squealed in pain as its limbs broke and Ichigo kneeled as he gripped its horns.
"Bait. Thank you."
If the boar could understand human speech it would have been trembling in fear. As it was, his malicious smile still had it worried. Ichigo lifted the creature over his shoulders and carried it to the cave he was heading for. The cave was supposed to have a strong monster in it back in BSO. He hoped it was still there.
He strung the boar up in the air just inside the mouth of the cave and ripped open a large gash in its side. The squeal of pain and smell of blood would attract the monster if it was in there.
Ichigo sat at the top of the cave and waited as he prepared an ambush. Then waited some more. Almost an hour later Ichigo grunted in frustration. Did it move somewhere else?
Deciding he had wasted enough time, Ichigo cautiously entered the cave. He kept his ears focused for the slightest sound but other than the slight footfalls of his sandals, Ichigo didn't hear anything. Halfway down his caution went up another five notches. It reeked of something rotten and stale pools of blood coated the floor. When he got to the den of the monster he found his answer. The monster that had caused him some difficulty in his first play through of BSO was ripped apart by some savage beast. The monster was at level 18. It shouldn't have died easily, and yet there were few signs of battle as if it was a completely one sided fight.
Ichigo gathered a few pieces of the monster to absorb into his sword but stopped when he saw the claws of the wolf monster. Flesh was torn under its sharp claws.
Ichigo cleaned the claws and inspected the flesh. There were broken black scales on one side.
'What the fuck?' He breathed. Was it a wyvern? As he reinspected the area, he caught glimpses of slightly larger gouges in the stone of the cave. He mixed up the scratches because they were similar, but now he noticed just how hard that wolf mini boss monster must have tried before it died. It was completely outclassed in size and strength, but it didn't let itself die before it managed to injure its killer. He felt a sense of respect for the creature.
After he was sure he gathered everything he could from the area, Ichigo left the cave and mercy killed the boar. It was probably cruel to have left it alive in such a state, but at the same time it tried to kill him so…he couldn't get too worked up about it.
He absorbed the boar completely and pushed it to the cooking skill. He might want some fresh pork one day and food doesn't spoil when it is in the pocket dimension that is the storage space in the that his entire life would have been awesome, he certainly would have saved a fortune on food.
As Ichigo exited the cave he noticed something was off. His instincts were telling him something was wrong. He looked around but he didn't see anything unusual, everything was quiet.
'Too quiet,' the back of his mind supplied, making him realize that every animal in the area had fallen completely silent. They were hiding and it wasn't from him.
Ichigo frowned heavily in thought at what could scare even monsters to silence. He glanced back at the cave's entrance and a hint of recognition entered his eyes.
'Maybe.'
It was possible whatever had killed the wolf monster was still here. Ichigo sighed and started heading towards the scarred tree across from the cave. He saw a scratch in the ground with some blood. His eyes flicked toward the next broken branch where something large had pushed through and then at the nearly flattened bushes another 60 meters inward of the forest's edge.
His Status menu popped up to remind him he was only level 7 and Ichigo looked between the menu and the forest beyond. He hesitated only a moment before following the trail of destruction.
"Look forward and never stop. Retreat and you will age, hesitate and you will die," Ichigo recited his Quincy spirit's words. The words were simply an additional layer of confidence as he strode through the forest.
The trail was relatively easy to follow given the large claws digging in every couple hundred meters and the snapped branches and sticks hanging in the trees. Even an amateur would have little difficulty in following the trail. Perhaps because it was so easy Ichigo was so wary. If the unknown monster killed the wolf one with such ease it was probably used to being the top predator and as such felt no need to hide its path. Usually such creatures were arrogant and unafraid, barely keeping their attention on their surroundings, so outside of spotting more prey to hunt they lacked a vital element most beings have developed. The fear that drives someone or something past their preconceived limits and capable of killing that which scares them.
His trail took him through almost a third of the forest and he made his way up the side of a mountain. He checked the time to see he still had two hours. As he reached the summit of the mountain he found his target. Diamond hard black scales, sharp claws the size of his entire torso, a spine holding a line of wickedly carved spikes, and two great big grey horns that spiraled back almost like a ram's. It would have been a beautiful creature if it weren't covered in rank smelling blood and bodily fluids. Its eyes were a venomous greenish-yellow that looked sickly, disturbed even. Like rabies magnified by a thousand without the foam in the mouth.
Ichigo spotted a few scars on its flank, but they all looked really old and worn. The only new injury was a small tear on its neck where the wolf monster managed to hit it. Ichigo circled around until he was at its back and then crept closer. He spotted its level and nearly flinched. Lv. 21. Three times larger than his own. He had no sword that held an advantage towards this enemy, but Ichigo was no stranger to disadvantaged fights. Ulquiorra was hardly someone he should have survived against the first time, much less the following two, but he did. He improved and defied the odds all the while getting better as the fight went on.
Ichigo Kurosaki was a lot of things, but he was no coward. Ichigo contemplated switching his sword to the strongest form he had at the moment, the Wolf Blade. With the additional claw added from the boss monster, he had finally mastered his first blade and the stats were nothing to sneeze at. The sword was rather short and curved much like a large wolf claw…actually it was similarly sized to the wyvern's now that he thought about it. It granted him +25 Attack and + 10 Defense. Ichigo glanced at his armor and knew it could stop the wyvern's hits… though only two of them. Any more than that and he would lose two feet in height after the reptile swiped its claws another time.
So Ichigo grit his teeth and ran as fast as he could and jumped to strike the back of its scaled neck with all of his strength before it realized he was there. The wyvern roared, sending birds fleeing from the trees and whipped its sickly eyes onto him. Its feet clawed straight through the stone and dirt, showing him exactly how easy it would be for him to die if he messed up. But Ichigo wasn't focusing on that, he was dodging its leathery wing attached to its forearm. The swing generated a gust of wind so strong he was forced to dig in his feet or risk being sent off the mountain top.
Ichigo quickly switched to the pipe sword to bind the wyvern for a few seconds and rushed in again to score a second slash to the same spot on its neck. Blood flew this time, but it wasn't nearly enough to kill it. The metal rods screeched and then shattered as the wyvern lashed against the brittle bars. He really needed to upgrade that form in the future. A stronger prison to hold down foes would be valuable. He vowed to do so later and ducked behind a boulder as the reptile activated a skill, sending a blade of wind at him that sliced through half the boulder before it finally dissipated. The stone crumbled a moment later as Ichigo found a new hideout to avoid its following breath of white-hot fire.
"Shit!" Ichigo cursed as the edge of his shirt caught aflame. He swatted it out before it could travel further. New plan.
Ichigo activated his new skill and yelled, "Air Strike Sword!" The skill had a glowing, holographic sword strike its head, knocking it back and sending its eyes spinning as it tried to blink the brain trauma aside. He switched his sword form to the rope and whipped it around to wrap around its muzzle and tugged as hard as he could. The wyvern mostly resisted, but Ichigo used the gained ground to get inside its guard and cinched the rope around its legs before jumping over its shoulder to cling to its back. The wyvern tried to turn to face him on its back, but it only tightened the rope on its legs and crashed unsightly to the ground.
"Thank you giant metal camels," Ichigo quipped, referencing his favorite quote from Family Guy. Unfortunately it was less humorous to see the monster get back up after falling as it roared in rage and pain. He saw the wyvern's health had only gone down a third despite scoring two critical hits to its throat. This was going to take a while.
Ichigo switched back to the wolf blade and slashed the monster's nose as it prepared to open its mouth. The wyvern reared back on its haunches as it whined and tried to stomp him flat. Ichigo rolled and felt the ground rumble like a 7.0 on the Richter scale as the mountain cracked beneath him. Ichigo threw himself further across the ground as a chasm split next to him and he whistled as the mountain nearly split to the base. He saw the wyvern tracking his movements with malice and cruelty practically spilling out of its eyes. He bet it would try to make his death as painful as possible. Like a sadistic and poorly raised cat playing with its food before finally ending its meal's life only once it grew bored watching the rodent fail to escape on its broken limbs.
The wyvern cleared the gap in a single bound and tried to catch him between its fangs- the bloodstained and yellow, rotting fangs, which stunk worse than New York sewers and a thousand septic tanks. Gross. At least with hollows their meals dissolved into energy within a week at the most, this rotten blood was just awful.
Ichigo dodged, but not without its wing catching him in the side and spinning him like a top as he crashed into the ground. He winced from the crack that emanated from his ribs.
'That's broken or fractured,' he thought grimly, before seeing the wyvern turn on its heel with far greater dexterity than he thought possible and lunged again. Ichigo couldn't move fast enough. The wyvern's teeth were closing in on him and he did all he could to move. He just managed to stand when its teeth came down on his arm and Ichigo screamed in rage and pain as its lips snapped shut around his limb.
Ichigo's roar echoed through the valley as he used his sword to plunge it into the wyvern's eye. The monster shrieked and opened its mouth to bite his head, but Ichigo grabbed its rotting canine fang with his mangled arm and pulled, tearing the tooth out with a scream that matched the beast's intensity.
As Ichigo looked at his injured arm he saw softly glowing blue veins and his status screen informed him he unlocked a hidden skill. He smirked in recognition.
[Blut Vein lv. 1 - Unlocked! Defensive ability. -15% physical damage, -10% magical damage, +resistance to elements. (1/100)]
The skill drained MP alarmingly quickly though, so Ichigo knew he would have to finish this soon. Ichigo jumped to the dragon's head and sent a weak slash to its remaining eye, forcing it to close or else turn completely blind and then landed on the back of its neck where he delivered another slash, this time aided by the alternate form of Blut, Blut Arterie [+15% All Attack Damage, and +10% magical damage] and Crimson Sword, the name of his first unlocked skill that wreathed his sword in flames.
The combined skills stacked and the wyvern was unable to dodge with how close he was. Ichigo cleaved the enhanced sword through its neck and the wyvern let loose its last cry before it abruptly fell silent…and over the edge of the cliff with him still on its back.
"Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttt!" Ichigo screamed as he free falled, flailing his arm until he managed to grasp onto one of the wyvern's spine's as the monster's head bounced around, bound to the rest of its body only by a small piece of skin and sinew. Ichigo glanced down to see the ground fast approaching. He desperately looked for a way to escape.
Being able to stand on top of the air would have been very helpful, but unfortunately no such skill was available to him. He glanced to see his health bar was barely above a third after his injury to the arm. He wouldn't survive the landing! He frantically searched for something, anything to prevent him from splattering on the ground when he saw the sun's rays catch on the jewel of his sword. A desperate idea came to mind, but he prayed it would work. As he held onto the wyvern's body, Ichigo screamed out loud enough for the heaven's to hear, "Transport Sword!"
Ichigo felt a strange aura envelop his body before he opened his eyes only to crash down into the center of the Church of Three Heroes main temple beside the hourglass. He heard people screaming at seeing a massive wyvern appear out of nowhere before they realized it was dead and the Sword Hero was groaning on the ground with blood pouring from his body. Their transport didn't slow their descent much, so Ichigo felt half of his ribs snap and his left arm, already chewed up, break in at least three places as he had it under him when he fell.
Hidden skill unlocked! [Lv. 1 Regeneration. (1/100)]. Ichigo groaned as he read the message.
"There is a God," he muttered in relief.
At least some of his abilities are returning. That was good news, it meant this stupid sword of his was actually good for something instead of just hindering him all the way. Zangetsu could have killed the wyvern with a small flick of his wrist… as well as the mountain and the entire forest behind it. His fight against Aizen certainly showed that.
"Get the healers!" A nun screamed, seeing the state of his injuries. Ichigo grunted before he used his good arm to sit up, leaning against the slowly cooling corpse of the wyvern as he staunch the bleeding in his arm. He looked into the dead eyes of the wyvern and couldn't help but notice its eyes had faded to a pale blue… like it was its natural color. He felt a pit form in his stomach. Another anomaly? Great.
Three magic priests showed up and their staves glowed a light green as Ichigo felt his injuries slowly disappearing. It was like a more efficient form of Kaido, though not on the level of Orihime's reality reversal abilities because he noticed there were still scars left behind after the healing finished. He twisted his body to notice that other than the lingering feeling of soreness like he would feel after a workout he didn't feel any pain.
"Amazing," he whispered. He turned to the three priests who helped him and smiled. "Thank you. I feel much better."
The priests nodded and the elder two departed while the youngest, almost a boy Ichigo realized, shyly scratched his neck as he looked hesitant to speak.
"Is there… something you need?" Ichigo awkwardly asked, noticing his hesitance.
"Um…" he glanced around the church to see several members of the church still watching them and his confidence took another hit. He squeeked when he felt a hand touch his shoulder to see Ichigo had stood up and approached him.
"Yes?" Ichigo prompted, drawing his focus so he would ignore the others in the room.
"P-please, can I j-join your party?" he blurted out before slapping his hand over his mouth in shock at what he asked.
"You want to go around the world with me to slay the worst monsters that should exist only in nightmares?" Ichigo asked, wanting to test the boy's resolve and understand the teenager. If he couldn't handle a simple question, then he wouldn't be able to bring him along even if he wanted to… which he honestly didn't, at the moment.
"Yes! If I can help you even a little bit, then I will do anything I can not to slow you down Hero-sama!" he said without a stutter.
Ichigo stared into the brown eyes of the kid before him and it was like staring into a mirror of himself when he was fifteen… if he had the temperament of Orihime. Ichigo… would give him a chance.
"Well okay," he said, earning a dazzling smile that lit up the boy's face. "But," he warned, and the teen rigidly froze to hear his conditions for joining. "Only if you tell me your name first and call me Ichigo. I don't care about formalities when amongst friends or party members."
"I-I'm Loki Al- Alphard. It's a-a pleasure t-to meet you Hero-sama," he stuttered in the face of his hero and bowed deeply. Ichigo sighed at the display. Loki was going to need a lot of work, but he wasn't unfamiliar with the treatment. He had gone to Shin'o Academy back in Soul Society for a quick visit and nearly all of the students had been the same after hearing about him and their captains' efforts in the war.
"Like I said, call me Ichigo. I've got a meeting to get to… actually, why don't you tag along," he said, getting a surprised glance. "They'll be your teammates too if you make the cut."
"C-cut? What cut?" Loki asked. Ichigo grinned demonically.
"I am going to test your resolve in a spar against me. If you last until the end, I'll let you stay."
Loki gulped and nodded quickly.
"I-I promise I won't let you down, Ichigo-sama!" Loki nearly shouted. Ichigo hid a snort. He still couldn't drop all the formalities it seems. Oh well. You can't win every battle. But that didn't mean he couldn't wear him down as they traveled.
"Let's go." Ichigo waved a hand over his shoulder to everyone in the church after he absorbed the wyvern into its storage function. He'd dismantle it later for all the effects, but he was running late.
Ichigo hurried to the courtyard where he agreed to meet the five adventurers who wanted to join up with him. The five were privately conversing as he approached and what he heard instantly formed a large scowl over his permanent small frown.
"...Shield Hero raped his only party member-"
"...-she was crying all night-"
"-can't believe someone so despicable could be summoned as a hero-"
"It was the Shield Hero, what do you expect?"
"Yeah. The God of Siltvelt is just showing his true colors. It's understandable why those monster Demi-human animals worship him."
"Quiet!" one hissed, seeing Ichigo approach.
"Hero-sama!" they greeted warmly, no sign of their previous conversation on their faces. That… was disturbing.
"What did you say about Naofumi?" Ichigo asked. The adventurer candidates looked wary to speak until the largest and oldest there, a man dressed completely in plate armor and rivaled Chad in pure muscle with a not small hint of arrogance on his face.
"The Shield Hero cruelly raped Ms. Myne in the inn they were staying in last night. This morning he stood trial and was thrown out into the streets after being deemed guilty."
"Naofumi did that?" Ichigo asked in disbelief. He was the most naive and innocent of the four summoned. It was hard to believe that it was him of all people capable of doing that. Then again, Aizen also was the most "innocent looking" of the captains and look how that turned out. Was Naofumi just pretending to be ignorant the other night? Ichigo usually thought of himself as a good judge of character, but after both Aizen, Ginjo, and all the other people he's gone up against, it was hard to say who really is innocent in the world and who is just hiding behind a mask. He couldn't be sure without seeing him for himself, so he decided to reserve judgment, but still noted their words down for later in the back of his mind.
"I see," was all he said, shelving the issue for later. "Well, you're not here to talk about Naofumi, we're here to see if you have what it takes to join up with me," Ichigo said, steering the conversation back and informing them of what his plans were. "So my first order of the day, spar against me in one on one battles until there is a victor at the end. If you manage to beat me, I also promise to offer you a reward when we go into town for more equipment."
'There,' Ichigo thought. 'The incentive should draw out their full potential.'
While he knew relying only on rewards was hardly a good place to form a relationship, Ichigo also knew how important it was to see their resolve and the extent of their abilities to form a plan. He could feel the emotions of his opponents when he crossed blades and felt it would be the best method of determining if they were sincere.
"Shall I begin first?" The plated knight asked, unsheathing his sword. Ichigo nodded and walked to the center of the courtyard, discarding his armor and shirt to show his scarred torso. Somehow the former wounds from his soul form showed up on his human body. Ichigo didn't mind because it felt like he was still able to regain his former strength if he looked the way he did. Like he and everything around him was still real. That his past was still real.
"I'm Sir Jonathon Bellzy!" The knight announced, dropping the tip of his greatsword down to shift into his preferred stance. It was down and to the left, meaning his stance would only allow him to move forward, backward, and to the right without risking unbalancing himself and leaving himself completely exposed. It was the stance of a man either inexperienced or so used to the enemy being slower than him. This will be easy.
Ichigo rushed into Jonathon's guard, making the knight rear back in shock at how quickly he moved. Killing the wyvern granted Ichigo an entire four levels of Exp and he placed most of the level gains into speed and stamina. He knew stamina was going to be important going forward, especially once the wave hit and numerous enemies poured out. He would adjust the ratio of his points after the end of the week to ensure he was adaptable enough for any situation, but still have a focus on speed.
Once he started adding armor that came with buff benefits, he was sure it would equal out with his sword choice and attack advantages. That wasn't even including the skills he would unlock in the future as well as magic.
Jonathon swiped his sword in a horizontal swing, but the heavy sword made his telegraphed swing easy enough for Ichigo to avoid even if he wasn't experienced in fighting. Ichigo punched the man's left elbow once the sword passed and Jonathon grunted in pain, though Ichigo had to give him credit that he neither dropped his sword nor showed any other reaction to the stinging pain in his joint. Already forced to rely more heavily on his right arm, Jonathon instead showed some ingenuity by trying to shoulder check him and Ichigo was forced to jump out of range to avoid the man who stood at the same height as Kenpachi.
Jonathon pushed through his pain to grip his sword with both hands as he lifted his weapon over his head to swing down in a cleaving strike the cracked the stone beneath their feet for several meters and Ichigo punched the man's head, rattling his skull inside his dense helmet and shaking a few teeth loose in the process. Jonathon spit blood out of his mouth but otherwise looked relatively unharmed. Then he glanced down to see a sword poking through the gap between his helmet and plate armor when he felt a small prick.
"Hmph. Your skills are impressive Hero-sama," Jonathon praised. "I could hardly see your sword move a few times."
"Yeah," Ichigo grunted. "Not bad yourself. You sure can take a punch."
Jonathon laughed at his words and removed his helmet, showing the massive shiner spreading across his skin.
"I'm more surprised you were able to inflict this much of a wound despite my armor. It cost my family a small fortune to claim this heirloom."
Ichigo flexed his hand to ease the ache within his knuckles. It hadn't been as easy as it looked to land that blow. It felt like punching a massive steel wall.
"Next," he called. A man dressed clearly as a noble with a black coat/half cape combination approached. He had grey hair and a polite smile on his face. He reminded Ichigo of Byakuya- if he was in the presence of Rukia- slightly stuck up, but he still held a soft side to him.
"My name is Bakta, a member of the Minoa family. We are a moderate family in both rank and in politics. If there's anything I can offer you in our travels, please don't hesitate to ask."
Ichigo said nothing to his introduction and held out his sword in a clear signal of what he wanted. Bakta only smiled in challenge, retrieving the collapsible bow off his back.
A half cape and a bow? Was he this world's version of Uryū, Ichigo wondered, swiping the glowing red arrow out of the air before being blown back as it exploded. Ichigo grunted in annoyance. He was not expecting that. He deflected the other arrows to the side as they scorched holes in the castle wall and courtyard as he steadily gained ground against the archer. Bakta started frantically back peddling as he got closer and closer before his back hit the rear wall. His eyes widened as the sword swung for his neck and he snapped his eyes shut in expectation for pain after injuring the Sword Hero… that never came. He blinked in shock to see the sword hovering a millimeter away from his adam's apple. He gulped and felt his skin split against the sharpness of the sword.
"Damn it," he whispered. "I failed." Bakta really wanted to help promote his family by joining up with one of the Cardinal Heroes. They were slowly losing influence because of the actions of the church behind the scenes and knew only the heroes or the Queen would be willing to help him. And now his entire hope of becoming a great adventurer and leveling up were destroyed.
"Damn it," he whispered, feeling tears seeping from the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away before anyone could get a good look at them, but Ichigo still managed to catch a glance.
Ichigo hummed before calling for the third challenge. Farrie was a blonde girl in her late teens with a mischievous grin and a bubbly personality. She wielded a staff and interestingly transitioned between magic and using her staff like a blunt weapon when he got in close quarters. Her magic kept Ichigo on the defensive for the most part until she ran out of magic after simultaneously casting for three minutes. She barely could block with her staff before she was eating dirt with her ass stuck in the air.
Then came Welt. He wore a fur cloak and clearly came from the more northern regions of Melromarc from both his attire and paler skin… or he just never left the house. Welt was about the same age as him, mid twenties, but he still had a sheltered air about him.
Welt retrieved two curved daggers hidden under his cloak and rushed in. Ichigo noticed he had good form and balance when he attacked, though he really favored his dominant right arm, mostly using the left dagger as a shield. That was something he needed to work on or switch to a small shield instead. Otherwise it was just holding him back. Ichigo showed him how he was lacking by exploiting the gap and disarmed him of his right dagger and then hammering down on him with the full force of his swing. Welt was hard pressed into giving ground before his left arm buckled and another flick of Ichigo's wrist had the second dagger buried into a tree and his sword once more rested at his opponent's throat after he punted Welt into the Castle wall.
Then last but not least came Loki. Unlike the others, Loki wasn't suited for combat. He had no idea what to do or even really how to throw a punch. He showed his usefulness by healing the others of their injuries.
"We're going to do something a little different for you, Loki," Ichigo said. "I can tell you have never been in a fight before."
"I-I have fought against some bullies in the church's-"
"As I said, never in a fight before," Ichigo interrupted and Loki clicked his mouth closed with a snap. "So what I'm going to have you do is take five punches from me. I need you to show me you can take pain and also show everyone else that you belong here."
At the others' looks he continued.
"I saw how you all looked at him. You think he's weak, pitiful, completely hopeless and going to be nothing but drag us down." Each word out of Ichigo's mouth made Loki duck his head further and further. He truly looked exactly as Ichigo described in that moment… until…
"But I know there's something inside of you just waiting to get out. So show me. Show me you have some fire in you."
Loki squared his shoulders, but no one missed the terror in his eyes. He braced his stomach right as Ichigo wound up a telegraphed punch and slammed it right into his diaphragm. Loki coughed and crumpled to the ground as he tried to force air back into his lungs as his face turned red. He rolled on the stone in agony. Ichigo's eyes may as well have been merciless for all the emotion he allowed in them.
"Get up," he said quietly.
Loki ground his fingers into the stone and shakily stood up on wobbly knees. Ichigo punched him in the face next, snapping the boy's head to the side as he flew to the ground and his head rattled against the stone. He hit even harder than before!
Loki moaned as the familiar sensation of a concussion washed over him. Bullies used to punch him in the face all the time before he joined the church, and if he was against a wall when they did so- instant concussion. Ichigo kneeled down to stare him in the eye.
"Get up. Where is that fire now? Don't you want to help me save the world?" Ichigo reminded him of his dream. "All you have to do is Get Back Up!"
Ichigo internally winced at what he was doing. It hurts to do this, but he had to.
"Get up," he barked, seeing Loki not moving from his position. "Is this all you can do? Two hits? If the mage dies in a party the others are at risk. How can we rely on you if you are defeated by only two weak hits?" Ichigo asked, trying to goad him further. Loki grit his teeth and punched the ground.
'Come on body! Get up! Get up! This is your one chance! GET UP!'
Loki screamed and climbed to his feet, pushing away his aching cheek and stomach. He still had a cough every once in a while as his body heaved to return to normal, but the boy's brown eyes still shone with resolve.
Ichigo let him have a moment to show the others he was still standing strong before he let loose a mighty punch that slammed into his ribs and sent him flying back into the wall. Loki choked out a splatter of blood as his teeth were stained red.
'I'm gonna die. There's no way I can take two more of these,' he thought, tears of sorrow and anger pouring down his cheeks. 'I can't. I can't. I can't take anymore. Please stop,' Loki begged in his mind, but his mouth would not comply and didn't say the words.
Ichigo approached, his feet echoing through the otherwise silent courtyard except for Loki's harsh gasps of breath.
"Get up," he hissed. "Get up." 'Please don't quit on me now, kid. I know you can do it.'
Loki weakly turned to give him his best glare, summoning all his strength to stare defiantly at him.
'Good boy,' Ichigo thought. 'Show me what you got. Fight!'
Loki slowly crept against the wall and used it as leverage to climb back to his feet. Then he turned to Ichigo and slowly nodded, already wincing for the coming pain. Ichigo smiled at his courage before grabbing his back and punched him straight in the stomach. With nowhere to go Loki felt his organs squish as the fist planted deep in his middle. He vomited and Ichigo tossed him aside just in time to miss the expelling food, blood, and stomach acids.
"One more," Ichigo called tonelessly, drawing a shiver down everyone's spines.
'Was the sword hero a sadist?' They wondered with trepidation. 'He's merciless.'
"Hah," Loki breathed, scratching the stone with his fingers. He couldn't move. It hurts to even think. His lungs couldn't expand without setting off a fire throughout his ribs and you can forget about the pain throbbing in his brain. There was also a ringing in his ears that wouldn't stop.
"Get up Loki." Loki weakly turned to meet his eyes and found the Sword Hero staring pitilessly down at him, yet there was still a hint of a question in them, as if he was challenging him. Did he dare to continue on this path knowing there were likely far worse fates in store for them?
'Yes. He had to. He couldn't just sit back and hide from the waves in the church. He had to do something.' So Loki dug deep inside himself for resolve he didn't know he possessed to push himself up to his elbows. And then to his knees. And then he grabbed Ichigo's pants to haul himself up and all the while he stared up into his future leader's eyes, conveying he would not be stopped no matter how long he continued to beat him. The next thing he saw was a fist appearing in front of his eyes from nowhere right before it slammed into his temple and he dropped like a sack of bricks.
'Well done kid,' Ichigo thought. He stood over the unconscious teen before throwing his light form over his shoulder and carried him to the others.
"You all pass," he said, surprising the group of adventurer's. "Meet outside the gate heading towards the forest tomorrow at 7:00 am. We have a long day ahead of us so make sure to get a good rest. If you have any potions, be sure to bring them."
Then he left towards the inn he was sleeping in and carefully laid Loki onto his bed before breaking out some bandages to wrap around his ribs and shoulders to limit his movements to prevent any further injuries. Then he cautiously poured small sips of a healing potion down Loki's throat. The bruising on his face instantly receded, but his larger wounds would take less longer to heal.
His final stop of the evening was to grab food from the bar on the first floor of the inn and a heavy drink. The burn it produced in his throat was a welcome heat after his day. He might have gone a little overboard in his test for Loki, but at the same time he didn't want to see the kid dying on him either later, especially once he develops a strong bond with him. Because he would grow to like him- hell he already found him to be his favorite of his future companions.
Jonathon, Welt, Bakta, and Farrie were all skilled in their areas of expertise, but Ichigo knew it would be a while before they could all live up to his expectations and survive their first wave.
His last problem of the night was one he was currently unable to solve, which was the stalker currently perched on the adjacent building and spying on him. Then he realized there was another casually sipping a beer in the corner of the room with her feet propped up on the table. At least he could tell this was the tail he slipped earlier in the morning. While he had no reiatsu to sense others and his skill was horrible at best in the art anyway, somehow he could just… tell that this was the same one.
He sighed over his drink before knocking it back and asked for a second. The bartender gave him a flirty wink and she slipped him his second for free along with a slip of paper with an address. He raised his brow and she wiggled her eyebrows mischievously before returning to help the next customer. He snorted before shaking his head. Some people were just so weird.
After securing his drink he weaved through the crowd, dodging people already far too drunk for the night to steal the chair opposite of his tail.
"Can I help you?" the tail, a woman Ichigo realized, asked him with a bland and bored tone. Ichigo twitched. She knew damn well why he was there.
"I don't know," he said, playing along with the ignorance. "It's just there's something so…familiar… about you. I could have sworn you were the one who tried to follow me around all day."
There, he insulted her pride, that should draw her out. Unfortunately other than a subtle twitch of annoyance of her hand around her drink, she made no other indication of her anger. Shame, that. He was hoping for a more amusing reaction at him calling her out.
"Is that what you say to all the girls?" the tail asked, drawing an actual snort for him. "You think girls like following you around all day? How often does that actually work?"
"You'd be surprised. I know there's another watching us now," Ichigo said, briefly flicking his eyes towards the other tail across the street. That made the girl tense up short. She slowly placed her drink onto the table and even through the shadowed hood that was more like a void of light, Ichigo could tell she was frowning.
"We need to speak privately. They aren't with me," she said softly, making Ichigo blink. Was she serious? Or was this all an attempt to make him lower his guard? It wouldn't be the first time an enemy has tried to act like his friend. (Yes, I'm thinking about you Kokuto!)
"Upstairs?" Ichigo asked, directing his gaze to the stairs leading towards the guest rooms.
"No. It's still too exposed even if we use a silencing spell. There's a safehouse several blocks away from here we can use."
"Why should I trust you won't stab me in the back?" Ichigo asked, curious as to her reasonings.
"All I can say now is that there are many forces that exist who are trying to control you, and if they learn they can not, they will deem you a threat and kill you," she said coldly. Ichigo was nonchalant in the face of her threat. She bristled thinking he was taking her warning lightly and was about to correct his attitude before she had a good look into his eyes and felt her voice catch in her throat. His eyes weren't those of a naive boy. They were simply the eyes of a man who had conquered his fears and was unfazed of the possibility of the coming violence. He was like a large rock that stood firm in the ocean, constantly battered away but still he held strong no matter how difficult the task was. The Shadow rephrased what she was going to say with the knowledge she'd gleaned from his eyes.
"I can't tell you who I work for just yet, but I can say that they have your best interests and those of the country in mind."
"I will hear you out, but I am warning you now. If you intend to ambush me you better bring everyone you have because I won't stop until I beat you to the ground and rip everything I need from you."
There. Now that is how you threaten someone. The Shadow only nodded briefly, unconcerned.
"Meet me by the blue house with the red and white door five blocks to the West from here in 30 minutes. If you decide to come it will be unlocked. Try to be discreet," she said, flicking a once-over at his hair and armor before disappearing into the crowd and then vanishing all together.
'Huh, cool,' Ichigo thought in intrigue before a rather petulant opinion made itself to the forefront of his mind, '...Not as cool as shunpō though.'
Ichigo slowly drank the rest of his… bourbon? Whatever the equivalent was in this world, before making his way upstairs to change out of his armor and nabbed a cloak from a passed out guest before heading out the back door and made his way to the safehouse. Fortunately his passage went uncontested and he spied the entrance within twenty minutes. After circling the block to see if there was an ambush waiting for him Ichigo finally deemed it safe enough.
Once he walked through the door he felt the tingling sensation he felt whenever magic was being used around him. The door sealed itself shut and Ichigo gripped the Legendary Sword hidden at his waist beneath the stolen cloak as he waited for an attack. After a minute of silence and no movement was detected Ichigo finally felt some of the tension loose but still kept a wary eye out. He was glad he did. Ichigo whirled around and aimed his sword at neck height to swing at the person who snuck up behind him and met a knife held in a strong grip, sending a resounding clang through the room.
"You have good instincts," The Shadow commented. "Good. You'll need them in the future for the waves."
"If you're done with the theatrics," Ichigo grunted, "can we get on with it?"
"Very well. I serve Her Highness, the Queen of Melromarc. I am her Shadow."
"Shadow? Like a bodyguard? Or Spy?" Ichigo asked.
"Anything she needs me to be, but yes, I have been both of those in her service," The Shadow answered openly.
The Shadow had contacted the queen in the half hour wait she had asked for and received her orders to give a vague answer of her duties but most importantly gain the Sword Hero's trust. If that meant revealing a few of their more sensitive secrets, then so be it. The queen trusted the shadow enough to know which or what to say. The Shadow would do as ordered as she had always done.
She had also given the queen a report of her initial findings of the Four Heroes since their summoning. It seemed only the Sword and Shield Hero were taking things seriously, realizing that the waves were an actual threat and there were consequences for failure to contain them. The queen was less than pleased to hear two of her idols were complete fools who acted like their world was a game, not that she would ever admit to anyone else that she idolized the heroes even now.
"Even an assassin?" Ichigo tested. The shadow nodded a short while later.
"Only in very extreme circumstances where the evidence is blatantly obvious of their guilt. Her Majesty tries to be as just and fair as possible but-"
"Sometimes life gets in the way and for the greater good she must act," Ichigo interrupted. "I'm not a big fan of the practice, but I understand the need for it. Considering more than one of my teachers were assassins I would be a hypocrite to label you as something without getting to know you. Now, you said you weren't involved with the other tail. Who were they?"
"The Church of Three Heroes employs many different types of people. Their information network is nearly as vast as our own. As such that allows them a certain leeway in what they can do."
'And what is legal,' went unsaid.
"A corrupt church," Ichigo scoffed. "How bloody surprising."
"May I ask you a question?" Ichigo eyed the shadow with a critical eye before offering a nod of consent.
"What did you mean when you said you were a god?"
"What?" Ichigo asked in complete disbelief. When had he done that? What on Earth could make her believe he would be so arrogant and conceited to call himself that?
"I am not, nor will I ever be a god. I'm a shinigami."
Something Ichigo failed to understand was a simple fact that the Legendary Weapons Spirits had an ingrained ability to translate the spoken words into a language they can comprehend. Because of this oversight, despite the fact he said shinigami, the shadow still heard "death god," because the words he says are also translated to the language of the inhabitants of the world he was summoned to speak.
The shadow hid her misunderstanding behind the fact that the Four Cardinal Heroes were already seen as Gods or Saints depending on the location they were summoned to. So if Ichigo declared he was a god of death, clearly that was a cultural diversity she just could not understand unless she saw Ichigo's world for herself. This misunderstanding would play a role in the future once the shadow informed her queen.
"The Sword Hero is the strongest of them all," she said to her monarch with a hint of devotion. Or at least, he will be one day, of that the Shadow was sure.
—-O—-
They had a long month ahead of them. That is what Ichigo's party unanimously agreed to early on as they followed their leader from one monster infested cave to a boss monster den and onto a quest for good measure. And then repeated their cycle the next day. They were always moving the moment they awoke to the moment the sun set with only three small breaks equally sparse throughout the day to rest just enough to keep moving. The only one who was slightly used to this level of constant exercise was Jonathon Bellzy for his time while training with the other nobles and knights, but he too had tired after the second day. Ichigo was trying to increase their stamina and mental fortitude while they endured a constant enemy as preparation for the Wave.
Ichigo learned that long distance travel was required if they were to get the necessary materials for better gear and raise their levels enough in time for the wave, so Ichigo followed the advice of Farrie who directed him towards a rather shady looking businessman who barely reached his waist in height by the name of Beloukas, a man dressed in a traditional ringmaster's tuxedo with top hat and all who is the largest selling merchant of monsters. It was Ichigo's intention to buy a mount to carry their carriage and hopefully act as an additional fighter if they chose correctly. So, Ichigo stood inside the giant circus tent where the merchant sold his wares and Ichigo was gobsmacked that his choice of a monster was not so much a choice but more a luck of the draw scenario.
There were certain things about this world that just made no sense to Ichigo. The world was facing mass genocide and instead of giving the heroes the best weapons and gear they had to offer to ensure the least loss of life possible, the world pretty much said, "good luck, have fun, and don't die," before sending the four heroes on their way to explore on their own. The concern they showed was real touching.
The one hundred silver Ichigo handed over was a small price to pay though when Ichigo left with his monster egg in tow and prayed for a good one.
"I hope it's a Filolial," Farrie said, happily bouncing as she walked beside him, though her attention was mainly focused on the egg instead of where she was walking and Ichigo was forced to push her out of the way of an oncoming cart before she was run over. She offered a sheepish smile in response before seemingly forgetting the lesson to focus once more on the egg… once again.
"Staring at it won't help decrease its hatch time," Bakta said, taking on the role of caretaker as he grabbed her arm to direct her out of yet another accident since they decided to leave the merchant's tent. Considering this was now the eighth time she had almost caused a collision, his rather rude tone conveyed his annoyance for her actions quite well.
"I'm just so excited! I've never had a monster pet before and I heard they're so cute when they're young."
"Yes, so cute… until they grow up to be large enough to eat your face off," Bakta retorted, drawing everyone into an argument while Ichigo watched on with an amused smirk on his face as everyone learned how to get along. They came from all walks of life and they all had separate dreams and desires, but for the sake of the world and perhaps themselves (though he couldn't fault them for that), they were all coming together to help him stop the waves. Ichigo didn't know what was in store for them in the future, but with his budding relationship with them all Ichigo had a good feeling about their fate. Things were looking up despite the fact he was plunged into a world headed for annihilation.
—O—
[AN: This will be probably my longest story planned out before I ever started writing it. I have a timeline already set out so I just need to have the time and more importantly motivation to write it.
Cheers everyone! -Emberphoenix]
