22:14:23:56

It's been roughly two days since he'd entered the forest outside of the kingdom, not wanting to return so easily. The last thing he wanted was to be cornered in that stifling city full of sharp turns and narrow alleyways. Our here is where he thrived. Years upon years of journeying to other lands, helping others simply for the sake of helping them.

He never regretted it. It was a good life.

The wildlife here was mostly small, aside from the one that were considered "monsters". Them being balloons and… balloon rabbits. At least the regular ones died with a pop, the rabbits died like any animal. Strange but not an issue.

He'd taken on an easier task by the guild, only that it was a time consuming one. Something for the newbies to take on to learn the ropes. Gather roughly fifty balloon carcasses, any extra were a bonus. His pack that he'd been given by the guild was nearly full. Counting nearly forty so far. The bow was quite handy in close quarters, needing not as much strength than he thought. It might have something to do with the magical properties, ease of use for anyone that was chosen as its wielder.

Projecting swords were still a no go until he could figure out a loophole around the problem. Changing them into swords, however, was a different can altogether. It seems that the bow became confused whenever he attempted to use one of his swords as an arrow. As if realizing at the last second, the bow took the magical energy from each projection, enough for the sword turned arrow to veer off course while changing back to a sword.

It… was a work in progress. He knew that the bow is sentient in its own way. Not like how people are. It's as if it can sense his feelings and thoughts to a degree. His frustration at his inability to use sword arrows was well known to the bow, and it caused a bit more of a fuss.

He sighed as he sat on an overturned log, staring at the fire he built. The night was closing in with the fire being his only source of light.

The solitude was welcoming but couldn't help but find himself wanting. Even after all these years, his memory never faded in the slightest. That night in the shed, when he thought he was going to die a second time…

"…I ask of you, are you my master?"

Words as clear as day... his heart wrenched at the feeling. The reality becoming ever more present. This world wasn't his, Avalon may not even exist here. His chance to see her again may never come to pass.

But… he wishes to keep going. Even if the chance has become ever smaller, it still existed to him. Shirou smiled lightly at the fire. Before he realized it, he had already drifted to sleep.

*Pop*

"Ah… last one." The leftover piece of the balloon was carefully placed in the gathering bag before being closed. Shirou breathed a sigh of relief, content with a job well done. His ties with this kingdom were nil and he wanted it to remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Granted, he'll stay within the borders to make sure that when the wave reached this place, he'd be there to protect the people. No doubt other heroes are already in their respective countries, providing aid to them as well. What information he gathered on the others is that the sword and shield have been summoned. The spear, however, hasn't yet. Something to do with a mistake in the catalyst.

Either way, it's only a matter of time before they make their way in this world. Hopefully, they'll have enough time to prepare.

Lvl. 8

The small square off to the right of his vision made itself known every now and then during his hunts. The creatures he'd killed so far are tied to it. The help section of the system is a boon to be sure. Though, he preferred to concentrate on outward applications, rather than rely completely on the system. He figured he knew enough about the statistics and "skill point" allocation.

It was easy enough to know where to put them.

Getting back to the task at hand, Shirou started to head back to the city to turn in the job. Money wasn't necessarily needed, but it was better to keep some on hand for border crossing and any possible tariffs in case he was transporting any items considered restricted. The risks were low as always.

He made sure to stay close to the city, less than ten miles so that whenever it was time to walk back, it wouldn't take all day. Only a few hours at a decent pace.

Along the road there were numerous carts being pulled by large birds. He didn't know what they were, but they definitely seemed docile enough to warrant usage for pulling carts and wagons. Almost as if they were happy to pull them.

One such cart slowed to a stop next to him, the driver looked at him.

"You need a ride to town?"

Shirou smiled, "I'd like that, though I am afraid I have little to offer." The driver waved his hand and scowled.

"I didn't offer the ride for money. Get on, kid." Without argument, he walked around the cart, past the large bird before it hissed at him. He stepped a little backwards, startled. The driver looked confounded at the display of the bird, not expecting it at all.

"Strange. Kamsuke never had an issue with any traveler I picked up. The only thing they don't like is dragons." Shirous blinked before coming to a conclusion. An easily remembered fact of his favored King. The core of a dragon, and it… may have left its mark on him during…

Shirou shook his head of the thoughts before smiling at the driver.

"I'll be fine, sir. I don't wish to cause any undue stress to your bird."

"She's a filolial."

"Ah, apologies. My memories are a bit jumbled at the moment. Forgetfulness has been a nuisance to me recently."

"Mhm." The driver knew that he couldn't convince Shirou to get on with how it continued to glare at him. With a heavy sigh, he flicked the reins and continued on his way.

"Sorry, kid."

Without any more thought, he started walking again.

Once he reached the guild hours later, he walked up to the receptionist he had spoken to days before. Her eyes landed on him before noticing the bulging bag of balloon carcasses.

"I see you've been busy."

"Yeah. I managed to take down the fifty that was requested, along with a few others." He opened the bag to reveal a few of the rabbit balloons.

"Ah, Usapils. Those go for a bit more than the typical balloons around the area." She took the bag from him and walked to the back. As he waited, he looked around the guild house, taking in the sights like last time. The atmosphere is always at a constant calm, something he preferred most of the time.

His thoughts returned to the king. Takt Faubrey. It was better to keep in mind of those who hold power to make sure he remained out of their sights. Shirou sighed. This wasn't what he had in mind when he died but it did give him the opportunity to continue what he does best.

"Here you go, sir." Bailey brought his attention back to her, who was patiently waiting for him.

"You were lost in thought there for a bit. Tired?" He shook his head.

"No. Just thinking of the future." She smirked but didn't say anything. She handed him the pouch of coins.

"Three hundred copper and two silver for the usapils." He looked at the money, contemplating asking.

"How far can this get me in terms of food?" She didn't hesitate to answer thankfully, choosing to not question about it.

"From your bow, I'd say you'll have little to no issue in terms of food. I can tell you prefer hunting over buying food. If you're going to be an adventurer, I'd say look into armor."

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't need armor." Bailey shrugged.

"Suit yourself. I won't tell you how to take a hit."

"I prefer to not take one at all."

"If you're fast enough." Shirou chuckled at that. He no longer showed his years so to this lady, he looked like a greenhorn. No point in delving further into the topic. He bowed lightly to the receptionist before heading to the door.

"Not taking another job?"

"Not right now."

When he exited he almost ran into a familiar face. Shirou smiled, "Gerald."

The adventurer clearly wasn't looking where he was going but still managed to avoid the collision. Gerald looked spooked for a second before realizing who it was.

"Oh, Shirou. Good to see you again. It's been a few days." Shirou nodded.

"Yes. It has." The two stood there for a few moments, not speaking. The silence soon turned awkward.

"So…" Gerald started. Shirou waited.

"Yes?"

"I need a second person on this job I need to handle. Do you think you can help me? I'll split the pay." Judging from how Gerald was fidgeting earlier, it was easy to assume he'd taken a job that wasn't entirely in his ability to handle alone. But why ask him?

"I can help. But I need to know what the problem is." Gerald slumped his shoulders and sighed.

"You know those two guys you fought, when you helped Felix?" Shirou nodded, "Yes."

"Well, those two ended up joining a bandit group. I overheard their conversation with a few of the members that happened to be in the city. The entire band of them aren't here, they're at a small fortress nearly half a day's walk from here. Since I notified the guild, they've tasked me with handling it."

Come to think of it, he had noticed such a place during his time outside the walls. Very distant, but easily seen with his eyes over others. On a small hill southwest from the city.

"How many? Do they need to be captured?"

"There's gotta be over fifty of them, and no, they don't want any captured. I never would've expected those two to really join those sorts of people. They may be scum, but they never stooped to outright robbing and killing. Then again, extortion is robbing to a degree." Gerald put a hand to his chin in thought, but Shirou had gathered enough from the situation.

"Have those two in particular killed?"

"I doubt it, but those bandits they've joined are well known as killers and rapists. The damn king doesn't do a thing about it either. The guild is a separate entity from the kingdom but they still abide by the laws of it. They themselves have notified the king, but they never received a response. I guess when I told them about those two joining, they finally set up a job. I don't know why they didn't earlier but it might have something to do with them."

"What are their names? The two that I fought."

"Kengel and Moln."

"Their names match their attitude." Gerald laughed at that.

"I won't deny that. But in all serious, we need to take them out. The pay is four hundred silver. If we can get it done, I'll split it halfway." Shirou shook his head.

"I won't take more than fifty. I don't need it as much as you might." To say he was surprised was an understatement. Normally a copper rank wouldn't hesitate to accept the half pay. Greed clearly wasn't in Shirou's mind. Gerald smiled brightly.

"I'm beginning to like you even more. First you help my little brother, and then you help me again while asking little in return. You're going to make it difficult for me to properly repay you."

"I never said you had to. It's what I do."

"Still. If there's anything I can do for you in the future, don't hesitate. Please." It's obvious that he isn't letting this go. Fine.

"I'll be sure to let you know first."

"Thank you. Now, let's get this bandit business handled." He's no stranger to these sorts of things. While he preferred to save people over killing others, sometimes there isn't any other choice. Capture is still an option despite the job's description and requirements.

It wasn't until hours later where Shirou and Gerald were crouching by a grouping of trees to stay hidden. Shirou had pointed out that there's a watcher on the wall that's looking in their general direction. His eyes, capable of seeing clearly at a vast distance, could easily see the lookout using a scope of sorts. Gerald looked anxious but was calm enough to remain still and follow along with Shirou's advice.

Shirou had made it clear along the way that despite his ranking being lower in the guild's eyes, he's vastly superior in his abilities. It was necessary to make sure that Gerald would cooperate and properly communicate in the mission. While Gerald isn't a drag, Shirou would have preferred to handle this alone, but this is Gerald's mission, not his.

The adventurer was hesitant at first but trusted his judgment.

"How many do you think there are?" Shirou focused along the wall, counting no more than ten acting as lookouts. Since this is only one side of the small fortress, there are, without a doubt, more on the other side. These bandits were prepared for something, as if expecting company.

"More than ten considering how many I can see on just this side. They're on edge and looking for trouble. They're aware that they are expecting company tonight. Any reason for that?" Shirou looked to him in wait. But Gerald shook his head lightly.

"I don't think so, but the guild had already posted the bounty on the board. Perhaps one of the members saw it and let the ones here know."

"I was thinking the same thing, but I needed confirmation since you're better informed in guild business."

"I try to stay on top of what's the most important, and whoever is more dangerous than the common thief." Shirou grasped his bow before looking to the sky. The clouds were overhead but were not dark, so no rain tonight. The wind was light, so there would be no interference in his shots. His projections were still giving him trouble in arrow form, so he had to rely on the arrows he had purchased with Gerald's assistance under the guise that he had used all that he had during his time outside the walls.

The bow apparently has an inherent ability to form an arrow made of mana and judging from the blue bar that he sees if he focuses, he wouldn't have to worry about running out anytime soon.

Pulling back the string, he aimed at the first lookout before letting go. The arrow streaked through the air at a blistering speed, almost instantly striking the man in the chest from over a thousand feet away. He made sure to take out the lookouts in an order that prevented suspicion to allow for Gerald to quickly run ahead along a set path that Shirou pointed out before they started.

Each lookout fell to his arrows, not one missing its mark. Soon all of them were taken out on his side which allowed him to stand and run after his companion. Gerald had roughly two hundred feet of distance from Shirou who was already closing in quickly.

"You caught up quick." His pants were small, testament to his endurance and level no doubt. With the world based on levels along with sheer skill and experience, anyone could be as powerful as a heroic spirit. A lesser one, yes, but one nonetheless. If Saber were here, she would have no equal as far as he's aware, which wasn't much yet.

"I may be new to the guild and this land, but my experiences have followed me my entire life."

"Hear, hear." The two sprinted quickly to the approaching walls before Shirou, much to Gerald's amazement, casually jumped up nearly thirty feet to one of the ledges before climbing his way up. Normally, he'd voice what he'd just seen, but this was meant to be a stealth approach before clearing out these enemies.

Without missing a beat, Gerald began climbing his way up at a much slower pace but managing to not fall too far behind.

Shirou was already at the top of the wall, stepping over one of the dead lookouts, an arrow in his chest. His eyes swept over the entire compound and along the rest of the wall. Thankfully the patrol patterns didn't intersect with the ones here so they're in the clear for now.

Multiple campfires were spread across the ground level of the small castle. When compared to Faubrey's massive castle, this one seemed more like a small shed. His eyes quickly counted the bandits that were all huddled around each fire. Their weapons were of average steel with a few being of rusted iron. These were the bottom of the barrel men, the better equipped had to be farther in.

The lights in the singular stubbed tower at the far end were well lit. Judging from the windows, there were four rooms that were still intact. The rest of the tower was simply gone, as if it was swiped off the top by a massive beast. Or this was an old fortress from a war long past.

His eyes focused on one particular window just big enough to gain a good enough view inside, and much to his disgust, a large man was currently pinning a woman down. His arrow was already flying before he realized it, the sheer impact sent the man into the wall with the arrow in his head. He was surprised it didn't take it off entirely, but that was neither here nor there.

The screams from the woman quieted down before he saw he walk to the window. Her eyes were still wide but no longer in terror. A pair of cat ears were easily seen before he noticed her eyes lock onto his. She could see him easily enough, so he put his finger to his lips in shush motion. He didn't know if she could see him, but he soon found out with her nodding her head.

He watched for a little while longer, seeing her take the man's sword before kicking the door open. Seemed she was experience and was simply overpowered? Or was there something else? It didn't matter as he started to focus on the rest of the lookouts around the wall.

"You are fast, you know that?" Gerald whispered beside him, prompting Shirou to tilt his head lightly in his direction.

"The faster I handle this, the more lives that can be saved."

"How are we going to do this?" As if on que, the alarm bell rang. Gerald gripped his blade handle, "They know we're here?"

"No, but someone else is wreaking havoc inside of the tower. I'll stay up here and provide cover fire. You go down and handle the ones I can't take out immediately" Gerald nodded before leaving Shirou to himself. Readying the bow, he took aim.

Shirou began firing down on the men below, each arrow hitting their mark with frightening accuracy. Due to his speed of firing, those that were looking around the most were taken out first. The ones with less sense were left for last as they had less of a chance in seeing him. Not that they could anyway for night had already fallen.

His eyes spied some canisters by one of the fires and fired on it. His assumptions rang true as the ensuing explosion quickly killed any who were caught in the blast radius. Those that survived were quickly taken out. Gerald had already descended and began to take on the one in his area.

It wasn't long before he noticed the same woman being thrown through the door to his right. From the looks of it, she had been overwhelmed by the massive man that was calmly walking to her prone form.

Shirou aimed before letting loose. The arrow quickly pierced the armor covering his neck before burying itself inside. The man didn't have time to realize before he began choking on his own blood. Soon he fell forward, gurgling his last breaths.

He slowly approached the woman before kneeling down.

Her injuries weren't great, thankfully, but she wasn't conscious. He holstered the bow before carefully picking her up. She was young, almost a child… His eyes wandered back to the dead man before narrowing them. These men were monsters. He knew that Gerald could handle the rest and quickly left the wall, jumping down.

Years of perfecting techniques led him to make a jump that could kill any other man. The impact was minimal but still kicked up dust. He carried her in the direction of their scouting spot before they attacked so he was confident that Gerald would meet him there.

"The rest have been handled, and I managed to gather evidence of the deed, so we're guaranteed the completion… who is she?"

"The one who set off the alarm. For good reason, of course. She was about to be raped by one of them."

"Let me guess, the one with the arrow in his head, pinned to the wall." A nod was all Gerald received.

"That happened to be the leader, so lucky for us that he had a bounty on him specifically."

"Remember what we agree upon."

"I know. Still though. You deserve much more than what you want." It didn't seem right that Shirou refused a larger portion of the reward, but he couldn't argue with the man that wouldn't budge on the subject.

"I don't need the money as badly as you."

The two sat in silence and with them being too close to the fort, it was a bad idea to start a fire so close. He opted to cover the young girl with his coat, keeping her a bit safer from the elements. It wasn't perfect, but they weren't expecting tag-alongs.

"I'll take first watch, get some rest."

"What about you?"

"I don't tire as quickly as most. Don't worry, just get some rest and we'll handle what comes in the morning." Gerald didn't argue before setting his leather vest on the ground to act as a pillow. Uncomfortable, but he's done it before.

Shirou looked to the sky, admiring the stars that were so much brighter than his own world. Easily able to see millions of stars spread across the entire sky. It's beautiful to look at, as if he can't get enough of looking. Never tiring of seeing the sights of the world as it was one of the few things that appealed to him during his search.

His memories drifted as the night carried on. Memories of a time long past when he was young and naïve. He never forgot any of it. Some parts were blurrier than others, but they were all remembered. His brush with death fighting the massive beast Heracles. All to save the one he still searched for, even here…

This world… that's it!

His thoughts ran wild at the fact that this world is not Earth. The magecraft here is different, however little he's seen so far. It's still different. He never could find a way to his Sword in his world, no matter how much he looked. There could be a way in this world. This bow is as much of an anchor as it is a duty. His duty.

Rule Breaker could easily sever the connection between the bow and him. The entire time he'd been here, the bow had been connected with him at the soul. Or maybe something akin to it. The bond went deep, deep enough that his attempts at throwing it away never worked.

This world had the magic to summon those that died, and to bring them here, body and soul. The Grail could only ever bring a copy of a Heroic Spirit from the Throne, never their actual physical form. It simply wasn't done.

Here was different. He knew he was alive and breathing, his abilities matched when he passed on rather than be lessened. If he could find a way to acquire the summoning spell… He closed his eyes, clearing his thoughts.

"No. From what was gathered, I think only the recently dead could have been chosen for this role. Someone who fits the bill… But the chance is still there."

Saber…

His heart was closed off as he got older, to avoid hurting as his chances of finding her lessened. Shirou was no stranger to it. He never doubted, though. It was one thing he avoided altogether. The Clock Tower, at the time, had some ideas on what he was looking for. Not that he specified on his goal. In the end, none of the ideas bore fruit.

This place, Faubrey. It won't have the answers he seeks. It's unlikely that they will give him the information when they so casually pushed him out of the castle. But he couldn't leave outright, either. At least not right now.

He needed to grow stronger before venturing farther out of the land. The borders are off the table right now. The one thing in his mind at the moment is the villages that are in the surrounding area. Miles away in either direction. Getting stronger meant killing more monsters and helping more people. After he returns to Faubrey with Gerald and the girl, a map will be needed for his plan set forth.

I honestly don't know how I did here. It was intended to be longer than last chapter, but I can't help but wonder if I made this too jumbly. It feels like I went all over the place, but I know I didn't. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, update on FGO. I got lucky, the gacha gods had thrown me a bone and I managed to get Castoria. Along with Xiang Yu and Sessyoin Kiara(Not Summer). Honestly, I still want to try and get Mordred one of these days. But I'm in no hurry.

I will say that Castoria is quite the helper in most of my missions. I am only about a quarter of the way through Absolute Demonic Front. I only have about 200 days on my record for FGO. So I'm still a bit of a greenhorn since I am one of the types that don't strategize and just use what Servants I have that are effective.

Until next time.