Mikado Ryouko walked through a dark corridor overrun by vegetation. The only sound that could be heard was that of her heels hitting the pavement with each step.
She kept advancing until she stood in front of a door, which she pushed open, causing the light inside to flood out until she had stepped through and closed it behind her.
Within the room there were rows upon rows of opaque, crystal-like structures twice the size of a human being. Inside each and every one of them, if one looked closely enough, misshapen figures could be seen frozen into position.
Ryouko passed through them with ease, walking through the entire length of the room until she found herself in front of a specific crystal. This one was different from the rest. Whereas the other crystals had irregular shapes, like minerals dug out from the earth, this one was a polished parallelepiped.
It was also much less opaque, and the figure inside it could be seen clearly. It was a woman with long blonde hair. She too was wearing a lab coat like Ryouko's, but hers was torn into places and stained with large spots of blood.
Ryouko put her hand and forehead against the crystal, closing her eyes and sighing wearily.
"Please hold on, love. Just a little bit more, and I'll save you. I swear I will."
She stepped back and away from the crystal. She had a plan to put into motion.
[br]
Saeko stirred awake, feeling more rested than she had in years. It took her a moment, but she quickly realized where she was when she noticed the additional weight between her breasts.
Shirou was sleeping soundly, curled against her body. They had gone to sleep after spending the day talking while they lounged about doing absolutely nothing productive, or lewd. It had been a novel experience for them both, and not one Saeko was adverse to repeat.
They talked about each other, about their families; about their dreams.
Saeko had the opportunity to understand Shirou better, to understand what drove him to such absurd lengths. The trauma of his childhood and the meeting with his late foster father easily explained his ideals.
She couldn't say that she approved of them, of course. His motives were misplaced, twisted, but she had no right to speak against them. She too was twisted, and in a way nowhere near as noble and selfless as him. Yet, he had accepted her for how she was, wickedness and all.
The least she could do was returning the favor.
"Shirou…. wake up." she coaxed gently. His eyes immediately snapped open.
"Hi," he greeted looking up at her from the valley of her breasts. "Slept well?"
"Quite; it should be about time we left now, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he agreed, pulling himself up and away from her soft breasts. "Three hours should have almost passed in the real world. We better get ready for school."
"Pity, I wouldn't have minded staying here with you a while longer." she said as she pulled herself up as well, causing the yukata she used in lieu of sleepwear to open a little more and show more of her white skin and forcing Shirou to look away immediately with a shade of red spreading across his cheeks.
Even though he used her breast as a pillow, he had yet to grow used to Saeko's beauty, something the young woman was grateful for.
"You are welcome to return anytime," he told her.
"Do you plan on staying in compressed time very long?" she asked.
"Yeah. At least twenty four hours every real-time day. That way I won't have to choose between training or going to the Mirror World."
"Won't that mean you'll age faster, though?"
"A magus lifespan is much longer than a normal human if they get to survive long enough," Shirou said shrugging. "Frankly, I've got more chances to live to an old, ripe age if I get stronger sooner rather than later."
"Still, you'll age prematurely." she protested. "Is it truly worth it?"
"We'll get to go on dates sooner so yeah, totally," he told her honestly, scratching his cheek.
"... idiot," she huffed, blushing. "Promise me you won't overdo it. I'll be quite put off if you turn into an old man on me. I'll have you know, I have no interest in older men."
"Wha-! That's extortion," he protested weakly.
"No," she denied, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm quite sure that it's blackmail."
"That is hardly any be-!"
Whatever Shirou had wanted to say was cut off as the ground shook violently to the point that he fell on his back.
"An earthquake?" she asked.
"No, this is...!"
Just as suddenly as the tremor had started, the light outside changed. Within the time-dilation Boundary Field, time advanced slower than outside, but when Shirou had put it up the sky was already started to brighten from the approaching dawn, and it had only become brighter since.
Now, however it was like night had fallen all of a sudden and the world was plunged into near total darkness.
What on earth was going on?
[EMIYA SHIROU]
[THE GAMER]
[LV 28 - 1000/27000]
[HP: 2800][MP: 35][MC: 27][ST: 920][SP: 12]
[STR: 45][DEX: 47][INT: 50][WIS: 33][CHR: 102]
[You have been targeted by a forced transportation spell]
"We're under attack!"
He reached into his inventory and called out his sword, while his mind spun to make sense of things. The prompt spoke of a forced transportation spell, but he was still very clearly inside his house.
Was there someone out there with the sheer power to cast an area of effect spell to move an entire mansion somewhere else and in broad daylight?
Breaking through his Boundary Field should have required much less than that.
'So, what gives?'
"Shirou, what's going on?" Saeko asked.
"Wait, just let me-!"
[Altered Status: Mana Poisoning (Intermediate)]
[Description: The high intensity of Mana in the air is toxic. You will constantly lose HP until this effect is removed]
[Because you're a MAGUS the altered status Mana Poisoning (Intermediate) had been reduced to Mana Poisoning (Light)]
[Hp -10/minute]
"Agh!" Saeko gasped next to him, clutching her chest. "What is this? Shirou..."
"Saeko!" he cried, rushing to her side.
A number of things suddenly clicked into Shirou's mind. At first glance, they had been transported, mansion and all to a different place. Shirou couldn't even imagine how much power that feat would require.
However, the high concentration of Mana in the air gave the trick away.
They hadn't been moved with the entire Emiya household. They had been transported to a place where a reflection of the mansion already existed.
They were in the Mirror World, and not just in the first layer of it either if the concentration of Mana was any indication.
However, those intellectual ruminations were a secondary concern. The problem at hand was that while Shirou had a tolerance to it in light of being a magus, Saeko did not have the same protection.
"We've been forcibly moved deep into to the Reverse Side," he told her quickly. "We are affected by Mana Poisoning. How bad is it?"
"It's... hard to breathe and... I feel like... I'm running a fever," she replied with great difficulty and she was starting to sweat profusely.
"Damn it, we need to get you out of here fast."
"How...?"
"I don't know yet," he told her. The answer didn't change whether her question would have been who bought them there or how would they be getting out. "Right now, we need to find a way to stop the poisoning."
[HP -10]
"Gh," Saeko grunted. "Don't... worry about... me. I... will be... fine."
"No, you won't," he told her flatly. "You won't last much longer like this."
Because of his Gamer Body, Shirou didn't suffer any negative effect until his HPs reached zero, and after that he could rely on the DIE HARD ability to keep going. However a human body worked differently. In order to function properly it required a delicate balance of many things, such as chemical and temperature. If anything went outside their proper parameters it would start a chain reaction that would shut down the organs beyond any chance of recovery.
If this kept going, Saeko she would die. He needed a solution and he needed it quick.
"EMIYA SHIROU!" a voice rung out from all directions at once. It took him a moment, but he recognized its owner.
Mikado Ryouko.
"COME TO YOUR SCHOOL, ALONE. SURRENDER YOURSELF TO ME AND I SHALL GRANT YOUR FRIEND SAFE PASSAGE BACK TO THE REAL WORLD. YOU HAVE ONE HOUR."
"Wait! Mikado Ryouko!" he shouted, but there was no answer. He didn't even know if she could hear him in the first place. "Damn it."
"Shirou..."
"Don't worry, Saeko. I'll get you out of here," he promised.
"Don't... you dare... go."
"Saeko, if I don't go right away I won't make it in time and I don't know if I can get you back to the real world in time."
"Shirou... if you... go... If you... sacrifice yourself... for me... I will take my own life."
"Saeko, don't be an idiot."
"That's... my line. Do you... honestly think... I would want to live... knowing... it cost your life?"
"But-!"
"Find... another way... Save me... with... your strength... I won't... accept anything... less from my... my man."
"... there you go extorting me again!" Shirou said, picking her up bridal style.
"Hmm," she shook her head weakly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Blackmail."
[NEW QUEST: The Great Escape]
[Description: Get back to the Real World before Saeko dies]
[Reward for success: 20,000 Exp, ?]
[Reward for failure: Saeko's death]
Shiroi barely registered the prompt. He was already quite aware of the consequences of failing. Saeko was already struggling to stay conscious and Shirou didn't know whether telling her to keep fighting or just rest.
He needed a plan and he needed time.
He left the room with Saeko in his arms and stepped onto the patio outside. Everything looked normal, except of the fact that it was night when it should have been morning.
The Fortress Boundary was still present, but the Time Altering was not. He supposed that the closer one went to the world of the Age of Gods, the more modern-day Magecraft would cease working.
The Fortress was a fairly simple and straightforward mystery, while the Time-Altering one was far more complex. It seemed that it couldn't be reflected this deep, which meant he could not deploy it and buy himself some it.
He needed another plan.
The problem was that Saeko's body was absorbing more Mana that her innate resistance could flush out. In mathematical terms, it was an issue of Mana versus Time ratio.
He couldn't fuck around with time in this place, so he needed to deal with the ambient Mana somehow.
He made a beeline towards his tool shed. It was the only part of his mansion made of concrete. Nice, artificial concrete. The closest thing to Mana insulation he could hope to find at hand.
He kicked the door open unceremoniously but immediately leapt away from it the moment a bluish light washed over him.
He was ready to spring into action at the first sign of danger, but after a moment when nothing happened he decided to approach carefully.
The light was coming from a corner of the shed, from a Magic Circle inscribed on the concrete pavement. It was such a thin inscription that he would have never noticed if the concentration of Mana wasn't so high to cause a partial activation.
Was it present even on the real world layer and he always failed to notice, or did it exist only here?
He would have to check out once he returned. Right now he had more pressing matters. He stepped inside and closed the door, before lowering Saeko to the floor, putting her on a futon he took out of his Inventory. He was lucky to have put all sorts of junk in there. He was lucky to possess the ability in the first place.
He approached the circle with caution. The knowledge he accumulated from grinding the Boundary Field Skill let him made a few educated guesses about the nature of this circle.
His best bet was that its purpose was to summon something.
'Servants,' he realized. 'This was where Kiritsugu summoned his Servants in the Holy Grail War. Wait, if that's the case...'
He stretched his hand over the circle and felt something similar to a warm current rushing against his skin towards the floor.
"As I thought, it's syphoning Mana. If I can insulate the Workshop, this circle will naturally dry the air within from all the ambient Mana inside."
"Shi...rou...?" she called weakly from behind him
"Saeko, you're going to be fine. Listen, I'm going to lock you in here and separate the inside from the outside with a Boundary Field. The Mana in the air inside will slowly be drained by that circle over there. I'm not sure how long it will take, but you should start feeling better. Here, take these water bottles and keep yourself hydrated. Don't try to open the door otherwise the insulation will break and then you'll be done for."
"I'm... sorry for being... such a burden."
"There's nothing you should apologize for. I'm going to find the person responsible for this and get the method to return to the real world out of her."
"P... please. Be... careful."
"I will," he promised. "Now rest easy and let me handle this."
[br]
It took him a good half an hour to create a Boundary Field around the tool shed that would keep up the ambient Mana while the old summoning circle absorbed what was present inside.
It wasn't perfect insulation by any means, but so long as the Mana decreased to acceptable levels, he knew Saeko would endure.
Of course that took care of only half the problem. He somehow gained the time he needed, but he still had to find a way back to the real world. He didn't know how long Saeko could survive in there, but his best bet was a few hours at most. She definitely wouldn't be able to leave on her own. Indeed, the only solution was getting the answer out of the very person that forced them there.
It was going to be a time of reckoning for Mikado Ryouko.
[br]
Ryouko sighed and slumped against the wall. The ritual had been successful, but the price she had to pay for it had been high. A precious family inheritance laid broken in her hand. It had taken her great grandfather a lifetime to restore it and she sacrificed it now for the opportunity of luring Emiya Shirou to a battlefield of her choosing.
She would have preferred not to resort to this method, but she was running out of time and Emiya Shirou proved himself too slippery for her to take a longer approach. If she didn't know any better, he had to have eyes in the back of his head.
Whenever she got too close, he would unfailingly detect her. Pure Eyes didn't explain that. The boy had other skills separate from that.
She could only hope to brute force her way to victory, and she was willing to sacrifice even more for the sake of a mere opportunity.
There was no guarantee that Emiya Shirou would be the key to solve her dilemma, but if grasping at straws was all she could do, then grasp at straws she would.
Her observation of him told her that he wasn't an ordinary magus. Everything suggested that he would not sacrifice others to save himself, and if she took hostage someone he was actually close to, she could force him to surrender.
Which was why she chose this moment to act.
Busujima Saeko was his mentor, but it was clear that she was more to him than an instructor. They way they worked together and watched each other's back was testament to that.
Therefore, she dragged them both into the second layer of the Reverse Side where the concentration of Mana was toxic even to most Magi.
Of course, she didn't think Emiya Shirou wouldn't find a way to gain at least some time. The manipulation of Mana was the basis of all Magecraft. However there was no chance he could find a way out before they run out of time.
What she wanted, what she achieved, was for him to go looking for her, for him to come into her territory where she was at her strongest.
Everything was prepared. Now, she only had to wait.
[br]
Shirou cautiously stepped outside of the gates of his house, immediately putting back up the Fortress Boundary.
It went without saying that going to school was walking into a trap.
To think otherwise would have been hopelessly naive. Any magus would not expect another to surrender without at least trying to put up a fight. Mikado Ryouko would have contingencies in place. The problem was figuring out which.
No, actually the problem was getting there in the first place.
This layer of the Reverse Side felt the influence of mankind much less than the first. The buildings were still there, still the faithful reflection of their real world counterpart. However, they were covered by rampant vegetation, as if nature was trying to reclaim ownership in spite of that. His own house was exempt from this phenomena, perhaps because the presence of a Boundary Field acted as an amplifier of the human Common Sense which defined modern-day reality.
That cosmetic difference was the least of his worries, though.
He saw a fully armored [Samurai Wraith] down the street, similar to some those he fought on top of the mountain with Saeko, except that whereas those looked like shambling corpses, this one had a powerful presence. Which made sense, since its level was a solid 58.
To make things worse, there was another one in the opposite direction.
Each one of them would be an enemy that Shirou would be hard pressed to fight against at his current level. Further, they were close enough to each other that the sound of battle would attract the attention of the other.
Additionally, his [Detect the Unnatural] skill was giving him prompts of other monsters in the vicinity, making the situation even worse than it already was.
Mikado's plan was poorly thought out. What if he died on his way there? Wasn't she supposed to experiment on him? Fat chance of doing that if he died.
Then again, she knew he was nigh-unkillable, so she was possibly counting on him tiring himself out before he even arrived at his school, making him easy pickings.
The best course of action would have been sneaking there, except that wasn't an option for Emiya Shirou. Due to his insanely high charisma, it was all but impossible for him to conceal his presence.
He knew as much, therefore, he didn't even try. He was forced to fight his way there.
Fortunately, he had just woken up and he had a sizeable amount of Mana Cores. All of his parameters were maxed out, but he would still have to fight enemies far above his level.
Yet, there was no other way, might as well get it over and done with.
The moment he took two steps in the direction of the first Samurai Wraith the entity became aware of his presence, turning his empty eyes sockets to him and immediately charging in his direction.
Knowing that he had another one at his back, Shirou rushed forward to met this enemy head on. The Samurai Wraith was already wielding a rusty looking katana in its rotten hands and it swung it down at Shirou, who could only raise his own into a parry.
"Gh!" Shirou groaned as his knees buckled. The sheer power of this creature far exceeded Shirou's own, even though he had already Reinforced himself with Magecraft and was currently having his physical stats doubled.
That was not good. It was even worse than he thought it would be. Until now, he never fought against an enemy that was so much more powerful than him. Especially not without resorting to some strategy, or exploiting a known weakness.
For all of his skills, what Shirou lacked most was experience and it showed in this moment.
Still, what was there to do but to fight to the bitter end?
The Wraith pulled back the sword and swung it again. Rather than parrying Shirou opted to deflect it, using the enemy's strength to add to his own momentum, pivoting around the Wraith and slashing at its legs.
[Damage Dealt: 500HP]
"Gyeeh!" it cried. Shirou didn't know if it could feel pain, but if it did it certainly didn't show it. Because a moment later its sword was tracing a line across Shirou's torso, cutting open his shirt and his skin, splattering his blood all around.
[Damage Received: 200HP]
"Tch!" Shirou groaned. The wound was shallow but even if it hadn't been he didn't have the chance to pay it any mind. The Wraith was already back on him.
Theirs swords met several times, sending sparks across the night. They looked to be evenly matched, but it was true only because Shirou's skill with the sword was such that he managed to barely cover the gap between their stats.
Less than five seconds had passed since they had started battling, but they had already exchanged several dozens blows. However the second Wraith had become aware of the battle and was already rushing to join in.
Shirou knew that he needed to finish before the second one arrived, otherwise the tide would turn overwhelmingly against him. Therefore he threw caution to the wind.
Forfeiting defense, Shirou went all in on the offensive.
[Damage Dealt: 500HP]
[Damage Received: 150HP]
[Damage Dealt: 600HP]
[Damage Received: 140HP]
[Damage Dealt: 450HP]
A string of values flashed across his vision but once more he had no time to consider them. He just kept cutting away at the Wraith while it paid back in kind. Eventually, after seemingly an eternity, it just fell down dead with a hateful groan.
[Samurai Wraith (Lv. 58) was defeated]
[+ 5800 EXPs]
"Gggh!" Shirou grunted as his HPs plummeted under the final attack of the Wraith he had just slain. It took everything he had to kill the creature and his entire body was a crisscross of bleeding wounds.
The first enemy alone had managed to reduce him to such a state, and it couldn't be helped. Shirou's stats were high for his level, but they weren't enough to match an enemy twice his level. Especially not a monster.
A human, he could more or less surprise, shock, or scare somehow in a number of ways. A monster like a Wraith did not care for its own existence, and therefore he couldn't be made to falter or hesitate. It would just keep coming until it was completely destroyed.
At least the experience was good. Actually, it was great. It was a shame that he was in no condition to appreciate it.
In fact, he couldn't catch his breath at all. The second Wraith had arrived.
Shirou had barely the chance to steady its grip on his sword that he was already crossing blade with the monster.
He didn't care if he died, but he could not and would not fail Saeko.
The image of his girlfriend, breathing heavily as Mana destroyed her from the inside out flashed through his eyes.
He would not lose. He could not lose.
"Haaaah!" he shouted, pushing back at the monster while he Reinforced his body even further.
[STR x 3.0, DEX x 3.0]
[Altered Status: Over-Reinforced]
[Description: You have Reinforced your body beyond its limits. You will keep on losing HP until this effect is removed]
[HP -10/second]
So what if he was weaker overall? So what if he tore himself to pieces? All he that mattered was to save Saeko.
Mikado Ryouko didn't understand one very important thing. To her, a magus that wasn't completely ruthless was already a very rare exception to the norm.
However Emiya Shirou wasn't simply someone who didn't disregard the life of others, he was the kind of man that could surpass his limits, and step into a realm beyond his own when he fought to protect someone else.
By putting Saeko in danger, she had effectively insured he was at his very best.
[CRITICAL HIT!] [Damage Dealt: 1000HP]
[Damage Received: 150HP]
[CRITICAL HIT!][Damage Dealt: 1200HP]
[Damage Received: 150HP]
[CRITICAL HIT!][Damage Dealt: 1100HP]
[Damage Received: 150HP]
[CRITICAL HIT!][Damage Dealt: 1000HP]
[Damage Received: 150HP]
"Gyeeeeh!" the Wraith shrieked while Shirou tore away at its body. Although it didn't let the damage it received make it falter, Shirou was attacking like a man possessed, and the result was that it took quickly died.
[Samurai Wraith (Lv. 57) was defeated]
[+ 5700 EXPs]
Shirou fell to his knees the moment those words flashed before his eyes, immediately dropping the Reinforcement and taking stock of his remaining health.
There were only a little over a thousand HP left and about eight hundred points of Stamina. The fight had been that brutal. If he didn't have the DIE HARD mode available, his chances of saving Saeko would have been slim to none.
However, that was a small comfort.
His inventory was stocked with food, so he could recharge his stamina indefinitely, but that wasn't really something to rely upon.
He needed to find a way another way to fight if he wanted to last long enough to make a difference.
The question was, what exactly was he supposed to do? What other way of fighting could he make up on the spot?
How could he hope to save Saeko in time? If he had to find an answer, he had to do it on the way to his destination. There was just no alternative.
XXX
AN: I don't answer reviews, so if you have questions to ask, please PM me. I'll get back to you when I can. Guests reviews have been disabled too, since 90% of those are flamers.