[EMIYA SHIROU]
[THE GAMER]
[LV 46 - 37.500/45.000]
[HP: 3800][MP: 35][MC: 27][ST: 920][SP: 5]
[STR: 50][DEX: 50][INT: 50][WIS: 50][CHR: 102]
[ATK: 100] [DEF:100]

With the entourage of tired women, it took Shirou a couple of hours to get to the cave that was to be their temporary camp.

From the outside, it was just a hole in the mountain's rock wall, behind some vegetation and far enough from the shore that the tide wouldn't reach it.

"Matsumoto-san, please keep watch over them. I'm going to check inside," he told the other drifter. He had given her one of the many swords he had in his inventory. It was a common blade he had forged as he maxed out his Blacksmithing skill, but with the application of Reinforcement it was good enough to protect herself and the others for a short while.

Matsumoto nodded and Shirou ventured in. It was extremely dark inside the cave, but Shirou just pulled out a torch from his Inventory. Just like with his clock, the fact that an appliance of modern science worked was sufficient proof that they weren't too deep down the Reverse Side.

That didn't offer much reassurance though. In fact, it raised even more questions. How could creatures like those he saw the previous night exist close to the surface of the real world? Without knowing where he was, how could he find his way back?

But these considerations were best left for another time. At present, he needed to secure a safe home for the former slaves and he hoped that this cave could really be it. If not, they would have to camp outside, where they would be much more at risk.

After a few minutes of slow advance, the cave started to become larger. There was a strong air draft too, which suggested there was another opening somewhere. He proceeded further in and much to his surprise the initial corridor seemed to open to a much greater cavity.

Shirou turned off his torch for precaution, but much to his surprise the cave was no longer totally dark. A measure of bluish light seemed to come from up ahead. Fearing trouble, he poked his head past the corner and his jaw fell at what he saw.

The cave opened to a huge, natural dome-like room, almost as if the mountain was largely hollow. The walls of this formation were littered by some kind of strange stones that emitted a supernatural light. Looking up at the ceiling it was like watching the night sky outside.

It was a sight to behold and more importantly it seemed there wasn't anything making their lair in it. It was weird and quite suspicious. A place like this should be home to a great deal of creatures. Why wasn't it?

There were several other corridors that opened to this room and without knowing how far they stretched, exploring them was out of the question. He could seal them with the Fortress Boundary Field for the time being, before moving his people inside. Even if something lurked down one of these passages, it was still safer than being outside.

The sheer size of the cave made it more practical to make a Boundary Field in front of each corridor than trying to make a single one that encompassed the entire main room. It took him a solid half an hour to close every single access point minus the one he came in from, but he eventually managed it. However, his reserves of Mana were getting quite stretched thin, even with the use of the Sword Hax.

This setup could only be a temporary one. Between this and his shortage of Stamina he was dangerously close to being tasked to capacity, which was far from optimal since he was supposed to find a way out of this predicament entirely. The scarcity of food was also another thing he had to worry about.

But first he had to settle all the women waiting for him outside, so he quickly went back to call them. He found them huddled together next to the entrance, with Matsumoto looking around warily.

"Hey, it should be safe inside," he said.

"It should?" questione Matsumoto. "Didn't you just check it?"

"It's actually pretty huge. I made a portion of it reasonably secure."

"Alright then," she agreed. In the little time since being freed, Matsumoto seemed to have developed some attachment to the other captive women. Whether it was because they shared the same misadventure or because of something else, Shirou didn't know.

With his high WIS, he was able to better perceive how people felt about things, though knowing the cause was always up to speculation. He only recently realized how handy a skill that was, though he wasn't sure about its reliability.

He led them through the darkness to the cave that he had fortified for their use. They looked just as awestruck as he did when they saw the main room.

"This is going to be our home for the time being," he announced. "It's not much but it's safer than sleeping outside. I've blocked the other passages with Magecraft. Right now the only way in or out is the one we came from. Understood?"

He received a timid chorus of affirmations.

"Good. Let me set you up for the night then."

Swallowing a Mana Core to replenish his MP, Shirou used Projection to make replicas of the futon he had in his inventory. Unlike with blades it required him more Mana, but he couldn't expect them to sleep on the hard floor like that.

In the future he would have to carry around enough supplies of all sorts in case he had to perform disaster relief once more.

Just like before, the women looked both mesmerized and scared by the casual display of magic, however having freed and fed them had won a good measure of trust from them. Slowly, as if to confirm that they could indulge in his favor like that, they all laid down together next to each other, so close that they almost slept in one huge pile of bodies.

Only he, Matsumoto and Mikoto remained awake.

"Are you not going to sleep, Mikoto onee-san?" he asked.

"I.. um… that is…"

"They always take turns sleeping," Matsumoto explained. "At least one of them is always keeping vigil, and they don't trust you yet enough to dismiss this habit."

"I don't mean to offend, Emiya-sama," Mikoto said, looking down at her feet fidgetly.

"It's alright," he replied, looking away from Matsumoto, wondering why she knew that. "You have been through a lot. It would be strange if you didn't feel that way."

"Th-thank you," she said, bowing once more.

"Well, since you have no intention of sleeping, do you feel like talking a little bit? There are a few things I would like to ask," Shirou said, pulling out a few seating cushions from his Inventory and putting them down on the ground.

"Yes. Yes of course," Mikoto replied eagerly, taking a seat with her back held straight. Matsumoto did the same. "What is that you wish to know?"

"To start with, what place is this?"

"The cavern? I do not believe it has a name."

"No, I mean the island," he clarified..

"You don't… you don't know where you are?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"We didn't come here on purpose. We were… transported by a feat of magic against our will."

"Oh, goodness," she exclaimed. "This place is Onigashima. The island of demons."

"O… Onigashima?" he asked.

It was a well known name if Japanese folklore. The setting of a tale in which a boy named Momotaro took off on a journey to defeat the evil Oni with the company of a dog, a monkey and a pheasant. It was nothing more than a story for children.

That's what he believed until now, at least.

"Yes, have you heard of it?"

"In passing," he replied. "Then if this is Onigashima, where did you come from?"

"I have always lived on this island, like everyone else. Our families inhabited this place for generations."

"Even with the Oni?" he asked.

"No, of course not. There haven't been any Oni on this island for many, many decades. They have only just returned."

"Returned from where?"

"I don't know. No one knows where Oni come from and where they go when they are vanquished."

"You speak as if the coming of the Oni is a recurring event," Matsumoto noted.

"Yes, that is precisely like that," Mikoto confirmed. "According to the tales of our forefathers, every hundred years or so, the Oni appear and ravage the island until a hero comes and subdues them. I always believed them to be scary bedtime stories until…"

"Until they returned," Shirou concluded. "How long ago was that?"

"Two… two years. They killed all men and elderly women and took the rest of us as slaves and… and… *sob* please forgive me."

Shirou wanted to do something. Hug her, maybe. However, he was all too sure that Mikoto had received way too many undesired touches until now. He looked at Matsumoto with a pleading expression, who leaned towards the other girl and pulled her into an embrace.

She sobbed onto Matsumoto's shoulders for several minutes, until she managed to get ahold of herself and reign in her emotions. Shirou would have wanted to say something, but no amount of words would undo the things she had been through. There was only one thing that he had any right to say.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

Although he had no way of knowing their tragedy before now, he felt at fault for arriving only when it was too late to prevent the tragedy altogether.

"That's *sniff* that's not something you should apologize for," replied Mikoto. "What matters is that you came, at last. We had lost all hopes but… in the end the Hero did come, like the old tales."

Shirou grimaced. A hero? He didn't really feel like one at the moment. Her praise made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Sure he was glad he had managed to save them, but that didn't mean he was happy with the situation in the first place. And yet…

'This is precisely what I asked for.'

For a Hero to be needed, misfortune had to befall on somebody. For him to save someone, someone needed to be saved. This was the inescapable paradigm of someone that wanted to follow the path of the hero. It didn't matter that people needed help whether or not he was there to provide it.

Pursuing one thing meant wishing for the other as well. If he were just a little bit different, he might have become a villain instead.

"Shirou?" Matsumoto called, bringing him out of his musing. "Are you alright?"

"I… yes. I was just lost in thoughts, that's all."

"Shouldn't you be getting some sleep?" she asked. "You have been fighting and trudging all day long. I know that your physique is peculiar, but I assume you probably need to rest like anybody else."

"Yes… not quite like everybody else, but yes. I do need rest."

"Then get it. I'll keep guard for the night."

"You will? Aren't you tired as well?" he asked.

"Do I look tired to you?"

"No. Not at all. Your bruises are gone and it doesn't look like you have been marching all afternoon like the other women. Your personal ability, I presume?"

"You have your secrets, I have my own," she said smiling.

"Fair enough. I'll seal the entrance with a Boundary Field too. There's no point taking risks while we sleep."

"If you think that's for the best," she replied.

"You don't think so?" he asked.

"The downside of fortifying enough to prevent an enemy from getting inside is that you can't get out either, but I guess that you can switch the Boundary Field on and off at will, so that doesn't apply."

"Yet you still don't approve," he noted.

"It's not that. It's just… I strongly dislike being unable to come and go as I please. I understand that the situation isn't really suited to accomodate my whims, so I'll just put up with it."

"Thank you," he said, even though there was no real need to thank her. In these circumstances they all had to put up with a lot of discomfort. However, he had the impression that she had severely downplayed her feelings about being locked in, so to speak.

"That's alright. Go ahead and close it up then get your beauty sleep. You've earned it."

Shirou snorted and got up to do exactly as she had said. A few minutes later, the last opening in the cave was firmly sealed with a powerful Boundary Field. When he came back, Mikoto and Matsumoto were talking quietly between themselves. They didn't look quite at ease. Matsumoto in particular was much more tense than just moments before. She really didn't like the idea of having her freedom restricted, it seemed.

Mikoto on the other hand was slightly more relaxed. Her eyes were still red from having cried her heart out a little while ago, but in Shirou's opinion she looked better. More alive. He realized then that she must have been a very strong person. After all she had been through there was still a spark in her. No wonder she had taken the lead for her sisters in misfortune.

Although there were still many things he would have wanted to know, Shirou's stamina was once again dangerously low. At this point, sleeping was unavoidable. Everything else would have to wait until morning.

Projecting yet another futon for himself, Shirou tucked under to cover and closed his eyes. Despite all of his worries, he was deeply asleep after just a few minutes.

[br]

Shortly after Shirou's breath slowed down inside his futon, signaling his transition into sleeping, Mikoto too was giving signs of being on the verge of passing out. It was hardly surprising. She had been suffering the abuse of her captors for years. That she had been able to hold out for so long was a testament to how strong a spirit the young woman possessed.

Rangiku really felt like they were kindred spirits in more than just one way.

"Go to sleep, I will keep vigil," she suggested.

"There is no need to…"

"It's fine. I know you don't really know me but I understand what you've been through. Worry not. I won't let anything happen."

"But…"

"If you don't rest now, you'll be in no condition to help tomorrow. There's no way of knowing when we'll get a chance to rest like this again."

It was the cold, hard truth. Mikoto was smart enough to see the truth in this. At this point she also knew that neither she nor Shirou were a threat. More importantly, if they had been a threat they could have done nothing to stop them. They couldn't even fight back the Oni that had kept them prisoners for two long years. How could they possibly resist the one who killed them all if he had ill intentions?

They couldn't, and they knew it from the beginning. Their wariness was a habit ingrained by a life of hardship, not one born of genuine mistrust. Placed before undeniable facts, there was only one thing that Mikoto could say.

"Then, I shall take advantage of your kindness."

"You do that. I'll hold the fort here," she promised.

Mikoto stood up and bowed to her one last time, before making her way to the pile of sleeping women and slipping inside a futon of her own. A few minutes after she was sure the younger woman had fallen asleep, Rangiku turned off the flashlight, leaving only the mysterious rocks to provide a measure of light.

Only in the near complete darkness did she allow her body to break down in a cold sweat. It took all of her willpower to control her breathing. She knew that if she made too much noise, she would wake up the others and she had no desire of anyone seeing her in that state.

When Shirou rescued her earlier that day she was in a much sorrier state, but the circumstances were also different. It was one thing being captured and beaten and another one entirely being at the mercy of her own phobia. She had worked for years to craft the image of a woman with a devil-may-care attitude, and although no one present would tell on her even if they saw, she wasn't inclined to show that side of her to anyone.

Right then she wanted nothing more than to run out of that cave and into the open air. Of course it was nothing more than complete foolishness and she had sufficient awareness of the circumstances to rationalize her situation. That didn't alleviate the feeling of panic that was clutching at her heart, but it helped her to keep control of herself.

Even so, it was bound to be a very long night for her.

[br]

[You have slept in a bed]
[HP, MP and ST are completely restored.]

Shirou woke to the almost complete darkness of the cave. He wouldn't have known how much time had passed without looking at his wristwatch.

Three hours. About average for him.

It was surely still dark outside, so for the next several hours he had literally nothing to do. Focusing his hearing on the surroundings, he could feel the light snoring of the women sleeping bundled together somewhere to his left, and a more labored breathing to his right.

'Fatigue? No, fear,' he realized. 'Matsumoto-san?'

Little by little, his eyes adapted to the low light and as they did, the figure of Matsumoto became clearer and more defined. She was sitting a few meters away from him, holding her arms tightly. She had really downplayed how much it affected her to be in a closed space.

Shirou wanted to get up and comfort her, but he understood that she had been purposefully underplaying her distress, hiding it. Yet, his greatest virtue and his greatest fault was that he couldn't tolerate the pain of the people in front of him.

As such, she slowly sat up, stifling a fake yawn to announce he was awake without bothering the other women.

"Shirou?" Matsumoto called out in a low voice. "Are… are you already awake?"

"Yeah. I don't need much sleep to get by. I'm going to step out for a moment."

"In the middle of the night? What for?"

"There isn't a restroom in here, in case you didn't notice."

"Oh, that's right. So… uh…"

"I'll make it quick, don't worry. You keep watch over the entrance, I'm not going to close it again if I'm awake."

"Of course," she replied, and Shirou could hear the genuine relief in her voice. Moments later, he had undone the Boundary Field that blocked the exit and he walked out. Since he had left behind the flashlight, he lit up a molotov. The flame was less than optimal as a light source, but it would do for the time being.

The night air outside was pleasantly warm and peaceful, a stark contrast to the situation they were into. What was he supposed to do from here onward? Looking for Mikado, certainly, but even assuming she had been transported to this island as well, where would he start from?

The island was huge and brimming with dangers, while he was in less than optimal conditions. He had no food, he had people to protect and his stamina expenditure was doubled. Which problem should he tackle first?

The issue of food was the most straightforward to solve. The women had been living on this island with their families for generations, apparently, therefore there had to be things that were edible. The problem was acquiring it. He couldn't send them out with the Oni scouring the place. He had to do it himself, but that meant he didn't have freedom to explore the island as he pleased.

And that was even assuming that he could give Matsumoto the task of watching the fort, so to speak. Considering her reaction to being sealed inside the cave, however temporary, that was putting a burden on her that Shirou didn't know which consequences would have in the long term.

Could he grant her unrestricted access to his Boundary Field, so that she could come and go as she pleased?

He could, but that would weaken it, somewhat. The more complex a Boundary, the easier it was to break. The strongest form of Fortress Field wouldn't allow anyone through, not even its maker, that's why Shirou had to tear it down completely just to go out.

Secondly, the issue of stamina depletion. There was one simple way out of it, but the problem was that he was not comfortable with it at all. Although he was no longer a stranger to sex, he wasn't so blase about it that he would approach a woman he barely knew for it.

Even one who reputedly accepted money in exchange.

At a different time, he wouldn't even have considered the idea. Now, he was forced to give it a serious thought. Would Matsumoto even agree to it? The age gap between them was enough of a reason to turn him down, money notwithstanding.

The only certain thing was that he wouldn't find a solution to all these problems out there on his own. He would do better going back inside and letting Matsumoto sleep while he kept guard. Decisions could come in the morning.

[Supernatural Presence detected!]

Shirou couldn't have turned around faster if he tried. Shisui had already been called out of the Inventory before he had finished the motion.

She was some distance away, among the trees. The moonlight didn't do much inside the forest, but it shed enough light for him to recognize her face, the only thing that was visible in the darkness.

"Mikado-san!" he called out and took a step in her direction before stopping in his tracks. Why did he receive that prompt? Mikado was a Magus but an entirely human one at that. She had never triggered the Supernatural Detection before, so why would she now.

Something was amiss, and he received confirmation when she smiled at him.

Mikado Ryouko did not smile that way. She hardly smiled at all, but when she did they were tiny quirks of her lips, that more often than not were just out of politeness rather than actual emotions.

This smile was completely different, he had no qualms in calling it sinister. It stretched far too wide to be human and yet… there was a charm to it that Shirou found attractive and unsettling because of it.

"Mikado-san, you said?" Not-Mikado replied. "So you are familiar with the owner of this body."

That statement alone gave Shirou two crucial pieces of information. First, he wasn't talking with Mikado as he had suspected and second that was Mikado's body, supposing he wasn't being lied to. That begat the question, what had happened to her mind then?

"Who are you?" he asked. He didn't know how to act, but since there was a strong possibility that Mikado was still alive inside that body, Shirou wasn't willing to make things escalate into combat.

"Hmm? Come closer and I'll tell you," she suggested.

Although the voice was distinctively Mikado's, the way she spoke now was entirely different. Mikado's pronunciation was sharp and clear-cut, whereas this entity spoke in a slow, mellifluous and breathy tone that enticed the ear.

In fact, Shirou had to consciously stop himself from taking a step forward and follow along with her proposal.

"I would rather stay where I am, if you don't mind," he said shortly.

"Is that so?" she asked, and Shirou could hear the curiosity in her voice. This wasn't a creature used to being refused anything she asked for. "Then what if I come over there?"

Shirou expected her to move. He knew she was coming. He was prepared for it.

It didn't matter.

His sword had been wrenched out of his hands and he was lifted by the neck like a weightless twig, before he even realized it had happened.

It took her less than a tenth of a second to cross the distance that separated them and completely subdue him.

"Ghrk!" he coughed with what little air could pass through his throat.

Now face to face with this creature wearing Mikado's face, he could see the full details of her figure.

She wore a purple haori, and nothing else, save for a skin-tight piece of cloth that Shirou didn't know how to define. It ran from around her neck down her chest, barely covering her breasts and continued down between her legs.

It was an indecent look if Shirou ever saw one, but that wasn't what caught his attention. He was more shocked by the sleek, red horns protruding from her forehead. Above all, the name floating over her head was not that of Mikado at all.

"Fufufu. Now then. Shall I eat you up right away?"

[Shuten-Dōji]

[Lv. ?]

Thus Shirou knew he was completely screwed.

[XXX]

AN: Read up to chapter 55 on my Discord Server. There's also other exclusive fics I don't post on this site. Send me a PM for the invite. Please note that I don't get notifications some times, so if I take a while to respond I'm not ignoring you.