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Fate/legend (includes pictures!)
So a while back a friend of mine told me "when you have writer's block, make slash fic". "Slash fic" in this context meant "something you'd hate the most to write about". A few days later I was waiting for my bro to load League of Legends on his computer and so to pass the time, I played a bit of Fate/stay night. When it was time for noob facerolling (which we did end up doing), I contemplated the screen for a second, then pointed and said "doing it".
So if you can't see the pictures here, let me know.
(Also, fic is rated NA-17, although this first part is rated "T" for "This is not quite adult stuff yet". In fact, the pairing [Riven/Shirou] isn't even obvious yet so putting up WHAT weird ass pairing I had thought up would kinda....I already did it)
EDIT: I forgot to put a summary here? Thanks to Malgos for reminding me. Things like that tend to slip my mind. XD
So yeah....
Fate/stay night crossover with the League of Legends.
Summary: One month (approx) after the Fate Route, everything in Fuyuki has just returned to normal...until similar people resembling Servants start to appear throughout the city! And I think Shirou's found a VERY close friend amongst their number....ShirouxRiven, just sayin'.
T
(This unnamed, unborn love child of me and a metric crapton of words that form headaches from within the back of my mind is brought to you by A.M. Gienko. That guy is FUCKING WEIRD.)
Written by: A.M. Gienko
Created by: A.M. Gienko
Likes to see his name: A.M. Gienko
A League of Legends *slash* Fate/stay night two part….er, part one of…..??? parts. And boy do I love manipulating words.
Journal entry #12, day 7, March 14th, CLE 22, taken from the journal of Ateroc Mengsk, senior Summoner and an expert in Magickal Studies and Applications:
This is very, very bad. Very bad, indeed.
The explosion last night in my private study could not have been louder. I wouldn’t be surprised if it woke up absolutely everyone in Valoren. I am currently in a prison cell, wherein I may be locked up for the rest of my life. Messing at all with a Nexus as powerful as the one I was using without the presence of one of the High Summoners is strictly prohibited, let alone me stealing it to obtain its power.
When they find out what I tried to do and what I did—not to mention connect me to the immense collateral damage, as I’m sure they will—they will work me until the day I die. My fate could be one of many things—they would force me to keep Nocturne’s cage intact on a 24 hour basis. Make sure that every inch of the Institute of War is clean and spackle down to the last inch, every hour of every day. Or they’ll just execute me. That would be preferable. But it will not come to be. The Judicator, Kayle, will not sentence me or anyone to capital punishment.
I will not harbor any anger towards whatever sentence I’m given by Kayle or the High Summoners. I had a dream that was never to be. Even unselfish, it was doomed to fail due to lack of understanding.
I am a fool. My only regret is that I have endangered or perhaps been directly responsible for the deaths of others. I am sorry. So, so sorry. I have--
(The rest is unintelligible.)
(Fuyuki City, March 14th, xxxx….)
The sound of my alarm clock brings me to my senses. It was a day like any other. I awoke in the morning at 6:30—pretty unusual for me. The sky was partly cloudy, bathing my room with light. The last few nights have been almost a living nightmare. The boiler that my school used had just shorted out. It wasn’t a small one, either. I can fix about anything, but having to reconnect it to the entire school presented its own set of problems. Something else would break as I would reconnect one part, then the next, then the next. Last night was when I was absolutely sure it wouldn’t break. I can still feel the pain in my right arm…
The kitchen is left with little indication that anyone was there—except for the bright, purple headed girl that was just finishing cleaning up. Sakura’s pink apron was stained a little bit with tea. The smell of tea was thick in the air.
“Senpai!” came her voice upon seeing me. Her face light up as I entered the room, still groggy from my sleep. Or lack thereof. I haven’t been sleeping much recently. Fixing the boiler definitely wasn’t helping.
“Morning, Sakura. Sorry I’m up so late…again…” I rub my hair in frustration. Things had slowed down so much, I sometimes feel like I’d stopped and fallen flat on my face. “I saved you some rice…” she said before turning her head away. What was wrong? I asked this to her not long after thinking about it.
“Fuji-nee had to leave early. I’m sorry. She ate everything so fast…”
Sakura was more concerned with what would be left for me? That’s hardly something to get worked up over.
“T-that’s okay, Sakura. But why did she leave?”
“She got a phone call,” she said, “she left almost immediately after.”
“That’s strange. She didn’t even eat? She just left?”
“Well…” Sakura twiddled her fingers. “She didn’t actually have enough time to tell me what was going on…she hung up the phone and then started to eat whatever was left on the table.”
Sakura bowed to me in apology. “I’m sorry, Senpai. I couldn’t stop her.”
This was rather awkward. I insisted that it was okay, but it took a few tries before she stopped bowing to me.
Something else about this didn’t seem right. Sakura usually takes Fuji-nee’s side whenever something happens. She would’ve said, “Fuji-nee really needed to eat!” or something. And she’s avoiding eye contact with me. So much has happened to Sakura in the past and she never said anything about it. I’m not going to take any more chances with Sakura. She deserves better.
“Sakura,” I say, as earnest as I can be, “is something wrong?”
“Um….well…” Sakura begins twiddling her fingers again, “it-it’s really hard to talk about…”
What could be hard to talk about? We’re friends, aren’t we? I say as much to Sakura. “It’s okay, you can tell me anything, unless it’s not really that important.”
Sakura’s face lightened up a bit. It might not be important, but it’s important to me if something is bothering her.
“I will tell you, really,” said Sakura, smiling, “but you won’t really believe me until later.” She blushed immediately after saying that. She’s making such a fuss over…something. Er, wait, what was today again? I checked the calendar while eating what little bit of the rice Fuji-nee left me. March 14th—that means today is White Day.
White Day is exactly a month after Valentine’s Day. Westerners don’t celebrate it, but Japan certainly does. Normally, on Valentine’s Day, it’s a girl who gets a guy something. On White Day, it’s the guy’s turn. Last month, Rin and Sakura both got me something so I have to get something even better in return. Fuji-nee was going to give me something she had made herself…before she ate it all on the way to my house. She also ate what Ilya was getting me.
Maybe she thinks I won’t get her anything?
“Today’s White Day,” I said, “looks like I’ll be a bit busy after school today…” I sigh. I trust Sakura on what she says. Maybe she got a boyfriend? It would make sense but this would be coming out of the blue. I know she liked me…and for a while, I thought the feeling was mutual. I guess there’s no forcing the issue. I’ll learn it soon enough, whatever the reason.
I ate on the way to school with Sakura. Rin caught up with us on the way. She has started to walk to school with us now. She is comfortable enough with me but I have a feeling it has less to do with me and more to do with Sakura.
The sun was starting to climb the sky. I wasn’t able to join in the conversation with the other two as I had been stuffing my mouth with rice the entire time. Not one of my better days, I’ll admit. It was a colder morning than usual. Our breaths were visible in the sunlight and all three of us had to wear some of our heaviest clothing.
The three of us had formed a sort of line as we walked. I was on the far left, Sakura in the middle and Rin on the far right.
Sakura and I have been friends for years. She’s been coming to my house for more than a year and a half to eat breakfast and dinner with me and Fuji-nee. I guess it’s going to be that way with Rin from now on. She comes at least three times a week to eat dinner with all of us. Once she came the entire week. I guess she’s aiming for coming every day but she’s been busy with her school work recently. I guess she’s been trying to stay on top harder than usual. Maybe. I avoid asking her. Both of them are deep in a conversation so I try not to interrupt.
I was trying to get the last few gulps down when something caught my eye. A few crows had flown past us just now, but something was definitely weird. I could’ve sworn there was something wrong with one of those crows but I can’t tell what it was. It was almost like one of them had two pairs of eyes but that wasn’t just it. I must be dreaming. Or just tired.
Rin had apparently caught on to the crows that had passed us and looked to where they were going. “They’re just a bunch of birds, Rin,” I say, finished with what was left of my meal. I didn’t want to pry, but, well, she had stopped soon afterwards. “Is something wrong, Rin?” asked Sakura. Rin was more focused on the birds that had passed by, me and Sakura then looked in the same direction as Rin.
Farther in the distance, on one of the telephone poles, stood a silhouette. The crows had flown in their direction and that was what led us to whoever was standing there. And this feeling I had…I bet the other two felt it. That this person on top of the flagpole was looking right back at us. I couldn’t make out who it was from here.
“Is that….someone on top of a telephone pole?...” said Sakura, more to convince herself than us, “how did she get up there?....”
“Hm. Probably some show off,” Rin said, shrugging, “you two can gawk at him as much as you want but I’m going. “ Rin’s red coat flapped in the light wind we were having and passed us both. Yeah. I guess we were just kind of gawking at it. Sakura and ran back up on opposing sides to Rin. The rest of the trip to school was quiet. I guess were just all deep in thought.
A little less than a month ago, that kind of thing wouldn’t really have bothered us. Far less than the legends of centuries past coming back to life to fight for the Holy Grail. The day it all started….February 1st.
I’ll never forget those days. Not what I did, not what Ilya and Rin did, and definitely what Kotomine did. And those people I had met, and fought, those days. I try to remember as much as I can so I can be better prepared for whatever it is the future has for me.
And now someone on top of a telephone pole was catching my eye, as if I had never seen someone do anything that was just pushing one’s luck. Rin was right. We were just being hypnotized by an otherwise uninteresting sight.
But those crows…something about them just kept bugging me. More so than the feeling that the person on top of that pole was watching us.
Fuji-nee seemed as lively as ever in English today. So lively, in fact, I think she hit her head twice zipping into class instead of the usual one. Throughout Fuji-nee’s lesson, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d get everyone for White Day. Sakura made me a really good boxed lunch that had a mix of Japanese and Western food in it. Rin had bought me some western flowers, white roses and red roses. Tch. I still remember that long lecture she gave me about how the difference was not just in color and how difficult it was to get them.
“Shirou!” came Fuji-nee’s voice. While I was more or less daydreaming, she had slapped my desk with a ruler and was up in my face with that infamous scowl of hers. “YOU are going to answer the problem on the board first because YOU didn’t get up early enough this morning!”
“Uh, well, you don’t need to put it that way…” I replied. Just the usual antics of Tiger. I needed to correct all of the grammar errors on the board. It wasn’t a very long paragraph, either, and we had just started class not but ten minutes ago. Fuji-nee and her tiny little revenges…
A phone began to ring in class. And it was coming from my desk. That’s odd because mine is at home….so that Fuji-nee doesn’t take it and break it sometime during class. Like last time.
“But Sensei, mine’s at home, remember?” I don’t usually mix up our personal lives, but it’s the truth.
This brought a look of surprise on her face in an instant. She looked around the classroom, the ruler still in her hand. Fuji-Sensei is infamous for being almost deadly at kendo and something as simple as a ruler probably won’t hinder her abilities at all. This was enough to cow the entire classroom into looking at Fuji-nee, the scowl back on her face.
“Who’s phone is this?!” she said.
“Not mine!”
“Not mine, either!”
“Me three!”
Fuji-nee began tapping her foot. She then pointed at a student who had just raised his hand. “You! Say something!” she said with almost a growl to her voice. I just sigh. She is taking this WAY out of proportion.
“Fuji-Sensei…that’s YOUR cell phone,” the student said, nervously pointing at it. “What?!” she picked it up immediately, the scowl having just slightly stayed off her face. Her face lit up in surprise and alarm.
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“GAOOOOO! You’re right!”
Fuji-nee promptly sped outside with her phone after mentioning that we should just study on our own for the next fifteen minutes. Just a usual Tiger-Sensei moment at school.
Sensei returned to the classroom (without incident) and resumed. Having been picked first, she’s rare to ever select the same student twice during the same lecture no matter how slack jawed they may appear. Everything seems like it just got back to normal, even though it’s been like this for almost a month. No more Servants, no more Masters…
No more Saber…
I get lost in thought about her so often now.
It’s lunchtime now. I usually eat in the cafeteria with my friend, Issei. Issei is the president of the student council here at Fuyuki’s high school but he can be a little off sometimes. I like him nonetheless because he puts a lot of trust in me. Except, well…he just can’t get over that I’m friends with Rin.
I think the numbers are inflated sometimes, but Rin gets asked out by guys quite a lot here. Issei of course being one of the few who has asked multiple times.
As I was walking to the cafeteria, several more crows had flown by the windows of the hallway. One of them had even collided against the glass it was flying so close. This spooked several of the students who were nearby but I just kept on walking. I was already distracted by crows once, not doing it again. They’re just animals, after all. I don’t know why I was getting so worked up over them.
“Senpai!” came Sakura’s voice. She was waving to me with a group of her friends. I turned and waved back, smiling, not saying a word. She seemed pretty happy today regardless, but I think it rules out her having gotten a boyfriend. She would be with him right now if that were the case. Than what was it that was getting to her earlier? Sakura herself started to walk beside me on my right, opposite the windows, with two of her friends trailing behind. They were chittering about something and if I had to bet, it’s that Sakura will try to ask me out or vice versa here. I’m not being cynical about it or anything, it’s just…I’ve heard them talking about it before. Do they really not know I can hear them?
I asked Sakura what she was thinking about wanting for White Day. I had decided to just be straight with her (to my own consternation, the two girls behind us almost screamed in glee). “Oh, um, well…” she said. Clearly this question was more difficult on her than it was me who was asking. “I er, I want it to be a surprise, but, if you would make me something then that would be nice,” she said, quiet as she went on. Maybe asking her in front of her friends was a dumb idea.
More of those crows were zipping by the windows. We were in the middle of the hallway to lunch and these things couldn’t be making it any more annoying if they tried. And if I didn’t know better, I’d say they WERE trying.
Sakura lightened up a bit and smiled warmheartedly at me. It was all I could do not to blush. I stopped in the hallway and scratched the back of my head. “I’ll definitely do it, then. No problem. Just…no peeking until I’m done, okay?”
She wasn’t nearly as enthused as her two friends but I think her smile said it all. More of those crows came by again, this time more of them ran into the glass windows. Sakura was startled, mildly (her friends, on the other hand…). Her smile never returned, however. I wasn’t looking at the crows that had been hitting the window, and in fact, I was facing away from it. “What is it, Sakura?” I asked her. She looked like she was looking at a long lost relative or a ghost or something. Or maybe it was one of the birds had gotten stuck? I turned to look just as Sakura screamed.
I turned just as a strange woman broke through the window with her legs and rolled onto the floor with the grace I’d expect from someone in the Self Defense Force. Only her outfit didn’t exactly reflect that…her dark, red hair obscured her face, but I could see her green eyes were gunning for me.
Everyone in the hallway started to run. The unknown woman darted her eyes directly at Sakura. Just who was this woman? She didn’t have any guns on her, in fact, all she had with her was a pair of twin daggers holstered on her belt along with several other medieval looking weapons. There’s just no way…is she a Servant?
There was no way I was going to start a fight in the middle of the hallway. And Servant or no, I really don’t think I can take someone like her in a fight.
“Who is that? Just who is she?!” several students asked despite not staying around to see if even this person even had an answer. I grabbed Sakura’s hand and began to run off down the corridor, towards the janitorial closet. If I can get Sakura there, I can lock her in safe and away from whoever this psycho was…
We didn’t even get five feet before Sakura shouted my name. I looked back and saw a strange, triangle-like piece of metal flying right at me. It was all I could do just to barely avoid most of it, a small blade of the triangle had grazed my face. I didn’t stop, I just kept going forward. Right, left, right….almost to the cleaning closet…if that woman’s throwing dangerous objects, that’s the safest place to be…
It really wasn’t much of a closet. More like a basement full of cleaning supplies and mops as well as some of the tools I’d brought over to work on things no one else could. None of the big ones, just some spares I had been using at the time. But the doors were big and heavy and I’m positive this Servant-or-not was after me and not Sakura. We had just taken the last turn when we almost ran smack into the person who was after us! How did she get down here before us?
I couldn’t get as even a good a look as before as she had sped right past me and hand ripped Sakura right out of my hand and over her shoulder. Just how fast was she? I didn’t even see her move and suddenly she had gotten a hold of Sakura! Sakura screamed my name, the elongation making it into just another cry. Before I could even utter a response, the kidnapper had broken through another window!
I was half out the window myself. “Sakuraaaa!” I yelled, looking around for where they might have gone. I heard Sakura’s screams suddenly get silenced far above me. That’s on top of the roof!
Rin met me while I was more than halfway to the roof. “What’s going on?” she said, “I keep hearing that someone broke into the school and just took Sakura away!” There was more annoyance to her voice than there was worry but I knew that Sakura was just as important to Rin…no, even more important. I didn’t stop for Rin but she managed to keep the pace up with me just as easily.
“All of the students have run off,” she said when her breath allowed her, “so we have a shot at least. Do you know her at all, Shirou?”
“I don’t know! I’ve never met her before in my life! Or maybe I have…”
Had we been standing still, she would’ve bopped me one for that.
“Think, Shirou! It’s a yes or a no! This would be too significant for someone you just ‘forget’!”
“It’s a bit farfetched, but do you think that woman could be a Servant? She had medieval looking weapons around her belt!” I thought back to the weapons she had and the one she threw at me as vividly as it had happened. Crap, I’m so stupid! I should’ve brought that thing that she had thrown at me! At least then maybe Rin would have something to go on!
Rin spoke up, her eyes no longer on me. “That’s impossible as it stands but I’m not ruling it out entirely. But I don’t care about any of that! As long as Sakura’s okay…”
We got to the door to the roof just as I said, “only one way to find out!”
The kidnapper was here, alright, with one of the daggers around Sakura’s throat. Now that I’m getting a good look at her, she definitely has to be a Servant. There were half a dozen knives of sorts all around her belt along with another dagger. Her coat was open, exposing the top part of her chest and midriff, even though the coat was never big enough to cover it anyway. She was much taller than Sakura and definitely taller than I am. A single scar marked vertically on her left eye. Her green eyes, both trained on me, complimented her dark red hair and black leather. She was clad in nothing but black leather and a few belts. The wind was bitter cold, causing all of us to shiver except for this assailant.
She looked like she was in her mid-20’s. Her red hair blew in the direction of the wind but never seemed to obscure her face despite its length going past her midriff. Sakura was being kept quiet by the dagger that was not even an inch away from her throat. What kind of a sick bitch just kidnaps a girl to get to me, anyway!?
I wasn’t wasting any time. “Who the hell are you? Your fight’s with me, isn’t it?!” I yelled, taking off the outer coat of my uniform. It was bitter cold out but the coat would only get in the way. And I really, really didn’t want this one to get torn.
She smiled. The assailant smiled in apparent satisfaction but didn’t care to saying anything. She took the dagger away from Sakura’s throat and pushed her aside. “Hm,” we finally heard from her, “that’s what I like to here.” She approached us with a great stride, pulling the other dagger from her belt buckle as soon as she stopped. Sakura simply stood there, gasping for air but it didn’t appear as though she was harmed in any way.
“You didn’t have to kidnap a harmless girl to get at me!” I screamed, “I’m asking you again! Who the hell are you!?”
“You wanna know my name? Mmmm…maybe I’ll tell you after I’m done…’playing’ with you. Nothing personal, just doing what I have to do.”
“’Personal!?’”
“I know--cliché, right?” Her voice was almost seductive, a tone of voice that just somehow fit well with ‘evil woman’, although I know that’s not really being very descriptive. “But ya know? Steal the girl, you come to save her? Who do you think you are, an ‘Ally of Justice’?”
No one was around. Rin was beside me to my right, having just locked the door to the roof. “I think I know of a way to slow her down, Shirou.”
I turned to her. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I sensed it. She’s not using any magic whatsoever to move like the way she is,” Rin said, matter-of-factly like always, “this may be asking too much of you, but try to keep her distracted and far away from you as—“
Rin never got to answer. The assailant had moved too fast. She got between me and Rin before I even noticed. “Ah ah ahhhh,” she said, “one on one only, amateur.” She grabbed hold of Rin and covered her mouth to prevent her from using any magic. Using that same speed technique, she had launched the magus straight into Sakura, knocking them both onto the ground.
She was at the center of the roof again. “No tricks, I promise. Wouldn’t want to spoil my own fun, would I?”
Using the Projection Magic that I had learned from before, I already had two short swords of my own in each hand—black and white, two Chinese swords that reflected each other. “You’re sick! This isn’t a game! Stop this, this is crazy!” I wasn’t focused at all on what I was saying but the assailant was definitely surprised by my use of Projection Magic. What?
Her look remained, her eyes wider than always and she had not assumed a combat stance. “Oh, that’s new. Where’d you learn that?”
“None of your business!”
“Have it your way…” The assailant’s strode towards me with her daggers ready. Slowly but surely this turned into a sprint towards me. Just a few seconds…
What she didn’t know was that I wasn’t planning on fighting fair, either. Just before she was in striking rage with her daggers, I pulled my bow out from behind my back. I had only partially materialized it behind my back until she got in range and fired.
It caught her by surprise but I just barely lucked out. She dodged the arrow as if she had known it was always coming but I noticed the surprised look on her face again. Just one second now….she might just kill me with the first strike.
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“Clang! Cling!”
I managed to block both of her daggers. But only barely. She’s far stronger than I am and far faster than I could hope to be. The deadlock is over. The red-haired woman attacks more. I barely dodge them all. She’s doing this on purpose.
Both of my swords deadlock her weapons again. I can see in her green eyes are hardly focused at all.
I train every day in the use of my projection magic. I do steady workouts every day. Was it all for nothing? Am I going to end here, now? I had help before. Loads of it. To say that I’ve survived this long because of sheer luck is not an overstatement.
She leans one of the daggers farther towards my face. I’m using all of my strength to keep her back. She smiles, almost seductively, as the tip of the dagger makes another , long nick on my face, right underneath the one she had made with her throwing star. “Two,” was all she said, showing no signs of strain on her part. A sharp pain jutted through my side as she brought her leg up and kicked me off to the side like I was just a piece of discarded cardboard. Several smaller cuts along my arms were starting to bleed.
For all the good I was doing, I might as well be a piece of discarded cardboard. My heart was racing. She could kill me in a moment’s notice but she just wants…is she just testing me? For what? It wouldn’t take a genius to know that I’m not exactly the best swordsman around…in fact, until today, you could say I was the only one.
I stood for all I was worth and more. I blinked maybe twice before I caught the weight of her swords with my own. I had to think of something…If I use my bow, she’ll throw those star weapons again. Up close, I’m history. Assuming the other two would be okay, I couldn’t outrun this assailant if I had a car. But what was it Tohsaka was trying to tell me? She had some sort of a plan, didn’t she?...
“Shirou!” came Rin’s voice. She had gotten very close to the older woman in a short amount of time. So she DID have a plan….
“Dodge this.” In Rin’s hand, point blank from the woman’s face, was one of the last of the jewels she had saved up. I’d thought she’d used them all up, but she probably thought that herself until recently…
The assailant’s eyes widened as the spell went off. I have no idea what she packed it with, but dark and black energy erupted forth from Rin’s hand, a lot like that spell she used back when she tried to kill me over a month ago. Only this time, the scale was much larger than before. The dark energy completely enveloped the assailant and went off like a cannon, leaving a massive cloud of black smoke out in front of Rin.
I’ll ask her about that later. But what surprised me was the look on Sakura’s face. She was no stranger to magic—despite having pretended otherwise for the longest time—but it almost looked like she felt sorry for the assailant. I know that’s hard to think about, but Rin just utterly vaporized her without us knowing who or what she is…
The older woman had appeared on top of the exit to the roof. Blood had begun pouring out from a cut above her eye. Various small wounds covered her body and there was no major wound on her body. But I know for a fact she was concealing something major or she would’ve counter attacked. I’m not at all surprised she dodged that but what did was that her clothes were completely free of any damage whatsoever. Maybe they were invulnerable? It would make sense. Anti-magic clothing isn’t exactly unheard of but I’ve only ever heard Rin talk about it once.
Our attacker actually smiled. “That’s…that was a good one…my bad and…your good,” she laughed, “I think I’ll…let you go now…”
“Why did you attack us!? What do you want from me?!” I yelled.
“Fu fu…I already got what I wanted…” she murmured. I heard her pretty well but something wasn’t right about what she said….Got what she wanted? To get hurt? Or was she just testing us?...
There was no more time for questions. The older woman stood up with both of her daggers still in her hands. As she walked backwards, slowly, she said, “I know the girl’s name is Sakura….your little mage is Tohsaka…what’s yours, little boy?”
Little boy? I thought. Is she kidding me?
“We don’t have to answer anything you ask!” said Rin, who I can tell was incredibly aggravated by the way this woman was talking to us. Not like I blame her.
“I’ll tell you mine…if you do….hhheh….I promise,” she said, stopping just as she got to the very edge of the roof.
“Shirou….my name’s Shirou.”
Not like giving her my name will actually hurt me. Pretty sure I’ll get an earful from Tohsaka for that, though.
She outstretched her arms. “Katarina,” she said, “my name is Katarina Du Couteau.” The smile never left her face as she back flipped off the roof like a professional gymnast. Tohsaka and I ran to the side of the roof and looked down where she had jumped. Like I expected, she never even touched the bottom. She was gone, disappeared.
Sweat drentched my undershirt and beyond. My arms have been in better shape. I made my swords disappear as I slumped on the nearby steel wire fence. I gasped for air. Tohsaka was asking some questions to Sakura. I hope that woman didn’t do anything to her. I would never forgive myself if she did. I can’t quite make out Tohsaka’s words, but I can definitely hear the concern coming from them.
The smoke from Tohsaka’s spell was taking its own time to dissipate but from what I can see, but one could say just a bunch of fireworks went off. Everyone in the school had evacuated so no one saw what Tohsaka just did…hopefully…
From the looks of it, Sakura was unharmed. She looked more worried about us than herself.
The smaller cuts were starting to hurt. She was nicking my arm with smaller wounds, deep enough just to draw blood but not enough to really hurt me. My mouth was dry; she had almost dehydrated me from that fight.
As I approached the other two—recuperated, but not entirely healed—Sakura took a look at me. I must be a sight. Her head bowed a little, obscuring her eyes with her hair. “I’m sorry…” she said, quickly, before turning around. “Sakura, don’t be. Really. It wasn’t—“
Sakura ran off before I could finish.
“Sakura!.....what was that about?...
“Has she been hiding something from us again?” said Tohsaka with a slight tinge of indifference.
“Looks like it…Well, what now? School’s probably going to be cancelled for the next hour or so.”
Tohsaka gave me my coat back. Glad most of my injuries are superficial.
“I’m going back to my house to pick up a few books. One of them may have some information on Katarina. Her last name sounded really fancy so if she belongs to a family of Magi, I’ll know which one.”
“Right…”I say, putting the coat on. I sigh, heavily. Fuji-nee was probably going to be at my house for a late lunch and I am not in a favorable position to cook anything. I groaned a little as I rubbed the side Katarina had kicked. I’m almost certain she broke something. If not, there’s probably a huge, foot-shaped bruise right there.
“I’ll see you soon, Tohsaka,” I said. She nodded back to me without a smile. “You too. Don’t do anything stupid, Shirou,” was her only reply.
As I walked through the mostly empty halls of the now-postponed school day, I couldn’t help but stay to myself “today is going to be awfully fun…”
I had thought today would warm up but the weather had other plans. The walk home was not pleasant, the least of which I was doing it with untreated wounds.
My thoughts kept turning back to what that woman…what Katarina had said to me…
“Who do you think you are, an ‘Ally of Justice?’”
She sounded like she’s heard the routine before and was pretty sick of it. Come to think of it, I didn’t really give her much of an indication of what I was like. Unless she happened to know someone exactly like me? No, that’s crap. I might be overreacting…about the wrong thing.
Those crows were flying overhead, circling where I was walking. They probably sense the blood that is just beneath my uniform. I cleaned up my arms while I had time in the bathroom. Can’t have my lifeblood soaking my lifeclothes, right? I joked to myself.
I fumbled a little with the key I have for the house. My vision blurred a little bit. For a moment, I couldn’t focus on anything. I think I had the key in my hand but I felt I could find the lock. It was like having only one path to take but I was unable to find it. It lasted for maybe a few seconds but it felt like forever. The key went in and the door opened as would be normal. What was that about?...
One of the crows had perched on the top of the gate. Glad to see some birds around Japan that weren’t completely insane. Maybe this guy had come all this way to my house by himself to get away from all the other crazy ones. I’ve actually heard that crows are usually very intelligent animals, like dolphins. So I guess it was kind of weird that those other ones were letting themselves go like that.
I’m going to need to patch myself immediately. Now that I’m inside, the intruder detection spell my father placed on this house will detect anyone who tries to get in. Including that woman if she ever dares try. Not that it would really help me in a fight but I’d prefer it be there.
I closed the door to the bathroom. My reflection in the mirror seemed almost perfect until I took my uniform off. My second shirt is riddled with half a dozen cuts and half of those wounds have only just stopped bleeding. My arms felt like lumps of lead. And what’s worse was that at this point, I could barely feel them.
It was a return to those times, one month ago. My side ached. It would only be a few days for my arms but who knows how long it would take my side to heal. The ointment, the pain stinging my wounds, was a welcomed sensation. The fact I could still feel that was good.
After patching up, I had just begun to test the flexibility of my arms in bandages when the doorbell had rung. Was it Sakura? She is still into the habit of ringing my doorbell whenever she arrives. I had wanted to talk to her about that “thing” that she was hiding.
As it would turn out, however, the one ringing my doorbell was Tohsaka. Which was…kind of weird.
“You know you can just come on in, Tohsaka,” I said to her as she walked in, “you’re welcome any time.” My politeness had actually gotten the better of me—exactly, how did she get to my house so quickly?
“Didn’t you go and get a few books from your house?”
Tohsaka had her face in a mask of an expression. Clearly something had happened. “I’ll explain in a bit,” she said, “just so you know, I wasn’t the one who had rung that house bell of yours. And that would lead to the first thing I’m going to tell you…”
I think she misspoke because she hurried me outside to meet someone.
“This guy calls himself ‘Jarvan IV’.”
She motioned to the person standing (quite tall!) just outside my house. This man wore black underarmor to compliment his golden pauldrons and helmet (I’m assuming it’s some kind of helmet/crown). Golden spikes jutted from his pauldrons to further cement the “kingly” feel I was getting from this guy. He looked like a Westerner—as if his size already didn’t tell me that. What struck me the most as odd however was that, in his right hand, was a lance made of steel that was as tall as he was. I may just have to ask him to leave that at the door.
“Jarvan, this is Shirou. The guy I told you about.”
The man in armor stamped his lance and nodded to me, politely. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Shirou,” he spoke while cracking the smallest of smiles noticeable. I was more in awe of his appearance than anything else. That lance looked like something else!
“What’s wrong, Shirou? Met your match?” came the sly tone of Tohsaka. I was really not impressed. That was lame even by her standards. What made it even worse was that the man—his name’s Jarvan IV, apparently—chimed in at that moment.
Attachment 4739"I do not blame him! Gaze upon my armor that represents my valorous spirit!
For I am Jarvan IV,
The Exemplar of Demacia!"
After hearing something like that, I find it hard to take him seriously. While he probably didn’t notice, I face was surely showing it. Tohsaka was likewise unmoved by this…er…display of chivalry. Nonetheless, I invited him in. I had asked him to remove his armor and leave his lance at the door but he insisted on carrying them inside, that is, so he can put them down somewhere where they won’t get dirty.
Despite wearing large, rather impractical looking armor, Jarvan managed to enter my house with little trouble, even walking in as if he’d always lived here. Tohsaka had turned the tv on and told me to watch it.
“...police have not apprehended any suspects and there have been no terrorist cells making any demands or claims…”
“Tohsaka, what—“
Tohsaka shushed me. “Keep watching,” she said, quietly, as Jarvan himself set his lance aside and joined us at the table, sitting Japanese style.
“….has provided us with a few sketchy photographs of the suspect, taken just before the lunch period at Fuyuki High. Police are baffled as to this assailant….”
The picture that the news anchor had put onscreen was sketchy at best, but it was definitely of that woman…Katarina! “It’s her!” I said.
The tv went on.
“…has set off a massive explosion that turned off all electricity inside the building. This latest terrorist attack has given the police no choice but to close down the school until power is back online and there are leads as to who this mysterious woman is and why she assaulted the building. Now back to you, Ron—“
I turned the tv off. School’s cancelled instead of just being postponed. Great. I studied for that test for nothing. I’m seriously angry about this. Fuji-nee also won’t be coming by for lunch if she’s being clambered into a room with the entire student board over this…at least until she tears her way out. I’ll keep some leftovers for her for dinner tonight.
I sighed. Looks like I was right about the “fun” part. I put my apron on and began making lunch. Just in case Sakura or Fuji-nee might show up unexpectedly, I had planned on making a bigger-than-average meal. On top of that, Jarvan looks like he can eat a ton. It’s only polite that I make a meal big enough for him. So I add some beef to the stir fry rice and miso soup. It’s the kind of beef I save for special occasions…but I’d be an idiot if this wasn’t such a case.
It takes a little more than ten minutes but I finish it all. I put down the soy sauce and utensils at the center of the table and set up everything else with only two total trips. Jarvan’s face seems placated and actually quite pleased. He thanks me politely and begins trying out some of the food. I try not to be surprised about his dexterity with chopsticks, as it would appear that he is able to perfectly use them.
How does Jarvan know Japanese, anyway? Tohsaka is probably going to tell me in a few minutes. The meal is relatively quiet. The pain in my side subsides immensely as my body takes it the beef, awaiting the nutrition. The only real noise being made was coming from Jarvan’s armor but it doesn’t really bother any of us. I don’t even think we were too aware of it. But who is he, anyway?
He’s clearly not Japanese but he knows our language, our food, and even knows how to navigate the house despite his size. Can we really rule out him being a Servant? He doesn’t look like any hero I’ve ever read about (and I have read about a lot recently, since the Holy Grail War).
But going off his lance….he’d be of the Lancer class Servants. His armor looks too decorated to be from Europe or Asia…could it be he’s from Persia? I’ve seen Persians on TV that actually could be mistaken for a Westerner, easily. But all of this is just speculation on my part.
Lunch was almost over. The start of the conversation began with Jarvan putting his last, empty bowl of rice down. “I must thank you very much, Shirou. And Rin as well. I have met many chefs in my life, and believe me—“ he said with a softer yet still baritone voice, “—that was quite good. Might I ask if you’ve ever considered your future as a chef?”
To be honest, I have.
“Uh…y-yes,” I say, rather embarrassed to have been complimented by who I can only assume was of royalty. I was going off of his golden armor and his kingly attitude. The fact he’s huge really wasn’t a part of the reason, and I hope to God that Tohsaka doesn’t make a joke about it.
“But we can worry about that at another time. Jarvan, how did you run into Tohsaka and….just why, is all I’m asking!” I say.
Jarvan regains his confidence but doesn’t speak. Instead, Tohsaka answers. “Hmph. That’s easy. He just showed up at my house,” said Tohsaka, rather annoyed. It sounds as though their meeting was a bit less than pleasant so I refrain from asking. Tohsaka didn’t appear to have her books with her. I began stacking the dishes when she spoke up.
“…Jarvan IV is not a Servant, Shirou. He’s the same as us. A flesh and blood organism.”
She spoke as calmly as always. She can take this news pretty easily, really. Servants only appear in the Holy Grail War. Any other time would be absurd so by that logic, Jarvan can’t be a Servant. Me? I’m never so sure. I’m not familiar to magic like Tohsaka and I don’t understand all of the limitations and rules…but I’ve also seen how many “rules” that have been broken over the course of only a few days.
I wasn’t about to do dishes at a time like this. I began soaking all of the dishes and just left them there for later. If Fuji-nee or Sakura come by, it’ll only add up.
“I will be as brief as I can be,” said Jarvan, “and blunt. To start with, I am not from this place you call ‘Japan’ or ‘America’ or ‘Britain’ and I know enough to say I’m not even from this world of yours you call ‘Earth’.”
That about caused me to fall over. An otherworldly soldier?
“W-what? You can’t be serious,” I say. It’s not that I’m in denial. I just mean it in the terms that it can’t be the only possibility.
“I’m afraid he’s quite serious, Shirou,” said Tohsaka, “even a novice like you could sense it. If he were a Servant you would be perceiving him slightly different than you would a normal human.”
She’s right—Servants are ultimately spiritual beings inhabiting special bodies. This man here….doesn’t feel any different from a normal person.
“I don’t understand how magic works on this side so I don’t know how any of this happened,” he continued. “But what I do know is that SOMEONE did something they shouldn’t have. In my world, such incidents such as people going to other worlds or suddenly bringing statues to life are rarely if ever the result of something just happening.”
“Even if it was an accident?” I ask.
He nodded. “Yes. However, I am merely a soldier at heart and I don’t understand most of the details of magic. Through sorcerous means, I have been sent to your world with no knowledge of how it happened.”
Other world, huh? So there’s magic with different rules in other worlds. I guess that makes sense. I can’t really make fun of fairy tales anymore—Jarvan himself is a walking, heroic knight of justice who just looked like he’s fresh from rescuing a princess and slaying a dragon. A childish part of me is nagging me to ask him this.
Tohsaka had been drinking tea this whole time and she has probably heard him say this before so when she begins talking, it’s right now. “Jarvan can’t be the only one. I haven’t told you this yet, but Shirou, myself and a friend of ours were attacked not even an hour ago today.”
Jarvan turns his head quickly towards Tohsaka, anxious. “You might even be familiar with her. She had a scar on her left eye and long, red hair.”
This mighty warrior tensed up almost instantly.
“…Katarina…” he said, almost in anger, “I am not surprised.”
“Yes, that was her name,” I said, “we managed to drive her off but…”
“It was nothing short of dumb luck,” said Tohsaka. “Katarina moves faster than anything I’ve seen without the use of magic. I’ve seen how she does it and it closely resembles the spells used for almost instantaneous movement.”
I tried to follow Tohsaka’s words as closely as possible. Images formed in my head.
“Normally, a Magus would use this spell just before take off and just as they land. In this way, they only know how to start and how to stop. The direction they move is often just in a straight line but it is traveled at an inhuman speed. With the spell activated at the right time, the Magus will stop at his destination with no negative effects.
“But what Katarina is doing it without using any sort of magic. A trick, perhaps, but no magic. I would’ve sensed it. And on top of that, she was using her superhuman speed with few breaks in between. The traveling spell requires a little time to activate and a Magus needs to know where they are going before they begin using it.”
“I see….” Jarvan was now certainly angry but he was keeping himself in control. “It’s a technique Katarina’s father taught her. I’m very familiar with it but even I have not figured out a way to stop it despite my many battles with her.”
“You’ve fought her before?” I said. I’m not surprised he’s alive, actually. Just looking at him would tell you how strong he is. He might even be stronger than he looks. I’ve seen people like that, actually.
“Aye, I have. You’re new to this concept, but from where I come from, warriors participate in battles to the death on what we call the ‘Fields of Justice’.”
Is he talking about gladiatorial arenas? We had those way back then, like in Rome and even here in Japan.
But that was WAY long ago. Armor like Jarvan’s would’ve been virtually unheard of!
“But you’ve survived every battle with her so far, right?” I said. He didn’t answer right away. Jarvan closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, caught in some memory of the past. “Right?....” I say with a hint of hesitation. It must be a bitter memory for him.
“What I’m going to tell you next…it’s important you both listen to me,” he said, “I will elaborate as best as I can. But what you’re going to hear is going to sound completely unbelievable even by your magic’s standards.”
He doesn’t know about the Holy Grail Wars…Would he still say that even if he knew?
“I am only telling you both this because I am grateful for your hospitality. I have nowhere else to go in this world.”
“It’s no problem to us, Jarvan, really.”
Tohsaka also says as much. “This wouldn’t have been the first time Shirou has had a few unexpected guests. Myself notwithstanding.”
“Very well.” Jarvan looked at me, straight into my eyes.
“You look like a warrior, Shirou. In fact, you look about as young as I was when I mastered my first weapon. Tell me—of the few battles you’ve had in your life, you’ve been close to death. Am I correct?”
I gulped. “Yes.”
“That was a simple question.” Jarvan’s voice grew stern yet prouder than ever. “Every man at arms has been in that situation. Where your life hangs in the balance. Where you aim to end your opponent’s life or to fall in glorious death.”
Wait, ‘glorious death’? Just what does he mean by that? Does this guy actually…does he actually ENJOY fighting?...
“Now imagine actually falling in battle. You have fought your absolute hardest but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. Your body gives away despite your willpower flaring otherwise. And that is that. All the pain is gone and you can’t allow yourself any regrets.”
He was saying some pretty grim stuff. I peeked over at Tohsaka. She is a Magus. And a very skilled one at that. She’s probably practiced with magic that would’ve blown her up ten times over if she failed and death was always a possibility. As for me…I should’ve died so many times yet always I came out of it alive. I did try my hardest. If I had liberty to say so, I would disagree with Jarvan. I would only be ashamed of the deaths that would’ve happened had I failed at any moment. I guess that is because I just don’t understand him all that much yet.
“But one day, that doesn’t happen. Whatever afterlife awaits you never happens—you feel pain again. Your consciousness returns to your body as healthy as it was at your peak. Your body itself is returned to you, good as new. You remember the pain—or lack, thereof—of death but then you know life again….”
Jarvan opened his eyes and stared right back into my eyes as if he was aiming to shoot me with an arrow.
“…that is what my world is like. Through magical means—means which have only been recently discovered from a time long ago—death is little more than a brief rest from life. Upon death of the mind and body, you are given another chance. And the same is true for your opponent as well. We fight not because we particularly have to. We fight because it is a preferable alternative to all out war with each other. Decisions are based on victories and losses. And no one is killed as a result.”
Tohsaka stood up at the sound of this news. I might as well be a deer about to be hit dead-on by a moving vehicle. “You’re kidding me!?” said Tohsaka. She had stayed calm this whole time but this little bit of news has sent her calm mask out the window.
“You’re saying that you have the power to just…come back to life after death!?”
“Not I, personally,” said Jarvan, now eyeing Tohsaka, “but there are special magicians known as ‘Summoners’ who handle the process. Each warrior—known as a Champion—shares his mind with a Summoner and then does battle against their enemies on the Fields of Justice. Our Summoners show us where to go and we go and then fight. And it is through this special link with the Summoner that allows Champions such as myself to come back to life after death. I had thought this would be strange—no, absurd news to you.”
Not entirely…
Tohsaka regains some of her composure but doesn’t sit back down. “That is absurd! Magi have since almost inception been trying to find a way to obtain true immortality. To either be completely invulnerable or to come immediately back to life after being slain. Everyone—every single one who has tried has failed. And you’re saying your Magi, your ‘Summoners’ have found it out just by cracking open some old book they found in their basement!?”
Jarvan seems taken aback, almost like he was retreating from Tohsaka’s words. I think it was more that he was ashamed of what HE said rather than what Tohsaka told him. “Not exactly. We can’t prevent death just to sort of ‘undo’ it. I am not surprised your world hasn’t found out the method. I, personally, don’t like how our ‘Magi’ as you put it have found it out so easily. It was an extremely lucky find. Civilizations in our past had it but apparently chose not to use it.
“Their wars destroyed them and now only some of their knowledge and artifacts remain. These artifacts are the origin of this dangerous and powerful magic. We call them the ‘Nexsuses’.”
“A nexus…” I repeat to no one in particular. Powerful artifacts? Impossible tasks? This was sounding more and more like the Holy Grail War than I care to let on, but…it’s also very different than the Grail Wars.
Tohsaka wasn’t taking this news well. I don’t blame her. If we had had their ‘Fields of Justice’ as he had put it, people like her father and mine would still be alive today.
“Ugh…” I wasn’t taking it much better. My mind flashed back to all of the events, ALL of the events from the Holy Grail War in just a few seconds. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Berserker, Rider, Caster, Assassin. King Arthur, Hercules, all the legends. Kiritsugu and Kotomine, Shinji and Souichiro-sensei, and even Gilgamesh himself. I would never want to fight someone just over power. I fought to end the wars to end them once and for all. The wars were fought over some insipid artifact such as the Holy Grail and it brought only death. And in the end, that’s all the Grail could bring. It would never grant any more wishes again.
And this guy is saying that our entire conflict was basically wholly unnecessary. These ‘Champions’ would always fight for something greater than themselves even if it’s for their own goals. No one has to die. No one truly suffers, either. Countries and nations could decide peacefully on how to settle disputes.
Over here, things were different—the Grail Wars involved Servants of seven different classes, chosen by seven Masters. Servants were spirits from the past. They fought for their own wishes as well as their Masters’. And you could say that Servants didn’t die because they were just spirits, but they could never come back. Masters are just human….they could….never come back.
There is no contest over preference.
To them, war…has been rendered virtually obsolete.
I would never consider fighting as an option, but left with no choice….
“Steady your minds, young ones,” said Jarvan with a sort of teacher-esque soul in his voice, “one cannot let anything in their past distract them. Even—ESPECIALLY—if it is hard. There will always be a battle to fight and warriors to fight them. It all just comes down to what you fight for.”
Jarvan says some pretty weird stuff.
Tohsaka finally sat back down. She then crossed her arms in annoyance, but I think she has more or less come to terms with what Jarvan has told us. This may have been a lot to take in, but he’s right in a way. What’s in the past is the past. From the sounds of it, not even these ‘Summoners’ can truly bring someone back from the dead. Just undo their deaths under controlled conditions.
Tohsaka wasted little time. “Alright, now Jarvan, about Katarina…”
Every mention of her name brings a noticeable tinge of anger in Jarvan. He definitely doesn’t like her.
“She is a Champion in the League, like me. My allegiance is with the city-state of Demacia, a nation of justice and honor.”
Attachment 4740
“…while Katarina is a Champion of Noxus, a city-state that is wholly devoted to underhanded tactics and brute force.
“Katarina in particular favors combat. That technique you saw her use that allowed her nearly instantaneous transportation is called ‘shunpo’. I don’t exactly know the origin but her father, a general in Noxus’ army, probably taught it to her.”
I imagine back to our “fight”. Katarina’s inhuman speed was incredible. But Jarvan is indirectly saying that she is still just a human being…
“There’s more she knows…Shirou, can you tell me exactly what your battle was like? There is more you should know….”
Tohsaka interrupts us. “That’s enough for now, Jarvan. Just stay here in this living room while Shirou and I meet in private.” Tohsaka grabbed me by the ear and led me out of the room.
Great. I’d kick myself if Jarvan DIDN’T start making jokes about our relationship when we got back.
While she mainly pulled us away just to have a private conversation, Tohsaka also figured it would be a good idea to check on my ribs. I sat in the chair for inspection.
Tohsaka gently pulled away the bandages I had covering the bruises that were made. She gently prodded my side with one of her fingers, tracing the area that had been damaged. Which was, to be frank, fairly big. Each touch was unwelcomed. Not because Tohsaka was a girl but because it would just bring another tinge of pain along with it.
“…it’s absolutely absurd…”
“What?” I wasn’t paying any attention to her, but I bet we were thinking the same thing.
Tohsaka prodded a bruise on purpose as my ‘punishment’. “People dying only temporarily. Not using magic to do inhuman feats. Whatever world they came from can’t be that different from us, and yet their magic is functionally different. Almost entirely.”
“But they’re from a completely different world,” I said, “you can’t blame them for that just as much you can’t blame them for having…well…”
“No war?”
“Yeah. And besides, not everything sounded all gumdrops and rainbows. They might be settling disputes peacefully with false murder but that’s only because they just can’t sit down and talk with each other over anything!”
I closed my eyes as Tohsaka continued her inspection. “So if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about it. Whatever place Jarvan came from, this ‘Demacia’ is probably a pretty crazy place.”
“Oh? I thought you were an ‘ally of justice’ and all that? It’s rare to see you go against someone else’s ideals that follow your ideals so closely, Shirou.”
“It’s not the same…There’s nothing glorious or honorable about war in any form. But Jarvan made it sound like it was the greatest thing to ever happen to him. It gave him purpose. If that was the only way Demacia could exact justice, in the EXTREME methods, than I don’t want it,” I said.
Tohsaka sighed, wordlessly. It didn’t sound like a very unhappy one, though. “You truly are an idealist, aren’t you, Shirou?”
I smiled, eyes still closed. “Yes. And I’ll never abandon what I believe in. Ever.”
I couldn’t see it, but Tohsaka herself smiled as well. I just knew. She tightened the bandages up. “Well, anyway, your ribs are bruised but you’ll be pleased to know none of them are broken.” I sighed out of relief. That would’ve ruined high school for me.
I let down the rest of my shirt. I’m kind of glad Tohsaka had brought some of her magic equipment instead of just a few books. Her painkillers work body then even modern medicine. Although I know I have to be careful. I stood up and bowed a little. “Thank you, Tohsaka.”
I had caught her off guard. Looking back, I hardly ever thanked her so humbly. Her balled fist came down on top of my head, enough to hurt but not much else. “Ow!” It was more out of surprise than anything. There was a look of dull amusement on Tohsaka’s face. What did I do wrong this time?
It wasn’t long however before her face changed into a more benign expression. “You’re welcome as always, Shirou.”
“What do you mean ‘as always’?”
Tohsaka left on that note.
Just as we were about to sit back down with Jarvan at the table, there was a sound like a car wreck coming from outside. As soon as the sound had time to reverberate, Jarvan had taken his lance and was ready for battle.
“What the devil?....” came Jarvan’s guttural response. It sounded like something just slammed onto the ground just outside my house.
I was only out the door first because I was closest to the door. Jarvan moved very fast despite his bulk. I think I know how Tohsaka got here so fast now….
There was nothing in sight. It was just another cold day outside. The sound of something was nearby, however. Not quite breathing or coughing…the sound was definitely coming from some kind of creature but I have no idea how to categorize the noise. “Over there!” said Tohsaka, pointing to just around the dojo, “there’s a trail of footprints and….”
Tohsaka ran to the tracks and kneeled down for a closer look. They were tracks of an animal, definitely, and I wasn’t paying attention at how big they were in comparison to what else the animal was leaving. There was this sort of hot looking green slime that made a hissing sound if one were to listen hard enough. It wouldn’t take a degree in chemistry to know that that green stuff was deadly to the touch.
The noise was very close. It was definitely around the dojo. Jarvan had his lance at the ready but Tohsaka kept him on standby with a gesture that would suggest “not yet”. Tohsaka said a few words of an incantation and a small, dark orb of energy enveloped the tip of her index finger.
The three of us then laid flat against the wall of the dojo and sidled closer to the corner of the turn to whatever was making that noise. Tohsaka was between Jarvan and I while I was closest to the turn.
Without a word (perhaps so she wouldn’t mess up her spell), Tohsaka held up “3” with her free hand.
“2”
“1”
Upon a new gesture, all three of use turned the corner towards the origin of the noise, all of us poised to strike whatever it was within a moment’s notice…
…only to come across what was probably among the most harmless images on the planet.
A thing…just…a thing was there, on the ground, apparently on its side. We all lowered our guards. The sound was definitely coming from what I can only imagine was the thing’s “mouth” as it lay there. Tohsaka was noticeably disgusted by the thing. I was as well, but I had other questions on my mind.
Jarvan appeared to recognize the creature, however. It resembled nothing I’d ever seen in my life—like a giant caterpillar had grown legs and arms. And was it BIG. Bigger even than a small truck!
The golden-armored warrior Jarvan shook the thing by one of its many horns but elicited no hostile reactions from it. “Kog’Maw….” He said, “this is most unusual.”
Tohsaka’s spell had completely disappeared as she crossed her arms. “That thing has a name?”
‘Obviously’ I thought.
“He’s a League Champion, like me. He doesn’t represent anyone in particular but he fights nonetheless. And a ferocious creature he is!...” Jarvan shook the thing a little harder this time. “…but it’s strange to see him like this…if he’s not fighting, he’s usually gorging himself on whatever he can fit into his mouth.”
Speaking of which, that mouth of his…..its was huge! While the smell was unpleasant, it was still yet more fascinating to look at something that was so inhuman and unearthly yet appear so tame (although Jarvan has just told us this is not a normal thing).
“Zzzzzzzz…..ZZZZZZzzzzz…..”
I see….so….this thing was snoring? The noise that we’ve been hearing was this thing’s snoring!?
As the creature—Kog’Maw—snored noisily behind us, Tohsaka turned to Jarvan, who had backed off from the beast. “Just…WHAT is this thing? A demon?”
“Perhaps. I don’t understand anything about it, other then it’s a very powerful monster. An infantile monster, at that.”
This thing is a baby? For someone like Jarvan to call it ferocious and it is still just a baby?! This day just can’t get any weirder.
Tohsaka spoke up just then. “I think I’m seeing a pattern here.”
I turned to her then. “A pattern? A pattern in what?”
“These ‘League Champions’. I think I’m starting to figure this out a little.”
Jarvan stamped his lance into the ground. “How so? I am anxious to hear what you have found out.” Funny thing is, I would’ve said that in a sarcastic tone of voice. Jarvan, however, sounds quite serious.
I was trying to pay the best of attention but then I felt something. It wasn’t the detection spell that went off, I was just having one of those “gut feelings” just as an actor in a Western movie might say. I turned my head around to see someone standing some ways away from us within the walls of my property. “Someone’s here,” I said to the others. My companions turned, yet again ready for a fight. It wasn’t exactly unwarranted, either.
Barely fifteen yards from where we were all standing, directly on the trail leading to the sleeping Kog’Maw, stood another strange woman. The sun was barely out, making it difficult for many to identify her features. Mine not being one of those. I could make her out quite well.
Her glowing, green-tinged sword was the first thing that came to my recognition. It was massive. I don’t even think I could lift it with all my strength and this woman was holding it with just one of her hands like it was nothing. The hand holding it was covered in a heavy looking gauntlet.
This person’s outfit was, as a figure of speech, ragtag. Bits of armor was haphazardly strewn about her person as were bits of well-made, white cloth.
Then I saw her face.
She looked resolute. Strong willed. Her eyes stared back at me.
…it was almost like I was looking at Archer. Her skin was tan and her hair was a silvery white color, just like his.
There were no words, not from us or this woman. Tohsaka merely glared at this person with the sword in her hand. But I knew why none of us had our guards up. My house’s detection spell would have triggered if she had entered with any hostile intent. Upon me realizing this, the expression on this mysterious girl’s face softened into a look of relief and she feel to her knees before completely falling onto her stomach.
END OF PART ONE
