NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Chapter 4
"Fascinating…" Astraea muttered, her eyes entranced by the piece of fabric she held between her fingers.
Said piece of fabric being the shirt I was wearing at the moment, a traced copy of the original that I had left soaking in soapy water in my room.
"Such a precise use of magic… If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have noticed that it was made out of Mana." She tore her eyes from the t-shirt and met my own in awe. "And every mage from this 'Fuyuki' you came from can do magic like this? To be able to create such detailed objects from a spell is impressive."
"Ah, maybe? This particular spell is… an advanced form I made of one of the most basic spells there are back home." I scratched the back of my head, feeling a mix of shame and pride. "Most… mages using it would just get a simple hollow shell in the form of the object and so they ignore it for a more useful spell." Or at least, that was what Tohsaka told me when I showed her my own brand of Projection. "I'm just a third-rate and my first teacher died before he could teach me more, so I decided to do the best I could with what I knew."
'I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times' was a famous quote back home, and what I used to say to myself to raise my spirits when I practiced with my meager spell repertoire.
I had always struggled with Reinforcement and Alteration, but Structural Analysis? Tracing? Those, I was able to cast easily, even with my fake magic circuits.
And so, I polished them to their limits.
"To develop a basic ability to the point it could possibly fool a god's eye. Very impressive." She let go of my shirt and sat down on her bed, a proud smile on her face.
"No, no, it's not impressive at all. I just happened to end up with something useful, it was only luck. I'm actually better at creating weapons, anything else is just average." I denied, embarrassed at the undeserved praise to something that would only be mocked by a proper magus back home. Well, Tohsaka had praised me when she first started teaching me.
'How?! How on earth you stumbled your way into this, you- you third-rate hack?!'
In her own way, of course.
Astraea pouted. "Mou, just accept praise when it's given. If I say something is praiseworthy then it is." She raised her nose in mock haughtiness. "I should know, I'm a goddess."
She kept her imperious stare for a moment before she broke and started to giggle and I couldn't help but let out a huff of amusement.
"So! Leaving that aside, you have a story to regale me with. Come, sit and tell your godde-ah!" I raised an eyebrow when her breath seemed to hitch and her cheeks flushed. She cleared her throat. "Come, sit and tell me everything," she corrected herself, her volume raising as if to cover up her previous words.
…something she used to say to her Familia, maybe? I'm guessing that receiving someone from combat might have brought up old habits.
I ignored the way she was patting the spot next to her on the bed– and the way her cheeks puffed up slightly in a pout when I did so– and sat down on one of the chairs provided with the room.
Once again I found myself telling the story of my first encounter with the monsters of this world, this time to a very captive audience. From my failed hunting trip, to my rush into the forest to find Jonas and then Ann, and my fight with the goblins.
By the way she was oohing and aahing, it made me feel like I was telling her the myth of Berserker –Heracles– himself, and not a hunting trip gone wrong.
"Couldn't… you have dodged it?" Astraea asked once I reached the part where the brown goblin surprised me with his jump.
"...maybe," I admitted. I was taken aback by the attack, but I could have moved out of the place before he got to me. However… "But Ann was there. Had I moved, the spear would have struck her…and she didn't have reinforced clothing," I added the last part jokingly. Really, once the possibility of her being hurt entered the equation, taking the attack was my only option. "I had to protect her. If someone had to be hurt, then it's better it was me."
Astraea looked at me with an intensity I would not have expected from her normally warm self. Was she mad at my stupidity? It certainly seemed so as she grabbed the skirt of her dress tight enough that her hands shook, and her face got a little red in…anger? It looked like anger.
It reminded me a little of Tohsaka whenever I said something without thinking, which unfortunately happened a lot.
"Sorry, I… don't like seeing people hurt when I can do something about it. That's the kind of person I am." I felt a sardonic grin grow on my face. "You did call me reckless and stubborn yesterday so don't be surprised when I do something stupid."
Her eyes widened a little more, and for a moment I thought I could see tears gathering in her eyes, but she closed them and shook her head before I could confirm. When she opened them back, her indigo blue eyes were full with warm and mirth, and something… deeper, fonder.
She smiled sweetly, the angry red on her cheeks fading to a soft pink and the afternoon sun chose that moment to illuminate her body with its radiance.
Really, this woman was truly unfair.
"Something I might need to get used to when it comes to you, it seems," she said in a soft voice. "Shirou," She continued after a moment. "Do you…mind continuing? I'm curious about the rest." she asked, a small grimace marring her face. For some reason, I felt that she was about to say something else, and was berating herself for changing her mind at the last second.
There wasn't much left to tell after that and Astraea had already heard of the goblin herd that had the town concerned, so I was done just a couple minutes later.
"I hope you are not considering handling them yourself, Shirou," she said, eyeing me suspiciously. "You may have done extremely well against the smaller group, but you should leave the hobgoblin and the others to the Adventurers."
"Don't worry, I'm not actually suicidal," I said, and Astraea got a complicated expression on her face, like she has trouble believing my words. I should be offended, but she wouldn't be the first to think that. "I only faced them because someone needed help, I'm not going to go look for the rest."
"Hmm~ I wonder if I can believe the words of a self-proclaimed reckless man," she joked, her lips twitching in amusement.
I grinned too. "Well… if we drink as much as we did yesterday night, I might have to consider it. If I didn't I would need to borrow even more Vali from you." Ah, speaking of. I grabbed one of the pouches hanging from my beltloops and gave it to her. "Here, this is yours." I had already separated what I owed to her on the way back to the inn.
Astraea took the pouch, the unmistikable jingle of coins making her eyes widen.
"I told you I would pay you back, didn't I?" I asked rhetorically, an awkward smile on my face.
Astraea sighed. "Shirou," she said, disappointment in her tone. "I can't take that… That's the money you earned for your actions."
"I only accepted the money to pay you back. Please, take it."
Astraea dithered for a second, but in the end decided to grab the pouch from my hand. She took a single coin from the pouch and smiled. "...I will treasure it." Strangely, she looked at it with fondness, like it was worth more than it truly was.
I grinned, feeling some amusement. "It's just money, spend it instead."
"No, it's… proof of what you did today. Of the Adventure you had." She glanced up from it, the warmth of her smile making my heart beat a little faster. "Until you have a Falna, your actions may go unrecorded, but I will remember them whenever I look at this coin."
"I… see. Then do as you like." I shrugged, it did not feel like a great accomplishment for me, but if Astraea thought so, then I wouldn't say anything. "Still, who knew slaying monsters was that profitable?"
Astraea giggled at my question. "Everyone does, silly! That's why so many people become Adventurers! Even those that do not seek glory and fame, do it for the money."
"I guess it makes sense…" When I really thought about it, I only reason I was as okay as I was about killing the goblins was because they wanted to hurt Ann, but I shouldn't see them as a way to get rich fast. Their anger… their pain. It was all too real.
"...Would you want to?" I was pulled out of my musings by Astraea's tentative question. I tilted my head, not quite understanding what she meant. She cleared her throat a little and tried again. "Would you want to be an Adventurer? I mean, if you had the chance." She added the last part in a rush, and tried to look nonchalant, but I could see she was really interested in my answer.
I thought for a second. It had been my intention to become an Adventurer , but I wonder what that answer would look like to a goddess that had lost most of her members as a result of being one. Would it offend her? Would she worry for my safety?
Would she consider taking me if I showed interest?
To be honest, I don't know if I'm being hasty, considering she's the first goddess I met, but I don't think I would want to join any Familia other than hers.
I liked her.
"...I would," I finally answered. "It's actually my plan to go to Orario and join a Familia."
"I see… Orario, huh." Her expression was confusing and changing. One moment elated then regretful, hopeful and then fearful. "I hope you find a… god that brings out the best out of you. I'm sure you will be an amazing Adventurer… Can I ask why, though? Being an Adventurer is… dangerous. Is it money?" Her lips quirked upwards into a small impish smile. "Popularity?"
"I was never one to care for popularity, never saw the point of it." I wasn't the most popular guy in my high school, and you don't get a nickname like the Fake Janitor when you care about your image. "...Money can be useful, I guess, but I don't think I would like to risk my life just for it." There was another thing she mentioned before… "Glory, though…"
The golden glow of the Sword of Promised Victory filled my mind. The regal appearance of its wielder, the woman whose legend was known across the world. If that wasn't glory, then what was it? If there was a way of getting close to her memory…
"...I could see myself pursuing glory."
Astraea smiled softly, and opened her mouth to say something, but I continued before she could.
"Although, there's another reason for which I would consider fighting against monsters. Something more important to me."
Her eyes widened, and she leaned forward, curiosity filling her posture. Seeing how interested she was in my answer made me feel a little bad about bringing it up because…
"...But I think I will keep that to myself." Unwittingly, my sheepish smile turned into a grin when Astraea's face fell with dismay.
"Ehh~? Don't be like that, now I'm curious!" She complained, the previous cocktail of conflicting emotions fading into indignation. "Shirou~ Please tell me!" I wasn't doing it to tease her… much. I just wanted to distract her from her own thoughts.
"Come on, we should go down and have some dinner, it's not healthy to skip two nights in a row." I stood from my seat and started walking to the door, ignoring her plea. I was going to tell her about my dream eventually, the promise I gave to dad all those years ago, but not now…
"Shirou, don't be mean! You are being unfair, you know? Hey Shirou!"
…After all, how embarrassing would it be to tell the Goddess of Justice herself that I wanted to be a hero of justice?
-Line Break-
The next day was… slow. Until the goblin problem was resolved it was too dangerous to go hunt, so Astraea and I spent the whole day getting to know each other better. There wasn't much else I could do, after all.
We had breakfast together, then took a small stroll around the village, which we immediately decided to cut short as the atmosphere in the town was… difficult.
Guards were patrolling in force, trying to give some sense of security to the people around them, but it was easy to see that they were as worried as the civilians.
We walked around a little before we decided that it was better to just hang in the inn until things were better.
I spoke a little more of Fuyuki, trying to omit any details that would give away that it was in a completely different universe. Eventually I would need to come clean to her about my origins, probably before I asked for her blessing -if I ever decided to do so, anyway- but it seemed like a heavy topic for the moment.
When she asked me if I had any family, I evaded telling her about the fate of my blood family, instead I told her of Kiritsugu and Illya, the man who adopted me and the girl I barely got to know as a sister.
I tried not to delve into their fate as well, wanting not to bring down the mood, but Astraea was sharp enough to notice, if the way she held my hand when I finished talking about them was any indication.
I talked about some of my friends, like Issei, Sakura and Tohsaka and about Fuji-nee and her antics, and she shared more stories of Alise and her other girls.
We spent hours in the lounge of the inn, swapping stories back and forth until it was almost five or six in the afternoon. It was just as the sun had begun to set when things… changed.
"So, what does that woman do just because I called her by a nickname? She exchanges my soy sauce for oyster sauce! I had to remake the whole thing because of her little prank!"
Astraea's shoulders shook as she tried to smother her giggles behind her hand.
"Well, hehe, it sounds like you got what you deserved then," she commented. "You shouldn't have teased your guardian like that "
"Are you taking her side too? Sakura said the same, but I think an adult shouldn't act so childish," I grumbled, trying to sound stern even as my lips threatened to turn into a grin. "You are the goddess of Justice, isn't fair retribution an important part of that? She clearly went overboard."
"Oh my, so harsh. Well…I am of the opinion th.at each person has to follow their own justice." She clasped her hands together in front of her chest as she declared magnanimously. "So, childish or not, if Taiga's justice means messing with your dinner then I have to accept it."
I huffed. Really, what's up with women ganging up against me, even across dimensions?
"I see…Thank you so much for your wis-" I began to speak, sarcasm filling my voice when our conversation was interrupted when the front door was slammed open, the wood and iron door hitting the wall with a loud BLAM!
I was halfway off my seat, about to open my magic circuits when Astraea's hand held me back. I didn't look at her, my eyes focused on the individuals entering the inn with purpose. I relaxed, and felt a little silly, when I realized that it wasn't goblins entering, but just normal people. Or at least, normal for this world…
"Wait, there's no danger, I recognize the source of divinity in them. They are an acquaintance's children."
The three that entered looked as attention-grabbing as their entrance.
The one in the front was a dwarf in what I guessed were his early twenties. Or at least he fitted the description I was given of the members of that race. Short, stout, with thick muscled arms and a bushy black beard, wearing bright red brigandine armor and carrying a heavy looking warhammer. His blue eyes were looking around the inn with barely concealed annoyance.
Following him was a human man in his forties. Bright blonde hair, and yellow eyes, with a face that would have looked handsome if not for the scar crossing the right side of his mouth up to his cheekbone, giving him a permanent sneer, even though his expression looked placid otherwise. He was wearing half-plate armor and had a steel greatsword strapped to his back.
The last one was a petite woman with rather short light blue hair, wearing leather clothing and a hooded half-cloak, a shortsword in a sheath on one side of her waist, and a dagger in the other. Normally by her height I would have assumed she was a young girl, but the confidence in her posture and the way she was looking around with experienced green eyes told me another story. She was a pallum, most likely.
I don't know if it was Astraea's clear divine nature or my sudden movement, but the dwarf's wandering eyes zeroed on us almost instantly. He muttered something to his companions and pointed at us with his chin before approaching our table with swift steps, the other two right behind him.
"Can we help you, children of Hephaestus?" Astraea asked once they reached us, a welcoming smile on her face.
The Adventurers looked at the goddess with some trepidation. Were they surprised she knew who their patron was?
I, for my part, wasn't surprised when I heard the name of the Greek God of the Forge. The weapons each wielded were forged by their own hands, after all.
The dwarf grunted, suspicion in his eyes. "I'm 'fraid you have us at a disadvantage, goddess." He grunted, looking between Astraea and me. "No one told us that 'nother Familia was here," he almost growled, irate, muttering under his breath something about wasting his time. The human kept his placid expression, but the pallum looked scandalized at the tone the dwarf was speaking in.
"You weren't informed because there isn't a Familia here," Astraea said, her expression unchanging. "Shirou here is not my child. I'm afraid he hasn't taken my blood yet," She continued, and I blinked at her words. Yet? "As such, your time, precious as it is in comparison to these good people's lives, was not wasted." Her words were frosty and her smile sharpened a bit.
The dwarf cleared his throat, maybe not expecting her to catch his muttered words. "Uh, just sayin'. Jus' thought we've made a long trip for nothin'," he tried to assure her in a rush.
The pallum let out a put upon sigh. She stepped forward, slapping the dwarf on the head on the way, much to his grumbling. "Forgive my companion, goddess, we are a little tired from the road. We were supposed to have arrived earlier but our carriage broke on the way here. We know the situation is dire, and the guard captain sent us here for more information." She then looked at me, her green eyes roaming up and down my body. Evaluating a threat, most likely. "We are looking for a hunter named Shirou. That's what she called you isn't it?" she asked, her demeanor a lot more affable than the dwarf's.
I was a little confused about why they let the dwarf talk first. Maybe he is the leader? Not likely, if his… diplomacy said something about him. And if my eyes didn't deceive me, he wasn't the strongest of the three either.
Considering the quality of their weapons, and what I can read from them… I glanced at the blond man, standing behind the two others, his placid expression unchanging. His sword was the best made of the bunch, and if the amount of time he spent polishing his technique with it said something… I think he's the one in charge.
"It is," I answered, dismissing my thoughts. "I'm guessing you want to hear about the goblins?"
The dwarf scoffed, drawing another glare from the pallum. "You really goin' to listen to his shite, Ashe?" he asked, glaring at me with contempt. "I say we just go to sleep and murder those fucks in the mornin'. There's no reason to talk to 'im. They are just surface goblins, what can they do to us?"
"We need to know about the hob, Rath," the pallum, Ashe, said with gritted teeth. "Gregor didn't come with us, we're just Level Ones here, so we have to be careful. Like the captain always says: overconfidence gets you killed, especially against monsters."
"Hah! We're gonna be fine! How many gobbos we kill every day jus' walking down the dungeon?" The dwarf barked a short mocking laugh. "And there's no hob! Look at 'im! There's no way this kid killed four goblins on his own! The fucker probably ran away from one of them and made up the scary hobgoblin to save face! Probably tryin' to fool the goddess into accepting 'im!"
"I'm not lying," I said, my eyes narrowing at the slew of insults. I shouldn't really care about what this Adventurer thought of me, but there was a small part of me that bristled at his dismissal of what happened. Jonas' sacrifice, Ann's pain and tears, and the deaths I caused. "If you want to hear about what I know, ask away, otherwise-"
He acted like everything was a lie to gain attention.
No, it's… proof of what you did today. Of the Adventure you had.
And in front of Astraea no less.
"Otherwise, if you are here just to insult me, then leave, I have nothing to say to you. You're just ruining my dinner with my-" - goddess- "-friend." I stood up from my chair, ignoring the way Astraea kept holding my hand, trying to hold me back.
The dwarf's eyes narrowed and he took an aggressive step forward, his mouth twisted into a smirk. "Hoh? And if I don' wanna? What are you gonna do, bra-" "Rath ."
The dwarf froze mid sentence when the blond man spoke for the first time. "You are embarrassing us. Even worse, you are embarrassing our goddess in front of another." He said, his voice would sound almost emotionless if not for the bit of anger that crept into his tone. Rath turned around, his face irate. "This is not the first time, either. You are on thin ice already, don't make it worse for yourself."
"But Atticus, I was jus-"
"Just shut up for now, anything you say will only worsen the situation. I will report this to Gregor and to Lady Hephaestus once we are back home. Ashe, take the lead for now." The dwarf clicked his tongue and turned around.
… Did he just say Lady Hephaestus?
The blue haired pallum stood straight at his words. "Okay, Atticus." The girl approached us, a guilty smile on her face. "Please, forgive us for our rudeness. We just want to ask a couple of questions, Shirou, goddess…" she said, trailing off.
"I am Astraea," Astraea answered, her voice shaking the ether around us and the words making the pallum's eyes widen in awe. "You know of me, child," She noted and glanced at the other two. The blond man -Atticus- looked at her with aloof curiosity and the dwarf gulped when the goddess' cold eyes posed on him. "Then know this. I heard what happened from Shirou already and his words held no falsehood. That, I swear by the Justice I represent," she declared, her grip in my hand tightening as she met my eyes, a soft smile blooming on her face. "You can consider his words as pure as mine."
It seems that her words seemed to be enough for both of them, more so in Ashe's case, as she nodded eagerly in response. She settled in and focused her attention on me, though her attention seemed to gravitate to Astraea from time to time, a curious expression on her face.
Hmm, it seems Astraea had a fan.
Some minutes later, after re-re-telling my story, I found myself looking down at a piece of parchment Ashe had placed on the table. "If you could, point to where you saw the group of goblins. We plan on having some guards familiar with the place escort us tomorrow, but we need somewhere to start, and any clue will help."
A simple map of Westmount and its surroundings was drawn on the parchment: the town and the fields in the center, the mountain to the west and the forest to the southwest. The two gates, one to the south and another to the east, and the roads coming out of them were clearly marked. I knew, from what I've heard, that the eastern road led to Orario, and the southern one curved to the west, circling the mountain and going to the Sword Smithing City of Solingen.
I examined the map, recalling my movements from yesterday.
"I entered the forest from… here." I pointed with my finger at the approximate place. "I walked some distance to the south, found Jonas and then rushed… east." My finger trailed over the map following my words. "The clearing where I fought the goblins would be around here."
"Hmm…" Ashe bit the side of her lip, looking like she was trying to find the goblin's hideout on the rather simple drawing. "I guess the best option would be to look around there then. It's the only clue we have." She looked to her companions, Atticus had his attention on the map but the dwarf was almost sulking to the side, ignoring the conversation, and drinking from a tankard in his hand. When did he have time to get that? I wondered.
"I don't think so," Atticus added, his yellow eyes distant. "Shirou. You said the goblins appeared from the same direction you came, correct?"
I tilted my head. "Yeah, that's right."
Atticus placed a finger on the map, following a line back to the place I first found the dog. "And the first goblin pursued the girl from here as well."
It took me a moment to understand where he was going with this.
"They all came from the west… The first goblin that found her, and the others that followed the noises," I mused and Atticus nodded in agreement, followed by Ashe's mouth opening in a 'o', understanding flooding her eyes. Astraea, for her part, was silently sitting on the side, content just observing the meeting. "And if they were close enough to hear the commotion and reach us in just minutes…"
"Then the hideout must not be that far away in that direction!" Ashe exclaimed, hitting the palm of her hand with her fist. "Good. I'm a decent tracker, with that much I'm sure I can find them easily." She smiled, standing with newfound confidence in her posture and Atticus nodded with a small smile. "Thank you, Shirou. You've been a lot of help," she said finally, extending a hand to shake.
"Ah, you're welcome. Good hunting, I guess." I smiled awkwardly, grabbing her much smaller hand with mine.
The pallum nodded, before perking up a little. "Hey, you want to come with us tomorrow? You sound like you can handle yourself in a fight even without a Falna. Any help's welcome, considering the numbers."
I tilted my head and made to speak but Atticus spoke before I could. "Ashe. We don't ask civilians, even those skilled, to fight for us. We are being paid to handle this, not to let others risk themselves," He said disapprovingly.
Ashe winced, but ultimately nodded. "You're right, Atticus. Sorry, Shirou, got a little ahead of myself," she apologized with a small smile, but I didn't mind. I would have probably agreed, but I guess I would have gotten in the way of the fighting.
Better to be safe than sorry against those monsters.
The group left soon after, picking up the dwarf from a nearby table where he was drinking, and retired early to rent a room. It seemed like they would plan their trip tomorrow with the guards, so they could handle the goblins and leave town before night fell.
I got a glimpse of them going to the second floor, their grumbling companion in tow. I nodded at Atticus when he met my eyes and Ashe, seeing him curtly nod back, looked down from the stairs and gave me a small wave.
"They are good children…" Astraea mused from her seat, looking in the same direction as me, her hand raised after waving back at the pallum. "Well, most of them," She added with a small grimace.
"I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was just tired…" I said, not really believing that. Atticus had said he was in thin ice already, so I was going to assume that his attitude was a known problem. "They want to leave tomorrow, not really worth nursing a grudge to someone I may not meet again."
Astraea let out a pleased hum and patted one of my hands over the table.
"Really mature of you, Shirou," she said proudly. "...But are you sure about that?"
"Hm? Ah, well, you have a point, I might meet them in Orario, right?" I mused.
"...Mm, that too, but what I mean is…" Astraea hesitated for a second before continuing. "You got along well with those two, and I could see they were impressed by you." I nodded, both Ashe and Atticus had both praised me– and berated me a little too– for my encounter with the monsters. "...you could join them, you know? On their way back to Orario, I mean."
My eyes widened. It made some sense, I guessed. If I wanted to leave soon, then going with the Adventurers was a safe and easy way to do so. I could even ask them about the situation in the city.
The old man had mentioned in passing that the city had had a problem with criminals and evildoers, but supposedly, things had calmed down under Loki's and Freya's rule.
But, if I choose to leave with them, then what about…
"Hephaestus is a wonderful goddess, I know her," She continued softly, her words forming a small knot in the pit of my stomach. Was she saying I should join Hephaestus' Familia instead? Rejecting me before I even asked?
"Ah, I'm sure she is, but I thought…" I answered, still a little out of sorts about the difference of gender of the deity in comparison to my world.
…Although, really thinking about it, I shouldn't be too surprised after meeting Saber.
Astraea tilted her head, her smile turning a little impish and I narrowed my eyes. "You thought…?" She asked teasingly, likely already knowing my answer.
I cleared my throat, feeling some heat gathering in my cheeks. She's going to make me say it, isn't she? Is this revenge for before? I wanted a little more time before I considered asking but… Better to evade misunderstandings. I would make my feelings clear and let her decide.
"I thought… I'd join you. Your Familia," I said, my fists tightened a little over the table. "...Was I assuming too much when I thought you were thinking the same?"
Astraea's smile widened a bit, but also gained an edge of sadness. "You…are not wrong," she admitted. "I haven't known you for long, but in that time I understood that you are kind, chivalrous and selfless. Exactly the kind of person I'd want in my Familia. If this were a year ago, had we met before my children died, I'm sure they would have agreed you deserve my blessing." Her lips quirked up a little in amusement. "Even if you are a little too male for their taste in party members. They would have had some reservations, but they would have welcomed you with open arms, nonetheless, once they got to know you."
My heart warmed a little at her words, even if the admission of what I already suspected gave the whole thing an edge of sadness. So it happened just a year ago…
I lowered my eyes, a little ashamed about opening her wounds like this.
Then Astraea's dainty hand appeared in my sight and held my clenched fist softly, the warmth of her contact doing a lot to calm my restless feelings. I looked up.
"I would love to give my Falna to you, to have my blood run through your veins, to witness your story with my own two eyes, to have my Sword and my Wings guide your way." The more she spoke the more radiant she looked, the wider her beautiful smile got, the brighter her eyes shone.
But then, like a light going off, all of that radiance faded. "But I don't have much to offer to you, not anymore. You deserve far more than an empty guild-house and some second-hand advice. Hephaestus is well-known and she's established in the city. You only need to show her your creation magic and she'll take you, I'm sure! And she has countless children that can go with you to the Dungeon," She continued, a sad smile on her face. "And…And I can't even offer that. I only have Ryuu and considering the way we parted… I can't guarantee her assistance."
I gritted my teeth.
In a ruthless, logical way, Astrea was right. If I wanted to get the best start, then joining a Familia that is already established in Orario was my best bet. I wasn't a blacksmith by any means, but I'm sure I could learn how to forge weapons. The knowledge I get from my weapons isn't limited to combat but also includes the forging process. It would be like having a cheat sheet with me. Joining Hephaestus would probably be for the best.
And so, I answered.
"I don't care." Astraea looked at me with wide eyes, shock clear in her features. I was glaring at her, I distantly noted. I was angry, and why shouldn't I be? To reduce the fledgling bond that is forming between us to merits and demerits. To whatever monetary value I would get from joining one or the other. To advantages I would get in the Dungeon.
"That wasn't what I wanted from you," I denied, trying to control my ire. "I don't care about any bonuses you can offer with your blessing. I want you, Astraea, because you are kind. Because you worried about a complete stranger that was being an idiot. Because you care. I was worried about meeting a god for the first time, but you showed me that deities can feel love, grief, joy and sadness." The burning embers started to douse as I spoke. I sighed, and let a smile form on my face. "I want your blessing because I-"
I stopped, realizing that I was spilling my heart out in the middle of a bar lounge. I cleared my throat, ignoring the multiple eyes on us. Ignoring the way crystal clear tears started to fall down from the Goddess of Justice's indigo blue eyes. "I don't know much about you yet, but… I know I want to get to know you more. I want to know more about Alise and Kaguya, about Lyra, Neze and Iska, about all the children you loved and lost. I want to get to know Ryuu Lion. But I can't do that if I'm not at your side."
I fell silent, and had to drink a sip of my mug to moisten my throat after spilling my feelings all over the table. I sighed once I finished and looked at the goddess in front of me still recovering from my onslaught of words.
She finally answered a couple of seconds later. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice soft, while wiping her tears with her sleeves. "I didn't want to offend you with my words…" I shook my head, not caring at all. Like all of Astraea's actions so far, her words came from a place of care. She closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath, visibly calming down. When she looked at me again, her eyes were once again a pool of calm. She smiled. "Your feelings and determination reached me… but I hope you understand mine. Can you give me… some time to decide?"
"Of course, whatever you need," I acquiesced. "I'm sorry for my selfishness. It… must be hard for you to consider something like this."
Astraea giggled. "There's no need to apologize, silly. There's some matters I need to meditate about before I share my blood with you… before I make the decision to return to Orario." I felt a stab of shame. Of course it would be hard for her. That's the city where she lost her Familia. "You could say I'm preparing myself." She placed her hand over her heart and a –now familiar– teasing expression took over her face. "Oh my, I wonder if this is how it feels to have someone confess their love to you. My heart is aflutter~."
I managed to keep my reaction under control and raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Astraea pouted. "Oh, it's not as funny if you don't react, party pooper."
I sighed exasperatedly, but soon felt a smile come to my face. She was a bit of a tease, but hopefully I would get time to get used to her antics in the future.
Yes, a lot more time.
-Line Break-
The adventurers left a little before midday the next day. They had intended to leave earlier but the dwarf, Rath, seemed to have snuck back to the bar after they retired and woke up with a nasty hangover. The other two didn't seem happy at all of the time they were losing, waiting for him to recover as much as possible for their mission.
I had to consciously distract myself from the fact that they were going to be fighting the monsters while I was lazing the day away by focusing on the goddess walking beside me.
Not wanting to spend another day inside, I decided to stretch my legs by going another –hopefully longer– walk around the town. Astraea decided to come with me because… she was bored, most likely.
The town guards were looking a lot more relaxed this time around, and I could see some normality returning to the townsfolk.
The adventurers brought some hope back to the place.
And that's when everything went wrong.
We were walking near the south gate when a commotion caught our attention.
There was a group of guards huddled near a fallen person. I glanced at Astraea and saw her face go serious in an instant. she looked back at me and nodded. We both rushed forwards, and my eyes widened when I found someone familiar nearby, watching them anxiously.
"Ann?"
"SHIROU!" Ann exclaimed when she saw us, distress in her voice. She then started to hobble in a rush in my direction, helped by a wooden crutch. "Please, you- you have to-Ah!" I had started to approach her, trying to make sense of what she was babbling, when she tripped and began to fall.
I rushed forward just barely being able to catch her in my arms before she hit the ground. "Ann! What's going on?! Are you okay?" Ann's arms wrapped tightly around me and she buried her face on my chest.
"Please! Save Aaron! The adventurers, they- they…!" she babbled, and I felt her tears dampening my t-shirt. I looked around, trying to make sense of the situation and felt a chill go down my spine when I recognized the person in the middle of the guards.
It was Ashe, her face pale and covered in blood, wounds littering her face and body.
One of the guards was desperately pressing a piece of cloth to her right thigh, wincing when the white fabric turned red in an instant. It was a deep cut, enough to threaten her life if left untreated.
There were also two small arrows embedded on her, one in the back of her right arm and the other in her shoulder.
Luckily, she was still conscious
But she was alone, no trace of the other two children of Hephaestus with her.
"What happened?" I asked the girl in my arms. Dimly I noticed the silent healer that treated me rush in between the guards to reach the wounded woman. I looked at Ashe. "Where's everyone else?"
Ann seemed unable to answer but in her place, the wounded pallum gathered her strength and did so. "An ambush… We found their tracks easily, and killed some goblins in the way… but it was all a trap." Frustrated tears started to fall from her eyes and I could feel Ann's hold on me get tighter.
"You… you warned us that they were capable of planning… but Rath didn't listen. He rushed ahead on his own. He's dead, I think. The hob got him with its axe," she continued with gritted teeth, her voice getting weaker by the moment.
"The green goblins… they were sent to distract us, while the others…surrounded our group." Nobody spoke as she told the harrowing experience. "We killed…a lot of them… but they whittled us away… Atticus– he lost an arm…one of the brown goblins almost got me but he covered me and took the attack instead…and told me to run. Didn't want me to get caught, told me to get help." And she did. She ran desperately through the forest, hearing the sounds of battle behind her and didn't stop, not even when they started to chase her, littering her body with arrows.
Incredible. Any would have succumbed to her wounds already, but here she was, alive to tell her story. Was it the Falna? Or was her will that strong? I was amazed by her resilience.
It didn't stop the feeling of anger from suffusing my body, though. I… might have some unkind thoughts about the dwarf, but he didn't deserve to go like that. No one did.
And Atticus. There was a possibility that he was still alive, but... it was slim. If his wounds were as serious as Ashe told them, then he had little time.
I could have prevented this. I should have prevented this.
One by one I started to open my magic circuits. One, two, three, until ten of them were opened. The Mana of the world began to fill most of them and then there was only heat. Once again, it felt like my blood was fire, heat coursing through my veins as the volatile energy was processed for my use.
One of them, however, I began to use to cast a spell with another source of energy.
I felt a hand grab my own.
Astraea was looking at me, her face a mess of emotions I could not fully parse. Fear, resignation, pride. She knew what I was going to do.
"And my boys?" A deep voice spoke. I looked up and saw the guard captain standing to the side, his expression unreadable. "You left with four guards and returned with none. Where are they?"
"Two… I saw two get killed… the other two were fighting when I ran…"
"Aaron… Was Aaron killed?" Ann asked, finally detaching herself from me. Her eyes were puffy and red and tears were still falling from her eyes, but she was glaring at Ashe. "Or was he one of the two you left behind, you fucking coward?"
I heard the words and I would have intervened if not by the focus I was putting in my circuits.
The Mana of the world was too powerful, too unstable, for me to do any delicate mysteries with it. I was not capable of controlling it.
Reinforcing my body always had an inherent risk of injury. I had to measure the magic energy I used properly. Too little and nothing would happen, too much and… I would break.
I manipulated the energy inside of me, my Od, meager as it was, and began to fill the circuit I left empty.
Tohsaka had taught me how to process Mana with my magic circuits to do magecraft, but I had always used Od before I met her. It was weaker, it was lesser… but it was familiar. Controllable.
Usable.
"The red haired one, right…?" Ashe spoke faintly. "He… he was alive. I left him too…" The last of her strength seemed to leave her at that and her eyes closed.
She wasn't dead.
Her breaths were shallow, her skin was pale, but she was still amongst the living. I relaxed. The healer was here, I did not have to leave someone to die to do my duty.
Ann fell to her knees in front of the wounded pallum and her tears started anew.
I looked at Astraea, illuminated by the orange glow of the sunset, and let a soft smile appear on my face. "I have to go," I whispered.
"Of course you do…" she whispered back, closing her eyes in resignation. "I truly have to get used to this again, huh," she mused, a small smile gracing her features. "I won't stop you… but promise me you'll come back safely." Astraea gave my hand a final squeeze and let go.
I almost- almost- asked for her blessing once again then and there. Surely the Falna could help me with what I wanted to do.
But I didn't.
It would feel too much like I was taking advantage of the situation to get what I want.
I would fight with my own strength.
"I promise."
I stepped forward, drawing the attention of the captain. "Son? What…?" He began only to trail off when he saw my face. His eyes widened. "Are you going?"
I nodded, and kneeled beside Ashe. "Ashe, were we correct yesterday? Did you find them to the west?" I asked, ignoring the disapproving looks of the healer. I wondered for a second what was the red liquid she was applying to the wounds. Was that a healing potion?
The pallum stirred and her eyes opened a smidgen. "...Shirou? Ah…yes. We didn't find the nest but… they came from that direction." She forced out the words, still looking woozy due to the blood loss. "Wha… What are you doing? You… You shouldn't…Even if we killed a lot of them… the hob's still there. You can't…"
"It's okay. Everything's going to be fine," I answered her with a smile. "I'll take care of the goblins and save the others." Her eyes widened and she tried to force herself up, only for the healer to stop her. "You hear that, Ann? I'll save your brother, so don't cry anymore. He's going to tease you later if he finds you like that." Ann let out a confused 'huh?' before she realized what I was going to do.
"Wait, fuck that! Don't go! You heard her!" Ann exclaimed as I stood up. "There are too many! Shirou!"
But I didn't stop. I looked to the gate where the guards had formed a line of defense in preparation for a possible attack. They would probably close the gates soon once the captain gave the order but now there was a human barricade blocking the path.
"Astraea, I told you that there was something more important than money and glory to me, right?" I didn't look back, but I felt the goddess attention on me, the warmth of her divinity caressing my skin. "It's a promise I made."
I could ask them to move out of the way, surely.
But I was in a hurry.
"Reinforcement," I said while taking a starting stance. I let my magic flow into the imperfections of my legs, my waist and back, filling them little by letting and strengthening the bones, muscles, ligaments, even the skin.
I heard some mutters of amazement once the green glow of my magic started to emanate from my body.
I took a deep breath and, despite the fact that I was going to fight to the death soon, I smiled. "Everything I do, the reason I fight for is that…I want to become a hero of justice." My words were soft, but I knew that they would reach my goddess.
I ran, dust rising as I rushed forward.
Nostalgia filled me for a moment. The setting sun, the magic reinforcing my body… and an obstacle to jump over.
Just like that afternoon I spent practicing my magic in school, I leaped, my body twisting as I did so. I swear I could feel the guard's spears grazing me as I passed over them.
I was only missing a bar for my high jump.
I turned on the air, falling feet-first a good distance ahead of the guards, my reinforced body taking impact without problem, and, without looking back, I kept running on the direction of the goblin-infested forest.