《Myths, Monsters, and Legends (Fate/Percy Jackson Multicross)》 1.1 - Pipe Dreams
1.1 - Pipe Dreams Shirou opened his eyes and sat up. It took him a second to recognize he was in the middle of a forest. Sitting on soft grass, and listening to the rustling leaves covering the canopy above him. He looked up to see the beams of moonlight and the twinkling of stars. He didn''t recognize any of it. Where was he? Shirou couldn''t remember how he arrived, he had been- -irou! -doing something important. His heart felt light, and there was a strange sense of weightless accomplishment. Even if he couldn''t remember what it was he did, he knew he had done it. That gave him a mixture of relief, and unexplained sadness. Grasping his head in pain, it throbbed with the fierceness of a tiger. He decided to ignore it for now, it was better to find out where he was. He went to get up but fell on his face. Huh? Stumbling into a stand, his center of balance was all wrong. His hands were small, like a child''s and so were his legs. He fell on his back again, face screwed up in concentration. Had he always been a child? It didn''t take him long to relearn how to walk. Eventually, he stopped face-planting. -0-
Once he had gotten used to the movement it wasn''t too bad. He found himself traveling over gnarled roots, and in the dead of night. Yet he didn''t stumble a single time. Somehow the ground was clear to him, still hard to see but he could easily see whatever he put his hands on. -57 rings...23 carved markings...Oak- It was a few hours before he broke through the tree line to find himself standing on the edge of a winding road atop a mountain leading towards the city. The lights and buildings seemed familiar but he felt a strange sense of unease about the layout of the city, and a strange smell of blood, horror and sand. Ignoring it he wondered if his answers, if there were any, would start at the city.
-0-If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. On the final stretch of the road a kilometer away, he spotted a set of stairs downhill. The phone booth next to it had an unusual texture. Almost pristine in its condition with the concrete and steel barriers so eroded. Once he had walked near it running his hands over it, he found it to be- -bleached blood stains...repel dust and grime...single call send in the...twenty thousand ar- He made his way down even with how dimly lit the street lights were holding his head trying to keep from breaking down like the buildings around him. Much of the masonry and foundations had crumbled. Some of the buildings were boarded up and had broken windows. He put his hand on the wall trying to stop the strange memories from invading his head. -years after the War...Has sheltered hundreds of people since its construction even from mons- He shook his head from the strange influx of information. It was odd. It felt like he was missing something. Shirou staggered away. It was probably best not to touch anything from this point on.
-0- Walking through the city at night, with his sneakers on the dirt road he noted it wasn''t like most cracked roads he had come across- -Harsh breathing, swords, and a roar- He scrunched up his eyes trying to shake off the image. Where was that coming from? He hadn''t even been touching anything. Shirou thought coming here would solve something maybe he would recognize something and know what to do next. Finding nothing hadn''t been part of the plan. He walked out from the slums or whatever that place was. The surroundings now had changed to familiar tall telephone poles, buildings stretched for the sky surrounding him in all directions. Few people were walking around at night, ghosting through silent and uncaring. Alleyways were a dump, with garbage piling up in the corner. None of it helped Shirou recognize where he was and how he had got here. Then, there was a strange smell...that he couldn''t recognize but had gotten stronger the more he chased after it. He roamed around for quite some time before he realized it would be best to find somewhere to sleep. Without any identification, he technically didn''t exist. Of course there were always people in every city, those he could pay off to falsify his records. Maybe become a chef or something- As he was pondering, he realized what he had been smelling. Ramen. He hadn''t been able to pin what it was until that moment. Shirou turned the corner at an alleyway leading towards the main streets. There near a dumpster, atop some cardboard, a blonde kid lying on their side, covered by a sheet of paper. She was the source of the smell? Shirou clutched his head in pain. -other! Someone calling out to him. Gritting his teeth through the recollection he tried to remember who she was. It didn''t help his mounting frustration from not recognizing anything and he was pretty certain he had never met this particular blond in his life no matter his lack of memories. He couldn''t remember where he was right now but he knew what he needed to do. Taking a step toward the kid, he froze. Behind her, stood a large hound. Its silhouette shrouded from the street lights behind it. Much too big to be a wolf, its fangs the size of knives, with large red eyes. The rest of it the size of a small van. It was meters from the kid, he was twice that and more. It lunged towards her. Shirou moved before he could think, grabbing a rusty pipe to his right and jumped in front of the sleeping kid. He swung his arm forward. The sharp end of the glowing pipe sliced into its snout, continuing on without resistance towards its skull. Then it burst into sand, covering the walls, ground and him. Shirou blinked, ignoring it before turning around and stepping towards the blonde. He hadn''t noticed the pipe had glowing lines cover it briefly before disappearing. Right now, he had to get the kid out of here. Something tightened around his ankle and looked down before his legs were pulled out from under him and he felt his head hit the ground before his world was flipped upside down. He lost his weapon as it clanged on the ground and rolled behind him. Facing the sandy mural all over the walls and ground, he heard paper tearing behind him and a female shout, "HA! I GOT YOU-wait, you''re not a mons..." He blacked out. 1.2 - Smells

1.2 - Smells

- Houses fell along with the rest of the world. People had stopped screaming an hour back. This couldn¡¯t be &*^%$. It couldn¡¯t be. He was¡­.Who was he? He instinctively walked- -down the sakura filled road. The cold wrapping around his body, his scarf the only weapon against abrasive air. A purple haired girl walked ahead of him with a slight bounce in her step. He was %&^#$. He looked to his left with the sparkling ocean reflected the rays of- -Swords. Countless swords. An endless forest of steel in every direction. He was $*^@#$ the embodiment of a world of- He snapped awake, and sat up. The air was different, more open, instinctively rolled away from the spot he sat on trying to get his bearings. The rooftop. He was about a foot away from the edge, but it was nice. Shirou closed his eyes to feel the fresh winds from the alleyway and the air above it flowed without obstructions or smell. Except for that obnoxious Ramen one, an affront against- ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡± He looked around to find a face to match the voice. The same blonde twin tails, he had saved in the alleyway in a white tattered lab coat covering her faded orange shirt, peeked over the ledge of the building she was on. Piercing blue eyes he could make out from this distance, he wasn¡¯t sure if eyes even got that colour. ¡°Don¡¯t get up yet.¡± She hauled herself over where there weren¡¯t any hand holds. He put his palm against the building- -78 years...rter, concrete with a compressive strength at the age of 28 days not less than 2,000 p.s.i.s...fire escape to the right of your position, none on the opposite of where she is...cracked walls...30 meter climb- How did she climb up here? ¡°I got some hot ramen and a heat compress.¡± She passed them to me and I put them on. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She looked down, ¡°M-Miso Nakano.¡± She looked up at him, ¡°What about you?¡± His expression shifted for an instant, ¡°Shirou.¡± Curiously asked, ¡°No last name?¡± ¡°I..¡± a flash of someone calling to him, ¡°Don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Oh, you have amnesia.¡± ¡°Hmm, something like that.¡± ¡°Mrs. Nakano could you-¡± ¡°My name is Miso!¡± The blonde twin tails shouted looking down in anger. Shirou paused. ¡°Right, Miso could you tell me where I am.¡± She pointed to the tall buildings, ¡°You¡¯re in New York.¡± ¡°New York...¡± It was an unfamiliar name on his tongue. Even stranger than the language he was speaking, because he was pretty sure he didn¡¯t speak english this well, much less understand it. The skyscrapers themselves were more spread out and of vastly differing elevations as the sun peeked over the horizon giving everything a yellow hue. She took a deep breath. ¡°Did you...Can you see them?¡± She asked. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The...Monsters.¡± ¡°If you mean the dog that was about to attack. Yes.¡± She hopped closer. ¡°You can really see them.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not lying? You really, really saw them.¡± Staring him right in the eye. Shirou had been unsure of everything and the sense of unease had honestly gotten stronger but he know this for certain. ¡°A giant black dog was about to attack you and it burst into sand when I stabbed it with a pipe.¡± ¡°YES! I¡¯m not crazy! Take that stupid old lady!¡± She jumped around in joy. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± ¡°The dumb caretaker at the orphanage. Oh and then there¡¯s also the police officer and a whole bunch of other people...None of them ever believed me.¡± She turned and looked at him, ¡°You¡¯re not lying right?¡± ¡°No.¡± She got a giddy smile and went back to bouncing around. Shirou couldn¡¯t remember much, but he felt the existence of monsters was something normal. Not that he had any memory or impression of ever facing one. ¡°Do you know why they¡¯re after you? She stopped, ¡°They always say that I would taste delicious or I was one of them or something. Or whatever would get them to eat me.¡± She stuck her tongue out, with a disgusted expression. ¡°I always got the better of them of course.¡± Finishing with a victory pose. ¡°What about your¡­Guardian?¡± delicately avoiding the potential landmines. ¡°You mean my parents?¡± there were none. He blinked, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I never knew them, there was this random homeless guy that taught me how to read, make traps and stuff. He said he ¡®fought in the Nom war¡¯.¡± ¡°And you lived¡­¡± he looked around at the makeshift ¡®house¡¯. To be perfectly honest it was incredibly well built and structured even with it being made out of a random assortment of materials, ¡°here? ¡°Yep!¡± -On. -touching it he could tell it hadn¡¯t been destroyed, but the material had seen some use. A number of things here were brought from somewhere else. Like the strange overhang, which had multiple nets below the ¡®ceiling¡¯ attached to hanging weights in each corner. There were a few harder to see traps involving fishing and steel wire. Both were lethal. There were numerous other escape holes that could only be fit through by her, and few latches indicating the entire house itself was a collapsible trap. Deducing how intricately it had been built she had quite a bit of practise. With the recent monster attack, he deduced she must¡¯ve had other bases. ¡°Have you always been attacked by monsters?¡± ¡°Since I could remember. No place ever lasted long because they would always smell me....¡± She turned to him, ¡°Why did you help me?¡± Shirou tilted his head in confusion, it was rather late to be asking this, ¡°Because you were in trouble?¡± ¡°No I wasn¡¯t, but even then, no one¡¯s...You could¡¯ve died.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Shirou¡¯s heart clenched in anger, he couldn¡¯t express where it came from even as he kept his expression and mannerisms calm, ¡°It¡¯s never wrong to save people.¡± ¡°...Thank you,¡± she muttered, ¡°But I would¡¯ve been fine.¡± She looked away, ¡°You can stay here until you¡¯re better.¡± Shirou nodded, but couldn¡¯t help but feel there was something fundamentally wrong to leave Miso behind. He didn¡¯t recognize this city, or how he got here, but he knew he couldn¡¯t stand by and do nothing. ¡°Miso if you want-¡± The wind picked up and when he inhaled- -Leaves, roots, wood, branches spearing through meat...fear, hunger, exertion- Shirou snapped his heard around in the direction of the sharp scent. He rubbed his nose just to see if there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Miso looked at him in concern. It was the same smell he got when he had found her. ¡°Monster.¡± Her eyes widened, ¡°We need move-¡± ¡°And someone running from it.¡± ¡°Then what are you waiting for!? Let¡¯s go!¡± Her face was terribly close to his, something about her seemed familiar and it made want to push her away. But his hands grew weak when her hopeful blue eyes earnestly gazed into his amber ones. She knew what it was like. How long has she been going to people for help only to be dismissed as a child calling wolf as real monsters hunted her. No, he would not allow this to go on any further. A desire rose within him. A desire to be a hero 1.3 - Friends and Fiends 1.3 - Friends and Fiends ======================================================================================== Shirou¡¯s body disagreed on the input his brain was sending it so he kept tripping as he tried to keep up. Miso had gotten annoyed with his slow pace and picked him up before racing off. She hopped across the rooftops while he gave directions to where the source of the danger was coming from. The two of them stopped at the ledge of a three storey building overlooking a park. The park was boxed in by the road the building 50 meters to the other side and the church to the right. It was an expansive pavement jungle with trees dotted here and there. A basketball court near the playground. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°346 W 26th St New York or Penn South Playground.¡± Shirou simply nodded not at all noticing her gaze. When he looked back he saw her disappointed gaze, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just-¡± she murmered to the ground. Shirou noticed something to his peripheral, ¡°There.¡± Interrupting her mid-sentence, he pointed to the edge of road where a large gorilla like monster with a goat head and antlers, lumbered through the fence of the court behind a disabled brown haired kid hop walking as fast as he could. ¡°What is that thing?¡± ¡°A Druid? A Fiend? I don¡¯t really know-Oh no!¡± ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Shirou said trying to keep an eye on the monster. ¡°No not that, it¡¯s heading for the church!¡± ¡°And why is that an issue?¡± feeling an inexplicable desire to see it destroyed. As he searched for a weapon. ¡°Old Man said it was always a place to go if I wanted help. Some of them were also nice to me even if they couldn¡¯t take care of me...¡± She trailed off as Shirou broke a pipe off the building, and hopped off the edge.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Then we better kill it quick.¡± Strangely the entire park had been deserted, and something of this magnitude out in the open without anyone noticing was strange. Especially with the tall apartment buildings on the other side of the road. The large tree creature lumbered at a storey tall and about a car¡¯s width wide. It was a good the monster lumbered at the speed of a stone golem or else the disabled kid would have died. Shirou callously remarked on his observations within his head as he ran towards the giant lumbering beast with his pipe. ¡°Hey!¡± Miso shouted. The behemoth abruptly stopped before dropping to all fours and turned with such sudden speed it didn''t have two seconds prior the both of them were caught off guard. It rammed into the wall of the building she was standing on, ignoring Shirou altogether. Miso jumped to the building over as it followed her, she tried to keep from going out the area they were in due to the people walking on the sidewalks and the cars which were not too far from where she was. It was honestly a miracle something this big had made its way through the city without hitting something. Or someone. Shirou couldn¡¯t follow as it was much to fast, and it was running around like a massive dog as it bounded on top of the building chasing her over the rooftops. He knew she would start to tire soon so they had to kill it soon and quickly. ¡°What did you guys do!!¡± screamed the brown haired kid. ¡°Nows not the time kid-¡± He latched on to him with strength that wasn¡¯t normal for a human kid and Shirou got a good look at him. ¡°Don''t call me kid, my name is Grover!¡± He had the face of a person in their later twenties, and the air of maturity to match, ¡°Why did you attack!? I had him docile enough and was leading him out of the city to where the parks were!¡± Shirou was honestly shocked, but not for being yelled at. Now that he was closer and had a hand on Grover he found that the kid wasn¡¯t a kid. He wasn¡¯t even human. ¡°You¡¯re 22!?¡± ¡°How did you- Never mind that, get your jumping friend down here and let me calm him down again.¡± Grover didn¡¯t seem to believe himself even as he said that. Shirou remained skeptical, ¡°How sure are you about this?¡± Grover looked conflicted. ¡°About forty percent...¡± He didn''t deal with uncertainties, with his friend? With his friend''s life on the line, ¡°Alright what else can you do?¡± ¡°I can draw its attention and-.¡± ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°I have a plan. You can trust me. ¡° Grover looked back at the blonde who had been weaving in and out of its legs near the road causing the monster to spin before stopping and slamming its arms on the ground. The small aftershock throwing her off her feet. Grover realized he had no more time to choose but to leave it to the red haired kid''s plan or else the blonde haired one was going to die. ¡°Trace-¡± The pipe glowed blue and Shirou¡¯s feet carried him forward as he charged a second before the disabled guy in his twenties began to move. Grover drew in breath, holding it. Then let loose, ¡°HEY!¡± releasing a strange guttural cry of challenge. Shirou didn¡¯t know how it was coming from him but he all he knew was that he could smell the danger emanating from Grover. It definitely got the Fiend''s attention as it turned so fast he barely remembered to finish. ¡°-On.¡± A meter from where he was, Shirou could see the Fiend flex power into its hind legs aiming to charge forward when the ground burst and small roots wrapped around its feet. The roots caused the giant beast off balance, slamming into the ground before getting enough momentum. All its speed hit the ground, bleeding out momentum. Even then it was still pushing itself back into a run. Shirou knew while it was still level this was his opportunity as he pumped more power into his legs. Instinctively recognizing the muscles wrapped around his ankles were going to be ripped apart. He poured the energy into them stretching to their limit before he crossed the distance and was in front of the Fiend. Before he knew what he was doing he shoved his pipe through its nose and into its mouth continuing to its spine. Then he overloaded his weapon causing it to explode. He was airborne. The Fiend in immense pain had swung its massive arms throwing him across the pavement and into the church doors. He slammed into the wall. He couldn¡¯t feel anything, except his ankle which looking at it from his position on the floor, was a bloody mess. The podium in pieces around him alongside bits of the door which had cushioned him. The light from the outside was too bright but he could hear something speeding across towards him. Maybe- The scream of pain told him otherwise as it ran towards him, and fell to a stop. Right on the floor in front of him. He closed his eyes and began to dream. 1.4 - Collisions Shiro woke up to an empty wooden house. He wasn¡¯t even awake and his hand had touched the side of the bed- -32 years of usage, 2432 people have been on this bed. Pillow bought at- -where it was bare and very, very cold. The door slammed open moments later sending him into battle mode when, ¡°You''re finally awake!¡± Miso exclaimed. Grabbed Shiro before he could react and dragged him from the bed. Shiro managed to stop her before she dragged him by foot and slammed his head onto the floor, ¡°Hey wait, I, uh, need to change!¡± She made an impatient face and told him to hurry up. He took a second to get reacquainted with his surroundings. Checking himself most of his wounds had been bandaged and taken care off. The window outside showed heavy rain and thunder clouds rattle the windows. He opened the door to find her balancing on the balls of her feet before eyes widened in exasperation. She grabbed and drags him down the hallway to a kitchen counter with two tall stools which she threw him onto and then joined him. Two steaming hot bowls of... Something that looked like molten magma. It even bubbled the same. Miso didn''t even think twice and started chugging it down before she spit steam and drained her glass hanging her tongue outside her mouth as she put her head down on the table and moaned in agony. Shiro recognized the immense danger in his food and on reflex touched it. He was surprised to find it wasn''t poisoned or anything. It¡­just was naturally a danger to one¡¯s health. ¡°What¡­is it and who are you?¡± ¡°Kirei Kotomine. It¡¯s my special Mapo Tofu¡­give it a go.¡± He picked up a spoonful and stopped to see the man behind the counter giving him a wide-eyed smile. Something about it¡­ He decided to go for it and take a sip, and his face immediately crumpled from regret. It... Was horrible, but amazing. But horrible. Kirei did seem to find some horrible enjoyment out of his and Miso¡¯s misery. It looked like the priest was a cook that enjoyed Schadenfreude.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Did you enjoy your meal?¡± He asked curiously. Shiro opened his mouth to respond- ¡°It sucks! But it''s amazing!¡± Miso overrode him, bringing genuine laughter from the priest. ¡°Miso, that''s¡­¡± he wanted to say rude, ¡°Accurate.¡± He shook his head, ¡°No wait, I wanted to ask who saved us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s this guy! He was so cool, he threw three big swords right into its back and it just fell over.¡± Shiro¡¯s heart twang, ¡°¡­I see,¡± he lowered his head, ¡°Thank you.¡± Kirei seemed to enjoy their blunt honesty, but his smile seemed to be missing several things that made a smile a smile. Setting Shirou on edge, ¡°It¡¯s not everyday I see Mage, and halfbreed Kitsune fighting together. Especially considering how rare it is to find one this young.¡± There it was, ¡°What do you mean ¡®Kitsune¡¯?¡± Miso took Kirei¡¯s bait. ¡°Oh?¡± He seemed surprised, but then accepted, ¡°Ah yes, most of the pantheons you have ever heard of, all the mythologies are true. At least to an extent.¡± Shiro knew this was where he should be shocked but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to be. It was a strange sense of, everything suddenly clicking. Miso on the other hand, jumped up and shouted, ¡°Ha, I knew it!¡± Shiro looked at him, ¡°How did you know Miso was Kitsune? And what Magus?¡± Something within him started to churn. Kirei stared him down blankly, before raising his eyebrows, ¡°You¡¯re a Magus young man rather adept at your craft, don¡¯t think you can fool me. You have an unusual way of conducting mana but you are using them nonetheless. As for her, she has a very different system of energy, the largest chakra coils of anyone I¡¯ve seen to date.¡± Miso said, ¡°Ha, of course I do, I¡¯m the best!¡± Shiro replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good thing.¡± ¡°Ha, you¡¯re just jealous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not-nevermind.¡± Shiro shook his head, Miso was acting unusually childish, ¡°I lost my mem-Master a while back before he could teach me anything.¡± He managed to force out a name someone by the name of Kiritsugu was what he wanted to say, but there was something in him it was a bad idea to say anything at all to the priest, ¡°So they¡¯re all real? Every single one?¡± It was strangely mind boggling to him, something that didn¡¯t seem quite correct. Kirei looked amused, ¡°Most of them, I haven¡¯t traveled all over the world for nothing. They generally stay within their respective countries or nations of origin, some die out, some just disappear altogether. Others evolve, change or merge with nearby ones. The strangest would be the Greek, Romans and the Egyptians. While the Greek and Romans have tied themselves to the concept of the ¡®Western Civilization¡¯. Egypt has partially spread to this continent, with its history more ancient the former it has its branches in a variety of places.¡± Shiro asked, ¡°But then what is a Magus?¡± ¡°Ah yes those. They¡¯re are a few that tend to be outliers or something different entirely. You fall into them. Magus, mages or wizards come in some shape or form throughout many of them and you have a special exception of falling into that category. Unlike Miso here who has her ties in the Asian myths which is quite unusual to see in North America, if any which are located along the west coast.¡± ¡°What are you then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m much like you an exception, part of a group of people that hold back the tide of monsters that threaten to overwhelm everything you hold dear. To put it into perspective, a dam. One that holds back the ocean.¡± Shiro¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Like a...Hero?¡± Kirei smile turned unreadable, ¡°I assume you mean the layman''s term and not those of the ''Greek Tragedies'' variant. I can say for certain we are something similar.¡± He didn¡¯t know why, but he needed this, ¡°Can...anyone join you?¡± Kirei looked at the two, ¡°Not anyone, as long as they meet the requirements.¡± At Shiro¡¯s downcast expression, he smiled and continued, ¡°Fortunately, for the both of you, that isn¡¯t an issue.¡± Something within him stopped churning, and he could feel a ray of hope and Shiro¡¯s smile lit up the room. 1.5 - Collateral 1.5 - Collateral ¡°So what do we have to do?¡± Shirou asked. He was in all honesty not in complete control, something was pushing him forward. A feeling telling him he had no option but to move. At the same time however there was a heavy dread, a familiar terror and despair threatening to consume him. He didn''t know where it had come from, he didn''t know why it was scaring him so much. He felt the only reason he wasn''t breaking down was because he couldn''t remember the why of his dread and despair. Glancing out of the corner of his eye Miso was ecstatic, unlikely she had given any of their situation any serious thought. If he took a step back. The proposal sounded a little shady, but for some reason he felt he could trust this Kirei. Even if that didn''t fill him with confidence. He frowned and wondered if there was something wrong with him. Kirei had cleaned up and locked the doors to the store and Shirou brooded. Then he walked around the counter to knock on the door of the fridge before opening it to a completely white void with a countless rows of doors on either side. The two were shocked, Kirei¡¯s smile couldn¡¯t be wider, ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste,¡± and walked in. The two scrambled for the door before it closed. Just rows of doors on either side in the perfectly white nothingness, the two of them stood on nothing and Miso was on Shiro¡¯s back trying to keep from falling, because there was no floor. Yet they stood. ¡°Miso you have to get off I can¡¯t walk like this!¡± Miso had scrambled onto his shoulders like some sort of hyperactive squirrel trying not to fall into the white void. ¡°No! I don¡¯t wanna fall!¡± Kirei continued walking, Shirou rushed to catch up. Before them appeared a worn maghony desk, where a Teller sat. The man was strange, he had concentric circles for eyes that made him appear to have not slept in centuries, as if he had seen everything there was to offer and still preferred his sleep. Books stacked haphazardly, papers and a coffee mug sat on his desk a newspaper in his hands that shifted from ¡®The Kardashians and Kansas monsters!¡¯ to ¡®Black Plague the Second Coming!¡¯ ¡°Kirei.¡± He said.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Oswald, passage to the Millennium.¡± Kirei replied to his greeting. He continued to read his newspaper before waving his hand. A hotel elevator from the 80s appeared to their left and they walked in. Kirei pressed eight different buttons in a seemingly random sequence. If Kirei, Miso and Shirou been able to see out of the elevator their minds would''ve burst and restructured into trees. Their eyes minerals, and they all would''ve died. But they couldn''t. It was a smooth albeit boring elevator ride. Shirou simply waited with the patience of a monk and Miso had fallen asleep. Kirei chuckled, ''if only they knew.'' The doors opened. They appeared in a fabulously furnished velvet hotel with crimson shadows. The carpets were like a river of blood and the windows from floor to ceiling. Kirei walked forward until they went into a room at the furthest end of the hall. It was large, almost like a library crossbred with a greenhouse and an observatory. The man at the end of the room seemed to be busy with something an intense look of concentration as he focused on his laptop. He then noticed them typed something before standing to meet them. He stood at seven feet, red hair and a butler¡¯s uniform. His face was incredibly menacing as he towered over them. Miso looked ready to fight, bouncing on her feet getting into a boxer¡¯s stance. Shiro had no such reservations, the man didn¡¯t have an ounce of ill intent. ¡°Hello, how do you do?¡± The incredibly polite voice put them off. ¡°Uh, hello.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat us?¡± The man laughed, ¡°No, heavens! You don¡¯t have meat for that.¡± Then grinned and suddenly Shiro wondered if he should¡¯ve thought twice following Kirei anywhere. Kirei smiled as well not helping their case. ¡°Stop scaring them, they look like they¡¯re about to pick a fight,¡± A blonde woman in stylish black clothing and a massive gun larger than anyone in the room strapped to her back walked in. She smiled an eyepatch covering a third of her face, but not managing to hide her smile wrinkles, ¡°They¡¯re frankly adorable, their cheeks begging to be pinched!¡± Shiro had never cared before about being tiny, but now was starting to worry, ¡°Let me adopt them Klaus!¡± Kirei lifted an eye, ¡°Don¡¯t you have kids of your own?¡± ¡°I can always have more!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Are you doubting my motherhood!¡± Going for the massive artillery building of a gun on her back. Kirei raised a hand in surrender, ¡°No of course not, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re kids are one hundred percent content with you as a mother.¡± ¡°With you I can never tell if you¡¯re being serious or not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m one hundred percent serious.¡± He smirked. ¡°This is why the two of us have trust issues,¡± she flatly. Klaus coughed, ¡°Back on track, why are the both of you here today, and pardon my manners you two, My name is Klaus Von Reinsherz, your names are?¡± The Blonde woman with the massive gun on her back introduced herself, ¡°You can call me K.K!¡± ¡°Shirou Emiya.¡± ¡°Miso Nakano!¡± ¡°We want to join you.¡± said Shirou. ¡°And fight bad guys!¡± ¡°The two would like to accept Libra contracts.¡± Kirei watched Klaus like a hawk, almost curious. ¡°Then Miss Nakano and Mr. Emiya, I understand the two of you are aware of what it will be like to join Libra, and exactly what it is you will be getting yourselves into?¡± They answered in unison. ¡°Very well, then, it is my honour to-¡± The bookshelves the walls were attached to exploded. 1.6 - Escalation

1.6 - Escalation

Books rained onto the wooden flooring, slamming down with loud thunderclaps. One almost nailed Shiro between the eyes before he cut it in half, he looked down to see in disbelief at two Black Keys the ones Kirei held in his hands earlier.

His vision was filled with static as he was transported to Times and Eras-

¡°Shirou!¡± He was snapped out of it by Miso. There in front of them was a large muscle bound biker, with as many scars as he had muscles, he radiated an aura of anger and death. Looking at him made Shirou want to puke.

While he was distracted the Biker walked forward, ¡°I have a job for the lot of you.¡±

Klaus frowned, ¡°While we do accept any pleas for help, any and all contracts must come through the-¡±

The man dressed in a biker¡¯s outfit with flaming shades hiding something behind his eyes continued, ¡°I''ll do that when I feel like pansy. Like the idiot that thought it was a good idea to steal my boar. I need a bitc-¡±

Klaus loudly coughed, ¡°Please try to maintain decorum, there are kids present.¡±

¡°As I was saying, interrupt me again I will blast the lot of you. Some two bit thief stole my property and that challenge needs to be answered, go get it back,¡± The biker then proceeded to walk back out.

¡°Hold on who are you?¡± asked the KK.

¡°If you maggots can¡¯t tell then there isn¡¯t any point.¡± He looked to us, and opened his shades to reveal-

Death, Murder, Carnage, Overflowing Blood, Rot, Rusted Iron, Broken Bones, Despair, Survival, Death, Families Screaming. -

He put his shades back on as Kirei and the blonde staggered nearly falling over, Miso had tears in her eyes as she looked at him in feral rage. Klaus on the other hand, looked to the children and his expression tightened. He started to walk forward.

¡°Oh ho, interesting, you¡¯re unaffected, but continue to walk closer and I will punch you.¡± He stated dismissively, not bothering to look in his direction. Klaus moved with sudden speed socking him in the face. The Biker looked as if no one had ever remotely hurt him before in his life even with all the scars on his face made by a sword. He threw back his head and started to laugh, ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ve never seen anyone with so much spunk, tell you what kids, I¡¯ll let you have the honour of being smashed by Ares, the King of War.¡±

Klaus'' next punch was wrapped in a leather grip before Ares stomped his foot shattering the ground causing massive cracks snaking their way across the entire floor. The minor shockwave had also sent Klaus into the potted plant in the corner of the room. From within the cracks Skeletons wielding a variety of weapons from swords to guns and odd implements, such as chainsaws, popped out. One Shiro noted he went down after fighting spies, the rest fought in some ancient war or the world wars.

Then the monsters started to rip through reality. Bullmen, Horse-Tigers with fangs and glowing eyes cantered onto the ruined flooring. Other terrifying monsters from the depths growled besides each other.

Klaus¡¯s knuckle dusters gleamed in the open air sun alongside Kirei¡¯s swords that he held between his fingers, and K.K brought out the large gun on her back.

Ares grinned, ¡°Have fun.¡± His face distorted as a bullet went through it, dissipating into smoke.

The Monsters roared in defiance and all hell broke loose.

KK clicked her tongue, the headshot a missed opportunity. The Minotaur with large claws and tusks had on plated armour and a massive axe on its back roared like an angry bull brandishing it like a lightsaber. Considering the thing was glowing with power it might as well have been.

Words tumbled out of Klaus¡¯ mouth. Miso missed them but Shiro understood them perfectly.

¡°Brain Grid Blood Battle Style: Pattern 13 - Finger Greed.¡±

Shiro was in shock but not as much for the same reasons, he had read the history of the weapons on his hands and couldn¡¯t help but admire the kind of person Klaus was. His life was absolutely incredible. The double shock from being able to trace his blades allowed him to finally understand Klaus¡¯ weapons, and swords in his hands, exactly who Kirei was and where he had come from felt his entire world shift into something that made more sense. There was a sense of belonging as something clicked into place and his subconscious sensed it intuitively.

It felt like he was underwater as he watched Klaus smash his weapon against the Minotaur¡¯s axe exploding with power as both were blasted off the building in the resulting shockwave. KK jumped back to regain her footing riding the force of the explosion, Miso less graceful joining the furniture in their tumble through the room.

Out of sheer muscle memory and instinct he cut through the wind staying in place. He noted the Black Keys, the swords that Kirei had brought out, flash by him stabbing into some of the knocked over monsters and others into the shadows holding them in place.

Kirei not far behind as his fist reared under ribs before lashing out, sending the horse demon off the side of the building. KK had regained her footing as she shot the rest of them full of holes, the ones without armour at least died nearly instantaneously. The others merely roared in defiance struggling to move in place the swords having held their shadows and their existence.

There were more than a few monsters that had escaped his grasp, one of them a large golem had broken free moving with supernatural speed. Shirou had blinked and it stood in front of him with its arm raised. KK¡¯ gunfire wasn¡¯t slowing the thing down as Shirou moved with precision imitating what he had seen before. Throwing more than one into its shadow avoiding Kirei¡¯s mistakes. Even then it barely slowed down. Shirou had just managed to jump out of its smash range.

There was a sound reminiscent of a tank shell being loaded before gunfire switched to artillery fire blowing small chunks off the golem. The Magical bindings glowing with power as it deflected much of the damage.

¡°What the hell is this thing made of!?¡± Firing on it repeatedly, her reload speed was something Shirou could barely register. He made his over to her as it walked forward with impunity.

¡°I suspect we¡¯re ill equipped to face it. Klaus or Steven would be better here.¡± Kirei walked ten meters to the left of it as he approached KK.

¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit! Just use your magic!¡±

Miso was up as she grabbed the bookcase in the corner struggling to lift it before chucking it at the Golem. It broke, barely stopping it.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

¡°It¡¯s not magic,¡± Shirou could hear the frown in his voice.

¡°I don¡¯t care!¡±

Miso grit her teeth as she lifted the Mahogany Table over her shoulder before throwing that as well. It was joined by other assortment of collectibles Klaus had, the small stuffed pandaman bounced off the golem''s head, everything else in pieces around it as it continued its advance.

Kirei sighed, pulling up his sleeves to reveal miniature yellow writing on the bandages that were wrapped around his arm. He seemed to focus as they glowed before he loosened them. Shouting something intelligible, the wrappings snaked around the golem like a strait jacket and much longer than Shirou thought. There seemed to be easily 30 kg worth.

The thing ground to a halt straining against its bindings.

¡°Finally,¡± she murmured, ¡°Klaus!¡± She ran to the other end of the room where the hole in the wall had been made by him. She could see him on the building rooftop having landed in the soft earth of a greenhouse, Miso had run over as she shouted, ¡°Are you alright?!¡±

KK saw Klaus wave, standing over the defeated Minotaur, his shirt cut up and a growing red on his under white shirt below his vest. KK sighed in relief.

¡°I don¡¯t understand, he left before he could tell us what he wanted.¡± Shirou walked over to Kirei and asked.

Kirei hummed, his voice a strange tenor, ¡°Are you sure?¡± he then walked over to Klaus¡¯ desk where glowing letter sat, picking it up and he read it out, ¡°¡®Libra will check up on a Ichor Inc. off the coast of Los Angeles to see why production has been halted, and find my BOAR. I would go myself but I have a date.¡¯¡±

Just as Kirei had finished reading, the letter tore itself into five pieces, before flying towards everyone here. It wrapped around their wrists tightly, Shirou hissed in pain before floating glowing green Greek Numbers appeared on the band counting down.

Kirei said, ¡°Ah, well this is a problem.¡±

+/MML/+

¡°It''s strange he didn¡¯t go after anything in any other part of Libra.¡± After Klaus had gotten back to the floor.

¡°I very much doubt the pagan idiots put much thought into anything.¡± The sky rumbled and Kirei merely smiled as it suddenly ceased.

Miso asked, ¡°What was that?¡± looking out the window.

¡°A child.¡± Kirei¡¯s eyes gleamed.

Shirou put it together, ¡°Wait was that Zeus just now?¡±

Kirei looked at him, ¡°It is likely, he¡¯s childish enough to respond to basic provocations,¡± then Kirei turned serious, ¡°It''s best if you don¡¯t speak their names, names hold power and you yield it everytime you utter them.¡±

¡°Huh?¡± Miso questioned.

¡°Don¡¯t say their names or they become more powerful,¡± KK simplified as she leaned over with the smile of a mother, ¡°Not by a lot but enough to make a difference.¡±

Miso seemed to like KK a lot as she cheerily replied, ¡°Okay!¡±

Klaus brought the focus back on the glowing yellow bands around their wrists with ancient greek numbers, ¡°I¡¯m assuming these are ticking time bombs?¡±

¡°Yes.¡± He smiled.

KK growled, ¡°Why are you so happy about that!? The kids also have them!¡± Hugging Miso to herself.

Kirei raised an eyebrow, ¡°You should have been aware of this when you elected to have them join Libra.¡±

¡°As support workers, or assistants! Not on the front lines! We have programs for people to train them for that or the ones where people have nowhere to go. Not this!¡±

Shirou and Miso frowned, neither happy with the proclamation they were to be sidelined.

¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, they would¡¯ve been in danger from the moment they joined,¡± He didn¡¯t hold anything back, a blunt instrument of truth, ¡°Now that isn¡¯t important as they are very capable, this young girl more so than the boy, having faced monsters regularly on the streets.¡±

Miso preened, ¡°Yep! Weird Antler Horse Monsters, and Bull People, sometimes noodle monsters. They don¡¯t taste like ramen when you cook them though,¡± She glowered feelings of betrayal as she remembered biting into them.

Kirei nodded, ¡°This young man isn¡¯t too far-¡± suddenly swiping his sword at his head which Shirou blocked with the Black Keys flashing into existence, ¡°-Behind either.¡±

KK¡¯s eye twitched as she had leveled the enormous gun at Kirei¡¯s head, ¡°If you attack him again I will kill you.¡±

¡°Ah, only him? Do you not care for the girl?¡±

¡°Kirei!¡± easily rising to the provocation, Shirou noted he was an easy guy to hate.

Klaus had kept silent the entire time cut in, ¡°Kirei stop provoking her, and don¡¯t attack our members especially new recruits, or I¡¯ll deduct your pay,¡± when he didn¡¯t respond Klaus added, almost as an afterthought, ¡°I¡¯ll tell Mrs. Sumeragi of the location of your new restaurant.¡± Kirei kept smiling but there was a noticeable air of something.

¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Before he put down his weapons and KK reluctantly did as well.

Klaus sighed, ¡°While I don¡¯t like it, the two can come with however they must follow everything to the letter,¡± His eyes flashed with authority, ¡°Am I clear?¡±

¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yep¡±

¡°As for why they didn¡¯t go for the rest of Libra,¡± Kirei paused, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they have the capacity to think that far ahead.¡±

Klaus raised an eyebrow gesturing for him to continue.

¡°They haven¡¯t changed much in the thousands of years since their banishment, they¡¯ve integrated well enough however they are playing the same drama they¡¯ve always done. The very little regard for human life, common sense or logic. The usual greek tragedies in full display. However, something to note would be their reduced presence. The number of incidents in the past millennia have dropped compared to the past according to the records, rarely have they been so bold.¡±

¡°Something¡¯s happening behind the scenes.¡± Klaus deduced.

Kirei smiled, ¡°Something indeed.¡±

+/MML/+

Shirou and Miso found themselves in one of the many rooms on the floor, this in particular was very strange as they found the tops of the redwood trees disappearing into the clouds.

¡°Whoa! How is there so many big trees in this room?!¡±

¡°How are there so many trees,¡± KK corrected, ¡°And the answer to the question is that we¡¯re not entirely sure.¡±

Miso blinked, ¡°Huh?¡±

Shirou noted KK visibly restrained herself from pinching Miso¡¯s cheeks, she had tried before. ¡°You will find Hellsalem¡¯s is odd, where space and time are sometimes irrelevant, this is one of those instances. There is a place called the Delta Ruins, it consumes and transforms abandoned and sometimes living buildings into dangerous caricatures. People go in to never come out, this room is part of it.¡±

¡°Wait then why are we in here?¡±

¡°For training. This room unlike the rest of the ruins was locked in place by Battle Blood Style Sealing Techniques, Kirei helped with his own brand of sealing. Think of it like if you had dropped a bucket of ink into the water and scooped out a portion of it and put it in a cup. The Delta Ruins would be the Ink, the water would be Hellsalem¡¯s Lot, and the cup the techniques that separated it from the main body.¡±

She pulled a small gun, ¡°These are loaded with non-lethal rounds, here we¡¯ll test what you know and what can be improved. With the clock ticking we have a few hours to spare before we have to move, and I¡¯m going to make it count.¡±

Miso caught on faster than Shirou did, "Cheese it!" Vanishing into the trees. Shirou was too slow tracing and throwing Kirei''s Black Keys towards her shadow. She shot the hilts diverting them off course and glancing off missing Shirou by a few centimeters.

"Sorry about this but the world outside won''t be as kind." Heartbroken expression on her face as she fired with the speed of an Uzi while holding regular pistols.

"Don''t worry we understand, and appreciate it. Thank you." Shirou tried to keep an earnest expression on his face even as he was riddled with bullets that he didn''t manage to deflect with his swords.

"Aw, you''re so adorable! This is making it harder than it needs to be." She smashed the two pistols together as the mecha-shifted into a large sniper rifle.

Shirou paled.

"Try to dodge as best you can."

+/MML/+