Hey guys welcome to the second chapter of Fate/Shield. Due to the reviews of this story I have decided to remove my more self-indulgent moments in the previous chapter XD. I have a lot of fun writing these stories because I get to really take the story to new and intriguing places, at least in my opinion. So read on and enjoy guys!

Fate/Shield Chapter 2:

Shirou blinked as he slowly woke up. He turned his head a bit, his eyes still blurry, and noticed a figure leaning against the wall. His vision cleared and Shirou smiled at Rider.

"Thanks for keeping an eye out Rider."

Wearing her usual attire Rider simply smiled. Shirou looked down and smiled as well. Sakura slept soundless, her head on Shirou's left shoulder. She draped her hand onto his right shoulder and was smiling. Rin was snoring like a truck as she laid on his stomach and was curled like a cat around his legs. For some reason she always did that and wondered why she always woke up aggressive.

"Seems she missed you" said Rider.

Rin's grip on his body was tight, which was normal whenever she returned home from England.

"I missed her too. How's Ilya?"

Rider gestured to the bed on the other side of the room, where Ilya was sleeping with a smile.

"She's in better shape, for now. What I did was only temporary. I give it a few days before her body begins to regress again."

"It took her years to develop all that stress to her body" said Shirou "we may lack the resources we did back home but thanks to you we have time."

"Do we?" asked Rider "we are currently trapped in a world beyond our own. We may or may not be bound to this king somehow as well. What if there's a method of controlling you through the sword Shirou?"

"Rule Breaker."

Rider blinked.

"….Oh."

Shirou smiled. It was easy sometimes to forget that Shirou was without question the most versatile mage to ever exist. He was not as skilled as those who specilized however. He could never break curses as well as a Heroic Spirit known for such things for example. But the fact he had such options available for nearly any situation was…almost absurd. He was not the most powerful, far from it, but his massive store of Noble Phantasms made Shirou one of the deadliest mages of his time, even if most only knew a sliver of what he possessed. Shirou literally had a Noble Phantasm for any situation. The only downside was that a majority of said Phantasms were out of his reach due to the high mana cost to use them thus limiting his overall potential, unless connected to Rin or Sakura of course. But if he ever gained the ability to access the full store of what he had without repercussion or restriction? It made the likes of Rin just grin just thinking about it.

"I'm not worried about being controlled" said Shirou "what I'm worried about is being coerced. Rider, we're supposed to meet the King today, can you watch Ilya for me during the meeting? You are the strongest out of all of us, Ilya is safest in your hands."

Rider nodded.

"Of course…master."

Shirou blushed a bit at the smile Rider shot his way. She was always a playful lover at the most unexpected times. Funny how they all felt more relaxed in this foreign world than they were at home.

The life of a Magus was never quiet, nor easy, no matter how far away from the moonlit world they lived. Suddenly Shirou felt Rin begin to grumble and shift on his stomach.

"Thank you for waking me up Shirou" grumbled Rin.

Her hair was a mess and her eyes were still closed. Rin stretched and rolled her shoulders.

"I am not ready for today" she muttered.

She blinked her eyes opened and took in her surroundings.

"Oh right…Zelretch".

Rin grumbled as she went to a door, presumably the bathroom. Considering she didn't immediately return, Shirou assumed his guess was correct. A small moan made Shirou look down at Sakura, who was no just waking up as well.

"Good Morning Shirou."

"Good morning Sakura. Did you sleep well?"

"As best as I could under the circumstances."

Sakura gave Shirou a quick kiss as she got up. Sakura smiled at Rider as well, giving her servant a hug.

"Thank you Rider."

The quiet servant merely accepted the hug, never really understanding why Sakura always thanked her in the morning. Over the years she just accepted it. Shirou looked at Ilya with worry.

"She's still asleep" he muttered.

"Ilya is healthy…or rather as healthy as she can be" said Rider "how I healed her simply sapped her of energy. She'll wake up eventually but it may be a little while yet."

Shirou really wanted to ask Rider what exactly she did…but she told him that she would reveal it at her own pace.

"Alright" said Shirou standing up "let's get ready for the king. Sakura I'll wait till you and Rin-WAH?"

Without warning Sakura grabbed Shirou's arm and began dragging him to the bathroom.

"Sakura wait a minute Rin is in there getting ready!?"

"Shirou I love you dearly but come on, you don't have to wait for me and Rin to be done to have a shower. Just climb in…do they even have a shower?"

A confused yes from Rin confirmed there indeed existed such a thing…how they had indoor plumbing was beyond them but hey, Magic.

Rider giggled as she shook her head, a rare sound from such a serious woman.

"Perhaps I should join?"

Shirou blushed even harder as Sakura seemed to think about it. Today was not the day damnit. Sakura simply brushed her hand across his cheek and smiled.

"Relax Sempai."

The word sent a shiver down Shirou's back. She still called him that for some damn…

Oh. Right.

Distracted at her word choice Shirou had been dragged into the bathroom, a rather gaudy sized one at that. Rider narrowed her eyes, having sensed some people loitering around the door.

"Seems the shower will have to wait" whispered Rider.

Already Rider was not looking forward to the day. There was still so much they didn't know. Ilya's health was thankfully no longer as pressing. However, Ilya's transformation was. Were there some unknown troubles that would occur due to her transmutation into some unknown being, as similar to human as it was? Not to mention that said transformation had triggered some kind of…negative response from the king and his court. As she thought about all of this Rider sat beside Ilya's sleeping form and smiled softly. This reminded her of when she lived on the islands with her sisters. Protecting them…

Rider frowned and closed her eyes as she brushed her hair with her right hand.

"…Never again" she whispered.

But would she have a choice? Already she could sense it. Within her was something shouldn't have been as strong due to the container in which she was summoned originally. But now…

The sound of a door opening up caught Rider's attention, revealing Shirou, Rin, and Sakura leaving the bathroom, fully dressed.

"I'd prefer we clean this the normal way but we don't have the time" grumbled Rin "Shirou's magic will have to do for now. You ok Rider?"

Rider blinked and nodded. She kept her silence as usual. She didn't want to admit that she had stumbled so deep into her own thoughts.

"Should we...try and meet the king now?" asked Shirou "he didn't exactly give us a time".

"If they even tell time in this place" muttered Rin.

"I'm sure they'll send someone to get us. For now I'm more concerned with Ilya. What will we do when we go to see the King. The looks she was getting…I don't trust this place with her safety."

"Neither do I" growled Shirou "I didn't think much on it last night, but now that I've had some time to think about it…I'm starting to think we shouldn't linger more than necessary."

"There's also the others" whispered Sakura "they're just normal people as far as I can tell."

"Dragged into something they shouldn't have been a part of in the first place" muttered Rin "I've seen the story play out before. You want to help them, don't you Shirou, no matter what I say?"

"I'd prefer travelling as a group with them, help them adjust."

"Making it sound like we already adjusted" laughed Rin.

"Compared to them?" sighed Shirou "Rin, the oldest of them looked at his spear like it was a toy. They all think of this as some sort of game. I don't think they realize the consequences of what this world carries. At least we have some form of defense."

Rin had to sigh at that as she rubbed her head.

"I know I know" grumbled Rin "but we can't drag them around with us forever. Ilya is still sick. No offense she's worth more than those other three easily. If we have to ditch them to heal Ilya, that is a price I would pay. Would you?

Shirou clenched his fists. The decision would always be difficult. But even so…

"…..I would" admitted Shirou "you know that. But to not do ANYTHING? That just doesn't sit right with me Rin."

Rin sighed as she shook her head. Her adorable idiot of a hero. It wasn't as if he was wrong though. Leaving those three alone could spell trouble in all sorts of ways. It would seem they would need to compromise in some way.

This was not because Rin was soft in anyway whatsoever!

"Aside from the merry band of idiots."

"Rin" sighed Sakura.

"What!? Two of them got hit by trucks and the other one is an Otaku…did I use that right?"

"Probably not" admitted Shirou.

"Doesn't matter, we got more than them to worry about on top of Ilya."

"The waves" murmured Sakura.

"Invasion from other worlds" muttered Rin "a fascinating concept, if it wasn't so annoying at the moment."

Rin pointed at Rider.

"Can you carry Ilya with you for a while? Go along the roofs or something and keep out of sight."

"I think that would be counter productive" sighed Sakura "this isn't the clock tower Rin but a monarchy. The King may take it as an insult if they aren't with us."

Rin scowled as she turned her attention to her sister. Read a few princess novels and apparently she was an expert? The worst part was that she was probably right.

"I am well aware of that Sakura but it's not like were allying ourselves with him."

"We have too little information" said Rider "we have no idea who is neutral and who is an enemy. It may be best to bring Ilya with us. We have no idea how powerful their magic is nor how strong they are as a species. If worst comes to worst I can use Gorgon Breaker."

Shirou tilted his head at that, wondering why Rider would mention the noble Phantasm that blocked her petrifying gaze and not just state she'd petrify them…unless. Rider smiled as all of them caught on.

People were listening. And thus, the game began.

"True" muttered Rin, a devious smile forming "for all we know the King is genuinely a nice guy and truly just wants to save this world. Perhaps we should just…go along with it for now. Maybe there's a library I can check!"

Shirou's shoulders shook as he cringed at Rin's bubbly tone. Already Rin was planting the seed for directing the conversation with the King.

"Meeting him face to face again is probably for the best. We can ask him how to earn money and where the best shops are as well."

Shirou shivered again as Sakura too starting laying some manipulation of her own. It wasn't much, but the fact was that they were using the King's spies against him…even if it was in the most benign method Shirou had ever seen. No what made Shirou jump was the POSSIBILITY of what they were trying to accomplish. The two sisters shared a unique energy between them. Their dark grins as they contemplated their next move made Shirou swallow audibly. Shirou was without a doubt the best tactician when it came to outright combat with Rider being a superior in saboteur style combat. The countless years of experience that he had filter through him by the many noble phantasms and Archer's right arm had granted Shirou an unparalleled experience for combat. Politics and scheming on the other hand? Well suffice to say that politics was the bane for many a hero. It was what got Archer killed in his timeline in the first place. It wasn't necessarily that Shirou COULDN'T play the politics game…but rather that Rin and her sister were just infinitely better at it than him.

Rin's shrewd mind and Sakura's disturbingly accurate sense of people mixed well in this situation. The years of abuse had made Sakura keenly aware of the true nature of people. She could tell just with a small conversation just how deeply someone's true self was hidden. She herself was a master of masks after all. It was why she loved Shirou so dearly.

The poor idiot couldn't lie or keep a secret to save his life. His poker face was eerily impeccable nowadays but aside from that Shirou was an open book. Hence why these two would spear head the talks with the King.

"Perhaps we should ask some questions regarding how this world works?" supplied Sakura.

"True, we know next to nothing."

Already the two were filling the spies with true but indirect information. Rin mentioned money again, Sakura mentioning food, supplies, and clothes. It wasn't much, child's play at best. But hopefully this would give them some leeway in directing the conversation where they need it to be. Outright manipulation was impossible with what little they knew. The best they could hope for was squeezing what little they can out of this situation. They could not afford to make enemies with the king right now…even if he'd already sealed his fate with the hate he aims at Ilya. No, instead they would plant ideas for the King, giving them a false sense of power over them.

After some time…the door finally creaked as it opened.

"Sword hero!" smiled an attendent "please follow me."

Shirou and the others rose.

"Ah, my apologies but I meant just the…sword…hero…."

The poor attendant, a grouch of an old man, had seen much in his life time. He had entered the field of war with his King and came out victorious. He had killed, Married, spawned children, and suffered the loss of many a family and friend. Jaded was a small word to use when it came to this man. What he saw and experienced had armored his heart…or at least the attendant thought it did. The sword hero was staring at him with a gaze that was piercing right through him. The attendant felt his knees grow weak as the sword hero narrowed their eyes. But not from fear.

"They stay with me."

It was a single statement. The man technically had no authority here whatsoever, but the attendant obeyed without a second thought. Shirou sighed as the attendant began to lead them. Shirou kept his face cold and aloof as he walked behind the attendant. The inspiration for his show of charisma was his old servant, Saber. Thanks to the memories of Archer and Saber's own Shirou had viewed much of Arturia's life.

Caliburn, The Sword of Choosing.

Exacilubur, The holy sword of the Planet.

Carnwennan, The dagger of concelment.

Prydwen, her shield that was also her ship.

Shirou had to admit the last noble phantasm was certainly the wackiest, but that shield especially carried many memories of Arturia's sea bearing adventures. Each of her noble phantasms, and the many that Shirou didn't immediately recall, told the story of Arturia's life, something Shirou prided himself on knowing. It was through knowing Arturia's history, her TRUE history, that Shirou could keep her memory alive. Her story, her path to kingship. Shirou would embody it, however he could. He would not forget the sacrifices that Arturia had done. For she was after all…a precious friend. Even if Rin and the others nagged him about Saber possibly being something more. It was through these particular noble phantasms that Shirou had learned to hone his charisma.

Through these memories the presence that Ilya spoke of fondly had formed. Shirou was no longer a nameless hero that garnered mistrust like Archer had. Instead he was a charismatic man with a naïve dream and loved ones that he would protect. This single distinction forever altered Shirou's path away from Archer. Second, that Shirou had developed a genuine hatred for one person in particular.

Morganna Pendragon.

What? She may have been dead but a bitch was a bitch.

"You didn't have to do that" chuckled Rin.

"Of course I did, there's not a chance I won't see the king without you. If he believes that you are somehow lesser…than he is sorely mistaken."

Ilya grumbled as she twisted herself in Rider's embrace. Rider adjusted herself without thinking and made Ilya more comfortable.

"This is a good sign" said Rider "Ilya might wake up soon."

The sound of someone tsking in annoyance was ignored…mainly because Shirou didn't want a murder on his hands. If even one person so much as touched her…

"We have arrived in the throne room. Sword hero you alone must stand with…."

Shirou merely stared with narrowed eyes at the attendant, and moved past him with the grace of nobleman. Shirou was the third amongst the four heroes to arrive, and his family moved with him. Shirou expected Rin and the others to stand beside him, instead they simply grouped themselves behind him.

"Rin?"

Rin shook her head. She kept a calm and serene expression. It was best to allow Shirou to be the face for now, his status as the sword hero carried weight after all. To other's Rin's face was meant to signify that she was calm. But what it truly meant was that Rin was already in the mindset she carried within the clock tower. Sakura too was relaxed. This was not her first time juggling a mask. Instead she focused on ripping the indifference she could see in the room. Whose mask would faltered first?

"I wonder what they truly think?" thought Sakura.

Already Sakura could see the nobles of the room. Their expressive clothes and gaudy jewelry made that much obvious. There was one particular lady that carried herself like a soldier. Her body was stiff and ready to move at a moment's notice. Her posture was perfect and her eyes seemed to drill into each of the heroes. Sakura quickly moved her sight elsewhere, no need to be caught after all. Immediately from what she could tell almost everyone in here was simply bored. The nobles wanted a show, the King seemed intent on doing something and the young woman at his side…

Sakura frowned as she looked at her. The woman…she carried herself with a confidence that would have put her….Brother to shame. In other words…

"Shirou" whispered Sakura.

Shirou's ears twitched, proof that he heard her. He didn't move.

"Be careful of the red haired girl beside the king."

There was no need for more words. Shirou trusted Sakura's opinions without question. He lacked many of the social graces that normal people had, not to mention common sense, so Sakura was a boon in times like these. Unless it was overt, Shirou wouldn't normally catch on when he was being used or tricked. To be honest though…most of the time he simply didn't care. Even if they lied to him, Shirou would help anyone. That was just how broken he was.

He was better than he used to be though, that was true. However, Shirou still needed his own scabbard. His family was just that. Shirou kept his gaze forward, nodding at the King. What little Shirou knew of Clock Work etiquette told him that it was best to give respect to a high-ranking individual whenever possible. Even if it wasn't sincere. Naofumi finally entered the room, oddly enough without an escort guiding him, merely a maid of some kind. One that didn't even bother leading him into the room.

"A disparity between the heroes already" thought Shirou "but that doesn't make any sense?"

"You have all arrived, excellent" said the King, now standing "welcome heroes! I trust that you are well rested? To begin, you have all been summoned to fight against the waves. Legend states that the four heroes are the only means of stopping the waves and saving this kingdom!"

"Singular" thought Shirou "interesting."

It was possible that this kingdom encompassed the whole world, or was possibly the only settlement of its kind. But Shirou highly doubted it. A kingdom with these kinds of resources in architecture and magic was the only one of its kind? He needed to know more so Shirou rose his hand. The King blinked and smiled, allowing the interruption.

"Yes Sword Hero? If you would please your name?"

"Shirou Emiya".

Rin smirked. SO long as the King was focused on Shirou, he wouldn't notice the women taking apart his every sentence. Funny how the king believe Shirou was the most dangerous of his group.

"Shirou Emiya" murmured the King, testing the name "very well, what is your question?"

"I'm surprised that you are using a legend to fight these waves" said Shirou "are you in that dire a situation?"

The king chuckled and shook his head. But the laughter that echoed from him was hollow.

"We thought the same not that long ago. The heroes were last seen hundreds of years ago. Legends are embellished over time and we thought the same. After all the legends state that the legendary heroes could render mountains to dust and destroy giant creatures with ease. A tall tale for any reasoning adult, not to mention that such magic is available outside the heroes relics."

A subtle hint of power or perhaps a bluff of some kind? Rin narrowed her eyes as she paid further attention to the King.

"We were fully confident that we could handle any waves that came our way. We succeeded in fending off the first wave but sadly the cost was simply too great. We cannot sustain the losses that we incurred and the waves get stronger with each successive attack. The four legendary heroes have the ability to grow exponentially faster than any other, thus they can keep up and as the legend insists, surpass the difficulty of the waves. It was due to our folly that we had to rush and summon all four of you at once, rather than follow the standard summoning practices. As you can clearly tell…it had some unexpected consequences."

Shirou blinked, surprised at the ease in which the King answered his question.

"He's smarter than he looks" whispered Rin begrudgingly.

The excuse he gave was admittedly reasonable. But Shirou already had reason to doubt the man due to his quick anger over Ilya. Any man that judged someone based simply off appearance was not someone whose words could be fully trusted.

"I see" said Shirou.

"Come on" grumbled Motoyasu "the guy basically summoned us to fight their war. What's in it for us? Can we go back home after we clear these waves?"

Unknown, or known, to the King was that Motoyasu was actually asking if he could live again. After all, the man supposedly died from a truck. Sending him home would basically be resurrecting him. The king sighed heavily.

"Unfortunately nothing in our legends state anything about such a concept. All we know is that the heroes, once summoned, remain."

The king oddly tolerated Motoyasu's outburst.

"So what" mumbled Naofumi "we all just party together and fight?"

"It would make the most sense" said Shirou.

"Unfortunately the heroes cannot party together outside of the waves" sighed the King, his eyes glaring at Naofumi "the heroes must remain a good distance apart."

Shirou was about to call out this obvious crap, until a notification appeared.

The Legendary Heroes must remain separate. So long as the legendary weapons remain apart the hero gains a 900% boost to EXP.

Shirou didn't know what an EXP was, but a 900% boost of it must have been beneficial. Naofumi jumped as he read something, while Motoyasu blinked at Naofumi. In a different world, the spear man wouldn't have bat an eye, but Shirou had made a point that they were in this together.

"Didn't check your status yet huh?" chuckled the spear guy "it's in the right corner of your vision. Just think and it will pop up."

Itsuki chuckled as he watched Naofumi struggle. In his world even a child would have noticed such a thing.

"Now heroes" announced the King "you now understand just how dire out situation has become. Please, save our lands and its people from the tyranny of the waves! The next wave has been announced to land in 3 months! Adventure and grow stronger! To assist you we have prepared these warriors to assist you in your growth. These people will be your party! Now, they shall select their hero!"

The red haired girl that Sakura warned him about stepped forward, along with many other young adults. A few of the woman looked at Shirou and tried to join his group. But the pressure that Shirou began to exude was oppressive. Before a few of them could take more than a few steps Shirou spoke up.

"I appreciate your offer your majesty, but as you can tell my party is already full."

The king blinked and nodded. He didn't blame the Sword Hero for keeping his party where it was. When the sword hero was summoned it was obvious that he, along with those that were with him, were different that the other three heroes. For starters? They already had incredible stores of magic power, greatly exceeding the sword heroes own. It was obvious that they were already more powerful than warriors that volunteered.

"Of course," smiled the King, respecting Shirou's strength. The King looked at Ilya, the poor girl grimacing.

It was true that the king hated demi-humans. After all, it was the demi-humans that had murdered his sister and attacked numerous towns. But even the king for all his racial prejudice, was uncomfortable with a child in pain. It was for this reason that he ignored the slave trade and the nobles that participated in it.

After all? What man wanted to be reminded of a problem that he could fix but chose to do nothing.

"If your?"

The king gestured to Ilya. Shirou grew suspicious but answered nonetheless.

"My sister."

The King nodded.

"If you sister needs anything, merely ask. You were right in the beginning; you were whisked away from your world without your consent. Merely ask and you will receive, within reason of course. Marial?"

A maid stepped forward. Unlike the other nobles she didn't seem to care what Ilya now was.

"Gather our finest medicines for as many ailments as we know. Have it ready before the heroes head out today."

The maid left posthaste, suprising Shirou. Rin however, was more worried than ever. It would seem the King was the kind to put aside personal grudges in light of a powerful alliance. The most dangerous kind of person there could be in the political spectrum. For they could be your greatest ally waiting to back stab you.

The King however was not…exactly the most stable individual. He could overlook Ilya for one reason only. She was not a native of this world. The sad truth was that if she was…than the King's kind gesture would have truly been filled with malice and the medicine poison. It was true that he was uncomfortable with watching children suffer, but Ilya only fell into that category due to her otherworldly status. The truth was that the king was barely tolerating her as it was. The combination of the fact that Shirou was the sword hero and Ilya being a non-native were the only reason for King Aultcray's compassion.

"Thank you" said Shirou "I appreciate this gesture."

The king nodded.

"Of course" he said "now, warriors select your hero!"

Every single of them chose between the spear hero and the bow hero. Even Itsuki, who seem to think that a shield was a joke, looked surprised. The kid looked at Naofumi, wondering why the guy was avoided. Before Naofumi could saw anything, Shirou stepped up.

"If Naofumi has no one, is it possible for him to-URK!?"

Shirou stilled as Rin pinched his side. The spear hero cringed as he watched her twist the skin.

"Sorry" smield Rin "what Shirou meant to say was if it's possible for Naofumi here to get some help?"

The king sighed as he rubbed his head.

"I completely forgot" he muttered "my apologies heroes. Please, introduce yourselves. We have three of you nameless at this moment."

Even Motoyasu, a man who admitted even to himself was not the sharpest tool in the shed, noticed the King's outright refusal to acknowledge Naofumi. In another world it would have gone unnoticed, the King's scripted performance going perfectly. The King's compassion had derailed his flow, allowing for such refusal to be noticed.

No good deed was unpunished after all.

"Uh…The name's Motoyasu Kitamura, age 21…just call me Motoyasu".

The bow hero swallowed as he too was a little uncomfortable. The king never did that in the game after all. The words of Shirou Emiya began to rattle in the child's head.

"My name is Itsuki Kawasumi, 17".

Shirou rolled his shoulders, looking at Rin with a little look.

"Emiya Shirou, age 26."

A few of the woman that joined the other heroes looked at Shirou with a new light, only now noticing that the man was basically ripped as fuck. After he said it, it was obvious that he was far younger than his hair would imply.

"Naofumi Iwatani, 20."

The princess wanted to stand up and proclaim herself to the shield hero. Her small smirk grew as she stepped forward.

"I wil-"

"The shield hero can join us for a time" smiled Sakura.

The princess moved to speak, but was quickly sent shivering as Sakura looked at her. Sakura grew a small grin as she let the first princess know exactly that Sakura knew something was up.

"As I said" sighed the King.

"I understand" smiled Sakura demurely. She bowed slightly for extra effect as she continued "but I think its best that we all get to know each other for a time before going our separate ways. After all, your citizens barely know the heroes that they've joined. Perhaps they may change their mind after a day?"

The king actually thought about it seriously. He smiled as he nodded, accepting the plan. After all, the king was unaware of his daughter's plans. If he was, he would have stopped it. The king was without question a shadow of his former self for not noticing the church's grab for power within his kingdom, but even so he would notice the princess's plans as something concocted by the church. Speaking of said church, the representative that was sent for this ceremony couldn't care less how it went. So long as the devil of the shield went down was all that mattered.

Malty scowled as she looked at Sakura. Her plan was derailed for a time, but that didn't matter. So long as she kept on track things would go according to plan. Malty's attention turned to the other three heroes. Who would she join after she was done with Naofumi as he was called?

"The bow hero is far too young" thought Malty "and definitely not my type. The spear hero is good looking and fair…but the sword hero".

Malty looked at Shirou and actually gulped. His body wasn't straining the clothes that he was in, a simple white and blue shirt and pants, but his bare arms and broad back painted a rather clear picture. This man was built. His chiseled features and stoic looks created the aura of a sovereign in Malty's eyes…in other words perfect husband material. Except…well. Malty shivered a bit as Sakura's deep eyes bored into her. Rin merely gave Malty a uninterested sneer while Rider just ignored her.

For some reason Rider's was the most insulting to Malty. Finally Malty's father came to a decision.

"A fair point young lady…"

Sakura blinked as she realized the King was asking her name. Sakura gave a sideways glance at Malty and a dark thought developed.

"I am Sakura Emiya your majesty."

Sakura gave a small bow, her impressive bust on full display, before she sided closer next to Shirou. She wrapped her arm around his, making it clear who belonged to who. Malty sweated as she swallowed and felt Sakura's side stare. This wasn't just "marking her territory" as some would think. Malty knew right away that Shirou didn't give her even a second look. Malty knew she was attractive, but to be completely ignored by the opposite sex…well that was a downer for anyone really. But Sakura's look? It was more a declaration than anything. A means for Malty to know that she had an enemy.

That someone was watching her.

"….What the fuck!" thought Malty "I didn't even do anything!?"

The king was as always unaware of the plots surrounding him and continued on like nothing happened. To him it was if Sakura was simply stating her station as the Sword Hero's wife. A neccesary precaution in this world obsessed with such heroes.

"As Lady Emiya has stated, it would be prudent for the heroes to have some grounds regarding teamwork. So please heroes, enjoy our city for a day before you set out. My young adventurers, get a feel for the heroes that you will be travelling and fighting beside. Feel free to change your minds if you feel it necessary."

The king hoped that some of them would choose the sword heroes party. He needed to ensure that at least one of his people were with them after all. But he couldn't overtly make it so either. He couldn't push these heroes too hard, if only for the potential future issues they would incur. They were laughibly weak…well at least three of them were. But if the legends held true, then their growth would be absolutely monstrous and would quickly over power even the likes of him given enough time. If they grew more powerful than even himself…than it was best not to be on their bad side.

This mentality of course ignored the ramifications of if these heroes discovered the truth. The political fallout if they happened to come across another kingdom and learn the truth was in simple terms, apocalyptic. At least with one of his people amongst them, they would not learn the truth until it was too late.

"Now, before you go heroes, a final gift."

Before each of the hero's servants arrived. They gifted each hero with a bag of coins. Naofumi's was notably bigger.

"An apology" explained the King, his blank face hard to read "a means of better preparing you if necessary."

Naofumi smiled in thanks, still to uncomfortable to speak. In fact, most of the other heroes were. They all looked at Shirou who stood tall against the king. The sheer presence Shirou brought into the room had altered everyone's perception. The man was serious…far too serious for this to be some stupid Isekei liked Motoyasu and Itsuki seemed to believe. The king at first acted like any typical anime character. Save the world, you are the chosen, and so on and so forth. But Shirou changed that quickly. The way he stood up to the king, making the sovereign answer his questions, and the way Shirou egarded everything so seriously had altered their perception. It did not change it entirely of course; it would be crazy to think Shirou could carry that kind of power. Instead the foundation of their misconceptions had merely been shaken and cracked. How far those cracks travelled was entirely up to them…and what else Shirou managed to accomplish. The King dismissed the group, his smile so fake it wasn't even funny. Even Motoyasu gave a half assed grin in return. Hilariously enough the people assigned to the heroes already began to move out, insiting that they would meet them at the front gates. Malty tried to catch up to Naofumi, but was unfortunately behind his view. Malty backed off as she watched Rin now giving her a cold stare as Naofumi approached the Emiya family. Naofumi smiled in thanks to Sakura and bowed his head slightly.

"Thanks Sakura".

The older woman smiled.

"We won't leave you to yourself Naofumi. We will have to go our separate ways eventually, but not before we make sure you're ok."

Rin nodded.

"That was all I was saying before. Jeez Sakura."

Sakura merely smiled at her sister.

"I know."

Sakura felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned to see Itsuki blushing a bit.
"I….i uh hope you don't mind if I come along?"

"Of course not" smiled Sakura "right Shirou?"

"Of course" he smiled back "Motoyasu, you coming as well?"

The man smiled as he came closer. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as the overbearing confidence the young man had yesterday seemed to be gone. Whatever he seemed to be doing yesterday was not happening today thankfully.

"Sure. Sakura had a point after all. Just separating when we're supposed to be working together during the waves is a little much. Didn't even think about it honestly."

"Same" said Itsuki.

The boy swallowed as he rubbed his shoulder. The king was literally reciting the game word for word, a sign of just how often the young man retreated into his game, until he made the offer about medicine to Shirou's sister. If this was truly the game world…than wouldn't the king have followed the script? After all that was what Itsuki did, or at least tried to. The fact that the king behaved like a real person was also a little alarming. Was he truly in a game? The boy felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to see Shirou looking at him.

"You alright?"

Itsuki swallowed and nodded.

"We are in a dangerous place now" stressed Shirou "I lack your knowledge of this world true…but it doesn't change the fact that this world is dangerous. Please…try to take it seriously. I'd hate to see you get hurt simply because you weren't prepared."

If someone like Naofumi or Motoyasu had said that, Itsuki would have been insulted. But Shirou…the way the older man looked at him with genuine concern that was absent from any parental and authoritve figure in his life…it wormed its way through Itsuki's barriers.

"T-thanks Shirou."

The older man patted Itsuki on the shoulder.

"Yesterday you mentioned a Dragon Shrine? Would you be able to take us there? I'd rather we get all our shopping and preparations done before heading to the field those…adventurers told us about."

Shirou couldn't help but feel that for so called warriors, that everyone within the group was green. The way they carried themselves, the lack of callouses on a great majority of them, not to mention the lack of experience they seemed to possess…Shirou knew there was the possibility that he could be wrong. Yet, the experiences of countless heroes had shown Shirou just how true warriors carried themselves. Unless every individual was some kind of high-level ninja capable of altering their entire body language and mannerisms for long periods of time than they were all green as fuck.

In other words…just kids.

Shirou narrowed his eyes. He couldn't get too judgmental yet. Ilya was one thing, but the natives of this world had customs and practices that Shirou knew nothing about. To judge them for deciding what was too early or too old to join what could be a life-threatening profession was not for him to decide…even if the thought of kids Itsuki's age dying made Shirou's stomach flip.

Funny how his own misadventures at Itsuki's age mattered little Shirou's opinion. A hero Shirou was indeed, but the man was also a hypocrite who only lived due to Avalon and Saber. In this instance…one could say his hypocrisy was warranted. The group began to move. Ordinarily Rin would be holding the reins at the moment, but for now she decided to go a different route.

"Shirou I'll be sticking with Rider. I want to take a look at these so-called medicines that we are getting and check out the library if I can."

Shirou understood immediately why. Rider, for all her power, lacked the ability to preform most standard mage craft, both of her own time and theirs. Sakura too lacked the knowledge for structural analysis, a key component in both Shirou and Rin's magic, as her education was….fucked shall we say. Out of the two of them, Rin was the optimal choice to analyze the complexities of another worlds medicine and discern their effects on Ilya's health…even if it was likely that she may not know either.

"Be safe, all of you" smiled Shirou.

Rin scoffed, but her blush was plain to see. Rider merely smiled as she adjusted Ilya once again. The girl's eyes blinked open, before shuttering close again.

"She's almost there" sighed Rider.

Rider didn't say anymore, instead following Rin to a maid carrying a rather large sack. The poor woman was struggling to hold it up, but was admirable in her attempt to do so. Rin, thanks to reinforcement, carried the sack with ease and asked the maid for the library. Already the maid jumped to attention with Rin and began to lead her to the collection of tomes. Shirou smiled and shook his head.

"Ready to head out?" smiled Motoyasu.

"Where to first?" asked Naofumi "apparently we have the whole day to check through everything."

"First we need supplies" began Shirou to the others "armor, food, maps, anything we can think of that's useful we should get."

The way the man carried himself made Motoyasu ask something.

"Say uh Emiya."

"You can call me Shirou Motoyasu."

"Oh cool. Then Shirou…are you a soldier? Seem waaaay too uptight to be a normal civie. In my world when you turned 23 you had to join the army for a year. When my brother came back he was all serious and direct like you are now."

Shirou struggled to answer but Sakura did so easily enough.

"You could say he was a soldier of fortune. A mercenary. He only took certain kinds of jobs though and usually in service to his government."

Sakura failed to mention that said "government" was merely the clock tower and not his actual home country.

"…Dude I was just taking a shot in the dark but seriously?" muttered Motoyasu.

Itsuki just looked like he had stars in his eyes. Shirou was admittedly uncomfortable with the look he was receiving from the younger boy but he held strong.

"I took jobs to gather resources for Ilya's treatments and medicine" stated Shirou "I didn't really do it for myself. But enough about me, what I'm more concerned about is supplies like I said. After today we won't be seeing each other for a while. I want to make sure you guys are as prepared as possible. Do you have any experience camping and travelling by foot at all?"

All three them gave shaky smiles. Shirou nodded, understanding perfectly. Most people wouldn't have such experiences when such travel was unnecessary for the most part after all. It was nothing to be ashamed of. As such for the entire way there Shirou began to educate them on essential travel tips, answering any questions he could. How to make sure they were safe from predators, how to hide the scent of food to prevent attracting said predators, optimal camp sites, the importance of pacing oneself and going at a good pace. It wasn't long before the legendary heroes found themselves in the city. Sakura made sure to hold Shirou's arm. She was not a silent observer though. While she certainly lacked Shirou's travel experience, it wasn't as if she stayed home all the time. She actually went on a few of Shirou's mission from time to time. She made sure to mention her opinions on certain things and corrected Shirou on things he may have forgotten.

"So this is the city" muttered Motoyasu "ya know when I saw the toilet I thought the place would be a bit more advanced…man never thought I'd say that."

"Didn't you say this world was a game to you before?" asked Naofumi.

"Well yea but still! Didn't know the game had toilets so I thought things would be different!"

Itsuki just smiled, enjoying the atmosphere for what it was.

"Tell me about it. OOOH!" smiled the boy "the weapons shop! We can go copy everything there before leaving."

Shirou immediately put a stop to that, but not for the reason some would think.

"Going in and copying the shops weapons without asking is just begging for trouble."

"Not to mention just incredibly rude and wrong" thought Shirou.

"Perhaps we can pay the owner a small fee to copy their weapons? It's not as if we are taking said items in the first place" offered Naofumi.

Itsuki shrugged.

"The weapons available in shops are all beginner stuff. We'd never come back here for anything they carry no matter how good they are. The weapons you get from absorbing the bosses are the end game stuff you want anyways!"

Shirou blinked.

"Absorbing…what now?"

Motoyasu smacked his head as he noticed Naofumi and Shirou's confusion.

"Right right, you guys don't know shit. When you defeat an enemy in the game you can absorb them for stuff like experience and gold like any normal game. But in ours you can also unlock weapon forms by absorbing monsters, gaining weapons that are more effective against them. In some cases, you even get unique weapons depending on the creature. It's why depending on the weapons available in the stores just limits you. They're great for the beginning but as you defeat stronger monsters it's just easier to use the monster forms as I call em."
"Is it just monsters that you can absorb?" asked Shirou.

"That was all the game would let you do" shrugged Motoyasu.

"Right. Best to experiment with this sword and see what exactly they can absorb." thought Shirou.

"I see" muttered Sakura "but what about armor?"

The spearman blinked.

"….you'd go to the….oooooh now I get it."

Itsuki pursed his lips. The game didn't let you talk to the store keeper, you just entered they said their line and off you went. You'd return to buy armor and items without an issue even if you copied their items…would this experience be different too? Itsuki decided to trust in Shirou's opinion so far. His foundations regarding his understanding of the world had already been skewed anyways, might as well use this interaction as a test of sorts.

"Alright lets ask!" smiled Itsuki.

"We have like 400 pieces of silver" said Motoyasu "if I remember correctly each piece of silver is like 100 coppers and 1 gold is a 100 silver."

"Interesting" muttered Shirou.

He looked to the side as the group entered the weapon's shop and noticed that a restaurant had their menu in the open. He didn't understand a word of it, but the numerals were the same as his world. It was 15 C for a meal.

In other words 1 silver piece could feed an individual for a small amount of time.

"Welcome we-…the legendary heroes!" muttered the shop keeper.

The man was tall and well built. His easy going demeanor made even Sakura smile.

"Welcome to my shop, the names Erhard! How can I help you."

"We were wondering you'd allow us to use the weapons feature to copy forms from your shop" smiled Sakura "we are more than willing to pay you."

The man blinked and stared at them.

"So let me get this straight…those weapons of yours COPY other weapons."

"That's right" said Shirou.

"….and you're willing to pay me for that?"

Itsuki decided to try something. He always wanted to be the hero, the center of attention. This was also a good way to see if the game's dialogue was truly that different.

"Well it's wrong to steal isn't it?" said Itsuki.

Erhard blinked…than blinked again. Then he began to burst out laughing as he walked forward. He hit the younger boy on the back and wiped a tear from his eye. Motoyasu laughed along while Shirou and Sakura smiled.

"AH! Now that's the spirit! I like you kid! Let's haggle."

"We'll give you 100 silver pieces from each of us" stated Shirou.

Erhard blinked.

"That's…".

"More than enough for materials and food correct?"

Shirou was banking on one thing occurring. Something Rin had taught him a LOOOOONG time ago. The beauty of haggling.

"That's way too much" scowled Erhard "whoever told you that is a dumbass. Look how about I throw in some armor for you guys and some tools."

Shirou nodded. It was likely that the populace would jack their prices the second they say nobility and the heroes. After all the two would normally have money to burn.

"Dude are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Motoyasu.

"We're allowed to copy all the weapons in his store, gaining armor, getting tools, and now have the ability to return shopping here whenever we want" stated Shirou "not to mention that he seems honest."

Motoyasu shrugged.

"True, most of the armor I see here is like 90 silver anyways."

Itsuki however was staring at Erhard.

"He…didn't act like he was supposed to" muttered Itsuki.

The boy swallowed as the full weight of what had happned to him began to sink in. This wasn't a GAME world…but a completely different world. A world filled with monsters and waves. Shirou's warm hand rested on Itsuki's shoulder.

"Come now" smiled Shirou "it's best we find you some weapons and armor. Are you experienced with the bow at all?"

Itsuki smirked.

"Not really but I never miss."

Shirou gained a look of disappointment from Itsuki's declaration. The boy felt something hit in his chest and he blurted out his next sentence.

"No seriously! I have esper powers that give me superhuman accuracy!"

Shirou blinked.

"Oh. That's incredible, can you show me when you hit the fields? I'd like to test this just to make sure."

Itsuki nodded, basking in Shirou's smile. Sakura placed a hand on her stomach and smiled to herself, Shirou's actions just cementing her belief that he would be an excellent father…if a little distorted.

"Wait you have super powers!?" barked Motoyasu "That's just bullshit! All I got is a stick with a pointy end on it!"

"Well I have a shield" muttered Naofumi.

"….Oof good point" muttered Motoyasu.

Shirou turned his attention to them.

"The shield is a weapon for defending yes, but that doesn't mean it cannot attack."

"Look Shirou, I appreciate you trying to help out shield boy here, but the fact is that the shield has zero attack stats, whatever he hits with it won't do damage."

"Stats?" asked Shirou.

Both him and Naofumi blinked as their Status page came back up. However, now Shirou could see his actual stat page. Motoyasu chuckled as he explained.

"See weapons don't level like we do. Instead we can enchant them to make them stronger! We all have a variety of stats with different points in them. The most you can have at level 1 in any one stat is 10. The shield class has a ZERO in attack power but exceeds the ten in defense. That's why Naofumi can't do damage. It isn't because he's weak or anything, but because he LITERALLY can't. You can get stats through equipment bonuses and stuff but none of the shields in the game ever had attack stats."

Shirou was severely beginning to doubt Motoyasu's knowledge, at least with his stats anyways.

Shirou Emiya:

Attack: 50

Defense: 10

Agility: 25

MP: 210

HP: 150

Unbenowst to Shirou was that unlike the game, whose stats were logically restricted to prevent broken characters, these stats reflected the true physical capabilities of the individuals present. Motoyasu and Itsuki, who led rather uneventful lives, would find their stats average, much like the game. Itsuki had a higher agility stat than normal while Motoyasu enjoyed a higher defense and attack than expected. Naofumi's defensive abilities were stupidly high, but at a cost like Motoyasu explained. Shirou blinked as he summoned Kanshou and Bakuya. He ignored Motoyasu's eyes bugging out as he checked something. Yesterday he noticed an equip bonus with his favored duel swords. Did that mean? When Shirou inspected the blades once more, he was surprised to find that the interface had changed somewhat.

Kanshou and Bakuya

Quality: Masterpiece

Base Attack: 150 X2

Equip Skill Bonus: Duel Wielder (Unmastered)

Equip Stat Bonus: Attack 40. Agility 25. Defense 35. HP 20

Unique Abilities: Attraction and 45% additional damage to monsters

Shirou blinked. He noticed that stamina had changed to HP, one of his stats, much like speed changed to agility. Once he learned about equip bonuses, the bonuses got switched around as well. It would seem that the sword evolved with its user and that the interface reflected the user's own knowledge.

ALERT!

Equip bonuses can come in two forms, Skill and Stats. Once a weapon form has been used long enough these bonuses become a permeant part of the hero. In the case of stats, they are added to the hero once mastered. In the case of skills, they become usable with any weapon the hero wishes. Please note that unique abilities are unique to the weapon itself and thus cannot be mastered.

"So in other words the more weapon forms you master the more stats you can obtain" smiled Sakura "doesn't that mean Naofumi simply needs a shield that can give him an attack stat increase?"

"OK NO!" yelled Motoyasu, the smith beside him staring at the blades in Shirou's hands "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT FROM!? IS THERE SOME SECRET ROOM!?"

"OH these?" stated Shirou "they were my weapons in my world. The ones I used in combat."

Motoyasu stared at him. His face relaxed as he looked around.

"…This…come on man that's broken as fuck!? What kind of game is this?" he whispered.

Naofumi swallowed nervously as he drummed up the courage to speak. Ever since he came here Naofumi felt as if he was becoming more assertive as he needed to. Unbeknownst to the young man that he was in truth merely rising to the occasion as time went on. Naofumi's own strength invisible to himself but still very present.

"This isn't a game guys. I get that this is all a rip off of the games you have at home but this isn't it."

"….I have no idea what the hell you guys are talking about but I have a few complete armor sets you can look at. So uh, sword hero?"

"My name is Shirou."
"Alright than Shirou…can I see the swords?"

Shirou shrugged as he decided to try an experiment here. The duel wielder skill stated that it allowed him to wield two sword forms at once. If he mastered it, it would allow him to basically master two sword forms at one time, further increasing his growth. However, could he in theory keep a distance between his swords? The sword was unhappy when he tried to wield a different weapon, would the same occur if he kept it away? Last night there wasn't any problems as he went to bed.

The smith held Kanshou in his hands, marveling at the craftsmanship of it.

"This is a beautiful blade."

The smith tapped his finger against the blade, a beautiful ringing echoing out.

"Strong too. Did the legendary sword alter this in some way when it was copied?"

"Not at all" stated Shirou.

"I got a long way to go" muttered Erhard "but one day I'll reach this level."

Shirou smiled as Erhard returned his sword to him. Shirou inspected the armor sets, appreciating the craftsmanship. The truth was that he was simply humoring the smith. The armor of Archer was easily created through projection, much like the nameless bow, and as such was easy to grab. The issue was Sakura and Rin. Shirou knew for a fact those two wouldn't just sit around and wait for him to come home after an adventure. As such they would need protection of some kind. Shirou blinked as he noticed one heavy cloth set. It looked like a heavy-duty sorceress outfit, complete with a hood. The entire set up looked like an overcoat that was tight in the torso but had the coat billow out to the back of the thighs. There was a hood and the left arm specifically had hard leather coiled around it. The other arm was not as heavily armored but from what the stand seem to signify, the other hand was to hold the large ruby red staff that curled at the top. In other words, one arm was to hold the staff, the other to attack with spells. A rather…odd design Shirou had to admit. But he knew Rin would love it, mainly to study the effectiveness of the staff itself rather than a need for armor. The overcoat, which seemed to be the bulk of the protection, was complimented by a pair of pants and thick greaves that were thankfully not high heeled. There was a time for fashion and then a time for practicality.

"Ahh the witch armor" smiled Erhard "great armor set that can boost magic a bit…but uh…isn't exactly fit for a man there son?"

Shirou chuckled as he handed a hundred of his silvers to the smith

"It's for my wife".

Sakura smiled but blinked as Shirou walked to another set. This one was far in the back and resonated with Sakura. Immediately she liked the armor that she saw, even if it was more a dress. A white kimono like top, a right arm covered in a black mantle that worked its way up as a hood, a pink long skirt with strong leather grieves that were heeled. Yet, when Shirou inspected further he noticed that the heels of this outfit were unusually strong.

"Ahh the Noble's wear" sighed Erhard, scratching his facial hair "got this as a commission for some noble lady that was a big into archery. She would apparently go hunting from time to time with her suitor so she wanted something fit for both hunting and courting. She loved the look but sadly her uh…suitor bit the dust rather pathetically so she never came to pick it up. It's just sitting dust here so I can sell it to you for a 50% discount."

Shirou looked at Sakura who blushed at being caught so enamored with the dress.

"Sold" said Shirou.

There was a time for fashion and a time for practicality. Shirou unfortunately suffered the same fate many a man had suffered before. The begging eyes of their lover. God speed young hero. God speed. Sakura smiled as she took the outfit (Imaginary Around Sakura Outfit).

"Just to let you know its got some bow enchantments and what not" said Erhard "I don't mind the sale but are you sure the lady can make full use of it?"

"Sakura is a master archer" smiled Shirou "she'll make full use of it and more."

ITsuki blinked at that.

"She is?"

Shirou nodded, eyeing the boy's new look. A little flashy to Shirou, but than again so was most of the heros clothing that Shirou kenw of. Cu wore a blue body suit for crying out loud. Motoyasu even had a damn cape on. Naofumi still seemed to struggle to pick though.

"Hey now no need to rush" smield Erhard "my deal will always be available. Why not uh…copy some shields and come back tomorrow?"

Naofumi smiled.

"Thanks sure. It's just…I don't really know what to look for you know?"

Motoyasu smacked Naofumi on the shoudler.

"Eh come on man just pick whatever works for ya. If you don't end up liking it than just buy one that you do like!"

"I like this mans attitude!" smiled Erhard.

Everyone knew the only reason he did was due to the scent of money. Sakura exited the dressing room with a florish, her down for the moment.

"It fits perfectly Shirou."

Motoyasu blinked. Itsuki blushed horribly as the poor boy turned around while Naofumi smiled.

"It looks good" he said.
Sakura smiled at the genuine praise from the younger man. Shirou merely smiled.

"You look beautiful".

It was a simple sentence. But it carried the full weight of Shirou's affection.

In other words, it hit the other two of them like a fucking truck…again.

"Friggen normies" muttered Motoyasu.

Yet the smile on the older boys face was plain to see. It was nice to see two people so genuinely in love. Sakura blinked as she noticed a armor set hidden in the back. It was half finished obviously, as the upper body was not yet completed. There was a kimono top, but it looked to straight to ever be worn properly, almost as if Shirou would simply hold it over his shoulder. Heavily armored leggings and a hakama were visable as well.

Sakura grinned, just imagining Shirou in it.

"I think that concludes everything we need here" smiled Shirou.

Sakura smiled demurely and gestured to the outfit at Erhard. Erhard blinked and was about to speak, but smiled as he noticed Shirou's complete obliviousness to it. The man gave her a thumbs up. In truth he had gotten through all these kids 450 silver for only three armor sets. A total super steal. Not to mention the thought of how business would explode after people learned the legendary heroes shopped here. A half finished armor set that no one wanted? Psh he'd give them money to take it so it was no skin off his back.

"Why don't we go to the church now" said Sakura "than after words we can split up and get the rest of our supplies. Those adventurers are waiting for as at the fields later on."

Shirou blinked, having forgotten about that entirely.

"A good point. Erhard, is there any good travel store nearby?"

"Well there's always Fred's."

They all blinked.

"Yes that's his name, why does EVERYONE blink at that" muttered Erhard "guy owns what he calls a "General Store" stuffs it with all sorts of stuff. He almost always sells out so it might be best to hurry on over there after that church buisness."

Shirou didn't miss the way he was so dismissal of the church. Most medieval towns such as this centered on religion. Not all mind you but enough that it was a common central point of any burgeoning society. To have someone disinterested was interesting. For it signified that the religion in the area was not so wide spread. There would always be those who disagreed or rejected religion, but complete uninterested was a more interesting reaction due to what it could imply. The group set out, leaving Shirou alone with his thoughts.

"So the church isn't all powerful" thought Shirou.

It would explain why the church was constantly at the King's side. If there power base wasn't secure than they would be doing all they could to be useful to the king in order to protect themselves. From what little Shirou could gather they seemed to venerate the heroes…the church of the sword bow and spear. Shirou narrowed his eyes. The excluded the shield but for what reason?

"Shirou" whispered Sakura.

Shirou blinked and turned to Sakura. His lover smiled as she pointed down the road. Shirou blinked as he looked at the cathedral before him. Shirou also noticed that the others were a little behind him. Before he could ask why a priest moved down the steps.

"Welcome heroes welcome!"

The priest smiled brightly, but once again a reaction agaisnt Naofumi occurred. The second the priests eyes landed on him the smile dimmed and their eyes narrowed slightly.

"Welcome to the church, how is that we can help you today?"

"We would like to connect to the dragon shrine please!" said Itsuki "and get a bit of its sand."

Shirou blinked.

"Why a bit of its sand?"

Itsuki grinned mischievously.

"Wait and see!" he chuckled "it will be worth it. I found out about in my third play through."

"I almost forgot we could request that" muttered Motoyasu "man I've been forgetting a LOT of stuff lately…maybe it was the truck?"

Shirou was really starting to worry about Motoyasu. Anyone and their grandmother could see that the guy was trying too hard to sell that story.

"Of course of course follow me!" smiled the priest.

Shirou narrowed his eyes as they walked up the steps. Itsuki hadn't taken notice yet but Motoyasu was looking at Naofumi, the poor man struggling to understand why everyone seem to hate him. In a rare show of compassion Motoyasu clasped Naofumi on the shoulder. In another world such observations were ignored, as Motoyasu simply cared about being transported to his favorite game. Yet, as many things have shown, this world was not shaping up to be like his favorite game at all…merely the same set-up at best. For once…the idiot was paying attention. The priest explained how the heroes would connect with the hour glass with Itsuki going first with a bright smile. As he finished bonding with it a nun came around the back with a small satchel of sand. Itsuki wasted no time pouring some over the jewel, watching the purple sand get swallowed into his sword. Shirou noticed that Itsuki kept a bit to himself left over, for whatever reason. Motoyasu did the same on his turn, so Shirou mimicked them. As he connected to the hourglass he noticed two things. The first was that the timer was indeed set for three months.

The second was that the purple sand had unlocked a rather crazy sword form.

Sword Form: Teleportation Sword, Unlocked!

Teleportation Sword (F1): This sword has the power to teleport the hero and 2 companions to any location the hero has previously visited! Attack 3. Unique Skill: Fast Travel

Shirou blinked at the fact that the form had unlocked a node within the legendary sword. Unlike Kanshou and Bakuya, whose node simply appeared outside the tree within the menu, the teleporting sword actually lit up. Shirou now understood the truth. The sword was evolving due to whatever he fed it. Kanshou and Bakuya were swords that were literally out of this world, as such they would not unlock a node within the sword form tree, merely create a new one. But now that Shirou had unlocked the teleporting sword, he saw that its tree could evolve into several more powerful forms. For now Shirou equiped the teleporting sword as his main for now. Motoyasu was frowning though as Naofumi finished his connection.

"My shield hero I must apologize" smiled the priest "it would seem that we have no more sand to spare. There is only so much excess sand that we can give away you see."

Naofumi wanted to say something but Motoyasu merely grinned.

"Ahh no worries!" smiled the spearman "we'll just be on our way, thanks for the help!"

His words were so cringe it hurt, but it got the job done. Naofumi was befuddled as he was dragged away while Shirou finally realized something and just waved the priest away with a smile. Shirou already knew for a fact that he would not be dealing with the church for much anymore. Just from the way they interacted with Naofumi showed their true colors. They wanted something with the three heroes and wanted to demean Naofumi for some odd reason. It was honestly petty in Shirou's opinion what they were doing. Shirou couldn't help but wonder what they would have done if Naofumi didn't have the others support? When Shirou first arrived Motoyasu and Itsuki were heavily under the impression that this was all a game, no matter how realistic it was. Thankfully they seem to be worming their way through that view little by little.

"I can't help but wonder how this group would have been if we all believed it was a game of some kind" sighed Shirou.

"I doubt it would have gotten as bad as you're thinking" sighed Sakura "but I'm just thankful we were here. If we didn't get trasnported here…than Ilya may have died. With us here I'm hoping we can help Itsuki. The poor boy just seems…so alone. Naofumi is a good man as well. I would have hated for him to get involve with politics like this."

Shirou sweated a bit as he realized that once again Motoyasu was not mentioned. The poor bastard. Speaking of which, the trio was now at the foot of the church waiting for Shirou and Sakura. Motoyasu was giving Naofumi what was left from his bag along with Itsuki. As they drew closer they heard Motoyasu grinning away.

"I don't know what's up these church guys asses but here man. I didn't need all of it and I kind of figured those church guys were gonna try something anyways."

"Same" said Itsuki with a smile.

Shirou followed suit with his own bag of purple teleporting sand.

"Guys" whispered Naofumi.

"Hey man look" sighed Motoyasu "I didn't mean to be a total dick regarding the shield. I mean it still sucks don't get me wrong, but only in the attacking sense."

Motoyasu seemed to think hard as he rolled his forehead.

"Trying to remember…RIGHT!" he declared "shield classes are stupidly tanky. They can also buff and heal too. You may not be hitting hard but you'll keep people alive and draw monsters attention. Solo play it sucks but in raids the shield class is always needed."

Naofumi seemed to brighten up at that.

"True" said Itsuki "but if this isn't the game world…than there may be a way for Naofumi to gain attack stats?"

"Unique weapons maybe?" muttered Motoyasu.

"Maybe" said Shirou, not really following too well due to the lack of gaming knowledge. He'd have to ask Ilya to explain everything in detail when she woke up.

"Hey" smiled Itsuki "what if we keep an eye out for weapons and stuff?"

Everyone turned to Itsuki. The young man, who was dead set on becoming a super hero in one version of the shield hero story, now burned brightly with a small bond between his fellow heroes.

"I mean" said Itsuki "we can just copy whatever weapons we come across right? But that's not really true for stuff we can't use. Like shields and stuff! So, what if we store that stuff to trade with each other whenever we meet up! Trading was possible in the game after all and we can just store stuff in our inventory so its not like we're missing anything."

"That's an excellent idea Itsuki" smiled Shirou.

"Yea I can dig that" smiled Motoyasu "but lets agree only to keep rare stuff and above. No sense in keeping all the common and uncommon drops around. We can just dismantle those for the materials we need."

"Guys" whimpered Naofumi "I don't know what to say."

Motoyasu smacked Naofumi on the shoulder again.

"I'm man enough to admit when I have my head up my butt dude. When I got here it was like my video game came to life! Who wouldn't want to just play and kick ass!"

Itsuki nodded, understanding exactly what Motoyasu meant.

"But shit man…the way the king went off script…and the way that smith reacted…there's not a chance this is just a game world".

Itsuki swallowed heavily. The implications fully clear.

He was dead. Sakura gave the small boy a hug, causing him to blush like crazy.

"Its alright" she whispered "you're safe here."

Itsuki lost his blush as he realized Sakura saw right through him.

"O…oh."

"smile Itsuki" said Sakura "how about you show me some more interesting locations hmm? Get your mind off all this for a bit."

Itsuki blushed a bit at being treated like a child. He was seventeen damnit not three. But still…the way Sakura motherly patted his head made the attention starved child within him preen. His mother never bothered to act this way with him…no matter what he did.

"Sure!" said ITsuki "There was a companion shop I know of that's further down! It's in a tent near the church!"

Sakura giggled as she turned to Shirou and the others.

"You guys coming?"

Shirou smiled.

"I'm going to go to that general store that Erhard told us about. Get some tents and other supplies. If we can hunt than food won't be too much of an issue so I'm more concerned with other supplies."

"I"ll head with Sakura" said Naofumi "considering how everyones been with me lately…I may need those companions."

Shirou looked at Naofumi with a new light. It would appear that the timid Naofumi had a core of steel in him. It just went to show that a passive man could be just as dangerous as an aggressive one.

"I'll go with Shirou" said Motoyasu with a smile "he might need help carrying everything. Hey Itsuki you know that Inn in town right?"

"You mean the first quest location in the game?"

"Don't know about that but it has the portly lady with green hair running the joint."

"Yea I know it".

"Cool, let's meet there to drop our stuff off and head to the fields when we're done."

Itsuki smiled and nodded along with the others. Than the younger man began to lead the others. Shirou turned to Motoyasu with a confused look.

"You didn't want to go with the others?"

"I know when I'm not wanted" smiled Motoyasu "I know I can come off as strong with others and that bugged her."

Shirou blinked and smiled.

"That's pretty mature of you Motoyasu."

The blonde shrugged.

"Not really. I had the notion of consent driven into my head enough times for it to stick. I'm uh…not the most observant tool in the shed if you get my drift so I know I make some people uncomfortable with my flirting."

Simple minded was the word that Shirou would have used but to each their own. The two began to walk to the store, talking along the way.

"If I knew she was your wife man I would have backed right off" assured Motoyasu.

"I understand" stated Shirou "but we talked about this already didn't we?"

Motoyasu nodded.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"You noticed huh?"

Shirou nodded, sensing a pair stalking them in the shadows of the alley ways. Close enough to be monitored but far enough away that only snippets of their conversation could be noticed. The issue was who was following them…and who was their master. In other words a concern that didn't have to be dealt with at this moment.

"Shirou…I…this isn't a game world is it?"

Shirou rose an eyebrow but asserted that this was NOT a game world.

"I don't get it" muttered Motoyasu "I mean…we get levels…LEVELS! A spear that transforms and follows every game logic I can think of!? STATS!? I mean how is this place not a game world!"

Shirou chuckled.

"I've never played games like that so I can't say I agree with your point. But you've seen the way the people have acted since you got here."

Motoyasu nodded.

"Can you say that everything they've said is just an…what's the term" muttered Shirou "an NPC talking?"

Motoyasu sighed.

"No" he agreed "no I can't…fuck man I really died didn't I?"

Shirou nodded.

"It would seem so."

"….Well fuck me than" grumbled Motoyasu.

The man's shoulders sagged as he stared at the ground.

"Then that means we can't trust the King huh?" whispered Motoyasu, showing tact for once.

"No…no we can't. Not the nobles, not the church, not anyone."

"Sounds boring" chuckled Motoyasu.

Shirou rolled his eyes with a smile.

"At least not until we learn more." Said Shirou "there is a lot of gaps in the story that he fed us, not to mention that the church seems…oddly apprehensive of NAofumi."

"That guy couldn't hurt a fly" grumbled Motoyasu "he's like a cinnimon roll!"

"What does food have to do with Naofumi?"

"IT's a figure of…you know what forget it not important, the point is that shit stinks."

Shirou nodded…still not udnerstanding what stating the obvious had to do with this situation.

"I'm horrible with stuff like this" grumbled Motoyasu.

"It's alright to be" said Shirou "you got dragged against your will to be involved. The way I see it you can take it easy and stay away from the politics of it all. We apparently have to fight agaisnt a wave of monsters in three months."

Motoyasu gulped. It was one thing to be fearless when you believed the world was a game. After all respawn was a thing. But when it was flesh and blood with game gimicks? Well…that brought a whole different shit ton of emotional issues. Yet, to Shirou's surprise Motoyasu's gaze strengthen.

"Now's not the time to mope" grumbld Motoyasu "if there was ever a time to grind like hell, now's the time! Cause I don't wanna die….again!"

Shirou actually laughed out loud.

"I say that's as good a reason as anyway" chuckled Shirou "there's nothing wrong with fighting to live."

"There's that but…there's also the fact that these people are in genuine danger…if what I know about the game holds any sort of truth…than we need to get stronger and quick" muttered Motoyasu.

Shirou blinked once more. First Naofumi showing some spine and now Motoyasu showing compassion for others. There was also the way Motoyasu bounced back from despair. The traits he was exhibiting…it was akin to any hero…perhaps there were more fundamental reasons that they were all summoned than capability. Perhaps each of them, somewhere buried within them, had a hero deep inside. Well some more obviously than others for sure. Sometimes the greatest change that people experience…are the ones they never saw coming. A random burst of inspiration, a near death experience, a random meeting with a stranger, so much can change a person and who they grow to be. Motoyasu began to rib Shirou a bit as they shopped. It began to shin brightly in the day, a sign that it was approaching noon when the two finished grabbing materials and supplies. Due to their status as legendary heroes and Erhards recommendation, they managed to get everything they needed and have money left over. Motoyasu was quick to bring them to the inn to store everything for the day. As they sat down at a table near the doors of the inn Motoyasu sighed in relief.

"Man what a day" he muttered.

"Not used to walking?" asked Shirou.

"You know that's not it" sighed Motoyasu "just…finding out what exactly I have to deal with was not the most pleasant thing I ain't gonna lie…but this spear chose me for a reason…and these people need help. God…to think I thought they were just pixels."

Motoyasu smiled at a serving girl and thanked her for the water she left. Unbeknownst to the spear hero, the girl practically swooned. Funny, when the moron wasn't trying to be a fake Casanova, he was actually quite the ladies' man. Perhaps it had less to do with that and more to do with Motoyasu beginning to reflect and grow as a person. Realizing the sheer situation, he had found himself in had, in small ways, altered the way Motoyasu was looking at this whole world. This was not a world in which the "hero won" just because. If he wanted to win…

Then he better earn it. Starting with learning how to actually fight.

"So…you know how to use weapons?" asked Motoyasu.

"I am proficient in most melee weapons" said Shirou "I don't mind giving you some pointers and helping you out whenever we meet up."

Motoyasu grinned.

"Jeex at this rate might as well call you Sempai!"

Shirou blinked and then frowned. When Sakura said it…it was sexy. When Motoyasu said it…it was friggen weird.

"I'd rather you not" grumbled Shirou.

Motoyasu blinked.

"You don't like it?"

"It's not that…it just doesn't ring well if that makes any sense?"

"Ahh so it bugs you."

"Exactly."
"….Well understood Sempai!"

Shirou narrowed his eyes as Motoyasu gave a shit eating grin. Suddenly the door opened and Shirou smiled, sensing Sakura.

"Sakura ho….Sakura?"

Motoyasu stood as Shirou did, his expression one of concern.

"Guys what's wrong?"

"Shirou" whispered Sakura "we spent the silver we had for this girl, can we use some the medicine the king gave us for Ilya?"

"….You what?" stated Shirou.

Naofumi was in the inn, sweating. A look of pure concern and pity was etched into his face. Itsuki looked like he threw up.

"I swear" Itsuki whimpered "I…I didn't know he was a slave trader."

Slave…

"Oh dear god" muttered Motoyasu, looking at a rail thin girl coughing in Naofumi's arms "What..what happened to her?"

"She…she was sick" stated Naofumi "and stuck in a cage surrounded by gunk and garbage! She…she kept coughing and begging and I just…we couldn't leave her there. Please Emiya can we use some of the medicine? She needs help?"

The girl blinked, realizing that she was out of the cage, her new slave seal still tingling in her chest. She looked up at the shield hero, listening to every word.

"Of course," stated Shirou "Sakura can you call Rider?"

"I already have, she should be here soon."

"They…they sold this little girl" whispered Motoyasu.

In modern society, slavery was a thing to be hated and abolished. It was true in some places of the modern world such things as slavery were still practiced but it was not as blatant as it may have once been. Like a cancer hidden beneath the skin. Not overly visible…but disgusting and destructive all the same. Motoyasu and the others also noticed one key fact.

This girl's head and tailbone had animal features. She was like Ilya.

"I think I'm gong to be sick" grumbled Motoyasu.

In another world, Motoyasu wouldn't have cared. After all, it was just a game and any slaves he came across were clean and "taken care" of in the public eye. But this little girl was covered in her own piss and the grime that came with constant incarceration. She lacked muscle from the lack of food and she looked like she was a day or two away from death. When the world wasn't a game…things such as these were not so easy to ignore. The smell, the sight, almost everything about this situation turned the stomachs of all the other worlders…after all?

Were they not heroes.

"This is sick" grumbled Motoyasu "who the….who the FUCK!"

"The seller was…he tried to offer money for Sakura" whimpered Itsuki "said something about…experienced slaves being worth more?"

The entire inn felt a chill so cold it bore into their souls. Shirou's eyes glazed over as a single prerogative took hold.

"Where. Is. He." Growled Shirou.

Sakura placed her hand on Shirou's chest and shook her head.

"Now is not the time. We must worry about Raphtalia."

"I…I can walk" whispered the girl "you don't need to carry me I'm…I'm".

Naofumi shushed her.

"Quiet, save your strength. We'll get you medicine soon."

"I feel *COUGH* *COUGH*"

Naofumi frowned even deeper, his empathy unrestricted thanks to a certain lack of events. The patrons of the inn blinked in surprise. Some were increadibly racist to Demi-humans and left the establishment, but the owner, like many across Melromarc, simply didn't care about race. It was funny how that worked. While the country itself was considered a human supremacist country, many within its borders simply didn't care, only wishing to live their lives. Unlike many restaurants across the main capital, the owner came out with soup and some water.

"Set the girl down on one of your beds" she growled "holding her like that isn't doing any favors. Damn slave market. Fucking hate this place".

Shirou blinked at the owner…and quickly noticed that between the tuffs of her green hair…

Were two short scars even spaced from each other. Shirou's expression turned blank as he realized just how fucked this country was on race. Motoyasu was rummaging through their supplies looking for something.

"I got a half decent pillow!...uh no offense" he muttered.

"None take, most pillows we got are crap."

Naofumi and Motoyasu carried Raphtalia up the stars while Sakura was looking at the floor, Itsuki looking at her with worry.

"Are….are you ok?" asked the boy.

Sakura took a breath.

"….I will be."

Without a word Shirou hugged Sakura, holding her tight.

"I…I'm so sorry" whispered the boy.

"Don't be" said Shirou "you didn't know."

"You…aren't gonna say I'm lying?"

Shirou looked him dead in the eye and the boy froze.

"I don't know about other people…but you havn't given me a reason to think you're lying. So no Itsuki…I trust you."

ITsuki let the words echo in his head. Years of scorn and apathetic parents had left Itsuki quite damaged and unwilling to truly empathize with people. But sometimes all you needed was a bit of affection to remember that the world could be just as bright as it was dark. Before Itsuki could say a word Rider showed up…with Rin in tow holding on for dear life off Rider's back. In Rider's hands was a sack and in one arm Ilya was still sleeping. Her hair was a tragedy though.

"There's a bed for Ilya upstairs" said Sakura, separating from Shirou.

Rider didn't need another word. Rin hopped off, shaking her arms to get feeling back. Rider travelled up the stairs, the sack of medicine firmly in her hands.

"….So, you took them to a slave market" said Rin, glaring at Itsuki.

"I swear I didn't know" said the boy "in the game it was a companion center! You went and bought stuff like monster eggs and hired mercenaries! That…that guy threw in an egg for Naofumi to. He has it in a satchel. When we got there it…it was nothing like the game at all."

Itsuki swallowed a bit of bile down his throat. Slavery was EVIL. There was no other word for it. In his world slavery was utterly and completely rejected ANYWHERE. It was thoroughly eradicated and quickly stomped out. In Itsuki's eyes…that slave trader may as well have been the devil. Funny how perspective can change people. In a different story without Shirou, Itsuki wouldn't have bothered enjoying other peoples company…and would have never seen the true horror of slavery. He would have simply hunted bandits and some no name slavers.

But this was different.

Rin looked like she wanted to say something but kept it to herself.

"I'm going to check on this girl. Out of all of us I'm the only one that can diagnose her with anything."

After all the shit that Shirou had put them through Rin had learned to medically diagnose some simple things through structural analysis on a person. Had to when your idiot of a lover would say it wasn't a problem…only for their shin bone to be completely shattered. Rin still had trouble wondering why Shirou thought it was a good idea to hide such an injury in the first place but whatever.

Rin scowled as she began her trek up the stairs.

"Slavery" she grumbled "…".

Shirou smiled as he watched her go up. Out of everyone here…Rin was probably the only one who was already thinking of ways to destroy the slave traders in one fell swoop. For all her talk of priority and pragmatism…she was funnily enough usually right by his side in the think of things…they all were. Shirou gave Sakura one last hug before turning to Itsuki.

"It's gonne be alright."

"Will…will Raphtalia be ok?"

"I don't know" said Shirou "the fact she can move is a good thing so I doubt she'll be dying. But it depends on if she has diseases or not that is the issue. Come, let's see if there's anything we can do to help."

Shirou, in the back of his mind, made an important decision that day. One that would affect Melromarc for the rest of its kingdom's history. For you see Shirou had decided that the slave trade?

It needed to die.

Welcome to a world whose fate has changed…and the consequences those changes bring…till next time dear readers.

END.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. As you can see I spent most of the chapter really emphasizing the differences between this world and Canon. Why? CAUSE FUCK CANON XD. Enjoy the story that I will weave for you guy and watch as Shirou and crew change the world around them, for both good and ill!

Next chapter update: Arcane Craftsman.