12 Chapter 12: Hicks
Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi
Edit 1: Changed the dialogue at Ken's entrance a bit with correcting the fact that Archer can't know of a person's identity from just seeing their weapons—unless that person is a Heroic Spirit who Archer has extensive knowledge on their history and weapon.
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As time passes, memories tend to fade, they become blurry and twisted; before being completely forgotten in the depths of the mind.
The tragedies, precious moments which made him smile, laugh, rage or cry, turned to dust. Even those he once knew, became broken shards of unrecognisable shadows and faces.
Yet despite all this, some memories stay untainted, memorable to the tiniest of details.
But his memories were… complicated; to say the least.
Sometimes, Archer wished he could just start all over. To truly forget his past, with a clean slate and just live a normal life.
Even though it was something he would never be granted.
A dream, a wish, a desire above all else; just like every other Heroic Spirit who heeds the call of the grail.
Some wished to be alive once again.
One wished to change history.
A few wished to be reunited with their loved ones so on and so forth.
For Archer, he used to desire the death of his past self, to cause a paradox strong enough to erase his existence and free himself from his duty.
A desperate effort, a selfish goal, but it was not the outcome that he had expected.
But oh well, that was the past.
He had changed and as some would say, turned over a new leaf.
But had he really?
Or was he just subconsciously clinging to a promise out of desperation…
Archer didn't want to know the answer.
He had learned long ago that some things are best left unsolved.
{Break}
-Thorne-
In the bathroom of the main palace, where the deity all of the common folk worshipped, the absolute ruler of Eostia, was Celestine Lucross.
Wearing nothing on her person, she sat comfortably inside the marble sauna pool of the palace bathhouse. Wet droplets cascaded down her form that offered a vision that enticed any mortal to gaze on her form. Even her loyal maids, who have been by her side for most of their lives, could not stop themselves from gazing on her with desire and want, as their faces burned with embarrassment from these feelings for their goddess. With fair skin that showed no sign of blemishes or scars that could ruin this perfect beauty and a delicate face that could charm any person with just a smile, she truly was a Goddess in mortal form. Nothing was obstructing the view of her naked ample breasts that could rival most women in their size, with cherry pink nipples that looked delectable to taste, and push some to just grab a handful for all their worth and a curvaceous body, a toned form that was neither soft nor hard, wide childbearing hips, a bottom that could gather the attention of any passerby as they watched her leave and not a single ounce of body hair was visible on her form.
She was the dream of many men and women who would fight wars to obtain.
Truly, the handmaids felt blessed to see this perfect view everyday, as well as tormented to never be able to touch other than their dreams.
While viewservants enjoyed the view of their leader's perfect form, Celestine didn't pay attention to anyone in the room, as her mind was lost in her thoughts.
Or rather, the haunting memories of the youth she saw in her dreams as they continued to haunt her everyday. The tainted flames always felt like they were burning her skin, the ashen-filled air damaging her lungs with each passing moment, yet she couldn't bring herself to leave the child each time she saw him traverse that hellish world.
Even when the pain started becoming more real with each passing visit, she would always be by his side, hoping to comfort him in his struggles. At first, she was intangible, a mere phantom in the nightmare which did not belong to her to begin with.
But last night was different. Along with the increasing sensation of pain, the struggle to breathe in the smog, she felt her touch on the boy's face at the end of the dream.
To say Celestine was overjoyed with relief would be an understatement.
So she brought him closer to her chest, pressing him deeply against her while caressing his vibrant red hair, shielding him from the cursed fire, and singing him a lullaby to soothe his torment; till the smoke filled her lungs and the nightmare had ended. When she woke up that morning, Celestine no longer felt as horrible or as useless as she did before.
She felt warmth course through her body as if the violent flames turned into a gentle ember and seeped inside her core.
"Just who was that boy?" Even while floating in the bath, she brought up a painting she drew herself of the young child. The boy's face was drawn to the slightest detail, including his empty amber eyes and his dark red hair.
No one knew about her recurring dreams aside from Claudia, her loyal confidant and best friend. She felt as if the Gods were desperately trying to convey a message to her—going as far as to slowly recreate the sensation as well—but she remained oblivious to the true meaning behind the dreams.
Was this boy someone she was destined to meet?
With the help of Claudia, she had launched a kingdom-wide search party to find any male child with similar physical traits. Though not a single boy matched his features. Celestine herself only knew Maia who had red hair, she had never seen anyone else having similar features in her centuries-long lifespan.
So she sent a message to the Queen of Mercenaries to meet her in Thorne when she is free.
Was she becoming obsessed with this boy?
Maybe.
But only because she wanted to know why… why would such an innocent soul go through such a hellish life just to be abandoned by the world. Why did she continue to see him in her dreams? For whatever reason, she could feel that every time he walked forward, crawling through that painful path, a road filled with bloodshed, betrayal, and absolute despair was awaiting him.
Maybe his fate is tied to the fate of Eostia?
She touched the drawing, reminiscing the sensation of caressing his face.
"Celestine-sama." One of her handmaidens came into the room and bowed respectfully.
"Yes?"
"Kin-sama has requested your presence, he's waiting in the Throne room. He claims to have found a solution to seal away the Dark Queen's power and is waiting for your approval." That drew Celestine's attention.
A way to counter Olga's power? She never thought this possible, her main source of control and power over the demon army is her castle. To seal away her power was only possible through literally dethroning her. But aside from that… there was no other way she was aware of that could seal her powers. It made Celestine curious about what the young prodigy had in mind.
"I'll be there in a minute."
Gently placing the parchment safely away with her magic, the handmaiden that arrived and all that were still present, were awed by the breathtaking sight of Celestine Lucross exiting the bath.
Not noticing the gazes that were locked on her form, she slowly pulled herself out of her personal bath. She moved to grab one of the towels that was set closed by, and proceeded to dry herself off.
They watched with a mesmerising gaze, as they watched her caress every inch of her form. With each movement, they felt their hearts quicken and their cores burn, as they watched their lady complete such a normal task.
They watch her hands move to dry off her breasts, as they sink into the malleable flesh. Before she slowly moved down her tone stomach and between her smooth shaved nether regions. Then she continued to dry off her long smooth legs, as she bent down to reach the rest of her legs, and presented her heart-shaped derriere. They were granted the view of her smooth and bountiful behind, as well as her puffy lips.
"Ahem."
The women were finally able to snap out of their trance, and noticed the smile that Celestine was giving them.
They felt their faces burn in embarrassment at being caught, and almost died with shame when they heard their lady's beautiful laugh.
"It's okay everyone, it isn't the first time something like this happened," stated Celestine, trying her best to stifle her giggles while hiding her form with the towel. She felt a little better from the situation, and will be able to enter the meeting in a better mood.
"Come now everyone, let's not keep our guests waiting."
Giving them one last smile, she turned around and proceeded to exit the room, not bothering to hide her back from her flustered maids, who didn't even try to keep their eyes from looking lower.
Truly, their benevolent goddess was the best!
{Break}
-Kingdom of Ken-
In all of Eostia, Ken was known for its beautiful countryside that surrounded the Kingdom. Beautiful verdant hills, fields of flowers and trees covered the land, which helped to create a peaceful scenery.
It was relaxing enough for our red bowman to be caught napping under one of the trees, his horse was nearby grazing after a long journey. They were close enough to Ken's entrance gates where he could easily survey the long line of people entering and exiting the fortress.
"Mnnn…" Archer groggily woke up from his short nap. "That dream again…" He wasn't new to his recurring nightmare of the Fuyuki fire that was caused by the fourth Grail War. For as long as he could remember, the dreams would haunt him regularly every few other months. But recently, they kept coming back each day since he had arrived to this world; which was new to him as well as worrying.
"Was there… someone else besides me?" He knew that it sounded crazy, but with his recent dreams, he kept feeling as if he wasn't alone. Not counting the screaming cries of help from the trapped people who were burning alive. Archer touched his face, feeling what seemed like a phantom caress from someone, and what felt after a long time in his existence… he felt comforted.
"Just what is going on here? This can't be a dream cycle, I am certainly not a Servant bound to a master, so I can't experience the dream cycle of someone else's life. Maybe it's the Prana-rich environment? No, that couldn't be it." He had on many occasions been summoned to an era when the Age of Gods hadn't completely ended and never experienced something like this during those times.
"It's most likely a living person who is responsible for this. This world has magical energy, meaning people can use spells I'm not familiar with. Anyways, I shouldn't be worried, I look vastly different from my past self for anyone to recognize me immediately."
Deciding it was time for him to leave, he prepared his horse and trotted towards the main gates.
It was a short ten-minute journey, though he had to wait for about an hour in line to just get to the front.
"Next!"
The guard shouted as he let the cabbage merchant pass, making it Archer's turn to step forward.
""Hn? An outlander?" The guards all focused on his face, the tanned skin and white hair the former which was not something you would see often... especially the white hair; so they were understandably a bit cautious of him. He looked a bit too much like a Dark Elf for their liking, though they were smart enough to not mistake him for one as they could see his human ears.
"From which Kingdom do you hail from?" The guard asked a bit cautiously.
"Japan, a small town of Fuyuki."
The man narrowed his eyes, "Never heard of it."
"I doubt you would, the place is beyond the sea and secluded from the rest of the world."
The guard called his colleagues and ordered them to make some quick inspections of Archer's belongings. "Do you carry any weapons?"
"I do not."
He let them search his stuff, aside from a few clothes he got from Alice and Jint as a goodbye gift, there wasn't much else.
"Do you have any other alibi of your travels? Any towns, or villages you've stopped by? I need to make sure that you're indeed a traveller and not a spy of the dark queen."
Archer told them about his stay in the village of Grünes Bergdorf and his temporary job as a cook in the Emerald Inn.
This surprised the man.
"Grünes? Have you perhaps met the blacksmith?"
Oho? So they knew Jint? "You know Jint? He's a great friend of mine and a pain in the ass when it comes to my cooking." As soon as he uttered those words, the suspicion and hostility immediately vanished and were replaced by a pleasant surprise expression.
"Ha! Of course, I know that old bull! He forged me my custom sword for my birthday! The names Sol, any friend of Jint is a friend of mine!"
Well isn't that convenient, he won't have to bribe them for a pass it seems.
"Oh! I even forgot to ask your name!"
"It's Archer."
"Eh? I see no bow." The guard looked around Archer's apparel in confusion.
"Don't mind it too much." He didn't want to go over the story concerning his name and all that complicated stuff. If he answered honestly, then the guy would only have more questions for him.
"Aye, I won't pry. Anyways, the price of entrance is three copper coins, the general rules you're familiar with applies here as well. Don't steal, don't kill, and most certainly; don't mess with any of the Kuroinu members if you want to continue breathing air. Oh, and before you go, me and the boys always hit up a couple of meads at the 'Roasting Pig' tavern. If you get the time then meet us up there, we can talk about how good old Jint is doing lately. " Sol said as he extended his palm for the entrance fee.
Archer nodded, taking out some of the real money he earned from working with Alice. She was adamant he'd take some with him or else. Which he found it to be very funny as the girl's shy behaviour contradicted how she acted around him.
"By the way, you can't have your horse inside Ken, unless you are a noble, a high ranking member of the clergy, or are willing to pay ten silver coins to be given a temporary to use your mount, I'd advise you to leave the horse at the stable you'll see after you enter the gates."
Yeah, Archer was going to leave the horse. First of all, if he paid, he would become too noticeable in his opinion. That would go against his plan of subtly gathering information in Ken.
As he paid the fee and entrusted the horse to Sol instead—giving him a couple of extra coins—he entered through the gates and finally arrived in the fortress of Ken.
And immediately, Archer was assaulted by the loud cacophony of hundreds of peddlers and street vendors selling their wares.
"Get your fresh meat here for less than five copper coins! We've got poultry, fish, and even goat meat!"
If he has the time, he'll come back to check those ingredients later.
"Get your non-alcoholic beverages and snack foods. The Red Goose stall gets to sell booze of the highest quality! No one else does!"
"Look at this piece of armour, it can even stop a full-powered strike from an Orc general! And for a limited amount of time, you'll also get a free bow! Only a true archer could weild this beauty!"
Archer severely doubted that last one, a being capable of throwing large boulders weighing several tons like it was nothing that couldn't just squash any kind of armour like it was made of tin foil. Even he would hesitate to engage with such monsters without standing a few kilometres away with his bow. While the bow the man displayed would just break in pieces from straining it too much.
Well… he did battle Hercules that one time in close combat. But that was when he was a Heroic Spirit, now he was just a human with the only boon being the slight prana support he was probably getting from the Counter Force. Even with reinforcement, he wouldn't square himself against an average Servant any time soon. Unless he was one, of course.
"Experience a wonderful time at the 'Bards and the Bees' house, where all of your most intimate desires and fantasies can come true!" A few girls clad in skimpy clothes said out loud while handing out flyers to the passing people, from men to women.
One of the girls, a woman with short cut black hair that reached her neck, wore a single red robe that only covered her intimate parts. She was quite pretty compared to most of the other workers, looking a bit more curvaceous. noticed him and had a mysterious gleam in her eyes.
Archer didn't like that look, he knew to never deal with these kinds of people.
It was the same look that Kiara had given him, before she captured him for the night.
Shivering at the memory, he quickly looked away.
Unfortunately, he was too late to leave and got caught when the young girl reached his side.
"Sir, please wait!"
Archer lamented heavily inside that he didn't want to deal with this now.
"I'm not interested." He dismissed her and continued walking.
But the girl was adamant and kept trying to get his attention.
"Sir, I can see you are an avid fan of the colour red! My name is Bianca, and as you can see I share a keen interest in the colour red as well. Why don't you visit our establishment and we get to know each other more~?" From her tone, one could see how she tried to act coy and sexy but wasn't completely used to it.
This made Archer stop and look at her with a confused expression.
"That's the best thing you could come up with? We both are wearing red and trying to establish a connection with that?"
"Eh?" Bianca was not prepared for his change of attitude and question. She was at a loss and just looked at him for the next few moments, blushing in embarrassment from the comment. "Uh-um… I—I mean, I'm sure sir enjoys other things in life. This sister is quite cultured and educated in all sorts of topics; surely we can pass a few hours exchanging knowledge." She tried to correct her previous slip up with a confident attitude which Archer saw right through it.
"Not interested." He repeated what he said before and continued, leaving the woman behind.
"Wha—wait! I can offer you a huge discount! Half price? No. Seventy percent!" Now, this was raising alarm bells inside Archer's head, why was she being so adamant with him taking her to bed?
"No."
"I can offer you some of our house's special wines! The Blue Jasmine wine is a staple of the 'Bards and the Bees'. I swear you won't regret it!"
"I don't drink." He answered even though he did drink on extremely rare occasions.
Cooking some recipes would often require some wine or beer, so he had at some point decided to try the alcoholic beverages out of curiosity.
"How about getting two girls for the discounted price of one? Belinda is one of our most popular girls! She can do this thing with her tongue that makes most people-!"
He had enough.
"I'm saying again, I'm not interested in having sex with you nor do I have the time for it. If you keep hounding me any longer, I'll call the guards." He gave her a stern look by releasing a slight amount of his prana, intimidating the girl back a few steps.
Not giving her another look, Emiya continued walking forward. It bugged him why she was being so insistent with him.
"Hm? Horses?" Out of nowhere, Archer noticed a group of people riding past him on horseback. Remembering Sol's words, it must be someone of high status in Ken.
"Make way!"
A group of men wearing leather and metal armour rode on their horses through the crowd. A man with brown short hair which reached his ears, which were unusually pointed ears, who was leading the group. Unlike the others, he didn't wear any armour, but just an open shirt that showed off his front torso and abs. On his waist were two daggers and on his upper arm was some sort of pouch.
Archer didn't need to wait to know who this person was, even though that man's weapons didn't revealed that much to him—the murmurs and whisper around him gave him enough information to get a basic understanding.
Hicks.
A high-ranking member of the Kuroinu.
And from the looks of it, he apparently knew Bianca.
And the latter certainly did not seem to be comfortable with his arrival.
"Bianca! My dear, now what are you doing on the streets passing flyers? Didn't I tell you that you no longer need to work as whore? You're mine after all." Hicks said with a smirk, approaching the two.
Even from a distance, Archer could see the girl's face turn pale when the guy got off his horse and invaded her personal space.
He certainly wasn't discreet or ashamed with his actions, as one hand wrapped around her waist and the other one went up to her breasts, Archer was beginning to wonder if things would go too far in public.
"Why don't you drop this silly task and accompany me to a private room."
"L-Lord Hicks, y-you promised to give me until I've reached adultho—"
Smack!
"Kya!"
Some of the people hiding in the crowd gasped when they saw the man slap the young girl so hard that the girl fell to the ground.
"Oh! I'm sorry my young flower! My hand acted on its own." Hick's attitude did a complete 180 and he all of sudden started worrying about her.
"It pains me, Bianca, that you imposed such a rule on poor old me. I will show you the world and its riches, make the happiest woman in all of Eostia. Why do you still object to our union?" Some of the Kuroinu members who accompanied the man snickered at their boss's dramatical performance. Though they knew that he was just having fun with his next soon-to-be girl.
"I—I made a promise…" The poor girl was doing her best to hold back the tears as she held her bruised cheek.
She resented that her beauty attracted this man of all people. She resented how her life turned upside down and in the end, she had to resort to working at a brothel to survive.
"Haaaa, yes yes, you are a girl of your word. Anyways, I'm afraid I can't spend any more time with you it seems. I am summoned to join my fellow brother and co-dragon, Kin, to meet the Goddess Reborn. I'll be seeing you soon, my sweet Bianca and you'll have the best night of your life."
"Don't forget to invite us, boss!" Some of his men shouted at the back, making everyone in Hick's group laugh out loud. Bianca meanwhile, went even paler and horrified by the second, getting horrible mental images of becoming a plaything for the group.
"Ah stop it, you fuck! You're scaring the poor girl here with your jokes."
Funny he would say that, Archer felt like the joke… wasn't even a joke in the first place. Why? Because the daggers revealed enough about Hick's character for Archer to realise what kind of despicable man he truly was.
"Oh, and I'm making an announcement. This girl is mine and mine alone, I'll be her first, so if anyone has any funny ideas… I'll make them wish they were never born!"
The man jumped back on his horse and quickly rode out of the main gates and left Ken to meet up with Kin in Thorne.
People returned to their daily lives after the sudden show.
But Bianca still lay on the ground, sobbing in despair as no one minded her situation.
They were too scared to cause any trouble with a high-ranking member of the Kuroinu. If word got out that they had contact with Hick's chosen whore and Hick ends up misunderstanding something; they could have their heads flying in no time.
The Knights?
Templars?
As if those people will leave the upper area and come to the rescue of peasants in the lower area of the Kingdom.
Let alone even believe them if they explained Kuroinu's unsavoury actions with Princess Knights giving their support to the group.
As people continued moving around, Bianca just pressed her back against a wall and wallowed in misery. Trying to regain her wits and continue to find a solution or someone that might help her.
It was over for her.
Cling~!
"Hn?" She was surprised by the sound of a dropped metal and looked forwards to see a shining golden coin roll near her feet.
She along with some of the onlookers were shocked by the appearance of such a highly valued form of currency that a few even had the idea to risk stealing the coin away from Bianca before she got her hands on it.
Unfortunately for them, the girl was too fast and snatched it up in a flash.
"Who?" As she was about to ask who could have been stupid or clumsy enough to drop a gold coin in the middle of the streets; a shadow loomed over her.
"You…"
Archer looked at Bianca for a few seconds before sighing.
"Tell me… is that offer still open?"
The street once again fell silent as everyone, including Bianca's jaw, dropped at Archer's words.
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For those curious, yes, Hicks is an existing Kuroinu character with the same rank as Kin. He's the one who... tortured Alicia.
The next 5 chapters of Snafu and Fate are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter.
