181 My SI Stash #81 - Hero Complex by SpatialPhoenix (DCUXFatekaleidliner)
-A SI in Young Justice with Fate Elements~ Berserker best class?
Sypnosis: What does it mean to be a Hero? That is a question that many have tried to answer. And now Micheal Maelstrom, an ordinary boy practically forced by an immortal vampire prankster to inhabit the body of his alternate self in a world of craziness and metahumans, must struggle to find an answer to that question. And hopefully, he will. SI. Multiple X-over elements. DC Comics-like AU.
Rated: M
Words: 22K
Posted on: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13139524/1/Hero-Complex (SpatialPhoenix)
PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)
-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)
Chapter 1
Blinking, I stared at the table in front of me.
Where the hell did that come from? One moment I was sleeping peacefully in bed and then-
"Is this a dream?", I muttered.
No... No, it was not a dream; that much I could tell almost immediately. There was a big difference between a dream and reality, a really really big difference. I had often heard that people mistake dreams with reality, but that was just impossible when you really think about it.
For example, when you dream, everything around you is hazy, a blur, almost like a hallucination, and your own thoughts are a mess. No matter how absurd the sight in front of you is, you cannot bring yourself to even consider that you might be dreaming. You just go with the flow almost instinctively, almost like a cut-scene from a video game. I know this kind of thing pretty well because I've had a whole bunch of dreams that seem like reality. Except for that one with the green diamond chicken that was dancing to the Pen Pineapple Apple Pen song. That one was just freaky.
Yet, none of them were like this... clear, crisp and cool. My mind most definitely wasn't a mess and my thoughts were all organized. To reassure myself further, I began to pinch my hand, and as I expected I felt a stinging sensation I could feel pain, which meant that whatever was happening to me was not a dream of any kind.
That startling realization left me with one question.
"How the hell did I get here?", I whispered once more, sparing a moment to take a look at my surroundings.
White... as far as the eye can see, everything is white... No matter which direction my eyes moved toward, all I could see was white... a very large white space... Nothing but a white space, a table and the chair that I was currently sitting on.
I did't like this... I really didn't like this... I mean, this wasn't a dream, as that option bit the dust since I could feel pain. And the last thing I remembered was pulling the blanket over my head to sleep and then suddenly now I was in... Wait... where the hell was I?!
"Yo!"
Out of nowhere someone appeared in front of me making me jump as he spoke. Oh God. Yes, I really did jump. Well, not like the ones you see in anime; I frantically sat up in surprise resulting in me toppling off my chair and becoming one with the ground.
"W-What the heck?!", I yelled as I landed on my butt, my eyes practically glued to the being that just pulled a Kakashi on me. My heart rate began to increase rapidly due to the surprise and for a moment I could have sworn that it was trying to burst out of my chest. I hadn't been attacked by any Facehuggers recently as far as I knew, so it was probably just my imagination.
The man... looked somewhat old... I would guess he was probably in his his forties. He was clad in a gentleman's suit with a black billowing cape, having spiky gray hair and a graying beard. He stared at me with eerie red crimson eyes that somehow seemed far older than he was, and a smirk formed on his face. I had no doubt whatsoever that he was taking amusement from my fall. Jerk.
But for some, rather unsettling, reason... He looked familiar...
"How rude, do you swear at everyone you meet?", he asked me.
I narrowed my eyes, slowly pushing myself to stand and inwardly gulping. There... There was something about him that made me feel uneasy. An aura of some kind. You know the feeling when you sit next to some stranger that bears an uncanny resemblance to a wanted criminal? Yep, that practically summed up how I felt at that moment.
"W-Who are you?", I asked, trying to be brave, but failing miserably. "And where am I?!"
Blinking his eerie red eyes at me, the man spoke, the smirk never leaving his weathered features. "Well, you're clearly a bit more polite than the previous ones. Normally, they instantly say 'Where the f*** am I old man?' and things like that."
Previous one? I didn't know what he was saying, but... It made my spine chill for a moment. What did he mean by 'previous ones'? Just who the hell was this guy?!
"I guess I should introduce myself. Surely you have heard of me before, my name is... Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg."
And I felt myself freeze the moment he declared his name...
Kischur... Zelretch... Schweinorg...?
Yeah, I'd definitely heard of him. I was not that much a fan of Fate Stay/Night, and while I found the anime amusing and fun, but I never tried to dig in deeper. All my knowledge about it only came from fanfiction I read on the internet and whatever incarnationd of it I had watched. Surprisingly enough, that was almost all of them except for Fate Stay Night itself and The El Melloi Case Files.
And from all the fanfiction that I read, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg is someone very famous for one reason...
Dimension travel...
"No way...", I murmured before taking a few steps away from him "Hell no! That's impossible! There's no way you're Zelretch! No way you're that Zelretch! He's only a character in an anime! A fictional world! Screw his Kaleidoscope! It's just stuff that people use as a reason to make crossover fanfiction and things like that!", I shouted at him, feeling panic and fear gnawing at my stomach. At this... this presence!
"Well...", 'Zelretch' mused, showing nothing but amusement towards my reaction "When you say it like that, it is rather strange, but... I'm not in the mood for pleasantries or long introductions, and since you already know me, I believe we can move onto business."
Then all of a sudden I felt myself get yanked by some unseen force. My body was flung upward, with enough force and speed to make me let out a yelp as my eyes widened, before coming crashing back down to the chair that had somehow righted itself again.
As this happened, my mind was left frantically trying to process what had just occurred, the fear and panic within me beginning to grow further. This couldn't be happening! There was not logical way this could be happening! I mean, he couldn't be real! He was a fictional character! This couldn't be real! This was probably some sick joke, right? Like that or-
"Calm down."
And I was calm...
It was very strange... One second my mind was bumbling mess, but then I felt... clear... like the sensation when you feel very nervous and afraid, but it all goes away because what you feared proved to be nothing.
"Well... While you are more polite than the other, you certainly are the first one that almost collapsed just because of meeting me.", 'Zelretch' spoke, his voice still laced with amusement as he grinned and by the Gods, I could see his fangs! I didn't prepare for extra-dimensional troll vampire meetings! "I don't know if I should feel flattered or offended but... I guess I'll take the first one." He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
Because my mind was now calm, I could feel parts of my logical brain starting to work again. Say what you want about me, but I'm a logical person, so when I was no longer panicking like that...
Regarding him as dream would only deny the reality, and that would just make me look like a retard in this situation. He's clearly was not a dream, but there was a chance... Perhaps I was hallucinating? That was actually possible, as when you hallucinate you can still feel pain.
But the problem is, I'm not an illegal drug user; I never touched drugs, especially the hallucinogenic kind, even when offered. So... had someone drugged me? But who? I mean...
I had to keep that thought process aside though, as at the moment there was another matter at hand.
"Okay. Let's just assume that you're real.", I started, my eyes still lingering on Zeltrech, who just snorted in response, as if the idea of him being fake was ridiculous. "I can list a few reasons as to why you'd come to me, and I would like to say in advance that I REFUSE whatever the heck you're going to offer."
Zelretch blinked at me for a moment, and then pouted, Gods! He actually pouted! Do you know how strange that expression was on the face of an old man?! It was... disgusting! It was just... ewww! No offense!
"But I still haven't offered you anything!", He exclaimed rather petulantly.
"Your offers are along the lines of 'giving memories of an alternate version of someone whose life goal is to be a transvestite circus clown and then implant them into your victim's personality', or replacing someone's personality with their opposite gender counterpart, or sending someone to a world where monster girls who survive through man's sperm exist just for the sake of your fun.", I said dryly, remembering a fanfiction story where he changed Miya Asama's personality and sent Shirou to a Monster Girl World. If that wasn't insane then I don't know what is. "What kind of sane man would accept your offer?"
"Hey! There are many men who would love to take that last offer you know!" Zelretch defended himself.
Doesn't change the fact that it was still considered as the insane level of funny.
"Hear me first.", Zelretch said, clearing his throat before giving me a pointed look "I have already traveled to many places, and changed many things. However, I realize after I did that... it's now a bit dull." He said.
"Dull?"
"Yes! They're all amusing and fun, make no mistake, but they all mostly have one thing in common!" Zelretch raising his index finger to me "To be a cookie-cutter Hero that shines all golden and crap and beats up the villains with no difficulty whatsoever, arrests them and lives happily ever after. And there are those that try to avoid that trope by becoming some sort of selfish I'm-Not-Sure-If-I'm-A-Hero-Or-A-Villain type that inevitably becomes a thief for some reason." He stated "And like I said before, all of them are fun to see but I want something different There's nothing wrong with the classics but I feel like there needs to be more depth!"
"And you picked me...", I said, narrowing my eyes. Truthfully, I had to admit that I wasn't the best person, but definitely not a bad one. I had a couple flaws, but if there is one thing that I could confidently say, it was that I stuck to my morals and would move mountains for the people I cared about, such as my family and friends.
"Micheal Maelstrom, second child of Gregory Maelstrom and Linda Maelstrom. Born on the 26th of July, in 2000 at Los Angeles in California, present age eighteen and now currently going to law school.", Zelretch began, rattling off my bio-data. "I would like to say more, especially about your rather saucy fetishes but it'll take more time than we have. So here's my offer! I will send you to inhabit a version of yourself in one of the numerous alternate realities. I won't send you to a completely different place like Naruto or One Piece, but rather, I would send you to a similar one to our own. But in this reality, Heroes and Villains are everywhere! Which means, your life would be in danger! But have no fear! I won't leave you without strength! I will provide you with the necessary skills to survive! Whatever path you take is up to you! I don't care if you turned into a serial killer or something equally disturbing! Just go on your life like usual and of course, amuse me-"
"I humbly refuse.", I said, cutting him off instantly, having no intention to hear his rambling any further. This made Zelretch pause on his track and blink at me owlishly. "While the idea of living in a fictional World is very tempting, I'm happy as it is at the moment." It's true, at the moment I was pretty much content with how I lived my life. Of course, I wished like any other person to better it, but none of the plans I had to do so involved supernatural forces.
I had a father and mother who loved me, a big brother who was honestly a dick, but cared about me as well in his own way. I didn't want to leave them all, especially for a World like that, a dangerous one like what Zelretch described and risk my life just to make it to the next day.
I was already content with what I had so... right now I just wanted to get out of wherever this place was and continue with my current life, as I was satisfied with it after all.
Though... I doubted Zelretch was going to accept that, as from all those stories I read, Zelretch was anything but nice in accepting refusals. The man was insane and I would not have been surprised if he outright refused my refusal and sent me directly to wherever he wanted...
"Well, okay."
Which is why his rather quick reply was a shocker.
"Okay?", I said, blinking at the acceptance. That... that was really surprising. But since I'm wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, I continued with my statement. "Then, I wish to get out of here and-"
"And you will die.", He added, prompting me to a stop.
"Die?", I asked, my voice a bit dry as I stared at him in disbelief. Did... Did he really just...
"It's not me who's going to kill you.", He voiced out as if he knew what I was thinking. "But you will die because right now your cell phone , which is only a few centimeters away from your head, will explode, burning your head instantly and therefore killing you."
"My cell phone... explodes?", I croaked out, feeling numb.
"You do realize that lately your cell phone battery has started getting errors right?", Zelretch pointed to me nonchalantly "Until now you refused to change it because you thought it was a waste of money... and thanks to that, you are going to die. Apparently there's a short circuit in your electrical cable and, well .. Boom. End of story."
"...You...", I gulped, the feeling of dread now creeping up my throat. "You're lying! You must be lying! There no way that my phone could-"
"If you think that I'm lying then by all means, just walk through that door.", Zelretch said, gesturing to our right, where I noticed a door appear out of nowhere in the corner. "It will take you back to your world, just when the explosion is about to happen and I warn you, it is not painless. When it explodes it'll melt your face, and your skull will fine, but your organs? Eyes, ears, mouth, nose and your entire face? Oh, trust me, it will hurt."
I stared at the door with an obvious sickened expression across my face. Just imagining it... It was already enough to make me cringe, as that was certainly not the way I imagined myself dying. Having my face melted while I'm still alive? Great Jesus! That was...
But for all I knew, Zelretch could be lying... He was not sane, I was aware of that, and the way he thought was very different from normal people; perhaps it was because he was already too old, his age above four hundred if I recall... So I wouldn't be surprised if he did this so he could make me take his offer.
However, until now I never read about a universe where Zelretch was portrayed as the bad guy. He trolled, being the king of pranks, but never once did his pranks result in the recipient's death. Loss of sanity and being traumatized for the rest of your life? Yes, that was the worst it could get, but death? No... Zelretch never made people die... as far as I knew, anyway.
But if I accepted his offer... It meant I would have to leave everything behind... My parents... My brother... My friends... Everyone I ever knew... though if I was indeed going to die then it really meant the same thing...
And I was not one of those types of people who weren't afraid of death. I was definitely afraid of death. Only a moron doesn't fear death, especially at a young age, like me! I'm wasn't even twenty yet, dammit! Heck! I was still a virgin!
But moreover... I felt that if I died... I would go straight to Hell...
Seeing that Magic itself is apparently real and the person who has it was in front of me, I had no doubt Heaven and Hell also existed. And I was not a religious person, but I'd often read about mythology. Not that the fact really counted for much. Yeah sure, I was a good person, but my lack of faith in higher powers would probably be a one-way ticket to Hell. And I wasn't going to think about my younger, more foolish days, when I used to actively bully people about their faith. I'd stopped almost immediately, but the sin had been done.
...
...
...
...
No... The risk was too big... It wasn't just my life on the line, but my soul as well... I couldn't go back...
Gods... I...
"Can I at least see and hug them one last time?", I asked Zelretch, my voice sounding dry and bitter on a level I couldn't fathom.
Despite the smirk still present on his face, I could see Zelretch's features softening a bit. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you touch them, as it will make things very suspicious. But see them? Yes, you can. You also can leave a message through me if you wish..."
Gods...
I couldn't do anything but stare at him. My eyes started to hurt and I could feel warm tears slowly sliding down my face. My vision became blurry as my tears shrouded them, and I held my face in my palm in order to wipe them off.
Just thinking that I would leave them that soon... I... I mean...
I wasn't ready... not at all... especially not without saying goodbye or touching them one last time...
"You can mourn later.", Zelretch abruptly stated, breaking me from my tears. "Right now I have a schedule! So are you going to accept my offer or not?!"
"... You really ruin the mood, don't you?!", I drawled out while glaring at him.
"I don't care.", Zelretch deadpanned at me. "You can mourn after I'm done with you. Anyway, I will get to the point since I am eager to see how you will amuse me. Here, eat this."
I blinked at the pink pill that he gave me; the pill was small like a normal pill, aside from the three white stripes on the middle of it. I scrunched my face in thought before looking at Zelretch. "What is this?"
"Super Pill.", Zelretch answered. "Albeit it a depowered version of it."
"Depowered version?", I questioned, blinking. "I thought you said you'll give me something to survive!"
"If I give you the full one it will make people question you and trust me, it will bring nothing but very big problems and also it's boring to watch." He said nonchalantly "Don't worry, you still can make a car dent just by punching it and also you can break steel if you want, like it's made of wafers."
I didn't really know how to respond to that... it was pretty much a huge boost in power. I mean, hello! If I punched a door it would be my fist that got hurt! But if I can now make a dent on a car...
Just what kind of place would I be going to?
"You... You're not going to send me to Dragon Ball, are you?", I asked, a bit freaked out and horrified at the idea alone. Just so you know, even if I could break steel and flip cars, that still mean nothing but CRAP in there! Add in the fact Dragon Ball was the worst Anime to live in.
I mean, come on! Every ten years there would be a monster coming to disturb the peace! Piccolo, Saiyans, Frieza, Cell, And FREAKING MAJIN BUU! ESPECIALLY MAJIN BUU!
Just what kind of insane guy would want to live there?! In a place where they could be killed with nothing but a flick! And people exist who are able to blast the hell out of planets!
"Ha? No, no, I won't send you to that monkey-ridden World.", Zelretch reassures me with chuckle. "That place is too strange for my taste, trust me. The place where you are going to go would be... tamer."
For some reason I still did not feel safe... At all.
But still, I found myself swallowing the pill. What? It wasn't like I had a choice anyway! I'd already decided to roll with his offer in the first place!
And when I did, I fell silent for a few minutes. I expected there to be some sort of strange sensation, something that would make my body burn or something like that, like all that stuff in movies but...
Nothing happened.
"In case you're wondering, you won't burst like that monkey boy or those people in anime.". Zelretch said with amusement lacing his voice, making me a little flustered. "Though, the idea of turning you into Magical Girl does sound tempting."
"SCREW YOU!"
I wasn't going to hide my anger anymore. While I had enjoyed watching Fate Kaleid/Linear where Illya and Miyu acted like Magical Girls I had no intention to become one! I'm a guy! And there was definitely something WRONG with a guy wearing a skirt! EEEEWWWW! No offense to any guy or transvestite, but... EWWW! Imagining myself in a skirt was enough to make me puke! Gross! Grossssss! Super Grossss!
... Now I felt like I had to apologize to all transvestites... Maybe I had overdone it? But... Eww...
"Anyway! Now that the first round of business is done, the next step is giving you one of these!", Zelretch said, raising his hand, and my eyes widened upon seeing what was on it.
Class-cards...
"You have strength, yes, but you don't have any skills, and trust me, you would be dead in less than month in that condition so this will solve your little problem.", Zelretch told me, his mouth curled to wide grin while speaking.
I stared at the seven cards that he placed on the table. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, Caster, Assassin. They all looked exactly like how they were in the anime or the Type-Moon Wikia from the internet.
"Does Archer contain Gilgamesh or EMIYA? If it's a yes, then I choose them.", I instantly said. There was no need to ask about any of the others, as it wasn't a secret that EMIYA and Gilgamesh's powers were the most wanted in Nasuverse.
EMIYA's power, Tracing, was a Magecraft that allowed you to copy Noble Phantasms and create Reality Marbles. I don't think I need to explain anymore why I wanted it; seriously, that man is undoubtedly powerful. I think the only reason why he lost in Fate Stay/Night at the Saber route, whilst facing Berserker, a freaking Heracles, the Son of Zeus, was because of a plot hole.
And then Gilgamesh... I also don't need to explain what was overpowered about him, right?
"Unfortunately for you, no.", Zelretch replied, rolling his eyes irritably as if he was a bit annoyed at my question. "Why? Because they're too overused, and I'm bored seeing my source of amusement shooting swords all the time!"
I certainly didn't know how to respond to that so I decided to change the topic. "Then, can you tell me just what Heroic Spirits these cards contain?"
"Nope. It won't be fun if I tell you.", Zelretch answered with that annoying grin still plastered on his face. "So now man up and pick your card!"
I gazed down at the seven cards that were offered to me. Each of these cards contained power that was enough to make me, a civilian, into some kind of individual who would be able to beat an army just by himself. Alone.
Seven cards... Seven classes... Which one should I pick?
I never delved into the art of fighting before, so picking any Card wouldn't really matter, but... if my guess was right, then maybe this card gimmick was going to work like Fate Kaleid/Linear; while it wouldn't turn me into a Heroic Spirit, it will give me their power and at least the basic skills to wield the weapons of their class.
Truthfully, I was more into hand to hand combat. While I was not a fighter, I at least knew the basics of fighting if things came down to it. But I doubted the basics were going to work, so I just counted it as none.
Saber. Wielding a sword and becoming a Knight was cool. If I was lucky, maybe I could get Arturia and gain the ability to use Excaliblast! That was certainly a very powerful attack.
Lancer... I was tempted, really. Why? Karna and Cu Chulainn. Both of those guys were literal beasts, especially Karna with his anti-god nuke. If I got Gae Bolg, that would also be very useful. However, it wasn't a secret that most Lancers I knew ended dead and have Luck that quite honestly sucks.
Archer... If there was no EMIYA or Gilgamesh then no, as I didn't know about the other Archer class Servants. If I was lucky I could get Heracles but I didn't think I would. The risk was too big, but I still considered it.
Rider... Now if I got Iskandar... Man! Imagining myself spawning Ionioi Hetairo was awesome! Ha! That was an amazing thought! Having a whole army and the power to teleport my enemy to the desert like that! Or I could have gotten Medusa! I could have rode Pegasus! That would also have been pretty dope!
Caster... I wasn't sure whether or not to pick this. All the Casters I knew were clearly not good people. With Medea and Gilles de Rais, those two clearly were not a prime example of the Caster class. However, they could do Magic, and I was sure that having magic in my arsenal would only be a good thing. Of course, Solomon and Merlin were pretty cool.
Assassin... I really didn't know about this... I mean while I wasn't a slave to the whole 'heroes don't kill' moral code, I didn't want a skill set that would give me virtually no non-lethal options. I didn't know where I was going to go, but many worlds I could list off the top of my head didn't condone killing. There were some exceptions of course, but those were very low in number. Assassins also tended to be extremely fragile, like Hundred Face Hassan, whose durability was almost akin to a norma humans.
Berserker...
"Hypothetically speaking, if I pick Berserker, the Mad Enhancement... how would it work for me?" I asked.
"It can be activated and deactivated of course.", Zelretch answered.
"You can set the timer on how long you wish to be in that state, however it also depends on your mind condition. For example, let's just say you just went through veeery bad day, and you set Mad Enhancement for fifteen minutes, due to your mind not in the right condition you will be under the Mad Enhancement for twenty minutes or so, depending on your problem." He explained.
"I see... Is there a side effect? After I'm done with the Berserk will my mind will become more... Dark?"
"Other than a headache? Nope. The moment you enter the berserk state everything would be like a dream. And when you awaken, depending on how long you went berserk, the longer, the more painful your headache would be."
Certainly, becoming Berserker was actually quite plausible. Of course, no sane man would be willing to trade his mind just for power. I, myself, found it as a bad idea; I still loved my sanity and wanted to keep it, thank you very much! But still... The potential the Berserker class possessed was great. As far I could recall, all Berserkers were strong Heroic Spirits. Such as Lancelot, Heracles, and... Spartan if I recall correctly? I didn't know the exact specifics, but the Berserker class contained many good Heroic Spirits actually...
Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, or Berserker. A warrior with sword, warrior of the lance, warrior of the bow, the one who rides the legendary beast, the one who possesses wisdom and knowledge that surpass humanity, the one who spend it's time to live under the shadow and can kill anyone without them realizing it, or the one who traded their sanity for the sake of more power.
Among these seven class cards was the one that would change my whole life, shape who I would become, and assist me in future... so the question was, which one should I take?
"Hey, if the Heroic Spirit I get can be summoned as multiple classes, then what will happen?", I asked. Many Heroic Spirits had the ability to be summoned as multiple Classes, with slightly different attributes for each one. This meant, in my case, that it was possible to gain multiple talents, if I got the right Heroic Spirit. Of course, the Skills and Noble Phantasms didn't really change in those scenarios, but there were a few possible benefits.
"Depends on the Spirit, really.", said Zelretch, tapping his chin in thought. "I can't really say. That does remind me; don't expect all your new powers to be exactly as you remember them."
"What do you mean?", I asked suspiciously.
"It's common knowledge that magic is fluid, and changes between dimensions and realities. For example, a Noble Phantasm linked to a weapon in my universe would only be usable by those who carry the weapon. However, in another, the Noble Phantasm could instead evolve the weapon currently being wielded by the user to temporarily gain the attributes of their Noble Phantasm weapon at the cost of Magical Energy.", explained the vampire, cackling with excitement.
"That's pretty cool.", I admitted.
"It is. Now make your choice quickly. Like I said, I don't have all day."
What to choose...
I mentally cycled through all the classes that were available to me gain, once more measuring the pros and cons of each option. As I did so, Zelretch began to tap his foot, impatience etched on every speck of his weathered features.
After about a minute more of heavy mental debating, I took a deep breath and grabbed one of the cards off of his hand.
"Saber.", I said calmly, my decision final.
Why Saber, you may ask?
Simple really; the Nasuverse basically proclaims Saber as be the strongest class. And with monsters like Attila the Hun, Artoria Pendragon, and Charlemagne out there, I wasn't about to try and discredit that fact. Plus their Magic Resistance and Riding skills were probably the best Class Skills that one could find. Most fictional universes had magic or some form of energy manipulation that could be loosely classified as magic, so that Skill would come in handy.
Another reason was this; It had occurred to me before, but until I realized the full significance of what that meant I couldn't have made the decision.
The thing was, I had no idea where the hell Zelretch was going to send me. If he was giving me this much of a chance to become strong, it was probably nowhere good. And if I was stuck in some version of hell, then I needed to be as strong as possible to get the hell out or at least become king of the ring. Besides, apart from the fact that I may get one of the few crummy Sabers, there were no real drawbacks. It was as good of a deal as I was going to get.
The remaining cards disappeared instantly from Zelretch's outstretched hand, and he laughed as the card in my hand began to glow brightly, and floated upward, spinning.
After a few seconds, it came to a stop, hovering in mid-air in front of me. Slowly, an image began to make itself known on the card. A man who had dark red hair that was clearly graying due to age, and golden-brown eyes much like my own. I had no idea who this guy was, but his outfit was eerily reminiscent of the Limited Zero Over Craft Essence from F/GO.
Wait, did that mean-?!
"I suppose this is goodbye, Micheal Maelstrom. You'll hear from me regularly of course, as I'll have a package with some gear you could use ready for you in a few days, and I hope you try your level best to entertain me. And survive, of course. But mainly the first one. Oh, and also be sure to have fun... Muramasa. A second chance, even a short one, is more than what many receive, after all..."
I didn't have time to respond to this revelation or the implications of that statement as Zelretch immediately plucked the card out of the air and stabbed it into my chest, making me black out.
"Onii-chan! Wake up!", called a cheerful voice, bringing me back to the land of the living with a groan.
"Five more minutes...", I grumbled, temporarily forgetting my meeting with Zelretch. I just didn't want to get up right now.
"Cannonball!", called the voice again, before something slammed into my chest, causing me to fall off the bed I was on, with my blankets on top of me along with the villain who had awoken me.
Said villain had now curled up on my chest like some sort of dog, snuggling and making itself comfortable.
"Why...?", I groaned, my eyes opening slowly to come face to face with... Miyu from Fate Kaleid?!
I kid you not, a twelve year old girl who looked EXACTLY like the Complete Holy Grail from the Ainsworth-infested Fate dimension was currently grinning at me, cautious both unbridled joy and mirth shining in her golden-brown eyes. As expected, she also had an innocent face and black hair that reached just past her shoulders. All in all, a carbon copy of Magical Sapphire's Master herself.
What the hell was even going on? I had no idea.
"I'm glad your okay now, onii-chan.", she murmured, pressing her face into my chest.
Where was I? Was this where Zelretch sent me? Why was an anime character calling me her big brother?!
Then time seemed to stop momentarily as my neurons fired, and memories began to flood through me.
I grit my teeth as some very painful events in my counterpart's self were brought to the surface, and within milliseconds I had processed and filed away all the memories of this reality's version of me, Micheal Maelstrom.
And it was then that I realized just how much Zelretch's 'deal' had screwed me over.
Zelretch burst into laughter at the look on Micheal's face when he realized just where he had been sent. He shook his head, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief. He had certainly made the right choice when going through the selection process; Maelstrom was entertaining him without even doing anything.
He held out a hand and a sheet of paper materialized on it, showing him the character biography of the DC Universe version of Micheal Maelstrom.
'Micheal Maelstrom
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Species: Formerly Human, Current Species Unknown [Designation: Pseudo-Servant]
Date of Birth: July 26th, 1992
Place of Residence: A Jack Of All Trades, Gotham City Red Light District
Abilities: Formerly None, Current Abilities Unknown, Metagene Ability Present But Locked
Relations:
Senji Muramasa (paternal ancestor, mentor, currently a part of subject's soul due to the Pseudo-Servant creation process)
Shirou Emiya (interdimensional cousin, fellow descendant of Muramasa)
Gregory Maelstrom (father) (deceased)
Linda Maelstrom (mother) (deceased)
James Gordon (godfather)
Miyu Maelstrom (adopted sister)
Selena Kyle (surrogate mother, mentor)
Ted Grant (surrogate father, mentor)
Status: Formerly Deceased, Replaced with Dimensional Counterpart of True Earth; Currently Active
Bio: Born to GCPD officer Gregory Maelstrom and banker Linda Maelstrom, Micheal 'Mike' Maelstrom had a normal life as a member of a middle class family until the Joker's attack on Gotham's Financial District in 2006, where Linda nearly immediately lost her life in the initial part of the assault, and Gregory Maelstrom later followed as one of the casualties suffered by the GCPD, having saved the life of his best friend, James Gordon, at the cost of his own. During the attack, Micheal's home was destroyed, leading him to move across the virtual battlefield that the area had become, where he rescued Miyu Sakatsuki, a young girl who had also lost her parents in the event. Taking her with him, he found shelter in an abandoned store called 'A Jack Of All Trades' in Gotham's Red Light District. In the aftermath of the attack and the subsequent revelation of his new status as an orphan, Mike decided to move on, distracting himself by caring for his newest companion, who as a mark of affection, eventually adopted his last name. Deciding to put his all into raising an eight year old Miyu, Micheal dropped out of school, and repaired the store he had found himself in, and began to run it by himself, running odd jobs all around Gotham. Over the four years that had passed since then, the two children grew closer to a woman named Selina Kyle, who ran the Tin Roof Club next door. She would eventually teach them all they needed to know about surviving in Gotham City, and would train Miyu directly, while calling in a favor from an old friend, Ted Grant, in order to grant Micheal some combat training. Ted would visit from New York City several times a year in order to train Micheal, and was the only male figure in his life after the death of his father. Due to the money he earned running 'A Jack Of All Trades', Micheal was able to send Miyu to school and provide both of them with food and shelter over those years, while he himself remained without a formal education, a sacrifice he felt was more than worth it. Unfortunately for him, Micheal's exposure to the Joker's concoction of toxins, though nearly minuscule, reacted badly with his DNA, causing him to slowly undergo massive organ degradation. By the time he had realized what was happening to him, the damage to his system had become too serious and on July 15th, 2010, a couple of days before his eighteenth birthday, he died in his sleep. However, due to the interference of Zelretch, Micheal Maelstrom's True Earth counterpart, who had suffered a similarly unfortunate death, was implanted with the Class Card of the Pseudo-Heroic Spirit Senji Muramasa, his ancestor, and infused into the boy's body at approximately the same moment he died, thereby fusing both of them and bringing Micheal back to life, albeit highly modified. He is now currently trying to understand the situation he has been thrust into.'
As Zelretch drummed his fingers on the table, reading through the sheet in his hand, his mirth seemed to grow.
"Talk about a good backstory.", he muttered. "A little cheesy, but decent enough."
Although the grin was wiped off his face when he remembered the true reason why he had sent Micheal to the DCU. He had lied; the true purpose of sending Micheal to Gotham wasn't actually for his entertainment, although that was a significant part of why he had gone through with it in the first place.
There was an anomaly in the DCU. One that could threaten the stability of the whole multiverse. One that had managed to disguise its true nature even from one such as himself. Zelretch had been ready to remove that cluster of worlds from the multiverse in order to eliminate such a threat, but realized that he could instead send a champion to that semblance of reality in order to deal with this anomaly. Of course, the entertainment he was about to get from this adventure was undeniably convenient, but it was for a good cause. After all, he had technically saved Micheal's life. In this case, Zelretch didn't feel like he was in the wrong.
Not when so much was at stake.
And it looked like this candidate would be quite entertaining. In all his multiversal shenanigans, he hadn't seen a single person who had been compatible with Muramasa of all people. The man wasn't exactly a Heroic Spirit, though he was famous enough as a smith who could rival the gods in skill. When the Card had first revealed itself to be Muramasa, he was almost convinced it had been some kind of glitch, as the legendary sword smith had only one incarnation as a Servant, in the body of Shirlu Emiya, his descendant. To his surprise, a little bit of investigation had revealed that Micheal was surprisingly a descendant of his world's Muramasa, though he wasn't an alternate version of Shirou Emiya. That had been a pleasant surprise, though Zelretch had to admit to himself that Micheal probably had the best chances of survival with this particular Spirit, whose skills were not tied to any one level of power, and could rise along with the situation. That was the beauty of Servants who relied more on magic and craftsmanship as opposed to pure power, he supposed.
Power, even that of a Heroic Spirit, meant nothing when there were beings out there who could destroy entire universes with ease.
Who knows, maybe the old man could actually achieve his dream of forging a sword that could cut fate itself in a world like that one.
The smirk slowly rose back to his lips as he moved on.
"I wonder how you'll interact with the world around you, Micheal.", said Zelretch, before disappearing in order to find the basic gear his latest source of entertainment, and possibly the world's salvation, would need to survive.
And that's a wrap, folks! Our poor hero is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and now finds himself in too deep without even moving a muscle. What exactly are his plans? What does he want to do with this second chance at life? Will Mavis finally find out whether Fairies had tails? Will Zelretch be suitably entertained? What does old man Muramasa have to say about all this?
Find out next time on Hero Complex!
Now I'm sure some of you have recognized a part of this chapter as being from another story called 'Normal Life... Yeah Right!', a Fate and DC crossover. Like I said, it was purely a coincidence, and I asked the author for permission anyway. He or she hasn't responded, but there isn't really anything I could do about that. Like I said, it may seem like a copy of that, but it is actually very different, something you may come to appreciate more in the next chapter. For this reason, I also changed the Heroic Spirit to Muramasa, after much contemplating, because it suited the new direction I was taking the story in. I want to keep the chapter length between 5 to 10 thousand words, which seems to be my average.
Anyways, I hope you all liked the premise and I'm always open to suggestions and ideas, so don't hesitate to PM me or send a Review. I'll be sure to check them.
Thank you, and I'll see you next time!
Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.
