Capítulo 15: Chapter 15: Opportunity
Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi
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-Dungeon-
The situation kept getting increasingly familiar for the Counter Guardian.
A dark cell, his legs chained to the wall while he patiently sat there and waited for the final decision to be made. The gloomy atmosphere of the sewer-like smell, filled with the cries of other prisoners, did nothing to affect his mood.
Archer could leave at any moment he wanted. He could break these chains, go on a rampage across the seven kingdoms, and fire his most powerful sword at Ken to leave no witnesses behind. But he wouldn't. He didn't want to and was tired of the same old song and dance. And also, his main target wasn't here, so this would also be a wasteful in every sense of the word. If Vault got even an inkling that someone, who could fire explosive swords that could tear through armies like paper, was after his life, would go into hiding and make his job a thousand times more troublesome and time-consuming.
It was so easy to take a fast way out, just forget about everything of the past and become a killing machine with no emotions that he was already used to. But he wasn't a killing machine… not anymore.
He had many options available to him to complete his task. Harder and time-consuming, yes, but until he exhausted every single one of them, he would keep it as a last resort.
After making up his decision on his course of action, he lost himself in his thoughts.
He dreamed about fire once again.
The same memory of the past etched into his very existence burned his soul to insanity. The one thing that was different this time compared to all the others was that he definitely felt the presence of someone else. It felt more clearer this time around, as he could feel the gentle touch of a woman caressing her cheek. Who or what it was, he couldn't tell. It couldn't be a dream cycle, as people couldn't interfere with the other one's past, and he never once dreamed about someone else's life.
He just hoped that it wasn't HER again.
Aside from that little issue, Archer wondered how long he would have to wait here. He mentioned Maia's name just to get things moving faster around here. What was his plan? For now, getting out of here.
And hopefully, not burn the city to the ground by the end of the day.
"Hey there pal, what are you in for?" One of the prisoners adjacent to his cell questioned him. He couldn't see his face, but Archer could guess by the sound of his voice that it was an elderly man, his form hidden from the wall separating their cell.
"..."
"Ah, come on, don't be shy now son. This old man has been stuck here for months with no companions or friends to talk to, and you finally came along. So amuse me for a bit, and let's have a conversation."
"..."
"Just a buzz kill aren't ya? Then I guess you won't be bothered by me singing for a bit. It's the only way I kept myself sane throughout these years. Ooooooooh, praise the mighty su—"
"—What do you want, old man." Archer cut him off immediately. He didn't want to sit through whatever this man was about to sing and suffer from a headache soon after.
"Finally, at least you're not mute. Hehehehe, it would have been ironic if the first neighbor I got after months was a mute." He laughed creepily, annoying Archer more than his rambling, "You know my question, why are you locked up in the dungeons?"
"Why should I tell you? I have no obligations to say anything." Archer said.
"It's always better to talk things out, not like I'll snitch you or something since you're already here. There is no crime heinous nor disturbing enough that I haven't seen so far. I've been in this part of life for many, many years. You'll most likely get out of here soon enough while I'm stuck in my cage for the rest of my life. So from a fellow prisoner to another, share something with me at least."
Archer sighed.
"I rather not, I don't even know you."
If nothing happened for next few days, them he would just escape and continue with on his own towards Feoh. The he might spend more time on the road with that option, but at least it was better than being detained for god knows how long.
"So let's get to know each other, a small conversation will ease up most of your worries. Taking a few things off your chest will help you a lot."
He was being insistent.
Whatever, not like it would change anything.
"I killed some people."
This was a dungeon where they would detain criminals, thieves and other law breakers. A murderer would be a common thing to find around here, so his case wasn't that special.
"In self-defense?"
"Does it matter to you?"
Couldn't the old man just lay off and stop bugging him?
"I liked you better when you didn't try to talk to me. At least them I had some of peace of mind."
A rather hoarse laughed echoed from the other side. It sounded like the guy didn't drink anything for days and considering the place and it's management, Archer wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
"I see you are the type of person who likes his privacy. Nothing wrong with that, but I've been alone for too long to respect your privacy. So let me bug you for details for a little while longer. I promise to forever shut my mouth and never speak to you again, deal?"
Hmm, not a bad offer. Getting it out of the way quickly and not sit though a other tirade would be a blessing.
"Alright." he accepted.
"Great! I ask again, was it in self defence?"
"Mostly, I had one plan at first but then changed it midway. Not that the end result would have been any different, the Knights just came earlier than expected."
If he had taken his time and continuously evaded the men's attack, Brynn would have shown up shortly after, and they would have all ganged up on him to arrest him. The guy named Nito would have shown his badge and exclaimed that Archer was a criminal. One of two things would have happened, he'd kill the Kuroinu men, then the Knights and would then proceed to leave Ken. Or give himself in and leave his target temporarily alive.
That would have been a mistake as they would have gone to inform Hicks and the others on what happened, and take away his first informant. Now, he had gained himself more time, as well as getting rid of any loose ends.
Then again, all of this could have been avoided if he had just taken one of his many stealth Misteries or Noble Phantasms from his Reality Marble and just sneak and not end up in this situation.
'A rookie mistake on my part, I became too overconfident or just didn't take enough precaution.'
"So you're a mercenary? An adventurer?"
The old man asked again from his cell.
An adventurer wouldn't suit him after everything be had done in the past, and taking into account his current goal as well.
"A mercenary would be a better description for someone like me. But… I haven't accepted any coins so far, only made a few promises."
His promise to Freed was one of them.
"Tell me more about the men you've killed. Did you perchance kill more people before them? Again, I ain't a snitch."
He was quick to repeat that last part.
Archer laughed at the old man's attitude, he wasn't that worried of him being a snitch. Now that he thought about it, most were deserving of death in a way. Those people would have ended up as an obstacle in the future, so killing them now was the ideal option as well.
"A few." he said.
"Out of self defense?"
"No, other reasons,"
Ganj and Kaur were not people to be left alive, they would have revealed his existence to Vault directly and caused more trouble to him.
"They needed to die."
The words slipped out of his mouth.
"All of them? Wouldn't leaving those who are innocent and could potentially help you out in the future be a beneficial path for you?"
Maybe not.
"No, not all of them."
Freed could have easily been an ally. The man despised Maia heavily and the nobles. But…
"I've been backstabbed by those I've saved or let go countless times in the past. Even if the man had good reasons for his actions and life choices which led him to become my enemy and had the potential to become an ally; I still wouldn't have trusted him."
He had done it so many times in the past and in the end, it was always the same story.
'I betrayed you to protect my family',
'I left you to protect my loved ones',
'I care about the people more than my life'
So on and so forth.
Knowing of Freed's past, which he heard from the other two, Archer guessed the man would have betrayed him if at any point if he had gotten suspicious of his motives and suspected Archer of plotting to destroy the city. Or, someone else could have manipulated him and turned the man on him.
The same dance, the same cycle our Counter Guardian had seen before he had even made the deal with Alaya.
"That's a sad life you're living, friend. My only advice is for you to heal your soul and spirit by staying close to those who genuinely care about you. Take some risks, even while knowing that those you've accepted might one day betray you. Work hard so that such things don't happen, be more active and put aside your motives for a bit."
The life of a Counter Guardian was a lonely one.
"Kinda hard to do it." Archer said, not saying too much on his part as well.
"Interesting path you've chosen. Tell me, do you regret it? Seeing as you are now here, behind metal doors."
The man asked, his voice calm.
The answer was obvious.
"I do," Archer whispered, thinking back to the moment he made a deal with Alaya, back when Kiritsugu was about to die, and he made the promise to become a hero in his father's stead.
"Not for the cause you've mentioned, but I regret taking this path in my life. I hate it. I despise it with every second that I still exist. This… was not the life I had envisioned when I first walked this path. It was merely a fairy tale, and an old man's desire, that I fooled myself into believing."
There was a beat of silence between the two.
"Why don't you just give up?"
Give up? What a joke…
"I did. I gave up a long time ago… There's nothing I can do to change my fate. I just… can't stop even if I wanted to."
His promise to Rin was the only thing motivating him at this moment and nothing else. And it was the only promise keeping him from just turning Ken and every kingdom into a barren wasteland by killing everyone—his enemies included.
A course of action be used countless times in the past.
Kill a few to save the rest.
But the bowman knew he would revert back to his previous state at one point. He lived as a Counter Guardian for innumerable years, outliving entire empires and even civilizations; it was a matter of time before his will was bogged down by his sins.
"Hahaha!" The man laughed all of a sudden, "The irony! I was wrong. You're not a prisoner of this dungeon—because you've been a prisoner since you first came here. What a joke, hahahaha!"
At that statement, both Archer and the old man laughed together. One sounded cheerful while the other was hollow and broken.
"But you know, you're wrong."
Wrong?
"About what?"
"You act as if you no longer have a choice and are chained to a fate you do not desire. You lied to yourself initially and are still doing the same thing. You have the chance for freedom presented in front of you on a silver platter. You just can't see it because of your nihilism, but it's there. Just don't give up so soon and look around for once. Let go of the past and live your life as you desire. You were given such a rare chance, so do it for me, for someone who is doomed for eternity—unlike you… I won't be able to escape this prison of mine."
This man talked as if he knew Archer personally and the life he lived through. He spoke with familiarity, like if a few minutes long conversation in a jail cell would be enough for him to understand Archer.
But the bowman just let him talk and wait things out. He sat in silence, letting the other man's words sink in.
Clang!
Clang!
The warden knocked on his cell.
"Oi, prisoner! Get yourself ready! Maia-sama has requested your presence!" He shouted at Archer, grabbing his attention.
That was easy.
Archer didn't expect things to go this smoothly. When he had mentioned Maia, it wasn't a guarantee that they would even pass on his words to the upper echelons. And they wouldn't have if he had talked to any other guards. Maybe it was Brynn who helped him out here, he could tell she was extremely conflicted with him during her their fight, but he didn't care. As long as his actions saving her back during the raid brought him such a boon, he would accept it without reservations.
"Well, looks like it's time for us to part ways." The man from the other side mentioned.
The cell door was opened when two Knights walked inside, placing some medical-looking handcuffs on his wrists. Archer was then rudely pushed out of the cell. He didn't complain and kept walking. Why bother creating more problems with a short fuse?
Even while being outside and looking into the other cell, Archer couldn't see the inside weirdly enough. It was dark and gloomy, and the old man couldn't be seen.
"I wish you luck, my friend. After all, we cleaners need it more than anyone else."
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'What!?'
"Hey, you!" The warden shouted angrily and was flabbergasted when he saw Archer suddenly run back to where his cell was. The man was fast, and the Knights didn't have the reaction speed to restrain him.
"Who are you!" Archer screamed as he glared at the dark cell where the old man's voice came from. He enhanced his eyes to peer inside and, to his shock—found an empty room.
'How is this possible?' he asked himself.
He sensed nothing all this time he was in his cell. No magical fluctuations, no spell incantations—nothing.
"What do you think you're doing!?" The Knights immediately came running at him with their sword drawn. Archer wasn't in the mood to entertain them in another fight. He used his metal handcuffs to deflect the incoming attack from the girls and kicked her away.
"Esca—kugh!" The second one who was about to signal the others couldn't scream as he grabbed her tightly by the neck, cutting her voice off.
The fierce silver-grey eyes glared at her black eyes, "Who. Was. He?" Every word leaving his mouth carried an underlying amount of tension and stress that made the girl cower. It didn't help that she couldn't pry his hands off her neck.
"Who was he!?"
"I—Hugh! Don't know…." she said, gasping for air. "There… was… no one there!"
Archer looked directly into her eyes, ensuring she wasn't lying to him, but couldn't find a trace of deceit.
A few seconds later, he let her go.
Cough!
Cough!
The girl panted heavily, shakily touching her bruised neck.
Hurried footsteps sound came from the other side of the hall, and it was the warden coming back with regular guards by his side. His grey eyes widened when he saw the chaotic scene up ahead.
"Just… just what is going on here!?"
Archer said nothing, his eyes still glued to the empty cell in front of him.
{Break}
Maia was waiting at the front of the castle gates, surrounded by her personal guards and Knights. She was waiting for this so-called prisoner who claimed to know her.
Normally, she wouldn't bother with such claims. People could lie and try to butter up to garner some favors. But since this was Brynn who passed on the message, checking out the prisoner's identity wouldn't hurt.
'Hugh, my head feels like it weighs a ton…Should've at least put this off until my hangover was gone.'
It hasn't been that long since waking up from her drinking binge. Even the sun's rays hurt her eyes, the constant chatter of people in the background and the lack of food or water caused even more headaches. She would normally be calm and composed, cracking a joke here and there to get along with her mercenaries. But today, while still acting and looking her normal self, she was one small mood swing away from drawing her blades and cutting some heads off or hurling her lunch on the closest person.
"Maia-sama, a letter from Celestine-sama arrived this morning from Thorne." One of the Knights came forward with an unopened letter in hand and carefully handed it to Maia. The Princess Knight put aside her increasingly foul mood and focused on the letter's content.
"Hmm, interesting."
Apparently, Kin had come up with a method to strip Olga of her powers and allow the Kuroinu army to successfully raid her castle without issue. Another report from Vault just arrived a few days ago and mentioned how they've secured a safe path through the dark lands of Olga's territory and even assured that their numbers were high enough to take care of any wandering orc troops.
"So, it is finally time."
After all this time, all the suffering and death they suffered throughout the years under the Dark Queen's terror. Women getting raped by those monsters just to produce more orcs and demons, children getting killed, and men eating to sustain her forces—now it was finally going to end. Maia almost felt like all of this was just a dream, and she might wake up and find herself back in the slums of Ken, ready to sell herself off for some food. Fear and excitement raced through her veins, and she couldn't wait to help Vault create a wonderful world for all of them to live peacefully.
There was a passage that bothered her in the letter.
The Goddess kept getting nightmarish visions of the future with fire and destruction everywhere around her, but hasn't fully explained what they meant. She feared that something would happen during this operation with the Kuroinu and besieged every single Princess Knight to send in any spare forces or experts they had under their control in helping Vault . To protect the Kuroinu and ensure that this reality doesn't come to fruition.
Maia's face scrunched up at that part on helping Vault. 'Lovestruck, immature girl…' There they came back, those accursed words from that damnable man who refused her offer. She could tell that he was a powerful mage and a strong warrior. The destruction done to the surrounding forest alone showed her enough as well as their small duel in the Inn. She didn't care about his origins. Most of the mercenaries under her rule came from sketchy backgrounds.
"He was wrong," she repeated this phrase constantly in her head, trying to convince herself that she was doing this more than just for Vault.
The noise of chain rattling soon entered her ears. Not just a few chains, but a bunch of them moving closer to the gates. The warden came running first with sweat pouring down his portly face.
"My lady!" He kneeled in front of her and almost fell sideways with his mass. "Forgive us for the lateness, but the prisoner caused us a lot of trouble."
"He tried to escape?" She should have known. The part about personally knowing her was but a ruse to get a chance to escape. Maia made a note to confiscate all of Brynn's clothes and armor and hand her a bucket and mop to clean the castle in the buff.
"No, my lady." The warden was confused as if he couldn't find the words to explain what exactly happened.
"Then what happened?" Asked Maia, looming over the sniveling warden, her mood started to get worse.
Today was just not her day, and her mood was reflecting that, scaring the people around her.
"I-I… don't know how to… it's difficul—"
"—Just say it!"
"T-The prisoner slipped through the Knights escorting him back to his cell, and took down the two Knights pursuing him. I came back with more guards. He was standing in front of an empty cell near his old one and kept asking if there was anyone inside before. The two people from before were on the ground, how they were taken out remains unknown, but he didn't resist us anymore when we recaptured him. We restricted his movements with more chains, just to be on the safer side."
"..."
Maia was speechless.
Just what kind of weirdo did she accept to meet?
As the sound of metal clattering got closer, she finally saw a figure walking to the gates. Surrounded by more guards necessary in escorting a prisoner. They all had their weapons drawn and ready to fight if the tension on their forms wasn't obvious for a fighter. In the middle was a face that Maia thought she would never see again.
The slick combed white hair was a mess and a bit shaggy. He had a collar attached to a chain on his neck, feet, and hands.
But he still looked at her with that same irritating handsome smirk. That gaze haunted the Queen of Mercenaries for these last few days, along with his words.
"Well, would you look at that...."
Now it was her turn to show him who she truly was.
"Couldn't resist parting ways with little old me?"
She copied his expression and showed a smirk of her own, her nauseous, foul mood disappearing for the moment.
Maia, for some reason, was feeling excited and it had to do with the man in red chained up in front of her.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu and my 2 Fate fics are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter.
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