4 Chapter 4: Save the Accused

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness.

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Chapter 4: Saved the Accused

-The Capital-

Deep within the bowels of the Capital's labyrinthine-like dungeons, Tatsumi languished in a squalid, dimly lit jail cell. The atmosphere presented itself as one of perpetual dread, a tangible miasma that seemed to seep through the very stone walls that confined him. Everything around him exuded the feeling of death, lacking any sign of hope for a future beyond these cells.

The cramped cells, devoid of any comfort, save for a rickety cot made of rotting wood, its foul-smelling straw mattress offering no respite. The small, barred window high above offered a mere glimmer of candlelight from the room it was connected to, casting long, eerie shadows across the cold, moss-covered stone floor squirming with countless insects that gave him chills. The air was thick with the unmistakable stench of human waste, a putrid amalgamation of despair and filth. The faint, haunting cries of other unfortunate souls who shared this wretched place filled the air, their voices merging into a discordant chorus of agony.

"Damn it, this is like hell!" 

Tatsumi's desperation had driven him to the edge, and he clung to the bars of his cell, a final glimmer of hope in the darkness. His voice, echoing in the oppressive silence, carried his pleas and proclamations of innocence, but they fell on deaf ears. 

"I'm innocent! I didn't commit any crime! You've got the wrong guy! I was framed, I tell you! I was on duty and just fell asleep once! Besides, I've barely been in the Capital for more than two days! How could I have done any of the stuff I'm accused of!?"

The other prisoners nearby, their eyes hollow and their spirits broken, paid little heed to Tatsumi's outbursts. They had grown accustomed to the cacophony of cries and moans that plagued the dungeon's air.

The guards stationed within this subterranean abyss were a grim, humorless lot, their armor and weaponry clinking with each step. Frustration painted their faces as they made their way to Tatsumi's cell. One of them, a burly figure with a face etched with disdain, was the first to respond.

"One more complaint out of you, kid, and I'll get the torturers to shut your mouth permanently with rusty wire in your jaw before they sew your lips together. Now stay quiet!" His patience worn thin, the guard abruptly swung the butt of his spear towards the boy's face. The impact itself was both swift and brutal, sending a searing wave of pain through Tatsumi's cheek. He staggered back, clutching his throbbing face, his pleas silenced for the moment. The guard's voice, laced with stern warning, cut through the miasma of despair present in the dungeon, "This is already going to be your last night in this world, but it can be much more painful for you if you continue to be difficult. So shut your mouth, prisoner, and don't make us come back here again."

And so with his point made, he returned to his post leaving the imprisoned boy on the ground holding his bruised face. Blood began leaking out of his nose, frustration and a sensation of unfairness rising in his chest. Minutes turned into hours, the cries stopped a long time ago with the only thing accompanying Tatsumi were his own thoughts. "Hah… why is everything turning out like this? First I got rejected from getting a captain position in the army, which I absolutely deserved. Then I got all my money stolen by that deceitful blonde woman with her big beautiful boobs, and because of that, I had to sleep out on the streets my first night here. Talk about misfortune." 

With no means to buy food, he had to push down his pride and take the spot of a regular city gate guard whose job was to check documents for entering caravans and travelers. The only requirements were that he knew how to handle a spear at a basic level and how to read. It was thanks to Sayo, who forced him and Iyassu to learn how to read from a young age, that he'd managed to land the job. Despite his less than enviable introduction to the Capital though, being a guard had gone smoothly at first. Tatsumi had promised himself to make the most of this opportunity to climb up the ranks and protect the citizens. But then out of nowhere, he got framed for a whole list of crimes he did not commit or even heard of, and was thrown in jail without even getting a trial or any kind of investigation to prove that he was guilty. 

He tried to tell the guards that he was innocent, but no one seemed to believe him. He didn't understand why, he couldn't even have done any of those crimes. Out of nowhere, he'd just suddenly been arrested and then thrown into prison awaiting execution within the span of an hour. He'd somehow been charged, for smuggling, money laundering, racketeering, involvement in the slave trade, murder, treason, attempted espionage, and much, much more. Again, there was no way he could have done any of this! Even if one were to disregard the mere two days since he arrived at the city gates, how was even supposed to attempt all those outrageous crimes while he was completely broke!? 

"I wonder where Ieyasu and Sayo are… but as long as they're safe I'm not worried." It had been more than a week since he last saw them. They had gotten separated not that far away from the Capital, so it wasn't like he needed to wait that long for a reunion. That's why it confused the boy why he couldn't find a single trace of those two anywhere in the city. Even going to ask the other guards before he got arrested resulted in them just ignoring him, with the sole exception of his sergeant. They'd always just give him a stern glare, or more often telling him to stop asking useless questions, and his sergeant had said to focus on his duties, but assured him that she'd keep an eye out.

Therefore, Tatsumi could do nothing but wait for their arrival. He had been planning to visit the inn and city gates every day. Perhaps they could also help him get out of this little misunderstanding. If the news got to them in time, that is…

Trying to argue his case, pointing to his recruitment documents as evidence, had proven useless. Now it seemed that all he could do was wait for his inevitable fate, but that was something Tatsumi refused to accept. 

A faint clicking noise came from outside the doors, most likely the guards changing shifts. The mourning and shouting resumed within the prison cells as people now were no longer afraid — excluding him who just pushed his back against the wall and sighed with a tinge of despair within his sorrowful voice as he tried to think back and understand how things had turned out this way… 

"I came here from my village to become a renowned member of the Imperial military alongside my friends so we could send the money back home. If we ever went back to the village, we'd be treated as heroes… That was the plan, at least. Instead, here I am, jailed and sentenced as a criminal for a bunch of crimes I didn't commit. I don't want to imagine what kind of reaction the elders would have seeing me in such a state so soon after I got here, let alone Ieyasu and Sayo." 

Tatsumi took a look around his cell. "Maybe… I can still try to escape? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Or rather… it's the only idea I have other than wait here to die, even if it's not a good idea at all. If I could get out of here and find the one who's actually responsible for all those heinous crimes, I should be able to clear my name and be set free!"

"I wouldn't count on it, kid," Tatsumi jolted from his spot as a familiar voice spoke to him from the darkness. Jolting his head to the right, he found a man covered in a hood standing in front of his cell, arms crossed. Even though Tatsumi couldn't see his face or even discern much about his attire, the boy immediately knew who this person was.

After all, during all his time in the Capital, only two individuals had helped him to any degree out of the kindness of their hearts, and so when it did happen it left a mark. "It's you! The stranger from back then… uh, Archie? What are you doing here? " He asked. 

Wait, the only reason this person would be here in the first place, would be because he was getting thrown into a cell here like him… Or he was some kind of government official! And given the lack of guards or shackles, the latter seemed much more likely, and with that realization Tatsumi finally saw a light at the end of this dark tunnel. 

"You've gotta listen to me! I really didn't do anything! I'm innocent! I don't know what's up with all those crazy charges the other guards are talking about, but I couldn't have committed any of them! Please, you have to believe me!" Seeing the man continue to stand there quietly without any reaction, a bad feeling started to rise within his heart, just when he thought he'd found hope again. "Y-You remember me at least, right?"

Finally, the man spoke after an uncomfortable length of silence. "I don't know for certain whether you are a lucky individual, or an exceedingly unlucky one. But given the state in which I first found you and then seeing where you've ended up compared to the others, I'm actually more inclined to go with the former. Also, it's Archer. And pray that me being here doesn't use up whatever good luck you have left." 

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From the beginning, his goal was never to save Tatsumi, specifically. The only reason he came here rested in the possibility that it could have been another person sharing the same name, and just to verify one tiny detail.

"Look, going back to what you said before, forget about that ridiculous plan of yours, if you can even call it a plan to begin with. It's practically guaranteed to not work if you try to attempt it, even if you were to somehow get outside that cell by yourself. You are far too naive for your own good, it would have been better if you hadn't traveled to this snakepit of a city in the first place." He said calmly while the prisoner before him continued to get even more confused.

Knowing Najenda, she must have already realized he disappeared from the base. He didn't have much time.

"As much as I'd like to argue that, I don't have the time since I'm supposed to get executed tomorrow morning. I don't know what your rank in the military is, but for you to arrive in the middle of the night without any of the guards making a fuss, you must have connections to the higher-ups, right? Please tell them that I am innocent of the crimes of which I'm accused! There's been a mistake or something. I'm fully willing to stay behind and help find the true culprit!" 

Seeing how the boy still failed to understand his situation, Emiya sighed before looking Tatsumi right in the eyes. "Listen up. It's obvious you didn't understand the meaning behind my words, so let me try again. The reason why your plan will never work is not because you won't be able to find enough evidence to clear your name — though I will admit that's also highly unlikely, given how foolish you've been so far. The real problem for you is that even if you did find anything worthwhile of that nature, it wouldn't mean a thing considering the people who did commit those crimes are the reason you were tossed down here in the first place."

"Wait, you're saying…" Tatsumi's eyes widened, realization dawning on him. "I really was framed!"

Emiya nodded. "Correct. And that's why—"

"Please, you have to tell my captain! He'll listen to you, I bet! Then we can work together to find the person who tried to pin all this on me!"

"…Nevermind, I spoke too soon. Kid, that won't work because your captain's the one who framed you."

"Wh… what? I-I don't understand what you mean… Captain Ogre can be pretty strict, but… but his whole job is to uphold law and order… and protect the people of this city… He can't… He'd never…" Tatsumi tried to argue, but slowly started to lose focus. 

Emiya sighed. Surely this boy could not be so stupidly dense as to not even understand blatant corruption from a superior who didn't hesitate to shift the blame onto his subordinates, and was manipulating the system to suit his own needs? But in order to help him see the whole picture a bit more clearly, Emiya decided to explain to Tatsumi the situation. Ogre's partnership with Gamal, all of the numerous crimes the oil merchant was accused of, and how he always had his little captain friend pin the blame on someone else each time things piled up too much for it to be ignored in exchange for generous bribes. 

"…"

The more Tatsumi listened to the story, the more horrified he got, and his expression became one of despair as he finally realized why he'd been put in this position. 

"This…th-this… this can't be true. How could anyone allow this to happen?" 

At that question, Emiya shrugged. "Myself and plenty of others ask ourselves the same question every day. But then again, that's what you have to deal with when the Emperor is nothing but a small child, easily manipulated by a greedy and twisted individual such as that prime minister. This form of manipulation does not create corruption however, it just lures out the most deranged people from their lavish mansions and informs them they are free to act as they please. So that is why I'm telling you to give up on any attempts to prove your innocence in any sense to the authorities, as I can assure you that they all have their own arrangements with Ogre. You would just be digging yourself a bigger grave by adding the one legitimate crime of breaking out of jail to your charges before handing yourself to them on a silver platter."

He saw Tatsumi close his eyes, clenching his fists while gritting his teeth. He was probably trying to reevaluate his next course of action, not that Emiya was going to wait here and find out what that would be — his time was starting to run short. 

"Hey, boy, are you perchance familiar with the names Ieyasu and Sayo?" This question shook the kid as he regained the lost vigor in his eyes. 

"You know them!? Then that means that they must have sent you here to help me! Sayo has always been the brain in our group and Iyeasu always comes up with ridiculous solutions that… most of the time, works. When did they arrive in the Capital? Are they okay?" One after another, he asked a myriad of questions about his friends and whether or not they were doing well without giving Archer the chance to respond to any of them. 

"They came here before you did," the bowman answered, turning his back to Tatsumi and walking away as his figure started to disappear, much to the latter's shock. "You were at least lucky enough to not end up in the same situation they did. Whether they are still alive or not, that remains to be seen. Stay here for now and be patient, someone will come for you later once it's safe."

Bang! 

The prison bars shook as the brown haired boy punched the metal bar. "Oi, what does that mean!? Come back! What happened to my friends!? Did you hurt them!? Archer! ARCHER!" 

He received no response from the former Counter Guardian, his shouts echoing through the dungeon along with the cries of other prisoners. 

{Break}

-Outside-

"At least I wasn't late," sitting on a hill overlooking the kingdom, Emiya calmly gazed up at the moon with an unreadable face. He listened to the leaves rustle and the wolves howling in the distance; a dynamic environment that yet managed to foster a tranquil mind. A part of him was expecting to meet another gruesome sight down in those cells when he went to find Tatsumi, similar to what the Karlenns had done to their numerous "guests". Not excluding the chance of some people choosing to torture him without reserve and killing him before the execution — or worse, rendering him a broken husk.

Fortunately though, it seemed neither Gamal nor Ogre put that much importance in Tatsumi, merely seeing him as another scapegoat and nothing else; content to let him rot down there until the time came for them to have him executed so they could put the rubber stamp on the matter. Their lazy corruption worked in Tatsumi's favor in at least that manner, and the fact that he'd only suffered a few bruises could almost be considered a miracle when he compared the boy's condition to that of the other many prisoners. 

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"You have quite the nerve to leave like that without so much as a word, dear little brother of mine." A figure announced while approaching him at a leisurely pace. Archer didn't startle or even turn, as this was a presence he'd sensed from the beginning, though that was at least partially because she didn't even try to hide herself in the first place. 

Najenda took a seat next to him while setting down a large, heavy, and uniquely designed rifle with intricate details all along its surface. The weapon featured a dark metal frame, a sizable barrel, and a grip for its wielder to hold it steady. The weapon had a distinct appearance, and with the loadout of interchangeable parts, it could act as a gunblade, a revolver, a submachine gun, or a sniper rifle. 

"I just had to check something," he said, his nose scrunching up at the scent of cigarettes as she deliberately exhaled a puff next to his face. 

"How mature of you." Emiya muttered with a roll of his eyes as he wafted away the smoke. "Truly, an elder sister's love and grace knows no bounds."

"I was about to call you to join, but something told me you wouldn't have agreed to do so." Najenda spoke to him, grabbing a spyglass from her hips and surveying the area where Gamal's house was located. Given its location near the walls, it made it easier to spot and infiltrate. "So that's his little pleasure palace. No wonder Leone didn't have any trouble getting in." 

"It definitely is built more for comfort than security. Even so, the building itself is heavily guarded by his own private forces, and the premises are frequently patrolled by the city guard. You'll have an easier time with the dark veil of the night acting as your ally. I can also provide you and your team with ranged support if you need it." He stared at the Teigu near his feet. "Though from the looks of it, you've already got that handled yourself." 

"But of course. Don't forget my prowess in ranged combat is amongst the best in the Empire." 

"I know. You still haven't thanked me for that, by the way." He said with a smirk, getting a light scoff from the woman next to him. Memories of a stubborn teenage Najenda staying up for days and nights to practice on the target range just because he crushed her records in both accuracy and distance without even trying came rushing back. For someone who prided herself on being mature and reliable, she sure had a giant's weight in pride and a vicious competitive spirit to match. 

"What? You want me to give you a hug or a kiss on the cheek? I've already done that before. Or are you going to tell me you want to share a room together like we did in the past?"

Emiya rolled his eyes, "Don't phrase it like that, you idiot. You're the one who fell asleep on my bed, and it only happened once when I got wounded during my first Danger Beast hunt with you, even though I told you to leave and let me rest. And I would like to remind you that I'm no longer a child, so I can very much force the issue if you end up being a stubborn fool again." A period when he hadn't even spent a full week in the new world since he'd abruptly found himself in the body of a child, and was unprepared for how weak he'd suddenly become. 

"Tch, look who's suddenly going through his rebellious phase. I didn't raise you to speak to me like that, mister." She messed with his hair, a gesture only she was allowed to do without consequence, one he had grown used to receiving from her. Trying to stop her was a bigger hassle than just pushing down the displeasure of being treated as a brat… especially when his soul was easily older than her entire recorded ancestry.

"I was the one doing most of the raising, as I recall. Both you and Nagumo tend to behave like whiny children when given alcohol."

Even so — not that he'd ever admit it — the bowman had enjoyed their time together. Though unrelated by blood, Najenda always played her role as a sister to the best of her abilities. If any other child had been found by Nagumo that day instead of him, then they would have lived a happy life as part of the family. 

"Have you gotten any noteworthy information on her?" he asked, Najenda turning silent as the smile on her face died down, and the air felt as if it had gone cold as soon as this particular subject was brought up. "I wandered around the marketplace for a bit while I was in the Capital to try and gather some information myself, but few people mentioned her. Those who did all just said the same thing about her having gone north not long ago."

"Hah… I can't help you on that end very much, I'm afraid. Esdeath may not be the type to bother with keeping secrets, and is more than happy to show off the atrocities she commits for the world to see, but lately she's been moving so fast that even the Revolutionary Army's vast network of informants and spies is having trouble keeping up with her. Pretty much anything I might have to say about her is already known by the masses… But, there is one thing that you should know."

"She's heading back here, isn't she," guessing her answer, Emiya finished Najenda's sentence, and his sister's reply consisted of nodding her head with a heavy frown on her face before she spoke. 

"Her latest mission in the north seems to have ended sooner than anticipated. Reports from the Revolutionary Army all say that she just crushed the northern army outright. She didn't even bother chipping away the enemy's defense or destroying their morale like she usually does. From what I gathered, the war barely lasted a single day, possibly not even hours. By now, whatever remains of the northern tribes' forces will have scattered, and are likely being hunted as we speak by her subordinates. Even if they were to be provided with backup, we don't believe they'll be able to make a difference in the upcoming battles, so the higher ups in the Revolutionary Army have apparently decided to stay out of this one. Esdeath on the other hand seems to have already left, and my guess is that she's on a direct route back to the Capital to report on her latest success. But I should mention that there's also been a few conflicting reports stating that she hasn't left the north and is still waging her terror campaign on the front lines, tormenting any of the locals she's able to track down, soldier or civilian."

He should have known… "Esdeath isn't the type to focus on tormenting what may amount to just a small village's worth of people here and there even in a country filled with a population whom she's been given orders to subjugate however she sees fit. Not when she can do that with bandits or other hostile factions all over the Empire whenever she wants, especially when they can at least attempt to fight back since she hasn't already beaten them. No, she's coming to the Capital, and not just to give a report about another successful campaign. She thinks I'm here."

"But how?" Najenda asked with an incredulous face. "You've covered your tracks all this time to the point that even I couldn't find any trace of you. And as far as I know, she has no Teigu user capable of tracking people to such an extent, nor does anyone who serves the Empire. If they did, I'm pretty certain that Night Raid would have long since been discovered and destroyed." 

"I could just as easily be wrong myself, of course. She still works for the Empire even if she's a rabid wolf barely held back by a rather flimsy leash, so it's not unthinkable that she'd return to actually uphold some of the responsibilities of her position every now and then. In which case, I'm just unlucky enough to have arrived at exactly the wrong time." 

Najenda was most likely right, though. In the beginning, he purposefully left tracks to lead that woman as far away from Najenda and her soldiers as possible. At first, she had followed his trail like a bloodhound, but with time her pursuit tactics changed and he suspected that she knew his reason for doing so. That woman was just as cunning as she was cruel, so he couldn't afford to underestimate her. Worst of all, she'd taken note of his skill with the bow and the incredible range from which he could shoot his arrows, and had started to plant decoys of herself, making it hard to discern where she actually was most of the time. 

Not even the Empire knew about this yet, apparently treating rumors about his skills at archery as mere fables since he didn't have the bow Teigu, L'Arc Qui Ne Faut. 

But Esdeath knew better — having witnessed with her own eyes the death of one of her top subordinates to one of his arrows fired from kilometers away. And she'd been hounding him ever since whenever her duties permitted. 

What a troublesome woman, she adapted incredibly quickly and her battle instincts were second to none.

"That said, even if she knows I'm in or close to the Capital, this city is both massive and crowded, and she doesn't have the influence to just demand a manhunt across the entire area. On top of that, my appearance has changed significantly from our last encounter, so if she has her men looking for someone fitting my old physical description, that'll be a dead end." From his hair, skin tone and eyes, everything started to revert back to his old appearance bit by bit. 

Just like in the past, he believed this to be the consequences of overusing his Magecraft, and other minor external factors that forced him to change like this. Still, this body was undoubtedly human, one that had previously belonged to someone else before he awoke within it, given the small handful of years' worth of memories that weren't his. 'It does not seem to be a normal possession… or even a possession in the first place. Yet the changes make me feel this isn't a case of a simple reincarnation or anything close to that.' 

A few theories he'd come up with over the years made the former Counter Guardian suspect that the original inhabitant of this body had died, or their soul had just ceased to be a part of this body. Yet that still didn't explain why the body's face was almost perfectly identical to Emiya Shirou's. A part of him suspected that his Saint Graph and Spiritual Core had somehow ended up in the soulless body of a dying child where it was impossible for him to manifest as a complete Counter Guardian or Servant. His current state in this world could best be compared to a pseudo or demi-Servant, due to how closely the child resembled to the point that he could recall having seen greater physical distinctions in genetic twins. The degree of likeness was enough for Emiya to wonder if this body's original inhabitant had been another younger, parallel version of himself. A hypothesis he couldn't confirm nor deny. 

Another possibility that he occasionally paused to contemplate was the one of this body having been his right from the beginning, but someone or something managed to seal up his memories of his past existence, only for them to be reawakened during the massacre of Wolfrod by that horde of Danger Beasts. That child's terror and desperation to survive might have caused Emiya to 'wake up' just in time to save his own life. 

Of those two hypotheses, the first idea showed itself to be hard to believe and required him to assume things that were hard to swallow — so he was more inclined to go with the latter for now. 

"Well, most of your red hair has gone and turned white. You're either too stressed all the time or have weird ancestry. Though on a personal note, I actually like it. It makes us look far more alike than we ever did before. Even your eyes are a few shades lighter… though your skin has gone and done the exact opposite. Still, be careful. That may be enough to throw off most people looking for you, but I doubt it would fool her for a second if she ever sets eyes on you." 

"I know, but now is not the time to worry about that. Let's think about how to deal with that problem another time. For now we need to focus on our current mission." Emiya said, seeing the look Najenda was giving him, probably still blaming herself for what happened before. "Hey now, quit worrying. I don't regret my actions and would have done the same regardless. Now I've gotten better and am more confident in facing her again, and I'm willing to bet you have as well. It won't end up like last time, that much I can assure you."

"You won't leave without giving me so much as a goodbye like last time, right? Because I swear Emiya, if you pull that stunt again even if it is for both our sakes… I'll hunt you down myself to the end of the Earth." It wounded her pride as both a former general and an older sister that her younger brother had to suffer the consequences of her actions, and had even gotten the short end of the stick by having to go on the run in order to protect her. It was not a burden he deserved to bear, and she had never wanted things to turn out this way. But at least he was back now, and Najenda swore to not let anything like it happen again. 

"I promise, I have no intention of leaving anytime soon. I have my reasons to stay here now. Such as keeping you from doing anything too dangerous." And upon saying that, he swiped the cigarette from her mouth and extinguished it before flicking it away. The silver haired woman glared at him, to which he smirked. 

"It's bad for you." 

"I'm literally an assassin, traitor, and one of the most wanted people in the entirety of the Empire. I'm pretty sure that just sitting here has a higher chance of getting me killed than a few cigarettes." She said, now recalling how much of a mother-hen her brother actually was. But she couldn't bring herself to get angry, she never could when she knew it was his way of showing he cared. Grabbing her weapon from the ground she got ready to leave. "Alright, have you found anything else on the Teigu-wielding bodyguard?" 

Following her steps, Archer also got up and prepared to leave. 

"I was able to learn a few things while doing some quick recon. There's a surprising amount of chatter about this Beheader guy from the other guards; it seems that hiring him caused quite the stir. But you won't have to worry about him, just focus on Gamal and Ogre." 

Najenda gave him a squinted stare. While Gamal and Ogre wouldn't be much of a hurdle for either of them to handle, this new bodyguard whom he'd decided to handle on his own raised many questions. "By the way, the latest victim of Gamal and Ogre's little game is alive and well in the dungeon… Do with that what you will." 

"Have you told him about the state of his comrades?" she asked. 

"I gave him a vague answer, better he sees their condition first… Assuming they live that long, of course." At this point, Emiya knew he had fulfilled whatever non-existent obligation he had for the two victims, accomplishing his side of the matter and was now free from any additional regrets. Now whatever happened next no longer concerned him. "I'll be going."

"Take care. If you get yourself in trouble, I got your back. Just like old times." She said with a smirk, tapping Pumpkin to which he gave her a slight nod — not that he needed it in the first place. 

{Break}

-Gamal's Manor-

"Any difficulties with the newest scapegoat?" Outside the luxurious mansion of Gamal, both the merchant and Ogre were enjoying a cup of imported tea together. 

"Awaiting execution. Dumb brat wouldn't stop hollering about the usual stuff everyone complains about, but he's proven notably more persistent and an ever bigger fool. It's no issue though, we should be done with the whole affair early tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I've got other matters to attend to." Ogre spoke calmly, his business partner sharing his opinion. "By the way, I've heard you've had some issues with your caravans in the east. Apparently they got intercepted by some group?" 

The toad-faced merchant grimaced, "Don't remind me about it. A new shipment of slaves from the remnants of the Ban tribe who went to hide among the tribes inhabiting the north-east regions at the edge of the Empire that should've been here by now. They'd apparently convinced some of the other tribes to send aid to Seika Numa's own alliance of tribes up in the north, but when the military caught wind of that, the sorry lot ended up paying the price. This allowed me to get my hands on some of those people and have them brought to the Capital; beautiful exotic women are always in high demand among the nobles, same goes for children. And the men will make great work-horses, or gladiators. Frankly though, my team was lucky to find any worthwhile survivors in that wasteland after General Esdeath finished decimating the whole region."

"Hm? Weird. Last I heard she was still marching out to deal with the northern tribes after she secured the southern borders from the advance parties of the Revolutionary Army setting up small skirmishes to try and weaken our defense. There were no reports of her stopping by the eastern regions from what I understand." 

At that, Gamal sighed. "That monster of a woman is practically a ghost when she wants to be. Where she actually is, no one's ever certain." 

Even though they were on the same side serving the Empire, many still feared the Empire's strongest general, who inspired greater terror throughout the continent than even the likes of Budo. It was said that even the Prime Minister could not truly control her, as she served the Empire simply because she enjoyed working in a profession that legally allowed her to wage war and commit massacres. A statement Ogre didn't truly believe, but one he was unable to dismiss out of hand. 

"She could appear right in the Imperial Palace tomorrow for all we know, it's nearly impossible to track her through conventional means." 

"Let's not think about that for now and return to our previous topic — your merchandise."

"Oh, right." Gamal sighed lamentingly "So, I'd had plans to bring some of the untainted women and children from the Ban tribe with a few of their stronger men. Do you have any idea how rare they are after Esdeath had her soldiers rape and kill most of them the first time she decimated them? A young, healthy one will fetch quite a price in today's market… which I know will soon change to demand for northerners. Nobles always go with popular word of mouth. They were supposed to arrive two days ago, but were evidently ambushed." 

"How are you so certain?" Ogre asked, gazing at the man gorging himself with piles and piles of expensive food. 

"I've gotten reports that there were no signs of any struggle or battle. All of my men died from projectiles."

"Arrows?" 

"No, there weren't any arrows or even broken shafts found around the site of the attack, so my money's on the thieves having used guns.. But that doesn't matter, what's important are the slaves who had their cages cut open. I invested so much to capture them, and now they are all gone!" Gamal smashed his fists against the table, a look of fear and rage evident in his eyes, "Hah, just thinking about it makes my heart ache. I'm afraid whoever this group is has taken an interest in my business, and they look to be well-informed and well-supplied. This isn't the first time either, and it keeps happening closer and closer to the Capital. I'm not even the only one; many in the slave trade are hurting right now with the reduced inflow of rare stock, and we're having to get creative to make them seem more exotic and keep the nobles interested." 

Realization dawned on Ogre's face as he recalled the merchant's recent action. "So that's why you hired Zank? Because you're afraid they'll be coming after your head? I don't know, Gamal. That person is pretty unstable. Plus it feels like you're insinuating that I'm not capable of keeping a valued business partner alive…" His voice dropped, sending a menacing glare to the obese man across the table who was suddenly sweating profusely. 

"N-N-No, of course not, Captain Ogre! I… I just didn't want to disturb you with p-personal matters and waste your precious time when you already have so many other responsibilities demanding your attention! I know you have that apprentice of yours too who's helping you with Doctor Stylish's experiments… I can't in good conscience ask you to help me any more than you already do, at least not until I can offer appropriate compensation." Gamal stuttered, becoming pale faced within seconds.

To his surprise, the captain started chuckling, which quickly turned into a full-bellied laugh before he responded. "Hah… fair enough. Speaking of my apprentice, I kind of got the feeling that she'd taken something of a shine to that kid who's now awaiting execution. Too bad I had to tell her about him being a spy from the Revolutionary Army sent to infiltrate our ranks and sow chaos in our fair Capital. Now she doesn't even want to see his face, though I encouraged her to be at his execution tomorrow — should help to harden her heart." The kid had been assigned under Seryu's command by pure chance, but Ogre quickly came to regret that little coincidence. Not even an entire day passed with him as part of her unit before she came into his office to give her daily report, whereupon she almost immediately began gushing to him about the high morals and good values the boy held along with his great potential, in her words. Talking non-stop about how he was perfectly suited to become a fellow protector of justice like her.

He didn't like it, Seryu became attached to the new recruit far too quickly, and he feared she might start confiding in that brat, trusting the kid over her own mentor. So he cut the bud before it could bloom into a potential problem for the future. 

"That little matter aside, what about the Beheader? I have doubts about his involvement; a feral dog will bite the hands that feed him at the first opportunity even if he's leashed up nice and tight." 

Gamal relaxed. "That madman is simpler to control than you think. Just promise him some heads to cut off as he pleases to sate his murderous impulses and immunity from his crimes, and he becomes an obedient dog." 

Ogre raised an eyebrow, clearly still having doubts, but eventually he just huffed. "Humph, whatever, just make sure it doesn't become a problem for me, or else I'll have to demand triple my usual rate. Where is this Zank even? How's he supposed to be your bodyguard if he's not here?" 

"Oh right, Dr. Stylish had some pla—"

Suddenly the air stilled, the hairs on the captain's arm all stood up, and he didn't even wait to hear whatever his partner had to say next before he dove to the side. An act that saved his life as a beam of light flew through the space right where his head had been. It still managed to hit his ear, though. 

"What!?" Gamal gasped, his head automatically turning in the direction the beam came from, just in time for another one to hit him right between the eyes. The merchant's eyes rolled back as he collapsed, the new hole in his head just beginning to smoke, while a dumbstruck Ogre's mind caught up to what his instincts had picked up on. 

"Assassins!"

Taking his greatsword in hand and staying behind the wall, a wide sweep followed as Ogre sliced apart all the furniture around him and cut through the nearest wooden pillar with ease. This was not just recklessly lashing out, as the glint of a blade coming out of the shadows aimed right for his throat proved that there was another in the room with him. Instead of showing fear or anger at this new enemy, the captain instead grinned as he deflected the attack. "Aha, so you've finally come for my head, Night Raid. You won't live to regret it!" 

This was going to be a fun night. Gamal's death was unfortunate, but once this assassin was dealt with Ogre could go about seizing all the man's assets and ensure his hold over the Capital's black market remained secure with the help of whichever of Gamal's competitors was willing to bid the highest.

{Break}

"Her range has gotten better, even if she's using the long barrel attachment." Standing a good distance away from the carnage, Emiya spectated the long-range assassination from Najenda. A singular powerful shot from the hill where they sat before, a range of around one and a half kilometers… not bad. 

Ogre somehow sensed the danger an instant before dodging it, letting him get off with a hole through his ear instead of his head before his partner shared what would soon be his fate as well. "Hmm, he either has remarkably sharp instincts, or some kind of enhanced senses that alerted him just in the nick of time. Not the kind of thing you'd expect to see from a city guard captain." 

A loud roar echoed in the distance, Ogre's strike creating a cloud of dust, making his exact location impossible for Najenda to see, though that was immediately followed by the sight of sparks flying from weapons clashing fiercely against one another. "Must be Akame, she must have gone for the kill as soon as Najenda killed Gamal, but was a second too late." 

He didn't attribute this to either party lacking in skill. They were professional assassins, more so in Akame's case. Though it was obvious that what lacked was the team dynamic; they weren't used to working together and thus failed to take out both targets at the same instant. Even so, Najenda couldn't risk taking any more shots at Ogre himself with Akame in the line of fire even if she caught sight of the bastard again. Which was why she instead began shooting down guards one after another while Akame battled Ogre indoors before any could try to go assist the corrupt guard captain.

"Hahahaha! Looks like they started the party without me!" 

From the streets, a tall and robust man with prominent facial features — including his sinister smile that extended across almost the entire width of his face and blonde hair with horn-like bangs — shouted with glee. He sprinted towards the carnage without reservation, a gleeful grin on his face as he cut down anyone in his path; which ironically enough consisted of the people that were supposed to be his allies in protecting Gamal. No different from a demon attracted to the scent of carnage, craving blood and death wherever it went. Someone that Emiya wasted no time in targeting as he shot a single arrow from a nearby rooftop. 

Crack!

Yet to his surprise, the man turned around just in time to slash the projectile away with great precision. Two blades the length of shortswords were protruding from his sleeves, mounted on his forearms and leaving his hands free. "Hehehe, someone wants to play with me!" shouted the man, changing directions and straight for Emiya as he retreated to an area more inconspicuous and remote. 

"Don't think you can run away!" 

He wasn't, "Don't you have a client to protect?" Taunted Emiya, checking his surroundings for any Imperial soldiers or civilians and finding none. 

"Client? Oh right, Gamal! Ah, who cares, Ogre will protect him just fine without me, and I'm still doing my job since I'm hunting down an assassin, so he can't complain! Besides, now that I've got worthwhile prey within my sights, I frankly don't care about my 'job' at the moment." His grin grew wider, "You look delicious, I can't wait to see the look on your face when I cut your head off."

Quite bloodthirsty, this one. The insanity and madness in those eyes made it obvious this person's mind had been tainted and shattered a long time ago. Now that he looked at his face closely, seeing his murderous desires along with the metallic eye mounted on his forehead, Emiya was certain… this person was—

"They call me Zank the Beheader!" Zank said, crossing his arms in an x-shape before him, "You must be part of Night Raid! Hehehehe, I've heard amazing things about you assassins. Killing you will be a great reward indeed." 

"…" Emiya did not attack or speak immediately, recalling what he'd managed to learn about this psychotic murderer. A former Imperial executioner who had evidently gone mad after performing his duties a few times too many. Said to have become a wanted criminal when he slaughtered the garrison of the prison he'd been stationed in, including the warden. The Behehader was one who targeted anyone he came across, random innocent civilians, loyal soldiers, or enemies of the Empire. A rabid animal who needed to be put down at once for the sake of everyone's interests. 

How Gamal managed to recruit such a person was a mystery. Emiya guessed he'd been able to offer immunity for Zank's string of murders in exchange for his protection, but the question of how he'd managed to hold a conversation and reach such an understanding with this psychopath still remained. 

"Hahaha! You got it in one! Gamal's arrangement with Ogre basically gives me free reign to kill anyone I want so long as I stick to the Capital's poor districts. It makes it much easier to walk through the streets and cut off a few heads without having to worry about being disturbed by the guards anymore. He was able to make the pitch while I was busy butchering a couple of his serving girls, and I was just so intrigued I had to accept!" 

"Mind reading," Emiya said, frowning as he realized which Teigu this was. "Spectator. A support-type Teigu that you stole from the warden you served under right before killing him. It holds the ability to read minds, see through objects, provides vision of the entirety of one's surroundings, and also enables one to spy things at a vast distance." 

At that, Zank started clapping his hands. 

"I'm impressed! You actually did your homework before trying to fight me, and know about the abilities of my Teigu." He raised his blades, tensing his body and getting ready to attack. "But that still won't be enough!" 

With a single rush, Zank shortened the distance between them at record speed for someone his size. Gray eyes narrowed in focus on  crazed dark blue irises as the blades mounted on Zank's wrists descended to a cut to his midsection. A move countered only by the appearance of a beautiful black blade with hexagonal patterns on its surface, deflecting the first strike and trying to cut upwards through Zank's chest. 

"Hah!" Yet the man moved just before his blade made contact, spinning that giant body of his and now changing his stance with a strong roundhouse kick which Emiya blocked with his unarmed hand.

"Hm!" The force still sent the white-haired bowman skidding across the ground, though he kept his footing. The newly created distance between the two combatants lasted less than a second before Zank went on the offensive again. Sparks flew in the air as their weapons once again clashed, and the resounding impacts of steel on steel echoed through the desolate streets. Zank's maniacal laughter sharply contrasted with Emiya's focused silence, the ringing of their blades creating an eerie symphony of chaos.

Each strike was met with precision, the two opponents engaged in a deadly dance. Zank's brute strength and relentless aggression were matched by Emiya's agility and calculated movements. The Spectator Teigu on Zank's forehead gleamed with an eerie aura the longer this fight went on. 

No matter which angle he attacked from, no matter how he directed Kanshou, it mattered little as the deranged mass-murderer kept countering him at every possible moment, allowing Zank to gain more ground over him. Even using obstacles like walls and dust to temporarily 'blind' the other party offered no result and only made the madman cackle even more loudly. 

"This Teigu is more dangerous than I anticipated." Emiya noted, his voice just as calm and composed as before. "Insight, farsight and clearsight — a troublesome combination in the wrong hands. Good thing you're nothing but a mentally unstable killer obsessing over his next victim. A few more months and you'll become nothing more than a rabid animal, driven only by instinct. I wonder if you'll even be able to still use Spectator by then? But I guess it doesn't matter since you won't live to find out." 

"Hahahaha, don't try to taunt me! It won't work! Be a good boy and just stay still so I can cut you up! You might as well give up, there is nothing you can do that I won't see coming!" 

Seeing the madman's eyes gleam at what he viewed as certain victory, Emiya couldn't help but smirk. "Is that so? Relying on just precognition and telepathy to win this battle won't work out for you, not against me." 

Regardless of the Teigu's ability and everything he'd seen so far about how dangerous the Beheader was with it, Emiya chose to take the offensive and rush forward towards Zank this time. His moves lacked any complexity or plans to handle his opponent's abilities — much to Zank's confusion. He witnessed his opponent go for a well-telegraphed slash to his torso, an attack that was stronger, but also slower and far more predictable than anything he'd done before. 

'Hehehehehe, he must have given up after all!' he thought, unable to stop himself from grinning as he brought up his blades to block the dark sword. More than happy to take advantage of this moment and skewer this boy's hear— 

Snap!

"—!?" His heart sank at the sensation of steel cutting through his flesh. Looking downwards he found the black blade managed to cut through his sword and continued its path by cutting into his right arm and making its way to his torso. "No!" 

Zank jumped back just before he lost the arm completely as he read his opponent's mind again. 'Another slash from the left, followed by a stab to the throat.' Yet to his surprise, Emiya's next move turned out to be completely different than what he read, stabbing the tip of Kanshou into his left leg, blood spraying everywhere as the blade got viciously pulled away. The next strike was a swipe at his gut with the blade in a reverse grip, sending Zank stumbling backwards as he tried to recollect himself and focus through the pain and blood loss after confirming that his insides were still where they were meant to be.

"How!?" he cried, unable to understand what just happened. He was certain he read the thoughts of this person just now, yet he… didn't actually do it? 

Not willing to back down, Zank focused his Teigu's ability, and tried to delve deeper into his enemy's mind. 

At that moment, Emiya felt the subtle intrusion, the eerie sensation of his thoughts being probed by Zank's Teigu, Spectator. It was a sensation he had encountered before, a mental invasion that sought to discern and unravel his next move. As Zank's eyes glowed with the spectral light of his Teigu, Emiya's mind became a labyrinth of calculated chaos. In that moment, rather than stop himself from thinking, he did the complete opposite. The fading redhead embraced the mental battle within his own consciousness, and unveiled the full scope of his tactical prowess in direct combat. He envisioned a myriad of possibilities, each move having been meticulously crafted in the vast landscape of his mind. The mental gymnastics began, a cascade of calculations that surpassed the limits of ordinary foresight.

First, he contemplated the terrain – the uneven cobblestone streets, the remnants of crumbling buildings, and the bits of debris that had been scattered over the course of their fight. A mental map unfolded, highlighting potential pitfalls and advantageous positions. He envisioned himself exploiting the environment, using every nook and cranny to gain the upper hand or throw off his enemy. The angle of his blade, the force behind his strike, and adding Reinforcement to the Noble Phantasm. This, followed by preparing to Trace a couple of dozen or so other constructs all around Zank, each following the same train of calculation, again and again, dozens of times over.

Then, his focus shifted to Zank's movements – the rhythmic patterns of his strikes, the anticipatory tension in his muscles, and the fleeting microexpressions that hinted at his intentions. Emiya envisioned a dance, a choreography of evasion and counterattack, seamlessly timed to exploit the gaps in Zank's relentless assault.

Simultaneously, he considered his own physical capabilities – the strength in his legs allowing for swift maneuvers, the flexibility in his limbs for agile dodges, and the dexterity in his fingers for rapid release of his arrows if enough distance presented itself between them. In his mind, he felt the phantom sensation of each movement, rehearsing the ballet of combat with an ethereal precision for seemingly every possible scenario. 

As the mental symphony of strategies played out, Emiya delved into the psychology of his adversary. He considered the bloodlust that fueled Zank, the manic glint in his eyes, and the underlying instability that drove him down the path of a bloodthirsty beast. Emiya envisioned exploiting these psychological vulnerabilities, creating a mental landscape that befuddled Zank and sowed the seeds of doubt.

In this torrent of thoughts, his mind became an intricate tapestry of tactics, exploiting the most minute detail of the situation. Every conceivable move, every potential counter, and every contingency plan unfolded on the canvas of his consciousness.

The overwhelming complexity of the former Counter Guardian's mental calculations quickly began to take its toll on Zank's mind. Where he had previously faced simple thoughts and plans of his next move now got replaced by a stream of neverending information that he failed to handle. Each and every move struck in every area, creating an invisible prison of spikes that he couldn't escape from. The sheer volume of possibilities, the intricate interplay of factors, and the profound understanding of the art of combat flooded Zank's mind. It was as if Emiya's thoughts became a tempest, a whirlwind of strategic plans that threatened to drown him in its intricacy.

In the physical realm, Zank staggered, his eyes widening with the informational overload. Emiya seized the moment, capitalizing on the distraction caused by the overwhelming cascade of thoughts. In that instant, the black blade landed a clean and precise cut down the man's shoulder and through his torso right down to where his heart was.

"Gargh!" Coughing up blood, Zank bled profusely, collapsing to the ground as clarity returned to his mind for a brief moment. Confused and afraid at the approaching prospect of death, he pulled every fiber of his energy to activate the last ability of his Teigu in a vain attempt to save his life. What should have been a small window into Emiya's past, a trick he used to find the person he cared the most and take on their likeness… turned out to be his last mistake. 

"AAAAAAARRRGHH!!!" 

Spectator glowed red, the eyeball moving around frantically as neverending memories — far beyond the life of someone who had to reach his twentieth year. Images and faces in the hundreds of millions. Unlike last time, this sudden intrusion of memories made his Teigu reach its limit. 

Right before his eyes, Emiya watched shadows cover Zank, trying to take the shape of one person, but unable to settle on any single individual before shifting to the next. Turning into someone with short silver hair that reminded him of Najenda, messy blonde hair from one of the Night Raid members, long wavy brown hair, and eyes resembling someone he met long ago. An amalgamation of physical traits from numerous people, and for a split second, a familiar set of aquamarine eyes gazed back at him wearing a red turtleneck — a sight that caused him to instantly bring his blade down on what he knew to be Zank's throat. 

"That's an annoying illusion ability." He had no idea that this Teigu had the capability to scour memories and show him an image of people he knew. 

"The v-voices… they've stopped… finally…" were the executioner's last words as his fear evaporated, leaving behind a relieved face that happily accepted the embrace of death as his final gasp passed through his lips. 

"…So he was a slave to his Teigu from the beginning. No, if anything the Teigu itself just worsened the madness, but that part of him already existed. The result of his work as an Imperial executioner, then. And with the current regime, I can only imagine how many people being sent to gallows are either innocent or just committed some petty theft or the like. Seems it eventually became too much for him."

When framed in that light… he could understand the concept of someone being driven mad from having to kill those who did not deserve it, day after day… 

Silence reigned, and he stepped back from the body. Emiya let his blade disappear as he slowed his breath. This Teigu was indeed dangerous in the wrong hands, but still not exceptionally so. Mind reading can be seen as a double-edged sword; becoming too reliant on it ironically makes you blind to anything else but the thoughts of your opponent — you become dependent on them in order to fight them. Not nearly as invincible of a support-type artifact as you'd expect it to be… Against an enemy capable of fighting on instinct while their thoughts are elsewhere, or can move faster than you can react, anyone with this ability would be bound to lose. 

Or even just an opponent outside the Teigu's range of effect. 

Going over the corpse of the slain mass-murderer, Emiya grabbed the metallic eye strapped to his forehead and removed it. The Teigu vibrated at his touch, the eyeball turning to him as if it were alive, imploring him to put it on. "Too bad for you, I'm not interested." He commented to it before storing the item away. 

He had hoped to end the man without any witnesses. But it looked like Najenda was more worried about him than she'd been willing to let on… 

"You can come out, I know you're here." 

On cue, Leone walked into the alley while awkwardly scratching the back of her head. She tried to show him an easy grin, but was clearly more than a little surprised she'd been found out so easily. 

"Uh… hey there handsome, that's some skill you've got there. Didn't take you for that good of a swordsman since I thought you were more of an archer. Boss just wanted to make sure you were safe, and I didn't want my newest teammate to get hurt either, so… um… Wanna hang out or something before we go back to base?" 

What an odd girl.

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 1 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.