Anomaly Ch. 43

The gun-spear’s end clacked with purpose as Shirou was led further and further into the merchant’s district. At first, the only people that they saw were the Yaga. Women and children that hid themselves as they saw Enforcer. Yaga that were either working with their weapons, or taking a rest. However, none matched the sheer presence as the one leading him.

The more that Shirou saw of the Yaga, the more he realized that Anatoly was a step above from the rest. Taller, for one, and the way how every single Yaga they encountered would immediately defer to him was obvious.

Soon though, as they headed into less ruined areas, and more into what Shirou would describe as the bare necessities of a living space, they started to encounter more and more non-Yaga demi-humans. Elves, even ones that had quite a bit darker complexion, he could recognize easily enough from their ears. The same with the Warrior Bunnies and Pooka that he’d seen while in Italica.

More though, he could only guess as to their species.

A group of shorter, stockier individuals, full beards and all, were hammering away at a set of weapons, a look of intense focus on each of their faces. Dwarves, perhaps?

Women with snake-like hair were huddled together, talking with each other in quiet tones. They were given a wide berth, though it didn’t seem to bother them all too much.

An armored behemoth, possibly even larger than Berserker, that lumbered through the streets. Surprisingly (or perhaps not considering Heracles’ partiality towards Illya) they were carrying quite an eclectic group of children, with them whooping while they climbed all over. Shirou would have been worried, had not the children’s mothers been looking on in fondness.

And many, many more. All of them, even the youngest ones, showed signs of being enslaved. Malnutrition in some. Marks on their hands and legs for others. And an all-encompassing air of foreboding.

None of them wanted to go back. Not without fighting tooth and nail.

“Anatoly!” There was a shout further down the road, a small demi-human. They had scaled, green skin, and a wolf-like head. The demi-human quickly made their way towards Shirou and Anatoly, disappearing between the crowd, before appearing in front of them just a few moments later.

Despite the excitable demi-human’s appearance, Anatoly only gave them a nod, “Tig, is there something you need?”

“Yes, yes!” The now named Tig nodded vigorously, “Boss man be calling for you! Tig being told to find you fastly!” Tig spoke quickly, in a scratchy way that made it feel like whatever vocal chords they had shouldn’t have been able to produce those sounds.

Anatoly gave a hum of acknowledgement, “Convenient. Tell him that we’re already heading there and that I’m bringing a possible ally.”

The Yaga leader was only barely able to finish his sentence before Tig was already heading back through the crowd. Anatoly only gave a snort of amusement, before turning to Shirou with another nod, “Forgive him, it is in the nature of kobolds to be easily distracted.”

Shirou gave a nod of understanding, filing the term ‘kobold’ into the back of his mind. He had heard of them in some German folklore, but hadn’t seen the need to look them up further than a passing fascination. Other people, like Rin, would likely want to know more, however.

The Enforcer noted that Anatoly was also much more relaxed now than he had been earlier. Maybe he thought that Shirou would hesitate to try anything in the middle of enemy lines. He was right in that regard, but likely not the reason why.

Any other person would hesitate to fight because it would be suicide to try and break out of here. They had every advantage that they could need: numbers, firepower, and even home territory. Any other person and this would be a death trap to the highest extreme. 

Not for Shirou.

After all, what kind of Hero of Justice would slaughter a people that were just trying to be free?

(He crushed the thoughts that told him that there had been a Hero of Justice that did exactly that)

Anatoly continued to lead him through a veritable maze of makeshift shelters - remnants of shops that would have populated the area once upon a time. Sure, they could have used the buildings that already were there, but even Shirou could see why they didn’t do so: they weren’t made with demi-humans in mind.

Doors with handles too high for kobolds. Insides too cramped for the taller species. Enclosed areas with no room for wings. Instead of dealing with whatever inconveniences were inside, the people here had instead built a sort of shantytown in the streets.

One building that stood out was one where he could spot where humans were going in and out.

The humans he’d seen here  were toned in a way that resemble those who lived in the Mediterranean. Fair skinned, but had enough of a tan that made it obvious to onlookers that they lived under the sun for their entire lives. Exceptions were there, of course, as was the case with the Princess, who had a skin tone lighter than the norm due to her spending more time indoors than the common person.

His now once-more red hair and lighter skin was likely why the mistake of assuming he was a Celtic warrior was easy enough to believe for the locals. However, even compared to a regular Japanese person, his complexion was still always a tad bit darker, due to most of his own days being spent outside.

All that combined, it was with raised eyebrows that he saw quite a bit of people that wouldn't be out of place in modern day Japan.

And, similar to all the other demi-humans he had seen, they showed signs of slavery.

A foreboding beat drummed up inside of him. If what he thought was correct, then he had no idea just how the Japanese government would react. Already, they had shown a willingness to send the JSDF beyond the Gate, to beat back the Imperial forces. 

What more if they found out that their own countrymen as damned slaves?

The modern world was, in some aspects, lacking in the knowledge of the mystical side of the world, try as they might be with catching up. The same could be said for this world beyond the Gate, where they were ignorant of the cruelty of modern man’s technology.

It was already a slaughter on Alnus Hill. What more when both sides engaged with no holds barred?

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Time to meet whoever this ‘boss’ of theirs was. 

They made their way inside the building, though Anatoly’s height was a bit too much, forcing him to duck underneath the doorway. The inside was, surprisingly, more akin to a command center than anything.

A central table with chairs placed around it, several of them still empty despite a whole host of individuals already seated. On said table, a large map of what Shirou recognized as the Imperial capital. Several marks were already on it, making a rough trail to and from the merchant's district.

At the head of the table (ironically, the concept of a round table being defeated as the people looked to still defer to them) was perhaps the most unassuming man he had seen. In fact, place him in a suit and tie and he would not be out of place inside the business district of Tokyo.

Dark, disheveled hair, eye bags under his eyes, and a slouched posture. Beside him, an elf that was dutifully standing right next to him. Despite that, he commanded full attention from everyone around.

The moment they entered, all eyes were on them.

“Anatoly, welcome back.” The man spoke, and for some reason, the elf started repeating what he said. It only took a moment to understand what was happening; the elf was translating for the man, and it was only the translation magecraft on him that was making it moot, “Tig said that you’d be bringing in a guest. I suppose this is him?”

The slouch was still there as the man approached, outstretching an arm, “Anyone willing to fight against the Empire is a friend of ours here. Komakado Hideyo, at your service.”

Before the elf behind Komakado could repeat what he said, Shirou locked eyes with her and gave a short bow that hopefully conveyed his apologies, “Emiya Shirou. With a name like that, I suppose that you’re Japanese?”

Komakado's eyebrows shot up, his slouch straightening ever so slightly in surprise, “You speak Japanese?”

Shirou nodded, watching as the entire room seemed similarly startled by the words, though at the same time, confused. Likely, because his words were still being translated. Better to nip that in the bud.

"I'm Japanese, yes, but I also have a translation spell working right now." Shirou nodded as the room gave a hum of understanding.

“That explains a bit, only to give me more questions than answers.” Komakado at least found it somewhat amusing, laughing to himself, “Well, at least I can introduce myself properly. Komakado Hideyo, I am - was - part of the Japanese Defense Intelligence.”

Shirou’s eyebrows rose above his brow as the seemingly nondescript man continued, “Though I suppose job titles mean little here, don’t they?”

Shirou took his hand, giving it a firm shake, “That depends. Intelligence work doesn’t lose its value just because the playing field changes.”

Komakado smirked, “Fair point.” He gestured to the table, “Since Anatoly brought you here, I assume you’re someone worth listening to. Take a seat.”

Shirou did as he was asked, his gaze sweeping across the others gathered. He filtered through the list of demi-human species that he knew of, then to the mythical species’. There were quite a bit there. An ogre and an orc to one side. Both of them far more intelligent looking than the descriptions he had heard. One was a small, almost mite sized person with wings. A pixie, Shirou thought. Beyond them, Anatoly had taken another seat, a dark-skinned elf, dwarf, and a kobold that was talking with Tig in the corner.

“Now then,” Komakado leaned back, lacing his fingers together, “I’d ask how you got here, but I have a feeling the answer’s more complicated than I’d like.” His eyes gleamed with curiosity, “First off, you’re not JSDF, I would have heard of someone capable of sneaking into enemy territory and impressing Anatoly enough that he thinks it’d be safe to bring you here.”

“That is right, Komakado.” Anatoly spoke after the elf translated, “He claims that he is willing to help us, and has the strength and magic to do so.”

“Magic?” The man hummed in curiosity, “Now I think I would have definitely known about you if you were part of the JSDF.”

“Then let me speak plainly.” Shirou nodded to himself, “I may be Japanese, but I represent the London Clock Tower as an Enforcer.” As it stands, nothing prevented him from speaking his affiliation. Not like the cat wasn’t out of the bag already.

“Right, no idea what the hell this ‘clock tower’ business you have going on.” Komakado gave Shirou a wry smirk, one tinged with more than a bit of caution, “Unless that’s just part of MI6’s secret wizard division?”

Shirou furrowed his brow. Maybe the cat wasn’t as out as he thought. He crossed his arms as he spoke, “Komakado-san, how long have you been here?”

“Got kidnapped and put into chains straight from Ginza.” He was much more nonchalant about it than Shirou would have thought. The man was a good actor. As expected from a person from military intelligence.

“Then you would not have heard the news that magecraft and magic are both real, with native users in our world.” If Shirou expected surprise, he would have been disappointed. All he got was a shrug.

“Sounds about what I expected.” 

Komakado smirked, tapping his fingers against the table in thought, “So, the world’s a little more complicated than the textbooks told us. I figured as much.” He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head, “Doesn’t change the fact that we’re still here, though.”

Shirou had a feeling that despite his words, Komakado would be interrogating him soon enough.

"Well, that answers the 'how' you got into the capital, wizard man." Shirou held the automatic instinct to correct him, "The next question is 'why?'. Last I checked, London doesn't exactly have a defense treaty with Japan."

“Would you believe it if I said it’s a personal matter?” Technically, he wasn’t lying. Just omitting a lot of details.

Not a single person took it at face value, “What kind of personal matter crosses worlds like you have, Emiya Shirou of the London Clock Tower?” It was the orc that spoke, eyes gleaming dangerously underneath a hood.

He didn’t rise to the challenging tone, only looking back at them with as much resolve as he could muster, "The kind that involves saving lives." Shirou replied evenly, his voice steady despite the weight of the room's attention, "I don't expect you to trust me outright, but I can assure you that my goals align with yours. The Empire is a threat, not just to the people here, but to the balance of both worlds. If left unchecked, their actions could have catastrophic consequences."

Komakado narrowed his eyes, small enough of a tell that, had Shirou not been watching him closely, he would not have seen it.

But then again, Shirou had told the truth, "The Empire's expansionist ambitions don't stop at this world. They've already shown a willingness to cross into ours, and if they gain a foothold, it won't just be demi-humans and slaves who suffer. Entire nations could fall under their rule. I'm here to prevent that."

He was exaggerating, yes. There was no way the Empire could rule the modern world. But nobody here aside from Komakado had any idea of that. All they knew was that the Empire was the strongest military force in this world. It would be easy for them to believe they would carry the same principles into other worlds.

The only caveat was Komakado himself. He knew he was essentially bullshitting. However, the moment he knew that the man was part of the Japanese military intelligence, Shirou knew he would play his part in this impromptu act he was putting on.

At least, he hoped he had read the man right.

“I will vouch for him.” Anatoly spoke up suddenly, “My instincts tell me that, beyond his strength, this man is worth his promises.”

“Well,” The pixie spoke up this time, “If Anatoly thinks he’s good, he’s got my vote as well! Plus, he smells really good!”

There was a murmur around the room as they all spoke with one another, speaking their agreement on the matter. A consensus of ‘any enemy of the Empire is a friend of mine’ that Komakado spoke of earlier.

After a while, Komakado sighed, before gesturing into the air with a waving motion, “Fine, fine.” He stared at the map in front of him with a frown, “It’s not like we’re in a position to deny any help we can get. Welcome aboard, Emiya.”

The Enforcer gave a low bow, “You will not regret this.”

“I sure hope I don’t.”

…