Fate: Hero and Sword

He smiled wryly, phantom pains originating from the slap on his face a reminder of what his prompt summons by Shirou had saved him from. Though from the smooth sensation of supple skin and natural buoyancy that still lingered on his palm and fingers, he was seriously considering about offering his left cheek for another go at it.

His eyes blurred lewdly, heat flushing his cheeks red before he promptly shook his head and coughed. Smart as he was, he knew that without Shirou's prompt intervention, a single slap would have had been the least of his concerns regarding the actions of that violent yet alluring Lavender Rose.

Then again, his lips curled upwards, perhaps he could 'convince' Shirou to inadvertently help him once more.

Fantasies aside though, there was currently still another Rose awaiting his attention.

He smoothened his garments, freeing up the loose dirt and grime that had accumulated on them from the debris Lancelot and Gawain had created in their posturing before tilting his head in a certain direction.

An area that appeared completely empty, yet not.

"Well," he said sardonically, a shudder travelling down someone's back.

"How did you know I liked things wild?"

Following Vincent was easier than he had thought, granted he still wasn't accustomed to applying his in-game stats to his physical abilities yet.

After all, he wasn't even certain of what race he was do to his tampering with YGGDRASIL's mechanics, namely the stylistic race-restricted functions. Although YGGDRASIL was known to allow players to create and model in-game objects, limitations were still maintained. For example, the developers didn't want Players to choose any random race and be able to reconfigure the appearance at will.

If a Player chose an Orc, they'd be ugly but the enhanced stats would balance things out. Should a Player be able to model an orc to look exactly like a Human, then there was no point in choosing an Orc race to begin with. The YGGDRASIL company might as well have had just created one race then with varying stats.

For general and veteran Players, the limitation wasn't a big deal, but to him who had only played the game to recreate what he had lost, it was a problem. Therefore, he enabled his avatar to be able to utilize stylistic functions of all races when creating NPCs.

Draconic.

Divine.

Earth.

He possessed a portion of such traits within his body, making him unique in that he had no definite race, but when introduced, he would still say Human for it was the largest aspect of him.

The other traits were things he had only acquired a portion of to incorporate into Arturia and the others in their creation. The racial aura of 'Dragons' for example was something he passed onto Arturia, while 'Divine' was inputted into the Heroes descended from Gods.

Uncertain as he was about his current racial parameters, their combined might along with Reinforcement had him moving at a similar speed as a Servant.

Vincent was slow in comparison, and he was on horseback, having made his way to where he and his escorts had left their mounts and saddled himself up.

He trailed behind Vincent for the entire way, slowing down and keeping his distance while using Far Sight.

The trip itself was uneventful, Vincent making haste towards his family's duchy without rest and ignoring the idyllic view of the valley created by the water basin to the east. A place filled with rolling grass and swaying flowers and reeds.

Subsequently, it gave him enough time to think.

He had already ascertained that he not only possessed the magic he had in life, but the skills he had in YGGDRASIL as well. Therefore, the problem now, was where he would go from here.

Finding a way back home had always been at the back of his mind, but at the same time, he understood that there was nothing else left there for him; no one to wait and welcome him home after a weary journey.

In contrast, the New World was different. She was here, they were here, individuals who on some levels were like him, possessing the mentality of a Hero. They could understand him, and he them. The things that they had lost, the tragedies that they had experienced, he knew of them all for he had experienced events that were similar.

From another perspective, perhaps the New World was simply a new beginning. A place where Arturia and the others may no longer need to re-experience the tragedies of their lives.

With that thought in mind, something within him seemed to harden.

A resolve born from empathy and care, for he was their creator.

Letting the NPCs he had created enjoy a new life would be the ultimate goal he would work towards from now on. Because some deserved a better ending.

He contemplated to himself while trailing Vincent, but something in the distance soon caught his attention.

He paused in his steps, taking a vantage point by a low rolling hill and surveying the large wisps of smoke billowing in the far horizon. Vincent had yet to notice such a detail as he was too far away and preoccupied with the road ahead of him.

Shirou on the other hand was different.

Not only was he accustomed to noticing small details while in the midst of undergoing other tasks, he was adept at it too due to his past field of work. He was an Enforcer and a mercenary; the types of jobs and places he had experienced were too much for him to count. As such, he had long since gotten used to the unexpected. The current situation was the same.

Smoke meant trouble, more so in large quantities and the wisps themselves had already shifted into a dark cloud.

He had seen outside festivities and bonfires before, but the the thickness of the smoke was simply too much.

Careful inspection would lead him to his answer.

Fire burning in a village.