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A Heroic Night Guard
🕑 Added 2024-06-16 07:25:17 +0000 UTCAuthor's Note: A Fate/'Five Nights at Freddy's' crossover. Just a fun little idea I had. It started as an image in my head - Shirou dodging all of the animatronics attacks while trying to talk them into letting him help them - and it just grew from there.
Shirou will still be able to Trace here, but being in a world with no magic, it takes a lot more energy, and he can't create magical weapons. So no Black Keys or the like. Still, even with that limitation, Shirou's not gonna be in any danger whatsoever.
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The first thing Shirou noticed when he woke up was the breeze.
It wasn’t that it was bad or anything - while he didn’t often forget to close the window to his apartment, he had done it a time or two. But the fact that the breeze brought with it the scent of wet grass and leaves, yet surprisingly flat, when he should be in the middle of London…
Shirou's brain shot into full awareness, with Shirou almost launching himself off the surface he’d been on (which was not the bed he’d gone to sleep in).
He was in a park, though not one he recognized. The sky was clear, and if the sun was anything to go by, it was around noon. Several people were already walking around, some giving him odd looks, but he was too busy trying to figure out what the heck happened.
“My my Emiya, I clearly need to do this more often if this is how you react.”
Shirou stiffened, any questions he had drying up as his heart sank.
Turning, he sighed at the sight of a tall, distinguished man with a trimmed white beard and red eyes. Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. Wizard Marshall and Master of the Second Magic. Mentor to his best friend, Rin, and well regarded as the most dangerous magus in the Association.
Eating a slice of pizza while reading a newspaper?
Huh. It was an oddly normal sight for the man that had a tendency to terrify the majority of the Clock Tower. Though seeing him sitting at a shabby picnic table in his expensive suit was rather jarring.
“You know, I don’t know what it is about these cheap pizza places.” The Wizard Marshall mused as he took another bite, “The crust is too thin, it’s poorly made, and the taste is quite frankly subpar. And yet despite that, one can’t quite get enough of it…”
“Wizard Marshall.” Shirou greeted cautiously.
The red eyed man shook his head. “Come now Emiya,” he chided. “I might be your friend’s teacher, but I’m not yours. No need to be so formal. Would you like a slice?”
Shirou had met Zelretch multiple times in the past, but he could never truly get comfortable around him. The way the older man seemed to know every aspect of him was just disconcerting.
And considering Zelretch might know of ‘him’ from various alternate universes, it was a very valid assumption.
“I’m good, thanks.” Shirou cautiously declined. “May I ask where we are?”
Maybe this wasn’t what it looked like?
“United States - Hurricane, Utah.” Zelretch declared, turning the page of the newspaper. “Rather dull place I’m afraid. In fact, this entire world is a bit tame for my liking, but it does have a few fascinating points.” He shrugged apologetically.
It was absolutely what it looked like.
“This world?” Shirou clarified, despite already suspecting. The air in the area was off - everything felt different.
“Yep!” Zelretch nodded enthusiastically. “You should be able to differentiate between the amount of od in the air - most worlds out there have varying levels.”
Was that why everything smelled… Flat? Shirou hadn’t felt this since he’d been in the Atacama Exclusion Zone. He hadn’t been able to place it at first since the area was so different from that barren wasteland.
“May I ask why you’ve brought me here?” Shirou asked as he slowly took a seat at the picnic table.
Zelretch pouted at the refusal, but it quickly gave way to a smirk. “I’m glad you asked.” He took another bite. “You see, in short, I’m afraid that Rin has progressed far enough that it’s not as lucrative to send her across the kaleidoscope.”
Shirou frowned. “Has she?” He asked, feeling confused. That… Sounded like a good thing, wasn’t it?
“Indeed. She doesn’t react nearly as much to my pranks anymore.” Zelretch, one of the most dangerous creatures in the Moonlit World, pouted. “It’s not nearly as fun if they don't react.”
Ah. Well.
Inwardly, he felt a bit of relief. He’d been the one Rin would rant to about Zelretch’s latest actions, or where he’d sent her last. Not being sent to other worlds on a whim sounded like a good thing in his opinion.
It wasn't that they were dangerous per se, though they often were. But Zelretch tended to lean more for… Weirdness.
Shirou still remembered a couple years prior - Rin had actually foregone coffee for half a year after she came back from a world where the coffee beans were sentient and begged to be consumed.
In the end, Shirou replied with a cautious “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Zelretch rolled his eyes. “Now now, I know what you’re thinking, but I’ll have you know that my methodology is effective!”
Maybe. But Shirou might have believed that a bit more had the man not just been bemoaning that he wasn’t getting as much fun out of it.
“Regardless, I’ve thought up a solution to this little problem.” Zelretch declared, looking pleased with himself as he stared at Shirou.
Shirou felt his stomach drop as a bad feeling came over him. “And what would that be?” He asked.
“Instead of sending Rin to another world to find her way back, I’ll send one of her friends. Rin’s assignment will be to find them.” Zelretch smirked.
Yep, bad feeling confirmed.
“It’s good for her anyways.” Zelretch continued blithely. “This would be the natural progression of her lessons, regardless of other factors. I would have gone to her sister, but I think Rin might have actually tried to kill me had I done that, hah!”
Shirou stiffened, “That would not have gone well.” He admitted carefully, the words causing Zelretch to laugh, but Shirou was being quite serious.
Rin absolutely would have tried to kill the man. And Shirou would have been right beside her. Not that they’d be able to do anything to the old Sorcerer, but it was the thought that mattered.
Sakura was still recovering from when they’d managed to liberate her from Zouken’s house. When Shirou and Rin had gone to the Clocktower, Rin had insisted that Sakura come along despite her non-interest in magecraft. She’d hoped that the change of environment would be good for the traumatized girl.
If it was a matter of him or Sakura, the choice was obvious. But why did it have to be either?
“Now, this world is fairly tame.” Zelretch continued, looking unbothered as he turned another page. “In fact, save for a few places it’s downright boring. But I thought it’d be a nice starter place so to speak. You don't need to worry about what people will think of your absence - I’ve already settled everything for you with Waver and the Executors. They’ll know you’re unavailable for the foreseeable future. No need to thank me.”
Thanking Zelretch was the furthest thing from his mind.
Zelretch finished the last slice of pizza and gave a satisfied sound. “Now, onto the matter of compensation.”
Shirou raised an eyebrow. “Compensation?” He echoed blankly.
“Of course!” Zelretch sounded insulted. “Rin is my student, and as such she gets knowledge.”
‘And trauma’ went unsaid.
“But you aren’t,” Zelretch continued. “So instead, I offer you a deal.”
“If I don’t take it, will you take me back?” Shirou couldn’t help but ask.
Zelretch gave him a disappointed look before ignoring him. “You could, of course, sit around and treat this as a vacation. Alternatively, I’ll give you a task, and if you complete it before little Rin finds you, then I shall give you a reward.”
… Shirou could never let Rin learn of this.
“Thank you for the offer, but with all due respect sir -“ Shirou was about to reject it. Whatever compensation Zelretch was thinking of - and he was sure it would be impressive - he would much rather be back on their world.
“Perhaps -“ Zelretch interrupted him, leaning towards him with a smirk. “ - even a way back to your Saber, hmmm?”
Shirou froze, heart clenching.
Suddenly the offer was way more appealing.
It had been years since the Holy Grail War. Years since he had last seen Arturia,and he was not ashamed to say that much of his plans had been colored by his search.
The whole reason he joined Rin at the Clocktower was to get access to their library, and most of his free days were spent perusing it for anything regarding the Fey or Avalon.
Even his time with the Executors had allowed him to meet with some people that had various bits of information, or artifacts they were willing to show off (that Shirou immediately traced without any shame).
But even with all that, he only had scraps.
It wasn’t enough to make him give up. Far from it. However long it took, he’d continue to search. But if Zelretch was willing to assist…
“Understand, what I’m offering is merely support,” Zelretch stated, suddenly stern. “I won’t be dropping you off in Avalon itself, or anything of that nature.”
That was still far more than what he had right now.
There was so much about this deal that was suspicious. But in the end, Shirou’s impulsive nature won out.
“... What exactly would you want me to do?” Shirou asked.
Zelretch beamed at him and turned in his seat. “See that building over there?” He asked while pointing, and Shirou looked.
It was a fairly unimpressive building. A rectangular, concrete building. A bit older than its surroundings perhaps, but it was hard to tell from this distance.
The most noticeable thing about it was a sign above the doors featuring a cartoonish bear. Underneath it were the words `Freddy Fazbear's Pizza’.
“What exactly am I looking for?” Shirou asked. He knew what the building was - not this particular franchise maybe, and not that he’d ever been inside one that he could recall, but he knew of them. A place for children’s events and the like.
“Inside that building are several tortured souls.” Zelretch informed him solemnly, and Shirou nearly choked at the words. “Your job is to save them.”
“What?!” Shirou coughed. “You couldn’t have started with that? How many people? What’s going on?”
Zelretch’s expression shifted into something more mischievous. “Where’s the fun in that? And as for any details? Well,” Zelretch tossed the newspaper he was reading at him. “That’s up for you to figure out.”
The newspaper covered his view for less than a second before he grabbed it. But by the time he grabbed it, Zelretch was gone.
Instead, Shirou focused his attention on the pizzeria.
Inside that building are several tortured souls.
… it was an odd place to secretly torture people.
A part of Shirou wanted to charge the building immediately. Burst through the doors, ready for a fight.. But he’d like to think that he’d gained a bit of caution since he was a teenager.
Not nearly as much as Rin would prefer, but it was still progress.
Zelretch said he had till Rin found him, which meant that it wasn’t an immediate thing. There wasn’t a shootout happening right this minute.
Shirou breathed out slowly, forcing his mind to slow down as he thought of what he had just signed up for.
Rin was absolutely going to kill him.
Well, first things first. He needed to establish a base of operations. Get an apartment and such. Probably stake out the pizzeria. From there, he needed to learn as much as he could about Freddy’s.
Shirou stood up, before realizing a crucial piece of information:
Zelretch had teleported him while he was asleep. From his bed.
At the moment, Shirou was wearing sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt. He didn’t have his wallet with him, nor his phone - both of those were on the nightstand next to his bed.
Zelretch had teleported him into a different country in a different world without any money or ID.
…
Shirou’s head hit the table. Ok, forget the original plan. First, he needed to figure out how the heck he was going to survive in this world.
As he sank back down onto the bench, a flash of red on the newspaper grabbed his attention.
It was from the job postings. One in particular was circled in red.
Help wanted: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza!
Family Pizzeria looking for security guard to work the night shift; 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM.
Monitor cameras, ensure safety of equipment and animatronic characters.
$120 a week!
Next to it were the words “good luck, Emiya!”, also in red ink.
Shirou sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his head.
Well... It was a job. And it would let him investigate the place. On the other hand, Zelretch was clearly recommending it.
It was a tough choice.
In the end, practicality won out, and Shirou started making his way to the building, trying to figure out what best to say to convince somebody they could hire him even if he didn't have appropriate ID.
He didn't like it, but he might have to fall back on hypnosis. He'd never been particularly good at it, but Rin had insisted he know enough to get by at least. It should last at least a week, and after he got his first paycheck if he got kicked out he'd hopefully be in a better position.
Glancing up at the sign with the bear, Shirou couldn't help but give a tired chuckle.
He’d never been a night guard before. If nothing else, it would be a different experience at least.
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Author's Note: Hopefully everybody enjoyed this prologue :). Let me know what you guys think!
Will this be continued? I don't know. It depends on the reception honestly. At least one or two more chapters for certain - one for Shirou meeting the manager and getting hired (which won't require any ID from him, no hypnosis needed. Shirou will be understandably confused). Followed by a brief tour. And then one chapter for Night 1 where Shirou tries to interrogate a bunny while said bunny is attacking him.
Comments
Adam Costello
OMG such an idea, and wait till he learns what happened to the children!!
