Huh?
I open my eyes to find myself in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by unfamiliar faces. By the chiseled jawlines and fair hair of the men around the table I'm seated at, I garner that they must be westerners. Even more striking is the full-body metal armor they're all clad in.
We all sit in silence at a large, circular table. I'm seated at the head… while the others sit next to each other at the far end. Someone standing to my right, behind me, speaks to all of us present.
"…and that is the current state of affairs in the kingdom." The man concludes in a gruff, dull voice. "I might also mention- the settlements of our kingdom furthest from our reaches have seen raids and pillaging lately as never before. Some have become occupied by the savages. Survivors no doubt still remain captive by them. What is your decree on this, my king?"
The already tense, unwelcoming atmosphere in the air thickens upon the question being asked. Some of the men seated raise their eyes to me, waiting for the answer. Even though I know it falls upon me to command them, my palms, concealed beneath their gauntlets, still dampen with sweat.
"Chances are," I begin, speaking in a voice not my own "the villages that were taken have little-to-no survivors remaining. Also, these villages were likely damaged and drained of resources during the raids and invasions. Yes, I deem them lost causes.
"We will enact a campaign around the perimeter of our territory, destroying any communities that are occupied and reinforcing any that still stand. In the process, we will root out these barbarians and crush them before they can bolster themselves further."
"And the citizens they have imprisoned?" The man behind me further questions.
"We needn't go out of our way to save any of them. If they remain fit and able, then we can recruit them as we march. Otherwise, limit it to the children and young women." My response does nothing to remedy the heavy atmosphere. Even I feel sickened by the words.
"We can discuss specifics later," the man behind me continues "but can you project the number of troops we will march with? Bear in mind, to traverse the entire perimeter will require quite a bit of resources."
"Much like how successfully eliminating all these brigands will require quite a bit of troops, Agravain." I instantly respond. "As for resources, we will draw from our farmers and the like during our route. And, if and when we happen upon any outliers or neighboring settlements, we will simply commandeer their belongings to bolster our forces."
The cold, taciturn plan struck my heart in disbelief. Take and march. Kill and march. Do this until those who defied us all lie cold. That is the methodology of the one who conceived this plan.
The knights seated across from me all nod. Most have their eyelids shut, yet one or two stares back at me. Their eyes show they comprehend the command, and they hold no shock, no surprise, no grief. Yet, within their gaze I can perceive something else. Irises lacking any semblance of empathy or understanding.
They weren't looking at a human.
The sound of steel scratching against steel sounds off as the train skids to a halt on the rails. The noise, paired with the shifting of my body from the sudden stop, jolts me from my slumber.
"Nn… Where?" I look up at the digital panel to see where we stopped. Huh? What am I doing in this district? I sit for a moment, wondering what I'm doing on a train, in the middle of the night, this far from my house.
"…wait." It hits me all of a sudden like a truck. Th-That's right! I rode out here so I could go to Tohsaka's!
I jump to my feet and rush to the train's sliding doors as they're closing. I barely manage to squeeze out as they shut right behind me. Whew. Close one.
I look around to see the station is mostly empty, aside from an old couple who must've got off before me. No surprise there. Most people wouldn't be out as late as this… I begin walking out of the station while reflecting on what just happened.
I can't believe I slept during the train ride. How tired was I? I don't even remember falling asleep… I recall having a dream right before I woke up and rushed off the train, but I'm having trouble remembering exactly what it was about. There was a king… although, they sounded like a girl so… a queen? It's fuzzy, but… I remember it felt pretty awful.
I shake my head after trying to remember it for a few minutes, deciding I should focus on finding Tohsaka's house. I stop on the side of the street at a vending machine, wanting to take a break and also gain my bearings.
After getting my drink and cracking open the lid, I continue walking. All I really know about where her house is, is that it's in the same district as Sakura's. I remember her giving the general area to Irisviel and I before, but…
While pondering this, I stop walking and look across the street to my right. A western style house stands tall opposite of me. Huh. That house looks kinda similar to Sakura's. Though, it's a bit modest to call it a house. More like a mansion. After thinking about it a moment, I get a gut feeling and quickly shuffle across the street.
Once I reach the gate at the front, I glance to the right of it to see a nameplate affixed to the stone column of the gate. "Tohsaka". Welp, lucky me. As soon as I confirm this is the place, I rattle the gate to find that it's locked. I alternate my gaze between the many windows of the residence to find that no lights are on. Welp… lucky me.
"Tohsaka?!" I shout out, just to be sure. After a few moments pass by in silence, I sigh. She must be out prowling the streets like Irisviel. Or, maybe she's just sleeping in like always. In which case- "Tohsaka! Toooohsaka! Tohsakaaaaa! Toe! Saka!"
My repetitive, loud calling of her name, accompanied by the rattling of the front gate, elicit no response from the creepy mansion. Ok, so she is out somewhere then. I sigh deeper, in defeat, before releasing my hold of the gate and walking away. What a huge waste of time! I swear, I need to learn how to refuse when Irisviel asks me to do something…
I take the final sip of my drink before crushing it under my foot. Let's see… the trains have all stopped running at this point, so I guess I have no choice but to walk back. Great…
After tossing the crushed can in a waste bin, I put a little haste in my step to get home quicker. Though, I suppose I could be like the other two and try to find me a servant to get into a tussle with. I snicker at the thought while rubbing my wrist slightly. Yeah, good one Shirou. After getting choke-holded by Rider, I think I've had my fill of fighting tonight.
The walk back home, while long, is majorly uneventful. Unsurprisingly, there's pretty much no one out at this time of night. Aside from a few sneaking cats, I remain alone on my trek back. It's almost pleasant how peaceful and alone it is at night.
I know I'm close when I pass the familiar general store. It's the store I go to sometimes for a drink after class, on my way home. I must be making pretty good time then. Odd, I don't feel like I've been walking for that long.
Something catches my eye at the corner of the intersection up ahead. …? Someone in a cloak? The person doesn't seem to notice me and continues walking away after cutting the corner. Strange, they went left. There's no housing that way, only…
I pick my pace up to a jog to arrive at the intersection in the street. Once there, I look down the left to see the individual had already covered a vast amount of distance. They're moving fast. By their curvature and manner in which they're walking, I can tell it's a woman.
I continue watching afar from the intersection, behind a row of newspaper box dispensers, as she walks down the street. As I predicted, she takes a turn down the street towards the only location the path really leads to; Ryudou Temple.
While maintaining a great distance between me and her, I continue stalking until we arrive at the bamboo-lined forest edge where the staircase ascending up to Ryudou Temple is revealed. I hang back and watch, from a distance where I can barely see her or the temple stairwell, as she indeed begins trekking up the steps.
Very interesting. Nighttime wouldn't be my first choice of venue to get in some last-minute worshipping… What is she up to? After waiting a while, pondering what to do from here, my gut feeling and curiosity both get the better of me, and I begin walking towards the steps myself.
While walking, it occurs to me that what I'm doing seems very stalkerish. N-No, that's not it. I'm just worried about the woman's safety. Even if it is a temple, there's no telling whether or not some unsavory people are waiting around to follow her… Like what I'm doing now. Dammit, my intentions are pure! Whatever the case, my gut feeling is screaming bad vibes about that chick and what's going on, and I always listen to my instincts. While convincing myself that I'm not a creep, I finally arrive at the stairs. Without further ado, I begin walking up after her.
The trek up is nothing new to me. Despite not being particularly religious myself, I've been to the temple multiple times due to it being where my friend Issei works and lives. The monks who reside there are all great people, but there's still something I've always found unsettling and creepy about the place. The fact that it's alone and isolated up in the forest helps its creepiness factor.
Soon, I can see the top of the stairs and the large, wooden gate leading into the temple. Maybe I should go find Issei's quarters and give him a little scare once I'm done seeing what that woman's up to. Drape a bedsheet over me and say I'm the ghost of Buddha here to punish them for- The flat of a steel blade presses against my chest, halting me in my steps and thoughts. My eyes dart to the right to follow the length of the blade, up to its owner. A purple-haired man donning a smirk, yet staring at me with serious, cold eyes, holds the long sword.
I instantly fall to my rear and press off the stairs, falling back down by 7 or so steps. He doesn't make a move to strike me as I retreat, despite probably being able to. W-Where did he come from? I didn't see him while I was walking up, I didn't hear him approach me- I didn't even feel as though someone else was near me!
The man retracts his blade from where it's extended in the air, before pulling it up and placing its flat on his shoulder. I doubt this is just some rando playing dress up as a samurai. This has to be a servant.
"Greetings, young man." The servant suddenly states. "What is it that brings you up to this holy place, so late at night?" I rise back up to my feet, remaining wary and on-edge as I respond.
"There was a woman who walked up here. Being so late, I was worried for her safety, or possibly the safety of the inhabitants up here, depending on her intentions." Despite confidently answering him, without hesitation, my explanation seems to fall on deaf ears.
"I have a friend from school who lives with the monks, you see." I continue. "More importantly, why are you up here? With a dangerous weapon like that, no less. Were you stalking the woman too?"
"Hardly." He instantly refutes, simply. "I'm-"
"The Assassin servant, right?" I quickly state, cutting him off. "You're using a sword, and you don't look like you can cast magic like a Caster, so you must be Assassin, right?" His semi-confident smirk completely vanishes. His serious eyes briefly flash with surprise before turning into a glare.
"How quaint." He finally mumbles, taking a step down. "Appearances can be deceiving, I suppose. You appeared to be nothing more than a normal, blundering fool. Yet, you seem to know of servants. Even further, you identified my true class on your first try." He continues walking down the steps, towards me. I stand petrified, unsure of what to do.
"Perhaps I should kill you." He declares, stopping two steps in front of me.
"Well, Assassin," I begin "I'd prefer it if you didn't. I have no clue what you're doing up here, and I don't particularly have any qualms with you. Where did you come from anyways? It seemed like you just popped up next to me, out of nowhere."
"I see." He responds after pondering for a moment. "So, you're not that knowledgeable after all. Here I was, thinking you may indeed be a threat. If you knew even the basic fundamentals of the classes, you'd know the Assassin is gifted with the Presence Concealment skill. Hm… you identifying my class must've been just a product of luck; a fluke."
I don't bother confirming his suspicion. To be fair, he's right. I've encountered almost the entire roster of servants prior to coming up here. If I had never met Saber and encountered him, I probably would've assumed that was his class. However, between the two that remains, he has to be Assassin. He doesn't really strike me as the wizard type.
"For the briefest of moments, I considered the possibility of you being a Master." He continues. "Well, however it is you know of servants, if you go ahead and leave now, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones. It wouldn't sit right with me to kill a normal human under these conditions. However, if you insist on pursuing the woman, I'll be forced to stop you."
Doesn't sound like a bad deal. I only followed her up here on a whim. And, for whatever reason, I don't feel confident fighting this servant. Perhaps if I had my bow… But just being armed with nothing more than my lucky arrow fills me with uncertainty… and after what Rider said, I feel hesitant to even touch it now.
"…Fine." I finally mutter after debating on it. "I'll leave. Just forget I even came here." I'm not going to beat myself up about it. After all, I found out the identity of two servants tonight. I think I've earned my keep.
"Very well." He answers, beginning to sheath his long katana. "Then begone from my sight. Before I change my-!" All of a sudden, he ceases to sheath his blade before yanking it back out.
I nervously step back, unsure of why he's rearming himself. Then, I hear it. The sounds of air ripping apart from above as something jettisons down. A high-pitched whistling sound rakes across the sky from the noise. I turn my gaze up upon noticing the soft, red-hued glow being cast on the servant and I, and the surrounding footing.
"W-What the hell?!" I scream before rushing down the steps to avoid the descending strike. A multitude of crimson streaks comet down, the focal point being Assassin. I look over my shoulder to see Assassin swat his blade around in a flurry, deflecting shot after shot. Eventually, he jumps back and up the steps from the fire zone, apparently losing his ability to keep up with the increasing magnitude of shots.
I watch as small, bright bursts of light continuously go off from the explosions resulting in the impact of the artillery hitting the stone steps. A light cloud of dust kicks up from the collision and I can feel the stone footing beneath me tremor. Eventually, the downpour of exploding shots finally stops and the dust begins to settle. I quit rapidly descending the steps once I'm sure the attack has ceased. Once I finally have a moment to think, realization crashes on me.
"Wait, that strike seems familiar… I know that attack! It's-" I look up again, expecting to see what will confirm my suspicions.
A red-cloaked blur darts through the air, just above my head. It glides through the air and swiftly into the dust cloud. No sooner than it enters the concealing cloud, the sound of blades violently colliding breaks out. The impact kicks up a powerful gust that blows the lingering dust away, revealing two figures with their blades crossed. Assassin and the all-too-familiar Archer.
"How cowardly of you to accept Assassin's proposal of running off with your tail between your legs, Shirou Emiya." Once he states this, I know without a doubt in my heart that it is indeed Archer. My mind races to keep up and piece together exactly what's happening. While trying to discern the current situation, I finally notice the approaching footsteps behind me just as they arrive next to me, at my right side. They belong to none other than Rin Tohsaka.
"Good work Emiya," she states, patting me on the shoulder "we'll take it from here."
Assassin grunts before pushing into their locked blades and knocking Archer back. Archer descends gracefully down a few steps, getting some distance between him and Assassin. He looks back at Tohsaka and I with a victorious smile.
"What'd I tell you, Rin?" He asks in a rhetoric tone. "He led us right to him." "He led us right to him"? What in the world is he talking about!? I look to Tohsaka in hopes to ask her to clarify, but she speaks up before I can.
"Yeah. You also said you could take down the servant with a single blow. And look where we are now!" she shouts up at Archer in annoyance.
"I could have if you would've let me go all out. But you just had to insist that I didn't catch Shirou Emiya in the blast, so I had to hold back. I-" His tangent is cut short as he raises his paired swords to block Assassin's sudden, quick strike.
"How bold of you to land a cowardly, surprise attack only to unveil yourselves before me and begin petty, nonsensical arguing!" Assassin spits out at Archer, appearing to be clearly beyond pissed off. He then turns his glare down to me. "I should've known better than to lower my guard. To think, you had reinforcements waiting for just such a moment." No! No, I didn't! I'm just as lost as you!
"Equally bold of you, Assassin." Archer begins while tensing up and pressing harder against their clashed swords. "For you to still fight after seeing the force behind my first attack!" Archer releases his hold on one of his blades, the black one, and lets it fade to dust. Quickly following that move, he lowers the empty hand and resummons a copy of the blade into it, before striking up at Assassin beneath their interlocked weapons.
"Ngh!" Assassin grunts and has his expression filled with shock at Archer's feint strike. Surprisingly, he manages to block the attack by shifting his grip higher on his handle and intercepting the blade with the pommel, before falling back from the force of the blow.
"Wh-What's going on?!" I can't contain it any longer and blurt the question out, looking at Tohsaka in utter confusion.
"Shh!" She immediately responds, pressing her finger against my lips. "We'll explain everything later! For now, we must focus on the fight."
I knock her hand away from my mouth in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance before turning my attention back to the two servants. Assassin remains in a defensive stance, higher up on the stairs, while Archer stands neutral, his blades having dematerialized. What's he doing?! He's in the middle of a fight and he's just standing there like an idiot! Tohsaka appears to be having the same thought as me, indicated by her furrowed brow and gritted teeth.
"Archer! What're you just standing there for?!" Her question is answered only by him turning back to look at her expectantly. Her eyes flash with understanding. "You must really like me ordering you around, huh? Well then, Archer I order you to engage in combat with Assassin. There's no need to hold back." He smiles at her confirmation of fighting the servant.
"Well, if you insist." He mutters sarcastically.
Only a moment of quiet longer, and he makes his move. Archer effortlessly darts forward again with blue sparks coursing along his arms. In the next instant, he arrives at Assassin with the two blades having formed in his grasps once more.
The two slash, deflect, and exchange blows at an incredible pace. Assassin's form and stance both seem unbreakable, while Archer's speed and aggressiveness are unrelenting. Neither appear to take any strikes directly, though it's hard for me to tell for certain with how fast they're moving.
Assassin manages to dodge a thrusting strike made by Archer. He uses the opening to jump from his elevated step and land a descending slash. Archer somehow pulls back and raises his blades in time to intercept the attack. I swear my heart skips a beat at what happens next.
Despite stopping the slash, the force seems to be too much for Archer's blades. The pair of curved swords each crack along the bade before shattering and dispersing into the air. Assassin doesn't waste the chance and adjusts the blade in his grip as he lands on his feet. After angling the weapon so the sharp faces up towards Archer, he swipes towards his neck.
"Archer!" Tohsaka shouts, taking a step forward. Before I realize it, I've begun rushing up the steps to Archer's aid. I run up the steps, that is, until I notice the expression on Archer's face. Calm and collected, looking as though nothing is amiss and everything's fine. His visage makes me stop mid stride.
"I am the bone of my sword."
My eyes, and likely everyone else's present other than Archer's, light up in surprise as Assassin's blade is intercepted before it can strike Archer's throat. Intercepted by two steel longswords that instantly materialized in the air, crossed in front of Archer's neck.
"W-What?!" Assassin blurts out in disbelief.
Without skipping a beat, Archer reaches up and takes each sword by the handle before knocking aside Assassin's blade. He follows with a swift kick to the disoriented servant's chest. Instead of rebounding and pressing the offensive, Assassin backsteps and enters a defensive stance while glaring at Archer.
"What kind of- How many Noble Phantasms do you have?! And to be able to summon them all in just an instant!" Assassin continues to try and make sense of Archer's ability to spit out Noble Phantasms, understandably.
"Apologies, Assassin." Archer responds. "Normally I would be a bit more restrained, but my master did say for me to go all out." Archer, for the briefest of moments, glances at me before refocusing his attention on the enemy. "And, I suppose, just this once I can indeed let my hair down, so to speak."
"What is-" Assassin's words die in his throat as Archer blitzes in front of him, even quicker than before. Like a windmill, Archer's arms rotate and slash at Assassin in an entirely different fighting style than what he used while wielding the pair of curved swords. I fully believe his statement of not holding back when I witness him break through Assassin's defense to land a cut, albeit a small one, along his upper left arm.
"Dammit!" Assassin shouts, before twisting his blade and jabbing a precise stab at the hilt of Archer's left sword.
The blade gets knocked from Archer's grip, falling down and clattering on the steps. Instead of making a follow-up attack, Assassin appears to instead opt for retaking higher ground by ascending the steps. Archer remains unfazed and chases Assassin, leaving his disarmed blade to disappear on the ground where it fell.
Once at the final, top step, Assassin leaps into the air, heading for the top of the arched, wooden gate. Archer surprises me by chucking his longsword after the servant before leaping up to the gate himself. The intention of the blade throw is revealed when it jabs into the cloth of Assassin's traditional robes, pinning his right foot against the wooden structure.
"Gh! Impressive, Archer." Assassin hastily states, before ripping at his cloth-tied waist. Once the cloth belt is off, he quickly rips himself from his purple Hakama, exposing his undergarments and bandaged legs. Archer lands at the opposite end of the wooden beam.
"Thanks. Though, probably not as impressive as you." Archer responds, once again relaxing into his aloof stance. "Your skill is undeniable. And, just now, you wasted no time in disrobing so that you could meet me the moment I landed. A true warrior indeed." Assassin contrasts Archer by entering his dedicated stance once more, readying to pounce at Archer.
"Spare me the compliments." Assassin mutters. "I would like to know the nature of your fighting, though. They call you 'Archer', yet aside from your initial bombardment, you've used nothing but swords while fighting me. I've never met nor heard of a warrior like you…" Archer shrugs his shoulders before lifting his right hand, crackling with the familiar blue energy, forward.
"And you don't expect me to reveal that nature to you either, right?" Archer queries. Assassin solemnly shakes his head. Right. It'd be a huge disadvantage to reveal what hero you are or what your strengths are to an enemy… "However," Archer continues "since you're so insistent on it, just for you, I'll use something besides my swords, too."
"No!" Assassin shouts, darting across the wooden beam. He slashes at Archer, but it's met with empty air. Archer jumps above Assassin, a black bow having been formed in his grip, before shooting off a volley of crimson shots straight down.
I shut my eyes and reel at the attack. The noise and destruction of the confrontation are starting to make me worry. I turn to Tohsaka to see she's simply staring in awe at the prolonged confrontation. I retrace my steps back down the stairs while the servants continue fighting until I arrive next to Tohsaka once more.
"Tohsaka?" I call out, snapping her from her enraptured viewing. "We really need to wrap this up as soon as possible. Their tussle is causing a lot of damage, and someone from the temple is gonna take notice of all this noise, if they haven't already." She nods in agreement, finally donning her serious expression again.
"Archer!" She yells, drawing his attention from the fight as he's loading a barbed, jagged object into his bow. "Didn't I tell you not to hold back!? You're dragging this fight on too long. Hurry up and end it!" He sighs, dematerializing the bow in his hands and blocking Assassin's strike with the barbed weapon.
"Fine, I'll end it right now!" He shouts, knocking Assassin away before tossing aside the odd weapon. "Kanshou! Bakuya!" He loudly declares, summoning his trademark paired swords into his hands.
Archer presses the offensive against Assassin with, surprisingly, even more gusto than before. Despite seeming to be very seasoned and skilled, the short weapons and close combat tactics of Archer are apparently finally getting the best of Assassin and his long weapon. He knows this too, shown by him constantly backstepping to try and get breathing room from Archer, only for Archer to stay right on him like a bloodhound.
"Fine then." Assassin states upon reaching the edge of the wooden beam. "Then I'll give it my all right now as well!"
With that comment, Assassin crouches down before leaping high into the air. The moon ghosts his figure from high in the sky, painting out only a shadow above. Archer appears to become more tense, as though he knows something bad is about to happen. He extends his arm clutching the silver curved sword back before throwing it at Assassin with great force. Assassin effortlessly dodges the attack, the blade disappearing into the dark sky above.
"Prepare yourself, Archer!" Assassin shouts as he rapidly falls from the sky. Archer drops from the top of the wooden gate while throwing the remaining, lone sword up at Assassin. Assassin dodges this one as well, before entering a stance I've yet to see him use as he closes the distance from above.
Archer, appearing to not be moving from where he stands below the gate, summons another pair of the swords before throwing them simultaneously at Assassin. However, these blades fly in a twirling pattern while also swerving and traveling through the air in an odd manner. Assassin deflects and swats the blades away this time, probably being unable to dodge because of their odd flight pattern.
I grow worried when I notice Archer still making no move to run from his spot. He's not seriously planning on taking this blow from Assassin, is he? The last time he tried to block a strike from above, both his weapons broke, and he was almost decapitated! And that was only from a jump a few steps above him! Not to mention if Assassin plans to do what Lancer did- unleash his noble phantasm. There's no telling what could happen.
"It's over, Archer." Assassin loudly declares, having almost descended upon him.
Archer answers by summoning yet another pair of the blades. What is he doing?! Throwing them obviously isn't working! However, instead of launching these swords up at Assassin, Archer instead crosses them and raises them above his head, pointing them to Assassin.
"A-Are you stupid, Archer?!" I shout up at him, not believing what I'm seeing. "You couldn't block it the first time with those swords, what makes you think you can now?!"
"He's right, Archer!" Assassin yells, only a few seconds away from collision. "But it's too late to do anything else. Your fate is sealed! This strike! Will end it!"
My words don't make Archer falter and he continues to show no signs of nervousness or hesitation. Does he seriously expect to survive this? Or… does he have a plan? Assassin's figure descends past the top of the tree line, only a breath away from Archer.
"Tsubami-" Assassin states, his blade beginning to display a purple sheen beneath the moon's light. "Ga-"
"Wrong, Assassin." Archer interrupts him, a victorious smile gracing his lips. Upon him uttering this, I finally notice the slight whirring noise from above and the sound of branches and leaves being hacked as something slashes through the trees.
My eyes widen. In the next moment, all within the same instant, a pair of black and white cyclones with crimson and azure trails respectively converge from the sky above and from the wooded treeline, behind Assassin.
Assassin's eyes mimic my own, widening in realization and lighting up in shock. Though, in his own words, it's too late to do anything else.
"THIS strike ends it!" Archer shouts. The Kanshou and Bakuya pair he's holding crackle with the blue energy briefly before violently bursting and expanding in length.
The red and blue streaks converge. Archer shouts something, but I'm unable to hear it from the sound of metal clashing, flesh rending, and steel exploding. Assassin's limp body falls behind Archer and ragdolls while skidding across the ground.
Archer remains standing with each arm extended on either side of him, holding the handles of his weapons, with no blades attached, having been shattered. Something suddenly falls from the air and in front of my feet, causing me to jump slightly. I once again jump in my skin when I look down to see that it's Assassin's dismembered arm. Holy hell…
"Rise, Assassin." Archer states, without turning around. "To think, you still managed to deploy your Noble Phantasm, striking a pair of the blades from the sky and destroying the one in my left hand. All in a fraction of a moment." I'm surprised to see Assassin actually stand up and onto his feet without so much as staggering. "You really are quite the warrior."
"I believe- *cough*… I believe I told you to keep your compliments to yourself." Assassin is clearly not flattered by Archer's remark.
His mouth drips with blood after him having coughed it up. Again, his arm is missing, his left one to be precise, but he also suffered other injuries. A long, deep gash lies in his right shoulder and a matching one is dragged across his left side, right below his ribcage. How in the world… does he have the strength to stand?
"My condolences." Archer apologizes, appearing serious. "I won't dishonor you further." I fail to understand how exactly he dishonors him by doing so. Archer turns to look up at the wooden gate leading into Ryudou Temple.
"Before I finish this, tell me one thing, Assassin. You could've run instead of fighting or withdrew when you saw your disadvantage. Even now, after suffering these grievous wounds, you still make no attempt to run. Instead… you guard this gate."
Assassin glares at Archer before raising his arm clutching the blade in a threatening manner. Archer seems to be implying something about Assassin's stubbornness in continuing to fight. I chalked it up to him simply being a stereotypical honor-bound warrior, but…
"Tell me, Assassin." Archer continues. "Why do you stand guarding this gate? What lies past it that you must protect?" Assassin doesn't respond immediately, only standing still with his blade readied.
"You're looking too deep into it." He finally responds. "The truth holds no deeper meaning than simply an imperfect summoning. Because of such, I can't leave this gate and can only conduct my business about it. That is all."
"Really? Even still-"
"That is all!" Assassin shouts while taking a step, albeit wobbly and unstable, forward, cutting Archer's response off. "There is nothing of interest beyond the gate. I've no duty, nothing to protect." Archer furrows his brow and grits his teeth at the enemy's insistence.
"Tch! Very well." Archer answers, extending both of his arms forward. "If that's how you want to play it, fine. I'll honor your wish." Assassin, for a fleeting moment, appears to offer a grateful smile to Archer. The blue energy indicative of Archer's weapon summoning courses throughout his arms.
Assassin leaps forward, closing the distance from Archer. I watch in awe at the fact Assassin can still move with such grace and force after receiving mortal wounds. Upon arriving at Archer, he makes a powerful, final thrusting attack. Probably his best move since he only has one appendage left to handle that lengthy blade, but… Archer already had his sword readied.
Assassin's blade slices and glides through nothing but air, slipping from his grasp. His body falls in a slump on the ground. A fraction of a second later, his head thumps and rolls across the ground, a few feet from the rest of his body. If I hadn't been so accustomed to seeing death, the scene portrayed before me would probably make my stomach turn. Archer lowers the longsword, slick with blood, before dematerializing it and turning to face Tohsaka and I.
"It's over, my master." He solemnly states, walking down the steps. "Assassin has been neutralized." Tohsaka begins walking forward to meet him, and I soon follow in suit.
While ascending the stairs, Assassin's lifeless body catches my attention. An almost gold dust is rising from his body, as it slowly disappears. For whatever reason, an urging sensation prompts me to look back at where I once stood. Upon doing so, I see a blood splatter on a stone step. That's where Assassin's arm fell. Where…? I suppose it disappeared prior to the rest of his body.
"It's about damn time, Archer." Tohsaka snaps, drawing my attention forward again. "Even when I flat-out tell you to do something, you insist on having your good fun, don't you?" Archer shakes his head in response.
"With all due respect, master, there's nothing fun about killing." Archer states before glancing back at the remnants of Assassin. "Especially this time."
"Regardless," Tohsaka continues "let's hurry and do a quick sweep over the temple. I want to see what Assassin was-"
"Did you not hear him?" Archer questions, interrupting her. "He said there's nothing of interest lying in the temple."
"And you believe him?!" Tohsaka barks at him. "Even if there isn't, it wouldn't hurt to-"
"Besides," Archer continues, ignoring Tohsaka's insistence "with as much noise as that last attack I made caused, someone from the temple will no doubt be here to investigate soon. You want to stick around here for that?" Tohsaka joins me in looking around to see stone steps, part of the wooden gate, and even a few trees completely destroyed.
"That completely slipped my mind…" Tohsaka mumbles. "Y-You're right! Let's hurry and get out of here. But don't think this is the end of this! We're coming back for further investigation as soon as we're able!"
Archer nods before dissipating. Tohsaka starts quickly running down the steps and I begrudgingly begin following after her. Archer can't actually think nothing fishy is going on in the place Assassin was clearly guarding, right? And then there was that woman I saw come up here… Come to think of it, didn't Assassin mention if I tried to follow her, he'd kill me…?
After walking down the sidewalk in silence for a while, passing street lamp after street lamp, I lose my patience. I hasten my pace and walk up behind Tohsaka before grabbing the back of her sleeve and tugging on it. She looks back at me, clearly annoyed.
"What?"
"What do you mean 'what'?!" I snap. "We've been walking for half an hour and you're not even acknowledging what just happened! When are you going to tell me how you even ended up there?"
"You still haven't figured it out?" She questions while pulling her arm from my grip. "We followed you, obviously." Her response surprises me. I considered that might've been the case, but I couldn't figure out why they'd do so.
"What? Why?"
"No need to get so angry at me, Emiya. It was Archer's idea in the first place." Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Speak of the devil, Archer materializes in his physical form before joining us as we walk.
"Well," I continue "care to explain what prompted you to decide on stalking me tonight, Archer?" He scoffs at my question.
"Don't flatter yourself too much, Shirou Emiya." He responds. "Originally, my master was going to remain cooped up in her house to try and discern a pattern between Caster's targets to predict where they'd strike next."
"And then," Tohsaka begins, continuing for Archer "Archer suddenly appeared before me, in my study. He told me that he saw you, Shirou, from where I had him posted as lookout. You were down the street and approaching my house. Archer believed he had a better idea of how we could spend tonight instead of studying Caster's actions. So, he turned out all the lights and instructed me to wait until you left. Which I thought might never happen because you stayed out by the gate shouting my name like a moron for so long." I grow embarrassed that they were, in fact, present in the house and just let me make a fool of myself.
"Once you left," Archer continues "I told Rin that we should follow you and see where you go. So, that's just what we did. The result was what unfolded before you at the temple."
"That's all well and good," I begin "but why did you decide to follow me in the first place? Do you guys really trust me that little?"
"That's not it at all, you idiot." Tohsaka refutes, coldly. "Archer believes you have a knack for running into servants. He thought if we followed you, you might stumble upon Caster or another enemy servant. After seeing what happened tonight, it's apparently true. For whatever reason, you're like a magnet for them." It dawns on me that what she's saying might be true. I haven't really thought about it, but I suppose I have run into every servant except for the one Tohsaka's been looking for all this time, Caster. I just assumed they weren't trying hard to make themselves scarce…
"Well, what if I hadn't found a servant and just went straight home?" I ask.
"Then I'd make you let me stay over since you wasted my time and rip Archer a new one for also wasting my time." She responds, seriously. Well, I'm glad I happened to find one then…
After walking and chatting about various things for a while longer, I recall the woman and begin wondering what she was doing. All things considered; she was likely Assassin's master. Maybe she knew I was pursuing her so she led me into him so that he could shoo me away.
"So," I begin "what do you think the deal with that woman was?" My question is met only with confused stares from Tohsaka and Archer.
"Woman? What woman?" Archer asks.
"Didn't you see the woman at the four-way intersection? Right past the general store?" They both shake their head after thinking on it for a moment. "I thought you said you followed me…"
"We did, but we weren't exactly right on your tail the entire time." Tohsaka responds. "You didn't make it very easy for us to. We had to maintain enough distance so we wouldn't be caught, but we also had to manage to keep up with you. You were walking so fast that if we lost focus for just a moment, we would've lost track of you. Actually, we did almost lose you several times." Uh, I don't think I was going that fast.
"Why do you think we waited so long to launch an attack on Assassin?" Archer asks, rhetorically. "We weren't there yet." I suppose that does make sense. "Anyways, what is this about a woman? You encountered someone suspicious?" I shake my head.
"No, not necessarily. I just thought it was bizarre that a lady would be out this late at night by herself. I would've thought she was just stopping by the general store, but it's not open at this time so…" After saying this, they both become dismissive and seem to lose interest in it.
"You're just thinking about it too much, Emiya." Tohsaka states. "No need to pry into the private affairs of girls. Come on, quit being such a worrywart. We just drew first blood. We should be celebrating, if anything!"
"I-I guess." I respond, unsure.
"More importantly," she continues "why is it you came all the way out to my house in the first place? Surely you didn't have any ill-intentions, right?"
"Of course not." I respond, unamused. "Irisviel requested that I go and help you. I tried calling your house phone, but you didn't pick up." Tohsaka appears a little surprised by my response.
"Irisviel?" She murmurs. "Odd, I didn't picture her as the Tsundere type." No, that's you. I wouldn't dare say such a thing out loud, though.
Finally, we arrive at my house. I go to offer the two to stay, but I'm met with Tohsaka already opening the front door to go in and Archer leaping up to the rooftop. Not surprising… Wait. How did she open the door? I locked it before I left!
"T-Tohsaka? How did you?" She responds to my question by raising her hand in the air, a brass key between her fingers. "Where did you get that?!"
She tugs her eyelid down and sticks her tongue out at me before running away and through the doorway into the dining room. At least take your shoes off before you run around the house! I go inside and begin taking my shoes off while feeling my patience with the girl already waning.
"Emiya!" I hear her shout at me. "Hurry up and come whip up something for us to eat. I'm starving!" I sigh and begin trudging towards the room to join her. Irisviel. Please hurry home.