Disclaimer: I do not own either the Fate series or the original base of this story "Shirou's life is a game." Every skill point represents a level earned.
Video Game Dialogue
Regular Dialogue
Thinking
An Entertainer For His Majesty
Shirou sees it coming this time, he sidesteps the left thrust to the body, jumping before the subsequent leg swipe that came after. He cycles his kicks at Saber while he's still airborne, he catches her shoulder after the first 4 are blocked, she responds by grabbing his left foot as it was coming in, pulling him to the floor. Shirou can't stay on the ground, but if he got up he had no way of defense, he braces his hands to the floor above his head and does a handstand, aiming his feet at Saber's midsection. He wasn't surprised that she dodged it, so he splits his legs and moves his hands to spin while upside down, landing a leg to her stomach, or so he thought.
"Very nice Shirou," Saber smirks, she has his leg pinned to her with her arm, "but you've sacrificed your chance to gain proper footing." Shirou kicks with his other leg, she grabs it and throws one of her own, Shirou has no choice but to block, his head hitting the floor as the kick sends him tumbling across the floor. "Flashiness is for entertainers," she walks towards him, Shirou does the same, breath laboring, muscles aching, his body is screaming at him, he ducks and pushes his legs forward, launching himself at Saber. A foot before he reaches her, he plants his hands to the ground and pushes to the right, feeling the wind from the downward elbow that just grazed his cheek. "You want to entertain me?" Saber questions with a quirked eyebrow. Shirou charges forward with a roar, he's running on fumes, he sees Saber reach under her skirt and produce a shinai.
Oh shit, it's only thought he has yet appropriate, where did she get it? They had long since discarded the weapons. He has no more time to think, he was coming in hot and had no way to evade that he hadn't already showed her, he had to fight. She speaks again.
"I'll tell you how," she taps his forehead with the tip of her weapon, stopping him in his tracks, "fight like a soldier. You got too swept up in the fight that you lost track of your surroundings, never willingly give up the use of your weapon and never hesitate to retrieve it if the opportunity can be seized." Shirou straightens up, rubbing his sore muscles he looks Saber in the eyes as she continues. "Your opponent will probably have a plan in place if their weapon is dropped, you should as well, other than that though, you've shown great potential"
Shirou rubbed his head and laughed sheepishly, "Guess I'm a chip off the ol' Mage Killing block huh? Kiritsugu was always more into guns though, so my technique is basically whatever I can think of at the moment."
"Kiritsugu…" Saber looked off in the distance.
"Saber," she looks up, Shirou looks at her softly, "I'm sorry, whatever you're wish was, my dad took it away from you, and that wasn't fair to you. He's gone but I'm confident that his reasons were just." Shirou speaks again before she can respond, "I'm not Kiritsugu though, and you aren't even the same person from then, time changes everything, making it new. I'll make your wish a reality, all I ask is that you see the world as new and leave the past where it belongs." He extends his hand, "we're together in this, and I can tell you're a good person, I want you to be able to trust me as much as I trust you."
Saber's eyes widen, her hope returning like something she had lost long ago, she allows herself to open up for a moment and smiles warmly at the young man before taking his hand. "Very well Shirou, I am your sword."
"Then I'll be your shield, I am yours to use."
"Shirou…"
He waves her off, "And don't start on that Master, Servant nonsense. We both know I'm not doing the heavy lifting, it's the least I can do" he said, he spoke again with more confidence "although with how our spar went perhaps not for long."
A smirk appears on Saber's face, she joins her hands behind her back, "yes, a little more practice and maybe you can beat me with both my hands tied." She turns away from him and starts for the door, "we should go, you haven't eaten in hours, and-"
"Hunger is the enemy?" Shirou answers with a cheeky grin, the soreness was finally easing away and he was indeed a bit peckish.
Saber opens the door, allowing the sun's faint glow to enter the room, Shirou hadn't realized how late it had gotten. His Servant looks at him with shock and awe, "Incredible, the punching bag is learning, wonderous times we live in." With that they made their way back to the dining area.
Shirou was exhausted, so much so that he didn't even realize the extra attendance at the table until he reached the kitchen, turning back to look at the 3 women with confusion that all looked at him expectantly. "Ummmm, hey guys. What are you doing here?" he asked. More like, what the hell are you doing in my house, this isn't a bed and breakfast, he thought, looking at Tohsaka, Sakura, and Taiga. He didn't mind their company in the slightest, but he could already see the hungry gleam in Taiga's eyes, which meant more time cooking. I haven't even gotten to properly talk to Saber yet, I don't even know her name now that I think of it.
Sakura was the first to respond, "You weren't in class today Sempai, I took the liberty of retrieving the work that you missed," she looks down, tapping her index fingers together, "I hope you don't mind."
"Wow, really? You're the best Sakura, what would I do without you?" The purple haired girl blushes at the compliment, going unnoticed by Shirou, who instead turned to Rin next expectantly awaiting her answer. She crosses her arms and closes her eyes before finally speaking.
"We have an agreement correct? Who would I be if I didn't check my study partner's well being?" She relaxes her posture, now looking with a slight of curiosity, "How are you feeling, you seem to be doing well."
Shirou grabs at his shoulder, stretching it slightly. "Well after last night I'm surprised to be up at all, but I only have some soreness. You and Saber seem to be doing fine as well, considering you guys did most of the work, sorry I couldn't keep up. Saber has been helping me with my form since I woke up." He chuckled, "Honestly I'm wiped."
All the color leaves Sakura's face before she passes out. Taiga looked at him inquisitively, her face the color of a tomato she asks "What exactly were you three doing last night?"
"Oh, I've been considering rejoining the Archery club and Saber and Rin know some amazing workout regimens that are doing wonders, are we not going to talk about whatever is going on with Sakura though? Are you ok Sakura? You're not anemic are you?" Rin, Taiga, and a now conscious Sakura looked at the boy incredulously, Saber looked on, wondering the same about the purple haired girl.
Taiga sighed, "You're a good kid Shirou.'
"Ummm, thanks….. I guess? Anyways whose hungry? I've been dying to try out this new Oyakodon recipe!" With a clap of his hands, Shirou made his way to the kitchen to prepare.
After the delicious meal, Shirou suggested Tohsaka walk home with Taiga and Sakura to ensure she get home safe, which Taiga claims to be unnecessary. "Sakura and I will be staying the night. Isn't that right Sakura?" Sakura looks at Taiga in surprise before eagerly shaking her head in appreciation. "While I have no doubt that you are capable Shirou, Saber should know about the city from a woman's perspective." Saber looks at her but doesn't seem to have any opinion on the matter, seeing this Shirou decides that that it would be best not to protest. Besides, he enjoyed the company of his closest friends, and he could always use more willing guinea pigs for his cooking. So with them all in agreement, Saber, Sakura, and Taiga set themselves up in some spare rooms, leaving himself and Rin to talk.
"I appreciate you coming to check on me, I didn't take you for the caring type Tohsaka."
She blushes for only a moment before composing herself, "It was in my best interest to check on you. If nothing else if you died in your sleep I could probably convince Saber to join Archer and I."
"Where is Archer by the way, Saber didn't seem to sense him."
"He said he preferred to keep a distance from here to better survey the area around your house in case another Master wanted to take out the 2 of us once."
"That's pretty smart, the guy's got a good head on his shoulders. I'm glad that he's so willing to trust me."
Rin placed her hand on her chin, looking thoughtfully into space. "Honestly he hasn't said much about our truce. I take his silence and willing compliance as approval, but he's usually more vocal about his opinions either way. Well anyways I'm going to head out while there;s any daylight left. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Shirou took that it wasn't a question as she left without awaiting an answer, he decided to see her out. As he watched her slowly disappear down the street he could just barely make out the figure of Archer in the distance, shutting the door he headed to his room, never seeing the bow that was aimed at his head by the Servant. Archer lowered the bow in frustration before disappearing, he'd get his chance soon enough.
Finally reaching his futon, Shirou laid down with a with a soft thud. Looking up at the ceiling he realized he finally had time to review his progression. With but a thought the videogame menu appeared before him with multiple notifications for him to go through, he starts with the first.
Fighting Styles
Every great warrior has a fighting method that they specialize in, through strenuous hand to hand combat, you have unlocked a choice to claim one as your own! Each of these styles can be implemented into your style of play.
Sweet, it makes sense considering the chance of me getting disarmed are pretty high with me at such a low level, he thought.
Capoeira- Afro-Brazilian dance fighting, use the flow of your movements to surprise your opponent through a variety of powerful and quick attacks emphasizing acrobatics, flexibility and coordination. (Side Skill- Drunken Fist)
Pankration- made famous by the Greeks, this sports combines various boxing, grappling, and kicking techniques, use all methods within your honor and knowledge to defeat your opponent! (Side Skill- Godspeed)
Kalaripayattu- the oldest of martial arts, the 8 animal stances as you're base to be prepared for any situation, with each proving effective in different situations. (Side Skill- Vishnu's Blessing)
So two fighting styles that both offer versatility while allowing me to catch my opponents off balance with unpredictable strikes. An any-way-to-win necessary style that combines all realms of hand-to-hand combat that also seems to add a disgusting speed buff, and an ancient martial art that practices precision and patience focused around stance with a magic buff. He furrowed his brow in contemplation, the magic buff would be incredibly useful as while he had an average mana meter, his mana regen was incredibly slow. On the other hand, the speed boost would gel well with his swordplay, and if he did get disarmed two fighting styles to be able to lean on would be a comfort. I doubt Saber would approve of me being drunk during a fight, doesn't help that I've never had a drink and don't know my tolerance, so I'd have a complete unknown in a skill I may not be able to use. The magic buff is nice but the speed buff is better suited for me, also pankration is closest to how I fight now between the two, I guess the second one it is! With that thought the letters vanished and Shirou was hit with a wave of fighting knowledge, only the basics but still more than he knew a moment ago.
Congratulations! You have unlocked Pankration and Godspeed!
Shirou wasted no time in placing a skill point in both, unlocking more knowledge of pankration, but it was the side skill that really interested him.
Godspeed- any enemy within your sight is within your reach, cross battlefield in a single breath as you slaughter armies in minutes. Increases base Dexterity by 20, decreases Dexterity cost by 10%, and receive a 2% chance of instantaneous travel to anything within eyesight.
Something about the skill spoke to him, and the added speed made him more confident to face other Masters, although he wouldn't be bold enough to attempt it against a Servant unless pressed. Much of his skill tree was still locked to him, he couldn't make out any other words as they were constantly shifting and changing. He sighed, nothing a little hard work can't fix. I'll also have to try out these new moves, best to get a feel of them before i have to apply them in a real battle. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought about Illya, about Rin, and Saber, they were involved in a death battle to grant a single wish, but why did they have to kill each other? The world had enough death in it, he didn't know who else would be involved but he didn't think he wanted to kill them either. No, he refused, he'd win the Holy Grail without killing anyone, he'd show the magical world the errors of their ways.
Shirou Emiya, Level 35
Health: 40/100
Magic: 25/100
Strength: 29/100
Endurance: 50/100
Dexterity: 47/100
Intelligence: 30/100
Wisdom: 20/100
Luck: 60/100
Skills:
Element: Sword/Sword
Resistance: Magic (5%) Curse (5%)
Unlimited Blade Works: Locked
Passive increase in Swordsmanship
6% EXP increase in Sword skills progression
10% EXP increase in Archery skills progression
Charisma: C+
Cooking: A+
Cleaning: A+
Zen: D-
Gaia's Blessing: E
Kenjutsu: D
Reinforcement Magic: C
Weapon Tracing: D-
Time Alter: C
Gun Fu: D
Pankration: Level 2 (Instant Travel: 2%)
Perks:
Ironman
Miraculous Healing