I do not own any of the Fate series, the following is a non-profit fan-based parody. The Fate series is the property of Konoki Nasu, UFOTABLE, Type Moon, and Aniplex. Please support the official release.
Under Siege
"Shirou."
"Dad."
The two Emiya stood across from each other, nothing but the large expanse of darkness in between them. Shirou had been here since he lost consciousness, and decided he'd rather have some interaction with his dad than think about what Illya was doing to his unmanned body.
"I found Illya, or well, she found me. She's angry dad, real angry, and I don't know what to say to calm her." Shirou added.
"You're a smart kid, you'll figure it out." Kiritsugu replied as he pointed his Contender at Shirou, letting a bullet fly. Shirou anticipated a shot like the one that finished him last time, and had Bakuya loaded up and ready to trace to deflect it by the time Kiritsugu had pulled the trigger.
Shirou felt the impact of the bullet on his blade run along the blade and up his arm. "I find something strange." He said as he ran around Kiritsugu, stopping after full and half circles to avoid the aim of his Contender. The redhead saw an opening and rushed in, but halfway to his target Kiritsugu turned around in an instant and sending a hail of bullets from his Calico at his son.
Time Alter magic, Shirou thought as he retreated once more, resuming his circling and looking for another opening. "The Kiritsugu I know wouldn't have taken the news of me finding Illya so lightly, let alone willingly try to kill me." He rushed in again but this time at the halfway point he strafe even further to the side, avoiding the initial volley of bullets long enough to get a clean swipe into Kiritsugu's chest. Shirou didn't wait for a reaction though, activating his own Time Alter Double Accelerate. While Kiritsugu's face slowly showed the response of getting stabbed, Shirou threw Kanshou, watching as it landed on target into Kiritsugu's solar plex, his father's face still only processing the initial blow. When time resumed again at it's normal pace. Kiritsugu doubled over in pain, looking down at the sword impaled in him in shock. "Kiritsugu may have been decrepit the longer I knew him, but he was never as sloppy as you are. So, who are you really?"
Kiritsugu suddenly stopped his outcries of pain and stood up straight, addressing Shirou as if he didn't have a sword sticking out of him. "I'm Kiritsugu Emiya." Shirou blinked and then, he was looking at himself, he had to take a step back just to make sure it wasn't a reflection. "I'm you." Shirou blinked again, now it was Rin. "I'm her." He stopped blinking, but the figure never stopped changing forms, Sakura, Taiga, Shinji, he saw them all. Eventually he was again looking at his dad, Kiritsugu, though Shirou now knew much better.
"I knew there was something wrong, the 'game' hasn't always functioned consistently." Shirou said, "At first I was able to see other people levels, but over time it became less and less frequent, I'm guessing it got caught up with my progress that it forgot to keep up the facade."
"Facade?" Kiritsugu again began to change form, but this time was different. What once was a black cloak changed to a black and grey light armor set, with a red half cloak that Shirou thought looked oddly similar to Archer's. A red scarf hid some of Kiritsugu's features but Shirou could clearly see the now snow white hair and brown skin, if Shirou hadn't known better, he would have mistaken him for Archer.
Assassin Lvl. 80
"Assassin now huh? Don't you think it's a little late to try to fix your mistakes?" Shirou asked.
"Don't get distracted young Emiya," The figure moved at a blinding speed, driving a combat knife through Shirou's chest before he could react, "the real fight starts now."
Shirou opened his eyes, and he was no longer in front of 'Assassin'. Looking around, Shirou could only make out the first 5 feet in front of him, after that was only shadows. He was tied up to a chair that was bolted to the ground, but his legs were kept free and his hands themselves weren't bound.
She's confident I won't escape, Shirou thought as he tried to get a look behind him to no avail. It was then that he got the distinct feeling of being watched, but the weak source of light above him seemed to cut off abruptly, keeping the shadows entrenched in pitch black. Shirou took in a deep breathe then let it out, he closed his eyes and waited. He waited for what felt like hours, but he couldn't have known for sure, all he knew was the longer he had to meditate, the better his Reinforcement became.
"It's great to see you again Onii-chan. You're looking well." A voice from the abyss arose.
"By 'well' I'm guessing you mean 'alive'." Shirou replied.
Illya slowly emerged from the shadows in front of him, hands behind her back, a playful smile on her face. "Of course! What fun is there if I can't kill you myself."
"Illya I-"
"SHUT UP! Now, Berserker," it was now that Shirou knew who had been watching him, he felt two large hands wrap around each of his arms, "if he moves, rip an arm off, but only one." Illya climbed up into Shirou's lap, her face now inches from his, he could smell that she had just washed, especially against the sweat and exertion he still smelled like. She wrapped her arms around the back of his head, a coy smirk on her face. "Now that I'm comfortable, what were saying Onii-chan."
"M-My name is Shirou," he stammered, she was so close he could swear she would feel his heart beating madly in his chest.
Illya giggled, "Ok then. Tell me Shirou, you spoke so much about how you were going to bring me home, yet you tried to storm my home with a numbers advantage, doesn't seem too friendly to me." Berserker's grip tightened.
The young Emiya spoke again, "Considering what happened last time, do you blame me?"
She raised an eyebrow, "Do you not? It was your choice to be a Master right?"
"Yeah so I did agree to take part in the War, but I never agreed to harm a hair on my little sister's head."
"Big sister." She retorted.
"Beg your pardon?" He looked at her owlishly, awaiting a response that came in the form of a nod of approval. "Well you look great." He chuckled, though Illya's expression didn't change.
'I thought it was funny', he thought.
Illya's eyes took him in long and carefully, no words were said, the only sound being the deep, heavy breathing of the enraged Servant behind him. After a few more agonizingly slow minutes, she spoke again.
"Why are you here?"
He opened his mouth, then shut it again. His eyes softened, he looked down, lowering until his forehead lay on her shoulder. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.
"It's not the hug I was looking for, but I'll take it. Like I said, my promise was to save Illya, no 'if', 'ands', or 'buts'. I'm glad you're safe, god," she could hear him sniffling, "I've been worried sick you know?"
Illya narrowed her eyes at the redhead, she moved her shoulder to signal him to look at her. When he raised his head again, his eyes were as bright as his smile, in that smile Illya found something she hadn't seen in a long time, love. "You're a fool Shirou, we're enemies in a war."
"I don't care. I know you're the Grail vessel, and if it means killing you, I don't want the Grail." His face showed a strong determination, he was certain in every word he said.
A small laugh broke Illya's lips, which grew in volume until it was echoing off the walls. "Did you think me a martyr? Oh Onii-chan, I have every intention of claiming the Grail with my own two hands."
"Yeah, all-mighty wish granting device right? There must be enough magical energy to have all of our wishes granted." She replied.
She sneered at him, "You're under the impression that I want to share. You're a Master, I've killed you once, why did you think I wouldn't do it again." She climbed back off of him, and Shirou felt Heracles grip disappear from his arms. He took a moment to readjust his body, and regain some sense of comfort as Illya looked at him coldly, arms crossed.
"You loved Kiritsugu once, I know you did. He didn't abandon you, he looked for you until the day he died. When he left you to fight in this war, he did win but for some reason he destroyed the Grail. The result was the fire ten years ago, those flames extinguished any identity I had, and made our father lame, blind, and weak."
"The Grail is corrupted, that's why Kiritsugu foolishly attempted to destroy it." She said. "Polluted by the filth of a dark entity, the Grail needs to be purified before it can be used properly. If someone were to activate the Grail before we find a way to cleanse it, the entire world could be in danger."
"Alright."
She looked mystified at the redhead, "You're taking this far too well."
"At this point, I'm not surprised by anything, I'm just taking the ride." He replied.
She joined her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth off the balls of her heels she grinned at him. "I might have a way to purify the Grail so we can use it at the end of this war. Luckily your little gamble paid off, I'm feeling generous and am prepared to extend you an offer."
It was now his turn to look at the red eyed girl skeptically, "What kind of offer?"
She stopped her rocking, now staring deeply into his eyes. Shirou felt his blood run cold and his muscles lock up, he couldn't move, the only movement allowed to him being his breathing. "The same offer that the Einzbern family offered Kiritsugu Emiya. We will call a truce and cooperate fully with one another. I will have first access to the Grail's power and you will come to me the moment I call on you. Of course you will also have to give up your Servant in the end."
"Might not be necessary, I believe that there is an extra Servant walking around, I'd like to keep Saber around for awhile after the war. I could care less about Archer, just tell him I send my regards when you kill him."
This drew an inquisitive look from the Einzbern girl, her look then turned from one of curiosity to mischief. "Oh? Are you sweet on that cute little blonde Shirou? Well then, there is one more stipulation to our agreement."
He gulped, "And that is?"
"A sample of DNA."
"I-Is that all?" He let out the breathe he had been holding, he wouldn't mind giving her some of his spit or a piece of hair. "Umm, can I know why? Actually no, I don't want to know, as long as it won't directly or indirectly have association with anything bad."
She clasped her hands together, finally breaking her gaze from him, Shirou was able to regain his motor function. "I knew you would say yes, which is why I've already taken the amount I need."
"Uhh okaayyy. So how do you know that the Grail is corrupted?" He felt the bindings slacken allowing him free roaming motion again, he took the opportunity to stand up and stretch.
"As the Grail vessel I have a connection with it, I am it. As the Servants are defeated their magical energy is concentrated into my body, eventually breaking forth to the Lesser Grail. The name unclean presence is Angra Mainyu, the first ever Avenger Servant summoned by the Einzbern's in the third Grail War. Upon his death, which was imminent as his capacity as a Servant was poor, he turned the Lesser Grail into a cursed object."
Shirou sat back down with the sudden influx of information, "Geez, you guys really know your stuff huh? Your like a walking library."
"As head of the Einzbern family I must represent it to its fullest prestige. The elders in their age have become senile, and have forgotten why the Einzbern's were in this godforsaken war in the first place, but I didn't." She began to walk away from Shirou, who stood up and raced to catch up as she exited threw a before unforseen door. He followed her up a flight of stairs into the area he had seen before passing out. It was indeed quite as lavish as he had remembered, the luxuriousness almost seemed to permeate the air, it was almost insufferable.
Shirou took it all in, "How do you keep it so clean?"
"We do not enjoy wallowing in our own filth like your kind does, human."Shirou turned to see two women glaring down on him, besides a slight color difference, they wore the same white gown, they looked like older versions of Illya.
"Leysritt, Sella, this is Shirou, my Onii-chan. Don't kill him please." She skipped along, stopping now and again to hurry Shirou along.
Shirou looked back at Sella and Leysritt, they followed close behind him as Illya led him through the labyrinth of hallways and rooms. "So, where are we going? I could've sworn the exit was that way."
"Oh no, you're going to get cleaned up, you smell like a zoo, Sella and Leysritt will take care of your bath." Illya said as she dragged Shirou along.
"Milady surely you wouldn't allow a human to use our facilities." Sella, or maybe Leysritt, Shirou couldn't tell, protested.
The Einzbern girl stopped in her tracks, turning to look her servants in the eye, "Are you questioning me?"
"N-No milady."
Illya's icy glare snapped back into a innocent smile, she opened the door in front of them, revealing a bathroom. "Don't let him leave your sight, if he goes missing, so do you, kay?"
"Yes mistress!" The twins said in unison.
"I'll be waiting for you to get clean onii-chan, best not keep me waiting to long." With that the white haired Master was gone, skipping down the hallway.
Shirou walked up to the tub and turned the knob to release the hot water. He looked back to look at the two servants, they each stood at a couple levels higher than him. Together he'd lose from basic numbers advantage, that's not even adding into the possibility of Berserker being outside that door.
'Man I hope I'm not stuck here long, he thought as he took his clothes off slowly, making sure not to show anything to the two women watching. He sat in the bathtub, letting the hot water run underneath him as it filled the tub. Shirou sat back against the end of the tub and closed his eyes, focusing on the refreshingly warm water he was submerged in. The tranquility was shattered when the floor shook violently, and an explosion could be heard from somewhere in the house. The two twins were out the door in the next instant, no doubt to look for Illya. As Shirou hopped out of the tub, more explosions could be heard, the force of them rattled the room. It took a minute for Shirou to retain balance enough to get his clothes on, the explosions came again, this time closer. He raced out the door, heading towards the explosions.
'It must be Saber and Rin, they found a way in!' As he turned right at the dead end of a three way, what Shirou saw was not his friends coming to his aide. No, Illya and her Servant were currently in battle with the Servant Shirou had ran into at the church. The blonde Servant was clad in brilliant gold armor, Sella and Leysritt lay in a bloody mess under his feet.
Archer Servant Level ?
Heracles, Berserker Servant, Level ?
'Even with my training these guys are still too strong for me to to see their level? I gotta stay on my toes. Where is Illya? There!' He could see her, standing out of the way of Archer's attacks. Man look at those attacks! That guy is spamming swords like crazy, does he even have a limit?
"Who gave you permission to look at me human?" The blonde Servant's remark brought Shirou to the realization that he had been spotted. The dozen swords that were sent down the hallway obliterated almost any cover he once had, they carved deep into every wall they passed through. Shirou surmised it to be just dumb luck that he survived unscathed.
"Shirou!"
He snapped his head in the direction of the voice that he knew too well, there was Saber running in his direction down the hall to his right. "Saber?"
"We have to go!" She grabbed his hand, urging him down the other hall.
Shirou resisted, "I have to help Illya, with you here we can easily take this guy down!"
"Saber?" The Archer called out, "Have you finally come to your senses?"
She looked at the fellow blonde in contempt, "Archer, we will deal with you another time."
"Do not deny me what is rightfully mine. You will remember your place, by my side." He shot back almost lazily, the unwavering confidence chilled Shirou to the bone.
Another explosion could be heard down the hall that Saber was trying to move Shirou through. Smoke billowed through the hall and from the smoke dashed Archer with Rin holding on for dear life on his back. "We need to go now!" He called to Shirou and Saber as he ran past them into the room only to stop dead in his tracks on the sight of the two Servants. "Well shit."
"Vermin, I'll exterminate the whole lot of you for your intrusion." The golden Servant upon observing the new arrivals.
"How the hell are all these people getting in my house?!" Illya cried out. "Kill him Berserker!" She pointed at the blonde Archer.
Shirou took that as their queue to leave, but as he turned to leave a sword shot by his face, he felt blood run down the bridge of his nose. It had been so close, and he didn't even see it, his knees began to feel weak. Then another crash down the hall, bringing down more wall and ceiling around them. From the rubble, what Shirou thought were black ribbons pulled themselves out. Upon closer examination though, Shirou couldn't make heads or tails of the entity that stood before them, it looked almost like a shadow with red stripes.
Shadow, Level ?
The floor it touched began to turn into a swampy mess, the rot began to spread out slowly but methodically. Berserker's attention was immediately drawn to the creature, and quickly scooped up Illya and burst a hole straight through the wall to the outside. Shirou noted how Berserker reacted, it was almost like primal instinct, seeing something that's such a threat that you know running is your best chance of survival. Rin's Archer must have had the same idea, because they were already outside by the time he turned to look at them, Shirou could hear Rin protesting in the distance. All of the sudden movement drew the ire of the creature, which in speed that made Shirou dizzy followed quickly after the Servants.
The bastard left us, Shirou thought as the golden Archer brought down a rain of swords in front of the hole, blocking their escape.
"I can procure the Grail at another time, either one really. But you Saber, it would be hard to obtain you as long as that worm possesses those Command Seals." The Archer sent another volley of swords his way, only by Saber's protection did he not get harmed. She gracefully parried the projectiles as they drew near, with the burst of a lion she went on the offensive. Cleaving the air as she went for the neck of the enemy Servant, but in an instant she was deflected by another sword. Saber swung again, only to be met by another sword, she tried three more times from the back, at his knees, and at his side, all were met with the same result. Shirou made a step to move in support of his Servant, but was met with a surge of pain through his shoulder, or what was left of it. A deep gash had been carved through his flesh, the pain was excruciating and Illya had taken the potions he had brought with him.
'This isn't good, I'm in no condition to support Saber at all, I'm a complete liability.'
Tracing...
"I respect your sword Saber, still as strong as when we first met, yes you are truly worthy of my selection!" The blonde man called out as she retreated back to Shirou's side. "Now, since the only eyes that will live to know of this are you and me, I believe you can glimpse upon my glory for a moment." He raised his arms to either side of himself, "Gate of Babylon." A brilliant crimson pillar shot from the ground behind him, stretching along the wall until it was the only thing visible behind the golden clad Servant. "All that you hold dear is rightfully mine, anything of value is made for me to claim. Such as that sword…." He reached behind him, pulling two weapons out, "you're cliched sword selection is old news to me." He raised the sword in his first hand. "This is Merodach, The Original Sin, while it may not stack up to the Noble Phantasm you possess, it still holds prestige as the original, the foundation of the sacred right to select the king."
"Shirou, we need a plan, it took considerable effort getting in the castle with that creature on us." Saber said.
Tracing….
He lowered the sword and raised the sickle, "This sickle however," with a dexterous flick of his wrist, Archer swung the sickle into Saber's arm, she let out a pained grunt but stood her ground, even as he yanked it out of her body, "is just a sickle, your mana is going to be feeling it though."
Tracing…..
Merodach saved into UBW
Draining Sickle saved into UBW
6 other weapons have been saved into UBW
UBW is currently locked, unlock to use weapons
'Well shit.'
"I'll cover you Saber, if you can get close, we might stand a chance." Shirou projected Kanshou and Bakuya, which were immediately destroyed by a identical pair of swords. He looked perplexed, first at the swords, then at Archer.
"In the beginning there was only one hero, and all the world's treasures belonged to him, the true and only king. I am the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh!" There was silence for a few seconds, then a volley of swords were shot from the gate, three of them bringing Saber to her knees. "It is appropriate to kneel, of course only the finest Noble Phantasms will suffice for you. For this worm though…" Gilgamesh shot a sword at Shirou, who had just enough time to project a sword to block it, but not one for the second or third.
Shirou could see his Health bar flashing red, his mana was half depleted, and his stamina was shot. "Arrgghhh!" His body screamed in protest as Shirou got back to his feet.
"Shirou, stay down, I will cover you." Saber tried to get to her feet, but immediately fell on her face when she tried to walk. She struggled to get her sword under as a crutch as Gilgamesh watched the display, laughing occasionally when she fell.
"If you fall, then I would lose my guiding light, that star in the sky that I dreamed to reach one day." He limped his way ever closer to her, his shoulder was aching, and the two swords had cleaved bits of his thigh and forearm.
"Fool, you are not worthy of this treasure." Gilgamesh called out to Shirou.
Saber finally made it back to her feet, "It would be honor to fight at your side Shirou."
Only one thing is powerful enough to stop him.
Gilgamesh pulled from his gate a weapon that upon attempting to trace it, left Shirou with a severe headache. It was like it was from a completely different world to the young mage. "For your insolence, I will render your existence pure fiction." The weapon shone with golden brilliance that matched him perfectly, it hummed with a red energy that nearly brought Shirou to his knees.
The information you need is inside of you, close your eyes and imagine the strongest thing you know.
Shirou read the words as they appeared in his view, closing his eyes he raised his hand out in front of himself. "Saber, back me up." He felt the hand of his Servant brace against the back of his shoulder. In his mind, Shirou imagined his brain as a sponge as he wrung out everything he could think of, the anxiety of the situation starting to weigh on him.
Deeper.
In the dark expanse of his mind, Shirou began to see light peak from the void.
The blonde Archer stood back, charging the red swirling vortex of power into the black cylindrical weapon.
From the cracks of light, Shirou could begin to make out a brilliant blue and gold. The object was almost indiscernible in front of the blinding white light that came with it as it invaded his mind.
Visualize it! Visualize it now!
"Trace on."
A dazzling golden light erupted in the room, making it impossible to see anything. When the light dissipated, Shirou could see that Gilgamesh was done charging his attack, he didn't see the shocked expression on Saber's face.
"Begone mongrel!" The torrent of energy was released from his weapon.
Shirou felt a hand grab his, he turned in time to see Saber wrap his hand around the handle of her blade. He could see she was directing them to the glowing object that stood in front of them, so he helped her with haste. As they slammed the sword down into it, Shirou noticed how it slid with such ease as if it were meant for the sword. The instant the sword's hilt touched the blinding object, everything calmed and Shirou could now make out his surroundings.
"It's…..beautiful." Spring's sunshine shone over waves of grass, a soft breeze carrying the smell of summer along his nose. Every kind of corruption or sin he had known of were incomprehensible to him, and the land before him looked to have never been stepped underfoot by man. He looked down at his body, the wounds were gone, he looked to his right where Saber stood, she too looked to have no damage.
"This is Avalon, the Land of the Eternal Spring and the utopia that I wished for all of my people." Saber remarked as they watched crystal clear water run through creeks surrounded by vibrant flowers and large, strong trees. "This is where I will end up Shirou, when my wish is granted."
"Well you deserve it."
Saber turned to look at her Master, "It may sound selfish of me, but I would like to see you here, if you are truly set on being a hero. Even heroes must rest eventually."
"All I've ever wanted is to help others, my reward was someday looking back and being able to say that I helped as best I could, but this... I couldn't wish for anything greater for someone. A world such as this... such a utopia." Shirou smiled softly at her, trying his best to sound reassuring. While the thought was nice, he couldn't help but have some shred of skepticism, this world was just a little too perfect.
She returned his smile. "Stay true to yourself, yours is the right path." She never really noticed until now, but Shirou reminded her of someone, a girl she knew from what seemed like a distant memory.
"We still have a war to win."
She blushed a little, which made Shirou chuckle. "Y-Yes you're right, let's go."
The beautiful world around them faded away, bringing them back into the destroyed Einzbern castle. Gilgamesh stood across the room, seeming to have taken a significant amount of damage. Smoke billowed off his now singed armor, he held his strange weapon in a defensive position. He gave a dirty look to the two of them before vanishing into thin air. As Avalon vanished, Shirou looked up to see his mana bar was now almost empty, and then felt the avalanche of paint that had evaded him for a few minutes returned. Shirou lost his feet as he felt his legs go numb, his body finally giving up on him.
"Shirou!" Saber caught him before he hit the ground.
"I told you we would win... and I meant it..." A haggard cough racked his body, "as long as I have you... my sword."
"And I you, my sheathe."
Consciousness left him, and he was back in the large void. Across from him stood Kiritsugu, or whatever it was that the entity really was.
"Thank you, I guess. Whatever Avalon is, you knew I could summon it and that it would be enough to hold back Gilgamesh." Shirou couldn't read the face on his father, nothing but a mask peered back at him.
"I merely gave you a little push."
Shirou narrowed his eyes down onto the being, "Why?"
"I'm an interested observer. Though if you would like the power to defeat enemies of the caliber of the King of Heroes, I can happily oblige."
Shirou's narrowed eyes turned into a full glare, "A hero jumps into the fray no matter the odds or gap in power. I will become strong enough to win those battles of my own volition."
What looked as his father grinned, "Good, that's what I like to hear."
Shirou Emiya, Level 42
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: Level 4 (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-
Alaya's Favor: 0%
Kenjutsu: C+ (Fighting Styles Inculded)
Reinforcement Magic: C+
Weapon Tracing: C-
Time Alter: C
Gun Fu: D
Pankration: Level 3 (Instant Travel: 2%)
Presence Concealment: D+
Perks:
Ironman
Miraculous Healing
Star Constellation: O' Heaven, Collapsing Star
Mana Fortification