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.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Tuesday. As a side note, Saber Alter will be sporting the same concept armor from the Heaven's Feel route. I'm also going to try to be more thorough with the videogame details, felt like I half assed it up to this point.
Blackened Hearts
The soft illumination of the burning Matou estate could still be seen in the distance behind Shirou, but he didn't need to look back to know that. While he had wanted to sit back and enjoy the bonfire, maybe even roast some marshmallows, the combination of the Shadow's appearance and the incoming fire department persuaded the redhead to leave the scene of the crime. Rin and Archer were less surprised than he expected that he rejoined them by exit of an upper floor window, but they assumed he was just 'trying to look cool.' It had been a few minutes since they had split up, Rin had sagely decided that it best to make sure that no more ambushes happened tonight.
'Archer knew the Shadow was there, I'd put money on it, Servants seem like they would have a sixth sense on those sort of…. Oh you have got to be kidding me.' Across the street on the adjacent sidewalk stood the Shadow and though the lack of eyes left it up to guesswork, Shirou was willing to bet that it was looking at him. The breeze of the night air blew across his face, the faint smell of ash and heat tickled his nose. Looking ever so slightly to his right, Shirou could see that his estate was within eyesight, though more than far enough to make running a option, besides he wasn't sure he wanted to bring the Shadow home with him.
'I wonder….' Shirou concentrated hard on the sight of his rooftop, straining his eyes even and trying to will himself to that location.
Godspeed activation failed! -15% Mana penalty applied.
Shirou grumbled multiple curses under his breath as he watched his mana creep just below half. He took stock of his situation, he had Shiji in tow, both of them had suffered some minor cuts from the jump out the window but had landed well enough that Shirou felt only a slight tingling in his legs now. He could fight, he had to be realistic about his chances of winning though.
"Umm hello?" The Shadow hadn't moved, not even an inch since Shirou noticed it. Hesitantly, Shirou took a step further down the road, he quickly regretted his decision. The malevolent being seemed to extend itself outward along the ground, almost like it was enlarging the shadow it cast. From the inky darkness on the sidewalk, a figure began to emerge, fully submerged in a viscous black muck from head to toe. Slowly the sludge receded down, revealing to be his former Saber Servant. This Saber was not his though, he could tell that clear as day. Her armor was more heavy, and her entire attire had been changed to match that of her new 'Master', even the holy sword Excalibur has seemed to take to the corruption with a new black finish. "May I ask your name, she who possesses the body of King Arthur?"
Saber Alter, Level 90
Her cold yellow eyes lacked the vibrancy and emotion he had known, though he had to admit, she still looked just as beautiful as the day he met her. "What gives you the right to speak my name swine?" Her words cut through the air as fast and sharp as her sword. "Hand over the boy, and you may yet stay my blade."
'So it is her.'
Shirou didn't move from his spot, he didn't want to seem like he was running away or challenging them. "Why? So you can kill him, or put him in another pit? Shinji is kind of… ok, he's a complete rat, but King Arthur doesn't kill civilians, heroes do not kill civilians."
Saber chuckled, she sported a smirk even Archer would be proud of, "You remind me of a girl I knew, she was almost as pathetic as you are. It is a hero's duty to cut down those who show resistance to our will, now will you submit to mine or will you resist?" Her smirk turned into a scowl as Shirou's expression turned somber and his eyes flickered with embers of anger. "Did I offend you? Perhaps your death should be slower, so I may teach you the true ways of being a king since it seems you have been misinformed."
Shirou looked into her eyes, seeing all the malice and indifference held within. "When did you forsake yourself? Is it the work of your new 'Master'?" He clenched his fists, "...or have you always been a gutless coward?"
That did it, her eyes flared to life in rage and she was on top of Shirou in seconds. Shirou took note that while she did move slower than he remembered, she carried herself heavier too, which meant she was probably packing more power than he had seen before. 'Time Alter-' He ducked under her first swing on pure survival instinct, but had lost the concentration on his time magic. Her next vertical slice threatened to cleave him in two, time seemed to slow, and he could make out every detail of her face as her bloodlust rolled off her in waves.
Low Luck rating detected, re-evaluating probabilities. Imminent danger incoming, Godspeed activating….
Shirou had just enough time to get his eyes turned towards his hose before he felt the wind get knocked out of him. Everything around him became a funnel into a single point, and he felt his feet leave the ground and land clumsily on his roof. He was disoriented but he knew he had to get off the roof, so he threw Shinji and himself over the remaining distance. Shirou took the brunt of the force for Shinji's sake, so he decided to just lay there, he had to make sure they didn't see which way he went.
'Man I hope I went as fast as it felt, that was the best feeling ever but...' He looked up at his blinking red mana bar, his health had also taken a hit from his landing. Shirou focused on his breathing, staying calm and alert was the plan now. He half dragged Shinji over to the tree in the courtyard, propping him up on it, Shirou took a seat next to him.
"We- we were on the street, how did we end up of the roof." Shinji's voice was a hoarse whisper.
Shirou chuckled at Shinji's bewilderment, "That's the least of your worries."
He could hear Shinji breathing, it was uneven and slightly raspy. "They say a coward dies a million times, if it's just twice for me I'd be ok."
"Well while we wait, I'll tell you how we got from from the street to the roof."
"You certainly have grown Emiya, please spare no details." It was then that Shirou told Shinji his story, of course omitting some things that may freak the Matou out, namely that his life is a video game. He attributed his exceptional new skills to a Noble Phantasm from his Servant that increased his parameters to their limits, a decent enough lie Shirou thought. He used the story to keep himself awake, it was to the point that he eventually just started telling the story back to himself, like a critical analysis of how he was doing up until now. The story went on for hours, and after it was over all that could be heard was the occasional nightly breeze in the silence.
"That was a great story."
Shirou chuckled, "I'm surprised you're still up."
A rough cough shook through the Matou, "Please I could stay up for hours." He never got a reply, all he could hear was Shirou's soft snoring beside him. "You never could pull an all nighter with me." Shinji said looking at the resting redhead, he decided not to wake him, best if at least one of them had some strength, it might as well be the person who could actually do something. After another hour though, even the Matou's eyes became heavy, eventually shutting as he joined Shirou in the land of nod.
"Shirou? Who is that?"
"Shinji….. Senpai…?"
"I'll be fine, check on him first."
Shirou blinked his eyes open, the sun tickled his face and the day felt fresh. He looked at Sakura and Illya, they stood over him with matching expressions of worry. "What are you doing out here, and why is Sakura's brother here?"
It was Shinji who spoke first, noticing that the redhead was still not at 100% mental capacity. "I can explain everything, if you'll let me miss…"
"Einzbern. Now what have you done to my onii-chan?" Shinji's eyes turned to saucers at mention of her name, his expression only grew comical when she mentioned her relation to Shirou. Sakura helped Shinji and Illya did the same for Shirou, they guided the two into the dining area where Sakura brought out a fresh pot of hot tea and some blankets. The two had been admittedly freezing their butts off out there, luckily they had suitable clothes on or else they may have caught their death.
"I should have accepted how things were," Shinji began as Sakura wrapped a blanket over his frail form, "when you first showed up Sakura, I'm sorry."
Shinji's sister placed a hand on his shoulder, "You know I love you."
"If you two are done, can we get back on track?" Illya looked at the two slightly annoyed with her arms.
"Illya." Shirou warned his sister, she looked to protest but Shirou's gaze stayed stern, which dissuaded her from talking back. Illya grumbled to herself, she was the heir to the Einzbern and she was not happy with being any lower than at the top of the totem pole, Shirou was sure she would make she he knew that later.
"F-Forgive me, I just figured I should say that to start off." He paused to allow a series of violent coughs to rattle his body, sending blood out of his mouth and into his hand. "My sins are egregious."
Illya nodded at him, "Take your time." Shirou saw the white haired girl spare him a quick glance, then back to Shinji's form. While Shirou had taken note that Shinji was surprisingly light while they were fleeing, he didn't realize how severe it was. To call the male Matou the human equivalent of a raisin would have been accurate, if not offensive and Shirou had never known Shinji to have gray streaks through his hair.
There was no more illustrious confidence, or cocky swagger as Shinji placed his bony hands over each other to stop from shaking. "When you left, Zouken said that if I was so adamant of my ability to lead the Matou house, then he'd put my words to the test." The blue haired Matou, who now sat as a muted grayish-blue husk, began to tremble as tears escaped his clenched eyes.
"D-Did he…." Sakura gulped, though Shinji knew where she was heading and immediately answered with a nod of his head.
Shirou stood from the table, gaining the attention of everyone present, "This seems personal, if there's anything important I should know just run it back by me if you would." He walked over to Shinji, they shared a glance at each other of mutual respect as Shirou laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Tell me, what exactly did Zouken have you doing?" He could hear Illya's asking as their voices began to fade into the distance and around corners. He listened to his feet stride across the wooden floor as he ventured to his room, his mind was immediately drawn back to the image of the worm pit, and the look Shinji and Sakura shared when Shinji brought it up. Shirou could tell right away that Sakura understood what Shinji had went through, maybe even better than he did, which meant…..
'No more.' He hadn't realized until now but his nails were painfully digging into his palms. Shirou changed out of the clothes he had worn the other night and into his school uniform, a day in civilization was just what he needed to refresh his mind. 'Maybe I'll even get a chance to clean some of the house, if I'm lucky all of it.' He even allowed himself to get a little giddy at the thought as he passed back by the dining area where the three were still sitting there talking.
"Do you want me to grab your schoolwork Sakura?"
The purple haired girl turned to him, "That's ok Senpai, I'll be late but I will be at school."
He gave her a nod, then Illya a hug before heading further down the hall to a spare bathroom. In there he took care of his usual daily hygienics, couldn't go out looking to bad, especially if Tohsaka was going to be at school. He exited the bathroom and made towards the exit as he thought of the numerous barbs the snarky Master might make at his unkempt appearance. Opening the front door, Shirou was greeted with the sight of Gilgamesh standing down the road, adorned with his traditional pompous grin and oppressing air of superiority. He willed his feet to move towards the Servant, if the King of Heroes decided to unleash his weapons, Shirou did not want them going near the house. Putting one foot in front of the other, he eventually walks until he stands a few feet in front of the Archer. Shirou says nothing, instead focusing on the massive mana that Gilgamesh was giving off and if it changed in any way to indicate an attack.
"Come with me mongrel."
Shirou follows him, 'He's not in his armor, but if he knows I don't have Saber he probably thinks he doesn't need it. Then again he has unmatched hubris, he could just think the armor is beneath him.' Trying to figure out the motives of a man who believed he could do whatever he wanted proved a troubling endeavor. It was then that Shirou remembered that he was provided with a Servant Index early on in the war, and now was a perfect chance to use it. Shirou pulls up his game menu and subconsciously selects the Servant Index at the very bottom. Within, he could see that the Index already held information on Saber, Gilgamesh, Cu' Chulainn, Medea, Archer, and Hercules.
Gilgamesh: King of Heroes
Strength: B Endurance: C Agility: C
Mana: B Luck: A N.P.: EX
Noble Phantasm: Gate of Babylon, ?
Description: Places himself and his desire for all the treasures of the world above everything. In his eyes there are no other forces of his caliber, his authority is the only law including those of fellow kings and even gods. His visage is an honor and those that do not immediately recognize him are most likely seconds from his wrath and their death.
"Tell me, what has happened of my wife?" Gilgamesh does not look back at Shirou, nor does he look at the people who gawk at his presence as he sauntered down the street.
"She aligns with the Shadow now."
The Archer shook his head and sighed, "That is why treasures belong in my possession. For my prize to be absconded by such filth is unacceptable." Shirou listened but felt that Gilgamesh was talking more to himself than to anyone, he also felt like the Servant probably did this a lot.
"She's not your prize." Shirou growled, he didn't give a damn if Gilgamesh impaled him, he wasn't about to dehumanize Saber into some kind of trophy.
"A plebian uttering defiance in my presence is insolence, I will not tolerate it." The Servant hissed back.
Shirou got the message, plus it was one thing to die for someone's life, but to do so for Saber who just tried to kill him last night, he felt he could let this battle of ideology slide for now until he knew his former Servants full prognosis. The two continued walking for a few more minutes before stopping in front of a restaurant which, from the front window, Shirou could see held one Kirei Kotomine inside.
"King of Heroes." The Servant in question had not stopped when they reached the restaurant and Shirou assumed he wouldn't have if he hadn't called out to him. "Since you're the first King, it's under your rule that humanity has evolved this much. Plus we're still living so you must see something in us, so thank you….. " The words felt bitter leaving his mouth but they seemed to have the desired effect.
Gilgamesh turned for the first time, glancing at Shirou for a quick second. "Maybe your not dumber than you look mongrel." After that the Servant continued on down the street and around the corner.
'That should stop him from carpet bombing my house for a good…. 30 minutes, 35 tops.' Shirou took a seat across from the fake priest who hadn't stopped eating yet to acknowledge that the redhead had entered. He decided that he would order something while he waited, and by the time the waitress had retreated back to the kitchen, Kirei had turned his attention from his food to Shirou while he looked to where the waitress had left. 'She seems familiar.'
"You lost your Servant…" Shirou continued to look at the priest with little interest or expression, and after a few seconds of silence Kirei continued. "With the events that have transpired it would seem that Zouken has started to put his machinations into motion. Saber, Caster, Berserker, and Lancer have been eliminated by him and his associates." The waitress returned with Shirou's food, she was a young woman with a fine figure, chestnut brown hair with matching eyes. She had a kind face and a gentle smile, which he saw every few seconds when she would sneak a peak at him.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" She asked, when Shirou shook his head he noticed she seemed slightly dejected as the waitress trudged back into the kitchen. He didn't think too much on it, chalking it up to amazing dedication to customer service.
'Sheesh, I wonder if he's a eunuch, not a question I want answered while I'm eating though.' The fake priest hadn't even acknowledged the waitress, instead watching Shirou like a scientist watching a lab rat. Shirou reminded himself to stay mentally sharp as he tore into the mountain of beef, pork, and rice in front of him. 'Not as good as my cooking but good enough.'
"Is there any development with the Matou children, in fact how is Rin doing?" Kirei asked, Shirou swore that sorting sarcasm from serious was turning into a chore with these magi.
Shirou swallowed the food he was eating, "I haven't been in contact with the Matou's and Rin and I are in a ceasefire not a team, I don't keep track of what she does." He then went back to eating, not paying mind to the priest who looked like he was trying to look directly into Shirou's soul to find what he was looking for, whatever it is that that was. "You know you and I aren't that different Kirei."
An intrigued smirk appeared on the fake priest's face, "How is that?"
"So complex in its simplicity." Shirou stood up from the table, his plate cleaned off as Kotomine looked up at him puzzled. "Is there anything else you needed, I have to get to school, knowledge is power and all that." He didn't wait for Kiriei to respond, he knew the priest wouldn't keep him. Shirou left the restaurant and headed towards the school, he was glad he had left early, though now he wouldn't get to fix as much before classes started.
"Um excuse me?" A soft voice came from behind him. Shirou turned to see the young waitress from the restaurant was behind him.
'I've been walking for 7 minutes, how long was she following me?' He thought. "Um, hi. Did I not leave enough money for my meal?"
The waitress's face flushed a bright red as she shook her head quickly. "Oh no, no, no. Heheh sorry I don't mean to be weird I just didn't know how exactly to say what I wanted, still kind of don't. Honestly this was a super spur of the moment thing, and I'm starting to ramble aren't I?" She chuckled nervously.
"Well….. What is it that you wanted to say?" Shirou asked, hoping that his calm demeanor would help her. On the inside he was as bad as she was, he wasn't prepared for this.
She walked up to him and grabbed his hands in hers, the gentle smile and sun catching on her eyes elicited a blush from the redhead. "I wanted to thank you, you're Shirou Emiya right? My name is Hatsumi Suji, you took me to the police station after I was attacked."
Shirou's blush deepened as a light came on in his head, "O-Oh well there's no need to thank me." He released himself from her grasp and turned to walk away, he got a couple feet before she was walking along with him.
"They said that I was that close to dying, though it was strange that I had no bruises or cuts… " She looked at him, her brown eyes pleaded with him for a response.
"I couldn't tell you why." Shirou replied.
Hatsumi sighed, looking noticeably disappointed by his answer, though she wiped it away with another bright smile. "Nobody can give me answers, and you obviously know but won't tell me, maybe it's for the best that I don't know." She walked out in front of Shirou to stop him in his tracks, and before shirou could say anything he found himself wrapped in the warm embrace of the waitress. "When I woke up and they told me I had been attacked….. I feared the worst." She pulled back to look him in the eyes, "But I had someone looking over me, thank you." She pulled him in to plant a light kiss on his forehead, then released him as she headed back towards the restaurant, but not before turning back one more time. "Come around and see me sometime ok? Maybe we can find something that you can talk about." She waved to him one final goodbye before disappearing into an encroaching crowd of pedestrians.
You have unlocked Alignments. These classifications will impact how the world views you, you will also gain perks in accordance with your alignment if you stay to it. Your actions will increase your tiers as they pertain to the Alignment.
Lawful - Neutral - Chaotic
Good - Neutral - Evil
You are currently aligned as [Lawful ● Good]
Tier 1: Civilians will react positively to your presence
Tier 2: (Current) 10% discount at all shops
Tier 3: Locked
Tier 4: Locked
Tier 5: Locked
'Can I ask you something?' Shirou thought as he continued on his walk to school.
"Of course."
'Why a videogame?'
"It works doesn't it? The effectiveness of a medium you're familiar with cannot be understated."
'Makes sense, so to what extent does the game go?' He asked back.
"Keep your eyes open, you'll find the system implemented for you to be quite immersive."
Shirou had never been too big into videogames, he never thought a 'hero of justice' was the kind of person to spend time playing them. He was familiar with platforming games, but he never delved into RPG's since they seemed the most time consuming, he did however watch Issei play them a ton so he still understood some concepts. His thoughts turned back to Hatsumi, he figured it best if he kept an eye on her, the last thing he needed was a civilian snooping around into the Grail War.
"How troublesome." He said to himself.
Somewhere in a nation far, far, away a man with pineapple shaped hair sneezed. "Someone must be talking about me, how troublesome." He then went back to his cloud watching, not paying anything else any attention.
Back with Shirou, he was now entering through the doors into his school. Walking down the hallway, it was at that moment that it dawned on him how much his senses had been enhanced since he first entered the war. He could determine the location of almost any student in the building through their voices, footsteps, or just old fashioned 50/50 vision buffed up to the max, the entire sensation became overwhelming.
'Can't even hear myself think.' Shirou made a beeline for the boys bathroom, once inside he made to occupy an empty stall. He took deep, methodical breathes, making sure to key in on every breathe that entered and exited, he did this until everything else around him melted away into the background. After a few minutes of this, he stepped out of the stall now capable of hearing his feet against the white tiles under him again.
You have unspent skill points!
'I guess I can spare a second.' Shirou retreated back into the stall, no need for someone to walk in on him staring into space. He noticed that on top of the skills he could upgrade, there were additional perks that had been added.
Choose (2):
Unlimited Blade Works Mana Fortification
Time Alter Quick Fire Projection
Pankration Seasoned Battle Technician
Presence Concealment Lone Wolf
Seasoned Battle Technician: All past and future battle experience will account towards your Wisdom (0.1 per minute of battle at Level 1)
Lone Wolf: All stats are raised by 20 while you are alone. Stats will decrease by 20 when with another companion.
Shirou considered the Lone Wolf perk since he didn't have a Servant and didn't really want to have Tohsaka fighting with him and potentially getting hurt, but decided against it when he thought about what she'd say if he tried to tell her not to do something, the idea made him shudder.
Seasoned Battle Technician selected!
Quick Fire Projection selected!
Quick Fire Projection has increased to Level 2! Speed and damage dealt by each projection in this attack increased to 5%
Wisdom has increased by 24 points!
He nearly choked on his own spit at the dramatic increase, it made him wonder if the game took sparring into account, and when the perk considered the battle begun and ended. It was also interesting that the skills he could upgrade or unlock seemed to be in a rotation, always switching out some of them with something new.
Being back in a classroom almost felt alien to Shirou, the calmness of the setting was in such stark contrast to the Grail War. Even with his extended leave from his studies he easily picked back up where they were at. In fact, he found everything slightly easier than he remembered, or at least, he didn't have the usual stress of schoolwork what with the ever present threat on the people of Fuyuki taking up most of his anxiety.
You have read a book on Economics, Intelligence increased by 1!
'I didn't even read the whole book! In that case…' Shirou waited until there was a point in the instruction that he could have some free time, at which point he went to task tearing through every book he had on him at the time.
You have read a book on Calculus, Intelligence increased by 2!
You have read a book on Biology, Intelligence increased by 1!
This continued on a few more times, though Shirou came to find that some books have him nothing. He figured that since Calculus netted him 2 and The Tale of Genji got him nothing, educational texts were the way to go.
'I'm definitely going to be paying a visit to the library, maybe all the libraries!'
After class, Shirou walked through the campus looking for Issei, and after asking a couple of students he found out that his friend was still in the hospital.
Side Quest Unlocked: Check up on Issei
The area around Shirou grew almost deathly quiet, a sign that he could attribute to one thing. Turning around, sure enough there was Rin walking towards him, the usual visage of a prim and proper honor student. He wondered what everyone would think if they knew she was shrewd and bossy under that cool mask she sported so well. As she passed by him, they didn't exchange words as he followed in line by her as she led them to god knows where.
"What makes you think I wanted to talk to you? Students can walk around the campus can't they?" Rin asked, looking at him through the corner of her eye.
Shirou shrugged his shoulders, "Not sure, but you have a habit of not being around unless you need me for something."
"Do you feel like you're being used?"
"I'm happy to help however I can, if anything happened to you…" He shook his head, he didn't want to think on such things.
A smirk appeared on Rin's face, "I haven't taken a scratch yet, unlike you." She grabbed his arm, "As property of Rin Tohsaka I would me remiss if I let an asset like you be used inefficiently."
Shirou smiled, at Rin and at the looks people made when she grabbed him, "Now I feel used." Eventually their stroll led them to the roof of the school, their usual meeting spot at this time of day. "Can I ask you something?"
"You just did, but yes."
"How do you feel about Sakura being a Matou?" He asked.
Rin considered his question for a few seconds. "She seemed happy enough. I never really kept tabs on her since she isn't my sister except by blood."
Her answer bewildered Shirou, though he knew that magi didn't hold true the same principles on family as the non-magi populace. He also remembered what she had said the night she had saved him after Lancer had stabbed him, and how Sakura's happiness was what made Rin act. "With everything that is going on, and since we did burn down her house, maybe you should reach out to her?"
"Don't speak on things that aren't your business, there is a predetermined agreement set forth by two consenting-"
"Did you and her consent? I love Sakura but there are some holes that I just can't fill, I think it would do you some good too. I won't say anything else on it." Shirou added, he didn't want to argue with the Tohsaka heiress, but he refused to conform to some of the magi worlds more twisted idiosyncrasies. Rules be damned, family was family. "I saw Saber last night."
This tidbit of news predictably peaked Rin's interest, "What? I've never heard of someone getting there Servant back…"
Shirou shook his head, "I didn't get her back, I believe the Shadow can assimilate Servants that it has taken down, then roll them out as foot soldiers at it's leisure."
Rin sat down, rubbing her temples. "So it has Saber, probably Berserker…"
"Caster and Lancer are dead too, Kotomine told me that Zouken took them out so take that as you may." Shirou added.
Rin got back up and started banging her head against the wall, "Two, maybe four?! Well we have you, me, Archer, the Einzbern and Matou along with his Servant, so we still have a chance. Shirou, I'm going to need to talk to Illya."
Rin didn't offer to much into what she was planning, and Shirou didn't want to ruin her mental flow so he didn't bother nagging her about it. They spent the rest of their time together watching the civilians moving about their day without any knowledge of what was happening. Sitting on that rooftop with Rin, to Shirou it felt like they were alone on a mountain top with the lions closing in, but he believed that if there was anybody who could beat the odds it was them, it had to be. After their time was up they went their separate ways, promising to meet up later tonight with Illya to discuss their next move. Shirou was now walking down the sidewalk, school had ended but he didn't want to go see Issei just yet. Making his way to Ryuudou Temple, he looked at the place he had come to know so well as a deathtrap. He thought about Archer's fight with Caster, the female Servant probably dying here with Mr. Kuzuki, and the night he let Saber down. None of those were the reason for him being there though, no he had something else that needed to be addressed.
"Hey dad." It had been so long, but with everything that's transpired over the past couple of weeks, his grudge against Kiritsugu turned to guilt. "Been awhile, I guess I inherited your vindictiveness."
Side Quest: Thicker Than Water still available. Would you like to retry?
'Let me show you how far I've come.' He pressed Yes.
Thicker Than Water
Goal: Defeat Kiritsugu Emiya
Shirou expected to be transported back into the Dreamspace, not to remain in the graveyard behind the temple. A barrier formed around the area, he assumed it was to keep everything contained into a manageable area for the game to influence. Shirou watched as the corporeal form of his father rose from the ground before taking physical form, the same cold, expressionless look on his face from when they had last met. Shirou, remembering that Kiritsugu shot him the second the fight started, was ready before the elder Emiya even drew his Calico.
Quick-Fire Projection activated
Shirou was already throwing by the time Kiritsugu pulled the trigger, he wasn't ready for just how fast he started slinging the copies of Kanshou and Bakuya. His mind processed everything and gave him the impression that his body shouldn't be able to work this fast. Every bullet that left the fully automatic weapon of the Mage Killer was met with either Kanshou or Bakuya, the interaction between the two produced brilliants sparks of white and blue as the rapid, almost instantaneous sound of metal meeting metal filled the graveyard. Headstones became scratched by the ricochet of metal, even Shirou got grazed by a bullet that he hadn't hit cleanly enough. At first the swords he produced were only strong enough to stop the bullets of the Calico, but as Shirou became more used to the motion, and the effect of his ability really started to get working, he could tell the tide of the struggle was turning in his favor. The swords started to reach there target, even as they pierced his flesh and tore through his body, Kiritsugu still reloaded and tried to return fire. Shirou admired his father's resilience, truly was he worthy of being the winner of the Fourth Grail War, but it was time to end this. Two swords to his left leg brought him to his knees, another two to stop him from raising his gun, and a final one in between the eyes as Kiritsugu looked up at him one last time. Shirou watched as his father's form turned to dust, but he swore he saw Kiritsugu's eyes shine with a sense of pride as he left he world of the living once again.
Side Quest Completed!
Rewards: Calico, Contender, Mage Killer title, XP, Kiritsugu Emiya's memories
Shirou Emiya [Lawful ● Good], Level 47
Health: 40/100
Magic: 25/100
Strength: 29/100
Endurance: 50/100
Dexterity: 52/100
Intelligence: 36/100
Wisdom: 44/100
Luck: 60/100
Skills:
Element: Sword/Sword
Resistance: Magic (5%) Curse (5%)
Unlimited Blade Works: Level 7 (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: 15%
Kenjutsu: B (Fighting Styles Included)
Reinforcement Magic: C+
Weapon Tracing: B
Time Alter: C
Gun Fu: D
Pankration: Level 4 (Instant Travel: 10%)
Presence Concealment: D+
Perks:
Ironman
Seasoned Battle Technician
Star Constellation: O' Heaven, Collapsing Star
Mana Fortification
Quick Fire Projection Lv. 2