Dan Blackmore. My next rival. I was honestly shocked to see someone of his age take part in the Holy Grail War. And from what I've seen and has happened to me, I'm shocked yet again he was paired up with an Archer class, let alone Robin Hood. We did have some advantage in this fight, as Archer was forbidden to use his Noble Phantasm...outside of battle. I hope that he was out of practice with it.
Saber sighed as I dazed out. "Master! Wake up this instant!" She yelled.
I shook my head and looked around, Archer and Dan were ready for battle.
"Nice job, your Master's dazing out."Archer chuckled.
Saber smirked, like she was actually siding with him for this point. "That might be true..." She said, trailing off. Jeez...I wish my own Servant would stop insulting me. "But at least my Master has the decency to leave me at my fullest power." Saber said crossing her arms over her chest, the hilt of her blade between her arms and chest.
Archer cocked an eyebrow. He didn't have a reply. His Master simply stood still and listened.
"What? No reply?" Saber asked, turning her head away from Archer. "Very predictable." Saber laughed.
Archer growled. "Poison Arrow..." he muttered under her breath, gaining the attention of me and my Servant. Archer took aim with the crossbow mounted on his arm and fired.
Saber quickly grabbed her blade and swung, slicing the arrow in half. "Ha! Pitiful!"
Archer smirked. "Oh really? Are you sure that my attack didn't work?"
Saber quickly looked at herself, only seeing a few scraps of the arrow on her clothing. "Was this a bluff?" She asked.
"Maybe." Archer smirked, taking aim again with his bow and firing off multiple shots, all scattering around Saber.
Saber sighed and slowly made her way to the rival Servant, using her sword to cut each arrow in half. "This is truly pathetic!" She exclaimed. Man...her attitude was getting on my nerves at times, but it was who Saber was, I couldn't do anything about it. But, I did notice something. Dan wasn't even talking, nevertheless moving, and Archer didn't try to set up any traps, nor any sneak attacks. Something was wrong. I tried to tell Saber, but she didn't listen.
By the time Saber had reached Archer, I could tell something was wrong. She still wasn't listening to me. And when she did seem to hear my voice, it was too late.
"Faceless King!" Archer yelled. Saber growled a bit, but swung her blade. Archer suddenly faded out of existence, or so it seemed. He reappeared right next to Saber, delivering a powerful kick to her side. Saber groaned. "Now, don't mock me or my power!" Archer chuckled, warping out of view as Saber twirled her blade, swinging at the vanishing Archer again. He reappeared behind her. "Too slow." he sang, firing an arrow at Saber's back.
I watched as Saber helplessly battered at the air, trying to hit the elusive Archer. I couldn't do much, so I simply did what I could: A quick Heal Code Cast to keep Saber as healthy as she could be. It did hurt that I couldn't fight back...I had changed the Stun Code Cast for a Field Spell...and forgot to change it back to Stun or Cure.
Archer's attacks slowed, finally. Saber took the opening and swung her blade at Archer, having it connect with the side of the green-clad warrior. "I have you know, knave!" She yelled, swinging her crimson saber wildly.
All seemed well, but it soured once more. Saber stopped her attack, clutching her stomach with her free hand and falling to her knees. "W-what's going on?" She coughed. She looked like she would vomit at any second.
Archer smirked, backing up a bit and gathering energy. "Now you really understand why I said not to underestimate me, right?" He said, fiddling with his crossbow.
Saber rose to her feet slowly, gripping her blade tightly. She looked uneasy, but she continued on.
Archer rose his bow and took aim. "Yew Bow: Holy Bow of Supplication." he said to himself. He unleashed his attack, I felt a chill run up my spine. We dealt with this before, not in in this way. A swirling mass of gnarled roots unleashed from his bow, forming a sphere around Saber before they converged into a massive Yew Tree. It quickly bloomed, then wilted before shattering.
Saber's figure grew worse as her knees seemed to give out. Her growl, symbolizing her nature to win, was dying out. Archer added insult to injury, holding his bow aimed right at her. "C'mon! Where's that fiery spirit and sharp tongue from before?"
Saber coughed, falling to a knee. She slowly struggled to get back to her feet. "Fount of the Saint..." she muttered, a pulse being emitted from her blade. "Fount of the Healer..." She coughed, another pule from her blade. She rushed over as fast as she could, trying to gain back her strength through her spells.
I watched in a mix of horror, and anticipation. I knew Saber could pull a miraculous comeback, but this was our second battle against a ranged fighter, things looked grim. What else was worse, Dan was finally taking this opening. He activated his Code Casts: Strength and Regen. I didn't know what to do, the battle was going too fast for me to understand. Archer was simply laughing as he dodged Saber's slow attacks.
"Wow..this is boring!" Archer groaned, quickly diving under Saber's blade and countering with a powerful flip kick to Saber's jaw. Saber flew back, tumbling on the ground. I hurried over to her and helped her get back to her feet. Then, it hit me. I hastily reached into my pocket after I gave her back as much strength as I could with Heal, and pulled out an item, but it shattered as soon as I grabbed it. I panicked a bit, but when Saber got up, the fiery fervor back in her eyes, I knew it worked. While my supply of Remedies was low, I now knew to keep a steady supply on hand, as that Archer's Noble Phantasm was linked to his Poison Arrow skill.
"Thank you, Master. It was about time you acted and aided me regain my glory for this battle." She replied to me. Well, I'll take a half-assed thank you any day from Saber. "Now..just stay on the sidelines of this battle, and support me when you can." Saber said, her speed returning as she unleashed her Veil of Petals skill at Archer.
The enemy servant yawned. "This again?" he said, stretching, bored. "Wall of Thorns." he simply said, taking a knee and gathering more energy in his crossbow, punching the ground under him. As par with his skill's name, a wall of thorns suddenly burst from the ground.
Saber smirked, gracefully slicing through the thick wall of green and continuing her mad rush at Archer. Times like this I wonder if Saber could have been Berserker with the ferocity of her attacks. But, I didn't argue with it much, and now as I watched my Servant reach Archer, and simply tear though him with a single stroke of her blade, boy was I happy. I watched as Saber's blade connected to the green clad warrior's body repeatedly, a slightly sadist grin grew on my face. I wish I kept the Code Cast for Attack or Strength, but Saber's Fount of the Saint was doing it's job.
"How DARE you cripple me in such ways you pathetic forest fool!" Saber yelled, getting into a heated battle now, Archer desperately trying to fend off the enraged Saber. Even his Faceless King skill was failing due to the speed of which Saber was fighting. Even I was scared at this point. "I should take that bow of yours and beat you to death with it!" Saber yelled, enraged.
Archer quickly jumped back before Saber was about to slice him in half. He readied his bow. "You'll run out of steam by some time, and when you do...I'll let the poison take care of you!" Archer growled, firing off s shotgun like field of Poison Arrow bolts. I dug my hand into my pocket, ready to use another Remedy just in case, but luckily for me, even better for Saber, the arrows missed, or Saber's rage simply sliced them in half. I'm beginning to think it's not rage, just pride that her figure was ruined by the poison.
"Now then..." Saber said to herself, continuing her attacks. "Veil of Petals!" she yelled, diving through Archer's attacks.
"No no no no no no NO NO!" he yelled, frantically firing as many arrows as he could, constantly on the run away from Saber. "I'm NOT going down this easily! I should have won this battle from the damn start!"
"Well, enjoy the victory you had when this started." Saber said as she swung her blade, slicing the clean through Archer. Archer gripped his chest, then fell to his knees. Saber smirked and threw her blade onto her shoulder and walked back to me, her heels clicking. Once again, if wind could exist in these places, it would be blowing right not. As soon as Saber grew close enough to me, the never ending red wall suddenly rocketed between me and my Saber, and Dan and his Archer. I looked over, seeing the defeated pair slowly grow black, looking like they were being deleted.
Archer couldn't help but laugh. "Well, this sucks..." he said through his laughter. "Ya know..I'm sorry for being such a crappy Servant."
Dan shook his head, finally speaking up. He accepted his defeat, unlike Shinji, who prayed to every god he knew to live. "It was my fault, Archer, not yours." He said. " I should never have hindered your powers, that Seal made us lose the battle."
"Oh c'mon...I was still about to use it in combat." Archer said, looking at his bow, which was now covered in blackness. "I have no training...I can't fight in direct combat, Master. You should know that."
"I did, but I was focused on a knight's battle, I overlooked it." Dan said, standing still, accepting his death without question.
"We were both fools." Archer said. He looked over to me. "Don't blow it for us, kid." he said, laughing as he vanished.
"Young Master, you have fought well, and I am glad, that if I was to die it battle, it would be with one who I felt was worthy...I thank you..." he said before he faded away.
My stomach felt heavy, like a knot was growing. I couldn't focus well. It hit me again: I just killed someone else. First Shinji died, I know it's wrong to say it, but he deserved it. And now, Dan Blackmore. Two people had died to my hands, even the mighty Francis Drake, and the elusive Robin Hood fell to Saber's blade, the blade being controlled by the warrior, an unnamed one. I would ask her, and I have once, but she simply shot me down faster than a hunter shooting a game bird. And, like last time, I found myself outside the elevator door. Saber gathered by attention once with with a few snaps.
"Master, it would be best if you did not find yourself being dazed so often..." She said, sighing.
As always, Saber scolded me, even after victory. I'll just need to get used to it.