"This… doesn't look good," Rin said, wincing. Kirei Kotomime's body lay impaled on the floor by a golden lance, glittering even in the dim lighting. Blood splattered around his mouth and wound, a gruesome sight that Shirou couldn't stomach. A putrid stench had set in, making the already sickening sight that much worse. Shirou was speechless, only able to back away, thinking that this couldn't be real. Archer, however, took it upon himself to lean down and inspect Kirei further. Shirou had to stay back, shock clear on his face that Archer could approach the body without so much as a flinch. Shirou wanted to throw up.
"He's clearly dead," Archer said.
"Great observation, Sherlock," Rin said, rolling her eyes. "Anyone can see that."
"Well, Miss Sarcasm, I suppose you don't need me to tell you how long he's been here, then."
"Is that somehow relevant to our situation?"
"It could be. And based on what I'm assuming from your reaction, this man held some level of importance?"
"He was supposed to be a moderator of sorts for the War. A neutral third party, so to speak."
"So… he's dead... because of the War?" Shirou asked.
Rin nodded. "This church was supposed to be a safe zone, since the battlefield is literally anywhere two Masters meet. So, how long has he been here?"
"Based upon my limited medical knowledge, I can't tell how painful his death was."
"...Okay?" Rin said. "That doesn't answer the question."
"I'm getting there. Look at how his blood splattered about. I know blood like the back of my hand. Our friend's here is somewhat dry... based upon the material of the floor, I'd say he's been laying like this a good two days or so. Time enough for the blood to set. And from the pattern of the blood, I'd say he met a pretty gruesome death after putting up very little struggle. He either had to be taken by surprise or whoever did this to him was quite fast. Perhaps both. The way I see it, he had to have known who did this to him. The wound pierced him from the front, so I assume that he didn't expect this from whoever committed the act."
"I see," Rin said, she held a thoughtful look on her face. "Anything else?" Archer leaned in close and took a great whiff of the body. Shirou recoiled at the sight, looking more ill each second.
"He had quite the propensity toward matters of the arcane."
"That's not surprising, considering his status. He was trained by my father after all."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. I'm sure Kirei had many enemies, though I can't think of anyone who'd do this… at least this early in the War." Archer moved to examine the murder weapon.
"I've not seen a weapon like this… simple and effective, yet intricately ornate. It's not from any workshop I know of. Yet, in contrast to it's gleam, would say it's… quite old."
"That's not surprising. I can tell from here it contains a high level of Mystery. Whoever owns it had taken good care of it. Though that begs the question of why they left it."
"Do you think it was his Servant?"
"No. He was supposed to be neutral, remember? He wouldn't have a Servant because the rules would forbid it… Unless he stole someone's Servant… But then the weapon would disappear too. Then again, the Servant could have a high rank Independent Action."
"We have yet to see the Lancer or the Assassin, for that matter."
"Right. Whatever the case, this doesn't bode well. We can speculate on this later. Let's get out of here, Archer. We have to prepare."
"How are you two so casual about this!?" Shirou yelled. "There is literally a man dead on the floor before us!"
"God, Emiya, get over yourself!" Rin snapped. "I've been telling you this is what happens in this War! If you still can't accept it, then you really had no place here to begin with. You should be glad I was able to drive away Berserker before he killed you like he did your Servant!"
"More like he drove himself away," Archer muttered.
"But-"
"There are no 'buts' here! You keep trying to make excuses for something you neither understand not belong in. Just be glad I didn't kill you when I had the chance and go back to your ordinary life. Since you no longer have a Servant, you should be fine. Now come on, Archer. It's not safe here anymore."
"As you wish, Milady."
"H-hey, wait!" Shirou called after the duo, but the second the left the church, they were nowhere in sight.
"...How can they… just go along with this?" In a fit of despair, Shirou had collapsed to his knees. He felt like a complete and total failure. Not only had Tohsaka basically renounced him, he had failed to save anyone, let alone Saber. His eyes moistened, tears trickling freely down his cheeks. His dream of being a Hero unrealized, having been cast out of the War before anything even happened, he had no choice but to do what Rin said.
"Damn it…" he cursed, pounding his fist against the dirt. Truly, at this point, there was nothing more he could do. In his grief, he yelled at the moonlit sky in anguish. "Damn it!"
"Lad, I've got to say, this soup is the greatest thing I've ever tasted."
"You must have low standards. It's not that good." Shinji and Rider sat on top of a building, gazing out at the cityscape whilst enjoying the soup they stole from Shirou. Though he would never admit it, Shinji had to agree that Shirou was a damn good cook.
"Perhaps," Rider said. "I can't remember the last time I actually ate anything."
"Aren't Servants supposed to be summoned from the exact time they die? You gotta remember what you had for breakfast that morning. You know, unless you died on the toilet or something. That sort of thing happens to old people."
"That may be true for other Servants... not that I would know. But I was summoned from a Dream."
"A… dream?"
"Not a dream in the exact sense, I suppose; that's just what it's called. It is a sort of limbo, for lack of a better term. A place where Hunters can ply their trade, ensuring that there will always be someone to slay the beasts. Although… since I'm not there, I wonder if it still exists." Shinji looked at the Servant inquisitively. "I hope that new Hunter doesn't break anything. I did leave a note advising what to do, so they should be fine…"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just the ramblings of a senile fool. Though on that note, don't we have a Hunt of our own to get to, what with the War?"
"I wish. But I'm on explicit instructions from that decrepit old fart not to start anything. Though if someone tries anything on us, we can kick their ass. Like that red guy from yesterday."
Rider chuckled. "Doesn't matter too much to me. At the very least, I'm enjoying the change of scenery."
"I hope the Einzbern kid ended up killing Emiya."
"That would be rather convenient for us, wouldn't it?"
"She promised me the Grail if I helped her, though I'm not sure if she intends to keep that."
"I doubt it. A promise is only as good as the one fulfilling it. She could be manipulating you into doing her job for her. Especially since her terms were made from a position of power."
"Yeah, I figured as much," he said, rolling his eyes. "So we need to figure out how to kill her and her Servant. Any ideas?"
"Besides taking them head on?"
"Do you think you could handle them like that? We are up against a Berserker."
The Servant stroked his chin. "...Perhaps. Her Servant most likely fights like a mad beast, hence the moniker Berserker. Even without knowing that, I can tell from the air about him. And believe me, I've hunted plenty of snarling, raving creatures just like that. But there is something different about that one…" Gehrman looked up, eyeing the full moon, lighting the dark sky with only its presence. It brought to mind all manner of things he wished to forget, reminding him of choices in his life he never should have made. To think, the first and most famous Hunter, doomed to be the pawn and plaything of an Eldritch horror. Every moment he could feel the Presence worming through his mind and every fiber of his being. It was sickening. Even being exposed to the night sky gave him conniptions. And when he saw the Berserker, he felt it stir. Perhaps it was a predatory reaction, or like an animal, it felt like something was encroaching on its territory. Either way, the Presence wanted to fight whatever being had corrupted the Berserker.
Gehrman couldn't help but feel some sort of kinship with the Knight, however. Both were puppets of some power they failed to best, and were paying for their failure for what could be eternity. And they would have to fight. Not for the sake of the Grail, or because their current 'Masters' commanded, but because they would be compelled to. Because, at the end of the day, they had no choice but to obey. He looked at the moon, rage and fury boiling beneath the surface, and scowled at the sight. "Something primeval that makes my own being quake. Whether in anticipation or anger, I cannot say." Gehrman leaned back in his wheelchair, adjusting his hat to block the moonlight from his view. He wanted to scream, to stop this madness coursing through him. To finally be able to die. "We may not be so different, but we cannot suffer one another to live."
"I honestly couldn't care any less to hear you wax poetic than I do right now, old man."
"I'm just giving a warning, boy," Gehrman growled. "If we encounter the Berserker again, I will be compelled to fight him, and I doubt there will be anything you or I can do to stop it."
Shinji rolled his eyes. "Not like we didn't have to fight him anyway." He scoffed. "Let's get out of here. I'm sick of looking at this dumb city."
Gehrman let out a brusque sigh. This child did not understand. He did not care to understand. He wondered if Shinji bothered to think of anyone besides himself. Gehrman shook his head. He wasn't going to bother arguing with him. They were stuck with each other for the time being, and agitating Shinji would cause unneeded stress. That's why he held his tongue on his lack of desire to win the War. He sincerely hoped that anyone other than him claimed the Grail. Because, if they won, the Presence would claim its power before he or Shinji could do anything about it. "Lead the way." He went into his intangible form, allowing Shinji to go where he pleased. Ironically, given the competence of his Master, or lack thereof, there was little way he would win the War, based on how the Servants siphoned energy from the Masters. Even if he was technically bound to someone far more capable than Shinji, he had no doubt that the boy would foil them both. At the very least, he could take some modicum of comfort in that thought. It is not as though he didn't desire the Grail, he had his own idea on what to wish for. But someone or something would ruin it for him and any hope he had of release. There was no way, not even the slightest chance, of him using the power of the Grail to sever his ties with the Presence and end his tortured, continued existence. There could be no peace for him, he thought grimly. No end to his nightmare. So he went along, like a puppet on a string. Because that is all he was and all he would ever be.
Shirou awoke with a start, hair matted with sweat. Tohsaka's words and his own failures plaguing him since he returned. He didn't even bother talking to Taiga when he got back, just going immediately to his room. Which worked for him because he didn't have to answer any questions about Saber. But he couldn't stop thinking about her. Even when his own exhaustion crept up on him, drifting him into sleep, he kept having dreams about her, and he would jolt wide awake.
Dreams where she would be moving around some old, forgotten kingdom. He couldn't remember the name of the place, but some other things stood out to him. He dreamt Saber was collecting… something. Something intangible at the behest of some lady wearing a green cloak. And in order to acquire… whatever it was, she had to take them from others. There were four, he recalled. And in those dreams, nothing was resolved peaceful, leading to Saber fighting over these items. And each time he felt himself drift into unconsciousness, the dreams became longer and more vivid.
In one dream, Saber was in a place he knew was called Sinner's Rise, a prison of some sort, and had to fight the person being held there. The fact that he dreamt of Saber killing a prisoner made him feel pretty bad. What could a person in jail have that they needed to be killed over? He wouldn't bother trying to rationalize that. Another had her purchase a ring from a cat, jump down a well, fight a horde of rats, go down some rickety, makeshift wooden platforms, land in a dark place with poison pools with statues that spit acid, and fight what could only be described as a mass of corpses. And yet another dream involved Saber running through a shaded wood where invisible people roamed about, talk to a disembodied head, fight a scorpion lady, walk through a mining town and fight a giant, two-headed spider that shot lasers.
The last dream had Saber run through a forest of dead trees, fight a bunch of skeletons, go to a different mining town that had released tons of poisonous gas, fight a slug, commit arson on a windmill, then fight a snake lady. And after that, she took an elevator upwards, somehow, ended up in front of a sunken tower surrounded by lava, fought a guy with a furnace for a chest, sidled around a bunch of flamethrowers and fought a giant fire man who swam in lava like it was a pool. Shirou had to get up. These dreams were just becoming too ridiculous. He checked his clock.
3:47.
He had been drifting in and out of sleep for several hours now, the whole charade becoming worn out the longer it went. He was beat. Ironically, he was more tired of those odd dreams than he was tired physically. But thoughts of Saber crawled into his mind and wouldn't leave. No matter what he did, he still thought about her. How he didn't prevent her death. He had wanted to be a hero, but when it came down to it, he couldn't do anything. He felt guilty, wishing for another chance to do it all over again.
He went to the kitchen for a glass of water, hoping it would calm his nerves. As he took a drink, he thought about how life would continue on. Things would go on as normal in the regular world. Most people didn't know about Servants and Grail Wars, and would go about their lives as they usually do. Shirou sighed as he crawled back under his covers. Things would be normal for other people, but how could he go back to how things were? Now that he knew about the Grail, he couldn't help but think of some evil person getting their hands on it and causing destruction, the death of innocent people, or worse. It would be just like the fire…
"Tohsaka-san was right…" Shirou said. "I am a failure." He looked out the window at the first few rays of dawn. He had to have been ruminating a long time. And the worst part is he didn't get a decent amount of sleep. Regardless, he decided to do what he needed to do and start breakfast. Time waits for no man, and a hungry tiger can be deadly. With his thoughts still plaguing him, he grimly headed to the kitchen.
"Do you need assistance, Shirou?" Shirou turned around so quickly one could hear the wind whip around him. The sight before him caused the boy to scream. He jumped in fear, his back now to the wall, shivering. In front of him, wearing the same armor as Saber, was a green, hollow eyed, zombie. "Shirou, are you… Oh yes, my appearance must be unfamiliar to you. One moment." It reached somewhere and pulled out a vaguely human shaped effigy. As it retrieved the object, Shirou stopped quaking, his eyes transfixed on the object. He couldn't pin why, but looking at it gave him an odd sense of comfort. It held the object close to its chest, and it dissolved into it. In that instant, its sickly appearance had returned to normal, and her green eyes stared into his.
"S-Saber!? What are you- How are you here!?" Before she could answer, Shirou threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug. "I thought you were dead!" She could hear light sobs coming from him. She opted to stand still and let him continue; the gesture was unfamiliar to her. "I'm so sorry… I'm sorry I failed you, Saber."
"The fault lies with me. I took our adversary too lightly and suffered the consequences. Alas, this is a setback, yes, but certainly not the end of things."
"But I still don't understand how you're here! I literally saw you disappear!"
"While I cannot go into detail as I am not sure of it myself, the long and short of it would be my Noble Phantasm."
"Your what?" Shirou asked, breaking his hug to look at her face.
"The embodiment of a Heroic Spirit that symbolizes their existence." Shirou looked at her blankly. "You were correct in your earlier assumption, Shirou. During our last encounter, I did, in fact, die. Due only to my own incompetence was I killed by Berserker. However, due to my unique… circumstances as it were, I lack the ability to remain dead."
"But… but people die when they're killed! Is it possible that… Saber, are you a ghost?" Shirou asked. "Am I hallucinating?"
"While I cannot comment on the possibility of you seeing things that are not there, Shirou, I assure you I am not a ghost. I am Undead."
"So… you're a zombie?"
"I am unfamiliar with that term."
"You know, like, reanimated corpses eating brains? Is that why you weren't into my cooking? Because it didn't have brains in it!?"
"While I do not think you are too off base with the 'reanimated corpse' analogy, I do not require any sort of physical sustenance. We have been over this before."
"I thought it was because you were a Servant!"
Saber closed her eyes in contemplation. "I… suppose Servants do not have to eat, being ethereal creatures by nature… Regardless, I am a special case."
"What do you mean?"
"Other Servants have something they are known for: a manifestation of their legend or being. A trait that identifies the Heroic Spirit. I, however, have no such thing. In the grand scheme of the universe, I am unimportant. A pawn of fate doomed to make the same moves in the same game for eternity. There is nothing special about me: no legend I am known for, no grand feat I have achieved. Nothing. The only notable thing about me is that I am afflicted with the Curse of the Undead.
"I will be honest, Shirou. I have no mastery in any form of combat. I have achieved only a passable proficiency in a variety of weapon types. I am knowledgeable in only a bit of magic. I can wear heavier armor, but prefer I prefer lighter sets so as not to encumber my dodging. As such, when I was summoned here as your Servant, with no remarkable talents of my own, the Curse was deemed fit to use as my Noble Phantasm. Furthermore, it activates automatically. What this means is, to you at least, no matter how many times I die, as long as I have a connection to you, I will return."
"Uh… okay?"
"Though I must admit, it has been a… considerable amount of time since I have died. I had nearly forgotten to use a human effigy." Shirou stared blankly.
"To explain further, due to the nature of the Curse, every time I die, I become closer to Hollowing. The effigies help retain my Humanity."
Shirou shook his head. "Okay, okay,, that's enough. I don't think I'm going to get it, no matter how you explain it. I have enough trouble following Tohsaka-san's lessons." He faced Saber with a smile. "But that's okay. Whether you're human or not, it doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're alive."
"I... do not think I can be considered alive, technically speaking."
"Come on, I'm going to start breakfast."
"As you wish." She followed Shirou around silently as he went about his business. She had initially asked to help, but Shirou had told her that he'd take care of it. Though, at his behest, she changed into the clothes she had bought with Taiga the day prior, and instead of her blue armor, was wearing a white blouse complimented by a blue skirt. Speaking of whom, the smell of food being prepared had lured Taiga from her room, enticing her with the promise of a hot meal.
"Good morning Shirou," she said groggily.
"Mornin'!" He called in response. "Breakfast will be ready shortly, so have a seat."
"Yay," Taiga weakly as she moved to sit at the table. "Good morning Saber," she said, taking her place.
"I bid you a good morning, Taiga Fujimura."
"You got in late. I wondered where you went last night. Shirou came home late and didn't say anything, and I couldn't find you anywhere.
I didn't even hear you leave!"
"...I had to make a phone call," Saber said.
"Oh! I got ya," Taiga said, nodding her head. "Then thanks for not using our line. I don't even want to know how much a long distance call of that length would cost. Speaking of which, how long are you staying for? Not that I mind or anything."
"As long as necessary." Taiga hummed in response.
"Like I said, you can stay as long as you like. But don't you have school to go to?"
"No."
"Are you doing, like, a study abroad type of thing?"
"Saber's no longer in school," Shirou said, setting food down in the table. "She graduated college already. I'm surprised she didn't tell you that."
Taiga brought a hand to her chin. "You know, maybe she did and I wasn't paying attention. Sorry!"
Saber looked toward Shirou, who stared back with pleading eyes, and back at Taiga, who waved her hands apologetically. "That is… quite alright."
"While we're on the subject, what did you major in?"
Saber took a moment to consider her answer. While she clearly had no formal education, and least one she could remember, her Master had insisted on going through this charade with Taiga. She didn't know exactly why he wanted to do this, but it was not her place to question. Therefore, in order to continue this masquerade, she needed to answer with a subject she knew a fair bit about. "Anthropology," she finally said.
"What?" Shirou said, perplexed.
"Really?" Taiga said, voice drenched in curiosity.
"With a focus on the religious rites and ceremonies of ancient clans."
"Wow, that sounds really cool! Do you get to travel to ancient tombs and dig up mummies and look for the treasures of old civilizations?"
"That's archeology," Shirou said.
"Oh. Yeah, right."
"I do travel a fair bit," Saber said. Shirou thought he saw a flicker of sadness cross Saber's stoic expression.
"I'd love to hear more, but I gotta get going. See ya later, Shirou!" He nodded as she rushed to leave. He took the time to clean up everything, with Saber being allowed to assist this time.
"Shirou," Saber said, drying dishes.
"Hmm?"
"Gregarious conversation aside, I must ask what your plan is."
"...You're talking about the War."
"Indeed. While I am not directly opposed to periods of rest, I cannot abide by inaction. Simply waiting for our enemies to come to us will not end well. We need to strike at them while we can."
"I know... You're right. I have to talk to Illya- to Berserker's Master. But how can we do that when we don't even know where they are?"
"If Archer and his Master have not yet found Berserker, then it will not be too difficult to draw him out."
"Really? What makes you think that?"
"If you have not noticed, the Berserker is allied with Caster."
"Caster?" It didn't take Shirou much to remember. One doesn't quickly forget nearly losing their life to an otherworldly monstrosity. "When Caster attacked me, that's when we first met, right?"
"Indeed. I had answered your summons."
"How do you know they're working together?"
"It is only because I have had many encounters with Caster that I know this. The Berserker has a similar… air about him, for lack of a better term. The two of them draw from the same source of power."
"So you knew Caster from before? Were you friends?"
"We were nothing of the sort. She is a force of corruption, a parasite seeking nothing but to leech power from others. To achieve this aim, she desires
to plunge the world into the Abyss. And I stopped her from doing so."
"Woah, really?" Saber nodded. "Okay… but that doesn't really answer who she is."
"She is Nashandra, reigning queen of Drangleic."
"Drangleic?" Shirou repeated. "Isn't that where you're from?"
"Saber's eyes widened with the slightest bit of surprise before narrowing. "I wouldn't say I'm 'from' Drangleic, per se, but I have spent what feels like an eternity there. I do not recall telling you this."
"You must miss it, huh?" Shirou said with a sympathetic smile. Saber responded with a scowl.
"You mistake my contempt for nostalgia. I say this with as much sincerity as I can: I would kill every person in this land if it meant I never had to set foot in Drangleic again. I will do whatever it takes to stay as far away from that accursed kingdom as possible." Shirou looked at her in silence, unsure of how to respond. "It is for this reason I desire the Grail. If we claim it, I will wish for that to be true. I care not what you do afterward."
"I… I'm sorry Saber. I had no idea."
"That is inconsequential."
"But you can't really mean you'd kill people just for that."
"It would not be my first choice. But, if that remained my only recourse, I would not hesitate to do so. It must seem unfathomable to commit an atrocity such as this, but I have long ago lost any sense of morality." Saber grit her teeth, her hands clenched into fists. "Perhaps I have lost much of my Humanity already."
"I don't believe that!" Shirou rushed to Saber, grabbing her hands. He locked eyes with her, a deep stare to empathize with the pain she held. "The fact that you worry about that proves how human you are! I can't truly know how you feel, but you know you'd regret doing anything so drastic! That's why you're having this crisis in the first place! I know I don't really understand what you're going through, or how and why this War has to happen, but I can at least help you get through this." Shirou gave a look of fierce determination, his eyes alight with a fire Saber did not know he had. "Saber, you've made me realize just how important this is. You and Tohsaka-san both. I can't afford to take this lightly. I swear to you, we will make it out of this. And everyone will get a happy ending."
Saber freed her hands from Shirou's grip. Her expression had reverted to a neutral one, yet Shirou held a smile on his face, his eyes filled with a hope she could no longer hold. He truly seemed to believe everything he said.
"...I believe you should be off," Saber said.
"Oh… Oh, you're right! I'll talk to Tohsaka-san at school and see what we can do. I'll see you later!" With that, Shirou grabbed his things and rushed away to school, leaving Saber alone.
"...Your words are indicative of someone who believes that the world can exist without suffering. But the true nature of the world is nothing like that, Shirou. That naïveté that others must find so endearing will be the death of you. You think you understand, but a mortal mind is not meant to comprehend the infinite. An attempt is enough to drive you mad. I cannot stop, I will not stop until I achieve my goal. If I must, I will strike down even you, should you try and stop me."
Illyasviel looked out her window. The figure of Artorias towering from behind her. The flora in view managed to maintain its viridian visage, even in the midst of the comparatively mild winter. The sun shone brightly on the trees, giving a sense of life to the silent wood. Having fully recovered from the previous night's events, Illya looked perfectly serene as she gazed from her castle. And yet, the picturesque view did nothing to calm the anger that burnt inside her, raging like a wildfire.
"Shirou is still alive," she said. The Berserker nodded. As he never landed a decisive blow, he must assume the child was still alive. With all the magic that the Masters have proven capable of using, it would be short sighted to assume he was anything other than the picture of perfect health. Illya shook her head. "Abysmal. Truly. I was so close to receiving the closure I desire, and then…" She turned to her Servant. "What happened? A Berserker going into a rage is expected, but when you did so, I felt… something. It was like nothing I ever felt before. Even for those brief moments, it tried to… consume me, for lack of a better term. Attempting to pull me into a formless nothing. It is quite difficult to describe."
Artorias grumbled; his previous assumption was correct. The power of the Abyss had used him as a conduit to try and pull in Illya. Thankfully since his time here, it's hold on him has grown continually weaker, though it still had some hold over him. Even though he was the Abysswalker, he still knew so little about it. It clearly is more dangerous than he thought. Illya closed her eyes. "Perhaps it is due to my own unique nature that it failed to grab hold of me… Though I do wonder about its original. If I had the option, I would like to study it more in depth… Ah, no need to fret, Artorias. I will do no such thing. As curious as it is, I cannot safely determine the full extent of its nature, and I would not be so careless as to endanger myself or others. Though I cannot say the same for other mages who would discover it." Artorias groaned loudly. The last thing he wanted was another event like Oolacile. "If the events that transpired are as bad as you remember them, then it would behoove us to exercise caution." Artorias nodded. The less he had to think about the Dark, the better.
"Be that as it may, there is still the matter of my brother. As fate would have it, he also found himself as a Master in this War. How apt of Kiritsugu to find a child with magic in his blood. Unfortunately for him, his Servant perished by your hand. While that would usually be a good thing, by the rules of the War, he is able to find asylum. A refuge for Masters who have failed, shielding them from further combat. As much as I would love to see him suffer, we have better things to do." Artorias cocked his head. He knew that the boy's Servant was Undead. Ornstein, too, mentioned facing an Undead. He had no doubt he would return with his Servant. If his Master willed it, he would kill Shirou and his Servant, again, the next time he saw them. Killing an Undead was nothing, but he personally harbored no ill will toward the boy. Yet orders were orders, and the Knight would fulfill his duty. "There will be time to deal with Shirou later," Illya continued. "For now, we must deal with the other Masters. As it stands, we know the identity of all the Servants with the exception of Assassin and Caster. Fortunately for us, you were already acquainted with Lancer. I am sure you would much love to catch up with your friend, so I will not suggest that we fight," she chuckled. "However, we must still take action. Waiting for others to take each other out is a dangerous game. Who knows what powers the other Servants may accrue in the interim? And I do not believe standing on the sidelines befits a Berserker." Artorias did not outwardly respond. While she was right in that he would prefer to take action immediately, the final decision rested upon her. "Caster and Assassin will eventually show themselves. They are also a matter to be dealt with later. Mr. Matou and Rider will also prove no challenge." Illya nodded. "Very well," she smiled. "In that case, how about we pay a visit to Archer? I believe you two have unfinished business."
Fate/Extella is on the Switch. So is Dark Souls. I'm calling it now: a future DLC for Smash Ultimate will include Saber and Gwyn. I know your game, Reggie.