The forest was in complete ruins. Trees were knocked over, bushes obliterated, and the earth was turned inside out. She looked on in sorrow. She could only imagine the countless animals that had lost their lives in their exchange. However, this was no time to grieve. She had bigger fish to fry.

Bigfoot: "Hrng! Nngggn!"

Bigfoot was still alive, albeit barely. He had cuts all over his body and every bone in his body was broken. He was struggling not to pass out as he was afraid he would never wake again. Saber walked over to the wounded assassin.

Saber: "Assassin, true name: Bigfoot, you have been defeated, and now you must die. Do you have any requests before I end your life?"

Bigfoot: "Yes…protect….my master. She…..can't….leave…the forest. Please…spare her."

Saber: "Very well."

She raised the sword above her head. She was about to strike him down when suddenly…

Brook: "STOP!"

Brook appeared out of the depths of the wood and stood between Saber and Bigfoot.

Brook: "Please! Don't kill him!"

Saber: "Young lady, please move out of the way."

Bigfoot: "Master…..run away…...I'm beaten."

Brook: "Shut up Assassin! I'm not going to lose you. I won't lose anything ever again."

Saber was shocked. She was Bigfoot's master? This girl, with no talent of a mage whatsoever, managed to summon what was possibly one of the toughest opponents Saber had ever faced. Saber pushed that thought away and spoke to Brook.

Saber: "I'm sorry, but these are the rules. Your servant must be slain so that-"

Brook: "I DON'T CARE! I've only known Assassin for one day, but in that one day, he has shown more concern and care than anyone I've ever met, and no one else can take his place!

Saber: "!"

Brook: "That is why…"

She pulled her gun out of her jacket and pointed it at Saber.

Brook: "...if you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me!"

Saber stood in silence. Despite being a familiar designed for battle, destined to disappear and be absorbed by the grail, Brook was treating him like a loved one like they were the most important person in the world.

Saber's mind thought back to a similar occasion.

Flashback

Saber lay on the ground bleeding and covered in wounds. Behind her, was an unconscious man with a diagonal slash across his chest. Both were wounded by the man standing over Saber. He had blonde hair, and red eyes, and was adorned in gold armor.

Saber: "Stop this Archer! I'm the one you wish for am I not? I'll do whatever you want, just please, don't hurt him!"

The man in golden armor dematerialized his bloodstained sword.

Gold Archer: "Oh? Does this mean you'll finally become mine?"

Saber: "..."

Gold Archer: "Answer me! Saber"

Saber didn't know what to say. She wanted to save her master. His safety was her top priority. However, was the safety of her master worth submitting to the whims of this atrocious man before her?

Saber: "...I-"

?: "Don't listen to him!"

Saber struggled to turn her head. The wounded man behind her had stood up and was now struggling to keep his balance.

Saber: "What are you doing? You can't beat him! Please stop, I don't need your help! Why can't you understand this?"

Red-Haired Man: "Be quiet! It's okay Saber. You can rely on me in times like this."

Saber: "No! I'm not worth risking your life over-"

Red-Haired Man: "There is nothing I care about more than you Saber! There is not a single thing I have that can take your place! I love you more than anything!"

He stepped around Saber holding his broken sword in a fighting stance.

Red-Haired Man: "That is why I won't let a guy like him have you!"

End of Flashback

Saber stood there stunned. This girl was acting like her old master. She was putting the life of her servant before herself. Saber couldn't help but be moved by Brook's actions. She lowered her sword and looked down at her feet.

Saber: "Very well, master of Assassin. I will let your servant live but on one condition, should he lay a finger on myself or my master, I will cut him down!"

?: "You don't have to worry about that."

Naru exited the woods and stood next to Saber.

Naru: "Bigfoot here was just trying to defend his master. He's not the type to go out and attack people."

This was true. Every time they had faced Assassin, they had technically gone into his territory. He didn't follow them back to the apartment and killed them there.

Saber: "I don't understand. Why didn't they leave after the first fight? If why would he stay in the same place and endanger his master?"

Naru: "Simple, he can't. Brook isn't a mage, and therefore unable to provide him with enough magical energy to sustain himself. So he has to absorb mana from the forest to sustain himself."

Brook: "I have no clue what you guys are talking about, but it's VERY interesting!"

Saber: "That's quite unfortunate. I don't see anyone with that setup winning a Holy Grail War."

Naru: "Yeah, that's the thing. Brook and I don't-"

Saber: "Naru! Look out!"

Saber pushed Naru out of the way just as an arrow sped past his head.

Naru: "What was that?"

Saber: "That was an arrow from an archer-class servant."

Naru: "What? We JUST got done beating Assassin! At this rate, I'll never get any sleep!"

?: "You won't have to worry about that, kiddo! I'm not here to fight!"

Saber and Naru looked in the direction the voice came from. Sitting on a branch of a faraway tree was Archer. He had tan skin with black hair. On his torso, he wore green armor with gold markings on the chest area and a yellow hood on his neck region. He also wore red armor on his limbs and a brown pouch around his waste.

Archer: "Hi there. I'm Archer. Nice to meet you."

Saber: "You attempt to kill my master and then proceed to greet us and claim you're not here to fight? What sort of nonsense is this?"

Archer: "Hahaha! Sorry about that. I was just testing your reflexes. Don't worry, your master wouldn't have been harmed. I used an arrow with a rubber tip. The most he would have suffered is a mild concussion."

Naru: "That still would've hurt!"

Archer: Haha! That's true! Anyways, as for why I'm here…well, my master wants to meet with you."

Naru: "Hold on! I'm not just to run off with you to meet someone I don't know, let alone with someone who tried to snipe me from the trees!"

Archer: "Hmm? Oh, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about Saber."

Saber looked surprised. Archer's master wanted to meet her, and not Naru?

Saber: "Why does your master want to meet the servant and not the enemy master?"

Archer gave the pair a mischievous smirk.

Archer: "You'll see."

Saber: "How do we know we can trust you?"

Archer: "To prove my trust, I'm willing to give up my true name."

Saber: "!"

Archer: "My name is Arash Kamangir, warrior of King Manuchehr. If you don't trust me that's fine. You don't have to come. However, I think you will be very pleased once you meet my master, Saber."

Saber: "...Very well. Where do we meet?"

Arash: "There's an apartment complex not too far from here. I put the address on the arrow I shot earlier. See you later folks!"

He turned into spirit form and disappeared.

Saber: "Come on Naru. We have to find out what he wants."

Naru grimaced as he followed Saber. He couldn't believe it. Just as he was about to tell her he wanted to quit the Holy Grail War, he got interrupted again!

Naru: "Can these servants stop interrupting me…FOR FIVE MINUTES!"

The two then went to follow Arash, leaving Bigfoot and Brook in the middle of the woods.

Bigfoot: "They completely forgot about us. I didn't even have to use my noble phantasm."

Brook: "It's one of the perks of being a side character."