>>22367529

"How are you so relaxed?" Caster asks, incredulous.

"The way I see it, if we're completely surrounded I can shoot everywhere and still make progress." Lancer answers, miming the firing of a Tommy gun as he says so.

"Anything else?" Saber asks.

"I was going to call Ilya and get her take on all this while the rest of you discussed what we know. Also, I might as well ask what you all want for dinner while I'm here." I receive a table full of blank stares. "What? I'm already planning to cook dinner, it'd be rude to not cook some for you lot if you're staying here anyway."

"I have developed a fondness for Oden and Yakitori recently." Lancer says. "As for the rest of it, I'm not sure. I could gather more information...." He shrugs. "Also, have you considered talking to Kotomine about the 'souls' problem?"

"Briefly." I respond. "Why?"

"Seems obvious to me. You want to talk about spirits and such things, go talk to the local priest."

I nod. I DOES make a certain kind of sense.

I walk and pick up the phone while other options are discussed, and dial Ilya's number. Soon, a voice answers the phone. "Hello Malik." Berserker says cheerfully. "How can I help you?"

Before I can answer the question, I hear a loud explosion and Berserker say "Ameerah~ We have guests!" before the line goes dead.

>What now?

>>22367532
"Guess it's take out. Anyone interested in a workout before we eat?"

>>22367532

Those bastards. We were finally going to get to use our kitchen!

Anyways, "They're under attack, let's go help."

>>22367532
"Justice team, assemble!"

>>22367632
Make it so.

>>22367632
Oh god. The Justice League of Fuyuki.

>>22367632
ASSEMBLE!

>>22367766
You know who puts on Wonder Woman's outfit?

Rider.

>>22367766
Before this war is over I demand we get a photo of as many friendly servants as possible just shooting the shit. It will be captioned 5th Grail War doing everything wrong since we got here.

>>22367857

Hey, and lancer's already got his superhero outfit on.

>>22367857
Question! Is Saber Hawkgirl or is that Caster? Also who is the spare?

>>22367901
Well, if we go with Justice League Unlimited we have all sorts of extra options. Off the top of my head I elect Caster as Hawkgirl though, just because she can fly (with assistance but...)

>>22367766
yall do realize, that caster wont leave, saber wont leave without caster, rider might listen to us because of rin, and lancer has no reason to even be here let alone help us right?

>>22367973
so at most we would have us, rin, rider and maybe lancer. but probably just the first 3

>>22367901
Caster can fly, so she's Hawkgirl.
Saber's the tank, so she can be Supergirl/soperwoman.

It's been so long since I've seen any of the justice league cartoons, only other characters in the JL I can remember are the Flash, Batman, and the Martian Manhunter.
And yes, I do know I probably won't be welcome at /co/ because I said "seen" and not "read"

>>22367901
i think hawkgirl and caster is martian manhunter.

>>22368017
Oh, just remembered another. What about the Green Lantern, would that fit Caster better?

File: 1357194433214.jpg-(39 KB, 240x630, 1351644294428.jpg)

>>22367875
I cannot help but love this idea.

>>22368046
That's obviously Shirou.

>>22367532
start to leave, saying that someone attacked beserker and Ilya, and anyone who wants to join in the fight can follow you

>>22368065
i thought shirou was batman, with really almost no powers and the wits to preptime out of nowhere wins.

at least this particular shirou.

>>22368122
But Archer's Batman. And with our ridiculous Will saves earlier I don't think anyone else can really be Green Latern.
We could be the Boy Wonder. Do we have any hotpants?

"Change of plans." I say with a sigh. "Ilya's under attack. Everyone fine with takeout?"

"I can cook, Sempai." Sakura offers weakly, while everyone else stares.

"I can't help." Caster says. "I need to guard my Master."

Saber looks at me concerned and upset, but shakes her head. "I swore to protect Caster."

I look to Caster. "I have magic that can get her to you almost instantly if you need her." She responds. "But you'll have two going with you, and Berserker is with Ilya."

I look at Rider and Lancer. "I'm worried about Sakura, but if she's here with Caster and Saber it should be safe."

Lancer agrees. "My Master wants me to gather information and such. I might as well move with the numbers with the same goals for now."

I turn to ask Rin if she's up to it, only to see that she's already putting her coat on. She merely gives me a look as if asking what I'm waiting for.

I grab my own coat as we race out the door. I know it's too conspicuous to wear in the middle of the day like this, but not having my Dad's coat makes me feel weirdly naked as we run to the outskirts of town.

Rin makes it only a few blocks before Rider has to carry her to keep up. We don't make it quite as fast as I'd like due to having one of the Servants materialized, giving me more incentive to fix that bike as soon as I have some time. Saber did mention that they put it in the shed for me.

>>22368172

It's almost four o'clock when we hit the edge of the forest.

"You know where Ilya lives?" Rin asks, surprised. "I mean, I knew the general location of the Einzbern Mansion because my family administrates the area...."

I hesitate, and then I realize I don't have any idea where Ilya lives. I just felt.... I just felt this is where I needed to be. Instead of answering her, I just shrug and take a step forward. As soon as my feet hit the mossy ground I feel it. A chill like someone just walked over my grave.

Avenger is in the forest somewhere.

>Plan?

>>22368186
Magic bloodhound nose go!

>>22368186
Sword the fuck out of that fucking fucker... FUCK.

>>22368186
>>22368172
and then shirou UBW'd avenger because fuck his shit.

File: 1357195178499.jpg-(Spoiler Image, 333 KB, 800x800)

>>22368186
I swear, if we walk in and Avenger is about to bypass Father of Madness and kill Berserker, we yell "Berserker is Cain" to make sure Avenger gets hit by the divine retribution.
>mfw this was Avenger's plan all along, and the "divine retribution" is immortality

>>22368186
>Inform others of Avenger's presence
>Move to help Ilya
>Sword the ever-living shit out of anything that tries to stop us

No one's stealing his adorable little sister's heart today!

>>22368186
Rider goes high. We want to keep the Seven Servant alliance as secret as possible until we can combine our power and summon Captain Grail. Have her and Rin extract Illya while Shirou goes in the front way. Once we have Illya we can retreat with Caine. Or better yet, track Avenger.

>>22368296
Wouldn't matter, in order to know about the immortality curse he'd have to know Caine was Berserker already.

>>22368186

Lancer has Runes of finding. Have him use his powers to help us locate Ilya.

"Rin, you and Rider get high." I tell her. "If we find Ilya you two can get her out of here faster than us."

Rin nods, and the two of them take off into the sky.

Lancer looks at me. "You have a plan for finding her?"

"You have magic that lets you track people, right? Do what you can there."

"If that doesn't work?"

"Berserker is fighting someone. If we get even KINDA close we should be able to hear the battle."

Lancer nods, and sets up a rune. The two of us take off into the forest. Occasionally, he'll toss a little rock in the air, and we'll dash off in a new direction. Soon, we find a shed in the woods.

"They're close." Lancer says, looking around. I feel it, more than see it.

[DC15 Combat Check]

Rolled 6

>>22368654
Roll and pray!

Rolled 17

>>22368654
Rollingu

Rolled 2

no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy

Rolled 9

>>22368654
Did we use up all our luck last night?

Rolled 16

>>22368654
Time for violence.

>>22368706
Ass.
>>22368723
ASS.

Rolled 3

>>22368654
Feelan'

>>22368722
'scuse me I'm going to crack open this bottle of champagne.

>>22368736
Hey man it's best of three.

errybody stop, we're good!

>>22368748
the two of us didn't exactly help. go nubum!

Rolled 8

>>22368749
Not yet, asshole.
Go big or go home.

File: 1357196803987.png-(153 KB, 769x595, watch out, badass.png)

>>22368780

File: 1357196838820.png-(86 KB, 628x413, SEXY FACELESS GOD OF ROLLING.png)

Rolled 7

>>22368722
>>22368769
>mfw I saved the day again.
Karma and/or Hubris is going to kick me as hard as it can in the balls later for posting this...

>>22368831
for instance, if you forget to turn off the dice...

>>22368853
Oh, that's the least I'm worried about.

I calmly shove Lancer to one side and roll to the other as the world explodes between us. the swords are in my hands and they're already rising to parry what comes out of the dust cloud.

My blades meet a pair of rusted cleavers, and I drop my blade to step forward and smack Berserker upside the head as the weapon passes harmlessly through me.

"..... Malik?" A voice asks, as he drops the mash and returns to the form of a cloaked man. "My apologies. With my powers on, I could not recognize you."

"It's fine. Where's Ilya?"

"Ameerah? Inside." He responds, pointing at the shed. "We were attacked and forced to retreat."

"Avenger, right?"

"No, the Gold Archer." He responds, shaking his head. "Ameerah was speaking with the Red Archer when he attacked, and the red one told us he would hold the gold one until we could escape." He frowns. "I've seen neither since. Ameerah refused to leave the forest yet, since inside its bounds she has some form of familial magics to hide us."

"We found you pretty easily." Lancer responds.

"Yes, but I do not think she would hide from Malik." Berserker explains. He then gives me a look. "Beware that Gold Archer. There's something odd about him."

[ ] Ask what he means by odd.
[ ] Ask why 'Red Archer' was here.
[ ] Try and Talk Ilya into escape.

>>22369061
>[x] Ask what he means by 'odd'
God dammit Avenger if you played shadowfuckery on Gilgamesh of all things...

>>22369061
>[O] Ask what he means by odd

>>22369061
>[ ] Ask what he means by odd.

>>22369087
I thought Gil was immune to the grail's corruption

>>22369061
[x] Ask what he means by odd.
Did he sense the same oddness at the church? Because we can sense Avenger.

>>22369099
He shouldered it, not ignored it. If someone throws it at him in an organized manner with their own spin on it, he might very well be unable to handle such a thing.

>>22369061
[x] Ask what he means by odd.
[x] Ask why 'Red Archer' was here.

>>22369099
And we thought Kirei was a child-sacrificing cuntwaffle but we see how that's turned out.

>>22369061
>[ ] Ask what he means by odd.
Show of hands, who wants to kill off Gilgamesh with a combination of Berserker, Lancer, Rider, and EMIYA? It's one less villain we'll have to deal with later, assuming that it is in fact Gilgamesh and not Avenger.

I'm open to other suggestions and ideas after we ask Berserker what's up.

>>22369099
He's immune in the sense that he can't become Avenger's puppet, but it's made perfectly clear that he didn't jump into All Evils without something inside his mind breaking.

>>22369145
Yeah, that's quite blatantly stated in the final fight of Fate route, where Saber absolutely understands that Gilgamesh, at that point in the story of Fate route, had gone totally insane, but had so much Charisma that he appeared composed.

So slightly off-topic, but I thought of something.

As we learned last thread, we apparently aren't the same Emiya Shirou as Heroic Spirit Emiya, and our magic is at least somewhat different than his based on our ability to do the magic bloodhound thing, so I wonder how far we can take that difference?

For instance, could we turn parts of our body into swords without maiming ourselves (maybe practice with our pinky fingernail, would hurt like a bitch if we fucked up but no major damage)? Could we turn other object into swords like, say, BLADES of grass? Just bouncing ideas here, but maybe we should look into sword-based stuff other than just straight projection when we get a chance to practice. If my knowledge of nasuverse magic is correct, then altering existing things should be easier than forcing things into existence from scratch.

>>22369176
The way I read Emiya's description of how he sees the world of magic made me think of Shiki for a moment. We should exploit this. If we can learn to see cracks in the world, and slice them with swords, this will get very fun very quickly.

>>22369176
Changing bodyparts into swords is a bad idea as there's no guarantee that we'd be able to *unchange* them... it's also reach shortening and a bad fucking idea anyways when we can already safely make swords whenever we feel like it.

Changing other things into swords might be okay... We should ask lancer if he could possibly teach us a rune or two.

>>22369265
There are so many reasons that wouldn't work that I don't even know where to start.

>>22369374
And that's exactly why we won't do it.

File: 1357199136297.jpg-(69 KB, 338x349, It's a manga about a soci(...).jpg)

>>22369374
>could we turn parts of our body into swords without maiming ourselves
How about there?

>>22369427
Fuck I remember that series. The author's got another one that's worse.

>>22369427
I think we could get a sword to grow out of us somewhere, but I don't think we could do that without maiming ourselves and maybe losing a limb or two at the worst case.

>>22369282
Thats why i suggested trying it out on a fingernail or something. Worst case scenario (barring nat 1s on spellcraft) we're down a fingernail which while very painful initially wouldn't really impair us in any way. If it doesn't work, then darn, we put a band-aid on and suck it up. But if it does turn out we can undo it, then we can pull off surprise sword-punches and shit.

"What do you mean by 'odd'?" I ask him.

He gives Lancer a look, and then leans in as Lancer walks away, mumbling to himself. "Do you understand the concept of Origins?" He asks me.

".... No?"

"Alright, well there's always a first something. Even stories and fables that consist of fiction had to have a foundation somewhere. For instance, Madness and Anger, two fundimental downfalls to human nature."

"And that's why you can do what you do." I say, comprehending.

He nods. "Just so. As a point of Origin, the world at large recognizes me, and gives me a sort of domain like this. Since I am the progenitor of the realms of madness and fables, I am given certain powers when summoned into a war like this in an appropriate class."

".... Alright. So what does this have to do with the other Archer?"

"I believe his abilities and attitude make him as a point of origin." Berserker responds.

"Wait, can't you just tell me who he is then?" I ask confused. "If you know he's the source of something...."

".... Because I know all tales? Sadly, no." He answers, shaking his head. "I look at him and only see 'Archer'. The nature of the Classes blocks my sight to a degree. I could tell you that David, King of Israel could be summoned. I could tell you that he would most likely be an Archer. I could even make a guess as to the nature of his Phantasms as summoned, but I wouldn't know him if he stood before me."

>>22369509

"But if you saw a him USE his Phantasm..."

"Well yes, but then so could anyone." Cain responds irritated.

"I don't understand though. If you know he's the origin of something...."

"That's the thing. I know he's a point of Origin, but I can't tell which. He's clearly bending the rules in such a way.... but the way he's doing it makes it impossible for me to tell which of more than a dozen he is."

I sigh, disappointed. "Any advice?"

"Try reading the old legends and stories. OLD old. Perhaps you'll find a hint there." He answers with a shrug. "He's certainly not newer than the ancient greeks, I can tell you that much."

[ ] Talk to Ilya.
[ ] Ask Cain another question.

>>22369523
[ ] Ask why Red Archer was here

>>22369523
[x] Talk to Ilya.
We ask HER what EMIYA wanted.

>>22369523
>[ ] Ask Cain another question.

This mystery-Archer has referred to himself a few times as the "King of Heroes". Thats a pretty specific and grandiose title, but I never had much context for it. Mean anything to you?

>>22369523
>[x]Ask Cain another Question
God, I am trying really hard to not metagame on this, but...

"Older than Ancient Greek? What would be an example?"

>>22369552
Seconding this. That's not a title a guy with that much power should be able to throw out without you taking notice.

>>22369552
Thats pretty good actually. "King of Heroes" could be interpreted to mean the First Hero or Original Hero. If you think of it in that context, "Gilgamesh" would certainly be one of the first things that jumps to mind for anyone familiar with his story.

>>22369552
Oh yeah. The 'King of Heroes' thing should be pretty helpful.

>>22369523
Would it help if he kept bragging that he was a king of some kind?

>>22369552

>>22369557 here
I change my vote to this.

>>22369523
SPEAK THUSLY >>22369552

>>22369603
>Would it help if he kept bragging that he was a king of some kind?
He does. That's his schtick.

>>22369653
I meant to type 'if I told you he...'
>curses brain
Thank for catching that.

So, uh, is there any reason we can't discuss this while running back to the house, where we've got more servants to back up up?

>>22369552
Going with this.
If this somehow and inexplicably gives us nothing, we could look up the oldest stories and work from there. If Shirou was to look up OLD old legends like Cain said, it would make sense to look up some of very oldest first. What else would Shirou find but Surpassing All Other Kings?

>>22369702
There is also no way in hell he WON'T find out it's Gilgamesh if Cain doesn't immediately do so. Gilgamesh was obscure decades ago, but not anymore. At least, no more so than other epics.

>>22369552
Voting for this

"He's referred to himself as 'The King of Heroes' a few times. Do9es that mean anything to you?"

".... that he has an exceptionally large Ego, warranted or otherwise?" Cain comments. "He could be claiming to be the first hero, or he could just mean he's the greatest of them."

"Is there an Origin point for Heroism?" I ask.

"... Not really. 'Heroes' as we think of them are a relatively new construct. compared to how long people have been running around. There are cities lost and ruined almost ten thousand years old. It's possible that they might have had heroes we've since forgotten about. Perhaps one of their heroes was the first, but the world no longer recognizes them and places the importance on another. Or perhaps the world saw no need to recognize heroes back then, since the oldest spirits I know of are thousands of years younger."

"Wait, aren't you like one of the first people ever?" I ask him, confused.

>>22370052

"Yes and No. Variations of the similar morality tale have existed since the dawn of human language. It is the first story." He says, lecturing. "From that perspective, the man 'Cain' is a more recent variation of the tale. I existed, and was the focus of the tale. I was real, and so was my story. But many tales became folded into one legend. So I am Cain first and foremost, but that's like being King. to be king, you have to reign over something else. So I am Cain, but I am also a reflection of what it means to be a story."

"That made no sense."

"Give it time, Malik."

>Now what?

>>22370058

Ask him about our nickname, and then go talk to Ilya.

>>22370058
Avenger, Gil, in the woods hunting us / possibly fighting Archer. Let's save the chit-chat and either retreat or go kick their asses.

>>22370058
"What would the oldest civilization that we still have existing myths from be?"

>>22370084
This again.

File: 1357201921165.jpg-(Spoiler Image, 44 KB, 628x278)

>>22370074
>Ask him about our nickname
Same place this one's from.

>>22370084
This guy's classy, I'm with him.

>>22370058
we consider >>22369702 as a plan when we're not in a forest with KinKaiser or Avenger nearby.
Until then, we have three options:
>Save Ilya
>Save Ilya
>Save Ilya

>>22370058
Engage Operation Sister Save

>>22370122
this.

>>22370058
Stupid Cain, never taking Mythology 101.

Whatever, sister saving time. We can chat later.

>>22370122
Look at us, still talking when there's saving to do.

>>22370122
Evil looms. It threatens our sister.
Time to cowboy up! Save our sis!
AND BUY HER ALL THE ICE CREAM!
>what, really? All of it?
YES DAMMIT, ALL OF IT!

>>22370074

I say we do this, with the emphasis on 'save Ilya' for the chat. Just because one question in passing can't take too long.

Fun fact: I'm pretty sure 'Ameerah' is 'Princess'. I have no idea if they're connected, since 'Malik' apparently translates as 'King'. Maybe he knows about us already?

>>22370231

He's apparently a construct made of the ideals of ancient myth.

We might actually be better suited for researching this than him.

>>22370231
Dude, from what I can tell, Cain is suffering from, "I'm fucking old, all you fcukers look/sound the same", not to mention that course would probably bore the shit out of anyone.

File: 1357203053147.jpg-(350 KB, 808x628, Save Ilya.jpg)

>>22370122
Just opened FSN and grabbed the choice in question. I could have sworn the choice wasSave Ilya, not Bring Ilya Back.

Remember, once we've saved Ilya we need to ask her about mom.

Now save Ilya.

I go to the door and start to open it, when I turn to Cain. "Why do you keep calling me 'Malik'?"

"Because the world is written, and some words stand out from the page."

After receiving that fantastically unhelpful answer, I see Ilya sitting on a bench in the back of the room, asleep. When I approach her, I see her twitching and mumbling in her sleep. As I sit next to her, she wakes up. "Onii-chan?" She asks, leaning forward with a wince. "What are you?"

"I happened to call right before you were attacked."

"And you came to save me?" She asks, surprised.

"I came running." I answer, giving her a hug. "You ready to get out of here?" I ask, standing up. She hesitates.

"My power and magecraft isn't really suited for battle. I didn't want to surrender this forest, because this is where I'm most powerful."

"Well yeah, but right now we're all kinda banded together." I respond. I look her over as she slowly stands up. "Are you hurt?"

"No." She answers, a little too quickly. Then she looks at my face and changes her answer. "Yes. Berserker shielded me and fought back, but he had to use his Mad enhancement at an exceptionally high level to do so."

"Berserker's a strain?"

"Normally, no. but he was amped up so high I could feel reality starting to warp around him." She shakes her head. "I'll be fine after a few hours. I have excellent Mana systems, but having so much taken at once..." She shivers slightly.

[ ] Call Rin for Evac.
[ ] Comfort Ilya.
[ ] Look outside.

>>22370529
Check outside first, we might not have to do anything, we might have to put all our energy in running. Situational.

>>22370529
[X] Comfort Ilya.

We said she was our little sister and we're going to treat her like one.

>>22370529
>[ ] Call Rin for Evac.
>[ ] Comfort Ilya.
>[ ] Look outside.

Professional (and compassionate) extraction.

>>22370529
[X] Comfort Ilya have Lancer go get Rin and Rider

>>22370529
>[ ] Call Rin for Evac.
>[ ] Comfort Ilya.
The commotion had ought to bring Avenger to us.

>>22370058
Questions are for those without little sisters to save we got our hint now time to get the girl and run!

>>22370555
>>22370567
>>22370574
>>22370563

>they don't realize comforting illya is giving her the dick.
[X] Call Rin for Evac.

we need to get the hell out of here fast before some shit like gil appears and rips her heart out like he normally does at this point.

>>22370529
[x] Call Rin for Evac.
Let's try to avoid the MASTER OF ROMANCE options for now.

>>22370529
look outside, don't want to get Rider for evac until we're sure we have enough distance that Archer can't shoot them out of the air.

Hey wait a second was zerker just kapra deamon ? If he was he could totally go Guts mode in a fight later

>>22370614
changing my vote for look outside because we need recon and we needed it yesterday.

>>22370529
>[ ] Look outside.
while we
>[ ] Call Rin for Evac.

[X] Call evac. And after that I think we have to go save our asshole of a big brother.

I pull out my phone as I walk over to the window. Rin picks up on the third ring.

"Shirou?" She asks.

"Yeah. I found Ilya, and we're gonna get out of here before-" I see something on the edge of my senses. "Rin, meet us on the edge of the road where we split up."

"What? Why don't I just-"

"No time, and the only landing spot is Hot. Avenger's coming." I hang up the phone and turn to Ilya. "He's coming here, now."

She stands up, frightened. "What? Avenger's out here too?"

"We need to move." I respond, and we go outside. I glance left towards the roadway in the distance. A nice clear path. I glance right, and there he is, standing not twenty feet away.

"Hello Shirou." Avenger greets cheerfully. "Oh, and you found Ilya for me! How wonderful."

"Lancer, take her and run." Berserker commands.

"Wait, what about-"

"The girl is more important than any of us. GO."

Lancer hesitates, and then nods, picking up Ilya. I toss her my coat to free up my arms, knowing how cold it can get up in the air with Rider.

Avenger looks past us mildly disappointed at Lancer's retreating form before tuning to me. "You know, that wasn't very nice of you. I am doing this for your sake."

>What do?

>>22370808
"You're the second person who has used that excuse for being a complete and utter dick.
How about you fuck off?"

>>22370808

"But i know what i want."

Summon swords

"I want my sister to live."

>>22370808
Considering how you recently sic'd a bunch of shadow demons on us with the command to kill me horribly if I left the church before sunrise that statement is rather suspect. Also Catch *Kersworded*

>>22370808
"Well I sure as hell dont Remember asking you for such weird Favors" swords are go engage defensive maneuvers

>>22370819
This.

>>22370819
>>22370817
Combine these.

File: 1357205313414.jpg-(40 KB, 400x504, 1299089240368.jpg)

>>22370808
Broken Phantasm Chair him.

>>22370817
this. completely and utterly this.
also voting to start on attempting UBW but in the real world by transforming the entire estate into a sword engine for mana to help fuel it.

>>22370808
"I am the bone of my sword."
It worked for Archer, right?

>>22370867
Archer had the Prana to pull that off.
We don't, unless that crest Archer gave us will be enough to help with that.

>>22370808
Last I checked, killing someone's adorable little sister generally doesn't fall into the "doing this for your sake" category, so I'm just going to assume you're terrible at lying and kick your ass."

>>22370891
Admittedly, that's what I was thinking, but I haven't kept too up to date with this. >>22370860 This guy has a good idea though.
If those fail, I vote for siphoning prana from the forest and tracing the most powerful Noble Phantasm we can think of.

"You're the second person to use that excuse to be a bastard. Fuck off." I respond, summoning the blades.

"Oh really now. And if I said I was giving you want you want?"

"I know what I want. I want my sister to live."

Avenger hesitates, and then begins laughing hysterically. "S-sister?" He wheezes. "You don't remember anything, do you?"

".... What do you mean?" I ask, confused by his sudden and violent emotional change.

"Don't listen to him. He intends to spread discord."

"Oh, discord is it?" He asks Berserker, calming himself to a mad grin. "How much discord could I possibly sow by talking to my brother?" He asks.

He's not lieing. That's the only thought I'm capable of having as I swing my swords at them. I place a heavy slash on his chest, and blood sprays as he falls back. I throw the second one at him to try and force him off guard, but he ducks under it and rolls out into the trees.

He never stopped smiling. I can hear his smile as he continues, seemingly all around us in the forest. "Come on now, that wasn't very nice at all. You're a wish come true, and the only desire you've had in return was to protect. To be a hero. What's a hero without a villain?"

"Malik, calm yourself." Berserker says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "His words are meaningless. You are YOU, not what people expect you to be."

"A damnable lie." Avenger taunts. "Come on Shirou, show 'em all what a hero can do!"

I can't see him at all, but I know he's coming.

[DC17 Combat Check]

Rolled 16

>>22371030
Welp.

>>22371030
>avenger is our brother
WAT

so are we a walking personification of good then since hes a walking personification of evil?
my mind is full of billions and billions of fuck right now.

Rolled 11

>>22371030
Hmmm. Sensing TI influence again... Still okay with that.

Rolled 13

>>22371030
KILL

Rolled 15

heres to good luck and hopefully not complete shit rolls even though i know it will.

Rolled 13

>>22371030
ROLLINGU

Rolled 1

going for it!

Rolled 11

>>22371084
FUCK!

Annnnnnd.... We're at 1hp. Lovely.

>>22371084
Thankfully that's well out of the threat range.

Tragically we still failed.

Rolled 8

>>22371030
Well obviously a hero can defeat the villian.

File: 1357206758825.gif-(604 KB, 170x127, 33824.gif)

>>22371057
>>22371061
>>22371073
>>22371077
>>22371079
Balls

Rolled 16

>>22371094
Doesn't matter, >>22371057 >>22371061 >>22371073 were the first three, only those count.

Rolled 4

>>22370853
Slowrolling...

I swing my swords blindly, and I see him inside my reach somehow. He slams his knee into my stomach, grabs me by the arm and throws me into a tree.

"Uh oh, Mr Hero's slipping!" He taunts. Berserker slams into him, taking the shape of an armored knight wielding a sword.

Avenger merely explodes into dust, reforms and charges me.

[DC16 combat check]

Rolled 11

>>22371235
Time for some Rho Aias?

Rolled 12

>>22371060
Avenger probably took a form similar to ours to 'save' us, then "adopted" us, using the grail shards from the last war to keep us alive before Kiritsugu found us. Kiritsugu found out that we knew about Avenger and wiped our memories of the incident.
>>22371235
ROLLINGU

Rolled 20

>>22371235
CHRIST HELL GODDAMN FUCK

>Who the hell archived this as '18, part two?'

>>22371262
Aha, it seems enraged cursing is the key to our power.

Words hurt when they are made of swords

File: 1357207716032.png-(29 KB, 405x381, 1345340122578.png)

>>22371262
REJOICE x 2

File: 1357207732443.jpg-(68 KB, 500x333, And-Suddenly-Everything-I(...).jpg)

>>22371262
pic related

>>22371274
Not me. Mail the archive guy, I think he does corrections if you ask.

File: 1357207827966.jpg-(310 KB, 720x448, You're fucking amazing!.jpg)

Rolled 9

>>22371235
Lancelot Berserker now? Awesome.
>>22371262
>pic
>>22371283
...Now you've got me thinking this quest thread is the bastard child of Tainted Ideals and Nerve Damage. Its a big enough fustercluck as it is now without adding everything from Nerve Damage in this.

>>22371274
Some faglord.
If you get on IRC you might be able to get the suptg admin to change it.
That thing really needs some sort of 'vote on proposed name/description change' feature.

>>22371294

>Tell that to thread 14 of AC-Quest.

Rolled 9

>>22371294
He does, in theory. In practice, he does jack shit.

>>22371320
Is there any problem with setting up the tread archive as soon as the thread starts? because that would probably solve the problem of thread names and unarchived threads

>>22371308

>I find it amusing that people keep talking about fan-fiction elements being added in when I've never read any REAL fan-fiction (With one noteworthy exception).

>In any case, I have posts to write.

>>22371311
>That thing really needs some sort of 'vote on proposed name/description change' feature.
He rages enough about downvoting samefaging, I shudder to think of the chaos bored fa/tg/uys would get up to in the archive if given the chance.

>>22371311
>>22371320
WHELP.

Rolled 8

>>22371334
Thread descriptions. We don't know what happens in it until it, well, happens.

>>22371335
But you mentioned that Grail-kun changed some things before he handed control over to you. Hate to keep beating the same zombified horse but the parallels are there. And even more awesome if they're not intentional. In that case just think of it as us using alternate terminology to organize our thoughts on the action.

>>22371338
And I managed to misquote >>22371310. I'm just going to go to sleep now. Night all.

I Stand up, and look at Avenger. He threw me surprisingly far, now that I realize.

I feel my arm tingle, where Archer said he gave me a Magic Crest. I hold up my left arm, and I feel the weight of a bow appear. In my right hand, I call a Lance. I've only projected it once, but it's already much easier the second time. I aim it like it's an arrow, and I whisper a name as I sight my target. 'Gae Bolg'.

Avenger seems shocked as he realizes what I'm doing, overloading the illusion in my hand. Maybe if only for a second, my copy reaches the power of the original as I let fly.

Avenger launches himself away, past tree and into the air.

The lance doesn't care. There's a crack like lightning as it finds its target, and Avenger hits the ground with a 'THUMP' audible even at this distance. His chest is partly ripped open, and boiling black blood stains the clearing around him. A moment later, the Golden Archer appears. "The kid did this to you?" He asks bemused. He leans in as Avenger gasps out a response. ".... Really? At this stage you want to retreat? Give the other Archer time to lick his wounds?" Avenger glares at him, and the Archer shrugs. "Fine then. Back to your camp?" he asks, picking up Avenger with surprising care and ease.

I lean against the tree, and gulp air into burning lungs.

Berserker opts to throw a tree at them, which the Archer deflects with a pair of axes as he shoots us an irritated glance, running off into the forest.

[ ] Go home.
[ ] Go after them.

>>22371454
[ ] Go home.
Forget what I said about killing off Gilgamesh. We just broken phantasmed Gae Bolg. If we go, we wouldn't have the prana to last three seconds.

>>22371454
go home.

>>22371454
>[ ] Go home.

>>22371454
[x] Go home.
Much as we need to tell Gil about Avenger corrupting the Grail, we're pretty tapped out.

Rolled 20

>>22371454
go home
we saved Ilya and everything is good.
at least i hope everything is good.

and also now we know for sure: gil is working with avenger, and archer fought them off. personally this makes me think like this is a great way to get EMIYA back to being rins servant again.
or ours if we really wanted too.

>>22371507
fuck sorry guys i didn't mean to waste the 20 on something so feckless.

>>22371507
We need to inform Gil that Avenger is corrupting the Grail; he won't get what he's bargained for when he makes his wish.

Rolled 13

>>22371507
Okay the idea of making archer our while hilarious won't do too much for him. Besides we can't contract with him due to the whole lacking a soul thing.

>>22371537
I'm pretty sure he knows this already. Unless the reason he's not acting like a dick (as much) is because he wasn't corrupted at all.

>>22371544
i thought it was partically lack of magic as well.
i figured with the crest boost it would work. it would also give him a chance to continue with this as well, and thus if we got the grail unshitified, he could make his own wish of stop being stuck with the grail, and we could use our wish of fixing errything ever.

>>22371454
Go home

Lets end the fight on this high note rather than get an ass woopin.

>>22371454
Go Home.

I don't think we're ready to tangle with Gil yet. Once we know his identity so we can use psychological warfare and UBW to counter him, THEN we're ready for the confrontation.

I let go of the bow, and as I do I recognize it. It's a perfect copy of Archer's bow. But I don't remember projecting it, or even trying to.

As it disappears, I can feel a line on my crest.... move. Like a bottle being filled with water.

I seem to recall the term 'conceptual weapon' but without any context or meaning. I look at Avenger. "We need to go home. Is Ilya safe?"

"She's very high in the air and moving swiftly northwards. Either she's with Rider or something's gone horrible wrong." Cain comments, picking me up. "I can get us there quickly, unless you'd prefer to walk back."

".... Do it." I respond, contemplating the long walk back. He makes me close my eyes, and I lose all sensation for a brief time. When I open my eyes again, we're just down the street from my house. He allows me to keep my dignity as we walk into the house.

Apparently, the others have been here for almost half an hour. However Berserker got us here, I can't recall any time in the actual trip. I sit heavily at the table, and Saber give me a concerned look.

"Shirou? What happened? Rin said you sent her off because you were attacked by Avenger." Sakura asks from the kitchen. she seems to be making fried rice and some kind of grilled meat.

>What say?

>>22371633
"He was tougher than I expected, so I blew his chest open like popcorn. Gold Archer had to carry his ass off."

>>22371633
Something about people constantly stealing our kitchen.

>I look at Avenger

Is Shirou watching Avenger and Gil flee the scene, or did Avenger also qualify as Berserker, thus letting Cain copy him?

>>22371668
He probably meant Beserker

>>22371657
I like it for two reason. First, and possibly most importantly, it might impress Rider. Second, if she thinks we're capable of exploding a Servant like an overripe melon, then Sakura might stop worrying so damn much.

>>22371668

>That was just me fucking up.

>Please ignore my bouts of incompetence, they're painful enough as is.

>>22371633
"So, Ilya, what exactly were you discussing with my big brother when KinKaiser showed up?"

>>22371657
Going with this.

>>22371454
>The attack cuts open the Avenger’s abdomen, causing considerable Blood Loss and exposing some of his innards. The Avenger can either choose to use one arm to hold his guts in, or fight on regardless and risk a 20% chance each turn that his middle splits open, spilling his intestines all over the ground.

>>22371657
this, completely and utterly this.

>>22371633
This. >>22371657
>>22371692
>/tg/
>ignoring an exploitable weakness
Hee.

File: 1357210884165.jpg-(42 KB, 443x285, 1350615944664.jpg)

>>22371657
just for the look on everyone's face when we start bragging

Rolled 9

>>22371633
I found out my big brother is a dick. So I shot him. Oh and that Avenger and Kinpika are working together for some reason and Rins Archer was defending Illya. I think that sums everything up.

"He was a lot tougher in a fight than I expected." I respond. "So I projected a lance and blew open his ribcage by launching an exploding phantasm through him."

There's a silence as everyone looks at me, and then to Berserker, who merely nods to confirm my story. "So... he's dead then?" Rin asks.

"No." I respond. "That Gold Archer showed up and saved him at the last minute, and took him off wounded." I hesitate, biting my thumb. "I don't think he CAN be killed like that. Something tells me it won't be that simple."

Rider shakes her head. "Lets focus on what matters. We're all alive, Avenger's been slowed at least, and we now have valuable intel." She hesitates. "And also a few questions. Namely why the Gold Archer is working with Avenger and why our Archer wanted to talk with Ilya."

"Ilya filled you in then?" I ask, and I get a few nods in return.

Lancer stretches. "Now that you're back safe, I think my Master's going to want a proper progress report." He stands up. "This shouldn't take too long, hopefully I'll be back by dinner."

"Still hanging around then?" Rider asks, non-chalant.

"It's a great low cost strategy. Plus without a servant around, my master is far less conspicuous." He responds easily. "It's not like we can win unless we figure out what's going on anyway. The only way out is through." With that, he departs.

>>22371911

There's still some time before dinner, I should-

[ ] Talk to Ilya about Avenger.
[ ] Talk to Rin about Magic.
[ ] Talk to Saber about fighting.
[ ] Take Lancer's advice, call Kirei.
[ ] Other.

>Where did the hyphen in nonchalant come from?

>>22371922
[x] Talk to Saber about fighting.

>>22371922
Call Kirei

File: 1357212332814.png-(57 KB, 243x316, scale of yes to no.png)

>>22371922
>[ ] Take Lancer's advice, call Kirei
cant make a pact with anyone without a soul now can we, and since we took Avenger down a peg and saved Rin I do believe this now on the top of our list of serious shit

>>22371922
I, for one, vote for asking Rin about Reality Marbles.

>>22371922
>[ ] Other.

Hang out with Rider. See how she's holding up and whatnot. Yes, i realize its not immediately productive, but we need to get her loyalty up so she survives the suicide mission at the end.

>>22371956
this.
seems to be the top list of priorities right now to me. as well

>>22371922
We've already talked to Ilya about Avenger, Rin can't teach us anything, and unless we want to share what Archer told us, we can't ask about magical crests or Reality Marbles without Rin asking "how did you hear about them." Saber... We need information more than anything, but that's all we've done recently. Do this after
>[ ] Take Lancer's advice, call Kirei.
Kirei, confirm that we have a soul a ready so we can go back to square one and can be puzzled about whatever mindfuck sorcery Avenger cast on us.

>>22371922
CALL Kirie a priest should know whats wrong with our soul i.e. ur lack there of. If he doesn't just burst into laugter and hang up on us.

>>22371922
[x] Take Lancer's advice, call Kirei.
>hyphen
Adding on to the other assorted glitches you've had... when was the last time you praised the machine spirits?

>>22371922
[x]Talk to Ilya about Avenger

All that effort to save our li'l sis and we don't even check how she's doing? For shame.

But if we still have enough time for other actions, I vote combining:
[ ] Talk to Rin about Magic.
and
[ ] Take Lancer's advice, call Kirei.

see how ilya's doing then go call kirei over the soul issue.

I take the phone to my room and place a call.

"Kirei." The voice answers.

"Emiya." I respond.

"Ah Shirou." His voice returns dryly. "I'm not about to infringe upon my neutrality again, am I?"

"No. I actually called because I wanted to talk to a priest."

There's a moment of silence. "I wasn't aware you were of the faith. I don't recall seeing you in church."

"I'm not, really. I just had a question about souls, and frankly that seems like a question you take to a priest."

"Alright, I'm listening." He responds, clearly taking on a tone of professionalism.

"Is it possible to lose your soul?"

"In the religious sense, or the arcane?" He pauses. "From a theological standpoint, the soul is something sacred bound to the human frame. Losing it means surrendering the divine spark that makes you human, and can only happen if you sell your soul or have some powerful curse take it away."

"What about mages?"

"Mostly the same, without the dogmatic trappings and a helpful 'how to' section on soul stealing and destroying." He answers in a droll note. "Why, are you concerned about something?"

"It's kinda personal, but is it possible for someone to walk around without a soul?"

"No. Well, not exactly." He responds. "A soul is what makes you a person. Even nature spirits and monsters have souls, and beings often called 'divine' in myths and by Pagen worshipers."

"Are there exceptions to that rule?"

>>22372238
"Not exactly. There are things that can pass for 'human enough' given the right circumstances." He says thoughtfully. "Honestly, it sounds like you're talking about a demon."

"A demon? Like from hell?"

"No no, nothing like that. Demons are a thing dreamed up by humans. Literally. They're a wish given form in a lot of ways."

"I don't understand."

"Alright, let's say there's a couple that really wants children. They can't have their own and they can't adopt. But their desire is so intense.... one day, a baby arrives on their doorstep."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. It's an odd coincidence, but the little boy grows up and is just what the parents wanted. He grows big and strong, falls in love with a nice girl, and continues his life. But the boy isn't a boy. It's a thing shaped like a boy, feeding on the desires and emotions of those around him. His parents often fall ill as a result, and the girl he loves starts getting weird marks. He hits her, because he can't understand why her emotions aren't as strong as they were as the years go by. She leaves him, and he starts wallowing in pity down at the bar. Next thing you know he discovers that it feels GOOD to hurt, and starts hurting people. Eventually, he becomes a monster and by the time the church finds him he can't comprehend human existence."

".... That's a demon?"

>>22372249

"Not all demons. Some manage to coast by, and pass on odd traits to their children. Some grow old and die, believing that their lot. And since they're a being made of desire and faith, they do."

"Alright, so why do they exist? I don't quite understand."

"Nature abhors a vacuum. Even an emotional one. so it attempts to fill it, and doesn't quite make it's mark. The Church considers it thier duty to hunt them down because of it."

"Why? There are some that don't hurt anyone."

"That story I told you was the one of a Gabriel Sanchez, in Northern Mexico. He was 26 when I found him, and he beat me and three others within an inch of our lives before we managed to kill him. The sad truth about Demons is that any one of them could be like that. It's like a dog that might one day decide to eat it's owner. It might never make that choice, but we can't really risk them doing that all the same."

"So if it doesn't have a soul, it's a demon?"

"That's not the only one, but it's the most distinct possibility I have, watching you."

My heart skips a beat. "What?"

>>22372251

"The way you've been asking indirect questions was a hint. If it makes you feel better, I have no intention to kill you at the moment. If you're a 'good' demon I might not have to, and You'll make a useful ally until we have this situation sorted with Avenger at least. That and I'm not completely convinced you're a demon yet. It's certainly the closest match I know of given you magical signature, but it's not QUITE fitting."

It doesn't do much to make me feel better, and Kirei apologizes for ruining my day before hanging up the phone.

Rin knocks on my door. "Shirou? Are you in there? Can we talk?"

I hesitate.

[ ] Tell her to come in.
[ ] Ask what she wants.
[ ] Say nothing.
[ ] Send her away.

>>22372258
[X] Tell her to come in.

Yeah, she can come in and talk.

>>22372238
>>22372249
>>22372251
>>22372258

That's the sound of me losing fifty bucks.

I will freely admit I did not see that one coming, and after thinking over prior threads, I am ashamed.

>>22372238
>>22372249
>>22372251
>>22372258

He just described the Inversion Impulse, didn't he?

>>22372258
>[ ] Tell her to come in.
After all, we're Emiya Shirou. We need to take care of everyone else before ourselves. Come in Rin, what can I help you with as I push me existential crisis to the side?

>>22372258
[x] Tell her to come in.
Okay so now my money's on 'homunculus'.

File: 1357215284054.jpg-(90 KB, 670x720, kininariのsu.jpg)

>>22372296
>the Inversion Impulse
Only the highest quality lel from this story.

>>22372258
Tell her to come in. Don't break down into a fit of histeric laughter and swearing though. That's just bad form.

>>22372258
>Kirei apologizes for ruining my day before hanging up the phone.
Proof right here that he's different.

>>22372296
Every time I see those words I have to go back to the wiki.
For some reason I can never remember what that is. Either that, or there wasn't much to remember outside "At this arbitrary point in time, you are now Chaotic Evil."

>>22372258
[ ] Tell her to come in.

>>22372326

Actually, I can't help but picture that as him hanging up the phone and breaking up laughing like 'oh god, I can't believe I got through that with a straight face'.

Shit, he's probably helping us so he can gun Shirou down in front of everyone going 'he's a demon! I have the moral High Ground!'

>>22372331
Oh, okay, it was the second case. Half the information on the wiki for Inversion Impulse boils down to "lol, I dunno"

>>22372331
That's why I asked. The wiki and the Mirrormoon translation both have fucktardedly complex explanations for it. AC-Guy's was so much more elegant, I wasn't sure if it WAS the Inversion Impulse or not.

That, and sinceI haven't read DDD I wanted to make sure I was thinking about the right kind of Demon.

"Yeah, come on in." I tell her, and she steps inside a moment later.

"I've had a chance to really examine Souichirou-sensei with Ilya." She tells me, with a degree of enthusiasm. "The problem is that his mind and spirit are disjointed."

"... What?"

"It's like.... you know how if a person has a spinal injury, and then they can't walk? Because the brain is cut off from the legs?"

"Yeah."

"It's like that. There's a block of some kind keeping comatose." She smiles. "I'm not sure how to fix it, but he should be fine once we remove the block or fix whatever is holding him back."

"That's good news." I respond with a smile. "If we know the problem we can try and fix it."

Rin nods happily. Then she hesitates. "Shirou? You're not as exited as I thought you'd be."

"What? I'm happy. I'm glad we might be able to fix what's wrong and help him. I was getting really worried about that."

"Well yeah, but..." She gives me a concerned look and scoots closer. "Is something wrong?"

[ ] Tell her.
[ ] Brush it off.
[ ] Other.

On the plus side if we are a demon then we are going to become one of the horrificly overpowered beings in the Nasuverse when we go batshit insane and try to destroy everything. Yay? Wait no sorry I didn't mean the plus side I meant bad side how silly of me. Seriously demons actual full on demons are boogiemen to dead apostle ancestors.

But notice how he mentioned curses? Gee I wonder if there happens to be a source of all the evils in the world running about? Thats got one of the most powerful curses to have ever existed...

>>22372344

>He can gun Shirou down in front of everyone going 'he's a demon! I have the moral High Ground!'

>You have no idea how fucking hard I laughed at that mental image.

>I can just see the smile in my mind. Like Kirei just won an all expenses trip to Disney land and everyone's just watching in horror as he happily pumps away with a shotgun or something.

>>22372404
Tell her.
"Rin, do you know the tale about Geppetto and Pinocchio?.."

>>22372404
Mention that Kirie told us one possible way for us to be lacking a soul and that it's less then pleasant. No need to tell her everything since like everything else going on it's probably not as it first appears.

File: 1357216413166.png-(7 KB, 467x252, 1357003850212.png)

>>22372404
"I Don't think I'm welcome in the church anymore"
Collapse on to bed

>>22372404
Tell her what Kirei said.
>not biased because Rin is my waifu at all

>>22372366
I think it all boils down to "A Demon, something with Demon blood, or anything Demon-ish, may at some arbitrary time, turn Chaotic Evil. You also get bumped up to DA level strength."
Kirei said we're not quite a Demon, and if my sleep-deprived explanation is somehow accurate enough, then that's still close enough for an inversion impulse.

If I'm wrong about any of that left me know because fuck if I know.
>>22372404
>[ ] Tell her.

>>22372456
I ship Shirouxhis ideal and I still think we should confide in her.

>>22372404
>[ ] Tell her.
And ask her if we can learn how to jack souls. Because I have a sneaking suspicion that Avenger has stolen ours.

>>22372430
Dammit and I was drinking soda when I read what you just wrote
>My sides AND my nostrils!

>>22372404
[x] Tell her.

>>22372404
[X] Tell her.
"I may or may not be a demon. But I don't have a soul and could be an artificial being.

Given that Avenger calls me brother I think he's involved in this somehow. It's weird to learn that you aren't human and are lacking the cornerstone of what makes a person human. I'm worried that I'll change and not be able to protect everyone."

>>22372464
Not sure how accurate the "You also get bumped up to DA level strength" part is. Kouma is almost Servant-tier. Akiha is strong, but her power, iirc, can't affect Servants or Arcuied. SHIKI is straight-up trash. Miyako is practically a normal human.

>>22372498
Derp. Scratch Miyako, she never inverted.

>>22372498
Okay, so it's just CE at a random time, with an equally random boost to power. I only tacked that on at the end after reading >>22372424, and the powerlevel wasn't the part I was as concerned with.

>>22372498
It depends, Kouma is straigt up Servant tier. Theres a reason he's refered to as a demonbred. Remember how he killed the shit out of the greatest demon hunter from a clan of demon hunters? All of those mentioned though are demon blooded but not full demons. We're talking ten generations back style of thing.

"Kinda." I respond honestly. "Had a conversation with Kirei. He fielded an educated guess about why I might have such a weird mojo at the moment."

"Yeah?" She asks, obviously looking for me to continue.

"You know about demons?"

"Ye-" She freezes mid answer and looks at me, horrified. "He said that?"

"Yeah." I respond, slumping against the wall. "It would explain a lot. I don't really remember anything from before the fire, my magic's all weird...."

She surprises me by rolling into my lap, pinning me to the wall and looking me in the eye. "Don't get gloomy on me Shirou." She says, a dangerous glare in her eyes. "Did Kirei actually call you a demon, or did he say it's 'like' a demon."

"... The later." I respond, slightly confused.

"Then that means you might not be a demon. It could just be that there's something weird going on. And even if you were, Being aware of your condition means you have a lot lower chance of turning evil and killing people. Especially since you have informed friends watching over you."

I blink, and realize that I'm starting to cry. I do my best to hold it in but....

Rin gives me a gentle kiss on the forehead, and gives me a hug. "Listen, it's alright to be freaked out. It's like being told you might have cancer or something, but you've got people there for you, and there's probably magic that can help."

"Thanks." I manage to mumble weakly. She smiles at me, and then cleans my face with a cloth to hide my tears as Sakura calls us to dinner.

>>22372635

As we sit at the Table, Lancer comes through the door, announcing his presence. Apparently he managed to speak with his Master in the.... Fourty minutes since I went to speak with Kirei?

It's slightly embarrassing to realize that I cried in Rin's arms for almost half an hour.

I look over at her sitting next to me, and she whispers that we should put off telling the others unless we know for sure. I give her a small nod, and watch as Saber helps Sakura set the table.

Dinner is enjoyed in relative peace, chatting about some meaningless things along the way. As the plates are cleared, the air becomes more serious and we begin to discuss our coming agenda.

We decide our first priority is....

[ ] Hunting Avenger.
[ ] Unmasking the Gold Archer.
[ ] Investigating the Grail disturbances.
[ ] The rumored vampire.

>>22372249
>feeding on the desires and emotions of those around him. His parents often fall ill as a result

OH GOD
KIRITSUGU WANTED TO SAVE SOMEONE SO BADLY HE ACCIDENTALLY CREATED US
AND WE KILLED HIM JUST BY EXISTING

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>>22372430
"NO I MUST KILL THE SERVANTS" HE SHOUTED.
THE PRIEST SAID "NO SHIROU, YOU ARE THE DEMONS"
AND THEN SHIROU WAS A ZOMBIE

>Kotomine`s face when

>>22372641
SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH! THEY CANT PROVE IT! LIES I TELLS YA LIES!

So this quest is officially going places.

I like it.

>>22372638
[x] The rumored vampire.
MORE ALLIES FOR THE COUNCIL OF JUSTICE

>>22372638
>[ ] Investigating the Grail disturbances.
Running off after our various antagonists won't do much good in the long term unless we know the underlying cause of this mess.

Also, we should talk with Rider about how she deals with the whole vampirism thing. For someone who clearly has the capacity for being a terrifying bloodsucking monster, she is remarkably pleasant and collected.

>>22372638
Investigate the vampire. As soon as we can cross that off our list the sooner we can devote all of our energy on the grail.

>>22372638
Investigate the vampyre. We don't have any good leads on the Grail yet.

>>22372638
[ ] The rumored vampire.

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>>22372641
I.. Oh my. Everything about that Implication makes me SO HARD right now!

>>22372638
>[ ] The rumored vampire.

Thats been on the back-burner for ages now. I have a feeling if we let it sit then we'll fix the Grail problems only to have a zombie apocalypse out of fucking nowhere.


>>22372691
Agree with the bit about talking to Rider. She might have some useful input on how to deal with being not-quite-human.

>>22372638
If I veto going after Avenger because of the plot-armor he would have, would that be metagaming?
I mean, we can't kill him until he's gone back to the pas--
Wait. wait wait wait wait wait. Scratch that. if Avenger is being non-linear, and the first time we remember meeting him is to him the penultimate time we meet... and we know(/can make an educated guess) that Avenger was out and about after the grail exploded in the last war, then to Avenger... the last time Avenger meets us would have been the fire we were born in, and we can't kill his past selves(/the chronological Avenger everyone else sees) without fucking up time.

I'm probably overly thinking about this in my sleep-deprived state.
If you guys want me to fuck off and go to sleep to stop random posts like this, I'll do that.

I keep envisioning asking Rider about not quite humanness as us sideling up to her and going "Hey, hey Rider? Can I taste you?

If we're going to talk about the Vampire, be sure to mention the odd Rune based magic found on the side of the Archery Range to Lancer, seeing as he and / or his master are Rune magic users they might have some valuable information to add. We took photos with our cell phone, right? Get Caster's opinion too.

Pretty soon we're going to want to look into Sabers ability to recall the previous Grail war. Having her pass along any info she has about Gold Archer to Cain might be a good idea, Malik.

>>22372638
>[X] Unmasking the Gold Archer.

"Hey everyone! Does the moniker "King of Heroes" mean anything to you?"

We know Berserker and Saber have no idea, but hopefully someone at the dinner table might have a eureka moment.

If not, let's go about unraveling what happened in the previous Grail War via info passed from Rin's father to Kirei. Bring Rin along for this.

Unless, of course, we are never allowed to set foot on the church again under suspicion of being a demon.

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I MISS SABER. WHY HAVEN'T WE BEEN HANGING OUT WITH HER? SHE'S RIGHT FUCKING THERE.

>she's no longer our servant and no longer cares for us

>>22372755
>implying that would be a bad thing

But seriously, until we know exactly what our condition is I'm leery of getting too close to the human womens, just in case Avenger starts poking our soul with a stick and that causes us to go all DELICIOUS EMOTIONS and turn Rin/Sakura into a vegetable. Rider would just slap our shit if we tried that on her, so I feel she's the safest to talk to at the moment.

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>>22372744
...are you telling me Avenger is the god damn Shrike?

>>22372784
Now that there's nobody in immediate proximity to a horrible, horrible death, we should probably work on that.
Let's sit down with her and Illya and discuss stars or something.

>>22372784
eh, I think its because she gets the most screen time of any character in the VN, and nothing thus far has suggested her backstory or motivations have changed whatsoever from her VN incarnation. There just doesn't seem to be anything new to catch our interest.

>>22372825
Or we could start fixing that bike Kinkaiser left behind. I think it was implied Saber brought it back with her.

>Indulge in mind numbing activity to make sense of what we learned today.
>Spend time with Saber and/or Rider, who will most likely use said vehicle we are fixing.
>Get a non-servant mode of transportation up and running.

Three birds with one stone.

>Sorry about the delay guys, something unfortunate happened on my end.

>What's the vote going towards?

>>22372824
*5 minutes of google-fu later*
I was thinking more like Merlin, or Chronos from Incarnations of Immortality. Avenger is just living time backwards, and only moving a few minutes foreword when he wants to interact with anything.

Granted, this just comes from a single line avenger says saying how he's being non-linear.

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>>22372918
There is only one mount for Rider.

Do we still have Avalon? Are we aware of Avalon? (Sorry, lost track)

>>22372944
Does it involve pets, fire, robbers or a router?

Vampire:
>>22372684
>>22372693
>>22372700
>>22372715
>>22372726
>>22372778

Grail disturbances:
>>22372691

Unmask KinKaiser:
>>22372782

>>22372944
Vampire.

>>22372964
Probably not, and we're aware that it exists but not that it was inside Shirou.
Avenger probably has it now.