Hello, all. I did say I’d be coming back, didn’t I? However, it’s been about half a year since our last thread, so I’m including a recap here to refresh everybody’s memories. The archive is always available in case you all want to reread anything.

I’m also going to set your expectations somewhat for the remainder of the quest. In order to get through this, updates will probably be shorter and less frequent. I’ll also be cutting some of the fluff - for example, less detail and no more status pages.

Day 1:
- You, Edgar Tristan Rood, student at the Catholic boarding school of Saint Longinus Academy, are attacked on sight by the Executor known as Agrippa Brigante.
- By accident, you summon the Servant intended for him, Saber. She kills Agrippa and saves your life.
- As a matter of principle, you officially join the Holy Grail War. Honesty is paramount to you.
- You spend the night reviewing your arsenal, including your anti-magic amulet, your bizarre (and limited) magical abilities, and the capabilities of your Servant.

Day 2:
- You spend the afternoon searching the deceased Agrippa’s belongings, discovering information about the other Masters.
- Following a lead within his files, you search downtown and estimate the location of the hotel containing the Einzberns.
- By chance, you encounter a gorgeous girl who introduces herself as Charlotte. Assuming her to be Assassin’s Master, you agree to escort her across the suburbs, at which point she delivers a surprise French kiss which literally knocks you out.

Day 3:
- After waking up in the infirmary and a brief chat with your friend Damien, you meet with Rider and come to an uneasy agreement about how to coexist at the school.
- Investigating a tip from Damien, you encounter the Einzbern Master and Shielder. You manage to drive them off by terrifying the little girl.

Day 4:
- Father McManus gives you an earful about women, but you manage to regain control of your love life.
- That night, you run into Lancer, who makes you aware of something with a voracious appetite for flesh.

Day 5:
- You decide to catch up with your mother, and bring the mysterious carnivore to her attention.
- Next is a heart-to-heart with Saber, where you reassure her that she isn’t disgusting when she fights.
- Afterwards is a visit to Sister Gloria to get Saber fitted with a uniform she can wear. While those two are busy, you find a file on an Alceste Lucroy, taken from Brigante’s belongings before you got there a few days ago.
- Come nighttime, you encounter Shielder and Berserker duking it out in the eastern portion of town. The Einzbern ambushes you on your return trip, but with the power of Saber’s Noble Phantasm, you’re able to escape safely.

Day 6:
- You wake up late to discover that Charlotte has been waiting for you. The two of you exchange information in a cafe, leading to a revelation that there are more than seven Servants at play.
- Later in the day, you spend some time with Saber and assuage her insecurities again.
- Answering a mysterious message, you go to the home of Alceste Lucroy at an appointed time. Upon arrival, you discover an ongoing battle, in which the Master of Berserker is participating along with her Servant.
- At the cost of an arm injury, you manage to repel the attackers with the help of Alceste, who attempts to recruit you, but he pisses you off so much you can’t stomach working with him.
- Alceste, the Master of Lancer, tries to kill you with a trap, but Charlotte appears alongside her gun-toting partner to save you.
- Splitting the spoils, you end the night with some more information on enemy Masters and a heavy, magically-locked canister.
- The night ends with a disturbing dream, where a disembodied voice in a forest asks you if you wish you had the chance to take a human life. You don’t answer.

Day 7:
- The next day, you visit your mother again. She asks you to turn over the canister you found, but you refuse. She also fixes your arm.
- You and Saber return to the Lucroy mansion to look for more information. You discover that the Lucroys are essentially thieves for hire, stealing magic secrets and selling them to other families. You locate a record for one such transaction which was referenced in Lucroy’s files on the Masters.
- While you search, you are ambushed by Shielder. Between your magic and Saber’s Noble Phantasm, your Servant is able to score her first kill. Third time’s the charm.
- You choose to grant mercy to Shielder’s Master, Ilonasviel von Einzbern, and bring her back to the church with you for protection.

Day 8:
- Exhausted from the past week’s chaos, you take a break in the park. While seated on the bench, you discover that Lancer is alive and well despite Alceste’s death.
- He updates you on the status of the predator and informs you that Archer’s Master, Elizabeth Howell, is plotting something devastating along with her Servant. Lancer also tells you that Lucroy specifically singled you out for use as a tool.
- Come nightfall, you and Saber go hunting for Archer and Howell in the state park. However, an ill-fated attempt at stealth on unfavorable ground lands you at the receiving end of a splinter-filled blast of wind magic, leaving you severely injured. You realize your connection to Saber has become greatly weakened for reasons you do not know, and you lose consciousness.

Day 9:
- (You were unconscious during this period.)

Day 10:
- You wake up to an unfamiliar ceiling and a very soft bed. It turns out the Einzberns found you and took you to their manor (separate from their hotel base and located outside the city) after you sustained your injury. You meet Ilonasviel’s maids, Angela and Ursula.
- After forming an uneasy coalition with your captors, you head into the city to carry out Ilonasviel’s plan.
- Through the course of the night, you clash with Berserker’s Master, Caster, and Archer, reuniting with Saber about halfway through.
- An inexplicable gap in your memory later, you find Ursula wounded and are accompanied by a strange woman you’ve never met before.
- In your dreams, the forest asks you about your interactions with girls. You tell it that you want to be more sensitive to their feelings.

Day 11:
- Leaving your phone number for Ilonasviel, you return to the school and reunite with your mother.
- She warns you not to continue speaking to the forest in your dreams, but she won’t tell you what exactly you’re dealing with - just that your father dealt with the same. You press for answers and upset her.
- You spend some time trying to unlock the canister, but can’t pull it off in one session.
- An idea strikes you, and you take Saber to dinner. She reveals her identity to be Tomoe Gozen, and she has you swear that you won’t be disgusted by what she really is.
- You get laid!

Day 12:
- The forest accuses you of using Saber for sexual gratification, and you can’t completely deny the allegation.
- You go on a shopping trip with Saber, relaying to her the tale of your ill-fated encounter with the Edelfelt family.
- On the trip, you’re accosted by the Master of Berserker and a similar-looking girl who healed her two nights prior. You learn their names are Iris and Juniper, and that they are essentially being coerced into operating under Leon Marshall for the Holy Grail War.
- Answering a surprise invitation from an Einzbern maid, you find yourself in the Einzbern hotel, greeted by Ivonnesviel von Einzbern and her maid Gisela. The two of you have an interesting conversation over dinner.
- Calling on Charlotte for support, you seek out Archer in the nighttime to kill him. Much to your surprise, Berserker suddenly appears in the middle of the fray.
- In the ensuing battle, your mentality becomes temporarily - but severely - altered, Archer is killed, Archer’s Master is spared (by you! Yay!), Berserker saves your life, and you discover that Charlotte is in fact the Servant Assassin… attached to a thoroughly inhuman Master.
- Though you manage to kill Charlotte’s Master, you fall unconscious, exhausted and badly injured.

Day ??:
- You awake to find yourself once again in the Einzberns’ guest bedroom. They’re in the process of treating your severe injuries.
- Upon falling asleep again, a mysterious voice mocks you and warns you that your mother is coming. By the time you wake up, it’s nighttime again.
- You get dressed and experience another memory gap. In a state of physical weakness, you encounter Lancer’s new Master, Auracecilia Edelfelt.
- Shortly thereafter, you encounter Charlotte again, who appears with a mysterious wound and calls for your help. It turns out to be a trap, and she captures you by choking you out.

Day ??+1:
- Things have gone from bad to worse. Though you’ve recovered physically, you’re being held in Sister Gloria’s basement under the watchful eye of Charlotte. Further still, you aren’t Saber’s Master anymore, and Ilonasviel is being held hostage in the same room as you, guarded by the Big Bad Wolf.
- Charlotte, who is not acting like herself, reveals a good deal of information to you. It turns out Mom is planning to raid the Marshall residence tonight. By some miracle, you’re able to cure the mysterious wound she received, though you suffer for it mentally and Charlotte is subjected to a physical beating.
- Her sanity restored, Charlotte takes you and Ilonasviel to the Marshall estate aboard her wolf. Upon arrival, Charlotte declares that eight or more Servants are on the premises.
- Following a trail of smoke, you encounter a Servant whom Ilonasviel identifies as Avenger. The Servant demands that you be handed over, and you choose to comply. Avenger promptly knocks you out.
- When you awaken, you’re face to face with a girl named Hydrangea. You’re unaware that you’re missing at least a few memories. At her urging, you go to destroy Leon Marshall’s workshop, which contains a flower she identifies as important to himl. A disembodied voice you surmise is Marshall tells you that the flower contains the soul of his wife, and that he seeks the Grail in order to give her a new body. In fact, he’s gone so far as to build a second Grail, resulting in the unusually large number of Servants in this War.
- Just then, you’re ambushed by a second Caster. He traps you and begins probing your mind, undoing a certain seal in the process. You find yourself in a forest, faced with two boys who look like you; one has red hair and eyes, and the other is covered in dark tattoos.
- The tattooed boy introduces himself as all the evils of the world, collected by Jesus to die on the cross with and spilled onto the Lance of Longinus when Jesus was pierced. The Lance, it seems, has been inside you for quite some time.
- You’re asked what you think of Jesus. You reply that you think he must have been a sufferer above all else.

- The red boy convinces the tattooed boy to restore your missing memories, and then proposes that you keep the tattooed boy locked away. A coin flip decides a voting tie in favor of the red boy’s suggestion.

Without further ado, let’s return to the chaos.

~~~

“...Good plan. We don’t need him anyway,” you say. It’s ridiculous to think that any good can come of binding yourself to pure evil.

"̷R̸i̵g̶h̴t̴?̷” The red boy gives you an approving pat on the back. “̴J̸u̷s̵t̷ ̶y̴o̸u̵ ̵a̷n̶d̶ ̵m̵e̵.̷ ̶A̸l̵l̷ ̴w̷e̶ ̵n̸e̶e̷d̷ ̵i̸s̶ ̴e̵a̷c̸h̶ ̵o̷t̸h̶e̶r̷.̷"̶

The question, then, is how exactly to keep him sealed. Is there a particular method to it? You’re not sure how any of this works-

Click.

You can feel the tattooed boy’s presence fading. Just thinking about it, it seems, was enough to trigger the process. This really is your mind, you suppose. But something seems to occur to your companion, who begins to shout angrily into the dead forest.

"̴H̷e̷y̸!̶ ̷W̶h̷e̴r̴e̵'̶s̷ ̷t̷h̴e̶ ̵r̸e̴s̸t̴ ̵o̸f̷ ̸i̶t̷,̵ ̴a̴s̶s̴h̵o̶l̶e̴?̸!̸"̵

A cackle ripples back through the sea of lifeless trunks.

“Whatever could you mean, partner?”

"̴Y̵o̷u̷ ̷s̴a̴c̸k̶ ̵o̴f̶ ̷s̷h̴i̸t̴!̶ ̸Y̷o̸u̷ ̶s̶a̷i̴d̴ ̴y̷o̴u̸'̴d̸ ̷g̵i̶v̵e̷ ̷b̵a̶c̵k̵ ̸o̴u̸r̵ ̸m̸e̵m̷o̴r̸i̴e̴s̷ ̵o̷f̵ ̶D̷a̷d̷!̸"̶

Suddenly, you’re back in the basement. Poorly lit, plants all around, the male Caster examining his burned hand a few feet from you. Your arm is still trapped by roots coming from the wall. The killer headache would probably keep you from moving even if you wanted to.

“Unbelievable!” Caster mutters. “I’ll have to kill those traitorous-”

Then, somehow, a section of the wall falls apart. It doesn’t explode. It doesn’t quite break, either. The stones just… collapse. The body of a young girl with long, white hair is nonchalantly tossed through the hole, landing between you and Caster. It’s wearing a plain, white one-piece dress, marred only by a single, clean cut through the torso and into the body’s chest. Red eyes stare lifelessly at the ceiling. The face on the cadaver is Ilonasviel’s.

“This is just fucked,” a familiar voice mocks. “Aren’t they supposed to be the imitations? How many did you make, anyway?”

Lancer enters through the breach. His eyes are no longer purple, but iridescent. Through his black clothes, you can see that he has some injuries - it looks like he’s been in a fight or two. A quick flourish of the lance, and it lightly grazes the tangle holding your arm in place. Chunks of the plants collapse to the floor. Caster is already halfway across the room, holding his hand axe defensively. The spear points directly at your nose.

“I’m takin’ the kid.”

Caster doesn’t respond. You can only manage a groan. Lancer simply hoists you over his shoulder and returns through the hole, bolting down several blue-lit hallways. Strangely enough, during the ride, your headache begins to subside. Your carrier leaps through a hole in the ground with the manor behind you - evidently, the tunnels are a rather expansive network - and retreats a ways into the gnarled woods before throwing you gracelessly to the ground.

“Fuckin’ idiot!” Lancer grumbles. “Not only do you interfere, your first move is to hand our enemies the most powerful bargaining chip possible on a silver platter! Brain-dead, I swear!”

Head still throbbing, it takes everything just to stand up again. You can only look up at Lancer and cock your head in confusion. He glares back into your eyes.

“I’m talkin’ about you, fuckwit! You’re the only person everyone on our side cares about, and you just gave up!”

The pain won’t let you form any sort of argument or retort. He’s pretty much right, anyway. You rub your pulsing forehead.

“Thanks for getting me out of there,” you mutter, “but why didn’t you finish him?”

“Cuz that’s Gwydion,” Lancer says, still obviously pissed at you. “Odds are this whole forest is his Noble Phantasm. If he activates it, you normal humans are screwed. And he’d have pulled it off before I managed to kill him.”

“Then why hasn’t he used it already?” you ask.

“Those girls he makes have a rebellious streak. They’re handy workers, but they might turn on him without the pressure of an external threat. Now, no more babysitting. I’m going back to the damage control your worthless ass has made necessary. Make yourself useful and fuck off.”

And with that, he rockets into the forest, leaving you by yourself. Somewhere in the distance, a feral howl rips through the night. You don’t intend to leave the battlefield - not after everything it took to get here - but where do you go?

>>Follow the roar. It must be Saber.
>>Return to the mansion. You haven’t kept your promise to Angie yet.
>>Head to the right. Someone’s hurting over there. You can tell.
>>(Write-in)

>>4364356
>Return to the mansion. You haven’t kept your promise to Angie yet.
Based. I knew you would come back.
The draught of Fate quests that are actually good is finally over.

>>4364356
>>>Head to the right. Someone’s hurting over there. You can tell.
So was that Illona herself, or a coly of her...?

>>4364356
>Integer's back
Absolutely fucking based, I knew you'd be the first to finish a Fate quest.

>Follow the roar. It must be Saber.
Until we link up with a decent combat Servant going anywhere else is suicide. Even if I've got a feeling that Ilona's to the right.

Plus fuck Mom, if she gets in our way we take her out.

>>4364356

FUUUUCK YEAH LETS GOOOOO

>>Follow the roar. It must be Saber.

Two hiatuses he actually returned from. Must be some anti-curse Noble Phantasm. Welcome back.

>>4364356
Hell yeah we're back

>Follow the roar. It must be Saber.
Save Saber, link up with Ilona and her sister, FIND OUT WHAT THE FUCK WAS IN THE CANISTER, de-weed the basement and go home. Simple. Probably.

>>4364356
>>Head to the right. Someone’s hurting over there. You can tell.

>>4364378
A copy, one of many.

>>4364356
>>Follow the roar. It must be Saber.

Wandering around on your own is a bad idea - you could use someone reliable at your side. Ignoring the odd certainty you have that someone else is in pain, you go in a different direction and track the familiar screams that rip through the forest.

Over the course of your approach, you realize that the sound is different than usual. It’s deeper, more guttural, closer in both pitch and sanity to one of Berserker’s roars. Your pace quickens into a run.

As you draw near, a bloodied, white-haired corpse careens through the forest ahead and slams into a trunk beside you. Face smashed in, the body is impossible to identify. Only its size, that of a young girl, ignites within you the hope that it’s one of the “imitations” Lancer mentioned.

The trees thin out. The frenzied howling is just ahead. You carefully peek around the bark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGy45tGyDCA

Saber - or, at least, something that looks like her - kneels in a clearing. Well, you call it that, but it probably wasn’t one an hour ago. Only broken stumps remain, jagged edges glistening with a fresh paint. The dead, and fragments thereof, litter the forest floor in puddles of blood. They’ve been smashed, crushed, rent, torn - some have been impaled on what remains of the vegetation.

The thing that may have once been your partner suddenly unleashes a wild, but targeted, barrage of strikes. You hadn’t even realized that she was kneeling on top of something until the chunks started flying. Crunching, tearing, splashing, each movement of her arms is accompanied by a noisy, explosive burst of gore from her victim. Whatever remains is sure to be unrecognizable.

Rising to her feet, posing like a victorious beast, the killer howls repeatedly at the moon. Though she is adorned with the armor you recognize, it’s now jet black, though the red accents remain. Her skin is as tan as Rider’s, contrasting with her still-white hair. The horns on her head are a shade so dark they would seem to eat light itself were it not for their glowing, pulsing, red veins. Her whole figure is shimmering.

A glimmer of silver catches your eye. Caught between roots in a pool of blood is Lucroy’s canister, open and empty.

You don’t have a clue what’s happened to Saber or who she’s killed. What in God’s name should you do?

>>Reveal yourself to Saber. Maybe she can recognize you…?
>>Wait for Saber to move on and try to identify the bodies.
>>Sneak away and go somewhere else. (Where?)
>>(Write-in)

>>4368087
>The fucking canister was Grail Mud
>Mom has Altered Saber
GOD FUCKING DAMN IT

>>Reveal yourself to Saber. Maybe she can recognize you…?
We're in the Bad End already, at least we can try and end it together with Saber like she wished

>inb4 keeping Manjew around let us control Alters

>>4368087

>>Reveal yourself to Saber. Maybe she can recognize you…?

Haha we are so fucking dead. At least Kirei will have a laugh.

>>4368087
>>Reveal yourself to Saber. Maybe she can recognize you…?
Well we're stuck between a rock and a hard place, hopefully there's enough of Tomoe left in her to honour her promise.

>>4368087
>>Reveal yourself to Saber. Maybe she can recognize you…?

I want to say something her, but I'm not sure how to form it as a write in. Basically, I think we should try and remind her of our promise not to find her disgusting or monstrous, regardless of how much of her demonic side she released.

>>4368411
I'm hoping it might somehow break through to her through her madness.

>>4368411
I guess maybe calling her by her actual name might help since she'll remember that she opened up to us.

>overgroth is back
LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO
>>4368087
>>>Reveal yourself to Saber. Maybe she can recognize you…?
Love will find a way?
Who am I kidding we weren't in love. But just maybe...

Welcome back Integer. It would really be a shame if the best fate quest ended without an end.
>>4368087
>Reveal yourself to Saber. Maybe she can recognize you…?

File: 1590608283060.png (1.38 MB, 861x1155)

1.38 MB PNG

>>4368411
It would be cool if our new found power let us do that cliche thing where we walk towards her with our arms held out for a hug, she tears into us and screams and cries and we just embrace her until her fury is spent and we just hold each other.

Doubt anything could weather her right now though.

>>4370757
We could always try draining her like Charlotte and let Treebro filter it out, although we got knocked out by a single cut and we'd be drinking an entire canister of pure evil this time.

>>4370867
Taking on all the evils of this world just like our nigga Jesus

>>4370867
It's not the evil I'm worried about it's how much physical punishment we can endure. She can atomize with the same effort Charlotte can bruise. Maybe we could use our conceptual ice magic to hold ourself together long enough.

>>4370872
I'd buckle if we end up back in the forest with Treebro asking what the fuck we just done and Manjew casually walks out thanks to us drinking him again.

>>4370878
Yeah I get that, I was thinking it was something we could do IF Tomoe doesn't instantly send us packing to Kirei. I'd genuinely be surprised if we could end dodge a single attack from her if she is fully feral.

>>4370887
My current hope is that she still has some devotion towards us, twisted it may be. Like she's the kind of yandere that just wants cuts off our limbs and chain us up somewhere dark and secluded to keep us safe and secure and only for her.

Several seconds go by before Saber’s celebration, if that’s what it was, quiets down again. A faint hiss meets your ears. It takes you a second to realize that it’s the noise of the blood at her feet evaporating.

You steel yourself for a moment and, hesitantly, you step out from behind the tree.

“Saber-”

She moves. You tilt your head just a few inches to the left. Saber’s claws - yes, claws - barely miss your face. Her hand abruptly stops where your skull used to be. It’s an attack no human should have been able to see, let alone react to, yet you were able to avoid it. You didn’t even think about it, really. How odd.

Even though she’s not touching your skin, you can feel the searing heat coming from every inch of Saber’s body. Yet her body seems frozen in place. Her red eyes examine your face with a mixture of insanity and disbelief, like she’s struggling to recognize you.

“Tomoe, it’s me, Edgar,” you say, slowly raising your hands in a gesture of surrender.

The embrace she gives you would be somewhere between a hug and a caress were it not for the crushing strength with which she delivers it.

“Edgar,” she mutters, her voice unstable. “My lord. My love.”

She nuzzles your cheek with her own. For a moment, something foreign seeps into your mind.

what’s happening to me i’m scared please don’t hate me

You expected her touch to scorch you, but you don’t feel a thing. Though you do hear more hissing, much closer this time, some of it right beside your ear. The Servant stops and pulls back from you, looking confused and hurt. Rather baffled yourself, you examine your body for wounds - but find none.

Everywhere she’s been trying to touch you is covered in melting or evaporating ice. You didn’t do anything consciously. It couldn’t be… did your magic activate reflexively somehow?

A faint whimper escapes Saber. Tears are streaming down her face. She stares deep into your eyes, as though searching your soul for an answer.

Before you can say or do anything, she turns on her heel, rockets across the clearing, and disappears into the forest.

You curse under your breath. Really, you’re lucky you made it out of that alive, but Saber’s crying face lingers in your mind. Saber's been your ally from the beginning, and you couldn't do anything to ease the pain she's going through. A feeling of powerlessness overtakes you.

>>Try to identify the remains in the clearing. However, all that’s left is pulp…
>>Return to the mansion to fulfill your promise. Although, it’s not like you can beat Caster alone...
>>Chase after Saber. But with your speed, there’s no way you’ll catch up...
>>Investigate the strange certainty you had before. Even if you’re probably too late to help by now...
>>(Write-in)

>>4371954
Well fuck, at least we know she's still in there somewhere.

>It’s an attack no human should have been able to see, let alone react to, yet you were able to avoid it. You didn’t even think about it, really. How odd.
ABSOLUTELY BASED TREEBRO BTFO ALL HIS HATERS

>2nd half of all those options
Ah shit we really have fucked up massively haven't we?

>>Investigate the strange certainty you had before. Even if you’re probably too late to help by now...
I really fucking hope it's not Ilona, after Shielder kicked it she's done nothing but stick her neck out for us even when she could've killed us after we kept fucking up, she deserves to make it out of this in one piece. But if worst really does come to worst then at least it means we've not got any reason left to not RIP AND TEAR with Tomoe.

>>4371954
>>4371982
In fact, I'll switch to
>>Chase after Saber. But with your speed, there’s no way you’ll catch up...
Thinking about it we might actually be able to catch up to her this time based on the fact that Edgar:
>Didn't run at full speed to get to Tomoe during the last update, he just ran normally
>Just dodged a blow from a combat-centric Servant
>Is still operating on the assumption that he's still only got peak human speed, which point 2 sort of calls into question
Unless I'm reading too heavily into this and the update is literally saying "Yeah, you're not catching up.".

You've made me paranoid ever since the Archer fight where Edgar mentioned in a single sentence he'd have difficulty moving in the woods and we got nuked afterwards. Integer you fuck.

>>4371954
>Chase after Saber. But with your speed, there’s no way you’ll catch up...
Man just how much did we fuck up? Also after the quest is finished can you tell us what you planned for any sort of good route?

>>4371954
>>Chase after Saber. But with your speed, there’s no way you’ll catch up...

Saberbros...

>>4371954
>>Chase after Saber. But with your speed, there’s no way you’ll catch up...
If we've unlocked the ability to use our Magecraft on reflex then we should hopefully be able to push Reinforcement further and catch up.

>>4372115
Didn't Integer say during one od the other threads that we kept avoiding every important plot point he kept laying down to do something stupid? I'd honestly be shocked if we didn't lock ourselves out of a Good End by thread 2.

>>4372222
>Didn't Integer say during one od the other threads that we kept avoiding every important plot point he kept laying down to do something stupid? I'd honestly be shocked if we didn't lock ourselves out of a Good End by thread 2.
I hope at the very least when this is all over he might give us a glimpse of what could have been if we weren't complete fuckups.

>>4372222
Yeah apparently we fucked up on everything. If I remember correctly he also said we missed a lot of lore dumps too. I have a crackpot theory on what the fuck Edgar is so learning if that's true is going to be fun too.
>>4372236
If you think about it everything going wrong is part for the course for a grail war. Honestly actually getting a bad end might be my favorite part of this quest.

>>4372472
At least we are keeping the Priest entertained in the afterlife.

>>4372472
>>4372541
I fully expect Kirei to fuck with us from beyond the grave. The beads probably act like the stamps Taiga'd give you each dojo but instead of giving you an afterlife in Avalon at the end when you get enough we'll probably be drinking wine out of someone's skull because we'll have went full Dead Apostle. Seems like something Kirei would make happen.

>>4372578
Final words of the final thread confirmed:

"The Priest smiles."

File: 71b371a0669dc31d3b565b391(...).jpg (13 KB, 334x218)

13 KB JPG

>>4372580
YOROKOBE SHOUNEN

>>4371954
>>Chase after Saber. But with your speed, there’s no way you’ll catch up...

>>4371954
>>>Chase after Saber. But with your speed, there’s no way you’ll catch up...
Gotta focus, doing otherwise was a big problem for us before. we'll stick with getting Saber back and even if we can't keep up she'll lead us to something.

Hopefully our enemy isn't betting on Edgar being to attached to Saber.

>>4372863
Edgars a good Catholic, you bed a girl you either marry her or one of you ends up dead.

>>4372866
Gotta get Edgar engraved on her spirit origin so he is summoned as well whenever she is.

File: hamtarowheel.gif (1.21 MB, 500x400)

1.21 MB GIF

>>4372115
>>4372222
>>4372236
>>4372472
Don't give up, players! You never know what you might be able to salvage! Besides, there can be no true despair without hope!

File: 1481227191270.gif (2 MB, 500x281)

2 MB GIF

>>4373502
>That spoiler

File: 1452747001447.png (282 KB, 481x476)

282 KB PNG

>>4373502
I can't even react to that.

File: 1553026045875.jpg (44 KB, 335x488)

44 KB JPG

>>4373502
As long as the end isn't just a you died that's it it's over I'm pretty down for whatever. Gotta let us know just how bad we fucked up everything for everyone forever. Or how much better everything is now that we're gone.

Damn it! You can’t just leave it like this! You have to follow her!

“Saber, wait!” you yell.

The ice sloughs off your body as you accelerate, splashing into blood below. Dashing across the clearing, you desperately try to regain a line of sight on Saber. You’re a human, and she’s a Servant. There’s no way you can match her speed. You know that, of course, but it can’t stop you from trying.

Small craters on the ground, damage to the tree trunks, a cracking sound, a grunt, a sob, you use any sign of Saber to tail her as best you can through the twisting woods.

Ultimately, though, you fail. As you knew you would. The silence screams to you that she’s long gone. You slow to a halt and slam your fist against a nearby tree in frustration. Shit. How does she always manage to slip away from you?

Suddenly, another noise reaches you through the emptiness.

“Edgar!?”

You turn to the sound of Ilonasviel’s surprised voice to find her running through the forest, breathing heavily. Clad in her black dress, a look of fear and confusion on her face, her course shifts towards you.

“Edgar, wait, that’s not me!” shouts another Ilonasviel, with the same outfit and expression, as she darts out from behind a trunk.

“That’s not true! I’m me, not her!” yells the first.

Then a third appears through the trees behind the first. Followed by a fourth, a fifth, a sixth-

“Edgar, please, help me!”

“What’s going on here, Edgar?!”

“Edgar, why are there so many fakes!?”

Alarmed, your hands dive into your hoodie and withdraw their full complement of Black Keys. All the Ilonasviels stop dead in their tracks and fall silent. A few of them take a step backward. For the moment, at least, it seems like you’re in control of the situation.

>>Wipe them out! Don’t let these clones run amok!
>>Just run! If there’s even a chance of hitting the real Ilonasviel, you can’t risk it!
>>Test them! There’s a way to expose the fakes! (How?)
>>(Write-in)

>>4376258
>>Wipe them out! Don’t let these clones run amok!

>>4376258
>>>Test them! There’s a way to expose the fakes! (How?)
Ask for a show of hands of who remembers saying a specific thing to us or a shared memory, then ask who remembers an event that didn't actually happen.
The one who answers correctly is the real one.
If they all answer incorrectly.
Kill.

If they all have truly shared memories well we're right fucked, innit?

>>4376258
>Test them! There’s a way to expose the fakes! (How?)
"What's my mother's name? The real Ilonasviel, the one I took back to the church, would know."

>>4376295
I don't think there's anything only Edgar and Illonahloe would know. First though was the identity of her servant but he fought quite a few people and his identity might be common knowledge. Maybe a trick question about what we had for breakfast together(the one we skipped out on)?

>>4376355
Seems to obvious, it wouldn't be difficult to find out the name of the Overseer of the Grail War.

>>4376258
>>Test them! There’s a way to expose the fakes! (How?)
I think I've got it Anons, we ask this:
>On the way here you asked me a question, I gave you an answer and you made me a promise, what were they?
And the answer should be:
>“Edgar,” Ilonasviel continues, “what… what are you, really?”
>“What do you mean?” you ask, confused.
>“By all rights, that curse should kill a normal human. But not you. You didn’t just resist, you somehow neutralized it. And when you were resisting, you…” Ilonasviel trails off.
>“I don’t really know,” you say when it becomes evident that she doesn’t want to finish her thought. “Maybe you and I will finally find out tonight.”
>“Whatever it is,” Ilonasviel blurts out, “...I won’t hate you. I promise.”

Unless Anon is right and they all have shared memories, then we're fucked.

This dillema is exactly why I have always advocated a not even once policy when it comes to homunculi.

>>4376258
>>4376475
I'll back this, I was going to suggest looking for any injuries Ilona might have had but there's like 10 of them and they could've cloned them over.

Also seems like we've not fully unlocked Treebro's powers just yet, must be fight or flight we can channel them.

>>4376258
I'll back >>4376475

>>4376516
I hear ya but people went and got Edgar invested in her so now we have to treat her like a person or we risk losing some humanity, probably.

>>4376516
We'll start avoiding them when the Einzbern's stop making them Best Girls.

>>4376258
Supporting this >>4376475 but we should still ask for something that didn't happen if they all remember the promise.

If Ilonasviel is here, then you should find her. The last thing you need is to leave her with half a dozen of Caster’s toys. It should be simple enough to determine which one is her - just ask something only she would know.

“On our way here,” you address the audience, “you asked me a question, I gave you an answer, and you made me a promise. What were they?”

All six of the dolls merely exchange worried glances. They don’t know, do they? Something inside you starts boiling. These little shits have the gall to use Ilonasviel’s face and voice against you, but they can’t be bothered to replicate what matters most? Fucking imposters. Pieces of shit. W̷̞͑ȃ̴͓š̸̘t̶͉͂e̵̒͜s̵̡̃ ̵͙͆o̶̘̽f̶̭͗ ̸̳͝š̶͈p̵̿a̵̹͠c̴̙̀e̸̠͋.̶̻̈́

Shrieking. The targets that can still move are fleeing. You’ve already skewered three.

Chasing them isn’t difficult. Compared to Saber, they have the same speed - and value - as slugs. You’re much faster. You deftly leap across gnarled roots to the next one and tear its abdomen open with the fan of blades in your hand.

The last two are too close together for their own good. With a little extra effort, you’re able to get in front of them and cut them off. You kick the nearer one as hard as you can into a tree. A fleshy crunch announces its departure from the mortal realm.

“Wait! I remember now!” she cries. You raise your claws. She hurriedly blurts out her response. “I asked what you were, yousaidyoudidn’tknowandIpromisedIwouldn’thateyou!”

No, that’s wrong.

That’s wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

How does it know the answers now if it didn’t know them before?

It’s not her! It can’t be!

>>It’s not her! Finish it off!
>>It is her! Bring it with you!
>>It isn’t her, but it is her. Just let it go free.
>>Test it further! (How?)
>>Y̶͕͐o̶̖̔u̷͚̇'̴̼̉r̵̳̂e̵̫̿ ̵͎̾h̵̬̄u̸̦̿ǹ̶̹ĝ̸̢r̸͝ͅÿ̴͓́.̵̥̈́
>>(Write-in)

>>4379560
Whoops. I forgot to add one last option:
>>Take a deep breath.

>>4379560
>How does it know the answers now if it didn’t know them before?
FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING

>>Test it further! (How?)
>Why did you ask me that? What did I do?
Now this can serve 2 purposes.

1 - It'll hopefully show she's not a clone pleasepleasepleaseplease don't be a clone and;
2 - If she isn't a clone, we'll know what the fuck happened to us while we were blacked out.

Obviously the answer is kissed Charlotte's wound/sucked out Ursula's curse and then whatever we did after we passed out.

Also,
>You raise your claws.
We talking Black Key "claws" or actual Treebro claws now, given the fact Treebro is h̵̬̄u̸̦̿ǹ̶̹ĝ̸̢r̸͝ͅÿ̴͓́?

>>4379560
>>4379608
>>4379609
Can we combo
>>Take a deep breath.
With the questions or are they mutually exclusive?

If they are then I'll swap to Deep Breath

>>4379613
Sure, you can combine those two options.

>>4379560
Supporting >>4379613

>>4379560
>>Y̶͕͐o̶̖̔u̷͚̇'̴̼̉r̵̳̂e̵̫̿ ̵͎̾h̵̬̄u̸̦̿ǹ̶̹ĝ̸̢r̸͝ͅÿ̴͓́.̵̥̈́

>>4379560
>>4379608
>>>Take a deep breath.
Heel treebro-self! We don't eat little girls!

>>4379560
>>4379613
I'll back this as well.

>>4379675
We don't eat the originals. We'll let Treebro eat the fakes though.

File: 1484798355533.jpg (178 KB, 900x720)

178 KB JPG

I swear to god if Caster's Noble Phantasm has ate Ilona and is shitting out clones I'm going to fucking lose it.

>>4379560
>>4379613
Supporting this anon as well, I bet she's still a clone though

>>4379701
I'm not sure if it's cannibalism or not but it's still a step too far.

>>4379824 just one more step closer to the edge

Keep it together. Breathe in, breathe out. There’s a reason for whatever is happening here. Going nuclear won’t help you. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Your heartbeat slows, and your mind begins to clear.

Hold on. What’s that smell?

It’s hard to describe, but if you had to try, you’d say it’s like someone mixed blood with honey. It’s… nice. You begin to sniff the air.

“Alright, next question,” you say in between successful attempts to catch a whiff, “back then, why did you ask me the question you did? What did I do?”

“Umm…” the Ilonasviel in front of you grips her head tightly, struggling to search her mind for the answer you want. The smell strengthens. It’s coming from what you think is the south, but in your frenzy, you’ve lost your sense of direction. The scent weakens again as the Ilonasviel speaks up. The timing seems too perfect for it to be a coincidence. “Your hair turned red, and you started thrashing and muttering! Like you did just now!”

An idea strikes you. Slowly, gently, you back her up against a tree and caress the cheek of her anxious face.

“Don’t be scared,” you coo, unable to keep your smirk contained. “You’ve been a good girl. You get to live.”

It’s a gamble, but one you might as well take. After all, it’s not her.

You ram a Black Key through the copy’s shoulder and into the trunk behind it. It screams in pain as your palm hammers the blade deeper and deeper into the wooden anchor.

“Relax. You won’t bleed out so long as the wound remains plugged,” you say, withdrawing your hand from its now tear-stained cheek. “So be a dear and stay put, alright?”

With that, you take off to follow the scent. If it flows directly from the source to the clone like you think it might, then you’ve secured the trail in place.

But the woods are dense and confusing as ever. After a couple of minutes, you haven’t reached your destination, and you begin to hear the sounds of battle from somewhere off the beaten path. You don't want to let the clone problem continue any longer, and you can’t really guarantee that the scent won’t disappear. At the same time, can you really afford to let the battle at large play itself out instead of tilting it in your favor?

>>Press on to the source of the scent.
>>Stop and investigate the ongoing battle.
>>(Write-in)

>>4382663
>>Press on to the source of the scent.
Like anon said earlier our problem at the beginning of the quest was chasing every new thing that popped up and got nothing done. We've got a clone problem and we have a trail that may be time limited, we need to focus on this and then try to regroup with the Einzberns and finish the assault.

>>4382663
>>Press on to the source of the scent.

I hate the homunculi but the other choice is dumb.

>>4382663
>>>Press on to the source of the scent.
THE HUNT

>>4382663
>>Press on to the source of the scent.

>>4382663
>>>Press on to the source of the scent.

No, no. Can’t get distracted now. Those clones are breathing your oxygen, after all. You continue following the scent trail for a few more minutes until you reach the manor again.

From the treeline, there are no open entryways visible. Following your nose, you use window sills, vines, and chips in the wall as footholds to clamber up and trace the smell. The source turns out to be... a flower. That’s it. Just a fucking flower amongst the ivy hanging under a window.

You’re about to tear it apart when you realize the vines are actually growing through the window, worming around the panes of glass and jamming the frame in place. It’ll be a risk, but Lancer should have alerted his - who are hopefully also your - allies to your safety. With any luck, the assault is progressing with renewed vigor. Caster’s hands should be too full to worry about you. You break through the glass, clamber inside, and begin following the vines through the house like it’s an electric cable.

As you move deeper into the building, your ears pick up something faint and distant. It almost sounds like a fight, but it’s a bit… off. Noises that seem to be leading up to explosions or impacts simply die off before they can reach their climax. You hear two people speaking through the subdued conflict.

“Damn it, Dubthach!” That’s the second Caster’s voice. “If that boy’s Origin changes, he’ll turn into a monster!”

“He’ll still be easier to manage than you wielding two Grails,” Lancer’s voice fires back.

Lancer is back in the thick of it, it seems. Is he no longer concerned about the activation of Caster’s Noble Phantasm? Maybe you chose the right time to come back inside.

For a brief moment, it occurs to you that you shouldn’t have been able to make out that conversation. Nor should you have managed to follow a scent trail like a dog. Curious.

The vines twist and turn through the interior, crawling on the floor, the walls, the ceiling, down the stairs, you name it. You round a corner and find yourself looking into a large courtyard. The masonry and layout suggest that it was designed as a private garden, and though it’s hopelessly overgrown, the vegetation is as beautiful as ever. The night sky is impossible to see through the thick canopy, but several of the plants give off their own light, softly illuminating the area.

In the center of the courtyard, the ivy leads into some sort of altar formed entirely of plants and bark, replete with multi-colored floral decorations. Atop it lies Ilonasviel. Her arms are outstretched, held firmly in place by sylvan shackles. The fact that Caster felt the need to restrain and imprison this one gives you confidence that it’s really her. A few stems have curled around her head. At a range impossible for most, you can see the gentle rise and fall of her chest. She’s unconscious, but alive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUfkJrt4dLI

Suddenly, your senses are assailed by what can only be described as a cacophony. Rustling leaves, snapping stems, grinding bark, groaning wood, rumbling earth, impacts, explosions, roars. Your ears feel like they might bleed. The ground shakes; the initial quake is so powerful that you almost fall over. It’s as though the entire forest outside has come alive!

The plants in the courtyard begin to shift. Branches start to bend, as though testing their own flexibility. Flowers tear themselves from the dirt and use their roots as legs. They're walking! This is it! This is Caster’s Noble Phantasm!

Both you and Ilonasviel are in danger! You have to act quickly!

>>Protect yourself and Ilonasviel with ice and wait out the chaos!
>>Grab Ilonasviel and flee! Try to link up with your allies!
>>Grab Ilonasviel and search for Hydrangea! She’s still inside somewhere!
>>(Write-in)

>>4385630
>>Grab Ilonasviel and flee! Try to link up with your allies!

>>4385630
>>>Grab Ilonasviel and flee! Try to link up with your allies!
Not sure if tanking the NP will give Lancer the breathing room he needs to finish Caster but we can't risk it sitting in place gives our enemies time to hone in on use.

Also two grails? I forget if we knew this.

>>4385630
>>Grab Ilonasviel and search for Hydrangea! She’s still inside somewhere!
This is akin to a suicide mission but we did say we would, didn't we?

If we free both cups then Casters NP would probably stop working.

>>4385630
>>4385630
>>Grab Ilonasviel and flee! Try to link up with your allies!

>>4385620
>>Grab Ilonasviel and flee! Try to link up with your allies!
If it was just us then I'd try to get Hydrangea but we can't risk getting caught in the manor, hopefully grabbing Ilona at least slows down Caster's NP.

And it just hit me, but we're the fucking Predator aren't we?

>>4385732
>we're the fucking Predator
wat

>>4385732
I remember wondering if we were the predator an if Saber would let us know if we were out hunting at night, the thread said nah she would have stopped us what with her hate of her own monstrous side. Now I think she may have been trying to protect us from knowing but not doing anything because who cares about some animals.

>>4385739
Lancer told us there was a monster roaming the woods killing shit and we found some of the bodies it left. We still have no idea where it is or what it is and then Integer hits out with:
>For a brief moment, it occurs to you that you shouldn’t have been able to make out that conversation. Nor should you have managed to follow a scent trail like a dog. Curious.
>like a dog
We've got enhanced senses like an animal and the clones already confirmed that we can shapeshift our humanoid form.

>>4385750
Wait you guys just now picked that up? Thats been my assumption since like the third thread.

And I voted to lean into it everytime.

>>4385800
Yeah I remember voting against that because we had more important things to do. Unfortunately that was the only thing I could get anons to agree on and Edgar was running every which way.

>>4385838

Lack of focus has been our bugbear from the onset. Well that and deciding to be a zealot about keeping our word.

>>4385917
Integer is very good at giving us more important things to do at every opportunity.

In a flash, you rush across the courtyard and onto the altar. It doesn’t take you long to cut Ilonasviel free - nor do the garden’s trees hesitate to uproot themselves. Slinging Ilonasviel over your shoulder, you leap from the table just in time to avoid the branch that comes crashing down atop it. As you return the way you came, another piece of animated timber moves to block the doorway.

“Encircle mine!”

A wall of ice stalls the second tree just long enough for you to get inside. The dead vines on the floor prevent you from closing the door, so you put up another frozen barrier in its place. You’ve bought yourself a moment to breathe.

That said, you’re not sure where to go next. If the entire forest is animated, then inside this building should be the safest place; however, trees often damage homes during storms. The basement could provide shelter, but it’s sure to be full of Marshall’s and Caster’s now-autonomous projects. No, you should find your allies and survive this ordeal together. Your best chance at finding them will be to go to an upper floor and scan the canopy for disturbances in the shifting mass. Anyone who isn’t in the house will be out there somewhere.

You dash up the stairs, looking out the windows as you rise. Indeed, the forest itself has come to life. Shaking leaves, lumbering roots, the trees move every which way to search for - or pursue - their targets. Once you’re able to see over the treetops, you see evidence of a struggle against them; a fire is spreading through their number, moving in a line towards the mansion. Upon reaching the top floor, you realize this won’t be as easy as you hoped.

Missing a number of bones, muscles, skin, and likely souls, half-formed homunculi stagger about the corridor like zombies. Pretty flowers fill the gaping holes in their body, but only the space, not the functions. Lifeless, multicolored eyes turn to you. Hollow growls leave their throats. Awkwardly, but aggressively, they charge you.

To block the first, you raise your arm. It tries to bite down into your appendage, but ice forms to block it. You swing your arm and crush the extant portion of its head against the wall.

Another shambling creature grabs Ilonasviel’s hair and tries to yank her off your shoulder, dragging you into the hall. Dammit! Maneuvering is too difficult, but you can’t put her down! You kick the flowery foe away and turn to face the next--

--when its head tumbles to the floor. A flurry of black and orange dances to and fro in the hallway. Jets of flame trail from Lancer’s limbs, propelling the burning spear across foliage and flesh alike. Anything he slashes either splits or stops immediately.

The spearman comes to a halt in front of you, back turned. While the incomplete homunculi are being annihilated, he’s clearly paying a price. Fire reaches up to his elbows from the weapon. You smell the acrid stench of searing flesh. Lancer is being slowly consumed by the blaze.

“Damn, kid, carry your own weight for once.”

“Good to see you, too,” you say. “Where’s Caster?”

“Caster’s already dead.” Lancer declares. Then, the plants don’t need Caster for sustenance?

“So, what do we do about this mess?”

“Survive.” You glance again at his burning arms. ‘We’ won’t survive this. “Listen close, boy. In my time, I knew Shielder briefly. Good kid. You’ve got some big shoes to fill as that chick’s protector. So quit fuckin’ around and do him proud.”

Lancer punches one animated husk into another with a blazing fist. Both catch fire.

“The second Grail will be ready soon. Lucroy said it’s clean. Should work like a charm.”

He cuts down one, two, three more homunculi. Only a handful remain, and he separates you from all of them.

“Head to the backyard,” Lancer continues. “Stop Marshall and make a wish. A good one. For Shielder and me, too. We Irish have no luck, despite what they say.”

“Why do you keep helping me?” The Servant hits you with so much, so fast, that you blurt out the biggest question you have.

“...For once in my life, I want to be the hero.”

Down the hall, part of the ceiling collapses into a smoldering pile. Avenger drops through the hole.

“Stay human, kid.”

Without looking back, Lancer kicks you away. A flick of his lance, and the passageway collapses behind him. Clutching Ilonasviel to your chest, you land on your back in a pile of shattered ice.

“Thank you!” you shout into the rubble. You hope he was able to hear.

>>No time to waste. Head straight for Marshall and the second Grail.
>>Search for another ally. Lancer may have saved you, but now you’re alone.
>>Try to rouse Ilonasviel. You can’t be encumbered for this next battle. Maybe she can assist you, too.
>>(Write-in)

>>4388874
>>No time to waste. Head straight for Marshall and the second Grail.

>>4388874
>>No time to waste. Head straight for Marshall and the second Grail.

>>4388874
>>No time to waste. Head straight for Marshall and the second Grail.
What an absolute fucking CHAD Lancer is, got to do him and Ferdiad proud and get Ilona out of this safely.

>>4388874
>>>Try to rouse Ilonasviel. You can’t be encumbered for this next battle. Maybe she can assist you, too.
We can't fight Marshall while carrying Illonahole. We should either wake her or stash her somewhere.

>>4388874
>>4389039
>>Try to rouse Ilonasviel. You can’t be encumbered for this next battle. Maybe she can assist you, too.
In fact I'll switch my vote, we don't have time to try and find Saber, Rider or Assassin for help and waking Ilona up will give us more info on what happened after we surrendered.

Looks like we're tied.

>>4388874
>Try to rouse Ilonasviel. You can’t be encumbered for this next battle. Maybe she can assist you, too.
Enough running around blind.

>>4388874
>Try to rouse Ilonasviel. You can’t be encumbered for this next battle. Maybe she can assist you, too.

If you’re going to be fighting again soon, you can’t keep lugging Ilonasviel around. But you can’t leave her unattended, either - you’ll have to wake her up somehow. Getting her hair pulled by a homunculus didn’t seem to do the job, so you guess her sleep is magically induced. But your knowledge of spells is so limited...

It’s a risk, but you suppose you could try to replicate whatever you did that cured Charlotte. Just kiss it better. Odds are it takes less power to put a person to sleep than it is to corrupt a Servant’s mind, so hopefully you won’t conk out this time. There’s another problem, though.

Legally speaking, kissing someone without permission can be considered sexual assault.

…

The back of the hand should be fine, right? That’s usually a gesture of respect.

You take her hand in yours, raise it to your lips, and-

Nearly fall asleep. Just before you vanish entirely, your cheek rolls onto a piece of ice. The chill shocks you back into consciousness. Or maybe you did fade for a moment. When you look back to Ilonasviel, she’s already awoken and meeting your gaze. Her eyes are wide and her face tomato-red; a reasonable response if you didn’t expect to wake up on top of and hand in hand with someone.

Somewhere, through the walls and amongst the rumbling, you’re able to pick out the deranged shriek of Saber.

There are bigger concerns right now than explaining this situation to Ilonasviel! You don’t know how long the two of you were out. Whether it was seconds or minutes, you’ve lost too much precious time.

“Shit, we’ve gotta move!” you declare, lurching upward. Ilonasviel squeaks surprise and rolls off of you as you scramble to your feet. When you start running, she follows. “How’s Rider?” you ask.

“S-She’s still alive,” Ilonasviel, a bit shaken, manages to reply. “For now, anyway.”

It’s a short trip before the backyard comes into view. Out the window, several stories below you, you can see a burly, well-dressed man - presumably Marshall, but he looks far younger than you thought he’d be - facing off against Iris and Juniper. Juniper has been restrained by vines, and you can hear her hurling a string of abuses as Marshall and a badly wounded Iris… duke it out in a fistfight? That’s unusual. Several feet behind Marshall is another altar like the one in the courtyard, except this one imprisons Hydrangea.

For whatever reason, the flora in the backyard consists almost entirely of grass, save the vines on Juniper. The various animated foliage have formed a semicircle with the back wall of the house. None stray into the perimeter. At the very least, numbers will be in your favor.

>>Hurry to Iris and Juniper’s aid! With Ilonasviel as backup, you’ll crush Marshall!
>>Hold nothing back! Ask Ilonasviel to summon Rider and rush Marshall together!
>>Take a stealthy approach. Coordinate with Ilonasviel to strike unexpectedly!
>>(Write-in)

>we may have pissed off the waifu
Not that I'm personally opposed to Saber nuking the homunculus but Edgar certainly would.
>>4393479
>>Take a stealthy approach. Coordinate with Ilonasviel to strike unexpectedly!
These three have a history and there may be some special conditions for this duel.

Anyone have any thoughts?

>>4393479
>>Take a stealthy approach. Coordinate with Ilonasviel to strike unexpectedly!

>>4393541
I feel paralyzed by our continuing lack of clear information. Honestly the only thing that motivates me is finding a way to get Saber back, though I think the poor girl might be locked into a bad end.

Then again, so are we.

>>4393479
>Take a stealthy approach. Coordinate with Ilonasviel to strike unexpectedly!

>>4393541
I don't think we know enough about them to comment on this but we should intervene regardless.

>>4393479
>>Take a stealthy approach. Coordinate with Ilonasviel to strike unexpectedly!
We had trouble holding off a single sister so if Marshall's holding off the two of them together he's dangerous, we can't just run in guns blazing.

>>4393541
I'm guessing Marshall took/stole/studied the Einzbern Master in the last Grail War, combined it with his magecraft to make the sisters and plugged it into Caster's NP to make the clones. My other worry is that we beat Marshall and the sisters decide to try and kill Ilona again.

>>4393658
Our ability to dodge anything plot relevant Integer throws at us has bit us in the ass. At this point I want Ilona to at least come out of this alive and while I'd like Edgar and Tomoe to survive as well, the best we can hope for is dying together so we don't break our promise.

The new thread is up!
>>4398571