We're not really Doctors. (Shirou x Harem) Arknights x Fate

Chapter 9

=== RHODES ISLAND ===

Shirou cursed as he momentarily lost his balance again.

It was a small stumble, so Shirou maneuvered his body to hide it. To everyone else behind him, the slight inconsistency in his gait was near unnoticeable.

The small manifestation of Avalon had pushed him harder than he predicted. He was fine physically, aside from the surge of dark crystal shards slowly forming on his body- a sign of Oripathy. More importantly- was the current backlash on his magic system. Praying for Avalon's blessing had sapped much of his reserves, in addition to the Originium contamination levels within his body after the spell.

The scorching pain was there, and it was affecting his performance.

That was part of the reason Shirou slowed their pace down. He hid it behind the excuse of being considerate for the children with them, but it was to buy some time and recover.

Unfortunately for him, someone noticed.

...

Nearl had been keeping an eye on their strange guide ever since the shocking reveal of his arts.

It was nothing like she had ever seen. Healing arts of a scale never reported before. Not only were the children completely healed, but so were all the Rhodes Island operators. Everyone felt weirdly rejuvenated after the spell.

Everyone, except for the spellcaster that is.

There! She caught it again. Every few steps, the archer in front of her would slip and adjust instantly. The difference was difficult to spot because of how the darkness obscured his red clothing, but she was certain that it wasn't the same gait he had earlier.

Nearl narrowed her eyes. Years of single combat in the arenas of Kazimierz had honed her gut feeling. Any weakness her adversary showed, Margaret Nearl would capitalize on. The same experience which she applied to the battlefield after exile.

She spotted weakness.

Nearl stepped into stride right beside Shirou.

"Are you okay? We'll stop if something's wrong."

The question had the subtlety of a truck. Shirou blinked at the blatant attempt before frowning at himself.

Was it that obvious?

"I can keep going. It's nothing really." He deflected.

"Not if your condition hinders your safety." Nearl frowned.

"I can guarantee you that I know my own limits. I will not hinder your team."

Shirou was the last person you'd trust to keep himself safe. Of course, Nearl didn't know that.

"As you wish." She quickly dropped her suspicions out of courtesy.

As one, the two leading members jerked their heads forward when they heard a clamoring echo bouncing down the sewer branch. From the sound, it was clear that a large group of people were moving ahead of them. Nearl raised her hand and stopped the entire column.

'Reunion.' She mouthed back at them.

Immediately, the two leaders at the rear- Ace and Dobermann, started leading the group backwards. As planned, they would retreat if they ran into unknown parties underground. It was more than likely that any party they met in the nearby vicinity would be teams sent to chase them down. The Reunion would've found out where they had escaped through by now.