Fate/Irregular Summons

Chapter 4: Imbas Forosnai

FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 4: Imbas Forosnai

While the battle between Connla and Medusa was happening, Rin was busy wrapping some small towels and handkerchiefs around the unconscious Shirou's deep wounds. She swallowed hard to keep her composure, but the sight of so much blood greatly disturbed her. It made her realize just how inexperienced she was in the art of war, even though she had spent her entire life training to be a Mage so she could take part in the Holy Grail War.

He stirred awake eventually, and Rin asked, "Are you okay?"

"Unngh... Tohsaka..."

"Stay still. You've got some serious injuries, so I patched you up as best as I could."

She winced when she felt the ground shake unexpectedly, and she looked up to see Medusa's Noble Phantasm colliding with Connla's energized spear. A thick cloud of smoke blanketed the area, and she coughed when the awful stench hit her nostrils. Shirou regained enough of his strength to sit back up, and he asked, "What's going on?"

"I don't know. We should wait here until Archer arrives."

He wasn't entirely enthusiastic about meeting up with Rin's Servant again, but he knew he had no choice given his condition. They waited in tense silence for around 15 minutes, refusing to strike up any sort of conversation until they were sure that the battle between the two Servants was over. The suspense was getting to Shirou though, so he stood up and gazed ahead with determination.

"I told you not to move!" Rin implored.

"I'm fine. I'm worried about that little girl though."

"The one with the spear?"

"Yeah. She was the one who saved me."

With that, he stepped forth and explored the woods for any sign of Connla. Although Rin was hesitant, she followed behind from several feet. They didn't find anything significant for a few minutes, but that quickly changed when Shirou rounded around a particularly thick tree and discovered a most gruesome sight. He let out a short yelp, and Rin called out, "What is it, Emiya!?"

"Stay back, Tohsaka!"

"Why, what wrong-? Ahhhh!?"

Shirou failed to prevent Rin from seeing Shinji's mutilated body carelessly splayed out like some rag doll covered in blood. Typically, Rin was the type to remain as calm and composed as possible, but the shock of seeing a mana-drained student, Shirou's violent injuries on his arm, plus Shinji's destroyed corpse all in one evening proved to be too much for her. After letting out that small shriek, she turned away and covered her eyes while falling onto her knees.

Just then, another man's deep voice echoed in the air, "How unlike you to be so frazzled, Rin."

A third person appeared like a ghost, materializing the same way that any Servant would. He was a tall fellow with tanned skin and pure white hair that was slicked back. He wore a short red jacket resembling an igote along with a crimson waist cape over a set of black armor and buckled pants. He folded his arms and looked around for a moment before asking, "What happened here?"

"A lot, that's for sure," Shirou muttered, refusing to look the newcomer in the eye. He approached his dead classmate, kneeled over him and closed his bulging wide eyes out of respect.

"Is that one of the Masters out of the running?"

"I'm not sure. I confronted a Servant, but I never got to see who her Master was."