Beta read by Shigiya, Darklord331 and special thanks to Gamecrusher55.
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-Fuyuki-
"Oh my, I almost shed a tear at such a touching conversation between Master and Servant — would have been an excellent theater play. Unfortunately, I had to cut it short; my time is precious after all. I was hoping to eliminate you first, though it worked out in the end regardless."
A Servant, there was no doubt about it; this individual before him was another servant, just like Rider. Just looking at the sheer destruction caused by a single spell of hers on the other side of the road made Shirou gulp instinctively. "We don't need to fight one another, I'm not after the Grail."
"A funny way to beg for one's life, not like I've heard it before."
His hands and temples were covered in sweat as he grasped his gun tightly, immediately aiming his shot as soon as the air around Caster started to shift.
"Ara, you are an odd individual. To use a plain firearm without it being enhanced by any sort of spell as far as I can tell, against someone like me is no different than a joke," the woman spoke with a mocking tone. Though her voice sounded enchanting, it did not alleviate his sense of dread and pressure he felt.
Regardless, he pushed aside these feelings and decided to focus.
A loud bang echoed across the empty streets, the barrel of his weapon smoking as he pulled the trigger. The bullet which previously caused a chimera to bleed didn't even reach its intended target as it slowed down to a crawl a few centimeters away from Caster.
The small metallic piece's clang reverberated against the cement, its ominous echo sending a shiver down Shirou's spine.
"Really, did you even listen to a single thing I said?'"
He smiled awkwardly, "It was worth a try."
"Something tells me that you truly do not know what it means to face a Servant."
The atmosphere crackled with an intense concentration of Magical Energy, almost overpowering his senses with its sheer magnitude and weight. Swirling motes of light coalesced into formidable orbs, poised to unleash their fury upon him at any moment.
'She didn't even use a chant?'
Barely at the last second, he managed to roll away from his spot as the area was bombarded by dozens of spells. The flurry of attacks quickly decimated the building behind him, the ringing in his ears disorienting Shirou for a bit. "We do not need to battle. I truly have no plans to get the Grail!"
He shouted as more condensed spells were fired towards him faster than he had time to recover. He barely managed to outrun each of them, suffering from bruises from the shock waves and debris. "Fufufu! Just how long will you continue playing this little game of cat and mouse."
"You're not really giving me a choice here!"
"Astute of you, now continue dancing for me."
The barrage did not stop, even while using reinforcement to increase his speed and utilizing the surrounding terrain to his advantage made little to no difference. The spells kept coming without showing signs of growing weaker, as if the woman was not bothered about depleting her reserves — it felt like those attacks grew in power every second.
Slowly but surely, Shirou kept getting cornered into a difficult position where he had less and less space to dodge. "Damn it!"
"Nowhere left to run? Shame." Caster said, hovering in the air leisurely, her robe fluttering in the win as strands of light purple hair peeked from the hood. She was smiling, having fun with this entire situation and it was clear for him to realize that.
If he stayed like this then only death awaited him. 'A Caster, it makes sense for such a way of fighting to be her strong suit. Using ranged weapons is a waste of time and energy, best to buy time.'
"Why are you after Bazett? As far as I know, she's not a Master."
"Oh, so that's her name. I'm fully aware that you're trying to buy some time, boya, but I'll humor you. I'm not after the enforcer for any personal reason, my Master wants her to be gone and I am just following his orders."
That helped little since he had no idea who her Master was in the first place. But if he wanted Bazett to die so much then it meant the latter knew about him and she was his key to finding him.
He looked down at his command seals, all three parts still present, and hesitated for a bit before shaking his head. "He can hear me right now? Perhaps I can talk some sense to him."
"You are wasting your time, he's not one to listen to anyone. Even those who are obviously more knowledgeable than him."
Shirou was under no delusion that he currently held the ability to go up against a Servant, but if he could somehow capture the Master or forcefully break the contract then he might have a chance.
'Bullets won't work. She's using a spell to slow them to a halt before they even reach her, and I doubt they'll be able to pierce skin even if they landed.' Looking around him, the boy spotted some pipes and air vents he could use to make his way up.
Digging his hands in his pocket, he retrieved a small cartri—"
"Δέσε." For the first time since the confrontation started he heard her utter a single word of incantation, one that he didn't understand but already felt its effect immediately.
"Ah!" An acute sensation of pain spread from his foot, luminous vines emerged from the ground and wrapped themselves around his body in an instant. No amount of strength he exerted helped in getting them any looser and only seemed to make it tighter.
"The more you struggle the more it'll hurt."
Despite her words, he tried once more but with little success.
"You are starting to bore me, Rider's Master. Although I do find it almost cute that you're trying to land a hit on me without being as fast or as strong as that woman from earlier. You should know when to give up." Her words were followed by one of her spells firing a sphere, the impact hitting him straight in the stomach with enough force to break him out of the bing.
"Argh!" His back struck the wall, sliding down as the air was forcefully pushed out of his lungs.
'So this is a Servant… Rider never went this hard on me in our previous duels.' His mind raced for another way, giving his Command Seals another look as his options started dwindling into this solution alone.
Shirou got up using the wall as support, surveying his surroundings in search of another possible way to escape and to ensure it was safe.
"Don't waste your time trying to find a way out or to use words to ensure your safety. The mere fact that you are a Master is already reason enough for me to end your life. You can't expect to enter a Holy Grail War without realizing that you can be killed at any moment."
"I-I… urgh, I know that. But I'd still take my chances rather than allow people like you to put other innocents in danger without regard!"
"Humph, you're still going on about that, you and my Master certainly wouldn't get along, that much is clear. Nevertheless, it sure was fun playing this little game of cat and mouse, but I'm afraid I'll have to end it early," her words were followed by a quick flick of her finger, an offensive spell shot towards him faster than his eyes could keep track of.
At that moment, he knew that this attack couldn't be dodged as his restraints continued to dig in his skin.
Yet at the last second, a shadow burst out from the smoke in the distance, with enough speed to get in between him and the spell before shattering it with a single swipe of her chained needle.
"Rider!" His voice carried a note of joy and relief, evident in the way he spoke, upon seeing her unharmed and without any visible injuries.
Caster hummed once again, more impressed and amused than angered by her sudden arrival. "Impressive. Even though that wasn't my strongest attack, for you to have survived and let alone emerge from it with little injuries is quite an accomplishment. But of course, Magic Resistance, high rank most likely for you have also gotten out of Ατλας this fast."
Rider did not answer, firmly holding her chains dagger and standing before Shirou defensively. "Caster," she called out, the name affirming the boy's suspicion as he was also trying to figure out from which class she was. "Are you hurt, Master?"
Helping him get out of the entrapment, she does not stop paying close attention to Caster, who decides to gaze at them without showing any hint of attack. "I'm fine. Be careful. She's the Servant of the guy behind those Chimera attacks I told you about. There's a chance there could be more of those monsters roaming around given she can probably summon more."
"Ha?" Surprisingly, Caster's tone changed from bemused to sounding offended, his prior words having earned her ire. A slight from showing on her lower face before, clicking her tongue and sighing. "That genuinely hurt my pride. Do you actually fear those failed experiments? They are not even worthy to be labeled as monsters, rather than pitiful abominations put together by a manchild whose ambitions far exceeds his worth."
"You don't seem to like this Master of yours, Caster."
"Is that so? I wonder what could have led to that conclusion."
Strangely, there was a tinge of contempt and even a hint of anger in her tone as she discussed her Master. Shirou couldn't discern the nature of their relationship, but it didn't sound amicable or even neutral. "Who is your Master, Caster? If you're compelled to carry out his orders, even if it means harming innocent people, I can surely offer you assistance."
"Ara? I admit this is quite an unusual offer, proposing to help an enemy Servant to be freed from their chains without so much sincerity — how touching." Though she said that, her tone indicated a completely different emotion. "But I must decline, I don't need your help, I doubt you can do anything in the first place. Your performance so far hasn't given me the most confidence."
He tried to walk over to further push his words but was halted by Rider, the latter shaking her head.
Even though he couldn't see her face through the hood, he could sense the woman probably raised her eyebrows and looked at him with confusion. "Regardless of what your motives are, this is a Holy Grail War, take note of the 'war' part. There are bound to be a few casualties here and there. You can't honestly expect me to comply with your demands just for such a small thing."
He clenched his hands at her response, becoming more and more aware that the chances of her listening to him were slowly dwindling. "This is not their war. Enough have suffered because of the Fourth War. What's the point of calling yourself a hero if you're willing to let it happen once more? Many have died for no reason at all!"
Her answer came in the form of multiple magic circles appearing around them, no longer in the mood to continue this conversation. Thankfully, Rider was quick to react and flung her chains around, using her speed and strength to destroy most of the forming spells before they could fire and close the distance between her and Caster. The latter casting a multiple layered barrier, shielding her from the initial attack and successfully blocked Rider's weapon.
Unfettered, the blindfolded Servant tried once more, using her weapons to dig within the surrounding walls before pulling them to bury her opponent, grabbing Shirou and returning back to the main road where she dropped him where Bazett was.
"You should leave, Master. I can't focus on her if you're nearby."
He nearly denied her at first, not wanting Rider to handle Caster by herself given how dangerous this woman had proven herself to be. But he also realized that at the end of the day, he was a liability with an unconscious Bazett in his grasp. "Fine, but be careful. If you're not answering me, I won't hesitate to use the Command Seals and teleport you away."
"I know she's dangerous, but I can handle her, Master." She said it in her monotone voice, but it still carried an audible trace of confidence. "Why didn't you use your Command Seals to teleport me over when you were in danger?" She said in a hushed whisper, low enough that he missed it.
"Did you say something?"
"Nothing, just leave before she returns."
Though curious about what she'd had just said, he set aside those thoughts and reached out for Bazett. Fortunately, she hadn't sustained any additional injuries from his confrontation with Caster; her breathing remained steady. With that reassurance, he sprinted, pushing himself as hard as he could for the next few minutes until his breath grew ragged, the soreness from Caster's spells returning.
The surroundings blurred as he ran, the scenery passing by in a dizzying blur. Each step seemed to amplify the dull ache that emanated from his body, a reminder of the magical onslaught he had endured. Despite the physical discomfort, Shirou pressed on, his determination unwavering.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, the rhythmic clacking of footsteps echoed through the corridor, drawing his attention. With each passing moment, the sound grew louder until it reached a crescendo, heralding the arrival of another horde.
Before him stood a group of skeletal soldiers summoned by Caster, blocking the few paths to leave this place. Their hollow eye sockets gleamed with an otherworldly light as they advanced, and their bony forms stood out against the dimly lit surroundings.
With a resigned sigh, he readied himself for the inevitable confrontation. "Well, this complicates things," he muttered to himself, steeling his resolve.
The onslaught was overwhelming, with too many adversaries closing in on him at an alarming speed, rendering his firearm useless even if he tried. Dispatching just one required several rounds, and even if he started replicating more ammunition through Projection, it would consume precious time he didn't have.
"Trace on," he whispered while placing Bazett on the ground once again, his hand firmly grasping a simple longsword before automatically applying Reinforcement on the weapon.
This… he had to handle them without relying on Rider.
Her previous actions still weigh heavily on his mind, further fueling his own frustration.
"I can't keep getting rescued every time…"
He despised this feeling, more so than ever…
{Break}
"Humph!"
What a strange turn of events this was.
Medea had not expected for another servant to show up so early in the Holy Grail War. Her Master promised that he was well ahead of the competition, by a few months to say the least. 'Why am I even surprised? That poor excuse of a Magus can't even get the most basic spell right without throwing a hissy fit.'
Even though she kept a calm outlook, the woman knew that if this battle continued when she was outside of her territory, it wouldn't be ideal. But here she was, flying away from the chained weapons and kicks from a woman who bore great resemblance to a figure she was quite familiar with.
Even using her spells to increase her speed and crease many layers of defense did little to slow down her opponent who tore through most of them in less than a second. Her agility bypasses most of her attacks even while mid-air, using her chained daggers to forcefully pull herself one direction.
Able to react even to her casting speed.
"You embody the ferocity of your legend," she remarked, acknowledging her formidable presence. "I'm not sure I would have been able to handle you if you had been summoned in a class more aligned with your true self."
The response was fierce as ever, with blinding speed repositioning atop of Caster and bringing her hell down viciously. "Shut up." Tearing the side of her robes and crushing the ground below, forming a miniature crater that forced a chuckle out of mage's mouth.
'B-rank strength probably, she is indeed in a weakened form compared to the Gorgon.'
Yet that knowledge didn't make her any less cautious.
"I wonder whether it is fate that we ended up here fighting one another, two figures villainized by the annals of history now facing one another. We can be a formidable team by working together, I doubt we'd encounter any challenges in that case."
"I don't care."
This was tricky, Medea contemplated how to handle her opponent. Killing her would be too much of a waste and she doubted the latter would go down so easily, but attempting to steal her was also not an option unless she found a way to restrain the latter in her current state. 'Damn that man, I can't take any risks with these restrictions.'
"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been summoned? I was under the impression that me being here this early was already an anomaly. Your presence just brings up more questions about the Greater Grail than anything else."
"Not your business," Rider retorted, proving herself to be a formidable foe. Her next attack finally managed to tear through Caster's shield, piercing the side of her shoulders yet no blood showed. Immediately recognizing the danger, Rider halted her pursuit and jumped away right before the body before she burst into flames.
"I should have known that wouldn't have worked," Caster's voice sounded all around Rider, unable to see her figure while the sky lit up with a flurry of spells, from all elements being bombarded where she stood.
"As painful as it is to admit, fighting you for any longer is an advantage. I will not be taking any chances against a Rider without any preparations. A Caster against a Rider… it's not the most advantageous combination in the first place." A dome formed around Rider as soon as she left the crater mostly unharmed, her movement slowing down to a crawl.
"Since you already managed to free yourself from this spell, I won't bother holding any hope that it will last much longer on you. But before I leave, I would like to remind you that my familiars are still roaming around."
Rider visibly halted as Caster's words reached her ears. The latter smirked at that reaction, finding it very interesting.
"A strange one you stumbled across, going so far to save someone who's not even his ally… he's very different from the Magus I came across both in my time and current era. Would be a shame if he left this world so soo—!" Her instincts reacted in time to raise a shield around her a moment before as she noticed Rider still holding onto the end of the chain embedded onto the ground outside the dome.
Veins bulging along the length of Rider's arms before she yanked it.
An earth-shattering sound came from below. A large plume of dirt and smoke rose in the air, followed by a powerful gust of wind. Several car alarms in the neighborhood went off right as Caster prepared to teleport away, but she stopped when she found no sight of Rider anymore.
"Pulled herself out… that's a first I must say." That couldn't just be B-ranked strength, perhaps one of her skills that gave her a small boost? Or she was drawing more power from her true self, either way it was interesting to see her capabilities on full display.
Half of the street has gotten pulled out of the earth, nearly forcing a part of the building next to it to topple over. "Hm, he's not so bad as well. Though using Projection Magecraft of all things…No, it looks like a variant, I think?"
She couldn't say much from the limited information she got from her familiars, though unable to ponder on it any longer as she felt a tingle in her mind.
"Did you kill her?" a voice asked in Caster's head, making her eyes twitch. Her amusement from the previous battle immediately melted away. "Well? Answer me, Caster!"
"It would do you well to learn some patience and use a more polite tone with your ally, Master," she replied calmly, showing no emotions in her voice.
"I have no need for a familiar who talks back. Do not waste my time!"
She rolled her eyes, expecting such an answer from him. Yet, every time she heard this person speak, it made her increasingly frustrated. She took a deep sigh as she recalled the dynamic between Rider and her Master. As short as it was, at least those two seemed to get along well. For him to even worry about her well-being was definitely a big step up with whom she ended up with.
"You'll be perhaps intrigued to know that an enemy servant showed up, and worst of all, it happened to be the Rider class. I can't risk a full-on confrontation against a class like that with their innate Magic Resistance and your own restrictions on top of that."
Even without being there in person, she imagined that man's face burning up with rage, perhaps already acting like a child and breaking some of his lab equipment. Why was she so certain? Because this enforcer in particular happened to be a major thorn by his side, sent over by the Clocktower, made to retrieve him for a sealing designation, something that was far too good for him in her opinion. The man did little to deserve such a distinguished action made against him, merely robbing the research of another and claiming it as his own.
"Impossible! Someone else managed to summon a servant so soon? And a Rider on top of that, at least it wasn't a Saber."
Of course, he would be worried about that, thinking that having a Saber meant automatically winning the Holy Grail War.
While that class certainly held plenty of advantages and a rather high parameter in general, it did not guarantee victory in the least, quite the opposite. In her opinion it made more sense for plenty of Masters or Servants could even team up to take down Saber and for them to be the first casualty in a war. But then again, she didn't want to explain something so basic yet unimaginably complex to someone like her Master who would just disregard her advice and believe his own thinking to be superior.
"Tell me, at least you managed to take out that enforcer?"
"That's the other thing I would have told you if you let me speak. Rider was not alone; she was accompanied by her Master, who managed to take the woman away." Flying towards the area of the battle, she found a large number of her skeletal soldiers having been cut into pieces rather than destroyed by bullets. "Interestingly, he seems to be one of those people who is not shy of using modern weaponry and even had a sword on him."
"Stop making excuses. Useless! How can you be so useless, Caster!? She was just a single person, and you couldn't have killed her before the enemy arrived? Now she knows about us and will come back with more reinforcements next time."
He said it like it was a bad thing, well, it was a bad thing for him, but for her, it sounded like good news. Truthfully, she'd much rather be summoned by a literal child than be commanded around by this narcissistic buffoon. "What are your orders?" she asked, wanting to move past this issue and just get it done with.
"Did you manage to discover which Servant he summoned in particular?"
"I'm afraid not," Caster replied smoothly. "My opponent did not use her Noble Phantasm nor did she reveal much of her skills. The only information I have for you is her rather high parameters in both strength and agility. She could break one of my shields with just a couple of kicks. That alone can probably cut down the list of Heroic Spirits a fair bit."
It was a simple lie, an innocent lie as some would call it. Yes, she had figured out who Rider was, but Caster very much preferred to keep this information to herself and use it on her own terms, rather than tell him anything now. That is, unless he used one of his Command Seals to force her to reveal everything, an outcome she was more than happy to comply with as it meant she came one step closer to being free of his hold.
Given her already dwindling patience didn't reach its limit and for her to break the contract herself.
"Tch, it doesn't matter. Just come back and make sure you're not pursued or attacked by them. You may have your faults, but I still need you for this war," he said, cutting his connection with Caster.
She rolled her eyes before summoning all of the remaining familiars on the field. If she had known another enemy servant would arrive, it would have been best to prepare a bounded field around this region and use her territory creation skill. Unfortunately, this area wasn't ideal because it lacked the presence of naturally forming leylines.
Well, she knew this wasn't the last time they would meet, and next time she would be ready to confront Rider and that naive Master of hers.
A red light emanated from the woman's body before she disappeared from sight.
{Break}
(A few minutes earlier)
"Shirou!" Rider called his name, having rushed as fast as she could when Caster threatened his life. Having seen the trails of skeletal remains and fading pieces of broken swords and even some bullet casings.
In no time reaching the edge of the city where she found a winded and tired figure resting near the bridge, Bazett safely placed behind him while he was holding onto a sword and gun.
A stream of relief trickled inside her heart.
Golden brown eyes looking up at her followed by an innocent smile. "Thank God you're safe, I was worried about you."
He pushed himself up, clear that his clothes were pretty much a mess from the many cuts and burns from the previous battles. Wobbling up to her before carefully looking at her face, "You're not hurt, are you?"
"... I should be the one saying that."
What a strange person he was, always worrying about her rather than himself.
She wanted to say it was infuriating and a waste of time, but couldn't help but have her lips twitch upwards for a bit as the boy continued to look over her body for any injuries. The smile quickly died down as she recalled Caster's words, the latter assuming Shirou knew her nature in the first place.
It made her wonder if the latter would continue to act this way if he did eventually find out through the Dream Cycles. Before she wouldn't have cared honestly, but now there was some apprehension, a small ember of worry that came out of nowhere.
"I can handle myself, those familiars were just dangerous due to their quantity."
"Let me carry you back," she proposed, seeing him having trouble walking around and using the sword as a cane. "You look like you'll fall at any moment."
"I may be walking like a guy in his late eighties but I assure you I won't fall down anytime soon. Rather you can carry Bazett, she needs treatment as soon as we get back home."
At least he still had the strength to joke around. Following his words, she went over to Bazett's body and picked up the latter with one hand over her shoulders, Shirou giving her a weird stare which she pretended to be confused about.
"She's not a sack of potatoes, can't you carry her more… I don't know… normally?"
"..."
"Hah, forget it, not like she'll remember either way," was all he said, walking next to her as both left the area as soon as possible and not risk running into Caster once more. Then again, the chances of that happening given what the enemy Servant said prior made it to be an unlikely scenario.
"I'm sorry about your bike, Master." Her face winced as she recalled at one point using the vehicle as a projectile and threw it towards Caster with the help of her chained needles.
"Ah… I completely forgot about that. Nevermind, I'll just see if I can find another one and buy it, you obviously liked it a lot."
"What?"
"I mean, it's a good bike despite its flaws with the engine, I can see why you liked it. Though don't go driving around town like a maniac next time, even Caster didn't make me as stressed during our battle as being a passenger with you as the rider. Or maybe you have something else in mind? We can go to a showroom and see what…" he continued to ramble, not noticing his Servant having gone quiet and even stopped listening to him at one point.
That wasn't how a person who knew they summoned a monster would react. She refused to believe. No, she knew Shirou wouldn't continue smiling like that at her when he knew about the Gorgon.
That uncomfortable feeling in her heart grew ever so slightly.
This continued to persist until both reached his house, the boy releasing a large breath of air. "Finally, we're here. Sakura is going to kill me if she sees me in this state. Maybe I should get changed before she notices anything."
"Your face is covered in small bruises as well, Master."
"I'll just tell her I fell down the stairs."
"..."
Rider's senses picked up something unusual, "Wait." She unceremoniously dropped Bazett without any regards, leaving Shirou confused by her action.
One… two presences in the living room, human both of them and no Servant so far. Not a sign of any hidden traps planted around the house and a lack of any hostile intentions. A sweet scent of lavender and… cinnamon being picked by her nose.
She didn't need to wait long before the doors were forcefully opened as her Master walked closer. A wave of blonde hair and a striking blue dress come into view, startling the redhead and forcing him to fall on his butt.
"Yohohohoho! To be so happy to see me that you fell to the ground like that, Sherou, that is to be expected! Be dazzled by my presence and tell me just how overjoyed you are to see me again~!"
Rider did not recognize this person, but going by the expression displayed by her Master she did was not an enemy.
"L-Luvia?"
"The one and only, have you forgotten what I looked like?" She chuckled at his reaction, hiding her grin behind a paper fan. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Rider and looked down at Shirou's hand. "Right, as much as I want you to share some tea and snacks with me so that we may capture all the lost time — there is something I must do first."
A small blush formed on his face when Luvia's hands wrapped around his waist for a hug, hesitating for a moment before she returned it as well. "I-It's good to see yooouu—wah!"
He instantly swallowed whatever he was about to say next as her hold switched and she now stood right behind him. "Oh… waitwaitwaitwaitLuvianotagain! Argh!" She held him tight, linking both arms and exerting enough strength to pull his body away from the ground and slamming his upper back in a pro wrestling move.
Shirou's limbs stiffening before going limp, Luvia patted the dust away from her dress and grabbed him by the collar. "That was for you getting involved in the Holy Grail War and putting your life in danger, you idiot! Do you have ANY idea how worried I was for the past few days when I know you still aren't prepared enough to face another Master let alone a Servant! Do you even know the kind of Masters such events attract!? The very best who are known to be ruthless! You only know basic spells as far as I know, Sherou!"
"Ahhhhh! I get it! I get it! You can stop choking me!" Luvia let go of him, huffing as the pent up anger she unleashed on him with that attack.
The boy looked around, "Ah, did Sakura welcome you while I wasn't here?"
"Sakura?" The girl asked, confused. She crossed her arms and looked at the Clown, who shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. The house was pretty much empty when I arrived; even the lights were off."
.
.
.
"What?"
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 2 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.