[h2][center]Kumozaki Keisuke[/center][/h2]
Keisuke also moved to shield his ears as Elizabeth shouted at the Lancer, continuing to hide off to the side as both his Saber and his Lancer engaged the enemy. It would be fairly obvious that he would be targeted if his presence was made known, at the very least, since he was the only possible Master in the area. Even past all that apparent corruption that he could make out in the midst of the high-speed duel, there was no doubt in his mind that the enemy Lancer still had enough wits about her to immediately move to take his head thereafter.

Luckily, the distraction above had given enough leeway for Nero to slip onto the battlefield and return unnoticed with the warrior from earlier. Though the new Servant's current status was less than ideal, it was far better than him being dead.

"Thank you for your assistance. I'm... Sorry for having to go through this trouble for me," he apologized, to which Keisuke responded with a swift shake of his head and a quick glance around to re-affirm the location of the skirmish right now.

"No problem, but formalities can wait. For now, we should attempt to—"

Just as he began to speak, though, the sound of a large explosion caused Keisuke to turn his head towards the source. Of course, he couldn't see past the giant fireball of blue flames that had engulfed the area. The heat was rapidly melting the snow that was piled up on the ground, and bore than anything else it would be dangerous for them to remain here.

[i]"Archer, what just happened?!"[/i] he asked, quickly grabbing the basket and attempting to move it. It felt like it was anchored to the ground, though, which caused him to pause for a second before reinforcing his body to slowly pick up the thing and begin to move.

[h2][center]Tomoe Gozen[/center][/h2]
The high-speed skirmish caused Tomoe to begin to fire and force the enemy Lancer to decide on which attacks to block. Of course, her arrows could only do so much to force her target to act as she desired. While not every attack from Arturia had met its mark (nor had her arrows), the occasional moment that they came in tandem had, at the very least, forced the enemy to take a blow. Time and time again, these attacks began to pile up, and if Elizabeth entered the fray it was all but inevitable that their target would soon fall.

Of course, the one thing that put a stop to that pattern was a sudden glow from the Servant's corrupted eye. The blue fire that the group had seen engulfing the arena just prior seemed to flare out from her body, mixing with whatever it was that had blackened her face and radiating outwards. The corruption itself did not seem to mix with the flames, thankfully, but the Archer could feel the incoming explosive intensity of the attack and immediately leaped off her perch before letting loose an arrow straight towards the center of the flames.

"Master, the enemy Lancer just performed some sort of attack, and it does not seem like we would be able to easily pierce the flames she has surrounded herself with," she stated, calmly landing by Nero's side with her bow still drawn. "Should we withdraw for the moment?"

"...That flame... No, there's no need to withdraw; the fire is a distraction. That Servant has already retreated, and that fire will fade out within a few minutes," the Saber said, shaking his head. "This is the third time we've met, and the third time she has done this."

"Third time, you say...? Saber, explain yourself," Tomoe stated, lowering her bow as she stared at the Servant in question. "Ah, apologies for my rudeness. My name is Tomoe Gozen, servant of the Archer class."

"Ah... Saber class Servant, Siegfried. Once again, my thanks for your aid. As for the Servant you just engaged... Yes. I still do not know of her name, for she has never spoken nor unleashed her Noble Phantasm once against me. That corruption has gotten progressively worse every time I have fought her, though, and each time she has gotten stronger," he replied, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry, but that last battle likely ended with a few of my tendons cut, so without a healer I will likely be unable to move very well for the moment. But if you have any questions, I do not mind answering them to the best of my ability; it is the least I could do."

"Hm... Well, then I shall begin," Keisuke stated, his eyes closed as he mused to himself for a moment. "Other than that Lancer, have you engaged any other enemies as of late?"

"...I have. I am—or was—acting as a guardian for a nearby town here, and they've been plagued by a string of zombies and wolves. That Lancer seems to appear whenever those enemies arrive, though, so I have a feeling they may be linked," the Saber responded before the sound of wolves howling began to fill the air.

"Speak of the devil. Siegfried, direct us to this town; it will be easier to fight from a fortified position," Keisuke responded as Tomoe picked up Nero's basket of food. "The rest of you, question him as you please en route; anything you might have in mind, no matter how small, could be useful here."

[@Raineh Daze][@KoL][@VitaVitaAR]