While the corrupted Lancer was not mentally operating at her full capacity, there was enough intelligence there for her to be able to perform some level of strategy. That being said, Saber was growing increasingly certain she would eventually wear her enemy down. Whatever corruption had inflicted itself upon this Servant... It wasn't likely that there was any way in which it could be purged. Not that such an idea wasn't a possibility in the blonde knight's mind, and undeniably that would have been the preferable outcome. But in this case, the next best outcome, the more likely outcome, was the death of the corrupted Lancer. Her next manifestation would not be corrupted, and therefore she would be freed from whatever affliction this was.

With that fact in mind, Arturia struck again, forcing the Lancer to take an arrow to her shoulder from Tomoe's support. She had already been sent off balance by Elizabeth's attack! Sliding Excalibur downward, she forced the oddly-shaped spear out of the way before driving her sword forward, the Lancer only barely managing to avoid being impaled and instead taking a gash along her side and backing up. Refusing to give her the room required to strike again, the Saber-class Servant immediately pressed her attack, slamming her blade down as the corrupted Lancer attempted to make room, forcing her to block with the shaft of her spear!

Stepped forward, pressing down, Arturia could feel her opponent weakening from the injuries. Her defense wasn't as stable, now, her ability to hold the knight's assault back was waning. It was only a matter of time...!

It was in this instant that a light flashed in the Lancer's gold eye.

And then Arturia could feel it, the heat, the blue flames engulfing her enemy's body and erupting outwards!

Stepping back, Invisible Air suddenly gathered around Excalibur once more, as the flames ripped the air towards her.

"Strike [i]Aiiiiir[/i]!" Saber cried, the whirling bounded field erupting outwards and forwards just as quickly as it had gathered, an enormous rush of wind whipping towards the advancing wall of flame, sweeping away the flames and forcing a gap through the attack! Even still, she could feel the heat, the blackened flames surging past her for some distance before finally fading.

Unfortunately, her attack had not found its other target. The enemy Lancer had fled(at least, as far as she could tell given the blue inferno), using her flames as a distraction.

At this point, the best option was to swiftly move away from the flames, and so Arturia made her way quickly back to her Master's side. She was undeniably somewhat frustrated that the corrupted Servant had been able to escape, but there was no time to dwell on the matter. For now, she had to see what condition the other Saber-class Servant was in, as well as introduce herself.

Arturia planted the tip of her sword in the show.

"Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons, summoned as Saber," she began. No matter what her regrets may be, it couldn't be said that she did not still fulfill that role in history. It could not be said that Arturia was without pride, no matter what she felt about her past. Even now. "I am glad to have met the legendary dragonslayer, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances."

So the corruption had spread each time? Whatever it was that had been the catalyst for the Lancer's blackening, it was still doing its work. It was like an infection, it was a disease that was slowing running its course through her body. Whatever was the source of the affliction had to be rooted out and destroyed, before it could take any further victims.

As they quickly began to make their way towards the town, there were two matters on Arturia's mind. The first was simply that the needed to make their way to the town as quickly as possible, in order to prevent any innocent people from falling to the wolves or zombies.

"What happened when you first encountered her?" Arturia began. "Was there anything notably out of the ordinary from the start, beyond her corruption?"

[@PKMNB0Y][@KoL][@Raineh Daze]