Hello there, I'm The Royal Protector and you're reading the fifth chapter of FSF. Somewhat late to be honest, but oh well, better late than never. I should also say that because of the hiatus, I was able to reflect on the story and make a few slight changes. Nothing major so far, aside from a bit of adjusting on Morgan's stat sheet.
But without any further ado, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Zero or any other part of the nasuverse that may come up, if I did, I wouldn't be writing this
Chapter 5: A Mage's Baptism
"Well? Do you accept my challenge? I swear on my honor as the ninth head of the Archibald family that I shall end your life without any unnessecary pain or suffering should you comply," Kayneth called out again. Seeing that there was no way out of this confrontation, I sagged my shoulders and decided to answer at last.
"…Isn't that supposed to be 'and I may spare your life?" He looked faintly puzzled at the comment.
"And drag your name through the dirt as a result? No, I wouldn't dishonor a fellow magus in such a manner." Right, mages have this twisted sense of "honor" they like to uphold.
"I'm sorry, I'm a bit inexperienced in magecraft, I'm only a student," I admitted with a shrug. "But fine, let's get this over with," I exhaled loudly and mentally prepared myself for what's to come.
"Oh? A student you say? Then maybe this is fate that we would meet here. You see, I'm an experienced practitioner and teacher of various mysteries, you may think of this battle as a personal lesson between the two of us." Kayneth elaborated, seemingly aloof, but from what I knew of him, he was just enjoying being a patronizing sociopath. "Well then, go ahead and call your Servant. Without them, this battle would end rather abruptly for you." I shook my head in denial and pocketed my hands.
"If you really want a duel, come to the parking garage a few blocks down that way," I inclined my head towards a particular direction before bursting into a cloud of fireflies, leaving the annoyed Lord and his Servant alone in the alleyway.
"An illusion, how crude," Kayneth remarked at seeing my disappearance. Lancer, eager to prove his worth, was quick to offer his input.
"My lord, I can sense him moving away from us. Shall I pursue him?"
"Stand down, Lancer. He's right, as the one who was issued the challenge, he has a right to choose our battleground. It would be ill-mannered of us to cut him down now." The blonde magus reached inside his coat and retrieved a single vial containing a grey, metallic liquid. "It's not as if the outcome changes in any case." He unscrewed the cap on the vial and let the liquid drip onto the pavement below.
"Fervor, mei sanguis."
I aimed my outstretched arm at the bottles in front of me and concentrated on the tip of my index finger. Soon enough, a small sphere of burgundy colored mana gathered around my fingers, ready to be fired. I rechecked my aim one last time and willed the curse to launch.
"Gandr!"
The spell flew in the air between my hand and the target, right on course for a perfect hit. However, midway in its flight, the curse's cohesion faltered and its light flickered. In the end, the Gandr shot dissipated in the air without even hitting the target, much to my tired annoyance.
"Damn, another failure," I sighed, lamenting the difficulties of wanting to imitate spirit detectives.
"Of course, what did you expect? Even an elementary curse like Gandr is difficult to learn for an amateur," my teacher remarked with an unimpressed aura. After our first session yesterday, Morgan had seen fit to adapt a rather harsh teaching method consisting of "practice until you collapse" citing that magi used to learn spells in her time by practicing until their reserves allowed them. The problem was that most magi didn't have a mana capacity rivaling Phantasmals. Worse, with simpler spells like Gandr, the mana cost was so low that I could quite literally be shooting them all day and would only have to worry about overheating myself.
The day began by Morgan instructing me on the principles on a few select spells and then proceeded to tell me to practice them until perfection, since apparently "my circuits could handle it."
That was four hours ago.
Despite that, I didn't voice any complaints. I knew perfectly well that it was a privilege to be instructed by someone like Morgan, not to mention the knowledge that I would die a horrible death if I didn't do my best in the war kept me sufficiently motivated.
"I know that, but I didn't think it would be this hard," I answered wryly while wiping some sweat from my brow. That Gandr was pathetic compared to Rin's, and it was just a basic offensive spell to boot, just how hard could the more advanced versions be?
"Most spells take weeks or even months to master. That's why most magi spend their whole lives perfecting their craft and pass their crests onto the next generation," Morgan imparted dismissively, causing me to pause in my practice and frown in confusion.
"Then why do you even bother teaching me if you know I wouldn't be able to learn anything before the Holy Grail War begins?"
"You're an anomaly that has no right to even exist in this world, and yet here you stand. I was curious to see how those properties would translate into magecraft, but so far I haven't seen anything truly remarkable," she informed me disinterestedly. "In most fields of magecraft you appear completely mediocre or worse, with only two exceptions. You have a surprising aptitude for illusionary spells and you're also capable of seeing through most of my own illusions," she said with slightly more color to her voice, but then her eyes sought out mine and she didn't even bother to mask the intrigue radiating off of them. "The second one however is more interesting; you have managed to understand and recreate every single one of the runic arrays I have showed you without exception," she stared at me searchingly as if I was some puzzle to be solved.
"Oh, that. I've always been good with languages because of the way I've been raised. I also study both literature and programming, so I have experience to draw from… compared to the languages I know, Runes are surprisingly straightforward," I told her honestly. Once you learn the basic symbols and the few rules associated with them, Runecraft becomes surprisingly intuitive and open ended. I honestly had more trouble learning certain programming languages than understanding what section of the runic array corresponded with certain effects of the desired result. All it required was some pattern recognition skills and a bit of creativity and the symbols did everything else for you.
"Regardless of those strange qualities, I don't see what your skills can offer in the coming war. Perhaps given a few years you could become a passable magus in my eyes, but as of now, you'd only be a hinderance in battle," Morgan shook her head dismissively, her previous interest gone.
"So that's it then? Any training in magecraft I'd do would be pointless?" I questioned uncertainly.
"What you'd be attempting is learning enough magecraft to be combat capable in a war in the span of a mere week. A feat that's simply not possible for a magus as mediocre as you." Morgan's answer cut through the air and made me fall silent. She didn't even try to sound condescending or malicious with her statement, she seemed like she genuinely thought she was stating an undisputable fact, and knowing her, she was most likely right.
I wasn't a genius like Rin or Kirei, I had next to no experience with the supernatural and I simply didn't have enough time to catch up. For all intents and purposes I was just an amateur with too little time to accomplish anything. Strategizing on how I would go about winning the war would mean little in itself if I had no way of actually supporting my Servant-
…
"No, but it's necessary," I said firmly in realization. I couldn't be helpless against all of our opponents, heavens know most of them wouldn't think twice about killing me should they get the chance. I refused to be a simple victim in all this.
But what could allow someone as hopelessly outmatched as me to close that looming gap?
I projected a simple silver ring into my hand and walked towards one of the workbenches present in our base.
Runes are symbols that, once inscribed, automatically realize mysteries accordingly with the meaning that they represent. Chained together, more complex spells can be created that would normally be out of reach, the number of these possible combinations is virtually endless. With enough experience and creativity, even spells pertaining to other branches of magecraft can be recreated with little to no discernible difference from the originals.
I grabbed a reinforced dagger and began carving different symbols into the jewelry's side. Morgan's eyes held a slight interest as she watched me work with her tools, but she was otherwise content to remain silent.
"Hagalaz, Isa, Nauthiz, Thurisaz…" I laced my words with mana as I carved the symbols, the corresponding Runes lighting up with each word spoken. Once done, I slipped the now complete item on my right index finger and went back to the range. There, I took aim again at the bottles propped up on a podium of boxes.
If I can't perform a spell myself…
"Gandr!" The Runes on the ring glowed red and my finger released a powerful bolt of mana down the range. Unlike before, the spell remained strong throughout its flight and hit the bottle dead center, shattering it and then flying onwards to impact the wall on the far side of the chamber. It left a sizeable scorch-mark on the concrete and the ring itself quickly dissipated as the fragile projection shattered from the overabundance of mana coursing through it. Still, it was all too clear that my test was a complete success.
…Then I'll just have to make something that can do it for me.
The street blurred beside me as I hurried as fast as I could to our designated battlefield. I knew very well that my illusion would only buy me a few minutes at best, bur seeing the occasional pedestrian blindly stumbling in the opposite direction down the street assured me that Morgan was already on site and finishing the necessary preparations for our fight. Rounding the last street corner, I finally laid eyes upon my target building; a large, multi-storied parking garage that would be scarcely visited this time of night even without the wards set in place, providing the perfect battleground for us. I hastily entered the building and was greeted with the sight of Morgan finishing a couple of spells near the entrance of the building, most likely as some last-minute additions to our already prepared, and hidden, mechanisms.
"Is everything ready? They will be here soon," I called out to her upon arriving while mentally going over the list of modifications we've made to this place in particular. My original plan didn't just consist of constructing a surveillance system, but preparing several battle sites all around the city in preparation for upcoming battles. After all, Caster Class Servants perform best on their home-turfs, and while we had no intention of inviting people directly into our base, we were more than eager to set up several ambush spots with bounded fields, Rune traps and familiar guardians.
"Yes, I've added modifications of my own while you were away. This building is now nothing less than a deathtrap to others," Morgan confirmed with a nod, I couldn't really make out more from her mannerisms since she decided to keep her hood and cloak on this time.
"Good, I'll be waiting for Lancer's Master upstairs-" "There is a matter that I must discuss with you first," she cut me off before I could make my way deeper into the building. I paused and turned to look at her quizzically, what did she want to talk about right now of all times?
"What is it? I thought we had everything covered?"
"No matter what occurs in your battle, do not expect me to interfere on your behalf," she stated after a few moments of silence, though she didn't even bother to look at me. I frowned in response, that wasn't the plan at all.
"I get that you'll have your hands full with Lancer but-" "You misunderstand. That battle is only yours to fight, whether you win or perish will depend solely on your ability," the renowned witch interrupted me yet again with a dismissive tone of voice.
"You would really expect a beginner mage to defeat a Lord of the Clock Tower?" I asked incrediously. The plan was that I would hold off Kayneth until Morgan could defeat Diarmuid, allowing her to come to help me with Kayneth. With all the preparations we've made, the former battle would most likely end in her favor.
"No, I'm expecting my student to be able to deal with amateur upstarts like that man," Morgan rebuked without missing a beat. "You may also think of it as a test to see if teaching you wasn't a complete waste of my time."
"And you had to bring this up now? Not at any other point in the last week?" I groaned. Of all the possible times, she chose now to give me some weird test?! At my protest, Morgan finally turned to look at me and gave me an intense glare that made any other complaints I might have had die in my throat.
"I gave you my word that I would perform to the best of my ability in this Grail War and did as such for the past week, you however have yet to prove yourself fully. You may have a sound mind, but your elaborate schemes are worth nothing if you don't have the will to carry them out," she lectured in a tone as cold as ice. "I initially found you lacking in that aspect, use this opportunity and prove me wrong," Morgan finished her declaration with a challenging look before turning to face the entrance.
I stared at her in both bemusement and confliction; on one hand she just basically told me that she wouldn't lift a finger to save me if I was about to be killed, which was a blatant disregard to our whole Master-Servant partnership and was grounds for a disciplinary Command Seal or two. If I were a more temperamental Master like some of the others, I would have done that in a heartbeat, but I wasn't that shortsighted.
If I used a Command Seal now, whatever goodwill I had built up with Morgan would vanish in an instant. Needless to say, I wasn't stupid enough to risk that with a Servant as dangerous as her. Not to mention that using Command Seals to discipline a Servant was just an utter waste.
On the other hand, she wasn't entirely wrong either… Morgan did most of the heavy lifting up to this point, while I did little worth mentioning in comparison. I did promise to bring us the Grail, but I hadn't made the best impression on her as a Master when she was first summoned. Truth be told, I wasn't sure if I could be considered a capable Master even now, compared to the opposition I faced… So this was Morgan's rather indiscriminate way of dispelling any doubt about that fact. At least she did sound like she was expecting me to succeed.
"…I think I understand," I nodded at last, my mind as working working overtime to come up with a new strategy against Kayneth.
"Good. Now go, they will be here shortly."
"Right… Right, in that case you don't need to hold back in your fight, in fact I'd prefer it if you would use up as much of my mana as you can! If you need any help, just contact me and I'll use a Command Seal to boost you, and don't forget about the Runes I put under the floor! They aren't much but they might help you in a tough situation!" I yelled over my shoulder as I made my way towards the stairs and ascended to the second floor, leaving my Servant alone on the first floor.
…
"End this farce already and show yourself, Lancer," Morgan called out into the silence of the building half packed with a myriad of inert vehicles.
…
"Your Master is more attentive than I'd expected a modern mage to be. Are you sure you want to let him fend for himself?" A disembodied voice answered conversationally. Blue motes of light gathered into a single spot at the entrance before her and coalesced into the shape of a man. Twin spears resting over his shoulders, Lancer made his way deeper into the building and came to a stop at ten or so meters away from her.
"He'll rise to the challenge if he's worthy. If he's not, I have more than enough magical energy to seek out another Master," Morgan answered indifferently.
"I see, so you have no sense of loyalty at all," Lancer shook his head in a disappointed manner.
"You knights and your code, I never did understand your inane obsessions," she scoffed to herself, then inclined her head slightly to the side. "He's useful to me right now and he has some potential, I admit, but that's all. Whether he'll live up to my expectations is entirely up to him."
"You disappoint me, Caster. I expected better from a fellow Heroic Spirit," Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, First of the Knights of Fianna sighed to himself and absently twirled one of the spears in his hands. "Before we begin, I have one last question to you. Is this really your workshop? I did not expect a mage to settle for a place that was so overt." She steeled herself and focused her mana into her hands, violet and black orbs of destructive mana manifested in her palms, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. Another mental command activated the bounded field around the building, A red barrier of magical energy rose to block the exits and the different openings in the walls, sealing away the interior away from the rest of reality for the time being. A myriad of glowing Runes stretched over the walls and ceiling, each having their own special effect in this small, isolated pocket of reality.
"No, unfortunately it isn't, but it may serve as your crypt all the same."
"I see, let us begin then," Lancer chuckled to himself and raised his spears in open challenge. The two Servants shared one last moment of silence as they stared each other down before they became nothing more than blurs to the naked eye.
Upon exiting the central staircase and emerging into the third floor of the parking garage, I came to a stop at one of the emptier sections of the floor to catch my breath and reign in my steadily rising heartbeat. This was it, I was about to take part in a fight where one of us was most likely going to die, and there was a not so negligible chance that that person would be me-
A brief flash of silver light- and then the reinforced concrete beneath my feet groaned in faint protest. It gave away a moment later and fell to the floor below, leaving behind a perfectly circular opening before me. I froze on the spot and stared at the hole, it all happened in an instant, I would have to reinforce myself to the brink just to track its movements…
"Now, I believe that we've postponed our match for long enough." Silvery liquid metal rose to grasp the edges of the hole and lifted Kayneth into view. The man himself appeared at ease with his hands clasped behind his back and that fake smile plastered on his face, its meaning was crystal clear; he didn't think I was a threat to him and that he wouldn't even have to dirty his hands to eliminate me.
"Yeah, though I'll have to warn you that I might not be a match for you in a battle of mystery. Not to mention that this place was a rush job on my part," I explained and allowed my shoulders to slacken a bit. Silently, I reinforced my body to the maximum and put a set of Runes on my right arm on stand-by. In my peripheral vision I noticed the bounded field going up and encompassing the building, meaning that Diarmuid and Morgan have also begun their battle.
"It's to be expected, you are just a student by your admission," Kayneth answered condescendingly, not noticing or just not caring about the bounded field going up around us. His smile then twisted into something much more sinister. "Well then, allow me to grade your efforts! Scalp!"
In the blink of an eye, the liquid Mystic Code lashed out in my direction and effortlessly bisected me in the middle, only for my body to dissolve into a swarm of fireflies.
"Another illusion? Fine, I'll just expose all your petty tricks and hunt you down! Ire Sanctio!" Kayneth declared irritably and the mercury moved according to his will. Thin streaks of silver shot themselves at the walls and spread all across the whole floor in their search for me.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance from behind a nearby car, that Mystic Code was deadly. A perfect offensive and defensive tool that was hard to counter unless you used sheer brute force to wear it down. It was the main reason I wanted Morgan's help in dealing with Kayneth, but thankfully I wasn't underprepared for this fight, not here at least. I placed my left hand on my right arm and focused on one of the Runes there.
"Isa, Gebo, Othilia," I muttered, the symbol shone under my clothes. In the next moment, all around the building, blue runic arrays appeared on the walls and worked to realize their associated mystery, soon enough their effect would be felt throughout all floors. "Just have to hold out until then," I let out a weary sigh at, that would be the deciding factor of this battle. That and sheer luck.
A brief disturbance beside me got my attention and I turned to the side to see a thin streak of mercury drip down the column beside me. It halted in its in tracks seemingly on its own accord and pulsed once. My eyes widened in recognition and I immediately pushed myself away from my cover. Not a moment too soon as the car and column I was hiding behind got absolutely shredded by several supersonic blades, several of which cut through the fuel tank of the car and caused it to go up in a fireball. The quick reinforcement saved me from the worst of the shrapnel, but I still found myself lying on the ground, reeling from the explosion.
"Found you," Kayneth's voice cut through the crackling flames and I shakily forced myself to my feet. Facing the older man, I raised my right arm and took aim at him. A ring glowed on my index finger as I focused an abundance of mana into it. Unlike the simple projection I experimented with before, this construct was real and perfectly capable of handling the stress of repeated use, making it a genuine Mystic Code by anyone's standards.
"Gandr!" I called out and watched as the curse flew towards my target and it seemed like it would even connect, only for a shining liquid wall to appear in its trajectory. The curse impacted the defensive shield and caused ripples to spread across its surface, but the construct stood its ground without difficulty and the spell's energy was effortlessly absorbed.
Figures, that thing survived a skyscraper crashing on top of it, compared to that this wasn't even worth mentioning. Still, I overloaded that spell with as much mana as it could handle, I winced inwardly to myself.
Though there was something off about how my shot was absorbed… With the amount of material present, a liquid mercury shield of that size should be paper thin and yet it was still strong enough to resist curses and bullets with ease. Even with reinforcement, some sign of damage should be visible on it, unless those ripples-
The Mystic Code was designed to absorb incoming force and mana by evenly distributing them across its surface. With how ridiculously mana conductive mercury was, its resistance to outside forces should be absurd.
"Oh? A Finn shot of that caliber is rather impressive, for a novice anyway." Kayneth remarked patronizingly as he slowly advanced forwards, the liquid metal shifting protectively around him. "But I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that to scratch Volumen Hydragyrum." Only reinforcement and the adrenaline coursing through my veins allowed me to see the liquid elongate into a blade and sail towards me at breakneck speeds. I tried to dodge to the side, but the strike proved to be too fast and managed to cut into one of my legs. I let out a hiss of pain as I hit the ground once again and wasted no time to fish out a pebble from my coat. Dropping it in place, I rolled to the side just in time to evade a follow-up strike that tore up the ground.
The makeshift runic explosive detonated with a muffled thud as Volumen Hydragyrum struck it, momentarily distorting its shape and interrupting its attacks for a brief period of time. I scrambled behind a nearby pillar and planted my back against it. My hands moved with a panicked urgency as I took off my scarf and haphazardly tied it around my injury as a makeshift bandage. I briefly sagged my shoulders as the Mystic Code did its job and soothed the pain, it would even heal the wound given enough time, but the Runes were too weak to rapidly regenerate wounds.
Figuring out how the damn thing worked was one thing, but countering it would prove much more problematic…
Keenly aware that my reprieve would be over shortly, I peeked out of cover and activated yet another set of Runes on my right arm, causing an entire section of the floor under Kayneth to light up with eerily glowing runic arrays. The man stopped in his tracks to regard the light show, and for the first time I caught glimpse of something other than arrogance flash across his eyes; curiosity.
It wasn't fear, but it was still a better sight than his obnoxious smirk in my book.
The building shook as every Rune activated at once, causing an explosion that destroyed several vehicles and tore up chunks of concrete from the ground. A cloud of smoke and debris soon formed as fires raged in the affected area, the fire-extinguishing system came online upon sensing the smoke and doused the entire floor with water.
"Are pathetic examples of Runecraft and petty tricks really the extent of your magecraft?" Kayneth's voice could be heard from inside the smoke cloud, emerging unscathed soon after the fact. He looked around the deserted floor searchingly, only to notice that he was entirely alone, though he soon picked up a trail of blood leading up an incline connecting to the level above.
"Running away, are we? How distasteful." Kayneth scowled to himself as his shield shifted from its bubble configuration. "Flee as much as you like, you shall not escape," he declared to the empty building as he made to move forward, Volumen Hydragyrum following beside him obediently.
He did not care to notice how his breath became visible once it came into contact with the air.
Lancer twisted his body to avoid a violent sphere of mana speeding towards him. Another followed in its shadow only a moment later and his eyes sharpened as a course of action became clear to him. He raised Gáe Dearg to swipe at the incoming attack while twisting his body to prepare Gáe Buidhe. The attack was nullified upon contact and he threw his other weapon at the shadowy figure with impeccable aim. Caster tried to move out of the way, but it was in vain, the cursed spear struck her in the shoulder and stunned her long enough for him to appear in her guard and drive his other weapon into her heart, causing the Servant to freeze in involuntary shock.
"That was foolish of you, Caster. Bounded Field or not, you should have known better than to face me in close quarters," Diarmuid remarked as he twisted his spear to reach her Spirit Core, but to his puzzlement, Caster merely chuckled. It was an unnatural, wet sound, not at all fitting for a living being.
"You're right of course. That's why I decided to balance the scales a bit," she responded with a smug smirk. Her form rippled after that declaration and she transformed into a creature made up of dark vines, one of which quickly wrapped around his arm and lightly stabbed it. He quickly tore out his spears, rending the disguised familiar in two and scanned the area for any sign of the real Caster, that is until an unfathomable pang of pain shot through his arm. "Tell me, how does it feel? That neurotoxin is not nearly strong enough to put down a Heroic Spirit on its own, but you are no doubt starting to feel its effects." Caster's mocking voice rung out all over the floor.
"Tch, poison, have you no shame?" Diarmuid clicked his tongue and glared at nothing in particular. He was already feeling weaker than he did before entering this building, it could prove to be a detriment in this battle, but it would only slow him down, not stop him.
"Oh, and you would do well not to mock my ability as a mage." As soon as the words rung out, all tires blew out simultaneously all around the level and cars broke down as their suspension broke in two. Suddenly, he felt as if the entire building was pressing down on his shoulders. "As I've said, this might not be my workshop, but this where you will die either way, Lancer!"
"These underhanded tricks and this sickening mana, just what Heroic Spirit are you, Caster?" The Irishman ground out as he finally caught sight of his adversary… or at least one of them. It soon became apparent that Caster wouldn't give him a fair fight at all. That figure split into half a dozen more, all those copies lazily circled him from far away, disappearing and reappearing behind pillars.
"My identity eludes you, but yours on the other hand is easily discernible. Two cursed lances, one of which negates magecraft, and a cursed mark just under your right eye that makes you irresistible to most women." Lancer forcefully ignored the stress his body was under and deftly spun in place to bisect yet another one of those strange plant familiars. Though, already he could sense several more lurking just beyond his sight.
"Hm, I apologize for that, it's not something that I can control. I hope its effects won't bother you too much." A single Rune came to life on the ceiling not far from him and it took all of his agility to strike down the demonic beast it released. Another similar creature made up of violet and black mana growled at him from afar before it streaked across the walls and leapt at his blind spot. It too met the same fate as the one before, Gáe Dearg being especially effective at dispatching demonic entities. "But with that said, if you know who I am, then you should also be aware that as long as I hold this spear, none of your spells could harm me!" He declared resolutely and charged at one of the Casters his instincts were telling him to be the original. It seemed like she anticipated this however as she simply raised her hands in his direction with a smirk.
"Cefn!"
His body stopped involuntarily at the words, all he could do was stare stiffly at the red spear in his hand. Then before he knew it, his legs retraced their steps back where he started from, what's more, his hands recreated his swing with Gáe Dearg, only this time backwards, he was even able to see the magical energy that made up the Phantasmal he'd slain reassemble itself as his spear sailed through it. Then he stopped, body poised to defend against the beast, but he wasn't in control yet. He was forced to watch as the beast regained its senses and leapt at him, this time, he didn't have the chance to block though.
It tore into him right as he felt control return to himself. He winced at the incredible pain felt from where the creature bit into his midsection, but he gritted through it and dispatched the beast again with a simple swipe. He panted for a moment, both from the pain of his temporary injury and at the shock he was feeling.
"Caster, did you change the flow of time?" He asked his opponent, expression strained from pain and bafflement.
"Everything has a limit, even that bothersome stinger of yours. Unfortunately for you, it just so happens that my abilities far surpass that limit," she scoffed condescendingly. Despite her attitude, he could clearly see that the feat visibly strained her, judging by her similarly uneasy expression.
Ignoring the pain building up in his system, Diarmuid straightened himself and examined his situation resolutely. He was poisoned and gravity was mercilessly pushing down on him, straining his strength and agility considerably. He frowned inwardly upon realizing that he had been playing straight into Caster's hand. It was indeed true that she shouldn't have engaged in such close quarters in the first place, so she had chosen to compensate by wearing him down as much as possible. With everything that's plaguing him at the moment, it wouldn't surprise him if he effectively lost a rank or two in his physical parameters. They were likely still higher than Caster's, but now the gap would be much more manageable for her.
At the same time, his Noble Phantasm's ability was ignored entirely, which was simply baffling to think of. In the past his spear could nullify almost all magecraft he encountered; stasis, Bounded Fields, curses and so on, but to think that Caster's spell could ignore its effects… She must've been a magus of great renown to possess magecraft that bordered on True Magic…
His only reprieve was that she currently seemed to have a limit, possibly because they aren't in her actual workshop like she had mentioned, and that he could still nullify most of her spells if need be.
His eyes hardened. It would be a tough battle, he would have to be cautious about avoiding all of her higher level spells, but he was confident in his abilities.
Wit his resolve reaffirmed, he blurred towards one of the copies with the intent to kill. It didn't take long for a barrage of mana bolts to target him and for another small pack of demonic feline Phantasmals to enter pursuit.
He weaved himself between the first volley and hastily ducked under one of the familiars attempting to tackle him. He inwardly frowned at that, the familiars were fast in their own right and with his diminished condition the scales have truly tipped into balance. A quick thrust through the creature killed it and he forged onwards without a break in his stride.
Another mana bolt was dispatched with Gáe Dearg while a duo of Phantasmals appeared in his path yet again. He swung Gáe Buidhe at them, its shaft caught their open maws and swept them away into a parked vehicle. It only took blocking another volley of mana bolts to get a clear line of sight to his target.
Trusting his instincts, he relied on his Mind's Eye to guide him as he jumped into the air before Caster, with Gáe Buidhe in an overhead grip, pointed at his intended target. His muscles bulged in preparation as his body twisted mid-air until he was facing in a different direction entirely. Then, he let loose his lance with all his might.
The yellow spear sailed through the air, flying between wrecked cars, pillars and demonic beasts until it reached one of the other copies of Caster. The previously unsuspecting copy's eyes shot wide open in alarm and barely managed to evade the blow meant to kill her.
Diarmuid meanwhile landed in a crouch before the fake and used his other Noble Phantasm to decapitate the disguised plant familiar. The red spear then flowed through the air, striking the last of the pursuing pack behind him until the weapon settled into his hand once again with a little twirl. He once again straightened to his full height and turned to take in the results of his failed attack, only for his disgruntlement to melt away into utter confusion.
The cursed spear did indeed miss, but as it passed by Caster's head it rustled her clothing and more importantly her cloak, revealing the face it had kept hidden away up until this point.
"Saber-? No, that can't be, but this malevolent energy and twisted magic, you're-" He cut himself off with a shake of his head, his face darkening considerably. "I see, I don't know how someone as abominable as you could become a Heroic Spirit in the first place, but your mere presence defiles the sanctity of this competition between heroes." Caster's face twisted with derision at the words.
"You'd dare-"
"I cannot even begin to imagine what twisted desire you would have for the Grail, but it doesn't matter. The mere possibility of someone like you obtaining it is something that I can't stand for." She was cut off coldly before she could even get a sentence in. Diarmuid twisted his remaining lance and got into a ready position, fully intent on ending Caster's second life right there. "Know this, witch. Your existence is a disgrace to all Heroic Spirits, and it's my duty as a Ser- no, as a knight to remove vile impostors like you." He did his best to banish all traces of his distaste from his features as he then proceeded with a solemn vow.
"Prepare yourself, Caster. No matter what abhorrent tricks you try, I won't let you leave this place alive."
…
"…Just who do you think you are, cur? You are only here to finally find some solace in your pathetic existence and you dare to belittle me?!" All illusions around them simultaneously faded and her familiars frantically retreated back to their spawning points. The violent, tainted mana he has been sensing up to this point lurched to the surface, he could feel its oppressive aura pushing down on his shoulders even through the increased gravity. A glance at Caster showed that dark, vine-like tendrils began to spread from under her cloak. They crawled along the floors, pulsing with violet energy every so often. They slowly invaded every surface, effortlessly crushing reinforced concrete pillars and vehicles in their grip as if they were made of paper. "Death is a too lenient fate for vermin like you, but I'm going to enjoy sending you back to the Throne!" With that, the tainted mass charged with the power and speed of a tidal wave crushing everything in its wake.
I lifted my left arm to cover my nose and mouth before dashing through yet another cloud of smoke. The fabric of my coat was drenched with the water expelled from the fire extinguishing system, serving as another layer of protection against the smoke, but I could already feel the liquid harden itself as the seconds ticked by.
"Don't you tire of this cat and mouse game already?" Kayneth's voice echoed throughout the fourth floor. True to his words, our fight so far has consisted of a deadly game of hide and seek. Visibility was limited thanks to the constant downpour from the water sprinkles on the ceiling and the coiling smoke clouds around the burning remains of demolished cars. The Lord compensated for this by having his Mystic Code scout from him, I on the other hand just kept to moving from cover to cover while occasionally casting a simple illusion to throw the man off. I could tell that my tactic was getting on his nerves a great deal, but I wasn't that concerned; for my plan to work, I had to delay him as much I could.
"Although, now that I think about it, I didn't expect to feel so refreshed in this place. Why, is it just me or does this fight feel less tiresome than it has any right to be?" He wondered out loud as a silver blade sliced through yet another mini-van not far from me, causing it to erupt in flames. I took cover behind a column and quietly hissed as my wound flared up with pain.
Again, he was right. We've been at this for minutes, I had been casting illusions and curses left and right while he had demolished a good portion of the floor all by himself, despite this I didn't feel the least bit tired.
"Oh I see, the air itself is brimming with mana. You must have calibrated the Bounded Field to make it easier for you to cast spells." It was scary how he could just tell that from a glance, magical prodigy indeed. "Tell me, is it the work of these Runes around the building? A matrix that releases stored up mana at a specified date, I have to admit, the matrix seems rather complex on first glance, I might just take a look at them after I defe-" The entire building shook as if a genuine earthquake disturbed its very foundations. The sound of crumbling concrete captured my attention and I turned to see cracks appearing and rapidly spreading both on the floor and the pillars supporting the floors above. The lights flickered, several pipes ruptured as the entire structure groaned with an unearthly sound and before I knew it, the world tilted sideways.
I was forced out of cover as the floor became a slope and I slid across the ruined ground towards the edge of the building. Thankfully, I managed to take hold of myself myself and grab onto another pillar just before a car rolled past where I had been a moment prior. I glanced upwards at the ceiling with an alarmed look, watching as even more cracks appeared in the reinforced concrete. For a moment it seemed as if the entire garage would collapse in on itself, thankfully, the Runes and the Bounded Field flared to life and locked everything in place, preventing a total structural failure.
The building was safe for now, but it was obvious that as soon as the field came down, the garage would too.
I winced to myself, Morgan and Diarmuid were certainly not holding back. It was a hypothesis backed up by the fact that I could feel a much larger portion of my mana being siphoned away than before. The feeling of all my Magic Circuits working overtime was a strange one; it was like having a genuine furnace built into my chest that was burning away relentlessly. It wasn't unpleasant per se, the warm feeling was actually welcome right now, but I had a feeling that was only the case because of the unique circumstances I was currently in.
I grit my teeth and staggered to my feet to take in my changed surroundings. The whole floor was tilted slightly in my direction, likely the result of several pillars giving out on this side on the lower floors. Fires flickered weakly on the occasional wreck or piles of rubble while water fell from the ceiling directly from broken pipes, though the liquid solidified before it could reach the ground and form puddles. I stumbled away from the unstable column serving as my cover with a slight limp, though honestly the thing resembled a tower of Jenga more than anything-
Another flash of silver appeared in my vision and I willed my body to dodge to the side. Surprisingly, I successfully evaded the attack without injury and could even track the liquid mercury as it sailed past me… Was it getting slower?
Unfortunately, my luck ran out there as instead of its intended target, the Mystic Code struck a nearby half-collapsed wall, or more specifically the recently exposed gas pipe sticking out of it. I barely had the time to widen my eyes in surprise as metal punctured metal and the gas inside ignited in a violent reaction.
She launched another violent burst of magical energy at the worm running away from her. The attack was enhanced by the curse stemming from her very blood, and so it was powerful enough to effortlessly evaporate everything that stood in its path, reinforced concrete, tempered metal, even her own Bounded Field, everything would be annihilated in its wake. The accursed Servant was likely only saved by his own instincts warning him of his impending doom, even so he didn't get away unscathed from her wrath. As the attack passed on, leaving a trail of devastation behind alongside a punctured and already closing Bounded Field, she could see Lancer panting on the sidelines, now sporting an injured leg in addition to everything else he had suffered at her hands so far.
"What's the matter, Lancer? Are my petty tricks giving you trouble?" She didn't even bother hiding the mocking laugh that escaped her. It would seem her contractor would be getting his wish, she actually enjoyed going all out and showing this insolent cur his place.
Dust fell from the ceiling as the building rumbled beneath their feet, an unwelcome side effect of her liberal use of her powers, but it wasn't something she was concerned about. The Bounded Field would hold until she deemed it fit to entomb the Servant and their Master, she had a promise to keep after all.
By this point she had forgone any semblance of restraint, due to both pleasure and righteous fury. Her Noble Phantasms wouldn't be as effective at this range or against someone as agile as Lancer, so she opted to just simply crush him where he stood with her magecraft instead. Another burst of mana accompanied her thoughts and forced Lancer on the move. The Irish Servant was forced to frantically dodge between her attacks and the falling debris the slowly crumbling building produced. This continued on until the spearman decided to jump through one of the holes in the ceiling and relocate to the level above.
"Tsk, coward," Morgan growled to herself and wordlessly cast a simple levitation spell on herself. Tapping into the Runic matrix encompassing the building, she pinpointed his exact location and followed his example by using a nearby hole to ascend to the level above-
A red spear appeared in her vision in a fraction of a second, shock overcame her and she hastily conjured a magic barrier in front of her to take the blow. It took another fraction of a second to realize her mistake.
Gáe Dearg effortlessly shattered her defensive barrier and grazed her side. She let out a strangled cry of pain at the injury, but steeled herself quickly enough to notice a second spear heading straight for her Spirit Core. It was only her quick wits that allowed her to conjure another smaller shield and use it to deflect the blow meant to kill her. With its wielder in arm's reach and momentarily exposed the temptation to use her Noble Phantasm on him-
No, her expression twisted with rage, there was no need to prolong his pathetic existence, even if it would be filled with suffering. She would end this now.
Mind made up, she let loose of a point blank mana burst. It didn't connect, predictably, but it was only meant to give her a chance to create some space between them, which worked as he was forced to back away, lest the destructive curse consumed him whole, though not before swiftly retrieving his thrown spear. She similarly backed away until she felt comfortably far away.
It was how they ended up facing each other on either side of the relatively unharmed floor just like how their fight begun. Only now, instead of carrying neutral or somewhat eager expressions and hopes, now there was nothing but seething glares and thinly veiled disgust aimed at each other.
It was clear to both sides that the other wanted this battle to be over with and neither could think of a counterargument to the notion. A silent declaration was made by both parties in that moment, this would be their final exchange this night. Diarmuid got into an optimal stance, already seeing a possible way to his victory through his Mind's Eye, while Morgan silently analyzed their situation. She could blast that insolent Servant with a single one of her mana bursts, but timing would be crucial, even a split second would be enough for him to evade her attack and close the distance. Her eyes subtly glanced around the level, finally noticing-, no, remembering a slight detail. Her contractors Runes, they were strewn across the entire level, there was even an explosive Rune right under Lancer's feet. It wouldn't kill him if it were to explode, but it would upset the Servant's footing for a moment or two. That was more than enough time for her-
No, she scoffed at the thought. Her, needing his help to deal with a lowly knight way over their head, the mere thought was enough to make her laugh. No, she would earn this victory alone.
As if their time was up, plumes of dust and debris fell from the ceiling as the building's structural integrity degraded further and further. Visibility was reduced to the minimum, granting the perfect chance for one party to make their move.
That party proved to be Lancer as she could feel him moving towards her through her detection Runes around the building. Her fury momentarily tempered, she retaliated by unleashing her strongest blast of mana yet. The destructive wave raced towards Lancer, crushing and incinerating everything in its path. However, instead of fleeing, she could feel Lancer strike the ground before him with one of his spears and using it as pole to vault over her impending attack. His timing was impeccable as he sailed between the destructive wave and the ceiling with barely any room to spare. Once in the clear, he hurled his other spear in her direction.
Morgan analyzed the situation in a split second and enacted her own counter.
"Cefn!" With a single word, she reversed the movements of her previous attack, ensuring that Lancer would have no choice but to close in the distance between them.
"Rhewi!" With another command, she sent the freezing spell after the thrown spear. She couldn't see which of the Noble Phantasms it was, but she could determine it by seeing if her spell would take effect on it. In the best case scenario, she could rob him of a weapon.
To her slight surprise, the spell worked and caused the lance to become suspended in place. Using that piece of information, her eyes narrowed as a course of action presented itself to her.
She silently weaved a magical barrier around the captured spear, which was most likely the one that could inflict cursed wounds, just to ensure the spearman wouldn't be able to retrieve it. She then silently manifested one of her Noble Phantasms, her dagger; Erosion. If the captured spear was Gáe Buidhe, then that must've meant that Lancer was still in possession of Gáe Dearg, the spear that could nullify most of her magecraft, in which case her only option for both defense and offense was her physical Noble Phantasm. They would inevitably come to blows at this point and she was likely to suffer a serious injury even from his first strike, however he would suffer an injury in their clash as well. With both of them heavily injured, in normal circumstances the one with the better regenerative ability would triumph; in this case she surpassed him handily as she had the better mana source. Not only that, but even a simple scratch from her dagger would be enough to seal his fate.
She inwardly smirked to herself, no matter what Lancer would try, her victory would be assured-
In that moment, Lancer burst out from the dust cloud, Gáe Buidhe in hand and poised to strike at her heart.
"What-?" She froze up for a split second at the contradiction, which proved to be fatal as the cursed spear moved to strike her in her Spirit Core. It was all she could do to belatedly move her dagger in the way, knocking the weapon slightly off course. It still didn't save her from having the Noble Phantasm pierce through her side, grazing her Spirit Core on the way. She let out a soundless gasp as she felt her spirit being damaged and fell to her knees from the pain. Her first attack returned to the point where she cast it, forcing Lancer to flee behind her to avoid death. He then moved to pick up his weapon and strike a killing blow on her-
"Rhewi!"
Lancer abruptly stopped, just like Assassin did in her first battle in this era. She panted heavily as she clutched at the steadily bleeding wound on her side. She forcefully grit through the pain and turned to glare venomously at her captured enemy.
"You wretched cur! You'll die for this-!" She continued to curse him out, only to notice that the Servant wasn't even paying attention to her now, instead it seemed like he was looking past her… Momentarily seeing past the anger clouding her mind, she recalled a crucial detail she had forgotten. Hesitating for a second, she glanced back in the direction where Lancer originally attacked from. Now that her attack dissipated and the dust had settled, she could clearly see which spear she had captured.
Gáe Dearg, the Crimson Rose of Exorcism, its tip wrapped up in a worn out bandage.
As if prompted, said bandage evaporated into white particles, leaving the naked Noble Phantasm in place.
Her magecraft proved to be no match, the spear nullified her stasis spell and not even her barrier could stop the weapon as it strived to complete its original trajectory. A last moment head tilt was the only thing that saved her from being skewered, however a new dread overtook her as she realized what was behind her. Whipping her head around, she watched as the spear broke through her second stasis spell, releasing its owner. The freshly freed Lancer caught the speeding projectile, swiftly twirled it place, and used it to immediately turn on her.
She frantically got to her feet, backing away even as she cast her spell.
"Cefn!"
Diarmuid froze in place just before the tip of Gáe Dearg could pierce her chest, then meticulously retraced his motions as he backed away. Not keen on wasting the opportunity, Morgan sent a blast of tainted magical energy at the trapped man with the intent to kill.
She was horrified to see her curse being nullified as it splashed against Gáe Dearg as it was spun backwards. Worse, her injury flared up at that moment, causing her control to slip for a split second, but even that was enough. Lancer broke out of her spell and lunged at her.
Rapidly Running out of options, she realized that her only chance at survival would be the use of her other Noble Phantasm, no matter how inefficient it would be.
"Dwyn-" The butt of Gáe Dearg hit her across the face, preventing her from finishing her incantation and sending her into a dazed state. She was unable to do anything as she watched with vague awareness how Lancer finished his pivot and thrust Gáe Buidhe straight at her Spirit Core-
The last thing she'd been aware of before darkness consumed her vision was a blinding flash of light.
Consciousness returned to me slowly and painfully. Forming coherent thoughts was difficult with my ears ringing as they were right now, but despite that a stray thought occurred to me somehow.
I was almost did in by a genuine gas leak in a Holy Grail War… That had to be an achievement or something.
I slowly cracked open my eyes, which again was accompanied by a rather unpleasant feeling of vertigo. The sight of the ruined ceiling I was greeted with was blurry, but I could make out that there was something off about it disregarding that. I lifted a hand to my face and blearily realized that I didn't see it, just a blurry outline on the right side of my vision...
I felt around my left eye with my hand and realized that it was covered with a warm liquid. Wincing slightly at the implication, my hand wandered upwards to my forehead and temple. To my relief, that area was still wet and more importantly, pulsing with a dull ache.
Good, I only had a concussion then, the blindness was from the blood in my eye. Which was still bad, but a lot less permanent-
Something wrapped itself around one of my legs and unceremoniously dragged me through the rubble cluttering the floor despite my weak attempts at resisting. Soon, I found myself hanging upside down in front of Kayneth, who was once again sporting his contemptuous smirk. His lips were moving, but I was too out of it to catch most of what he was saying. It took me a few moments to bring everything back into focus around me.
"-A commendable effort, but alas, the end result of this battle was already decided at the start. I hope you learned something from this to take with you into the next life." Just as he finished, a part of his Mystic Code not occupied with keeping me suspended morphed into a blade beside his head, poised to strike at me. He didn't command it to do so immediately, so I took it a cue that he was allowing me to have a final word of sorts.
So he cared about formalities when he was sure of his superiority, I mused faintly to myself. I internally muttered a prayer for enough time to have passed and slowly raised my shivering hand to take aim at Kayneth. The man himself just watched me with that same amused smirk even as my finger pointed directly at his chest, his eyes daring me to just try it. I didn't blame him for that, even at this close range, Volumen Hydragyrum would take the shot for him and bisect me in the next instant.
Still…
Somewhat sure of my wobbly aim, I gathered mana into my ring and fired. I watched as in almost slow motion the bolt of mana rocketed ahead while an unoccupied part of Volumen Hydragyrum raced to intercept it-
"Agh!" Kayneth cried out in pain as the curse connected and forced him back a step.
It glanced off. The Mystic Code was too slow to fully catch the Gandr shot and instead pushed it slightly off course. Most of the bolt's energy was still absorbed and it hit Kayneth in a less vital-spot, so what was intended as a crippling shot was reduced to a mere stun strike.
It still hurt a lot, a direct curse would affect most magi all the same, the difference in skill lay in the time it takes to dispel its effects. That's what Morgan told me, and looking at Kayneth clutching his chest and coughing violently into his gloved hand just further reinforced that idea in me.
And now that I know my plan worked, it was time to end this fight.
I fired again and again, each time the mercury shield would manifest and try to protect its stunned master, but it could never fully catch the shots speeding past it, small parts of the spells would always bleed through and kept hitting the lord. The latest of which forced him to a knee as his legs faltered under him from the perpetually building pain.
Using the opportunity, my offhand reached upwards to my legs and touched the mercury encasing my feet. Upon realizing that it was solid, I concentrated on the highly sophisticated Mystic Code… and opened the floodgates of every single one of my magic circuits.
"Robbanj!"
A truly staggering amount of mana flooded into the mercury shackle and pushed the wonder material to its breaking point, causing a sizeable portion of the magical weapon to shatter to pieces and drop me onto the ground. I grunted in pain upon landing and forced myself up into a sitting position as my nausea reared its head again.
"W-what? Volumen Hydragyrum, how?!" Kayneth stared helplessly at his damaged Mystic Code, disbelief clear in his voice. The mercury was now moving visibly slower as it shifted confusedly around him.
"I-I warned you I wouldn't be able to match you in a battle of mystery, that's why I had to rely on science instead," I answered faintly and let loose of another Gandr at him, which was partially blocked once again. "You were only half right about my Runes. They do release mana into the air, but they don't store any, they convert the heat energy in the air into mana. This of course has the added side effect of drastically lowering the ambient temperature." I explained as I slowly got to my feet while shooting curse after curse at him. Each of the shield's movements were slower than the last and areas that remained in place for longer than a few seconds had even more trouble changing shape again.
"Y-you…" Kayneth's eyes widened, realizing my line of thought.
"The freezing point of mercury is -38 centigrade. You might not have noticed it with the illusion cast on this place and with how overclocked our Magic Circuits are, but this place is now probably the coldest place in the world, and it's getting even colder as we speak." I placed my offhand onto my other arm and deactivated the command Rune on it. With that, the Runes responsible for maintaining the illusion of normalcy around area deactivated and revealed the truth. The fires were flickering because of the freezing temperature, the water didn't form puddles because it turned into ice before hitting the floor and why just now I could see my wounds literally releasing steam because of the temperature difference. It wasn't a perfect illusion, seeing as I was able to notice signs of these things in the first place, but with the warmth from our magic circuits and the hectic nature of our battle, it proved sufficient.
There it was, my whole strategy and gamble. There was no way for me to magically overcome Kayneth's Mystic Code, it was a nearly impeccable piece of mystery that was designed for maximum amount of durability and fluidity.
It only had a single weakness for me to exploit; its complexity.
By disabling a single function of its construction, you could tear it apart at the seams. The force distribution and shape shifting aspects only worked if the mercury was liquid, take that away and its durability and agility is drastically reduced. If the mercury is solid and stationary, you can touch it and destroy it.
Another Gandr shot impacted the freezing shield and instead of being absorbed like before, a small segment cracked and shattered into shards of frozen metal. The Mystic Code seemed just as panicked as its owner as it struggled to fill in the holes consequent shots punched into it. Seeing his greatest creation failing before his eyes, Kayneth desperately cried out.
"S-scalp!" A relatively unoccupied part of the silvery metal shifted into a blade and moved to strike at me, but it was so sluggish at this point that I didn't even need to apply Reinforcement to sidestep it and place a hand on it.
"Robbanj!"
The mercury exploded into a cone of shrapnel in the opposing direction, completely shredding a nearby pillar and reducing the original construct's mass to critical levels. I released another volley of Gandr shots at the remainder of the shield, breaking it completely this time and rendering it into inert fragments. I turned my attention to Kayneth, who by this point fell to the ground from the pain of all the curses playing havoc on his magic circuits.
I shifted my aim at him and was prepared to shoot one last Gandr at his heart, but I halted when my functioning eye took in his form. His breathing was out of control and his scrunched up face was constantly shifting in anguish. Even from where I was standing, I could make out his agonized eyes staring at me fearfully; his pupils contracted almost to their limits, angry red veins spread all over his sclera and tears of pain flowed freely down his cheeks. Turning my attention away from his face showed that some kind of slowly expanding black spots dotted his skin-
It was rot, the curse was making him rot alive.
My gaze faltered at the sight, the sheer terror in his eyes was unsettling. Was I in the wrong by intending to kill-
I shook my head at the errand thought and gathered mana into the ring. This was necessary, questions of morality aside, it was my obligation as a Master, not to mention the promise I've made to Morgan-
-But they wouldn't approve, would they?
I closed my functioning eye and let out a discontent sigh. Which promise should I uphold here? What was the right choice?
"L-lan-" Kayneth's weak muttering snapped me back to reality and made me look down at the injured man again. I cursed under my breath as I saw one of the red marks on his hand glowing. In the next moment, a blinding light forced me to look away. When it faded I was greeted with the sight of Lancer standing between me and his fallen Master with a very irate expression.
Eyes wide in fright, I took a frantic step back and grabbed my Runed arm with my offhand.
"You could kill me right now, but not before the Runes activate and blow all of us up." I swallowed uneasily as dozens upon dozens of explosive Runes flared up all over the floor. "You would likely come out unscathed, but your Master certainly wouldn't."
If Diarmuid heard me, he didn't show much sign of it at first since he made no move, if anything it seemed like his mind was somewhere else entirely at the moment. I was tempted to push more as the seconds ticked by, but he dropped his stance and took a glance behind him before I could.
"Tch, instead of worrying about me, you should take care of your own Servant," he commented, distracted. In a swift motion, he placed Kayneth over his shoulder and threw his red spear at the transparent barrier at the edge of the building. The area around the spear flared once and fizzled out as its mystery was negated, allowing a pathway back to reality to stabilize around it. He threw one last look of disgruntlement at me before becoming nothing more than a blur to my enhanced senses.
I remained alert even when the tear on the barrier closed after what was most likely their exit, mostly due to suspicion, but a healthy amount of fear as well. It took a few moments more until I felt safe enough to sag my shoulders in relief and deactivate my Runes.
"Damn it, I messed it up, didn't I?" I sighed discontentedly. Just had to hesitate right at the end and now this night amounted to nothing. What's more, Kayneth wouldn't underestimate me next time, along with any other Masters who were watching closely. Tokiomi and Kirei more than likely had Assassin observe our fight as best as they could. Seeing the "novice" crippling a Lord of the clock Tower in a straight fight…
One mistake and our entire strategy may fall apart… just great.
"How are you holding up, Morgan?" I called out distractedly, mind still focused on my failure and its consequences, but to my confusion no answer came.
"Morgan?" Again, no reply whatsoever. Frowning in slight worry, I checked our bond to see-
"No, no, no, please don't!" I cried out in open worry as I shook off the remainder of my disorientation and high-tailed it towards Morgan's position. On the way there, I was vaguely aware that the Bounded Field around the building was flickering weakly, likely a sign of an absent controller or lack of mana. This hypothesis was also reinforced by the muted rumbles emanating all across the building as the structure struggled to hold itself together. Rounding a final flight of stairs and barging out onto the second floor, I was greeted with a sight that made me halt dead in my tracks.
Tainted Mystery: A++
Proof of one's ability in Fae magic, which is said to near or in some cases completely surpass even the True Magics themselves. This skill however is tainted in the dark curse of Britain, a formidable curse separate from humanity and originating from Gaia itself.
In practical terms only the highest grade of Magic Resistance is capable of nullifying spells cast with this Skill in mind. Though it is noteworthy that while working in conjunction with a sufficiently well prepared Bounded Field even that might not be enough.
Tsk, haven't you learned yet, Nathan? Hesitation is defeat.
Baka Morgan, accept help when you need it.
And that's what you get when you mix weeks of preparation, insider knowledge, magical talent, incredible skill and arrogance; a draw!
Seriously, that last sequence with Morgan&Diarmuid was entirely due to Diarmuid's Eye of the Mind skill. That shit is pseudo Clairvoyance and can be straight up broken against unsuspecting (or uncaring) foes.
If you have trouble picturing how Morgan's attacks look, just use Salter's Mana Bursts and Excalibur Morgans as a base. The curse on her and Excalibur is the same as the one on Morgan according to canon.
Runes are criminally underrated.
Yes, Nathan is specializing in the creation of Mystic Codes, which he uses to fight other people. A sort of magical artificer, if you will.
Reviews:
FreakyFreek: This fic will only last til the end of Zero, but spin-offs are not off the table.
GrimmSoul1: No one wants to deal with Gil, except maybe Enkidu and Siduri.
Schwarzwald The Reader: I did in fact thought of using other Servants, though not Casters but Assassins. I originally wanted him to summon Zealot from Strange Fake, since it's technically possible for her to appear in the Fuyuki system, but decided against it in the end because SF is still ongoing.
Well, on the summoning side of things, personally I would fare the best with Shakespeare. The worst one would be Avicebron because I'd never trust him and he'd be just obsessed with his golem, I would even be tempted to just order him to commit suicide and try to win the Grail through other means. Semiramis hates everyone that isn't herself or Amakusa, so she'd be problematic but still more manageable than Avicebron. Medea is similarly strong but more trustworthy, so I don't see many problems working with her, since she just wants to live a happy life. Shakespeare would be a blast. The cons are that we wouldn't be doing much fighting at all, but the pros far outshine everything else; messing around for the whole duration of the Holy Grail War only to show up at the finale and prank everyone else. Seriously, could you imagine if Shakespeare's NP was used on Gil? Made him relive Enkidu's death? CasGil would probably be just sad about it, but ArcherGil is much more temperamental and would probably lose his shit.
Runelt99: Not nessecarily, sure he could sustain the two of them, but that's about it. In a fight he'd be a sitting duck focusing entirely on just supplying them with mana. Besides, Lancelot is just more trouble than he's worth; he's a Berserker because he hates himself and wants Artoria to punish him, but if he were to see Morgan, he'd attack her in a heartbeat since he's still "loyal" to Artoria. Plus, the point of the HGW is to eliminate the Servants, he'd have to be killed either way sooner or later.
Magi Mari: This fic will only focus on Zero, but spin-offs are possible.
The Thinker: Every "dumb luck" scenario becomes mundane if it was explained in detail. From Kiritsugu's perspective it was simple logic to use Avalon on Shirou, but from Shirou's perspective he was just saved by the only thing in the entire world that was capable of healing him. Something that wasn't even supposed to be on the same continent or time period as him. In Shirou's place, whatever else would you call that aside from luck or a genuine miracle?
Until next time!