With this voice, I make my Disclaimer!
The Nasuverse is under direct ownership of Type-Moon
All other franchises fall under their respective ownerships (spoiler reasons)
Here is the next chapter. Originally, I was planning for this to be the debut of Lancer, but I'm going to hold that off until the next one. Hopefully this story gets a little more momentum in the comments. Is it petty? Fuck yes. Does it make me sound desperate for attention? Absolutely. Do I give a shit? No.
Glad to see the limited support this story is getting despite having an OC as a main protagonist.
Criticism is welcome.
Hope you enjoy reading this, it's why the story exists.
Chapter 2: Recon and Coffee
Near the top of Mount Enzou, Artoria sat atop a set of stairs that led to Ryuudou Temple, staring at the crack of dawn. Currently her Servant, Caster, was negotiating with the owner of the temple for them to get a place to stay for the duration of the war.
Normally, Artoria would be the one negotiating. With her B-rank Charisma, she could easily convince the temple owner to let them stay for a while. However, one of the owner's sons, Issei, would eventually become a close friend of Shirou, and from what she remembers, the boy was quite sharp. If the Ryuudou child meets her now, then stumbles across her past self, ten years later, (never thought such a sentence could even exist) he would no doubt warn her scabbard about such a meeting and arouse unwanted suspicion. So, the two agreed that Artoria was to avoid being seen in places Shirou would frequent, such as the Fujimura residence and Homurahara Academy.
To help hide her true identity, Caster had "procured" them a pair of baseball hats, one of which Artoria was currently wearing. The hat itself was nothing special, it was a simple black baseball hat. Her ponytail was sticking out the back, and despite her best efforts, her stray cowlick (or ahoge, as Shirou affectionately called it) that plagued her all her life was currently sticking out the front.
For some reason, Artoria felt as if her current attire was offending someone. However, she simply brushed it off. This mission was too important to her to care about hurting someone's feelings just because they didn't like how she dressed.
Anyway, as for the second cap, Hunter kept it for "practical uses" as he called it. Now that she's thinking about it, how long was her Caster going to take? The first official battle of the Fourth Holy Grail War was tonight, and they needed a place to regroup and lick their wounds.
Speak of the Devil, here he comes now. Considering how Artoria can actually sense his approach, that is already a good sign. His cloak, the Shroud of Avalon, was one of the most powerful Mystic Codes ever created, easily on par with most A-Rank barrier Noble Phantasms. Hunter pretty much has EX-Rank Magic Resistance so long as he was wearing it. However, a downside is that the cloak cuts off most of her abilities to keep track of her Servant, including their ability to communicate telepathically. The most she had was her ability to supply him with Prana.
The former King of Knights was broken from her thoughts when Hunter came and sat beside her. She finally got a good look at Hunter's Parameters and couldn't help but wince. His Parameters weren't bad per say, easily comparable to a Rider, however, as a Caster, they were atrocious. She understood that his cloak and Noble Phantasm was the only reason her Servant was even qualified for such a class, but she didn't think his abilities would be this bad.
Sadly, the only other Class Hunter was qualified for was Assassin, and while such a class would definitely give him better Parameters and Class Skills, the tradeoff would be the loss of his Shroud and Noble Phantasm, the only two things that would allow him to keep up with her past self and Gilgamesh, and would guarantee exposing himself to the Church and the Master of Archer, Tohsaka Tokiomi, something they wished to avoid for as long as possible.
She shook her head, now was not the time to whine about things that couldn't be changed. Luckily, her Servant's outfit drew her mind away from such thoughts. While the Magus still wore his combat boots and pants, he was now wearing a military green shirt beneath a black biker's jacket and had a pair of old dog tags- his dog tags- hanging from his neck. And without his cloak, which was currently folded in his lap, she had a clear view of his face. He had black hair in a crew cut, and dull green eyes, weighed down by experience and loss. And on top of the scar, he had on the edge of his lip, another scar was on the opposite end over his right eye.
Overall, Artoria could say he was more of a rugged handsome that would not look out of place among her knights at Camelot.
"What took you so long?" She asked neutrally. There was no need to ask how negotiations went, his current attire was enough.
"I was fortifying the base." He answered simply. No jokes, no quips, something was on his mind.
"What do our defenses entail?" Artoria asked. She will refrain from pressing Caster on what's bothering him for now.
"I basically took inspiration from what Medea did during your Fifth Grail War and made it so that the entire perimeter save the main entrance was encased in a bounded field. On top of that, I set up silent alarms around the entrance so I'll know if any intruder attempts to enter without permission, and for extra incentive, any who enter through the bounded field will take a hit to how much strength they can put out." The Caster explained.
Hunter can't compare himself with Medea of Colchis, he wouldn't even try. As a Magus from the Age of Gods, he'd lose in a magic fight against her, no doubt there. However, for all he lacked in talent and power, Hunter made up for with ingenuity. Instead of outright weakening a Servant like Medea did (or will do), Caster instead limited how much a Servant can use all at once.
However, the process was far from perfect. For one, the bounded field only affected a Servant's Skills and physical Parameters, i.e., Strength, Agility, and Endurance, and the effect varies depending on one's Magic Resistance. For example, if King Arthur, with her A-Rank Magic Resistance were to walk through his bounded field, she'll get a minus debuff to her Parameter's and maybe have a few skills go down a rank. Compare that to Gilgamesh, who had E-Rank Magic Resistance, his parameters would go down two ranks at least, and most if not all of his Skills would be sealed. Sadly, this doesn't affect a Servant's Noble Phantasm unless it involves a physical enhancement.
His Master nodded at his explanation. Normally, Artoria would be against such a weakness in their defenses, however, Artoria trusted Hunter knew what he was doing. In truth, she probably trusted her vulgar companion more than she trusted Bedivere or Lancelot. There was a reason she assigned him as the leader of the Dogs of Avalon instead of her loyal knights.
"It sounds like everything is going smoothly thus far." Artoria was aware she was spouting crap, and Hunter knew it too.
Her Servant snorted. "I wish. My Familiar just returned from the Tohsaka compound and I got bad news and good news." Once again, his ingenuity was his saving grace. His Shroud of Avalon blocked off any and all mental abilities from its wearer inside or out, including their ability to peer into the eyes of their Familiars. As a result, he had to learn to create his Familiars with the ability to retain memory so he can view what they've experienced once he's collected them, but the result was effective.
As he said that, he stuck out an arm and seemed to be pointing at the sunrise for no reason. Then, before Artoria could question him, a giant centipede with a red head, crawled out of his jacket sleeve, and curled around his finger, causing Artoria to jump in fright.
"The Mukade Centipede." He explained. "The most common species of centipede in Japan, they are typically found in forests and rural areas, though they are more commonly found during wetter seasons."
Artoria couldn't help but stare at the familiar in mild disgust. While it was a brilliant tactic to make Familiars in the form of native species, that didn't make sight before her any less disturbing.
"You said you had bad news." Artoria inquired, trying to get back on topic.
"Yeah, the bad news is that my familiar couldn't get to the compound until Assassin "died" and started to vanish, but from what little it saw; I can safely say that the Assassin isn't Hassan of the Hundred Faces." If Hunter didn't have his Master's undivided attention before, he sure has it now.
"Are you sure?" Artoria was relying on her knowledge of the Fourth Holy Grail War to give them an edge, if she can't rely on that past knowledge, they were no better off than any of the other competitors.
"Positive. In fact, I don't think any of the Old Men of the Mountain are the Assassin in this war." Said Caster.
"What makes you say that?" Artoria asked. Hassan-I Sabbah was almost always the Assassin of the Fuyuki Grail Wars unless special circumstances are met, and she doubts a Magus like Tokiomi would waste time to bring forth a special Assassin, when he planned to dispose of it later.
"Well, I'm not a hundred percent certain, but I'm pretty sure that our current Assassin uses a sword. And while I admit to not seeing it tip to pommel, I saw enough of the blade itself to know that it was a katana."
Artoria didn't question him. She knew Hunter well enough that he would never mistake a saber for a katana even in the middle of the night. Even if he did, it would still confirm that Assassin was not Hassan of the Hundred Faces, as from what Artoria remembers, they only used knives in their arsenal.
"And the good news?" Artoria asked.
"I also confirmed that Archer is still Gilgamesh, so that's one less thing to worry about."
Artoria sighed in relief. Gilgamesh was not a Heroic Spirit one could scoff at, but knowing that he was still the Archer of this war made things a lot easier in her mind.
"Alright, then for right now, we lay low, until we can gather more information. For all we know, Gilgamesh and my past self are the only Servants we're familiar with. Hopefully the battle at the docks tonight will proceed the same way they did in my timeline." Artoria ordered.
Caster nodded. "Gotcha. Until then, I'll do some recon. You may be familiar with the land but I'm not. Closest I've ever gotten to the "land of the rising sun" was when I was on shore leave in DC." Said the Servant of Artoria. He then got a look or realization.
"Oh, before I forget." Hunter then proceeded to toss his Master a familiar looking knife that she caught with ease.
Her eyes widened. "Carnwennan."
"Yep."
"But-" Artoria tried to say, but the Servant cut her off.
"Beds gave it to me back when he first joined the Dogs, wanted me to return it to you, but I never got around to it." Hunter explained.
Artoria gave him a deadpan expression as his excuse.
"I'm not apologizing." He said without missing a beat. That thing got him out of a lot of trouble, more than what he is willing to admit. Besides, what would she even use it for, reminiscing over that one bitch witch she killed it with?
Artoria sighed in resignation. She can already imagine his arguments for not returning it earlier, so she decided to go a different route.
"How are you going to hide your presence as a Servant, you cannot go to spirit form, and your shroud will only make you stand out."
Her Servant then proceeded to take out the baseball hat he "obtained" earlier and put it on.
Artoria raised an eyebrow at his new head dress. "The Chunichi Dragons?" She recognized it from a baseball game she watched using Merlin's Clairvoyance.
"Don't judge me." Hunter said playfully. "Besides, I find it a little funny."
His Master smirked and chuckled quietly at that. While it wasn't really funny, she did enjoy his attempt at humor.
Seeing that made Caster smile softly, before it returned to his usual big smirk as he got up and stretched a little. "Well, I'm off. Hopefully that katana-wielding Assassin doesn't try to off me while my back is turned. Personally, I hope it's Sasaki Kojirou."
"And dare I ask why?" The former King of Knights asked warily.
"So, I can ask whether the swallows he kills are African or European." He responded, not even looking at his Master, not that he needed to know what comes next.
Later, Fuyuki Docks
"Alpha-Lion, this is Sierra-1, I have arrived at point Alpha, do you copy?" Hunter said mentally. He was currently at the site of the first "official" battle of the Holy Grail War in his civilian attire, doing recon. However, he was not allowed to enter the pier itself as it was still morning and people were working. Stupid cup, why couldn't it start the war on a Sunday, or even better, a Saturday!
"Sierra-1, this is Alpha-Lion, I have eyes on point Alpha. Stay on mission objective but keep your distance understood?" His Master ordered.
"Affirmative Alpha-Lion. I'll check back at 1000 (ten hundred) hours." The magus Servant responded. It was about 9:30 right now so he had some time.
With a mental confirmation, the two cut the mental connection before Hunter sighed in relief. The Grail only gave Servants relevant information about the modern day, and military lingo wasn't one of them, so he had to teach Artoria the old fashion way. However, those results put him at ease.
Old habits die hard as they say, and on a mission like this, those habits were even harder to kill.
He then adjusted his hat, resecuring it on his head. His baseball cap was pretty much the only item that was allowing him to blend in with the populous. The Caster managed to turn the cap into a minor Mystic Code that's only purpose was to hide the wearer's identity as a Servant.
Considering that he cannot turn to Spirit Form, nor could his Master be seen wandering the streets, this was their best option considering Kiritsugu was no doubt on the prowl trying to I.D. enemy Servants and Masters, and Assassin was probably out there trying to do the same.
Hunter sighed with emotional exhaustion. It was a miracle to the Servant how much he managed to accomplish in such a short amount of time considering his item creation was only Rank E! As a Magus, even third rates were usually better at Magecraft than him.
The Servant shook his head slightly. Focus, now's not the time for pillow talk, especially with himself! He continued on his objective, to find ideal locations for him to nest when the dock fight happens. Already he found a few spots away from Assassin and Kiritsugu's keen eyes, as well as Kiritsugu's little lapdog Maiya.
Initially, he wanted to use his Territory Creation to observe the fight. Despite his meager D+ ranking with the stat, it had more than a few perks. It took less than a minute to set up, and allowed him to perceive everything in that space that can be seen with the human eye. The downside is that any workshop he makes is more like a firebase and initially is about as subtle as one. As a result, anyone who can even detect mana, can immediately find any territory he sets up. That's part of the reason he was in such a hurry to set one up as soon as possible.
Sadly, the only way around this was to use his Territory Creation so that it overlapped with Lancer's Master's (Kayneth Archibald) boundary field. However, that requires the Caster Class Servant to be there and risks detection. It also pretty much defeats the whole purpose of setting the firebase in the first place.
Familiars were a no go too. The amount he would need to field for that to be worth it was far too risky. Not only was there a very real risk of them being killed in the crossfire, if a smart Master *cough Kiritsugu cough* found one, then it would only be a matter of time until they tracked him down. It didn't matter if his cap could hide his identity as a Servant, there would be at least one team that could single him out as at least a participant.
So, for now, the plan was for Hunter to observe from a distance, at least until a less risky solution can come forth. Hopefully, Assassin was the only outlier the pair has to deal with.
"Aaaaaand I just jinxed myself." Hunter lamented mentally. He doubts even his B rank Luck could save him from the universe (or in this case, Alaya) from pegging him in the ass for that thought.
"Sierra-1 to Alpha-Lion, I've located a few nests to perch, I'll be disengaging." Hunter called over the telepathic link.
"Roger Sierra-1, you are free to disengage." His Master replied.
"Thank God! I'm heading to a cafe to get a coffee, then buy some candy, do you want any?" Caster has heard legends about Japanese candy, and he needed to get a taste for himself.
"...Caster." Artoria started. "Where did you get the money for that?"
The aforementioned Servant gulped and gently rubbed his head to alleviate the phantom pain from where Artoria struck him back at the temple. C-Rank Endurance and it took him almost an hour before he could see straight again.
"Iiiis, that a yes, or a no?" The Servant asked slowly, as he (poorly) tried to change the topic.
He knew immediately it was futile. Although he couldn't see his Master, he could practically feel her intense gaze through their bond. Well, might as well come clean.
"I stole that serial killer's wallet. I took the money out and burned the rest, no traces left behind." The Servant replied. He never bothered to learn the monster's name; he didn't deserve such remembrance.
"Just be careful." The former King said, tiredly. She then cut the connection.
"I should be saying that about you." Hunter said quietly. Their current situation was not ideal.
Things were going off script and they haven't even started yet. The unknown Assassin was a huge chink in their plan, and if more was going to show up, the odds of them failing were going to rise that much higher.
He can take failing this mission. Even after all these centuries, he can still remember the taste of bitter defeat. The taste that remained with him even after victory. The taste that he and his people have been spoon fed time and time again, as they failed to protect billions. He has grown used to that taste, Artoria -not King Arthur- has not. If she fails this, after everything they were willing to sacrifice, it just may break her.
Caster gently traced the scar over his eye as he took a trip down memory lane. Ironic, how this disfigurement was the purest thing about him. His armor, his equipment, his body, none of it was the same as back then, only this blemish on his face remained.
He could remember it like it was yesterday, how he got his scar, when he got it. He missed those times, all of it. It was… not better, but simpler. Before The Dogs, before the Alaya, before… the betrayal.
Hunter's face grew bitter at that specific memory before he shook his head. Now was not the time for a pity party, it wasn't about him, it was about Artoria, and she'll need him by her side for when they… do the deed.
With renewed resolve, he decided to get back to what he planned to do, getting some coffee, then buying candy.
It only took a few minutes before he managed to find a small café. He then walked over to the only available seat on the patio, and began the long wait for the waitress to come over to take his order.
However, before he could truly settle, he caught something in the corner of his eye that made him almost jump out his seat right and dash for the mountains; Saber and her "Master" Irisviel, looking for a place to sit.
This was bad, very very bad. Not even one day in, and already things could get more FUBAR than they already are. The only thing keeping him from leaving now was the possibility they saw him seat himself, only then suddenly leave within a minute without ordering anything. Irisviel probably wouldn't notice anything unusual, but Saber was a King and a knight protecting her "Master" right now, he had zero doubt she was on the lookout for anything suspicious.
"Master, I am currently looking at your past self and former "Master," help me!" Caster begged mentally. Just as he said that the waitress began moving to him! Damnit, B-rank Luck my ass! He then could feel Artoria using their connection to see his situation through his eyes.
"Invite them over." Was all she said.
"What?" Is all he managed to think.
"My past self and Irisviel, invite them to sit with you." She clarified.
"Why?" Caster asked, trying to keep his desperation out as much as possible.
"All will be revealed in due time, Caster, just do it."
"Merlin has been a terrible influence on you." Hunter deadpanned unironically. His Master simply giggled.
"Excuse me sir, are you ready to order?" The waitress asked. The Servant mentally sighed, well if he was going to risk getting skewered by the Sword of Promised Victory, he may as well deserve it.
He then placed his order, earning a look of confusion and slight disgust from the waitress. Huh, guess she's had it before.
"A-are you sure sir?" She asked, trying to be professional. Hunter simply nodded in acceptance. However, before she left, the Servant called out.
"Excuse me." Caster called out to the Homunculus and Servant, grabbing their attention. "I got some free seats here if you want." He gestured to the free seats near him.
While Saber was rightfully suspicious, Irisviel looked eager and practically dragged her "Servant" with her.
"Thank you, I thought we'd have to wait all day before a seat would open up." The Einzbern thanked, though Caster brushed it off.
"No problem." Was all he said with a wave of his hand.
"So, what will you two be having?" The waitress asked. Though before either of them could say anything, Hunter interrupted.
"They'll have what I'm having." The Servant of Magic said. He put a slight bit of Magecraft into his words to hypnotize her a little. Not enough to make her his puppet, but just enough where she'll take his order without complaint. Hopefully, the little Homunculus was too distracted to notice.
"Of course, your order will take a few minutes so please, be patient." And with nothing else, the waitress left.
"So, is your order good?" The albino inquired. Good, she didn't notice.
"Good is relative. Hopefully, my order will give you a taste you won't soon forget." It took all his discipline to keep a straight face and not to snicker or snort at his words. Glancing at Saber for a moment, he saw that the Servant of the Sword was looking at him with suspicion.
He doubts she's learned of his Servant status, or she simply would've pulled Irisviel away from him. Artoria was many things, but subtle wasn't one of them.
"Time to change the subject." He thought.
"So, you two on a date?" He inquired bluntly. That got a reaction, as Irisviel lit up like Rudolph's nose, and Saber had a tinge of red on her cheeks before coughing into her hand.
"No, no no no no. Saber, Saber here is just a friend, besides, I'm already married." Irisviel stuttered, while showing her wedding ring to the Servant.
"I understand your confusion, however despite my state of dress, I too am a woman." Saber said maintaining the composure and dignity of a knight.
Caster narrowed his eyes. Not at Saber acknowledging her true gender, but rather how she worded her sentence.
Hunter knew King Arthur came from a time where homosexuality was considered sinful in the eyes of God. However, that excuse didn't stop the indignation he felt from her words.
"I am aware, Saber, is it?" Hunter responded, not even bothering to hide the hostility in his voice. That seemed to catch the two off guard. Before, the man seemed quite friendly, even a little playful.
"Uh, did I do something to offend you, good sir?" Saber asked cautiously. Of course, the Grail wouldn't fill her in on how tolerant people were these days, why should it, it had nothing to do with War, or the Holy Grail. That did little to alleviate his anger.
However, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Artoria had something planned for them (or at least Saber), and getting angry would only put that plan in jeopardy.
"Nothing to concern yourself over." He managed to say, though it did little to help in alleviating the tense atmosphere.
"Are you okay?" His Master asked. It seemed she heard what her past self said.
Normally, he'd say some bullshit about how Saber's words won't affect his performance in the field. But Artoria wasn't just her Master or her CO, she was his friend, and he wasn't going to be difficult with her, not about this.
"No, those words hurt." Hunter was Bisexual, and hearing one of his only friends, even a past version of her, say something so insensitive hurts more than words can describe.
"I'm sorry." Was all she could say. He had nothing to respond with, it would be meaningless anyway.
After a few more minutes of awkward silence, their orders came, three cups of black coffee. Being the one to order these, Hunter decided to go first.
He was still a little hurt from Saber's words earlier, but he managed to steel himself and take the plunge. When the cold liquid reached his tongue, it took all of Caster's will and training to keep a straight face as he took a slow long sip from his mug.
Seeing the hidden Servant drinking without any (noticeable) problems, the two women decided to join and try their drink… only to spat it out a moment later, luckily away from any bystanders, aka him.
He couldn't stop the small smirk that was forming, as he watched the two react to his little prank, not even as they sent him a glare that promised nothing but pain. However, it only made his smirk turn into a full-on smile, before he erupted into laughter. It wasn't long before Irisviel started laughing too, much to the confusion of Saber.
After finally calming down, Caster was in a much better mood, and it seemed his little prank had the side effect of finally cutting through the earlier tension.
"So, was that "payment" for allowing us to sit here?" Irisviel asked playfully.
"Pretty much, don't worry about those drinks though, they're on me, you can get something else if you want." Hunter replied, as he took another drink from his cold coffee.
"How could you drink something like that?" Saber asked with equal amounts of curiosity and disgust. The King of Knights could not imagine someone willing to drink that vile thing without an ulterior motive.
"Because I'm paying for it." Caster deadpanned. He did the mental math, and he should have enough money left over to buy a bag of candy or two.
A few minutes later, after getting new orders, and Hunter downing the coffee Irisviel and Saber got, the group started to make small talk. Though it was mostly just Caster and Irisviel, Saber was too busy playing the socially awkward third wheel.
"So, why are you here in Japan Hunter?" Irisviel asked curiously when he explained that he was a foreigner.
Hunter simply tapped his Chunichi Dragons hat. "Baseball. My cousin and I are fans and want to see our favorite team in action. She forced me through so many Japanese classes just so one day we could watch a game without the subtitles." He said with a smile.
Irisviel's eyes practically sparkled at that. "Oh, I've never seen a baseball game before."
"Well, there's a game in a few days, maybe you could join us." Caster offered, though he did have to force his smile a bit for that one.
The Homunculus looked down with a sad smile. "Sorry, but I have business over the next few weeks, I'm afraid I can't join you." Saber then proceeded to try to console her "Master" to the best of her abilities.
The Servant of Magic allowed himself to frown before he responded. "Well, if you can't be there, you could still watch the game on TV, I know the channel and the time, so you could still watch it." That made the Einzbern visibly brightened, as she wrote down the information on a napkin, and stuffed it into her coat pocket.
Both Servants smiled softly. One for her friends renewed happiness, and the other for giving her a chance to experience a bit more happiness before she dies.
Back at Ryuudou Temple, Artoria was busy at the temple. As part of the deal the former Servant was busy helping out around while Hunter was out on patrol. Luckily, Issei was at school right now, and wouldn't be back until this evening.
However, her thoughts weren't on their plan or the dangers that come with it. Rather, it was on her Servant. Hunter was stressed out, and was trying to take as much of the responsibility as he could.
Artoria was not a fragile girl, the opposite in fact, and she has only gotten stronger since Camlann. However, she also understood her Servant's viewpoint.
This path, this plan, it went against everything she believed in, everything she stood, fought, and almost died for. She was about to embark on a path of blood that will kill hundreds of innocent people, and ruin thousands of lives, all for the sake of her wish to reunite with her love.
It was also why Caster wanted to end the war as soon as possible, to numb the pain. His original plan had him picking off the Masters one by one until only Artoria and Kiritsugu were left. She told him no, but if she was honest, he probably would've done it anyway if not for the unknown Assassin.
The former King sighed. On paper, she and Caster clashed so much from an ideological standpoint; her honorable and chivalrous nature towards battle, and his pragmatic view of missions, their relationship should have been like her old one with Kiritsugu. But it wasn't, for one simple reason.
Hunter, for all his similarities to Kiritsugu, actively tries to get her to understand his perspective. He goes out his way to explain his thought process and why he does things the way he does.
It helped her see that Hunter was not a chivalrous knight upholding a code of honor, he was a soldier, one whose "honor" so to speak, was about saving the people he swore to protect with everything he's got. So, while they may butt heads at times, and Artoria does not like his lax, jovial nature off duty, she understands that it is also a coping mechanism for his time as a "Helljumper."
For all his flaws. Hunter was a loyal friend; one she will do all she can to help. It was the least she could do for everything he has done and will be doing in her service.
Back at the café, the group had finished their coffee and decided to split the bill (Irisviel's puppy dog eyes made him unable to refuse). Afterwards, the the three parted ways as Hunter claimed he needed to get back to where he was staying, his "cousin" was probably worried about him after staying out so long. The two bought the lie, though Saber seemed a little suspicious, but they still parted on more pleasant terms than before.
On his way back to the temple, Caster stopped by a candy store and bought two packs of candy. One for him and another for Artoria. While she never stated whether she wanted any or not, he got her some anyway, as he knew she wouldn't refuse. After trying some, he realized that yes, Japanese candy definitely lived up to its legend.
Upon his return, the Servant announced with a sing-song voice. "Honey, I'm hommme." Which only got him a broom to the head.
Chuckling, he turned to see Artoria looking at him with an unimpressed look and a broom in her hand, or was it a spear, it was hard to tell in her hands.
Wordlessly, he held out the leftover bag of candy he bought, which was quickly replaced with the broom that was in Artoria's hand a moment ago. Getting the message, the Servant began sweeping, while the Master enjoyed her Japanese confections.
"So, you gonna tell me why you wanted me to risk my identity to our targets?" Caster inquired as he continued to sweep.
"No." Was all she said. To her, talking was a waste of time when she should be eating. Hunger is the enemy after all.
Her Servant merely shrugged. He doubted he would've gotten an answer even if Artoria wasn't too busy shoving her face.
"Are you going to be, okay?" She suddenly asked. Looking over, Hunter expected to see an empty bag by her side, instead the bag was still half full.
"What my past self said before, it hurt you. Are you going to be, okay?"
Hunter sighed. "I'm not gonna say that I'm over it or some spiel, I'm not. But I won't let it get to me if you're this worried." He said, gesturing to the unfinished candy bag.
The two sat in silence for a few moments, before Caster spoke up. "So, what are we going to do about clothes? We have to stick around for about ten years, and I doubt you want to do laundry every day."
"We should focus on the war first; our current wardrobe will suffice for the time being." Artoria retorted.
"I was thinking maybe some jeans and ("Are you ignoring me?!") a t-shirt with Kanji that says tourist on it. Maybe for you we can look into Shirou's wardrobe for inspiration." Hunter ranted. That last part made Artoria freeze for a second before staring at her Servant with suspicion. Where was he going with this?
"After all," Caster started with a shit-eat grin on his face. "I know you're just dying for a chance to get into your scabbard's pants."
Artoria immediately rushed him and smacked her fists against his chest in embarrassment and anger while he simply chuckled in amusement, though internally, she was relieved. Today was a little rough on her Caster, and seeing him make jokes was definitely a good sign in her book.
"So, you ready to give Alaya a pegging it won't forget, or has Merlin given you back your Futa dick?" He asked cheekily.
Artoria simply rolled her eyes in exasperation before responding. "Yes, yes let's get this "pegging" over with."
Caster simply gasped dramatically before putting his hand over his eyes as if he was about to faint. "Such language!"
His Master merely laughed and shook her head at his drama queen act. Shirou may have been the one who brought out her heart as a woman, but Hunter was the one to bring out her identity as a human being. She couldn't ask for a more loyal Servant, or a better friend.
Chapter End
Here it is Chapter 2, I hope it was worth the wait. I was meaning to get this out sooner, but work and school and all that. Anyway, the first foreign Servant won't appear until the next chapter, and the first fight scene won't appear until after that one. My primary aim for this one was to expand a bit upon Caster and Artoria's relationship.
Here are a few things I am going to clear up, if only because it can be explained to those who pay attention.
Artoria and Caster's relationship: This is not a Caster x Artoria story, they are friends. The whole plot behind this story is that Caster is helping Artoria reunite with Shirou, otherwise they would have no point in being there in the first place. Now, for people confused by how chummy they are, as I said in chapter 1, Caster has been serving Artoria for centuries, it's why she does not question his choices, even if she doesn't agree with them.
Caster's abilities: I know a lot of people are going to complain about the mixed signals I've been giving, but let me explain. Caster, as a magus, is third-rate at best, however, he compensates his lack of talent by pushing what he can do, to levels that most Magi don't need to, so it balances out. Truthfully, the only reason he could be a decent Caster is due to his Noble Phantasm and the Shroud of Avalon. Also, I have both of their powers and abilities set up in ways that allows him to compensate, but also has a fair share of weaknesses to not make him unstoppable.
Caster's sexuality: I know you people are going to flame me for this due to the café scene, but for the few that actually read this stuff, let me explain. I had Caster's sexuality decided before I even wrote this chapter. The scene was a complete accident, it just happened.