Hi Guys! Here with a brand new chapter! And it's a long one!
I do not own Harry Potter or Type-Moon.
Scéal Iascaire
Boredom is an odd thing. A state where a person finds himself restless if there is nothing to do. To end boredom, a person may do many things, from simply playing with their fingers or counting spots on a wall, to unleashing pranks and mayhem across all who he sees, and anything in between.
In short, idle hands are the devil's workshop, as they say.
In Cú Chulainn's case though, it was an idle mind.
'Ugh…why is today so dull?' thought the Irish spearman in distress. He was lounging around in the Chaldea Library, his legs dangling off the edge of a comfy sofa, and an open book on his chest.
'I was this bored that I actually came here to read, and not even that is helping me. Drinking all day doesn't feel like a good way to pass time, my usual guys are nowhere to be found and no-one wants to spar – and it isn't even lunchtime yet!' he rubbed his eyes in frustration. 'Gah, I better find something to do before I become a scut for the rest of the week.'
The blue-haired Lancer heaved himself up and got off the sofa, grabbing the book from his chest. 'Let's see…maybe one of those French books will help. Those French Servants sure love talking about them.'
He walked past a few aisles, glancing at the signs until a faint noise got his attention. He peeked inside the aisle, and in the between the bookshelves (and right in front of the one he wanted) stood Charles-Henri Sanson.
"Yo, Sanson!" Cú called, waving. The executioner looked up from the book he was holding and nodded courteously in response.
"Bonjour, Monsieur Cu. What brings you here?"
The Irishman held up his book and walked towards him. "Just lookin' for something to read. You got anything to recommend?"
Sanson raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Pardonez-moi, but I didn't take you for the…type to enjoy reading."
"Eh, I know. It's just that the boredom's really getting to me today. Besides, I wouldn't know Runecraft if I wasn't a little interested in 'scholarly activities'…no matter what Teacher says" he muttered.
Sanson hummed. "True, true. Well, do you have any particular preference when it comes to literature?"
Cú shrugged. "Not really, just no sappy romance novels."
"Mm-hm. Well, that could be difficult…" Sanson's icy-blue eyes wandered the titles in front of him until he plucked a book from his right and handed it to the Lancer. "Maybe you'll enjoy this one. At the very least, it fits your criteria."
Cú accepted the books and looked at them. "'20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'?"
"Yes, it is a rather famous one; I hope that you will enjoy it. It was written after my time, but I am unashamed to say that I have grown fond of it."
"Thanks, I'll take your word for it."
"…would you mind joining me? I would not mind some company while reading."
Cú tilted his head at the request but shrugged in acceptance after. "Sure. Don't see the harm in it."
Sanson turned and exited the aisle, the blue-clad Lancer following him. They reached a pair of velvet armchairs and proceeded to each sit down in one. After getting himself comfortable, Cú opened up one of the books.
'Okay, let's see what we have here. "The year 1866 was signified by a remarkable incident, a mysterious yet inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no-one has yet forgotten." Well, this is a nice start; the hero isn't shown at the beginning…'
Time passed as the Hound of Chulainn read more and more of the novel. Sanson was right, this was a very interesting story. While some of the scientific terms flew over his head, the conversations between the characters and especially the descriptions of the sea drew him in for some reason.
'When was the last time I saw the sea? Okeanos? We were too caught up with all the insanity that went down there to actually appreciate the view…maybe once or twice on Drake's boat but nothing serious…the drinking contests were great though. Man, those pirates sure knew how to drink.'
A sigh unwittingly escaped Cu's lips, which drew the attention of Sanson. "Is something wrong? Is the book not to your standard?"
"Huh? No, this book is great, thanks for that by the way, it's just…ah, it's nothing. Just the boredom seeping through."
"Quel malheur. Perhaps another book would help you?"
"Nah, I think I'll finish this one."
Sanson shrugged and returned to reading. Cú did the same, relaxing again in the chair until a stray thought made him pause.
"Say, do you know where Leonidas and Mordred are?"
"…no, I haven't seen them recently, why?"
"I just didn't see them today, and they weren't in the simulator or the gym."
"Hmm…well, those are their usual haunts. Have you tried the Rayshift Chamber?"
Cú lowered the book and looked at Sanson. "The Rayshift Chamber? Why? I didn't know there were farming sessions scheduled for today."
"There aren't. Da Vinci and Dr. Roman recommended a small pause to check the Singularity flow, perhaps that's why things seem quiet. No, I mean to say that maybe those two just went out for some relaxation…or killing beasts, knowing their attitude."
The Irishman's eyes widened. "Since when could we do that!?"
Sanson lifted his eyes from his book and met Cú's stare. "Oh, you don't know? The scientists have recently found a way for us to spend time in the Singularities without beaming into monster-filled hotspots like we usually do, and without Master at that. Since then, a few of us have requested to Rayshift so we could spend some alone time in the 'outdoors', as it were."
Cú's mouth dropped. Why didn't he hear of this before!? "You mean to tell me that I can just go up and ask the geniuses to Rayshift to wherever for some fun time?"
"Ah…I…believe so, yes."
"…" Cú looked down at the novel, his gaze intense for a few seconds. Then, he stood up and snapped the book shut, a resolute look in his eyes.
"That settles it then!" He handed the book to the Frenchman, who took it with a confused stare. "Thanks for the book, Frenchie, it gave me an idea, so now I have something to do on this boring day! Bye now!"
Sanson blinked as the Lancer started to head out the library. That was…surprising.
"Um…if I may ask…" he called out to Cú, who stopped to listen. "What is it you are thinking of?"
The blue-clad Lancer turned around, a wide smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye, which made Sanson sweat a little. That look always meant something was going to happen.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going fishing!"
-x-
"Fishing?"
"Yeah, fishing! Can I go?"
Da Vinci blinked at Cú before swallowing some of her coffee. She should have known the day wasn't going to be this quiet…
"You're talking about the Servant Rayshifting, aren't you?"
"If that's what you call it, yeah! Sanson told me how you found us a way to go on vacation in the Singularities, so I wanna go fishing!"
The Caster scratched her cheek. "That is true…and there isn't anything urgent today…so I guess you can go…"
Cú grinned and stood up. "Great! I'll get my stuff and head right back so-"
"But!" Da Vinci cut him off. "We need Romani's authorization for this, so you're going to have to wait."
Cu looked down and let out an impatient 'tch'. He didn't have time for this! "Where is he?"
"He's in the infirmary doing a check-up on Harry, so he shouldn't be long."
The Irishman raised an eyebrow, but then his eyes and grin widened. "Thanks for the tip, missy! I'll go and talk to him so get everything ready!" With that, he ran out the door, leaving Da Vinci momentarily stupefied before shaking her head. She really should have expected this…
Cú dashed through the hallways of Chaldea, waving past any staff members he encountered until he got the infirmary doors. Without even a knock, he pressed the button to open them and stepped in, where the doctor was tapping on a tablet while Harry sat on a bed, legs dangling above the floor.
"Yo, doctor! Can I talk with you a moment?"
The doctor raised his head in surprise while Harry turned to him with a similar look that morphed into a happy expression.
"Big Bro Cú!" he called out and waved, to which the Lancer returned with a smile before returning his gaze to the doctor.
"Cú Chulainn? I must say, this is a surprise, but what are you doing here?"
"Well, I want to use the Rayshift and Miss Da Vinci said that I need to talk to you so, here I am?"
The doctor blinked. "The Rayshift? What for?"
"Fishing!"
Romani blinked again while Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "You're gonna go fishing?"
"Yeah! I'm bored and I want something fun to do, and I overheard some of the others talk about this, so here I am!" He walked to Harry's bed and sat beside him, placing a hand on his head. "Better yet, I want you to come with me!"
Harry gasped. "Really?"
"Sure am! I thought to myself: 'If I'm going fishing, I might as well teach my cute little brother how to fish!' Your old man didn't teach you yet, didn't he?"
"N-no."
"Well, that's even better! I'll teach you fishing, and we'll go out to catch some nice, juicy fish for dinner! What do you say, doc? You good with this?"
Romani opened his mouth to protest (despite not having a real argument), but soon faltered when Harry blinded him with a puppy-dog stare that only a devious female could have taught him while Cú placed his chin on his little Master's head, a faint smirk on his face.
(Meanwhile, a certain tanned schoolgirl was playing hide-and-seek with her twin when she sneezed, thus giving away her position before she was pelted by a water balloon.)
"Um…I…"
"Come on, doc. I promise I'll be careful and make sure the little Master stays perfectly safe. Besides" he gestured to Harry, who still had the puppy-dog look. "Look at him, he loves spending time with us, and he certainly loves spending time with his big bro; what better way to bond than with fishing?"
"…fine," Romani replied, sighing. "Okay, you can go. I was just about done here so I'll get the Rayshift ready. Just…don't do anything too stupid." He rose from his chair and headed out the room, rubbing his forehead in frustration and muttering. "Why must we be saddled with such troublesome Servants…?"
Harry looked on with worry at the good doctor as he left. "Is Dr. Roman okay?" he asked, looking up to his big-brother figure.
Cú looked down and ruffled Harry's hair. "Don't worry about him, he's tougher than he looks. Now, how about we go to your room and pick out stuff for our little trip? That, and we should probably tell your mom; I really don't want her giving me a verbal beatdown."
An hour or so later in the Rayshift Chamber…
"Well…I have to give it to you; you certainly are prepared" remarked Da Vinci.
"Eh, it's nothing special. I asked Medea to make this for summer but it'll do fine here." The Irish Lancer wore a blue Hawaiian beach shirt with white flowers and dark-green Bermuda shorts. Slung over his shoulder was a large duffel bag and a pair of sunglasses rested on his forehead. In his hand were two fishing rods – one large and red, and the other small and blue.
"Really? Well, her Magecraft is nothing to scoff at, so Spiritron Dresses must be trivial for her…I should ask her sometime…" she muttered, then shook her head. "Where is your spear?"
Cú's lips twitched upwards as he opened the palm of his hand. On it was inscribed a series of runes.
"Runes can make a lot of things easier if you know how to use them."
The inventor nodded, impressed by the subtle show of Magecraft. He wasn't his teacher, but Cú was no slouch when it came to runes.
"Alright, if you're ready, then I suppose we can start things up. I'll just-"
"Wait a moment missy" Cú stopped her. "There's still one more thing."
Da Vinci raised an eyebrow but her attention was caught by the sound of the doors opening. Into the chamber came Mata Hari and Harry…but the latter caught her by surprise.
The child Master wore a Hawaiian shirt identical to Cú's, with the only difference being the color of the shirt, emerald green, along with sky-blue Bermuda shorts with two pockets on each leg and sandals. He carried a backpack with him, and a straw hat slightly obscured his face, which was painted with sunscreen.
Da Vinci bit her lip and resisted the urge to squeal in delight at the utter cuteness of the little Master and glomp him as he trotted up to Cú.
"Look at you, little mister!" Cú exclaimed with a grin, looking him up and down. "A little fisherman in the making! Are you ready to have some fun with your big bro?"
"Mm-hm!" Harry nodded with excitement. "Where are we going?"
"Ahem" Da Vinci coughed, drawing the attention of the two. "I'm so glad you asked that Harry because I picked a prime fishing spot for you two." She looked up to the Command Module where Dr. Roman sat. "Romani, if you would!"
The doctor nodded and a bright spot on the holographic globe behind them appeared, right next to the Caribbean Sea.
"The island is in the Okeanos Singularity, somewhere near where modern-day Puerto Rico would be. It's nice and calm, so there shouldn't be any storms or highly dangerous monsters nearby, but be careful since it's still a singularity."
Harry and Cú nodded.
"Also," Da Vinci continued with a smile. "There's a freshwater lake on that island, so if you want to find more drinking water, that's the place to go."
"We'll take note of that." The Lancer patted his Master's head. "So, ready to go?"
"Mm-hm!" He went over to his mother and hugged her. "Bye, Mommy!"
Mata Hari bent down and returned the hug with a smile. "Have a good time with Cú, schatje. Remember to listen to him and don't stay too long in the sun. You'll burn your beautiful skin."
Harry blushed but nodded into her shoulder. "Okay, Mommy." He let go of her and went to Cú's side, with the two women waving at them as they left the Chamber. After they stepped out, the Master-Servant pair turned around and faced the holographic globe.
"You ready to catch some nice big fish, Harry?"
"Mm-hm! Maybe I can catch a really big one and show Mommy!"
"Heh, let's hope you do."
Dr. Roman's voice came over the loudspeakers. "Okay you two, everything's ready up here. Are you all set?"
Cú looked up and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Great, let's do this. Destination set, Spiritron Conversion activated, CHALDEAS System stable and functioning, commencing Rayshift in three, two, one…"
-x-
"Uugh…" The Hound of Ulster grumbled as he shook the dizziness away. Seriously, why couldn't the so-called geniuses make a way of Rayshifting that doesn't make one feel like they've been thrown in a blender?
Still, no point in dwelling on that now. If only he could get the light out of his eyes… "Oi Master, you alright?"
"Mmmph…yeah, Big Bro. What about you?" replied the voice of Harry, somewhere to his right.
"Eh, it takes more than that to stun me" Cú shook his head and blinked, allowing his vision to refocus. "Now, where exactly are-"
Harry rubbed his eyes as he too started to gain some sense of his surroundings. He wondered why Cú stopped talking when he finally got a good look and his jaw dropped.
Paradise. That was the best way to describe it. A long, beautiful beach with sand so white it could have been pearls and appeared as fine as silk. The clear blue sky contrasted to the azure-green of the sea below it. Behind the beach, greenery bloomed – palm trees, grass, and bushes grew out of the sand.
Harry was completely speechless. He had seen a lot of pretty beaches when he was here with Captain Drake, but this one looked unlike any one of them.
A low whistle drew his attention, so he turned to see a wide smile grow on Cú's face, his fang-like teeth gleaming in the sun. The Lancer met his gaze, the grin never once fading.
"Well, well, well, I have to say, Da Vinci outdid herself this time! This has got to be the prettiest beach I've ever seen, and the water looks great for fishing!"
He looked around for a few seconds, fully taking in the view before starting to walk on the beach. "Let's find a good spot to fish before we put down our things, okay?"
Harry nodded enthusiastically and rushed to his adoptive brother's side. The two began walking along the beach, admiring the heavenly view. The tropical wind caressed their faces as they treaded the pearly sand, and Harry began humming a tune he heard from Mozart.
The Irishman grinned at his little Master. "You sure are in a good mood."
Harry paused his humming and looked up at Cú, keeping his pace all the while. "Mm-hm, it's really pretty here."
The Lancer chuckled. "I know. I never saw anything like this when I was alive."
"Really? What was it like?"
"Well, Ireland is very green and rocky, with lots of forests, groves, and copses. Remember Septem? Kind of like that, but greener. The beaches weren't as pretty as this one, not even close – the sand was rough and hard, but they had their own charms. When I trained in Dun Scaith, sometimes I would finish a day's training with Teacher and I would go out to stare at the ocean. It's really soothing, watching the water flow and crash on the shore, the smell of the sea, and when the sun sets over the horizon…" he took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, his grin softening to a wistful smile. "Trust me kid, a sunset like that was worth a day of whatever tor - er, training Teacher put me through."
Harry nodded attentively. It was strange, see his big brother this peaceful, but it was nice.
"Do you think we could see the sunset today?"
"…I don't see why not. Some of the fish bite later in the day. Besides, I'm curious to see if the sunset here can make this place even more beautiful."
Their little talk died down as they continued walking, half-watching and half-basking. A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a small stub of rock that jutted out into the sea, a sort of natural dock.
"That's the place," Cú said as he pointed at the mini-peninsula. They trod on the ground – which had turned from sand into a smooth sort of rock and arrived at the tip. The Lancer set down his bag and motioned for Harry to do the same. Once he did that, he handed him the smaller fishing rod.
"Alrighty, kiddo. You ready to do some fishing?"
"Yeah!"
"Ha! That's great, so listen up. The first thing we gotta do is set up our fishing rods; that's how we're gonna catch all those nice fish. Do you see the long part of the rod? Try pressing it a little."
Harry lightly pushed down on said part and found out that the metal bent down as well. When he let go, the rod wobbled back to its original position.
"Mm-hm. That's a good sign; that means the rod is flexible enough to not snap when you try to reel in the fish. Speaking of the reel…" he then pointed to a device with a cranking handle that held a large spool of wire, which extended through small hops up and along the rod and ended with a black, plastic piece dangling at the edge.
"That's the reel, and that's how you're gonna pull the fish out of the water. The handle cranks only one way, and that's to reel the fish in. You see that black piece dangling at the end?"
Harry nodded and Cú plucked out of his bag a hook with a feathery-looking item attached to it.
"Take this hook and clip it to that piece. That's your lure, and that's how the fish will try and bite it."
Harry took the hook from Cú's palm and looked at it before his nose twitched.
"Why does it smell funny?"
"Ah, that's so more fish will come looking for it. I gotta say, that Alchemist can pull all sorts of weird tricks from his sleeves."
The raven-haired child set down the rod before he pulled the black piece towards him. With great care as to not hurt himself from the hook, he moved it a bit before a small click came from the piece.
"Well done, kiddo! You pick up pretty fast! Now, hold on a minute while I set up my own rod."
Harry watched as his adoptive brother swiftly set up his rod, checking the reel and hook like a master, excitement bubbling up in him. His big brother was awesome, he always looked so cool and confident, and he was always willing to help him or play with him. Why did some Servants treat him badly, like calling him a dog or saying he can die easily? Whenever he asked, Cú just patted him on the head and said: "It's nothing important, just a little joke between us. Don't worry kiddo, I won't die when you're around!"
So cool.
Cú plucked his line twice before nodding, apparently satisfied. He waved Harry back, held the rod over his head, and took a deep breath. His hands gripping the handle tightly, he swung the rod over his head, letting the line fly over his head with a whir, reaching far out to the waters where it fell down with a 'plunk'.
The Lancer turned to Harry, a look of satisfaction with a hint of smugness on his face. "Now you try."
Harry blinked and looked at the rod in his hands. That was it? It looked simple enough, but he didn't know if he could throw the line out as far as Cú had…
The young Master tightened his grip on the rod and lifted it above his head as Cú did. But just as he was about to swing the rod down…
"Whoa there! I almost forgot to tell you: when you swing, make sure the hook is away from you. You don't want a hook to get caught in your pants, believe me. Also, keep your legs firm on the ground, it'll stop you from slipping."
While a little confused as to why his brother didn't tell him that before, Harry nonetheless glanced behind him to make sure the hook was away from his body. Then, he leaned back and swung. The hook flew over him and into the water, though not as nearly as far as the Lancer's line.
Harry turned to Cú with a smile, to which he grinned. "Very good, Master! Not many can get it right the first time."
"Thanks! Now what?"
"Now for the best part!" Harry's eyes widened in excitement, waiting to see what his cool brother would do…only for him to sit down on the ground with the rod in his hands.
"We wait."
Harry tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean, wait?"
Cú cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and raised a finger, as though he was a teacher in one of Harry's lessons. Even his voice sounded a little deeper. "This is a sport of patience, my young Master. The fish won't bite instantly, so there is nothing to do but wait until we get a nibble."
"But…you said fishing is exciting."
"It is, once you've caught something. It's the reward that pays it off, not the fishing itself."
Harry nodded, although a slight pout could be seen on his face. Cú opened an eye and saw his Master's discomfort.
"Don't feel too glum, kiddo. When I started fishing, I had to wait a very long time before I caught a good fish. A good warrior knows how to be patient."
He then gestured to the ocean in front of them. "Besides, we can always admire the view. We don't get to see much of this in our day-to-day time!"
Harry looked down at his rod before nodding with a smile. Even if he did have to wait, he was spending time with his big brother! So he sat down next to Cú cross-legged, holding the fishing rod firmly.
Some time passed as the two sat in silence, listening to the sound of the water. The fishing lines gently swayed back and forth with the currents, but no fish had taken the bait. At some point, Cú had taken to reclining on the ground with the fishing rod held between his legs. Harry tried imitating him, but the rod slipped from his grasp. He blushed as he heard his brother's chuckle at his attempt.
"Relax, shorty. You gotta stay relaxed if you wanna be like this" he gestured to himself. "Just make sure to keep an eye out, ok? We don't want the fish slippin' away."
Harry mumbled but decided that he should just stay as he is for the time being.
"Say…how's the sunscreen holding up? Do you need me to some more on you?"
The young master looked at his arms and legs. The sheen from the cream was still there, despite some time passing. "No, it looks fine."
Cú raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Medea and her potions. Don't tell her I said this, but she's a god-da…er, a real genius."
"Why not? She hugs me when I say thank you to her."
"That's because you're a kid, her Master and she genuinely likes you. If someone like me complimented her…she wouldn't shut up about it."
A look of confusion appeared on Harry's face. "Don't worry about it Master, it's not like we hate each other or something it's just a…rivalry from the past."
"But you're from Ireland and she's from Greece. How could you have met unless…was it a Grail War?"
Cú nodded. "Nice observation, and yeah, it was. But it was a long time ago, so don't bother. What matters is that we're here now, and we're okay with each other."
He would've kept talking to Cú and asking him all sorts of questions…but he looked so calm, lying on the rock. He didn't want to disturb him.
The two resumed their…vigilant watch in the comfortable silence. A few minutes later, however, the young Master felt his rod shake a little. He looked to the ocean and saw the line twitching around.
"Big Bro! Big Bro!" Harry jumped in excitement. "I got something!"
The Lancer opened his eye with a hum, but he jumped up immediately with a grin once he saw Harry's line.
"Alright, about time something happened! Now you gotta turn the handle on your reel and pull the fish to you! Come on, hurry before it gets away!"
Harry quickly started turning the reel handle as fast as he could and saw that the line was moving closer and closer towards him. He almost slipped when the line jerked to the left, but he held his ground and kept pulling.
"If it moves in one direction, pull the other way! Come on Harry, you can do it!"
Harry held his ground as much as his legs could hold him. The fish jerked around a few times, but he managed to pull it back towards him every time. He wouldn't fail now, not when his brother was watching him; he would get that fish!
The catch drew closer and closer to the shore until finally, with a strong heave, Harry pulled it out of the water, where he finally saw it dangling from the end of the line the hook hooked through its jaw: a silver-scaled fish the size of his arm with a blue stomach, flailing in the air.
Cú let out an impressed whistle. "That's a big one! Looks nice and healthy too!" He walked to the fish and tapped it with his finger, upon which it stopped flailing and went completely still. The Lancer turned to Harry with a smile. "Well done, little bro. I'm impressed."
Harry blushed as he glowed under his brother's praise. That was definitely worth the waiting.
"Now, bring the fish to you and hold still." Cú set down his own rod and placed his foot over it as he reached into his bag and pulled out a camera. Meanwhile, Harry did as he asked and held the fish close to his face. The Lancer held the camera up and focused it on the child.
"We gotta make sure your Mama and your old man see this! Now, give me a smile!"
FLASH!
He lowered the camera and looked at the little screen before nodding, satisfied. "That's a good shot. I'll make sure to print it out once we get back to Chaldea."
"Thanks! Mommy will love this! But isn't that Mr. George's camera?"
"Hm? Yeah, he let me borrow it. He never misses out on the opportunity for more pictures." Cú then looked at the fish for a few seconds before suddenly smacking his head. "Gah! I forgot to bring a bucket!"
"A bucket? Why?"
"To preserve the fish! Otherwise, it'll start to stink all over the place!"
Harry worriedly looked at his catch. That sounded really bad, and Mommy didn't like it when he came back smelly. He bit his lip, trying to think of what to do when something came up in his head. The young master set the fish down on the ground and took off his backpack. He opened it and pulled two small identical daggers, slightly larger than his palm. The blades possessed a slight curve and the bottoms of the sharp ends had thorn-like protrusions, curving away from the hilt. Inlaid in the leather pommels stitched with purple cords were two emerald-green gems.
Harry took one of the daggers in his hand, bent down, and started carving on the ground around the fish, prompting Cú to stop his worried muttering and take a look. Once Harry finished carving, he pressed a finger on the first carving and the ground lit up in a blue circle surrounding the dead fish. The Lancer bent down and stuck his palm over the fish for a second before swiftly retracing it, shaking off the chilly sting he had felt.
Harry turned to ask Cú how he did, but the impressed grin on his face told him everything.
"Oho! Looks like someone's been looking through runecraft, very nice! Where did you learn to make this?"
The child Master blushed. "Um…I was reading with Miss Da Vinci in the library after one of our lessons, and she gave me a book about runes. I-I was curious and started trying out some ideas-"
"Waitwaitwait, you tried experimenting with runes alone!?"
Harry eep-ed at his brother's alarmed tone. "N-no! Da Vinci and Altoria were with me the whole time!"
Cú let out a relieved sigh but raised an eyebrow. "Da Vinci I can…somewhat understand, she can figure out anything if she thinks hard enough about it, but the ice queen? Since when does she know about runes?"
"Um…Da Vinci asked her the same thing, and she said something about how her sword was made with runes, but then she started muttering something about 'stupid wizards never explaining anything right' and Da Vinci had to stop her…"
"…right, Excalibur was made with faerie runes, but still…eh, what can you do. Still, this really impressive work! You made this all by yourself?"
"Mm-hm!"
Cú chuckled and ruffled his brother's hair. "Well, guess then I better polish my own runes so I don't fall behind my little brother!"
Harry, his face now red as a tomato, looked down in embarrassment. "…you're still cooler."
"Don't sell yourself short, kiddo. Keep up your studies and you'll be a runemaster in no time!" The Irishman leaned down and observed the runes carved around the fish. "Hmm…isaz, eihwaz and laguz. Freezes the target and preserves its life-force. Nice choice; acts like a runic refrigerator. Did you test this on something before?"
"I went out farming with Miss Altoria and Daddy, and I tried it on a boar we just killed. Daddy gave me a headpat!"
"He did, huh? With work like this, you certainly deserved it." He got back up and looked at his line, upon which he sighed in disappointment. "Still not biting…maybe a little more." He looked back at Harry. "Cast your line again, let's see who gets the fish next time."
Harry did as he asked, the line once again flying into the sea. They both sat down and resumed their fishing in silence.
Time passed as the sun started to approach the horizon, and so far, no other fish has decided to bite. But while the two were content with their current state, Cú started feeling a tad restless. Back in Ireland, at least the sounds and critters of the forests would distract him and keep him company. Here? Nothing but him, his Master and the ocean. Add the feeling of hunger that started to creep on him (despite not actually needing food, but being spoiled by the likes of Emiya and Tamamo had its side-effects), he could feel once again the dreaded feeling of boredom settling in.
That wouldn't do, that certainly wouldn't do. He had come here to beat boredom, not fall in its clutches again!
With that resolution in mind, he got and started heading towards the island proper.
"Where are you going?" asked Harry, curious at his brother's sudden movement.
Cú turned to his Master with a reassuring grin. "I'm just gonna head out and see if there's anything interesting on this island. Da Vinci said there's a lake somewhere, so maybe there's a better place for fishing. Don't worry, I'll be back soon, so just keep an eye on my rod, will you?"
The raven-haired child turned to look at the ocean worriedly for a moment, as if some unknown creature might leap out at any moment, but returned his gaze to his brother and nodded.
"Great!" and with that, he dashed off into the tropical woods, leaving Harry alone. He still felt a touch of anxiety, but the ocean view and scent calmed him, letting thoughts of his mother's and friends' praise at catching a fish fill his head.
A few minutes of serenity later, as dusk settled, and Harry was shaken from his thoughts when he saw a small shape bob out of the water in the distance, only for it to disappear.
'What was that?' he thought. He kept looking at the spot where the shape vanished, but there was nothing but the setting sun. He looked away and scratched his head, trying to decide if it wasn't some illusion when he saw Cú's line wobble fiercely in the water. The rod connected to it was nearly pulled in, but he leaped and pulled back, trying to reel in the catch.
'Wow! It has to be a really big fish! I can't wait for Big Bro to see what I've caught!' Harry smiled as he thought of the praise Cú would give him, but suddenly the line went slack.
If it wasn't for his instincts screaming at him to dodge, he would've been knocked straight into the ocean.
He quickly shook his head and looked up, and froze.
Rising out of the water was an enormous blue…beast. The water rushed down its coral-like armor, with grey spikes jutting at various points; especially at the head, where they formed a crown-like shape. The underbelly was black, and blue light glowed between the plate-cracks. The tail was similarly covered in armor, tipped with wicked-looking spikes that most certainly marred the rock before him. Its open jaw was strange, uneven at both sides. Its eyes glowed blue, but Harry saw the hunger within them.
The beast fixed its gaze on Harry as he slowly bent down to pick up his daggers. 'In, out. In, out' he repeated over and over in his head, remembering the combat lessons he was taught. 'Don't freeze up, don't hesitate and don't stop mov-AAH!'
He jumped to the side just as the beast's gigantic claws smashed right where he stood before. He barely took a breath as the claws swiped towards him and was forced to jump back. With the armored appendage right in front of him, Harry instinctively lashed out with his daggers at the claw…only for it to just leave a scratch.
The beast was not amused if the hollow-sounding hiss was anything to go by.
It reared its head back and struck like a snake at Harry, making him jump back once again. The impact shattered the rock before him, with the beast shaking its head and glaring at him with increasingly hateful eyes.
While others may have frozen at the sheer intensity of the stare (and for a moment he nearly did), the young Master recalled an important lesson Altoria taught him:
'Sometimes you need only one strike to be defeated, only one moment of weakness. If you see a weakness in your enemy, use it.'
Harry raised a dagger at the beast, letting the mana flow through him and into the dagger and…
"GANDR!"
The dagger flashed green before a sickly purple bolt flew out of the tip and right into the beast's eye. The beast recoiled in pain and let out a loud, ear-piercing shriek that made the trees behind Harry ripple. Seeing his chance, he turned around and ran away from the ocean. He knew that little blast wasn't going to be enough, because the sound of water rushing and stone breaking suddenly grew stronger and closer. He saw a shadow growing darker around him and jumped as the beast struck the shore, and rolled in the sand.
Harry stood and brushed the sand from his face and saw the beast raise its claws from the shore and hiss at him violently, now fully out of the water. His thoughts were racing, trying to think of a way to retreat when…
CLANG! "SKRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A flash of red struck the beast on the heat, forcing it violently back on the shore. Harry barely managed to blink in surprise before Cú Chulainn landed in front of him, only now he held a sharp red spear.
"I leave for a moment and this happens? Yeesh, Master, your luck is weird."
Harry blushed and looked down, making Cú chuckle. "Relax kiddo, you know I'm kidding." He took a closer at the monster, who raised its now-scarred head. It hissed angrily at Cú started to coil up, but as the Lancer took a battle stance, the beast seemed to narrow its eyes and focus its stare on the red spear. A second later, its eyes widened in an unknown emotion before letting out an angry screech and charging towards the two.
Cú smirked and jumped above the beast, delivering another solid blow to its head and landing behind it. After letting out a hiss of pain, it quickly turned around and focused again on the Lancer. Cú swiftly dodged a claw strike and a tail whip and once again delivered another blow with his spear, this time on the monster's shoulder. It recovered faster and attacked again, the rage on its armored face growing more visible by the second, only for the Irishman to grin wildly and dodge. This repeated a few times, with the beast attacking and Cú dodging before striking it somewhere. Harry just watched, fascinated at his brother's and Servant's power like always before shaking his head and steeling his resolve. He was a Master of Chaldea, he couldn't just sit on the sidelines!
"Cú! Try aiming at the eyes again!"
The Lancer's head perked up and nodded. Without waiting for the beast to attack, he leaped towards it with a burst of speed and drove the spear into the wounded eye. The beast howled in agony as red barbs sprung from the wound and out of the cracks in his armor, while Cú nimbly landed, twirling the spear in its hand.
The beast gave out a few heaves of pain before rising up again. If it was murderous then, the rage in his remaining eye was now apoplectic. It gripped the sand under its claws so hard the ground around them cracked as the blue light in its belly glowed brighter and brighter, seeping out of its armor as wisps. Cú re-entered his battle stance before a hot simmering in his hand made him turn to see that his spear started to glow a deep red. Confused, as he didn't feel anything wrong with the spear, he looked back and forth between the beast and the weapon until he finally settled on the beast. An inquisitive gleam sparked in his eyes before they widened and his body started to shake. Harry had moved to the side and saw this, but just as he was about to ask what was wrong…
"HAHAHAHA! Man, talk about coincidence!" He threw his head back and laughed with such strength that even the beast paused for a second. He then stared into the beast's glowing eye and the fanged smirk grew even wider as the grip on his spear tightened. "So, you here for a sort of rematch? Well, I'll be happy to oblige!"
Harry tilted his head. Did Cú know this monster?
"Don't worry, Master! This thing's still going down!" The air started to ripple around the beast as the blue light grew brighter and brighter. "But I think we should finish this now!"
Harry narrowed his eyes and nodded, throwing his arm out. "Lancer! Use your Noble Phantasm!"
"With pleasure!"
As the beast's opened with a blinding radiance, a swirl of red energy formed around the spear and flowed into the tip. The Hero of Ulster bent his knees and drew his arm back.
"Thrust and pierce…"
And with a mighty leap…
"GAE BOLG!"
The legendary spear pierced the beast's jaw and through its head. It twitched in place, letting out a strangled heave, before finally collapsing. As the sand settled, Cú rose and pulled the spear out of the fresh carcass, tar-like blood dripping down its edge. He let out a sigh of contentment and gave his Master a thumbs-up.
Harry was too awed to respond, staring slack-jawed at his brother, looking every bit the hero of his saga.
"Heh, you think you would get used to this after seeing it enough times…man, kids are fun." The Lancer hopped off the carcass and walked to the child, ruffling his exposed hair. That snapped Harry out his stupor and hugged him fiercely.
"That was so cool!" exclaimed Harry with stars in his eyes. Cú just chuckled. "Think nothing of it, little bro. It didn't even scratch me."
Harry kept hugging Cú and babbled in excitement when he looked at the destroyed peninsula and his smile shrank.
"What wrong?" He pointed at the rock and mumbled into his brother's chest.
"The fish…"
The Irishman's eyes widened and sent a sharp glance at the island. True enough, not only was the fish gone but so were the fishing rods.
"Aw, that's a shame. Sorry about that, kiddo. I should've gotten here sooner." Harry shook his head, mumbling that it wasn't his fault. Cú just patted his back.
He looked at the rock and bit his lip. It really was a bummer that the fish they worked so hard to catch was gone. Now that they had no fishing rods, they couldn't get any more fish, and after this little incident, he really didn't want to leave Harry alone again, so…
A lightbulb went over Cú's head.
"Hey, kiddo." Harry looked up and Cú gently pried him away. "Don't be so glum, I've got just the thing."
He dashed off into the trees, kicking sand behind him, and returned a second later holding two ripe mangoes. "I found these in the trees. They're not fish, but they're far more delicious."
He swiped a dagger from Harry's hand and cut up the fruits at lightning-speed. He then lowered his open hand, where a mango sat opened and its orange insides cut into cubes.
"Just eat it like an apple."
The child blinked and took the fruit from Cú's palm. He bit into the fruit, and let out a moan of delight as its taste danced on his little tongue.
"Pretty good, huh? Tastes way better than fish." Harry nodded absentmindedly, focusing entirely on the mango. The Servant let out an amused chuckled and sat down cross-legged on the sand, pulling Harry into his lap. He let out a squeak of surprise, then just leaned back and returned to his fruit, with Cú doing the same to his own mango.
And so they sat together, watching the sunset illuminate the ocean in a dazzling mixture of reds and yellows, as the corpse of the sea monster lay next to them. The Irish Hero was drawn to the beautiful scene, losing himself in its tranquility.
'Well, it's certainly prettier than Dun Scaith. Heh, sorry Teacher, but this beats your 'splendid palace'. Didn't really expect this little trip to turn out the way it did, and it turned out all right but…I let my guard down. We're still in a Singularity.'
"Hey, Master…" Harry looked up, having finished his mango. "I'm still sorry about the fish. It did look pretty delicious."
"…it's okay. We still have the picture, right?"
"Oh yeah, I took the bag with me. I'll ask the Saint to frame it."
"Mm-hm. I got to spend time with you, and I'm really happy about that."
Cú looked down with wide eyes for a second, before smiling and ruffling his brother's hair. "Anytime, kiddo, anytime. Tell you what, next time we come here, we'll catch a really huge fish and bring it home."
"Really!?"
"Sure, I'll make Fergus and Diarmuid cry in shame and your Mom and Dad will be so proud of you. And like you said, we'll spend more time together."
Harry's eyes shone with delight and hugged him fiercely. He put an arm around his shoulders and pressed him to his chest.
'I'm proud of you, little brother. You're a strong kid, in some ways stronger than I was. You may not be what we expected as a Master but as family…
…I really couldn't ask for anyone better.'
Truly a satisfying end to a once boring day.
"…Harry?"
"Mm?"
"…could you not tell your Mom about the sea monster thing? I really don't want to get yelled at…"
So? What do you think? A nice fishing trip with Cu and Harry, and an action scene on top of it! As a request, when you review (and you WILL review), I would appreciate feedback on both the chapter and my action sequence, since that's my weakpoint in writing.
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If you like this story, go check out my other stories here, AO3 and on Spacebattles.
Hope you all enjoyed and stay safe!
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