AN: Come ye, come ye. I come baring gifts! Of fanfiction… and that's it, really. Enjoy?

Chapter 18

If someone had once told me that I would ever get to spend an afternoon with the legendary Scathach, I would have firstly told them to stop drinking- then I would have asked them to share, because the whole idea sounded cool. Still, now that this was what I was actually doing with my time, I could only beam. It was time for me to properly become a Magus- pointy hat and all, if I had my way.

It rested before us: a stone basin, recently brought up from the ground by a quick bout of Medea's Magic, and ready to be used. It was filled with pure, untouched water- freshly gathered by Errand Girl Boudica (Who moonlights as an excellent tea brewer). Around the basin, a Formalcraft style circle rested, engraved with Runic components all across the outer perimeter in bright red font. I recognised a symbol here and there on the Formalcraft side, a bit of syntax, some inkling of meaning, but as a novice all this was still very much a mystery to me.

As for what it was? This… was the means to figuring out the most fundamental things necessary to even begin teaching me.

In other words, it was a Ritual designed to identify both my Origin and Element- a necessity for any proper Magus. The first was a human beings' 'connection to the Origin, the Root, to Akasha itself'. It was the defining aspect that shaped their existence and personality and shows what types of abilities may suit the user. The Element is far more standard by comparison- what spells I'm actually capable of casting. These two facts would summarise my worth and potential as a Magus, and while I didn't hold out much hope of being anything too impressive, if I had one or two of the traditional elements to my name then I would be a happy man.

"Are you sure you want to know this?" Lancer asked me, seriously. "Once you know your Origin, there can be no turning back. It shall define you, and the path you will take from this point. We could very easily find out your Element alone. Are you certain?"

I nodded. "Better to know than to not. I guess I've always been… curious… perhaps, about what I as a person truly am on the inside. Like, when all the excess is stripped away, what remains? Just who exactly is James beneath the mask he shows to others and himself? Who is he? Even without the magic side of things, I'd damn well be interested!"

She said nothing more on that, accepting my words with ease. I was sure she knew where I was coming from- she wouldn't judge me for seeking truth. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Yeah, I think I-" Twang. I froze, stopping mid-sentence, as I felt a sudden metaphorical tugging.

"Is there something wrong?" Lancer asked.

"No." I shook my head. "I just felt something odd."

She motioned for me to actually explain myself. "My Prana connections. They're mostly steady, but one of them had a sharp increase in intake. This typically happens when they're throwing about spells and fighting and stuff. So… I just wondered what exactly Assassin was doing that needed that sharp tug of Prana, and why she hasn't needed more if she were in a fight."

Lancer merely shrugged. The look on her face told me she either knew more or could guess as such but had no real desire to share those illusive thoughts. "If the Prana bond is still there, then do not worry too much about it. You can ask when she returns. At this crucial junction, we can stomach no distractions."

"Good point." I walked into the circle to stand before the pool, in a smaller circle to one side of it. "Anyway, should we cut to the chase."

"We should." And with that, Lancer took her own place on the other side of the pool. She intoned some mystic words, and the circle blared to life. I could feel the spell itself, as it 'scanned' me (For lack of a better word). Scathach gazed deeply into the waters, which to my eyes had shifted into a gaseous form of contrasting shades of black and white, slowly circling in the basin like birds of prey. This was now the point where Lancer would gaze into the mist, use her Bullshit Magic to observe the results, and then properly translate the meaning over to me.

Finally, the Ritual ended, and the thrumming circle promptly halted. The gases faded, once more becoming liquid, while in front of me Lancer wore an expression that could largely be described as bemused. Or perhaps intrigued.

"Well?" I asked her, impatiently. To an outsider I would surely look a child waiting for Santa to give them a present, but I couldn't help it. "What… what is it?"

"Oh, don't worry. It's nothing bad." She reassured me, though she couldn't help letting slip a small giggle. No- a cackle. "I admit, I would love to see the inner working of the Fuyuki Grail, or whatever system it is that is behind your summoning of me, because it certainly has an excellent method for determining potential Servant and Master pairs. Yes, it cannot be denied. The Grail could not have selected a more apt Servant than I to serve as your teacher."

"Geez, you're only making me more excited! Tell me more, tell me more!" And yes. Yes, I was hopping about like a child being told he was going to Disney Land, what of it?

"It's Contradictory." She said, matter of factly.

"What, I got two results?" I pressed on, curiously.

She shook her head. "No. That is your Origin. Contradiction. That was the closest direct translation I could find for what your Origin means, though Paradox is fairly close to the general definition too."

Contradiction- a simple, 13 letter word. It said so much, and yet so little. Right and wrong; inconsistent; deep and fundamental contrasts; a combination of statements, ideas and meanings which are opposed to one another.

The idea that something like that was the literal definition of my existence…

Well, at first the idea pissed me off. After all, while I may try to be self-critical, nobody likes being told that they're both an inconsistent and contradictory person.

And yet… when I started looking deeper, I had to admit that it certainly fit.

Conflicting. Yes. I could acknowledge that much. A mixture of optimism and pessimism. Moodswings of cheerful and grumpy. Constantly claiming to seek a peaceful solution, yet more often than not perfectly happy with taking the violent way out. Fighting for the sake of a wish, and yet not truly certain what said wish will even be when I've earned it.

Hell, even my very reason for being in this situation was contradictory. My presence here is fundamentally impossible, and yet even so I found myself in this World. My being here could only be intentional, and yet there seemed to be no actual purpose to my placement. And while I wanted to escape with me head on my shoulders and tried to leave this War alone, it had been ridiculously easy for me to change my mind and stick about.

I was sure that if I took the time to consider my actions with more scrutiny, I would only find more cases across my life and history for why such a title fits me.

"Yeah. I can't deny your prognosis." I sighed a little. "Like it or not, I'm a Contradiction."

"Don't look down upon yourself too much." She warned. "All Origins have good AND bad aspects. You're only looking at the negatives, but there are certainly benefits."

"Such as?"

Her smile know was knowing and patronising alike. "Why don't I show you?"

Without another word, she wandered further down the area formally recognised as the warehouses Magecraft workshop and picked up a half empty tub of lead paint. She placed it on the floor, and then used the accompanying paint brush to draw two symbols on the ground. The first vaguely looked like an upside-down L, while the second was like an S shape.

"This one is Laguz." Scathach said, pointing to the straight one that began the duo. "Its meaning, in lay man's terms, is: water, continual flow, healing and renewal. It embodies the mysterious and the psychic: dreams, imagination and more."

"Runes?" I questioned. I knew that Scathach was good at them, as she had taught Cu Chhulainn, and that considering this specialisation she may very well end up teaching me a bit about it. But I didn't quite see what she was implying concerning my Origin.

"Just listen." She said, and gestured to the second, more jagged shape. "This is Sowilo. Fire, success, honour and life force. It is a positive force, and so co is consequently a rune of cleansing and purification, much like many Fire spells. It also signifies the connection between the conscious and subconscious- it can serve as an excellent bridging rune."

"A lovely lesson and all, and certainly fascinating… but again, what does this mean?"

"Try to draw them." Scathach tossed the brush to me. "As closely as you can. Do the symbols in that same order, and about the same size too."

I shrugged and got to work. Medea had been clear enough on the importance of accurate transcription (At least when she had time to look over my stuff), and so consequently, is was easy enough for me to draw the correct symbols- especially since there were only two to tackle. It was almost fun trying to inscribe the arcane symbols as accurately as I could.

After I completed the symbols, Scathach got to her knees and joined me on the ground. "Do you know the basic mechanics of Runecraft?"

"Nope."

"Well, the general thing to keep in mind is that Runes are a language. Magical, yes, but a language. You put together symbols for greater meaning, with their order, combinations and overall syntax determining the overall message. The difference for Runes is the great number of symbolic meanings each Rune can have, since each and every sequence of Runes can have radically different readings. As such, another part of Runecraft is attuning the Runes to the correct definition."

I nodded my head in comprehension. That much made sense, though the last concept went a little over my head.

"Still, this is purely a demonstration, so we're going to use the default base meanings of the runes: water, followed by heat. What kind of message does this present?" She asked me, prodding my mind into action much as a tutor would, to force me to learn and think and not just recite.

"Steam? Or maybe warm water." That seemed to be the obvious answer. Either the concepts combined, or they applied one after the other.

"Let's go with the former for now. Push some Prana into the runes- just enough to activate them."

In my mind, the turbines roared to life, and I directed as little wind as I could outwards. The energy poured into the runes up until I felt a kinda click- like a switch had been flicked, or a minimum threshold had been reached. I released my hold of the runes and watched as small wisps of hot steam billowed from the symbols. Then, the energy supplied ran out, and the runes went dead.

"There you go." Scathach pointed at the spot where the steam had been. "That's what your Origin is good for."

All I could do was look closer at the quickly dissipating steam. "Yeah… I still don't get it."

Here, she gave me an evil, little smile. She knew something I hadn't and now she was going to tell me exactly what. "Master mine, Runes don't work that way."

I blinked in confusion and looked between her and the runes. To illustrate her point, Scathach tapped her own Runes that she had painted and channelled some power into them, which failed to release so much as a wisp of steam from the symbols. Instead, a sputtering sound could be heard… and then her runes cracked. As in, the paint itself flaked off in massive, jagged lines- leaving broken runes behind.

"Runes. Do not. Work like that." She reiterated her words, tapping between the two identical sets of runes we'd made. "You can't just slap symbols together like that and expect it to work! Thought needs to be put in! Rules learned! Symbolism on point! In this case, the important rule of thumb is that you cannot place Runes adjacent to each whose selected symbolic meanings are direct contrasts to one another! Fire and water, air and ground, order and chaos, light and dark. Whatever concept the Rune is attuned to, its adjacent pairs cannot be its polar opposite! If you ignore this rule, then the Runes themselves overload."

Realisation was starting to dawn on me. "And yet, using two Runes with the meanings of 'fire' and 'water', I was still able to make some kind of result."

Here, Lancer herself actually seemed jubilant. Before I knew it, she'd grabbed my hands and had pulled me to my feet, before spinning me around once using her superhuman strength and pushing me away- I promptly fell down upon my backside. "Don't you see!? You are fascinating, child! If an Element is the art form, then the Origin is the shape it takes and the talent of the artist! And you can create contradictions! You can make them work, no matter how paradoxically so! I doubt that this will be breaking any laws of Magecraft anytime soon, but in any topic of Magecraft you study you can likely take contrasting aspects and somehow integrate them together into some kind of..." Her she struggled to find words, while her hands writhed and weaved together, unable to contain her excitement.

"Some kind of big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey… stuff." I interjected for her. Sue me, but I cannot miss the opportunity to misquote pop culture when I have the chance.

"Something like that! An… amalgamation!" she snapped. "Jeez, even with no talent, it would be worth teaching you just so that I could see such wonderful uses of contradictory Runes first hand! I would be very tempted to drag you back to the Land of Shadows with me were this War to end unsuccessfully!"

Now, that last comment was a little scary. But I could certainly see why she was so enthusiastic about my Origin. To explain it properly, an analogy works best… if I imagined Magecraft to be similar to a programming language, for example. There were set commands and syntax you needed to use, rules that had to be obeyed and guidelines that needed to be followed, with power that needed to be supplied to the system. Success is largely predictable if you possess all the pieces to the puzzle and the self-belief necessary to cast the spell, while failures can prove deadly to the user, as the hardware breaks and crashes and the software performs in unexpected ways.

But me? I could magically put together different pieces of code that really shouldn't work and create a product that really shouldn't work as well as it does. Or perhaps it was more like I had a whole bunch of extra commands I could use based on putting together those previously impossible combinations, giving me so much more flexibility in my Magecraft. Runecraft Version 1.1, now with additional features and patched errors!

Here, I laughed. "Damn it, this is awesome. I studied Computer Science, and Runecraft is the language of magic and reality itself."

I wouldn't even be surprised if more complex Rune usage ended up looking a bit like a computer program too- using Runes to define concepts and variables, then using more lines of Runes to define what they did and in what order and sequence.

"And added to that, we have your Element! You have an Ether affinity! Not exactly strong for casting spells of any particular type, but Ether can often be used in combination with the other main Elements to actualise the real Thaumaturgy!" Her laughter joined my own. "While your Ether Element allows you to cast few conventional elemental spells, it is immensely useful in Runecrafting!"

All the coins had come up heads, it seemed. My Element was useless for most normally offensive spells, but when combined with my Origin it apparently gave me great potential in the art of Runes. Factor in the fact that I had summoned an expert user of Runes who had been persuaded to teach me, and had pre-existing understanding of how programming languages function, and I actually stood quite a good chance of becoming pretty fucking good pretty fucking quick.

James Branson: Runecrafter. I liked the sound of it.

"Truly, the Grail made an excellent choice in arranging our partnership." Lancer's smile was both genuine and wide- she was truly pleased by this arrangement. All former interactions on our part had been promptly discarded and consequently deemed irrelevant- the only thing that mattered to her was my Origin and my Element, and my desire to learn. "I do believe I am going to enjoy teaching you, my Master. I will enjoy teaching you most intently."

XXXXXXXXXXX

I scrutinised the set of papers I had scattered across the floor all around me and supressed the urge to rub any tiredness out of my eyes. Across them like chicken scrawl were frantic notes and symbols, hastily drawn diagrams and boxes, and all manner of runes. All of them were drawn as clearly and precisely as I had been able to while Lancer lectured. This was the result of the last three and a half hours of teaching from Scathach, and my lessons from the immortal were exactly as useful as I'd hoped they would be.

Right now, we were taking a break so that the vast amount of info she'd given me could sink in a little, while I studied the runes she had supplied so far and tried to puzzle out an answer to the assignment she'd given me. Sure, she had shown me all the basic mechanics for how to write runes as well as the basic syntax and rules necessary to string them together. And yes, I had even been given a set of various Runes and their necessary meanings, but according to Lancer we didn't have the time to go over everything in as much detail as she'd like, so I was on the fast course and she'd unfortunately had to cut a few corners which I would later have to fill in myself once the war ended. Consequently, it was necessary that I get as much practice in as possible with both the Runes and the few tools I had so far been given to make them.

Thus, my present assignment. We still had two hours before dinner and we all came together to go over our plans for the evening, and then an hour after that we needed to worry about heading over to the Tohsaka mansion, and so I'd been told flat out to 'come up with some kind of offensive runic spell' with what I'd been taught so far ready for tonight, else there was little point in progressing any further. In other words, I was working under an artificial pressure- a deadline.

On my latest piece of paper, I scrawled down another two symbols in quick succession, before I scribbled them out in distaste. "Yeah, those two were never gonna work. Or, at least the present meanings won't. Trying to stuff far too much into too few symbolic representations." Really, the problem was that I needed something short enough that I could write mid-air in the midst of combat, but strong enough to actually be of help. Three symbols were my present maximum, I'd decided. A balance between the time necessary to trace the symbols and the depth needed to actually do something mildly useful. But getting the right effect you want with so little Runes was another matter entirely… I was certain that if I let myself use more the task would become easier, but I intended to use my spell in the upcoming assault, so a short one would have to do.

"Grghhh…" I growled, rubbing at my eyes. "Fuck it. Going for a walk." Because staring at the paper and bashing my head against the floor wouldn't cause me to spontaneously figure anything more out. A break seemed to be a smart idea and would let me put my thoughts in order before I tried to tackle the spell again from a fresh perspective.

So, I checked up on all my Servants getting ready for the evening.

"Fufufu, are your lessons over already?" Boudica asked with a smile while hunched over a small, portable rice cooker. I noticed that the Rider was in her usual attire with one minor change- an apron. She was getting rather into her cooking and the more domesticated side of things, I had to admit. To be honest, I was truly amazed she was even being permitted to 'aid' in the meal to begin with, but stranger things have happened.

"Yes. She's given me the absolute basics, so now it's up to me to utilise them. And how are things going on your end?"

"Well, not much I can do." She admitted. "Medea was a dear and humoured me in allowing me to 'assist' her in her Item Construction, but it was clear that I was only slowing her down, so it seemed assisting in tonight's meals was the least I could do so that everyone would be in top condition."

"Well, I don't know about top condition. We've all been pushing ourselves rather hard." Lily reminded us. I blinked in confusion and looked up. There, hanging from one of the rafters was my Saber, dangling upside down like some manner of vampire bat.

"Lily, what are you doing?" I asked them, already knowing I'd regret the answer.

"Why, I am on lookout duty." They spoke, matter of factly. "This vantage point is out of view for most, as few bother to look up, so allows me an element of surprise, while also giving me a perfect view of that wide window and the lot outside."

"But why?"

"Well, I am a spy, you know."

"… okay, that makes sense, and I don't regret asking." I admitted. "Damn it, only you could be so reasonable about doing unreasonable things."

Though, speaking of unreasonable things…

"Ah, Anchin!" Kiyohime cried out in delight, hearts in her eyes as she somehow used the ransack equipment and ingredients provided to whip up something that was already smelling surprisingly good. "What are you doing in the kitchen? Visiting me, oh, you are sooo sweet."

"… sure. Let's go with that." And it wasn't strictly a lie- I was going around seeing everyone. Though I'd hardly call the cooking area of the warehouse a 'kitchen'.

"Well, don't you worry about a thing." She told me disarmingly, brandishing a large spoon at me. "As your wife, I shall naturally have a delectable feast prepared in no time at all! Dear, just sit down with your work while I do this for you. You have been working so hard, have you not?"

"Thank you." I said, nodding politely for lack of anything else to say. I still found Kiyohime's devotion a little hard to deal with, but she seemed in a good mood, and her Yandere tendencies were down for the moment while she did something so typically 'wifey' for me. Having Assassin out the warehouse was doing her good, while I knew from personal experience that Boudica was always so nurturing and sisterly that even Kiyohime couldn't really find flaw in working alongside this 'potential rival'.

"I'm just gonna check up on Medea now." I left quickly before I could get drawn into more conversation.

Then, I reached Medea's workstation. Her several work stations. "Almost got it! Almost there! Just need to adjust this, add that… ahah!" As expected, the elf like girl was hard at work. VERY hard at work. Of all of us, I figured that she was the one putting not just 100 percent into her work but 200. She'd vowed to get us back on track in terms of items and protections and she'd succeeded. There were several potions already corked and sitting on a makeshift shelf, two cauldrons a'bubbling and tools and miscellaneous ingredients scattered across the chaotically organised work space.

"Medea." I greeted, catching her attention. She spun with a loud 'meep' of surprise and almost fell of her chair.

"H-hey James, good to see you, almost done, don't worry!" She assured me hurriedly, already turning back to her work to file something.

"Umm… are you okay?" I had to admit that I was a little concerned- she didn't look at her best. There were bags under her eyes, she twitched uncontrollably every few seconds, her hair was a bird's nest while her clothing was splattered with who knows what.

"Don't worry about me! Teensy little bit tired, but totally a-okay! Look, look, this one is already done!" she gestured to one of the complete items sitting to the side- a ring of dark metal. "I've divided functions up a little bit, so that's only the first of them, but the other rings will be ready soon!"

"Others?"

"Three and seven and nine and one to in the darkness bind them!" She replied, an almost maniacal quality in her eyes.

"… Medea, you are basically doing the furthest thing from reassuring me." Because when one starts to speak in tongues, you probably need to take a break.

"I don't need a break!" she snapped, turning on me like an adorably grumpy koala (One with bloodshot eyes and blue hair), almost as if she knew exactly where my thoughts were going. "So much to do, so little time!"

I placed a hand gently on her shoulder, then forcibly turned her to look me in the eyes. "Medea, you need a break."

"I've been drinking my personal magical pick-me-up! I call it 'Heavenly Bull'! I've got at least another 12 hours before I burn out!"

"You. Need. A. Break." I bopped her nose gently at every syllable. "Sure, I'd like magic items and potions, but I'd rather you be well rested and prepared yourself."

"But I have so little left to do!" She protested, tiredly. "The telepathy ring is done, but the shield one isn't quite there yet, while the masking and reinforcement ones are far behind schedule!"

"What was that last one?" Blink. "Okay, not important. Point is, while I respect and adore your sheer dedication to getting the job done, you'd be far more helpful with some sleep."

"B-but-"

"Sleep." I told her. "Get an hour or two. Try to finish that shield charm off afterwards if we have time, perhaps."

Medea didn't even bother giving a reply, only a happy smile, before her face fell forwards and slammed into the table… before her head shot upright again as she clutched her head where she'd just struck the surface top.

"Ouchie…" she rubbed her head, and I resisted the urge to go 'aaaawwww' and ruffle her adorable hair. By the time my urge had passed, Medea had drifted off to sleep at her desk in a more sensible and less impactful manner. To my amusement, she was clutching a hacksaw like a teddy bear.

"… is it wrong that I found that both heart-warming and hilarious?"

"I don't think so." Boudica said softly. I turned around to see the former Queen holding a spare blanket. I smiled, seeing what she was going to do, and stepped aside so Boudica could gently place the fabric atop the slumbering girl. "Medea really is giving it her all, huh?"

"She's been working for who knows how many hours straight now." I probably should have stopped her sooner, but Servants don't exactly need sleep, and we certainly needed her to get the defences set up as quickly as she could- everything else she'd made so far were bonuses. "I kinda feel bad for the fact that we'll need to wake her up in two hours to prep for the raid."

"Hmmm…" Boudica said nothing, but she didn't disagree either.

"Say what you will though, she makes good products." I noted, pointing out the completed Telepathy Ring. She'd probably only needed to do half the work to make it as she had her last Mystic Code since that one had both the communication and defence spells implemented, but it was still ridiculously good work for such a short period of time.

"Want to try it out?"

"Hell yes." I didn't even hesitate to slip the ring onto my left middle finger. I carefully channelled some prana into the device and focused on the Servant I wished to speak to. It was about time I checked up on her too, as she had yet to return. ["Assassin, how's scouting going? And what was that prana surge earlier about?"]

Her response was as prompt as I could hope, and just as headache inducing. ["Oh, hey Master! Sorry for being late coming home. You see, when I was out scouting I just so happened to bump into this rude blonde man, a far more charming redhead and his companion, and I just had to take the opportunity provided to me. And I may or may not be have intruded into the very heart of the Red Team's home base. No biggie."]

["How!? How!? You've been gone for like six hours!]

["I.."] She began very proudly. ["… am VERY good at making friends."]

"She can say that again, that's for sure." I sighed loudly and rubbed my palms against my temple, already knowing I would regret asking. ["So, tell me how this whole thing even happened."]

And so she did. She told me the whole story. And by the end of hearing each and every bit of her explanation, I could only giggle with anticipation. I would want to have a proper discussion with everybody later, but here and now Mata Hari had given me something I desperately needed: a little bit of confidence in our upcoming operation, and one final Trump Card for when and if everything goes wrong. ["I need you back here, Assassin."] I told her, bluntly.["I think it's time for us to scheme…"]

AN: And so James' magical potential has finally been unveiled, along with his Origin and Element. I've been planning this powerset from the moment I decided upon having Scathach as his Lancer.

We also got to have a little peek at what Assassin has been doing. Fun times are ahead. You'll see what she's been getting up to next time…