Note: This fic has been an on and off work in progress for almost six years. I'm finally saying F it and slapping it on the internet so I'll stop fiddling with it. I will be posting it here and on AO3 under Shadowolf27. I was writing this before characters from the likes of Apocrypha and Grand Order became part of the fate series, so familiar Servants may appear a bit different here in terms of looks and abilities. There is no Beta reader so be ready to embrace my self editing.
Fate/Lost
Part 1; Chapter 1
Wide, flat nostrils flared, steaming hot air over pin-point yellow eyes. The creature's girth brushed an end table and a ceramic lamp shattered across the carpet with a dull crash. A mist moved with its heavy steps, surging forward to obscure its hulking humanoid form.
The mist rolled over a reaching clawed hand and the monstrosity battered Naomi to the ground. She bounced off the carpet and stars danced across the black canvas of her vision. Pain blossomed in her side and she blindly backtracked into the wall.
Naomi bit her lip as her blood pounded her ears and her vision returned in wavering, diluted watercolors. Her precautions had been too weak. The barriers and warning systems had been in place. Her door was laced with magic but somehow, this monstrosity overloaded the warding runes as if they had never existed.
The summoning circle formatted for a Servant was laid out in the center of the living room. Preparations for the ritual had been completed mere moments ago and Naomi had been about to utter the first summoning when the creature had burst in. It had been as if it sensed the magic she had started to gather.
A little girl's sardonic laugh rang from the construct like a cracked bell. A scalpel the size of a sword materialized its grip and looked too sharp for comfort. Under Naomi's sleeves, drawn runes burned bright, fueled by her natural prana. The palms of her hands glowed white and expelled a translucent, spinning cog the size of a serving plate. The blade hit the barrier and screeched as it scratched down the surface, creating a spray sparks from magic hitting magic.
The apartment shook when the sword bit into the floor like an anvil in freefall. Naomi jumped to her feet under a surge of adrenaline and the construct acted quickly with an upward stroke. The blade nicked her ear and tore off a silver erring that clattered to the floor.
Naomi's eyes were blown wide and her ears were ringing. Blood dripped down the blade's curved point and spotted the carpet. She had seen a few magical constructs before, but this thing went well and beyond an enchanted doll or tricky imagery. She had to finish the incantation for the summoning. Her abilities weren't enough to fend the thing off on her own.
She unclasped her remaining earring and silently prayed one part of the catalyst would be enough. Blood was one of the best conduits for transferring her own prana into spells, so she smeared blood from her ton ear over the catalyst to speed up the process. She underhandedly threw it onto the summoning circle as the construct's blade cut through the curling mists. Naomi clumsily avoided the attack and started chanting.
"Yourself is under me! my fate is in your sword! In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail…" Shit. She couldn't quite remember the rest while trying to avoid being cleaved in half. "If you abide by this feeling, this reason. Answer! My oath. I am who will attain all virtues of Heaven; I shall have dominion over all evils of Hell." How did the last bit go? Wasn't it supposed to be her own oath? "Just get out here and kick this things ass!"
The aberration's movements were growing slower. Either the amount of magic it contained was slowing it down or it was too far from its source to be more effective. Whatever the reason, it worked in Naomi's favor. Red rays of light shot out from the summoning circle and converged into a blinding beam. Naomi felt her prana rapidly draining like blood rushing out her veins as she erected a spinning barrier and squinted her eyes against the onslaught.
The light subsided, and Naomi was morbidly relieved to see the scalpel blade embedded in the wall next to her shoulder. The aberration stared through her, dazed.
A shing of a blade attached to hollow metal followed a red pole piercing through the construct's midsection from behind.
"Attacking an unarmed opponent? You should be ashamed."
A man dressed in a blue leotard that was engraved with silver markings pushed the lance further into the construct and lifted the creature into the air by a few inches. The man wore a feral, excited grin, and tossed the aberration away as if flinging a bale of hay.
The construct came loose and there was an outpouring of gray misty substance from where it had been impaled. The wound swirled shut and the sword in the wall vanished before re-materializing in the creature's claws.
The man who was surely Naomi's new Servant swung his lance in a circle. The Servant jumped back with the grace of a dancer and kicked at the beast only to find his foot had gone right through.
"What the hell is this?" He questioned as if insulted.
In his stumble the construct grabbed for his extended leg, but the Servant spun out of its reach. In the tussle Naomi narrowly avoided being grabbed instead. The living room was tight quarters for a brawl and there was no safe place to stand. She was amazed the Servant could move as well as he did with that large weapon in such a small space.
"Get out of the way! You're my master, aren't you? I'll handle this thing!" The Servant shouted.
"It's a magical construct!" Naomi said over the beasts growling. Servants were made of pure magic, like a construct, so the Servant's attack should have connected. The only other solution she could think of was hitting the thing everywhere at once. Or… "It needs some kind of dispel!"
A dispel would destroy whatever magic was holding it together. The problem was finding out what kind of magic or core was keeping it together.
"Not a bad idea!" The Servant gleefully shouted.
The mist covered beast screamed with the shrill anger of a frustrated little girl. It charged at the blue-clad man who nimbly side stepped the creature. The lancer traced his fingers down his weapon as if writing something and twirled around to strike the beast across the back. It howled, sounding like a wounded child. It stomped its foot angrily and likely pissed off the neighbors living below.
The Servant tilted his head back toward Naomi without taking his eyes off the beast. "A dispel or a good beating. You might want to scooch further than that."
"I'll just phase through the floor," she said tersely. There wasn't anywhere to go except to jump over the couch and into the kitchen which was a one-way death trap.
"I didn't know magi were ghosts now!" The Servant snarked.
Nostrils flaring, the beast roared, and it dissipated with the mist surrounding it. The gray cloud drifted into the air and disappeared into nothing.
"Coward!" The Servant slung his weapon it over his shoulders, hooking his elbows around the weapon's shaft to let his wrists hang over the front. "The second they face a real opponent, they run."
The construct left too easily, but she supposed it failed in its mission of killing her before her Servant could be summoned. Naomi leaned heavily against the wall. First crisis of the Grail War averted.
"It ran because it failed," she assumed.
The Servant sighed in disappointment. "That thing didn't give me time to get started. What you saw was nothing compared to what I'm capable of." He faced her with his shoulders thrown back and an interested twinkle in his brilliant red eyes. "Am I right to assume you're my Master?"
Blue bangs waved across his forehead and a ponytail rested over silver plated shoulders. His outfit left little to the imagination and showed off an impressive, lean athletic structure. He must have noticed her gauging expression because he stood a little straighter as if to give her a better view. The Servant certainly looked like he lived up to his historical namesake.
Everything about him looked normal, except those shining red eyes. They were almost like looking into the eyes of a wild, intelligent beast. Not a human.
"Yes. I'm Naomi. That thing wasn't the welcoming I had planned but…" There was nothing she could have done about it.
With her adrenaline slowing down, she felt a throbbing burn in her torn ear. Runes lit up across her skin and glowed from under her sleeves and she gingerly touched the bloodied spot. The wound glowed green as the tear healed up and sealed itself as if the damage had never existed.
Lancer watched her every action with interest. "I'd rather hit the ground running, anyway. Naomi, eh?"
Due to the way he was summoned he wore a single silver earring. Hopefully that little detail wouldn't hinder his abilities. Naomi's eyes widened and she looked around at the ground. It wouldn't look good if she lost half of the priceless catalyst. It was a museum quality artifact that was irreplaceable. She would also be as good as dead if it couldn't be returned at the end of the war.
"I should introduce myself and seal the deal." The Servant's voice sharpened, and his smile fell to a straight line. "I am Cú Chulainn of Ulster appearing in the Lancer class. I've answered your summons and I pledge my life and my lance to you. I'm ready to kill your enemies."
Naomi was taken aback that he would return her oath with one of his own.
His eyes softened and the cheeky wink he gave was so unexpected that Naomi's face lit up under his wolfish grin. For a magical container he was freakishly life-like and handsome to boot. A Lancer was exceptionally good luck. It was one of the three knight classes which were supposed to be the strongest Servants. Her aunt hadn't lied when she provided the catalyst. She half expected a Caster with her luck.
"It's nice to meet you Cú Chulainn." Naomi stiffly held out her hand and Lancer took it without hesitation.
She squeezed his hand to seal the deal, but Lancer decided to vigorously shake her arm up and down. His grip was twice as strong as hers and she would have fallen over if it hadn't been for his firm grip.
"Nice to meet ya." He was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Her head was still rattling from the vigorous greeting. "Yeah. I-um. Make yourself at home." She gestured at the living room that had pictures leaning against the walls and moving boxes stuffed next to the TV stand.
"Don't mind if I do." He walked about the room, inspecting everything his eyes could comb over. "This isn't bad. Not bad at all."
That was one way to describe the apartment that needed new carpet. The kitchen and living room shared the same space, separated by an open bar. The kitchen was shotgun style, closed in by counters and the perfect place to die in an ambush. There was a small hallway shooting off from the living room that led to the bedroom and bathroom. There was no guest bedroom so if Lancer needed to sleep, he would have to take the couch. She was ready to see the place go. It had served its purpose of seeing her through college.
"Sorry for the mess. I'll be moving out after the Grail War and didn't want to do it all at once." Whether she won or lost, she was leaving this tiny apartment.
The deal was, if she won the Grail War, she could become an apprentice at the Clock Tower. If not, well. She wasn't thinking about not winning. She would move to London and stalk Lord El-Melloi II if necessary.
"You look like a stranger in your own home standing over there. Why don't you sit down?" Lancer patted the couch while Naomi watched on from the hallway.
Naomi had expected a Servant to be a vessel of magic awaiting commands. She imaged the Heroic Spirit title to refer to a visual representation of the container, not be a personality. Speaking of, she was curious about how magic could be its own container without losing form.
"I'm told Servants can be summoned because they want something from the Grail. What are you after?" She asked with point blank curiosity.
A feral grin spread over Lancer's face. "Right to the questions, huh? I don't care about the Grail so you can relax. I don't have any motivation to take it from you. I just like a good fight and I'm not choosey on how it happens." He rested his elbows on his knees and curled inward in his seat.
Naomi was disappointed. "I wasn't worried. Actually, I was hoping you did have a wish." She only needed the Grail itself, not the wish granting part. Though, she would love to figure out how an object had been inlayed magic. It must have taken a powerful magus to create such a thing.
Lancer rested his arms on his legs and hunched his back. "Sorry to burst whatever plans you had, Master, but I don't care for that cursed goblet." He said her title with a small bit of disdain.
Her brow furrowed and she ran her fingers through her hair. "Cursed?"
Lancer hummed. "I'm grateful it gives me the opportunity to see battle and that's as far as my interest extends."
It wasn't comforting to hear him throw caution at the objected that was mostly responsible for his existence. Nor how he avoided answering the question.
"You're making me nervous by just standing there." He chuckled. "I don't know if I can make myself at home when you're being all pensive. Lighten up a bit or you'll put wrinkles in that pretty face of yours."
Naomi hid her shaking hands behind her back. "I'm relaxed. I'm just thinking."
She had a feeling she would need to watch the Lancer closely. She had hoped that by promising the wish to him, he would care more about the war. If he wasn't after the Grail in particular, then he might put his priorities elsewhere. It didn't make since that he wanted nothing in return. Unless she was unaware of a specific way he is bound by the summoning ritual. Her knowledge of what she had gotten herself into was frighteningly minimal.
Her concern must have shown on her face because Lancer's features softened. "Don't worry so much. If that thing comes back, I'll kill it. You did a good job of holding it off as long as you did."
"Thanks?" His praise took her by such surprise that she held her breath. He was too lifelike.
"I'm not a fan of leaving right now but I need to run some errands." She doubted there would be another attack since her Servant was summoned but she didn't want to stick around in-case a second one was on its way. Strengthening the runes could wait. And she wanted to study up a bit before replenishing her defenses.
Naomi grabbed her purse from the kitchen table then paused from a stray realization. "Do you know what a car is?"
It almost slipped her mind, but If he was a copy of a hero from the past, it would be weird if he knew what a car was. Or, if he was a magical container, he might not have a concept of a vehicle.
"Of course." Lancer tapped his temple. "The Grail gives us Servants basic information of the current era when we're summoned." He grinned. "I can even drive."
At least she wouldn't have to explain how every little thing about modern life worked.
"Nice try but I'm driving. Do you want to come?" Maybe she could show him a bit of the area to get him familiar with this part of the city while she was at it.
"What are you asking for? Just say the word and I'm there."
Naomi couldn't stop glancing at the blood-red crest etched into the back of her hand. It sparkled in the light and felt warm. A stigma. It was the physical manifestation of magic she had called for from the Grail on top of the Servant. Within the three containers was enough magic to fuel any spell she wanted or control the Servant however she wished. There were three spells, but she counted them as two. Once the third one was gone, she would lose any and all connection with her Servant and effectively forfeit her place in the Grail War.
She tore her eyes away from the seals for the umpteenth time to scope out the paint isle of the supermarket. She figured now was as good a time as any to find a tub that fit the generic beige of her walls. She had meant to do her errands before summoning Lancer, but she had gotten a bad feeling and wanted to hurry up with the ritual. It was a good thing she had.
A few people milled about in the late evening and she could unconsciously sense Lancer's presence nearby like a slight pressure in the air. She wondered what it was like being in spirit form. All she knew was that it conserved her mana and kept her Servant out of sight. She was curious on how he managed to make himself invisible. Perhaps he stretched his mana thin around the area, so he appeared invisible.
There. She found a matching color. Straining on her tiptoes, Naomi silently cursed the paint for being on the top shelf. She looked around for a step ladder that employees usually neglected to put up.
"Need some help there, Master?"
She jumped, not used to hearing someone else's voice ring clear as bell in her mind.
Lancer materialized his physical body in shimmering pinpoints of light.
Naomi frantically waved her hands at him to try and cover his sudden appearance. "What are you doing? What if someone sees you poof into existence? What if it's another Master or Servant's around to see it?"
"Relax. No one's around." He put his hands on his hips and looked up. "Which one of these are you trying to reach?"
The deed had already been done so she reluctantly pointed up. "That one," she muttered with an annoyed huff.
Lancer plucked the tube from the shelf and dangled it in front of her.
"Thanks," she said tightly and took it from him. "You still shouldn't appear in broad daylight."
"I know this relationship is new, but you should be more willing to accept my help," Lancer lightly chided with a tease dancing on his tongue. "What's it going to be like in a fight if you can't trust me to get something off a shelf?"
She scrunched her nose at being caught and scolded by a walking, talking container of magic that looked like a long dead myth. "I think I can win a fight against a shelf."
Lancer laughed out of pure amusement. "I don't doubt you could, but I'd like to beat it up a little too."
Naomi took the offending item without understand why he was so hellbent on getting the tube of paint.
"You're not here to act like a butler or maid." No matter what, she wasn't going to turn into one of those technology hating lazy magi who relied on magic for everything.
"Great, because I'm not a fan of scrubbing the floors."
The items she bought dangled in the plastic bag at her side and skimmed over the snow melt marbling the asphalt. Banks of half frozen, muddy snow sloshed under her feet her breath came out in white puffs.
Her phone buzzed in her back packet and Naomi made a sound of annoyance. Whoever it was could wait until her fingers weren't falling off from the cold.
Her car was in sight when Lancer's internal voice caught her off guard. "Careful. I sense a Servant nearby."
Nothing looked or felt amiss. "Can you tell where?"
"They're close by, but I can't see where they're coming from."
She unlocked her mustang and threw her bags in while looking over her shoulder. Nothing had felt off before, but now there was a pricking sensation on her back as if she were being watched. Maybe it was just Lancer since she couldn't see him.
Before she could react, a metal chain cracked around her ankle and dragged her to the ground with a sharp yank. Naomi hit the frozen ground. Hard. Pain screamed up her side and rattled through her bones.
Lancer materialized in a flash and drove his red lance into the metal. Ice and cement cracked under the pressure that shattered the chain.
A woman dressed like a dominatrix in purples and blacks with a leather blindfold stood with her knees bent. Twin chains dangled from her fists and her lips were drawn in a thin line.
Naomi brushed the dirty snow off her jacket and shook off the throbbing pain. "Is that a Servant?"
It was almost stupid to ask. Even a low-class magus like herself would be able to see the magic shimmering around and through the Servant. The simmering was like sparks that crackled out of the corner of Naomi's vision. They caught her attention but were gone before she could focus on them.
"No doubt. She was hiding herself until now," Lancer replied as the woman's severed chain regrew like a lizard's tail.
The disconnected chains vanished into the air as the pure magic no longer had the fuel to remain solid.
"Not bad. Your Servant has fast reflexes." A man in his thirties and wearing a t-shirt and jeans walked out from behind a truck. "Am I right to assume he is of the Lancer class?" The brown haired, brown eyed man asked with an overly confidant smile.
"Maybe I would let you know if you hadn't tried to sneak around. You're terrible at covering your scent." Lancer pointed his weapon at the Servant.
The Master's stony brown eyes and tilted stance were what unnerved her. The man screamed danger and that was an apt description when he had to be this Servant's Master. She hadn't expected to run into one so soon. Just like the construct.
"We're not supposed to fight in crowded areas." She hoped the reminder would keep him from starting something that couldn't be stopped.
They were obscured by parked cars, but if a fight broke out, no amount of cover would conceal magical explosions. There hadn't been enough time to put up any kind of bounded field to keep everything contained.
"There's no rule? It would snowball out of control out here." There were only two rules enforced in the Holy Grail War. One, non-magi who saw a fight between Servants had to be terminated. Two, a Master could forfeit the Grail War at any time and seek safety within the church.
Naomi's aunt had warned her that if there was one or more non-magi observer, it could easily turn into a massacre. Naomi would rather avoid killing people all together. It would be too messy.
"True. It would be too much work." The man shrugged. "I'm not here to fight. Yet. I came with a proposition."
"Oh? You know it's not normal to strike first when you're planning to negotiate? It's bad form," Lancer said. "Why do you want to have a chat now that your piss poor attempt at an ambush failed?"
Naomi caught on to what Lancer was thinking. Perhaps this man had something to do with her near- death experience before summoning Lancer.
"Did you send that construct?" She didn't bother hiding the accusation in her tone.
The man quirked a brow and it was impossible to tell if he was lying or playing coy. "I don't know what you're talking about."
If he really didn't send the construct to kill her then maybe he was working with someone who did. "Who sent you?"
"Don't worry your little head missy. There's no third party. I'm a Master in this war like you are and I like keeping a schedule. I don't plan on letting this war drag out. I don't want you to think I'm too stiff so let's make a game of it and see if you can find me. Is there a time tonight that fits your time block?"
"You're already playing games mister," Lancer flashed an unfriendly smile. "What makes you think we'll play along that far?"
The Master chuckled. "Because you don't have any other choice. Either face me there or I'll seek you out later." His looked directly at Naomi. "Your light was on late last night. Were you preparing your summoning?"
"You're too vague to be threatening." She snapped. Anyone who was preparing for the Grail War could have been up late at night with the light on. His threat was so poorly thought it out it was impossible to feel threatened.
The Master shrugged. "You understood the message. I'll be waiting whether you turn up or not." He turned and left without looking behind him.
Silent and unreadable as stone, the female Servant disappeared in a shimmer of sparkling light.
It pissed Naomi off how the man expected her to do what he wanted. If he thought she was going to play along he could stick his Servant's chains where the sun doesn't shine.
Lancer glanced over his shoulder. "Do you want me to go after them? I can carve him a better attitude."
"Wait. There are too many witnesses."
Lancer relaxed his stance. "Too bad."
"You can beat him up later."
Lancer smirked.
Back home, Naomi fixed the wall and covered the broken floor as best she could and threw groceries into the fridge. Just because there was a war didn't mean she had the luxury of not dealing with every-day life chores. She didn't have the luxury to stock up before all this happened. As for the hole in the wall, she could bluff and say she was moving the couch and it fell, punching a hole. After doing a rough patch job on the wall, Naomi holed up in her room, digging through the back of her closet.
Lancer sat on the edge of her bed and watched her with an eager energy. "Do you plan on going?"
She tossed piled clothes off a box and dragged the cardboard into the bedroom. It wasn't hidden from disuse but an old habit she had yet to break. She popped the top and took out an old tome. Her aunt hadn't been happy to discover Naomi had taken the book.
"You shouldn't be wasting your time on this book. It's outdated and useless." Aunt Joan dropped the book on the ground, and she chanted a quick spell under her breath.
Fire erupted from her palms and Naomi dived for the tome. "Stop! I want to read it!"
Joan stopped her with an extended foot. "Go outside and play. okay sweetie? You'll just get bored by this book."
"No! Don't break it!" Tears streamed down Naomi's eyes. "It was grandpas." Her hands shook as she pulled chalk out of her pocket and started drawing on the ground through blurry eyes.
"And look where it got him?" Joan didn't look at Naomi as she let the fire fall with dripping embers onto the book.
Naomi flattened her palm on the book and shimmering barrier that spread like luminescent cogs from the center of the binding. The fire splashed harmlessly off it and dissipated on the patio concrete. The barrier only lasted a couple seconds before vanishing, leaving the book unharmed except for a small flame at its corner. Naomi jumped at it and patting out the fire with her shirt.
"It's mine! I found it! Don't break it!"
Joan's voice raised, sending the hair on the back of Naomi's neck standing on end. "You've been reading it and doing its magic without my supervision?"
Tears were still streaming down Naomi's eyes and her nose was clogging up. "I don't like fire. I don't want to do it!"
Joan rubbed her face. "Alright sweetie. You can keep the book. But don't use anymore of the spells inside it. If I catch sight of it again I'll burn it."
Naomi rubbed the darkened spot curling the corner of the book.
"It sounds too much like a trap," she said distractedly. "It's probably his plan B after that construct failed to kill me." He had to have been the one who sent it. It was the only thing that made sense. "He doesn't strike me as someone who plays fair."
"I'm not so sure. That Master and Servant didn't have the same aura as that beast. You saw it too, didn't you?"
Magic was like a fingerprint that was observable through sight or an instinctual feeling. There were supposedly more refined methods, but she wasn't privy to them. Naomi hadn't thought to look and wasn't sure she would be able to recognize a connection. She hadn't exactly been exposed to a lot of different schools of magic.
"It was hard to tell," Naomi admitted but was still convinced that construct was conjured by that Master. "It might be a trap, but the point of the Grail War is to fight, so why put it off." She tried to convince herself to face the Master despite how obvious his bait had been.
"Then we should prepare for a fight." Lancer cracked his knuckles then rested his chin in his palm. "You were limping a bit after being thrown down. Are you sure you're fine?"
His concern made her pause. She was surprised he had noticed. Her phone buzzed, and she hurriedly pulled the slim device out of her pocket "I'll walk it off," Naomi said offhandedly.
The text was from her mother. She was asking how it was going. She quickly texted that she was busy with work. Her parents knew about her job but were in the dark about the Grail War.
"Say, what's so interesting on that thing? Am I too much to look at?" Lancer sounded a bit miffed.
Naomi automatically looked at him. "No?"
Lancer crossed his arms. "Why did that sound like a question? Really, Master. You're going to make me think you're ashamed to have me as a Servant."
Naomi's chest clenched. "What? No! I'm grateful you're here. I just have a lot on my mind."
Naomi tossed the phone out of reach. The phone buzzed on the carpet and Naomi sighed, willing herself to ignore it.
"That's a relief," Lancer slid off the bed and stood with his shoulders thrown back. "But you could try to make it sound more sincere."
She nervously opened the book, careful to keep the numerous ruled papers from spilling out from its pages. Foreign text and symbols stared up at her.
"I am," she muttered in mortified that he didn't think she was telling the truth. She meant it, despite how confused she felt around him.
"Sorry to throw it in your face if ya are. You're a bit hard to read." Lancer craned his neck. "What do you plan to do with that?"
She flipped through the pages. "I'm looking for a way to reinforce my perimeter alert. It didn't work on that construct."
"You don't have to worry about that. I'll sense them before they can get close enough to be a problem."
Naomi swiveled sharply, glaring at him. Her abilities were fine, even if they were limited to a few spells.
"And I see I've hit a nerve."
Her thumb hooked in the middle of the book, so she wouldn't lose her place. "Are you trying to pick a fight?" She asked with a margin of annoyance.
"Nah. I'm trying to get a feel for who I'm serving." He returned to the bed and crossed his legs.
She thought about throwing him out of the room but begrudgingly admitted he needed to know about her capabilities. Naomi set her book down and turned to him.
"You want to know about me? That's fair. I'll try to keep it short. I'm only the third generation able to use magic." Her grandfather was the first person to show magic capabilities, then her aunt. Her aunt and the church had tried to teach her magic but, "Most of the magic I know is self-taught."
"So, a fledgling mage." Lancer deduced. "I thought you were a bit different from other mages I've come across."
She puffed up and flicked the book shut with more force than necessary. "I might not be able to fling fire balls or shoot lightning. Or use holy sacrament, but my spells do the job."
"Hmmm? what can you do with so little training?"
She was about to answer, but the words caught in her throat. Self-consciousness took hold and the steam she'd collected gushed out like a balloon losing air.
"Barriers and healing." It wasn't impressive to say aloud. Offensive capabilities, or more impactful crafts were more desired. Anything that wasn't rune magic never interested her or it didn't click.
Lancer rested his chin in his palm. His droopy eyes were hard to discern. "Those are a bit more advanced than elemental spells."
"Not really," she said matter of fact. The spells had come from her grandfather's book on rune magic, an archaic style that no one used anymore.
Lancer dropped his hand from his chin. "I'll let you get to it. I find stuffy old books boring."
He unfurled from the bed and turned his back to her. His body vanished in blue orbs as he took up his spirit form. It was hard to understand, let alone express how she felt about the Grail War and Lancer.
She rubbed her command seals then picked up her book only to realize she had shut it without saving her place. "Aww. Goddamn it."
Lancer dropped out of a tree next to Naomi. "I don't see that guy or his Servant. I don't sense them either."
Naomi scanned the vacant park. Dull streetlights illuminated her foggy breath. "You said they were broadcasting their magic here?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if other Servants showed up."
Lancer leaned in close and leered. "You look a bit cold there, Master. Do you need some warming up?"
"No." She said matter of fact.
"Are ya sure?" Lancer threw his arm around her shoulders and Naomi jumped out from under him.
"Back off!" Naomi shoved him away with burning cheeks, startled and unnerved by the forwardness.
He smiled stupidly which only made her more annoyed.
"I'm going to have a look around." Naomi jabbed her finger at him when he started to follow. "Behave yourself."
"Aye, aye." Lancer materialized his weapon and slung it over his shoulder. "This isn't how I envisioned our first date but I can't say I'm complaining."
"Very funny." Naomi stomped off and clicked on a flashlight. Her face was still hot and she refused to look at him. She wasn't happy that he was trying to distract her or that her body reacted to him. He was condensed magic that looked humanoid, he was not a person.
The park had paths running along both sides of a river that was carved deep into the hills. The open areas had pavilions and a playground sat near the parking lot. Naomi had only been once or twice. The serene looking location was plagued by abductions and assaults at least three times a month. It wasn't a place she would want to visit alone.
"Do you think he chickened out?"
Naomi turned around to find Lancer gone.
"I don't know if he would." It perturbed her that there had been no time to look up the man and find out who they would be up against, but the faster they finished the war, the better.
The jogging path wound its way into a forested section where it dipped and snaked around narrower points of the river. The water was shallow enough in the area to be considered a creek. Naomi walked through the woods, trying to clear her mind of the nerves she could feel making her hands shake. It was pitch black and she was having second thoughts of combing through the trees where the streetlights couldn't reach.
"If we engage them here it could be a problem," Lancer told her with his thoughts. "There isn't much room for me to maneuver."
Naomi could have slapped herself for the obvious error. His weapon was long and could easily snag on the close trees. Then again, he had seemed to have no problem with fighting in the tight quarters of her apartment. Maybe there was something else he was worried about.
"Let's get back to the pavilions."
"The Servant is here!" Lancer materialized mid-sentence, moving seamlessly from thought to spoken word. He poised with his back arched and weapon pointed down.
Not a moment later the female Servant materialized, conveniently cutting off the path out of the woods.
Naomi froze in place. If that woman was here, then, "Where's your Master?"
Without answering, the Servant darted into the forest over their heads.
"Nice try lady, but that smells too much like a trap." Lancer chided the Servant and followed Naomi who was waving at him to follow her away from the woods.
He nodded with focused seriousness and followed her out. "Making them work for their so-called game, eh?"
"Can't make it too easy for them." She then had a thought. "Wouldn't this Servant have a hard time fighting in the forest too? Her chains would get caught."
"Hard to say. I don't know what class she is."
Naomi wracked her brain for the Servant class types. Lancer, Archer, Saber, Assassin, Berserker, Rider, and Caster. The enemy couldn't be a Lancer because there could only one of each class and whipping chains didn't scream an Archer or Saber.
"Berserker, Rider, Assassin, or Caster," Naomi supplied.
"Definitely not a Berserker. Trust me."
"An Assassin, Caster, or Rider then," Naomi guessed. She hopped it wasn't an Assassin. The woods provided ample cover for someone who liked to strike without warning. Maybe that was it.
When Naomi broke through the tree line an arm appeared out of the darkness and she ran into it chest first and dropped her flashlight. The wind was knocked out of her and icy fingers balled the front of her shirt into a fist. She dug her nails into a man's pale arm.
"You aren't very fun to play with. You were supposed to send your Servant after mineor go galloping after Rider." Simmons yanked her toward him. The flashlight rolled, illuminating his face from underneath.
She shoved her palm into his face and the runes painted onto her arms lit up white. A micro barrier erupted, snapping into his face and forcing his head back. Simmons shoved her away and Lancer's serrated spear carved a line in the earth between Naomi and the Master. Lancer spun his spear then pointed it at the rapidly backing up man.
"Your game is boring," Lancer announced. "Where's your Servant gone?"
Simmon's eyes went wide when he realized he was staring down a Servant with nothing in between them.
The jingle of chains was the only warning before metal links slashed Lancer in the back. He stumbled forward, shocked by the blow. A second chain shot down from the trees and ensnared the enemy Master's arm. Simmons grabbed a hold of the metal and was pulled out of sight.
Naomi turned her back to Lancer's and held out her hand, ready to fend off another attack as her Servant recovered. Lancer swiped his weapon over her head and missed Simmons by centimeters.
She squeaked when Lancer reached behind him and wrapped his arm around her middle. He took off at breakneck speed across the park, turning her vision into a blur of gray colors.
Lancer stopped near the well-lit pavilion and Naomi wobbled and turned to face the forest as she regained a sense of equilibrium. Picnic tables and trashcans created a small maze under the pavilion, perhaps they could provide some cover if needed.
"I wasn't expecting that," she coughed out. "Least we know she's a Rider."
She wouldn't have guessed it was a rider in a million years. That servant was riding nothing, and what kind of rider used chains? Wouldn't a mount get tangled in them?
"And they're obviously not going to play fair." Lancer stood vigilant, scanning the surrounding park. "Come on. Why don't you face me in a real fight?" Lancer goaded loudly to the night. "Enough of this run and hide nonsense."
The Servant answered by rushing from the shadows. Her twin chains lashed and wrapped around Lancer's weapon.
"That's more like it." Lancer strained against the chains that gleamed in the artificial light.
With a swift yank, Rider pulled Lancer forward then released him. He took it as his queue to charge after her.
The Servant's exchanged impossibly quick and brutal blows. Rider was fast and continually tried to ensnare Lancer's ankles or arms, but he was faster. Naomi couldn't help but admire his grace. Though not the strongest class, the Lancer was supposed to be faster than any of the other types. His attacks were blurs of shining red and blue that made looked like he had more than one weapon.
The ground erupted under them, spraying chunks of dirt where Lancer's weapon gouged the earth in an attempt to hit Rider. Rider flipped away from Lancer's thrusting strikes and lashed him across the cheek before landing. A line of red appeared with welling blood and Lancer grinned.
"You managed to land a hit. I'm impressed." He traced a rune in the air above his lance and crouched low, pointing his weapon at her. The wounds on his back were still bleeding freely. "But it's not good enough."
Naomi's mouth fell agape. He created a rune out of nothing. She had never seen anything like it. Was he covered in etched runes? Did the status of his body being pure magic let him use runes in that way? The symbol was foreign to her so she couldn't' begin to guess how his mage craft worked.
Lancer's pupils shrank and his eyes opened wide. Power surged around him and channeled into his weapon. Light exploded from his blade and wavered like a flame up the shaft of his lance. He roared as he collected power then charged forward, moving impossibly fast. It was all Rider could do to dodge his onslaught.
In that moment he looked more like a what she would guess to be a Berserker than a Lancer. His movements were sharp and graceful, but she couldn't see the full effect. The Servants moved too quickly for her human eye to properly track. It was like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon, only it was real, and the sight was making her blood pump a mile a minute. She didn't realize just how deadly Servants really were. She had heard that they could be as destructive as an entire army, but she hadn't believed. It still seemed far fetched that they could have that much power, but they definitely weren't push overs.
Her enthrallment with the Servant battle had almost cost Naomi her life. A sharp spike of rock shot from the darkness, nearly running her through. Vaulting over a picnic table, Naomi barely dodged the attack.
She looked around in a panic and spotted Simmons. "The Masters aren't supposed to attack each other!"
Simmons laughed sourly. "It's easier to kill a magus than a Servant, Naomi."
She nearly missed dogging another blow. He not only knew where she lived but her name as well.
Her perplexed expression must have been clear on her face because Simmons said, "Yes I know who you are. Your records at the church were helpful."
The fact the church had records on her wasn't news, but how he got his hands on them was a mystery.
"There's nothing exciting to read there," she said defensively.
"Your records are a little lackluster, but they told me enough. Perhaps I should mar that pretty face of yours so future magus won't recognize you as the Master." He smirked sadistically. "It might give you a slight advantage."
His threat was tone deaf and only made her cringe at how stupid he sounded.
Simmons chanted under his breath and the ground under him started to cave in and crack.
Naomi was already out of breath and her legs ached as she weaved around the tables to avoid the bursting ground. She couldn't get close enough to hit him with barriers.
Simmons laughed. "Where are you running to?"
The pavilion creaked. Too late, Naomi realized that Simmons had never been aiming at her. His tampering with the foundation and earth underneath had caused the pavilions support to crack and weaken. The metal supports buckled around the softened mid sections and began to fall. It crashed down with a groan of metal and crumbling of concrete.
"Master!" Lancer called out as he heaved rubble to the side. "Can you hear me?"
A cough and muffled answer made him still.
"Over here."
Lancer flung aside concrete like it weighted nothing. Naomi's strength was failing, and he wouldn't be able to dig her out before her shield fell. Pouring prana into her runes, the barrier expanded outward like a balloon, shoving the debris all around her out and away. Concrete flew across the grass and landed with heavy thuds in the dirt.
Lancer easily avoided the flying debris. "Seems those barriers do come in handy."
Naomi hacked against the smoke and dust and could only wave at him.
Lancer crooked smile.
"I'll try not to die for your benefit." Naomi coughed again and wiped flecks of tears from her eyes.
"That's not what I meant. Ah..." He rubbed the back of his head.
Naomi glanced around. There was no one in sight. "Where did they go?"
"Gone, wherever they went. Rider snagged her Master and ran off with him just before the building collapsed."
"You didn't go after them?" Naomi asked with surprise.
Lancer shrugged. "I thought about it, but I'd be a failure of a Servant if you kicked the bucket before me."
Naomi couldn't stop the small smile that stretched her face. "You're right. Thanks for not abandoning me."
He rubbed the back of his head at the praise. "You didn't seriously think I would up and leave ya for dead did ya?"
"Well…," it wouldn't have surprised her. "Turn around for a minute. You're bleeding."
His voice was sharp and loud. "What? I pledged you my spear. Fine. I'll prove it to you." He presented his back to her and placed his hands on his hips. "I can fend off a whole army or gods if that's what you want."
Two angry red gashes gaped at her. Red crystals were forming around the edges. Naomi had to guess they were magic related. Maybe it sped up the healing process, or that just how 'injured' magic looked. She didn't know a huge amount about how Servants worked.
Naomi silently huffed at his overconfidence. "If you can help me not die, that will be enough."
She put her hands around the wound, trying not to put too much pressure. His skin was hot and too lifelike for a being composed of raw mana. It was almost off putting.
"That's a given. Come on, Master. Give me something more challenging." he said while looking over his shoulder. His eyes were piercing and dancing with eagerness.
Naomi swallowed hard. "How about you show me what you did to your spear. That rune you drew."
"I don't know if that's a good idea."
She was starting to realize that her mind had been too wrapped up in the wrong things. She needed to focus more on this Servant if they were going to survive the Grail War and fulfill the mission. It was paramount that she learned how he fought and operated.
Her healing runes glowed green and began closing the gashes. They weren't too deep but looked painful.
"What kind of food do you like?" Food was usually a good ice breaker, if Servants ate anything, or could remember anything about eating in their false memories.
Lancer's mouth fell open then then he gripped his forehead and burst out laughing.
"What?" Her face went red and she was afraid she had said something wrong.
His expression turned apologetic though he was still grinning. "I like anything with meat in it."