Musty books and scattered notebook paper full of scribbles were strewn across the floor. Amongst them, Naomi sat cross legged with her eyes closed. One hand touching a piece of printer paper with a carefully inked design. She began chanting a foreign language that fell easily from her lips. Power coursed through her magic circuits, pulsing like live electricity. The pulsing snagged and sparked, pinching her nerves with repeated zaps down her spine. She grimaced and her voice strained as the last of the chant deteriorated and surged. She felt the familiar barrier begin to rise around the apartment. It was larger than before, rising from the ground in a ring around the complex and slowly moving toward a pinnacle to form a dorm.
Her breaths became labored, and her circuits burned in protest. Just a little more would be enough to close the top. Just a little…The circuits couldn't take the stress and broke. A lightning bolt electrified her nerves and snapped at the base of her skull like a stabbing needle. She sucked in a breath and clutched her hair around her head, doubling over as the barrier fell and vanished like disintegrating paper.
"Damn it," she cursed quietly.
The door to her room creaked open. Saber scanned the space with piercing pink eyes. "Your mana is still flickering? You've made a frightening mess of the floor."
Saber bent down and picked up Naomi's dusty tome that she taught herself magecraft from. Saber turned the pages, more interested in them than Naomi doubled over on the floor, surrounded by sketched papers full of runes.
"Probably because she was pushing her magic circuits again." Lancer materialized, rubbing his head and squinting his eyes in pain. "You're not the only one who feels that. I get some of the backlash through our connection, you know."
Naomi let go of her head. It was dully throbbing but the worst of it had past. "Sorry. I didn't know it would affect you too."
She felt guilty and ashamed they caught her struggling to do magic.
Lancer gave a reassuring smile, one of his eyes closed, trying and failing to hide a grimace. "Don't force it so much or you really might fry yourself. That wouldn't be good for either of us."
Naomi stuffed her papers between the pages of a book and started collecting her mess. "How else am I supposed to know when my circuits can be used again?" She put the papers and notebooks in the crook of her arm and stood from a crouch. "It's not like being sick. I can't feel them gradually getting better."
Naomi put the papers on the desk and Saber placed the one she had picked up on top of the pile.
"Allow me." Saber sauntered up to Naomi and put a hand on her cheek. Naomi flinched back. Saber was bad with personal space and she still wasn't used to it. In a blink Lancer's arm was stretched in front of Naomi's line of sight.
"Woah there. Don't you think you're coming on a little strong?" He shuffled to the side so Naomi was behind his back.
Naomi was surprised at the tension in Lancer's shoulders and wondered why he was suddenly so against Saber getting close. He didn't trust Saber as much as Naomi thought, and that made her nervous.
Saber was unapologetic and spoke through Lancer as if he wasn't standing in her way. "I can read your circuits. It requires physical contact."
"She was the one who figured out my circuits weren't actually damaged," Naomi said for Lancer's benefit then addressed Saber. "It's fine, Lancer. Let her try it."
Lancer scooted aside but stayed close. "Don't do anything funny."
She didn't like him being on edge. It was making her rethink accepting the offer, but Naomi wanted to get her circuits up and running ASAP.
Saber placed her hand on Naomi's cheek. Her thumb brushed under Naomi's jaw and rested on the pulse in her neck. Naomi froze against Saber's cold hand, not quite liking the way it felt on her skin. Saber closed her eyes and Lancer's brow pinched.
Saber spoke as if reading a divination, her eyes still closed. "They are healing. Some of the new connections have been completed, but not all of them. I hazard to say you may perform simple spells. Anything complex could cause backlash." Saber opened her eyes. "As you found out. If you wish to know the state of your recovery at any time, feel free to ask for my assistance."
Saber's hand fell away from Naomi's cheek and Saber backed up a step. Naomi expelled a breath of relief that nothing happened.
"Can I speed it up? With exercise or something?" Naomi asked.
"I wouldn't push it. Allow it to heal naturally," Saber advised.
"What would happen if I did accidentally fry my circuits?" Naomi wondered.
"Your prana would be trapped inside your body with no outlet. After a few days Lancer would disappear then the prana would slowly build until your physical body could no longer contain it. You would die an agonizing death."
Naomi cringed. "I'd rather avoid that."
"That would be for the best."
"Not a glamorous way to go out." Lancer agreed.
"So don't go using big spells. Got it. But I don't know any big spells." Maybe in a couple days, Naomi could attempt the dome again. It wasn't that large of a spell.
"They are big enough compared to the damage. Heed my advice or don't." Saber left the room and Naomi took another deep breath and exhale.
"Eh, you'll get your magic back. Like she said. Don't sweat it." Lancer said.
"I don't want to get into another fight without being able to use magic." Naomi clenched her jaw.
She couldn't go into a fight without magic. She would put Lancer in a difficult position again. Naomi would have to wait and hope it would all turn out okay while twiddling her thumbs. The thought made her squirm.
"That's what I'm here for, yeah? There's a few more days left. It might come back. If it doesn't then I'm as good - nah, better than your magic."
He meant a few more days before they went to the park. Lancer's words didn't touch her. She didn't want to be useless to him and herself and she wasn't sure he believed his own words.
"Did Saber do something to make you nervous?" she asked him.
"Not particularly. Call it a gut feeling. I would be pretty crap at my job if I relaxed too much around Saber. She's still a pretty big unknown wildcard."
"True." Naomi glanced at the pile of papers. She needed to get her magic back.
It was a day later and her circuits still hadn't fully recovered. She could do very minor spells and only a few at a time.
Naomi decided to look around the park in the afternoon before meeting with Janet. She was hoping to find something Edward might have missed. Like at the school. Saber seemed attuned to finding hidden magic.
She was having a hard time paying attention. Joggers ran past Naomi as she walked the park trails but her mind was on her shot circuits, and wondering how she was going to face Joan again. All that talk and here she had damaged her magic.
Lancer followed close behind, taking in the sights of the park, far more engaged than her.
"You have a knack for attracting strange allies," Lancer commented.
Naomi couldn't agree. "Edward doesn't count. Saber has her own agenda. Janet is hell bent on revenge and could care less about being my ally. I'm just convenient for them all."
Lancer slung an arm over Naomi's shoulders and cocked his head down toward her. "I can think of a few things that makes you an attractive ally."
Naomi tried to pull out from under his arm but he tightened his hold and quickened his pace to match hers.
"I'm being serious!" She barked. "My skills are garbage and I hardly know anything about the magi world. There's nothing useful I can offer. I can barely even do magic right now."
She was livid with herself. Her magic still hadn't fully come back and it frustrating.
"You don't give yourself enough credit. Your skills have saved my butt more than once." Lancer pulled her close to his side and leaned over her. "You don't seem to realize it but healing magic is tough. And your rune craft isn't too shabby for a beginner. You have the guts to improve. That will get you far."
A dusting of pink tinged Naomi's cheeks as she stared ahead. "Since when do you give compliments that don't involve a woman's physical appearance?"
Lancer straightened and relaxed his hold but didn't remove his arm. "Ouch. That hurts you know."
Naomi elbowed him. "I'm kidding." Her voice lowered to a mutter. "Thanks."
He was trying to cheer her up and give her confidence. If in an infuriating way.
Nearly a minute passed when Naomi started to wonder when Lancer would remove his arm and back up so he could resume ogling strangers.
His next out of the blue question made her heart rate speed up. "So, that new friend of yours, Janet, raised an interesting question. Do you think I'm hot?"
Naomi's cheeks turned molten red. "I'm not answering that! Shut up."
He leaned forward to get a look at her face. His shit eating grin made her want to stuff the real deal into his face. "You're blushing," he teased.
She pushed at his arm and he let her escape. "Go away Lancer! Go scope out the woods and see if you can find anything. Or something."
He was trying to get a reaction of her and she hated that his plan was working. Lancer knew just how to drive her crazy.
"As you say," he bowed and gave one last infuriating smirk before vanishing into thin air.
Naomi sighed and plopped down on a bench to guzzle a bottle of water to quench her thirst and calm her reddened face. The shaded areas were still a bit chilly. A cold wind blew, rustling her long hair and lifting the hood of her jacket. Naomi looked up at the fast-moving clouds, wondering if an incoming storm was swiping them across the sky.
It was stupid luck that she caught sight of red in the trees.
Li was sitting on a branch, leaning against the tree's trunk. He was gazing intently over the river. At what, she couldn't tell. All she saw were joggers.
Naomi wrapped her jacket closer around her. If he was here, then Joan was probably around. Great. She supposed Joan had sniffed out the same clues that led her to Meyer Park.
Li seemed to feel her looking and his eyes locked onto hers. He probably knew she was there all along. There was no way he was just now noticing her. He looked away, pointedly ignoring her. Well that just made her curious. He hadn't tried to kill her last time, either. This Servant didn't seem interested in killing her.
Naomi walked close to the base of the tree and called up to Li. She tried to sound nonchalant while wearing a crooked smile. "Are you helping Joan look for Caster?"
"I'm enjoying the scenery. This small slice of nature in the city reminds me of the gardens back home."
That answer sounded avoidant. Naomi had a few itching questions for him. "Why did you team up with Joan?"
"Trying to ruin my good mood are you," He let that question hang for a moment, but he didn't sound annoyed or angry. Naomi kept her mouth shut.
"It's natural for a Servant to seek out a Master, and I couldn't join you. Then I wouldn't get the chance to fight that Lancer of yours." Li smiled in a way similar to Lancer that keyed Naomi into the fact he thought the idea of fighting Lancer was fun.
"You two would get along," she surmised.
"Perhaps."
She somewhat got his simple, I want to fight things, logic after being around Lancer.
She also figured it wouldn't hurt to tell him about Caster. Everyone seemed to be after that guy and she wasn't the least bit sorry.
"Caster was kidnapping from a school and liquefied the students to create an ooze monster. Now there are more than usual people disappearing from this park."
"That so. He has been creating golems."
"Golems?" Naomi parroted. "Aren't those stone guardian things?"
"Not always. Golems are constructs powered by magical cores. They usually take on human shape and can be made from various materials. Joan mentioned Caster might be making Golems out of corpses. You have confirmed her suspicions."
The hair on the back of Naomi's neck stood on end. What was he doing with Servants in a basement if he was liquifying everyday people to make monsters?
She feared the worst. "Was he going to turn you and the other Servants into a golem?"
He winked at her. "Got it in one. I and the other Servants in that room would have been turned into magic cores for the body."
Naomi was disgusted. Human or Servant, that was just wrong and unnatural. "Eww. There was more than just you and Saber?" Naomi was afraid to hear about more Servants. Ones she hadn't freed.
"Your disgust is surprising. Magi don't mind cruelties in the name of magic." Li picked at the bark of the tree. "A Lancer and a Rider. If there were more, it was before I was summoned. The cores were never very stable. They broke almost as soon as they were made. One self-imploded trying to use his phantasm on that Master. His core couldn't handle the magic he needed."
Li jumped out of the tree and stretched his back with his hands behind him. "You did me and that Saber a favor by breaking us out. Appreciate it. I'd rather not be some mana battery. It would be unpleasant."
"It's gross," she agreed.
He smiled in satisfaction.
"If you find anything interesting about this Master of Caster's, I wouldn't mind hearing about it. He's not a person who should be roaming around with a Servant or get their hands on a Grail."
Naomi paled. It had never crossed her mind what the other Masters want to wish on the Grail. This psychopathic murderer probably wouldn't just wish for infinite money. An infinite pit of humans and servants to experiment with?
Caster hadn't bothered her much before beyond, gross creepy probably murderer guy. Now the thought of him made her want to throw up as much as the room she had seen. She felt gross just thinking about her last encounter with him.
"Yeah. That guy running around makes me uncomfortable," she said.
"Li." Saber greeted with an expressionless tone.
Naomi hadn't noticed her walking up behind her, but she smelled the heavenly coffee the Servant was holding.
"Altera," Li greeted back. "You look well."
"I am functional. Here Naomi. This will help keep you warm." Altera handed Naomi the coffee
"You, ah, thank you." Naomi was flustered and absolutely touched Altera had thought to bring her coffee. It definitely felt nice in her cold hands.
"You're welcome."
Naomi took a sip and savored the bitter taste.
Saber took a big gulp of her own coffee. Naomi was unsure if it was sweet or black, but there was a new convert to the coffee is awesome club.
"You didn't tell me Fuller was going to turn you into a golem core," Naomi said. She wasn't sure why Saber hadn't mentioned it.
"It wasn't important. I would have mentioned it if it affected you."
Naomi decided Saber didn't mean anything by not telling her what Fuller had planned to do with her. Naomi hadn't asked, and it was in character for Saber to not say more than necessary.
"I found no magical residue in the park. Nor a concealing spell." Saber said.
"You're thinking he sends someone else? A familiar?" Li guessed.
Saber nodded. "Perhaps."
Li rubbed his chin. "So, he's covering up his scent."
"Or was never here at all," Saber guessed.
"It's too soon to say no. Too many things point to the park. I guess we're not going to find anything until nightfall." Naomi said. She planned to wait until Friday. She wasn't ready yet.
"This looks like a party. And I wasn't invited." Cu coalesced from spirit form next to Naomi and put a hand on his hip. "What is the great martial artist doing here?"
"Don't play dumb in front of your Master. You've been here the whole time," Li crossed his arms and Lancer laughed.
"Caught me. Darn it. I guess I should have tried to hide myself better."
"You didn't try," Saber deadpanned.
Lancer hummed. "I guess not."
"It's nice to see youth. You still have a spark that your aunt is missing."
Naomi opened then closed her mouth, then finally said, "I guess she's not who I thought she was."
"Or what you thought," Li added.
Naomi's brow pinched. "Huh?"
He waved his hand.
She shook off her confusion "We'll hang out here for a little bit until nightfall. I have some things to do before then." Naomi started turning around but felt rude just leaving. "Good meeting you again Li. It was better than last time."
"You as well, Master Naomi. When the time comes to confront Fuller you can bet I'll be in line to beat up Caster. Then I want a match with your Lancer."
Lancer and Li gave each other a toothy grin.
Naomi returned to her car in the parking lot and rummaged around the trunk.
"What've you got in there?" Lancer leaned over glimpse what she was rifling through.
Saber had made herself scarce, stating she wanted to continue patrolling the park until they returned.
Naomi freed a backpack from the junk piled high in the trunk. "I need to redraw some runes and I want to practice some since there's time to kill. The fishing gear is still in here if you want to use it."
"Don't mind if I do!" Lancer happily took the tackle box and pole she handed him.
They hiked a ways into the park to find a more hidden spot. They sat down in the grass and Naomi dug out the contents of her backpack. Her rune book was stuffed with papers and a pencil case. The case had opened in the bag and pens, pencils, markers, paint, and chalk fell out on the ground.
Naomi collected the contents and shoved them back in before opening the book in her lap and laying out the papers in a ring around her.
Lancer had already casted his fishing line by the time she finished arranging the materials. Her first order of business was to check the runes on her skin.
After redrawing barrier and healing runes, Naomi stared thoughtfully at a simple rune scribbled on one of the papers. She recalled Lancer using it to light the area when they found Fuller's basement.
She hovered a splayed hand over a sheet and closed her eyes. Muttering the rune's name, she focused on its essence. Fire. Ansuz. Circuits blazed to life under her skin and channeled power through the rune. The sheet of paper burst into flames.
Naomi jumped up and stomped the paper to put it out. "Shit."
"I don't think you're ready for fire spells." He patted her head.
Lancer's fishing pole was abandoned beside the river and Naomi couldn't remember him getting up.
Naomi sighed at her burnt paper. "At least I know I can do some magic now without the stinging thing happening." The charred smell wafted toward her with a soft breeze and stung her nose.
Summoning the fire hadn't been painful. In fact, the ability had come easier to her than previously. Still, she wasn't ready to test a large spell. Not that a large one would be within her capabilities.
"I need to learn how to do more than barriers and healing."
Lancer squatted in front of her.
"Nah. Might as well strengthen those skills. Sides' Scáthach wouldn't let me move on to another rune until I was good enough to be half as good as her."
Naomi dipped her chin and huffed. "Probably. But there's so much I don't know about magic. Who is that though?"
"My old teacher. She taught me all eighteen runes and a lot more." His red eyes shone with remembrance, perhaps fondness.
Naomi started gathering her papers. It probably hadn't been the wisest idea to try out a fire rune for the first time in broad daylight. On grass...She could have started a grass fire that burned down the park. "Sometimes I'm surprised you're not a caster. You know more about magecraft than I do. You must have had a good teacher."
"I could have been summoned as a Caster but I'd rather face my opponents as a warrior. But," he sighed. "The witch of Dún Scáith was something alright. She sure gave me run for my money. Too bad we're unlikely to ever cross weapons again. She would still kick my ass, of course."
Now Naomi was curious how he would turn out as a Caster. Maybe other classes as well. What his abilities be? "What other class could you be summoned as? Berserker? Saber?"
She wasn't sure how she would have handled a Berserker Cú Chulainn. The Berserker from the basement proved that servant class was hostile and unpredictable. Lancer might have killed her by now if under the influence of berserker's madness and sheer brutality.
Lancer shrugged. "Berserker, Saber, Caster. Archer maybe. I wouldn't summon myself as a Berserker if I were you. That guy is useless."
"How so? Would you go nuts and kill everyone including me or something?"
Lancer glared down at the ground. "No. Never. No matter what form I took I would serve my Master. So long as they didn't go too far. But I wouldn't be of much use to them. I might hear half of their commands. Or none."
Naomi nodded, fully believing him, and felt foolish for even suggesting that he would kill her.
"I know. I'll never see you in your other forms anyway so it's not even a real question."
Lancer frowned. He looked troubled with a faraway gaze, and she didn't like that she had somehow upset him.
"I'm sorry I said something dumb."
Lancer finally looked at her and his smile didn't reach his eyes. His red irises looked tired. "Don't worry about it. It made me think of something, but I lost it. Not sure what that was…a memory?"
"By the way, what is going too far for you?" She wondered what would set him over the deep end to betray a Master.
"Pushing my buttons too far. Betrayal. Breaking promises. Things like that."
"That's normal," she was relieved it wasn't a button she had pushed.
"It's a lot to ask from some lords."
"We'll, I'm not a lord. Just a boring ol' regular citizen."
"Don't play coy. You did just summon fire."
"Fine, you have me there."
"Course I do."
She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him like a child.