Chapter Text
The long stairs at the entrance of Ryuudo Temple were somewhat infamous around the area for both the beauty of the surroundings and how ridiculously long they were, making visits to the temple a lot more difficult than they had to be – assuming you were just a human. For the blue-clad Servant headed for the gates at the top they were no more trouble than your average escalator. There was a witch living in the temple, and he’d recently discovered she had just the trick he needed.
“Who goes there?”
Lancer narrowly dodged the long blade aiming for his neck, he bounced down the stairs and slid to a halt on one of the broader steps. Of course, he’d almost forgotten about the gatekeeper. The guy was hard to notice after all. Assassin swung his sword again, Lancer quickly drew his spear and caught the blade in the jagged edges of his spearhead.
“Relax, I’m not here to fight this time.”
“Just a nightly temple visit then?” Assassin asked. “You do seem the type for that, I suppose. I would tell you to come back during the day, but unfortunately I doubt the old hag would stand for it.” He pulled his sword free and held it lowered by his side, a sign that the cease-fire had been accepted.
“On second thought, I think would like it if you returned during the day. I’d like to see how she’ll try to handle a servant walking in her territory in broad daylight, with countless witnesses around. That would undoubtedly be a great sight!” He laughed, amused by the idea of situations that would piss off his Master. That’s one thing they had in common at least.
“Maybe another time. I kind of need to negotiate with her and I don’t think she’ll be willing to do anything if she’s not in control of the situation.”
“Negotiate? From our previous battle I wouldn’t have taken you to be the kind to work with a witch. Well, I suppose you’re right about the second part though.”
“Yeah. So. I’m gonna need you to let me pass.”
“I’m afraid I cannot do that.”
Great.
“You see, if I let you pass and for whatever reason your conversation displeases her she will definitely take her anger out on me. Spilling my organs seems to be a favourite of hers so you’ll understand that I would rather avoid that fate if it can be helped.”
“That’s. Understandable, yeah. I really gotta talk to her though, and something tells me she’s not gonna come out herself so that leaves only one option really.”
“Very well, I see your point. You’ll have to leave your spear at the gate though.”
“What the f-”
The words escaped him before he even realized. Why the fuck would he leave his weapon, his Noble Phantasm, at the gate while negotiating with another Servant? He might as well strip naked while he’s at it.
“It is the absolute stupidest thing you could possibly do, of course, and that’s precisely why you would do it. It’ll confuse her. She’ll leave you alive long enough to at the very least figure out what you want so desperately that you’d leave you spear behind. Besides, it will add more weight to your argument. Without your weapon there is nothing you can do but talk.” And hopefully she’ll go easy on me if she gets angry anyway. The words didn’t need to be spoken for both of them to understand.
He was right, Lancer had to admit. Unfortunately. It really was too bad that he was desperate and stupid enough to actually do it. He stuck his spear in the ground between the tiles, right in the middle of the gate, impossible to miss.
“I assume you won’t stop me if I run?”
Assassin didn’t respond for a few seconds, too surprised that Lancer really did just leave his weapon. He shook his head to collect himself.
“Of course. My only task is to ward off intruders, nobody has ever mentioned anything about those trying to escape.”
The wide open temple grounds were almost suffocating after the confined spaces of the stairs. A thin fog spread out over the courtyard, moving slowly even though there was no wind that night. Mana collected from countless people.
“Show yourself, Caster!”
A flock of purple butterflies gathered some distance in front of him, and his fingers instinctively reached for the spear he’d left behind. There she was alright, the exact same figure that he’d spied on earlier that week when he happened to come across her fight with those kids. He should probably consider himself lucky that he knew the runes to identify magic, or he wouldn’t even know about the thing he was here for. Caster’s hood was up like usual, hiding her face and making her seem taller than she was. She really did like to be in control of everything, huh. What a troublesome woman.
"What does Sasaki think he’s doing?” she muttered, probably louder than intended. Lancer could hear it clearly despite the distance between them.
“I’m here for negotiations only.” he responded, also a little louder than intended. He was pretty sure he was keeping it together on the outside, but being in enemy territory without his weapon made him more nervous than he’d been at any point in this war. “That’s why he decided to let me pass. I left my Noble Phantasm at the gate as a sign of goodwill.”
Caster stared at him for a minute or so, at least that’s what he assumed. There was no way to tell with the way that hood covered her face, and the mana fog seemed to swirl up around her body, hiding her even more. He thought about how long it would take him to sprint towards the gate and figured it would be longer than she would need to cast a spell to stop him.
“Very well, I will hear you out. Speak your mind, Lancer.”
He scraped his throat. Should he throw in some flattery? No, that’d be too obvious. Better just get straight to the point, that’s what he did best anyway.
“I need you to break the contract with my Master.”
The Witch shifted under her cloak. Was she surprised? Amused? Damn, this would be so much easier if she didn’t hide under that shapeless thing. He’s always hated underhand tactics like these, and so much as talking to someone who thrived off them like this was enough to make him angry.
“Look, it’s really quite simple. I hate my current Master and would like nothing more than to separate his head from his body but unfortunately I’m under several command spells to not do that. Now, I very conveniently happen to know that you have a lil trick up your sleeve that lets you break magic contracts. The deal is that you cut the contract and in return I won’t attack you even if I find a new Master that orders me to.”
Caster laughed, a rather disgusting sound that would be unnerving if he wasn’t completely on edge already. It echoed across the grounds and made the fog stir. “And if you don’t find a Master? What will you do then, dog?”
His mouth twitched involuntarily at the last word. This woman has eyes all over Fuyuki, of course she’d know exactly who he is and what buttons to press. She was just toying with him now, enjoying the control she had over him. All he could do was swallow the insult and keep talking.
“I’m a Lancer class, without a Master I’ll have until the next night at most. It’s a bet, really, except I’m the one gambling with my life while there’s nothing to lose for you except the potential for some cheap entertainment. Must be boring watching the city all day, right? I’m offering you a little show because I want to get away from a guy I hate pretty damn desperately.”
She laughed again, the echoes sent a shiver down his body and he felt himself reaching for his spear again.
“You have an interesting offer, Lancer. However, how will I know you won’t break your word and attack me after all? I see no reason to break the leash your current Master has put on you.”
“Oh come on man, I’m Cu Chulainn! Breaking my word that one time is literally what got me killed!” he snapped. This whole negotiating business was pissing him off, and people like her always had to make everything so unnecessarily complicated. “You know what, you know fucking what, I’ll swear a geas, right now. I, Cu Chulainn, Knight of the Red Branch and Servant Lancer in the fifth Holy Grail War, hereby swear-”
He carved a series of runes in the gravel with his heel, drawing the surrounding fog towards them.
“-that on the condition that Servant Caster uses her Noble Phantasm to break my contract with Kotomine Kirei, I will not attack her even if my new Master orders me to for the duration of this Holy Grail War. The penalty for breaking this oath-”
Caster watched him with interest as he continued to write his runes with practised precision. Impressed that he’d actually do it probably, or maybe with the surprising quality of his magecraft? Lancers weren’t known for their skills as magi, but this wasn’t exactly the first time he’d done this either.
“-will be death. The geas won’t activate until the condition is met, so breaking the contract won’t cancel the geas too.”
The runes glowed softly in the moonlight to confirm his words. No backing out now – not that he’d intended to in the first place. He glared at Caster, trying to meet her eyes, daring her to accept. In his anger he’d almost forgotten that all he had going for him here were his average magic resistance and the ability to run away.
“You are an interesting man. I understand why people would enjoy your legends.” Lancer still couldn’t see her face, but she sounded amused. Her cloak shifted again and she revealed a strange dagger with a crooked, multicoloured blade, the same one he saw her pull out on Saber before. “I think I’ll humour you for a while.”
In an instant she crossed the distance between them, firmly planting the dagger in his chest. Its edges were blunt, he could feel it used mana rather than its point to pierce his skin. Sparks of magecraft escaped from the wound, illuminating their faces and finally allowing him to look Caster in the eye. Her face was younger than he’d expected from someone so bitter.
Any further thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of every nerve being violently ripped out of his body. He screamed and jumped back on instinct, wildly pushing the dagger away from him. The contract was broken the moment that thing cut him, everything after was Caster being up to something.
“You- How can you still move!?”
“Ansuz!”
The rune was sloppy and poorly aimed, it grazed Caster’s shoulder and only managed to singe her cloak. He hurriedly constructed another one and threw it in her direction as he carved a series of speed runes with his heel, it caught her hood and burst into flames upon contact. Caster extinguished them with a wave of her hand and spread her arms, her cloak stretched itself out into disfigured wings and she flew up, drawing her staff out of thin air.
Lancer kicked the ground, busting off towards the gate with a speed that was unnatural even for his agility rank. Several tiles dislodged as he jerked Gae Bolg from the ground and continued to trip and fall down the stairs more than anything. The presence behind him faded once he reached the bottom and he could faintly hear yelling from the top of the stairs, followed by a small explosion. Now that he’d made his escape Caster probably decided it’d be easier to take her anger out on Assassin instead. He might have to apologise for that if they ever saw each other again.
Somehow he found himself walking the streets of Miyama, or rather it wasn’t until he’d reached the shopping district that he was able to slow down. The initial Battle Continuation-fuelled rush of escaping the temple had faded and he felt exhausted after using so many runes without an external mana pool to back them up. He still had about 10 hours left, provided he didn’t have to fight anyone.
“I really should’ve thought this out better huh.” he sighed, looking at the shop windows. How was he supposed to find a new Master on time? This wasn’t exactly something you could just ask a random stranger for – well technically you could, in fact every Servant and their mom seemed to be doing it, but he’d rather not involve someone who’d be completely unprepared. Putting your life on the line wasn’t for everyone, and besides, if he picked wrong he’d be stuck with someone he didn’t like again.
The ungodly sound of his stomach growling derailed his train of thought. Of course, now that he lacked a proper mana supply he’d get hungry like everyone else, especially after pulling that stunt earlier tonight. He glanced over at the shop across the street, a small and messy supermarket that offered a far wider range of items than your average supermarket would, but seemed to mostly specialise in canned foods . They wouldn’t miss a can or two right? He turned to spirit form and passed through the window without setting off any alarms. None of the cans looked particularly tasty, but now that he noticed how damn hungry he was he’d take anything really.
“You know.” he thought out loud, breaking open a can of beef on the point of his spear and using his hands to shove its contents into his mouth. “I could probably get one of those kids to contract me. They seem reasonable. And that lil Tohsaka girl is a top tier magus.” He emptied the can and threw it aside, hitting a shelf.
“I mean, she’s a fast thinker right? She really surprised me back there on the school roof, that was a good move. And I’m pretty sure Kirei hates her so that’s a bonus. Ha, imagine his face once he finds out I’m on Tohsaka’s side!” The shelf slowly leaned over and a football rolled off the top and hit his head. He jumped up just in time to catch the rack, a single brightly coloured shirt fell out and landed on his face. It was the most vile piece of clothing he’d ever seen, so he figured he might as well take it.
-
“Rin.”
“Hm?”
“Lancer is at the door right now.”
Rin slammed down her teacup and jumped up, almost tripping over herself. “Is this an attack? Is there anyone with him? What’s the situation?”
Archer looked out the window. “It’s just him, I can’t sense anyone else. Also…”
“Also what? I need to know everything, Archer!”
“He’s wearing the most disgusting hawaii shirt I have seen in my entire life.”
Rin fell silent. How was anyone supposed to respond to this? She decided to just join Archer at the window. Sure enough, Lancer was standing on the doorstep, visibly nervous and dressed in a shirt that was an assault on the eyes, as well as what seemed to be leather pants. He collected himself as they were watching and pressed the doorbell. The sound rang clearly throughout the mansion. Archer looked at Rin for instructions.
“Get on the roof and cover me if things turn ugly. I’m going to answer the door and see what he wants. He can’t possibly be stupid enough to try attacking my stronghold by himself dressed in that.” She quickly walked towards the front door and grabbed a handful of jewels just in case.
“Hey Tohsaka, long time no see!” Lancer grinned as she opened the door a crack.
“What do you want.”
“Yes, well, I’m in a bit of trouble and I kind of need your help you see, I’m without a Master at the moment and I’ve got about 8 hours left to find a new one and honestly you’re the only person I can think of who wouldn’t mind getting dragged into this whole holy grail war business since you’re like, already in and all that.” He scratched his neck. “No hard feelings about trying to kill you last time right? I mean that was just business.”
Rin hid her face behind the door. What the hell was this supposed to mean? Who the hell did he think he was, just walking up to her house and asking for something that ridiculous?
So? What does he want? Archer asked, talking directly to her mind.
Something outrageous. Stay put and don’t take your eyes off him.
It didn’t seem to be a trick, she couldn’t sense any hostility from him and during their previous encounter he’d made it clear enough that he disliked trickery. Still, she couldn’t just take this at face value – it was too convenient to be true. She muttered a short spell, infusing the jewels in her fist with mana, and opened the door a little further. If what he told her next was a lie, her gems would know.
“What happened?” she asked, less harshly this time. It’d be a shame if he left before she figured out the details.
“Well, the short version is that my ex-Master is a fucking asshole that broke every rule he was supposed to hold up and had a hobby of humiliating me so I broke the contract. There’s more to the story but that’s for another time really, right now I would just really appreciate it if I found a new person to contract with so I can go stab Kirei in the dick.”
Rin’s eyes narrowed and she closed the door a little again. “What does Kirei have to do with this?”
“Hm? He’s my Master of course. Ex-Master.”
“Kirei has a Servant?!” It was out of her mouth before she knew it.
“Had. Like I said, he’s a dick and I only did what he told me to because he has like a bazillion command spells from being the overseer. Asshole didn’t even summon me, he stole me from my real Master.”
“I see…” Rin closed her eyes, deep in thought. The jewels in her hand hadn’t reacted whatsoever, so she had no choice but to believe him. Honestly, now that she gave it two seconds thought it didn’t surprise her at all that Kirei would pull a move like that. It felt kind of good to have some confirmation that spending hours upon hours thinking about how she might kill him if it ever came to it wasn’t for nothing.
Archer, is his magic signature any different from last time?
It’s weaker compared to that night, but not significantly. Fighting him one on one will still be difficult, and his Protection from Arrows is the same as before.
I wasn’t asking for battle information.
He shrugged so hard she could tell through their telepathic bond.
Suit yourself.
She sighed and opened her eyes only to be faced with Lancer’s expectant stare. His eyes were wide with anticipation and he was leaning forward a little, if he had a tail it would definitely be wagging right now. His title of ‘the hound of Ulster’ was fitting in more than one way, it seemed. With the way everything was written clear as day on his face she couldn’t help but be reminded of someone-
Dammit, she’s always been too softhearted.
“Oh, fine, FINE! Come in, we’ll contract in my workshop to make sure nothing goes wrong.” She opened the door fully to let him in. Lancer’s face lit up with pure relief, he spread his arms and would have definitely hugged her right there if he hadn’t been interrupted by a very disgruntled Archer appearing in the space between them.
“Rin!” He looked even more annoyed than back when she told him to clean up the living room. “Do you honestly think letting an enemy Servant in your house is a good idea?”
“Right now he’s not an enemy Servant, Archer. In fact, once we’ve established a new contract he will be my Servant. Are you suggesting I should pass up on the opportunity to have two Servants on my side?” She placed her hands on her hips, daring him to object.
“I- Of course not.” Archer crossed his arms and leaned against the wall in protest. Lancer used the opportunity to join Rin on her side of the hallway. “I’m simply concerned about how you intend to provide the mana for two Servants at once.
“Since you’re an Archer class your mana consumption is lower than that of the average Servant. And besides, I’m a top level magus. Unless you two use your Noble Phantasms at the same time I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine.”
“Actually, I can use my Noble Phantasm multiple times without external backup.” Lancer chimed in. “Up to like seven times probably, it’s really cost effective.”
“See? There’s no problem whatsoever.” Rin walked off towards the basement, waving at Lancer to follow, which he did right away.
“I really don’t think this is a good idea, Master.”
She turned around, a devious smile on her face. “Oh, don’t go telling me you’re jealous. Are you jealous that I’d contract another Servant?”
Archer huffed and looked away.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”