Day 6 – That Night – Part 4

“Sten, come to me!”

And he does. Or something does. Something unmoving, something that looks more like a statue than the servant I knew.

“Sten?”

Yes, it is him. His robe is torn and bloody here and there, and his skin looks like some kind of shiny, red stone, or metal. But it is him. Yes, I even feel our connection returning to the way it was before.

Sten?

Getting closer to him, I ask mentally this time. He mentioned a trap. I wonder what kind of trap can turn a servant with A rank magic resistance like Sten into a statue? Whatever it is, he may be unable to hear me right now. In which case, mental communication would be best.

Rin. Great. I’ve got a favour to ask.

What is it?

Turn back and don’t look this way until I say so.

What? Why?

Please.

I turn back. I hear some kind of flowing liquid sound followed by a minor surge of energy. Then Sten tells me it is okay. I turn around and see that he is back to normal. Even his robe looks like new. His expression is serious as he looks at his feet.

“You used a command spell because of my foolishness master, I apologize.”

I’m surprised. I’m not really angry at him. I am the one that sent him there, into the middle of all those servants, and I merely pulled him out when it got too dangerous. I think he did really well.

“Hmmph! If you really feel that way, go take care of whoever remains in the park. Then I might accept your apology.”

“Very well.”

But he is not looking at me. I follow his gaze. He is staring up there, toward the top of the building where Lancer and his master were. Sten had located them on our way to the park. There was no master in the park that I could fight except that little kid, so I chose not to go, and instead remained here to keep a watch on Lancer and his master, that magus from the association. But now, there is no one up there. I don’t feel any magical energy presences. Sten briefly turns toward the park.

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“Lancer has already reached the park, master. Most likely to finish off anyone that still remains.”

“Good. More servants that die, the better for us. But what of his master?”

Did she go with Lancer? If that is the case, confirming that from over here would be close to impossible. We would need to get closer to the park before we can locate her.

Or she could be still around here. I try to locate her magical energy in the surrounding area, but fail.

“She is inside the building, coming down. She is very close to the ground floor.”

Damn, this is vexing. I am the magus and he is the servant. Locating other masters should be my speciality.

“Then let’s move.”

I put my hand in my pocket and grab a pebble. It is one of the ones Sten collected from the side of the road. Unlike my jewels, pebbles cannot store much magical energy, but Sten apparently uses them for simple things. This one, for example, creates a small boundary field that hides anyone inside from view and suppresses their magical energy leakage whenever sufficient magical energy is poured into it. He said he ‘locked’ the method of the spell in the pebble. Since a pebble is not really suitable for such magical procedures, it has only two uses. It might work more times, but he said it is better not to trust the third use.

My magical crest functions in a very similar way, I merely need to pour energy into it to activate any spell stored inside. And it is usable for however many times I wish it. Magical crests are used all around the world, so his method would be useless for most modern maguses. The only possible use would be allowing different maguses to use your spells; spells that they normally can’t use. But not many could do that either. After all, sending energy through your body is a lot easier than pouring it inside something else. Most maguses can’t even do the latter one. Only those that use strengthening magic, enchanting magic or something similar would have no problems with using it.

I am Rin Tohsaka. Current head and the only member of the Tohsaka family, who specialize in jewel magic. In other words, I’ve been pouring energy into little items since before I learned how to read.

I pour some energy into the pebble to deactivate the field. Just after that, Lancer’s master comes out of building’s door. She starts running toward the bridge, and therefore toward us. We walk to the middle of the road and wave at her.

[INTERLUDE]

“Noble Phantasm right of the bat, ha?”

Lancer says, as he readies his spear. He smirks.

Heracles’s arrow leaves the bow. And in that moment, it multiplies into a hundred more. A rain of arrows, all with green trips, flies toward Lancer.

Unfortunately for you, Lancer thinks, arrows and hitting me don’t go well together.

“Fool!”

Heracles’s arrows rain down on him. He doesn’t flinch.

Such drawing strength! Such speed! Are these really arrows fired from a bow? However, I’ll have no one say Cu Chulain of Ulster was too slow to deflect some arrows!

“Haaaaaaa!”

His arms and spear move faster than an average servant could follow. The time between the sounds of his spear hitting arrows are so short that it sounds like just one long clang.

As the last of the arrows fall to the ground, the light at its tip dims. Immediately after that, the arrow itself vanishes into the air.

His eyes wide, hid bow in his hand, Heracles lands on the ground, shaking the earth far less than when he jumped. Lancer stares at him dead in the eyes, his spear pointing downwards to the ground.

“My turn.”

In the next moment, Lancer is right in front of Heracles. He thrusts the red spear at his feet, without bothering to raise it. Heracles, knowing he can deflect such an attack, swings his bow downwards and to the side.

“Gae… Bolg!”

Heracles cannot deflect it. For the thrust he saw coming towards his feet doesn’t come. After all, Lancer has not thrust at his feet. He has, naturally, thrust at his heart.

Lancer’s spear makes its way toward its mark, unhindered. Heracles, his bow down near the ground, cannot deflect the attack. The spear approaches his bare chest.

Then it stops.

“Huh?”

Lancer’s thrust lost all its momentum. His spear has suddenly stopped just as it was about to go into Heracles’s skin. He feels his wrist being grabbed by a strong hand.

“No. It is still my turn.”

Heracles’s hand rises up toward the sky, still holding his bow. He does not waste time on switching weapons.

Shit!

“Nine Lives…”

I must retreat!

When Lancer decides it is time to retreat, he never fails. He is an expert survivor. Along with being able to deflect any projectiles, retreating without suffering wounds is also a speciality of him.

He gasps for air. He has gotten away from Heracles. He is now as far away from him as he was at the start. He plunges his spear into the ground, and draws a symbol on his left wrist with his empty hand. His wrist momentarily bursts into flames and so, his wound is cauterized.

“You keep escaping from my attacks. I wonder for how much longer.”

Heracles throws the hand onto the ground.