Medea's grip on my arm was iron-tight, her magical energy flaring like a warning siren. I could feel the tension radiating off her, a cocktail of rage and cautiousness. Cu flashed that trademark feral grin, but there was a wary glint in his crimson eyes as he sized her up.
"Well, this is cozy," I said, stepping forward to break the ice before it turned into an iceberg. "Cu, meet Medea, our new Caster-class ally. Medea, this is Cu Chulainn, Lancer extraordinaire and apparently amateur juggler of holy men."
Cu snorted, lowering his spear but not dematerializing it. "Ally, huh? Last I checked, she was flinging spells at me like a pissed-off harpy. And now we're supposed to play nice?"
Medea's voice was laced with venom. "Play nice? With the mongrel who hunted me like prey? Master, explain this farce before I reduce him to ash."
Her hood shadowed her face, but I caught the faint glow of violet energy coiling around her fingers.
"Whoa, whoa, time out!" I raised my hands placatingly, channelling my best referee vibe. "No reducing anyone to ash. At least not until after dinner. Look, I get it—you two have beef. Cu was following orders from Tall, Dark, and Creepy here." I nodded at Kirei. "But now? He's on Team Kayden. And so are you. We're derailing this war my way, which means no infighting. Fight later if you must—hell, I'll even referee—but for now? Truce. Capeesh?"
Cu barked a laugh, twirling Gae Bolg casually. "A fight, eh? Tempting. She's got spirit, I'll give her that. Survived my spear longer than most, even without a Master," he said, a grudging respect in his tone.
Medea huffed, her energy simmering down a notch. "Flattery from a dog? Spare me. But... if Master commands it..."
"See? Progress." I grinned, clapping my hands together. "To seal the deal, how about some team-building? I hear good food helps with that."
With a thought, I dipped into the Celestial Inventory. Portals shimmered open around us—ethereal blue rifts spilling out an assortment of treats. First, massive sundaes materialized on the altar. Towering scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream drowning in hot fudge, whipped cream, and sprinkles, each topped with a cherry that glowed faintly like it was enchanted.
"Fight later. For now, eat these sundaes and chill. Literally."
Cu's eyes lit up like a kid's during Christmas Eve. "Now that's what I'm talking about! Desserts! Thanks, kid!"
He dematerialized Gae Bolg and snatched a sundae, digging in with a spoon I provided.
Medea hesitated, her hooded gaze flicking between the sundae and me. "You summon confections from thin air? Is this some ploy to poison me?"
I rolled my eyes, grabbing my own sundae and taking a dramatic bite. Fucking hell, this tasted amazing. Unable to resist, I took another bite.
"See? No poison. Just sweet deliciousness. Come on, it's got caramel swirls. Even Servants need sugar highs occasionally, right?"
She paused, then tentatively accepted one, lifting it under her hood. I heard a soft, surprised hum as she tasted it.
"Acceptable," she muttered, but the tension in her posture eased a fraction more.
With the immediate explosion averted, I turned my attention to the elephant—or rather, the priest—in the room. Kirei still laid there, immobilized by my Full Body-Bind Curse, his eyes tracking us with that unnerving calm. Time to deal with him.
I waved my hand, and he floated upright, hovering like a creepy marionette. Simultaneously, I dulled my curse's effect around his mouth.
"Kirei Kotomine. You've got secrets about the Grail—things even the Einzberns don't know. Spill them. All of them."
"You presume I would betray the Grail's mysteries so easily? My role as Overseer demands neutrality," Kirei said.
I snorted. "Neutrality? Coming from the guy who backstabbed Lancer's previous Master? Yeah, right. Spill the beans now or I," my finger poked his forehead, "will be perusing that mind of yours."
His lips remained sealed, but those eyes... they almost seemed to mock me. Of course he wouldn't talk. The man thrived on control, and right now, he had none. On top of that, he knew nothing about me, making his typical tactic of emotional manipulation completely useless.
"Fine," I muttered, the ends of my lips rising. "The hard way it is."
I focused my will, locking eyes with him. Legilimency wasn't something I'd used intensely before, but Kirei wasn't exactly deserving of privacy.
His mind unfolded like a labyrinth of shadows—twisted corridors filled with echoes of pain, joy in others' despair, and a profound emptiness at his core. I navigated carefully, probing for Grail-related memories.
Flashes of memories and knowledge came before me. The corrupted Grail, Angra Mainyu's influence, the black mud of All the World's Evil He knew about the ritual's flaws, the way it twisted wishes into curses. But deeper secrets? The true origins, the Third Magic's ties... spotty at best.
It wasn't much at all. But this was just as I expected. Kirei was only a participant of the war, not the architect.
"At least it seems you're not totally useless," I said, patting the helpless man's head.
Kirei's pained groans were like music to my ears. I wasn't exactly gentle when I went through his mind.
"You can read minds, too, huh? I'm not that surprised at this point," Cu, mouth full of ice cream, mumbled around his spoon. "So, what now? We skew him? Turn him into a frog?"
Medea perked up at that. "A frog would be fitting."
I chuckled, shaking my head. Mercy with a twist. That was my preferred style. Killing him outright felt... wasteful. But letting him walk free? No way. This man deserved some well-deserved karma.
"Nah. We're going merciful... ish. I'll be erasing his memories of the past two hours first. Obliviate."
I pointed at Kirei's forehead. A soft pulse of magic erased the last few hours from his mind—our fight, the contract theft, Medea's recruitment. He'd wake up confused, thinking it was a blackout or something divine.
But I wasn't done. Time for the cherry on top.
"Next, I'll add a little curse." A grin split my face. "Awful taste for spiciness. Forever. One of Kirei's only pleasures in life is a specific spicy dish, so it will be quite devastating for him the next time he eats it."
I wove a custom hex. Nothing harmful, just ensuring that mapo tofu, the only delicacy he loved, would taste like bland cardboard from now on. Petty? Absolutely. But after all the suffering he'd caused his entire life, it felt kind of like poetic justice.
"There. Mercy served with a side of karma."
Kirei slumped as the spells took hold, collapsing into unconsciousness. I levitated him to a pew, where he'd wake up later, none the wiser.
Cu whistled. "Remind me not to piss you off, Master. Knowing him, that's crueller than a spear to the gut."
Medea tilted her head. "Your magecraft is truly intriguing. You read minds and alter memories and senses so casually. Are you… a user of True Magic?"
Ah, the probing begins.
I sat on the altar steps, sundae in hand, gesturing for them to join me. "Kind of? I'm... powerful because of similar means. But enough about me. I can tell you're still a bit cautious. Still don't trust the guy who pulled you from the mud?"
She settled nearby, her posture regal even on stone steps. "Trust is earned, Master. However, I am troubled by what I've gathered. You wield power beyond comprehension. Artifacts containing the essences of Servants, spells from unknown paradigms." For a moment, she paused, turning to look at me. "Why intervene in this war? Why save someone like me? Power such as yours could claim the Grail with little issue, even without my assistance."
Fair questions. I leaned back, staring at the ceiling's restored frescoes.
"Honestly? Boredom and pure interest are why I intervened. My old life was... let's just say… mundane compared to this. Then I got to Fuyuki and bam—here I am now with you two. As for the war... Winning it isn't what I want. What I want is to squeeze as much as I can out of this experience. And you, Medea? You're more than the 'betrayer' or 'witch' labels. You're a formidable magus from the Age of Gods. And in you, I see a potential ally."
Cu nodded, slurping his sundae. "Makes sense. Kid here's a maniac. Took my Gae Bolg straight to the heart just to 'feel it.' Died and popped back like it was nothing. Got nothing but respect for that kind of madness. Reminds me of my wilder days."
Medea's hood shifted. Surprise perhaps?
"You... endured the Barbed Spear of Death? Willingly?" Her tone held a mix of horror and intrigue. "Such resilience... or folly. Perhaps you are mad. But I suppose a little madness has its uses."
Did Medea of Colchis just make a small joke? If she did, it I was glad to see it. Seemed she was starting to warm up.
I laughed. "Guilty as charged. But hey, it worked. Proved my point."
The conversation flowed easier now, the sundaes melting the ice. Cu shared war stories from his time. Medea, however, remained only an avid listener. Still, light-hearted moments peppered in.
I had summoned a keg of mead from the MCU's Asgard, and soon, Cu was regaling us with even more tales. And after his drunken tirade, I mentioned to Medea about my endless stock of food.
"Endless stock, you say?" Medea mused, eyeing the keg. "A vault of infinities... dangerous, yet intriguing."
Cu belched appreciatively. "Dangerous? Nah, handy! Pull out a feast next time we're bored."
"You bet," I chuckled.
As the "team-building" wound down, I stood. "Alright, fun's over. But we need a base. The church is too public, and it's already being used by the priest. Hold onto me."
"A base?" Cu raised a brow. "I guess we do need one. But where are you taking us?"
"You'll see."
I apparated us to a secluded mountain spot overlooking Fuyuki. The rain finally eased into a mist.
Medea glanced around. "Here? Barren soil?"
"Not for long."
Grinning, I reached into the Inventory. The air hummed as I summoned it.
The Tower of Fate.
A colossal structure erupted from a gigantic portal on the ground—ancient stone etched with barely visible runes, reaching up towards the sky. It pulsed with an aura of raw, otherworldly magic, a beacon that warped space slightly, like a safe haven outside time.
Cu's jaw dropped. "What in the gods' names...?"
Medea staggered back, her hood slipping slightly to reveal wide, soft blue eyes. "This... this is no mere construct. A… magical fortress? Master, what have you unleashed?"
"Gentlemen... and Lady," I announced, gesturing towards the colossal, Ankh-inscribed doors that began to swing open silently, revealing a warmly lit, impossibly vast interior hall within. "Welcome to headquarters. Try not to track mud on the carpets."