The Hound's Moon

Bewitching Lacerations

--Chapter 13--
Bewitching Lacerations

The raven and her blue-haired companion traveled away from the city and towards what seemed to be the outskirts of town. A crease formed on the female's forehead as she tried to think of what was the reason why Caster would need this much mana. It was already unusual for a servant to even exceed their mana consumption with their Master in the first place. Her more unsettling question... Why was it this far from the city's population? She knew about the news of the sudden comatose citizens within the city, especially with an increase of them dropping like flies. It wasn't gas leaks that caused it but rather the forcefulness of mana removal from them.

"Milady, look over there." The Celtic stopped at the edge of the town, letting the female down onto the dirt road. "Isn't that... a temple?" She closed her eyes, concentrating on the natural space around her. "Mana's flowing into this area... and it's very condensed too." The male scoffed at the sight of the mana flow. "What's so funny, Lancer?"

"Ahhh, nothing much. It's just how Caster is using such an underhanded tactic to get her results. Pathetic." He clicked his tongue as he rolled his eyes. "He's annoyed... That's cute." The male quickly glanced over at the raven, his eyebrow arched.

"Did you just say that? That I was cute?" She blinked, not sure how he heard that when it was clearly in her mind. "Milady, you didn't separate your thoughts from the servant-master link. But I can say for sure that I am not cute." The female blushed as she was unfamiliar with the concept of the connection.

She took a step toward, holding his left hand with hers. "You are at times, Lancer." She heard his tongue click once more as he faced away with a tinge of blush hidden behind his ears. "Shut it now..." The raven smiled brightly, moving his hand over to cup her cheek. "Okay, mo ridire. Whatever you say."

He sighed, eventually returning the smile before he forcefully pulled her into his grasp. "Lancer?" He quickly hushed her as he scanned the area. "I sense three—wait no, four servants nearby. Ahhh... What's with the crowd?!" He ruffled the back of his head, trying to understand the situation.

"Can you tell me who they are?" The female glanced around, clearly sensing an abnormal amount of mana pooling towards the temple. "Two of them for sure—Saber and Archer. The other two I'm not familiar with... One of them may be Caster?"

"Are there anyone else besides the servants? It's a temple so there should probably some people around the vicinity." She brought out her staff that was hidden away from view. A flash of yellow and silver magical lines surged from the female's arms to the staff as it eventually glowed. "Can't tell, we're going to have to get closer. Is that alright with you, milady?" The raven nodded as the Celtic picked her up and dashed closer.

"Do you know what the Saber and Archer servant's origins are?" The male shook his head, "Saber to some degree... but nothing about the damn red cloak! He irritates the hell out of me." Seeing the male ticked off made the raven chuckle. "Milady... Don't laugh."

She just smiled as the two got closer to the temple, only for her companion to stop. "What is it, mo ridire?" A scowl formed on the male's face. "A Bounded Field... And a strong ass one too. It repels us Heroic Spirits, what the hell?! This coward!" She got out of his hold and took a step forward, holding her staff in front.

As she muttered a few words, a web-like wall of red loosely strings suddenly appeared that stretched across the land and wrapped around the mountain. "If that's the case... I'm going to go on ahead." The male was about to say a few words but the raven cut him off quickly. "...And I know you don't want me to. I'll run back if anything happens. Worse comes to worst, I'll call you through this." She raised her right hand up before she let it fall to her side. "Is that okay?"