Chapter 22

The Wretched Savior

"Just needs a little more tuning up…There! This will help Ritsuka within that fog." The Wretch smiles at his handy work. It was a specialized Gas Mask made from similar tech to the Praetor Suit. The durability did not match up to the suit, but its functionality would beat anything made from earthly hands. All the kid had to do was put it on and it would protect her from all airborne Gas, Viral and Bacterial threats…Even Corruption Air particles!

"Okay now to wrap this up and put a bow on it." He said as he put the gadget into a metal pod and sealed it up. The ex-demon then inputs a command into the terminal next to him and the machinery surrounding the pod hums to life. Three energy rings then form around the pod, sparking with energy as it teleports the pod to a location near The Slayer. It was equipped with a recovery beacon that only the Slayer and his AI would be able to detect.

"Another Job well-*Cough*" The Wretch violently coughs up a disgusting black substance that splatters onto the cave floor.

"Ugh.. This body still has its 'bugs' I see." The Wretch said as he wiped the gunk off his form.

"No matter still beats being a demon spawn any day." He said.

Shortly after The Slayer got sealed away under a mountain-sized temple by the Hell Priests. The Wretch decided to truly sever his ties to the dark realm in order to continue living for when The Doomslayer eventually returns. It was an extremely invasive procedure that had the risk of killing him, but he didn't care. If he died then it would be his punishment for being a demon, if he lived then he would repay his sins by serving his new lord.

It was complicated but he was able to cut out the "Demon" part of himself and tune himself to the void that exists between dimensions. It was hellishly painful as he was put into a coma for years, once he awoke he was no longer tied to the dark realm. Gifting him new powers and abilities that have proven their worth on The Slayer's latest quest.

His base of operations was deep under the caverns of Hell that laid barren for aeons. A forgotten corner of Hell that he claimed as his own, not even a single Unwilling ever spawned here. With his new form, he can effortlessly cross dimensions without the need to use hell energy. He used that advantage to go about and collect technology for his workshop.

From Sentinel to Maykr, even some earthly creations he collected and found a use for it.

Some of the rarest he found were fragments of Technology that originated from the deepest centre of Hell...

"...Immoran Tech. Such fascinating works. Too bad those bastards want to consume everything that's good in the world." He said as he drinks a potion that eases his body's physical issues.

"Ahhh, Much better. Thank goodness Da'at Yichud had a vault specializing in studies of the void."

Back in London, Ritsuka was resting on Tamamo's lap after finding a place that was sheltered from the fog.

"I apologise for the location of our shelter, yet this was our only option." Vega chose for them to head into the sewer system of the city where they found a maintenance junction for them to hunker down for the moment.

"As much as I attest to the smell, we didn't have much choice." Tamamo said as she was cleansing Ritsuka of the poisonous fog. Doomguy was still on edge after getting ambushed by Jack the Ripper, that servant must have the skill to hunt down females if she was able to get to them so fast.

What disturbed him was the fact that his suit's Data recorder lost any recording taken during the fight. Such an effect should be impossible as the Praetor suit's systems were enhanced with Maykr tech, so it had to be the skill of that little monster if she fails to get a kill. Overall, Doomguy still felt like such a failure for letting Ritsuka get sick and nearly having a servant try to kill her with a Noble Phantasm.

Even in his silence, the aura of shame and frustration was clear to those in the room as he stood next to the door.

His thoughts were then interrupted by an alert on his hud, Vega also picked it up as well.

"We've detected a recovery beacon with an embedded message. It's a supply drop from The Wretch that should aid in protecting Ritsuka." Doomguy was already about to leave to go grab it but VEGA got in front of him.

"I will go retrieve it. With all due respect, you are not emotionally stable right now. I believe you would agree it would be best for you to stay with Ritsuka." VEGA stated calmly, as Doomguy lowered his head. He nods, agreeing with his AI companions' wisdom and stepping aside to let VEGA out to retrieve the supply drop.

"It is not too far from here. I will return with haste." Vega then left.

Doomguy closed the door and sat down on a wooden chair to resume his post. He was sitting right next to a wall sconce that made his face visible through his visor, the worried look in his eyes on full display.

Tamamo could not stand seeing such a man in an emotional wreck, she could tell that the bond between Ritsuka and him was strong. Not romantically but more of a loyal protective guardian doing whatever he could to keep her safe. Part of her was scared of him, yet she really wanted to help him

"Hey, want to talk?" She asked, causing him to perk his head.

"...I know you don't talk much, but maybe it will help ease your mind." Tamamo suggested. Doomguy thought for a moment but decided to walk over and sit down across from her. Tamamo felt a slight urge of fear from the man's presence which she quickly dismissed as it was unnecessary. VEGA already explained everything to her and she had no reason to fear him as an ally.

"So, I think once we get her back on her feet, I will take you guys to an ally of mine's home. He's a scholar who is staying with a Saber Class servant. We are trying to figure out what is causing this deadly fog." Tamamo explained bringing some good news for once. She then retold her experience when she first was summoned into the city, very disturbed by the lack of a master to call her own in the city crawling with killer machines.

"...Then I ran into Mordred, The Saber Class servant I mentioned. She led me to Mr Jekyll's establishment. Yes, the name did raise my eyebrow but judging from the era we are in, that name was pretty common." Tamamo said as she discards a talisman that was drained of magical energy and creates a new one to use to fuel the cleansing spell.

So another knight of the round table has been summoned, Mordred. Artoria and her other selves stood up to their legends. So, Mordred had to be strong in their own right and didn't surprise Doomguy to learn that the son of king Arthur was also female. After seeing Artoria, Nero and Drake he assumed that it was going to be a common occurrence in this magical world.

"...nnn…." Ritsuka mumbled as she was clearly dreaming about something.

"Ah, that's good. Her mind is lively again, it shouldn't be too until she wakes up now." Tamamo said with confidence.

VEGA was approaching the recovery beacon's origin point just a little way into the sewers. He was travelling about cloaked as it wasn't too much of a stretch that there could be hostiles down here. With no fog down here he can easily map out the fastest route to where the supply drop was.

With one more right turn, he reaches the location. The AI finds a silver spherical container with pulsing yellow lights. The only impediment was a well-dressed gentleman with well-kept black hair was investigating the container. The man was taking a few puffs of his pipe every few moments as he observed the container.

"...Hmm…Very Alien to this era. Related to this fog? No. It's not emitting the substance. Chaldean Technology then? Possibly but I doubt they would leave something out in the open…Do you have an idea, Observant fellow?" The man calls while looking directly where a cloaked VEGA was. The AI remained silent, unsure of man now if he was able to see him.

"A wise move to remain hidden, however I will assure you that I am not hostile to you or your master." He said in his calm English accent. VEGA detected very low amounts of magical energy from the man, he was able to confirm the person in front of him was a servant. Seeing no hostile intent, he took the risk and decloaked.

"Who are you? You are a servant are you not?" VEGA asked.

"Yes but I am very weak and little to no use Chaldea at the moment. I am just an observer and nothing more. I promise that I am not behind the fog or slaved to those invaders from the netherrealms." He said, doing his best to not sound like a threat, knowing the titan of a man that the AI is bound to.

"Is this what you are looking for?" The man pointed at the container with his cane.

"Yes, it is imperative to Chaldea's mission in this singularity." VEGA said and the gentleman stepped away from the container.

"By all means then. Take it, I have no intention of getting in the way of Chaldea's mission." The man said after taking a few generous steps away from the container. VEGA then hovered over to the container and picked it up with his Zero Point Energy field manipulators.

"Interiesting, you are a well made automaton." The man comments.

"I prefered to be called an AI, Automaton's only follow basic commands. My name is VEGA by the way." The AI said.

"Understood, Vega. Well, I will take my leave then. But before I go, I must ask this one question. Will the world let a man like The Doomslayer be unbound to its call?" Before VEGA could answer he disappeared around the corner.

VEGA just blinks his optics for a few moments before making the trip back to his group.

Ritsuka found herself at the base of a hill in a very peaceful meadow. The skies were clear with a gentle breeze blowing through the area. A pale comparison to the foggy city of London, so she assumed she must be in a dream relating to her servant.

She then heard the sound of a light thumping on the dirt and found Daisy along the path.

"Well this confirms it." Ritsuka said, walking over to the bunny. She petted Daisy a bit before picking her up in her arms. Looking up the hill, she sees a path leading to a lone tree. She walked along the dirt path while watching the grass move with the wind. Once she reaches the top she finds a lone tree with a hooded figure standing in its shade. The figure turned around to face her and unfortunately her face was shrouded in shadow. But the wind blowing the cloak allowed her to see the white dress underneath.

"Who are you?" Ritsuka asked.

"Sadly I still do not know," The woman said, her voice confirming her to have spoken to Ritsuka before in these strange dreams.

"I have an understanding that I am connected to him. A memory or phantom of someone important to him, yet sealed away.." The woman said with a saddened voice.

"Someone…Other than Daisy?" Ritsuka said, looking at the rabbit in her arms. Thinking about it, maybe Doomguy had more people in his life…Friends…Maybe family. Ritsuka knows deeply what it's like to lose, it left her without a sense of security of a guardian.

...Until Doomguy came into her life...

"...He knows it as well, it's causing a growing frustration within him. It is why he lashed out on you earlier." She said, recalling the rough moment in Okeanos.

"Is there any way I could help him?" Ritsuka asked

"You already have…" The woman said before that her vision was filled with a bright light.

Ritsuka blinked her eyes open to find herself in an unknown room with her head in the lap of who she thought was Tamamo Cat. Looking to her left she saw her servant sitting beside her, ever looking concerned for her health.

Ritsuka immediately bounced up and bear-hugged him.

Doomguy was greatly relieved and patted her on the back seeing that his master was in good health.

"Oh my, looks like I did a really good job seeing you so full of energy." Tamamo said. Ritsuka then let go of her servant to properly introduce herself and thank the newcomer as she most likely helped save the redhead's life.

"I'm Ritsuka, Doomguy's master. You must be the one that helped me, so thank you very much." Ritsuka said with a bow of respect causing the Kitsune Servant to blush.

"N-no problem! I am happy to help a master in need. I am Tamamo-no-mae, A faithful shrine maiden summoned into this mess of a city." She said responding with a bow as well. They both got introductions out of the way right as VEGA returned carrying a container.

"Hello everyone. I see Ritsuka is back in good health." VEGA then handed the container over to Doomguy. Once in his hands, the lights on it blink green and it unlocked with a hiss.

"What's that?" Ritsuka asked.

"A supply drop from The Wretch." VEGA answered as Doomguy pulled out a Gas mask made with foreign technology.

"Umm…who is this 'Wretch'?" Tamamo asked using air quotes.

"A demon that sided with Doomguy a long time ago. Don't worry, if Doomguy, a guy who hunts Demons for a living, the trust's him then we can as well." Ritsuka explained. The Slayer wouldn't call it "Trust" but he can't deny that The Wretch's crafts were very useful to him. Inspecting the device he could tell it was of the same quality as the praetor suit. The Wretch must've seen Ritsuka's condition and whipped this up to help. He wasn't too keen on a demon watching them but he was thankful for the assistance.

"So I guess this is for the fog so I don't pass out again?" Ritsuka asks and Doomguy nods.

"Correct, I have scanned it over and its two filters are fully capable of keeping all harmful contaminants out of the airways of the user. They are also self-cleaning so they need little maintenance." VEGA explained.

"Cool! Let's try it out." Ritsuka said and Doomguy handed it to her. She notices the lack of straps to secure it. She shrugs and places it over her mouth and nose, it beeps and an energy strap shoots out and wraps around her head. Securing itself tightly but not so much that it made it uncomfortable. '

"Neat! Does anyone have a mirror?" She asked.

"I do!" Tamamo said and spawned her trusty spellcasting focus.

"Oooh, it's pretty." She said before inspecting her gasmask in the mirror.

"Heh, I kind of like the look of it. Functional and fashionable." Ritsuka joked before deciding it was time to get back on their mission. She quickly asked if she could form a contract with Tamamo. The Kitsune servant happily accepts by mentioning that she prefers to be with a master rather than wandering alone.

"...It also doesn't help that my defence is paper thin so teaming up with a strong man like Doomguy-sama works well for me.."

They left the way they came via a sewer hatch, in the middle of the street. Ritsuka exited between Doomguy taking the lead while Tamamo covered from behind. The Redheaded master then took a breath and the Gasmask's filters gave a low yellow glow. Signalling that they are actively working on filtering out the toxic magical energy.

"Well, I guess that means it's working. Just…Be ready if I pass out again." Ritsuka said, looking at Doomguy who nods.

Tamamo then leads them through the fog towards where her allies were set up. On the way, they were attacked by several automata that seemed to just spawn out of the fog. Doomguy dispatched them with his plasma rifle, each bolt seeming to cause them to melt down into slag.

The Kitsune joined in with her powerful magic along with surprisingly good close-quarters combat.

"...Hiya!" Tamamo spin kicked a Doll into a group of three more causing them to shatter into pieces.

"I never seen a Caster fight like that. It's actually pretty cool" Ritsuka commented on Tamamo's robust combat style.

"Hehe, I may have weak defences but I am not afraid of getting rough. Anything to be of service to my master!" Tamamo said happily. Both of them then turn around to see Doomguy inspecting an arm he ripped off of one of the kill bots. The man managed to get it to eject a round from the gun and checked out the bullet. As he needed out on the robots, Ritsuka filled Tamamo-no-Mae in on their mission.

"So, not only are you trying to restore humanity, but are also pushing back a demon invasion?!" Tamamo asked, shocked at such an undertaking.

"Yup, it's crazy but we don't really have a choice. I am just glad to have people like you and Doomguy willing to help us out." Ritsuka then retells her experience being with The Doomslayer these past few months as they progressed through the mists.

"Mikon…What a high stakes and dangerous journey you guys are on. Well, our contract might be temporary, I will do whatever I can to help you all." Tamamo said, stating her will to join their cause.

"Thank you!...Now if you don't mind I do have one burning question." Ritsuka asked.

"Yes?" Tamamo said.

"...How did umm…your 'Tails' become their own beings?" Ritsuka asked as VEGA hovered over and was also interested in that answer.

"...*sigh*…I honestly don't know. I have knowledge of severing my tails and what they have become…Yet I can't recall what made me do that or what mark on history they left." Tamamo was reluctant to talk about such a subject but she wasn't going to act rude to Ritsuka who had enough on her plate as it is.

"Hmm. Perhaps The Nine are a result of another world's Tamamo-no-Mae actions somehow bleeding into this reality." VEGA suggested.

"Whatever happened, Just remember that if they do something weird, they are not me anymore!" Tamamo said, embarrassed to acknowledge that she has a bunch of clones that could be summoned.

Fog of war

After setting up a leyline, the other half of the ground team heads out back into the fog under Dr Jekyll's instruction to Find Victor Frankenstein, Another famous name in a fictional novel. They were reaching Soho which is in a much denser area of fog. Thus comms with Chaldea became spotty but didn't cut out thankfully.

"We're near Soho. Keep your guard up. They'll be here soon. The edge of the City Area where Jekyll's apartment is seems relatively peaceful in comparaison." Mordred warned as they entered what she considered to be enemy territory. Her words were proven right as Romani detected more Automatons heading their way.

"Come on, you rust buckets! Give me a challenge!" Mordred yelled as she sliced through the attacking machines. Her temper rose as she wanted to fire off the Noble Phantasm but it was too destructive for the local area.

"Attack from the Left!" Gudao ordered and Mashu smashed another squad of enemies to bits with her shield. Once that wave was cleared out they continued on their mission, but not before Mashu asked a question.

"I have a question for you. Why are you fighting here? Mr. Jekyll is fighting to protect his hometown. But what about you?" Mashu asked

"I already told you, didn't I? I'm here to face the perils of Father's beloved Londinium." Mordred answered. Yet Mashu wasn't stratified with that answer due to Mordred's history with Britain.

"Yes, I did hear that when we first met. I understand that, really, but….I hope you, but for some reason, I…I feel like…it's for a different reason." Mashu said with Gudao curious as well.

"Jeez…Alright. I didn't even, you know? I Just-Yes, that's right. I just can't allow the land of Britain to be violated by someone other than me. I'm the only one allowed to violate the land King Arthur loved. I can't let anyone else do that." Mordred said with laughter, completely accepting her status as the person that helped cause Camelot to fall in the first place.

"So Distorted…" Gudao mumbled

"Hm? Did you say something?" Mordred said, giving him an angry look.

"Nope." Gudao said bluntly to avoid drawing the anger of the Saber. Mordred then assures that even as the Treacherous Knight of Britain, she will help them in securing the grail as she had no use for it.

"Well, I don't think I'm 'worthy' I am just trying to do the right thing-" Gudao's words were then interrupted by the sounds of rapid gunfire and an explosion.

"The hell are those metal bastards shooting at now? Wait, those shots sounded way too rapid for those things." Mordred questioned but the look on the Chaldean's faces was full of hope.

"Fou, Fouuu!" The little guy yelped while running off towards that sound.

"Fou's right! That has to be Doomguy-san and Ritsuka-Senpai!" Mashu said,

"Let's get going then! Fou! Wait up!" Gudao said as they left to process what happened and run after them.

"OI! Don't leave me behind!" Mordred yelled.

"Oh my, Oh my! What in the hell are you!? You are more of a demon than me! Mephistopheles!" The enemy servant cried while holding the bleeding stump where his right arm was severed.

Tamamo ended up leading them to her objective as it was surprisingly on the way back. Dr Jekyll wanted her to go check up on his colleague, Victor Frankenstein. Unfortunately, the place was Ransacked by not only the servant but his new demonic pals as well.

Another servant has fallen to claws of hell, yet that seemed to be expected of the heroic spirit of Mephistopheles. Doomguy being Doomguy, he Ripped and Tore through the horde under the command of the enemy Caster. Hellknights and Dreadknights lead the charge followed by ravenous fodder demons.

Doomguy dealt with the heavies with the Mobile Turret and Equipment Launcher. Frag em, burn em or freeze em, anything to put the bastards in the ground. Tamamo was right by Ritsuka's side, keeping her safe while supporting The Slayer with some elemental magic artillery.

"Ow!" Ritsuka grunted as a mecha zombie got a lucky shot on her but it knocked on her butt, her shields took the brunt of the blow. Ritsuka responds with A Gandr blast causing it to explode with ichor and guts.

"Gah these things are utterly disgusting! Be careful Master!" Tamamo said, helping her up.

"You get used to it- Watch out!" Ritsuka yelled as a Prowler warps in behind them.

"FOOOU-KICK!" The demon was then assaulted by Fou flying in out of nowhere with a flying kick to its jaw, knocking all of its teeth out.

"Mashu! Up front!" Gudao yells.

"On it! Take this!" Mashu smashes her shield into the prowler, killing it as all of its bones were crushed.

"Come on! Don't leave me out of the fun!" Mordred shouted as she came dashing out of the alleyway and shoulder tackled a Hellknight.

"Guys!" Ritsuka said happy to see her friends alive and well!

"Ritsuka! I am so glad you are okay!" Gudao said.

"Yes, Ritsuka-senpai! We were so worried about you, Doomguy-san and VEGA." Mashu said as Fou jumped onto Ritsuka's head.

"OI! Glad to have your little reunion but we got some asses to kick!" Mordred yelled as she sliced through more of the horde.

"Good to see you are still kicking, Fox-tail. So you found the rest of the Shieldly's group." Mordred said, greeting Tamamo.

"Will you quit calling me that! Anyways, yes I found them but as you can see we have run into some trouble" Tamamo then updated Mordred on the current situation and it only pissed off Mordred.

"Dammit! So Victor is most likely dead then. Jekyll is not going to be happy about this, we better get some payback!" Mordred said as red lighting crackled around her blade.

"I'm afraid you are going to have to get in line." Tamamo pointed towards Doomguy who was busy blasting through Demons with his rocket launcher as Mephistopheles continued to evade the Slayer.

"Time to turn up the heat! Haha!" The enemy Caster servant yelled and a high-pitched roar echoed followed by more demons spawning out of red portals.

"What was that?" Gudao asked as more demons started to surround them.

"Scanning Sound pattern…Arch-Vile Detected!" VEGA said.

"What do those guys do again?" Ritsuka said as Doomguy quickly returned to her side.

"Arch-viles are high-ranking demons, they summon the lesser units under their command. They also use hellfire to attack from range while the underlings take the front!" VEGA alerted. Doomguy always hated those demons, especially back when he was just a human. During his recent dive into hell before getting a whole mountain dropped on him, he damaged the Arch-Covenants region of Hell. Destroying the population of those commanding bastards so much, a lesser species of demons took over in the form of the summoner.

Yet it looks like they are back in business being a pain in his ass since that ugly showed their ugly faces again since Teras Nabad…

"Fucking coward, he's using that demon to have the others protect him! So what's the plan then" Mordred cursed as the Demons encircled them.

"Doctor Romani, do you read me?" VEGA attempted to reconnect with Chaldea and was successful.

"Loud and Clear! Man, it's good to hear from you guys again…Right! Surrounded by Demons! What do you need?" Romani said as Doomguy triggers a Quad Damage to thin the horde as more spawn in.

"I am sending you the energy pattern of an Arch-vile, I need you to link up my sensors with Chaldea's to locate one!" VEGA requested and Romani got to work fast.

"...Got! Linking Sensors now!" The Acting Director said and the commanding Demon was spotted hiding in the fog-covered rooftops.

"Target Located! Firing flares at its location." VEGA said. Firing a magic-based projectile at the Arch-vile causes it to glow a bright purple.

"I see it! Mordred, You're up!" Gudao ordered and Mordred smiled as her helmet formed around her head.

"Haha! Don't have to ask me twice! Fox-tail, Give me a boost!" Mordred asked Tamamo who reluctantly created a massive cyclone of wind to launch the Knight at the demon.

"Come here you piece of shit!" Mordred shouted as the Arch-vile used its pyromancy to create a pillar of pure hellfire from under the knight. Sadly for the Demon, it barely did any damage to the Saber Class servant.

"Nice try! Now just die already!" Mordred then sliced them in half from the head down.

"Arch-vile down! You guys have an opening!" Romani said and Doomguy cracked his knuckles before looking to his master. Ritsuka gives him a thumbs-up.

"Go!" Ritsuka said and gives him a thumbs-up.

"Rip'n'TEAR!" Doomguy yelled as his fists were engulfed in fire. Doomguy charged forward, ripping through any demon that got in his way. Shattering Hellknights and Mancubi with his fists while tearing apart the imps that got in his way.

"No…No! Stay away!" Mephistopheles said as The Slayer rips a dread-knight head and throws it at prowlers noggin. Doomguy looks at the enemy caster with murderous intent that shook him to the core

"Stay! Back! You will regret-GAAH!" His words were stopped by Doomguy grabbing him by the throat. Mephistopheles clawed at him with his remaining hand but it was all pathetic against The Slayer. He tried to earn sympathy from the Masters by looking desperate but both were looking away from him…They both knew that they can't trust a servant if their current manifestation made a deal with hell.

Doomguy wanted him to suffer more but he wasn't going to let the kids see anymore needle cruelty. He crushes Mephistopheles's neck, detaching his head from the body as both pieces fall to the ground. Doomguy then stomps on the head just to be safe from another possessed servant fighting. In some twisted way…it was an act of mercy even for a demon from this world.

"...What a sad manifestation this was…Oh well. Better luck next time!" The enemy echoed as his remains faded away. The remaining Demons were carved up by his allies as the battle ended. Doomguy looks back to his allies, they were all disturbed by his brutality towards Mephistopheles. He won't apologise for his ways, but he understands that how he fights is easy for innocent eyes.

"...Damn. Ritsuka was it? You got one heck of a servant." Mordred commented.

"...Yeah...sorry, The only thing he hates more than Demons, is people that ally with them." She said composing herself, She DID send him out so she needed to get used to it…

"M-mikon…" Tamamo said, trying to hide her shivers of fear. How could such a man exist? A man that fights with such hatred for demons…a face of worry grew on her as her status as an anti-heroic spirit made her a possible target…

"Is there a problem? Lady Tamamo?" VEGA asked, Noticing her worried look.

"N-no! Not at all! Just a little spooked on how Doomguy-sama fights that's all!" She said as the man walked over. Now that the ground team was back together again, they all decide to head into the mansion to see if Victor Frankenstein left anything useful behind.

Innocent Monster

"...So The Wretch made you that mask, Ritsuka-senpai?" Mashu asked.

"Yep, he seems to be always watching out for us. What about you Gudao? How are you dealing with this fog?" Ritsuka asked.

"Mashu seems to have a passive skill that protects her master from poisons and toxins." Gudao said.

"Well that's lucky. I got a taste of what the fog can do to a human, felt like I was on the verge of death the entire time. The whole experience was so dreadful that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." Ristuka said recalling the horrible experience of being poisoned by the fog and then being saved by Tamamo.

"I am so sorry you had to go through that Ritsuka-Senpai…" Mashu said feeling guilty that her skill didn't protect Ritsuka as well.

"Yeah, we should've been there to help." Gudao added

"Guy's, It's alright. I am okay now, at least we don't have to worry about the fog anymore and I got this cool mask." Ritsuka assured her friends.

"Hehe, thanks. By the way, that mask makes you look like a character in a movie me and Mashu watched." Gudao said.

"You are right, Senpai! She does look like the princess protagonist of that movie!" Mashu said as the mood lightened up as they entered the mansion. Doomguy could feel the peering eyes of Mordred studying him up and down as he took point. At this point it didn't bother him anymore, it's par for the course now due to him being from a different dimension.

"...Psst, Ritsuka what's his story anyways?" Mordred whispered. Ritsuka then gave her the usual quick summary of her tall armoured guardian.

"...A Demon-Slayer from another Dimension? Damn, that's actually pretty sick!" Mordred said as they reached the study where Victor did his work and was the best place to look for clues. They scoured the study as Mordred and Vega searched the attached rooms.

"Over here! I found a note." Mashu then proceeded to read the note out loud.

"I learned of a certain plot. Its name is 'Project Demonic Fog'. Though its present state is still unknown. The three leaders of the project are P, B and M , they can cast spells beyond human wisdom…Probably heroic spirits."

The note ends with more questions than answers, they can only guess that Mephistopheles was one of the leaders.

"Well, at least we got something. Sadly nothing on the Demon activity in this city." Ritsuka commented.

"If it helps, I only have seen those creeps just recently." Mordred added.

"That battle was my first experience with those Demons, Perhaps the fog is making things hard for them?" Tamamo said.

"Anyways, I and VEGA found something interesting. Hey, Come over here." Modred called out.

"Don't worry, we are not here to hurt you," VEGA said while leading someone out of the nearby room. It was a girl in a white dress with light red hair and various metal pieces attached to her head, particularly a metal horn.

"..uhh." The girl said shyly holding a large mace-like weapon.

"What's a girl doing here?" Tamamo said raising her brow.

"Is she a human or a servant?" Gudao asked.

"I'm afraid not." VEGA said as he did a scan of the girl.

"She has a horn." Ristuka said bluntly, Causing Doomguy to shake his head.

"She does have a horn…Who are you?" Mashu asked politely.

"...uh…" The girl answered.

"Hmm, I can't determine what she is…All I can read is her physical state and Vitals. It could be the detection issues with the fog but VEGA confirms she is not a servant" Romani said while scratching his head.

"...I want to say she's a servant yet she is not…But I can tell you she's an artificial human, Apparently." Mordred said, raising the eyebrows of the group.

"An Artificial Human? I didn't know humans of this time were capable of such things." Tamamo said, looking over at the girl. She had to admit whoever made her did a pretty good job with her looks.

"Mordred and I found her in a coffin in a nearby room. She had the designation of the First artificial human created by Victor Frankenstien. Which means that she is the same being mentioned in the famous novella that shares Victor's name." VEGA explained.

Doomguy had to blink a few times as he came to realise that even the story of Frankenstein's monster was real in this world and was not a mangled being of body parts but looked like a young woman. If she didn't have a horn and metal capacitors attached to her head you couldn't tell it was a monster. It would seem that they found her before the gruesome end of the story and now she was alone.

"...Let's see…Are you Frankenstien's monster?" Romani asked

"...Uhh, ah..uuuh…" the girl said.

"I believe that her speech function is impaired. Yet I can understand her thanks to my experience with The Slayer." VEGA said and the girl looks over to the said man and tilts her head.

"Yeah! He's like you in a way. He's the strong silent type!" Ritsuka said.

"..Uhhhh." The girl smiled a little.

"I guess we should come up with a name for her. 'Monster' is too cruel to call a woman in a wonderful looking dress like that." Tamamo said as she herself felt some kind of kinship growing.

"Then, how about Fran?" Gudao said, coming up with a name for her based on her creator's last name.

"Uh! Uh!" Fran nods her head up and down. Showing that she is happy with the name. It was then figured out that she is in fact "Still Alive" by historical standards which explains why no one could figure out if she was a servant. After looking around for more clues, it was decided to head back to Jekyll's place while taking Fran along with them.

As they reach the gates of the property, Fran pauses to look back at the mansion.

"What's wrong?" Mordred asked.

"I think she's a little scared of leaving. This place is all she ever knew…Along with her master." Tamamo said feeling a little sad for her.

"...Uh…" Fran said…rubbing her eyes due to the sudden tears. Doomguy then walked over to her and kneeled down to look her in the eyes…

Huh, she has heterochromia. One eye was blue while the other was hazel.

"...Uh..uuhh, oh?" Fran asked.

Doomguy nods.

"...uh…ahhh?" Fran asked as she rubbed her eyes.

Doomguy nods again.

"Ah…" Fran then nods as she calms down and steps off the property, following behind Doomguy as they walk past the others.

"...What just happened?" Romani asked.

"I think…Doomguy talked to her?" Gudao said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Maybe it's because…He knows what it's like to leave you home behind…" Ritsuka said while looking at the two. Mordred could help but smile at what happened to the artificial human. She doesn't know why, yet she has some fragments of memories of meeting Fran before.

"Come on, let's go back to base. Lead the way Fox-tails"! Mordred said.

"Can you please stop calling me that?" Tamamo said while glaring at the knight.

(This Chapter was Beta'd by Darklord331)

AN: I am a firm believer that silent protagonists speak via otherworldly means...And Mephistopheles will forever be Doomguy's punching bag. Anyways! The gang is back together and ready to kick some ass!

Tamamo can't seem to avoid being around Red Sabers eh? I figure I had to have a little bit of bicker but nothing that would explode into a whole damn conflict. (Looking at you Nero and Tamamo in Extella) Besides, Floofy Tails is too busy being spooked by Doomguy to really do anything risky involving Gudao and Ritsuka. Not that Doomguy has any reason to hate Tamamo since she saved Ritsuka's life and he would see her past as an unjust witchhunt.

...also Tamamo Cat really gave a good first impression.

In other news, Doomguy is still kicking arse and taking names...Yet he's putting an extra effort into keeping control of his rage...For now, as we all know who shows up in London...Prepare for that encounter.

That is all for now! See you in the next chapter!

Have a nice day!