Suits and Shields

A MediEvil/Skulduggery Pleasant story

Author note: Welcome to my first Skulduggery Pleasant story. I wanted to do a MediEvil crossover so badly with this book series so, here you go. This will be a lot shorter than The Hero of Gallowmere. If you're wondering where exactly this story takes place, it's in modern times. I was heavily inspired by the MediEvil comic; Fate's Arrow so expect Dan to be wearing his disguise from that comic. Read that first if you can. In terms of the SP timeline, this takes place around the middle of Dying of the Light. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Figure

Tanith was currently in London, her old stomping grounds. It was here that she got her start as a Sanctuary Agent for the British Sanctuaries. She had received information about a mysterious man wandering the streets. He was described as wearing a long black trench coat, a navy blue scarf, brown leather gloves, bandages all over his head and sunglasses as black as night.

The description reminded Tanith of Skulduggery's old disguises he had, until China had carved a facade sigil onto his collarbone. Perhaps, she wondered, if this man had any connections to the Sanctuaries? She had been currently sitting at a café with a coffee, keeping her eyes peeled. She'd been told this man often frequented the museum.

"Why on earth would a suspicious man like him frequent a museum?" Tanith asked herself. "A thief perhaps? Or a vandal?" She took a sip of her coffee, the paid for it. It was getting late after all.

She started making her way down a street. She was unaware however, of a suspicious figure tailing her.

Tanith took out her phone, and saw a text from Skulduggery;

Any sign of our mysterious man? The text read.

Tanith quickly responded, Not yet I'm afraid.

A sound caught Tanith's attention as she whirled. Putting the phone away, she looked around cautiously. She had her hand at her waist, ready at any moment to pull out her sword.

"It may just be a cat or something," Tanith reasoned.

However, what leapt out from the shadows was some kind of pig-like creature with a forked tail, and small fangs in its mouth. It looked at her, the mouth curling into a sneer.

"What the hell is that thing?" Tanith asked herself, as the creature does at her, stealing her phone, laughing gleefully as it ran away with its prize. Tanith however, was not amused, and ran after it.

"Get back here!" she demanded, the sound of her boots on cobblestone. The creature did not obey and kept running until a tall figure stood, blocking its path.

Tanith screeched to a halt, eyeing the figure. He matched the description she'd been given; bandages covering his face, a black trench coat, navy blue scarf, brown leather gloves and sunglasses that were black as night.

The creature, seeming to know he was doomed, gulped audibly as the man grabbed him. "That doesn't belong to you," he told the creature as he snatched it out of the creature's hands before dropping it onto the cobblestone.

The man pointed a gloved finger down the street. "I'm a merciful man so, I'll give you a chance to leave," he told the creature. "Now go, before I change my mind."

The creature looked at him fearfully and ran. The man approached Tanith, hand outstretched holding her phone. "I believe this belongs to you, fair maiden."

Smiling, Tanith took her phone. "What was that thing just now?"

"An imp." The man responded, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Hm," Tanith mused, looking the man up and down. "You match the description of a man I was told to look for." "Any reasons in particular?" "I was told you'd been seen wandering the streets late at night. Care to explain?"

The man tilted his head. "It's difficult to explain," he said. "If you'd follow me to the museum, I can explain everything."

"Why the museum?"

"You'll just have to trust me." He told her, a touch of playfulness in his voice.

Tanith frowned. He seemed nice enough, and he just got her phone back from that imp. Still, he could be a thief. "Lead the way." She told him.

"Good," the man said, walking ahead of her. "What is your name? I've seen you around a couple of times."

"Tanith Low," she told him. "And yours?"

"Dan," he told her. "That's all you are getting out of me till we reach the museum."

So they walked, as the sun was beginning to set. Upon reaching the museum, it was closed. But Dan didn't seem to mind. He began heading around to the back of the museum. "What are you doing?" Tanith queried.

"Getting into the museum."

"But isn't this breaking and entering?"

"Not if you work here," Dan said, opening a 'Staff Only' door. He held it open. "Ladies first."

A small smile breaking across her face, Tanith entered the museum door. Upon entering, she was surrounded by statues and glass displays. Dan walked ahead of her.

"This way," he told her.

As they walked, the sound of Tanith's boots on the marble flooring echoed throughout the museum. Tanith stopped by a nearby display depicting a knight. It was a wooden canopy with a casket inside of it with a faux skeleton in armour laying on top of it. As she approached the exhibit, there was a sign in front of it, which she read.

'Here lies the body of Sir Daniel Fortesque, the hero of Gallowmere. Killed by an arrow during the Battle of Gallowmere in 1286, he was revived when the evil sorcerer Zarok appeared 100 years later in 1386 to take over the kingdom with his undead magic, awakening Sir Daniel Fortesque in the process. Upon Zarok's defeat, Sir Daniel Fortesque retreated to his crypt for eternal slumber.

500 years later would mark Daniel's return, in Victorian London in 1886. Using the same spell as Zarok had used 500 years prior, Lord Palethorn attempted to take over London in the same way Zarok had, even using Zarok's own spellbook. After this, Sir Daniel mysteriously vanished and hasn't been seen since.'

Tanith looked at the display, noting the skeleton had its jaw seemingly ripped off, and a fake eyeball in its right socket. The teeth had also been moulded in such a way that gave it a square, crooked smile. She heard Dan's footsteps from behind her.

"The tale of Sir Daniel Fortesque is most certainly an interesting one," he noted.

"Are you related to him?"

"I'm sorry?" Dan asked, visible confusion in his voice.

"Well," Tanith replied. "It's just your name is very similar to his."

"I guess I could see where one may draw that conclusion. We are related, somewhat. He's a distant relative of mine, far back my family tree."

"Anything else worth mentioning about him?"

"Well, as you can see," Dan said, pointing to the empty eye socket. "The arrow mentioned there was shot into his left eye. That is what killed him. As for the jaw, no one seems to know exactly what happened to it."

"Sounds painful," Tanith winced.

"Come," Dan said, jogging to a small door again, labelled 'Staff Only'. "This way."

Tanith approached it. It was one of those old wooden doors you'd see in gothic architecture, complete with an old fashioned ring to pull it out.

"Are you sure we're supposed to be here?" Tanith asked, raising an eyebrow as she folded her arms.

Dan turned. "I'm 200% certain. You have my word. I have a colleague that works here."

Tanith gave him a skeptical look.

Dan gave a heaving sigh. Convincing Tanith Low would certainly be a challenge. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can trust me! May I be struck be lightning if I'm wrong!"

"You're acting dramatic," she told him. She took his hand in hers. "Quirky as you may be, you've convinced me. But if something goes wrong and we get arrested, I'm blaming you."

Dan put his free hand to his head in a salute pose. "I'll take full responsibility!" He turned, taking her by the hand. "Be careful going down the steps, its pretty dark down here.

As they descended farther and farther down the stairs, Dan held Tanith's hand until they eventually reached some torches on the wall.

"Now that's something you don't see everyday," Tanith said to herself as Dan held up a hand, motioning for her to stop.

"There's something I need to do," Dan said. "Wait here, I'll call for you when I'm ready." Tanith watched him descend the final steps.

It wasn't long before Dan called her.

"Tanith!" he called. "I'm ready."

Tanith nodded and descended the final stairs, leading into a cavern of sorts, like something from Victorian London. There were train tracks on the floor. On the farther side of the room were three tables and a projection screen.

Sitting at one of the tables was what looked like a small man who was mostly bald, say for the grey hair on the side of his face. He was wearing glasses, and a green jacket and seemed to have skeletal hands. He looked at her, getting up and walked towards her, a pipe in his hand.

"So," he said. "This is Miss Low then, I presume?"

Dan nodded as Tanith felt a breeze beside her and there was a puff of smoke. It revealed a ghost resembling a young boy with glasses, a suit and top hat.

"Core blimey Dan," the ghost replied in a thick Cockney accent. "She looks tough!"

Tanith looked at both of them. "What's going on, Dan?"

The man in glasses spoke. "Now's as good a time as any Dan to tell her the truth."

Tanith blinked in confusion. What did he mean?

She would soon have her answer as Dan removed his trench coat, scarf and gloves, revealing knights armour underneath it. He then reached for his head, removing the sunglasses and unravelling the bandages.

As the bandages fell to the ground, Tanith recognised the face. The one singular eye, the missing jaw and crooked teeth. He was in actuality

Sir Daniel Fortesque: The Hero of Gallowmere.