Chapter 144: The Devil you know.

The room was barely illuminated, a pale hue of sky blue trickled down from the ceiling as if they were dancing lights. The light from within the hanging crystal flickered and fluttered as if caught in a faint breeze.

A featureless face stared up at it for a few moments before a gravelled sigh left the throat of the owner, a tall frame turned back around and ventured towards the desk before sitting themselves down in a small wooden chair, the furniture creaked with their mass for a split second before it fell silent.

Sulyvahn remained motionless before he eventually spoke up "There." his tone was curt, as though the very act of speaking was something he would have preferred to have gone without. Nevertheless, his voice was still perfectly audible to the one he was speaking to. "At the very least we shall not be stumbling about this hovel in the dark."

There was a brief pause after his sentence ended before the other person in the room let out an exasperated sigh "Must you describe this place so rudely?" the braided blonde hair jostled as the head of it's owner turned in the direction of Sulyvahn, deep blue eyes narrowed in disapproval. "This was the home of someone until recently and we are only guests until such time as we depart."

Sulyvahn stared blankly at Jeanne, thoroughly unaffected by her words "Ah, yes." he grumbled, giving the sparsely populated room a once over and making such an exaggerated motion of it that the Saint's frown only deepened. "Let us be thankful for this shack we stumbled upon. Truly, I cannot think of a better place…" he raised his arm before laying it flat on the desk, inclining it up as he leaned forwards and rested his facing cheek on his fist. "I should be thankful for the commoners who - no doubt - call this wonderfully simple building, their home."

He raised his left hand, finger pointed upwards. "In fact…" he turned his head, staring at the corner of the room. "I thank you for opening up your doors to us, we are quite blessed to have such a generous host."

The frosted over body of the man didn't respond, his eyes tightly shut and his faint breaths coming out in regular intervals. Sulyvahn made a small noise of amusement, gesturing to the man "See? He offers no complaints as to how I describe his home."

Jeanne looked as though she was sorely tempted to strike the Pontiff. "Must you derive sick amusement from this situation?"

Sulyvahn lowered his arm "There is precious little else I can occupy my mind with. Scouring over this shack has yielded precious little in the way of resources I can make use of. The one resource I can use is the one that you won't let me-"

"I am not going to allow you to butcher this man!"

"One man." Sulyvahn scoffed "So that we might find our allies and put this…" he paused for a moment, his body shuddering slightly before he hissed out "-place-" Jeanne blinked at the sheer venom that he put into the word. "-behind us and save all of human history. I would hardly consider trading a single life for so many, a great cost."

Jeanne didn't respond with words immediately, hardening her expression further she responded in a stern tone of voice. "Human history is made from those 'single lives' they do not lose their value because they are numerous. Rather, it is because they are so numerous that the differences are-"

"If you're going to give sermons, then your audience is right there." Sulyvahn cut her off with a sigh, gesturing to the comatose man before turning in his seat and resting both arms on the desk in front of him. "He has more patience for the words of a cleric." There was a pause before he grumbled under his breath "Not that he would be in a position to appreciate them. Still…if you can snap him from that wretched state then perhaps your words might hold some value."

The Saint let out another sigh as she glanced down at the frozen man, dropping to her knees beside him and reaching out with her hand. Gently as she could, she inclined his head to the side and moved it onto the pillow they had splayed or for him, or rather the pillow she had splayed out for him.

At least with the hope they could somehow warm the man enough to raise him from his slumber. They had been met with little success, not aided by the fact she was alone in her venture of trying to provide help. Considering Sulyvahn's first suggestion had been to harvest the helpless man for raw materials, she felt as though she was already engaged in a battle.

"You're wasting your time." Sulyvahn commented without turning around, staring at the wall and drumming his fingers on the table in front of him in a faint pattern of three.

"I am free to waste my time how I see fit." Jeanne responded with quite a bit more heat than she intended, but it had already been a short time alone with the man and she'd already felt her patience reaching its straining point. His complete lack of care and murderous tendencies aside, the hard truth was that there was very little they could do in this situation.

She glanced towards the brick wall, the complete lack of a window in the traditional sense should have proven a greater problem than it actually did. Considering that the cut out where a window should have gone seemed to provide more than enough protection from the blizzard outside, the storm made no attempt to burst through the blanket she had put up to cover the gap.

That only solidified her belief that they were dealing with a magical storm.

"...This is pointless." Sulyvahn's irritated tone of voice brought her attention onto him once more, his back still to her. "We have been here for near enough ten minutes with no response from our summoner. Suffice to say that we are on our own until further notice." he looked over his shoulder at her, Jeanne getting the distinct impression he was glaring "I offer the simplest solution to at least grant us the chance of finding our allies and you spit upon it?"

"What you offer is indeed the simplest solution." Jeanne responded in an even tone of voice "I suspect that you would make some headway if you were granted the proper materials." her voice wavered with disgust as she recalled the details of Prelati. His cruelty and methods were more than enough to turn her nose away from such magecraft. "However, that does not make them right."

Sulyvahn growled "Right? You want to debate morality now of all times? It is a black and white solution. You either let me do my work and help speed along our efforts or you become an obstacle and we sit here, trapped within his accursed storm until such time that another of our allies stumbles upon us by chance."

"How often did your choices boil down to such crude methods?" Jeanne shot back at him, rising to her feet and clenching her hands into fists. "How many perished because you took the easiest path as opposed to the correct one?"

"Wonderful. The martyr is going to offer me advice on the correct path to take." Sulyvahn spat "My choices are the correct ones. It is merely the case that you are too clung to your ways that you cannot see them." he waved a hand, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine. You want to protect this nameless little man? Do what you want. It is hardly as though there is anything that can be done to save him now."

Jeanne bristled "You have not even made the attempt to save him!" she snapped, taking a single step towards the Pontiff "Upon first seeing him you dismissed his existence entirely, decrying that he could not be saved and then as opposed to even trying to examine him, you decided he would best be served as nothing more than fuel for a ritual?"

Sulyvahn shot to his feet, turning around to face the Saint "I said as much because it is true! It is a simple fact that he is beyond salvation!"

"Who are you to say such things?"

"I'm the only one who can see the world clearly, you stupid little farm girl!" He snarled at her, pointing towards his face where his eyes should have been "You think me ignorant? I can see far more of man and God alike than you will ever understand. Their intentions behind each sentence, their lies and their schemes. I see them all and when I look at that man there-" he stabbed a finger towards the frozen man "-I see nothing! I see the same nothing that those of Ariandel were cursed with!"

Lowering the arm, he took in a deep breath and dropped his voice into a whisper that reverberated around the room. "Get this into your skull. That man is without hope, there is no salvation you can offer him that he would even glance upon. He sits there in the cold not because he has been cursed or attacked, but because he has welcomed the cold with his very soul. He clearly has nothing he believes in, nor does he have any manner of wish for his life."

Jeanne glanced at the man, then back to Sulyvahn "And how do you know this?"

"Because I grew up with the likes of him. I can see the signs, I can feel the gentle embrace that blizzard outside offers." Sulyvahn jerked his head to the makeshift curtain "I know - more so than any other - how deep the roots of this cursed land can take reach within a human. That is why I say he can only serve to aid us…Because he is already lost to the world."

The Saint stared at him in silence for a moment before she closed her eyes, her posture relaxed somewhat as she straightened herself out. "There is conviction behind your words that can only come with experience." She admitted, when they opened once more there was only resolution within them. "However, those who do not seek salvation are just as entitled to it as those who do. If this man has indeed lost his reason to carry on, then that is a tragedy…However, that does not make it right to state him as worthless."

Sulyvahn stared back at her in silence.

"As you say he is a man without value, I say his very existence is proof of it. I firmly believe that once we have resolved this Singularity, this man might well find his path that brings him back into the light of the Lord." Her eyes narrowed "He will not find that under your scalpel."

Silence stretched out between the two of them for what felt like an eternity, neither one making the move to speak as they stared into the face of their counterpart.

"...Fine." Sulyvahn grunted back, then moved towards the downed man "If you want me to examine him, I shall." he lowered himself down, Jeanne hovered behind him ready to make a move at a moment's notice.

"If you even think to end his life-"

"You will stop me, yes, yes." Sulyvahn tiredly replied as he reached out to the man and took hold of his left arm, pulling it out from underneath the blanket and holding it in his wooden palm. "Hmmm." He twisted the limb over, examining it closely and moving his right hand to run his fingers along the veins. "The blood flow remains unchanged."

Jeanne frowned but didn't reply, it felt more like Sulyvahn was speaking to himself.

"I am going to make a small cut on his palm." He spoke out after a moment "Can I trust you not to run me through with that flag stand of yours?"

"I am not so bloodthirsty."

"I am certain the whores you chased from your camps would disagree with you." Sulyvahn mused with a touch of mirth as his silver sword flashed into existence in his right hand. Despite the comment, Jeanne didn't let it distract her from tensing, watching as he moved the tip of the blade towards the palm of the man and making a thin cut through the centre of it.

It was a meagre wound, something that would recover with time. Jeanne would also make sure of it.

Sulyvahn watched as the blood flowed out of the cut and trickled across the skin, the sword vanishing as he moved his right hand back to it and ran his index finger along the cut. Pulling away and staring at the thick red liquid on the tip of his digit. "Still warm."

"How?"

"That is what I intend to find out." Sulyvahn dryly responded back, dropping the hand in his grip without a care in the world and turning back around, Jeanne would have commented at his disregard for the man but at this point, it was a given. Moving towards the table with methodical steps, he reached out with his left hand and started to scratch symbols into the table.

Jeanne opted to ignore him as she raised up the injured hand, closing her eyes and muttering under her breath as she performed a prayer to heal the man. For a minute, all that could be heard were the reverent whispers of Jeanne intermittent with the scratching sounds of wood as Sulyvahn continued to chip away at the table, forming a circle of odd symbols on the face of the wood.

Then, from seemingly out of nowhere, the Pontiff spoke in a toneless voice. "Your Magic Resistance."

Jeanne paused, looking at Sulyvahn and raising an eyebrow as she finished wrapping around the newly blessed strip of cloth around the wounded palm of the unconscious dark haired man. "Excuse me?"

"Your Magic Resistance." Sulyvahn reiterated "It is high, is it not?"

"It is high enough that I can avoid all manner of spells aimed towards me, yes." She confirmed with a nod of the head.

"What of A ranked spells?"

"A Greater Ritual?" Jeanne paused for a moment, her lips drawn into a thin line "I would assume so, yes. Depending on the variety. It is the case that spells aimed directly for me will avoid my person whereas field spells might have some impact on me. I have learned that what you refer to as 'Miracles' also fall under the same category as sacraments."

Sulyvahn paused, the only inclination that he registered her words being a mildly intrigued hum before he continued on with his original point. "I ask because I noticed the blizzard curled around your body, rather than battering against it. Considering that to even affect a Servant such as us, one would require a powerful spell to bypass our innate resistance to spells…"

"The storm is magical in nature." Jeanne deduced with a nod of the head "I assume you mean beyond the mere fact it exists?"

"Manipulating the weather is a trivial feat." Sulyvahn dismissed as he continued to work away on the final touches of the table. Then moved his right hand towards the centre of the newly carved circle and smeared the blood in a straight line upon the wood. "Having the effects last is something else entirely, though with the Holy Grail it is hardly something beyond the realms of possibility."

Jeanne narrowed her eyes as she saw where this was going, turning back to the man and looking over the cloth once more. "You believe this storm to be some manner of ritual?"

"The cold of Ariandel was not magical." Sulyvahn grunted "There was nothing about that place which was the product of a Caster or practitioner of the arts. It was cold and welcoming but still a barren wasteland. The fact that this man's blood is still warm is curious, even more so that this room is not blanketed in ice and snow despite the open windows and lack of insulation."

He paused through his explanation "I shall assume, for a fleeting moment, that you are not as stupid as I believe you to be."

Jeanne withheld a sigh at the comment, even now he could not simply let anything slide without offering up some manner of insult sent her way.

"The cold of Ariandel would slow the body and the mind to all those who dwelt within it. You would never die from the chill, but you would fall into a state of slumber if you remained there long enough, at least until someone disturbed you. You would experience all the natural effects of the chill without ever succumbing to them."

The blonde woman furrowed her brows, then rose back to her feet as she turned to face Sulyvahn "You mean to suggest that the storm outside is not the same as the one you know of?"

"Perhaps not in the traditional sense, but their purpose remains identical." Sulyvahn corrected "I shall not be vindicated or corrected in my beliefs until I examine our conditions more thoroughly. Fortunately, we should both be free to wander out into the cold, my body has natural resistances to such extreme weather."

There was an audible pause as the Caster held his hand above the scratches, releasing a pulse of mana into them which caused them to brighten slightly. "Though I cannot make any claims for whatever dwells within the storm, if anything does. However, neither Ariandel nor Ariamis were bereft of inhabitants who would defend their home with their very lives."

He turned his head slightly "...Least of all their caretakers for either world." returning to his work, he watched as the runes glowed slightly, ethereal blue light moving away from them and towards the blood smeared onto the wood, seemingly infusing into the lifeforce for a few moments. Stepping away, he turned back around to face Jeanne.

"We shall know if there is any manner of spell worked into the blood, whomever is responsible for this current state of affairs cares very little for subtly, thus I shall doubt it will take long." He briefly turned his head towards the man on the floor "...You can do with him what you wish, for the moment I hold no interest in him."

Jeanne pulled her lips into a thin line, her brows creased slightly "If this is indeed the work of a spell, then might this not be some manner of hypnosis?"

"I am unfamiliar with the art outside of charlatan street performers." Sulyvahn dryly remarked "But perhaps. I am currently withholding final judgement until I have been granted an accurate read of his blood. Discerning the state of his life force will aid in determining if it has truly been affected in any magical way or if it is merely a product of his own mind."

"And if it is the former?"

Sulyvahn's face creaked, his brow raised slightly towards the woman "Then I will be committed to killing whomever is behind this." he answered matter of factly "Turning the denizens of this city into these revolting things and crafting this monument to Ariandel as though it is anything to replicate is sickening to me."

He sharply turned from her, waving his hand dismissively as he walked across the room and towards the back end of the corner. Soon sitting down in the chair positioned next to the burnt stack of wood in the corner. "Take heart, Saint. It seems you might bring 'salvation' to these poor, hapless souls yet."

"Does the idea of saving their lives disgust you so greatly?"

There was no response for a few moments, then Sulyvahn released a quiet laughter "Saving their lives? Filling their head with nonsense such as the belief of grovelling at the feat of some higher being day in and day out?" he scoffed, the laughter cutting out. "If you call that salvation, then you are quite the fool. Or perhaps you enjoy perpetuating cruelty. Whichever it is, the result remains the same."

Jeanne tapped her standard on the ground with a metallic thud. "You seem to be under the impression that your dislike of me is not reciprocated. Allow me to correct you of this notion. I do not trust you in any capacity. I do not believe that you have the best intentions of mankind in your interest, your sole reason for joining Chaldea is to protect the progress of human history but you do not care how many lives you must sacrifice in pursuit of this goal."

Her eyes narrowed "You speak of saving the world through your own methods, yet they leave countless dead in your wake. How then can you claim to have saved the world when you stand atop a mountain of corpses? What progress can the dead make?" she turned her body away from him sharply, all the while keeping her head focused on the back of the now silent Caster. "Consider this before you decry my salvation as cruel or false. Perhaps not all accept the word of my Lord, but I shall not brutally slaughter those who disagree with His teachings."

"...What was your role in the hundred years war again? Remind me."

"Do not bring up that in the belief it shall somehow make my points less valid." Jeanne bluntly countered with a stern voice "It shall not change the truth of my arguments not the contradictions of yours. How many like this man would become 'worthless' in your eyes because they do not fit your criteria? How many would you kill in the name of finding the correct path?"

"If killing one saves ten, then that is a cost I would pay without hesitation." Sulyvahn cut her off, his voice oddly bereft of any heat as she would have expected him to respond with. "That is what you do not understand, nor have any of you ever understood. You do not save people with words, nor can you uplift them with blind optimism. Your people would not have been saved from the English with simple prayers, it was through the might of steel that you worked to end the aggression of the invaders."

His head turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder "How many did you slay during your time as a general? How many do you think were saved by your actions? To call my actions horrific is to say the same of your own. If so, then you believe your own acts to save your countrymen were a sin."

"That is not what I am saying. I make no excuses over my own role." Jeanne countered, "I know that my hands are stained with the blood of many, and perhaps I did slay ten to save a hundred. However, there was not a single moment in which I believed the value of my enemy lessened. I knew the sin of slaying my foes was great indeed. Their lives were just as valuable in the eyes of the Lord as my own comrades. I did not view them as lesser or dismiss their existence."

"Oh? So murder is a sin until God says it's allowed, is it?" Sulyvahn mocked it with less wit than normal. "How wondrous."

"Had God not commanded me to lead France, I believe the War would have continued on for many more years and claimed many lives. Perhaps it is true that he commanded me to kill, but I believe it was just as hard a choice for him as it was for me." Her voice echoed through the room, her words bouncing from the brick walls. "Therein lies the difference. I do not make excuses for my path being right or wrong. It was simply the one with the least amount of blood."

"So certain of that, are you?" Sulyvahn snorted "And how sure are you that mine is not the same. That I did not act under the same pretence. The difference is that I came to this decision of my own will, I did not play to the strings of some puppet Master Lordkin."

Jeanne's grip on her standard tightened "..."

"Oh? Are you aggrieved by my words?" Sulyvahn turned his head back to gazing at the corner of the room. "I suppose God truly has broken you in quite well if you-"

"Enough."

The emotion in her voice was enough to get Sulyvahn to stop speaking, he didn't need to turn his head to tell that Jeanne was glaring at him.

"I will listen to your words, I shall remain silent as you mock me." She breathed in "But I shall not let you slander the Lord in such a way. You are entitled to your beliefs, my own opinions of them aside I shall not readily belittle them. Question them, perhaps, but never belittle. If you hate my God so greatly, then that is your own choice."

Metal groaned as Jeanne clenched her fist as hard as she could "But do not think you can mock my God so freely in front of me. There is a limit to my patience."

"...Perhaps some of that fire remained within you long after death." Sulyvahn mused to himself before he sighed and waved his hand in a dismissive motion before it fell back down onto his armrest. "But fine. Pushing you into a fight here of all places will only disrupt my work. You keep your sermons to yourself and I shall avoid speaking ill of your Lordkin Master."

"...So long as you hold to your word." Jeanne responded before frowning "Though I am dubious as to its worth."

"As I said. Not as stupid as I believe you to be."

A complicated expression flickered across Jeannes face as she heard the words. "I would have thought you would claim your word was perhaps the most valuable aspect of you considering it is yours."

"Giving your word is akin to giving a promise." Sulyvahn responded, his voice toneless as he remained unmoving in his seat. "Promises can be so easily broken, whether through design or through circumstances. I cannot give my word because there is no such thing. Merely the statement that I will hold off on my preferred course of action for the time being. It is subject to change if the need arises."

The words brought a blink of surprise from the Saint, regarding Sulyvahn with obvious shock for several seconds in silence. "That is a great deal more…introspective than I would have expected from you."

"Beliefs can change when you think deeply upon them." He leaned back into his seat with an audible creak, tenting his hands on his lap and letting out a long breath. "I have spoken with you enough for now. I have been exhausted by your words. Do whatever you wish in silence, so long as it does not disrupt my work."

"And if I were to pray?"

"Are you an addict?" Sulyvahn bluntly asked before he let out a scoff. "No, I already know the answer to that. You cannot last without offering prayer, can you? Tch." With a click of the tongue, he continued on in a mildly irritated tone of voice. "Fine. I could endure the sycophants of Irithyll. So long as you are not loudly boasting of your God or singing hymns, you may grovel all you like."

Jeanne was content enough to let the conversation end there. In truth, she was similarly exhausted - mentally - from speaking with the Pontiff.

Beyond that, there was very little that could be done about their situation. At least from her position. The Mixed Blood Caster was correct in the sense that there was nothing that either of them could actually do besides wait.

With the mental communication not working and her not understanding the first thing about magecraft, her only option remaining was to brave the snow and blindly search for Master, or wait out the storm until he summoned her back to his side.

Even if she decided to venture out, she had little doubt of the fate that would befall those left to Sulyvahn's machinations. An ally he might well be, but it was tenuous at best for her. It was just as much protecting the people of London from him as it was saving London.

That was certainly a twist of fate, Jeanne mused as she quietly walked away from the Caster and towards the space next to the comatose man. Kneeling herself down, she clasped her hands in front of herself and closed her eyes.

Jeanne d'Arc saving the English was something that she would never have expected to occur but perhaps it was a chance to pay back all the lives she had taken. It would never balance the scales but it didn't need to.

As long as they saved London, she would consider it a worthwhile trip.

A stray thought occurred to her as she sat there. "Do you believe the others are well?"

Sulyvahn released a sharp hiss of irritation "Can you not grant me more than a moment's peace before you burden me with your tongue?"

Jeanne let out a sigh of her own, not opening her eyes as she replied in a fairly even tone of voice. "It was merely something I believed we overlooked as we were so preoccupied with our own situation."

"And you believe my opinion will change something?"

"I was curious."

"...What a pointless question. If we survived without incident, they did as well. I suspect our allies to be in similar predicaments to our own." The sheer confidence in his voice arched an eyebrow on the face of the Saint.

"That is…surprising to hear you have such faith in our allies."

"I am without choice in the matter." Sulyvahn replied "The reality in which you are my only form of help is too terrible to consider."

Jeannes brow twitched.


The tension in the room was almost palpable, the nervous glances that Mash was sending to the occupants in the room along with her only served to worsen her mood. Not least because Ritsuka was currently missing, but because they couldn't leave to go and search for him in these conditions.

"What are you doing now?" The gruff voice behind the horned helmet asked, the owner had their arms crossed over their chest and their vision fixed upon the robed form of Medea. In response to the clear hostility, Medea let out a minute sigh as she glanced over her shoulder towards the speaker.

"Attempting to craft something that will allow us to move beyond this storm." She curtly responded before turning back around to the desk, hovering just above the ground and moving her hands to the desk. Clearing aside whatever had been on it - in this case, frozen bread and the wooden plate it sat atop - before slamming down the scrap of tunic upon the surface.

She was silent for a moment before she spoke once more in a slightly irritated tone of voice. "Or at least, I would be if I did not have to contend with some ill-mannered brute looming over my shoulder demanding to know what I was doing every few minutes."

The armoured figure bristled, their hands coming back down to their side and clenching into fists. "I got a problem with witches." the knight spat back, voice thick with suspicion "And just because you're a victim of this weather as well doesn't make me any less willing to kill you if I think you're trouble."

The tension of the room only seemed to skyrocket as Mash glanced to the figure of the knight - and odd sense of familiarity about them, the full body steel armour with a metal skirt and red highlights was a rather distinctive look - then slowly walked towards Medea as if she would flee the second Mash made a wrong move.

Coming to a stop next to the Caster, she dropped her voice in a low whisper "I-is it really the best idea to antagonise them? We're all in the same position-"

"You're no better." Medea cut her off, not even looking in her general direction. "Listening to your nervous tapping for the past ten minutes has been just as great a distraction." her head shifted slightly so that she could look to the Shielder from the corner of her eye "If you want to charge out into the cold, fine. However, I am most certainly not going to abandon shelter and delve straight into danger like a fool."

"But Senpai could be-!"

"Considering I am not currently in the process of returning to the throne-" Medea cut her off with a dry tone "-I shall assume that he remains alive. The more pressing matter is keeping us alive long enough to find him." she took in a deep breath "Which is why I need peace and quiet in order to work. Unless, of course, either of you are capable of navigating a magical storm such as this?"

Mash wanted to say something for a moment but held her tongue, looking to the side and stepping away from the Caster. The horned knight let out a grunt but didn't say anything more than that. Seemingly content to sit back and just glare at the Caster.

It had been a complete coincidence that they had burst into a house that was already acting as a refuge for two other Servants.

Speaking of which…

"You shouldn't spend so much time worrying." The relatively light voice of the other figure in the room spoke up, blonde hair, a kind smile and smart clothes with a blazer draped over his shoulders, this person was the complete opposite to the knight. The man adjusted his glasses as he walked across from the other side of the room to Mash "If you cannot sense your Master in distress, then you can take comfort in the fact he is still alive."

Mash bit her lip, holding back a retort. The person was correct in that much, at the very least Ritsuka was still alive. Considering that neither she nor Medea were suffering from a lack of magical energy. Their link was still active, even if they could not communicate with each other.

The man saw her distress, reaching out and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder "You came here with other allies as well, yes?" he ventured, the Shielder hesitated for a moment, looking up to the man and debating whether or not she could tell him that much.

"For crying out loud…" The growl of the knight took her choice away from her "She's thinking you're pressing her for answers, beansprout!" the armoured figure waved towards the pair of them "You're coming across more like a shady bastard than a comforting figure."

The man's smile twitched slightly as he turned back around to face the knight "I consider it slightly more preferable to think of my acts as doing good rather than being a 'suspicious' person." he defended himself, pointing to Mash "I was going to say that if she came here with other allies, then there is a chance her Master is with them."

"You gonna ask for their true names and classes after that?" Despite the gruff voice, Mash could clearly detect an almost hint of a teasing tone in the voice of the knight. Confirmed when the blonde man sputtered his response.

"You are making this seem as something far more sinister than it actually is!" He called out "I'm also not trying to insult them at every turn."

The knight grunted "Insult? I'm sayin' it how it is. She's a witch and she stinks of being a foul one and all."

"I'm surprised you could tell I was a witch." Medea's voice echoed back through the room, her tone mocking. "I don't even have my pointed hat or staff on me right now."

"You got jokes, huh?" The Knight growled "See how clever you are when-"

"Saber." The man chided her, frowning disapprovingly "Please, do not try and start a fight in such an enclosed environment. You will destroy our shelter from the storm and we shall be right back to where we first began."

"Wha-!?" The Saber made a noise, then stabbed a finger at Medea "What the hell!? She's the one who-"

"Saber…"

"...Tch. Fine." the arm was lowered, the head turned away sharply "Whatever, not like I care."

"Thank you." The man gave her a grateful nod of the head, then turned to Medea "I would ask that if you require concentration, perhaps throwing out insults to goad others into fighting you is not the wisest of ideas. We are all in this unfortunate position and, as your young ally has said, making enemies with one another will only make our situation worse."

Medea didn't reply at first, then spoke in a tired voice "If you wish for me to make any progress, then take your conversations elsewhere." With nothing left to say on the matter, the woman returned to burning Greek symbols into the scrap of cloth with her hand, muttering under her breath as she did so.

The man watched her for a moment, then nodded once turning to the others "Perhaps it would be better if we spoke elsewhere."

Saber responded by crossing their arms over their chest. "...I'm not letting her out of my sight."

Mash glanced between the two of them "M-maybe we should whisper?" she offered in a quiet voice. In truth, she didn't want to leave either. If only because she could actually see that something was being done to help find Ritsuka. The idea that she had been separated from him was a hard one to stomach. What sort of Servant wasn't there when their Master truly needed them?

No, she could think of the blonde man's words.

She did come here with four others, so there was every chance that Ritsuka was with the others. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a sense of panic at the idea the same had happened with him. If she and Medea had been separated from the others, then what if the same had happened with Ritsuka?

The girl stole a glance towards the window, the howling of the winds bouncing around inside her mind as she imagined her Master all alone out there without anyone to protect him. The Mystic Code he wore offered basic protection but against something like this?

"Oi!" She jolted as fingers snapped in front of her face, blinking several times and focusing on the metal gauntlet barely an inch from her eyes. She watched as it retracted and the horned helmet of Saber occupied her vision. "The hell are you doing?"

"E-eh?" Mash made a noise "What do you-"

"Saber." The man sighed once more, then shook his head and turned to the girl "I suppose it is long overdue but I should at least introduce myself." straightening his posture, he bowed his head slightly as he spoke "Doctor Henry Jekyll."

Mash's eyes widened "W-wait! Jekyll? As in-"

She was cut off when she noticed Saber behind the man shaking their head from side to side, Mash closed her jaw and turned her attention back upon the man. Giving him a quick discerning glance and widening her eyes slightly. This man wasn't a Servant at all, he was human. Every instinct in her was saying that this man was just an ordinary human. Which meant that unless he was lying…This was the real Henry Jekyll.

Jekyll noticed her words, his expression morphing into surprise "Oh? You have heard of me before?" he asked with a tinge of embarrassment "I suppose it would have been under the guise of the 'crackpot physician' or something along those lines." he muttered, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck.

"W-well, I have…erm…" Mash bit her lower lip, struggling to come up with an excuse as to why she had heard of the man before. "I have heard about you, yes." She confirmed with a nod of the head "J-just something I read once."

"Really?" Another surprised blink from Jekyll, the man lowered his hand back to his side. "I suppose I might have published a paper a while ago, but if I'm being honest, I didn't truly think anyone would have read it."

Mash made a face, something Jekyll soon discerned with an understanding expression. "Ah, I see. You don't need to try and accommodate my feelings, young Miss." he assured her "I realise that my work isn't something that many take interest in. Even my own peers think of it as something akin to hogwash."

She winced "N-no, it's not that-" she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly before her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "I…" looking down, her lips curled into a guilty frown. "Sorry."

"Nonsense." Jekyll offered her a good natured chuckle "You're one of the first people to have heard of me and not outright decry me stupid or foolhardy. I consider good company to be something of a rare commodity in London and something I have been sorely missing."

"Huh!?" Saber made a disgruntled noise "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Jekyll merely offered her a raised eyebrow in response. "Saber." he spoke in a polite tone "As much as I shall freely admit that you have been a considerable source of aid to me in maintaining my confidence in this situation, as well as a great source of help, you are not exactly an expert in the art of small talk."

Saber stared at him in silence for a moment before she made an irritated noise.

Mash stared at him for a moment, then her brain caught up with her "Ah, yes!" she bowed her head "I'm Mash Kyrielight. Shielder Servant."

The Knight just stared at her in silence, then leaned back and into the wall with a metallic thudding sound, crossing one leg over the top of the other one. "Shielder, eh?" Was the rather quiet voice of the Servant, the helmet tilted to one side as Saber gave the distinct impression they were giving Mash a once over. "...Figures."

Their words only served to earn a confused expression from the Shielder.

Jekyll, however, looked rather surprised at the sudden introduction of the girl before he frowned at her. "You shouldn't have gone and done a thing like that." His chiding earned a surprised blink from her, mouth parting slightly. Jekyll, then placed his hands on his hips, looking down at the girl with an almost scolding expression like the Director sometimes wore. "Saber explained to me how important those true names of yours are. Going around and telling the wrong sort of company could land you in some serious trouble."

Sighing to himself, he shook his head from side to side. "I would have been more than fine with you using your work alias."

The conversation earned the attention of Medea, the witch making a curious noise "I assume that Saber explained the workings of Servants to you?" she called out, though not turning around.

The man nodded his head, not that she could see, and gave a grunt of affirmation. "They did indeed, or something close enough to it." He quirked an eyebrow at Mash "Something along the lines of important figures working under the alias of Seven Words?" he ventured before shaking his head "I'm sorry, I'm not all that familiar with the terminology of Magecraft…"

Mash raised her brows "You know about-"

Jekyll offered her a strained expression "I know of. Not about." he corrected "In truth it's more akin to…well, it was explained to me that my work would put me in the category of an amateur alchemist, or something along those lines." reaching up with his right hand, he placed it on his chin in a thoughtful manner "Though the complexity of it still eludes me. Though I doubt I shall broker much further into the subject beyond my own research."

That brought a look of understanding upon the Shielder before it quickly broke into a slight wince. She knew about the work that Doctor Jekyll was infamous for within the book and if this was truly him, she knew where it would lead the man.

"The hell?" Saber grunted in annoyance "Am I not allowed to introduce myself or something?"

Jekyll widened his eyes, turning around to face Saber "Eh? I-I didn't think you would want to-"

Saber shrugged "Might as well." nodding their head to Mash "Not like she doesn't know who I am."

Mash, for her part, simply stared at Saber with a baffled expression "I-uhm? I don't?" she responded with an honest tone, the head of Saber snapped towards her with a sharp grinding noise. "I mean-"

"The fuck!?" Saber growled out "Seriously? That's just-tch. That uppity bastard…" they paused for a moment before sighing "Nevermind about that then." stepping away from the wall, the helmet split apart rather suddenly. The horns dropped down either side and locked into place on the shoulders.

Youthful features were revealed in full, a messy head of blonde hair done in a short ponytail spilled out from underneath. Sharp green eyes stared back at Mash, lips curled into a challenging grin that reminded Mash a little bit of Cu Chulainn.

Saber stabbed a thumb into her chest, voice in complete confidence "I'm Mordred."

Mash widened her eyes and gaped like a fish.

The reaction brought an odd expression upon the Saber "...Huh, guess you really didn't know." she idly commented, lowering the hand back to her side, then frowning ever so slightly. "...Meh, doesn't matter now though."

Jekyll pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, then glanced towards the back of Caster somewhat apologetically "Don't feel pressured to introduce yourself now. I am perfectly content with not being aware of your true name."

"How fortunate." Medea responded rather dryly "For I was in no mood to so casually reveal it." there was a brief pause before the witch turned around and glanced at Mordred's face. Her eyes hidden just behind her hood as she stared at the blonde figure.

Mordred noticed the stare, responding back with an irritated scowl "What are you lookin' at?"

"Nothing." Medea idly commented as she turned back around "Confirming something in my head." there was another pause before she sighed "If no one else shall ask, then it seems it falls to me once more. Mr Jekyll?"

The man perked up.

"You have been living here since before the snow, yes?"

"I have," Jekyll confirmed with a grimace "A rather sudden storm it was as well, it struck us well over a week ago and has not left since." he frowned "Before that there was a toxic fog that had settled over the city, though the storm blew that aside." he exhaled "It was hardly a blessing though. This is - in many ways - far more dangerous than the fog. This cold is…unnatural."

Medea hummed to herself "I was aware of such before. I shall focus on the spellwork of the storm after I have established contact with our compatriots."

"Either way, we will have to wait until Rider returns." Jekyll responded, earning a look from Mash in surprise. The man paused for a moment before he winced and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I let that slip away from me, rather careless…" shaking his head from side to side, lowering the hand and focusing on Mash once more "There is another of our party, though he has the blessing to wander the storm without worry."

"I can do that too!" Mordred defended with a gruff tone of voice, the Servant stabbing a thumb at her chest.

Jekyll raised an eyebrow at her "As confident as you are with your hand to hand combat, until we can find something to replace your stolen weapon, I am not entirely comfortable with the idea of you wandering the storm." he raised his hand "I am not insulting your skills." he hastily added on, quirking his lip upwards "I'm certain I am no match for you in any physical capacity, but it is merely a case of strategy. Rider is armed…"

Mordred made a face before she looked to the side in annoyance.

Mash furrowed her brows slightly as she looked between the two of them "Umm…What do you mean 'stolen weapon'?"

The knight groaned, rubbing her temples "You and your big mouth…"


Ritsuka stared at Caster, creasing his brows as the words of his doppelganger registered in his head. "A…deal?"

"Deal, agreement, trade, accord, quid-pro-quo."

Ritsuka stared at him blankly.

Caster made a face like Ritsuka was an idiot, it seemed so strange to be on the receiving end of his own annoyed expression. At least one that wasn't courtesy of a mirror.

"Yes, deal." Caster replied, then frowned "I used simpler words because I know of you lack of advanced vocabulary. You are aware of what a deal is, yes?"

Ritsuka's expression flattened. "Yes." He replied in a dry tone of voice. "I know what 'deal' means, I just want to know what you mean by it."

"The same thing all who offer deals want. Something in return for something offered." Caster explained as though the matter had been obvious, still regarding Ritsuka as though he was an idiot. Maybe it was the fact that it was his own face, but Ritsuka was very quickly becoming a little irritated with seeing the expression upon it.

Clearly he hadn't made his dislike as private as he would have wanted to, considering the fact Caster soon raised an eyebrow at him in mild intrigue. "Does the notion of forming relations with an unknown Servant disgust you so greatly?"

Ritsuka blinked once, then grimaced and shook his head from side to side. "It's not that." he explained to the Servant "It's just…seeing my face-" he gestured to Caster "-on someone else it just a little weird right now. Also you keep looking at me like I'm an idiot."

"The fact that I had to decrease my own lexicon in order to even facilitate communication with you should be all the proof you need of my own intellectual standing." Caster countered rather simply, it took Ritsuka a few moments to piece together what had been said before he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Caster just scoffed at his reaction "Do not feel too dismayed at my words, it is not that you are slow of mind. It is simply that I am so many leagues above you that I am as far from the common human as they are from the Gods." waving his hand, he tilted his head "Suppose for a moment how challenging it is for me to alter my own manner of speaking in order to even grant you the ability to comprehend my demands. That should tell you how seriously I am taking this."

With a sigh, the Master lowered his hand "Yes. Saying 'I'm really trying here, look how much I've dumbed down my speech' isn't as comforting as you think it is." he explained to the Caster, then shook his head "Sorry…It's been a rough morning for me, I'm a little crotchety."

Whether Caster had actually been offended or not was something that Ritsuka had a hard time being able to tell. Even with the fact it was his own face, Caster was clearly much better at masking his emotions than he was. "Considering you were caught in a snowstorm and almost fell victim to it, then find yourself here I would assume some discomfort would affect your usual personality."

Ritsuka nodded his head up and down, then glanced about the room "Speaking of which…where is here?" he looked towards Caster with a puzzled expression "Because I'm fairly certain we're not in Chaldea."

"Astute." Caster stated, though it was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or genuine. "We are not in Chaldea. We are in your head."

"...Come again?"

"Your mind concocted this place." Caster continued on, turning his body and sweeping his right hand around the room as if to show it off. "This mental landscape is what your mind best associates with the concept of control. In this instance, it is the control room of Chaldea, where you and your compatriots work to undo the damage to the Human Order. I required an audience with your unconscious mind, therefore it constructed this place to allow us to meet one another."

"So…we're both inside my head." Ritsuka pointed to himself, then looked towards the screens "And those are…my memories?"

"Your strongest memories." Caster affirmed "Those that have resonated with you to such a degree that they are virtually surface level. I have made little effort to pry further, though your mental defences are non-existent." he continued on, frowning heavily and turning his attention on the Master once more "I realised it was a given considering your status as an ordinary human but I would have thought some effort would have gone into protecting your mind from attack."

"Yeah, I don't know how to do that."

"Obviously." Caster rolled his golden eyes, crossing his arms behind his back once more. "Though we should return to the matter at hand-"

"Yeah, before all that." Ritsuka raised his hand, then swung it down and pointed towards the Caster "Why do you have my face?"

Caster blinked once, then made a small noise "It was necessary for me to create an image you would respond to so that we could communicate." his expression turned disgruntled "Recent events have made it…difficult to construct a body of my own, even in this location. I can explain it at another time, though for now I thought it more useful to approach you under the guise of one you would be familiar with but would also suspect as being not yourself."

He tilted his head "I know you would have responded rather differently had I approached you with the face of Mash Kyrielight or any of your other companions."

Ritsuka opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again "Alright, probably." he admitted after a moment of thought, scratching the back of his neck and nodding up and down. "Yeah, I definitely wouldn't have liked that all that much. Would have been a little weird, to be honest."

"Quite." Caster grunted "Therefore, I took upon your face and then made alterations to it. To the extent that it would not feel greatly discomforting to you."

Ritsuka hummed again, then noticed something about the wording "I thought you said you didn't have a body?"

"Not in the traditional sense, at the moment."

"Wait…then, who caught me before I passed out."

"I did."

Ritsuka made a face "Are you trying to confuse me or-"

"I constructed a makeshift body around my spirit core in order to move around. It is little more than a half-measure with what little magical energy I had remaining within me." He explained, turning back to face Ritsuka fully "Quite simply, protecting you from the storm and dragging you to safety used up the last of my magical energy. I am on the verge of disappearing. Perhaps within the next five or so minutes."

"Oh, damn." Ritsuka grimaced before understanding flickered across his face "You want to form a contract with me, don't you?"

"In part." Caster agreed, his lip twitched upwards "However, even forming a contract with you would grant me very little beyond continued existence on the conscious level." he exhaled "There was an altercation with another Servant. I…was thoroughly overwhelmed by them in a way that I could not counter. Having never encountered abilities such as theirs before in my life I had no manner of knowing what they could do."

His head turned to the side, mouth drawn in a tight line "By the time I realised my mistake, she had already destroyed my physical form as well as my workshop. Had it been only my body, I might have recovered." a golden eye darted to Ritsuka from the corner of Caster's vision, noticing the confusion on the face of the young man. "Suffice to say that I can still exist as my Spirit Core but it left me exposed and easy pickings. I've been hiding around this city ever since."

Ritsuka furrowed his brows "So you want something more?"

"...I need to use you as a vessel."

"...Excuse me?"

"In essence, I need to use you as a vessel. The Kyrielight girl is an example of what it would become however not nearly as effective." Caster grimaced "Your body is not designed to handle my full power, thus I would be hampered to a sliver of my true abilities…However, my knowledge has always been my most powerful weapon."

Ritsuka held up his hands "H-hang on a second…You want to possess me?"

"Nothing so crude." Caster frowned as though the notion was offensive to him. "As I said, your body is incapable of withstanding my true essence. Therefore I would need to seal away a considerable amount of my Saint Graph to even allow you to survive. I would be forced to relegate myself to being a voice in the back of your mind." a brief pause "Perhaps I could take control of your body but I have little doubt your companions would remain ignorant to the change." he waved his hand "Besides, even if I did take control of you as we would be contracted, you could still oust me."

Ritsuka turned away from him, cupping his chin "Hang on…so you want to use me as like…" he snapped his fingers several times to search for the right word "An ark or something?"

"Of a sort, yes." Caster nodded once without fanfare "Only until the one who destroyed my Workshop has been dealt with. Once they have, then our agreement comes to an end when the era is restored." he offered his hand "A fair deal. You gain the knowledge of a talented Caster who can aid you as you are now and I do not perish for the time being."

Ritsuka was still dubious about it, but at the same time something similar had occurred to Mash. Not to mention he was actually meeting the Servant in question before being offered this. Even if the Caster was a little rude, they didn't seem to be the tricky sort but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a sense of discomfort.

Perhaps it was because of their situation.

"...How can I trust you?"

Caster lowered the hand to his side "Hmmm. A difficult question to answer. We are short on time and there is little I can offer in the form of certain proof. All I might offer is my word as a teacher." a brief pause before his lip twitched upwards "Though considering you have never met one of my students, it is hardly as though they could vouch for me…My true name would also be difficult for the moment."

Ritsuka blinked "Why?"

"It is currently missing from me." He explained haphazardly "I could explain it in greater detail but we are pressed for time."

"You know how-"

"Suspicious this sounds? Yes. I know." Caster nodded his head up and down, his voice exasperated as though he was already tired of dealing with Ritsuka's questions. "I could stand here and answer your questions until my spirit dissolved into nothing and I returned to the ether of non-existence or we could hasten this and you could grant me an answer." he pointed to the boy's hands "If it concerns you that greatly, you can use a Command Seal and prevent me from doing any harm to you. They are binding."

Ritsuka glanced down at his hand before he closed his eyes, remembering how the command seals didn't actually exist in this dream world. He dropped the arm back to his side. "Don't I need a true name for that?"

Caster stared at him incredulously "You are joking, no? How am I more aware of your system of summoning than you are." he paused for a moment before he dismissed the notion "No, do not answer that. You have a short attention span for these things and…Nevermind. You do not need a True Name for it, so long as you infer the command to the Servant Caster that is me. You need only the mental image of my spirit."

Ritsuka wet his imaginary lips, feeling no moisture upon them. The longer he stared at the Caster the more concerned he was with his situation. Closing his eyes, he inhaled before exhaling once more. Breathing without feeling any actual breath enter him was a weird thing. "...I take it my other Servants aren't near me?"

"No." Caster responded quickly, "It is me and my assistants."

Ritsuka raised his eyebrows "Assistants?"

"...Carers would be a better term for it at present." Caster responded in a tone that made it clear he didn't favour the word at all. His face scrunched up in disgust "...For you at present. They are ensuring your body is well cared for while we engage in this talk. They were also providing me with magical energy to sustain my existence this long." he added on with a jerk of the head "Though it cannot endure for long. I require a proper Master."

He leaned forwards slightly "Well? I can aid in finding your Servants. Believe that our aims coincide. The Servant who crippled me is almost certainly the one behind this storm of snow. Considering that while I was present, this snow storm did not exist until after my attempted assassination."

"Right, right…um…" Ritsuka raised his hand, then closed his eyes before exhaling "Alright…" the hand was lowered back down to his side "...Okay." he nodded once "We have a deal."

The Caster's lips curled upwards into a faint grin, his eyes almost snakelike "Excellent."


AN: I'm sure that whoever this Caster is, they are a nice man…

Anyway!

4 groups.

Ash and Nobu.

Jeanne and Sulyvahn.

Mash, Medea Jekyll and Mordred along with one unnamed Servant.

Ritsuka, Caster and his helpers.

We've changed the lineup a little bit because London is built differently this time around. Or rather, it got usurped by someone and then changed for some purpose.