Hector, it turned out, was the culprit responsible for the impromptu chair garden.

Soma had no idea who that was; Flintstick on the other hand couldn't shut up about the man. It started the moment Soma left the closet and showed no signs of stopping. He listened absently as he navigated a staircase that would have given armature contractors fits, struggling not to fall as each step seemed set a bit differently from the rest. By this point he knew Hector was a stylish dresser, a furniture collector, a human sympathizer, and terrible cook but a good devil forge master; one of two apparently, and also that forge masters were a thing humans could just be? Whatever that meant. He had questions honestly but they weren't as pressing as keeping his neck intact. They were still going down at least but maddeningly they didn't seem to be making any progress. (Is this really the castle being dormant?) Soma adjusted his footing and jumped a step that simply wasn't there. (Or is the castle aware in some manner after all, and working to make this as miserable as possible? I'd believe it. We must be halfway to America at this point. I don't even know how long we've been going down!)

"He also had the best hair!" She squealed it, honestly squealed it. "I know that's not important in the bigger scheme of things my lord but you have to remember his hair if nothing else!" She was sitting on his shoulder at the moment, the staircase was too close for her to be flying about and so she'd become a passenger once again. "It had that wave that just happens and it was this wonderful silver color, bright like moonlight on water…"

Soma snorted, he couldn't help it. "You sound smitten."

"No no, nothing like that!" Her grip on his coat tightened as he took another calculated jump. "I mean I might be jealous but that's all. And it's hard not to be a bit of a fan honestly, given the circumstances of the thing."

"Because of his hair?" Soma stopped, swore under his breath. "There goes the rest of the stairs."

"Looks like it." She leaned over his shoulder and peered down. "I'll scout it out, wait here master."

Flintstick launched herself like a diver, her small wings folded tight and her light blazing ahead into the waiting nothing below. Watching her disappear into the darkness was like watching a quarter swallowed by a well, and in her absence the stairwell vanished like it had never been. Soma sighed, shifted his weight. (Should I check my phone? It would drain even more battery but I still haven't listened to the rest of my messages and…) That stopped his train of thought. (How long has it been now?) His hand clenched (How long has she been alone now in the dark?) He didn't want to hear her message again, he couldn't. He couldn't let that ride his thoughts. (Just have to keep moving and get there, then I'll find her, then the rest. The rest can wait.)

But what if you don't? The unbidden thought rose up like oil on water from his mind, a whisper across the back of his skull. What if you can't? What if you never get down there? What if you never find her? What if there's nothing left to find? What if you reach the aqueduct and spot a small form just under the surface of the water—(No! No, no that won't happen. It won't happen.) Soma tucked his chin defensively, swallowed back a shocked sound. He could see it now; see it in his mind's eye through the darkness around him as deep as the water in those bottomless pools. He tried to shake away a small pale form with a single hairpin bobbing like a discarded doll. He didn't want to see her small limbs lank and hanging weightlessly, her small soaked dress drifting in the faint current, her hair swaying like pond weed, her vacant cloudy eyes…

"Good news my lord! Floor isn't far!" In a blaze of piercing white Flintstick's face filled his vision. "And there's mold, fresh and wet!"

Soma jerked backwards, sat hard onto the step behind him. "I… G… Good, that's great. Thanks." He tried to push himself up but his hand slipped off the step and he only succeeded in sitting with less force. "I'll, I just…"

"Sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" She zipped up a bit, lighting the small space again. "Actually you might, well; you could just slide down so maybe it's better to…" She rung her hands together, expression nervous. "Master you don't look well."

"I'm fine." Soma pushed himself up again, successfully this time. No time for this either. "Moss means water, we have to be close. Can I jump it?"

"Y-yes! absolutely. the floor's clear and there's dirt, it shouldn't be too bad." She motioned down. "I'd guess it's only three stories down."

"Three stories?!" Soma shook off something, a strange feeling like panic that almost made him want to laugh and yell all at once. "I won't have ankles anymore, I could shatter my legs, I could die! I have no gear Flintstick! I'm a human! Do you understand? Human!" He threw up his hands in disgust. "I can't fly! I can't climb walls! I can't teleport myself and I can't weather jumps higher than twice my height well!"

"Master…" She pulled back farther, clearly frightened. "I'm sorry, I.. oh.."

"I have at least five people in here with me, all of them helpless, all human too! None of them trained by the church or the military or descended from demigod hunters! And I'm… I'm… I'm just…" He couldn't catch his breath, the air wouldn't come. "I don't even know where they are, I don't know if they're still alive, I don't know if I'm already too late, If I'm chasing corpses, and if they died it's my fault, mine! It's always my fault! Because I just attract crazy!" That feeling was rising, what was it? Amused fear with the sense that something was watching which made him frantic to do something, anything, to stop feeling to trapped and useless. "I…" Were the walls moving again? What the hell was wrong with the castle this time! "I just don't want…" Was he moving? "I don't want anyone else to suffer for me!" Something was moving, something or everything; he wasn't sure. "This is all I do!"

((Everywhere I go they suffer and die))-(Everywhere I go they die!)-((It will not change, it cannot))-(But I can't keep letting it happen!)

"Master!" Small hands grabbed his nose, shocking him back to himself. Flintstick was pulling as hard as she could on the only part of his face she could grab. "Breath! Don't humans need air?! Breath!"

Soma complied, more from the surprise than any conscious thought. The movement slowed around him and he struggled to focus on her small face so close to his own. "I… geeze what's wrong with me?" What the hell had that been? Soma realized he was almost panting and that somehow he'd ended up sitting on the stairs. He hadn't realized he'd sat.

"You just…" the fairy released him, drifted back a few inches. "Maybe this is a mistake; it's too soon to be about the castle, or something like that? We shouldn't be running around if you, if, well-" her voice pinched with concern, "the master's chamber is the safest space and the heart of your power, we should get you there until things make more sense…"

"You really don't understand, do you?" Soma looked at her tiredly. Something was very wrong with him but there wasn't any time to address it now. It would have to wait. He wished that Yoko was here, or Arikado, they knew what to do. All he could do was improvise. "I have to get down there Flintstick, if you want to help then find a way." Her expression remained frightened, clearly afraid to either agree or disagree. He made the choice for her. "That was an order, not a request," he let his tone drop almost into a growl, "Don't make me ask again."

"Y-yes master!" Hands flew up in that terrible appeasing gesture and the small form dashed again into the darkness below.

(I'm such an ass…) Soma didn't want to be a master, and she wasn't his servant whatever she thought, she couldn't be. He could not become the master of the castle. But they couldn't stay here, and he couldn't make that jump without either armor or souls to offer protection from the fall. (That's the problem, that's why nothing's going right. I haven't been able to find any useful items since that short sword.) Soma closed his eyes, took a few bracing breaths and began to mentally organize all the items he's acquired before and their uses. (I'm running around in a castle that clearly wasn't built for people without any of the tools I need.) These were things he could keep an eye out for; he could improve the odds a great deal with just a handful of them. (Grieves for shock absorbing, boots of light step, and if I can find a goddamn map I'll be a happy camper. Rings for speed and a cloak for long jumping, and a decent sword because I've lost the short one and I can't believe that won't become a problem.)

His fingers twitched, rubbing against each other to feel for rings that had once rested between them. Specifically for the ring that had aided with soul absorbing. (I wonder if there's any chance that somewhere in this heap there's a phone charger? Even if there was there'd be nowhere to stick it so that wouldn't really help.) What effect would the soul of a fairy provide? Hovering? Slowed descent? A boost to healing? (Don't think it.) She was a monster, one of the castles hoard, and the only soul he'd come across that he might claim since he'd arrived. (She's been a help and she hasn't attacked me. She's acting like a person, killing her would be monstrous and I'm not a monster.) But what if that soul helped him reach the passengers on the train?

(Not a chance. I'll find another way.) Killing monsters when they were trying to do the same was fair game; he wasn't going to waste the energy tying himself into knots over the possible moral arguments now of all times, and he had no interest in adding more regrets onto an already generous portion. Flintstick was a companion and she was honestly doing what she could to help him. (Mina would like her.) That thought was the most comforting of all. (I'm glad Mina's not here at least, that this time she's safe... but all the same I wish I could at least talk to her now)

He had a thought to take his chances with the low battery and try to make another call, to overlook the messages and get a few moments with her voice while there was still a chance to do so. He could see the small red light from his phone in the darkness-

Wait.

No he couldn't.

The red light was off to his side, about eye level.

His phone was a lead weight in his pocket.

(Well crap) Soma thought, (I knew I'd need a sword.)