This…is salvageable.
While you're currently in the shitter, and you would had prefer to experience this from the other side of the screen, either your phone's or Chaldea's command center, at least you are in a position in which you can actually do something about it. Question is, How?. TheWhatto do is pretty clear. Avoid being killed and Clear this disaster by finding someone actually capable of doing so. Also, avoid being spotted by Lev. While being killed would be bad news, being thrown into the torture machine for eternity would be a lot worse. I highly doubt the Alien God would decide to take me out of it like he does the shattered remains of Olga, and even then…
You shake your head. There is no time for these kinds of ramblings. Head in the game people, it's showtime. No more freaking out. Open your eyes and ears, pay attention. You take a deep breath and try to listen. You cannot hear the crackling of bones anywhere in your immediate surroundings, or if there are skeletons skulking around, their steps are being muffled by the sound of the burning buildings. You make a quick check anyways, but don't spot anything dangerous nearby other than the smoke and fire. You can feel the flames enveloping the city blocks around you, funnily enough, having this much open space makes them feel less oppressing than the ones in the enclosed corridors of Chaldea. The fact that these are literal hell flames coming from all the world's evils make the comparison all the more hilarious.
Now, after that little chuckle, is time to look around for landmarks and compare them to what you know. You turn left and spot the obvious mountain with stairs in the distance. "That...must be the temple. I'm not getting anywhere near there unless I want Emiya to shoot me in the face". Keeping a finger pointed in that direction I make a one-eighty degree turn and point in the opposite direction. "The famous Fuyuki bridge must be that way then." Caster Cu and Medusa's encounter is supposed to be…somewhere… on the way to it if I recall correctly, not sure Where exactly.
"Yeah, I'm not risking that."You can't really go to the other side of the city without risking an encounter since you have no idea how large Medusa's hunting ground is supposed to be. You are stuck between these two points. You now have a perimeter of where not to go. You just need to decide if you have to move right or left now. Not having an overview map or guide telling you where to go really makes this a lot harder than it should.
It's decided, you need a better view, somewhere from on top to get a better view of the city. Pocketing the obviously magical ring in your pocket for safe keeping, you then walk towards a loose rock left from the broken road and throw it to the window of the "less on fire" house you find nearby to make an opening. Whatever used to be inside is now nothing more than ash and dust. You, fortunately, ignore the conspicuous wine stain on the wall as you climb the stairs. Luckily for you, you are not trying to scavenge the leftover scraps of a home or trying to steal any valuables. You just need to get to the top floor and look around the state of the neighborhood. Once you get on the closest thing to a roof you can manage to climb you once again lift your finger in the Temple's direction to orient yourself. Then, like a compass seeking the north, you start shifting the position of your other finger as you explore the terrain."On my left… there is the coast."You then, slowly, taking close attention to the streets below, return your aim to the temple's direction. And once you turn once more in the opposite direction, you can't help but gawk at the scene"…is that a crater? How did something that huge even get there?" "No Idea."
You hear a voice behind you answer with a tone that sounds as bored as it sounds mischievous. The mocking chuckle, that follows your*completely legitimate and not at all undignified*yelp of surprise, tells you all you need to know from your newfound companion. As your scared jump instinctually makes you turn around in a desperate attempt to find the source of the noise that startled you, you only manage to find an empty wall behind you. Except, as your eyes slowly adapt to the darkness of the room, you notice it's not just a wall. As you focus, you notice that the silhouette of your shadow on the surface of the wall opposite you does not match your figure. As you slowly approach it, an eerie chill down your spine makes you freeze when the shadow entity infront of you decides to open its eyes in a mook attempt to emulate a horror movie. Despite this, despite being only a silhouette you can tell, that mocking laughter without sound being expressed only with his eyes, you can just tell it's there despite not making any sound.. You just know it's there because...
"I'm Av…"
...you know, exactly, who this is.
"ANGRA!"
You interrupt him raising both arms in an euphoric moment of instant relief as a maniac grin invades your face. "You have no idea how happy I'm to see you." You pick him up in a hug and twirl him around you in the empty room like one would a younger brother or a son. He seems to be too shocked to actually respond to any of it.
He is a servant, you intellectually know that he has the strength to break free of your hold at any point without exercising any degree of effort. Furthermore, he possesses the speed and enhanced reflexes to be able to dodge any attempt to surprise him if he really wanted to hinder your approach. But he is too surprised to do any of that, his astonishment to your reaction to his presence prevents him to move even a single muscle. The same way a chill of dread froze you on the spot, one of complete befuddlement prevents him from reacting to your, honestly embarrassing, display of affection.
"I have to admit. This is the first time anyone greets me like that. People's first reaction to meeting a devil is not usually this chummy."You can tell he is exaggerating his tone of voice for your sake as much as his. he is legitimately confused by your approach.
"Better the devil you know, Mango. At least you are one of the few sane people left in this small world." You let him go and place him back on his feet, only to clap his shoulder a couple times like an old friend. Okay, maybe you are going too fast, you are making him uncomfortable with all these displays of affection. But you can't help it, you are too elated to compose yourself, you have been thrown from one hell to another and the first friendly face you see in this new world is what now, you decided, is your favorite devil.
"Okay, so we are already doing nicknames. Aren't we going a bit fast Stranger? I don't think we have met before. You wouldn't be this friendly with me if you actually knew me." He tries to stop your overexcitement by emphasizing his accent, he is trying to sound menacing. At any other time it may have made any other person pause.
But you can't take it seriously, despite knowing that he is both capable and willing to take you apart limb from limb, you can only find his Yakuza style accent nostalgic.
So with that stupid smile still plastered in your face you close your eyes for a moment and shrug your shoulders in the universal "I don't know, you tell me" gesture with as much body language as you can muster, using both hands and displaying each fingers as Italianly as it is possible as if to put extra emphasis to the delivery of your one or nothing Hell Mary."I don't have a Hortensia with me to prove it."
"Fuck" He immediately deflates with the exasperated resignation of a man who's biggest secret was ousted in the middle of a social gathering despite being just the two of you."You HAVE meet another version of me, haven't you."It was no longer a question. He already resigned himself to deal with your bullshit. You can just tell. This man is now your friend, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.
