By the Bonfire: To the Family never found
Chaldea is too soft.
That is the one thought that enters her mind every single time she walks the halls.
It is the one thought that greets her as she stares into the faces of history's greatest killers, the strongest monsters and most brutal slaughterers.
But everything is too soft.
The walls are too clean.
The air is too fresh, unblemished with the blood that should rightly coat every scent.
Everything is wrong.
Like an itch that won't get scratched, it gnaws at the back of her mind when she walks through the halls, when she enters the rooms and stares at the faces of the things that pretend to be something they are not.
Cloaking themselves in robes that so poorly hide what they all are, what all of them really, truly are.
It's sickening.
It makes her stomach roll and her eyes ache every single time she stares at them, the things that pretend to be something they are not.
She doesn't know why they lie to themselves, she doesn't know what they are lying for either.
It all seems so pointless.
They gain nothing from it, they will change nothing with this act so she does not know why they persist with it. There is no change from day to day, not even hiding herself away from them will change all of it.
Because she knows.
She knows even when she isn't there to see it, they are all lying.
Propagating the lie that they are something more than what they truly are.
Human, God, Demon.
Hero and villain.
Master and Servant.
Pointless, meaningless titles.
They are all things that live and breathe, all things that operate with their own wishes in accordance with their desires. Yet none of them act upon them, it is wrong of her to see such things. There is no reason for it, she does not understand it.
She does not know if she wants to understand it either.
They are all too complicated and she does not know why.
No…it is more than that, so much more.
She wants to know why her mother is so desperately pretending to be something she is not. There is no denying what they are, what they all know she is, and yet she does not strike her claim upon Chaldea as the powerful beast that she truly is. The magnificent pillar of strength and power that she has built up in her mind.
They are small.
It's sad.
Terribly sad.
Unsightly.
The door thuds open, the steps enter the room without pause, there is not even a hint of alertness from the arrival. There isn't an ounce of concern about them, nor even a trace that they might suspect they are in danger for even a moment. Her senses tell her that there isn't another Servant around her for what might as well be miles for all the speed she can muster.
They are like a feeble little bug, she could thrust herself upon them and consume them before anyone could do anything.
It would be easy.
She isn't even the most dangerous Servant here, they all have to know this.
So then why does someone like this walk around without a trace of apprehension?
Why are his steps so full of self-assurance that there is no danger?
No…they change, when in the presence of others she sees a different side to them. Smaller and more fearful, perhaps his true nature or the nature they have crafted to ensure that none focus upon them for too long. A survival method, frightened animals when surrounded by predators and hide away, ready to do anything to ensure they can escape danger.
That is what she sees in them elsewhere.
But here?
It is gone.
…They remind her of him.
Of what she supposes would be her guardian, or her keeper.
They never cared to specify what she should call them and she never cared to ask.
It's a fleeting similarity but it lingers in her mind, that same level of confidence in his work as they drag themselves to his desk and turn on his device, flicking through page after page and silently tapping away at the keys.
Her feet carry her towards them, silently so as to not make even a single creak to alert them.
It works without concern.
He doesn't even seem to notice her gaze on the back of his head as she moves closer and closer, it isn't until she is close enough that she could reach out and grasp them that they seem to freeze, but it isn't one that lingers. They give a light hum and then resume work as though there is nothing out of the ordinary.
Her hand moves forwards, her fingers don't even grace the back of his neck.
It would be easy.
She could thrust a single digit through the back of his nape and that would be it.
…
She draws her hand back to her side without so much as a single sound, keeping her eyes on the man as they work.
Of all the people she has seen in Chaldea, they are the least offensive to her. Perhaps it is because they hold the same position as her old keeper, or perhaps it is because they act like the frightened animal that she believes they should be, but there is an honest nature about the human in front of her that keeps her hand at bay.
They don't pretend to be stronger than they are.
So what makes this human different?
Why does Archie act the way that all the humans should? Why is the summoner of mother not acting in this manner whenever they are in the presence of her or any of their Servants? Perhaps it should be doubly so for mother because of who she is and what she is capable of.
They should know this, but they do not show her the respect and reverence she deserves.
Turning on her heels, she glides across the room with silent steps, lowering herself onto one of the beds.
Only then does she allow herself to make a single noise, it is the creak of the frame supporting her weight. As expected, the human jerks around in his chair like lightning, a face so much like a frightened little mouse that it briefly sends a pulse like lightning through her veins, the expression they wear.
The fear of seeing his natural predator in front of them without anything to aid them, his panic is intoxicating.
She does not show it, but the thrill sets her heart aflutter for a brief moment before she cools it.
His fear left, only just, but his eyes remained fixed on her for a few moments with an unblinking gaze, the tension in his body, the coiled muscles that look mere seconds away from throwing the body to the side and for the door in case she moves. They both know that she would reach him before then, but it is the simple need for survival that brings about that fear.
Does he know she can hear his rapidly beating heart?
It sings so very loudly in his chest.
How would they react if she told them she could hear it? Would it beat yet faster in his body? Would they show more fear?
This is how it is supposed to go.
…So why does it not happen with the human summoner?
He showed fear but there was nothing more.
"Do…" Archie wets his lips, not even blinking, his throat bobs up and down as he swallows. "Do you need something from me…?"
Did she need something from him?
…She can't recall.
She just came here to check if humans still acted the way she remembered, the man confirmed it for her so there was no real change. The only one who was different was her guardian, but they claimed they were apart from humanity as well. Working for the benefit of humans but considering themselves a tool of medicine first and foremost. He acted as though everyone was a fool.
Though now that she is here, she can ask.
"Is he human?"
A flicker of confusion blossoms in his face upon her question, his brows furrow and his lips tighten. "Who?"
"The summoner of mother."
"Fuji-"
"I don't care about his name."
Discontent in the eyes, but they say nothing, they are not brave enough to say anything because they know they cannot say anything that will make her change her stance, they are too weak to do anything and they know it. His honesty is pleasing for her to see, a brief moment to bathe in it and then she continues on.
"He does not act human."
Archie rolls his jaw, leaning back into his chair and trying to make a subtle show of rolling it away from her.
She notices it immediately, but allows him his small comforts.
Whatever they need to believe they are safer.
"They don't act human…alright, what do they do that doesn't seem human to you?"
Ah, that tone of voice.
Do all doctors have it?
Whatever.
"You react like a human should." She begins, his brow raises but they say nothing. Good, she doesn't want to be interrupted. "You know I am better. You fear me because you know what I can do. It is how a human should behave - it is how any animal should behave - when faced with a predator greater than them…but he does not act that way."
"Around you?"
"Around mother."
A flash of understanding, he rested his hands on the arms of his chair and nodded his head up and down. His lips roll inwards and a small hum escapes them. "Ah, I see…so you're wondering if Fuji-"
"I said I don't care about their name."
"No, but I do-" He hastily raises his hands as her eyes flash on them "And I would prefer to call them that to make things easier for me, please!"
…Whatever.
Her eyes dull, she grunts in acknowledgement but makes a private note to avoid remembering the name. She doesn't care about it. They are only human at the end of the day and barely worth remembering.
"Alright…so because Fujimaru-kun isn't scared of being around Medusa, you're wondering if he is actually human or not?"
"Not just Mother…others as well. The minotaur and the dragon."
Archie lowers his arms back to the chair, his fingers drum along the sides of it for a few seconds as they move his hand up, scratching at the underside of his chin for a couple of moments. "I can't say that Fujimaru-kun is totally fearless, because I'm pretty sure that would be a lie. I can say with absolute certainty that he is a regular full blooded human though. No sign of anything…heck, he wasn't even a mage before he came to Chaldea and he barely counts as one now."
She gives a slow blink.
He shifts in his seat in mild discomfort. "Look…I cannot say for certain why he acts the way that he does but I'm sure that Fujimaru-kun himself is acutely aware of just how big the physical differences are between himself and a Servant…I'm not sure why he can just interact so casually with the others because I couldn't do that but…it's just a matter of personality."
A shrug of the shoulders. "Some people just end up more open with their fears than others…like me, obviously."
What a disappointing answer.
But if that was the best the doctor could come up with, then that was all she could expect on the subject from him. He had no reason to lie to her in the first place and they clearly didn't know themselves. She could at least rule out some sort of blessing that was giving them confidence that didn't belong.
But that did not answer her question in the least.
"Have you tried talking to him yet?"
She gave a long blink, then turned her eyes onto the man and stared at him.
His expression faltered, he broke eye contact immediately and glanced towards the floor, rolling his chair back further until it thudded into the desk, he coiled inwards as though trying to make themselves appear smaller.
Good.
That was a stupid suggestion and they had every reason to be afraid of her for making it in the first place.
Talking to the human would give her nothing, the whole problem was their behaviour and she doubted she would get a straight answer from them on the matter. Rather, she wanted to avoid contact with them until she knew what was the problem with them in the first place. Which meant that she would need to speak with someone…
But it wouldn't be the human.
He eyed her up in silence, their expression betrayed nothing as they moved around and continued on their task.
It had been nearly a minute since she posed the question and they had yet to even give a proper indication that they had registered it. Moments ticked by, she made no attempt to even give away the notion that she was considering moving from her spot until she got some manner of answer from them.
She could probably overpower them and then just peel the answers from them if they kept being stubborn about it.
Really, from how this Servant felt, they didn't have much of a right to be as cocky as she got the feeling they were trying to be.
He stopped moving, a faint sigh escaped him and they turned back to face her, lowering their arms to their side. Steel grey eyes locked onto her own orbs, but not completely. He hovered just a speck above her eyes, avoiding direct contact with them.
Smart.
"So you are quite serious about that question, are you?"
"Why would I not be?"
The tanned Archer smirked, a rather mocking looking expression. "Because saying it out loud sounds ridiculous. Why would a Servant contract themselves to a Master? Because they have something that they wish to achieve and they need an anchor. That is all there really is to it."
A frown formed on her lips. "So you would lower yourself to serve someone weaker?"
"Serve?" Archer paused, rolling his jaw as though tasting the word. "That would depend upon the Servant in question. Someone would certainly take the word rather literally and devote themselves to their Masters goal…rather, what they want is to serve for whatever reason that might be."
Some Servants would truly do something like that?
She made no effort to hide her disgust at the notion that any being would lower themselves to possibly serve a creature like a human. It made no sense to her why anyone would listen to something akin to a gadfly. More than that, it spoke volumes of the arrogance of the humans to even consider calling upon things such as her and her mother to act as their slaves.
Her eyes narrowed slightly upon the Archer. "What of you?"
"Me? I don't see why it matters at all." Archer shrugged his shoulders, turning his head back down and wiping the counter. "I'm a good killer, at least I'm killing for something I can approve of now…at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what I get out of it, so long as my Master is satisfied, it matters not."
It mattered to her, but his words gave her pause.
He spoke of his own talents so poorly, did they have no pride in his strength?
How odd.
He just didn't seem to care, or did they?
She got mixed messages.
"Hmph. Fine." A grunt, she didn't care about their personal choices, she just wanted to know something. "But why serve this human? Why do you listen to them? Aren't you better than them at everything?"
Archer paused, then glanced up. "Except remaining on this world without an anchor. I can do nothing without a Master, even with all my strength I could last perhaps two days, three if I pushed myself, before I ran out of magical energy. For those without Independent Action? Hmph. Not long. Not long at all."
That was a solvable problem, though.
"And I wouldn't start eating souls. You might, but I wouldn't."
"Then you are an idiot." She dismissed quickly with a shake of the head. "...Does the human know that I could do that?"
"I'm sure he's been informed of what you could do, yes." A slow nod of the head from Archer, folding his arms over his chest and raising a brow. "In much the same way he knows what every Servant under his command could do. Though do you really have a position to complain? You are the one who answered the summons."
A beat, the Servant smirked once again and looked down at her with a hint of mirth in his gaze. "Or did you suppose that you would just show up and act as you pleased?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
The expression on the Servant faded away into a blank gaze. "If you have a problem with how Master acts, then that is your own problem. Or were you expecting a human to conform to might makes right? I'm afraid they haven't been like that for a while…" a beat, then he cupped his chin and hummed. "Or maybe he is. You'd know if you spoke with them."
"Aren't you being too cocky for a weakling?"
A scoff. "Do you suppose that you being stronger would have made me tell you exactly what you wanted to hear?"
Her lip curled in annoyance at his words.
"I'm afraid it's all down to personal opinion, the world doesn't conform to what you want it to do. Life is hardly as fair, people are complicated and act differently."
"I'm stronger than the human."
"Yes, you are."
"He should fear me."
"If he was smart? Yes, he would. Those command seals aren't for show."
She knew that, and yet he had not used a single one of them on either herself or her mother. There was no trace that he had done anything to enforce the loyalty of any of the Servants, which implied they were serving him willingly, but it didn't make sense to her in the least why they would do that.
That was the problem.
"I am a Servant. I am called forth to answer the wish of my Master." Archer exhaled, shaking his head from side to side. "That is my sole role. I am an expendable familiar who can be called to fight and then thrown away when my task is done, until the next time I am needed. Perhaps you expected the role of a Servant to be more glamorous, but that is how it is."
Archer hummed. "Is your problem that Master is human, or that he is an ordinary human?"
What?
What difference would it have made?
A sigh from the man. "Supposing that Master was stronger than you, would you still be so upset about the notion of him having Servants around him? Would our existence in relation to him be so troubling?"
If they were stronger? Then she wouldn't have a problem with it.
They would be exceptional and she would understand why they had Servants in the first place, but that wasn't the point.
They were just a normal human being.
So why did anyone listen to them? It didn't make sense.
And why did they not show an ounce of fear at being surrounded by so many beings like her? Why were they not using their command seals to ensure their own safety from the moment things like her were summoned? It was like they had no self-preservation.
"...I wouldn't be troubled if they were stronger than me." She answered slowly. "Humans are small and weak. They should fear the strong, understand that I can kill them. That is what the human should be like. He should gaze at me with terror and understand what I am…he should do the same with mother, with you, with all the other Servants…But they do not. So what is wrong with them? Do they not fear anything?"
Except she had seen them afraid.
"People are stupid."
She blinked at the words of Archer, tilting her head and keeping herself silent as they elaborated.
"Rather, sometimes it is the thrill of danger that excites them more. You tell someone not to look down? The first thing they would do is swing their eyes down. I suspect that Master does know what you can do, and I suspect that he doesn't much care about it either."
The Servant pulled a wry smile. "Sorry that you're not the intimidating presence you hoped for."
She scowled heavily at the Servant for a brief second.
Then she paused, her brows tightened and her head turned.
Was that the issue? Was it that she looked too much like a human that they were unable to actually see what the problem was? That certainly sounded as though it was plausible, but it was a matter of whether she was willing to change what she looked like just to try and make the human understand the difference between them.
…
No, she wasn't.
She could make them understand without it.
Ritsuka got the feeling that someone was watching him, he'd had that vague feeling on the back of his neck for an hour or so by now.
Sparing another glance over his shoulder, he raised a brow and stared at the empty corridor, a single grunt escaped him before he turned back around and shrugged his shoulders. He might have just been thinking of something imaginary again, this wasn't exactly the best sort of-
"Ah, there you are."
A faint gasp escaped him as he jumped back and brought his arms up.
Met with the flat expressions of the twin Goddesses, staring at him as though he was an idiot.
"Are you truly so foolish as to try and raise your hands to a Goddess in such a violent manner? I did not realise that you were so uncouth."
He assumed that was Stheno, she was always the one that opened with some sort of comment like that. Though it quickly caused him to lower his arms and shaking his head, giving an apologetic smile. "Sorry, just been a little on edge and you gave me a fright."
"Yes, your terrified face was rather amusing to me." Stheno continued on, bringing up a finger and resting it upon her chin, tilting her head and pulling a sharp smile. "I wonder…what would it cause to bring it up again?"
Now he was left with the feeling that he just shouldn't have said anything. That being said, it was a bit of a surprise to find them both in front of him. "Sorry, again. Did you two need me for something? It sounded like you were looking for me."
The other twin, Euryale, let out a scoff. "Searching for you? Hardly, we were searching for Medusa so that she could find you and then bring you to us. Don't get so conceited into thinking that we would actively seek you out…don't tell me that being a Master has gone to your head?"
He internally rolled his eyes at them, inclining his head forwards and offering a faint bow. "My mistake, so now that I have accidentally stumbled upon you, is there some reason you were going to have Medusa bring me to you?"
"There certainly is." Stheno gave a smooth response, folding her thin arms and narrowing her eyes. "You can start by handing over that troublesome little Servant you've recently summoned."
Ritsuka stared for half a second.
They didn't have the slightest idea how little that narrowed it down.
"Which one?"
Euryale raised a brow. "Are you slow of mind? There is only one Servant that could possibly be of interest to us."
"Ah, you mean Chrysaor." That was the only Servant that he could really get the idea of, nodding his head up and down and seeing their moderately pleased looks as he understood what they were after. But he didn't quite catch why they would be after it in the first place. "Why do you want to speak with them?"
"Why? Because they clearly need some education." Stheno scowled for a half second, then replaced it with a dainty little smile. "And because we would hardly be the caring aunts if we didn't make time for our shy little niece…especially since she has been making efforts to avoid us."
Euryale hummed along with her sister. "And, quite frankly, a game of cat and mouse is hardly interesting to play."
So their interest in Chrysaor was due to their relation with Medusa?
"...What sort of education?"
"None that you need concern yourself with."
The flippant response didn't sit right with him in the least, and he was starting to have his fill of distant family members trying to muscle in with people's lives based upon some vague connection they might have shared.
"I'm going to need more than that." Ritsuka replied slowly, then raised his hand when they looked like they were going to argue. "Look, if they have been avoiding you, then that's that. I'm not going to force them into a confrontation with you."
Clearly that wasn't an answer that they were pleased with.
The eyes of Euryale and Stheno narrowed, the otherwise cordial expressions they had previously been wearing strained slightly.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Stheno kept her voice even, but there was no denying the edge that now entered her tone of voice. Ritsuka straightened his own features, keeping his gaze on the Goddess as he replied.
"I'm not going to force them into an encounter with you. Not until you tell me what this whole 'education' business you have planned is."
"Is this you under the impression that being our 'master' grants you the right to ask us what our intentions are?" Euryale demanded, a touch of dismissal about her. Clearly not taking his stance all that seriously in the first place. "We are merely pursuing our own interests in regards to Medusa and her child, nothing more and nothing less. Especially if said child is under the impression she can steal Medusa away from her sisters."
Ritsuka very much doubted that was Chrysaor's intention, rather it seemed as though she had holed up inside of the shared room between herself and Hanleth with ventures outside being rare. He didn't even know if either Medusa or Chrysaor had even spoken to one another since the summoning, if they did then he knew nothing of it.
"Alright, even if that was the case of you just trying to lay down some ground rules, Chrysaor is definitely not going to care." He frowned between the two of them, though it wasn't as though he didn't sort of understand their plight.
They did care.
In a weird and twisted sense.
At least, he thought they did.
Hoped they did.
"And while you might be willing to chance that, I'm not going to try and let you push the buttons of the Servant who threw hands with the Berserker that the Director has. The dragon one…"
Tightening his features, he glanced between the two of them.
"Chrysaor is dangerous. Dangerous in a sense that I'm not sure what they want or why they even answered a summoning. I've not had a chance to speak with them and I don't want to risk you two accidentally doing something that ticks her off and she just kills you…because I'm certain that she would do something like that."
The twins regarded him for a moment, their tension fading away as they spared a glance at one another.
Stheno hummed, turning back to him and inclining a brow. "Oh? So that is how it is, you just don't want to risk us coming to harm? How thoughtful of you…though if you are so worried, then you are more than welcome to come with us." she waved a hand to his arm. "Those little marks are not just decorations, are they?"
Were they suggesting he just use a command seal to pacify Chrysaor?
That sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.
"What did you want to accomplish anyway?"
Euryale rolled her eyes. "Was that not obvious with our words? Did we not explain as such earlier, truly, you're quite dense if you cannot even heed the words of the Goddess. Though, it is understandable, my beauty has made mortals go deaf before."
No, he just wanted specifics beyond 'ground rules' because that was a broad topic.
"We were merely going to make clear where Medusa stands in relation to us, just so they do not have any mistaken ideas." Stheno waved a hand, looking slightly irritated that she even needed to explain it. "Does that satisfy you? Or do you intend to demand more of us?"
Well, it was a bit more.
He could allow that.
He slowly nodded his head up and down. "Alright, yeah. But try not to say anything that might antagonise her…she's got a very brutal way with words."
Her eyes darted to them as she moved through the halls, barely reacting to his presence but she felt his gaze switch onto her as she stepped past them. Lowering her voice and muttering loud enough for them to hear her.
"Liar."
The knight stiffened at her words, his head turned to her and the aggression they sent her way intensified.
"The standards of Chaldea fall each time a figure steps through that summoning chamber."
The comment was loud enough to catch her ear, but that was clearly the intention as she stopped walking, turning her head to the speaker and looking them up and down. Taking a short sniff of the air and then pausing at the odd little scent which entered her nose.
She had missed it the first time, but this time around she could sense it much clearer.
The unmistakable odour of the demons, yet they originated from this fool clad in metal in front of her. Perhaps they were some manner of cursed being, or mixed blood? Whatever the case, she could not let this challenge to her go without some manner of response.
Turning to them, she eyed them up and down for a single moment and then let out a low scoff. "The standards should be based upon skill at killing. That is what you need from a Servant…I would wager between the two of us, I am the better killer."
"Undoubtedly, you are a better killer than I." The knight declared as though that was supposed to be some manner of insult. He stepped away from the wall and a touch closer towards her, keeping his arms folded over his chest, she saw the dim lights of his eyes shine through the port of his helm. "Because that is all you are. Nothing more and nothing less. A dog bred for hunting."
She was much more than a dog.
But she knew what she was.
Another curl of the lips as she eyed the figure up and down. "I am a monster, I know that. I am the child of the greatest monster. I know and accept it. You hide your true nature under plates of steel and soot…as if you are any better than me, Demon."
His posture went straight in a single instant. "...What?"
"Hiding your true nature? Limiting your strength?" She spat back in disgust. "You make me sick. What is the value of strength if you cannot call upon it? What is the purpose of power if it cannot be used to crush your enemies when the time comes?"
Slowly, his arms uncrossed. "There is more to strength than brute force, not that I expect you to understand that. Serpent."
"All strength needs is brute force, that is why it is called strength." A shake of the head, she turned from them and marched away. "Not that you know what strength is. If you can't use all your power, then hurry up and die. You're a waste of life, not worth keeping around."
"You disrespectful impudent-!"
She paused at his tone, noting the fire that entered each word. The aggression was there, it was like they were going to snap and show her what they truly were. She turned around in the next moment, readying herself as the knight marched forwards, she caught the flash as his eyes burned red through the shadow of his helm.
His hands clenched into fists, moving across to the scabbard on his hip.
They paused a moment later.
She did not bother to hide her frown at his sudden restraint, the glow of his eyes vanished as they stepped backwards. A long breath escaped them, shaking his head from side to side and then turning on his heel, marching up the corridor with only a parting remark towards her.
"I prove nothing by engaging in debates with animals."
He spoke such words as though they were insults, once more she was left dumbfounded by their remarks. Acting as if they were not an animal in the first place, she just happened to be a better one than they were.
A scoff rippled from her lips. "Coward."
If they heard her words, they did not show it, their march continued right around the corner and beyond her line of sight.
Shaking her head, she turned back around and paused.
"Show yourself."
The air shimmered, a figure stood in the hallway. "Quite the way with words, haven't you?"
"Oh, you."
A low grumble from the wooden spirit. "A certain lack of respect about you, but expecting such things from you would be something of a campaign in futility. I have no interest in wasting my time teaching those who do not care for my words."
At least they understood.
"Still, one would accuse you of trying to undermine the teamwork spirit of Chaldea with such burning remarks." Nodding his head past her, he folded his arms behind his back and moved forwards, heavy thuds echoed with each step taken. "There might one day come a time when you need to rely on them to save your life."
The thought disgusted her.
"I will not change my words because they don't agree with them."
The figure stopped walking, a pleased hum escaped his lipless mouth. "Nor should you, not if you consider them to have any true weight behind them. Though that will not stop others from decrying them as worthless, what matters is how you respond to criticism."
She clicked her tongue. "I prove them wrong."
"...How simple."
But they didn't sound as though they disapproved of it.
"Though I assume you much prefer that manner of approach to everything, avoiding complicated issues by turning them into simple ones. Life turns to a mere war of evolution in which you strive to be the winner and those who do not conform are hiding their true nature, yes?"
Her gaze narrowed just a touch, that was oddly specific.
"I am familiar with the Blood Covenant of Nahr Alma." The Caster Servant explained. "Though their later shift into the mound makers was one that made a great deal of sense, certainly one of the most infamous Gods for his work…but he was an intriguing one. Doing nothing more than allowing his worshippers to act to their truest nature."
"And?"
"And what?"
"What do you care about it?"
A shrug of the shoulders from the Servant. "I do not care about it in the least, I merely said it was intriguing. In much the same way a slightly differently shaded bug would be interesting, a unique existence from the rest of his family…I believe you are now acquainted with the slob."
Hanleth, yes.
She was acquainted with them.
She owned Hanleth, that was how it worked between them now.
Externally, she hummed.
There was something else she could ask. "Why do you serve Ritsuka?"
"Serve?" The Servant, Sulyvahn, made a displeased noise. "I do not serve Ritsuka, it is merely that our goals align. That is all their partnership between us is. I cannot enact my own beliefs without him, and he cannot fight without my strength. Whether or not I find him personally tolerable is another matter."
She blinked, then straightened.
That was a different answer than before.
And this Servant was not lying.
"But I suspect there might be something more to your question." Sulyvahn took a single step closer, his voice turned sharper, like a thin blade. "Perhaps you wish to know why it is that you should serve Ritsuka, or at least tolerate his existence to a point where you might kill whatever he points towards, hmm?"
She nodded.
He shrugged.
"If all you care about is killing, then it doesn't really matter." He dismissed with a shake of the head. "If what you care about is being regarded as a pet, then fight him until you either kill him or he beats you into submission. Though with his pet unkindled, that would be all but impossible for you…Well, perhaps not quite impossible, but a challenge all the same."
…The blonde one.
Gawyn.
They changed since she last recalled seeing them, they were larger now.
His presence burned through her senses like that of the sun, or perhaps a more accurate comparison would be the night itself. That was how they appeared to her, like the inevitable darkness after the sun fell. When the predators were most active.
Was that what Alma had spoken of?
It was impressive.
"I shall pose you a question."
Sulyvahn broke her from her thoughts, her eyes switched to him.
"What do you see when you look at the Silver Knight?"
What did she see?
"An animal that has lost its will to live." That was all she saw. "One who needs reasons to kill and survive. Who dresses themselves in metal and pretends they are anything more than just a killer."
There was an amused hum from Sulyvahn, on the cusp of laughter, as her words took full effect upon the Servant. Inclining his head to the side with his shoulders trembling in an effort to contain his mirth. "Yes, I suppose they would look like that. But I suspect there is yet more. All those who turned into Black Knights carried a touch more out of Izalith than they entered with…the flames of Chaos did not leave their bodies, even after death it seems."
Yes, that was it.
She disliked them because they could be so much more if they just let everything else go. It was vexing to see them limit themselves in such a way, no. It wasn't just that it was vexing, it was confusing to her. For what reason would they hide their true power as though they were ashamed of it?
There was no greater shame than holding back and then dying because of it.
Regardless of origin, one should take pride in their strength.
It proved they were the best at what they were.
"And imagine now what the Silver Knight looks like to you?" Sulyvahn continued onwards, but did not give her a chance to ponder the question before they answered it themselves. "A demon who cares nothing for honour or glory, who takes pride only in how many they might kill and consume. An animal in every sense of the word…it is exactly what he could become, if he was not careful to hold himself back."
The flash of red in the eyes of the Silver Knight.
Was that them losing their temper?
Did they feel the pull of violence and then reign themselves back?
"You are mirrors of one another." Sulyvahn continued onwards, gesturing to her. "He represents how you would be if your nature was caged and civilised, and you represent what would happen if it was let loose. It is hardly a surprise you are at one another's throats."
"...Why tell me?"
Sulyvahn made a small noise. "I appreciate the honesty you have, it makes you one of the least revolting things to look at in Chaldea." he paused, pulling his arm around and raising a single finger. "For that alone, I can offer you a single sliver of aid for your little quest. You ask why anyone would aid Ritsuka? The answer is simple…because to aid him, is to aid yourself. He is a convenient tool. Use him as you wish."
…Use him?
Was she not already doing that?
"Now then." Sulyvahn turned from her, his gaze shifting down the hallways behind themselves and then grunting. "I believe I sense the oncoming presence of divines…and stomaching those fools is hardly something I am in the mood for. Besides, I suspect them to be your problem in no short order."
Now looking down at her, they paused and hummed once more. "I look forward to seeing what sort of answer you come to in regards to remaining in Chaldea. I am certain it will be a more intriguing one."
Stepping around her, they moved off.
Was that the answer then? Everyone was just using the boy?
It was a much more palatable one, but it felt as though there might have been more to it.
Something pricked away at her senses, likely what Sulyvahn had spoken of, and it immediately brought her focus into the present. It was a sensation that was so similar and yet so different, the ones who were sister to her mother and yet were tragically weak. It made little sense to her how they could be related in the least, rather it was shameful that the runt of the litter acted as cocky as they did.
It annoyed her, seeing her mother act subservient to them.
The moment he stepped around the looping corridor and caught sight of Chrysaor just standing there, he would admit that he jolted a little. Merely because of her sudden appearance and the utter lack of noise she made.
No warning, just there she was.
Staring right at him.
Even her sunglasses didn't hide the faint light of her eyes, the subtle glare through them was more than a little off putting because he knew what those eyes were all about, petrification or something like freezing.
In fact, this was probably their first proper time of meeting with one another and she was pointedly trying to engage him in eye contact. It didn't bode well for future encounters between them.
Immediately turning his eyes slightly to the side, he smoothed over his face and continued forwards after catching his breath, raising his hand to them in a greeting. "Hey, Chrysaor…I realise that we haven't spoken to one another at all, really, but-"
"Because I didn't want to speak with you."
At least she was direct with it.
His arm lowered to his side, he blanked his expression and shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough then. Does that extend to just me or is it pretty much everyone who isn't Hanleth?"
"What do you want?"
Moving a hand up, he scratched his cheek and rolled his jaw. The way they just kept speaking so bluntly was a little intimidating, a bit like that of Medusa but while the Rider was a bit softer with her words, this felt like she was trying to slap him with speech. Rather hostile, if he was being honest with himself.
"Stheno and Euryale wanted to speak with you." He nodded his head behind himself to the twin Goddesses, and noted that Chrysaor didn't even spare them a glance. Never once did her eyes leave his face. "But if you don't want to talk then-"
"Do you have nerves of dry twigs?" A rather mocking comment from behind him, one of the two Goddesses made an irritated sigh. "Quite frankly, this is no longer a case of whether they wish to speak with us or not. We are going to speak with them and they will most certainly listen."
Chrysaor kept staring at his face, then replied. "Why should I care what weaklings have to say? Go get stronger and then come back to me."
He rolled his jaw inwards, getting the pointed idea that it wasn't just a comment aimed for the twins, but rather one for himself as well. Which was a fair enough stance, everyone had their own way of doing things. He knew from experience, like with Havel, that some Servants needed a bit more than just a summoning to determine if someone was their master.
…Ritsuka still wasn't sure what Gilgamesh regarded him as, they barely spoke after the summoning.
Regardless of all that, he heard the rather indignant grunt of the Goddess by his side as they stepped around from behind him, their hands fell to their hips and they scoffed rather indignantly. "Is that truly the way that you should speak? How can you possibly call yourself a child of Medusa if you're this ill-mannered? Disgraceful."
The focus of Chrysaor shifted in a split second, moving from him and onto the Goddess. The tension in their posture instantly told him they didn't approve of that comment in the least. "How can you possibly call yourself a sibling of mother if you're this pathetic?"
Ritsuka glanced between the two of them, but rather, the Goddess at his side tilted her head.
She didn't say anything for a few moments, then gave a low hum.
"How much do you know of Medusa aside from that she is the Gorgon?"
Chrysaor gave a light scoff. "I do not need to know anything else."
"...How pitiful." A slow shake of the head from the Goddess, an aura of disappointment leaked out from them. "You might change your appearance with whatever this is, but you're more of a monster than even her. I could tolerate an appreciation of her strength…but you do not even see Medusa for what she is, just a brute animal that birthed you with some muscles and fangs."
The Goddess turned around, their expression flat. "No, I have no interest in you anymore. Utterly unworthy of being called a child of Medusa in any meaningful way. You see her at her lowest and suddenly believe that is her best? What a joke. You didn't know Medusa, you never saw her at her best."
Stheno's tone of voice was just…distant.
Without a drop of emotion in it, her gaze held nothing but dissatisfaction. "What right do I have to be related to Medusa? I should ask the same, you who knows nothing of your own parent. I'm astounded by your arrogance to even make such outrageous claims. Maybe you should go and learn about Medusa first before you start to embarrass her name, and by extension ours, further than you already do."
Ritsuka gave a light frown at the Goddess. "Stheno…" his faint words of warning earned him a sharp gaze from the small girl, all but daring him to try and say something back. He kept his gaze on her, opening his mouth and speaking again. "Have you said all you want to?"
"...Hmph, I suppose so." A shrug of the shoulders, then she strutted away. "Come, myself. I believe the air has become rather sour here. I'd rather find something amusing to wash away this unpleasant taste."
"Naturally, me." Euryale supported, having said nothing but wearing her own distant gaze, the two of them turned back and moved off the way they came, Ritsuka watched her departure in silence.
That wasn't what he was expecting.
Turning back to Chrysaor, he met her gaze once more. "...You do not need to speak with them if you-"
"I know that." She snapped back at him, raising her voice louder than his own. "Do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do, fly."
She advanced forwards, hands kept at her sides.
He stood his ground, furrowing his brows as they grew closer and closer, coming upon him by the third step and looking right into his eyes. Standing more or less the same height as one another, she glared right into his face, the shine of her eyes just through the glasses burned like twin flames.
Ritsuka elected not to break eye contact with her this time, but it felt like he was having a staredown with a bear.
"...What is wrong with you?"
It sounded like an honest question she was asking him, as though she was genuinely confused.
"...In what sense?"
"I could kill you right now."
"Most likely, yeah." Was this news to her? He knew about it from the very moment she had been summoned. "A lot of Servants could do that…are you going to?"
She frowned back at him, leaning away rather abruptly. "Do you wish to die?"
"No." Now it was his turn to look baffled by her question. "Why would I want that?"
"Then why don't you…" Her jaw clenched, she resumed glaring at him, a hint of scrutiny as she eyed him up, like she was searching for something and getting progressively more annoyed that she couldn't see it. "Why does Mother tolerate you? Why does anyone listen to you? Why aren't you acting like a normal human?"
Those were a lot of questions he was being asked at once.
He just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say here. It mostly just boils down to the fact that the Servants as a whole choose to listen to me, and even then it's here and there…but I don't think I act like an irregular person." moving a hand up, he scratched the side of his neck. "So…what would a normal human do?"
"Run when they saw me."
His brows pinched. "Why?"
"Because-what?" She jerked back. "What do you mean why? Do you know who I am?"
"...A little bit, yeah." Ritsuka nodded his head up and down, was this some sort of trick question or were they honestly asking him. Perhaps they were annoyed that he wasn't freaking out every time they so much as looked in his direction. He was a little surprised by that as well. "Father of Monsters, or so I've been informed…but if you mean personally, right here and right now? You do scare me a little."
"...Then why don't you show it?"
"Because what good would it do?" He raised a brow, placing his hands on his hips. "I could freak out and be scared, you did try to take my head off a week or so ago and, honestly, being around you puts me a little on edge. Like any second you could just swing at me."
She nodded along with his words, looking rather pleased with what he was saying.
He saw what the issue was now.
She were just wondering why he wasn't being freaked out by them or anyone else.
"Truth of it is…I know just how strong a lot of these Servants are, but if I let myself freak out about what they could do, I'd never see what they actually do." That was really all there was to it.
"Medusa is famous and we both know why, there are probably a thousand ways she could kill me and I wouldn't even know it was happening for half of those."
"There would be more."
He very nearly snorted at the comment that Chrysaor snuck in, looking a touch offended that he had only said there were a thousand ways.
"Yes, but the Medusa who walks around Chaldea…she likes to read books. Gwyndolin tells me how the two of them will just quietly read for hours without saying anything to one another and then talk about it when it's all done."
He gestured to himself. "Basically, if all I saw in these Servants was how many ways they could kill me…then I'd never trust them with my life and they would never trust me to give any weight to their opinion. They're trusting me to be a good Master for them, and I'm trusting them to help me. Neither of us could do that if we were scared of one another."
Chrysaor regarded him in pure silence.
Nothing was said.
"...And would you trust me with your life?"
Did she want an honest answer?
Well.
"At the moment?" He offered a small smile and shook his head. "No, not really. But I would like to reach the point where I can trust you with my life."
"...Why?"
Why, huh.
He couldn't really answer that.
Turning his head to the ceiling, he folded his arms and rolled his lips. "Why, you ask? Well…I can't really explain it all that well. It's just how I am. I like getting to know people, what they like and what they hate. We don't even need to be friends when all is said and done, but I at least like to know what they're about."
Lowering his head, he just shrugged. "I…just enjoy getting to know people."
"...You are strange."
"...Possibly." He muttered, moving a hand up to rub his chin.
It certainly wasn't the most normal thing in the world to make possible workplace acquaintances with a cannibalistic cult leader.
Or a 'darwinist' blood God.
Or Slavers.
Or Imperialists.
He glanced back up, Chrysaor nodded her head up and down.
"I understand now. You aren't a fly or an ant."
He got the feeling this next comment wasn't going to be positive.
"You're a symbiont."
That…that really wasn't what he was expecting.
For whatever reason, the Servant now looked as though they had found something they were content with. Turning away from him and walking away without even offering a goodbye.
"Uuuh…good talk?"
She didn't respond.
Ritsuka watched them leave, then shook his head and furrowed his brows.
He felt as though he might have been missing something here.
Well…as long Chrysaor was content? He didn't think she was happy, but she seemed content.