The Triumvirate Chapter 3:

Den of Thieves


DAY 2

The morning sun dawned on Rome, its rays causing the Chaldean Trio to stir from their slumber. Mashu turned her head to see Fou jumping up and down with excitement, eliciting a smile from the Shielder.

"Good morning Fou." She said. "Are you wanting a treat?"

"Fou, Fou!"

Mashu giggled. "Hang on, I think I have something in my shield."

The lilac haired girl reached into her shield and rummaged through it for a few moments before procuring some kibble. The little critter slowly ate from her hand as the two Masters watched them. The Demi-Servant noticed their stares and tilted her head in curiosity.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Ritsuka answered. "I'm just wondering how long it'll be until Tatsuko and I can understand him."

Mashu shook her head. "I do not really understand him either. I am just making educated guesses, and going off based on those."

"Well hopefully one day we can understand him without relying on guessing." Tatsuko said. The female Master was about to continue speaking when the door opened.

"Morning everyone! Time to rise and-Oh, looks like you guys are already up."

The Trio turned to see Nobunaga walking through the doorway with a grin. The black haired Servant stopped in her tracks and stretched her arms around for a bit. "You'll be happy to know that no one else tried to assassinate Nero last night."

"Is she awake?" Ritsuka asked.

Nobunaga nodded. "She woke up an hour ago, and went to the bathhouse. With some company I might add."

"Was that last part really necessary?" Tatsuko asked.

Nobunaga laughed. "It wasn't, I just wanted you to know!"

Ritsuka's communicator buzzed to life with Johan clearing his throat. "You three shouldn't really be surprised by this. Emperor Nero was known for having a…..voracious appetite."

Mashu blushed crimson causing Ritsuka to facepalm. "We really shouldn't be talking about this."

"You're right." Johan said. "I apologize for that."

"Ah, it's fine Johan." Tatsuko said. "So, where did Jeanne and Liz go when Nero left for the bathhouse?"

"They're in the throne room with the others."

"Does that mean Sanson, Vlad and Siegfried already left?" Mashu asked.

Nobunaga nodded. "I told them I'd wake you guys up and suggested that they head over there."

"Then let's head over there now." Ritsuka said. "We need to know what we're going up against, and who that woman was last night."

Nobunaga nodded and bade them to leave the room. "Let's get going then."

The trio walked out of the room and walked alongside Nobunaga towards the throne room. It was a ten minute walk there, but it felt shorter than that when they finally reached it. The Trio saw Jeanne standing near a pillar with Liz and Vlad, as if waiting for them. The Ruler saw them and waved.

"Nero told us to just wait here before she went to the bathhouse." Jeanne said. "Apparently she wants to give us something."

"Did she say what it was?" Mashu asked.

Jeanne shook her head. "She just said it would be a splendid gift."

"Maybe it's a lavish feast?" Tatsuko asked.

"I doubt it." Ritsuka said. "She doesn't seem to be the type to just settle for a feast as a reward."

"Umu, and you would be correct!"

Everyone turned to see Nero walking towards her throne. Instead of the red outfit she wore yesterday, the emperor opted to wear a stunning toga, her breasts looked like they would spill out at any moment. Everyone noted how she glowed, causing Nobuanaga to smirk in amusement as the blonde woman sat down upon her throne. Not a second later, Linus and Mr. Mittens appeared and walked slowly to their emperor. The two lions then sat down on either side of her, and their faces lit up as they saw the Chaldean Trio. The emperor cleared her throat and smiled.

"I have a gift for each and everyone of you, but you are all free to decline." She said. As soon as the emperor clapped her hands, a group of palace servants came out and walked towards the throne. They turned around, and held out high quality togas. The Chaldeans stared at the outfits, and Nero, in confusion. The emperor stared back at them with equal amounts of confusion.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Yes." Liz said. "It's just…..we weren't expecting this."

Nero smiled. "Umu, so I take it, will you accept these gifts?"

Everyone nodded in unison, causing Nero to smile wider. "Splendid! How about you three come up and take yours first?"

The Chaldean Trio nodded and walked up to the throne to pick up their togas. As soon as they held the outfits in their hands, Linus and Mr. Mittens walked up to them much to the Trio's amusement. They moved to scratch them under their chins, eliciting huffs of happiness from the large lions. Tatsuko's communicator buzzed to life revealing Roman's scared face.

"Is something wrong Roman?" Ritsuka asked as he continued to pet Mr. Mittens.

"I think Artoria might be jealous…." The doctor moved out of the way to show the Saber sitting down, arms folded across her chest, and pouted.

"Ummm, are you okay Artoria?" Ritsuka asked.

"I want to pet them too…" The Saber said.

Nero looked at Artoria and gasped. "I had no idea that one of my descendents worked for you!"

"I am not one of your descendants." Artoria countered. "I am Artoria Pendragon, King of the Britons."

Nero's eyes narrowed. "So you are from Britannia….."

Artoria put a hand up in reassurance. "I understand that you have some issues with my home, but I am not from your time. I was born centuries after you passed."

Nero smiled. "Umu, then I have no reason to get upset! Now, how about you three try on those togas after everyone receives theirs, okay?"

The trio nodded and walked back to the others. After the others gained their togas and walked back down, Nero cleared her throat. "We have two rooms for you all to change in. One for the men, and one for the women."

"Actually if it is okay with you, I would like to just wear this over my uniform." Ritsuka said.

"Umu, I do not see the issue." Nero said. "You may do as you please."

"Then I'll do the same." Tatsuko said.

Nero nodded before turning to the others. "I suggest you all change into just the togas for now. I do not mean to offend, but unlike my two generals, your outfits would just clash with the togas."

"She's got a point. None of our outfits would mesh well with this." Nobunaga said. "But can I keep my hat on?"

"I was hoping you would." Nero answered. "I cannot imagine you without it anyway."

"Thanks. Now where should we get changed?"

A female servant stepped up and smiled. "If the women will follow me, I will show you to your changing room."

"I will lead the men to theirs." A male servant said. The Chaldean Servants and Mashu nodded and started to follow them. Fou took this opportunity to jump from the Shielder's shoulder, and leapt to Tatsuko. Linus and Mr. Mittens decided to take the opportunity to walk away from Nero, and towards Ritsuka. The male Master chuckled as the two lions nuzzled up to him, causing Tatsuko to look at Nero in curiosity.

"How are they so docile?" She asked.

Nero shook her head. "Don't let their affectionate nature fool you. While they are friendly to an extent, they are still dangerous and need to be approached with caution."

"Then why are they so gentle with us, especially with Twig Boy here?"

"They happen to be excellent judges of character." Nero answered. "Although their interest in Ritsuka IS a little odd."

"I have no idea either, but I don't really care." Ritsuka said. "I mean, I'm petting not one lion, but two. And they're so cuddly too!"

The lions huffed in agreement as the male Master stroked their manes. The blonde emperor cleared her throat as she smiled at the cute sight. "How about you two try on the togas now?"

The two Masters nodded. Linus and Mr. Mittens instinctively knew they needed to move out of the way, and walked away for a moment so the two Masters could slip their togas over their Mystic Codes.

"So, what do you think?" Nero asked.

"It feels great." Ritsuka said.

"Yeah, I and the colors match our suits!" Tatsuko said.

"Umu, that was by design." Nero answered. "It is to be a mark of your new stations as my newest generals."

"It makes me feel bad that the others only get the white togas…." Ritsuka said.

Nero gave an apologetic smile. "Believe me when I say this, but I did want to give them each a toga with different colors, but we didn't have materials. Well, except for one, white is definitely her color, it only adds to her purity."

"Really? And who could that be?" Ritsuka asked.

"Damn, look at you two being all fancy!"

The two Masters turned to see the others returning to them, all wearing their splendid togas. They were quite surprised to see how well customized they were for each one. Especially Liz and Sigefried. Their togas managed to have holes for their draconic tails. The moment they saw Jeanne, however, the two Masters gave a look of happy surprise, she definitely looked beautiful in her white toga, and the laurels in her hair.

"Wow Jeanne, you look great." Ritsuka said.

The Ruler blushed. "I don't think I deserve that much attention."

"Oh come now, Nero said it herself." The male Master countered. "The white adds to your purity."

Nero smirked. "I wasn't referring to her."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. "If it isn't Jeanne, then who were you talking about?"

"I apologize for my tardiness! I was helping one of the servants with cleaning the room."

Everyone turned around and saw Mashu walking into the room in her white toga. Ritsuka's eyes widened as he saw the Shielder smile at them. He couldn't hear what the others were saying, the noise was drowned out by something within him. The only sound he could hear was his heart beating, only for it to quicken as the lilac haired teen looked at him and gave a bright smile. Nero was right, Mashu looked absolutely stunning.

"My my, Mashu has quite the audience!"

Ritsuka snapped back to reality and saw Davinci on the communicator flashing a teasing smile at him. The male Master blushed, much to everyone else's confusion. Nero cleared her throat to get everyone's attention to the more important matters.

"Now, about last night, I was wondering what you all know about this Jing Ke woman." She said.

"Honestly I don't know much." Ritsuka said.

"Then allow me to explain." Jeanne said. "Jing Ke was someone that came extremely close to assassinating the first emperor of China. In fact if her partner supported her, then the assassination would most likely have succeeded as planned."

"So she's an assassin that's famous for….failing an assassination?" Tatsuko asked.

Jeanne shook her head. "She might have failed, but she was the closest to killing him. In fact, her plan was pretty much foolproof."

"Then that means that this woman is someone to watch out for." Nero said. The emperor groaned in annoyance. "Things just get more complicated by the day, we have her to deal with now alongside the United Empire encroaching on our territory."

"Should we be concerned about a possible siege?" Vlad asked.

Burrus nodded. "It is a possibility that we cannot ignore."

"Then allow me to get the first preparations done." Ritsuka replied.

"Umu, what is your plan?" Nero asked.

Ritsuka smiled as he looked at Davinci and Roman. "Can you guys cut my audio and visuals for a couple of hours? I'll call you when you can turn them on again."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning?"

"I'm going for a walk…a very long walk."

"Okay, I don't like it, but I trust you know what you're doing."

Ritsuka nodded before turning towards the others. "I need to do this alone, so please do not follow me."

The Chaldeans looked at him, and nodded reluctantly. If he wanted to tackle this on his own, then it must be really important. Ritsuka smiled and walked outside. The others returned their attention to Nero for possible plans of attacks against the United Empire.


The jingling of the coin purse caused the man to grin. He was short with curly brown hair and blue eyes. The man slowly walked up to the man with the coin purse, making sure he wasn't standing out until the moment he bumped into him.

"I'm so sorry sir, I wasn't paying attention!" He said.

"Then watch where you're going next time you idiot!" The other man said.

The brown haired man nodded and slinked away in shame, the moment the other man was gone, his grin returned as he walked back into the alleyway with the stolen coin purse. This was easily one of the easiest steals he had ever done, and he was going to celebrate with the others on a job well done. This whole United Empire debacle had proven to be a blessing in disguise for him and the others. They were now able to steal from others in broad daylight, and no one could stop them due to the lack of manpower. Hopefully this war could continue for a while longer, he needed to earn some more profits after all.

"Excuse me sir, but can you spare a few gold coins?"

The man looked down and saw a beggar sitting in the alley. He had black hair, blue eyes, and was incredibly thin. Dirt was caked all over him, and his clothes were just as filthy. The thief looked at the beggar in contempt. After getting all that coin, this boy had the audacity to ask him for some?

"You want some coin?" The thief asked. "Go find someone to leech off of. Now scram!"

"Please, just a couple of coins!"

The thief growled and kicked the beggar in the chest. "If you know what is good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut, you miserable wretch!"

The beggar put his hands up in fear, trying to shield his face. The thief merely clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked away. "I have no time to waste on you."

And with that the thief left and took a right in the alleyway. The man started to calm down after that encounter, but it was gnawing at him still. If that beggar really needed the money, why couldn't he just steal it himself? Then again, if he did, then he'd be a rival to the band, and everyone knows what they do to rivals…

The thief turned left at the end of the alley, and a chill ran through his spine. Was he being followed? He looked back, and saw nothing behind him. The thief shrugged and continued walking. Looks like he was just imagining things….

The thief's thoughts were soon broken as he finally reached the hideout. The man opened the door and stepped inside to see the rest of the group already laughing and swapping stories. They turned to look at him, and cheered at his return.

"Oh good, you're back!" One of the men said. "Where were you?"

"I got held up by this beggar that wouldn't shut up." The thief said.

"Damn, talk about terrible luck." One of the men said.

One of the men stood up from the table, and walked towards the thief. The man was muscular, bald and tall with scars running down the right side of his face. The man stopped a few feet away from the thief and folded his arms across his chest.

"Did you bring any coin back?" He asked.

The thief grinned and revealed all the purses he stole throughout the day. "Does this answer your question boss?"

The boss grinned. "My my, we have an overachiever here boys!"

"How did you manage that?" One of the men asked.

"Oh come on, this is me we're talking about!" The brown haired thief said. "I'm just that good."

"He's not wrong." The boss said. "We're some of the most well known thieves in this city, so being able to steal so many purses is child's play."

The group laughed heartily, unaware of the fact they had a little eavesdropper. The beggar listened in with an amused grin. The boy muttered to himself as he placed a magic marker on the door so he would be able to find it again. The moment he was done, he snuck away quietly to not get caught. As soon as he was out of range, the beggar found a puddle to look at his reflection. The dirt was starting to get itchy and uncomfortable, and he would have to do something about that. The beggar dipped his hands into the puddle and washed his face of the dirt. The moment all the dirt was off, Ritsuka looked into the puddle's reflection. He opted to hide his Mystic Code and new toga somewhere near the palace, and managed to purchase some peasant garbs with some money that Nero graciously gave him after the battle yesterday. The male Master took a deep breath as he found a fresh patch of dirt, and applied it to himself.

"Okay, time to find the next possible den."

The male Master then got up and walked to the next possible destination, making sure to blend into the crowd to not be seen.

(Later that night)

The Chaldeans did not see Ritsuka almost all day, and they grew slightly uneasy. They decided to wait for him in the throne room alongside Nero and the lions, hoping that he would come back soon. Their patience was soon rewarded as Ritsuka, now back in his toga and Mystic Code, walked into the throne room. Tatsuko walked up to him with curiosity in her eyes.

"Where have you been?" She asked. "You've been gone all day."

Ritsuka yawned. "Sorry, but I'm a little tired. Can we save this until tomorrow?"

"But we also made some possible plans in the case of a siege." Vlad said. "I think you would need to hear them."

Ritsuka shook his head. "You might want to change them slightly after tomorrow."

"Why?" Sanson asked.

"Hey, let him sleep, guys." Nobunaga countered. "He's obviously about to fall on his face."

The others looked at the black haired Servant, then back to the male Master before relenting. Nobunaga was right, he really was too tired to explain himself.

"Okay, get some sleep then." Liz said.

"Thanks." Ritsuka said weakly. The male Master closed his eyes from exhaustion, but his body continued to move on autopilot until it subconsciously reached the sleeping form of Mr. Mittens. Everyone watched in shock as Ritsuka layed down, and used the lion as a pillow.

Mashu slowly got her camera from her shield and aimed it at the male Master and the lion.

Click!

"Hey Nero, have Linus or Mr. Mittens ever allowed this for anyone before?" Tatsuko asked.

Nero shook her head slowly in surprise. "No, this isn't normal."

"I think we can chalk this up to Ritsuka's exhaustion." Siegfried said. "Whatever he did, it must have sapped him of energy."

Nobunaga grinned. "He worked hard today, so of course he'd be tired."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "You know something."

"And you would too if you remembered when Ritsuka left." Nobunaga countered.

Jeanne and Vlad raised an eyebrow at the statement, only for Jeanne to widen her eyes in realization. "He said he was making the first preparations!"

Vlad looked at her in confusion, only for him to join her in realization. A small smile crept on his lips as he chuckled. "He's quite the clever lad."

"Umu, and what did he do that warrants such a compliment?" Nero asked.

"I'm afraid that you all will have to wait until tomorrow." Nobunaga said.

"But why?" Mashu asked.

"I'm sorry Mashu, but Ritsuka said you all will find out tomorrow." Jeanne said. "So please be patient."

The Shielder opened her mouth in protest, but stopped herself from saying anything. She then gave a small nod and relented. Nero cleared her throat and nodded.

"If that is all, then I suggest we all get some rest." She said.

"If it is alright with you Emperor Nero, I would like to stay here and make sure senpai is safe." Mashu said. "I do not want Mr. Mittens to wake up and get startled."

Nero nodded. "Very well, then I leave both of them in your care!"

And with that, Nero left the throne room towards her chambers. Nobunaga, Liz and Jeanne accompanied her to return to their posts from last night to ensure her safety. As everyone started to leave for bed, Mashu looked on the sleeping form of her senpai and Mr. Mittens before turning to look at the night sky. Whatever Ritsuka had planned, it was obviously something important for Rome's survival, so she would have to be patient.


DAY 3

As soon as the sun rose, everyone aside from Ritsuka and Mashu woke up and made their way to the throne room. As soon as Ritsuka got up from his….amusing situation, which he said he would ask about later, he informed Nero that he would need her palace guards for a few hours. The emperor was confused by this request, but agreed to it in the end. However, soon it was Ritsuka's turn to be surprised as Nobunaga, Jeanne and Vlad volunteered to join him this time. The male Master agreed to it, and soon all four of them left with the palace guards for undisclosed reasons. Minutes turned to hours, until the day hit noon, and there was still no sign of their return. In order to pass the time, Nero took this opportunity to ask more about the Chaldeans. And though some were more open than others, she managed to get a sense of who they were based off what they told her. But the moment she learned of Ritsuka's upbringing, she couldn't help but feel some pity for him.

"Umu, I….do not know what to say." She said. The sound of running footsteps broke her trance. Everyone looked behind them and saw one of the palace guards that accompanied Ritsuka return and was out of breath. The moment he calmed himself down, he looked at the emperor and the others and saluted.

"What is going on?" Nero asked.

"Forgive me my emperor." The guard said. "But the new general said he will explain it when he returns."

"And when will that be?" Seneca asked.

"I'm right here."

Everyone watched as Ritsuka walked towards them with Nobunaga, Vlad and Jeanne beside him. Nero tilted her head in curiosity as she stared at them. "What have you been doing these past few hours?"

"We've been instigating mass arrests." Ritsuka answered.

"What do you mean by that?!" Seneca shouted. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Oh we just rounded up all the known thieves." Ritsuka answered. "Now it's just the unknown thieves we have to worry about now."

"It was quite a clever plan!" Nobunaga said. "You see, what Ritsuka was doing yesterday was finding all the local thieves' dens. He would find one, use a spell to mark it, and then move on to finding the next one, and rinse and repeat."

Burrus laughed. "I like this kid already! I cannot believe I overlooked such a dilemma!"

"I do not follow." Mashu said. "What does this have to do with a possible siege?"

"That's a simple thing to answer." Ritsuka said. "While Rome has its walls and soldiers, there is one thing that puts us at a disadvantage. And that is resources. Food being the most important one. If a siege were to happen, the thieves would take advantage of the situation, and steal all the food. If they did that, then it's not Nero who is in charge anymore, but them."

"But how do you know this would be the outcome?" Mashu asked.

"Well if the gates have to close for the siege, then that means our supplies start dwindling." Nobunaga answered.

Mashu's eyes widened in realization. "Then that means you all made sure our chances of survival increased."

"That's right." Ritsuka said. "Now all we have to do is revise our potential siege plans, and make sure they're fool proof."

Tatsuko smiled. "I must say Twig Boy, it's impressive that you managed to catch all of the best thieves in the city."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The best thieves? What do you mean?"

"Well you just said they're the most well known thieves in the city right?" Tatsuko asked. "That means they're some of the best."

"Ummmm, Tatsuko that's not how it works." Ritsuka said. "If you're a well known thief, then that makes you a shitty thief."

"And how would you know that?"

"Well if you're a well known thief that means people know who you are." Ritsuka said. "A thief is meant to be sneaky and remain anonymous. Meaning that the best thieves are the ones who are not known at all."

Tatsuko stared at him in shock and disbelief. Her eyes twitched in annoyance before falling to her knees. "I'VE BEEN LIED TO!"

Roman appeared on the comms, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Tatsuko, please don't be so overdramatic. You're making a scene."

Tatsuko looked at the doctor and took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right."

"Umu, now that that's out of the way, how about we revise our plans." Nero said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Ritsuka and the three Servants walked towards the others as they planned their next move.


CV: Wow, that ending was pretty good right Owen?... Owen? Why are you shaking?

OC: Sorry, I'm just glad I managed to escape from my Chaldea. My birthday was yesterday, and they all wanted to celebrate, but it became a war zone because of Penth seeing Achilles.

CV: Keeping those two apart is always a chore isn't it?

OC: You have NO idea. But it's also the reason why this chapter was so difficult to write as well. It took us THREE days to finish scene one because of their antics!

CV: Next time you have to ask the Casters to put a spell around Penth to make sure she can't see him.

OC: Huh, that might work. Now how about we discuss the chapter a bit. I do agree that the ending was pretty interesting. Showing that Ritsuka was able to see a possible bad outcome and took steps to prevent it. As for why we went this way? Well I just thought it would be fun to see Ritsuka using his upbringing of being a street kid to his advantage and stop a potential crisis. And that way we also get to see how much he knows of how criminals operate, because he KNEW some personally.

CV: Yeah, the boy has the smarts and he knows how to get things done. In game it was shown as early as Okeanos as his was the plan to kill Heracles, and here we're showing it a bit earlier.

OC: Yup, and we will be seeing quite a bit of him trying to outwit his opponents, but make no mistake, not all of his plans will succeed. There is always a bigger fish out there, and he will show up in Septem sooner or later.

CV: Accurate, you can't always come out on top. History's greatest strategists also have some of the worst losses out there.

OC: Thankfully Ritsuka studied up on his history, so he can at least adapt on the fly. Although it doesn't seem to work when he sees a pretty girl in a toga.

CV: His true weakness, moe.

OC: Lmao. And I know a lot of people will be asking why in the hell is Ritsuka able to befriend the lions so easily to the point he can use one as a pillow, and all I have to say is this; It amused us and we thought it would be funny. Seeing something like a lion acting like a big ass dog was something that made us laugh and we went with it.

CV: Sorry to those that expected it to be something grandiose, but nah, big cats are funny.

OC: But make no mistake. Nero is right that despite their demeanor now, they are still dangerous, and it will be shown in later chapters just how deadly they are.

CV: They're still predators after all.

OC: Not only that, but they also are Artoria's weakness, aside from Shirou's cooking. We finally got Nero and Artoria to meet and it was both hilarious with Artoria's jealousy, but we also give a hint towards Nero's…complicated feelings with the Brits.

CV: History ain't pretty lol, especially when it comes to Rome.

OC: Yeah….the less said about that the better. At least for now. Oh would you look at the time! Thank you all for tuning in for this week's chapter of Chaldean Chronicles. Please come back next week! OwenChaser and CosmicVlad, signing off.