Second Singularity, Part 4: Roman Rebellion
60 AD
"Stand tall! Push them out of our homes!"
Ayako had to give credit where it's due. The locals, when given the push, were just as virtuous, and desperate, to free themselves from the hold of the United Empire. The few locals who had the skills to match up with a trained soldier's; the scouts they had freed from captivity; the skeleton constructs of Medea's; and of course herself and the Servants; working together in tandem to strike back at those that bought in to the lies that were whispered into their ears.
The Dragon Tooth Warriors charged blindly into the battle, knowing no fear as the blades and spears slipped past its ribcage. It struck its bony sword deep into a United Empire soldier, their screams worming its way into Ayako's ears. Such is the nature of war, but she shouldered the weight and fired her rifle, her enhanced bullets striking true and piercing their shields, proving its mettle with an ancient armament. She fired again, pushing him back with a gush of blood that seeped through his armor.
"Do not! Lose! Hope! We will! Prevail!" and there goes another rally cry from Arturia, her Charisma pushing these people beyond their limits. Figuratively speaking, of course, because it wasn't like she was casting a spell to enhance them.
"Master, a Servant approaches." The calming voice of Medea pierced through her mind through their telepathic link, yet Ayako could only hold back a curse.
"Is it the one who leads these people? Please tell me it is." She asked, ducking behind a half wall.
"Yes and no." this time Ayako didn't bother hiding her curse. "I'm still detecting the familiar signature coming from the camp the United Empire had erected. This is a new one, but they do seem to be leading this charge."
"Fine, then join us please. I'd want everyone on standby." She stood back up, her golden eyes searching the battlefield for the Saber. "Servant incoming! South!"
"Acknowledged!" she struck down a few more soldiers that had approached her, before heading back to the Master, picking her up in her arms.
The Saber Class Servant sped through the soldiers that covered the streets, with a glimpse of her white dress and armor reinvigorating the defenders to fight on. Soon the familiar sight of a purple hood joined them, flying through the skies with the insides of her cloak coloring the battlefield with a kaleidoscope of colors.
Ayako didn't even realize that she was thrown into the air, only noticing it when she felt Medea's hands catch her. She looked back down to see the streets crack by a shockwave as Arturia blocked an attack by the Servant. A grey, almost ashen skin man dressed like a gladiator, his short sword raised and swung back down onto Arturia. Chaldea's Saber didn't seem to be in any trouble, deflecting the last attack and kicking him away.
"Oppressors! You will all topple along with your ivory towers!" he yelled, also unbothered by Arturia's attack. "I! Am! Spartacus! And you will fall!"
"Well that makes things easy." Ayako commented in the air as Arturia introduced herself, following her knight's honor, while the both of them were shielded by Medea's magecraft. "What can we gleam from him?"
"He is a symbol of rebellion. My best guess? He will work better the more the odds are stacked against him." The Caster surmised.
"That makes sense." She nodded, letting her coat keep her afloat. "Saber! Find a way to finish him off in one stroke!"
"Will do, Ayako!" she closed the distance with Caliburn in hand, striking Spartacus' sword with her own. She backed away again, her sword raised at the ready, waiting for a counter attack.
The apparent Berserker laughed maniacally, taking the bait as he charged with his shoulder. Arturia let herself be pushed, blocking his attack with the flat of her blade, floating for a brief second before her feet found purchase. Before he could mount another strike again, she swung Caliburn down, forcing him to block her incoming attack. Then once again, she took a step back, and the exchange continued on. All of her attacks, a meticulous gauged, to determine Spartacus' strength and weaknesses.
She noticed that not only was he unfazed by her attacks, he sought for them, as if opening himself to her sword. It was why she had to force him to block, or deflect, or dodge. And in turn, she too danced this dance of war and battle, making sure that his attempts would amount to nothing. She may be a hypothetical exaggeration of the early years of her legend, but she was still King Arthur.
The battlefield, the streets of Massilia, slowly became a plane of destruction, a victim to the battle between Servants. Trees and walls were toppled, the roads crumbled to dust, and buildings fell apart in their wake. Such was the strength of a Servant, with neither of them looking worse for wear. Spartacus roared in anger, channeling his Berserker nature as he pointed his short sword at Arturia, snarling beneath his helmet that obscured his face.
"Coward! All you do is run! Face me, like the supposed knight you are!"
Arturia's green eyes narrowed at the accusation, her hand tightening the grip around the handle of Caliburn. "Did you find a way, Saber?" she glanced behind her, up in the sky beside Medea, seeing Ayako's pointed stare.
"I did." She admitted with a grim nod.
"Then finish him, Saber!" the Puppeteer's Command Spells flashed in power. "Finish him, by any means necessary!"
"Yes Master!" the Saber felt the power surge through her being, Caliburn lighting up with holy energy.
And disappeared in a flash.
She had shot forward, Caliburn sinking through Spartacus, his short sword shattered in an attempt to block her attack, striking true to his magical core. A manic smile began forming on his face in that millisecond, confirming Arturia's musings as she brought her sword upward, swinging out of his shoulder, bringing forth a rain of gore around her. His arm began to rise with the broken sword still in his grip, but she was still faster. A quick sideward swing, severing his head from his neck, launched by the motion of the attack.
She leapt backwards, three times until she stood a good distance away. She held her sword upright with both hands, glowing with unreleased power. She waited. And waited, until she found it. A twitch, and movement. Despite the skewering, and the decapitation, Spartacus still stood, alive, unyielding and ready to fight.
"Sword of Selection, grant me your power!" she brought her hands back, rearing to strike, as Caliburn grew brighter and brighter. "Cleave the wicked!"
"Caliburn!" a piercing light shot out of the sword, the holy light, those around the battlefield could only watch in awe. The light dimmed upon striking the very ground where stood, but only for a second, as flashes of light glittered into existence, before Spartacus' entire form was engulfed by its holy explosion, taking with it the surrounding area.
Medea had pulled Ayako back before they could be consumed along with it, bringing the Master to where Arturia had landed, the Servant winding down after expending the Noble Phantasm. Ayako pulled out one of her runestones, casting a spell to help alleviate the strain Arturia was experiencing. All three sets of eyes still bored onto the spot, waiting for something. The light died down, and the fading form of Spartacus was there for them to see, nothing left but his legs as it too disintegrated into motes of light.
Cheers erupted around them, as the defenders saw this as a victory against the United Empire troops. Their will surged on, rushing past them to push out the invaders once and for all, even if it was temporary. But with this new found confidence spreading through them like wildfire, they no longer had anything to fear.
Ayako took a few steps back, sitting herself on an upturned stone that used to be a wall. She sighed, tired as all hell, not getting the chance to rest the moment they started this plan of theirs. "Any Servants approaching?"
"The closest one is still at their camp." Medea replied, folding her arms across her chest.
"I can verify that." The Doctor's voice spoke up for the first time that day. "Whoever this is has yet to move since the siege began, still waiting. For what? I don't know."
"Where are the rest, Doctor?" Ayako asked tiredly, leaning herself into Medea waist, carefully held by the Caster so she wouldn't fall.
"Ritsuka's team had just left Gaul, with Rider Boudica in tow." She sighed with a smile, silent pride welling up in her. "Koleen's team is rushing as fast as they can with Tarrasque. If nothing else goes wrong, they should arrive in Massilia later today."
"That's great news!" Arturia exclaimed, only sounding slightly out of breath. "We can finish this once and for all soon, together!"
"Rest up, Aozaki. We cannot have you not at your fullest." The Director said with audible concern.
A grimace wormed its way on her face. "Saber, Caster… can you take over?"
Both Servants nodded. "Saber, watch the perimeter. I'll take Ayako back to my temporary workshop."
"Will do, Caster." The white Saber dusted off her armor and sprinted towards the edge of the city, leaving the two behind.
"Keep me posted guys." Ayako said to Chaldea as the Caster picked her up with both her gloved arms. She was surprised that the Caster even bothered carrying her like a princess instead of using magecraft to float her along, but she was too tired to care.
"We'll be back, Ayako. Romani out."
"Martha? Can't he go any faster?" Koleen asked, her body aching from the ministrations coming from riding a dragon, tired as all hell from a less than stellar sleep as the Roman sun slowly lowered itself down into the earth.
"You heard the Master, Tarrasque! She wants you to go faster!"
A growl of what seemed to be protest came from the phantasmal beast they were all riding on. "It would have been faster if you just punched me!" Koleen was almost surprised, that was the first time she's heard the dragon speak.
"Do you want me to?" there was an underlying threat in the Ruler's words.
"NO!"
"Then stop complaining and get to it!" she slapped Tarrasque's hide, like one would with a horse.
The dragon roared, echoing through the Roman fields they were barging through like a freight train. Koleen almost regretted her choice of words, but she settled with simply securing herself within the arms of the Saint', as well as making sure the kitten itself was comfortable in her own arms. Sanson was also holding on dearly on the dragon, his sword dematerialized while he secured himself with both his hands gripping Tarrasque's scales.
"There! I see it! Massilia!" Koleen inwardly sighed, leaning further in to Martha's body in relief at the Saint's words.
"Can any of you see anything?" she asked the Servants with her.
"I can see smoke, but everything seems calm. We're either too late, or right on time." Sanson answered grimly.
"We need to rendezvous with Ayako the moment we get there. Henri, be prepared in case we were too late." She ordered the Assassin.
"Roger that, Koleen." His form disappeared as he activated his Presence Concealment.
The dragon began slowing his momentum, matching that of a galloping horse, the closer they got to Massilia. The city, and its inhabitants, became much clearer to their eyes, a few mishmash of people standing guard and watching their approach. Cheers erupted, echoing in the approaching dusk and spreading like a firework.
"Kalls, you're near?" Ayako's voice reached through her communicator, bringing a smile to her face.
"Yeah, we just got here. Ayako, where are you?" she asked the Puppeter.
"We're somewhere in the town center, Medea's set up a workshop. Arturia's in the southern border, keeping guard."
"Got it."
"Tarrasque, keep Saber company." Martha ordered the dragon as she dismounted with Koleen, before somewhat backpedaling. "Please?"
The beast rumbled beneath them, as if sighing. The ground rumbled again beneath his feet as he made his way towards the Saber Class Servant, leaving the group to rejoin the Puppeteer. Relieved smiles were directed their way, as if they knew of their affiliation with Ayako's team. Was it obvious? Perhaps, but Koleen didn't really care much about it. She settled on simply responding with a smile of her own, walking down the brick road to where the workshop was located.
They found the Greek Caster waiting outside, leaning on a pillar that surrounded the entrance to her workshop. She smiled at their approach. "I see things have been going well for you."
"As well as they can be." Koleen replied back, just as the kitten meowed in her arms.
Medea's eyes trailed downwards to the small beast, narrowing slightly. "And you've brought a little stowaway too." Her gloved hand reached for the kitten, shifting in her arms when Medea ruffled its black fur.
"Do you know what he is?" the American Witch questioned, securing the small kitten.
"Other than the fact that he's a perfect match for you?" she giggled softly, letting the kitten dig its head into her palm. "Do you know what significance a black cat has for my people?"
"They're closely associated with death, linked to the goddess Hecate." Koleen's pink eyes narrowed slightly herself on the older Witch's face. "Isn't she…"
"My teacher, yes." The kitten mewled, licking Medea's gloved hand. "Along with my aunt as well."
"No wonder you took a liking to him so quickly." The Saint commented beside them, her iron hand also reaching for the cat, now buried under a blanket of hands. "Well, not that I can blame you."
"Are you guys just gonna stay outside? It's getting kinda lonely in here." A voice spoke up, coming from inside the workshop.
The Caster sighed, her hand finally lifting off, now gesturing to the door. "Let's continue this in a much more comfortable ambience."
"Let's." Koleen followed, stepping inside the temporary workshop, and already seeing the changes to the décor. There wasn't much difference between the Roman and Greek aesthetic, but she could feel the distinct Greekness to the place. She wondered what Medea could do with a room in Chaldea.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Her pink eyes saw the Puppeteer laying down a makeshift bed, using her folded red coat as a pillow.
"Ayako, are you alright?" she asked, concern in her voice as she walked towards Ayako.
"Just tired. Managed to squeeze in a few winks of sleep." The Puppeteer yawned, covering her mouth with her left hand. "We're going to mount an assault to the camp before they could retaliate."
The Witch sat herself down on a nearby chair. "To get the drop on them?"
"In the cover of night would be quite advantageous." The Ruler sat down on the edge of the bed, stretching her arms above her head.
"That is the plan." Confirmed the Caster behind them, now floating just a few inches above the ground. "Saber's also out there, keeping her eyes for further movement."
"Sanson, you're here, right?" Ayako called out, pushing herself up to a seating position.
"Yes, Ayako?" his voice reached their ears, signifying his presence.
"Can you scout the place? I'd like someone on ground zero."
"I will carry it out." He replied, feeling his form leaving the group.
"So, I take it you guys have found the Capital?"
"València." Medea answered. "Further south, but the trek shouldn't take as long as Rome to here."
"Oh, that makes a lot of sense." A sigh escaped Koleen's lips, sinking deeper into the chair. She felt the kitten licking her lips with its coarse tongue. "València is a prominent city throughout history."
"Preferably, we can leave when Ritsu-chan gets here." The Puppeteer shifted her legs off the bed, stretching her arms in front of her. "You've been riding Tarrasque since Rome, right? Take the bed and rest. I've gotten mine."
The black kitten leapt off of her lap, making itself comfortable on the bed. Giggles erupted around her as she let loose a sigh.
"Then wake me up for the assault. We can cut the head of the snake together."
"Why does he look familiar?" Koleen commented, her reinforced reddened eyes locked onto the camp they encircled.
"I know, right? I feel like I've seen him before, but I'm drawing a blank." Ayako agreed with a nod, brows furrowed in confusion as she whispered back her reply.
"Uhm…" the both of them looked down to their communicators as the Doctor made a noise. "Cross-referencing what we have in our records, uh, we found someone who looks like him."
"He matches what images we have of Julius Caesar." The Director finished after Roman's hesitance.
"What?" Ayako looked back up, eyes squinting as she scrutinized the Servant's appearance. "Damn, he let himself go."
"He's probably also not summoned properly." Koleen suggested, rubbing her temple in thought. "Perhaps, he's in a less than ideal Class?"
"I mean, that's the only thing that makes sense." The Puppeteer sighed, combing her hair with her fingers as she turned to where their Caster was. "'Dea, drop it."
The hooded Witch nodded, as the spell she had been holding was released. A second passed, as a rain of faded bones fell on the camp and its surrounding perimeter. The Servant, Caesar, was immediately on alert, his green eyes scanning the camp. "We are under attack!" he yelled to the soldiers in the camp, as the bones around them rose back up.
The clicking and clacking of Medea's skeletons spread around the camp, charging to the soldiers they were nearest to. Ayako stood up from the secluded spot, three of her runestones already floating in the air.
ᚦ ᛁ ᛊ
"Thurisaz, of the God Thor. Isaz, of ice. And Sōwilō, of the sun." the runes erupted together, forming into one pulsing diamond shape, before it launched itself to the area above the camp. "Leiftur!"
A bright flash and an exploding ringing reached every single person in the area, with only those unaffected being the skeleton army, and those with a high enough Magic Resistance.
Arturia burst through the grass fields that covered the land, Caliburn drawn as she rushed towards Caesar. Coming from a low angle, she brought the blade in an upward swinging motion, but found no purchase as it was deflected by a quick draw of Caesar's own sword. Despite his apparent form, he retaliated with an instant counter attack. One that was also deflected by the Saber, as she took a leap backwards after it.
He sighed, eyes closed as he shook his head. "Of course, it was the King of Knights. So these people weren't deranged after all." He held his sword up, gripping the handle tight. "Very well. Let this be a duel between two Knight Class Servants. Nobody interferes!" he ordered to his soldiers. What little of them who were capable of listening.
"Master!" Arturia called back out, not breaking eye contact with the apparent Saber before her.
"Just focus on him, Saber! We'll clear the area!" Ayako replied, already floating above the camp with her red coat.
"Thank you!" gratitude welled up inside her, now nodding back to her opponent. "En Guard!"
Three areas, in a line, erupted inside the camp. The two craters on opposite ends, of where the Saber Class Servants were, and the center area where their blades met. They both took two steps back, before launching themselves towards each other, the swords scraping on one another in a bright flash of a spark. Caesar brought his sword back and swung at Arturia's neck, missing by a mile as she crouched down and aimed Caliburn for his abdomen. She missed her mark, only cutting air, with Caesar sidestepping her attack. He brought his sword down, aiming for a killing blow, but Arturia was just as fast, Caliburn brought closer to deflect his attack.
All of that spanning in a single second that many, if not most, have trouble following even with reinforced eyes. Only bright flashes of steel meeting steel, their duel destroying the landscape without much way of holding it back.
True to her word, under Ayako's orders, everyone set to either subdue, or eliminate the soldiers of the United Empire. Koleen held a group of people under her tight grip with her Witchcraft, something Medea was doing en masse in comparison. Martha was focusing her efforts on the more troublesome members of the camp, though none of them could compare to a Saint and a Servant like her. Ayako stuck to the night sky, using her reinforced eyes to scan the environment for anyone who had managed to sneak away. Sanson made sure that none of them would head north.
Back on the ground, the battle between two Sabers raged on, with the very earth being no longer recognizable with every single movement from them. A battle that was heading nowhere, much to the consternation of the Roman Servant.
"Enough!" he yelled to Arturia, who stopped in her assault, her eyes never leaving him. "I will end this."
"I came! I saw! And therefore, all there is left, is to conquer!" his rotund body moved with a quickness he had yet to exhibit, appearing in an almost flash before Chaldea's Saber.
"Crocea Mors!" he struck his blade on top of her, and then another. And then another. And then another, yet he stopped. His eyes widened, seeing his attack halted by Caliburn. Despite the blood that was flowing down Arturia's forehead, left shoulder, and right arm, she kept on smiling.
"It seems luck is on my said, Caesar." His sword was thrown out of his hands, backhanded by Arturia as she welcomed this new position, and plunged the Sword of Selection through his heart.
He sputtered, coughing out blood that began seeping down his chin. He grimaced in pain, his hands clutching the bright sword that signified his end. "Damn, that mage…" his words were cut short, as his body began to expire, disappearing before them.
There was no one left to hold the camp, and all that was left for the remnants of the United Empire invading force was to retreat back to their capital, all that was left haphazardly running down south. Anyone else that fought back were cut down, while those that surrendered were corralled together.
The Saber sighed tiredly, shoulders sagging as she felt the blood that began staining her white dress and armor. Within the second, she felt the wounds she got from Caesar's last Noble Phantasm began to stitch together. A healing spell was coursing through her body. She turned around, seeing Medea approach her with her hood covering most of her face.
"Thanks, Caster." Arturia said with a smile, keeping to their professional visage when deployed.
"You did great, Saber. Ayako would be proud." Medea's gloved hand reached for the Saber's golden hair, ruffling it like she had been doing since they arrived in Rome, though this time Arturia welcomed the gesture, if only for this short reprieve.
"That was textbook." Speaking of… the Puppeteer came into their space, landing close to them with her hands in her red coat, smiling to them with an accomplished smile. "Amazing work, Saber. Wouldn't have asked for anything better."
"Thank you, Master!" her smile beamed like the golden dawn, causing Ayako to blink her eyes as if she was momentarily blinded.
"Did he say anything?" Koleen asked as she approached the group, flanked by Martha with her staff in her hand, and a bloodied but unwounded Sanson. The kitten was resting in her breast pocket, carefully tucked in.
"Yes, he did." Her brief sense of elation was pushed to the side, furrowing her brows in thought. "Damn that mage… and that was it, he perished soon after."
The Masters looked to one another, a silent conversation occurring between them, before they as one turned to the Greek Caster. "What are the chances…"
"We can't say for certain unless we know more." Medea cut them off before Ayako could finish her question. "It could be the Professor. It could be a Caster that was summoned as well. But…" she sighed for a moment, before continuing. "It sounds like, whoever this mage is, is the anchor to this anomaly."
"Don't… don't immediately, kill him. Aozaki. Bertrand." The holographic projection of the control room came into view, giving them a clear sight of the Doctor, manning his console, and the Director, leaning onto the control panel with her white hair covering her face. Kagiso was behind her, his one hand rubbing her back, in an attempt to calm her down. "If it is him… We need, to ascertain more of his motives. And that of his master's."
The Puppeteer grimaced, a curse forming just at the tip of her tongue, though she stayed it. "I'm gonna hate every single second we let him live, but I won't, Director. Don't worry, I can be patient."
"You think he'll tell us? Is he even the type to monologue?" Koleen asked her friend.
"Lev didn't really get a chance to last time." The Doctor replied in Ayako's stead. "Ayako wasted no time, she pulled the trigger, so to say."
"Yes, but I don't think we would've gotten anything of worth from him then." Medea added. "He seemed to be lording himself over us as pitiful humans."
"We just have to play with his pride, and hopefully words will just slip out his mouth like butter." Ayako covered her eyes with both her hands, sighing slowly with the stress that lingered. "You haven't seen him then, Kalls. He's not how he presented himself before all of this. I don't know if it was a lie, a façade, or he just up and changed. But that thing, ain't human."
"I think it's best if we clean the place up." Martha spoke up, moving in-between the two Masters. "Put your minds off of it, it's doing you two no good."
"I concur." Sanson stepped forward, eyeing the two young women with concern. "Saber, you're just as tired, but Caster topped you up. Escot the Masters back to Massilia. We'll handle the camp."
"Alright." She sheathed Caliburn back into its scabbard, before she picked Koleen up in her arms. Ayako wordlessly floated back up, giving the sleeve of her red coat to the Saber. "Stay safe everyone! I'll make sure Ayako and Koleen make it back in one piece!"
And off she went, down the dimly lit Roman road that connected the camp with their impromptu forward base.
It wouldn't be for another couple of days before a contingent of Emperor Nero's army arrived in Massilia. And along with the Red Emperor, was a single chariot that stood out, as it had atop it the Rogue Servant they had brought into the fold, along with Ritsuka and his team. The local people of Massilia welcomed the Emperor and her army with cheers and open arms, happy to be back within the Empire. All of them, were also oblivious to the Rider that held her contempt at bay with a charming smile on her face.
"I think Martha would be proud." The Japanese Master commented with an amused smile, glancing towards Boudica's direction as she waved to the children that they passed by.
"Hm? What do you mean, Senpai?" Mash asked, punctuated by the cry of Fou.
"He means to say that Boudica has the patience of a Saint." The Pseudo-Servant answered with a puff of his cigarette.
"So, she is a Rider, right? She's not another Class?" he asked the Clock Tower Lord.
"It appears to be so. There's not that many people who could have a mount, and not be a Rider." He offered.
"Friends!" all three heads turned to see the Emperor approaching them, flanked by two of her retainers. "Once again, you have all done remarkable work! To have Massilia back in our hands, umu! We shall meet up with the rest of your people."
"Yeah, I'm sure they're eager to continue on our mission." Ritsuka turned to the Servants beside him. "You guys can go on ahead, I'll bring Boudica along."
There was a look of protest that flashed on Mash's face, but the Pseudo-Servant overtook her. "We'll see you there, Master. Remember, town center."
"Yes, thank you." He gave them a final nod, before walking towards the Rider they had earned to loyalty of.
Said Rider was surrounded by children, clamoring towards her in fascination and awe, as if somehow they could gleam that she was beyond ordinary. And she handled them with tenderness and care, as if the thought of them being Roman was overridden by some sort of maternal instinct. He wondered if this is the face she would show them more often, if it weren't for the time period she was summoned in. Present company excluded.
"Boudica, we're meeting up with the rest of our team." He called her by her name, also to fish out any sort of response from the people around them. Barring a select few, who happened to be the soldiers from the Emperor's contingent, everyone seemed oblivious.
Her eyes also scanned her surroundings, as if she too wanted to gauge their reactions. She nodded to herself not a moment later, turning to face him. The smile she showed him was just as warm, that he almost forgot the visage he saw back in Gaul. "Lead the way, Master."
They weren't far behind the group that had left earlier, their backs visible to their eyes as they walked down the brick roads of Massilia. The rest of the Emperor's forces moved to the south of the city, both to reinforce the border and to not crowd the already packed streets that had come to greet the Emperor. Ritsuka wondered if there were any modern leader that could attract such a cult of personality. He also wondered just what happened to the Emperor that people's perception of her would turn a full 180.
Saint Martha was there to greet them, her staff held to her side as she welcomed them with a wave and a smile. Silently, she stepped to the side, allowing the Emperor and her retainers to enter the workshop first before she followed in behind them. Mash and Lord El-Melloi II were next, with himself and Boudica closing in the rear, as he closed the door behind him. There was a small, circular table inside the middle of the room, with Ayako and Koleen sitting to one side of it. Medea floated between them. The Emperor took one side, and Ritsuka took another, with the Pseudo-Servant standing behind him.
Sanson walked into the room, carrying a small tray of drinks for the Masters and the Emperor. A simple tea brewed from local leaves. Nero took the cup with a bright smile, savoring the aroma of her land, before taking a sip. "Before we begin, I must both congratulate you for your victories, and to also thank you for your timely assistance in these trying times. Chaldea has our eternal gratitude." She bowed her head, with her two retainers bowing even straighter.
"We were more than happy to help." Ayako replied, her hands resting atop the table, fingers interlinked with one another. "Our reasons were both, pragmatic, and morally aligned."
"Nevertheless, your presence has been a great boon to us." The Emperor said as she raised her palm above her shoulder. One of the retainers pulled out a scrolled piece of parchment, moving closer to them. "Where was the Capital that you have located?"
"València." Koleen answered as the courier unrolled the scroll on the table, showing them a map of the Empire.
"València, is it? Umu." The Emperor nodded, placing a finger on where the city was on the map. "We've lost contact from it 2 months ago, now it all makes sense. And if these usurpers are like these Servants of yours, all the more reason for it to happen all of a sudden."
"For the past couple of days, after clearing the camp down south, we've put all our resources in unraveling what the city has for us." Continued the Puppeteer. "For the moment, we've detected two more Servants in the Capital. One of them, being the very first Servant we've encountered here. That you've encountered here as well." A sharp intake of breath came from the Red Emperor, but she didn't interrupt. "We've found someone else there as well. Someone who we have no records of."
"Can you describe them?" the Emperor asked, her throat slightly strained, prompting her to take another sip.
Medea pulled her hood down, floating closer to the table. "He is a tall, bronze skinned man, almost to a golden complexion. An ornate crown atop his head with a blood red crystal protruding from it. He wore a deep red cape that almost covers his body. His eyes were also fully red, maybe a hint of black sclera. And his weapon, a large, double sided lance of some kind. The last time I saw him, it seemed to have grown larger."
"Romulus." Her voice was almost a whisper, her eyes widening in awe, and worry. "Our great founder."
"How could our greatest of figures be summoned to strike us down?" one of the retainers commented, earning a glare from the other.
"Because they want to demoralize you." Their eyes turned to Ritsuka, who had been keeping to himself during this meeting. "King Leonidas. Caligula. Julius Caesar. Spartacus. And now, Romulus. They want to dismantle your Empire, and your spirit, Emperor Nero."
"My dear friend here is right." Ayako said, smiling to him. "It is a calculated effort by the mastermind of this entire operation."
"To dismantle Rome, not through warfare, but through guile." Koleen sighed, knocking her knuckles onto the table. "They would have known that we would have intervened, so they must've thought us incompetent."
Ritsuka's hand rubbed the side of his forehead. "Well, unfortunately for them, we had practice in France."
"That we did, Ritsu-chan." Her left hand reached for his shoulder, patting him lightly.
"Once again, you have further proven just how much you have done for our people." Nero stood up to her full height, which was admittedly not much, and bowed again. "Is there anything we can do to repay you?"
"There's not really anything we want, or need, Emperor Nero." Koleen spoke up, a slight motion of her body as if she had intended on placating the Emperor. "Nothing, except to solve this anomaly."
"Then getting straight to business it is then." The Emperor sat back down, the seriousness of the situation displayed clearly on her face. The temporary workshop, filled to the brim with people, all assembling a plan of action for their own impending invasion.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
this chapter is what solidified Septem as a 6 chapter Singularity. i couldn't cram everything i wanted here, so i had to split it off.
it's because, initially, i planned on this chapter being the part where the group converges again together to strike at the Capital, and where we get a rematch of Nero and Caligula.
unfortunately, most of the chapter was already filled with the things that happened in Massilia, as you guys may have noticed.
so, Nero's part was separated, and we end up focusing on Ayako's team wholly.
but, despite all of that, i'm very happy with the final product. i didn't want to do too much with Spartacus, because he has a much more awesome moment in a future segment of the game that i can't wait to reach with PotP. at the very least, i think i did him and Caesar justice with the little screen time they had.
reviews!
trexboy164: yeah, the Lostbelts would have 1v1s between a Master and Servant.
King0fP0wers: it did cross my mind just to have Boudica as a separate entity that opposes the protags, but since she's the "free Servant" of Septem, i didn't want a Servant that was obviously fighting against Chaldea to get summoned so quickly. (especially since they need a Rider)
eunikecindy8: thanks a lot!
thanks again everyone for dropping by!
leave a review if you don't mind, and i'll see you all next time!