You know...this was incredibly painful for me to write. Y'all are going to see why here, but I won't give away too much. Anyways...here is the new chapter, I hope you all enjoy.

Septem: All Roads Lead to Rome

Cira opened her eyes to a grassy meadow and hill biome. It was absolutely beautiful, the warm breeze carried the lingering scent of salt to her and she gave a sigh.

"Wow…" she breathed.

"Looks like Doctor Roman is getting better at his placements," Mash's voice came from Cira's right, "We managed to teleport together this time!"

"Yeah and this time I don't feel like my head got slammed against the floor," Cira chuckled, getting Mash to shake her head as she turned to look up at the sky.

"The feel of the wind, the smell of the earth and the vast blue sky…" Mash smiled, "It's strange, I've seen it on film so many times...but seeing it in person is an experience,"

"Mash, we've seen this before though," Cira reminded her, "Orleans?"

"I-I know…" Mash admitted, "But then I couldn't really take it in. Now, however…"

"Does Rayshifting make you nervous?" Cira asked, looking at her friend, who was still breathing a bit hard.

"Y-Yes it does," Mash nodded, "But I don't think that has anything to do with my state of mind,"

"I mean, it makes me a bit nervous as well," Cira shrugged.

"You get nervous from the fact they put us in a small container and fill it with water," Mash pointed out as the two started walking.

"...Ok that's fair," Cira chuckled.

"I just feel...overwhelmed?" Mash pondered, "In France it was one shock after another and now...I'm actually able to breathe and experience it all,"

Her peaceful expression soured slightly and Cira followed her gaze upwards.

"Still there," Cira sighed, looking at the ring of light that shone in the sky, "I don't like it…"

"Yeah, we can't get a good look at it here either," Romani's voice piped up, "It's interesting to me...but I'll keep investigating it, I promise,"

"Thanks," Cira nodded.

"Fou!"

Cira had precisely two seconds in which she could have used to dodge...but she didn't use them wisely as Fou pounced and collided with her face, knocking her off balance and sending her to the ground with a yelp.

"You tagged along again didn't you?" Cira groaned, "Ok, whose Coffin did you sneak into? Bark once for mine, twice for Mash's."

"Fou! Fou-kyu!" Fou chirped, nuzzling her cheek before hopping off and bounding over to Mash, who picked him up and sat him on her shoulder.

"I think he's saying hello," Mash chuckled, "He likes the open areas apparently,"

"Yeah, I can tell," Cira huffed as she got up, "Owwww…"

"...Uh, girls?" Romani's voice crackled over the comms, "Weren't you supposed to be in Rome? Those hills don't look like it."

"I have never really set foot outside my home country, so how the heck would I know?" Cira asked.

"We are in the hills," Mash added, trying to be helpful.

"Weird...I confirmed it and everything...you should be in the capital and you're not," Romani huffed, "Looks like it's a suburb of the Roman Capital I guess?"

"Was there an error in the coordinates?" Mash asked, "Are we in the right time period?"

"Oh you guys are in the 1st century, that's for sure," Romani nodded, "During the reign of Nero Claudius. But...it's weird. Why are you guys so far from the capital? Despite Empress Agrippina poisoning him the year before, he shouldn't be in his declining years yet. This was when the emperor was still well loved and…"

"And not a psychopath crazy person?" Cira offered.

"...Yeah!" Romani sputtered, "I'm just super confused because you should have appeared in town and not outside in the hill country!"

"Maybe there was a reason," Cira shrugged, noticing Mash suddenly freezing, her head snapping to the side, "Mash?"

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

Cira frowned, straining to hear whatever it was that put Mash on edge. The sound of horses neighing, metal striking metal and men roaring caught her ear.

"...A battle?" Cira asked, remembering the sounds from dreams she'd had recently from mainly Cu Chulainn, though Artoria had a few of them as well.

"Yes," Mash nodded, "Just over the rise, look at the smoke!"

The two girls raced forwards, climbing the hill and looking out over the battlefield. Two armies it seemed like, one much larger than the other, were attacking each other. Both dressed in scarlet and gold livery, it seemed to almost be a civil war of sorts.

"That shouldn't be possible…" Romani started, "There were no full scale wars during this time period!"

"Well, looks like we found our problem child in the singularity," Cira pointed out, "What you wanna bet there's a fake Nero or another emperor in this singularity?"

"What do you mean?" Mash asked.

"I mean...the last two places we've been there've been altered Servants. Artoria in Fuyuki, Jeanne in Orleans…"

"The Grail does happen to have that track record," Romani agreed, "So we have the anomaly...now we just need to figure out how to fix it."

"I see a woman at the frontline," Mash announced, still looking at the battlefield, "That...is not common during this time period,"

"Maybe she snuck in and got caught up in it?" Cira asked.

Mash shook her head.

"She seems to be leading them," she said, "She's putting up an incredible fight, carving through the enemy lines with ease. I'm guessing she's a Servant with that ability…"

"I'm not getting any readings of Servant activity," Romani pointed out, "As far as we know, Mash is the only Servant there. You can't sense any either, can you?"

"Correct," Mash admitted.

"So that means she's a human of this era," Romani concluded.

"It's just a speculation," Mash started, "But she reminds me a little of Jeanne and Artoria. Just the aura she gives off."

"Yeah that human woman is starting to get overrun," Cira pointed out, jabbing a finger at the larger army, which was now starting to encircle the smaller one, "I say we should give them a hand. That city's going to be overrun and I'm guessing that that's the city we need to go into,"

"Agreed," Mash nodded as the two started down the hill, "Let's go!"

"Be careful you two," Romani warned, "They might not be Servants or Monsters...but they have a lot more numbers than you do!"

"Use the flat," Cira grinned as the two girls made their way down the slope and got an eye roll from Mash, "Oh lookie here! My snarkiness is starting to rub off on you!"

"I don't know what possessed Doctor Roman to use that phrase," Mash huffed, "But this is going to be a regular thing for you, isn't it?"

"Until it stops being funny," Cira chuckled, "Go get 'em, Mash,"

Mash nodded, taking off like a shot and crashing into the battle line alongside the smaller force's soldiers. They looked scared at first as Mash sent a few of the enemy soldiers flying from the impact, but it quickly turned to relief as they realized they were on her side. The Demi-Servant blitzed through the battlefield, not as fast as Cu Chulainn or Lily were, but still faster than any normal human.

The Shielder rammed her shield into the enemy soldier before her, whirling around as a shadow fell over her...when a bolt of hot white light zipped past her shoulder and slammed into the soldier that was preparing to stab her.

Mash's head snapped back to Cira, who was holding her right arm, pointing at the soldier as wisps of light glittered around her hand. Another bolt of white light shot from her hand as another soldier was blinded and sent to the ground. A wide, bright smile graced the face of the light mage as she continued to take out a handful of soldiers. Three bolts, four, five…

It was at the sixth firing bolt that Cira started to overheat and wobble, falling to a knee.

"Master!" Mash yelled as soldiers started towards the other girl, who managed to fire off another bolt, but was starting to shake.

Strength surged as a protective fury burned in her, her golden eyes flashed as with a swift move she hurled off a soldier that had grabbed her and bolted towards Cira, plowing through the enemy line to get to her. She set her shield firmly before Cira, eyes hard as Cira's body began to steadily grow brighter and brighter.

Mash's world turned white, she heard the yells of soldiers as they stumbled back away from both Master and Servant, and when the light died...there was a distinct lack of enemy soldiers around them. Mash turned back to Cira, who gave a shaky smile, though her eyes were shining a light silvery blue in happiness.

"I did it!" she beamed, "I managed to last longer this time!"

"So you did," Mash smiled, helping Cira to her feet and frowning at the abnormal warmth that radiated from her Master's skin, "You need to be more careful too. Don't do that when I'm not nearby,"

"Noted," Cira nodded as another voice rose above the din.

"SHEATHE YOUR SWORDS!" a female voice called, "It's over!"

A cheer rose up among the smaller army's soldiers and the sound of armor on stone caught Cira's ear and the woman who had been leading the army stepped towards Cira and Mash. She had bright blonde hair and green eyes that sparkled in the light. Her sword was massive, jagged and crimson in color as it caught the light of the setting sun. Her red-orange dress was... remarkable, to say the least. It sported a white bust with a low neckline, revealing just a little too much. That was not, however, what caught the eye. The front of her dress was completely see-through. It might have been easier to convince oneself that what could be seen beneath was the bottom of a bikini.

"Oh what is this…" Cira thought as the woman stopped before them.

"You two," the woman started, "Are you reinforcements from the capital? No...the capital has been sealed off. No matter, I do commend you,"

She gave a grin.

"It doesn't matter if you were once my enemy, I am merciful and so any past mistakes are water under the bridge. More importantly," she nodded towards Mash, "I praise the way you fought now. For a girl to brandish a weapon larger than herself...Umu, I must say I like you! You showed such an indescribable, aberrant beauty!"

"Um...th-thank you," Mash blinked.

"Very good...I shall allow you to fight at my side. You should revel in that ultimate honor,"

"I'm...not sure I like this one," Cira thought to herself, "Little too arrogant for my taste."

"Still…" the woman frowned, "You both dress in such a strange fashion. Aren't you showing just a little too much?"

Mash gave a flustered sputter as she immediately crossed her arm over her midsection.

"You're one to talk," Cira pointed out, "Considering the entire front part of your dress is completely see-through,"

"You're a bold one," the woman sniffed, "I am not showing too much. I am allowing people to see. Anyways...you two are foreigners, yes?"

"Just passing by," Cira replied.

"Passing reinforcements then," the woman hummed, "Perhaps you are one of Boudica's...her moves are beyond shrewd…"

She shook her head.

"In any case, I shall reward you both handsomely for helping us with this victory," she nodded, before giving a soft laugh, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself just now. You will have to wait for your reward...since I have nothing but my sword for a moment."

She turned on her heel and started towards the city. Cira looked at Mash and shrugged.

"I guess we're going too," she said, following the woman.

Cira and Mash walked up in front of the army with the woman, who was very curious and talkative.

"I know you both said you two were foreigners," the woman said, "But I do not know where you are from. Surely not...Britannia…?"

She gave a shudder.

"Nothing but barbarians in that backwater region and you two seem fairly civilized," the woman reasoned, "Hm, the Far East seems unlikely. You…"

She looked at Cira.

"Carry some coloring and such that I would say would be from Germania...maybe Britannia if I really wanted to stretch it. While your friend here…" she turned a vibrant green eye towards Mash, "I have never seen that coloring though your features make me think you're from Gaul."

"We're from Chaldea," Cira said simply.

"Chal...dea?" the woman hummed as Mash seemed to freeze.

"Enough small talk," she started, her golden gaze lasering in on what seemed to be a second army, "We still have many enemies to deal with. The second wave is upon us,"

The woman gave an annoyed growl.

"Those restless United Empire fools!" she hissed, "How dare they interrupt my beautiful voice! MEN! Prepare for battle!"

"Stay near me," Mash ordered, casting a golden eye towards Cira, "I won't allow them to get near you,"

"Got it,"

"You, striking young girl!" the woman ordered, looking at Mash, "I order you to be my shield for this battle."

The Shielder started for a moment, violet eyes wide.

"E-Excuse me?" she stammered.

"We can't afford to get on her bad side," Cira whispered so that only Mash could hear her, "We're in an unfamiliar place and I highly doubt you can take on an entire army. We need to wait until we find a Leyline to get the others here. Then we can take on an army I feel,"

"Are you sure?" Mash asked, looking quite uncertain.

"I'm sure," Cira nodded, putting a hand on Mash's shoulder and making the other girl shudder as a jolt of energy washed through her tired limbs, "I've got faith in you. If something happens, I'll let you know, ok? I'll even stay in the back if you want so you don't have to worry about me,"

Mash gave a grateful nod and with a gentle shove from Cira, went to the other woman's side. Part of Cira felt cold as she saw Mash there. She was her Servant, her friend. Not this woman's. She watched the battle commence, as Mash and the woman dashed through the battlefield in flashes of sable and scarlet, and thankfully it was over quickly due to the enemy hurling everything they had at Mash...who dutifully protected the woman and made sure she was not harmed. There was a moment where Cira had stumbled forwards out of fear due to a soldier coming up to stab Mash in the back...but the woman had managed to cut that one down before he could harm Mash.

"She fights strangely," Mash said as they returned and the army got moving again, "I don't know why...but part of me hates it. It's a burning unease inside when I'm near her."

"Dunno," Cira shrugged, "I do find it odd that she looks...really familiar."

"Like you've seen her picture before as a sculpture or painting?"

"No...like I've met her before," Cira shook her head, "Ah I'm probably imagining things, that's for sure."

They continued onward before the woman turned her attention back to Cira and Mash.

"I do have to thank you for ending this," she said, "You both have been a gift from the gods here. Fighting in wars is always difficult. But being on the inferior side? That is not fun at all,"

Cira felt a sudden tenseness from her bond with Mash and looked at her friend...just to see Mash freeze and look towards one of the hills.

"Mash?" Cira asked, following her gaze and seeing a man in armor standing on the hill.

He bore no weapons, his golden armor shone in the dying light as his tattered scarlet cloak whipped in the wind.

"Servant," Mash growled, bringing her shield before her as the man leaped off the hill at an impossible distance and cratered the ground before the woman, Mash and Cira.

"My beloved sister's child…" the man rasped, his voice deep and scratched, almost as if he had spent most of his day screaming.

The woman's eyes widened as she immediately flowed into a battle stance, her sword igniting with flame as she held it.

"Uncle!" she gasped, "What are you doing here?! No...nonono, let me call you this, a fool who has lost his way and allied with the United Empire! Caligula!"

"...Did she just say 'Caligula'?" Romani demanded, his voice crackling from the communications device as the woman charged the Servant, "Cira, Mash, she said uncle, right?"

"Yes, I am sure I heard that," Mash nodded, "A human living in this era...being a blood relation to a Servant? Is that possible?"

"We'll look into that later," Romani promised, "Cira, are you ready? This is the first Servant battle we've had since you arrived here in this era."

Cira gave a sigh, holding up her hand and frowning.

"I can't do much but bolster Mash," she admitted, "I used up a big chunk of my reserve in that first battle I think. I want to hold on to at least a bit in case of a real emergency."

"What can you tell me?" Mash asked.

Cira's eyes flicked to the Servant, who was currently battling his niece. The stormy blue eyes suddenly flashed pale blue as she examined the scene.

"Berserker," Cira stated, eyes narrowed slightly as the horned beast's head blazed above his head, pulsing like a heartbeat with sickened red light.

She focused harder, the statistics of the Servant before her wavering into being, visible only to her eyes.

"Ware his strength," Cira warned quietly, "His stats are middling...but that's way up there. Like up there with Heracles. Be careful."

"No need to worry, Master," Mash smiled, "I have faith in you,"

And she bolted forward just in time to block a strike to the woman. The woman nodded gratefully as Mash shifted her feet and pushed forward, knocking the Servant off balance.

"My actions...are destiny…" Caligula hissed, "Give up your life...your body...ALL OF IT!"

He gave an inhuman scream and grabbed Mash's shield, yanking her to the side. Mash rolled to her feet, her shield giving a screech as it dug into the ground and slowed her fall. Caligula took out a dagger and struck at the woman, who parried with her sword.

"Uncle, how could you!" she snarled, pushing back with the ring of steel as the blades disconnected.

Mash bolted back into the fray, ramming her shield's edge into the Servant's side and catapulting him away. A cloud of dust exploded from the impact point and Cira backed up a little bit as the sound of settling earth wafted over to her. A shadow appeared in the dust cloud and Mash stood before the woman, ready to charge back in.

"Oh...my beloved...younger sister's...child…" Caligula rasped, stepping out of the cloud with blood streaming down his face from where he'd been forcefully introduced to the ground, "Why won't you give it to me...why can't you give it to me? My beautiful...my...my...my…"

His body shattered into pale blue white sparks, making the woman startle as she stared at where he had been.

"He...just disappeared?!" she demanded, "Uncle?!"

Cira made her way to Mash as the latter relaxed her grip on her shield.

"I can no longer sense his presence," Mash announced.

"The enemy army is withdrawing," the woman pointed out, "My uncle must have been that battalion's general...I never thought I would see him again…"

"Looks like he went into Spirit Form and left…" Romani announced, causing the woman to look around confusedly, "Or fled, rather. Good work. Though if he's a Berserker like Cira says, him fleeing isn't a normal thing. Maybe Cira's not the only Master here…"

"Oh please no," Cira shuddered, "I don't want to be in a Grail War…"

"There is a man around here that can be heard but not seen," the woman wondered, "From the feel of it...perhaps a Mage?"

"Oh!" Romani actually sounded surprised, "Well, I'm glad you know of magecraft. Yeah, these two and I are from an organization called Chaldea an-"

"That's alright." the woman interrupted with a haughty smile, "You two fought marvelously again, well, you did, Shield Wielder. So I praise you again!"

"She just interrupted me!" Romani sputtered.

"Don't worry about it, Doctor," Cira sighed, "She seems to like to hear herself more than anything,"

"Before I ask your lineage," the woman continued, ignoring Cira and Romani both, "I shall give you my own. I,"

She drew herself up, placing a hand upon the snowy white bodice of her gown with a very prideful smirk.

"Am the True Protector of Rome. Truly, I am Rome itself," she announced, "I swear to rebuild my empire. Yes, this I swear to the gods, my ancestors, to myself, and to the people! I am Nero Claudius, Fifth Emperor of the Roman Empire!"

Cira immediately pinched the bridge of her nose, she could hear Romani sputtering and coughing where he had likely choked on his coffee. She could also hear DaVinci howling with laughter.

"Ohhhhh again with the females pretending to be males," she sighed.

"Are you surprised?" Nero beamed, misjudging Cira's annoyed look as to being annoyed with herself and not with Nero, "Oh you are surprised! Of course, be as surprised and amazed as you like, I shall allow it."

"Emperor...Nero?" Mash blinked.

"Was...a girl...history…" Romani sputtered.

"Doctor this is not the first time this has happened," Cira deadpanned, "Pull yourself together!"

Master: Cira Albion

Servants Mentioned:

Servant: Shielder- Mash Kyrielight

Servant: Saber-Artoria Pendragon

Servant: Lancer/Caster-Cu Chulainn

Servant: Saber- Saber Lily