Nero-Fest: II
"How I managed to let myself be convinced to come here is beyond me…" Boudica grumbled to herself, turning to look over her shoulder at the man behind her and stabbing an accusing finger in his direction "Do you have a Charisma Skill I am not aware of?"
"It is only at Rank E." Siegward replied earnestly, giving the Rider a friendly smile as he continued to bake away at his food stall, the pair having set one up near the entrance of the Colosseum for the guests to partake in baked goods and drink for the sporting events. "To be honest, I think it's much too high."
"That sounds about right…" The Rider muttered to herself, shaking her head as she went back to baking "How do you even manage this? Inviting me to Rome of all places?"
"I invited you only to enjoy in merriment." Siegward moved past her carrying a tray of pretzels, giving the woman a reassuring smile and a light pat on the shoulder "If it is truly such a burden to be here, I will not prohibit your leave."
Boudica remained silent for a few moments before sighing, her shoulders visibly slumping before she gave Siegward a tired smile "You're much too earnest for your own good, you know that right?"
"I have been told that I am - on occasion - a man with a heart too big." Siegward wryly admitted as he resumed stacking up the display for the customers "And that was by a Giant of all things." he added on with a boisterous laugh to follow suit, the man's good humour soon spread onto the Iceni woman and she couldn't help her lips quirking into a smile of her own at his demeanour.
"Really?" She mused, shaking her head at the man "You must have left them with quite the impression."
"Ohhh..." Siegward rumbled, pursing his lips "I'd say we rubbed off on each other." he remarked with a warm tone "I actually used to be reckless in my youth."
Boudica almost laughed "You?" she looked the man up and down with an incredulous expression "Really?"
"Oh, yes." Siegward nodded his head "Always rushing into trouble and Yhorm would come and bail me out just as swiftly. That was actually the first time we met." he spoke with a nostalgic tone "I believe I was…yes, I was rushing off to help a small village with a problem with the wildlife and all of a sudden I found myself beset upon by a burning demon!" he exclaimed "Now I tried to talk some sense into him but he just wouldn't have any of it, the fellow was more interested in violence and naturally we came to blows." he blew air out of his mouth as he shook his head "He almost got me a few times and suddenly a big shadow falls over both of us…"
He trailed off, looking out of the corner of his eye to see Boudica staring at him with an amused smile.
"Well?" She urged him on "Don't leave me in suspense now."
Siegward gave a warm smile "Well, myself and the demon both stop fighting and look up and what do we both see?" he paused "A Giant! Yhorm had apparently been woken up by our ruckus and came down to see what all the bother was about." he shook his head "He was nearly twice the height of the Demon and it just spins on its legs and waddles away as fast as it can!"
Boudica chuckled, her mind already concocting images of Siegward and some burning monster staring up at a freshly awoken giant. "I suppose he wasn't pleased to have been woken up?"
"Goodness me, no." Siegward shook his head "He takes one look at the fleeing demon and then another at me before he says 'What the bloody hell was that about'?" he put on a deep tone as he did so before he relaxed. "After I explained it he just up and said that if my size was equal to my foolery, then I would dwarf even him."
"Hahaha." Boudica gave a light chuckle, holding her hand in front of her mouth as she stared at the Knight "Really? That's certainly an impression."
"Most certainly." Siegward nodded along "Still…I suppose we were a pair of fools by the end of it." He gave an amused huff before looking down at the makeshift oven they had set up "Now then…I believe we have more baked goods to make, do we not?"
"Hmm." Boudica hummed, staring at the oven and then towards the crowd with a blank expression. She had briefly considered spitting in the food but that would have been disrespectful to Siegward's efforts and there was no sense in troubling him with her own problems towards Rome.
She blinked when she noticed her environment darkened, the woman poked her head out from the umbrella of the stall and looked out amongst the street to see the problem. Both her eyebrows rose up as far as they could go as she stared at the Dragon just sitting in the middle of the street staring towards her.
The beast was huge, somewhat skinny and covered in dark blue feathers, the more she stared the more she noticed that it had no front limbs. Instead having four wings which curled up at its side as its beaked head looked around for a few moments then back towards her. She continued to watch as one of the largest men - still a little shorter than Heracles - climbed down off its back and onto the street.
The man dressed in dark grey scaled armour and with long strips of equally grey cloth hanging around him turned to face her before breaking into a steady march for the stall. She watched as he easily closed the distance in but a few steps. His eyes were a gentle golden yet slightly dulled, however the rest of his face was hidden behind a scarf around his neck. The giant came to a stop in front of their stall before he leaned down slightly to actually get a good look at their food.
"Hmmm…Pret…zel?" He spoke in a slightly unsure tone before looking past Boudica and raising a lone eyebrow "You are a man of many talents, Catarinan."
"Hm?" Siegward looked up, then blinked twice "Oh, God Faraam!" he exclaimed in a jolly tone as he moved to the front of the stall "I wasn't expecting you to be here."
"I wasn't planning on attending." Faraam replied casually, Boudica wrapping her head around what Siegward had just revealed and yet it wasn't as shocking as she was imagining it to be, as he nodded to the shorter man "But I felt the presence of other warriors and I…" he shrugged "Well…It seemed as though it would be worth viewing the abilities of the others of this world to some extent."
He paused as he looked over his shoulder "And I can sense Gwyndolin here…along with a few others of the Lordkin." he sighed "While I will not attempt to right a wrong after so many years, I will at least assure myself he is in good health."
Siegward nodded his head "I see. Well, as for his health…from what little I have heard, he and Medusa have been regularly seen in the library for a few days now." he shrugged "They appear to be in good company."
Faraam raised an eyebrow "Medusa?" his eyes coloured themselves in confusion "I…am not familiar with the name, I assume they are a Lord of this world?"
"She is, or was anyway." Boudica informed him before she could help herself, Faraam's eyes turned to her and narrowed slightly in curiosity. "I am…Boudica, your…" she paused. "I haven't interacted with all that many Gods before, so I'm not sure how to address you."
Faraam waved his hand dismissively "I care more about strength of arm, than race of birth." he looked down at the pretzels "...Are they some form of baked treat then?"
"Oh, yes." Siegward nodded "Do you wish to have one?"
"I'll take three." He replied "I've found two other Dragon Riders - one from the land I blessed - and I wish to entreat with them." he chuckled, then paused "Although the Saint seems ill at ease around us."
"Really?" Siegward blinked, then shrugged, "I'm sure a gift of food will bring all troubles to rest." he assured God as he wrapped up the baked goods in brown paper and handed them to him "I wish you luck, however!"
"Hmmm." Faraam gave a hum as he took the bag of pretzels and made his way back over to Storm, the dragon was still patiently waiting for him as he returned. The beast slowly stared at the bag in his hand and then towards him expectantly. Faraam gave him a flat look. "Really?"
Storm gave a low growl.
"If I were to attempt to satisfy your hunger, we would be here until you consumed their entire pantry." He pointed out, throwing a thumb over his shoulder at the stall "You're not getting one."
Storm gave a mewl in response, Faraam gave him a troubled expression before he eventually sighed. Opening up the bag, he pulled out one of the pretzels and split it in half. "You can have half of mine and no more, understand?"
Storm seemed to consider the deal for a few moments before nodding his head, opening up their beaked mouth as Faraam tossed the half of the pretzel into the maw. The jaws swiftly snapped shut as they consumed the treat in a single gulp.
"Honestly." Faraam grumbled to himself as he climbed atop the back of the content Dragon "With how often I end up following your whims, I wonder which of us was actually tamed by which."
Storm gave a huff of amusement as he spread his four wings wide, giving a single flap he pushed himself off the ground in a buffet of wind which had Boudica and Siegward cover their eyes to avoid dust getting into them as the dragon took off into the sky.
The Rider and Saber watched the God depart with blank expressions before they looked at each other.
"So…how did you know him?" She asked, pointing up at the disappearing God "Another friend of yours?"
"Ummm…" Siegward's lips thinned "I actually tackled him off his dragon in the middle of the air."
"...You know what?"
"Hm?"
"I think your giant friend was right all along." Boudica gave a deciding nod of the head "If your foolishness did decide your height, you'd be the second biggest servant in Chaldea."
"Oh…Who would be the fir-" He paused, giving her a wry smile "Ah, nevermind."
"There could never be any place for you aside from right here!" Nero exclaimed as she pushed open the doors to the 'VIP' seating arrangement for the stadium, the others trudged into the section and looked around for a few moments. The seating when compared to the other parts of the colosseum was incomparable.
"This…um…" Ritsuka swallowed audibly as he stared at the chairs and the array of food "This isn't a bother, is it?"
"Not at all." Nero shook her head as she continued onwards, "Besides, there are others who have been waiting here as well!"
"Others?" Ritsuka raised an eyebrow "What othe-"
"I welcome thee." The calm - and familiar voice - of Cecilia called out from ahead of them, the masked woman turned to face them with a faint smile upon her lips "Milord."
"Cecilia." Ash nodded back to her with a slight twitch on his face before he quickly frowned and looked towards Nero "You-"
"Hm?" Nero tilted her head at him in confusion "Is there an issue?"
Ash's expression tightened as he looked back at Cecilia before shaking his head "...No, not for the time being." he admitted, walking towards the Fire Keeper "You are well?"
"As well as one can me, Milord." Cecilia calmly answered she stared at him for a little bit longer "Thou art…well?"
"...I am uninjured." He replied as he came to a halt next to her, staring at the seat just to her right and placing himself down "You are being treated well?"
"I have suffered no ill-harm nor ill-intent." She replied with an almost toneless voice, placing both her hands on her lap as she looked at the Saber "Thy concern is unnecessary. The Emperor has proven herself a most gracious host."
"Umu! Umu!" Nero nodded her head as she almost skipped towards the two "Cecilia has been informing me that my living self gifted her the name." she leaned back and placed her hand on her forehead in a pose "Truly, my creativity is something which spans the distance between life and death!"
Ash stared blankly at her, then looked over his shoulder to see that Ritsuka, Mash and the others were looking at him with blank expressions.
"Is there some issue?"
"Nope." Ritsuka quickly answered, shaking his head and walking towards another empty seat "It's just that…" he trailed off as he stared down at the stands. He blinked twice before rubbing his eyes and gawking "Hey…Mash?"
"Yes, Senpai?"
"Is that a rat on a throne down there or am I seeing things?"
"...Eh?" Mash blinked, swiftly clearing the distance and looking down to see where Ritsuka was pointing, the girl did a double take as everyone else soon joined her - including Nero - in staring in complete surprise at the rat - around the size of a dog - currently sat upon a small throne carved of what looked like polished marble. "N-Nero-san?"
"Ummmm…" Nero looked similarly dumbstruck. "I…do not know?" she offered a way of a shrug, then looked back down "Who is that sitting with them?"
Ritsuka squinted "Well the one on the right is Gareth and that other is Verndari…There's Marie and d'Eon and…" he stared at the final figure "She…looks like you in a blue dress?"
"Thou art a most vain and ostentatious human." Marie blinked at the first words from the mouth of the large rat. She wasn't sure whether she should be caught off-guard by the words or who they were coming from. "I see thy dress and understand the nature of thy person." the rat went on, turning his head to stare at her fully.
"Hmmm." The creature hummed, tilting his head "And yet thy face is that of a babe, such innocent consternation I see in thine eyes…perhaps thou art of childish wit to match thy features?"
"Ummm…" Marie looked at d'Eon in confusion, the Knight was frowning at the rat.
"Was there a need to insult her majesty such as that?" They asked, frowning at the Rat, the creature looked towards them.
"I see thee as well." The Rat spoke in its ever cool voice "Thy nature is that of loyalty…Wouldst thee honour a pledge thee swerest truly?"
d'Eon gave a solid nod of her head "I am ever a Knight to my Master."
The Rat stared at them in silence before giving an approving hum "I see. Then thou art of the humans I do not detest." he relaxed into his throne before turning to the blonde woman to his left "Doth thou find my actions cruel?"
The woman remained silent before she shook her head "No. I was curious, however I understand that you wished to see who you would treat with." she turned away and looked down towards the others "You value honour greatly." a ghost of a smile touched upon her face before it just as swiftly vanished "That is something I approve of."
"If thou speakest truly, then thou art a human cut of a different cloth." The Rat gave a slow nod of the head, looking past her to the two knights "These are thy servants?"
"My Knight, Sir Gareth." The woman pointed towards the girl, who stood up a little straighter before she pointed past the Lancer at looking Glass Knight "The other is not one of my Knights, and yet I find them in the company of one of the roundtable." she paused "I am left to assume then, that you are one of chivalric spirit?"
"I am Ser Verndari, your Lordship." Verndari bowed her head at the woman "Given the manner in which Sir Gareth has treated you with the utmost respect, I assume you are King Arthur?"
"I am." Arthur nodded back, then paused "Is there some issue?" she asked, staring at Gareth as the girl fidgeted on the spot.
"W-well it's just…" She looked around nervously before she could no longer contain herself "Even if you're a woman, you'll always be my King!" she blurted out, stunning Arthur for a few moments before her expression softened ever so slightly.
"I see…" She nodded at Gareth "That you feel me deserving of such a pledge is gratifying." she looked towards Verndari "You need not feel compelled to treat me any differently than the Servants present here. For ease, you may refer to me as Artoria."
"...With respect, your Lordship." Verndari fidgeted slightly "I do not believe that I could allow myself to speak with a King so casually." they looked past Artoria at the rat "You speak boldly and yet your tone is one of regality…You are a…Noble?" they asked in a puzzled tone of voice.
"It surprises me little that humans have forgotten our existence." The rat responded in a slightly bitter voice before straightening himself out, sitting up on his hind legs "I am the King of all who reside in the underworld, from every lowly rat to the Grym." he answered "My name is unpronounceable in thy human tongue, thou mayest refer to me simply as the Rat King."
Marie was still staring at them in silence for a few moments before she replied "I am Marie Antoinette, Queen of France." she introduced with a slight curtsy "And this is my loyal Knight, Chevalier d'Eon." d'Eon bowed in greeting.
"A gathering of human chieftains." The Rat King muttered as he returned to his four feet "I find myself dubious, yet I shall extend thee all a great courtesy for entreating with me at all." he admitted, his tone shifting "I still smell thy confusion."
"Sorry." Marie admitted "I-it's just…you know…" she looked around "You're a rat."
"And thou art human." The rodent replied just as swiftly "Whatever puzzlement thou hast for my title of King, imagine mine own puzzlement for how humans might decide upon a monarch themselves."
A rather stunned silence soon followed as the others weren't exactly sure how they were supposed to respond to that. It seemed odd to see a rat declare himself a King, and yet they had to admit that for a rat, to see a human declare themself a monarch might be equally odd.
"I told you she'd be here!" The Queen blinked at the familiar voice, turning around and her expression visibly brightening at the sight of Mozart and Sanson moving through the crowd towards them, the latter looking more as though he was being dragged along judging by his reluctant expression.
"You said she might be here." Sanson muttered under his breath, then looked over his shoulder "I did not hear incorrectly, did I?"
"You did not." Arkon dutifully replied from behind the executioner as he walked behind them "He had no direction in mind and has seen fit to just wander aimlessly in the vain hope that he would inevitably encounter the monarch."
Mozart dismissively waved his hand at the pair "You cannot prove that I was incorrect since we have found her and…" he trailed off, his expression going blank as he looked past Marie and the others to the rat sitting upon a small throne. Rather comically, the throne was also sat upon the benches, giving the general appearance of a child sitting on a booster seat.
"Maria…" Mozart gave the Queen a strained smile "While I am aware you love everyone…does it really have to include sewer animals?"
Before Marie could even offer a retort, the Rat King gave a disdainful snort of his own.
"Thy words are but hollow sounds, spare us thy baseness and prejudice." He slowly turned to stare at Mozart before his eyes narrowed "I see thee for what thou art, filthy human. A base creature guided by thy instincts like that of a rabid beast. If thou art to remain in mine sight, thee will remain silent."
Sanson blinked, looking over his shoulder and sparing a surprise glance at Arkon before looking back at the rat. "Are we intruding?"
The Rat's eyes fell upon the pair of them, narrowing slightly as it stared at the two of them for a few moments, eyes shifting from Sanson and then to Arkon before returning to the executioner.
"I see thee, human." The snout frowned, then looked down to see Marie giving him a somewhat pleading expression. "Very well, I shall allow thy presence provided thee doth not disturb the peace."
Sanson gave a grateful nod of the head before sitting himself down a respectful distance from Marie, Arkon remained standing as he stared at the rat for a few moments longer.
"Does mine presence surprise thee, Lordkin?" The Rat King turned his eyes on the Silver Knight "Or has thee turned to thy true nature?" he accused "I can smell its stench upon thee…that accursed grasp of the old chaos."
Arkon stilled "...You should keep your observations to yourself, rat." the knight growled back "And remember that I have one King. It is not you."
"...Then there is perhaps some honour within thee after all." The Rat King looked away "Perhaps if thee remembers thy duty clear, thou may remain true to thyself."
Arkon grunted in response, sitting himself down upon the bench next to Sanson and crossing his arms in front of him.
Mozart remained standing, still staring ahead of himself in shock at the fact a rat had insulted him to his face. "Well…" the man cleared his throat, giving a smile which all but screamed trouble as he stared at the rat. Marie instantly recognised it and widened her eyes in alarm. "Vous n'avez pas de merde à grignoter?"
Marie's eyes nearly bulged out of their socket before she turned to the Rat King. The fortunate news was that they were all destined to speak Latin upon the moment of their summoning, so it was unlikely they were going to-
"Tu as trop d'estime de toi, Humain. Il n'y a presque pas de viande sur toi." The Rat King replied without so much as blinking as they stared ahead of themselves. Marie's head fell into her hands.
"Merde…" Sanson muttered under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head while Mozart just frowned.
"Well…A bilingual vermin. Now I've seen everything."
"Thy words are mine own, human." The Rat King glanced at him "For that is how I feel upon this very moment."
"Is it…like…Fou?" Ritsuka asked, looking down at the fluffy white animal at his feet. Fou looked up at him as if offended by the remark. "What?" he shrugged at the companion. "The only other animals we've encountered have been a wolf and two dragons." he replied "I mean like a companion or something."
Fou continued to stare at him for a few moments before shaking his head and waddling away from the Master. Ritsuka's shoulder slumped "I feel like I just offended him."
"I'm sure Fou-san isn't too worried by it, Senpai." Mash reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder before releasing him "Although…maybe it was asking if he was like a rat?" she ventured a guess, giving the rat another passing glance before looking back towards Ritsuka "Maybe?"
"I don't know." Ritsuka sighed, moving towards his own seat "Already got a wolf as a Servant, so why not a rat…I guess." he shrugged as he gently sat himself down. "So how are we beginning this?"
"In but a few moments!" Nero proclaimed as she strode forwards "I intend to address my Roman citizens and-"
"Welcome one and all to Eli-chan's debut concert!" A voice rang out from the centre of the stadium, Nero's expression froze with her eyes shrinking into slits. "I'm so excited to be performing at this venue and with so many adoring fans waiting for me!"
"Wha-!?" Nero spluttered as she rushed towards the balcony overlooking the Colosseum, the man almost glared at the figure in the centre of the arena. Dressed in a frilly dress with long pink hair. "That-that-how!?" Nero shouted out in shock "How did she get here!? Who gave her that podium!?"
"What possessed you to help her move a podium into the centre of the arena?" Martha asked as she took the pretzel from Faraam, giving him a grateful smile before he handed over the other one to Lothian.
"I recognised her as a Dragon-kin." Faraam explained "She said she wished to entertain the masses and Storm was insistent that I at least help her." he paused "Also I have never heard of an 'idol girl' before, but the young hatchling was insistent that it was important."
Lothian took the pretzel from Faraam, removing his helmet and revealing his stern features to the world, untouched skin with short black hair and hazel coloured eyes "Really?" he took a single bite of the pretzel and pointed towards the direction of the balcony "She seems ill at ease-"
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Martha chided the man instantly, giving him a minor frown before she looked down at her pretzel, splitting it in half and gifting the other portion to Jeanne. Her fellow Saint gave her a grateful smile as she took the baked treat from her.
"More importantly…" Jeanne looked up at Faraam and tilted her head "You said your mount was insistent on hearing her?"
"Yes." Faraam nodded his head, crossing his arms and leaning back into his seat "Storm is rare to insist upon much so I agreed." he shrugged, his lip quirking behind his scarf "Besides, seeing a dragon pursue something beyond transcendence was unexpected…" he paused "Unless she means idolatry in a fashion of worship."
"Is she going to try and convert us?" Lothian suddenly asked, swallowing his latest mouthful and spilling a few crumbs on himself "Is she going to give a sermon of some sort? She said it was her debut…perhaps a recent religion?"
"I do not believe she means that sort of idol." Jeanne remarked to Lothian, the man blinking at her and tilting his head in confusion "I believe it is something of the most recent era…some manner of popularity contest?"
"Popularity contest?" Faraam's eyes scrunched up with confusion, looking back towards Elizabeth "Really?"
"Wait a second here." Martha then looked at the God strangely. "You said you helped move the podium, didn't you?"
"I did." Faraam nodded his head in response "Why?"
"Then…who built all those speakers?"
"Never heard of speakers before and until today, I didn't think I'd have made anything to make sounds louder." Pharros muttered under her breath as she crossed her arms in front of herself, giving a proud smile "Thanks for doing all the heavy lifting, by the way."
"Pffft." Cu waved his hand "Piece of piss." he dismissed easily before he paused, squinting up at the sky "Is that a kid with wings?"
"Huh?" Pharros looked up in surprise, then took a single step backwards as she small girl crashed into the ground in front of them. The pair stared at her with obvious surprise as she looked between the two of them for a few moments before her eyes landed on Cu and her face scrunched up in discomfort.
"I knew it!" She exclaimed, pointing at the Lancer "I knew something was wrong around here!"
"Eh?" Cu blinked, pointing at himself "What are yo-"
"Take this and crush it, quickly!" The girl didn't wait for him to finish whatever he was saying before she virtually thrust a gold coin into his hands, the Lancer stared at golden coin with a dumbfounded expression for a few moments before he looked towards the girl again.
"What the fu-"
"No time to talk!" The girl hastily stammered as she beat her wings and shot off into the sky "I need to make sure people don't get killed!" she explained as she disappeared into the distance, Cu watched her with with his expression still in a mixture of shock and surprise before he stared at the golden coin once again.
"...You gonna break that?" Pharros asked as she looked at the coin in a passing manner before back at the Lancer.
Cu gave her an odd look "Some random Goddess drops out the sky and thrusts a coin into my hand and tells me to break it?" he snorted and shook his head, throwing it away from him "No was in all Hell am I doing something as stupid as that."
Pharros shrugged "Alright then." she remarked, scratching her cheek and staring ahead of herself towards the girl "...Does she have a tail, or is it just me?"
"Huh?" Cu blinked, then looked towards the centre of the stadium "...Oh fuck."
He'd agreed to help out without actually asking for who they were helping to begin with, the moment he actually saw the girl in question setting up all those speakers ready to start singing he was instantly aware of what the problem was.
"Where did I throw that coin?" He asked, looking around in a sudden worry.
"Is that not the girl from Orleans?" Ash asked as he stared down at her with a raised eyebrow "I did not realise she was also present…and she called this a what?"
"A concert." Ritsuka replied, tilting his head and giving a thoughtful hum "Actually now that I look at her…is she still going for that pop-idol look?"
"Ah yes." Ash nodded "The idolatry that is not idolatry."
"It is a pitiful display from a bat." The pair blinked at the sudden voice, both turning to see Kiyohime frowning down at the girl "As much as she might try, it's not going to work out all that well."
"...When did she get here?" Leonidas asked suddenly, looking around in confusion "I did not sense her."
"Me neither." Mash added in surprise "She just…appeared!"
"It is no surprise." Kiyohime dutifully replied with a smug expression "It is only natural for me to be present where my Anchin-sama is."
"I see." Leonidas nodded his head, pretending he understood a word of what was just said before he picked upon another topic she mentioned "To what do you refer when you claim her goal will remain unmet?"
"It's through no fault of her own." Kiyohime admitted with a shrug as she looked towards everyone else "But she has a tendency to tap into her draconic blood when she sings." the girl explained, seeing the blank stares she got in response she gestured towards her ears "It is why I would advise all you to cover your hearing." her eyes fell on Ritsuka "Especially you, Anchin-sama." she pressured "I would hate to see you hurt because of the reptiles lack of control."
"Draconic blood?" Leonidas frowned, cupping his chin and giving a thoughtful hum as he studied the words "...Is that some form of issue for us?"
"You say there might be some damage?" Olga instead asked, looking towards the Berserker with clear suspicion "Even if she were to access her Dragon Blood, there was no indication she had a Dragon Core within her to possibly do anything to harm us."
"Perhaps before." Kiyohime admitted, then pointed down towards the stadium "But she now has those." her finger rested upon the speakers.
"Wait a second…" Mozart frowned as he stared down at Idol girl as she finished the last of her preparations "Isn't that…" his eyes widened in recognition before they settled into horror "Oh God!" he exclaimed, pointing towards Elizabeth "Someone stop her!"
"Stop her?" Sanson gave the man an incredulous look "And what do you mean by that? She is making an attempt at-"
"She can't sing!" Mozart blurted out in response, turning to look at the others with a panicked expression "It's not just that she can't sing, it's that she is downright horrible at it! So either stop her or cover your ears!" he ducked down low, placing his hands at the side of his head and bracing himself.
Arkon stared at the man in dead silence before he turned back to look at the girl, his eyes narrowed behind his helmet "...Does she have a tail?"
"Tis no surprise." The Rat King responded casually "I smell the scent of old sky beasts upon her, the life of dragons courses through her blood."
Arkon frowned "Dragons, again?" he muttered, slowly standing up with his hand grasping at nothing. "Why are they everywhere…"
d'Eon gave the man an odd look "What are you doing?"
"I am bound to eradicate the enemies of the Royalty." Arkon dutifully responded "Demons and Dragons are the greatest foes my King faces, therefore it is my charge to combat them in any form they take."
"And you're going to rush her here?" Sanson blinked at him "In the middle of the stadium?"
"...Do you think I would be prevented?"
"I would make the effort to prevent you." Artoria sternly replied from where she was sat "This is a place of gathering and combat has yet to begin, do not disgrace yourself by halting the festivities on old hatred."
Arkon grimaced behind his helm "...For now, I suppose." he slumped his shoulders, sitting back down "And she appears to be some manner of crossbreed." he paused as he stared at something pushing its way through the crowds below them, his eyes promptly widening "I-is that Bishop Havel!?" he blurted out, watching as the stone armoured man shoved his way through the crowd as he made his way towards the centre of the colosseum.
The other Servants all peered down at the giant of a man and promptly exchanged baffled looks.
"What is he-" Gareth's eyes widened "Oh, no!" she jumped to her feet "Not again!"
"Shit!" Verndari was swiftly behind her as the pair jumped over the seats and gave chase after the man, already aware of what he was intending to do.
"Lucky…coin…" Cu muttered to himself as he continued to look around the ground for it, he didn't think something as glaring as a gold coin could get lost so easily but apparently it could. The issue was that he was probably moments away from being deafened by the damn dragon girls 'singing'.
He'd heard it once when it wasn't even aimed at him and that was bad enough, he'd dare not imagine what it sounded like through speakers.
The lancer continued to scan the sand covered floor as he attempted to find the coin, his eyes occasionally darting up to where the girl was already talking in a deep breath to prepare herself to start singing.
Red eyes widened in horror before he re-doubled his efforts to find the coin, which was starting to get to him as he felt sweat build up on his brow. At this point he was starting to resolve himself to just covering his ears and hoping for the best. Whether or not that would actually work was something else entirely.
Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the shine of sunlight reflecting through the sands towards his direction. The Lancer virtually disappeared in a blur of movement as he dived on top of the coin, sliding along the ground and raising his hand up to reveal his prize. The man let out a sigh of relief before he prepared to crush it in his hands.
The way he saw it, getting cursed by some flying Goddess might be preferable compared to whatever was going to happen with the girls singing.
That was when he heard a ruckus kicking up above his head, the Lancer frowned as he looked skywards towards the stands where the people sat, he couldn't get quite a good look because he was currently lying down on the ground but the sound of raised voices was plain as day.
Of course, the raised voices only got louder and louder - which served only to intensify the Lancer's confusion - before his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets.
The form of Havel being tackled over the railings by Verndari while Gareth was latched on his back like some kind of accessory was hardly what he was expecting to see. Then he noticed one very key detail.
He was directly underneath them.
"Shi-!" The words barely formed on his lips before the trio crashed on top of him, the combined weight kicking up a huge explosion of sand which obscured their forms for a few moments. When the dust finally settled, the four servants were all lying on the ground in a hastily made dogpile with Cu being at the bottom.
The Lancer grumbled to himself as he looked at himself, grimacing in pain at the colossal weight of the stone Berserkr currently lying on his chest. He supposed that he was actually lucky, considering that he would have expected some injuries a bit worse than a sore chest at the moment.
Red eyes flicked to the side…
Then dulled.
The other Servants were already rousing too before they looked around and eventually had their collective attention fall upon a very important detail. Namely, the very large speaker barely a metre from all of their heads.
Cu's eyes slowly drifted over to Elizabeth, he watched almost in slow motion as the girl's mouth opened, the sound flying from her lips directly into the microphone in front of her.
"That's just typic-"
"LaaaAAAAaaaaaAAAAhhhhHHHHH!"
Faraam gave the speaker another stomp of the foot, crushing what remained of it into a fine powder as he glared at it. He was acutely aware of someone saying something in his ear, unfortunately the constant ringing he was plagued with off-set whatever they were attempting to say.
Once he was sufficiently pleased that the speaker had been reduced to scrap, his eyes fell upon Elizabeth, the girl giving him an affronted glare as if she had somehow been wronged in this whole affair and hadn't almost killed half the stadium with her voice.
Her arguments fell on deaf ears - both figuratively and literally in some cases - as some of the other Servants wheeled away the remaining speaker and the singing platform.
Faraam slowly turned his head towards Storm, the drake was staring at him with its beak curved into a satisfied smile.
"I'm sure you're very happy!" Faraam shouted back, his voice booming across the entire colosseum - he was still unable to control his own volume - and causing the drake to wince at the depth of his tone "But while I do like Dragons! I do not enjoy their roars like you do!"
"Wha-roars!?" Elizabeth seethed, glaring at the God, who unfortunately hadn't heard her, "You uncivilised brute! Those screams were the cries of adoring fans!" she gestured to the crowd "See!?"
"My ears-!"
"My Ears!"
"My Leg!"
"Lancer got killed!" Someone shouted out from the crowd in horror, pointing towards the spot directly in front of one of the speakers.
The unfortunate quartet being at ground zero for Elizabeth's performance.
"She's not human!"
"See?" Elizabeth puffed out her chest, crossing her arms with a smirk. "They can hardly believe their ears and just cannot accept my talent is human." she turned towards Pharros and shouted out "Can you make a replacement speaker?"
"Can I what!?" The woman hollered back, rubbing her ears and giving the Lancer an baffled expression "What did you say!?"
That gave the Lancer pause, she frowned before looking towards where she had sung "Perhaps I turned the volume up too much." she muttered to herself as she rubbed her chin in thought "Maybe that's the problem?"
Faraam spluttered in shock as the ringing in his ears died down long enough for him to hear that particular nugget of wisdom, the God spun around to gape at the small girl with his eyes wide. "You…do you actually think that's the only problem!?"
"Obviously not!" Elizabeth scoffed in response "While this venue is good, it lacks proper lighting as well!"
Faraam stared at her in naked horror.
The Rat King was still curled up in his throne, covering his ears and grimacing at the memory of the sound. "Sun cursed beings, all…" he cursed quietly "That girl…she is of the race of banshee's surely…"
"I'm inclined to agree." Mozart muttered, uncovering his ears and looking not that worse for wear. The man, having done his best to mitigate the damage to himself, looked down at the rat and cracked a faint smirk "Not looking so good, are we?"
"Do not mistake my condition for weakness, human…" The Rat growled back, glaring up at his vindictive smirk "I can destroy thee just as easily in my present state…"
"Hmm." He gave a hum, turning to look to his left.
Arkon was lying face down, strewn over the railings with trickles of blood leaking out of the gap in the front of his helmet.
"What happened to him?" He asked, Marie was similarly cringing as she approached and daintily removed the helmet from the Knight's head. Revealing the fact the white haired man was bleeding from the ears and thoroughly unconscious. "...Well…perhaps next time we should let him try and stop her." he gave an exaggerated sigh "If only someone had warned u-owch." he winced as Sanson struck him over the back of the head.
Ritsuka could only stare up at the ceiling, blinking repeatedly as the ringing persisted in his ears, the Master slowly sat up and looked around the room.
It would appear that everyone else was in a similar state of discomfort, even Ash was hunched over and clutching his ears with a pained grimace on his face as he staggered around the room. He suspected that Leonidas might have had it worse, the man having thrown his helmet off to better cover his ears and reveal his stern features and dark red hair to the world.
Of course the imposing image was offset by the man's expression of severe discomfort.
Ritsuka looked around the room, the ringing in his ears slowly dying down as he climbed back to his feet - staggering slightly as he did so - before shakily making his way towards his chair and slumping back down into it.
"...Draconic blood, you said?" He asked aloud, knowing that Kiyohime was nearby. The Berserker appeared in the corner of his vision with a concerned look on her face.
"Are you alright, Anchin-sama?" She asked, stepping closer to him and giving him a once over, the Master waved his hand in affirmation as he straightened himself out.
"Just a bit of ringing but that's it…" He replied to sate her concerns "So…when she sings, she does-"
"Who in the bloody hell gave her a speaker system!?" Olga growled out, glaring down the arena while still cupping her ears "Why would you even have one of those in ancient Rome!? Who was powering it!?"
"...Eh?" Nero rubbed the inside of her ear and squinted at Olga "What did you say, Pale Rose?"
The Director just gave a wordless growl in response.
"And so, my Romans, after that…" Nero trailed off, searching for the correct words to use "...Memorable display-"
Murmurs and groans rippled through the crowds as people winced in memory of the singing.
"We will now begin the first annual Nero-fest!"
Ritsuka's face scrunched up in confusion, looking at Mash and whispering to her "This is going to be annual?"
Mash shrugged in response "I don't know, Senpai…That means Nero-san is planning another one, isn't she?"
"I guess?" Ritsuka paused, then looked towards the Director "I don't think she would let her though." he whispered out, Mash looked towards the white haired woman and winced slightly.
The Director looked just as baffled by the announcement as the others before her expression shifted into one that just made it painfully clear that the prospect of there being another Nero-fest was so unlikely that there was more chance of Ash allowing Nero to bed the Fire Keeper than there was of her allowing another festival.
"Now we may begin the festivities!" Nero exclaimed, the crowd just roared in approval, the thunderous applause rang out across the stadium as the Emperor took them all in with her expression brightening further "We begin with a trial of swiftness!"
"I thought I was a goner for a second there…" Cu rolled his shoulder, stretching out his limbs and preparing to get himself into a starting position. "Good thing I survived, eh?" he chuckled "Competition of swiftness…this was made for me."
"Hmm." He paused at the voice, looking to his right to see another figure stood next to him at the starting line with crossed arms and a flat expression on her face. He stared up at the cat-like ears on the top of her head and the tail coming out from behind her. "You seem self confident already."
Cu snorted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow "Oh? You're gonna race me are you little miss?"
The woman twitched at the name "Little miss?" she repeated out, raising an eyebrow at him "Hmph." she turned on her heel and stared back across the track "I suppose as long as you can remember not to chase your own tail, you might have some chance."
Cu blinked, the cracked a savage grin "Oh yeah?" he chuckled, popping his neck from side to side as he got into a runners position "We'll just see about that won't we, lady."
"I suppose we shall." Atalanta muttered out in response, while she didn't have much interest in these sort of games she had at least come along for curiosity's sake. She was still referred to as the 'Swift Huntress' so there was every reason to prove how she earned that name.
"And the final runner!" Nero shouted out "A surprise guest but one with the swiftest to back up this claim!"
Cu and Atalanta paused at the heavy panting coming off from their left side, the pair slowly turned their heads towards the final runner on the track. Cu shot to his feet and promptly threw his hands up.
"Is this some sort of jab at me or something?" he shouted out incredulously, looking around before he spotted a face in the stands.
Archer stared back at him with a smirk.
"Laugh it up, asshole!" Cu pointed at the man, then turned towards the final runner "Really?"
Sif merely raised an eyebrow at the Lancer before his attention shifted just past him to Atalanta, the wolf was more than all enough to look her in the eye. The wolf turned away from the pair and looked back down the track before tensing his body.
Cu wordlessly huffed before getting back into a running stance, Atalanta stared at the wolf for a few moments longer before she composed herself.
"Go Ata-chan!" She almost fell flat on her face when Artemis' cheery voice echoed out, the woman snapped her head up towards the stands to see the white haired woman waving a small flag while Orion just sat by her side giving her an expression close enough to pity as he could manage. "Go get them! I believe in you!"
She wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond to that in the least.
"And Run!" Nero shouted out, startling the runners and breaking them out of their odd trance and immediately into a run.
Sif instantly broke into a mad sprint, swiftly followed by Cu and Atalanta right behind him. The crowd virtually exploded as the three runners utilised all their speed in keeping up with each other, Cu and Sif easily taking the lead however Atalanta's pace was more steady than the pair who preferred more explosive bursts.
Sif's eyes snapped to his side as notice Cu shoot forth with another burst of speed, coming up to equal pace with the wolf and giving it a side eyed glance before he kicked off the ground again into another sprint. Sif huffed in response, coiling his legs back and shooting forwards in a blur of movement as he rocketed past the Lancer once again.
Cu frowned as he watched Sif vanish past him, as he prepared another burst of speed Atalanta shot past him. The Lancer clicked his tongue as he chased the two down.
"...So they look like they're having fun." Ritsuka commented as he looked down at them with a smile, watching as Sif, Cu and Atalanta sprinted around the track "Right?"
"Hmmm." Ash grunted in response, still staring down at them "...Is this to practice running away?"
"Or running into battle." Leonidas added on "Or across battle…I admit, seeing the wolf move with such speed is astounding."
"That's just expected though." Ash shrugged "Great Wolves are known for their speed, even the larger ones."
"Really?" Ritsuka looked at Ash "How fast was the fastest you saw?"
Ash frowned in thought "...Difficult to say but whenever it ran, it produced an explosion of snow behind it so…it was fairly quick." he shrugged "Whether or not it is slower than Sif is not something I can say."
"So who do you think is going to win?"
"Hmmm." Leonidas hummed "The wolf has speed and yet the feline woman…what is her name?"
"Huh?" Ritsuka blinked "Oh, that's Atalanta-"
Leonidas choked "T-the famed Huntress and member of the Argonauts!" the man practically squealed in delight "She sailed the sea's with the great hero Heracles!" he looked back at the race with renewed interest "Then I place my faith fully behind the Huntress!"
"...What are you doing?"
"Giving my huntress a helping hand like a good Goddess should." Artemis replied to Orion's question as she slowly took out a bone "Because I am one who helps my followers."
"You're shitting me…" Orion gaped "Really?"
"What?" Artemis gave a beautific smile as she drew her arm back "I'm just dropping something…not my fault dogs love bones."
"This is dirty cheating and you know it." Orion shook his head "Come on…you're better than this."
Artemis paused for a few moments, then slowly nodded her head "You're right, Darling." she patted the bear on the back of the head.
"I am?" He replied with a tone of clear surprise before he coughed into his paws "I mean, of course I am!"
"...Sanura?"
"Yes, Milady Artemis?" Sanura looked towards her with a dutiful expression, Orion's eyes widened in horror as he realised what was going to happen.
"Can you just throw this for me? Please?"
"Of course, milady." Sanura bowed her head, taking the bone from the Goddess and pulling her arm back before she hurled the bone forwards with as much effort as she could muster. The bone swiftly soared through the sky in the direction of the track as Orion stared at it flabbergasted before he turned his shocked eyes onto the Lancer.
"Why!?"
Sanura jolted, looking down at the bear "...Because Milady Artemis said so?"
"You-!" Orion exhaled, shaking his head "So much for good sportsmanship."
Sanura paused, staring at the bear and then at Artemis "...This is a competition?" she squeaked "I thought you said she was being harassed!"
"You lied to her!?"
"No!" Artemis denied "I just…omitted."
"That's the same thing as lying!"
"Not bad girly!" Cu praised as they approached the final stretch of the run, the three runners were neck and neck at this point "Good legs on you!"
"Try and touch me and you'll see how much power they can produce." Atalanta fired back as she sprinted alongside the Lancer, her lips quirked into a somewhat challenging smile "It seems perhaps tales of your speed were not embellished after all, considering you are indeed keeping pace with your namesake."
"For the love of-!" Cu growled, pointing at Sif "He's a wolf! I was called a Hound! There's not that much of a difference but its like me calling you kitty rather than lioness!"
"Try and call me either and see what happens." Atalanta shot back "But I shall be the one to-"
"What the shit-!?" Cu widened his eyes as something whistled through the air towards him "That a bone-!?"
Atalanta widened her eyes in equal fashion as Sif abruptly broke ranks with the two runners and leapt into the sky at the bone.
His jaws snapped shut around the calcium based treat, then he realised what the problem was at the same time as the other two runners.
A collective wince reverberated through the crowd as the three runners collided with eachother due to Sif jumping in front of the pair, the sprinters rolled across the ground in an awkward pile covered in dust and sand as they skipped past the finish line in a mess.
By the time the dust settled, the three were lying flat on their backs with the notion of actually telling who had won the race being next to impossible.
"Ummm…" Nero's voice echoed out through the colosseum "...A draw?"
"Nice." Orion flatly remarked "That's real nice. What an opening, eh?" he rhetorically asked as she shook his head and pointed at Artemis "No more plans without at least asking for my opinion."
"...Okay."
"And you!"
"Yes?" Sanura pointed at herself.
"...Can I see comfort in your embrac-"
"Darling."
"...Nevermind."
Rat King
Servant: Ruler
Strength: E
Endurance: E
Agility: A+
Mana: B
Luck: A
Noble Phantasm: B
The Court of the King: B (Anti-Army) Max Target: 50, Max Range:-
Summoning of his subjects to his will. While they are but summoned familiars of rats, he still treats them as his own.
Royal Rat Authority: D (Anti-Army) Max Target: 50, Max Range:-
Summons the Authority of the Rat King. A giant ratdog who will fight and kill on his behalf.
However, despite its size, the creature remains remarkably simple once it is understood.
Royal Rat Vanguard: C (Anti-Unit) Max Target: 1, Max Range:-
The Vanguard who will attack with the court. They inflict great posion with their bite.
However, that is it. The Vanguard can still be killed alone, which is why it relies on the court for protection.
Class Skills
Magic Resistance: C
True-Name Discernment: B
God's Resolution: D
Territory Creation: B
Personal Skills:
Golden Rule: A
Tales of the Rat King's wealth existed for eons. He is a being who will forever remain rich. Somehow.
Charisma of the Rodent: A+
He is a surprisingly honourable being, or perhaps unsurprisingly. Where he once saw all humans as vain and greedy, he now understands they are foolish at times. As such he can inspire great confidence in his ability to govern and command, as he once did with all the underground.
The Statues of Invaders: B++
A curse of petrification which lingers on all rats. They can cause this through their bites which will spread stone across the skin of attackers.
Human Observation: A
Innocent Monster: C
The Rat King remains an honourable one, however his reputation and the reputation of his kin have been besmirched.
Summoning.
"Hmmm...Thou art human and yet I can see perhaps a flicker of...Tis no concern for now. I am the Rat King and perhaps thou may yet prove worthy to be my Servant."
Dialogue 1
"Human, thou art a slothful one at times. However, we rates understand the value of self-comfort. However, do not dawdle for long. I shall brook no lethargy from one destined to serve me."
Dialogue 2
"The light of these rooms to much too bright, human. Tis not the Suns rays, but I find them equally cursing."
Dialogue 3
"Thou art my Servant, human. Yet, I am a being of great honour. Serve me truly and I shall treat thee as if thee were a rat of my own."
Dialogue 4 (If you have Gilgamesh)
"I see thee arrogance, O' Golden One. Humans who believe themselves greater than all others, thy blood of the Flames does not better thy kind above mine. A chieftan of humans thee may be, but thou art still a chieftan."
Dialogue 5 (If you have Hans)
"I see thy tongue is sharp, human. Yet thy words ringeth true indeed. Thou art wise to see the faults of thy race and yet...perhaps thou have become blinded by them? Perhaps not. Wisdom from a merchant of words – no matter their audience – is still to be taken."
Dialogue 6 (If you have Artoria Pendragon)
"A Chieftan...yet I see her honour. Then we are well met indeed."
Dialogue 7 (If you have Patches)
"Begone foul human. I shall tolerate your presence no longer, schemer and liar that thee are. Thou need not deny it. Tis an insult to all to claim otherwise."
Dialogue 8 (If you have Bearer of the Curse)
"I see my Servant is here too...no, perhaps she is my equal now. She is a great service to her race...and she granted me my dream once again."
Dialogue 9 (If you have Ushiwakamaru [Assassin])
"...Thy skill in the art of animal communing is wasted, I can speaketh the common tongue with thee."
Dialogue 10 (If you have Kintoki)
"There is one here who shines so brightly as if the Cursed sun itself...yet I see they art one of good nature. Despite their boisterous attitude otherwise."
Dialogue 11 (If you have Baobhan Sith)
"Enough of this baseness, foul spirit! Thou art the child of a Chieftan, act with the dignity thy station permits or begone from my sight!"
Dialogue 12 (If you have Oberon Vortigen)
"I see thee for what thou art, base plotter and schemer fouler than any human could dare to imagine thyself being. Thou art of hollow mind and hollower spirit...I shall tolerate thee no longer. Begone."
Dialogue 13 (If you have Illya)
"Keep the young away from me. A rats sludge is sacred to them, I will not have it removed so easily...however, they art of the innocent sort. I shall permit them stay...as long as thee doth not use them as fodder."
Dialogue 14 (If you have Daikokuten)
"...My Servant, I ask thee for a favour. Those who call themselves rats yet act little more than hooligans...keep them from me."
Dialogue 15 (After completing Avalon la Fae)
"...My Servant, I pity thee now more than ever. Thee hast been the victim of a scheme even we rats never suffered. My Servant, I am glad thou art human. Thy race may be foolish and base at time...there are those who understand true honour even now."
Likes
"Doth this question interest you greatly? We Rats enjoy our darkness most dearly...for myself, I value honour amongst though who deal in words."
Hates
"...I despise humans who plot and scheme. Thy kind are foolish and revert to thy base nature too often for my liking...yet even if I am to be betrayed a hundred times over, I shall never abandon a rats honour."
Wish for the Holy Grail
"My Servant, doth thee need ask? My wish is for a future where humans and rats can live and die together...I can glimpse it within this place, for me it is a beautiful sight."
Bond Level 1
"Rejoice, human. The right to serve me is now thine."
Bond Level 2
"Thy nature is from a different cloth cut...I see thee human-nay, My Servant."
Bond Level 3
"My Servant, we are well met indeed."
Bond Level 4
"There was another human who served us long ago, she was one without notability like thyself, yet she rose to be a Chieftan of great honour. She was my Servant, then my equal. While her equal, thou art not...I see those same eyes that perceive true beauty."
Bond Level 5
"My Servant, thou proveth my dream remains strong indeed. I thank thee for thy service. Thou may be human, but thee serves with a true Rats Honour."
Birthday
"Thee should celebrate this day, my Servant. I permit thee leave of my side for this day."
During an Event
"A gathering under the cursed suns rays...Yet, we rats will not be dishonoured in failing to attend."
1st Ascension
"Thee serves me well, my Servant. Thy service will not go unrewarded."
2nd Ascension
"Thy service remains as constant as ever, my Servant. I thank thee."
3rd Ascension
"My Servant. Thee has shown me great honour indeed."
4th Ascension
"I feel thy resolve and accept it, my Servant. Thou art a human of great honour and virtue. I shall allow thee to serve me faithfully and in turn, reward thee thusly."