Nero-Fest: Ending and Epilogue

"And for the winners!" Nero raised the golden chalice into the air, while purposefully avoiding the stares of the losing team, all of whom - with the exception of Heracles and Artemis - were covered in burns with Nameless's entire right side looking as though he had fallen into a fire pit.

Not that the Wargod looks off put but his physical display or even that he registered the damage, if anything he looked more irritated that he had been taken out in a blindsided attack from an individual he hadn't even been able to fight once.

"The Holy Grail grand prize!" She continued on, turning towards Ritsuka and the others and walking towards them, the Chaldeans however had their attention firmly away from Nero and onto Caster instead with scrutinizing expressions.

Caster had his hand raised, covering his face and hiding them away from his sight as he looked towards Sasaki "Pssst."

"Hm?" Sasaki looked at him, raising an amused eyebrow at the display as Caster looked rather nervous by the attention "Is something the matter?"

"Are they still staring?" Caster asked in a quiet whisper, not trusting himself to turn around and face them. Sasaki let out a mirthful hum and peered past the Caster towards the Chaldean group. Sure enough, they were still staring at the man. Surprisingly they had also brought up the screens for Romani and Da Vinci as well. The former looked utterly baffled while the latter looked close to laughing.

"They are still staring." Sasaki affirmed to the man, taking a small sense of enjoyment as he watched the anxious expression seemingly intensify as a result. Caster now turned his body so that his back was to the observers.

"Tell me when they aren't looking anymore."

"Stage fright?" Sasaki asked, leaning towards the man slightly and studying his expression. Caster winced and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Not exactly….but I've never been on the receiving end of such looks before." He whispered back "I don't know what I did!"

"You mean aside from the obvious?"

"Those are appraising stares though!" Caster blurted out in a panic "They're looking at me like I'm some sort of dangerous criminal!"

Sasaki raised an eyebrow at him, then looked back at Ritsuka.

"Say, Master?" He called out to the young man "Has Caster done something to earn such…suspicious looks?"

"Huh?" Ritsuka jolted slightly "Oh, no its just that he looks like…someone else." he explained, then looked back at Caster "It's actually uncanny."

"Really?" Sasaki raised an eyebrow "Who?"

"He looks like Solomon-"

"Hey!" Caster turned around "That's my nam-wait…Solomon?" he then paused and blinked, his face soon scrunching up "Really? Solomon?"

"Yes…" Ritsuka nodded his head "And you are?"

"Salaman."

"...This is some sort of cosmic joke." Romani's head fell into his hands, the man groaning loudly as he did so "I can just feel it."

"Cosmic jokes aside." Da Vinci interrupted while rolling her eyes in clear amusement "I suppose we have determined that the counterpart of Solomon does exist, if only in some form." she cupped her chin and narrowed her eyes inquisitively at the man "Hmmm…Just to clarify, you are Salaman, the King of Pyromancy?"

Salaman looked like he'd been punched in the face "K-King of Pyromancy? Who would even call me that!?" he squawked in surprise, waving his arms around "I'm not even a King! Master of Pyromancy I could accept but King? The Great Swamp isn't even a Kingdom!"

"It was technically an autonomous region." Nameless suddenly spoke up, giving the Caster a side eyed glance "While it had no official ruler, you were the highest authority at the time as the effective founder of the Pyromancy arts." he shrugged "In some way you could be considered the King of Pyromancy in much the same way in that I was King of Archdragon peak, if only by being the highest authority of the land."

He turned back and noticed the stares before scoffing "I might have sequestered myself from the rest of the world but that did not make me ignorant as to the affairs of the land. There is also the case of flame sorcery being an art that only Izalith and her daughters knew of…to hear mortals wielding it was something rather surprising for me."

"Hm? Oh, we can't wield Flame Sorcery." Salaman explained, shaking his head "My mentor said that it was an art only those birthed through Life Soul could obtain which made it a magic of the Gods. Pyromancy is what we mortals can wield instead." he paused and shrugged "It's not as powerful but still very useful."

"So it's like the difference between Magecraft and Magic?" Mash clarified, furrowing her brows. Romani nodded his head behind her.

"That sounds like a similar enough example, although even then Pyromancy would still fall under the category of an Age of Gods magic but it appears to be the closest to Magecraft of a sort…" He furrowed his brow, "And you taught it?"

"I only managed to do so much because of Mentor." Salaman hastily explained, waving his hand in dismissal "She technically invented pyromancy but had never taken a pupil…so…well…" he gave a slight chuckle and a shrug "I could be called the first proper pyromancer and then I went to the Great Swamp and started to teach the art to the others…it sort of took off from there."

"Not entirely dissimilar to Solomon." Da Vinci muttered "...I don't suppose you have a link with Demons, do you?"

"Demons?" Romani sputtered "Really, Leo? You're just going to-"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Salaman nodded, earning a blink from everyone. "Well…I don't know if you'd call it a 'link' per say." he added on "But my Mentor lived on the outskirts of Lost Izalith so I occasionally encountered a Demon living there."

"And you survived?" Nameless asked, looking down at the man with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh…I just talked with them." He shrugged in response "Once you find some common ground they really are quite interesting…um…people?" he guessed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly "I mean…they are very violent with most other races but they thought me using fire was sort of…novel?" he paused, cupping his chin "How did mentor put it…Aha!" he grinned, snapping his fingers "She said to them it was a human watching a dog walk on its hind legs."

Salaman remained smiling for a few moments before the expression gradually disappeared. "Ah…right…I see the problem with the analogy now." he muttered "Well…some were friendly enough, I suppose."

"...That's just depressing." Romani blurted out "You make it sound like you were a dolphin doing tricks at a zoo."

"A what doing tricks at a where?" Salaman tilted his head in confusion, then stared at Romani blankly for a few moments before his lips pursed and he walked over to the screen, his right hand moving to cup his chin in thought.

"W-what?" Romani leaned back in his chair slightly as Salaman approached, the Casters eyes then narrowed slightly before he gave a single hum.

"Yeah…" He sniffed, then smiled "I'm Salaman. Nice to meet you."

"O-oh…you were just saying hello." Romani let out a sigh of relief before shaking his head "I'm Doctor Romani Archaman but you can just call me Roman if you want." he suddenly gave a proud smile and turned to his left "See! Another Servant who doesn't insult me to my face! Maybe my luck is looking up!"

"I wouldn't bet on that~" Da Vinci sang back, causing Romani to slump in his chair "So…strange coincidences aside, I think it best that we get our prize and get out of here before the Director decides to blow up."

"A-aha…" Nero gave a jolt as she realised the conversation had moved back to its original topic, she then turned towards Olga.

Who was glaring at the group and tapping her foot on the ground with clear impatience, her eyes moving from person to person before they fell upon the Grail in the Emperor's hands.

"Here you go, Pale Rose!" Nero beamed, handing the Grail over to the Director and causing the woman to - once again - grimace at the nickname before she dismissed it with an exasperated sigh. "See! Aren't I just the best? I am, aren't I?" she looked around and beamed at Cecilia "You think so too, right?"

"Thou art most generous." Cecilia replied cordially, her lips curving into a faint smile which earned her a giggle from the Emperor.

"Oh, you are too kind with your words…" She waved her hand and puffed out her chest with pride "...Feel free to continue praising me."

"For cheating?" Leonidas suddenly spoke up, the man with his arms crossed and his voice very clearly containing some measure of irritation. "The mighty Heracles was going to win that match and we all know it!"

"Really?" Ash raised an eyebrow at the Lancer "Lord Faraam had already proven to be the more skilled fighter and his use of Miracles allows him to harm the Berserker." he pointed out "I am confident he could claim victory."

"Bah!" Leonidas scoffed "Heracles exists because he can do the impossible! Something like a wargod is no match for him!" he turned and pointed towards Ash "He even bested the dragon mount!"

"I believe it is a stormdrake rather than a true Archdragon." Ash argued "The difference between the two is rather significant."

"That does not lessen Heracles' achievement by throwing the beast!" Leonidas barked out "And Heracles was clearly the stronger of the two fighters."

"Being a stronger fighter does not necessarily mean that you are the better fighter." Ash responded "Many of the foes I bested were physically stronger than me, that does not mean I did not eventually beat them."

"That is impressive but strength and spirit play a great factor in battles and Heracles has both in abundance!"

"Yes, but-"

The group watched the two servants argue in complete silence, eventually Nameless looked towards the individual in question. Heracles also stood with his arms crossed and staring down at the Saber and Lancer as they argued before he eventually felt the stare and looked towards Nameless.

The two shared a single moment of understanding before Nameless spoke out "Ornstein used to do this a lot."

Heracles grunted in response making a series of growls which could be misconstrued as garbled words or perhaps rumblings of some wild animal. Nameless managed to infer that the Berserker had experience with a similar sort of person therefore he was used to it.

The arguing duo went virtually ignored by everyone else as the Director took the Holy Grail from Nero's possession, shakily giving it a once over before nodding to herself and handing it over to Mash.

"Confirmed Grail Retrieval, Senpai." Mash informed Ritsuka as she held the Grail tight to her chest and turned to the Master "Awaiting Rayshift back to Chaldea."

"I'll say…" Ritsuka sighed, shaking his head and looking towards the Director before he thinned his lips "...So how was it?"

"How was what?" Olga looked at him with a raised eyebrow before releasing a scoff and gesturing to their surroundings "This colossal waste of time, resources and energy?" her shoulders slumped "How am I supposed to put this down in a report?" she asked herself dejectedly "They're all going to think I'm an idiot…"

"I mean…" Ritsuka gave a shrug "You could omit certain details…"

"...Omit."

"Yeah…exaggerate some other parts." He went on "We arrived at a miniature Singularity only to determine it was inhabited by multiple Servants. Retrieval of the Grail required careful navigation to avoid a frontal assault which we were unprepared for." he smiled at her, placing his hands on his hips "That's better, right?"

Olga's eye twitched however Da Vinci spoke before she could respond to that.

"That is actually a pretty good way of putting it down." The genius chuckled to herself, leaning forwards and smiling conspiratorially "And not incorrect either. A lot of the Servants here were very powerful and aren't a part of Chaldea's roster." her eyes shifted onto the Director "Also you can't say this was a wasted voyage. We did encounter multiple powerful Servants who might prove helpful if they were ever summoned." she pointed across the screens to Romani and Salaman - who were both still talking with each other with relaxed expressions on their faces - and then smiled a little wider "A powerful founder of an entire branch of magecraft and a friend for Roman."

"Leo!" Romani overheard her, turning and whining "Don't phrase it like that! You make me sound like some sort of lonely pet."

"Stop fooling around and just get us back to Chaldea." Olga sighed, waving her hand dismissively at the Doctor.

"Alright, alright…" Romani raised his hands in surrender "Good news is we managed to get some of the footage of those fights and a lot of the readings for the Saint Graph's of the potential future Servants." he remarked as he rolled his chair towards the desk "I think we missed one or two but in case we do encounter them again, we should be able to pull up those readings and keep you informed."

"...I suppose that is at least useful." Olga grunted, crossing her arms and looking away "...Sometime today would be nice."

"I mean, it's a complicated process." Romani explained as he tapped away at his computer "And we're a little short staffed." he sighed, then looked to Da Vinci "Did you have to send Pharros down as well? She's looking to be a better Rayshift operator than some of the people we have here."

Da Vinci paused, slowly turning and giving Romani a flat look "...You me to keep my rival stuck behind a desk where she can't do anything?"

"...No?"

"Good!" She beamed "Because that trick with the speakers proved that it could be a devastating attack."

"I pity the one on the receiving end of it." Everyone shivered in memory of the 'singing' of Elizabeth.

"I don't think I was there for that." Salaman remarked, looking around "Was it bad?"

"Not for the dragons." Nameless groaned out, cupping his forehead and shaking his head in exasperation "However, none of us are dragons."

"Ah…I see the problem." Salaman nodded his head in understanding before clapping his hands together "So…I guess this is goodbye then?"

"I mean…until we see you again." Ritsuka replied, then extended a hand towards the Caster "Thanks for the help by the way."

"Ah, my pleasure." Salaman smiled, clasping Ritsuka's hand in his own in a firm handshake "Always happy to help…although you're still looking a little jumpy around me." he gave a nervous chuckle "I…er…I didn't do anything, did I?"

"Nothing you did." Rtisuka hastily assured him "It's just that your…um…doppelganger is behind the incineration of humanity." he explained, frowning "So it's a…little jarring."

Salaman gave a single blink "O-oh…"

"Yeah." Ritsuka sniffed, pulling his hand back "But you seem an alright sort of guy." he smiled at Caster "So that's nice."

"G-glad you think so…" He pursed his lips "So…the me from this world is-"

"Ah, it's not exactly you per-say." Da Vinci clarified "It's likely a case of similar name and same face rather than being an exact copy." she assured him "Don't worry, whatever physical similarities you two have, I think I can confidently say that you are entirely different people." pausing, she nodded towards Ash and Cecilia "In fact, Firekeeper Cecilia looks identical to Nero and King Arthur and apparently Ash looks the same as Sir Gawain of the Round table."

"O-oh…" Salaman let out a sigh of relief "So we just look the same is all?"

"Most likely." Da Vinci chuckled, "You shouldn't worry about it too much…"

"Right, right…thanks Ms."

"Alright then!" Romani called out, turning back towards the screen "Everything is set up for you to return…I'm not sure how the Servants are going to get back though-"

"I shall handle that." Nero jumped into the conversation, giving a proud smile "Worry not, I invited them into Rome and I can help them leave just as easily."

"..."

"..."

"...So are you going to explain how or-"

"Just get us back Romani!" Olga snapped at him, the man jolted and swiftly pressed several buttons on his keyboard.

The group soon started to glow with an ethereal tinge of gold as their bodies turned transparent, Ritsuka stared down at his hand before looking towards Nero and smiling at her.

"Thanks for inviting us, Nero." He bowed his head slightly "Despite what happened…I think it was a lot of fun."

"Umu!" Nero gave her largest grin next "Worry not! The next one shall be even better!"

"Next one?" Olga parroted, suddenly looking more concerned than anything else "What do you mean next on-" she vanished before she could finish her sentence, leaving behind the remaining Servants along with the Emperor.

"...I wonder if that will prove to be an issue later." Nero muttered to herself as she cupped her chin.

Salaman was staring at the spot where she had vanished before looking towards the Emperor "I wouldn't worry about it. She reminds me a bit of my mentor…she also showed her appreciation through insults." he gave her a reassuring smile "It was only when she got quiet could you tell she was really angry."

"Ah!" Nero nodded her head "Then she is just shy about showing her true feelings?" she giggled "How amusing!"

"I confess confusion about this…" Cecilia spoke up, tilting her head "She dislikes revealing her true intentions? For what reason?"

Salaman blinked slowly before he looked up at Nameless and Heracles, the two remained silent before they shrugged their shoulders.

"I don't understand women." Nameless admitted "I rarely interacted with them at all outside of my own family or the occasional high ranking warrior." he paused, cupping his chin "Well…there was Izalith but she was…um…" he paused, noticing the stare from Salaman. "...That doesn't matter." he coughed into his hand, looking away from the Caster.

"Izalith…huh, that was my mentor's mother." Salaman remarked, scratching his nose "Although…Quelana never talked much about her family." he grimaced "Not that I blame her for not discussing it."

"...I suppose you wouldn't." Nameless nodded his head, then looked down and noticed his feet turning golden and vanishing "It appears without the Grail there is nothing to keep us here. Still…it was a decent enough time."

"A first for me." Salaman shivered, "I didn't fight all that much."

"Really?" Nameless gave him a raised eyebrow "...That just makes Flann's defeat all the more embarrassing." he paused, then frowned behind his scarf "That said he was never trained by Izalith or any of her daughters so it is expected he wouldn't be all that skilled with fire."

"Still rather weird though." Ritsuka continued on as Da Vinci placed the Grail within the container "I thought only Solomon could make the Grails?"

"No, Solomon would certainly have a much easier time making Holy Grails but he isn't the only one who could." The genius explained as she turned to Ritsuka with a casual smile and assuming teaching pose with one hand on her hip and the other raised, seemingly pulling glasses from out of nowhere and putting them on "A Holy Grail itself - rather than the cup which held the blood of Christ - can be thought of instead as a battery which can be used to grant the wishes of its wielder."

"A…battery?"

"Sì." Da Vinci nodded "The Holy Grail is nothing more than a solidified form of pure magical energy which requires outside interference to use. The formation of new Holy Grails is certainly possible as Singularities in History cause large scale distortions which eventually lead to the birth of a Holy Grail due to the excessive amount of magical energy."

"So…we could end up with more Holy Grails?" Ritsuka guessed, Da Vinci let out a hum before she slowly nodded her head.

"It is possible. We could have the formation of more minor Singularities which lead to the forming of additional Holy Grails but they aren't in the same league as the like Solomon made." She paused, frowning in thought for a few moments "Think of them as…cheap disposable copies." she smiled "They get made, get used and then that's that."

"So..can we do anything with them?"

"Now you're thinking like a genius!" Da Vinci cooed, patting him on the head and causing Ritsuka to swat the hand away while giving the woman an amused huff "But as for what we can do with them? For the moment…not a lot." she looked back towards the Grail "Right now we're just using them to keep Chaldea's generators running so that's the best use for them at the moment."

"Ah…right." Ritsuka nodded his head, then looked towards the desk and saw the 'Divine Basin' still present. "And what about that?"

"Hm? The Lord Vessel?" She smiled "That's a little different. From what I've been informed of, it was able to grant its wielder transportation between summoning sights with relative ease. I'm hoping that combined with the summoning stones we might be able to further improve our secondary summoning system."

"The one with the crystals, right." Ritsuka nodded "Although Siegward was only able to come down for a few minutes, wasn't he?"

"Well…it's only a prototype." Da Vinci explained "That and I'm making a summoning system from scratch, try and give me a little more praise!"

"Yes, yes." Ritsuka gave her a smile as he rolled his eyes "You're our universal genius."

Da Vinci puffed out her chest and grinned "And don't you forget it!" her smile lightened "That being said…how is everyone?"

"I think the Director has actually been trying to chase down Nero." Ritsuka replied, earning a giggle from the genius "Yeah, something about her plans for a 'Nero-Fest two' or along those lines."

"I hope I can get tickets." Da Vinci pouted "All that hard work and I was never even invited to go down!"

"Didn't you tune in via the communication screens?" Ritsuka asked, leaning back and crossing his arms while raising an eyebrow. Da Vinci sighed.

"There's a difference between watching something on a screen and actually being there." She pouted "I'm also a little jealous that all these other Servants get to go out and do all sorts of adventures and I'm left behind." she sniffled "I'll feel lonely."

"What are you, a cat?" Ritsuka gave an amused smile at her antics "Anyway, I was just letting you know that I was going to head down to the summoning chamber again. Figured I'd try my luck to see if we can get some more Servants to help out."

"Okay~!" Da Vinci sang before levelling a finger towards him "But don't tire yourself out with too many summonings!"

"I know." Ritsuka waved his hand to her as he walked towards the exit of her room.

"Oh, how is our resident undead friend?" She asked before he crossed the door, Ritsuka paused and looked back at Da Vinci in surprise.

"Ash?"

"Hmm." She nodded her head "There seemed to be some issues he had with one of the Servants there."

"...Yeah, I think his name was Bedric?" Ritsuka furrowed his brow "Oscar mentioned him…I think that was where he got them um…" he pointed towards the Lord Vessel "Holy Basin."

"Hm." Da Vinci nodded "I was just wondering, is all…You mentioned trying to find him a hobby?"

"Huh? Oh, right." Ritsuka nodded his head "I did, didn't I?" he paused, then furrowed his brows "What do you think he'd even do?"

The genius shrugged "I'm not sure, he doesn't seem to have much in the way of interests…you could ask what he used to do in his spare time but I doubt you'd get much of an answer."

"Yeah…" Ritsuka nodded, furrowing his brows "...Maybe we'll hold a movie night or something." he offered "I know that Mash definitely needs some experience with media."

Da Vinci chuckled "I think we could work the simulator into something. Although the Director might be a bit iffy on the topic of using Chaldean technology for a movie theatre." she paused for a few moments before she carried on. "That said, we would have surround sound and high definition beyond any current theatre so I am personally all for a movie night."

Ritsuka laughed at the genius "I figured. I'll ask around and see if any of the Servants would want to join in."

"Good luck viaggiatore ribelle!" Da Vinci waved to him in parting as he closed the door behind him. The genius was still chuckling to herself before she paused and cupped her chin in thought "I wonder…"

"Summoning system is all booted up." Romani spoke through the intercom behind the Master "Whenever you're ready, Fujimaru-kun."

"Alright." Ritsuka nodded his head, then looked over his shoulder towards the glass "Oh yeah, I was thinking of holding a movie night or something in the future. Do you wanna come?"

Romani blinked "I appreciate the thought but there's too much work for me to do to try and take time out of my schedule." he gave the Master a grateful smile "Although it's a nice offer for you to make." pausing, he gave the Master an intrigued look "Although how would you get it past the Director?"

"I was going to invite her too." Ritsuka replied with an earnest expression "Do you think that would work?" he directed the question towards Mash, who stood by his side in surprise.

"I'm not sure, Senpai." Mash frowned slightly "I don't think the Director would appreciate it if it was during the day…perhaps in the hours before everyone goes to sleep?" she offered, tilting her head "But I don't know if the Director would agree to go even then."

"Well…we won't know until we try." Ritsuka affirmed to himself and turned towards the summoning panel.

"If I might ask a question." Ash spoke up from behind him, his arms crossed and leaning against the doorway "...What is a movee?"

Ritsuka blinked and turned around to face the Saber before he winced "Ah…right, um…moving picture?"

Ash continued to stare at him blankly.

"What about a play? Have you ever heard of a play?"

"A…play?" Ash tilted his head, furrowing his brows.

"...Looks like you have your work cut out for you, Fujimaru-kun." Romani gave an awkward chuckle as he stared in the direction of the Saber through the glass "Forget the Director, I'm not even sure how Ash would respond to a film."

"Film?"

"...Nevermind." Ritsuka sighed, shaking his head "I'll explain it later for you." he turned back to the summoning pillar and placed his hand upon the pedestal in front of it "Better get to it then…"

He uttered out the summoning chant, soon followed by a pillar of light rising into the air.

The light died down to reveal the newest figure, the overly colourful features of the man and mischievous smile instantly caused Ritsuka to let out a sigh.

"Hey, Mozart."

"A rather disingenuous greeting." Mozart rolled his eyes good naturedly as he stepped down from the panel "Also lacking in a bit of flair but I suppose we are acquaintances of a sort, aren't we?" he chuckled as he approached "I suppose I don't need to explain that I'm quite useless when it comes to battles?"

"Nice try." Ritsuka chuckled "Marie already told us how you were able to weaken Faraam in France."

Mozart's eye twitched and his smile turned strained "Did she now?" he sighed, shaking his head "I suppose there goes my plan of just sitting back and letting all the other Servants do all the heavy lifting." he paused as he comprehended the sentence "Ah, so Maria is here is she?" his smile became much more genuine "That's wonderful. She's not been making too much trouble, has she?"

"She's getting along well enough with the others." Ritsuka replied then paused "I think she's made friends with Verndari and Gareth." he explained before he added on "Oh, and d'Eon is with her as well."

"Well that's to be expected." Mozart casually replied "They are virtually a package deal…I also think the only person our dear Chevalier dislikes more than me is Sanson." he chuckled "Still, it's funny to tease them."

"Alright then." Ritsuka looked back at the panel "Just another summoning to go then-"

The pillar of light once again shot upwards, soon dying down to reveal a girl with twin horns atop her head, violet coloured hair, bright blue eyes and a frilly black and white dress.

"Hello my little piglets!" Elizabeth cheered out as she smiled "You couldn't get enough of my performance and decided to summon-"

"Goodness me, look at the time!" Mozart hurriedly exclaimed as he rushed out of the room, virtually sprinting down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him.

Elizabeth frowned at the sudden interruption and then looked down at Ritsuka, Mash and Ash "Well…that was rude." she remarked before she smiled "Although maybe he was just nervous about being in the presence of such a great idol!"

"Perhaps he cannot stand the sight of bats." Elizabeth's cheery expression died at the voice, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the newest arrival at the door.

Kiyohime gave a pleasant smile as she flashed out her fan and batted it a few times in front of her face. "I could sense the arrival of a perverted individual with foolish aspirations." she brutally remarked with her expression still cordial.

"Pervert?" Elizabeth bristled "That's some bold words coming from a stalker like yourself!" she stabbed a finger towards her then pointed at Ritsuka "I bet you've already got this little squirrel frightened half to death with your creepy routine!"

"I have not!" Kiyohime barked out "Master-sama is very accepting of my nature and understands I am just looking out for his best interests." she smiled thinly "Especially when in regards to…such peculiar individuals like yourself."

"Like myself?" Elizabeth let out a dismissive scoff "How about like yourself? Little miss belly dragging 'I'll break into your room at night'."

"That is simply me showing my affection for Master-sama!" Kiyohime explained, "Nothing about that is horrible in the least."

"Yeah, right!"

"So welcome to Chaldea!" Ritsuka cut in, walking in between the two dragon-kind Servants with a strained expression on his face "Glad you could come and I hope to give you a tour of the base!"

Elizabeth blinked and looked down at Ritsuka before she let out a sigh "Alright then…I suppose I will have to settle differences with the little snake later." she sent a faint glare in the direction of Kiyohime before looking back at Ritsuka "...Do you happen to have a place where I would be able to practice my singing talents?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"U-ummm…" Ritsuka blinked slowly, then gave a nervous chuckle "W-well…er…we…"

Elizabeth leaned closer with wide eyes that made it impossible to even consider lying to her.

"...The Simulator can be redesigned for Servant specifications." He got out through a strained smile "I'm sure you can practice there…by yourself without being distrubed."

"Excellent!" Elizabeth beamed, skipping past him and glaring at Kiyohime once again "Well piglets? Aren't you going to show me where it is?" she turned around to face them, giving an impatient frown and tapping her foot against the ground.

Ash stared at her in silence then looked towards Rituska and raised an eyebrow "Is this wise?"

"Don't ask me that." Ritsuka sighed as he walked towards the idol girl, he gave Ash a tired look out of the corner of his eye as he passed the Saber "I'm not going to like the answer…"

Ash merely hummed in response as he followed the Master out of the room.

Epilogue

The two figures trudged through the streets as they approached their destination, walking side by side they made the rather imposing pair. Both wore thick plate armour while one was a golden shine the other was a dull silver with blue blue wrapped around their neck and shoulder.

The two eventually came to a stop at the entrance to one of the streets, then watched as the figures slowly started to vanish into golden motes of light one by one.

The pair remained silent before the one on the right turned to the one on the left, his expression hidden behind his molded helmet although the aura of irritation was clearly felt by his counterpart.

"We're late." He flatly spoke, earning a sigh from his companion "What was with all that 'I know where we're going' nonsense you were speaking of?" crossing his arms, he proceeded to let out a scoff and shake his head "We spent virtually our entire summoning wandering around the woodlands around this city."

"You can't say it wasn't worthwhile." His companion responded, offering a faint shrug "We were at least able to deal with the stray beasts in the woods-"

"Ah yes, the beasts which lasted all of two seconds." The golden armoured man grunted out, raising his hand and clasping the front of his helmet in exasperation "Clearly our skills were tested to their limits."

"All I was saying is that we were at least able to have some manner of enjoyment out of our situation." The blue knight replied with a light hearted voice "Although I will not deny that perhaps there was some issue with my directional senses-"

"You led us in completely the wrong direction." The golden armoured knight cut him off "How did you even manage to get anything done on your ventures out of the city?" he paused as if realising something "Was that the reason you got that wolf?"

"No!" The knight quickly replied "They were just…um…I felt as though a companion for long journeys would be useful and the tracking abilities of greatwolves is legendary, almost as much as their intellect!"

"And so you decided to get one and teach it to swing a sword?" The Golden Knight sighed "Fine, but did you get the wolf to deal with your terrible sense of direction?"

"My sense of direction is perfectly adequate." The Blue Knight hotly defended "I just felt it better to get a companion who could speed up the process. Nothing more than that."

"...Hmph." The Golden Knight let out a scoff, shaking their head in exasperation at his companion before he looked down at his own feet "Well…we're late and everyone else is leaving, meaning that we are not long for this world either."

"I know." The Blue Knight reached up and scratched the bridge of his nose "It's my bad but realistically, this is hardly likely to be our only opportunity to fight."

"It might have been mine." The pair of knights turned towards the voice, a tall man with a long braided white beard in silver armour and adorned with blue fabric, upon his back rested a large ethereal lion like creature in a transparent white colour "Many foes appeared strong enough to bring the light to my eyes…although it appears I was denied the chance to combat against them."

"That is unfortunate." The Blue Knight lamented "You have the stature of a strong warrior, perhaps on par with the Lordkin." he paused, cupping his chin "Hmm…you are human, are you not?"

"That I am." The elderly man nodded, staring at the pair "I sense upon thee, the grace of Gold…yet it is not like that which I know of. Perhaps thou art of the race of Empyreans?" he muttered then shook his head "No…tis not as great as Marika's."

The pair of Knights remained silent before the Blue Knight leaned towards the Golden Knight "Do you know of what he speaks?"

"Perhaps he refers to the Gods?" The Golden Knight whispered back before the pair straightened themselves out "Still…you were spurned from combat?"

"Tis not the first time I have been spurned." The elderly man "I shall endure…yet after seeing such proud warriors I cannot help but be saddened that I had not the opportunity to test their strength for myself."

The Blue Knight looked down at his feet, watching as they already started to fade away into light before he flexed his body. Solidifying himself once again and looking back at the man. "This distortion of time has perhaps a few minutes left in it."

"Perhaps." The elderly man nodded, then narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the Blue Knight slowly pull a large black sword from a scabbard on his back.

"While we may not have the time for a full battle…" The Blue Knight spoke in a cordial tone "Perhaps a single spar…while we have the time left?"

The Golden Knight sighed loudly and shook his head "Always with the need for spars with you? Never one to miss the opportunity to demonstrate his skill with a blade."

"If it is a battle thee offers…" The Elderly man allowed a ghost of a smile to touch upon his lips as he a large double sided war axe manifested in his hands, the lion on his back growling loudly "Then I shall oblige thy wish…and thank thee for thy courtesy."

"Think nothing of it." The Blue Knight chuckled as he assumed an offensive pose "Merely the request of a knight wishing to test his strength against a strong foe."

"That…is a challenge I can agree with." The elderly man stomped upon the ground, causing the earth to rumble as he hefted the axe with both hands. "I shall face thee as befits a crown."

"I shall face thee as befits a knight."

The pair remained stationary before launching towards each other.

"Hey, Ash?"

"Hm?"

"You think we might be missing something really cool?"

"Cool?" Ash frowned at the odd choice of words "What do you mean?" he looked out the window and frowned "It is rather cool outside, is it not?"

Ritsuka sighed, shaking his head "Figure of speech Ash…figure of speech."

"Ah…I see." Ash nodded "My mistake then."

"Hurry up, piglets!" Elizabeth's voice called out from ahead of them with clear impatience "I need to test out my new venue to make sure its up to my standards."

"Ash?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think it's possible for bad music to kill someone?" Ritsuka suddenly asked as he looked up at the Saber "Because I do."

"You believe she is planning to kill you?" Ash blinked, then frowned and cupped his chin "Yes…her poor skill during the bizarre festival would point towards her voice being her weapon-"

"A joke Ash." Ritsuka sighed "It was a joke."

"Ah…most humor still escapes me." Ash admitted "I have been trying but I fear it still lies beyond my ability to fully replicate."

"Keep working on it."

AN: Hahahahaha!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Once again. Elden Ring will not be included in this fic in any meaningful way because its a Dark Souls fic. There might be nods to other Fromsoft games but its still a Dark Souls fic.

That being said, we have confirmation on Salaman as the Caster!

So...Here are his stats!

Salaman, King of Pyromances

Servant: Caster

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Agility: B

Mana: A+

Luck: A++

Noble Phantasm: A+/A++

Magnus Ignis Sphaera: A+ (Anti-Fortess) Max Target: 800, Max Range: 1-70

The Nickname most attributed to him ' Great Fireball', his power as a Pyromancer creating this spell which was mimicked by his students with lesser effect.

He can build up tremendous head and contain it within a ball of fire which he was then deploy upon his enemies in an explosion powerful enough to destroy a small castle.

"The moment of ignition is here. I am the one who grasps for the Fire of life. Let these flames reduce you to ash! Magnus Ignis Sphaera!"

The Great Swamp: A++ (Bounded Field) Max Target: 100, Max Range: 1-20

The Great Swamp where his legend truly began, this place is so vital to him that he can manifest it around himself. The truth of the matter is that it is his workshop.

His Domain and the one place he can truly feel at home. Within this Bounded field, he can control the environment and generate pyromancies at will with minimal effort.

However, it will take considerable time for him to create the bounded field in question and if he is interrupted or the field is destroyed by a sufficiently powerful NP, then he will be weakened as a result.

Class Skills:

Territory Creation: A

Item Construction: C

High-speed Casting: B

His ability to cast Pyromancies far exceeds others. Able to create complex spells in moments what would usually take longer.

Personal Skills:

King of Pyromancers: A+++

While he was a student of Quelana, he was still the founder of the widespread school of Pyromancy which touched upon the entire world.

He was her only pupil whom she gifted the art of flames to. He is – in effect – the master of flames themselves. A complete grasp of all Pyromancy. Past, present and future. Even Magecraft which has been built upon in the other world – as long as its roots are based in flames – can be understood by him.

Bumbling Fool: A++

Perhaps the greatest surprise of all, the man dubbed the King of Pyromancers and founder of nearly the entire magic school is actually an idiot.

Or a well clumsy oaf in any capacity, however his luck is affected because of this. A brilliant man who made a legend of himself, his luck is permanently raised because of this. In times of extreme danger, he might just receive the flash of inspiration needed to claim victory.

Or he might fall flat on his face at just the right moment to avoid losing his head. Whichever comes first.

Adoration of Flames: A

Highly resistant to all flames.

Anything below the Rank of C cannot harm him.

B is negated by 50%

A is negated by 30%

Grasp of Life: B+

Pyromancy is - at the end of the day - the art of life. The Flame brought disparity and thus, the study of the flame is the study of life itself.

That is the true nature of Pyromancy and all that relates to it. Salaman is naturally at home in rural environments or areas with a more natural setting.

Communion with Demons: A

His life in Lost Izalith - even on the outskirts - managed to have him frequently encounter Demons.

However, he was able to commune with the Demon-kin with help from Quelana and as such has the ability to speak the language of the race.

It is not the art of invoking nor evoking demons to his will, he can simply commune and achieve common ground with them if they desire it.

Summoning.

"H-huh? Oh, right! I'm Salaman, Caster Class Servant. Here to hel-pwft I bit my tongue!"

Dialogue 1

"Hey...so what do you actually do for your free time around here? Huh? Well...the Great Swamp was mostly where you would study and such to perfect your pyromancy. That sort of thing."

Dialogue 2

"I actually prefer more natural areas. You know like woodlands and all that. Your simulator is very close but its not quite the same."

Dialogue 3

"Master and Servant? Well...I'm actually used to being both you know. Well, Master and pupil technically. Still, I just do what you say right? It was the exact same for Quelana too."

Dialogue 4 (If summoned before Temple of Time)

"I'm going to go meet up with Roman. Me and him talked about a binge session of Magi*Ma-um...we're obviously going to be working very hard! N-no need to tell Da Vinci about it! Honestly!"

Dialogue 5 (If you have Carmina)

"Hmmm? Hey! Carmina! It's me! I knew you'd remember me! Look how big you've gotten, when you were learning pyromancy from me you were about this tall and-eh? 'Say another word and I'll burn your hide'? Why? It's not that embarrassing is it? I heard you did very well with Pyromancy!"

Dialogue 6 (If you have Quelaag)

"Ah, one of the Chaos witches. Eh? The oldest of them? Right, that makes sense I guess...still...she seems very nice, doesn't she? Well…not like I'd say that to her face. She's also very mean, you know?"

Dialogue 7 (If you have David)

"There's this one Servant, apparently I look like his son! That's a little strange, we even share a similar enough name too. Although this guy looks nothing like my father."

Dialogue 8 (If you have Lady Avalon)

"Wait...Magi*Mar-I mean...um...who is this woman who I have never met before in my life! Ha ha ha ha...eh? Your big brother? Ah...he did it again, didn't he?"

Dialogue 9 (If you have Quelana)

"Quelana! It's me, Salaman! That's mean, mentor! I'm not a little nuisance, I happen to be quite the big deal now, you know? Some apparently call me a King-ow! Stop pinching my ear! I'm not getting a big head, I swear! Yes, you're a very good mentor and I was lucky to have you!"

Dialogue 10 (If you have Caster of Midrash)

"Ah...I look like your husband? Sorry. Really...my condolences for your loss Mrs. I'm not him."

Dialogue 11 (If you have Saint Elizabeth)

"Ah, Master! Beth and I just wanted to thank you for helping to convert one of the storage rooms into an indoor garden. Pass my thanks onto Da Vinci as well for helping to set everything up, we really appreciate it and you're welcome to stop by any time."

Dialogue 12 (After completing Temple of Time if summoned before)

"...Hm? Oh...I'm just off to Roman's room...making sure everything is clean and in order, you know? Ha...don't want to let dust coat everything, do we?"

Likes

"What do I like? Well...I actually like peaceful walks through the great outdoors."

Hates

"I don't want to be a burden but its actually places like Chaldea that I hate...its much too...artificial. Everything is so clean and it just makes me feel a little out of place. It's not what I'm used to."

Wish for the Holy Grail

"A wish? That's a weird thing to spring on me all of a sudden but I guess I would like to be stronger at Pyromancy? Maybe? I'm not sure...I want to unravel the mysteries of life and Pyromancy is the way to do that. I guess I wish I had more time..."

Bond Level 1

"Hm? Ah, Master...glad to be of help."

Bond Level 2

"You know...there's this thing I recently found out...a 'Vtuber'? It's actually um...n-nevermind."

Bond Level 3

"You know, I would like to take you on a visit to the great swamp. I know its impossible but it really is the sort of place someone should visit. I know the name sounds odd to non-pyromancers but really, its a nice place."

Bond Level 4

"So I've been reading more of those little books you lent me, the ones with the picture? They're actually really...addicting."

Bond Level 5

"I'm really sorry that you can't handle Pyromancy...It might have made Carmina a bit jealous but I would have loved you as a student. Well...I would say that I can teach you wisdom but I'm not all that wise really...actually I'm a bit of a clumsy fool. Anyway...If you ever need someone to speak with I'll do my best to be there. Whatever you need."

Birthday

"Happy birthday! We normally celebrated this in the Great Swamp by...actually I don't think we're allowed to do that here. Too many flammable things nearby."

During an Event

"A lot of noise outside...Do you think we should have a look? I hope its somewhere natural at least."

1st Ascension

"Oh? I feel a little stronger and my clothes are a little different...hey, I could have sworn I had a hood for this outfit as well..."

2nd Ascension

"Now I'm in completely different clothes than before! What happened to all my furs...can I have my furs back?"

3rd Ascension

"Can you stop changing my clothes please? Is this the last one? Am I alright now?"

4th Ascension

"Aaaaa-hey wait? I'm back to how I started...thanks for that. Huh? I'm also stronger than before? Well...that's alright, but I'm just happy to have my furs back."