The Triumvirate Chapter 8:

Onward to Gaul

The Chaldean Trio and Jeanne stared at Cleopatra in silence. A million thoughts ran through their heads as the Assassin stared back at them, unaware of what they were thinking.

"Don't get me wrong, I do love the attention, but why are you all staring at me like that?" She asked.

"Sorry, it's just we weren't expecting you." Tatsuko answered.

"Do not speak to me so casually." Cleopatra said. "You may be my Master, but I am still a pharaoh."

"And this is where things get awkward….." Ritsuka muttered.

Cleopatra raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why would it be awkward?"

"If I may be so bold," Jeanne said. "But do you know where you are?"

"I know this is a singularity in Rome, if that is what you are asking." Cleopatra answered.

"But what about when?" Roman asked.

"No, I do not."

"You are in Rome under the rule of Emperor Nero…." Mashu answered.

"Ah, well if we were helping Octavian, then we WOULD be having words." Cleopatra said. "But even though Nero is a foolish ruler, I can at least tolerate this."

"Well it's only going to get weirder." Tatsuko said. "Because if Nero dies, then Human History goes up in flames."

Cleopatra stared at the female Master with a look of disbelief. "You cannot be serious. How does that even make any sense?"

"It doesn't." Roman said. "But that's what we found out, so protecting Rome and Nero is pretty much a necessity."

"Well who are our enemies?" Cleopatra asked.

"We know of only two so far." Ritsuka said. "The first one is Darius III."

Cleopatra's eyes widened in shock. "So one of Alexander the Great's rivals is an enemy?"

Ritsuka nodded. "But he's not the one we're worried about….."

"What is wrong?" Cleopatra asked.

Ritsuka felt a chill up his spine. "I don't know how to tell you this…."

"Oh don't go having cold feet now!" Cleopatra said irritably. "Spill it!"

Ritsuka took a deep breath. "It's Caesar…"

Everyone went silent as they stared at Cleopatra. The Assassin said nothing as the light in her eyes dimmed. The four Chaldeans could not help but feel pained at seeing her like this, as if she just received news that a loved one had just passed. Though the light in her eyes did eventually return, and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Why is he attacking Rome?"

"His Master is an enemy of ours." Mashu answered. "Though from Caesar's attitude, it is obvious that he is not happy with the arrangement."

"Well, whoever his Master is, he is a cruel man for forcing Caesar to destroy the very country he loves and holds so dear." Cleopatra said. "When we find him, he has to pay for this."

"Leave him to us." Ritsuka said. "We have our own grievances with him."

"It sounds like you all have a history with this man." Cleopatra said.

A constant ringing could be heard from the communicator. Roman looked at the screen below him and his eyes widened. "Guys, you have some enemies coming your way!"

"Where?" Jeanne asked.

"They're all around you!"

"I don't see anything." Tatsuko said.

A shrill shriek rang in everyone's ears as spirits appeared before them. They were blue and ethereal, with skeletal heads and elongated arms. The undead specters started to surround them all, waving their arms and shrieking.

However, their shrieks were nothing compared to the deafening screams of Tatsuko, who leapt into Jeannes arms, and shook like a leaf.

"What's wrong?" Ritsuka asked.

"There are fucking ghosts everywhere!" Tatsuko shouted. "I hate ghosts!"

"Tatsuko, I can deal with them but I am going to need you to get off of me first." Jeanne said.

Cleopatra rolled her eyes in annoyance. These people were starting to get on her nerves. "I will handle this. Rejoice, it is not everyday that I allow just anyone to see my beautiful fighting style."

The spirits circled the group as Cleopatra took a step forward, waving her hand at one of them and commanding her serpent to attack them. The beast launched itself at high speed and bit down one of the ghosts, vanquishing it with its bright light.

The rest soon rushed towards the Assassin, and she simply closed her eyes and dashed towards them, bright light coming out of her legs which pushed the ghosts back. Then, using this light, she began to systematically take them out one by one.

It didn't matter how many of them rushed to her, her light stopped them in place and stopped them from attacking while giving her an easy opening to destroy them. The few that still remained outside of range were destroyed by her snake.

A dance of light that vanquished the ghosts in a few seconds. By the end, Cleopatra stood in the center as her serpent returned to her side, every single enemy now destroyed.

"I will accept your praise now."

"That was incredible!" Tatsuko said. "You destroyed those ghosts like it was nothing!"

"This was nothing." Cleopatra said. "They weren't even worthy to be in my presence."

"Hang on, Tatsuko let me ask you something." Ritsuka said. "Is the reason you didn't want to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark because you were scared of ghosts?"

"Where do you think I became afraid of them in the first place?!"

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "It was because of the melting faces, wasn't it?"

"I hope not!" Roman said. "That's literally the best part!"

"When we got to that scene, Roman ate a fresh bag of popcorn and was grinning while watching it." Mashu said.

Tatsuko stared at Roman in horrified shock. "Jesus Christ Roman, that makes you sound like a psychopath. But no, it wasn't the melting faces. It was the ghost's faces when they started killing the nazis."

Roman sighed in defeat. Cleopatra rolled her eyes as Ritsuka cleared his throat. "Okay, I guess it's my turn to summon a Servant. Wait a minute…..why don't we just ask Medea to rayshift here so when we fight Caesar again we can break his contract to Lev? We get him as an ally, and he doesn't have to destroy his home!"

"That is brilliant!" Cleopatra said. "Summon her here now!"

"Unfortunately that won't be possible this time." Davinci said. "We didn't tell you all this because we didn't want you all to panic, but something is interfering with our ability to rayshift anyone else into the Singularity. However, summoning from the Throne of Heroes still works."

Ritsuka clicked his tongue in annoyance before flashing a guilty expression towards Cleopatra. "I'm sorry Cleopatra, it seems like we won't be able to help Caesar afterall…"

Cleopatra shook her head. "There is no need to apologize. I am grateful that you at least thought of it."

Ritsuka nodded and returned his attention to the shield in front of him. The male Master closed his eyes, activated his magic circuits, and muttered a small chant. Like before, it did not take long for the shield to glow, nor for the golden orbs to appear and spin around in three circles and for the pillar of light to erupt, and to die down a moment later. The moment their eyes adjusted, the group saw the Servant standing atop the shield.

It was a tall man with red hair and an incredibly muscular build. In his right hand was a spear, and in his left, a large round shield. He merely wore a pair of bracers on his arms, a tunic around his waist, and left his chest bare. Underneath his arm was a Greek helmet. The Servant looked at the Chaldeans calmly before giving a small bow.

"Servant class, Lancer. Leonidas, King of Sparta. At your service!"

Ritsuka grinned and chuckled. "Looks like we hit the jackpot!"

Leonidas smiled. "I will take that as a compliment."

"Well, now that you know our names, how about you tell us yours." Cleopatra said.

"I'm Tatsuko Tachibana."

"I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru."

"My name is Mashu Kryielight. A Shielder."

"And I am Jeanne d'Arc."

Leonidas raised an eyebrow and smiled at Mashu. "So you're a Shielder? I must say you definitely have the bearings of a defender."

"She definitely is." Ritsuka said. "She saved our lives more times than I can count."

Mashu blushed crimson as Cleopatra cleared her throat. "Master Fujimaru, how about you catch King Leonidas up to speed."

"Please, call me Ritsuka." The male Master said. Ritsuka then walked closer to Leonidas to help him familiarize himself with what was going on. As he was doing so, Tatsuko borrowed Mashu's communicator, switched from Roman to call Siegfried. Not a moment later, the Saber appeared on the communicator.

"Ah, Tatsuko, I was actually about to call you." He said.

"Good news Siegfried, we got two Servants that will be PERFECT to defend Rome." Tatsuko replied.

Siegfried nodded. "It just so happens we have some news as well…"

"Okay, what's the bad news?" Tatsuko asked.

"Rome is in disarray." Siegfried answered. "We are trying our best to get things under control, but the politicians manage to turn things in their favor and Nero is having trouble keeping them in line."

"Then WHAT'S THE GOOD NEWS?!" Tatsuko shouted.

"Nero's court mage and his son have returned from Gaul." Siegfried answered. "The campaign over there is going well for us, but Nero and the court mage agreed that it would be best for us to go there soon and lay the United Empire's ambitions there to rest."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is almost a two week journey, is it not?" Jeanne asked.

"Under normal circumstances you'd be right." Siegfried said. "But the court mage's son will be casting a spell that will bring you here, and then another to bring us to Gaul."

"Impressive." Cleopatra said.

"Okay, Leonidas is up to speed." Ritsuka said as he walked towards them with the Lancer. "What did I miss?"

"We're going back to Rome." Jeanne answered.

Ritsuka gulped. "Oh no…."

"Don't worry buddy, you don't have to worry about the climb down." Tatsuko said. "We're going to be teleported back to Rome."

"Oh thank God!"

No sooner did he say that a portal appeared in the sky. The Chaldeans and their new allies looked up as it lowered towards them, until it engulfed them.

"I have to be honest, I am not looking forward to this…." Nero muttered.

"Either way, this will be quite the amusing journey!" The court mage said. An attractive man with long brown hair and a long flowing black robe, his eyes were full of mischief.

"You forget yourself, Simon." Nero said.

"I merely jest, my emperor." Simon said. Not a moment later, the portal opened up, allowing the Chaldean Trio, Jeanne and the two new Servants to step into the throne room. Mr. Mittens and Linus perked up and moved towards the Chaldean Trio, rubbing their faces affectionately over them. Cleopatra and Leonidas raised an eyebrow each at the action, but decided to not press further. Nero then walked towards them with a smile.

"I am Nero Claudius, fifth emperor of Rome."

Leonidas nodded. "Leonidas, King of Sparta. And Lancer."

"I believe you should know who I am already. I am Cleopatra."

Nero furrowed her eyebrows. "Oh, how lovely. Caesar's temptress is here…"

"And I am in the presence of Octavian's downfall." Cleopatra said. "Oh don't look all offended, I mean that as a compliment."

"Okay I think that's quite enough." Nobunaga said. "Once Gaul is taken care of you can insult each other all you like."

"She's right. We really can't afford this right now."

Everyone turned to see a young man step out from behind the pillar. It was obviously the court mage's son, given their similarities. But where his father had long brown hair, the younger man had short brown hair, and wore white robes. A small hint of mischief and arrogance could be found in his eyes.

"Ah, forgive me for not introducing them earlier." Nero said. The blond emperor pointed towards her court mage. "This is Simon Magus, my court mage. And that over there is his son, Malgus."

Malgus gave a small bow. "I-"

"FOU!"

Everyone watched in absolute shock as Fou leapt from Ritsuka's shoulder and tackled Malgus to the ground. The little critter then proceeded to pound his paws on Malgus as if he was attempting to maul him.

"Someone please get him off me?" Malgus asked.

"Fou! Get off him!" Mashu and Ritsuka shouted in unison. The two of them ran towards Fou and attempted to pull him off the young Mage. After a few moments of struggling, they succeeded, with Mashu holding him by the scruff of his neck.

"I am so sorry for his behavior!" Mashu said. She then turned her attention to Fou and scowled as she pointed a finger at him. "And you will not be getting extra treats for two days!"

Simon and Malgus couldn't help but laugh at the sight before them until Nero raised a hand to silence them. The blonde emperor took a deep breath and stared at everyone in the room. "I have made a plan, thanks to the information Simon has given me."

"And what information did he bring?" Cleopatra asked.

"The United Empire is retreating further and further from Gaul." Simon answered.

"Wait, isn't that a good thing?" Tatsuko asked.

"Normally you would be right." Cleopatra said. "But it also depends on how easily Nero's forces have been winning as well."

"Why should that be a factor?" Liz asked.

"Because it means that this could be a trap." Leonidas answered.

"Precisely." Simon said. "The general leading Nero's forces in Gaul knows that they're walking into a trap, and she wants to spring it, but needs help to do so."

"Okay, then what's our plan?" Nobunaga asked.

"The plan is simple." Simon answered. "First, Nero and some of you will be going to Gaul via teleportation spell, and then you all will be giving them the extra hands they would need in case this is an ambush."

"And who will be going?" Jeanne asked.

"Ritsuka, Tatsuko and Mashu will be coming with me." Nero said. "But it's you all that we need to decide on."

"Then allow me to be the first volunteer." Leonidas said.

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea." Ritsuka replied. "We might need you here to defend Rome."

Leonidas grinned. "The court mage said this general would need extra hands, correct? Well I have quite a few stashed away."

"Umu, I shall permit you to come." Nero said.

"I shall go too." Siegfried said.

"You're definitely going to be perfect for this." Ritsuka said with a smile.

"I shall go as well." Sanson said. "I'm sure you'll need another medic to help out."

"With you and Ritsuka, we'll be nigh unkillable!" Tatsuko chimed.

"Hey, don't leave me out!" Nobunaga shouted. "Liz and I want to come too!"

"Yeah that's right!" Liz said. "If we beat them back in Gaul we can probably end this once and for all."

"Your ranged attacks will definitely be vital for this mission." Mashu replied. "In fact it may even be what brings us victory."

"Well it would not do well for me if I did not go with you all." Cleopatra said. "I shall come as well."

"But what about Caesar?" Ritsuka asked. "We'll need people to stay behind in case he comes back."

"If it comes to that, then we can simply teleport some of you back here to help in the defense." Malgus countered.

"Umu, then it is decided." Nero said. The emperor sighed. "Now to go to Gaul and speak with the general…."

"Wow, you seem to not like this person." Tatsuko said.

"You don't know the half of it." Nero said.

"Okay, who is this general that you hate so much?" Ritsuka asked. "You've been acting very strange and it's making me worried about you."

Nero took a deep breath. She knew that Ritsuka was knowledgeable regarding history, so there was no point in hiding it any longer.

"It is Boudicca."

Ritsuka stared at her wide eyed. "You can't be serious! There's no way in hell she'd ever work with you, or any Roman for that matter!"

"The gods have a sick sense of humor." Nero said.

"Okay can you two please tell me what you're talking about?!" Tatsuko said irritably.

Ritsuka took a deep breath. "Who here knows of Boudicca, and her history?"

Mashu, Jeanne, Siegfried, Sanson, Liz and Vlad all raised their hands. Ritsuka turned to Cleopatra and Leonidas who gave small nods.

"I only know some of the facts." Leonidas said.

"As do I." Cleopatra said.

Ritsuka turned to Tatsuko and Nobunaga. "And what about you two?"

"I know absolutely squat." Nobunaga said.

"All I know about Boudicca was from what Caster told us in Fuyuki." Tatsuko answered. "She saved his life and died covering his escape. And that's about it."

Ritsuka nodded. "I'll give you four the complete rundown in private later. Then you'll understand why this is serious."

The four of them nodded. Simon cleared his throat and smiled. "It is time to go. My son will stay here to ensure Rome has a Mage protecting it."

Malgus widened his eyes. "But father, I don't think I can do that! You're much better suited for-"

"Malgus, you have more potential than I do." Simon countered. "You're not there quite yet, but one day you'll surpass me. And this is your chance to prove it."

Malgus was about to speak, but stopped and nodded reluctantly. Simon took this opportunity to conjure a magical portal above the leaving group. As it descended upon them, Nero called to Mr. Mittens and Linus, who rushed to her side, and waited with her for the portal to arrive. Vlad and Jeanne nodded to them, wishing them luck. It wasn't until the portal completely engulfed them did Malgus look on in concern. He could not help but think something bad was about to happen.

The next thing the group knew, they were out of the portal and right in front of a vast forest. The group raised their eyebrows as they looked around trying to find the camp.

"Hey Simon, did you teleport us in the right place?" Nobunaga asked.

"Nope!" Simon answered. "I just thought this place would be much better."

"Why?" Ritsuka asked.

"~Just follow me~!" Simon said playfully. The court mage then walked away next to the forest and near its side.

"Is he always like this?" Liz asked.

Nero smiled. "Umu, he always knows how to make things entertaining!"

"I'm not sure entertaining is the right word for this." Ritsuka said.

"Come on now, follow me!"

Everyone turned to see Simon waving at them, before they decided to follow him. It only took an hour for everyone to get slightly concerned due to not seeing anything that resembled a camp anywhere while the two lions huffed and marked their territory on one of the trees. Sanson looked at Simon with irritation and clicked his tongue.

"You're lost, aren't you?" He asked in annoyance.

"No, I know where the camp is." Simon said.

"Then why didn't you teleport us there?" Cleopatra asked. "You say this place is better, but that's not an answer!"

"I think someone is watching us."

"You mean Lev." Tatsuko replied.

Simon nodded. "I have seen this man in Gaul a few times before. And everytime I always got the feeling that he was spying on us."

"So it looks like not only is he strong enough to hurt Jeanne and kill the palace guards," Ritsuka said. "But he also seems to have some sort of clairvoyance."

Simon shook his head. "No, not clairvoyance. It is something else entirely, and I don't know what it is."

"Hang on," Nobunaga said. "I hear something coming from that way."

"I do as well." Leonidas said.

"It sounds like an army is marching!" Liz shouted. The Chaldeans ran alongside Nero and her court mage towards the marching sound, only to see a big contingent of undead soldiers from the United Empire marching on the road.

"The soldiers here are undead too?" Sanson asked.

"Looks like it was done to everyone." Nobunaga said.

"How awful….." Mashu muttered.

Roman appeared on the communicator as he typed away. "I'm getting a Servant signature not far from your location."

"Is it a friend or foe?" Siegfried asked.

The sound of a war horn caught everyone's attention. Not a moment later, an arrow pierced the neck of one undead soldier, and then another, and another, until an entire group of soldiers came out of the forest and attacked the United Empire's soldiers.

"Well it looks like our soldiers were ready for them." Simon said. "How about we help them out a bit."

"Leonidas and I will take care of this." Cleopatra said. "You all just sit back and watch."

"I don't think that will be necessary." Nobunaga said. "There's someone out there that's beating them all to a pulp."

Everyone turned towards the battlefield and saw the warrior in question. A tall woman with long red hair reaching her waist and blue eyes. She wore a white shirt with long white sleeves, with the top displaying the cleavage of her ample bosom, alongside a red skirt and long brown boots. The woman also wore a cape that was held together by a brooch. In her right hand was an ornate sword, and in her left was a red and yellow buckler.

"Looks like the Servant reading was friendly afterall." Roman said.

As that was happening, the red haired Servant stabbed one undead soldier in the head before kicking it off her sword. She turned to see another of the United Empire's undead running towards her, his sword raised to strike. The Servant deflected the blow with her buckler before bashing the shield into its body to stagger it, and then cut the undead soldier in half. Five more soldiers charged at her, and the red haired woman would run to them before leaping into the air and readying her weapon. The woman shot down towards them like a meteor, and swung her sword, decapitating them all in one swift stroke.

"Wow, she's good." Nobunaga said.

"Good? Try fucking badass!" Tatsuko said.

Nero scowled as she watched the Servant fight the undead horde with the Roman forces. Ritsuka saw this look from the corner of his eye and how the lions sat by her side as if to calm her down before looking back at the red haired woman and gulped. There was definitely no mistaking who this could be…

As that was going on, the red haired woman cut two more undead soldiers down before spinning around and stabbing another in the gut. She then kicked the corpse away before dodging a spear. She grabbed the spear, broke it in half before grabbing the part with the blade, and shoving it into the skull of its undead owner. As soon as the undead soldier fell to the ground, the red haired woman dodged another spear that stabbed the ground. She then stepped on the haft, keeping it in place as she smashed the undead soldier's head into paste with her shield. She sheathed her sword and picked up the spear, and chucked it at a group of undead soldiers. The spear pierced some of the soldiers, with the spear and them flying until they were deeply pinned into a tree. The red haired Servant took a deep breath before unsheathing her sword, and cut down more undead soldiers. A battle cry forced her to turn around, and she saw some of Nero's soldiers on the ground, their undead opponents ready to kill them, but the soldiers merely roared in defiance, instead of cowering.

The red haired woman acted quickly, running up to the assailing undead and threw her shield into one, completely embedding itself into its head. The woman shoulder checked another undead soldier before kicking up a shield on the ground with her foot, and in doing so blocked an incoming strike from an incoming undead Roman soldier before quickly grabbing said shield and slammed it into the undead soldier's head, completely caving in the enemy's head. Another undead Roman charged at her, but the woman did not move, instead she remained stationary, until it was close enough to her that she quickly swung her sword up, bisecting the undead man from groin to head.

The woman proceeded to elbow another undead soldier in the face before stabbing its foot. Another undead soldier charged at her but she summoned her shield back to her side and blocked the strike. It didn't take long for one of Nero's soldiers to kill the undead soldier attacking the woman, allowing her to bring her sword up and kill the undead soldier behind her. The Servant looked at the soldiers on the ground and took note of their situation. One had an injured leg, while the other was merely defending him. She came up to the uninjured soldier and offered him a hand. The soldier took it and was immediately brought up on his feet.

"Get back out there and cover me!" She said. The soldier nodded and leapt back into the fray, giving her time to pick up the injured soldier and carried him like a sack of wheat towards the tree line. She looked up and saw the Chaldeans and their allies staring back at her. Ritsuka and Sanson took a few steps to try and help her, but the woman simply raised a hand and shook her head. The two men stopped and nodded reluctantly. It was obvious she had this all under control. She then turned to the soldier with an air of indifference.

"How bad is it?"

"I'll live. I think." The soldier answered. The woman nodded and took the opportunity to go back into the fight and finish off the remaining undead Roman soldiers.

It didn't take long for the fighting to finally end, and the woman saw the Chaldeans and co. walk towards her slowly. The woman saw Nero and scowled, with the blonde emperor returning the gesture with her own.

"Boudicca."

"Nero." The woman named Boudicca said coldly. The red haired Servant turned to face the Chaldeans, Cleopatra and Leonidas and smiled. "I take it you must be the ones Vlad mentioned."

"You know Vlad?"

"He was with me while I was discussing the plan with Simon." Nero answered.

"Really?" Tatsuko asked. "This is the first I've heard of it."

Boudicca cleared her throat as she looked at the Chaldeans and Nero. "We still have the injured soldiers to tend to right now. As soon as they get ready for transport, I suggest we head back to camp."

"I can help with that." Sanson said.

"Same here." Ritsuka said.

Sanson shook his head. "I'll be more than enough for this, Ritsuka."

"Are you sure?" Ritsuka asked.

Sanson nodded. "You ride with Boudicca and the others."

"Okay, but the moment we reach camp, I'm tending to the wounded."

Boudicca raised an eyebrow. "I do not mean to be rude, but what do you know about healing others at your age?"

"It's a long story." Ritsuka said. "How about I tell you on the way to camp."

Boudicca smiled. "I like you already. You have yourself a deal."

One of the Roman soldiers came up to Boudicca with a horse, and handed her the reins. The Servant soothed the horse gently before climbing onto the saddle. Not a moment later, Nero whistled to Mr. Mittens, and the lion came towards the emperor.

"Ritsuka, hop onto Mr. Mittens." Nero said. "He will be more than sufficient."

"You cannot be serious." Boudicca said. "That is both foolish and irresponsible of you Nero!"

Mr. Mittens took the opportunity to nudge Ritsuka gently. The male Master got the message loud and clear, and got on top of the lion and gently held onto the mane. Boudicca stared at him with widened eyes. "How is that even possible?"

"I have no idea." Ritsuka answered.

Boudicca quickly shook her head to snap back to reality. She then turned her attention to Nero and scowled. "It seems that the last of the injured are ready to go. Don't get lost in the forest, Nero."

The blonde emperor scowled as she got onto Linus and gently held onto his mane. "Try to not get us killed along the way."

Boudicca said nothing as she rode into the forest with Ritsuka riding alongside her. Nero did not wait too long before riding into the forest as well after the others got their own horses. The entire time, the Chaldeans and the two newest Servants could not help but feel a chill in the air. It was clear that Boudicca and Nero loathe each other, and now they could not help but wonder what was going to happen next.

OC: And so Boudicca joins the story and in a kick ass fashion.

CV: Boudica finally gets something to do! How long has it been since the last time, like 5 years?

OC: True. So to our dear audience we're going to try and keep this brief and I know there's going to be a lot of questions about this so I'll answer them now as best I can. Yes, Boudicca will have a similar role to what she had in Septem. No, she will NOT be praising Nero, and in fact will actually be very dismissive and venomous to her. Yes, both Boudicca and Nero will hate each other's guts here because there is no fucking way they're going to be buddy buddy all of a sudden. And the reason for her being on Nero's side is the same as in the game; She thinks that the United Empire is much worse. The reason for this is because having her on Nero's side was actually an interesting idea, but it was handled poorly. We're going to make sure to give this little plot point some actual weight and depth behind it.

CV: Right, brief….

OC: Just had to get this off my chest before people get the pitch forks and torches.

CV: True, we needed to give the readers an explanation.

OC: Well at least they can take solace that we're doing justice for her combat-wise because that fight scene with her was pretty awesome. It was brutal, yet also showed she is a good leader as well.

CV: And it will only get better in the future.

OC: That it will. And we also should be happy that not only is Cleopatra here now, but also Leonidas. I actually had this secretly planned out for a couple of weeks, and I wanted to surprise Vlad with this because I just felt Leonidas would be a good ally in Septem instead of an enemy like in the game.

CV: Gonna be real, I didn't even remember Leonidas was in Septem, that's how small of an impression he had.

OC: I didn't either until a week or so ago. Also I actually did not know Nero actually had a court mage named Simon Magus until a little while ago thanks to a very good friend of ours, and I decided to incorporate him in the story instead of getting killed offscreen before Chaldea arrived.

CV: Like we said before, Septem was going to have major changes, and I think we're delivering well on that promise.

OC: Oh, well look at the time. Thanks for reading our little present to you all. Me-

?: Hashire sori yo…..

CV: Wait what?

?: Kaze no you ni…

Mini Nobu: Nobu Nobu!

OC: Yeah, I know, I know. Honestly I'm surprised it took her this long to find us.

?: Tsukimihara wo…

CV: And here I thought we would manage to avoid them…

OC: Oh you sweet summer child. There is no escaping them. You can never get away from-

(Santa Nero breaks through the wall): PADORU PADORU!

OC: And there it is. Ahhhh it wouldn't be the same without her.

CV: Right on schedule, but I thought there were more than one.

OC: Must have gotten lost. In any case I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and we hope you stay tuned in next week for an even MORE awesome chapter, but before we sign off, we have one thing to say to you all.

Both: Merry Christmas everyone!

(An army of Santa Nero's appear from the broken wall).

CV: And there they are. Boss is going to kill us when she finds out they broke another wall…

OC: Actually I think she was the one to call them in. So we're in the clear. And that's all folks. Owen Chaser and Cosmic Vlad signing off, and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.