The Triumvirate Chapter 10:

Unpleasant Surprises

Day 16

"See to it that this gets done." Boudicca said as she handed the soldier a memo. The Roman soldier nodded and walked away to carry out his duties. A simple memo for the soldiers, but an important task nonetheless. It had the general duties for the soldiers to fill, and to their credit, the soldiers did not question their duties once. Boudicca couldn't help but feel a sort of respect for that kind of work ethic, even if they were Romans. The Rider walked through the camp when one of the soldiers waved to her. The Rider waved back, but did not smile. The red haired woman could not help but sigh. She wanted to be more pleasant, but the fact he was a Roman made it difficult. She had to fight it back, her hatred, her anger. She wanted to be better…..

"Oh, Miss Boudicca! I was hoping I could talk to you."

Boudicca turned to her left and saw Mashu smiling and waving at her. The Rider smiled and waved back. Now THERE was someone she could smile at. "Hello Mashu, how can I help?"

"I would like your advice about Senpai." Mashu answered.

Boudicca raised an eyebrow. "Did he say or do anything odd?"

"He has been acting weird since this morning." The Shielder answered. "I mentioned your name earlier, and he got embarrassed for some reason."

Boudicca grinned in amusement. So it was THAT. The Rider shrugged, there was no harm in talking to him about this. The two of them looked on as the male Master talked to Siegfried and Astolfo, with the Rider nonchalantly climbing on top of the Siegfried, amusing the Saber. Boudicca and Mashu couldn't help but giggle at the sight, until they set their sights on Ritsuka. Mashu sighed, causing Boudicca to turn to her. "What's wrong?"

"I do not think Senpai likes it here." Mashu answered. "Here in the Singularity, I mean."

Boudicca gently put a hand on the lilac haired girl's shoulder. "Try to look at it from his perspective. From what I can tell, he had a rough childhood, and now he's in a place where people will stab you in the back for more power."

Mashu could only nod in agreement. All this time, the Singularity made him more guarded, more…..different. Or rather, he had to readopt this mindset. It reminded him of home.

"How about you do something for him later to take his mind off his troubles." Boudicca said.

"Oh I know!" Mashu said. "I can talk to him about the future and what he and I would want to accomplish!"

"That's an excellent plan!" Boudicca chimed. "How about you go find Liz. She's been sulking about something, and I don't think I'm going to be much help since I don't know her as well as you all do."

Mashu nodded. "I accept this mission, and will do my best!"

Boudicca could not help but giggle and pat the Shielder on the head, causing Mashu to blush. The Rider stopped a moment later, allowing Mashu to run off to find Liz. Boudicca couldn't help but smile as she continued to watch Mashu in the distance. The Rider could not help but be reminded how she used to be like her, before her marriage.

"Boudicca, do you have a moment?"

Boudicca smiled and nodded as Ritsuka approached shyly. "What's on your mind Ritsuka?"

"I was hoping to ask for your forgiveness."

"What do you mean by that?" Boudicca asked. She knew the answer, but for his sake, she decided to play along, and pretend not to know.

"When we were riding to camp yesterday in the evening, I was being incredibly insensitive…" Ritsuka said. "I mentioned something that I had no right to, and I shouldn't have said anything."

Boudicca smiled and shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. You were tired after such a long day, and that makes people say or do silly things that they don't mean to."

"Does….does this mean you're not offended?" Ritsuka asked.

"I wasn't offended in the slightest." Boudicca answered. "Though maybe we should not talk about it as much so we don't make each other uncomfortable, unless we absolutely have to."

Ritsuka nodded in relief. Boudicca then looked both ways before leaning in close to his ear.

"You know, Mashu was worried about you." She whispered. The Rider grinned teasingly. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Ritsuka blushed furiously, causing Boudicca to giggle. "Relax, I'm only teasing you."

"Oh." Ritsuka muttered. "Sorry, I'm just not used to it. Talking about romantic relationships, I mean."

"My my, for a boy at your age to not be thinking of that is surprising to say the least." Boudicca said.

"That's the thing…" Ritsuka said. "I…..never felt attraction to anyone before…"

Boudicca raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Before? Sounds like to me that you-"

"C-can we please change the subject?" Ritsuka asked, his blush getting redder.

Boudicca couldn't help but giggle and ruffle Ritsuka's hair. "Sorry, I'm only teasing you because, for some strange reason, I can't help but see you as British. I just can't help but treat all British, whether they be Heroic Spirits or humans, as my younger siblings."

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Oh, I think I know what's happening. I grew up under the eye of a British doctor, so maybe because of that you see me as one as well."

Boudicca's eyes widened. "That would explain a lot."

"Please don't take what I said the wrong way…." Ritsuka muttered. "It still feels….nice."

Boudicca could not help but smile. "You sure are an odd boy. Some girls may find that really charming, you know."

Ritsuka cocked his head in confusion. "What?"

"Oh, I'm just talking to myself." Boudicca answered.

"Oh Senpai! I would like to speak to you about something."

The Rider and Ritsuka turned to see Mashu, with Liz right beside her, with both of them waving at him. Boudicca smiled at the black haired teen and nodded. "Go and talk to them. We can catch up later."

Ritsuka nodded and smiled. "Thanks for the talk."

Boudicca nodded back and watched the male Master run towards the two girls. Boudicca could not help but grin in amusement as she watched Ritsuka stop a few feet away from Mashu, and saw both his eyes, and the eyes of the Shielder brighten with the other's presence.

"Boudicca? Can I talk to you about something?"

The red haired woman turned around to see Astolfo shyly staring at her. Boudicca flashed a smile and nodded. "What's wrong?"

"It's about Nero, and the tour I gave her last night." The pink haired Rider answered.

"Did something happen?" She asked.

Astolfo shook his head. "Nothing seemed to be wrong last night. In fact, the soldiers were smiling when they saw Nero greeting them."

"Then what's the issue?"

Astolfo gulped. "I was hearing some of the very same soldiers talk badly about her….."

Boudicca couldn't help but grin. Astolfo stared at the red haired Rider with concern. "Boudicca, you and Nero agreed to not let your hatred get in the way, remember?"

"Oh, I know." She replied. "But that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate her not having many fans amongst her soldiers."

"I think you should take a moment to stop and think about how you're acting." Astolfo said.

Boudicca raised an eyebrow. "You're not usually this serious."

"That's because you're scaring me….."

Boudicca's eyes widened at the statement. The red haired woman took a deep breath, and nodded. "I'll do as you suggested and go to think to myself for a bit…."

"Can you find some yummy ingredients for dinner tonight?" Astolfo asked.

Boudicca smiled. "Sure thing! Just give me a list and I'll be sure to find them!"

Astolfo let out a little cheer, causing Boudicca to giggle as she watched Astolfo get a piece of parchment and write down what she needed.

The pink haired Rider handed her the list. "Have fun!"

Boudicca nodded. "I'll be back soon!"

Astolfo waved goodbye to Boudicca until she was out of sight. The moment the red haired woman could no longer be seen, the pink haired Servant hummed to himself as he wandered around camp to see who he could hang out with.

"You know I'm surprised." Roman said. "You've been in Rome for quite a while without even making one Monty Python reference."

"I'm letting Ritsuka have the honors of making one first." Tatsuko answered. "He is the one who got me hooked on it after all."

Roman shrugged. "That's fair."

"Tatsukooooooo, I want to hang ouuuuuuuutttt!"

The female Master turned to see Astolfo running towards her and waving. The orange haired teen looked at Roman with a smile. "Keep an eye on us."

Tatsuko then turned off the communicator and turned to face Astolfo. "What do you have in mind?"

"I just want to walk around camp for a bit and get to know you better." The pink haired Rider said.

"To be honest I'm kind of curious about you too." Tatsuko replied. "Lead the way."

The Rider nodded and walked alongside Tatsuko. The two proceeded to talk about themselves to the other, and what Astolfo's job is around the camp. To Tatsuko's surprise, Astolfo wasn't just Boudicca's forward scout, but also her right hand boy, and most trusted subordinate. Astolfo stared back at her in shock as she told him her preferences.

"You're only into women?"

"Yep!" Tatsuko answered.

Astolfo groaned in embarrassment. "You must be mad at me for flirting with you yesterday….."

"Really? I didn't even register that as flirting." Tatsuko said.

"Well in that case I'm not apologizing for calling you pretty!" Astolfo said.

Tatsuko could only laugh at the statement. The two of them continued to converse and joke around, until they heard the sound of laughter around the corner. The two of them looked at each other and shrugged. Whatever was happening seemed to be interesting enough to them, so what was the harm in checking it out? They were about to turn to look when they noticed Cleopatra staring on in amusement.

"What's so funny?" Tatsuko asked.

"See for yourself." The Assassin answered. The pink haired Rider and Tatsuko looked around the corner, and gasped at what they saw.

Sitting down and laughing together was none other than Leonidas and Spartacus.

Tatsuko turned to look at Cleopatra with the widest eyes she could muster, who merely grinned at the female Master. "They've been like that for a few minutes now."

Tatsuko and Astolfo continued to watch the Berserker and Lancer speak to each other as if they were old friends, only to shrug and step back. Whatever was happening wasn't any of their business.

"If you guys are going somewhere, do you mind if I tag along?" Cleopatra asked. "I've had my fill of those two, and now I want something different."

Tatsuko and Astolfo shrugged and nodded at the Assassin. The three of them walked quietly away from the two men so as to not interrupt, and then resumed their conversation, with Cleopatra joining them.

"Say Cleopatra, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you," Tatsuko said. "Why are you an Assassin?"

"That's…..a question I can answer." Cleopatra said hesitantly. "I killed myself by letting an asp bite me."

Tatsuko stared at her horrified, causing the Assassin to stare at the orange haired teen calmly. "Don't look at me like that. I accepted my fate, and moved on."

"I see….." Tatsuko muttered. Astolfo looked at the female Master's face and rubbed his chin. The Rider widened his eyes as a thought wormed its way into his head, causing him to laugh. Cleopatra turned to the pink haired Servant in confusion.

"What is it that you find so amusing?" She asked.

"I just thought of a funny joke." Astolfo said. "Why do Lancers and black cats go together? Because Lancers have shit luck!"

Cleopatra laughed. "That's pretty clever. Not always true, but clever."

"I…..don't get it." Tatsuko said. "I know that it goes against the laws of jokes, but can you explain that one?"

"Lancers generally have terrible luck stats." Cleopatra said.

"But Leonidas's Luck stat is about average." Tatsuko countered.

Astolfo laughed. "That makes him one of the few lucky ones!"

"I wonder if the Luck stat has anything to do with a Servant's skill activating….." Tatsuko muttered.

"How about we talk about this some other time." Cleopatra said. "How about you tell us more about yourself, Tatsuko."

"There's not much to tell." Tatsuko replied.

"Suit yourself." Cleopatra said. "Then how about you tell us more about yourself, Astolfo?"

"Sure thing!" Astolfo replied. "I'm one of the Twelve Paladins of Charlamagne!"

Tatsuko's communicator beeped for a moment before revealing d'Eon's calm visage appear on the screen.

"Let me guess, you just arrived in the Command Room?" Tatsuko asked.

"Yes." d'Eon answered. "And it would seem that I came at the right time. You see, the Twelve Paladins of Charlamagne are an elite group of knights that were under the employ of Charlamagne himself, and were the pinnacle of chivalry and honor."

"Oh, so they're like Artoria and the Knights of the Round Table." Tatsuko said.

"Pretty much!" Astolfo said. "We even knew Merlin too!"

Artoria walked in and stood next to d'Eon with a curious gaze. "What did Merlin do for you?"

"He was just generally helpful and gave advice when needed." The Rider answered. "As for the other one, who are you, and how do you know me?"

"I am Chevalier d'Eon." The Saber answered. "You and the Twelve Paladins are legendary in France."

Astolfo blushed and chuckled. "I'm actually the weakest of the bunch, so I'm not really all that great….."

"Hey just because you're the weakest of the twelve doesn't mean you're a weak Servant, right?" Tatsuko countered.

"Not true." Astolfo said. "Without my Noble Phantasms, I'm pretty much a second rate Servant."

"Okay, now I'm starting to feel bad." Tatsuko said.

"Don't feel bad for me, feel bad for Nero. Not only does she have to deal with Boudicca, but there's also the fact that I accidentally walked in on her naked and-" Astolfo's eyes widened. "Wait forget I said that last part! That's meant to be our secret!"

Cleopatra grinned. "I'm betting you two laughed about it."

"Oh we did." Astolfo said. "Crap, I'm trying to keep a secret here!"

"Okay, how about we change the subject." Tatsuko suggested.

"I agree." Cleopatra said. "How about we talk more about Boudicca."

"What about her?" Astolfo asked.

"Her leadership qualities." Cleopatra answered. "I heard her nickname was the "Queen of Victory", and I wonder if that title isn't just for show."

"She definitely lives up to it." Astolfo answered. "She hasn't lost a battle yet."

"I know Boudicca has a bone to pick with Rome and everything," Tatsuko said. "But what do the soldiers think about her, and vice versa?"

"There's mutual respect between them," Astolfo answered. "But she is struggling on her end because she still hates them."

"That's understandable." Cleopatra said. "Though I do worry about her opinion on my beloved Caesar…"

Astolfo smiled. "Oh I don't think you need to worry about that."

Cleopatra raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Because there are two Romans she actually likes." The pink haired Rider answered. "The first is obviously Claudius because he and her husband made the peace deal between her tribe and Rome in the first place….and Caesar!"

Cleopatra stared at him in shock. "Really? But I thought-"

"Oh she did hate him at one point, but Ritsuka actually got her to like him over dinner last night." Astolfo said.

Cleopatra could not help but smile. "I need to thank that boy later."

"That's nice and all, but I get the feeling we're missing something important." Tatsuko said. "Boudicca's hatred for Rome makes a lot of sense, but something doesn't really add up….."

"You're just imagining things." Cleopatra said.

Tatsuko thought for a minute before giving a small nod. It was a false gesture of course, she still couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling that something was off. She would have to speak to Ritsuka about this later, and go from there.

Night fell over the camp, and nothing was out of the ordinary. Nero decided to look at the full moon and sighed. She couldn't stand to look at it, but it was right there, taunting her. She couldn't help but be reminded of-

"Oh how lovely….I was hoping to stare at the night sky at my favorite spot in peace, but you're taking that away from me too."

Nero scowled as she saw Boudicca glaring at her, the Rider's arms folded across her chest.

"You don't own this spot." Nero spat. "This land belongs to the empire, and therefore me."

Boudicca scoffed. "It doesn't belong to you either. It belongs to the people who ruled here, before Rome took that from them."

"Are you just going to keep insulting me?" Nero asked harshly. "Or are you going to get to the point?"

Boudicca rolled her eyes. "I was just wanting to stare at the night sky."

Nero exhaled sharply in annoyance before stepping to the side, allowing Boudicca to take her spot. The blond emperor took her place a few feet away and resumed staring at the sky, with the Rider next to her.

"I'm surprised that you kept the army here alive for so long." Nero said. "I would have thought you would have betrayed me at the first opportunity."

The Rider scoffed. "I'm not going to let my hatred for you be the thing that undoes Human History."

"I have a hard time believing that." Nero said coldly.

Boudicca said nothing. The two of them returned to a cold silence as they stared at the night sky. Boudicca could not help but reluctantly stare at Nero with an annoyed gaze. "You know it's funny, you needed someone to help save your sorry ass, and who does the Throne of Heroes send? Me, the one who hates you the most."

Nero nodded. "The gods have a sick, twisted sense of humor bringing you back."

Boudicca smiled. "Well, it's not all bad. I've taken a liking to the Chaldeans at least."

Nero smiled at the comment. "They've proven themselves as capable generals."

"I heard that Ritsuka even disguised himself as a beggar and tracked down some thieves dens." Boudicca said. "I will admit that was terribly clever."

"Umu. The only reason that that worked was because we didn't know of his poor eating habits at the time….." Nero said.

"For once, I don't blame you for that." Boudicca said.

A faint rumbling made them stop their conversation. Boudicca closed her eyes and focused for a moment before hearing the rumbling more clearly. She opened her eyes in shock.

It was the sound of marching.

"We need to return to camp and warn the others." Boudicca said. Nero nodded and the two of them rushed back to camp as quickly as their feet could carry them. Thankfully when they returned to camp, they did not need to worry as all the soldiers were armored up and prepared for what was coming. Boudicca looked at the Chaldeans with a curious gaze. "You heard it too?"

Leonidas nodded. "I got all the soldiers here ready to go the moment we sensed it."

"We really need to get everyone in position." Simon said. Not a moment later, the Roman soldiers marched to their destined spots, with Leonidas right alongside them. The Chaldeans formed up at certain spots behind the Roman soldiers, with the two Masters closer to the front gate, and Mashu right alongside them in the event she was needed to support the soldiers. It did not take long after for the United Empire's undead soldiers to arrive, causing the camp to tighten their grips on their weapons.

Only for the undead to stop in their tracks, and stare blankly at the Romans and Chaldeans with their soulless eyes.

"I did tell you that this wasn't over."

The Chaldean Trio and Boudicca glared daggers as Lev Lainur appeared on the cliff over them, smirking at all of them. Ritsuka stepped forward slightly and narrowed his eyes.

"And here I thought I told you to piss off."

Lev continued to smirk. "I am surprised that you still have the courage to mouth off."

"Against you? Yeah, I think I can keep this up all night." Ritsuka retorted.

Lev grinned. "Is that right….boyo?"

Ritsuka froze. His hands started to clam up as his body shook. "How did you-?"

Lev chuckled. "I did tell you last night that information is my specialty. You know, my offer still stands. Give up and go home, and I'll tell you everything about yourselves."

"You're barking up the wrong tree asshole!" Tatsuko shouted. "Our answer is still no."

Roman appeared on the communicator and glared at the Chaldean traitor. "Time to fess up Lev. Why are you doing all this? And what do you know of the singularities?"

Lev sighed. "I guess I can entertain your feeble minds. Do you all remember the orientation, where Humanity's future stopped in 2018?"

"Why does that have to do with anything?" Mashu asked.

"Oh it is everything." Lev said. "Let me ask you this, why do you think the future is missing? It's because it doesn't exist! Human history ends there, because of your follies!"

"Don't get too excited." Ritsuka said. "We'll figure out something."

"Insolent boy. Weren't you listening?! There IS NO future to save!" Lev yelled. The traitor took a deep breath and calmed himself down before returning his gaze back to everyone. "You don't need to struggle for something so futile. So just lay down your weapons, and surrender."

Leonidas turned to look at the Masters for their answer. The two Masters simply gazed at him knowingly, giving all the Lancer needed in response. Leonidas looked at the Romans beside him and took a deep breath.

"ROMANS!"

The Roman soldiers immediately readied their shields and spears, and pointed them at the undead horde. Leonidas joined them as he glared at Lev.

"Come and take them!"

"If that is your answer, then I shall respond in kind." Lev said. The traitor snapped his fingers, and the undead horde charged at the Roman camp. Siegfried and Spartacus immediately sprang into action, jumping from the safety from the camp and attacking the undead horde in front of them. Boudicca and Cleopatra took to help another side of the camp and fight against the undead horde over there, and soon all the Chaldean Servants barring Mashu and Nobunaga, who remained with the Masters. Nobunaga soon conjured her muskets and began firing at the undead horde on every side, giving the Servants and the Romans some breathing room when needed.

Lev chuckled. "They are all fools."

"And yet I find you to be even more foolish."

Lev's eyes widened in surprise as multiple rocks shot towards him. The traitor erected a barrier to protect himself, stopping the stones before they could even reach him. Lev could only growl as Simon appeared before him with a smirk. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

"And who are you?" Lev asked.

"Simon Magus." Simon answered. "Court Mage to emperor Nero, and brilliant mage extraordinaire."

Lev stared at the Court Mage for but a few moments, trying to analyze him, trying to find anything he could use against him. The traitor's eyes widened in surprise as he finished, he could not find much information on him at all.

"Whatever you're doing will not work on me." Simon said. "Those humans down there might be easy targets for you, but I'm an entirely different story."

Lev couldn't help but grin. "It would seem you and I are not so different."

"You could not be further from the truth." Simon said. "I fight for humanity to see it's happy ending, something I imparted on my son."

"Then I guess negotiations are at an end." Lev said.

Simon responded by shooting a ball of fire at Lev. The Chaldean traitor teleported out of the way, and teleported back in an instant to stare at the Court Mage.

"Negotiating was never on the table." Simon said.

As that was going on, Nero watched as her soldiers, her Servant generals and the Chaldean forces fighting the undead horde. They were doing quite well, but there were some undead that snuck through one of the fences in the camp and made their way to them. Thankfully Nobunaga shot them down before they could get close, but Nero had an uneasy feeling.

"I'll go out there and keep them from getting through!" She said.

"Go with her Mashu." Nobunaga said. "I'll make sure Ritsuka and Tatsuko stay safe!"

Mashu nodded and followed Nero to the closest weak point in the camp. It didn't take them long to find the hole in the fence, but the two women were quick to keep the undead from getting in. Mashu threw her shield at three of the undead soldiers closest to the breach, with Nero cutting down two in rapid succession. Mashu resummoned her shield and bashed four more as they entered while Nero decapitated one that was sneaking up on the Shielder.

"That was the last of the ones breaking through." Mashu said. "Now we just need to close the breach and-"

SMASH!

Mashu's and Nero's eyes widened in horror as the fence completely shattered, and Sanson landed near their feet, bloodied but still conscious. The Assassin groaned as Mashu helped him to his feet.

"What happened?" Nero.

"I think I found the enemy general." Sanson said through labored breathing.

"I thought Lev was the general." Mashu said.

"No, it's definitely who I just got thrown by." Sanson said. "It's a Servant."

"Who is it?"

A monstrous roar sounded throughout the battle. Some of the combatants stopped for a moment in surprise. Simon's eyes widened in shock as he turned to Lev.

"What have you done?" He asked.

Lev smirked. "It would seem my second general finally came out to play."

Meanwhile Nero, Mashu and Sanson had almost no time to react when something crashed right in front of them. As soon as the dust settled Nero's eyes widened at who she saw.

A man with short purple hair and red eyes. His armor was gold and black with his red cape crossing around his chest. The man stared at Nero, and let out a mighty howl.

"NEEEEEERRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A lone tear fell from Nero's cheek as she stared at the man before her. She could not believe he of all people would be here now, as her enemy, and a general of the United Empire. She could not bring herself to raise her sword, but instead, shake like a small child in disbelief.

"Uncle…?"