Return to Null Chapter 2:

Tense Negotiations

Day 2

The sun started to rise, signaling the early morning. Some of the businesses were starting to open, especially a certain café close to the bridge. It was here that the majority of the Chaldean team went inside to wait for their guests, leaving the male Master outside as the agreed hostage. The black haired teen wore a long sleeve blue shirt with two X's standing side to side, with one's top and bottom overlapping on the other. He also wore black jeans and black shoes to complete the look. As he looked around the area, he saw neighbors greeting each other warmly, people helping others with opening doors, or even exchanging pleasantries. The male Master couldn't help but smile at the sight. He knew that the rest of the city was better than the Shinkaichi District, but to actually see it in action, and to get to see more of the city itself filled him with a warm sensation he couldn't describe.

"Ah, so my hostage knows to follow orders it seems."

Unfortunately, that sensation was replaced by annoyance as soon as he heard that arrogant tone. The male Master turned to see Kayneth walking towards him with a smug look. The male Master looked for Diarmuid, but could not see him.

"Contrary to what you think, I can hear you." Ritsuka snarked.

Kayneth widened his eyes in surprise for a moment, before giving a chuckle. "You have quite the mouth on you, boy."

"Oh just wipe that smug look off your face." Ritsuka said. "Let's get one thing clear; I don't like you."

"Really?" Kayneth asked in amusement. "Why, whatever for?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's because like all the other Lords of the Clock Tower, you sit in your ivory tower looking down on everyone else." Ritsuka replied. "You act as if you can do whatever you want, while also abusing your powers for your own selfish goals. Does that answer your question?"

Kayneth raised an eyebrow at that. The blonde Magus leaned in and looked closer at the black haired teen, making Ritsuka raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"How interesting….." Kayneth muttered.

"Okay, can you stop doing that?" Ritsuka asked. "You already look like a creep, so maybe don't do anything that would make the people here think you really are one."

"We should discuss more inside." Kayneth said. "You can now leave Spirit Form, Lancer."

Without a moment's pause, Diarmuid appeared by Kayneth's side. The blonde Master opened the door to the cafe without giving the two men a second look back. Diarmuid looked at Ritsuka sympathetically. "Did you sleep well?"

"It was the same old, same old for me." Ritsuka answered. "How about you? Did you have fun fighting Cú?"

Diarmuid nodded. "It was incredibly exhilarating getting to fight such an opponent."

Ritsuka chuckled. "Cú's been pretty excited over getting a chance to speak to you again. So let's head inside."

The black haired Lancer nodded and opened the door for the black haired teen. They found the others sitting down near the back of the café. Ritsuka saw Mashu waving for them, and seeing her outfit made him blush slightly. The Shielder wore a black dress-like outfit with long black sleeves and a black beret on her head. Her brown boots were pretty bright, but it only enhanced the outfit, giving her a more spunky, yet cute twinkle in her eyes. She looked as if she was ready to travel, and he wanted to travel with her. Ritsuka and Diarmuid made their way to the others and sat down to begin their negotiations.

"Now, tell me why you are here." Kayneth said.

"As I have said last night, we are here on behalf of Lady Reines to help you win this Holy Grail War." Waver lied as naturally as he breathed. "And we already found the location of Caster's Workshop."

"And how did you acquire this information?" Kayneth asked. "And more importantly, just exactly who are you?"

"Umm, pardon me, but should the information we gave you be more important?" Mashu asked. "I believe this would give you an extra Command Spell, if memory serves correctly. Should you not be satisfied with this revelation?"

"You shouldn't speak unless spoken to, girl." Kayneth said. Ritsuka scowled at the blonde Master and tapped his finger on the table in anger, causing the Clock Tower Lord to grin in amusement. In order to ease the tension, Waver cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"I apologize, Lord Kayneth, but I cannot say who we are yet." He replied. "If we do so, it would increase the risk of your defeat."

"Then explain why you also have a Lancer." Kayneth demanded. "And also that Archer there for that matter."

"Their presence here is more of a unique circumstance." Waver answered.

Kayneth sighed. "You are definitely not making a good case for yourself here."

"I know we are coming off as more suspicious to you with each passing moment." Waver said. "But Lady Reines herself ordered us to keep our involvement and identities a secret, even from you."

Kayneth looked at the Chaldeans for a few brief moments to gauge them. It was clear they weren't budging on this, but on the other end, this would definitely be something his niece would do…..

"Very well, where is their hideout?" Kayneth asked.

"I have a map of it here." Waver said. The Caster handed the blonde Master a piece of parchment, showing the location of the Workshop.

"I must say, I am impressed." Kayneth replied.

"If I may make a suggestion, we could help you fight Caster." Waver said. "Our Lancer is the best at Magecraft among my group, and would be a great asset."

"I appreciate the offer." Kayneth said. "European Magecraft is certainly more efficient than whatever Magecraft this backwater nation came up with."

"And yet this backwater country kept Mystery around longer than most other nations." Ritsuka snapped. "Can you say the same? Oh wait, we beat you there too!"

Cú and Emiya snickered at the remark as Mashu looked on in confusion. Waver looked at Kayneth with slight amusement and chuckled. "No offense Lord Kayneth, but you had that one coming."

"I must say, I am becoming more amused by you, boy." Kayneth said to Ritsuka. "In any case, I think we have talked enough for now. I expect you all to arrive at my penthouse suite at 10:00 P.M sharp to discuss more."

Without missing a beat, Kayneth and Diarmuid got up to leave. Ritsuka scowled at Kayneth the entire time until the blonde Master and his Lancer left the building. The moment the door closed, the group decided to finally speak in Japanese as things finally calmed down.

"God I hate that guy." Rituska said.

"Yeah, we could hear you guys outside." Emiya replied. "So how come he wasn't offended by all that?"

"Simple, Ritsuka was being completely honest with him." Waver answered. "Lord Kayneth is a very cautious man, paranoid even. So if someone tells him what they think without sugar coating it, then he's more than likely to appreciate it, even if it means they hate him."

"So you're saying Ritsuka's hatred of the Clock Tower and the Lords worked to our advantage?" Cú asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"I still do not like it." Mashu said. "Hatred is a very bad thing to feel after all."

"I think you're somewhat right. It is a negative emotion." Emiya said. "However, it is also a necessary emotion to have."

"I do not understand what you mean by that." Mashu replied.

"How about we wind back and talk about Lev Lainur for a moment." Ritsuka said. "Do you not hate him for what he did to Director Olga? For the lives he ruined in Rome?"

Mashu could not answer. She felt…nothing like that for Lev…..But she did dislike him for what he did. No…..she did feel hatred…..hatred for one man in particular…

Ritsuka saw the look in her eyes, and took it in stride. "Maybe we should let you think about it more. In the meantime, why don't we have some coffee and food."

"Well the waiter is coming, so why don't you wave them over?" Cú asked.

Ritsuka nodded and waved to the waiter, and with his arrival, the Chaldeans could finally order their food and relax after their negotiations.

Meanwhile back in Chaldea, everyone in the Command Room was still either roaring in laughter at Ritsuka's previous outburst at Kayneth, or shaking their heads in amusement. Roman and Artoria could only smile and shake their heads as they watched Davinci and Tatsuko rolling on the floor laughing alongside everyone else.

"Okay you two, I think it's time we get serious again." Artoria said with a chuckle.

"You're right." Davinci said between giggles as she got up.

"Oh come on, you have to admit it was funny." Tatsuko replied as she got up.

"Indeed." Artoria said. "Kayneth did deserve that one."

"But we also must remember what is happening here." Roman said. "This is supposed to be the Holy Grail War with one of the highest casualty rates."

"In that case, can you tell us more about Diarmuid, Artoria?" Tatsuko asked. "I know you two fought in that War a couple of times, but you never really talked about it much."

Artoria's smile faded and the Saber sighed. "There is a reason for that. You see, our last fight was to be an honorable one. Only…..my Master Kiritsugu used dirty tactics to ensure my victory. He kidnapped Kayneth's Fiancé, and used her as a hostage to force Kayneth to kill Diarmuid."

Tatsuko's eyes widened in shock. "He seriously did that? I can't believe you don't hold a grudge against him anymore."

"True, what he did that night was reprehensible, but he redeemed himself in the most unlikely way." Artoria said. "By saving Shirou that fateful night, raising him as best he could, Kiritsugu tried to atone for his actions."

"But didn't his ideals also cause Emiya to become….well, the man we see now?" Tatsuko asked.

Artoria nodded. "I never said that he raised Shirou flawlessly. He made a huge mistake, true, but his heart was in the right place, and I have no doubt that if he lived, he would have tempered him. After all, there is no doubt in my mind he loved Shirou as his own."

"Why do I get the feeling things will be getting problematic if we see him or Lord El-Melloi II's younger self…." Roman muttered.

"Kiritsugu will definitely be the biggest obstacle aside from Caster and his Master." Artoria said.

"How many Servant Souls would it take for the Greater Grail to activate?" Davinci asked.

"Normally it would be about six." Artoria answered. "But it depends on a variety of other factors too. So we cannot say for certain how this one will activate."

"But we aim to make sure that won't happen." Tatsuko said. "Lord El-Melloi II has a plan to stop it, and I have faith it will succeed."

"Even the most well thought out plans can fail." Artoria countered.

"Personally I'm hoping they don't have to enter Ritsuka's home district." Henry said. "From what he mentioned, it seems this year was particularly vile."

"Personally I hope you're right." Roman said.

"What happened that year to make it so bad?" Tatsuko asked. "I mean I know it was awful all around, but Ritsuka never told me any particular year being worse."

"That's because I was the only one he told." Henry answered. "As a former cop, he trusted me enough to tell me this."

"It has to be about what they specialize in, doesn't it…." Tatsuko muttered. "What was it that his home district specialized in then?"

"I think we all know the answer to that…." Henry said. "Human Trafficking, and prostitution."

"I had a feeling that was the case…" Eric said.

"Well this year wasn't just bad for the prostitutes, but for everyone else as well." Henry countered. "But I won't say anything more about it. If they unfortunately have to go there, you'll see for yourselves."

"I hope you're right…." Davinci said.

"Ahoy! So what's happening here?"

Everyone turned to see Edward Teach walking in the doorway of the Command Room with a manga volume in one hand, and a holster with two cups of coffee in the other. "Alright, french vanilla coffee for me, and for the basic ass bitch, a pumpkin spice latté."

Tatsuko simply responded with a seatbelt snap as Teach handed her her coffee. The female Master sighed in bliss at the taste of her drink, and winced at the label.

"Saint bucks?" Tatsuko said. "We couldn't come up with a more original name?"

"What's wrong with it?" Roman asked.

"I get the feeling that when we save the world we'll get sued for plagiarism." Tatsuko answered.

"Well what people don't know won't hurt them." Davinci replied.

Teach cleared his throat to remind everyone of his presence. "I'm still wondering what's happening here."

"The ground team managed to sway Kayneth to meet them at his suite." Roman answered.

"And Ritsuka practically tore that guy a new one. Twice!" Tatsuko said with a grin.

Teach laughed. "Now that is ballsy! How did the guy react?"

"He took it pretty well." Davinci answered. "Lord El-Melloi II informed them that Kayneth appreciates honesty. So with Ritsuka's dislike of him being out in the open, it gives us an easier time to negotiate."

"Then let's just hope that he doesn't do something to muck it up." Teach said.

Roman raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you share that opinion, Teach."

"It's all classic politics." Teach replied. "We pirate captains had to play by similar rules, or else the crew would mutiny. So I know a thing or two about stuff like this."

"Well knowing Ritsuka, he won't fuck this up." Tatsuko said as she drank her pumpkin spice latté.

"I know, but we don't know if Kayneth will agree to anything." Teach countered.

"You are correct." Artoria replied. "Lord Kayneth is still a paranoid, arrogant diminutive noble. He can still flip the tables on them and attack."

"And how do you expect Kayneth to win that fight?" Roman asked.

"He can't, but he wouldn't need to win." Artoria answered. "All he needs to do is figure out their lie, call them out, and he gets the upper hand."

"Well regardless, there is a good chance he'll turn on them if they don't establish an alliance." Alexander replied.

"I doubt that." Tatsuko said. "Lord El-Melloi II knows Kayneth, and so he'd have back up plans just in case."

"Exactly." Roman replied. "With that in mind, they have nothing to worry about."

"Then we should just watch and observe." Davinci said. "If things get bad, we can only hope they can figure a way out."

No one said a word in protest. They all simply returned their gazes upon the screens before them as they saw the day pass before them. However, Artoria squinted at the screen as she watched the city turn to night.

Something within her was screaming that something was….off.

The Chaldean Team simply discussed unimportant topics as they rode the elevator towards the penthouse Kayneth resided in. It was close to the meeting time, so they had to make haste so as to not ruin their negotiations with the Clock Tower Lord, but they didn't want to talk about the negotiations, and instead focused more on trivial matters to pass the time. Soon, Roman appeared on the communicator to join the discussion.

"Okay Ritsuka, I have a question for you because we can't for the life of us settle this dispute." Roman said. "What do you feel about Saint Bucks as a brand?"

"I refuse to answer." Ritsuka said playfully.

"Told you he'd say that!" Teach said as he read his manga.

"Hey, what are you reading there?" Ritsuka asked.

"Akame Ga Kill." Teach said. "And as you can see, Tatsuko is over my shoulder trying not to drool over one of the girls."

"Hey I can't help it! Najenda's hot!" Tatsuko shouted.

"Oh? Mind if I have a look?" Cú asked. Blackbeard and Tatsuko shrugged and walked over to the center to show the Chaldean team the image. The moment they got a clear look, Cú whistled in approval. "Damn, she does look really nice!"

Ritsuka, on the other hand, tried to not laugh, causing everyone to stare at him in confusion.

"Senpai, what is so funny?" Mashu asked.

"Oh nothing…." Ritsuka said with a snicker. "It's just that Doc seemed to have gone full chuuni with that arm and eyepatch."

Everyone went silent. Ritsuka saw the looks in their eyes and he could not help but be further amused as the gears turned in their heads. Teach looked at the manga, then to Ritsuka, then back to the manga, then back to Ritsuka and slowly pointed to the woman in the panel. "Ritsuka, are you telling us that your caretaker is a dead ringer for Najenda?"

"Well get rid of the robot arm, the eyepatch, and give that character brown hair instead of silver, then yes." Ritsuka answered. "And also slightly thinner due to malnutrition."

"Then that means….." Tatsuko widened her eyes in realization. "Dude…..that means Doctor Williams is hot!"

Ritsuka shrugged in indifference. "If you say so."

Not a second later, the elevator dinged, and they saw the door open to the penthouse suite, and saw numerous familiars lurking around the halls. One of the smaller ones saw them, and bade them to follow it towards the suite Kayneth resided in. The moment they were close, the door opened on its own, showing Diarmuid standing close by and giving them a smile and courteous nod allowing them to enter. They then saw Kayneth at the piano drinking wine and smiling at his guests.

"Wow, you look so pompous right now." Ritsuka snarked.

"Oh please, we both know the word you're looking for is aristocrat." Kayneth countered.

Waver cleared his throat to snap everyone back to attention. "Have you agreed to letting us aid you, Lord Kayneth?"

"For now." Kayneth answered.

"Sounds like you're finally starting to see reason." Ritsuka said.

Kayneth couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, you remind me of someone."

"And who would that be?" Ritsuka asked.

"Aurelia Yggdmitz." Kayneth answered. "An incredibly powerful magi, and one of the most talented members the Clock Tower had ever seen in the last decade. Like you, she was a harsh critic of our way of life. Aurelia eventually gained a following amongst other talented magi, and she led a foolish rebellion against us. She was eventually defeated, of course, and was killed in action."

Waver raised his eyebrow. "How long ago was this?"

"It ended about five years ago if I recall." Kayneth answered nonchalantly.

"Five years? How come I never heard about this?" Waver asked.

"Oh it was all hush hush." Kayneth answered. "Me and the other Lords decided to keep her rebellion a secret from everyone else to prevent her memory from annoying us further."

"I see…." Waver muttered. "Well, it seemed like you had it all under control."

Kayneth chuckled. "Of course we did. Now, let us get back to the topic at hand."

"Dealing with Caster…" Waver muttered. "I have a plan if you would like to hear it."

"Then what do you propose?" Kayneth asked.

"We go there and take Caster out together before he can retaliate."

Kayneth nodded in approval. "A simple and plain strategy, but given the circumstances, this would be most effective."

"Then I have my own suggestion." Ritsuka said. "We spare the Master, and turn him over to the police."

"And why should we do that?" Kayneth asked.

"He's a deranged serial killer and a non-Mage." Ritsuka answered. "We turn him over to the police, they won't even believe his ramblings of magic and sorcery. Let them handle him, while we take care of Caster personally."

"You think I care about that?" Kayneth asked. "This is a War, boy, and there is no reason to spare the enemy."

"Ah, but it would be beneath you to do so." Waver countered. "As a Lord, there is no dignity in killing him."

"Then allow me to make my own demands." Kayneth replied. "Once Caster is defeated, stay out of my way, and do not interfere with my plans."

Cu lifted his head, ears angled as if Kayneth's words had spurred him into a state of alert and focus.

"Something like that is awfully vague, don't you think?" asked Cu, voice lackasidal but red eyes piercing and focused, "Nobody in their right mind would agree so hastily to that unless they know exactly what it is your 'plans' are."

"Why you-" started Kayneth, face glowing red in frustration before he vented from his nostrils to compose himself, "Clearly, your familiars are too vocal. If you have Command Seals, I would recommend a punishment."

Diarmuid turned his head to the side, the desire to speak up gushing from his pained expression. Both Celtic heroes were familiar with the perils of agreeing to open and vague demands. While Kayneth had not desired the use of a contract or geas, the concept of manipulating another through seeming acquiescence was a sore spot for both Lancers.

"He's right though!" yelled Ritsuka, interjecting himself into the conversation, "Be reasonable, what would you do if someone told you to not interfere with their plans when you don't know anything about them?"

"Hmph," huffed Kayneth, pride and ego bruised from the duo's comments.

"Think about it logically, Lord El-Melloi," began Waver, cautiously trying to placate the noble's wounded ego, "If we are to work together effectively in future endeavors, then a minimum of information should be expected so as to coordinate appropriately."

Kayneth stared at the Chaldeans calmly before taking a deep breath. "Our business has concluded for tonight. We will meet sometime tomorrow to discuss things further."

"Then we will wait for your signal." Waver answered. A familiar then beckoned the group to follow it back to the elevator, and the Chaldeans silently returned to the elevator and rode it down in silence. It was only when they left the hotel and walked away somewhere out in the distance did they finally stop to discuss everything.

"Do any of you think we could have done better?" Mashu asked.

"Actually that went relatively well." Emiya answered. "We made progress with Lord Kayneth, and we have a plan to deal with Caster and Ryunosuke."

"And I'm surprised by Ritsuka's plans for Ryuunosuke." Waver replied.

"I mean think about it for a second," Ritsuka said. "We don't break our no-killing policy by bringing him in to the police, and when we inform them of what he's done, the murders can finally be pinned on him, and therefore the families get closure."

"At the very least it is a good idea." Mashu replied. "We should not be the ones to decide his fate, even if he has done terrible things."

"That is a very good way to see it, Mashu!" Ritsuka said with a smile.

"Well regardless, Caster is a tricky opponent." Waver countered. "Though you all should know that by now since you fought against him in France."

"Yeah, but he had the Grail from that Singularity empowering him." Cú replied. "Without that how tough can he be?"

"On his own, not so much." Waver answered. "However, we should still not underestimate him. He has a few tricks up his sleeve, and we're working with less Servants this time around."

"Then we have to hit him hard and fast." Emiya replied.

"Correct. And once that is taken care of, we can proceed with the next part of our plan to dismantle the Holy Grail here." Waver said.

"And how do you propose we do that with Kayneth around?" Ritsuka asked. "There's no way he'll agree to work with us further if he knew what we were planning."

"Leave that to me." Waver said. "I have a few ideas on how to keep him unaware of our intentions."

"Then I'll let you handle it." Ritsuka replied. "Honestly talking to that guy today really got on my nerves."

Waver chuckled. "And yet because of you he seemed more willing to listen to us."

"It's ironic actually." Emiya said in amusement. "Who knew being that confrontational and antagonistic would ease him up."

Ritsuka groaned. "That's not something to be celebrating! Seriously, could he be any more insufferable?"

"No need to complain, Ritsuka." Cú said. "Look if it gets too much to bear, then why don't you just step out and get some air next time."

"Fair point…" Ritsuka muttered. Mashu looked at the male Master in concern as she saw his face soften and fall slightly.

"Are you okay, Senpai?" Mashu asked.

Ritsuka widened his eyes for a moment before calming himself down. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about tomorrow is all."

Mashu and the others did not press further, satisfied with his answer. Not a second later they decided to find a better place to rest for the night, but also away from prying eyes. As they walked through the city to find such a location, Ritsuka could only think about what Kayneth told the group earlier.

There was a rebellion against the Clock Tower, only for the rebels to be defeated five years ago. The leader was killed, and no one seemed to know about the rebellion aside from the Lords…

Ritsuka felt a chill run through his body as he started to think about it more, and came to piece certain things together. Hannah came to Fuyuki a few years before he was born, chose to make her home in a clinic in the Shinkaichi district, and never spoke of her life before coming to Japan. The male Master sighed and clenched his fists. There was only one explanation for this…

Hannah must have been one of those rebels.

OC: And here I thought Ritsuka's snarkiness could be held back. Instead he kept going on the offensive on Kayneth and without any hint of fear.

Y: Well, it's an interpretation that Kayneth enjoys needling others, just going by his interactions with Waver. Unlike Waver, however, Ritsuka isn't his student nor is he a member of Clock Tower, so there's a different context there. Hrmm, you can think of it as him enjoying being a jerk and knowing he's getting under their skin.

OC: True, and it only pisses off Ritsuka more. In any case it was actually refreshing seeing this kind of verbal smackdown from one of the nicest people in Chaldea. Usually the games have him very subdued in anger for the most part and only showing his more emotional side in very controlled circumstances. But here? We are not restrained by that, and it really is a little more interesting seeing Ritsuka not giving a fuck about titles or status, and just bluntly telling someone that he hates their guts.

Y: I see Kayneth as a more bullying, immature version of Thranduil from The Hobbit trilogy movies (not the book since book Thrandy is pretty different). Well, for Ritsuka, it's important to show some bite for characters he doesn't like by default. Simply traveling the path of least resistance will not work well for all personality types, and a hyper-A personality mixed with hidden insecurity is one of those…

OC: Not to mention we actually have it be a GOOD thing that he's so nasty to Kayneth for the most part. As Yatsu said, Kayneth appreciates honesty, and since Ritsuka is being completely blunt and honest, it actually makes Kayneth feel relieved. That is easily one of the most baffling things ever.

Y: Mhmm, Kayneth basically doesn't believe in good will. It leads to a lot of his communication conflict with Diarmuid since "I wish to serve as a loyal and honorable knight" doesn't really compute to him, so he thinks Diarmuid is lying and doesn't want to tell him his true wish. Then combine that with Sola-Ui falling for Diarmuid, and, well…he added 2 and 2 and got 4.

OC: Honestly I find it hard to feel sorry for him anyway. He might be better than most, but I don't say that as a compliment. In any case I am so happy to have finally used the Age of Mystery joke between Ritsuka and Kayneth. I told Vlad that one a year or so ago, and he was laughing his ass off because of how accurate, and also how quickly Ritsuka responded to Kayneth's insult to Japan's Magecraft being "backwater".

Y: I have a bit of sympathy considering Kiritsugu was just being a dick for dickishness's sake. That being said, it did feel like he started the trend of "Magi are so wrapped up in their pride and tradition that they become sitting ducks to anybody with the superpower of PRAGMATISM!". I always got the vibe that, as Rin described (and Touko embodied), the 'typical' Mage would be an unfettered sociopath who would do anything for a boost; kinda contradictory with the latter portrayal we get.

OC: Well thankfully Ritsuka and Tatsuko turned out great. Well they have some trauma and issues but they at least are good people and ACT like it. And for scene 2 we did something interesting. We actually showed the people in Chaldea just watching the team do their thing in the Command Room. Tatsuko is there just watching her best buds negotiate with a blonde dick, and Artoria explaining her opinion on Kiritsugu after all the drama they went through, and also Blackbeard and Henry being bros and proving they've earned the Masters' trust. And yeah, Ritsuka's home district of Shinkaichi's specialty dealt with prostitution and human trafficking. So I guess we know why he hates…..the you know what's….with a burning passion.

Y: Trauma and mental issues give you superpowers in the Nasuverse (sometimes), so I think they'll pull through. And it's always fun to cut to the bridge bunnies, wish we got more of that in the game so we could see Cerejeira and co. rather than just Meuniere.

OC: Well I am going to be honest with you all, this kind of thing will be happening more in the future, especially the Lostbelt Saga. Vlad and I were fans of Record of Ragnarok so we wanted to somewhat replicate that and just have more interactions.

Y: Does that mean Parvati, Durga, and Kali cheering for Shiva and being adorable? Cuz I thought that was cute. But yeah, general interactions are fun to flesh out the group's characters.

OC: And now onto Scene 3. It was mainly exposition and them negotiating with Kayneth more, but it also gave rise to something interesting that Vlad and I always were looking forward in revealing. The mention of a rebellion against the Clock Tower!

So the thing is that FGO's world and the classic timeline we all know from FSN are pretty different, and we really don't know much about anything about either timelines aside from what the writers gave us, or just little nuggets from interviews. So Vlad and I wanted to expand on the world further a bit to flesh it out a little more. And we originally thought a Holy Grail War in the past would be great, but when we remembered that in FGO there was only one, we scrapped it and decided on the rebellion.

Y: So the rebellion will be the igniting event huh? , rebellions are always a source of a lot of drama, split a house in two as the old adage says.

OC: Well it happened in both timelines with Kayneth confirming it happened, but it kinda is a big event that happened, and it is also to give Ritsuka a bigger picture of who his caretaker was.

And yes, I am going to just say it. Hannah was indeed part of that rebellion. I mean after reading this chapter it only makes it obvious she had a hand in it. Her hatred of the Clock Tower stems from the fact she had to watch so many of her friends and comrades die. And her coming to Japan and hiding in a red light district? Perfect camouflage.

Y: Does bring a certain irony hiding in Fuyuki considering, in the Nasuverse, the Tohsaka founded Fuyuki to protect Christians from persecution from the Tokugawa Shogunate so they could secure an alliance with them. I recall that was also a floating theory since Muramasa was also persecuted by the Tokugawa so, possibly, there's a chance he fled to Fuyuki as well and became one of Shirou's ancestors.

OC: That is also a very interesting theory. But now onto some important news. For everyone reading this, I know this chapter came out super late, and we both apologize for how tardy we were. But Yatsu had some…troubles that made it difficult for a couple of days, and as for me? Well, I'm gonna level with you.

Earlier this year, my father was working on a ladder at home, and he fell and broke his hip, and hurt his legs really badly. He was hospitalized for a few days to be prepped for surgery, in which they put a metal rod in his right leg to allow it to move properly. For the next few weeks he had trouble walking, but in time he managed to do so, albeit in pain, but he could do it with a cane.

Unfortunately, just last week, that rod was starting to show wear and tear. He had to get another surgery done a few days ago, and now he won't be able to walk for another six months. Just moving with a walker causes him pain and it takes a toll on him. He can't even go up the stairs right now, meaning he has to stay down in the basement and do his work on a recliner.

To make matters worse, my stepmother had to have surgery done on her right hand not long after, meaning she wasn't in any real condition to help him much.

I am the only able bodied person in my family that is close by, so three days ago, I went back home to help take care of them. I live two hours away, and I braved the journey because they needed the help. I do not regret postponing this chapter, but I felt like you should know what is going on, and that this might be happening for a while. My family needed me, and I answered the call.

Y: It's understandable, sometimes stuff happens, and we have to take the call. Prioritize those who are important to you, that's part of life.

OC: Exactly. It was honestly difficult seeing my dad like that. He's one of the most stubborn people I know, so I know he will overcome this. Hopefully. In any case, thank you all for stopping by this week's chapter of Chaldean Chronicles. We will resume writing on the weekend as we are going to be incredibly busy the next couple of days, but do stop by when the next one comes out! Owen Chaser and Yatsu, signing off.