The Triumvirate Chapter 7:

The Burning Mountain

A chill ran up the spines of everyone present. Standing in front of them was none other than one of Rome's founders. Romulus took note of their uncertainty and their unease. He could see the blood of Romans spilled all over the earth, causing him to close his eyes and raise his hand.

"Stay your weapons, the battle is over."

The Roman soldiers immediately did as asked, but Caesar and Nero did not budge. The two of them could not help but stare at the large man in quiet awe as he stared back at them calmly. "Why do you two continue to hold your weapons?"

"I do not see the need to put it away." Nero said. Romulus simply sighed in disappointment before turning to Caesar.

"I know what you intend my son," Romulus said. "But you must cease your assault, and go back to your Master."

Caesar looked at the large Servant in shock. After getting this far, now he has to leave and go back to Lev? The Rider turned to look at Nero, then to the capital. Caesar closed his eyes for a moment before sheathing his sword. The Rider nodded at Romulus, before giving a dismissive glance to Nero.

"You have some good advisors, Nero." Caesar said calmly. "Perhaps they can teach you what it takes to actually rule."

And with that, Caesar resummoned his steed, and retreated from the capital, leaving the Chaldeans and their Roman allies with Romulus.

"I thank you for your aid." Nero said. "But…..are you truly the great founder?"

Romulus gave a small nod. "I am."

Roman appeared on the communicator with a curious look in his eyes. "I do not mean to offend you, but can you confirm if you're on the side of the United Empire?"

"I am not on their side." Romulus answered.

Nero smiled. "Then it is a good thing you came along. With you here, it proves that my rule is just."

"What makes you believe that I am on your side, my child?"

The chill returned to everyone's spine as Romulus stared at them all calmly. Of all the things to say, this made them the most uneasy.

"Then who's side are you on?" Tatsuko asked.

Romulus turned to face the capital. The large Servant noted that despite the beautiful exterior walls, the city of Rome was heavily damaged. They were still recovering, something that relieved him greatly. He then raised his arms while continuing to stare at the city.

"I am on the side of Rome." He answered.

"How can you be on the side of Rome if you're not siding with us?" Nero asked.

Romulus looked at the blond woman calmly. "Because you have not proven yourself worthy yet."

"Why does she need to prove herself worthy?" Mashu asked.

"She has been letting others rule Rome in her stead for too long." Romulus said. "It is time for her to rule in her own name."

Everyone stared at the Servant in shock before he started to walk away. "I must go now. But know that I will be watching your progress, my child."

Not a second later, the ground shook until dozens of roots emerged, and surrounded the Servant. He then submerged into the ground, as if he was a part of the earth itself, leaving them all alone.

"Well, that was chaotic." Tatsuko said. "Regardless, we still got a victory in."

"No, we didn't." Ritsuka muttered.

Tatsuko raised an eyebrow. "Dude, we just got rid of the last of the undead soldiers. And we had Caesar on the ropes, I'd say that's-"

"He planned this all out." Ritsuka said. "He had another trick up his sleeve that would have won him the battle. If it wasn't for Romulus, we'd have lost. Just look at the field….."

Tatsuko did so, and widened her eyes in shock. Half of Nero's soldiers were dead across the battlefield. They gave their lives to defend Rome, but in the process, they were now even more vulnerable for a siege. And Caesar was still out there, waiting for another chance to attack.

Ritsuka was right, while Caesar was the one to retreat, it was THEY who lost today.

(Later that night at the United Empire's camp)

"It is as I told you. The great founder stopped me."

Lev glared at the Rider. "A convenient excuse for you then. Because of you, we'll have to wait for the campaign in Gaul to end in our favor for more soldiers to arrive!"

"That won't be necessary." Caesar said. "I still have my Noble Phantasms."

Lev widened his eyes in realization. "Ah, so you really DID have them dead to rights."

Caesar nodded. "I did. If I activated my main Noble Phantasm, the battle would have been won."

Lev grinned. "Then we should wait for things to die down again, and strike."

"That will be difficult for me with the great founder around." Caesar countered.

Lev shrugged. "In that case, I guess we end the campaign here in Rome for now."

"Where am I headed next, then?" Caesar asked.

Lev reached into his pocket, and handed Caesar a map with red circles in certain areas. "Those are areas that I believe that Chaldea may go to. See to it that you ambush them in one of these places."

Caesar raised an eyebrow. "How do you know this?"

Lev grinned. "Information is my trade, Caesar. One must know their enemy to achieve victory."

Caesar looked at the map, and looked at all the locations carefully. One area in particular stood out to him. If he could get there first, then he may be able to settle things.

"I'll see what I can do." Caesar said.

"Splendid!" Lev shouted. "You must go to these places by foot, though."

"May I ask why?"

"It will increase your chances of catching them off-guard." Lev answered. "Now, I have another plan in the works, but I need to return to base right now to enact it."

The Chaldean traitor then instantly teleported, leaving Caesar with the map. The Rider took one last look at it, before summoning his steed. Caesar took one last deep breath, before galloping towards his first destination.

Day 12

After such an ordeal the previous day, everyone in Rome was shaken up by what happened. First a fire broke out all over Rome, with Nero leaving at the earliest possible sign, then the disastrous battle yesterday caused them to lose half of their defending soldiers, leaving them more vulnerable to attack. Because of these incidents, the subjects were starting to lose faith in their emperor. Ever since then, Nero has been in her throne room, where the Chaldean Trio, Roman, Siegfried and Nobunaga watched her sulk.

"Okay, how long is she going to stay like this?" Nobunaga asked.

"It's really painful to watch." Tatsuko said. "Wow, I actually feel bad for one of history's worst tyrants…..Who would have thought?"

"And now we're going to witness it firsthand." Ritsuka muttered. "Romulus put her in a tough spot. Either she lets her advisors continue to rule for her, and lose Romulus's favor, or rule on her own, and go down the path history laid out for her…"

"It's only going to get worse….." Roman said.

"What do you mean?" Mashu asked.

"If Nero dies, then human history falls as well….."

Silence filled the air. The Chaldean Servants and the Trio stared at Roman in absolute disbelief. It was as if he grew another head.

"You can't be serious." Tatsuko said.

"What do you mean?" Roman asked.

"We're talking about the part where Nero is the thing holding human history together here." Ritsuka said. "How, and also WHY is that possible?"

"I have no idea, it's just what I've been informed here." Roman answered. "Oh, maybe I could check with Magi Mari. She should've updated her diary by now."

"Doctor, it is not my place to comment on the hobby of a 30-year-old bachelor, but please do your job." Mashu said. "Otherwise, I will be forced to delete that "secret" folder of yours."

Ritsuka laughed at the response, causing Davinci to stare at him with an amused grin. "Careful Ritsuka, I might just hop on your computer and see your own stash."

Ritsuka continued to chuckle. "Then the joke's on you Davinci, I don't even watch porn!"

Everyone barring Mashu stared at the male Master in disbelief. Ritsuka took note of their faces, and it furthered his own amusement. Tatsuko could only sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Buddy, I thought we told you to be more honest. Why are you lying to us again?"

Ritsuka grinned. "Who says I'm lying?"

Tatsuko looked into his eyes, and saw his grin. The female Master widened her eyes in shock before turning to the communicator. "Davinci, check both his computer and browsing history!"

"I'm on it!" Davinci shouted. The Caster ran out of the room, leaving everyone to stare at the amused male Master.

"Why are you still smiling?" Tatsuko asked. "This is usually the part where any guy would be saying how this isn't necessary or even trying to bluff."

"Tatsuko, I must disagree." Mashu said. "There is no way Senpai would be into such things."

Nobunaga shrugged. "Honestly I'd say it'd be normal for a boy his age to have a giant folder full of it."

Siegfried looked at Ritsuka and raised an eyebrow. "How are you so calm about this?"

Ritsuka continued to grin. "Just wait for it."

Not a second later, Davinci returned to the Command Room with a shocked, frantic expression. "He's not lying! There's no porn on his computer at all!"

The group stared at the male Master once again with shocked expressions. Ritsuka couldn't help but chuckle evilly until he and the others heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. They turned around and saw Lucia standing a few feet away.

"Ms. Lucia, how long have you been standing there?" Mashu asked.

"Just a few seconds ago." Lucia answered. "But if I may be so bold, but what is this….porn you speak of?"

The group looked at each other in silent uncertainty. It would be so easy to tell Lucia, given her…..appetite, but considering they were in the past…..

"Well, I guess it will remain a mystery." Lucia said. The chief concubine sighed, and looked at a still sulking Nero. Lucia looked at her sadly, she hated seeing her like this, and it only broke her heart further to continue to see Nero, who was always full of energy and life, reduced to a sulking mess on her throne.

"You really must love her if this bothers you so much….." Tatsuko muttered.

"Of course I do." Lucia countered. "I even remember when we first met."

"I would like to hear how you two met." Mashu stated.

Lucia smiled. "I'm from a well off family, but our meeting was by fate. I was walking near the palace one day, and by sheer luck, I found this rose garden. I was in a good mood that day, and decided to do a little dance. I danced for quite a few minutes, when I looked into her eyes. I stopped dancing, and she continued to stare at me. And the entire time, my heart would not stop beating. It only got worse when she asked if she could dance with me, and I agreed of course. And during the middle of our dance, our emotions boiled over, and we kissed. A couple of months later, I willingly gave my maidenhood to Nero so that way I could be her mistress without anyone complaining."

"I must say, it is indeed romantic, in a way." Siegfried said with a smile. "It reminds me of how I met my wife, Kriemhild."

Lucia giggled. "It sounds like you two had quite the loving relationship."

"Okay this lovey dovey crap is cute and all," Nobunaga said. "But how does this help us with Nero?"

Lucia sighed. "It pains me to say this, but Nero would be a terrible ruler….."

Tatsuko stared at Lucia with widened eyes. "You actually admitted Nero is bad at something?!"

Lucia nodded. "Of course I do. When you love someone, it also means accepting who they are, warts and all."

"Well is there anything that Nero is GOOD at?" Ritsuka asked.

"Oh there are many things she's surprisingly talented in." Lucia answered. "To start, she is a brilliant architect."

"Really?" Roman asked.

Lucia nodded. "None of her plans have been built yet due to the ongoing war, but I promise to show you some of her ideas."

"Thanks." Tatsuko said. "What else is she supposed to be good at?"

"She is an excellent dancer and performer." Lucia answered.

"Not so surprising." Nobunaga said. "She does seem to love being theatrical."

"That she does." Lucia said with a giggle. "She's also a wonderful singer."

"Really?" Roman asked. "I thought she'd be bad at that."

"Well she was bad at first from what I have heard," Lucia said. "But she got better with practice to the point no one remembers how bad she was."

"So she's good at all this, and bad at leading others." Siegfried said.

"Oh she's good at leading others." Lucia said. "If it is a small team or a troupe, she would be excellent. She's got the charisma to get them to follow her, but for larger operations, she tends to do poorly."

"Okay, so what is Nero bad at aside from ruling?" Ritsuka asked.

"I have a list." Lucia said. "She's bad at cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, though we're both bad at that, smithing, keeping her voice down, subtlety, po-"

"Okay, I think we get the point." Nobunaga said. "Nero's a performer and ill-suited for ruling."

"It seems Romulus really has set out an impossible task for us all…." Roman said.

"And with Caesar still out there, Emperor Nero still has much to worry about…." Mashu muttered.

"Umu, Mashu you're a genius!"

Everyone turned around to see Nero running up to them with a bright smile. "I know what we need to do so we don't have Caesar to worry about!"

"What's the plan?" Tatsuko asked.

"Siegfried and Nobunaga are Heroic Spirits, is that the correct term?" Nero asked. "No matter, what I'm trying to say is that there could be one who specializes in fighting invading armies or even aggressors. So why don't we summon a couple of people like that?"

"That's a brilliant plan!" Ritsuka said.

"Is there anywhere in Rome where we can do that?" Roman asked.

Nero nodded. "Yes, my Court Mage would go to Mt. Etna all the time. I have no idea why, but he said it was important."

"Okay, so I guess that's where we're going." Ritsuka said. "And with Nero going with us, we should be able to get there in no time."

Nero looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry, but I cannot….."

"Why not?" Mashu asked.

"Because I need to stay and protect Rome." Nero answered. "Besides, after I need a few days to go over the next part of the plan…."

"Which is?" Siegfried asked.

Nero clicked her tongue in annoyance. "We go to Gaul, and meet up with my….top general there…"

"So I guess we'll be going by foot?" Ritsuka asked.

Nero nodded. "It'll be a three day journey there and another three day journey back. By the time you return, I'll have everything ready for us to get to Gaul."

"Then we'll head out immediately." Roman said.

"Then allow me to go with you."

Everyone turned to see Jeanne walking towards them. Lucia smiled and gave a small bow. "I am glad to see you up and about, lady Jeanne. But are you sure you will be okay to go with them?"

Jeanne smiled. "I'm fully rested, but thank you for your concern."

"Okay, so Jeanne is on board." Roman said.

"Honestly I think she and Mashu will have to suffice." Ritsuka said. "Nero's going to need the others to help defend Rome while we're away."

"I'll notify everyone that Siegfried's taking command until you guys get back." Nobunaga said. The Trio and Jeanne nodded and turned to Nero.

"We'll be back with some help." Tatsuko said as she handed Siegfried a communicator. "If anything happens don't hesitate to call us."

Siegfried nodded. Nero walked up to the four Chaldeans with a big smile. "I wish you luck!"

The four of them nodded and left the palace to embark on their new mission; summoning more Servants to bolster Rome's defenses.

Day 15

Before the group left Rome, Nero was gracious enough to supply them with some horses. The Chaldean Trio and Jeanne would ride for three days, until they reached the town closest to the sea. After securing a boat to travel to Mt. Etna, the Chaldean Trio and the blonde Ruler decided to pass the time by discussing what they saw on the way, and how the war had affected everyone in the Roman Empire. It was almost two hours later, when Ritsuka rubbed his chin in deep thought.

"Okay, let's talk about possible opposition." He said. "We already met Darius and Caesar, but I get the feeling he has more up his sleeve."

"You forgot Jing Ke." Tatsuko said. "She attacked Nero in her bedroom, so she could be in league with them."

"I don't think so." Ritsuka countered. "She said that she was there to slay emperors. Not one, but multiple. So it stands to reason that she's a wild card."

"I agree." Jeanne stated. "The way she spoke and acted made it seem as if she was acting of her own accord."

"Well in that case, I think Caligula could be a possible enemy." Tatsuko said.

Ritsuka shivered. "Knowing how much of a nutcase that guy was in history, I'd definitely feel sorry for any soldier under his command if he was summoned."

Mashu widened her eyes and pulled out her communicator and activated it. "Dr. Roman, is Johan in the Command Room still?"

Roman shook his head. "No, we had to send him out for a bit to get some rest. But we know what you've been talking about."

"Is Artoria still in the room?" Mashu asked.

"I am."

Roman stepped away so that Artoria could stare directly at Mashu. "How can I help?"

"I read that you once personally defeated a Roman emperor by the name of Lucius Tiberius." Mashu said. "Do you think it is possible that he could be a potential ally of Lev's?"

Artoria scowled. "I sincerely hope he never shows his face."

"What makes you say that?" Ritsuka asked.

"He was a bloodthirsty bastard that thought he could do as he pleased just because he ruled Rome."

"Yikes. Sounds like he was a nasty piece of work." Tatsuko said.

Artoria nodded. "If he is there, however, summon me right away. I'll deal with him personally."

"Excuse me everyone, but we are nearing Mt. Etna!" Jeanne shouted. The Chaldean Trio turned to face the volcano, and were in awe of what they saw. Mashu slowly took out her camera from her shield, and took aim at the volcano.

Click!

Ritsuka looked at the picture and chuckled. "I know this is going to sound weird, but it looks like the mountain at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Tatsuko turned to him in surprise. "So you finally watched it?"

"Yes." Mashu answered. "Senpai and I were invited to watch it with Dr. Roman and Davinci a few days after our movie marathon."

Tatsuko shivered slightly, causing Ritsuka to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "Are you okay Tatsuko?"

The female Master snapped back to attention and nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Ritsuka shrugged at the answer, and got off the boat with the others. The four of them then decided to look around some more to see where they could find a place to make a summoning circle, but unfortunately, there was nothing that would work.

"Hey Roman, can you see where we should set up a summoning circle?" Ritsuka asked.

"I was looking into it, and I think I know the best place to do it." Roman answered.

"Where?" Tatsuko asked.

"At the top of the volcano." Roman answered.

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Y-you're pulling our leg right?"

Roman shook his head. "Nope, it's at the top."

Ritsuka gulped. "H-h-how about you three go on without me. I'll stay out here and keep watch…."

Tatsuko raised an eyebrow as she watched Ritsuka become more uncomfortable. "Hey, Ritsuka. Be honest here. Are you scared of heights?"

"What? Me? No, I'm not scared of heights." Ritsuka answered.

"Are you sure?" Tatsuko asked. "Because you seem to be-"

"I'M FUCKING TERRIFIED OF HEIGHTS!" Ritsuka shouted. Everyone stared at him blankly as if he grew another head. Tatsuko simply cleaned her ear from the ringing, and took a deep breath.

"Roman, can he stay behind here?"

Roman shook his head. "I'm sorry Ritsuka, but we're going to need both of you up there."

"Then how about we tie him to a long piece of rope and we carry him that way." Jeanne suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea to me." Roman said.

Ritsuka took a deep breath. "Fine, fine, I'll go….But I'd like a blindfold so I don't have to look…."

Mashu flashed an apologetic look at the male Master. "Unfortunately, I do not have a blind fold in my shield that we could use….. Emperor Nero asked to borrow it because she wanted to test it."

"Oh that's right, Nero wanted to surprise Lucia with a gift and wanted to cover her eyes with something so she couldn't see it." Jeanne chimed.

Tatsuko blushed. "I'll admit, I thought she was going to use it for something else…"

Ritsuka sighed. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

(A few minutes later…..)

"How much more is there to climb?!" Tatsuko asked in annoyance.

"We have only been climbing for five minutes." Mashu answered as she grabbed a rock to climb up on. "So that means we only have an hour or so to go."

The Shielder looked down at the rope tied around her waist, and to the male Master hanging underneath her, covering his eyes so he wouldn't look down below. "Senpai, how are you feeling?"

"I'm regretting this already!" He shouted. Fou immediately licked the black haired teen's cheek, having decided to stick with him as they climbed the volcano. Davinci took this time to appear on the communicator with a devious grin.

"You know if you stop covering your eyes and lookup, I'm sure you'll be seeing something really nice." She said with a wink.

"Not funny Davinci!" Ritsuka shouted. "There's no way in hell I'm going to do that!"

"Hey, we can heare you guys!" Tatsuko shouted.

"That was the point!" Ritsuka shouted back.

"Ritsuka seems to be really grumpy about all this…." Jeanne muttered.

"We should do something so he can take his mind off all this." Mashu said.

"Okay Ritsuka, how about you tell us about Sora." Roman said. "You never mentioned him before so we're pretty curious."

"Okay, okay, give me a moment to calm my nerves…." Ritsuka muttered. "He's a big gray wolf-dog."

Tatsuko stared at the male Master in absolute shock. "A wolf-dog? How is that even possible?!"

Ritsuka shrugged. "I honestly don't know. All I know is that when we first met him, he was just a one-year old. He was probably someone's pet at one point before being abandoned, or maybe he was smuggled in and the guys then thought he wasn't worth it?"

"How awful….." Mashu muttered as she firmly grasped the rocks in front of her.

"How did you meet him?" Tatsuko asked.

"I was about….God, I must have been three to four years old when it happened." Ritsuka said. "I saw Doc carry him into the clinic. He was badly hurt, but Doc basically rushed him to the emergency table and saved his life."

"Wait, how did she manage to do that?" Davinci asked. "I don't recall you ever mentioning she was a veterinarian."

"She isn't." Ritsuka said. "She used lots of healing magic on him."

"Okay, that makes sense." Tatsuko said. "But what happened afterwards?"

"After that, Doc wanted to make sure he properly recovered, so Sora stayed with us for a couple of weeks." Ritsuka answered. "During that time, we pretty much bonded with him. At first Doc wouldn't let me near him without her supervision in case he would be hostile. But after the first week, she didn't mind so much. Sora never hurt me, nor did he show any hostility towards us."

"That's pretty risky, considering he's a stray." Roman said.

"By that point I'd take naps on him, and he'd just curl up, and wrap his tail around me to keep me warm while I slept."

Mashu smiled at the comment. "That was very sweet of him."

"Sounds like he saw you as a puppy that needed to be protected." Jeanne said with a giggle. "But what happened after he fully recovered?"

"We really couldn't afford keeping him with us, so when he was fully healed, we had to release him back outside." Ritsuka answered. "But that wasn't the end of it. After that, we'd always see him prowling around the clinic, as if protecting our home."

"I guess in the end Sora saw you and Doctor Williams as part of his pack." Roman said.

"I'd say you're half right." Ritsuka said. "Sora never considered us part of his pack, he considered himself a member of DOC'S pack."

"Well that's interesting." Davinci said. "It sounds like Sora was fond of Doctor Williams."

"It wasn't just him." Ritsuka replied. "She might not have shown it on her face, but she was just as fond of him as he was of us."

"Okay, I know you said he was a stray and all," Tatsuko said as she grabbed the ledge above her. "But he sounds more like a pet than anything else."

"Oh he's still a stray alright." Ritsuka said. "He was still very territorial and vicious when it came down to it."

"I know I am going to regret asking this….." Jeanne muttered. "But could you give us an example of what you mean?"

"Let's just say that unless you were me, Doc, or any of the prostitutes, he would immediately be snarling at you."

Mashu looked at the male Master sadly. "Oh…..I guess that would mean that he would not like any of us then…."

"Don't worry, he might be suspicious of you all at first, but if you're with me, then he'll warm up to you." Ritsuka said.

"You seem to be putting a lot of trust in him." Tatsuko replied.

"Well yeah, he…ah, forget it." Ritsuka muttered. "You'd probably laugh if I said it….."

"It is okay, Senpai." Mashu said. "We will not laugh, so please, speak your mind."

Ritsuka took a deep breath. "Sora was pretty much the closest thing I had to a best friend growing up…"

"Having an animal as a best friend growing up? That's actually pretty normal." Tatsuko countered.

"Really?" Ritsuka asked.

"I know you can't see it, but I'm nodding." Tatsuko said as she grasped a jutting stone from the volcano. "Well, maybe not the part where it is a stray wolf-dog, but I'd say that's even MORE impressive."

Jeanne smiled as she jumped from her position and grabbed onto an incoming ledge. "It really shows that you have a way with animals."

"The wyverns in France beg to differ." Ritsuka said.

"Okay, you're nearing the top of the volcano now." Davinci said. "Just a few more minutes, and you'll be done with the climb."

"Wow, that didn't feel like an hour." Tatsuko said. The minutes went by quickly, and they finally reached the top of the volcano. Mashu quickly untied Ritsuka from the rope that tied them together, but it did nothing to stop the male Master's nervousness.

"Okay, I will now put down my shield so we can begin the summoning." Mashu said.

The Shielder placed the shield down close to them, and stepped back to the rest of the group. Tatsuko immediately stepped up to the shield, and activated her magic circuits. It didn't take long for the shield to glow, and a set of familiar orbs came into view, and spun in three golden circles before erupting into a great pillar of light. As soon as the light died down, the group raised their eyebrows as they stared at the Servant standing upon the shield.

It was a beautiful woman with pale skin. She had long aquamarine hair with a matching eye-color. She wore a white and black shirt with one black sleeve and one white sleeve. She wore shorts and stockings that showed off most of her legs, until they reached her large boots. The most striking feature was the golden cobra that coiled around her. The Servant stared at the Chaldean Trio and Jeanne and grinned in amusement.

"Did you think I would appear from within a rolled-up carpet?" The Servant asked. "Well, perhaps I considered it, but rejected the idea since this is our first meeting."

Jeanne shook her head. "If you did that, then it would be TOO obvious, Assassin."

"You are probably right." The Assassin-Class Servant said.

"Appearing from a rolled-up carpet….." Mashu muttered. The Shielder's eyes widened as she stared at the woman in front of them. "Could you be…..?"

"It is as you think." The Assassin said. The woman flipped her hair before placing both hands on her hips proudly.

"I am the last Pharaoh, Cleopatra VII Philopator!"

OC: Hot damn, now THAT is how you make an entrance!

CV: Pretty dramatic, although it's Cleopatra so that's to be expected.

OC: That is true. Though I do think the cobra would have given it away as well.

CV: The giant cobra is cool.

OC: You know what else is cool? The fact that we are now at 30 K views!

CV: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH BABY! THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

OC: And we also have a VERY special guest for you all tonight. You all know him. I know for a fact that some of you love how he's portrayed here. He's the first of the Empire and last of the Republicans. The most triumphant third of the Triumvirate…..JUUUUULIIIIUUSSSSS CAESAAAAAAAARRR!

Caesar: Well, I'm glad that I'm able to bring this much excitement.

CV: Glad to have you here with us Caesar. Now, we have a lot of things that we'd like to know, but I wanted to ask something first. How does it feel to be treated as a little bitch by Romulus?

Caesar: I know that was meant to be an insult, but considering that he is the great founder of Rome, it is….almost accurate. If anything I felt this overwhelming sense of awe as he revealed himself. When he spoke I felt like I just could not disobey him…..

CV: Huh, I guess that makes sense. He is very imposing.

OC: That is most true. Now here is my first question: How do you feel about the fact that your successor created one of the most famous empires known to man?

Caesar: To be perfectly honest, I am conflicted. On one end, I am proud of Octavian for carrying on my legacy. But I also feel a deep sense of betrayal for what he did to Cleopatra, and my son.

CV: Totally justifiable, get his ass.

OC: That WOULD be an interesting match, but I do believe that Cleopatra would want to fight him first.

Caesar: And she would have every right to do so.

CV: She'd probably use that giant snake of hers to strangle him, anaconda-style.

Caesar: Yes, she-Wait, what?

OC: Oh nothing. Just that she probably has a pet that will be VERY hungry.

Caesar: I see…

CV: I'd say that we spoiled the surprise, but you're not going to remember anything about what we spoke here so it doesn't matter. But leaving that aside, I have another question for you. We're aware that your relationship with Lev is… Horrible, but how about the other Servants?

Caesar: Well that is a complicated one. Darius seems to be smart, but unpredictable. I know he has a few other Servants as well, but I have never met them except for Darius and one other, and the other one is nothing more than an attack dog.

OC: It would seem that Lev doesn't let you guys interact.

Caesar: We are at war. There would hardly be any time for that.

OC: That is fair. But onto the next question: After seeing how Chaldea handled themselves, what do you think of them?

Caesar: They earned some of my respect. They were quick thinkers, and they tried to work as a cohesive unit when fighting me and my forces. Granted there were some flaws and mistakes, but it was ALMOST Roman in how they were working together as a unit.

CV: Almost Roman… I think that's the only context in which that can be used as an insult.

Caesar: I didn't say that was bad. In fact, it made me feel nostalgic.

OC: I bet. Oh would you look at the time! I'm sorry Caesar, but it looks like this interview has come to an end. Thank you for joining us!

Caesar: Thank you for having me.

(Caesar bows and walks out)

OC: Well that was perhaps the most professional interview we have ever done.

CV: The other ones we spoke with regular people, this is the first time we've spoken with a ruler/general. Won't be the last though.

OC: No it won't. But onto other things. So out of everything that stood out in this chapter, what stood out to you the most?

CV: I mean, I said it before to Caesar. How Romulus basically toyed with both him and Nero.

OC: And he merely spoke to them. For me it is DEFINITELY Ritsuka's fear of heights. For our readers, his fear of heights was actually one of the earliest plot points we agreed on. In fact, it's been a YEAR since we made that decision. Vlad and I were talking about how the player character would be falling from the sky when rayshifting, and we decided to have one master enjoy it, while the other dreaded it, and we just agreed Ritsuka would be the latter, and have a fear of heights. And it gets funnier because it wasn't until a few months ago that I discovered Vlad was ALSO afraid of heights…just like ME.

CV: We have more than a few things in common, most of which we found out while writing the story.

OC: Yeah it's funny how we learn that as we write. But then again I know there will be people that will ask about Nero here, ESPECIALLY about her singing. Well here's the thing; In real life, Nero was a bad ruler, not getting around that. But, he was also a performer. And the fact that the writers kinda made Fate Nero bad at that as well didn't sit right because they took away the one thing Nero was probably actually GOOD at. So we decided to throw Nero a bone, and make her good at singing, dancing and performing. Nero may have been a terrible tyrant/person in general, but we have to give credit where credit is due.

CV: Fate Nero doesn't have much going for her in current times despite having 3 versions in FGO, so we're going to be giving her a bit more character to work with.

OC: Not only that, but also we will see another side to her that might actually make everyone feel sorry for her. Or not, depending if Septem forever ruined her for you.

CV: Agartha ruined Sherezade for a lot of people. I wouldn't be surprised if Septem did the same with Nero.

OC: That is true. Though at least here we have a much stronger cast. Like Cleopatra for example. I think her inclusion was actually Vlad's idea, and we finalized her inclusion a year ago before Chronicles was even published. We wanted to give her some more screen time because having her near the tail end just didn't feel right.

CV: Cleo never got much to do outside of events, and even there she didn't leave much of a mark. Including her in the chapter where she faces off against her husband seemed fitting.

OC: It really is. And I honestly love the lead up to her summoning here where Ritsuka divulged more of his childhood and how he met Sora. The fact that he and Doc managed to take in a stray WOLF-DOG, which is one of the more difficult breeds to train/tame from what I have heard, and befriend it in two weeks! That is not only impressive, but we also get to show just how caring Sora was for Ritsuka.

CV: He had a pretty good guardian as a kid.

OC: Yeah, and it was a big ass doggo. That's practically a sure fire way to know he was going to be safe.

CV: Man's best friend for sure.

OC: Truer words have never been spoken. Oh, it seems that our time is up! Thank you all so much for staying to the end for this chapter. Please stay tuned in next week for the next chapter of Chronicles! OwenChaser and CosmicVlad, signing off!