The Triumvirate Chapter 9:

(Disclaimer; This chapter deals with uncomfortable subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.)

Awakening the Lion

It was only an hour into their journey into the forest, and Ritsuka and Boudicca were in the midst of a pleasant conversation. The Chaldeans decided to scatter around the traveling soldiers to act as a line of defense, and in the end, only Mashu and Cleopatra were in earshot of the male Master and red haired Rider. The two of them watched on as the conversation turned sour when Boudicca asked Ritsuka about himself. Mashu flinched a bit as Ritsuka's shoulder dropped a bit. Boudicca stared at him in idle curiosity and concern.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Ritsuka shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just…let's just say my childhood wasn't exactly a happy one."

Boudicca looked back to Mashu, and saw her saddened expression. This caused the Rider's face to lower in sadness as well until Roman appeared on the communicator.

"Sorry for this, Ritsuka. But I need to ask Boudicca this." Roman said.

"Go right ahead." Ritsuka answered.

"Ask me what?" Boudicca asked.

"Let's just say that we recently learned Ritsuka rarely eats, if at all, and it ended up with him fainting."

"Well that won't do at all!" Boudicca said.

"Is there enough food for him to have three meals a day?" Roman asked.

"There is more than enough." Boudicca said. "I will even cook it personally."

"He has already eaten breakfast and lunch today." Mashu replied. "Dinner is all we need to worry about."

"Thank you, Ms..?"

"I am Mashu Kyrielight."

"And I am Cleo-"

"I know who you are, lady Cleopatra." Boudicca said calmly.

"Please don't fight….." Ritsuka said sheepishly.

"Oh relax, she and I have no reason to quarrel." Cleopatra said.

"She's right." Boudicca said. The Rider turned to look at the Assassin sadly. "I heard about Caesar being one of the enemy generals. I cannot imagine what you must be feeling right now."

"I'm just hoping we can talk him down." Cleopatra said.

"Excuse me, Doctor Roman, but can you scooch over a bit? We would like to say hi."

Roman moved slightly to the side, allowing Marie and Mata Hari to appear on the screen. Boudicca smiled at the two women. "May I ask your names?"

"I'm Mata Hari."

"And I am Marie Antoinette."

Boudicca's eyes widened. "Oh, I have heard about you two!"

"I read about you in Chaldea's library a couple of weeks ago." Mata Hari said. "As a fellow mother, I can only give you my sympathy for what happened to you…."

"I really do appreciate that." Boudicca said. "But I'm not sure we should talk about this in front of Ritsuka and Mashu….."

"Don't worry, we both know what those vermin did." Ritsuka said. Everyone barring Cleopatra stared at the male Master in shock at the statement. Cleopatra, on the other hand, couldn't help but grin.

"Oh I am starting to like you already." She said.

"Can you repeat that?" Boudicca asked.

"You heard me, I called those rapists vermin." Ritsuka answered. "In fact, anyone who commits that act is not even fit to be considered human at all."

"Senpai….you are not sounding like yourself….." Mashu said.

Ritsuka looked at the Shielder with a saddened expression. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steel himself. "I'm sorry you have to hear this Mashu…but there are some things I can never accept, nor forgive."

Mashu looked into the male Master's eyes and let out a small gasp. It was there she understood what was happening. It was as clear as day to her that he knew some…..victims, and it had an impact on his very soul. "I understand, Senpai."

Boudicca looked at the male Master with concern. Despite her own hatred for the men who humiliated her and defiled her daughters, she couldn't help but feel….troubled by Ritsuka's demeanor. "Are you going to be okay?"

Ritsuka sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm not….."

Boudicca winced at the statement. She wanted to do something in order to cheer him and Mashu up, but had to think of something. The Rider looked around for anything to help steer the conversation away from this, until she saw Ritsuka's mount huffing and trying to cheer the male Master up. A small smile formed on her face, and took a deep breath.

"You know, I had my doubts about you riding a lion, but now that I've got to see it for a bit, I actually can't help but be impressed."

Ritsuka's eyes brightened up a bit. "Mr. Mittens has been quite the big old softie with me and the others."

Mr. Mittens huffed in agreement, causing Mashu to giggle. "I have pictures of Senpai napping on him."

"Oh, can I see?" Boudicca asked.

"Same here." Ritsuka said. "I'm kind of curious as to how we look in those pictures."

Mashu rode closer to them, and produced the pictures from her pack. The Shielder proceeded to show them the photos, causing the Rider to giggle at a particular picture of Ritsuka sleeping on Mr. Mittens, with the lion curling its body around in satisfaction.

"That is just adorable!" Boudicca chimed. Cleopatra raised an eyebrow and decided to sate her curiosity. The Assassin slowly made her way to the three to take a small peak, and was pleasantly surprised at the photo.

"I must say, that is quite impressive." She said.

"Mashu's incredibly talented at photography." Ritsuka chimed. "Oh how about you show them the picture you took of Mount Etna."

Mashu nodded and showed them the picture, causing all the women to gasp in shock.

"Oh that is absolutely beautiful!" Marie said.

"I always had a feeling she would be a good photographer." Roman chimed.

Mashu could not help but blush. "I–I-I do not believe these are anything special…"

Boudicca couldn't help but giggle. "Oh you are just adorable."

"Please stop….." Mashu muttered.

Ritsuka tilted his head for a moment before nodding and turning to Mashu. "Tatsuko wants to come over here for a few moments and wants us to keep Leonidas and Liz company."

Mashu nodded, and urged her horse to move back towards the patrolling soldiers, with Ritsuka not far behind with Mr. Mittens. The four women and Roman looked at the male Master and Shielder, and then to each other with amused, knowing grins. The two of them passed by Tatsuko, who proceeded to take their spot at the front. The moment she saw Mata Hari and Marie on the communicator she smiled and waved.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise."

"When we heard you guys made contact with Boudicca, we had to come and say hi to a fellow mom," Mata Hari said. "Well, moms considering Cleopatra is here as well."

Tatsuko nodded before turning her attention to Boudicca. "I know you and Ritsuka must have talked about this subject already…..but I just learned from Liz about what happened to you.."

"I see, well let's try to focus on something else." Boudicca suggested calmly.

"I agree." Tatsuko said. "So are you the only Heroic Spirit here in Gaul? Or are there others?"

"There are two others." Boudicca said. "I have one of them patrolling the skies, and the other I have foraging some wood and herbs."

"I guess you being the general of this campaign isn't just for show." Cleopatra said.

"Well I pretty much had to be." Boudicca said. "One of them has experience leading others into battle, yes, but as he is now, he and the other one aren't exactly….good strategists."

"What do you mean by that?" Tatsuko asked.

"You'll find out when we get to camp." Boudicca said. "And I hope you have an appetite because I'll be cooking some delicious food for you all."

"Are you sure?" Tatsuko asked. "We don't want you to exhaust yourself after today's little slaughter."

"I'll be just fine." Boudicca said. "In fact, I'm looking forward to any requests you may have for what you want to eat."

"As long as there's no olives, I'm fine with whatever." Tatsuko said. "I hate olives."

Boudicca giggled. "I'll be sure to write that down."

"I'd tell you what I'd like but I doubt you have the ingredients." Cleopatra said.

"Well if you have another idea, I'll be happy to make it."

Cleopatra smiled. "There is this one dish Caesar loved, and I'm curious as to how it tastes."

The five women continued to talk as the sun started to set in the horizon on the way to the camp.

It only took twenty more minutes for the group to reach the camp and get off their mounts. Boudicca suggested for them all to just stretch their legs for a few minutes and rest while she discussed their dinner plans…..all except for Nero, who stared at the Rider with a small scowl.

"General, I have done as you asked."

Everyone turned towards the source of the voice, and the Chaldeans immediately went pale in shock and fear at what they saw.

A tall man with sickly gray skin and long blonde hair. He was obviously a Heroic Spirit, but he wore…an outfit that was not generally appropriate for people to see. On his hip was a short sword, and a spiked club. But that was not the most distinguishing thing about him. No, it was something else.

That man was pure muscle…..

Ritsuka and Tatsuko immediately sprang into action, and used one hand each to cover Mashu's eyes.

"S-senpai, Tatsuko, what are you doing?" She asked.

"Trust me Mashu, you don't need to see that." Tatsuko answered.

The man looked at the Chaldeans, Nero and the two new Servants with idle curiosity. "I do not know any of you. Are you perhaps here to help fight against the oppressors?"

"Ummmm, yes?" Nobunaga said in uncertainty.

"Ah! So more champions were invited to the battlefield! You should be pleased, this garden of battle is full of oppressors." The man said. "They are committing atrocities as they approach. It is time to rise up and end their tyranny!"

Ritsuka and Tatsuko raised an eyebrow at the statement before Boudicca giggled. "That's just Spartacus's way of saying he's taken a liking to you."

Boudicca looked at Spartacus and then to the others. "Everyone, as I have said, this is Spartacus, he's a Berserker so he may seem…..odd. But he's a good person and an even better friend."

Boudicca sighed. This next part won't go so well….

"Spartacus, these people are the new arrivals for Nero's army. And Nero herself is over there….."

Spartacus looked at the blonde emperor and walked towards her. The Berserker continued to smile while doing so, making everyone uneasy until he was just a few feet away from her.

"While I will fight for you, it is only because you are the underdog here." Spartacus said. "If it wasn't for that, I would be rebelling against your tyranny."

"I can tell you would actually put up a decent fight in that case." Leonidas said.

Spartacus turned to face the Lancer with an eyebrow raised. "And who might you be?"

"Leonidas, king of Sparta."

Spartacus scowled. "So another oppressor has shown himself."

"Is there a problem?" Leonidas asked.

"You reek of tyranny." Spartacus answered. "You should leave and not come back."

"I'm sorry, Spartacus. But I don't think that is something that anyone should decide on their own right now." Ritsuka said.

Everyone watched in slight surprise as Ritsuka stepped closer to the Berserker. Spartacus looked at the male Master with slight confusion. "And why is that?"

"Because none of us have that right." Ritsuka answered. "We're all equal here. Well, as equal as we can get. And we all need to work together to face the true oppressors."

Spartacus stared at the male Master in absolute shock. Tatsuko took the opportunity to walk up to her partner and nodded to him.

"He's right." She said. "We're here to fight against tyranny. And if we just dictate who stays or goes, who lives or dies, then how are we any better than the oppressors?"

Spartacus and Leonidas stared at both Masters with shock. A million thoughts ran through their heads, but they could not keep up. The longer they stared at them, they couldn't help but feel a pull to them. Something familiar. It was as if they heard those words before, as if a hint of nostalgia came to them, but they did not know why…

"You…..have made your point." Spartacus said. "If you will excuse me, I need to go sit down and think for a moment, about how to better stop oppression….."

And with that the Berserker walked off. Everyone looked at the two Masters with surprise in their eyes. Boudicca merely stared at them in awe.

"I can't believe you managed to talk him down like that." She said. "Just a few short words from both of you, and he just walked away!"

"It was definitely impressive." Simon said. "But it was also comical too."

Ritsuka looked at Leonidas, and saw that the Lancer was staring blankly, as if in a trance. "Hey, are you okay, Leonidas?"

The Lancer came too and nodded. "I will be fine. Thank you for asking."

"Boudicca! I'm baaaaaaaaaack!"

Everyone turned their attention to the sky as a winged creature flew down to them. Iris got in front of Roman and squealed in delight. "It's a hippogriff! Oh it's so beautiful!"

"It definitely is." Ritsuka said.

No sooner did he say that, the rider of the phantasmal beast stepped off and revealed themselves. They were effeminate looking, dressed in a black shirt and skirt. They had a white cape, boots and armored gloves. They had long pink hair, wearing it in a braid that hung over their shoulder. Near the top of said hair was a white tuft color of hair. Their eyes were purple and were filled with energy.

"I took a look around and I-"

The Servant tripped on a rock, and fell face first into the mud. The two Masters immediately ran to their side and helped them up.

"Are you alright?" Tatsuko asked as she wiped some mud from the Servant's face.

"I'm fine." They answered. "Wow, you're very pretty."

Boudicca walked closer and wiped the last piece of mud from the Servant's face. "Did you see anything?"

The Servant shook their head. "We're all clear!"

Boudicca smiled. "I'll be sure to make you some extra delicious food for dinner tonight for your hard work."

The Servant's eyes beamed as they jumped in the air, their fist pumped up.

"YAAAAAHHHHOOOOOOOOO!"

Boudicca giggled at the enthusiasm before looking at the Chaldeans. "Everyone, this is Astolfo. A Rider like myself and also our forward scout."

"Nice to meet ya!" Astolfo said.

"Umu, I love your enthusiasm in defending my Rome!" Nero said.

Astolfo's eyes widened. "You're emperor Nero?"

"Indeed!"

"Wow, I thought you would just be cute, but you're also incredibly beautiful!" Astolfo said.

Nero smiled and laughed. "Yes, praise me more!"

Astolfo turned to Boudicca with a curious glint. "Can I show her around for a bit? I think the troops would like to see their emperor is here to fight alongside them."

Boudicca nodded. "Go ahead."

Astolfo nodded and bade Nero to follow. The blonde woman, ever so happy to leave Boudicca's presence, followed the Rider, where they talked and laughed until they were out of earshot. Boudicca could not help but sigh. She could handle Astolfo well enough despite the level of enthusiasm, but accompanied by Nero? This was going to give her a small headache, and she knew it…

"She seems nice." Mashu said.

Ritsuka looked at Mashu in confusion. "Mashu? What did you say?"

"I said Astolfo is a very nice girl?"

Ritsuka winced and looked at the Shielder with a hint of hesitation. "Ummm, Mashu? Astolfo is a guy."

Tatsuko stared at the male Master in disbelief. "There's no way that's a dude!"

"No, Ritsuka's right." Boudicca said. "Astolfo is indeed a man."

"Okay, how did you figure that one out, Ritsuka?" Nobunaga asked.

"I'm curious as well." Cleopatra said. "You definitely have good eyes if you were able to notice."

"I knew some guys that had some of their things stolen, so they crossdressed as women to steal it back." Ritsuka said.

"I am surprised that they were not found out." Mashu said.

"They only flirted with the thieves long enough to get their belongings back before getting away." Ritsuka said. "But why did you think he was a girl, Mashu?"

"I heard about Astolfo in the library, but when I saw him, I assumed it was like Artoria, Nobunaga, Nero and Okita and was secretly a girl."

"That's fair." Ritsuka said.

"I'm sorry, but who is Artoria?" Boudicca asked.

"The real name of King Arthur." Nobunaga answered.

"Wait, King Arthur is a woman?!" Boudicca asked.

"It's a long, long story." Liz answered. "We should discuss this over dinner."

"I…..think that will be for the best." Boudicca said. "Just rest for now and I'll get to cooking!"

Everyone nodded as Boudicca left for the mess hall to make the dinner plans.

One hour passed since the group had their dinner, and the Chaldeans decided to split up around the camp in order to get a better understanding of the morale of the soldiers, and to see their defenses. The Chaldean Trio decided to take this opportunity to walk through the woods, wanting to enjoy the night air. Boudicca, on the other hand, decided to accompany them to make sure Mashu had backup just in case. Seeing no reason to refuse, the Trio and Boudicca walked through the woods, admiring the view. It was during this time that a nagging thought wormed its way into her head.

"Boudicca, I have a question if you don't mind."

"Ask away!" The Rider answered. "I'm happy to answer whatever you want to ask."

"How long have the United Empire's soldiers been undead?" Tatsuko asked.

"They've been like that the entire time." Boudicca answered.

"That's odd." Ritsuka muttered.

"Why's that?" Boudicca asked.

"When we first encountered the United Empire's forces, they were still living humans, not undead soldiers." Mashu answered.

Boudicca stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening. The Trio turned to her with curiosity. The Rider seemed to be in shock, but they did not know why….

"Are you okay, Boudicca?" Ritsuka asked.

"I didn't tell Nero of this." She answered. "I thought they were facing the undead the entire time…."

"Well it can't be helped." Tatsuko said. "Besides, it was an honest mistake."

Boudicca sighed and nodded. "You're right. Let's keep walking for a bit before we go back."

The Trio nodded and resumed their walk alongside the Rider. The four of them merely talked to each other about different subjects until Fou perked up and stared at Boudicca, causing the red haired woman to giggle.

"I can't believe I haven't said this already, but Fou is just too adorable!" She said.

"Well he IS practically the mascot of Chaldea." Tatsuko chimed.

"What kind of animal is he?" Boudicca asked.

"A squirrel." The Trio answered in unison.

"Really? I haven't seen a squirrel look this cute before."

Tatsuko shrugged. "Honestly that's what we're calling him. I just wish we could figure it out."

Boudicca giggled. "Maybe we should find a Holy Grail and use a wish to answer that question."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Say, hypothetically speaking, what would your wish be for the Holy Grail, Boudicca?"

"My wish?" Boudicca asked. The Rider thought for a few moments in silence before looking at the Trio. "I guess it would be for that Britain to be peaceful and that everybody: the British, the faeries, the Celtic gods, and the people of different nations as well as their children being able to laugh and live together in paradise."

"I honestly wished I could have had that…." Ritsuka muttered.

"Don't worry, it's all hypothetical afterall." Boudicca said. "Okay, how about you Tatsuko?"

"I want a girlfriend." Tatsuko answered without hesitation.

"I did not expect you to answer so quickly!" Mashu said in shock.

"I had that one stashed away for a while." Tatsuko answered back. "Okay, your turn Mashu. What would your wish be?"

Mashu sighed. "I…..do not know. I guess if I had to wish for something right now, it would be to know what I want to wish for."

"There's no shame in not knowing." Ritsuka said. "I honestly don't know what I'd wish for either."

"I know you can come up with something, Senpai!" Mashu said.

Ritsuka rubbed his chin in deep thought. Silence filled the air for a few minutes as everyone stared at him in curiosity until he took a deep breath and sighed.

"I just want a place to call home, and be surrounded by people that I can call a family."

Mashu smiled. "I hope you get your wish one day, Senpai. You definitely deserve that kind of happiness."

Ritsuka blushed. "T-thanks…..Though I think Tatsuko's wish is also…relatable….?"

The male Master, Rider, and Mashu noticed that the female Master was no longer walking alongside them. Ritsuka raised an eyebrow as he turned to look behind her and saw his orange haired partner frozen in terror while looking at something. The female Master shivered in her skin until she let out a blood curdling scream, frightening the male Master, Shielder and Boudicca.

"Tatsuko, what's wrong?!"

Tatsuko pointed at the tree as tears formed in her eyes. "There, there, right there!"

Ritsuka turned towards the tree and saw what caused her to go into hysterics.

A small spider was crawling around on the tree.

It stopped as if to look at them, causing Tatsuko to become a blubbering mess. Ritsuka and Mashu immediately rushed to Tatsuko's side, with Ritsuka gently hugging her close to him.

"Tatsuko, it's not going to hurt you. Everything's going to be just fine."

Tatsuko did not heed his words and continued to cry. "It's going to bite us. It's going to attack, and….and…."

The female Master shivered. Ritsuka turned to Boudicca with a concerned look. "Can you get it out of here?"

The Rider nodded. "I'll take care of it."

The red haired Rider went to the tree, and gently picked up the spider, and walked away to dispose of it. Ritsuka continued to hold the sobbing Tatsuko as he let go of her and gently cupped her face. "It's okay, it's gone now. Just take deep breaths."

Tatsuko tried to do as he suggested through her crying. Her eyes were already red and puffy from the tears.

"Is…is it really gone?" She asked through choked sobs.

Mashu nodded. "It is, Boudicca is taking it somewhere else."

Tatsuko continued to sniffle as Ritsuka pulled her in for a hug and stroked her hair.

"It's going to be alright now." He said.

A few moments later, Tatsuko managed to calm down enough for Ritsuka to let her go. The orange haired girl wiped her face and took a few deep breaths.

"I'm okay now." She said, "Sorry for all that."

Mashu shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. Everyone has their fears."

"Yeah, you're right…"

"My my, what's all the- Ah! It seems that I stumbled upon three scared little mice all alone!"

A chill ran up the Trio's spines as they heard that familiar voice. They then stared at the source as a silhouette walked closer and closer, until they glared at the man before them.

Walking out from the shadows, was none other than Lev Lainur.

"And how are you three doing on this fine night?" He asked.

"It was going well until we saw your ugly smug face." Tatsuko answered venomously.

"I see you're still as rude as ever, Tatsuko." Lev said. "Oh, forgive me. I meant Ms. Tachibana. That was what you wanted me to address you, is it not?"

"Frankly I'd rather you didn't speak at all." Tatsuko said.

Not a moment later, the communicator around Ritsuka's waist beeped, and Roman appeared through the screen with a venomous glare.

"You have a lot to answer for, you bastard." Roman snarled. "And you will tell us everything."

Lev pursed his lips in thought. "Hmmmmmmm. Nope! I don't think I will do that."

"Oh I think you will." Davinci growled. "You have to answer for the murder of Director Olga."

Lev ignored the Caster and looked around. "I see that damned British Saber isn't here. Such a shame, I was hoping to pay her back for interrupting my meal."

"Oh I see you, fiend." Artoria said as she stepped onto the screen. "It really is a shame. I was thinking that I would take care of you myself."

"I doubt that." Lev said. "Though at the very least I have these treats in front of me."

"You won't be having them for a meal at all!" Davinci shouted.

Lev sighed. "Ever the mother hen, Davinci."

"She's not the only one!"

Lev's smirk faded as Boudicca emerged before him from Spirit form, her blade pointed at his throat.

"What is it with you British Servants and getting in between me and those brats?" He asked.

"We'll be asking the questions." Boudicca retorted.

Lev nonchalantly moved the tip of the Rider's sword away from his throat, before coughing a bit to clear his throat.

"How about instead of that, we strike a deal?"

"What kind of deal?" Boudicca asked.

"Not to you. To them." Lev answered, pointing at Ritsuka and Tatsuko. "It's those two that I want to make a deal with."

"Hang on, why are you ignoring Mashu?" Ritsuka asked.

"Do you even need to ask?" Lev scoffed. "She's merely a background character in this stage play, and sometimes she's not even that, but a waste of space whose presence could go to better people. She'll be discarded like trash the moment someone with even a hint of personality comes along."

Ritsuka glared at the traitor as Roman gritted his teeth.

"How dare you speak to her like that!" Roman said.

"Hold on a moment," Ritsuka said. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"You can't be serious!" Tatsuko shouted.

"Tatsuko, let him speak." Mashu said. The female Master looked at the Shielder in disbelief, before clicking her tongue in annoyance, and nodding.

"Splendid!" Lev said. "I promise to keep this short!"

"Just tell them what you want." Roman said in a snarl.

"Oh, it's quite simple." Lev said. "Leave Rome and go home."

"Oh so you just want us to just let human history die out? Is that all?" Tatsuko asked sarcastically.

"You all get to live at least, considering you're outside of time." Lev countered.

"And what's in it for us?" Ritsuka asked. "Because so far this is a very bad deal."

Lev smirked. "Let's just say I can give you two some closure regarding your pasts."

"What would you know of our pasts?" Tatsuko asked.

"Information is my lifeblood, Ms. Tachibana." Lev answered. "For example, you always ate alone in school. You were afraid to-"

"Enough! You made your point!" Tatsuko said desperately. The female Master shook, causing Lev to grin.

"My offer to you is that if you do as I ask, I will restore to you your memories of your parents." Lev said. "You will remember everything of your childhood before the fire."

"Why should I believe you after what you did to Director Olga?" Tatsuko asked. "My answer is no."

Lev sighed and turned to Ritsuka. "I guess she wasn't as wise as I thought. But you? You're a smart boy, I can tell."

"Oh really? And why on earth do you think that will sway me?" Ritsuka asked.

"Because you're a curious child, my boy." Lev answered. "And I can sate that for you."

"What do you mean?" Ritsuka asked.

"How much do you want to know about Doctor Williams, and why she came to Fuyuki?" Lev asked. "And for the main course, I can tell you who your birth family really is."

Ritsuka's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"It's as I said." Lev whispered. "All that information will be yours, if you just do as I ask."

"Senpai, do not listen to him!" Mashu said.

"You're one sick man, Lev." Roman said. "You hold something like that over him, how dare you!"

"Now now, it's his decision." Lev said. "What do you say, do you accept my offer?"

Boudicca looked at the male Master, shaking her head hoping he would not take the deal. Ritsuka took a deep breath and stared at Lev calmly.

"Sorry Lev, but I was never going to agree to your terms." He said. "My answer is no."

Lev stared at the male Master blankly. "What?"

"You heard me." Ritsuka said. "I said no."

Lev sighed. "You know, you're just like Roman. You're both cowards."

The traitor's eyes widened as he suddenly flew into the air for a moment before hitting a tree. Everyone looked at Mashu in shock, the Shielder having slammed her shield into Lev, and sent him into said tree.

"That was a warning." She said. "If you call either of them that again, I will be forced to hit you harder!"

Lev slowly got up, and dusted himself off and grinned. "I'm only telling the truth, Mashu. Why else do you think he left his hometown?"

Boudicca and Mashu gripped their weapons and raised them to attack, but Ritsuka put an arm out in front of them, and shook his head. "I'll take care of this."

"But Senpai! He-"

"It's okay, Mashu. I know what I'm doing."

Everyone watched in absolute silence as Ritsuka walked towards Lev, cool as a cucumber. The male Master stopped mere inches from the Chaldean traitor and glared at him.

"You know the people in my district would call people that betrayed those who trusted them rats." Ritsuka asked. "And that is EXACTLY what you are Lev. Nothing more than a slimy, sleazy, filthy rat."

Lev glared and gritted his teeth at Ritsuka. "You should watch your next words carefully, boy. Or else I-"

"I'm not done." Ritsuka said. The male Master took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to speak, his words a mighty roar in the night.

"So here's what's going to happen you daft prick! Take your bloody offers, take your bloody threats, stick them up your ass, and PISS THE BLOODY HELL OFF!"

Everyone stared at the black haired teen in shock. The way he spoke, the way he carried himself, it was completely different from how he usually was. They could not believe the change within Ritsuka. His words, no, his very presence was like that of a roaring lion, ready to protect his comrades.

"Very well." Lev said. "But know that this isn't over. Not by a long shot."

Before the four of them could do anything, Lev melted into the shadows, disappearing from their sight. Ritsuka turned to face the three women and looked at Mashu with a hint of guilt.

"I'm sorry if I scared you twice in the same day, Mashu." He said.

Mashu smiled and shook her head. "What you just did was completely justified. In fact…..it was a pleasant surprise, seeing you like that."

Ritsuka blushed at the comment. "I'm glad I didn't scare you."

"Dude, you just let out your inner Brit, there's no way we'd be scared of something so badass!" Tatsuko shouted.

Boudicca cleared her throat and got the Chaldean Trio's attention. "Let's head back to camp. The others will want to hear about this."

Tatsuko smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around Ritsuka's and Mashu's shoulders. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Ritsuka and Mashu couldn't help but smile at the female Master's enthusiasm. Boudicca led the way back to camp, all the while Mashu stared at Ritsuka, with one thought in mind.

His shoulders seemed stronger, and broader than before.

OC: And so we end the year with a big fucking bang!

CV: Hard to believe we're already at the end of 2022.

OC: It's been one hell of a year. We finally published Chronicles. I graduated from College. And I got a lot of Servants from the Gacha that I wanted. This year has been pretty good to me.

CV: For me, this year was a bit mixed, especially after getting COVID right at the start. I went through several difficulties across the year but in the end, things sort of worked out, and I made it.

OC: We all did. Now onto some parts of the chapter because I know someone is going to be pointing some things out. For those of you that have noticed Ritsuka's…less than accepting nature towards a certain…group, then allow me to answer that for you. While his accepting nature in the game is fine and all, it really doesn't translate well in a writing medium, and to be perfectly honest? I do think that it has some bad undertones to it. There are just some things you cannot forgive, nor forget, and there are just some people that you just can NOT accept. It's just not realistic, nor healthy mentally for one to be like that. That and it also gives him some sort of code and standard, which he sorely needs.

CV: A slight alteration to his character, and a good one I'd say.

OC: And that's not the only alteration in this chapter. We also got rid of Lu Bu, and now Astolfo has joined the chat! There's a couple of reasons for this. One; Lu Bu's involvement made absolutely no sense whatsoever, so we decided to take him out of Septem and introduce him in a different Singularity. That was Vlad's idea and I was totally on board with it. However, I decided months ago that Astolfo should replace him in Septem because we like Astolfo, and as a bit of a joke in that he has a connection to Rome…..or rather a HOLY ROMAN Emperor. Eh? Eh?

CV: Astolfo for a unit that has been in the game since almost the start took quite a long time to show up in a story chapter, we're shortening that time here. By a lot.

OC: Well that's not the only thing that was a long time coming. We also got the Chaldean Trio meeting Lev once more since the seventh chapter of Chronicles, and boy did they have things to say.

CV: Rightfully so.

OC: And we had a VERY ironic twist from the first chapter, where Tatsuko was the one being pretty dismissive and cold to Lev, it was now Ritsuka's turn, and just went all in and basically gave Lev the mother of all verbal lashings. That boy has come a long way in such a short time frame.

CV: He has quite a lot of rage towards Lev, but it ain't time for him to fully let it out yet.

OC: No it isn't. That will be for later. Though I will say that aside from him wanting them to give up, he DID have a pretty good offer of letting Ritsuka and Tatsuko know more about their pasts. It's just that his proposal was shit.

CV: Knowledge is the most powerful weapon, as a certain scepter-wielding leader of the Round showed us. Too bad knowledge is no match for a big fucking sword.

OC: That is pretty true. And also bleed build up. Or a certain broken as fuck magic sword. Or a backstab, or a…..Ah you get the point!

CV: Maybe he'll learn that monologuing and giving your enemy time to act is not the best idea. But we're getting sidetracked here.

OC: Yeah, sorry lol. Now back to business! Say Vlad, what was your favorite chapter, or chapters of the year?

CV: I'd say my favorite was the fight against Saber Alter, mainly because it's the first big moment for the story both from FGO and for Chronicles.

OC: Well funny you should mention that, because I have a tie with that chapter, the first, Chapter 7, and the Chapter 18. Chapter 6 because of Mashu vs. Saber Alter, the first chapter mainly because of how we finally published this titan of a series, chapter 18 because DIES IRAE! DIES IRAE! And of course Chapter 7 for the badass conclusion of Caster's fight with Emiya and Heracles, but also because of two moments that just brought this all home. Olga's death scene. I'm actually the one who wrote that entire bit myself, and I could not help but feel disturbed at how….brutal it was, and how you offered for us to take a break, but I managed to power through such an ordeal and finish that. And then we had the big moment of Artoria coming in, and saving the Chaldean Trio, and saying those iconic words that are forever etched into Fate Fans everywhere.

CV: We really came a long way didn't we? I mean, at the start of the year we were only speaking about hypothetical scenes and development for a story that we didn't even know would be written someday. And look at where we are now, almost at chapter 50.

OC: The funny thing is that we originally intended for this Story to be published after I graduated college, but after giving a rough draft scene involving the American Singularity just before I went on Spring Break you mentioned we could start sooner, and after a few moments to think, I agreed and the rest is ancient history.

CV: I remember all too well. You said that you didn't want to create a profile just for this story when we couldn't write it yet, so I suggested publishing it on mine. And then the first chapter came out.

OC: Yep. I remember that we made that chapter in one night, and the next few chapters in one night as well, until we found a rhythm that worked much better.

CV: Exactly. Doing it all in one day simply made no sense and it would just burn both of us out. Spreading it across 3 or 4 days of the week worked much better.

OC: It really does work much better this way. And it also helps us plan ahead.

CV: It does. And with that, dear readers, the last chapter of Chronicles of 2022 has come to an end. We hope you all enjoyed reading this story every week, and we hope that you'll continue to enjoy it across 2023. CosmicVlad and Owenchaser signing off, have a good night, and happy New Year.