Ritsuka POV
He found himself in an area surrounded by pillars of white marble.
The pillars were tall, taller than the pillars he saw in Palmyra when Zenobia was showing them around her home. He knew marble pillars were meant to hold a building's roof, but these held nothing, no purpose, and were merely acting as decorations.
Something was off.
He was looking at those pillars through someone else's eyes.
Was he having a servant dream?
[Well shoot. I guess we're invading Gudao's dreams tonight! ]
[Ho-shit! Servant dream stream!! And one without Astolfo!! ]
[Man, look at all the marble pillars!! Actually, where are we? And whose dream is this? ]
[GARcher: It seems like Master is having a dream of Greece, although I'm not too familiar with the place that I can identify where he is. As for who this dream belongs to, I haven't the faintest clue. ]
He was admiring the view when something caught his attention, a statue.
The statue was of a man dressed in ancient armor that he couldn't identify.
Many of them held swords, some had spears, others had no weapons at all… but one thing was clear. They all bore an expression of despair, fear, and panic and were running away from someone or something chasing them.
They all looked huge from this perspective, much larger than he suspected these statues should be.
He felt the unease bubble in his gut when he scrutenized those statues. There was clearly something off about them, but he couldn't place it. Strangely enough, he could feel the same emotions from the person in this dream, although they were tinged with a deep sense of urgency and concern.
[ShortShorts_QUEEN: I'm getting a sense of déjà vu from those creepy looking statues. ]
[Oh good, I'm not the only one then. I felt a chill run up and down my spine when I saw them. ]
[Same ] x352
[GARcher: … Those aren't statues. ]
[Wait they're not? But they're made of rock. ]
Suddenly, heavy footsteps drew near, and the anxiety left, replaced by relief.
"Medusa, you're late." The voice of the person he was viewing the dream of spoke, and the tone of her voice clued him in on the fact that she was female, a small girl perhaps? Maybe a small woman?
Well, he didn't really have time to ponder that thought for longer as a familiar shape emerged from behind one of the pillars.
Unlike the Medusa of Fuyuki, who was cloaked in a black cloak with a sadistic look in her eyes, this Medusa looked timid and was dressed in a black dress that fit snugly around her body, alongside thigh highs and arm sleeves that looked tight on her skin. Unlike in Fuyuki, her eyes were completely covered by a black blindfold.
[AAAAAAHHHHH!!! ]
[:PANIK emote:] x1425
[Medusa?!! She's here?!! ]
[So those statues… they were actually people… just like in Fuyuki.]
[Ranger75: Something's different about her though. Not just talking about her outfit, but rather she seems more, shy? ]
[Gible_Archeologist: Well… at least we can take comfort in the fact chat has got our back after that last attack and won't have to worry about turning into stone again. ]
[...I still get nightmares from that day… it was horrible. ]
The woman cautiously approached him, her posture slouched, "I'm sorry, elder sister Stheno, but an intruder showed up on my way here, and they took a bit longer to dispatch than I anticipated." It looks like he now has a name for the eyes he's viewing this dream from.
Relief turned to concern and anger.
"Hmph, no excuses. What use is that freakishly tall and vulgar body if you can't kill a flea without even looking at him?" He felt intense worry for Medusa, and it confused him. Why is Stheno saying such mean things instead of saying her true feelings?
Medusa twiddled her thumbs, "I'm sorry…"
[Bruh, Medusa is a lot of things, but describing her smoking hot bod as "freakish" and "vulgar" is just objectively wrong. ]
[It's also fucked up since the insults are coming from her elder sister. ]
"Yeah! No excuses!! You're late!!" Another girl spoke up, but unlike Stheno, this girl had a much more brash voice. Stheno turned to the voice, and he saw a small girl in a white dress with black frills. Her hair matched her Medusa's purple and was long and done in twin tails.
"You made Stheno and I wait out in the open sun while you took your time in getting here. If it weren't for the fact that we're perfect goddesses who don't change in looks, we would have been tanned an ugly bronze by now!"
Medusa wanted to retort, but a side glance from Stheno shut her up.
Meanwhile, Euryale continued her rant, "I bet you killed that hero quickly and just spent all that extra time slacking off instead of coming to see your wonderful, gorgeous, and perfect elder sisters."
"T-That's not it!! I promise I wasn't sleeping, big sister Euryale!!"
"Euryale never said you were sleeping, she only said you were slacking off." Stheno's sweet voice caused Medusa's mouth to part slightly, her ruse uncovered like a snake exposed to the outside world after the rock it resided in was moved aside.
He could feel the grin on Stheno's smile grow as she noticed tears running down Medusa's cheeks.
"If you truly feel remorse for your tardiness, then I can forgive you…"
Medusa perked up at her sister's words, "R-Really?"
"Yes, but on one condition… you only need to get on your knees and beg us for forgiveness." Euryale said with a cheery tone in her voice.
"Um… can't I make it up another way?" Medusa looked less willing after hearing their proposition.
"Nope! You heard your sisters, Medusa. Get. On. Your. Knees. and BEG." Euryale demanded with a cruel smirk on her face.
"Okay!!" Medusa did as was told and got on her knees.
"Please forgive me for arriving late, elder sister Stheno, Elder sister Euryale!!"
The girl he was viewing approached Medusa, at the same time, the other sister followed suit.
"Oh my, even when on your knees you're still so freakishly tall." Euryale's hand went up to Medusa's hair and yanked the taller woman down further to her eye level.
"Much better, don't you think so, Stheno?" The small girl said, which caused Stheno to giggle.
"Indeed. Now our dear sister won't be able to look down on her elder sisters."
"Ah! Elder sister! That hurts!!"
"It's a punishment, so of course it's meant to hurt." The petite sadist said as she tugged Medusa's hair harder, which caused the taller but younger girl to let out a whimper.
[Gallan-Tate: Hey, WTF! She's your little sister!! You're not supposed to treat her like that!! >:( ]
[And of course, a deranged killer has a tragic backstory filled with famillial abuse. Geez. ]
Seeing Medusa abused like this made him forget the feelings he had of her during Fuyuki. She doesn't deserve to be mistreated like this, especially by the people who are her family.
However, what confuses him more are the complicated feelings he felt from Stheno.
Despite the joy she felt in the cruelty Euryale was bestowing on Medusa, something deep inside him was telling him that Euryale was only doing this because she was deeply concerned that Medusa had been hurt or killed.
"Am I forgiven now?" Medusa said with a whimper in her tone.
"No. You haven't begged yet! BEG!" Euryale demanded, and Medusa gulped as she realized she had no way out of this unless she begged.
"I beg of you, please forgive me!"
Hearing her sister yell out caused warm, complex emotions of deep sisterly love to settle in Stheno's and, simultaneously, his chest. Stheno felt reassured at seeing her younger sister's bullying. It was proof that their sister was still here, alive, and not slain by the rabid heroes who came to their home in hopes of defiling them.
But just because he understood that Stheno might have felt this way didn't mean their actions were justified.
[I can't believe I'm saying this, but poor Medusa. No wonder she turned out like she did. ]
[Garde-Liza: Geez, did it ever occur to you two dummies that maybe Medusa deliberately stayed behind because she didn't want to deal with your abuse? ]
"Alright, I suppose we can forgive you." Stheno told Medusa, who let out a relieved sigh as Euryale let go of her hair.
Medusa smiled, "thank you elder sister Stheno!"
"Ehem! And?"
"... And big sister Eurayle."
"Oh dear, it seems our little sister is being quite impudent today. To only thank one of her sisters when she has two." Stheno said, and he could feel another sadistic feeling stirred in her heart.
"Another punishment is in order." Stheno's words caused Medusa to whine in fear as she and Euryale approached her.
"Your impudence will be paid in your sweet, sweet blood." Both sisters licked their lips, which caused the taller sister to shake in fear like a cornered puppy.
"Show us your neck, Medusa, now." Euryale demanded, and Medusa was left with no choice but to comply.
[And we're back to drinking blood, yay!! ]
[Dude.]
[VampHaterCIEL: Disgusting bloodsuckers. ]
Stheno leaned in, and an intoxicating sweet scent invaded his nostrils, or rather, the nostrils of the goddess he was dreaming of.
Both sisters opened their mouths and simultaneously bit down on Medusa's neck, one side for each sister.
"Gah!!" Medusa gasped as both her elder sisters broke her skin and began to suckle on her neck.
He could taste the coppery nectar coating his tongue, and although he should have felt disgusted by it, he didn't. Stheno and Euryale were right, Medusa's blood does taste sweet; however, Medusa's erotic moans escaping her lips made the experience uncomfortably awkward.
[It wouldn't be Gudao stream if we didn't get low-key softcore porn thrown into the mix once in a while. ]
[Man, those two are ruthless… what kind of sisters would drink their sister's blood as a punishment?! ]
[Blood_Countess: Hm, personally, I'd rather drink the blood from the smaller goddesses, but based on their reactions, Medusa's blood indeed does have a very sweet taste.]
[The_Impaler: And the bloodsucking connoisseur has shown up to give her unwanted opinion. ]
Suddenly a strange feeling stopped Stheno's feast.
The view shifted from Medusa's succulent neck to the left.
Stheno's senses picked something up.
A ship had arrived at their island.
Stheno pulled her mouth away from Medusa's neck, which now had a bloody bitemark marring it. She licked her lips and savored the taste before speaking, an action that Euryale mimicked.
"Oh dear, another hero so soon?" Stheno said disappointedly, as she was excited to drink the nectar from her sister's veins.
"Good grief, they are quite the pests, aren't they, right, Stheno?" Euryale said the part that Stheno did not voice aloud.
"Indeed."
Stheno slapped Medusa's neck, which caused the larger woman to jolt in shock.
"Medusa, be a dear and wait in your chambers, will you? Our next hero has arrived for his quest, he'll meet with you shortly."
"Y-Yes, elder sister!!" Medusa stood up quickly, but carefully so that she wouldn't knock over her sisters, and made her way towards her room.
"Ah. Medusa, one more thing before you leave."
Medusa stopped in place and slowly looked back at Stheno, "Yes Elder sister?"
"Do not think this distraction will make us forget your punishment. Once the hero has concluded his story, I expect you to return so we can continue where we left off~"
"… as you wish, elder sister Stheno."
✦✧✦
Mediterranean Sea, 60 AD
They left Sicilia a while ago and sailed towards the unknown island that Zenobia had pointed them to.
During that time, he, alongside Mash, Siegfried, and Martha, enjoyed a comfortable ship ride. Their rooms were luxurious, filled with actual furniture and amenities.
Yet, even with all this luxury, he still could not stop himself from feeling the weight of what they had just learned about Zenobia.
While it was unsettling that she messed with their minds and could have made him and Mash into her loyal servants, he wasn't truly bothered by it. Rather, what he was more bothered about was the growing chance of conflict between Chaldea and Zenobia.
He doesn't want to fight her, not really. And not just because she's powerful enough to solo an army, but because he and Mash came to view her as a friend.
This sinking feeling in his gut was hard to fill, but unlike other times he felt like this, he doesn't have a permanent solution to fix it until he meets Zenobia again.
He wanted to distract himself with training with Martha, but because he was on a mission, it was ill-advised, because getting injured in a hostile environment was just asking for trouble. He would have listened to music, but he didn't pack headphones as Chaldea restricted what he could and couldn't take with him into singularities.
So, with so few options left, all he could do was stare into the open sea. He lost himself in the ripples of water the ship made as it cut through the water, and in that trance-like state, he pondered his mysterious dreams.
He had no idea why he dreamt of the Gorgon sisters, especially since he's never even met Stheno before. These dreams have been bugging not just him, but everyone else in chat and Chaldea.
Well, regardless of why he had this dream, one thing was clear, he felt bad for Medusa. If he ever summons her, he will try to be as kind to her as possible.
Something whispered a feeling of something from the back of his head. Looking around like an antenna trying to find a radio signal, he immediately honed in on the feeling as it beckoned him to walk to the front of the ship.
He followed the feeling, all while making room for busy sailors, who were all engrossed in their jobs to pay him mind, to pass through.
Finally, he reached his destination and saw the sea in front of the ship. The feeling was now at its strongest, despite the sea looking exactly how it did from where he originally was. He stared into the sea, and something deep within him told him they were close.
"There you are, Senpai. I was looking for you so I could bring you your lunch." Mash's voice grabbed his attention away from the view and towards her. She was holding a plate with two sandwiches.
"Thanks Mash," he accepted the sandwich with one hand and then took a bite. The taste of barley bread touched his tongue and was quickly followed by the creamy and flaky taste of tuna salad. He was honestly glad the ship still had access to fresh food, he wasn't eager to try eating the 1st-century equivalent of hardtack.
He had seen videos of people baking and eating hardtack, and it did not look pleasant. Though he knew such a scenario was going to be inevitable, thankfully he did not have to worry about it now.
He stared back into the opening ocean while enjoying his meal.
Mash did the same as she joined him in eating her sandwich next to him.
"We're close." He could feel it, the island was near.
Mash looked at him with confusion, but before she had a chance to ask, she was interrupted by a loud holler from the crow's nest above.
"I see land!!"
The crew member's hollers kicked up a chain reaction of men returning the "land" hollers and causing the whole ship to stir like a nest of bees during the peak of spring. The ship changed course and moved to the right.
Then, just like his gut had predicted, the island was now in full view, although it was a speck from this far away.
The speck slowly grew larger as they drew near it, and during that time, he could not look away from it. It looked exactly like the other uninhabited islands they had passed, except this one had a distinctive… feeling to it.
This must be the feeling that Zenobia had when she passed by the island. Something was indeed off about it.
By the time the ship got close enough to see the sandy beach, it had slowed to a stop. Unfortunately, they were so far away from the shore that there was no easy way to get there without swimming or on a boat.
The distinctive footsteps of the captain caught his ears and he turned to see the grizzled man walking towards him. During their trip, he had Martha use the same charm-clearing skill on the boat and her crew, and while he too had been charmed, he claimed he didn't feel much different.
"This is as far as we can go, honored passengers, any closer and the ship will get beached. You will have to take a smaller vessel to make the final trip."
"Thank you, Captain." Mash turned to him, "Come on, Senpai, let's go to the island."
He nodded, then followed Mash towards the rowboats, which were easy to find.
'Martha and I will stay in spirit form, so the boat won't be cramped,' Siegfried told him through his master/servant link, and he gave them a nod.
Once he and Mash boarded the boat, two crew members carefully lowered them to the waters below. The coat plopped on the water's surface, the salty spray of the ocean caressing his cheeks as if to welcome him.
"Do you need me to help you row the boat, Mash?" He's been on rowboats before, so he knows the proper technique, however, Mash didn't seem eager to let him help.
"Senpai, I appreciate the help, but I am stronger than you. We can get to the island faster if I am the one who does the rowing."
Right. Super soldier girl, he forgot.
"Row away then." With his order given, Mash began to row, and just like she said, the rate at which she rowed was much faster than he could accomplish.
The boat made landfall with a grating thud.
Mash stopped rowing and jumped out of the boat with a splash. Then, using her super strength, she pulled the boat and him deeper into shore so the boat would not drift off.
Once the boat was sufficiently inland, she carefully dropped it on the ground, at which point he got out from the wooden vessel with a wet crunch as his feet touched the sand.
He took a moment to admire the picturesque beach that lay unsullied by pollution.
"It's beautiful." He couldn't help but say it, and he meant it, because this was the most beautiful beach he'd seen in his life.
No shards of random plastic littering the sand, no pieces of burnt logs scattered all across them to ugly the view, it was just a clean beach. The beach eventually gave way to land, which brought his attention to the forest edge. The forest was so dense with foliage it resembled a wall.
"Yes, it is, Senpai." Suddenly, Mash's wristband beeped, which meant Romani was calling them.
"Congrats on making it to shore safely, you two. Now that you're here, you should investigate the area. I'll let you know if I detect something for you to focus on- "
Suddenly, Romani abruptly stopped talking,"Look alive, you two, I'm detecting a servant signature to your left. Be careful. " Romani said with a serious tone. The news ruined the good vibes of the beach and caused them to tense.
"We will," He reassured the doctor, then he gave a nod to Martha and Siegfried, which was the signal for them to unastralize, which they did.
The group headed in the direction Romani pointed them to, the asynchronous sounds of crunching sand under their feet growing louder the deeper into the beach they went.
It didn't take long to reach the location of the signature.
Standing ahead of them was a woman dressed in a red kimono.
She wore black thigh highs that hugged her legs, and he knew that was because her outfit did not bother to hide them at all. The top half of the outfit, meanwhile, looked like it was struggling to hold the woman's generous bosom from spilling out.
The woman noticed his gaze and leaned down, eliciting a faint jingle from the bell that adorned her neck while exposing more of her chest for him to see.
He forced himself to look elsewhere, and he met her predatory, yellow gaze. Something told him not much was going on behind those eyes, though he could also tell she was aware enough that she gave him a knowing, coy smile.
However, the most eye-catching parts of this servant were not her skimpy clothing or her body, but rather the extra attachments that came with them.
She had a long, bushy tail and tall, fluffy ears that matched her pink hair color. Both of her appendages looked like they belonged to a fox rather than a cat, but the same could not be said about the comically oversized cat paws on her hands and feet.
[Oh hey!! It's the PokeMANIAC cat girl from the Utube video!! :excited Emote:]
[GARcher: Oh god… not her. ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): So she's here as well. I wonder if other members of the Tamamo nine are nearby or if its only her. ]
[The who? ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): She'll explain in a moment. ]
The woman sniffed the air, and her long, bushy pink tail wagged in a manner reminiscent of a dog.
"Ah, it's you!! You smell of sunshine and citrus, so you must be the one, Woof!!" The cat girl got excited and ran closer to them, but unlike a normal person, she was running on all fours like she was a quadruped.
His servants wanted to step in, but the cat-fox-dog girl sensed their wariness and stopped a few feet away.
"No need to fear, I am fluffy and sweet! I am one of the Tamamo Nine, the wild fox, Tamamo Cat! Nice to meet you, Woof," the now self-identified Tamamo Cat explained with a theatrical flair.
[She just described herself as three different animals all at once. WHAT ARE YOU!? ]
[It's-ALWAYS-Pikachu: You haven't been paying attention. It's very obvious and clear to me that this woman is a pikachu. ]
[...She didn't explain SHIT! What the heck are the Tamamo Nine!? ]
[Best_Kohai-BB(MOD): Think of them as eeveelutions… but in reverse. ]
[... that only makes it even more confusing!! ]
[It's-ALWAYS-Pikachu: Ah, so she's an eevee... the second fiddle mascot, what a shame. ]
[Ecruteak_Gal: @ It's-ALWAYS-PikachuExcuse you bitch?!! ]
"Woof?" Mash repeated what Tamamo Cat said, still clearly baffled by the word.
Tamamo Cat tilted her head, "Oya? Do you not speak dog language? My apologies. How about cat language, Nya? Ooh! What about swallow language chirp~?!"
Mash just continued to stare at her blankly, unsure of how to respond, and she wasn't alone. No one in the group could respond, as they had no idea what this woman was going on about.
Mash eventually snapped out of it and responded to Tamamo Cat with incredulity, "Huh? What are you saying? You're just tagging words at the end of your sentences. It's not a language!"
"Nyahahahahah! It's okay, while my swallow language is passable, I am not as fluent as the others. Do you want to see my fish head collection? I can make a stinky soup with them. It's a great condiment for many things!! Not these though, they've not been fermenting long enough to give the soup its umami flavor. Woof."
[Her what now?!! ]
[Ma'am! Please slow down and make sense!! ]
Seeing this conversation was heading nowhere fast, he decided to try and establish communications himself, "you said your name is Tamamo Cat, right? You called us the sun's chosen, what do you mean by that?"
Tamamo Cat seemed to have grasped his question, as she answered him with surprising clarity this time, "well, I was getting lonely, so I prayed to Bossu-nyah and she promised to send someone."
Then, she got into his personal space and started to sniff him like a dog, "I can smell her blessings on you. So you are definitely the one she sent."
He furrowed his brows, "Bossu-nyah?"
She leaned out of his personal space and looked at him, "oh! How rude of this humble servant cat to forget to show her reverence! I am, of course, referring to the great and powerful patron deity of the land of the rising sun, coincidentally also the sun herself, Amaterasu-sama!!"
The moment that name left her lips, the sun's rays seemed to have intensified, as if the sun itself confirmed Tamamo Cat's claim.
"Wait… So the reason why the coordinates changed to the middle of the sun was because Amaterasu wanted to send you two on an errand?! "
His neck audibly popped as he turned to stare at Mash's wristwatch in alarm, "we almost manifested where?!"
Tamamo Cat let out a laugh, as if the disturbing news was somehow a funny joke, "Bossu-nyah can be a bit heavy-handed, even when she's helping. Please forgive her glorious self for sending people to pick up this stray cat from her lonely box."
Rather than dwelling on their near-death experience, he chose to concentrate on Tamamo Cat, who was now grooming herself by licking her paws.
[Oma, she is such a weirdo!! ]
Yet, even as odd as Tamamo Cat was, he still felt a pang of sympathy for her having ended up in this situation.
"It must have been lonely to manifest on this island all by yourself."
Tamamo Cat stopped licking herself, looking befuddled at his sympathy.
"Oh no, I didn't manifest by myself. I got recruited as bouncers, Woof."
"A bouncer, like those big muscular guys who stand in front of clubs and ask you for your ID?" He wanted to answer the question, but he decided to allow Tamamo to answer, just to see how she'd respond.
"Yup! I was a bouncer for the goddess of this island, alongside someone else, but unlike my other friend, I was also Stheno's personal chef every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was fun!!"
And just like a normal cat, Tamamo Cat dropped an unexpected surprise at their doorstep.
"Wait, Stheno? As in one of the actual gorgon goddesses were here?!! How?! That shouldn't be possible, we are well past the Age of Gods!! "
Tamamo Cat tutted at Romani's claims, "silly invisible voice."
She tapped her head with one of her claws, "you have to open your mind to the possibilities, or else your bananas will fall out and you'll slip and fall."
"How strange, if Stheno was here, then the dreams Master has been experiencing as of late have not been unrelated." Martha looked at Tamamo Cat.
"Do you happen to know where Stheno went?" The saint asked and braced herself for a nonsensical answer from the servant.
Tamamo's ears drooped, her cheery attitude gone, now replaced with somber regret, "I was a horrible bouncer. I couldn't stop it, she got carried away by the Hat Man."
"The Hat Man?" Something about the way Tamamo Cat brought up the hat man made chills run down his spine.
His question soured the cat girl's face, likely because she was reliving what she went through with this mysterious 'Hat Man', "yes, the Hat Man, a dapper gentleman who showed up to our island and took the idol goddess right from under my very sensitive nose!!"
She recalled the event while pointing at her nose.
The more she talked about it, the more familiar this Hat Man started to sound. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, so he had to ask to make sure.
"... Can you describe this Hat Man to us? What did he look like?"
Tamamo Cat placed her oversized paw under her chin while she recalled the man's appearance.
"He was wearing a green suit! Or wait, maybe brown…. Anyway, he wore the smile of a serpent, sounded as slimy as an insulation salesman, and had the aura of an RPG midboss."
That sounded exactly like Lev, alright.
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): So that bastard is here, and he's still spreading misery as always. ]
"So, Lev was here… then that means he is this 'Hatman' that kidnapped the goddess, but why?" Mash asked, and Da Vinci was all too willing to inform them.
"If a divine spirit actually manifested in this age, her mere presence alone makes her very valuable. Miss Tamamo Cat, how strong is Stheno in combat? "
"Stheno is a lazy goddess with the strength stat of a wet ramen noodle. Even a mook would have enough strength to overpower her. That is why she plucked the two of us from the throne, to protect her."
Her ears flattened even more, as if doing a seiza pose, "but we failed her… Woof…"
"Hm, in that case, that means Lev wouldn't use her as a recruit, but as a goddess, she would also serve as a great source of reagents. So more than likely, Stheno is either dead by now or worse. "
That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all.
[ShortShortsQUEEN: Stheno is an abusive bitch, but even she doesn't deserve to get Hypno'd by Lev. ]
"We? The two of us? Who else did Stheno pick to bring alongside you?" Mash asked an adjacent question, and while it was a good question, he knew Mash was deliberately trying to change the subject before it got too dark.
Unfortunately for them, Tamamo's sane streak ran out.
"Ah, my ears hurt! When can we go? My tail yearns for the outside!"
"B-But we are outside." Mash tried to use logic, unfortunately, it failed.
"Ah, but the inside of my soufflé caved in, so I need to go outside now!"
Seeing the conversation was derailed again, he tried to steer it back in the right direction, even if the train was chugging along through the dirt.
"Well, since you're eager to leave, do you want to come help us fight the Hat Man?"
As soon as Tamamo heard his question, her ears stood up, "I would love to! I'll make that creepy tentacle into my scratch post!!" Tamamo declared, although he had no idea why she referred to Lev as a tentacle.
Then, like a car ramming into a tree, Tamamo Cat went from silly and fun to dead serious, "but first, I have a very important quest to give you! Will you accept it?"
He shrugged at the fox-cat-dog's request, "sure, I can go on a quest. What will you have me do?"
Tamamo Cat, seeing his acceptance of the quest, gave him a smug, knowing grin.
His eyes widened like saucers as Tamamo Cat proceeded to reach into her cleavage. One would think he was surprised because Tamamo committed a lewd act, but those people would forget that Tamamo has enormous paws, and whatever skin she had exposed was covered by those same paws.
No, what really boggled his mind is seeing the massive paws somehow slip between her breasts with barely a shift in her dress. He had many questions, but then he remembered who he would be asking those questions to, and he decided to just keep them to himself.
Tamamo finally seemed to have found what she was looking for as she pulled out a long, flexible object from between her breasts.
…It was a leash.
To their incredulity, the woman put the leash on her neck with a satisfying click. Finally, she held out the hand holding the leash.
"I haven't had a walk in so long, take me. Once I am satisfied, I will accept you as my new Master Woof!" Tamamo Cat's tail was wagging excitedly at the very prospect of being walked around like an actual dog.
[Gudao, please don't tell me you're going to indulge this weirdo. ]
[Are we seriously doing this right now!? ]
He looked at the leash, then at Tamamo, and back at the leash again. Unlike his companions and his chat, he decided to take the weirdness in stride and accepted the leash (quest) with a shrug.
Tamamo Cat wanted walkies, so he'll give them to her. Crazy rambling aside, she did provide information for them so its the least he could do for her, especially since she was stuck on this island for who knows how long.
"Well, then, come on, Tamamo cat, let's go for walkies!"
Tamamo Cat jubilantly reached for the sky at the prospect of walkies. "YAAY!!!"
She got on all fours and started to walk at a brisk pace, the sheer force almost tipping him over. Almost.
He easily managed to catch himself and recentered his body so that he could keep up with Tamamo as she pranced on the beach like a proud, triumphant race horse.
[Wtf is going on? ]
[CasCu: I got no clue, but hey, we got another one for the team. ]
[This kind of kink play is too much for me. I'm out. I'm going to go outside to touch some grass. ]
✦✧✦
Constantine POV
"Aaahhh!!" Men and women warriors screeched their dying woes as the intense fire consumed them. The sheer heat of the spell sizzled and browned their skin before turning it to pure carbon.
His master, Simon Magus, was flying high in the air, raining fire upon their mundane enemies while reciting sermons of holy fire and God.
Meanwhile, he and Jing Ke were in charge of fighting off the servants leading them.
He had heard stories of Attila the Hun and how they conquered much of the known ancient world.
While it is a blessing that she is unable to use her noble phantasm to attack them without hurting herself, that hasn't diminished her overall strength. Even as a small child, she had proven to be a massive threat.
"YOH!"
CLANG.
His arms trembled as his sword deflected Altera's tricolored rainbow blade away from his body.
Despite her arms being thin and undeveloped, there was actual raw strength and weight behind every strike.
"HA!" Altera's body blurred as she dashed around him in a circle, her oversized sword trailing behind her.
He kept calm.
Panic will only allow the girl to land a decisive blow.
Suddenly, Altera jumped back, her sword glowing a burning white color.
He quickly threw himself to the left, just in time to avoid a flurry of light projectiles.
The projectiles whizzed by and crashed into the ground where he had been standing, resulting in a violent but colorful explosion of sparkles.
He rolled on the ground and got back on his feet without losing stride… but the nimble menace didn't let him rest and unleashed a fast-paced, vicious attack against him.
CLANG.CLANG.CLANG.
Altera had proven time and time again that a small body can become an advantage in combat against a significantly larger foe.
He has found himself in many situations where her small stature allowed her to evade his normal sword strikes.
Strength, legend, technique, and speed. It was difficult for a man from a more modern age to compete with such an opponent. Thankfully, he had several aces up his sleeve.
For one, the immense amount of magical energy the leyline provided boosted his parameters and allowed him to always have his noble phantasm ready to deploy at any time.
Second, his master had used a command spell to give him a temporary boost to strengthen him further.
These factors are why he is even able to stand up to her at all.
However, despite these advantages, the facts remain clear. Both his stamina and his master's command seals are finite.
As much as he hates hurting, much less killing children, he has to kill this one. And while Altera was a difficult opponent to take down with some minor weaknesses, she did have one glaring Achilles heel.
Her mother, Boudica.
"UGH!" Boudica yelled out in pain as one of Jing Ke's blades found her shoulder.
Blood spurted from the woman like a fountain, staining the assassin's white clothes red.
This cry caused Altera's determined focus to shift away in concern for the other part of the battlefield.
He took advantage of her small lapse in attention and threw a kick.
Altera grunted as his foot met her gut and launched her petite frame away.
Before he could capitalize his advantage against the mini Mongol, a beam of light struck his side.
He grunted in pain, the attack allowing the girl to get back up.
Even injured as she was, Boudica still did everything to protect her child.
However, such actions have consequences.
"Dammit!" Boudica cursed as Jing Ke's knife slashed Boudica's hips and torso, cutting through the fabric and splitting her skin wide open.
Blood sprayed out of her open wounds, yet somehow, Boudica didn't fall. The woman clenched her teeth and retaliated.
"Ungh!" Blood spurted from Jing Ke's nose as Boudica's fist landed on her nose hard enough to crack it.
The assassin retreated, allowing the rider to have breathing room.
Jing Ke's porcelain beauty that Nero praised was now chipped, but functional. The assassin grabbed her nose and reset it back into place with a loud crack.
She hocked up the built-up blood in her nose and spit it out, then got back into her normal fighting stance as if nothing happened.
If not for the effects of his noble phantasm, Theodosius Constantinos, Jing Ke would not have been able to fight against the Rider servant as long as she has. The mere fact that she is an ally of Rome is enough for her to receive the same boost in parameters that he did when he used his noble phantasm.
While he relished in seeing Boudica get cut up, this wasn't the time for him to get distracted, especially since it was his job to keep Altera busy and away from Jing Ke, at least until the time was right.
For as speedy as the assassin was, Jing Ke was still significantly weaker than a saber-class servant.
Seeing her mother in distress, Altera tried to rush to her side, but her worry blinded her.
He raised his sword to the sky, the metal reflecting the orange sunlight from the setting sun.
A pillar of light erupted from below him, the large chains that followed rattling in anticipation.
"Oh no you don't! Your opponent is me!!" He swung his blade down, and the vortex of light and heavy iron chains slammed into Altera's small body.
"Waaah," Altera yelped as her small body rolled on the ground from the force of the attack, but much to his annoyance, she quickly recovered her balance and upright position.
Her feet scraped the ground, bleeding the force of his attack until it was snuffed out.
'NOW!' He mentally gave the command to Jing Ke, and she obeyed.
The assassin ignored Boudica and sprinted away from their fight, her sights set on the stunned Altera.
Jing Ke's magical energy surged, and then she brought out a rolled-up scroll.
"From here I no longer fear death, no longer desire life." Jing Ke began reciting her noble phantasm's chant as she unfurled her scroll.
The scroll paper danced in the air like a flying serpent ready to strike a mouse.
"You bitch, come back here and fi-!!" Boudica's eyes bulged as she realized what they were planning.
"Over my dead body!!" Boudica raced to catch up to Jing Ke, but she was too slow.
Jing Ke had already pulled out her hidden dagger.
Only For Killing was Jing Ke's noble phantasm, it was a hidden blade whose poison could instantly kill anyone with a mere scratch.
By the time Altera realized what was happening, it was too late.
Jing Ke had already unsheathed her blade, the weapon poised to stab the small child through the heart.
When that attack landed on her, it will be a sure kill.
"All I Do Is Ki-"
FWOOM.
A fast object fell on Jing Ke, piercing her stomach.
Gaah!!" The assassin gasped in pain, her poison dagger cluttered to the ground and forgotten as she clasped the spear that had pinned her like a butterfly.
Suddenly, the assailant appeared between Jing Ke and Altera, sword in hand and ready to split the assassin's head in half; However, the assassin servant vanished before she was struck by the downward blow.
He briefly glanced behind himself and saw Simon was gingerly holding Jing Ke upright, his bare hand, which now lacked command seals, was already prepared with a healing spell over Jing Ke's stomach.
If there was one thing that he was grateful for, it's the fact that Simon Magus was not cruel like modern magi. Pompous and a blowhard heretic most definitely, but he was no monster.
He was still a compassionate follower of God, even if it was superficial. He saw servants as people, as friends, and as followers, so he treated them as such.
Unfortunately, as much as he approved of his treatment, that act of kindness just cost them their last command spell.
"Auntie… You're here."
His ears perked up at Altera's words, which forced him to refocus on the woman who just saved Altera.
A stone of disgust plopped inside his stomach when he saw the woman who nearly killed his ally was dressed like a whore from the higher courts.
She was restrained by golden shackles and chains, and she had a modern-day black bikini and thong as her only form of clothing that covered her breasts and crotch.
While she wielded a sword and a javelin, which would have made her class container difficult to ascertain if not for the black ballistas floating menacingly over her shoulders.
An archer servant perhaps?
The woman was glaring at him, though it softened when she spoke to the young girl.
"Are you alright, Altera?"
Altera nodded, "I'm okay, but Mother is-"
Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, she was embraced and lifted in a hug by the aforementioned mother.
"Altera, I'm so glad you're safe!"
"Mother! You're hurt!" Altera said with concern.
"I'll be fine as long as you are still alive sweetie," Suddenly, her joyful mood changed into a dry tone.
"Thank you so much for saving my daughter, my alluring goddess from Olympos. A few seconds longer and Altera would have been stabbed through the heart and died if not for you arriving just in time to stop the enemy attack."
It seems that the so-called goddess had kept her followers waiting.
The woman winced, clearly understanding the subtext in Boudica's words, "I apologize, I got held up for a bit. Are you alright?" the 'goddess of Olympos' asked the rider servant, who was clearly littered with cuts and stained with large patches of blood all around her body.
"I'm fine, just a bit beaten up." Boudica let out a hiss as the pain caught up to her. She fell forward, but before her knees hit the dirt, Altera was already by her side, holding her up.
The woman looked at Boudica apologetically, "forgive my tardiness. Both of you go rest, I will take care of this obstacle for you."
The mother/daughter duo nodded and limped away from the battlefield. He was tempted to attack them, but it seemed his intentions were rather blatant as the mysterious woman turned her attention to him.
A chill ran down his spine as he stared into those blue eyes.
This woman… despite her vulgar looks, she's dangerous. He steeled his nerves and stood tall.
As an emperor of Rome, he refused to allow this woman to look down on him.
"So you're the rumored god from Olympus I've heard so much about. Although I must confess, as a man who follows the One True God, I am quite unfamiliar with pagans' beliefs, would you care to enlighten me on your identity?" Should he have been respectful towards a being who is being revered as a god? Yes, he could have, but he was frankly too exhausted and fed up to bother, especially against his enemies.
The woman straightened her body at his question and placed a hand over her exposed, vulgar chest.
"My name is Septimia Zenobia, the Queen of the Palmyrene Empire… and yes, I am a goddess, although I never claimed I was a god of Olympos."
He scoffed at her obvious lie, "liar. One of your subordinates just called you a goddess from Olympos, and you did not deny it."
Hearing his logic, Zenobia merely shrugged, "true, but you cannot expect me to be capable of stopping the masses from whispering now, can I?"
Ah, so she's benefiting from letting the enemy make their own conclusions. Clever.
"No, I cannot. The people will think what they will think and spread gossip regardless of its validity." He narrowed his eyes and took in the divine energy that wafted from this woman.
"Though I can see why the people would create such rumors, your stolen divinity makes the false rumors rather convincing."
Zenobia narrowed her eyes, "I did not steal my divinity."
He snorted, "could have fooled me, Zenobia was a queen who rebelled against Rome. Yet, despite the foolish audacity of her actions, one fact remains."
He narrowed his eyes, "Septimia Zenobia was human. So for you to possess such divinity, either some pagan divine spirit possessed you… or you stole their essence and made it yours."
A smile crawled up Zenobia's lips, "I see what you are doing. You're trying to claim intel from me, how adorable. Do you honestly think knowing me will be enough to end me? You fool, no matter how much you try to stop me and my army, nothing will change."
Zenobia tilted her head upward, the smile on her face growing more sinister.
"Rome will fall. Its slaves freed, the oppressing senators and soldiers killed, and the Beast that hides herself within its borders will be slaughtered in the same way a lion is slain in their beloved coliseum."
An image flashed in his mind of Nero dressed in rags, lying still in a pool of her own blood on the dirt floor of a coliseum to the cheers of thousands.
He grit his teeth, but he somehow managed to maintain a stoic face despite the burning rage in his heart.
"Normally, I would have already started killing you and your allies rather than talk after you rejected Boudica's offer. However," her smile turned sweeter as she extended a hand.
"I am in a great mood, so I will allow you to have one last chance. Let my army pass through, you need not swear allegiance to me. All I need is for my army to pass, Constantinople need not fall, only Rome."
She tilted her side to the side expectantly, "so, what will it be? Constantine the Eleventh?"
The 'goddess' gave him time to think, so he used that time to send a mental message to his Master, 'Master, Jing ke is in no condition to fight, fly her back to the city walls and escape through the underground tunnels.'
'What about you?' His master asked, but he turned down his concern.
'Do not worry about me, I will keep them busy for as long as I can. Just make sure you head South and inform Nero of what's happening. They need to know what they're up against.'
Simon was quiet for a moment, the reluctance to leave him behind clear as day. Finally, he spoke once more, and to his relief, it was not a protest.
'I'm sorry I couldn't help bring you salvation, Constantine. I will pray for you.'
'I appreciate your prayers, but I am a devout child of God. That alone should be enough for Saint Peter to grant me passage to heaven.' Is what he wished will happen, but both he and Simon knew the truth. The moment he died, he will return to the throne of heroes, not heaven, to await his next summoning.
Their communication channel closed and he took a deep breath.
When he opened them again,he made sure to make eye contact with the queen of Palmyra.
"You truly know nothing about me, you failed queen." Zenobia's smile fell upon hearing his insult, but he didn't care, he had to take his stance.
"I will tell you what I told Boudica. There is no Rome without Constantinople, and no Constantinople without Rome.
They are one in the same; therefore, as the ruler of Constantinople, I too am Rome!
So take your mercy and shove it up your arse!
I refuse to betray my beloved progenitor, Emperor Nero Cladius Divi Claudius filius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, for some delusional Palmyran whore who fancies herself a goddess!!"
Her look of disapproval turned into a full frown, one that became more grave when he pointed his sword at her.
"In fact, not only will I not surrender to you, but I vow before God that I will defeat you, here and now. And unlike the great Emperor Aurelian,"
One of Zenobia's eyes violently twitched.
"I won't be as merciful or as gentle with you as he was. I'll replace your golden shackles and chains with iron and have my steed drag you back to Rome by your feet!"
An overwhelming energy pressed on his shoulders.
Zenobia gained a murderous look on her face.
"So be it, Roman."
A menacing howl rang in his ears as the wind suddenly picked up.
His skin stung as a wind of sand blew in his face, forcing him to squint his eyes.
The magical energy and divine energy in Zenobia's body grew denser by the second.
"Divine Core Established."
His eyes widened at Zenobia's admission.
This woman got her hands on a divine core?!!
Suddenly, the sandstorm grew in strength, forcing him to squint his eyes to a point where they were almost shut.
"My beauty and valor shall shine throughout the heavens and the earth."
The world is engulfed in a light so radiant it lit up the inside of his eyelids.
"Look upon mine brilliance, for it shall dissolve the shackles that confine me."
The sound of shackles being broken hit his ears.
Even through the intense sandstorm and the intense light, he could tell Zenobia began to rise into the air.
Then, his face stopped stinging, and he was able to open his eyes, just in time to see a miniature sun reach the apex of its flight.
His eyes widened as he saw the woman in all her splendor.
The indecent queen was gone, replaced by a regal goddess wearing an elaborate, overly designed armored white dress that was decorated in black roses.
Various floating symbols of light hovered around her, their meanings foreign to him.
Her headpiece turned from a solid gold tiara into a tall, majestic red crown made of detached pieces of gold and red metal, which rested on top of her shining ash grey hair, which was now styled like ponytails.
The ballistas had morphed into miniature lances, all of them pointing at him.
A halo made of threaded rope floated behind her, decorated by mystical fronds of light that sprung from the threads and grew inwards.
The light flickered behind Zenobia, and a second halo of complex design manifested inside the bigger circle.
The two halos began to rotate in opposing directions. The smaller one emanated a pink glitter that nourished the fronds on the greater halo, which caused her energy to grow at an alarming rate.
This noble phantasm of hers was not only flashy, but it will be unforgiving.
"And thus my being shall be an ideal that can only exist within my glorious self!"
The woman extended her arms out with her palms facing the sky, her eyes looking down on him as if he were a mere ant.
"Divine Triumph! Show your reverence and bow before my splendor."
The halos spun at a faster rate, to the point that he couldn't see the intricate designs anymore.
The halos' light exploded outward, taking the shape of javelins… thousands upon thousands of javelins.
And all of them were aimed, not at him, but rather at his city.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The javelins of light fell like rain, their explosive impacts leaving only craters in their wake.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
He heard his men yell their death throes, while Zenobia's army whooped at the display of destruction.
The walls of his city crumbled like a sand castle as the javelins tore down the stone walls.
Zenobia's attack intensified until it reached its climax and a massive explosion engulfed his city, destroying everyone and everything in it.
Then, the wind hit his face... it carried the nostalgic scent of burnt flesh, stone, and black powder.
Just like that day…when Rome fell.
He closed his eyes, and he could practically recall that fateful day.
It would seem like fate just loved to toy with him. He was summoned to ancient Rome to prevent its early fall, but ultimately… he failed.
But unlike that time, not all was lost.
He could still feel the master/servant connection between him and Simon, which meant Jing Ke and his master managed to safely escape the battlefield by going underground.
Zenobia also made another crucial mistake.
She reduced his city to rubble, but the foolish woman had left him alive, likely so she could get a kick out of seeing him despair over how all his efforts were in vain.
He stared up at the arrogant woman, who looked so self sure of herself, and smirked.
Zenobia had no idea that this was just a minor inconvenience.
His body drank from the leyline, and it instantly refilled his reserves.
His sword sunk into the earth, and he opened his mouth to speak.
"No matter how many invasions there are, Nothing Shall overcome our faith, Theodosius Konstantinos!!"
Constantinople had fallen, but from its ashes, a new city rose to take its place.
Like the immortal phoenix, Rome had not died, it had only been reborn.
He felt the air vibrate around him, and the voice of Zenobia reached his ears.
"Oh? So you managed to recreate your entire city after I destroyed it? Color me impressed, Constantine the Eleventh. Though I suppose that is to be expected from a servant that is directly connected to a leyline.
However, you are not the only one who has access to a deep reservoir of power."
He furrowed his brows, wondering what she meant.
He received his answer shortly after, as Zenobia's halos began to spin once more.
"You might be able to restore your magical energy infinitely Constantine, but will you be able to last long enough to keep rebuilding your city I wonder? Let's find out."
Zenobia unleashed another barrage of attacks.
However, unlike last time, her range had extended.
A javelin coming straight at him.
He moved out of the way, but it wasn't enough.
BOOM.
He grunted as the explosive wind threw him into the air… only for another javelin to slam him directly in the back.
"AH-" BOOM.
His world was flooded with intense light, and pain.
So much pain.
And it was only getting started, as javelin after javelin fell and exploded on him.
His body was mercilessly thrown around by constant explosions.
When they stopped, he laid flat on his back.
The pungent taste of copper sloshed around his mouth.
Every muscle in his body was in agony, his shining white armor now reduced to pieces.
He was in rough shape.
Get up.
He groaned as he forced himself up, his bones creaking and crackling from the strain.
When he managed to sit back up, he noticed he was now facing his city, and it had now been reduced to rubble, again.
"Congratulations, you survived my onslaught once more." Zenobia's voice was no longer intimidating, just annoying.
This woman was playing with him.
She could have killed him at any time, but she didn't.
She was enjoying his suffering, like a child who was torturing a bug.
He stretched his senses out, and to his relief, his master was now even further away.
He managed to escape, which means, in the end, he won the war.
He will find Nero and warn her of the upcoming threat.
Using his sword as a crutch, he picked himself up.
Another groan escaped his lips as he managed to stand back on his two feet.
His body was screaming at him that he was at his limit and needed to lay down and rest.
But he told it to shut up.
He refused to die sitting down.
The leyline flooded his reserves once more, and like a joke that never got old, he repeated his chant.
"T-Theo…dosius…. Kons… tantinos…"
He relished the frustrated sigh that escaped from the barbarian queen's lips when the walls of his city rose once more.
He cautiously turned to see the woman, her appearance now drastically different, but he honestly didn't care for what color or style her hair was.
What brought him joy was the annoyed look on the woman's face.
The rings around the woman spun again and more javelins flew into the air, except this time, they were all aimed at him instead.
…This was the end. Once those javelins hit, he would die.
Nero's smiling face flashed through his head once more… and the emotions he had been holding back hit him in full force.
"I'm sorry Nero… my love… I failed our Roma… again…"
The javelins fell on him and his vision was filled with a brilliant light, until finally, the darkness came, and took him away.
✦✧✦
Boudica POV
She stared at the devastation before her. The fort that had been giving them headaches for weeks was now gone, and all it took was a massive aerial bombardment by a goddess.
"Tch, I wasted too much energy on that bastard." Zenobia ranted as she descended from the sky, her once cheerful mood now turned foul.
She was about to make a witty remark at her but stopped when she saw her hair.
"Zenobia… your hair…"
Zenobia turned to stare at her in confusion, "hm? What of it?"
"I mean, since when did you get the chance to tie it into pigtails? And get purple highlights?" She pointed at her own scalp to emphasize the point.
Her question seemed to catch Zenobia off guard.
"Huh?" the goddess touched her head, and her eyes widened when she realized the current style of her hair no longer matched what it was before she arrived. Zenobia grabbed a lock of her long, luscious hair and brought it closer to her face to give it a proper inspection.
"Interesting. It seems like the divine core is starting to influence my appearance," her friend just said something alarming, but instead of being concerned, Zenobia looked more in awe of her hair.
"Are you going to be okay?" If the divine core was influencing her, did that mean the goddess it was made from was going to possess her?
"I will be fine. While my divine core may control my appearance," Zenobia reassured her before she clenched the fist holding her hair, as if asserting her dominance over it.
"Stheno will never subjugate me. For my will is stronger than hers."
Spoken like the true final boss, Zenobia.
Her friend's face turned solemn, "I apologize for arriving late, I had to deal with Alexander the Great and the logistics slowed my arrival."
Seeing that Zenobia was being genuinely sorry, she sighed, "It's alright. You still managed to arrive in time to save Altera, so I forgive you."
She put her good arm on her hip, "So? Did you manage to convince the legendary Alexander the Great to join us?"
Her friend shook her head, "I'm afraid not, he was rather adamant about wishing to conquer the world, so I was forced to stop him."
"A shame, poor Cleopatra is going to be so sad we didn't recruit him." When the pharaoh found out Alexander had been summoned, she had eagerly volunteered to accompany Zenobia to help recruit him. Alas, her proposal was rejected, and she was forced to remain in their headquarters while Zenobia went out to meet him.
"Yes, she will but all is not lost, I recruited 50,000 of his remaining soldiers and two others who were worth more than Alexander."
She whistled at the army, "That is a huge army. It should make up for the ones we lost against that obnoxious mage."
She really wanted to break that cocky bastard's legs.
Zenobia nodded, "they should be arriving soon, so take a moment to rest up and wait, then head south and complete your mission. Destroy Rome and kill Emperor Nero, once that happens, we can finally bring an end to this war and start to rebuild the world, a world-"
"A world without Rome, yes, I know. I've heard your speech plenty of times already, you don't need to repeat it." She interrupted her rehearsed speech with a roll of her eyes, which caused Zenobia to close hers in resignation.
"Apologies, I let my excitement get the better of me. In any case, the other two recruits are currently elsewhere and will not join the war."
"Hm? Not joining the war? Who are these mysterious people?" This was rather strange behaviour for Zenobia, since she loved getting more people to join her army to fight for her.
"They are from an organization called Chaldea. They are a time-traveling demi-servant and a human master that came to investigate an anomaly in this era, an anomaly that could jeopardize the world we wish to build. Their names are Mash Kyrelight and Ritsuka Fujimaru."
She furrowed her brows, "Mash… Kyrielight?"
Zenobia raised a brow at her, "is something the matter?"
She scratched her head, "It's probably nothing, but I just had the strangest feeling that I've heard the name "Mash" before, but it's like a vague memory that I can barely recall."
"Huh, that's interesting. Perhaps another version of you remembered meeting a Mash in another world line-" Suddenly, Zenobia stopped mid-sentence and frowned.
Oh no, she knows that face and that silence, she's talking to him.
Zenobia sighed and turned her attention back to her, "there's been a slight alteration to our plans. Lev wants another servant to accompany you in your conquest of Rome, and you're not going to like who he chose."
No point in arguing when that thing got involved, "who is it?"
She already had an idea of who it was, and her head was already aching from the idea of working alongside him.
"Caligula."
And there it was. Zenobia was wrong, though, she didn't dislike this arrangement, she hated it. But if it meant Rome's destruction, she can tolerate his presence.
She clicked her tongue, "of course that bastard wants to force me to fight alongside that madman."
"I know, I know. I'm asking for a lot, but please bear with it. It will all be worth it once Rome has been destroyed."
"Not like I have a choice do I? I'll take the crazy asshole, but if he steps out of line, I'm killing him too."
Zenobia's smile returned, "thanks, now if you'll excuse me, I must leave."
She raised a brow at Zenobia, "you sure you don't want to stay? We're going to destroy Rome."
Zenobia waved her off, "I have already gotten part of my revenge fulfilled, so it wouldn't be fair if I stole your rightful retribution. Unlike me, you deserve to get your vengeance against Rome as well, especially since the crimes Rome bestowed upon you were much more heinous."
… she had a valid point.
"Thank you for your generosity, Zenobia…" A smile crawled up her lips.
"Incidentally, I noticed you had this dreamy look on your face when you mentioned this Ritsuka guy…"
Zenobia's face suddenly flushed a deep shade of red, "t-that's none of your business. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go! I wish you luck on your conquest!"
Her friend didn't let her get another word in as she flew west.
Heh, so the stoic and mighty goddess Zenobia was in love, how sweet.
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New Chatters:
Gallan-Tate: Tate, the psychic twin brother of Liza and one of the psychic type gym leaders of Mossdeep city. His name is based on a gallade.
Garde-Liza: Liza, the psychic twin sister of tate and one of the psychic type gym leaders of Mossdeep city. Her name is based on a gardevoir.
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AN:Months upon months of planning, and now I can finally show you guys what Flowerman and I have been cooking. I love all the speculation you guys have been doing the past month, its made my effort to build this story very rewarding. Unfortunately, before this reveal, none of you would have been able to guess this outcome without having insider knowledge. Though the cat is out of the bag now I suppose.
Zenobia was always gonna be a part of the story of Septem, but I didn't really know what to do with her at first. At the same time, I was also struggling to figure out what to do with Stheno, so I decided to do something drastic. I decided to read Septem, the canon story not the fanfics, for clues. Low and behold, I found an interesting line of dialogue. Specifically a line that Nero mentioned before the group went to meet Stheno caught my eye:
Nero: Further, assume they are gods of Rome. If the United Empire's "emperors" took that god away, we'd have bigger problems. I don't want that. That's the one thing I absolutely cannot stand.
That one line was the spark that set off my brain blurb, a brain blurb that even managed to catch Flowerman offguard.
"What if Zenobia stole Stheno's divinity?" This arc is the end result of that one question.
I hope you guys had a happy easter(to those who celebrated it). And also that you enjoyed the big reveal. There's still a brunch left I have planned for this arc, so buckle up, It's gonna be fun.
Anyways, be sure to leave a like and some comments, I want to know your thoughts. See you next week.