Finis Chaldea

Gilgamesh was prepared to hear a very interesting story indeed. Where had this woman come from, and how had she fallen? According to her tale, she'd been an adventurer. She and her party discovered Atlantis, a former part of the empire AS-IKU, during their dungeon-crawling. He would not have gone out of his way to hear another tale about Enki, Ishtar and their effect on the world, but satisfyingly... that group had ended the worship of those gods during their stay. Well, that was one more thing he wouldn't have to worry about. Two of six pieces from that damnable empire had officially been cleansed, though in very different ways. "H'oh? You seem to have lightened my workload indirectly," he commented, leaning back and hearing the remainder of her tale. He seemed to be listening with utmost intent, all the way to the moment of... the orange-haired woman's death by leviathan? What an odd way to die. Some years ago, he would have burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter at how she managed to perish while saving another. Now, he only snorted.

Oh. It was over with that, was it? A few moments of silence came between the woman's story, and Gilgamesh leaning forward again. "I see," he commented. There was a grin on the king's face as each of his hands slapped into a knee. Would he be standing? No; he was only making a point. "Certainly the most terrible story I've heard in a thousand years! I know a child who would make it less boring! I nearly died of boredom while you were talking," he proclaimed as if such a thing could occur. "The only thing of interest is that you died hilariously by having only half of yourself become leviathan food. Be eaten whole next time, and return to me with a story of your journey through the belly of the beast. Did it occur to you that you spoke nothing of the journey's excitement, nor of what you even brought to the table? Don't leave the listener to fill in vital information for himself!"

According to Gilgamesh they'd indirectly done a job for him. She had no idea what he spoke of exactly but she was happy they'd managed to do something helpful. In the moment, they'd only decided that the place was too potentially good to be left alone, and perhaps in time, all would be well again. It had settled down at least, and now there was a good set of people in charge. At least that was her understanding. There was even a snort so she assumed he'd found some amusement in there somewhere. Oh, apparently her story did not have a lot of embellishment nor excitement to it. He claimed next time she should get more exciting things because there was a child outside who could make the story more exciting. He also spoke of how she did not speak much of herself, she managed to look a tad bit sheepish. "Gomen gomen, I am used to telling stories from a factual standpoint. I do not embellish much, and I am more excitable in the moment of things..." she said looking embarrassed. She was often described as quite bubbly and happy but when she was relaying information it was usually clear concise and to the point. 'Is that why I don't have many viewers? Am I boring?' she was tapping her two fingers together and thinking it over. Studying Journalism and Psychology, and writing academic papers more often than not, likely wasn't helping the situation at all either.

"I don't plan to die by Leviathan again or anything. I am also a shielder and healer, the story isn't generally about me. And I doubted anyone wished to understand that I commune with nature spirits they cannot see and I use them for a variety of healing and shielding based purposes... well, healing is the wrong word. They reject things, the whole of the event if it is something I am capable of fixing. Though its usually locked behind my luck and power in relation to the thing I am trying to do, if that makes sense," she explained of herself. This girl saw herself as an unsung person of interest in the story. Never doing much if anything but being helpful while she was around. Technically the power was quite powerful but she usually didn't bother explaining it because it was hard to understand. It wasn't that she could heal people, it was simply that the spirits she utilized had the ability to reject the damage that caused the actions. Her one offensive ability rejected the space around it causing holes in things. It was powerful but she was a pacifist so she did not often use it.

"That's quite shameful. Embellish even a little, and your stories will go far." Gilgamesh had a firm belief about storytellers. If one was to string a yarn, it had to be exhilarating to all who heard it. If not for that simple fact, the failure would be on the teller. Only one who shared a story and kept attention without proper interest could exist, and their tales would reach only the ears of a fool. He knew one such woman, and she would forever be a stain upon his history. "I say to you, woman, that the only interest one takes in you with a story like that, will not be in the story at all. Look into a man's eyes as you regale him, and I assure you his attention will be given in full to your bosom instead. If that is what you seek, say so now, and you will henceforth be addressed as necessary. If it is not, hone your craft."

The woman had no intentions of being felled by a leviathan again? What a shame. He would have enjoyed the tale of her journey through a sea monster's entrails far more than what she offered him today. Whatever the case, she went on to speak of her own abilities. She functioned as a healer and shielder, yet those were not necessarily the abilities she possessed. To commune with spirits of any caliber was nothing to shake a stick at, so to speak. Why then did this one seem so timid while having the ability? She embodied human audacity in the most brilliant fashion, by rejecting destiny itself. "So then, if you were to slice off your arm before me now, you could simply undo the event, no? The idea that you manage to spit in the face of fate is amusing to me, and for that, much credit is deserved. Now then, where will you and your audacious capacity go from here? You enter my throne room purporting to be no form of threat. Those are not the words of a wanderer. It sounds as if you have abandoned all notions of the adventure you once knew, and see no further journeys ahead of you. Well? Is it refuge in glorious Uruk you seek?"

Strange advice came to this woman. Apparently she was to make her stories more interesting lest men only wish to talk to her in order to stare at her. Well, she was an adult woman, she was already aware of that particular life pitfall. Most women who did not simply seek attention were at least a bit aware of that fact. Hell even the attention seeking ones were since they weaponized sex. "Eh?" she stared at him for a while seeming to consider something. Seeing him here and now she could understand he meant well it didn't stop her initial reaction of looking completely and utterly sheepish. 'Jeez, I really am boring... maybe I should have spent some time as a bard,' she thought. 'Or at least paid more attention to ours...' Yes that was true. "It isn't really like that. I will work on it though... every normal girl understands that part already and I don't usually look like this..." she said of her current state of attire. "No normal woman wants to be mistaken for one of those attention seeking cam-girls, with nothing going on in their heads. Most of us are programmed to dislike that sort of thing because it makes us all look bad," she said with a firm nod. Her own younger sister was a bit like that but in a slightly more sinister way, but that wasn't a thing that needed addressing currently.

Sigh. Okay with that part out of the way, they could move on to discussion of her abilities. It would seem this man Gilgamesh understood the real concept of use of spirits. he thought she spit in the face of fate and he found that amusing. A smile crossed her face, "Even my own party didn't really understand it, but yeah I could simply undo the damage and regrow an arm. I think it's currently a bit restricted whether by my own mindset or by my current power. It isn't super clear, but things like that I can undo on myself or others..." she said of her works. And he was right, she could indeed continue as an adventurer but it was sort of a scary prospect considering what she'd witnessed in the lower world already. Atlantis without her party had done no great favors of restoring her faith in humanity and though this man had not been easily readable, he was still reasonable. "I liked adventuring with my party, but by my own nature I am a bit of a pacifist. I do not necessarily like fighting without cause. The state of places isn't innately good. And there are a lot of really gross people in charge of things. I do not like the idea of being basically a healer and being abused so I'd rather not wander if I have found somewhere safe for me to be. I do not know how far away I am from where I was originally so there is a lot to figure out before I'd be ready to move on anyways." she explained of herself. "It isn't that I've given up on adventure completely, I'd go if I could trust the party. In the meantime I'd rather get to know some people... I have no problem contributing while I am here but I still do not really know why I did not just respawn with my group." she explained her situation. While her enjoyment of adventure had not truly ebbed, she did not want to risk wantonly going too far. She'd already died once her lesson was learned. If she formed another party she would go out, but that wouldn't be the sort of thing she undertook from the standpoint of a wanderer.

Oh? This one had no intentions of flaunting herself for the sake of attention. Hearing this, Gilgamesh had one utterance to offer. "Hmph." With that, she was considered more than acceptable. Those things likened to Ishtar were scum by association, and those who bore even similarities were not worth more than what they could offer in some physical sense. Neither of those would be found surrounding Gilgamesh, however. "Far be it from even my glorious self, to expect a woman of reason to wander into my temple uninvited," he said. The last woman to set foot in this room, apart from those he invited or expected, was Ishtar herself. Ah, the tides were shifting indeed.

Her power was restricted somehow. What sort of thing could that be called? Whether by her mindset or her current power, there was only one true answer. "Your ability is limited because you are weak; there is no simpler truth. All you must do is abandon your weakness. Is that not the meaning of humanity?" His question was rhetorical, but in a way, it also wasn't. Humans were so strange, boasting such limited potential in such pitiful shells. So commonly lesser creatures they were, but every exception was a shining beacon to the rest of them. This woman could be such a beacon as well, if she did not shelter herself behind her own ideals. She would not be wandering by choice, opting instead for safety beyond untrustworthy strangers. The foolish woman had every ability to rely only on herself, but such was the folly of man. No matter; Gilgamesh had plans for any who interested him upon entering his citadel. In this case, he would work toward an offer previously made only twice. She said she would contribute. There were many ways she could do exactly that. "There are no temporary contributions in Mesopotamia. If one is to stay with abilities like yours, those tatters must be the first thing to go. Before even that, the answer to your failed return to Atlantis. That place does not fully exist in this world. In lay terms, it is halfway to the realm of gods, beyond even this land so high in the sky. One cannot reach it by normal means. Now then..." The king paused, mentally working through several options for the would-be addition to his... staff, so to speak. "I have a wonderful idea for your use. If you are to live in this Uruk, do so as one of my retainers. I require someone capable enough to inform the masses of important topics. Do you believe yourself capable enough to tell a tale if it is your bread and butter? I am quite interested to see how you manage when wellbeing is on the line. Of course, I am certain there will be many other uses for you as well. Your assets are plentiful enough."

That sound made by Gilgamesh didn't mean displeasure. Strange though it was, this was understood by the orange haired young woman. She managed to be a tiny bit relieved not to be mistaken for such a creature as one of those. In the same breath apparently the man she stood before made it abundantly clear that women of reason did not often enter his temple. "That kind of thing is exactly why other girls don't like that sort of person... it creates bad expectations on both sides," she said giving it no greater consideration than that. It was a fact of life that men who encountered those kinds of women became jaded, and that women who had to deal with those men also became jaded. The point of elimination would lie with getting rid of those types, and the mean who fed into their lunacy. But that was an extremist point of view, and she was not that at all. In her own opinion everyone had to deal with those types to now the good ones when they met them and figure out how to navigate the differences between their previous experiences and the ones they were having presently. It was all part of the human condition in the end.

Speaking of human conditions her own was being brought up. Apparently, she was simply too weak to use her abilities properly. Well, she did say it was a possibility. "I will give that credit. To do so requires quite a bit, it's a long term project to figure out..." she said. Her thoughts were not at all dismissive though. Knowing that it was her own weakness which kept her from fully being able to exploit such a thing, she could spend time trying to figure out what to do about it. He offered her clothing and before that an answer to her question. Apparently the place she'd died was not part of any particular level of the world so she could not be spawned back there, that was a bit depressing but good to know she supposed. "Sou ka," she said seeming to understand it. Basically she'd have to go back there directly if she wanted to go, so it would probably be quite a long time before she mustered up that kind resolve. What was he saying now though... apparently he was offering her a job? Working for him, in this place relaying important information to the masses?

"You are offering me a job as a reporter?" Her face seemed to shift quite a bit before her eyes went all sparkly. She always wanted to be a reporter. She'd been studying journalism in school, she'd become a streamer to get better at public speaking... this was basically her dream job! "YOSH! I want that job, no other job... I'd love that job. That exact one!" she said seemingly very excitable from her previously reserved self. "I really am about to go from Isekai healer to general favorite dream job of my childhood... I'm pretty sure that happened in reverse but I will definitely do it," the lass claimed. She would not mind working for this man. He did not give her any bad feelings and the spirits connected to her had nothing bad to say about him. All could be well. "I'll do my best. And definitely talk to that kid who tells the good stories. I wouldn't want to be boring or anything... research is key." Her words ended with her slamming her fist into her open palm as if cementing the idea with that physical contact. This lass really seemed suddenly into the thing she was about to get into, and suddenly she realized that it was this kind of excitement she previously brought to the party in addition to her own skills. It was probably why her small audience was so loyal as well.

What did this one have to say about the position offered to her? In essence, precisely what he expected when he deemed her fit for it. Ah, his eyes were working in his favor more with each use; he'd have to find more excuses to peer beyond present space-time. It had taken only a short while to see multiple paths to the future that involved the orange-haired woman, and the best of them by far was this one. She would be a... reporter? Well, it sounded quite to the point. "If you wish to call the position of scribe something so mundane, I suppose it will do," he stated. She would be the first in Uruk to send information to and fro, informing the masses of goings-on to avoid Gilgamesh receiving too many tablets filled with the same nonsense. This was one of his greatest acquisitions in quite some time, but alas, he accepted only the most fitting options in these cases.

Excitement was clear, dancing across the woman's face like a nest of disturbed hornets. That was precisely the energy she would be needing in time. First, she needed the requirements for such a task. "Then it is settled. You will learn cuneiform, and how to translate the common tongue to it flawlessly. The tablets I receive are not to be read by just anyone. Your research will have to be done quickly; there is already a task to complete. Word must be spread about a war nearby, quickly enough to stop a horde of mongrels from flooding me with the same tablets as everyone else. Though you will hardly be enough to stop that, your deliverance of the news to everyone at once will free me to discard those tablets on sight. I will have you equipped with the proper tools for interacting with Uruk and all allies."

Something else odd was brought up. While she was flailing about excitedly, the woman spoke of something called an isekai, after using the strange term reporter. Those phrases from another world kept appearing as of late, but they were becoming no less bothersome to hear. He recognized them, but he also didn't. No matter. This time, he'd meet those words with a sigh. "Is there anything else you require? Speak while I have the mood to be giving."

According to this man calling the position of scribe something like reporter was mundane. "But the words mean the same thing... scribe is just arc-... old-fashioned," she said deciding at the last moment to lessen the blow which would essentially call the man old. 'He is really into his roleplay. It's almost like he has truly forgotten everything and adopted that persona fully. He should be praised for that commitment. I have never managed such a thing...' she thought in a manner most attentive.

What would her job require? Her to learn to read and write in the language of this land. She would be given the tools necessary to allow her to give such reports as they were needed.. There was even a topic of her first one up already. Apparently, there was a war in Albion and he was aware of it and did not want to deal with a flood of questions surrounding it. Fair enough... "That is pretty quick. Still, I work well under pressure I will do my best." she claimed. If he was giving her everything necessary to get started she did not really have any complaints. Apparently, the King was still in the mood to be giving after providing her with the type of employment she would have normally sought. He asked if she required anything else and she gave it a bit of thought. "Could you tell me where I could find a snack and a quiet room. If I am to study it would be easier to do without any distractions," she mentioned. Of course she fully intended to pay for such items herself she simply needed to know where to look for them. Whatever the case if she was given those things she'd be well on her way. The day would continue, news would eventually be reported and Chaldea would easily gain one of the newest assets it could use.

At the dawn of a new day Artoria woke and dressed. Today was a the day... some 3 months after her arrival back to Camelot she would be going to this battle with a smile on her face ready for anything. She now knew the location of her target and was busy steeling herself to the task. She'd take half her knights with her, and leave half to protect the castle, lest she run into the issue of their not being anyone around to defend her castle. There were few things in the world Artoria enjoyed more than killing and today she would get to do one of those, and maybe after all was said and done... she'd get to discover something she'd also find interesting. "Father, I am sorry to interrupt, your quiet time but Is today the day?" this was a question from the armored Knight Mordred. So excitable this one still was, though all of their siblings had been equally as excitable during their first skirmishes. Artoria looked out over Camelot and could only smirk. Strange was the conversation had that led to Mordred referring to her as father. But, Artoria was exactly the type to spoil children. It technically wasn't illogical for Mordred to call her father. Considering how Mordred came into being and the fact that Artoria was actually raising them, it was not necessarily uncalled for. "You truly do not find it strange to refer to me as such, what an interesting child. Raise your head Mordred, today is indeed the day." Artoria mentioned. She was very confident in her plan of action causing both the least casualties and presenting the most fun for herself. She'd made all knights get a good nights rest the previous night. They'd all been told to be ready at dawn and the light was just beginning to peak over the horizon now.

And so, on the most random occasion, Gilgamesh acquired a scribe... or reporter, as she put it. She needed only a place of silence and something to eat while she approached her studies. Naturally, she would be given any tools she thought necessary. She would have access even to Medusa, who'd been a very quick learner in her own right, and was more than suited to pass along her knowledge. As for a quiet space, working for Gilgamesh meant access to the whole of Uruk's citadel as both home and workplace. Nothing by way of currency would be required of her, as she represented the king who possessed everything. The exchange for working under Uruk's king was much the same. There was no money, but instead the life of the rich and famous, as one might call it. Somewhere, someone would compare this exchange to Gilgamesh playing at being some sort of "sugar daddy" to those he employed. There was every possibility he'd be hearing that directly at some point. . .

At sunrise, a group of knights were set to accompany their queen toward battle. Lancelot, Gawain, and the more recently named Galahad were assembled at the stables. To the former two of these men, this had always been the most thrilling part of war. They would ride out soon, and in one final skirmish, the long war would be over. Of these three, none believed things would not end in their favor. The Knights of the Round Table did not lose wars. They did not lose battles, and they did not lose people. This had been their greatest war yet, but they believed that meant only a more spectacular ending. "Time to lose your 'final battle card' there, Sir Galahad," said Lancelot to one of their newer members. The male Galahad seemed only slightly reprehensive, wondering if he should have instead been left in Camelot. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Nothing to be afraid of, really."

Sunrise at the stables, a collection of men readied themselves to ride out, with them was Gareth. The little wolf as Artoria called her was not quite so little anymore and more than prepared to take to the battle, aside from a yawn. She was actually quite sleepy. As she had aged she'd grown out of her energetic personality. Now she was ready for battle but a bit of a slouch first thing in the morning. Artoria was now there to join the group with Mordred in tow saddling up her own horse which hadn't been ridden by her in quite a while. She was giving it a pat while listening to Lancelot tease young Sir Galahad. "It is a wonder you can tease so easily so early in the morning, Lancelot. Next you should tell young Galahad of your still quivering liver~" That was Artoria's reply as she pulled herself up onto her horse. She looked and found both Mordred and Gareth where they needed to be. "Come, this war has gone on far too long... We finish this now. And do not worry all will be well," these were Artoria's words and she could say them with a great deal of confidence, after all she was the Queen of Knights and a killer by her own nature. If her objective was death there was very little that could stand in her way.

With that they would be off, to whatever little patch of land on Albion this cur of an Emperor had laid claim to and Artoria would show him what happened when he chose the wrong target for his abuses.