Finis Chaldea

[Bloodedge]

Life in this world seemed to be one long journey after another at times. Gilgamesh had been gone only a month this time, but he felt as if he'd been watching Enki struggle his way through death after death for another millennia. Why could he not find satisfaction in that? He'd never been one to be so repulsed for so long, yet he was. It was high time he found some answers... but alas, those answers seemed findable only within himself. Onward he went, shunning what negativity he could while encroaching upon Mesopotamia. The King of Heroes could claim a proper return. Would he, though? Not immediately. There was something he'd gone ages without doing, and it sickened him to do so. As such, the king's journey first took him to the Cedar Forest. Ah yes, many anniversaries had come and gone in the time he'd been dealing with those gods. A great deal of visits to places connected to Enkidu were in order, so he would start here and now. He stood where Huwawa had once fallen, glancing only a short distance from himself. There, he could almost trick himself. If he so much as blinked, the moment after his eyes closed, it was almost as if he could still see that green-haired living weapon standing before him. 'Would you have the answers I seek, Enkidu?' he wondered as the wind whistled through a generation of cedar trees that had not yet been born when Enkidu lived. 'Hmph. Doubtful. You would probably give me the wrong answer on purpose, wouldn't you?'

[Apollymi]

There was no immediate answer from the lions Artoria looked after, but in a few moments she came to a decision. She stood finally walking forward. She'd redress herself, in her most favored little dress of blue and gold and white and with Excalibur in hand walk towards the throne room of Uruk. She had made her own decision. Every time she made plans, every time she decided she would seek the King of Heroes, the world itself seemed to be against her. This time, after finding calm and peace due to him... she would take care of all other distractions of her own accord. "Siduri..." she started only for the woman to look up. Oh, it was pretty obvious by her shift in attire that she would be leaving wasn't it? "Going on a walk, my Queen?" Siduri asked with amusement and a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Something like that yes... Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table require my attention. I cannot leave them without their sovereign," she said with a knowing little smirk on her face. "Tell the King of Heroes I still have his armor. He should not die to leave me with it," she offered cheekily. "As you wish my Queen," Was the wine-maker's only reply. Ah yes, that was a different sort of promise. Artoria took care of weapons and armor in the strangest possible way that necklace of his was underneath her own dress covered mostly by the collar except for a single golden piece which seemed to lay directly in the center of her own chest. It lay against her skin, bringing her the strangest form of comfort she'd known yet, even while possessing that well-balanced dagger of his.

She walked back towards the baths and dropped Excalibur into the water. A few seconds later, Vivian rose from the Lake with a smirk on her face. "So you're not going to wait for him to return? Won't he feel like you're running from him?" she asked as if Artoria hadn't considered that. "I considered that but... every time we try and set up time to spend together it is ruined. If something is to go wrong I would rather it happen while I am prepared to deal with it. Besides... if I do not tell him when to expect me... the time will not eat away at us," she said as she stepped into the water. "Oh? How mature of you, Little Sister~" she teased gently before popping her up at the lake nearest Camelot. Why wouldn't she? It was time for Artoria Pendragon to return.

[Bloodedge]

It took a full day for the King of Heroes to travel the lands he'd once stood upon with Enkidu. High noon the following day marked the moment of his return. How strange... it seemed he spent far more time away from Uruk than he even did working, despite the amount he worked while present. Oh well. There was more to be done, and now rewards to be handed out. The king approached his ziggurat, observing the floating pyramid above it with discontent as he climbed the long stairs. Up and in he went, wasting no time before taking his throne again. As per usual, there was a single word that would leave his lips before any other. "Siduri," he called out. Now was not a time for picking up tablets, though he knew there were many as always. Now, instead, was a time to gather the masses. "Call upon those who joined me on that recent excursion. With success behind us, I shall deliver their rewards." This was something he intended to see done quickly. He'd waited more than long enough to repay the others for their work, and without a doubt, they would each be paid in ways none in this world could acquire by any normal means. Truly, Gilgamesh wasn't even certain what each person would receive just yet; he'd be doing that as he looked at them directly.

[Apollymi]

Siduri was called upon when the King returned. It was a mere day after the leave of one Artoria Pendragon. Was this some sort of plan or did they both simply have the same kind of mindset? Whatever the case, the veiled young woman appeared before the King of Heroes. "Welcome home, my King." she said seemingly pleased to see him. Apparently she was to alert the masses who'd attended his expedition to return for their rewards. That would not take very long, most of them were still within the vicinity of the City, well except for the target of that little adventure. "It will be done," she said giving a little bow. "I should tell you the Queen of Knights returned to Albion. I am to relay the message that she still has your armor. And that you should not die and leave her with it," she expressed the sentiment of Artoria Pendragon. She was not entirely certain what that woman meant by such a statement but she passed the message along regardless. Strangely such a sentiment was exactly the sort Artoria would give. Something of importance had been placed into her hands, as such she'd make sure to return it to the same.

Within the hour there was a gathering of certain individuals, Francis Drake was rather easily located, as she was drinking with Medusa playing some sort of game that Siduri didn't understand. Apparently, the two pink haired women enjoyed each other's company quite a bit. At the same time, Vivian seemed to pop up of her own accord around the right time walking in as if nothing was amiss in her world. She seemed rather pleased for whatever reason. Oh, but Nefertari and Ozymandias would need to descend from the pyramid. Jeanne d'Arc returned from the training grounds her sister set up in her previous time here, knowing that she would eventually come back to this place and more than willing to go from place to place to be nearby. She would likely show with Sieg in tow, she did not seem to travel without him anymore.

[Bloodedge]

Following the king's welcome, Siduri accepted the task given to her. There was something else, though. Artoria had recently left Uruk in favor of her home country, leaving behind the message that she still carried his golden armor. Siduri may not have understood the meaning behind this notice, but he knew its meaning. That armor would be returned to him directly, or not at all. He would see it upon their meeting with neither scuff nor stain, and it would be passed into his hands just as it had been passed into Artoria's one month prior. He didn't seem very bothered by her lack of presence, strangely enough. Perhaps they were of a same mind, that their meeting had been interrupted by fate one too many times for arrangements to be trustworthy. Or, perhaps he considered it best that they avoid meeting now anyway. No matter the answer, Gilgamesh pressed his fist to his cheek, closed his eyes, and sighed. "Hmph. I would expect as much," was all he said.

Soon, those he called upon began to arrive. There was Francis Drake, Lady Vivian, and Jeanne d'Arc still in her blackened form. Siegfried did indeed accompany the Maid of Orleans, or rather... the Dragon Witch. Good; he was one in need of payment as well. Following these arrivals, Ozymandias descended from the pyramid to the ziggurat, presumably with Nefertari in tow as always. The assembly was almost complete. Gilgamesh could count only Nanshe as missing, but he expected her arrival soon enough. "Sea Devil," he called first. Multiple things would leave Gilgamesh's treasury this day, and the first was... the rudder of a ship. It was large, made of gold, and of course of a quality that the word "perfect" would be envious of. It was a thing containing traces of Mystery, just as the other objects he had in mind did. "The Helm of Atra-Hasis. Carry with you this modified relic of the great Utnapishtim, and let your vessel be reborn as the Preserver of Life. With this, I declare there will be no greater seafarer. You alone shall be viewed as Sovereign of the Seven Seas. Your men shall never starve nor know illness, and your bounties, whether gold, hunt or glory, will never know drought. Infinite opportunities will present themselves to you on a whim. All you must do is steer your ship with this helm, and the ambition you've already shown the world."

[Apollymi]

The King did not seem discontent with the news that Artoria had left, Siduri would take this to mean all was well enough. Regardless, she'd find everyone necessary the last of which was Nanshe who had been outside of the Ziggurat listening to the tales of the young boy known as Aladdin. She'd been staring at this child quite a lot and had come to quite a few conclusions. She'd stood at the end of everything patting this lad on the head as her pet serpent wrapped itself around her arm instead of functioning as a strange chair. She was certain of a great many things, and one of them was her relationship to that child.

Whatever the case, she arrived in the Ziggurat as Gilgamesh began handing out prizes. Nefertari was indeed in tow of Ozymandias as she would always be and watched as the Pirate crew leader received quite an interesting prize. For her part in this Francis did not expect much, she'd already been given quite a bit just to participate and she'd not truly done it for the prize itself. Finding out what kind of man the King of Heroes was, and finding something impossible... discovery was her key ambition. But what would this pink haired woman receive as a prize? A golden wheel for her ship. A thing of ancientness which many would never know the truth of. Well that wasn't entirely true, there were two in the room who understood what this item was, Metis and Siduri. And some sort of associated blessing... There was a smirk on Francis Drake's face in a moment like this. She took up ownership of this object and couldn't help but look at the man on his throne strangely. "I was pretty sure we wouldn't get along at all, but that's right up my alley. I'm chasing something different from most and this is a hell of a prize," she stated her appreciation of her payment just like that, she wasn't one for too much formality and she doubted it was needed. A thousand years she worked for this man it was hardly anything to be done but accept her payment and the end of her contract.

[Bloodedge]

One thousand years indeed, Francis Drake and the others had operated for the sake of his chosen goal. Even if they all had their own reasons, they had done so for a thousand long years. Each member of this party would receive something that gave no less than ten thousand years of use as a result. Francis Drake was only the first to receive a thing that would know no equal, but hers was far from the most important thing on the list. Of this group, there was one who suffered tribulations unearned. When first gazing upon Jeanne d'Arc within this very citadel, Gilgamesh had seen the greatest injustices of this world. In the last millennium, he'd seen the result of that injustice. "Dragon Witch," he called next. What came from his treasury thereafter was nothing complete at all. Tranquility overtook the atmosphere as large, glowing white feathers fluttered out onto a large, white cloth. In addition to these objects that radiated the ultimate purity, there was woven gold nearly as ancient as his own golden armor... and a strange, white keratin object resembling a horn. "Even my hand will not manipulate this. During these trying times, you have suffered a fate most undeserved. Let the Puppet Pharaoh work her wonders with these, the down of the White Phoenix, the weave of Pegasus, and the horn of a once-pure ram of great renown. Combine these things, and anything claiming divinity would shudder at the thought of doing so in your presence. You have acted enough as a healer to the world and its people. Heal thyself, physician; become that which is neither touched, tainted nor influenced in the slightest. Greet the future without worry, for you are clad in immaculacy itself as the Sovereign of Spirits."

[Apollymi]

Francis Drake took her prize with litter ceremony involved. The prize to come next was for, Jeanne? According to the King of Heroes she'd suffered an undeserved fate. While this was very true, she was only so hung up about it. What he offered her in exchange for this was items to be made into clothing. He made the claim that she spent so much time healing the world, that she should heal herself as well. The items he listed were some she knew and some which came in varieties she'd never heard of. This version of Jeanne looked at him strangely she wanted to scoff but couldn't. Actually, the whole gesture was rather thoughtful, "You are just as bad as she is... you know that?" she said seeming for once like the pouty child she was compared to her siblings most of the time. Such a thing made Vivian smile and brought back a memory of Christmas some years ago when doting sister Eri did something quite excessive for their youngest sister. For just a moment, a second even those eyes of Jeanne's shifted back to their sapphire blue. "Sovereign of Spirits doesn't sound so bad. When this form finally sleeps, I will do as you ask, Nef could you..." she said looking at those materials and knowing that as she was she shouldn't take control of them. "Of course, there is no need to worry about it. It will take time though... I've only heard of about half that stuff. My last big project with stuff like that took a while to put together... a bit of patience is what I'll need~" she claimed. Jeanne nodded, she'd always said that she and the King of Heroes got along well, but it was no more obvious than it was in a moment like this.

While this happened, Metis and Siduri stared at each other. Metis couldn't help herself... "He got his hands on mother's familiar... how does one do that?" she murmured. It was beyond logic that he would have something like that. She even knew of his treasury but how was that coded for him to end up with items which should be unreachable by any. Siduri could only shrug, she'd been around the King of Heroes enough to not be shocked. All the while the snake around Metis' arm seemed to shake a bit, like it was begging not to be turned over for fear of losing something important from its body. "Do not worry Gandr, nothing will happen to you..." she mused to the creature who still seemed a bit frightened.

[Bloodedge]

The she to whom Jeanne d'Arc referred when comparing him to another could only have been Artoria Pendragon herself. The minor shift in her newly-adopted personality could be noted as approval of his choice, but could the act have been compared to one of Artoria's? How ludicrous. "All the world's treasures are my playthings. These are but singular offerings for a thousand years of work," he said dismissively. Now then, who was next? He thought to address Nefertari, as there was now a need to compensate another labor in addition to her reward. However, Gilgamesh's attention was briefly taken by the trembling serpent Gandr. He recognized that thing, but did he detest it now? It would be neither confirmed nor denied, but looking at it now gave him an idea. "... Madonna," he called third. "You, who travels the world through its lakes, and works mysteriously beyond the realm of humans. I met a creature of your ilk a long, long time ago. What to grant a fairy of the highest order, who already wields such capability?"

Gilgamesh's question was rhetorical; he knew now what she would receive. Vivian's work had been the most strenuous and time-consuming. There were only a few things she could be considered lacking, but no longer would that be the case. The king's treasury produced an almost wire-thin tiara with eight white scales set around it. In its initial display, those scales each seemed to carry the presence of a thousand more, in such a way as to almost have them appear visible. "A wretched snake once stole immortality from me, but delivered it to the world at large, as I myself intended to do. Take unto yourself the Scales of the World Serpent, which act in response to intent and hidden desire alike. Keep them on your person; you may find yourself with a few helping hands in your future endeavors. I name you Sovereign of Mystery, she who freely treads upon all that mankind may never truly understand. This is the only thing I can think of that may actually prove useful to the likes of you."

[Apollymi]

All the world's treasures were Gilgamesh's playthings. Yes he had made that quite clear. Still, that still did not free him of being a doting older sibling type when it came to the perspective of one Hoshimi Emi. "Having the same kind of reaction to the notice makes it worse not better," she said with an eye roll. Jeanne was not necessarily one to push buttons just to do so, she was simply pointing out her own good instincts when it came to the King of Heroes. She saw him easily getting along with her elder sister, and found them to be similar types of people though applied differently. This was an obvious instance of that. What else would be happening? Well, he was acknowledging the prowess and power of one like Vivian. Oh? What was he saying, rhetorically speaking on not knowing what to give her, but he did already have her standing here. 'I do not know... I do like a surprise though...' Vivian thought, which is why she was here now.

Oh, what was this, a snake had once stolen something from him and carried out his orders without his approval. And as recompense he had pieces of it to give away?! Gandr wrapped around the arm of Metis seemed to be shaking at the announcement. Metis herself seemed to be shocked beyond belief, though after his earlier showings of possession she could hardly be surprised. "The audacity of you to hand out literal pieces of my soul, while I am standing right in front of you..." Metis whispered with garnered her a chuckle from Siduri, Jeanne and Nefertari. All the while she petted Gandr's head, it felt compelled to help him when he spoke his truth? That was strange... Jormungandr was the World's Serpent, but it was a dragon. It should not have felt compelled to answer to anyone except maybe... 'No...' that thought did not work. Surely, that wasn't the case, right? Meanwhile, in addition to these scales, which had to have very interesting magical properties to be put to use by someone like Vivian/Morgan, there was the status she was to receive as Sovereign of Mystery. Items that responded to intent and desire huh? A grin spread across her face as a certain amount of understanding came to her person, "I'm usually my own set of extra hands. I do appreciate it," she said there was something just behind her eyes, like a little shadow... oh but it was something or someone else entirely in those eyes of hers. "I did not expect you to name us either... It was worth showing up for the surprise," she said with a smirk gracing her features. Aloof though she always was, the usefulness of such a gift could not be understated.