Finis Chaldea

[Bloodedge]

Of course Gilgamesh told no lies. In all the times he'd spoken to this woman, only the truest of truths passed his lips. Perhaps he was ridiculous, but the fault was Artoria's to bear. The same could be said of her upcoming inability to walk, which would be a trophy Gilgamesh carried with himself for all eternity to come. A month was not to be considered acceptable? Well... tough break. There was no law to stop him, and no notion of reason that would overcome his desire. "Unacceptable would be the opposite. If you are capable of utilizing your legs when I am done with you, it should be the ultimate failure weighing on my own shoulders until the wrong has been righted."

Onto matters of Artoria's demise, she claimed it was not a thing she sought actively. Of course it wasn't! Still, there was no making up for the fact that she openly resigned herself to permanent death. If she refused to worry about the situation, however, that did not matter; others would do so in her sake, until she learned to overcome the situation. True enough, there was no point to telling Gilgamesh not to exert himself. He only recently returned from death by overwork; who could dare think he knew restraint? Ah, but none would understand the truth of that query more than Artoria... soon enough. It seemed she was apt to accept his offer at long last. It had only taken her seventeen years to resign herself to heavenly bliss. If one asked Gilgamesh himself, he would say it would take another seventeen lifetimes of the planet for her to recover from this decision. One day, she requested. He'd been waiting for seventeen years, so what was another day? She had things to do, and so did he. There was nothing wrong with a single night of preparation. As such, with a single step back, Gilgamesh stood with arms akimbo and a grand declaration on his lips. "Fuhaha! Very well. One day, I give you. Do as you must, and make peace with the loss of all you currently know about life. In one day, you will be born anew as the woman you were always meant to be. One day. Do not leave me waiting another seven."

[Apollymi]

This man was truly ridiculous. Making a claim that it would be unacceptable for her to be able to walk later. He claimed it to be a failure on his part in some way? "I feel that calling such a thing the ultimate failure is some sort of exaggeration, but again... you are not lying. Looking at you though, I doubt there is any weight too great for your shoulders to bear that I could give you..." she said seeming to find his change in mood and that declaration one that was both frightening and appealing. It was a bit odd, for her to feel any particular way but... she supposed there were worse ways to feel in general.

Her death was a topic of heaviness. Artoria knew this better than anyone. Strangely only Morgause, Merlin and Gilgamesh knew of its more permanent nature. Everyone else, was just under the assumption it would take some time for her to respawn. Those who knew the truth worried a lot, Artoria did not wish for everyone to become stuck on the manner of her return, not when there were much brighter things to be taken into account. Besides, she resigned herself to death because she the evil twin should die. Her own idiot brother would sign himself up for it, in her place without question so of course, she would not allow it. Whatever the case, she would entrust that fate of hers into others hands. Admittedly after the death of the King of Heroes and waiting rather anxiously for his return, she couldn't actually imagine doing such a thing to him on purpose knowing he was waiting for her. She had learned she cared enough to want to at least experience life with him instead of allowing herself to die, for her own selfishness. Whatever the case, it seemed to be the case that the King of Heroes was willing to give her the day she sought. In fact it came with a laugh, and a grand declaration. She was released already and a small smile came to her face. "Not to worry King of Heroes. I would not leave you waiting for me, I shall return tomorrow," she said as she walked towards the throne. She held in one hand her own copy of Excalibur remembering something important. "Break." A command which formed around it the sheathe which was actually the re-forged shield Avalon, it'd been hovering around her for the entire time she'd been in this place. If she truly did not want to be touched by that god, she could have simply become untouchable. The other version of the sword she slung over her shoulder in a manner most casual before coming back down the steps seemingly without thought. "You have been a good companion new friend. I assume your new master will be here soon. He is great, you will love him..." she mused as she walked off. Yes, this sword was not meant for her tiny form, she assumed her brother was meant to carry it and Merlin would place it where it needed to be. And off she went... knowing she would return swiftly to lay claim to what the King of Heroes offered.

[Bloodedge]

And so, there was yet another separation between king and queen. This one would not last very long, though─ such was the agreement between them. As Artoria took her leave, the king opted out of a return to his throne. Seven years prior, there was something he planned to do, and he would see it completed. First though, he would see the queen's departure. Indeed, not a single step taken would evade his gaze. "Hmph. I will be here," he assured. Away she went, and then, away he went. A bit of time was taken to catch up with Siduri about missed events in the great city-state of Uruk, as well as the world... and once that was done, he of course passed along instruction regarding that record from years prior. What would the king do then? He'd work, as he always did. A bit of personal construction around the walls was necessary for a long-term plan of his, and he would see it advanced with haste.

Meanwhile, a certain god and emperor of AS-IKU sat upon his divine throne, plotting as priests of the sky-bound sea worked toward healing his severed arm. Something atrocious had been done when it was removed, he learned. No matter how they tried, and no matter how good his capacity to heal was, the wound could only be cauterized. What power had that damned king acquired to make this happen? He was divine, infallible in every right! No one outside of Celestia should have been capable of wounding him permanently! Alas, that seemed to be the case this time... so the advanced technology of AS-IKU would be put into play. There was no use mourning a lost limb while there was vengeance to be had. Some sort of prosthetic with abilities would suffice, so long as it could hold his great divinity.

[Apollymi]

"You better be." That was the last sentence Artoria Pendragon spoke to the King of Heroes. She returned to Camelot to find her court mage and give him the copy of Excalibur that she did not need for herself, giving him the instruction dictated by her sister. Soon after she went about having discussions with the Lady Kay and found that this one was perfectly fine with a potential extra absence for the sake of being entertained by the King of Heroes. It truly was confusion how understanding this particular woman managed to be about the entire situation surrounding the King of Heroes. But in the passing moments a statement was made which stuck out in the mind of the Queen of Knights. 'There is no reason to live a partial life. If you are content to die... you should be just as content to live.' Kay had mentioned while staring at the girl who was a bit closer to the one she'd raised before she decided to become King. 'And there is no reason that life shouldn't include the ability to be a girl. Even if you cannot manage it for us, you should want to do so for yourself... it is part of growing up.' Yes the Lady Kay had been part of her rearing in this world. She took issue with Artoria's lack of personage whenever it was part of conversation. She was the first to argue against the warmongering of her, and decisions which made her appear inhuman. But the quickest to her defense in a moment where she'd been unsure. She was right to trust this place to her in her absence. A single night at home. Her morning training Knights who knew she was back at Camelot. A walk around the keep. She'd see all there was to see of her people settled in this land, before spending some time in the care of the King of Heroes.

While Enki got an arm made to do something about the damages done by the King of Heroes. Ishtar respawned in the Underworld screaming with enough power to shake it. Everything hurt! Her entire body was on fire even as it came back. Never again would she do something like that. She never wanted to experience that death again. Not ever. And where was she? Still in the Underworld. She was a goddess, but she couldn't leave of her own accord. And Kur would steal something from her again. Whatever, she'd go out by way of the judges, she'd use their bodies to crawl up if she had to, but she'd be damned if she lost anything important to her as she aimed to get out of here. "How could he?! I did everything he asked... all he had to do was give me what I wanted. And for what? Seven years he spent down here, searching for answers of fate for that dead friend of his? Or.... for the boy-queen?!" there was a pause as she came upon the Judges. She had no intention of being judged, they would always see her as guilty. "Heavenly Strike!" her desire not to be harmed, her desire to walk out of here... her desire to destroy the judges before was enough to shake the underworld for just a moment and break the automatons with a mighty burst of mana and divinity, at least temporarily. She would climb out over their bodies scoffing the entire time. "He could have at least waited for me to respawn! How dare he make me exert myself when I came here to rescue him!" she seemed cross with the King of Heroes but her obsession had not changed. No, she only wanted to possess him more now than she had before. She'd have him... he could not actually resist her. Obviously, he was just busy, and stressed. She shouldn't have interrupted his use of death. Yes. That made sense. He'd even thanked and rewarded her for the information she'd provided, so obviously he didn't hate her. It took a while, but after she finally climbed up these creatures she reached for the outside of this cave. Instead of the stairs she'd been taking the long way out. And when she finally reached the opening she tried to cross the barrier breathing a sigh of relief a bit too early. As she stepped out the hand of a Gallu reached out. To exit death she had to lose something and what it claimed from her would be most important. Her Divine Core was claimed as the price of her exit from the outworld this time. And though she felt something leave her body, she had no idea what it was. Another scream would be all that was heard from her.

[Bloodedge]

One task was given to Merlin... and what a task it was. Of all the things he'd foreseen in this world, some were far more clear than others. This was the final thing he saw with great clarity, which made the Mage of Flowers believe the time of Camlann was fast approaching. He'd always known it was a thing he would not be present for, much to his dismay. As for why, the answer was a total mystery. Nevertheless, his path was clear. The heavier copy of Excalibur, meant for another incarnation of King Arthur at a later time, was to be placed where it was to be taken. Perhaps the fall of Artoria Pendragon would leave him on another journey to raise the Future King. Perhaps something more interesting would happen instead? He'd learned a great many things in this long life, and among them was his own true name... which was quite interesting when he considered the name of another likely found in this world.

Onward he went, carrying that large, golden blade to Saint Paul's Cathedral. There would be the stone, the anvil in which the blade was to be placed. Empty was the cathedral when he entered, summoning the mysterious magics attributed to him by his name. The sword glowed with a power that could almost be taken as divine in its own right. He drove it into the anvil with no slight difficulty. Sparks flew en masse, as if a grindstone were at work. "Bydd pwy bynnag sy'n sychu'r llafn hwn, os yw'n deilwng, yn etifeddu pŵer y Brenin Arthur. Os dylid tynnu'r cleddyf hwn, gadewch iddo gael ei ddadwneud gan frenin dewisol Albion yn unig." By the time Merlin's incantation came to an end, the sword had been planted in the anvil. The outburst of mana that occurred was enough to blow a hole in the cathedral's roof. A light shined through that hole, casting itself upon the Sword in the Stone as it saw the dawn of its own legend.

[Apollymi]

"Damn that Kur! Still taking from me. I will never cross into the Underworld again! I will find a way she will stop taking from me!!" Ishtar was upset. And now that she'd come out, she was in the middle of nowhere. Some vast desert with no sign of life and no sign of water. Whatever, she'd go back to her temple and watch Gilgamesh while thinking up the way in which to properly bring him to heel. But what was this? The manner of teleportation she normally used to get back to her temple was disabled?! Why couldn't she get back? What had Kur taken? In fact whenever she tried to do it, she simply felt an ache, like something was missing from her form. "She stole my Divine Core!" she turned around and felt sluggish, her legs buckled as she looked for the entrance to the underworld but it had closed back up. The absoluteness of her form had ebbed. How dare they turn her into some lower level creature? And lock of her out of her temple? What was she to do out here in the world? Starve to death and end up back in the underworld?! Ugh. There had to be something she could do. She had to have something right? "Shit! What do I do? What do I do? If there was at least some water around here, I could call Enki. He'd come running..." she had this thought but she really hated calling Enki. She'd have to explain what happened and that could potentially get annoying. She could lie. Actually, that sounded like a good idea, she could tell him a small bit of the truth, she'd teleported and ended up in death with the King. And upon exiting she'd lost her Divine Core. She'd need another one obviously or to get hers back, she could be nothing less than perfect. And then with her divinity in tact she'd figure out how to properly capture Gilgamesh, he'd bend to her will eventually! And with that, she blew the horn always on her person. Though she hated to admit it, Enki at least had his uses.

At the same time, a certain fairy casually watched Merlin's work from the lake. For the last seven years her own emotions had been all over the place. But finally, she seemed to be calm. Seeing her younger sister happy and emotionally developing was a step in the right direction. It was also a task she could leave with her currently unaware silent partner the King of Heroes. But at the same time, the point of her personal turmoil was... Merlin. But in the last seventeen years, something attached to her had been growing, both in power and in influence. "Do you really plan to let him get away with what he did? I have the solution you know?" said the voice she could see as her own reflection in the water. A white haired young woman with those same electric blue eyes looking back at her. "You know it is a little disturbing for you to speak to me so directly. You are in my body, it's ridiculous," she said seeming to not get the point she was conversing back with said voice. "So you say, but haven't you always dealt with things this way. Both of us know what we are most capable of handling and what we are not. I've already created the answer to your problem, I know you wish to use it..." she offered like a bad shoulder angel. At the same time, Vivian swept her hand across the water's surface scoffing. She couldn't believe herself sometimes. It was strange to have two personalities, one for family and one for work. Stranger still to have both sides of herself working on the same goals, one with humanity and one with only the outcome in mind. Was it really so bad to be ruthless when the end result was desired? Was it really so good to be soft if you lost everything for morality? The duality of these questions was fixed by the effectiveness of her two rather separate but equal selves. One day... they would merge properly but for now... she needed both parts of her mind for their tasks.

[Bloodedge]

Just as Enki was about to have a new arm attached to his person, there was a horn sounding, calling to his very soul. He'd given only two of those horns, and only one was liable to call him. Surely, it was Ishtar. Shooing away the tech-savvy members of his empire, he decided it was best not to leave the goddess waiting. After all, she'd been gone for some time; surely she needed help of some sort. It was a simple matter, vanishing from one place to appear where his horn was located. Once there though, the god found himself... in the middle of nowhere at the lower end of the world. What sort of ridiculousness was this? Ah, Kur must have been thinking to punish her green-haired sister once more. "Ishtar, you wound me. Seven years, and now you call me to this lowly plane? Oh well. For you, I will tolerate this. What is it you need of me?" he asked, having a glance over her form that seemed... quite strange to him for some reason.

In the meantime, Merlin was casting his magic once more. The Sword in the Stone had to be something the people knew of, and there was no better way to ensure they knew than... to insert the idea of it into the subconscious of all who inhabited these lands. Those who harbored ambitious dreams would be drawn to Excalibur, far and wide. It was quite the low-tier enchantment that would only affect the most ambitious of them, but they alone would carry the legend into the future. They alone would be the group that caused the Future King's rise, and they alone would lay the first stone to a path of Albion's bright future.

[Apollymi]

He was quite right, it was Ishtar calling him. And yes, it was best not to keep her waiting. She was prone to tantrums as all who had once inhabited Celestia knew. Even so, when he arrived he seemed to be gazing over her form. Yes, she was dressed in the rags of Kur, but she had died so that wasn't truly surprising at all. Of course, the first words out of his mouth were about some wounds to his non-existent pride. "It isn't like I popped down here for a vacation, Enki!" Ishtar snapped. Of course she would snap first, she was in a bad mood, a bad position and now she had to deal with a person she didn't very much like his initial tone. "I might have, met an untimely end and been trapped in the underworld for a while thereafter," she said skipping over all unnecessary details because well... she wasn't about to mention having the time of her life being raped by spirits as Gilgamesh watched. Nor was she about to mention her devious plan for wanting to see him again. Oh, wait... what was this, now that she was actually looking his direction she took note of the fact that he was missing an arm? Who could have actually removed a body part from him? Did he run amok with one of the other gods? "What the hell happened to your arm? Was Anu right? Are gods just getting weak all over the place? My Divine Core is gone and I cannot get back to Celestia this way. But this level of the world is gross... take me somewhere I can be comfortable. Assuming you still have the power to do so," Ishtar was haughty as she always was. But between them they were missing a godly core and an arm. And the idea of that was annoying. Obviously her perfect form needed maintaining and that would only happen with her core.

At the same time, Merlin was spreading the dream along with ambition towards the bright future of Albion. A dream shared by the younger sister of the two fae looking at each other through the water. Artoria was a strange young woman, willing to martyr herself for a future she didn't plan to be part of, without even telling anyone that was her plan. Technically speaking the plan wasn't bad, it just lacked foresight and knowledge of people. Those who loved her, did so on an individual basis, they would not necessarily tarry from her. Besides that her new title as the Queen of Knights would leave all of them properly at her beck and call forever. She did not realize the magnetism of her own personality, but that also made her the best sort of person. It was more than a bit annoying to everyone who knew what she was up to, and this woman and her darker reflection on the water could only shake their heads. Perhaps the King of Heroes would convince the lass of the folly of her ways? Perhaps the words of one of her Knights would finally get through to her? Or maybe, it would be something else entirely? One of these visages smirked, looking up into the water, she saw the moment and it would strangely be a combination of things that showed the Queen of Knights where she belonged in the world. Whatever the other fae saw, made her frown just a little... of course she wasn't looking properly she was distracted and looking towards the one known as Merlin. "You could always have a go... one last time get him out of your system. You could even use the place I set up... and if you decide not to follow through with the plan, you can always make that choice. It is not as if it matters to me either way~" the words of this face in the water, was quite appealing now that she thought about it. Maybe she just needed to get him out of her system. In this form she wasn't randomly slaying people all the time, so obviously her confusion on what to do came from that point of view. Yes, that would be lovely.

[Bloodedge]

One would hope Ishtar didn't come to this level of the world for a vacation. What did those pitiful humans even do down here? It seemed she'd been through quite an ordeal, being trapped in the realm of Kur for seven full years. He knew she was there, but it was a far more recent discovery than that. What could she have done to wind up in the Underworld? Well, the blame would be set on Gilgamesh. "I see. Condolences, Maiden. It seems to have gotten the better of you, but... have no fear," he said. Enki had a dastardly plan in the works─ one that would rid them of those pitiful mortals who overstepped their bounds. Alas, it seemed Ishtar was without her Divine Core. That would prove quite problematic. What sort of queen could she be at his side without that? Whatever the case, Anu was indeed correct; he had to be. Nothing else could have explained the sudden fall of Ishtar, and the permanent loss of his arm. "I encountered the two-thirds king just yesterday. While trying to find out what became of you so I could be of assistance, the boy-king sitting on Gilgamesh's throne revealed that she has contracted his sickness of contempt for the divine. When he appeared, he suddenly proved himself capable of permanently severing my arm. I was just about to have a new one attached when you summoned me." With that explanation out of the way, Enki offered his remaining hand to the former goddess."Celestia is closed. I will take you to my chambers in AS-IKU. The mortals will not see you in this state, but we'll find an answer to this problem, and... those mortals will pay the price."

The dream of Artoria Pendragon, of King Arthur even, coalesced onto a single blade... now two. Merlin's work at Saint Paul's Cathedral was at its end the moment he spread another dream to the minds of humans. Even he did not know how much time would pass before it was drawn, or before its chosen wielder even appeared. Perhaps it would be days, perhaps months, perhaps... centuries or millennia. However long it was, none on this planet would be capable of pulling this Excalibur from its resting place, bar King Arthur himself. So long as Artoria lived... there could be no other. How far into the future was that fated battle, he wondered. As the Mage of Flowers left the cathedral, he even lamented his own lack of foresight. There had to be a reason he could not see so clearly beyond this point. . .

[Apollymi]

Technically speaking she'd fallen to nothing but her own stupidity, but one like Ishtar would never admit she'd done anything wrong. Nor would she see wrong in those she favored so long as they did what she wished. Gilgamesh in this case, had done something she enjoyed, right up until her death. As such, she only found fault with his ignoring of her, and his interest in the boy-queen. Of course, the mention of that same boy-queen seemed to be in Enki's mouth as well. So, that one, had done something to earn Enki's ire huh? Well, he was a god, at least he should have no real problem punishing the boy-queen. "Hmphf, I knew she was no good. I hate her! I knew I had a good reason!" she said. Yes, she'd sent rapists to the girls' kingdom. And yes, she was the exact reason the girl did not appreciate the interference of the gods, and yes she'd done it for the sole reason of Gilgamesh showing interest in her, but none of that mattered. She was the problem here, not Ishtar. Whatever the case it seemed Enki had a plan and he could at least be useful for devising such strategies, he had been the one to originally rescue her from the Underworld. She took his remaining outstretched hand, anywhere was better than this slum of a place. "As long as they pay, all will be well..." was her final word on the matter. Of course she didn't think this man could actually do anything to Gilgamesh, especially not with the idea that the King of Heroes managed to permanently injure him in anyway. But that was a problem for a different time, first and foremost she needed divinity.

What was happening with Vivian? Well, she was about to address a burning issue of her mind... and technically of her body. She finally made her way from the lake and casually strolled finding herself at Merlin's left as he looked pensive leaving the the Cathedral. "You look stressed, is something the matter?" she offered with a kind-hearted smile. She was trying really hard not to think about anything too much. They weren't a thing so it was fine. She had no reason to be mad. But... she still was... as unreasonable as that seemed. Whatever the case, this would at least clear her mind a bit right? There was nothing wrong with seeking entertainment from a willing partner, and she'd been rather busy for a while now, they should catch up.