Finis Chaldea

[Bloodedge]

The sphinx received its attention prior to having four total people hop on its back. While Artoria and Jeanne were getting themselves situated, Ozymandias kept Nefertari held against his front. Of course, the arm around her was still being used to hold his snacks. What was he to do, then? Well... he'd take an opportunity in which he thought no one else was looking, and slip a piece of bread into the one side of Nefertari's top that actually managed to cover something up by itself. In doing so, he was of course aiming to take a peek inside as well. He could hardly restrain himself at any point, even in the midst of preparing for a trip. Ah, but had that not always been the case?

Regardless of Ozymandias' decisions made in assumed secrecy, he tapped the sphinx, urging it to take flight. The pharaoh fully intended to uphold a standard conversation with the two blondes sitting behind him, as if he wasn't at all trying to molest the other pharaoh at his fore. Jeanne had more questions─ this time regarding the abilities of a Ruler. Right... that voice never really explained that sort of thing either. "Oh? Go on, then. This trip should take some time, so there is plenty of room to give whatever information we've learned along the way."

[Apollymi]

While the two blondes petted the ride and boarded it, Nefertari was made the object of her husband's attentions. Well, that wording would be a bit off, she was always the object of his attentions, but right at the moment he was having a good time tucking a bit of food into the cloth across her chest and then having a peek over her shoulder into her top. Those rainbow like eyes of hers shifted into a narrowness before she settled herself more comfortably against his front squirming just a bit. He was going to be like this the entire trip and she knew it. To be fair she also didn't mind it at all.

Jeanne had questions and Artoria would also take the information given as it would likely help her in some way. There were many reasons that she and her siblings referred to their youngest sister as a saint and most of it had to do with the way she behaved selflessly, asking questions that benefitted all and taking into account the feelings of others. She was by far the most approachable of the Hoshimi children. Given permission to ask her questions she jumped right in. "Well, how does the whole title thing work. Like I'm Queen of Saints but it isn't like there is a country of saints to rule nor a country named Saints. So like how does a power like that work?" she asked. The Nexus voice had been a bit open in not being clear about what grail powers did, she sort of wanted to know before she needed to use it. Artoria nodded seeming to like the question, it was a good one considering the less than solid concepts some people were in charge of.

[Bloodedge]

Did Ozymandias intend to do anything specific with Nefertari? No, not really. He was having a bit of fun, tossing bread piece after bread piece into her top while seeming infinitely entertained. He even occasionally crumbled up a small piece, sprinkling it into her cleavage while chuckling as silently as possible to avoid drawing attention. He remained attentive; there was no reason to be rude to their guests after agreeing to answer any and all questions he could. Jeanne wanted to know the perks of her new identity, Queen of Saints. Ozymandias himself had never heard of another Saint in this world, though he was familiar with the story of Jeanne D'Arc (or Joan of Arc as he'd learned) from their original world. As such, he had an idea what made a Saint. That wasn't very important to the topic, though. "As we've learned, there doesn't need to be a country of saints, or a place called Saints. You being the Queen of Saints makes you just that: Queen of Saints. Anywhere in this world, if someone has acquired the title of Saint, they are your fiefdom. They answer to you, and their ability can only be a copy of yours. As the Queen of Saints, nothing attributed to a Saint can exist unless it goes through you. Even if you are not the one to grant someone the title, if the world itself chooses to birth a new Saint, their qualities are your qualities even in retrospect. There are some caveats, of course. As the King of Kings and a Hero, me facing King Gilgamesh who is the King of Heroes would nullify our ability to overwhelm one another by title alone. That is my understanding, though it is not indicative of the whole truth."

[Apollymi]

Ozymandias was doing two things at once. He was answering Jeanne's questions and he was... placing bread and crumbs into his wife's cleavage. Neither of these things seemed to be more important than the other. But Jeanne seemed to take the information in stride. "Oh... that makes pretty decent sense. I don't know any other saints either. But if it makes everyone who is one fall under my purview I suppose I am fine with that as well," she said giving it a bit of thought. Nefertari thought of something and added it as well. "And if you are the Queen of something it gives you a few special privileges when dealing with them. For instance as Queen of Queens, I could identify you both by your Queenly titles without having to ask you. I can see a bit about you compared to myself and that sort of thing," Nefertari mentioned, as she began flicking crumbs out of her top, mostly at Ozymandias face over her shoulder. These words hit Artoria's ears strangely. "So, I can not really use it to prove authority over equivalent existences, but I could use it to punish anyone who falls into the category I lord over?" she expressed the last with an upward inflection but it just made Jeanne scoff.

"Why did your mind instantly go to punishing wrong-doers?" she asked wondering what kind of life her sister lived since coming here that this was an assumption she made. "It is a pretty normal thought. When ruling everyone is your responsibility. Letting someone act out of line on your authority would make you look incompetent. So holding everyone to my standards and keeping them in line are important things to consider..." said Artoria like it was sensible. "Besides, there are not many people I question my ability to face in combat, but having more options is always better." At this point, Jeanne couldn't argue against her sister, but she doubted anyone with the title of saint would need that sort of punishing.

[Bloodedge]

In the midst of his childish actions, Nefertari began flicking crumbs back at him─ primarily at his face. That, however, was not going to stop him from continuing as he was. No, now he was just going to keep an open mouth and hope a few pieces happened to fly inside between sips of wine. "Ah, yes," he said after Nefertari's additional information. There were many things these titles seemed capable of, and he doubted they knew even half of them by now. Time would tell as more people rose to this level. "There are more complex details as well. In our case, I believe it would be more accurate to call us both Monarch of Monarchs. Topics of gender hardly mean a thing. We are each above kings and queens, as pharaohs should be!" he announced for specification.

Artoria took things in a strange direction. She addressed the idea of punishing those who were beneath her, which... while sensible, did not fall in line with how these two approached things. Well, to each their own and all. That sort of thing was certainly a viable use of the title, but now that she mentioned it, there was more worth addressing as well. "You could, yes. You could just as easily empower those who work for or with you. As our titles coincide the way I mentioned, we amplify each other when cooperating. I assume your aides will empower you as well, but we have no way of testing that for certain."

[Apollymi]

Nefertari heard the question of Artoria and had to suppress another chuckle. That girl was a bit more battle ready than her face let on. Of course, she could see the logic of it but it was still a tiny bit militant to first think of the punitive use of a skill before its potential support ability. Still she kept flicking bread crumbs at Ozymandias face seeming to have nothing to say immediately. The male Pharaoh for his part in this, explained the niche aspects of his and Nefertari's titles. "Hm, Pharaohs are incarnate gods though, right? That makes a bit of sense..." Jeanne said. Strange she always seemed to be in the company of greater tiers of people than herself. Still she didn't seem to mind it at all.

Artoria for her part in this, heard out the extra information given by Ozymandias. He claimed such a power could be used to buffer aides rather than to punish those who fell under her purview. Jeanne turned to her sister pointing. "See! You don't have to jump to enforcer at every point..." she said seemingly in a huff. Artoria could only chuckle. "Yes, I do not have to jump to that every time. But... I am not holding out much hope over any title I would get, given my own personality. I prepare for the worst..." she said while finishing her drink. This was rather true. What kind of title would Artoria get? Between her personality and temper she could see herself running a gang easier than she ran her knights. The point of the day was, Artoria was mentally preparing to rule over potential criminals with titles like assassin or the like. But beyond that, those who sided with her, didn't necessarily need her help so much but she'd offer it whenever she could given her own sense of fairness. If she prepared for the worst possible outcome, she'd have less to worry about if she happened to end up with a good title. The words Artoria said would cause, Nefertari to shift gently, turning her eyes back to that particular blue clad lass over Ozzy's shoulder. Her brows furrowed slightly but she smiled instead of anything else. "You will wrinkle your face if you are too pessimistic about it. I am certain you will not end up lording over anything so negative," Nefertari seemed to be offering words of comfort, but it wasn't just that. No, she'd seen something else, applied to Artoria already. Even if she hadn't, the lass with the princely demeanor and girlish squeal, wasn't at all a bad person.

[Bloodedge]

"Haha!" Ozymandias laughed to the notion of pharaohs being gods incarnate. In this world, there were few truer statements to be made. Ozymandias himself had never taken a properly divine form, but since being born in this reality, he could somehow... feel the divinity within, as if he could burst into the sun itself at any point. "You have good sense. I shall make my finest work to reward your understanding," he announced. With almost perfect timing, the sphinx they all rode upon began to descend. The mountains were its target, as Ozymandias saw a clearing he could work wonders with.

He was prepared to question the location again for owner preference, but Artoria said the strangest thing he'd heard all day. What was she going on about the potential of a title for? Ozymandias looked over his shoulder, confused by how she was behaving now. All the curiosities she shared thus far were those of one who already succeeded in acquiring a Holy Grail. Even so, she seemed somewhat unaware of her existing title. "What do you mean? Were you not told what your title is?" he wondered. "Or is it that you're looking for another? We can't tell you what it's like to gain two separate grails."

[Apollymi]

Apparently, it was beyond easy to get on the good side of the Pharaohs. Jeanne did so accidentally by stating what she understood to be a fact of their existence. The response to such a statement, was for Ozymandias to claim she had good sense and offer his best work in exchange for her statements. "I... didn't do anything though," she said softly. "But if you want to, I won't argue!" she finished up. Of course, Jeanne was an earnest individual so she wouldn't turn down a single thing. Instead she was left curious about why they chose to speak to her the way they did.

At the same time, Artoria's statements seemed to cause more confusion. Instead Ozymandias had a question for her while she processed the words of Nefertari. She supposed it was always possible that she worried for nothing. "I did not win that Holy Grail War," Artoria said simply. Her understanding was that it wasn't until she claimed one for herself that she'd receive such a title for herself. "I do not wish two grails, just one to call my own..." the blue lass said. She didn't understand this confusion at all. Perhaps the wrong thing was thought simply because she'd mentioned her participation. Well, she couldn't help but be less anxious about it, with such nice people on her side. "Still, I do not think I will worry too much," said Artoria. Maybe, it was worth it not to be too worried. Maybe she wouldn't end up incharge of a group of criminals. Of course, Jeanne looked at her sister with a raised brow.

[Bloodedge]

Jeanne insisted that she did nothing, but Ozymandias disagreed. She and her sister were good company, and generally well-received comrades in the lonely sky of this world. Moreover, she'd been accepting of another's capacity, unlike a certain other king whose insistent superiority was bound to rear its head at some point in the future. He didn't bother voicing his opinion to the contrary, however, as there was something baffling occurring. Artoria did not win the Holy Grail, true... that made sense. Between Nefertari and himself, neither of them implicitly "won" the war. It was fair that she wanted her own grail, but there were ways of making that happen. More importantly, her earlier mention was about receiving a title from the existing grail. It was clear that she already had one; Ozymandias could see it floating over her head as she spoke. Surely she didn't mean she received that without drinking from the Holy Grail and entering that empty space, right? "Wanting a grail of your own is understandable, given its power. Why speak of titles, though? What problem do you have with your existing one?"

[Apollymi]

It was taking a bit of time for Artoria to catch up. Of course, it could also be stated that she wouldn't understand the confusion. The words that came from Ozymandias made sense, but she wasn't simply looking for power. As was her general attitude she had enough of her own, she wasn't too pressed about that as a situation. "I..." she gave pause considering how best to explain herself. "I feel there has been some confusion. I do not have a grail. I did not get one nor did I try to. I simply fought... I do not retain the sort of title my sister has. I am simply Queen of Camelot," she said given her understand of this. Surely she didn't already possess dominion over anyone besides those who'd sworn themselves to her. It wouldn't make sense to her for that to be the case. Nefertari for her part in this, found herself looking at the lass again. Surely, she wasn't mistaken, and she wasn't. There were currently two titles of magnitude attributed to Artoria. One was Queen of Camelot, the other was Queen of Knights. This entire conversation made Jeanne look at her sister strangely but she remembered first meeting her at the war. "She truly hasn't won though. She didn't even know one was spawning when she showed up, and she never touched it, at all." Confirmed the lass trying to figure out where her sister might have picked up whatever title the Pharaohs thought she had.

[Bloodedge]

As the sphinx landed betwixt the mountains, Artoria confirmed her lack of participation in the actual claiming of Jeanne's grail. She insisted that she didn't have a title, but again, he could see it. She was the Queen of Camelot, yes, but that was the title of an ordinary person. "Queen of Camelot, yes. You are also Queen of Knights. I can see it clear as day. I've been assuming you two shared the grail just as we did, but it seems... not," he said, trailing off at the end as if something additional had been found confusing. Either way, he was soon hopping off the sphinx's back, Nefertari still in tow until he could place her on her own feet. A bit of observation was necessary. As such, Ozymandias would immediately be found surveying the land and available space between cliffs. Some of these mountains were in the way of the structure size he imagined, though that was just as much a positive as a negative. "Right then, two questions. First, do you have any preferences? And second, is this space between the mountains satisfying to you? If it is, I will start immediately!"

[Apollymi]

Artoria would be given a strange bit of information. According to Pharaoh Ozymandias she had two titles. Her normal one the Queen of Camelot and the previously unmentioned Queen of Knights. She'd heard that before, but not from any random voice in the world. No, it'd been among the parting words of Gilgamesh, as he sank from consciousness after touching her face. He... couldn't have that power could he? She thought about it more and decided that was completely preposterous. She hopped off the Sphinx's back as well, holding her arms out to her younger sister to help her down as well. Jeanne hopped into her sister's arms without thought. At the same time, Nefertari did the same into Ozymandias. It was strange she didn't know about her secondary title, and she was quite interested in finding out. Jeanne for her part in this gave her sister another hug before separating. "Don't think about it too hard, Eri-nee. You are the most knightly individual I've met... and I fought in a war. I'd believe you earned such a title," she said softly. Of course her sister would say that. But it wasn't just her, Nefertari also could see how one could have ended up with a title like that. But it would be quite a moment or two before Artoria spoke again, though she did return the hug she was given. "I don't have any problem with this spot. I think it's stunning, it reminds me of home. You don't have to exert yourself on our account. I'd like something nice, spacious, but not boxy though. I mean no disrespect but I hate large square buildings, with triangles on top. Other than that, I can leave myself in your capable hands," she explained of herself easily. She didn't know if that was enough information to work with.

At the same time Artoria finally found her words. After wracking her brain for a possible explanation. "My curiosity is a bit unrelated but, is it possible to be given such a title by someone else?"

[Bloodedge]

So, it seemed indeed that Artoria's title hadn't come from the grail at all. Curious. Even so, Ozymandias had been entertaining one such idea. There was nothing concrete, nor was there really anything worth addressing immediately. Strange things happened from time to time. More imperative was the discussion with Jeanne regarding her building preferences. She wanted nothing square, nothing topped with triangles. What did she have against triangles? "Ha! You are allowed your own tastes. Not everyone can appreciate the divine integrity of the pyramids! I have a brilliant idea!" he said, laughing all the while. Luckily, Jeanne's preferences functioned within his initial idea. From above, he'd seen something akin to a beach on the other side of these mountains, and that alone allowed him to make one decision that impacted the overall plan.

Before enacting said plan however, Artoria presented another curiosity. "Hmm? Well, the title comes with the ability to affect anyone beneath you. For example, one of us could make a queen of the lady Jeanne right now if we desired. Just the same, as you are a queen, we could grant you any title that does not overwhelm our own, or any existing title you have from the world. You believe King Gilgamesh gave you this title?" the pharaoh asked. In this realm, there were only three present that could have possibly granted Artoria such a power. Nefertari and himself had only met her officially today, which left only... the King of Heroes. "He is the King of Heroes. If you are a Hero, he could have made you a Queen, I suppose."

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Ozymandias had no problems with Jeanne's differing tastes. In all honesty, Jeanne didn't have a problem with pyramids. "I like pyramids, I am not fond of churches. They make me uncomfortable, they always have..." she explained of her own tastes. Beyond that, her sister, finally asked a question and now, Jeanne was looking at the other lass, and wondering if she was going to be alright. Of course, the words of the Pharaoh, hit Artoria's ears, and she had confirmation of the idea that she'd been named by Gilgamesh. What? Why?! There was a shift in the emotions behind the eyes of Artoria and her sister saw and understood it, and then after a few more seconds she went completely deadpan.

"Eri-nee, daijoubu..." she said softly. "You're doing the dead eyes thing. You can't kill him for giving you a title," she said thinking about what the lass was like. She'd already sworn her to not draw her weapon while they were out today, which meant that she only needed to stay at her side to avoid having the other blonde attack the golden king on sight. "I am a hero. That does make sense... I am fine." those words didn't sound fine at all. Nefertari looked at the lass and shook her head from left to right. "It is probably not good to sit on that kind of emotion, even locking it inside of yourself like that... You would just explode later if you do not speak honestly now, right?" asked Nefertari. She didn't really want this lass going off the deep end sometime later. After all she was one of the better people they'd met. In fact, this pair of sisters might be her favorite people they'd met since ascending, better to quell the extra anger now. "I appreciate that... it is fine. It..." she gave a bit of pause. "I just did not participate in that war, do all I did, turn down his proposal, ignore his nudity and nearly kill him for him to name me Queen anyway. It is so audacious," she said and though the words were calm there was unseen fury from the girl with her knightly disposition. "And he did it while being less annoying so it just makes me angry," there, she'd said it aloud and now maybe she wouldn't be quite so furious when she next set eyes on him. Well, that wasn't fair at all, she was stuck as a fifteen year old, raised prince, young woman with all the attitude associated with her previous life's work. She could always, ignore it, until she earned it herself, it wasn't like anyone would see except them anyways. Well, and Merlin, but she could always do what she normally did when it came to dealing with him.

[Bloodedge]

Ah, churches. Churches made sense, but... why was the Queen of Saints opposed to churches? That part was stranger than anything. Even so, he could very much understand discomfort found within the church. The pharaoh frankly waited for the day this world's churches proved themselves to be the root of all evil, brandishing faith as a weapon against the unsuspecting and "unworthy". Though, perhaps that was a bit too... anime, so to speak.

Something unexpected was in the works. That something was none other than a looming cloud of... outrage? It seemed like outrage to Ozymandias, but it could have always been something else entirely. Luckily, she was talked down from an explosion that built just beneath the surface. Well, talking down was how Ozymandias would put it. In actuality, it didn't seem she was very affected at all, inwardly. "If you plan to do something about that fury in regards to King Gilgamesh, do keep it far away from Egypt. My structures are mighty, but even they may falter to that collision." Annoying as that was to admit, he had a decent sense for the power of both Artoria and Gilgamesh. He would have enjoyed witnessing their clash, but not at all in the case of it happening over his precious constructs. Speaking of his constructs, it was high time he got to work. "I have waited long enough! Building blocks of the world, in the name of Ramessess II, I command you! Rise to the call of Ra, the sun!"

By his call, the mountains themselves began to crumble. The sands flew, and fledgling trees grew tall and wide. There was fire to the sands, stone against stone, and stone against wood. "Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair! There is no limit to a pharaoh's power! All creations under heaven are within my grasp!" Ozymandias stood with crossed arms and a smug visage as raw materials converged, crashing violently into one another on a scale the size of a large city.