Siduri watched Gilgamesh's reaction to the audacious approach of Ishtar and understood in the moment that he realized his mistake in approaching the blue saber. Not that she thought he would have gotten very far with that particular woman, but it might not have ended up a near death experience for him. Ah, but now Siduri got to see something interesting and that was the distinct lack of functional brain in the skull of the goddess Isthar. That indignant look only became more haughty as she threw her head back and laughed into her hand. Finally things were turning around, obviously by his own words he saw the fallacy of his earlier refusal. "Hahahaha!" she laughed shrilly and seemed very happy in the moment. "It can sometimes take much longer for ones like you to see the light But now that you've come to your senses, I can fully forgive you!" this was her declaration. Of course he couldn't mean anything else. Obviously, he and every other man should adore her. Any one of them should have been ready to give her what she wanted with no prompting. How could he have been so stupid? He was lucky he was her type, obviously she wouldn't have been so generous with her forgiveness if he wasn't.
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What? Ishtar was still here, still talking? While Gilgamesh busied himself with thoughts of recent events, that massive thorn in his side was twisting itself deeper and deeper. What was she even going on about? Forgiveness. She'd forgive him for refusing her. She'd forgive him for... listing the great number of terrible things she'd done in the past? Well, no matter. She could forgive whatever she saw fit to, but she would never be forgiven for taking Enkidu from his side. "Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven herself..." he started. A grand declaration was in order, so he stood. Down the stairs of the throne he went, robes billowing magnificently with every step. When he reached her, those crimson orbs appeared to possess almost catlike pupils. His arms opened to bare his full wingspan. Was it an embrace he sought? No. On Gilgamesh's face was nothing but a scowl, and in his mind was nothing but seething hatred. Surely a goddess of Ishtar's magnitude could bear the weight of such a grudge, no? Well... she'd have little choice. Divine Gates appeared in all directions, filling the space around Gilgamesh and that whore goddess. Nothing came of it just yet, but he already knew precisely what would come forth. "You wanted my possessions, did you not? Make your request, and I, Gilgamesh of Uruk, shall shower you in all the treasures of this world."Comment
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Ah, yes... Gilgamesh was acknowledging her as the Queen of Heaven. This was good, he knew his place in the world. He could easily be her favorite and best pet, yes... she could see it now. Him showering her with gifts, her able to accept them and live the comfortable life she's always wanted. Yes, she'd get him to dispatch the rest of the gods, maybe hunt down Metis wherever she ran off to, life would be good. She was busy in her own mind, so busy in fact that the opening of golden gates and this man's approach seemed to be just what she wanted. And what was this... his arms were open and so were a litany of golden portals. Oh how great, he was going to give her presents. "Yes of course I did. I, will take your possessions you can give them all to me! And I will happily accept them!" she said giddy about the things she was about to get. Yes, this was exactly the sort of treatment she was looking for. Finally her whims and wishes would be taken care of, she saw nothing wrong with it at all.
Siduri on the other hand, watched this whole thing with amusement. Yes, Gilgamesh had realized the wrong of his approach to Saber, and no he still wasn't interested in the goddess known as Ishtar. But what was happening now, was bound to be something closer to murder than anything else. The fact that the 'Queen of Heaven' hadn't figured out yet that there was nothing but malicious intent in Gilgamesh. He was going to throw his treasury at this woman and was likely going to try and kill her in the process. She would almost say that this woman was undeserving of such treatment, but she'd seen what Gilgamesh was like after the death of his friend.Comment
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Ah, such sweet words. Gilgamesh would be satisfied this day. Ishtar claimed she would happily accept all the treasures he intended to shower her with, even saying he could give all of them to her. That moronic bitch didn't even know what she was signing up for, but Gilgamesh took solace in the fact that she, even indirectly, demanded her own destruction. "Again," he demanded. The gleam once present in his eye had become outright, burning effulgence. The ziggurat could not withstand all of his treasures, nor could the rest of Chaldea. Well... perhaps they could fend for themselves, or perhaps he could contain his rage long enough to avoid endangering innocents. Finally, Artifacts of all sorts were peering through the gates. Swords, spears, axes─ every weapon conceivable to humanity as well as some that did not yet exist, were present. Each tool boasted the highest quality achievable in this world. The moment his collection peered through from the treasury, his most trustworthy possession shot forth from all angles as well. This possession was none other than Enkidu, which was launched with the purpose of chaining Ishtar by the core of her body, every limb, and her neck. He would tolerate nothing less than total immobilization; he wanted that damn goddess stretched out to leave her every inch at the mercy of his collection. Should Ishtar find herself bound, innumerable weapons would remain waiting in their gates while Gilgamesh continued speaking. "Speak, whore, of how you thirst for that which is mine. Regale me in how badly you wish for me to rain the full weight of my coffers upon you."Comment
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Yes, he'd give her what she wanted. It was about time. There was nothing she wanted more than the things he possessed. His body was also a pretty fair thing to get, considering he satisfied her physical qualifications. "Give me all your treasures!" she said happily. What kind of man was he that he thought to say something like that? Well, whatever if it got her what she wanted, she figured that it would work out for her regardless. Siduri watched and wondered how long it would take before the goddess caught up to the fact that she was on the chopping block? What was this? Out of the golden gates came a set of chains, chains which wound themselves around the woman pulling at her limbs and sapping her of her power. Or rather, because she was as divine as divine could be... she would be completely immobilized. "I..." there was a pause. She wanted to be let go, but she still did want all of his stuff. Was this a thing she should say? Probably not, but would she say it? Yes. Yes she would, with all the indignation that someone who was tied up could manage.
"Let me go! You have no right to hold me, I should be free to accept all the things I want to take from you! You should give me everything you own with no grudges held, everything you have should be mine, accept and free me! If you don't I won't forgive this little outburst!" She was being rather demanding for someone so tied up. Even so, Siduri had to stifle a laugh. She figured she wasn't supposed to be witnessing such a thing. Of course she wasn't. No this man was getting his revenge and all of that had nothing to do with her directly. Obviously, in Ishtar's own mind, he was just still mad about his 'friend'. So, he was lashing out, but he would soon realize that he should just do as she said. She would allow him to take out his vengeance on the other gods who'd agreed to have his friend killed. Then they could live happily ruling the entire world together.Comment
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There would be no such ending. In no reality would Gilgamesh be at this woman's side, bar someone's twisted fantasy... someone like Ishtar herself, for example. Even now, she was making demands. Did she know what sort of position she was in, and how much power she didn't have over him? He was born of the gods to solidify their position in this world, but what they truly made was something that would end their reign. It would all be their fault. It would all be her fault. In response to her demands, he had but one thing to say. "H'oh? You say I have no right to hold you, yet is that not precisely what you wish for? If it eases your mind on your way to the next life, you may want to think of this as a lover's embrace. I will allow you just that. Know as the red sea of your own life's blood fills your sight that if ever you stand before me again, you will know the greatest power this world has ever produced. Now, die and be silent!"
Gilgamesh would allow a single reprieve. Indeed, Ishtar was permitted only to believe those binding chains were something other than a restraint. With that, and a wave of his hand, he unleashed the veritable bullet hell of Artifacts upon that unsightly goddess. Though there were dozens upon dozens of gates, each one had another of his treasures launching immediately after it was emptied. Every jettisoned weapon was unleashed at speeds ten times greater than that of sound itself. "If the world chooses to let you stand before your fellow gods again, tell them the Age of Gods will end by my hand. No longer will humanity be plagued by your oppressive filth!"Comment
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Ishtar was confused. Yes, she did want Gilgamesh to hold her, but it should have been obvious that she didn't mean it like this. Chained up not getting what she wanted and instead running into the problem of a disagreeable man. How dare a man actually not agree with her. He shouldn't touch her! He should only touch her the way she wanted to be touched, but he had more to say now did he? Gilgamesh the king of Uruk would not be issuing an apology and releasing her, no instead he pointed out that being held by him was exactly what she wanted. He even went forward with the idea that she should die and be silent. He claimed she should think of the chains as a lover's embrace but how could she? Well she wouldn't have much time to think about it. "You can't do this to me! You can't ignore me! I..."
Ishtar the goddess was soon pelted by thousands of weapons at speeds she couldn't fathom. She screamed bloodcurdlingly until the moment of what should have been her demise. Would she die though? Well, that was a question. Her scream was meant to shake Celestia. She couldn't move herself at the moment but someone else could and should, lest they look ineffective as gods. Yes, surely they wouldn't allow her to die again, that would make everyone else look bad as well. All the while Siduri wondered if he felt a bit better. He'd even issued his threat not to appear in front of him again. The noise in the throne room was heard all the way back in the records hall, but a certain rider only looked up from her work for a moment before she went back to sorting tablets. Surely that situation had nothing to do with her, it was just like work in their original world all over again.
But eventually, Ishtar's screams would stop, and her body would disappear from the puddle of blood left behind. Her mystic codes were left behind but that was hardly anything worth looking over. A shadowy hand would emerge with a large scythe hooking onto those codes as her body was claimed for the underworld. But she wouldn't be staying there very long. Ishtar managed to look petulant even as she appeared in the underworld. "Really Kur you couldn't have done something before then? Why did you claim me? You should have claimed him, he deserves to die!" she proclaimed upset about her most recent slight. "Quiet!" this was a demand from the mistress of the underworld and one that had to be followed by the soul now present. She couldn't actually keep her here. As she was she had enough power to at least sway other souls into doing her bidding. Kur wouldn't be losing control over her space just because this woman didn't have the sense to leave a man alone who wants to be left alone. That scythe of hers came into her hands again and this time it sliced directly across her person. She would take something from her, and then, use the scythe to drag this thing back up to Celestia. It would be no pleasant trip and she would be stopped in front of Anu's Throne with a look of distaste across Kur's face. She rolled Ishtar along and she'd roll to Anu's feet. "I told you all what would happen the next time she came to the underworld."Comment
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No satisfaction came from Ishtar's screams. Gilgamesh couldn't even find satisfaction in her death the moment it was confirmed by the presence of Mystic Code. If that wasn't bad enough, he understood the cause for that dark hand rising to claim the code, leaving nothing but the blood of divinity on his ziggurat's floor. As for what Siduri wondered silently, well... did he feel better? Not one bit. He could express his fury over and over again, but even killing Ishtar and the other gods a million times each would do nothing to bring back what he'd lost. What a pitiful state this was. He could only sit there and lash out like an angry child, as nothing would truly come of it for him. Alas, he would continue working to shut out the gods for the sake of all others they could otherwise affect. That was all he could do at this point. As such, he merely returned to his throne, to his busywork.
While the king went about his work, Ishtar was being brought back to Celestia yet again. This time, she was dropped before the Father with a message from the youngest of them. Anu gazed upon Ishtar and Kur, hearing the latter's declaration. Indeed, it was once stated that any time Ishtar appeared in the underworld, part of her would be lost upon her return. There was nothing to be done about that. So long as she was content to continue entering Kur's territory, whatever happened there was completely Kur's prerogative. "That is your decision, my child. Even the rest of us have no dominion over ourselves once your territory is entered, so your choices can only be respected. Ishtar, perhaps it is time to cut your losses and leave better off alone. That last warning was disturbing indeed. . ."Comment
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In the aftermath of Gilgamesh's outburst against the goddess Ishtar, there was only a blood puddle around on the ziggurat floor. Siduri made a motion and people moved to clean up the mess and the king went back to his work. All the while he didn't seem properly pleased by his action. Well, revenge often didn't ease anyone problems. Perhaps, now that she'd been handled in such a way... there would be no more problems for Gilgamesh. Perhaps he'd be able to continue on with his work, and things could properly get moving in the world again.
At the same time, once again in Celestia, the annoyance that was Ishtar was the topic of conversation. Apparently Anu remembered what Kur had said would happen every time she left the underworld. Admittedly she didn't expect to have to deal with Ishtar again so soon, but Metis had warned her of this eventuality. Metis. She really missed that woman, obviously there weren't many among them who just took the redheaded goddess at her word when she gave advice. She could now easily remember numerous times where Metis had pointed out logical fallacies that they'd fallen into as a group. And now, once more as a group they were being threatened with destruction because Ishtar couldn't take no for an answer. "As long as you understand. I will have no arguments and I won't have her in my underworld. I don't care what I take from her, but eventually I won't be able to return her here. You've been warned." Kur shot a venomous gaze at Ishtar but the goddess only scoffed. Kur was on a slow burn for stripping Ishtar completely of her divinity. It would be something she could do for everyone, no one with that little empathy should have any power over anyone else. Ishtar sat pouting in the floor still feeling the multiple weapons shattering her body. "He can't be allowed to treat us that way. Look what he did to me!" she exclaimed as if she wasn't at fault. Kur rubbed her face, wondering if Ishtar realized she only used collective terms to refer to slights against herself. "You literally walked into his kingdom and made demands. You did that to me too and I had a similar response..." she said reminding the woman of the time she'd first been killed in this world. With Anu telling her to cut her losses she became crazed. She didn't want to. "And what are you trying to replace Metis? That was then, this is now!" Ishtar maintained taking a potshot at the former wisdom goddess. "I don't want to. He has everything and I want it. He should give it to me and it shouldn't be so much of an argument. No man should say no to me, I'm irresistible! What was the point of creating him if he won't do what we say?!" she demanded outright. She wasn't taking no for an answer. Obviously, he was still mad about his friend. She just needed to let him cool off a bit more and then he'd be more receptive to her advances.Comment
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And so, it continued. Despite her losses and Anu's insistence that she cease this attempted conquest, Ishtar was content to continue her whining. It was not Anu's intention to replace Metis, though the loss of the Wisdom Goddess was a great strain on his heart. She should not have been forced into that exodus, but there was nothing to be done about that presently. "Your belief in his subservience to you is clouding your judgement, Ishtar. You are a goddess, my child. Though it is unsightly that anyone beneath you should be anything but smitten under your authority, that boy is a special case indeed... and it is unbecoming of your status as a goddess to be so concerned with one who is even partially mortal."
As Anu spoke, he paced about the room. There was a great deal of worry building up in the Father, all stemming from one being they created to maintain their own standing. Was it a mistake? No, it couldn't be. Had they not created and birthed Gilgamesh, they would be trapped in Celestia for all time, never interacting with the mortals, and only growing weaker as centuries passed. He had to exist, but his refusal to listen was only putting them right back at square one, so to speak. If only he could rear in Ishtar, perhaps they could come to an understanding with Gilgamesh. "Stay your fury. I will not see us torn apart even further because you've become enraged, and thus earned more ire from that troublesome boy."Comment
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Anu was trying to talk sense into Ishtar but she didn't want sense, she wanted results. She wanted a subservient hot blonde to help her get rid of everyone else. He even had tattoos now, it wasn't fair. There was no legitimate reason for him to deny her, she had the authority over love. She was the physical manifestation of beauty, he should adore her and give her everything she wanted. Yes, that was quite literally everything he had, but it should be his honor to provide for a goddess like herself. "Ugh!" there was a scoff but nothing more. She didn't want him thinking and trying to talk her down. She wanted Anu arming her so she could demand better treatment. It wasn't unbecoming of her to want something, even a mortal like Gilgamesh had everything she wanted. Being a goddess was boring and she didn't have things, she wanted things, and money and adoration but right now all she had was adoration and not even from everyone so it didn't really count.
Anu was now pacing, which was a classic sign to Kur that he was bothered by what was happening. "You heard what he said, we are going to be in trouble if she keeps bothering him," Kur mentioned as if it wasn't obvious. What she didn't say aloud was, the fact that she thought allowing this one to fall to save the rest of them was a reasonable enough idea. Metis had mentioned a long time ago that this girl's tantrums would end them all... and here they were, being challenged with extinction. "Why do I have to stay my fury?! It isn't my fault he won't comply... you should just make him. Why doesn't any one just force him?!" she asked as if this was a reasonable question. "Well, you tried to force him. And you saw how it went," mentioned Kur before she turned to walk away. "If I were you, I'd keep this one in her temple... she might lose something important the next time she ends up in Irkalla." And with that Kur disappeared in black fog which took her directly back to her own throne room. A sigh escaped her and she wondered how long they actually had before it was a problem again.
Some time later, a new group of people were making their way into the City of Uruk. A blue clad knight, walking along with a black clad knight. Both of them were blonde and both seemed to share a face. They looked like they could pass for twins as they walked along, and took in the sights of the city. The one clad in blue found herself looking around at the entire place seeming to be considering it from several different angles, only to pass by a statue that caught her attention. This was a city she knew to be run by a specific person, and this statue was of a lovely looking individual who wasn't that person. Did a person that prideful actually like someone else? She needed to know. A lone child was watching her in the streets, apparently liking the look of both her and her sister and as she studied the statue the child studied them.Comment
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In the time it took for the blood of Ishtar to be cleaned from his floor, Gilgamesh cleared a few more tablets. How many more annoyances would he have to deal with? It seemed they would be nigh unending, as a vision of yet another interruption struck him within minutes. Ah, he'd been wondering when that pair of knights would appear before him. He could see them entering the walls of Uruk, making their way toward the palace. That was going to be something he'd have to deal with later, but for now, he blinked away that vision. It came to fruition eventually either way. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, had already decided to ignore the premonition. "Siduri. Send a sacred prostitute to Biluda. His mother and father were among the dead during Gugalanna's appearance, when he was but a boy. I will grant him something to ease his pain, late though it may be," he said. Oh, the sacred prostitutes had been busy as of late. Many children were left without parents and siblings during the attack of Gugalanna, just as many parents were left without children. Reparations had to be dished out in time, yet all they could be given for the moment was reprieve. As Uruk stood now, there was hardly more that could be divvied out until other matters of importance were handled.Comment
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The words of Gilgamesh were heard by his attendant. Oh, he wanted to send one of the orphans a sacred prostitute for his pain and suffering. She could take care of that... "I'll make the arrangements," she mentioned taking note of the name and looking into who it should belong to. She had no problem, the blood had been cleaned up and there were quite a few other things to handle. He was busy going through several things and Siduri was whispering the follow-up order to the necessary person to get a sacred prostitute into the room belonging to the named man. All the while court life in Uruk was being handled.
Meanwhile the visitors were now staring at a statue. "Eri-nee... do you know that person?" asked the back armored woman who found their current stop odd. Her sister didn't normally take interest in the places they went. So her staring was something worth noting. "No, but I find it strange..." she said softly her eyes shifted to the child below so she could talk to him. "Tell me, little one... who is this?" she asked of him pointing to the statue. The young boy seemed to look up and back at the woman and seemed to be amazed she didn't know. "Well, it's the King Gilgamesh's best friend and brother... Enkidu!" the kid said seeming excited about it. "His friend?" there was abject curiosity in the face of Artoria. Jeanne then saw her sister do something strange. She opened up her cloak spread it on the ground took a seat and patting it intended for her sister to join her. "Tell me. I have time." These words made the child light up. He went about regaling the two noble looking women with the epic tale of Gilgamesh. Running over random words, having a childishly cute lisp and even going on to explain that he didn't understand about the brother thing. His little hands flapped, he acted out various parts of the story, complete with action figure noises and onomatopoeia. By the end of the story, over an hour later the kid seemed a bit worn out, but Artoria had gotten her answer. It was strange to her that Gilgamesh would have a statue built in someone else's honor and weirder still that he'd left in search of him for any great amount of time. It was making Artoria's brain hurt thinking about why he was like this but wasn't at all in conversation. Other kids had gathered around by now, all staring at the two young women, and surprised their small friend had managed to keep their attention. "Thank you for telling us. I will remember you..." she offered the child with a gentle pat on the head before sending him on his way with this friend. She picked up her cloak after her offering her sister a hand to stand up. "You're a lot more curious than you said... are you regretting attacking him?" asked Jeanne who seemed to be teasing. "No."Comment
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"Do so. I will also be needing a count of how many there are. Dozens of children were orphaned all that time ago. Many now have children of their own, but those who have not found families will know some form of relief for now." Gilgamesh had been away for so long, he hardly had a count of the people he had access to. The woman called Medusa, he believed, had proved useful in taking the necessary counts, but he'd forgotten to collect the information from her during their last meeting. Oh well; he could get it as needed. At long last, he was finishing up with current trade deals. What was next again? The king sighed, rubbing his eyes with his free hand while moving aside another clay tablet. "Finally, the frustration of Kutallu is done for now. Siduri!" Ah, the number of times he'd been calling the wine-maker's name these past few weeks. The only other word leaving his mouth with anywhere near the same frequency was mongrel, or perhaps even fool... but nothing quite matched the quantity of his calls for Siduri. "Tell me, what did Rim-Sin want in exchange for the chickens?"Comment
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More orders being given out. Now she was to make sure another person got a sacred prostitute and make sure an appropriate count was taken so proper relief could be offered where it was meant to be. "I'll send out someone. And then add a count to Medusa's to do list. Though... I'll double check and make sure she hasn't done one already," Siduri mentioned. She wouldn't give anyone more work than they needed to do. As an aside, she did tend to spend quite a bit of her off-time in Medusa's presence she wouldn't want the woman to come to resent her. Doing all of this the bit they were working on finally came to an end, so Siduri's name was called once more. She took solace in that given his own habits, she knew his use of her name was telling of his intentions. She looked at her own tablet for notes related to the one known as Utur, and what did he want in exchange for the chickens the king had asked for? A sigh left Siduri in the moment, she hated saying things like this aloud. "Apparently Rim-Sin would like cattle and barely, in exchange for the chickens," she said wondering what the response to such an outrageous claim would be. Whatever the case she was ready to take it down.
Artoria and Jeanne were making their way to the ziggurat, still occasionally being stopped and harassed by small children. Even so, neither the Queen of Saints nor her older sister seemed to mind chatting with the children. They answered strange questions related to the manner of their dress, occupations and even questions about the nature of their relationship given their similar faces. Children were always so interesting, and despite her former job title, Artoria seemed to like them more than a little. "You really had us listen to his tale and you honestly are saying you aren't at all moved?" said Jeanne as she looked at her sister while they walked along leading a mass of children with them strangely. "I was just curious and the kids are nice so I listened to the whole tale, they always focus on the good parts." Artoria said as if she could hide behind that. "Whatever. After we find out who the King of Heroes is we have a long walk ahead of us to wherever they are and you are going to explain this newfound interest in someone you tried to kill," Jeanne was almost being demanding. Strangely Artoria's sister was always like this, even when she was way younger. "It really is nothing you know. I am allowed curiosity, it does not have to mean anything..." she said but one of them knew it wasn't true. They'd still be talking among themselves and randomly to children as they entered the throne room.Comment
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