Finis Chaldea

[Bloodedge]

Six. Six Holy Grails filled with wine was what it took for the Queen of Knights to properly open herself. At this point, she was upholding a very normal conversation with Gilgamesh, much to his furthered satisfaction. The analogy she had for her sister bordered upon a brutality. Actually, it sounded like something Gilgamesh himself would have said. Were they so alike? Perhaps. "Hmph. Reality bends to the mighty, does it not? You seem to have plentiful control over that very concept. Such an engrossing method of showing dominance over those who purport to be your superiors. I have been made no less smitten this day," he declared. Every time he even minced words with this woman, he was given a full list of new reasons to pursue her. Rarely was he so specific as to the reasons themselves, but... he'd been through quite a few grails of wine himself.

Now then, what purpose did this spoon aimed at him serve? To draw attention to a point, it seemed. Artoria thought ill of his elation, determining that he was on his way to another indulgence. Ah, but what was this? Could it have been a drunken stupor which caused her phrasing to be so very... specific? "Oh am I? Tell me, what indulgence is it that I tread upon now? Is the thought of crowning your king still stuck in your mind, per our earlier discussion?" he asked. Yes, though he was given some reprieve of her chiding, it seemed her break from his onslaught was at its end.

Much could have occurred between the would-be king and queen of all creation. Progress would see them quite similar to another pair, who shared the most casual banter over wine and dinner. None could question two pharaohs speaking of their previous lives in the middle of the most powerful banquet ever seen in this world. "Better, is it?" Ozymandias wondered as a sly hand made its way toward Nefertari's plate. The male would see himself snatch a strange ball─ merely a combination of dates and pistachios formed into a simple dessert. They looked rather pleasant, and there were none on his plate. Surely this would be the best of desserts by Nefertari's own explanation, no? "The way you speak, Moon of my Life, I shall assume consent."

[Apollymi]

Reality bends to the mighty? Yes, but more specifically as far as Artoria was concerned it bent to her, as all would. "Twice today my ideal of might has been mentioned. I am beginning to believe I am leaving strange impressions on everyone. Especially when you give me compliments over it," she said about her might makes right style of going about things in her life. As for the King of Heroes being made no less smitten by her obvious leaning towards domination and violence she could only chuckle. "My day has consisted of spouting violence and spoiling children, even in the Holy Grail War. Truly you are a strange man, to think no differently having witnessed anything of my day, King of Heroes," she said with a level of certainty most couldn't possess. She was looking at him. She knew he meant those words, she was more than a little aware that he found even her faulty logic attractive for reasons she could not possibly fathom. She'd definitely said she'd kill her sister of pudding, and it was a known fact she'd slayed her sister before this point. Irrespective of that, the King of Heroes was here to offer adoration she did not think of herself as deserving.

At the same time, she was eating when the King of Heroes went back to his normal antics. What indulgence was he treading upon? Well, in truth that was merely a statement about how freely he was referring to her as being his, but he mentioned 'crowning her king' as a statement Artoria understood now as a reference for a sex act he seemed rather keen to show her. A sex act in which her thighs were wrapped around the King of Heroes head, was that something she wanted? It seemed like the sort of thing that could do strange things to her entire soul. And now of course, she was thinking about it actively and that wasn't good at all. Three slow blinks occurred as Artoria processed the information with each one the girl's face gained a more reddened tint. "I said no such thing. I thought no such thing. It is you, putting ideas in my head, King of Heroes. You make me ask the world multiple times a day what I have done to deserve this?" she questioned softly. This assault to her dignity was almost too much to bear, and she could blame no one but herself for thinking about it too much. That was a smidge more dramatic than Artoria normally managed to be, but she was a bit drunk and quite shocked. He'd said nothing particularly offensive, but it was still shocking to her because she knew what he meant. It was like being spoken to in code and the code itself was simply meant to fluster her to death.

Ah, but what was this? Watching the Pharaohs, was like a looking glass into the future. One easily taken in by those with any level of mental acuity. Galahad's eyes moved about just slightly, as she came to realize that the Queen of Knights was on her way to a loving and peaceful relationship whenever she got around to accepting her feelings for the King of Heroes. Nefertari for her part in this was having a howling good time. "Ah, poor Queen... I didn't know what that looked like from the outside," she said of Artoria's obviously embarrassed state. She knew from the depths of her soul the King of Heroes had said something crazy to her that the rest of them couldn't hear, because she'd once been in such a situation. In fact, she was once tricked into the lap of one Oliver Williams before she knew what to expect from such a throne. Regardless, she couldn't help but smile as he reached onto her plate. To take her words as consent was almost outlandish. "My Sun and Stars, all that I have is yours as well... consent is freely given. Always~"

[Bloodedge]

"And twice more, it may be mentioned on a whim. It is not a strange impression you leave, but a brilliant one. To even imagine that I could think less of you by now, is nothing short of ignorance." Once more, Gilgamesh drank between clauses. Artoria would be far from the only drunken mess by the end of this banquet; Gilgamesh was well on his way ages ago as well. Alas, it was the visage of a king which did the work of maintaining stability. Jovial as he was, there would hardly have been a difference between his drunken and sober states anyway. He was, however, managing to be somehow quieter now. "Besides, witnessing your day has been only the finest delicacy from beginning to end. I'm ever so keen to see what the final segment will be like~"

The gears were turning once more, not in the mind of Gilgamesh, but in the mind of Artoria Pendragon. He was indeed just putting ideas in her head. Did that make much of a difference? If one were to ask him, he'd say there was no reason for the image to ever leave her mind's retina. "Yet even now, you do not speak against it. The Queen of Knights, endlessly expressing distaste for an idea presented, yet never for the idea itself. You wear the guise of a ruler in the strangest way, to restrict yourself so thoroughly." Once more, there was a sip that emptied his cup. He lowered the object onto the table, casually waving to have his own and Artoria's filled to the brim again. She thought to ask the world what she did to deserve this. To deserve what, one might wonder? "It is as I have said before. The fact that you were born as yourself, is justification enough that I should desire you as something to adorn myself with. Emeralds sat in a bed of ruby, which itself will be partially draped in lapis lazuli. What more could a king ask, whether for his crown or his loincloth?"

Nefertari was not the only one suffering a fit of amusement by the antics one table over. Had Ozymandias not been shoving some strange Mesopotamian confection into his mouth, he'd have been guffawing into the ceiling upon witnessing Artoria's face. Even resisting that much, the laughter could no longer be stopped. "Hah hah hah! With a face so pale, there's no hiding it from anyone. Those days are my fondest memories. It's almost regrettable that you adjusted so well, but I do fancy the cheekiness of this life. Well... I very much enjoyed the cheekiness of the last one, too," he commented. A few chews later, and he decided this dessert was rather good, yet nothing compared to what they could have back home. There was a distinct lack of sweetness compared to the confections of Egypt, though he did not dislike this strange thing. "Ho. Say something like that again, and you know exactly where the pair of us will end up."

[Apollymi]

"It is not normal to find me too agreeable. It is not ignorance I suffer from but shock every time I receive a compliment where one should find criticism, King of Heroes," Artoria mentioned, even so her reddened face would be going nowhere, if only because the compliments were settling in now and there was nothing she could do to halt her own visage. If she was being honest, the words that flowed from the King of Heroes mouth were a bit more like honey at this point, sweet and sticky. Whatever the case, apparently he'd enjoyed his day in her presence and wondered what its ending was to be like. A shake of Artoria's head happened in this moment. "Avoiding spoilers again, King of Heroes?" she asked most rhetorically. After all, she wasn't keen to hear any inclination of this man and what kind of night he thought they would share. She imagined another reference incoming that would have her at a loss for words.

She wore the title ruler strangely, and restricted herself firmly. Well at least he understood that. Even so he seemed so content to point out her contradictions she had no choice but to defend herself. Even as she finished the large dessert and had nothing left but another goblet of wine. "I am not one to pass judgment over an activity. The restrictions I place are for me alone to bear. I am not so prudish as to hate the idea alone," The words of the Queen of Knights came easily even as she sipped from her chalice once more. She truly had no hard judgements to pass about sexual activity in any way. It was simply strange to her that it was aimed at her. Obviously it didn't matter to her, both of her sisters seemed to be pretty well involved and she had no issues with them. She did not like her elder sister's choice in contributor but that wasn't her business. Artoria was even raising that one's kids. According to the King of Heroes, he needed no other reason than her existence to try and lay claim to her the way she was. Artoria was hardly surprised by this notion but his word choice in the explanation made her shift her gaze towards him as she sipped more from her chalice. He truly just said whatever he thought. "More flowers and some pretty colorful imagery. You truly enjoy placing strange images in my mind don't you?" she asked once more rhetorically. She could not even manage outrage at this point she simply wished to disappear as her face became a shade of red that as sure to challenge his eyes for dominance.

Ozymandias was quite right. Given the coloration of the Queen of Knights skin, she could not hide her embarrassment. "Good thing she looks great in jewel tones, or that would become quite annoying for her," Nefertari said as if it was a true win for the young lass. Truly, Artoria Pendragon seemed to be suffering from a case of tomato face, likely caused by the sorts of words the King of Heroes uttered about her. "Ah, well... I like that I calmed down. I was hardly able to concentrate before, at least now I can get things done without losing focus in the middle of sentences. We even finish meals now~" she said with a small smirk crossing her visage. Apparently, her last previous sentence was enough of a declaration to stir the Sun King. A chuckle escaped her, as she cut those rainbow eyes in her Pharaoh's direction. "Hoh? Well if such simple words cause such an interesting end, I could not be happier. We should do the polite thing though, and give our regards to the Queen of Knights and King of Heroes though, right?" she asked of her husband. "You always accuse me of being not nice after all~" she said of Ozymandias. Besides all of that she needed to accept the King's offer and all of that before they slipped off for their designated after dinner activity.

[Bloodedge]

"Therein lies the ignorance. In truth, there should be no criticism of these moments. Shock should never be a factor, because for you, the heavens themselves should rain down praises for every breath you take." Once his cup was filled, Gilgamesh shooed the wine-pourer and lifted that golden, glorious thing to his face... yet again. To Artoria's question, he remained silent initially. He was avoiding spoilers, yes. When certain landmarks were reached, it had to be under one very specific criteria. "Of course I am! Certainly there were many possibilities in past meetings where I came to know your body on a whim. Those possibilities would mean nothing. Know that when you are finally made mine, it will be done by my merit as a man─ not simply as Hero-King Gilgamesh." There was something beneath the surface of this declaration. He'd been here for so long, unable to speak his original name and never knowing another from their world who could speak it, the name Ishigami Daisuke had long since vanished from his mind. Even so, it would be his crowning achievement to obtain Artoria Pendragon, and furthermore Hoshimi Eri as she lay buried within.

Moving on, Artoria confirmed his assertation from moments prior. She truly did detest the fact that he said such things, while offering no opposition to the things themselves. That sort of candidness could not be faulted at all. The decision itself, on the other hand, was one Gilgamesh would always pass judgment on. Your conflicted nature keeps you from such things nonetheless. Without question, you are enough of a prude that you refrain from the truest spice of life. Do you believe it is altruistic for the Queen of Knights to perish without ever having truly lived? What you call colorful imagery should instead be as the royal carpet upon which you walk a path unending. Instead, you hide behind the bashful visage of a little girl crippled by her own hormones. Tell me, when will the Queen of Knights truly spring to life?"

"It looks to be annoying regardless. If she could get away with a full-speed sprint, I imagine she would," Ozymandias added about the torment Artoria Pendragon seemingly faced. Such a dire situation it was, but people like these pharaohs knew that it could all be for the better, if that lot simply made the best of it in their individual perspectives. "Poor lass. Finishing meals isn't a problem for them at least, though I would wager it may become an issue eventually. My money is on rabbit-level," he quipped while licking residual pistachio dust from his thumbprint. "Those things are pretty good. Still, I'd rather have honey cake. Or... another sort of cake, I suppose." Honesty in its purest form, Ozymandias was yet another who would brazenly blurt out every truth on his mind. As for accusing Nefertari of not being nice, he laughed. "Well you've always been a bad girl, haven't you? Come on then; time for your dungeon trip." With no further need of the food and merriment found in this banquet, the male pharaoh rose from his chair. He'd begin walking toward the obvious future queen of Uruk, and her obvious future king, all while wondering... if it was in good taste to prod a bit. . .

[Apollymi]

The words of Gilgamesh, assaulted Artoria's ears. He had nothing but her praises to sing, and from the most genuine place she'd heard such things. People often adored her, some even thought her great, but to take every aspect of her workings as if she was without fault and speak it as truth aloud was uniquely a characteristic of the Golden King. "I am certain you mean that, as outlandish as it is for you say such a thing..." Artoria managed softly. She found her face in her own cup, sipping behind it and allowing herself the most casual stare at the King of Heroes. What was more, the King of Heroes admitted, no, declared he was purposefully avoiding spoilers of the nature of their meeting. He was certain it would happen but claimed it would be on his merit, not as the Hero-King but as a man, and he would not taint that. Artoria's eyes widened over the edge of her cup. And in this moment she came to realize what it was about the King of Heroes that confused her. His earnest like of her as a person was one thing, forgiven for being star-struck. His willingness to work at her affections and not just purely exert his power over her to claim her, wanting her to like him back... it was something else entirely. No one who wanted to achieve anything by merit alone could be bad at all, diligence remaining in a man who'd had everything already was appealing. "I... do not have words," she managed with softness bubbling up in her soul. 'King of Heroes you cannot do this. I may never forgive you if you turn yourself into this...'

Artoria worried about the placement of the King of Heroes. She would not add him to her responsibilities but that was because she could see it. She could see him telling her exactly the things passing through her mouth. Be more selfish, live for yourself. Accept me and you can have the world. Why can't you take for you? She did not expect anyone to understand truly how she saw herself but she also couldn't help but be honest. "You are quite wrong, King of Heroes. I do not consider it an act of altruism. It is an act of selfishness," she said. She always found herself being overly honest with this man. He already understood her motivations so she was not hiding anything from him to start with. "I do not plan to spring to life. What I am selfishly pursuing is not something I would share here and now," she said carefully, being just as evasive as Agravain had been earlier. If he wished to know the truth she had in store, she would tell him freely, but that wasn't a dinner topic.

"Ah, yes she does seem like she would leave him at any moment she could. Earlier she looked like she might just walk off into the wilderness..." said Nefertari. Of course, she'd seen the truth of this girl in her bath, struggling with her like of the King of Heroes. It seemed over the course of the night she'd lightened up quite a bit. As for their ability to finish meals, that was only properly possible because the Queen of Knights did not like, her appreciation of the King of Heroes. "It will be a bit worse than that. Her whole life will fall apart worse than mine did the first time," said Nefertari she had a lot of certainty. She also slipped out of her chair post downing her last dessert. "Oh? Well, if I have earned my pharaoh's punishment... I will accept it graciously~" Nefertari was on her way to speak with the pair at the center table. "Queen of Knights, you are owed proper congratulations for achieving your goals. King of Heroes, I will take your commission at your earliest convenience. It was a fun night..." she said to the pair making it obvious they were intending to leave. Artoria looked up from her cup and could see by the way they were that they had more pressing matters to attend to. "I see. I would have words with all the cupbearers before we break. I have news I should share before the information is lost. I would rather not interrupt any of you later..." the Queen of Knights stated, she was surprisingly understanding of the situations surrouding both the Pharaohs, and her younger sister. She'd rather not interrupt them later if at all avoidable.

[Bloodedge]

Every time he spoke, she acknowledged the sincerity of his words... Yet every time he spoke, she failed to understand the purpose of those same words being sent her way. Again, it was only a matter of time, and another step would be taken with only another declaration. Artoria was left without words once more, as she had been a number of times recently. These were the signs he looked for, and the more they appeared, the more content he became in his path toward the future. One anomaly remained, though. Artoria saw her own self-destruction not as something altruistic, but as something selfish. How foolish. "Hmph. Is this also humanity? Destroying yourself for your own desires is life in its purest form, I suppose... but it is no way to live," he declared in spite of his own actions to this day. It was quite a shame that neither of these individuals truly knew their own similarities. There were surely others who saw them, though. In fact, perhaps as much could be said about the pair presently stepping up to them, while Gilgamesh offered his final clause. "I will allow your secrecy. Later, we will speak more of this."

With that final phrase given, the pharaohs were upon them. Ozymandias was grinning widely in the wake of Nefertari's most recent statement, but first there was a matter of business between the woman and King Gilgamesh to address. "It is as I thought. Expect materials and remuneration to arrive at your doorstep soon," he said to seal the deal between them. This could have been the end of discussion with the pharaohs, but the Queen of Knights herself had information to share with those who wielded Holy Grails. "Ho ho. I expected someone fighting at the end of this shindig, not a meeting. Still, I'm interested to hear anything that's worth all of our attention. It just so happens that we have the perfect room for a meeting just over here. We left a little VIP section next door just incase it was that sort of party. Shall we?"

[Apollymi]

Gilgamesh questioned whether or not it was humanity that made Artoria think of her impending doom as something selfish. Some might consider it that way, but she thought it was exactly because she was so inhuman that she would see her situation through all the way. "Or it is the only way to live," she countered easily. She was still sipping from her cup, seeming not to care that it was her seventh of such a large drink. It could also be seen as something extra considering it was wine made by the blessed wine-maker and as such actually had a lasting effect even on the monstrous metabolism of one Artoria Pendragon. Much to her own appreciation, the King of Heroes as willing to let that piece of their conversation end for now, claiming she could keep her secret and they could talk about it later. "Oh? Feeling generous today, King of Heroes~" she stated into the brim of her cup.

Moving right along, the Pharaohs were now standing before them. Artoria had been right in her thoughts about the pair of them running off, then again... she could see the motivations of people she was looking at, though she did not need such a power in their case. Of course, the Pharaohs had planned ahead including a meeting room for them. "I'll be waiting on that," said Nefertari. She wondered what all the King of Heroes would commission. At the very least, it would give her an appropriate creative outlet for all of her designs which weren't themed for her own area. The words of Ozymandias hit Artoria's ears and that little smirk crossed her lips as it always would. "Sun King, you wound me... but the night is still young," she joked, though truly she had no intention of fighting anyone in the present moment. "Emi! With me..." Artoria said to her younger sister the Queen of Saints. Of course, Jeanne D'Arc rose without a second thought following heading up to her sister's side with a wide smile on her face. "Oh? Are we having a meeting?" she asked seeming to find this gathering just as strange as the first time such a thing had happened. Artoria nodded, picking up her cup with one hand and preparing to depart to this secondary room with the others.

[Bloodedge]

"We shall see," Gilgamesh concluded. Whether Artoria's choice was a terrible one, or the only one truly worthwhile, would one day be discovered by the pair of them... perhaps. For now, there was no immediate cause for concern either way. There was wine to be drunk, a celebration to finish, and apparently generosity to be offered on Gilgamesh's part. What would he have to say about this notion? "Of course my magnanimity should know no bounds when my darling bride is on the receiving end," he said jovially.

Nefertari was clearly excited to flex her creativity, as some (such as Ozymandias) realized she always was. Perhaps she would be even more elated to discover that the project Gilgamesh had in mind for her was, in fact, not something that anyone without foresight could have anticipated. He sought clothing for Artoria, yes. Some however, were for a physique she'd never possessed, which dwarfed even her physically mature younger sister. Some were for her current physique, but a more magical guise. More were matched to her current physique, but were more suited to an assassin of the night. She would soon learn of what he desired, whenever he gathered the materials and transported such a massive payment. First though, there was apparently a meeting to be had, and still the potential for Ozymandias to witness combat at a banquet. Hope was to be held as five holders of the Holy Grail stood and moved toward this alleged "VIP section" constructed by the pharaohs. Only a few treks from the dining hall was a large room draped in velvet and threaded electrum, with what appeared to be several couches arranged in the center of a round bar. Off to one side was a large harp, presumably from somewhere ridiculous like Gilgamesh's treasury if one considered the fact that it played itself. Ozymandias was the first to take a comfy sofa for himself, stretching an arm across the area his queen was expected to inhabit. "Alright then. What sort of situation warrants five mighty ones?"

[Apollymi]

Ah, right. According to the King of Heroes, they would see, probably when they had a real discussion about Artoria's plans. She felt she owed him the truth of her unavailability. If she gave it to him, perhaps he would be content to leave her to the path she walked, without becoming the only thing she might regret. Apparently, his generosity was there specifically for her, as his presumed future bride. "Oh to be so certain..." she said with a casual roll of her eyes.

Soon enough this gathering was in a nice 'VIP' type of room, with couches and it was obvious that Nefertari was apt to show off. The Queen of Knights current outfit was proof enough to Artoria that such creations were what she loved. Jeanne shared the same opinion after seeing the inside of the Holy Knights Headquarters. This VIP section they were now in was also proof of her creativity. There was even a harp playing itself, in gentle tones. Between the last memory of a room like this Artoria had, and the soft music her heart almost exploded in her chest. What a strange thing to remember, She could hide that though, just a gentle blink as she took a seat on a couch across from the Pharaoh Ozymandias. Artoria would drink out of her Grail now about halfway empty. Of course, Nefertari took her seat in the open arm space provided by Ozymandias, meanwhile Jeanne took a seat on one side of her sister.

Artoria for her part in this only had one way of speaking. Directly and not resting on ceremony with her word choice. Much like she would have spoken about anything with her Knights at her roundtable she had a candid conversation with these four about the nature of their current lives. "All five of us hold what this world considers a Holy Grail, though only four of us have seen the white room, I figured the information I gleaned from the voice within should be shared, at least between us," Artoria said. She sat with perfect dignity like a lady soon after with her hands clasped in her lap around the grail itself. "I asked the voice its origins and its actual powers, as well as about the grails and it enlightened me," she explained carefully. "The voice itself is the Nexus. And those of us with grails possess what it calls a 'key' to access it in some way or another. This is Divinity, above that of world gods or whatever else is naturally spawned within the world," she explained of the situation. "The Nexus itself has the power to change anything about the world, even things it does not truly understand and could not under normal circumstances access. But it is not completely infallible nor all knowing. It depends on those of us with keys to utilize it properly, including sharing the innovations of those of us who have talked with it. Do these things make sense?"

[Bloodedge]

It took less than a minute after entering this room for all to become situated. Ozymandias sat, Nefertari joined him, Artoria and Jeanne sat across from the pair, and Gilgamesh... stood? Yes, strangely enough, the King of Heroes remained standing with one arm akimbo, the other holding up the "Holy Grail" he drank from. He was the one Artoria spoke of─ the one who'd never witnessed whatever this "white room" was. The room, the voice that inhabited it, and even the name "Nexus" were strange to him. Ozymandias however, was still very familiar with all of these things. "Really? Strange, I'd never considered that before. It was very difficult to rationalize things while we were having none of our thousand questions answered," he griped. If not for the satisfaction of winning and sharing a Holy Grail, that would have been a very annoying visit. Oh well. He now had knowledge that he and these other four were above the "gods" of this world with their Nexus-granted form of Divinity. He'd become confident enough to proclaim such things anyway, but the confirmation was infinitely satisfying. "Haha! Hahahaha! Another milestone, and I didn't even know it! If that's how it is, we deserve another ascension! I will be the one to set the foundations!" Ozymandias himself was a bit drunk as well, mentally reaching for heights he didn't truly care for. Egypt was fine, as was the entire situation surrounding it. He was simply... smelling the flowers, so to speak.

As for Gilgamesh, he could easily say none of these things made sense. What Artoria explained was both ridiculous and useless to him thus far. So then, what would he make of it? "I have always been superior to those useless gods, regardless of whatever this Nexus thing is. My existing magnificence aside, the rest of you have acquired the means of altering the world as my envoys. What then does any of this matter? You've yet to give anything that should not already be known by all who sit here, apart from the meaningless name of a pointless and empty room."

[Apollymi]

Artoria continued drinking from her grail as Gilgamesh stood to the side of the rest of them. Her information was taken well enough by the Pharaoh, Ozymandias had something to say immediately, noting the lack of conversation from the voice itself. "I refused to do anything until my questions were answered, but that is my nature. It apparently has been having difficulties because it did not expect to deal with anyone before dealing with whoever it was waiting on," she explained of the Nexus itself. "You all were given fewer choices and lesser explanations. It was basically trying to problem solve and not properly capable of it," Artoria continued to explain. "You said it shared our innovations, what innovations?" asked Nefertari who seemd curious about the nature of whatever had been shared with the rest of the world. "And why did it answer you? I spent a long time in there and basically got nothing from it as well." asked Jeanne. Of course, Gilgamesh's words hit her ears and her eyes shifted over the top of her cup. She would answer the other two while processing some necessary information about Gilgamesh as well.

"The Nexus, King of Heroes, is essentially the biggest god this world can offer. The most absolute, though you should know what it is... that solves that particular curiosity. And explains so much about you..." said Artoria having come to a certain conclusion given her conversations with him and his speech. He knew who she was, but he didn't remember enough of himself. He'd spent so much time up here alone, he was hardly any of the person he was originally. "As for the questions presented," Artoria gave a sigh and lowered her cup. "It shares whatever innovations you had special to your forms when you ascended. It through Emi created Spiritual Foundation and the system of the Holy Knights, and took from me the ability to have a secondary of such a core, Minor Classes, you are welcome. I can assume the grail itself came from the King of Magecraft. As for the pair of you, I assume what you gave was the creation of 'Rulers', so thank you." Artoria said with a straight face. "As for why all of this matters, King of Heroes. The way the Holy Grail works as a system, has rules that extend beyond the barrier and battle. I am here to let you all know you can interact with the Nexus at varying degrees as you all have such divinity within you. And you... King of Heroes should because it has no idea who you are and thinks you stole your grail from the King of Magecraft," she said carefully. "As for why it answered my question, it acknowledges me as its sovereign and wishes to serve me. The other person it acknowledges as such is the King of Magecraft. So, it told me everything I wished to know about this world and offered me anything I wanted so I tested the limits of that..." Artoria explained of the whole situation. "The most important fact here, is that if you lose a fight and someone collects your Holy Grail, they can steal your key, and assume for themselves the power associated with it. This would have been a terrible thing to figure out in the middle of a heated battle." Artoria's words were ones she'd been thinking about for quite a long while. By her own thoughts, she probably owned Gilgamesh's grail after the first holy grail war she participated in, and then subsequently, lost her hold over it when losing a fight to the King of Heroes, granting his back to him. It would be like playing a player versus player match and dropping and picking up the same piece of loot multiple times, by her own reckoning. But this grail wasn't the sort of thing anyone wanted to drop, so she thought to warn them. While letting them know of the potential people who could figure this out if one of them happened to fall.

[Bloodedge]

It went without saying that Artoria Pendragon agreed to nothing prior to the answering of her questions. She exuded that sort of energy with every word she spoke, and even in the way she carried herself overall. "You don't say," Ozymandias said in the most joking form of sarcasm. Whatever the case, he was also made curious as to what sort of innovations the Nexus claimed from them. The identity of the "Ruler" Class made sense of Nefertari and himself. This Saint Graph thing seemed to be popping up all over the place when viewing other warriors as of late, and it made just as much sense that Jeanne d'Arc could be credited for that. As for Artoria's own contribution, apparently there was something about a secondary Class now? Ozymandias hadn't seen a new level in so long, he hadn't even checked for such a thing. "Ho─ that's quite a lot. I was right to deem the pair of you Mighty," the pharaoh proclaimed.

Meanwhile, the King of Heroes heard an explanation one could never have imagined in his position. What did the story of this Nexus explain about him, though? That would be something addressed later, but for now, there was a title of great annoyance mentioned. Some disembodied voice purporting itself a god thought his greatest drinking cup was stolen?! From that person?! Preposterous! "Hmph! As if that mongrel's items would even be half the quality required to enter my treasury. I once thought the Holy Grail was something worth acquiring, until discovering that the things you all war over are all cheap imitations of the Great Grail of Uruk. As always, mine is the genuine article," he said, taking the final gulp from his grail. One might note a legitimate difference between the "Great Grail of Uruk" as Gilgamesh called it, and the items possessed by the others in this room. Gilgamesh's in particular boasted a very different design, or lack thereof. It did not feature certain engravements found in the other grails, though its construction was of a uniquely flawless variety. Its very energy was... somehow different as well, as if it had yet to be filled by the war as those other three had been. "As for this Nexus thing, if it does not know of my greatness, then it is too far beneath me for any concern to be worthwhile."

It seemed a victor against one who wielded the Holy Grail, was somehow entitled to take that which made them so special in the first place. The likes of Gilgamesh and Ozymandias didn't seem very concerned about this at all. Still, the latter of them was rather annoyed to be finding this out only now. "Oh, wonderful! A thing meant to be omnipotent couldn't bother telling us the restrictions of our prize. So then, all of us are Rulers by law of these Holy Grails, but you are the Ruler of the Nexus?" There was a very interesting implication to be made here. Gilgamesh always claimed to be the king of everything, and now Artoria had essentially been deemed... the queen of everything. Surely he wasn't the only one thinking this was preordained by fate itself. Ozymandias even shifted his eyes in Nefertari's direction as if to share his thoughts with her, before clearing his throat and continuing. "Well, ye Mighty, I'm guessing that's the most important information you have for us today? How are we supposed to use this key you keep mentioning?"

[Apollymi]

Jeanne was almost appalled. Much like Ozymandias she found the idea of her sister, not doing what the Nexus wanted until she had her questions answered to be well within her personality in general. Even so, watching this young woman just casually sip wine with a smugness on her face that Jeanne herself recognized as victory was annoying. "It figures. I spend ages telling you to be good, figuring you're going to try and fight a disembodied voice, and you somehow are the only one who it will bend to," Jeanne looked almost adorably pouty making Artoria reach over and flick her nose with her finger tip. "No pouting from you, Emi. The voice itself seems to be trying to grow to accommodate all of us. Besides our patron Saint, you have quite a bit to offer the world, leave wrangling strange voices to me," she said in a moment of sibling bonding that saw the Queen of Saints curled into the Queen of Knights side like she was the smaller of them. Of course, Artoria would go on to drink even with an arm up to pet her younger sister's head.

All the while, Nefertari watched and heard out the information being passed along. It was a lot to take in, but the world did seem to be evolving with every grail won. It would seem like it might eventually become a problem if someone who didn't suit their group would randomly win one. And there was no telling considering how such things took place. She'd give it a bit of thought while the King of Heroes, went on his rampage about his cup and its nature compared to the others. All the while, Artoria took careful sips. She remembered this man descending in golden armor making such claims to her about the Holy Grail she won for her sister with the strangest kind of fondness. "That cheat of yours is probably the main reason for the confusion. The Nexus only seems to understand things that predate it in a strange sort of way," she said with a little smirk on her face. The original form of the Hero-King Gilgamesh was a different man in the other world. Everyone from there knew him and his original playthrough of a game before it was available to everyone else, as such his use of the system did technically predate the proper form of the Nexus. And given he wasn't thinking about this life and its connection to the original game, he might not realize all the nuances. He claimed the Nexus wasn't worth talking to if it didn't know who he was... well, that simply wouldn't do, especially not with the implications the Nexus made. She was sure such a thing could be used as ammunition. "It is fine if you do not wish to speak with the Nexus King of Heroes. But you cannot later be cross when people assume that the King of Magecraft is the match for my sovereign rule," she said before sipping more from her cup.

As if to further seal that thought into place, the words of Ozymandias were exactly the sort of thing to put that idea in anyone's head. "That does seem to be the case, according to the Nexus itself and what I was able to make it give me," Artoria mentioned as if this was a very calm conversation. Was that the most important information she had to give? Yes. Did she know how to commune with the Nexus. "That part is difficult. According to the Nexus each of us should be able to reach it, either in a smaller or bigger way. But I am unsure how it will work for you all, since your divinity is held within your own bodies. I hold a certainty I can force mine through the use of the tool I had my own divinity placed into," she said softly. Jeanne gave it a bit of thought and shrugged. "I sometimes hear the nice voice when I talk to it, meditatively before sparring. Maybe it is a matter of personal choice? And why didn't you have yours put in your body?" Jeanne was practically shocked she'd not placed her power within herself, but the truth of her sister meant she expected her to have had some sort of strange plan when making such a decision.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed there was an excuse for everything. This Nexus didn't know of Gilgamesh because he, or his things, predated it? It had some audacity. Worse still, were things to be assumed by everyone including the Nexus if he did not "introduce" himself to it. Was Artoria egging him on with her speech? There was a furrow to his brow, a narrowing to his eyelids, and an incessant twitch to one brow and the corner of his mouth. That lowly dog with his petty little crafts could never stand where he stood! He could especially never be allowed to act as king to Gilgamesh's own queen. So then... it seems any intended goading was doing the trick. Gilgamesh silently and angrily looked into the grail he held, forcing mana into it as if he intended to burst the thing. As if by sheer will and ire alone, he triggered an activation which would momentarily have the group of five sitting within the very same white room being discussed.

"Starving dogs nipping at the hand of their masters," Gilgamesh grumbled as the Nexus formed around them all. Ozymandias' mouth was open. He had been prepared to speak about the potential uses of these "keys" until... well, there was a sudden showing of one possibility. With that, he determined that the King of Heroes and the Queen of Knights could lord over each other's consciousness in different ways. Oh, they were going to be a fun pair eventually. Whatever the case, it seemed this was the genuine Nexus around them. "You've all returned, as well as another who is..." Another twitch came to Gilgamesh's brow during that disembodied voice's greeting. He would not let that statement finish. "Quiet, cur!" he yelled. There was a sudden hesitation to the Nexus' voice, as if it were a child being chastised. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh continued, even pointing an accusatory finger into the void above. "Hear me, you bodiless tool! I, Gilgamesh, am the one true king of this plane! Banish that bastard Solomon from my domain immediately!"

The Nexus was... confused? It had never interacted with this man before, but the Grail he had was Solomon's... yet somehow older. If it had a physical form at present, it would have been looking toward Artoria pleadingly. "I do not understand. The King of Magecraft is the creator of my keys. He cannot be banished so long as the key is his; however..." To this, Gilgamesh only grimaced further. "You are allowed confusion before my magnificence. Disobedient mutts, however, will be punished accordingly. Tell me, you who purports to be above man and divine... is Gilgamesh not capable of flogging even a formless voice?" Strange. The Nexus was almost quivering. It felt as if this was the one it should listen to, whether his threatening attitude had anything to do with that or not. Either way, what brought about this necessity? "This... does seem to be my King. . ."