How I Saved History (Fate/Grand Order SI)

[Velk]

Yeah, to be honest... I'm like one or two chapters way from dropping this myself. We get it, you hate Nero and you are willing to tank your story to show how much you hate her.

Move on.

 

[Charles Flynn]

"The battle's going well," I comment, staring out over the duplicate of Rome.

"Indeed." Galahad confirms. "Aside from that part where the entire goddamn legion defected the minute Romulus showed his face."

"Well, we'd already got most of the Servants by then. We didn't need the meat shields for much anymore."

"I have several issues with that tactical assessment, starting with you referring to our (now-deceased) former comrades in arms as 'the meat shields.'"

"Hey, call a spade a spade." I look out over the city again. Gaius Mucius Scaevola, Tarquin Superbus, Marcus Aurelius, Numa Pompilius, Tullius Hostilius, and Scipio Africanus. Each and every one of them was a dangerous and deadly foe, whom we only defeated mostly by dint of picking them off one at a time and ganging up on them. Now, only Romulus remains. Tullius Hostilius was seriously dicey, though. Largely because his Noble Phantasm let him summon triplets.

'Master. Nero and I have engaged Romulus and Profes-'

'Kojirou?' Shit. That's not good. I immediately begin dispatching Servants to his last known location when, six minutes after losing contact with Kojirou, I hear the roar.

"Flynn? What was that?" Galahad asks from beside me.

"The sound of me winning, of course!" Lev announces from directly behind me. We spin around to face the traitor, Galahad putting himself between me and Lev. "Relax, relax! I come not to fight, but to gloat!"

"Of course you do," I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. "So, care to lecture us on how you attained your inevitable victory, Professor?"

"So glad you asked!" he cheers, with a jovial grin. I suddenly realize he doesn't have the Grail on him. "So, there I was, minding my own business with my good buddy Romulus, when all of a sudden, the Emperor Nero and that Samurai guy of yours showed up! Well, the samurai guy died pretty quick, but Nero managed to kill Romulus! With some handy assistance from me shooting him in the back, of course. Then, I, ever the graceful loser, gave her the Grail, along with a warning or two about how she died and her empire went to shit! Aaaaaaaaaaand then she manifested the Beast of Revelations for some reason. Did not see that coming, let me tell you." He laughs at that. "Ah. And now you have a choice, oh Master of Chaldea. Kill her and collapse history, or let her kill you and destroy history herself! Either way, I'm glad I brought my popcorn!" At this point, Galahad loses his cool and tries to bash Lev's head in with his shield, only for the cross-shaped bludgeon to pass ineffectually through the illusion, dissipating it.

Well, shit.

'All Servants, retreat from the city! Pass on the message to all allied Servants as well! We need to revise our plans!'

 

[Reven]

Well crap. Sadly I only have passing knowledge of FGO main plot having kept getting side tracked by the special events. Did Nero becoming a beast actually happen?

Also I understand the hate of this Nero but servant Nero seemed more realistic almost worthy of being a bigger boobed saber face.

Also kinda curious what is happening at base. Bar boys must be losing their shit having gone that long without booze. Or they have figured out how to make moonshine.

Or have the A team been sending back booze when they get the chance?

 

[Velk]

Did Nero becoming a beast actually happen?

Click to shrink...

Nope.

 

[nick012000]

Nope.

Click to shrink...

Well, the Beast gets summoned in Fate/Prototype.

https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Beast_(Fate/Prototype)

Apparently she gets killed by an Excalibur blast - and since I don't think that Grand Saber has shown up in FGO yet, it's entirely possible that Grand Saber might show up to stop her.

Alternately, Xuanzang might activate her Buddha Mode Noble Phantasm at the cost of her life and beat some enlightenment into Nero's thick skull - or maybe just imprison her under a mountain for a few hundred years next to Sun Wukong. This would be taking place at about the same time as Sun Wukong's original imprisonment, after all - though that might cause a new Singularity 500 years later due to the alteration to the Journey to the West by adding a new character to the adventuring party.

 

[Tuvarkz]

Well crap. Sadly I only have passing knowledge of FGO main plot having kept getting side tracked by the special events. Did Nero becoming a beast actually happen?

Click to shrink...

No, and iirc she's using Imperial Privilege to qualify for Saber (instead of her natural Rider class) precisely to avoid it.

 

[Charles Flynn]

We reconvene on a hill outside the city, watching the many-headed beast shamble forth from the false city of Rome, Nero on its back.

"How the fuck did we screw up this badly?" I ask nobody in particular.

"Ah! A very complicated question!" Lev says from behind me. I don't even bother turning, since this is the fifth time he sent a projection of himself to gloat. Might actually learn something from this, though, so I forestall my Servants from breaking the illusion again. "I suppose it mostly comes down to you completely ignoring Nero. It left me an opportunity to win her over to my side, once you'd managed to so thoroughly alienate her."

"What?"

"You really think that she normally beats and enslaves her military commanders for contradicting her?" he asks, before breaking down laughing. "Of course you do! You hate her! You think she's incompetent pest! And you're right, at least where military matters are concerned. But where politics are concerned, she's not half bad. And she saw somebody who was nowhere near as good at concealing his disdain for her as he thought he was constantly sidelining her, winning her generals over to his side, and increasingly usurping command of her forces. But, at the same time, she couldn't get rid of you, because your little band of Servants was carrying her forces to victory." He smiles, his affable demeanor a sharp contrast with his vicious mockery. "It was almost boring, how easy you made it to stoke her paranoia and sense of inadequacy until she would lash out at you. And then, when I gave her the Grail, it was a simple matter to persuade her that you were her enemies." He holds out a hand, and an image of me talking to Boudica appears. "Really, Charlie, I couldn't have done it without you! Thank you so much!"

I take a swing at him, making the illusion dissipate, before turning to face my Servants, who are all looking about as horrified as I feel right now.

"Guys, I'm sorry." I look down at the ground. "I fucked up."

"We all did, Master." Georgios says, laying a hand on my shoulder.

"I actually thought she wasn't all that bad," Xuanzang volunteers, earning a great number of disbelieving looks. "The ego is actually kind of endearing once you get to know her."

I snort. "Maybe." I look down at the collar. "Georgios, get this thing off me. It's time we figure out just how we're going to stop the apocalypse."

 

[Charles Flynn]

As I walk towards Nero, flanked by my Servants, Lev (of course) comes out to gloat.

"So, what'll it be, champ? Accepting your inevitable demise? Or do you just want to kill her so much that you're willing to end all of humanity in the process?"

"Knife to the head." I reply, not breaking my stride.

"Knife to the head? That wasn't one of the-" the illusion cuts out.

'Target eliminated, Master.'

'Good job, Cursed Arm.'

The Beast doesn't precisely turn to face us as we approach it so much as it grows a couple hundred eyes in order to look at us. I suppress a shudder, and keep walking. Georgios, Xuanzang, and Galahad are still with me.Boudica and Jing Ke as well. We drew a Summoning Circle and sent Vlad and Tamamo back to Chaldea to clear up my mana flow before setting out. And, of course, we called in our ace in the hole.

"So. The traitors have come to meet their end!" Nero calls, gloating cheerfully.

"Ah! Emperor Nero! So glad to see you! I came to apologize, actually."

She blinks. "For... the treason?"

"Well, no, I'm not actually a Roman citizen, so it's not actually treason. I actually came to apologize for not trying to understand you."

She clears her throat awkwardly. "I'm... really not hearing a lot of reasons to not just kill you right here and now."

"Oh, don't worry, I don't actually mind it if you try to kill me, but first I have two magic words to share with you, words that'll stop you dead in your tracks." I grin. Come on, take the bait, if I get the timing right this will be epic.

"And those magic words would be?" she scoffs, raising one eyebrow.

"Rule Breaker."

"Rule Breaker?" she repeats skeptically.

"RULE BREAKER!" Medea of Colchis bellows as she stabs the Emperor of Rome in the back.

The Beast begins to crumble, and Nero, apparently caught by the whiplash of losing her lifelong connection to it, passes out, the Grail falling from her hands.

And Medea, who, filicidal witch or not, is rapidly becoming my favorite Servant, grabs both the Grail and the unconscious Nero, her cloak flaring out like wings as she descends.

"Thanks, Medea." I call, as Galahad slots the Grail into his shield. "I really just wanted this Singularity to be over at this point."

She smirks. "Anytime, Master."

 

[EVA-Saiyajin]

...huh.

 

[Kapellan23]

Veni, vidi, vici.)

 

[Charles Flynn]

Regarding Septem:

I got the sense that the general consensus was that Septem was running too long and the votes turbae were for it to be over as quickly as possible. So, I basically put my plans for the arc on fast-forward in order to resolve it as swiftly as possible. Questions are welcome.

 

[Luciel Ars]

Seeing the First 2 singularities finish so quickly, I believed the rest would be the same.

The Septem singularity got dragged a bit too long.

I was looking forward to your MC doing a short work of the singularities; Someone doing a short work of singularities and making fun of Goetia's long thought out path to victory along the way would have been a fresh breath of air on the train of feels that is FGO.

 

[Charles Flynn]

Seeing the First 2 singularities finish so quickly, I believed the rest would be the same.

The Septem singularity got dragged a bit too long.

I was looking forward to your MC doing a short work of the singularities; Someone doing a short work of singularities and making fun of Goetia's long thought out path to victory along the way would have been a fresh breath of air on the train of feels that is FGO.

Click to shrink...

Fair enough. To be honest, though, doing that would just feel cheap to me. The Self-insert's not actually a superior Master to Fujimaru. He's more of a tactical thinker, is more ruthless, and has a better grasp of mythology and history, sure. But at the same time, he lacks a lot of Fujimaru's most effective qualities: the empathy and character that inspired a lot of his more troublesome Servants to try to be better people, the open and trusting mind that lets him make allies out of just about everyone, and his general charisma. Sure, Charlie can be persuasive when he puts his mind to it, and knows his target well, but Fujimaru does it effortlessly and automatically, largely because he's a generally social and compassionate person.

Beyond even that, though, Charlie's a lot more familiar with history and mythology than Fujimaru, which means he has a lot of preexisting biases. As seen with Nero, that can seriously hamstring him. In short, while he managed to breeze through some of the earlier Singularities, his less social nature and tendency to alienate and dismiss potential allies means he's likely to end up shooting himself in the foot and wind up without powerful allies when he runs into a problem that can't be solved by stabbing the enemy in the back.

 

[Luciel Ars]

-Snip-

Click to shrink...

So we can look forward to some of that sweet sweet character development in the near future.
It would be cool of mc getting buddy with Spartacus and his reaction to summoning Nero in Chaldea
On another note, I have taken quite a liking to your take on FGO.
Thank-you for your Good Work.

 

[Charles Flynn]

After Rome, well, we spend about a month twiddling our thumbs. Honestly, I really needed the break.

Of course, in between summoning new servants (mostly to flesh out our missing staff. Currently, we're trying to summon a janitor, which has been hard, because Heroic Spirits who won't kill us on the spot for even suggesting they clean our floors are few and far between) I took the time to get to know the ones I had already called forth.

---​

",,.and then John Henry said, 'A man ain't nothing but a man. But I'll beat that machine of yours, or die with a hammer in my hand.'"

"Excellent!" Spartacus cheers, clapping me on the back and nearly breaking half my ribs. "A valiant man indeed! Truly, a hero who stood against oppression! What happened next?"

I'd started off by telling him a bit about how slavery was illegalized in America. Then, I started telling him about the Civil War, and things just kept going from there. He's a receptive audience, at least.

"Well..."

---​

"Medea? You in?" I ask after knocking on the door. It slides open, revealing the hooded Caster.

"Hello, Master." she says after a few minutes of staring at me in silence. "Is there a reason you've disturbed me?"

"Nothing major," I assure her. "I was hoping you could help me with a project of mine."

She sighs. "I suppose I don't have much else to do. What specific Mysteries are you exploring?"

"Mysteries?" I blink. "Medea, I don't need your help because you're a Caster. I need your help because you speak Greek."

She furrows her brow. "What?"

"I've been translating the lost works we picked up in Rome during my free time," I explain. "Problem is, some of them are written in Greek. And even the ones written in Latin have a bit of Greek sprinkled in, because the authors thought it made them sound cooler or something. My Greek is... not that great, honestly. So I was hoping you could double-check my translations, and maybe give me a few pointers on how to handle the language. If it's not too much trouble, that is."

I'm still not entirely comfortable around her, but she did save the world in Rome. I think I can give her the benefit of the doubt.

"So... you want the help of me, a magus from the Age of the Gods... not to teach you lost secrets of magic, but to double-check your translation?" her voice has taken on a strained edge.

"I mean, yeah. I honestly don't trust the whole 'Magecraft' thing. Seems inefficient to me. So, are you in? The other Servants could probably read it, gift of tongues and all, but I'd really prefer to consult with a native speaker."

She starts laughing, leaving me honestly unsure on how to respond. After a solid minute, she recomposes herself. "That sounds... relaxing. I suppose I might as well help you."

---​

"How's the lounge coming together, Mozart?" I ask as I approach. He's currently directing Asterios on where to set down the furniture we got out of the Rome Singularity.

"Exceptionally well!" he calls in answer, grinning like a loon. "This fluffy fellow you've lent me has been quite the help."

Asterios grunts.

"Good to hear. Any requests?"

"Could you get us a piano?"

"I'll... see what I can do."

---
​

But, beyond the Servants we've already summoned, we also gain a plethora of new allies in our month of relative inactivity.

And not a single one of them is willing to swallow their pride enough to mop the f*cking floor.

​

---​

"Servant Assassin. Sasaki Kojirou."

"Good to have you back, Assassin."

He blinks. "Have we met?"
​

---​

"Servant Rider. I heard your call, and came to join." Boudica grins. "Good to see you again, Flynn."

"You too." I grin back in response.

She looks cautiously at Cu (the Spandex Lancer version), Cursed Arm and Asterios, all standing between me and the Summoning Circle. "Am I in trouble for something?"

"Oh, no, not really. They're mostly just here as a safety precaution, or to put down any of the more unstable Servants." I give her my best disarming grin. "Anyways, I'd love to show you around, but I've got to stand through the rest of this summoning. Go down three doors to your left, and talk to Dr. Roman. He'll find something for you to do."
​

---​

"I AM ROMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"That's lovely, Romulus." I clear my throat and then take the plunge. "Would you happen to have any trade skills?"

He laughs, posing like he's the long-lost fifth Pillar Man. "I founded a city which grew to rule the world, Master. My skills surpass all! None may equal the glory of ROMA! AND ROMA IS MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"That's... lovely." I manage. "But... could you maybe try your hand at being an electrician, since you've obviously proven yourself the best city-founder there is?" He looks at me, unamused. "it's just that the lights have been down in most of the corridors, and Lev blew up all the repair guys, so... You know what? Just go find Doctor Roman. Three doors down to the left."

"I like the sound of him already!"
​

---​

"Feast your eyes, for the Outlaw of Darkness has arrived!" the tattooed shirtless man announces as the light around him fades.

I stand in an awkward silence for a moment or two. "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are."

He blinks, and then sighs. "Yeah. Figures."

"I'll look it up, though!" I promise. "But, in the meantime, talk to Dr. Roman. He's-"

"Three doors down to the left, right?" the unknown.. I focus on his stats... Assassin interrupts. "The World included that in the infodump on Chaldea for some reason. Hell if I know why, though."
​

---​

"Archer-class. Arash Kamangir, at your service."

"Neat. You have any trade skills?"

"I'm a pretty good bowyer."

I sigh. "Do you think that could extend to making pianos?"
​

---​

"Berserker! Erik Bloodaxe! Death! Murder! Raaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"

"Wait." I hold up my hand to stop my guards from jumping on him and killing him. "King Erik Bloodaxe? From Egil's Saga?"

He nods, seeming to forget for a moment that he's supposed to be an insensible ragebeast.

"That's so cool! Do you have any trade skills?"

He shakes his head, slightly perplexed.

"Right. Go talk to Roman, but you'll probably end up keeping Spartacus company in the administrator's break room and making sure he stays out of trouble."

"Administrator's break room?" he asks, bloodlust seemingly forgotten. "I mean, death! Murder! Rawr!"

I raise an eyebrow, but answer the question anyways. "Yeah, the only admin left is Roman, and he barely uses it. Spartacus got it into his head that the elites were tyrannizing the masses by withholding the best resources, and now he's set up in there and refuses to leave. Says he's 'resisting the oppression of a class-based society' or something." I swear to God, if ever get my hands on whoever thought it would be funny to show Spartacus the Communist Manifesto... "But, anyways, Roman, lounge, shoo."
​

---​

"AH. My Christine." the gaunt figure I'm fairly sure is the Phantom of the Opera moans, looking straight at me.

"Cursed Arm!"
​

---​

"Servant Caster. True Name Paracelsus Von Hohenheim. I look forward to working with you." He smiles. Wait. I know who Paracelsus is, but... his last name's Von Hohenheim?

"Ha! I finally get it!" Ha! I got the joke!

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing, personal epiphany, go talk to Da Vinci. Take the stairs down two flights, hang a left, she'll be the third door on your right."
​

---​

"Servant Caster, I am. And my identity is none other than the inimitable William Shakespeare!"

I freeze.

"Master? Are you quite all right?"

"C-could I get your autograph?"​

 

[Reven]

So you need Emiya along with Edison or Tesla sadly they would kill each other!

Outside that having actual strategists could help.

Or GIl if you can convince him to pull out a Deus Ex.

Though question are you actually summoning at random or are you making this up as we go?

Outside that I remember you are also getting the items as well would be nice to see some use out of the more legendary items of great power.

On a different note I'm pretty sure the servants are not actually killed but are desummomed back to base.

 

[Charles Flynn]

So you need Emiya along with Edison or Tesla sadly they would kill each other!

Outside that having actual strategists could help.

Or GIl if you can convince him to pull out a Deus Ex.

Though question are you actually summoning at random or are you making this up as we go?

Outside that I remember you are also getting the items as well would be nice to see some use out of the more legendary items of great power.

On a different note I'm pretty sure the servants are not actually killed but are desummomed back to base.

Click to shrink...

The Servants are based on my own summoning luck in the game, although I am messing about a little with the order in which I summoned them.

 

[nick012000]

"I actually thought she wasn't all that bad," Xuanzang volunteers, earning a great number of disbelieving looks. "The ego is actually kind of endearing once you get to know her."

Click to shrink...

Yeah, it makes sense she feels that way. I mean, she did spend the Journey to the West hanging out with Sun Wukong, after all.



And speaking of which, I wonder if the SI is going to try to recruit Sun Wukong into working with Chaldea. Xuanzang would probably be able to pinpoint the mountain he spent 500 years stuck underneath, and he'd be like Merlin or Scathach in that he normally wouldn't be able to be summoned because he never died. He's also immortal five times over, so he'd probably survive the incineration of human history too, so all they'd need to do is send someone down to pick him up with a couple Rayshifts.

 

[Mr.Wizzard]

So if he ever happens to summon Nero for some reason, what kind of mental break can we expect?

 

[Darko]

Oh Charles you silly fool, you are going to regret not having Cursed Arm take Old Wils heart.

 

[Reven]

The Servants are based on my own summoning luck in the game, although I am messing about a little with the order in which I summoned them.

Click to shrink...

Ah well that Is some luck!

I thought you were using this honestly.

https://gamepress.gg/grandorder/summon-simulator

 

[Charles Flynn]

"Right. Servants-wise, all are happy and established, more or less. Points to be wary of are Spartacus, who's still occupying the Admin break room, and Erik Bloodaxe, who seems like a decent chap, but is also a murderous psychopath. He's still hanging out with Spartacus, though, so you'll be fine if you avoid the Admin breakroom." I conclude, flipping to the next page of my report. "That said, most of the Servants are helping as best they can, and the ones too crazy to function in polite society are all holed up in the admin break room."

Tom, current head of the electrical repairs division (Da Vinci's too busy to be bothered, so we just appointed the one guy who watched a whole bunch of do-it-yourself home repair videos once) raises a hand. "Why aren't you disposing of Spartacus? I mean, he's clearly unstable, and definitely taking up mana resources that could be better used elsewhere." He gets a few harsh looks, but it's a valid question, so I answer it.

"Well, firstly, my decision to keep him around is mostly motivated by my unwillingness to throw out a potentially useful asset." I explain. "Servants are all tools to a certain extent, and every last one of them is top of the line at what they do. Disposing of one prematurely is just wasteful, and could come back to bite us if we run into a problem that the discarded Servant could have solved easily. Just look at Medea, for example. The only reason we won the last Singularity was because we had the perfect Servant for the job directly on hand."

I see the others start to nod, so I keep going. "Further, keeping him around is good for morale."

Roman clears his throat. "How so?"

"It proves to the Servants, and, to a lesser extent, the human staff, that I'm not a tyrant. If I was running a controlling, police state type of deal, instantly disposing of any Servants who wouldn't obey me, or who cause trouble in any way, I would have immediately gotten rid of Spartacus, who's literally a physical embodiment of rebellion." I pause for a second, to catch my breath and think on how best to explain it. "By keeping Spartacus around, I let the other Servants breath a little easier and feel a bit more safe and secure in their positions here. I also reinforce their faith in my judgement, and their belief that the Servants I had killed immediately upon summoning them really were too unstable to work with, allowing me to dispose of the more hazardous Servants we summon without fear of censure."

I'm getting worried looks again.

"Also, killing him would be.... wrong. Because killing is bad."

Roman snorts. "Right, so, anything else?"

"Well, the lounge is halfway set up. We added the furniture we got from Rome in, to replace all the stuff that was destroyed in the bombing, and Mozart is learning his way around the pianbow."

"Pianbow?" Da Vinci repeats, clearly interested.

"Arash only makes bows and arrows. Sometimes those bows are also musical instruments."

"You know, Ben Franklin is compared to me a lot, and he invented his own musical instrument, but I don't think I ever got around to..."

Roman sighs. "Da Vinci, what did we agree about passion projects?"

"That they could wait until I got around to fixing the hot water." She mutters, looking crestfallen before perking right back up. "But I'm almost there, honestly! Tom's doing great at fixing the lighting, and I've almost got everything running again!"

"Then once 'almost' becomes 'already,' I'm sure your instrument will be wonderful." Roman assures her, before turning back to the room at large. "So, now that Charlie's wrapped up his report, we can move on to the main meat of the meeting. We need to resupply again. It's been a month, and we're running low on food and alcohol, the last partly because Charlie summoned a Viking a week ago."

"And a metric fuckton of mostly useless assorted weaponry." I grumble. "Oh, I should probably warn you that we had to make another junk closet. Just so we don't have another incident like the time the last janitor accidentally got stabbed by that hydra blood dagger."

"Poor Jack," somebody mutters.

"Yes, and let's try to avoid that. There's only twenty-four human beings left on the planet right now. We don't want that number to drop down into the 'teens.'" Roman says, reclaiming our attention. "Now. We need more food. And more booze. With regards to the other supplies, we're actually completely fine, though. Plenty more in our reserves from Rome. Honestly, though, we could get by for the next three months with no problems."

"But a limited diet and absolutely no booze make for poor morale." I add, picking up from there. "Not to mention, I'm pretty sure that Cu (all three of him) have a bit of a drinking problem, and I don't want to test whether Servants can go through withdrawal with the guy who's somewhat famous for freaking the fuck out and going on berserk rampages."

"Is this... okay?" Jessica asks quietly. "I mean, we'd be stealing from these people just so we'll be more comfortable. That's not something I'm okay with."

"Fortunately, we don't have to steal." Roman says. "We Rayshifted a great deal of money out of Rome, in addition to the material goods. It might not be the local currency, but gold is still gold."

"Yeah, we really took Nero for all she was worth." in hindsight, going behind Seneca's back and taking our frankly ridiculous list of demands straight to Nero was a bit of a dick move. We basically fleeced her out of half her treasury.

"So, we're just going to... buy what we need?" Jerry summarizes, looking outright relieved.

"Until the money runs out and we have to resort to banditry again, yes." I add. "Or until we end up in a time period where our money is functionally worthless. But it still opens up a lot of options." I turn to Roman. "So, where's the Micro-Singularity?"

"Ulster, in the year 22 AD."

 

[Darko]

Oh so we may be getting to see Medb soon.

Bet Cu, all three, will be so 'happy'

 

[Reven]

Well at least Cu can be of great help right now! Though their teacher might show up and demand they keep their promise. Or she follows them back in to help and the hopes one of them has the guts and power to follow through when it's all said and done.

 

[JustNewGuy]

Well that explains how Rome suffered a economic crisis back then.

 

[Charles Flynn]

Well that explains how Rome suffered a economic crisis back then.

Click to shrink...

That was mostly Nero blowing through the budget, actually. Previous emperors offset their expenses by going on military campaigns, and then robbing their new conquests blind. Nero was more of a lover than a fighter, and, as a result, ended up near bankruptcy and having to raise taxes. Which is the main reason everybody kept trying to assassinate her towards the end.

 

[Charles Flynn]

"Roman? Any signs of trouble?" I ask as I step out into the... I hesitate to call them streets, but... most popular footpaths? of Ulster. Negotiations have wrapped up, and we're good to go. On another note, I'm starting to really get why Conchobar mac Nessa was elected king. He might be a slimeball, but he's still remarkably charismatic in person, and a pretty good negotiator.

"None so far." he assures me, still on guard, as wary as I am of sudden complications. We both remember how bad our last supply run went, and we're not exactly keen on a repeat.

"Good. Keep watching." I turn to Caster, who's still at my side, unlike the other two Cus who both split off to walk through their old hometown once I didn't need all three of them on hand to keep Conchobar honest. "So, care to show me around?"

"Sure," he murmurs, slightly distracted.

"Are you okay?"

He sighs. "Not really."

"I'm sorry, then." I look out over the town. It's beautiful, and the air feels cleaner than any I've breathed before, but even so, it's not my home. "I shouldn't have brought you along, if it's painful for you."

He snorts. "Don't give me that. You asked, I volunteered. If anything, I should be cursing myself for being a fool. Not you." He sighs. "Still, she's as beautiful as ever. It only hurts when I remember I can't stay."

I pat him on the back. "Mind giving me a tour, then? Might take your mind of it."

"You really want to see the sights, huh?"

"Hey, it's not every day you get to see the home of Ireland's greatest hero."

"Flatterer." he squares his shoulders. "Well, for starters, I had my first warp spasm in that field over there."

---​

The tour goes well, and seems to cheer Cu up a bit, until we come to a small, thatched building.

"That... that was my house." Cu notes, his good cheer draining away and replaced with a sort of wistful, homesick longing. "Me and Emer spent our time there, when I wasn't away."

"What was she like?" I ask gently.

"She was-"

"Cu!" a well-figured redhead I can only assume to be Emer calls, looking out from the house's window. "Oh, good, you're back. What took you so long?"

She hurries out the door to meet with us. Her hair is pulled back in a tight braid, and her dress is an interesting shade of light blue. Cu stares at her in shock, his face a battlefield between fear and longing.

"Really, you were gone too long. And where's that horse, mister?" she frowns. "Look, if this was just an excuse to go sleep with Marach's daughter, you could have just said that. We both agreed that you wouldn't bother with the excuses, and you'd always come back, so-"

He kisses her, and she looks surprised, but leans into it after a second. Finally, they break apart, and she gives him a bemused look. "And what was that about, Mister?"

"Missed you," he replies, staring at her as if she's the only thing that matters in all the world, which wins an affectionate smile from her. I shift awkwardly, completely forgotten a few feet away from them and feeling like a voyeur.

"Idiot. You left ten minutes ago," she comments, her voice thick with amused exasperation. "Although, I wouldn't be opposed to that becoming our regular greeting."

Wait. Ten minutes ago?

Caster seems to suddenly remember exactly where he is, and opens his mouth to say something, before he's clobbered by a flying horse.

I turn my head with a sinking feeling in my gut, and see the one and only original Cu Chulainn, seething with fury.

"Hi honey." He says, his voice clipped, his face twitching with rage. "Back. Brought horse. Horse might be dead. Going to kill doppelganger. Might miss lunch."

Emer, for her part, is looking between her Cu and the now-groaning Caster in confusion.

And as Ireland's Greatest Hero lunges towards Caster, his muscles already twisting and bulging, I'm already running away as fast as I can.

 

[EVA-Saiyajin]

Oh. There's his shit Luck.

 

[Darko]

Celtic romance a truly beautiful thing.

Nice touch adding those little mentions about the myths, like Concobar being somewhat of a sleezebag because he sleeps around so much, but is also charismatic enough that men allow him to sleep with their wives and the wives accept him.Nice to see the relationship between Cu and Emer. She basically let him sleep around so long as he only loved her and he did.

Honestly their relationship is probably a model of a good mythological one. Both of them respect each other, Cu listened to her and became a famous warrior before marrying her etc.

Compared to other mythological relationships they were the model of a good one.

Also nice adding Cu's jealousy when men try to sleep with his wife. Though if he figures out it's a version of him he may be more forgiving and Emer gets four new Cu's to enjoy.

 

[Charles Flynn]

Celtic romance a truly beautiful thing.

Nice touch adding those little mentions about the myths, like Concobar being somewhat of a sleezebag because he sleeps around so much, but is also charismatic enough that men allow him to sleep with their wives and the wives accept him.Nice to see the relationship between Cu and Emer. She basically let him sleep around so long as he only loved her and he did.

Honestly their relationship is probably a model of a good mythological one. Both of them respect each other, Cu listened to her and became a famous warrior before marrying her etc.

Compared to other mythological relationships they were the model of a good one.

Also nice adding Cu's jealousy when men try to sleep with his wife. Though if he figures out it's a version of him he may be more forgiving and Emer gets four new Cu's to enjoy.

Click to shrink...

If they survive his wrath, that is. This is the original Cu Chulainn, after all, and he is most assuredly one of the Heroic Spirits that are weakened by becoming Servants. Three versions of Cu against their strongest possible incarnation. Their odds aren't looking good.