______________________Akkadian Empire______________________Zoo - Downtown District
Montana was more out of his comfort zone than Chen had expected. He’d been taking his time for the summoning and his entrance into the war, but he’d been here. Planning, anticipating and setting up his own base of operations. How else would he start a mission he had thought upon his first arrival in America of his life. After setting foot in the country, he could feel the heaviness of the atmosphere compared to his home. But then again, a vacation that was also work couldn’t be complained about.
Having secured a place to head for, the zoo’s closing hours had witnessed a Chinese man in a suit enter it’s gates, his purple tie standing out and matching his lilac hair that was slicked back to give some aura of professionalism. After a slight scuffle with some employees, he was permitted to talk to the manager, giving him his offer across with enough enthusiasm and complexity to keep the man occupied. The staff were certainly confused when it was announced that a third party would be coming to take care of the moderation and maintenance of the zoo whilst they were all given two weeks of leave. The manager himself, never left the zoo that night with everyone else. Security attended as usual but unfortunately for them they let Chen approach them with ease.
He sat upon a bench now, wiping his hands with a handkerchief again after cleaning up the summoning circle. The zoo had been a perfect place, but he wouldn’t dare kill any animals himself to use as his material for the circle to summon his heroic spirit, fortunately those security guards were squishier and more unprofessional than he had expected. Chen would be the first to admit he was impressed with what he had accomplished, The order would be impressed by his summoning alone and even if he survived the war without success, he was sure that he would be awarded more than he needed for his grand plans. He had acquired a great relic from the ancient Order as requested and with the relic by his side now after using it for the ritual, the great Mesopotamian hero answered his call yet, now he had set about his business. Chen still looked on at the Servant and spoke up after his silence following the summoning.
“Great Sargon, forgive my uh let's say negligence, but remind me of your class?” He asked with a nervous grin as he took a bite from the sandwich he had brought with him chewing it and swallowing it before speaking again.
“Of course it’s not that important, we can acquire victory either way of course” Chen looked to him with thoughtful eyes. He didn’t know much about the Akkadian empire or Sargon but what he did know was impressive. He wondered if Sargon would live up to his name in battle.
“My class?” The man spoke, softly at the moment. It was soft because he was comfortable. Upon his summoning less than an hour ago he’d set his mind at ease by finding the only animals that he could compare to his own magnificence. It was a simple manner for the man to tame such… ‘Wild beasts.’ And as he leaned back, Sargon rested himself against the belly of a lioness, while another rested by his side. In total, the man possessed a full pride, all resting beside him with comfort alongside their new master.
“It’s Rider.” Sargon said, all while his fingers drifted through the golden fur of one of the beasts. Far more golden than one would expect, and befitting the King of Battle.
“You speak of acquiring victory as if it is the end goal. Rather, it is merely one of many goals, with dominion over others, and conquest of the land as the true end goal.” He raised a hand, one that wasn’t preoccupied with his pets, and raised it in Chen’s direction. In it materialized a goblet, filled to the brim with a red wine.
“The grail can be considered something to dominate. Even if we win each battle, it is still possible to fail to conquer the grail.” He spoke a bit like a sage. Or perhaps a man who saw conquest as the one true philosophy in life.
This may have come off as more inspirational, if not for a lion cub walking by with an arm ripped from the bodies of one of the guards that Chen had killed earlier. Mauling it with adorable claws, and cute fangs until the male cub was drenched in sweet, crimson blood.
Sargon smiled, and then laughed. His cup raised to his lips when he was done enjoying the lion’s first feast.
“I like this one. He is full of fire.” Sargon said, having drained half the goblet in one go.
“That one shall be our new mascot. What do you think?”Chen looked up from his perch and listened to Sargon’s little speech, observing him as he spoke. How glad he was he at least got a talker, he was terrified he would have been cursed with a Berserker who only talked in grunts and flashy acts of aggression that lacked the subtlety that Chen prided himself with. He turned over his sandwich and finished it, looking to the King of Battle’s goblet of wine with a smirk and tilted his head.
“He would make for a pretty fitting mascot that’s for sure. The young cub, already with the taste of blood on his tongue and ready to take on the world.” He smirked a little bit and rocked slightly, wondering what their first move would be subconsciously, then realized right now he had to focus on what his servant had to say.
“Let’s say we fail to conquer the grail, yet we did win every battle, would you say that’s a loss or a gain? To you is the grail a means to an end or is it just the final battle of a King who wanted one last good fight?” Chen asked this with a certain look of curiosity.
“You see Rider, if I fail to conquer the Grail it’s not over for me, I can grow and adapt and sue the experience, I wonder if you feel the same about it” he nodded to him and then to the cub.
“Lucky for him, I kept the janitor alive, more obedient than one would expect, but alive”“That is a complex question.” Sargon said after a long pause. Having finished his wine. Only a little of the red wine still remained in that goblet, swishing around as the Rider gave it a swish in his hand.
“I guess you will just have to wait and see.” He declared, shifting about and slowly rising. A lioness raised her head off his lap as he stepped over another.
In the corner of the room lay another lion. The male. It was no longer moving, and Sargon let out a sigh.
“Good, it’s finally dead. We can begin.” He said, raising the head just a bit more, till scarlet blood dripped into his empty goblet.
“Chen, I shall begin work on getting my weapons ready.” He said, never once referring to Chen as a master. He was, if anything, an ally. To call him a master of himself would be, to Sargon, the ultimate act of submission. And he, as the original master and conqueror, did not find himself submitting to others. It had become too embedded in who he is.
Next, he walked away, and within a minute, as Chen was left with Sargon’s pride of lions to watch over him, the bleating of a goat could be heard echoing through the area, until silenced. Sargon returned later, alone. The goblet gone and the blood with it. Grabbing the lion’s body, he threw it over his shoulder, and finally the lionesses stood to join him. Sargon walking off to work on more of whatever it was he had decided to focus on for the time being.
“If you are interested, feel free to follow. We’re going to be busy. And then… We’ll have to find a leyline.” He explained, adjusting his cape as he did so.
“We may also want to meet the other servants and masters in this war. An alliance in an early stage of the war is best. Since it will give us access to a greater network of information.” It was simple planning to be honest.
Chen watched the pride of lions around him with a slight nervous nature in his smile that he offered them. Was this how it felt to be out of his depth? Chen always thought growing up he was in a lion’s nest of men and women willing to kill him to further their own ego and will, yet now he realized the real danger that lay beyond his world. It was Sargon who was in another time, but Chen felt like everything had changed for him more than he had expected.
With the return, Chen looked to Rider and got to his feet, brushing off his suit pants and nodding.
“I have a means of easy communication with other masters, I’ll begin sending out some familiars with those means. I do believe I could secure us a leyline at the same time which would be the best possible option two birds with one stone as it were” He smirked and began flicking his playing cards from his sleeve into his hand and flicking them between each other.
“As much as I would like to witness you at work, I’ll be a little preoccupied, I have a few matters of my own to lay out for this war, as amazing as your power is Great Sargon, I can’t simply rely on that.” he nodded and walked from the pride of lions and when he was far enough away, three birds fell to him and he slipped cards onto their feet, attaching them with string and sending them off. One card for each bird.
