THE King’s gratitude.

The different media that portrayed him were but a rude caricature of the man, be it animation, games, or movies, a plain mockery once the real Gilgamesh stands before me, if bodybuilders and models knew of him, rivers of blood would form from their tears, I am not a jealous man but... I certainly am shedding some as well. And so does everything that lay in front of him.

From the light of the writing on the walls, to the very air between us, the aura of power, of domination that flowed from him was overwhelming, everything on his factions, on his exposed muscles who were as chiseled marble put the artist of my world, the depictions of gods, to utter shame, he was the all-encompassing declaration to the world that HE was, the medium beard was just as the figures on the walls depicting the gods, his voice deep yet soothing, the epitome of human greatness given flesh.

 So I found myself with the urge to kneel in front of him, it was instinctive as if a compulsion to obey was ingrained into me, just the same as...HER, but it was stronger this time that my body and mind were present at the same time, were I any younger or any more stable, I would have simply done that but I refused to kneel before him, because it was pressure like hers, and I am an American, and Americans kneel only before god, and as impressive as he was, a god he was not, THE GOD, he was not. 

At that moment I could feel the power weighting down on me, unlike the sad excuse of a goddess, this pressure was suffocating, I did not feel any kind of malicious intent from him at the moment, but it was hard to stay focused nonetheless.

"myyy, name, (breath) is, maarcuus, (breath) acker"

I barely squeezed the words between heavy breaths keeping a leveled look directly at his eyes, If I was to die here and now, I will go defiant until the end, cursed be the void and shit-star waiting for me.

So, on my meager legs, I stood to HIM, the king of Uruk, I was tired of being afraid, and constantly mulling over my mortality, and if I am right, kneeling only will make things worse.

The king of gold was always depicted as an arrogant man, be it in his own myth, or in everything else, but a fool he was not, the wise king as later came to be known was a judge of character, a ruler and a tyrant, to simply accept and submit, would mean the end of any sort of respect he could give.

Silence settled in the room and the pressure got worse, his amused face was now a glare and the maliciousness that was lacking came in full force, but still, a marine stands his ground, a soldier looks death to the face and smiles, years of training, induction of the core and years of war made it possible, I will not go as a pansy on my knees.

And so, smirk I did, to the face of king Gilgamesh, there was something definitely wrong with me, beyond stain-star mind pollution.

"You dare to smile to my face? after my welcome, you DARE to stand before your king you MONGREL?" 

He said while shouting at the end 'so this is really how he speaks?' I thought, and replied accepting my fate, the waves of killing intent came like an endless raging ocean of power where the gold in the walls reflected the king's wrath, as an extension of his endless will. 

"You, are, (breath) not (breath) my, (breath) king"

'I did it, I am going out with a bang ' was my last thought before the silence turned to a bombastic laugh, animating the hall in a supernatural joy that replaced the tension as sun erasing the dream, the legendary gil-laugh, the sound generating echoes everywhere in the downed city of uruk and so, I could breathe again.

"Very well Marcus Acker, you are, at the very least not a common mongrel, and have good eyes, defiant to the end? but I am certain your death will not be of use for me or my kingdom, be at ease, there is much to discuss, Marcus Acker and you shall give me your full attention"

 His tone was demanding, but not one born out of arrogance, rather, the commanding voice of a ruler, that held the calling to end the world in his voice, and maybe it did, EA is a thing after all.

"Very well, king Gilgamesh, you have my attention" 

he snarled in what was an amused tone, finding entertainment in my defiance.

"There are things of great importance we must discuss, but first, before I decide to either enlist your help, or send you back to the void, explain yourself, (the deathly aura returned in full with a scowl and a shining glare) what. do. you. mean. by... gil-chan? and what is, ... a waifu?"

All blood drained from my face and me very being started to shiver, just how do you explain to a man that regal, about the existence of a waifu? and worse, of him being made into a waifu?

'crap'

After some cautious and tip-toeing conversation, explaining what type-moon had done and the happenings with the stain goddess, the boisterous laugh of the king returned 

"So, you mean to tell me the useless goddess was jealous of my female self, to the point of cursing you to this world? And with more curses, just the ways of the old hag bhuahahahaha"

' Did he just say extra courses? she took more than just my ball´s primary function? I´m gutting you with a spoon shitt-star with a god damned spoon '

"As hilarious as this is, I must conclude the entertainment and tell you why are you here, why you were not cleaned out of my city by the barrier, YOU Marcus acker, were brought here with a new body by the idiot, as it seems she didn´t care to see what she was doing while ranting. One can never underestimate how much she can ruin herself, she has a special skill to trip over herself, she sent you making a body from the likeness of my people, and into the walls of Uruk nonetheless, the barrier would have erased you in that instant, if not for her carelessness, you Marcus Acker are the last living vestige of the great Uruk, do you see the implications?"

The idiot aside, this was very big news and it took some time to register, the king never losing its smirk and waiting for me to assimilate everything

"That would mean the idiot wanted me dead at arriving, and that the barrier remains active, but how?"

Gilgamesh sight remained into my eyes as he gave a bomb of information drop.

"No, Marcus Acker, killing you is far too little for the capabilities of this barrier, it was going to erase your existence, your soul if you had trespassed without a body, you are an anomaly, have you not been one of my own, the soul that was saved from the void would be in the path to nothingness alongside your brethren heroes"

Apparently, to the king everyone that mocked Ishtar enough to grant a direct intervention to get erased was a brave hero of the Sumerian people, courageous enough to change her reflection or in fgo terms; Her saint graph was forever changed in the realm of spirits and souls and thus, forever will be an a-cup with twin tails and a cute flat bottom.

"It may seem to us mortals, a trivial thing, but to the gods, or at least those who call themselves as gods and have any right doing so, it is a matter of more than life and death, they are unchanging beings, the only way to change them, is by changing the reflection on the realm of spirits and souls"

This was ringing many bells form that one off in the outer, and I didn't like where this was going.

"And to do so you must modify their concept, the very thing at the core of their existence is the perception that the spiritual beings have of them, that is why it is the only way to damage them in the long run, that being why I instituted the festival of Akitu, to mock Ishtar when I was alive, and your people did it, you avenged our generations, my friend… and did so at the cost of yourselves"