A/N: Not much to say really, other than I appreciate all the kind words and reviewers taking the time to thoroughly analyze my story. Thank you guys, it really helps with my motivation.
Disclaimer: Type-Moon created Fate and its branching routes; I do not own the characters.
CH.37: Eclipse
Arturia mentally went over her situation at lightning speeds. She was currently leaned up against a pillar, her breathing deep yet silent. Her emerald eyes glanced down to her forearm, seeing the sleek metal of her gauntlets dented and scratched. She bit in a frustrated growl, remembering the pain that shot to her bones when she blocked her opponent's opening strikes. She had hoped he would approach her arrogantly, but her hopes died when she saw the raw bloodlust in his eyes. It was chilling to see the eyes of a calm murderer staring at you indifferently, even to her. Her eyes shot up, growing in size as a claw tore through the pillar and remained beside her head, its owner waiting for her to move.
"Games are unbecoming of a knight Arturia." Lucifer coolly spoke, glaring through the smooth surface of the marble pillar. His claw was rested inches from her face, intentionally intimidating her into making a move. A slight smirk snuck onto Lucifer's features when he saw a flash of gold and white, the gleaming of a sword being raised into the air. He quickly spun around, tearing a chunk of the pillar off, using it to throw off his attacker. Caliburn whizzed past his face, the second strike being easily evaded as well. Lucifer's red eyes flashed, seeing the determination in Arturia's eyes, "What, nothing to say in return?" His face fell slightly, "How boring."
Arturia thrust forward, Lucifer falling for her tactic when he side-stepped. She smirked when Caliburn's point was driven into the wall. She quickly let go of Caliburn and swiped with her other, seemingly empty hand. She heard Lucifer snarl when he snapped back, the black armor of his chest possessing a deep cut. Invisible Air purred dangerously in her grasp, her other hand gripping Caliburn confidently. That was exactly what she needed: to damage Lucifer. This simple success gave her nerves all the confidence they needed, fully convincing her mind that he was, in fact, beatable.
Lucifer stared at Arturia with a blank expression, his empty hand fingering the cut in his armor, "Don't be too proud King of Knights," His expected smirk never came, "you have a long way to go before you make me bleed." He suddenly vanished, reappearing with his knee driven into the blonde's abdomen.
Arturia coughed, the severe and unsuspected impact knocking the wind from her lungs. Lucifer forced her to look at him, his hand placed firmly to her chin. She glared with as much disdain as she could muster, already planning her next move. Slowly, so she wouldn't draw attention, she dropped Caliburn, faking that the hit weakened her hold. Her hand closed again, another Invisible Air forming in her palm. Moving swiftly, she shifted and stabbed Lucifer with both Invisible Air swords, seeing his face falter. She leaped back, knowing that two stabs wouldn't finish him. However, to her horror, Lucifer's surprised face turned to one of triumph.
"Fool," Lucifer suddenly exploded into a cloud of dust, the claw raking across her back proving that she had stabbed a fake. Lucifer flexed the fingers of his gauntlet, seeing Arturia stumble forward after being attacked from behind.
The surprised knight whirled around, taking up Caliburn again, "Only a coward attacks from behind." Her eyes sharpened accusingly.
Lucifer snorted, eyes showing his lingering disappointment, "Only an idiot assumes their opponent will attack head on." He leaned against the pillar next him and scoffed, "I'm already getting bored; perhaps I should just look for Gallium myself." He looked up in mock thought, mentally smirking when he felt Arturia's anger towards the insult.
The bearer of Excalibur thought hard about what to do. Excalibur was too slow to summon, and Lucifer was throwing everything she tried right back into her face. Suddenly, she had the beginnings of an idea. A golden light appeared in front of her, illuminating the chapel even more. The light soon molded into Avalon, the sheath she trusted her life to. Avalon levitated in front of her, awaiting her bidding. Glaring towards the watching Demon Prince, Arturia attached Avalon to her forearm, Caliburn held at the ready.
With a spark of interest, Lucifer watched Arturia charge. Right before she swiped for him, Lucifer weaved around, completely dodging the strike. However, when he countered, Avalon stopped his claw with little effort. Curious, Lucifer weaved again, only to move into Arturia's striking range. Ducking under a horizontal strike, and leaning away from a back-swing, Lucifer observed carefully. A smirk appeared seconds after leaning back again, "Pretty solid, I can't find a good opening."
Arturia shoulder-checked him, leading with Avalon. Her eyes quickly glanced to the sword placed in Avalon, trying to determine a good time to use it. Her attention returned to Lucifer, recognizing the gleam in his eyes. Like a shadow, Lucifer was behind her, holding the arm that held Caliburn with a solid grip. Leaning forward, Arturia whipped her head back, meeting Lucifer's chin with a strange thud. Lucifer immediately released her, stepping back in surprise. An opening to Arturia. She turned around and slashed with Caliburn, this time the very tip leaving a shallow cut on his neck.
Lucifer leaped backwards, allowing a single Arturia to examine the cut she left. Unfortunately, it was too shallow to bleed out, but the fresh break of the skin was red, "Close," He whistled, the calm expression returning. Lucifer ran his hand through his white hair, eyes closed as if trying to calm down, "It's official," His eyes snapped open, "I'm bored of this."
Arturia's gaze never faltered, her stance only strengthening. Predicting a retaliation, Arturia jumped backwards just in time to dodge a strike, but the second caught her by surprise. Avalon saved her from a pointed strike to her throat, throwing her back and atop a strong pew. She stood on the long seat, carefully anticipating her footing. A snarl escaped from Lucifer, the warrior leaping at her like a beast. However, Arturia swiped at him, only to have four more leap at her also, 'Fakes,' She jumped down and ducked under the attacks, kicking the pew upwards to strike all the clones with one attack.
She was certain; skill was going to be what wins the fight. She rolled to her feet, ignoring the dust forming from the defeated imposters. She slowly got to her knees, an anxiety telling her to be very alert. A prick in her neck caused her to suddenly roll onto her back, looking up towards the high ceiling. Sure enough, clones of Lucifer loomed above, all leaping at the same time. Quickly getting to her feet, Arturia slashed at the first descending clone, cutting its head off. However, the others would prove more difficult. Encircling her, the fakes became blurs of black as they cackled in unison. Focusing as best as she could, Arturia waited for the attacks. When one broke away and tried to slash her with its claw, she ducked and cut it in half at the torso. The top half slammed into the wall with a sick crack while the lower half hit the ground with a flop. The other two attacked as one.
Avalon blocked the attack of the first, leaving it open for attack. Arturia weaved around the second fake and stabbed the still stunned one, killing it. Taking a handful of the dust, she threw it towards the remaining fake, blinding it. Before long, the last fake fell to Caliburn, allowing silence to rule the chapel once more. Carefully glancing around, Arturia tried to feel the next assault. Without looking in its direction, she raised Avalon, blocking Lucifer's glowing claw. She allowed Avalon to levitate in place, the sheath holding Lucifer like a magnet. She made eye contact with the Dark Prince as she slowly removed Excalibur, its Roman design and runes gleaming in the stained light. She raised it slowly, "EX-," She paused so she could stare at Lucifer's widening eyes, "CALIBUR!" She brought it down, severing Lucifer's claw arm. With a pause, the phoenix appeared and dragged the stunned Dark Angel to the far wall, destroying the pews that were placed between.
With a mighty boom, the phoenix exploded when it slammed Lucifer into the wall, a spray of black blood painting the wall to the side of him. Not missing a beat, Arturia launched another attack, the second phoenix screaming towards the smoke that shielded Lucifer from view. Another explosion rocked the chapel sending dust and broken pieces of marble and wood flying. Arturia returned Avalon to her forearm, holding Excalibur in a defensive position. As the dust cleared, her eyes began to pierce the still lingering particles of debris, seeing Lucifer's one-armed form imprinted into the wall.
Said Prince of Demons slowly opened his eyes, the orbs broadcasting the anger burning inside him. With a snap of his body, Lucifer broke away from his deep indent, his boots giving a stale click. He slowly looked around him, seeing his severed arm resting near the shut doors, slowly burning into ash. His eyes left the smoldering heap and looked to the nearly demolished chapel. If they weren't simply for decoration, he was sure the room would've collapsed with the amount of shattered pillars. The once shined and perfectly cut pews were nearly all broken, snapped into pieces. Finally, his eyes returned to Arturia, "You just made a huge mistake woman."
Arturia stood up straight, silently rubbing her triumph in his face. Oh she knew that the fight wasn't over, but without that claw of his, it wouldn't last long. She couldn't help but feel more confident, though her rational side kept her alert.
Lucifer cracked his blood covered neck, only to reveal that it wasn't blood at all. His skin was cracked, like porcelain, revealing another layer underneath. It was black, crimson lines pulsating at the same rhythm as his heart. Suddenly, a crack formed on his face, the skin falling off to reveal more of this strange phenomenon. In seconds, all his skin had fallen, showing this black surface with pulsating crimson symbols and patterns, "I think you misunderstood the purpose of my claw Arturia."
"How so?" She glared, though she couldn't stop the curiosity forming inside her. She gasped lightly when the blood painting the walls returned to Lucifer's shoulder, collecting at the place where his arm used to be.
Lucifer smirked and chuckled, "It wasn't a weapon, though the sharp claws were a definite perk." Suddenly, the blood became tissue, forming a black limb that appeared to have been mutated from an arm. It was black with no lines, but it gave off an ominous energy so strong, Arturia could feel it in her chest, "Do you know how a General is made Arturia?" She gave him a slightly confused look, "For an angel to become a General, he, or she, must first," He paused to flex his renewed arm, "kill an Angel Slayer."
Arturia's eyes widened, remembering the massive creature that took Gilgamesh's life, and nearly everyone else's, "What does that have to do with your arm?"
Lucifer flexed it again, "When one kills an Angel Slayer, they are cursed for three days. Unlike other angels, who are frequently dipped in blessed water, I embraced the curse, forcing the psyche of the Angel Slayer, Kummer, into my submission." The arm roared to life, the face of an enraged Angel Slayer flashing in Arturia's mind. Black armor covered the cursed limb, a glow enveloping Lucifer's body, "Thanks for helping me Ascend Arturia; it saves me lots of time." Lucifer was suddenly holding her high in the air, the cursed arm choking her, "My claw was no weapon fool," His grip tightened, "IT WAS A RESTRAINT!" Lucifer reeled back with his other hand, the glow intensifying.
Arturia took a deep breath when Lucifer released her, but it was soon knocked right out with a powerful wave of crimson energy. Before she even knew it, she was in the air. She felt complete pain block out any other feelings, her mind too focused on the damage her eyes had yet to see. It seemed like only second before her mind caught up, feeling the dry wind of a desert. With a pained grunt, she hit a strangely cold, metallic surface. She forced her eyes to open, seeing the intense sun gleaming on the surface of her new location. She tried to stand, but a pain shot through her body, the intense points being her left leg and right shoulder. Caliburn rested to her right, the cracked remains of Avalon beside it.
She tried to reach for them, but before she could, she was yanked back into the air and sent flying. She cried out when her shoulder hit the ground, the pain shooting through her like a rugged spike. Her hand went to her shoulder, only to feel her flesh bleeding, her breastplate cracked on that side and shoulder pad nowhere to be seen. She struggled to her feet, looking down to see the greaves half broken off, blood dripping down thickly, 'What happened?'
"Shellshock from one attack?" Lucifer knelt in front of her, smirking with unheard laughter. Arturia willed her body to attack, to try and make some attempt to strike Lucifer, but her limbs felt too heavy. The confident Dark Angel kicked her aside, watching her roll to her knees slowly, painfully.
Her body felt like it was put through a meat grinder with one simple attack. She cursed over and over in her head, screaming for her body to get up and go to her sword and sheath. However, her body screamed right back, each joint aflame with pain. Her sides felt like they were pierced, her chest felt compressed and her head wouldn't stop spinning, 'The air it's thinner.' Arturia suddenly thought, her mind wishing to dwell on where she was, rather than the pain coursing through her. She looked to her left, seeing a gaping hole of darkness. Suddenly, a wave of pedals flooded from the darkness, harmlessly whipping around her and into the air beyond, "A Commandment?"
Lucifer stood in front of her, "Atop the Fourth Commandment to be exact." His fist began to glow again, picking Arturia up by her breast-plate. She weakly glared at him, her hair coming loose from the tattered blue ribbon she always wore. Lucifer watched the ribbon come loose and blow into the dry wind, "It's a pity really," He looked back at her, "I really didn't want to rob Shirou of his woman." Arturia glared harder, "Ah well," Lucifer shrugged, eyes thinning psychotically, "I'll just have to kill him as well."
Before Arturia could muster a response, she was thrown from the Commandment and back down to the chapel, a flash of crimson following. From above, Lucifer watched the beam of energy engulf the hole in the concrete in dust and smoke, clouding his vision. After a few seconds of no movement, or sound for that matter, Lucifer's smirk fell, 'Something's not right.' He dropped down, entering the cloud of dust and descending back into the chapel.
He looked around, expecting to see the remains of Arturia Pindragon, 'What the heck?' He knelt down, plucking an object that deeply contrasted the dark environment around him. He slowly twirled the object, a smirk slowly returning. In his hands was a single, white feather, 'He's here.' Lucifer hissed mentally, turning around to see Arturia, but she was not alone.
The barely conscious Arturia was held in the arm of Gallium, his piercing ice colored eyes directed solely at Lucifer. A slight glow pulsed over Arturia's body, the more severe gashes closing to a point of no serious concern. Her eyes lit up slightly, her mind ceasing to numb to the now disappearing pain. She looked to Gallium as he set her down silently, catching the unspoken order to clear the room. She did not move until Gallium's gaze snapped to her, making the order all to frigid and clear. Shooting one last glare towards Lucifer, Arturia limped away, her muscles sore and minor injuries stinging. She set her eyes towards the direction Shirou went, feeling the weight of Avalon and Caliburn on her back. Placing Caliburn in Avalon, she used it to help her walk, feeling Excalibur's warmth pushing her on.
After a few minutes of walking, Arturia finally saw a door with a deep cut dividing it. Sighing, she stopped to rest for the fourth time, sweat dripping from her forehead and neck. She sank to a sitting position, chanting for her muscles to hurry up and catch their breath. Nervousness gripped her when she felt an intense heat radiating from the chamber beyond, a glow painting what she could see through the gash in the door red. Giving in to her deep concern for Shirou, Arturia willed herself to stand, limping for the door with renewed determination.
It took three tries, but she eventually pushed the door open, her tired eyes widening upon viewing her new surroundings. Sighing heavily, Arturia mentally threw up her hands, 'Do things ever get any easier around here?' Flames blocked her vision, a bright amber light shrouding the chamber from clear view. All she could make out was the sphere in the center, its color turning an intense purple. The metal rectangles encircling the sphere were now spinning fast enough to give off a high pitched hum, electricity exploding out only to be sucked back in, 'Shirou, where are you?'
As if responding, the flames parted, allowing Arturia to see two figures standing amongst the fading flames. One was definitely Dark Saber, but she was leaning into the other occupant heavily, shoulders shaking violently as sobs echoed through the chamber. Arturia stared in complete confusion, eyes focused on the odd scene before her. The other person, a man in his thirties no doubt, stood straight, supporting Dark Saber as she went on. He was a big man, standing taller than Archer in height, muscles cut out from fierce battles. His face was tanned and hard, but held a softness that came with wisdom. However, when his intense amber eyes focused on her, the gleam of tenderness shooting to her core, she knew exactly who it was, 'S-Shirou?'
The older man laughed softly, "Come now Dark Saber, something born as one should never stay apart forever." He looked down at her, seeing the apprehension in her eyes, "It'll be fine, trust me." With that, Dark Saber hesitantly looked to Arturia. For an instant, Arturia saw disdain, but soon melted into submission, her body glowing golden. As her body broke down into mana and returned to Arturia, she saw all of Dark Saber's feelings, her emotions, "Arturia,"
"Shirou," Arturia faltered, but steadied herself, feeling different than just a few seconds ago. She looked back up to the Slayer of Heroes, eyes shining in the amber hue and flickers of flame floating off his red-clad uniform.
He nodded slowly, as if seeing something only he could, "Take care of him, he's still growing." He looked to her hen she nodded, "But do not deny yourself Arturia, your heart is that of a lion, strong and passionate." He began to fade, the form of the younger Shirou returning, "Help each other live your lives, so that you may grow to who are destined to be."
Arturia nodded, limping over to the unconscious form of Shirou, "I will, I promise." She knelt down beside him, her body giving out. Her mind didn't dwell on the fact that the sphere was still active, unaware of the battle that would end this campaign. She simply set her head on Shirou's chest, eyes closing as she passed out.
BANG
"OW, SAKURA, THAT DOOR WAS OPEN!"
"Shut up and check the chamber, Shirou and Arturia might be here!"
"Well you didn't have to use my head to pry it open darn it."
"I heard that."
A/N: Well, I'm saving Lucifer and Gallium's fight for next chapter, it'll tie everything up. Now, depending on how things play out, the Ten Commandments might be shut down next chapter. Our only question is, who will it be: Shirou or Archer? Please read and review!