Disclaimer: I don't Fate/Stay Night nor anything that is related to it.

Chapter 2: Pointless struggles


I stared at the three-man suspiciously. They are speaking to each other, but I couldn't understand anything they are saying. But it seems that Angelica could understand them perfectly. I turn to her, expecting her to start explaining the moment I look at her. But I got no such thing and she only continues to glare at them, she is seething with rage that much I could tell.

"Hey what are they saying?" I ask her as I turn my head back towards them. "Tch, you didn't understand anything, faker?" She snidely remarks at me, annoyed that I even ask.

"Stop that and If I did, I wouldn't have to ask you," I retorted back, I tried to activate my magic circuits in case they try anything, but a sudden jolt of pain struck my body from within. My left hand clutched my chest, it felt like something is jammed, the taste of copper reached my mouth. What is going on?

"Tch, they want us to come with them," she tells me with her face now serious, why would she glare if they just want us to come with them? Isn't it normal for adults to keep the children safe?

But then it hit me. We are in a secluded area far from other people and stuck in the bodies of children, thus making us the perfect target for-

"Human traffickers," I stated with my eyes widened as I realized that. Angelica nods her head, signifying that I'm correct. "Crap," I curse under my breath. My face then turns into a fierce glare towards them, but they just chuckle at me.

"Isn't this just dandy," I couldn't believe it, trouble always seems to find me wherever I go. "Do you have a plan? Because I'm sure as hell don't," I asked her again. While I am in fact a heavy strategist, these sort of problem is out of my capabilities to solve, especially if it doesn't involve fighting.

"If I do have a plan, do you really think I will share it with you?" she answered me back, "Oh? I'm hurt Angelica, after all I did for you, you would just abandon me?" I said to her with sarcasm rolling in waves. While it is possible for her to just leave me here, I don't think she will. Considering the fact that I was the one who helps her get to her feet.

She has her pride think about after all.

"Couldn't you just transport them away with your Spatial Displacement?" I asked her, that ability would be useful for a situation such as this. "I can't, for some reason my magic circuits was dormant when I woke up," She replied back with a grimace on her face. "That is the only reason you are still alive, faker," She then turns to me with a disappointed look on her face.

I must haven't inherited EMIYA's E – Rank luck since I just practically dodged a bullet there. But that did confirm something though, I'm not the only one with inactive magic circuits.

"I'm going to ask you two one more time, why don't you two come with us?" The man in the center asked and smiled at Angelica and I. His body is quite portly, his beard was cleanly shaved and his hair was neatly combed, all and all he look like a gentleman. If it weren't for the fact that he is a human trafficker.

"We could provide you with anything you want, delicious food, wonderful bed and good clothing. All you have to do is say yes," The old man continued on. I could only understand a little bit, something about food and bed, the rest just went through my head.

"It is futile to convince me, I know what you are planning to do," Angelica stated with her arms crossed. "You are going to capture us and then sell us into slavery aren't you," Her eyes turn into icy cold, but he only chuckles and then leer at her. "Heh, smart girl aren't you and judging by the clothes you wear, you must have been a noble," he says with his right hand on his clean shaved chin.

"Yes, your golden hair and blue eyes are quite beautiful, your face is very pleasing as well, I know a man who likes little girls like you," His grin only widened along with his eyes, as if he is contemplating about something. "Yes, yes, yes, he will pay a good price for you." He said with laughter emerging from his mouth. The look on Angelica's face can only be described as something akin to a raging volcano, I have never seen someone glare as dangerously as her, not even Julian whose facial expression only consist of glares could match her.

In fact, she and Julian almost look the same.

"And you little boy would be good for hard labor in my own garden, I'm currently short on hands but you are going to fix that," The man says, this time looking at me. He laughs once more, this time the other two-man laugh alongside him. Whatever they are laughing about couldn't have been good. "Now boys, go get them," He said with another menacing grin on his face.

I was confronted with the choice to either run or stay and deal with them.

Obviously, I choose to run instead.

I took a hold of Angelica's hand and then dashed into the woods, Angelica gave out a startled yelp as we dashed through the leaves and tree branches. Our body isn't ready to run yet and we almost fall a couple of times, but I'm sure if we didn't run they would have captured us.

I could hear the shouts of the men behind us, their sound is getting closer. "Let me go, faker!" I could feel Angelica try to break her hand free of my grip, but this only makes me grip her hand harder. "Just shut up and run!" I angrily yelled at her as she desperately tried to keep up with the pace I had set.

Everything is a blurring mess and I could feel fatigue creeping into my body. Even with adrenaline pumping in my vein, those men are getting closer judging by the sound their footsteps and them brushing against the tree branches. Their legs are more developed than ours and we couldn't use magic to reinforce our legs, we are at a severe disadvantage here.

Fatigue is setting in and we can't continue like this, sooner or later our body will collapse and they will capture us. Yet there is no place for us to hide, the only hope we have to escape, was to keep running and maybe soon we will reach a civilization and get help from there.

"Gyaahh!" I heard Angelica cried out and pulled me down with her, she has tripped on a rock somewhere and fallen down. "Come on get up," I urge her desperately, I could hear footsteps and the sound of tree branches getting closer. "I can't, my body can't move at all," She tells me with an urgent look on her face, looks like I have no choice.

"What?" I hear Angelica ask as I quickly pick her up and carry her in bridal style, then I continue to run. She doesn't weight much, but the strain she put on my already fatigued body is beyond words, I even struggled just to move.

Without paying any attention, I just keep running until my legs step into nothing and Angelica and I then fall down a slope. I hold onto her protectively and cover her whole frame. I don't know why I'm doing this even though we are still enemies, but it just felt like the right thing to do.

We rolled down the slope until I felt my back slammed onto the cold hard ground, I think I have dislocated both of my shoulders. Air was knocked out of my lung, I coughed multiple times as I rolled on the flat land and released Angelica from my death grip. She is still in a daze from the fall.

"You okay Angelica?" I asked her with my eyes closed, concern is evident in my voice. "Did you really need to ask that, I still can't move," She replied back with annoyance present again in her voice, heh, guess I shouldn't have asked that.

As we laid there on the ground, I heard something slides down the slope, I turn my head towards its direction. My eyes are blurry, but I could still make out the shape of a person. It was those guys again.

But this time, there were only two of them. The old man was missing, he probably only sends his goon after us. Pain erupted inside my body as I stood up once more and placed myself in front of Angelica. Willpower was the only thing that kept me conscious through this whole ordeal.

"No place to run now huh?" The guy that landed first on the ground spoke to us as if mocking us for our failure to run. Another guy landed on the ground, he was the same guy that Angelica first glared at earlier. They both walked towards us and smirked as if they have won.

I grabbed and broke a tree branch near me and use it as a makeshift weapon, I stand my ground fearlessly. After what I've been through previously in the Holy Grail War, comparing them to the enemies I have faced before will be like insulting those that I've defeated.

"Take a load of this little runt, trying to fight us with that piece of stick," The man from before then laughed alongside his partner, he reached onto his back and pulled out a knife. "Now runt, this is what a real weapon looks like," he said to me in a low and threatening voice, attempting to scare me into giving up, but I only glare much harder. Of course, I would know what a real weapon looks like, I have killed with them after all.

"Well runt, you are brave I would tell you that," The man with the knife spoke to me as he walks towards Angelica and I. "But you ain't gonna win and if you continue like this," He simply says to me in a straight tone and a menacing grin on his face. "I will plunge this knife deep into your chest," He seems to be threatening me as he shows me his knife, but oddly enough I was unfazed by his threat. I was still determined to protect Angelica, Even though she may have been an enemy from before, the thought of leaving a little girl defenseless just makes me feel horrible.

Even if she was the one that stood in the way of my wish, I will protect her.

Even if she was the one that almost killed me, I will keep her safe.

A chuckle escaped my lips, guess old habit never dies I suppose. Gripping my tree branch tighter, I look at him in the eye. Our eyes met and I could tell that he is a little bit unnerved at the fact that the little boy in front of him could stare down at his potential murderer with such coldness in his eyes.

"Oi you bastards," I shouted at them with determination clear in my voice, they looked at me as if I had grown a second head. "Picking on two little kids isn't exactly the most masculine thing to do you know?" I smirked as I said that, I took a step forward and point my branch at the two-man. Angelica looks at me strangely, but I wasn't done yet. "And yet you keep on doing it," If I couldn't understand anything they say then the same would apply to them as well.

"Are you feeling a little insecure about yourself or instead-" My face then turn into a firm gaze, the look on their face was that of confused people that couldn't comprehend what they are hearing. "You are just doing this for your own sick pleasure," The thought of Miyu captured by these guys crossed my head, they only added more fuel to the raging volcano that is myself. My grip on the wooden branch only tightened the moment I picture the scenario, my gold amber eyes turn into another fierce glare.

Without any doubt left in me, I decided to strike. I dashed towards them with renewed strength in my whole body, I swung my tree branch at him the moment I got close. But he just avoids it like nothing, I swing and swing again, but he just keeps dodging them.

"Try all you want brat but you won't get a hit in," I could feel him taunting me, his words like before just go straight through my head. He dodge another swing this time to his head, I could feel my body feeling fatigue again. He is toying with me, he just keeps dodging without fighting back.

Until one careless mistake.

I swing my branch at him from the left to which he dodges to the right, but he accidentally leaves an opening that I could exploit. I pivoted with my right leg acting as the center and swing with all my might onto his stomach. The force of my swing is enough to make him double over in pain, I try to swing at his face but a hard punch to my face manage to send me flying and crashing into a tree.

"You okay man?" The man that punched me ask the man with the knife. "ye...ah, I'm good, the brat manage to caught me off guard," Answered the man with the knife. I could feel blood trickling from my mouth and my vision is getting blurrier second by second. But I stand up once more, wiping the blood from my mouth I saw that man walk towards Angelica. She tried to escape his grasp but failed and was later held down by him.

"Don't struggle you little shit," The man that holds her down angrily speaks. I rush towards him, intending to stop him from binding her. But another punch was sent to my stomach by the other man and I spit out blood onto the ground, another punch was then sent to my head and soon my face hit the ground. "You have been giving us a lot of problem runt, But I think it all stops here" The man spoke to me and once more I couldn't understand a thing he said.

"For this, I will give you a big scar, I'm sure the boss wouldn't mind it," He turned me over and held me down, he holds his knife above my right shoulder and then plunges it down. The sensation of pain was unbearable as I screamed out in pain. In the distance I could see that other man had finish binding and gagging Angelica, now it is my turn. The man pulls out the knife from my shoulder but then I spit on his face, the combination of blood and saliva stain his face. He responds with a straight punch towards my stomach. Blood was spat out from my mouth again but I didn't feel anything anymore.

"You persistent little runt!" He yelled out angrily and continuously hit me in the stomach, each hit makes me spit more blood onto the ground. My vision is getting darker, I can tell that bruises are starting to form on my face and stomach. But I continue to endure, I had felt more pain than this. He raises his fist into the air again and sends it towards my face.

But they never reach it.

Blood was splattered all over me but I know it wasn't mine, it covered my eyes and face. In haste, I quickly wiped it to find out what had happened. To my shock the right arm of my torturer had been cut off, blood gushed out from the stump on his right arm as he screamed out in pain. "Argghhhh!"

The other man was in shock, his hand had stopped tying the knots that bind Angelica's arm and legs. I look to see who it is that has cut off this man's arm and to my surprise, it was an old man. He looked like he is in his mid-fifties, his hair was grey and his body was fit. He held a bloodied longsword in his right hand. No doubt it had come from him cutting off that man's arm off.

The man with the knife stops screaming out in pain. He clutched his stump on his right hand and turned to glare at the man who did this to him, but his eyes only widened when he saw who it was.

"Alex…ander…Grey..Joy?" The man stuttered in fear at the sight of the old man, I watched as the man the back away from him. Fear is clearly visible in his eyes and without any warning, he rushes to escape, only for the old man to swing his blade once more and cut off his left leg. More blood gushed out and painted the grass below red. The man then fell to the ground and screamed out in pain once more. Tears are beginning to spill from his eyes until the old man finally approaches and releases him from his suffering.

By cutting his head off.

The screams have stopped. All that is left was the cries terror from the other man, he has backed himself into a tree, too scared to even thought of an escape. The old man approached him, with his bloodied blade in hand and point it towards his neck. An old and raspy voice emerge from the old man's mouth. "Who is your leader and where is he?" He asked the man, to which the man only responded with, "Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" over and over again, he was crouched on the ground with his head covered by his hands and I could see tears dropped from his eyes. The old man seemed to realize that he probably won't get any straight answer from him and thus he hit him on the head with the end of his blade handle.

The man was knocked into unconsciousness almost immediately and then fell to the ground. The old man then stares at Angelica, he walks towards her and cut off the ropes that have been tied on her arms and legs. She was unconscious, either caused by her earlier struggle or her lack of energy. The old man then carried her in his arms and walked towards me. I'm still laid on the ground with all my energy spent, I couldn't move at all and I could only warily watched as he approached myself.

He kneels on the ground and picked me up then slung me over his shoulder. With my head facing his back, I could feel him walk away from this place. I slowly dozed off to sleep after the hell I've been through. The only thought that crossed my mind was-

Miyu.

Before everything black out once more.


Thank you so much for you guys overwhelming support, a few days ago I started this fanfic without any real expectation for it. But so many you guys like the story I have created and here we are with Chapter 2. (Which is much shorter than Chapter 1 since this was harder to write.)

Many of you might have concluded that this story took place in medieval Britain during the time of King Arthur. But I have another setting planned out and you would soon find out where in the next chapter.