Arturia groggily opens her eyes and notices that she cannot see anything. She can only feel rough objects grinding up against her frame. Becoming more conscious of her surroundings she can feel that her hands are raised above head while she is in a horizontal position being pulled along. Her memories begin to flood back to her pertaining to the account with the ghoulish creature. Looking around, she notices that she is currently being hauled through a dimly lit cave. The light being so dim, that Arturia could hardly make out the outline of her own body. She looks in the direction in which her arms are being forcibly pulled towards and sees prove that her memories do not fool her.
"I COMMAND YOU TO FREE ME DEMON!" Arturia yells are her captor, but she is answered gets silence as it continues to drag her along. "WHAT IS THAT YOU WANT FROM ME!" she yells again, but still her captor does not break in the routine pulling and stepping that it is undergoing. Arturia tries to struggle to break free of her restraints but she finds that she has no energy to try and oppose it. With frustration building deep inside of her to the point of annoyance she still speaks to the creature. "JUST YOU WAIT! WHEN I FINALLY GET FREE…I WILL DESTROY YOU SPAWN OF THE UNDERWORLD!" the creature stops in its tracks and turns to look at the helpless ruler. The creature raises its arms and holds Arturia up to its face. The female warrior stares into the eyes of her captor with no sense of fear. Tilting its head to the side and staring at her the malevolent creature begins to speak.
"You talk alot for a reject." Tilting its head in the other direction it glances at Arturia's body. "Also, I can honestly say that you could have developed better, but I guess luck just wasn't on your side now was it," as it begins to chuckle. Arturia's rage begins to build as the individual degrades the development of her body and her status.
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME YOU GROTESQUE BEAST!" She says with only anger in her voice. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME, HOW DARE YOU CRITICIZE…"
The being makes a sly grin towards its captive.
"I know more about you then you know about yourself you foolish girl." The monster starts to smell around Arturia's neck. "I believe that you say too many things that you can neither back up nor that you have any idea of what you are talking about. I think that it would be in your best interest to shut your mouth and keep it that way before something happens to you that you may find most unfitting for someone such as yourself." The thing slightly opens up its mouth and shows a collection of jagged teeth to its captive. Knowing the creature has significant leverage on her, due to her current state, Arturia quiets and down and becomes content. Even though she has gone quite the look of disgust on her face in regards to her current predicament. "I thought that you would see it my way."
The being drops Arturia back on the ground and begins to haul her towards its destination once again without any conversation between the two. Further down the current path Arturia notices a beam of light radiate from yards ahead of her position. As quickly she notices the light, she loses consciousness as she gets within mere feet of it position. Arturia awakes in the center a large room much like the throne room of her castle, but larger in scale. Looking around she notices that the room is actually barren. The walls are of old design much like her castle walls; however, the walls bear strange images on them. The images looked like bears, crosses, intersecting lines, demons, angels, and clouds. The floored girl stretches her arms and legs due to the fact that she had been lugged by that being.
"What the …" Arturia says to her surprise in mid stretch. Noticing that she is no longer shackled and is able to freely move her arms and legs the young woman mentally rejoices. Even though she is freed from her shackles she still notices that her energy was still at minimum levels. With the strength that she could muster she slowly rocks herself from laying on her back her right side. She then slows uses her left hand to help prop herself up from falling flat on her face. "This should not be this difficult," she says still pouring everything that she has into trying to stand.
"Looks like your strength hasn't fully return huh Arturia," a voice echoes throughout the room. Arturia slowly maneuvers herself so that she is sitting on the floor with her legs in front of her flat on the floor outstretched. She looks up at the ceiling still trying to regain her strength. Suddenly a small gust of wind blows past Arturia's head.
"You could have at least grown some hair down there," a faint voice says with a small chuckle.
She quickly closes raises her legs to her chest and clasps them with her hands. Arturia's rage begins to quickly build again as she turns her head to the right trying to find the origin of the voice. When she looks right, she finds that there is nothing there. All of a sudden another small gust of wind blows past the left side of her face.
"I suppose you were more suited to the play the part of a male," another faint voice whispers in her other ear with a small chuckle as well. Arturia spends her head to the other side only to find that there is no one present.
"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!" Arturia shouts wanting the voices to stop insulting her.
"My problem with you is that you are weakling," Another gruff voice enters her ear.
"My problem is that you look like a kid," the voice similar to the one that had entered into her right ear resembled.
"My issue with you young one is that you are ignorant to the facts that surround yourself," another new voice says. Arturia searches around for the origin of the voices, but cannot pinpoint their location.
"Why do you hide yourself? Are you afraid to show yourself to me?" She asks hoping that the invisible beings that she is conversing with answer her questions which in turn would maybe help her in find where they are.
"Hide…we do no such thing," the gruff voice says again. "Take a look directly in front of you and you shall see that which you desire."
Arturia shifts her eyesight straight ahead. As she looks ahead three pillars of dark energy form side by side twenty yards in front of her. Suddenly three figures step forward out of the swirling pillars of energy. The collection of energy fades after all three figures have fully emerged from the gateways. The figure on the left was at least 7 feet tall, but Arturia could not make out any characteristics due to it being completely black beside the green eyes it possessed besides its humanoid shape. The figure in the middle Arturia guessed was about six feet tall, but could not make out of the features that it possessed besides the blues eyes that it possessed due to the same black color that was on it. The final individual was about Arturia's height and also had blue eyes. Just as the other two there were no other characteristics that could be determined due to the darkness it had on it.
"Who are you?" Arturia asks them beginning as she picks herself up off of the ground shifting her vision to the floor.
"Who we are is irrelevant to you Pendragon." The gruff voice lets out again. Arturia finally stands and begins to stare the three figures down, examining everything that she could about them.
"Why have you brought me here?"
"Why do you ask so many questions," the gruff voice says seeming more irritated.
"I have been taken against my will to a place that I know nothing about, nor have heard of and you think that I would not question my captor in regards to my whereabouts and reasoning behind such acts," Arturia says taking a couple of steps forward.
"You have a sassy tongue, I like that…but I wonder how that will affect your friend …" the gruff voice pauses. "What is his name….." it pauses again. "Oh yes…I think his name it is Shi…rou," the voice finishes with a slight chuckle. Arturia's anger begins to show on her face, and she begins to quickly walk forward.
"If you harm him I will …" Arturia is stopped mid sentence as the tallest of the three figures dematerializes and rematerializes directly in front of her.
"Or you will do what…" the thing in front of her whispers to the short woman looking down into her eyes with a degree of seriousness.
"I will send you to hell where you and those like you belong creature," not backing down to the more vertically gifted being.
"You talk a lot for a mere girl. Let us see what you are capable of. I will also make this promise to you, if you are able to defeat your opponent I will send you back to this person known as Shirou Emiya, however; if you fail…….it would not be in your best interest to fail," the voice replies. Suddenly a burst of dark energy erupts beside Arturia's right foot and a sword emerges from it. "I will supply you with this weapon; you are a master swordsman so I'm sure this will be to your advantage." Saber looks at the object, but hesitates in taking hold of it.
"How do I know that this is not trickery?"
"I only want this to be a fair fight between you two so there will be no trickery with this weapon." Saber hesitates once again, but finally decides to crouch down and take the weapon into her right hand. As she examines the weapon, she notices that it displays the same marks as her previous weapon Excalibur. "Yes, it is a replica of the sword you once used." Saber's adversary backs up noticing that she has now armed herself.
A thin horizontal line begins to form in the grip of the unknown being.
"And now…" the line stops extending at when reaches seven feet. "The fun begins," it says standing upright with the object, resembling a staff, being held at its side. Saber puts both hands on her sword.
"I, Arturia Pendragon, would like to know the name of the person I am to contend with."
The figure looks down at her.
"Not that you need to know, but your opponent will be Amelia Horn."
Saber readies herself in her attacks stance with "Excalibur" at her side. Arturia advances in and slashes in and upward motion. Amelia moves the right side of its body backwards, causing Arturia's strike to miss its mark. Amelia circles the black rod behind its back transitioning hands. Swinging its left hand forward the being attempts to attack Saber's head. With quick reflexes, Saber does a three hundred and sixty degree turn aiming her weapon at a downward angle. Her opposition's weapons strikes against the small woman's weapon causing a splash of black energy to leap from the impact point.
"That wasn't bad," Amelia says holding the weapon against Saber's. The figure brings its right arm across in a hooking motion in an attempt to catch Saber off guard. Arturia sees the attack coming and moves towards the beings chest. Noticing Saber sudden action Amelia tries to shift the angle its elbow to bend inwards to strike her from behind. Before Amelia's second strike has a change to hit Arturia, she brings the blade in another upwards motion, this time connecting with the lumbering beings currently attacking arm. The blade cleanly cuts through the beings arm and it drops to the ground with a soft thud.
"YOU BITCH!" Amelia screams backing away with fluid shooting out of its severed limb. Calming down, the taller being stands still. "Two attacks and you manage to take off an arm. You really aren't that bad."
Arturia straightens up with both hands on her weapon with it pointed towards its enemy in front of her.
"That was merely careless tactics on your part. It was sloppy and fit only for an amateur," Saber says moving right foot, preparing to pounce towards the injured creature.
"I suppose I have to get serious with someone like you," Amelia replies rubbing her functional arm across the arm that had been cut off. As her hand moves across the empty space, black energy begins to exit from its hand and occupy the space. In mere moments Arturia's opponent had completely given itself a brand new arm.
"What the….," she says in disbelief.
"Now it's time for me to get serious," Amelia says throwing the black rod into the air and it dissipating. It forms an object in both hands that take on the shape of two axes. The being begins to walk calmly walk towards the female king. Arturia stands ready for the creature's attack. The evil entity finally comes within striking range, however; Arturia decides to attack first. With her sword she attempts another upward slash, however; Amelia catches the blade with the crossed blades of her axes. It uses the leverage that it has on Saber's sword and throws her arm's momentum to the left. Opening up Arturia's left side for attack Amelia quickly brings its right hand around and aims for Saber's side. Saber senses the blow and follows the motion of her arms and rolls to the right avoiding the blow. The blond woman recovers from the roll on one knee the female warrior charges holding the weapon slightly above her head. She brings the blade down with all of her force only to be caught by the Amazon's intersecting blades again. Freeing her sword, she brings it to the left side of her body and attempts an upward slashing going to the right. It is once again met with a block by the other entity's weapon. Saber frees her weapon yet again and readies another overhead strike. Amelia reverses its hold on its weapons, now having the blades at the bottom portions of its black hands. Amelia lowers its arms and welcomes Saber's attack.
"What the…" Saber says in confusion as her weapon implants itself into the being's shoulder.
"Big mistake," Amelia says turning its hands upward and quickly bringing its arms upward. Saber tries to quickly release her sword, but is too slow and feels the pain of both of her forearms being sliced off.
"AAAHHH…" Arturia begins to scream, but is then cut off. "I can't move my body," She thinks to herself. Amelia stands upright, making the axe in her right hand disappear. Grabbing the hilt of Saber's sword and pulls the weapon out of its dark body and throws it down on the ground. Looking up at its petrified opponent Amelia slowly advances toward her.
"Can't move can you?" Amelia asks Saber, not expecting an answer. "The paralysis effect that I put on you with my blades works well, even on someone like you," it says smiling at the incapacitated Arturia. Finally the being gets close enough to the king and looks at her frozen in place with blood rushing from her wounds. The taller individual stands face to face with Arturia and pushes her onto her back. Not being able to do anything Arturia lands on the ground with a thud. Amelia crouches down and pokes Arturia on the face. "Stiff as hell," it says laughing.
AMELIA!" the gruff voice shouts gaining the Amazon's attention. "Will you please stop this nonsense so we can handle this Emiya person!"
Amelia looks back at the two figures standing near the back of the room and lets out a disappointed sigh.
"Looks like I have to end this," Amelia says lifting the axe into the air. "Before I behead you though, I will leave you with one parting gift." Amelia lowers the weapon and blows into Arturia's face. Arturia's vision begins to blur for a second. A second later it returns to normal. Looking at the being over her, its appearance has changed from what she had seen before.
"How can this be?" Arturia thinks to herself. "Sorcery…?" Another moment passes. "You can't be…?"
Just as quickly as raises its weapons, it brings down the axe in her left hand. The sound of the weapon striking against the floor rang throughout the entire room. Blood sprays in all directions as the sharp object slices through Arturia's neck, severing her head from her body. Amelia runs a hand across its eyes, removing the blood that had ended up there from the decapitation. Amelia stands and lets out a sigh of disappoint, but already knew that there was no way that the former king would have achieved victory from the start.
"What a shame..." the victor says walking away, but also looking at its enemy's head positioned on the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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