This is it...the last fight. Saber and I have been with each other for weeks now, and the bond that was made in that time, something that to me seemed impossible at first. Her high class, egotistical and arrogant mind set was enough to drive up and down the wall. But as time grew on, I kinda grew to love that little side of her, showing her more feminine side. Her speech, once being in a somewhat 'Ye Olde English' type...I could never tell...seemed to change into the terms and words used today. I was teaching her, and she was teaching me, in short.
"Praetor." Saber said, her sword's hilt between her bosom and her crossed arms. "This is the last battle, is it not?" She asked me, her head turned slightly, one eye on me, the other on Leo and Gawain. I simply nodded in reply, as Saber usually did the talking for me. "I did wish that we did have more...worthy opponents." She said, a slight smirk on her face. She even picked up the art of taunting in a way.
Gawain, in defense of himself and his Master, took a step forward, sword at the ready. "You dare speak ill about us, when you yourself have a pitiful reputation, Whore of Babylon?!" He retorted, Saber's eye twitching a bit at the title. Nonetheless, she was able to shake it off.
"Names such as that do bring a sense of...dishonor and shame...but it also brings more fame. A worthy leader embraces all of his titles, be they deemed worthy in their eyes, or not." Saber said calmly.
Gawain was taken aback by her brunt words. "You dare speak ill to a knight?" He growled, Leo calmly standing behind his knight. "When a lowly peasant such as the likes of you speaks ill of a knight, you sully the name of the king they fight for! If you were such a warrior, you'd understand that!"
Saber simply laughed. "I am no mere knight, O Holy Knight of the Sun. It seems you forget who I truly am. Despite my royal blood and high lineage, I am both an King AND a Knight."
Gawain growled once more, his temper seemed to flare up as Saber bested him in a battle of words. I guess being arrogant does come in handy.
"Enough talk, whore!" The Knight of the Round Table barked, swinging his sword as it light aflame. "It is time we settled this once and for all!"
"It shall be..." Saber smirked, twirling her sword and getting herself ready for a fight. "My..pleasure. Master!"
And with that, the fight started. Saber quickly unleashing her Saint, Chronos, and Healer abilities, ending it with Thrice-Setting Sun, while I was able to find a better Garment for this fight: A Strength boosting one that made Saber's attacks even more deadly.
The two knights rushed into the field, Gawain swinging with Galatine. Saber threw up her guard, Chronos kicking into effect and sending a shock wave out to stun the knight. "Such foolishness for one such as yourself!" She yelled, using both her Saint Buff and my Strength boosting Code Cast to unleash a flurry of powerful, armor shattering attacks. "A so called 'Knight of the Round Table'! This is pitiful! I demand more of a fight from one of the likes of you!" Saber yelled, battering the armored Gawain left and right. Gawain took each stroke of the sword, though his footing didn't falter.
Looking on from the backfield, Leo had his high and mighty smirk on his face. Chuckling lightly, he rose his right hand to chest level, flicking his wrist a bit in a 'get out of here' mannerism. "Gawain...please get rid of this eyesore. I believe you are more than capable of doing so". Gawain grunted in an agreement, I think at least it was, over the sounds of metal crashing and shredding against metal made it hard to hear.
To my surprise, Gawain was more than capable of just that. Using Galatine to block Saber's crimson sword with the greatest of ease. "Now!" Gawain growled, grabbing Saber's neck as she attempted to break the lock between their swords. She gasped, choking as she tried to claw the knight's hand off her neck, to no avail. "As I stated once before...what lowly peasant dare speaks ill to the mighty Gawain of the Round Table?" He said as cool and calm as he could be...ya know...for choking out a girl. "I shall give you another chance...lay down your arms..." he said, throwing Saber across the sea-like battlefield like a cheap rag doll. "And surrender yourself to your new King, Leonardo B. Haraway..."
I hurried over to Saber, helping her to her feet. For once, she didn't shove me aside, or make a remark about her pride. She coughed heavily, getting her breath back, one hand rubbing her throat as I slowly stood her on her feet. She looked at me, then towards her sword. "I'll...let you handle this, Praetor." She said lightly, regaining her balance and walking to her sword.
I nodded, looking at Leo. His arms were crossed, his posture high and mighty. He seemed to be sitting on the throne of the world, thinking he had the Holy Grail in the palm of his hand already. I took a few steps towards him. "No."
Gawain looked at me, slightly dumbfounded with my short answer. "I beg your pardon?"
"I said 'no'. Are you deaf or something?" I spoke up. It felt like forever since I last talked. Normally, Saber spoke for me, and she put what I wanted to say in a more blunt, slightly more intelligent way.
"Challenging your king, are you?" Leo asked.
"..." I held my tongue and sighed. Saber walked next to me, patting my shoulder. I think she understood my overwhelming feeling how badly I wanted to punch him in the gut for not understanding my question.
"Well, what's your answer?" Leo asked.
My eyebrow twitched. "YES!" I yelled at him. "I will wipe this undersea floor with your spoiled ass! I am sick and tired of listening to your voice! Now get on YOUR knees and bow to me!" I yelled at him. The other three in the room simply stood dumbfounded at my sudden, and possibly only outburst. "You say that Gawain is a damn knight? He WORKED for the one who was famous! My Saber? She IS what Gawain wants to be: A King! An Emperor!"
Saber blinked, taken aback by my words, though I think my putting her on the pedestal got her a bit flustered. Gawain simply stood dumbfounded still, not sure whether he should attack or wait for a command.
"You know how much damn trouble we had to go through?! Saber and I have defeated more famous people than you'd even be! Francis Drake! Robin Hood! Alice! Vlad the Impaler! Li Shuwen! Lu Bu!" I ranted out the battles we hand to go through to get to this point. "I can only imagine what YOU had to go through!"
Leo growled, the ridicule getting to him. "I suggest you silence yourself while you have the chance..." Leo said, glaring at me.
"You?" I scoffed, crossing my arms. "You dare tell ME to silence myself? After watching you prance around like you were a god? Listening to the ridicule that would dribble out of your mouth?" He growled as my arms slowly lowered.
Saber looked at me. "Praetor..."
I looked at my Servant. "...Saber." I said as calmly as I could, she nodding lightly in reply. I outstretched my hand towards Gawain, index finger pointed at him. "Kill."
Saber couldn't help but chuckle at my blunt demand. "With the utmost of pleasures, Master." She said, twirling her crimson blade and gathering herself into her battle stance. In a quick burst of speed common to my Servant, she bounded her way towards Gawain. Thunderous Applause. I chuckled. I started to love her using that, boundless speed against a stationary target. Just...one thing always stuck me odd: She always attacked from the front and rarely on a flank of some kind.
Gawain's reactions took hold. He held his sword close to his chest. "Divine Aegis!" He sternly said, glaring at where Saber was rushing from. The buff took effect, and from what I noticed, it was another Luck based one, one of the stats I that I never even understood how they worked. "Siege Perilous!" he said. This...was a new one.
"Why waste time and precious energy?" Saber yelled, throwing her sword at Gawain. "You know as well as I that I have wo-" started, getting cut off by a pulse of energy, stunning her.
"You were saying...wench?" Gawain chuckled, twirling his blade around him as Saber staggered back from the stun. He palmed the flat edge of his sword, drawing it outward, fire gathering along the blade itself. "Blade of the Devoted!" He called, taking a few bounding steps towards Saber and lashing out with his fire coated sword. The blow, unfortunately, connected against Saber's body, flinging her backwards.
Leo took the opening. "Hack: Vanish." he said, activating his own Code Casting. Saber quickly gathered herself and sprung onto her feet, ignoring the effects of the Code Cast. I was starting to get worried. Now that I knew Leo could erase our buffs, and Gawain could keep his active longer, things looked dicey. We still had the Theater in our back pockets, but I'm not commanding her just yet.
"Saber!" I called to her. She looked over, slightly confused, this being one of the few times I would talk to her in combat. "Rearm yourself!" I ordered.
"But Master..it would be a waste of my energy!' She retorted, annoyed at the thought.
I nodded slightly to see if she would get the hint. Thank Apollo she did. "Fount of the Saint!" I heard her start.
"Now halt!" I ordered, seeing Saber stop, even more confused. "Now go..."
Saber, still confused, nodded in agreement, and began her attack once more. Her Attack buff against Gawain and his Defense buff...perfect. I chuckled quietly, crossing my arms. I watched as Saber swung her blade around in wide arcs, Gawain swinging his sword to counter. Leo raised his hand, casting the Vanish Code Cast. "Saber! Buff!" I ordered, my servant disengaging from the combat to cast Fount of the Saint once more before I stopped her, having her carry on. I activated another Code Cast: MP Heal, followed by Strength. Saber finally caught on what I was planning, and just as Leo cast Vanish for the third time.
"Are you done wasting your time in this effort to win?" Leo yawned.
"Try me." I smirked. "Saber! Go! Everything!" I yelled, casting Strength on her, followed by a few MP Heals. In the mix of this, Gawain took steps back, guarding her attacks as his own buffs wore off. Saber chanted out her buffs as she continued to batter Gawain's armor and sword. Just as the last buff hit, I heard very faint music.
Saber tossed her rose at Gawain as she skillfully cut in into four pieced, the petals slowly falling to the ground as Saber dashed towards Gawain, sword primed to cut.
Gawain growled. "Divine Aegis!" he yelled, gaining the Luck buff. "Now...come unto me, o powerful sun." He said calmly as he flipped his sword into the air. I heard him mutter something, I couldn't make it out. Saber's speed seemed to slow, giving Gawain enough time to catch his sword after the blade was bathed in a powerful crimson-orange light, a bright orange sigil under his feet swirling in the shape of the sun. Twirling his blade for a few seconds to gather himself, Gawain swung his fire bathed sword at Saber's blade, the two blades colliding.
In a massive clash of raw power, I was able to faintly make the words 'Golden Theater of the Deranged!' and 'Sword of Victory!' melded into one word. Leo stood stalwart, even in the mass of the powerful explosion-like burst of energy. I, however, braced myself, holding my arm over my face.
The two servants pushed each other back and forth, trying to gain as much ground as they could to deliver the killing blow. Saber's crimson blade seemed to vanish within Gawain's fire bathed sword.
"Why don't you just give up now, Whore of Babylon?" Gawain grunted, throwing his weight against his blade.
Saber's foot slipped a bit, but I guess her 'lion wrestling' trait allowed her to stay upright. She did chuckle though as she stabilized herself. "I suggest you hold your tongue, knave!" Saber smirked as she threw her weight against her own blade. Gawain stood still, much to Saber's shock.
"As I said...why not give up now!" He yelled, twisting Galatine in a way that Saber's stable footing slipped, making her fall forward slightly. "Now! Excalibur Galatine!" he yelled, slashing at Saber's chest. "Burst! Burn her in a bath of crimson flames!" He yelled over the roar of the crackling inferno.
"SABER!" I called out over the massive surge of flaming energy. The light from the attack blinded me for a second. I opened my eyes shortly after to see Saber lying limp on the ground, her blade tossed to her side from the impact of the attack. I stood dumbfounded for the time, forgetting whether or not she had cast 'Thrice-Setting Sun' or not...or if Leo has Vanished it. My heart seemed to stop, waiting for my servant to rise to her feet.
Leo chuckled, which slowly turned into a powerful laugh. "Well down Gawain, very well done!" he praised his knight as if he was a king, which, in his mind, he was. "It did take quiet some time, but I am glad that eye sore was finally taken care of." he smugly said as his laughter died down into a cocky chuckle.
Saber coughed as she slowly got to her knees, the Thrice-Setting Sun taking effect, thank the gods. "I...must say...that was quiet a powerful attack." She chuckled weakly. I quickly hurried over, using one of my last few Elixirs to bring Saber back to her prime, following with Strength.
"Go get him." I chuckled as Saber jumped to her feet, grabbing her blade and recasting her buffs on her, even Thrice-Setting Sun. With the Theater still active, since Saber never...well..died...the Theater's effect stayed active, weakening Gawain still, but the Luck buff, I guess, allowed him to overpower Saber. Note to self: I FINALLY see the power of the Luck stat.
Gawain's eyes flew open. He threw up his guard. "That wench! How could she still be standing?!" he yelled in disbelief, Saber growing closer and closer, twirling her blade to her preferred grip. "No..no! I will not stand for this!" he yelled, palming his blade. "Blade of the Devoted!" he growled, swinging the fire coated blade in hopes of stopping my servant.
"Oh Saber..be a good girl.." I smirked. "And blossom."
"Yes master!" Saber voiced back. "Blossom of the Court!" she called out over Gawain's war cry to stop her.
"Gawain! End this now!" Leo demanded, hearing the sound of metal rending metal. His breathing jumped, seeing Saber's blade tear against Gawain in cleaving arcs and strikes, rose petals flying in each and every direction as Gawain helplessly was battered from each angle Saber could attack, quickly drying out her Prana supply with Blossom of the Courts. At this point, I didn't care, I let Saber fight as she pleased, before, ultimately, Gawain hit the ground in a metallic thud.
"Very good, my Emperor." I said, getting on one knee, and lowering my head. At this point, I didn't care what happened to Leo. I was the last one left, and that's all that mattered. I have the wish, and that's that.
Saber's heels clicked as she walked over to me. "Oh my, you are FAR too kind, my lovely servant." She chuckled as the digital red wall came screaming from behind her to signal the end of the last fight.
Gawain slowly got up, looking at Leo. "...my Lord..I...I'm so sorry..I've failed you, my liege."
Leo simply started back at Gawain before looking at me as I slowly stood up. "...nicely done...for a simpleton." he scoffed.
"Sticks and stones, Leo..sticks and stones." I chuckled, watching Gawain and Leo vanish.
"Well, Master." Saber started, looking at me. "This is it. You won." She said, hearing me chuckle a bit in disbelief. "What is your wish going to be?"
That question. Always come back. I don't even know who I am, and yet I went about and, simply, ended people's lives. Most I did feel remorse for, but...as I went on...it vanished. Am...am I a killing machine? Or am I just some mindless zombie or something? I want to use the wish to find out who I am. But...I'm terrified to know. Tomorrow is the big day, I meet with Kirei, and find out where the Holy Grail is.