CHAPTER 2: FIGHT THE KNIGHT
"Don't look now, but there's a giant horseman behind me with very bad stealth skills. If you don't mind, I'll use you to fight him." Sonic said, turning around behind him as King Arthur rode closer.
"Oh, well the- Wait what are you doing? That's King Arthur! At least tell me what you're trying to accomplish with killing the king!" Caliburn frantically shouted.
"He's not a good king." Sonic simply answered.
"Okay but you'll be mincemeat!"
Sonic ignored this comment as he got into a fighting stance.
"Are you really using that stance, it's too high of a skill level for a knave such as you."
"I just beat a god damned dragon without getting hit. Sure I'm tired because my opening move was throwing a sword a hundred feet BUT STILL."
"Now, let us see the power of your so-called sacred sword." King Arthur butted in.
Sonic watched as King Arthur turned his horse began to gallop off.
"Oh you WOULD run away after what I did to your horse!" Sonic shouted in pursuit.
Caliburn paused. "... What was that, may I ask?" He did not get an answer.
Sonic dashed after the knight, who stopped at the entrance to a short tunnel under a sanctuary. He turned around to slash at Sonic, but was a bit slow as Sonic had gotten onto one of the horses legs. He began to hum a familiar tune as he climbed up the horse's leg.
"Sonic quit fooling around! Get off and attack him already!" Caliburn ordered.
"No way!" Sonic said as he got to the knee of the creature. Its bandages marked his previous stab location pretty well. Sonic grabbed onto the top and reared back the sword, while Arthur raised his foot.
"Oh lord, what are you doing!" Caliburn shouted bursting with fear and anger.
Sonic stabbed the horse in the knee once more, resulting in the horse going crazy for a moment, kicking and bucking everywhere. Sonic pulled out Caliburn and hopped off before it crashed onto him.
"Sonic I'd like to inform you that what you just did was the stupidest idea I have ever seen work." Caliburn ranted.
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Sonic shrugged the insult off as he pulled out a bow and arrow. He shot the joints in Arthur's armor while he was getting up, with little to no avail.
"And that was the smartest idea I've ever seen not work." Caliburn continued. "No knight you are, but an Archer you are close to decent."
Sonic ignored this, stowed away the bow and picked up Caliburn as Arthur got up. He quickly got his horse back on its feet. It stayed up this time, and Arthur was already on it by the time Sonic got there. Sonic swung his sword, but the knight blocked it. He swung again, this time twisting Arthur's wrist as he blocked it. While he was stunned by the wrist, Sonic rushed up and slashed him across the chest. The knight flew back on the horse and kicked its hind leg gently. The horse dashed off, leaving a little dust in its wake. Sonic dashed to pursue.
"Run run, as fast as you can!" Sonic shouted to the fleeing knight.
"Pursue me at your own peril, weakling!" Arthur replied. Arthur dragged his sword across the ground, tearing a hole in the ground. Several underworld dwellers popped out to intercept the hero.
Sonic tore straight through them, without even losing speed. As he flew through the purple smoke remains of the last one in line, he saw Arthur waiting to fight. Sonic rushed over, jumped, and prepared to strike. When he swung, it was blocked and he was knocked to the ground. He deflected Arthur's counterblow as he was getting up. As Arthur began to swing once more, he rolled onto the ground, dodging the attack, and slashed at the horse's front leg.
"Ha!" Sonic laughed as the horse's reaction to the slash had messed with Arthur's plan of actions, giving him enough time to get up and slash him again.
With a grunt in pain, Arthur kicked the now leveled horse in an unwounded leg hard. The horse sped off onto a curve in the road. Sonic dashed, jumped, and began to grind on the railing on the side. He noticed the horse was much slower now. And, as the horse jumped over a gap in the bridge onto grassland, its legs collapsed leaving Arthur sitting there, much closer to the water than where he was last time they fought here. -Just as planned.-
Sonic leaped off the railing, toward the knight, with Caliburn held with two hands and reared over his head, backhanded style. He slammed the sword right into his back, piercing the armor.
With a shout of pain and something else, -I think it was Caliburn cheering, or booing, or something.- Arthur teleported off his horse, who proceeded to get up and rush off to a distance as fast as it could, and Arthur appeared several feet away.
"You're makin' this so easy, I'm actually gettin' worse." Sonic taunted the king, using a low tone.
"You just did not say that." Caliburn commented. "There is no way you can fight a king and get worse, you silly knave."
"Yeah there is. They're all piss easy. Watch I bet I'll fight royalty in my adventure like three times and I'll win every onna 'em, this one included." Sonic replied, talking without wanting to move his tongue much..
Caliburn looked at the injured King. "Don't look now, but all the work you spent into killing the king is being wiped away like nothing."
Sonic turned and looked at the king. Light blue trails of magic gently flowed into the king. "Caliburn, tell me one thing before I try to attack him again."
"Alright." Caliburn said, interested in Sonic's question.
"The Scabbard gives its bearer immortality, no?" Sonic asked.
"You are right."
"Can the Scabbard be destroyed? In the case that happens, would its powers work still?"
"... I've never thought of that. It doesn't seem like anything a sword cannot cut through, but in the case the Scabbard was in halves, I think that you would require both parts to use its ability." Caliburn answered, completely forgetting that he was insulting the hedgehog moments earlier. "Great question, I never thought it would cross your mind. So quickly, at least. Next time, give it a try. It might work."
Arthur jumped onto his horse. "Hah! A fool of a knight, not even worth slaying!"
"According to this guy here, I'm a knave." Sonic shouted back.
Arthur stared for a moment, and turned his horse around.
"Also, are you sure you are running away because I'm not worth the time trying to kill? Or is it that your horse would be a useless head on a stub with bits of legs laying around it if you stayed for more than five minutes? It's only been THIRTY SECONDS!" Sonic taunted even more. Yes, the fight was that short. That bitch got DOMINATED.
Arthur disregarded this comment as he rode off, his horse soaring to the skies.
Sonic stared at Arthur's horse. "Oh that sure is logical."
"When you're that size, only the ordinary becomes awkward." Caliburn joked with him. "You did a very nice job in that fight. You proved me wrong on a lot of things, especially the last move. It was almost, I can't believe I am saying this, on the same performance tier as a knight."
Sonic rose his fist into the air about to cheer, but Caliburn spoke first.
"Almost. I cannot name you a knight off of one battle. But I can tell you, that you are, for sure, not a knave."
-Holy shit, it's a cold day in Hell and a stormy day in Heaven.- "Okay. I'm okay with not being called a knave. While we're on the right track why not call me 'Sonic', and just that outside of fancy stuff?"
"Why not I just decide whatever I want to call you on the spot?"
"Eh, not being called knave is good enough. But I swear if anyone calls me 'Knave the Hedgehog', I'm gonna kill them."
"For as long as he bears that scabbard," Merlina said, walking up to the two. "We may never be able to defeat King Arthur."
"We have a plan on that." Sonic replied. "It requires me getting into another fight with him though, and slashing the Scabbard. He ran off, scared of the thought of his horse with no feet." -Come to think of it, what other cheap shots have I missed? Hmmm...-
Merlina nodded. "That may work then, but in the mean time, shouldn't we think of everything we can do to stop it? You know, make it easier to defeat him, without focusing on hitting the Scabbard?"
-Good, I didn't want to destroy it anyway. I want it.- "Alright. Any ideas?" Sonic asked.
"Nimue was the previous owner of the Scabbard. We should go talk to her." Merlina answered.
-Good, Nimue is such a break from the normal Amy. I swear I tried getting her to bug off from sunrise to sunset. She chased me for TWELVE HOURS, and next morning she was in a sleeping bag on the fire escape right outside my window. Hey wait... My plan!- "Alright, let's go get he-... Oh crap."
"What?" Caliburn asked as Sonic picked him up and looked at his blade.
"That doesn't look too good. Getting a little dull there, teach." Sonic said, rubbing the tip of the blade. -Well it's not like I'd miss Nimue more than Amy, either. Smithy's the guy I've been waiting for.-
"A gentleman like me shouldn't have an edge."
-Cut the crap already.- "If you didn't have an edge, you're a pretty shitty sword, considering you were forged with the intent that you would kill people."
"Swords don't kill people. They just aide in doing so."
-Actually nevermind, he's fun talking with when he's not an ass.- "Yeah, but you're still a pretty shitty sword." Sonic replied, walking along the road to where the town is. "And I have a bunch of rings on me, THOUSANDS even. I'll show you 'gentleman' when we get into town! Merlina, you comin'?"
No response.
-Oh yeah, this part.- Sonic turned around to see Merlina leaning over and picking a flower.
"Why do flowers bloom, knowing they're destined to wither?" She asked him. "Their time of beauty is so short lived..."
Alright, time to see if getting this across will effect the events of the story. "Life is about living life to the best you can. 'Better to have loved and lost, than to have never have loved at all', or so they say. Sure the last part of life sucks, but that's why you make everything before it better." Sonic said as he gave as soft and as reassuring of an answer he can give, hoping for the better down the road. And that's why I want the Scabbard. I wish you could make off with the objects in the book and bring them into real life like I said earlier, that'd be SWEET. Just wear it under some armor and POOF, more of an ultimate lifeform than any scientists named Gerald can create.
She looked at Sonic, then back at the flower. She remained silent.
-And time to burn my alter-ego personality into her mind.- "Also, you can stop ripping them out of the ground."
"Oh, well yes um..." Merlina stuttered, putting away the flower, and standing up. "I cannot go into town. I will be recognized."
"Alright. See ya later!" Sonic said, rushing down the road with Caliburn in hand.