CHAPTER 17: BURN IT TO THE GROUND
Sonic arose from the cot, muttering curse words. He looked around, to see that Percival wasn't there.
Shrugging it off, thinking she pulled an all nighter, he began looking in the bag to see if there was anything left over that he could sell. He found nothing to sell, but plenty to keep, including several crossbow rounds -as well as the crossbow bolts from Hell.-, dozens of throwing and collapsible knives, and a book. The book read "The Journal of Saxton Hale".
Intrigued, Sonic opened the book and began viewing it's contents. Immediately, he noticed that Saxton was carrying this book around for the last decade, by looking at the first entry. Thinking, by that, it's going to be filled to the brim, it will be too long of a read for a morning, and put it off to the side. -I'll bring it out of the book for later.-
Sonic, finally realizing he had the morning off, put the items back into the bag immediately hopped back into bed and began to think about what he'll do when he gets out.
-Okay, first thing's first: Check the time. I know it was about, twelve o'clock, on a Sunday, so I'll just do the math when I get out of here, see if it's different from my actual time spent in here, if it's shorter than what I thought it was, continue experiments immediately. Second, write down results, compared to my normal run, and use the same reference for all my future runs. Third, find something to do with my clones. Probably put them somewhere no one goes anymore, give them a shovel, tell them to dig a hole, and make an UNDERGROUND DWARF CASTLE. YES I AM A GENIUS.-
Percival led four former Knights of the Round Table. They left when King Arthur was overcome by the power of the Scabbard and turned into the Black Knight.
First, there was Sir Galahad, a white hedgehog, donning armor as white as himself. Galahad was a companion of Percival's as they were searching for the Grail, and was very willing to reunite with her to defeat Arthur.
Second, there was Sir Bors the Younger, a black armadillo with a red shell underneath brown armor, who searched for the grail alongside Percival and Galahad as well. Although cautious about Percival's honesty of the matter, he could not bring himself to leave Galahad alone with such a deadly warrior in the case she was lying.
Third, there was Sir Lamorak, a green armored hawk. Like Percival, he had a fiery temper, but unlike her, he did not like hiding it behind nobility or rationality. He once slayed thirty knights within five minutes, fueled by his uncontrollable rage. As soon as Percival mentioned killing the king, he cried out "yes".
Lastly, standing tall among the rest of the knights, stood Galehaut, his armor thick, black and red with yellow lines on the edges. He had once fought against all the knights he was walking with, as the leader of an army, and he could have easily won considering his man power, but he could not bring himself to kill such skilled knights, thinking the world needs more people like them, and surrendered. He had a symbol on his shoulder, but no one near here could begin to guess what it meant. His approach to Percival's plea for assistance was as the same as Bors', but realizing Lamorak alone could handle any ambush Arthur threw, he joined.
"Gentlemen, we should get Gawain as well." Percival brought up.
Bors walked on with his hands behind his head. "Alright, let's get him."
"But, Sir Bors, there is a problem." Percival said.
"And what may that be?" Bors asked.
Percival sighed, and looked ahead. "After the fight with Sonic, he abandoned knighthood to twelve months of meditation."
Bors put his arms down. "Oh. How are we going to get him, then?"
Percival paused, wondering how to put Sonic's plan. "Well... A friend of mine told me, 'if something happens and destroys the house, they can't just stay there for the rest of the vowed time.'"
Galehaut interjected. "ARE YOU IMPLYING WE ARE GOING TO SET FIRE TO OUR FRIEND GAWAIN'S HUT?"
"There's no nicer way to get him out." Percival replied.
"ALTHOUGH THAT IS CORRECT, I CANNOT PROCESS A MORE RUDE WAY TO ACQUIRE GAWAIN EITHER." Galehaut retorted.
"Yes, and he could be injured doing this, or he may spot us lighting his house." Lamorak added.
"Those are true, but it's the only way to get him out now." Galahad pointed out.
"So, should we go for burning his house down to get him, or should we leave our friend Gawain at peace?" Bors asked.
Lamorak spoke first. "I don't like the idea of such tactics against a friend of ours."
"It'd only make sense for him to help fix a problem he helped make." Percival answered.
"We need to reform the Knights of the Round Table afterword, now that a common cause of leaving has been ridden of. So yes." Galahad said.
"AS MUCH AS I DETEST SUCH HARSH MEASURES, WE SHOULD GET OUR FRIEND GAWAIN BEFORE ACHIEVING VENGEANCE." Galehaut boomed.
"That settles it, then." Bors said to his comrades. "How are we going to go about burning his house down?"
Percival waved her hand in front of her, leaving fire in it's wake. "I would guess I would have to accidentally set something alight whilst trying to persuade Gawain into coming with us."
"Good." Bors said.
They walked through the dense forest, until finally, they had come to a clearing in the forest, and by the river was a cabin. It was Gawain's cabin. They approached it, and knocked. Gawain answered.
"Hell-oh. It's yo- You brought the former knights! Come in, come in!" Gawain greeted.
The group had entered the small cabin. It was small, but everyone could sit down, while the large Galehaut had to stand.
"What's the occasion?" Gawain asked delightfully.
"Sir Gawain, I've defeated Sonic." Percival lied, without a trace of it on her face.
"What?" Gawain was dumbfounded. "Percival... you won? With the weapon he used against me?"
"He tossed it aside beforehand, and challenged me to a fist duel. That's besides the point, however." Percival told her friend. "Before it was finished, he went on about the error in our ways. He went on about how we knew what the King was doing was wrong, but we were either too scared to fight back, or not willing enough. He told me that if I killed him, I would kill the last hero this world will see."
Gawain scratched his chin. "... And...?"
Percival sighed. "He wanted us to stop being loyal to the king. He wanted us to fight him, for the greater good. Like you had said we should when we first witnessed his skill. So when I let him go, bruised and beaten. Before he did, he told me one thing."
"And that was?"
"'You started this mess. It's only fair you clean it up.'"
After a moment of silence, Gawain shook his head.
"No, I am sorry, I can't." Gawain declined.
Percival argued. "So you're going to sit here, doing nothing, while we make things right?"
"I am sorry, but I've made up my mind. I've vowed to stay here for twelve months to meditate, I cannot break it."
"But if you fix your error yourself, you won't need to!"
"I'VE MADE UP MY MIND." Gawain boomed.
Percival tossed her hands in the air, giving up. "If someone else has the patience to argue with him, do it, I can't see this going far."
"Calm down, Percival." Gawain said, worried.
Percival walked over to a table, next to a window, which Galahad was sitting in. He got out of the seat and walked over to her spot on the bed to sit down. Percival tilted the chair back and put her feet on the table, arms crossed.
Galahad sighed. "This can't be the only way, Gawain."
"I promised God twelve months of devotion, and I'll give him that."
"God is forgiving, and Percival's right, if you helped start this mess, it's only fair if you cleaned it."
"That's not how it works."
"I'm sure God will understand."
Gawain scoffed. "God will understand our assisted suicide, sure."
"What are you saying, Gawain?"
"It's suicide going against the king how he is-"
Percival swung her head over to look at Gawain.
"Are you saying all six of us can't defeat one man?"
Gawain began to explain. "Since Lancelot died, we-"
Percival slammed her foot on the table. She was legitimately angry at this point.
"We're not weak! We're strong! Sir Lamorak alone can kill 10 men with knives strapped to his feet and his hands tied behind his back!"
"Flattering." Lamorak gloated, with a snide smile.
"Shut up, peacock. I'm trying to make a point." Percival spat back.
"Percival, calm down, please!" Galahad pleaded.
Lamorak panicked a response. "I'm just saying! Yeesh, feisty little b-"
CRACK
Percival had raised her feet, and slammed them on the table, shattering it into pieces.
"I'LL FUCKING COOK YOU."
Everyone was staring at her, shocked. Lamorak had heard the insult many times before, but this time was especially frightening. Gawain's eyes weren't strained on her, however.
He was focused on the fire she just started.
"Oh God! Get the pail! Get some water! Put it out!" He shouted.
Percival hopped out the poorly done glassless window next to the table as Gawain tossed her a bucket. She ran down to the stream to get water. Everyone in the house had evacuated. Except for Gawain, of course.
"Gawain, you're still in there?" Bors asked worriedly. No response.
Percival had came back with the bucket, filled with water. She walked up to the window next to the fire, and set the outside on fire, using the smoke as cover. She then began attempting to lazily douse the fires. When the fire had began to visibly burn away the wood, Percival had tossed the bucket aside. She began to sit and watch as the fire burned around Gawain, who avoided the fire like the plague.
When the house was finally burned down to the ground, leaving nothing but ashes and inflammable junk lying around, Galahad stepped over the charred logs to reach Gawain, sitting in the center of the ashes and smoke.
"Well Gawain," said the white knight as he pulled the echidna up from his shoulder. "You can't stay in the house anymore. Because it's no longer a house."
"I have eyes, Galahad." Gawain grumbled. "I can see that this is a pile of ash, and I can see where you're trying to go with this."
Bors stepped in. "Well, will you? It's partly your fault all of this happened."
Gawain rolled his eyes, as he began digging in the ash. After a moments notice, he had pried his well worn and soot-covered armor. Covered in the ash of his burned home, it looks as though it changed shades.
"I will. Under one condition." Gawain said, swinging his chain mail around to get the ashes out of it.
"And what may that be?" Percival asked.
"Don't ever come to my house again." Gawain answered, spitting to the side afterward, which was noticeably black from soot.