Magic, Baby! Magic! (NasuFate - Artoria Pendragon SI Chapter 6)
Cath Palug, or Fou, as the young knight-in-training Arty called him, was contemplating how different his life became after meeting the wayward girl.
Admittedly their first meeting wasn't the best. Yes, Fou needed to eat, but just one deer was enough. Constantly stealing the knight girl's kills, again and again, eventually resulted in her getting a dragon, to hunt him down.
Now, did he maybe taunt her, steal the hunted game right from her hands, and even have her fall into a mud pit he dug or two...or ten? Well, yes, but that's hardly any reason to chase him down, burn half a forest, even follow him through the magical signatures of his teleportation points, and throw giant trees to rail road him.
As Fou prepared himself up for a fight, a mysterious voice called out-which he later learned was that of the incubus magus-advising him to just look pitiful and on the verge of crying, if he didn't want to devolve this into a fight, and to get free food.
Fou isn't the most prideful of creatures, and would have rejected that advice out of paw, but well...free food.
And so it waited for the girl, Arty to descend from her dragon, coming close to him with manic laughter, which admittedly was slightly scary, only for her to stop one she reached him.
Once she saw his wide teary eyes, and cute whine, she just put down her sword, complain about him looking cute now, when he should act ferocious so she can be angry at him, and finally just berated him a bit.
"Look, you wanna eat, that's fine. I can understand that, but you taking away my kill over and over again was not cool!"
Eventually she grabbed him, and held him in a comfy hug, and took him home.
The free food was delicious, especially with that method the humans used of burning stuff just right. 'Cooking' it was called.
Truthfully the reason why Fou agreed to play along with Merlin's play was, well, he can feel emotions. And while Arty did feel rage, it wasn't in the same way Fou saw others hands feel angry. Her anger lightly held, that it could always be washed away by another. This is because there is a constant sense of wonder and excitement that permeates her at nearly all times, that the moments she feel tired, sad, or angry etc. were superficial.
Such as right now. While Arty was feeling fear and trepidation, it didn't change the feeling of excitement underneath, as she stealthy went through this castle she infiltrated with a reluctant Merlin, looking for a magic sword.
There was only one thought in Merlin's head as he, Arty and Cath Palug sneaked throughout Castle Aravius, belonging to King Rience.
And that thought was: NOT AS PLANNED!
He was introducing young Artoria to the known magic swords in Britain, getting around to the Sword of Selection, when her usual scatter minded student-at least when he's weaving a story-till he got to the point, absolutely focused on one detail in his lecture and stopped everything else.
"There's a king, whose a giant, whose greek, who has a sword that once belonged to Heracles!"
"Well, yes, but-"
"LET'S GET THE HERACLES SWORD!"
All attempts to dissuade her just simply didn't work, and it was just his luck that Ector and Kay left a day earlier to head to Logres City where the lords and kings were gathering to witness the Sword in the Stone, and attempt to pull it.
Sure Merlin and Arty didn't have to head there now, but what if by the time they head to draw Caliburn, all the kings aren't there. If they didn't witness Artoria pulling the sword themselves, they will forcibly carry their skepticism. They might still refuse to follow her, but seeing Arty pulling the sword will remove their excuse that she isn't a legitimate king, and their only course of action would be outright rebellion, which will be a huge hit to their reputation, and be a shadow over them through all of their actions.
Now they were miles away from Logres City in Northgalis, Aravius, sneaking around in the middle of the night like thieves, and while the average soldier or knight wouldn't be a big deal to himself or Arty, he wasn't so sure on the giant king.
Still, as long as they are quiet and find the sword, which should be in it's colossal form, given a giant is using it (not that he would tell Arty that it's size can be refitted), and show her it's useless to try and steal, they should be good to go on escaping without being noticed, and head to Logres City-
"WOAH!"
Merlin lowered his head and sighed.
Arty, upon witnessing a glimpse of the towering sword in the several stories high throne room, immediately ran in shouting in amazement forgetting that this was a stealth mission.
"Arty..." Merlin shook his head as he followed her.
"Holy crap that's huge. It's like, what, three stories high? That how tall your tower looked from the outside, right?" She turn to Merlin and asked in a casual tone.
"What happened to stealth?" Merlin deadpanned.
"Fou, fou." Said Fou, nodding and agreeing with the incubus.
"Oh right! Stealthy, nin nin!" She did a nonsensical hand sign.
"Fou, fou." Fou stood on his hind legs trying to imitate her.
"Although," She looked around. "No one is here." Arty shrugged.
"So another filthy assassin slithering in the night. And who sent you? Vortigern, still thinking I will kneel to him? Leodegrance, that whiny coward? You know of my strength, thus you come like rats in the night. Did you think me weak at this low hour? Nay, King Rience's strength is present, at all times!" A booming voice rang out in the castle, alerting basically everyone.
Merlin and Arty could hear shouts and cries of people waking up and soldiers mobilizing and heading to where they are.
However none of that was on Arty's mind.
"Merlin," she began. "Did that giant statue just talk?" She pointed out.
"Yes," said Merlin. "Because that's not a statue. Just a giant."
"Oooh!" Her eyes widened in understanding. "Funny," she turned and nodded to him, on his word play.
"Thank you, I try."
"Merlin!" The giant called out, realizing who was present. "Uther's Magus! So you are whose sent to slay me." Rience paused. "Or are you here to acknowledge me as the true ki-?"
Before Rience could finish his words, or Merlin reply, the pipsqueak squire naturally jumped in.
"HEY!" Arty shouted, making the giant king blink at someone stupid enough to interrupt him. "We're not here to kill you, we're here to rob you!"
"What did you say?" The giant king looked baffled.
"Yeah, we're not here for your throne, we're here for your sword!"
"You dare above me, and declare such intent in my presence, you pathetic mortal child!"
"Well, yeah. I am Arthur Pendragon." Rience's eyes widened. He turned his glare to the Magus of Flowers.
"Yes, he is Uther's son." Merlin nodded with a smile, deciding to just go along with this.
"You know, come to think of it." Arty rubbed her chin. "I should try to take your throne. Since I'm suppose to unite the realm and all of that."
This is not how that's suppose to happen. That's not the plan, Arty! Merlin turned and stared at Arty's made-on-the-spot decision with alarm.
Soldiers and knights arrived, in the hall shouting and drawing their weapons, but everyone stopped as the ground rumbled and the giant king stood up.
King Rience grabbed the handle of the Heracles Sword, Marmyadose, and even he seemed to struggle with it. The small quake, the sword came free, and he held it at his side.
"So, the thief is now a usurper. You, a weak human child, are challenging me for my throne?" It was phrased as a question, but anything but. It was a declaration.
"Yes," Arty said with absolute confidence that she shouldn't have. "I am the Usurper."
"We're not here to usurp, we're here to bring back the land under our rule, like it was under your father."
"I am the Reclaimer."
The giant laughed, an echoing sound that shook the wall and stones. "An idiotic fool, that is all that is left of Uther, and the Wizard had fallen to madness to support this folly." He shook his head.
"Say," Arty spoke, getting King Rience to focus on her. "Were you just sleeping there on that throne all this time, waiting for someone to come by and assassinate you so you can make a spectacle of it?"
"...What?"
"I mean, don't you have a bed? Although thinking about it, they probably don't make them your size." Arty pointed out.
"You mock me!?"
"Well, if we're gonna say shit that wastes both our times, might as well inquire about some interesting trivia." Arty unsheathed her blade. "Or we can just do this and get it over with. Since I'm a gracious king, I'll let you have the first swing." Arty grinned. "Don't worry, when it's your turn, I'll let you take your time to set up your guard."
The implication wasn't lost on King Rience.
With an enraged roar, the towering blade was lifted up, the castle made to the ceiling were high enough for the king to do so without a problem. He could even run around with a wide room with ease.
Merlin quickly took Fou and teleported away, while the soldiers shouted and began running away as well.
The Dragon Engine howeled to life, as magical energy exploded off Arthur. Her Mana Burst and Reinforcement, and other spells empowering her, each stacking on top of the other, granting her all around power beyond any mortal could imagine.
"Secace Start." Arty held her blade in front of her with both hands. She activated all the enchantments upon it, so it can release energy blasts with her Od. The blade was enchanted using Artoria's blood, thus it drank her magical energy with ease, able to be strengthened and empowered by it without buckling, and firing that magical energy out without breaking.
The giant blade came down taking all of Arty's view, and all she could do was grin and slash upward to meet it.
The thunder breaking bang that resulted from the colossal Marmyadose clashing and being stopped by the relatively miniscule Secace, sent a shockwave in all directions, even rattling the walls, pillars and giant windows.
A giant crater with massive cracks formed under Arty's feet.
King Rience eyes widened that the human brat wasn't squashed instantly, but actually stopped the Heracles Sword. Even if the sheer prana exuded from her and covering her blade was abnormal for a human, it shouldn't have been enough...right?
"Well, well, there is some," Arty gritted her teeth. "Some strength for you to boast about, after all." She laughed.
"You, you damn insolent welp, do you never shut up." King Rience added his second hand to his sword's handle and pushed down. "Will you laugh now?"
"Oh I was wrong." Arty said nonchalantly. "It wasn't your strength that's heavy, it's your fat ass."
"How dare-"
With a shout, and a burst of Wind Spells, Arty completed her slash upward, causing a small explosion as she parried the giant sword fully back, causing King Rience to tightened his hold so it doesn't fly up from his giant hands.
"I am Arthur Pendragon." She declared, her voice ringing out like King Rience's did earlier. "The Once and Future King." She positioned her sword back for a slash, and took a running pose. "And now it's my turn to attack."
Secace burst with crimson fire, lightning aura covered both blade and wielder. King Rience's eyes widened, fear gripping his heart for the first time. Against all logic, he brought his blade up to defend himself from the tiny human.
Arty feet dug into the bedrock under her, then she launched forward. A booming shockwave rang out, this one causing cracks to appear on the pillars she passed by, even if she was wide meters away, and the windows panels shattered.
"DRAGON!" Arthur roared. "BITE!" The fires covering the enchanted blade grew, and for a moment before Rience's eyes seemed transform into the image of a dragon's head, maw opened, coming to feast upon him.
The blades clashed and to Rience's shock he, the giant, was pushed back. His feet slide back, the heat slammed into him.
It mattered not that he had the Sword of Heracles, that he was descendant from Greek demigods. He was never a hero that defied the odds, and before him stood a champion of this new age.
His fingers burned, then were immolated. Followed by his bones turning to dust, and the sheer explosive power of the would be king's attack, knocked the giant sword aside.
Arty's roar rose higher as she pushed her Dragon Engine more and more. The flames sour to greater and greater power. Her blade that she trained, sharpened and enchanted, the sword that was by her side for many years began to crack.
The magical flame blast engulfed King Rience, ending him and his reign.
From outside the castle, one moment everything was peaceful, then a giant beam blasted upward and outward at an angle, blowing up and vaporizing the whole section of the castle above the throne room and general area above it.
Back in the castle, the soldiers and serfs present looked on in horror, awe and disbelief.
Before them was the smoking bottom half of their king. The young knight fall from her high jump, and landed on the ground on one knee and one hand, while holding her sword to the side. The sword broke to pieces, falling away into small iron flakes. It's duty was done.
As if in response to her landing with a slam on the ground, the legs of the former giant king buckled and fell down backwards and missing the large throne. The giant king was dead.
Marmyadose landed nearby with a crash. The Sword of Heracles glowed and started shrinking in size, becoming as tall as Artoria.
"So," Arty's voice rang out and she stood up, clapping her aching hands from the dust. "Whose next?"
The soldiers and knights kneeled.