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Thread: Finis Chaldea

  1. #761
    While Artoria's story continued with its next chapter, Enkidu paced to and fro. A hand was brought to chin, their eyes closing for long periods at random intervals. Many things made no sense. Everything said regarding Ishtar, her reactions, and Gilgamesh's reactions to the goddess, were perfectly acceptable. Had Enkidu been alive, they would have been leading the charge against her temples. "I'm jealous. If only I could have joined you, maybe it would have baited out the whore herself," they commented absently. Some things still didn't click. What changed Gilgamesh's views on the women he bedded? Even after coming to detest Ishtar, long before being approached by the goddess directly, his preferences had not changed. No one even resembling Artoria Pendragon had ever set foot in the king's royal chambers, yet he spoke of making this one his bride? "Ugh," Enkidu grumbled while pinching the bridge of their nose. It was no act of disgust, but one of frustration. They wished only to understand the king, yet they still could not fully understand humans. Of course... neither could the king himself. Perhaps even Gilgamesh wasn't certain of all his reasons? No; that was never the case with anything that man decided.

    Whatever the case, and however she managed it, Artoria Pendragon had once felled the King of Uruk. Enkidu could not yet understand this in full, but there was at least proof enough in the replica she so recently liquidized. Now, she was standing. Enkidu wondered if she could truly be of assistance, but then... there was that odd feeling, as if they could only remain rooted to the world for so long. A question had to be asked. "I wonder. You, Artoria Pendragon who felled my dear brother... I have a request of you. Remove this replica of a broken tool from the world. My brother must not see this pitiful copy of a thing he once held."

  2. #762
    A smile crossed Artoria's face. It seemed that Gilgamesh was not alone in appreciating her way of handling the errant goddess. "That would have been fun. I knocked over each and every one with a slash from Excalibur but keeping the damage small enough to avoid breaking everything around them," she said with a smirk. "An exercise in restraint as I walked home from the desert," she summed up the situation. It seemed that though Jeanne hated swearing, she would not bother correcting Enkidu for his use of the term whore to describe the goddess Ishtar. Actually, Jeanne didn't like that woman very much considering what she'd done to her sister. She felt similarly, that woman was a danger to other women and that could not be allowed. There was one place a girl was supposed to feel comfortable with her virtues and that was in the presence of another girl.

    Enkidu paced and seemed frustrated, both Artoria and Jeanne could tell this... even so, he eventually released own nose and asked a question would she remove his replica from this world before Gilgamesh returned. He called himself a pitiful copy of a broken tool and Artoria sighed. "That request from you, is almost abhorrent to me," Artoria said. "Almost, but I am only a knight for the protection of others. And I would protect your honor as such because you asked me to," Artoria said rotating her shoulders and steeling her heart and mind for the task ahead. "Admittedly, you are not as pitiful as you think you are. I am not sure I can manage such a thing with any level of quickness. Even for me such a battle may not be completed with ease," she said these words but there was a light in her eyes, flickering like flames behind that emerald green color. Could she do it? Could he be felled by one like her? It was a great challenge. How could she not take the step towards facing it? This was a happiness her sister recognized and it made her both happy and sad. "Eri-nee, you are such a contradiction. Loving battle so much you want to face and kill him, but favoring the Golden King so much you wouldn't want to take from him again..." said the Queen of Saints. "It is both sad and happy somehow," she seemed to be on the verge of tears again but Artoria could only offer a soft smile to her sister. "I can only control my nature, I cannot change it so much. The idea of facing something new in combat is thrilling..." Her armor returned to her person and her hands gripped tightly around the hilt of Excalibur as she drew it from the ground. "It seems our next big challenge awaits us, your proving was enough of a warmup... but that was a novice. The real challenge is ahead," she said with both hands on the hilt.

  3. #763
    If nothing else, Enkidu could approve of this woman based solely on her reaction to Ishtar. They were kindred in their perspective toward the goddess, and perhaps in their perspective toward Gilgamesh as well... to an extent. What of her belief in Enkidu's current existence, though? If they both agreed that she should be the one to eliminate them from this world presently, many questions could be answered quite soon. She did express some distaste for the idea. They did not know one another until mere minutes before, yet there was even an ounce of restraint in an obviously seasoned warrior granting a wish for death? Interesting. Luckily though, the offer was still accepted. Artoria would put forth the effort of destroying this shell containing Enkidu's memories, even though the woman herself expressed belief in its difficulty. "It's nothing to worry about. If you can defeat my brother, you should be able to defeat me. Even if you can't..." A pause was taken as Enkidu looked into their own palm once more. The clench of a fist simply didn't feel the same. "... I cannot last here forever. I feel as when I lay sick and dying, even though I feel not the pain of death itself. Happy is the man who falls in battle. I do not wish to die a shameful death again."

    Of course, this was not the sole reason Enkidu thought to face Artoria Pendragon. There was still a burning desire to discover why this one and Gilgamesh were attached the way they were. Enkidu would understand their brother, and more importantly, they would understand how this woman viewed him. Standing with an arm just slightly outstretched, hand to the sky, Enkidu kept eyes trained on the woman they thought could end this version of life. "Forgive me, my brother's lover... but I will not go quietly. Never again do I wish to die with the heartbeat of a man at rest."

  4. #764
    Jeanne took several hops backward, knowing her sister did not wish interference in such a battle as one for honor, especially not of the King's friend. As for Enkidu he seemed to be assessing himself. There was nothing to worry about, even if she could not fell him? He could not last here forever? No... that seemed about right. He was but a summon, when those ran out of mana they should normally fade from existence. Beyond a few special cases and those connected directly to the souls of others. Even so, Artoria could look at this man and see him as she saw herself. A weapon, well-honed and ready to strike. "Men who fall in battle are strong willed and respectable. It is a choice I would make for myself as well..." Artoria said with a small smirk coming to her lips. "Even so, it would go against my honor and everything I am if I did not try and succeed in killing you... a battle is no fun if victory slips from your clutches," Artoria said those words and there it was. Just a gentle hint. A subtle reminder that in some ways, she could be considered just as arrogant as the King of Heroes. He would not go quietly? "Good, I have no wish to hand out an execution. I wish to face a challenge in glorious combat and overcome it!" she said with a smile. "You are my King of Heroes only friend, I could not face him again if I did not first try and hand you the same kind of crippling defeat I offered him," there was a smile on Artoria's face and then she exhaled a held breath. If she was going to fight this man, she would do it the way she enjoyed doing so here and now. Looking for the route to his ending with a smile on her face and full power behind every swing. She would attack with the intention of killing him in every strike and she'd enjoy the battle all the more when success finally occurred.

    Artoria with both hands on the hilt of this more massive Excalibur allowed it to be pulled along with her, resting behind her as it was covered in Invisible Air. Did she truly wish to conceal the weapon? Not really, it was done more precisely for the reason of giving her extra reach, given the different ways she'd already seen the Chains of Heaven used. "Here I come," Artoria said this because it was her nature to do so. She would not attack a man unawares. She would confront this battle head on with the dignity and honor bound to her very soul by the title Queen of Knights. She'd launch herself forward at speeds most often called too fast for the eye to follow and begin to actively using Invisible Air's release to quickly lift the weapon into an upward slash, from the left hip up to the right shoulder of Enkidu. It had extra power this way and in stopping it a bit shy of its normal range, she would release the blast of wind based mana whether the sword swing was stopped or not. Normally she would have called such a thing a test swing, but, that wasn't it this time. She was leaving herself the ability to shift, to murder if she saw an opening. She had opened with all the aggression of kicking in a door.

  5. #765
    Enkidu had nothing more to say in terms of their existing conversation. It seemed the battle would be one against another, with no involvement from the other woman present. That would be fine, Enkidu thought. It was their intention to see what this Artoria Pendragon had to offer; nothing else would suffice. Artoria began with a forward charge. Her weapon was sheathed in something... almost magic? No, there was something quite wrong with it. Whatever the case, it concealed her sword visually as she rushed headlong into an assault. Enkidu met her charge with equal vigor and velocity, and when that wind-coated blade was swung, Enkidu's left arm was thrown out to clash against it. Energy accumulated around that hand, nearly forming a blade of pristine craft during the clash, while Enkidu slid beneath Excalibur on its upward path.

    Green locks of hair were sheared and blown away by the burst of air afterwards, but Enkidu remained mobile. That little duck quickly became a high-powered spin that began with two hands held straight, each acting as mighty blades aimed at the queen's lower torso. Multiple spins took place, leaving multiple chances for Enkidu to cleave through armor and reach flesh. Ah, but that was not all. Enkidu's large sleeves would give way to the Chains of Heaven after only a single rotation. Those chains spiraled outward with spear tips at the end of each. They would extend to great lengths while whipping around, and only two rotations after they first emerged, this extension led to a rise of the chains as well. Three more rotations would be all it took for a veritable tornado of chains to surround the spiraling Enkidu. At such a point, the winds kicked up would lift the sands of this open field. The term tornado would have a very literal meaning, it seemed. . .

  6. #766
    Artoria brought her blade in, she attacked with fervor and that fervor was met. A duck under that blade, even as the air pushed off it and a near perfect avoidance of that opening attack made the Queen of Knights... giddy. 'Fast.' A thing to note. Most did not show as much movement as she herself did, the follow up to the attacks would have her pushing forward into the same space as Enkidu. Not as a matter of arrogance but so her body could naturally follow the forward momentum and begin to spin. The first of those bladed hands did indeed meet her armor. Strong as it was there were deep gashes which did reach to the flesh beneath, leaving blood to stain her person this did not stop her movements and those same slashes became lighter scratches along their path until she spun out, in her general dancing manner. Her own foot work would have her dodge the extensions of chains. While her sword was still above her head, was now charging beneath that glimmer of invisibility. She did not know why, but her own instincts led her to believe that being captured was tantamount of heresy on her part. And she watched in awe as a vertiable tornado was created from a set of rotations no more than those she'd taken to free herself from the immediate strike range of this man. She brought down her sword dispersing the winds along with the light of her own power to see if she could stop the tornado. By her approximation she had put enough power into the downward slash that the pressure should help cancel it in part, though the Chains of Heaven themselves were still a relative unknown, that smile on Artoria's face hadn't faltered. No she was happy to be here, this fight would be glorious!

  7. #767
    Through the chains themselves, Enkidu felt a grinding sensation against the queen's armor, as well as the following sensation of flesh being cleaved. Both combatants were wearing a grin so early in the match. In Enkidu's case, it was because this woman had the wherewithal to escape before being sliced into numerous pieces. The rotation continued, the chains rising higher and higher to give greater force to the tornado building up. During this time, Artoria readied her weapon. A downward slash backed by mana and Excalibur's own power clashed against the tornado, bringing halt to the wind while having no visible effect on the chains themselves. Though Enkidu had the ability to wield the Chains of Heaven just as Gilgamesh did, summoning multiple segments in unison, their uses were quite different. Enkidu was the Chains of Heaven. No other could claim such absolute ability to manipulate the chains, as shown when the spiraling tool swelled against that burst of power. Artoria could do away with the tornado itself, but what would she do as the highest ends of the chains twisted downward to encompass the area immediately around her?

    Enkidu's own spinning maneuver was done, though the chains continued moving as they grew in length. A spiral remained around Enkidu, coning outward as it rose into the air, then coning inward as it surrounded the blonde woman. Enkidu was left curious. If surrounded by these chains as they spun rapidly and closed in, would she have an answer? Would she be shredded to pieces, or would she prove her worth and overcome the challenge ahead of her? They remembered how Gilgamesh dealt with something like this, so what of the woman he took such interest in?

  8. #768
    'I knew it.' Artoria's thoughts on her ability to overcome the tornado were confirmed, but along with that confirmation came extra knowledge. Enkidu the Chains of Heaven was the actual weapon of the same name. As such, his usage of these chains was masterful by comparison. They were coming in fast, and there weren't many options. The movements of them said she could be shredded to pieces if she stood still too long, her instincts determined being captured was the wrong answer. So she would do as she always did, she would push forward. She braced herself after the halt of the tornado and as those same chains descended upon her, she took a deep breath, "Ambition." A light all magical but powerful seemed to swell within her person, it was not holy specifically but more like a mana burst charging, with the effect of either pulling what was near her in or pushing it out. She held it for a moment choosing the perfect timing needed. At the same time her sword was gripped and held at her waist the as if she intended to draw it forward but she did not. Instead she forced her body's movement on the axis of her left foot over her right, and spun in place at the moment those chains would have collided. The outburst of 'Ambition' and the spin of her body and sword along with the use of the support skill 'Arbitrary Vector,' would grant her the ability to deny being caged it, the spin would grant her the window necessary to burst through those chains, dispersing them around herself with the opposing force of that ability and physical strength. As soon as her singular rotation completed, she rocketed herself more directly at Enkidu. She'd follow up immediately aiming to continue the motion of her slashes horizontally as if she intended to cut him in half across the torso. All the while she smiled at him finding this to already be fun.

  9. #769
    What would Artoria Pendragon do? Something truly intriguing, as a matter of fact. Enkidu stood motionless while watching the chains close in on her. Her chosen counter was one of few methods Enkidu imagined that could let her escape unscathed. Watching it reminded him of old times, though this one came with an additional use of ability. Nevertheless, Artoria burst through an opening in the chains after creating it, freeing herself moments before they closed in. "Hmm. Things are heating up," Enkidu mused. With that, there was a raised hand. Artoria's charge seemed a bit reckless when considering the chains that still spun directly around Enkidu, but... time would tell. The mobile chains shifted by their command, taking a more diagonal orientation to halt her horizontal slash and grind repeatedly against Excalibur's blade. In the moments of sparks flying between lines of sight, Enkidu raised another hand to hasten the other in-use chain segment. While the first defended, the second would attack. That same clockwise momentum left the second chain whipping around Artoria's right side, aiming to coil around her as if it were a snake. For additional certainty, Enkidu gave just a bit of slack to the first chain. Artoria's forward momentum was to be abused for the sake of subjecting her to the binding chain, which would ensnare her from ankle to neck, pinning even her sword to her body.

  10. #770
    Artoria had escaped and rushed forward, but in doing so had rushed ever so recklessly towards... a trap? Yes, that was the case wasn't it? Her own sword sparked against chains as they clashed against one another. Artoria had fully intended to simply shift her hold and go in for a few jabbing motions but there was a lot to keep track of wasn't there? Even she couldn't see behind herself while avoiding sparks to the eyes and keeping herself trained on that which was before her. Ah, masterful chain usage was a problem, this man would have been an excellent tutor for one like Agravain. Artoria would have pointers to take home. The slack given was just enough to let her push forward and not see coming that chain snaking around her body which captured her rather handily. Oh, even her sword was pressed against her body as it tightened. 'Shit.' Though at the very least the wounds she'd taken early on had healed themselves enough for this not to be truly uncomfortable. "Oh? That is new. The King of Heroes never actually managed to capture me with these chains..." she mentioned as if commenting upon the weather. What to do? What to do? There were a few options to escape, but now that she was here, she might as well find out their upper limits and figure out if it was possible to break free in a straight forward way. If she remembered correctly that Berserker Heracles had a few problems with these... she did not possess that sort of brute strength but she'd still start by trying to move her sword arm pushing against the chains with just her physical strength. She'd need to know how much was needed just to free herself. She wouldn't want to waste too many movements. Still she didn't seem to be very upset, when meeting a new challenge she'd never actually faced before, she didn't expect everything to go off without a hitch, sometimes challenges had to be faced from within.

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