Finis Chaldea

[Bloodedge]

A dance indeed, yet only the first few steps had been taken. If Lucius were to make the call, he'd presume the encroaching crescendo and accompanying change of pace. Blades gleamed in the light of a rising sun as they moved about at speeds no ordinary human could hope to keep track of. Ah, and suddenly, there was a sound Lucius sorely missed: the sound of a sword grinding against armor. This instance was not accompanied by the sensation of cutting through armor, though. How strange. He hadn't been required to use much force for the sake of rendering normal shields and armor. This one would take a bit of elbow grease, so it seemed. First, something had to be done about her current movements. She was spinning again, and her sword was rising. Only his head and upper left side were viable targets from that angle. Well... that wouldn't be an issue.

Already having momentum toward his right side, Lucius kicked off with his left foot. He vaulted and rolled aside as a result, but the act of rolling into a new rise would be the issue. When rising, he also launched himself forward again. The same sword he'd used only a blink before was rising as well, sweeping through the earth as it did so. Lucius boasted more than enough raw strength to tear the ground asunder with this simple movement, launching a wave of dirt and rock at the blonde woman's face as the ground was split beneath her. Said split would be nothing resembling normal, but instead one that would continue to grow until even a horse could easily fall into it. Its creation was not Lucius' primary intention, though; his aim was to leap toward Artoria during a moment of lost visibility. A flying kick was performed, aimed at the queen's middle torso. If he struck her, it would not be the growing crevice she had to be concerned about. In deciding he needed to apply strength in addition to technique, Lucius utilized enough force to send one of Artoria's size careening across the field and into a forested area several dozen meters toward the sun. If such a thing were to play out as he intended, he would be found immediately chasing Artoria into that very same forest, wearing the widest and toothiest of grins.

[Apollymi]

A certain oddity about the Queen of Knights was about to become obvious to all present, well at least the ones who were not already aware. Lucius was quite maneuverable for a man of his size, another good point in his favor. Out of the way with a roll, and once against not allowing her sword to make contact with his person. 'Tsk.' That sound in her mind was not annoyance though, it was sarcasm. Still, this was rather interesting, as he rose just as quickly along with his sword. The weapon wasn't aimed at Artoria, but tore the ground asunder, and sent a wave of dirt and rocks at her face. She expected such tactics from those less honorable than herself. She did the only thing she could do and blinked and squinted within this dust cloud. She braced, an attack was coming and there would be nothing to be done about it without having some idea of where it was coming from. What did bracing get her? Kicked about like a ragdoll as she flew towards the forest closest to the sun, a few of her ribs cracked under that pressure. She felt the strength of that kick in the depths of her torso and as she flew by, she laughed. Her ribs would be healed fairly easily by her own abilities so they were not a real worry to her. "Haha-hahaha!!~" Melodic laughter was heard as she twisted in the air. That fight against Enkidu had done her the world of good for her ability to recover from being tossed about. Her feet made contact with a tree trunk and it cracked under the pressure, being felled in the same moment she kicked off, heading straight forward to face Lucius a grin just as wide on her own face. Excalibur still in her hands, she aimed a powerful stab towards that man's torso with the full speed of her current moment behind her.

Mordred sat atop their horse, with confusion on their visage beneath their helmet. "Did Father get hit hard enough to go flying and laugh about it?" They asked seeming to want clarification about it. "Is that normal?" Gareth asked seemingly worried about the situation. The Queen of Knights had some strange habits and each of her Knights found out about them in turn. There was something ever so slightly unnerving about the idea of being hit that hard and laughing about it with an almost instant recovery. The Queen of Knights was inhuman by Mordred's on standards but they were happy thinking she might actually enjoy something. To Mordred such a thing would only add to the perfect image of their Father in their own mind.

[Bloodedge]

Laughter? Ah... that was an interesting way to react after receiving a bone-shattering blow and being thrown across an open field. Were they the same? Lucius thought as much. He could view this one as an individual who grew into combat just as he had, thrown into a life of endless carnage until the only source of enjoyment was whatever challenge finally came next. Either that was the case, or she was a literal madwoman. Regardless of the situation... she was proving to be exactly the opponent he'd trained to face. As he charged, he witnessed the quick recovery of his enemy. He hadn't even made it over yet, and she was launching herself toward him. How... exciting! The tip of Artoria's blade was aimed at his chest while she moved through the air. Surely she didn't think that would work. Oh well; he'd find out the full plan in a matter of moments. For the time being, Lucius neither swayed nor defended. What he chose to do was continue forward, sending both feet ahead of himself to initiate a long slide across the grass. He faced upward during said slide, allowing Artoria to pass overhead while Lucius' blade swung horizontally at the passing woman. Such a speedy slash could not manage to do anything against the quality of armor she boasted, but it was rather well-placed. He aimed not at cuirass or plackart, but just beneath the latter. It seemed his aim was to gash just between abdomen and pelvis, while severing the leather holding the lames of her armor in place.

Meanwhile, two of the four knights accompanying Artoria Pendragon had questions that would always appear eventually. The younger ones had yet to witness combat of this caliber. Lancelot had abandoned his own horse, electing to spare it the weight of two armored men and a giant shield. He stood next to the beast, hand against its neck while watching a battle that was only becoming more distant as time passed. "Normal? No, it's not. Not for humans. One thing worth learning as a Knight of the Round Table is that our queen is anything but human. That doesn't just apply to the attitude or lack of empathy. In a fight like this, it's like giving a poor kid some new toy they've been waiting all year to play with."

[Apollymi]

Artoria had started to enjoy herself. Any combatant who could hit her that hard, would lead to a glorious battle. Why? Because there was something new and interesting about them, it was a challenge to overcome and that was what Artoria wanted out of life. Most of the time anyways. That laughter and charge were met by movements of Lucius he dropped and slid, her eyes sparkled with amusement and she saw a grin not unlike her own. He aimed a quick slash as she passed through the area that would have been his body. But in a singular moment they seemed to understand each other quite well. 'Oh. That is why he is dangerous... we are alike.' Her musings were accompanied by her drawing up her legs into her chest, on instinct alone. She seemed to roll into a ball, but she couldn't quite avoid the slash that rid of the side pieces of her armor. Instead she managed only to protect the flesh of her pelvis with the armor of her greaves, beneath that dress. Those side pieces fell away as she rolled herself to the ground before quickly standing once more. She could summon that armor again, but it was better for her if she avoided to so immediately, she might need it as a surprise tactic. "Tricky, tricky..." she murmured, as she raised her arms into the air. She immediately aimed to swing her sword downward in his direction, a shining beam of light travelling along the path of the sword swing. Not the activated from of Excalibur, but a test swing to with a great deal of power behind it. Enough to mar the ground between herself and this man and damage the full front of his body should it make contact. Yes, Artoria was testing the waters quite a bit.

According to Lancelot, the Queen of Knights could be considered inhuman because of her attitude and lack of emotional understanding, but as young knights they all needed to realize that the Queen was also the type to enjoy battles against strong opponents. 'Why shouldn't she?!' this was Mordred's only thought. The Queen did not pick on the weak... this was a good trait to have. She was content to protect others even the knights. Without emotional attachment and empathy she could be fair in her judgements. Everything said about her as if it was negative made her a good ruler. "Well, if she's having fun... I suppose we shouldn't really question it..." Gareth said. The Queen was always so composed and distantly friendly with her own knights, even spoiling her own nieces and nephews. To see her smiling while in a battle that seemed a struggle at best was strange to consider. Is this why she assured them all it would be fine? Was there something to taking on a challenge like this, that the rest of them could not understand? Should they even try to? It was human nature to struggle, and in this case all looked like worms before Artoria's might! Mordred had this thought and was proud beyond reason. 'She's perfect.'

[Bloodedge]

There was no flesh felt under Lucius' blade. While most may have considered that annoying or even disappointing, he was infinitely satisfied. Too long had he been mowing down one enemy after another, regardless of their supposed strength. He had even developed a long-term habit of picking apart armor pieces to keep a mental score for himself, all to maintain high entertainment value. Currently, he could take a count of one against the Queen of Knights... yet his satisfaction came from the fact that he'd been aiming for more, and did not find the desired outcome. After they'd passed one another, Lucius vaulted his way up to stand, twisting in place to view the enemy queen again. It would have been no surprise to him if she manifested those armor pieces again; she'd already called upon it at random not long before. What he did find surprising though, was the chant of tricky, tricky from Artoria. If anything, he should have been the one saying something like that. The people on this layer of the world were allegedly cut from a different cloth. From what he heard, this woman was just some bitch or something like that. Nonsense. He could see it in her every move; there was nothing common about this person. Even the way she raised her sword overhead was such a practiced and elegant thing, he couldn't pick a single fault in it. If she weren't built like a teenager, he would have been in trouble ages ago.

Now, what was the point of that sword being lifted? Ah... it seemed the time to evolve the state of combat had come already. It was almost a shame to see that swelling of mana around Excalibur, but he was also looking forward to greater discovery of Artoria's abilities. Lucius' left hand gripped the hilt of his own sword tightly, lifting it at an angle to expel his own energy. His wave would meet Artoria's, crossing it and causing the dispersal of each side. In that moment though, it would almost seem as if Lucius' wave continued moving forward. In fact, he swung his sword twice, leaving the return stroke's wave to continue toward Artoria after the initial clash.

Lancelot continued watching intently. This battlefield would not survive the battle itself. Three crevices had already been created in the land, and those two were only just beginning to mar it. Galahad seemed to have the right idea about things regarding their queen. So long as she had something to enjoy, there was nothing anyone could complain about. Besides... Lancelot himself couldn't blame anyone for finding the thrill of combat. "No, we shouldn't. You might even understand for yourself eventually. Fighting can be fun, if you can find the fun in it. It's at least very satisfying to win, so surely you can imagine the fun had by someone who doesn't lose."

[Apollymi]

Artoria still had no idea who this man was, but she was starting to like him quite a bit. She learned everything about people while facing them in combat, and right now she was certain this man could have been one of her favorite people. So full of different tactics, not easy to win against, he was the sort of person she liked to destroy in combat. One of the people who made it difficult for her to be the best an earned victory! Ah, he was even managing against her practice swing. It was neutralized as it would have reached him by a slash of his own power, and another was still coming towards her. "Invisible Air," the whole of her blade was coated in wind based magic, which she used to buffer it against the coming strike. The constant use of it, hid the blade from sight but she was using primarily to boost her own attack power. She could not overcome him with her physical power alone, it was a surprising fact but an amusing one just the same. A stab forward of her blade would cause that mana to shoot off in a beam which would penetrate that energy slash which came before her, it would disperse it. Beyond that it seemed to function a bit like a javelin aiming to puncture the center of Lucius' being with the force of a lance. 'If he hadn't come here to kill me... I might have found myself another practice partner...' she mused. But that wouldn't be it. She'd already said she was going to kill him, so she'd have to make that happen.

The Queen sought victory! That made sense to Mordred. That one had been silent for quite a while, but had come to some strange conclusions about Artoria in those moments. The Queen of Knights was a quiet woman who did not feel normal emotions. She was a person who would fight all battles herself not sacrificing any except the battlefield. There was no way to dissuade Mordred from their current line of thought. The combination of the Queen's apparent flaws made her the best Queen that could possibly exist. Mordred wished to be just like her... Mordred wished the others would shut up! Even now, Artoria was locked in battle and it was their duty to witness perfection at work!

[Bloodedge]

Ah, his destined opponent wielded a bit of magic as well. That was rather interesting; he hadn't been told to expect anything magical. He was surprised, and pleasantly so. What more did she have to show him? He heard enough to expect a high ceiling for the skill she possessed, and he was informed directly about the output of Excalibur. This magecraft was nothing mentioned, and he couldn't be more elated to see it. "Heh? Not bad," he said, opening his mouth to vocalize a thought for the first time since their earliest moments. He looked onward like some sort of excitable child while she thrusted her sword forward, releasing another burst of mana that emerged with piercing qualities this time. Lucius ran forward once more, veering left while switching his sword into his right hand. That javelin of mana was far too straightforward to be concerning, so he ran past it. En route to the woman herself, he let his sword trail along the reverse path of Artoria's attack. In fact, he took a roundabout path to place himself on the opposite side of her. Lucius had a desire to put Artoria Pendragon toward the forest he'd previously kicked her toward. Whatever the reason was, it was not yet something he would act upon. He was right back to watching, waiting for a certain opportunity. Soon, he was quite sure that opportunity would present itself.

[Apollymi]

A vocalization occurred from this man for the first time since their battle began. A smirk crossed the face of Artoria Pendragon as she heard his words. "Funny, I had the same thoughts about you... mere seconds ago," she said with the utmost amusement. In truth, a person so skilled that she was required to try her absolute best was far from the worst type of opponent for her to face. It let her fall back into the quiet of her mind. It forced her into exerting herself, and there was nothing better than facing a challenging opponent head on. This was an ideal... a way of life. He made his way forward avoiding the javelin like shot of energy but she expected that after all his other feats of movement. He truly should be commended for remaining so agile while having use of a sword. What was more, that constant switching of his sword hand seemed to be something of note as well. 'That dexterity is beyond normal. I suppose someone called the Emperor of Swords should be able to do something like that with ease.' Her thoughts moved in her head as her eyes and body followed this man around her rear. Once more her back was placed against the forest and she faced this man more directly. Excalibur was in front of her, cloaked in wind-based mana invisible to the naked eye. She couldn't help but be excited, perhaps now she could close the distance between them properly.

At the same time, Mordred was noticing quite a bit about the Queen of Knights' fighting style. In the time since the Queen had returned to Camelot, aside from the battle cry 'Excalibur' no use of magic had been seen. Was she really so very capable but so very unmotivated? Or was it instead a matter of restraint? Did she avoid using such things because everyone else was too weak to face her? That would be shameful! Why would she continue to look after them knowing how far above them she stood? She was a dominating force in the world and none truly deserved to stand beside her. Well, because she was a kind. Not understanding, not understandable but perfect for the actual role of looking over people. Untouchable, unquestionable... Artoria Pendragon was something well beyond what any of these people deserved, and still they did this. Watching the Queen show them up in such grand fashion. It was pitiful, but also exciting.

[Bloodedge]

Silence fell upon the battlefield... at least, in terms of combat. Artoria's blade was sheathed in magic which rendered it invisible. Lucius imagined he had a solid enough image of the blade in his head by now; perhaps he could manage against it without issue? Or, perhaps he would turn the tide of combat and have no need to worry about some invisible sword at all. More important though, was the strangeness of their battle presently. It wasn't much of a battle at all for the moment. No, it had become a moment of reprieve and conversation... but only a moment. "Should I be flattered? People don't usually survive long enough to think that about me," he commented. There was truth in such a statement. For several hundred years now, Lucius had known only slaughter on the battlefield. One, two, three, even ten warriors at a time made no difference to him until today. When hearing about the capabilities of Artoria's knights from his own men, he'd occasionally thought to fight them for a bit of enjoyment. Ah, but he always went back to wondering what the person in charge of such a group could be capable of. This was well worth the wait.

Already, Lucius seemed done with discussion. He'd reinitiate the battle, and he'd do so with flare... in a more literal sense. That sword in his right hand rose high overhead, seeming prepared to produce another long-ranged attack as mana coursed through its blade. Ah, but he would not do something so simple against this opponent; gone was the time for that sort of attack. His positioning would be utilized first. Since Artoria made it clear she liked to watch her opponent's weapon so much, he'd give her something to look at. The sun was to her back as Lucius had organized, leaving him the perfect opportunity to tilt his blade just slightly. At the apex of its rise, the flat of Lucius' sword reflected a bright flash of sunlight toward Artoria's eyes. He could have used that same moment to unleash a wave, but again, it would be far too easy, far too... expected. What would he do then?

... He'd unleash a wave. Having already unveiled enough tricks and planning, Lucius would have to be some lesser, even less bloodthirsty combatant to do something that basic. Knowing this, and expecting ingenuity to be anticipated, he immediately slashed diagonally to send a splitting shockwave toward the queen's torso. He'd gotten a good feel of her armor twice now from his sword grinding against its segments; he would not be holding back enough to let it function as such a strong defense anymore.

[Apollymi]

A moment of peace. Artoria did not expect it to last very long but she'd accept it for what it was. The Queen of Knights faced her opponent with the sun at her back and a smile on her face. Apparently this man thought to wonder if he should be flattered by her statements. And went on to claim that people did not normally live long enough around him to think about him. Those words were confusing and a little bit sad. "If you wish to be flattered I have no problem with it. I came here expecting to perform an execution and I found glorious combat," she said with a cheeky smirk. Truly, that very sentiment made it almost a shame that she was definitely going to kill this man at her earliest convenience. She'd already staked a claim to his head, and he was out to get her, so there were no options other than his death. 'Ah, but what is the right thing to say to that last bit?' she questioned of the low survival rate of his combat partners. "You have my condolences. That sounds terribly boring."

Even after speaking Artoria did not expect much of a break from this man. He seemed to be seeking headway against her with purpose. And he'd take the first action to working it up with the movement of her sword. 'What is that a slash or?' Oh? Right... the sun was at her back, a glare made her eyes close, as she tried to blink away the light. Using the battlefield to one's advantage was a top tier tactic. Doing so in a way which did not make it obvious that this was what was being attempted was masterful. Artoria would have had nothing but a compliments to pay if this was something other than a death match. Moving without sight was a bad decision, her own was still dotted by blinding light. And that sword arm had yet to come down? A shockwave of some sort? Probably... Her armor was quite sturdy she should still be fine for the most part, but she should definitely re-summon it afterwards. Her blade was still in front of herself, the winds from Invisible Air should eat away a bit of the wave right?

Well, yes, but it wasn't nearly enough. A diagonal slash made its way to Artoria's torso and though it was mitigated just a bit, it still managed to cut through her armor on either side of her sword, shattering it and... reaching skin? It hurt! "Shit." she swore under her breath as her armor fell away, and a gentle spray of her own blood ensued. Even while feeling the danger of this man's presence, she did not expect anyone from the lower level to actually break through her armor. Perhaps this was the arrogance of the Queen of Knights. Still, she learned her lessons easily, and though the wounds were already starting to heal, there was still a large gash from one of her shoulders reaching almost to her hip. Her own blood was successfully drawn today, how many managed such a feat in a thousand years? Not many while anyone could see. In the last millennium only the King of Heroes, Enkidu and the despairing child of the Holy Grail War had spilled her blood. "I take it back. You should be flattered. It really is a shame you came here to kill me. A slash like that is proof we could have been friends," she said as she felt the tightness of her bleeding wounds closing. Hm... she wouldn't have full use of that shoulder for a bit.. that was problematic.

[Bloodedge]

Artoria's original intention was to perform an execution, she said. Lucius found the very notion of this to be... stupid. What was the point of a warrior acting as executioner? Becoming king, becoming queen, becoming emperor─ those things were a means to an end. In doing so, they found greater combat. One who had access to higher quality battles needn't think of something so... boring. She thought his lack of challenge was boring, yet she let execution be an option? It made no sense to the male.

No matter. Lucius could not pause battle for very long at all. He did so just long enough to savor the moment and setup an attack that became... very satisfying indeed. Never had the emperor been more satisfied to see the outcome of his own onslaught. How long had it been since he even needed to use more than the smallest amount of effort to accomplish a proper splatter of blood? Too long, he thought. The bloodshed itself was a thing of pure bliss; he could bask in it wholeheartedly. He stared at the woman ahead of him, more satisfied than a man post-coitus. In fact, his next action could be compared to pre-coitus behavior. Lucius jammed the blade of his sword into the ground. He then proceeded to strip himself of his own lames, as well as his cape and cuirass. This fight was far too entertaining; he would enjoy it to the fullest, and that did not include the idea of being armored against an unarmored opponent. If one would be capable of cleaving the other's flesh directly, the other would be in the same position. Besides... mobility without all the hindrance of metal plating was never an advantage to be allowed in fair or uphill battles.

The queen exemplified some sort of healing ability, not unlike his own, yet also very different. This was just getting better by the moment, wasn't it? He knew now that they could fight for days, weeks, even months without falling to one another. He should be flattered, she said. They could have been friends, she added. "Friends?" he repeated with an upward inflection. Perhaps he had something called friends once, some hundreds upon hundreds of years ago. For the past millennium however, he couldn't imagine the purpose of friendship. Did friends kill one another? If that was to be considered a positive thing, he couldn't fathom what made them anything but friends. "Heh? I don't remember a thing about friends. That's important people, right? You're the only important person for me, so we're friends. Let's kill each other!" he exclaimed. Twisted though it was, this was about the only way Lucius could consider a relationship. There were those who killed, those who would be killed, and those who would aid one side or the other. Surely then, there was no difference between friends and enemies in a fight like this one.

[Apollymi]

There was a bit of confusion on the part of Lucius, perhaps he did not understand the difference in their nature due to Artoria's own choices. It would have been dishonorable for her to do anything but hand out a swift death to those who weren't properly ready for combat with her. As such, she generally expected someone braying at her door claiming to be able to kill her, to not have so much to back them up. She was decently surprised by the fact that Lucius was so very well prepared for combat, and as such it was made that much more enjoyable for her.

Having successfully injured Artoria, it seemed something had changed about Lucius' choices. Her eyes widened just a tad as she watched this man disarm and begin removing his armor. Her mind had flash backs to the last time someone did such a thing and her grip on her blade tightened just a bit. Still, he'd thrown his sword into the ground so it wouldn't have been right to attack him. Well, she supposed, if he attacked her in a way that was frightening to her virtues she could throw Chivalry aside for a moment or two while she killed him swiftly. Relief. It wasn't what she expected it to be. He was simply getting himself in a state more ready for combat. Fighting without the restrictions of armor was a good choice to make when it was applicable. If you did not need defense then it was fine. She was the sort who did not always wear her own armor for similar reasons. This did not bode well for any specific kinds of defense this man could have though. She'd have to keep an eye on him.

Artoria was in for a rather shocking moment. This man standing before her spoke as if he did not understand friendship. He made a claim which shocked her but she could see those words were without deception at all. "I feel like I should worry that I count as your only important person," she said aloud giving it some thought she decided this man did not really get romance so it wasn't really a problem if he wanted to kill her. 'Well, at least he is not asking me out on a date. I can do a death match. I cannot take another man asking me out on a date.' she thought giving herself a chance to smile. "But we are on the same page in general. So I am willing to not think too much about it," she said offering a smirk. That damage to her shoulder was healed enough for her to move her sword properly and now she was ready. "Now then... pick up your sword. Executions are for the unarmed criminals. We are friends, getting to know each other in a death match."

[Bloodedge]

Throughout their match thus far, Lucius had this woman pinned as someone who would not attack the unarmed. Everything she threw at him was too straightforward, too honorable to take advantage of an opening like that. Perhaps they were too similar, though with very different reasons. He would not have assaulted an unarmed individual either, simply because it would have been far too boring. There was no point to leaving zero opportunity for counterstrikes when one could instead leave a chance for entertainment. Lucius began walking forward, stepping over his own discarded armor and pulling his sword from its place in the ground. It was nearly a march that took him forward, until it became a sprint. The emperor thought to inspect Artoria's present mobility, as well as his own. As such, his next attack was a rather straightforward one. Sword in his right hand, he aimed a descending strike with great force toward the woman's left shoulder. The force he used was no less mighty than that which shattered her armor. Any resulting whiff would rend earth beneath Artoria's original location, and even an outright defense would be liable to bury her feet in the ground. This was how Lucius Tiberius utilized his own plentiful mana reserves─ by augmenting physical might that already bordered on the excessive.

Meanwhile, Uruk remained under the watchful eye of its king. It was not often that Gilgamesh could oversee the city-state with anything resembling consistency. Was this how a new era was truly to start? If so, there would be much more of King Gilgamesh sorting through tablets galore. Well, that wasn't so bad. He could not trust another to express enough effectiveness when doing such tasks, so he'd continue to take the matter of reviewing these tablets unto himself. In going about his regular business, he became curious of something. A fair amount of time had passed now, so he thought to check on a certain newcomer's progress. "Siduri. That woman from before, how has she progressed?"

[Apollymi]

Two very different people, carrying on in the same way for very different reasons. Artoria enjoyed fights, and wanted to enjoy killing people who were fighting back instead of just dying to her skills. Of course, Lucius seemed to enjoy fighting just for the fights' sake but she couldn't find fault with such logic. Even so, she waited for the man to pick up his sword and begin moving towards her again. Battle would be starting anew, huh? He started at pace and then began a sprint towards her person. The Queen of Knights could no longer still herself, she launched herself forward with glee in her eyes. Her body shifted easily out of the way of that slash while his sword came down, she swung out with her invisible blade, at his right side. Though she was close enough for the blade itself to reach, even if it didn't he'd be assaulted by a slashing burst of wind magic as if she aimed to shred that side of him whether her sword sank in or not. Her mana usage generally bolstered her speed, she did not plan on taking such massively destructive hits again. Still there were a few things she needed to know about this man and they could only be learned in combat.

At the same time, the King of Uruk had been back to work for quite a while. He worked and asked his favored assistant about the advancement of their newest member of staff. Under her veil the woman smiled and gave a general assessment. "According to both Adina and Medusa she's come along rather nicely. Her writing of the language is perfect, and she is having her first informative tale checked and edited for her own clarification. It did not take her long at all to learn the language and its intricacies," she gave her summary of the situation. It would seem that the lass who'd spawned here most recently was coming along nicely into her job for the King of Heroes. An announcement that the Queen of Knights was at war and anything happening around Camelot was not worth sending worrisome scrolls about would likely do well for reducing the King's workload. She imagined such announcements and tales would be good for general moral as well, keeping everyone from worrying too much about every instance of discontent on the neighboring sky islands.

[Bloodedge]

Finally, it seemed things would begin moving at a proper pace. As Lucius charged, Artoria did the same. She evaded that slash of his, though that was not at all outside the realm of expectancy. Her counter slash was also something anticipated. Lucius twisted toward the woman, shifting away in that same moment. He was correct about his ability to recall the length of her blade, clearing it just barely. Alas, Invisible Air was not among the many things he'd become accustomed to in his thousand years of endless bloodshed. Crimson fluid spewed from the right side of his abdomen. When had he last bled? It had been ages, surely, but that was merely another thing to be excited about. Lucius' grin would only grow wider as his twisting motion continued, his own sword sweeping through the air on a path that would lead it across the queen's face. Meanwhile, his left hand snatched from the air a hefty stone that had been jettisoned in the aftermath of his previous strike attempt.

Good news was delivered to the King of Uruk this day. Not only had he managed to acquire someone who would lighten his workload significantly, but her progress toward doing so was going as quickly as anyone could hope. Excellent. He'd ensure this woman did not go without work to fill her time; that much was certain. First though, he had gone about acquiring something to solidify another long-term resident of Uruk's citadel. He couldn't have someone within his circle clad in the rags of dead, nor could any ordinary garments suffice. Naturally, this train of thought had led him to Egypt once more. Another exchange would see to it that the ziggurat's resident scribe became the first to sport a new series of garb, fitting a new era of Mesopotamia. "Good. When she is done, I will meet with her. It is almost time to do away with those temporary robes. My workers will not match the common rabble. Besides, I have much work to send her way."