"๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ, ๐๐๐ฅ. ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ฌ. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง? ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐?" -๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ
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Alaric POV
The next day arrived quickly I made my way to Sir Lancelot's quarters and knocked before entering. Lancelot lay on his bed looking weary but still managed to chuckle as he waved me in.
"Are you recovering well, Sir Lancelot?" I asked with concern.
"I am fine Alaric. Trust me when I say that It's not the first time, I've received such a beating although usually, they're from women," he joked attempting to lift the mood. I gave a small chuckle but then fell silent.
Looking down at his eyes I said, "I'll be fighting Agravaine today."
"I know," he replied.
"I'll be sure to defeat him for the both of us," I said getting up to leave. As I reached for the door though Lancelot calls out to me "wait," he murmured a weak smile forming on his lips "...good luck, and no matter what don't underestimate him there is a reason why he is a knight of the round," he said.ย
I gave him a bold, arrogant like smile and said "I don't need your luck teacher after all I make my own luck," with those words I departed for the battle arena.
The arena was tense as Agravaine, and I stood across from each other Artoria's face was completely blank, but inwardly I could see she was worried about me her right finger tapped her armrestโa nervous habit of that I had picked up on since my squire days.
I looked at my king with a determined glint in my eyes nodding ar her to convey that I would be alright and for her to have faith in me. Artoria's green eyes froze for a moment, but she slowly nodded in return giving her approval.
The announcer began the final countdown. Agravaine readied his longsword and shield while I spun my halberd my gaze cold. For a brief moment though my eyes turned a light shade of ominous yellow before fading away.
"I hope you're ready to learn your place alongside your mentor Alaric," Agravaine taunted.
I clenched my jaw tightly "yes, and I hope you're more than ready to eat the dirt on which you stand Agravaine," I snarled back in response.
As the announcer shouted the last second, we both charged at each other. I swung my halberd at Agravaine's head, but he blocked with his shield and aimed his sword at my neck. I blocked with my left armored hand not even flinching back from the aftershock. Kicking Agravaine's shield hard I pushed him back causing a bit of dirt to rise up from the impact.
This time I aimed at Agravaine's sword arm hoping to pierce it and make him drop his weapon. It wasn't so simple though with Agravaine being a veteran knight he was able to instinctively block the strike with his shield. Annoyed by his constant blocking I spun my halberd once more causing dirt to rise up and block Agravaine's vision.
With his sight obscured I slammed the axe part of my halberd against Agravaine's shield with all my strength shattering it apart into two pieces on the ground. Agravaine let out a small cry of pain as he stumbled back the dirt settling around us.
"You have no honor using such dirty underhanded tactics," he exclaimed.
"All is fair in the art of battle. If it's honor, you're looking for then find someone who cares," I retorted.
Spitting saliva on the ground Agravaine growled "I was going a bit easy on you boy, but it seems like I've got to teach you your place," with those words he charged forth.
I attempted to strike him from various angles, but Agravaine deflected all my attacks with a sudden burst of speed that almost seemed unnatural. He got close into my guard and struck my arm, disarming me of my halberd. Agravaine then attempted an overhead strike, but I caught the blade with both hands struggling to hold it back.
Pushing forward I kneed Agravaine right in the gut disarming him of his weapon as well. We were now both weaponless now. Agravaine ripped off his helmet and got into a rough combat stance while I maintained my distance, fists raised, and had my own helmet discarded on the ground.
"Give up boy. You have no chance against a round table knight," Agravaine says seeing my sweaty and tired form.
I shook my head letting out a small huff and smiling "heh... I can do this all day!" I shouted back.
"Fine, so be it then!" Agravaine shouted back. We rushed towards each other again, but I was tackled into the arena wall where Agravaine proceeded to brutally assault my face. My vision clouded for a moment and I saw the familiar dark figure of my future self holding a nearly dead Agravaine up by his neck with a wicked smile.
The dark knight glances at me with a knowing look he knew that I could somehow see him "looks like you could use a hand my other self," he whispers sending an instinctive shiver down my spine.ย
My eyes snapped open now a malevolent yellow I grabbed Agravaine's fist surprising him and the arena. A crazed smile appeared on my face as I headbutted Agravaine breaking his nose from the impact.
Slowly exiting from the arena hole, I marched forward and kicked Agravaine's right knee causing him to drop to the ground. I kicked him again sending him sprawling across the dirt "I told you that you would be eating the very dirt you stood on Agravaine," I said as he tried to stand, only to be met with another kick to the face.
Rising again Agravaine attempted to strike me, but I jabbed him repeatedly in the face my speed too much for him to keep up with. I punched him in the throat causing him to choke. Grabbing his head I slammed him into the arena wall before headbutting him again and following up with a right hook that sent him crashing to the ground.
The crowd cheered indifferent to the brutality, but Artoria and Morgan could tell something was wrong with me I was suddenly more violent and stronger. I prepared to unleash a devastating kick to his temple when Agravaine grabbed my leg and swung me away. I crashed across the ground pebbles grazing my armor I extended my right arm out planting it firmly into the ground, stabilizing myself in kneeling position.
Both Agravaine and I stood shakily my eyes yellow eyes tinted with rage while his was completely red with madness. With a growl we ran at each other he attempted a flying punch, but I grabbed his shoulders and slammed him into the ground "have a taste of your own medicine, bastard," I said punching him repeatedly until his face was bloodied.
Agravaine's rage grew with a furious shout he pushed me off throwing me back into a wall "I am Agravine the Iron Hand and you will not make a mockery out of me boy. I've spent my whole entire life in the art combat, trained my senses into absolute perfection where did you train...at a slave house!" he shouts leaping into the air.
Gritting my teeth I look up just in time for me lash out with a surprise uppercut that sent him crashing down.
Picking up the largest shattered piece of Agravaine's shield I slowly walked up to his recovering form. With a roar of fury, I slammed the shield across his face twice causing him to cry out in pain. I wasn't done though I gripped Agravaine by the back of his long hair forcefully pulling him up before using my other hand to grip Agravaine's front neck to lift him up over my left shoulder.
With gritted teeth I walked to the middle of the arena where an empty well hole was placed. Using all of my strength I threw Agravaine on top of it, but I didn't stop there no because in the next moment I jumped high up into the air and slammed down hard on top of Agravaine sending us both crashing down below into the depths of the empty well.
Agravaine lets out a scream of great pain blood escaping from his mouth as I get off of him and looked at him in the eyes "I've always hated you Agravaine since the very moment I saw how you treated that one civilian woman that only wanted our help to how you started getting on my abilities as a knight.ย
Always questioning and doubting my every move since I was personally dubbed the youngest of knights by his majestyโฆI've no doubts as to why you've been acting the way you have it's because you were jealous that his majesty had taken me in and started training me to be one of his knights when never before had he done so to any other.ย
It only got worse once he started calling upon me into service more often and working alongside with Sir Lancelot and the other knights of the round," I said.ย
Agravaine cannot even bother giving a reply as he is in too much pain his eyes were slowly starting to get droopy "ah ah you don't get to fall unconscious not when I am closeย to finishing our little dual here once I've broken every part of youโฆonly then do you have my permission to embrace unconsciousness," I said as ropes of pure darkness crawled out from my right arm and wrapped around Agravaine's legs.
Holding the rope of darkness tightly I then started to pull back before turning around in a full three sixty spin causing Agravaine to fly up a bit and start crashing into the hard stony walls around us.
With a loud shout I finally tossed Agravaine up from the hidden well and back into the arena where he crashed back down on the ground fully unconscious this time.
The yellow in my eyes faded unknowingly as I made it out from the well with a victorious smile, I looks at those in the arena with my hands raised but when I lock my gaze with her majesty, I was met with a look of silent disapproval causing me to frown wondering what it was that had caused such disapproval.
-end of chapter-
And that's the end of this chapter hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you all on Saturday and Sunday for my next fanfic updates.ย
I had this one all prewritten before this week and managed to finish editing it.