Soul Calibur

By Jerome “Dio” Goudy & Eric “Nikolai” Eichler

Ostrheinsburg: a war-torn battlefield marking the many tragedies that occurred over the years in the late 16th century and this one perhaps being the most tragic over the history of time. The tale began with a mystical and powerful sword known as the "Sword of Salvation". Many nations came across the world seeking its power. For peace.... world domination.....whatever the motive that is driven by the individual that sparks their desire to obtain the sword. Many battles were fought. Many lives were lost. It was months later into the year that the so-called "Sword of Salvation" was finally deemed with the dreaded name "Cursed Sword". Only a fool dared enough to follow the path in which to obtain this malevolent power. But one man did succeed in obtaining this sword but at the cost of his father's life. The man was driven into insanity. Finding a way to make things better but the more he tried, the further the darkness grasped onto him. Amidst the turmoil, a shiny beam of hope was called from the heavens in the form of a blade known as the "Spirit Sword". Legends told the sword was able to destroy the "Cursed Sword". A warrior who sought to destroy the accursed blade somehow obtained the "Spirit Sword" and began dueling the "Cursed Sword". The man was freed from his dark prison but bared the grief and torment of the lives he had taken.
A year later, he found out that the darkness that was him has manifested into a physical form and began rampaging throughout the lands. He sought only to redeem himself by taking down this monstrosity and engaged it into battle. Now in possession of the "Spirit Sword", he battled his dark self who possessed the "Cursed Sword" opposing to his. The two blades battled for hours and on a decisive blow, the two struck each other causing a worldwide surge of power that coursed from the blades. Environmental phenomena’s occurred shaking everything. Afar from the view, a man clad in a cloak watched. A smirk grew on his face as he speaks," Is it right for men to wield such power? Appears not...Both sides, good and evil will fall in vain. They should know that this only brings a new era of war." He looks over to the side and saw that the area seemed different than usual. "This is odd....", he said and looked up to the sky as he saw three figures falling from the sky screaming. "........", he looks off and back to the two men that were now gone. "Pity all humanity that continue to walk this path.", he said before disappearing over the hill.
At the bottom of the cliff was a girl who just recovered from the
impact. She was a short Caucasian girl with an interesting weapon. She slowly rose up in a stumble as her hair slowly turned its color from green to a dark brown color. She opens her eyes and they went from a purple to a darker violet color as if they could glow. "Wa-wa-what happened?", she said. She looks through the gates and noticed her "master" isn't there. "Wh-where'd he go?!", she asked worried. She then heard another voice,".................I can sense it.........master..." She looks around wondering if someone was with her. "Over here...", the voice said. She looks over and saw her reflection with a dark glare in its eyes. She was looking at herself, it appears as good and evil were staring each other in the face. "You're...me?", she asks. "Congratulations, if I wasn't me I'd kill you....Now shut up and listen. Master is still around here and he needs you to gather more souls to this location. Only then will he be revived.", she briefs the girl. The girl looks around, "Where's that other guy?", she asks. "DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE?! GO AND GET THOSE SOULS!", her reflection yells. The girl jumps and grabs her weapon as she ran off towards the town.
Moments earlier, the three figures were seen falling into a
river bank. One was seen submerging from water and pulling the other figure to safety. The other figure was a white furred brown-spotted dog making it two humans and one animal. They are now seen resting on their backs as they were exhausted. The drowning male was a dark-skinned character, wearing a black hoodie with black shorts and converse sneakers. His hair was dark brown with a mustache. His eyes are closed at the time. "What the fuck happened?!", he got up in an angry fit. The other male had light brown skin; his hair was dark brown and was shoulder-length long. His face had two scars: One on his forehead and one underneath his left eye. He wore a white T-shirt and long jean pants that are semi form-fitting. He wore red and black Reebok sneakers. His body also wore a long black jacket that was trench coat length that sported a hood. The two had fingerless black gloves but the rescuer male had a visible back hand area. He got up answering the other male's question, "Hell should I know. I know we were walking.....hey Ookii...", upon seeing his dog was okay, "...with you and Nikolai, and here we are falling out of the sky." He then looks around to see that Nikolai was not in sight. "Shit...where could he be?", he asks with little concern. "Dio, lets hope he fell somewhere close by.", the other man said. "Sure, why not. It's not like this ain't the first time weird shit happen ever since we met that guy.", he said shrugging and placing his hands into his pockets and whistles to Ookii, "Lets go boy." The three began walking off. Dio thought back before the events of them arriving. They were in their time era and he remember hearing Nikolai's last words were "No Dio, I still won't tell you why I never take off my--" and to that point the four of them vanished. During their conversation, the girl watched them from a far. She smiles and said, "Those two look perfect, time to play." A flock of ravens sporadically flew from nowhere surrounding her and then dispersed with the girl seeming to disappear into thin air.
Thinking back to their situation, an extreme wavelength of power
swept across the earth, and four figures who had been walking together in conversation had instantly disappeared. The man who had been talking last had fallen unconscious for a short while, but then came to find himself in the midst of a tall, thick forest, all alone. He stood up and adjusted the jet black sunglasses that sat upon his face before dusting himself off. He scanned the environment, and throughout his experiences of life, was already able to make a conclusion. He noted, "This definitely isn't the 21st Century anymore. This forest looks too rich and lush to exist in such a timeline. But this isn't the Time Sage's doing. How have I ended up here?" The man looked up at the sky for any abnormal flocculation’s, but saw no signs. He thought to himself, perhaps there is a force greater than the omniscient Time Sage? The power that had transported him here indeed caused his own strange power to react, sensing how great it truly was. "I wonder where the others have gone. Have Mira and the gang been over swept by the force and teleported here as well? I must find a way to contact Xero...", he spoke aloud but in a tone more to himself. It was a bad habit this strange looking man had...talking to himself. But then again, he had always preferred solitude up until now considered not-so-recent events of his journey. The environment seemed to have been a cool fall day, perhaps bordering towards the winter, so the man, surprisingly, was dressed for the weather. He had worn an age-worn leather trench coat, dark blue in color, cracks in the leather highly visible. The coat was unfastened, a black belt dangling freely down toward his trousers. Beneath the coat, he wore a black shirt, with a design stitched in dark blue, the majority of it hidden by the coat. His pants were of fine denim, jet black in color, with dark blue stitching on the seams. His boots were also black in color, blue lacing in a cross-lace pattern. The man looked to be a total mystery. But the true mystery was determining where...and when, he was. He finally concludes the situation, "I must find the others, anyone who may have been transported here. I must contact Xero as well, I'm sure this wasn't his bidding..." The man had begun to walk through the forest, hands in his pockets, looking completely at ease, defenseless. Soon enough, a strange lizard looking creature wielding an axe and a small shield jumps from the shrubbery and onto the trail, hissing hungrily at the stranger. The man sighs; he didn't seem fazed by the monster's presence. He removed his right hand from its respective pocket to reveal that he was wearing a snow white cotton glove, with a strange pattern stitched in blue silk. The pattern was of a circle enclosed within a triangle, enclosed within a square and strange ancient text written within. A lightning bolt design covers the outline of the pattern. The pattern began to glow a light blue, and the skies above immediately began to darken.
Elsewhere, a figure felt a force similar to their own. They look
down to what appears to be a weapon as it began to emit a vibrating sound, "My sword, what are you sensing?", the female voice asks gazing upon her weapon. It appeared to be a typical looking sword broke apart into a whip-like state, and began to wildly slash about on its own. A hand covered in an arms-length bronze pauldron was taken the hilt, and the sword had calmed. Within a dimly lit room, a woman dressed in a black gala dress had rest her sword upon a strange looking drawing on the floor, glowing white. The sword had now completely ceased to flail about wildly. She began to sense it was well as her only companion: there was alchemic energy other than hers lurking in this world, one that is nowhere near similar to hers or that of the mysterious man with the scythe that once burned down her home. No, this energy was quite different indeed. It seemed...dark. She shutters, feeling a feeling worse than when she first came in contact with the "Cursed Sword"
and thought, "Perhaps this rogue alchemy can defeat the Cursed Sword. But I sense a much darker presence within it..."
Dio and his comrades reached the front gates of a nearby village.
"Alright Calo, I've came to the conclusion that we're in the somewhat
Medieval times.", he said. Calo looks at him and asks, "What was your first guest?" He replies, "Mere observation my good lad." The three began to traverse into town. "Well, you know what they say about affecting something in the past.", he added. Calo shrugs and sneezes as he accidentally swats a fly with his hand. Dio chuckled. Calo rubs his nose and looks around. He taps a gardener on his back and managed to get his attention and asks, "Pardon me, but do you know where we are?" The gardener turns to them and scans their postures, "Whoa...you boys are definitely not from around here. I take it you're American, no?" "African-American...", Dio implies. Calo perks a brow to Dio and then turns his attention to the gardener, "Yea....anyway, we're just lost right now and are figuring out where we are." The gardener chuckled at them, "HAHA! Tourists, we get the lot of them here. Friends, you're in Ostrheinsburg. Don't let the scenery fool you. We're quite peaceful." Dio walks up behind Calo and says into his ear, "You hear that. We're in Ostrheinsburg.", and walks off. Calo rubs his head, "Can't help but feel the sarcastic tone in that.", he runs off. The gardener began tending to his business but caught sight of a flock of ravens that flew over him. "........!.........", his eyes widen with fear. He drops his watering pot to the ground and ran to his home.
Elsewhere, the unidentified man had returned his right hand to his pocket, the Lizardman twitching on the ground, writhing in pain. However, before he could even take another step, another Lizardman stepped from the shrubbery. And another....and another. Soon, the man had found himself surrounded by Lizardmen. Then one more stepped out. This one was peculiar. Unlike its brethren, this Lizardman wielded a larger battle axe, and was clad in battle armor. The man quickly deduced that this one was the leader. He figured that if he took out that one, the rest would flee in terror of the sight of their fallen leader. However, getting to it wasn't going to be easy...if you couldn't teleport to any place at your whim. The man simply sighs again as his shades fell to the brim of his nose. They weren't revealed, however, as his eyes closed as he sigh. Using his right hand, he adjusted them back to his face, and the transmutation circle on the glove began to glow again. Rain began to fall.
As the rain pattered down gently, a figure laid across the ground of a meadow. The rain had awoken her from her unconscious slumber. She winced as the rain fell upon her face, and sat upright, rubbing her head. This woman looked as if she fit into this world perfectly, clad in mauve colored armor (breastplate and steel skirt, custom made) and chain mail underneath. She rubbed her amber colored head, fixing her shoulder-length hair and attempting to soothe her headache, "Ow...what happened? Where am I?". She looks around to see she was no longer in a suburban backyard. Her training dummy was gone, as well as the entire neighborhood. She picks up her sword that lay on the ground and sheathed it upon her back. The sword was actually quite beautiful. The hilt was a solid gold, carved in the shape of a child-sized angel wielding a small sword and shield. The blade itself seemed highly unconventional for a sword. First of all, this sword was nearly 6 feet in length. Secondly, it was not made of metal, but of a strange fusion of metals and earth, it shone a brilliant baby blue color. The armored woman stood upright, and before she even decided on a plan of action, she looks up into the sky. Concern struck across her face, "Those aren't ordinary rain clouds. I know what kind of clouds those are..." She began to dash away into the distance toward a faraway forest.
Calo and Dio were inside a local tavern. There, they sat at the counter and watched the events that went on for the day. Dio had his eyes closed and arms crossed as if assuming his bouncer patrol. One eye opens to a conversation that he overheard. A group of men sat at a circular table with a map spreading out across. One was a slender man who was briefing them so it was assumed that he was the leader of that pack. There were other two men as well. A short, yet stocky tan-skinned male and the third was a taller male who had a bucket on his head. "Men, I think we've finally came closer to what we've been looking for.", he points down and adjusted his glasses. "Here lies the location of the Sword of Salvation. It is said this sword was wielded by a gruesome and feared pirate throughout the seas and also that the sword's resting place is located in this castle......", saying that he pointed directly at a castle that appeared to be thirty kilometers northeast from their current location. The second man speaks, "Is it true that this sword could bring us redemption? I mean, don't get me wrong, I saw what that sword did to that pirate. It's said that he mass murdered his own crew with that sword following his demise." The first man said, "Nonsense, how can a sword drive a man crazy? He probably was just an egotistical, arrogant sociopath that cared for no one but himself." He looks over and caught Dio gazing at them. He then goes into a huddle position along with his fellow mates. "Bad news, I think we have trouble afoot." A voice is heard, "Don't mind me. I don't have any interest in that sword you're talking about but the small pirate story peaked my interest." They jump and look back to see that Dio, along with Ookii, were behind them. The first man stood up and faced Dio, "You say that now but anyone who comes in contact with that sword will boast a terrible and fearing power. I have seen those with good hearts turned to the side of darkness due to that sword." Dio shrugs and replies, "Alright, the sword's evil. I get the point.", he lowers his head some then picks it back up, "And you three are looking for it to destroy it, I presume?" The man nods to him, "That is correct. We've been traveling for years in search of that sword. It has claimed the lives of loved ones and innocents." Ookii is seen going to Calo's side and begins playing with him. Dio scratched his nose, "Well, those already evil are a dead given.", he said with a smirk. "The evil only seek more power for their corrupt souls.", he said. "Dio....making new friends?", Calo's voice is heard. "Something like that.", he replies. "Huh?", Dio thought to himself upon realizing that the tavern is stricken with silence.
He turns around to see Calo who is looking over at the door to see an oddly dressed character. "Didn't know the circus was in town.", Calo said. The figure wore a falcon head mask and had tambourines in each hand. From the posture, Calo could tell that the person was a youth. He stood up from his seat but the manager beat him to the punch. He managed to confront the youth and look down at the figure. "Tavern policy, no one under age can....", as he spoke the figure shot something out of the mask that struck the manager in the neck. He began showing signs of choking and, suddenly, he dies right on scene. "I knew it! That's a WATCHER!", a man screams out. Watcher?", Dio and Calo said in their own way. The three men that were behind Dio began to take off and disappear. Dio quickly looks back, "...?!" He then turns his attention to the youth, "....frightening little bugger, aren't ya?" He began walking and passes Calo but then stops, "Make sure you and Ookii get out of here.", then he calls out, "Everyone else who doesn't want to die get the fuck out!", that being said. The patrons ran off in a frenzy to run out of the tavern. Calo escapes via the window with Ookii. He looks around and noticed more figures dressed in the same fashion that stood on rooftops. "..........", he then makes their way. Dio looks around the empty tavern and then to the youth, "Well, that's more like it. Being a bouncer, this comes in handy." The figure stood there. "..................................." He smirks, "Not so talkative...are we?"
A woman with faded purple hair had dashed out of her home, a large and lavish looking mansion, and looks up into the sky as it rains. Sword in hand, a grimaced look spread across her face. The sword was calm as it rested in the woman's right hand. She was dressed in the strangest of clothing, looked to be a purple catsuit that was "sliced" in the middle, looking like tailored strands. Her bust was ridiculously huge, didn't seem like it could fit inside the outfit. She also wore a strange pauldron on her right arm, bronze in color. A thought ran through her head, "This alchemic force is truly malevolent. However, somehow, there's a detection of hope...of salvation, within its dark depths. I must research this further." The woman grips her sword tightly, and took off toward a nearby forest.
Meanwhile, the mysterious shaded man had found himself ensnared by a group of Lizardmen. The rain patters gently and thunder rumbles softly. The Lizardman leader looks up at the sky, then hissed at the man. Something was not right, in its mind. However, primal in nature, it unleashed a loud screech, ordering the creatures to attack. The man snaps his fingers once, and the sky suddenly boomed a loud thunderclap. Within less than a second later, a large bolt of black lightning descends and struck the man, making him disappear instantly. The Lizardmen minions stopped in their tracks, confused and disoriented. Another thunderclap sounds, and another black lightning bolt strikes upon a tree, the mysterious man reappearing on a high branch. Not hesitating, he extended all his fingers with both hands, and smaller strands of black lightning shot out, zapping each Lizardman from behind. They all shriek in agony, and fell to the floor. The leader looks upon the tree to find its prey, and hissed angrily for its fallen comrades. It took a swing at the tree trunk, slicing it at the base. The man once again snaps his fingers and teleports away before the tree could fall. He reappeared several feet away from his hunter, ready to defend once again.
The woman clad in the purple armor had stopped abruptly, seeing a
streak of black lightning descend from the sky in an instant. She felt her heart skip a beat. She realized on sight and exclaimed, "Nikolai! So you are here..." She continued to run as fast as she could, but the forest was still a ways off.
Back in the forest, the Lizardman leader did not hesitate to attack. Before the man could snap his fingers to escape, the creature charged with a forward roll, forcing the man to jump to the side. The Lizardman rolls onto its stomach, and rapidly crawled at the man. The man jumps backward continuously, avoiding the low slashes the creature executed, "This thing is fast! I'm going to have to trap it. But I can't draw a circle at this rate. I'll have to go with the Magnetic Platform transmutation.", he thought. As the man jumps further and further back, he quickly claps his hands and shot forth several small lightning balls to throw the Lizardman off track. Indeed it did work, the monster scurrying to the side to avoid the electricity. The man then rolls away; he quickly claps his hands again, and slams them into the dirt. The ground quickly flash a bright white, then fades. Seeing him in an open state, the Lizardman charged on its two feet, brandishing its axe high in the air, while keeping its shield low. The man's body emitted a bright blue aura, and he quickly dashed backward at a safe distance at an incredible speed! He awaited the monster to charge further. Once it approached the area the man set the trap, he quickly snaps his fingers, and a small lightning bolt struck down onto the creature before it could continue further. The creature cries in pain, but it did not last. It set forth to charge once more, but could not move! The trap was a success. "Now I can imprison it. I do hate to kill it, it's only acting on survival instinct.", he notes with a feel of victory. Sympathy was one of his greatest flaws. However he quickly drew a transmutation circle into the dirt. Before he could clap his hands, a bladed whip had struck him from behind. The man had fallen to the ground, a vital nerve pierced by the weapon. The weapon retracted itself and turns into the form of a sword. There stood the woman with the strange cat suit, "Cursed alchemic soul. Your energy is worse than that of Soul Edge. I cannot allow you to run free in this world.", as she spoke. Upon that, the woman approached the fallen man, and she extends her arms. A large purple transmutation circle surrounds the both of them. At this time, the woman who wore purple armor had finally made it to the scene as well. Her eyes widen at what she saw. "NIKOLAI!", the young girl screams. But the two were gone shortly after. Now she was left to deal with the Lizardman, the man's trap worn away, who was angrier than ever. The sky had instantly cleared up.
Outside of the tavern, Calo watched as the villagers ran into their homes. He looks over to the right and saw the three men that met Dio earlier that day in the town square. It appears that they were prepared for their travels as the leader carried a broadsword, the stocky one with a battle axe, and the tall one with a fishing rod. "Why the hell does he have a fishing rod?", Calo asks perking a brow. His attention was now caught by the many crows that scatter across the sky. The picture seems as a dark omen to come. "Perhaps that "Cursed Sword" is true then.", he said gazing to the sky. While doing so, he looks over and saw figures running across rooftops dressed in the same fashion as the other in the tavern with Dio. "Watchers? Now what are they?", he thought to himself. Ookii looks behind him and barks as he saw a blade-like object disappear from behind the tavern. Calo looks to the direction but saw nothing. "Don't blame ya, dog. I'm creeped out myself.” Four figures appear on top of the tavern and are seen that they were confronted by the girl from before. She smiles, "Alright, are you ready to have fun?", asking in a jolly manner and giggles a bit. The others nod a "Yes" to her. "Goody! Let’s play with that guy. He thinks he's soooo big. I bet he's a pushover.", she said pointing down while observing Dio. Her inner voice spoke, "His arrogance will be his downfall. Taking on an assassin is unwise. His death will be pitiful." Her inner voice spoke with a dark nature. Her appeal was that she cared less about anything but total destruction to the deserving.
"So kid, make your move.", Dio said while adjusting his stance.
Pulling and spreading his arms shoulder-width apart as his fingers extends. One leg was pushed forward while the other stayed back. "That arrogant pissant!", the girl's inner voice spoke upon observing the situation. Dio's opponent moved his body in a dancing motion as he rung the tambourine. Dio perks a brow, "..................." The boy continues to approach him with his dance-like movements. Dio's eyes widen as he quickly moves back, bending his body backwards as he saw a dart flew over his face. He returns to his stance to see the boy attack with a spinning kick that he blocks with his left arm. With his right hand he struck him in the chest with his palm pushing the boy back as he slid on the floor on his bottom. "Nice trick, kid.", he said. "Well, he's not stupid.", the girl's inner voice said as she continues to watch. She then cheers on, "GO! GO! Teach that meanie a lesson. He's just a bully like EVERYONE else!"
Back inside the tavern, Dio slightly changed his hands into fists. "It's a shame kids are used to kill like machines.", he thought to himself. The boy got back up and picks up his tambourine. He began running at Dio and came up with another spinning kick that Dio ducks but saw another foot coming around but he used his right hand to block and push that foot off. The boy then came around with his hand that held the tambourine. He pushed his thumb and a click is heard. Needles sprung out from in-between the mini cymbals of the musical instruments and came over on Dio's head. Dio pulled up his left arm to block the slamming arm and then noticed the concealed weaponry. "Shit!", he said. The boy then steps on his left leg that was outward and he flip kicks Dio. He stumbles back and while mid-flip the boy threw his weapon at Dio like a dart. Dio used the momentum to just fall as the weapon flew over his body and stabs into the ground. The kid lands on his feet and jumps in a forward flip and stomps onto Dio's abdomen. "Guh!", he grunts. The girl jumps up and down with glee, "That's how you do it!" The boy then steps on Dio's face and began pressing down. Dio quickly grabs his leg and threw him off of him. He rolls back to his feet rubbing his face and sneezed. The kid is seen running at Dio full speed. The girl cheers, "Don't worry! You got.......", her expression changed as she saw the kid caught a foot to the face and flew back sliding across the ground on the back of his neck and eventually stopped, ".........................this....." She blinks at the awkward silence. The others look to her. The girl then spoke in a dark voice, "Kill him." The three jumped through the windows as Dio looks up seeing them land around him.
Lizardman charged ferociously at the iron clad woman, angry that his previous dinner had gotten away. Mira clenched her sword tightly with both hands. The Lizardman jumped high in the air, axe held high to strike. Mira turned her pose, gripping her sword like a baseball bat, and swung, her gauntlet glowing a bright golden glow. Mira snarled, ""I don't have time for this! GET AWAY!" The blow was hard and blunt, Mira connecting with the dull base of her sword. Lizardman gasped in tremendous pain, its eyes bulging, coughing up blood. Mira followed through with her swing, sending it flying far above the forest's canopy and into the distance. Had she connected with the sharp end of the sword, Lizardman would've been sliced clean in half. But who's to say he won't survive the fall, let alone the destruction of numerous internal organs? Mira began to take off into the forest haphazardly, not knowing where to go to find Nikolai. She just ran. However, she began to sense that she was being watched. She continued to run, keeping an eye out. "Fight...her...Kill...her...", a small demonic voice murmured through the trees. Mira could not make out the words, but she heard the noise itself. "I have a better idea...", The second voice sounded womanly, a lot more sultry and seductive. Mira kept her sword held tight, and her anger overwhelmed her. She yelled to her observer, "I don't have time for this! SHOW YOURSELF SO THAT I CAN KILL YOU!" A small, evil chuckle sounded, a bit more loudly, as a woman lept from the treetops and in front of Mira. The first thing Mira noticed was the demonic skull on the woman's shoulders. She braced herself for battle. The mysterious woman spoke, in her soft, sensual voice, "Ah ha, a feisty one, aren't we? Well you can relax cutie, I know where to find your Nikolai..."
The mysterious man known as Nikolai had continued to walk through
the forest alone, leaving behind an imprisoned Lizardman. The transmutation wouldn't last long, but provided enough time for Nikolai to get away. He wondered where he had to get to next, he needed a sign of human life. Just then, a blue cylindrical light had shone down from the sky, and an eyebrow rose. He recognized this all too familiar light. Perhaps it was Mira descending from this light, or Miro, or Jira. Or maybe even all three. He had been separated from them all. He only hoped. However, a figure descended from the sky, one that he did not recognize. A cloaked figure had stepped out from the light as it faded away. The figure began to speak to Nikolai in an ominous voice, "Black Lightning Alchemist, you must escape this world. My powers have been disrupted my the mixture of benevolent and malevolent forces colliding. Your destructive alchemy will be the fuel cell for the weapon known as the Sword of Salvation, an evil sword known to cause insanity amongst men. It is enough to counteract the repellant, the Spirit Sword, and destroy the world, past, present, and future, as we know it. I have descended from the Realm of the Sages and into a physical manifestation to investigate this matter. It is a small portion of my magic still functional. Locate me, escape your captor, and avoid both swords at all costs." Nikolai feeling a sense of obscurity, "What do you mean, escape my captor? I'm right here in this forest with you. And who are you anyway? Why do I have to find you, you're here in front of me." The figure continues, "Miro and Jira have not been affected by the power of the Swords. Mira however, is here, currently looking for you. You must find me. Escape the Valentine Mansion. Your alchemy will be drained and you will die if the former servant of Soul Edge manipulates it to her will. Escape, Black Lightning Alchemist. Escape your captor, and find me..."
The figure had began to fade away into nothingness, and Nikolai
tries to grab him, but it was too late. He stood alone again, and for a moment, it was silent. After this moment, almost instantaneously, an
ensnarement of bladed whips flew from the trees and toward Nikolai at a
rapid pace. He tried to teleport away, but his alchemy wouldn't respond! He had no chance to escape. The blades had struck! And then he woke up with a silent gasp. Nikolai had found himself strapped down on a wooden table, being alchemically sealed. He looked around and saw that he was in a rather lavish looking room, giant pictures of a purple haired woman and another man hung on the walls. He could not move his arms and legs. He did not panic, "Xero...was that a dream? Where am I?" He looks up as a voice was heard, "You are...in my home. The Valentine Mansion" His head shoots into the direction of the spoken figure. There he saw a woman with a British accent had spoke, and she approached the bound Nikolai. It was the same heavily endowed woman that had struck him. Nikolai tried not to look at her overly large breasts, and focused on the situation at hand. "I am Isabella Valentine. Most call me Ivy." And you are a soul that must be destroyed." Now Nikolai began to panic.
Back in the town's tavern, Dio is seen swaying back and forth, left and right as he is dodging weapon attacks from the adolescents around him. The fight is four against one as they began alternating their attack patterns so that they can at least stab him. He spoke not a word as his body began edging towards the wall. Once his back touched the wall, one Watcher thrusts his harpoon at Dio. He ducks it as it stabs into the wall. He then moved in right and followed through that struck the Watcher on the left in the abdomen. Quenching in pain as he fell to the floor, Dio then kicked him to the side and prepared for another assault. The kid with the tambourine came in holding two this time and began slashing at him in circular strikes. "Nice job.....he won't let me in.", he thought to himself as he jumps back. He looks back and saw something swipe at his leg, off-balancing him. The kid then jumps up and kicks Dio in the face causing him to fall back even more. His fellow Watcher, with the harpoon, stabs his
blade end into the floor and swung around the pole to drop kick Dio through the wooden wall. He fell to the ground as the dust clears. He began coughing, ".....huf...puff.....", he managed to get back to his feet. "......!......", he looks up to see a female figure on top of the roof that held a round object that was half the size of her body. "I had a feeling there were more of them.....", he said seeing that she was dressed in the same fashion. The girl slowly turns her head to the right as she made eye contact with him. A stern look was across her face as if void of any signs of happiness. Her hair was tied into three tails: one braided in the back and two on the sides. "Woah....how'd she managed to get that other ponytail to stick out like that?!", he thought perking a brow. The girl's eyes squint a bit, "I don't like that look he's giving me." Dio returns his attention to the boy in front of him who did another thrust with his harpoon. Dio side steps to the left and grabs the rod. He pulls in and head butts the boy who stammers. Once the kid lets go of the weapon, Dio stabs the blade end into the ground and kicks at the hilt a few times before breaking it. Now turning it into a staff, he spun it around and placed it behind his back as he did the "come and get me" gesture. The four looked at each other and then began to ambush him in a triangular pattern. The girl fully turns around and watched the fight about to take place in the back alley. "He's good....I'll give him that.", she said clenching onto what is revealed to be a "ring" blade. "This one's far different from what I've encountered.", she said observing. The first child made his move and came at him. Dio flips backwards, arching his body and stabbing to pole into the ground. Using the momentum, the boy missed his attack; Dio came down in a swing and kicks the boy in the back making him fall into the Watcher that was in front of him. Dio lands and quickly spun the staff and slaps the left Watcher that was behind him causing him to fall in agony. He quickly struck his right attacker to counter him. He struck the pole across his chest in a clothesline manner making him flip onto his back. He now stood before his fallen assassins and threw his staff away.
"That's that....", he said dusting off and looks up to see that his fifth Watcher was still observing. She stares down at him. He smirks and winks his right eye to her and began walking off. The girl's eyes widen and the ring blade is seen thrown at Dio stabbing into the wall behind him. ".....!", he quickly turns to the attack. He looks up to see the girl staring at him like a hawk, "Don't you dare mock me!", she said to him before jumping down to the ground. He took this chance and ran off. The girl was darting through the alley, jumping over her "comrades" and snatched the ring blade out the wall as if it was nothing. He raced through the alleyways at his top speed hoping to lose her. "Female assassins are the worst assassins.", he said to himself as he leap over a few haystacks. He heard a whizzing sound and dropped to the ground as he saw the ring blade flew over him. He saw that it was mid-flight and at the angle it was thrown. He could tell she was meant to slice his upper torso off. He got up quickly and ran off. The blade sliced into a haystack that the girl comes across, grabbing her blade. Dio ran off until he enters what appears to be a four-way. "Come on...pick a path....", he views his different options. He looks back hearing the girl getting closer. She jumps out of nowhere into a flip as she lands in the center of the four way. She looks around. "...................Don't think I'm stupid.", she said as she observes the field. She noticed small marks on the side of the wall and bits of hay falling from the roof. She ran and jumps onto a wall and then jumps onto another wall and jumps up onto the roof. She looks to the east and saw Dio roof jumping his way out of town. He looks back as he saw her make eye contact. "You're mine.", she said. "Shit! She's smart!", he said as he then leaps over a gap and grabs onto a pole. He spun around and lands on another rooftop. "You're not getting away from me!", she said chasing him. He continues to run but trips and falls off a rooftop. She comes up and looks over the edge to see his body. "..................", she observes on.
“Where are you?", she asks deviously. Dio ran out from the shadows of the alley. She then threw her blade at him making a break for it. The blade hits him as he fell to the ground. "Ach!", he rolls over. The girl jumps onto the man and grabs her blade and placed it around his neck. ".........................", she turns to him and realized that's not the man she's looking for. "Aah! You! Please! Don't kill me!", he screams and she severe his head: blood spewing out of his neck. She sighs, "I've been tricked.", she looks down at the body and takes off the jacket. It was indeed Dio's jacket. Her expression changed from a dark glare to a jolly and innocent smile, "This jacket is SO cool. No wonder he likes wearing it.", she said wearing it herself. "But I wonder where did he go? I need his soul to revive my Master.", she asks looking around. She then swung the ring blade around her body as the blood flung off. She scratched the back of her head, "Well, he'll definitely want this if he's still alive." She trots off leaving her comrades to pick themselves up and follow her. She kicks the severed head to the side like a soccer ball as the five disappear into the shadows of the forest.
Back in town, Dio is shown knocked out inside a barrel filled with fish. Calo is seen coming around the corner, followed by Ookii, and began pulling him out of the barrel. "That was a close one.", he said and then added, "That girl's crazy."
Meanwhile, in the forest, Mira held her sword in her right hand,
points at the woman that had twin swords sheathed across her back,
displaying an incredible feat of strength. The woman with the skull showed no signs of retaliation, or even going into the defensive. She brushed back hanging bangs of her jet black hair. Her grin remained on her face, sexy, yet mischievous. Mira did not like this look, but the woman's first words had already caught her attention. "Where is he?! Talk, or I will spill your blood across the ground!", Mira commanded. The woman folded her arms across her huge breasts, covered in a strange ninja-like outfit and replied, "Well well, so much for formalities, huh? I am known as Shura, nothing but a wandering Samurai. You must be in love with that hunk of a man that was taken away, to be so anxious to get him back, huh?" Mira blushed, causing her to let her guard down a bit. She tightened up again, trying to steer away from the secret topic of her love-crush. The blush faded fast, and vengeful anger once again spread across her face. "Ah, touchy subject. Fine. I guess that leaves him to me. He is a cutie, you have to admit.", Shura said with a wink. Mira growled ferociously, "Look, my name is Mira, most skilled MagiKnight, and if you don't start talking, your blood will be boiling until your body implodes!" Shura's sexy playfulness did not fade,
but she decided to stop beating around the bush and adds, "Ha ha. Right. You ought to cool that hot head of yours honey. Anyway, your betrothed has been captured by the alchemist, Ivy Valentine. I already know of her intentions with your boy toy. She wants to use him as a guinea pig, discover the source of his power, and either make it her own or banish it from existence. Either way, doesn't look good. Such a shame...I wanted to play with him too." Shura had stroked her arm smoothly, as if she were being aroused by all this, putting emphasis on the pet names she was calling Nikolai, "She's going to use him, and then dispose of him?! How do you know of Nikolai's alchemic power? Where did she take him?!" Mira grew angrier. Shura continues on, "I watched the fight against the clan of Lizardmen from the treetops. It was quite arousing to see him fight. I love a man who plays hard to get." Mira throws her anger at Shura, "RAWR!". "Okay, okay, don't go feral on me. I'm only the messenger.", she said giving a wink towards Mira, "She's taken him to her home, the Valentine Mansion. I can lead you there, and then you can go nuts." Mira had sheathed her sword, and Shura took this as a sign of trust...or stupidity. She darted deep into the forest, and Mira immediately followed.
Meanwhile, Nikolai had been struggling to talk his way out of Ivy's trap, all the while getting a peep show due to her scantily-clad outfit. She had drawn various circles around him. These circles were strange, but Nikolai had a faint idea of what kind of transmutations they were. He had read about them in his alchemy books. The situation was not looking good. He was alchemically bound to a wooden table, and was about to be drained of his power and life. All of a sudden, Ivy climbed on the table on her hands and knees above him, a marker in hand. Nikolai went speechless. She looked down at him, "Hold still. I must complete the final circle. But first I must remove your upper body clothing to draw it on your chest." Nikolai could barely breathe, the amount of anxiety surging through him overwhelming. He didn't know now to fear for his life or to be sexually turned on, but both managed to happen. Ivy had opened up his coat, revealing the black t-shirt he wore with his transmutation circle on it. Ivy was unfamiliar with the
design and deemed it unnecessary. Nikolai felt his heart sink as
something...else on his body began to rise. Ivy had touched his shirt to begin ripping it off, but was instantly repelled in a flash of black
lightning! The circle glowed dark blue, and black lightning surged around his body. Ivy smacked into a wall, and she slowly picked herself up. A circle stitched onto his clothing! How advanced his alchemy must be!", Ivy said and looked up as the sound of the lightning crackled loudly, and it began to counteract Ivy's seals. Within seconds, the seals had broken, and Nikolai found his arms and legs free again. He quickly got off the table, and lowered his alchemic level. "Thanks for activating my circle, although that was an encounter I wasn't prepared for...", he said. Nikolai then saw Ivy stood up on her feet and commanded, "You're not going anywhere! I must unlock the secrets of your alchemy! You cannot be allowed to live with such power!" Ivy drew her blade, and it went into a coiled whip state. Nikolai kept his hands out his pockets, seeing as he's got no choice but to fight his way out. Was his dream really a premonition...?
Darkness is seen at the moment. "Dio?......Hey man! Wake up!", a voice calls out. Thumping is heard. "Ughuggggggh..........", a faint moan is heard. "HEY! LISTEN!", the voice yells this time. "Fuck you, Navi.", the groaning voice said. Thumping is heard again. "WAKE UP!", the voice yells as a BAM sound is heard. Light then pierced the darkness as everything seems blurry and then focused. The first thing seen was Calo. "Calo? Is Navi around so I can punch her?", the voice asks. Calo perked a brow, ".......no. But welcome back." Dio is seen getting up from a bed and saw that Ookii ran up to him. "Hey kid. Calo...what happened?", he asks holding the front of his face. Calo fell back into his seat and began to tell him the story of from his perspective. Dio began to remember all the events that had occurred to the point and then said, "....so...I fell off the roof. Then what happened?" Calo simply answers, "I couldn't drag you fast enough at the rate that girl was running so I hid you in a fish barrel." "And my jacket?", Dio asks as he realized that it's not on him. "Oh, before I got to you. A petty thief took it off of you before he was killed.", Calo answers and then adds, "But.....that girl is now in possession of it." Dio looks up and then out the window. He then grabs the center bridge that led to his nose and sighs, "......aaaaaaaaaaaah.." He looks up and wonders, "Is it me or is everyone has it out for my jacket?" He then rotates around to where his legs are now folding over the bed as his feet reach the floor. He looks up and noticed the same man from the tavern enter the room, "That was quite a show you displayed out there. Having the skill to combat up to four Watchers at a time is truly stunning." Dio looks up to him, "That's nothing really." The man then introduced himself, "My name is Rufus Tudor....", along introduced his followers starting with the stocky male, "...this is Arnold Brutesworth...", then the tall man with the bucket on his head, "....and finally, Edward von Schultz." Calo looks to Edward, "What's with the bucket?", he asks. Rufus looks to Edward and answers, "That's quite a mystery to us as well but it's no big deal." "I'm calling him 'BuckethEd' ", Dio's voice is heard as everyone's attention turn to him. He got up and looks at everyone. "Well, looks like I have two things to take care of. Retrieving my jacket and returning back to our home." Calo coughs, "Ahem...." Dio rolls his eyes, ".....and find Nikolai." Rufus walks up to Dio and holds out his hand, "That's splendid. But the catch is, you'll have to help us destroy the 'Cursed Sword'." Dio looks at him with a 'pfft' look, "And why should I help you?" Rufus answers, "Because that girl and her group are servants under that blade. We find the blade, we find her. She's bound to protect that sword at all costs and if we meet the girl. She more than likely has what you're looking for. So, do we have a deal?" Dio is quiet and looks at Rufus. He then sighs, "..touche'." He then shook Rufus' hand, "You play a great game of hardball, man."
Far away from their location, in a dark cave, a man with slick
black hair is seen and an oriental garb is seen near a grave site.
"........I will avenge you my brethren.", his voice speaks. He takes an alcoholic beverage and pours it across the stones of what appears to be the tombstones of his fallen comrades. Once finishing, he turns around and heard giggling. ".....!........", he turns his attention to the sound and into another direction. "Show yourself!", he commands. He looks around as the cave echoes with giggling and began hearing a whirring sound. He looks up to saw an object coming right at him as he dodge rolls out of the way. He threw off his garb and reveal to be wearing a white set of clothing that represented him with a Chinese background. He saw that the object was familiar looking blade. Round like a hula hoop. He then saw a figure flipping through the air and lands behind the ring, bending at the waist as a smile was across her face. On her body was also the jacket that belonged to Dio. "Hello there you big baby!", she called out in a playful manner. The man asks her, "What is the meaning of this?! Wait! That voice....you're that servant under HIM, aren't you!?" With that, he pulled out a pair of Nunchaku, holding one bar in his right hand and flips the other bar between his tricep and bicep. "NO you dummy. I serve only the sword. I wanted to see if you have time to play!", she picks up the blade and assumes a dance-like stance and adds, "But I might know something about the BIG guy that you would like to know.", saying in a sing-song tune. The man's eyes widen as he dash to the girl swiping the first attack with a horizontal strike. The girl quickly deflects the attack to the side and quickly reach in to grab him. He took his left hand to shove her hand off of him and spun around to back fist her. She fell to the side and the man came in with an aerial slash. The girl grins and counter-attacks with a spiraling kick that shot her upward into the air. She struck him and as his body arched back and she came down on him using his body like a surf board before crashing into the ground. "ACH!", he groans as he got up. "You're soooooo weak....No wonder HE can beat you. I'm surprised he hasn't killed you yet.", she began to laugh at him as he picks himself up slowly. She then tilts her head to him, "But....you know he'll be looking for-you-know-what....if you don't beat him to it you'll never avenge your buddies.", she said as she flips onto the tombstones further infuriating the man. He quickly dash to her, “ATAAAAAAA!!!!!!", with a punch that shatters the stones into pebbles. The dust clears as he stood there alone. Giggling is heard again as he shot a look to the 'ceiling' of the cave. He saw the girl standing on an alcove with her menacing glare, "I'd quit if I were you. The other two looking for it will sure meet him. Now, what will HE do to them.", she said trotting off as she pulled the hood over her head. The man grunted and gritted his teeth. He then punched the ground yelling out, "DAMN! She's right....the only way to destroy Astaroth is to obtain that power before he does. Kilik....Xianghua....I have to protect them!" He clenched his fist.
Far off, beyond the forest, beyond the Valentine Mansion, a figure in a hooded cloak was seen walking in what looked like an endless field of nothingness. The wind blew fiercely...
In the Valentine Mansion, a whip dashed forward to attempt a
paralyzing stab, but Nikolai used his lightning fast speed to avoid. Ivy swung hard and fast, but Nikolai was way too fast for her sluggish swings. But Nikolai knew this wouldn't last, "Damn, indoor battle..." he thought to himself. "I cannot keep this up for too long. I must expose myself to the outside world in order to rejuvenate the energy I'm burning. It'll definitely open her up to many of my traps,
but for now, I'm stuck in a sword fight...without a sword!" Nikolai
continues to evade her thrusts, stabs, and slashes, Ivy constantly switching the style of her sword into what seemed like infinite
combinations. He felt his reserve alchemic energy fading slowly. "Damn it!" he thought. "I have to get outside! I've only one ace up my sleeve, but I need my Magnet Trap to buy time. It worked on that Bowser creature back then, I'm sure it would work on her. But I cannot summon lightning clouds from indoors! Think Nikolai...think." And then it hit him. Taking a page out of Edward Elric's book, he claps his hands and then smashed them into the walls. Ivy stood back a bit, retracting her whip into its blade form. Pipes suddenly crashed through the wall as black lightning coursed through Nikolai's arms like an electrical conduit. The pipes began spraying steam and water all over the place. Nikolai had used his favorite trap and modified it to pull metallic objects instead of transmuting earth into it. The room was completely shrouded in steam, and the hot water only thickened it. Nikolai used this opportunity to escape. Blinded all the same as Ivy, he felt around helplessly for the door. Instead, he had grabs hold of something round, like the doorknob, but much...much bigger, and jiggly. He couldn't fit his entire hand around it. He felt around a bit, then felt a leather strap, then realized what he was feeling. He suddenly looked like he had foreseen his death right then and there. He didn't see it coming because of the fog, but a flying hand ripped through the mist and struck him hard! He was sent spiraling until he hit something solid. He felt ridges around the wall...it was the door. He found the knob and quickly ran out the room, blushing hard, Ivy following close behind after hearing the door open, covering her chest with her left arm. The chase was on.
Shura dashed through the forest with her mischievously seductive
Smirk across her face, Mira not too far behind. Mira was ready for any kind of counterattack, trap, or ambush that Shura could possibly be leading her to. But she wasn't following her brain completely. Thinking only of rescuing Nikolai, she followed her heart. Her brain raced, longing to see Nikolai again to ensure his safety. She did not want him being killed, or worse, going into his Berserker Rage. Using Heaven's Wrath against him was the most emotionally painful thing she had ever done...
Mira thought back to her last encounter, everyone had been releasing their onslaught against Nikolai, which didn't seem to faze him too much, although he was in a great deal of pain. His body was
suffering, but his brain wouldn't process it, his anger in full control. The huge electric ball of death continued to grow. Mira floated in mid air, gathering energy herself, her life energy, while everyone struggled to keep Nikolai from firing. Mario's glowing fireballs had shrank to nothingness. Pokemon Trainer's Pokemon became too exhausted to continue their Triple Finish attack. Miro's Halberd Cannon transformation had overheated the smart chips, forcing a revert back to the pistol form. Jira had simply grown dizzy from her Dancing Tornado Strike, and stumbled away as if she were drunk. The attack had ceased. However, Mira was ready, her body now engulfed with Holy energy. Everyone looked up at Mira, then at Nikolai. Even Pikachu, who nearly died trying to siphon Nikolai's negative energy. This was it. If Mira couldn't succeed in killing the one she loved, the Subspace, which consumed the world, would be destroyed, and everything would fade into nothingness. Mira unsheathed her sword, which glowed with her energy. "I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS, BUT I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE! HEAVEN'S WRATH!", she screamed with tears in her eyes. Mira had flown forward at great speed toward Nikolai. Before he could fire off his Electrical Death Bomb, Mira swung her sword with all her might. The electricity became engulfed in energy and disappaite immediately, but he was still in his Berserker Rage. Many powerful swings followed, the white light illuminating the entire dark space. After one final downward strike, Mira dropped her sword, which levitated beside her, and she put her hands together and fired off a huge wave of pure energy that not only snapped Nikolai out of his Berserker form, but had an adverse effect on his alchemy (since it's dark energy) and drained his life away. The attack had ended, and Nikolai fell toward the earth. Mira, still full of holy energy, flew down and caught him before he could crash. Everyone looked on in silence as she cuddled him closely. A glowing tear fell down her face, and she leaned in forward to give him a kiss...
The flashback ends, Mira snaps back to reality as Shura announced their arrival. They both stopped. There was a strange amount of steam emitting from one of the windows. Shura's leapt back into a tree as Mira began to storm the mansion. However, before she could even enter the building, the front door flung open, and Nikolai dashed outside. He didn't even notice Mira, his mind racing between his sexy near-death experience to his accidental groping, and he instinctively snaps his fingers to teleport away. It was the most sexual action he had ever experienced, and he was going to die from it! Too much for him to process in a day. A small storm cloud forms, and within an instant, he was gone. "Niko...", she spoke but he vanished. Ivy soon ran out the mansion, but her target was gone. "Damn. Now I must locate his alchemic energy again. He will destroy this world worse than Soul Edge ever could, if it were unleashed to its full potential.", she said. Mira just faced Ivy, full of silent rage. She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at her. Ivy turned towards her, looking confused. She drew the Valentine Blade, ready to defend, unsure who this woman was and why she was attacking. "Who are you, cur, and why do you draw your blade?", she demanded to know. Mira answers with this reply, "Whatever you did to Nikolai, I will NEVER forgive you for!" Mira rushed to strike.
Dio's attention is seen turning towards the mountain regions,
"..........." Calo walks up to him and asks, "What's up?" He shook his head, "It's nothing. I thought I saw a lightning cloud for a minute there." His attention is then turn to Rufus who approached them from the docks. "Hey Rufus.", he greets. Rufus returns the greeting to Dio and began to speak, "Alright. We'll be able to set sail in a few moments. Make sure everything is in good preparations for departing." Rufus turns away and walks onto his ship. Calo walks up to the ship, "What do you think Dio? Think we have enough equipment for the journey back home?" Dio had a skeptical expression. He turns his head towards the ship and walks to the starboard side and lightly kicks it. He then walks to Calo and gave him his answer, "We'll live." That being said, he walks onboard as followed by Ookii. Calo sighs in grief and walks onboard as well.
Onboard, Arnold and BuckethEd are preparing the ship for sail.
Letting down the sails and tying down loose ends, weighing anchor, etc.
Ookii is seen heading port side as followed by Dio. Calo walked to the
quarterdeck to find the bathroom. Rufus attended the wheel. He called out to his crew as they gave him an "AYE!". Preparations took at least 20 minutes before the ship began to sale. The start was rough as they brushed against the docking piers but managed to do fine once getting their sea legs. Dio thought to himself. Images of that girl who stole his jacket went through his mind. But the thing that wouldn't escape him was her eyes. It was as if she was no longer human but a demon incarnate. Arnold is seen approaching Dio from behind. He quickly looks to his right to see Arnold looking out at sea. He looks up to Dio, "First time at sea, laddy?", he asked. Dio nods, "Yes.....but for some reason it feels very nostalgic to me. As if I've been at sea before. But never mind that." He then looks at Arnold, "Arnold.....this 'Cursed Sword'...what is it exactly?", he asks with an actual sense of concern. A serious expression grew on Arnold's face, "The 'Cursed Sword'....you really want to know?", he asks. Dio nods a 'yes' for his answer. Arnold sighs as he sat on top of a barrel and began to explain to the best of his knowledge, "The sword was originally called the 'Sword of Salvation' a sword that would give it's wielder a tremendous amount of power. Some travelers seek it to protect the ones they loved and others seek for world domination. But there's something dark about the sword itself. Those who came into contact with that sword had lived tragic lives regardless of the wielder's intentions. It drove a legendary Pirate insane, one man was told that he became a corrupt being known as the 'Azure Knight'. It has caused many tragic events thus owning the name 'Cursed Sword'." Dio thought deeply about this so-called blade and then asks, "Where could something like that come from?" Arnold continues, "It was told that sword was forged by the Greek God of Smithery, Hephaestus, himself. It once was held by the legendary Hero King who ruled the lands with providence. But something tragic happened." The wind blew as silence filled the air. Dio's hair blew across his face as Ookii was lying down asleep. "His son grew jealous of feeling underneath his father's shadow. He wanted to prove himself by wielding the sword but was corrupted by its malevolence. Not being able to control the power, he was frozen in crystal as his father grieved his son's 'death'." Dio perks a brow, "................" Arnold continues, "In hopes of restoring order, the king beckoned the gods to create a sword that could destroy the 'Cursed Sword'. That sword is known as the 'Spirit Sword'." Dio turns away as he looks at the sun beginning to set, "The 'Spirit Sword', huh? And I bet we're going to look for that sword, correct?" Arnold nods, "Yes, but it won't be easy, laddy. The sword is already in possession of the same man who became the 'Azure Knight'." Dio quickly turns to Arnold, "........!" Arnold looks to the sky, "I've seen him before. Clad in pure armor of crystal-like steel, long blond hair, blue eyes and a scar on his right eye. He seeks to redeem himself of the mistakes he's caused." Dio smirks, "At least someone owns up to their mistakes. But that doesn't interest me right now." Arnold's attention turns to Dio, "What do you mean, lad?" Dio leans against the mass, "It's that girl....I've never met someone that gave me a glare like that." Arnold looks to Dio as he went on, "She wasted no time in having the intent on killing me. As if it was sheer pleasure for her. Not to mention the others around her." Arnold gets off the barrel and walks up to Dio, "Don't worry about her. She's long gone: Once a servant of the sword will remain a servant of the sword. There's no turning back for her." Dio's eyes widen, "..!..." The breeze picks up as the sun finally set over the horizon.
Mira and Ivy stood against one another in a classic face-off. Mira had the look of pure rage across her face. Ivy looked confused for a moment, until she quickly put things together. Then she smirked slyly at Mira. All the while, Shura watched safely from a high tree branch, her plan of foiling Ivy coming to fruition. "So you have relations with that destructive soul? Interesting, however, you don't seem to have alchemic energy flowing through your body. But you do have a common magical power within you. Stand aside cur, I must locate that alchemist before it's too late.", Ivy spoke on observing the MagiKnight before her. Mira replies with rage in her heart, "No...I'll never let you touch him. I am his sworn protector! I am to ensure his power is never unleashed. I know of it, trust me. Your alchemy will only conflict with his and trigger it sooner. I may not be an alchemist, but I know Nikolai's power well enough to know that any other alchemic power will conflict with it. His is a unique source that cannot be stolen for another's gain. The only way to get rid of it is to kill him, and as Xero as my witness, that will NEVER HAPPEN!" Shura watched closely as the two stared each other down. "You're much more than his protector" Shura thought to herself. "I can see your love for him burning through your soul..." Mira unsheathed the Save the Queen. Ivy was taken slightly aback. Such a beautiful blade! She unsheathed the Valentine, and it automatically went into its Coil State and said, "I will get my hands on his alchemic power, and I will uncover its secrets, so that it may never plague this land again." Mira implies, "Then prepare to fight."
On another side of the country, in an open meadow, a small black
cloud appear, and black lightning struck the sand. Nikolai reappear as the cloud quickly fade away. He was sweating heavily from his encounter with the big-breasted alchemist, partly because of the running, but mostly because of the events that triggered his escape. He was soaked from head to toe. His mind raced as fast as his heart did, trying to fight the woman who now invaded his mind. So beautiful, so intelligent, and shares the science of alchemy. Yet she is now his primary enemy. And what of Mira? He had the feeling that he had heard her cry for him as he escaped, but it was only a feeling. How would Mira react to his encounter with her? His feelings for Mira are still true, secret, but true. But he couldn't get Ivy out of his head now. This is the first time he felt conflicted in such a manner. "Now is not the t