Soul Calibur Storyline Explanation

“RRAAAAAHH!!” it said, swinging the axe around, then getting into a fighting stance.

Siegfried charged the monster, ducking under it’s first axe sweep. He stabbed up, and into the monster’s chest… with no effect. The blade knocked the golem back, but didn’t injure it at all.

“DISAPPEAR!!” the golem yelled, jumping and swinging the axe down. Siegfried barely rolled out of the way, and then struck the ruby on the golem’s forehead with his sword. The golem roared, and staggered backwards. A weak spot, it seemed. Coming at him again, the golem tried to smash Siegfried, but Siegfried had figured it out. Rolling out of the way, he jumped up and slammed his hilt down on the golem’s head. When the golem staggered forwards, he ran around and sliced at the ruby on the golem’s chest, then smashed the golem in the face with the flat of his blade. Screaming, the monster reared back, and Siegfried jumped into the air and stabbed down into the monster’s chest. It just wasn’t fast enough to defeat Siegfried, and lay there, panting and obviously in great pain.

At this point, Ivy and Iska burst into the room. They took in the situation at a glance, and Iska ran over to the altar. He stood there for a moment, then gestured to Siegfried.

“Hey, Siegfried, look at this book.”

Siegfried walked over and glanced at it. “Wait… this is…” he shoved Iska out of the way and began poring over the book, “This has information about the Guardians!”

Iska was stunned. “What?!”

Siegfried turned around, and was startled to see the golem was standing again. He got into a defensive position, and Iska took a step back. Ivy started running towards them.

“What… you…” the golem said, stuttering and struggling to get the words out.

“He’s still alive?!” Siegfried ran at the golem.

“Siegfried, wait!” Iska said. He walked towards the monster, his purple boots echoing on the stone floors. “Hey, what is this?” He asked the monster, pointing at the book.

“Those… made me…” the golem stuttered.

“Made you?” Iska said, confused.

“I was… made… Fy-Fygul Cestemus…”

“Fygul Cestemus!” Realization flashed across Iska and Ivy’s faces. “Of course!”

Ivy stepped up. “I’d heard that they were attempting to create a golem, but I didn’t know they’d succeeded… Though I had heard rumors that they were intensely researching Soul Edge and Evils.” She turned to Iska. “Did they make this golem based on Evils, then?”

“This thing is the Cult’s golem!” Iska said, gesturing to the monster.

“Ugh…” the golem said, and staggered.

Iska turned to Siegfried. “Siegfried, I think he could be useful. The fact that they can make golems from captured Evils means they’ve gotten pretty far researching Evils. If we follow the cult, we may find information about Evils and the Guardians. They must have cleared out of here pretty fast if they left this thing here.” He thought for a moment, then said, almost to himself, “I guess they were eager to get out since we broke the seal to this place. Hey, you!” He walked back over to the golem. “Do you know where the others went?”

“Place… Asia. Mountain.” The golem said.

“Do you know where that is?”

“Went once… know.”

“All right, we won’t destroy you this time. Take us there!”

The golem was silent.

Iska turned to Siegfried, a mischievous look in his eyes. “This thing must be a prototype. It’s pretty stupid.”

The golem lifted its arm quickly, punching Iska in the stomach. Iska doubled over, then fell on the ground. Siegfried and Ivy laughed at him.

“Hey, I like this guy!” Ivy said.

Iska staggered, then got up. “Come on, walk…” he said, and led the golem out of the cathedral.

“Hey, what’s your name?” Ivy said as they walked.

The golem was silent for a moment. “Ast… Astaroth… Alpha.”

Ivy shrugged. “Astaroth it is.”
 
Chapter 8:

Great Himalayas​









It had been a long, hard ride. Astaroth’s bounding strides had left the group behind more than once, and Ivy had feared that he would run away. She urged Iska and Siegfried to just let her kill it, but the golem always came back for them. They rode for a week, with no stop. They slept and ate on the move, and, finally, they reached their destination. Astaroth stopped them at a large mountain range, and they dismounted.

It was a truly magnificent sight, with deep forest around them, and a snowcapped, monstrous mountain in front of them. They stood in a circle, waiting expectantly for Iska’s inevitable briefing.

Iska took a deep breath. “Fygul Cestemus’ headquarters should be somewhere in these mountains.”

Astaroth turned around and started walking away.

Iska ran up a and grabbed his arm with both hands, so that he could get a good grip on the monstrous tree trunk of a limb. “Hey, you’re a traitor now! You can’t go back.” The golem didn’t slow down. “The cult believes in honoring a blood pact above all else!” Astaroth stopped. “They’ll never forgive a traitor, especially a prototype golem.”

Astaroth looked down at Iska, diminutive as he looked standing next to the behemoth. Laboriously, he spoke. “Not care… discarded.” There was genuine sorrow in his eyes.

Iska looked at him in a new light, and Siegfried’s face suddenly took on a new look as well. Each seemed to be thinking of past experiences that were… unpleasant. Iska spoke.

“…Discarded? I guess even golems can feel sorrow… it was hell for me, too, when Barbaros destroyed my homeland.” Astaroth and Siegfried looked at him. “People took care of me and helped me, but in the end they always betrayed me, and I was ‘discarded’. I just had to accept that it’s the way life is.” He met Astaroth’s eyes, and there was a new hardness and bitterness in them. “There’s no reason to protect those who discard you.” His features softened once more and looked around. “This cold reminds me of when I was abandoned and wandered the world. Huddled alone in an alley corner, freezing. I’ll never forget it. I was born in Hungary. It’s a place that also gets very cold in the winter. Everyone there goes around gathering wood before winter. It’s a beautiful sight, really, with the smoke drifting out of the chimneys at twilight. My sister and I would climb the hills of Buda and just watch the setting sun.” Tears began to well in his eyes.

Siegfried intervened. “That’s enough, Iska. Let’s go and find the cult’s headquarters.”

The group, with the exception of their would-be leader, walk toward the mountain. Siegfried drew Soul Edge. Ivy drew Kaleidoscope. Astaroth drew his double-sided, ten foot tall axe, Kulutues.

They moved out.

They decided on the way up the mountain that Siegfried and Astaroth, the powerhouses, would take point while Ivy hung back and took out any stragglers. About halfway up the mountain, a blizzard set in, reducing their visibility to near zero. Astaroth and Siegfried trudged on in silence, the worn path they were traversing disappearing. For a moment, Siegfried was worried, but soon the path wound between two cliffs, leaving only two directions they could go: Forward and back. They went forward.

Within a few minutes, they reached a cavern. On the right was a well-lit brick passageway. They began to run down the hall, and reached a wide room full of rock Evils. Siegfried’s debilitating strikes and Astaroth’s axe, which more smashed than cut things, turn them to rubble.

When they were done, a thick door blocked their path. Siegfried immediately set to work, pounding against it with Soul Edge. Each hit, even enhanced by the immense power dwelling in the sword, did little. Small cracks appeared in the door. Thoroughly exhausted, Siegfried gave one final strike at the door, then sat down.

“Your… turn…” he panted.

Astaroth looked at him, then turned to the wall and started pounding.

“No, the door!” Siegfried said in amazement. He had thought that Astaroth was intelligent, but apparently not.

The wall broke in several places, revealing that it was a very thin brick wall. Inside the crevice behind it was one lit torch. Astaroth leaned in and blew the torch out, and the door groaned and slid open.

Astaroth looked at Siegfried, amusement in his eyes. “Shut up,” Siegfried said.

They continued along, taking out evils that they found along the way.

As they walked, and crushed, they encountered many rooms very similar to the first, all with Evils and a torch hidden.

They ran through more brick rooms, several natural caves, and even some rooms that were completely frozen, with ice stalagmites stretching from the bottom of the 20-foot tall cave to the top.

They reached a room with a pit in the center that they couldn’t see the bottom of. The purpose of this was lost on Siegfried, as the ropes holding it up were actually right there in front of them, on their side of the gap. They cut them, and moved on. They encountered a new breed of Evil, stronger than the rest that wielded scythes and could summon whirlwinds that hurt quite a bit if you were hit. As they ran (and killed), Siegfried developed a theory: The longer both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur were active, the stronger the Evils would become due to the conflicting power in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Siegfried and Astaroth reached the final cavern, a large room with strange inscriptions on the wall in front of them. Siegfried looked around, and said “Damn. There’s no one here…”

Just as he said that, a dark figure wearing a black robe stepped from a corner. He was wearing a ring on both his middle fingers, and he was wearing a black amulet around his neck. His hair was blue.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” he said in an accent that Siegfried did not recognize.

Ivy and Iska walked into the room. Siegfried ignored them, walking towards the strange individual. “Are you a part of the cult?” he said gruffly.

“Me? You’ve got to be kidding,” he said as if the idea was totally beneath him. “Who are you?”

Siegfried began to draw Soul Edge, but Iska’s inevitable intervention came then. “Wait!” he yelled.

The man turned to Iska. “Iska, is that you? How are your studies progressing?” He now completely ignored Siegfried, acting as if meeting Iska was just a chance encounter, like passing someone on the street, and as if Siegfried didn’t exist.

Iska smiled. “Hello, Professor. It’s been a while.”

Siegfried was confused. “Professor?”

Iska turned to him. “Yes, this is Paracelsus, an alchemist, and my old professor.

Paracelsus turned back to Siegfried as well. “So, you’re with Iska? I taught him many things at the University of Basel.” Turning back to Iska, he said “How is everything going, Iska? Were you ever able to create a false human being? A Homunculus?”

Iska laughed. “What are you talking about? No alchemist can really make a Homonculus.”

Paracelsus was accusing. “Oh, really? You’re the one who took my text, aren’t you?”

Iska looked confused. “What are you talking about? You probably burned it up.” Now laughing again, he started recollecting old times “I mean, you even burned teaching texts.”

“Are you talking about the medical text by Galen? That thing was useless, so I burned it. That’s all. That’s why I was kicked out of the university. Lately, I have been pursuing the secrets of Evils and the Guardians. That’s why I had to come all the way out here. What about you, Iska?”

“The emperor of the Holy Roman Empire took me in. We’re on a journey to find a way to defeat the army of the Ottoman Empire that is surrounding the capital.”

“Ah, that giant, Barbaros. I saw him gathering forces towards Vienna. So, Vienna has not fallen yet? Well, that’s not really surprising. The emperor is well-known as a strategist.”

“That’s why we’re hunting for Guardians.”

“You can’t be serious. Humans have no chance against Guardians!”

“Actually, there is a way.” Iska looked at Siegfried now. “As long as you have Soul Edge.”

Paracelsus turned toward Siegfried with a new light in his eyes. He ran behind Siegfried faster than Siegfried would have thought possible, and inspected every inch of the cursed sword. The eye watched him solemnly.

“So, this is Soul Edge!”

Iska piped up again. “It’s finally been found.”

Paracelsus was quiet for a moment, then turned back to Iska. “Iska, I’m going with you.”

Iska suddenly seemed worried. “Why? There’s no reason for you to come.”

“I’m interested in the cursed sword, Soul Edge.” His eyes flicked to the sword for a moment, then back to Iska. “As an alchemist. I mean, why did Soul Edge and Soul Calibur appear at this time? Why did the Evils appear? Don’t you want to know?”

“Evils were born from the Evil Seed that was created by Soul Edge. Everyone knows that.”

“Are you sure?” Paracelsus looked deep into Iska’s eyes. Then why are the Evils siding with Barbaros, who holds Soul Edge’s ultimate enemy and counterpart, Soul Calibur?”

“Uh, well…”

“You should always question generally accepted notions.” He turned to Siegfried, as if his pupil had been taught his lesson. “So, is there a problem with me going along with you?”

Siegfried silently looked into his eyes, looking for a trace, a flicker of evil intent. All he saw was greed.

Paracelsus decided for him. “It’s decided then. Let’s go.”

The professor stomped away, pompous and full of himself. “Hey… wait! Professor!”

Paracelsus turned around. “Hm?”

“How did you get in here, past all the Evils?”

“How did I—wait, there are EVILS here? I didn’t see any coming in!”

Even Astaroth groaned and put his face in his palm.
 
HOLY CRAP! Time sure has a way of sneaking up on ya. I guess I owe you guys one... two.. three... four... five... SIX CHAPTERS!?!?! SON OF A-- I HAVE TO START WRITING!!
 
Chapter 9:

Temple of Ammon​











Their next target was a place near the top of Africa, near Europe. As per usual, Iska chose not to tell them anything about the mission until they were actually there.

Traveling was a little harder now. Iska had told Paracelsus to go wait until they had need of him, and then they would send a message for him. They had been forced to drop some of Ivy’s and Iska’s things—the only things Siegfried and Astaroth had were what they were wearing—to accommodate the extra horse they needed for the extra man.

They arrived in a coarse desert, with a pyramid-like structure laid out before them. They stopped, and the three on horseback dismounted, while Astaroth waited patiently. They had considered giving him a horse, but he would probably just kill it.

They all looked expectantly at Iska. “Well?” Siegfried said.

Iska started in. “Sophitia is a Greek warrior. She took up the rear guard of the defeated army in the last expedition and fought on until every last one of them could escape.” He looked down, as if he was guilty. “When she saw me, the final soldier, escape, she closed the door to the outside. I still can’t forget that smile on her face at the end.” He looked up. “Because of her, the Third Expedition was able to come back. But I’m sure she’s still alive somewhere in the temple.” He looked right at Siegfried. “Siegfried, will you rescue her?” Siegfried was silent.

Ivy spoke for him. “I don’t want to waste our time on something other than the shards.”

Siegfried spoke to her. “It doesn’t matter, as long as she doesn’t get in my way. If we happen to find her, we’ll rescue her. Beyond that, I won’t promise you anything.”

Iska looked relieved. “Thank you, Siegfried.”

Ivy was irritated. “Fine. Do as you please. Waste time we don’t have.” She looked into Siegfried’s eyes. “You’re on your own… boy.” Siegfried met her gaze with a steely resolve.

Iska was less composed. “Why, Ivy? You said you’d help us!”

Siegfried stepped forward. “It’s fine. I’ll do this on my own. I can handle a Guardian all on my own.”

Iska looked crestfallen, and reluctant to send him in alone. “Siegfried…”

Ivy began walking away. Siegfried looked after her a moment, then started walking toward the temple. “We don’t have time to waste. Let’s go.”

Ivy looked back for a moment, then continued walking. She went to the horses and sat down in the sand to catch up on some sleep.

Iska hanging back, Siegfried advanced toward the temple. Two large iron doors barred his path. He stepped up to destroy it, but a large axe flew through the air and hit right in between the doors. Siegfried flinched. Iska jumped back about five feet. Astaroth’s wide strides brought him up to the door. He grabbed the axe and wrenched it out, then kicked the doors down.

He looked at Siegfried. “Save strength… I help.”

Siegfried nodded, then they strode into the darkness, Astaroth leading the way. The first room they walked into was large, with doors at the other end, and hieroglyphs all around. Mummies crawled out of the ground, and Astaroth crushed them one by one until they could move forward. The reformed golem was so prolific at smashing things that minimal intervention was required from Siegfried.

They moved forward, cutting a rope that was holding the door in front of them down. The door flew up, and Astaroth strode into the next room. A broad sweep with his axe was all it took to completely clear the room of the Evils that inhabited it.

The rest of the journey was no more strange and dangerous than the rest of their missions. They encountered loops, and a puzzle where Siegfried and Astaroth searched for 4 blue globes on top of pillars. Each one was well-guarded, and each was well-hidden. More skeletons and lizardmen appeared to stop them, but all fell to one of their blades. Once everything was done, a large door rose up and out of their way. Inside was a girl being suspended by the same Evil force that constituted the barriers they had encountered before. As Siegfried began walking toward it, a wall came smashing down. Astaroth moved at a speed Siegfried didn’t think was possible, and grabbed it before it could close completely. Holding it up with his shoulders. He looked at Siegfried, his muscles bulging under the weight. Siegfried ran over and rolled under the door before it could close completely. Grunting with the effort, he ducked away from the door, and let it slam.

They were on the opposite sides of the door.

Siegfried looked at the door briefly, and then turned. Suspended in the air, apparently unconscious, was a girl in her early twenties with short, blonde hair. She was wearing a white skirt which came down to her knees, brown boots, and a blue shirt. Her shirt was sleeveless, but she wore metal shoulder pads. Tied to her left arm was a small sword and shield. Her shield was blue with a white insignia on it, and a blue hilt on the sword. Siegfried walked toward her, then stopped and stood in front of her. She twitched, and the force dissipated.

She levitated down and touched the ground gently, then stood for a moment, her eyes still closed. Behind Siegfried, a black rift in the ground opened, and five skeletons crawled out. One of them hissed, and Siegfried turned. Seeing the skeletons rushing them, his hand went to Soul Edge to attempt to block the strike, but he was too slow to block the sword coming down on him.

Sophitia’s blue eyes opened, and in an instant she had her shield raised, blocking the first one’s sword. While holding it back with her shield, she drew her sword, then threw its sword to one side. Striking it three times, she sent the body flying one direction, and the skull the other. Moving quickly and mechanically, she made short work of all the skeletons in the room. Siegfried stood and watched with respect at her quick, precise strikes and carefully timed parries.

When she had destroyed all the monsters in the room, Siegfried looked at her and nodded. Drawing Soul Edge, he welled up it’s power, and directed it at the door. The door shattered under the force, and Astaroth stood up on the other side. He walked in, looked at them quickly, then the two escorted Sophitia out. She was probably more than capable of handling the threat, but they were still acting as rescuers and felt they should do something besides watch her defeat the enemy alone. When they walked outside again, Iska lit up and ran toward them. Ivy didn’t move.

“Sophitia, you’re alive!” Iska said excitedly.

She looked puzzled for a moment. “Are you… Iska?” Her voice took on a worried tone. “What about everyone else from the Third Expedition?”
 
Iska smiled. “We were all able to return to our homeland because of you.”

Sophitia smiled, too. “I’m glad…” She seemed strangely distant.

Iska noticed, too. “Sophitia…”

Sophitia turned to Siegfried. “So, you’re Siegfried. Thank you for saving me.”

Siegfried was surprised at her sudden change. “Well, I… wait. How do you know my name?”

“The Third Expedition didn’t leave to fight the Evils until AFTER the Holy Roman Empire took you in, of course. Couldn’t well do it before.”

“Well, yeah, I guess…”

Sophitia’s features changed again in recognition. “That sword…!”

It was Iska’s turn to explain. “Yes, it’s Soul Edge.”

“So, it has been found. I didn’t believe the rumors at first. But, then again, what else could create such evil beings?”

Iska was all business. “Hey, Sophitia, you remember your promise, right? You said you’d help until we defeat Barbaros.”

Sophitia turned to Iska now. “Fighting evil with evil. I don’t approve of that method, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

“Yeah, there isn’t any other way.”

“But you do understand that after Barbaros is defeated—“

“The empire will not stand in your way, even if you choose to destroy Soul Edge.”

Siegfried was stunned. Had he been betrayed? “What!?” he yelled, drawing the cursed sword.

Iska moved forward to calm him down. “Siegfried, you have in your hands a legendary, cursed, evil sword. All desire it and pursue it. That’s why the way you perceive Soul Edge may greatly differ from the way others perceive it. But we have to defeat Barbaros. If we fail, not only would the empire fall, but the whole world would be under his control.” Siegfried looked down. “That’s why everyone is helping us.”

Siegfried looked up again. “I know. That’s why I’m doing this. I didn’t sign on to become a dog of the empire.”

“Nothing like a common enemy to bring people together. All right then, let’s go against the Guardian Ammon one more time!”

Sophitia walked up to Iska. “Iska, there is one problem…”

“What?” Iska asked.

“I placed a powerful seal on the inner door last time in order to save us.”

Siegfried recalled seeing another door in the room. “The second door?”

Sophitia turned to him. “Yes. I was desperate, so it’s very powerful. Even I can’t break it.”

Iska was nonchalant. “Oh, is that all?”

“What?”

“We’ll go talk to Leonardo about it. He said we can visit him anytime.”

Siegfried looked at him dubiously. “Leonardo? Really?”

“He’s not just some old guy, Siegfried. He’s an intellectual genius who had the attention of the whole world not long ago.”

“Well, he doesn’t look it.”

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black. You don’t look that powerful yourself.” Siegfried was silent. “Anyway, let’s go see Leonardo.”
 
Chapter 10:

Secret of the Seal​

​







They rode for two days back up to Zenon Mansion. It was a remarkably boring journey, and they set up camp for the first night just ten miles east of the Pyrenees Trail. On the second day, they reached the impressive Zenon Mansion. A familiar figure was sitting on the front steps with his head in his hands. As they dismounted and walked toward him, he didn’t seem to notice them until Astaroth stomped up next to Siegfried.

When Astaroth’s hulking form blocked out the sun, Leonardo looked up, gasped, and jumped back about three feet before recognizing Iska and Siegfried. Ivy was hidden behind Astaroth, and Sophitia was standing to the right of Iska.

“What, you again?” Leonardo said, trying to regain some dignity.

“Hey, you’re the one who said to drop by anytime,” Iska said jokingly.

“I didn’t think you’d be coming so soon.” He turned his attention to the area next to Astaroth and Ivy. “Who are you?” he asked.

Ivy was about to answer for Astaroth when a shadowy figure stepped forward. “Paracelsus!?” she said in disbelief.

Completely ignoring everyone except who he was talking to, as per usual, he strode up to Leonardo self-importantly. “It has been a while, master.”

Leonardo didn’t seem surprised in the least. “Oh, it’s you. Are you still researching false human beings? Homonculi?”

“No, I’ve lost interest in those for now. I found something much more interesting to study.”

Leonardo knew his pupils well. “Like Evils and Guardians?”

Paracelsus was nonplussed. “And Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. The world is full of mysteries.”

“I suppose. I’m glad you’re in good health.”

“And you as well, master. After all, it was rumored that you’d died.”

“What do you mean?”

Iska stepped in, as this clearly upset Leonardo. “Now, now. Don’t start fighting, you two.” Siegfried stepped in between them as well, as Iska wasn’t much good in a fight.

“There’s something else we wanted to ask you,” Siegfried said to Leonardo gruffly.

“A really strong seal has been put on something and we can’t remove it,” Iska finished for him.

“We were being pursued by Evils, and there was nothing else that I could do,” Sophitia explained.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sophitia. You did it to save us!” Iska told her. She seemed guilty about having impeded their progress.

“It doesn’t matter.” Leonardo said, stopping Iska from further attempts to make her feel better. “So, what is this seal like?” he asked Sophitia.

“It was gifted to me by my patron god, Hephaestus. It’s the seal that was used to chain Prometheus on Mount Caucasus.”

Leonardo stroked his long, white beard. He seemed intrigued. “A seal from ancient Greece…” He was silent for a moment.

Siegfried was impatient. “Isn’t there anything you can do?” he asked hopefully.

“Well, there is something…”

Iska laughed and clapped Leonardo on the back. “Great!”

Leonardo wasn’t finished. He glared at Iska, then continued. “But there is a slight problem. When I left the Zenon Mansion,” he gestured at the large structure behind him, “I left behind the text, Hermetica, which has the information about how to break it. I think it was somewhere on the second floor.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll go look for it. Let’s go, Siegfried.” Iska began walking toward the mansion purposefully, but was stopped when Siegfried put a gloved hand on his shoulder. Iska looked back at him. “What?”

“Two things. First of all, this place is infested with Evils again. Right?” He looked at Leonardo expectantly.

“Er, well, yes…” Leonardo said uncertainly.

“So, you probably shouldn’t be taking point. Second, how did Paracelsus get behind us without us noticing?”

Paracelsus stepped up. “Uh, hello? Famous alchemist here? I don’t have to explain myself to the likes of you.”

Siegfried sighed. “Fine, fine. Never mind. I don’t care anymore. Astaroth, Ivy, back me up. Sophitia and I will take point.”

Forming themselves with the weaker in the back, and Leonardo deciding to wait outside, they moved into the mansion.

Not much had changed as they moved through the rooms, one by one. The intricate designs on the walls were perhaps a little dustier, the evils a little stronger. The Lizardmen they encountered now had shields as well, not unlike Sophitia’s, but green and with a different emblem on the front.

They smashed through the rooms, Siegfried’s destructive attacks mixing with Sophitia’s quick, surgical strikes, destroying each Evil as they came with ease. They moved forward without looking back, running past bookcases and doors to other rooms, but Siegfried remembered well the path from the last time they had come to the mansion.

Skeletons rose and skeletons fell as they relentlessly pounded their way through the mansion. They encountered another new evil, a knight in dark blue armor wielding a double-handed, thick sword. After a while, they found the stairs, and started going up. On the first landing before reaching the second story, Siegfried heard a rumbling from up above. He looked at Sophitia.

“Did you hear that?”

“No. What?”

Two large boulders came rolling down the stairs, straight at them.

“THAT!” Siegfried yelled out. Sophitia jumped and rolled into a corner, where the large boulders couldn’t reach her, but Siegfried was too slow with the armor and Soul Edge. He raised Soul Edge up and thrust it forward, releasing as much energy as he could spare. The energy coursed through the rock, cracking it all over and shattering it into a hundred pieces that bounced harmlessly off Siegfried’s armor. He walked over to Sophitia and rolled the boulder away from her. “Come on,” he said, and walked up the stairs.

When they reached the top, the room was full of Evils. Thirty seconds later, the room was full of dead Evils. They left the room and found themselves on a landing overlooking the first room that they had walked into to enter the mansion. A quick inspection found that there was a door to their left that led to a passageway. An iron gate dropped down, almost on top of Siegfried, brushing his nose as it came down. It was thin and rusted, and as such, fell before only one blow from him. They continued down the passageway, booby trapped with iron spikes in the floor, arrows shooting out of walls, axes and rocks swinging from the ceiling. Sophitia dodged them easily, and whenever Siegfried would have been hit, a simple strke or block destroyed the trap.

Eventually they entered a room with dining arrangements set in the center. They blazed with a purple light and lifted up, hurling themselves at the two fighters. Sophitia destroyed them quickly, cutting them to pieces before they could reach her, while Siegfried was too slow, and the furniture broke on his thick armor. To their right was a large rusty gate, bigger than the others. Siegfried smashed it, and gingerly stepped through the hole he had created. The mansion was well-guarded against intruders, and he had learned to be weary of booby traps.

Soon, though, it became apparent that the room was just a room, and he picked up the heavy, dusty book on a pedestal there. Smiling, he walked back out, and held it up as Ivy and Astaroth walked into the room. “Got it,” he told them.

They nodded and turned to walk away. Now, with Astaroth leading the way, they just walked out. The Evils were stupid, but not stupid enough to go near them. They had lost, and they knew it. The booby traps were no longer a problem, as Astaroth had smashed most of them in passing.

When they reached the outside world, they found Paracelsus and Leonardo talking animatedly about old times, with Iska sitting on the steps near them looking bored. When he saw them, he seemed relieved to finally have something to do, and jumped up. “Hey, you guys! Did you find it?”

“Yep,” Siegfried said, and tossed it to Iska. The heavy, leather-bound book almost crushed him as he caught it. “Oof! So, this is the Hermetica?”

Sophitia nodded. “Now we can break that seal.”

Leonardo shook his head as he walked over to them. “No, this alone won’t do it,” he said matter-of-factly.

The group, not including Paracelsus, who didn’t seem to care the least bit what they were doing, was dumbfounded.

“What?” was all Sophitia could say.

“I forgot. There are two parts of this text, and the other one I gave to—“

Paracelsus walked over to them, holding up another old tome. “Is this it, master?”

Leonardo looked at it for a moment, then nodded his head. Yes, that’s it.” He chuckled. “I lent it to you and forgot all about it.”

Now Paracelsus was interested. “I thought you gave it to me.”

“Certainly not. I would never give texts to anyone.”
 
Paracelsus sighed. “That is just like you. It was very useful, though. Here, take it back.”

“Good,” Leonardo said, and took it. Turning around, he handed it to Iska, who handed it to Siegfried, who handed it to Ivy, who threw it back at Iska. He barely caught it.

After regaining his balance, he spoke. “Okay, now we have both volumes of the text. Right?”

“Yes,” Leonardo said.

“Yeah,” Siegfried said.

Paracelsus was silent.

“Paracelsus,” Leonardo said, walking over to the dark-robed alchemist. “Why don’t you go with them and unlock the seal in the temple? I’m getting too old for long journeys.”

Paracelsus seemed to perk up a bit. “I’d be delighted to. It will also give me a chance to inspect Guardians up close.”

“We’re not going on a picnic,” Iska reminded him.

“Of course not! It’s going to be hard work just unlocking the seal. So, let’s go. There isn’t much time, right?”

Drawing two flasks and a black stone from under his robes, he threw one on the ground, breaking it and spraying its liquid all over the ground. Taking the rock, he dropped it on the liquid, and it soaked it up, turning it green.

“I’ll see you when you get there,” he said, then put one drop from the second flask onto the rock, turning it blue.

“Wait!” Iska said, then jumped up and ran towards his old professor. “Use your alchemy to take us—“

The alchemist disappeared in a brief flash of light. The group stood there for a moment.

“Bollocks,” Iska said.

A knight suddenly rode up to them.

“Wait, isn’t that—“ Siegfried didn’t finish his sentence before the knight jumped down and ran to them.

Michael was out of breath and panting. “A message from his majesty: Return to the capital at once!” Even in requesting their help, and out of breath, he managed to look disapproving.

Iska sighed. “Michael? Why did he have to come?”

Joachim ran up beside Michael. “Barbaros has commenced an all out attack,” he explained. “The castle will not hold much longer.”

“What?” Siegfried said, now on high alert. Soul Edge hadn’t been resurrected yet, and he hadn’t been expecting conflict so soon.

Bernd ran up behind Joachim. “That’s why we must return right away!”

Michael looked at Siegfried with a deep loathing. “The two months that his majesty gave you have already passed!”

Siegfried was astonished. He had known they were in a hurry, but had forgotten about their grim time limit.

“This is why I was against leaving this to you!” Michael apparently wasn’t done scolding Siegfried.

Bernd came to his rescue. “Calm down. The capital is safe for now. Don’t blame it all on him. Anyway, we have the ship ready for you, Captain.”

Michael spun on his heel. “Fine. Load everything quickly. We’re leaving as soon as possible.”

As the three walked up, Iska stared after Michael, then put his face in his hand and sighed. “He is so annoying…” he looked up at Siegfried and Sophitia. “But Siegfried, the fact is that the two months have already passed. It’s all up to us now. What we have to do now is protect his majesty and the empire. That’s the one thing I’m sure of.”

Sophitia turned to Siegfried as well. “Let’s go stop Barbaros!”

Siegfried sighed. “You’re right.”

Iska walked off after the two knights and the squire. “Let’s go back to the capital. Leave the horses in the care of Leonardo, he can take care of them for us.”

As they got on the ship, Bernd turned to Siegfried. “You didn’t do half bad in the last fight. We’re counting on you again!”

Siegfried sat in silence as the boat pushed off.
 
Chapter 12:

For Tomorrow​









The boat ride was uneventful as the rode in silence. The horses ended up being brought on board to escort Siegfried, Iska, and the rest of the group to the palace as quickly as possible. When the boat got within sight of land again, the horses leapt off and galloped for Vienna as quickly as they could.

When they arrived at Vienna, their welcome was not a warm one. Evils were massing around the walls, and they fought their way through a weak spot and Astaroth threw them over the wall, one by one, until they were all inside. Then he jumped over. The Masked Emperor was waiting for them at the palace.

“Siegfried, you’re late!” he said as he sheathed his sword. “Barbaros’ army is close. It seems they have given up on forcing their way in. They’ve decided to use siege weapons.” His face was the same lifeless mask it always was, but his tone betrayed his urgency. “The castle walls won’t stand much longer. You must destroy those siege weapons! Defeat is unacceptable. Smash Barbaros’ siege weapons! We have only one option against such a powerful attack…” he said as he walked away. He stopped at the doorway and turned back dramatically. “And that is to counterattack!”

Siegfried was unimpressed, but felt that, for the second time, he had truly failed. He had failed his friends. He had failed his empire. He had failed his father…

NO! He hadn’t lost yet. There was still a chance! He would not fail again.

He strode outside the halls, and rejoined the group outside. The Masked Emperor was outside, talking to Iska. “Smash Barbaros’ siege weapons!” he said animatedly. “We will draw his attention long enough for you to get through.”

He mounted up and rode off with the rest of his company when Iska nodded. Iska turned to Siegfried. “We have to protect Vienna. If it falls, we’ll all be separated again.” He looked down at the ground. “I don’t want to have another homeland destroyed. I don’t want to lose that again!” Siegfried walked up, and put a hand on Iska’s shoulder. Iska looked up, and for the second time Siegfried noticed his red and blue eye. Siegfried nodded.

“We won’t let you down,” he said reassuringly. He turned toward the others. “All right. Sophitia, Ivy, you two stay and guard the capital. You’re better suited for taking down individual enemies. Astaroth, you’re with me. I think you’ll be able to smash these siege weapons with ease, and enjoy yourself while you’re at it. Is that right?”

Ivy nodded. “More or less,” she said.

“Okay, then. Let’s go!” With that, they went their separate ways.

Siegfried and Astaroth ran straight out the same way they came in, and went to the main base of Barbaros’ army, where a constant stream of boulders were already being flung through the air. Iska’s voice urged them on as they fought their way through the narrow paths.

“Find the enemy’s artillery!”

As they beat down skeletons now guarded with armor, Bernd’s strong voice rang through the land. “We can’t hold our positions!”

“Where are these attacks coming from?” Michael said, sounding more worried than he was probably meaning to.

Joachim’s voice rang out over the battle. “We believe they are west of our position.”

“I know that!” Michael said indignantly.

Siegfried and Astaroth ran up and smashed a large crossbow loaded with a flaming arrow. Bernd’s voice was worried. “If we don’t take them out…”

“Siegfried is heading in that direction,” Joachim said helpfully.

“Siegfried…” Michael pondered. At that moment, Siegfried was blocking an attempt on Astaroth’s life in the form of another large, flaming arrow. Astaroth grabbed one of the skeletons in front of him and crushed it to dust, then went on a rampage, swinging his axe around, destroying everything around him.\

As they moved forward, they saw more and more burned villages and destroyed walls. They encountered the first siege weapon in a clearing swarming with Evils. Astaroth leading the way, they fought their way to the center of the clearing, about ten feet to the siege weapon. It was just about to fire another boulder when Siegfried leapt off of Astaroth’s back and bringing the evil blade through the sturdy wood like it was warm butter.

Siegfried turned and, releasing the power he had built up, destroyed the rest of the Evils in the clearing before Astaroth could be overwhelmed. They stood for a moment, panting.

“Come on! There’s still more!” the apparently disembodied voice of Iska urged.

They looked at each other and continued the run forward, over a barren trail with no sign of life.

“How long is this shelling going to last?” Michael said desperately.

“Don’t panic! We just need to hold them off a little longer!” Bernd said reassuringly.

“Siegfried is heading for them,” Joachim added.

“That’s what I mean.”

“Humph. I won’t hold my breath.” Michael was as pompous as ever.

Siegfried and Astaroth reached another barrier, and turned to destroy the Evils there. When they were gone, the barrier dissipated and they moved forward.

“What is that weapon?” Joachim said in awe.

“Damn. Where is it coming from!?” Bernd was starting to sound worried.

“We’re doomed!” Joachim screamed in dismay.

“Shut up!” Bernd yelled. “Pull yourself together!”

Siegfried and Astaroth continued destroying Evils, fighting harder to get deeper into the enemy lines.

“Don’t cower!” Michael yelled to Joachim. “Don’t you dare cower!”

“You’re the one who’s on the verge of—ung!—tears!” Bernd reprimanded him.

“Shut up!” Michael yelled.

“The next wave is coming! Get up, boy, and fight like a man!” For one furious moment, Siegfried thought that Bernd was referring to him, until he heard Joachim’s voice.

“S-sorry, sir.”

They encountered another siege weapon deep in the camp, near what looked like a destroyed mine. There were burned and broken buildings everywhere, and Evils crawled out of the wreckage like cockroaches. After destroying the siege weapon, they moved on.

Iska was starting to sound worried now. “Damn, how many are there!? This doesn’t look good…”

Even Bernd had given up hope. “We’re just delaying the inevitable.”

“We can’t hold them back any longer!” Joachim yelled.

Bernd’s resolve came back full force. “Don’t say ‘you can’t’! Just do it!”

Michael was less composed. “It’s no use…”

Bernd, obviously in the thick of battle, now turned on his comrade. “Now don’t you start!”

Michael took the lesson to heart. “Isn’t there anything we can do about the artillery fire?!”

Bernd’s answer, whatever it was, was silent. “Damn, how long is this going to continue?” he said, dismayed.

“We can’t take this anymore!” Joachim yelled, sounding like he was just about to crack.

“We need to stop the shelling.” Bernd was matter-of-fact, and Siegfried and Astaroth knew that they needed to step it up. Things on the front line weren’t going well, but if they destroyed the siege towers, then they may be able to turn the tide.

Michael’s voice rang out again. “We have no options left!”

Just as Michael was saying this, Siegfried and Astaroth reached the next two siege towers. They each took one, Siegfried’s strike slicing through it, and Astaroth’s crushing his. Iska’s voice rang out again.

“We can’t hold them off much longer! Hurry!”

Then Joachim cracked. “We’re all gonna die!” he screamed.

“Calm down!” Bernd scolded him. “Stop fidgeting!”

Michael seemed more down-to-earth than Siegfried had ever heard him. It was a sure sign that things were not going well. “Damn, if we could just stop the shelling.”

“Isn’t there anything we can do!?” Bernd yelled.

Joachim wasn’t getting any better. “We can’t do anything!”

The next siege tower was the largest so far, firing rocks and flaming debris at a rate that put the others to shame. This one was likely responsible for much of the shelling. Siegfried and Astaroth waded into the sea of Evils, cutting them down as they came. Wooden spikes and short walls were hidden under the pile of bones and armor, but Siegfried’s armor and Astaroth’s hide were thick.

They continued the assault, destroying more and more Evils, working their way to the tower.

Iska called to them. “This doesn’t look good!”

Joachim was still having his nervous breakdown. “It’s over! Let’s retreat! There’s nothing we can do in this shelling!”

Michael was now the voice of reason. “Don’t cower! Hold your position!”

Siegfried and Astaroth destroyed the Evils in the area, then ran forward. The tower was close now, only two or three more clearings before they could reach it. But time was running low.

As Astaroth and Siegfried broke through the last line, Michael’s voice rang out again. “Charge!” he yelled to his troops. After that, there was a lot of screaming and the clanging of sword on metal.

Both Siegfried and Astaroth jumped over the last remaining evils and destroyed supports on opposite sides of the tower, then smashed all the ones on the back in one fluent motion. The tower groaned, then fell backwards, crushing the few remaining Evils and ending the bombardment.

“The shelling! It’s stopped!” one soldier yelled enthusiastically.

“Come on! Finish them off!” Michael called out.

Astaroth and Siegfried ran to the top of the rubble and looked out over the battlefield. The entire army was in front of the castle, battling the Evils massed there. But, at the back, a smaller force of Evils was moving through a hole in the gate, at a quick pace.

Siegfried looked at Astaroth, who was getting ready to run down and help. He grabbed his arm, and stopped him. The golem looked back at Siegfried, who shook his head. “There’s not enough time,” he said gravely. “Throw me.”

Getting the message, Astaroth grabbed Siegfried around the waist and threw him as far and as hard as he could. Flying through the air, Siegfried grew closer and closer to the force at the back, now only twenty or so Evils waiting for their turn to go through the hole. He released all the power he had left through Soul Edge, creating a crater and slowing his fall so that it only hurt a lot. The blast managed to break his fall enough that he didn’t break any bones, though.

He picked himself up and prepared to rush through the hole when he saw Ivy walk through from the other side, followed by Sophitia. Behind them was the largest pile of broken bones Siegfried had ever seen.

Ivy smiled. “You’re late.”



* * *
 
Siegfried, Iska, Ivy, Astaroth and Sophitia met up with the Masked Emperor’s main forces at the front of the palace.

“All right, what happened while we were gone?” Siegfried asked Ivy, Iska, and Sophitia.

“We were able to hold them back,” Ivy said.

Iska elaborated. “The city’s taken a lot of damage from the siege weapons, but they think we can still rebuild.”

“I’m glad,” Siegfried said. He had managed to save Iska’s home.

“Nice work, Siegfried. We are in your debt.”

“Thank you, Mas—What!?” Siegfried turned around, only to find the Masked Emperor not wearing his namesake helmet and mask. And he… was a girl with brown hair that came down to her shoulders.

“Oh, we did not wear the mask today.” Masked Emperor said, as if that explained it. “Are you surprised to see we are a woman?”

No one else could speak. “Uh, yeah…” Siegfried managed to stammer out.

“No matter. Everyone is surprised at first, we are accustomed to it. We are still young, you see. In order to hide that, we wear a mask. It is also frustrating to be looked down upon because we are a woman, and the mask hides that as well. However, since we are emperor, we must live with these inconveniences. It is the way of the world.”

Siegfried was getting over the shock of finding out that the Masked Emperor was a woman when she spoke up again.

“Siegfried, you saved more than you know today. The men are all singing your praises. Your reputation among our soldiers is soaring. All that trust will give you great power over them.” Siegfried was silent, but the Masked Emperor was not done.

“We will be down in the city. This mask starts to suffocate when worn for a long time.

The Masked Emperor turned and walked away. Siegfried stood there, looking confused, and Iska laughed. Everyone looked at him, and Siegfried and Ivy walked up to him.

“Were you surprised?” he said with a smile.

Siegfried hid his confusion well. “So, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire is a woman. If that gets out, the kings of other countries will not take it kindly.”

“Yes, that’s why the emperor only takes the mask off in front of those he trusts.”

“He?” Siegfried said with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry. Force of habit. Can’t have everyone else knowing about this, now can we?”

“I suppose…”

“The fact that the emperor showed his true self is proof that the emperor trusts you. You should all be honored!”

Siegfried suddenly sensed something he didn’t quite feel comfortable with. “Don’t make me repeat myself,” he said. “I never signed up to fight for the empire.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying you have that power. Oh, yeah! When I was walking around the city, a kid came up to me.”

“Wait, when were you walking around the city?”

“Before we all met up here.”

“Okay. Got it. Carry on.”

“Anyway, he asked me where his mother was.” Iska looked down. “I couldn’t answer him.” They were all silent for a moment. “I know it’s futile to take in such children, but it’s only going to continue as long as Barbaros keeps laying siege to this castle.” He now seemed to get angry, as if remembering a past experience. “This is what always happens to the powerless. They keep getting taken over by those who have power. I want to protect those who are powerless,” he said. He sighed, then looked up at them. “Well, let’s go defeat the Guardian Ammon and get the shard of Soul Edge.”

They nodded and walked away to get the horses. Iska watched them for a moment, then looked down at the ground.

“…I wonder why the emperor took me in back then.” He said to himself. He thought no one could hear.

Siegfried did.

 
Chapter 13:

Guardian Ammon​









It was a relatively short ride back to the temple. When they got there, Siegfried really surveyed the area for the first time. The temple was in a bright, hot, arid desert. They could see nothing but sand dunes for miles around, besides the worn figure of the temple in front of them.

They gathered in a circle, preparing for the fight into the temple, and waited for Iska to start talking. After a few moments, he did.

“Here we are! Let’s get the shard back from the Guardian Ammon.”

Paracelsus nodded his head. “We can unlock the seal now that we have the Hermetica. Let’s hurry.”

Sophitia strapped her shield to her arm. “We can’t lose this time. I won’t be defeated.”

Iska walked up to Siegfried. “Let’s go, Siegfried, and protect those who need protecting. We must get the shard of Soul Edge!”

Siegfried nodded. “Yes. To protect those who need protecting!” He drew his sword and charged the temple, the others hot on his heels. “Ivy! Come up here and take point. Sophitia, Astaroth, stay back and protect Iska and Paracelsus. We’ll get you inside!”

They worked their way through the temple, knocking down the increasingly powerful Evils as they went. When they reached the door, Paracelsus stepped forward. Everyone else turned and prepared themselves as Evils crawled from the black portals that opened in the ground. They fought for several minutes, until they heard a creaking behind them, and the Evils stopped coming. Turning, they found a sweaty Paracelsus and a long corridor.

“Paracelsus, Iska. You two go back out. Everyone else, with me.” Siegfried said. Iska nodded his head, grabbed a protestant Paracelsus, and ran out.

As they walked up the stairs at the end of the corridor, boulders fell from the ceiling. Astaroth and Siegfried destroyed them before they could get to the ground. Entering deeper into the temple, they encountered mummies, crossbows that fired when they got close, and doors that couldn’t be opened until a rope was cut. After the rope was cut, it slid open by going up. Siegfried didn’t understand it, but he didn’t have to. It worked.

They fought deeper into the temple, encountering strange hieroglyphs that they doubted anyone could decipher for them. The hieroglyphs weren’t exactly their main focus, though, as they entered a room full of fifty urns, each one as large as Sophitia or Ivy. They smashed all of them, finding mummies that tried to kill them in some. When all the Evils were killed, the door opened, and they moved on. It was a trick, however, as flames barred their path and a boulder rolled down. They all ducked out of the way, and Siegfried put the flame out with a sweep of his blade.

The next room they entered was unlike the others. On the left and right were pits, about five feet wide and fifteen feet long, no way to know how deep. A raised platform was in the middle and at the foot of the door, and around the platform was a green liquid that bubbles continuously grew bigger on. When the bubbles popped, a scalding, noxious gas was released, and was very painful if you took a hit from it right after the bubble popped, as Astaroth unfortunately learned.

Lizardmen, who are invulnerable to this gas, jumped them as they entered the room. Ivy and Sophitia’s quick strikes made short work of them, and they continued into a room with a bridge over it that extended over the first room they were in. The crossbows protected a large, ornate gold door. Astaroth taking point, they charged and destroyed the crossbows at the same time. As they reached the door, Astaroth banged on it with all his strength. It wouldn’t budge.

As Siegfried took a step forward to try his luck with the door, Soul Edge glowed brightly for a moment and the doors opened. Then everyone knew what was inside, and Astaroth stepped aside. He had to face this alone, as his sword alone could destroy it. Siegfried took a deep breath, then stepped inside.

He began his walk up a long set of unlit stairs, ending in a wide room. The doors behind him closed, and Evil mummies crawled out of the floor. He started to dispatch these stronger Evils when a laser came from the wall in front of him and knocked him back. Looking down, there was a red scorch mark on his chest. He looked up, and saw, on the far wall, there was a gold sarcophagus and a large eye on the waist. Out of the eye, a single, concentrated, scorching beam of light came out.

Siegfried leapt up, and cut down on one of the three mummies. The eye sent out a beam, but he blocked it with Soul Edge and ran forward, jumping out of the way and beheading another of the mummies. He jumped over the beam and cut down the final remaining mummy, then spun around and looked at the sarcophagus. Looking closer, he saw that it wasn’t an eye at all. There was a small blue sphere in the neck of the sarcophagus, and a red scarab emblem emblazoned on the gold underneath it. Hieroglyphs surrounded the entire thing, save the scarab and blue orb.

As it rose into the air, Siegfried prepared himself. The same red energy that had held Sophitia captive now surrounded the sarcophagus. It was then that Siegfried knew that this must be the Guardian Ammon. Electricity danced across the surface of the sarcophagus as it flew around the room. Siegfried ran up to him, only to find that when he got close, the Guardian rose into the air. Just as he was about to jump into the air to attempt to slash him, the sarcophagus slammed down, releasing a red energy that knocked him back across the room.

He leapt onto his feet, skidding into the wall. Sparks flew from his metal boots as he hit the wall, and he almost fell onto the floor. Ammon started shooting more lasers at him when he made his move. Dodging left, then right, he jumped over the beam and rolled under the floating tomb. As Ammon came smashing down, he set Soul Edge on its hilt, and Ammon impaled himself.

Screaming out, the sarcophagus opened, revealing a mummy inside. It started shooting fire out of its base, and Siegfried barely dodged out of the way. Jumping up, he stabbed at the chest of the mummy, where the laser was coming out. The mummy screamed in rage, and Siegfried was electrocuted, then flung through the air, slamming into the wall behind him and sliding to the ground. The Guardian’s sarcophagus closed, but it was clearly over. Red electricity bounced off the surface of the gold, and a single black shockwave shot off of it before it exploded, leaving nothing but red embers and black smoke.

Where the center of the mummy was, a red rock floated out. Siegfried stood up and held Soul Edge into the air. The rock slammed into the organic part of the sword, and the red stone was soon covered and hidden from view. Power surged through Siegfried. For a moment, his eyes flashed a devilish red, but turned back to blue when he heard his name being called. Turning, he used only the surface of his new reservoir of power and blasted the door out of the way. He walked out, and down the stairs. His allies walked up to him. He just nodded, and they all walked out. The Evils in the temple had given up or gone elsewhere, the shard having been taken from them. When they reached outside, Siegfried threw a small satchel at Paracelsus.

“What is this?” he said, fingering the package with curiosity.

“The ashes of Ammon,” Siegfried said. “You wanted to study Guardians? There’s a dead one. Happy birthday.” Iska chuckled at Paracelsus’ mixture of horror and fascination.

Suddenly, Soul Edge sent a bolt of power through Siegfried’s arm. His armor turned a dark blue for a moment then turned back to its normal hue. He fell on his knees, clutching it. “Agh! My arm!” he said through gritted teeth.

Iska ran forward. “Are you all right, Siegfried?”

Siegfried stood up, and stared at Soul Edge. Soul Edge stared back. “I can feel Soul Edge’s power!”

Paracelsus pocketed the Guardians remains, probably to be dealt with later. “So, the power of Soul Edge is returning.” He strode over to Siegfried and looked intently at the cursed sword. “I wonder…”

Taking out the pouch of remains, he looked at them, and apparently saw something he found interesting. “Now that I’ve seen a Guardian up close, I can’t help wondering what they really are.” His eyes betrayed a sense of wonder. “They truly are strange and mysterious creatures.” Siegfried stood up, and looked at him silently. Paracelsus wrapped up the remains again and put them in his pocket. “Now that you’ve defeated the Guardian in this location, you no longer need my help, correct?” Siegfried nodded. “I’m going to investigate the secrets of Evils and Guardians. I’ll be leaving you now.” He turned to his former pupil. “Iska…”

“What?” Iska said innocently.

“No, it’s nothing. I’m sure I’ll see you again sometime.” He turned on Iska. His obviously being worried unsettled Siegfried. “Ladies. Siegfried. Thing. It was nice meeting you.”

Sophitia walked forward. “We’ll meet again, won’t we, Paracelsus?”

“Probably.”

Iska was getting a little annoyed now. “Geez! Always so profound! Go on! Get out of here!”

“Hah! You’d better return my text, Iska. It has information on how to create a false human being.”

“I didn’t take your stupid—whatever. Just go.”

“Farewell!” Paracelsus said, and jumped on his horse. He rode off with it.

“Wait! You don’t need to take our…” Paracelsus was already gone. Iska sighed. “Damned imitation alchemist.”

Sophitia smacked him on the back of his head. “Don’t be so mean.”

Iska turned his attention on Siegfried. “Well, we have two shards now, Siegfried. There are only two left.”

Siegfried looked at Soul Edge. “So, we’re halfway there.”

Iska looked at the ground. “Siegfried… you still don’t really care about protecting the empire?”

“Of course not. I only want power.”

Ivy and Sophitia exchanged glances. They had both heard someone say that before, and they both knew what happened to them.

“I see.” Iska continued. “Protecting his majesty… it’s what’s important to me right now.” He looked up at Siegfried, his piercing blue and red eyes. “What do you intend to do with that power you seek? What do you want to protect?”

Siegfried faltered. “Nothing, at the moment.” Siegfried looked into the vast, empty desert. “I just don’t want to lose things that are important to me. Not again.”

Sophitia was silent.
 
Part 3: ​

Desire for Power​



Chapter 14:

Samurai Mitsurugi​







The group received a message telling them to return to Vienna soon after Paracelsus had departed. They mounted up and rode off, to find their next mission. The Masked Emperor, no longer bothering with her namesake mask, met them halfway.

“The war is currently at a standstill,” she said to Ivy, Iska, and Siegfried while the others set up camp. “It seems that the Ottoman army was dealt quite a blow. They’re not coming out of their camp.”

Ivy shook her head. “That makes them even more eerie,” she said.

Masked Emperor was all business. “We do not make a habit of needless worrying. We shall use this lull to our advantage. We would like for you to form an expedition.

“The next guardian?” Ivy guessed.

“Indeed. The next Guardian currently resides on an island in the Far East. The natives call this land Japan. Needless to say, it is far from the scope of our authority. We are leaving this to a specialist, like Ivy and Sophitia, a hunter of Guardians, appointed by us.

Ivy seemed surprised. “There’s someone else like us?”

Masked Emperor nodded, then walked to Sophitia, who had finished setting up her tent and was listening in. “Sophitia, you may not remember, but you met this hunter once.”

“I did?” Sophitia asked. She seemed generally confused.

“Yes, you should rejoice at your reunion. There is another thing that we would like to ask you.” She looked at Siegfried. “We will let Siegfried decide which to take care of first.” She walked up to Siegfried. “Get the details from Iska. We will only accept reports of success. Do your best.”

She walked away, mounted her horse, and rode off. Siegfried looked after her as Iska walked up.

“Doesn’t she ever sleep?” Siegfried asked him.

“Not that I know of.”

Siegfried looked at his friend. “Okay. What is this other mission?”

“Details aren’t important until we get there. All you really need to know is that this will be a return to the Pyrenees Trail. Do you want to go to the Far East or the Pyrenees Trail first?”

Siegfried thought for a moment. “Even with the fastest horses in the empire’s stables, it would be faster to go to the Far East by boat. Correct?”

Iska nodded. “More or less. If we go to the Pyrenees first, we could leave the horses there with a friend of mine. It’s near enough to the coast that we could go on foot to the boats.”

Siegfried nodded. “It’s settled, then. We go west to the Pyrenees, then travel by boat to Japan.”

Iska took out parchment and wrote a quick message to the Masked Emperor telling her to send a ship to wait just west of the Pyrenees, and then went to find the messenger, who had yet to depart.

When the morning came, they all mounted up and sent Astaroth ahead. Even on foot he was faster than them. They arrived at the same clearing where Siegfried and Iska’s first mission had been. Siegfried looked at Iska expectantly as the group formed their circle to hear the intelligence Iska had gathered for them.

Iska began to talk. “Do you know the Venetian company that first established the trade route to the East?”

Sophitia was the first to answer. “Leone d’Oro?”

Iska nodded. “Venetian trade companies used to monopolize the trade route back in the day, but nowadays, they’re a band of thieves that pray on the trade route.” He gestured behind him. “Apparently, they have a hideout in the Pyrenees, and attack the empire’s support supply troops.” Iska shook his head. “I can’t believe human beings sometimes. We need to come together and fight Barbaros, right now. There’re also rumors that they’ve hired a strange Oriental man as a bodyguard. Keep an eye out for him!”

Siegfried nodded, then addressed the group. “Sophitia and I will take point. Ivy and Astaroth will stay back, with Iska, and guard. Clear?”

“Let’s go already,” Ivy said impatiently.

Siegfried moved out, Sophitia next to him, and the others hot on his heels. The area was much the same as the first time Siegfried had gone through, with the added bonus of Evils intelligent enough to throw rocks down the hills. The first Evils they encountered were strange, scarecrow-like in appearance, and capable of low-grade teleportation. When they attacked, they could summon a black aura to their blades, making their strikes painful to even block.

The next wave that came at them—or the next wave they came at, depending on how you look at it—were Siberian tigers, summoned in a puff of black aura. They dealt with them quickly and continued on, a scarecrow-like Evil popping up to stop them every few feet, and an Evil in the form of a knight in black armor every clearing. Siegfried did battle with the knight while Sophitia did her best to hold off the scarecrows that supported it. Once the knight was destroyed, the Evils lost much of their courage, and were easily disposed of.

The next area they came across had three Evils on one side of a large wooden fence, and three tigers on the other. They walked in on the same side as the tigers, and the Evils had crossbows. The arrows bounced off of Siegfried, but to Sophitia, they were a problem. Siegfried smashed through the fence and destroyed the Evils with crossbows while Sophitia dealt with the tigers.

After they had destroyed all the Evils, they looked around. Evils were swarming in from a canyon in front of them. The wind was howling, and they took up their positions, preparing to fight. They heard footsteps behind them.

“Hold that battle,” a voice they didn’t recognize said. A figure leapt over their heads and landed in between them and the Evils. It was a man, twenty-five to thirty years old, with black hair tied back in the way of the samurai. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, but had metal gauntlets that covered his forearms and his left shoulder. He was wearing baggy black pants, and was in need of a shave. “Mitsurugi…” he said, drawing his sword and swinging it through the air with an experienced air before taking a battle stance with the sword pointing at the Siegfried. “…at your service!” he finished.

Siegfried was going to ask him a question, but decided it would make more sense to dispatch the enemy first. Rushing forward, he struck at the newcomer, who dodged Siegfried’s slow strikes with ease, and struck back. His sword made a neat cut in Siegfried’s armor, leaving a gash in his side. Not fatal, but it hurt enough for Siegfried to see red. Screaming in rage, he took Soul Edge and, ignoring his partner who was well within the radius of his attack, stabbed it into the ground, releasing every ounce of rage and energy from Soul Edge’s last upgrade. The attack sent Mitsurugi flying through the air, and he slammed into the canyon and fell on the ground. Siegfried stood in a crater about a foot deep, and strode to where Mitsurugi lay.

The samurai got up, obviously hurt. There was a burn mark on his right side. “You’re good…” he said. That marked the beginning of their fight.

They clashed for ten minutes. While they were still fighting, Ivy and Astaroth came, and, seeing Siegfried, went to help him, but were forced to turn their attention elsewhere before Sophitia could be overwhelmed by the Evils still swarming in from the canyon.

Mitsurugi’s style was simple, but elegant He dodged and rolled to get behind his assailant, then struck at their exposed back. At the end of their battle, both parties were injured and exhausted. Mitsurugi mounted one last, desperate attack, leaping over Siegfried and striking at his head. Siegfried had no helmet, so this would have proved fatal, if he had not used his last ounce of strength in a small explosion from Soul Edge. Mitsurugi cried out, and was flung about ten feet into the air, before landing behind Siegfried on his back. Hard.

Siegfried stood the victor for a moment, then collapsed out of exhaustion. The last thing he remembered was Iska running forward, yelling “Siegfried!”

It was several minutes before Siegfried woke up. Soul Edge ensured that he regained his energies quickly. When he stood, he saw that Mitsurugi was sitting in front of him. Siegfried groaned stood up. His wounds were healing, but still not good.

Mitsurugi looked up. “I concede. I never thought I would lose to another samurai.” Siegfried returned Soul Edge to its place on his back and looked at Iska, who was standing next to him. “Samurai? What’s with this guy? Come on, Siegfried, let’s just go.”

“Yeah,” Siegfried said. They began walking away when the odd man stopped them.

“Wait! I cannot just leave with a loss. I cannot lose. I won’t accept it. I refuse to withdraw.”

Iska was confused. “Huh?” was all he could say.

“I am not strong enough yet. I will accompany you until I can defeat you.”

Siegfried shook his head. “Iska, forget about him. Let’s go.” Siegfried started walking away, but was stopped again.

“Wait! Are you running away!?”

Siegfried rose. Iska put his head in his hands. “Oh, dear…”

Siegfried very slowly grabbed Soul Edge and drew it. “What did you say?”

“Hold on a minute, Siegfried,” Iska said, rushing to try to calm him down.

“He might know where the thieves’ base is. If we get it out of him then we’ll get their base as well. His majesty would like that.”

Siegfried stood silently for a moment, then sheathed Soul Edge once more. “Do whatever you want.” Iska gave him a cheery smile before putting a mean look on his face and turning back to Mitsurugi, who now sat with his arms crossed.

“Hey, you,” Iska said in an unnecessarily deep voice. “You want to come with us? Then tell us where the thieves’ base is located.”

Mitsurugi laughed. “Oh. Is that all you want?”

“H-hey, aren’t they your friends? Is it okay to just tell us like that?”

“They are not my friends. I only owe them for lodging.” He was silent for a moment. “Actually, they’re all jerks. I am on a journey to find a weapon that will surpass the Tanegashima. I would never stoop to thievery.”

“Ah, okay. Then show us the way.”

“Very well. Let’s go. Iska, is it?”

“Uh… sure…”

Iska and Siegfried were both dumbfounded. Ivy stood, watching them. She shook her head. “They’re both hopeless.”
 
Chapter 15:

Defeat Leone d’Oro​







They waited for a few days, then decided to return to the Himalayas in pursuit of Leone d’Oro. Mitsurugi, it was decided, would ride on Astaroth’s back, which was not agreeable for either of them. Astaroth bounded ahead, as he knew the trail best, and the others followed his footsteps. An hour later, he came bounding back to lead them through the dense jungle that came before the great mountain.

When they arrived, Mitsurugi looked around. Pointing to the peak immediately east of the mountain where they had pursued the cult, he spoke.

“This is where the thieves’ den is centered.”

Iska and Siegfried looked at each other.

“Two targets right next to each other?” Iska said quizzically.

“Huh. What were the odds of that?” Siegfried answered.

Mitsurugi jumped from the mountain, flipping over gracefully and landing in one of the trees before landing lightly on the ground. Ivy leaped off, following Mitsurugi’s lead and using her extendable sword as a rope to swing from. Astaroth jumped down and landed heavily in a clearing, and Sophitia leaped gracefully through the air, and slid down the side of the mountain before leaping into one of the trees and landing lightly.

Iska and Siegfried stood alone on the mountain. They looked at each other, looked at the bottom.

Then they started walking back down the path.



* * *



They met up at the base of the mountain. Mitsurugi stopped them there and addressed the group.

“Their base should be located somewhere around here.” Siegfried looked at Mitsurugi. “I don’t know the exact location myself,” he explained.

Siegfried sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to search for it.”

Iska nodded. “Anyways, I’m amazed they built their base here.”

“They probably built it here because of this,” Ivy said, gesturing towards the mountain.

Iska shrugged. “I guess so. That’s probably why the empire wasn’t able to find them.”

Siegfried shook his head, then drew Soul Edge. “Let’s just get this done.”

Mitsurugi drew his sword. He was crouching on the ground. “Be careful. Even though their leader is a woman, she is vicious!”

Siegfried stayed back this time. Mitsurugi and Sophitia took point, Siegfried and Ivy would back them up if there was trouble, and Astaroth stayed with Iska to protect him.

As they moved up into the mountain, the resemblances between this peak and the other were really quite uncanny. Even the same blizzard blocked out their view of more than a few feet in front of them.

As they ran up the slope, large shadows loomed and got closer. Mitsurugi and Sophitia looked at each other. Sophitia was about to ask him what they were, but soon the shadows were close enough for her to tell. Large boulders, five of them, had been rolled down the narrow gorge they were walking through. Running back, they encountered Siegfried. Siegfried used Soul Edge and destroyed two, and Ivy used Kaleidoscope and slowed down the others greatly. Astaroth ran forward and destroyed the remaining ones.

Their work done, everyone returned to their positions. The first enemy they encountered were large wolves, each about ten feet tall when standing n their hind legs. Mitsurugi and Sophitia had a small amount of trouble dealing with them, but not much. The next area they walked into was guarded by two Evil golems. They fell to Sophitia’s quick strikes and Mitsurugi’s debilitating blows quickly. There was a campsite there, full of scarecrow-Evils. They cut down the tents and destroyed the Evils.

There was soon only one tent left. The entire company arrived and walked forward, surrounding it. They made sure that Siegfried, Astaroth and Mitsurugi were front and center on the opening flap in the front of the tent. Mitsurugi’s booming voice rang out.

“Woman! Give yourself up!”

There was an audible sigh, then a woman with red hair and red eyes walked out. She was wearing a pink top and a brown corset, many necklaces, and metal braces covering her forearms. Her leather pants were simple, and her left shoulder had an ornate metal shoulder pad. “Damn,” she said.

Siegfried looked at her. “So you’re the leader of Leone d’Oro. I’d heard you were a woman, but…”

Barbara cut Siegfried short, drawing her sword. “Kill me!” she said. “I’d rather die than be imprisoned by the empire’s dogs!”

Astaroth entered his stance, but Iska stopped him. “Wait,” he said. “How about we make a deal?”

Barbara now looked very interested. “A deal?” she said innocently, sheathing her weapon.

“We don’t have time to fight. We don’t gain much from your capture anyway. We’re searching for a Guardian, an Evil that possesses a fragment of Soul Edge. Even with the empire’s information network, we don’t know very much about this Guardian.” He walked up to her and looked her in the eye. “You’re the leader of Leone d’Oro, right? Tell us what you know.”

Barbara turned her back on them. “Why should I? Give me one good reason.”

Astaroth drew his weapon once more. She glanced back for a moment.

“Ah. Good reason.”

“We must defeat Barbaros at all costs,” Iska pleaded. “We’re getting pretty desperate.”

She was silent for a moment. “Barbaros?” she asked.

“Yes, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire.”

“Barbaros? Sultan?”

Iska was surprised. “You don’t know? Vienna, the capital, is under siege by the army of the Ottoman Empire led by Barbaros.”

“Barbaros is…?”

“Barbaros is using the power of the spirit sword, Soul Calibur, to invade countries all over the world. If it continues, the world will belong to him.”

“Barbaros…”

Siegfried was starting to get a strange feeling about this. “Do you know Barbaros?” he asked.

“No. I’ll do what I can to help. Take me where you will.”

Everyone was surprised by her sudden change of attitude. “What’s with the sudden change?” Iska asked warily.

Siegfried was very suspicious. “Yes, and right when Barbaros was mentioned.”

“I guess you’re hiding something after all.”

She became defensive. “I’ve nothing to hide.”

Iska was quiet for a moment. “If you say so…” he said. They all turned and walked away, Mitsurugi and Siegfried keeping a particularly close eye on their new ally. Iska walked along next to Siegfried in silence before suddenly remembering something.

“Oh, yeah. Last time we were here I told you about my homeland, right?” Siegfried nodded. “My sister, Ilona, and I…” he looked at the ground as his voice took on a more serious tone. “The two of us used to live in Buda, Hungary,” he said quietly. “Things were nice back then. When spring came, we would sow the field with wheat that we’d saved through the winter. On the nights we planted the seeds, we’d use the leftover wheat to bake sweet bread. The bread my sister used to make was really good.”

Siegfried looked over at his friend. Iska continued. “We’d drizzle honey on it, and open the wine that had been barreled in the fall.” He got a small smile on his face. “Hungarian wine and honey are the best in the world. Of course, that was a long time ago.” He looked up. Ivy was jogging up to catch up with them. They stopped and waited for her.

“Iska, Siegfried. I found this in the hideout,” she said when she reached them.

“Which one?” Iska asked absentmindedly as he took the thing from her.

“The only one we didn’t obliterate.”

“Ah.”

Siegfried and Iska looked at it for a moment. “What’s this?” Siegfried finally asked.

Iska scratched his head. “Maybe it’s a treasure from the East…?”

“I took it from the Fu-Ma village,” a voice behind Siegfried and Iska said. Spinning around, they saw Barbara standing there. “If you want it, take it. I don’t know what it’s used for anyway.”

Iska looked down at the doohickey. “Fu-Ma village. That’s exactly where we’re headed.” He looked up at Siegfried. “It might be useful. Let’s take it with us.” Siegfried nodded, and Iska wrapped the thing in leather and put it in his pocket. They walked out to the horses, now down to only one horse carrying their supplies, and rode off. Astaroth bounded along, following close behind them. They rode east with the rising sun.
 
Chapter 16:

Fu-Ma Village​









They moved for a full week, skirting around the mountains through a pass that Mitsurugi had spotted and that Barbara knew well. After they had moved past the mountains, they rode to the coastline. In the distance, Sophitia’s trained eye could spot the outline of land. After a little searching, they found a small shack with a large vessel tethered to the shore. They approached the shack, and a small, squat man came up to them.

“Yes?” he said, uninterested and unimpressed by the ragtag company.

“In the name of the Holy Roman Empire, we need to borrow your ship,” Iska said authoritatively.

“No.”

Iska was unsure of how to proceed from there. Barbara jumped backwards suddenly. “What’s on your ship!?” she screamed.

The man spun around, looking everywhere on his ship, scanning it quickly. “Where?” he said desperately.

“Oh.” Barbara relaxed. “Never mind. I was just imagining things. Say, will you ferry us across the ocean to Japan for… how about…” she produced four thick gold coins. “Four ounces?”

The man shook his head. “Nothing less than ten, sorry.”

She produced six more coins. “Will this do it?”

He nodded, and took the coins. Barbara wasn’t finished yet.

“For five more, will you bring us back after our business there is concluded? We shouldn’t be gone more than a day.”

He nodded again, greed shining in his eyes. She produced five more coins and he took them, stuffing them in the coin purse slung over his shoulder. Grinning, he turned back to them. “Normally, the ride back is complimentary!” he whispered confidentially to Siegfried. The man gleefully waddled to the ship and began the process of untying it while the group got on board. Iska turned to Barbara.

“Where did you get that kind of money?” he whispered, so the untrustworthy ferryman wouldn’t overhear.

She shrugged. “I stole them out of his purse when he wasn’t looking. Dumb bastard got fifteen of ‘em back by pure luck.” She smiled. “I’ve still got twenty more, though.”

Iska sighed and shook his head. They shoved off, and it was an uneventful journey across. As they reached the other side, there was a cove that the ship pulled in to, and a shack identical to the other one on the beach. The man shooed them off the boat, tying it up, and promising to wait for their return. They mounted their horses, which were taken on the ship, and rode in the direction Iska pointed them, due more East.

They reached their destination without event. The landscape was rather barren, with only a few patches of lush jungle left erratically on the landscape, as if an artist had splattered drops of green paint on a brown canvas. Iska looked around.

“So this is Japan.” He said, unimpressed.

Mitsurugi shook his head. “I never thought I would return here before figuring out how to defeat the Tanegashima.”

Iska turned to the samurai. “That’s right, this is your homeland. Then you must know Taki, the ninja.”

“The expert female ninja from Fu-Ma village? I’ve heard rumors about her. Nothing more.”

“Only rumors?” Iska was clearly suspicious of something, but he left Mitsurugi to his thoughts and went to Sophitia. “By the way, Sophitia, you really don’t remember this hunter?”

Sophitia sighed. “I don’t know anyone from the Far East.”

Iska smiled. “I’m sure you’ll remember her once you see her.”

“I told you, I don’t know anyone from the…”

Iska walked away before she could finish, walking up to Astaroth, Siegfried, Barbara, and Ivy, who were standing there. They waited patiently while the other members of their group formed the circle, then Iska started his briefing.

“We’re going to meet up with Taki, who’s trying to find a Guardian that resides on an island in the Far East. Apparently, right now she’s after an Evil that could be the Guardian. I’m sure we’ll find her if we go after the Evil too. Let’s go!”

Siegfried began walking down the small incline toward the village. “Mitsurugi, you know this land better than all of us. You’re up here with me. Ivy, Astaroth. You two back us up if there’s trouble. Sophitia and Barbara should guard Iska. This place is more open than others we’ve been to, he’ll be more exposed to attack. Move out!” The group paired up and moved out.

As they walked up the trail, bamboo became thicker on either side of them. The first thing they encountered was a blue barrier, and a blue lantern. Siegfried smashed the lantern, and the barrier disappeared. Moving forward, they saw another barrier and another lantern, this time in a small clearing. As Siegfried went to destroy the barrier, ninjas with red eyes, new Evils, popped out of the ground and challenged them. A red force field blocked the lantern until all of them were defeated. Moving forward from that, they encountered a similar setup, but with more lanterns and ninjas. After Mitsurugi’s timed blows destroyed them, they moved forward, up steps leading to a Japanese-style courtyard with the doors closed.

Before they could reach the doors, black samurai with the telltale red eyes of Evils came out of the bamboo woods, attacking at will. Siegfried was better suited for defeating them, as Mitsurugi’s style was much the same as theirs.

After they were dispatched, Siegfried used Soul Edge’s power and blew the door into a hundred pieces. The courtyard was all brick flooring, with lines of red lanterns on either side of a path. Decorative yucca trees grew on either side of the path. Samurai rose; samurai fell. They moved forward, into a wide area walled in from the rest of the world. The wood doors slammed shut behind them, and Mitsurugi spun around. There was silence, no way in or out.

“Get ready…” Siegfried warned. Soul Edge’s power was coursing through him. He knew that a very powerful Evil, maybe even a Guardian, was nearby.

Suddenly, a large, ape-like figure dropped out of the sky and landed with a boom in the center of the courtyard. The skin on his chest was green, and he was wearing baggy blue pants with metal boots. His forearms were protected by spiked plates, and his shoulders were grotesque and bulbous, with natural horns growing out of them.

He held a strange sword, the front of it as sharp as a razor and the back a decorative club. Large red veins stood out all over his body, lending him a grotesque and evil look as they pulsed and visibly moved.
 
His face was covered with half a metal mask, and his teeth were sharp, like a baboons. He had a golden mane on his head that only added to his monkey-like appearance.

He emitted a low growl, then rushed Siegfried at a speed faster than Mitsurugi would’ve thought possible for such a large creature. Siegfried, on the other hand, knew better than to underestimate the creature, and rolled out of the way just in time. The beast displayed the ability to light his swords on fire instantaneously, and could shoot balls of paralyzing electricity out. Mitsurugi snuck around to the back of the monster while Siegfried distracted it. With several carefully aimed blows, the beast howled in fury.

The cuts had barely pierced his skin. Mitsurugi’s eyes widened at the monster’s durability before being flung backwards by a powerful smash by the club.

Siegfried took this opportunity and struck at the beast’s back, making a wide gash across its back. Rather than turning to strike at Siegfried, the beast did a strange little dance.

A blue mark appeared at Siegfried’s feet. “What?” he said, just before lightning struck down and electrocuted him badly. Smoking, he went down on one knee. The beast stood over him, victorious.

Siegfried gritted his teeth. He couldn’t be defeated so easily! Reminding himself of his goal, and of his sacrifice, he released all of Soul Edge’s power into the ground, causing a blow that sent the Evil flying back into the wall. The wall cracked badly, but the Evil stood up after a moment or so. Obviously disoriented, Siegfried took this as his chance. He stood and ran up to it, swinging Soul Edge in a wide arc, meaning it to be a fatal blow.

As Soul Edge swung up, a swirling pink disk hit the side of the famous blade, knocking it out of Siegfried’s hands. It flew through the air and landed, sticking in the ground ten feet away.

The staff, for a staff it was, swung back around and was caught by a young woman standing on top of the building behind him. She caught it, and Siegfried looked up. She was wearing a purple top and pink short shorts, with a leather jacket that only covered her arms. Her left forearm was protected by a leather guard, and her staff was red with a claw-like ornament on the end. Her hair was short and white, and her eyes were yellow.

Drawing back her staff once more, she threw it out. It would have connected with Siegfried, but at that exact moment, a sword surrounded by blue energy flew through the air and knocked it out of the air. A woman in a red jumpsuit that didn’t cover her arms front-flipped over the ten foot high wall, clearing it by another ten feet easily. She had black hair, drawn back in much the same way as Mitsurugi’s. She had metal spiked shoulder pads, metal spiked gauntlets that covered her forearms as well, and metal shinguards that extended to her knees, where two horns came off the sides. She had a leather faceguard that covered her chin and nose, leaving her mouth open to the air so she could talk. Catching her blade in midair, she landed lightly in front of Siegfried.

The staff flew back to its mistress, who caught it and addressed the newcomer.

“Taki,” she spit out with contempt. Taki merely stood and looked at her.

Siegfried took this pause to run and grab Soul Edge once more. Taking it, he turned and stood at the ready by Taki’s side.

The woman with yellow eyes stood for a moment, addressing the situation, then turned to the monster. “Geki, retreat!” she yelled out. The beast looked at her for a moment, as if uncomprehending, then jumped and stood on the building next to her. Geki jumped off the building and into the deep woods, and a moment later, the woman followed. They couldn’t track them through such dense foliage.

“Stop!” Siegfried yelled, rushing the wall, prepared to destroy it. Mitsurugi was just recovering from his hit, standing up groggily. Taki stopped Siegfried with a wave of her hand.

“Leave it be,” she said calmly. “It’s useless.” She looked into the jungle a moment longer before the doors behind them exploded. Spinning around, they saw Astaroth and Ivy enter.

Ivy surveyed the scene. “Are we late?” she said playfully.

“Yes. I would’ve been killed if Taki hadn’t arrived.” Siegfried answered, not really in a good mood.

“Oh,” was all she could say. Soon Barbara, Sophitia and Iska joined them.

Iska walked up to Taki. “Hi, Taki,” he said. “It’s been a while.”

Taki sheathed her katana and a long, kunai-like weapon she had been holding in her other hand. “Iska,” she said unemotionally. “I heard about your mission. Are they the ones the emperor’s emissary spoke of?”

Iska nodded. “Yes, this is Siegfried…” he said, pointing at Siegfried. He was about to continue with the introductions when he was interrupted by Taki.

“I see. Wait. You…”

Sophitia walked up and joined them. Iska smiled. “So, you noticed,” he said.

Taki continued. “So, you survived.” She was now talking to Sophitia.

Sophitia was surprised. “You are…” Iska cut her off.

“I guess you finally remembered,” he said, chuckling.

“Yes,” Sophitia said.

Siegfried was getting agitated. “What are you talking about?” he said.

“This is not the first time we’ve both gone after Soul Edge,” Taki explained.

“What!?” Siegfried said, his hand flying to Soul Edge’s hilt.

Sophitia started in before he could draw it. “A year ago, I went on a journey to search for Soul Edge, after receiving an oracle from the Greek God, Hephaestus: ‘Seek and destroy the cursed sword.’” Siegfried tensed, remembering Sophitia’s intents.

Taki continued the story. “As did I. During my search, there was an individual I learned about.”

Sophitia looked at Siegfried. “The dread pirate, Cervantes.”

Siegfried was confused now. Were they talking about the one he had seen on the ship? The one that had tried to stop him just before the Evil Seed was released?

Sophitia continued. “A man consumed by Soul Edge, and possessing power far too great for any human.”

Taki started in now. “Yes. When I arrived on the pirate ship, she was confronting Cervantes.

Sophitia touched her hand to her forehead. “I don’t really remember much about it, but I did fight Cervantes. And I destroyed the Soul Edge in his hands, but after that…”

Taki finished for her. “A shard from the shattered Soul Edge was embedded into you. I defeated Cervantes after he’d lost Soul Edge and carried you from the sinking pirate ship.”

Sophitia looked up at Taki. “You did? Oh, I remember now. You treated my mortal wounds and took me back to Athens.”

Siegfried looked at Sophitia. “So… you’re the reason Soul Edge’s shards are being guarded by Guardians? The reason it has to be reawakened in the first place!?”

The two looked at him briefly, then addressed each other once more.

“I did very little,” Taki said modestly.

“Thank you,” Sophitia said sincerely. “Because of you, I am alive today.”

Iska chuckled. “It’s really ironic that you are now trying to resurrect the same Soul Edge that you once destroyed, almost at the cost of your life.” Everyone looked at him.

Taki chose her words carefully. “Soul Edge is just a means to power. It can be used for evil or for good.”

Sophitia glanced at Siegfried. “But, it is still poison,” she said. “We will rely on Soul Edge this time. But once we defeat Barbaros, we will need to destroy Soul Edge once more.”

“What!?” Siegfried said, fully drawing Soul Edge now. He wasn’t sure if its current state of power was enough to defeat them, but he could try.

Iska quickly calmed him down. “Come on, we’ll deal with that later. Defeating Barbaros is our main objective.”

Sophitia and Siegfried were silent for a moment. Taki turned to Iska. “Iska, about the Guardian. It looks like it’s going to be a problem. The gate to the temple, the one that pair of Guardians ran into, is sealed. I tried to get in several times, but…”

Siegfried sheathed Soul Edge and stepped forward. “We’ll just destroy it,” he said. Astaroth nodded.

Taki shook her head. “If that was possible, I would’ve done it already. It seems they are increasing the strength of the ancient seal with the power of the shard.”

Iska sighed. “Isn’t there something we can do?” he said.

Taki shook her head again. “We will need two sacred beads in order to break the seal. But, they were taken out of the country recently, and their whereabouts are unknown. It’s rumored they were stolen by thieves from the West.”

Iska was silent for a moment. “Sacred beads? Is that what you’re talking about?” he said, producing the strange object they had taken from Barbara.

Taki gasped. “It’s one of the stolen sacred beads of Fu-Ma!” she said in disbelief. She looked at Iska with suspicion and distrust.

“I was chasing the bandits for a different reason and happened to come across it,” he explained. “But we only have one. Barbara!”

Barbara walked over to where they were standing. She had been eavesdropping the whole time.

“Yes, I know. I’ll lead you to our other hideout.”

Taki looked at her for a moment. “Who are you?”

Iska introduced her. “The leader of Leone d’Oro, Barbara.”

“The leader?”

“I’m letting her live in return for her cooperation. It seems she also has other reasons for helping us.”

Barbara quickly stepped in. “Not really,” she interjected.

“Whatever. We have no time to waste. Let’s get going!” Iska said. They dumped all their remaining supplies on the road so that Taki could have a horse, and rode back to the ferryman.
 
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