I started playing Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny a while back, and I actually quite liked the story of the Gauntlet Mode. So I made my own version of it.

NOTE: The whole story will be told from the point of view of my main OC, unless I specify otherwise.

The game trail that lies before me is vanishing. As I reach the hill's peak I look closely at what lies ahead of me.

The Coliseum. The one place where warriors come to test their skills or reclaim lost honour. For me it is the latter.

My name is Ranulph Kristofferson, former Knight of Wolfkrone.

My father was once a knight of high station, until enemies of his in the court framed him for heinous charges. He fled with my mother and I; he fled as far as he could. We ran all the way to the distant islands of Japan.

There, while I was still young, I began to learn the ways of the sword, 'the way of the Samurai', as the locals called it.

Upon the deaths of my parents I returned to Wolfkrone, intent on restoring my family's honour. The knights jeered and scoffed at me when they found out I was a Kristofferson.

They stopped when I saved Princess Hildegard's life from an assassin.

From that moment I was the Princess' bodyguard, and a Knight of Wolfkrone. Not that the Princess needed a bodyguard. Very often she challenged me to spar; almost every time I landed on my armoured back.

We were friends for many years. At times it felt like it could even materialise into something more. That ended on that fateful day…

The day we challenged the Azure Knight, Nightmare.

The armies of Wolfkrone were decimated. I myself suffered injuries that were very close to being fatal. I had staggered of the battlefield, bloodied and bruised, looking for a place to die…

But a girl found me and nursed me back to health.

Her name was Talim. She told me she was a Priestess of the Winds. I had chuckled at that, saying, "You could be the true wielder of Soul Edge for all I care. The only thing that matters to me is that you kept me alive." She'd giggled at that.

When I left her, it was with a real sadness. Despite her being younger than me, she'd cared for me like a mother. I quite liked that.

For years after that I trained hard in the mountains, waiting for the day that I would be strong enough to destroy Soul Edge, no matter who wielded it.

Now I was ready to face the world once again. The Coliseum would be where I would start.

**RS**

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to this, the final of the Aglaia Tournament!"

The crowd roared.

"Now, my friends," the announcer continued, "this shall truly be the battle of a lifetime! Two of the greatest combatants to ever enter this Coliseum will do battle to be crowned Champion of the Aglaia Tournament!"

Another ecstatic roar.

"Now entering from this side of the arena, a fearless warrior who literally takes no prisoners… A brutal fighter with no remorse… Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Achelus!"

From the opposite side of the arena, a bald man entered, clasping his dual swords above his head. His body was covered in tattoos; his pants were black, with a red sash on his waist. His greaves were red, with vicious-looking blades on the toes. I gripped the hilt of my katana even harder as I watched my opponent dance around the arena, grinning at the jeers of hatred he was receiving.

"And now, from this side of the arena, a true enigma. He quite literally appeared from the wilderness mere days ago, and he blitzed even seasoned performers to make it here. Ladies and gentlemen, it is… Ranulph Kristofferson!"

The crowd let out a deafening roar as I entered the arena. I felt Achelus' cold stare on me as he analysed me, searching for a weakness.

My armour was a basic grey, adorned slightly with bronze on the neck and shoulders. I wore simple black trousers and black greaves on my feet. On my head was a nondescript grey helm that left the bottom half of my face exposed; it too was adorned with bronze.

Achelus grinned savagely as he saw this. I knew right then that despite the rules of no attacks above the neck that my opponent planned to aim for the exposed part of my face.

"Let the final begin!" the announcer proclaimed as he retreated.

Grimly, I drew my katana and readied myself. Still grinning, Achelus adopted a battle stance.

"Begin!" the announcer roared.

As I had predicted, Achelus began by stabbing at my face. Soundlessly I parried the strike and kicked him in the stomach, sending him reeling. Growling, Achelus lashed out with both his swords. Again I parried; this time, however, I gripped his shoulder and kneed him soundly three times in the same place I'd kicked him.

Snarling, Achelus' swords became enveloped in flame. He was preparing a powerful blow. I gripped my sword's hilt even harder and stood my ground.

Laughing triumphantly, Achelus leaped into the air, pointing both swords towards my head.

Before he came down, however, I punched him in the now well-bruised area of his stomach.

Roaring in pain, Achelus landed harmlessly on his feet, grimacing. I allowed myself a slight triumphant smile as I prepared my own powerful blow.

I ran towards Achelus, my sword held aloft, as if preparing for a powerful downward strike. Achelus wearily raised both swords to block that strike.

Quickly I lowered my katana, slashing diagonally across my opponent's chest in a non-fatal injury. I rushed behind Achelus, slashing the tendon in his left leg as I did so, before slamming his kidney with the hilt of my blade.

With a dull moan, Achelus fell, his eyes open, his mouth agape. He wasn't dead. Unlike him, I didn't kill anyone unless they deserved it.

The crowd roared in jubilation. Grinning, the announcer declared me the winner. Wordlessly, I began walking back out of the arena, ready to move on.

Unbeknownst to me, however, three people were watching me, all planning to make use of my skills. And that would lead me to the greatest battle of my entire life.

Please rate and review. It'll be my encouragement to keep going.