Authors Note: Here is chapter nine, enjoy! As usually, please review! Thanks.
P.S. Long chapter, I know, but my chapter will be getting longer as thing continue to pick up. Hope I'm doing a better job portraying the Soul Calibur characters. Also, just to tell you the main climax is coming up so please bear with me, things are going to start getting interesting I promise. And if they don't complain to me, please. I still take ideas by the way, if you want to give them, can't promise that I can put them in, but I'll consider all of them.
* * *
I wander what their definition of 'near by' is, because the village is so not 'near by'.
Thought Alexa as the six warriors continued to lead her up the steep mountain. They had been walking for at least a four miles up the mountain, and they still weren't out of breath or had slowed down.
Well, except for that one guy.
Alexa turned in the saddle glance back at him. It was the spiky red head, Yun-seong, he had been dragging his feet ever since they started walking and he seemed to be getting slower and slower. Talim, ever so often, would go back there and talk to him, trying to coax him into walking faster and she would run back up to the others. Xianghua would do the same, but then again she was the one who talked the most out of all them. She would make, literally, rounds to each of them and talked and talked a mile a minute; asking millions of questions, especially when she talked to Talim, Seong Mi-na, and Yun-seong. Seong Mi-na and Talim were inclined to answer and they were happy to exchange questions and answers as they walked. Yun-seong was not so inclined; he would just grunt an answer or just roll his eyes and look away. Seong Mi-na would glare his way when he did that, then roll her eyes at his rude behavior, and she'd bite her lip to keep herself from yelling something nasty at him. Kilik and Maxi, who tock up the lead of the group, where quit, but they would randomly add something to a conversation. The quietest of all of them was Alexa; even Xianghua couldn't get a conversation out of her. When she was asked a question her answer was either: yes, no, or I don't know, madam. She kept her head down most of the time, only chancing to look up and survey her surroundings when she was sure none of them was looking her direction.
Alexa turned back in the saddle, and then after taking a quick glance at everyone, she put her head down to think.
Ok, I have two in the front, three to my right, and one who is lagging behind. If the two in the front has let down their guard and if I can get Snow to pick up enough speed I should be able to break through them. Only if they have let down their guard.
Alexa looked up briefly to see if they had. Then she put her head back down and sighed.
Nope, they both look like they are in high alert. Kilik is gripping that stick thing so tight it's a wander his knuckles aren't red.
Alexa tilted her head to one side.
Well, I need to think of something. I can't just let these people lead me to who knows where. What if they are leading me right to Soul Edge? These people seem nice and all, but how do I know that it's all not just an act? And I am not going to see that thing again, not if I can help it anyways, and this Nightmare guy sounds really scary. All I want is to find Soul Calibur and make it send me home, that is all. To hell with Soul Edge!
"Excuse me?" Alexa heard and she felt someone tap her arm. Alexa moved her head, ever so slightly and looked at Xianghua as she smiled up at her.
"Are you alright, you were kind of turning pail there for a moment."
"Yes." Alexa answered softly and quietly, keeping her eyes on the dirt of the road.
"Yes, what?"
Alexa swallowed, "I'm fine."
"O… that good… are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Ok…" She bite her lip and looked at the others. Seong Mi-na shrugged her shoulders and motioned her with her hand. Talim kept her eyes on Alexa and Alexa felt unnerved by her gaze. She felt that the girl could read her, in fact, they all seemed be able to read her.
Am I that obvious.
Xianghua returned her attention to Alexa, "So, uhm… where are you really from?"
"Nowhere in particular."
"Got any family?"
"Yes."
"Brothers or sisters?"
"Yes."
"Do they have names?"
"Yes."
Xianghua sighed and fell silent for a moment as she searched for a question that would force Alexa to answer with more than one to three words.
Good, gives me more time to think.
Alexa moved her head back to its regular position.
Ok, all I can think of, if I want to make a break for it, would be I have to come up with a way of maneuver Snow so that I can avoid everyone. But how do I do that?
Finally, a light turned on.
Yun-seong.
She dared a quick glance at him. He had his hands behind his head and he was looking around very dreamily.
Well, he seems to have let down his guard, it would be easy getting past him. He might not even know what was going on until after he was knocked down flat on his butt as Snow and I pasted. And instead of turning to the left I think it might set things more off balance if I had Snow turn to the right, that way I can surprise those three and cause them to be a little slow at reacting. Maybe even knock them over, causing a distraction for the Kilik and Maxi, which would slow them down as well. Otherwise, they might make it a little more difficult getting up to speed to get past Yun-seong. Also, it might be a good idea if…
Her thoughts were interrupted as Kilik fell back, stood at Xianghua's side, and asked, "Alexa, I have a question for you. Are you scared of us?"
What kind of brainless question is that?
Alexa shifted her head up and gave him the most annoyed look she could muster.
"No."
"Good, because there is no reason to be."
No reason to be!
"No reason to be? What are you stupid or something? Yeah right, uhm… let me think; first I don't know any of you. Second, you basically… what the word for it… kidnap me! Third, I told you I have no association to Soul Calibur or Soul Edge and even it I did, I wouldn't tell you and I'd defiantly be scared of you, for how would I know if you are in league with Soul Edge? How would I know you're not leading me to Soul Edge? Soul Edge tried to kill be once and I'm sure it will try again, which I have no idea why it tried in the first place or why Soul Calibur saved me and brought me to this… this whatever time period. So, yeah, I have abundance of reasons to be scared of you all! But I'm not scared, in fact, I'm very…" Alexa caught the rest of her words in her mouth before they could slip out and she put her head down, shocked by her sudden explosion.
Stupid, brainless, idiot! You just gave them way too much information just now. I just told them the connection that I have with those swords, not to mention I just hinted that I'm not from this time period …O! That was so foolish, why did I just explode like that? Darn it! I've got to get away from them, before I screw up more!
Alexa gripped the rein tightly; preparing herself to pull it, and begin her flight.
"Hey, calm down." She heard Kilik say, but Alexa ignored him and began to pull Snow to the right at a fast speed, but Kilik was to fast for her. He reached up and snatched away the rein and pulled Snow to a stop. Alexa swung her good leg and tried to kick him away, but the warrior stopped the blow, easily. Then, in desperation, Alexa grabbed a hold of her crutch and tried to smack him a cross the head with it, but he blocked with his staff, then she tried to grab the rein away from him, but he held on to it firmly. Everyone stopped and tried to help Kilik. Maxi came up and tock the reins from Kilik and Yun-seong tried to calm the horse as Kilik, Xianghua, Talim, Seong Mi-na tried to talk to Alex, but she kept yelling at them to just leave her alone.
Finally they backed off and Kilik said, "Ok, ok, we will leave you alone. Maxi, go a head, give her back the rein." Maxi blinked at him, but did as he asked. Alexa accepted it, surprised, and she looked over at Kilik expecting a double-cross.
"What are you looking at, you can go."
"Is this some kind of joke?"
"No. You were never a prisoner, so you can go anytime you want."
"But, when I tried to leave, you stop me."
"Yes, I stop you from hurting someone. You were heading right for us, you know."
Oh, never thought about that… I could have hurt someone…Ops…
"But before you go, I would like you to know that we are not the bad guys here."
"Yeah," Xianghua said, "We have been fighting Soul Edge for a very long time, trying to destroy it. We are not on it's side."
"Easy words to say and not very believable ones without proof."
"It doesn't matter what you believe." Maxi interrupted, "But it's the truth, rather you believe it or not."
"For the most part." Yun-seong muttered and Seong Mi-na turned and growled wordless at him.
Alexa slummed in the saddle and leaned against Snow's neck.
The day is young and I already fell like I have just run a marathon.
Alexa smiled to herself and she turned to them again.
Wait a moment; maybe I can test their word. If I give them a chance, see where they are taking me then… Alexa paused in her thinking.
Maybe, they can lead me to Soul Calibur and I can finally get out of here.
"I'm really sorry, maybe we have gotten off the wrong foot. Lets try again." Alexa extended her hand out to them. Kilik tock and they shock hands.
"I'm sorry as well, if I frightened you."
"You did a little." And the both smiled. Xianghua jumped up happily and smiled from ear to ear at them, Seong Mi-na sighed as the tension wearied off around her, and Talim smiled along with all the rest, but Yun-seong just shrugged his shoulders and returned to his little world.
"I'm tired," Alexa said, "And I have no idea where this village you spook of earlier is. Would you mind taking me there? I promise, in return, I'll tell you what I know about Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, but I should warn you it isn't much and you might already know all of it by now."
"Sure, we'll take you. And don't worry about promising us anything. You can tell us your story when you fell safe enough to do so." Seong Mi-na replied.
"Thank you." Alexa said, as her breath came a little easier.
Boy am I a fool, these people were always really too nice to be in league with something as evil as Soul Edge.
* * *
Rosamond, Sigmund, and Imp rode fast down the dusty road, fallowing the tracks of the horse Alexa had taken just a day ago. Two of the horse, the ones Sigmund and Imp rode, where ones they had to buy of an old farmer, who wouldn't give Rosamond the horses to until she paid a ridiculous sum of money, which was three times the amount the horses were worth. But worry for her friend stopped any argument she would have made and Rosamond quickly paid the man and returned to her village. From there they rode off at daybreak and they had been riding ever since.
It was about mid-afternoon when Sigmund saw something in the corner of his eye that was familiar. He stopped his horse and called for his comrades to do the same. He slid off the horse and reached down to pick up the object, the huge sword on his back made a ring sound when it hit the armor that he now wore, when he bent down. Rosamond and Imp came up behind him, to see what he had found.
It was a glove, a silky white glove.
"Alexa's" Imp said, looking around for another sign of her.
"(Look.)" Sigmund crocked in German. "(It's all ripped up and there is blood on it.)"
Rosamond tock the glove and examined it. Sigmund tock a deep breath and watched as his sister examined the glove, then went over and examined the road.
After a moments pause, Rosamond walked back up the hill followed by Sigmund. Imp tock the horses; leading them off the road amongst the trees.
"Yeah, she now going to play detective." He said sarcastically to himself, "Well I think I get in some practice while I wait, because this might take awhile." Imp walked over to the sidesaddle of his horse, which the horse was young brown horse with a white tail, and he slipped on a thick pair of leather gloves and then unattached his ring blade. The ring blade was made out of hard iron, which was painted forest green with five yellow streaks that streaked outward and color ended at the points of five blades. Imp named the ring blade Spaß which was German for "fun", The inside and the outside was sharp, so Imp was careful not to hurt anything as he move away from the horses and began twirling the thing around. Imp played with it for a while, but he couldn't do much with it, for he wasn't wearing his Caretaker's Gauntlets that would have protected his hands and arms a lot better then the leather gloves, but leather gloves where alright for practice.
It was minutes later, when Rosamond and Sigmund returned. Sigmund looked very unhappy and Rosamond was in deep thought as the both sat down on a boulder.
"Well?" Imp asked after a long pause. "What did you find out?"
Rosamond lifted a tree branch that she held in her hand and showed it to Imp.
"See this branch, what I'm guessing that Alexa got hit by this branch and was knocked off the horse and then rolled down that hill. From the horses tracks, it looked like it the horse was running fast, fast enough, so when Alexa hit this branch, the branch broke off." She tossed the branch to the side and sighed.
"It probably got her in the face, which would have knocked her out or at least knock her silly."
"(Knock her silly enough to let whatever was after her to get a hold of her.)" Sigmund muttered in German. He bent his head down and looked at the ground, with his hands clamped together.
"Hey! No one said anything about her being chase by anything. They are many explanations on why she had the horse running so fast. She might have wanted to get a good head start on us or the horse just got spooked, you that horse is very easily frightened. For all we know a mouse could have jumped out at them. Come on Sigmund, look at the bright side. I'm sure Alexa is fine, I just know it."
"But she was being chased." Rosamond said, and Imp looked at her.
"But I think your right, I think she is fine. Up on the hill, we found massive footprints of some giant that seemed to fallow her at least four strides before she hit the branch and rolled down the hill. But for some reason, the giant didn't fallow her as she rolled down the hill, in stead, it looked like he stopped at the top then made a quick get away into the forest. It was almost like, whatever it was, saw something it didn't like or wanted to deal with at the moment." Rosamond got up and returned to the road. She bent over and examined the dirt and mumbled to herself, "But what?" Then she turned her eyes to further down the road and her eyes caught onto another white object, Alexa's boot. Rosamond rushed over to it and went to pick it up, but stopped and instead she knelt down.
So this is where she finally stopped rolling. She thought. Rosamond searched the dirt around the spot until she found the footprint and she called her companions over.
"Hey, I found some footprints!"
Imp and Sigmund scramble over to her and Imp was first to arrive. He grinned reticently and said, "And human to." Rosamond smacked him in the leg with the back of her head at his comment and he laughed.
"Gee, if you don't believe about the giant footprints why don't you walk up there and take a look yourself!" She snapped.
"Nay, it would take to much time to walk up there and all the way back down here. It would be too much work for me. I think I'll take your word for it."
Rosamond rolled her eyes.
"ANYWAYS, I think these footprints where made at the same time, but I can't be sure. The dirt on this road isn't very good for making footprints, but it does look like these two sets of footprints did stop and help her. Look…" She stood up and pointed down at another impression in the dirt. "Here is where the helped her across into the forest and look over there, there is more activity over there. Looks like they where more than two and there is some horse prints."
"Soooooooo, what are we suppose to take from all of this?"
"What are you blind? Who ever these people are, they scared away that giant and stopped to help Alexa. These people may even be with her as we speak."
"(But how are we to know if they mean well?)"
"I'm afraid, brother, that we only can pray that they do."
"(What should we do know?)"
"I vote on keep fallowing her." Imp said.
Rosamond nodded, "I agree, just because Alexa might have found some allies doesn't mean that she won't find enemies as well. That giant might have not wanted to deal with, whoever they where, but that doesn't mean that he has given up. He would defiantly not give up if he were a servant of Soul Edge."
"Uh… more unhappy thoughts. You know you two could be king and queen of unhappy thoughts," Imp muttered and Rosamond ignored him.
"Come on, we are wasting time here. Let try to be reunited with Alexa by this time tomorrow."
Rosamond went to the horses and mounted her horse in one leap. Imp not far behind her. Sigmund reached behind him and gripped the hilt of his Zweihänder; the huge sword glistened in the sunlight as he tightened his grip on the gold hilt of the sword, that had a clear crystal at it's end, and he gripped if for strength and he quickly sent a prayer for Alexa's welfare as he opened his eyes again, and mounted his horse and hurried forward to catch up to the others.
* * *
On the other side of the mountain, in a place that was called Wolfkrone Kingdom, a young women, that had not long ago had come of age to be considered a women but yet she had considered herself an adult much longer than one should, sat in a chair in front of a locked door in a corridor of the castle. If you were to happen to walk up to her, you would first notice her long red hair, which stood out the most about her thanks to the refined blue dress that she wore. She stared blankly at the door and searched for words to say.
"Father, it is time. I shall be leaving soon; to restore the honor of the Krones, to protect Wolfkrone, and to…" She paused, "And to finally make Soul Edge pay for what it did to you." She finally said; her words were strong and furies.
Silence greeted her through the door. The princess pause one more time, stood up, and nodded to the door.
"Goodbye." She whispered and then she turned to leave and walked away swiftly, she had business to attend to.
* * *
The sun was just beginning to set, when they arrive to their destination. Alexa eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the place. Before her was a valley that were surrounded by three mountains, and in the valley was a good size village that had many well taken care of house, two beautiful churches, and a wonderful natural environment that surrounded them. But what got Alexa's mouth to drop was the castle. The castle was huge; it had a blue roof and was made of a white stone. There were four or five towers that Alexa could see, and in it's centered was enormous clock, that from what Alexa could make out, had statues inside that moved around with the clock, by the second. She also noticed, the flags that were flown above the castle. Alexa could not make out what were on them, but she could see that the flags were triangle shaped and were red.
Alexa blinked over to Xianghua and gave her a curious look. "Is this the village you were talking about?"
"Yep, we haven't ever been here before, but we heard about it while on our travels here. Parentally, this is the capital of a Kingdom called… Wolfkrone, I think. The Krones, who are the royal family here, from what we heard, has a personal grudge against Soul Edge and, from what we heard, Soul Edge has threatened this place lot, so the princess is planning on leading an army to go to Ostrheinsburg to destroy Soul Edge. We are hoping that this is so, and we plan on lending a hand if she will except it."
"O… ok…"
Wow, she really does talk a lot. O well, Mike liked to talk a lot too when I first meet him…
A wave of homesickness hit her as she though about her friend.
"Come on. Stop sight seeing and let get down there, my stomach can't take being empty much longer!" Yun-seong complained and Talim giggled behind her hand as Seong Mi-na clobbered him with the not sharp end of her weapon.
Maxi rolled his eyes at his companions and strolled down the walkway that leaded down to the village. Kilik fallowed close behind, with Xianghua at his arm. Behind them Yun-seong nagged at Seong Mi-na for hitting him so hard and Seong Mi-na threaten back how much harder she would hit him if he kept getting on her nerves. Next, Alexa and Talim fallowed, Talim quietly enjoyed every ones company, while Alexa stared off and watched the village as the came closer and closer to it.
