Author's note: Wow sorry about that… time sure does fly. Here is chapter 11.

Enjoy!

* * *

When Alexa reached the silver gates to castle's rounds it was not a pleasant sight to behold. The castle, by now, was completely in golfed in flames and these flames were beginning to spread to the town. There was people seen running around frantically trying to put the fire out as on the other side a battle was taking place between more of those lizard things and any other human who could lift a sword. To the side of the battle, many wounded was seen just lying there with few people to assist them. There was an only about nine to ten person who stood over the wounded, doing their best to help them. Alexa ran over to the group with the wounded, deciding she was best able to help them then fight and if she tried to help with the fire she would just get in the way. Besides they had enough people.

As she reached the wounded, a girl who didn't look much older than Alexa, stood up with a knife in her hands and a wild fearful look in her eyes. She held her knife at the ready as Alexa approached and shouted a warning to Alexa in German, stopping Alexa in her tracks. Alexa held up her free hand and said,

"It's alright I'm here to help."

The girl didn't say anything back, she just eyed the giant sword in her hand warily.

"It's alright," Alexa said again, sticking the end of the sword down into the dirt, "I'm here to help."

The girl eyed the weapon one more time, and then she motioned for Alexa to come closer, letting her knife fall to her side. When Alexa did, she pointed to the man who lay before them, who was bleeding from a wound on his head, and the girl gave Alexa a bloody towel.

"Put towel on head," the girl tried to say in English, but was having a hard time of it, "Keep… pressure… help stop bleeding… I need to get… powder."

Alexa nodded to the girl to let her know she understood, and did as she was asked, as the girl ran to get whatever powder she was talking about. The man wasn't unconscious, but was very weak. "Every things going to be alright." Alexa said trying to soothe the dieing man. He tried to speak, but Alexa shushed him. "Do not speak, save your energy."

"Why are you being such a goody-goody?" Asked a gleeful voice that seem to pierce the air, which startled Alexa so much she about cried out. Standing over her was the scariest and craziest looking seventeen year old girl Alexa ever layed eyes on. She had dark brown hair that was pulled up into pigtails and she wore an outfit that Alexa would have said was a poor excuse for clothing and held in fornt of herself, she held a giant ring blade that gave Alexa the creeps.

"Besides, there is nothing you can do for him. I suggest you worry about me."

"Who are you?" Alexa asked, but she kept the pressure on the man's forehead and did not show any signs of moving. The strange girl just laughed; a very girlish laugh, but that didn't fool Alexa. She had seen to many of her kind when her father worked at the insane asylum. She had madness sketched all over her face.

"Tira. What's yours?"

"Alexa," She said quietly and Tira laughed again.

"What do you want?"

"Oooooo it's not what I want that matters, it's what my master wants."

"Master?"

"Yes, he's been very anxious to meet you, but we had a few difficulties getting to you. But thanks to this little distraction I'm finally able to get close to you enough to escort you to him."

"What do you mean by 'little distraction'?"

"You see that?" She waved her hand at the battle and the burning castle, "This all for you. We needed a way to get to you with out those little so-called heroes getting in the way. My master doesn't want to cause to much of a fuse over you, you see, and alerting them to how important you are." Tira giggle when she saw the rage and dismay on Alexa's face. "What's wrong, aren't you flattered to know that my master believes you to be important?"

"What does your master want with me? Who is he?" Alexa asked in a rage and Alexa had to fight the urge to stand up and attack her. The man was still there bleeding to death and she had to stay there until that girl came back or else allow the guy to die, which was not an option in Alexa's mind. For now she needed to keep Tira busy.

"O I think you know." Tira said playfully.

"No I don't, how could I."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

I was then that Tira slapped herself on the head and growled.

"Stop arguing with me; your being to annoy me." Something had totally changed about her. Her voice was much deeper and she had a more murderous look on her face then before.

O great, not only is she psycho, she has multiple personality disorder.

Tira growled again and she stopped her foot into the ground in frustration.

The more I stay around her, the more in danger I become. The wise thing to do would be to take off, but I can't leave this man here. O please, please, someone assist me with this.

"Well, if you don't come I'll be happy to drag you."

"I'll come, but could you answer me this, what does your master want with me?"

"I'm not sure exactly, he said something about you having HIS blood, and your body and soul might be worth having close by, or something like that, I don't understand any of it anyways… as far as I'm concern your look useless…" Tira started to mutter angrily to herself and Alexa watched her wary, not liking how she began to act; Tira fiddling with her ring blade and the dark looks Alexa was getting from her. It was only when, in the corner of Alexa's eye, she saw the girl from before returning did Alexa let go of the man's forehead and slowly move away.

Now that she back, I need to move as far away as I can from them so if this breaks into a fight they won't get hurt.

"Don't you even think of running away. I will have you crawling on your knee before you even get a step away."

"No of course not, I was only standing up so that I may fallow you to where ever you are to take me."

"Ha, I know what you are trying to do." And she made a swing for the wounded man, but before either Alexa or Tira knew it, Alexa had grabbed the ring blade and twisted way just in time, the weapon cutting Alexa's hands in the process.

"Please, if it's true that it's me you want, leave him alone." Alexa pleaded as Tira tried to shake Alexa's grip on the ring blade. Tira growled again, but did not try to attack another time.

"My orders were to take you to my master."

"Then take me, I am yours to do with as you need to, but leave them alone."

"Then come you useless little girl." Tira, then, grabbed Alexa by the shirt and began dragging her away. Alexa kept to her part of the bargain and did not struggle and did as she was told. Strangle enough Alexa was allowed to get her weapon and bring it with her.

"My master likes to play with his food." Tira had said, this time in her girlish voice. This kind of unnerved Alexa a bit.

* * *

Before Sigmund, Rosamond, and Imp knew it, they were found themselves at a sight of a battlefield. Rosamond was the first to jump off her horse and was running to the sound of metal clashing with metal, followed by Sigmund and Imp. With sword and spear in hand she sliced the first lizard she came to. "There so many of these damned things."

"(O god, do you think Alexa is somewhere in this mess?)" Sigmund asked in German, then with a war cry he slid his giant sword into the belly of another foe.

"(We must worry about that later. For know let us just push our way to the castle and lend them a hand down there.)"

"O man, this really bites." Imp complained as four more lizards came at them, waving their axes in a frenzy.

"Stop complaining." Rosamond roared and she lifted her spear, throws it, and struck a lizard with it, sending it flying backwards.

* * *

"Hilde."

Hilde stepped away from the battle and turned to the young Athenian girl, Cassandra.

"Your father is secure as promised. My sister is out there, I can feel it…" She said, but Hilde waved her hand for silence.

"Do not worry, a deals a deal. I've already ordered my generals to keep a look out for your sister and if anyone of them spots her they will report back to me. Besides, as you have learned, I know what it's like to lose a family member to Soul Edge."

Cassandra nodded, "Thank you."

Princess Hildegard turned her attention back to the battle that was only several feet away.

"However, wouldn't it be better if you were the one to find her?"

Cassandra lifted her sword and shield in response.

"I sure hope you know how to use those things." Hilde said.

"You have no idea." Cassandra answered and they both charged into the battle.

* * *

Amongst the battle that tock place in the shadow of what was left of the castle, to Xianghua it seemed like they were beginning to win or at least the beasts were starting to get fewer in number anyways. But, she had never faced so many enemies in such a short time before, so she really couldn't tell if they were winning or not. These lizard things swarmed around Xianghua and her friends like bees to honey. Luckily they had escaped harm for now, but the battle was become more and more desperate it seemed. Xianghua paused for a moment to dare a quick glance in her friends' directions. Kilik and Maxi fought enemies to the left of her, Talim was at her side, and she could just make out Seong Mi-na and Yun-seong to her far right. They seemed to all be doing well. Xianghua lifted her hand to her brow and wiped the sweat from it.

I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up.

Then, suddenly, monstrous laughter came from deep with in the army of lizards and all of the lizards before her began to retreat. Xianghua dared a second glance at her companions and she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the look on Maxi's and Kilik's faces.

They've seen something they don't like.

The creatures were now cleared away, to where now all that was left was the human combatants. Most of them were staring at the receding army dumb founded by this sudden turn of events. It was then when Xianghua saw him. It was the giant that guarded Ostrheinsburg Castle, the one that Maxi stayed behind and fought that day when they stormed the place. The one Maxi had a personally gruge on.

In the corner of Xianghua's eyes, she saw Maxi made to charge the monster, but Kilik was quick in holding him back as the monster appeared before them. Xianghua sighed.

Great, this is going to get messy.