Chapter 14:
Thomas had discovered the chest containing Soul Edge, but was horrified to learn that the very same pirates who held him captive for over a month had not only found the location of the lost city, but also that of Soul Edge.
"I have to get out," thought Thomas.
Thomas ran to one side of the chest and attempted to push it, but it was far too heavy. He then ran to the other side and tried to pull it, also to little avail. As the voices grew louder, Thomas gave up and made a run for it, hoping the pirates did not already see him. As Thomas began to run, however, he ran straight into Vercci.
"V-Vercci?" asked Thomas, "You're alive? Listen to me, there are others in here. I think they..."
"I found him," said Vercci, "He's right here!"
"What?" demanded Thomas, "No! You're working with them?"
Thomas attempted to flee, but was instantly caught by two burly pirates. They held Thomas by the shoulders and dragged him back to where the chest lay. Cervantes, Voldo, and several other pirates stood nearby.
"Good to see you again," said Cervantes, "I see you've been keeping busy since escaping my ship!"
"Well," said Thomas, "You know, I was kind of on a mission before you..."
"SHUT UP!" snapped Cervantes, as he punched Thomas in the gut, causing him to gasp.
"So it was you all along, Vercci?" asked Thomas, "Why on Earth would a noble do business with...Scoundrels?"
"For protection," explained Vercci, "You see, in such turbulent times, my fortunes were at risk, and I required the aid of those who were not afraid to get their hands a little wet, if need be. When I learned of Soul Edge's existence, I knew I just had to have it in my collection. I promised Cervantes and his men a handsome sum for its retrieval, and they've been searching for it ever since."
"So," began Thomas, "When I escaped the Adrian..."
"Cervantes contacted me," continued Vercci, "Via messenger bird. He warned me of your presence in the region, and I immediately sent my men to search for you. You see, Thomas, Cervantes knew all along you were searching for Soul Edge. He learned about that little puzzle you and the Irishman had solved in his quarters."
"So after you found me," began Thomas, "You brought me back to your mansion and had me escort you down here."
"That's right," said Cervantes, "Now, explain to Mr. Hunter why you chose him as an escort instead of, you know, the pirates you hired? You were trying to screw us out of our reward money, weren't you, you bastard?"
"That is not true!" snapped Vercci, "I had my servants give you your reward when you arrived at my house!"
"You mean the girl?" Cervantes spat, "That was just to shut us up and have us be on on our way. No, I came for the gold and that is what I'm getting, understand?"
"Wait," began Thomas, "What girl? Who are you..."
"She arrived at my villa two weeks before you did," said Vercci, "She told me her name was Christine and that she was searching for you. I offered her food and a place to stay. However, when the news of your escape reached me, I realized she was a far more valuable asset than I initially thought and had her imprisoned."
"No," Thomas, horrified, "You mean Christine was...At your house this entire time? Damn you!"
"Well," laughed Cervantes, "Not anymore. She's in our custody now. I hear women and children always fetch the highest prices..."
"You're going to sell her into slavery?" demanded Thomas, "You bastard! All of you, bastards!"
Thomas began to struggle, but was subdued by the pirates.
"Hold," said Vercci, "It'll be all over soon, Thomas. You'll be dead long before that happens."
"Voldo can't wait to cut," said Voldo, as she sharpened his blades, "Can't wait to kill..."
"Easy now," said Vercci, "We're not killing Thomas just yet...After all he's been through, he deserves at least the chance to see the legendary Soul Edge, no?"
"Fine by me," said Cervantes, as he drew a pistol, "Just have our gold ready this time, traitor."
After shooting the lock off of the chest, Cervantes bent down and slowly lifted the lid. Vercci, Voldo, and the pirates all gathered around to see what was inside.
"Oh my God," whispered Thomas.
"My, my," said Vercci.
Inside the chest lay an enormous sword, nearly the size of a man, with its hilt connected directly to the blade. The sword was covered in a fleshy red substance and bore teeth, as well as numerous eyes. There was a large eye in the centre of the blade that appeared to slowly open as everyone stared at it.
As Cervantes reached into the chest, the Soul Edge let out an inhuman wail and released a shockwave that caused everyone to stagger. The noise lasted for several seconds before finally subsiding.
"What the hell was that?" demanded Cervantes.
"A beacon," replied Thomas.
"A what?" demanded Cervantes.
"A signal," said Vercci, "For them..."
The gang observed their surroundings and saw dozens of malfested on the courtyard below as well as on the neighbouring structures.
"Jesus Christ," moaned Cervantes, as he drew his sword, "Not these damn things again!"
The malfested scurried to the pirates' location. The pirates attempted to draw their weapons and fight, but several were jumped by creatures before they had the chance. One pirate was dragged away violently, while another was pounced upon and bitten in the throat. The pirates that held Thomas down let go of him in order to draw their weapons, but were pulled off the edge and into the courtyard below where they were viciously mauled to death.
"Goddammit," said Vercci, slashing a malfested down, "There's far too many!"
Now free, Thomas ran to the chest and grabbed the Soul Edge before running down a nearby hallway.
"Cervantes!" snapped Vercci, "You get me out of this god-forsaken place alive and I promise I will double - No, triple - Your original reward, capiche?"
"Yessir," said Cervantes, "Men, let's go!"
"Voldo," continued Vercci, "Kill that man! And bring me Soul Edge!"
"Voldo obey," cackled Voldo, "Voldo kill Thomas..."
With that, Voldo chased Thomas down the hallway as Cervantes and the others evacuated the area.
Disoriented, Thomas ran down the seemingly endless series of corridors for several minutes, desperately searching for a way out of the palace. Despite the sword's immense size, it was surprisingly light, no doubt the work of magic. Thomas eventually emerged from the hallway and found himself on top of a large balcony overlooking an enormous, multi-leveled room lined with more columns and the remains of broken statues.
The balcony that Thomas stood upon ran almost the entire length of the wall. The staircase that Thomas needed to climb down in order to proceed was on the opposite end of where he stood, but the path was blocked; a massive statue of the goddess Athena holding a spear and shield had broken off its pedestal and collapsed into the wall, partially crushing the balcony and separating Thomas' end of the balcony from the other.
"Just great," sighed Thomas, "Seems I have little choice but to climb down."
Just then, he heard a strange breathing noise. When he turned around, he saw Voldo jump into the air and lunge at him. Thomas raised the Soul Edge in defense, but the impact of the blow was such that it knocked Thomas back and sent the Soul Edge flying from his grasp and to the lower levels below.
"Voldo?" said Thomas, in a daze, "W-What are you..."
"Voldo finish Thomas off for good," said Voldo, "Voldo take Soul Edge to master!"
"Listen," pleaded Thomas, as he stood up, "There's no time for this; we need to get out of these caves! The entire palace is overrun by malfested!"
Voldo snarled as he slowly made his way towards Thomas, his right katar raised.
"For God's sake!" groaned Thomas, as he drew his rapier.
Voldo charged at Thomas, delivering blow after blow, which Thomas struggled to block with his sword. Voldon wound up one mighty swing, which Thomas slipped under, causing Voldo to nearly trip and fall.
"Grrrrr," growled Voldo.
The young man rapidly spider-crawled towards Thomas, who braced himself for attack. Voldo, however, instead leapt over Thomas' head and tried to slash him with his katar, forcing Thomas to roll out of the way. As soon as the two fighters stood up, they went at it again, with Thomas staying mostly on the defense as Voldo continued his assault. Since the balcony was so narrow, there was little room for a sword fight, making it very difficult for Thomas. To make matters worse, the malfested grew closer to Thomas' location. Several began to pour in from the other entrances down below.
"This is not good," thought Thomas.
The distraction allowed Voldo to deliver a blow that knocked the rapier out of Thomas' hands, sending it flying onto the leaning statue, where it slid down the body before stopping near the bottom. Now unarmed, Thomas needed to think fast.
"Die!" yelled Voldo.
As Voldo prepared to deliver the killing blow, Thomas vaulted over the balcony railing. Instead of falling, however, he caught the ledge and held on tight.
"No!" snapped Voldo, "Thomas no escape!"
As Thomas sidled his way over towards the statue, Voldo cartwheeled over the railing and clung onto the same ledge as Thomas. He made his way towards Thomas while still attempting to stab him. Thomas needed to escape his current predicament fast. That was when he turned to face the Athena statue's shield-bearing arm, which was now right next to him.
"Here goes nothing," thought Thomas.
Thomas pushed off of the ledge and jumped towards arm, barely managing to latch onto the forearm. However, due to the statue's age, it was beginning to crumble, and Thomas' actions caused the arm to loosen from the shoulder.
"Uh-oh," said Thomas, as he tried to pull himself up.
Voldo followed Thomas, leaping from the balcony to the shield. The extra weight of Voldo caused the arm to completely break off and fall towards the statue's lower torso. Thomas and Voldo managed to survive by jumping off the arm and latching onto the statue's robes. Thomas' rapier was mere inches away, but the vibration caused by the arm's fall resulted in it beginning to slide further down.
"Oh no, you don't!" exclaimed Thomas.
Pulling himself up, Thomas ran down the statue's lower torso and dove for his rapier. As soon as he turned around, he saw Voldo lunge at him once more, which he managed to block on time. The impact sent Voldo flying off of the statue's body. Voldo attempted to break his fall by driving his katar into the statue's side. Despite that, he still took a nasty tumble. Thomas lay down on the statue to catch his breath,
"Jesus," he muttered, "That was close..."
Voldo was dazed, but unhurt. Completely surrounded by malfested, Voldo looked up at Thomas and hissed before making a getaway.
"I need to get to Soul Edge," thought Thomas, as he stood back.
Thomas sheathed his rapier and climbed all the way down to the statue's pedestal. Now at ground-level, Thomas ran to Soul Edge's location and picked up the cursed sword only to find himself face-to-face with the malfested.
"Back off," ordered Thomas, holding up Soul Edge, "I'm warning you!"
The malfested hissed at Thomas as they slowly made their way towards him. There was at least a dozen of them.
"I mean it," threatened Thomas.
"What are you waiting for?" said a voice, "Kill them! Kill them now!"
Thomas stared, dumbfounded, at Soul Edge. Was it actually speaking to him?
"I am your only hope," continued the sword.
"I can't," said Thomas, "Any souls you absorb will empower you and..."
With the malfested continuing to encroach on him, Thomas knew he had no other choice. Thomas belted a might grunt and swung the Soul Edge horizontally, killing the first three malfested closest to him and releasing a shockwave that knocked several more down. Seizing the opportunity, Thomas bolted from the area, with the creatures in pursuit.
"I need to find a way out," thought Thomas.
"This way," said the voice.
Thomas was unsure how, but the Soul Edge appeared to be guiding him through the palace. Thomas trusted his instinct and eventually exited the building, returning to the underground city's exterior. The path grew increasingly brighter and narrower, suggesting that Thomas was fast approaching an exit. The cave's ceiling was much closer to Thomas' head and many of the buildings were utterly destroyed by fallen rubble.
"Ha!" laughed Thomas, "Almost home-free!"
Thomas entered a small chamber possessing a hole in the ceiling through which sunlight poured through. Since the hole was too small to crawl through, Thomas began to hack away at it using the Soul Edge.
"Come on," grunted Thomas.
With the malfested horde somewhere behind him, he was growing desperate to escape. However, despite his effort, he was making little progress. That was when Thomas began to notice a strange, black dust falling from the opening. It was not at all like the rock that made up the cave wall. Only once Thomas realized what it was did he begin to move.
"Gunpowder?" thought Thomas, backing away from the hole, "Oh God, no!"
The gunpowder detonated, sending tons of rock crashing down. Thomas, who had sought cover just outside the room, was covered in dust and soot, but otherwise unharmed. Thomas re-entered the room and examined the new, larger opening. After tossing the Soul Edge upwards through the hole, Thomas climbed the rubble and made his way back above ground.
"What the hell's going on?" wondered Thomas.
Thomas looked around; though he was still in the city, he was quite far from where he initially entered. It was now late afternoon and the sky had turned grey and cloudy. Not too far from the hole, Thomas saw three men approaching.
"Seamus?" said Thomas.
"I don't bloody believe this," said Seamus, "Thomas-goddamn-Hunter, alive an' well!"
Seamus had cleaned up since Thomas last saw him. His face was shaven except for a small goatee and his hair was cut shorter and tied into a small pony tail. He wore a dark green coat with matching knickerbockers. The men who accompanied him wore white shirts with vests and each had bandanas.
"I could be saying the same for you," laughed Thomas, "How in God's name did you escape the Adrian?"
"Aye," began Seamus, "I led those pirate bastards on a wild chase 'round the ship. At one point, three of 'em had me pinned and I bit this one fellow's ear right off. When I got the chance, I leapt outta one of 'em gunports and landed in the sea. They musta thought I was dead or somethin', 'cause they stopped chasin' me right after."
"Incredible!"
"So, that's Soul Edge, huh? Lemme be straight, boyo, that's the ugliest damn thing I've ever seen!"
Seamus pointed at the large sword that lay on the ground. Thomas bent down and picked it up.
"I'm afraid it is," said Thomas, "This is the bloody sword that I've been through Hell and back to get. God, I can just feel its negative energy seeping into my skin as I grasp its hilt!"
"Well," said Seamus, "That's just dandy. Look, if you're still plannin' on destroyin' the sword, we best do it far from here. Like, really far. I just saw Cervantes and his goons snoopin' 'round the place. I think their docked at the Crati River nearby..."
"I know," said Thomas, "Listen, there's been a change in plans. The pirates have Christine. I'm going to use Soul Edge to bargain her release."
"What? Are you mad, boyo? You can't just give the sword up like that! You were the one goin' on about how it needed to be destroyed and all that!"
"I'm sorry, but I have to do this. It's my fault Christine is in this mess. I can't let anything happen to her. Join me if you'd like, otherwise, let me go."
Thomas began to walk away from Seamus and the two men. He stopped as soon as he heard the cocking of a gun.
"Seamus?" said Thomas, turning around.
"Don't do this boyo," warned the Irishman, his pistol pointed at Thomas, "Just leave the sword and walk away."
"Why do I get the feeling your story of biting a pirate's ear off was nothing but a load of horse manure?"
"I didn't have any choice, Thomas! They had me trapped, so I gave up Soul Edge's location to save me skin!"
"So that's how Cervantes knew! You're the reason Vercci imprisoned Christine!"
"Aye, but at least I got somethin' out of it...Can ya guess what it is?"
"Jesus Christ, Seamus! They made you a bloody pirate?"
"Sure beats peelin' potatoes below deck, heheh. Ya see, that's why I'm here; they sent me along with these two to find another way into the city in case it all went south. Looks like I hit the jackpot instead."
"Of course. That's why you're stopping me. You're not actually planning on handing Soul Edge over at all, are you?"
"Not when there are others besides Vercci who're willin' to pay a handsome price for it. Now, hand over the sword, Thomas. Don't make me kill you..."
Thomas gripped the hilt tightly, glaring at the traitor Seamus with murderous rage. Once again, Thomas could hear Soul Edge whispering to him.
"Kill them," it spoke, "Don't let them take me from you..."
"Shut up," whispered Thomas, "Shut up!"
"Aye then," said Seamus, "Who're you talkin' to, boyo?"
"They cannot have me," continued Soul Edge, "Stop them!"
"Grrr," growled Thomas, as he clutched his aching head, "Enough!"
"He's gone bloody mad," observed Seamus.
Just then, several malfested began to emerge from the hole in the ground. Two of them pounced on Seamus' accomplices and began gnawing at their throats.
"Christ almighty!" shouted Seamus, "What the hell are those things?"
Seamus fired his pistol, but missed. A malfested pounced on Seamus and, after a brief struggle, the creature overpowered him and dragged him violently into the hole, along with the two pirates.
"HELP!" screamed the Irishman, from inside the cave, "OH GOD! AAAAGGGH!"
Thomas ran from the horrific scene as fast he could. Eventually he reached the horse-drawn carriage Seamus used to reach the city and climbed aboard. Thomas whipped the horses, sending the carriage into motion. He had to reach the river's edge as quickly as he could in order to confront Cervantes.
"I'm coming, Christine," he said, "Just hang on!"