disclaimer: I do not own Soul Calibur, Soul Edge, Taki or Sophitia. These all
belong to NAMCO. Such a pity; they won't let me have them. Oh well. But this
fanfic is mine.
Requietum
by jin long
jin_long@lycos.com
Chapter 10
Sophitia gazed softly at the setting sun, inhaling deeply. Dusk would soon turn
into night, and the damned rogues would be here soon. She looked around at
the houses - normally there would be a candle or two burning, but the villagers
had been sent to a refuge and had been told not to give a sign of their presence.
She was a baker's daughter and she was months away from home. She'd gone
on a quest for a god and had met a mysterious but utterly fascinating foreigner.
And now, she was homesick but at the same time dreaded to return.
It would mean a loss of the freedom she'd discovered on the road and during her
travels. Her father would surely put her under lock and key, both in the bakery and
in the house. He would marry her off as he saw fit, and she never doubted that it
would be merely for economic reasons. Her mother would not object - she never
did object to her husband's wishes.
Sophitia found now that she did not want that life. Pity poor Cassandra and her
other siblings. But as it was, she could not choose her father, mother or family.
Somehow, Sophitia knew, eventually she would have to return to them out of
some perverted sense of duty.
But for now there were rogues to be battled and a possible demon. There was a
village to be aided and a friend to be helped. Friend... Sophitia found herself
wondering about that and about Taki. Was Taki just a friend and savior to her or...
She drove the thought from her mind. What she needed to to now was focus and so
she did. Warriors without focus die, she remembered her trainer saying back in
Greece.
The sound of hoofbeats and many, many footsteps met her ears. It didn't take long
for the rogues, on horseback or no, to come into her view. With them was a man
who seemed out of place in their group. He had an air of refinement about him,
most unusual considering his company.
Sophitia almost grinned as a straggler was pulled into the darkness by an unseen
hand, to be released none too soon. She kept her eyes off the shadow that tackled
down an unsuspecting horseman and managed to make both horse and rider
disappear from view.
It went on for a generous amount of time and the funny thing was that the band of
brigands were totally clueless as they came to a stop in front of her, intent on
confrontation.
"I heard that our three buddies got defeated by some bitch in this village."
"Yah, we gotta teach this village a lesson."
"There's more than enough of us to deal with that one bitch."
Minus a generous number, Sophitia thought. She'd lost count. "You are truly
pathetic. You would steal from innocent people and then demand more?"
Sophitia said. "How typical of your kind. You strike fear into their hearts that
you might rule over they who number more than you, and that they would
turn on each other to satisfy your desires."
The out-of-place man spoke next. "So, you are that damsel that stood against
three of my men. And you seek to save this village?" His tone was sarcastic.
"They are simple folk and are many, true, but they are also weak. As is the
law of nature they who are strong must rule the weak, even if the strong are
a minority."
"Strong? I see no one of strength. Before me there is only rabble that picks on
defenseless people and robs them of what is theirs," Sophitia hated bandits, the
bakery back in Greece having been a victim when she was merely four. She
hated their self-righteouness and how they justified their actions.
The out-of-place fellow laughed before he spoke again. "A pity you cannot see
things as they are. You, in fact, should be with us and not protecting these vermin.
However, from your words I believe you would not wish to join us."
He motioned for his men to attack her. "Three may have been beaten by you,
but you stand no chance against for-" He paused, looking around. "Oh you are all
foolish," he told his men. "Already we have been attacked and you saw no sign?"
"Damn, I got rid of only 15 before someone noticed? I must be losing my
touch!"
The shadow Sophitia had avoided eyeing moments ago landed at her side,
Mekki-maru at the ready. Taki grinned. "And let's get this straight - I was the
one who taught those three nutcases a lesson."
The now obviously leader of the rogues sighed. "Another of strength defending
the weak? Still, you are no match for my remaining thirty men." He motioned for
the brigands to charge, which they did.
Before slamming her foot into the nose of on brigand and making him whimper
like a baby, Taki took a look at Sophitia and said "Hey, you get 15 and I get the
same, okay?"
-------------------
As one rogue tried to slash at Sophitia she leapt above him, grabbing his head
between her thighs then leaning backwards and smashing him into another of his
comrades. She rolled out from her hold, almost immediately stabbing another
brigand in the leg with her sword then whacking him on the head with her shield
to knock him out.
Another tried to get at her with a spear, but she leapt over the thrust and
somersaulted, hitting him on the back of the head with her heel. She then
leapt up and slammed the hilt of her sword into his nape for good measure.
He fell to the ground, unconscious.
"How many downed, Sophie?"
"Four!" she yelled at Taki.
"Hurry up! I'm onto my seventh already!" Taki replied, rolling under a slash
then replying with a bladed uppercut and an airborne kick.
Seven already, Sophitia wondered as she grabbed another man's head
between her thighs and slammed him to the ground. She kneed another
brigand in the groin, incapacitating him for a good amount of time as she
stepped over his bent back and used it as a boost to sidekick another rogue
in the head.
Two rougues were quickly upon her, but she darted towards them, stabbing
one in the leg and sword arm, then knocking the other out cold with her shield.
A couple more began to run towards her, so she tossed her shield, the edge of
which smacked into one bandit's nose, cracking the cartilage and causing blood
to flow profusely. Still not through she kicked him unconscious, stabbing both his
partner's legs before she grabbed her shield.
She blocked another thrust with a spear then closed in, striking her attacker's
legs from under him then smacking him to the ground while he was still airborne.
She kicked up the attacker's spear then sent it flying at another attacker with an
additional kick, soon rendering him unconscious.
"Copycat!" she heard Taki yell over the chaos.
"But it works!" she replied in turn, smashing another outlaw's shin bones with
the broad side of her sword. He fell to the ground in great pain. The last one was
even easier; all she did was sidestep his charge then trip him and smash him into
the ground, cracking the bridge of his nose.
Sophitia breathed in deeply, surveying the result of the battle before her. She had
done pretty well for herself, she thought.
"You knew they were simply fodder for our blades and skills," she heard Taki say
to the leader of the brigands, and she knew this to be correct.
The leader was hardly shaken. "Most exceptional perception. I did tire of them,
you know. But as usual, it seems that it's up to me to deal with you."
He stripped himself of his robe, exposing a rather muscular and tight body. In the
center of his chest was a gem that somehow reminded Sophitia of Soul Edge. "These
fellows care only for the booty, really." He cracked his knuckles, saying "What
I care for is destroying presumptuous vermin such as youselves and the many
knights who tried to stop me."
Suddenly, his eyes glowed red as he raised his arms to the heavens. Fire
surrounded - no- erupted from his body. Curled horns grew from his head
and wings erupted from his back as his face contorted into the gruesome
features of a creature neither man nor beast. Soon he towered over the
two women, almost four times their height. He laughed, his voice lower in
octave and sounding all too demonic as he conjured up a sword of flame,
the heat next to unbearable.
"Those were trained knights, foolish humans! It took only moments to burn
their hapless selves. And so shall it be for you!!!!!" He smiled, baring huge fangs
that were obviously razor sharp and could easily bite an armored knight in two.
"You two will suffer so much before I kill you both." He roared, the ground
vibrating with the sound. "You will both regret that you battled against me!!!
Behold the power of one from Muspelheim!!!"
Sophitia stared up at the behemoth before her. So this was a Balrog. She
understood now the fear of the townspeople. But they needed her help and
she wasn't about to run away and let them down. No, she as a servant of
Hephaestus could do no such thing.
"Holy... so it's like an Akuma, only much larger," Sophitia heard Taki say.
The ninja put an arm on her shoulder. "Well, it's the main event. I hope
you're ready," Taki said.
Sophitia grinned nodding. "For all the innocent people you've terrorized and
killed, I will not run," she yelled at the Balrog. "We will not yield, and in doing
so we will end your reign of terror. The time of your judgment is at hand!!!"
"Bring it on!!!!"
to be continued...
----------------------
*more quips from Sophitia and Taki overheard by jin long*
(Sophitia scans Cassandra's Soul Calibur 2 biography)
Sophitia: What the... how the heck was she able to see you extracting Soul Edge
from me? You mean to say you waited several months, traveling from
Spain to Greece, before you pulled those shards out?!
Taki: That's what the boss made it to look like.
Sophitia: But... but I would have been dead by then!
Taki: Uh huh. Look, Namco gave us a storyline that you're not supposed to think
too hard about. Heck, the boss probably put us in a jet or something to
scoot us off to Greece to work Cassandra's biography.
Sophitia: But that's ludicrous! There weren't any jets during our time period!
Taki: And there wasn't any Spandex either but look at what I've been wearing for
the past two games. Elvis didn't exist either but we got Mr. Dandy copying
him.
Sophitia: And why am I not in Soul Calibur 2?
Taki: Namco married you off.
Sophitia: 0_0 WHAT?!
Taki: And you have kids.
Sophitia: 0_0 !!!!!!! But I don't even like kids! Especially since Cassandra was such a
brat when she was younger!
Taki: Well, I don't like what the keep doing to me either. I'm already in a Spandex
suit that shows off my body, but nooooo... they want more skin! First they
cut my sleeves for Soul Calibur, now they remove my mask. I swear they
would have me naked if it was decent!
(Sophitia and Taki sigh)
Sophitia: It's hard working for Namco.
Taki: Yes it is.
*jin long snorts*
goddamn typos. i didn't spot my mistake until i read this for the third time. damn.
belong to NAMCO. Such a pity; they won't let me have them. Oh well. But this
fanfic is mine.
Requietum
by jin long
jin_long@lycos.com
Chapter 10
Sophitia gazed softly at the setting sun, inhaling deeply. Dusk would soon turn
into night, and the damned rogues would be here soon. She looked around at
the houses - normally there would be a candle or two burning, but the villagers
had been sent to a refuge and had been told not to give a sign of their presence.
She was a baker's daughter and she was months away from home. She'd gone
on a quest for a god and had met a mysterious but utterly fascinating foreigner.
And now, she was homesick but at the same time dreaded to return.
It would mean a loss of the freedom she'd discovered on the road and during her
travels. Her father would surely put her under lock and key, both in the bakery and
in the house. He would marry her off as he saw fit, and she never doubted that it
would be merely for economic reasons. Her mother would not object - she never
did object to her husband's wishes.
Sophitia found now that she did not want that life. Pity poor Cassandra and her
other siblings. But as it was, she could not choose her father, mother or family.
Somehow, Sophitia knew, eventually she would have to return to them out of
some perverted sense of duty.
But for now there were rogues to be battled and a possible demon. There was a
village to be aided and a friend to be helped. Friend... Sophitia found herself
wondering about that and about Taki. Was Taki just a friend and savior to her or...
She drove the thought from her mind. What she needed to to now was focus and so
she did. Warriors without focus die, she remembered her trainer saying back in
Greece.
The sound of hoofbeats and many, many footsteps met her ears. It didn't take long
for the rogues, on horseback or no, to come into her view. With them was a man
who seemed out of place in their group. He had an air of refinement about him,
most unusual considering his company.
Sophitia almost grinned as a straggler was pulled into the darkness by an unseen
hand, to be released none too soon. She kept her eyes off the shadow that tackled
down an unsuspecting horseman and managed to make both horse and rider
disappear from view.
It went on for a generous amount of time and the funny thing was that the band of
brigands were totally clueless as they came to a stop in front of her, intent on
confrontation.
"I heard that our three buddies got defeated by some bitch in this village."
"Yah, we gotta teach this village a lesson."
"There's more than enough of us to deal with that one bitch."
Minus a generous number, Sophitia thought. She'd lost count. "You are truly
pathetic. You would steal from innocent people and then demand more?"
Sophitia said. "How typical of your kind. You strike fear into their hearts that
you might rule over they who number more than you, and that they would
turn on each other to satisfy your desires."
The out-of-place man spoke next. "So, you are that damsel that stood against
three of my men. And you seek to save this village?" His tone was sarcastic.
"They are simple folk and are many, true, but they are also weak. As is the
law of nature they who are strong must rule the weak, even if the strong are
a minority."
"Strong? I see no one of strength. Before me there is only rabble that picks on
defenseless people and robs them of what is theirs," Sophitia hated bandits, the
bakery back in Greece having been a victim when she was merely four. She
hated their self-righteouness and how they justified their actions.
The out-of-place fellow laughed before he spoke again. "A pity you cannot see
things as they are. You, in fact, should be with us and not protecting these vermin.
However, from your words I believe you would not wish to join us."
He motioned for his men to attack her. "Three may have been beaten by you,
but you stand no chance against for-" He paused, looking around. "Oh you are all
foolish," he told his men. "Already we have been attacked and you saw no sign?"
"Damn, I got rid of only 15 before someone noticed? I must be losing my
touch!"
The shadow Sophitia had avoided eyeing moments ago landed at her side,
Mekki-maru at the ready. Taki grinned. "And let's get this straight - I was the
one who taught those three nutcases a lesson."
The now obviously leader of the rogues sighed. "Another of strength defending
the weak? Still, you are no match for my remaining thirty men." He motioned for
the brigands to charge, which they did.
Before slamming her foot into the nose of on brigand and making him whimper
like a baby, Taki took a look at Sophitia and said "Hey, you get 15 and I get the
same, okay?"
-------------------
As one rogue tried to slash at Sophitia she leapt above him, grabbing his head
between her thighs then leaning backwards and smashing him into another of his
comrades. She rolled out from her hold, almost immediately stabbing another
brigand in the leg with her sword then whacking him on the head with her shield
to knock him out.
Another tried to get at her with a spear, but she leapt over the thrust and
somersaulted, hitting him on the back of the head with her heel. She then
leapt up and slammed the hilt of her sword into his nape for good measure.
He fell to the ground, unconscious.
"How many downed, Sophie?"
"Four!" she yelled at Taki.
"Hurry up! I'm onto my seventh already!" Taki replied, rolling under a slash
then replying with a bladed uppercut and an airborne kick.
Seven already, Sophitia wondered as she grabbed another man's head
between her thighs and slammed him to the ground. She kneed another
brigand in the groin, incapacitating him for a good amount of time as she
stepped over his bent back and used it as a boost to sidekick another rogue
in the head.
Two rougues were quickly upon her, but she darted towards them, stabbing
one in the leg and sword arm, then knocking the other out cold with her shield.
A couple more began to run towards her, so she tossed her shield, the edge of
which smacked into one bandit's nose, cracking the cartilage and causing blood
to flow profusely. Still not through she kicked him unconscious, stabbing both his
partner's legs before she grabbed her shield.
She blocked another thrust with a spear then closed in, striking her attacker's
legs from under him then smacking him to the ground while he was still airborne.
She kicked up the attacker's spear then sent it flying at another attacker with an
additional kick, soon rendering him unconscious.
"Copycat!" she heard Taki yell over the chaos.
"But it works!" she replied in turn, smashing another outlaw's shin bones with
the broad side of her sword. He fell to the ground in great pain. The last one was
even easier; all she did was sidestep his charge then trip him and smash him into
the ground, cracking the bridge of his nose.
Sophitia breathed in deeply, surveying the result of the battle before her. She had
done pretty well for herself, she thought.
"You knew they were simply fodder for our blades and skills," she heard Taki say
to the leader of the brigands, and she knew this to be correct.
The leader was hardly shaken. "Most exceptional perception. I did tire of them,
you know. But as usual, it seems that it's up to me to deal with you."
He stripped himself of his robe, exposing a rather muscular and tight body. In the
center of his chest was a gem that somehow reminded Sophitia of Soul Edge. "These
fellows care only for the booty, really." He cracked his knuckles, saying "What
I care for is destroying presumptuous vermin such as youselves and the many
knights who tried to stop me."
Suddenly, his eyes glowed red as he raised his arms to the heavens. Fire
surrounded - no- erupted from his body. Curled horns grew from his head
and wings erupted from his back as his face contorted into the gruesome
features of a creature neither man nor beast. Soon he towered over the
two women, almost four times their height. He laughed, his voice lower in
octave and sounding all too demonic as he conjured up a sword of flame,
the heat next to unbearable.
"Those were trained knights, foolish humans! It took only moments to burn
their hapless selves. And so shall it be for you!!!!!" He smiled, baring huge fangs
that were obviously razor sharp and could easily bite an armored knight in two.
"You two will suffer so much before I kill you both." He roared, the ground
vibrating with the sound. "You will both regret that you battled against me!!!
Behold the power of one from Muspelheim!!!"
Sophitia stared up at the behemoth before her. So this was a Balrog. She
understood now the fear of the townspeople. But they needed her help and
she wasn't about to run away and let them down. No, she as a servant of
Hephaestus could do no such thing.
"Holy... so it's like an Akuma, only much larger," Sophitia heard Taki say.
The ninja put an arm on her shoulder. "Well, it's the main event. I hope
you're ready," Taki said.
Sophitia grinned nodding. "For all the innocent people you've terrorized and
killed, I will not run," she yelled at the Balrog. "We will not yield, and in doing
so we will end your reign of terror. The time of your judgment is at hand!!!"
"Bring it on!!!!"
to be continued...
----------------------
*more quips from Sophitia and Taki overheard by jin long*
(Sophitia scans Cassandra's Soul Calibur 2 biography)
Sophitia: What the... how the heck was she able to see you extracting Soul Edge
from me? You mean to say you waited several months, traveling from
Spain to Greece, before you pulled those shards out?!
Taki: That's what the boss made it to look like.
Sophitia: But... but I would have been dead by then!
Taki: Uh huh. Look, Namco gave us a storyline that you're not supposed to think
too hard about. Heck, the boss probably put us in a jet or something to
scoot us off to Greece to work Cassandra's biography.
Sophitia: But that's ludicrous! There weren't any jets during our time period!
Taki: And there wasn't any Spandex either but look at what I've been wearing for
the past two games. Elvis didn't exist either but we got Mr. Dandy copying
him.
Sophitia: And why am I not in Soul Calibur 2?
Taki: Namco married you off.
Sophitia: 0_0 WHAT?!
Taki: And you have kids.
Sophitia: 0_0 !!!!!!! But I don't even like kids! Especially since Cassandra was such a
brat when she was younger!
Taki: Well, I don't like what the keep doing to me either. I'm already in a Spandex
suit that shows off my body, but nooooo... they want more skin! First they
cut my sleeves for Soul Calibur, now they remove my mask. I swear they
would have me naked if it was decent!
(Sophitia and Taki sigh)
Sophitia: It's hard working for Namco.
Taki: Yes it is.
*jin long snorts*
goddamn typos. i didn't spot my mistake until i read this for the third time. damn.