Chapter 11: Paris
Kilik and Link were drawing many stares when they rode their horses into the middle of the Parisian streets. It wasn't every day that one saw a holy man with a staff nearly eight feet long and bright crimson robes riding by an elf with a large sword and bow strapped across his back.
Link moved his white horse alongside Kilik. "Why they look?" Linked inquired in the language he seemed to only know how to butcher.
"They look because we do not belong here," Kilik pointed to Link's ocarina that was hanging on a chain around his neck. "Do you think you can relay a message to Talim using the winds?"
Link shook his head. "I have tried."
Kilik sighed, then directed his horse to the side of the road. He slid off his mount ingoring the Frenchmen who seemed to be gawking at him and sad cross-legged to meditate. Perhaps if he focused enough he would be able to locate Talim's familiar aura.
Link guided his horse beside Kilik's and hopped off to stand guard over his pre-occupied friend. When he drew the Master Sword from the scabbard at his back the French onlookers quickly scurried away.
Kilik opened his eyes and they were clearly troubled. "I could feel that she is near but I can't pinpoint her location."
Link stared at him, unfamiliar with half of his words. "You no find Talim?"
Kilik shook his head. "She is near but I didn't find her, however, I sensed a strong presence approaching us."
Link turned around to scan the area for any threats. He almost dropped his sword at what he saw with his keen elf eye but instead resheathed it and replaced it with his bow and a notched arrow in his string.
Kilik began to cough violently at the evil aura from the man as he tried to desensitize his senses. He needed to snap shut his spiritual eye before it became poisoned by the violence from the blond haired giant, whom he couldn't see too clearly. He clutched his staff to use the extra spiritual energy of it to guide the flow of his ki.
"What do you want?" Kilik demanded. The stranger halted to regard the pair. He had yet to unsheathe his massive sword as he continued to linger in the shadows.
"I have not come to fight with you." The man declared as he ran his clawed dragon-like hand through his long blond hair. Link and Kilik both exchanged nervous glances at the unexpected appendage.
"What is it that you seek?" Kilik asked as he gesture for Link to lower his arrow. The elf did so reluctantly only to hold his boomerang in a white- knuckled grip just to be safe.
"I seek Raphael. I must dissuade his current intentions. I believe he possesses something of yours?"
Kilik nodded. "Who are you?"
The man's sharp blue eyes that seemed to illuminate the darkness turned cloudy with an unknown pain as he looked down at his dragon arm. "Once I was human and had a name which I have no more right to go by." He looked back at Kilik, a blank mask upon his face. "Now I am Nightmare."
The blond haired man stepped out of shadow as Kilik felt his heart skip a beat as the impossible just became reality. "But, we killed you." Kilik argued.
Cruel laughter met his ears. "This Nightmare does not end so easily."
Nightmare led the two reluctant warriors towards the mansion Raphael now resided. The heavy oak door at the front served as little deterrent as Nightmare destroyed it with his weapon.
Link scooted closer to Kilik to whisper in his ear. "You defeated him?" he inquired incredulously.
Kilik's eyes narrowed in annoyance causing Link to shrug innocently and follow Nightmare inside. His Master Sword was drawn and ready for use.
Raphael watched from the top of his stairs as his guests invited themselves into his home. He shut the door behind him to trap inside the unconscious girl.
"I guess I should have had some tea prepared," Raphael greeted as he twirled his rapier around with a flick of his wrist as he leaned against the banister of the stairs.
"Where is Talim?" Kilik demanded.
"My aren't you the impatient one? Hand over the shards and you can collect the girl." Raphael replied causing Nightmare to growl and move to block the way up the stairs.
"I can not allow you to seek Soul Edge," Nightmare warned.
Raphael quirked a golden brow. "Really? Shall we dance then?" He asked in open challenge.
Nightmare's eyes flashed crimson for a moment, "Lets."
Link sighed as he sheathed his sword in disappointment.
"Talim awaits her knights in shining armor," Kilik told him earning a confused elf. Link began to search for the said knights behind him and not seeing them blinked at Kilik owlishly.
Kilik rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of his companion's elbow. "We are the knights Link. We are the ones that are going to rescue Talim."
Link pulled his elbow away and glared at Kilik. "I knew that." He told him as he used his free elbow to hit him in the ribs and race up the stairs towards Talim. "I will be the knight." He declared as he opened the door.
Kilik entered the room a split second after Link and they both rushed Talim's side. Kilik lifted her into his arms after checking her pulse to see it was steady and her seeing her chest rise and fall signifying her breathing.
"Talim okay?" Linked inquired, concern evident upon his face since he didn't get to see Talim much before Kilik snatched her and crushed her against his chest.
Kilik nodded, "She's fine. We better get back down there to see what happens."
"Elbow blades?" Link inquired as Kilik tried to walk out the door. Kilik turned back around to search for the weapons. He found them on a set of dresser drawers, smashed into pieces.
Link frowned at the ruined mess that once composed Talim's double crescent blades. "She no be happy when she wake up," he declared solemnly.
Kilik shook his head as he agreed. "She won't be happy at all."
The trio of warriors ran back down the stairs to witness the match between Nightmare and Raphael. The two swords were clashing and sparks were flying.
Raphael just landed a sharp slice upon Nightmare's hideous arm only to receive a swift kick to the face that sent him flying to the wall.
Nightmare crouched on the floor and a dark energy was gathering around him. "Sword, give me strength!" He shouted as he transformed, his blond hair turning red and his skin no longer human but that of a dragon to match his arm.
Nightmare in his terrible state marched towards Raphael who was rising to his feet in defiance. "You will not stop me from my noble quest," Raphael told him firmly as he spit blood onto the floor and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth.
Nightmare growled in response, "Souls come on to me!" His sword began to descent upon Raphael.
Link had rushed over with his Master Sword drawn and ready and intercepted the fatal blow intended to split Raphael into two equal halves.
Kilik set Talim down against the wall as he rushed in to aid his elf friend. With his staff he knocked between Nightmare's leg drawing his right leg askew and sending the beast he had become crashing to the ground. He looked over at Link, "We must get the sword away from him!"
Link nodded before giving Raphael a good knock upside the head with his boomerang, making him fall unconscious. He then rushed to Kilik's side and sliced the dragon arm holding the evil blade.
Nightmare howled in rage as his hand was severed from his body. The pain and loss of the sword began to calm his blood and his hair turned golden once more as his body returned to his human state. He clutched his bleeding arm to his chest.
Nightmare looked at up them both, pleading in his icy orbs. "Please, finish me. I can not bear to live like this anymore. I am not strong enough to fight the evil of the blade." He stood to his full height and grabbed hold of Kilik's robes with his uninjured hand to hoist him in the air so that he was nose to nose with him. "Kill me now while I am in control or else you will all die."
Kilik could see the good that lay within the man's heart. It was constantly tempted by evil but his heart was still good. "But, your heart is good."
"Kill me now or else the sword will take over." Nightmare released Kilik as he clutched his injured wrist, the arm was taking the appearance of a dragon's claw again and healing itself. "Kill me or else I will kill you."
Link notched his arrow, aiming for Nightmare's heart.
"Wait!" Talim shouted from her position on the floor. All eyes, expect Raphael, he's unconscious, turned to her. "Do not kill him. Siegfried we can help you. I will destroy Soul Edge and your humanity may be reclaimed."
Nightmare looked at her, something akin to hope was dancing in his eyes. He still clutched his healing hand. "I can not control the blood lust the sword demands of me."
"Yes you can. You can control it a little longer. Be strong." Talim advised as she called forth the aid of the winds, sending a calming breeze to circle around Nightmare's body. He shivered at the feel, it kept growing colder. Soon his teeth were chattering.
"While he is distracted, knock him unconscious Kilik, we must take him with us." Talim ordered rising to her feet unsteadily.
Kilik headed the advice and slammed his rod onto the back of Nightmare's skull. Talim walked over towards Raphael's slumped figure and retrieved his and her shards from his inner pockets. "We must leave for Egypt now."
Kilik starred at her suspiciously. "Were you not just unconscious?"
Talim grinned at him mischievously. "Sure looked like I was, didn't it? Come on, I'm the priestess of my village. If anybody can make it seem like their body is in a trance it is me. If I didn't people would constantly be hassling me."
"Egypt?" Link asked standing beside Talim and giving her a quick hug which she gladly returned, much to Kilik's annoyance.
She looked down at Nightmare's still form. "Yeah, but we need to get there fast. Perhaps our new friend Raphael has some extra gold laying around he wouldn't mind donating to the cause." Talim replied as she went in search of items she could sell to pay for their voyage to Egypt.
"That's called stealing you know." Kilik berated her. Talim flashed him a vicious glare causing him to shrug breezily. "But then I guess it makes us even for him kidnapping you and all."
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Yunsung marveled at the stunning landscape. Sure he knew Egypt had a lot of sand but he didn't expect the land along the river Nile to appear so lush and green. Cassandra stood beside him at the dock as they awaited signs for any ships that might be carrying their missing companions.
"Do you think they are coming?" Cassandra asked as they eyed the waters.
"No doubt. I actually am surprised they aren't here before us. I wonder if they ran into any sort of trouble." Yunsung answered running his fingers through his coppery locks.
Cassandra shook her head. "I doubt that. What are the odds that Talim could get kidnapped with both Kilik and Link with her? Those two watch her like hawks, no way something like that would happen. They probably just got side tracked helping random villages instead of hurrying on over."
Yunsung chuckled at the picture then smiled down at Cassandra as they began to leave the docks. "You're probably right. I mean we have a priestess, a man who was raised at a temple, and an elf who's the hero of his entire world, if ever there was a group of good Samaritans it would be them."
An arrow landing at Yunsung's feet caught his attention as he followed the path the projectile originated. Standing two hundred yards away he noticed his elf friend waving at him. They two ran towards each other and met half way.
"How long have you been here?" Yunsung demanded.
Link frowned at him. "Link has been here for an entire day."
Yunsung's face faulted at the answer, he turned to Cassandra who had just caught up to them. "Did you hear that?"
"You've been here all along? Where is everyone else?" Cassandra demanded.
Link put his bow back over his shoulder before he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Talim and Kilik went to mystic cave this morning."
"What?" Link's ear drums almost burst at Yunsung's volume. "Why didn't they wait?"
Link shrugged. "Kilik and Talim went with Maxi and Xianghua to fight someone named Astaroth and find Soul Calibur."
"What are you doing here then?" Cassandra asked.
Link smiled at them. "Distracting you."
Yunsung began to growl as he pulled out his sword and pointed the tip at the elf's throat. Link merely stared at him without flinching. "We need to watch out for Siegfried," Link informed them.
"Fine. Take us to him." Yunsung bit out through clenched teeth as he put away his sword.
The Korean and the Greek followed the elf through the busy market of Cairo until they reached a room. An uneasy feeling passed over the trio as they walked to the back of the room. An aura of evil began to permeate the very air that they breathed.
"Siegfried, Link is back." The elf spoke to the figure slouched over in the dark corner of the room.
The figure shifted. "Link, could you come here for a moment?" A gruff voice requested, sounding tired.
Link smiled and walked towards the being with confidence. After removing all the shards of Soul Edge they could detect on Nightmare he had become a rather nice guy. He was deeply troubled by his sins, but a nice guy none- the-less.
However, a sense of foreboding soon crept up Link's spine the closer he approached the man. "Siegfried, are you alright?"
"No, but I will be," Nightmare replied before he grabbed hold of Link and pulled the elf to him. A solitaire shard of the Soul Edge had remained within Siegfried's tortured body waiting for the right moment to claim a new host. The spiritual energies of the holy man and the priestess were too great but the elf had plenty of power and none of it would hurt it.
Link pulled away from the man quickly, but not soon enough. As Nightmare slumped to against the wall, in a coma now, no longer burdened by Soul Edge's influence Link turned towards the two young human warriors. His eyes were no longer a crystalline blue, but were a bloodlust red.
He pushed back the two stunned humans and made his way to the mystic cave that would lead to Inferno and the possession of the rest of the shards and ultimate power. Soul Edge would be complete be it at the hands of a German prince or an elf from another world.
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TBC
A/N: What do you guys think about evil Link? Ahh!!! One chapter left! Thanks for sticking with me for this fiction! Belle
Kilik and Link were drawing many stares when they rode their horses into the middle of the Parisian streets. It wasn't every day that one saw a holy man with a staff nearly eight feet long and bright crimson robes riding by an elf with a large sword and bow strapped across his back.
Link moved his white horse alongside Kilik. "Why they look?" Linked inquired in the language he seemed to only know how to butcher.
"They look because we do not belong here," Kilik pointed to Link's ocarina that was hanging on a chain around his neck. "Do you think you can relay a message to Talim using the winds?"
Link shook his head. "I have tried."
Kilik sighed, then directed his horse to the side of the road. He slid off his mount ingoring the Frenchmen who seemed to be gawking at him and sad cross-legged to meditate. Perhaps if he focused enough he would be able to locate Talim's familiar aura.
Link guided his horse beside Kilik's and hopped off to stand guard over his pre-occupied friend. When he drew the Master Sword from the scabbard at his back the French onlookers quickly scurried away.
Kilik opened his eyes and they were clearly troubled. "I could feel that she is near but I can't pinpoint her location."
Link stared at him, unfamiliar with half of his words. "You no find Talim?"
Kilik shook his head. "She is near but I didn't find her, however, I sensed a strong presence approaching us."
Link turned around to scan the area for any threats. He almost dropped his sword at what he saw with his keen elf eye but instead resheathed it and replaced it with his bow and a notched arrow in his string.
Kilik began to cough violently at the evil aura from the man as he tried to desensitize his senses. He needed to snap shut his spiritual eye before it became poisoned by the violence from the blond haired giant, whom he couldn't see too clearly. He clutched his staff to use the extra spiritual energy of it to guide the flow of his ki.
"What do you want?" Kilik demanded. The stranger halted to regard the pair. He had yet to unsheathe his massive sword as he continued to linger in the shadows.
"I have not come to fight with you." The man declared as he ran his clawed dragon-like hand through his long blond hair. Link and Kilik both exchanged nervous glances at the unexpected appendage.
"What is it that you seek?" Kilik asked as he gesture for Link to lower his arrow. The elf did so reluctantly only to hold his boomerang in a white- knuckled grip just to be safe.
"I seek Raphael. I must dissuade his current intentions. I believe he possesses something of yours?"
Kilik nodded. "Who are you?"
The man's sharp blue eyes that seemed to illuminate the darkness turned cloudy with an unknown pain as he looked down at his dragon arm. "Once I was human and had a name which I have no more right to go by." He looked back at Kilik, a blank mask upon his face. "Now I am Nightmare."
The blond haired man stepped out of shadow as Kilik felt his heart skip a beat as the impossible just became reality. "But, we killed you." Kilik argued.
Cruel laughter met his ears. "This Nightmare does not end so easily."
Nightmare led the two reluctant warriors towards the mansion Raphael now resided. The heavy oak door at the front served as little deterrent as Nightmare destroyed it with his weapon.
Link scooted closer to Kilik to whisper in his ear. "You defeated him?" he inquired incredulously.
Kilik's eyes narrowed in annoyance causing Link to shrug innocently and follow Nightmare inside. His Master Sword was drawn and ready for use.
Raphael watched from the top of his stairs as his guests invited themselves into his home. He shut the door behind him to trap inside the unconscious girl.
"I guess I should have had some tea prepared," Raphael greeted as he twirled his rapier around with a flick of his wrist as he leaned against the banister of the stairs.
"Where is Talim?" Kilik demanded.
"My aren't you the impatient one? Hand over the shards and you can collect the girl." Raphael replied causing Nightmare to growl and move to block the way up the stairs.
"I can not allow you to seek Soul Edge," Nightmare warned.
Raphael quirked a golden brow. "Really? Shall we dance then?" He asked in open challenge.
Nightmare's eyes flashed crimson for a moment, "Lets."
Link sighed as he sheathed his sword in disappointment.
"Talim awaits her knights in shining armor," Kilik told him earning a confused elf. Link began to search for the said knights behind him and not seeing them blinked at Kilik owlishly.
Kilik rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of his companion's elbow. "We are the knights Link. We are the ones that are going to rescue Talim."
Link pulled his elbow away and glared at Kilik. "I knew that." He told him as he used his free elbow to hit him in the ribs and race up the stairs towards Talim. "I will be the knight." He declared as he opened the door.
Kilik entered the room a split second after Link and they both rushed Talim's side. Kilik lifted her into his arms after checking her pulse to see it was steady and her seeing her chest rise and fall signifying her breathing.
"Talim okay?" Linked inquired, concern evident upon his face since he didn't get to see Talim much before Kilik snatched her and crushed her against his chest.
Kilik nodded, "She's fine. We better get back down there to see what happens."
"Elbow blades?" Link inquired as Kilik tried to walk out the door. Kilik turned back around to search for the weapons. He found them on a set of dresser drawers, smashed into pieces.
Link frowned at the ruined mess that once composed Talim's double crescent blades. "She no be happy when she wake up," he declared solemnly.
Kilik shook his head as he agreed. "She won't be happy at all."
The trio of warriors ran back down the stairs to witness the match between Nightmare and Raphael. The two swords were clashing and sparks were flying.
Raphael just landed a sharp slice upon Nightmare's hideous arm only to receive a swift kick to the face that sent him flying to the wall.
Nightmare crouched on the floor and a dark energy was gathering around him. "Sword, give me strength!" He shouted as he transformed, his blond hair turning red and his skin no longer human but that of a dragon to match his arm.
Nightmare in his terrible state marched towards Raphael who was rising to his feet in defiance. "You will not stop me from my noble quest," Raphael told him firmly as he spit blood onto the floor and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth.
Nightmare growled in response, "Souls come on to me!" His sword began to descent upon Raphael.
Link had rushed over with his Master Sword drawn and ready and intercepted the fatal blow intended to split Raphael into two equal halves.
Kilik set Talim down against the wall as he rushed in to aid his elf friend. With his staff he knocked between Nightmare's leg drawing his right leg askew and sending the beast he had become crashing to the ground. He looked over at Link, "We must get the sword away from him!"
Link nodded before giving Raphael a good knock upside the head with his boomerang, making him fall unconscious. He then rushed to Kilik's side and sliced the dragon arm holding the evil blade.
Nightmare howled in rage as his hand was severed from his body. The pain and loss of the sword began to calm his blood and his hair turned golden once more as his body returned to his human state. He clutched his bleeding arm to his chest.
Nightmare looked at up them both, pleading in his icy orbs. "Please, finish me. I can not bear to live like this anymore. I am not strong enough to fight the evil of the blade." He stood to his full height and grabbed hold of Kilik's robes with his uninjured hand to hoist him in the air so that he was nose to nose with him. "Kill me now while I am in control or else you will all die."
Kilik could see the good that lay within the man's heart. It was constantly tempted by evil but his heart was still good. "But, your heart is good."
"Kill me now or else the sword will take over." Nightmare released Kilik as he clutched his injured wrist, the arm was taking the appearance of a dragon's claw again and healing itself. "Kill me or else I will kill you."
Link notched his arrow, aiming for Nightmare's heart.
"Wait!" Talim shouted from her position on the floor. All eyes, expect Raphael, he's unconscious, turned to her. "Do not kill him. Siegfried we can help you. I will destroy Soul Edge and your humanity may be reclaimed."
Nightmare looked at her, something akin to hope was dancing in his eyes. He still clutched his healing hand. "I can not control the blood lust the sword demands of me."
"Yes you can. You can control it a little longer. Be strong." Talim advised as she called forth the aid of the winds, sending a calming breeze to circle around Nightmare's body. He shivered at the feel, it kept growing colder. Soon his teeth were chattering.
"While he is distracted, knock him unconscious Kilik, we must take him with us." Talim ordered rising to her feet unsteadily.
Kilik headed the advice and slammed his rod onto the back of Nightmare's skull. Talim walked over towards Raphael's slumped figure and retrieved his and her shards from his inner pockets. "We must leave for Egypt now."
Kilik starred at her suspiciously. "Were you not just unconscious?"
Talim grinned at him mischievously. "Sure looked like I was, didn't it? Come on, I'm the priestess of my village. If anybody can make it seem like their body is in a trance it is me. If I didn't people would constantly be hassling me."
"Egypt?" Link asked standing beside Talim and giving her a quick hug which she gladly returned, much to Kilik's annoyance.
She looked down at Nightmare's still form. "Yeah, but we need to get there fast. Perhaps our new friend Raphael has some extra gold laying around he wouldn't mind donating to the cause." Talim replied as she went in search of items she could sell to pay for their voyage to Egypt.
"That's called stealing you know." Kilik berated her. Talim flashed him a vicious glare causing him to shrug breezily. "But then I guess it makes us even for him kidnapping you and all."
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Yunsung marveled at the stunning landscape. Sure he knew Egypt had a lot of sand but he didn't expect the land along the river Nile to appear so lush and green. Cassandra stood beside him at the dock as they awaited signs for any ships that might be carrying their missing companions.
"Do you think they are coming?" Cassandra asked as they eyed the waters.
"No doubt. I actually am surprised they aren't here before us. I wonder if they ran into any sort of trouble." Yunsung answered running his fingers through his coppery locks.
Cassandra shook her head. "I doubt that. What are the odds that Talim could get kidnapped with both Kilik and Link with her? Those two watch her like hawks, no way something like that would happen. They probably just got side tracked helping random villages instead of hurrying on over."
Yunsung chuckled at the picture then smiled down at Cassandra as they began to leave the docks. "You're probably right. I mean we have a priestess, a man who was raised at a temple, and an elf who's the hero of his entire world, if ever there was a group of good Samaritans it would be them."
An arrow landing at Yunsung's feet caught his attention as he followed the path the projectile originated. Standing two hundred yards away he noticed his elf friend waving at him. They two ran towards each other and met half way.
"How long have you been here?" Yunsung demanded.
Link frowned at him. "Link has been here for an entire day."
Yunsung's face faulted at the answer, he turned to Cassandra who had just caught up to them. "Did you hear that?"
"You've been here all along? Where is everyone else?" Cassandra demanded.
Link put his bow back over his shoulder before he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Talim and Kilik went to mystic cave this morning."
"What?" Link's ear drums almost burst at Yunsung's volume. "Why didn't they wait?"
Link shrugged. "Kilik and Talim went with Maxi and Xianghua to fight someone named Astaroth and find Soul Calibur."
"What are you doing here then?" Cassandra asked.
Link smiled at them. "Distracting you."
Yunsung began to growl as he pulled out his sword and pointed the tip at the elf's throat. Link merely stared at him without flinching. "We need to watch out for Siegfried," Link informed them.
"Fine. Take us to him." Yunsung bit out through clenched teeth as he put away his sword.
The Korean and the Greek followed the elf through the busy market of Cairo until they reached a room. An uneasy feeling passed over the trio as they walked to the back of the room. An aura of evil began to permeate the very air that they breathed.
"Siegfried, Link is back." The elf spoke to the figure slouched over in the dark corner of the room.
The figure shifted. "Link, could you come here for a moment?" A gruff voice requested, sounding tired.
Link smiled and walked towards the being with confidence. After removing all the shards of Soul Edge they could detect on Nightmare he had become a rather nice guy. He was deeply troubled by his sins, but a nice guy none- the-less.
However, a sense of foreboding soon crept up Link's spine the closer he approached the man. "Siegfried, are you alright?"
"No, but I will be," Nightmare replied before he grabbed hold of Link and pulled the elf to him. A solitaire shard of the Soul Edge had remained within Siegfried's tortured body waiting for the right moment to claim a new host. The spiritual energies of the holy man and the priestess were too great but the elf had plenty of power and none of it would hurt it.
Link pulled away from the man quickly, but not soon enough. As Nightmare slumped to against the wall, in a coma now, no longer burdened by Soul Edge's influence Link turned towards the two young human warriors. His eyes were no longer a crystalline blue, but were a bloodlust red.
He pushed back the two stunned humans and made his way to the mystic cave that would lead to Inferno and the possession of the rest of the shards and ultimate power. Soul Edge would be complete be it at the hands of a German prince or an elf from another world.
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TBC
A/N: What do you guys think about evil Link? Ahh!!! One chapter left! Thanks for sticking with me for this fiction! Belle