Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Calibur, Soul Edge, Taki, Mitsurugi, Sophitia or Cassandra.
These all belong to NAMCO. Such a pity--they won't let me have them. Oh well. But this fanfic is
mine, as are Captain Dmitri and Yvgeny.
Viator: By Your Side
The Sequel to Requietum:A Journey Home
by jin long
lycan11@yahoo.com
Chapter 7
The inkeeper took a glance at the table which was only a meter or so away from him, eyeing the group
that chatted animatedly in a language he could not understand. They were a strange bunch, he thought.
They didn't look or even smell like those dark people from the desert, he knew.
He'd never seen their sort of people before, although he'd heard the stories people said about the race
that somebody named Polo or something like that had seen, and they appeared to match this Polo-
somebody's descriptions of people seen in some strange, far-off land even beyond the desert.
However, though it could be said he was curious, he was actually looking at them with a cautious eye
more than anything. The inkeeper was no stranger to troublemakers and he even had a certain pride
at being able to spot them from a distance. And this bunch practically screamed troublemaker at him.
He gave a sideways glance at his hired guards, just to make sure they were where he wanted them to
be if any trouble broke out. The inkeeper had long learned the value of keeping warriors around his
establishment.
A hearty laugh from from the group he pegged as troublemakers caused him to return his gaze to their
table. It came from the man who was apparently the leader of the gang, the one noticeably missing an
arm. The man laughed one more time, then stood up and went towards him, coins in hand.
The inkeeper gave a slight sigh of relief; there would be no trouble today, he thought, raising his hand
to accept the coins the one-armed man soon deposited.
"No problem, eh?" he asked, not completely serious with his question, as he thought to himself that
this person before him would not understand.
He noticed however, that the stranger paid him no heed and was instead gazing at the little figurine on
the counter. The inkeeper raised his eyebrows, looking at the one-armed man, wondering why he was
gazing so intently at the little wooden sculpture. Although, the innkeeper thought to himself, it was a very
nice piece of work indeed.
It looked almost lifelike, the inkeeper thought. Perhaps almost a perfect copy of whoever the original
was. It was so detailed, right down to the small shield that had the insignia of a ram's horns.
Perhaps the model was Mediterranean in origin, he thought to himself.
What a pity the woman who had carved it left it. It was such a nice little thing.
In a second, that nice little thing had been snatched up by the one-armed man, examined, and put into
his satchel.
"Hey!" exclaimed the inkeeper. "Put that back!"
The one-armed man spun around, giving him an angry look. Then he sneered, and the innkeeper soon
found that his throat was slashed, blood spurting all over his counter. As he choked and fell to his
knees, he could just make out his hired guards being slashed open by what looked like sickles and
a claw.
----------------------
"KYATTT!!!"
Taki watched idly as Mitsurugi swung his katana at the soldier's neck and skillfully stopped it just a
hair's breadth from the skin. The soldier let go of his own sword and raised two hands up in defeat,
his face betraying that he was obviously impressed with Mitsurugi's abilities. The other soldiers who
were watching nodded in approval.
The man who was obviously the commander nodded, saying something she didn't understand until
the priest who had assisted them the first day translated it into Greek and told her that this Captain
Dmitri was impressed by both their abilities, by hers especially, not expecting a woman to be combat-
savvy, and hoped that they would help him and his soldiers in a coming battle.
"I see," Taki replied. "Why is he so willing to let us help?"
The priest, Yvgeny, replied. "Perhaps we do not look like we are desperate, but we are most definitely
so." He looked to Captain Dmitri, who had decided to try his luck against Mitsurugi, then turned back
to her. "The raids by those from the sands have become more ferocious with the passing of each day.
In fact, we have recieved news that we are the only place that they have not conquered," Yvgeny said.
"It was rather sad too, because the messenger himself died."
Taki nodded, lost in thought. "I guess that's why Captain Dmitri was only to eager to shoot arrows into
me and my companions when we approached your gates. Thank goodness for your intervention."
Then Taki smiled and looked at him, saying "I thought everyone spoke Greek beyond the sands. Pretty
bad assumption on my part."
Yvgeny nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, I know Greek - have to know Greek because our holy texts
are in that language." He sighed. "But Greek speech or no, He appears not to hear us. The invaders
come and come, and we have no choice but to hole up within these walls and defend ourselves while
praying that they do not make it past our gates."
"Although they have, perhaps once?" Taki noted, glancing at the gate to the castle, which had obviously
seen the likes of a battering ram, bearing traces of repairs.
"Once, and it was terrible. They burned what they could and killed who they could. If it weren't for the cool
heads of Captain Dmitri and Captain Vladimir..."
"Captain Vladimir?" Taki asked.
"He was Captain Dmitri's brother. He died during the last time the invaders managed to break into the
walls." Yvgeny looked to the sky. "They are like demons, these people from the sands. If the Devil
himself were behind them and rallying them, it would not come as a surprise to me. They are that
savage."
Yvgeny paused upon hearing the ringing of bells. He closed his eyes and exhaled before opening them
again. "You must excuse me, Taki. The people need their daily assurance that He does not forsake us,
and I must administer this hope to them. Yvgeny sighed, saying, "It is in such times as these that He
must be testing us and our faith." He waved goodbye to Taki, then proceeded to walk to the small
church near them both.
The he paused, and glanced over his shoulder at her, saying "You said that you were a slayer of
demons, did you not?" He smiled sadly. "Though I do not believe you, right now I do hope you are."
With that, Yvgeny walked on and entered the church.
-----------------------
A slayer of demons...
Taki brushed her thumb along the grain of a piece of wood she held absently in her left hand. Holding
the carving knife with a practiced grip in her right, she cut into the wood, making a rough outline of what
she intended to be the final product.
Am I still?
The kunoichi rotated the piece of wood, continuing the outline on the back. Satisfied with the rough
image, Taki rotated the image so that the front faced her yet again, and began to carve away the
excess wood.
Or am I turning into one of them? I wanted to give in that time... I wanted to let go of everything, she
thought to herself. Just give in to that power, that power within Mekki-maru, that power that Soul Edge
seems to promise, and everything will be all right...
I can't, she told herself. A skilled flick of the carving knife sent more wood shavings to the ground. If I
did, I'd become what I don't want Toki to become. I'd defeat every purpose, every motive I had running
away from the clan, taking Mekki-maru, turning traitor. It would all be for nothing if Mekki-maru took
over one of the Fuuma, even one considered a traitor, Taki thought.
She continued carving, then stopped as she realized whose face she was carving into the wood. Not
again, Taki groaned. This is precisely why you left the figurine at that inn, that figurine of her, she told
herself. Your emotions are driving you insane, making you more vulnerable to temptation, to giving
in to Soul Edge.
Taki put the piece of wood and the carving knife down.
I never should have fallen for her, Taki told herself. It's impossible to be with her.
I should have known that from the start.
But I....
Why did I fall in love with her? With a foreigner of all possible people? Taki breathed in deeply and
buried her face in her hands. Just as I feared, just as I always feared. I should have stuck to what I
always did, she thought. I should have just brought her back to Greece, I should not have given in to
her affections towards me.
But I did.
I foolishly did.
I don't know if I regret it.
Taki closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. This is stupid. I'm being stupid. Captain Dmitri is counting on
me and 'Shiro-kun to focus and help this place defend itself against invaders who are possibly wielders
of weapons forged with Soul Edge shards, she thought to herself. This town doesn't need a lovesick
defender who might suddenly go insane and turn on them.
Just focus for now, she told herself. Stop thinking about it, stop letting your emotions run wild.
You always have, haven't you?
----------------
to be continued...
Hmm, at least I've covered the bases for succeeding chapters. somehow my mind isn't on the chapters
that i should be writing, but is way ahead of where the fanfic currently is. things are going to pick up
though after this one.
hmmm...
sorry to any russians irked by my previous incorrect spelling of the priest's name.
and no, i do not think of Taki as bi or as a lez. it's much more complicated than that, believe me.
sticking her into either category is just too damn shallow.
that's 'bout it. and i am not feeling very humorous right now, so no sarcasm or funny bits.
jin long
These all belong to NAMCO. Such a pity--they won't let me have them. Oh well. But this fanfic is
mine, as are Captain Dmitri and Yvgeny.
Viator: By Your Side
The Sequel to Requietum:A Journey Home
by jin long
lycan11@yahoo.com
Chapter 7
The inkeeper took a glance at the table which was only a meter or so away from him, eyeing the group
that chatted animatedly in a language he could not understand. They were a strange bunch, he thought.
They didn't look or even smell like those dark people from the desert, he knew.
He'd never seen their sort of people before, although he'd heard the stories people said about the race
that somebody named Polo or something like that had seen, and they appeared to match this Polo-
somebody's descriptions of people seen in some strange, far-off land even beyond the desert.
However, though it could be said he was curious, he was actually looking at them with a cautious eye
more than anything. The inkeeper was no stranger to troublemakers and he even had a certain pride
at being able to spot them from a distance. And this bunch practically screamed troublemaker at him.
He gave a sideways glance at his hired guards, just to make sure they were where he wanted them to
be if any trouble broke out. The inkeeper had long learned the value of keeping warriors around his
establishment.
A hearty laugh from from the group he pegged as troublemakers caused him to return his gaze to their
table. It came from the man who was apparently the leader of the gang, the one noticeably missing an
arm. The man laughed one more time, then stood up and went towards him, coins in hand.
The inkeeper gave a slight sigh of relief; there would be no trouble today, he thought, raising his hand
to accept the coins the one-armed man soon deposited.
"No problem, eh?" he asked, not completely serious with his question, as he thought to himself that
this person before him would not understand.
He noticed however, that the stranger paid him no heed and was instead gazing at the little figurine on
the counter. The inkeeper raised his eyebrows, looking at the one-armed man, wondering why he was
gazing so intently at the little wooden sculpture. Although, the innkeeper thought to himself, it was a very
nice piece of work indeed.
It looked almost lifelike, the inkeeper thought. Perhaps almost a perfect copy of whoever the original
was. It was so detailed, right down to the small shield that had the insignia of a ram's horns.
Perhaps the model was Mediterranean in origin, he thought to himself.
What a pity the woman who had carved it left it. It was such a nice little thing.
In a second, that nice little thing had been snatched up by the one-armed man, examined, and put into
his satchel.
"Hey!" exclaimed the inkeeper. "Put that back!"
The one-armed man spun around, giving him an angry look. Then he sneered, and the innkeeper soon
found that his throat was slashed, blood spurting all over his counter. As he choked and fell to his
knees, he could just make out his hired guards being slashed open by what looked like sickles and
a claw.
----------------------
"KYATTT!!!"
Taki watched idly as Mitsurugi swung his katana at the soldier's neck and skillfully stopped it just a
hair's breadth from the skin. The soldier let go of his own sword and raised two hands up in defeat,
his face betraying that he was obviously impressed with Mitsurugi's abilities. The other soldiers who
were watching nodded in approval.
The man who was obviously the commander nodded, saying something she didn't understand until
the priest who had assisted them the first day translated it into Greek and told her that this Captain
Dmitri was impressed by both their abilities, by hers especially, not expecting a woman to be combat-
savvy, and hoped that they would help him and his soldiers in a coming battle.
"I see," Taki replied. "Why is he so willing to let us help?"
The priest, Yvgeny, replied. "Perhaps we do not look like we are desperate, but we are most definitely
so." He looked to Captain Dmitri, who had decided to try his luck against Mitsurugi, then turned back
to her. "The raids by those from the sands have become more ferocious with the passing of each day.
In fact, we have recieved news that we are the only place that they have not conquered," Yvgeny said.
"It was rather sad too, because the messenger himself died."
Taki nodded, lost in thought. "I guess that's why Captain Dmitri was only to eager to shoot arrows into
me and my companions when we approached your gates. Thank goodness for your intervention."
Then Taki smiled and looked at him, saying "I thought everyone spoke Greek beyond the sands. Pretty
bad assumption on my part."
Yvgeny nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, I know Greek - have to know Greek because our holy texts
are in that language." He sighed. "But Greek speech or no, He appears not to hear us. The invaders
come and come, and we have no choice but to hole up within these walls and defend ourselves while
praying that they do not make it past our gates."
"Although they have, perhaps once?" Taki noted, glancing at the gate to the castle, which had obviously
seen the likes of a battering ram, bearing traces of repairs.
"Once, and it was terrible. They burned what they could and killed who they could. If it weren't for the cool
heads of Captain Dmitri and Captain Vladimir..."
"Captain Vladimir?" Taki asked.
"He was Captain Dmitri's brother. He died during the last time the invaders managed to break into the
walls." Yvgeny looked to the sky. "They are like demons, these people from the sands. If the Devil
himself were behind them and rallying them, it would not come as a surprise to me. They are that
savage."
Yvgeny paused upon hearing the ringing of bells. He closed his eyes and exhaled before opening them
again. "You must excuse me, Taki. The people need their daily assurance that He does not forsake us,
and I must administer this hope to them. Yvgeny sighed, saying, "It is in such times as these that He
must be testing us and our faith." He waved goodbye to Taki, then proceeded to walk to the small
church near them both.
The he paused, and glanced over his shoulder at her, saying "You said that you were a slayer of
demons, did you not?" He smiled sadly. "Though I do not believe you, right now I do hope you are."
With that, Yvgeny walked on and entered the church.
-----------------------
A slayer of demons...
Taki brushed her thumb along the grain of a piece of wood she held absently in her left hand. Holding
the carving knife with a practiced grip in her right, she cut into the wood, making a rough outline of what
she intended to be the final product.
Am I still?
The kunoichi rotated the piece of wood, continuing the outline on the back. Satisfied with the rough
image, Taki rotated the image so that the front faced her yet again, and began to carve away the
excess wood.
Or am I turning into one of them? I wanted to give in that time... I wanted to let go of everything, she
thought to herself. Just give in to that power, that power within Mekki-maru, that power that Soul Edge
seems to promise, and everything will be all right...
I can't, she told herself. A skilled flick of the carving knife sent more wood shavings to the ground. If I
did, I'd become what I don't want Toki to become. I'd defeat every purpose, every motive I had running
away from the clan, taking Mekki-maru, turning traitor. It would all be for nothing if Mekki-maru took
over one of the Fuuma, even one considered a traitor, Taki thought.
She continued carving, then stopped as she realized whose face she was carving into the wood. Not
again, Taki groaned. This is precisely why you left the figurine at that inn, that figurine of her, she told
herself. Your emotions are driving you insane, making you more vulnerable to temptation, to giving
in to Soul Edge.
Taki put the piece of wood and the carving knife down.
I never should have fallen for her, Taki told herself. It's impossible to be with her.
I should have known that from the start.
But I....
Why did I fall in love with her? With a foreigner of all possible people? Taki breathed in deeply and
buried her face in her hands. Just as I feared, just as I always feared. I should have stuck to what I
always did, she thought. I should have just brought her back to Greece, I should not have given in to
her affections towards me.
But I did.
I foolishly did.
I don't know if I regret it.
Taki closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. This is stupid. I'm being stupid. Captain Dmitri is counting on
me and 'Shiro-kun to focus and help this place defend itself against invaders who are possibly wielders
of weapons forged with Soul Edge shards, she thought to herself. This town doesn't need a lovesick
defender who might suddenly go insane and turn on them.
Just focus for now, she told herself. Stop thinking about it, stop letting your emotions run wild.
You always have, haven't you?
----------------
to be continued...
Hmm, at least I've covered the bases for succeeding chapters. somehow my mind isn't on the chapters
that i should be writing, but is way ahead of where the fanfic currently is. things are going to pick up
though after this one.
hmmm...
sorry to any russians irked by my previous incorrect spelling of the priest's name.
and no, i do not think of Taki as bi or as a lez. it's much more complicated than that, believe me.
sticking her into either category is just too damn shallow.
that's 'bout it. and i am not feeling very humorous right now, so no sarcasm or funny bits.
jin long