Soul Caliber: No Future
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Soul Caliber 2, its characters, or any other part that is involved with the Soul Caliber Series created by Namco.
Chapter 7
Kilik, Cassandra and Xainghua searched near the outermost boarders of France for Nightmare's hideaway. It seemed barren but full of greenery and life. Not really his pick of the crop when it comes to a place to live, but they searched nonetheless. On foot they marched through the meadow. It was nice to see a serene setting once in a while, it reminded them all of home.
Cassandra ran through the grass playfully and laid on the ground, staring into puff white clouds. She really didn't care what was going on at this point, just that it was a little break.
"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you Kilik, something important," said Cassandra not moving her head to make contact. She told Kilik about the journal and of course he wanted to see it for himself. As he read he became disgusted.
"Preposterous! Nightmare if he was indeed this Siegfried could not ever be like this normally either! Is this really true Cassandra? Really?" he shook the book at her as he spoke.
"All of it's true. Like it or not I use to know Siegfried, not Nightmare. They were two totally different people. I've remembered a bit more and he wasn't all bad, not really. Just an ordinary boy who wanted to be noticed."
"That's still hard to hear, and even harder from you Cassandra," spoke Xainghua. They finished searching the area and concluded that Nightmare was not there. The next place was near Germany.
Germany was really lush with plant life too. Could Raphael lead them astray? No, he seemed to gallant to do something that dirty and evil. So again, nothing was of any use there. They kept going until they came to a very barren and dry wasteland of a valley.
"Now this is more his style!" Xainghua spoke with encouragement in her voice.
"Right, but where to look? He's bound to be somewhere around here," Kilik said as he looked around, seeing nothing but hard rocks and dust everywhere. He had wrapped his arm in bandages so as not to bring too much suspicion to anyone they met. Their backpacks slung across their back, they marched around the wasteland. Everything seemed to be blended in with the hues of brown and orange that was until a large boulder stood in their way. It was at least ten feet across and it must have weighed and estimated ton or a bit less. Not even all of them together could lift it.
"It's no use. We can't lift it," Cassandra said hopelessly and sat down and rested her aching back.
"Kilik! Your rod! We can use that for leverage!" Xainghua exclaimed pointing to Kilik's rod put in horizontally in between his back and pack. He took it out and drove into the hard earth underneath the Goliath rock. The rod fit snugly in between the two and all three pushed on the rod. It worked marvelously as the boulder slowly but surely rolled out of the way revealing a staircase going down.
"Get ready, draw your weapons. He's down there, I can feel the evil here like the breath from a dog blown on your face," Kilik said, becoming the unofficial leader for now. He took the rod from the ground and did a little fancy twirl and went in.
"Right behind ya!" called Xainghua taking out No Name and gave her a psyche up by doing a little shadow fighting. She ran after Kilik.
"Wait for me! Ok Cassandra. For Sophitia! Gods help me!" Cassandra called swinging her sword in the air and ran after the, both.
They crept down the stairs and shifted through spider's webs. It grossed out the women a bit but nothing too much. It was dank and musty. The smell of dirt and filth filled the air. It was so bad that they sworn it could have woken the dead. As they got near the bottom, they very cautiously advanced as the lights became brighter.
"He's here," Xainghua stated as she saw the lights, "Ready Kilik? It's our destiny to stop this!"
"Yeah! Let's go!" Kilik agreed as they ran off.
Then it came to Cassandra. "Destiny", is there such a thing? It did seem to be true after what Kilik and Xainghua went through. But what was her destiny? Was it to remember her past? Was it to defeat an old friend turned evil? She knew not, but went on anyway.
They ran through multiple winding passages. He obviously created a labyrinth for the soul purpose of confusing his enemies. They stopped after twenty minutes and regrouped.
"This again isn't working!" Cassandra stated.
"Well stop being so negative! We need to look for big footprints. No like out own." Xainghua said. Cassandra felt ashamed for being like this. She didn't now if it was Nightmare, this place or herself that was scaring her the most. Nightmare because of all he did to her. This place set a very mysterious and frightening mystique. The last one is herself because she didn't know if she could do anything to help.
"Here! Look!" Kilik said quietly as he pointed with his rod to the ground, "It's his print and it goes in this direction. Look down the passage! There's a lot of light! He must be there!"
No doubt about it. There in the middle of a six way intersection were very large footprints in the sandy ground. It led to the south of the maze. Carefully as soon as everyone was prepared, they advanced slowly and quietly through the tunnel. It winded and twisted everywhere. As the light grew brighter, they saw skeletal remains everywhere. So that was that crunching noise when they were walking. Cassandra shuddered slightly as she walked with a crunch, crunch, crunch.
They looked into the room that lay ahead, stealthily to not disturb Nightmare. He sat in a chair turned around not facing the three. This was too good to be true. Nightmare: back turned, practically waiting for them to destroy him.
"Nightmare!" Cassandra said.
"You will pay for the unforgivable sins you have committed!" Xainghua said directly after Cassandra as if they were on voice.
"And your repentance will start with your blood!" Kilik said lastly, after Xainghua with force.
Nightmare did nothing for a moment. Then he turned around and clapped his hands. Soul Edge lay beside him, Eye closed and sleeping, or was it waiting? The clapping echoed in the chasm, "Bravo. I am deeply heart broken by your final words!" he said as he put a hand to his vile heart.
"Face it Nightmare, you're outnumbered!" Cassandra yelled at him, "There's no escape for you!" The three poised themselves for battle.
"Damned fools!" he said and then did his signature maniacal laughter. When finished, he picked up Soul Edge and walked forward three steps, "For it is not I who is outnumbered, it's YOU!" He pointed at the three warriors and the ground rumbled.
As the ground rumbled, the earth split. The crevices opened wide and out came the undead, brandishing axes, swords, spears, all the armaments imaginable.
"What black magic is this?!?" said Xainghua, tyring not to fall.
"Compliments of Voldo from Italy, and of course dear Soul Edge!" he did a little bow for respect at the name. Sluggishly the zombies and skeletons walked forward.
As if they were trying to mislead their movements, one ran out of the harmonious walking and made a dash for Kilik. Swinging and ax, the undead went for his head. Kilik leaned back to avoid the horizontal slash and took out the legs of the creature. As it fell to the ground, he smashed the head of it. The skeletal head shattered under Kilik's rod.
"ATTACK!" Nightmare screamed and at least one hundred armed creatures ran after the three.
Cassandra was a little revolted at first, and then angry because a hand flew off and touched her leg, "DAMN BASTARDS!" She blocked at a sword and took out the arm, turning to shatter a spear and she went to cut out a third creature's leg, returning to the first decapitating it. The one that had the death blow land became dust and blew away. The third fell to the ground and bit down hard on her ankle. The blood dripped from her foot and she flinched in pain. She used a thrust to pierce the head of it and dust again blew from it. Even as she finished those two off, twenty more were for her to play with.
"This is getting no where, GODS!" Cassandra gathered her power and focused it on her sword. She felt faster, stronger and more willing to fight to the death. Her Soul Charge complete, she easily picked them off and they fell like a brigade of foolhardy soldiers, "Soul Charge! It will make some really nice work out of them!" she called out to the others. Nightmare watched attentively.
Xainghua who was already too busy fighting tried to listen to Cassandra but only received fragments of her shouting. She blocked a mace and it made her falter as well as bringing her sword arm down a bit. Instead of fighting the opposing force, she went with it and cart wheeled out of the way as well as slashing at the pelvis at a more skeletal undead creature. She used spinning slashes to fend off the fiends and used thrusts to keep them there, but it was no use. Axes and swords slashed at her nimble body and blood covered her red clothing with her own red fluid. One landed across her cheek and one across her leg. This was going no where, and then she could hear Cassandra call again. She shouted for Soul Charge. Xainghua had an even better idea though.
She started a Soul Charge, but let herself be totally unprotected. This increased the speed of Soul Charge but gave her no defense. Several zombies jumped at her. That was their last mistake. She used her Soul Energy not in a weapon attack, but tried something very untested to explode her energy in a wave of death. It swept out in a five foot radius and took out most of her opponents. It was no problem to finish of her last ones to help Kilik. Cassandra surprised Xainghua as she used her Althenean style of fighting to destroy her adversaries with ease. Kilik was in a lot more trouble. He decided to take on Nightmare. It didn't seem like that, but Xainghua saw him advance with every destroyed body to Nightmare.
Nightmare saw Kilik coming and held up a hand to motion someone to stop. As he did, the creatures stopped fighting and turned to Cassandra and Xainghua. Then he held up on finger as if he wanted to show Kilik something. He took out of his belt, a small blue piece of metal.
"Soulcalibur can never be completed now! I have the most important piece!" he laughed and then became enraged as Kilik knocked it out of his hands. It headed towards Xainghua and she had a very weird felling as it flew towards her. She put up her hand and caught Soulcalibur's hilt. Nightmare watched in horror.
Realizing his loss, he turned towards Kilik again. He screamed and unleashed his fury. A flurry of slashes he unleashed and Kilik blocked a couple of them. One got him good across the arm and his bandages came undone. His arm was almost completely demonized now and he felt angrier than ever. He did not want to be seen this way. Kilik faked for Nightmare's feet and whacked him in the face. The wound left him bleeding across the forehead. Next he pulled back his staff and let multiple thrust to the midsection hit. Nightmare fell to the ground. Kilik was about to land the finishing blow.
As Cassandra and Xainghua finished up the zombies, they looked at Kilik. They looked in awe at Kilik almost finished destroying Nightmare. It was a miracle. Hell would have its only son come back. And their smiles turned into horror.
Nightmare hit the ground on his back. Kilik positioned his rod for Nightmare's temple, and that's when The Eye of Soul Edge opened up. It gazed into Kilik's heart and turned it into a factory of hatred. Kilik felt a pain that was so horrible that he knelt down because of it. He was gasping for breath.
What's happening to me!?! Kilik thought as Soul Edge came upon him again. A fire burned within him. His eyes then turned red and Nightmare stood up.
All stopped and gazed upon the transforming Kilik. His arm bubbled and blood poured from it as a hideous spike drove through it. His right hand became larger than his left and he screamed in pain. Xainghua couldn't believe it and Cassandra was horrorstricken. Kilik stopped screaming and then stood up laughing. Cassandra ran up to him and offered help, it was a movement she was about to regret.
Kilik turned his head and smiled with evil eyes. He looked into Cassandra's eyes and then swung his rod at her arm. It landed and her arm broke at the instant it landed. The sound of her bone snapping filled the air. She screamed and fell to the ground. The impact jostled her backpack and the journal flew out of it. It landed near Nightmare who picked it up and started to read. Kilik could finish the dirty work.
"Kilik! Why the hell are you doing this shit for Nightmare!?!" She yelled as she cried in pain.
"Kilik, is no more. I am the brother of Nightmare, yet to have a name," Kilik smirked and then spit at the ground. He positioned the rod as he did for Nightmare. It looked like the end.
Xainghua was disgusted at Kilik's voice. It was evil and vile. It spewed only evil now. She flipped over to him and slashed his rod in half. He looked and then punched Xainghua in the face with his newly formed arm. He was about to kill her when Nightmare said stop.
"What do you mean stop!? We can finally kill them and have them out of our way!"
"You forget that I control you," said a devilish voice, and it came from Soul Edge. Kilik then fell to his knees and screamed in pain for a second time.
Why did you say stop?! He's right you know! Soul Edge spoke within Nightmare's head. And you made me talk out loud! That was inconceivable on your part.
"Because I feel...I feel...I..." Nightmare did not know what to feel. He read his entries and then something came over him. He began to stutter and couldn't speak. What was this affection he used to have for Cassandra? What was the hate he felt towards his father? He read the last entry and then looked in horror.
"I...killed my father," as Nightmare said this, a tear rolled down his face. Xainghua looked from the ground and his mighty sword turned into a handful of rust. Kilik's rod became the new home for Soul Edge and he felt good about it. Nightmare's arm became more human as Soul Edge took a new vessel.
"Yes Nightmare, or should I call you...Siegfried- or even better, murderer?" spoke the words of Kilik, "So you've found out for yourself? Too bad that was one mistake you could not make. It's time to destroy a defective vessel!"
"You said someone else killed my father! You used me!" Seigfried spoke. He was in rage, but a clam rage- a controlled rage.
"Oh boohoo! Cry about it. You won't in a few moments!" Kilik yet again positioned his rod, but it was now Soul Edge ho would win.
Cassandra could not stand this. Even though her shield arm was broken, she ran after Kilik with her sword and thrust him in. It went all the way through and Kilik spewed blood. He held his side and his blood poured to the floor. It burned and bubbled like acid. Nightmare looked at Cassandra's action and was astounded. How could she help him? He looked at his arm, and t was only badly scarred, but now human.
'Damn bitch!" Kilik said aloud.
I must recover from this wound. He thought. His hand was drenched with blood and it kept flowing.
Survive! We must destroy those who stand in your way! Return to the Sheng Lu Temple and take your revenge!
He looked up at Xainghua who recoiled at his repulsive sight. With is last word he spoke, "Enjoy your new friends, for your home will burn!" With that, Kilik left the dungeon like chasm without a trace.
Xainghua, Cassandra and Siegfried laid in silence and fear.
Cassandra is badly injured. What will become of Nightmare? Will he become Siegfried again? Kilik. He's gone to destroy the Sheng Lu Temple! Xainghua was full of questions. She looked at a valuable piece of the puzzle: Soucalibur's Hilt.
Voldo, our newest source of information. I need binding for my arm. Wait, I saved Nightmare! Why? Cassandra was full of anxiety, and confusion
I was used. I now know what real revenge will be! Siegfried lied silently and listened to his own thoughts for a change. It was good to be alone- alone from Soul Edge at least.
A/N: Phew! I think this chapter is my best and most action packed one yet! What will become of Nightmare? Where's Volod and what affiliations does he have with Soul Edge? What will happen to Kilik and Xainghua? Will Soulcalibur be reborn? I don't know either, but R&R!