Chris: Great….Another idea for this fic. Got the idea while I was thinking about some things, so I hope you like it. And it's about Karel!

Samurai101: Glad you liked it. Hope the other chapters are good too.

Pureauthor: Hmm…Yeah, I never thought about having Erk going to Athos. Didn't really fit in with my idea. And this did occur during the second trip to Valor Isle. I'm adding in the time it took for them to traverse the island. Because, if you account the searching for Erk and Priscilla (I'd assume the army would have done that), plus rest from the battle and traveling time, that could probably go in a couple of weeks. Erk only had to warp there. And…Well, yeah, didn't want to make it way too confusing with two characters named Priscilla.

Anyway…Glad you liked it, and cheers to making more chapters and stories!


Know Your Sins, and Repent: Blood Bath

Karel smirked as he leaned on one of the walls in the training center. Today was the day when his father would show his students the wondrous blade that he kept locked up. It was the family's sword, the family's heirloom to their heritage in the plains. And Karel had lusted after it. He wanted it. He wanted to hold it in his hand, use it to slice his enemies into bloody ribbons. He wanted to caress the hilt, lick the blade clean of all the blood that would be spilled on it. Every thought, every bone in his body screamed for the possession of that sword. And today, he would get it.

He scanned the room where everyone had gathered. There was his sister Karla, looking up at her father with a wooden sword in her hands. She wasn't one for swordsmanship. Karla had said she despised the fighting, the wounds, the continuous bleeding. She is weak. Only those that can unleash a torrent of blood and pain deserve to see this sight. But she is my sister, and sure enough, she is here. Today, he thought, today she will see what a true master of the sword can do. He smirked again as he saw his sister nervously play with her hair. Karla also wasn't that fond of swords themselves, ever since she had accidentally sliced herself on the arm with one.

Karel looked at the others. There was his father, the master of this training school. He had been extremely rough on his students and his children. Karel hid a hand behind his back and silently flipped his father off. He despised his father. The man always acted like he knew the most, and for a while, he did. But I learned more…And I will show him what I learned! Karel glanced at what his father was wearing. After all, part of winning the battle is to know and analyze each part of the opponent's body, and determine how you can use it to your own advantage. Today, his father had worn his hair long. What a fool…Doesn't he know that long hair is a perfect way to gain a handhold and drag someone down as you fall? Well, he'll see. As I stab him through the heart. Karel tapped his leg impatiently, waiting for his father to take out the blade. He refused to call the man by his name anymore. Karel had lost all respect that he might have had for him. Why, he's just a cut and dry fighter. Fast, skilled, but not at all powerful. And his biggest mistake was teaching me what he learned.

Next Karel fixated his sights on his mother, Kinai. He respected her slightly more than his father. At least she knows the true nature of battle. She's stronger than my father. Even though she sacrifices a little of her speed to land heavier blows, Kinai is skilled at playing the environment and turning them to her advantage. Of course, I picked that up too. Karel noticed that she had tied her hair into a bun, thus denying anyone who might think of attacking a small advantage. Her hands were clasped firmly around a scimitar. She preferred it over the typical katana that swordmaster's used because of one thing. It was thicker at the blade, which made it harder to break, and while the reach was slightly shorter, her scimitar had been tempered so that it could break through armor as easily as cloth. Kinai flashed Karel a cool smile, and the young man tensed. Does she know I plan to kill her as well? Whatever. That knowledge won't help her.

Next up…Karan. Tch. He doesn't even deserve to have a name like ours. He's a fool, an idiot who believes that the way to succeed is to backstab anyone in your way. Karel glared at his brother's back. Right now, his brother was lavishing compliments upon their father. He can't even fight. He uses short daggers instead of a true samurai's or plainsman's weapon. The only reason why my father let him come was because he is part of the family. I won't hesitate to cut his throat and leave his body to rot. Disgusted by the sight in front of him, he turned to the last member of the six-person party that had been invited to see the family sword.

This time, the person wasn't a member of the family. She wasn't a cousin, a long-lost sister, or a parent of any of them. She was a girl from one of the clans that inhabited the plains. But she had remarkable skill, and seemed to know how to succeed in life. Karel couldn't help but stare at her more. He didn't love her, or anything like that, but he did admire her skill. He had seen her, Talia, knock his father to the ground. Karel analyzed the battles he had seen her participate in. Hmm…She keeps her hair long, but she's smart enough to not let anyone get close enough to give it a good yank. Extremely fast, smart, and strong as well. A fight with her would be a most magnificent treasure. I can't wait to see how she uses her weapons. Just like how everyone had a different style of fighting and a different weapon, Talia had her own. She preferred to fight two-handed, holding a long bastard sword in her grip. The blade was around five inches longer than a normal one, giving her a better reach over most opponents. Her sword was straight and single-bladed, and the hilt didn't have any annoying ornaments that might get in the way of battle. Karel's opinion of her grew a notch. I will love fighting with her. Her moves, her technique…I must see if I will be the one to defeat it.

"Listen up!" Karel's father slammed a fist on the wooden table where he had laid the sword case. "You four have been called hear for a very important ceremony! Our family's sword shall finally be passed on! Only one of you will deserve such an honor!"

Karel's eyes brightened. This is it…This is truly it! I can't wait! He leaned forward, trying to see if he could make out the shape of the sword through the wooden case.

"And now, may I present our family's sword, one that we have kept secret and have passed down from generation to generation!" Karel's father lifted the case lid slowly, building up the tension.

Open the damn case, you idiot! Open it, and let me see it so that I may claim it as my own! OPEN IT NOW! Karel couldn't stand it. There he was, in one of the most important events in his entire lifetime, and his father was acting like a street performer that you see in Bulgar! Karel wanted to pull out his katana and stab him right there. But he couldn't, not at the moment. But soon…Soon he would, if he wasn't chosen.

His father finally pulled out the lid, and Karel couldn't help but gasp as he saw the blade. He dimly heard other gasps from the others, but he didn't care. He just had to have that sword. It was a perfectly made katana, lying there, with no spots of grime or dust. There was an aura hanging around it, and Karel knew that the sword had magic endowed in it as well. It was double-edged, made with what seemed to be the best steel that you could ever find in the world. The edges still seemed as sharp as ever, and looked as though it could cut through stone. Karel's hands trembled. It was the perfect length for him. It was just…perfect.

"I give you our blade, Inazagi, meaning 'He who invites'. It depends on the wielder if it brings death or peace, but this sword will comply with those wishes, and do its best to fulfill them. My father told me that an ancestor of ours used this sword to fight against the ancient dragons. I do not know if that is true, but it is a marvelous weapon."

MARVELOUS! IT...IT…It's more than that! It's spectacular! It's amazing! It's…a godsend! Karel could only stare. How he wanted that sword! He would kill to get it!

"And…My decision is that it will go to Karan!"

Karel froze, stunned. Time seemed to move slowly through his eyes. To Karan! THAT LITTLE BASTARD! WHAT HAS HE DONE TO DESERVE SUCH AN ITEM OF POWER! WHAT HAS HE DONE THAT I HAVEN'T? Karel stood up, not caring at the looks that were directed to him. There was his father, with his irritatingly superior look. His mother, warning him to sit back down. There was his sister, staring at him, frightened. There was Talia, looking slightly worried and afraid. And there was Karan, smirking at him, looking at him as though he was better.

Karel pointed a trembling finger at Karan. "WHY DOES HE GET IT? WHAT HAS HE DONE!" His arm was shaking wildly, and his eyes were almost popping out of his head. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND! I AM STRONGER! I AM BETTER! Wha….WHAT HAS HE DONE!"

"Sit down, Karel! True, you are good at the discipline of the sword, but you do not realize how to function in a world where fighting may not be the only way!" Karel's father stood up and pointed his sheathed sword at Karel's face. "You got it? You may be good, but there's always someone better! And your brother is that person!"

"That's right, Karel. I'm ever so sorry, but I believe this is mine." Karan walked up to the table where the blade say, smirking at Karel. "I guess I just know more than you."

Karel exploded. Those words, "There is always someone better." echoed in his head. He saw Karan reaching for the sword, defiling it with his touch. Karel trembled with rage. He wanted to kill Karan! Kill his father! Kill them all for getting in his way! He screamed savagely and pulled out his katana from its sheath. "BETTER! BETTER! THERE IS NO ONE BETTER THAN ME! AND I WILL DIE BEFORE I LET ANYONE GET THAT SWORD!" Karel stopped screaming and it looked like he calmed down. But he hadn't. He let out a predatory grin. "Or…At least you people will die first."

Karel's father leaped up, unsheathing his own katana. "Everyone, get back! This is a fight between me and Karel! I can handle him!" As he wished, everyone stepped back, leaving the fight between the father and his enraged son.

"Handle me? I highly doubt it." Karel whispered, grinning madly. His katana hung loosely in his grip. Karel had added his own embellishments to his weapon. The edge was sharper than most others, and he added wicked barbs along the blade to inflict more pain on his opponents.

"We shall see…" Karel's father stepped back, holding his katana vertically in front of him. Karel blinked.

Ah…Using your techniques so soon in the battle? Shame, shame. Karel grinned, and waiting, holding his katana in a waiting position. His father suddenly disappeared in a gust of wind, and Karel's bravado dropped slightly. Hmm…I remember this. I just have to focus…Serpent Strike. A series of five strikes, all in a different part of the body. Arms, legs, and the head. The downside is that all of the strikes occur from the same direction…So…Left Leg! Karel turned, holding his perpendicularly with his left leg, and deflecting the first shot. Head! He brought his katana to deflect the head shot. Right Arm! Right Leg! Left Arm! Karel deflected all those attacks. His father appeared in front of him.

"You're good…"

"No…I'm not good…I'm fantastic… If you haven't noticed…Nah, it would ruin the surprise." Karel grinned and flung a small chair at his father, kicking it with his leg. The father's eyes widened, before rolling out of the way. Karel smirked. He knew his father would act like it. Always so predictable. It made the fight so boring.

"DIE, YOU FOOL! You can see your ancestor in heaven!" Transcending Time! This is easy…Just focus… Karel moved rapidly and soon illusions of himself were jumping around his father. One leaped over his father's head, and the teacher tried to slash at it, but his katana just slashed through air.

"Too slow, father! Try again!" The images let out a mocking laugh, still moving around their target.

"You're just toying with me…" Karel's father watched the figures. He moved as fast as possible, releasing images of himself so that they could target all of Karel's. But each of his images missed, hitting shadowy air.

"You always thought you were the best."

The father turned, only to see his father behind him with a killing stroke ready. He tried to bring his sword to block, but he was too late as Karel's katana ripped through his shoulder and through his body. Karel grinned as the blood spurted out from the body and laughed. "HAHAHAHA! You were pathetic!" He whirled to face the others, blood covering his face and body. "So who's next?"

Kinai stepped up. "I don't know who you are, but you will pay for killing my husband!" She brought her scimitar down one-handed in a curving slice, hoping to catch Karel off-guard. As Karel jumped to the right, Kinai smiled and used her other hand to punch Karel in the stomach, launching him towards one of the walls. She followed up her advantage, their blades clanging against each other, creating notes that seemed like a song.

Karel soon found himself backed against a corner. Shit! She will not stop me! NO ONE WILL STOP ME! Fire's Breath! Karel channeled some of his energy in his katana, and a small blaze erupted along the edge. He swung the blade at his mother, highly doubting that it would actually be able to pierce her defense. He was right, of course. She blocked the strike as though it were nothing. Karel smiled. He didn't care about the blow itself. Karel blew out a small puff of wind, and the fires that had erupted along his blade flew off, blowing into Kinai. She screamed, and jumped backwards, patting out the flames.

"It's my turn!" Karel jumped forward, and launched into the attack. He managed to sneak past her defenses and score a couple of shallow hits along her arms and stomach. But by that time, Kinai had finally finished patting out the flames, and struck back. She feinted falling, and while Karel was off-balance, sweep kicked him, knocking him on his back. She was about to complete the kill when Karel dodged, stabbing Kinai in the leg. Kinai collapsed, biting her lip so she wouldn't scream and lose her concentration.

"Half of the battle is learning how to fight with the pain!" Karel smiled, wiping some of his own blood off of his lips. "Join your husband!" He kicked another chair at her, and while she blocked that attack, he lunged forward and stabbed her in the chest, piercing her heart. Kinai managed to give out a blood-filled cough before falling. Karel kicked the body over and pulled his katana out of the corpse when he felt something hit his shoulder. He turned and noticed Karan smirking, tossing small daggers in his hands.

THAT COWARDLY BASTARD! No one does that to me and lives! Karel pulled out the dagger and flung it at the wall. Lightning Strikes! He spun around Karan, his speed giving him the illusion of being in many places at once. He ignored the pain of his shoulder, ignored the blood leaking out. Karan looked around wildly. He had no idea where Karel might be, since he was moving so fast. So Karan did the only thing he knew how to do. He flung a small bag, filled with a mixture of plants and liquids that would produce smoke. When the smoke cleared, Karel found that he was all alone in this fight.

"Finally…The last two people…After I'm done with you, I'll be going after that bastard." Karel glanced at the sword case, still lying on the table. Just as I thought…He took the sword. I will track him down, and kill him.

"I…I really don't want to fight…" Talia's sword hung limply from her hands, and she was shaking. Karel smirked.

"You know that's not an option, dear Talia." He licked the blood on his blade. "Besides, I look forward to our battle. It will be one to cherish." He lifted his sword, pointing it at the girl. "This will be a direct fight. No techniques, just straight out sword-fighting."

"Um…Fine…" Talia's grip tightened around her sword. She let out a small shout before lunging at Karel. Karel smiled and brought up his blade to counter the attack. He pushed her backwards, and brought his leg around to make her trip, a direct copy of the move his mother used against him earlier. Talia fell, but lashed out at Karel with her feet, knocking him backwards slightly. She took the time she had gotten to stand up, and repeatedly slashed at Karel, her fear giving her a little extra strength and speed.

Karel blocked her shots as they fought, sparks flying from when their swords connected. Soon, they were nearly face-to-face, looking at each other with their swords in front of them. Karel had suffered a clout to the mouth and a few light scratches along his legs, not counting the wound in his shoulder. Talia was bleeding from her back as well as one of her legs.

"You're very good." Karel smiled. He loved a skilled opponent, and Talia was putting up a good challenge.

"T-Thanks…" Talia was breathing heavily, her attacks getting weaker now that her adrenaline had worn off.

"But I'm afraid that all things must come to an end." Karel and Talia pushed back off of each other, landing a couple of feet away. Karel rushed at her, catching her off guard and knocking her against the wall with his strike. Her sword flew from her grip and landed nearby, clattering on the wooden floor. She coughed, blood falling out and staining her lips. Karel walked up, staring emotionlessly at her. Talia coughed.

"Quickly…please…" She pointed to her heart, and coughed again.

"Very well. I will mourn the loss of a great opponent." He brought down his sword for one last strike. His blade entered her body once, and then it was pulled out. Karel looked at his handiwork. The whole building was covered in blood. There was blood on the ceiling, blood on the walls, blood on the floor…Everywhere. He was about to leave to go find Karan when he felt something hard hitting his back. When he turned, he saw Karla, trying to hit him with her wooden sword. Karel grasped the sword, and flung it out of her grip.

"DAMMIT KAREL! WHY'D YOU DO THAT? Our parents…." Karla broke down, and started crying. Karel was about to end her life too, but he decided to sheathe his sword.

"You are not worthy of a fight…I will leave you, so that you may bury the dead." Karel walked out, but Karla grabbed the bottom of his robe.

"How am I not worthy? What must I do to see you again?"

"Grow stronger…A fight with you…is not a fight at all. You will not give me the joy I look for in a fight." Karel snatched his robe away and walked out. Karla rubbed her eyes.

"If I must train with swords…then I will, just so I hear your voice again." She stood up, and with a new resolve, she began fashioning graves for the people who died today. Her parents, and a young girl. And one more. A girl who believed that she didn't need to know how to fight in order to talk with her brother. That girl died as well. And another person, who would soon become known as the Sword Princess, was born.


Karel smiled. He had finally tracked down that coward. He had been hiding with Bern, traveling under an assumed name and working for a group called the Black Fang. Oh, it wasn't just him. There were a lot of more opponents. But they were wimps, and their blood decorated his clothes and sword. He felt good as he laid the killing blow from Karan. He was pleased to see that Karan had kept the sword in its original sheath. Karel reverently unbuckled the sheath from Karan's belt, and tied it to his own. The sword was his…It was finally his. All those months of tracking, trying to find anyone who knew even a rumor about Karan. It was finally done. But it wasn't over yet. He still needed to fight. He still needed to get stronger. Blood would once again cover his sword and clothes.

He heard sounds of fighting being carried by the wind. He ran towards the sound, and found a bunch of people fighting the Black Fang. Karel ran his fingers along the dull edge of his katana, wiping the blood off. "Ah…It is a favorable wind that brings news of battle. We shall feast on our enemies together, my friend." The last part he said to his new sword, patting its sheath.


Chris: Well…Uh…Eh, it was fun to write. Hope if you like it. Even though it's not comedy or anything. Oh, and just so you know, Inazagi is a real Japanese god. Got it from this freakishly huge mythology book I have. My mythology book rocks.