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Soul Calibur: Of Souls And Swords
Chapter Nine: Chase in the Night
The rest of the night and rest of the day was as peaceful as Link's song. Most of them besides Maxi, Jack and Link had stayed below either sleeping or preparing their belongings for the possible time they may spend in the area. Maxi and Jack of course manned the ship as they got closer to land and occasionally pestered Link for information about the mysterious seas that he hailed from. He told them bits and pieces of information about some of the life that existed beneath the waves and the kinds of environments that could be seen on the ocean floor. It pained Maxi that his chances of ever seeing this place were about the same as Link's ability to return. Fate wasn't a very kind lady it seemed.
It was surprising how similar everything about sea travel was between the worlds as Link displayed some knowledge of the sails earlier in the morning. It was just approaching nightfall when the ports of Istanbul came into view, most of the White Wind were out on deck ready to help in any way they could getting the ship into port. The plan was simple. Once Maxi paid out the rent of the spot they would all get another good nights sleep then head out the next morning. Slowly the ship moved over next to the sturdy wood and stone docks that were familiar to Maxi by now. The sails had been hauled up and they let the collective force push them in.
Kilik stood on the starboard side while Cassandra took her place on the port side. Each of them had a rope shouldered and jumped as the dock came into range, they both touched down fine the ropes connected to the sides of the ship. They quickly moved securing them around the post of the dock which forced the Eternal Wind into a halt. Maxi clapped off his hands as the ship came to a halt "I never get tired of that." he stated as the entire boat sharply braked to a stop. Kilik and Cassandra climbed the ropes back onboard, Cassandra nowhere nearly as quick as Kilik, as Maxi lowered the ramp and moved to find the dock's manager. Sophitia and Xianghua headed inside to rest up as they had gotten up earlier than the others. Link, Talim, Cassandra and Kilik remained on the ships deck "An even wind blows tonight." Talim said. This signaled no threats.
All the while the White Wind was preparing themselves to get a good nights sleep and then set out the next morning, the Darkthorne had already landed a few miles down the coast in a secret cove that Cervantes once used during his past life. They had gathered information that a local traveling merchant and back-stabbing thief had possession of one of the shards. Ivy had been sent in with Uruk-hai and some of Renzor's soldiers, while several of the low class pretty much useless demons that were generated through humankind's own sin waited to attack.
While the lizardmen and Uruk-hai had headed out to the merchant's home just outside the city, Isabella Valentine had decided to go into town and relax seeing as how Renzor's underlings each had decent leadership skills they didn't need instruction, she had no worried anyway due to the fact that her servant was leading them. The sun had just gone down and she sat outside a cafe near the square of the town, much of the activity of Istanbul went down during the night and she had failed to find an inn or any place to accommodate her with the travelers of the late summer. Besides that the only people in this region who would give out kindness without money involved, usually would request sexual favors in exchange. Despite the way she acted she in no way took her sexual life casually, at least not when it came to such pathetic souls.
She leaned back lightly in her chair her half length cloak just covering the tops of her legs and the scantly leather that she was usually found clad in. Her sword the Valentine was in a sheath that she had placed on her belt, considering the control she had over the sword it could almost pull itself out when needed. But Ivy was bored out of her mind, normally on nights such as this she would find something to take up her time, though it usually involved challenging Renzor to sparring or spending the night with Nightmare. Renzor because of the fact that his fighting style originated from Athens where two members of White Wind were from, and Nightmare was much more approachable in his full human form.
Isabella reached up running her unarmored hand through her smooth platinum hair moving it from her vision slightly now kind of wishing she would have brought her young servant along. At least he made decent company at times like this while most every other human involved with the Black Wind was overly professional. There was also the fact that he served her from pain of defeat and not from a shard lodged in his body, it made him somewhat interesting. His mind was also intact for the most part, she could not say the same for Nightmare's own personal servant who had been sent to the East to search for shards, there was something wrong with that girl.
Ivy groaned as she leaned forward, she could either head back to the Darkthorne or just force her way into one of the Inns and do a few hostile negotiations on the manager. Neither seemed worth her time and she was too tired to pick up the trace of the shard that would eventually serve to strengthen the Soul Edge anyway. Her Valentine and her father would grow stronger as well. The old man obviously dreamed of regaining control of the blades or at least achieving equality with Nightmare, but it was obvious that even if he obtained all the shards and created another sword, it wouldn't make any difference.
Suddenly just as she had just about given up, a signal went off like a whip cracking inside her head. She stood up almost instantly "Is that it?" she wondered as she felt the energy as clear as the Soul Edge itself when she spoke with Nightmare. She sensed it out closing her eyes then she felt it, it was nearby in the city and so close she could literally feel it through her sword. Ivy narrowed her eyes as she jumped up and darted down the street drawing Valentine and swinging it hard over head. With mearly the desire the sword strikes out into a multi segmented whip and the indestructible wire wraps around a nearby out hanging over a window. At Ivy's command the sword retracts and she finds herself on the roof after a graceful landing.
Without another thought she runs along the two to three story roof tops of Istanbul heading towards the area the signal was coming from. Though she at this point really wasn't in the mood to fight for somebody in possession of the shards, it would have at least been nice to know who possessed it. Ivy held the Valentine up toward her shoulder, if she could get a clear shot at whoever possessed the shard she would take it. She jumped again dropping two stories and landing gracefully using her weapon as a bungie cord, she then looked up as she felt the signal was very close by.
She found herself near one of the main business districts of the city, several of the street lamps had their torches lit for the night otherwise the only light was the moon that was above. Movement! Ivy turned hard to her left looking as she saw a figure wearing several cloaks dash down the street running frantically as if being chased, he held one hand as his chest he must have been holding something. The fragment. Ivy smirked as she saw his frightened face, it matched the description of the merchant, back stabber and thief they were sent to retrieve the shard from. She held up her blade preparing to strike the man down when suddenly there was another voice "Get back here!" clearly it was male, sounded serious and very angry.
Ivy backed up into the shadows as another figure burst from the street and down the alley that the merchant had just gone down. Ivy couldn't make out his features very well but she could tell that he mostly wore black, rather expensive in this area but he didn't appear to be any kind of aristocrat. His hair had some length to it and was dark either brown or black, she couldn't tell from where she was but she could feel the energy from his soul through her blade. Her violet lips smirked "This should be entertaining." she said before she slowly walked after them only she took a detour up a stairway and walked across the rooftops as they both ran.
They ran for a good while before eventually the merchant came to be cornered near the pier and frantically began looking around for any way out he could find, unfortunately he had run himself into a corner and the only way out was through his pursuer. Trapped between two walls at an angle, straight ahead was the street that his pursuer slowly walked down and to his left was the sea and he couldn't swim. Ivy kneeled lightly from her place on a three story building not to far from them her cloak keeping her from being seen, she smiled as she watched wanting to see just what this young man was capable of wondering if he was worth enslaving.
He stepped forward and into the moonlight that was cast down onto the area, the merchant looked from side to side as he backed against the wall. Ivy looked down through her spyglass as the light caught the pursuer, she lightly licked her lips at the sight of him. He wore as she saw earlier mostly black. Thick material that would probably defend against travel through the wilderness. He wore dark pants that covered the tops of his boots and was held up by a belt, the buckle came to make out the shape of a seal Ivy couldn't make out. He wore a sleeveless vest which bore the seal on the left chest side in rich silver lining a dragon of sorts. He wore fingerless gloves and his body was clearly built from his travels. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the merchant a weapon of some sort was on the reverse of his belt.
Ivy collapsed her spy glass and moved once again across the small buildings until she was standing right above them, she moved across the roof toward the edge and looked able to see everything while being just out of sight, not like either of them would care about her. The man still holding whatever he had to his chest, suddenly made a break for the street running right past the eastern warrior, he growled as he swung his leg which snapped hard against the man's ankles sending him tumbling against the ground. Before he could run the boy smashed the sole of his boot into the merchant's back.
Ivy smiled at this as the boy showed no intention of letting him live unless he got what he wanted, another searcher perhaps. "Mercy. Ack! Please mercy." The merchant begged. The boy narrowed his eyes as he kneeled and grabbed the man by the hair hoisting him up and he spoke his voice cold and threatening "Give me back the fragment you stole from me. Or else." he said. His voice was similar to that Korean Ivy had run into four years ago, apparently he was some sort of a idol to his country and also sought Soul Edge. Though he was far too young to possibly be him. (Hwang)
The merchant grunted as he pulled his hand away from his chest which was dripping with blood "Alright. Alright. Just leave me be." he begged as he reached into his cloak removing a familiar piece of crimson alloy. His hand seemed to claw around it as its influence washed over him, the Korean held out his hand "Normally I'd kill anybody who drains two weeks out of my life, but I'll make an exception if you stop stalling." the shard dropped to the ground pinging as it made contact. The boy narrowed his eyes before he through the slowly transforming thief off to the side before his kneeled slowly toward the shard.
He reached out one hand holding it over the shard knowing that it would try to take advantage of him if he allowed his judgment to get to him again. He quickly picked it up dropping it into the covered portion of his palm and dropped it into the pocket on the inside of his vest. Ivy smiled as she noticed that the fragment gave off a much stronger signal now that it was in the possession of a much stronger soul. The Korean turned to leave down the alley when suddenly the thief jumped up and gave off an inhuman roar. The boy looked back as the merchant had already taken on transformation from a fragment. Ivy scoffed saying something along the lines of 'weak souled fool'.
He roared as his skin grew pale and he drew his own blade, a giant curved sword of some sorts "GIVE IT BACK! IT'S MINE!" he roared as he rushed him. The Korean warrior narrowed his eyes as he jumped back as the large scimitar was swung at him, he ducked as the man had obviously lost all depth perception. It cut into the wood and became stuck, the thief roared pulling it out. The boy growled showing his teeth as he placed his hand on his own weapon hidden lightly under his cape. The thief rushed him again with the large scimitar, he moved suddenly "Weakling." he said darkly before he swung his own blade out of it's sheath. On contact with the boy's blade the scimitar shattered being broken in half and clattering against the ground.
Ivy's icey eyes went wide as she saw this but she came back to normal as she looked at the sword. It looked like a normal Korean longsword from the hilt but its blade didn't curve it went straight and into point much like any double edged sword, the hilt itself was modified into the same style. While it carried to same balance as any Korean blade it also gave a stylish look compared to the other eastern swords she had seen in her time. It was stained black and seemed to carry a great deal of destructive power, a skull shape in the hilt seemed to confirm what the blade had been made to do.
Ivy chuckled "Interesting, he wields a blade of the darkness." She said as she observed how he held the blade. The energy she felt coming from the blade had obviously been placed upon it by demonic sources and was normally a weapon that was only used by otherworldly swordsmen as mortals couldn't normally contain the power. This young warrior was hardly effected by the power of the longsword, it only served to prove two points. His soul was exceedingly strong and that the demonic energy placed upon the sword carried no alignment, it was simply created to destroy. Valentine seemed to glow lightly as it sensed the presence of this new sword, she placed her hand on her weapon and continued to watch.
The young warrior narrowed his eyes before bringing it back and smashing the thief across the face with the dull side putting a small scratch across his face "Do not cross me again you cur." he said before he turned to walk again. The thief growled as he rushed as him once again, Ivy shook her head watching the pathetic mortal.
He jumped into the air before pouncing the warrior by the back smashing his face in the pier's wooden surface. "GIVE! GIVE!" he shouted as he turned him over and started to choke him, the warrior by now having had enough raised one hand and smashed his fist into the possessed soul's face sending him back off him.
He then raised the blade and looked onward at the creature as he rushed forward "Let me lead you to death." he said, the thief roared and jumped again at him, however it would be a mistake. The Korean warrior drove the unique sword straight through the creature's chest with a bone splitting sound. The monster roared as he was held upwards the blade penetrating out the back of his neck.
The thing that was a man had been completely possessed by his greed and he was dead because of it, but he received no sympathy. The boy narrowed his eyes before he swung as hard as he could throwing the body off the three foot blade with an angered grunt. The creature rolled along the edge of the pier then rolled into the water to sink into the murky abyss. The boy of his early to middle twenties lightly raised a hand to brush the blood from his lip, he felt the inside of his cheek and growled.
Suddenly there was a chuckle from behind in the alley way that caused him to increase the grip on his sword "You have to chase him all over the city. Let him attack you more than once and get hit by two of them." he looked back to where the female voice was coming from. Ivy did the same and narrowed her eyes remembering that face.
This girl who was also of eastern decent possessed long brown hair that went down her back in a pony tail. She wore a white and blue cloak around herself although when it was open one would catch a view of her long and very nice legs, though those that starred often got a closer look at her feet. An orange head band was around her forehead keeping the hair out of her gorgeous eyes. She wore patted gloves showing that she was a warrior as if it couldn't be told by the pole mounted blade she carried. Ivy remembered her fight with this brat, and how she had the nerve to vow to defeat Ivy at some point "Seung Mina." she said annoyed.
The young woman known as Seung Mina giggled as she pointed out the faults in the young man's fighting and chase though it was clear he was her age if not older "Your getting a little sloppy Kyle." she pointed out as he sheathed his sword.
He softly huffed "I tried to go easy on him. He's had enough of his soul eaten away, guess it doesn't matter now does it." he said. Kyle straightened his cloak a little over his shoulders and looked at her "Did you find out where the other shard is? Who he sold it to?" he asked.
Mina crossed her arms over her chest "Your lucky I did. Otherwise you would have just made a huge mistake." Kyle nodded. Seung Mina balanced the bladed staff on her shoulder and looked up the road "It was apparently sold to one of the aristocrats around here. I believe that our contact said it was the Don." Kyle looked up the road knowing that was where his mansion would be located. The Don wasn't exactly the most liked man in Istanbul, but obviously feared as he was connected to much thievery and you didn't cross him without taking a dip similar to the merchants.
Kyle shook his head at the news as he looked at the moon estimating the time "We won't be able to do anything about it tonight. Send the other two to make negotiations tomorrow, see what price he is willing to take for it. I'm not in the mood right now." Mina smiled as she walked next to him, they vanished down the street.
Isabella Valentine closed her spyglass in disgust as she watched Mina drag this gifted fighter revealed as Kyle away, somebody such as himself shouldn't need to be lead around like a dog on a leash. At least not by her. Ivy pushed her contempt of the younger woman aside shaking her head "To hell with it. Just because they have one doesn't mean I can't take it later." she said as she dropped off the roof and started back down the coast heading for the cove where the Darkthorne had been docked. The mansion ironically had its front facing the sea just down the street, it was an easy target for cannon fire, and it seemed those two were going to wait a little while this would give her time to plan a strike.
Next Chapter: Of Reunions And Rivalries
(Voice of Talim) The cities of the west are a great deal more imposing that anybody could have warned me they would have been, but I trust that Link will be able to keep us from getting lost. It is still almost hard to believe that these simple pieces of metal are worth all this effort, but our search eventually leads us to it. Unfortunately we have competition this time around and I am not sure how I feel about having to put up with him again.