Xianghua and her guide had arrived in the port city of Sajarat by nightfall. The sun had already sunk into the depths of the valley, forever lost in the crevices of the land. The stars twinkled within the sky, comfortably nestled within the blackness of the cosmos above. Xianghua looked upward, her gaze fixated towards the infinite expanse of darkness that covered the sky. Dismounting, Xianghua's guide found a place to bridle their horses. Sajarat was an impressive city. The exterior was guarded by a thick stone wall standing no less than fifteen feet high. The buildings were mostly made of mud, except for a few important buildings dealing with trade and government functions. The city of Sajarat was a trading hub for spices and goods between Persia and the Orient.
"That wasn't a long journey mistress; the horses are pretty tired however. We'll let them rest for awhile. I thought we should stay at the temple this evening. The monks would happily offer a spare bed," said Rajit.
"Thank you, Rajit. Is it that large building over there? With the huge statue in front?" said Xianghua pointing to a large temple at the far end of the city. The temple consisted of a single massive dome with four towers situated at the four corners. A large statue of a six armed elephant armed with swords was visible from where Xianghua and Rajit stood.
"Yes mistress. That is the temple."
"I will be along in a bit. I'd like to explore the city a bit before taking a rest Rajit."
"As you will, mistress."
Xianghua smiled congenially at Rajit and began to walk around the streets of the city by herself. Unlike Vajpurati, Sajarat seemed to be more vibrant and active during the night. Torches resting on iron stands lined the streets and homes, piercing the darkness and adding warmth to an otherwise cold night. Wrapping herself in a light blue shawl, Xianghua wandered the streets, as if in search of something. There were a few vendors out on the street; however the fruit market had been completely packed up for the night. There were many people about, some drunks returning home from the bars, some robed wanderers, and a few seedy looking individuals. Xianghua did not want to get caught in the wrong section of town as she did not know the lay of the land, but at the same time she wanted to find where the port was.
"Maybe I'm just crazy for looking, but I have to..." thought Xianghua as she peered across corners and through alleyways.
Grabbing onto a small glimmer of hope, Xianghua thought that maybe she could find Maxi. It was a one in a million chance, but if she was to find her friend, then she thought that port cities would be like a magnet for the intrepid pirate. Xianghua's mind wandered, as it often did, to her travels with Kilik and Maxi. As a person, Xianghua was always fascinated by Maxi's personality, his determination and loyalty to his men. Naturally, as a pirate he would be seen as a villain by many, but his adherence to his own standards of living inspired a sense of admiration within Xianghua. As she wandered the streets of Sajarat, her mind swept her away into the realm of her memory.
Crystal blue water flowed down gently upon smooth gray rocks near an embankment of lush foliage. The sunlight poured down from the sky, generously bathing the land in its life giving rays. The surface of the water was dazzling, capturing the essence of the sun and reflecting it, magnifying the warmth. A young black haired man sporting a white vest with gold trim sat on his knees in front of the stream. Cupping the life giving water in his hands, the young man rinsed off his face and drank.
"Maxi? Maxi where are you?"
Looking up, Maxi reached for his trusty nunchuks and whirled around, only to be greeted by the kind and sweet Xianghua. Holding her sword behind her back and tilting her head playfully, she grinned at Maxi.
"You startled me again, don't do that so often. You'll take ten years off my life," remarked Maxi, speaking in Chinese with a slight Japanese accent.
"You're always ready to duel Maxi. Life as a pirate has sure made you paranoid," said Xianghua, giggling slightly and holding her right hand to her mouth.
"You have to be ready for anything on the high seas. Maybe you shouldn't be so relaxed all the time Xianghua," said Maxi with a half serious tone.
"Then life wouldn't be as fun. Kilik is ready to leave now, we should make it past the Bosphoros soon."
"I'll be coming in a moment," said Maxi, turning away from Xianghua.
Only slightly dejected, Xianghua's expression dropped slightly as she turned around slowly to walk back to the camp. Turning around, she caught sight of Maxi, holding his nunchuks in his hands and gazing reflectively into the water. Xianghua knew that Maxi's nunchuks were created by one of his pirate friends killed by the hell spawn Astaroth. Xianghua knew that the death of Maxi's crew weighed heavily on his heart.
"Why must you torture yourself so...?" thought Xianghua, glimpsing at Maxi through the foliage.
A gust of cold wind snapped Xianghua back into reality. It was now late at night, and Xianghua had indeed found the ports she was looking for. Massive ships were docked in the harbor, swaying silently in the dark water. There was an eerie stillness in the air and in the water, a feeling that Xianghua could not quite shake off. She felt strange warmth in her pocket. Reaching inside, Xianghua procured the blood red shard of Soul Edge.
"Why is it so warm? Is it reacting to something?" thought the young swordswoman.
Looking around, Xianghua could not shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Trying to remain motionless, she used her peripheral vision to spy into the dark corners and crevices of her surroundings. Xianghua's breath quickened, her heart pounding. Whirling around, she saw a dark figure standing near a stack of wooden crates. It was a person, alright, yet shrouded in the shadows. Squinting her eyes, Xianghua took a few steps back, trying to distance herself. The shard of Soul Edge she carried seemed to grow warmer, emanating a strange red glow.
"What in the world is happening," thought Xianghua.
The strange figure inched closer to her, its movements jerky. As the figure came out of the shadows and into the pale moonlight, Xianghua noticed that there were small pools of blood flowing out from the shadow into the moonlight. The blood was dark red, and seemed to be dripping on the ground from the hands of the figure. Coming into view, Xianghua gasped. The figure had revealed himself to be an Indian man wearing tattered earth toned clothing and sandals. His hands were drenched in blood, his gaze crazed and filled with insanity. Reeling in horror, Xianghua noticed that he was carrying a strange red object, glowing a deathly red in the moonlight.
"A shard of Soul Edge!" thought Xianghua, covering her mouth with her right hand.
A strange fire burned in the crazed man's eyes, a hellish inferno of insanity that shook Xianghua to her very soul. Lunging like an animal, the man moved with inhuman speed towards Xianghua. She nimbly dodged the first lunge, allowing the man to tumble into a pile of sacks of grain and broken wooden crates. Gasping in horror, Xianghua looked on as the man got up, gripping his shard of Soul Edge and grinning maniacally.
"It must be the shard, its driving the poor man insane!" thought Xianghua, wracking her brain to come up with a plan.
Standing up, the crazed man lumbered around, grinning. Scanning the area, the man caught sight of an iron pole with a broken end. Laughing gutturally, he reached for the pole and armed himself with it, turning back towards Xianghua and lunged at her with inhuman speed and ferocity.
Xianghua instinctively drew her sword from the scabbard, deflecting the clumsy attack of the man in one graceful, fluid sword stroke. Xianghua caught sight of the man's reflection within her sword, and noticed something strange. The man reeled forward, knocking into a pile of crates and sending splinters of wood flying into the air and into the water. Laughing still, the man stood up, his back slumped forward as if he could not stand up straight. He looked up, his yellow teeth etched into a feral grin, his eyes set in a murderous gaze. Xianghua tilted her trusty sword slightly, allowing herself to see the man's reflection. To her horror, Xianghua noticed the reflection of the man seemed to be on fire, as if he was being consumed alive by flames.
"This is the work of the sword of evil. Even when it is broken up into shards it can twist the heart of man," thought Xianghua, readying her sword. Wasting no time, the man charged at Xianghua once more, swinging the iron pole with god like speed. Xianghua held her sword horizontally, blocking the first blow. Sparks flew into the air, landing on the ground. Swinging wildly a few more times, the man's aimless and wild swings were all blocked by the skillful Xianghua. Using her precision at swordsmanship, Xianghua tried to knock the shard from the man's hand, but ended up inadvertently slicing the man in the wrist. Blood flowed like a river onto the ground, as the wrist veins of the man had been severed. With the same zeal as before, the crazed man held the iron pole forward, hoping to skewer Xianghua. Whirling around in one fluid motion, Xianghua dodged the man's weapon, spun around behind him, did a back flip onto his shoulders, focused her strength into her heels, and sent the man crashing to the ground as Xianghua leaped into the air and onto a crate. Losing his grip on the shard, the man hit the ground and fell unconscious, blood pooling from his wrist. The shard flew a foot away, catching the moonlight and glowing eerily. Gasping for air, Xianghua spun around and quickly picked up the shard. The two shards glowed a sickly red, reacting to each other.
Xianghua picked up the fallen man, lifting him on one shoulder and using herself as a brace.
"His wound is serious, I need to get him to the temple and maybe they can help him. I don't want him to lose his life," thought Xianghua as she mustered all her strength and returned to the streets and alleyways of Sajarat. She did not mind the man's weight, or the fatigue she experienced. Xianghua did not want another person to become a victim of Soul Edge's evil influence. She quickly found her way to the temple, and called out in a loud voice as she walked up the steps past the gigantic elephant statue.
"Someone! Anyone! Please help!" wailed Xianghua.
Several of the monks that had been wandering the monastery soon came, and took the man from Xianghua's shoulders, lightening her burden.
"He's hurt, please, he's hurt. Save him," she said, her voice weary due to her physical fatigue.
Xianghua didn't understand the monks at all, but assisted them in carrying the man into the interior of the temple. Despite the language barrier, the monks knew that the man was in hurt and in need of attention. The monks laid the man down on a bed while other monks who had just woken up at the sound of Xianghua's call, brought mortar and pestles. Xianghua looked on, her anxiety clearly showing in her eyes. She noticed Rajit had come a few minutes later, talking to the other monks. He soon took notice of Xianghua and walked up to her.
"What happened mistress?" asked Rajit.
"This man was injured, I found him and brought him back", exclaimed Xianghua, finding a chair to sit on. Rajit simply nodded and helped his brothers attend to the man.
"Mistress you will probably want to rest and leave the care of this man to us. Pragav will show you to your quarters," said Rajit, saying something in the local dialect to one of the monks, motioning his right hand towards Xianghua. Xianghua stood up and nodded towards one of the monks. She was soon lend into the interior of the temple. The floors were marble and smooth, and the walls were covered in various religious tapestries and murals. The temple was mostly dark and only light by a few torches. Walking down a long flight of carpeted stairs, Xianghua was led to her quarters in the basement. Pragav bowed, opening the wooden door leading into Xianghua's quarters. Nodding, she walked inside. Her quarters were very spartan. The room was adorned with a single bed with no pillow and a sheet, and a small wooden table and chair on the opposite side. Xianghua did not care, however, and flung herself on the bed. A single lit candle lay atop the table. Lying on her back, she stared at the ceiling and procured the two shards of Soul Edge.
"These shards are just as dangerous as the sword itself. I can't find away to obliterate them, however. I won't stop my journey until I can rid the world of this sword," thought Xianghua, placing the shards and her sword under the bed. She reclined on her bed and stretched out fully.
"How is it, though, that I'm not driven mad by the shards like that man was? If it turned him to evil, how many other people are being corrupted by Soul Edge, even now?"
These thoughts troubled Xianghua, with no answer in sight. Sleep surely did not come easy that night.
"That wasn't a long journey mistress; the horses are pretty tired however. We'll let them rest for awhile. I thought we should stay at the temple this evening. The monks would happily offer a spare bed," said Rajit.
"Thank you, Rajit. Is it that large building over there? With the huge statue in front?" said Xianghua pointing to a large temple at the far end of the city. The temple consisted of a single massive dome with four towers situated at the four corners. A large statue of a six armed elephant armed with swords was visible from where Xianghua and Rajit stood.
"Yes mistress. That is the temple."
"I will be along in a bit. I'd like to explore the city a bit before taking a rest Rajit."
"As you will, mistress."
Xianghua smiled congenially at Rajit and began to walk around the streets of the city by herself. Unlike Vajpurati, Sajarat seemed to be more vibrant and active during the night. Torches resting on iron stands lined the streets and homes, piercing the darkness and adding warmth to an otherwise cold night. Wrapping herself in a light blue shawl, Xianghua wandered the streets, as if in search of something. There were a few vendors out on the street; however the fruit market had been completely packed up for the night. There were many people about, some drunks returning home from the bars, some robed wanderers, and a few seedy looking individuals. Xianghua did not want to get caught in the wrong section of town as she did not know the lay of the land, but at the same time she wanted to find where the port was.
"Maybe I'm just crazy for looking, but I have to..." thought Xianghua as she peered across corners and through alleyways.
Grabbing onto a small glimmer of hope, Xianghua thought that maybe she could find Maxi. It was a one in a million chance, but if she was to find her friend, then she thought that port cities would be like a magnet for the intrepid pirate. Xianghua's mind wandered, as it often did, to her travels with Kilik and Maxi. As a person, Xianghua was always fascinated by Maxi's personality, his determination and loyalty to his men. Naturally, as a pirate he would be seen as a villain by many, but his adherence to his own standards of living inspired a sense of admiration within Xianghua. As she wandered the streets of Sajarat, her mind swept her away into the realm of her memory.
Crystal blue water flowed down gently upon smooth gray rocks near an embankment of lush foliage. The sunlight poured down from the sky, generously bathing the land in its life giving rays. The surface of the water was dazzling, capturing the essence of the sun and reflecting it, magnifying the warmth. A young black haired man sporting a white vest with gold trim sat on his knees in front of the stream. Cupping the life giving water in his hands, the young man rinsed off his face and drank.
"Maxi? Maxi where are you?"
Looking up, Maxi reached for his trusty nunchuks and whirled around, only to be greeted by the kind and sweet Xianghua. Holding her sword behind her back and tilting her head playfully, she grinned at Maxi.
"You startled me again, don't do that so often. You'll take ten years off my life," remarked Maxi, speaking in Chinese with a slight Japanese accent.
"You're always ready to duel Maxi. Life as a pirate has sure made you paranoid," said Xianghua, giggling slightly and holding her right hand to her mouth.
"You have to be ready for anything on the high seas. Maybe you shouldn't be so relaxed all the time Xianghua," said Maxi with a half serious tone.
"Then life wouldn't be as fun. Kilik is ready to leave now, we should make it past the Bosphoros soon."
"I'll be coming in a moment," said Maxi, turning away from Xianghua.
Only slightly dejected, Xianghua's expression dropped slightly as she turned around slowly to walk back to the camp. Turning around, she caught sight of Maxi, holding his nunchuks in his hands and gazing reflectively into the water. Xianghua knew that Maxi's nunchuks were created by one of his pirate friends killed by the hell spawn Astaroth. Xianghua knew that the death of Maxi's crew weighed heavily on his heart.
"Why must you torture yourself so...?" thought Xianghua, glimpsing at Maxi through the foliage.
A gust of cold wind snapped Xianghua back into reality. It was now late at night, and Xianghua had indeed found the ports she was looking for. Massive ships were docked in the harbor, swaying silently in the dark water. There was an eerie stillness in the air and in the water, a feeling that Xianghua could not quite shake off. She felt strange warmth in her pocket. Reaching inside, Xianghua procured the blood red shard of Soul Edge.
"Why is it so warm? Is it reacting to something?" thought the young swordswoman.
Looking around, Xianghua could not shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Trying to remain motionless, she used her peripheral vision to spy into the dark corners and crevices of her surroundings. Xianghua's breath quickened, her heart pounding. Whirling around, she saw a dark figure standing near a stack of wooden crates. It was a person, alright, yet shrouded in the shadows. Squinting her eyes, Xianghua took a few steps back, trying to distance herself. The shard of Soul Edge she carried seemed to grow warmer, emanating a strange red glow.
"What in the world is happening," thought Xianghua.
The strange figure inched closer to her, its movements jerky. As the figure came out of the shadows and into the pale moonlight, Xianghua noticed that there were small pools of blood flowing out from the shadow into the moonlight. The blood was dark red, and seemed to be dripping on the ground from the hands of the figure. Coming into view, Xianghua gasped. The figure had revealed himself to be an Indian man wearing tattered earth toned clothing and sandals. His hands were drenched in blood, his gaze crazed and filled with insanity. Reeling in horror, Xianghua noticed that he was carrying a strange red object, glowing a deathly red in the moonlight.
"A shard of Soul Edge!" thought Xianghua, covering her mouth with her right hand.
A strange fire burned in the crazed man's eyes, a hellish inferno of insanity that shook Xianghua to her very soul. Lunging like an animal, the man moved with inhuman speed towards Xianghua. She nimbly dodged the first lunge, allowing the man to tumble into a pile of sacks of grain and broken wooden crates. Gasping in horror, Xianghua looked on as the man got up, gripping his shard of Soul Edge and grinning maniacally.
"It must be the shard, its driving the poor man insane!" thought Xianghua, wracking her brain to come up with a plan.
Standing up, the crazed man lumbered around, grinning. Scanning the area, the man caught sight of an iron pole with a broken end. Laughing gutturally, he reached for the pole and armed himself with it, turning back towards Xianghua and lunged at her with inhuman speed and ferocity.
Xianghua instinctively drew her sword from the scabbard, deflecting the clumsy attack of the man in one graceful, fluid sword stroke. Xianghua caught sight of the man's reflection within her sword, and noticed something strange. The man reeled forward, knocking into a pile of crates and sending splinters of wood flying into the air and into the water. Laughing still, the man stood up, his back slumped forward as if he could not stand up straight. He looked up, his yellow teeth etched into a feral grin, his eyes set in a murderous gaze. Xianghua tilted her trusty sword slightly, allowing herself to see the man's reflection. To her horror, Xianghua noticed the reflection of the man seemed to be on fire, as if he was being consumed alive by flames.
"This is the work of the sword of evil. Even when it is broken up into shards it can twist the heart of man," thought Xianghua, readying her sword. Wasting no time, the man charged at Xianghua once more, swinging the iron pole with god like speed. Xianghua held her sword horizontally, blocking the first blow. Sparks flew into the air, landing on the ground. Swinging wildly a few more times, the man's aimless and wild swings were all blocked by the skillful Xianghua. Using her precision at swordsmanship, Xianghua tried to knock the shard from the man's hand, but ended up inadvertently slicing the man in the wrist. Blood flowed like a river onto the ground, as the wrist veins of the man had been severed. With the same zeal as before, the crazed man held the iron pole forward, hoping to skewer Xianghua. Whirling around in one fluid motion, Xianghua dodged the man's weapon, spun around behind him, did a back flip onto his shoulders, focused her strength into her heels, and sent the man crashing to the ground as Xianghua leaped into the air and onto a crate. Losing his grip on the shard, the man hit the ground and fell unconscious, blood pooling from his wrist. The shard flew a foot away, catching the moonlight and glowing eerily. Gasping for air, Xianghua spun around and quickly picked up the shard. The two shards glowed a sickly red, reacting to each other.
Xianghua picked up the fallen man, lifting him on one shoulder and using herself as a brace.
"His wound is serious, I need to get him to the temple and maybe they can help him. I don't want him to lose his life," thought Xianghua as she mustered all her strength and returned to the streets and alleyways of Sajarat. She did not mind the man's weight, or the fatigue she experienced. Xianghua did not want another person to become a victim of Soul Edge's evil influence. She quickly found her way to the temple, and called out in a loud voice as she walked up the steps past the gigantic elephant statue.
"Someone! Anyone! Please help!" wailed Xianghua.
Several of the monks that had been wandering the monastery soon came, and took the man from Xianghua's shoulders, lightening her burden.
"He's hurt, please, he's hurt. Save him," she said, her voice weary due to her physical fatigue.
Xianghua didn't understand the monks at all, but assisted them in carrying the man into the interior of the temple. Despite the language barrier, the monks knew that the man was in hurt and in need of attention. The monks laid the man down on a bed while other monks who had just woken up at the sound of Xianghua's call, brought mortar and pestles. Xianghua looked on, her anxiety clearly showing in her eyes. She noticed Rajit had come a few minutes later, talking to the other monks. He soon took notice of Xianghua and walked up to her.
"What happened mistress?" asked Rajit.
"This man was injured, I found him and brought him back", exclaimed Xianghua, finding a chair to sit on. Rajit simply nodded and helped his brothers attend to the man.
"Mistress you will probably want to rest and leave the care of this man to us. Pragav will show you to your quarters," said Rajit, saying something in the local dialect to one of the monks, motioning his right hand towards Xianghua. Xianghua stood up and nodded towards one of the monks. She was soon lend into the interior of the temple. The floors were marble and smooth, and the walls were covered in various religious tapestries and murals. The temple was mostly dark and only light by a few torches. Walking down a long flight of carpeted stairs, Xianghua was led to her quarters in the basement. Pragav bowed, opening the wooden door leading into Xianghua's quarters. Nodding, she walked inside. Her quarters were very spartan. The room was adorned with a single bed with no pillow and a sheet, and a small wooden table and chair on the opposite side. Xianghua did not care, however, and flung herself on the bed. A single lit candle lay atop the table. Lying on her back, she stared at the ceiling and procured the two shards of Soul Edge.
"These shards are just as dangerous as the sword itself. I can't find away to obliterate them, however. I won't stop my journey until I can rid the world of this sword," thought Xianghua, placing the shards and her sword under the bed. She reclined on her bed and stretched out fully.
"How is it, though, that I'm not driven mad by the shards like that man was? If it turned him to evil, how many other people are being corrupted by Soul Edge, even now?"
These thoughts troubled Xianghua, with no answer in sight. Sleep surely did not come easy that night.