Chapter 7: The Crimson Knight, Gilgamesh

Siegfried stood in the ruined city above the ground, staring at the rubble that surrounded him. He had only seen the city at night, so he didn't get the full picture of what the end result of losing to the undead army was, but now he did. And this time, he was horrified. So much destruction, so much bloodshed. The elder had told him how they had erected a barrier to ward off the undead, and that it had worked for a long time. Then he told him how Conner appeared one day and destroyed the barrier with a mere swing of his sword, allowing the undead to storm the city and slaughter countless.

"Blood." Siegfried said in a low voice.

"Did you say something?" The elder asked.

"Blood, I can smell it in the air. It's old and faint, but it's there." He looked at the elder. Dyne and the elder both looked at Siegfried, "It's similar to back then. Back…when I was a different person."

"Siegfried, I want you to have this." The elder lifted his amulet over his head and held it to Siegfried.

"What is this for?" He asked a bit confused.

The elder chuckled, "Don't worry, I have another." Siegfried was puzzled as to why the elder had given him such a gift. In a fraction of a second, the elder's face turned serious, "This amulet isn't a normal amulet. It is a magical amulet. With it, I'll be able to see what you're seeing and hear what you're hearing. Also, I'll be able to contact you and vise versa. The world's supply of mana has been shortened so don't be too surprised if you have trouble hearing me every now and then."

"Hey Nightmare! You ready to go?" He heard Cassandra call out. He turned around to see her waving at him. It seemed like she had tossed away her sandals and got a new pair of long white boots that went almost up to her knees. On her back was a large traveling backpack stuffed with many supplies he'd never seen nor heard of. Beside her was Jesse wearing her normal blue armor with a black suit underneath. Just like Cassandra, she carrying a large traveling backpack except instead of a sword and shield, she had a single barrel shotgun in its holster strapped to her leg and her custom designed big gun (which he recently learned was called a grenade launcher) at her side.

"What is this?" The elder asked as they stood in front of the elder, Siegfried and Dyne.

"Sister, you can't be seriously thinking about going with them!" Dyne was shocked at the very thought.

"Yep, I've decided to travel with them. It's about time one of us decides to go on the offense against Conner." She said.

Siegfried shook his head and gave a small laugh that could barely be heard, "You realize that we're not heading after Conner."

"I know. I know. But you are heading to Krena, right?" She asked.

"I am." He answered.

"Good, then it is settled. I am to accompany you to Krena. I have to see what I can find out on the Nevarious Crystal."

"Forget it." He said a bit loud so she would understand that he was serious.

"Come on Nightmare, it's not like it'll hurt anything if she comes with us. Besides, you're not a very fun person to be around when it comes to traveling."

"Humph, we're not here for fun. We're here to stop Raphael." He snorted.

"Oh calm down, I want to get as far away from this place as possible before nightfall." Cassandra and Jesse turned around and started to walk down the road.

"Fine, she can come." Siegfried started to follow them, "But she better not get my way!"

"Siegfried." The elder called out as the young blond knight stopped and turned his head around. "Be careful. During the day the shadowstalkers may not be around, but there is still the undead wandering about." The elder warned. Without a thank you, Siegfried continued to follow his two female companions.

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"So Siegfried, what's the big deal about this Soul Edge thingy?" Jesse asked as they strolled through the woods. He glanced at her coldly. Chills of fear were sent down her spine, indicating that she had hit a sensitive subject. "Okay…I take it you don't want to talk to me about it. Well then, how did you and Cassandra first meet?"

"Worry about the future, not the past." He answered with a snarl.

"What's up with him?" Jesse whispered to Cassandra.

"He's always like this." She sighed.

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"What happened here?" Raphael said to himself as he walked over a pile of rubble that once belonged to a building. There were corpses everywhere, few were fresh but most had started to decay. The stench in the air almost made him sick to his stomach. "All of this death, destruction, so many lives, so many generations, lost forever. This is just like home. All of the wars between nations. Can I ever find a place without so much strife? So Soul Edge, speak to me! What should I do next?" He asked his sword as he knelt down and picked up a dirty rag doll. The sword strapped to his back by the rope across his chest started to pulse like a heart beat. "I'll…find my answers in Krena? Then Krena it is." -------------

"Gilgamesh, come forth my faithful knight." Conner called out as he sat on his throne.

"Lord Conner, I am here and awaiting your orders." A man walked toward the throne in full plate gothic style armor dyed blood red and took a kneel. On the man's back was a large claymore with an exotic hilt made of gold. This man is known as the Crimson Knight for the armor he wears. He is the only human in Conner Sekai's commanding ranks and is said to be one of the strongest mortals in the world. How he got there is as mysterious as his past. No one knows where he comes from or what his real name is. He is an enigma to everyone except Lord Conner.

"You are to head over to Pearl Forest and see what information you can get from the Azure Knight, Nightmare."

"What type of information are you looking for my lord?" The knight questioned his master. Conner smiled at his loyal minion. Most of them would take their leave without even bothering to check and see what their master wanted, but Gilgamesh was different. Human or not, he was still one of hismost trusted generals in Conner's army. And this was an example of why.

"Any information you can discover regarding Soul Calibur. We need the other half in order to complete it." Conner said. "Oh, and before you leave, take the Devil's Gauntlet with you. It'll be most useful in this mission."

"Thank you sire. I'll take leave at once sire and bring you the information you require with great haste." Gilgamesh stood up and left the courtroom.

As the Crimson Knight left the room, Conner smiled looking at the door leading to the Nevarious Crystal on his right, "Soon your power will be restored and well be that much closer to obtaining ultimate power."

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"There should be a bridge soon." Jesse said as they wandered deeper into the woods. "Ah ha! Am I the perfect navigator or what!" She cheered and gave a victory sign with her hand.

"This is going to be a long journey." Siegfried sighed as he started to cross the bridge with Cassandra and Jesse right behind him. He suddenly got the feeling that something was watching them.

"Nightmare?" Cassandra asked him as he suddenly stopped and went into a trance.

"What?" He snapped at her, breaking his trance.

"Hey! There's no need for that!" She scowled him. "You need to work on your people skills."

"Whatever." He said coldly as he finished crossing the bridge.

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Darkness had settled upon the forest. Jesse and Cassandra were sitting in front of the campfire with Siegfried in a tree on the lowest branch he could find that would support his weight. Underneath the tree branch was his sword, Faust, leaning against it and his cloak piled up beside it. "Siegfried, are you going to eat?" Jesse asked as she pulled some rations out of her travel pack.

"I'm fine." He answered as simple as possible.

"You sure? Even though you didn't bring any supplies, we've brought more than enough food to last us two weeks, give or take a day or two." Jesse took a bite out of the cooked meat that was dried out so it would last longer. "This jerky is really tasty. It would be a shame if we had to eat it by ourselves." She looked up at him in hopes that he would get up and join them.

"When I get hungry, I'll see what I can forage off of the land." He told her as he closed his eyes and entered a state of thought.

"How long do you think it'll be until we get to Krena?" Cassandra asked Jesse.

Jesse took another bite out of her jerky, "Not sure. I can tell you that it'll be another day at the least."

The sound of clanking metal hitting the grassy floor interrupted their conversation.. Instantly they both turned their heads to see that Siegfried had jumped out of the tree. In his hands and resting on his shoulder was Faust, almost as if it was heavy with the way he was carrying it.

"What is it." Jesse asked a bit concern as her hand inched toward her shotgun.

"Nothing. I'm getting a bit hungry and happen to recall seeing a patch of berries." He lied. "Now get ready to go to sleep. I'm waking everyone up at sunrise so we can get an early start." He then disappeared into the darkness that surrounded the fire.

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Siegfried leaned back to dodge a skeleton's blade and countered with a powerful blow from his fist that sent its head flying. He then spun around to catch a charging zombie in the head with a kick, crushing the skull instantly on contact. As it fell down, another zombie appeared in front of him with an axe in its only arm, ready to strike him down. With great strength, Siegfried plunged his left hand through it's chest and raised it into the air. With his right hand, he balled it into a fist as it transformed into a demonic claw and sent it flying toward the zombie's skull in a crushing punch.

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Cassandra let out a sigh as she laid her head down and stared into the canopy of the forest. "Something bothering you?" Jesse asked as she laid down as well.

"Just thinking of home. Father, mother, sister, brother, I miss them all. -------------

Siegfried sheathed Faust and moved out of the way of twin long swords being lunged at him from an opposing skeleton. He then spun around and caught the skeleton with his boot. With heavy breathing, he picked up the two swords out of the scattered skeleton's hand while reverting back into his human form and normal armor. It was just then that he realized how tired he really was. Attempting to catch his breath, he looked at what was left of the opposing forces, "What's wrong with me? I know my power is deteriorating, but transforming shouldn't put this much strain on my body."

"What's wrong Nightmare? Getting tired?" A strange male voice echoed through the night from all directions.

Siegfried avoided a spear and caught the zombie in the neck with the left sword, "Who's there!" He demanded.

"A man similar to yourself. A man with great power yet no control over his life." A thick mist started to appear with the sound of heavy footsteps and the clanking of metal getting closer and closer. "I am known as The Crimson Knight, Gilgamesh. I was sent here to kill you Azure Knight." Siegfried looked toward the source of the noise, narrowing his eyes and trying to make sense of the figured blanketed by the mist and shadows.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light surrounded his body and the world changed drastically. No longer was he in the dark forest surrounded by corpses. He didn't know where he was exactly, but his best guess what a church. A holy church tainted with great darkness. It was fowl, dimly lit by a fully visible moon. He was in the middle aisle of benches and in front of him was the figure, a figure that was no longer blanketed by the shadows and mist.

The man in crimson dyed gothic plate stared at Siegfried with his claymore in hand. He was similar in build and seemed to be equally strong since he seemed to have no trouble wielding such a long and heavy weapon with one hand. With his free hand, the man tucked a long strand of chocolate colored hair behind his ear, "Welcome to church. Where you're going, you'll need it." The man smirked as he gripped his claymore in both hands and charged Siegfried. With a powerful slash, the man shattered both swords that Siegfried raised to defend himself. As the sword struck the ground, he lunged forward bringing the sword up in a stab. Siegfried moved to the side and caught him with a right hook. Gilgamesh stumbled a bit before regaining his balance and spinning around with his claymore. The clash of metal echoed throughout the deserted church as the claymore met Faust.

"You foolish human. To face me is to face death." Siegfried growled as he transformed into Nightmare. Almost instantly he felt his body growing more tired than what he previously was. "What's happening? My strength…" He said to himself growing weaker by the second.

"The diamond in my right gauntlet is draining your demon's power." Gilgamesh boasted as he forced Siegfried to revert back to his human state. "A little gift from Lord Conner." Gilgamesh swung his claymore several more times and met Faust in the middle each time. On the last swing, Siegfried parried the claymore with Faust and caught Gilgamesh with punch to the jaw and caused him to stumble a bit.

"I've underestimated you. You may not be as powerful as you were two years ago, but it seems to me that your skill has definitely improved." Gilgamesh regained his balance and swung his claymore.

With his large zweihander, Siegfried deflect the claymore, "How do you know what happened two years ago?"

"My master, Lord Conner, was there watching the battle from afar. He told me all about what happened on that fateful night." Gilgamesh replied as he jumped to the side to avoid the zweihander.

Siegfried swung the sword from over head and attempted to split Gilgamesh in half, but the only thing that was split was the bench it struck, "What interest does Conner have in the battle two years ago?"

"The battle was merely entertainment. My master is more interested in the two spirit swords, Soul Edge and Soul Calibur." Gilgamesh clashed swords once again with Siegfried, "Speaking of which. Where is it? Soul Calibur, I must know of its location."

Siegfried slightly moved his arm to avoid being struck and countered with a quick light thrust of his sword.

"There was a light the other day. Our scanners indicated that it was a large source of Mekai. When I last checked, only us humans and Soul Calibur gave off the spiritual energy, Mekai." Gilgamesh locked swords with Siegfried, "Does that refresh your memory any?"

"It does, but I'll be damned if I tell you what happened to Soul Calibur. Besides, " Siegfried managed to break the lock and throw Gilgamesh onto the ground with his sword. Taking his chance, he swung Faust with great precision and split the diamond in Gilgamesh's gauntlet.

"Damn." Gilgamesh stood up as the power drained from the diamond left it in a blinding red light and surrounded Siegfried's body. "I guess the real battle begins now."

With a rejuvenated body, Siegfried transformed into the very demon he resented the most and raised his sword high into the air. "With my power restored, I will crush your body and shatter your soul."

Chuckling to himself, Gilgamesh stood up and held his free hand into the air, "Let me give you a lesson in magic. As you know, demons have powers that are similar to spells except you are using your own spiritual energy to create a desired effect that is nothing more than an extension from your body. Spells however are much different. There are three factors that must be met in order to cast spells. First, there must be enough mana in the surrounding area to create the desired spell. Second, you must possess enough Mekai to affect the amount of mana necessary to perform the spell. That was the part on why demons can't use spells. Lastly, you must picture the spell's effect in your mind and speak the necessary chant. Whether it is mentally or verbally, you must speak it in order to command your spiritual energy to relay the message to the mana and force it to change. Don't believe me? Then here's a demonstration!"

The air around Gilgamesh's hand started to freeze, "Die!" He brought his hand down and aimed it at Siegfried as blasts of icy cold air erupted from it, threatening to turn the Azure Knight into a brittle statue of ice. Siegfried quickly stabbed his sword beside him and held out an open claw in front of him. From the palm of his claw, a barrier erupted from it and held off the blast of ice. "Impressive. And here I thought your only true demonic power was shooting lightning from your hands."

'This is pathetic. He's only toying with me. Fine, then I'll cut him down where he stands!' Siegfried, with determined eyes, grabbed Faust and pulled it out of the ground. "If you thought my powers were the only thing I had going for me, then consider yourself mistaken. This is something I learned from an old knight while in England. This technique is very similar to spells but it can be used by both, humans and demons." Siegfried leapt high into the air with his sword catching on fire. Lightning started to surround his arms as he gripped the zweihander with both hands.

'So this is Earth Divide. One of the few techniques that walk on the thin line of demon powers and magic. The ability to use one's spiritual energy and force it into their weapon so it can act as a magnet and draw the mana in the air into the weapon as well. They say these type of techniques are only as powerful as the energy being used.' Gilgamesh watched at first with surprise, but his demeanor started to change back into a serene state, 'It is surprising that this type of technique even made it to Earth. Doesn't matter, he'll die soon. Cain's Shield!' He shouted out as he raised his claymore over his head with both hands, one on the handle and the other on the blade, and used it to shield himself from the attack.

As the flaming sword struck the claymore, a half-dome shaped barrier erupted over the Crimson Knight's body and held back the zweihander. The fire expanded from the sword as it struck the barrier and the two powers battled one another. "I won't lose! I'll never lose to you!" Gilgamesh yelled out as an explosion occurred between the two swords. A cloud of smoke instantly blanketed the room with the two armored bodies flying out of it and into a wall across the room from one another.

"Ugh, that's impossible. The lightning wasn't the an effect created from Earth Divide, it was him combining one of his own powers with the technique to boost its destructive capabilities even further." Gilgamesh slowly stood using the help of the wall. He took a few steps forward using his claymore as a walking stick. "Perhaps I've been underestimating him all this time. Believing that his powers have deteriorated enough to where he was no longer a threat." He said to himself as the smoke started to clear up. Across the room from him was Siegfried in his human form on his hands and knees trying to catch his breath with his zweihander beside him on the floor. Deciding that it was best to catch his breath as well instead of continuing any further, Gilgamesh dropped to a knee. "You are indeed a worthy foe."

Siegfried looked up at Gilgamesh as the surrounding suddenly shifted back to the dark forest with the corpses of zombies laying about. The few skeletons and zombies that were left started to approach Siegfried to finish off their weakened target. "Stop!" Gilgamesh ordered.

"Why are you stopping them? I thought you came here to end my life?" Siegfried was puzzled at his opponent's actions.

Gilgamesh weakly stood up and latched his claymore onto his back, "It is dishonorable to attack someone who cannot defend themselves, and you clearly cannot defend yourself at the moment. Besides, the outcome was a draw and I want to fight you again someday to see who is truly the stronger knight." Gilgamesh smirked, "Don't die before our rematch." With that, the mist grew thick and blanketed him and Siegfried. When it finally cleared up, he was gone.

"Gilgamesh." Siegfried said as he grabbed Faust and stabbed it into the ground and used it to get to his feet, "Next time won't be a draw." He then walked away from the battle site using Faust as a walking stick.

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The campfire crackled as its burning glow lit the small clearing within the dark forest. Siegfried stepped toward the fire and watched it dance into the night, as if he was playing a violin and it was dancing to the tune. He then looked at Jesse and Cassandra and saw that they were both asleep, dreaming of who knows what. Dreams that he himself would give an arm to experience at least once again. Walking over to the tree his cloak was under, he stabbed Faust into the ground and picked up the cloak. He then sat down and leaned back against the base of the tree and covered up. "It seems tonight will be another sleepless night."

TBC…