First off, I would like to warn everyone that there will be character death through out the story. However, I am not planning on it being overly graphic and most of the deaths will either be generic characters (characters that don't have names) or minor characters. If I do kill of a major character it will probably much later in the story. As I said, they will not be overly graphic scenes and I will keep the rating at PG-13 for now. However, if anyone feels that I am getting too violent, just let me know in the reviews and I will change the rating.
Disclaimer: I do not own any videogames or their characters.
War of the Warriors: Crystals of the Sky
Chapter 4: Man with the Glowing Green Eyes
Auron, Talim, and Chun-Li were traveling across the valley towards Talim's village. As they walked closer to the village, the sky began to darken. However, they knew that it would be past sunset by the time they arrived at the village, so the group dismissed the darkening sky as the passage of time. Yet, Auron couldn't help but notice an ominous, dark cloud hovering above the area where the village was. Auron continued to stare at the cloud and felt a terrible presence in that direction.
Talim, however, didn't seem to notice the dark cloud nor the Auron's slightly worried expression. She was happily walking towards her home with some friends to accompany her. "Sir Auron, my uncle has prepared a great feast for you in celebration of your return", said Talim. Auron simply kept a calm face as he focused on the path ahead. "What food will be at this feast?", asked Chun-Li, who was starting to get hungry. "Well," Talim answered, "there will be wild boar and some vegetables that my village grew. Actually, I'm not quite sure exactly what my uncle will cook." "Your uncle is doing the cooking?", asked Chun-Li. "Yes, he is. Believe it or not, he actually a really good cook", answered Talim with a smile on her face.
"So tell me Talim, what exactly is your relationship with your uncle? You two seem to be very close from what I have heard", said Chun-Li. "Well," began Talim, "both of my parents died in an accident when I was very young. Because my uncle was the only living relative that I had left, he took me in and raised me as if I was his own child. It must have been very difficult raising me and doing his duties as the village chief at the same time. However, he never seemed to mind taking care of me. He was always so kind and gentle."
Talim, Auron, and Chun-Li continued to walk until they suddenly saw Talim's village in the distance. However, something was terribly wrong. A large cloud of smoke was coming from the village. Although Talim's uncle would probably cook the food by fire, the smoke was too big to be caused by a simple campfire. As fear overcame Talim, she found herself in an all out sprint towards the village, and Auron and Chun-Li could barely keep up with her.
When Talim arrived at the outskirts of the village, she collapsed to her knees in horror. Her entire village was an inferno! Auron and Chun-Li caught up with Talim to see the horrific sight themselves. Chun-Li clamped her hands in front of her mouth as she stared at the flames in disbelief. Meanwhile, Auron slowly walked towards Talim and placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Talim", said Auron in a calm, yet saddened voice. Talim did not reply but sat silently as tears began to roll down her cheek. After keeping silent for a few minutes Auron spoke, "Well, maybe we should see if there are any survivors." Talim waited a moment before getting up to her feet and replying, "Yes, your right. If there are any survivors, we should help them."
Talim, Auron, and Chun-Li wandered through the burning village desperately searching for survivors, but the village seemed totally lifeless and empty. Sudden they noticed a body nearby. As Talim approached the body, she realized that it was the village chief. "Uncle! Uncle! Can you hear me!" , screamed Talim. The village chief slowly opened his eyes and asked, "Talim, is that you?" The village chief was still alive but barely. He had countless wounds an injuries and could barely move. "Uncle, please tell me what happened. Why is the village in flames?", asked Talim.
It took a few minutes before the village chief could answer Talim. "Well," began the chief, "I was beginning preparations for the feast when a stranger suddenly appeared. Then, he started to kill the villagers and used his magic to set the village on fire." "What did the stranger look like?", asked Talim. The chief was reluctant to speak at first for fear of his niece's safety. After further thought, the chief replied, "He was a tall man with dark clothing. I'm not sure if it was black or another dark color. I remember he had long hair but I can't remember what color it was. However, one thing I do remember is his eyes. He had unnaturally green eyes that seemed to glow." The village chief heard Auron approach and turned his head to face Auron. "I'm sorry Sir Auron, but I couldn't protect the crystal. The green-eyed man stole it. I tried to stop him, but I was no match for him. I last saw him heading for the southern ruins", explained the chief.
Suddenly, the village chief gasped for air. "Uncle, please don't speak. Everything is going to be okay. Just hang on until we can get some help", said Talim. The chief looked at Talim and smiled weakly. "Talim," began the chief, "I don't think I can take care of you anymore. I think my time has come." "No! Don't say that!", cried Talim. "Talim, I want you to travel with Auron and help him find the crystals", said the chief. "Okay, I will", said Talim with tears rolling down her cheeks. The village chief smiled again at Talim before he suddenly became limp. "Uncle! Please don't leave me!", screamed Talim. It was no use since the spirit of her uncle had already left his body.
Talim sat near her uncle's body, crying her heart out for several minutes. Suddenly, she noticed that Auron was beginning to leave the village. "Where are you going, Auron?" asked Chun-Li, who was standing nearby. Auron replied, "The chief said that the man was going to the southern ruins. He is probably after the crystal that is being guarded there." Talim suddenly stood up and said, "I'm going too!" Auron looked at Talim and replied, "No, you should stay here. You are not in the right state of mind to fight." Talim opened her mouth to object but she couldn't find the words to say. Then, Auron turned to Chun-Li and said, "You should say here and watch over Talim." "What! Are you going to fight that green-eyed man by yourself?", asked Chun-Li. Auron simply nodded and continued to walk out of the village.
As Chun-Li and Talim watched Auron head towards the ruins, they couldn't help but be worried about Auron's safety. "I hope Auron will be okay", said Talim in a concerned tone. "I'm sure Auron can take care of himself", replied Chun-Li, who wasn't willing to admit that she was also worried about Auron. "I know that Auron is a skilled warrior, but he might end of fighting the man who massacred my entire village", said Talim. "Well, you have a point. Auron shouldn't have to face that monster all by himself," said Chun-Li. "I don't care what Auron says," said Talim, "I going to follow him!" Chun-Li looked at Talim and said, "I'm coming with you." With that agreement, the two women chased after Auron.
Meanwhile, Auron was crossing the valley towards the ruins in the south. While he was walking, Auron looked at the nigh sky which was normally filled with stars. However, the sky was filled with clouds and was completely starless. Auron felt that this was a bad omen of sorts, but he still pressed on despite the danger ahead of him. As Auron continued forward, he eventually came upon the entrance to the forest that led to the ruins. Auron walked into the forest wondering if the reason why it was so dark was because of the night or if it was the evil presence that lay within it.
Suddenly, Auron heard several footsteps running towards him, and he turned around to see Talim and Chun-Li catching up to him. Auron frowned and asked, "Why did you follow me? Didn't I tell you two to stay near the village?" "I'm sorry Sir Auron, but I couldn't stand the thought of loosing you on the same night I lost my uncle", replied Talim. "She's right," added Chun-Li, "we couldn't let you face this madman alone and risk you getting killed." "Please let us come with you!", begged Talim. Auron thought about what the two women said for a few minutes before saying, "Alright, you two can come, but if things get too dangerous, I want you go back where it is safe. Do you understand?" Talim and Chun-Li nodded their heads in agreement and they followed Auron deep into the heart of the forest.
Eventually, they came upon the ancient ruins within the forest. There were ancient carvings and vines on the walls of the old temple. As Auron, Talim, and Chun-Li climbed the stairs to the top of the temple, they noticed the lifeless bodies of the guards assigned to protect the crystal found within the ruins. At the top of the temple, the three heroes noticed a mysterious stranger standing at the center of the floor with his back turned to them. He was wearing a black outfit and had long, silvery hair. He also had long sword, a masamune to be exact, strapped to his waist. As Auron and the others slowly approached the man, he turned to face them and they caught a glimpse of his eyes. The man's eyes were an unusual shade of green and looked as if they glowed. 'This must be the man who destroyed Talim's village', thought Auron. "Who are you, and are you the one who destroyed the nearby village?", asked Auron. The green-eyed man stared at Auron with an evil smirk on his face and replied, "My name is Sephiroth, and if you are talking about that village just north of here…" Sephiroth suddenly stopped mid-sentence and began to laugh an evil laugh.
Talim could no longer hold back her anger and began to run towards Sephiroth. "Stop Talim!", shouted Auron, but Talim ignored his warning. She took out her tonfas and lunged at Sephiroth with all of her might. However, he effortlessly dodged Talim's attack, and with the hilt of his sword, hit her in the back of the head. Talim fell to the ground unconscious due to Sephiroth's counter attack. Sephiroth pointed the masamune at Talim, but his attempt to finish Talim off was blocked by Auron's sword. "Leave her out of this. Your fight is with me now," shouted Auron. Sephiroth aimed his sword at Auron and charged at him. Using precise timing, Auron managed to block Sephiroth's attack. Then Auron swung his sword at Sephiroth, but Sephiroth used his speed to avoid Auron's attack. Before Auron could realize it, Sephiroth was behind him and attempted to stab Auron in the back. However, Auron managed to turn around just in time in order to block Sephiroth's attack.
Meanwhile, Chun-Li was watching the battle play out in front of her. Auron was very skilled, but Sephiroth was too fast. Although Auron was holding his own for now, Chun-Li knew that he wouldn't last too much longer. 'I have to find a way to help Auron, but if I get in his way it would only make things worse. I must catch Sephiroth off guard', thought Chun-Li. She watched Auron and Sephiroth attack, dodge, and block each other. Suddenly, Auron slashed at Sephiroth, only for Sephiroth to duck below the sword and counter before Auron could react. A large surge of pain overcame Auron, and he looked down to see a huge gash on his side. Sephiroth stared at Auron and smiled an evil smirk as he slowly raised his sword in order to deal the final blow. He was so focused on Auron that he didn't notice Chun-Li running towards him. Chun-Li caught Sephiroth off guard and kicked him in the side with all of her strength. The force of the attack caused Sephiroth to step backwards a little. 'Surely that attack did some damage', thought Chun-Li, but she soon realized that Sephiroth was barely fazed at all. In an act of desperation, Chun-Li ran towards Sephiroth and attempted to throw a punch at him. However, Sephiroth dodged the attack and shot a powerful beam of magic out of his hand. The magic blast caused Chun-Li to skid across the floor and she came to a stop near the edge of the temple. She lied on the floor unconscious. Sephiroth slowly walked towards the helpless Chun-Li while Auron limped towards Sephiroth in a feeble attempt to stop him.
Suddenly, something caught Sephiroth's eye. Sephiroth reached down to pick up the crystal that Chun-Li had apparently dropped while she had skidded across the temple's top. "Another crystal to add to my collection," said Sephiroth. "Your collection?", asked Auron. In response to Auron's remark, Sephiroth took out three more crystals out of his pocket. Auron knew that Sephiroth had at least one or two crystals, but he didn't know Sephiroth had so many. Sephiroth slipped the crystals back into his pocket and turned his attention back to Auron.
Auron had come to the realization that he didn't stand a chance against Sephiroth. Sephiroth was too fast and powerful. However, Auron would not give up. He would fight to the bitter end with what strength he had left. Still, Auron wished that it wouldn't end this way. Auron's life began to flash before his eyes as Sephiroth crept closer with the masamune in his hand.
Characters in this chapter: Auron (FFX), Chun-Li (Street Fighter series), Talim (Soul Calibur 2), Sephiroth (FFVII)
Review Responses
SpartanCommander: I didn't realize that I was leaving too much information out between paragraphs. I will try to keep this to a minimum. Anyways, I'm glad that you seem to like this story.