Do not own SC characters. This chapter is basically all-fight between Taki and Maiev and the reason that it is long is because of the descriptions. Little note to those willing; Taki's moves during the battle will be described but for those who aren't sure what the move looked like (if my description was a bit complex) I'll be putting the name of the move in parenthesis so you can see it for yourself in the game, which is SC1, or at least most are from it, since that is the basic time frame that it takes place :)
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Chapter 13: Secrets Wanting to be Known
Taki felt a bead of sweat from her forehead slowly and unevenly stream down the side of her face until it landed upon the edge of her mask as the blazing heat from the forge's fire brushed against her skin. Her concentration remained unbreakable as she swung the hammer she gripped in one hand and slammed it against a new creation of weapons for her coming battle, which she knew would be soon as Maiev would certainly not be patient enough to wait, plus it was getting closer to night now and Taki knew how elusive Maiev enjoys to be during a battle.
Instead, Taki would wait for a messenger of some sort from Maiev's Watchers to inform her of Maiev's readiness. She also knew that Maiev would use her deadliest weapon against her so Taki figured that it would most certainly be to her benefit if she were to make a strong weapon of her own. Her signature blades, Rekki-Maru and Mekki-Maru, she indeed trusted and would never replace them, at least not permanently but for this battle she needed a weapon with a more defensive side.
Taki let out a breath and stood back a bit to look at her work thus far since she had been shaping her daggers for nearly half the day. The weapon type was one used by all ninjas of Japan called 'Kunai' which excelled in offenses and defenses but was meant to have short reach when fighting. The blade always looked like some sort of digging tool to Taki because of its widely angled blade and slightly obnoxious thickness, but then again all that was made up for its durability during a fight.
She sighed in a way as if to gather her strength along with looking about the Orc's small forgery which she had asked to borrow from them. It was much like their many burrows only this was above ground and the majority of the building's design was flat stones instead of wood while the tusks upon their roofs were actually placed in the inside of this building as if to be used for cloak-hangers. It took her a few minutes after she first came in to notice that the ceiling was layered with brown leather as if used to guard elements like the rain.
She gazed back into the only light of the room - the fire - for a few moments before she raised the mallet over her head and struck her blade once again. She turned the blade over on the anvil then struck it again, repeating her procedure over and over until she saw fit. She soon found her mind involuntarily wandering to a certain Greek girl who was currently with Mina and Kilik since she had asked her for some privacy so that she could do what she was doing now. She closed her eyes tightly then shook her head as if trying to push the image of the younger girl from her mind.
Taki placed a palm onto a side of her forehead, her fingers tangling into her ebony fringe as she kept her eyes closed. "Why…?" The Asian began out loud before letting herself continue in her mind. 'Why can't I stop…?' She thought in desperation and confusion. 'Ever since I realized she was that girl who kept… and still is… coming into my dreams… I can't keep her out of my head.' Her eyes slowly opened to look down to her ground, she soon found herself leaning backwards onto a stone wall placed right behind her.
'That night after the battle with the Azure Knight, I remember, I woke up after having another one of those tormenting nightmares concerning her. I looked down and at the sight of Sophitia laying her head on my chest and murmuring in her sleep… I admit it startled me greatly, I remember pulling back slightly and my eyes widening with surprise… but I didn't have the heart to nudge her off of me so I just let her sleep… I think I even felt myself smiling faintly at her peaceful, content form.' Taki let her almond eyes close as the faint smile returned to just graze her lips and let out a brief chuckle from within her throat as the image of the sleeping Greek came back to her in a crisp clearness. Within seconds the amused expression upon her masked face went back to her original thoughtful one.
'But, just why is she so comfortable being around a demon huntress like me? Many of the people I see in a town that I may pass always narrow their eyes at me with suspicion or look at me with nervousness as if they thing I'm just going to start threatening random people for different reasons. Her, however… she acts as though we've… like we've met before.' Taki quirked an eyebrow in confusion. 'But how can she know me when I don't know her as greatly as she seems to know me? Why does she continue to haunt my mind during both the night and day even though I now know that she is the girl in my dreams? Why does she seem so willing to… to be by my side?'
Taki's thoughtful expression soon changed to aggravation as she growled and vigorously rubbed her fingertips against the line of her fringe due to the frustration of having all these unanswerable questions. 'How ironic; I ask her for some privacy since I can't forge properly with her eyes upon me yet she still comes to my attention whether physically or mentally.' She brushed away all her thoughts and questions about Sophitia as she forced herself to continue working on her new blades. She looked down at the blades to find the blazing fire's reflection within them and soon found herself staring at the twitching flames from their reflection as though she was mesmerized by their dance. She blinked a few times as if she was trying to focus herself once again then raised her mallet above her head then brought it down to hear the fierce clang of metal against metal.
"Ruffle"… "You are the demon huntress called Taki?"
Taki's eyes snapped up to see what she knew as a Night Elven archer standing in front of the scarlet curtain used as the doorway. This elf was one who seemed a bit shorter than many of the others she had seen with aqua and tinting leafy-green hair that flowed down below her shoulder blades and eyes that seemed a bit blinding but for the only fact that the Asian had been used to the darkness of the forgery. She had, like most if not all of the other Night Elves, purple symmetrical designs that looked like sharp yet cursive-like 'V's on her cheeks. Taki could tell that she was one of the youngest and had perhaps less experience in battle than most of her sister sentries. This was given away by the slightly meek look in the girl's eyes as she looked at the human and almost seemed to hold a small sense of doubt about the person she was addressing.
Taki quirked an eyebrow as she stood her back straight after leaning over the anvil and still holding her hot dagger with metal tongs. "Maiev sent you, surely?" She asked with a knowing tone.
The elf simply nodded then took a few careful steps closer as if to remain cautious of this human, although Taki had no idea what the reason was. "My mistress sent me to tell you where the fight will commence." She stated simply while Taki nodded knowingly and went back to her work to finish the final touches of her newly-birthed blades. She waved a hand for the elf to go on. "She chose and is currently waiting and preparing for your arrival to a place east of here. I will lead you there if you wish." The girl suggested plainly.
Taki condoned with a slight nod as she looked back down to shape her other thickly-shaped blade after heating it within the forge. "Since I am foreign to these lands, after all, it would be better if you led me there." She explained as she leaned closer to the blade than before and shaped the edge with a much smaller mallet. "I won't be long." The huntress stated quickly while not looking up to the woman who looked Sophitia's age or perhaps even younger.
"Will your human friends want to follow?" The lavender-skinned elf asked in a low, soft voice as she lowered her head slightly although in a somewhat tentative fashion even though she looked a bit curious yet knowing at the same time.
Taki smirked at the elf's question; of course they'd be willing to watch a fight between her and Maiev, it would be an interesting spectacle for anyone. She glanced toward the young elf who pulled a lock of her deep aqua, somewhat star-speckled hair behind her long ear, revealing a long, dangling metal earring with a small teal-colored feather at its base. "I have no doubt." She stated while she continued finishing her new Kunai blades.
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Naisha sat on one of the many small boulders of the leaf-covered area, feeling her panther brush its furry face against her hand, begging his master to pet him. She smiled sweetly as she ran her hand along his black fur, much to Moonfang's cub-like delight with a swaying tail. Naisha's smile widened at the reaction but quickly felt it fade into an almost depressed expression as the sound of a bladed weapon cutting through the air and a sharp "Ha!" from Maiev's throat caught her attention as the warden stood a small sum of feet away from her. "As much as I trust you're judgment, Maiev, are you sure you want to fight a human just for the purpose of preserving your reputation?" The younger elf asked in a soft tone as she slowly looked up to the warden who continued to warm her skills in her training.
Maiev slowly recovered her stance after her last swing. She didn't look towards Naisha but smirked nonetheless. "This isn't the first time I've fought for my reputation, Naisha. You should know that better than anyone." She asserted in a voice as soft as Naisha's was. She slowly turned to look at her sentry, hearing the thousands of scattered leaves around her as the wind brushed passed.
"Yes, I do know that quite well. But she wasn't the one who threw the insult at you, it was Illidan who compared the two of you, remember?" Naisha explained as she leaned forward slightly as if to emphasize her point and also held a tone of correction towards what Maiev seemed to think and feel.
The warden quirked an eyebrow from behind her helmet yet kept her smile as if to make it look playful. "True, but Taki also agreed to my challenge, so I can't just back out of it now like you obviously want me to. And besides, doing so would hurt my reputation even more." Maiev explained with doubtless confidence as she turned her gaze to the widest opening of the area's tall trees. The sunset could just be seen while it was still in its youth. The warden followed its gentle light while she heard her closest friend's answer in a sigh of defeat in their discourse.
"Touché." The sentry paused as she brought her attention back to Moonfang by slightly accelerating the page of her strokes against his midnight fur. "But since when does demon hunting matter to you, since he used that against you? You only dispose of people who may be a threat to our race, or even just break our Night Elven Code of Law. You don't focus on demons, do you?" Naisha asked as she cocked her head slightly to one side as if she wasn't quite sure herself.
Maiev's smirk faded as she looked away and tightened her palm straps which were used like grips for her hands. "I kill demons whenever I cross paths with one since they are against life itself anyway. You're right, it isn't my job like it is Taki's, but I kill them just to rid them of the area so that they don't harm innocents." She stated as if making a simple point while she shifted her dagger holster beneath her deep green cloak. Naisha was getting the idea that Maiev was keeping herself occupied like this just so that Maiev would avoid her gaze, although she couldn't figure out why.
"Then why did it bother you so when he said that?" Naisha asked as she still let her palm run over one side of Moonfang's face while she pressed the other side against her upper thigh.
Maiev took a breath as if the conversation was becoming more difficult for her. "It wasn't my capability of demon hunting that he mocked, but my capability of protecting our sisters at all. I know that's what he meant since he knows how much I favor preserving our races' society. And that was what made me want to hang his head by the end of his very own shackles that contain him." The extensively long-haired elf explained as calmly as she could, although a bit of harshness could be heard deep within her words. 'He also humiliated me in front of you.' She added in her head while feeling a harsh sneer coming on. She brought out her circular, bladed weapon from beneath her cloak and gazed at the blades for a moment. "I wish Tyrande would just let me kill him. I have no idea why she's doing such a foolish thing as keeping him alive." She spoke with a hidden growl in her aggravation as she leaned against one of the many tall yet loosely-filled plum-colored trees of the boulder-scattered and puddle-ridden area as she polished the curved blades.
"She probably wants to wait for Malfurion to return and be the judge for her since he and Illidan have a deeper history of their own." Naisha implied as a guess as she looked down and nearly giggled when she noticed that Moonfang's bright yellow eyes where beginning to waver in and out of focus due to the treatment Naisha was giving him.
Maiev merely rolled her eyes at the statement, knowing that it could very well be true and just replied with a "Humph." She continued to clean her blade in silence, already sick of talking about demons, Illidan and the coming battle. The battle itself she was very anxious about, she really wanted to know what this midnight-haired human had up her sleeve style-wise.
"If there's one thing I ask of you Maiev, for the battle…" Naisha spoke up in a serious yet hopeful tone while Maiev glanced at her with a raised eyebrow of curiosity. "I don't know if these human's have special abilities of their own like the Lorderon paladins have showed us, but it would be best if you didn't use those virulent daggers of yours on Taki or anything that would imbalance the battle. You don't know what Sophitia may do to you if you cheat." She finished with a playfully quirked eyebrow beneath her small, sliver-weaved and plum-colored head-plate. Maiev soon responded to with a pause, reluctant nod, and a disappointed sigh, which made Naisha chuckle within her throat. "You can be quite a child at times if you're not equipped with your toys, hm?" She added with an amused smile to match her raised eyebrow, making a very playful expression before she looked back to Moonfang.
She turned to Naisha to respond in her defense, but stopped as she found herself watching, staring at her second-in-command sentry as the sunset's light seemed to outline her fair-skinned body in the most elegant way. Her green eyes dropped from Naisha's beautiful lurid-blue ones (although they were already turned away from her) and let her own land on Moonfang's relaxed form. He looked as though he was in the most content state he'd ever been in as he slipped deeper due to Naisha's delicate charms and beauty.
Maiev's eyes narrowed slightly at the panther that seemed as though he was about to let out a loud purr. 'If a blasted beast can have Naisha's affections, why can't I?' Maiev thought as she let her gaze snap to Naisha's form and pictured her head lying in Naisha's lap while the younger elf looked down at her with the same smile she was giving the panther as she would run her fingers through Maiev's loose hair just as soothingly as she seemed to be with Moonfang's dark fur. Maiev soon found herself sneering with twinges jealousy as she peered at the panther through the corners of the eyes of her gold-rimmed helmet as if trying to be discrete so that the luminance of her green eyes wouldn't be noticed.
"Mistress…? I've brought the human you sent me for."
Maiev felt her eyes widen as the feminine voice from behind startled her. After collecting herself, the warden turned to find her newly-trained huntress standing in a very poised position as if waiting obediently for the next order. Taki stood behind her with her arms crossed and a competitively raised eyebrow, which Maiev returned along with a cocky smirk. "Thank you, Anaya. I notice you brought the others as well." She mentioned as she looked over Anaya's shoulder to find Mina and Kilik waiting with eagerness and intrigue while sitting underneath a wide tree with a base that had a branchless neck. Although they would be a bit harder to notice to others considering the night's darkness was slowly approaching.
Sophitia stood close to the both of them while her eyes portrayed a strong concern and her restive state was a bit visual as she was snuck out Taki's tarnish-ridden rag and was ringing it within her palms slowly but continuously. She had no doubt in Taki's abilities as she had been dazzled by them before with bandits and rogues, but she had a very strong feeling that Maiev may be the only one who might be able to match Taki not in power but in style.
Anaya bowed her head slightly. "I'm sorry, mistress. They wanted to-."
"I know, I figured as much." Maiev interrupted while letting her gaze drift over them before turning back to Anaya. "You can go back to our base and continue training, or you can watch as well, if you wish." Maiev spoke simply, not waiting for her to decide as she turned to Taki, wanting to get the battle of wits started. She took off her dagger holster and placed it next to where Naisha sat, who smirked slightly, knowing they were the ones that were tipped with poison. As she turned to face Taki and walk to the center of the boulder-scattered area, she swiftly brought out her signature weapon from beneath her cloak, drumming her fingers against its hilt anxiously. "Now, all we have to do, I figured, is to throw the opponent and whoever does that first is the victor." She explained simply, watching as Taki nodded in agreement.
"Interesting place you picked." Taki commented as she walked to what she guessed was her corner of the 'arena'. She looked up suddenly but didn't seem to turn her head while she smiled with intrigue. "And what are those? Tree huts? Probably some old children's playground?" She asked cockily as she looked back to Maiev, who sneered slightly as she glanced upwards to see a few of what looked like ruined treehouses deep within their branches.
"For your information, these were old watch towers as this very area was an old training ground for those who wished to learn agility. Archers would fire down upon trainees while they would use their senses to dodge them." Maiev informed as she gripped her hilt tighter and straightened out her back into a broad posture as if anticipating Taki's move. She smirked: an expression of icy confidence that Taki hated most about her character. "Our race is known for its agility so I hope you can keep up." She declared in a voice matching her confident expression as she lifted her ring-blade slightly.
Taki narrowed her eyes smiled beneath her mask before she broke her crossed arms as she seemed to whirl round once while stepping backwards and lifting her left hand to enclose around her shoulder Kunai blade's soft leather hilt then stopping with bent knees in her normal defense position. "I'll try my very best not to disappoint you." She replied with a cocky confidence as she felt the butt of the hilt, which was a metal loop used for better gripping the dagger as well as for the option of throwing it.
"Heh. I should hope so." Maiev held the same tone with her smirk before letting a few seconds pass then suddenly gripping her hilt even tighter and pulling it over to her other side. Without hesitation, she ran forward as she angled her ring-blade. "After all, I don't want you, 'the better huntress', to go second-rate on me!" She mocked as she slashed her loop-blade diagonally to her upper right side. She growled slightly as she found that Taki had quickly brought the shoulder Kunai blade out of its black scabbard and guarded her slash, listening to the sound of metal grinding against metal.
Taki's eyebrows furrowed with determination and focus as she forcibly pushed Maiev's blade away from her own. The Asian didn't wait for Maiev to recover to a defensive stance for her to try a leg-sweep, knowing that Maiev's ring-blade was already in front of her torso so elf could guard herself if she tried anything in that direction.
Maiev saw what Taki was about to do since she had ducked with an extended leg, so she jumped before the leg could sweep and hit her ankles. As she landed, she smiled as she knew that Taki's failed attempt would give the demon huntress the disadvantage of a delayed recover. The elf went to kick Taki right in the side of the face. Unfortunately for her, Taki noticed Maiev bracing her leg, so right as Maiev lifted her metal boot from the soft earth Taki hastily let herself fall completely to the ground, watching as the metal leg came sharply over her. She quickly rolled out of the way and soon onto her feet, back into her defensive stance with narrowed eyes that matched Maiev's.
Kilik's eyes widened at the tension the battle already showed. He leaned slightly over his Kali-Yuga which laid on his lap like Mina's Zanbatou did in her own and whispered, "Well, their agility certainly matches each other's." Mina only answered by a nod as her eyes were glued onto the battle much like Kilik's were. The dull light of the coming night illuminated them both through the thin mist-like fog that came through the forest.
It was Taki's time to attack as she ran the short distance she had and performed two kicks both with her left leg straight towards Maiev's chest. Maiev was just able to block both using the strength of both her forearms, however she wasn't able to guard her left hip dagger, which she charged by her will and made it glow to a fiery red while the blade itself became royal blue color. Taki slashed it diagonally upwards from its sheath towards Maiev's lower torso (Rapid Air Death then Mekki Maru Wind). The blade's tip slashed below Maiev's breastbone, making the warden recoil as she wrapped one arm around the light slit.
'Dugh!' Maiev sneered harshly as she looked down slightly. 'The one critical place my race doesn't wear armor!' She complained as her eyes snapped to Taki's, who's complexion showed indifference, much to Maiev's surprise; she expected the Asian to gloat over her small triumph. 'No matter, the wound she caused isn't serious in the least.' Maiev blinked as she gripped her ring-blade, she didn't want to specifically why Taki wasn't rubbing it in her face as she was still in the middle of battle with her. "Strange power you have, to make your weapon emit light like that." Maiev stated as she thought out an attack of her own.
"I'm not the only one who can do that. Can't yours do the same?" Taki asked in an almost cocky tone as she noticed that Maiev was bracing herself again, so she heightened her guard.
Maiev smirked as she pulled her ring-blade upwards slightly, bracing the arm that held its weight. "You shall have to wait and see." With that she suddenly ran forward, watching as Taki guarded her torso for whatever she was planning. However, Taki didn't realize the reason why she had made her ring blade go over Taki's body then brought it down to encircle her waist so that she couldn't run.
Taki defended by trying to punch Maiev in the stomach, however, the warden pulled her closer so that her aim was completely off then suddenly felt an armored knee go into her own abdomen, feeling her backside crush against the iron of the ring-blade as she bent forward from the impact and loss of air from her lungs.
Maiev brought her weapon back over Taki's body then swung it so that it hit the huntress's left arm near the shoulder. Taki yelped as she pulled back and grabbed her bleeding shoulder, the wound wasn't deep but it stung as it was caressed by the cool night air. She could feel a gentle throb of pain in her stomach from Maiev's iron blow.
She glanced towards Sophitia's direction; her gaze almost immediately dropped as she saw the amount of worry in her emerald eyes, and she knew it was for more reasons than one; the damage she received, why she accepted to battle Maiev in the first place, what she was going to do next, and would she win? Taki's eyes narrowed as she met Maiev's smirking green ones. 'I promise, I won't lose.' Taki thought confidently without knowing, without believing that the statement was for Sophitia, even though it indeed was.
"I would hurry up if I were you." Maiev noted as her smirk widened, making Taki's eyes narrow suspiciously.
"And why is that?" Taki asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are we on budgeted time?"
"For me, no." Maiev began to grin. "But for you… yes." Maiev could only chuckle as she saw the confusion on Taki's face. "After all, I am a Night Elf… and the night is approaching."
Naisha watched from the sidelines like the other three humans along with Ayana, who chose to stay and stand by her side. Her eyes widened as she knew what Maiev meant when she said that, but her could only sigh and close her eyes. 'Don't make things too difficult for her, Maiev.'
"What are you talking abou-?" Taki stopped and her quizzical eyes widened as she noticed that the light of the moon broke through the trees and dripped onto Maiev's body.
Maiev grinned widely as she looked straight into Taki's wide eyes. "Can you see clearly in the night, human?" She didn't wait for Taki to answer as she slowly turned, letting her shadowmeld ability gently envelope her body until she was no longer visible to the human eye. Maiev's voice could be heard in a slight echoing manner. "Because the night can clearly see you." A gentle laugh could be heard amongst the trees as Maiev finished. All was silent as the wind began to brush against the ground and fallen leaves.
'Oh great, now what?' Taki thought as her gaze quickly and cautiously swept across the grounds.
Sophitia's worry heightened even more. This wasn't fair, Taki was human and she had no abilities like these elves do, not natural abilities like the Night Elves' ability to blend completely into the night. Taki was good in listening and tracking movements, but those were with demons, who where mindless and reckless while Maiev of course wasn't and knew strategy and stealth during the daylight. Sophitia could only imagine what her stealth would be like during the night, let alone shadowmelding as well. She looked toward Naisha, who she knew held reason for when Maiev would be out of hand in certain, needed times.
Naisha had eventually caught the Greek's eyes and she could see the emotion in them and had no choice but to reply with merely an apologetic look. There was nothing she could do. She would have at least given just one hint for how Taki should go about this, but couldn't as this was an important battle to Maiev and plus her commander meant a lot to her, more than she may even realize. She knew that her warden would be upset for giving out hints to her opponent even for the reason of being fair.
She watched as Sophitia slowly looked away as if she was disappointed and almost lost, however she continued to watch as the Greek looked back up to her former love with undeniable hope and faith. Naisha sighed as she saw this; she envied how open Sophitia seemed to someone who didn't know the love that she felt for them. She wished she could be as open with Maiev about certain things as she had seemed so close to Maiev lately, at least moreso than usual. The memory of when Maiev had once vowed to her that she would protect her young lieutenant from all that would ever trespass against them suddenly flashed in her mind, making her heart soften.
She had noticed lately that she had been feeling something for her commander but couldn't admit it; she didn't want to, for it would be quite odd for a first lieutenant to be feeling this way. 'It's nothing.' She told herself as she shook her head, trying to rid herself of any more thoughts concerning such things even though her heart begged for something much more different. 'It's merely a strong friendship… it can't go any further than that.' She almost advised herself before she took a breath and looked up to Taki, who hadn't received any damage yet from her invisible foe, strangely, but she hoped that Maiev wouldn't go too far after doing what she'd just done.
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Siegfried stood at the river's grassy edge where the remnants of the burnt pyres remained and drifted through the clear current of the water. Tyrande and Jaina, who was welcomed to join them as she was curious about this new knight herself, the two stood behind the poised figure who kept his eyes onto the water which he had tossed his flower onto just a few seconds ago as a gesture of forgiveness.
"How can you stand the stench since you're standing so close?" Jaina asked the knight in near bewilderment as she grimaced at the smell wafting over them. She tried to block it by covering her nose and mouth with an edge of her long lurid-blue cloak.
Siegfried merely shrugged as he turned away from the curving stream. "After four years of having your mind plagued with darkness, you tend to become used to it." He explained dismally as he glanced towards Jaina's direction, who turned silent after he spoke, not knowing anything to reply in relation to his response.
"What are you going to do now knight? Return to your own homelands?" Tyrande asked with slight intrigue, as it was rare to actually see the former host of a malicious demon who seemed so mournful, although it was understandable.
Siegfried seemed to let out a small light although his eyes didn't seem to hold amusement as if he was still thinking about at the wrongs he had committed in just the previous night's battle alone. "What I always do, or at least try to; I'm going to bring my honor back to my name by redeeming myself." He stated as he let his eyes slowly drift to the side, into the vast woods as he rubbed his name in an almost tentative fashion. "Of course, the problem is I don't have my zweihänder; Requiem. Otherwise, I would aid you in your quest of overthrowing Arthas, he made me kill so many in several villages and I want to return the favor for making Soul Edge lust for blood." His eyes swept to Tyrande's, whose remained neutral yet focused on his words and serious eyes. "I'm not one who runs away from crimes committed. And at least from what I remember of him, the man seemed to be mad for power."
"He is." Jaina responded in a simple, soft tone that almost held a sigh as if that deeply troubled her since she avoided their gazes and shifted uncomfortably as she spoke. Siegfried blinked at her with bewilderment; it seemed as though the mere mention of his name was a tender subject for her, although for reasons he didn't know and dared not to ask, afraid of making things personal.
"So you're willing to go up the entire army of the undead just to clear and bring honor to your name?" Tyrande asked as if she was testing him on how far we was willing to go.
"Yes, not only my own, but to my father's as well." Siegfried's boyish voice seemed to drift the more that he spoke.
"Your father knows of what you've done?" Tyrande asked quickly with a quirked eyebrow of confusion, wondering why or what would make this boy's father know what he had done.
Siegfried's eyes seemed to change in emotion although it was difficult to read, as if he was recoiling in a way. He paused as he sharply looked away from the both of them. "I-I don't really want to talk about it." He stated firmly and bluntly, making Tyrande just look at him for a few moments then look away in a slight nod of acceptance.
Luckily, all were brought out of the tensions they all felt and for different reasons as a young Blood Elven knight came dashing towards them with loud sounds of his clanking, full bodied armor. He abruptly stopped in front of Jaina and huffed as he spoke. "A…a large weapon was discovered by the capitals' forest edge. We thought… 'huff' … it was that huge sword that 'Nightmare' demon held but it doesn't appear to have any flesh on it." The rather short in height knight spoke so quickly it was a bit difficult to gather what he was saying. "It's a bit worn, but-!"
The knight abruptly stopped as Siegfried suddenly dashed passed the three of them, heading back into the capital walls while being guided through the illuminating darkness by the lanterns that hung from the wide, swaying trees. Jaina and Tyrande soon followed, wanting to know what he was so excited about while the knight was left to give out a heavy sigh due to his reluctance of running all the way back in his heavy armor.
Jaina was the first to find him since she took the easier route and simply teleported to the spot where she had last seen Soul Edge imbedded into the ground. She looked around to find Elven onlookers from either race surrounding her, looking down at her feet until a tall boy with long blonde hair pushed through them then ran to her left of where she stood then skidded on his knees, stopping at the blade that she had just noticed was right next to her and pulled it out of the ground. It seemed a bit smaller than and not as wide as Soul Edge had been, but it was definitely made for someone of the right strength to wield. The blade had gentle curves that Siegfried was caressingly running his fingers over as the light from the moon reflected over it, revealing a few scratches and scrapes from previous battles.
Jaina looked up at his face and smiled as Siegfried had an expression on his face that looked as if he had just found his own buried treasure. "Is this Requiem?" She asked in a light tone, still holding her smile.
Siegfried didn't look away from his blade that looked and felt like an old friend to him. "Faust, actually. At least it appears to be. It was my very first blade. Perhaps since Soul Edge has been removed from me, my original blade decided to return." He stated although he sounded a bit confused, however he felt even more confused when he noticed the people around him backing away slightly. He wasn't sure why until he saw a hint of fear in their eyes as many of them seemed to be fingering their weapons, he looked down as he blinked then sighed, he knew they were acting this way because he mentioned Soul Edge. He was about to back away from Faust, thinking it may help until he felt a hand on his back and Jaina kneeling next to him with caring, reassuring eyes.
"Don't worry about them. Remember, some may not have heard that you've regained your sanity. You can prove yourself to them." She spoke in a soft voice and a sweet smile that made his heart rise and his lips form a smile in return.
Both turned as they saw Tyrande walk up to them an eye the blade that Siegfried held. "Is that your blade?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow. Siegfried only nodded, noticing that Tyrande didn't seem too pleased with the way it looked, although he didn't know why; it seemed in perfect condition to him. "Then I suggest that you have it remade if you're going to fight hordes of undead with us. The knight was right in saying that it looks worn." She commented bluntly until she noticed an archer walking up to her and seemed to be waiting patiently for Tyrande's attention.
Siegfried looked at Jaina, who's eyes seemed to hold agreement to Tyrande's words, which made him feel even more confused that so many would think that his zweihänder holds such a bad condition. "I'm not sure if the Night elves or even the Orcs would know how to remake it, but I'm guessing the Blood elves know the basic idea since they've worked more closely with humans than the other races. Plus, since they make armor for their knights, I'm sure they can make a suit for you." Jaina suggested calmly with her head cocked slightly to one side.
Siegfried just blinked at her and sighed as he looked at his original blade. Outnumbered in opinion, he reluctantly nodded and stood up, hoping that Jaina would make the arrangements with the Blood elves in creating armor and a recreation of his Faust for him since he wasn't sure if the elves would be very willing in doing it for him since they most likely know his bloody history. "On one condition though." He suddenly stated as he turned to Jaina, who lifted her eyebrows as she listened. "I notice that their armor is deep red." He stated as he looked at the Blood elves' armor and garments as they stood around him. "I don't want my armor to be their colors, nor do I want it to be black." He stated simply but firmly.
Jaina looked at him through her hood and nodded understandingly, since red would remind him of blood and black would make him feel like he was Nightmare again. "Of course, I can do that." She replied softly as Siegfried gave her a thankful yet charming smile that made her blush faintly. She was about to ask why he was smiling at her like that until Tyrande suddenly raised her voice.
"She…!" The high priestess yelled in slight anger that she tried to control after her archer had informed her of something she wouldn't have permitted. She felt herself sneer as she sharply kicked Starstrider into a run towards the forest after something no one else knew besides the archer left behind to watch her priestess take off in haste.
Siegfried smirked slightly as he looked around noticing that everyone, including Jaina and himself, weren't taking the time to ask the archer what was happening. He turned to look back towards his Faust and sighed. 'I hope those elves don't alter my zweihänder too much… and I hope my new armor will be made soon; I'm starting to feel incomplete without it.' Siegfried thought as he ran a hand over his chest thoughtfully as if imagining his armor still clamped to him.
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Taki sharply turned only to feel a hard fist slam against her cheek while finding Maiev's form appear as she attacked then disappeared when she pulled back, as she did the last couple times. Taki was becoming aggravated by this, although she was happy that the armored backside of the elf's hand didn't come in contact with her yet. She was able to hear ruffles from Maiev's cloak whenever the warden seemed to move but she hated the fact that she was always late, the kunoichi had already been hit twice not counting the one she just received; the side of Maiev's ring-blade against her right side and a harsh kick to the back.
At the sound of another ruffle, Taki sharply turned again and grunted as she felt another fist slam into her stomach. She growled as she heard a very amused laugh that seemed to constantly move around her. "What's the matter, demon huntress? One would think that the majority of the demons you vanquish would be during the night. Losing your touch, are you?" Maiev edged in an echoing voice along with a dull laugh within her throat, making Taki's aggravation heighten.
"You're one to talk! I'm not the one hiding beneath the darkness for safety!" Taki retorted as she gripped both her daggers tighter as she felt her teeth grind against the pain she already felt. She whipped around as she heard another ruffle and, without hesitation, balled her right hand into a tight fist as she brought it above her head, charging her fist so that a blue-white orb that emitted small sparks of electricity. She felt her arms tighten and her teeth grind with rage as she let out a loud "Shyaaa!" and struck the orb to the ground (Ninja Cannon), hoping that Maiev would be in the area that she believed she was in. Much to her delight, she heard the invisible woman in front of her let out a yelp of surprise and quickly looked up to see the tree's leaf-filled limbs suddenly move into the tree, telling her that that was where Maiev had hit. However, her eyes furrowed as she didn't hear the grunt or feel the vibration of Maiev crashing back onto the ground.
"Oh ho!" Maiev's surprisingly amused voice was heard within the tree however she couldn't be seen. "Finally getting the hang of it, are we?" Taki could just imagine her having a wide smirk on her face for some odd reason since Taki had finally hit her. She suddenly heard a sharp ruffle and the tree's limbs making a 'spring'-like motion.
'She's coming back down.' Taki concluded only to be confirmed as she felt a sharp vibration from the ground. Taki's guard was half-way raised when she felt a metal object, which felt like the dull side of Maiev's ring-blade, smash into her chin in a upper-cut motion, making her feet lift off the ground from the force. She yelped at the throbbing sensation in her chin since her bottom jaw was crushed against her upper jaw and cringed as she took it in her palm while staggering backwards a few steps. Her eyes narrowed as she heard Maiev chuckle. "Cheap shot." She uttered as she ignored the stream of blood that fell from her lip and down her chin. She smirked as she heard Maiev's chuckling abruptly stop in response to her words.
Taki quickly and swiftly took out both her blades while sticking her middle fingers through each loop at the butt of the hilts and spinning each dagger around her fingers. She eyed the ground as she could now see footsteps as they pressed into the grass. Following them, she swung each arm left and right, opposite and not, creating graceful movements as she kept the daggers spinning around her fingers and reached out towards the invisible body (Fan Dance). She smirked triumphantly as she eventually felt her blades pierce and run against the invisible skin, she could tell that she didn't hit Maiev's armor because she didn't hear a dull scraping sound, plus she heard Maiev grunt at the quick-paced stinging sensations and when she took quick glances at her blades, she noticed blotches of blood on the tips of her daggers.
Much to her displeasure, she felt Maiev harshly knock her blades off both her fingers then winced as she felt herself being back-handed across the face along with the extra pain of metal hand-guards. She grunted as she felt a metal foot slam into her stomach and finally a burning sensation as she felt a slash across her exposed upper chest, she looked down to find that Maiev had made a thin diagonal line of blood across her entire upper chest. She sneered as she looked towards the ground, knowing that Maiev was watching her.
"Did you really not expect me to fight back?" Maiev asked cockily as she seemed to be circling Taki's still, guarded form even though the Asian knew it would be a mistake to run for her Kunai daggers because it would make her wide open to Maiev's blade.
Taki's eyes swept over the patches of grass around her until she heard a deep 'splash'-like sound, making her alert eyes snap to a rippling puddle to her left. She saw a strange hole in a puddle that revealed the mud beneath then noticed that it suddenly disappeared while its water splashed to one side. Taki smirked while quirking an eyebrow. "Did you really not expect me to be watching where you move?" In a flash after she spoke, she took a step towards the puddle so that she nearly stepped over it and thrust her fist harshly upwards, cringing as it felt as if he made contact with an invisible stone with a soft outer layer, by its hardness and the angle she hit it, she could tell that she hit the underside of Maiev's chin. She didn't hesitate as she swung her leg upwards in the opposite direction of where Maiev supposedly stood then brought it forcefully back down in the direction where she hit Maiev's chin and felt her calve hit the top of Maiev's helmet (Divine Punishment, of course minus the daggers), hearing the elf grunt in response as the force of Taki's leg nearly brought her to the ground.
"Oh ho-ho. You really are getting better. I was surprised at how long it took you to figure out that all you need to do is listen." Maiev noted as she let herself kneel on the damp ground, then lashed out her foot in a leg-sweep. Taki only had time to notice a wave go over the grass below her until she found herself knocked off the ground and landing on her back. "Now all you have to do is jump out of counter attacks then maybe you'd be a formidable fighter." The warden stated in a condescending tone, making Taki turn to where she believed Maiev was while letting a hard sneer engulf her features.
"Yes, counter attacks are useful." Taki responded before she brought herself onto her back and used her strength to turn herself on the ground so that spun her legs in the air and hit Maiev although she wasn't quite sure where but she guessed that the area was plated since she heard a 'clang'. Taki brought herself onto her feet and grinned. "I'm not sure you're watching my every move, since you are part of your 'Watchers'." Taki stated as she went into a defensive stance and listened for her opponent's next move. "You seem to be 'watching' Naisha pretty thoroughly, it's certainly reassuring to know that you live up to you're clan's name." She uttered in a dull tone so that only Maiev could hear since the others seemed to be watching them with deep intent; Mina, Kilik and even Anaya looked like they were on the edge of their seat, waiting for what was going to happen next while Naisha and Sophitia's eyes seemed to hold a concerned and hopeful intent.
Taki's eyes swept her surroundings until she pulled back as she noticed that Maiev had gone out of her shadowmelding and held a serious, almost enraged gaze that pierced daggers at Taki. "Just what is that supposed to mean?" Her voice was just as dull as Taki's was but it held a venomous tone to it as she gripped her loop-blade so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Taki quirked an eyebrow at Maiev's hostile aura. "Well, I noticed when I came up here that you had trouble taking your eyes off of her. So it's pretty easy to assume-!" Taki stopped as she felt a hand wrap tightly around her neck as Maiev pulled her close so that she could whisper while her searing green eyes and hard facial expression strained in her rage.
"Listen! I've had about enough of people making comments over things they know nothing about! It's none of your business! Tyrande was in no place to judge or even assume what I feel and you most certainly aren't either!" Maiev spoke so nastily that Taki pulled back in surprise at how saying anything about Naisha and her would make her snap the way she did. As the warden had spoke, she had made sure that she wouldn't give too much away about how she felt about Naisha since she didn't want anybody to know about it; she didn't want people to think that she had turned soft over her own first lieutenant. "And what about you?" The warden suddenly shot, making Taki pull back in confusion. "What about that little blonde human of yours?" Maiev's eyes widened beneath her helmet as if eager for the answer.
Taki's eyes furrowed in her confusion. "What about her?" She knew that the warden was going to make this much more difficult than it needed to be.
Maiev seemed to smirk strangely as she went back into shadowmelding and spoke in Taki's ear. "You seem to be really enjoying her company and really want to have her near you." Maiev cocked her head to one side as she teased her; she was determined to find a way to make Taki say what she felt. "What's the matter, Taki? Afraid you'll end up all alone? Want someone to play 'teddy bear' for you?" She chuckled lightly. "I guess that's easy to assume for someone who seems so gullible, weak and…" Maiev thought she may be pushing it too far for saying what she was about to say but she really wanted Taki to feel what she felt. "…Self-righteous as her."
Maiev was taken off-guard as Taki harshly shoved her to one side as it was the huntress' turn to stare daggers as she balled her left fist while her right hand held her forearm; she looked like she was in some strange guarding position when in reality she was charging her fist. "You…" Taki shut her eyes tightly then sharply opened them again as rage overtook her system. "You know NOTHING!" Taki suddenly moved her left arm up and down sharply while her right hand held her left upper arm.
Maiev noticed that Taki's entire left arm become wrapped in static-like lightning sparks while her palm glowed a lurid-teal color as Taki brought her charged arm back. "Begone!" Taki screamed in her own tongue as shot her palm, which now emitted flames, in front of her and felt the heel of her palm crash against what felt like Maiev's partially-armored face although Taki didn't feel much pain due to the amount of power she charged into her fist. Her fist was tightly balled into a fist again as she tried to calm her anger only to smirk as she heard Maiev let out a yell of both surprise and pain.
The next few moments were strange for the humans to watch; a few feet in front of Taki, patches of grass suddenly rippled with soil crumbling in a wave-like motion as Maiev's yell diminished and stopped as the wave had and in front of Naisha, who was a pretty fair distance away from Taki and was looking at the invisible form in front of her with wide eyes. Her eyes grew even wider as she remembered seeing a metal object flying through the air as Maiev did and landing close to where she sat. Her eyes broke away from the invisible form that appeared still but groaning slightly while the younger elf's eyes swept across the grassy patches nearby only to find the metal object near a tree within a tall patch of grass and gleaming in the moonlight. She slowly stood up, walked over and pulled the object out of the darkness of the tall grass surrounding it, only to gasp as she realized that it was… amazingly… Maiev's helmet.
Her eyes were etched with disbelief at the power the ebony-haired human showed, she was surprised that she was the first person to actually knock Maiev's helmet off. She looked up to the Asian in front of her as she seemed in a daze while heaving slightly, most likely trying to regain lost strength. She still looked angered despite her fatigue but for reasons that she didn't know and was afraid to ask since it made her act that way. Naisha turned as she heard Maiev moving slightly. "Maiev." Naisha addressed softly and calmly.
"What?" Maiev answered in a grumble, obviously aggravated that she was struck with such force that she thought she could've blocked. Naisha didn't speak as she raised Maiev's helmet so that the warden could see it. Maiev's movements suddenly stopped still, then suddenly shuffling sounds could be heard from the humans' ears, telling them that she was most touching her face as if trying to find her own real helmet. Maiev gasped as she hastened over to Naisha, took the helmet from her hands and placed it over her head again.
Taki smirked again as Maiev broke out of her shadowmelding with her hair in disarray and her helmet on awkwardly until she straightened it. "What's the matter? Afraid of someone actually seeing your face? Do you really like to be that elusive?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Maiev's eyes narrowed and was about to open her mouth to send a retort until someone shouted in a chiding manner within the trees and addressing the frustrated warden. "Maiev Shadowsong!" Tyrande and her battle cat jumped through the brush of trees while the high priestess looked none too pleased at Maiev, who stubbornly lifted an eyebrow as she stood her ground. "How dare you do this! And only for the sake of your image, I'm sure! How typical of you!" Tyrande scoffed harshly while Maiev sneered in return. "The fight ends now; you two look worn already anyway." The high elf announced as she turned to Taki, who had turned to gather her Kunai blades, while wincing as she felt the after-pain of flesh-wounds and bruises suddenly sting her body.
Taki ignored Maiev's retorts to Tyrande's commands by stating harshly that Tyrande had no right to tell the warden what to do. The ninja already felt someone approach her before she turned to look in the corner of her eye and recognized the edge of Sophitia's skirt. She sighed heavily however not in a content way until she the younger girl's gentle hand on her shoulder while softly addressing her name in a tone of concern. Maiev's words of the Greek girl being her 'Teddy bear' came back into her head in an unforgiving way. Not wanting the warden's words to be true, she moved to one side so that Sophitia's hand slipped off her shoulder and ignored the blonde's bewildered expression that she could feel on her back. "I'm fine, thanks." She stated with slight bluntness and unconvincingly as she turned only to glance towards the Greek hesitantly, as if to avoid Sophitia's questionable green eyes.
"I only hope I can believe you, Taki. I mean look at you; you have multiple cuts and bruises and your legs seem to be quivering." Sophitia stated worriedly as she gestured towards Taki's legs.
Taki merely blinked as if she hadn't acknowledged what Sophitia said about her legs before she actually noticed that they did feel quite weak. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she felt her legs involuntarily give-way. It was merely for a split second, however even in that time she watched herself fall forward into Sophitia's quick arms which willingly held her weight until her huntress would bring herself to her feet again. Taki's eyes darted and for two reasons; she was somehow letting herself be held by this younger girl and she guessed what the cause for her lack of energy was. "I couldn't have lost that much energy from a blow as simple as the 'Pure Thunder Seal'." Taki let herself speak aloud although dully so that she thought the others wouldn't hear.
"That move may have been simple to you, but by the amount of power you put into it, it looked like the most powerful blow you could ever conjure." Taki glanced upwards while holding onto the short sleeves of Sophitia's blue shirt as she heard her speak just as softly as she had to herself. She found herself having trouble getting out of Sophitia's arms although it may have been because of how closely Sophitia was holding her. 'The light she conjured in her fist was nearly blinding, that was the first time I'd ever seen Taki really go all-out like that.' Sophitia thought in not a concerned tone, but in a proud one, although she wondered why Taki really did go that far.
'I did it defend myself as well as her.' Taki suddenly concluded as she gathered the energy back into her legs so that she could actually stand. 'I think it was worth it in both ways.' She finished thoughtfully as she tentatively let her maroon eyes sweep to Sophitia's, whose eyes brightened slightly as Taki had finally met her aventurine eyes while both locked onto a soft gaze. Taki suddenly began to move back until she leaned back against a tree as the weakness of her legs was gradually coming back.
"Tired yourself out already?" Maiev suddenly noted mockingly to her now-former opponent as she noticed her condition and made sure to add a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
Taki blinked her gaze away from Maiev's as she heard the elf speak. The corner of her lip twitched as she held back her sneer so that she'd look more composed before she replied. "Lost your guard so quickly against me and even when so ready to strike me down?" She stated, obviously referring to her last blow at Maiev while holding the same mocking tone that Maiev had portrayed but while slowly turning away as if to brush away the very knowledge that Maiev was standing at her far side.
Maiev tried to hold her composer through her anger like Taki had done only to have some of it break through in a facial expression as she chuckled in her throat. "Don't look so smug; if it weren't for me, you'd never realize the truth about yourself!" The warden proclaimed harshly. Her words slowly made Taki lose her positive composure as she knew that she was referring to what she declared about Sophitia and herself.
"Enough Maiev!" Tyrande shouted warningly, making Maiev's fierce eyes snap to her own. Maiev reluctantly kept her mouth shut as she turned to leave to her base of the Watchers.
She ignored the feeling of streams of blood slowly trickling down her chest; she didn't care as the tears in her skin, they were a bit deep and did sting in the cool air,but she was close to her base anyway. "You have your lucky break now, demon huntress, but be warned as it's merely temporary." Maiev cautioned while walking away, Naisha behind her with Anaya in tow.
Tyrande slowly shook her head at Maiev's pretentious stubbornness as she watched them leave. She slowly turned to Taki, who pushed herself from the tree she leaned against to make herself stand properly. "You certainly have strength to knock Maiev's helmet off like you did. I saw it as I was coming as well as the bright light that you must have created by some magic." The elder elf stated with a raised eyebrow of intrigue.
Taki laughed slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest however still visually fatigued as well as in wincingpain from the slashes she recieved from Maiev's large Chackram-like weapon. "I didn't really plan on doing that but seeing the look on Maiev's face was well worth it." She stated as she seemed to keep her eyes off of Tyrande.
The high priestess's raised eyebrow slowly lowered as she noticed that the ebony-haired human was breathing rather heavily but steadily. She could tell that Maiev had overworked her. "I'll have a burrow-root built for you for your stay since I hadn't built you one already. It'll surely be better than staying in those crowded Healing Houses." She explained generously while Taki agreed with a slight nod, not noticing that Sophitia had done the same.
"Not to be selfish," Mina started hesitantly as she pointed at Kilik and herself. "But that does include us, right?" She asked with an eye of hope that matched Kilik's, especially when knowing that the Orcs had grown to love 'teasing' him since they had captured him before and he'd like one morning without an orc nudging him a bit harshly in the side. Both used their staffs as leverage to pulling themselves up to their feet.
Tyrande blinked at them then slowly sighed as she looked down. At first, it hadn't included them, but since they asked and since they're from the same world… "This is going to take much more wood that I would've liked." She muttered beneath her breath before she condoned their request. She turned to the deep woods that were still blurred by the thin sheet of nightly fog and let out a strange but beautifully deep whistle as if to call out to the vast forest. In perhaps twenty seconds flat, a lurid-blue orb which actually appeared to have a will of its own, glided through the darkness of the night, up the elder elf's body and finally stopped to hover in her open, welcoming palm and seemed to wait patiently for her command.
As she spoke to the hovering orb in her mysterious Elven language, Sophitia turned towards Taki to gaze at her again like she did before, only to find Taki already peering at her until sharply turning away as Sophitia's eyes landed on her own. She could tell that Taki was starting to avoid her again, making her more than just a little unsettled. 'What did Maiev say to have her start avoiding me again?' The bewildered blonde asked herself in a soft, worried tone that really held aggravation beneath it all. 'It feels as though I'm starting from scratch again in just trying to make Taki realize what I feel for her.' Her fist balled tightly and angrily at the thought, not knowing that Taki's thoughts were filled with nothing but Sophitia, her dreams and visions, and Maiev's despicable words.
Taki found it very difficult to sort her jumbled thoughts. 'Why is this bothering me? Sophitia's feelings… dreams and visions concerning her that occur night and day and yet can't find the meanings to… and Maiev seems convinced that I can't live without her near me.' Taki's eyes furrowed at the last thought as she looked down to the ground. 'Utterly preposterous! I've lived alone for almost my entire life so why would I suddenly need someone now? I happen to enjoy my isolation from people as none ever seem to understand why I do what I do.' Taki stopped as she peered towards Sophitia, who was looking away with a thoughtful expression on her face. The older woman sighed as she looked at the slightly shorter girl for a few more seconds before she looked away to go back into her thoughts. 'But she seems to understand, strangely.' Her eyes darted as a thought came to her. 'Perhaps she could know the reason for her being in my dreams and why they keep reoccurring…? It would be a long-shot, surely. But perhaps it would be worth it to ask… when I'm able to.' She let her cautious eyes wander over the people around her and noticed that they were beginning to move. "Am I missing something?" Taki asked in a low tone.
Sophitia turned to her with a raised eyebrow as if wondering why she asked that question. "Tyrande's picking a spot for our … 'Burrow-root', whatever that may be." The younger girl stated as she waited for Taki to take her step to follow. As Taki hesitated, she held out a hand for Taki to take. "Will you have the energy to walk? Or…?" She waited for Taki's answer, knowing that her hand would most likely be discarded since she partially knew how Taki was at the moment.
Taki looked at her for a moment then shook her head. "I'm certain I'll be fine, I don't need help." She assured in a semi-convincing tone as she began to follow the others. Her eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment as she noticed as she passed that Sophitia's patient expression fell to one of slight disappointment.
"Well," The Greek started with a sigh as she turned back to follow to the side of Taki's footsteps. "If you ever need anything, I'll always be willing to help you. Okay?" She asked with a sweet smile of assurance as she looked towards Taki, hoping to see at least a positive expression on her face as a reply.
Taki turned her head and looked at the younger girl as if to investigate her means for saying what that. Her aventurine eyes were bright with integrity and promise, making Taki pull back slightly but not in a negative fashion as she felt a very faint smile slowly wash upon her lips. "S-sure." She answered with a slight nod, watching as Sophitia replied with a small grin as she reluctantly looked away from her demon huntress's chestnut eyes. Taki quickly looked back to follow the path made by the others. 'She must know what these dreams should mean. I'll ask her… whenever we're alone. Perhaps then these torturing feelings can finally end… whatever they are.' Taki looked up as she realized something and nearly laughed; this was actually the first time that she actually wanted to be alone with Sophitia. But for finding a way to ease her emotions that seemed ecstatic to her now, she was willing to hear anything that Sophitia would be willing to say.
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Hope it was alright, I thought the ending was a bit half-baked but I'm glad I got the chapter done at all. The next chapter should be pretty good. More characters will make appearances, not new ones apart from a new SC character appearing in the next chapter, but others who aren't new will be acknowledged, such as Arthas. I think I'll be starting on the next chapter of this fic before I start on the next one to 'My Way' since I'm still not quite sure of how to go about the next chap of that fic, have a few ideas but need to get more.
Don't know how you liked the fight but I hope you liked it at all. For who was going to win the battle, I constantly jumped between the two to see who would win, Maiev was first, then Taki since this is a SC fic, but then I figured it would be better if the fight was temporarily stopped so that perhaps a much more vicious fight could take place and possibly in a better 'arena'. And Maiev may have seemed a little… 'flat' in the battle move-wise but I figured the Shadowmelding would make up for that, and if not, then as I said, I'll try to think up a second battle that will be a bit more vicious.
I know that this chapter took a long time to do and I'm sorry about that and I'm extremely sorry about the next thing I'm about to say, writing my chapters may take around a little less than a month to finish each because I need to watch my time with my fanfic writing as my 'Mother Dearest' thinks that fanfiction is taking my mind off of my academics, as it was notable in my report card. Of course that wouldn't faze me, but be threatened of having my beloved laptop taken away if that keeps up did.
I might be able to keep up with my update quotas of two pages per day but not sure since I used to write during my schooldays. Also my job as Lighting Crew for my school plays has finally come into action after months of waiting, although I'm not too thrilled about it.
But, for my longer time periods of updating, you should be happy to know that this fic is nearly NEVER STOPPING! Although I'm not sure about sub-stories for the fic, I know I'll think of something to keep the adventure going and various so it isn't always the same and predictable for each chapter. So the chapters may be long to do but I'll try to make each chapter worth the wait for you as I hope to never let my readers down :)
AND as a side note for those who haven't looked up certain articles; SOUL CALIBUR 3 is coming out in Japanese arcades by October, so we should be getting the English version by summer of 2006. Just thought I'd give a heads-up because I'm bouncing off the walls ;P
