Tainted Souls, Tainted Swords
Chapter Five: Inescapable Link to all Evil
Midnight. Darkness reigned across all of Europe. Even the stars appeared blotted out, not from the hour but from the curse of Soul Edge. Somewhere on this continent, the sword's dark energy pulsated and ever so subtly beckoned for Mekki-maru and its master.
Having traveled Northward the better part of the day, the cloaked ninja now slept a shallow and restless sleep in tall grass of the Italian plains. She hated leaving herself vulnerable out in the open (especially since her injuries slowed her pace), but without so much as a farm or tree or a rise in the landscape that could qualify as a hill anywhere in sight, what else could she do? Taki slept, and dreamed . . .
. . . dreamed a terrible dream. A nightmare where the previous wielder of Soul Edge arose from his watery grave with the sword that Sophitia shattered seven years ago. Upon seeing his pale zombie-like flesh, the ninja merely narrowed her eyes, reached for Rekki-maru and stated "you're dead" with intentions of preserving the integrity of that statement.
Cervantes literally flew at her, Nirvana and Soul Edge becoming a whirling frenzy of death, but the ninja wasn't impressed nor surprised. She swiftly sidestepped, sweeping her cloak off her and throwing it over the charging pirate not unlike a metador. His swords penetrated the fabric and cut the garment to shreds. Taki hopped up and performed her patented riptide kick. One-two quickfire kicks to the Spaniard's face, putting him down on his back. On the final kick, Taki sprung off him and performed a back flip, landing safely on her feet.
The undead pirate wouldn't stay down, though. The moment Cervantes landed, he vanished and reappeared fifty feet directly above her. Gravity brought him down with unforgiving force. Both Soul Edge and Nirvana screamed towards Taki. "Same Cervantes," Taki commented in a bored tone. Rekki-maru went up to guard-impact his predictable (not to mention overused) maneuver. The swords collided, and to Taki's horror her beloved Rekki-maru shattered beneath the might of Soul Edge.
In that instant, metal fragments of her former sword tore through both fighters like shrapnel, and Cervantes' blades continued down cutting deep into her flesh. From her torso to just below her rib cage, Soul Edge and Nirvana sliced down to the bone on both her right and left side. The force and shock of the impact landed the bleeding ninja on her back . . . but in the dream, she felt no pain.
The pirate towered over her, appearing unphased by the shards of Rekki-maru buried in his body. His two swords took on a life of their own, flying in a circle around her. Her right hand went to her bleeding left shoulder, while her left hand went to the hilt of Mekki-maru. Gritting her teeth, she stood up while Cervantes' stood motionless. The swords continued to spin around her without attacking. And to make this world even more surreal, she found the shards of Rekki-maru and the gashes from Cervantes' blades, indeed, did hinder her movements . . . yet they still did not hurt.
She carefully observed the pattern and timing of the swirling Soul Edge and Nirvana swords, then all at once she sprang forward (barely avoiding the swords) and grabbed Cervantes, slipped behind him, Mekki-maru came free from its scabbard, and she meant to bury it in his throat. But her body froze up.
"Hahahahaha!" Cervantes laughed sinisterly. "You think you're the master of that sword?" He taunted, easily escaping her grasp now that she could not move. "No, you couldn't be more wrong my dear. Soul Edge masters you." And both of Cervantes' swords rocketed into the air. The Spaniard crossed his arms. "Like me, you are a slave, ninja."
Through her teeth, Taki managed to answer, "never."
Soul Edge and Nirvana came crashing down in front of her. If she could have, she would have jumped from the startling moment as they stuck in the ground and sent up a small dust cloud.
Circling his helpless prey like a vulture, Cervantes continued, "Soul Edge decides if you move, if you breathe. Soul Edge decides if we feel pain. Soul Edge decides if you live." Then the pirate stopped behind her, grabbed her by the pony tail and pulling her head back as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. And though Taki couldn't see it, she knew Cervantes smiled an evil, sinister smile, "And Soul Edge decides if you die. Soul Edge is your master. Kneel, Taki!"
"Never!"
"Kneel before your God!"
And Taki was completely and utterly powerless as Soul Edge channeled its evil through Mekki-maru, forced her to kneel before the evil sword and kiss its jagged and warped hilt like an obedient and devoted servant . . .
Jolting awake, Taki sat up, drew Rekki-maru, and slashed blindly at the night. A moment later, her senses caught up to her and the injuries showed their distaste for having their rest suddenly and abruptly disturbed by sending a shock wave of aches through her nerves all at once. For awhile there, she was feeling better too. On a sigh, Taki eased herself back down into a lying position and put one hand to massage her ribs where the axe-handle struck her earlier in the day. Relief passed over her like the waves of the ocean, just a nightmare and it was over now. She willed herself to calm down before unsheathing Mekki-maru.
"I know you can hear me," Perhaps some would call her crazy, but she always suspected an intelligence lay behind Soul Edge and all of its fragments. That through Mekki-maru, she could communicate with Soul Edge even if it were just simple feelings or emotions or basic ideas. Something could be transmitted from the fragments to the heart of the evil.
Now she was fully convinced.
Speaking softly, but firmly, she challenged the evil within the blade, "The most you can do is haunt my dreams. Enjoy it while you can. It won't be this way forever." She would master it completely. One day she would be immune to its calling and side effects with time and conditioning, allowing her to keep the sword out for any length of time. One day.
Knowing the futility of trying to sleep anymore tonight, Taki stood up with intentions of moving on. But before she packed up her things and donned her cloak, she made one last declaration to Mekki-maru, itself, "You're not strong enough to control me."
Somewhere in Europe, the two owners of Soul Edge felt a name enter their minds. Across the continent from each other, both men uttered that name in unison, "Taki."
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In the darkness, he sensed a growing light like that of a single candle lighting numerous others. He stirred and opened his eyes, sitting up to a blurry dreamy world where one longs to return to sleep. No sooner had the Italian ruler sat up did he feel a gloved hand clamp across his mouth and force him back down, then he felt the blade to his throat.
"Make no mistake, I can kill you before a sound leaves your vocal chords," A rough voice quietly spoke. Its owner wore green (an extremely dark green that approached black) clothing designed for maximum maneuverability and stealth. A half mask covered the man's nose and mouth. From what little the noble could see of this intruder's face this man looked like he came from the same region as the female fighter in today's Coliseum fights. The Italian gulped. Removing his hand from the noble's mouth, the raspy voice continued. "I am a trained killer, but I have no reason to kill you. So don't give me a reason. Answer my questions, and you will live."
The Italian nodded.
"A woman fought in your river arena today. Was she Japanese?"
The noble nodded slightly, eyes still wide and watering from terror. Beads of sweat had formed on his brow. A scream waiting on his tongue; he wanted to scream, but fear kept it locked inside.
"I don't think she would give her name, so I doubt you could answer that. Perhaps her weapons? Tell me, does she still use that epee?"
"It was a short sword." The Italian answered, then quickly corrected himself, "No. Two—it was two swords. Petite swords." From his own experience questioning people, the noble knew this question was a test to make sure his information wasn't just BS, "I don't know what kind."
"Good. Good." The masked Japanese man nodded, satisfied with the answer, "Now I understand there is a minor conflict to our agendas. It is understandable, considering you're the circumstance. You wish her dead, correct?"
"Half a dozen assassins are tracking her as we speak." The Italian stated with just a hint of defiance and pride. "She's as good as dead."
Beneath the mask, the masked Japanese man smiled, "Taki will survive." Pulling the dagger away from the Italian noble's throat, the intruder moved for the open window. "But don't fear. I will find her, and she'll no longer be of concern to you. That I can assure you."
A moment later, he was gone.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I appreciate it. ;)
