Disclaimer: All the Soul Calibur characters belong to Namco, and not me.
Death by Sniper Shot
By AngelEyes87
Firestrider wasn't someone to mess with as he was a man on a mission. Ever since Rothion entered his life a couple of years ago Firestrider had a personal vendetta against him. The rivalry had all started when Sophitia had just came back after her first quest to destroy Soul Edge and she was carried back to Athens by a mysterious Japanese ninja. Firestrider and Cassandra had witnessed this event and when the woman left they tended to Sophitia's wounds and injuries. In time Sophitia healed completely and to thank him for all the good things he had done for her she decided to spend some time with him. Within a few weeks a new friendship was born and they became such close friends. During the next three years everything was peaceful and naturally Firestrider fell in love with the attractive Greek. Most of the time he wanted to tell her how he felt for her however he just couldn't summon the courage within him to do it despite how hard he tried. But one dreadful day everything changed for the worst…
Whilst coming back from the market place Sophitia had collapsed after envisioning something unbelievable. She saw visions of a fearful figure in azure armour along with a tainted and evil sword, spreading calamity across the entire world. Sophitia's instincts came into play and she somehow knew the sword had revived. But little did she know that Soul Edge had a new host. An astonished Firestrider watched as this absolute stranger carried Sophitia back home. This man was instantly a threat to Firestrider as he came to visit Sophitia everyday to nurse her better. Much to Firestrider's disbelief Rothion and Sophitia fell in love with each other and soon got betrothed. Inevitably she had received an oracle from Hephaestus, confirming that Soul Edge still existed and to aid her on her quest Rothion created a new sword and shield for her out of holy ore. Within months of leaving her homeland in search of the sword Sophitia had returned home and she was immediately married to Rothion. Ever since that day Firestrider had sworn vengeance on Rothion from stealing Sophitia from him. Well after so many years his dream was about to come true – Rothion would be dead and nothing nor nobody would stand in his way. Ha, he would make sure of that!
The sounds of Firestrider's boots filled the air along with the loud shouts that were usually associated with a typical normal city life. He surveyed the surroundings around him. Athens – a glorious city where the citizens worshipped all the major deities. It had been far too long since he has visited this place. The last time he had been there was to attend Sophitia's wedding and that had been four years ago. Walking around the immensely packed city Firestrider came across an unusual market stall. What was strange about the stall was that it sold all different ranges of firearms. His eyebrows quirked up in interest. Since when did people sell such strange weapons? He glanced at some shotguns along with a deadly looking sniper. Firestrider scratched his head, confused.
He decided to catch the attention of the stall trader. "Uh…excuse me."
"Yes Sir?" the trader replied, turning around to face Firestrider. Firestrider had a faint feeling that he had seen this man before but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The trader had blond hair and had quite striking facial features. That man is very familiar…I think I know him from somewhere. It took him a few seconds to work out who the man actually was.
"Say, aren't you Jay who presents that TV show A Problem Aired is A Problem Shared?" he asked. Upon hearing that, the man's body stiffened.
"No!" he denied, abruptly shaking his head. However Firestrider was unconvinced.
"Are you sure? Because you REALLY do look like him."
The trader's cheeks reddened out of embarrassment. "Shall we just change the subject please? I'm a rather busy man!"
Guilty as charged! So it is him then. Firestrider was tempted to ask him what he was doing here in Greece of all places but opted not to. The only question that he had in mind was what the hell were firearms doing in the 16th Century. Surely they haven't been invented yet!
"Why have you got guns?" Firestrider finally asked. A charming smile appeared on Jay's face and it was so sickening that Firestrider wanted to wipe it off his face for good.
"Simple, I'm a time-traveller," Jay explained. "I travel back in the past, bringing modern and new items with me."
"Right…" Firestrider didn't know what else to say. So not only Jay was a TV presenter but he was also a time-traveller? That was very strange indeed. After spending five minutes or so Firestrider decided to buy the sniper. It would take only one shot to get the job done. He threw his head back and started to laugh evilly.
"THIS TIME I SHALL HAVE MY REVENGE!" Firestrider yelled, firing the gun directly into the sky. A dove's shrill cry pierced through the air then it was immediately followed by the bird dropping down onto the ground completely dead. He stared wide-eyed at the dove, realising what he done.
"Damn it!"
Finally it took him an hour to track down Rothion. He nearly got into trouble along the way as he mistaken two men for Rothion and shot them dead. Bloody hell, it was a complete nightmare trying to escape the crowds as they lynched him almost out of Athens. Luckily Firestrider managed to get away successfully on both occasions. Getting increasingly frustrated Firestrider was just on the verge of giving up until he had seen Rothion walking out of a bakery, which he recognised straight away. It was the bakery that was owned by Sophitia's family! With a smug expression on his face he climbed up a nearby building's wall and was perched up on top of the roof, keeping a watchful eye on Rothion. Firestrider observed as Rothion took a few steps forward and then he stopped as he was talking to an elderly woman. Firestrider's patience was rapidly waning. The time was now – Rothion had to be killed no matter what.
"Farewell Rothion!" Firestrider triumphantly said. He peered through the sniper's target lenses, pointing the gun at Rothion. Once Firestrider was satisfied with the aiming position he pulled the trigger and Rothion collapsed onto the floor with a death scream. Many people flocked over to where the dead blacksmith was, staring at the lifeless body in absolute shock and disbelief. Frankly Firestrider couldn't even care less as he was thrilled. He had succeeded in killing his rival!
"FINALLY HE'S GONE! NOW SOPHITIA WILL BE ALL MINE!"
A bearded man from the crowd peered up from Rothion's body and glared at Firestrider. Shit, I'm in trouble now! Firestrider didn't know what to do except from gulping in fear. Maybe he should have kept quiet rather than to shout it out loud so that everyone could hear.
"Look, up there! He's the ONE who done it!" The man accusingly pointed up at Rothion while the crowd was cracking their knuckles, absolutely furious. "GET HIM!"
A/N: Ha, it looks like Firestrider's wish has been fulfilled. Well…except from getting lynched a few times by an angry mob! Hope you liked it Firestrider :) I know that they did have weapons in the 16th Century but they were only rifles, not like the ones we have today. And who would have thought that Jay made an appearance in this but as a time-traveller? Well, anything is possible!