Chapter 10: Bloodlust

Tira was relaxing in the garden, as she had done for every morning for the past four years. I t relaxed her, not just because the aroma was calming, but because Brendan hated flowers and never bothered her while she relaxed in it.

With Tira's help, Driese had managed to win the best garden award six years straight, a new record. Tira was relaxing comfortably, until an unpleasant shadow blocked her sun. "Hey blueberry head," Brendan began; referencing Tira's newly dyed blue hair.

"Stay away," Tira started, "You annoy me."

"Trust me," Brendan continued. "The feeling's mutual, and if I didn't have to, I would even be in this poisonous odor of flowers talking to the bane of my existence."

Tira sighed and said, "You know, if you're trying to ask for my help, insulting flowers and denying the past of Aiselne Drossel is not the way. Regardless, I'd rather do business with a horse's ass."

"Point taken," Brendan replied. "But I do need your assistance. You see, I have a "contact" of mine that lives about five miles south from here, and he was supposed to go to Ostrheinburg to pick up some "supplies" for my business. The problem is he's picked them up, but abruptly stopped returning messages after a run-in with a weirdo with a wooden arm

"So just send one of your other contacts." Tira suggested angrily.

"I did," Brendan began, "and they never got back, and since I don't care about your life or well-being, you'd be perfect for the job."

"Beat it, twerp," Tira replied irefully. "I couldn't care less about your problems."

"I figured you'd say that," Brendan replied, "so if you do this, I'll let you use Aiselne Drossel, and if you come home successful, you can have it." Tira instantly stood up, partly intrigued by Brendan's offer. Tira would always spend most of her day watching irefully at Brendan practicing, wishing it could be her standing there.

Tira stood contemplating her decision as Brendan stood in front of her with the ring blade resting on his outstretched hands. Tira gave Brendan a hateful stare before taking the ring blade from his hands and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Good," Brendan said as he smirked. "The other contact of mine that was with him claim the encounter happened near the chapel straight south." Tira groaned in agreement and began to walk off.

After an hour of uneventful walking ended as Tira arrived at the deserted chapel. "Okay!" she yelled. "Anyone here?"

Although there was no answer, there was obvious movement near the other end of the chapel. Tira began to run and managed to pin a curly-haired man against the wall. "Who are you?" he insisted.

"Not important," Tira said in a low demanding voice. "The question is who are you, who do you work for, and were are the supplies." The man continued to groan in pain until Tira yelled, "ANSWER ME!"

The man groaned before replying, "My name is Kordin, but I am bound by my will not to reveal my master's name."

"Fair enough," Tira said, loosening her grip, but not releasing him. "But if you could just hand over Brendan's supplies so I can just go home, we could leave with our lives."

You work for Brendan," Kordin mumbled in shock. "How much are you willing to risk to retrieve these supplies?" Tira glanced over at the ring blade hanging on her left shoulder before replying, "My life."

Kordin raised his legs and kicked Tira in her stomach. Tira wobbled up to see Kordin with a katana in hand ready to fight. Tira tossed the ring blade to her right hand and began to charge. Kordin managed to block as he put the katana in front of his face. Now, it was a test of strength as Tira and Kordin pushed back and forth.

Meanwhile, Zasalamel stood on the roof, watching the battle through the skylight. "As easy as it would be to kill them myself," Zasalamel said to himself, "having Tira kill a member of Yoshimitsu's clan would have him kill Tira for me, or vice versa. As long as I'm the only one left, I can have Soul Edge."

Zasalamel continued to watch the fight until a nearby conversation between a man and his wife caught his ear. "I'm telling you," the man said. "My brother lives in Ostrheinburg, and he sent a messenger to the house to say that a man named Raphael was going to defeat the Azure Knight. If he was right, they should be fighting as we speak."

Zasalamel turned back to fight as he whispered to himself, "If Raphael does managed to defeat Nightmare by a stroke of luck, Soul Edge would be destroyed, and I can't have that. As soon as I know the outcome of this battle, I'll head out."

Tira continued to stay locked in the same position until lessening her strength and ducking as Kordin swung his katana over her head. Tira swung the ring blade at his legs, but he easily jumped over it and over Tira and landed behind her. Tira stood up as Kordin began to charge at Tira. Tira held the ring blade in front of her until Kordin's katana began to go through it. Tira spun the ring blade around until Kordin dropped the katana.

Kordin gazed at his dropped katana laying beside Tira as she gripped her ring blade and began to charge at him. Kordin ducked, but Tira charged her attack and impaled the ring blade into the ground and swung through it, kicking Kordin and launching him into the air. Tira removed the ring blade from the floor and flung it like a Frisbee, instantly killing him as it impaled him against the wall.

Zasalamel smirked as he continued to watch from the skylight as he said to himself, "Good. She's fueled her need for bloodlust and it should be only a matter of time until she begins to kill as she used to."

Tira climbed the wall and removed Aiselne Drossel from Kordin's lifeless body as she saw, off the corner of her eye, Zasalamel hoping off the roof and begin to walk of into the sunset. Tira didn't remember him, but felt that she had seen him somewhere. Tira left his body litter the grounds as she pursued Zasalamel, only to find that he had disappeared and a note remained in his place.

Tira groaned as she picked up the note and read:

The beginning of the end has begun for you, Tira. Now, it's only a matter of time…

Tira crumpled up the note and began to walk home to see Brendan was waiting outside the house with a disappointed look on his face. "How unfortunate." Brendan said. "It would appear that you failed to complete what a asked, but because I'm in such a good mood, I'm not going to care."

"As much as I hate to ask," Tira began, "I'm curious. What's making you so happy."

"This," Brendan said as he revealed an injured raven from underneath his jacket. "Driese found it limping around town today. She named it Kamisade, but I call it stupid. Do you know why I call it stupid? Of course you don't because you're just as stupid. Stupid here is so stupid that it can't fly. How stupid!" Tira began to grasp the ring blade, and Brendan noticed.

"By the way," he said as he grabbed the ring blade, "Since you didn't retrieve the supplies, this still belongs to me." Tira didn't let go immediately, but eventually loosened her grip. Brendan smirked before returning back into the house.

Tira stared irefully at the door until a little red ball bounced off her head. Tira turned around to see Toren resting in a tree smiling while holding another little red ball.