Can we please get a Soul Calibur 6 that fixes everything wrong with Soul Calibur 5?

Glancing around the devastated town he had left Amy in while visiting the East, Cyril decided that he would never again leave the girl unattended for more than an hour. It was a bit of an understatement to say that he had missed a lot. Buildings were on fire for God's sake.

"Amy... what on earth did you do?"

The petite redhead frowned at him from atop her pile of rubble. "It hurts to think that you would accuse me so quickly. What makes you think I had anything to do with this?"

"Are you saying you didn't?"

Amy directed her crimson gaze elsewhere, answering Cyril's question easily enough. The Sentinel of Lightning could not help but sigh. "Somehow I am not surprised... seriously Amy, what happened here?"

The questioned girl waved her rapier around as she spoke, its movements emphasizing her words. Cyril could not quite tell what it was, but something about the way Amy carried herself was different...

"Well, I'll try to give you the condensed version, but it's quite lengthy regardless..."

Nearly a full day after Cyril's departure, Amy was growing quite bored. She had already revisited the best parts of her book, she certainly wasn't going to repeat her risque actions from earlier, and she had already done the soul-searching necessary to conclude that she would support Cyril for as long as she could. That being said, there really wasn't much else to do, especially within the inn room that she currently occupied.

And while there was no real way to tell, Amy felt like it would be quite some time before Cyril made it back to her, so waiting around for him did not seem to be the most entertaining option available. She was not going to sit around in this room for the next several hours. Besides, she had promised Cyril she would behave, not that she would completely deprive herself of entertainment. There was no reason she couldn't go outside and do something in town.

With that in mind, Amy eagerly rose from the bed she had been resting on, slipping on her usual attire, though a change of undergarments was necessary because of her poor self-control earlier. After a brief moment of thought, Amy decided to take her rapier along with her, for safety if nothing else. This town seemed benign, but she was a young girl who would be walking around alone, and in her in own humble opinion, she was quite the looker. There was no guarantee someone wouldn't think her easy pickings.

Now equipped for her foray into the village, Amy quickly found her way out of the inn and into the streets. The buildings around her were unfortunately bland, made mostly of wood and thatch roofing, which didn't leave Amy with a good impression regarding the overall entertainment value of this settlement. It was highly unlikely that there was anything of real worth to do around here, but there was nothing Amy could besides make the most of it.

Resigning herself to her fate, the young Rouen native began her trek down the dirt streets of the village in search of entertainment. She did not honestly think she would find something of this nature, but without anything else to do, Amy was ready to spend whatever time was necessary to search for something interesting.

This search led her up and down every alley she could find, occasionally scaring away a stray cat or two, but after an hour of traipsing about the village's nooks and crannies, Amy had not spotted anything of note. Every store around here dealt only in necessities for village life, none of which Amy cared for. Naturally, an out of the way village like this one didn't have much to do, but Amy had not expected to discover nothing at all. She would be better off just reading back at the inn...

Just as Amy was about to give up her search for entertainment, the ear-splitting shriek of a woman from somewhere within the village pierced the air. The scream summoned the voices of several alarmed men as well, who Amy saw rushing towards the sound of distress. She had half a mind to declare the event as none of her business, but Amy quickly decided that she was unlikely to find anything else to do that day, and so moved towards the disturbance as well.

Following the scrambling villagers towards the source of distress, Amy found a veritable crowd forming a ring around a figure she couldn't see. Despite this, there was a lot of loud snarling and growling, so Amy assumed that a wild animal of some sort was to blame for all of this commotion. In a way, she was correct, but as she laid eyes on the creature causing this disturbance, Amy decided that she was not exactly close enough.

In the center of the ring of villagers was a tall, wide, scaly humanoid creature with a long tail. It looked like nothing more than a blue lizard standing on two legs, but of course, far larger and more dangerous looking. It had a thick, club-like branch in one hand, and a piece of bloody, raw meat in the other, likely from a very recent kill. The villagers around the creature looked on in fear, most of them too stunned to do anything other than gawk at the monster.

Amy cocked an eyebrow at the men and women around her, wondering why none of them were rushing back home to grab a weapon or some such. They weren't just going to stand here and do nothing, were they?

"I hate to intrude on your gawking session, but are none of you going to do anything about this beast? It could attack at any moment, and it looks fairly hungry."

Amy's question received no verbal responses, though she did earn a few confused glances and angry glares. No one was happy to be questioned by such a young girl.

Seeing as how no one was going to do anything, Amy sighed, drawing her rapier Albion and pushing past any villagers that were between her and this reptilian creature. "Well, if none of you is willing, I guess I'll just handle it for you..."

Much to Amy's dismay, no one objected to her interfering in this matter on their behalf. Even as she moved towards the beast in their midst, no one thought it would be honorable to take Amy's place against such a creature. She would have claimed that chivalry was dead, but most of the code of chivalry had to do with combat etiquette, so it would have been a misused saying regardless.

The lizard-like creature seemed surprised that any of the humans around it dared to approach, but as Amy drew closer, this look of confusion was replaced with hunger. Meat was meat, whether it walked on four legs or two.

Thinking that Amy would simply cower like every other animal it had ever killed, the lizard-man took a simple overhead swing at the redhead's skull. Nearly everyone cringed or gasped as they expected a splash of crimson to splatter their bodies, but all were surprised when Amy nimbly sidestepped her aggressor's club, effortlessly stabbing the thing in the elbow as it passed her.

Howling in rage, the monster recoiled backwards, clutching its arm in agony. Amy, providing the epitome of the unimpressed duelist in her expression, didn't even bother to take her usual stance. It wouldn't be necessary for an opponent of this level.

"I was hoping such a large and muscular creature would be an opponent worth fighting, but this is rather disappointing."

Shrieking at her in its unintelligible reptilian language, the lizard-man rushed towards the girl before it, swinging wildly in every direction it could. With such wide swings, it was easy for Amy to read every move the enemy made, and she easily dodged every swipe of the club, taking advantage of every obvious opening her foe provided for her.

By the time the scaled biped retreated from Amy once more, it was riddled with puncture wounds from its opponent's rapier. Amy was honestly surprised that the thing was still standing, certain that she had stabbed it in several major organs, but concluded that its anatomy may have been different from a human's.

With all of the villagers around her gawking in amazement of her skill, none of them made any move to help her. At this point, she didn't really need their help, but it would have been appreciated regardless.

Left to her own devices completely, Amy decided to make sure to kill the enemy during their next exchange. She was much faster than her foe, but Amy had no doubt that it outmatched her in strength. One lucky blow to the head or neck could be the end of her, and what on earth would Cyril do without her?

Absolutely enraged that it had been wounded by such a small and frail looking human, the blue-scaled lizard charged at Amy yet again, its tiny brain not advanced enough to think of any other strategy. This was good for Amy, who realized she could easily use the enemy's weight against him in this situation.

Diverting the lizard's attack by shoving his wrist upwards, Amy stabbed Albion into the creature's left knee, piercing it all the way through and eliciting a howl of pain. Using the speed of the monster's rush against it, as well as the pivoting point Albion had provided, Amy flipped the monster over onto its back, pulling her blade from its leg as she did so.

Before the creature could raise itself from the ground, Amy turned and impaled it, planting the slender blade of her sword in its eye, and likely into its brain. Amy wasn't one to indulge in brutal executions, but she had to be sure that the thing died this time, so she twisted her rapier a few times within its skull, eliciting some squishy sounds that made her and everyone around her wince.

Nevertheless, the deed was done, and the people around Amy seemed all too happy to divert their shock and awe from the beast to the girl that had killed it, who turned to the crowd with a question on her tongue. "Does anybody know what this thing was?"

Broken from their trance, some muttering erupted from the villagers, all asking each other if anyone knew the answer, until one older gentleman in the back spoke loudly enough to overcome the cacophony of voices.

"Well I don't know for sure, but when some other travelers last came through here, they said there had been rumors of scaly human things raiding fields and whatnot. They said they had never attacked a village before, but... looks like that changed."

Amy frowned down at the dead monster at her feet, pulling her blade out of its corpse. She refrained from sheathing it, since it was still soiled with the monster's blood.

"Are you saying that these things usually travel in packs?"

"Uh... well, from the way those guys were talkin', yeah. You don't think...?"

Flicking her wrist to try and remove at least a little bit of the gore from Albion, Amy answered quite calmly. "Yes, I do. I get the feeling this village is about to have a lot more company than it would like."

The crowd around Amy immediately launched into panic at her words.

"What are we going to do?! Did you see the size of that thing?!"

"What if a whole army of them shows up? We'll never survive!"

"Oh God, we're all gonna die! We have to leave!"

Amy wasn't even going to try to speak over the noise, instead choosing to simply wait until someone regained their senses. It was not long in coming.

"Hey, what about the girl? She killed that monster without a problem!"

"She's just a kid, you want to put your life in her hands?!"

"Well I'd rather put it in hers than yours, you didn't do anything!"

"Neither did you!"

With a sigh, Amy yelled out before any of the villagers could start brawling. "Everyone shut up! You're wasting valuable time!"

Such a loud and blunt voice from such a small girl silenced the entire crowd, all of who looked at her with surprise.

"Look, chances are that there are more of these things out in the countryside right now. It could be three, or a dozen, or fifty: there's no way to tell. But it's very unlikely that this one I just killed merely strayed from the others. Animals that hunt in packs oftentimes have scouts of sorts, who survey new areas for sources of food. That is probably what this one was doing here, and even though I doubt these lizard men are very bright, they seem to understand the concept of weapons, which places them at a higher level of intelligence than any other animal. They'll probably notice when this scout of theirs does not return, and at that point more of them will likely come here to find out why."

One of the villagers cut Amy off here, much to her chagrin. "Then why don't we just leave?! Let's just take all of our stuff and get out of here!"

With yet another sigh, Amy shook her head. "The one advantage we have over these creatures is our intelligence; making stupid suggestions really does not play that advantage very well. Please use your head: whether these things are specifically animals or not, they have animal-like qualities, which means that they are probably stronger, faster, and more instinctive than we are. I have no doubt that their ability to track prey is something we cannot evade. If we all leave this place before they arrive, they will simply follow our very recent scent, and since they are faster, they will likely run us down. This means fighting is basically inevitable, so tell me this: what is easier to defend, a village, with walls and choke-points, or an open road, with no terrain advantage at all?"

The point of her words quite clear, Amy's rhetorical question received no answers. At this point, everyone was looking to her for wisdom, since she appeared to have much more of it than they did.

"So, if there are no objections, I will assume leadership for the duration of this crisis..."

When no objections were raised, Amy crossed her arms, trying to assume the aura of an imposing commander. She was honestly kind of enjoying herself. "Well then, first off, we need to fortify this place. Divide into two groups, one of which will take furniture or any other obstacles they can find to barricade the streets. We need a last line of defense in case we get pushed that far, so completely wall in the town square as well. The second group needs to go and find anything that can be used as a weapon, since I doubt this place produces its own. If any of you own a bow, be sure to get them: they'll probably be the most useful asset we have out here."

"So you're telling me that the village is under attack by an army of lizard-like bipeds?"

Cutting his way into Amy's tale for the first time, Cyril could not help but question what he had been told.

"Are you implying that I'm a liar, Cyril?"

"No, I'm implying that this all sounds very far-fetched. Are you sure you are not the direct cause of all of this carnage?"

While she had only taken mock offense before, Amy really was offended now. "If I were truly this destructive without your guidance, how on earth would my castle still be in one piece, with all of the years I have been living there?!"

Cyril shrugged, safe from Amy's anger in his armor. "I believe in miracles."

Amy was about to throw a piece of the rubble hill she stood on at the man, but she was interrupted when another villager ran up to her in a panic. "The makeshift weapons we've been using are breaking, and we don't have anything else to fight with! What do we do!?"

"Tie a kitchen knife to a wooden pole, and you have a makeshift spear. Be creative, and I'm sure you'll think of something. If you really can't make anything else to fight with, fall back to the square."

With a hurried nod, the man ran back the way he had come, towards the sounds of fighting. Cyril watched him go.

"Should we not be helping them? I could probably make short work of these creatures..."

While trying to maintain a mature image, Amy couldn't help but pout a little. She wanted to impress Cyril with all of her exploits up to this point. Without her, this village surely would have been destroyed already. "B-but... I didn't get to finish my story..."

Secretly aware that Amy was trying to make herself look good with all that had transpired here, Cyril couldn't resist a smile. "I promise you can tell me once this is all over. I'll sit down and listen to the whole thing. But right now, we could be saving people from dying, so..."

Amy crossed her arms as she began to descend from her hilltop. "Oh fine, let's go save the peasantry..."

"That's not very nice."

"Only certain people get my nice side."

Cyril fell in behind Amy, following her lead to the battlefield.

"Am I one of them?"

With a glance back in his direction, Amy smirked at Cyril, much to his surprise. "Perhaps."

Having expected her to simply blush, scowl, and deny his words, Cyril was quite caught off guard by Amy's current attitude. Then again, he couldn't say he didn't like it.

It was time.

Tira was about to attempt an escape from the Wolfkrone dungeon, not because an opportunity had presented itself, but because she simply couldn't stand being there any longer. If she had to stare at those cell bars for one more minute, the tiniest sliver of sanity that Tira still had would be lost.

That was why she had her arms dangling in-between the bars of her cell, calling out to the guards who had finally decided that they did not need to guard her cell at all times. She normally would have tried to invoke a sweeter tone of voice, but at the moment Tira was in no mood to fake a smile.

"Guard! Guaaaarrrrrrddddd! I'm fucking hungry, get over here, dammit!"

Not being allowed to leave the dungeon they guarded, Tira knew they were within earshot, and that she was likely getting on their last nerves. Soon enough, one of them would come to shut her up...

"Guaaaaarrrrrrrddddd! Get your ass in here if you don't want me to scream even louder!"

As she had predicted, Tira soon heard the stomping of boots coming her way. In no time, a helmeted solider was in front of the cell, spear in hand. Tira made doubly sure to identify the cell key at his hip. "Would you shut the hell up!? We already gave you your meal for the day!"

Since she had been incarcerated for so long, yet had failed to try anything at all, the unfortunate guard had already lost his natural fear of Tira, who now seemed more like a nuisance than an actual threat. For this reason, the sod was far closer to Tira's cell bars than he should have been, or would have been if he knew what she was thinking.

The sweetest of smiles on her face, Tira briefly flexed her arms, making sure that the man before her was indeed close enough to grab through the gaps in her cell. As soon as she was sure of that, the malfested killer lunged forward, grabbing the guard before her by the collar, before pulling him forward and slamming his head into the steel bars between them.

Stunned by the vicious blow, the soldier was helpless as Tira pulled him towards her once more, his body being pressed against the cell. Tira's arms quickly found her way around the man's neck and face, and with a smile still plastered on her face, she was all too happy to violently twist the guard's head beyond ninety degrees, snapping his neck effortlessly.

Afraid that his corpse might fall out of her reach if she let him go, Tira held onto the man's body just long enough to take the key from his hip, at which point she wasted no time in removing the barrier between herself and her freedom. Dropping the lifeless body to the cold stone floor of the dungeon, Tira barely managed to hold back a mad giggle. She had been confined for so long, and she was so happy to get the chance to kill someone again... it was difficult for her to keep her composure.

There was no time to celebrate her new-found freedom though, as the currently dead guard's partner rushed down the dungeon hall to investigate the disturbance that had been made. However, this man was far younger than his colleague had been, and the sight of Tira standing over the body of his comrade was enough to stop him in his tracks.

"O-oh... oh God..."

Sadistic glee on her face, Tira eyed the man with an insane glint in her eye. "Hey now... aren't you the bastard that insulted my looks? Oh, I'm gonna kill you veeerrrryy slowly..."

As if he needed any more incentive, the guard quickly turned on his heel and sprinted away from his would-be killer. Unfortunately, she was much faster than him, and even as the man screamed for help, Tira pounced on him from behind, pinning the poor soul to the ground.

"Still, before I kill you, I have a few questions to ask... work with me, and I might reconsider how painful I make your demise."

Cyril mindlessly decapitated another lizard as it came rushing at him. He was not really paying attention to his numerous enemies, considering that they lacked the power to harm him. Instead he was watching Amy as she cut her way through another foe with a flourish of her own. Until now, Cyril had yet to see the girl in action, but he was honestly impressed with her display of skill. She did not appear to be much of a fighter, but her sword skills were nothing to laugh at.

More than that though, Cyril once again noticed a different feel about Amy in general. The way she carried herself was different from how it had been before he left. What had changed? What could have possibly affected her demeanor in such a way in such a short time?

"Amy? Did something happen?"

The young fighter cocked an eyebrow at Cyril, his question confusing her. "I thought we had already established that the town has been attacked by a horde of reptilian monsters?"

"I mean, did anything happen to you specifically, beyond this incident with the lizards. There is something different about the way you carry yourself, but I cannot identify exactly what it is."

Well aware of what had happened and what had changed in his absence, Amy found herself hard-pressed to suppress a blush, though she was quick to find an answer. "I have simply come to terms with a decision I have made."

"Oh?"

Sidestepping another wild swing, Amy stepped closer to Cyril, the two of them soon back-to-back. "I'll explain at a better time."

Cyril pointed a finger at a red-scaled lizard some way down the street that was about to clobber one of the town's civilian defenders. A bolt of lightning lanced forth from his fingertip, arcing across the street at speeds great enough to fry the monster before it could kill its victim. "Fair enough."

With a moment of reprieve made available, Cyril noted that many of the rooftops in the town were in flames. "Amy, how did these fires start? I fail to see how the enemy could have done it..."

"I had them ignited when the lizards started using them to get around our barricades. They are very good at climbing."

"Are you aware that there will be little point in winning here if the entire town is destroyed?"

"Are you aware that the town's survival would be pointless if its people were all slaughtered?"

Cyril smiled as he cut down another over-eager reptile. "You're a bit snarkier than usual today, Amy."

"It probably only feels that way because you've been absent from my wonderful presence for so long. I assure you that my level of snark has not changed."

"Neither has your humility..."

Though they had been apart only a short time, Amy had to admit that she missed this banter. "Surely you didn't expect that to change?"

"I'm an optimist."

"Optimist is nothing but a euphemism for being delusional, wouldn't you say, Cyril?"

Cyril couldn't help but laugh as he prepared to step even deeper into the battle taking place. Yes, something about Amy had changed, but in a way, nothing had changed at all. For that, he was grateful.

Covered in the blood and gore of her most recent kill, Tira pushed open the door to the dungeon's storage area, where Eiserne Drossel and her gauntlets were being kept. She had been sure to extract her weapons' location from that last guard before tearing him to pieces: she had been lying about a painless death. Needless to say, her hands on approach had Tira's usually pale skin stained crimson up to her forearms, and the rest of her body was splattered in gore as well.

She would usually be irritated to be so filthy, but at the moment Tira was too happy about too many things to complain. Not only had she finally escaped from that wretched cell, but she had finally been able to indulge her blood lust again, and was finally reuniting with her precious personal weapons. She could wash later.

Snatching Drossel from the storage room and returning to the dungeon's stairway, Tira made extra sure to kick the dismembered corpse of the man she had killed last on the way up to the next floor. Dead or not, she was still furious with the man for daring to suggest that she was not beautiful. True, Tira didn't really think she was herself, but that didn't give that bastard the right to say so.

As Tira emerged from the dark recesses of the Wolfkrone dungeon, she was met with the screams of a maid who had been cleaning the wall. A quick swipe of her ring blade served to silence that, and Tira soon found herself roaming the castle in search of escape, albeit quietly.

While she was eager to kill, Tira knew she could not face every soldier in the castle, even at full strength. Her side had healed quite well thanks to her malfestation, but it still hurt enough to hinder Tira's movement. She had also not been fed very decently in the dungeon, and she felt a little fatigued from hunger. Stealth was currently her best option, but as an ex-assassin, this did not pose a problem for Tira.

As she moved down the halls of Wolfkrone castle, Tira repeatedly avoided detection by patrolling soldiers, hiding wherever she could to do so. Despite her crimson red outfit, Tira was difficult to spot when she wished to remain hidden, even in a castle hallway with few shadows to hide in. She took advantage of the blind spots the Wolfkrone soldier's helmets provided, and concealed herself with the sparse curtains, tapestries, and furniture Castle Wolfkrone sported. Sometimes, when there was nothing to hide behind, Tira avoided detection by merely staying stone still against the wall as someone passed her. Even the slightest of shadows was enough for her to hide in, though Tira had to be careful to narrow her eyes as much as possible when someone passed: the violet of her irises really stood out in the dark.

In fact, what Tira was most worried about was her smell. While she hated to admit it, Tira knew that she probably reeked. Naturally, she had not been allowed to bathe while imprisoned, and being covered in the drying blood of the man she had killed certainly did nothing to improve the situation. Anyone with a half-working nose would smell her if they came too close. Whether or not they decided to investigate that smell was another matter entirely...

As she thought of the many things that could hamper her ability to conceal herself, Tira realized she was getting close to the castle entrance, mostly because the number of guards was significantly increasing. She still managed to hide from them all, but it became more difficult the closer Tira got to escaping, almost as if they were trying to stop her without even knowing they were.

As she was shimmying against a wall, Tira caught the voice of Wolfkrone's Princess coming her way, and quickly flattened herself into the nearest shadow she could, silently watching as the woman passed her hiding place while talking to a soldier beside her.

"Luana won't be able to perform the same way for awhile, and even when she's fully recovered, I doubt she will be able carry herself the way she used to. I need you to find me someone who can help fill her role..."

"Will do ma'am. I have an idea of who may be suitable, though I am sure the Lieutenant will continue to serve you as well as she can regardless of her condition."

"I know, I know... she's loyal and dedicated. When I get what I need from her... that girl in the dungeon is going to suffer."

Tira couldn't resist a smile as Hilde passed right in front of her without noticing, so wrapped up in discussion as she was.

Sorry Red, but my suffering is over. I've been down there long enough. I wish I could have seen the look on your face, but I'd rather just get outside again.

With concealed glee, Tira continued to sneak out of the castle. She was in a good mood now, so maybe she would kill someone else on the way.

A loud cheer erupted from the crowd of embattled villagers as Cyril struck down the last lizard that plagued the settlement. The fighting had been going on for hours, but now that Cyril had returned, the battle was concluded quickly. With that immediately out of the way, the next order of business was to douse the flames that were currently ravaging the town. Given, these flames were Amy's idea, but they had been a good idea at the moment they were needed.

With a total of nearly four dozen reptilian creatures slain, and nearly half of those casualties in human lives, Cyril would have liked to assist these people in recovering from this attack: but he had no time to waste here. Time was his most precious resource, and he could not stay here to aid the villagers in something they could handle themselves.

With that in mind, Cyril turned to Amy, who was huffing quite heavily. Her hairdo had been ruined during the fighting, allowing her now frayed and tussled scarlet hair to tumble down her back in curly waves. Amy probably though she looked awful, but Cyril rather liked the look. "Amy. I know you are tired, but once you have caught your breath, we need to leave."

The fatigued young girl frowned at him is dismay. "So soon? Could we not at least stay for the part where they throw us a party...?"

"That is precisely why we must leave soon. We have no time to waste here. We have aided these people enough already. They must handle the rest of this problem themselves."

A few days ago, Amy would have complained about this decision. But now, she had no objections to raise whatsoever. She had sworn she would support Cyril in his mission, no matter what. If he thought this was best, she would not argue with him further.

"Alright. Give me just a moment to recover..."

Cyril was honestly surprised Amy had not objected further, but he was glad for it nevertheless. Giving her the time she had asked for, Cyril examined Amy's body. She was quick, and had evaded almost every attack that came her way, but Amy had still managed to acquire a few scrapes and bruises throughout the conflict. She was splattered with blood here and there, though most of it was not hers, and of course, she appeared to be very tired.

Deciding that making her travel now would be cruel, Cyril disintegrated his armor and took a step towards Amy, who looked at him in confusion, before scooping her up in his arms bridal style.

Despite all the things that had changed about Amy over the past few days, her reaction to something of this nature had certainly not, obvious enough by the crimson blush on her face. "C-C-Cyril! What do you think you're doing?!"

"You're tired. We need to leave, but I'd rather let you rest. This is the best option."

For a moment, it seemed as though Amy would object again, but after a moment, she chose only to look away from Cyril's sapphire eyes as she leaned into his shoulder. "A-alright... guess I shouldn't question my good fortune..."

Once again flabbergasted at Amy's minuscule amount of resistance, Cyril began to walk out of the town in the direction he needed to go, certain that his departure would not be noticed amid the chaotic celebration currently taking place. Meanwhile, he mentally noted that holding Amy so close to him was very pleasant. Unlike his own muscled body, her's was soft and delicate, and being capable of almost completely encompassing the girl's small frame in his own embrace brought Cyril no small amount of pleasure.

The town being as small as it was, it did not take Cyril long to carry Amy and himself past its outskirts and open plains. Cyril was not going to take the road this time, mostly because he did not need to. Still, the unexpected terrain caused Amy to question him. "Cyril? Are we going somewhere in particular, or are you just aimlessly wandering again?"

"While fighting those beasts, I sensed dark energy from them. It could be anything, but on the off chance that their appearance has anything to do with the Catalyst... I must follow their trail. The dark energy they emitted leads this way, and I wish to investigate its source."

"Very well. This sounds like a wise course of action."

Once again confused, Cyril cocked an eyebrow at the girl in his arms. "Just like that? You have no objections whatsoever?"

A little embarrassed to have caught his gaze by mistake, Amy glanced away from him. "No. I have decided to support whatever decision you make. This is your mission: I'm sure you know best."

"Speaking of which, you said you would tell me what the origin of this change of heart was when we weren't otherwise engaged. That time is now."

Amy knew she was going to have to explain this to Cyril at some point, but either way, she was still finding trouble thinking of what to say. How was she supposed to tell him that she wanted to support his every endeavor, not only for the experience it would bring, but because she didn't want to leave his side? Cyril was too perceptive to easily deceive...

"I've just come to a decision, that's all. I'm going to do what I can to support you... after all , to participate in this mission of yours is the chance of a lifetime. I'd be a fool to pass that up."

Cyril had a feeling that was not the entire reason Amy had come to this decision, but he didn't want to press the matter. He'd let her keep whatever secrets she wanted to, as it was not his place to force them out of her.

"Well, whatever your reasons, I'm glad you have come to this decision. Your company in my quest greatly lightens my burden... thank you Amy, for choosing to sacrifice your own time to aid me."

Blushing once again, Amy now somewhat regretted not telling Cyril her less selfish reasons for going with him. The excuse she had given made her seem extremely self-centered. But as Cyril began moving forward again, Amy found that she couldn't muster the courage to tell Cyril how she felt about him. Unfortunately, that would have to wait just a little longer.

Still, for now Amy was content in his arms, and completely sure in Cyril's judgment. As things were right now, she would follow him anywhere.

"Europe? Why there?"

Setsuka could not help but ask this question as she shielded herself from the morning sun of Japan's western coast. She and Taki were on a dock, waiting for a ship that would take them to the mainland. Taki, outfitted in her usual skin-tight purple attire, stood atop a pole, eagerly looking out to sea.

"Let's just say I have a feeling that two very specific swords are once again involved in the mayhem now wracking this world. The Soul Swords always seem to be in the thick of things, and besides... I'm sure you know as well as I do that Europeans are always causing trouble."

While it seemed unladylike to agree to something so crude, Setsuka could not help but nod. "History has proven that Europe does not have a very good record regarding peace... still, how can you be so sure that Soul Calibur and Soul Edge are to blame for the strange things that have been occurring here? Are they not far away to be affecting events in Japan?"

Taki shrugged, never taking her eyes off of the water. As Setsuka watched the motion, she could not help but wonder if shrugging was more difficult for Taki than it was for other women, if only because she had a bit more weight to lift...

"There is no guarantee that the Spirit Swords are involved at all, but if I had to place a bet, I would choose to blame the Swords for the catastrophes of late. Besides, they have affected things far from their own location before. There is no reason to rule them out. Either way, it could not hurt to investigate. And if I'm not mistaken, that is our ship arriving."

Setsuka loosed a sigh as she turned to face the oncoming ship. Not for the first time, she questioned her decision to come with Taki on this quest. Not that she didn't enjoy helping the woman, but her kimono could only take so much abuse...

Siegfried, nestled comfortably in one of the Valentine mansion's many luxurious armchairs, was dozing when Ivy finally finished her investigation of Soul Calibur, several days after starting. "Wake up Schtauffen, I'm finished."

Startled from his state of near slumber, Siegfried almost made a fool of himself, but he managed to keep his alarmed reaction to nothing more than a tense flinch. Besides, he was eager to learn what had been discovered. "So, what did you discover? Why has Soul Calibur been acting so strangely?"

Ivy paused for a moment, wondering how she should word what she was about to say. "How do I put this... well, frankly I have no idea."

"No idea?! But you've been experimenting for days! Are you telling me that your investigations have yielded no fruit whatsoever?!"

Ivy smirked at Siegfried, amused by his reaction. "Of course I'm not saying that. The research I conducted was very productive: just not towards the goal you had in mind."

The Prussian knight glared at the woman across from him. "What does that mean? What goal were you reaching for?"

With a shrug, Ivy decided that there was no harm in sharing. "Well to be honest, I decided that there was no way for me to answer your question on the very first day you brought Soul Calibur to me. There was just no way I could possibly see into Soul Calibur's mind. That is beyond even my abilities. That being the case, there was no way I could solve the problem you presented to me."

Siegfried rose to his feet in outrage. "Then what have you been doing this entire time?!"

"How often does one have Soul Calibur available to experiment on at any given time? It is not as though you share the blade with anyone you meet, Schtauffen. Who in the right mind would return the sword to you immediately, knowing that you would be on your way in an instant, when they could simply let you believe they were working on your problem as they worked on their own instead?"

Soul Calibur's wielder cursed himself for his negligence. He had been careful to make sure Ivy never left the mansion with Soul Calibur in tow, but he had not watched what she was doing in her laboratory: after all, he would not have known what she was doing in there even had he been watching. "So now what are you going to do? You could have hidden Soul Calibur away, and without a weapon, I'd be helpless against you. Are you just going to dispose of me here so you can use the sword for your own ends?"

Being the noble she was, Ivy's laughter at Siegfried's suggestions was very refined. "What kind of cutthroat knave do you take me for, Schtauffen? No, I'm not going to kill you and take the sword, though I admit I entertained the thought for a brief while. I have already accomplished what I desired with the Spirit Sword: you can have it back at any time you please.

"And what exactly did you desire to achieve?"

"Soul Calibur is the only thing that can purge malfestation. Because I have that bastard Cervantes' blood running through my veins, I am malfested, in a technical sense."

Siegfried nodded in understanding, now a little less critical of what Ivy had been doing. "So you were trying to purify yourself? Did it work?"

Ivy shrugged once again. "Not entirely. I did manage to reduce the severity of my malfestation, but it is unfortunately still there. I would likely need years of research to find a way to cleanse myself completely, short of killing myself with Soul Calibur."

Siegfried honestly felt pity for the woman before him, but he knew he could not allow her to keep Soul Calibur for so long. He needed it to defeat Nightmare and Soul Edge. "You claim to need the sword for such an extended amount of time, yet you wish to return it to me. Why is that?"

The last remaining member of the Valentine family smirked at Siegfried once more. "I thought I had made it clear in all of our encounters before this point, but my ultimate goal is to wipe Soul Edge, and everything influenced by it, out of existence. If I can never find a way to purify myself, that will include me as well, but that is far beside the point. I am well aware that Soul Edge can only be destroyed with Soul Calibur, and while I would love to do the deed myself, I am not capable of wielding the blade. You however, are completely capable of using it, and your goal of destroying Soul Edge is the same as mine. The most logical course of action would be to allow you to complete your quest. Hindering your goals would only hinder mine as well."

Ivy's words and reasoning did make a lot of sense to Siegfried, and being as trusting as he was, he had no issue taking Ivy at her word. "I see... it's a shame that you are indeed malfested. Your methods may be strange, but I'm sure someone like you could wield Soul Calibur, if you were not obstructed by something beyond your control."

This elicited another sly look from the British woman. "Why Schtauffen, are you trying to say that I'm pure of heart? I assure you that I have quite a few bad qualities."

"As do I. It is impossible to be completely pure, but apparently Soul Calibur does not need someone perfect, merely someone with the intent to use the sword for good."

For some reason, Ivy did not believe that Soul Calibur truly had such a criteria, especially since it had been created from Soul Edge. But either way, it seemed like Siegfried thought slightly higher of her than he had before, and that wasn't an entirely bad thing. Higher esteem meant her influence over him would be greater, however slightly...

"While I acknowledge that it would be best to let you handle Nightmare and Soul Edge, I must confess that I want to play some part in the destruction of its influence as well. With my blade, I could at least end the miserable lives of the wretches who serve the sword..."

Siegfried frowned at the woman. "I get the feeling you're going somewhere with this."

Ivy smirked at the man once again. It was apparently a favorite expression of hers. "I'm going with you Schtauffen: and together, we're going to wipe Soul Edge from the face of this earth."

Sitting atop the highest branch in a tree far from the outskirts of Wolfkrone castle, Tira happily swung her legs back and forth as she observed the fortress from a distance.

Poor Red. She's going to be so disappointed that we escaped: she really wanted to kill us.

I honestly think we should have stuck around just to see the look on her face, but I guess slaughtering those other guards on the way out was satisfying enough. Five is way too few for how long we've been unable to kill though...

Still covered in gore, Tira reached her arm up into the air, allowing a wayward crow to perch upon it. Birds of this nature had an instinctive attraction to her.

Yeah, but we'll have plenty of time to kill people on the way back to Nightmare's place.

Surprisingly, and it was very difficult to surprise oneself, split personality or not, Tira's other half objected to this plan.

Actually, I don't think we should go back.

B-but... won't Nightmare be really angry? And what about Soul Edge...?

Shooing the crow away from her person, Tira back flipped off of her branch and to the ground below, landing perfectly on her feet. Had she not been a psychopath, she could have been a very talented acrobat.

Nightmare obviously doesn't care whether we come back or not. He didn't send anyone to rescue us. Spawn could have gotten us out of there easily, but Nightmare clearly didn't send him to do it. That bastard couldn't care less whether we live, die, or come back to him at all. The only regret he'll have is losing another servant, and maybe another soul to eventually feed to that damn sword.

Much less bold than her dark side, Tira's jolly half was stunned by the words her own mind was speaking.

Still debating in her mind, Tira turned he back on Wolfkrone castle and began walking in a random direction. Her only real goal right now was to find somewhere to bathe.

Our purpose doesn't always have to be serving someone else. All we've ever done is serve others. Let's serve ourselves for once! Let's just go out and do whatever we want, whatever makes us happy. We can just as well kill things without being to told to by an ugly blade.

I guess you're right...and if we ever got bored of killing stuff, we could do what we wanted because Nightmare couldn't tell us what to do! Maybe we could, you know...

While this thought was never finished, both sides of Tira's consciousness knew what they were thinking. There were a few things they enjoyed outside of murder... very, very few things, but they did exist. Tira had never given much thought to entertaining these other pleasures, but now that she had decided to abandon Soul Edge, she could do what she wanted. Granted, it was unlikely that she would ever grow tired of the thrill of killing, but... a little bit of dabbling in other things couldn't hurt.

Still, as she marched into the wilderness, unsure of where she was going, Tira only had one goal in mind: she needed to find somewhere to wash herself of the stains her most recent victims had left on her body.

As I said before, I am sorry that this update took so long. But once again, I ask you to understand that many factors can affect how soon an update may occur. Waiting sucks, but good things come to those who wait, and patience is a virtue. I have no intention of quitting this story: it will be finished, no matter what, and I hope that can be enough for those of you who have lent me your support and encouragement from the very beginning. For those of you who are patient, dedicated, or simply good fans, I thank you for being here.