Gytheio, Laconia
"Come along my pretties." The Con-Artist King said to the line of newly captured refugees while they marched through the loosely forested area, "Stay in line now, no need to hurry. Those chains are very study as you can see."
"Better do as Lord Dampierre says." One of the Con-Artist's many guards said before grabbing the hip of a frightened girl, "Or I'll do an early inspection of the cargo..."
"Please...don't-"
"Sire...what are you doing?" Dampierre asked the soldier, "Didn't I say, don't touch the merchandise?"
"I was just samplin it sir-" The mercenary was halted when one of Dampierre's hidden knives dug into his stomach and cut it open while the Con-Artist let the man fall forward onto the ground.
"Indeed." Dampierre yawned while cleaning his blade upon the newly slain corpse, "Anyone else desire to sample the merchandise?"
"We're not merchandise!" One of the older refugees shouted, "We're people you heartless bastard!"
"What is that...the twentieth time that you've spoken like some defiant dog..." Dampierre asked as he twirled his mustache, "Keep barking, see how it changes nothing...you're still in chains no?"
"The Ghost of Sparta will get you!"
"What's that now?" Dampierre asked a small child no older than 12. The con-artist bent over towards the boy and placed his hand on his ear, "What is this...Ghost of Sparta child?"
"Daimos-"
"The Ghost of Sparta is the killer of gods!" The boy shouted confidently, "The ultimate spartan whose so strong that even death's scared of him!"
"That sounds silly." Dampierre quickly replied, "No really! Why scare this child with false stories about some Pale Ghost?"
"I didn't say he was pale..." The boy stated as Dampierre felt fortune begin to elude him, "You're sweating...you know that he's real...don't you?"
"More than that child..." Fortune was an ungrateful whore this day. Dampierre turned to see a man with grey ash-like skin and red tattoos on his bare chest and hardened face. A man who stood behind another freshly slain corpse who was much more horrifically killed than Dampierre's victim. A man that he had hoped to never see again, "He ran like a woman when last we met."
"Kra...Kra...Kra...Kratos..." Dampierre smiled, but within his mind was a whirlwind of dread and panic. Which was made worse when half a dozen other individuals in torn and tattered travel hoods appeared and surrounded his entourage, "And you brought friends...guards...do kill him like I'd hired you to do...I...on the other hand..."
Dampierre was surprised that the spartan even let him run past.
"Boss!"
"Forget him! We'll kill this guy ourselves..." The leader of Dampierre's hired warriors boasted and brought out a large staff with a hooked blade on it's end, "You think you're tough spartan? I've killed many of your kind before, I even killed a warrior who called himself Leonidas. Like that idiot who got messed over by a cripple."
"Other Spartans? They weren't me." Kratos stated as one of the guards cried out. Aeon was very hungry it seems, "Or him."
"The Lizardman!" A guard with a shield and sword watched with horror as the lizard took carefully aimed bites out of his fallen comrade while he gasped for mercy and help, "I didn't sign up for this!"
"Run if you want!" "I'm gonna savor this kill..."
"You look like a feisty one." A woman with black hair and a loose black tunic leapt into the area and stood ready with her two katanas. The mercenary drew his axe and went on the offensive while shouting for blood. His wish was swiftly granted, though it was not his foe's body that was left bleeding a river of blood, "Never mind...that didn't satisfy me at all."
"No...impossible...Shura...they said that you'd...died..." The mercenary leader stuttered as he watched the woman cut down another one of his men right as a green demon cut down a tree with a blade of energy. As the tree fell, the demon expanded the blade into a large whip that grabbed a mercenary with a lance and instantly snapped the man's neck, "Necrid?"
"Today just isn't your day." Kratos muttered before he grabbed the head of a warrior who'd tried to attack him, "Your choice...you may die on your feet, fighting as a true warrior or you can die on your knees, begging like a woman." Kratos didn't look at his victim as he snapped the poor fool's neck and dropped him to the floor.
"Pardon?"
"You heard me!" Kratos shouted and drew out his crudely shaped blades. The soldier took one look at the weapons and then at his own before he dropped them and ran into the wilderness, "Or run like a coward, let him go. He'll lead us to the con-man."
"What about them?" Shura pointed to the prisoners who had released themselves, "Should we kill them?"
"No..." Aeon snarled in disappointment while the freed prisoners signed in relief despite the disappointed stare of Kratos, "Are you not spartans? What is your profession?"
"Our home was destroyed...we have none-"
"WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?" Kratos roared, disgusted by how the "descendents" of Sparta had fallen so low. "In my day, a true spartan would never be found in chains."
"Can you make us real spartans?" The child from before asked without fear within his voice, "So that we won't be captured again?"
"Who here is as willing as this child?" Kratos asked and saw a fire within the younger prisoners. Like the boy, they had likely heard stories about the legendary spartans and not only had a desire to make those legends true...but they saw a means of accomplishing this in Kratos, "If you wish to become true spartans, then follow me and avenge your honor and your fallen. Otherwise, go back to your ruined village and die whatever ignoble death you wish."
Yan Household
"How different would things have been..." Xianghua thought to herself, reading a long script of caligraphy that she had made seventeen years ago. Her grandfather had demanded her to return home now that the Sword of Salvation had been destroyed. But she had no desire to tie herself to the affairs of the Ming Empire or her thankless house. So she wrote this long letter and sent it to him the morning that she left to reunite with Kilik and continue on to their destination in the West.
Two years later...she returned to the Chai Household where her grandfather didn't waste anytime with pointing out how much disgrace she had left the family in. What family? Mother was dead and all of her uncles had died before she was even born. Worst of all, her own letter was read out by him in an attempt to further shame her.
If it weren't for baby Leixia, she would've killed him.
"I would attempt to dissuade you, but I will not bother," Xianghua heard Wujan mutter unsurprised while she finished packing her bag, "I will meet you in Istanbul as soon as I can."
"I'm not going to Istanbul." Xianghua stated while Wujan nodded with understanding, "I have to find Leixia and my son...I have to know if they're okay."
"You don't expect to see me again?" Wujan asked as Xianghua couldn't find it within herself to answer, "I understand if this is our final meeting, then know that the past fifteen years with you have been the happiest of my life and whatever you choose to do, nothing will change that."
"Thank you Wujan, for everything." Xianghua said while hugging her husband, feeling tears freely fall from her eyes, "Tell Leixan that I'll always love him."
"Of course, he will understand." Wujan replied and lightly broke their embrace, "Now go..shape your own destiny and cut your path through an uncertain future."
"You know me." Xianghua agreed, hearing her mother's encouragement within Wujan's words, "Tian! It's time to go."
"Yes!" Tian called while bowed, his pack already filled while Xianghua exited her room with Wujan following, "I promise to look after her and find Leixia, general."
"I will accept your word." Wujan stated and motioned for the boy to follow them, "Take good care of my daughter when you find her, even if you must marry her to do so."
"Yes sir-" Tian answered and then fully realized what Wujan had said, "Marry her...I..."
"Are you willing to die for her?" Wujan asked as Tian nodded without a hint of regret or hesitation, "I am satisfied then."
"General!" Tian gave a final bow to the general and ran to catch up to Xianghua, "Lady Xianghua...how shall we make it to the caravan before it hits the Silk Road-"
"We're not going down the Silk Road." Xianghua told the young guard as they exited the Yan Household, "We'll travel to an old friend and then head to Arabia by sea."
"Of course..." Tian agreed as Xianghua suddenly stopped and gave a bitter giggle, "Lady Xianghua? Are you alright?"
"I'm not coming back here," Xianghua said more to herself while she looked upon the countryside and the city in the distance, "I always thought that I'd be happy to finally walk away...but, I'm sad...and I don't know if I'm right to be sad."
"Ma'am...this was your home and Leixia's home." Tian encouraged, "I was sad when Lord Wujan took me from the orphanage...but I came to see your household as home and appreciated the family that accepted me...even though..."
"Even though what?" Xianghua asked, knowing that he was still conscious about his Korean parentage, "You worry too much Tian about what others think! You should be more like your mother! Follow your own path, not the one that others tread for you."
"One day, I hope that I can." Tian answered while his curiosity surged to his mind, "What is the West like?"
"That's right, this will be your first time out of the Dynasty." Xianghua realized, "It's cold most of the time and there's lots of hills. But, it's forests are beautiful and you'll like the view of it's highlands."
Somewhere in Northern Macedonia
"We're lost!" Leixia loudly complained while Cassandra apologetically rubbed her hair, "I thought you knew your way home!"
"I do...it's just been 17 years..." Cassandra replied, "Don't worry...we just...need to go south till people start speaking Turkish and then keep going till we hear someone speak in Greek..."
"Figured this was a bad idea."
"Then why did you come with us?"
"That's why it sucks to be a soldier, when the captain says jump, you ask how high!" ZWEI answered Pyrrha while surprised and satisfied from her subtle spunk, "We're better off following the wolf."
"He'd be reliable than you." Natsu added as the wolf happily barked in agreement, "But what will we do Miss Cassandra!"
"Stop with the miss, it makes me sound old..."
"But you are old." Xiba added, not noticing the dark glare in Cassandra's eyes, "At least older than most of us here-" He was quickly knocked out by a kick from Natsu before Cassandra could do worst to him.
"Should've quit while he was behind." Maxi scoffed while Cassandra decided to let the boy off easily this time, "There's a village nearby, we can go there and ask for directions...to refresh Cassandra's memory."
"Kryoneri...think that's the town's name!" Cassandra recalled, "I always stopped there after I left home and right before I returned. It's a crossroads city, most people there are on a journey of their own."
"You sure it's still that way now?"
"Would you know at all?" Pyrrha asked ZWEI, "You've...never been there, no?"
"Good point Pyrrha..." ZWEI admitted with a smirk that puzzled Pyrrha, "It would be nice to sleep in a bed for a while."
"But bed's are scratchy, right boy?" Xiba asked the Wolf, who gasped in vivid disagreement, "You are a weird wolf."
"You're just now noticing this?" ZWEI asked when Pyrrha's right arm started to shake and she fell to her knees holding her chest, "Pyrrha!"
"Pyrrha! What's wrong?" Cassandra asked as she knelt to her shivering niece's side and saw the faint scar on her chin begin go glow, "It's Patroklos...isn't it?"
"Something terrible is happening..."
"You feel it too?" Maxi asked with concern as Pyrrha began to calm down, "Our favorite holy warrior is up to something...the Turks just lost another army to him."
"Xiba...we're going scouting...you too wolf." Natsu suggested before she vanished within the treetops followed by Xiba and the wolf.
"Don't worry about them...Xiba and Natsu are good at being unseen," Maxi assured Cassandra while she and ZWEI helped Pyrrha to her feet, "We'll have to move ore carefully and quickly if we want to get to that port soon."
"The port in Gythetio?" Cassandra asked with disgust, "We're better off trying to walk."
"Or swim right?" Maxi asked before Natsu returned, "What's up?"
"Soldiers were ahead, Hungarian and bearing an ill-warped chi."
"Were?" Leixia asked, "What happened to them?"
"They were beaten by a band of fighters."
"Anyone we know?"
"Not sure," Xiba replied, "There was a tall man with them. He wore clothes made from animal fur, wielded two hammers like they were sticks and could lift a man up with one hand."
"Rock?" Cassandra asked while the description jogged her memory, "Hey! It's good to hear about him again!"
"Who is Rock?"
"He was a friend of Sophitia's and a nice guy even if he's a little gruff." Cassandra answered her niece, "Natsu, is the band still there?"
"Maybe...we could catch them if we hurry...I think that another platoon was coming, so they may need help."
"Where's Xiba and the wolf?"
"They're hidden next to the band...so we better hurry..."
Author's Note:
For once, I'm writing an Author's note that doesn't include bitching and raging about SCV's major flaws.
Simply because I've already made my peace with it and decided that Namco won't get another cent from my hard-earned money if they won't respect their fans. To that end, the Tale continues...
In all honesty, I lost steam for a long time due to making peace with SCV's suckage. Not that I didn't want to write this story, but I initially started fueled with rage and betrayal from the bullshit of SCV's problems, especially the single-player mode which I won't repeat here.
As for any word on SCV DLC or Super SCV? I've heard nothing so chances are slim to neal at this point my friends...sorry...
I don't know if Broken Destiny is considered a canon game or not since it's just a watered-down psp port of SCIV, but Kratos is awesome so I saw no reason why to exclude him if we already have Dampierre, Ezio and the Wolf who somehow carries a jar with fairies without pockets.
I do have a question for fellow SCIV fans.
Why do so many people like Shura? I don't hate her, but I never saw anything really notable about her...does it have to do with her designer, Hiroya Oku? Whose apparently also the author of mangas Zero-One, HEN and Gantz? Is it because she has four swords but only uses two at a time? Is it because she has huge "tracts of land" (breasts)?
Just curious, that's all...