Copyright: Take what you will from this, but I own nothing...sadly...
He had attempted to keep up, but he stopped.
Leixia kept going, not even noticing that her wolf companion had staggered in pain. The pain that it felt whenever it came close to the flaring clash of the two swords Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. The same clashing forces that had caused him to be trapped within his current form for 18 years.
"Wait up boy!" The wolf heard Maxi call as it whined in agony, "Easy boy...are you alright? You don't look so good...you feel it too, don't you?"
"Leixia!" Immediately the wolf bit it's own gums and charged into the cave without waiting on Maxi. It blurred into the cave just in time to see a heavily wounded Leixia thrown against the cavern walls as Pyrrha robotically marched towards her with a large energy based sword raised. Sensing the dark power that was active, the wolf howled as it darted for the girl and latched it's jaws onto her arm before she could finish off the daughter of her friends.
The wolf yelped as it felt a blade slash into it's back and threw it onto the ground. The manned wolf struggled to stand, but the great distortion of power before him left no quarter. It slashed it's sword through the wolf's body as it yelped and attempted to bound upon the girl's chest.
It savagely bit and tore into her before being thrown into the cavern walls by a great burst of power. The wolf coughed blood out of it's mouth as he saw Bangoo attack Pyrrha while Maxi ran towards Natsu and the wolf clawed it's way to Leixia.
"Mother...I am...sorry..." Leixia spoke amidst her unconsciousness, the wolf sniffed her wound and immediately realized the danger that she was in. He had to act fast, so he grabbed Leixia's pendant with his jaws and and held the Dvapara-Yuga over the girl's wounds. It would not heal the damage, but it would remove the taint of Soul Edge and possibly use the mixed in power of Soul Calibur to ease Leixia's suffering and give her a better chance than she had right then.
Suddenly yelping in pain, the wolf laid the gem into the girl's hand before falling upon the ground not far from her. The power of Twilight that had previously protected him from the clash of the Soul Blades was shifting, perhaps due to it's own wounds, the proximity to Pyrrha or even Leixia's pendant. Whatever the cause, the wolf lied upon it's side and waited for what would come.
As it laid, he could feel a faint aura fall over him...
"Cassandra?"
"Piss off kid..." The Greek woman had propped her back against a heavily cut tree, her sword on the grass at her feet and her shield thrown aside. Xiba picked up the shield and smiled when he saw his reflection in it's surface, "What are you doing?"
"Looking at myself." Xiba answered and raised an eyebrow upon noticing his hair in his reflection, "It's red...like a red orange..."
"What the hell does that have to do anything?"
"Which of my parents had orange hair? Or maybe one had red hair...or they both had red orange hair..."
"Why not ask them?"
"I don't know who they are." Xiba replied and immediately Cassandra's head tilted down and she felt tears stream from her eyes, "Did I hurt you?"
"You never knew your parents? Guess you're lucky..." Cassandra muttered, "You'll never have to feel what I'm feeling right now...hell! I don't even know if anyone's still alive at home...I could be leading Pyrrha to a graveyard for all I know."
"Why's that bad?"
"BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE DOESN'T HAVE A FAMILY!" Cassandra screamed as Xiba blinked and she gave up on trying with the monk, "I promised her that I'd take her home and...that she'd meet her family...her father...her grandparents...her uncle...but what if no one is there? What if there's nothing waiting for us but an empty home?"
"Why would that mean she doesn't have a family?" Xiba inquired, his face oddly serene though not in a carefree way, "I don't have a home or parents...but I have a family. I have Master Xiuqiang...and friends can be family right? Cause I have friends..."
"I see what you mean...but it's not the same." Cassandra looked upon the Nemea shield, the same shield that she had stolen from her sister 18 years ago when she set out on her journey, "For as long as I can remember, Sophitia was always there. Kind...gentle...a little shy...but she was strong and I always wanted to be just like her. But no matter how I tried, she was always somehow better. She was prettier, taller, and more full if you know what I mean."
"She was fat?" The Nemea shield slammed into Xiba's head and knocked him to the ground, "What was that for?"
"Why am I even talking to you? You're just a kid raised in the mountains...do you know what it would be like to be gone for a long time and come back to find out that your sister is a murderer?" Cassandra growled, the heart of her troubles boiling to the surface, "What's worst? She's dead! And there's no way for you to know the truth from her own words! My nephew is a self-righteous murderer possessed by a corrupted soul calibur and my niece was a cosmic chew toy for Tira, Soul Edge and the gods! WHY DO THE GODS LOVE MAKING MY FAMILY THEIR PLAYTHING?"
"I don't know." Xiba answered as Cassandra fell upon her butt and began laughing as tears poured from her face, "Why are you laughing and crying?"
"That's the most honest and simple answer that I've ever gotten!" Cassandra answered as Xiba tilted his head in confusion, "It's so much easier for you...you don't even believe in gods do you?"
"If there gods then I want to fight them! They sound strong!" Xiba boasted as Cassandra laughed again, "What?"
"You know what? That's what I've wanted to do this whole time..." Cassandra muttered as she stood on her feet, "Alright...sorry I yelled at you kid. I just needed to lash out at something that wasn't a tree."
"Why did you cut the tree? Did the tree do something wrong?"
"It's something that I do when I'm angry...I used to pray...but that just makes me angrier."
"Why not meditate?"
"Get back to the cave!" The two combatants turned to where a panting Zwei emerged into the area with his sword drawn, "We've gotta go! Now!
"ZWEI...I am really not in the mood-"
"Neither am I! Pyrrha's lost control and we need Monkey boy's staff!" Cassandra's eyes widened and Xiba's demeanor immediately became hauntingly serious while ZWEI looked back towards the caves, "Leixia, Natsu, Maxi and Bangoo are there...Leixia's necklace might be able to calm the girl down-"
"Not by itself." A serious Xiba corrected and brought out the Kali-Yuga, "It can only purify energy, the Dvapara-Yuga needs the Kali-Yuga to draw out excess energy-"
"Then what are we sticking around here for?" At Cassandra's question, the three warriors immediately sped for the caves.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." Pyrrha said again and again as her body moved of it's own accord against Maxi and Bangoo while Leixia lied upon the cavern floor with blood pouring from her wound as Natsu desperately concentrated her chakra to heal her friend.
Leixia's wound was not fatal, but it could be if not treated and she had already lost consciousness. If it hadn't been for the interference of the severely wounded wolf who looked like it wouldn't make it, Leixia would have suffered far worst. Bangoo's strength enabled him to fend off the Pyrrha's demonic assaults though his large size meant that he could not adequately defend and Maxi had first stayed back and allowed Bangoo to take point in the two on one battle.
However, the smaller and quicker Crimson Despair found an opening and would have stabbed him if not for a kick from Maxi that forced the girl to spin back while the veteran pirate jumped forward and assumed the offensive. His nunchaku weaved in between and around her large monstrous arms and enabled him to deal several blows to the girl's chest and face. Maxi threw the girl over his head where Bangoo swung both hammers into the girl's arms and caused her to cry out.
"CAREFUL! WE DON'T WANT TO KILL HER!"
"WHY NOT?" Though unsurprised, Maxi winced to see the anger etched on Natsu's face, "Just kill the bitch!"
"No. We must weaken the clashing powers within her!" Bangoo called out as Pyrrha stabbed her sword through Bangoo's second hammer and unleashed a blast of red energy that through him into the cavern walls, "Why didn't Leixia's Dvapara-Yuga work?"
"Because it only purifies evil..." Maxi answered as he dodged Pyrrha's attack and sweep kicked to knock the girl off of her feet, "She's got energy from both swords inside of her...they're feeding each other...if we just target one then the other will pick up the slack. We need Xiba to drain out the excess power from within her."
"We must also free Pyrrha...free her from the possession of this power."
"She'll never be free of it...not until we put that power into a new sword..." For now, Maxi kept that thought to himself. Two of his charges were badly hurt and Pyrrha's power was beginning to grow.
"I'm sorry..." The girl muttered as she suddenly stopped and turned her sword toward her own stomach. Maxi and Bangoo froze in place as they realized what was happening, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen...I didn't..."
"But it happened anyway! My friend could die because of you!"
"Natsu! You're not helping!"
"But she's right...it's all my fault!" Pyrrha cried as her form shook and smoking tears poured from her eyes, "Mother...I hope I can see you...in Elysium..."
"Don't do it Pyrrha!"
"But more likely than not...I'll go to hell..." She screamed as she thrust her sword to Maxi's horror and a second later, surprise when Pyrrha's had kept the blade an inch from her stomach despite her efforts to budge, "Why can't I..."
"Pyrrha?"
"No...I will not..." Pyrrha muttered as the energy around her arms flared and pulled the sword away from her body. Suddenly, she cried out and her eyes took on an unearthly serene glow as a shield formed on Pyrrha's left forearm, "I will protect you...Pyrrha!"
"That is not her voice." Bangoo said as Pyrrha dashed towards the Native American Warrior and dodged his attacks before dealing a slash that the large warrior was unable to avoid. Maxi immediately recognized the girl's pattern and it was nothing like the reserved Pyrrha or the raging beast that the two warriors were facing before. Pyrrha now fought with coordinated aggressive tenacity and speed, keeping herself within Bangoo's blind spots while using any attack that he launched as a means to counter attack and throw him upon the floor.
"Why does that voice sound familiar-" As Maxi stepped in to face Pyrrha and relieve the wounded Bangoo, he saw the girl fall into a more relaxed and stalwart version of the Athenian style than either Cassandra or Pyrrha, "That stance...it can't be..."
"The one who killed my father..." Bangoo managed as Maxi and Pyrrha fought. Though both were close-range fighters, but Pyrrha's body moved too fluidly as if it were aware of Maxi's unorthodox fighting style. Her defense never faltered, her offense was not only enhanced by the girl's power, but also too direct for Maxi's tastes. When he tried to advance, her shield was always there; when he tried to fall back, Pyrrha closed the distance. Finally it happened, Pyrrha found an opening and struck down Maxi.
"Forgive me." The tearful girl apologized with a strong voice that did not belong to her, "Prepare yourself!"
"Pyrrha stop!" Pyrrha's blade halted a mere inch from Maxi's face as Cassandra charged into the cave followed by ZWEI and Xiba. No asking any questions, Cassandra tackled the stunned Pyrrha and smashed her shield into Pyrrha's arm, forcing the blade of energy to dissipate as the girl cried out under her aunt's grip, "Snap out of it Pyrrha!"
"I...I can't...she won't...she won't let me..." Pyrrha answered with very real fear and utter confusion in her eyes, "Please kill me Cassandra...please!"
"You're all I have left...why would I hurt you-" Cassandra was cut off when she felt Pyrrha's reformed ethereal crystal blade stab into her shield and out of her wrist as she stared stunned at what had happened, "Pyrrha..."
"Cassandra, why have you come?"
"Sophitia?" Cassandra asked with shock further compounding upon her as Pyrrha raised her aunt up by her stricken wrist, "It can't be..."
"I will not allow you to harm my child." Pyrrha wrenched her blade from Cassandra's arm and swerved in time to use it to block EIN's sneak attack and throw her shield into ZWEI's face. Xiba jumped in as well and attempted to use his superior range to pummel the girl, but she avoid one of his thrusts and slashed across his chest, "You should not have come here."
"Stop it Sophitia! You're hurting your daughter!" Cassandra cried out, clashing her blade against Pyrrha's, but the pain within her shield arm was too much and Pyrrha quickly overpowered her aunt and threw her down to her knees. Despite her pain, her heart went out to her clearly remorseful niece who was but a puppet for the true opponent of this fight, "Don't you see how much this hurts her?"
"As long as Pyrrha is safe, that is all that matters." Cassandra's sister spoke through Pyrrha's mouth, "If you do not relent, then I will not spare you as I did before."
"Sophitia...Pyrrha...please...we're...family..." Cassandra begged with tears flowing down her face, "Why...can't we just...go home..." She closed her eyes and braced herself for the end as Pyrrha thrust her sword towards Cassandra's face.
Her eyes opened in surprise when Pyrrha's blade was parried aside by a long blade forged from the horns of Ordana and gilded with the snow-colored gold. The battered, tired, but determined warrior nodded towards Cassandra and she couldn't help, but smirk back at him.
"Where have you been?"
Author's Notes:
Even as Cassandra learns the heartbreaking truth about Pyrrha's unstable episode, she is saved by an unfamiliar blade wielded by a familiar face. Who is Cassandra's mystery savior? Can her and the rest of the team find a way to calm Pyrrha? What does the truth of Pyrrha's unstability mean for her future?
Stay tuned to find out.
Meanwhile in the real world, Project Soul's Director Daishi has apparently quit. Around the same time, the Team made a bunch of changes to the profiles of SCV character, particularly Leixia's which sinks all hope of her being Kilik's daughter. It's like Project Soul is really out to piss off the KilikxXianghua fans because they have some sort of undeserved venom with the pairing or maybe they believe that it will make for "drama" fuel.
Pointless drama I might add.
Granted, they wrote the storylines so if they want to change stuff fine. But not like this! This is the type of information that you include in a game or prior to releasing a fully made game. Project Soul probably thought that since the story in SCV was incomplete, they could write in whatever they wanted. But a lot of this new information contradicts with previous statements and info. and they do admit that some info is subject to change. For instance, now the profiles say that Siegfried killed his father after he got Soul Edge.
Project Soul just keeps amazing me with how badly they fail despite having all of the ingredients to succeed.
Okay. I'm going to ignore the profiles, but...whatever...you're the ones on the sinking boat. I'm tired of wasting my energy being mad at you guys. You wanna sink your own series? That's your problem because everyone sees it now.
In addition, we have information about an upcoming FTP SC game that utilizes the SCV engine. The game will be a PS3 exclusive download and will be single-player only.
To quote Namco-Bandai Rep. Masaki Hoshino, "This was done intentionally because as we said people do enjoy fighting other people, but one thing we noticed with the Soul Calibur fanbase is that a lot of people really enjoyed the game for its story, setting and atmosphere. They didn't like playing against other people - when you lose it's not exactly a great feeling. So we decided to tailor something to this player base...This might seem unusual, but we've done a lot of research and noticed the Soul Calibur group was different to Tekken. That group like fighting against each other, whereas Soul Calibur fans really want to look at the characters and enjoy the atmosphere, and we had an overwhelming response in that direction, so that's why we chose that."
At least I'm know I'm not crazy for hating SCV's story...and that Project Soul appears to be paying attention to feedback from SCV. Particularly the feedback relating to the lack of offline content, missing characters with no explanation and the terrible story mode that ruined the series' narrative. Of course, we won't truly know what they'll do with the feedback until SCVI...though this game does appear to be a step in the right direction.
The game will be "time-limited" where players must purchase tokens in order to continue playing the game beyond its initial demo hours. The gameplay seems to be an altered version of SCV's style and confirmed characters include: Seigfried, Mitsurugi, Sophitia and more to be revealed at a later time as either part of the initial package or as DLC.
In a nutshell, here are my thoughts on Soul Calibur: Lost Swords.
Meh.
Don't get me wrong, the FTP model for this game could be alright and it might actually be fun without being a middle finger to the face like SCV was. But it's pretty lackluster overall and it sounds more like a watered-down version of SCV anyway. A mini-SCV with all of the attendant headaches, plot holes, and needless changes that caused a vast disconnect between it and a large portion of fans who've been around since at least the first and second game.
Here's a few things that concern me: Sophitia's back; It appears to take place in the same time frame as SCV; Will this have some or all of the cut content from SCV?; Is this going to compliment or retcon the story of SCV?; I'm unsure about what will be free and what I'll have to pay for; I don't know if the gameplay tweaks will bring it back in line with the first four games or if it will be largely the same needlessly complicated mess as SCV's control scheme; Will there still be character customization?; Can I play against friends without going on the internet?
In short, I'm not interested or hooked enough to play it. I'll keep my eye on whether or not it has a shred more dignity, replay value or packaging than SCV. But I'm not getting my hopes up this soon for so little. The only thing that would be prudent is to just wait and see what the Japanese crowd thinks when the game releases because I've yet to hear any information about an international release.
To tie the two topics together, there's a large possibility that Project Soul edited the online profiles in preparation for Broken Swords and maybe that's a sign of a large roster. Whatever the case is, I'm ignoring any info. on the online profiles that contradicts with previous data or is downright stupid at least until SCVI either redeems the series or puts the final nail in the coffin.
Later.