Copyright: You're on a fanfiction site, do I really need to say anything? Why would I want to be sued?
"My lord! The envoy of Emperor Rudolf II has come."
"Send him in." Soul Calibur sheathed upon his throne, the Holy Ravager disinterestedly watched as a timid armored messenger hastily marched across the hall to the Lord of Hungary and bowed before him, "Rise and fear not."
"My lord..." The envoy fearfully stood and unfurled a message within his jacket, "His highness, the Emperor of Holy Rome would beg leave to speak with you concerning the terms of ending this strife between us."
"Oh, but go on."
"His highness, Rudolf the second of his name, has received your terms for the end of this conflict." The envoy stated, "First...that Holy Rome shall renounce all claim of lordship to the Kingdom of Hungary; Second...All Holy Roman soldiers shall be henceforth removed from Hungarian borders within a week's time under penalty of death; Third...the Emperor shall pay...half of the imperial treasury as reparations; Fourth, the Empire shall yield all drafted soldiers into service to the Kingdom of Hungary; and lastly, the Graf's personally chosen "paladins" shall have full-leave to travel through Holy Roman lands as they see fit in order to hunt all hidden foes of the Graf's Holy Purifying Radiance."
"And what is the Emperor's answer?"
"The Emperor...has agreed to your terms." The envoy replied, "And would beg to know if our strife is now concluded?"
"Of course." The Ravager sincerely stated to the envoy, "And what of my request for aid in my war against the Turks?"
"The Emperor regrets to inform you that his army is unable to assist you." The envoy visibly shook when the Ravager stood from his throne, "Our concluded stife cost the lives of many men and many more are still missing-"
"They are not missing, they have been purified of their malfested stated."
"Malfested? All of them were-"
"All men are stained with the taint of sin." Patroklos said as Soul Calibur's blade pierced the man's heart, "Unfortunate that your taint will now destroy you." A dark light shimmered around the envoy when Patroklos withdrew his blade and sheathed it even as the envoy's soul flowed into it's wielder.
"Do they really think signing a piece of paper will protect them?"
"The Emperor accepted the terms in an attempt to buy time to rebuild the empire's army." Patroklos said to his hidden ally, "As if a piece of paper will prevent me from cleansing them of their taint."
"And what of your sins?"
"I have no sins!" Patroklos shouted as the caped demon appeared from the shadows, "I am Soul Calibur's holy chosen one, pure and unconquerable."
"You're pissing me off..." The masked demon spat, his glowing green eyes staring into Patroklos', "You're lucky that I need you."
"And you are lucky that you are of use to me, despite your vulgar speech." Patroklos mocked, "Your master sent you back to find Soul Edge and I can give it to you...at least enough to satiate your master's design and return you to your home."
"Any other lies that you want to spit at me?"
"Just a question...what have you considered doing with your life once you return?" Patroklos inquired of the figure, "When you return, your master will continue to use you like a dog. If what Calibur is telling is true, you were tricked by your master weren't you?"
The caped stalked remained silent, listening to the Holy Ravager's offer.
"You may not like me, but I am a man of honor. If you help me then not only will I return you to your world, but I can give you the power to restore everything that was taken from you." Patroklos drew out his sword, exposing the demonic crystal eye that gleamed as a great light shot out through the hall, "You life...your soul...it will be your's again and no one else's."
"What did you do?"
"Is that what you were? What you truly are?" Patroklos inquired of the dark-skinned human who looked upon his open hands with mixed awe and shock, "I can return that to you."
"Can you?" As the illusion faded, the man's skin returned to it's burnt shape even as Leetha of the 7th House of K enshrouded the figure in his marked black tightsuit, "We've gotta saying in my world...fool me once shame on you and fool me twice, shame on me. I'm gonna need proof."
"Surely you've seen the damage and alteration that Soul Edge and Soul Calibur alone could cause?" Patroklos reminded his ally, "And besides, I know of another way for you to return to your world."
"How?"
"What do you know about Hyperion?"
"He was a Titan of Greek Mythology who ruled the Sun and had power over Light and Observation...so? What does a fake god mean to me?"
"Whether or not he was truly a god, there is a device created in his name that allows one to travel anywhere that they wish." Patroklos explained, "My mother came across one and they are indestructible which means it is still there. If I can combine it's power with that of Soul Calibur's, I would be able to teleport anyone through time and space to any destination beyond this realm of the living."
"How do you know that this would work?"
"How do you think your rivals got here?" Patroklos mentioned, reminding the specter of the foes who he had fought with many times 18 years ago. One was a man who emitted lightning from his fists and the other was an elf in a green tunic. They both pissed him off, "There has been no word of either since that time, it is very likely that they used the Gate to return to their homes."
"Or they died."
"True, but what other option do you have?"
"None...I guess." The specter reluctantly agreed as his cape threatfully expanded out of it's own accord, "But if that was just an illusion..."
"It wasn't." Patroklos assured his ally, "I can purify you of your curse and restore your humanity. Soul Calibur is a blade meant to purify and destroy evil."
"Then why is that eye inside of it?" But in this time and world, the specter's powers were not strong enough to face this proud youth. So he could not risk challenging the boy's assertions despite the evil energy that the corrupted blade was feeding Leetha.
"I won't be certain until we find the Hyperion Gate." The demon asserted, "I don't make deals based on the absence of evidence."
"But the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."
"That is bullshit and you know it."
"I was merely testing your intelligence." Patroklos mused and motioned for his ally to follow him, "Come, the envoy no doubt had guards and I've been bored of late..."
"How much longer?"
"Shut up Adorjann!" The Captain shouted at his younger subordinate, "The envoy has much to discuss with the Graf."
"Do you believe that the Emperor has accepted this Greek's terms?"
"That is for the emperor to know-"
"And for us to follow correct?" The lieutenant of the Holy Roman Guard Detail asked his captain, "Accepting these terms will not stop this unholy defamer, his demons will continue to rape and pillage our people as they please."
"Do not speak such things while we are guests in the boy's castle-"
"The only thing that will stop him is his death." The lieutenant asserted, "He wants nothing less for those who are not "purified" and mindless to his will! How can we sue for peace with one who does not wish for peace?"
"That is where you are wrong my friend." The lieutenant and his fellow soldiers gasped when they realized that the Holy Ravager had been sitting amongst them unseen alongside a black Demon with a crimson cape, "I do wish for peace. But like you, I have no desire to waste time on those who do not also wish for peace."
"Where is the envoy?" The captain demanded even as he knew the answer, "Assaulting a messenger is a breach of sacred codes of conduct amongst nations-"
"I've killed many messengers before this day and it feels not different than killing a man in battle." Patroklos commented, "Tell me, how is it more noble to kill a man in battle than to kill him during discussion? He's pale, filthy and dead either way."
"Men!" The captain drew out his sword and shield, standing while his men followed suit and surrounded the young lord and his guard, "You will not leave this room alive. Your guards will only find a corpse to mourn."
"Don't you wish to hear what your emperor had to say to me?" Patroklos inquired as he stood calmly and un-threatened by the ten Holy Roman Paladins knights, "He has accepted my terms for the end of our conflict. Attacking me is a direct breach of his will."
"We answer to God before the blessed Emperor and you are a living abomination upon this earth." One of the knights spoke, "In truth, we are not the guards that the emperor originally assigned to the envoy."
"And the real guards?"
"We burrowed their armor so that we might come beyond your walls." The Captain declared, "We were content to leave here as long as the envoy was unharmed. But your wanton bloodshed will not go unpunished. We have seen all that we need to see to know that you must be stopped-" Soul Calibur gleamed with light, it's wielder standing next to the headless captain whose knees buckled and fell upon the table painting it red with his blood.
"Captain!" The Lieutenant charged Patroklos and swung his blade upon the young man. Patroklos caught the attack on his shield-sheath and pierced the man's heart with a precise stab from Soul Calibur. The Lieutenant stood in place even as a light shimmered upon him.
"Kill the demons! Kill them both." Three knights attacked the black demon, their weapons easily warded off by bladed chains that emerged from the man's being even as part of the cape formed into an axe in the demon's hand, "What are you?"
"Don't throw your lives away." The specter warned, not wishing to shed their blood. But he knew that they would fall either to his blade or to Soul Calibur's, "I won't warn you again-"
"Die demon!" Resigned to his decision, the specter leapt up, axe in hand and hacked through a knight's shoulder even as his cape produced spiked chains that buried themselves in the skulls of the other two knights. He whipped out his cape to entangle the exposed neck of another knight and quickly broke the man's neck as his axe broke through another knight's shield leaving him vulnerable to another chop through the right arm and abdomen.
"Lajos? What are you doing!" Meanwhile, Patroklos cut down one more knight with ease and sheathed his sword. Watching as the Lieutenant paladin attacked his distraught fellows and cut them down even as they begged and pleaded for mercy, "Stop...please..."
"Impure souls must be destroyed." Lieutenant Lajos declared as he ran his sword through young Adorjann's heart and twisted the blade as the young boy cried and gasped his last breath.
"You there..." Patroklos asked the wimpering knight who held herself against the wall as if afraid to move, "You're pretty...you remind me of my sister."
"Please...mercy, I beg of you-"
"And since you're not my sister...it would not wrong to-" Suddenly a jagged blade was thrown into the woman's face, instantly killing her and causing her body to slump upon the floor. To Patroklos' mild disappointment, "I wanted to spare this one."
"I know what you do to those you "spare." He may have been the boy's ally, but that didn't mean the specter would stand by and allow him to "ravage" his victims, "Better an honorable death in battle then a slow painful torture."
"What would you know it."
"Have you ever been set on fire?" Something about the specter's eyes unnerved Patroklos in that moment, "Wanna know why it's better to die in battle than outside of battle?"
"Do tell."
"It's quicker," The Hellspawn spoke, "Where is the gate?"
"I was actually going to visit it in an upcoming trip of mine..."
Author's Notes:
After a good deal of chapters, Patroklos returns and he's acquired a very unlikely ally. Is this a true mutual partnership or is it a facade meant to further entrap the tortured specter into a more "lengthy" period of service to different master?
And yes, technically paladins didn't actually exist back then. They were mostly a fictional fabrication from tales of Charlemagne's court meant to represent Christian Prowess over the Muslim Saracen Hordes that had recently been repulsed from their invasion of Europe through modern-day Spain. It just seemed like a natural idea that there would be a group of holy knights dedicated to fighting evil and that they would be known as paladins.
Granted, they didn't do so well, but it's the thought that counts.
In other news, it seems that reception to Soul Calibur: Lost Swords is about as lukewurm as I expected it to be. It's not really bad, but it's not really good either especially since it only has four characters available despite trailers indicating the initial availability of Pyrrha, Nightmare and Astaroth. Did they change their minds? Is there a bug that they need to work out? Is Project Soul having another internal personnel meltdown?
Granted, I wasn't really getting my hopes up for that game anyway considering that it's based on the SCV engine. And you know all know how I feel about that game, so no need to beat a dead horse.
Next update shouldn't take long and will introduce another new character before we swing back to take a look at Team Asia and then back to Team Cassandra (Or Link...or Maxi...or whoever you like most in that group)