*When Nightmare appears, you should really listen to Pavor Nocturnus (his theme song).
"Malfested vermin have no right to live," said Patroklos triumphantly as he dispatched the last rebel. The rest of the soldiers gave him admiring looks as they looked around for the injured as well as the remaining rebels and the burning buildings.
Waling over to one of his comrade, he asked, "How did the rebels get into the city?"
"We believe that they disguised themselves and sneaked in somehow," replied the soldier as he acknowledge Patroklos higher status in the military. "When it got dark, they took out their weapons and ambushed us."
"Disguises huh?" His eyes took in the people around him and he quickly spotted a pale scrawny man wearing brown pants and grey vest. Walking over to him, Patroklos remembered Raphael's red eyes and pale white skin and said, "You're pale and filthy. You must be a malfested as well."
"No my lord! I am not one of them!" cried the frightened man, holding up his hands in fear at the deadly accusation.
"Is that so?" asked Patroklos, looking at his sword with a bored expression. The man looked relieved when all of a sudden, Patroklos thrust forward and embedded his sword in the man's stomach. Gasping, the man raised his head and looked at the warrior, speechless at what had just transpired. "How unfortunate that there's no way to prove it." A mad gleam sparked in Patroklos's eyes as he said that.
Slowly, he wrench his sword out of the man's stomach and stepped back from the blood flowing towards his boots. People began screaming in fear as they ran away from him and Patroklos looked down at the ground calmly. "Slaughter all of them and don't let a single person escape. We cannot afford to let any malfested get away!"
"Yes sir!" The soldiers quickly drew their weapons and they began cutting down every single man, woman and child in the vicinity. Red blood stained the stone grounds as bodies dropped and a young mother screamed as a soldier came towards her daughter with a bloody axe.
"Stop!" Blocking the blow, Talim's quickly knocked the weapon out of his hands with ease and smashed his chest with the handles of her elbow blades. She stood in front of them protectively and shouted, "Over here!" All of the hunted people swiftly dashed behind her and they trembled in fear. With a low voice, she asked, "What do you think you're doing Patroklos?"
"What do you think YOU'RE doing? They're malfested!" Patroklos shouted back.
Talim read the wind around them, only to discover that they were completely normal. "They're not malfested Patroklos! Please, don't hurt them," she shouted.
"Come over here Talim," said Patroklos, reaching for her. "They've merely disguised themselves to sneak into the city. Come over here and I'll protect you."
"No. If you want to get them, then you'll have to get through me first," replied Talim firmly, adjusting her stance as she stood in front of the people protectively. She spun her elbow blades in her hands, letting the blood rush to her fingers and her lips were thin.
Patroklos looked rather pained as she said that. "I don't want to hurt you Talim. You're a good person but it's time you stop deceiving yourself about the malfested. None of them are good! They're all evil and it's only a matter of time before one of them kills you if you keep doing things like this."
Talim shook her head at his words. "Not all of them are evil. As long as we refuse to even give them a chance, they will grow to despise us and it'll only be an endless cycle of hate." Determined to follow through on her words, she refused to budge.
A strange sense of rage flowed through him and he growled at the frightened malfested standing behind her. This was all their fault... Patroklos turned to his men and shouted, "Kill everyone except for her! On my orders, none of you are allowed to hurt her!"
One of the woman shrieked as a soldier tried to slash her with his sword. In a split second, Talim intervened and as she grabbed his right arm. "Don't touch her," she said icily. Her warm chocolate orbs were now cold as mountain snow as she snapped his arm with a sickening crunch.
"My arm!" howled the soldier. "You wench!" He tried to hit her but she swiftly slashed his hand, making him drop his sword.
"You're no match for me." Her foot shot forward and she knocked the screaming man out of the way as she readied her battle stance. Talim told the people behind her, "Run! I'll hold them off! Now run and get out of here!" She twirled her double crescent blades in her hand and her hair whipped back and forth from a sudden wind as her voice deepened. "Wind and storms... guide me."
"Get that wench!"
Talim zipped around and blocked all of the incoming blows from the surrounding soldiers as they rushed her. Her eyes flashed green while the wind whipped her hair artfully in the air and she danced around with a battle grace that belonged to a goddess. "Isae no kazelo dresd!" She smashed a sword to pieces with her strength and in two hits, the soldier fell to the ground and clutched at his broken arm. Leaping into the air, her hair and dress flowed around her as she arched her back up and spun in the air. As she fell down, she delivered a devastating drop kick on the man below her and with three more kicks, she knocked away two more. "Stay back!"
"Take this!" shouted a soldier, swing a heavy mace right at her.
Sidestepping the attack, she punched her right elbow blade deep into his stomach and she heard a satisfying crunch as his armor cracked and he flew backward and into a burning wall. Patroklos quickly held up a hand for their attention and shouted, "We're after the malfested! Not her!"
Talim flicked away some blood from her elbow blade and looked at them with piercing green eyes. "Any one that mindlessly persecutes the malfested is my enemy. Come after them and the wind will come after you." She adjusted her stance and raised her weapons. "Now, you all either run away or I break every bone in your body."
"We'll break you instead!" All of the soldiers charged forward with their weapons at the calm priestess and completely ignored her words.
As always, some things can only be conveyed through battle. She pointed her elbow blades at the men and shouted, "Listen to the roar of the wind! Sepaira Galze!" Sharp blades of air hurtled towards them and inflicted cuts all over their bodies and smashed them into a wall.
Patroklos felt a heavy blow hit him from the inside. When he was knocked back from Raphael from that strange gust of wind... it was because of her. The wall that suddenly collapsed and blocked off the path must be because of her as well. He slowly drew his sword out from his shield once more, the fire of the surrounding reflecting on the sharp blade. Those powers of her... she wasn't normal. She must be malfested! Charging forward, he locked blades with her and snarled, "So you're a malfested as well!"
"You have a bad habit of accusing people of malfestation," Talim replied as she shoved him back from her. Their bodies intertwined as they blocked blows after blows and when he accidentally let down his guard, Talim held his right arm in a tight grip just as she slammed her back and shoulder into him and they hit the wall of a building. "I don't want to do this Patroklos, but you leave me no choice." With that, she elbowed him deep into the stomach and next, she gripped his right arm to hurl him over her shoulders.
"I don't think so!" He wrapped his left arm around her waist just as she did that and they rolled to the ground together. Talim recovered first and she locked his sword down to the ground as she topped him. With her other blade, she pressed it against his neck. When he stared at her hatefully, she said, "If you do not show mercy to others, you should not expect any for yourself."
"Are you going to kill me?" he spat.
Talim looked away briefly before hitting his hand and in one second, she threw away his sword. "I am not like you. I will not kill you."
"Talim!"
Talim turned as she heard someone call her name. Seeing Hwang riding towards her on a horse, she nodded and leaped away from Patroklos. She jumped up behind him and when she was secured, Hwang whipped his horse to go even faster as they charged through the burning and chaotic street. In a strained voice, she asked, "Hwang, what are you doing here?"
He replied curtly, "Yoshimitsu is dead. He was slain by Cervantes and his Soul Edge shard was stolen by a strange creature wielding dual katars. I ran into Taki and found out about this so I decided to go and tell the others. I've already notified Setsuka and when I heard you were headed in this direction, I decided to stop and tell you as well." He shook his head. "The malfested we're trying to save and the shards we're gathering... it looks like it's getting tougher every day to continue."
Talim closed her eyes in sadness as she heard about her friend's death. "No... Yoshimitsu."
"There he is! Stop him!"
Hwang and Talim glanced over as a bunch of soldiers charged towards a frightened teenage boy who was holding onto his deformed hand in pain. Reading the wind around him, she could tell instantly that he was a malfested. "Hwang! We need to save him!"
Without another word, he rode over to the boy and scooped him up as the soldiers arrived and surrounded them. Seeing this, Talim leaped off and used her powers once more. "Break open the second seal of heaven's coffer! Whirlwind Fury!" As the wind knocked away the soldiers, Talim shouted to Hwang, "Now's your chance! Go! Quickly!" She knocked away another soldier with a blast of air and repeated, "GO NOW!"
"I'll come back for you!" shouted Hwang, kicking his horse and rushing out of there. Biting his lips, he knew he had to head out and seek help from Siegfried's mercenary group who was supposedly nearby getting rid of some bandits from a town. Kicking his horse, he urged it to go faster. If anything happened to Talim, Yun-Seong would kill him.
She gasped as one of them aimed an arrow at Hwang. "No!" Dashing forward, she kicked the archer out of the way, her foot breaking his ribs as she sent him rolling. Spinning low, she slashed at the men around her and sent them falling to the ground. They weren't dead, but they were bleeding profusely from the injuries as she had used the wind to sharpen her blades and she said coldly, "I avoided your vitals. You should all be grateful you're still alive."
"Daddy..."
Talim froze as she saw a young girl, clutching at her blonde pigtails and crying. One of the man at her feet, groaned and tried to shoo her away. "Elisabeth, run... away. She's a monster."
Her heart hurt to see the child look at her with fear. In the eyes of the malfested, she was a hero; in the eyes of this child, she was someone who had grievously injured her father and wielded strange powers. If there was another way, where she could have convinced them through words, she would have gladly done so. But the world was some times cruel... like what Raphael had told her when she was still young.
She looked up and gasped as a piece of burning roof fell towards the child. "Watch out!" Dropping her weapons, she dove and tackled the kid away from danger. Before she could reach, the hilt of a sword cracked down on her head and she let go of the crying girl. Blood trickled down her hair and she crumbled to the ground as darkness clouded her vision and she murmured to the child, "I am... sorry." Her eyes closed before she could see if the young girl accepted her apology.
"Sir! What should we do with her? All of the others have escaped," said one of his soldiers who was nursing a broken arm. They crowded around the fallen woman and stared down at her angrily.
Patroklos looked at her and his eyes narrowed. "I'll go and report to Lord Dumas about the recent events. As for her, carry her and follow me. We'll throw her into the graf's dungeon and her fate will be in the Graf's hands. I will spare no mercy for the malfested. Even those who are friends of my master..." He paused when the small girl standing there tugged at his pants. Her eyes were big and she sniffled.
"She saved me."
His eyes softened and he bit his lips as he cast another glance over at Talim.
Down into the dungeon, Patroklos's mind wandered as he walked. She was a witch... a malfested. She was an abomination that deserved no mercy. But why did he feel so... bad. Even if she was a malfested, she was kind. He had seen her donate her money to the orphanage and play with the kids there when she had time. She had even sacrificed herself to save a child.
When he finally arrived at the gloomy bottom, the torches on the walls flickered ominously and he quickly shook away from his thoughts.
"Ah, so you've finally arrived."
Patroklos bowed low. " My apologies my lord. It has been a tiring night hunting down the rebels and the malfested."
The light from the torches illuminated the room and it reflected off his lord's dark blue armour. Running a hand through his blonde shoulder length hair, the Graf's red eyes held a spark of amusement at Patroklos's words. "But I heard that it was rather successful, correct? Now, tell me the details will you?"
"At once my lord." Patroklos began telling the Graf about the sudden invasion by the rebels and the details of the battle as well as the number of casualties they've suffered.
Pursing his lips, Graf Dumas was alittle displeased by the results. "The damage we've suffered is a bit higher then I expected."
"A... woman who practice a strange type of witchcraft injured many of us. She was trying to aid the malfested and because of that, many of them escaped," Patroklos explained gingerly as his lord's eyes narrowed. "But I believe she was merely trying to do what she believed to be right. I-"
"You're fond of this woman," observed Graf Dumas, catching note that Patroklos seemed to be trying to excuse her actions. "Did she seduce you with her witchcraft?"
"Of course not my lord. That would never happen. It's just that..." Patroklos fumbled for words that would portray his emotions. "I don't think she's a bad person."
Graf Dumas tilted his head at that comment. In a voice of disbelief, he said, "She helped those evil malfested escape and you're telling me she's not evil? Did you forget... about the vengeance you swore on them? Or is your family no longer important to you?"
"Never!" shouted Patroklos. "I will never forgive or show any of them mercy."
"Then it's about time you realize that witch was responsible for saving these evil monsters. Who knows, maybe she was just pretending to be a nice person just to trick you," Graf Dumas said slyly. All of a sudden, he noticed something unusual about Patroklos. The small amount of evil energy in the Greek boy was quiet... silent... dead. As if it was sealed... "Did you meet anyone unusual today?"
"Yes... I met her earlier today my lord."
"I'll give you a choice Patroklos," interrupted Graf Dumas, instantly knowing that the woman was responsible for this. Her punishment will be quite severe for reversing the malfestation process. She must have wanted to help Patroklos since she sealed away the evil energy. A cruel smirk lit his face. He can have Patroklos kill her in return for her foolish kindness. "You can decide her fate for I don't have time to deal with her. I trust that you won't disappoint me. Now tell me, how many of the malfested rebels were killed? One of my soldiers said that some were from the Ottoman Empire as well?"
At the change of topic, Patroklos answered, "Yes my lord. And we've counted about two hundred of their corpses around the city."
Graf Dumas laughed victoriously. "Splendid work as always, Patroklos. Very well done indeed. I am impressed."
"It is my honor to establish order in your name, Graf Dumas," replied Patroklos humbly.
The graf lift his left hand up to his chest. " Hmph, there will be no order as long as Soul Edge and those abominations, the malfested, exist."
"Such vile creatures!" Patroklos agreed passionately. "But I was once again unable to find the malfested with the ring blade my lord."
How easy it was, to stir up emotions in this boy. He was certainly useful that's for sure. The perfect weapon against Tira... He couldn't believe that she had managed to survive. Well, he was going to change that pretty soon. Graf Dumas smiled to himself and said, "Ah yes, the malfested that kidnapped your sister."
"Yes my lord. You had said that she would be in Odenburg," replied Patroklos, alittle disappointed that he hadn't found her yet.
Walking away, Graf Dumas said, "Search Klausenberg next. My informant suggest you do so."
"I shall leave at once my lord," answered Patroklos obediently, before turning around to leave the room.
Graf Dumas smiled once more to himself as he left. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew past him and he stopped for a second in puzzlement. What was this familiar feeling? After awhile, he continued on his way and pushed the feelings aside as he left.
The dungeon was depressingly dark and chilly and the new prison dress the female guard forced on her did not offer Talim any warmth at all. Touching her neck that was now bare, sadness overwhelmed her. Her necklace, weapon and clothes were taken away to be burned since they thought she was a witch. A tear slipped down her cheeks at the thought of her beautiful double crescent blades and medallion being thrown into those flames. Slivers of moonlight shone down on her and she wiped away a tear as she tilted her head back to stare up at it.
Alun had found her after she was captured and she had sent it to find Siegfried and the others and let them know. She was doubtful if they would reach her in time but right now, they were her only hope.
Occasionally, she heard moans and stifled cries from the other prisoners from the other side of the walls but for the most part, it was quiet except for the squeaks of the rats as they ran back and forth. Since she was deemed to be a witch, they made sure she was completely alone and away from the other prisoners. They said it was some kind of special cell designed to block off evil magic, but her wind abilities remained unaffected. Either it was because her wind arts wasn't 'evil magic' or the cross they installed over the door just wasn't working, she thought with some rare sarcasm.
Talim closed her eyes and sighed. Her head hurt and she felt like throwing up so she took in a deep breath to try and calm herself. This proved to be a mistake since she inhaled the scent of sweat, blood, and waste that hung in the air and she moaned as bile rose up her throat. Pulling her knees up, she rested her head against it. The creaking of a rusty door reached her ears but she didn't need to look to see who it was. Silence ensued for awhile before she closed her eyes and turned away from him and the two guards accompanying him.
"Do you want to live or die?"
She blinked at that question of his as she adjusted her seat on the dirty ground to look up at Patroklos. "Then let me ask you, what creature in this world would seek death over life?"
Patroklos bent down to her level and as he kneeled down on the cold ground, he replied, "Your fate rests in my hand Talim. Since you are a kind person and a friend of my master, I'll give you a chance at life. Depending on your answer, I'll consider letting you go."
"That is your only condition?" Talim had already been harassed by one of the guards who offered to let her go if she spent a few hours with him. The dress only came to her knees so as he made the offer, he licked his lips and stared at her smooth legs. Her eyes had immediately flashed green in anger and the man had quickly backed away at the obvious answer. So when Patroklos offered her this chance at freedom, she could not help but be slightly mistrustful.
"Yes. All you have to do is answer my questions and I'll find a way to save you."
What is your question?" asked Talim, feeling strangely calm as he looked at his hands nervously.
He crossed his arms and said lowly, "Tell me, Talim. Are you a malfested? Is that why you fought to protect them?"
She shook her head. "What does being a malfested have to do with anything? Malfested or not, I wanted to stop you from killing any more people. To me, lives are more precious than anything in this world. That's the reason I wanted to stop you, Patroklos."
"They're evil! Didn't you see that man attack that woman and drank her blood! How can you turn a blind eye to that monster?" Patroklos said with exasperation, being unable to understand how she could sympathize with those freaks and be so naive.
At the insult, anger sparked in Talim's eyes. "Until you've starve yourself for a whole week without food, don't you dare judge him. He is controlled by his thirst, it's not his fault."
"The malfested are a danger to everyone around them," Patroklos replied flatly. "I see one, I will kill one." He pointed at her and said, "For your crimes of witchcraft and protecting those evil malfested, I hereby sentence you to death. You will die along with the two hundred malfested that went before you."
Two... hundred? Talim wordlessly repeated the number in horror. "You killed... two hundred?" She shrieked and struggled against the guards as they grabbed her from attacking Patroklos. "Do you realize what you've done?! You slaughtered two hundred innocent people!" Talim screamed, "I SAW HOW YOU JUDGED THEM! YOU HAD NO PROOF THEY WERE EVEN MALFESTED!"
"I could not take chances! With even one malfested alive, a city is at risk!" Patroklos retorted, growing angrier with every word she spewed from her mouth. "They must all purged!"
Though she appeared slender, Talim had trained daily and her strength and stamina was impressive. The two grown men could barely budged her as she fought against their grip with a passionate fury. "They were innocent! Even if they were malfested, they did absolutely nothing to warrant this!" She said loudly, "You call the malfested monsters, but the only monster I see here is you! You and Graf Dumas are both monsters! The purge is nothing more than a massacre of the innocents!"
Patroklos finally snapped. He backhanded her hard enough to split her lips, so that blood trickled down one side of her mouth. When the priestess raised her head and looked at him with venomous green eyes, he felt a chill run down his spine.
"The wind has seen what you've done... and heard the cries of your victims. It will remind you of what you've done when you stare into the eyes of the truth."
Patroklos stepped back as he heard her words, feeling that they carried some kind of premonition with them. He twisted the skin on his thigh to calm himself down and breathed in deeply. He lifted his head calmly and said, "Whip her until she passes out. Then, take her to her execution for tomorrow."
His eyes flickered over to the high glass windows in irritation as the sounds of the crowds made their way to him. How the hell could he work with all that noise? What was going on? Calling for one of his soldiers, he waited impatiently as one arrived. "What's with all the racket outside?" he said, annoyed by the racket.
The man bowed before saying, "My lord, there's going to be a public execution tonight."
Graf Dumas leaned back in his chair and twirled his quill pen in his left hand. "For what?"
"For the practice of witchcraft, my lord. I heard from Patroklos, that the evil witch manipulated the wind to help the rebels escape the other night."
The pen dropped out of his hand and a few drops of black ink splattered upon his papers. "What... is her name?" he asked slowly, feeling his face drain of color.
"My lord, I believe her name was..." The soldier struggled to remember the maiden's name. "Tali? No, Taleam? Talmin? Talim? Well, Patroklos knows so I'll tell him to write her name in the records. My-my lord, is something wrong?"
Dumas sat there in stunned shock as he heard her name. He quickly remembered what he had said to the boy a few nights ago.
"You can decide her fate for I don't have time to deal with her. I trust that you won't disappoint me."
"No..." Dumas stared down at his hands. "What have I done?" Graf Dumas snapped impatiently, "When is the execution happening!"
"I-I bel-believe it would be right around now sir."
Damn it! It was too late to revoke the orders! And those inferior humans would never allow it! He has to take this into his own hands now and save her. Snapping his fingers, two more soldiers entered the room and bowed low. "You called us my lord?"
"Take this wretch out and cut out his tongue," ordered Dumas, standing up. "After that, get the men ready. My real soldiers, understood?"
"At once my lord." The two new soldiers quickly grabbed onto the unfortunate soldier and began dragging him out.
"My lord! Please! Have mercy! What did I do wrong?" screamed the condemned man as he was dragged out.
"That's for calling her an evil witch," he answered cruelly as he stood up from his desk. When they exited the room, Graf Dumas's said quietly, "Voldo, bring me Soul Edge." A low hiss answered him and Graf Dumas walked over to the window and opened it.
He looked over to the lights where the crowd was gathered and grinded on his teeth. The seconds ticked by, making him grow more and more anxious Finally, he hit the windowsill in frustration and held out his hand for Soul Edge as Voldo arrived by his side. "If anything happens to her, I'll kill everyone in this city," he vowed as he swept away with the sword in hand.
Talim opened her eyes as a bucket of cold water was splashed in her face. Coughing, she shook her head and when her vision cleared, she saw that she was tied tightly to a beam of wood on a wooden stage. Firewood and other kindling laid around at her feet and she quickly realized what was going on. "A public execution... I see... so you intend to kill me this way?" The cheers of approval from the crowd gathered at her execution made her raise her head up as she stared at them.
Leaping up on the platform, Patrokolos held a flaming torch in his hand and slowly walked up to her. "I told you I would make you pay the price of justice you witch."
Her hands flexed at the tight ropes bonding her as it dug into her wrist and her chest and she looked at him coldly. "I have no regret in stopping you for they were innocent. You had no right to persecute them like that."
"All malfested vermins must die. That is the only way this world will find peace," snapped Patrokolos, his blue eyes blazing with anger as he said that.
Her long, dark green hair danced in the wind as the two stared into each other's eyes and Talim replied, "Most of them weren't even malfested. The ones that were had done nothing wrong. You say that what you're doing is justice but all I see is cold blooded murder. To me, you are the true monster."
"I am justice!" With that, he slapped her and panted hard. Turning to the crowds gathered in the middle of the great city, he shouted to them, "This woman is guilty of witchcraft! She possesses a dangerous power of controlling the wind and she has injured several of my good men. The only fit punishment for this evil woman... is death! What do you all say to that my good citizens?"
"Kill her! Burn her to the ground!" chanted the crowd widely. The night sky was dark and only the torches held in their hands illuminated the city's centre. The clock tower from far away struck midnight and it's echoing calls signalled her death.
He turned back to her and said, "With your powers, you're probably a Malfested. It's no surprise you fought to protect them."
"I only protect those who are innocent," stated Talim flatly. "Human or Malfested... a life is a life. It seems that you cannot understand that."
Patrokolos hissed, "Every Malfested in this world will pay for the suffering they've wrought on my family. If you must know..." his voice dropped low as he thought about all the suffering his family has went through because of the Malfested who wielded the ring blade. "One of them was responsible for my mother's death and my sister's absence. I'll never forgive them." He stepped back from her and said, "I'm done talking to you. Now, accept your fate and die!" With that, he tossed the torch onto the wood at her feet and it instantly caught fire. Leaping off, he watched with satisfaction. "Mother... they will all pay. I swear it..."
Coughing, Talim twisted in her bonds but they held on tightly. The searing heat flashed across her feet and she tried to edge away from the hungry flames licking at her body. The smoke made her eyes watered and the sounds of the cheering crowd made her head hurt. She coughed again as her vision grew blurry and with a heavy heart, she closed her eyes and whispered, "Forgive me... wind... Raphael..."
"Die you vile creature!"
"Return to the darkness you witch!" shouted another citizen as they picked up some stones and began throwing it at her.
Talim cried out in pain as the flames ate at her skin and was becoming more difficult to breathe. Her nostril and throat constricted as it got hotter and hotter and she struggled against the coarse ropes. The pain was never ending and it felt like she was doused in boiling water over and over again and sharp stones struck her from all sides, bruising and blackening her skin. "Ahhhh! Augh! Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
Seeing her pain and tears, the satisfied smile faded from Patroklos's face. Guilt slowly hit him and he took a few steps backward. More rocks were thrown at her and he saw blood dripped down her face as one connected with her head. Finding himself unable to watch, Patroklos gritted his teeth and left. It took all of his self control to not clamp his hands over his ears to block out the sounds of her screams. Damn it! Why did it have to be like this! And he ran as fast as he could to get to his horse and leave this place, hoping that what he had done was right. Because if what he did was wrong... then he had just murdered a kind and innocent woman.
Talim saw Patroklos run away and now that she knew why he hated the malfested, she placed no blame on him as her skin burned and smoke clogged her nostrils. But it was still so painful and the agony... "Ahhhhhh!" She screamed in pain and tears leaked out from her eyes as the fire bit at her legs and to the right, a large stone struck her square in the face and blood trickled down her lips as a bruise blossomed on her right cheek. But no matter how painful it was, she could not bring herself to hate the people before her. They were hurting her out of fear. She understood that they were scared and frightened of her because of her powers so she merely prayed in her heart that the wind would forgive them on her behalf.
But the citizens cheered at her suffering and their shouting grew louder and louder. "Die! Die! Die!" Fear for the malfested had warped them into beings that was even more monstrous then the beasts they despised. Joyfully, they clapped and cheered as their fear was eaten by fire. Burning red hot fire of hells... that will consume them in the end. Not her...
Fire blasted upward from a spot on the wooden stage beside her as Nightmare appeared. "I'll burn you all in hellfire!" With a sweep of his sword, the fire at Talim's feet became alive and it rushed out to burn his enemies instead. Behind his helmet, his eyes burned with fury and his left hand trembled with rage. "With this... you burn!"Slamming Soul Edge down, a line of red light shot forth in the ground and even more fire came as it devoured the people and charred their corpses.
"Shshshs."
Everyone screamed as a strange creature leaped towards the fire from out of nowhere. With another hiss, Voldo kicked aside the fiery kindlings around Talim's feet and a fierce wind swept them towards the soldiers who had charged forward and leaping down, his katars claimed their lives with deadly efficiency. All around, Dumas real soldiers; those who were actually malfested, came forth and their blades singed as blood ran down their swords.
Cutting through Talim's ropes, Nightmare caught her in his deformed right hand and held her to his chest protectively. His red eyes widened at her injuries and at her shallow breathing as her body hung limply in his arms. After all this time, she can't die! He won't allow her to die! Nightmare screamed in anger at all that she suffered and he leaped down from the platform. Soul Edge claimed many souls as he swung right and left in a deranged frenzy. "Soul Edge, grant your master his wish!" He knew what the sword wanted in return easily enough and he sealed the deal immediately.
Stomping down on a dying man, he thrust the sword into the man's chest without remorse. "Burn in darkness!" As the sword devoured his soul, it nudged him for more. With another growl, Nightmare hacked another human soldier in half. Corpses fell at his feet as he mowed them down and the wind whipped his long red hair back and forth as he increased his pace. He usually partook in this feast of souls but right now, he gave them all to the sword. Right, left, back, and forth, people fell and blood splattered his armor and dyed the sword a darker red. When Soul had finished gorging itself on souls, it handed over some of the valuable life energy to Talim. The red lines flashed and glimmered on his right arm and its powers snaked into Talim body to heal her. Soon, the bruise disappeared from her face and the burns turned less serious.
But Soul Edge only gave her enough to keep her alive and Nightmare growled at its selfishness. However, he knew his medical skills would be enough to save her so he merely called for his minions as they killed everyone in sight. "Fetch the carriage! Now!" The carriage quickly came into view and Nightmare rushed forth to enter it. Passing by Voldo, he said, "Tell my malfested soldiers who are in the towns nearby to spread the rumors that the Ottoman Empire did this but in the end, I managed to kill them all. To make things look normal, send some more of those inferior human soldiers over here. I want you to find Talim's belonging and place them in my study before you leave as well."
Voldo bowed and when his master left, he flipped away into the dark night that was lit by the dying fires burning the corpses around them.
Holding his dearest in his arms, he watched the rise of her chest fearfully. Her breathing was still weak and the skin was intensely red and severely swelling. Blisters had already formed and some of them had ruptured, oozing out a clear liquid as she laid deathly still. Afraid to hold her too tightly, he leaned his head down and rested it on her soft hair. Both sorrow and rage cloud his vision as he heard those humans scream. They deserved no mercy... They had relish in Talim's cries with joy. This world will burn... burn... burn... burn! He'll burn all of them alive!
"Talim's captured?" Hilde's eyes blazed in concern as Hwang arrived at the Schwarzwind current residence, a small and humble inn at a town near Odenburg. Everyone crowded around the meeting table wore grim expressions and she quickly turned towards Siegfried. "We must go and help her at once Siegried!"
"It's a risky move to be taking." Viola appeared to be uninterested in the conversation as she brushed back a strand of white hair. "The city is probably swarming with soldiers and guards after what has happened. I predict that's why Hwang has decided to come here to ask for our help since he was unable to enter."
The Korean man coldly replied, "If you're so intelligent, how about formulating a plan to help instead of criticizing me."
"She's probably already dead." Viola did not care about holding back harsh truths as she continued. "With her wind powers, she would be classified and burned as a witch. They would not hold her prisoner for too long and it's safe to assume that she's been turned into ashes already."
"Viola." Siegfried shot the fortune teller a stern glance from his place at the head of the table. The light from the flickering candle illuminated his serious eyes and he clasped his hands together in worry. "Talim is a dear friend of mine and Hilde. We will do all we can to try and help her but I acknowledge that you're right in saying that this is a dangerous mission. If she has fallen..." He let the silence answer for him before turning to Hilde. "What do you suppose we should do?"
Beside him, Hilde stood up and said in a firm tone of voice, "Our objective is to find and rescue Talim if she is still alive. For this mission, stealth will be our strongest ally." She turned to Siegfried and answered, "I shall summon my friend, Dampierre and ask him to aid us."
"As you wish Hilde," replied Siegfried as the group stood up and began discussing the plan. "But last thing I heard, wasn't he preparing gifts for Graf Dumas?"
Hilde only sighed and replied, "Money speaks to that man more than morals sometimes. But I believe he can be trusted for now since he is an old friend."
"Trust can be broken. Words can deceive. And fate can be cruel." Viola stood up and prepared to leave as she left her blunt words behind. She had no one to care for in this world except for Zwei so she saw no reason why she should mince her words words since she never even met the person. All she knew was that the priestess was well respected by Zwei and the rest of the Schwarzwind. But since Zwei was currently out on a mission by himself, she didn't care about how they saw her as her words struck them like ice cold water.