Love forever, love is free Let's turn forever, you and me Windmill, windmill for the land Is everybody in? "Feel Good Inc."- Gorillaz The Seven Year War. The Warring States Era. The Japanese raids on Ming Dynasty China. Caught in the midst of two conflicts at once, Japan was in turmoil. Hideyoshi Toyotomi, general of Nobunaga Oda, was attempting to both unify Japan under one flag, and capture both Korea and China. Raids from the Japanese coastline were met with heavy opposition from both the Korean Navy, and the elite Chinese ground forces, plunging these three countries into a full-scale war during the sixteenth century. In addition, Toyotomi had to deal with opposition from his own nation- the Murakami Navy chose to rebel, and were fighting relentlessly against the mainland forces with all the fury that men of the sea could muster. This marked an age when bladed combat ruled the land and sea. With Japan and China's monopoly on firearms however, the battles were beginning to shift in their favor. Swords were quickly becoming a thing of the past. That was... until there were rumors of a weapon that outclassed even firearms. A weapon that harnessed the power of the spirits... Soul Edge! However, with this weapon came a curse. Those who were weak of will and spirit were possesed by the blades, turning into a monster. The weapon has gone through many incarnations, and has been destroyed or silenced at least twice by another sword. Its antithesis and rival for the strongest blade ever forged. A jian known as the Krita-Yuga, known in the western lands as Soul Calibur. Along with this are two other Divine Treasures which were guarded by the Ling Sheng-Su temple in the Himilayan mountain range between China and India: a six-foot long rod known as the Kali-Yuga, which could absorb any kind of energy, be it good or bad; and a mirrored sash known as the Dvarpa-Yuga, which could repel and purify negative forces, thus forming a spiritual barrier that defends the wielder's soul. One of these was, regrettably, shattered... and yet the power within still remains, for that which is divine cannot truly be destroyed, nor lose its power. They are in posession of their destined bearers- Kilik, and Chai Xianghua. These artifacts were known as the last defense against the blade known as Soul Edge, for they had the power to negate its evil and rend the once sacred steel. For a while, these were the only three artifacts in existance that could stand up to the massive force of the demonic, parasitic blade. However, three more have recently come into the forefront of history. Within the land of Korea, young men were being called into service to defend their homeland against the raids from Japan. Within this land, three would rise to claim their own destinies.. each holding an artifact of great power: the Seong family's treasure swords. Each blade is legendary for the battles in which they took place, and are said to be of divine origin. If one knew the story behind them, they would be startled at how close to the truth this was. Each blade granted a power to the one who could wield it properly. The Blue Thunder and White Storm were a pair of dao- broadswords from China of fine craftsmanship and keen edge. Blue Thunder's capability was its great weight... only one who had the proper strength could wield it. The dao had the ability to tear down any stance, no matter how strong or stable, and drag the opponent around with its weight. Added to the sharpness of the edge, it was a mighty weapon in the right hands. The White Storm showed the true thoughts of one's mind, upon looking into the surface of the blade. Should the one who looks into it be of an ill nature, the blade would respond with a different image staring back at them- their true face. This blade desires a true heart and a clear mind, and could show the wielder the true path to take, in order to obtain their goals. And then, there was a third. Scarlet Thunder, a zhanmadao- translated as "horse-slaying sabre". The two handed, six foot long weapon with a rod of four feet and a bladed section that covered the other two feet, was considered the mightiest of the treasure swords... and the most difficult to wield, due to its improper balance and overwhelming weight. However, this is not the true capability. This weapon has a dormant soul within it- one of fire. Known as the Flames of Passion, this spirit lay silent within the weapon for centuries, waiting for a suitable host. Few have been able to access it- even fewer have survived it. However, to the one which can pass the trials and bear the strain on their own spirit, the weapon responds to their will, changing at a moment's notice to fit the situation. In addition, whenever the weilder became overly stressed or emotional, the spirit within the weapon would take over... and the wielder's body would undergo a transformation, changing into a physical incarnation of the Scarlet Thunder. Using their own lifeforce in exchange, they can wield fire as if it were an extention of their own body, igniting the oxygen in the surrounding air and manipulating the flames to their will. However, the most stunning change would be the weapon itself, changing from the zhanmadao into an even fiercer weapon: a kwandao- the long-handled sabre that served as a chinese equivalent to europe's halberd. With a blade surrounding the edge making it useful for piercing, a hook at the back that served for dragging opponents to the ground, and a wave section before the hook that could be used for tearing and disarming, it was an all-purpose weapon that could decimate an entire army, calvary and all... in the hands of a properly trained warrior. Only one has been able to master such a weapon as the Scarlet Thunder, and make it bend to her will... This is her story, and that of her companions. Chapter 2- Talim vs. Tira: Air Battle! ________________________________________________________________________ The two of them met in mid air, the ring blade crashing against one of Talim's elbow blades. Talim however, was in a much more advantageous position, and managed to use the momentum of the slight weapon lock to boost herself even higher upwards and forwards, jumping over her opponent's head and ramming both of her legs backwards, her heels slamming into the back of the crazed servant's head. As the green-haired woman was knocked forwards and backwards, Talim still had her back turned to her, standing with her feet at shoulder width and her weapons lowered to her side. Her eyes were closed, for she did not need to see an attack coming in order to dodge it. The wind would tell her where to go. "Why are you bathed in this madness? It will only destroy you in the end. I beg of you, turn back on your path before you are consumed!" The girl had gotten back up by now and was in a kneel, whirling the massive chakram around her right hand. The speed increased as she grinned madly. "You talk too much, dammit! I want to see blood come out of that mouth the next time you face me!" With that, she ran forwards, her blade still revolving and rotating, and swung her razor-sharp blade sharply upwards, the air singing a song of pain and death. It was a song that Talim knew well... With her back still turned and her eyes still closed, she turned around quickly, her body spinning gracefully to the left as the blade passed by. She then whipped her blades backwards, bending forward at the same time... and like two miniature saw blades, they spun and revolved in Talim's loose, yet still steady grip. The blades bit into flesh and tore through easily, making Tira stumble. Her gasp of shock and surprise at how fast the young sibil moved was soon mingled with a mixture of intense pain... and extreme pleasure. She was cut... and it half hurt and half helped to fuel her battle-lust. Blood flowed freely as the quite instable girl grinned brightly, her face lighting up in joy and delight. "MORE!" Talim heard the depravity in her opponent's voice just before hearing something moving through the air. Something big and weighty... She was coming down at her, and fast! Talim rolled to the side quickly before hearing a pair of steel greaves smash into the deck, wood splinters flying as the force of the impact buckled the deck. Still, it held, and the fight continued. Only a moment later, the woman was airborne again... only to have Talim turn around, her brown eyes open wide as she launched into the air to meet her opponent. With no small amount of glee, the green-haired killer squealed joyfully as she swung her ring blade at Talim, the massive weapon blurring in a wide arc that was almost sure to tear Talim in half. And it would have been so, if Talim had not knocked the strike upwards, thrusting forward with the blunt end of her left blade in a punch instead of a stab. However, this attack was stopped cold when Tira managed to heft the steel chakram around her back and into her right hand, swinging upwards in order to carve Talim in two. This might be it... However, she willed the winds to aid her. Drawing in her left arm, she turned in mid-air to her right... and ended up turning twice, thanks to a breeze she had called upon at the moment of the strike. The second turn gave her enough momentum to perform a roundhouse kick towards the small of her opponent's back. Not wanting to be upstaged, Tira kicked out to her left side, the knife edge of her foot aiming towards Talim's midsection. Both kicks hit, and with a small shockwave of spiritual pressure, they were sent to opposite ends of the deck, slamming into the ground hard from about ten feet into the air. The wind had been knocked out of Talim, though-the young psychopath was older, and trained in the arts of the assassin since a quite young age, much like Talim had trained in the ways of the preistess. One was stronger, the other was calmer and more diciplined. Yet both managed to hit at enough strength to knock the other down. It was a simple matter of age, reach, and sheer madness that had Talim so winded. (The wind surrounding her- it poisons me. I must cleanse myself...) The green-haired woman had gotten back up again, feeling the strain from the attack and the landing. Her reach was shorter, that was for sure. However, that was quite a kick, and some fancy aerial moves. She was most certainly a good candidate! She giggled girlishly as the pain sang through her. It was at this point where she was alive and active- truly herself. If she died here, she would be quite happy. But he would not. She had to keep going. "I'm going to enjoy taking your soul for my master! DIE!" She still moved so fast! That kick was supposed to bring her down a few pegs- she had channeled the wind into her right leg in order to compensate for her short range. It was then that Talim realized that her opponent's mind was wired to turn pain into a sick, twisted pleasure. Though her body would still be battered beyond repair, her mind would be perfectly aware and alert, and would pretty much move the body it occupied until termination. As Talim rose to her feet, the mysterious assailant was almost upon her. Gathering what strength she had recovered and drawing her hands inwards to harness the surrounding air pressure, she waited, tensed and ready until the strike was imminent. Then, as a vertical attack came blurring with almost indescernible speed towards Talim, she let fly, shoving both of her elbow blades upwards and forwards, the back ends of the weapons slamming into the green-haired soul reaper. CRACK The sound of several ribs being fractured sounded off as both the blades and the harnessed energy of the winds slammed into the assassin, but not before the massive blade bit into Talim's shoulder, dragging her forwards as Tira went up and back. Talim bled and fell to the ground, but she would live. Combined with the negative forces that Talim had absorbed previously, now expelled and used for the attack, her landing would not be so soft and easy to recover from this time. As she slammed against the deck again, the cry was pain this time, not pleasure. She truly hurt- and though part of her mind warped the pain into something she could use, the rest of it just complained all over as roughly five ribs were broken from the combined attack and release of stored energy. However, it wasn't over yet- as her eyes opened and her vision cleared, she could see something heading for her quite fast. It was one of Talim's sandals. WHAM Talim's left heel had slammed into the would-be assassin's gut, winding her and making her ribs sing in pain. But it wasn't entirely over yet. As the sensation sang through her opponent, Talim crawled quickly towards the right arm, wrapped her legs around it to lock the limb, and pulled back sharply. Before she could get a chance to figure out what was happenning, the agressor's shoulder was violently dislocated. She had lost the use of her right arm, meaning that the two-handed capability of her ring blade was now gone. Talim quickly rolled backwards from her position at the demented young woman's side and inched backwards toward Mi-Na, just in case she needed help with this next charge. If there was even one. "I don't want to fight anymore. For your own sake, please don't get up!" The woman turned her head to the side and tasted the bitter-sweet tinge of blood in her mouth. So sweet was her own essence... that she swallowed it back down, spitting any excess out. As her tongue seductively traced across her lips, Talim had a genuine look of distress on her face. (No... the ill wind; the aura still stirs! She can't still be moving, not after all that! What do I do now?) ________________________________________________________________________ The woman in green with the disturbed purple eyes grinned madly. (Yes! This is life... such sweet pain! And the taste of blood isn't too bad, either. But my damned right arm can't move. Kinda irritating.) She buried her ring blade into the deck and used her left arm to get up, her body wavering a bit as she did so. A wild smile was on her face as she looked at Talim, and she grinned happily at the look of indecision on the young woman's face. She figured that little trick of hers would bring her down, did she? Not so. "Nice trick you got there. Now I want you even more! But first..." She knelt and supported her limp right arm against the deck, holding her shoulder with her left hand. Still looking at Talim with the same smile... she forcefully re-aligned her arm with the rest of her body, grunting slightly as the pain sang through her. She had done this before- it didn't effect her much. She stood up, whirled her blade around her left hand, and charged again. Her body was a blur as she advanced, making her seem as if she were possesed by something else. Perhaps she was- Talim could not tell. She was just evil all around, and maybe demons and the like felt comfortable around her... or perhaps even they feared her as well. In any event, she swung her ring blade towards Talim's head, forcing the young priestess to duck and turn to the left... but she had turned with the strike and was quickly bringing her blade around to cut low at Talim's shins. Of course, the noise of the wind cued the attack, and she jumped over with a forward sault, landing just in front of Mi-Na. However, it was all that the assassin was looking for as she rushed forward with an inhuman speed, spinning as she did so with her blade held outwards! She was planning to kill them both in one go, right fromt the start, and this was going to do it! "DIIIIIE!" If one could have seen her face, they would have seen a look of sheer bliss as she whirled and spun with an attack that would have mowed through line after line of soldiers, but was only aimed for two people. However... CLANG Talim had ducked down and turned to the right, turning to face her opponent instead of face her back to her. Meanwhile, Mi-Na was getting ready for a counter to the attack... and as the blade came into her path and Talim evaded the blow, Mi-Na twirled her polearm upwards in a vertical circle, one blade meeting another. Tira's weapon went up and back sharply, making her stumble. Thus, the snap kick that followed was enough to lift her upwards, slamming straight into the green clad woman's gut. Immediately after, the back end of the zhanmadao rammed forward while she was still in the air... and she was sent flying backwards for a good eight feet before landing on the ground quite hard. The sound of a few more ribs breaking could be heard as Mi-Na rammed her weapon into the assailant and thus, more blood was coughed up as she slammed into the deck. She had lost too much blood- had too many bones and ribs broken. The insane woman got up much slower, and took much more time to recover. The pain was no longer pleasurable. Now it just hurt, and hurt bad. But what hurt worse was that she had failed, and miserably so. But she certainly wasn't angry at herself... oh, no. That wouldn't do. "You interrupted me." Her voice now sounded quite demented, not to mention angry. She was not angered at the fact that another hit had gone through- she had so little of her mind left from killing that she didn't have any pride left in her, either. Rather, she was angered at the fact that her fun had been ended, and so abruptly too. She coughed up blood again as she spoke- the woman was at her limit for now, and even she knew it. As she slowly rose to her feet, breathing hard from both her body's tortured state and the state of her mind wearing away to its last shreds, she bared her teeth at the women in a what was more like a snarl than anything else. She now directed her stare at Mi-Na, rather than Talim- for the moment, she had a new target/plaything/torture subject. "The next time... you'll be the one I kill. And only you- the girl doesn't matter right now. I'll settle this with you first, you little bitch." With that, as if from nowhere, a flock of her birds surrounded her again, and when they left she was gone, as if she had never been there in the first place. Talim sank to the wooden deck, which was now splintered and gashed by the blades and the impacts of bodies as they slammed into it with concussive force. There were tears in her eyes as the pain from her shoulder finally sang through her body. But those weren't the reason for her tears. "W... why?" ________________________________________________________________________ As they pulled into the harbor at Osaka, the four of them were quite wary. An assassin, sent perhaps by their mutual enemy, had just tried to kill them. Had almost succeeded as well. The japanese language that she had picked up along her travels in the island nation served her well as she was thanked profusely by those who rode the boat along with them, though Talim was most definitely the one who fought. She was distraught... both Mi-Na and Xianghua could feel her uneasiness and unbalanced mind, and waited until the crowd thinned before finding an inn for the night and settling down in a room with her. Kilik found it a bit odd, but did not complain as he sought his own place to sleep. That night, the two of them spent quite a bit of time trying to reassure Talim that they would not let anything or anyone harm her like she had been on the boat. It was a minor injury certainly, and she was still alive... but the battle had been taxing, and Talim's soul had been battered by the impure, distorted aura of the woman, who had not chanced to give them her name. She asked again... "Why? She seems so empty inside... I could feel nothing from her, even as we fought. It is almost as if the wind were passing through her instead of around her. Why is that?" She was saddened by the fact... that the killer was so merciless, so giddy with the thrill of combat and the smell of blood that she seemed to have no soul at all. No emotion- no mind to think with besides how to destroy all life around her. It frightened her- and made some part deep within her weep for the one she was risking her life against. Xianghua was about to make a scathing remark about how their friend and lover should not have sympathy for the damned, but Mi-Na stopped her as soon as she felt her intent. She shook her head as she looked at Talim, her eyes full of worry. (Not now,) she thought. (Not while she's like this. Just hold her...) And with a nod to each other, they did- one on the left side and one on the right, holding the young priestess between them. As she felt their embrace, Talim felt herself being slowly pulled back from the battle which she was still re-living, over and over again. As if it were a delayed reaction, she began shedding tears again. Gently, Mi-Na and Xian kissed the diamonds of emotion from their friend's cheeks, as if it would make everything proper and whole again. As if the tender affections could make Talim sane. And sure enough... the priestess of the wind calmed. Her body visibly relaxed; her eyes opened slowly, the brown irises shining with gratitude and unshed tears. As if to reaffirm their existance- to make sure that she was in the here and now and not in the events that had taken place, she kissed Mi-Na's lips. Then Xianghua's. Her hands began moving slowly now, stroking their backs and shoulders where she could reach, as if to gather strength from them. It seemed to be the case, because inch by inch she regained herself. Raining light kisses on cheeks, jawlines, necks, as if to map out their faces for memory. She did not want to forget- she never wanted to forget how they were right now, comforting her. Vowing to protect her. When she had done enough petting and kissing, Talim sighed to herself in total relaxation. She felt whole and alive again. The only two words she said were, "Thank you," before she closed her eyes and slept. Somehow exhausted from trying to reassure her, though it was a good kind of exhaustion, Seong Mi-Na and Chai Xianghua slept as well, cuddling against Talim in a warm embrace. They would stay like that until the next day... ________________________________________________________________________ Somewhere in the west, far from the current position of our heroes, the young woman returned in a flock of birds and a frenzy of blood. She staggered towards a massive five foot long, eight inch wide broadsword that seemed to be twisted and mangled as if it had been broken quite a few times. Falling to her knees before the blade and lowering her head in respect and submission, she spoke. "I was beaten. Two of them. The small one was strong, and gave me a hell of a fight. Another one- taller and older- beat me back just as I was about to finish it." Her voice sounded both resigned and quite angry at the same time. She felt humiliated- utterly shamed. An unfair advantage in most cases was supposed to be heaven for her. She could take out armies- entire races and peoples- all on her own. Yet against these two, there was nothing she could do except flail and swing and be an even match. She wanted to kill them. All of them, even the ones that didn't fight. Why? Simple- they had weapons. Those who had weapons immediately forfieted their lives, as far as she was concerned. They had to die, simply because they were armed, and were a threat. And let's not forget- it was just plain old fun to her. She was giddy in a way during her battle in the air with the one who could control some kind of force, and almost thanked the girl for it. But the other side of her mind reeled at the fact that she had her fun torn from her at the last moment by the other one. The irritating one with the long-handled saber. She knew not their names- nor did she care. All she wanted was to kill them- hell, to kill everything. It was all that she was good at, and it was all that she knew. The grotesque blade before her shone a sickly shade of crimson, as if it were alive enough to bleed. Her thoughts had been heard by the weapon, and at once she felt her body change. She looked down, showing astonishment for the first time since she had seen blood and gore and death fly when she cut into her first target. Her wounds were gone- her bones mended, her cuts healed. Even the shoulder that was dislocated, then forcefully put back into place, was as good as new. "Master..." A voice in her head spoke. (Worry not about them. Their souls will be mine in due time. For now, continue your search for the strong. Continue searching for my new incarnation. Then, the world will know my power at last, and I will be rid of that cursed blade of light, the Krita-Yuga, once and for all.) The girl bowed again, her face low to the ground as if the crimson aura were a divine light that she could not look into. Not and live. "Yes, master!" Her mood had shifted from anger and depression to passion and exultation. He forgave her... the master forgave her! She could do his bidding again! She did not want to die by his hand, though being one with him- or perhaps, his weapon- would finally give her mind the peace she craved. That peace that she could only find in battle, amidst the joy of killing. (Good. I have a new task for you...) She looked up at the blade, her eyes attentive for once. Standing there now, just behind the weapon, was a massive figure, silhouetted against the light. She looked no longer at the blade, but at the figure that had materialized as if from thin air. She knew who this was. "Just tell me what to do." To be continued... ________________________________________________________________________ Oh. My. God. This chapter has been a real breakthrough experience for me. Seriously, it has. I finally get to play with a real, honest-to-goodness evil person. Tira is an interesting addition to the SC universe, and I'll have fun using her in this story arc to tear shit apart! But never fear. Though she's relentless, psychotic, and borderline schizophrenic, our heroes will find a way. Plus, I have yet to introduce Mitsurugi, Taki, Hwang, Setsuka, and Yun-seong in full! The first story arc had Mitsurugi only making an appearance. Now, I'm going to put everyone's favorite bad-ass to the test, in a chapter to be announced! in any event, I'm hoping that I'll get this stuff posted on the main page soon. It's starting to bug me that it isn't up yet... For now, post in the thread and chew on this chapter for a bit. Let it marinate. Give me feedback. See you guys later.
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