A wise man ought always to follow the paths beaten by great men, and to imitate those who have been supreme, so that if his ability does not equal theirs, at least it will savour of it. Let him act like the clever archers who, designing to hit the mark which yet appears too far distant, and knowing the limits to which the strength of their bow attains, take aim much higher than the mark, not to reach by their strength or arrow to so great a height, but to be able with the aid of so high an aim to hit the mark they wish to reach. ~Niccolo Machiavelli, "Il Principe" Chapter 6- Den of Evils ________________________________________________________________________ The four adventurers had found themselves barred. Not entirely barred by any obstacle, but by the fact that Talim had told them to stop. She said she could sense something wrong within the mountain. Mi-na knew what the problem was. The woman whom they had pursued was able to clear these tunnels with little effort- they were not so fortunate. Well, not all of them. Mi-na had been here once before. If her guess was correct, these were the same traps and wards that had been placed before, due to the fact that time and time again, they worked. This ninja was not one to abandon what was practical. However, the fact remained that some of them knew nothing of these caves. Hell, most of them knew nothing. (I hate doing this, but we're gonna have to charge forward anyway. We might be too late if we don't get moving, and right now.) Mi-na took a deep breath, asked whatever gods or powers watching the entire scene to forgive her, and spoke. "Let's do this. I don't care what dangers are ahead- we gotta keep moving, no matter what." Though she sounded uncertain, her words seemed to spur Talim, Xianghua, and Kilik onward. They all nodded as she continued. "Follow my lead- I know these caves as well as the one we're following." After taking another deep breath, she took off at a sudden sprint. The tunnel was not that deep and not too difficult as long as she kept the lead and remembered where everything was. As she expected, the rest of her companions had followed behind her, keeping pace with what seemed like little effort. The multitude of traps that awaited them were daunting, no doubt. But as they reached the first few sets of spike pits and wire traps, Mi-na did not hesitate to bypass them with leaps and bounds. She skillfully tumbled and slid her way through the wires, with the others following suit. The only one who had any remote problem was Kilik, who carried that staff of his everywhere. Still, it was only a minor delay, and they continued. Needles and arrows flew from the walls in one section, yet she pressed onward, deflecting sharp metal and breaking wooden shafts with a speed that was beyond comprehension. A few nicked her... but did not stop her. Her determination to reach the end of this hellish tunnel was too great. However, she did hear a shriek of pain as Talim was hit, some of the needles piercing her right ankle as she ran by. (Dammit! This isn't good.) She cursed herself even as she said her next words, "Keep going! Worry about that later!" Talim however, surprised her by responding with, "I know. We have to keep going, no matter what!" The Seong prodigy would have smiled if she had not been so focused. They were almost there... And then came the stepping stones. It was the section where the floor was delicate enough to fall on the slightest touch. Only a few stones kept the entire thing in place, and if those were not touched then the entire trap would drop from under one's feet, sending them to gods-knew-where. Which meant that they had only one shot. If anyone slipped or stepped somewhere else... "Let's *move*!" Undaunted by the dangers, Mi-na began the sequence. Deftly stepping from one stone to the next, expecting for the others to watch closely yet quickly, she continued making her way forward. Talim would be the one to watch out for now, seeing as she had been injured in the section before this. And yet her will to move on seemed to be so great that there was nothing else on her mind but crossing the divide. She heard footsteps behind her, and was most definitely sure that the others had command of themselves... Then, at the very last second, when Xianghua was almost secure... "Whoopsie! My fault..." A familiar voice echoed through the tunnel as the path below gave way, almost dumping Xianghua to the depths of the earth. But as she heard the path behind her giving out, she made one final leap towards her companions, turning through the air in order to see who had sprung the trap. However, even that would be stopped by a massive ring blade whirling through the air towards her position. Xianghua's eyes widened as she gripped the hilt of the Krita-yuga in a panic, and the energy was released as soon as she drew. With a wave of light and force, the weapon was pressed back to where it came from, and was expertly caught by... none other than the woman with piercing, insane purple eyes. Green and purple were everywhere on her as usual, and the mad grin was still on her face. "Ah, good! Very good. I'd have thought you were a complete loser if you hadn't done something to stop that! I think I'll kill you first, just because you seem stronger than usual. Better to get to the fun now and get to all the others later! Or would you rather..." She jumped over the gap in one bound and prepared her well-toned legs for a double heel kick towards the center of the group, aimed for Xianghua! "...Take me on all at once?!" ________________________________________________________________________ The woman stood once again in the underground sanctum that had been abandoned before this conflict had begun. The demons sealed here had driven even Toyotomi's advisors away, and was now left desolate. The presence of evil was everywhere... she wondered where her enemy was now. In any event, she saw something that caught her attention. A velvet box that had seals lining it- seals of the Fu-Ma ninja. Her eyes narrowed as she looked upon the container, knowing at once what was inside. She purposefully strode toward it, aiming to disarm the seals, destroy the contents, and then find her foe... But then her foe found her. "I have been expecting you." The only other thing she heard was the sound of a blade cutting through the air. Her eyes widened before she launched herself through the air, backwards and upwards, twisting her body cleanly as she flew over the agressor's head. When she turned to face the one who had attacked her... she could not believe her eyes. For the first time in her mortal existence, fear shook her to the core as she gazed upon the man who was once her teacher; her mentor. Her father. "Toki... what have you done to yourself?" The demon before her did not awnser. He was not able to- whatever was within the old man's body had a strong hold of him now. His crimson skin and toughened muscles denied any existance of age or fatigue. His eyes shone a bright red, crazed and drunk with power. The box at the foot of the Buddha shrine begain to glow the same color as the possesed man's eyes, and she not only felt fear, but dread. The shards were resisting the seal, due to the evil that filled the room... she feared that she was too late. However, she was not too late to stop her master from being entirely posessed. However, as she approached. a tortured cry filled the room. Not from Toki, but from... everywhere. "No... you couldn't have!" The possessed man before her grinned with malice. "And yet, I have. Perceptive of you, as always. But it is of no concequence... you will die here and I will have my Mekki-Maru back. Not to mention I have my very own Soul Edge... nothing can stand against me now." With that, swirling lights of beauty and sheer power came rushing toward him from the wood of the shrine; from the statue; from the air around her. The fury-demon had been unleashed. "Now, DIE!" Upon his shout, he rushed with a speed beyond anything the mortal world had seen and lashed out with a naginata, the same polearm that he had tried to behead his own pupil with. The ninja steeled herself and drew at the same inhuman blur, parrying the weapon with ease and fluidity. The fear was still there, but now in a different form. Her danger sense was on high-alert and full tilt, and the added strength was currently being used to defend herself to the last. However, she had not entirely expected the man to be quite this fast... As the massive body of the possessed Fu-Ma ninja almost winked out of her perception, her eyes widened. She barely stepped out of the wide swath of the Japanese glaive, coming away with a cut on her stomach. And yet, he continued coming. This time, she saw him, though he was still incredibly fast. A cut aimed towards her right shoulder in a diagonal line. Hard to dodge. However, easy to parry. She did so, drawing Mekki-Maru quite quickly in order to do so. She then rushed her opponent with the Rekki-Maru before her, the flat of the blade pressing against the man's chest. "GYAAAAAAAH!" Toki was knocked a few feet backward, with a burn mark on his chest. His feet, planted in the ground as the strike landed, carved two ruts into the ground. The woman sheathed her blades and assumed a stance once again. She could do this... the man before her had trained her to deal with situations like this. The skill that she had used just then was one of them. Still, she could not use it again- at least not in the same area. It would be expected. As the demon before her growled and rushed forth at an insane pace, stabbing towards her with the naginata, she rolled to her left side before cutting out with her Mekki-Maru, piercing into his side. Unfortunately, the blade was fed by the evil energies and her left arm trembled with the force which the ninjato exerted. She focused her own energies into the weapon, sating it for now. However, it was enough time for Toki to bring his weapon to bear, the blade digging into the side of his best student's shoulder. She hissed as the weapon she held resonated with her pain, almost as if it were joyful that she were in such a plight. (Such malice! I must contain it, before-) But she had no time to think. Toki was withdrawing and preparing for another strike, just as quickly as he had striken her last time. She briefly allowed the Mekki-Maru's influence to take hold of her as she fell to her right knee... and then charged forward, her body almost blurring out of sight. "No use!" The woman found herself knocked upwards with a fierce diagonal slash from her right hip to her left shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock before pain finally registered. "AHHHHHHHHH!" The naginata tore a bloody rift into her body with the upwards stroke, making her fly upwards and backwards for a good ten feet. The world around her seemed to blur as she was flung through the air. Some part of her mind that was dormant was now awake, completely and totally. Her brown eyes lost their compassionate gleam instantly as she righted herself, landing on the ground with her left hand braced solidly against the wood. She may or may not have known she was doing so, but her right hand securely held the grip of the Mekki-Maru. It was time to stop playing now. Toki did not look arrogant or prideful... his demonized, tainted soul had access to his cold, rational mind. He had the same icy tint in his eyes that her studen had. "Come and kill me then, Taki. Can you kill your own master, when I have command of him? The poor old man probably cannot take anymore of this torment-" And then his sentence was cut off as the woman named Taki outright vanished from his sight. She was finally moving at god-speed... only a few members of the Fu-Ma were capable of it. He looked upwards and saw her coming down on him with both blades extended, about five inches from his position. He was barely able to dodge the attack, the blade of the Rekki-Maru skimming his cheek. Instead of blood, sparks flew from his face. His skin was indeed that tough... (No matter. I will fulfill my mission,) her mind rationalized. Toki moved to strike again, and Taki was rushing him once again. Once again overwhelmed by her speed, he was not braced for her next assault. So he expected a slash, trying to block... and was suddenly surprised to be knocked back when Taki's right fist slammed into the ground, shining with a blue aura just before the point of impact. Her right fist followed as the demon's guard was broken, producing the same explosion. Turning slightly to gather her force, Taki slammed both of her fists into the ground. The very earth was shaken by the force of her energy as the previous blue explosion turned into a red one. Toki was sent flying into the air... and the ninja followed him shortly thereafter, leaping upwards with him. As she grabbed hold of the Fu-Ma clan leader, she shifted her weight backwards in order to flip once... twice... three times before forcing the man to the ground hard. Both of her blades were drawn in an instant, flashing violently as they headed for the man's neck. They were meant to be fatal cuts, but this time was definitely an exception. His neck was cut open cleanly.. but not deeply. The Rekki-Maru still had no effect, and only sparks were issued. The Mekki-Maru however, did connect. A cry of pain and anger issued from her opponent before she kicked off from her opponent, performing a back handspring in order to get herself some distance. By the time it was over, the man had been disarmed and wounded a second time, though both wounds were superficial. Hers however were grave, and looking worse by the minute. Yet she continued fighthing. She had to stop him. With both blades drawn and her strength fading, especially through the constant use of the Mekki-Maru, this was her last stand. It would end here. ________________________________________________________________________ Xianghua was starting to get irritated as she quickly spun away from the kick, allowing the crazed woman to roll forward for a few feet before righting herself, grinning with malice in her purple eyes. She waS completely tired of feeling helpless. During her search for the shards of Soul Edge, she had been helpless... she watched as Kilik was utterly defeated by the man with a gleaming scythe. He moved faster than one should with such a weapon... much faster. But that wasn't it... Not at all. He had *ignored* her completely. She had lost the sword, Krita-yuga... Kilik was the only one with a Divine Relic. In fact, he had two of them. It was the only reason he was interested in him at all, in fact. The two of them clashed weapons after his warning that a catastrophe would befall the town in which they had purified. Kilik was decimated... Soon after, she challenged him. He turned and looked at her as if he had just now noticed the woman... and smirked. "You have lost your blade. The Soul Calibur is gone from your presence... thus, you are of no importance to me. However-" he said before she could rush him, "I wouldn't give up yet, if I were you. Perhaps it may return to you from where it resides now. I know not how or where the sacred weapon appears... but I do know that it does appear to those who seek to bring justice. You would do well to remember that..." With that, he vanished. (At least you don't underestimate me... but that's no reason to like you, you crazy little witch!) "You're going *down*!" Xianghua shouted as she lunged forward, circling her sword in a clockwise arc before doing so. The woman quite casually hopped backwards just out of range of the stab, twisting her giant chakram as she did so. The tip of the Krita-Yuga was caught on the edge of the ring, and the clever twist had disarmed it quite easily, though Xian's grip was firm. Yet she didn't give up entirely. Stretching her hand forward in order to call the weapon back to her. The sacred blade pulsed and shone as it flew back to the warrior's hand, but by that time the crazed assassin was leaping towards her, the ring blade flashing in the dim light as if eager to have the young woman meet her end. "Come on, just let me kill you! It'll be nice and messy, I promise!" And she said this in a sweet, sincere voice. No one says that they will kill you so casually and with such a happy tone... "Not today, lady!" Xianghua turned to her right, the sword behind her head as she did so. Of course, the blade of the green-haired killer was parried by such an action, and she stumbled off her course. It gave Xianghua enough time to stab at the woman's ankle, the tip of her sword penetrating the back of the leg armor and biting into flesh. Instead of crying out in pain... the assassin grinned as she felt the blade penetrate. Her pain was only strength, now that she was fueled by the Soul Edge. She would excersize her master's will through her own blade, no matter what. She looked at Xianghua with a big grin as she swung her blade violently behind her, the weapon aiming for the warrior's head. Shocked for a moment that no registration of any pain was heard or felt, Xianghua barely managed to roll backwards as the blade swept above her. However, the option of getting herself up quickly was snuffed as the crazed killer rushed forward, cutting her blade downward viciously. Xianghua barely had time to defend herself as the enormous chakram came blurring downards and clashing with the flat of the Krita-yuga. The very impact of Tira's twisted energy against that of the sacred weapon made the very blade hum and whine in complaint, as if in fear. It was then that Xianghua realized... no, even before now... that this woman was reaping souls for the Soul Edge. But that wasn't all, was it? "What do you want? Why are you doing this?" The assassin awnsered quickly and concisely, a merry laugh issuing from her lips before she did so. "Why, because I love it! Nothing else satisfies me than seeing someone's blood splatter the walls... and the other reason? Well, you're about to die anyways, so I might as well speak about it." She continued pressing her blade against Xianghua's as she leaned in to whisper into the young woman's ear. "My master... seeks to be free. In order to do that, I have to break this pretty little sword of yours. And I'm good at breaking things." With that, the quite mad slave to the Blade shoved off of the Krita-yuga and charged forward quite recklessly, the blade flashing in a horizontal arc before she leaned her body back in order to clear the massive weapon. Which would have worked, had Xianghua not approached at the same speed. With a cry that pierced the stagnant air of the tunnel, the young warrior charged forward once again, not surprising the green haired death dealer in the least. On the contrary, she grinned as her opponent rushed her. (You're just rushing towards your death, that's all! I'll kill you, then them... and then I'll take all those shiney pieces of metal in there for mysel-) SHING WHAM Okay, now she was surprised. Why could she not move faster? Her eyes widened in shock as she was sent spinning through the air by a hard spinning heel kick from Xianghua. Blood sprayed from her shins as she was sent flying, the metal guards that protected her legs burned clean through. What had happened was that Xianghua had leaned back as she approached, cutting low with her jian before rising up in a hard spin kick. The movement was hindered by the fact that the very thought of serving her master had distracted the young assassin to the point of everything else being blocked out. Then again, her mind was never stable in the first place... The look of shock turned into one of pain as she slammed against one of the walls. She managed to roll quickly to her feet... just as Xianghua approached again, running along the wall she had just kicked her opponent into. Upon reaching her her opponent's position, Xianghua cut a horizontal swath with the sacred blade, trying to cleave another rift into her opponent. "Glorious! Give me more!" The servant of Soul Edge did nothing more than hop into the air in order to meet the attack, swinging her blade upwards while spinning it around her left hand. The move was so fast and sudden that Xianghua faltered, slipping from the wall... and was cut dead on by the weapon. But it didn't cut through her.. on the contrary, it cut into her and carried her upwards on its revolving motion, digging into the young woman's side. At the five foot mark, Xianghua was released by the blade on its returning arc, her body spinning uncontrollably through the air. Her cry of anguish made the woman grin with satisfaction. She shivered pleasantly as the scream turned her on, rushing forward as Xianghua's return to earth became imminent. CRACK The sound of her head meeting the rocky ground first was not a good sign at all... and as she riccoched off the floor, the woman leapt forward, her legs crashing down onto the young woman's chest as she reached the apex of the jump. Another resounding boom was heard through the tunnel as Xianghua was forced to the ground, slamming hard on her shoulders and upper back. Pain sang through her. The world blurred as blood was forced from the rift in her right side. She had taken that one hard- wasn't thinking clearly enough about her approach. As the world cleared briefly, she saw the woman grinning merrily over her face, looking into her eyes with the expectation of one who was waiting for a certain time forever. "Are you dying?" She asked Xianghua. "Let me see you die. It's the best part! I'll break that useless piece of metal you call a sword soon anyways, so I've got time." The former Imperial Guard's vision blurred again. The woman's grin widened. "Hey, don't pass out yet. I haven't told you my name." It was odd, but she sounded... normal now. Lively somehow. As if the very act of killing brought her back to sanity. "I'm Tira... No, don't say anything. I already know who you are. You're that pesky little woman from China who wants to destroy the Soul Edge, right? How silly." She was entirely focused on the moment... she could not have heard footsteps approaching or voices. The woman known as Tira was too busy enjoying herself. "I'm sure you'll love it where you're going. You'll actually be of use there, just like me. And just like everyone else that's there. It'll be sad when everyone's dead and gone, but it's bound to happen anyway. All you can do is wait for the end and-" WHAM The sound of a blunt weapon connecting with Tira's side rang through the hallway. A wave of force slammed through her as she was shoved backwards for a good eight feet before rolling to a crouched position. Her eyes filled with loathing as she looked upon the stern face of Kilik as he quickly retreated his rod and stood over Xianghua's bleeding form. Mi-na and Talim were behind him, weapons at the ready. "Enough. This ends here and now," Kilik said with a flat monotone in his voice. He took a few steps forward, his weapon held before him as he approached. The priestess and the Korean warrior rushed in to fill the gap, quickly attending to Xianghua's cuts and bruises. Talim did not have to cast the wind before her to know that there was something seriously wrong here. That hit to the head was far too brutal to be ignored. But what could they do, besides stop the bleeding and continue moving forward? For a good while, Mi-na did not move from where she was. Kneeling next to Xianghua, she could only watch as her friend and lover's lifeblood seeped from the wound. There was no time to clean it... nothing to clean it with... she could... she could... "Xian..." A tear fell as Mi-na lowered her head. Talim placed her hand on the woman's shoulder... and felt the pressure of an angry soul building around her. That alone quickly made her retreat her hand. "M... Mi-na? I can treat her... we just have to get to the next room. I can sense water there." The underground rivers were excellent sources for the wind to travel through, and she had quickly closed her eyes, asking for somewhere to treat an injured friend. Mi-na however, did not awnser. She acted as if she didn't hear. Talim shook her friend's shoulder, disregarding the downright lethal aura of spirit pressure around the Korean warrior. "Mi-na, did you hear-" She gasped as the Seong prodigy quickly turned her head to look at her. Her eyes were hazel, not brown. Her equally brown hair showed signs of turning a fierce red. Talim's surprise was evident on her face as she looked upon her rapidly changing companion. The emotions were as plain to her as day... sadness, as if her heart had been torn instead of Xianghua's side... anger that was quickly turning into rage... and something else. Love. Passion. Fire. Talim nodded. "I don't know who you are now... but go get her... get Tira out of our way. I'll keep her in this world for as long as possible- just finish it." Mi-na, between her own soul and that of the Scarlet Thunder, nodded. She could still understand what was said- at least some part of her had control over the massive energies building within her. Mi-na arose from where she stood, just in time to see Tira move to strike. Kilik was waiting for her to advance, his rod at the ready... an instant later and a flash of fire exploded from behind him, slamming into the crazed killer. The flash of fire was actually the left foot of Seong Mi-na, extended in a side kick that acted as a cannon shot. Tira was sent packing, and not long after, Mi-na flew towards her at a speed that not even Kilik could comprehend. All he knew was that he swore that he saw a flash of yellowed eyes and red hair... (Is that... Seong Mi-na? Why does she look like that, and how can she wield fire?) He would watch carefully now. Most definitely. Because what he had been told earlier would now be confirmed for certain. ________________________________________________________________________ Taki stood perfectly still, waiting for something to happen. Toki did the same. Neither spoke, neither stepped or breathed. The moment that one did, they would both charge forward. It seemed an eternity before someone strengthened their resolve and launched forward, hoping to finish the fight in one attack. The movements were so fast, the fighters seemed to disappear from their current spot, only to re-materialize behind each other, weapons extended. For a few moments, neither moved. The Mekki-Maru pulsed faintly, the evil energy from the blade throbbing as if it were alive. Slowly, she stood. Her entire body complained- every bleeding cut made themselves known to her. However, she stood... while Toki collapsed. Taki's strength had been amplified beyond measure with the Mekki-Maru in hand, though it had almost driven her to the point of madness, just with that one attack. Still, a massive, bleeding cut was torn into the possessed ninja's left side, and upon falling it split open. The attack had passed through so cleanly and quickly, the skin was not disturbed until the point of impact with the ground. His skin was not so tough now, was it? But there was no time for that now. She had to finish it. Shakily, she turned around and walked over to his fallen form, falling to her knees after reaching his position. Raising the dark ninjato to pierce his heart, something within her cried out. This was the end of them all- the Fu-Ma ninja were no more. She wept for her comrades; for her master, who she was about to kill "Taki...? Is that you...?" Or not. "T... Toki?" She faltered and the weapon clattered to the floor. "It's very dark... Bring some light..." The coldness from her eyes dissapated. Tears caught in her eyes as she beheld his condition- the state in which she herself had put him. Perhaps he had freed himself from the demon's grasp because of the injuries sustained, however small. Perhaps the demon no longer had use of him. Whatever the reason, he was himself again. As if to confirm either suspicion, something rose from the old man's mouth. Through her sadness, she could sense whatever it was that possessed her master. Quickly grabbing Mekki-Maru, she cut at the aura before it could escape... But her blades could not penetrate. Nor could they even cut. In fact, they simply swept through as if nothing were there. As the aura flew off, Taki prepared to follow it... but with the first few steps taken, she stumbled and fell. The world around her spun and tossed as her eyes rolled back. The blood loss had finally gotten to her head... And then, everything was darkness and silence. ________________________________________________________________________ The girl named Tira crawled out of the rubble that was a former section of the wall. She had been forcefully slammed into it by a hard side kick, the outside edge of the foot slamming into her like a sword. Blood flowed from a cut in the right side of her head, but she ignored it as she stood. Her gaze had ignored Kilik and was now focused... on something that was no longer Seong Mi-na. Instead, it was someone with red hair, hazel eyes, and an aura of sheer, oppressive heat. An equal glint of anger was in her eyes to match Tira's own. (How annoying. That's the second time she interrupted me. I should have killed her earlier.) But it didn't matter now- Kilik would be just plain ignored at this point. "I'm going to make you disappear forever. *No one* interrupts my fun and lives!" With that, she rushed forward at a blur, her body almost vanishing. Twirling her ring around her right hand twice, she aimed to carve a good pair of scars into the flame wielder's chest. Before the first cut was delivered however, Mi-na was already out of the way. Before long, she hopped up and delivered a front kick, slamming into Tira's midsection with the ball of her foot. The sudden attack came with a flash of fire, her left leg trailing fire as it snapped upwards. Upon landing, she cut upwards sharply with her zanbatoh, the blade cutting through flesh cleanly and cauterizing almost instantly. Tira went upwards quite hard and high as the blade entered and retreated from her stomach quickly... and then cut into her again with a quick upwards stroke before she was kicked quite handily across the hallway yet again as Mi-na swiveled around the rod section of her weapon, delivering a hard roundhouse kick with her right shin. SHING WHAM Tira's world spun in a haze as she recovered much slower... there was no blood what so ever spilled, besides a few drops of it. But the real pain was from the the second degree burns that she had received from Mi-na's leg strikes. The two cuts from her blade were fifth-degree burns and entirely painless, though quite painful on contact. Those wounds would never heal again. "Damn you... This time I'll-" But when she looked up, Mi-na was gone. "W-what? How did you-" CRACK Yet another blow was landed as Mi-na turned spun around and quickly rammed the back of her zhanmadao into the back of Tira's head. This was not going too well for the assassin, and she was quickly panicking. Quickly getting up again, she finally caught a glimpse of the incredibly swift fighter. Surrounded by an aura of fire and moving at an insane speed, she looked as if she had been reborn as something else... Her weapon blurred as she swung again, her blade glowing a bright red as she channeled her energy through the weapon. Almost hit by the incoming attack, Tira barely blocked the weapon. Mi-na's blade bit into the massive chakram, the oppressive, cleansing heat from the blade almost tearing through her precious weapon. Tira shuddered visibly as she was hit by the impact of the weapon. Not to mention that the two of them had been approaching the edge of the gap in the hallway with every attack. For the first time, neither madness, nor anger, nor insane joy shone in her eyes. The assassin was afraid. "W... what the *hell* are you?" Flashing a feral grin, her eyes blazing with soul fire and anger, Mi-na responded as the blade of her weapon began resonating at an ever increasing frequency. "Pissed off. This is what you get for hurting people I care about." Tira tried to disengage from the weapon lock, but found her opponent far stronger than she was. Wanton destruction would not save her this time. Yet she would not relent. Her fear fueled her madness onward. "Fuck you. This isn't anger or compassion, or even your pathetic desire to protect. This is madness, just like me. Anger is what those who are afraid to admit it call such a thing. This power of yours will only serve to destroy you in the end. No one has a strong enough will to master such a power... especially not you." Mi-na narrowed her eyes in sheer fury. The one thing she hated being called, after all this time... was weak. The air around her blade increased in temperature, flames licking the surface. "You don't know a damn thing about me or what I can do... and you never will. Now, die!" With a sudden explosion that equalled that of a shotgun blast at close range, Mi-na unleashed a sphere of fire from her weapon, using it as if it were a massive rifle. Tira went flying back for about eight feet, screaming in pain as her clothes were burned away. Her ring blade was flung away from her as the burst of soul fire and spiritual force hit her full on, slamming straight through her very bones. Her head turned to look behind her... And then turned back to Mi-na quickly, grinning. Her eyes widened in a crazed stare, even as she fell to her impending doom. And all the while, Tira laughed. Long, loud, and insane. All that the Seong prodigy did was look on her retreating form with contempt... before she turned towards Talim and Xianghua. She could feel the sorrow radiating from Talim's heart as she looked upon her newfound companion's gaze. "I did all I could. She's still alive... but... we might be a bit too late." Mi-na shook her head and smiled. "We've got time, trust me. She's got too strong of a will to just up and die. Let's head into the next chamber- it seems like something went down there." Talim looked up at Mi-na and nodded slightly before trying to lift Xianghua... and suddenly having her taken by Kilik. "You cannot do everything on your own, you know. Let me help- it's what I'm here for," he said with a smile. But as he turned his back to Mi-na and Talim, his face turned from friendly to grim. (So then, the story is confirmed. And the woman with the crazed eyes has a point. If she loses control of this power, she will be no better than Tira. I must keep watch of her!) Kilik had a new mission aside from this one... Should the wielder of the Flames of Passion begin losing her grip on her power, he would make it his duty to restrain her at all costs. He just hoped that he wouldn't need to do so. Concealing his thoughts and hardening his resolve, he walked ahead towards the final chamber where the Bhuddist statue resided. Things were beginning to look grim on all sides... and this was only the beginning. To Be Continued... ________________________________________________________________________ And BOOM. Yes, I have another chapter finished. I do believe this should make for some interesting play later, no? Of course, I'm going to eventually get Mi-na to the point where she can do this sort of thing without having to get all pissed off, but that point is long and far away. Or is it? You decide when it'll happen and where! Also, sorry for making the fight against Tira so one-sided. Then again, after seeing your love interest get slammed like that, wouldn't you have gone berserk too? Feedback needed, loved, and eaten for snacks. Flames used to forge my weapons. Post in the thread, vote in the poll. See you guys again.
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