Yes, I am well aware of the ages of "Talim the Tank Engine" and "Tira the Twirler". I'm fudging their ages slightly. Talim's 18, Tira's 19. Haha. Power to Literary License. Prologue ::Tira:: It was empty. Her soul was frail and weak. Something was missing... Soul Edge... It had been destroyed... she could feel it. Her power was waining. And before she knew it, she was just as she was before she was infused with the power of Soul Edge, a weak, naive little girl. She fell to the ground, her weapon rolling to away from her and falling. She clutched her chest as her heart wailed in pain. "M-" She choked out, her lungs on fire. "Master..." All she could do was fall unconscious. With the shards of Soul Edge destroyed, she was sure to wither on the vine. -Later- She had awoke to a loud thud in the back of her head. It was a concussive, loud thump. She was still weak, only able to open one eye. Before her was the thick boot of a man. He was crouched down, his fingers pressed to her neck. "Mmm..." She growled, her fingers flinching. "Oh, you're awake. That's good." The man spoke. He stood and walked away. She managed to look around and see the man's face. He was elderly, and weary, not long for this world. "What's your name, little one?" He asked. She shook the sleep from her eyes and crack her neck. A welcome feeling. "Tira..." She responded. The man smiled. "That's a beautiful name. Do you have somewhere to be, Tira?" "Not anymore..." Was the response. The man found something funny about it and laughed. "Well, in that case, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. It would be my pleasure to have you." She smiled. Only, unlike before, this was a smile of true happiness. Not some sick, twisted joke forced from her lips by an evil sword. "I'd like that..." She answered, sitting up. Her strength had returned to her mostly, and she could finally managed to sit. ::Xianghua:: For a living, cursed sword, it sure fought back. With Soul Calibur in her hand, she attempted to pierce the Cursed Sword with the point, but it was fighting back something fierce. "Xianghua!" Kilik called behind her. "I've got it! Don't worry!" She replied, trying to force Soul Calibur deeper into the eye of Soul Edge. "Come on you bastard! Die!" She swore. Just as these words exited her mouth, both swords shattered, sending her sailing backwards into the waiting arms of Kilik. She landed stunned, unable to see for several seconds. "You did it!" Kilik called happily. "Ugh... Did anyone catch the number of that cart..." The disoriented Xianghua muttered, her hand planted firmly on her forehead. Kilik chuckled and stood her up. "Well... that's that I guess..." A grim frown came over her face. "What do we do know?" "Well..." Kilik responded, his hands still on her shoulders. "Home, I guess." "Yea. I'd like that. Let's do that." The walked out of the ruined cathedral towards their home, the sun coming to a peaceful end to the west. ::Talim:: It was almost impossible. The wind, which was once calm and cool, had become angry, almost possessed. It was howling loud and burning. Something was wrong, she could feel it. But what... As quickly as it began, the warm, furious wind had been dispelled, a calm zephyr rolling across the Wind Mill Valley. "The Wind... It's appeased..." She muttered, staring off into nothing. "The Cursed Sword... destroyed then?" She continued. She shook her head. "No. It can never truly be destroyed... so long as evil still exists in this world..." ::Ivy:: She had retired from attempting to find the Sword. Her life had nearly come to an end three times by the hands of Soul Edge's denizens. She had allowed others to go ahead. After all, she had what she needed. With even a hint of Soul Edge's power in her grasp, her final formula could be complete. But to what end? How many people had to loose their lives over a silly little formula... Too many. It was the only conclusion she could come to. Slipping out of her outfit she had come so accustomed to was an awkward feeling. It gave her a form of power. The ability to outsmart her opponents. Stripping herself of such power was almost foolish. Pulling her blue dress up was a relinquishment of power. Dresses were a sign of femininity. A feeling of uselessness, of defenselessness. Something she loathed. "You're the only one who understands me..." She muttered, stroking the pronged sword on the table. It seemed to almost coo and shudder in response. She smiled and picked it up. "Ready?" She asked it, taking the vial from the table. Her recent alchemical experiments were to attempt to allow a living soul to be housed within her sword. An attempt at her own immortality, achieved in a way near akin to that of her father's, but without all the senseless violence. The thick, viscous liquid sloshed over the blade and onto the table. There was a bit of a flash, and then nothing. The only way she could tell for sure if it had worked was with time. But, if all of her formulations and calculations were correct, there should be no doubt to it's effectiveness. But only time will tell. ::Setsuka:: Even though Soul Edge was destroyed, there was still one demon left on earth. One unholy creature which had to be destroyed. Setsuka strode down the path with her umbrella propped against her shoulder, shielding her from the moonlight. She heard the distinct sounds of heavy footsteps stop behind her. "We meet at last." A voice droned. Setsuka stopped walking and turned her head slightly. "That we do... Mitsurugi." She responded, grabbing the end of her sword. "Are you ready to die, now?" She asked, drawing the blade out. "I died years ago, Setsuka. I am just waiting for someone to bury my corpse." He replied. "Let me help you with that, dear." She tossed the umbrella end into the air and charged. For a woman in a kimono, she was light and fast on her feet. The Samurai raised his katana in defense, a hopeless attempt to parry. He was weak from his fight for Soul Edge. The sword was discharged from his hand and fell uslessly into the Sea of Japan. Setsuka was upon him in record time, the sharp of her blade resting against his chin. "I hope you remember who sent you to hell, Mitsurugi." She muttered. "Of course. I always remember a beautiful face..." In one motion it was over. ::Cassandra and Sophitia:: Sophitia and her sister Cassandra debarked off the boat. Their destination had finally been reached. It was a long and arduous fight, but all for the best. Soul Edge had been dispatched for good, and in no small part to them. For the first time in days, the pair had put down their weapons and returned to find their home, the Eurydice Shirne, in flames. Running to their aid, Sophitia's eyes fell upon a dark figure slaughtering her kinsmen. "Cassandra!" She shouted to her sister. The younger ran up behind Sophitia and gave her the weapons she had discarded on the boat. The figure sensed their presence and turned. The creature was once Nightmare, but now nothing more then a hideous creature. The creature turned and screeched at them, blood flowing like drool from it's mouth. With a single great flap from its wings, the creature took off and flew into the fading light. "What the hell?" Cassandra questioned, watching the creature disappear. Sophitia could say nothing, just shake her head defeated. ::Taki:: Once more, Taki found herself on the trail of her target. With the destruction of Soul Edge, she was once more a hired sword for the Japanese government, and anyone else with decent funds. But it wasn't enough. Sure, the pay was excellent, but normal people proved little challenge for the battle-hardened Ninja. Being forced to return to the mundane seemed so... unattractive. She craved for a worth opponent, much like the many who had come her way searching for the Cursed Sword. If only that evil weapon was still around... that was she could at least stay occupied for longer. Before she could blink, an idea came to her head. She would take off. After this contract, she would leave for... anywhere where action and excitement was promised. But, again, with Soul Edge destroyed, those places were few and far between. Something had to be done. Her journey took her to a market in Kyoto. There, she was stopped by a small, portly man who approached. "Hello, madam." He smiled at her. "I see you are a woman of great skill, no?" He asked. Taki simply nodded. "Excellent. I was wondering if I may interest you in a small... business proposition of mine. You see, I have an... invested interest in a place east of here, they're calling it "The New World". You see, it's unexplored. I was wondering if you would be willing to spend some time there, cut a path, so to speak for my employers. I would pay you well for your time..." He finished. "Interesting. Just what I've been looking for, a chance out of here. When do you leave?" Her gaze turned down the street as she said this. Her target was talking to a man on a street car. "We can leave whenever you are ready." Taki smiled, drew a shriken from her arm satchel and threw it at the man at the cart. The weapon hit it's mark, slicing his jugular open. "Let's go." The Ninja smiled. ::Seong Mi-Na:: "Ya know..." Seong Mi-Na smiled, looking at Yun-Sung sitting hopelessly on the ground. "It's no fun to just go back home." She finished. "Whaddaya mean?" He questioned, standing and dusting himself off. "Training! TRAINING!" She grinned ear to ear. Yun-Sung just looked dumbfounded at her. "Yealright." Was his response. Picking up his sword from the heap he had left it, he took his defensive stance. "Hit me." Mi-Na smiled, grasping her glaive with both hands. She brought the broadside of the blade across his head, nearly missing by an inch. He responded by a wild veritical chop, which Mi-Na parried. Their training session lasted some half an hour before Seong Mi-Na finally landed an otherwise crippling blow to his leg. "ARGLE!" He cried, collapsing. "Woohoo!" The victorious Seong Mi-Na called, holding her weapon up. "Alright, you. Back up with the bags!" She smiled. Her partner groaned and growled, grabbed the heavy bags, hiked one up on his back and the others under each arm. "I hate you..." He muttered, struggling along like a helpless housecat. Mi-Na just smiled, and twirled her Glaive around. "Hey, you know the rules, You Loose, You Bruise. Get bruisin'." He only growled again.
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