Soul Edge: Chronicles of the souls

You realise Sotek's tpyo was intenional, don't you?

Yes, before you ask, so was that one.

Sorry, but Pandaemonium's right. I ment to do that.

On 02-Sep-2006 Pandaemonium said:

You realise Sotek's tpyo was intenional, don't you?

Yes, before you ask, so was that one.

I'll just assume you mean those three and move on with my life. realise, tpyo, and inteniol, just so I win.

Sotek: I might've guessed. But it was still ironic.

'Realise' is the correct English spelling. As for 'intenional'... okay, I'll give you that one.

Simply to not spam, I predict an ambush by Astaroth at some point.

Chapter 19

Xiwei, Ming Empire

?So?you?re doing this because the sword killed your father.? Talim said, sounding a bit apologetic. I looked down as we walked forward, feeling a bit depressed as I remembered the events of that night. I had tried to tell some people before, but either I chickened out of it or they just weren?t interested and walked away. Talim was the first person who had listened to my story, and I felt slightly uplifted by her kindness.

When I did look up again, the sight wasn?t what I expected. ?Is that smoke?? I said to Talim, who looked over at where I was staring. We both ran towards the smoke, eventually coming across a castle that was in ruins. Many siege weapons had been left there, which was obviously what was causing the fire. ?You think this has anything to do with Nightmare?? Talim asked. I looked around, in case her question was true, but there was no sign of him. ?I don?t know, but we?d better investigate.? I said. Talim nodded, and we ran towards the wreckage.

?Got anything yet?? I asked Talim, after a while of searching, sensing for any dark energy left behind by Nightmare.
?None over here. What?s it like over there??
?I feel something faint, but it?s not Nightmare. It?s not strong enough.? I started to head in the direction of the faint aura. The castle?s inner area was completely decimated. Very little had survived the attack, what has was either on fire or was heavily damaged. As I headed for one of the exits, the aura became suddenly stronger. It felt similar to Nightmare?s but there was something different about it, but I couldn?t exactly pinpoint it. ?I?ve got something!? I yelled out to Talim, who came running over. We looked around the wall to see a man with a staff looking out at the sky. He wore a red jacket that went down to his feet, so not much of else of his body could be seen. ?He didn?t seem too evil.? Talim whispered, ?I think he?s on our side.?
?You can?t always be sure about these things.? I replied, ?But in this case, I think you cold be right.? We stepped out from behind the wall and approached him. ?Well, this definitely wasn?t Nightmare.? the man said.
?How can you be so sure?? I asked, causing the man to turn around, slightly startled by our sudden appearance. I could now see that he also wore red trousers with black boots. He also had a scar below his right eye. ?See these marks? These weren?t caused by Soul Edge. There?s no evil energy coming off of them. It can?t possibly be him.? the man explained. I nodded at his theory, while I wasn?t paying too much attention, the bits I got made sense. ?Anyway, my name is Kilik, and you?d be??
?Oh, I?m Stephen.?
?I?m Talim.?
?So?you know about Soul Edge then?? Kilik said, sounding somewhat concerned.
?Yes. We?re trying to destroy it.? Talim said.
?I see.? Kilik said, starting to pace around us. ?You do know about the dangers, don?t you??
?We know them perfectly well.? I said, starting to feel as if he disapproved our plans.
?You know it?s evil powers??
?Yes.?
?You know of the full power of Nightmare??
?Felt it for myself.?
?And what are your reasons for wanting to destroy it??
???
?Well??
??It?It destroyed my people?and caused me to exiled from what was left of them.? I eventually said grudgingly. Kilik stopped pacing at these words, and turned to face me. ?We?re not so different Stephen. Soul Edge also destroyed my people, and I also want it?s demise because of it.? He turned away and walked towards the edge of what was left of a drawbridge. ?You may want to destroy it, but if you don?t have the strength, you?ll get yourself killed.?
?How can we tell that we have the strength to do it?? Talim asked, taking a step in front of me.
?You?ll know if you can do it?if you two can beat me in a dual.? Kilik said, turning around and pointing his staff at us.
?Wait, how does that prove if we can do it?? Talim asked.
?I?ve fought Nightmare, and won. If you can defeat me, you?ve got a good chance at him.?
?Very well then.? I said, coming out of my depression from my memories that had come back. ?I accept your challenge.?
?So do I.? Talim said.
Kilik smiled ?I thought you would.?

?So, who would like to go first?? Kilik asked. I looked at Talim, who seemed to have suddenly become unsure about a fight. ?I?ll go first.? I said, stepping forward and drawing my swords. Kilik bowed before me in an honourable way, so I followed. ?Let?s hope I haven?t gotten rusty with this break I?ve had.? I thought to myself. Kilik got up and trusted his staff forwards. I rolled out of the way and ran in close to slash at him. Kilik blocked, and hit me several times on both sides of my head. I fell to thwe ground and rolled out of the way of Kilik?s stabs at where I was. I got up and kicked him in the back before he could turn around. Kilik rolled forward and drove his staff in to the ground, balancing on the end. He turned around on top of the staff before lifting it out of the ground and driving it down at my neck. I went numb for a few moments after this attack. Kilik stood next to me, staff by his side ?You OK?? he asked.
?Urgh?I?m fine.? I said, feeling my body again and getting back up. Kilik nodded and prepared to continue the fight.

I jumped in to the air and attempted a spin slash at Kilik. Kilik blocked it, but didn?t notice my second swipe at his legs. Kilik fell to the ground, but instantly got back up and charged forward, bringing his staff down in to the ground and swinging forwards, driving his feet in to my chest. I staggered backwards, maintaining my balance, and went in for another swipe at him. Kilik ducked and swiped at my legs, before bringing the staff up between them. Badly stunned, I fell to the ground in extreme pain. ?Oops. Are you OK?? Kilik said, knowing he went too far with that sneak attack.
?D?do you think I?m bloody well OK?? I yelled curling up in to a ball on the ground. I hadn?t felt this much pain since I could remember, not even Nightmare stung this bad. ?So wait?does this mean?I lose??
?Not yet. I said if you two can defeat me, so if Talim wins, I will acknowledge both of you.? Kilik said. I looked over at Talim, who seemed nervous. ?Come on Talim, you?ve got to do it.? I said, stil trying to ease the pain. Talim came over to me and dragged me next to a wall to lean on to. ?Are you sure? I?ve never had a real fight before.? Talim said nervously.
?You can do it?I believe in you.? I said. Resting me next to a wall, and absorbing my words, she faced my Kilik and stepped forward. ?I can do this. I will do this.? she said to herself.
?So, are you ready for this?? Kilik asked.
?I?m ready.? Talim replied, swinging her elbow blades round and walking towards him.

Nice chapter. I really don't have too much to say. Except you might want to avoid having your characters say "..." in the future. I get what you mean, but I think it'd be just as easy to say "He was silent." or something similar. Good work, though.

And Pan: Ok. In America, we use realize.

The manner of Stephen's defeat is as hilarious as it is painful. Good chapter, and as usual, I couldn't spot anything wrong with it.

Maybe now that Stephen's becoming more well known with the tournament, more people will read this.

Chapter 20

?His gentle eyes reveal a man of strong will?

?OK, don?t worry Talim, believe in yourself.? I could hear her say quietly to herself as she stopped swinging her blades around and moved in to a battle position.
?So, your OK with doing this, right?? Kilik asked, probably sensing her uneasiness, just as I could.
?Yeah, I?m ready.? Talim replied, with a little hesitation.
?Then let?s do this!? He said, before coming in and thrusting his staff forwards. Talim dodged it and gave him two quick whacks from both blades. Kilik staggered towards me, using his staff to retain balance and avoid landing on me. ?Hm, very good. Didn?t see that one coming.? Kilik commented, turning around and facing Talim again, ?But now, we get serious.?

Kilik ran forwards and attempted three attacks at either side of Talim?s head, but all three were ducked. Talim grabbed Kilik by the leg, dragged him backwards and hit him twice with the hilts of her blades, the second barrage knocking him away from her. Kilik wiped away some of the blood from his mouth and got back to his feet. Talim front flipped in to Kilik, bringing her feet in to his face and using it to do another front flip. Kilik was knocked backwards, only to have Talim land right on top of him, her feet in to his face. Talim got up and held her hand out for Kilik. ?Sorry about that. Are you OK??
?No need to apologise.? Kilik said, taking her hand up, ?I?m your enemy, you?re supposed to fight and try to win.? Talim nodded and returned to her fighting stance.

Starting to recover from the pain, I started to focus on the fight. I was amazed at Talim?s skill, if this really was her first proper fight, she was a natural at it. I moved myself up a bit so I was more comfortable and continued to watch the fight.

Talim ducked down and swiped one of her elbow blades at Kilik, who impacted the blow and swung his staff at her legs. The blow knocked Talim to the ground, but only temporarily as she got back up quickly. Kilik swung his staff at her head, but Talim swiftly dodged it and stepped back slightly. The place suddenly went dark, and Talim started to swing both her blades quickly. Fire suddenly started to come off of them, which let me know what it was she was doing. ?Come on?hit!? Talim yelled as She jumped up and brought her elbow blades down on Kilik. Kilik was instantly brought down to the ground.

Talim walked up next to Kilik, crouching next to him. ?Wow, when did you learn to do that?? I asked Talim, getting up on to my feet and walking up to her.
?A traveller came by our village a while before you came and showed us it, so I asked him how he did it.? Talim replied, before looking back down at Kilik. ?Do you think he?s OK??
?Don?t know. Those moves have some power.? I said, remembering that incident at the Money Pit. Suddenly, Kilik woke up and swung his staff along the ground, knocking both of us to the ground. ?You let your guard down, that was a critical mistake.? Kilik said, getting to his feet. ?This is where your opponent would show you the errors of your mistake.?

?Eat this!?

Suddenly, a man jumped down from the castle walls and attacked Kilik with a pair of nunchuks. After several hits to Kilik?s face, the man held back. ?You picking on a bunch of kids? You?re despicable mate.?
?I was testing them to see if they had stren?Maxi??
??How do you know my name??
?Maxi. It?s me, Kilik.?
?Kilik??
?Yeah, don?t you remember me??
?Ummm?nope, sorry.?
?You don?t remember anything? What about when I helped you fend off that golem and the lizard men??
?If you were, you did a crap job at it.?
?What about going to Ostrheinsburg castle to defeat Nightmare, destroy Soul Edge. You stayed behind to fight Astaroth, remember??
?Hmm?? Maxi pondered, seeming as if he was trying to remember something hidden within his mind. ?I remember Astaroth?and going to Ostrheinsburg castle?but I don?t remember anyone else, sorry.?
?Oh.? Kilik said, looking saddened by this news, ?I see.?

Maxi turned round to us and helped us up to our feet. ?You two OK?? he asked.
?Yeah, I?m fine.? Talim replied, while I simply nodded at him.
?Come on, let?s go.? Maxi said, leading us out of the castle ruins and leaving Kilik, who looked like a broken man. I started to feel some sort of doubt within me, considering we failed to defeat Kilik. ?Something wrong Stephen?? Talim asked, noticing my worried expression.
?Nothing. It?s just?we failed his test, how do we know we can do it.? I replied.
?Listen Stephen, whatever that guy said, forget it, don?t listen to him.? Maxi said.
?Huh??
?Who cares if you can?t beat him, he?s not the one you want, is he? I?m guessing it?s Nightmare, right??
I nodded.
?Well as long as you can defeat him, it doesn?t matter, does it? Besides, who says you?re not going to become even stronger??
?You?re right.? I realised, looking towards Talim with newly found determination. ?Think we can do it??
?Never doubted it.? Talim cheerfully replied.

?Thanks for your help Maxi.? I said to him, ?Anyway we can repay it??
?Well?? Maxi started, going silent and walking on a bit on his own. ?There is one way, but it?s too much to ask.?
?It doesn?t matter, we?ll help you anyway. As long as it?s en route to Ostrheinsburg.?
Maxi walked back towards us, still looking as if he was in deep thought. ?OK, but it?s a fair bit away from here.? I opened up my map and indicated him to show us where. ?I need you two to head for a place called Persia. I tell you more then, so get some rest tonight and I?ll meet you there when you arrive in a few weeks.?
?What, you?re heading there now? Why not stay with us so that w know exactly where were going?? Talim asked, knowing that it was the better option.
?I can?t, I?m sorry.? Maxi said, looking at the ground. After a small, awkward silence, I eventually said ?Well?guess we?ll see you there then.?
?I guess.? Maxi said, turning around and heading off. As Talim stayed there and watched him going off in to the distance, I turned round and pondered, that man seemed to have more powerful reasons for his actions than I did, but I had no idea what they were. Whoever Maxi was, he was a mystery.

« Last edited by Cervantes De Leon on Sep 19th 2006 »

Nice chapter. No real predictions, but I noticed a very insignificant grammar thing.

"Maxi turned round to us and helped us up to their feet. ?You two OK?? he asked."

Shouldn't it be helped us to OUR feet? nonetheless, good work. Looking forward to more.

Nunchucks, yo.

Yay, Maxi's in. I predict a savage Asta-thrashing some time soon. Good chapter, keep it up.

Post! That was a pretty cool chapter. I like the way you're incorperating the other characters' history into your story. And Kilik owned Stephan again.

Yo people, thought I'd drop by with the newest chapter

Chapter 21

A bitter wind blew as I woke up. After rubbing my eyes, I noticed that it was the middle of the night. I looked around the clearing in the forest that we stopped to rest at for anything that could signal the source of this bitterness. Nothing. I looked over to Talim who, strangely, hadn?t noticed it, as she was still asleep. I got up and walked about, looking for anything that could be it?s source. Still nothing. I eventually dismissed the feeling and went back. Suddenly, a familiar dark presence rushed through my body. There was no mistaking who it was, and this scared me, particularly when the feeling started getting closer.

?Wrrrrrroyaaaaaahhh!?

?****!? I thought, running back to our camp to warn Talim. Nightmare had found us, and he seemed ****** off. When I got back, she was still asleep. ?Wake up! We?ve got to get out of here!? I yelled, shaking her.
She didn?t wake up.
?Get up! Nightmare?s found us!?
She still didn?t wake up.
?Come on! We don?t have much time!?
Still nothing.
?Oh God.? I realised. Nightmare was the source of the bitter wind. It must have brought Talim in to some sort of coma. Grabbing her elbow blades, I lifted her up on to my back and ran with Talim riding piggyback.

As I ran, I could hear Nightmare charging forwards, trees collapsing as he stormed forwards. I looked behind me and saw him, his red eyes glowing more intensely than before. He swung Soul Edge at two trees that stood next to him, knocking them down towards us. I continued running, narrowly dodging the trees he destroyed. Suddenly, a tree came flying over our heads and landed in front of me. After running with Talim on my back, I was exhausted and in no condition to fight, and with the tree in front of us and Nightmare behind, we were trapped. ?You shall pay for your earlier resistance!? Nightmare yelled, walking slowly towards us. ?You shall pay with your lives.?

?Ayah!?

Out of nowhere, a man dressed completely in black swooped down from a tree and kicked Nightmare in the face. Nightmare staggered back, but quickly regained his balance. ?Urgh! Who do you think you are to oppose me?? Nightmare bellowed to the man, now angrier than ever.
?Your worst nightmare.? the man said, pulling out two wave shaped sword from behind his back. The man?s clothing was completely black. When he turned round to face me, I noticed through what was showing underneath his mask that his face was also black, with red eyes, but they didn?t glow like Nightmare?s. ?You with me kid?? he asked.
?Yeah.? I said, dropping Talim down next to the tree and drawing my swords.

Nightmare lunged at the man, who jumped up in to the tree. Nightmare dismissed the man and swiped at me instead. I managed to jump it, despite my weak condition, and slashed his helmet with both swords. Nightmare staggered slightly just in time for the man to come down from the tree, land on his head and knock him to the ground before slashing him with his wave swords. ?Heh, that wasn?t too bad.? the man said, turning towards me.
?Who are you?? I asked, having a seat on the ground.
?The name?s Shade.? he said, ?I?ve been in this area for several years honing my skills for when I have to fight people like him.?
?Well, thanks.? I said, looking at Nightmare?s body.
?Don?t mention it.? Shade said, looking ready to leave.

?You really think?I?ll go down that easily??

We both got a shock as the Azure Knight rose from the ground and roared in anger. I got up and tried to get a firm grip on my swords, but I couldn?t. It was almost morning and I was tired, plus I was exhausted from giving Talim her piggyback ride. Shade noticed this and put his arm in front of me. ?Leave this to me.? he said. ?Take your friend and get out of here.?
?But?what about you?? I asked, not wanting him to risk his life because of me.
?I may only be a trainee assassin, but I know plenty of stealth techniques to make sure he gets lost in here.?
?You?re an assassin??
?Yep. What do you think was the reason I knew you were being attacked??
?Oh.? I said, I hadn?t thought about that.

?Hey, I?m the one that attacked you. I?m the one you want.? Shade yelled. Nightmare swung his sword at Shade, who easily dodged it, ran up the sword and gave him a swift slice with the wave swords. Shade landed behind Nightmare and ran off in to the darkness. Nightmare looked at where he ran, before turning back to me. ?Don?t think you can escape from me.? Nightmare growled, before running off after Shade.

Returning my swords to their scabbards, I gave out a sigh of relief and exhaustion. Remembering Nightmare?s last words, I quickly got the still unconscious Talim on to my back, grabbed her blades and ran. I had to get as far away from him as possible.

Yay, cameo! Nightmare got owned again, so 'tis all good. Keep it up.

Oh aye, forgot to mention that. The character Shade is owned by Sotek and I'd like to thank him for letting me use him.

Yay, Shade made an appearence! Good chapter, I like the way nightmare isn't having much luck. Oh, and you got Shade's attitude spot on.

Good chapter. I really don't have too much else to say, but I'm looking forward to more.

Chapter 22

Persia,

?Wow, you look beat. What happened to your friend?? were the words that I was greeted to by Maxi.
?You?really?don?t want to know.? I panted out, exhausted. During the whole journey here, Talim didn?t wake up, so I had to drag her all the way here. Even worse, Nightmare must have given up on hunting Shade, as I could sense his presence nearby. ?Whatever.? Maxi said, ?You sure you?re wanting to help out??
?We said we would, didn?t we??
?Yeah, but it doesn?t look like you?re a ?we? at the moment.?
?The promise still stands.?
?Fair enough. Follow me.?

After a long walk, we stood at the entrance to an eerie looking mountain cave. ?Deep within this place lies the shrine of Kunpaetku.? Maxi explained. ?These people helped out the Azure Knight during his previous rampage. Among the countless amount of lizard-like creatures that were spawned from this hell-hole, they created a golem.? I turned around and fell to my knees in exhaustion. I looked around, admiring the view from up on the mountain we were on. Suddenly, I noticed something off in the distance. I was horrified by the sight of it. ?Oh God. Not here, anywhere but here.? I yelled as a warning to Maxi. Nightmare was approaching. ?Was he the one that knocked her out?? Maxi asked.
?Unfortunately yes.? I replied.
?Man, this guy?s got a thing for you.? Maxi said. ?We?d better get this done quickly before he stops us.?

When we entered the cave, I noticed a change in the atmosphere. The bitterness had gone, and I felt movement from the body on my back. I put Talim on the ground and waited for her to wake up. ??Uuum?Where am I??
?Sleep in much?? I asked, smiling.
?Is this?is this Persia?? Talim asked, noticing Maxi.
?You woke up just in time kiddo.? Maxi said, ?The fun is about to begin.?

We continued to walk in to the cave, though I lagged behind as I was still exhausted. We finally got to an open area, which had a greenish glow, probably from the greenish water that flooded the place. The place had dozens of stalactites hanging from the roof, with the actual roof being covered by a green fog. After taking in the surroundings, I looked at a platform that was above the water, where several people in black hooded coats were standing in a circle. There was flashes coming from within their circle, but I wasn?t sure what was causing it. ?What the hell is that?? I asked Maxi, who looked ****** off by what I was guessing was a ritual.
?That?is the golem I told you about. That is Astaroth.?
?So what is it that they?re doing?? Talim asked.
?Considering he was recently revived somehow, I?m guessing they?re restoring some of his power.?
?So what?s that plan?? I asked.
?I need you two to sneak up and take care of the members of the shrine, leave Astaroth to me.?
?Got it.? I replied.
?We?ll get them.? Talim also replied.

?Graugh!?

?What was that?? one of the shrine members yelled out, turning towards the source of the sound, behind us. ?Hey, we?ve got intruders!? he yelled as all of the other shrine members pulled out daggers.
?Oh, that?s just great!? Maxi said, motioning us forward to do our part of the deal.

Talim went in first, doing a sliding kick on the nearest shrine member, knocking him to the ground. Two shrine members surrounded her, knocking her to the ground. I charged in and stabbed one through the back, throwing his corpse off of my sword and on to the other guy. I helped Talim up before leaving her to take care of a few on her own. I dodged one member?s swipes narrowly before giving him a slash on the lags and a downward thrust in to the chest. I then noticed that I was surrounded by shrine members. Exhausted, I managed to perform a spin slash, taking out them all. I fell to my knees in exhaustion, looking towards Talim and noticing that she had taken out the rest of the shrine members except for one.

?I?ve had enough of this!? he yelled. He was clothed completely in black, just like the others, but he also wore a golden necklace, probably symbolising that he was the cult leader. ?Astaroth, get rid of these trespassers!? Astaroth stomped forwards, wielding a huge axe, roughly the same size as me. He wore black boots, waistband, gloves and a face cover that reached down to his shoulders. His most distinguishing, and disgusting feature was that his heart was on the outside of his chest, beating away as if it was normal. ?What, these worms? This is nothing!? Astaroth scoffed.
?Leave him to me! You two get out of here!? Maxi yelled, coming out from our hiding place and confronting the golem. ?It?s time to finish what we started.? We headed for the door, Talim holding my hand and dragging me forward just so I could keep up with her.

?I told you, there?s no escape from me.?

We stopped dead in our tracks as Nightmare blocked our path. ?I?ll finish you both this time.?
?Well, if it isn?t Nightmare. Thought you were killed by those bastards.?
?You think I could be stopped by two brats??
?Doesn?t seem like your stopping these two that well.?
?Just shut up and help me destroy these idiots, they?re starting to irritate me.?
?Well well, the great Azure Knight asking for help. I?ve got some spare time, so I?ll swat these flies.?
I looked at both of them simultaneously, I realised what we were in for. We were going to have to fight our way out of this and, with my current condition, I realised this wasn?t going to be an easy one.
?Graugh!?
?Exterminate!?

« Last edited by Cervantes De Leon on Sep 26th 2006 »

Awesome. Maxi+Stephen+Talim vs Astaroth+Nightmare

Just one thing... "We stopped dead in our tracks as Nightmare blacked our path"

*edits mistake*

If only I got a penny for every typo I made...

Yay, Astaroth! Three against two, eh? This should get interesting.