Fan Fiction ❯ Second Advent of the Vow ❯ The Child of the Evil Sword ( Chapter 12 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: regie27 
A battle berween two warriors and an unexpected discovery that shocks everybody.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.15.2003 | Updated On: 02.29.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 228 | Status: Completed
A battle berween two warriors and an unexpected discovery that shocks everybody.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.15.2003 | Updated On: 02.29.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 228 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: For those who don’t know it, I do not own Taki, Ivy, Sophitia, Rock or any of the Soul Calibur characters. Pity, isn’t it?
Chapter VI: The Child of the Evil Seed
*Note: Violent content due to sword battle scenes depicted.
The Fygul Cestemus Grand Priest Kumpaetku looked very pleased. A servant filled his glass with wine as his falcon eyes scanned the arena, waiting for the upcoming fight. He had been quite lucky as of late. His beloved army of beastly creatures had been embellished with the recent acquisition of a most unexpected new member.
He first knew of her existence when the platinum-haired vixen had managed to sneak into the late Vercci’s Money Pit, escaping his freakish blind guardian Voldo, unharmed. The incident had been narrated to him by his loyal network of informants, his eyes and ears for all things related to Soul Edge everywhere his dark cult congregated followers. Soon after, she had joined the Azure Knight in his quest for souls and with Kumpaetku’s beasts Lizardman and Astaroth, they had formed the formidable “Schwarztrom”. The attractive woman stood out from this army of beasts like a rose in the desert. Although he was very aware she had her own agenda, he still prided in having someone so enchanting under his influence, at least temporarily. Too bad he would have to order Astaroth to annihilate her for coveting Soul Edge for herself, but today he planned to enjoy her charms and talents fully on the hot theater of the arena.
-“At last her turn! I was getting bored to death here!” he muttered to himself, as he downed the sweet wine avidly. Many of the last fights had their share of action but barely any bloodshed. This breed of fighters were too damn noble for their own good and had avoided inflicting fatal blows on their challengers.
- “Hopefully, my lovely Ivy will change that,” Kumpaetku reflected with a cruel smile. He knew she spared no one and her “unique” weapon, designed and created by herself, was more than willing and fit to inflict pain to any victim that dared challenge her. Her shrewdness and her intellect still amazed him. Her knowledge on the arcane and the dark arts was almost as profound as his but still, all her intelligence was not enough to notice that the very thing she desired was within her grasp.
-“My beauty, if you only could realize how close you are from what you’re searching for! Ignorance can be such a blessing sometimes and in this occasion it is for my advantage.”
-“Master Kumpaetku, your protégé is about to start,” one of his bodyguards said.
-“Very well, my treat is about to begin. Go my huntress, display to this ignorant world your talents and enthrall them!”
The irongate slowly lifted to let Lady Isabella Valentine enter the grounds with the secure walk of a panther about to leap over its unaware prey. Her hair resembled silver with the intense Mediterranean sunrays caressing her. Her unorthodox choice of clothing made her look like a temptress from pagan lands and brought muffled gasps from the audience. She relished the avid gazes upon her and took her time into walking to the center of the arena. Taki was already there, waiting, studying attentively her rival with her arms crossed over her chest. This woman was like nothing she had faced before, not even the countless demons she had vanquished in her native land. As she neared her, the dark sensation increased by leaps and bounds. Her gauntleted left hand went over Mekki-Maru, fearing the treasure of her clan may reveal all of its mysterious secrets fed by the strange sensation that emanated from her opponent. Before entering, she had performed a sealing rite to prevent it from getting out of control but now she feared it might have not been enough. She took a deep breath in the manner she had been taught to clear her mind of any fears and thoughts that could interrupt her concentration.
The voice from the announcer, clearly enjoying the moment he shared with the two voluptuous female warriors at his side, interrupted her trail of thoughts. While he gave them the final instructions, Taki felt the strong gaze of her rival watching her with the type of deadly admiration hunters display when they observe their prey, and the delight of anticipating the kill flicked on her cold blue eyes. Taki’s right arm rose above her head in a ready stance, her fingers touching slightly the hilt of her beloved Rekki-Maru. Her opponent brought her sword out of the sheath, shaking her head while assuming a fighting stance. A light smile of supreme confidence curved on her lips.
-“Ready, fight!”
What Taki saw next was almost inexplicable. With a soft movement of her wrist, the blade of Ivy’s sword suddenly extended, resembling a whip. The surprise almost caught her off guard as the tip of the whip-blade slashed on her side, but Taki evaded it rolling swiftly while her opponent brought the whip back to sword form.
-“What do you think of my treasure now?” Ivy laughed haughtily.
-“Not bad, but I hope you do better than that!” replied the ninja.
Ivy was extending her blade again when Taki came in a whirl of red and before Ivy could move, her boots connected her opponent’s upper body in a solid kick. Ivy managed not to lose her footing but as she tried to lift her whip, Taki rushed again and hit her with a horizontal kick that brought Ivy down to her side.
Crushing a sandy pebble through her fingers, Ivy spewed: “You wench! You will pay for that!”
The Englishwoman stood up angrily and recalled her whip back to sword stance, rushing the Japanese warrior. Rekki- Maru’s blade gleamed deadly as it was brought out of it’s sheath by the ninja, blocking her challenger’s impact. Ivy’s brought her golden armored left arm up to hit Taki’s face, but again the ninja stopped the blow in mid air and replied with a powerful blow to Ivy’s chest that brought her down violently in sitting position.
Taki was about to land another kick when Ivy lashed out her whip over Taki’s shoulder, making her roll away. Ivy stood up and lashed again towards her opponent, this time aiming at her legs. The tip of the whip caught Taki’s boot bringing her down. In horror, the demon huntress noticed the shreds of her boot falling away as the whip tightened over her ankle right below her armored shin, finally making it to her skin. The piercing links of the sword cut through her skin as easily it had cut the boot and Taki felt crimson blood spill over the arena as the blade hungrily gnawed on her ankle. Ivy, satisfied, recalled the sword, only to liberate it again, this time aiming to her enemy’s head.
Still on the ground and grinding her teeth to forget about the pain that shot through her ankle and leg, Taki rolled backwards to avoid the sharp point of the Ivy Blade. She stood up looking for a way to reach her opponent while avoiding the whip-sword, but every movement she did to avoid the lethal slashes, the more pain it accumulated on her sore ankle that still bled profusely. It was getting harder to shift her weight on the injured ankle and now her movements were getting slower and sloppier.
“Dance my friend. Dance until you can’t move any longer!” Ivy laughed maniacally while lashing her weapon repeatedly towards her injured opponent, shredding pieces of clothing and skin with each hungry slash. Summoning all her strength, with her ninjato at the ready, Taki lunged towards Ivy in a huge leap that landed on the opposite side of the arena. As Ivy turned to attack the scarlet ninja once more, Taki quickly closed in on her and her blade dug deep on Ivy’s right shoulder. Ivy screamed in pain as her blood tainted her pale skin, fueling her ire more. Holding the Ivy Blade with both hands, the warrior slashed it again towards Taki, who tried to dodge it but her injured ankle was already giving up, making her trip.
Taking advantage of that, amidst the stinging pain on her shoulder, Ivy directed her whip towards Taki’s torso but the ninja swiftly escaped; however, the sharp shards of the blade entangled on her ninjato in the process, snatching it from her grasp. The Demon Huntress rushed to pick it up but Ivy’s whip had already thrown it away from her reach. Taki’s left hand instinctively came over her waist and before she could realize what she was doing, the phantom blade Mekki-Maru was free from its confines. Ivy attacked again with noticeable effort due to her injured shoulder but Taki blocked it with Mekki-Maru. The ninjato trembled as soon it made contact with the whip-sword, while the Ivy Blade wreathed around it in a most unexpected union.
Both fighters looked in astonishment as an obscure aura started to emanate from them. The clear sky suddenly gave way to heavy, dark clouds that extended a long shadow over the Colloseum. Sophitia watched from afar as color drained from her face. Luminous fragments of blinding light started to encircle in a spiral over the arena. She knew well what that meant.
-“By Zeus, this can’t be!”
Rock came to her side while looking at the spectacle in dread, his tense expression mirroring hers.
-“But how this is happening?”
The audience looked on, shocked. Many started to scream loudly while others just left their seats hastily as fear overcame them. Panic ensued as everyone tried frantically to leave the suddenly cursed place. Only one audience member smiled in satisfaction while looking on the baffling spectacle. The Grand Priest Kumpaetku delighted himself in a wicked ecstasy; his throat letting out a delighted laughter as he watched the manifestation of the evil seed spread like wildfire all over the Colloseum.
-“Yes, yes, I knew my dear huntress will not fail me but this time she has outdone herself! Such a wonderful discovery we have just witnessed. What I had suspected all along has been revealed in front of my own eyes. I cannot allow her to depart us just yet. That precious power within her, all that potential…I have to make her mine too!”
On the arena, Taki’s eyes widened as suddenly she realized what her suspicions and Sophitia’s meant…
-“This aura…the shards of light! You…you are a bearer of the Evil Seed!”
The ninja’s words stopped the Englishwoman cold on her tracks as she intended to recall the Ivy Blade back from it’s unexpected embrace with the masked fighter’s blade. What kind of nonsense was this woman talking about?
-“What? What does that mean? Speak to me!” yelled Ivy, obviously bothered. The ninja answered back as her eyes studied her own sword quizzically:
-“My sword has a fragment from Cervantes’ Soul Edge and your weapon has found kinship with mine. Your weapon shares the same cursed origin as mine. Where do you found such a evil craft?”
-“I did not found it. I conceived it and made it. It is my creation. It’s MY treasure!”
Taki looked at Ivy astonished. As she looked deeply into the whip-wielder’s steely eyes suddenly another face with the same eyes appeared over the Englishwoman’s. It was the dreaded pirate Cervantes! Apparently, this woman and Cervantes somehow shared the same cursed blood and his lineage had allowed her to endow her craft with the power of the Evil Seed.
-“Your “treasure” is a child of Soul Edge and you…you too are its offspring”
-“What are you saying?” -Ivy heard herself spew, the Asian woman’s words piercing through her inner fears. She knew what she once believed to be her family was just an illusion but none had a clue to whom her true parents were. What this woman was implying sounded too ludicrous, almost heretic. How can she know?
-“It’s the only explanation,” the ninja continued. -“You must be related somehow to the previous owner of the evil sword. You must be his child and as such you have the power of the Evil Seed within you.”
Ivy’s eyes widened and her mouth motioned into a rictus. What insanity was this woman saying? The mere association of her with that dreaded corsair made the air escape painfully from her lungs.
-“You are lying! It cannot be!” Her sleepless nights researching the whereabouts of Soul Edge, the tales of the immortal pirate, the night she brought her precious Ivy Blade to life and the incredible sensation of that boundless power that came to her command. The truth about her identity had always been accessible to her but she had not realized until this moment, revealed in the heat of a battle with this stranger. How could have she been so blind!
Ivy summoned her sword back ignoring the intense pain on her shoulder drenched in blood and furiously attacked Taki. The red ninja evaded the blow and recovered Rekki-Maru and awaited a renewed flurry of attacks from the enraged Ivy.
-“Do not deceive yourself. The truth is in front of you and you must accept it!”
But it was more than Ivy could bear in that moment and in a fit of desperation and insanity, her mind clouded with Taki’s piercing words echoing through her conscience, she left the arena, leaving the Japanese warrior behind.
-“Poor wretched soul! Having to live with that truth…”
Suddenly, Taki’s punished body gave way to the pain and exhaustion and her knees found the pebbled and sandy soil of the arena. She still felt Mekki-Maru stir on her hand, as if a part of it had been severed away again. With the last ounces of her strength, Taki concentrated and sealed Mekki-Maru back into its sheath again and before her head felt heavily into the sand, Rock caught her and lifted her up as if she was weightless. Sophitia walked to their side as she saw Andreas and Alexander approach them with a cart. Her good friends had not departed in fear, thank the gods!
-“Thank you my friend,” Taki managed to mutter softly.
-“Do not say a word. You must keep your strength to recover” answered Rock sternly. Sophitia came to his side, assessing worryingly the ninja’s wounds. Taki’s lifted her head slowly, her glance directed towards the Greek.
-“We were right in being suspicious Sophitia. She is the child of the Evil Sword. She’s Cervantes offspring.”
-“Please Taki, rest now. We need you to recover.”
Taki nodded slightly and her eyelids softly closed and blackness engulfed her.
************************************************************************ *********************************
Fortunately, none of the ninja’s injuries were life threatening but she would need a good rest before fully recovering. Once again, Andreas had proved his value in searching for the best physician of the city to treat their friend. As Taki slept quietly with several bandages wrapped around her limbs, Sophitia watched over her side, trying to understand the meaning of all the day’s events. Each step towards their objective brought increasingly strange discoveries. Will this child of Soul Edge become its new wielder? What role would she play in this bizarre story?
With her body tired too, Sophitia felt her muscles yearning for relaxation but her mind still kept itself in a state of alert. She decided to pray to ease her mind and spirit and allow her body some rest.
*Oh Athena, oh Hephaestus! Our road keeps twisting but we believe we will make it to the end. Guide us and grant us victory!*
Little did she know avid eyes were following them. Hungry eyes that kept their sleepless watch under the cover of the darkness of the moonless night. They waited for the perfect moment to strike and that moment was getting closer...
End of Book II
Chapter VI: The Child of the Evil Seed
*Note: Violent content due to sword battle scenes depicted.
The Fygul Cestemus Grand Priest Kumpaetku looked very pleased. A servant filled his glass with wine as his falcon eyes scanned the arena, waiting for the upcoming fight. He had been quite lucky as of late. His beloved army of beastly creatures had been embellished with the recent acquisition of a most unexpected new member.
He first knew of her existence when the platinum-haired vixen had managed to sneak into the late Vercci’s Money Pit, escaping his freakish blind guardian Voldo, unharmed. The incident had been narrated to him by his loyal network of informants, his eyes and ears for all things related to Soul Edge everywhere his dark cult congregated followers. Soon after, she had joined the Azure Knight in his quest for souls and with Kumpaetku’s beasts Lizardman and Astaroth, they had formed the formidable “Schwarztrom”. The attractive woman stood out from this army of beasts like a rose in the desert. Although he was very aware she had her own agenda, he still prided in having someone so enchanting under his influence, at least temporarily. Too bad he would have to order Astaroth to annihilate her for coveting Soul Edge for herself, but today he planned to enjoy her charms and talents fully on the hot theater of the arena.
-“At last her turn! I was getting bored to death here!” he muttered to himself, as he downed the sweet wine avidly. Many of the last fights had their share of action but barely any bloodshed. This breed of fighters were too damn noble for their own good and had avoided inflicting fatal blows on their challengers.
- “Hopefully, my lovely Ivy will change that,” Kumpaetku reflected with a cruel smile. He knew she spared no one and her “unique” weapon, designed and created by herself, was more than willing and fit to inflict pain to any victim that dared challenge her. Her shrewdness and her intellect still amazed him. Her knowledge on the arcane and the dark arts was almost as profound as his but still, all her intelligence was not enough to notice that the very thing she desired was within her grasp.
-“My beauty, if you only could realize how close you are from what you’re searching for! Ignorance can be such a blessing sometimes and in this occasion it is for my advantage.”
-“Master Kumpaetku, your protégé is about to start,” one of his bodyguards said.
-“Very well, my treat is about to begin. Go my huntress, display to this ignorant world your talents and enthrall them!”
The irongate slowly lifted to let Lady Isabella Valentine enter the grounds with the secure walk of a panther about to leap over its unaware prey. Her hair resembled silver with the intense Mediterranean sunrays caressing her. Her unorthodox choice of clothing made her look like a temptress from pagan lands and brought muffled gasps from the audience. She relished the avid gazes upon her and took her time into walking to the center of the arena. Taki was already there, waiting, studying attentively her rival with her arms crossed over her chest. This woman was like nothing she had faced before, not even the countless demons she had vanquished in her native land. As she neared her, the dark sensation increased by leaps and bounds. Her gauntleted left hand went over Mekki-Maru, fearing the treasure of her clan may reveal all of its mysterious secrets fed by the strange sensation that emanated from her opponent. Before entering, she had performed a sealing rite to prevent it from getting out of control but now she feared it might have not been enough. She took a deep breath in the manner she had been taught to clear her mind of any fears and thoughts that could interrupt her concentration.
The voice from the announcer, clearly enjoying the moment he shared with the two voluptuous female warriors at his side, interrupted her trail of thoughts. While he gave them the final instructions, Taki felt the strong gaze of her rival watching her with the type of deadly admiration hunters display when they observe their prey, and the delight of anticipating the kill flicked on her cold blue eyes. Taki’s right arm rose above her head in a ready stance, her fingers touching slightly the hilt of her beloved Rekki-Maru. Her opponent brought her sword out of the sheath, shaking her head while assuming a fighting stance. A light smile of supreme confidence curved on her lips.
-“Ready, fight!”
What Taki saw next was almost inexplicable. With a soft movement of her wrist, the blade of Ivy’s sword suddenly extended, resembling a whip. The surprise almost caught her off guard as the tip of the whip-blade slashed on her side, but Taki evaded it rolling swiftly while her opponent brought the whip back to sword form.
-“What do you think of my treasure now?” Ivy laughed haughtily.
-“Not bad, but I hope you do better than that!” replied the ninja.
Ivy was extending her blade again when Taki came in a whirl of red and before Ivy could move, her boots connected her opponent’s upper body in a solid kick. Ivy managed not to lose her footing but as she tried to lift her whip, Taki rushed again and hit her with a horizontal kick that brought Ivy down to her side.
Crushing a sandy pebble through her fingers, Ivy spewed: “You wench! You will pay for that!”
The Englishwoman stood up angrily and recalled her whip back to sword stance, rushing the Japanese warrior. Rekki- Maru’s blade gleamed deadly as it was brought out of it’s sheath by the ninja, blocking her challenger’s impact. Ivy’s brought her golden armored left arm up to hit Taki’s face, but again the ninja stopped the blow in mid air and replied with a powerful blow to Ivy’s chest that brought her down violently in sitting position.
Taki was about to land another kick when Ivy lashed out her whip over Taki’s shoulder, making her roll away. Ivy stood up and lashed again towards her opponent, this time aiming at her legs. The tip of the whip caught Taki’s boot bringing her down. In horror, the demon huntress noticed the shreds of her boot falling away as the whip tightened over her ankle right below her armored shin, finally making it to her skin. The piercing links of the sword cut through her skin as easily it had cut the boot and Taki felt crimson blood spill over the arena as the blade hungrily gnawed on her ankle. Ivy, satisfied, recalled the sword, only to liberate it again, this time aiming to her enemy’s head.
Still on the ground and grinding her teeth to forget about the pain that shot through her ankle and leg, Taki rolled backwards to avoid the sharp point of the Ivy Blade. She stood up looking for a way to reach her opponent while avoiding the whip-sword, but every movement she did to avoid the lethal slashes, the more pain it accumulated on her sore ankle that still bled profusely. It was getting harder to shift her weight on the injured ankle and now her movements were getting slower and sloppier.
“Dance my friend. Dance until you can’t move any longer!” Ivy laughed maniacally while lashing her weapon repeatedly towards her injured opponent, shredding pieces of clothing and skin with each hungry slash. Summoning all her strength, with her ninjato at the ready, Taki lunged towards Ivy in a huge leap that landed on the opposite side of the arena. As Ivy turned to attack the scarlet ninja once more, Taki quickly closed in on her and her blade dug deep on Ivy’s right shoulder. Ivy screamed in pain as her blood tainted her pale skin, fueling her ire more. Holding the Ivy Blade with both hands, the warrior slashed it again towards Taki, who tried to dodge it but her injured ankle was already giving up, making her trip.
Taking advantage of that, amidst the stinging pain on her shoulder, Ivy directed her whip towards Taki’s torso but the ninja swiftly escaped; however, the sharp shards of the blade entangled on her ninjato in the process, snatching it from her grasp. The Demon Huntress rushed to pick it up but Ivy’s whip had already thrown it away from her reach. Taki’s left hand instinctively came over her waist and before she could realize what she was doing, the phantom blade Mekki-Maru was free from its confines. Ivy attacked again with noticeable effort due to her injured shoulder but Taki blocked it with Mekki-Maru. The ninjato trembled as soon it made contact with the whip-sword, while the Ivy Blade wreathed around it in a most unexpected union.
Both fighters looked in astonishment as an obscure aura started to emanate from them. The clear sky suddenly gave way to heavy, dark clouds that extended a long shadow over the Colloseum. Sophitia watched from afar as color drained from her face. Luminous fragments of blinding light started to encircle in a spiral over the arena. She knew well what that meant.
-“By Zeus, this can’t be!”
Rock came to her side while looking at the spectacle in dread, his tense expression mirroring hers.
-“But how this is happening?”
The audience looked on, shocked. Many started to scream loudly while others just left their seats hastily as fear overcame them. Panic ensued as everyone tried frantically to leave the suddenly cursed place. Only one audience member smiled in satisfaction while looking on the baffling spectacle. The Grand Priest Kumpaetku delighted himself in a wicked ecstasy; his throat letting out a delighted laughter as he watched the manifestation of the evil seed spread like wildfire all over the Colloseum.
-“Yes, yes, I knew my dear huntress will not fail me but this time she has outdone herself! Such a wonderful discovery we have just witnessed. What I had suspected all along has been revealed in front of my own eyes. I cannot allow her to depart us just yet. That precious power within her, all that potential…I have to make her mine too!”
On the arena, Taki’s eyes widened as suddenly she realized what her suspicions and Sophitia’s meant…
-“This aura…the shards of light! You…you are a bearer of the Evil Seed!”
The ninja’s words stopped the Englishwoman cold on her tracks as she intended to recall the Ivy Blade back from it’s unexpected embrace with the masked fighter’s blade. What kind of nonsense was this woman talking about?
-“What? What does that mean? Speak to me!” yelled Ivy, obviously bothered. The ninja answered back as her eyes studied her own sword quizzically:
-“My sword has a fragment from Cervantes’ Soul Edge and your weapon has found kinship with mine. Your weapon shares the same cursed origin as mine. Where do you found such a evil craft?”
-“I did not found it. I conceived it and made it. It is my creation. It’s MY treasure!”
Taki looked at Ivy astonished. As she looked deeply into the whip-wielder’s steely eyes suddenly another face with the same eyes appeared over the Englishwoman’s. It was the dreaded pirate Cervantes! Apparently, this woman and Cervantes somehow shared the same cursed blood and his lineage had allowed her to endow her craft with the power of the Evil Seed.
-“Your “treasure” is a child of Soul Edge and you…you too are its offspring”
-“What are you saying?” -Ivy heard herself spew, the Asian woman’s words piercing through her inner fears. She knew what she once believed to be her family was just an illusion but none had a clue to whom her true parents were. What this woman was implying sounded too ludicrous, almost heretic. How can she know?
-“It’s the only explanation,” the ninja continued. -“You must be related somehow to the previous owner of the evil sword. You must be his child and as such you have the power of the Evil Seed within you.”
Ivy’s eyes widened and her mouth motioned into a rictus. What insanity was this woman saying? The mere association of her with that dreaded corsair made the air escape painfully from her lungs.
-“You are lying! It cannot be!” Her sleepless nights researching the whereabouts of Soul Edge, the tales of the immortal pirate, the night she brought her precious Ivy Blade to life and the incredible sensation of that boundless power that came to her command. The truth about her identity had always been accessible to her but she had not realized until this moment, revealed in the heat of a battle with this stranger. How could have she been so blind!
Ivy summoned her sword back ignoring the intense pain on her shoulder drenched in blood and furiously attacked Taki. The red ninja evaded the blow and recovered Rekki-Maru and awaited a renewed flurry of attacks from the enraged Ivy.
-“Do not deceive yourself. The truth is in front of you and you must accept it!”
But it was more than Ivy could bear in that moment and in a fit of desperation and insanity, her mind clouded with Taki’s piercing words echoing through her conscience, she left the arena, leaving the Japanese warrior behind.
-“Poor wretched soul! Having to live with that truth…”
Suddenly, Taki’s punished body gave way to the pain and exhaustion and her knees found the pebbled and sandy soil of the arena. She still felt Mekki-Maru stir on her hand, as if a part of it had been severed away again. With the last ounces of her strength, Taki concentrated and sealed Mekki-Maru back into its sheath again and before her head felt heavily into the sand, Rock caught her and lifted her up as if she was weightless. Sophitia walked to their side as she saw Andreas and Alexander approach them with a cart. Her good friends had not departed in fear, thank the gods!
-“Thank you my friend,” Taki managed to mutter softly.
-“Do not say a word. You must keep your strength to recover” answered Rock sternly. Sophitia came to his side, assessing worryingly the ninja’s wounds. Taki’s lifted her head slowly, her glance directed towards the Greek.
-“We were right in being suspicious Sophitia. She is the child of the Evil Sword. She’s Cervantes offspring.”
-“Please Taki, rest now. We need you to recover.”
Taki nodded slightly and her eyelids softly closed and blackness engulfed her.
************************************************************************ *********************************
Fortunately, none of the ninja’s injuries were life threatening but she would need a good rest before fully recovering. Once again, Andreas had proved his value in searching for the best physician of the city to treat their friend. As Taki slept quietly with several bandages wrapped around her limbs, Sophitia watched over her side, trying to understand the meaning of all the day’s events. Each step towards their objective brought increasingly strange discoveries. Will this child of Soul Edge become its new wielder? What role would she play in this bizarre story?
With her body tired too, Sophitia felt her muscles yearning for relaxation but her mind still kept itself in a state of alert. She decided to pray to ease her mind and spirit and allow her body some rest.
*Oh Athena, oh Hephaestus! Our road keeps twisting but we believe we will make it to the end. Guide us and grant us victory!*
Little did she know avid eyes were following them. Hungry eyes that kept their sleepless watch under the cover of the darkness of the moonless night. They waited for the perfect moment to strike and that moment was getting closer...
End of Book II