Disclaimer: I own me, but not the franchise I delve in.
[i]Transcending history, and the world, a tale of Souls and Swords, eternally retold…
The year to be shown is once more, 1591, but surprisingly, the tale will begin four hundred and sixteen years into the future, in Bristol, England.
The year is two thousand and seven, and I am about to go on the worst trip of my life[/i]
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Yet another day of dreariness. I have been seventeen for quite sometime now, and the school day I had just been through held nothing exciting for me. Do this, write that, make sure you use this in the exam, blah, blah blah. It’s October, for god’s sake, exams aren’t for a few months!
Coming home was the same as always too. How was school? Any homework? Go have a shower. Pizza for tea. Can I quickly get on the computer? All day, everyday, this happens. It makes me wish something interesting would happen.
Now, I’m a bit of a nerd. Ok, ‘a bit’ is a complete understatement. I’m like nerd central. For my birthday, I got a black cloak, crusader shield and leather gauntlets, which was cool, as I asked for them. And no, I don’t play dungeons and dragons. I got them because I wanted to take part in a recreation of a medieval battle, and plus, they were a little cool to look at, and went well with the sword I already obtained from an online auction.
Anyway, for me, the day was long and dull. Excitement was non existent in my life, and I lead awake that night wondering if anything new would come up. But somehow, a quant little event made that happen. I heard a tapping at my bedroom window. I sat up for a second, contemplating whether or not I should check. Dismissing it as my own imagination, I lead back down. However, the noise repeated itself. I raised an eyebrow to this matter. Now, normally, a noise that one imagines rarely repeats itself, and with that much clarity. Sitting up again, I turned my attention to my window. Now, normally, I would expect the tapping to be something human if it repeated itself, and decided to arm myself. Because, I mean, if anybody wanted to get into my home for friendly reasons, at this time, they would use the front door, right? If they weren’t a friendly person, then they would try an alternative route. I would have thought that the person trying to get in was some person thinking that they could take advantage on a young child’s tired mind, and help them into the house by calling themselves ‘The Sandman’ or something.
Drawing the sword from my closet, I made my way over to my window. Making sure the sword was in obvious view to the trespasser, I pulled back the curtain. To my surprise, a raven stood on the ledge on the other side of the glass. In its mouth was a large object, accompanied by what looked like a piece of old paper. On the paper, I was able to read; “open the window, he won’t peck.” I raised a curious eyebrow and hesitated. As I stared during my hesitation, the text on the paper changed to; “come on boy, this is urgent.”
“Ok,” I started “that’s freaky…” the text changed again
“For god’s sake, child, open the window!” tightening the grip on the hilt of my sword, I opened the window. The Raven fluttered in and landed on my dresser drawers. It dropped the objects in its mouth and then flew out the window again. I swiftly closed the window behind it and stood for a while. I walked over to the objects on the wooden surface. The paper’s text had changed again
“Do you know what this is?” it asked, probably referring to the object on the dresser. I picked it up and inspected it. The texture of it felt like a chunk of metal off of something very old, like the hull of a ship.
“I think it’s a chunk of metal,” I answered. The paper changed its text
“Right… well, get dressed. You’re going for a little walk.”
“Why?” I asked
“Do you really have to ask? Just do it!” I opened the top drawer of my dresser. I looked up for a second to see the text change once more
“No, no, no,” it read
“What?”
“You cannot wear modern clothing. Wear that medieval clothing you have in your closet. And bring that sword and that shield with you,” it read again. Ok, now I’m really confused. Did it just say that I should bring weapons? I’d be arrested!
“Why?” I asked
“If you are worrying about the authorities, then do not worry, you will be fine.” I started to worry, but complied. I dressed in my cloak, and shirt with my tweed waist coat, put on the leather gauntlets and greaves, slipped my feet into a pair of walking boots, attached my sword to my belt and strapped the heater shield to my left arm
“What about technology? Is that allowed?” I asked. The paper changed, writing its next text as if sighing
“…fine. You can take two pieces of technology which you can pass off as magical items,” it read. Ok, magical items… that was weird. I decided to take my iPod and a new wind-up charger to go with it. If the place I was going to had no need for modern items, I’d have a hard time trying to find electrical outputs. As the iPod was a small black tablet sort of item, I thought I could call it a ‘Song Stone’, or something.
After another five minutes of preparing, I wrote a note to my parents saying that I might not be here in the morning and that I loved them… hey, talking paper, ravens giving me chunks of metal, this stuff makes death seem more probable than anything else. I found the paper in my room again
“Ready?” it asked. I gave a nod, wondering if it had eyes
“Good, then let us proceed. Make your way to the woodland being the education facility,” it read. The woods behind my school? That was a little risky. That wood has had histories of very dangerous people living there, including drug addicts and murderers. I sighed. I had a sword and shield. Methinks they might stay away.
Taking the paper with me, I made my way out my door and along the road. I liked the tranquil streets at this time of night. No cars, no bikes, no pedestrians. It was like civilization wasn’t existent anymore. I progressed down the streets. I was unfortunate enough to not be able to witness the full brilliance of the stars due to light pollution. My footsteps echoed through the clear air as I walked along the concrete pathway. The paper was right, no police whatsoever.
The walk took me ten minutes to get there intact. Over a fence or two, passed various houses and farm animals, and I ended up on the edge of the forest. Taking a deep breath I made my way in. I took a look at the paper, but it was blank. Not a single clue as to what I should do next. I decided to walk in a general direction and see if the paper reacted.
As I continued through the woodland, I noticed an area that was emitting a bright light. I dismissed it as a group of campers, and prepared to walk passed, but the paper reacted. Instead of writing something, it folded itself into a small arrow and pointed me towards the light. I raised an eyebrow
“You sure?” I asked. It rocked back and forth as if nodding. I placed my right hand on my sword and placed my shield across my chest.
I walked slowly towards the light and saw that it was increasing greatly. It started to become blinding to my eyes, and I cowered behind my shield a little. I felt the ground below me change from soil to stone. Lowering my shield slowly, I witnessed day light in a completely different place. The area was a large platform in a great ruin, somewhere in a large and delicate expanse, over a river of some sort. The sharp pain of worry hit my stomach like a hot poker
“Where the hell am I?” I whispered
“The Ling-Shen Su proving grounds, China, fifteen ninety-one,” stated a deep voice from behind me, “it’s a shame, really, you missed the turn of the century” I drew my sword and hastily turned around. I thought that my eyes had deceived me for a moment. I witnessed an African American man, tall and muscled, in a gold and white, Egyptian style outfit. In his right hand was a gold and white scythe
“Zasalamel… no…” I whispered
“Do not fret, boy, I am not up to any ‘evil’ ways as that electronic video game depicts,” he started, “besides, if I wanted to trick you into fighting for me, then I would have picked someone who was a more skilled warrior.” My grip on the sword tightened, but then loosened to the point that I dropped the blade. The sudden realization of where and when I was had sunk into my mind, which caused me to loose my grip on the conscious world and faint…
I awoke to the sound of running water. I could see the dark roof of a cave. I slowly sat up and started to shake which the frightful realisation that this wasn’t a dream
“Well, I see you’re awake,” sounded Zasalamel’s voice from another part of the cave. He walked in and handed me a small cup of liquid. Instinctively, I cowered back a little, “it’s quite alright, it is merely water.” I slowly took the cup and looked at it. He was right, nothing but plain water. I drank it slowly, and I couldn’t taste any abnormalities with it, so I drank the rest with great haste. After that, I placed the cup on the floor and tried to stand
“What’s going on?” I asked. I was in no position to demand, so I just made sure to ask the right questions
“Soul Edge has returned, after a short period of time. After I managed to use its power to remove the curse of immortality, it disappeared. It’s come back now, only after a week of disappearance.” He replied, a solemn tone in his voice
“Who has it?” I continued
“Well, a trader found it. Apparently a woman impaled herself with it, so she wouldn’t become corrupted from the weapon,” Zasalamel answered, “He’s in hiding now, as Nightmare is hunting him.” I paused for a minute to recollect my memories of the video game’s plot
“So… if Nightmare is still out there,” I began, “why can’t you destroy it? I mean, you assisted in its creation”
“It is not as simple as that,” the enigma explained, “Soul edge possessed it. Now that it is a new being, it is impossible for me to diffuse it, unless the essence of Soul Edge inside of it is killed.” I looked to the ground. I had a feeling that being here would not be that simple
“Well, why am I here?” I asked
“Because you have a light aura,” Zasalamel explained, “you have gained it by spending years of your life, trying to do the right thing, albeit, not always succeeding. Which is the main reason why you were not corrupted by that piece of Soul Edge you have.” That statement shocked me a bit. I pulled out the tainted metal from my pocket and stared at it
“Why in god’s name do I have a piece of Soul Edge?” I demanded, “I’m the most un-reliable person to have such a piece!”
“Maybe, but if you were the one who I need to destroy Soul Edge, then you should have a fragment” Zasalamel explained. I sighed. I couldn’t argue. I’m at the end of the sixteenth century, in a cave with a guy who could previously reincarnate himself whenever he died. I felt like I was going mad, but I spent a few minutes organising the new and shocking information to prevent me from loosing my marbles. Effective, yet tiring. I knew that the only other way out of this without destroying Soul Edge was, effectively, death
“What do I have to do?” I asked
“After your training, I’ll send you to a water mill within a valley. There, you shall meet a young woman who is currently in possession of Soul Calibur. Then, the two of you will find a man who is trying to forge a new holy blade,” he answered, “do you know why?”
“Is it because Soul Calibur is made from purified fragments of Soul Edge, so when it tries to destroy Soul Edge, it can’t” I answered “mainly because the fragments become tainted and the blade is therefore deemed useless until purified?”
“Precisley. The blade may be able to combat the cursed sword, but it is unable to truly destroy it,” Zasalamel explained “so, this blacksmith is making a second blade without the use of any fragments. That way, it would pack more of a punch, and wouldn’t be at risk to taint”
“I guess that makes sense. What type of sword is it? Claymore, zwiehander, snake…”
“Broad,”
“Broad sword? So I’ll be able to wield it?”
“Effectively,”
“Crud,”
“Why?”
“I don’t know if you know, but I’m not the fighting type,”
“Then why do you have those weapons?”
“I collect,” I explained, “if there was a war going on in the twenty first century, it would be much more effective to use a firearm instead of a sword.”
“I see. Either way, I will still train you,” Zasalamel answered, “on your feet”
It took days of practice for me to at least remember the basics of my chosen combat. I was still sorely unfit for a real battle. It took another week before I was battle ready and up for my final test
“Ok, Joshua,” oh yeah, for those who don’t know, my name’s Josh Hastings. I’m British, and I really dislike footy. Let’s just leave it at that, “you’re ready to make your way to the valley, but before you do, you have to make sure you have mastered your discipline.”
“Fine then,” I replied. I drew my sword and took up a defensive pose
“Try and knock me to the ground using whatever method you need,” Zasalamel stated. I changed from defensive to offensive and ran at him. I raised my blade and brought it down hard on his scythe. It made a metallic ping as both metals collided. I then proceeded to slam my shield into him. my inferior power made my plan a failure, and I was pushed back. I then ran at him again and performed a slide tackle. It made contact and Zasalamel tumbled forward. I scrambled to my feet and turned around. I could tell that he was going easy on me
“Excellent. Now then. I believe that you know of special abilities?” he asked
“Sure,” I replied
“You can choose two of four in this world,” Zasalamel stated. At the click of his fingers, magic holograms appeared, “just stab the sword into the pictures, and your mind will be filled with the knowledge needed.” I slowly stepped forward and stared at the pictures. They moved to demonstrate what each one did. I witnessed a particularly advertising one, which showed a powerful five hit combo. I stabbed the blade into the hologram and I witnessed the picture suck itself into my blade, and I experienced a stinging headache as the new information burned itself into my memory. Shaking off the feeling, I looked for another special move. I saw one that charged a ball of flame in the blade and threw it at the opponent. I repeated the learning process and rubbed my sore head after it was finished. I opened my eyes to see a large wooden dummy infront of me
“Good, now that you have learnt these new skills, try using them on this dummy, just so you can get used to using the full power of your soul,” Zasalamel explained. I tightened the grip on my sword. Using the new knowledge found, I began to slice the dummy with the first thing I had learnt and finished it with the next. The dummy crumbled as it burnt in terrible flames. While most would be pleased with these abilities, I was terrified. I was accident prone in my past life. Giving me these abilities is like a death sentence. I guess I would have to use these as little as possible
“Perfect,” the enigma stated, a grin on his lips. He handed me a map of the world with several markings on it. I felt aware that I would need a horse, or it would take for ever. You all know the chain by now.
Zasalamel explained what I had to do, where I should go, and who or what to beware of. Still unsure of my mission, I made sure to ask many questions before being sent on my way. as I left the training grounds, I gave a sigh of grief while walking through the thin woodland.
I wanted excitement, but not this extreme.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I’ve been after doing a fanfic for the forum, and then I remembered that I had scrapings of a Soul Calibur fic cluttering around on my computer so yeah.
my first chapter was my best, and it kinda deteriorated onward.
this takes place after the events of Soul Calibur 3, if Zasalamel completed his missions but didn’t kill any of the major characters.
look for another instalment fairly soon. that is, if you liked it 
and for those who are wondering, the reason why I put myself in this fic was because, well, I find it easier. I already know who I am, I don’t have to spend a countless amount of time explaining the emotions of every character in a 20 mile radius, and I really only have to focus on one character’s development through the entire process. (don’t worry, I’m working on becoming a better writer. I do want to write a book, after all)
Anyway, you might want to stress more the transition from 21st century to old mystical-tourney-land. This isn’t an everyday event after all. The sandboxing about nerd central seemed unnecessary (and everyone knows recreations/Larp are nerdier than D&D wink). If you want to write, read, read and read some more.