Soul Calibur ❯ Passage to First Light ❯ Ta Dranis ( Chapter 1 )

The sun had already cleared the eastern horizon above the Great Ocean when Taki reigned in her horse atop the last ridgeline of the Dunlow foothills. Beneath her, the knee high grass of the Dranis steppe lay like a great green carpet, stretching almost completely to the coast. At the ocean's edge lay her immediate destination, Ta' Dranis. From there, she hoped to find passage to Kenjamin First Light.

Even from this distance, the city was an imposing sight. The city men called “Unassailable” stood atop a mesa directly on the shore, protected on it three landward sides by sheer cliffs. The domes and minarets of its tallest buildings towered above high, granite walls that surrounded and crisscrossed the city. The walls divided Ta'Dranis into sections, a defense in depth to protect the castle in the northern ward. Not only had Ta'Dranis never fallen to assault; legends said the walls themselves struck out at anyone who attempted to scale them.

A challenge for another day, Taki thought, extending her spyglass and raising to her eye. If I survive this one. She swept over the city and northern horizon quickly out of habit and then methodically scanned the land and ocean to the south. The grasslands flowed almost undisturbed to the sea, broken only by the trace of the Vodmanon River and several major caravan routes. The ocean was calm, disturbed only by the wakes of ships departing Ta'Dranis that had not yet sailed out of view.

Taki counted the retreating sails and swore. The number leaving far exceeded the number arriving, confirming the old man's warning of an approaching storm. Two days before, he had predicted it would hit in four days. The heavy feel to the air and the departing ships cut deeply into his timeline. She estimated she had about six hours.

“Come on, Taiga,” she said, kicking her horse into a gallop. “We have to find a ship.”

* * *

“No.”

Taki had barely entered the room when Graylon Jarn spoke from his chair behind a large oak desk. Slightly taken aback, she quickly recovered and continued as if she had not heard him. “Good day, Captain Jarn,” she said, bowing slightly. “My name is -“

“Don't want to know,” he interrupted. “Knowing wouldn't change my mind even if I did, so why bother?”

So much for pleasantries, Taki thought, finishing her bow. At least he's not trying to waste my time. She studied the scene before he briefly before saying anything. Jarn was a large dark-skinned man who seemed too large for the desk and chairs in the room. He had short black and white woolen hair and fierce dark eyes that seemed never to blink. Unlike other the other sea captains, he dressed plainly, and wore no make up or jewelry. Two stacks of paper and a nautical map were neatly arranged on the table in front of him. Behind him two men observed her silently, their sword arms resting lightly on the pommels of short swords belted to their waists.

“This is my first visit to Ta'Dranis, Captain,” she said, looking at the two men before meeting Jarn's unblinking stare. “Is it customary to treat strangers so rudely, or is it just me?”

“Ta'Dranis is a very welcoming town, Miss.” He answered politely, settling back in his chair. “So I guess its just you.”

Taki had not expected him to be any more agreeable than the other four captains, but his shortness and subtle hostility surprised her. He had obviously already learned of her needs, and his rivals' answers. The others had at least listened, though, demanding outrageous fees or lewdly suggesting other forms of payment - all in advance - before finding some reason not to take her on as a passenger. She quickly dismissed the idea that he had been offended for not being asked first; he seemed too efficient a businessman for such pettiness. Whatever had persuaded the others had not only convinced him, but had motivated him sufficiently enough not to waste time with her.

Taki realized she would likely only find increasing resistance and hostility to her request. Someone had anticipated her need to beat the approaching storm and moved faster than she had. She was going to lose four days waiting for the storm to blow over, more than enough time for someone else to claim the shard of the Soul Edge she believed to be somewhere in Kenjamin.

She pushed the idea of defeat to the back of her mind and focused on the man in front of her. Regardless of the outcome, she would not suffer his rudeness. She leaned forward and placed her palms flat on the table. Even though he was seated, her face was level with his. “Where I come from,” she said, meeting his unblinking eyes. “When you allow someone to pass through your door, they are at least grant them the courtesy of a complete audience.”

Jarn smiled. “And I have done so. You came to me seeking immediate passage north to Kenjamin. I said no. You asked about the customs of our town. I answered. It seems to me that I have granted you proper courtesy. Now if you excuse me,” he leaned forward and made a show of focusing his attention on his papers. “I have to complete my manifests.”

Taki followed his eyes down to the papers. While the piles did appear to be inventories of some kind, the map caught her attention. A series of dashed lines outlined a multi-legged course, first east away from the city, then north, then northwest to -

He wants to go. Hope that she could claim the shard again filled her. That's why he wants me to leave. He's afraid his curiosity will get the best of him.

“I know going to Kenjamin would be a bad financial move for you, Captain. You probably wouldn't find cargo there for a return trip. But,” she added sweetly, smiling when he looked up at her changed tone, “Seeing as you are already planning to go,” she placed a finger on next to the route on the map. “Why don't you let me pay some of your expenses?”

His frowned and slapped her hand away from the map. “It's time for you to leave. Goodbye.”

The word was a command for the guards, who began moving toward her from both sides of the desk. Taki kept her eyes on the captain, but relaxed her focus to take in their movements. The one to her left moved in quickly, arms low and wide to grab her. The other moved more deliberately, his hand tightening on his sword hilt.

They are his crew, Taki reminded herself. You need them, too.

She braced herself on desktop and kicked out high with her left foot, catching her would-be grappler in the solar plexus. The force of her strike caused him to bring his arms together around her extended leg, providing enough leverage for her next move. She spun her body upward, bringing her right foot up to connect with the side of his head. He was unconscious well before he hit the wall and slumped slowly to the floor.

Taki reversed her hands on the desktop and accelerated her spin, moving across the surface like an upside down whirlwind. Her feet passed inches from Jarn's face several times before slamming into the second man's head, spinning him around and sending him crashing into a far corner. She somersaulted out of the spin and landed noiselessly in a crouch next to the door, her hand over her shoulder and ready to draw her blade.

Graylon Jarn was still seated. Wide eyed, he looked several times from the desktop to the guards sprawled on the floor then to the slender woman threatening him, as if trying to figure out what had just happened. Failing at that, he shook his head and stared at her.

“Word of strangers with strange requests spreads quickly, even in large cities.” she said, standing and approaching the desk. “And often becomes more distorted with each retelling. She leaned forward on the desk again. “Please allow me to explain my need myself before you dismiss me.”

The captain closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Taki could see from the tension in his jaw and slight twitching of his eyelids that he was struggling against something. What was it that frightened these men so?

“Three days ago,” Jarn said suddenly. “A ship weighed anchor here. I'd never seen anything like her. Beautiful and dreadful at the same time, with black and blood red sails, and red gold trim everywhere. The dragon's head at the prow was likely a ram. Only a 12-gun, but she seemed as large as any grand battleship of the fleet. And graceful, too. The captain kept her under full sails well into the harbor shallows, striking them at just the right moment to glide her up to the dock with nary a bump. I thought it an eastern ship ship, but the crew looked entirely western. She had no name, but one of the crew called her Grimjack.”

He opened his eyes and looked at her, but continued when he saw she did not recognize the name. “Her quartermaster said they were in for supplies, but no one I've spoken to saw them take anything aboard. Instead, the crew apparently visited every merchant captain in port, warning them not to offer you passage to Kenjamin First Light before the coming storm blew over. Their captain promised a terrible fate for the crew that sailed for you. They roughed up some good men to make their point.”

The tension Taki had seen in his eyes grew as he continued. “Still, their captain felt some of us needed stronger warnings. My navigator went missing just before the Grimjack weighed anchor yesterday morning. A few hours later, I got this.” He pulled a folded piece of parchment from his shirt picket and handed it to her. “Everyone you visited today got one.”

Taki realized as she took the note she had stopped breathing as he told his tale. She knew of few men capable of such intimidation, and had survived this long by making sure they knew nothing of her. And, as far as she knew, none of them had any connection to the Soul Edge shards. Even if she failed to get the piece from Kenjamin, information on her unknown opponent would be useful. She opened it slowly, hiding her excitement.

 

He is safe for now. I will return him to you intact if you obey.

However, know that if you offer your sails to the woman, you

offer his spirit to me.

 

Offer your spirit! The words and the hollow laughter that accompanied them echoed in her mind as she read the note a second time. This is not possible! She thought. Cervantes is dead!

Or was he? Taki had run both her blades through his heart in their final fight for the Soul Edge years ago, nearly losing her own life to deny him his prize. You didn't see him die, she reminded herself. You saw him fall overboard. And the blade was lost in the same storm.

Jarn watched her face as she studied the not. “You know him, then?”

She nodded. “Not one to be taken lightly. There is no `live to regret it,' when dealing with Cervantes De Leon.” She looked up at him, puzzled. “Yet you considered helping me anyway. Why?”

Jarn shook his head. “No, I was not. I was planning of flowing him with or without you. My navigator, Torain, is also my son.”

“Cervantes will kill your son.” And feed his soul to that foul blade. “And if he gets what he wants at Kenjamin, he may come back here to celebrate. You need me if you hope to get Torain back.”

The captain nodded. “If he fears you enough to threaten the entire Dranine merchant fleet and steal my son, you are likely my only hope.” He stood, dwarfing Taki by at least two feet. “If you'll excuse me, I must tend to my men. My ship, the Strand Seeker, is at pier eight. We sail in an hour.”

“Thank you, Captain,” she replied, turning to leave. They would be clear of the harbor and well underway before the storm hit. “You have no idea how important it is that I reach Kenjamin.”

“Don't be so sure, Demon Hunter,” he cautioned. He smiled as she spun around. “I've heard of Cervantes De Leon and the foul magic he supposedly went insane pursuing. But that is not my affair. I want my son back.” His smile disappeared. “And since Torain was taken because of you, I am holding you responsible for making sure that happens.”