Zokusho: Crystal Blade Prologue Pt 2

It's exactly 23:10 GMT, which means that it's still Friday and this update isn't late. Just very nearly late. Anywhoo, this here is the second part of my Crystal Blade prologue. Edgar travels to Interplanes to track down the Blind Swordsmith, and gets into trouble along the way. Comments welcome.


Interplanes was as busy as ever, but Edgar had no problem navigating his way through the crowd. It didn’t take him long to reach the Surly Dragon, a bar/inn nestling in one of the slightly-less-than-reputable parts of the city. Despite its location it was one of the safest inns in all of Interplanes, mostly due to the rabble that always made its home there. Whenever any problems arose inside the patrons took it as an opportunity to join in, and this made slipping out the back the usual method of egress.
As Edgar entered he found what he was looking for almost instantly. A young couple was trying to hide in a corner. He knew they weren’t regular customers due to not only their style of clothing but also their lack of any visible weapons. He walked straight over and plonked himself down opposite them. They both looked terrified to see him.
“I take it you are Sheridan?” he gestured towards the girl. She nodded a silent yes. The boy gripped something hidden under his cloak. “You won’t be needing your sword my friend, I’m merely here because of an acquaintance.”
“What do you want with Sheridan?” he asked, not moving his hand. On closer inspection Edgar realised the boy was barely into his teens. Same as Sheridan. It was apparent that he had been given the job of protecting the girl as much to keep him safe as her. Edgar had a lot of work to do.
“I wish to speak to her father, but it appears that will not be as easy as I first thought. So I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m listening.” The boy said.
“I would like you to lead me to the woman who attacked your village.”
“What makes you think we would know where she lives?”
“Well that would be something for us to work out together. I have quite a few connections in this city and I’m sure that-“ Edgar never got to finish his sentence. The door of the Surly Dragon had been smashed in. Five very big men walked through the hole and looked around. One of them pointed at Edgar and his companions. The newcomers turned and started walking towards them.
“It’s them. The men who were with her. They’ve come for Sheridan. Well they wont get past me!” The boy said as he stood up. Gripping his sword more tightly he prepared to sell his life dearly. Edgar, however, had other plans.
“Don’t worry about them.” Was all he said as he helped Sheridan to her feet. The boy looked round bewildered. Everybody else in the inn had risen from their seats and had turned to face the intruders.
“Why not? They’ve come for us. We must fight to the death.”
“And I’m all for that. It’s very admirable and everything, but I prefer it without the whole ‘to the death’ part. Besides, I don’t think the patrons like having their tables shoved aside.” Edgar said. True to form, the patrons of the Surly Dragon had swamped the newcomers under a barrage of fists and chair legs and anything else the patrons could get their hands on. Edgar hurried the young couple to the back door, knowing that after their pursuers went down the patrons would look for other people to hit. They entered the back alley and started towards the main road. When they got there Edgar hailed a cab.
“Where are we going?” The driver asked.
“The Nebull residence my good man, and step on it.” Edgar said, handing the driver a very large wad of cash.
“How do you know where to go?” Sheridan asked.
“I recognised those uniforms. Madame Nebull has been making quite a name for herself recently around here.”
“Nebull? That’s the name of a tyrant who conquered several countries a few years ago. He used one of our villages swords to do it too.” The boy said.
“That’s probably why she moved to Interplanes then. It also explains the fabulous wealth she brought with her.”
“Do you think she wants to recapture her husbands Empire Mike?” Sheridan asked her companion.
“Some say it was her who was behind it in the first place.” Mike replied as the cab pulled up outside a large mansion. The three passengers got out, letting the cab speed away. The driver didn’t want anything to do with the Nebull woman.
“You two had better wait here. I’ll return shortly.” Edgar said as he walked up to the main gate.
“We’re coming with you.” The couple responded in chorus.
“I really do not think that is a good idea.” Edgar tried to dissuade them, but it was pointless. They were proving to be very irretractable. Eventually Edgar gave up and pressed the buzzer next to the gate.
“Why are you doing that?” asked Mike.
“So they will open the gate.” said Edgar as the gate swung open before him. Edgar strolled straight in, and the other two followed him, though hesitantly. Mike gripped his sword once more.
As the trio reached the front door, Madame Nebull arrived to meet them. She was wearing an ice blue dress which nearly reached her ankles. She smiled a smile which seemed a little too kind and welcomed Edgar with open arms.
“Hello there. I do not know who you are but you have done me a great service today. Guards, take those two prisoner.” She waved her hands and ten men appeared seemingly out of nowhere. They aimed their guns at the young couple. They were marched inside, leaving Edgar and Nebull standing alone.
“How rude of me. Please, do come in. I must think of a way to adequitely reward you.” Edgar took her up on the offer and followed her inside. She led him to what appeared to be a study. She sat down on her desk, and slipped off her dress. Her underwear was as ice blue as the now removed item of clothing. She gestured to Edgar for him to approach, which he did. She grabbed him by the belt and pulled him on top of her. He was unsurprised to find her body was as cold as her clothing alluded to. She pulled him tight to her body, and whispered softly into his ear.
“Will this do as an appropiate thank you?”
“I do believe this will suffice yes.” Edgar whispered back. “I was a little bit worried about how I would get close enough to you for my job, but you seem to have taken care of that.” Edgar continued as he pushed his sword into her stomach. Her face froze in shock. Edgar pulled back and watched as she vanished in a flash of white light.
“So she was a fiend after all. I thought as much.” He said to nobody in particular and then he left. If she was like most other fiends then she would probably have her prisoners locked up in the basement. It didn’t take him long to find them, although the guard did prove to be troublesome.
“Wot choo doin dahn ere?” he asked. Edgar winced at the heartless mauling of the language. He decided not to bother talking to this gentleman, and merely slit his throat instead. The guard too vanished in a flash of light, which attracted yet more fiends from the other end of the corridor. They all drew their guns and started firing at him. Edgar rushed towards them, being careful to deflect as many bullets as humanly possible. He reached them without being hit once, and began cutting them down.
He had dispatched almost all of them when the door next to him burst open in much the same way as they aren’t supposed to. One very large fiend shouldered his way through the door, a large spiked mace in his hand. The fiend swung at Edgar, who had to hop backwards to dodge it. The fiend continued swinging and Edgar continued dodging. It was apparent that Edgar would tire out first, so he would have to think of a different strategy. As the fiend swung once more Edgar dived underneath it. He rolled beneath the fiend and rose behind him, swinging his sword in a wide arc as he did so. The fiend vanished in white light, just as all the others had.
Before Edgar had a chance to turn around though, he was reminded painfully that he hadn’t dispelled all the fiends before. A bullet stuck in his shoulder as a stark reminder that there was still one left. Silently cursing himself for the oversight, Edgar promptly dispatched of his final foe.
He entered the room which had lost its door during the fight, and found exactly who he was looking for. He let the three captives down, and after checking that they were alright he turned to face Sheridan’s father.
“Excuse me sir, but my master would like to ask you a few questions.”
“About what exactly?” The blind man asked, still shaking from shock.
“Those wonderful swords of yours.” Edgar replied as he pulled his jumping crystal out of his pocket.

Zokusho: Crystal Blade Prologue Pt 1

Zokusho is a story owned and written by a good friend of mine. It even has its' own website www.zokusho.com which I would recommend checking out.The following story began life simply as a short story, but I ended up extending it into a full-blown fiction.


The blind Swordsmith had led a pretty interesting life. He had lost his sight when he was but a child, but he had not lost his love for swords. Since he could no longer fight, he turned his hand to making them instead. Most people in his small village mocked him, asking how he would make blades without being able to see his work. He invariably replied “I may not be able to see the results of my labour, but I can still feel it. I can hear the swishes it makes and I can judge by this alone.” Despite his handicap he proved to be naturally gifted when it came to his art. Soon rich nobles from throughout his country were paying inordinate amounts of money for his blades, each crafted to match the owner. For whenever someone entered his shop he could tell from the footfalls and their voice exactly what they needed.
Therefore he was unsurprised to hear the bell above his shop door tingle. He heard the soft footfalls of a woman. She walked straight up to his desk and spoke in a voice that was entirely too soft.
“Excuse me my good man, I’m looking for the greatest Swordsmith of our age. Have you seen him?”
“I have not seen the swordsmith for many years.”
“Strange. The peasants outside said that he would be in here.” She muttered to herself. The swordsmith noted the flagrant use of the word peasants. He also noted that she had used far too much perfume.
“But he is here. I merely said I had not seen him for I am blind.”
“Well then, can you please go and get him?”
“But he is already here.”
“Listen you old bat, I travelled for far longer than you could ever know, and I’m not in the mood to indulge an old man’s humour. Go get the great swordsmith!” her voice changed from that of a kind woman to one as cold as ice and as sharp as steel.
“But he is right here. I am the great swordsmith of which we speak. How may I assist you?”
“You? You are the great swordsmith? I don’t believe it.”
“I do not care whether you believe or not. It is true.”
“You are the same man who created the blade of Nebull? The sword which slaughtered over five hundred people?”
“It is not the blade which kills people, it is the man who wields it.”
“And the Sword of Vengeance which killed Nebull?”
“One of the better acts my blades have been put to. But again, it is the man who wields the sword who deserves the credit. I heard Nebull was quite skilled.”
“Then you do not care what purpose your blades have? Your swords have caused wars.”
“The swords did not cause the wars. It was mans lust for the swords that caused those wars of which you speak.”
“Very well blind man. If you truly do not care what purpose your swords will be put to, then make a sword for me. I can pay you enough jewels to cover a mountain.”
“All the money is to be paid to the village. The mere crafting of the blades is enough for me.”
“Then so be it! Have my sword ready in one week.” The mysterious woman said before striding out of the shop. The old man closed his shop, for only one blade could be made at a time. He toiled for an entire week, not sleeping and barely eating or drinking. His daughter, Sheridan, always hated it when he got an order, for this was always his response. The old man was using the mysterious star metal that had fallen in the woods near the village some ages past. None of the other swordsmiths could ever get the hang of using the strange metal, but with his senses the swordsmith could forge it like steel. At the end of the week he emerged from the forge, stained with soot and sweat, a new blade in his hands. The metal was completely invisible, as if it didn’t exist.
When the woman returned to claim her prize, she seemed angry when he brandished the sword. She threatened to kill him and burn the village, but when he cut a table in half she stared in awe. A blade that nobody could see, which could cut through all but the strongest metal. Now none could halt her plans.
And thus the Crystal Blade was forged.
It was only one week later that Edgar arrived in the village. He looked around the sorry scene, his blue shirt and slacks blowing in the wind. The huts had all been razed to the ground, and dead bodies littered the streets. He methodically checked every one of them, only stopping when he heard moaning. He rushed over to the body which had made the noise. Edgar rolled the young woman over, and looked into her pretty face. Unfortunately he knew she wouldn’t make it. Her legs had been cut straight through, and she was bleeding heavily. She looked up into his face and coughed up some blood.
“Please, you must escape. She will be back for his daughter. It took everything we had just to get her out of the village in time.”
“Who? Who will be back? Why does she want the daughter?”
“She wants enough swords for an army. She already has the metal and the swordmsith, but he refused to create any more swords. He said it would be an insult to the first blade to copy it. Please, you must protect his daughter.”
“Okay, but where is she?” Edgar asked anxiously. He wasn’t scared that this woman would return, only that the woman would die before yielding the information.
“She’s in Interplanes. We used our last jumping crystal to do it. One of our young swordsmen took her to the Surly Dragon. Her name is Sheridan. Please, you must pro-“ The woman began to say, but her eyes faded even as she spoke. Edgar lay the woman back down and closed her eyes.
“Don’t you fret madam, I’ll find her for you.” Edgar said even as he withdrew his own jumping crystal.