Eduardo's Tales
Story 4: The Wayward Warrior
(Rated T for violence, brief nudity, mild language, and alcohol content)
(DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own Eduardo Rivera from Extreme Ghostbusters, nor do I have the right to copy the anime series, Mushi-Shi, which is inspired me to bring our favorite slacker into a strange world that exists beyond time. So, enjoy the show!)
The long ride to Chagum proved to be a lagging one as Eduardo was sitting in a strange contraption that resembled a train. It was a long way to go before he reached his destination as the contraption stopped at a road post. When he got off with his staff and supplies in his hands, he settled down near a lake as he walked towards an old empty cabin. It was very hot as he stripped off his clothes and dipped into the water to cool off. He loved the fact that the water was a high relief as he dunked himself under to immerse into the lake. After getting wet in the water, he got out as he gathered up his clothes, staff, and supplies as he walked into the old cabin.
After going skinny-dipping, he dressed into some underwear and the white kimono that Souichiro and Oboro gave to him as he sat down on an old made-up bed. He was tired from travelling away from the Northern Stride as he began to lay down and fall asleep. The trip tired him out as he wrapped himself in a warm patchwork quilt. He wasn't in the dream state yet, but he had to wait until the evening, where the kodama like it best.
###
A strange warrior archer in Tang Dynasty armor appeared on a horse that was accompanied by a spare one as they approached the cabin by the lake. The archer was a woman with black hair and jade-green eyes as she was on her way towards the region of Chagum as well. To her surprise, she got off from her horse as she saw footprints towards the old cabin. With her horses staying still, they waited for her as she went directly towards the cabin's entrance. The place itself was never used in years as it was empty and quiet until it was full again. Opening up the door, the archer went inside as she drew out her bow and one of her arrows in order to kill whoever occupied the cabin.
To her surprise, she saw the bed full with something as she was ready to kill whoever slept in it. Just as she was about to fire off her arrow from her bow, she saw Eduardo sound asleep under the quilt as he was all tired from travelling. Holding back her bow, the archer set it down as she began to thoroughly search the sleeping target. The traveller was well-known as he was stirring deep in the warmth of the quilt. The archer had never seen him before, but she had heard stories of him from long ago, especially when he was known for his witching powers.
"Oh, what a nap," said Eduardo as he woke up with a yawn.
"Get up!" demanded the archer as she aimed her bow at him. "You're coming with me!"
"Put the bow down! Didn't anyone tell you that you shouldn't point your weapon at someone that's been sleeping?!"
"I suggest that you keep your trap shut! Now, get your clothes on and get ready to leave this cabin at once!"
Eduardo quickly got up as he grabbed his staff and faced the archer. Both of them had readied their weapons as they even heard the sound of hoofbeats coming toward the cabin. Eduardo sensed the presence of whoever was following the archer as he grabbed one of the spellbooks from his bag. He even saw a warrior from outside the window of the cabin as he was dressed in the same Tang Dynasty armor as the archer. The warrior and his cavalry were searching for the archer as they dismounted from their horses. They had to bring back the archer to whoever wanted her home as they crept closer to the cabin.
"Everyone, listen up!" he yelled. "We should approach the cabin carefully and bring Princess Valeria back to her father at once!"
"Yes, sir!" the cavalry shouted as they obeyed the warrior's orders.
"We can't afford another punishment from King Vallon again!"
The warrior and the cavalry saw a thickening mist as they were unable to see the cabin. The cabin was out of hindsight as the cavalry cut straight through it. To their shock, they found the place empty as the supplies and weapons were taken out of there. Where was the wayward archer? Where could she be? The warrior and his cavalry had to find the archer and return her to her father before it was too late.
###
Eduardo and the archer were hiding in a tree as they watched the warrior and his cavalry were leaving the cabin. They had to leave immediately as they were leaping downward back to the cabin roof. With the archer's horse and another one still standing where they were, they got onto them as they trotted away from the old area by the lake. The road to Chagum was getting to be as harder than anything as both Eduardo and the archer were heading over there on horseback.
"Why are you going to Chagum?" asked the archer.
"I've got business over there," answered Eduardo.
"I'm going to Chagum as well."
"By the name, my name is-"
"Your name is Eduardo, isn't it? I know who you are. By the name, my name is Valeria of the Mumtaz Region, which is near these lands near the Road."
"Why are those men after you?"
"My father had arranged a marriage between me and someone that I don't approve of."
"So, who is the groom?"
"He is the Duke of Loengard."
Those mere words shook Eduardo as he remembered the Duke during the investigation of Baron Montrechu's murder. He also found that the scheming noble was finding himself a wife as well. To his assumptions, he had to serve solely as Valeria's bodyguard as he was about to protect her from not only from the cavalry, but from the scheming duke as well. What was Valeria's father thinking when he accepted the Duke's marriage proposal like that? Somehow, he was most likely to get caught in the middle as he was about to undertake a very dangerous situation.
"The Duke had asked me for my hand in marriage just to have more power to his family." said Valeria. "I decided to flee to Chagum where I can live freely and join up with the Bandit King."
"Did you accept the Duke's proposal?" asked Eduardo.
"No. I would never marry a scheming old man because not only is he too old, but he tried to marry off his niece to a fat old fool."
"That fat old fool was killed by one of his own squires, but the Duke's niece is now happily married to her true love, Unwin."
"Eduardo, the Duke knows all about you, so I suggest that you-"
An arrow was fired into one of the trees as Eduardo and Valeria got off their horses. The cavalry caught up to them as they surrounded them with their bows pointed at them. They didn't even have a chance to fight as the warrior who led the cavalry got off his horse and walked towards them. He finally caught up with them as he was ready to bring them back to King Vallon as soon as possible.
"Well, well," he said as he stood in front of Valeria. "It's time to come home, Princess! Your father missed you dearly."
"I'm not going back, Yokose!" she yelled. "Furthermore, I've even got a hostage to take with me!"
"Your future husband told me all about Eduardo Rivera and how he solved the murder of his niece's betrothed. Now, if you'll excuse me, Princess, I've got orders to bring back you and your 'hostage.'"
Yokose and the cavalry surrounded Eduardo and Valeria as they were caught and led away towards the kingdom of the Mumtaz Region. Amidst the forest and trees, there was a young man dressed in outlaw's clothing as he spotted the cavalry taking away Eduardo and Valeria back to the Mumtaz Region on horseback. With orange hair and blue eyes, the young man jumped stealthily away as he was ready to rescue the princess and carry her away to Chagum, where his father, the Bandit King lived at.
###
Eduardo was in shackles as he was being held prisoner in a dungeon. Still in his white kimono, he didn't even have enough time to change into his clothes as he even had his supplies taken away along with his staff. The kingdom of the Mumtaz Region was as plain as pea soup on a cold day as it was falling further into disrepair. The place itself had no occult bookstores nor did it have a library on the paranormal as stuff like this was banned because of a Puritanical etiquette. Eduardo needed to get out of there as he was trying to break free from his shackles. It wasn't long until he saw the dungeon door open as a young girl with golden blond hair entered with the bag of supplies that he carried at all times.
"I suggest that you keep your witching powers at bay," she said with an icy chill in her voice.
"Where's Valeria?" asked Eduardo.
"My sister is getting scolded by our father for running away to Chagum."
"Why can't the king call off the marriage between her and the Duke of Loengard?"
"The Duke is a wealthy man who would restore Mumtaz back to its former glory. He may be old, but he has power in his hands."
"The Duke of Loengard tried to marry off his niece to a fat old man, who died from poisoning. He's a man that shouldn't be trusted, regardless."
"I suggest that you reconsider the marriage proposal that my father made with the Duke."
The girl left the dungeon as she closed the door behind her. Eduardo was angry with the marriage proposal between Valeria and the Duke of Loengard as he would stop at nothing to avert it. To his assumptions, he found that Valeria hated her betrothed as he was about to put a stop to the Duke's scheming plans.
###
"I told you not to run away from home!" cried a middle-aged man dressed in Tang Dynasty clothes.
"Father, I won't marry the Duke!" said Valeria angrily.
The man, who was the famous King Vallon, had been falling on hard times as he was reaching the end of his rope. He wanted his daughter to be happy with the Duke as he even had a large box full of gold in front of him. He needed money badly to feed his people, but with the marriage proposal not going very well, he had no choice not only to give back the gold, but to punish his daughter for dishonoring the family name as well.
"The Duke of Loengard is a trustworthy man, Valeria," said the King.
"If he is so trustworthy, the why is he swindling you?" asked Valeria. "I know all about how he leeches power out of many kingdoms, but I will never marry him nor be a mother to his children, either."
"Do not do this to our family, Valeria! You know the consequences!"
"And what about Eduardo? He's in the dungeon sulking while the Duke is here filling our gold in his already swollen moneybags!"
"Not another word from you, girl! In two days, you'll be wed to the Duke and we will be the richest people here in this kingdom!"
The guards escorted Valeria out of the throne room as they led her back to her room. She hated being kept prisoner as she even saw the Duke walking past her room. She also hated the Duke for what he is after hearing about how he tried to marry off his niece to the late Baron Montrechu. Closing her door, she walked to the window as she saw the same young man who spied on her in the trees before she was being taken back home. With a smile on his face, he was standing behing the curtain as he finally found the princess in time.
"What are you doing here?" asked Valeria worriedly. "If my father catches you here, he'll have your head for sure!"
"I won't let you marry the Duke of Loengard," said the young man.
"My father won't allow me to refuse, Yashakune..."
"The Duke of Loengard is an arrogant slimeball who's been promising proposals and leaving his victims to shame and desperation. As for the warlock that's been held in the dungeon, we need to get him out."
"Eduardo is not that important to anyone right now."
"Eduardo... is a Muah and most of his kind are almost at the point of extinction. My father had told me stories about the Muah and how they dabbled in the paranormal... until they were nearly wiped out."
Valeria gathered her things as she followed Yashakune and fled out the window. Both princess and bandit ran stealthily towards the dungeon as they saw Eduardo in shackles. They opened the door as they took off the shackles from Eduardo's arms and left towards the stables where the horses are kept. The three had to watch out for the cavalry as they were heavily guarding the gate. They all were aware of the princess escaping the kingdom as they refused to leave.
"My staff!" cried Eduardo as he saw it near a horse's stable. "We're out of here!"
"We're gonna need some horses to get to Chagum safely," said Yashakune.
"Not without weapons," said Valeria as she got out a bow and a large quiver of arrows.
"We better hurry up before we're spotted."
"Stand back!" said Eduardo as he had his staff in his hands "I call upon the power of Tsukuyomi to carry all of us away from here!"
Without being detected, all three had vanished as the cavalry ran towards the stables. Eduardo, the princess, and the bandit were all gone as they even had three horses to take with them in their vanishing act. Whatever the punishment, they had to go after them no matter what.
###
Eduardo, Valeria, and Yashakune all found themselves back into the cabin by the lake as they were also surrounded by a barrier that kept the intruders out. All three were tired as they were sleeping in their beds. As for Eduardo, however, he found himself in the dream state once again as he was walking into a room full of kodama. They were all waiting for him as they even had a sake bottle full of hydrangea wine. To his surprise, he saw two wine cups in front of the sake bottle as he was also expecting someone other than himself to drink the other one, but who was it?
To his shock, he saw Funny-Coat walk into the room as he sat down and took one of the wine cups and drank the contents in it. Eduardo did the same as he even found himself in a room full of gold bricks and coins that was as big as a dragon's horde. He even saw the Duke of Loengard walk into the room full of gold as he had a deed in his hand. It was an order to destroy the Mumtaz Region as the Duke was eager to bring out his plan into fruition. The thought of the kingdom's destruction made Eduardo sick to his stomach as he woke up in the same bed that he slept in when he arrived here in the cabin.
It was morning as he got up and began to do some chores around the cabin. First, he started with the laundry as he took the dirty clothes outside and put them into a pile to be washed. With a washtub and a big bucket of water, he was ready to scrub down the clothes as he later used an incantation to turn the water soapy. The laundry was a tough job, but he had to do it as he was busy cleaning the clothes. After washing them, he used another incantation to take away the soap as he was ready to rinse them off. With the clothes clean, he wrung them out as he hung them on a row of clotheslines to dry. It wasn't long until he saw Yashakune come out of the cabin with a fishing pole in his hand as he was about to catch some fish.
"Well, it seems that you have your work cut out for yourself, Eduardo," he said slyly.
"Someone has to do the laundry," he answered as he finished up the clothes.
"You met the Duke of Loengard before, didn't you?"
"Yes..., but he's gonna destroy Valeria's kingdom."
"Let me guess, you saw it when you entered into the dream state, didn't you?"
"How do you know about it?"
"Eduardo, I hate to say this to you, but you and that shady friend you saw on your travels are called Muah, which are very sacred beings that wander all over the Roads. My father, the Bandit King, had told stories about the Muah and how they were very powerful at the time. Unfortunately, most of them were killed to the brink of extinction, only to have a few remain. Anyway, I suggest that you watch your back if I were you."
Eduardo got onto his knees as he had a look of shock on his face. How could a slacker be a very powerful being that is heavily targeted for extermination? He couldn't accept the terms of his existence as a Muah as he ran back into the cabin and got dressed in the regal clothes that were given to him by Emperor Mikan. It wasn't long until he saw Valeria fully dressed in clean clothes and armor as she was ready to go hunting. He had to tell her about the Duke's dastardly plans as he even felt shaky all over with his heart thudding harshly against his ribcage. He had to calm down as he sat on the sofa near the window. Sitting in a lotus position, he began to close his eyes as he began to meditate in such an unusual way.
"What's going on, Eduardo?" asked Valeria as she even heard the sound of a very large heartbeat.
"The Duke of Loengard is trying to destroy your kingdom," he answered with a graveness in his voice. "As for the marriage proposal that he made with your father? It's nothing more than an outrageous sham."
"Are you serious? I've got to warn my father right now! Eduardo, you need to wake up and get ready to stop the Duke before it's too late!"
"Don't interfere!" yelled Yashakune as he went inside of the cabin. "He's in a holistic mind state right now. If he is woken up, he will lose focus and he'll die. Most Muah are often trained to meditate in this state, regardless. By the way, that sound in here is none other than Eduardo's heartbeat."
The meditative state continued as the booming sound of Eduardo's heartbeat continued to resonate all over the forest. The strange sound proved to be affective as it was eager to ward off any enemy who came to follow them. Just as Valeria and Yashakune were about to be protected under the barrier of the cabin, they saw the enigmatic Funny-Coat appear as he approached Eduardo. He had never seen him meditate before, but he hade to wake him up sooner or later. It wasn't long until he eventually placed a hand on Eduardo's forehead as he opened his eyes.
"The Duke of Loengard has a powerful lust for gold," he said as he was still under the meditative trance. "His powerful grip has ruined many kingdoms, but he is also possessed by a demon as well."
"The Duke's been possessed?" asked Funny-Coat.
"A demon who is obsessed with money and power had been controlling him all along right under my nose. I have to exorcise the Duke and bring out the demon before he does any more damage."
The trance had ceased as Eduardo stood up and later grabbed his staff. He was ready to stop whoever was controlling the Duke as he later realized that it was a fiendish warlock who was hung for turning everything into gold. He even had to read up on Greek mythology at the time long ago when he eventually read about the legendary King Midas and the golden touch. Gold was always the main obsession that drove people wild to get rich quick, but it can also have a long taxing effect as well.
"Where are you going?" asked Valeria as she saw Eduardo get on one of the horses near the lake.
"I'm going to exorcise the Duke," he answered.
"Is he possessed?"
"He is, but there is something wrong here. The body of the Duke is dead, but the demon that has possessed him still lives and he is about to destroy Mumtaz. I must go there to stop him before it's too late."
"Let me reel in that warlock who has the Duke's body!" yelled Yashakune as he got on one of the horses. "I'll assist you to remove the notorious Midas Grombie and put the Duke's soul to rest."
"Who is Midas Grombie?" asked Valeria.
"He was a warlock that had the ability to touch anything into gold. My father told me everything about him when he even turned his entire kingdom into gold. The royal court couldn't take it no more when they caught him and had him hung in the gallows for his crimes."
"This Midas Grombie is dangerous," said Eduardo. "If we get to the Mumtaz Region, then we'll catch him immediately."
"We're going back!" cried Valeria as she got on the last horse.
"Count me in," said Funny-Coat as he got on the same horse that Eduardo was riding.
###
King Vallon was furious that his daughter had escaped as he saw the Duke of Loengard standing in the middle of the main hall. The marriage proposal had to come through as he was standing on pins and needles to subdue his daughter into marrying the Duke. To his shock, he saw Dr. Domyouji appear into the main hall as she brought out her dousing crystal. He knew all about the wayward doctor as she had a checkered past while having an affair with the king of Lavianna. This time, Dr. Domyouji was ready to face the Duke as the dousing crystal glowed with a dark shade of purple.
"What is the meaning of this?!" cried the Duke.
"Get out of my throne room!" yelled the King.
"Midas Grombie, you have possessed this man long enough!" cried Dr. Domyouji as she was using her dousing crystal to attack the Duke. "I call upon the power of Susanowo. Bring forth the power of the tornado within!"
A powerful twister came forward as it tossed the Duke upward. To her shock, she saw the face of Midas Grombie as he possessed the Duke very well. It wasn't long until Yokose rushed in to the aid of the King as he was instantaneously being thrusted back against a wall. He wanted to protect the King as he was desperate to protect him at all costs, even at the cost of his own life. He was also struggling to get free as he was pinned down by the possessed Duke. There was the true face of a monster in the body of a deceased nobleman as he was lusting for more than just power, for it was destruction that he also wanted as well. It wasn't long until Yokose broke free from the Duke's grip as he was ready to put his life on the line for the King and the rest of the Mumtaz Region.
"You weak-minded fools!" he screamed. "Did you honestly think that I can accept the proposal to wed Princess Valeria and restore this dilapidated kingdom?! No! I wanted to destroy it so I can bring forth more power to my dominion!"
"How dare you try to destroy our kingdom!" cried Yokose as he drew out his sword.
"Soon, I will even destroy that Muah punk for interfering with my plans for the last time!"
"What Muah punk?" asked Dr, Domyouji
"You know who he is, my dear, for it was the one you helped to examine when he was sick!"
"Eduardo...!"
It wasn't long until Eduardo and the rest of my friends came to the aid of Yokose and Dr. Domyouji as they were ready to battle against the demon Duke. Breaking free, the demon lunged out as he had his sights set on killing Eduardo and Funny-Coat, for they are considered Muah. Yashakune drew out a dousing crystal as it shot out fire at the demon. Burn marks singed the demon's skin as it roared horrifically in pain.
"I call upon the power of Apollo," he said. "Bring a heavenly fire out and vanquish this deadly monster!"
White fireballs shot from the dousing crystal as they attacked the demon Duke. Valeria fired her bow at the demon as the arrow pierced his chest, but he was still breathing. With Funny-Coat running forward to get the King out of the way, Eduardo faced the demon as he was about to perform an incantation that could banish Midas Grombie once and for all.
"I call upon wind as my weapon-" he said as a powerful tornado emerged and trapped the Duke.
"You filthy Muah punk!" he screamed.
"Wind as my ally, wind as your enemy-"
"You will never live to go on to the next Road!"
"I call upon the power of Susanowo to restrain you from your evil-"
"EDUARDO RIVERA, YOU WILL DIE FOR THIS!"
"And to banish you to the Netherworld where you can never do no harm forever!"
The demon that possessed the Duke was banished as he disappeared into the underbelly of the ghostly Netherworld. The Duke of Loengard smiled thankfully as his body turned into dust. All of the friends and allies that Eduardo had were thankful that the demon was banished and peace was restored once again. King Vallon walked towards the Duke's remains as he was shocked to see even Valeria helping out in stopping the demon.
"Valeria," he said. "I'm sorry that I didn't bother to see the Duke's true form and intentions."
"Father," she said. "The demon had immense power to decimate our kingdom and our people!"
"She's right," said Funny-Coat as he walked towards Eduardo. "We all knew about the Duke of Loengard's evil plans when he planned that fake marriage proposal."
"How do all of you know this?" asked the King.
"I told them about the Duke's evil plans," said Eduardo.
Everyone in the main hall was relieved that the kingdom was safe as they even saw raining gold fall all over the place. The demon's hold was broken and the gold was falling in the places where the Duke of Loengard had controlled while under the demon's influence. The cavalry came in along with Valeria's sister as they bowed before not only Yashakune and Valeria, but to Eduardo with the help of Funny-Coat and Dr. Domyouji. The slacker was a Muah and all of his kind were revered as saviors of this world as he eventually had business to attend to when he was ready to be on his way towards Chagum.
###
The kingdom was rebuilt as the buildings were good as new again. Even the castle was well-painted and clean as everyone celebrated the restoration of the good reputation of the Mumtaz Region. Eduardo, Funny-Coat, and Dr. Domyouji were eating their fill during the festivities as they had many good things to feast upon. Even Valeria and Yashakune were proud to see the kingdom restored as they were dancing to the music of the musicians.
After the evening's festivities were at an end, everyone was all in bed as night had settled in. With Eduardo in bed in the guest quarters with Funny-Coat, both were sleeping until the servant boy woke up. Removing the cloak and mask, Funny-Coat revealed the true form again as she sat down near Eduardo's bed. Stroking his cheek, she began to kiss him on the lips as she really meant it in a more longing way. After her love for Eduardo, the girl in boy's clothing put back on the cloak and mask as she went towards the window. Playing the role as servant boy once again, Funny-Coat went back to bed as he was ready to fall asleep. Tomorrow was another day as he was about to accompany Eduardo on his way to Chagum. It was also considered an opportunity to reveal his true form to him, but not yet.
"If only I told you, Eduardo..." he said to himself
###
Dr. Domyouji was still up in the middle of the night as she was studying more about the Muah. After the battle with the demon that possessed the Duke of Loengard, she was starting to worry about the safety of both Eduardo and Funny-Coat as they were on their way to Chagum on official business. She had to tell Valeria and Yashakune about the danger ahead as they were about to be made bodyguards to the travellers who walk from Road to Road. She couldn't take the fact that Eduardo and Funny-Coat were in serious danger as there were many who wanted to see the Muah extinct. She couldn't let that happen as she even sensed a higher purpose for the two.
"They are Muah," she said to herself. "That's all I know."
###
The next morning, Eduardo and Funny-Coat were ready to go as they were standing at the gate. The journey to Chagum would be immense as they saw Valeria and Yashakune run towards them with supplies in their packs. Both were eager to protect Eduardo and Funny-Coat as they also had some horses with them. Even Yokose was standing near the gate as he opened it up to let out the travelling party.
"It's a long journey ahead," he said.
"We know," answered Valeria.
"Dr. Domyouji told us everything about Eduardo and Funny-Coat," said Yashakune as he got on his horse. "Well, shall we get to Chagum?"
"Let's go," said Funny-Coat.
"And besides...," said Eduardo as he got on his horse. "We're scientists!"
All four left the gate as they were on their way to their destination. Even with Dr. Domyouji following them on her white horse, they were ready to be on the Roads again as they were ready to face more dangers ahead.
The End