Tales of Toltya: A Champion's Legacy
The Sama Capital, a usually thriving city illuminated with the blue glow of the uniquely beautiful frozen azure clouds above, now torn asunder by a dragon sent straight from hell itself. The great blue dragon roared and unleashed great comets of fire straight from its maw unto the icy blue buildings of the city. The flames spread through the town square as the citizens ran in panic. A young traveller by the name of Flora who had been in Sama on a vacation was caught in the middle of the chaos. The Dragon set eyes on her delicate form and curved its neck downward in interest. Filled with dread she began to run away, her long floral dress flowing in the wind and her long emerald hair trailing behind her. Unfortunately in her rush she tripped over a stray stone in the cobbled road of the town square and now lay at the dragon's mercy.
"Oh, divine creator Maxwell please bless your humble child and see to it that she may enter the gates of heaven when she meets her end." Flora wept as the Dragon loomed over her. The beast gripped her in its claw and polished its silver teeth with a long, grotesque, scaly tongue.
"Halt, Demon!" A powerful voice boomed from atop a nearby building. "Release the fair maiden, leave this town, and no one shall be harmed." A dashing young pugilist demanded. He wore great golden lion heads on his fists and a long multi-colored gi suspended by a luxurious red rope. His short brown hair flowed in the wind, only bolstering his heroic image. The dragon was ultimately unimpressed and swept his tail at him. The young hero caught it in his powerful calloused hands and pushed it away. "Very sorry to do this to you but, you asked for it." He said leaping from the rooftop. With a roar he dug his fist deep into the dragon's cheek, causing it to wail in agony. Wasting no time he pounced back up from the ground and dealt another blow between the dragon's forehead. "And this!" He cried burrowing his lion glove into the beast's skull. "Is to make sure you do not return." He affirmed bouncing off the dragon's nose into his palm, hoisting Flora over his shoulder. "Hold on tight now." He warned jumping to the ground as the dragon fell behind him.
"Y-you saved my life!" She rejoiced, flailing excitedly, still suspended over his shoulder.
"All in a days work miss. Sama-born or from the stars beyond I'll protect anyone in peril. And judging by your peculiar hair color I assume you aren't from around here." He suggested putting her on her feet. "They also don't come quite as pretty here as they do from wherever you're from." He insinuated, captivated by her mossy green eyes. She blushed and giggled a bit, so charmed by his robust demeanour. "Mind telling me your name miss?"
"Flora. I'm from Vriksha if you were wondering."
"Ah Vriksha, yes I always wanted to go there myself, and someone like you being there is all the more reason to persuade me." He fawned, turning a bit red in the face.
"Oh is that right, well people like you may persuade me to stay a bit longer in Sama, Mister… um."
"Daniel, name's Daniel."
"Oh that's a charming name. Why don't we head out to a nice tavern and you can tell me about yourself." She cajoled, wrapping her silky smooth hands around his arm.
"Well I suppose I must! It's the least I can do for you gracing me with such an offer." He graciously agreed.
...
Daniel and Flora had become great friends after they met, to the point where they were romantically involved. Daniel was a hard working Pugilist who was dedicated to protecting his town. His training had made him more capable than even the knighthood of the Sama kingdom. Flora was a taylor from all the way out in Vriksha who lived with an aristocratic family that allowed her to travel a lot, but her riches didn't quite give her the same happiness that Daniel did. The two were eventually happily wed in Sama which is where they stayed for several years. The loving couple had a child, a little baby girl with emerald green hair just like her mother. They happily raised her for a few months until a naval skirmish broke out between Sama and Vriksha, over trade disputes. Sama and Vriksha forced non-citizens of the other nation out of the country and through the inadequate policies of Sama, Flora was mistaken as a non-citizen with no way of proving that she had lived there for years. However, Vriksha would not take in the small child because she was clearly born in Sama. This left Daniel to care for the newborn, which he was unable to do given his notice of conscription. They day before he departed to join the Sama armed forces, he left the child on the doorstep of the Toltya dojo with nothing but several sets of clothes and a box with his gloves and gi as a memento. Daniel had trained in the dojo himself for years and he knew they were kind enough to take her in while he was away, with an emotional goodbye he left his child blanketed in the cold at the gates, as her cradle rocked back in forth in the wind, waiting for someone to pick her up.
...
"Goodbye, sweet princess, I'll be back for you as soon as I can." Daniel confided to his sleeping child. "No tears now. You're going to grow up to be a strong independent woman who don't need no man right?" He said shedding a single teardrop, looking down at his emerald haired, marble skinned bundle of joy. He gave her a kiss on her forehead and dropped a piece of paper in her cradle. He walked off, and a young boy in a karate gi strolled over from the dojo's front garden, staying hidden in hopes not to interrupt him while he talked to his child. The boy took the cradle by its handle and carried it inside. He made his way down the corridor within the dojo entrance with the cumbersome baby basket rocking in his arms as it bounced off the walls that were ever so close to each other. He stepped into the main dojo, a huge room, wide and spacious with little obstructions other than a punching bag, a training dummy and a few haphazardly placed screens. to the left of the room entrance was the Sensei's office, closed off by a flimsy wooden door. The dojo was empty at this early hour, naturally lit by the azure morning light peeking through the windows. The only ones awake so early was the boy, Sensei's star student, and the Sensei himself. With two gentle taps on the door the Sensei gestured his student to enter with a concise 'ya!'. The student crept in with the cradle and the Sensei stared at him with bewildered eyes.
"Oh my God Ryan… You never told me you were pregnant!" The Old Sensei joked, sitting up in his chair to inspect the woven basket.
"Sensei Priam… I found it on the doorstep, the man who left it also put some boxes alongside the cradle."
"Well bring them in boy!" He chided, shooing him out. The student bowed and ran. The old Sensei peered into the cradle picking up the slip of paper. He read it aloud to the best of his ability.
Dear Sensei Priam
I am writing this to you with an urgent request. My wife has been deported and I've been drafted because of the war. We have no other way of getting our beautiful baby girl anywhere safe and I beg of you to look after her. Her name is Nemia, don't tell her about us or show her the mementos we left her until she turns sixteen. Please take good care of her Sensei.
Your Former Student,
Daniel Hatton.
The old Sensei sat back in his chair and let out a huge sigh. He stroked his fu-manchu, trying to drink the whole situation in.
"Well Daniel… I'm too old to be a father." He said sitting forward, deeply examining the child's face and hair as she slept. "But I'm not too old to be a grandfather I suppose. Alright little Nermia, I'll raise you as my own."
...
Years passed, Nemia developed into a fine fighter showing that she truly was her father's daughter, both foster and biological. While she was always pestered by Priam always mispronouncing her name she grew to love his instruction and the martial arts lifestyle. While it's true she grew up with a cute an innocent appearance she was nothing short of a prodigy child, keeping up with the form of students who were decades older than her. To offset her innocent girly look, she kept her hair cut short and made sure to always exercise to avoid going soft, as if she had the choice. Sensei Priam was always tough on his students, he was renowned for it across the globe. His students won international mixed martial arts tournaments in every distant land that would have them. So renowned were they that deep in the heart of Atharva an aristocratic family turned to them to mold their weak son into a man. His name was Zeln.
...
The gates of the Toltya dojo were frozen by the bitter Sama winter and the rooftops of the grand training facility was covered and piled high in snow. A shivering young lad pried them open and timidly tip-toed up the stairs leading to the dragon head knocker on the doors. He quaked erratically, half from cold and half from fear. With his trembling feeble hands he knocked on the sturdy wooden doors of the dojo. He waited for what seemed like an hour to him before he shyly reached for the knocker again. But before he could grab it the door flew open,startling him so badly he landed on his backside. A young tweenaged girl with emerald hair and marble Vrikshan skin leaned against the door with her arms folded expectantly. She sneered at the sight of the poor, pathetic boy, flashing her missing canine. "We're not interested in your girl scout cookies, how many times do we gotta' tell ya'. Now beat it before you get wrecked by the one and only-"
"Nerrrrrmiiiiia!" An old voice called from down the entrance corridor. The girl seethed with rage. and balled up her fists.
"It's Nemia you old coot! How many times do I gotta' tell you!"
"Nermia who's at the door?" The old voice called again.
"I dunno, some very girly young scout trying to sell us cookies… Either that or a Zevalhua Witness."
"Well get rid of her!" Nemia cracked her knuckles at his command.
"Well you hear that, you got about thirty seconds before I shove my fist right up your-"
"No-no listen you got it all wrong! I'm here to study at the dojo, My dad sent me all the way here from Atharva!"
"Wait… You're a boy!?" Nemia cried in disbelief. "Geez I've never met a boy so clumsy and timid. Then again I guess your haircut is kinda boyish."
"Double for you, I mean you look like more of a boy than-" A fist went crashing through his face.
"I knew I was going to end up punching you, tell me how I knew that." She sneered while he cradled his nose from the floor.
"Neerrrmii-"
"Okay Grandpa I'm coming!" Nemia screamed. She looked back at the boy. "Well you coming or what? Yes? Good." She said hastily dragging him across the floor of the dojo. At the end of the corridor was an open training room full of burly men and a small old man in the middle instructing them all.
"Nermia, what did you bring into my dojo? It looks filthy." The old man inquired, peering over him. The boy rose to his feet and met the short elder eye-to-eye.
"Hi! My name is Zeln Ray-Handley, my father sent me to train with you sir!" He said with a salute.
"We don't salute in my gym kid. We bow." He said poking his wooden cane into Zeln's navel, causing him to curl over.
"Yes, Sorry Sensei." Zeln said.
"Listen sonny, you want to train in my gym that's fine, but I'm letting you know right now that this place puts the brute in brutal." Zeln nodded his head and complied. "That being said, Ryan over there needs a sparring partner for the day. Let's see what you're made of kid." Ryan heard his name and came running to his Sensei. He was twice Zeln's age, a black belt and muscular enough to make up four Zeln's.
"You called Sensei?" He said with a bow.
"Yes… give our new student here a spar. Try not to go too easy on him though."
"Yes Sensei." He said bowing again, grabbing Zeln by his tunic. The rest of the fighters formed a circle around the two and sat with their legs crossed. Nemia sat in between two black belts and eagerly watched. The Sensei stood in between both fighters and divided them with an outstretched arm.
"Ready."
"Not really…" Zeln whimpered.
"Begin!". Ryan stood still for a few moments just to intimidate Zeln. He feinted making Zeln cover his face and cry out. When Zeln uncovered his face he was met with a forceful kick to his side, knocking him over. The poor lad struggled to get up as he felt his side throbbing alongside the immense pain that went with it. As a follow up Ryan hooked Zeln in the face sending him back onto the ground.
"C'mon you big baby! Take it like a man!" Nemia screamed out. The Sensei hushed Nemia and she bowed her head in respect. When Zeln rose to his feet Ryan outstretched his hand forward, staying a foot above Zeln's head.
"Sorry kid but you gotta be this tall to train in this gym." He said.
"So can I go now?" He whined. Ryan grinned and squatted down momentarily.
"Sure-You-Can!" He cried unleashing a mighty Shoryuken uppercut, sending Zeln flying across the ring. he hit the ground with a thud and lay at Nemia's knees. Nemia shook her head with disappointment.
"Stop." The Sensei ordered. "Alright everyone, return to your training, Nemia and Zeln you come with me." He instructed, leading them to his secluded office. The two obliged and the old Sensei placed a bandage that he pulled from a small medical kit over Zeln's nose. "Well son, that was a rather shoddy performance out there. What brings you here anyway, you got parents or anything?" He asked smacking an ice pack over his face.
"No Sensei. My parents sent me here with nothing but the clothes on my back and directions to get to this dojo. My father had been fed up with me being bullied by the neighboring girls and so he sent me here to toughen up." Zeln explained with a muffled voice masked by the ice pack planted on his face.
"I see… Well son you're in luck because we have plenty of room here for you in the dojo, and maybe now Nemia could have a decent training partner." He said stroking his snow white mustache. Nemia groaned and crossed her arms, disappointed in her first sparring partner she's seen around her age. "You shall refer to me as Sensei Priam. And how old are you exactly?"
"Twelve." He replied.
"Oh well then that works out perfectly. This is my granddaughter Nemia, you will refer to her as Nemia Senpai. She will instruct you in martial arts, spar with you at her whim and look after you. You understand?"
"Woah woah woah, Gramps! Why am I in charge of this little runt all of the sudd-" A stinging slap went right across her face from the old Sensei.
"I told you Nemia, if you kept back talking me you'd get hit. Now you are going to make sure Zeln survives here, alright?" He ordered.
"Yes grandpa…" She said rubbing her red face.
"Heh. Looks like I'm not the only one to get hit around he-" Zeln began before a fist came crashing through the back of his skull.
"Yeah yeah but get used to it pal, We're getting physical day in and day out around here." Nemia chided standing over Zeln, rubbing her knuckles.
"Yes Nemia Senpai..." He said with a whimper.
"Hey quit crying!" She scolded with another rabbit punch to the back of his head.
"Sorry Senpai!" He said trying to hide his tears.
...
The two began their training that day and Zeln had been completely exhausted every day for the first few weeks. But he began to show promise the longer he kept at it. Unlike Nemia, Zeln developed strong kicking skills, whereas Nemia was more interested in being some kind of Pugilist.
...
"Alright Zeln, time for a spar, I don't want you holding back on me alright?" Nemia instructed, loosening up her muscles. Zeln was heavily bandaged and bruised but he swirled with optimism.
"I never do Senpai, Lets go." He said assuming a loose, shoddy ready stance, raising one foot off the ground and planting the other down firmly, however he was a bit off balance.
"Ready. Begin!" She said dancing around him a bit looking for an opening. She threw a few jabs which he dodged with his adequate footwork. She was left open after a missed hook, an opportunity that Zeln wavered in the face of. "What did I say about holding back!?" She cried with a furious uppercut that hit his jaw like a truck. Zeln hit the ground hard but got up rather quickly. He did his best to hold in the tears as he reassumed his ready stance. Nemia threw another string of combos that kept her student on the defensive, it was at the sight of this that Sensei Priam sat at the sidelines to observe.
"Faster Nemia, harder!" the Sensei ordered. She continued to throw a flurry of jabs and straights that pushed Zeln closer and closer to the edge of the mats.
"C'mon little moss top you can do better than that." Ryan goated from the sidelines.
"Yeah where's all that training going Nemia? C'mon! Nemia! Nemia! Nemia!" another student chanted, catching everyone else up in the wave of excitement. Determined to put on a good show she kept up her advance, backing Zeln into a corner. She looked at him with a ravenous gaze, flashing that dammed growing canine at him, making her look ever so butch. The poor lad cowered in fear, but as if time froze all around him he remembered his father for a moment. He remembered sitting on the plush couch in their living room and his stout father standing on the other side of the room stroking his thick bush of a mustache.
"Son…" He said unto Zeln. "I don't know why you expect so much from the world, no one is ever going to believe in you… unless you give them something to believe in." He disappointingly encouraged, shaking his head at his bandaged son. "You need to stand up to those bullies and show them that you're no joke. You're a Ray-Handley Dammit! Start acting like one!"
"I am a Ray-Handley Dammit!" Zeln lashed swiftly swiping his foot across the air into Nemia's open mouth. She went tumbling backwards as Zeln stuck his landing. Nemia was on all fours as she wiped the blood that poured from her mouth off her face. The whole crowd immediately went silent in disbelief. Zeln towered over Nemia and she looked back at him, genuinely afraid for the first time in her life. He chuckled only a bit and flashed his cherubic smile, and with the extension of a hand he picked Nemia up off the ground.
"Not… bad." She said collapsing into his arms. "Not bad at all Ray-Handley." But Zeln's pride quickly became grimace when Nemia began speaking again. "But just understand now that I see you got potential… I'm going to kick your ass. Hard." She assured, setting the thickest lump Zeln's ever had in his throat.
...
And that she did, over the next several weeks, Nemia's training regiments she set for Zeln were absolutely brutal. His little slimsticks of meatless bones became firm and toned. He soon began developing his signature thunder kick; A blow powerful enough to send shocks through the victim's spine. Nemia's health began to decay on the other hand, she had become less able to propose a challenge at first and what seemed at first like Zeln just getting too strong for her soon became evident as some kind of sickness. Nemia became cranky from her bondage to the bed, her constant losses and her coming of age.
...
Zeln creaked the door to Nemia's room open. Her den was dark as night and Nemia wallowed in it, sulking beneath the covers beside a plate of half-eaten Lunar cakes. He carefully crept up to the foot of her bed that was bedecked in little trinkets her Sensei had gifted her. Zeln had never been into her room before and he was somewhat surprised to see how feminine Sensei Priam had allowed it to become, but then again she was the only girl who resided at the dojo and the only student who's been there since infancy. And she was also the Sensei's granddaughter, which to Zeln begged the question. Who were Nemia's parents? And why did they leave her at the dojo at such a young age. According to Sensei Priam it's a topic that he can't discuss with her. Zeln observed every inch of the room before his gaze met with the piercing green daggers that Nemia called eyes, peering over from underneath her silk purple blanket.
"H-hey Nemia, Just wanted to check up on you and-" He froze when he stubbed his toe on the edge of her bed. When the pain settled in he began hopping around stupidly, tightly gripping a small box closed by a ribbon he had in his hand. Nemia cocked her head back to look at the golden light that slipped into the room from the crack in the door. Zeln gathered himself and took a seat by Nemia's side despite her not even paying him mind. "Hi…" He choked out with a dash of nervous laughter. She glared back at him and did not speak a word. "So uh… I decided to get you this." He said planting the box beside her cheek. "I know you're all rugged from all these years at the dojo and you're definitely tougher than me but Sensei told me you always liked flowers so I decided to go out and-"
"Open the damn box Zeln… I'm tired." She croaked.
"Right." He obliged, tugging at the silky purple ribbon around the box. He removed the top of it and pulled out a flower attached to a makeshift hairpin. "It's not exactly designer but think of it as a 'to you from me.' It's a one of a kind Zeln hairpin." He chuckled with an innocent, genuine smile. Nemia stared at him blankly for a moment, then forced a weak smile.
"Well… Put it on me stringbean." She wheezed out.
"Yes Senpai." Zeln complied, sitting on top of her stomach. He took a lock of her short emerald hair in his hand and clipped on his flimsy flower to it. He sat back to admire the hibiscus just inches from her serene stare. "You look beautiful Senpai." Zeln cajoled. Nemia flashed her signature, damaged toothy smile. She sat up in her bed and wrapped her arms around his thin frame.
"Thank you Ray-Handley." She cooed, nestling her chin in his collarbone. "No one's ever called me that before." Zeln froze at the feeling of her warm embrace, he decided his best move was to not screw up the moment, and silently hug her back. "Oh just so you know…" Nemia whispered in his ear. Zeln eagerly listened, simply humming a response. "When I get better… I'm going to kick your ass… harder than before." She laughed. Zeln laughed along with her and set her down gently for a nap. He dismounted and crept out of the room, shutting the door ever so gently to leave his peaceful Senpai to calmly rest.
Author's Note: Hello you lovely people! So just a few things to clarify other than the obvious I don't own anything at all having to do with Brave Frontier. This story was made for the purpose of fleshing out Nemia and Zeln's backstory (Well really the entire dojo in itself.) And the original characters featured (Ryan, Priam, Daniel, Flora) Are made for the sole purpose of making the environment more believable. Another thing to clarify is this story uses quite a few time skips and setting changes which are denoted by the center-page periods. That being said I hope you enjoy the read! I sure enjoyed writing it!