Chapter Five: Mourning and Resolve
Ryu awoke.
The pain was gone. His body was not sore. Raising a hand, he looked at it as he sat up. Murai was next to his bed, sitting in a chair. The walls around him were the design of the Shadow Ninja Hideout. "I'm alive."
"For the present." said Murai.
Ryu looked to him carefully. "What happened?"
"My Shadow Ninja destroying the remaining samurai." said Murai. "We found you severely injured in the ruins of the shrine.
"You were saved from death by the Priestess Kureha. Despite her wounds, she managed to give you your last elixir. It returned you to a condition where we could save you."
Then Kureha was alive. Ryu looked out the window. It was open and showed the trees, much as they had been before. But the distant village was a smoking ruin. "How many survivors?"
"Many more than I had hoped to find." said Murai. "Our enemy focused mostly on those who opposed him. He did not pursue those who fled. Unfortunately, that leaves you with precious few remaining warriors.
"I have relocated your remaining people to this place. It is more defensible, and I fear that some of our enemies may seek to take advantage of your weakened state. The Black Spider Ninja Clan, in particular, has grown strong. They are likely to move against you sooner or later."
Ryu remained silent. The Black Spider Ninjas had been their enemies for many generations. Murai was right. They might very well act against him if measures were not taken. "What of the shrine?"
Murai shook his head. "There is nothing to guard.
"The Dark Dragon Blade is gone. It was taken."
Ryu went cold. The Dark Dragon Blade was gone? Things got worse by the moment. "And where is Kureha?"
There was a long silence.
Ryu looked back to Murai, hoping the man had not heard him. But his expression was stern and controlled. He was resigned, and seemed to be finding words. Ryu knew what he would say before he said it. "She too is gone. Her wounds were terrible, and she expired before we could find her."
It was impossible. No, Kureha was stronger than him. Stronger than anyone he knew. She would not have expired so easily; he'd had elixirs on him…
One elixir.
He'd used the others. She'd saved him at the cost of her own life. Why? Why would she do that? If she'd taken the elixir, she could have stopped Doku. She knew how important it was. This was impossible.
"You have my condolences." said Murai.
"…Kureha is not dead." snapped Ryu.
Without a word, he launched himself out the window. Sprinting through the forests, he leaped from tree to tree. As they had done when they were children. Crossing into the village, he halted to see the broken ruins.
The few fires remaining had faded. Now there was only ash. But the corpses had been moved, and he saw the graveyard had many more stones in it. How long had he been out?
It didn't matter. Kureha was not dead.
He walked into the village and halted as he saw three statues. Statues of children and one had lost its head. The head was lying at the foot of the statue. "The children's god."
He remembered him and Kureha playing beneath it. Kneeling down he picked up the head and placed it back upon the shoulders.
She was not dead.
He walked up into the graveyard, reading the names of those who had died. People he'd known from childhood, all gone. On and on he walked, and at last came to a grave. On it was the gem of the True Dragon Sword, hung. And on it was a name.
Kureha
Priestess and Guardian of the Dark Dragon. Killed performing her duties.
His throat went dry. She was dead.
He didn't cry. He didn't yell. It was not in his nature to make a scene. But he did clench his fist. Doku had taken her from him. He'd cut her down in the prime of life and stolen the Dark Dragon Blade.
He would pay.
The Vigoor Empire would pay.
Ayane landed behind him. Ryu could tell by the sound of her landing that she was wearing her armor. He was glad she was alive, at least. He had saved someone. "Master Ryu, you should not be up. You may still have lingering injuries."
"Kureha is gone." said Ryu.
"Yes. I'm sorry." said Ayane. "But by the time I got to her, it was all over."
The stone stood before him. It was calling out for its wielder. Ryu was that wielder. "It's not over. Not yet."
He reached forward toward the gem of the True Dragon Sword. As he did visions of all, he would do came to his thoughts. He saw himself cutting down Doku. But not just Doku. He would kill the Vigoor Emperor who ordered this attack. The citizens of Vigoor would scream and flee in vain. He would slaughter them, just as his people had been slaughtered.
The Vigoor Empire would burn, and all within it would pay the price for its leader's atrocities.
Kureha would be avenged.
A horrific pain shot through his hand as he touched the stone. Ryu recoiled, clutching his arm, and fell to the ground. Looking at his hand, he saw the burn — a warning.
The gem of the True Dragon Sword had rejected him.
Ryu knew that if he tried again, he would suffer more than a burn.
Ayane fell by his side. "Master Ryu? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." said Ryu. "The gem will not be used for revenge." He rose to his feet and dusted himself off. "I'll make due without it."
He returned.
When he reached the Shadow Ninja Hideout, Murai was waiting for him. The old master had his arms crossed, eyeing him carefully as Ryu approached. The burn on his hand still burned.
"So you mean to seek vengeance for what was done to you?" guessed Murai.
"I do." said Ryu, walking past him.
"It is just as well." said Murai, walking with him. "Your duty is to retrieve the Dark Dragon Blade. Following it will lead you to him. Your mission and your vengeance are one and the same.
Allow me to offer you what help I can.
"For a start, I have armor that will help you on your way."
The armor Murai had spoken of was pure black. It clung to Ryu's body but didn't restrict his movement in any way. It was heavier than his normal clothes, but only a little. But there were numerous places to store shurikens and kunai. The Dragon Sword was strapped to his back soon. Last, of all he donned a helm instead of a hood.
Murai admired his look, a slight smile on his face. "It is state of the art. Designed to deflect modern weaponry. And yet give you the same flexibility as normal clothes. "May it serve you well."
Ryu looked at one gloved hand. The burn hurt still. "Who made this?"
"The Legendary Smith, Muramasa." said Murai. "I commissioned it personally for you. I had intended to give it to you as a gift when you finished your training."
"I will use it well." said Ryu.
There was silence between them. Murai walked over to a table and picked up several papers. He sorted through them. "My network of ninja have uncovered the reason for the attack. The samurai who burned the village was Doku. Lord of the Greater Fiends of the Vigoor Empire. It appears the Vigoor Emperor seeks the power of the Dark Dragon Blade."
The name sent his burn hurting all the more. The hatred he felt then was all-consuming. All of this had been done by a man. No, a monster. "Doku…"
"I will arrangements for you to enter the Vigoor Empire." said Murai. "I have contacts in Vigoor's secret police. I should be able to let you slip into the capital city of Tairon."
"Tairom?" asked Ryu. "Why there?"
"The borders of every province in Vigoor are heavily guarded." said Murai. "The Empire restricts the flow of information everywhere. Traveling by a direct route after Doku would be a laborious process, doomed to failure.
"On the other hand, Tairon is the home to a large number of foreign dignitaries. There are means to enter it. And since it is the center of Vigoor, there will be means to find out about people and places throughout the Empire."
Ryu looked up at his uncle. "And how would you have me enter it?"
"The Holy Vigoor Empire." said Ayane from the window. "A strange dictatorship veiled in secrecy. Its exclusionist foreign policy makes for very few ways to enter the country. One of the only remaining routes is by airship to the capital city of Tairon."
Ryu looked up. "Then I will stow aboard one."
"No need for that, I will have tickets and a passport made for you." said Murai.
Ryu blinked. "You expect them to let me on the airship with a katana and multiple kunai?"
Murai shrugged. "Carrying weapons is considered perfectly acceptable in the Vigoor Empire. The Emperor preaches that only the strong deserve to survive. And there are a great many dangers that normal nations don't face. The fiends that spawn there occasionally attack civilians.
"Many warriors make their profession hunting those same fiends."
"But do not the fiends rule Vigoor?" asked Ryu.
"Unofficially." said Murai. "Lesser fiends often slip their leash and seek to feast on the unwary. Though I suspect the leash is kept loose if you will."
Ryu brought two fingers to his chin. Vengeance was one thing, but there were other, more important concerns. Kureha wouldn't want him to forget his duty. "…What if Doku cannot be found? We will need to regain the Dark Dragon Blade."
Murai shrugged. "If you wish to find the Dark Dragon you must simply start killing."
Ryu looked up, startled. "What?"
"It is said that te Dark Dragon's power grows as chaos and destruction grow in this world." said Murai.
Ryu realized that before he touched the stone, he might have happily accepted such a solution. It disturbed him greatly. "You would have me slaughter without discrimination?"
"There is no need for you to spare the subjects of the Vigoor Empire." said Murai. "You go there for revenge; do you not?"
"Vengeance is one thing. But I will not kill the innocent." said Ryu.
Murai shrugged. "Do as you like. You are old enough to make your own decisions.
"Just know that the Dark Dragon revels in killing and destruction. If you provide these things, it is certain to call out to you."
"I will find Doku." decided Ryu.
At that moment the door opened, and Momiji walked in. She was carrying a book and looked like she had been crying. "Ryu…"
"What are you doing here, girl?" snapped Murai. "This is no place for you."
"I need to speak with… with Ryu." said Momiji, voice breaking.
Murai stepped forward, but Ryu raised a hand. "One moment."
He took Momiji outside and looked at her. "What is it Momiji?"
Momiji offered him the book. "Kureha wanted you to have this. She… she asked me to give them to you before… before…" She broke out sobbing.
Ryu reached out and hugged her with one arm. He felt awkward doing this. As she sobbed, he kneeled down in front of her and wiped away her tears. "Dry your tears. What is this book?"
"Her research." said Momiji. "Sister Kureha studied the Dark Dragon Blade. She was trying to destroy it."
"In that case, she was wasting her time." said Murai from the doorway. "The Dark Dragon Blade draws on the forces of evil itself. It is as much a primal force of this world as the sun in the sky."
"Please, Ryu… she wanted you to have it." said Momiji.
Ryu took the book and patted her on the head. "I'll take it. Thank you, Momiji. Could you let us speak? We have to talk about getting the Dark Dragon Blade back before anyone gets hurt."
Momiji nodded and walked away. Ryu and Murai walked back into the room. "What research could Kureha have done in that shrine?" asked Murai.
"Kureha was not an ordinary shrine maiden." said Ryu. "She spent years sutdying abroad before she became one. She told me once that every religion has the same uttermost source and that all things are connected.
"She was always trying to think about things differently. Once she told me that that was the only way you learned. It is possible she may have learned something in her studies." He brought up the book and opened it.
The first page read:
'Dear Ryu,
If you are reading this message than something has happened to me. Maybe I'm dead. Maybe I've been called away and can't get it to you. Whatever it is does not matter.
'What matters is what you do with it.
'Contained within these letters is all my research. I believe I have found the means by which the power of the Dark Dragon Blade could be destroyed. But this knowledge could also be used for great evil.
'Be very careful who you show this to. The very means by which the Dark Dragon Blade can be destroyed could gain it a powerful champion…'
Murai approached, and Ryu shut the book quickly. The older man was peering at him with a look that was a little too intent. "May I see it? I have conducted some research of my own. Our combined knowledge may be of some use."
Kureha was afraid. She had thought whatever she had learned could be used to destroy the Dark Dragon Blade. But also to make it that much more dangerous. She must have been afraid to reveal it.
Afraid of people like Murai.
Ryu loved his uncle like a second father. But Murai was always keen on gaining more power. He had openly lamented that he could not wield the blade. What if Kureha had found some means by which the sword could be used by one without the dragon lineage?
It was too great a risk. "…With respect, Murai, I believe Kureha wished this for my eyes only."
Murai nodded. "Of course." He walked to the door. "I will leave you in peace.
"The next flight to Vigoor leaves in a few days. Given that the Vigoor Emperor likely has designs for the blade, it would be best if you set out today. There is no telling what horrors the Emperor could create with its power, if we are not in time to stop it."
Ryu nodded. "I understand.
"Ayane, we will go as soon as our papers are in order."
"As you wish, Master Ryu." said Ayane.
Author's Note:
And here we have chapter five. If you enjoy this story, please leave a review. It helps me stay motivated, and when I don't get any response, I focus on other things.
There is never any explanation given in the game as to why Ryu didn't create the True Dragon Sword before going to Vigoor. You could argue that he just didn't know about it. But I want Ryu to have a character arc. To this end, I decided to have the True Dragon Sword reject him for his bloodlust.