Just so no one gets confused, I do not own any of the characters described in this story, nor do I own the video game they are from.

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Rei: It's not much, Ryu, but it's all I could get before the shopkeeper returned.

Ryu now wear a chain mail and blue shorts with knee and elbow pads. He has a pair of red shoes and one shoulder pad, a wooden, and a small sword.

Teepo: Hm . . . not bad, Rei, especially for the short amount of time you had. Now we just have to worry about food.

All three of their stomachs growl. They all get the one teardrop sliding down the side of their foreheads.

They walk down near the biggest main road around.

Rei: Okay, Ryu. This is Yrall Road. We have to steal to get food.

Ryu gets a sad look on his face and shakes his head.

Teepo: It's not like we hurt them, we just threaten them with our weapons and they give us food.

Ryu is still reluctant, but goes along with it.

Teepo: We're counting on you, Ryu.

Teepo and Rei see someone coming. They time it just right.

Teepo and Rei: GO!

Ryu doesn't budge an inch, so Teepo is forced to push him. He stumbles forward and runs into a large man who has a lot of hair all around his face. He is wearing many bearskins hanging from his neck onto his back.

Teepo: (to Rei) Oh, no! It's Bunyan!

Rei: Ryu's done for . . .

Bunyan: Hm? What are you doing, little one? Trying to hug me? Listen, we've got enough trouble around here with those two rascals, Teepo and Rei always trying to steal from people. Stay away from them and don't do anything stupid anymore, okay?

Ryu nodded. Teepo and Rei joined him as soon as Bunyan was out of sight.

Teepo: Why is he always saying bad stuff about us? Giving us a bad reputation . . .

Rei: Hey, if he's out here . . . that means his cabin's unguarded!

They all hurried up the road to Bunyan's cabin. Rei waits in the front room while Ryu and Teepo go down to the basement. They heard a creek in the floorboards above them.

Teepo: Uh-oh. I think I'd better go check that out . . .

Ryu nodded. He knew what Teepo wanted. He wanted him to stay down in the basement until he got back. When Teepo didn't return, Ryu got worried. He went up the ladder leading to the front room. He didn't see anything. Something was amiss. He went outside only to see a closed fist before everything went dark.