The Aftermath
Ch. 6 Too Many Disturbances
Awakening from his deep sleep, Ryu once more found himself inside a dream, lying in a plush bed within the one of the largest rooms he had ever seen. Unable to think clearly, he sat up, facing the rest of the room, contemplating the temple's existence. Dragon statues lined the wall; all led up to a great stone tablet leaning against the wall. As he skulked nearer, however, he realized that it was the wall. There was one column of ancient text, beginning at the ceiling and trailing down to the floor. Analyzing the characters for a few minutes, Ryu found himself unable to read the mysterious symbols. Quickly discouraged, Ryu turned around to go explore his apparent accommodations.
"Please don't do that," Ryu said, sighing after being a little startled.
"I'm sorry," said the cloaked woman, who although was less than ten feet away, still appeared as a silhouette.
"What is it, this time?" Ryu asked the shadowy figure, with an almost irritated tone.
"You must search out a tablet with inscriptions such as this one. It is the key to discovering the evil's intentions."
"Where can I find this tablet?" he asked, noticing a menacing shape move about in the shadows behind one of the dragon statues.
"You will find it-" But that's all that escaped the figure's mouth before she was run through with a blade. Although the killer could not be identified, Ryu recognized the shape of the dark sword as it was removed from the woman.
"That shape. That's the Emperor Sword!" Ryu shouted out, as black blood pooled around the victim, now lying motionless on the tiled floor. Dragon powers activated, Ryu prepared to take back what was rightfully his.
Laughing loudly, the figure lifted a long slender rod up to its lips, and commenced in playing a harsh melody. Trying desperately to escape the painful song, Ryu jumped into the air and started to flap his wings. It was too late for him, however, and he fell to the floor as if he had been shot out of the sky. At that precise moment, Ryu woke up, opening his eyes to see Nina hovering over him. Morning had arrived.
Concerned greatly, Nina wondered what was wrong, "Ryu-I heard your cries, so I came in. Is there anything wrong? Were you having a nightmare?"
"Yes. At least I think I was. I'm not exactly sure if it was a nightmare. It seemed more like a message-an unfinished message."
Extremely interested, Nina asked, "Really? What was the message?"
Perplexed because he did not even know himself, Ryu shrugged and answered, "I don't know. Like I said before, it wasn't completed." Ryu continued by describing the location, the shadowy figures, the tablet, and his thoughts on whom the figures could be. He also wrote down the small portion of the tablet's ancient writing that he could remember.
Scrutinizing it carefully, Nina eyes lit up because she had never seen anything like it. "Maybe some of the scholars at home could tell us more about it, or better yet, maybe even the teacher, Lenwë Nimue, will help us. If you return to Winlan with me, perhaps this mystery will be solved."
"Sounds good."
"By the way, you really think that the woman in your dreams is Sara?" Giggling slightly, Nina regained her composure when she saw Ryu's stern face. Pausing to consider her next remark, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Leaving Ryu to ponder, Nina walked quietly over to the door and opened it.
"Good morning Ryu," said Bandir. Realizing his mistake, Bandir tried to resolve the issue, "Oh I'm sorry, your highness. I thought your room was across the hallway." Risinger, who accompanied Bandir, looked angry at the situation and started to breath a little more rapidly.
"Yes. You are right, Bandir, but Ryu had a little trouble sleeping last night, so I came in to see if he was alright." Risinger looked relieved, but just a little.
"Well, Orin has demanded our company, and I was planning to ask him for aid in Camlon's mining situation, so please get ready as soon as possible and meet us outside Risinger's room."
Nina returned to her room, and she and Ryu got changed, although it took Ryu longer because he first had to overcome the daze he was in. They met with Bandir and Risinger in the hall and hurried to the extravagant throne room to see King Orin, who was silently waiting for their arrival.
"Good morning," Orin began, welcoming them. "How was your night's sleep here in Hizan?"
Nina and Risinger praised the comfortable beds and serene atmosphere and thanked Orin for his hospitality, but Ryu remained silent.
Orin observed this ungrateful behavior but ignored it. "Now to explain to you the situation. There have been quite a number of disturbances lately in the Barbed Coral Reef northwest of Prima. Prima has been sending a multitude of explorers in that direction, but each is never seen or heard from again. Prima has asked Hizan for aid in their dilemma. Pledging my full support, I sent Lieutenant Dalton a few weeks ago with a dozen troops, but I have received word that the few soldiers we sent have not helped the conditions in any way. While barely escaping the slaughter, Dalton glanced at the opponents, and they were lizard-like in appearance. Here is the plan. In addition to some more men, I was going to send my daughter, Tia, along, as an ambassador. Maybe she can convince the malevolent force, assuming it is in fact the Water Knights, to withhold their attacks and allow us safe passage. Knowing that you are an accomplished warrior, Ryu, I was wondering if you would like to accompany my daughter-as a favor to Hizan."
Saddened because he could not help, Ryu answered, "I would really love to, but I must return with Nina and Risinger to Winlan. I have important matters to attend to. I wish you luck in this matter, and I am sorry I can't be of any help."
Troubled, Orin looked at Ryu and frowned. "We only hope we can make due without your added strength and charisma. I assume you will be leaving soon, then?"
"Yes," answered Nina. "We must leave immediately. My father is expecting me back any time now. Thank you for inviting us for giving us the guided tour."
"Before you leave, Bandir, I would like a word with you in the back room," said Orin, giving the impression that it was bad news.
Bandir and Orin exited the throne room, and Nina and Ryu couldn't help to be anxious about their discussion. After looking at the various paintings in the room to waste some time, Nina inquired, "What do you think they are talking about, Ryu?"
Risinger, feeling a little neglected, answered for him, just as Bandir strolled in through the doorway. "Probably the normal duties of a general."
"Or not," Bandir solemnly refuted. "I have just been dismissed from my position as a general. The king feels that I can't do either job perfectly unless I focus on only one, so I'm to return to Camlon and stay there."
Orin stepped into the room slowly, since Bandir had evidently left in the middle of their conversation. "I am sorry, Bandir, but I must do what I think is best for Hizan."
"As you wish, your majesty."
Sidestepping to get closer to Bandir, Ryu whispered, "Did you ask him about sending miners to Nanai?"
Whispering back with a frown on his face, "Thanks for being so sympathetic, Ryu. But, yes, I did. Orin said that that was my last official task as a general."
"Great-for Camlon, that is." Speaking again with normal volume, Ryu thanked King Orin for his hospitality, waved goodbye, and the group trekked back to the courtyard to begin their flight to Winlan.
"I will escort you to Winlan, princess, to assure your safety, but then I must return to Camlon, my new home," Bandir said dejectedly. Nina approved of his decision, and the four morphed into their respective creatures.
It was a beautiful day outside. Clouds were absent from the azure sky, except for a few drifting white puffs, leaving an unhindered view of Ryng Lake and the glorious circle of mountains surrounding it. The clarity hypnotized the travelers, and they forgot that the trip would take over four hours, so they enjoyed watching the reflections of their images in the sparkling lake. Ryu contemplated his dreams and why he was having them. Was he really meant to begin another quest to thwart a new evil? Perhaps talking to Lenwë Nimue was the only way to answer this difficult question. The background of Ryng Lake slowly disappeared from under them, adding the peaceful presence of meadows, with grass blowing gently in the wind, before the frightful emergence of the Forest of Despair, which Ryu and Nina remembered only too well. The flight was peaceful until three shapes suddenly broke through the canopy of the forest below, causing a great rustling noise within the leaves. The shapes climbing faster and faster, Nina made a chirping sound to warn the others of possible danger. As the three shapes came closer, Ryu noticed that there were not three enemies, but six total. Three armored Winlanders beat their wings to stabilize themselves during the upward rise of their mounts, three Great Birds. As they closed in, Ryu, Nina, Risinger, and Bandir avoided their initial assault by flapping horizontally to change direction. Missing their targets, the attackers flew high into the scattered clouds above. After gaining distance on the Winlanders, Risinger flew above Nina and converted back into a Winlander himself, pulling out his bow and notching a few arrows. The Winlanders descended from the cloud they had taken cover in, and steadied themselves in line with Ryu and his companions.
"Give up, now, your highness, and your friends will be spared," yelled the man riding the middle bird, apparently the leader of the gang.
Chirping a few notes with more intensity than any had ever heard from a Great Bird, the Winlanders seemed uneasy about what they had heard.
"So be it. But you will regret this!"
The leader signaled the attack with the raise of his sword, and the two sides charged, and arrows whizzed from Risinger's bow toward the leader, who easily repelled them with his shield. As both sides arrived ever closer, Risinger gave up this futile missile assault, readying his sword and shield for the melee combat sure to ensue. War cries filled the air, and a clash of bone and weapons left one greatly scarred, for the left rider was blown off the bird by Ryu's blazing breath against his shield, while the right rider dodged the impact of Bandir's scaly tail. However, the most amazing of the three collisions was the midair joust between Risinger and the leader, which ended in a blocked blow by both sides.
As one of Ryu's opponents fell, Ryu thought it strange that the Great Bird transformed back into a man, leaving them both to fall. Hovering over them, he realized the reason for the transformation when the first one to fall turned into a Great Bird for the second rider now to ride. The Winlanders charged again, while Ryu taunted them by doing nothing.
Meanwhile, Bandir cupped air with his two sets of wings and flung himself backward at the duo that had formerly evaded him. Sinking his teeth into the left wing of the bird, Bandir held on with all his strength. Fluttering to stay afloat, the three descended rapidly through the air. If that was not enough, the rider raised his sword, aiming to slash at Bandir's wiry head. Maneuvering quickly, Bandir bent his tail back around the rider, binding his arms and wings and restricting all movement. Breaking his hold on the torn wing, the bleeding bird toppled hundreds of feet into the forest below. With his prisoner, Bandir flew off to aid his friends.
Both Nina and the other Great Bird doubled back to strike again. As they made a second pass, however, the leader jumped from his Great Bird onto Nina's back, dramatically dropping Nina's altitude and tackling Risinger, who barely held onto a clump of white feathers and skin. Risinger kicked the leader forward, but at the speed Nina was flying, the leader fell on top of him again. Backing up, the leader gripped Nina's neck for stability, and the sound of colliding metal reverberated between the two upon her back.
In the meantime, Ryu breathed fire at the bird's eyes as it got near, but the fire missed the bird entirely when it dived down. But this was all part of Ryu's plan to get the enemy to fly under him, for Ryu reverted to his human form, dropping onto his enemy. With his sword landing hard on the shield of the rider, who lay on his back due to the might of the attack, the Great Bird chirped loudly as he descended slightly when Ryu landed. Ryu stabbed at the rider, who, although pinned to the ground at the legs, rolled to the side against a beating wing. The rider dodged Ryu's piercing blow, but Ryu's Dragon Sword lodged itself in the spine of the Great Bird, which instantly stopped all motion.
Bandir returned to the site of the battle, captive in tail, and decided to assist Risinger, who had to shield every blow from striking Nina and making sure his own thrusts did not strike her as well, was struggling against the leader of the hostile group.
"Give her up to me!" the leader insisted, as he parried Risinger's slash, countering with a slash of his own.
"Never!" bellowed Risinger, blocking the ferocious attempt to force him off the bird. "I swore an oath to protect her always, and I will protect her always." Swiping with intensity, the leader's sword flew from his hand into the abysmal emptiness of the seemingly endless sky. Unable to recover from his enraged state, Risinger swung at the defenseless Winlander, who's arm followed slightly after him as he plunged downward.
Watching him crash into the treetops below, Bandir made a smile, or at least that was what Risinger assumed he was doing. His lipless face and detachable jawbone made it difficult to distinguish the grin if it was indeed being made.
"What are we sitting here for? We should help Ryu!" exclaimed Risinger.
During the intense battle on Nina's back, Ryu removed his sword, and he and the rider turned into their respective creatures to avoid the unsightly impact of their squished corpses on the ground. The Great Bird made a foolish attempt to ram into Ryu's chest, but Ryu grasped the bird's neck with his claws, causing immeasurable pain to the flying life form. As Ryu had his hands full, literally, his view of the world suddenly turned black, and he became human again, falling comatose towards the earth. The other Great Bird and had flown into him at full speed. The wounded victim of Ryu's sharp claws reverted and plummeted as well, so his companion was compelled to dive and catch him in midair, after which he turned to strike. However, noticing that his commander had fallen, his morale severely decreased and he fled the scene.
Observing Ryu's descending body in the distance, Bandir cried out, "Ryu!" Releasing his hold on the Winlander, who turned into a Great Bird and fled the tropospheric arena, Bandir dove with remarkable speed for Ryu. Roping Ryu's unconscious body with his tail, Bandir carried him off. Risinger jumped off Nina and turned into a Great Bird again as well, and he and Nina met up with Bandir. After they regrouped, they resumed their journey to Winlan.
Winlan came into view after about an hour, and to the travelers, it was a sight for sore eyes. Winlan was a lovely kingdom to live in. The ingenious and aesthetically pleasing waterfall and stream system allowed lush plants to grow throughout the kingdom, not to mention cooling the city down on a hot summer day. Because of the exotic plants and ever-presence of water, strolls through the streets were always enjoyable. Crime was virtually nonexistent, since Winlan's highly trained soldiers did an excellent job of keeping criminals at bay. In addition to those amenities, King Frederick and Queen Hina were very benevolent and wise rulers, so little discourse existed.
Nina led them to the castle courtyard, the common landing grounds for flying monsters, and the group landed. Bandir delicately placed Ryu's body on the grass before morphing into a human, and Nina and Risinger followed suit.
Looking at Nina, Bandir furiously inquired, "What was that all about? Why were those people after you?"
She shrugged off his question at first, but then answered, "They are probably common thieves, trying to make a dishonest living by stealing our belongings. And who better to steal from than the princess of Winlan?"
"They were too organized to be common bandits. They were probably hired to kidnap you for some reason, or maybe they just wanted to use you in order to demand a ransom," Risinger added in.
Standing up slowly and shaking his head to remove the dizziness, Ryu commented, "Risinger is right. It was not just your average theft. There is more depth to these actions than we think. Look at all the disturbances lately. First, the theft of my sword." The group nodded. "Then the incident at the mines-"
Bandir interrupted, "You think that all of these occurrences are related?"
Ignoring Bandir for the moment, Ryu continued with his list, "Then the attack of the lizard men at Prima, and now this. Perhaps my dreams lately are associated with these disturbances as well. And yes, Bandir, I think all these occurrences are related."
"This is very interesting, but I must get back to Camlon and wait for the arrival of the miners from Hizan. I'll relay your thoughts on the matter to King Fordan as soon as I arrive. Farewell, Ryu, Risinger, Princess Nina." The three waved to Bandir as he soared off to the south.
As Bandir vanished in the distance, Nina stopped waving and suggested a new plan, "We should talk to my father to see if any other "strange" happenings have been occurring lately. We here at Winlan know everything happening worldwide due to our Wind Courier system. We have assigned two or three couriers to every town as a service to the world. They deliver important messages to the leaders of the kingdoms or towns, not to mention returning to Winlan to tell my father about any interesting news as well, such as tournaments or races."
Thinking about how useful Wind Couriers could be in this situation, Ryu agreed with her advice.
With that, the three entered the metal-boarded door and walked towards the throne room. They passed the guest quarters, the kitchen, the library, and several of the diplomats from Camlon, who greeted Nina by bowing down to her as she passed. Entering the throne room, Nina, Ryu, and Risinger viewed a middle-aged woman staring out the window.
Upon hearing the door creak open and footsteps noisily fall upon the floor, the woman turned around and spoke, "Welcome back, Nina. How was your trip to Hizan? It has been a while since I have been there, but I am sure it is still as beautiful and welcoming as ever."
"It was great, mother. King Orin was very warm and friendly, and he even personally gave us a tour of Hizan." Lowering the tone of her voice to show seriousness, Nina began, "More importantly, however, I have some questions for father. Where is he at the moment?"
"He is resting right now, but if I can help you in any way, I will."
Nina told Queen Hina about all of the recent events throughout the world and how Ryu believed them to be linked. She also asked Hina about any other news that might corroborate Ryu's thoughts.
"I disagree with you because these types of events occur all the time-but come to think of it, a Wind Courier just came from Nabal with news of the usually passive Grimfowls in Grimfowl Forest going insane. They have been uncontrollably attacking anyone who enters, and so near the Hippo-Dragon races during this time of year. We wouldn't want anything to happen to the riders or their prized mounts. King Friemont of Nabal sent soldiers into the forest, but they were sadistically pecked and burnt by the small bursts of flame emitted from the birds' mouths. Frederick and I were going to refuse his request since representatives from Tunlan are being sent, but I'm assuming you would like to check it out. Am I correct?"
"Yes," Ryu responded. "We will leave as soon as I have spoken with Lenwë Nimue about the puzzling text on the tablet from my dreams." Turning to Nina, Ryu sighed and said unexpectedly, "It looks like we'll have to ban together again." Again turning to the queen, "Your majesty, since Winlanders can travel throughout the world faster than anyone else, could you contact all of our companions from the final battle against Tyr and send for them to meet here?"
"I do not believe that the situation requires such drastic measures, but alright. Now, the other six were, Bo in Tantar, Karn in Bleak, Gobi in Prima, Ox in Gant, Bleu in Wisdon, and Mogu in Gramor, correct?"
"You are correct, your highness. Thank you."
"I hope Frederick approves of this, especially the idea of letting you, Nina, leave on another journey. He disapproved of it last time and would disapprove of it now, especially since you are possibly the object of an elaborate kidnapping scheme. Leave now, before he wakes up and prevents your departure."
"I love you, mother," Nina said with affection.
The group speedily exited the throne room, waving goodbye to Hina. Nina took them to the extensive library, which doubled as a school. Ryu, entering the two-story decorative and gigantic library, could hardly believe that it could fit inside Winlan's palace. There must have been thousands of books, scrolls, and manuscripts dating from recent times to hundreds of years old. On the side to the left of the main entranceway, there were stone tablets from various ruins throughout the world. Unlike Nina and Risinger who grew up in Winlan, Ryu, was not as acquainted with the library as they were, so he walked over to the tablets to see them up close. Nina and Risinger glanced at each other, and then followed Ryu over to the wall. Examining the tablets closely, Ryu could understand only one of them, which described the hidden traps inside Krypt.
A slender middle-aged man about six feet tall approached the group and greeted them in a refined manner, "Hello Princess Nina. I take it your time in Camlon was well spent?"
"Yes it was." Since Nina was sure that none of the tablets contained the same writing as what Ryu showed her, she stated their purpose outright, "We have to come to talk to Lenwë Nimue."
"What about, may I ask?"
"That is not to be discussed, yet, until we know more."
"Oh, I see. It is that confidential. He is in the classroom upstairs. You know where to find him."
Barely able to tear Ryu away from the tablets, Nina took him upstairs to meet with the great scholar. Finding Lenwë studying a parchment, Nina said to the elderly man, "Mr. Nimue?"
"Princess?" he replied. "What can I do for you today?"
"We would like for you to take a look at something, if you are not busy," said Nina timidly. "None of us have ever seen symbols like it before, so we naturally came to ask you, the authority on ancient languages."
"I saw the symbols in my dream last night," Ryu chimed in. "So logically I wrote down the few I remembered onto a piece of paper in case anyone could decipher them."
"From a dream? Dreams are only manifestations of our inner desires and feelings, young man," the teacher said, educating Ryu. "The symbols you dreamed of could be nothing more than figments of your imagination. If I were you, I would think nothing of them."
"But these dreams have just recently started occurring, and since a month or so ago, I've had them multiple times."
"It could be stress-related. Or maybe you are subconsciously quarrelling with your internal self about a fear or concern. Dreams tend to teach us about ourselves, but not in the way you appear to be thinking."
Realizing that he could not convince the stubborn old scholar with words, Ryu removed the scrap of paper from his pack and showed it to Lenwë. He took the paper from Ryu's hand and inspected very closely. Placing his hand upon his chin, he looked as if he were in a deep trance. Suddenly, he excitedly opened his mouth, causing Ryu, Nina, and Risinger to wait apprehensively for the words to reach their ears.
Ch. 6 Too Many Disturbances
Awakening from his deep sleep, Ryu once more found himself inside a dream, lying in a plush bed within the one of the largest rooms he had ever seen. Unable to think clearly, he sat up, facing the rest of the room, contemplating the temple's existence. Dragon statues lined the wall; all led up to a great stone tablet leaning against the wall. As he skulked nearer, however, he realized that it was the wall. There was one column of ancient text, beginning at the ceiling and trailing down to the floor. Analyzing the characters for a few minutes, Ryu found himself unable to read the mysterious symbols. Quickly discouraged, Ryu turned around to go explore his apparent accommodations.
"Please don't do that," Ryu said, sighing after being a little startled.
"I'm sorry," said the cloaked woman, who although was less than ten feet away, still appeared as a silhouette.
"What is it, this time?" Ryu asked the shadowy figure, with an almost irritated tone.
"You must search out a tablet with inscriptions such as this one. It is the key to discovering the evil's intentions."
"Where can I find this tablet?" he asked, noticing a menacing shape move about in the shadows behind one of the dragon statues.
"You will find it-" But that's all that escaped the figure's mouth before she was run through with a blade. Although the killer could not be identified, Ryu recognized the shape of the dark sword as it was removed from the woman.
"That shape. That's the Emperor Sword!" Ryu shouted out, as black blood pooled around the victim, now lying motionless on the tiled floor. Dragon powers activated, Ryu prepared to take back what was rightfully his.
Laughing loudly, the figure lifted a long slender rod up to its lips, and commenced in playing a harsh melody. Trying desperately to escape the painful song, Ryu jumped into the air and started to flap his wings. It was too late for him, however, and he fell to the floor as if he had been shot out of the sky. At that precise moment, Ryu woke up, opening his eyes to see Nina hovering over him. Morning had arrived.
Concerned greatly, Nina wondered what was wrong, "Ryu-I heard your cries, so I came in. Is there anything wrong? Were you having a nightmare?"
"Yes. At least I think I was. I'm not exactly sure if it was a nightmare. It seemed more like a message-an unfinished message."
Extremely interested, Nina asked, "Really? What was the message?"
Perplexed because he did not even know himself, Ryu shrugged and answered, "I don't know. Like I said before, it wasn't completed." Ryu continued by describing the location, the shadowy figures, the tablet, and his thoughts on whom the figures could be. He also wrote down the small portion of the tablet's ancient writing that he could remember.
Scrutinizing it carefully, Nina eyes lit up because she had never seen anything like it. "Maybe some of the scholars at home could tell us more about it, or better yet, maybe even the teacher, Lenwë Nimue, will help us. If you return to Winlan with me, perhaps this mystery will be solved."
"Sounds good."
"By the way, you really think that the woman in your dreams is Sara?" Giggling slightly, Nina regained her composure when she saw Ryu's stern face. Pausing to consider her next remark, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Leaving Ryu to ponder, Nina walked quietly over to the door and opened it.
"Good morning Ryu," said Bandir. Realizing his mistake, Bandir tried to resolve the issue, "Oh I'm sorry, your highness. I thought your room was across the hallway." Risinger, who accompanied Bandir, looked angry at the situation and started to breath a little more rapidly.
"Yes. You are right, Bandir, but Ryu had a little trouble sleeping last night, so I came in to see if he was alright." Risinger looked relieved, but just a little.
"Well, Orin has demanded our company, and I was planning to ask him for aid in Camlon's mining situation, so please get ready as soon as possible and meet us outside Risinger's room."
Nina returned to her room, and she and Ryu got changed, although it took Ryu longer because he first had to overcome the daze he was in. They met with Bandir and Risinger in the hall and hurried to the extravagant throne room to see King Orin, who was silently waiting for their arrival.
"Good morning," Orin began, welcoming them. "How was your night's sleep here in Hizan?"
Nina and Risinger praised the comfortable beds and serene atmosphere and thanked Orin for his hospitality, but Ryu remained silent.
Orin observed this ungrateful behavior but ignored it. "Now to explain to you the situation. There have been quite a number of disturbances lately in the Barbed Coral Reef northwest of Prima. Prima has been sending a multitude of explorers in that direction, but each is never seen or heard from again. Prima has asked Hizan for aid in their dilemma. Pledging my full support, I sent Lieutenant Dalton a few weeks ago with a dozen troops, but I have received word that the few soldiers we sent have not helped the conditions in any way. While barely escaping the slaughter, Dalton glanced at the opponents, and they were lizard-like in appearance. Here is the plan. In addition to some more men, I was going to send my daughter, Tia, along, as an ambassador. Maybe she can convince the malevolent force, assuming it is in fact the Water Knights, to withhold their attacks and allow us safe passage. Knowing that you are an accomplished warrior, Ryu, I was wondering if you would like to accompany my daughter-as a favor to Hizan."
Saddened because he could not help, Ryu answered, "I would really love to, but I must return with Nina and Risinger to Winlan. I have important matters to attend to. I wish you luck in this matter, and I am sorry I can't be of any help."
Troubled, Orin looked at Ryu and frowned. "We only hope we can make due without your added strength and charisma. I assume you will be leaving soon, then?"
"Yes," answered Nina. "We must leave immediately. My father is expecting me back any time now. Thank you for inviting us for giving us the guided tour."
"Before you leave, Bandir, I would like a word with you in the back room," said Orin, giving the impression that it was bad news.
Bandir and Orin exited the throne room, and Nina and Ryu couldn't help to be anxious about their discussion. After looking at the various paintings in the room to waste some time, Nina inquired, "What do you think they are talking about, Ryu?"
Risinger, feeling a little neglected, answered for him, just as Bandir strolled in through the doorway. "Probably the normal duties of a general."
"Or not," Bandir solemnly refuted. "I have just been dismissed from my position as a general. The king feels that I can't do either job perfectly unless I focus on only one, so I'm to return to Camlon and stay there."
Orin stepped into the room slowly, since Bandir had evidently left in the middle of their conversation. "I am sorry, Bandir, but I must do what I think is best for Hizan."
"As you wish, your majesty."
Sidestepping to get closer to Bandir, Ryu whispered, "Did you ask him about sending miners to Nanai?"
Whispering back with a frown on his face, "Thanks for being so sympathetic, Ryu. But, yes, I did. Orin said that that was my last official task as a general."
"Great-for Camlon, that is." Speaking again with normal volume, Ryu thanked King Orin for his hospitality, waved goodbye, and the group trekked back to the courtyard to begin their flight to Winlan.
"I will escort you to Winlan, princess, to assure your safety, but then I must return to Camlon, my new home," Bandir said dejectedly. Nina approved of his decision, and the four morphed into their respective creatures.
It was a beautiful day outside. Clouds were absent from the azure sky, except for a few drifting white puffs, leaving an unhindered view of Ryng Lake and the glorious circle of mountains surrounding it. The clarity hypnotized the travelers, and they forgot that the trip would take over four hours, so they enjoyed watching the reflections of their images in the sparkling lake. Ryu contemplated his dreams and why he was having them. Was he really meant to begin another quest to thwart a new evil? Perhaps talking to Lenwë Nimue was the only way to answer this difficult question. The background of Ryng Lake slowly disappeared from under them, adding the peaceful presence of meadows, with grass blowing gently in the wind, before the frightful emergence of the Forest of Despair, which Ryu and Nina remembered only too well. The flight was peaceful until three shapes suddenly broke through the canopy of the forest below, causing a great rustling noise within the leaves. The shapes climbing faster and faster, Nina made a chirping sound to warn the others of possible danger. As the three shapes came closer, Ryu noticed that there were not three enemies, but six total. Three armored Winlanders beat their wings to stabilize themselves during the upward rise of their mounts, three Great Birds. As they closed in, Ryu, Nina, Risinger, and Bandir avoided their initial assault by flapping horizontally to change direction. Missing their targets, the attackers flew high into the scattered clouds above. After gaining distance on the Winlanders, Risinger flew above Nina and converted back into a Winlander himself, pulling out his bow and notching a few arrows. The Winlanders descended from the cloud they had taken cover in, and steadied themselves in line with Ryu and his companions.
"Give up, now, your highness, and your friends will be spared," yelled the man riding the middle bird, apparently the leader of the gang.
Chirping a few notes with more intensity than any had ever heard from a Great Bird, the Winlanders seemed uneasy about what they had heard.
"So be it. But you will regret this!"
The leader signaled the attack with the raise of his sword, and the two sides charged, and arrows whizzed from Risinger's bow toward the leader, who easily repelled them with his shield. As both sides arrived ever closer, Risinger gave up this futile missile assault, readying his sword and shield for the melee combat sure to ensue. War cries filled the air, and a clash of bone and weapons left one greatly scarred, for the left rider was blown off the bird by Ryu's blazing breath against his shield, while the right rider dodged the impact of Bandir's scaly tail. However, the most amazing of the three collisions was the midair joust between Risinger and the leader, which ended in a blocked blow by both sides.
As one of Ryu's opponents fell, Ryu thought it strange that the Great Bird transformed back into a man, leaving them both to fall. Hovering over them, he realized the reason for the transformation when the first one to fall turned into a Great Bird for the second rider now to ride. The Winlanders charged again, while Ryu taunted them by doing nothing.
Meanwhile, Bandir cupped air with his two sets of wings and flung himself backward at the duo that had formerly evaded him. Sinking his teeth into the left wing of the bird, Bandir held on with all his strength. Fluttering to stay afloat, the three descended rapidly through the air. If that was not enough, the rider raised his sword, aiming to slash at Bandir's wiry head. Maneuvering quickly, Bandir bent his tail back around the rider, binding his arms and wings and restricting all movement. Breaking his hold on the torn wing, the bleeding bird toppled hundreds of feet into the forest below. With his prisoner, Bandir flew off to aid his friends.
Both Nina and the other Great Bird doubled back to strike again. As they made a second pass, however, the leader jumped from his Great Bird onto Nina's back, dramatically dropping Nina's altitude and tackling Risinger, who barely held onto a clump of white feathers and skin. Risinger kicked the leader forward, but at the speed Nina was flying, the leader fell on top of him again. Backing up, the leader gripped Nina's neck for stability, and the sound of colliding metal reverberated between the two upon her back.
In the meantime, Ryu breathed fire at the bird's eyes as it got near, but the fire missed the bird entirely when it dived down. But this was all part of Ryu's plan to get the enemy to fly under him, for Ryu reverted to his human form, dropping onto his enemy. With his sword landing hard on the shield of the rider, who lay on his back due to the might of the attack, the Great Bird chirped loudly as he descended slightly when Ryu landed. Ryu stabbed at the rider, who, although pinned to the ground at the legs, rolled to the side against a beating wing. The rider dodged Ryu's piercing blow, but Ryu's Dragon Sword lodged itself in the spine of the Great Bird, which instantly stopped all motion.
Bandir returned to the site of the battle, captive in tail, and decided to assist Risinger, who had to shield every blow from striking Nina and making sure his own thrusts did not strike her as well, was struggling against the leader of the hostile group.
"Give her up to me!" the leader insisted, as he parried Risinger's slash, countering with a slash of his own.
"Never!" bellowed Risinger, blocking the ferocious attempt to force him off the bird. "I swore an oath to protect her always, and I will protect her always." Swiping with intensity, the leader's sword flew from his hand into the abysmal emptiness of the seemingly endless sky. Unable to recover from his enraged state, Risinger swung at the defenseless Winlander, who's arm followed slightly after him as he plunged downward.
Watching him crash into the treetops below, Bandir made a smile, or at least that was what Risinger assumed he was doing. His lipless face and detachable jawbone made it difficult to distinguish the grin if it was indeed being made.
"What are we sitting here for? We should help Ryu!" exclaimed Risinger.
During the intense battle on Nina's back, Ryu removed his sword, and he and the rider turned into their respective creatures to avoid the unsightly impact of their squished corpses on the ground. The Great Bird made a foolish attempt to ram into Ryu's chest, but Ryu grasped the bird's neck with his claws, causing immeasurable pain to the flying life form. As Ryu had his hands full, literally, his view of the world suddenly turned black, and he became human again, falling comatose towards the earth. The other Great Bird and had flown into him at full speed. The wounded victim of Ryu's sharp claws reverted and plummeted as well, so his companion was compelled to dive and catch him in midair, after which he turned to strike. However, noticing that his commander had fallen, his morale severely decreased and he fled the scene.
Observing Ryu's descending body in the distance, Bandir cried out, "Ryu!" Releasing his hold on the Winlander, who turned into a Great Bird and fled the tropospheric arena, Bandir dove with remarkable speed for Ryu. Roping Ryu's unconscious body with his tail, Bandir carried him off. Risinger jumped off Nina and turned into a Great Bird again as well, and he and Nina met up with Bandir. After they regrouped, they resumed their journey to Winlan.
Winlan came into view after about an hour, and to the travelers, it was a sight for sore eyes. Winlan was a lovely kingdom to live in. The ingenious and aesthetically pleasing waterfall and stream system allowed lush plants to grow throughout the kingdom, not to mention cooling the city down on a hot summer day. Because of the exotic plants and ever-presence of water, strolls through the streets were always enjoyable. Crime was virtually nonexistent, since Winlan's highly trained soldiers did an excellent job of keeping criminals at bay. In addition to those amenities, King Frederick and Queen Hina were very benevolent and wise rulers, so little discourse existed.
Nina led them to the castle courtyard, the common landing grounds for flying monsters, and the group landed. Bandir delicately placed Ryu's body on the grass before morphing into a human, and Nina and Risinger followed suit.
Looking at Nina, Bandir furiously inquired, "What was that all about? Why were those people after you?"
She shrugged off his question at first, but then answered, "They are probably common thieves, trying to make a dishonest living by stealing our belongings. And who better to steal from than the princess of Winlan?"
"They were too organized to be common bandits. They were probably hired to kidnap you for some reason, or maybe they just wanted to use you in order to demand a ransom," Risinger added in.
Standing up slowly and shaking his head to remove the dizziness, Ryu commented, "Risinger is right. It was not just your average theft. There is more depth to these actions than we think. Look at all the disturbances lately. First, the theft of my sword." The group nodded. "Then the incident at the mines-"
Bandir interrupted, "You think that all of these occurrences are related?"
Ignoring Bandir for the moment, Ryu continued with his list, "Then the attack of the lizard men at Prima, and now this. Perhaps my dreams lately are associated with these disturbances as well. And yes, Bandir, I think all these occurrences are related."
"This is very interesting, but I must get back to Camlon and wait for the arrival of the miners from Hizan. I'll relay your thoughts on the matter to King Fordan as soon as I arrive. Farewell, Ryu, Risinger, Princess Nina." The three waved to Bandir as he soared off to the south.
As Bandir vanished in the distance, Nina stopped waving and suggested a new plan, "We should talk to my father to see if any other "strange" happenings have been occurring lately. We here at Winlan know everything happening worldwide due to our Wind Courier system. We have assigned two or three couriers to every town as a service to the world. They deliver important messages to the leaders of the kingdoms or towns, not to mention returning to Winlan to tell my father about any interesting news as well, such as tournaments or races."
Thinking about how useful Wind Couriers could be in this situation, Ryu agreed with her advice.
With that, the three entered the metal-boarded door and walked towards the throne room. They passed the guest quarters, the kitchen, the library, and several of the diplomats from Camlon, who greeted Nina by bowing down to her as she passed. Entering the throne room, Nina, Ryu, and Risinger viewed a middle-aged woman staring out the window.
Upon hearing the door creak open and footsteps noisily fall upon the floor, the woman turned around and spoke, "Welcome back, Nina. How was your trip to Hizan? It has been a while since I have been there, but I am sure it is still as beautiful and welcoming as ever."
"It was great, mother. King Orin was very warm and friendly, and he even personally gave us a tour of Hizan." Lowering the tone of her voice to show seriousness, Nina began, "More importantly, however, I have some questions for father. Where is he at the moment?"
"He is resting right now, but if I can help you in any way, I will."
Nina told Queen Hina about all of the recent events throughout the world and how Ryu believed them to be linked. She also asked Hina about any other news that might corroborate Ryu's thoughts.
"I disagree with you because these types of events occur all the time-but come to think of it, a Wind Courier just came from Nabal with news of the usually passive Grimfowls in Grimfowl Forest going insane. They have been uncontrollably attacking anyone who enters, and so near the Hippo-Dragon races during this time of year. We wouldn't want anything to happen to the riders or their prized mounts. King Friemont of Nabal sent soldiers into the forest, but they were sadistically pecked and burnt by the small bursts of flame emitted from the birds' mouths. Frederick and I were going to refuse his request since representatives from Tunlan are being sent, but I'm assuming you would like to check it out. Am I correct?"
"Yes," Ryu responded. "We will leave as soon as I have spoken with Lenwë Nimue about the puzzling text on the tablet from my dreams." Turning to Nina, Ryu sighed and said unexpectedly, "It looks like we'll have to ban together again." Again turning to the queen, "Your majesty, since Winlanders can travel throughout the world faster than anyone else, could you contact all of our companions from the final battle against Tyr and send for them to meet here?"
"I do not believe that the situation requires such drastic measures, but alright. Now, the other six were, Bo in Tantar, Karn in Bleak, Gobi in Prima, Ox in Gant, Bleu in Wisdon, and Mogu in Gramor, correct?"
"You are correct, your highness. Thank you."
"I hope Frederick approves of this, especially the idea of letting you, Nina, leave on another journey. He disapproved of it last time and would disapprove of it now, especially since you are possibly the object of an elaborate kidnapping scheme. Leave now, before he wakes up and prevents your departure."
"I love you, mother," Nina said with affection.
The group speedily exited the throne room, waving goodbye to Hina. Nina took them to the extensive library, which doubled as a school. Ryu, entering the two-story decorative and gigantic library, could hardly believe that it could fit inside Winlan's palace. There must have been thousands of books, scrolls, and manuscripts dating from recent times to hundreds of years old. On the side to the left of the main entranceway, there were stone tablets from various ruins throughout the world. Unlike Nina and Risinger who grew up in Winlan, Ryu, was not as acquainted with the library as they were, so he walked over to the tablets to see them up close. Nina and Risinger glanced at each other, and then followed Ryu over to the wall. Examining the tablets closely, Ryu could understand only one of them, which described the hidden traps inside Krypt.
A slender middle-aged man about six feet tall approached the group and greeted them in a refined manner, "Hello Princess Nina. I take it your time in Camlon was well spent?"
"Yes it was." Since Nina was sure that none of the tablets contained the same writing as what Ryu showed her, she stated their purpose outright, "We have to come to talk to Lenwë Nimue."
"What about, may I ask?"
"That is not to be discussed, yet, until we know more."
"Oh, I see. It is that confidential. He is in the classroom upstairs. You know where to find him."
Barely able to tear Ryu away from the tablets, Nina took him upstairs to meet with the great scholar. Finding Lenwë studying a parchment, Nina said to the elderly man, "Mr. Nimue?"
"Princess?" he replied. "What can I do for you today?"
"We would like for you to take a look at something, if you are not busy," said Nina timidly. "None of us have ever seen symbols like it before, so we naturally came to ask you, the authority on ancient languages."
"I saw the symbols in my dream last night," Ryu chimed in. "So logically I wrote down the few I remembered onto a piece of paper in case anyone could decipher them."
"From a dream? Dreams are only manifestations of our inner desires and feelings, young man," the teacher said, educating Ryu. "The symbols you dreamed of could be nothing more than figments of your imagination. If I were you, I would think nothing of them."
"But these dreams have just recently started occurring, and since a month or so ago, I've had them multiple times."
"It could be stress-related. Or maybe you are subconsciously quarrelling with your internal self about a fear or concern. Dreams tend to teach us about ourselves, but not in the way you appear to be thinking."
Realizing that he could not convince the stubborn old scholar with words, Ryu removed the scrap of paper from his pack and showed it to Lenwë. He took the paper from Ryu's hand and inspected very closely. Placing his hand upon his chin, he looked as if he were in a deep trance. Suddenly, he excitedly opened his mouth, causing Ryu, Nina, and Risinger to wait apprehensively for the words to reach their ears.