As they traveled, Katt accompanying Tiga, she began to think about
love, marriage...and Ryu. She looked over at Tiga. He was strong, brave,
and a good guy, this was true. But...it just wasn't 'love,' like it should
be. Tiga practically forced himself upon her, battling Ryu over her hand in
marriage. It was true that Ryu had lost...but she suspected...no, knew he
had held back. He told her to wait. "He might turn out to be a really great
guy," Ryu had said that night. Katt looked over at Tiga, who flashed a
toothy grin. She smiled back shyly, and delved back into her thoughts.
Ryu awoke the next morning with Sten and Nina in tow. The rest of the rebels had left and headed to Bando to find out how to get to the St. Eva church in Evrai. Ryu slowly equipped his gear, his mind occupied with other matters. What did he really think of Katt? Why hadn't he said anything to Tiga when the battle had occurred? Katt had asked him a question once, in between their journeys. The sorceress Bleu had joined their group, and Sten was prodding Ryu.
"The legendary sorceress Bleu likes you, besides Nina and Katt and the three Shamans and Nimufu...man, you are something else, Boss," the monkey said, grinning. He walked off and took a side-long glance at Bleu, half-drooling. Katt had been pacing near the stairs, and Ryu went up to talk with her.
Katt looked him in the eyes and spoke: "Some men find me attractive. What about you, Ryu?" Ryu merely blushed and didn't answer. He had a habit of not being too talkative.
Ryu was brought out of his thoughts by Nina's hand on his shoulder. "You seem a little sluggish this morning...need me to dress you?" the Windian princess chided, giggling. She handed him the rest of his gear as Ryu turned red. He quickly got himself ready and headed outside, where Sten was waiting, sharpening his Zip daggers.
"'Bout time you got here, Boss. Let's get going..." he said, nodding once to Nina and Ryu. Nina called her sister, the Great Bird Mina, and they climbed onto her back, flying off to Bando at amazing speeds. The trip was too short for Ryu to concentrate on anything, and they landed in front of the St. Eva church. When Ryu, Sten and Nina walked inside, the resistance members were searching for Father Manson, the leader of this church who transports the 'good believers' to Evrai. Ryu walked up to Katt and Tiga to ask what they found out, but before they were able to do anything, Katt walked under one of the St. Eva statues and whacked the base of it in frustration, which unexpectedly opened up a hole. Tiga promptly congratulated her, and sent Ryu and the others after the priest, seeing as how the leader of the resistance was claustrophobic.
Once inside, the group was overwhelmed by the stench of death. Skulls and bones and half-rotted corpses littered the ground. Nina nearly lost it, covering her mouth with her hand, but Sten helped steady the Princess, gently rubbing her back, which helped ease her stomach. She blushed lightly and thanked the Highlander warrior. Ryu was too busy looking around inside, both he and Sten used to death already. They began to trudge forward, Nina floating just above the ground to avoid touching the dead, while Ryu and Sten leapt nimbly over the bodies. Suddenly, a large man in thick, shining armor stepped out from the shadows.
"You cannot go any further, unbelievers!" the footman commanded, wielding a large, steel mace and a stout shield in his left hand. Ryu sliced his way through the shield with his powerful sword, the Empire Sword, as Sten used his Chuck Daggers to disarm the soldier, and Nina electrocuted the foolish opponent with a healthy sampling of Bolt X.
They continued on their way through the cavern, occasionally battling a few members of the undead, which were easily dispatched. Near the end of the first room, Father Manson darted from the shadows and fled down the stairs. Ryu and the group were in hot pursuit.
Down the stairs, two simple buttons lie on the floor, a left and right arrow, and a single door was in the room. They entered the room and found it completely empty. Nina looked puzzled, and Ryu shrugged his shoulders. As they left the room, Sten began juggling his daggers as he remained immersed in thought, only to trip over the right arrow button. The ground shook, and the door suddenly moved farther down the room, which was extending into a hallway! Sten got to his feet.
"Uh...oops?" he mused, half grinning from embarrassment and from his dumb luck. Ryu patted him on the shoulder, and they continued down the hall. The small room that had opened up contained a staff with a snake's head on the top, a weapon for Katt to use. They went back to the button, and Sten pressed it again, revealing more of the hallway. The third door contained two people, a young man and woman, locked in a jail cell. The pair were cursing at Father Manson and shivering in terror from being locked up inside. The fourth room contained a second pair, an old man and another woman. They were also in fear, but the woman began praying to St. Eva to be released. Ryu, Nina and Sten exchanged looks of worry, and clicked the right arrow button one last time, opening a room that led to Father Manson's hiding place.
Stone ledges surrounded the middle platform of the room, which was covered in statues (come back to this later). Father Manson saw Ryu and the others approaching.
"What is it that you want? I was only taking them to Evrai...it is what they wanted..." he mumbled, backing away. "I locked them up in the cells, because sooner or later, they will begin praising St. Eva...and their prayers give our God much strength!" The preacher had taken an insane glimmer to his eye, and he backed up far away from Ryu, who proceeded forward with Sten and Nina. "You cannot stop our God!" the Father shrieked, transforming into a hideous, bony demon, like the skeleton of a Dragon. He sent three zombies forward, which were disgusting, purple, rotting-fleshed creatures with no legs to speak of, their pelvic bones exposed to the air. Nina cried out and attacked them with a Flame spell, with Sten following suit, and Ryu attacking the first creature with his sword. The zombie in the front fell under the combined power of the attacks, while the other two remained, aflame and screeching. They rammed forward, slamming into Ryu's body. He counter-attacked one of them, which split apart and vanished, and the other crumpled from the flames on its body.
"Thank you for killing them...their anger was sent to our God! And now it's your turn!" Father Manson lunged into action, and Ryu, Nina and Sten readied their weapons and spells. For all of Father Manson's size and bulk, he was a pushover. Ryu transformed into a fire dragon, blasting the skeletal creature. Nina cast Bolt X upon the fiend, while Sten launched his Zip daggers into attack, stabbing the beast. Manson's efforts were pretty weak and useless. His attempt to Zombify Ryu only made things worse for himself, since it upped Ryu's strength dramatically. Ryu slashed straight through the creature's ribcage, gutting him completely, and a combined effort of Flame from Sten and Nina torched the organs, killing the monster. Manson staggered back to offer his final words.
"Ryu...a dragon clansman...he is strong, but our God is stronger...!" And with that, he disintegrated. They gained an item that allowed them to enter and exit the town of Evrai freely.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Katt and Tiga had dressed up, Tiga as Father Manson, Katt as a nun. They planned to surprise the group when they re-emerged...provided that they did come back...
"Tiga, do you think they're alright? I hope they aren't hurt...Ryu..." Katt asked, mumbling the last word so Tiga didn't hear.
"I'm sure they're fine, Ryu seems like a strong guy. He packed a wallop in our little scuffle...hehe. I'm sure they can take care of themselves." Tiga assured her, giving her a small pat on the shoulder and a quick hug. Katt smiled slightly, but she was not really that comfortable around Tiga just yet. Tiga and Katt's ears perked up, hearing some kind of noise from inside the darkened hole, and they quickly scattered into their positions. When a dirty Nina, Sten, and Ryu came out into the cathedral's sanctuary, they found their last assailant standing before them! Tiga quickly shucked the disguise, Katt doing likewise, both stifling a laugh. The group laughed and enjoyed the little joke, and everyone began leaving for Evrai. Ryu stayed behind, cleaning his sword, and Katt snuck away to talk to him.
"Ryu...are you mad at me for staying with Tiga?" she asked, looking at him with concealed sadness and anxiety. She didn't know what he would say...
"To be honest...yes. I am." Ryu responded, frowning a little. He thought he saw her eyes light up...and the Dragon's tear suddenly started flashing.
"Really!? Well...I don't want to marry him...he's a nice guy, but..." she trailed off, looking into Ryu's emerald eyes. "Tell everyone I'll return to them, eventually..." Katt said, and then quickly ran off to hide her joy. She knew Ryu had feelings for her! She could see it!
Disclaimer: I don't own this, Capcom does...I said that -last- time...
Ryu awoke the next morning with Sten and Nina in tow. The rest of the rebels had left and headed to Bando to find out how to get to the St. Eva church in Evrai. Ryu slowly equipped his gear, his mind occupied with other matters. What did he really think of Katt? Why hadn't he said anything to Tiga when the battle had occurred? Katt had asked him a question once, in between their journeys. The sorceress Bleu had joined their group, and Sten was prodding Ryu.
"The legendary sorceress Bleu likes you, besides Nina and Katt and the three Shamans and Nimufu...man, you are something else, Boss," the monkey said, grinning. He walked off and took a side-long glance at Bleu, half-drooling. Katt had been pacing near the stairs, and Ryu went up to talk with her.
Katt looked him in the eyes and spoke: "Some men find me attractive. What about you, Ryu?" Ryu merely blushed and didn't answer. He had a habit of not being too talkative.
Ryu was brought out of his thoughts by Nina's hand on his shoulder. "You seem a little sluggish this morning...need me to dress you?" the Windian princess chided, giggling. She handed him the rest of his gear as Ryu turned red. He quickly got himself ready and headed outside, where Sten was waiting, sharpening his Zip daggers.
"'Bout time you got here, Boss. Let's get going..." he said, nodding once to Nina and Ryu. Nina called her sister, the Great Bird Mina, and they climbed onto her back, flying off to Bando at amazing speeds. The trip was too short for Ryu to concentrate on anything, and they landed in front of the St. Eva church. When Ryu, Sten and Nina walked inside, the resistance members were searching for Father Manson, the leader of this church who transports the 'good believers' to Evrai. Ryu walked up to Katt and Tiga to ask what they found out, but before they were able to do anything, Katt walked under one of the St. Eva statues and whacked the base of it in frustration, which unexpectedly opened up a hole. Tiga promptly congratulated her, and sent Ryu and the others after the priest, seeing as how the leader of the resistance was claustrophobic.
Once inside, the group was overwhelmed by the stench of death. Skulls and bones and half-rotted corpses littered the ground. Nina nearly lost it, covering her mouth with her hand, but Sten helped steady the Princess, gently rubbing her back, which helped ease her stomach. She blushed lightly and thanked the Highlander warrior. Ryu was too busy looking around inside, both he and Sten used to death already. They began to trudge forward, Nina floating just above the ground to avoid touching the dead, while Ryu and Sten leapt nimbly over the bodies. Suddenly, a large man in thick, shining armor stepped out from the shadows.
"You cannot go any further, unbelievers!" the footman commanded, wielding a large, steel mace and a stout shield in his left hand. Ryu sliced his way through the shield with his powerful sword, the Empire Sword, as Sten used his Chuck Daggers to disarm the soldier, and Nina electrocuted the foolish opponent with a healthy sampling of Bolt X.
They continued on their way through the cavern, occasionally battling a few members of the undead, which were easily dispatched. Near the end of the first room, Father Manson darted from the shadows and fled down the stairs. Ryu and the group were in hot pursuit.
Down the stairs, two simple buttons lie on the floor, a left and right arrow, and a single door was in the room. They entered the room and found it completely empty. Nina looked puzzled, and Ryu shrugged his shoulders. As they left the room, Sten began juggling his daggers as he remained immersed in thought, only to trip over the right arrow button. The ground shook, and the door suddenly moved farther down the room, which was extending into a hallway! Sten got to his feet.
"Uh...oops?" he mused, half grinning from embarrassment and from his dumb luck. Ryu patted him on the shoulder, and they continued down the hall. The small room that had opened up contained a staff with a snake's head on the top, a weapon for Katt to use. They went back to the button, and Sten pressed it again, revealing more of the hallway. The third door contained two people, a young man and woman, locked in a jail cell. The pair were cursing at Father Manson and shivering in terror from being locked up inside. The fourth room contained a second pair, an old man and another woman. They were also in fear, but the woman began praying to St. Eva to be released. Ryu, Nina and Sten exchanged looks of worry, and clicked the right arrow button one last time, opening a room that led to Father Manson's hiding place.
Stone ledges surrounded the middle platform of the room, which was covered in statues (come back to this later). Father Manson saw Ryu and the others approaching.
"What is it that you want? I was only taking them to Evrai...it is what they wanted..." he mumbled, backing away. "I locked them up in the cells, because sooner or later, they will begin praising St. Eva...and their prayers give our God much strength!" The preacher had taken an insane glimmer to his eye, and he backed up far away from Ryu, who proceeded forward with Sten and Nina. "You cannot stop our God!" the Father shrieked, transforming into a hideous, bony demon, like the skeleton of a Dragon. He sent three zombies forward, which were disgusting, purple, rotting-fleshed creatures with no legs to speak of, their pelvic bones exposed to the air. Nina cried out and attacked them with a Flame spell, with Sten following suit, and Ryu attacking the first creature with his sword. The zombie in the front fell under the combined power of the attacks, while the other two remained, aflame and screeching. They rammed forward, slamming into Ryu's body. He counter-attacked one of them, which split apart and vanished, and the other crumpled from the flames on its body.
"Thank you for killing them...their anger was sent to our God! And now it's your turn!" Father Manson lunged into action, and Ryu, Nina and Sten readied their weapons and spells. For all of Father Manson's size and bulk, he was a pushover. Ryu transformed into a fire dragon, blasting the skeletal creature. Nina cast Bolt X upon the fiend, while Sten launched his Zip daggers into attack, stabbing the beast. Manson's efforts were pretty weak and useless. His attempt to Zombify Ryu only made things worse for himself, since it upped Ryu's strength dramatically. Ryu slashed straight through the creature's ribcage, gutting him completely, and a combined effort of Flame from Sten and Nina torched the organs, killing the monster. Manson staggered back to offer his final words.
"Ryu...a dragon clansman...he is strong, but our God is stronger...!" And with that, he disintegrated. They gained an item that allowed them to enter and exit the town of Evrai freely.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Katt and Tiga had dressed up, Tiga as Father Manson, Katt as a nun. They planned to surprise the group when they re-emerged...provided that they did come back...
"Tiga, do you think they're alright? I hope they aren't hurt...Ryu..." Katt asked, mumbling the last word so Tiga didn't hear.
"I'm sure they're fine, Ryu seems like a strong guy. He packed a wallop in our little scuffle...hehe. I'm sure they can take care of themselves." Tiga assured her, giving her a small pat on the shoulder and a quick hug. Katt smiled slightly, but she was not really that comfortable around Tiga just yet. Tiga and Katt's ears perked up, hearing some kind of noise from inside the darkened hole, and they quickly scattered into their positions. When a dirty Nina, Sten, and Ryu came out into the cathedral's sanctuary, they found their last assailant standing before them! Tiga quickly shucked the disguise, Katt doing likewise, both stifling a laugh. The group laughed and enjoyed the little joke, and everyone began leaving for Evrai. Ryu stayed behind, cleaning his sword, and Katt snuck away to talk to him.
"Ryu...are you mad at me for staying with Tiga?" she asked, looking at him with concealed sadness and anxiety. She didn't know what he would say...
"To be honest...yes. I am." Ryu responded, frowning a little. He thought he saw her eyes light up...and the Dragon's tear suddenly started flashing.
"Really!? Well...I don't want to marry him...he's a nice guy, but..." she trailed off, looking into Ryu's emerald eyes. "Tell everyone I'll return to them, eventually..." Katt said, and then quickly ran off to hide her joy. She knew Ryu had feelings for her! She could see it!
Disclaimer: I don't own this, Capcom does...I said that -last- time...